The rain turned soaking, so the three sought shelter in a nearby cave. Damian's performance overexerted him: his arms were shaking and had trouble lifting even lighter items. Xena took her boots off to check her leg; it was covered with bruises above her ankle. Luckily, the ground was uneven, so the log fell on her with full weight and didn't break her bones.

"Thank you for saving her," said Xena to Damian after a long silence.

"There's nothing to thank." He glanced at her. "It was my fault. The men who attacked us were led by that trapper I've spared earlier. I guess no good deed remains unpunished. If I slit his throat then, none of this would have happened. And not only I left him alive again, we missed the chance to get their horses."

"Don't beat yourself up just because you showed mercy."

Damian grimaced.

"You wouldn't say that if I couldn't have saved Gabrielle."

"I do," exclaimed Gabrielle. "I'm glad you were serious and did your best to avoid killing. Believe me, it's worth it."

"You gals are weird." Damian rolled his eyes and reached for his wineskin. He tried raising it to his lips, but his arms began shaking wildly.

"Let me help." Gabrielle went closer and supported his arm while he was drinking some water. "You know, the way you jumped after me… you could have died."

"I had faith in my abilities. If I hadn't risked it, the world would be a much darker place."

Gabrielle blinked with surprise, then smiled at Damian.

"You have a lovely smile," he added. "I feel better already."

"You should get some rest," said Xena, as Gabrielle's smile widened. "That was quite a feat you pulled off and with any luck, your arms will be in fighting condition by the time we reach Lyros. You should spare them as much as you can until then."

"Sure, mom!" grumbled Damian. "What about your legs? Will it heal in time?"

"I don't know. I won't flip too much, but I'll be able to fight. Does that amuses you?" she asked when Damian flashed a grin.

"In my mind, I replayed our fights many times, looking for mistakes on my part or flaws in your technique I failed to take advantage of."

"You really need a hobby."

"You're careless with your flips." Damian continued. "You land too close. I could use this against you, remember?"

"Thanks for the tip. I have one too: don't rely on speed and agility alone. Although it was enough to climb with Gabrielle, I almost ended our fight when I stopped you from jumping around."

"Almost." He smiled. "It is a fair sacrifice. I was always more prone to dexterity anyway. If you were too, maybe I'd have no advantage."

"Hope that you won't be proven wrong the hard way."

After a little early dinner, they got some sleep to their strength. As Gabrielle lay with closed eyes, she heard Damian's sighs and snorts while squirming on the ground.

"Are you alright?" She turned toward him.

"Sorry. My arms make sleeping hard."

"It's okay. I'm glad we all made it. I don't think I can get used to these situations."

Damian faintly smiled while watching Gabrielle, whose mouth also curled upward.

"What?" she asked.

"You remind me of what Lyros was. Before all that misery. Even though I strived for justice, without you, we would have killed each other with Xena already."

"Xena once said that revenge is hard to let go, and she was right. But forgiveness is not just about the other person. It helps you too moving on and to find peace."

Damian sighed.

"Ever since we met, I could only feel rage and hatred near her. It's more endurable now, but until this business is done - one way or the other -, it won't go away."

As he was looking at her with big eyes, Gabrielle realized that Damian was younger than she thought. Maybe even younger than her. He appeared much older with his cold glance and guard up.

"I'll do my best to let you sleep," he said finally, and rubbed his arm. Gabrielle watched him a little, then reached out and stroked his hair before returning to her bed.

By the first light, the rain finally stopped, and the trio rested enough to continue their journey. Seeing Xena's bizarre double-limp, Damian lent his staff to her. While walking, he tried his arms, but his face flinched whenever he attempted raising it.

"Damn! We're getting crippled before the fight that matters. Isn't there some kind of pinch trick for that?" he asked Xena.

"I can help with the pain, but it won't improve your fighting ability much," she replied. "The best you can do is rest it until we get to Lyros."

"Right."

A lengthy, quiet walk followed. Xena created theories about the mysterious monster while Gabrielle mentally prepared for her friend's trial, ensuring she forgets nothing. Finally, Damian broke the silence.

"I'm curious: do you have anyone to return to in Amphipolis or elsewhere?"

Xena was reluctant to talk about that, but she decided to satiate Damian's curiosity.

"I have a mother and brother there. They didn't approve of my old life," she added when Damian was about to speak. "But we rekindled our bond after I proved I've changed."

Gabrielle kept her distance from Xena and Damian, hoping that in private, they could talk through their differences. She was nevertheless ready to intervene if a fight seemed to start.

"And how do you cope with all your deeds?" Damian inquired. "Can you atone enough to ever wash away the guilt?"

Xena sighed.

"I don't know. All I can do is keep trying because I can't change the past." She lowered her voice and leaned closer. "If I won't survive this trip, because of the monster or the trial, I want you to escort Gabrielle back to Potidaea safely."

Damian looked at her.

"Of course. But I doubt she'd want me to if you're sentenced to die. And while I like her, my loyalty is to Lyros first. I'm prepared to lose her friendship."

"I'll try to make her understand."

"Also, speaking of the trial, I have an offer in case things won't go well for you. I may be able to convince the judge to execute you by combat."

Xena narrowed her eyes.

"You want to kill me yourself?"

"I'm the only one who can give you a warrior's death. If nothing else, I believe you deserve that much. And in case you think you'll have a chance of winning: you won't have your chakram with you. With a single sword you can't keep up with my speed, but I believe it would be spectacular enough to satisfy my countrymen."

"You had it all planned out already, have you?" smiled Xena sourly. Damian shrugged.

"I think it would be the best for everyone. If you prefer burning, hanging or something else Lyros cooks up for you, it's your decision. I thought you may want to die fighting instead."

The thought was surely more appealing for Xena than standard execution.

"I'll consider it."

Damian rolled his eyes.

"If you have to. But you have little more than a day. If we go by forced march, we arrive earlier, but unless you're absolutely sure we can win, I'd prefer to be rested."

"Nothing's sure. My legs need to heal, and a little more time for your arms would be useful. I doubt too much would happen in half a day. Not to mention the tension if I'm spending the night in Lyros with the monster still on the loose."

Damian nodded and put some distance between Xena and himself.

The trio agreed that they would continue with moderate pace to gather strength and arrive during the day. Gabrielle continued her storytelling, hoping that Damian would be more receptive by now. When she mentioned Princess Diana and Meg, the young man burst out in laughter.

"You made that one up."

"Believe me, I didn't."

Damian shook his head.

"I'd pay to see them. This is so absurd. Imagine all of us having such weird twins."

"Maybe we do," smiled Gabrielle.

Although the tension between Xena and Damian eased, his persistent humming and singing of Joxer the Mighty - missing lines on top of that - got tiresome after an hour. Xena and Gabrielle glanced at each other before the latter turned to Damian.

"You know… you could give that a little rest."

"Huh? Oh, I didn't even notice. It's a rather catchy song. Who is this Joxer anyway? I don't recall hearing about him."

"He's… umm… an… aspiring hero," answered Gabrielle carefully.

"Oh. I wish I'd live to hear people singing songs about me, but I'm not sure if we'll survive our task. Don't get me wrong, I'm not afraid of dying… much… but dying in vain is a scary thought."

"Nobody will die," insisted Gabrielle.

"Maybe. But some distraction wouldn't hurt until then."

"Then perhaps you could choose a different song," suggested Xena.

After some thinking, Damian began humming another tune, then began singing.

"Gloomy, dark clouds have arrived,

Bringing the eternal night.

Gather heroes of the land,

Together we shall see it end."

He gradually lightened up, extending his arms and spin around.

"If we unite, we are strong,

Right can prevail over wrong.

Evil's always on its own,

Forever stands and falls alone."

Gabrielle unwittingly smiled at his excitement. Damian stepped to her and took her hand.

"Come on, join in!"

Gabrielle began singing along, at first awkwardly, but she quickly attuned. As Xena watched them, they gave the impression of two innocent children, which only worsened her guilt. During the past days, she recalled her previous conquests, ranging from immediate surrender to disasters such as Cirra. She was thinking how many seemingly smooth victories ended up being a nightmare, like in Lyros.

She hushed the away the haunting memories and looked at the singing duo. Gabrielle changed much since they traveled together, and Xena wondered whether it was good or bad influence on her. But in case of Damian, she had no idea that under the dark avenger personality and cannibalistic ritual, there was still some innocence left. Maybe it wasn't too late for the rest of Lyros either.

"Nice song," Gabrielle said cheerfully after they finished singing.

"It was from my childhood," replied Damian. "A rather popular one in the village that brings back memories. Galenos, who sometimes gave me a freshly baked roll for free… Phoibe, who was always smiling, and bandaged my knee once when I fell… Athanas, the father of my friend who loved tinkering…" He sighed. "They're all gone now."

Gabrielle watched him with sad eyes.

"Xena knows a few songs too," she said, mainly because she did not know what to answer.

"Really?" He looked at Gabrielle, then Xena. "I must say, it is rather surprising. I didn't think anything other than 'aiyayayaya' can come out of you. Well, go on, sing something!"

"I'm not in the mood right now," answered Xena.

"That's too bad. You may not have the chance later."

Xena remained silent. Her memories were seeping to the surface again, and she felt powerless to stop them.

During the afternoon, the trio agreed to rest a little.

"I look around and see if there's any lake nearby," said Damian. "My water supply is getting low, and we had no chance of taking a bath since the last ambush… not counting the rain."

After he left, Gabrielle smiled at Xena.

"Look at that! He's now willing to take the risk of letting us completely out of sight."

"It's a good sign," Xena muttered as her friend sat down next to her.

"I think we have a good chance of convincing Lyros about your change. Damian promised an impartial judge and if he's coming around, maybe his people would too, after we helped them."

"I'm not sure it's that simple. I can't bring back those who died because of me."

"But you'll save those who would die without you," insisted Gabrielle. "That should matter too."

"We'll see."

Part of Xena wished Gabrielle could understand what she felt, but maybe she would need to lose too much of herself to completely grasp her struggle. The only comforting thought was that if she had to die, Gabrielle would be on her side until the very end. Still, her friend never saw what was she like before they met, and it crossed Xena's mind that she might turn from her if she would find out.

A twig cracked as Damian returned.

"I found nothing, but there has to be a lake on the way to Lyros. How's your leg?" he asked Xena. "Can you keep our current pace?"

"I'll manage," she replied.

"Good." He turned to Gabrielle. "I'd love to practice with staff, but I suppose it's best to rest my arms."

"We should save our strength as much as possible."

Damian nodded, and after gathering their stuff, they resumed their journey. Fortunately, before dark, they found a lake where they could have a bath and refill their wineskins. Although the water was cold, it helped with Xena's swollen legs.

"It looks bad," said Gabrielle with a grimace when she saw the bruises.

"I had worse," her friend replied. "We don't have time to wait for it to heal completely."

She looked at Damian, who bathed farther from them, while carefully trying his arms. He appeared to recover at a faster rate than Xena. Upon noticing her watching him, Damian turned to the woman with frequent blinks.

"I suppose we're as ready as we can be." She looked back at Gabrielle.

"If we camp when it darkens and resume at first light, we'll arrive to Lyros by morning," said Damian. "By tomorrow night, we'll preferably be through this monster hunt. I prefer heroic exploits a little farther from home."

"As we all," replied Xena. The closer they got, the more nervous she became. She was less worried about the monster than facing her victims.

"I wish we wouldn't have met under such ill-starred circumstances." Damian turned to Gabrielle.

"Maybe once this is over, it will be more cheerful."

"Maybe…" He glanced away.

They kept a steady pace, occasionally stopping to eat or rest for a few minutes. Although Xena's leg hurt more and more, she never gave voice to it and they only made camp when it got too dark to see the road. Making fire proved a little difficult, as the wood was still wet from the rain. Xena went to find more dry firewood.

"What are you smirking at?" asked Damian when he saw Gabrielle smiling at him.

"You're much calmer than days ago."

"I don't have to be on the edge anymore. I suppose Xena won't try getting out of that promise after all."

"And you're finally calling her Xena."

Damian bent his eyebrows as if he would only now realize that.

"Apparently so. Make no mistake, I'd still stick a dagger through her eye. However, feel free to tell another story about the heroic exploits you two had."

Gabrielle chose their encounter with Cortese. She refrained from it before, as she found it too personal for her friend, but Gabrielle thought it may help Damian feel some sympathy for Xena. He was captivated as she dramatically introduced the villain who set Xena on her dark path. Gabrielle was about to reveal the twist when the king of a small village turned out to be Cortese when they heard a mournful song coming from the woods. Damian instinctively put his hand on his sword, but they quickly realized it was Xena's voice.

"What's that?" he asked Gabrielle, mesmerized.

"It is a funeral song. I've heard her singing it a few times but I don't know what happened now."

They kept listening until, after a few minutes, the song ended, Xena appeared with some firewood.

"Is… everything alright?" inquired Gabrielle, worried.

"Yes." Her friend forced a smile on her face. "I just… felt the need to do that."

Damian watched her with an unreadable face. He seemed like he was about to say something, but eventually he unpacked some leftover food and began eating without a word.

After they finished their dinner, the trio was preparing to sleep. Xena made her bed as close to the fire as she dared. Damian watched Gabrielle laying hers next to Xena.

"It's… rather nippy tonight." He told her and rubbed his arm.

"Yes," Gabrielle agreed. "And the ground hasn't completely dried yet."

"You know… we could, khm, sleep… together."

Xena let out an irritated moan and focused on arranging her bed. Gabrielle blinked at Damian with wide eyes.

"What?"

"You know… khm, cuddle together. For the warmth," he added quickly.

"Oh. Oh!" Gabrielle awkwardly giggled. "Sorry, I… misunderstood it."

"It would be awkward with Xena around," he chuckled. "No, it's really just sleeping… if you're okay with it."

Gabrielle was pondering. She liked Damian, but it was quite intimate, and she was unsure if she would be comfortable with it. Since the death of Perdicus, she did not desire the company of other men that much. Still, Damian didn't strike her as someone who would abuse the situation.

"Well… okay."

They made their beds next to each other's, and with some reservation, Gabrielle snuggled to him, laying her head on Damian's shoulder. Covered by both blankets, along with the flustering situation quickly warmed her up. Damian wrapped his arm around her and despite of her expectation, Gabrielle did not feel uncomfortable or tense. She fell asleep after a few minutes. Damian looked at her and a small smile appeared on his face before closing his eyes.

After a while, Xena turned toward them with a sour expression. 'Sleep together for warmth' was the most transparent excuse to spend the night together. She could not see Damian's hand under the blanket, but Xena was certain he was already groping Gabrielle's butt while she was sleeping. Or maybe she was awake and just liked it?

Xena considered making up something to turn them off, but quickly shooed away the petty thought. Whatever Gabrielle had been doing, it was her business. She did her best to ignore them and get some sleep herself. Tomorrow would be a rough day.