It was an awkward camp at best. It had been several days since something had transpired between the two women that were sitting on opposite sides of the campfire. That hadn't happened since before things had happened with Hope and then Chin. Then the last straw had been when the lie of the demise of Hope had cost Xena her child. Gabrielle almost, almost took her own life and would have gladly still given it up just so that her partner, her lover, her soulmate could have her little boy back.
And then it had transpired between them. They had found themselves in this wonderful but confusing place. It was referred to as 'the land of illusia'. The couple had to face some harsh facts about the direction their lives had taken. And they had to realize that, because of lies and mistrust, they had almost lost one another along with the innocent boy who never even knew who his real mother was. Because of one moment in time, Xena choosing Caesar over Gabrielle, a series of events that were a part of built up to the most horrible moment ever seemed to snowball out of control.
To Gabrielle, it felt even worse than that first night in camp when Xena had grudgingly tossed her a fur and offered her the far side of the fire for warmth. At least there had been an unguarded moment and a smile. While they had worked through most of their problems through song, how would that affect their everyday lives? That was what they had to decide now. But to do that, they had to talk. Talking was not something that her big tough warrior princess was necessarily good at. It was not one of her many skills.
"Xena?" The warrior princess had reverted back to one of her oldest habits. First Gabrielle had watched her as she sharpened her sword. Though always very meticulous about maintaining her weapons and all her gear, this had feeling of the beginning of their travels together. That was when the ex-warlord would use anything to avoid actually talking with her young traveling companion. "We need to talk about everything that happened. I know we left things on good terms but…"
Eyes that were normally as rich as the blue sky on a clear spring day were now a touch violet in the darkness of the night. The yellowish orange flames were causing shadows to dance across the angular shaped face. In just a few seconds' time, so many emotions also danced across the same engaging face causing the bard to swallow hard. The attraction that Gabrielle felt to Xena went beyond just the physical. She had known that since the minute they had met. But it was times like this that it came up and slapped her in the face in reminder of that fact.
Xena put her sword back in its sheath. She was leaning against a log her legs stretched out in front of her with her feet crossed at the ankles. For a moment, the brunette looked up at the cloudless night sky. The moon was already halfway across its travels of the night. The stars seemed brighter than normal and almost as if she could reach up and touch them. "You know, if I could…" Her eyes returned to the woman that sat across from her. "I'd still bring you the stars and the moon."
A solitary tear escaped from water filled eyes. Xena was a woman of few words. But when she spoke, it was always from the heart. Rarely if ever did she pull any punches even with the bard. This was…This was the most romantic thing that she had yet to say to the petite blond. It only took a very short moment for Gabrielle to cross the divide and settle herself next to the warrior princess, a sigh escaping from her when she felt a long arm wrap around her upper body and a hand settle on her exposed mid drift.
"I don't need promises of the moon and stars." Gabrielle looked up into eyes that were still staring anywhere but at her. It was almost terrifying the way that sometimes Xena got so lost inside herself. Usually it was because she was punishing herself for something from her long ago past. Sometimes it was just to plan their next move. Now, the bard was not sure what was going on in her lover's mind and heart. "But that was very poetic. I might just have to steal that for one of my scrolls."
That got a soft chuckle out of the warrior. Not many could get Xena to laugh, but her bard always seemed to know how. And just when she needed it the most which was the most special part of that particular skill. "You can use it anytime." She pulled the smaller woman even closer to her. A deep breath was taken before the taller woman got her courage up enough to agree to something that terrified her. "I guess we do…need to talk that is."
Gabrielle buried her head in the crook of the warrior's neck. The familiar scent of leather and brass still clung to her soulmate's body even though they had both bathed in the nearby creek. It was like it was her natural musk and it was intoxicating, comforting and just plain home for the bard. "I know we got to work through a lot. But what happened to Solon…" A fresh tear appeared and hung at the corner of her eye dangling there for dear life not wanting to let go. "It was my fault. I take full responsibility for that."
Xena managed to kiss the fair head that was in easy reach of her lips without breaking any other bodily contact. This was the hardest thing to talk about. Not just because her son was dead, but also because of the part that they both played in it. "That's not true." Her hand found the petite blond's and intertwined their fingers together. "We both could have done and said things…but since they were left unsaid/undone…it cost not only my son his life but it also caused you to take your own daughter's life. I know you…even though she was more like her father…what it must have you done to your soul to do that."
The bard was impressed not only by the amount of words but the volumes that they spoke. It was sad to think how many people only thought of her soulmate as a warrior. One that at times was cold and heartless. And that was true to a certain degree. Xena was the one in charge. The ex-warlord was the one that had to follow through when there was only one option. While Gabrielle had come a long way when it came to fighting and had now even taken a life sadly, it was her soulmate that was the one that was the general and did what she had to.
"But what I did to you?" Gabrielle sat up pulling away from the embrace that her soulmate had her wrapped in. "I took your son away from you." The bard stood and made her way to the edge of the camp. The heat of the fire could barely be felt instead it was the coolness of the night that caressed her skin. It chilled her, not just to the bone but also to the very soul. She could not help the shiver that escaped from her. In but a whisper she said, "As much as if it was at my own hand."
Xena moved with the grace and speed that she used in battle. Before the bard even could realize it, the warrior princess had her soulmate in a tight almost suffocating embrace. "I know that before what we experienced in the land of illusia that I blamed you for Solon's death. But you have to remember two things. I was a grieving mother that could only remember the feel of holding my son's lifeless body. Worse, I had a certain God of War whispering words of hate and mistrust in my ear."
Gabrielle's body was now racking with the sobs that were escaping her. The words that were said were so true and yet the bard was having trouble letting it really truly sink in. Words of hate and anger were also weapons wielded by whatever force was behind them trying to kill each other. Most likely on her part, it had been Dahok that had implanted the self-doubt and that anger that arose in her very soul against the one person that she swore never to hurt, who had been hurt enough.
"And I had Dahok." Gabrielle took in a deep breath once again allowing the scent that was her warrior to penetrate her mind. It was a dance that they could keep having or they could change the melody and therefore change what dance they were sharing altogether. It was the right and the smart thing to do. Now she only had to get her battered heart to go along with it. "There were so many things that we kept from one another." The bard pulled back to look into blue eyes not surprised to see tears there as well. "Why was it that we stopped talking? I mean really communicating with one another?"
Xena could feel the shivering of her bard even with the long length of her body wrapped around the smaller one providing ample warmth. "There were outside forces involved in this, Gabrielle." Without warning, she quickly picked up the bard and took her to the lone set of furs on the one side of the fire. After setting her down, she went and got her own bed furs and placed them next to her soulmate. "Ares, Dahok and who knows who else were trying to keep us apart. They did a good job."
The couple was now lying on the bed furs together. Gabrielle had her head on a strong shoulder, her arm around a taut stomach. The warrior had both arms wrapped around her smaller companion attempting to convey all the love that she felt in her soul for her partner. "So…where do we go from here?" The bard was terrified of where this could lead them. Though they were soulmates, was that going to be enough for them to get past all the hurt feelings?
"We keep doing what we are doing." Xena squeezed the bundle in her arms to let her know exactly what she meant by that. "We don't silence ourselves. We talk to each other even if we think the other just might be hurt by what is said." When her hands began to wander ever so slightly, she heard the sharp intake of the bard's breath and smiled to herself. "And even more importantly, we don't stop doing this." And to make sure she knew that the smaller woman got her drift, she slid her hands under the clothes of her bard causing a gasp as she grabbed one nice firm butt cheek.
"Xena!" Gabrielle wanted to stop the way her body was reacting. Talking. That was what they needed to do, wasn't it? There was another chuckle as it was quite obvious that her warrior was quite proud of the fact that she had achieved her goal of getting her body humming. "So what else is there that we need to talk about?" Somehow the bard managed to still the wandering hands. Not that she really wanted to but it was still time for talking.
The warrior princess knew that there were a lot of things in her past that could and would keep haunting them. Some of the things Gabrielle knew about. But there were a lot of things that Xena was not proud of. And there was always, always the fear that no matter how much they loved one another, there was something from her past that would one day be too much for the bard to understand and accept. "I'm not sure. I mean, I do have a long and shaded past."
The bard took this in. Of course her soulmate had a long and colorful past. And it seemed that every so often someone or something from that past came back to haunt them. From day one, Gabrielle had to help save Xena from her past in her own hometown of Amphipolis. That was part of what had led up to her being alone and being with the cult and then the rape and…and… Every time that she thought that she was over it, she could not get the images out of her mind. Once again her body was shaking she was crying so hard.
"Hey…" Xena wrapped herself around her bard not sure where the tears were coming from. All they had been talking about was the warrior's past. While there were a lot of things she was not proud of and definitely some things that should have had tears shed for them, this was not what she had expected. "What's the matter?" There was the muttering of Dahok and the ex-warlord's entire body stiffened. It was her past that was causing the tears in a roundabout way.
Between her incessant need to somehow get revenge on Caesar and the debt she felt she owed to Boadicea, she had once again put everything and everyone else ahead of her bard. It was becoming almost habit to choose others over her. That would have to stop. The warrior princess vowed right then and there that the next time that it came down to the greater good and Gabrielle, her soulmate would come first. There would hopefully never be another time in her life that she had to make the difficult choice between the known world and the woman she loved.
As much as Xena had wanted to make love to her bard, now was not the time. Now was the time to simply hold her until the pain subsided. Having been put in some horrible positions in her lifetime, she could only imagine what it was like to be violated in that way. And then to have to deal with a child that was a product of that rape. It was a wonder that her soulmate had not lost that kindness, that gentleness and that capacity for love that she always managed to have.
"Gabrielle…" The sobs were making it difficult for the petite blond to hear what was being said. "I want you to really listen to me…do you think you can…" Xena heard her bard take a deep breath and swallow several times. Soon, the smaller woman's body was relaxing just slightly. The warrior gave it a few more minutes for Gabrielle to really calm her body down. "That is something I will regret for the rest of my life." She could sense the usual protest but gently hushed the comment with a gentle finger.
Xena made it so that they were looking into one another's eyes. "I know you are a grown woman and can make your own decisions." Though it was difficult, the warrior made sure to keep the eye contact. "I was jealous. And though the main reason remains that I hate Caesar and always will, that also factored into my decision to leave." It was stupid she knew. They had been together physically for almost a year at that point but still she was jealous. "I should have…"
It was now the bard's turn to silence her warrior, but she did it with a gentle kiss. She closed her eyes to get her thoughts straight, loving just how patient that Xena could and always had been with her though it didn't always seem like it. "I think in a way I was trying to make you jealous." The sapphire eyes widened slightly. "We were traveling how far just so you could once again face off against Caesar. Not that I blame you. He is someone that needs to be watched carefully. And what he did to you…" A sigh escaped the petite blond in memory of the details that the warrior princess had shared.
Xena was stunned at what she had just heard. Gabrielle had been attempting to make her jealous? And it hit her like a ton of bricks. They might have been a little freer with the touching and the saying 'I love you' and all but what about the little things? What about taking the time to kiss her good morning and kissing her goodnight. What about the bigger things? Like making love or making sure that she knew that she would come first. The warrior felt like such a fool.
"Oh Gabrielle…" Xena sighed heavily. While they had been together officially as a couple for only about a year, she thought that she had made it clear just how much she loved her. Of course making true lasting relationships was not one of her many skills. It was something she had been trying to learn from her bard. Obviously she had missed something along the way. "I'm not good with words and I should be better with actions. I may never say this again, at least not this way, but you are and forever will be the only person in the world for me. I'm not looking nor could I find anyone better than you to love or to be loved by. I meant it when I said you truly are my soulmate."
Once again the tears were flowing from the bard. She had no idea where they were coming from as it seemed in the past few moments she had almost cried a lifetime. Some were tears of fear, fear of losing Xena. Some were tears of pain, remembering the most painful time in her young life outside of the death of her soulmate. Some were tears of regret knowing that her actions or inactions caused so many people pain. And now it was happy tears that were flowing freely.
After another long quiet moment, Gabrielle pulled back just a little. Xena tenderly wiped the tears from the now moisture soaked face of the petite blond. Their eyes met and in that moment everything changed. It wasn't quite a drastic change as the first time that they made love, but it was like a commitment to one another had just been made. It was as if they were now more than partners, more than lovers and definitely more than best friends. They were now equal in everything in this moment.
"No matter what you tell me…no matter what happens." Gabrielle took the warrior's hand and placed it gently over her heart. "I will never doubt your love for me. I might get jealous and I might not like what either one of us has to do for the greater good. But at in the end, as long as we are lying next to one another, that will be all the reassurance that I need." The bard then wiggled her eyebrows and her nose crinkled up as an adorable smile was upon her face. "Although anytime you want to show me how much you love me, I'd probably not turn you down."
Xena laughed. It was a hearty body warming laugh that caused all the emotional aches and pains to ease. Her heart that had tightened at the thought of any kind of pain that had been caused by the fact that she had said or done the wrong thing, or worse, at the thought of not saying or doing something had caused her soul to hurt. Once again the warrior made a vow that she would never hurt her bard this way. Could she keep that vow with all the things that happened in their lives? She was going to fight to the death to try.
"I'll show you, but not tonight." That got a pouty look on the bard's face and Xena almost caved. Her body was as always overheated just at the nearness of her soulmate. It was just that her body was exhausted on an emotional level. And that took more for her to recover from than physical exhaustion. Plus there was something that was setting her senses on alert. Like something very big was about to happen but she couldn't be sure of what. "We've got a long way to travel tomorrow if we're going to get to and you wanted to begin to learn to do my flips so we need to get some rest. I promise we'll make time as often as possible to show our love but also to talk things out."
They shared one more kiss before they snuggled up next to one another. For the first time since everything had happened with Hope and Solon, it felt right. Just lying there holding one another as they slept was one of the first ways of healing. They needed to talk more or things could and would get complicated. But for tonight and for the near future, they were as one. As one was what they needed for the adventures that lay ahead.
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Xena just lay there for the longest of moments waiting. Waiting to see if the bard was going to be the first one to speak or not. There were a lot of things that they had to discuss. What they were doing in the here and now with this unknown foe that was tentatively now an ally. There was what had happened in the past. And most importantly, what had happened just a few months ago. So many discussions they needed to take place. Hopefully they had another lifetime to discuss them all.
The warrior princess reflected on what they had just done. They had bathed one another and it had caused her to feel more connected. The entire time she had been looking into green eyes only. Now with the bard's body pressed so tightly against her own, she felt them. Gently she pushed her soulmate back and took in the body that lay before her. What she took in caused Xena's heart to break a little thinking that she was the cause of the condition of the body.
While Gabrielle had recovered from the starvation she had put herself through, what the warrior princess saw was beyond that. That kind of abuse could be and had been rectified. But the abuses that she saw upon the sweet body before her made her shudder to her very core. There were some things that she saw that she remembered from their travels. But there were also knew scars that she knew the looks of. These kinds of scars came from medical care that was inferior or because someone didn't care. The scars were because the petite blond had been slowly giving up on life.
Too many scars that she had not seen before even when they had made love. "Oh Gabrielle." She pulled the naked form even tighter against her naked body. Once again she held the bard at arm's length. "What were you doing to yourself in the time that I was gone?" The warrior knew that this was now time for the deep discussion that they had been promising one another. With purpose she had them both snuggled under the covers once again with her arms around her soulmate. "Why?"
Gabrielle took in the scent that was her warrior. For just a moment, she was taken back in time now what would be almost thirty years in total though to them it would be just about four. It was hard to keep tack sometimes when you were frozen in ice or frozen in fire for any amount of time what time really was about. "I've been asking myself that for a long time now. I've been asking myself that since I got back to Greece. I almost didn't leave Japa, you know."
Xena went through her memories but found that her time in the Elysian Fields was fading. It hurt that she was once again losing her son, her brother and her mother but she was gaining another part of herself. She was gaining the other half of her soul that had made being without it even the most heavenly of places seem like hell. Her memories were too faded of the place to remember the specifics. "All I remember now about being where I was is your voice. The pain and anger that was in it and you asking me 'why' all the time."
The bard thought about this for a long time. It made sense that now that Xena was gratefully back in the land of the living once again that her memories from the time that she was gone would be fading if not gone, even for her sometimes mystical partner that was the warrior princess. "Well, I went after the army that had been led by the man that took your life." There was a stiffening in the body that was holding her. "I didn't want to leave Japa without you. I should have just…"
Long strong arms tightened around her. This was her fault once again. Once again she had put the greater good against all else. In the past, Gabrielle would have wanted her to. When they had faced off against the Persian army, the bard had told her that she didn't matter and all that mattered was warning Athens of the oncoming attack. Why was it that she could do it one time? Why could she put the petite blond first and another time she would put supposed thousands ahead of her.
"We both have a very big part in what happened but it really was my fault." Xena waited to see if there was going to be a protest. When nothing was said, she smiled to herself thinking just how far they had come as a couple and definitely how far Gabrielle had come in not attempting to shoulder all the blame. "Why I never told you of Akemi and the debt I felt I owed to her…" The warrior took a deep breath before she continued. "While there were many men and many women in my life before you, she was the one that I think I loved, truly loved at least as much as I could in those dark days."
Xena knew this had to be difficult and uncomfortable to hear but she had to get this out if only for herself if not for the sake of her bard. "Looking back, both times Akemi used me. First she got me to truly care for her more than I ever had anyone since Caesar had come along. Even M'lila was just an innocent that lost her life and I felt more obligated than true love for her. After she had learned what she had wanted from me, she used it almost basically like I always did. Once I'd learn a new skill I used it with relish to get what I wanted. I just didn't know she wanted it to kill her father and then kill herself."
The bard wondered if Xena was going to continue. She knew that there was more to this than what her warrior princess was saying. At the same time, it explained a lot. She had loved Lao Ma also and that was why she had gone to Chin. Why she had thought not to include her other than she deemed it a suicide mission, Gabrielle was not sure. And that, combined with what happened with Hope, had been the downfall of their relationship. Some things were finally beginning to make sense about Japa.
"And then what I did because I was grieving." Xena looked up at the ceiling of the tent really thinking about that time for the first time in a very long time. True it was not that long ago since she had related the tale of her first time in Japa. But there were things that she wouldn't allow herself to think about. Now, reflecting and trying to make peace with her past and more importantly with Gabrielle, she was forced to really think things through. "But I wasn't really grieving for her. I was mad because I let myself be taken in and allowed myself to actually care. I felt sorry for myself. The deaths as a result of this…"
"And once again she was conning you again." Gabrielle felt her soulmate start to pull away but her smaller but strong arms held on as tight as she could and it forced azure eyes to meet sea green ones. "Xena, you carry the weight of the world on your soul and that means it's on my soul as well." Slowly she extricated a hand hopeful that her warrior wouldn't attempt to take advantage of the situation and pull away. "You wanted to make amends a few months ago just as you have since I met you. But you know what?" There was a question in those sapphire eyes. "You could spend the rest of your life doing good, righting wrongs and you will still think you deserved to be punished."
She watched as Xena's mind took in the ideals that she had just put out there. It was probably true how her warrior princess had only been thinking about how she could have redemption and what better way in the very end than to stay dead for forty thousand plus souls. It made a sickening kind of sense. Gabrielle sighed waiting to see if the ex-warlord would put into words what she just discovered. It wasn't long before she heard, "I was once again blinded by my own redemption. This time it wasn't even the greater good."
"I know, my love." Once again green and blue eyes were meeting. There was a kind of sparking between the two as they reconnected on yet another level. "You've now gone to heaven and you've now gone to the Elysian Fields." The hand that was still on an angular cheek began to stroke it gently. "I know that warriors can be dense sometimes, it helps in battle. But think about it. You've given your life countless times so that people can live and can be happy. It was time then and it is time now for you to have that."
And with that comment, a lot of things became clear for Xena. Why the two times she had remained dead instead of fighting to get back to what mattered most. The first time she died, she had ended up in Tartarus and it had been easy to fight, too late almost to come back to the woman that she loved and made her life worth living. Though they had not expressed that love in more than words, it still had been worth everything to get back to the bard.
But when she had been crucified by Caesar the second time, it was different. She had experienced heaven. It was with Gabrielle at her side, but she still had been there. It was short lived as she once again gave herself up to hell so that another could experience heaven and peace. Another time when her sacrifice had almost cost her the love and companionship of the bard and that meant that is was more than time for her to stop giving everything up and start living a life with her bard.
"I've been thinking about that." The bard's hand stilled waiting patiently for her warrior to continue. "I think I was thinking about it in the Elysian Fields but that is all become gray to me. What I've been thinking about is possibly doing what we had mortal Ares do." A sweet face scrunched up into a smile, the nose crinkling as it did so. "I mean putting down a sword won't be easy for me. More than half my life has gone into fighting. But I think, no I know that with you by my side nothing will be boring. Life is an adventure whether on the open road or on a little farm just outside of Amphipolis."
The smile grew, if that was possible. "I was thinking the same thing." Gabrielle sighed heavily imagining a life not on the road. Imagining settling down and letting those like Eve fight for peace and for what was right. Would that mean never picking up a weapon again to fight for what was right? Only time would tell. "Now back to what you asked me before. Would it hurt for you to know that I was on a suicide mission of sorts?"
Xena could not help but chuckle. It was not an amused laugh but one of irony. Her mind flashed back to just before they were crucified. The warrior princess remembered watching horrified as Gabrielle kicked, head butted and used whatever weapon was at her disposal just to defend her. Why would it surprise her that she had wanted to die and join her in the afterlife? "It hurts knowing that I put you in a position once again where you were hurting so badly, you weren't sure what to do except to find a way to be with me. You thought that death was the only answer to finding me again. I mean, how many times can we come back from the dead?"
Another small laugh helped the tension to fade from both their bodies. Was their discussion done? Hardly. But it was enough to finally have them both face up to what they had both done, not only to themselves but to one another. While more talking would be necessary, for now there were no more words that needed to be spoken at least on this particular subject. There was still something that they both needed to discuss. It had just been hinted at, but now was as good a time as any to discuss their future.
And with that thought, something that Gabrielle had forgotten almost completely came to mine. With a wink, she untangled herself from her lover's arms. Slowly she made her way to the little trunk that they had that contained their weapons, spare clothing and of course her writing materials. Soon when they traveled, all this would be placed in travel bags that could easily be hung from a saddle just like their past days of travel through Greece.
It took several moments for her to find what she was looking for. As she searched, she could feel a curious pair of almost violet eyes watching her. The sun had quickly faded to nothing and left the tent just barely lit by the candles at the head of the cot. It had made what Gabrielle had been searching for take a little longer than she had intended. The look on Xena's face took her breath away and for a moment the bard literally stopped breathing. It reminded her of the poem that she still carried that her warrior princess had given to her on her last birthday.
They had only traveled officially for six years together, but the memories that they had made seemed to last a lifetime. Maybe it was to last several lifetimes. Gabrielle shivered at the thought of being without Xena once again even with the comfort knowing that they would meet once again. More than once they had proven they would find one another in this lifetime. Slowly the bard took the rolled up parchments that she had been looking for and sat on the edge of the cot.
"I've always been a bard, as you know." That got one eyebrow playfully arched and a playful swat with the rolled up parchment. "But the weeks just before you came back, there was something burning inside me that was more than just words. I kept having these images." Gabrielle unrolled the first scroll. It was the perfect likeness of the warrior princess in her leather armored outfit. It was complete with the old chakram and sword. Argo was in the background chomping on grass.
Xena had to blink looking at the wonderfully sketched picture of herself. It was not how she saw herself of course. The warrior princess saw a darker image and she remembered her weapon always in her hand. But this was how her bard saw her and it made her swallow hard. Tears were threatening, but they were not to fall, yet. "It's like I'm looking at someone else. I mean, I know it's me but I don't see myself that way." When she looked into jade eyes, a solitary tear escaped. "You almost make me look innocent. I haven't been innocent since I was born."
Gabrielle laughed at her lover's statement. It was true. She had heard some very interesting stories about the warrior princess in her youth. Even before she could walk, it seemed that she was good at getting into trouble. "I know, your mother told me." That got the bard a playful little smack on the bottom. "It's not innocence that I see, Xena. I see love. I see goodness. I see the other half of my soul that has been through more than most people should have been in their lives."
The warrior princess looked at her soulmate for a long moment before she returned her gaze back to the picture she had sketched. "I think what you've actually drawn, my bard." Her blue eyes found green ones once again, but was having trouble keeping the contact. "What you've drawn is what is reflected in my eyes and my soul when you look at me. I don't know what I've done to deserve this nth chance at a life with you or meeting you in the first place, all I know is that I'm going to do my best not to screw it up this time."
"Wow." Gabrielle slanted her head trying not to cry. It seemed this Xena was a little different if only in the sense that she was better at articulating exactly how she felt. The bard had always known how her warrior felt just by looking in her eyes. Well, not always but since they had shared the same body so long ago it had done something to them that they connected on a truly deep level where mere looks spoke volumes. "And they say that I'm the bard in this family."
The warrior princess had one of her genuine smiles that were reserved only for her family and especially for her bard. Carefully, she took the parchment from her soulmate and really looked at it. "You hung this up?" Gabrielle simply nodded in response. "Have you always been able to draw like this?" Xena wasn't out to hurt her feelings but the last set of drawings by the bard that she had seen was not that well done. This looked like a true artist had drawn them.
The bard simply shrugged and unrolled the second picture. This was the one that she had truly been wanting to show her soulmate. Why she had drawn it, especially when she was still uncertain if they were going to be reunited, she was not sure. How it would possibly come about was another question unless they were to rescue a child along the way in their travels, she had no clue. Eve had said that she just might be an oracle. But that would mean that she or Xena would have a child. The only possibility with most of the Gods gone was not going to happen in any lifetime.
Xena took the unrolled parchment and looked at the drawing. It was a very familiar scene. It was one that they had shared most nights during their travels. Staying in an inn was a luxury and rarely had they visited her mother or Gabrielle's family, something the warrior regretted. Only this scene was different. It was obvious that they were a little older. It was obvious that the little boy was their son. But that wasn't possible. Was it? It had been the God of Eli that had granted her Eve. Would another God or Goddess grant them another gift as their daughter?
"I drew that one shortly before we were reunited." Gabrielle laid her hand on a very muscular thigh and gave it a squeeze. "I even sent out a little prayer or message that I hoped you'd hear." She turned her gaze and met moistened eyes. "I told you that I thought we might be fighting for more than just your return." The bard swallowed heavily. "What if…" She swallowed again. "What if we are blessed with a son? What if one of us is…"
The warrior princess pulled her soulmate into a tight embrace, careful not to ruin the drawing. She wanted to take special care of it as she sensed that one day it would indeed be a family portrait of sorts. Reluctantly she pulled out of the embrace and carefully rolled the parchment back up. "If we were blessed with having another child, whether it be a son or a daughter I would be the happiest woman in the world. And it makes me want even more to settle down."
Gabrielle took the rolled up parchments knowing that there were more to show her. But it was getting late. They had another date with destiny in the morning. A peace treaty was of course a good thing. But that was only a piece of paper. If anything else they had planned went wrong, there very well could be a fight on their hands that would come from three different sides. She carefully tucked the drawings back in their cases hopeful that they were well protected.
The bard made her way over to her lover and snuggled up close as the coolness in the night's air was finally getting to her. Both were thinking about how much they still had left to discuss but that they had made a good start. There would always be something to talk about as they both had a past and they both had made decisions that seemed to come back to haunt them. But for now, they were thinking and then dreaming of one thing. They were dreaming that one day they could and would be happy settled on a little farm just outside of Amphipolis and a few days away from Potidaea.