Chapter Two
"Good afternoon." Hercules said.
"What happen, where's everybody?" Xena asked sitting up slowly.
"Iolaus and Gabrielle have gone ahead to help fight of Dagnine, you were hesterical last night I had to give you a sleeping herb unfortunately it lasted longer than expected." Xena looked down remember the destruction she had seen, and the thought of her baby boy being killed my that slim Dagnine made her skin crawl. She could just feel the grief building in her heart, and the anger rising up from the pits of her stomachs.
"Please tell me what we saw wasn't true." Xena said in a weak voice.
"I'd like to say it wasn't, but it was." Hercules said.
"No, I'm dreaming." Xena said more tears erupting from her eyes.
"Xena, do you want to tell me what's going on here?" Hercules asked as he held her in his arms. Xena said nothing as she continued to cry. Hercules knew there was something more and if she truely was grieving than anger would be the next stage, but it seemed Denial was slowly taking his turn.
"He was there, I hid him there." Xena said.
"Hid who, who was there?" Hercules asked.
"My baby." Xena said.
"Xena, you don't have a baby, if you had I'm sure Gabrielle would have said something." Hercules said.
"No, she didn't know, no one knew." Xena said.
"Xena, its impossible for you to have had a baby and hid him here in the centaur village in the last year, because you weren't even in Greece, Gabrielle would of had to have known." Hercules said. Xena just cried. Later as they walked towards the next village, Xena spoke again to set him straight. Hercules kept an arm around her to keep her from feeling lonely.
"I didn't have a baby this year." Xena said.
"I know." Hercules said.
"He was born a long time ago way before you unchained my heart." Xena said. Now light was beginning to be shed on Xena's tears and her hesterical statements earlier.
"I don't understand." Hercules said.
"It was after Borias and I came from Chin I found out I was pregnant, I had every intention of getting rid of the child inside me, but he held onto life." Xena said.
"Fighter t hat's good." Hercules said trying to get a smile out of her.
"Yea, but that wasn't good enough this time." Xena said as the smell of burnt flesh reached their nose again. Their pace seemed to quicken and after awhile Xena got a top Argo with Hercules behind her. He put his arms around her in comfort as Argo trotted.
"How did he end up in the village?" Hercules asked.
"When he was born we were in the middle of a war with the centaurs, Borias had just betrayed me to them, and I'm sure there wass more going on that night than I will ever realize, but he was born safe and healthy." Xena said.
"Did you give him to Borias?" Hercules asked.
"No, Borias was dying as Satrina drove the cart away, he only saw his son for a brief moment, I took advice from Lao Ma and served my enemy, so I weighed my options, and figured my son would never be safe if he lived with me among other things; I left him with Kaleipus leader of the centaurs, we struck a deal and promised to keep my son safe if I held up my end of the bargain."
"You were desperate to come here not to save the village, but to save your son and protect his identity." Hercules said.
"Yes, I had to save him, but we got here to late and when I saw that destruction I knew my heart was gone I don't think I'll ever beable to live again after I rid the world of Dagnine and his men." Xena said with such anger and venom Hercules knew that denial had passed.