a/n: Short chapter but always more to come. Remember to comment, favorite, follow or which ever! Enjoy.
Chapter 4
"Hey, there. Feeling any better?" Xena looked over at the mumbling bard.
"A little. I just can't seem to shake this ba-" before Gabrielle could mutter another word she was puking to the side of her bed rolls.
Xena had a sympathetic side smirk and went over to rub Gabrielle's back.
"Xena...I feel like I'm falling apart, losing myself." Gabrielle didn't look up, she was still queazy. "I don't even remember what happened, one moment I'm passed out on the ground, then I remember you running from me, and now I'm waking up as if nothing happened except an imploding stomach." Gabrielle heaved out another load of puke.
"Here." Xena got up when she heard the water was boiling. She poured the concoction into a cup and made Gabrielle drink. "It'll help the pain."
"Thanks."
"The first time always hurts. I'm sorry you had to go through that."
"What are you talking about?"
Xena sighed and then smiled warmly at the Bard. "Would you like to hear a story?"
Gabrielle's eyes lit up as she nodded speechless. Those were definitely words she never expected to hear from the Warrior Princess.
"Alright. Here goes nothing. Not too long ago there was a king by the name of Lycaon who ruled over Arkadia. This king believed that the Olympian Gods did not deserve to be worshipped. He began to despise Zeus, so much that he decided to commit a horrible act against Zeus. So one day Lycaon decided to invite Zeus for dinner. Lycaon had one of his servants kill a prisoner and feed the meat to Zeus. When Zeus learned of this treachery, he cursed King Lycaon and his people by turning each one into lycanthropes. Half-human and half-wolf. They can transform themselves at will and can be powerful and deadly."
Gabrielle was slack-jawed at Xena's bardic skills.
"The funny part is...you're now one of them."
"W-What?" Gabrielle's train of thought came to a screeching halt. "How on earth do you know that? That's not possible." The young blonde buckled herself down and tried as hard as she could to change into a Lycan. When she wasn't able she looked at Xena as if she proved her point.
"Well, " Xena's eyes widened with a Touché. "First off, the bite mark on your left shoulder." She pointed and Gabrielle looked. "Since you were so drugged.."
Gabrielle's face changed. Busted!
"You wouldn't have been able to feel the bite, and if you were knocked out for two days it gives you enough time to heal without the pain. Lycanthropes have the ability to heal quickly. The second thing that tipped me off was when your eyes changed color as soon as you became infuriated with me. That's the very first thing that changes. When that happened I knew my theory was true but I had to test it, I had to know for sure.
"Right after Cortese took Amphipolis it was one of the first places I traveled to. When I got there I met a man by the name of Titanas. He was a great man who taught me some great things, and one of them was how to fight Lycanthrope. He showed me potions that could reveal Lycanthropes, which came in handy when finding out which part of the army were Lycans and which were not. The last thing you want to do in battle is go raging in and be out numbered by creatures you weren't expecting to fight. The other potion was how to turn them back from their Lycan form just in case. However, the problem with fighting Lycans is hand-to-hand combat. They're much stronger and much faster which is why I had to set a trap and turn you my way to test my theory. If I just enraged you more, you would be out of control and I'd be at a disadvantage."
Gabrielle was still in disbelief but the faint scar indicated that Xena must have been telling the truth. "So, what does this mean?"
"I don't know, Gabrielle. The first thing though is getting you to control your transformation, if you don't, innocent people will get hurt."
"But I still don't understand who would do this to me?"
Xena gave her a look that could kill. "Really?"
Gabrielle shrugged.
"Lycea, doesn't ring a bell? Why do you think she makes you feel the way you do, Gabrielle?"
"Well," Gabrielle thought for a second, "then this shouldn't be too hard right? I can go talk to her and sort all of this out. You know get her to show me how to control my inner monster. Maybe she can even help us get rid of this curse!"
"Gabrielle, you have to promise me that you will stay away from her."
"I don't understand, Xena. Are you so jealous of her that you can't even ask her for help? Or are you afraid she'll save me from this monster and love me like you couldn't."
"Enough!" Xena bit down. "How about she did this to you and you are only one step closer from being her bitch, Gabrielle. It's not love. Now get your things you're going to the Amazons while I figure out all this mess."
Gabrielle rose up silently and gathered her things. She was mad but knew not to push Xena even further.
"Now let's go."