AN: quite a turning point for Gabrielle and Xena in this chapter. Good luck ;)
Chapter 18 –Those Who Question The Sword in My Hand
Early the following morning Xena sat up on the spread of blankets, fully dressed in her garb, which took longer to put on than expected. Borias sat beside her and cleaned up the stitches on her neck wound. He dabbed the wet cloth on her throat, cleaning up the blood and she hissed, grabbing his wrist.
He smiled softly and looked into her fiery eyes. "Hold still, Xena," he advised and she let go of his wrist and he dipped the rag into the clean water and continued cleaning the wound as carefully as he could. He saw the wound was beginning to close due to the stitches but it was incredibly swollen and red from irritation.
She fidgeted with her thumbs in her lap as she waited patiently for him to finish. He noticed her antsy behavior and smirked, amused by it. "You squirm more than a child," he snickered and she shot him a glare.
"Forgive me, but it's a bit painful," she swatted his hand away. "That's enough." She scooted back against the pillows and grazed her fingers along the stitches.
He shook his head and threw down the rag, wiping his hands on his pants. "Are you sure you want Alexander and Solan to go back to Ankara?" he asked for the hundredth time.
"Yes," she answered and looked into his dark concerned eyes. "It will be safer if they are not around me. I should have never made this agreement with you."
He raised an eyebrow and folded his arms. "What are you on about?"
"I should have let you keep both of them in Ankara. Everyone wants to kill me and now I've made our sons targets," she ran her hand across her face and sighed heavily.
He put on a warm smile and grabbed her hand. "It was a good idea at the time," he tried to reassure her, but she wasn't convinced.
"You're wrong, Borias," she frowned deeply and narrowed her eyes. "It was never a good idea. I kept Solan from you for seven years because I was angry. I thought that if I sent Solan and Alexander to Ankara each year, I could advance my empire quicker. And I did." She lowered her eyes and his smile faded. "Now, my empire is falling apart and I am putting our sons in danger."
"Xena," he groaned, "they like spending time with you."
She folded her arms and avoided eye contact with him. "I want to see them before they leave," she said and he wagged his head then stood, taking one last look at her. "Borias!" she yelled and then winced, grasping her throat.
A few moments later Alexander rushed in and hopped onto the blankets, happy to see his mother. Xena grinned widely and stretched her arms out and he wrapped his arms around her, squeezing her tightly. Solan walked into the tent and raised his eyebrow at his brother's enthusiasm.
"Careful, Alexander," he called out and his brother pulled away, brushing the dirt off his mother's black garb.
He then saw the stitches on her neck and he frowned. "Who did that to you?" he asked.
Xena smiled softly and hoisted Alexander on her lap. "Not one of my friends, that's for sure," she winked and he quirked his mouth. "Your father told you that you are going back to Ankara, right?"
Alexander nodded, "I don't want to go. I want to stay here with you."
She brushed the sand out of his hair and frowned. "I know, but you will be safer there. You have friends there," she rubbed his arm and he sighed heavily. "It'll only be for a little while."
"Promise?" he squinted his eyes and she grinned.
"I promise," she held up her hand and he nodded, satisfied with that. He hopped off of her and looked at her sword with mirth in his eyes. "Don't you even think about it."
He folded his arms and huffed. "Will I ever get to learn how to sword fight?"
Solan snickered and blurted out, "maybe Belach can teach you, Alexander." He then got a horrid look from his mother and he scratched the back of his neck sheepishly. "Or not."
"Solan, I want you to watch him for me," she said and he nodded. "Make sure he doesn't get into trouble and keep him away from Natassa. And don't let him –"
"Mom!" Solan interrupted and she pursed her lips. "I got it," he smiled. "He'll be safe with me, I promise."
She nodded and Alexander walked over to his brother. "Will you write us?" he asked.
"Of course, don't I always?" she winked and he beamed. "Now go, before I change my mind," she shooed them away and Solan grabbed Alexander's shoulder and began pushing him out of the tent.
As soon as the two boys left she buried her face in her hands. She immediately regret what she just did, although she knew that she wouldn't be able to live with herself if something happened to either one of them if they stayed with her. She kept reminding herself that it was better this way –better that they stay far away from her for the time being. The only problem was that she didn't know how long that 'time' would be. She only hoped that it wouldn't be too long, just enough time to deal with the Templar Knights and get them off her back.
"Xena..." a soft voice called from the entrance of the tent.
She lifted her face from her hands and wiped her eyes, averting her gaze. "What is it, Belach?"
He stepped further into the tent and played with his fingers behind his back timidly. "I'm going to take Alexander and Solan back with me to Ankara," he said and she wiped her nose, ignoring him. "I...hope that you trust me to do that..."
She lifted her eyes and raised her eyebrow at the young teenager. "I do trust you," she said curtly. "Anything else?"
"Nope," he smiled nervously then turned to walk out of the tent and then sighed heavily, stopping himself from leaving. He turned his head over his shoulder and saw her tending to her wound casually trying to avoid any conversation with him.
"Actually, yes, there is something else," he said and she frowned.
"What is it?" she folded her arms. She felt too exhausted to even combat anyone right now, especially Belach.
"I..." he stammered and couldn't take his eyes off of her stern face. Definitely more frightening now than ever before. "I want to say I'm sorry." He said and waited for some sort of reaction from her but all he got was a blank stare.
"And?" she waved her hand impatiently.
He grumbled and tried not to fold his arms because then she'd know he was definitely defying her. "I just wanted to apologize to you," he said and she lifted her eyebrows as if waiting for more. He frowned, growing more frustrated. "I'm sorry I called you horrible names behind your back and for being rude to you all my life."
She smirked, enjoying seeing the frustration and distain written all over his face. "And?"
"And?!" he spat, "and? What and? What more do you want from me?!"
She chuckled under her breath. "Nothing, I just want to make sure you are being sincere."
His face reddened and he slipped his hands in his pockets. "Oh, well, yeah, because I am." He said, avoiding eye contact with her at all costs after that embarrassing outburst. "Definitely. Totally sincere."
She looked at his dark eyes which reminded her so much of Alexander's and Borias'. "Belach," she said in a soft tone and he turned. "I don't hate you and never have –"
"I know, my father told me," he shrugged a shoulder.
She slowly rose to her feet and grabbed her sword off the ground. She cautiously walked over to Belach, towering over him. "But if something happens to Alexander and Solan, don't think I won't break your arm," she hissed and tapped her sword against his kneecap, "or your leg," she smiled and winked at him.
He held his breath and she made her way out of the tent. He saw her turban lying on the ground inside and he picked it up. "Wait!" she turned around slowly and he stretched his hand out. "Won't you be needing this?"
She smiled softly and waved her hand dismissively. "Why? Everyone knows who I am, right?" she left the tent and sheathed her sword at her hip. Belach grinned softly and followed behind her.
She stepped out of the tent, resting her hand on the small of her sore back. Her eyes widened when she saw all of the girls surrounding her tent and was not aware she had such an audience. She looked in some of the girls' eyes and some were still stunned, some were in awe, some afraid, but most of all, everyone was curious.
"Good morning..." she said to all the girls and they continued gawking at her. "Alright..." she grumbled and then slowly tread off and the girls turned their heads slowly watching her. Xena felt like she was more gawked at now than when she hide her face. It was a very odd feeling.
"Sultana!" Helena called out and ran after her, as did many of the other girls. Xena sighed and turned around, surprised to be surrounded by all the trainees again. "Do you feel better?"
"What happened to you?" Penelope asked.
"Did you kill the Syrian?" Astremia asked.
Xena's eyes widened as she was suddenly bombarded by all these questions by many mouths. Gabrielle watched from afar and gasped, seeing Xena trapped by all the girls. She ran to the crowd of girls and pushed them back gently.
"Girls, please!" Gabrielle said firmly and everyone lowered their eyes, ceasing their questions. "Give her some space," she advised and turned to find Xena's expression less than thrilled by her enthusiasm. Still, she doesn't trust me, I guess, she thought.
Xena turned and walked off without saying anything to the girls. She saw a horde of her war horses tied to the trees and her lip quivered once she saw the horse –her horse –tied to a tree. "Who...rode...my horse?!" she screeched.
Gabrielle felt her heart sink to her stomach when she heard Xena's loud voice. Everyone winced and knew that Gabrielle was the one who took Xena's horse to ride into Osman's camp. Gabrielle began backing up into the large crowd of girls, trying to hide herself.
Xena spun around and saw Gabrielle hiding in the sea of trainees. "Gabrielle!" she yelled and the blonde cringed. "You took...my horse?" she hissed and Gabrielle turned her head and saw the wild fury in those icy eyes and could only do one thing and that was to stay silent.
Penelope stepped forward, "your highness...we were in a hurry. She didn't know it was your horse."
"Oh, is that right?" Xena's smile grew as did her eyes. "Gabrielle, would you be so kind to show your face when I'm talking to you?" she said calmly.
Gabrielle took in a deep breath and stepped forward and Xena wagged her fingers. "Closer," she said and Gabrielle took a sizeable step forward again. "Closer..." she hissed. The nervous blonde took another step and Xena towered over her. "Don't ever ride my horse," she whispered, "but I would like to...thank you for bringing her to me," she gave her a wink and walked off to grab her horse.
Osman approached Xena on her horse as she adjusted the saddle and her body. "Xena, all of your men put out the Greek fire in your palace. We will follow you to your palace."
She put on her black gloves and looked at her palace from afar. "That will not be necessary. You may return to Anatolia. You are no longer needed here."
His mouth gaped. "But Xena, Borias saved your life and we were able to get rid of the Templar Knights. Your girls are the ones who did most of the work. You can't fight them alone."
"I said..." she glared at the chieftain, "I don't need you here."
Osman rumbled under his breath then took off to alert his men to leave at once. Obviously Xena's pride was not hurt during that excursion with Sidon. And if it weren't for Borias, Sidon would still be alive and her palace in ruins not for Osman's army and the young girls.
Xena turned on the horse and saw Osman angrily talking with Borias and his cousin. She eyed all of the girls and trotted over to them. "As for you all," she began and grabbed their attention. "You are free to go. I will send a ship to take you back to your homes."
All the girls gasped and ran over to her horse. "But sultana, we want to stay with you," Penelope said.
"We want to help," Helena said with an eager grin and all the girls nodded in agreement.
Xena shook her head and raised her hand, silencing them all. If she didn't have a headache before, she definitely did now. "And why would you want to help? You girls don't know anything about war. It is too dangerous for you."
Gabrielle frowned and stepped forward, "we like you. You're a great teacher and we can always learn more from you...if we stay." All the girls nodded their heads and Xena raised her eyebrow. "Teach us everything you know."
Xena sighed heavily and tapped her fingers on her knee. "This is not a game, this is war. I don't want to be responsible for the deaths of young girls."
"And we don't want to be responsible for your death if we stand by and do nothing," Gabrielle challenged her and the sultana smirked at her and all the girls. "Let us help you. We won't take no for an answer."
All the girls smiled and folded their arms, glaring up at the sultana. Xena lifted her chin and pursed her lips, slowly nodding her head. "You girls are either incredibly brave or incredibly stupid to follow me into a war."
"Let's go with the former," Gabrielle teased and Xena eyed her carefully.
The sultana began trotting off without saying another word and all the girls' smiles disappeared. Gabrielle frowned sadly and stepped forward, watching Xena leave. How could she just leave and desert everyone like this? She obviously needed help, but was too proud to admit it.
Xena looked over her shoulder and saw the depressed expressions on the trainees faces and couldn't help but be a bit amused. "Are you coming or what?" she called out and all the girls grinned, then quickly ran to the horses.
Gabrielle mounted the horse quickly and trotted beside Xena with a goofy grin on her face. Xena turned and shook her head silently. "So, what is the plan now?"
"We are taking a trip," she answered curtly, riding slowly in the desert plains.
"A trip?" the blonde inquired.
Xena smiled deviously. "We are going back to where this all started. We will return to my palace in Thebes to be closer to the Templar Knights. They want Jerusalem so bad, they're going to have to try a lot harder to take it from me." She turned and saw the shock in Gabrielle's eyes. "Oh, don't be so afraid, Gabrielle. They will be on my turf now. If they want to play, let's play," she winked.
Upon returning to Rome, Gregory spoke to the Pope about Xena and her army of Anatolians by her side. He also told the Pope that Xenophon was no man at all, but a woman and should be charged rightfully. Pope Innocent was more than willing to try Xena for her fraudulent behavior and destroy her empire, but it was now a matter of catching her first, which would be difficult. His knights failed several times already and the Saracens were of no help. Gregory believed that Sidon and his men had been killed already due to the interference from the Anatolians.
With the Church on the knights' side, Gregory took it upon himself to send emissaries to the various kingdoms and provinces to convince the European kings and queens to ally with the Church to be rid of Xena. He sent a group to Spain, Hungary, Germany and he had the opportunity to visit the King of France himself.
He now stood in front of King Phillip of France in a large throne chamber. His wife, Queen Joan, was seated beside him, eager to hear what the templar had to say since he had come such a long way.
"Xenophon, a woman, you say?" King Phillip asked and Gregory nodded his head. He rubbed his chin and crossed one leg over the other as he sat in his throne. "How fascinating is that," he chuckled and his wife grinned.
"Has she made any contracts or treaties with you in the last ten years, your majesty?" the templar asked, fishing for as much information as possible.
The king nodded. "I do recall a treaty with Thebes from a long time ago. He...she, offered to pay two thousand pounds to me each year if I supplied her with copper for her army."
Gregory grinned, finding that quite interesting. It appears that Xena was very ambitious and sought out other sources outside of Greece long ago. "And is the treaty still in effect, your majesty?"
"Of course and she pays two thousand per year as agreed." Phillip answered.
"Sire, if I must be so bold," Gregory stepped forward, "you must dispose of this contract with Xena. She is on a mission to destroy everything in her path. She has taken all of Greece and Persia. She practically owns Anatolia. Next she will come for you!"
Phillip sighed heavily and stepped off his throne, approaching the angry templar. "Now, templar, you are a man of God, aren't you?" he asked and Gregory remained silent. "I supply Xena with copper for her army and she does not attack me. What do you think she will do if I stop supplying her metal?"
"Your highness, you have the Church on your side. You must renege on this contract. His Excellency has asked me to come here to warn you. Xena will obliterate you."
"My answer is no," Phillip said.
Joseph stood in front of Queen Isabella of Spain and explained everything about Xena and her deceit to everyone. The queen seemed less than amused and slightly annoyed.
"Has Xena ever sent you a contract or treaty, your majesty?" the templar asked.
Isabella sighed heavily. "Of course she has but I do not see what is so important about it."
"The Pope must know, my queen," Joseph lowered his gaze.
"I paid the empress to keep Germany out of my kingdom five years ago. She did as promised and I awarded her a slew of men for her army."
Joseph groaned lowly. "And this agreement still stands?"
The queen frowned at the templar, "an alliance like that is set in stone, templar. I refuse to renege on my alliance with the Greek ruler."
Nicholas stood in front of King Ferdinand of Hungary and could only listen to the king's laughter for so long. The king calmed himself and turned to the irate templar.
"A treaty? From Xenophon? Of course I have a treaty with her. I am only surprised that it is a woman. Queen Isabella must be heartbroken to learn that she is not the only woman in Europe to rule." He sighed and rubbed his chin.
"What is the treaty you have with Xena?" Nicholas asked.
"She offered to provide aid to keep Germany out of my territories. In return I gave her protection from the Sultan of Persia, but as you can see, she seems to be the sultan of Persia now," he began laughing again.
Nichols smiled, finally seeing some hope. He hoped that his fellow knights were having better luck than he was right now. "So the treaty is no longer in effect?"
"Oh no, it absolutely is. She has her men guarding the borders between my empire and Germany all the time, templar." Ferdinand grinned.
Two weeks later all of the Templars returned to Rome to discuss their meetings with each country. Gregory was completely outraged that King Phillip was unwilling to renege on his deal with Xena. He soon learned that his fellow knights did not have much luck either. Xena was able to stick her nose in every province there was, except the northern European territories. He figured that she might go there next if she were desperate.
"She is spreading herself very thin," Gregory banged his fist on the table angrily.
Joseph folded his arms and shook his head. "No, she's not, sire. She is smart. She made alliances with each country so they wouldn't attack her. The royal families are more inclined to keep Xena as an ally than to dispose of her like we are."
"He's right, sir," Nicholas said. "Xena made her way around Europe right under our noses. Most of these alliances are very old, five to ten years old. She was making her rounds around Europe without anybody noticing."
"To build an empire, one needs alliances and trust from others and that's exactly what she did. She allied with everyone possible, knowing that maybe one day she would be caught and ousted. These monarchs will not attack her because they know she is powerful, yet they are unaware of her numerous amounts of treaties with everybody." Joseph said.
Gregory nodded, though the thought of Xena outsmarting the Church was unfathomable. "What I don't understand is that not a single person was surprised that she was a woman. Do they not care that she lied to them all?"
"What do they know? They marry their cousins," Nicholas snickered.
Joseph rolled his eyes and placed a hand on Gregory's shoulder. "Bottom line, sir, they do not care whether Xena is a man, a woman, or a mutant, as long as their kingdoms are thriving and protected."
"Then we do not need their alliances. We will gather all the Templar Knights around Europe and attack Xena," Gregory stated, smiling, as he very much liked this plan since he previous plan of allying all the European monarchs was a farce.
After what seemed like forever, two weeks later, Xena coordinated the trip to Thebes and had to make sure everything was in order before she left Jerusalem. Before leaving, all of her belongings were packed and boarded on the ship as well as the girls' things, which weren't much. Xena also let all of her staff go in the palace as she had no intension of returning anytime soon.
It had been years since she lived in Thebes and wondered how well the city held up after her absence. Sometimes, she missed Greece and longed to move back several times, but thought that she needed to establish herself as a sultan in Persia first. She stayed in Persia for six years and definitely did not regret it until now.
She felt very disconnected from Greece now and didn't even think of what might happen when she returned and she was sure that the news of her being a woman, would have reached Greece by now and she wasn't sure if her people would be very upset at her or surprised or disappointed. She didn't know anything anymore.
Osman and Borias, along with the army, stayed for a week until Xena finally convinced them to leave and return to Anatolia. She had yet to talk to Borias about how he even got to Persia in the first place, but her mind was elsewhere. She wanted to be free from all distractions and Borias was a distraction just as her sons were. She couldn't be distracted at a time like this.
She also began to become quite nervous going to war again. She hadn't been on the battlefield in such a long time. The last real war she had was days before she gave birth to Alexander and she wasn't even physically there in Damascus to see it all. Aside from that, her ruling in Persia and Thebes alike, had been very quiet, until the Templar Knights and Mongolians decided to raid her palace and oust her.
Secretly, she knew that this day would come eventually, but she didn't think it would end up like this. She tried so hard to please everyone and let her guard down. She became too comfortable and stopped thinking outside the box. She was a distraction to her own self.
In the belly of the ship, Xena stayed in a small private room, away from the other girls. She sat in front of a mirror, gradually taking out the stitches that Borias so kindly gave her a couple of weeks ago. She hissed and tugged on the thread, trying to pull it out of her wound.
She heard a knock on the door and she grimaced. "What is it?"
Gabrielle opened the door and smiled softly. Xena then lowered her gaze and turned back to the mirror, tending to her stitches again. "Just you, huh," Xena said and cringed as she gently pulled the thread out of the wound.
"That's going to leave a nasty scar," the blonde awkwardly said. Xena remained quiet and then began cleaning the wound with a fresh damp cloth. "I um...I was really sad to see Solan and Alexander leave," she said and Xena didn't even bother to look at her. "I even miss Belach, only a little bit," she grinned.
Xena dipped her fingers in the water and grazed them gently across her neck, frowning as she kept looking at the wound through the mirror. It would definitely leave a scar that's for sure, a huge scar. A big ugly reminder of Sidon for the rest of her life.
"Are you still upset with me?" Gabrielle felt the need to jump for the anticipated question that had been bugging her. Before Borias left, Gabrielle was able to explain to both him and Xena what happened with the letter. Solan asked her to forge her signature and send the letter to ask for help, which was out of character for Xena and Borias knew that immediately once he received it.
Xena turned in her chair and glared at Gabrielle. "You lied to me. You went behind my back and listened to my son to send a letter to Borias. I don't need anyone's help!"
Gabrielle huffed and she marched over to Xena, towering over her. "You did need help! You almost died, not once, but twice! You were badly hurt, Xe...Xena," she stammered and Xena rose out of the chair, now a monster towering over her.
"I was doing fine without Borias around! I haven't needed anyone's help during my time as sultan or emperor and I certainly don't need it from my sons' father or...you," she spat and Gabrielle flinched.
"But...but he saved your life." Gabrielle lamely said and Xena put on a subtle smirk.
"And I've saved him and his stupid tribesmen countless times. One for him, a thousand for me. I don't need anyone's help, Gabrielle, and I especially don't need it from a little girl such as yourself." She brushed by her and grabbed a new cloak to wear when they arrived in Thebes.
Gabrielle felt her insides burning once Xena said that. She realized what she had done was wrong, but Xena didn't have to resort to insults to get her point across. I may have lost your trust Xena, but allow me to win it back, or gain it, whatever.
She spun around and grabbed Xena's shoulder, turning her body to face hers. "I am not a little girl! If it weren't for me your palace would be in ruins and you would have died if Borias didn't save you! You don't realize that you have so many people that care about you and you would throw it all away and for what? To save your pride? You rather boost your ego than come to the realization that you aren't alone. You've been living alone for a long time, Xena but only because you want it that way."
She inhaled deeply and saw Xena's eyes widen the more she spoke. She paused and then said, "a merciful ruler you definitely are, but only to strangers. You are not merciful to those that care about you and instead you push them away. You don't need to be tough around family. Maybe you'll think of that the next time you are in trouble and need help, your highness."
She shook her head and walked out of the room. Xena swiftly turned her head and saw Gabrielle storm up the stairs. She frowned sadly and held the black cape in her arms and then sat down on the bed. She threw the cape on the ground and groaned loudly, running her hands across her face.
Perhaps she is right, maybe I am too hard on myself and others around me. She began thinking about all the good deeds she did in Thebes to help young women, men and children. She was even merciful to criminals to a certain extent. She also began to think of all the times she was really stern and harsh to her own sons when they lived with her for half a year. Solan lived in Thebes with her for several years and she was not exactly very kind to him all the time. She was definitely jealous of Borias when she sent her sons back to live in Ankara. Each time they visited her, her sons would tell her all the fun things they were able to do and they couldn't do those things in Persia or even in Thebes so long ago.
She hid herself all the time and she put a lot of restrictions on Solan, especially when he grew older. Out of guilt from treating Solan like a miniature mold-of-a-soldier, she became very lenient with Alexander. She allowed him to do whatever he wanted and she soon realized that he turned into a bit of a brat sometimes, especially when he came back from Ankara. He too, had a lot of freedom with Borias and he allowed him to do as he pleased, probably out of guilt as well.
She wasn't able to balance anything in her life, including being a proper mother to her children. But most of all, she wasn't able to find balance in herself. She couldn't be an empress, a sultana, a friend and a mother all at once. It was almost impossible and thinking about what Gabrielle said, she was not as merciful to her family as she said. Everything she said was true and she brushed off everyone that cared about her as if they were disposable.
Human life is never disposable and in one instant they could be wiped out from your life, my life, she thought. She could lose everything in one second, one minute, one hour, one day. She almost lost her life not because she was careless, but because she didn't want help and was too stubborn to ask for it.
Xena stood and walked over to the mirror, staring at herself dressed in all black. It was her signature color –all of the colors of the rainbow meshed into one dark abyss, like her mind and perhaps her heart. She frowned and tore the sleeves off of her garb and ripped off the shawl covering her shoulders. She tore it in half and tossed it aside.
She grabbed the dagger on the table and cut into her tunic that covered her neck and chest. She smiled once she saw her arms were exposed and she showed a little bit of skin on her chest as well. She took a step closer to the mirror and ran her fingers through her long waist length hair.
She frowned and grab a large chunk of her hair and sliced through it with her dagger. She watched a sizable amount of her long locks fall to the ground. She looked at reflection and saw two sides of herself. She didn't want to be that same person anymore. She grabbed the other half of her hair and sliced through it and dropped the long locks on the floor.
"I wonder if the sultana's palace is just as big in Thebes as the one in Persia?" Penelope asked and Astremia shrugged her shoulders. Gabrielle leaned against the railing of the ship and watched the waves of the ocean glide against the ship steadily.
"You've been to Thebes, right Gabrielle?" Astremia asked with a grin.
Gabrielle frowned and looked into the sun, squinting her eyes. "I had a dream of becoming a warrior in Thebes once." She smiled weakly, remembering those days. It wasn't that long ago and a lot has happened since then.
"What happened?"
Then she was reminded of that very moment when she was accidentally taken by Xena's men and boarded a ship to Persia. "I got stuck here," she grumbled.
Penelope and Astremia looked at one another and shrugged their shoulders. They turned around and went to look at the ocean on the other side of the ship to get away from Gabrielle and her dark attitude. They both halted once they saw Xena step onto the deck from below and they gasped.
All the girls on deck turned heads once they saw the sultana and she looked different, very different. Her hair much shorter and her clothes, not entirely modest anymore. Xena looked at the girls shocked expressions and then spotted Gabrielle standing off in a corner by herself.
She walked through Penelope and Astremia and sheathed her sword at her hip. She stood behind Gabrielle and placed her hands on her hips. This girl was entirely unaware of her surroundings, not a good move, she thought.
"Gabrielle," she announced.
"Oh, it's you," Gabrielle scoffed. "Look, I don't feel like talking to you right now, I just –" she turned around and her eyes grew with shock seeing Xena's shorter hair and clothes. "What...in God's name..." she alleged under her breath.
"I want to...apologize to you," Xena never thought she'd say that, especially to someone like Gabrielle. "I'm sorry I snapped at you. I was angry at something else."
Gabrielle's eyes scanned Xena and she was definitely not the same person she saw a few minutes ago. She even got rid of her long black gloves. "You...you...you cut your hair."
Xena smiled and folded her arms. "You were right, Gabrielle."
"About what?" the blonde managed to say, although she didn't know how she was able to, given what she had to look at.
"I am too prideful and don't when to recognize help when it's right in front of me. I have been pretending to be someone else for so long that I must have..."
"Forgotten how to be yourself?" Gabrielle smiled softly.
Xena's cheeks flushed slightly and she nodded. "Something like that," she exhaled heavily and turned her face away in order not to look at Gabrielle's goofy expression of satisfaction of being right. "Listen," she began and lowered her head, "when the ship docks at Thebes, you are free to go back to your family. I don't want to keep you here."
Gabrielle walked closer and cocked her head, folding her arms. "So, you're allowing me to walk free? No debt?"
"No debt," Xena said curtly.
Gabrielle nodded and pursed her lips. "Tempting," she paused and Xena lifted her chin, looking into her emerald eyes. "It's a kind offer, but I think I'm going to have to decline," she grinned cheekily and Xena furrowed her eyebrows.
"But Gabrielle, I am letting you go. You don't have to stay here with me anymore."
The blonde exhaled heavily and shrugged her shoulders nonchalantly. "Well, since I'm a free woman I guess that means I can make the choice," she paused and saw Xena's eyes widen. "...to stay here."
Xena's mouth gaped and Gabrielle's smile widened. "Why? Why do you want to stay?"
"So you can teach me everything you know!" she exclaimed.