Xena walked out of the temple in a state of shock. She had tested Ares in
the best way she had known, had offered him everything he had ever wanted --
and more.
Yet he had passed the tests. With flying colors.
"I don't believe it." Xena muttered to herself as she slowly walked back to the beachfront and the nearby boardwalk. "Ares really does love Gabrielle. I never dreamed he was possible of warm emotions. Has he really changed so much so fast? I thought for sure he'd give in to his coarse emotions when I offered him my body, my sword. Yet he refused."
But Xena knew she HAD to test him, no matter how much it had hurt Gabrielle. Her innocent friend really didn't know what a pig Ares was ... had been. And since Gabrielle had refused to listen to reason, she had been forced to protect Gabrielle the only other way open to her.
Yet he had passed.
Xena stood on one of the piers staring out to sea. The sky was dark now, aglow with hundreds of stars. The wind blew the Warrior Princess' long hair, lifting it off the back of her neck as the long silky strands fluttered in the wind. The water rippled as the wind tossed the surface, yet she knew it would be calm underneath.
Was Ares like that? A rough shell yet calm inside? Had Gabrielle seen through his bad boy behavior and known it was all an act, while she -- the experienced warrior -- had not?
Xena shook her head at the idea that Gabrielle was wiser than she was.
"But now I need to make a decision." She said to herself, the wind whipping her words away to who knows where. "Should I allow the two to date now that Ares has proven his good attentions to me? If I do, I'll loose Gabrielle forever. She'll become a Goddess, marry Ares and I'll be left all alone. But what kind of life can I really offer her? Sleeping outside, as Ares pointed out, is no life for a young lady. Gabrielle deserves so much more. I know these past years haven't been easy on her, although she says it's all worth it. And she has changed my life. But now maybe she can change Ares for the better, do the better good by being with him. Heck, she already changed him so much and he doesn't even realize it yet."
Xena realized that if Gabrielle stayed with her, in the end it would kill the bard. Sooner or later there would be a situation in which Xena couldn't save her. She knew it, had felt it many times. Had worried about it.
"But I had to be sure." She repeated to herself. "I can do it. I can give her up. It'll be hard at first, but she'd come and visit me."
Then Xena remembered Discord's visit in the dress shop, a frown appearing on her face. Discord was going to cause problems. The Goddess didn't like that things on Olympus was going to change soon. "I have to protect Gabrielle before Discord kills her. No doubt it was her that sent that sea monster to attack the town. Jealousy is a big fault of hers."
Then Xena realized for the first time she had no idea where Gabrielle was. The bard had been annoyed at her and had went off on her own. She no doubt taught everything was simple. She loved Ares, Ares loved her. End of story. She wouldn't think that there might be Gods who would feel threatened by her marriage to the God of War. Or who would feel insulted that a mortal would live on Olympus. But Xena knew they would ban together and do anything possible to stop the impeding marriage.
Even if it cost Gabrielle her life.
Marrying a God was like getting involved in politics. It was very complicated!
Running down the peer, Xena went to find Gabrielle, before it was too late.
***
"I don't believe it!" Discord whined as she watched Xena run off the wooden pier, her footfalls sounding like a hammer. The Goddess' eyes flashed red in anger, her black lips twisting into a scowl. She and Strife were perched on the nearest building's roof. "Did you see that? She switched sides!"
"Yowza!" Strife laughed, his face twisting up. He waved his fingers in the air at Xena's retreating form. "Hey hey, maybe I got a chance now. Yesaree!"
"Don't be an idiot!" Discord lifted her hand to blast Strife, then paused. A smile appeared on her pretty but pale face. Scooting closer to Strife, she wrapped her white arm around his shoulders. "Strife, you are a genius!"
"I am?" He asked.
"Yes!" Discord laughed, revealing white teeth. "So you like Xena, huh? Well, why don't you go down there and stall her? Tell her how you feel about her. Tell her anything. Kidnap her if you have to. But stop her from getting to Gabrielle!"
"Now you're talking!" Strife stuck his arms up in the air as he struck a victory pose. Bringing them back down, he rubbed his hands together. Licking his lips, he turned to look at Discord. "Boy, just think what I could do with someone like her! All that experience, all that bloodlust. Best of all, I think she's really hot for me already. Yeah, I know her game. She explained it to Uncle Ares, so I know how it works. I won't make the same mistakes he did!"
Discord rolled her black eyes. Giving Strife a shove, she knocked him off the building's roof. "Get going already!"
"WOOoooooooo!" Strife yelled as he fell through the air. Halfway down, he popped out in a flash of blue light.
Discord threw back her head and laughed. "Gabrielle, what horrible fate should I choose for you?"
Yet he had passed the tests. With flying colors.
"I don't believe it." Xena muttered to herself as she slowly walked back to the beachfront and the nearby boardwalk. "Ares really does love Gabrielle. I never dreamed he was possible of warm emotions. Has he really changed so much so fast? I thought for sure he'd give in to his coarse emotions when I offered him my body, my sword. Yet he refused."
But Xena knew she HAD to test him, no matter how much it had hurt Gabrielle. Her innocent friend really didn't know what a pig Ares was ... had been. And since Gabrielle had refused to listen to reason, she had been forced to protect Gabrielle the only other way open to her.
Yet he had passed.
Xena stood on one of the piers staring out to sea. The sky was dark now, aglow with hundreds of stars. The wind blew the Warrior Princess' long hair, lifting it off the back of her neck as the long silky strands fluttered in the wind. The water rippled as the wind tossed the surface, yet she knew it would be calm underneath.
Was Ares like that? A rough shell yet calm inside? Had Gabrielle seen through his bad boy behavior and known it was all an act, while she -- the experienced warrior -- had not?
Xena shook her head at the idea that Gabrielle was wiser than she was.
"But now I need to make a decision." She said to herself, the wind whipping her words away to who knows where. "Should I allow the two to date now that Ares has proven his good attentions to me? If I do, I'll loose Gabrielle forever. She'll become a Goddess, marry Ares and I'll be left all alone. But what kind of life can I really offer her? Sleeping outside, as Ares pointed out, is no life for a young lady. Gabrielle deserves so much more. I know these past years haven't been easy on her, although she says it's all worth it. And she has changed my life. But now maybe she can change Ares for the better, do the better good by being with him. Heck, she already changed him so much and he doesn't even realize it yet."
Xena realized that if Gabrielle stayed with her, in the end it would kill the bard. Sooner or later there would be a situation in which Xena couldn't save her. She knew it, had felt it many times. Had worried about it.
"But I had to be sure." She repeated to herself. "I can do it. I can give her up. It'll be hard at first, but she'd come and visit me."
Then Xena remembered Discord's visit in the dress shop, a frown appearing on her face. Discord was going to cause problems. The Goddess didn't like that things on Olympus was going to change soon. "I have to protect Gabrielle before Discord kills her. No doubt it was her that sent that sea monster to attack the town. Jealousy is a big fault of hers."
Then Xena realized for the first time she had no idea where Gabrielle was. The bard had been annoyed at her and had went off on her own. She no doubt taught everything was simple. She loved Ares, Ares loved her. End of story. She wouldn't think that there might be Gods who would feel threatened by her marriage to the God of War. Or who would feel insulted that a mortal would live on Olympus. But Xena knew they would ban together and do anything possible to stop the impeding marriage.
Even if it cost Gabrielle her life.
Marrying a God was like getting involved in politics. It was very complicated!
Running down the peer, Xena went to find Gabrielle, before it was too late.
***
"I don't believe it!" Discord whined as she watched Xena run off the wooden pier, her footfalls sounding like a hammer. The Goddess' eyes flashed red in anger, her black lips twisting into a scowl. She and Strife were perched on the nearest building's roof. "Did you see that? She switched sides!"
"Yowza!" Strife laughed, his face twisting up. He waved his fingers in the air at Xena's retreating form. "Hey hey, maybe I got a chance now. Yesaree!"
"Don't be an idiot!" Discord lifted her hand to blast Strife, then paused. A smile appeared on her pretty but pale face. Scooting closer to Strife, she wrapped her white arm around his shoulders. "Strife, you are a genius!"
"I am?" He asked.
"Yes!" Discord laughed, revealing white teeth. "So you like Xena, huh? Well, why don't you go down there and stall her? Tell her how you feel about her. Tell her anything. Kidnap her if you have to. But stop her from getting to Gabrielle!"
"Now you're talking!" Strife stuck his arms up in the air as he struck a victory pose. Bringing them back down, he rubbed his hands together. Licking his lips, he turned to look at Discord. "Boy, just think what I could do with someone like her! All that experience, all that bloodlust. Best of all, I think she's really hot for me already. Yeah, I know her game. She explained it to Uncle Ares, so I know how it works. I won't make the same mistakes he did!"
Discord rolled her black eyes. Giving Strife a shove, she knocked him off the building's roof. "Get going already!"
"WOOoooooooo!" Strife yelled as he fell through the air. Halfway down, he popped out in a flash of blue light.
Discord threw back her head and laughed. "Gabrielle, what horrible fate should I choose for you?"