Chapter Eleven: My, What Blue Eyes You Have
An overwhelming urge to slice Gölge in half entered her mind. She wanted to strike that girl down. It appeared that her apprentice was doing a bit of spying on her own time. She never once thought Gölge could betray her like this and to attack Gabrielle, who was innocent, was just one strike. But now that she found out that Gölge impersonated her without consent, she couldn't let Gölge continue this charade.
Her hands trembled as she held Gabrielle's. She cursed herself for not being more in control of her emotions. She saw red the minute Gabrielle told her everything.
"You're shaking," Gabrielle observed with a small frown.
"I'm…just worried for your safety." Xena loosened her grip and her fingers slithered out of the hold.
Gabrielle coiled her hands in her lap awkwardly. "You don't have to worry about me. I can take care of myself."
"Xena sounds like a pretty dangerous woman," she hinted, smiling softly. "You're sure that it was her?"
"I'm sure. I remember her eyes," Gabrielle pointed to her eye, giggling lightly.
Xena nodded. She wanted to leave but she also wanted to stay and it was very tempting. She couldn't trust Gölge anymore especially since she left Evander there with her. The trust she had in her apprentice was void now that Gabrielle revealed she supposedly knew the attacker. She was once again wedged into a tight space and neither Gabrielle nor Evander knew who she really was which was painful in of itself.
"Gabrielle, if you didn't live in Rome working for the empress, where would you be right now?"
Caught off guard, her mind went blank. She hadn't thought of how her life would've been like if she didn't live in Rome. Sometimes she wondered what would happen to her if she abandoned her jobs in Rome. She thought that she'd never make out of the empire alive and that was probably true. Nero would kill her. There were men everywhere watching her.
"If…I wasn't in Rome," she paused, "I would probably be with my family."
Xena cast a small smile. "And why aren't you with them?"
"I…," Gabrielle's gaze lowered. "I don't know where they are," she painfully admitted. "We were separated from each other when Emperor Tiberius raided my village. I haven't seen them in ten years."
Everything that man did during his reign felt like a thorn in Xena's side. She wasn't the only person affected by the deceased Roman Emperor. People feared him and he was probably one of the worst emperors to rule the empire. He caused a lot of damage throughout the world. Xena was convinced that if Tiberius was still alive that she would've found herself on a crucifix by now.
Xena grabbed the blonde's hand. "I'm sorry. I know what it's like to lose people close to you. I hope you find your family again one day."
Tears threatened to surface and Gabrielle wiped her nose. "Tiberius attacked your home too?"
She licked her lips. "Yes," she choked out. "He hurt a lot of people and tore many families apart."
"I didn't know Tiberius expanded his campaign all the way to Delphi."
She still thinks I'm from Delphi, thought Xena. The truth was that she'd never been to Delphi in her life. It was the only place she could think of from the moment she met Gabrielle. She chose to most auspicious city there was for a cover but now she regretted ever mentioning she was from there in the first place.
"I…am not from there originally."
Gabrielle wagged her finger. "I knew you weren't from Delphi!"
Xena's heart stopped. "You did?"
"First of all, you're wearing the wrong clothes and second, you don't look Grecian at all," she said confidently. "But you mentioned you travel a lot so where are you from originally?"
"I don't have a specific home. I've traveled my whole life." Oh, what a terrible lie, Xena inwardly slapped herself. Gabrielle was too smart to fall for such a farce. She could tell the gears were turning in the artist's mind.
"Everyone has a home," she snorted. "You must have family somewhere. You were born somewhere. I'm originally from Potidaea. Now, it's your turn," she playfully rolled her hand around.
Xena arched an eyebrow. "Potidaea is a nice village." She could tell she wasn't going get out of this. "I'm originally from Amphipolis."
"Oh! That's my sister village. So, we're from the same area," said Gabrielle cheerfully. "How come you said you were from Delphi instead of Amphipolis?"
Xena folded her hands in her lap and her eyes danced around the area. "I…I haven't been there in a very long time. I don't consider it my home anymore."
Down below there was a lot of chatter and rustling around. They were talking for so long that they lost track of time. Xena was grateful for the interruption for once and stood up, looking over the railing. Several of the artists were talking about the night they had and preparing their stations for the day.
Talk of Roman soldiers could be heard and Xena frowned. She couldn't believe she stayed here for so long. It was a poor decision on her part even though she did enjoy talking and spending her time with Gabrielle, she just couldn't be wandering around in the daylight.
Gabrielle sat up, rubbing her aching head. "I think I've kept you here long enough. I'm sorry about last night. I've never had wine that strong before," she groaned and the more she moved the more her head throbbed. "That definitely isn't Roman wine. It must be from Egypt or something."
"It's from Edirne," Xena thought aloud and her eyes widened with her back turned.
"Oh really?" Gabrielle inched off the bed to grab her boots. "How do you know that?"
"The merchant I bought it from said it was from there," Xena quickly saved herself from further explanation. She spun around with a gentle grin. "I enjoyed talking to you, Gabrielle."
Struggling to put her boots on, the artist rose from the bed and clumsily walked over to Xena and rested an elbow on the balustrade. She peered down and heard the artists making inappropriate jokes and rolled her eyes.
"So, you are no longer a woman from Delphi but a woman from Amphipolis," she raised a finger. "Maybe I should drink wine more often when you're around so you will tell more of your secret life."
Xena smiled and began making her way down the stairs.
Zenodorus mixed fresh clay into a bowl and in the middle of pouring water into the dry mixture he saw Xena striding across the shop. His jaw dropped and he immediately looked up to the second floor where Gabrielle spent her nights.
"Good morning…" he bowed his head as she passed by.
Xena raised a hand and briskly walked out of the shop causing all of the male artists to pause their morning routine. Once she left all heads were turned upward, staring at Gabrielle in awe. She awkwardly smiled and waved at her fellow colleagues and slithered her way back into the darkness to finish getting dressed.
Due to the heavy downpour last night Varinia was unable to return to the brothel. She didn't want to be there anyway since no men were allowed there and Evander was gone. She decided to sleep underneath a canopy at a winery for the night. Her slumber was rudely interrupted when the woman who owned the winery woke her up just before sunrise.
She was forced to leave but not without arguing with the woman briefly. Varinia went out into the market to walk around for awhile. She felt lost and didn't know if it was a good idea to go back home. As everyone began to prepare for the day she sat down on one of the benches outside a tavern. The rain slowed to a trickle in the early morning.
The air was thick with heavy fog and her clothes were mildly damp from last night. She felt her throat closing up the longer she stayed outside. The tavern owner recognized her and was about to tell her to leave but she left before he scolded her.
Varinia walked through the empty street and spotted Xena leaving the workshop. She ducked down behind a cart and watched Xena scan the area before flipping the veil over her hair and stroll along. Varinia frowned and held the colorful cotton veil tucked underneath her chin and set out to follow Xena at a fair distance.
She weaved in and out of the people who were slowly coming out of their homes to adhere to their morning routine. She could see that Xena was cautious of her surroundings and chose not to remain in the crowds. Xena rounded the corner into an alleyway and Varinia ran ahead and looked down the narrow alley.
She waited a few moments so Xena could get a few paces ahead until she continued following her. Xena rounded another alleyway, increasing her speed. Varinia huffed and picked up her dress and came to a four-way corner. Her head turned from right to left and then she circled in place, unsure of which direction to go in.
Varinia muttered in her mother tongue then decided to head down the alley on her right. She trailed down the desolate area and found nobody was out and about. Most of the homes here were abandoned and in poor condition compared to the rest of the city.
When she stopped in the center of the alley she knew that she lost Xena by now. She decided to turn around and head back until a hand wrapped around her mouth from behind and she was pulled into a small space in between two apartment buildings.
She muffled a scream and her body slammed against a wall.
Xena spun the young woman around and frowned at the same girl who had visited the workshop last night.
"Do not scream," she whispered and Varinia nodded. Her hand slipped off the Syrian's mouth. "Why are you following me, girl?"
Varinia's mouth parted and she gazed into the piercing blue eyes. She cocked her head to the side, furrowing her eyebrows. She continued to study Xena's facial features in silence thus causing Xena to arch an eyebrow and lean in closer. The familiarity was haunting; so much so that she reached out and touched the raven locks.
Xena flinched and grabbed the girl's hand. "What do you think you're doing?"
"S-sorry," Varinia tensed her body, glaring into the woman's blue eyes. "You…you look like…someone I know."
"You shouldn't follow strangers," Xena let go of the girl's wrist and took a step back. She was met with the doe eyes gawking at her still which made her feel uneasy. "You should go home."
Varinia was gently pushed out of the alley and she stumbled backward. "But I have nowhere to go!"
Xena pinched the bridge of her nose. She had no time to deal with this young woman a second time. She was so exhausted that she wanted to curl up in a ball and go to sleep but she knew that when she returned to her hideout that wasn't going to happen.
"I'm sure you must stay somewhere."
Varinia brushed the tears from her cheek with a heavy palm. "I…live in the eastern side of the city."
"The east –" her words trailed off and she sighed. She recalled Gabrielle mentioning that area twice before. "Do you have anywhere else you can go?"
The Syrian looked to her sandals and Xena rolled her eyes. She brushed her veil over her shoulder and pulled out a pouch of coin strapped to her belt. Varinia raised her head and eyed the dagger attached to the woman's hip.
Xena walked out of the dark narrow pathway and put the coin in the girl's open palm.
"Why are you giving this to me?"
"Go stay in a safe place," Xena closed the girl's fingers around the pouch."And don't follow strangers into dark alleys. You never know who you're dealing with."
Gabrielle took most of the morning to recover from last night and when she was ready to face the nosy colleagues of hers, she went downstairs to prepare her station. She cleaned her brushes in hopes that she wouldn't be bothered.
Soon, she would have to leave to search the city but at least she could look like she was doing something normal. She pulled the sheet off the unfinished painting of the Empress and grumbled. She positioned the easel in the sunlight. After taking in a deep breath she sat down and distributed the mixture of paints into small containers.
She looked over the top of the canvas and Zenodorus was speaking to a cloaked man at the entrance. She squinted to get a good look at the brief conversation and then the man disappeared. Zenodorus turned and headed directly towards her.
She put on a smile and brushed her hands on her apron and walked around to meet Zenodorus. He held a small rolled up parchment. She took the letter and was hesitant to open it in front of everyone. Nobody was paying attention to her but she felt a wave of anxiety hit her, clutching the scroll in her palm.
"That's for you. You know some odd people, Gabrielle," he chuckled.
She smiled awkwardly. "Odd is relative, Zenodorus." She turned her back to him and opened the small letter. She heard footsteps drift away and frowned, reading the message.
Instantly, she grabbed her cloak and flung the sheet over the canvas.
Zenodorus climbed the ladder and saw the artist scurrying out. "Where are you off to now?" he called and she ignored him, running out of the building. "My goodness." He shook his head.
Xena slept for a few hours but she was too angry to sleep. She sat on the floor sharpening a sword, glaring at Gölge from across the room. They briefly made eye contact and Gölge gave a nervous smile to which Xena narrowed her eyes. She scraped the stone along the blade and forced a dishonest smile towards her apprentice.
Evander had been promoted to sit in a chair though still bound; he was free from the floor for now. While Xena was away he had been stripped of his weapons and clothing. He sat, shirtless, barefoot and in a fresh pair of black trousers.
He squirmed and hung his head. His veil of dark hair covered his face as he glared at the floorboards.
"You can't keep me in here forever you know," he said in a worn voice. "People are looking for me."
Xena's attention towards Gölge was thwarted by his voice traveling from the other side of the room. She set the stone aside and rose from the floor. She stopped in front of Evander and lifted his chin with a gentle hand.
"I'm not going to keep you here indefinitely."
He grimaced. "You'll just kill me instead, right?"
"I already told you I wasn't going to kill you," she pinched his chin. "You don't believe me?"
She grabbed a chair and sat down, straddling her legs. Smiling, she twirled the sword around. The two challenged each other with a staring contest and Xena cleared her throat, shifting her weight with her elbows on her knees, widening her eyes. Evander finally broke the stare and turned his cheek.
"I'm going to send you away from here," she picked at the leather tied to the sword's hilt. "You won't have to work for Nero again."
Evander laughed. "You don't get it do you?" he rolled his shoulders back and met her gaze. "If I don't kill you then the emperor will kill me. That's how this works."
She slowly bobbed her head. "Yes, I've come to realize that," she spun the tip of the blade on the floor. Her eyes drifted to Gölge sitting in a corner, polishing boots.
She then took the bracelet out of her blouse and threw it onto Evander's lap. He tried to hide his smile and wiggled in the chair, desperately trying to break free to grab the small bracelet attached to the necklace. Xena took the necklace and came into close contact with her son.
Evander held his breath as the necklace was tied around his neck.
"You said you want to send me away," he stated, "I don't trust you."
"I know you don't." Xena sat back down and swiped her thumb across her nose. "I haven't given you any reason to trust me." She crossed a leg over her knee and leaned back. "If I send you away I want something from you."
"And what's that?"
"Give me the names and locations of who else is working with you."
He rolled his eyes and snorted.
She leapt forward and grabbed his jaw, forcing his head backward. "Tell me."
"Fuck you," he spat.
"Xian!"
His eyes widened as did hers. Xena's fingers slowly slipped off his jaw and she backtracked. She turned around and folded her arms. She rubbed her forehead and couldn't stand still nor could she turn to see his chalk white face either.
He shifted and the chair creaked in the silent room. He licked his dry lips and breathed heavily, hearing his heart beat ringing in his ears. He kept glaring at her long tresses and fidgety hands down by her sides. He didn't expect her to be clueless of who he was but he was more than shocked to hear a name that he hadn't heard in such a long time. He completely abandoned that persona long ago.
"What did you call me?"
Xena chewed on her fingernail nervously, refusing to answer.
"Where did you hear that name?"
She arrived at the temple that was written in the message and walked inside. Gabrielle flipped the hood off her hair and looked around at the empty temple. She didn't have a good feeling about this place. There were no witnesses here if she were to be attacked. At first she thought the message was from Evander since he'd been missing for days but now that she was here alone, she knew it wasn't him.
Her mind immediately went to Xena. Had she been watching this whole time? Did Xena want to meet her secretly and kill her? She no longer trusted anyone around her even more than before. She slipped her hand over the dagger strapped to her hip and stepped through an archway.
Out on the terrace she saw a woman wearing a light blue gown. Hesitantly and cautiously, she came closer to the woman and scanned the area. When she stepped out onto the terrace there were a few Roman guards hidden in the hallways.
"So good of you to finally grace me with your presence, Gabrielle."
She halted mid-step and took her hand off the weapon. "Augusta Sabina…" she bowed her head.
The Empress slowly turned around and leaned against the balustrade, smiling at the blonde. She flicked her wrist at the guards and they dispersed so she and Gabrielle could be left alone. She pushed herself off the rail and walked down the steps to greet the artist.
Gabrielle lifted her chin, forcing herself to smile. "Why did you want to meet here?"
Sabina circled around the artist, inspecting the cloak she wore.
"The Emperor takes many precautions," she frowned, feeling uncomfortable at the way Sabina was circling around like a vulture. "Is there…something I can do for you?" she brought her arms close as the Empress picked at the cloak.
Finally, they met face to face and Sabina crossed her arms. "You didn't tell me you led a double life, Gabrielle."
"Pardon?"
"I've been quite bored in the palace. As you know, it's very unsafe for me to go outside," she casually said and Gabrielle nodded. "I was looking through my husband's office the other day and it just so happens that I found your name written in one of his journals!" she clasped her hands together.
Gabrielle clenched her teeth together. "Oh?"
"Oh, yes," Sabina raised her eyebrows, "why didn't you tell me that you are ordered to kill that savage woman?" she asked, genuinely excited about the task.
Gabrielle's cheeks reddened.
"Don't be shy, Gabrielle!" she placed a hand on the blonde's shoulder. "You can tell me. I want to know everything. Is it true that nobody knows where she is? Are the Emperor's men really as daft as everyone says? I am having doubts if she is here."
Oh, she's here. "I can…assure you that she will be found, empress. Do not worry."
"I do hope so, Gabrielle. I would hate to see you suddenly unemployed. I really do enjoy our sessions together," she winked and squeezed her artist's shoulder then sauntered away.
Gabrielle loosened the cloak around her neck and ripped it off over her head. She turned over her shoulder and found the Empress and her guards gone from the temple. She dropped to her knees and felt the world collapsing onto her. The Empress openly threatened her life and now she was supposed to act like everything was normal.
She lost all motivation to search the city today for Evander or Xena otherwise. She wanted to be alone and sat on the coast for awhile before returning to the workshop. Now she definitely wanted to slash that canvas with a knife. She was being watched by everybody and every single thing she did was under Nero's eye.
With the weight of the world on her shoulders, Gabrielle waltzed into the shop just a few hours after sundown. Her cheeks were kissed by the sun and she was dehydrated especially from last night's embarrassment of her drunken state. She couldn't win these days, she thought.
She took off her cloak and flung it on a chair and paused at Zenodorus speaking to Varinia by her station. Another problem, she thought, just what was not needed. Varinia caught her walking in and ran to her.
"Gabrielle, you're finally here!" she beamed and almost hugged her until Gabrielle put a hand up.
Zenodorus washed his clay caked hands. "She's been waiting here for you all day."
"You shouldn't be here, Varinia. Before you ask, no I don't know where Evander is." She walked to her station and kicked over the easel and the painting fell to the floor. She plopped down on the stool and dug her nails into her face.
Varinia eyed the sculptor who gave a shoulder shrug. She pulled up a chair and lolled her head on her shoulder, trying to grab Gabrielle's attention.
"I followed that woman who was here with you yesterday."
Gabrielle's head lifted. "You what?"
"I followed her," Varinia wore an uneasy smile and pulled out the hefty bag of coin. "She gave me this. She is very wealthy. What is her name?"
"Why are you here?"
The Syrian sighed, "you know, Gabrielle, she…well, I don't know if I am going crazy but…" she hesitated.
Gabrielle grunted. "What?"
"She looks so much like Evander! I can't believe you haven't noticed!" she spat and Gabrielle raised her eyebrows. "They have the same eyes, hair, nose, lips –everything!"
"You're right, Varinia," she gave pause and saw the Syrian's green eyes light up. "You are going crazy."
Loud horses galloping through the streets caught their attention. They moved to the large open windows and a horde of men dressed in black armor and masks rode in front of the shop. Gabrielle poked her head out the window and saw a cloaked woman on horseback leading a second group of men.
A flaming arrow was directly aimed at her and she ducked down. Varinia screamed and held her head as the arrow flew over Gabrielle's head and slid across the marble floor. Thinking quickly on her feet, Gabrielle grabbed the water basin and threw it on the flaming arrow and stomped her boot on it to snuff out the fire.
"Stay here! Go up to the second floor!"
Gabrielle ran outside and snatched her cloak. She leaned against the wall when more horsemen passed by her. She flipped the hood over her head and ran down the street, listening to the citizens screaming and running around the market.
She hid behind a building, her chest heaving, and watched as the invader set fire to all the carts, merchant shops and apartment buildings. Many of the citizens were calling out Xena's name, warning the entire city that she was in the vicinity.
Gabrielle furrowed her eyebrows and walked through the chaos calmly, setting her eyes on the masked woman with dark hair who led the attacks. She ran to the nearest horseman and stabbed his leg and pushed him off the horse.
She climbed aboard and steered the wild horse through the crowd focusing on the woman in the thick of the flames. The knife slipped down her arm and into her hand.
Now if I can get close enough…