Chapter Two: Peeping Mockingbird

Fifteen Days Earlier

Nearly a month hidden in the palace began to drive Augusta Sabina mad. She was irritable, to say the least, and constantly shooed her servants out of her quarters. Today was the first day since she left the palace since the birth of her daughter.

Walking the streets of Rome, she smiled at the people who greeted her with warm eyes and welcomes. She briskly walked towards the workshop with Nero's guards trailing behind her. She threw the veil over her hair and entered the shop, looking around the area.

Instantly, all-male artists bowed their heads, except for Zenodorus, who had his back turned as he stood up on a ladder, sculpting with wet clay. Sabina arched her eyebrow and walked across the shop, abruptly halting in front of Gabrielle's empty station.

She folded her arms and rounded the tall sculpture, startling Zenodorus.

"Empress!" he shouted, nearly losing his footing. "It's so good to see you again!" he said with a clenched smile.

Zenodorus climbed down the ladder and wiped his clay-covered hands. He ran over to Sabina, bowing his head, and wiped his brow.

"I apologize. I didn't see you come in. What brings you here today? Very nice weather outside, right? How is your daughter doing?"

Sabina hummed, ignoring his chipper tone. "Where is Gabrielle? Her station is empty."

"Oh," he scratched the nape of his neck. "I thought you of all people would know," he awkwardly laughed, rendering a glare. "Augusta," he added swiftly. "She…she left to go do some work for you. She received a letter from…you, Empress."

"I never sent a letter," she said, beyond annoyed. "Where did she say she was going?"

"I…I'm not sure, Empress. She didn't tell me."

"Hmm." She crossed her arms. "Well, she can't just up and leave. She belongs to me."

Zenodorus stood, waiting awkwardly, shifting his boots. His chin was grabbed, and his eyes widened, staring at the thin Empress.

"Who delivered this letter?" she asked, grinning slyly.

"A Roman soldier, Augusta," he spat out, wincing at the nails digging into his face.

Sabina growled, snatching her fingers away, and rubbed her hand on her gown, disgusted by the filth on her nails. She hoped to rid the irritation she endured in her home and visit Gabrielle, but now she was even more infuriated than before she came in here.

"Thank you for relaying this to me," she said politely through a forced smile. "Do let me know if she comes back."

"I will, Empress."

Locked in a staring contest, Gabrielle approached the bed, parted the curtains, and stood, leering over the bed-ridden conqueror. She held her breath, gripping the curtains tightly, before letting the fabric slip in between her fingers as she took a step forward. She wondered what would've happened if she stayed out of the room like Erva wanted her to, but here she was, and there Xena lay.

Xena raised her eyebrow, then reached for the half-empty cup on the bedside table. She sat up just enough to sip the water, wincing at the contraction spreading across her chest. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Gabrielle attempt to help, so she quickly raised her hand.

Wiping her mouth, her head collapsed back onto the pillow, and Xena took a lengthy exhale. Staring up at the ceiling, she waited a while for her heart to stop rapidly beating, then her gaze drifted slowly to the blonde beside the bed.

"You…are a terrible mercenary," she spoke softly.

Gabrielle cinched her eyebrows, unsure of how to respond. Apparently, she was a terrible killer, and she was. She killed the wrong person.

"You didn't come in here to kill me?" Xena asked sternly, then after a few silent moments, a smile appeared.

The density in Gabrielle's shoulders became so heavy in weight, which caused her neck and back to stiffen. She couldn't tell if Xena was joking or not as the smile on her face was nearly unreadable. She knew she honestly didn't know Xena at all.

"I…could've killed you many times, but I chose not to."

Xena's smile widened. "No, you couldn't," she said, coughing lightly, then shifted underneath the blankets. "How did you get in here?"

Gabrielle pointed to the terrace behind her, remaining quiet.

"I should've known," mumbled Xena, placing a hand over the chest wound. "You are very skilled in scaling buildings. How is your arm?"

This woman was more than baffling. Here she was, insulting her yet concerned for her health. Gabrielle couldn't make sense of this woman before she knew who she truly was. And she was now in her domain, in her bedroom, on the receiving end of underhanded insults.

While Xena picked at the wound, it took her a moment to register the stillness in the room. She lifted her eyes to stare at Gabrielle. Drawing her eyebrows together, she tilted her head, studying the puzzlement and a hint of anger in the blonde's eyes.

"What?" she said bluntly. "You're the one who snuck into my room, and you aren't here to kill me, and you're unwilling to talk to me. What is it that you want?"

Gabrielle inhaled tightly and spoke finally, "I wanted to see if you were alright, but I can see that you're fine."

"How kind of you," said Xena, smiling. "Did Erva bring you here from the villa?"

Gabrielle's fingers twitched by her side. "No…I…I stayed here," she admitted with reddened cheeks.

So far, she didn't like the awkward silence between them that came and went. She couldn't understand how Xena could be so talkative and pretend like nothing happened. She was nearly shot to death by someone who clearly, wanted her dead, yet she talked as if nothing was amiss. Then, there was the subject of the lie Xena possessed; the lie that brought them both together and separated them from the truth.

"Maybe it's best if I come back another time. I don't think your maid likes me," Gabrielle said, slowly backing away from the bed.

Xena half-smiled. "Erva doesn't like anybody. I'm not even sure if she likes me sometimes." She sat up carefully and reclined on the pillows. "Why are you in such a hurry to leave? Sit with me."

"I…should let you rest."

Xena frowned and paddled the empty spot opposite her. Hesitantly, the blonde took a seat and sat stiff as a wooden board. Turning her head, she saw Xena smiling softly in the dim-lit room, making her feel uneasy inside. Her stomach knotted immediately, and she twiddled her thumbs in her lap.

"I…I'm sorry I lied to you," said Xena. "In the letter I sent."

Gabrielle nodded her head silently.

Unsurprisingly, Xena was at a loss for words. To apologize to someone was enough to drain her energy completely, but she felt that she owed that to Gabrielle in the least. While she felt the smoldering stare burning her skin, she tapped her fingers, turning her cheek. As the silence passed, she noticed the drapes were ripped from the wall, and she whipped her head around to Gabrielle.

"Did you do that?"

Gabrielle followed the gaze, and her face paled. She completely forgot about the snooping she did before Xena woke. It would be foolish to lie about that, and if she did, it wasn't like she could blame Erva.

"I'll fix it before I leave…" she muttered, turning back around to Xena's piercing stare.

"Find anything interesting?"

Gabrielle felt a lump caught in her throat. "What?"

"You snuck into my bedroom and decided to have a look around. Did you find anything to your liking?"

Gabrielle brushed a strand of hair behind her ear.

A brief amused toothy grin crossed Xena's lips before her gaze fell to her lap.

A hand skimmed down her thigh, and Gabrielle exhaled heavily before speaking once more. She felt as if she were talking to a wall right now, and maybe that wasn't such a horrible thing. She didn't know what to say to Xena. This was a woman she was trained to loathe, yet she talked with her the entire time she was busy hunting her.

"Well…I," she abruptly stood. "I should go back to the villa…in the city," she said, beginning to walk towards the doors.

Xena nearly leaped forward. "Gabrielle!"

She halted and flinched at the bark.

"Don't go," she said, causing Gabrielle's eyebrows to rise. "I mean, don't go back to the villa," she recoiled, cheeks flushing at the urgency in her own voice. "Whoever tried to kill me knows what you look like. It wouldn't be safe."

The upper corner of her lip twitched into an unsettled and uncertain smile. "Okay…I'll just stay here then," Gabrielle said.

Evander slipped out of the villa very early in the morning before Varinia woke. After the little tiff they had yesterday, he didn't want to start his day off with another argument. He wasn't the best at communicating, and he realized after living with Varinia every single day, that she loved to talk.

That, undoubtedly, annoyed her, and she often said he was a man of few words. Evander made a promise to work on talking to her more, but that wasn't going to happen if he continued to live in Xena's home. Every single day, he thought about her and wished she would get out of his head.

He walked through the street on the outskirts of the busy city. Everyone was starting their day. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Xena's men lingering by an apartment building not too far from where he was. Evander grumbled, continuing to weave in and out of the emerging crowd.

He was also tired of those brutes of hers following his every step. He was glad that he could get rid of them for a while when he left Abydos last week. That was another thing he should've told Varinia. Next time, he would say to her when he decided to leave the city.

Evander already made a promise to someone else, though. He finally came to a shop where he met a very nice carpenter who showed him how to make the bow he carried with him. He flung the satchel off his shoulder and tossed it onto the table, disrupting the carpenter's morning routine.

"Evander," he greeted with a big smile.

"Morning, Yunus. Starting work early, I see."

Yunus nodded, wiping the sweat off his brow. He set down his tools and brought Evander inside the shop. With his strong arms, he lifted the bow off the wall, showing it off. Evander's blue eyes illuminated, admiring the craftsmanship.

"I will show you how to make this one day."

"One day? Why not now?" Evander asked excitedly.

Yunus smiled. "You need to learn the basics first!" he clasped Evander's shoulder. "I've never met a young man who is as eager as you."

Evander definitely had his own reasons why he wanted to speed up this process, but he couldn't tell his new mentor about that. He wandered around the shop and came to a table filled with several holsters of various arrows. All were different shapes, sizes, and had their own unique arrowhead.

He picked up an arrow with a peacock feather, scanning the long shaft. He ran his fingers through the bright green and blue feather.

"This is a nice arrow you made," he called out.

Yunus spun around. "Ah, yes. That client is rather finicky. I only make five of those for the client once a year."

"Why once a year?"

The carpenter shrugged. "Who am I to argue with a client? Come, let me show you how to carve this new war bow I'm working on."

Early the following morning, Erva walked through the hallway, carrying a tray of food. She stopped in front of the bedroom doors and reached into her pocket for the key. As she slipped the key into the hole, the door creaked open before she could turn the key.

She crinkled her eyebrows and kicked the door open with the toe of her boot, and peered inside. Hesitantly she entered the bedroom and gawked at the curtains swaying in the gentle breeze from the terrace. Her heart hammered when she saw the bed was empty.

The tray fell from her hands and crashed onto the floor. She ran to the bed and saw the sheets stained with blood.

"Dammit, Erva!"

She gasped, turning around herself, and smiled as Xena shouted at her from the opposite side of the room.

"You're alive," she said, clasping her hands.

Xena groaned, "of course I'm alive," she rolled her eyes, drawing the sash around her waist. "What are you doing here so early?" she eyed the tray of food spilled on the floor and sighed.

"Why is the door unlocked? Why are you out of bed?" Erva asked, kneeling on the floor, cleaning her mess.

"Gabrielle came in here last night."

"She what?" Erva spat angrily. "How? I locked the door. Did she hurt you?"

Xena grunted and sat on the bed after hobbling across the room. She inspected her thigh wound, ignoring the chambermaid's questions. Picking at the stitches, a shadow stepped into her light. Lifting her eyes, she frowned up at Erva.

"Could you move?"

"You didn't answer me."

"I don't have to answer to you," Xena mumbled, picking at the slowly forming scab. Realizing that Erva wasn't planning on moving, she answered, "she snuck in from the terrace. Now, can you move?"

Erva gasped and scowled, slamming the tray on the table, causing her superior to flinch. She folded her arms, towering over Xena, refusing to budge.

"She isn't your pet, Xena."

Xena arched an eyebrow, slowly raising her chin. "Nobody said she was."

"You can't keep her here like you did to Gölge. You can't replace Xi…" she paused, receiving a glare, "him," she muttered. "She also killed Gölge."

Xena grimaced, "she was trying to kill me."

"Oh, even better!"

Xena continued picking at the scab. "It's different this time. I didn't force her to stay."

Erva sighed, tired of trying to reason. "Alright." She grabbed the tray on her way out. "I will bring another tray of food and fresh sheets."

Exiting the room, she closed the door, then spun around to find Gabrielle standing before her. She didn't know if she had the patience to deal with yet another unreasonable woman this morning.

"Good morning," said Gabrielle.

"If you ever go into that room without me knowing, I will personally see you to a ship back to Rome."

Gabrielle's eyes enlarged, then showcased a bright grin. "I get the feeling that you don't like me very much."

Without a nice thing to say, Erva shoved Gabrielle's shoulder as she brushed by. Gabrielle huffed, rubbing her arm, staring back at the tall brunette rounding the corner. Smiling softly, she walked towards the room and pressed her ear against the door.

"You can come in," said Xena from the other side of the door.

Gabrielle pulled her ear away instantly. She took in a deep breath and creaked open the door, gripping the handle firmly. She poked her head inside and saw Xena sitting up in bed, dressing her chest wound with a salve.

"How…did you…"

Xena met the blonde's mystified gaze and grinned, "I can see your shadow under the door."

Ah, not as smart as I thought, supposed Gabrielle. She let herself in, closing the door behind her. She knew that she was definitely going to get on Erva's bad side, if she wasn't already, by entering this room without permission for the second day in a row.

"I'm surprised to see you this morning."

Gabrielle remained quiet, standing a fair distance from the door and the bed. Xena dabbed her fingers on the wound, then briefly eyed the nervous blonde several feet away.

"I hope Erva didn't scare you too badly. She's not in the best mood this morning."

It sounds like she's never in a good mood, Gabrielle thought. Once the wound was dressed, hands were cleaned, Xena tried to wrap her chest by herself. Gabrielle watched from afar as Xena struggled to tightly bound the gauze around her torso.

Hesitant, Gabrielle treads across the floor. "I can help you," she offered.

Xena paused, locking eyes with the blonde. Cautiously, she surrendered the gauze. Gabrielle briefly smiled and began wrapping the cloth over the shoulder, then underneath the arm, around the ribcage, and finally tying it by the neck.

Inches from one another, Xena fixated on the scar on Gabrielle's neck. Her fingertips grazed the old wound, and Gabrielle instantly wrapped a hand around her neck and took a significant step backward.

"Gölge did that to you," she said in a whisper. "My apprentice."

Gabrielle's jaw clenched. She didn't want to talk about this. She knew it was bound to come up again, but she was secretly hoping it wouldn't be brought up as if Xena had brief amnesia to it all. This side of Xena was strange to see. In Rome, Xena was reluctant to speak, and here, she was more open and calmer, despite being severely wounded.

Perhaps, it was because Edirne was Xena's home. She was comfortable here. In Rome, she was out of her element and was always on the lookout for an attack. Yet, that didn't seem to matter because wherever Xena went, her life was repeatedly threatened. This proved to be true as she was nearly killed on her own turf.

Gabrielle had yet to come to terms with the entirety of the situation. She wasn't trapped, yet she couldn't exactly leave either. She definitely couldn't go back to Rome, and she didn't want to, but she wasn't sure if she wanted to stay in Edirne either.

"You shouldn't feel bad about killing her, Gabrielle."

Her breath hitched, "but…she was your apprentice. I was supposed to kill…" she trailed off.

Xena raised a hand. "You had a job to do, and I can't blame you for that. It wasn't your fault that she died."

Gabrielle crinkled her nose at that. Furrowing her eyebrows, her mouth opened to speak, only to be interrupted.

"I put her in that position. I knew she was going to die that day, and she didn't."

Gabrielle wrapped an arm around her midsection, gawking at the conqueror. "You…used her as bait?" she stated, and Xena lowered her head, swiping a finger over her nose. "To lure me. You used her as bait to lure me," she kept repeating.

She never realized how awful it sounded until Gabrielle said it in those particular words. But, you don't understand, Gabrielle. She had other people –someone –to worry about at the moment. She had to think quickly, and Gölge was her scapegoat. Though, she knew she couldn't tell Gabrielle the truth. Another to lie to lock away and keep hidden, she thought.

"Did you…know it was me?"

Xena shook her head. "I found out you were the assassin on the coast that day," she said, finally able to make eye contact, which she now regretted doing. "I found your knife in your bag. I also recognized the wound on your arm."

Gabrielle unconsciously clapped a hand to her right bicep. The memory of that time on the coast came rushing back. It was a wonderful day, but now it was tainted. She could've died that day. Xena could've killed her right then and there, but something perturbed Gabrielle. Xena didn't kill her. She had a clear shot, yet she didn't take the opportunity to do it. Instead, she ensnared her here.

"Why didn't you do it?"

Xena blinked, "do what?"

"Kill me. Why didn't you do it then?"

Xena didn't know how to answer, or she didn't want to, and Gabrielle huffed. Turning her cheek to avoid any eye contact was the only response she could give at the moment.

"You decided to bring me here so you could finish the job, is that it?"

Xena snapped her head around, breathing heavily through her nostrils.

"Is that what you did to Varinia and Evander? Did you kill them?"

"I already told you I didn't kill them."

"People don't just vanish. I know they can't be in Rome, so what happened to them? What did you do with them?"

Xena snuffed a laugh, irritated by the inquisition. Scratching her head, she released an extended respire, then gazed up into those fiery green eyes. Last night, Gabrielle was so timid to speak, and now she couldn't keep her lips shut.

Keeping her simmering temper under control, she answered, "they are safe. But, I would just like to point out that you knew both of them. You and Evander…were working together to kill me."

"It…was a job. I had to do it."

"Hmm," Xena nodded. "And you're both terrible at your jobs because, as you can see, I am still alive."

Gabrielle quickly added, "whoever tried to kill you here in Edirne is a slightly better assassin."

Xena felt that insult sting her flesh. It hit her so hard in her core that her stomach tightened. She couldn't argue with that and had nothing to counter back with.

"You're free to go at any time, Gabrielle."

"So, that's it? You're just going to let me leave?"

Xena motioned to the door with an open-faced palm.

This was too easy, thought Gabrielle. She stood, unable to move. She didn't know what to do. She had waited for a letter from the woman she met in Rome, and now she stood before that same woman, who just happened to be her target enemy. The trust she once had, had withered, but some of it had been regained. Although she didn't wholly trust Xena yet.

"You aren't the least bit curious as to who is trying to kill you?"

"I'll find them," said Xena.

"I can help."

Xena sighed heavily.

"I want to help. I can't go back to Rome. I won't go back." She said with promise, causing Xena to smile faintly. "You will be in bed for a while, and I know Erva isn't skilled with a sword," she shrugged a shoulder.

Xena furrowed her eyebrows. "Who told you that?"

"One…one of the girls at the shop…"

Xena laughed beneath her breath.

Gabrielle didn't understand what was so amusing, but she smiled anyway, a confused smile nonetheless. "I still have a lot of questions to ask you."