By the time Xena had made her way to where she had sent Argo off, Gabrielle not far behind her, the sun had run across the sky and was beginning to set. Xena took gentle hold of Argo's reins, turning to Gabrielle.

"The next town isn't far from here, but I don't know if I want to force the travel this late in the day."

"Well, why don't we just stay here and get something to eat? We can always start off early tomorrow."

"I like that plan, actually. Besides, I'm-" Xena's stomach growled, loudly. "…Heh. I'm starved."

The two found a small tavern near the center of town, and immediately upon entering they were both recognized. Xena heard Gabrielle's name as well as her own on strangers' lips in insignificant whispers, but she ignored them as she and her companion found a seat.

"You'd think we were famous or something," Gabrielle said. Xena gave her a look. "It was a joke," the bard said, and she was awarded a small smile. Their food came to them in due time and the both of them ate ravenously. At one point the two made eye contact, Xena having looked briefly up to find Gabrielle watching her curiously.

"What?" she asked, putting a turkey leg down on her plate and wiping her face. She swallowed without hardly chewing in preparation to engage in conversation.

"I don't remember the last time I saw you eat like that."

"Like what?"

"Like you've never seen food before," Gabrielle said with a laugh. She took a sip of wine from her cup before shaking her head. "Never mind. Sorry."

"Uh huh…" Just then, the owner of the tavern approached Xena and Gabrielle. He was a handsome young man, of decent stature, with medium-length black hair and dark hazel eyes. He held a small bag in his hand.

"Excuse me for interrupting your meal, ladies, but our entertainment for the night is a no-show and word around here is that you, Gabrielle, are quite the story teller." Xena went unfazed by the man and Gabrielle appeared to try and hold the same composure. She however, was not as successful.

"Well, I don't know about all that…"

"I was wondering if you'd entertain everyone here tonight as a bard." Xena looked at Gabrielle and they communicated briefly in the negative with just their eyes. The owner seemed to catch on anyway, though, and before Xena or Gabrielle could decline he held out the small pouch. "You'd be paid, of course. We'd give you the 75 dinars that were to be paid to our original entertainer." Xena and Gabrielle exchanged glances again, Gabrielle smiling.

"How many stories do you want me to tell?"

"As many as you like. I'll even throw in free drinks, for you and your friend, if that'll convince you." Gabrielle's smile turned into a bright grin, and even Xena couldn't resist the infectious glee on her companion's face.

"Then it's a done deal," the blonde said, and she stood up to move to where everyone would be able to hear and see her.

Hours went by as Gabrielle wove tales about the Gods, mortal heroes, how the world came to be, and even love. She didn't avoid stories about her warrior princess either, and even included adventures they had shared together. The bard re-vamped legends and told versions of stories people had never known of, including Xena, and went on for so long in fact that by the time she had come to the end of her 14th story, the entire room was feeling the heavy effects of their accompanying drinks. Gabrielle herself seemed to be included in this problem as well, for when she began her next story it wasn't prose or even poetry. No, it was instead a simple story without a rhyming scheme that happened to also have a tune. The bard moved about her audience as she quite literally sang her story.

"Would you believe that I freed the Titans if I told you so? Cause I did. It was an accident, of course, but it happened, and they served me for a little while until they realized that I wasn't a goddess. One of them, the bad one, his name was Hyperion, he hated me. He hunted me, actually. He wanted me dead. But, there was a certain hero who decided that that wasn't going to happen. No, she was going to save my life and the lives of the innocent villagers. Can you guess who I'm talking about?" Gabrielle put her hands out in front of her as if to cue her audience to respond to her question.

"Xena!" they all cried.

"That's right!" Xena caught Gabrielle's smile, meant only for her, and smiled back. "The Warrior Princess was on a mission. She trapped the Titans in a cave and gave me enough time to read the scrolls that would turn them back into stone and then…" Gabrielle took a wobbly step backwards but righted herself easily, smiling as if nothing had happened. "All was well," she finished. Though her story-telling skills were hindered by her alcohol intake, the critical attentions of her audience were just as equally dulled, and so the peculiarity of her performance went generally unnoticed. Xena, a bit tipsy herself, watched as Gabrielle made her way over. She felt the blonde's hands on her shoulder guards as the bard stood behind her.

"Gabrielle?"

"Hi, Xena," Gabrielle said lazily. Then, "Let's sing a song for the Warrior Princess!" Gabrielle cried, and she led the whole tavern in a simple song about her companion. But one song gave way to two, and then three, until eventually they were coming up right in a row, blending into each other as if one big song. At one point near the end of the ordeal even Xena found herself singing some silly tune Gabrielle had conjured up. A few people within ear shot seemed mystified that the warrior woman could sing.

"Gabrielle, we need to get out of here. This night is going to cost us big time tomorrow."

Gabrielle yawned briefly, trying to ignore her fatigue. She couldn't understand why she was such a wreck about this situation. She'd been in battles before, even commanded an army by herself in Xena's absence… But still there was a nagging that she couldn't escape. She had tried reason, but that didn't seem to shake her negative mindset, and even blind, ignorant faith couldn't keep her afloat for very long. But why? Why was this battle such an apocalyptic thing? Xena had assured her that Ares was going to help, not that she enjoyed the prospect much, so why was there still worry? The blonde secured her hand-to-hand contact with Xena as she mulled through possibility after possibility. All she wanted was to just get an answer and then finally be able to relax. Her ever-racing mind was fatiguing her, and it had been for weeks (although she did her best to hide the worst of it from Xena while the two of them trained their army) Something felt unfinished to Gabrielle, like a missing link…

Her scroll.

The bard's eyes flashed open with a sudden burst of energy and her breath hitched. She sat up, letting go of Xena's hand, and moved to her rabbit skin pack.

"Gabrielle?" The blonde Amazon had her fingers on the scroll and was unrolling it in mere seconds, her movements nimble. She read through her words, re-experiencing the dream she had had all that time ago that had inspired this unfinished tale. It was so vivid in her mind, so clear as if it were right there in front of her. But she reached the end of her writings and the imagery faded away, and she soon was back in the darkness of the present night, far aware of her lack of answers.

"My dream," she started, looking up and over at Xena. "The dream I had and then told in the tavern back in Aytos. That's why I'm so afraid. That's what has me so nervous, Xena. It means something." Gabrielle came over to her friend, her scroll still in her hand, and she sat upright on her bed roll.

"What do you mean? What sto-" Xena cut herself off, realizing then what Gabrielle was talking about. "Augustus and Penelope," she breathed. Gabrielle's story did mean something, Xena had known that the afternoon she'd first heard it. That was the reason she had insisted that Gabrielle keep the scroll she had written the story on in the first place, whether she remembered the tale by heart or not. She held out her hand, silently and politely asking permission to see the scroll. "Yes, you're right, Gabrielle. Have you dreamt anymore about it?" Gabrielle shook her head no.

"That's why I can't finish it. I've tried to put something down, anything to give it an ending, but every time I try something wills me otherwise. Something stops me." Xena's eyes drew from her companion to the scroll, examining it carefully. There were no words out of the ordinary, nothing to suggest that maybe Gabrielle had been used as a vessel at the time the story was created. No, the language was purely Gabrielle's.

"I don't understand it either but I definitely want you to hang onto it. Do not lose it. For one reason or another it's important and it might do either one or both of us some good one day, I don't know." Gabrielle nodded, getting up, and took her scroll back from her friend. She rolled it up gently and returned it to her pack.

"One day, a war came down upon southern Greece and their villages were destroyed. In fear their families fled, settling in opposite sides of the earth, and Penelope and Augustus were separated," Gabrielle recited quietly into the night. "They became silent and withdrew into themselves, no longer having a passion for life…"