A/N: Hey guys! This little one-shot was created from the one word prompt challenge in the UF group. One of the words was "Shop" so I decided to make this one about Gabrielle using her haggling skills. It is set shortly after "One Against an Army". The idea had been floating around in my head for a while on how Gabrielle recieved her replacement boots after Xena ruined her others. xD Happy Reading!
"Are you sure you're going to be alright?" Xena's eyebrow lifted.
Gabrielle smiled reassuringly. "Yeah, I think I will. I just need to make sure to be careful on my ankle. At least the poison has cleared from my system."
Xena frowned. "Yes. What about your injury?" she asked, pulling back Gabrielle's shirt slightly.
"Do you mind?" Gabrielle protested, swatting at Xena's hand. She looked around quickly; making sure nobody was looking at them. She sighed and moved the shirt carefully so her friend could see. "There, see, it's fine. The skin is healing up."
Xena pursed her lips for a moment as she pushed aside the bandage on her friend's chest and looked at the wound. The skin was red, the skin puckered where it had healed when the arrow had pierced her.
Her eyes flicked up to Gabrielle's and she nodded. "Yeah. It's healing well. I'm just glad you're okay. I almost lost you."
Xena's heart raced painfully when she remembered how terrified she had been when Gabrielle had been shot with what happened to have been a poisoned arrow. At first she had been worried, but it had escalated into fear when she had travelled to Tripolis in search for a cure and found none. Gabrielle's health had deteriorated within hours. She had been brave – had already accepted her fate, but Xena had felt like a child, so helpless and little in comparison when she hadn't been able to help her. It had been a stroke of luck that one of the Persian soldiers had been carrying a cure with them; otherwise Gabrielle would be lost to her. It had been a week since it happened, but Xena woke up every hour just to make sure the bard still breathed as she lay next to her.
The thought of losing her made her heart ache deeply.
Gabrielle's admonishing expression softened when she saw the haunted look swimming in the woman's blue eyes. She released her shirt and reached up to press her finger between Xena's eyebrows, erasing the frown that appeared there. She smiled. "You won't lose me Xena. Never."
Xena reached up and held her hand, squeezing it once before releasing it. "Never," she agreed. They stared at each other for a couple of seconds, as if confirming the statement silently before Xena walked passed her, patting Argo's hide. "Come on," she said.
"She still doesn't like me though," Gabrielle whined, earning a snicker from the caramel-coloured warhorse.
"After everything that's happened, I think she's at least grown to tolerate you."
"Oh I do feel honoured," Gabrielle said sarcastically, but she approached the horse anyway.
With help from Xena, she managed to find her seat atop the horse. She laid her staff on the knees and whipped the reins playfully, grinning. "Yah horsie!" When the horse didn't move she sighed and handed the reins to Xena before leaning forward to speak to Argo. "At least humour me once in a while."
Xena smirked when the horse snorted in response. She tugged at the reins, pulling the horse into motion. "She doesn't like to be 'Yah-ed'."
"Mm-hmm," was Gabrielle's mumbled response.
They were quiet for a while as they travelled over the hills. The morning crispness soon turned into a burning afternoon, the heat pressing on both women as they trekked across the plain. Seeing a village not too far away, Xena decided to hop up and join the bard atop Argo, situating herself before her. As she kicked Argo into a steady gallop, she felt Gabrielle's arms wrap around her waist from behind.
"Don't go to sleep or you might fall off," she joked, peering over her shoulder at the tired blonde.
"I won't," Gabrielle promised through a yawn. She laid her head gently against Xena's back, using it as a cushion. "Though it would have been easier to stay awake if you'd allowed me to sleep in."
"You said I owed you boots," Xena shrugged. "I want to get there before the shops close."
"Yeah," Gabrielle said as she looked down at the sorry looking boots she wore. One was still fine to wear, but the other had a sliced laces and she'd had to tie a leather strap around it just to keep it on her foot. "Hey, where are we going anyway?"
"There's a small village a few miles outside Corinth. We'll be there soon."
After a few hours ride, Xena and Gabrielle finally made it to the small village in question. When they arrived the streets were bustling with people, the place crowded with bodies of busy traders and villages trying to get the best deals. The traders' shouts lifted over the sound of the chattering masses, aiming to voice their wares to anyone that would listen and not miss out the ones walking by.
Seeing no way around the people, Xena dismounted and tied Argo in a stable near the entrance. After paying a young attendant to keep her and brush her down, Xena turned to the blonde still atop her. She reached out with her arms outstretched, waiting for her to dismount. Gabrielle was careful, sliding down cautiously and fell into Xena's expecting arms.
"Thanks," she smiled, standing her staff beside her for support.
"No problem." When Xena let go, she began looking around the village with a hand shielding her eyes from the glare of the sun. She spotted a sign dangling near a shop's doorway. "I think there's a shoemaker over there. We should be able to get you some replacement boots. Those ones are done for," she said, pointing at them.
"Thanks to you," Gabrielle teased.
Xena noticed as she started walking, using the staff to lean on, she still winced a little whenever she put weight on her left foot. The boot was loose enough to allow it movement and not restrict it, but the sprain had been bad. She'd stopped asking how Gabrielle was faring with it because whenever she asked, Gabrielle would just shrug it off. She was more stubborn about it now that the day she had sprained it. Still, Xena didn't hold her to it.
They made their way through the crowd. As the bodies pushed against each other, all insisting to get to the front or shout their demands over the voices of the others surrounding them, Xena grabbed hold of Gabrielle's hand and led her through them, keeping her close to stop people from knocking into her by accident and injuring her further. Once they were clear Xena let go, gesturing over to the shop she'd seen with a nod of her head.
They spent five minutes in the shop looking around. Gabrielle found herself lost in wonder as she cast her eyes on the wonderful clothes and boots within.
"You do know we're just in here for boots, right?"
"I know, Xena, I know. But have you seen all the boots? I would love to have all these!"
"Yeah, well unfortunately, we only have enough for one pair." Xena raised an eyebrow, watching the bard become entranced by each pair she picked up to look at. She wished she could by them all for her, but they only had enough for one pair. They had to save the rest for food. She went over to wait, but after a couple of minutes of refraining from tapping her foot with impatience, Xena pointed to the boots. "Just pick some will ya?"
"Okay! I'll get…" Gabrielle trailed off, putting a finger to her chin in thought when she stared at the boots.
"Gabrielle!" Xena warned.
"These one…I'll get these ones." Gabrielle lifted some boots from a shelf. When Xena tried to take them, Gabrielle pulled them away. "What are you doing?"
"Paying for them, what do you think?"
"Let me get them. I'm much better at haggling than you are."
Xena stared at her in disbelief. "Really? You think you're better?"
"Wanna bet?" Gabrielle challenged, pouting stubbornly.
Xena stared at her for a moment then smiled, shrugging. "Fine. I bet you can't get them any cheaper than fifteen dinars," she proclaimed as she handed her the coin purse.
Gabrielle grinned, her eyes shining at the gamble. "We'll see. What do I get if I win?"
Xena raised an eyebrow at the young woman, seeing the challenge and confidence in her eyes. She shrugged and pointed to Gabrielle's foot. "How about a foot rub?"
The bard's grin got wider as she started walking away. "Prepare to rub my feet, warrior princess," she called over her shoulder.
Moving over to the door, Xena leant against the frame and watched in amusement as the bard began to haggle.
"Please could I have these boots?" Gabrielle asked the old merchant politely.
The man looked at the boots briefly. "Seventeen dinars."
"Seventeen dinars? Please, my whole outfit is worth seventeen dinars. Do you really think I'm going to fall for that?"
The man frowned. "Fifteen then."
Gabrielle sighed, pretending to be weary to the situation. "Do you take me for a fool? I've seen these boots in another town and they didn't cost nearly as much as the ones your trying to sell to me at an extortionate price." She stepped back. "I could go back, spend my money there?"
"No! Erm," the man looked carefully over his shoulder before looking back at her. "I'll go as low as ten. My wife would kill me if she knew."
Gabrielle bit her lip, pretending to think. She stepped back with a fake apologetic look on her face. "Sorry, I'm desperate for boots but not that desperate. Come on Xena-"
"Wait…" When Gabrielle paused, turning to look over her shoulder, the man hesitated at the counter. He stared at the boots for a long time and sighed. "I can see you're a bargaining woman. Name your price."
Gabrielle glanced up at Xena and flashed a smile which Xena had to refrain from returning in front of the merchant. Hobbling back, Gabrielle opened the coin purse and pulled out some coins. She looked them over for a second and held them out. "Seven dinars. Take it or leave it."
The man gnawed his lip, his brow furrowing in annoyance. Xena thought he was going to turn her down, but when she saw the defeated look on his face the corner of her mouth lifted up and a crooked smile. Gabrielle had him.
"You drive a hard bargain, young lady." The man sighed heavily, rubbing the back of his neck with a thick hand before releasing a loud puff of air through his lips. "Fine. Seven dinars then." He took the money, mumbling under his breath as Gabrielle returned to Xena.
They waited till they were outside before cracking a smile. "I never knew you could be so ruthless, Gabrielle," Xena joked.
"I just wanted to save us some money. I've seen your haggling skills, Xena, and it normally doesn't end well for the trader. I think that man might favour his nose the way it is." Gabrielle lifted her new boots up, smiling as she pivoted them around in her hand. "They look almost identical to my others."
"They'll do." Xena took the coin purse and looked inside. "We have enough for supplies. Thanks to you we could even get a room for the night and a meal thanks to you."
Gabrielle's face brightened and hobbled toward the inn nearby. "Thanks to me," she echoed. "Pretty soon I'll be able to quote you and your many skills."
Xena chuckled, dropping a hand on her friend's shoulder. "Learn how to make a flip first without a staff, and without it resorting in a sprained ankle, and I might be inclined to agree with you."
"Fine, but first?" Gabrielle pointed to her foot and smiled impishly. "You lost. You now owe me a foot rub."
Please R&R :D