AN: I will be putting a lot of flashbacks in this story. They're very important. Read and enjoy ;)
Chapter 8 –Your Way
Seven Years Ago
Xena was passed out in her bed with her arm slumped over the edge and her hair sprawled across the pillows. Solan went into her room quietly and crept up beside her bed. He watched her sleep soundly and her chest rising and falling heavily.
He sighed and poked her arm. "Mother..." he whispered and she didn't even stir. He grabbed her wrist and whispered her name again. She furrowed her eyebrows and tucked her arm underneath her cheek and shifted in bed.
Solan climbed on top of the bed and went behind her. He shook her lightly. "Mother, wake up!" he said loudly and Xena groaned.
Her eyes fluttered open and she turned over and saw her son sitting over her with a sheepish expression on his face. She frowned and looked outside and saw it was still dark. "Solan...what are you doing?"
He sighed, "sorry for waking you up mother but someone is here to see you..."
Xena grunted and swung her legs out of bed and ran her fingers through her hair. She grabbed her robe and put it on, tying the sash underneath her breasts and got up slowly. She looked at herself in the mirror and saw dark circles under her eyes and frowned.
She turned to Solan, whom was still sitting on her bed. "Stay here." She said and he nodded, and plopped down on the large pillows, relaxing.
She walked down the stairs in her private wing of the Thebes palace. She had segregated the palace into three separate wings. Those who knew her were allowed to come to her wing and see her without all her garb on. She hoped that it wasn't someone she didn't want to see.
She opened the door and frowned seeing Borias standing outside. He smiled at her and she folded her arms. "What are you doing here?" she said in a low tone.
"I wanted to see how you were doing," he sheepishly said. "Can I come in?"
Xena rolled her eyes and motioned him to come inside. She then saw his ten year old son, waltzing in behind him with a great big smile on his face. Her mouth gaped and she closed the door.
Belach observed the large dark palace lit by candles and nodded. He turned to his stepmother and smiled. "Hello Xena," he greeted and Xena raised her eyebrow, slowly turning around watching the boy wander around her home.
She grabbed Borias' arm and pulled him aside. "Why did you bring him?" she hissed.
He sighed and looked over at Belach who was now exploring the large palace, looking at all the large statues. "I had to take him with me. We are on our way to Athens." He peered down at her belly and saw their child had grown much since he had last visited her. In fact, it looked as if she were about to burst. "And the child?"
"Borias!" she hissed and Belach turned to them both, gawking. "Why are you really here? You didn't come all the way to Thebes to, what was it? 'Check up on me'."
He folded his arms and smiled weakly at his son. Belach grinned and continued exploring. "Osman is moving the entire tribe to Ankara soon. We are leaving Persia."
"He's what?!" she snarled. "Why is he moving to Ankara?"
"Because Xena, the sultan in Persia is a monster. We are leaving next month." He said and she exhaled heavily.
"And you're here to what? Propose that I continue to send troops and money to your beloved chieftain?" she smirked and he lowered his eyes. "Of course, I should have known. You can tell your chieftain that I will send coin and soldiers once you are settled in Ankara." She relented and rest her hands on her hips.
He nodded. "Thank you, Xena." He smiled and she waved her hand dismissively. "So..." he began awkwardly and felt her staring at him intently. "Can I see Solan? I know he is here."
She shook her head. "I don't think so." She walked off towards the staircase. "You may show yourself out," she called out and walked up the long staircase.
Borias frowned and Belach ran over to his father. "Does this mean I can't see my brother?" he asked politely.
"Not right now, Belach." He pushed his son along and saw Xena disappear into the darkness on the second floor. "Let's go."
Xena rushed to her room and slammed the door, growling lowly. Solan blinked and hunkered down in the bed. She eyed the little blonde boy and smiled gently. Throwing her robe onto a chair she climbed back into the bed and sat up, propped up against the pillows, staring at the ceiling.
Solan scooted closer to his mother. "So, who was it?"
She peered down at him and frowned sadly. "Your father." Solan quirked his mouth and remained silent.
She shifted in bed and looked down at herself and felt her unborn child kicking up a storm within her. She sighed and rest her hand on her stomach trying to soothe the child. She knew that she had a few weeks left until the baby arrived, but she didn't know if she would make it that far. Sighing, she scratched her arm anxiously and kept telling herself that she hoped that the baby would wait, just a little while longer so she could finish what she started in her empire.
"I hope the baby is a girl. I want to have a sister." Solan said and she smiled, lifting him up and set him in her lap.
Xena fixed his hair and looked into his eyes. "Oh really?"
Solan nodded with a grin, "I already have a brother so a sister should be nice."
"You won't be disappointed if you get a brother?" she teased and Solan wagged his head. "What would you name your brother?" she asked sweetly.
He tapped his cheek, "Alexander," he beamed, "like Alexander The Great!"
Xena laid on her stomach passed out and heard her name being called several times and her arm being shook as well.
"Mother, wake up!" Alexander groaned and kept shaking her shoulder.
"What?" Xena lifted herself up and saw her youngest son staring at her intensely and Solan standing behind him. She looked outside and saw the sun was barely rising. "Alexander...what are you doing?"
"I tried to stop him," Solan lamented.
Alexander sighed. "Mother, I gotta tell you what I heard while you were gone. I can't wait anymore!" he pleaded and she nodded sleepily and threw the blanket off herself. She rose from the bed and walked over to her vanity set and looked at her reflection. Tired eyes, she saw. She was beginning to look more like a crypt keeper than the strong woman she used to see in the mirror every day.
"Mom, can we hurry this up, please," Alexander begged.
Xena frowned and brushed her hair. "Just one moment, Alexander." She heard him grumbling to himself and she washed her face with cold water and wiped her face.
Kara came into the room with a tray of food and set it on table, placing three plates for them all. She set out the small plates of fruit, cheeses and tea. Solan sat down and Xena picked up Alexander and set him in the chair beside her. She grabbed the plate and put mostly fruit and bread on Alexander's plate and put it in front of him.
The boy frowned and pushed the plate away. "I am not hungry."
Xena raised her eyebrow and pushed the plate towards him. "Eat it."
He reluctantly bit a piece of the orange slice, glaring at his mother. Solan smirked and filled his plate with minimal fruit and mostly bread. Alexander then stuffed all the fruit and bread in his mouth and his mother's eyes widened as she finished pouring him some tea. Solan's jaw dropped and stared at his brother, gorging himself in a matter of seconds.
Alexander grabbed the glass of tea and downed it quickly to help swallow his food. He pat his chest and finished eating his food. "Okay, I'm done. Can I tell you now?" he said and both his mother and older brother kept gawking at him, a bit horrified.
"I really hope you don't puke after that," Solan said and felt a little nauseous all of a sudden.
Xena sipped her tea and kept staring at her smallest son in horror. "Fine...go ahead..."
"Okay so, I went into the kitchen and stole from helva from Silvia," Alexander began and Xena frowned. "It's part of the story. Anyway, I ran into your office," he saw his mother's eyes grow with fury and he grinned nervously. "Also part of the story..." he continued, "I was eating the helva and then I heard two councilmen come into the room and I hid behind the chair –your chair. I heard them talking about being friends with the Templars and then getting rid of you!"
Xena frowned and sipped her tea slowly, thinking over what her son had told her. Alexander could be a bit of a brat sometimes, but he was never a liar, at least he never lied to her that she knew of. Solan turned his plate around the table and whistled the fill the thick tense air in the room.
Alexander folded his arms and looked at his mother then to Solan and back to his mother again. "So...what are you going to do about it?"
Xena set her glass down and swirled the spoon in the tea. "Are you sure you heard the men correctly?"
"Yes, yes! I am positive!" her son exclaimed.
"Who were the men? What did they look like?" Xena asked and tapped the spoon against the tea glass impatiently.
Alexander pursed his lips and tapped his fingers on the table. "One of them had a long really curly beard. Kinda tall and the other was bald and real skinny."
Xena kept tapping the spoon on the glass until it broke and tea spilled all over the table. She sighed heavily and put the spoon down beside her empty plate. She knew exactly who those two men were just by a description given to her by her son. Vahid and Awat. They were always incredibly slimy and never liked to do their share of work in the council. Snakes, she cursed them.
"Thank you for telling me Alexander," she smiled tightly and stood from her chair. "I'm sorry I didn't listen to you earlier."
Her son smugly smiled and eyed his brother. Solan scoffed and rolled his eyes and kept spinning the plate around the table.
"I have work to do," she grabbed her garb and veil to get dressed. "Solan, watch your brother."
"Yes, mother," Solan sighed and then Xena left the bedroom.
Alexander still had that mirth in his eyes and Solan kept looking at him, wondering what he was thinking. "So, am I going to get my helva or what?"
Xena came outside finally reuniting with her female trainees after more than a week of being apart. She clapped her hands and all the girls stopped talking and faced the front. She came around to the front and watched all the nervous expressions on their faces.
"Today will be a different training exercise today." She nodded at Dajan at the back of the gardens and a slew of male soldiers came out of the palace in two long lines. All the girls turned their heads slowly and saw a lot of the sultan's troops.
"You will be training with men today. You all need to understand that most of the time your enemy will be bigger than you and stronger than you. You will be using real weapons today. My men are very skilled warriors and I know this will be a challenge for you all."
Gabrielle's eyes widened and looked at all of the troops and frightened girls. Training with men? This is bound to be a disaster, she thought. These girls might give up and drop like flies. She eyed Xena as she kept talking on and on. She couldn't hear anything she said because she was too stunned.
Why Xena? What are you planning? Is this about Genghis Khan? What is going on here?
Helena then nudged Gabrielle, startling her. "Gabrielle those men are so huge!"
"What? Oh yeah..." she answered softly.
"What's the matter Gabrielle? I thought you of all people would be excited about this! It's quite a challenge!" Helena smiled.
Gabrielle frowned, eyeing Xena while she continued partnering up the girls with her male soldiers. It came to her Helena that were the last ones chosen. Xena smiled at the two of them and Helena lowered her eyes, now feeling nervous.
"Gabrielle..." Xena grinned. "Helena you will be partnered with Jamshid." She said and the nervous brunette walked over to the man waiting for her on the other side of the garden. Xena now turned her attention to her favorite trainee.
Gabrielle saw all the men were taken and there was no one else to be partnered with. "There's nobody left..."
Xena nodded. "That's right," she pulled out her sword and Gabrielle's grew in fear. "I will be your partner."
She's got to be joking. I am not going to spar with the sultan, Gabrielle thought. She began shaking her head and Xena nodded hers. I am going to be made a fool of, she cursed inwardly.
"Come on, Gabrielle. I don't bite." Xena grabbed a sword and tossed it at her. Gabrielle caught it easily and gawked at the sultana. "I'll go easy on you."
With that last note she swung her sword and Gabrielle gasped then dropped to the sand so fast. Xena smiled and looked down at her opponent and stomped on her back with her boot. The blonde trainee grunted and her cheek dug into the sand.
"Remember your training, Gabrieeeelle," Xena smirked and put more weight onto her back. Gabrielle huffed and was now getting sand inside her mouth as Xena kept forcing her into the hot sand.
Gabrielle growled and grabbed Xena's ankle and twisted it then wacked her kneecap with her elbow. Xena winced and stumbled backwards. She got off the ground and spat sand from her mouth and breathed heavily, glaring at her opponent.
Xena rolled her shoulders back and smiled at Gabrielle, holding her sword in front of her body. "Very good, Gabrielle," she complimented and saw a grin on the young girl's face. She then grabbed the blade and stabbed the hilt into Gabrielle's chest and she fumbled backwards, cringing. Xena frowned and then swung her arm around and clocked Gabrielle in the jaw, sending her to the ground.
Gabrielle stared up at the sky and wiped her bloody bottom lip. Oh no, you are not going to win, not today. Xena cried out and swung her sword downward and Gabrielle held up her sword horizontally, blocking her blow. Xena's eyes widened and she forced all of her weight onto the blade and Gabrielle saw her palm begin to bleed from the sharp edges of the sword.
She forgot that these were not wooden swords. Bad tactic, she gathered. Xena chuckled lowly and Gabrielle sat up, pushing all her weight off of Xena's sword and quickly got to her feet.
"I thought...you said you were going to go easy!" Gabrielle breathed heavily, wiping the sweat off her forehead.
"I am." Xena smiled, twirling her sword.
Gabrielle inhaled deeply and thought this was just an awful idea. Xena knew that she wasn't as skilled as she was and yet she insisted the two spar together. Xena spun around and wrapped her arm around Gabrielle's neck, not enough to choke her though.
"You are not paying attention in combat training, Gabrielle. I could have killed you already," Xena whispered and she heard a low growl from her opponent. "Don't get angry...anger clouds the mind," she hissed and pushed Gabrielle forward.
Gabrielle rubbed her throat and then turned around holding the sword firmly, glaring at Xena.
Xena smiled, "I am bigger than you and stronger than you, Gabrielle. You are not using your size to your advantage." She bent her knees and held her sword out, opening herself for her trainee to attack her straight on.
Was that a nice way of calling me short? Gabrielle huffed and then looked at Xena's body stance. She was opening herself up for an attack, to make things easier of course. She studied her long legs and arms sprawled out. Xena was definitely taller and stronger, but perhaps she was going about this all wrong. She kept trying to attack Xena's upper body instead of her lower body, which was more to her height equivalence.
"I'm waiting," Xena teased and Gabrielle smiled smugly.
Gabrielle charged forward and thrust her sword towards Xena's gut and Xena dodged it by barely a few inches. She then knelt down and swung her leg around nearly knocking Xena off her feet until she jumped up, barely missing the attack again.
Xena's eyes widened and she saw Gabrielle turn her sword around and stab her with the hilt right into her gut. She winced and wrapped her arm around herself, stumbling backwards a few steps.
Penelope and Helena were taking a break with their male sparring partners and decided to get some water. Penelope sipped from the ladle and turned to see Gabrielle sparring with the sultan. Her jaw dropped and she nudged Helena.
"Look at that," she said and Helena wiped her mouth and turned to see what all the commotion was about. Penelope smirked, "Gabrielle is totally whipping the sultan's ass."
Helena gasped and saw the sultan being beaten by a woman half his size.
Xena growled and grabbed Gabrielle by her arm and threw her across the sand, growing more frustrated by the minute. Gabrielle smiled and rolled off the sand and then grabbed Xena's long veil attached to the back of her turban and kneed her in the nose.
Xena gasped and felt blood trickling down her lips. She snapped her head around and grabbed Gabrielle by her cheeks and head butted her in the forehead, sending her stumbling backwards.
"This is not a death match, Gabrielle!" Xena yelled.
Gabrielle moaned and rubbed her forehead, then turned to see Xena becoming very angry and already irritated. She smiled and her breathing labored. She wagged her swore wrist around and looked into the sultana's furious eyes.
"You are getting angry..." she said and Xena frowned.
The sultan turned and saw a gaggle of girls gawking in their direction. "What are you all staring at?!" she shouted and they all averted their eyes and picked up their weapons to begin training again.
Gabrielle nervously adjusted her armor and looked at the infuriated sultana. She now felt more afraid than when the training began. She not only kneed Xena in the face but she stabbed her in her midsection with the butt of the sword too. Bound to leave a bruise she was sure, unless Xena was wearing armor under all that garb, but by her pained reaction, Gabrielle doubted it.
Subutai returned to Ankara alone with a few of his elite guards this time. Osman sent a message to him that Sultan Xenophon had gone from the area and that was the only way the Mongolian Commander would return to talk with the Anatolians.
Borias, Osman and Subutai sat in the chieftain's yurt together, awkwardly staring at one another for several minutes. Osman broke the ice and said, "my apologies for Xenophon, commander." He bowed his head curtly.
The Mongol frowned. "That insane man almost killed all of my Khan's soldiers. Why did he attack me?"
Borias sighed and spoke for his friend and chieftain. "Xenophon did not want to take up the offer of allying with the Khan and us."
Subutai nodded. "I see. You must understand that the Khan does not like rogue rulers. We will attack Persia and Greece to make the sultan surrender. If he does not, I will kill him myself." He stood and thanked the two Anatolians for their hospitality and left the yurt.
Osman rubbed his chin and glared at the Mongol as he kept walking off to his elite guards. "Xena is going to slaughter everyone in sight. She already has the Church on her back."
Borias agreed. "She did this to herself. I gave her an opportunity to ally with us and the Mongols but she refused. And she took my sons from me."
The chieftain sighed heavily and looked at the sadness in his colleague's eyes. "She will stop at nothing to win, Borias. You know this to be true."
"She doesn't want to win. She wants to rule. Conquer. Obliterate. This is not about winning, Osman." Borias shook his head and left the chieftain's yurt.
Back in the Persian palace in Jerusalem Xena waited in a hidden torch lit room underneath the large fortress. She asked Dajan to send a few men to capture Vahid and Awat from their homes and blindfold them to bring them to her palace.
Vahid and Awat were hung upside down with their ankles shackled together and their hands behind their backs tied tightly. Vahid was held over a fire pit and Awat was dangling over a well filled with water deep enough to be submerged into.
Xena smiled and folded her arms walking into the room to see both men hanging over their fate. Fate of death. They were silent and didn't know where they were or how they got there. She had one soldier by the Vahid's lever with the fire pit and another soldier by Awat's lever.
"Well, well," Xena said loudly and the men's mouths hung open immediately hearing the sultan's voice. "I heard from a little bird that you two have been conspiring against me."
Vahid whimpered, "that is not true, your majesty!" he whined.
Xena frowned and nodded towards the soldier. Vahid was then lowered closer to the fire below him and he could feel the heat against his head and he panicked. Wiggling in fear, trying to set himself free from the shackles.
"Your highness, please!" Vahid cried out and began sobbing. Xena smiled and allowed the soldier to lower him closer to the fire. Vahid screamed in agony and his partner, Awat panicked and tried to free himself as well, wondering what his fate was to be. Vahid's long cape began burning in the flames.
Xena raised her hand and the Persian councilmen was raised from the fire. She turned to the other conspirator. "And what about you, Awat? What do you have to say for yourself?!"
Awat's breathing quickened and he shook his head. "I don't know what you're talking about, sultan!" he pleaded.
Xena rolled her eyes and nodded to the soldier. Awat was lowered into the well of water, slowly drowning him. He screamed from underneath the water and she heard the bubbles rising to the surface. Sighing, she instructed the soldier to lift the idiot out of the well.
Awat spat out some water and dry heaved. "Your Excellency, please, have mercy!"
"Mercy?" Xena laughed. "Not today, Awat. I don't like liars!" she marched over to him and ripped off the blindfold, staring into his dark fearful eyes. "Are you or are you not conspiring to overthrow me and ally with the Templar Knights?!" she growled.
Awat whimpered in fear and Xena sighed and he was then lowered back into the well. "No, no! Please!"
"Start talking," she folded her arms and the top half of his face was already in the water.
"Wait!" Awat pleaded and Xena smiled. He was then reeled up from the well.
"I'm listening..." she hissed.
"Vahid has conspired against you, your majesty. It was all his idea!" Awat sold his friend out.
Vahid gasped. "How dare you! You bastard!" he yelled and wriggled in his shackles.
Xena chuckled and Awat stared at the sultan, bemused at this odd behavior. "I told you Awat, I don't like liars. You are a worm, a viper. I should cut off your manhood while I'm at it. Do you feel lucky, Awat?" she pulled out a dagger and tugged at his belt. "Well, do you?!" she spat and he swallowed roughly.
She saw he was remaining silent and she smiled and tore off his belt and he gasped. She ripped his pants and Awat sobbed softly. "Please, your highness...please..."
Xena cocked her head to the side and held the dagger against his bare groin. "Please? Oh yes, please, say it again," she smiled and cut into his skin. He moaned in agony, biting his bottom lip until it turned white. "Beg for me!" she smiled and cut sliced deeper into his groin.
"Alright, alright!" Awat pleaded and Xena pulled the dagger away. "We worked...we worked together," he stammered and she nodded, listening intently, wiping the blood off her dagger. "We –we sent letters to the Templar Knights. We did it, the entire court!"
Xena sighed. "Thank you. Now was that so hard?" she sheathed the dagger and walked off.
She waved her hand at her men by the levers. "Kill them."
Awat's eyes widened and Vahid gasped, while still blindfolded. Both men were lowered to their deaths, whether it be the fire or the well. "No! No!" Vahid screamed.
Xena walked down the narrow hallway and heard Vahid screaming as he was being burned alive and Awat drowned to death in the well.
In the evening Gabrielle crept out from her quarters and hurried over to the west wing. She tread up the stairs and saw Kara leaving Xena's room with a bowl of some sort. Frowning she ran up the stairs and hid behind a large pillar.
Kara walked down the stairs with a water basin stained red and Gabrielle's eyes grew seeing that sight. She carefully walked down the hallway and creaked open Xena's bedroom door. Peering inside, she saw Xena sitting in a chair holding her head back with a cloth draped over her nose.
Oh no, did I do that? Gabrielle stepped inside the room and approached Xena slowly.
Xena's eyes looked over and saw the blonde come into her room. She frowned and lowered her head, pulling the cloth away from her nose. "What are you doing in my room?!"
Gabrielle saw how red Xena's nose was and instantly felt awful. "Your nose. Did I do that?" she feared.
Xena grunted and pinched her nose with the cloth again. "It's fine."
"I didn't mean to do that." Gabrielle stepped closer and Xena held out her arm, preventing her from coming any closer. "I'm sorry." She said and Xena didn't respond. "It's just...I just got into the moment!" she grinned.
Xena lowered her head again and raised her eyebrow. "You sure did. Make yourself useful and hand me a new wash cloth," she pointed to the table and Gabrielle ran over and got a fresh cloth.
"Can I ask a question?"
"Why not? Humor me," Xena wiped the blood from her nose and held her head back again, staring at the ceiling.
Gabrielle grinned shyly and her cheeks reddened. "Um, why are we training with men now? When I was looking at your paperwork I saw a lot of treaties between Ankara, the pervious Persian sultan and Hungary. You went to war with them all and won. You created those treaties."
"What's your point?" Xena said, holding her nose still.
"Are you...going to war with Anatolia?" Gabrielle asked, almost fearing the answer. Perhaps she already knew the answer.
Xena smirked and crossed one leg over the other. "Clever girl," she chuckled.
Gabrielle nodded, feeling stupid for even asking that question, since she already knew the answer. "But why? It looked like you and the Anatolians have been friends for a long time."
Xena frowned, creasing her eyebrows. "Allies are not friends, Gabrielle. Don't confuse the two."
Duly noted, Gabrielle said to herself. "And what about the Roman Church and the Khan?" she spoke and saw the sultana's pupils grow at the mention of those two things. "You are backing yourself in a corner."
Xena growled and lowered her head, grabbing Gabrielle by her loose robe, bringing her close to her face. "When I ask for your opinion I will let you know..." she hissed.
Solan barged into the room and saw his mother with a young blonde woman. They both turned towards him and he smiled awkwardly. "Sh–should I come back later?" he proposed.
Xena looked at Gabrielle again and let go of her robe. She saw the anxiousness in the girl and smirked. "No, it's alright. What do you want?"
He glanced at Gabrielle and then back to his mother, not quite sure if he was supposed to address her as his mother or not.
"Solan?" Xena narrowed her eyes.
The teenager began, "um, well you see...could I talk to you alone?" he asked and Xena stood then walked into the adjoining room. He followed behind her while Gabrielle stood in the middle of the bedroom. She felt even more uncomfortable being alone and was not quite sure what she was supposed to do now.
Was she done talking to me? Or maybe she wanted to speak to me some more? I probably should wait until she says something. Yes, I will do that.
"He did what?!" Xena shouted from the other room and Gabrielle jumped hearing her voice echo throughout the two rooms.
Xena came into her bedroom and didn't have time to get into her garb. She grabbed a head scarf and wrapped it around her long dark hair and slipped on some shoes then turned to see the lonely Gabrielle standing in her room.
"Wait here," she instructed and Gabrielle nodded quietly. "And don't touch anything." She swiftly left the room with her son and stormed down the hallway.
She marched into the library with Solan and opened the double doors to see at least ten tall bookshelves knocked over like dominoes and she gasped audibly. So many books were scattered across the floor and then she lifted her eyes and saw Alexander hanging upside down from the chandelier above her in the center of the library.
Alexander smiled sheepishly and swung from side to side. "Oh hello mother. I can explain..."
Her lip quivered and she immediately grabbed a ladder and walked over to the center. She climbed up the steps and saw his pants were caught on the chandelier. She ripped the bottom of his pants off and lifted him into her arms.
He winced and held his left arm close to his chest. She frowned and climbed down the ladder and set him on the ground.
Xena snarled and bent down, staring into his dark brown eyes. "What were you thinking?!" she scolded him and he pouted then averted his eyes. "Look at me!" she pinched his cheeks and his eyes grew in terror. She saw his eyes swell with tears and she softened.
"Let me see your arm," she pushed up the long sleeve on his arm and he winced. She examined it carefully and sighed. "Your arm is broken."
She grabbed his other hand and left the library. Solan walked beside her and she frowned deeply. "I put you in charge of your brother, Solan!"
Solan sighed, "I just left for a few minutes! I didn't think he was going to do something like this!"
"You're supposed to stay with him at all times! That's what I mean when I say watch him!" she chided and Solan grumbled.
"I'm sorry," he said meekly.
Gabrielle waited inside the bedroom and then heard a lot of commotion outside. Xena returned with both of her sons and her smallest son was in tears. Xena frowned and pointed to the chair she was sitting in earlier. "Sit there," she demanded and Alexander sat on the chair, sobbing softly.
Xena was busy looking for bandages and something to make a splint for Alexander's arm. Solan leaned against the wall with his arms folded, brooding quietly to himself.
Gabrielle smiled and knelt down beside the dark haired boy. "Alexander, right?" she asked and he nodded. "What happened to your arm?" she saw him holding it and he didn't say anything.
Xena dropped to her knees and unbuttoned Alexander's shirt. "Hold out your arm," she said and he did as told. "I'm going to have put it back in place, it will hurt..." she warned.
Alexander couldn't take his eyes off his arm and tears streamed down his cheeks. Gabrielle bit her bottom lip and she pat his knee. He snapped his head around to her and she smiled.
"Do you like stories?" she asked and he gave her a slow nod of his head. "You know, there is a story about a prince that lived in the mountains." She began and his unsteady breathing calmed down somewhat. "The villagers called him the dancing prince because every night he would dance for gold and entertain the people in his kingdom."
Xena raised her eyebrow and numbed her son's arm, listening to Gabrielle tell this story of hers.
Gabrielle looked over at Xena and saw she was about to put the boy's arm back in place. So she continued, "and one night it got really cloudy outside and there was a legend about a dragon that lived inside the mountain. He only came out of the cave inside the mountain every one hundred years!" she smiled and Alexander's eyes widened as he listened attentively.
Xena snapped her son's arm back in place and he winced slightly, though he didn't feel nearly as much pain as he should have.
Gabrielle continued to distract him. "And then the villagers panicked! The dragon swooped down and stole all of the gold from the kingdom!" Alexander's mouth gaped slightly. "And the people began crying because they were so sad that they lost everything. The dancing prince told them that he could get the gold back from the dragon in the mountains."
Xena grabbed the splint and set it on her son's arm and began wrapping it with a thick bandage. Alexander was engrossed in the blonde's story, so she continued tending to his arm silently.
"But, the villagers didn't have faith in the prince. So then, the prince said, 'I will get the gold back and slay the dragon!' and so he went on a journey to travel to the snowy mountains where the dragon lived. Legend says that nobody has ever made it back alive," she smiled, animating the story very well and Alexander kept listening, waiting for more.
Xena finished wrapping his arm and pressed her fingers in between his collar bone to take the numbing away. He winced and moaned loudly.
Gabrielle frowned and then she continued her story to make sure he was listening. "The prince began his long journey to the mountains. And on his journey he encountered a witch living in the forests. He stopped and asked for directions, but," she paused and Alexander's breathing calmed down, temporarily forgetting about his arm.
"But what?" Alexander asked and held his arm close to his chest, bringing his knees to his chest.
Xena stood slowly and interrupted Gabrielle's little tale. "Alexander, it's time for bed."
He whined, "but I want to find out what happens!"
Gabrielle smiled. "Maybe we can finish the story later?" she winked and the young boy grinned then hopped out of the chair and ran to Solan. The two left the bedroom shortly after and she kept smiling then looked up to see a miffed sultana standing before her and her smile disappeared instantaneously.
She rose to her feet and Xena folded her arms, studying her silently. "You are quite the storyteller..." she noted and Gabrielle's smile reappeared.
Xena circled around the young trainee and now thought she was even more intriguing before. She was able to distract her son for a short while, although it was a small gesture, albeit nice one, it was strange. She had never met a young girl like Gabrielle before. She was not just a troublemaker and a bit outspoken but she was able to come up with wild stories on the tip of her tongue.
"You are a strange creature," she observed and that made Gabrielle uncomfortable especially with Xena in such close proximity to her.
"I was just trying to help," she lamely admitted. "And it worked," she grinned nervously while Xena kept circling her like a vulture.
Xena finally came 'round to face Gabrielle. She raised her eyebrow and looked into her emerald eyes. "You like helping people don't you?" she asked.
"Y –yes," she answered.
Xena smiled deliciously and folded her arms. "Come with me tomorrow to ride into the city. We will be looking for the other councilmen on my court."
Gabrielle frowned confusedly, not sure what that had to do with helping people. It sounded a bit suspicious. "And why are you looking for these men?"
"They have committed crimes against my empire. I want you to help me find them. You can bring whatever weapon you like," she said and brushed past her. Gabrielle blinked her eyes rapidly and folded her arms.
"You want to be a warrior, right?" Xena called out.
"Yes...?" the blonde's darted from side to side, trying to figure this woman out. What is she talking about? She speaks in riddles all the time. She is worse than the ancient philosophers.
Xena smirked and then looked on her shelf filled with perfumed oils. "And you believe I am tyrannical?"
Gabrielle froze and she was speechless.
"Come now, these are your words. What was it? A tyrant and a pig?" Xena scoffed and grabbed two bottles of oils and sat on her bed. She had a ritual every night. The girl had her back turned to her and she cleared her throat. "I like to see the face of the person I am speaking to, Gabrielle."
Regrettably, the blonde turned around and saw a strange grin on the sultana's face. She suddenly felt a rush of adrenaline course through her veins.
"You didn't answer my question."
Gabrielle let out a large sigh. "I don't know how to answer that question anymore."
Xena smiled. "So you don't believe I am a tyrannical ruler anymore? You believe I am merciful?"
No, to be honest you fascinate me and scare me at the same time. "I don't know."
"Suddenly you are tongue tied and unsure of yourself..." Xena spread the oil on her bare legs and Gabrielle averted her eyes elsewhere. "Perhaps...it is fear?" she guessed and received no answer. "I gave you my word that I would not hurt you yet I sense fear in you."
She rose from the bed and approached Gabrielle, touching her soft blonde locks. "I smell your fear," she whispered and circled around her once again. Gabrielle closed her eyes and held her breath. "Fear is the driving force in us all. Even I have fears."
Gabrielle felt the brunette's breath on the back of her neck as she continued to circling around her. "Are you afraid of me, Gabrielle?" she whispered and Gabrielle felt her breath close to her ear this time.
"I would be lying...if I said no," she managed to say.
Xena chuckled lowly and stopped in front of the petite blonde. "Warriors may fear their rulers, but they must never show it. I can taste yours, Gabrielle. Learn to control your fear and you will thrive in this world." She finally walked away from her and Gabrielle could breathe in peace.
"What is your fear?" she blurted out and Xena froze.
"Why are you so curious to figure me out, Gabrielle?" she turned with a deep frown on her lips.
The trainee fidgeted with her thumbs behind her back. "You impersonate yourself as a man."
Xena smirked. "To think like a man, one must become a man."
Silence passed between the two for several minutes.
"You can go now," Xena shooed her away and sat in her bed, getting ready to organize her large pile of treaties that Gabrielle helped her with the other day.
Gabrielle nodded and then head for the exit, eager to leave but at the same time eager to stay.
"The story you told Alexander. Where is it from?" Xena called out to her.
She halted mid-step. "I made it up. I used to tell it to my sister when we were children."
"I'm sure he would like to hear the rest of it sometime," Xena said and Gabrielle hid her shy grin then left the bedroom, closing the doors behind her.