One.
Two.
Three.
She consumes three glasses of that horrid wine every day, and it doesn't bother her. They weren't small glasses either. They were filled to the brim, and it took little effort for the wine to be consumed. Exactly three hours in between each drink, until it was time to refill. The process was monotomous—almost irritating, in fact—and tiresome to watch daily.
It was Gabrielle's turn to sit back and observe like a bird peering into the bedroom from the window ledge. She always thought her life was tedious and, at times, boring, but as she observed these two strange women, she knew her life was anything but dull. There was the brunette who cloistered herself in the bedroom all day. Then, there was the other who stalked the halls like a vulture.
No, not a vulture. Those birds are very hideous. Gabrielle watched Erva sipping on her second glass of wine, poking her head around the doorframe. No, she is definitely a more sophisticated bird. One with a long neck. One that is elegant, graceful, and a little alluring.
"I know you're there. You can stop spying."
Gabrielle bit her tongue and stepped through the doorway. How long she had been standing there, she didn't know, but it was long enough for Erva to notice. She walked across the room, smiled softly at the brunette, and then sat down on the opposite side of the table.
Erva flipped a page over, reading, sipping, reading, and sipping some more. Her eyes lifted, momentarily making eye contact with the curious blonde.
"I know you don't like me," began Gabrielle, "but since…since we're supposed to go to this party, I think we should get to know each other better. I tried to convince Xena to go herself, but convincing her to do anything is like talking to a wall! It's so frustrating."
Erva smirked. "I know the feeling."
Invading personal space was one of the most annoying traits this young woman had. Gabrielle inched forward, leaned her elbows on the table, smiling eagerly. This put Erva off, and she immediately guarded herself. After finishing off the wine, she slammed the glass down.
"Where are you from?"
Erva sat back, pressed her fingers to her lips, and sighed. "Originally…" she paused, "I am from Mesopotamia. I lived in a city along the Tigris River."
"Do you have family there?"
Erva smiled and cleared her throat. "No, not anymore."
"What happened to them?"
"They died," Erva said flatly.
From afar, round the corner, Xena remained, listening to their conversation. At the mention of Erva's family members' deaths, she wrinkled her eyebrows. She was surprised when Erva told Gabrielle about her previous position in the military. Now, to hear that Erva was pouring out more information only confused her further. She wasn't sure what Erva was trying to accomplish here. It certainly didn't mean that she was comfortable around Gabrielle, as she complained about her presence frequently.
"Oh," Gabrielle's throat numbed. "I'm sorry to hear that."
"It was a long time ago."
Gabrielle got the feeling that the questions weren't going to be reciprocated. This woman was just as talkative as the brick wall that lived down the hall.
"So, you're very close to Xena," she said. Just as she was about to continue, she saw a shadow that hit the sunlight just perfectly out in the hallway. Curling her lips, her eyes lowered. "Do you consider yourself Xena's friend?"
Erva arched an eyebrow. "You would have to ask her."
"But I'm asking you."
There was a hint of pink in Erva's cheeks, which Gabrielle instantly noticed. Her eyes drifted to the hallway, watching the still shadow.
"I don't know," Erva mumbled, clearly uncomfortable. "Are we done here? I have a lot of work to do."
Gabrielle blinked too soon. The lingering shadow had disappeared just as Erva was talking. She jumped up from the chair and ran to the door, sprawling her arms outward. She huffed, turning her head from side to side, scanning the empty hallway. It never ceased to amaze her how fast that woman could disappear, all while being injured too. Impressive.
The first room she checked was the bedroom, which was empty. Gabrielle peered down one of the narrower hallways and saw a trail of a dress around a corner. She smirked, then briskly head down that direction. She didn't know what she was thinking. There was no possible way that she was going to pry information out of Xena. She could barely get Erva to talk to her.
But, Xena was listening to the conversation discreetly for a reason. Or maybe she was on her way to speak with Erva and just so happened to eavesdrop. Gabrielle recognized Xena's surprised tone when they last spoke of Erva, which might've sparked that festering mistrust to question Erva to find out what else she openly revealed to Gabrielle.
As Gabrielle trailed behind, she wandered into a place she hadn't explored. How could she have missed this small alcove in the villa? She kept her distance, but she was sure Xena knew she was being followed. She had to know, right? Xena didn't even so much as look over her shoulder. Not even once. Whatever Erva said, or almost said, probably disturbed Xena. That had to be it.
Stepping through a large archway, Gabrielle gaped at her surroundings. Now, she was chastising herself for not finding this small area behind the villa. The garden was very open, and there was a large stone wall just on the edge of a cliff. She walked ahead, turning around herself, wholly lost in a different world, admiring the flowers and ivy intertwined on the pillars.
She forgot why she came out here in the first place. Xena. She was here to find Xena. Weaving through the labyrinth, she finally found the woman that escaped her. Approaching quietly, she felt a sense of nervousness she hadn't felt before.
Xena stood, arms wrapped around her, staring at the stone wall. The sound of footsteps on crackling leaves caught her attention. She spun around swiftly, alarming her shadow.
Gabrielle froze, obviously caught. "Hello there."
"Hello," she smiled, turning about.
Gabrielle, about to step forward, paused, then pulled her foot backward. She let out a weary sigh. "You didn't know I was following you?" she asked.
"I must be having an off day," said Xena, sneering over her shoulder at the blonde. "You didn't stop by my room this morning. What have you been doing?"
She wants me to come to her, thought Gabrielle. Very interesting. "Oh, I was just talking with Erva," she said casually, stepping closer.
Xena pursed her lips. "You seem to be talking with her quite a lot."
"Trust me, I'm doing most of the talking!" Gabrielle thumbed her chest. "She, um, she…drinks a lot of wine."
"We all have our vices."
Gabrielle bit her tongue and took another step closer. She could feel the eyes staring at her from Xena's peripheral view. She refused to acknowledge and looked ahead at the stone wall. Obviously, there was a reason Xena came out here to this specific spot. Xena always had a reason for everything she did, whether it made sense to anyone or not. Gabrielle tilted her head from shoulder to shoulder.
Xena, amused, turned her body halfway. "What are you staring at?"
Gabrielle jumped, peering up, and said, "I was going to ask you the same thing."
Lowering her head, hinting at a smile, Xena responded softly, "I like to come out here and think."
She could go anywhere and 'think,' yet she chose to stare at a wall blankly. Gabrielle huffed, "you are a very odd woman."
"I've been called worse things," Xena turned and winked.
Gabrielle smiled, rubbing her nose, and peered down at the flowers lining the wall. Taking a small step forward, she stretched her arm out to touch one of the flower petals and then heard a whistling sound over her head. With a snap of her head, she spun around and gaped at an arrow that stuck straight up from the soil. It landed right in front of Xena's legs, merely an inch away from her feet.
Instead of reacting, like Gabrielle expected her to, Xena stood frozen in the same spot, gawking at the arrow. Acting swiftly and cautiously, Gabrielle crouched down with an arm over her head. She grabbed Xena's arm, pulling her back.
"Come with me!" she said and yelped as another arrow struck the soil. "Xena!"
Finally, she reacted, and they ran back into the villa. Gabrielle closed the doors, locking them from the inside. She rested her forehead to the wood, breathing heavily. It took a few moments to collect herself, and she flipped her body around, pressing her back against the door. Her eyes drifted over to Xena, who stood with her back turned from the doors.
Gabrielle swallowed and approached. She let a hand rest on the brunette's shoulder, rendering a twitch beneath her touch. Her hand slipped away, and before she could get a word in, Xena briskly walked down the narrow path, rounding the corner.
She sighed, running a hand through her hair. Releasing a billow of hot hair, she frowned, making her way to one of the windows. Peering out carefully, she eyed the two arrows in the garden. Whoever shot the arrows did not mean to harm or kill, but to warn. Maybe she was wrong all along. Maybe Xena did the right thing by killing the assassin. Others knew where she lived and were even so bold as to strike in broad daylight.
But there was one thing Gabrielle didn't expect. Xena froze. She didn't even flinch when the arrow struck. This Xena was so different from the one she came to know in Rome. Was it fear that kept Xena secluded on this mountain? Of course, it is fear, Gabrielle chastised herself.
There was so much left unsaid, so much left to understand. And Gabrielle knew she wasn't going to be the one to pry that out of the mysterious raven-haired ruler.
Inhaling deeply, Gabrielle swung open the door and marched outside, not caring if anyone was looking. Perhaps, if the attacker still remained hidden, they could see her, and she wanted them to see her. She grabbed the two arrows from the soil and scanned the area, concentrating on the trees. Nothing.
She darted back into the villa and set one of the arrows on the window sill. Running her fingers along the shaft, she crinkled her nose as she felt fabric around the center. With a hard whack against the wall, the shaft made an echoing sound.
Gabrielle picked at the fabric, chipping away at the wood; there was a sliver of white. Anxious and impatient, she broke the shaft with her knee and grabbed the white item, which she believed to be parchment just by the touch. Slipping the parchment out, she saw a message written on it.
Pressing her fingers on the corners of the tiny message, she squinted, trying to read.
"Malum discordiae," she whispered. "W—what?"
The echoing footsteps carried throughout the west wing of the palace. Turning several corners, picking up her pace, the heels of her sandals clicked on the tile floor until she finally reached Augusta Sabina's room.
Sabina sat, brushing her hair, and noticed the young girl standing in the doorway through the mirror's reflection. She swiveled around, smiling at the maid. Setting down the brush, she stood, walked over to the girl, whose breath wavered slightly.
"Did you bring the trade documents I asked for?"
The servant nodded, pulled out a folded letter, and handed it over. Sabina then snatched the letter, sauntered off, and sat back down in front of the mirror. She cut the letter open with a hairpin and smiled.
"Thank you. You can tell Adria to come by later to write a response for me," Sabina set the letter aside, slipping it underneath a dress.
Coming by unannounced, Nero entered his wife's room. He waited until his presence was noticed by her and crossed his arms, watching her comb her hair, completely oblivious. Sabina glanced in the mirror and gasped.
"When did you get here?" she asked, flashing a smile.
He frowned, searching the room. "Where's the child?"
"Asleep in the next room," she pointed the end of the brush to her left. "Did you need something? You never stop by my room unless it's important, and I gather that it is…"
Nero studied his wife's unreadable expression. Lately, he couldn't trust anybody in Rome, and he felt the same way about his wife as well. He took the opportunity to catch her when she was the most vulnerable. She couldn't run nor hide from him here. The Emperor walked across the room and tilted Sabina's chin upward gently.
"There seems to be quite a dent in the treasury."
Her eyelashes fluttered, "oh?"
He nodded his head steadily. "And there was a ship that left last week, sailing north. You wouldn't happen to know anything about that, would you, Sabina?"
She smiled, grabbing his wrist. "No, of course not. Are you accusing me of stealing?"
"Nobody said anything about stealing. Something on your conscience?"
Sabina awkwardly laughed and broke eye contact.
For the remainder of the afternoon and early evening, Gabrielle decided to stay in her room. She paced around until the soles of her feet went numb. The two arrows were placed on the desk, which she eyed as she walked continuously. The odd note was settled in between the shafts. As she secluded herself so she could be alone with her thoughts, she tried to comprehend what the message might mean.
It was a Latin phrase. That much she knew, but she also knew that Xena wouldn't dare allow Romans to live here. Although just because she doesn't allow it doesn't mean that stopped Romans from waltzing right into her territory.
The message was more than strange, especially since she couldn't translate it well, or maybe that was the idea. It wasn't supposed to translate well at all. It had another meaning to it, but for the life of her, Gabrielle couldn't understand why anyone would send a message to Xena talking about apples.
Gabrielle marched over to the desk, slammed her palms down, and glared at the message. She guessed that this little note wasn't supposed to be found. Xena was too preoccupied with whatever emotions were swimming around in her head to notice the flying arrows. Gabrielle didn't think that Xena would bother to sift through the arrows anyway.
"I can't take this anymore." She grabbed the note and arrows, charging out of the room.
Trailing down the hallway, she abruptly stopped when she saw Erva sprinting towards Xena's room. Gabrielle crouched down, peering from above, watching Erva frantically knocking on the door. Scooting back into the shadows, Gabrielle crawled over to one of the balconies, wrapping her fingers around the stair rails.
Xena opened her door and was met with Erva expressing herself with animated hand motions, pointing towards the entrance. Gabrielle raised an eyebrow, trying to listen to their conversation.
"What do you mean she's gone?" asked Xena.
"She left the villa. Lagash tried to follow her, but he lost her in the crowd. I'm not even sure if she's in Abydos anymore."
Xena rubbed her forehead, releasing a sigh of frustration. "Those idiots," she mumbled. "She couldn't have gone very far. Have a few men search for her."
Erva nodded.
"And what about…" Xena paused, lifting her head to the second floor. Raising an eyebrow, she leaned forward, seeing a shadow.
Gabrielle held her breath and scooted backward as quietly as possible until her back hit against the wall. Clutching the arrows to her chest, she waited and hoped that she would hear the two women below talking again. The longest few seconds passed, and then she heard footsteps drifting further away, and then she sighed under her breath.
She crawled on all fours to eavesdrop some more and saw Erva grab hold of Xena's upper arm, whispering into her ear. Gabrielle narrowed her eyes, bringing her eyebrows together as she watched the two in such close proximity. Their bodies were practically touching. Moments later, Erva disappeared, leaving the open space. Gabrielle raised an eyebrow, then carefully eyed Xena to see her reaction.
You appear to be distracted, Xena. Whoever she and Erva were talking about was obviously somebody important. Could they be talking about Eylül Bastillia? That woman seemed to annoy both Xena and Erva so that probably wasn't the mystery person. But if not Eylül, then who could they be talking about?
It was too late now. Gabrielle couldn't ask because then her eavesdropping would be exposed. Either way, noting the furrowed brows, hushed tones, and fidgety hands, Xena was unnerved and even…a little concerned? Oh, it's someone you care about, the blonde gathered.
Several minutes of lingering on the balcony passed, and Gabrielle decided to leave the arrows behind. She tucked the note into her blouse then skipped down the stairs, fixing her collar. Creeping on the first floor, the door leading into Xena's room was left ajar. She looked around, then peeked inside.
Her mouth parted, witnessing Xena slipping the blouse she wore over her head. She stared longer than she would've liked. She clapped a hand over her mouth. There, the arrow wound on Xena's shoulder blade was far worse than she led on. Now, she was the frozen one, watching and spying from afar, just as Erva mentioned earlier today.
She wouldn't have thought, but Xena was framed a lot smaller beneath her clothes. Gabrielle just figured that was due to the poor diet that woman had. Who eats only bread and fruit every day? Nobody can live off of that forever.
As much as she wanted to disappear and go hide in her room, she couldn't stand by and allow that wound to fester. Gabrielle pushed the door open, alarming Xena. She stepped inside, and with a foot forward, she paused.
Xena looked over her shoulder, holding the blouse over her breasts. Her eyes widened.
"What are you doing in here?" she asked, mildly annoyed.
"Your wound…" Gabrielle uttered, "it looks terrible. Can I…"
Xena closed her eyes for a moment, gathering her thoughts, then sat on the bed, pulling her long hair over her shoulder. Without responding, she looked back at Gabrielle, signaling her to come over. Smiling, the blonde rushed over, inspecting the wound.
"Erva did a bad job at cleaning this."
"It isn't her fault," Xena snapped back.
Gabrielle detected a defensive tone and backed away slowly to retrieve some cloth and water. She dabbed the fabric into the water and gently touched the wound, making Xena flinch slightly.
"Sorry," she mumbled. "You…care about Erva a lot, I can tell," she said, waiting for a response but received nothing but silence. "And she definitely cares about you. You two must have gone through a lot together."
Xena rolled her eyes, clenching her fingers into her palm.
"How long have you known her? Ten years? Fifteen? Twenty?"
"Gabrielle!" she hissed. "I don't want to talk about Erva right now."
The blonde bit her lip and squeezed out the excess water into the bowl. "You know, I told you that I was going to ask you a lot of questions. I'm trying to figure out who you are, but you seem to revert to hiding every time I ask a question."
"Maybe it's best if you don't know who I really am," she said under her breath.
Gabrielle drew her eyebrows together. "Why am I here?"
"What?"
"You want me to stay, yet you're annoyed when I am around you. You don't want to kill me, obviously, because you would have already. Oh, and I said I wanted to help find the assassin, but you killed him. But, there's one more thing; you still have people who want to kill you. Why does everyone want to murder you?"
Xena reached over her shoulder, grabbing the talkative blonde's wrist, and twisted her body around.
"I…offered your freedom."
Gabrielle snorted. "I am stuck on a mountain. I don't call that freedom. You can't talk about freedom if you aren't free yourself, Xena."
"I can't leave! Why don't you understand that?"
"Why?" Gabrielle spat. "Why, Xena? What happened that made you so afraid to leave your home?" Or more like, what did you do.
The two locked eyes with one another until Gabrielle broke the gaze. She sighed, and the fingers around her wrist loosened their grip. She tried a different approach—a softer approach this time around.
"Why'd you freeze outside today?" she stared into the faltering blue eyes. Do you have a death wish, Xena?
She pulled the note from beneath her blouse and presented it to Xena. She waited for a moment, witnessing Xena stare at the message blankly, unsure of how to proceed. You have nothing to say, do you? Because you can't read it. This was almost painful to watch, and slowly there was anger boiling beneath the surface of her eyes.
"Malum discordiae," she finally spoke. "I found it in one of the arrow shafts. It's a Latin phrase."
"I know it's Latin," Xena quickly said. "It means something small can turn into something large if not solved."
Simple definition coming from a complicated woman. Gabrielle nodded, now understanding that she got the meaning all wrong. This message wasn't about apples at all, and it looked to be that Xena was just as intelligent as Gabrielle initially thought. Reading was just one weakness that she had, but Gabrielle could tell that it bothered her a lot, given her expressive face.
"Does this mean anything to you at all?"
Xena shifted, holding the blouse to her bare chest, "I've never heard that phrase used around me before in my life."
Gabrielle frowned, licked her lips, then slipped the note into her blouse. She stepped closer, and Xena scooted backward on the bed. "I just want to dress the wound. Turn around," she ordered. "Please."
She was met with more resistance, and she grunted, becoming frustrated with this hot and cold game. She spun around to grab the wet cloth and, mere inches away, almost bumped into Erva. Gabrielle's jaw tightened, and she glanced back at Xena, who turned her cheek.
Beyond irritated, Gabrielle shoved the wet cloth into Erva's chest and stormed out of the bedroom. Erva grimaced, surprised by the dramatic exit, then threw the damp cloth onto Xena's lap.
"What a sight to see," said Erva, "I walk in here and find you with half your clothing on."
Xena sighed, "I was changing, and she walked in."
"You didn't think to dress yourself afterward?"
"Did you send scouts to Abydos?" Xena quickly changed subjects. She was met with a curt nod. "And…Xian? Where is he?"
Erva inhaled deeply. "He's still in Abydos."
Xena tapped her fingers on her chest. "And she just…up and left?"
Outside the room, Gabrielle listened in on the conversation. Their voices tethered off and became subtle whispers after a while. She slipped away, walking down the hallway, looking over her shoulder. Perplexed by the nature of the conversation she overheard, she rubbed her chin as she trailed up the stairs.
Erva has many roles, Gabrielle gathered. She is a soldier, a maid, and a confidant, but she is a protector most of all. She continuously protects Xena, and that meant protecting her from me.
"Who is Xian?" she thought aloud.
Docking at the port, Varinia stepped onto the ship's deck, thankful to breathe fresh air. She wasn't used to trailing across seas to any destination, and now she knew that ship travel was not for her. Throughout the entire two-day journey, she was horribly ill, barely able to keep water down. She was anxious to get off the ship and maneuvered her way through the men unloading cargo, walking down the ramp.
As if living in a new place was daunting enough, she was in another new place without anyone to guide her. Before, she had Evander with her at all times, but given how distant he was lately, she felt alone even when he was in the same room as her. As her boots met soil, at last, she felt more relieved and at ease, physically and mentally.
She flipped the veil over her hair and looked around the area. There weren't any women here, which wasn't too much of an issue for her. She was used to being surrounded by men, but she never grew accustomed to the stares. As she turned around herself, she spotted a ship that just docked. She recognized the design to be Roman, which she thought odd.
If she recalled correctly, Xena didn't like Romans, and she wouldn't allow a Roman ship to dock here unless it was for a good reason. Varinia made her way through the crowd of men, heading towards the Roman ship.
"Girl!"
She growled, turning around, knowing who exactly was calling to her. She marched back to the sailor who kindly allowed her onboard.
"Yes?" she politely replied.
He held out his hand, and Varinia rolled her eyes, paying him the rest of the coin she promised him once they reached land. He tucked the small pouch into his belt, and she began to hurry off.
"Wait a sec!"
"What is it now?" she barked.
He smiled and hopped off the ramp. "I allowed you to come aboard, but I told you that you need to talk to my superior. It's not every day that I transport women like yourself."
Varinia nodded. She wondered what exactly this ship carried, but she didn't care enough to ask. Impatiently, she crossed her slender arms over her chest.
"And where is this superior of yours?"
He looked out into the crowd and pointed above a few heads. "There she is."
"She?" she whispered, whipping her head around.
Rising to her toes, she put a hand over her eyes to block the beaming sunlight, and finally, she spotted the only other woman in the area. She wore a black headdress lined with beads along her forehead and a cotton black and red dress to match. Varinia cinched her eyebrows together, waiting and watching curiously as a path was made for this woman.
As this so-called superior approached, Varinia was taken aback by how intimidating this woman's vibe came off. She was completely ignored as the woman stepped in front of her to speak with the sailor.
"Is this the last ship?"
"Yes, Bastillia. I should let you know that this young lady was on the ship. She was traveling from Abydos."
Eylül turned, finally acknowledging Varinia. She scanned her attire and approached, immediately causing Varinia to take a step backward.
"A traveler from Abydos," she mused. "And why would you want to leave Abydos? It's a great place to live."
"I…I need to find someone."
Eylül grinned. "You really shouldn't be traveling all by yourself. This is a very dangerous area."
"It doesn't look so dangerous to me," Varinia innocently said.
Eylül chuckled softly. "You are obviously not from here, but maybe I can help you. Who are you looking for?"
"Xena…"
"The Edirne Conqueror?" she asked, and Varinia nodded. Eylül's nose scrunched, eyeing the sailor. "You traveled all the way from Abydos to speak to her?" she clarified, and Varinia stared wide-eyed. "I'll have you know that Edirne is miles from this port, girl. It would take you a day at least to walk there."
Right then and there, apparent defeat crossed Varinia's face.
Bastillia sighed and grabbed Varinia's arm. "But I do happen to live in Edirne. I could take you there, but I'm not leaving for another couple of days."
More disappointment loomed.
"Alright, thank you for offering to help."
"But I must also tell you, Xena most likely won't talk to you. She doesn't come out of her home."
Varinia frowned upon hearing that. This certainly wasn't true as she met Xena in Rome, but she kept that to herself. She couldn't trust anyone here, and she didn't know this woman at all. Her eyes drifted to the Roman ship, which was now fully docked at the port, and men began to unload mass amounts of crates.
"You will need new clothes. You can't wear that in Edirne."
Varinia peered down at her dress and suddenly felt self-conscious of her appearance. Taken by this woman's forceful hand, she was brisked away from the dock.