Don't think y'all are ready for this slow burn

Chapter Three: Unraveling the Loom

Three days passed since Gabrielle spoke to her wounded faux foe. Her curiosity was the only thing that kept her going, and she had yet to pick Xena's brain, but she was mildly thankful that there was a bit of distance between them for a little while. That woman was a pure mystery, and she was even a bit odd too. Gabrielle studied her from afar, noting the types of drinks and food that were consumed.

Xena liked a certain amount of food on her plate when brought to her twice a day. One sliver of thin flatbread, no wider than three fingers, no less than two, accompanied with exactly three slices of three types of fruit; an apple, a pear, and a white plum. Accordingly, Gabrielle noticed that the second plate had an extra bowl of what she came to find out was cracked wheat.

The tray of food never changed. It was very consistent, although Xena was probably always consistent in her lifestyle. She had been living here for so long that she didn't think to change her routine. It was a very meticulous routine at that. Gabrielle watched Erva enter the bedroom simultaneously each day, spending exactly half an hour with Xena, and then leave to go upstairs.

Aside from the stillness in the large villa, Gabrielle noticed hardly anyone lived here. This must be very lonely to live here in this isolated home. Fatma mentioned that Xena never left her home. Gabrielle thought that was very strange, and after observing the unusual routine, her assumptions intensified.

Restless from being hidden from society, Gabrielle began to go mad. She often said she disliked the loud neighbors she had back in Rome, specifically the couple who owned the winery, but she actually missed the squabbles. This villa was silent at all times of the day. The only sounds that echoed from the first floor were Erva's boot heels hitting the cold floor.

Wondering how Xena could ever get used to this silence was a maddening thought all on its own. Gabrielle couldn't take sitting in the room anymore, and she was tired of exploring the place. She'd already been into every room she was allowed entry to. Xena did tell her she was free to leave whenever she pleased, and that's precisely what she planned to do.

Without trying to make too much noise, Gabrielle crept down the stairs, searching for Erva's haunting shadow. By now, Erva would have just finished visiting Xena to distribute medicine. This was the perfect time to leave because, at this very moment, Erva was most likely in the back of the villa, cleaning glasses.

Gabrielle tiptoed across the first floor, heading towards the front doors. They were guarded by two men who looked very much like the men who invaded Rome. Seeing them brought back the horrid memory of slicing Gölge's throat. She'd never felt so terrible about killing someone before, and even worse, the wrong person altogether.

She approached, hesitant of the men who kept their gaze forward. Their eyes drifted downward, giving her an anomalous look.

"Where are you going?" Erva called from behind.

Gabrielle halted, her cheeks chalked at the voice. How is that possible? She's supposed to be far away from this area of the villa.

Spinning on her heel, she smiled at the tall brunette. "I was going to go back to the villa in the city. I left some things there."

Erva arched an eyebrow and said, "did Xena give you permission to leave?"

"She said…I could leave if I wanted to."

It was the first time she saw Erva smile, but it wasn't a usual smile. No, definitely not. It was a churlish smile, almost patronizing, or perhaps amused, but obviously, Gabrielle was missing something here. Did she misinterpret Xena's words?

"She says one thing but means another," mumbled Erva.

Gabrielle stood, trying to comprehend the muffled words.

"I strongly advise you to stay."

Apparently, it wasn't the large men by the entrance that Gabrielle had to worry about. They seemed like easy obstacles compared to Xena's chambermaid. The woman was so stealthy. Gabrielle didn't even hear her approach.

Her plan to leave the villa was foiled now. She could always climb out of a window, but her body would probably be scattered in the mountains below. She thought about that a few days ago. It wasn't a feasible way out of here.

Two excruciating monotonous days passed since her encounter with Erva. As she lay in bed, staring at the ceiling, balancing a paintbrush in the crevice between her lip and nose, her mind drew a blank. She was so riddled with questions for Xena when she arrived, but now, she had nothing to say.

Not being able to come within two feet of Xena's bedroom was a problem in itself. Erva was a more significant hindrance than Gabrielle initially thought. It was nearly impossible to have a decent conversation with Xena. Forget conversing. She couldn't even get into the damn bedroom if she wanted to, especially since Erva locked all of the doors in that hallway.

Making chirping sounds with her pursed lips, she heard a horse neigh outside. Gabrielle sprung up from the bed and raced to the window. She leaned on the sill, poking her head outside the open window. Below, she spotted Erva mounting a horse.

A mischievous yet satisfactory smile appeared when she watched the intrusive chambermaid ride off with five men trailing behind her. Gabrielle then ran out of the bedroom, scurrying down the stairs, and checked the corridor to make sure nobody else was watching.

She took in a deep breath, eyeing the large doors up ahead. She knew the doors were locked. Erva wasn't a foolish woman. She knows me so well, and she's barely said an entire slew of words to me since I got here, thought Gabrielle.

Taking a chance, she decided to go for the easy yet maybe unconventional approach, by knocking on the door. Two raps were all that it took. Gabrielle stepped away from the doors, hearing the key turn from inside the bedroom.

The door slowly opened, almost cautiously, and Xena smiled softly at the blonde standing in the hallway. Opening the door fully, Xena stepped aside, allowing Gabrielle to pass by.

Gabrielle entered and instantly noticed a large parchment on the bed. She turned and asked, "feeling any better?"

"Much," Xena said, closing the door.

"I would hope so. Erva watches over you like a hawk."

Xena's smile widened, and she waltzed back over to sit on her bed without saying a word. Gradually, she lowered herself on the bed, cautious of her bending her leg to avoid ripping stitches. She already had a mouthful from Erva yesterday about getting out of bed too many times. She didn't want another lecture.

She saw the curiosity in Gabrielle's eyes that never ceased to amaze her. "It's a map of all the territories I own," she said.

Gabrielle flashed a quick smile and took a seat beside the bed. She inspected the map and her mouth parted in shock. "You…own a lot of land," she said in a whisper.

It was no wonder that Nero wanted her dead. This map was incredible. Xena's life was once full of vast conquests. For a woman who lived alone, she sure had a large number of people to care for, and they didn't even know what she looked like. Perhaps, at one time, she showed her face to her people, Gabrielle hoped.

The idea of stepping outside of this villa instantly made Xena a target. It astonished Gabrielle that Xena made the trek to Rome at all with the way she lived here. Her hatred for the Romans overshadowed the paranoia she held it seemed.

"Have you always lived alone?"

Xena placed a pin on the map, marking one of her territories. She kept her eyes focused downward before responding, "why do you ask?"

"Well, it's just…I've never heard of you before I was…" she paused, staring at Xena's profile, "given my assignment."

Fixated on the map, Xena chose not to respond.

"Nobody knows what you look like," Gabrielle continued. "Not even your own people."

"I guess you're one of the lucky ones then," said Xena softly.

Luck wasn't part of it. I will figure you out, Xena. "How long have you lived here…without, I mean, showing your face to people?"

Xena lifted her head, turning her gaze to the inquiring blonde. "A long time."

Now it was her turn to study. Gabrielle heard the hurt buried in those three words. To live alone wasn't Xena's choice, though she let fear consume her somehow. That explained the heightened guarded attitude that she had back in Rome. She feared being caught and being killed. She used people to rise to the top. How was she any different than any other Roman emperor?

Or maybe this was all part of Xena's plan. Giving Gabrielle the option to leave was a ploy, and perhaps that was why Erva had that peculiar smile plastered on her face a couple of days ago. Erva knew that Xena wouldn't just allow Gabrielle to leave this place. Gabrielle knew too much, and Xena feared what might happen if word of this had gotten out.

I must tread carefully here.

"Are you trying to figure out who the assassin is?" she swiftly changed the topic.

Xena nodded. "I know they don't live in Edirne."

"How do you know that?"

Without skipping a beat, Xena rose from the bed steadily and began trailing across the bedroom. She looked over her shoulder, motioning to Gabrielle to follow. She led both of them to a room on the far left side of the room. She gripped the handle, opening the door, and nudged her head for Gabrielle to be the first to enter.

Gabrielle, wary of what was inside, walked past the doorway. She gasped at the mass number of weapons displayed on the walls and on several stands. Her eyes scanned the room, and along all four walls, there were hundreds upon hundreds of arrows. Some had missing heads or broken shafts.

"These arrows all came from failed assassination attempts," Xena said from behind.

Gabrielle turned around herself, gazing upward. She swallowed, feeling an uneasiness settle in the pit of her stomach. Another oddity to add to the list. These were trophies. Xena had a specific room for this. In her bedroom, no less.

But there was something else that disturbed Gabrielle. And that was that there were so many arrows. Xena's life had been threatened more times than Gabrielle had been alive. This explained the calmness Xena exhibited. This was an everyday occurrence for her. She could only assume that most people who shot these arrows were long since dead, either by Xena's hands or someone else.

The realization of her weapon almost being displayed in this room irked Gabrielle. She was nearly a trophy. But what was she to Xena? Why am I here if I'm not another mark to cross off on her list?

Gabrielle took a step closer to the far right wall, examining the arrows. They were impressive, to say the least, but there was one arrow that drew her in. She tilted her head, pointing to the arrow with a peacock feather attached to the end of the shaft.

"This is an interesting one."

Xena's entire face darkened, and a prominent frown graced her lips. "Yes, it is."

By the annoyed tone, Gabrielle looked over her shoulder to stare at the perturbed conqueror. She sensed covert hostility for this particular arrow.

"I've never been able to catch that one," she said, narrowing her eyes, focused on the arrow. "The assassin, I mean."

Gabrielle slowly nodded, looking up at the peacock-feathered arrow that seemed to taunt Xena. It was killing her inside.

"Well, you know what they say," she said, grabbing Xena's attention. They locked eyes, and she continued, "you don't need to look far to find your enemies."

Subtly, Xena let a crooked smile slip.

Varinia sauntered back into the bedroom, releasing an exasperated sigh. She ruffled her hair and tied the sash of her robe around her waist. Smiling, biting her lower lip, she climbed onto the bed, wrapping her arms over Evander's shoulders. She kissed his temple, pressing her cheek against the side of his head.

He sat on the edge of the bed, chin resting on his knuckles, staring pensively at the wall. He was too lost in his own thoughts to be distracted by Varinia's hands roaming across his chest. It took a slap to his arm to bring him out of his own little world.

Evander looked over his shoulder, smiling weakly at Varinia. He pecked his lips to her hand and asked, "are you feeling better this morning?"

She scrunched her nose, "not really. I shouldn't have had that wine so early in the morning."

"You can't live on wine and bread, you know," he teased.

"It's not my fault!" she protested. "I can't cook to save my life!"

Evander agreed with a head nod. He turned to face her and rested a hand over her stomach. "I can make something for you."

"That would be…great," she admitted, albeit embarrassed. "I was thinking we could spend the day together. I want to buy some new fabric to make some dresses for winter. We could go to the market. I could make a new coat for you too, what do you think?"

The disposable income that was provided began to become such a burden. Evander didn't want to rely on Xena's funds for the rest of his life, but Varinia had no problem receiving the help. He knew not to rock the boat with her on this subject. It was useless to continue to argue over this redundant topic as they never agreed mutually.

"Just promise you won't buy anything too expensive."

Varinia rolled her eyes. "I won't. Are you still going to that carpenter's shop? Did you learn anything new?" she asked, rolling off the bed, following him out of the bedroom.

Entering the kitchen, he said over his shoulder, "I'm trying to learn as much as I can."

He grabbed a pot of water and spun around, shoving the pot gently into Varinia's chest. With a smug grin, he pointed to the outdoor fire pit outside that had yet to be ignited.

"Do you think you can boil water, or should I expect to wrap your hand again?"

She mocked him with a wily grin. "I think I can manage to boil some water."

While Gabrielle had some time to wander around the bedroom, she stared at the sheet that had since been put back up. She looked back at Xena, who was still pinning several markers on the map. The tension between them was evident, though Gabrielle wasn't sure if she wanted to disturb the quietness.

But she reminded herself that she was here to ask as many questions as possible. She needed to ask as many questions before Erva returned.

"Why do you cover up this wall?" she asked aloud.

Xena's eyes lifted from the map, staring at the wall. "I've been meaning to relocate the armor sets for some time now," she said curtly.

She didn't think Xena a procrastinator. Clearly, Xena had many people to watch over, and she was abhorrently busy, but surely, she had enough time on her hands to do such a simple task. Maybe it wasn't as simple as Gabrielle thought it would be. There was a story here; a story behind the armors.

"Do the armor sets belong to you?"

Xena's mouth quirked upward. "At one point."

Given the dust covering all of the ornate headdresses and armor, Gabrielle knew that they'd been sitting here for a very long time. Was Xena trapped in a cycle of unforgivable time? Was she waiting for something to happen so she could don her armor again? Or was it such a painful reminder to her that she simply didn't want to deal with it?

You are in a lot of pain, Xena. I can tell.

Everything that Gabrielle knew about this woman, which wasn't a lot, was supposedly not a lie. Xena had been truthful, so she says, from the very beginning. She was still having a difficult time wrapping her head around it all. The woman in Rome and the woman in Edirne were one and the same. Yet, to Gabrielle, they were completely different people.

"The sets don't look Roman or Grecian. They look like they're from lands far from here."

Xena sighed, pinning the map tediously. "I went on several conquests in the east before I settled in Edirne."

"Why Edirne?"

"I like to be close to my enemies," she said with a smile.

Gabrielle couldn't help but snort under her breath at that. She turned her attention back to the covered wall and peaked behind the sheet.

"Still, they're nice sets of armor. You should display them somewhere in your home."

"There is a reason why they're covered, Gabrielle."

A loud rap broke the tension in the room, causing Gabrielle to flinch. She eyed the doors, hoping that wasn't Erva. How long had she been in this room? That couldn't be Erva because that woman seemed to have a key to every door in this place. She wouldn't knock, she'd just come right in.

"Come in," Xena said, reverting back to the map.

Gabrielle let out a sigh of relief when another maid entered the room, a much younger woman than Erva. In fact, she'd never seen that woman before. She watched from afar as the maid handed over a small note to Xena then exit the room in a hurry.

Waiting in further silence, Gabrielle waited for the note to be read, but she was shocked when she saw Xena set the message aside on the table and continue marking the map. Crinkling her drawn eyebrows, she gawked at the letter, then reverted her eyes back to Xena.

"Aren't you going to read what it says?" she blurted out her thoughts.

Widening her eyes, she inwardly cursed herself for speaking aloud. Xena raised her chin, giving the blonde a peculiar glower. Tapping her fingers on her knee, Xena arched an eyebrow.

"I will read it later," she said dismissively.

"It could be important…"

"Could be."

Gabrielle was mystified by the lack of care this woman had. A few days ago, she was very talkative, and now she had relapsed back to the recluse that Gabrielle came to know so well when they were in Rome. Woman of few words, she remembered.

At this very moment, Gabrielle began to wonder if she overstepped by talking about the armor. It sounded like a sore topic, but she wanted to know more. Rome was terrified of her, yet the woman that Gabrielle knew didn't seem so monstrous. But, she also realized she didn't know Xena for who she truly was. Xena was the master of disguise.

"Erva left this morning. Are you sending her to search the area for the assassin?"

Xena exhaled gruffly. "Why are you so concerned with this assassin?"

"I…I told you I wanted to help. I'm good at tracking people down."

"Is that right?" Xena smirked.

"I don't know how you do it, but I'm going insane. I've been here for over a week –twelve days, to be exact. I want to be useful."

Xena snatched the letter from the bedside table and stretched her arm out. There, the blonde stood, hesitant to come closer. Xena wagged her fingers, motioning her to come forward.

"You want to be useful? Read this for me."

Gabrielle frowned, unsure of how that could be of any use. Was this a test for building trust? Xena could've easily read the note on her own, but she wasn't going to argue. She took the message and read it silently first and then read it aloud.

"Eylül Bastillia is hosting an event for the upper-class of Edirne," she said, flipping the note over for more information. That was it.

She recalled meeting with that woman briefly, and Fatma and the other artists were absolutely petrified of her. This Bastillia woman must have a connection with Xena in some way.

"Is this woman a friend of yours?" asked Gabrielle.

"Eylül Bastillia is far from being my friend," she quickly retorted in a snide tone. "She loves to throw extravagant parties and refuses to pay taxes."

Gabrielle's eyebrows rose. "Are you going to attend? This doesn't seem like much of an invitation…"

"That's because it's not," Xena smiled, stabbing the map with a pin. "I have my men spy on her from time to time."

So, it isn't just Romans she is paranoid about, but her own subjects too, Gabrielle realized. She also used Bastillia to lure her bait just like she did with Gölge. Unsurprising.

"Are we going to attend the party?" asked Gabrielle, a bit hopeful for some excitement. "I…mean, are you going to attend…" she muttered, her cheeks tinged pink.

Xena, amused, said, "I'm not one for parties. I thought we talked about this before?"

Gabrielle couldn't help but smile, then quickly retracted. "Then…what is the point? Is she involved in some sort of scheme? Why is she being spied on?"

"You ask a lot of questions."

"You're scared, aren't you?"

Xena blinked, "excuse me?"

Feeling bold, she expressed herself, as if she had nothing else to do in this quiet dungeon that Xena calls her home. "You're afraid to leave this villa."

"I've obviously left before. If you recall, I was in Rome not too long ago."

"Yes, but…I mean, we aren't in Rome anymore. Your people haven't seen you in gods knows how long!"

That fire, where has it been? Xena smiled, chuckling under her breath, gazing at the map in front of her.

"I told you that you could leave at any time, Gabrielle. You know where the door is. You're obviously going mad staying with me."

"I…never said that," she admitted quietly. "Besides, Erva didn't let me."

Xena snapped her head around. "You tried to leave?"

The sense of urgency in her voice caught the blonde off guard. "A few days ago, yes, but Erva prevented me. She practically blocked the entrance," she laughed awkwardly.

Xena didn't know whether to curse aloud or keep quiet. Erva was incorrigible, and maybe even a bit of a nuisance at times, but Xena didn't know what she would do without her. She would probably have to kill her if she decided to leave one day because she knew far too much, but that was unlikely to ever happen.

"She's very persistent."

That wasn't the word Gabrielle would use. "So, about this party. What do I need to know about this 'Eylül Bastillia'?"

Walking through the large bustling market in Abydos, eyes were upon them everywhere they went, every corner they turned. Evander noticed the lingering eyes on Varinia the entire time they roamed around the area. Most of the stares were from men, which he occasionally gave the passing men nasty glares.

Varinia, of course, was oblivious to the stares and was more enthralled with the mass amounts of goods. Eager to visit each vendor, she pulled Evander's hand, leading him to a shop with walls lined with fabric.

He jumped forward at the hard pull of his arm. "I see you're feeling a lot better since we left the villa."

"Are you still upset that I didn't eat your food?" she asked, peering up into his crystalline eyes. "Don't be offended. I love your food, but I just…food is not agreeing with me lately."

"Wine is not meant to be breakfast," he teased.

"I get it." She held up a piece of dark purple fabric. "What do you think of this color?"

He caught a bright color flash right by him and swiftly turned his head. He spotted a hooded figure walking through the crowd with a holster of arrows attached to his back. In the holster was a peacock feather arrow like the same one he saw at Yunus' shop.

"Evander! Are you listening to me?" she barked.

He grunted, losing sight of the figure. Spinning around, he frowned at Varinia, rendering a shocked expression on her end.

"What were you staring at? You looked ready to bolt."

"Nothing. So, the fabric?" he forced a smile. "You like that one?"

"You don't seem very interested in this. If you didn't want to come, you should've just said so."

"No, no!" he took her hand. "I want to be here."