Chapter Nine
A warm, early morning, the next week, Gabrielle woke to find her stomach bulging over her skirt quite a bit. She groaned and stood up. Her morning sickness was coming in bouts that were few and far between now. She was glad about that, but she had to start wearing her new outfit until after the baby's birth.
Gabrielle quietly stepped over Xena and went over to Argo's saddlebags and dug into them. She finally found the dress she was going to wear for the remainder of the pregnancy. She had about three weeks to go and then she'd be out of it.
The dress was much like the one she wore when she first journeyed with Xena. In fact, it was the same dress with a few alterations. The sleeves were torn off now and the dress wasn't as heavy and rumpled. It was now a simple dress that wouldn't be too warm and she could actually move around in it.
Gabrielle found her staff leaning against a tree and she picked it up. She hadn't had to do any ass-kicking in awhile, and she didn't care. It was better on her stomach if she didn't try to help Xena beat up the bad guys. She'd tried once and ended up throwing up all over the enemy. He of course ran away after that completely grossed out.
Gabrielle walked over to the fire that was just barely burning from the night before. Gabrielle picked up a couple of sticks and poked around at it and it finally set fire to the sticks. She added a few more and sat there, suddenly feeling cold. She needed her hands warmed.
The bard smiled as she warmed her hands. She looked over at the warrior princess. She was so adorable when she slept. She sometimes slept with her mouth half open, as if surprised about something and one arm over her eyes, the way she was sleeping at the moment. Gabrielle stifled a laugh as to not wake Xena.
Gabrielle found herself having to go to the bathroom very badly. The growing child within was pushing on her bladder like Hades and she felt like she was going to lose control. She stood and bounded off into the bushes.
At the campsite, Xena woke abruptly and her eyes snapped open. She looked around. Gabrielle was nowhere to be found. She sat up in a panic and looked around.
"Gabrielle?" she asked in a loud whisper. "Gabrielle!" There was no reply to her calls. She stood and looked around some more. Gabrielle's staff was propped up on some rocks near the fire. Had Gabrielle been kidnapped? "Gabrielle!"
"What?" came Gabrielle's soft voice as she stepped into view.
"Gabrielle, where were you?" asked a panicked Xena.
"I had to answer a call from nature if it's that important to you," Gabrielle answered meekly. "Geez. Can't anyone pee in peace?"
"Sorry," Xena replied in relief. "I've just been so worried about you and the baby lately."
"Xena, we're both fine and healthy. Don't worry about anyone but yourself, okay?" Gabrielle asked. The response from Xena was a roll of the eyes and a shrug. Gabrielle just shook her head and sighed. She sat down next to the fire once again and warmed her hands like she had before. She looked up at Xena who was staring at her strangely. "What?"
"Nothing," Xena replied. "I'm just scared."
"Xena," Gabrielle replied. "You think I'm not? I'm the one that's going to be pushing this kid out in a few weeks. I'm not looking forward to the painful part of that."
"I'm scared that I'm not going to be able to protect you," Xena confided.
"Xena, we're okay so far," Gabrielle pointed out.
"Yes, but soon we'll have three mouths to feed, an extra person to take care of, Gabrielle. It's going to be different."
"But we'll make it work."
"I know," Xena said. "But I don't know how."
"Like we've been taking care of ourselves for the past few years. We'll protect each other and the baby from danger, get ourselves out of sticky situations, and we'll have the most important thing. Love," the bard concluded. Xena smiled and walked over to Argo. She pulled a water-filled wineskin off of the saddlebag and doused the fire in it. The fire sputtered and went out with a heavy amount of smoke that could choke a horse.
"We'd better get going if we're going to make it to Amazon Land by sunset," Xena reminded her love. Gabrielle nodded and Xena reached a hand down to help the bard stand. Gabrielle reached for her staff and Xena helped her up.
"Thanks," Gabrielle said with a yawn. Xena nodded. "Let's go."
"Okay," Xena said. She hopped up onto Argo's saddle and pulled Gabrielle up behind her. "You shouldn't walk. You'll tire yourself." Gabrielle just laughed and rolled her eyes. She liked the attention that Xena was giving her, but she was afraid that the warrior was being a bit too protective.
Chapter Ten
It was mid-afternoon when Xena and Gabrielle decided to stop at a tavern for some dinner. Gabrielle was really hungry, considering the fact that she was eating for two.
The tavern was a very poor place, but the food was good. At least Xena said so. She had been there before. The place was filled with the scent of a drunkard's nectar and the smell of badly bathed people.
Gabrielle nearly gagged but, her stomach told her she needed food and this was the closest place to get it. She looked at Xena with a disgusted look upon her face. Xena shrugged.
"It used to be great when I first came here," the warrior spoke.
"Let me guess, that was in your warlord days?" Gabrielle asked with annoyance. Xena shrugged and she and the bard walked up to the counter. The tavern keeper was a very tall, very large, very dirty old man. He belched loudly and scratched his ass. He coughed loudly and then made his way to Xena and Gabrielle.
"What'll you have?" he asked. His breath was enough to make Gabrielle go green. She ran out of the tavern and Xena could hear her retching outside. Xena turned her face down so she wouldn't have to smell the man.
"Just two cups of milk and some salmon," Xena said, hoping Gabrielle didn't mind her ordering for her. The man nodded and ran his fingers through his greasy, wiry hair. Xena shuddered and coughed. This man was just making her sick. She looked over at the door to see Gabrielle walk back in, leaning on her staff.
"Can we just get out of here?" Gabrielle asked when she took her seat beside Xena once again.
"Well, you need to eat," Xena declared. "We both do." Gabrielle nodded and ran her hair through her thick, long hair. The man came back over and sat down two cups of milk that looked like it'd been set out for two weeks. He sat down two plates of fish that had some sort of mold growing on it. Xena nearly threw up at this and she threw down five dinars. She and Gabrielle quickly left the tavern, got up onto Argo and left.
"Maybe the amazons will have a meal tonight," Xena offered. "We can eat then."
"I'm starving, Xena. There's no way I'm ever going back to that tavern," Gabrielle said with a shudder.
"I agree," Xena said with a laugh. "Maybe there's an apple in Argo's saddlebag." Gabrielle searched around and sure enough, there was a fresh apple. The bard ate it hungrily.
*~*
Just near sundown, the bard, the warrior, and the horse reached the outskirts of Amazon Land. Gabrielle was starving again and Xena was as well. They needed food and they needed rest. Gabrielle was positive that since she was technically still queen, everyone'd treat her that way. She couldn't wait to just lay down and go to sleep quickly in a nice comfortable bed.
As they reached the boundaries of Amazon Land, Xena and Gabrielle dismounted Argo and started to walk through the forest. Xena immediately heard a few of the amazons running around through the woods, wondering whom the guests were. Xena and Gabrielle put their hands above their heads and clasped their hands together. The amazons showed themselves and raised their masks.
"Queen Gabrielle," Ephiny said with a smile.
"Queen Ephiny," Gabrielle said with a laugh. She hugged her friend.
"Well, you're back, so you're queen," Ephiny declared. Gabrielle smiled.
"Okay, just for a short time," the bard replied. Ephiny handed her the queen's mask and she hugged Xena. Ephiny turned her attention back to Gabrielle.
"You're with child?" she asked. Gabrielle nodded.
"Xena and I are having a child together with the goddess of love's help," Gabrielle beamed. Ephiny smiled.
"Well congratulations to the both of you," Ephiny said.
"Thank you," Xena and Gabrielle replied in unison.
"We're staying here till the baby is born, in about three weeks," Gabrielle confirmed. Ephiny looked puzzled.
"That's what Aphrodite told us," Xena continued. "But the baby is mortal."
"Oh," Ephiny replied with a grin. "Alright. Well, let's get you two settled in. I never moved my things into the queen's hut because I knew you'd be back."
"Well, thanks," Gabrielle said. "But, you could've moved your stuff in."
"Well, I didn't want to," Ephiny chortled. Xena laughed a little bit. The other amazons followed behind as Xena led Argo and Gabrielle walked beside Ephiny. Xena and Gabrielle were led to the stables, where Argo was put for the time being. They were then led to the queen's hut, where the bed was turned down for the both of them and food was brought in for dinner. The queen and the warrior ate dinner and turned in to bed right away. They were finally in Amazon Territory.
Chapter 11
When the sun rose, two small amazon girls, probably about five and six years old, ran into the queen's hut to find Xena sitting on the edge of the bed, lacing up her boots, and Gabrielle fixing the skirt of her dress.
"Queen Gabrielle," they said softly, bowing before her. "Xena." Xena smiled and waved at the little girls.
"Queen Eph --," one girl started. "I mean, Ephiny said to tell you that breakfast is ready."
"Thank you girls," Gabrielle said with a smile. The girls bowed again and left the hut. Xena walked over to Gabrielle and pulled her into her arms.
"Good morning love," she said. She leaned down and kissed her queen's lips firmly yet softly. Gabrielle smiled into the kiss.
"Mmm," she started. "Morning love." She hugged Xena and smelled the wonderful aromas of breakfast. "Come on. That food is calling to me."
"Let's go get you and our baby some food," Xena replied with a laugh. She put her arm around Gabrielle and they left the hut together.
"I love you," Gabrielle whispered as they walked toward the breakfast tables that were set out.
"I love you," Xena answered lovingly. They shared a longing glance between each other before setting down to eat. Gabrielle sat down at the end of the table as it was reserved for the queen and Xena sat down in the seat next to hers. Ephiny sat across from Xena and the rest of the amazons filled the remaining seats. A few of the little girls were just playing with their food and the older amazons were scolding them. Xena watched them and smiled.
"It's good to have you both here," Ephiny said with a smile, snapping Xena out of her thoughts.
"It's good to be back, Ephiny," answered Gabrielle. "It's been a while since we've been here. And those weren't exactly good circumstances."
"You're right," Ephiny said slowly. "But now everything is good. You'll give birth to an new amazon princess and . . ."
"Well, it might be a boy, you know," Xena replied.
"Yes," Gabrielle agreed. "And, but if it's a girl, it'll be an Amazon Warrior Princess."
"OH, I see," Ephiny said in surprise. "Well, this child will be a Warrior Prince if it's a boy?"
"I guess so," Gabrielle said. "Xena and I've never thought about it."
"Well, I guess we should think about it. It's a good possibility," Xena suggested.
"It is," Gabrielle replied. "I guess our child could be a boy." Everyone was silent for a few minutes as they began eating. The food was wonderful and the milk was delightful. Everything was so great and Gabrielle looked happier than ever. Xena watched her and wondered if Gabrielle was planning on staying longer than they had planned. Maybe Gabrielle was happy being the queen of the amazons. If she took Gabrielle out of there, would she be unhappy? Now Xena was unsure about a lot of things.
The warrior princess stayed quiet through the rest of breakfast while Gabrielle and Ephiny exchanged stories about what had happened in the past few months. The warrior listened to the tone of Gabrielle's beautiful voice. She hadn't heard that tone since she was there the last time. Maybe this was where Gabrielle wanted to be. It wasn't Xena's place to take her out of the place she loved. But Xena didn't want to stay there forever. What would happen to her and Gabrielle?
Chapter Twelve
After everyone had eaten and helped clean up, Xena headed back to the queen's hut. She needed time alone to think. She hoped Gabrielle didn't follow her. She loved being with her, but this was some greatly needed alone time. She had barely had a moment of alone time in the past few years. Now, in the peace of the hut, she'd be able to think straight.
Xena sat down on the bed and looked around the hut. It was nicely kept, but in the winter, it was sure to get very cold. Xena didn't want that for the baby or for Gabrielle. They needed a nice, warm place to stay and they needed a bit more protection from the weather than this hut.
As Xena heard voices coming toward the tent, she sighed heavily. She heard Gabrielle and Ephiny talking and from the sounds of the footsteps, Ephiny walked away. Gabrielle came into the hut and smiled at Xena.
"Hey," she said as she put her hands on her belly.
"Hi," Xena said distantly. Gabrielle was a little confused.
"What's wrong?" Gabrielle asked as she walked over to the bed and sat down next to Xena.
"It's nothing," Xena replied. Gabrielle moved a strand of Xena's hair and placed it behind the warrior's ear.
"Tell me, my love," Gabrielle pleaded. "Please?" Xena turned to face her love. She smiled awkwardly.
"Gabrielle, do you like being here?" Xena asked flat out. Gabrielle nodded slowly.
"It's nice," she said. "I've got friends that are like family. I've got you by my side and our baby inside of me. What else could I ask for?"
"Are you planning on staying on here? After the baby's born?" Xena asked.
"I . . . I never really thought about it," Gabrielle said, turning away. Xena tapped her foot on the ground impatiently as she stood up.
"Gabrielle, please don't lie to me," Xena asked. "I saw how happy you were. I'm glad you're happy. I'm happy too, but I don't want to be here for the rest of my days."
"Xena, I don't know how long I want to be here. But, there are so many little girls around here that I'm sure our child would love to play with. There are so many women here that would love to help with the baby," Gabrielle offered.
"But what if we have a son?" the warrior princess asked.
"Well, then, I'm sure they'd love him just as much," Gabrielle defended.
"And when he got older? Would we have to send him away?" Xena asked. Gabrielle shrugged.
"I'm sure he'd be welcome here," Gabrielle said nonchalantly.
"Gabrielle, do you see any males here? Ephiny's son, Xenan is with the centaurs. He's not here. You think she misses him? I bet she misses him more than anything," Xena pointed out. "I don't want to send my son away. I don't want to keep my daughter here. I just want you, me, and our baby to be a family."
"We will be. But, Xena, I'm the one carrying this child," Gabrielle said selfishly. Xena's eyes widened.
"This child is just as much a part of me as it is of you! It just as well could've been put inside of me, but Aphrodite had other plans," Xena replied. She was too angry to speak much more now. "I need to be alone." With that, the warrior princess felt saddened about the harsh way she had spoken to her bard, but she felt it was needed. Xena left the hut to be by herself, as she had planned for when she went to the hut.
A warm, early morning, the next week, Gabrielle woke to find her stomach bulging over her skirt quite a bit. She groaned and stood up. Her morning sickness was coming in bouts that were few and far between now. She was glad about that, but she had to start wearing her new outfit until after the baby's birth.
Gabrielle quietly stepped over Xena and went over to Argo's saddlebags and dug into them. She finally found the dress she was going to wear for the remainder of the pregnancy. She had about three weeks to go and then she'd be out of it.
The dress was much like the one she wore when she first journeyed with Xena. In fact, it was the same dress with a few alterations. The sleeves were torn off now and the dress wasn't as heavy and rumpled. It was now a simple dress that wouldn't be too warm and she could actually move around in it.
Gabrielle found her staff leaning against a tree and she picked it up. She hadn't had to do any ass-kicking in awhile, and she didn't care. It was better on her stomach if she didn't try to help Xena beat up the bad guys. She'd tried once and ended up throwing up all over the enemy. He of course ran away after that completely grossed out.
Gabrielle walked over to the fire that was just barely burning from the night before. Gabrielle picked up a couple of sticks and poked around at it and it finally set fire to the sticks. She added a few more and sat there, suddenly feeling cold. She needed her hands warmed.
The bard smiled as she warmed her hands. She looked over at the warrior princess. She was so adorable when she slept. She sometimes slept with her mouth half open, as if surprised about something and one arm over her eyes, the way she was sleeping at the moment. Gabrielle stifled a laugh as to not wake Xena.
Gabrielle found herself having to go to the bathroom very badly. The growing child within was pushing on her bladder like Hades and she felt like she was going to lose control. She stood and bounded off into the bushes.
At the campsite, Xena woke abruptly and her eyes snapped open. She looked around. Gabrielle was nowhere to be found. She sat up in a panic and looked around.
"Gabrielle?" she asked in a loud whisper. "Gabrielle!" There was no reply to her calls. She stood and looked around some more. Gabrielle's staff was propped up on some rocks near the fire. Had Gabrielle been kidnapped? "Gabrielle!"
"What?" came Gabrielle's soft voice as she stepped into view.
"Gabrielle, where were you?" asked a panicked Xena.
"I had to answer a call from nature if it's that important to you," Gabrielle answered meekly. "Geez. Can't anyone pee in peace?"
"Sorry," Xena replied in relief. "I've just been so worried about you and the baby lately."
"Xena, we're both fine and healthy. Don't worry about anyone but yourself, okay?" Gabrielle asked. The response from Xena was a roll of the eyes and a shrug. Gabrielle just shook her head and sighed. She sat down next to the fire once again and warmed her hands like she had before. She looked up at Xena who was staring at her strangely. "What?"
"Nothing," Xena replied. "I'm just scared."
"Xena," Gabrielle replied. "You think I'm not? I'm the one that's going to be pushing this kid out in a few weeks. I'm not looking forward to the painful part of that."
"I'm scared that I'm not going to be able to protect you," Xena confided.
"Xena, we're okay so far," Gabrielle pointed out.
"Yes, but soon we'll have three mouths to feed, an extra person to take care of, Gabrielle. It's going to be different."
"But we'll make it work."
"I know," Xena said. "But I don't know how."
"Like we've been taking care of ourselves for the past few years. We'll protect each other and the baby from danger, get ourselves out of sticky situations, and we'll have the most important thing. Love," the bard concluded. Xena smiled and walked over to Argo. She pulled a water-filled wineskin off of the saddlebag and doused the fire in it. The fire sputtered and went out with a heavy amount of smoke that could choke a horse.
"We'd better get going if we're going to make it to Amazon Land by sunset," Xena reminded her love. Gabrielle nodded and Xena reached a hand down to help the bard stand. Gabrielle reached for her staff and Xena helped her up.
"Thanks," Gabrielle said with a yawn. Xena nodded. "Let's go."
"Okay," Xena said. She hopped up onto Argo's saddle and pulled Gabrielle up behind her. "You shouldn't walk. You'll tire yourself." Gabrielle just laughed and rolled her eyes. She liked the attention that Xena was giving her, but she was afraid that the warrior was being a bit too protective.
Chapter Ten
It was mid-afternoon when Xena and Gabrielle decided to stop at a tavern for some dinner. Gabrielle was really hungry, considering the fact that she was eating for two.
The tavern was a very poor place, but the food was good. At least Xena said so. She had been there before. The place was filled with the scent of a drunkard's nectar and the smell of badly bathed people.
Gabrielle nearly gagged but, her stomach told her she needed food and this was the closest place to get it. She looked at Xena with a disgusted look upon her face. Xena shrugged.
"It used to be great when I first came here," the warrior spoke.
"Let me guess, that was in your warlord days?" Gabrielle asked with annoyance. Xena shrugged and she and the bard walked up to the counter. The tavern keeper was a very tall, very large, very dirty old man. He belched loudly and scratched his ass. He coughed loudly and then made his way to Xena and Gabrielle.
"What'll you have?" he asked. His breath was enough to make Gabrielle go green. She ran out of the tavern and Xena could hear her retching outside. Xena turned her face down so she wouldn't have to smell the man.
"Just two cups of milk and some salmon," Xena said, hoping Gabrielle didn't mind her ordering for her. The man nodded and ran his fingers through his greasy, wiry hair. Xena shuddered and coughed. This man was just making her sick. She looked over at the door to see Gabrielle walk back in, leaning on her staff.
"Can we just get out of here?" Gabrielle asked when she took her seat beside Xena once again.
"Well, you need to eat," Xena declared. "We both do." Gabrielle nodded and ran her hair through her thick, long hair. The man came back over and sat down two cups of milk that looked like it'd been set out for two weeks. He sat down two plates of fish that had some sort of mold growing on it. Xena nearly threw up at this and she threw down five dinars. She and Gabrielle quickly left the tavern, got up onto Argo and left.
"Maybe the amazons will have a meal tonight," Xena offered. "We can eat then."
"I'm starving, Xena. There's no way I'm ever going back to that tavern," Gabrielle said with a shudder.
"I agree," Xena said with a laugh. "Maybe there's an apple in Argo's saddlebag." Gabrielle searched around and sure enough, there was a fresh apple. The bard ate it hungrily.
*~*
Just near sundown, the bard, the warrior, and the horse reached the outskirts of Amazon Land. Gabrielle was starving again and Xena was as well. They needed food and they needed rest. Gabrielle was positive that since she was technically still queen, everyone'd treat her that way. She couldn't wait to just lay down and go to sleep quickly in a nice comfortable bed.
As they reached the boundaries of Amazon Land, Xena and Gabrielle dismounted Argo and started to walk through the forest. Xena immediately heard a few of the amazons running around through the woods, wondering whom the guests were. Xena and Gabrielle put their hands above their heads and clasped their hands together. The amazons showed themselves and raised their masks.
"Queen Gabrielle," Ephiny said with a smile.
"Queen Ephiny," Gabrielle said with a laugh. She hugged her friend.
"Well, you're back, so you're queen," Ephiny declared. Gabrielle smiled.
"Okay, just for a short time," the bard replied. Ephiny handed her the queen's mask and she hugged Xena. Ephiny turned her attention back to Gabrielle.
"You're with child?" she asked. Gabrielle nodded.
"Xena and I are having a child together with the goddess of love's help," Gabrielle beamed. Ephiny smiled.
"Well congratulations to the both of you," Ephiny said.
"Thank you," Xena and Gabrielle replied in unison.
"We're staying here till the baby is born, in about three weeks," Gabrielle confirmed. Ephiny looked puzzled.
"That's what Aphrodite told us," Xena continued. "But the baby is mortal."
"Oh," Ephiny replied with a grin. "Alright. Well, let's get you two settled in. I never moved my things into the queen's hut because I knew you'd be back."
"Well, thanks," Gabrielle said. "But, you could've moved your stuff in."
"Well, I didn't want to," Ephiny chortled. Xena laughed a little bit. The other amazons followed behind as Xena led Argo and Gabrielle walked beside Ephiny. Xena and Gabrielle were led to the stables, where Argo was put for the time being. They were then led to the queen's hut, where the bed was turned down for the both of them and food was brought in for dinner. The queen and the warrior ate dinner and turned in to bed right away. They were finally in Amazon Territory.
Chapter 11
When the sun rose, two small amazon girls, probably about five and six years old, ran into the queen's hut to find Xena sitting on the edge of the bed, lacing up her boots, and Gabrielle fixing the skirt of her dress.
"Queen Gabrielle," they said softly, bowing before her. "Xena." Xena smiled and waved at the little girls.
"Queen Eph --," one girl started. "I mean, Ephiny said to tell you that breakfast is ready."
"Thank you girls," Gabrielle said with a smile. The girls bowed again and left the hut. Xena walked over to Gabrielle and pulled her into her arms.
"Good morning love," she said. She leaned down and kissed her queen's lips firmly yet softly. Gabrielle smiled into the kiss.
"Mmm," she started. "Morning love." She hugged Xena and smelled the wonderful aromas of breakfast. "Come on. That food is calling to me."
"Let's go get you and our baby some food," Xena replied with a laugh. She put her arm around Gabrielle and they left the hut together.
"I love you," Gabrielle whispered as they walked toward the breakfast tables that were set out.
"I love you," Xena answered lovingly. They shared a longing glance between each other before setting down to eat. Gabrielle sat down at the end of the table as it was reserved for the queen and Xena sat down in the seat next to hers. Ephiny sat across from Xena and the rest of the amazons filled the remaining seats. A few of the little girls were just playing with their food and the older amazons were scolding them. Xena watched them and smiled.
"It's good to have you both here," Ephiny said with a smile, snapping Xena out of her thoughts.
"It's good to be back, Ephiny," answered Gabrielle. "It's been a while since we've been here. And those weren't exactly good circumstances."
"You're right," Ephiny said slowly. "But now everything is good. You'll give birth to an new amazon princess and . . ."
"Well, it might be a boy, you know," Xena replied.
"Yes," Gabrielle agreed. "And, but if it's a girl, it'll be an Amazon Warrior Princess."
"OH, I see," Ephiny said in surprise. "Well, this child will be a Warrior Prince if it's a boy?"
"I guess so," Gabrielle said. "Xena and I've never thought about it."
"Well, I guess we should think about it. It's a good possibility," Xena suggested.
"It is," Gabrielle replied. "I guess our child could be a boy." Everyone was silent for a few minutes as they began eating. The food was wonderful and the milk was delightful. Everything was so great and Gabrielle looked happier than ever. Xena watched her and wondered if Gabrielle was planning on staying longer than they had planned. Maybe Gabrielle was happy being the queen of the amazons. If she took Gabrielle out of there, would she be unhappy? Now Xena was unsure about a lot of things.
The warrior princess stayed quiet through the rest of breakfast while Gabrielle and Ephiny exchanged stories about what had happened in the past few months. The warrior listened to the tone of Gabrielle's beautiful voice. She hadn't heard that tone since she was there the last time. Maybe this was where Gabrielle wanted to be. It wasn't Xena's place to take her out of the place she loved. But Xena didn't want to stay there forever. What would happen to her and Gabrielle?
Chapter Twelve
After everyone had eaten and helped clean up, Xena headed back to the queen's hut. She needed time alone to think. She hoped Gabrielle didn't follow her. She loved being with her, but this was some greatly needed alone time. She had barely had a moment of alone time in the past few years. Now, in the peace of the hut, she'd be able to think straight.
Xena sat down on the bed and looked around the hut. It was nicely kept, but in the winter, it was sure to get very cold. Xena didn't want that for the baby or for Gabrielle. They needed a nice, warm place to stay and they needed a bit more protection from the weather than this hut.
As Xena heard voices coming toward the tent, she sighed heavily. She heard Gabrielle and Ephiny talking and from the sounds of the footsteps, Ephiny walked away. Gabrielle came into the hut and smiled at Xena.
"Hey," she said as she put her hands on her belly.
"Hi," Xena said distantly. Gabrielle was a little confused.
"What's wrong?" Gabrielle asked as she walked over to the bed and sat down next to Xena.
"It's nothing," Xena replied. Gabrielle moved a strand of Xena's hair and placed it behind the warrior's ear.
"Tell me, my love," Gabrielle pleaded. "Please?" Xena turned to face her love. She smiled awkwardly.
"Gabrielle, do you like being here?" Xena asked flat out. Gabrielle nodded slowly.
"It's nice," she said. "I've got friends that are like family. I've got you by my side and our baby inside of me. What else could I ask for?"
"Are you planning on staying on here? After the baby's born?" Xena asked.
"I . . . I never really thought about it," Gabrielle said, turning away. Xena tapped her foot on the ground impatiently as she stood up.
"Gabrielle, please don't lie to me," Xena asked. "I saw how happy you were. I'm glad you're happy. I'm happy too, but I don't want to be here for the rest of my days."
"Xena, I don't know how long I want to be here. But, there are so many little girls around here that I'm sure our child would love to play with. There are so many women here that would love to help with the baby," Gabrielle offered.
"But what if we have a son?" the warrior princess asked.
"Well, then, I'm sure they'd love him just as much," Gabrielle defended.
"And when he got older? Would we have to send him away?" Xena asked. Gabrielle shrugged.
"I'm sure he'd be welcome here," Gabrielle said nonchalantly.
"Gabrielle, do you see any males here? Ephiny's son, Xenan is with the centaurs. He's not here. You think she misses him? I bet she misses him more than anything," Xena pointed out. "I don't want to send my son away. I don't want to keep my daughter here. I just want you, me, and our baby to be a family."
"We will be. But, Xena, I'm the one carrying this child," Gabrielle said selfishly. Xena's eyes widened.
"This child is just as much a part of me as it is of you! It just as well could've been put inside of me, but Aphrodite had other plans," Xena replied. She was too angry to speak much more now. "I need to be alone." With that, the warrior princess felt saddened about the harsh way she had spoken to her bard, but she felt it was needed. Xena left the hut to be by herself, as she had planned for when she went to the hut.