She walked calmly around the guarded battlements making sure no one took particular notice of her as she sought out a spot, where a rather large artisan's shop with a thatched roof stood near the wall. Patiently she waited for a moment, when the guards were all looking in another direction and she could pass from the deep shadow and jump outside. So she could go out and bring back evidence against Dareios and hopefully stall the small army a little as well.
One of the guards walked up to another with something to drink. Gabrielle used her chance and ran forward. She soundlessly dashed up to the wall and dove over the edge. The air screamed past her, while she secretly marveled that she had the guts to do these moves that she had mostly left to Xena until now.
She felt the straw of the roof scratch against her legs as she slid down the thatching hoping that no guards would notice her, while she was still out in the open. Gabrielle slid of the roof's edge and landed on the hard packed dirt in from of the house. Quickly she set of into the moonlit night.
Gabrielle ran tirelessly through the night. More than a year or so on horseback hadn't weakened her steel-like leg muscles trained from walking hundreds of lands. She paced herself setting a speed which would allow her to run for over an hour without rest. Her eyes were tracking the scant trail left by Dareios and his false prisoner.
But her mind was getting dangerously distracted by the thoughts brought forth by her sister's discovery of her extracting information from the prisoner. She thought about her last words: "I am a warrior". She really was one now, wasn't she? Six years of constant danger, of watching and learning all of Xena's warrior art mostly unintentionally but in the end quite by design. She had chosen her current weapons herself. The Sais' were defensive, but still they fit the very physical fighting style she had developed under Xena's tutelage, perfectly. She was trained in leading armies, planning wars, stopping tyrants both with violence and wit. Her body was muscled from her constant training and adventures. She knew full well that each battle in which she killed cost her something, but she had to believe that every life she saved gave more back to her than she lost. Gabrielle stopped abruptly. She was really okay with herself. She had written it on paper many times, but for the first time it felt right to be herself and to exist without Xena. She was doing the right thing, the good thing. But hadn't she believed her way was the way of friendship. How could that be if her friend had left her? Or was there no such thing as a way of friendship? She was sure that her way wasn't the way of the warrior such as Xena's had been. Gabrielle picked up pace again, forcing herself to think of such things at some other time.
She was just passing the outskirts of the forest, when she smelled smoke from several fires. Hoping that she wasn't headed towards a burnt out farm, she turned in the direction of the smell and literally followed her pretty little nose.
Their camp lay nestled safely deep between two hills with sentries perfectly placed on the two hills to keep a lookout. They were really as well equipped as Pavlos had claimed with horses for all the warriors, large oxcarts for supplies and what looked like a well disciplined guard schedule. Gabrielle observed them from her hideout in the crown of a tree that stood near the outskirts of their camp. She could see that they had most of the militia in chains down by a small stream where they also kept the horses. There were several tents, but predictably there was one more opulent than all the others with a large banner on display outside. That was more than likely the warlord's tent. She luckily needed nothing from that place, but she did need all those imprisoned militia men; she needed to get them back to Poteidaia and preferably without bringing the entire army with her.
She thought about it for a moment then suddenly smiled fiercely as she glimpsed the fault in the guards' schedule. There was one point where she could slip inside the quiet camp without any one of the patrolling guards seeing her, when they passed on either side of a large tree stump.
Quickly she ran down and around the hills to await her chance. As the guards passed out of sight she easily slipped inside their perimeter and made her way across the camp looking a way to free the captured militia men.
As stealthily as possible she walked into the area where the army's supply wagons stood. She saw the large piles of food and spare weapons the army had brought and then her eyes stumbled across something unusual. They had a large supply of bottles filled with Greek fire and fitted with a wick. They had an entire wagon full of firebombs, ready to throw on the unsuspecting people of Poteidaia. If this turned into a siege, her hometown would be torched. She suddenly perceived sandaled feet sloshing through the dew wet grass. She sat down behind a barrel of water and waited.
A guard walked past her. Slowly she got back up and walked to the corner of the wagon, where she could see out over the camp. She could manage to reach the imprisoned militia and possibly if she was lucky liberate them and free most of the horses, but not before too many guards caught wind of her actions. She needed a diversion.
Gabrielle suddenly smirked and looked appreciatively at the wagon carrying the firebombs. "Heh", she whispered triumphantly to herself. It stood safely away from any fires in the middle of all the supply wagons of the army. Gabrielle turned and carefully crept onto the heavily loaded wagon. For a few moments she worked in there, and then crept back outside rolling a short strip of oil-soaked cloth made from the torn pieces of her skirt out to the edge of the wagon. Working carefully and as quietly as possible she drew out her flint and steel. In quick succession she successfully threw sparks at the oily cloth until it finally caught fire. Amazingly she heard no one yelling out in alarm as the red flame slowly consumed the cloth while heading inside toward the mass of smashed flasks and oil. However she took no chances and quickly ran towards the captured men.
Most of the men were sleeping uncomfortably in their chains as she ran up to them. She bent down and clamped a hand across the man's mouth and shook him slightly. His eyes opened immediately full of fear.
"Shh, don't try to speak. I am here to rescue you. Wake the other's carefully, while I destroy the chain. Try to keep the noise down", she commanded and let go of the man, whom she recognized from the barroom brawl last night. The man immediately repeated her performance on his neighbors, while she unhooked the chakram and hammered it down on the lock keeping the chain to which they were manacled locked.
The noise of the metal splitting open drowned in the immense roar of most of the firebombs going up in a flaming explosion. Gabrielle used the sudden confusion to move more quickly. Not wanting to waste time, she yelled in her best command voice: "Quickly all of you take a horse and scare the rest of them off" at the bleary eyed militia men, while she dragged the chain out of their manacles leaving them free to move.
The men didn't need to be told twice and quickly ran towards the horses. Wisely they decided to take their own horses that were cruelly still saddled and tied together. Gabrielle nodded approvingly and threw the chakram at the ropes that still held most of the horses. It sheared straight through went high up in the air and whirled back to get caught by the running warrior bard. All around the camp warriors were awake and already a few had wised up to the escape attempt.
"Stop them!" A voice yelled as a few guards amassed in the easiest path out of the camp.
"Give it all you've got. Ride to Poteidaia", she yelled to the freed militia and jumped onto one of the still remaining horses. "Yah, Yah", she yelled in her highest voice. The horses galloped off, while she clung to the horse like her life depended on it.
Using two strains of the horse's mane and her heels to steer she rode along the left side of the fleeing militia. She happily noted that most of the supply wagons were burning and there didn't seem to be much the army could do to stop it.
They easily rode the one of the guards down, while the others dashed for their lives as the near stampede of horses and men passed the outer perimeter of the army camp.
Suddenly she heard the distinct sound of bows being drawn and released in rapid succession, flashing back to both Xena's dead and arrow riddled body as well as the death of her friends in Egypt Gabrielle swung around on the horse turning herself to face backwards, caught the arrow aimed at her back, while having to let a few others pass and glared balefully back at the camp. For a moment she was tempted to throw the chakram at the archers, but she was almost out of her range with it and the archers didn't look like they would fire again. A jolt reminded her that she was sitting the wrong way on an unsaddled horse going forward at high speed, so she quickly lurched around and managed to catch a good grip in the whirling black mane of the horse. She held on for her life, while she marveled at the deed she had managed here.
"On to Poteidaia men, the army won't give chase now, but be sure they'll come to us in the morning and we need to be ready", she said to the militia as the stampeding horses had dispersed. "Your town needs you and right now a traitor is defending it", she explained and looked fearfully in the direction of Poteidaia.
"We know brave heroine. Dareios and those of his people still loyal to him led us into a trap. We had to surrender. But I swear Dareios will pay for his betrayal", one of the militia men claimed and his voice was joined by the approving murmur of several others.
"Don't let either vengeance or hate, be your guide. Vengeance and hate only leads to more of the same", she predicted with absolute conviction and certainty as they slowed down a little and carefully rode down the road to Poteidaia.
In front of them the torch lit outline of Poteidaia appeared in the moonlit night. "That is a sight. Isn't it?" One of the militia men said excitedly to the others of the returning troupe. "Home sweet home", one of the others added gladly and they picked up speed.
The gates of Poteidaia were naturally closed and no guards were in sight as they cleared the last distance leading up to the gate. "Hey. Is anyone awake up there?" The voice of one of the militia men yelled out.
"Get lost. We won't ever surrender to Gascar. We've heard what he did to those of our militia that surrendered to him earlier", a male voice replied from the top of the wall and Gabrielle clearly perceived the approving murmurs of several other guards as well as the sound of a crossbow suddenly firing from further down the wall. With a desperate flick of her wrist she managed to parry the bolt with her not as ornamental as they looked bracers. She saw the huge figure of Dareios staring at her and the flock she had brought with her.
"Fooled ya", she whispered as she saw his baleful stare glinting in the torch light. For a moment he looked at her then dashed away from the wall. "Damn it", she cursed out loud as she guessed he would probably flee the city much like she had done earlier and avoid capture for now. At least she was rid of him for now.
"You idiots, would you get of your asses and look down here. We don't even carry weapons. And don't think I don't recognize your voice either Ictus", the same man had spoken before. Gabrielle reminded herself to give this man command over some troops. He seemed to fit the bill nicely.
Slowly head peered over the stone wall to see the sorry band of escapees sitting horseback at the bottom of the wall with skirt-less warrior bard at their side. They didn't really seem as dead as Dareios had claimed them to be earlier either. "Open the gates!" A voice called out and frantic activity happened on the inside for a while, then the wooden gates slowly swung open to allow them entry.
For the first time Gabrielle noticed that her underwear seemed better aired than usually and her ass hurt from the unprotected ride. As soon as they got the gates closed again and the first stammered questions about Dareios and the supposed death of the militia men had been uttered together with the fact that he had disappeared, she nearly fell over from fatigue.
"Aunt Gabrielle", the sweet voice of Sarah rang across the town square filled with happiness at the sight of her missing aunt. Gabrielle walked over to stand with the slightly blushing girl, who was staring at her legs. Gabrielle looked down but just shrugged over her exposed underwear. She had way past such taboos after only a few years with Xena and she was quite comfortable with showing of her body these days.
"I think the town can handle itself until morning. They won't find Dareios, but his pride won't allow him to back down now. He'll be back that damn traitor", Gabrielle said not remembering that Sarah knew nothing of her exposure of Dareios as a traitor.
"Dareios is a traitor… What is going on here?" Sarah asked in complete confusion.
"Dareios got his male pride hurt by the continuing denials from the city council to allow him to turn Poteidaia into another Sparta, so he turned sour and began helping rogues and thieves plunder the valley or escape justice. In the end he got arrogant enough to offer a warlord he knew the right to plunder Poteidaia in exchange for him getting the valley to rule after the army moved on. It wasn't a bad plan really, but it has kind of caved in on itself, because I chanced by", Gabrielle explained and thought of Ares' fortunate warning and his offer for her to succeed Xena as his chosen.
She smiled wanly, when she realized that was another way she would succeed Xena, she would probably spend at lot her time running around and undoing either Ares' or Aphrodite's small schemes as long as she cared to do it. And then there would be romans to trick and maybe even a few trips to faraway countries she had never been to before or going of somewhere to rescue an old friend or fellow amazon. This was the way of her life in a funny way, it was her routine and she realized she loved a lot of the good things it made her do, even if fighting evil took its toll as well. That she knew all too well.
"Let's go home and catch some sleep. I am sure we'll be very busy in a few hours", Gabrielle acknowledged after an appraising look into the dark night.
"Alright", Sarah said and followed her aunt towards the inn.
Gabrielle felt a little relieved as she approached the inn. She had gotten the captured militia free and rid herself of several great problems in one broad stroke. She even had a plan to rid Poteidaia of the attacking army that would just require a few good shots of a bow. They walked calmly inside and were met with a scene of mayhem.
Someone had fought in the barroom. Several chairs were scattered around the room, two benches had been overturned and a table smashed. Gabrielle's eyes darted about picking up clues everywhere. Here an axe mark probably when it had been thrown to stop someone from fleeing towards the kitchen. The scene unfolded in her mind. After being stopped by the axe, someone had thrown the chairs after the axe thrower, but they had just been deflected. The attacked person helplessly charged only ending with the person being flung across the room through the benches and finally was picked up and smashed down hard on a table by the attacker. "Lila", she stuttered. Dareios had struck a smart blow against her, taking her sister hostage. He would probably try to use her as bait for a trap or to press for her surrender. Unless, of course, he was feeling murderous, but she didn't even dare contemplate that.
"Mother isn't here", Sarah stammered forth breathless from her mad dash around the house. "He has taken her, hasn't he?" She asked with complete helplessness in her voice. Gabrielle realized immediately that this brought forth deep fears and old wounds in the soul of her niece. She feared loosing her mother as she had her father and grandparents.
"Yes. But I won't allow him to do her any harm", she felt flushed with heat and anger, when suddenly Xena's voice came forth from her memory: "Never let anger or hate guide you Gabrielle. It will only make you lose your focus. I made that mistake". Xena had tried to keep her from going on a suicide mission to kill Gurkhan with those words, but even now they made sense. She was fatigued from her adventurous night. If she dashed of to free Lila now, she would only end up either pointlessly running around in the night. Or even worse getting hurt and being unable to help either her sister or Poteidaia. Now of all times she needed to stay focused and let pure reason guide her to a good plan to not only defeat the approaching army, but also to free their newest hostage her very own sister. Her sister was her last link to her past, the one person remaining who knew her as Gabrielle the farmer's daughter and as Gabrielle the bard not as Gabrielle the battling bard. She knew that she couldn't rescue her by staying inside the wall and letting this evolve into a siege, which she knew her enemy couldn't win, as she had planned. Now she would have to take a more dangerous path to victory and it depended on the honor and pride of her enemies.
"Sarah I need to speak to Pavlos", she blurted out. He had seemed rather close to the burly man and now she needed to know everything she could about him and his way of fighting, the way he thought and most important what kind of man he was.
Sarah and Gabrielle walked up to the young man, who had busied himself with looking out over the area immediately in front of the gate, while sharpening his broadsword.
"Pavlos, my aunt needs to speak with you about Dareios", Sarah asked and smiled at her boyfriend. He looked up at her then turned to look at Gabrielle.
"I've heard about everything you did to save the men from grasp of that warlord Rafe. And I have heard of Dareios' betrayal of his men and us all. Unfortunately he has escaped from the village and he took his so-called prisoner with him", Pavlos explained and didn't look surprised, when Gabrielle showed no surprise.
"So your little speech about only being a weak little bard, who knows a little self-defense was all just an act to make Dareios think of you as harmless", he stated and looked impressed for a moment as Gabrielle nodded.
"I immediately noticed that he looked remarkably fresh for someone returning on foot from a battle dragging a seemingly unwilling prisoner along. When I noticed that his axes still looked as if they had just been sharpened I got suspicious and questioned his prisoner privately. I had to rough him up a little, but he finally spilled everything. So I took my chances and went to gather up the imprisoned militia, so that they could give evidence against Dareios. Unfortunately he saw us return and fled. Not that I had expected otherwise. However Pavlos now I need your help. You see he fled with my sister as a hostage. Now we need to defeat the army in a different way then I had originally planned. And to do that I need to know him, I need to understand Dareios. Could you tell me everything you know of him?" Her eyes were filled with a desperate plea as she stood before the man that like so many others easily towered over her much smaller figure.
"Of course", he offered and sat down on the parapet to explain everything.
After a short while Sarah walked away unable to do more to help she went back to the inn and continued setting up the temporary hospital with the healers. Gabrielle and Pavlos sat together talking until dawn came, then the two warriors parted ways. Gabrielle went to eat and catch as much rest as possible before the fighting would break out, while Pavlos began giving the needed orders to all the militia men so they could prepare Gabrielle's new plan for the defense of their village.
