Rated G
Date Written: March 10-18, 2001
E-mail: sinbody@denvermail.com (Please send me feedback; I want to know
what you think!)
Author's Note/Summery: Xena comes into contact with
someone that causes her to relive scenes from her dark past. Takes place after "To Helicon and
Back." Even though Xena is telling
Gabrielle the story, the flashbacks are still in third person in order to make
the story more understandable.
The sun was shinning brightly creating patches of shadows
throughout the entire forest.
Gabrielle's quill moved quickly across the scroll as she recorded the
most recent story of her adventures with the Warrior Princess. Xena sat beside the bard, polishing her most
precious weapon--her chakram. Gabrielle
looked up from her scroll and glanced at her friend before continuing her writing.
The two continued to work in silence until Xena heard a twig
crack within the forest. Before she had
time to stand up, a man came staggering toward them. Xena ran up to him, grabbing him as he fell to the ground. Gabrielle put her scroll down and rushed
over to them.
The man's face was covered with cuts and bruises, a small
stream of blood trickling down from his forehead. There was a gash in his side that, by the look of it, had been
there for quite some time. He was
gasping and wheezing, trying to catch his breath.
"Gabrielle, get some bandages!"
Gabrielle did as she was told and quickly took them out of a
satchel. She handed them to Xena and
Xena began to bandage his head to stop the bleeding. She wrapped one bandage around the wound at his side but it was
so deep and so sever that she really didn't think that she would be able to
save him.
"What happened?"
Gabrielle asked.
The man finally caught his breath and began to speak. "I was attacked by a group of warriors who
were trying to stop me from delivering a very important message."
"A message?" Xena
asked.
"Yes." He replied,
gasping. "I need to find a woman who
goes by the name of Xena, Warrior Princess."
"I'm Xena."
"You're Xena? Oh,
thank the gods I found you." He began
to cough up blood and Xena knew that he didn't have much time. "I have…a message for you."
He lifted his hand and reached inside of a small bag
strapped to his waist. He retrieved a
small piece of parchment and handed it to Xena. She unfolded the note and read it. As she did so, her eyes widened and her face turned white. Shock and fear showed in her eyes.
"What is it, Xena?"
Xena didn't answer her friends question, she didn't even
look up. She just sat there, staring at
the parchment.
"Xena?" Gabrielle
asked again, concerned about Xena.
She tapped Xena's shoulder and she turned her head to see
Gabrielle looking down at her. "Are you
okay?"
"Gabrielle…we have to go."
Xena looked back at the man.
"How did you find--" She started
but then she realized that he had died.
Xena stood up and started to pack up her things.
"Xena, where are we going?
What's going on? What did the
note say?"
"It has to do with a person from my past, long before I met
you. See for yourself."
Xena handed Gabrielle the note and continued to pack up her
things. Gabrielle read it and then
looked at her.
"Xena, who's Ralna and why would she attack your hometown?"
Xena placed her chakram at her side and her sword in its'
scabbard. "We were partners in war a
long time ago but she was always competing against me, trying to show that she
was better than I was. She was always
jealous of me because…Ares…favored me over her."
"Ares?" She
retorted, surprised.
"Yes. Ralna and I
were close but over time we drew further and further apart until she deserted
my army. I never saw her again after
that. Now, I'm guessing she is after my
hometown to get back at me."
"I don't understand.
What would drive her to do that?"
Xena sighed. "It's a
long story."
"I have time."
Gabrielle told her as she packed up her scroll and quill into her
satchel.
Xena mounted Argo II.
Gabrielle attached the satchel to her white stallion and then she too
mounted.
"Very well. If you
want to understand the present, you first will have to understand what happened
in the past."
The two of them started off down the road to Amphipolis as
Xena began to tell the tale.
"It all started about a week after the birth of my son,
Solan. I had gathered together all of
my warriors who were still loyal to me and not to Dagnine and created a small
but efficient army. I had appointed
Darphus as my head lieutenant and we had finally arrived at Elis, a small town
on the Ionian Sea. We needed supplies
and my men were getting antsy, they needed something to do and conquering a
village was the best medicine for them.
Night had fallen upon us and we were camped on the outskirts of the
town…"
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Xena was sitting inside of her tent, reviewing a map of the
places she intended on conquering. She
wore a long black warrior's dress, with a golden breastplate and
gauntlets. She had a long cap that
draped over her right shoulder, almost Roman style. Her sword had golden hilt imbedded with blue sapphires, round and
smooth, which was lying on the table beside her. Her raven tresses hung on her shoulders as she took a sip from a
goblet of wine.
"Great Xena." A
rugged looking warrior said, walking into the tent.
She looked up from the map and seemed to pierce his soul
with her crystal blue orbs. "Darphus,
I'm busy. What could be so important
that it couldn't wait until morning?"
"There is…someone her to see you, my Queen. She says she wants to join our army. We tried to stop her but she was very
persistent."
Xena shifted her eyes.
"Very well. Send her in." She commanded.
Darphus turned around and gestured to the guard outside the
tent to come in. The guard walked in
with the woman beside him. She was a
medium height woman with burgundy hair pulled back behind her head. Her eyes were a deep shade of brown that
stared at Xena firmly but not in a way that would threaten. She was dressed in warriors cloths--a
leather top with a silver breastplate, ornately decorated silver gauntlets, a
leather Roman warrior's style skirt with tassetes reaching down to her knees
lined with silver threads and knee high leather boots. Strapped to her left side was an elegant sword;
the hilt ornately shaped to match the style of the gauntlets.
Xena looked at her, not knowing what to think. She seemed so strong and brave, much like
Xena herself. Xena waved her hand at
Darphus and the guard. "Leave us."
They bowed and then did as their leader commanded. When they had left, Xena picked up a small
dagger and began to fiddle with it, moving it back and fourth between her
fingers as she looked at the woman before her.
"So…you think you've got what it takes to be a part of my
army?"
"You are the reason I became a warrior. I have admired you since the first time I
heard about your conquests throughout Greece."
"Hmm. What is your
name, girl?"
"My name is Ralna, daughter of Rhiannon, Goddess of the
Horse."
"So, does that mean you're a goddess? Oh, I would be invincible with a goddess on
my side." Xena grinned devilishly,
thinking of the possibilities.
Ralna shook her head.
"No. My father was mortal. He was a simple farmer who abandoned me when
I was twelve after he found out that I was the daughter of a goddess. He was afraid of my powers. My mother raised me from then on, teaching
me everything I needed to know.
Throughout my teenage years, I became a well renowned horse breeder;
only the strongest and most beautiful horses were produced at my stables. Naturally, they were the best because their
distant ancestors had been horses bred by the gods. All of my horses had divine blood running through their veins but
they could die; they were not immortal.
They were just more magnificent than any other horse on earth."
Xena listened intently to everything this woman said. "Who is Rhiannon? I don't recognize that as a name of any Greek god."
"That's because she's not.
She is a Celtic goddess from the land of Britannia. I'm not Greek."
Xena stood up and walked over to Ralna, circling her. "What powers do you possess?" Xena inquired.
"I was gifted with the power to see into peoples minds, know
what they are thinking and I can't grow old.
I can die, though."
"That's good, very good.
You could be very useful when I go up against my opponent. You could find out what their plans are."
"Uh-huh." Ralna
replied, smiling.
Xena walked back to the table and retrieved the dagger she
had been holding before. She then
walked back to Ralna. "So, what made
you turn from being a horse breeder to being a warrior?"
"As I got older, I felt like I needed to do more with my
life than just being a horse breeder. I
wasn't sure what I needed but it was clear to me when I heard about your
conquests. You inspired me to become a
warrior and since then, I have dreamed about joining your army, fighting side
by side with the Great Xena, Destroyer of Nations."
"Well, Ralna, I don't know what kind of a fighter you are
but with your powers, you could be very useful to me and my army."
"Does this mean that I am accepted into your army?"
"Yes it does. But
first you must be initiated so that you can forever be a part of my army." Xena walked up to her. "Give me your arm." Ralna did and Xena took it, holding the
dagger in her other hand. Quickly she
slide the dagger across the skin of her upper arm, etching an 'X' signifying
that she was now part of her army.
Ralna flinched as she did so but it was quick and pain wasn't completely
unbearable. "There, now you are
officially a part of my army. When the
wound heals, it will form a scare, forever showing that you work for the
Destroyer of Nations."
"Thank you, Princess Xena.
I won't let you down. And for a
token of my appreciation, I have brought for you a gift. Follow me."
Ralna left the tent with the Warrior Princess following
behind her. Standing outside, next to
the tent, was a horse unlike any Xena had ever seen. The horses' fur was golden and its' mane was pure white.
Xena walked up to the magnificent beast and touched its'
soft, velvety nose as Ralna looked at her.
"Her name is Argo, the most spectacular horse that had ever been born in
my stables. I thought that no one would
deserve her more than you, Xena. Just
think--atop Argo you will look just as commanding off the field as on and your
enemies will know you as the fierce warrior that rides the golden steed. You will have become the most feared woman
in the entire known world."
Xena smiled as she petted Argo, her knew horse. "I like it." She grinned.
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"So, it was Ralna who gave you Argo? You know, Xena she doesn't seem like an evil
person. It sounds like she was just
looking for an identity and she thought that you could give it to her." Gabrielle said.
"Yes, she was searching for an identity, Gabrielle but she
soon proved to be just as cruel and ruthless as I was. She became a good friend of mine, something
that, at the time was very strange because I had never had a friend
before. I believed that friends were
just a waste of time. The only friend I
had before Ralna was myself."
"So, what happened?
Where does Ares fit into all of this?"
Gabrielle wondered, curious to see what happened next.
"Be patient and I will get there." Xena told her companion.
"The next day, Ralna and I were prepared to take the village of
Elis. And that was the first day that I
met Ares, the first time I felt his presence around me…"
~ .*. ~ .*. ~ .*. ~
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Xena's army was lined up on the hill above the village. The Warrior Princess was seated atop her
beautiful golden mare with Ralna on her left and Darphus on her right, both
seated on their own horses.
"When do we attack?"
Darphus asked.
"When I give the word."
Xena told him.
She looked at Ralna.
"This is your chance to prove yourself to me, Ralna. I am putting you in charge of leading my
army to victory. You ready?"
"Yes, my Queen.
Whatever you want I will deliver."
"That's good.
Now…go."
Ralna nodded her head and then guided her horse out in front
of the soldiers, lined up and ready for battle. They were silent, awaiting her command knowing that they must
obey her like they obeyed Xena.
Ralna raised her hand high in the air, sword in hand. "Do not harm the women and children. Take everything we need and raise the
village to the ground. Now…lets take
the village!!" She shouted, galloping
down the hill toward Elis with the rest of the warriors running behind her.
The sound of battle cries filled the air as they descended
down the hill. Xena watched them from
her position at the top of the hill.
People were screaming and running in all directions as the soldiers
began to round them up. Many of the
village men had swords and tried to fight the soldiers but often died before
they were able to strike a blow. Ralna
was a skilled warrior, Xena could see that, but she wasn't as good as
herself. Xena knew that she was going
to need to learn much more about the art of war.
Once they had killed all the men that had resisted and
rounded up the rest of the villagers, Ralna sent a group of soldiers to gather
anything they could salvage from the buildings that could be of use to
them--food, weapons, and tools. When
they had gathered everything they could find, they lit torches and threw them
into the buildings. They then retreated
back to Xena with their village hostages as Elis went up in flames, the smell
of smoke filling the air.
Xena smiled contently at the sight she saw and it was then
that she felt something around her. She
could feel a presence of some kind all around her that caused shivers to run up
and down her back. It was like nothing
she had ever felt before; so exhilarating.
It seemed so powerful and strong that she couldn't control herself.
Xena looked around but there was no one to be seen. She had no idea what was causing the
wonderful sensations within her body, overloading her senses. She closed her eyes to soak it all in and as
she did so, she felt as if a pair of strong hands began to wrap around her
waist firmly even though she could not see anyone behind her. The feeling was unimaginable and it filled
her with pleasure.
"Marvelously preformed, my dear." Someone whispered seductively in a deep, soothing voice.
Xena quickly opened her eyes. "Who are you?"
Suddenly, there was an explosion of brilliant azure light
and when she looked back to see what it was, she found a handsome man sitting
behind her on the horse, still holding onto her slime waist.
He grinned. "Just
call me…an admirer."
Xena smiled at him and then dismounted as he followed her
lead. Once on the ground, he stood in
front of her. She could now see clearly
what he looked like. He was clad in a
black leather vest and black leather pants and boots. Hanging from his left ear was a silver earring in the shape of a
sword with a scull on top of it and around his neck was a matching necklace. His curly hair was a black as ebony,
shinning brilliantly in the summer's sun.
A small, neatly trimmed beard surrounded his lips. His eyes seemed to pierce her soul; the soft
brown irises were so amazing. His arms
were well muscled; his skin was a deep tan.
Hanging on his left side was the most glorious sword Xena had ever
seen. There was a ruby placed on the
very top of the hilt, sunlight refracting off of it.
Xena wasn't sure of what to make of the spectacular man
before her. He was so stunning and she
had never seen any man like him in all her life. "You seem so familiar to me.
I feel like I know you somehow."
"I am your number one fan.
I have admired you from afar.
You're the most impressive, cunning and…beautiful warrior I have ever
seen. The only warrior I have ever seen
that is better than you…is me."
A smirk appeared on her face. "I know who you are now.
Only one person could love every aspect of combat as much as I do and
that would be Ares, the God of War."
Ares chuckled, swaggering up to her. "Yes.
That is who I am." He gently
lifted her hand, placing a kiss upon it.
"Until we meet again, my dear Xena."
He said before he was gone from sight.
"Ares… Hmm." She whispered under her breath.
Xena turned around as Ralna came toward her. The other soldiers were behind her, leading
the surviving villagers.
"What do you want us to do with the prisoners, my
queen?" Ralna asked.
Xena mounted Argo once more. "Release them. We have no
use for them. We have gathered all the
supplies we need and their village is raised.
Our work here is done. Now, get
back to camp. Move out."
Ralna was a little confused by Xena's orders but she didn't
protest, she just did as she was told and let them go without a word of
objection. Xena turned Argo around and
Ralna followed her as they went back to camp; Darphus and the rest of the men
behind them.
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"I can't believe you let the villagers go. I would have thought that in those days you
would have just killed them or sold them as slaves."
"I didn't think that it was necessary, Gabrielle. Besides, at the time when I had made the
decision to let them go, I had been a little distracted by Ares' visit. He was just…unlike anyone I had ever
seen. His soul was dark like mine was;
I knew we were the perfect match."
"Was it love at first sight?"
Xena looked down at the ground and then back at the
bard. "I'm not really sure how to
explain how I felt. Love wasn't really
a word that I knew the meaning to back then.
I was a ruthless warrior; the only love in my heart was the love for a
good battle. I suspect that Ares felt
the same way. But I will tell you one
thing--after our first meeting, our relationship started to become
more…intimate. And that evening, when
Ares gave me a gift, Ralna's jealousy for me began…"
~ .*. ~ .*. ~ .*. ~
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The evening was warm and calm. Xena's army was still camped on the hill above the place where
the village of Elis once stood. Xena
was standing in the forest away from the camp, improving her skills. She practiced her flips and kicks, swinging
her sword in the air as if she were in combat.
Xena stopped as quickly as she'd begun, closing her eyes and
feeling the silence. She had to keep
her body as well as her senses in tip-top shape if she hoped to continue her
warrior prowess. Suddenly, she felt the
wonderful presence of the war god all around her. She quickly opened her eyes and swung her sword, screeching at
the top of her lungs. Sparks flew in
all directions as it met Ares' sword, still invisible to the eye.
He appeared in front of her. "You know, you are the only mortal I have ever known who is able
to sense when I am around before I become visible. You're remarkable."
"It's a gift." She
beamed.
"You're skills as a warrior are…unmatched by anyone. Let me give you something that will increase
your ability, that will add even more fear to those who hear your name."
"Xena, you said you wanted to teach me some moves so here I
am." Ralna interrupted as she walked
toward them.
An annoyed look grew on his face when he heard Ralna's
voice. He wanted her to leave so that
he could have time with his chosen.
Ares turned around as Xena walked up beside him.
When Ralna saw Ares, she looked at him cock-eyed. "Who is this, Xena?"
"This is the great and fearsome God of War." Xena responded.
"Oh yes--Ares. I
know who you are now. You are
considered the greatest of all the war gods in the world and ever since the day
I came to Greece, I have made sacrifices to you. You are my patron god."
Xena's eyes grew icy when Ralna uttered the words 'patron
god'. She knew very well, as did Ares
that there was only one mortal for him and that was Xena.
"Ralna, I'm busy at the moment so I'll teach you the moves
later."
"But--"
"Do as I say or pay the consequences."
Ralna was a little angry with her because Xena had chose to
ignore her promise but Ralna did as she was told and left. But she didn't completely leave. She wanted to hear what Xena thought was so
important that it couldn't wait. She
stood amidst the foliage so that they couldn't see her but still within
earshot.
"Ares, I thought you were my patron god?!" Xena snapped, smacking him on the shoulder.
Ares grabbed her hand and forcefully held it. "Hey, don't get all angry at me. I did nothing." He let go of her arm.
"She gave sacrifices to me, yes but they meant nothing to me, she
meant nothing to me. You are my chosen,
you always have been and you always will be.
I could care less about her."
Anger began to build within Ralna. She could not believe what he had said--she was nothing to
him. Jealously boiled within her heart,
jealousy that came from seeing Xena with Ares, the only Greek god she ever
admired.
"Now, that you've calmed down, I want to give you
something."
Ares lifted a hand and in it materialized a round, metal
object. Its outer edge was razor sharp,
almost cutting Xena's hand. It was
polished to a shinny finish; on one side was a Greek design forming nine
squares along the edges of the inside ring painted gold with aquamarine colored
stones in the middle of each square and the opposite side was the same way
except that they were anvil shaped. He
handed it to her and it gave off a sense of power as she took it. It almost created a humming noise in her hands.
Xena looked at it in wonder. "What is it?"
"It's called a chakram.
I got it just for you, my princess."
"How does it work?"
She asked, twirling it around in her fingers.
"Here. Let me show
you." He walked around her so he was
standing at her back. He gently held
her hand. "Like this." He guided her as he helped her throw it.
It ricocheted off the trees in the forest, making a whirring
sound as it did so. Finally, it came
flying back to them as Ares reached out to grab it.
"Wow. That's impressive. Once I learn how to use it, I could do some
real damage." Xena grinned evilly.
"And it will always return to its thrower. It can crack even the most sturdy of swords
in half, rip flesh to shreds, hit a target with amazing accuracy and it can be
heard spinning through the air long before it is ever seen by your enemies."
"It is the spectacular weapon I have ever seen, Ares."
"I'm glad you like it."
Ares dropped the chakram to the ground and started to stroke
her shoulders sensually. He leaned his
head against her; his breath could be felt along her neck. He took in the sweet smell of her hair and
she closed her eyes. "Did anyone ever
tell you how beautiful you are?"
"Hmm…" She answered,
her eyes still tightly shut.
Ares began to dive around her neck, covering her with his
soft kisses. He quickly turned her
around and before she had time to react or even open her eyes, his mouth had
covered hers. Desire and lust ran
through his veins, he had never felt so strongly about any mortal before. Xena's breaths increased as the god brought
a sense of pleasure to her that she had never experienced.
Ralna looked on as she watched them fall to the ground in
each other's arms. While their hearts
were filled with ardor, Ralna's was filled with jealousy. She wanted to be the one with Ares
and she wanted the invincible weapon for herself. Xena didn't deserve that kind of weapon; she didn't deserve Ares. After all, she was only mortal and Ralna was
a half god. A god would have been
perfect for her. Ralna was going to get
back at Xena no matter what it took.
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"Ralna's heart was really filled with vengeance towards
you."
"Yes, Gabrielle, it was.
And it isn't over yet."
"You know, Xena, it is really hard to believe that the man
you had such a close relationship with so long ago is the same man who you now
hate."
Xena stopped her horse, and looked at Gabrielle. "I don't hate Ares. Our past history together wouldn't allow me
to hate him. It's just that he is wrong
for me. He's the past and I can't go
back to that."
"But he loves you, you know."
"I know but it can never be." Xena sighed with a hint of sadness in her eyes and then cleared
her throat. "Gabrielle, it's getting
late. I think we should stay here
tonight and then continue our travel tomorrow."
"You're right."
Gabrielle replied.
They dismounted their horses and started to set up
camp. When they finished, they caught
themselves a rabbit and cooked it for dinner.
After they'd eaten, the two friends got ready for bed. Xena took off her armor and her weapons and
laid them on the ground near the campfire.
Gabrielle did the same as she placed her sais on the ground and then
crawled under her blanket.
"So, are you going to finish the story or what?" Gabrielle asked, looking over at Xena who
was lying down beside her.
"Okay. As you know
Ralna was bent of revenge…towards me."
"Yeah."
"Well, it was a few days after the meeting in the forest
that I found out about Ralna's jealousy…"
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Xena and her army were headed toward the village of Marama,
just another village to conquer. Xena
was eventually planning to conquer all of Greece and Marama was just one step
closer to her conquest of Athens. Ralna
was still loyal to Xena; she kept her jealousy a secret. Ares visited Xena all the time, which
created an even larger gap between she and Ralna.
Xena was riding Argo at the head of her army with Ralna
beside her. As they drew closer to the
perimeter of the town, they were attacked by a small group of scouts guarding
the town from intruders. Xena halted
her advance toward them.
"Do you really think that you…six soldiers are going to stop
my army?" She challenged.
"It is our duty to protect Marama from invaders!" One of the guards shouted.
The guards then attacked Xena and her men. Xena signaled to Darphus and he took a group
of soldiers to attach the guards. Xena
and Ralna stayed back and watched as Darphus and her men pulverized the
guards. All of the guards were defeated
except one who managed to get away. He
ran back to the village as Darphus followed him in hot pursuit.
"Darphus!!" Xena
yelled. Darphus stopped chasing the
guard and turned back to Xena. "Let him
go. We've still got the upper
hand. Doesn't matter if he warns the
village about our coming attack, Marama will still be easy to take. It will just be more fun for us if they know
we are coming."
Darphus and the soldiers came back to Xena as she turned to
Ralna.
"Ralna, I want you to go down there and find out what they
are planning. It will be much easier
for us to conquer them if we know what they are thinking. And thanks to your gift, we have the ability
to do so."
"Yes, Xena. It will
be done." Ralna nodded her head and
then galloped off towards Marama.
"You know, I don't trust her." Ares said, materializing next to Xena, seated on a horse as black
as the midnight sky.
"What's not to trust?
She has done everything I have asked of her."
"Well, if I were you I wouldn't turn my back on her."
"Ares, are you jealous?
Yes, I think you are." Xena
laughed. "You're worried that she will
become more important to me than you."
She smirked.
"What? No. I know that could never happen."
Xena moved her horse closer to his and leaned forward. "You're right. No one's more important to me than you and I want it to stay that
way."
Xena put her arms around his neck and captured his lips with
hers. He snapped his fingers and they
instantly appeared in a lavishly decorated room. Xena and Ares lay on a silk bed embraced in each other until
finally, Xena pushed him away.
"Ares, I can't do this now.
I've got to get back to my army.
I have a village to conquer."
Xena stood up as Ares followed her. "You're right. War must always come first. I should know. We can do
this later." He kissed her on the
cheek. "See you later, Xena." He put his arm on her and she reappeared
back on her horse in the same position as if she had never left.
Xena looked around and then went over to Darphus. "Have you seen Ralna? She should have been back by now."
"No, my queen. She
hasn't returned. Shall I prepare the
troops for battle?"
Xena took a moment to answer. She was beginning to believe that maybe Ares had been right about
Ralna--that she couldn't be trusted.
"Yes, get the troops ready."
When the soldiers were ready and lined up for combat, Xena
led them toward Marama. As they headed
toward the town, Xena saw the gates of Marama open and a large army leave the
city walls. Xena stopped as she watched
them come toward her. The army was
larger that Xena's but Xena knew that she would be able to take them.
As the army drew closer, Xena realized that there was
someone very familiar leading them.
"Ralna?!" She gasped.
Ralna cackled. "Yes,
Xena, it's me." She replied stopping
about 20 paces in front of her.
"But why?"
"Why? Well, I'll
tell you why. It's because of Ares."
"What?"
"Ares choose you over me.
I should be with him. You don't
deserve him, Xena."
"Don't you think you are overdoing it a little?"
"No. I don't. You always thought that I was just a young
girl looking for answers. You thought
that I needed you but in truth, you were the one who needed me. You just wanted to exploit me and use me to
your own ends. And so when I saw you in
the forest with Ares after you had promised to teach me some new sword moves, I
knew that you didn't care at all about me.
All you cared about was Ares."
Xena looked at Ralna with rage in her eyes. "You will pay for your betrayal!"
"You aren't in any position to make demands, Xena." Ralna looked back at the army behind
her. "Attack!!" She cried out.
"Charge!" Xena
shouted. "Take no prisoners, kill every
last one!"
Darphus and the rest of her soldiers attacked Ralna's troops
while Xena proceeded to take Ralna in one on one combat. They both dismounted their horses and
charged each other full force. Their
swords clashed, war cries echoing through the air. Their two armies continued to fight until finally, Xena's army
defeated them. Xena's army had killed
every one of the cities soldiers and so Ralna was forced to retreat. Before Xena had a chance to take Ralna
hostage, she ran for her horse and mounted quickly.
"You didn't win here, Xena!
I will get my revenge…sooner or later!
Of this you can be sure!" She
shouted, galloping away.
Xena went back to Argo and mounted. She gathered together the rest of her army
who hadn't been killed. Even though
Xena's army had won, the battle had left her with less than half the men
alive. She knew she would have to
recruit more warriors but at the moment all she cared about was getting her
revenge against Ralna. She had trusted
Ralna and Ralna betrayed her. Xena had
hatred in her heart toward Ralna and she would do anything in her power to get
back at her.
~ .*. ~ .*. ~ .*. ~
.*. ~ .*. ~ .*. ~ .*. ~ .*. ~ .*. ~ .*. ~ .*. ~
"I never saw Ralna again after that. And now I find that I have to face her all
over again."
"It's amazing what jealousy can do to a person. I can't believe that she would hold a grudge
against you for this long. It's
been--what, thirty-five years? You
would have thought that she would just put it all behind her."
"It's kind of like Caesar all over again, huh?"
"Yeah. I guess it
is." Gabrielle replied. "But wouldn't Ralna be really old by now?"
"Don't forget, Gabrielle, she can't grow old. The immortal blood in her veins won't allow
her to age. If she isn't killed, she
can virtually live forever looking exactly the same as she did long ago."
"So, how much further until we reach Amphipolis?"
"We should be there very soon. It's just over this hill."
Xena continued to ride over the hill until they reached
Amphipolis. But it was not what they
had remembered it to be. There wasn't a
building in sight, only piles of ashes where houses once stood. Small fires were scattered everywhere,
clouds of smoke filling the air making it hard to see. There were bodies of dead villagers lying on
the ground, covered with blood. Xena
was shocked at the sight she saw. She
dismounted along with Gabrielle and they led their horses into the destroyed
village.
"Oh, Xena, I'm so sorry."
Gabrielle said putting her hand on her friends shoulder.
Xena didn't answer but instead her eyes began to fill with
tears. "I-I can't believe she would do
this. My home, the place I grew up
is…gone. Completely gone."
"What are we going to do?"
"I-I don't know."
"I'll tell you, Xena."
Ralna said, walking toward them.
Xena looked up at her with eyes still filled with
tears. "Ralna."
"That's right it's me…again. You know, I know how you have changed your ways and how you help
people, the innocent. You have become
such a softy. I, on the other hand,
have become more powerful than you could have ever dreamed. I've been waiting for this encounter for a
long time."
"Why?" Xena asked.
"Because…of Ares. I
thought that when you turned good, Ares would loose interest in you and he
would become my mentor. But when
you changed, it just made him more obsessed with you. You became his whole life--it used to be just about getting you
back to lead his army but then it became something greater."
"So, this is all about jealousy? You hate Xena because you want Ares all to yourself." Gabrielle said.
"Yes." Ralna looked
again at Xena. "I know how he sided
with you against Athena in order to save your daughter and I know how he gave
up his immortality to save your life.
For him, it has become more than an obsession, it has become love…for
you. He has become so soft!"
"What are you going to do about it? Hmm?
You can't stop Ares from feeling the way he does about me."
"You're right, Xena.
I can't destroy his heart.
But I can destroy the person that makes up his heart."
Suddenly, there was a bright burst of yellow smoke and
beside Ralna appeared a beautiful woman.
She was dressed in a long royal rob of gold with a purple cape draped
over her shoulders. She had wavy long
golden hair; her eyes were the color of emeralds. She was seated on a pure white steed that seemed to glow.
"Who are you?"
Gabrielle questioned.
"This is my mother, Rhiannon." Ralna replied. "And she
is here to help me destroy Xena!"
"How dare you cause my daughter pain!" Rhiannon shouted.
She raised her arms as a gust of wind shot at Xena,
thronging her backwards. She was thrown
into a tree with much force. Xena
staggered as she stood, recovering from the blow. She drew her sword and charged the elegant figure on horseback
but was again thrown backwards.
Gabrielle ran over to Xena.
"You can't defeat a god! You
need a plan."
"I don't have time for a plan. She is trying to kill me."
Xena stood up once more but this time Rhiannon shot a
powerful serge of lighting into Xena causing her to fall to the ground. Ralna laughed as her mother continued to
send the lightning into Xena as she slowly weakened, screaming in pain. Gabrielle grabbed her sais and charged Ralna
but Ralna forcefully pushed her back.
There was nothing she could do to help the Warrior Princess.
"That's enough!!" A
deep male voice shouted.
Rhiannon lost her concentration and Xena was released from
the surge of power for a moment. All
four of them looked behind where Xena was lying and saw as Ares appeared.
"How dare you try to kill the one I love!"
"Ares." Ralna
sneered.
Ares rushed to Xena's side.
"Are you all right?"
"Why are you here?"
Xena asked weekly.
"Hey, where else would I be? You were in trouble. I
knew I had to help."
He helped her to her feet and Ralna's jealousy for her grew
even more. "This isn't over yet,
Xena!" She screamed.
"Stay here." Ares
told Xena as he walked out in front of her.
Gabrielle watched from the sidelines as Ares and Rhiannon
fought using their powers. They threw
charges of lighting and balls of fire back and fourth between them. While the two immortals fought, Xena and
Gabrielle attacked Ralna. They fought
for a long time until Xena and Gabrielle were able to knock Ralna to the
ground. Xena pointed her sword at
Ralna's throat and looked at Rhiannon who was still fighting Ares.
"Unless you want to loose your daughter, you had better
stop!"
Rhiannon was hesitant but stopped anyway. Ralna looked at her mother and then glared
at Xena who was still above her. "This
will never be over, Xena! I will always
hate you!"
"No matter what you do, you can never destroy Ares' feelings
for me. Ares loves me and nothing you
do will ever change that."
"And if you ever, ever try to kill Xena again, I will
personally see to your death. And
believe me, I am a god and I'll know when you are after her." Ares said walking up to Xena.
Xena released Ralna and she walked over to her mother. She gave Xena the evil eye before she
disappeared with Rhiannon. Xena sighed
with relief and looked at Ares as Gabrielle walked over to them.
"Thank you, Ares. I
never would have expected that you would actually help me." Xena told him kindly.
"I love you, Xena.
Whether you believe it or not, I would do anything for you."
Xena leaned in and kissed him thankfully. He started to increase the passion in it but
Xena pulled away.
"We can't, Ares. We
can't."
"Well, why not? You
obviously want to."
"Ares, you are my past and I can't return to that. You aren't right for me. I'm sorry."
Xena stepped back from him and turned to Gabrielle.
"Are you sure you're doing the right thing?" Gabrielle asked.
"It has to be this way."
Xena replied, walking over to her horse.
She mounted as Gabrielle did the same and then she looked
again at Ares who was still standing in the same place.
"I will always love you Xena no matter how you feel and I
will never give up on you." He said in
a caring voice.
Xena smiled at him sadly, as if she wasn't completely being
honest with herself. "I know you will."
With that she guided her horse out of Amphipolis with
Gabrielle by her side. Ares stood back
as they left.
"One day I'll be with you, Xena. All good things come to those who are willing to wait."