The day was dawning outside, but Xena hadn't slept. She had spent the remainder of the night after the very tired Varia had finished her tale of how she had found Gabrielle out in the forest drenched in the blood and remainder of at least 20 slain enemies. Covered in blood she had been brought home.
Varia had explained how Gabrielle had been unable or unwilling to speak or even eat for days. They had found the dead body of Deirdre on the battlefield and Varia had slowly pieced together from the reports of many of the wounded warriors in Gabrielle's cavalry, what had happened. Xena shuddered at the stories Varia had related of how Gabrielle had acted like an efficient murderess. She had set about slicing throats, opening bellies even removing limbs with blazing speed, killing and wounding many of the enemy and frightening many more. She had been compared with Callisto the monster of her own tales by her most loyal soldiers after that.
Xena had cried after Varia had gone to bed. She had cried for the final loss of innocence and possibly the beginning of the death of all the good remaining in her friend. Gabrielle the girl that had once been her mirror of light showing her the way to live a life dedicated to good had in her mind fallen to nearly the same depths as she had during her times of darkness. In the past they had promised each other to never allow the other to become a monster. Now the possibility existed that she would have to kill her friend instead of embracing her if she ever found her again. Still Varia hadn't told her, what had become of Gabrielle after she had regained some measure of humanity. She hadn't told what had happened after she recovered from the aftermath of her berserker rage. Had she even recovered? She heard the woman in the next room awaken and cautioned herself to remain patient as she awaited her final answers.
Varia and Xena sat over breakfast. Xena hadn't spoken at all to the black haired woman since she told the horrific tale of her beloved friend's final brutal acts against the barbarians.
"Varia, where is Gabrielle?" She finally said.
Varia looked at her then nodded, while swallowing her food.
"Come with me", she said and rose.
Xena followed Varia to a beautiful house that was covered in mural painted in bright colors and surrounded by a garden full of flowers.
"This was her home", Xena stated instantly recognizing the Greek building with the happy styles of the Poteidaians in the many colors, while the murals looked like something from Chin or Japan.
"Yes, it was built as a gift to her after the founding of this town", Varia admitted and stopped. "She stayed here for a few weeks after the war. She absolutely refused to rule us again. Finally Cyane and I went to her and tried to talk some sense into her and we found her packing", she explained.
"What are you doing?" Cyane asked as she saw Gabrielle stuffing clothing and money into some saddle bags. She had been quiet these last few days refusing to tell them what she was thinking about.
"Oh good you came by. That means I am leaving now", Gabrielle explained and pressed a well known saddle bag into her hands. It was famed as the container for all Gabrielle's stories and journals that she carried with her everywhere.
"You can't just leave. You're our ruler. We need you", Varia said and felt a strange anger like a child being left alone by its mother.
"No you don't need me. Not when I am like this. I am out of balance Varia. I have been ever since Xena died. We seem to need other to stay on the right path, if I was ever on it in the first place. Xena isn't coming back I know that, so I have to go and find some way to regain some measure of myself back before the darkness in my soul consumes the light she loved and I miss", Gabrielle explained.
"But…but… we… I understand and I hope you find what you are looking for Gabrielle. Your nation will await your return", Cyane finally capitulated. Varia fell silent for a moment then nodded.
Gabrielle turned and managed a sad smile, while holding their hands to her heart. "I leave that saddle bag and the Chakram here in your hands. I'll go out in search of something to cure my soul. If I don't return within a year I am either dead or I have fallen into the darkness. Either way if I don't come back all that I was will be dead. I ask you to honor me by sending this saddle bag to my home and that the Chakram is given to whomever can properly master it and is worthy of it", she said and looked from one to another.
"Why leave the Chakram?" Varia asked and looked at the weapon carefully lain on the table where Gabrielle had her scrolls.
"Because I am no longer worthy of both sides of the Chakram and until I am I will not demean my inheritance from Xena by using it. I think she is disappointed enough with me as it is right now", Gabrielle admitted and walked out of the house to the small stable behind her house, where her trusty Ghost stood awaiting her. She guided the horse out of the stables after saddling it. Gabrielle jumped onto the white horse and looked at the two amazon queens.
"I've lost too many friends already. Stay alive will you and try not to let the nation fall into disarray without its figurehead", she commented.
"Where will you go?" Cyane asked and looked at the sad blonde woman.
"To Indus I guess. In the end it was the place that meant the most to Xena's spiritual development. It was the place where she finally understood her path in life. And if the land of spices manages to disappoint me I'll go to the lands of Lao Ma. Her philosophy was the foundation of Xena's recovery from her darkness", Gabrielle cried out as she rode Ghost away from the two queens, who were left looking at each other in silent astonishment.
"And we never saw her again. The entire nation considers Gabrielle lost except me and Cyane. We know that she is most likely dead by her own hand if she hasn't found a way out of the darkness that was eating at her soul", Varia explained and opened the door into the clean room, the Chakram still rested in the exact spot Gabrielle had left it.
"We kept it clean for her, but I don't expect to see her again. Although you can never know with the two of you, I remember that you disappeared for 25 years once so I guess anything is possible", Varia said and looked as Xena carefully reclaimed a long lost part of her life.
Gingerly Xena placed the weapon on her belt before asking Varia another question: "Varia there was a strange book from Chin in Gabrielle's bag, where did it come from?"
Varia managed to look a little guilty before speaking: "Well, while Gabrielle is my queen and all that I was not about to let her disappear without a trace. Almost a year after she disappeared, I got three of her remaining royal guard to slip off and look for her. Only one returned dying from a rare disease, but still in her fever she managed to croak forth that they had been able to follow the path of the queen and that the book held the answers I sought. However she died and no one here could translate it. So in the end when Cyane reluctantly was about to send the scrolls back to Poteidaia I threw the book into the bag as well. I hoped that it might give some hope to her family or even let them find her for me. Couldn't you translate it?"
"No", Xena admitted and considered her options.
"So you're going to be leaving immediately if I remember how you two are correctly?" Varia said and looked at the suddenly withdrawn warrior princess.
"Yes, it looks like I am going to India", Xena said.
Teaser:Keep an eye out for the 4th part of the Darkness and the Light: "False Dragon" as Xena discovers the final fate of the battling bard after traversing the final part of her friend's path into the foreign lands of the East. What has been happening to Gabrielle the last two years?