She rose to the sounds of bustle in the streets outside. Merchants and craftsmen were offering their goods and services. The people of Alexandria had woken to another day. Slowly almost unwillingly she rose from her sleep, feeling rested in her body if not in her mind. Nowhere seemed to offer her the comfort she needed to rest and maybe dream. It had been over two months now. It was longer than she had mourned the other losses in her life. Still her energy had returned sufficiently to muse on the word of the babbling bard; she had met the night before. "I should find out more, before I jump to any conclusions. It is always best to know as much as possible, unless I want to be fooled or trust the information of only one person", she thought and remembered the times in which her youthful brashness and naïve nature had nearly cost her or others their lives. She had vowed to think with both head and heart before making decisions affecting others again. Slowly she dressed in the clothing she had bought earlier, giving her a slightly Egyptian look with golden jewelry added to her now white and flowing dress akin to the one she had adopted as they had traveled the African desert.
Gabrielle waved goodbye to the smiling innkeeper. She had just paid him for another day and night after a great breakfast and now walked into Alexandria without all her baggage. The streets were filled with Egyptian poor and freemen, mixing with nobles with their entourages, slaves carrying out their task and every once in a while a pair or more of roman legionnaires looking officious. The small warrior bard weaved through the crowd with practiced agility hardly noting anyone unarmed.
Gabrielle frowned unconsciously, the last year she like Xena had developed an even greater love for the loneliness of the wilderness. It had not just been guilt or the search for redemption which had driven Xena out there. It was the warrior reflexes and senses. Warrior reflexes that Gabrielle now had in spades as well, even more now that her constant practice in listening had focused her senses to a very fine point. A walk through a crowded square made her wary and annoyed her as she continuously had to keep from lashing out or asking a person to move away from her personal space. It was even worse if she was approached from behind. That could have very bad results indeed. Still no warrior reflexes could quench her natural thirst for human companionship and curiosity or stop her from her current goal of finding out more about the governor and his quest for the secret of the ancient times. And so she walked the streets asking innocent questions like the direction to the main roman barracks, where the governor had his palace and even where the temples to the gods were.
The building towered over her… But then she thought a great many things towered above her. It was beautiful, covered in white marble, statues covered in gold leaf and surrounded by a lush green garden, a serious luxury in such a warm land. She noticed that a large contingent of slaves dressed in the normal roman way was busy keep the garden alive, while a few lazy looking Egyptian guards stood before the white pathway leading to the temple. A carving in the surrounding wall identified the place as the temple of the goddess Isis. Most of the people in the markets had all said that it was one of the primary temples in the city or the most popular right now. She judged from the steady flow of people going in and out of the temple that the priests in the place were probably exceedingly busy.
A pair of young dark brown eyes fell upon an unusual sight standing a few feet from the main entrance to the temple grounds. A young woman her hair the color of the norsemen, her body well toned and muscled beneath her expensive clothes. She was clad in the free flowing white worn by some of the eastern desert tribes. Yet as her eyes went for her second pass she noted the presence of strange metal items on the body of the woman. That woman was armed even if her weapons looked more or less harmless. Again she stared at her. Her walk, look and stance were akin to that of the warriors, who served the governor. That woman was ready for anything. Even now in a peaceful city like Alexandria that woman was ready for battle. "Iaret", a voice cautiously asked from behind.
"Yes", she answered, not moving her eyes from the curious sight in front of the temple.
"One of the rumormonger gave us some information in exchange for a plea to Isis on his family's behalf", the man, her former mentor, explained. She waited.
"He says that some of our hopes have been dashed. Xena the Warrior Princess, whom we tried to lure here to help us in the struggle, has passed on to the lands of the dead. She died a glorious death in a far away land just a few months ago", he said.
"That news has traveled fast", she murmured as the blond woman began walking slowly towards her temple.
"It was brought to Egypt by her friend, the battling bard of Poteidia, Gabrielle, herself", he told her and nodded towards the figure approaching the temple. "Her", he said and walked back into the temple to tend to his duties.
"Of course, she matches the description perfectly. Blond hair touched by the sun of a hundred lands. Small and seemingly delicate yet muscled lightning fast and deadly if she wants. She is supposedly capable of arranging the death of hundreds; yet so merciful that she could never kill in cold blood. She's a friend of the remaining Greek gods and in part responsible for the restoration of their power. And the best bard to have graced the world with her stories in many years", she thought as the blond bard stopped to carefully ask one of her priests if it was okay for a nonbeliever to enter onto the holy grounds of the temple. The dark curly haired beauty in her white robes and finery befitting the high priestess of Isis quickly walked towards the woman as the priest tried to convince the bard that the belief in Isis was the best way for anyone to live their life.
"Excuse me", a voice asked from the side just as Gabrielle tried to find a polite way to get rid of the preaching man. The priest turned indignation written across his features. Gabrielle turned and was greeted with the sight of a most beautiful and very young woman dressed in a very expensive robe and carrying many beautiful pieces of gold jewelry on her. The priest seemed to instantly shut up and bowed deeply before the much younger woman standing before him. "I would like to speak to this woman myself", the dark skinned girl commanded in a mild tone with her pouting lips.
"Yes, high priestess", he said and immediately withdrew.
Gabrielle and the young woman stared at each for a few seconds. Gabrielle instantly recognized a good soul in this woman. This was someone, she could trust… for now.
"I am guessing you know who I am", Gabrielle stated, guessing that the babbling bard from last night had probably spread the word of her presence in town far and wide. Sooner or later the Romans would come looking for her. That would have to be dealt with
"Yes. You are Gabrielle of Poteidia. I am Iaret the high priestess of Isis. I am glad to meet you", she said and held out her hand in greeting. Gabrielle having learned the typical response from her time acting as a body servant to Cleopatra in the shape of Xena did what was expected. A silence came between them.
"I came because…" Gabrielle began to speak, but was cut off by the young girl.
"You came because you wanted to do right by Xena. You want to take her mantle for the time being. And you came here to us, because you wanted to learn more about what is going on here. You probably heard a little from someone in the last few days and now want to come here to learn more from us as we are the most popular faith these days and powerful enough to have some clout with the governor, yet are his political enemies. Am I right?" The girl looked expectantly at the bard, who nodded with a smile.
"Follow me then", the priestess said and walked towards the temple.
Gabrielle walked carefully behind the girl, while taking in the majestic beauty of the temple building as they passed people asking priests for advice or blessings. They passed beyond the realms of the priests and into the inner chambers of the temple. Iaret moved up to a small desk and motioned for Gabrielle to sit. "This is how it is in Egypt now…" She began to tell the story from her point of view.
"You must understand that all the Romans want from the lands of Nile is income and food. Even under Augustus, who cemented his position here in Egypt with our help, the Romans only wanted that from Egypt even if his governor had orders to subtle about it. So the people of Egypt endured under his governor. Then he became too old, but he and his family were now the experts of Egypt and so he got his son to take over, but now the orders from Egypt was very different from when Augustus ruled. He was to drain all the possible resources from Egypt that could be gotten without razing the land. And Lucius is a very apt man for that. He is a former Legionnaire general and a very gifted student of philosophy and Egyptian culture. But we soon learned that he wanted more than his father. While he made very sure that we were pressed to the ground by his taxes and demands for goods he began a campaign to dig up ancient treasures which belong to the dead and the gods. It was brought to us: The priests and priestesses of the gods. You must understand, in these hard times the people have turned to the gods for help and support and they have responded in kind. However many of them are filled with immense anger against the foreign invaders and have called many men from the cities and the deserts together to oppose the Romans, not only on their treasure hunts but also to throw them out of Egypt again. However I and the head priests of Thoth, Osiris and Horus have gotten different orders from our gods. They don't want us to fight a war we cannot win. They just want us to stop Lucius from learning the ancient secret of the living gods and the times of the construction of the Pyramids. Or even more ancient times beyond that". Iaret explained and passed Gabrielle a map of Egypt.
"We had sent out rumors and more recently messages hoping to lure Xena here. You see we can't very well turn to a Greek heroine for help at least not officially anyway. The people would not accept such help". Gabrielle was about to tell Iaret the news of Xena's death, when she held up a hand to stop her with a sad understanding in her eyes.
"I know of her going into the lands of the dead. However I hope that you'd would be willing to give us a helping hand. You see all the suggestions of the people out there in the desert are to fight a war and I had hoped that this matter could be resolved without the wholesale slaughter of either Egyptians or Romans", she stared at Gabrielle the intent clearly etched in her face.
"I can't promise that this can be resolved without bloodshed. But I will try. I would anyhow. Now if what you have told me is true then the core of the current problem is the fact that Lucius is trying to steal the ancient secrets from the tombs here in Egypt. But the reasons you've given me are rather general. I have seen warlords on a treasure hunt before. They tend to be rather single minded about it, going after something specific. Do you know what it is?" Gabrielle asked her usual curiosity intently written across her face.
Iaret was taken aback by the apparent youthfulness mixed with a lot of wisdom and experience in the young woman sitting before her. Once again she tried to judge the age of the woman, but only came up with a number between 20 and 30. Finally she tore herself from her musings and told what she knew. "We don't quite know and our gods haven't told us anything either. I do know that Lucius and a legion together with those traitors, who help him on his treasure hunt, are camped in the Valley of Kings".
Gabrielle thought about it for a moment. "I have to go there then. I can't do anything about Lucius until I get there… However I need something to be able to do this".
"What ever you want and I or the other priest can give we will gladly make yours", she stated.
Gabrielle didn't lose a moment. "Then if you can spare them. I would need a competent and trusted guide as well as the trip there arranged for me. The man you send will have to be absolutely loyal to you or your cause and he must be able to follow my commands on the spot", she explained and looked towards the young high priestess.
Iaret smiled and laughed: "I thought you were going to ask for payment or something like that. I have someone like that on hand however you would not be traveling with him alone. He and his wife are faithful worshippers of Isis and I know they have the same fervent wish for the bloodless ending of this conflict as I do. I am sure we can have everything ready for your departure in the morning if that is not too early". She smiled and rose from the polished wooden chair. Gabrielle bounded to her feet and smiled as they gave each other a friendly handshake to seal the deal.
Gabrielle had just left the temple entrance and Iaret stood in the midday sunlight watching her go as her old teacher stepped up besides her. "I don't understand Iaret. Our goddess and the others you mentioned as you spoke to the bard are just as set on the fight with the Romans as the people. Why did you lie to her?"
"I didn't exactly lie, it is more that Isis has manipulated the other gods in this and I am just following her will. If we had asked Gabrielle to fight the war for us, she might have turned us down on the spot or been reluctant. Now she travels to the Valley of Kings with trust and a light in her heart instead. We both know that Lucius is beyond reasoning and pretty words, so that dear woman out there will fight and probably kill him for us. Taking the blame for the death of another roman instead of an Egyptian, so there is no massacre of our people and the belief of Isis is allowed to continue to expand even deeper into the realms governed by the Romans. It is a good deal for us", she explained. "Even though I loathe extending the depth of sorrow already present in the bard. Oh, well Isis has commanded it. Now we must talk about your habit of listening to private conversations", she added as Gabrielle passed out the main gates after pausing briefly to admire the lush gardens around the temple.
Gabrielle breathed a sigh of relief as she heard the final words of Iaret to that other priest. She had learned to listen and on whim she had done so as she had caught a glimpse of the priest talking to Iaret. She knew that kind of reasoning and she didn't begrudge Iaret, it was typical of gods and their priests to think and act like this, just like it was second nature to a warlord to lie and break any honorable deal if they saw fit to do so. Iaret's help would bring her within striking distance of Lucius and she would then decide if there could be found any way for ending the conflict without anymore bloodshed. After all she had only gone to the temple after a few elderly people had told her about the temples being the guiding force behind the attacks on the tyrant Lucius. Now all she needed to verify was to add a bit more truth to the claims against Lucius about him being a cruel tyrant. Gabrielle smiled and put the turban she had purchased earlier in the day. It was time for a little bit of acting. She opened her pack and drew forth a little bottle of spirits which she had also purchased; she dowsed her skin and took a swig from it, before heading over to the areas around the roman barracks.
Vespan was nursing his fourth ale for the day. Or evening as it was for him. He had pulled an all-nighter of guard duty and then headed over to the tavern with his buddies to get a little ale in his stomach before heading back to sleep before repeating the same tonight. Around him his buddies were also nursing their cups; they would soon head over to the barrack for some deserved sleep.
Suddenly the tavern door opened and a woman dressed like one of the wild desert people walked in her. He thought her skin was very pale, but what he really noticed were the ample female shapes under the white clothing and the presence of something that could be weapons if one only believed in self-defense in her boots. She staggered drunkenly up to the bar desk and demanded the best ale in the house in perfect Latin, like she had just stepped off a ship from Rome herself. He sat only a few feet or two from the intriguing beauty, who plopped down heavily at the neighboring table with her mug of ale. He felt brave.
"Excuse me, but are you roman?" He asked and smiled invitingly at her. She turned and looked at him appraisingly like she was checking a piece of livestock. "Nope", she answered with her perfectly white teeth showing from rose colored lips. Vespan felt a heat growing inside him from her physical looks alone.
"I am greek", she breathed. He could smell liquor on her breath.
"Oh, and what is a Greek woman doing all alone in Egypt", he asked with a smile while trying to edge closer. He noted that his buddies were also finally catching up and taking interest in the conversation.
"I am looking for merchandise. I am a slaver. I heard that maybe the new governor would be a bit more open to such enterprise than the last softie", she revealed and took a large gulp from her mug.
"You're a slave trader. Well I think you might find a lot of business here then. Governor Lucius often has to sell people off to slavery, because they rebel or try to evade his fair taxes", he told her.
"Well I heard from my father that the last one promised just the same. Then he came over and… nothing. All that mattered was stability and food production. Not enough slaves on the auction blocks and no profit were to be made elsewhere either. Do you think Lucius is different from his father?" She turned fully towards them, while taking off the turban, revealing a head full of beautiful sun blond hair over radiantly green eyes. The legionnaires were all smitten.
"Oh, Governor Lucius is very different from his father. He loathes Egypt, but tolerates his position here because it gives him and his family a lot of power both here and at home in Rome. Unlike his father he doesn't care anything about the sensibilities of the Egyptians. He drives them to work hard and pay large amounts in taxes as well. Many can't so a lot of slaves are ready to be sold every month. And there is always his fascination with the Egyptian past. It has so enraged the people here that many of their men try to fight us out there in the desert, but the legions of Rome aren't easily defeated and many of their best men are standing as we speak in the markets around Egypt ready for any trader interested if they aren't lying dead out there in the desert sands", Vespan explained excitedly. He had just finished his tour of duty out near the Governor's latest excavation and had seen glorious combat against the under armed and badly trained Egyptian rebels frequently raiding the Governor's campsite. But his focus was in the now and on the nearly drunk slave trader sitting in front of him. He had hopes that if he was nice enough to her she would let him do her.
"Say my beauty, why don't you and I find some place more comfortable and have some fun", he offered. He saw her eyes check him out one more time, and then she just smiled and shook her head. "No, no. Not today lover boy. Why don't you come by here tomorrow, when I am sober then we can continue this. I am really no good, when I am like this", she slurred and downed the ale, while rising on her wobbly feet.
"I will be here again tomorrow at the same time", he promised hopefully. She smiled a dazzling white smile, while her nose wrinkled in the cutest manner, before slowly staggering back out side.
Gabrielle laughed all the way back to her inn. Men especially warriors were so easily manipulated by their baser needs. Now she knew that Lucius was at least what she had come to expect from the Romans if not worse. And no Roman leader that she had ever known should be allowed within miles of god-like powers or even godhood. She passed through the taproom only stopping to order another bath and then went up to her room to begin packing a little. She spent what remained of the day with the bath, a little light training with her sai's and a hearty evening meal.