Whew! I hope you didn't all give up on this story! The end of my school year was kind of crazy, and then I had to adjust to working 6 days a week at a new job. I think I've got it all figured out, though. Thanks to those of you who sent me messages asking where the hades I was and why I hadn't updated. I'll try to keep my profile updated with my current writing status, so when you're curious about how long you'll be waiting for an update, you can check there. c: Thanks for reading!


(Xena's POV)

Bards are all liars. 'Time stood still,' they say, as if time were subject to our convenience, waiting while we struggle to put the pieces together and find our way to clarity. Time didn't stop for me; it sped on, uncaring and unforgiving as the reality of Gabrielle's nearness and the Spartan's advance descended like a blacksmith's hammer.

A dozen voices began to speak at once. I heard my name amid the clamor, but my eyes didn't know where to look. The panting soldier was getting to his feet, but the Amazons almost seemed to have forgotten him, trespasser though he was. They were shouting now, either at each other or at me, but I couldn't hold onto the words. I knew the matter of the Spartans was the most pressing, but my traitorous feet began to move, swiveling me toward the storage hut and Gabrielle.

"Conqueror." I jerked away from the hand that brushed my shoulder, stiffening instinctually as I recognized Ephiny's voice. "We must speak to the Queen. Now," she added firmly, sensing my hesitance.

In that instant I had a powerful urge to pull the dagger from my boot and stick it right between her eyes. I knew she was trying to distract me, get me away from Gabrielle. Regardless of her intentions, however, she was right—I had to talk to Melosa immediately. I nodded curtly and followed her through the gathering crowd, despite the unseen hand I felt pulling me in the other direction. My mind was still buzzing from the strong wine, but it was no longer a pleasant sensation.

Melosa was waiting expectantly in her hut, and her words were direct. "The Spartan army," she said.

"Yes."

"You'll be riding out immediately, then. At first light." This sounded uncomfortably like a command, and no one commands the Conqueror.

"No," I replied stiffly.

"We have a treaty, Xena. It grants you safe passage through our lands. It does not give you leave to use them as your personal battleground!"

"This isn't personal," I said heatedly. "It's war."

"A war that you started!" Melosa shot back, her voice sharp as a polished blade.

"Fine, I started it. It doesn't matter where it starts, only where it ends. And that has to be here, otherwise the north is lost."

"You brought this upon yourself," Melosa snapped. "The north is your kingdom, and your responsibility. I won't ask my sisters to die for your folly."

I had to keep myself from roaring in frustration. Stubborn woman! "If the Spartans break through my line, where do you think they'll march next? They will swarm this valley. They'll burn your villages, kill your warriors, and take your sisters as slaves. Then the folly will be yours, for not fighting them when you were at full strength."

Melosa turned away from me and paced the length of the room, and I knew I had her. The Amazon queen had an iron will, and she was proud—like all of her people—but she certainly wasn't stupid. She knew what I said was true. The Amazons had long lived as a nation apart, distancing themselves from the politics of every nation but their own. Their wars were waged over territorial disputes and tribal feuds, and their warriors fought in dozens, not thousands. But their strength was waning, their numbers shrinking, and their isolation was coming to an end. They shared a fate with the rest of Thessaly now, and they would have to look beyond their traditions, toward new enemies and new alliances.

"My warriors aren't suited for this battle." Melosa turned to face me again, and her expression was grim. "They aren't trained to fight in ranks, to charge in the open field. You know this."

"A fight on open ground is what the enemy wants. I have no intention of doing it their way."

She nodded her agreement. "What do you propose?"

"My main column will hold its ground until Spartans charge. They'll feign a retreat into the valley, where your warriors will be waiting. Then we'll close around them and trap them in the trees, where we have the advantage."

"A risky maneuver," Melosa murmured, but I could tell from the glint in her eyes that she was warming to the challenge. "And if they don't fall for the feint?"

"Then I guess I'll have to kick their ass the old-fashioned way." I grinned, but it was an empty smile. We both knew there would be little chance of victory if it came to that.

"I'll need to consult with my sisters."

"Fine," I agreed, "but don't take too long. We'll need to make our plans as soon as possible."

I left Melosa's hut feeling secure in the fact that the amazons would stand with me on the morrow. As I strode out of the doorway Ephiny was walking toward me, no doubt intending to speak with her queen. I grabbed her arm as she attempted to pass, my grip tight enough to bruise the flesh.

"I don't like being deceived," I growled, yanking her toward me until we were almost nose-to-nose. A lesser person might have protested, assuring me that she didn't know what I was talking about, but Ephiny was more honorable than that. She met my gaze unflinchingly, defying me with her silence.

"I know where she is," I continued. "I know you tried to hide her from me. Well, you failed."

The amazon wrenched her arm free, but didn't back down. This one, I realized, could not be intimidated.

"So what, Conqueror?" She taunted. "If you want to punish her so badly, then why are you still standing here?"

I didn't want to punish her though, not anymore. I should have been furious. I should have wanted to beat Gabrielle bloody for running away with my prisoner, and the rage should have burned through me like a forest fire. But I didn't feel any of that. I felt tension, apprehension, but no fury. Gods be good, I was getting soft! I let out another growl of frustration and shoved Ephiny aside. She didn't fight back—she just let me go.

None of the other amazons tried to stop me either, but maybe Gabrielle's presence was a surprise to them too. I paused in front of the hut, steeling myself to face the one person in the world I both dreaded and longed to face. There was something gnawing at my belly that felt uncomfortably like nerves. When I could stomach my own cowardice no longer, I thrust aside the hangings and stepped inside.

It was empty. Of humans, anyway, though it was full of weapons and cloth and tanned hides. Gabrielle was gone, fled again. Running from me. I was a fool to expect anything else; Ephiny would have warned her and sent her away immediately, and Kyros too. Disappointment flooded through me and I sank down on one of the storage chests. Fumbling with my belt, I withdrew the pouch that contained Gabrielle's salvaged hair, loosening the drawstrings so that I could peek at the fine gold strands.

It was stupid, this whole thing. I was the Conqueror, ruler of the north, and I had a war to fight. I should be calling a meeting of my captains now, not sulking in a shack because of some woman who probably hated me anyway. She should hate me, if she had any wits. I crucified some of her friends, and I almost did the same to her. I would have, if she hadn't been so, so damn… warm. Yes, warm, that was it—the way she met my violence with words, soft words to counter the barbed ones I flung at her. Soft, but powerful in their own way.

"Xena?"

The pouch fell from my fingers. I surged to my feet, pulling the dagger from my belt to hold it beneath her chin. Gods, she was beautiful.

"Put that down, Xena," Gabrielle said softly. My hands complied; I lowered the knife, but didn't step back. I stood inches away from her, staring down at her guileless eyes and wondering how she could be so calm.

"What are you doing here?" I croaked, finding my voice at last.

"I'm not sure, really," she said.

"Where's Kyros?"

"I won't tell you."

"No?"

"No," she said firmly. "Why can't you just let him go?"

"Him," I repeated faintly, "or you?" Her breath caught then, and I found it absurdly reassuring, that proof that I could still affect her, maybe even intimidate her. "I could kill you right now," I threatened, because the knife was still in my hand.

"You won't."

"How do you know?"

"I just know, Xena."

I winced. Not many people called me by name anymore. The Conqueror commanded more respect, and the title itself was like armor—or a blade, depending on who used it. But Gabrielle was done with titles. When she said my name like that—so soft, so casual—I felt like I'd been stripped down to the skin, defenseless.

"Maybe you're wrong. Maybe I'll drag you out into the village square and build a cross for you myself, like I should have done at your sentencing. Maybe I'll stake you out for the Spartans to find, so they know what their deaths will look like."

The slap took me by surprise. My free hand flew to my cheek, and I half expected it to come away bloody. I stared at Gabrielle, open-mouthed and incredulous. Her own cheeks flushed pink.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you."

"It didn't hurt," I said gruffly.

"Sit down, let me look at it." She put a hand on my shoulder, guiding me toward one of the storage chests.

"I said I'm fine!" I protested, but I let her usher me to the seat anyway. I clenched and unclenched my jaw, just to reassure myself that the blow hadn't done any damage. When I looked up again, Gabrielle was standing there, turning my forgotten treasure over in her hands.

"What's this?" She asked, and it was my turn to feel sheepish.

"It's… nothing," I mumbled, even as she pulled it open to peer inside. I looked away, embarrassed.

"Oh, Xena," she whispered, and sat down next to me. Her fingers brushed against my cheek, commanding me with their tenderness. Swallowing hard, I turning my face to look at her.

"Why did you run?" I asked her, cursing myself for the quaver of my voice. "You promised," I added.

"You know why I did it." She looked at me sadly.

"Because of the boy? Because of Kyros? All of this for a kid you don't even know?"

"That's not it. Not the only reason, anyway. I…" she paused, as if pondering her words very carefully. "You're so cold sometimes, Xena," she said quietly. "I want to know you, to understand why, but I can't do it if you're always keeping me at arm's length."

"I told you before," I warned, "you're not going to like what you find. You can search and search, but there's nothing to absolve me of the things I've done. I am who I am, Gabrielle, and you can't change that."

"No? Then why am I still alive? If you're just the Conqueror and I'm just the slave, pick up that knife and finish it." She arched her eyebrows in challenge.

"Dammit, Gabrielle," I growled, surging to my feet. "You can't just-"

She silenced me with her own lips, brushing them against mine. Her hands cupped the sides of my face, and the press of her mouth was insistent, yet agonizingly gentle. When she broke away, I was breathless.

"I don't care, Xena." She leaned her head against my chest, and I enclosed her instinctually within the circle of my arms. "When we leave here, we'll leave together. Promise me."

"Gabrielle…"

"Promise me!"

I closed my eyes, and slid my hand up to stroke her hair. "I promise."


author's note: I hope this makes up for the long wait :D