Part 4
"Lonely?" Gabrielle asked. Xena nodded as a distant look spread across her face.
"My life is so full, yet so empty." Xena said. A sympathetic look crossed Gabrielle's face.
"I have no friends either. My mother tells me that if I want to make friends I have to talk to people. I'm good at that. I talk to people all the time if they want to listen to me. But, most of the time they don't."
"That must be awful." Xena said. "I mean, you are such a beautiful girl, Gabrielle. With a good bath, a brush to your hair, and a new dress, you'd meet lots of new people."
"You really think so?" Gabrielle asked. Xena nodded with a smile.
"You haven't gotten out much, my queen. I mean no disrespect. It's just that, changing what you wear and what you look like may change someone's opinion of you, but you still know what you used to be, and you can't change that." Gabrielle declared. "I must be getting back to the palace."
"Well, I don't have to be back until nightfall. Will you stay with me? I'll tell your mother that you were with me so you don't get into trouble." Xena said. The girl smiled.
"I'd like that, my queen." She said with a smile.
"First of all, call me Xena." Xena said. The girl nodded. "And second of all, what is your mother's name?"
"I believe you should remember her. Her name is Hecuba. She's your cook." Gabrielle said. Xena smiled.
"Yes. I k now Hecuba. She's a lovely woman. I remember about ten years ago, I was just 3 and she had a little girl of my age and a baby with her when she was asking my parents for a job here.
"Well, I was the little girl, and the baby was my sister Lila." Gabrielle said with a grin. "I remember that day as well."
"Mama!" cried Eve as she ran over to Xena. Xena looked startled. She grinned widely when her daughter came over and sat onto her lap.
"She's never spoken before. She's said her first word." Xena said with a grin.
"How old are your daughters?" Gabrielle asked.
"Eve is 1 and 3 months, and Chloe has been here for 3 months." Xena said. She stood for a moment and the bit of weight she had gained from this pregnancy was clear to Gabrielle.
"And this one will be born when Chloe is 1?" Gabrielle asked. Xena nodded.
"Yes. I'm going to have children every year on my other children's birthdays." Xena said. "At least until I bear a son. I have great doubt that this will be a son. I don't think I'll ever bear a son."
"Lonely?" Gabrielle asked. Xena nodded as a distant look spread across her face.
"My life is so full, yet so empty." Xena said. A sympathetic look crossed Gabrielle's face.
"I have no friends either. My mother tells me that if I want to make friends I have to talk to people. I'm good at that. I talk to people all the time if they want to listen to me. But, most of the time they don't."
"That must be awful." Xena said. "I mean, you are such a beautiful girl, Gabrielle. With a good bath, a brush to your hair, and a new dress, you'd meet lots of new people."
"You really think so?" Gabrielle asked. Xena nodded with a smile.
"You haven't gotten out much, my queen. I mean no disrespect. It's just that, changing what you wear and what you look like may change someone's opinion of you, but you still know what you used to be, and you can't change that." Gabrielle declared. "I must be getting back to the palace."
"Well, I don't have to be back until nightfall. Will you stay with me? I'll tell your mother that you were with me so you don't get into trouble." Xena said. The girl smiled.
"I'd like that, my queen." She said with a smile.
"First of all, call me Xena." Xena said. The girl nodded. "And second of all, what is your mother's name?"
"I believe you should remember her. Her name is Hecuba. She's your cook." Gabrielle said. Xena smiled.
"Yes. I k now Hecuba. She's a lovely woman. I remember about ten years ago, I was just 3 and she had a little girl of my age and a baby with her when she was asking my parents for a job here.
"Well, I was the little girl, and the baby was my sister Lila." Gabrielle said with a grin. "I remember that day as well."
"Mama!" cried Eve as she ran over to Xena. Xena looked startled. She grinned widely when her daughter came over and sat onto her lap.
"She's never spoken before. She's said her first word." Xena said with a grin.
"How old are your daughters?" Gabrielle asked.
"Eve is 1 and 3 months, and Chloe has been here for 3 months." Xena said. She stood for a moment and the bit of weight she had gained from this pregnancy was clear to Gabrielle.
"And this one will be born when Chloe is 1?" Gabrielle asked. Xena nodded.
"Yes. I'm going to have children every year on my other children's birthdays." Xena said. "At least until I bear a son. I have great doubt that this will be a son. I don't think I'll ever bear a son."