Fever

Xena rode her dragon in the air followed by the aerial regiments, which were carrying the larger instruments of war. That meant the catapults and so forth was being carried by their dragons. She had sent Argo back to Sultry when she saw her faithful mare was pregnant. That meant she could present Eve with her first pony in a year. She had told Eve as much when King Rodrigo had given Llyr a gelding that was still a foal. Now Eve was looking forward to Argo giving birth and had promised Xena to look after Argo. That meant her first two children were slightly more distracted. Melody was given a nearly endless supply of sweets she had to share at least once a week.

"Xena did you get another horse to replace Argo for the duration of the war?" Gabrielle asked.

"Yeah, a black mare, really gentle and good training. I think I might keep her on as a second horse." Gabrielle nodded.

"I miss Amber, but Torres told me she lived a good life. Died in battle."

"Oh I'm sorry." Gabrielle shook her head.

"It was better for her than falling to her death. Besides this beauty under me has served me just as well as Amber did, so far in our relationship."

"What's her name?"

"Tiphany." Xena nodded.

"Perfect." Xena rubbed her dragon, she turned a little purple under her touch a sign that she liked it so Xena continued.

"Is it safe with no saddle?" Gabrielle asked. Xena nodded.

"Elixir would never let me die, she'd catch me before I fell to my death. Dragons are very quick." Xena went over the plan again with the Amazons who doubled the airforce, and would be responsible leading attacks on soldiers from the air. Her and her generals would split up and lead more ground forces to surround the army from the west. Sultry soldiers were already waiting to attack their camps and catch anyone left behind as while a mixture of soldiers knowing their backs were protected got the others engaged in battle with Drake and the others. Glacial forces were coming from the east. Still more forces would wait in the air for any men Caesar and General Ving had hidden to keep him from getting the upper hand and unexpectedly escape. Xena ordered the other dragons down to deliver the weapons of war quickly seeing that Drake was already engaged in a small battle, a small group of sentries no doubt brought together and trying their best to escape. It was over quickly and the men were glad to have larger weapons to use on the Roman legions.

"Positions." Naturally he had seen her army marching for them and told his soldiers to prepare as they marched out to meet them. Drake wasted no time in leading the attacks. As part of the plan Drake appeared to be losing, but fortunately they were in a valley of hills. Drake was merely forcing them to fight up hill. It was a slight hill and there didn't seem to be a difference at first. Once Xena saw Caesar's gloating look through her spyglass, she signaled the others. All at once the gloating look was off his face and his smug grin diminished.

"Full spread!" Xena ordered. They all swooped down on the roman army leading a full spread of fireballs from the dragons. The soldiers as practiced protected themselves from the fireballs. The soldiers of Sultry had no need to protect themselves as they moved through the fire taking out roman soldiers unprepared for their sudden appearance as they jumped through fireballs. Some how they found an opening to retreat as their soldiers tired from the raging battle, so they let them go and held their position. The tents were brought up further, fresh guards were put on the front lines.

"At this rate you won't be able to exhaust me if you keep getting wounded," Xena teased before she kissed him. He had an arrow sticking out of his shoulder, but he was determined that only his wife heal him. The front of her shirt was covered in blood from helping the critically wounded, which needed immediate attention. There were lots of healers, but Xena was the expert among them by far.

"I assure you even if I were missing one leg and an arm I could and would." Xena grinned.

"I have no doubt that you could." She helped him get his armor off, she was just happy to see that he had made it through another battle, there was no telling when a warrior's skills would fail them and their time to die would be upon them. War was after all a gamble for everyone's lives.

"I knew I shouldn't have worn my favorite shirt," Drake cursed looking at the hole as Xena unlaced the front of his shirt.

"Its fine I can fix it." Drake chuckled. "Sometimes I forget you have many skills and that mending can be one of your specialties when it comes to your family and wounds." Xena chuckled.

"Just because I'm a warrior doesn't mean I didn't learn how to sew and embroider like any other girl."

"Yes well forgive me, I forget sometimes after those two years I lost you, I'm getting to know you again."

"Oh don't worry its going to take us years with all these interruptions before we know each other as much as we love each other. That being said one day you'll believe me when I say I have many skills." Xena took his shirt off.

"I do believe you."

"To some degree, but not completely, but you will." Xena kissed him and shoved her tongue in his mouth. He was a little surprised her boldness was coming through again and was about to stop her because he could feel his restraint teetering dangerously over the edge when pain shot through left shoulder. He broke the kiss to bite his lip. Drake took several deep breaths and tensed his body.

"Don't tense up try to stay as relaxed as possible," Xena instructed. He relaxed his body as she snapped the head off and pulled it out. She examined him before she left out and retrieved a hot poker from the fire, he was not pleased, but he gritted his teeth and let her do.

"No poison was there?"

"No, I checked, you should be fine." She wrapped his wound and delivered a kiss to it.

"Oh yes now I'm definitely going to heal now," Drake told her kissing her. This time Xena broke the kiss.

"You get some rest, I have to go help everyone else."

"I'll give you a hand the men need to see me up and about since it's not the worst of arrow wounds."

"All right, but you stick by me." He nodded and stood up after she put his arm in a sling. She made the usual rounds with him before she forced him to rest, so he would be fresh for the next battle. He was asleep before she could even give him any tea with a sleeping herb to make him go to sleep, but by no means kept him asleep. She gave it to someone else who needed it and gave him regular tea, which she left nearby for him to drink when he woke up.

"How many dead?" Gabrielle asked Xena as she washed her hands in the barrel of water.

" Arrow wounds were the worst, but death toll is at a record low, only a hundred men mostly volunteer farmers and merchants, second sons with little to no training from lower class families in the cities or rural areas of Arcadia, Sultry, and Glacial. The amazons their casualties?"

"Just one, lots of wounded, the Amazons are determined stay alive."

"Good, good I'm glad the casualties weren't great, I'll send someone to get her from Greece."

"Xena she's dead."

"No, none of the Amazons that were born in Greece can die here, they'll reappear back in Greece. You have to be here like ten years before you're completely transferred to this realm. You can leave and stuff, but the majority of your life must happen here, your fate must become intertwined with the people that were born here. Or if they've had children in this realm that would solidify the process by the time the child is born."

"Well she was young, she'll definitely be in Greece." Xena nodded. She sent a servant to retrieve the girl.

"Here drink this," Xena told him. Drake drank the tea as his fever raged. The second time he was hit with an arrow it had been poisonous. The first man had already died, but they were able to act quickly with the others. Anyone with even a minor scratch was given the antidote. Unfortunately depending on how much of the poison you received like Drake men and women a like was ridden with a serious fever.

"Xena!" Ephiny exclaimed running into her tent.

"What is it?"

"General Ving's on the move you're needed at the front." Xena nodded as the Amazon healer came in to stay with Drake. She kissed his burning forehead before grabbing her sword and running after Ephiny.

"Be careful of the poison, if you're hit you may not die now, but there's a good chance you'll die later with such a depletion of forces." They nodded. Xena looked around noting that now at least ninety percent of her active army was women. They marched out to meet General Ving and their shields protected them from the arrows as they chose to take as much of the regiment down with javelins and arrows of their own while they reloaded. Roman shields were no match for the superior metal and they went through, however some men just got lucky by inches, However it was forcing them to discard their shields early. When the onslaught of arrows finally stopped and they began to charge, they stood up dusting broken shafts off themselves and pulled out their swords. Xena signaled the dragons and Roman flesh could be smelled burning in the air before they all charged using the benefit of their shields to the foolish. Men were already fleeing in fear.

"Okay hold!" Xena ordered. For now the battle would be at a stand still, Caesar and Ving had lost as many men as were sick and they still had women who were waiting and ready to fight.