Welcome back, everybody! Who's ready for part II?
Chapter One: Vulnerability
Varinia sat at the table in the kitchen, attempting to slice a few vegetables and fruits. Beginning this new life in an entirely unfamiliar place, she realized she didn't have any skills to function as an average person in society. She could barely cut up squash, let alone cook.
She also found out some new things about Evander while living with him every single day. He knew how to cook, not super well, but better than her, at least. Adjusting to this new life was going to take more time than Varinia thought. Aside from her cooking skills, or lack thereof, she enjoyed living in Abydos so far.
Slicing into the vegetable, the knife slipped and took a chunk out of her finger. Varinia hissed, and she suckled the blood dripping down her finger. She quickly raced to the other room to grab gauze and clean her bloody hand.
At the sound of the door opening at the front of the villa, Varinia whipped her head around. She cautiously rounded the corner and sighed in relief to see Evander.
"Where have you been?" she asked, rushing to him.
He smiled, eager to see her. He peered down at the bloody gauze and gasped. "Varinia, what happened?" he snatched her hand to inspect. "That's a nasty cut you got there."
"I was trying to cut a squash. It's not a big deal."
Evander raised a skeptical brow. He ushered her to the table so he could wrap her hand correctly. As her hand was being tended to, Varinia eyed the bow strapped to his back.
"You bought a bow?" she asked.
He proudly admitted, "I didn't buy it. I made it!" he snipped the remainder of the gauze and paddled her hand. "Try to stay away from the knives for a while."
Evander grabbed the knives and cutting board, then set both items onto the counter in the central kitchen. He took the bow off his back and placed it gently on the counter and washed his hands thoroughly. He splashed some water on his face and peered over at Varinia, who gave him a peculiar look.
She twirled a curly lock around her finger, eyes fixated on the weapon. "You left me alone for six days so you could make a bow?"
He chuckled, patting his face with a towel, and leaned against the counter. "I told you I was going to search for work. You said I should find something to do since you know…I'm no longer a mercenary," he mumbled.
Varinia stood, wrapping her arms around his slender frame. "You don't have to worry about money. Xena sends us an allowance every week!" she said with a toothy grin.
Evander grimaced and gently shoved her aside, taking his new bow with him. He walked into their bedroom, and Varinia followed. She watched from the doorway as he began stripping himself of his clothes. Any mention of Xena struck a chord in him even after a month of living in Abydos.
"I don't want her money," he said sternly.
"We're already living in her home, Evander. We don't have anything! We have nothing here! She's provided so much for us."
Evander spun around. "I don't want her help, and we aren't going to live here forever. When I've saved enough money, we will move somewhere else."
"But Evander, this is a chance for us to start a new life. I like living here and –and I want to marry you, I want to have a baby with you," she pleaded, gnawing on her lip.
He already felt so defeated and embarrassed by taking Xena's money. He didn't want to live in her numerous territories, which he came to find out, through eavesdropping, that she owns several portions of the eastern world, even Varinia's motherland, Syria. But, going back to the Romans was out of the question now.
"We will talk about this later."
Gabrielle had the pleasure of walking around Xena's home. It wasn't as lavish as she envisioned it would be. She thought that Xena would've had a palace larger than Emperor Nero, but it was very simplistic. There were a few statues in the long corridor at the front entrance, but no tapestries or any other decorative items anywhere else.
She was a bit surprised that the home was so isolated from civilization. Huge lush mountains were surrounding the area. This made it nearly impossible for an average person to find their way around the site. The villa was easily visible from Edirne if you lived in a tall apartment.
Gabrielle was essentially left in the dark regarding Xena's condition. She hovered around the room, eager to peek inside each time a servant exited. This day, she decided to steer clear of the bedroom and wander around. Seven days passed by now, and her questions were continuously ignored.
She walked through a long hallway and saw double doors to a room she hadn't yet explored. She checked to see if anyone was coming by, but the halls were quiet. She approached the doors and grabbed the handle, ready to enter.
"That room is forbidden."
Gabrielle yelped and pulled her hand back. She spun around, looking up to Xena's chambermaid, Erva. She couldn't get a good read on the woman. Erva was an interesting woman, that was for sure. She looked to be around Xena's age. She moved silently throughout the villa and hardly said a word since Gabrielle arrived.
She was eerie, Gabrielle came to realize, after the few days they spent together.
Embarrassed, Gabrielle twiddled her thumbs behind her back. "H-how is she? I tried to ask one of the servants earlier, but they didn't answer."
Erva replied softly, "she's feeling better now. You know you don't have to stay here."
"I know…"
"I could have someone escort you back to the villa in the main city."
Gabrielle half smiled, "I want to stay here,…just to make sure she's alright."
A moment of silence passed between them, and Erva kept staring down at Gabrielle with an expressionless face, which undoubtedly made Gabrielle feel very uneasy. It was odd enough that she was in the home of the woman she tried to kill, and now she had to deal with her chambermaid.
"Were you able to locate the assassin?"
"Unfortunately, no," Erva said.
"Do you know who it might be?"
Erva sighed. "She has many enemies. There is a reason why she doesn't leave her home."
Gabrielle now understood Xena's paranoia. Over the last week, Gabrielle had time to reflect on what happened back in Rome. All this time she hunted Xena, she was going after the wrong person. A cloud of confusion hovered over her head as she tried to make sense of it all.
This version of Xena wasn't the person that Rome made her out to be. In Rome, Xena was seen as a formidable foe and often depicted as a vicious savage, but Gabrielle could tell that Xena was anything but that. Still, Xena was a very intelligent woman, and she didn't rise to the top by being nice. She had to use force to gain power and reputation, and with that comes a price.
Xena burned many bridges throughout her life, especially with the Romans. Although, Gabrielle felt sympathetic towards Xena in a way. They both felt residual hatred for Romans, especially their leaders. The Roman Empire made them what they are today.
Gabrielle attempted to make light conversations with Erva on several occasions, only to be shot down multiple times. Erva was more than a servant to Xena. She was a friend too, and it was apparent she cared a great deal for her superior.
"Is there any way I could see her?"
"Now probably isn't the best time. Perhaps, you could come by tomorrow morning."
Shot down again. Gabrielle was not the least bit surprised. She had a strange inkling that Erva did not care for her, or maybe she was just suspicious. Either way, Gabrielle couldn't tell if she was stepping on Erva's toes or if she was simply a burden to her.
Every night was the same. Every single servant that entered Xena's bedroom left just after dinner and retired for the evening. The last person to visit Xena was her trusted chambermaid. It was like clockwork, and Gabrielle memorized the order of who saw Xena. Tonight was no different.
Erva exited the bedroom and closed the doors, while Gabrielle stood behind a wall, waiting for nearly half an hour. Erva locked the doors and slipped the key into her blouse then went on about her way to head up the stairs. Gabrielle narrowed her eyes, gawking at the brunette. She slipped out from behind the wall and checked the stairs. Erva had now walked down the long corridor to her bedroom.
The villa had an eerie stillness at this hour. Gabrielle crept close to the doors and took in a deep breath, holding it in her chest. She wondered if Erva thought she was going to kill Xena. She had the perfect opportunity to kill Xena when they were in that small villa. Xena was in such a vulnerable state, but at that point, it wasn't worth it to kill her –to finish her.
Given the amount of free time on her hands, Gabrielle memorized the entire floorplan of this villa. She knew all the exits, windows, and rooms, except for that one in the somewhat abandoned wing. She discovered yesterday, from entering a room beside Xena's, that there was a terrace in Xena's bedroom.
She briskly walked down the hallway into the neighboring room and poked her head out the window. Smiling, she climbed out the window, holding onto the top ledge. The jump wasn't that far away. She could easily land on the terrace if she calculated the distance and relied on her footing.
It was a long way down if she missed. Without skipping a beat, Gabrielle leaped forward and hooked her boot onto the terrace's ledge, holding onto the railing. She grunted, pulling herself up and over the rail and onto the balcony.
Gabrielle adjusted her tunic and then walked through the sheer curtains, entering Xena's bedroom. Her eyes danced around, taking in the large room. Her breath hitched when she saw Xena laid up in the bed, surrounded by a veil of curtains.
There were several baskets of bloodied linens beside the bed. Pitchers of water were scattered on numerous tables throughout the room. Gabrielle rested a hand over her thumping chest as she approached. She parted the curtains, and, with wide eyes, she stared at the thick gauze wrapped over Xena's chest.
Erva lied. Her condition was more severe than Erva let on. Gabrielle was surprised that she was even alive at all, given the location where the arrow penetrated. Xena wasn't a ruler at this moment, nor a conqueror, or monster that Romans made her out to be. She was simply a woman trying to survive.
Gabrielle rubbed her throat, leaning down closer to inspect the wound. She lifted the bandages, and her face contorted at the state of the injury. Fearing that Xena would wake, she slowly backed away from the bed. She lifted the sheet and saw the thigh wound was healing nicely, but the chest wound was most problematic.
Quietly, she slipped away, drawing the sheer curtains. While she kept an eye on the slumbering brunette, Gabrielle waltzed around the bed, inspecting the bedroom. It was more lavish than the rest of the villa. There were a variety of weapons on the wall. Typical, she thought. This woman was always ready for an attack, as she should be.
Gabrielle spotted a sheet pinned to a wall. Craning her neck, she made sure that Xena was still sleeping, then tiptoed across the room. She grabbed the sheet and yanked it off the wall. Her jaw dropped at the display in front of her.
Along the wall, there were three sets of armor, organized by size and color. On a shelf, there were various headdresses of different colors. Curiously, Gabrielle picked up one of the headdresses dressed with gold beads and coins. She ran her fingers through the beads, tilting her head from side to side.
This definitely wasn't Greek nor Roman armor. It wasn't anything like she'd seen before. She blew the cobwebs off the headdress and sniffled, taking in a whiff of the dust. She assumed that these headdresses hadn't been worn in quite some time.
Interesting.
After she set down the headdress gently, she noticed a door slightly ajar. She peeked inside, creaking the door open. Entering quietly as possible, she was astonished at the number of clothes Xena had in this massive wardrobe room.
Dresses were displayed on racks, shoes were lined according to type, and there were even more headdresses that matched each dress. Gabrielle smiled, eager to navigate her way around the room. She touched each dress, recognizing the fabric to be of good quality. She never thought Xena would be one to like lavish clothing. Or maybe Xena didn't like this type of clothing at all. Maybe she was obligated to wear such items due to her status among her people.
But then, Gabrielle remembered Erva saying that Xena hardly ever leaves her home. Fatma, back at the workshop, also said something similar. How long have you been hiding here, Xena?
A couple of jarring coughs were heard from the main bedroom, and Gabrielle froze in place. She ran out of the wardrobe room and eyed Xena in bed, coughing lightly. She bit her bottom lip, hurrying to leave from where she came.
Just as she stood on the terrace, ready to make her escape, a hoarse voice called to her.
"Gabrielle?"