Chapter Three: Pawns

This is a little slow right now but I'm introducing characters at the moment. Bear with me here!

Gabrielle followed her instructions and strolled through the streets to the Faustina Temple. She thought it was an odd place to meet but she wasn't here to argue. She stopped in front of the large temple which was still under construction and pulled the hood off her head and walked inside.

It came to a surprise when the temple was swarming with people. To make this job more difficult she didn't know who she was meeting and with this crowd she'd never be able to find said person. Gabrielle weaved through the people and searched for someone who might be seeking her out.

She was distracted by the amount of new statues that people surrounded. The statues must have been at least fifteen to twenty feet tall. She'd never seen anything like it before. Her appreciation for art had kept with her since she left her home and she pursued her hobby by becoming an artist in Rome, which now she regretted only because she had to deal with several Roman nobles and the very annoying gorgeous Augusta.

Her eyes fixated on the statue of a deity before her. The crowd began to disperse so she was able to get a closer look. She wished she could sculpt as well as Zenodorus. She knew he could make a statue better looking than this but this work of art was pleasing to the eyes.

"Athena. A beauty, isn't she?"

She thought she was alone and jumped at a male's voice beside her. Gabrielle whipped her head around and her eyes drifted up to look at a tall youthful man with piercing blue eyes and jet black hair. His jaw was strong and clean shaven and she could tell he had long hair but it was pulled into a bun which settled nicely on the nape of his neck.

"Yes…" she answers softly, "It's a nice sculpture."

"You don't look like the mercenary type," he says with a wiggle of his eyebrows.

Gabrielle frowns. "And you look a little young to be a killer," she quickly snaps back. "Why did you want to meet here in this busy temple?"

He shrugged a shoulder. "It looks less inconspicuous. I think we've gotten off to a bad start." He turned and extended his hand. "Evander."

She hesitantly shook the given hand. "Gabrielle."

He nudged his head to walk with her so they wouldn't remain stagnant. They passed by several more sculptures and it was hard for Gabrielle to keep focus. Evander glanced around the temple and the more citizens that entered the better off they were.

"I understand you've been assigned to a very intimidating task," he brings up casually. "You won't be able to do this alone so I'll be helping you along the way."

Gabrielle crookedly smiled. "Everyone is so afraid of this woman. Even Augusta Sabina fears her. She told me that this 'queen' is in the empire but I can't really trust anything the empress says. She has a head full of hot air."

"I believe she is here, Gabrielle," he whispered. They halted together. "In Rome."

She nervously scratched her neck, feeling itchy all of a sudden. "Why do you think that?"

"A noblewoman, who is a dear friend and confidant of the empress, was murdered and crucified in the square yesterday."

"That doesn't mean anything. People get murdered all the time in Rome."

Evander stared at the blonde mercenary and grabbed her shoulder. "Her body was put on a cross in the middle of the square. Naked. That's not a casual murder. Be aware of your surroundings."

XXXXXX

The door was kicked down in a small loft on the west side of the city. Two men entered the apartment and took the man sitting at a desk, drinking heaps of wine to satiate himself.

"What is this?!" he yells.

He was taken by his arms by force and thrown out of his home. He scurried on the ground, stumbling to find balance and will to escape. The wine had not done him any favors so his vision was skewed and body uncoordinated. He crawled across the dirt road, searching for anyone to help him, anyone at all.

The two men hoisted him up and put a black bag over his head. He was thrown over a shoulder and carried off in broad daylight. Just as the men kidnapped the drunkard, two children ran down the alleyway with their mother calling after them.

Not long after he was dropped to the ground with a loud thud and the bag was ripped off. He muttered softly and saw a pair of black boots standing a mere foot in front of his eyes. Blurrily, he guided his head slowly to the wearer of the boots.

He smiles and wipes the blood trickling from his nose. "Xena…" his voice raspy and hoarse from the alcohol he scorched his throat with for days on end.

"Gaius Julius Vindex." She bent over and tilted his chin with a gentle finger. "You didn't do what I asked you to do," she whispers eerily.

The hairs on the back of his neck stood up and he suddenly his clarity returned. "I just…need more…time," he says, almost begging.

Xena ran her fingers through his sandy short unkempt hair and then reared his head back. He moaned and she placed her hand over his mouth, silencing him.

"You're Governor of Gaul and yet Nero still controls you. Are you going to bend to his every will, Vindex? You're nothing more than a puppet for Rome. What will you do next? Suck Nero's cock?" she smiled.

"Tell me what you want me to do and it will be done. I swear," he raised his hands to show his allegiance.

"I've given you two chances already." She shoved him and he fell back, groaning at his own discomfort. "Today's your lucky day, Vindex. I'm feeling generous. I'll give you another chance to redeem yourself."

He spat a glob of blood on the ground and glared at the conqueror.

"Cause a rebellion against Nero or I'll take all your teeth," she eyed his crotch, "and then some."

Vindex stood with the help of her two brutish men. He chortles and steadies his unbalanced body. "It is mighty brave of you to be in Rome especially in daylight. God is on your side."

"I don't need you to spew your religious jargon, Vindex." She waved her hand to her men and they began to take him away. "Oh, one more thing before you go."

He looks back at her warily.

"How would I go about getting into Nero's palace?"

"You're a smart woman, Xena. I'm sure you'll find a way."

XXXXXX

Steppe Queen, tribal woman, nomadic savage. She hated being called those names. All of the titles given to her were from the Roman Empire. She was no queen, a leader and ruler yes, but not a queen nor an empress. She assumed that Romans bestowed her that title because they feared her.

A question that had not been answered: how does one fear something you cannot see? She didn't know the answer to that question but she understood why Romans were terrified of her, although her rabid violent conquering simmered down the last few years of her reign.

She secluded herself in the heart of Edirne settled on the Maritsa River but as Nero's lust for power and expansion rose, she came out of her cave so to speak. Nero not only attempted but he conquered a region that belonged to her and he had the gall to think she'd do nothing about it.

Her time in Rome had been eventful but not as much as she would like it to be. Sometimes she could be very impatient especially when people do not fulfill their promises. Her meeting with Vindex was exactly what she imagined it would be.

As if getting around in Rome was enough of a challenge, she had to deal with idiots as well. She enjoyed walking through the streets listening to gossip about the little mishap yesterday. Xena tried so hard to keep herself from revealing an irking smile as she passed by.

Her men dressed as Romans were a nice touch, she thought. And she also bought more clothes since the last attire belonged to a poor crucified soul. She felt a little guilty for killing the young woman but everyone was a pawn here.

While strolling through the street she spotted a familiar head of gold up ahead. She raised an eyebrow and quietly approached the golden haired artist standing over a spread of art supplies.

"Buying new brushes?" she inquires.

Gabrielle spun around and smiled. "You again," she marveled. "I was beginning to think I was going crazy and seeing things at night. You disappear and reappear so quickly." She felt she was babbling on but she could tell that the brunette was amused.

"I can pay for that," Xena offered.

"Oh, no that's okay you don't have to do that."

Xena pulled out the necessary coin and handed it over to the merchant. She smiled at the blonde and watched carefully as the brushes were packed neatly into a cloth bag. He gave her the bag and she handed it off to Gabrielle.

"Ah," Gabrielle had no choice but to accept the gift. "Thank you. Well, this is embarrassing –you paying for my art supplies!" she jokes awkwardly. "As if I need more pity from the wealthy."

"I can't pity someone that I don't even know the name of."

"Oh!" her cheeks flushed. "My name is Gabrielle. I thought I told you that during our last session. I've been very busy lately."

Xena half smiled. You talk a lot, she thought. "Busy with the empress," she states.

"Let's just say you're a much easier client to deal with," she lightly put it. "Are you busy now? I'm heading back to the workshop. I could work on your portrait."

Xena looked up at the tower on the south side and pinched her brows together. Another difficult thing about being in Rome was that she was waiting on the sidelines for things to get done.

"I…"

"It's okay if you're busy," the artist says with mild disappointment in her tone. "We can work on it tonight at our usual time. I know how you like to lurk in the shadows."

The conqueror grins down at the blonde and nods her head. Lurker in the shadows. She never heard that one before.

"I'll be there tonight."

Gabrielle nodded and shyly turned her head to the tall woman beside her. "This is the most conversation we've had. I like to get to know my clients very well so you should get used to talking to me. If you won't comply then you'll have to find another painter." She playfully threatened with a feathery laugh.

"You're very optimistic, Gabrielle. I look forward to our session together."

Xena couldn't remember the last time she smiled this often. She dealt with the impending death surrounding her in this new atmosphere but her brief time with Gabrielle was more than lovely. It was a chance for her to escape during her city searches and scheming against the emperor.

"We can get a head start by you telling me your name," the artist stepped closer to Xena.

My name. That smile that was so prominent on the conqueror's face swiftly disappeared. She didn't plan to ever stumble upon that workshop at all during one of her nightly searches but she didn't regret it. When she found out that Augusta Sabina frequented there and employed Gabrielle she knew she wanted to stick close. But that wasn't the entire reason she kept returning to the workshop to visit the artist.

The curiosity and sense of relief she felt when around the blonde had come to an end. Her time in Rome was only temporary and she knew that.

Gabrielle noticed the sudden change in the woman's face and perhaps she overstepped so she quickly reneged her question to ease the tension between them.

"You don't have to tell me right away," she relays. "As I said, you're a woman of few words. We'll have plenty of time to talk later. See you then?" she retreats slowly and Xena gave a curt head nod.

XXXXXX

Evander gazed out of a small window that overlooked most of the city. Whenever he wasn't searching the city for suspicious activity he frequented a brothel that was on the east side of Rome. He didn't particularly like anyone here all except one woman. He'd been warned several times by his teachers that brothels were a dangerous place to be for a person like him.

He didn't pay any mind to his teachers and once he reached the age of seventeen he was on his own. This life was all he knew since he was a child but he never knew he'd one day work as a mercenary for the Roman Empire.

Skeptically, his eyes roamed over the city, cautiously watching the citizens go about their daily routine. Some people may think this was a boring job; waiting around for hours or days on end, but he loved it. To ease his nerves he twirled a small leather bracelet that he had attached to a necklace since it was too small to fit round his wrist.

A pair of tanned arms came up from behind him and encircled his waist. Evander looked down and held the bracelet in his hand then turned around to a succulent smile and bright green eyes.

"Varinia, you shouldn't sneak up on me like that. You know what I do for a living," he warns her teasingly.

"I certainly do." She ruffled her curly waist length dark hair and traces a finger along his toned arm. She eyed the little trinket on his necklace. "Taking a little trip down memory lane?" she implies.

Evander peers down at the bracelet in his palm and turns his gaze away from her.

"Do you think you'll ever find your family?" she asks while running her fingernails through his hair.

"It's like finding a needle in a hay stack," he murmurs. "I know they're not in Rome at least."

She intertwined her fingers with his and kissed his hand. Her lips traveled from his arm to his bicep and then shoulder before he stopped her by grabbing her chin.

"I need to go," he whispered and pecked her forehead.

"Do you have to?" she pouted and fluttered her eyelashes.

Evander had a hard time resisting that stare of hers and that smile –that enticing smile –was enough to make himself bend to her will every single time.

"I really want to stay but…I can't."

She slipped her fingers out of his hand and waltzed over to the bed and sat down, spreading her legs apart, slowly lifting the long skirt she wore. Evander's eyes widened and he grabbed his cloak and boots to get dressed.

"I'll be waiting for you as always."

XXXXXX

Most of the day was spent redrawing the empress' portrait and it was very tempting to rip the canvas in two but Gabrielle refrained. She patiently waited until the sun went down and watched the other artists leave their stations.

She stopped drawing awhile ago and said her goodbyes to Zenodorus. He stayed longer than he usually did but she was eager for the workshop to be deserted and completely empty. She sat in her chair, eyeing the sketch she did yesterday of her new client. The sky was dark and the day was winding down now.

Her nerves and impatience was getting to her and she walked over to the window, sighing heavily. She thought she may have been too talkative earlier today when they met in the market. Perhaps I scared her off? Or maybe she was too busy to stop by?

She caught a glimpse of the new set of brushes on the table and grazed her fingers over the soft bristles. An expensive set of brushes like this would make a lot of the artists very envious but she never had to worry about people stealing her things here.

The longer she glared at the brushes the angrier she got. She never thought her life would turn out like this and wondered how long this was going to last. You never knew how to appreciate a leisurely life until it was taken away from you.

"I need a new line of work," she says wearily.

"Never stop doing what you're best at."

Gabrielle gasped at the sudden voice and raised an eyebrow at Xena. "You're really good at scaring me. It's not an easy thing to do I'll have you know." She wagged her finger.

"It's a skill I have," Xena says nonchalantly.

"Sneaking up on people or scaring them?"

"Both."

Gabrielle raised her eyebrows and backtracked to her stool and offered her a seat. "I don't see how you could scare anyone. You look harmless but sometimes looks can be deceiving."

Xena lowered her eyes and sat down opposite the blonde. Harmless, no. Deceiving, yes. It was fate that led her here and this was a perfect opportunity to get to know the Roman citizens for who they were. But this particular woman, Gabrielle, had a special link to the Augusta and that not only made Xena's plans easier but she also slipped in a bit of alone time while her men crept through the city at night.

"What do you do in Delphi?"

This question caught the conqueror off guard and she gaped at Gabrielle with wide eyes.

"You said you were from Delphi. I assume you're married since you have nice clothes and not to mention those guards with you."

"No." Xena answered rather harshly and then caught herself. "I…no, I'm not married."

Gabrielle continued to sketch periodically lifting her eyes. "Widowed?"

Xena shifted in the chair and crinkled her eyebrows. "I've never been married."

There was a long pause of tense silence. "Sorry, I shouldn't have asked. Let me know if I'm asking too many questions."

Sitting quietly Xena looked around the workshop, itching to get up and walk around but she had to sit still and listen to the incessant amount of questions. Gabrielle put down the sketching pad and walked over to her and Xena's eyes enlarged at her close proximity.

Gabrielle smiled softly and held up her hand. She saw the woman's eyes darken a couple of shades but she didn't let her guard down and moved her hand closer to Xena's face.

She grabbed the blonde's wrist. "What are you doing?"

"I…need to re-position your face." She gestured to the candle on the table. "We don't exactly have…the best lighting in here."

They locked eyes, staring intensely for a moment longer until Xena released her grip. Gabrielle inhaled sharply, unsure of what reaction that came to be. The look in her eyes is what disturbed Gabrielle the most. Anger and maybe a hint of fear. It was subtle but it was there; hidden to the naked eye but not to an artist's eye.

She titled Xena's chin towards the light and brushed the blue veil away from her face, exposing her prominent cheekbone. She got the feeling that this woman did not like to be touched or at least she was hesitant about others coming near her.

"Have you ever sat for a painting before?" she asks curiously.

Xena didn't answer and instead lifted her gaze to the blonde who was studying her face.

"Has anyone ever told you that you're very hard to talk to?" Gabrielle teased with a laugh. "I wish Augusta Sabina was as quiet as you. She tells me all about her day during our sessions."

Being on the judged side was something new and she wasn't sure if she liked it. It was the first time she felt helpless and out of sorts. She didn't know what to say or how to say it. She couldn't address this artist as one of her soldiers nor could she punish her for daring to come close or talking back to her. This woman was a stranger. She was innocent. But she was also spry, lively even, and she hadn't been around someone like that in a very long time, if ever.

Gabrielle cocked her head from side to side, staring at her client's face and nodded. She sat back down and began to sketch again whilst being glared at.

"How long have you been working as the empress' personal artist?" Xena asked.

"She speaks!" Gabrielle chuckled. "A little under a year since she married the emperor but we'll see how long she lasts."

Xena sneered. "What do you mean by that?"

She paused during her sketch and met the woman's blue gaze. "Delphi must be another world if you haven't heard what Emperor Nero did to his last wife."

Before she started to sketch again a light caught her eye and she leaned back to peer out the window. She stood up and walked over to the window and Xena spun around in the chair. Gabrielle's mouth gaped at the fire she saw from the port. The light of the roaring fire encompassed the sky and outer rim of Rome.

"There's a fire on the coastline," she says.

Xena hid her smile and once the artist turned around she wiped the smile off her lips.

"You should probably go back to your villa. It might not be safe for you to be here." Gabrielle packed up her supplies and put the sketch pad gently into a cloth bag and set it aside. "I can walk you home if you'd like?"

Walk me home like I'm helpless, the conqueror mused. She stood and held the veil close to her chest, smiling down at the worried blonde.

"My men can take me home but," she pauses, "thank you…for offering."

Gabrielle nodded.

"I look forward to our next session together and hopefully I won't be the only one talking."

XXXXXX

The walk to the tower was further away than expected this evening. She could see the fire spreading across the port and several people emerged from their homes to see the flames. Now that she had Rome's attention in her hands she knew she wouldn't be able to stay here long without being found out.

She hid her face with the veil and while walking her ears picked up a familiar sound. Boots. She took a couple of steps forward and then reached into an alley between two apartment homes.

Snarling she shoved the lurker against the wall. "Gölge!" she hissed.

"Who told you to leave the tower?!"

Gölge breathed heavily, seething with anger. "Now I know what you've been doing at night."

"You followed me too?" Xena smiled maliciously. "I gave you an order and disobeyed me. You could've exposed me!"

"It looks like you're capable of doing that all by yourself," Gölge combats with an eerie smile.

Xena backhanded the girl and stepped away. The shock on Gölge's face was enough for the muscles in her face to relax and realize what she just did. Before, maybe a few years ago, she wouldn't give a second thought to hitting someone but now, she felt different.

Everything was different now. Her life was on the line and she didn't deserve any incompetent people around her.

"Let's get back to the tower," she mumbled and grabbed Gölge's arm. "I'm never letting you out of my sight again."