Title: Heart of Stone
Author: Cat
Rating: T (Possible Language and Situations)
Status: In Progress
Summary: Events following A Friend In Need...
Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters from the Xena Warrior Princess show or Hercules the Legendary Adventures. I do however own the story line.
She had quietly made her way down the darkened stone corridor to find an opening covered by a tapestry. Slowly she pushed the tapestry aside and peeked out. A grand hallway met her vision, lined with portraits. Before she could exam the portraits in detail a voice caught her off guard.
"Come in my dear Xena" his voice resonated through the heavy door at the far end of the hall "I have been expecting you for some time."
Bracing herself for the fight that was certainly to come, she cautiously made her way to the door. As she approached, the door opened to reveal a throne room and at the opposite end of the room, casually lounging on a dark throne was Dahak, smiling.
"You my dear are the perfect pawn" he smiled, his black eyes rimmed with red "it may have taken longer, a bit more manipulation, but, I succeeded where others have failed" with a flick of his wrist, Xena flew across the room and was forced to the ground with a great force "you my dear have never really been a threat, just a misplaced tool that needed to be refined." His hard glare on her "I set this game in motion my dear several hundred years ago, you see" he smiled again as he leaned back in his throne "I am a Fae of the unseely line and our lives are infinite. Your Gods, if you will, are nothing more than crossbred offspring of the Fae with mortals, thusly why their powers are not as pure as mine."
He stood then, staring down at her form "You see my dear you are now home, and the doorway between the realms is once again open to my kind" closing in once again on her still silent form "I needed the blood of a mortal to open the veil completely, not just any mortal, but the decedent of the High King's blood line, and you dear Princess fell right into my hands. I know you don't remember that lifetime, the mortal rebirths have dulled you, muted you out, but you were, in that lifetime, a Princess to the High Council and daughter of the High King of the Seely line, next to rule." Reaching down, he tilted her chin with is cold fingers, so that her gaze locked with his as his sharp nails dug into her skin "It was easy to manipulate you and to make you fall into my trap, you are after all still a woman and easily separated from your mind with your heart." He let go her chin and Xena turned to once again face the stone floor watching blood drip from small wounds. "They were sweet memories of using you, convincing you to cross the veil from the High King's portal. Jealousy and a woman go hand in hand" he stood over her staring down at her dark head "you were jealous of a mortal girl" he laughed slightly "and it turns out she is just what I need to rebuild my line, so yes I do think I will keep Gabrielle after all, and recreate my sweet Hope and many others along with her" he turned then and began to walk away "Mortals are so fertile" he mumbled to himself more than her as he left her in the throne room. The doors sounding ominously as they closed with a dull thud behind him.
Xena's mind was running a mile a minute. She had caused all of this, because of him. His words were close, too close, to words used against her from Cesare as he crippled her. Looking up, she took stock of the room as she wiped the blood from her chin. She apparently was inside a castle of stone and marble. Across the room were grand windows. Pushing herself up, pain rippling through her body from the impact with the floor, she slowly made her way to the window, pushing back the heavy fabric from them, she gasped at the landscape before her. The land looked dead, the ground red as dried blood, no life of green anywhere. She knew in her heart this is what he intended to do to her home. She slid back down to the stone floor and closed her eyes. She didn't want to know what had happened so long ago, but she had an idea, from what she had learned in Japa and from Hera and now Dahak himself. She was something like him, but not quite. She left on her own to possibly kill Gabrielle in a fit of jealousy and instead switched sides, or had that been a part of his plan all along? Shaking her head to clear her mind she decided it didn't matter. Whatever she was or was not, that was past there was only now and there was only the one portal for him to use. He had left her with her weapons, and he called her foolish. She smiled as she pushed herself up again. No she was not a pawn and yes she still had something to fight for, she still had Solan, Ares and hopefully Gabrielle as well as in the future possibly Eve someday. This was a restart.
With her mind set, she crossed the room and exited the same door he had. Retracing her steps to the secret hallway, she began to pick up her pace to a jog. The wounds no longer phasing her as the adrenaline filled her body. Ripping open the door, she found him again, standing before the mirror, the portal to the Mortal world, he turned to her "And what exactly do you think you can do by coming here" he smiled "Stop me?" he began to laugh "You are still the foolish, selfish, spoiled little princess you were lifetimes ago" shaking his head he turned his back to her "go away Xena, as I have said, I have no use for you anymore." With that he dismissed her and went back to chanting a spell to open the portal for him.
So it was with great surprise when a sword ripped through his stomach, the tip exiting his front "YOU BITCH" he screamed as she pulled the blade back out, noting it was not healing as quickly as she anticipated.
Xena smiled then "Not much of a fan of iron are you" she snarled as she launched herself against him, her battle cry filling the small space. He flipped around to face her and lunged, just as she flipped over his head. She now stood between him and the mirror. "One thing I have learned about men and Gods" she smiled as her sheathed her sword with her left hand, her right falling to her waist "the cockier they are, the more stupid they are" her smile grew a bit with a raised eyebrow "You my dear are very cocky." Before he could react, she jumped and flipped back into the mirror, but before she faded into the veil, her right hand released her charkaram. Dahak watched in horror as the dizzying weapon bounced erratically from stone wall to stone wall. He fell to the floor just as it aimed to take his head off and looked up just in time to see it smash through the mirror "NOOOOOOO" he screamed as the fragments of the last portal fell unceremoniously to the floor, the weapon of Xena stuck into the stone wall.
On the other side, Xena fell backwards through the portal, landing with a hard thud on her back. She lay there for a few moments, catching her breath before pushing herself up to face the stone wall. Gingerly she reached out and touched the stone, to only feel the cold touch of the stone itself and not the ripple of the portal. Once again she collapsed to the dirt floor of the cave "It's done" she said softly. Looking towards the exit, she noted the red veins had blackened.
Several Candle marks later…..
A bloody hand reached out and grasped the edge of the well. Slowly a figure pulled itself up, collapsing with a thud next to the opening. Blue eyes opened to the darkness of the half built temple, as she let out a ragged breath "I'm out" she whispered to herself. Taking a deep breath, she pushed her beaten body up and began to make her way through the darkened hallways. When she emerged, the night sky was lit with a full moon. A smile crossed her injured tired face and she began her slow trek to the Roman settlement she had passed on her way to the temple.
As she stood alone in the Roman bath, some hours later, she sent a silent thank you out for the Roman's obsession with bathing. Staring down, she watched the mud and blood wash away, as the warm waters caressed her sore body. From the hot shower she relaxed in a cooler tub, letting the waters ease her muscles. She took stock of her acquired injuries, nothing serious, nothing broken, there would be a nasty scare on her right arm, a few new to her back, and possibly the cut to her left cheek, and the small cuts to her chin, but all in all, she was more bruised and the injuries not life threatening. Tomorrow, she thought, tomorrow I will go back to Greece, find my son and Ares. But first she would confront Zeus with the events that had unfolded over the past few days. She closed her eyes, and for the first time in a long time, she let herself relax. Only to have a wave of doubt fill her soul, Would there be a tomorrow? The question began to plague her. Was Ares alive? What would she do if Zeus had killed him? What would stop him, she knew in another life Zeus had not paused at killing Hera? Dread began to fill her as she left the bath.
Before leaving the Roman Settlement, her identity still not known to the Guards, she told them of a temple she had passed in her travels, of some strange goings on there, the General was not pleased to hear of the locals with their pagan beliefs riling again and sent a troop to take down the temple and disperse the locals. With last of her gold, she secured passage aboard a merchant ship and would leave the following day. The night before, she attempted to relax in a small inn at the edge of the town, not wishing for any more attention then what was necessary, she just wanted to get home. A heaviness filled her chest, her mind racked with worry about Ares and Solan, the what ifs bothering her more than ever in her life.
Before dawn the next day, she could attempt sleep no more so she gathered her meager possessions and left the inn for the dock her heart heavy with worry and dread that was building by the moment it seemed. As she left the walls of the Roman Settlement, to make the short mile journey from the settlement to the docks, a voice, small at first, but growing caught her attention. The voice carried on the winds entrancing her, the song was a melody sung so sweet and she was powerless to follow it. The voice led her from the well-traveled road to a path in the woods to a clearing. Once she stepped in the middle of the clearing, the moon still spilling into the space, the voice stopped. Small dizzying lights rushed at her from the wood line, surrounding her. Xena felt a tingle start at the tips of her fingers and spreading quickly up her arms. She meant to scream, to run anything, but she was held in place, paralyzed staring into the lights that buzzed at high speed around her. The voice filled her senses "Sleep Princess."
Some days later, a hunter traveling the north woods, happened across a statue of a beautiful warrior. She stood nearly six foot tall, muscular and beautiful. She faced east and a single tear trailed her cheek. The hunter quickly scanned the area "fairies" he muttered "what a shame" he said softly as he looked upon her beautiful face. Later that day, with the help of a few other men, they carefully loaded the statue and took her to a village north of the Roman Settlement. Another victim of the unruly fairies had been found.
One moment he was imprisoned in a cell, the next he was standing in the main hall of Olympus facing his Father and Mother. Instantly anger filled him "WHERE IS SHE?" he screamed at Zeus as he lunged towards his Father.
"ENOUGH" Zeus answered with a wave of his hand, leaving Ares suspended in mid-air "Your Xena had mission to complete and she has, so I can assume she went back to where she came from and all of this mess is behind us." He released Ares "If you want to begin acting like the God you should be and not a small child" he paused as he stared down his son "I will share with you the truth of what has happened."
Ares nodded his head in agreement and fell to the floor. Looking up, he noted his Mother was stone-faced staring at him "Well?"
Zeus shook his head at the insolence, but ignored it, for now "This is a tale that began some 500 years ago. We had a peace with a race of immortals from a different realm, many of our and their people passed peacefully through what is called veil between the worlds, that is until the dark unseely of their kind took to molesting mortals, using them, killing them and bringing harm to all in their presence. I and the other deities of this realm, made an agreement with the High King of their lands, only certain creatures would be allowed to pass and that was only through a portal that the High King protected, all others were thought to be destroyed. Many centuries passed and all was well, until he appeared, Dahak, he had found a way to manipulate mortals through an unknown portal, but could not pass himself, for now. That is when she appeared, your Xena. She was the Princess to the High Council, daughter of the King and heir to the throne. She was half Fae and half Elf, an immortal killing machine. She had come to eliminate the mortal helping Dahak, but found it would not solve the issue, as mortals are reborn, and he is immortal, he would await for the mortal's next life and try again. Her other hesitance was you. She had fallen in love with you and for her kind, falling in love could be fatal if the love were not returned. I and her Father both had already agreed that a paring between you two would not advisable and both of us had denied your requests. She was devastated at the decision, as were you my son, so I wiped your memories of her and your time with her. She placed a curse upon herself to be mortal and the fates tied her soul to Gabrielle's and Xena became her Guaridan, until such a time that another solution to Dahak would be found, and then she would be released from her curse and regain herself. It was prophesized that a child of you and Xena would be the end of our existence, it would be a combination too deadly to release upon either world." He looked to Ares "I ask not for your forgiveness Son, I did what was needed to be done and would do it again." He sat back on his throne "your powers will be returned to you when leave and I will hear no more of his."
Ares had his head bent the entire time that Zeus was speaking "Why would love be fatal to her?" he asked as he raised his gaze to meet his Father's.
Zeus shoulders dropped a bit, he took a deep breath "From what I gather, their legends say that that Fae may only fall in love once, if it were not returned, stone would fill their immortal heart and soul" he looked down "and as I told her Father, the God of War should not, and will not love, so it would mean his daughter cursed from her folly of loving you."
Ares bit back the comment on his breath, he would get him back for that comment at a later date, now was not the time. "I would like to have my memories of her" he met the older God's gaze again "if it is all the same to you, and since as you have said, she is gone."
Zeus stared hard at his son. Ares had suffered greatly for these events, and even though he did not care of Ares, he was not completely cold hearted when it came to his first born and he relented. "Fine" he answered "I will restore them when you are gone from here and we will speak of this no more" he looked hard upon Ares "Agreed?" he asked.
Ares knew when to choose the battles to win the war and agreed. The whole time taking note that his Mother had not uttered a single word for or against him. Without warning, he felt himself thrust into the ether and reappearing in his temples near Thrace. Instantly he felt his powers fill him up along with an onslaught of memories of a slightly different Xena.
Two days later Hera visited him.
"Ares" she started, her voice softer than he had ever recalled.
"What is it Mother" he replied, still upset she had not done anything in his defense.
"I was once told by a wise young lady, that forgiveness and understanding will get you far in this world" she locked her eyes with his in a silent conversation "mending bridges will be difficult but it needs to be done for you never know the prizes that await at the end of the journey" Ares was about to speak and Hera placed her finger upon his lips "you have a brother that you need to forgive and I guarantee you will find some of what you are looking for with him" she said no more, just vanished leaving Ares very confused.
It took Ares over a month to finally go to Hercules and see what his Mother had been babbling about. What met him, he was not prepared for, a young boy, eyes blue as the sky and hair touched by the sun smiling up at him. The brothers never spoke a word, the truce was passed between them. Hercules raised Solan as his own, with Uncle Ares by his side often. Solan was the one piece of his princess he could keep and he finally understood what she had meant by finding immorality through a child. Though he was not truly his son, Ares had bestowed many gifts upon him and a long life was one of them.
tbc...