Author's note: Hi everyone! I promised I hadn't abandoned my story, and though it's been two years since the last update I hope those of you still waiting for a new chapter will forgive me. This is just a short update to get myself back in touch with the characters and into the flow of writing. I hope you'll be patient with any inconsistencies, since it's been a while for me! Thank you so much for all your kind messages over the last few months. You're very dedicated readers, and this is for you.
Gabrielle's face went pale, and for a moment she felt as though she might faint. If not for her grasp on Atreus's shoulder she might have sunk to the floor. She closed her eyes, letting the fear sweep through her, feeling the bile rise in the back of her throat. Then, taking a deep breath, she forced herself to remain calm.
"What happened?" she asked, striding forward to stand beside the pallet upon which the Conqueror now lay.
The amazon gave a slight shrug. "Arrow to the shoulder. Caught a few sword strokes too, from the looks of it, but I only saw the arrow."
Outside the healer's hut, the war cries grew louder. The battle had arrived at the village.
"The Spartans have reached us." The amazon drew two long knives from the scabbards at her hip, twirling them expertly by their hilts. "I go to join my sisters."
Gabrielle nodded dismissively, her attention focused on Xena's limp form. Taking the Conqueror's bloody hand between her own, she glanced up at Atreus. "Will she be alright?" she asked, her voice quavering slightly.
"Her wounds need tending," the captain replied evenly, and Gabrielle wondered how he could be so calm in the midst of so much chaos. Outside the shouts grew louder, and now she could hear the ring of steel through the din, the sound of weapons clashing.
"You can do this," Atreus said, touching Gabrielle's shoulder briefly in encouragement. "Treat her as you would any soldier. You have the skill, lass."
"Will you help me?"
The faint ghost of a smile stole across the captain's grim expression. He shook his head. "I'm a soldier. I go to fight."
"You can't leave! Please, Atreus." Gabrielle got to her feet, her eyes pleading. "She told you to stay with me."
"She told me to protect you, and I will... by taking out as many of those bastards as a I can while I still draw breath." His fingers curled into a fist around the hilt of his sword, and Gabrielle was taken aback by the intensity of expression. His deceptively calm demeanor was nothing more than cold fury. She had never seen the captain like this before. A moment ago he had been smiling, his eyes shining in remembrance of his wife and the boy he used to be. Now, for the first time, Gabrielle caught a glimpse of the anger that grief had inspired in him. She saw the volatile man he had been when he first met Xena. Now, the fire in him burned on behalf of the woman who had helped him tame it; the woman who had saved his life, and whose life was now in danger.
"You care about her very much, don't you?" Gabrielle asked quietly, understanding for the first time that Xena was so much more to her soldiers than a figurehead giving commands.
The captain didn't respond. He didn't need to.
"Go, then. Fight. For her." She closed her eyes, and when she opened them Atreus was gone. "Amarice," she said softly, "I'll need clean bandages." For once, the notoriously difficult amazon did as she was told.
Gabrielle let go of Xena's hand and got to her feet. She must be strong now, as strong as the Conqueror herself. As the battle outside began in earnest, she whispered a prayer to Athena and tended to her warrior's wounds.
In the half light of dawn Xena watched the sunlight advance across the room, sending the grey shadows of morning into a full retreat. There was a dull ache in her shoulder and her limbs were so heavy she could hardly move them-which was good, because her first attempt to do so prompted pain so intense she had to grit her teeth to keep from crying out.
Gabrielle was slumped at the foot of the bed with one side of her face pressed against the the bedclothes, shaggy blonde hair falling across her eyes and hiding them from view. There was a smear of blood on her cheek, but the rest of her appearance was neat, almost disconcertingly so. Gabrielle would wash the blood off, Xena knew, and be clean again. Since the first battle bloodied her hands, she had forgotten what clean felt like. It looked surreally out of place, impossibly beautiful, like Gabrielle herself.
"Hey," Xena croaked, her throat raw and aching.
The smaller woman stirred, lifting her cheek from the bed and gazing sleepily at her charge. Then she smiled, and the sight of that grin sent a flush of warmth through the Conqueror's chest.
"Xena! You're awake!"
Gabrielle stood and reached for a nearby water jug, filling the ladle and lifting it to Xena's parched lips. The injured warrior drank greedily, spilling most of the water onto her chest and coughing up what little she managed to swallow. Still, she felt better, and the ache in her throat lessened.
"Patched me up, huh?"
Gabrielle nodded, beaming. "Atreus helped me change your bandages this morning. He said I did a good job."
"How... how long...?" The words caught in Xena's throat, making her cough again, and Gabrielle offered her another drink. This time she sipped more slowly.
"Three days," Gabrielle answered, her tone growing serious. "You had a fever. You woke up once and called me by another name. Who's Cyrene?"
Xena averted her gaze. "No one."
Gabrielle was silent for a minute, and then asked, tentatively, "don't you want to know what happened?"
"You're still here. I'm still here. I guess that means we won."
Gabrielle nodded. "We sent the Spartans retreating across the river. The amazons fought fiercely. They're holding a celebration tonight, giving thanks to Artemis for her protection."
The Conqueror snorted. "It had nothing to do with Artemis. The gods don't care whether we live or die. In Greece or in Hades, we're still mortals. We make our own victories."
"Not everyone has your courage, Xena. Some of us need faith, too."
"Some of 'us'?"
Gabrielle lowered her eyes. "I prayed for you," she said quietly.
Xena felt her cheeks grow warm. She'd never blushed in her life, but in that moment she came close. They sat in silence for a moment, and then Xena shifted her legs, wincing.
"Help me up."
"Am I still your servant?" Gabrielle raised her eyebrows, and Xena mirrored her puzzled expression. "You're still giving me orders," Gabrielle clarified, with a hint of a smile.
"You're not my servant, Gabrielle."
"Well, then: no."
"No?" The conqueror lifted one brow quizzically.
"No," Gabrielle said firmly. "You have a deep cut on your thigh. You need to avoid straining the muscle while it heals."
"It's a flesh wound," Xena said dismissively, propping herself up onto her elbows. Immediately a shock radiated out from her shoulder and she lay back, gasping and defeated. Furious, she bared her teeth, glaring at Gabrielle as if the injury were her fault. "You expect me," she growled, "to lay around on my ass for a fortnight?"
Gabrielle shrugged. "I suppose you could lay on your stomach," she suggested with a grin.
Xena let out a string of oaths against the gods of the sort that Gabrielle, in her modest upbringing, had never heard before-and hoped to never hear again. Wincing, she backed away from the bedside and went in search of something for Xena to eat.
