Fiona's Secret

It was hard to tell who had yelled as several people rushed to her in what felt like slow motion. Dust from the sand was kicked up and even onto her as Drake tried to get her to open her eyes, but she had passed out.

"Xena, no, no wake up, don't do this, no," Drake told her.

"Xena, wake up," Gabrielle cried. "You promised Eve, you promised her." Hercules was practically pulling his hair out along with Ares as he checked for a pulse and her wound.

"My Queen!" The cries came.

"She's still breathing!" Hercules yelled. "She's still breathing!"

"We have to get her to a hospital!" Drake cried. Several people came over to carry her back home immediately.

"Get that prisoner!" Emily yelled with tears in her eyes pointing to an unconscious Brutus. She spotted General Ving running out of the corner of her eye. "Drake, Ving he's getting away, don't let this be in vain we have to get him or we'll never have peace." Drake just barely took his attention off Xena at the mention of the men who had possibly taken her life, the same man who had taken the life of his father. Rage bubbled in him. He practically blew the people standing near him off their feet as he powered up. He ran after him, General Ving tried to powerful, but he had really given too much to Caesar and been away from his homeland for too long in Greece. He was no match for Drake as a green sword appeared in his hand. He was forced to fight him.

"May you are better than your bastard father." General Ving laughed. "Bet you didn't know that, your father was the bastard son of his own father, the tenth born, He was the only one with his father's blood to take the throne after plague ravaged the royal family."

"I know all about my father, and I don't care," Drake growled letting him know he couldn't get into his head.

"And did you know that you're not the first born son of your own father?" Drake froze in shock every lie has at least a kernel of truth to it. General Ving taking advantage of his distraction kicked him breaking several ribs, but Drake was pushed back into the present and he remembered his wife. He jumped up toughing it out, Xena would kill him for it later, but it was time Ving paid for his crimes. He punched him in the nose drawing blood. They fought and finally Drake delivered a side wound making him drop his sword. Drake engulfed him in shackles as soldiers joined him and grabbed General Ving before he powered down and the searing pain filled his body from the broken ribs and he turned and limbed back to the others to return home.

"Thank you, you have freed Rome," Marc Anthony told him. "I hope when the Warrior Princess recovers you will return to make a peace treaty."

"And why do you have such hope?" Drake asked him almost angrily knowing just how fatal her wound had been. Marc Anthony grinned at him.

"She's Xena of course, I have heard many a tale, and it seems she has a knack for escaping death before she is ready. I'm sure she's having a sword fight with death now as we speak." Drake looked into his eyes and saw truth. He smiled at him a little.

"That's the most accurate description of my wife I've heard in a while." He clapped Marc Anthony on the back before he let an Amazon healer help him onto his horse. It was time to get back to Arcadia.

"Pax Romona!" Marc Anthony yelled saluting him.

"Pax Romona," Drake told him quietly with a nod. "Oh before I forget." Drake raised his hand as the last of his army disappeared except for the healer next to him on a horse. The sand began to swirl even though there was no wind around them. Before their eyes the city of Rome rebuilt itself and its soldiers' free will returned to them. The people cheered as they touched walls of buildings running around seeing their homes returned. The soldiers were also confused as Marc Anthony thanked Drake and brought them back to order.

"Come along King Drake," the healer said. He nodded and then grimaced at the action before he slumped over his horse just as she led them through the portal.

"What happen to my son!" Fiona screamed at the healer as she carried him to the proper place. There was much work to be done on the wounded and she really wasn't in the mood for the Queen Dowager of Arcadia to be yelling in her ear.

"SHUT UP!" She yelled at her once she had laid Drake down. "I have a lot of lives to save and you're not helping. He just has a few broken ribs you can wait by his side for when I have time to reset them." Fiona taken aback held her gaze until she had sat down out of fear of the tall Amazon. Satisfied the Amazon healer headed off to more serious cases like Xena's.

"She's got a punctured lung when I take the dagger out, her lung will collapse," the healer told them.

"Can't you sew it up?" Cyrene asked worriedly.

"We have to be quick, and open up her side and cauterize the wound." They nodded. Cyrene put a hot poker in the fire quickly and they opened her wound careful not to move the knife as she seemed to still be breathing with it in. Once they had her open quick hands of a palace healer in Sultry pulled the knife out and the Amazon healer cauterized the wound before the lung collapsed on her. She seemed to breath more easily as she remained passed out. She was sewed up by the palace healer and Cyrene watched over her along with her father.

"Fight Xena, Fight they got you back here in time," King Rodrigo told her kissing her forehead.

"Fight for your family Xena, they need you," Cyrene told her also kissing her forehead.

"You know if you keep getting injured we're never going to actually finish our marriage ceremony," Xena chuckled and then regretted the action as she groaned. A hand went to her side just as Drake chuckled too and regretted the very same action.

"May I remind you that you got hurt not me."

"You're the one with three broken ribs."

"And you got stabbed in the lung, I think its clear who got the worst wound."

"More like the best battle scar," Xena grinned as she kissed his hand.

"I definitely have the better battle scar," Drake told her.

"We shall see, we shall see."

"We will." It had only been a week since she had been up and both still felt weak from the ordeal, Drake's weakness had more to do with how much power he had used on Rome than his actual wound which would have seen him up and walking days ago. Cyrene came in with tea.

"Here you two are." She helped them drink.

"Mother where are my children, I haven't seen them in forever."

"Xena you know that they're not allowed in here while you're still this weak. They are safely on the other side of the Palace waiting for you and Drake to get well. Actually I've brought you a present from them." She handed her several cards.

"Gabrielle has been helping them make them, for your sake she won't take her eyes off them for one second except to use the little warrior's room and even than it's a struggle."

"At least I know there's a constant pair of eyes on them I trust with all my heart." Cyrene nodded.

"Hey room for one more?" Solari asked poking her head in.

"Solari you get back into a bed this instant," Ephiny told her following her in. Drake sighed.

"May as well," Drake told her, "We could use a third." He held up the cards and Solari nodded.

"You go rest Cyrene, I'll keep an eye on these three," Ephiny told her. Xena looked at her mother and saw just how tired she was.

"Mother exactly how long have you been up?" Xena asked. Cyrene grinned at her.

"Not long dear."

"Mother go to sleep, I will be fine for a few hours." Cyrene sighed not wanting too.

"I'll just check on the children one last time…"Cyrene started.

"No, straight to bed, Gabrielle has things under control and you know it."

"Fine for you, daughter I will make an attempt to get some sleep." She kissed Xena's forehead and Drake's before she left out. They hadn't said one word when Fiona burst in with a cup of tea. She took the one Drake already held from his hand and placed the one she had brought in his hands.

"Drink mommy's special tea dear it'll make you all better." Drake eyed the stuff with disgust, but raised it to his lips as Xena chuckled and groaned. The look on his face had been too much. Solari also laughed with some pain and Ephiny snickered as well. Where as Cyrene had learned the fine art of drowning out the bitter tastes with something sweet, Fiona either did not know how or did not bother to do so.

"Oh hmmm…thank you mother, so good," Drake lied.

"Good boy," Fiona told him fluffing his pillows. "How is my boy feeling today?"

"Better than I was yesterday that is for sure." She nodded. "Mother since you're here I wanted to ask you about something."

"Oh seems personal, come on Solari we'll wait outside in the sitting room," Ephiny told her. Solari nodded unhappily but looked at Xena with pleading eyes who chuckled and regretted it once again. Solari grinned knowing the message had been received and understood. Xena turned her full attention to Drake and Fiona as they left out rather slowly in Solari's case. Xena however was sure she heard an ear or two pressed up against the door.

"Ask me about what son?" Fiona asked smoothing his hair.

"Something General Ving said, and I want to know if it was true."

"You can't believe anything that filthy bastard says," Fiona said with rage in her heart as the image of her husband being brought back on his shield filled her eyes as she looked away from Drake. She saw so much of his father inside of him.

"Look Mom I just want to know if I truly am the first born son. He said I wasn't." Fiona stared out the window as silence filled the air. Xena rubbed Drake's arm. "Mother am I even suppose to be King?" The words seemed to be shouted at her and pierce her ears like daggers.

"Not at first no."

"What?" Drake asked. Xena watched her in all seriousness. Fiona looked at them both but mostly Drake.

"I was young when I met your father very young. Perhaps I was no more than thirteen years old when he came galloping onto my father's lands to escape his guards. He too liked to get away. As fate would have it his horse went lame and I was coming back from a visit from the north to visit cousins. I was alone we had just dropped my father off at a neighboring estate to visit friends for the night. Once I was safely at home the carriage would return to him."

"What, then what?" Drake asked. "How old was my father, how…" Fiona held up a hand.

"Please let me tell you without the questions until after." He nodded.

"I'm sorry please continue."

"Of course I being a curious girl had the driver stop to see who it was on our lands, when he pulled down his hood we knew immediately who he was. He was a young prince than no more than twenty-one and Princess Tangeliene from the Orient was his wife. They already three young sons and a daughter. Like a faithful subject I offered him passage in my coach to the keep, where we'd give him a fresh horse. It was there our love affair began. In that coach your sister was conceived."

"Sister?" Drake asked in complete shock. Fiona nodded staring off. Xena looked around and even moved a bit to cause herself some pain perhaps she was having delirious dream. The scandal Fiona had caused was enough to create happiness for in years to come. What she was telling them you just could not make up, the best writers in the known world couldn't come up with such a scandal.

"Oh God, I can't believe I'm saying this but I think I love you Fiona." Fiona looked at her as if she had ripped her heart out and left.

"Oh no, no Fiona, I'm so sorry it slipped," Xena called after her without causing herself too much pain. "I'm sorry…damn it I'll never hear the end of that story."

"And neither will I if you go around admitting something like that to her," Drake told her.

"I'm sorry it just slipped out, I mean she made my day, I mean for the first time I was actually happy with your mother."

"Oh Xena, no no, don't say that until I at least get the whole story." Xena nodded.

"Okay, okay sorry, you're right; I'll keep such feelings to myself until I know everything."

"You mean me," Drake said. Xena nodded.

"Yeah exactly like I said until I know everything."

"You mean me."

"Yeah me," Xena told him. Drake was about to argue, but gave up it was no use she knew what she was doing. They lay back.

"I can't believe I have three brothers and a sister."

"Had more than likely, they would have stepped up by now," Xena told him.

"I won't count them as dead until my mother tells me so," Drake told her. There was a knock and Solari and Ephiny finally came back in.

Author's Note: Would have been longer, but this was too good a place to leave a cliff hanger and not do it hehe *Grin*