IF I COULD GIVE YOU MY HEART I WOULD WITH OUT QUESTION
Xena turned she could feel movement under her fingers which caused her blissful dreams to come to an end. She felt her eyes snap open in an instant seeing her lover come in to view. The younger woman's body was twitching violently almost as if she was in throws of a nightmare, no it wasn't a nightmare it was a fit. She didn't think as she threw the cover off her self watching as the dog woke up it instantly bounding off the fur skin so she could get closer to her lover. She grabbed the smaller woman's arms bracing them before they could they lash upwards. She pushed down using her body to force her lover's down on to her back, it felt like a agonizing minute before the fit finally subsided and her lover's body became still again.
She moved hand up slowly only to feel her self let out the breath she'd been holding as she felt a steady pulse. She moved back watching as her lovers eyes started to flicker, as if she was struggling to open them. She moved back slightly, gods she felt like she'd been waiting for an eternity for this. She leaned forward seeing her lovers eyes flicker again as she struggled harder to open them. Her hands started clench on the bed roll as her eyebrows made an expression of anger as she struggled harder to wake up. Her lover's whole body went ridged as she carried on fighting to wake up, she leaned further forward finally seeing the green eyes start to open.
It was so slowly at first and then they eased open wide as her lover's whole body relaxed. The forest green colour shimmered as the pupils dilated due to the fire light. She stood still watching as just for an instant as glowing green light filled the iris lighting it up for a spilt second, before it faded and the green eyes returned to normal. She could see the fazed out look in her lovers eyes as she carried on staring forward as if she wasn't all there. She leaned down fully so she was face to face with the younger woman who didn't seem to take any notice that she was there. She eased over her hand running it through the long blonde hair as she spoke very softly. "Gabrielle?"
She paused before speaking again. "It's Xena." She moved her fingers down the other woman's face seeing a truly confused expression fill her lover's face despite that her eyes carried on staring forward. "Do you remember me?" She could feel the pain burning her chest she had no idea what was wrong. She wasn't sure if her lover wasn't speaking or moving her eyes because she couldn't or because she just didn't want to. She moved her hands through the long blonde hair again as she looked at the younger woman. "I love you Gabrielle." She breathed in trying to hold herself together, a part of her just wanted to cry.
She took a deep breath running her hand through the long blonde fringe not caring if any one was in the room listening to her. "I never told you that enough did I? I never truly understood how you felt after Japan I never knew what if felt like for you. I left you on your own to suffer and I never thought about what it could be like to feel that alone." She knew she was babbling now and a part of her no longer cared she hid behind her emotional walls for to long and her lover had just had to put up with it. She didn't deserve to suffer like that anymore, or be pushed away. She smiled sadly. "You always put up with me even when I was being cruel and unkind to you, you hardly ever complained did you?"
She looked down slightly feeling her heart pound against her rib cage as the green eyes started to move, she watched in surprise the other woman's body started to twitch. Gabrielle blinked feeling the pain as it went through her whole body this last minute had been utter agony it was if she'd been floating endlessly and it had been so difficult to open her eyes. She felt so exhausted when she'd finally opened her eyes that for an instant she hadn't been able to move she'd just had no strength. Her lover had been the first thing she'd seen, the taller woman was sitting over her saying her name. She could hear every soft spoken word in crystal clarity as well as see her perfectly she just hadn't been able to move.
Her mind was so jumbled at this moment just as it had been when she'd dragged herself out of the cold pool. The world seemed to slow to a crawl down as she ignored all her pain as she grabbed the floor pulling herself slowly up on to her knees. She tried to ignore all her pain and the dizzy spell as it hit her hard almost causing her to loose her grip on the fur skin. She felt her stomach do a horrible twist before she could stop it, she was going to throw up and she couldn't stop herself. She suddenly felt the other woman's hand move around her waist keeping her propped up, as an empty bowl was eased under her chin. She felt her stomach do another more violent twist causing her to throw up before she could stop herself.
All she could see was a thick sticky red liquid in the bowl which was the constancy of honey. She tensed only to throw up again almost instantly gods was she dieing? No that wasn't right she leaned over waiting for the dizzy spell to pass feeling the other woman's hand as it ran rubbed her back as sound of the bowl being put down was heard. She blinked opening her eyes slowly ignoring the feeling of a wet sponge as it cleaned her face. She was pulled against the other woman's body as she took in deep and slow breathes. No she had been died she could remember that in crystal clarity, she'd died at the top of Tezcatlipoca's temple Akemi had put a katana through her mid section.
Yes she could remember it all now perfectly up to the point of seeing gold light in the sky but the rest was a complete blank. She looked around her for a spilt second she recognised the floor and the pottery in the dim light. She was back in the ferity goddess's temple once more and she had no idea how she'd gotten here or even how she'd been brought back from the dead. She felt the grip around her waist tighten as she felt gentle lips kiss her hair she blinked looking around meeting the light blue eyes which were filled with concern. It was Xena with out a shadow of a doubt she could smell her leathers which had been cleaned recently. She moved up her hand only to feel a larger one take hold of hers.
She spoke as best she could despite the sore feeling in her throat. "Xena?" Xena felt her grip tighten on the other woman's hand she couldn't stop the tears as the started to run down her face. "Yes it's me." She leaned over pulling one of the water skins free from the bags close by she opened it carefully putting it to the other woman's lips. "Here drink this." Gabrielle drank the water ignoring the pain it took to swallow and the odd sensation of the cold liquid as it hit her stomach, causing it to groan loudly of its own accord. She carried on drinking gods she was so thirsty, it felt as though she hadn't eaten or drunk anything in days, which was so strange to her.
She'd died and been brought back before and she'd never felt this way, she weakly pushed the water skin away from her lips. She couldn't drink any more she was started to feel the weight in her stomach. Xena eyed the water skin it was nearly empty, the younger woman must have been so thirsty. She paused before speaking again as she put it to one side. "Don't worry about anything, no ones going to hurt you, your safe with me." She had no idea why she needed to say that. She just felt that she needed to put her lover's mind to rest. Once to often the younger woman had been hurt and she'd never once told her that she was safe.
Gabrielle breathed in deeply trying to ignore her stomach which felt like it was taking its time to do what it did normally. Her lover's words were so comforting to her ears at this moment in time. "You brought me back?" Xena smiled trying to control her tears it was so hard and she was fighting a loosing battle. "Yes I did." Gabrielle winced finally feeling her stomach start to act normally. "Did I go to the hummingbird heaven or did I go to the seventh hell?" Xena blinked tightening her grip around the other woman slightly as she kissed her blonde hair. Her lover didn't remember anything, may be that was for the best right now.
She breathed in deeply closing her eyes. "You went to the hummingbird heaven and you saved my life before you ascended." Gabrielle looked down slightly. "Did Itzli for fill my last request?" Xena gently eased her lover back down on to the covers while easing the fur skin over her. "Yes he did." She paused as she lay down next to her putting the fur skin over herself. "You need to rest." Gabrielle looked around her trying to remember only to feel her self draw nothing but a blank. She was tired and she knew it, she didn't feel great ether she felt so drained and weak. She felt her lovers hands move to each side of her head, they started to massage and she knew she was going to loose her battle to stay awake.
Xena only ever did this massage when she wanted her to go to sleep because she was very ill. She blinked trying to fight it only to feel her eyes started to close as her mind seemed to snap out of it haze. What had her lover said to her when she had been waking up, it sounded like she was spilling her heart out to her, had she said what she thought she had? She felt her eyes close fully as her mind lost the fight to stay alert, she felt her lovers lips meet her own as she drifted off in to a blissful dream. Xena laid still moving her fingers along her lovers face as she pulled away. Gabrielle couldn't remember anything at all and she had no idea if this was a bad thing.
She moved her hands away looking at her sleeping face, what was she meant to do now? Should she lie to her to protect her from herself if she started to remember? She breathed in deeply and painfully, no she couldn't keep anything from her, if she remembered it, she had no right to. To keep it from her would be much worse and even more soul destroying. She lay still feeling dog move back in to position sitting in the middle of them both. If she remembered then they could work though it together piece by piece. Her lover had been fighting for so long to control the darkness with in, although that seemed like the wrong term for it since she'd met that side in person.
It wasn't darkness it was just a part of Gabrielle and it made her who she truly was. She moved her hand back up running it through the long blonde hair. She deserved to know the truth and to be told that this darkness wasn't evil and that it completed her. It made her the beautiful strong woman she was. She loved her regardless of this dark part which was now somewhere inside her soul along with its angelic counterpart and both these parts were now looking out through her green eyes and in to her own.
8
Ares groaned as he opened his eyes only to close them again due to the pain in his head. He snarled as he opened his eyes fully watching as the sun gods throne room came in to view. The tall Aztec war god was sitting on his golden throne watching him, he groaned inwardly as he pulled himself in to a sitting position. He could see that the throne room had been cleaned up, which meant that he'd been out for a long time. He pulled on his leather shirt he hadn't been chained up which was strange but he wasn't going to question why. He could see the two head guards in the room both walked past him as they came to stop in front of Huitzilopochtli.
Ahexotl breathed in as he looked at his god who wore a very sad expression as he put a hand on his elbow leaning against his throne. "You called us great sun god?" Huitzilopochtli turned slightly. "I want a report on my city." Ahexotl looked down slightly. "Both your self and Xochipilli have healed all of those wounded and we are moving the dead serpent's carcass as we speak." He breathed in deeply. "Though there has been some debate about whether it should be cut up and eaten or buried. We have also put out the fire in the store house but we've lost all the supplies in it, we still have two more store houses but it'll mean that we will have to be careful come winter time." Huitzilopochtli put a hand on his face. "Are my people going to starve?"
Ahexotl looked down slightly. "There is a possibility that we could have a food shortage the priests are still doing the recalculations as we speak. We have just expanded our population, before the fire we had enough, now we don't." Huitzilopochtli looked down feeling the pain grip him this was awful it had never happened before he'd always been able to ensure his peoples food supplies. This was the price his people were going to pay for his foolishness the loss of one the main storehouses would mean that they couldn't have food. He ran his hand down his face feeling the frustration hit home. "Can we not make up the supplies before winters fall?" Ahexotl shook his head. "No great sun god we can't, even if we could we'd only make up half and the traders don't come here as often from the Inca regions."
Huitzilopochtli looked down as he shook his head. "What opinions do we have?" Ahexotl eased up his hand. "We could plunder Quetzalcoatl's or Itzpapalotl regions." Huitzilopochtli looked up sharply feeling the anger start to burn. "I'm not going to plunder them the poor victims in those regions are staving as it is!" Coaxoch stepped forward slowly. "What about pushing the tribute higher from the lesser Inca gods and their people?" Huitzilopochtli shook his head as he leaned back in his throne. "No I won't do that ether I have been trying to develop good relations with the Inca gods. I won't ruin it now by forcing my hand on them and their people."
He paused for a long moment before looking up. "I have one opinion here and I feel that I should take it for my people's sake." Coaxoch stepped forward slowly. "What do you have in mind great sun god?" Huitzilopochtli leaned on his throne looking down slightly. "I will form an alliance with Xochipilli, Xochiquetzal and Chantico." Ahexotl looked up in surprise staring at his god. "There hasn't been a solid alliance formed since your fathers reign." Huitzilopochtli breathed in deeply. "That is about to change." Coaxoch stepped closer. "Quetzalcoatl does not allow alliances among the gods he dispended them all when he came in to power as king of the gods."
Huitzilopochtli felt his teeth grind together as he sat up his throne. "Quetzalcoatl and Itzpapalotl are both going to fall! I'm going to drag them both to the seventh hell and back!" Ahexotl blinked in shock. "You're going to overthrow Quetzalcoatl?" Huitzilopochtli put his hands together as he looked up. "I'm sick of him and his grandmother getting in my way." He sat back slightly. "My people have suffered long enough as have the other gods under his rule!" He narrowed his gaze. "I will form this alliance for my people's safety and to protect the other gods who have been kind to me." He sat up slightly. "Quetzalcoatl is no longer fit to rule the lands of Mexica, he brings nothing but suffering and pain to thousands of innocent mortals as does his whore of a grandmother!"
Ahexotl put his hands together. "You were once so close to becoming king of the gods but you backed down because you saw the suffering it caused." Huitzilopochtli raised his eyebrow. "Yes which is why I will not be bringing my armies or my people in to this, I will fight Quetzalcoatl on my own terms with the other gods." He sneered slightly. "I don't care about my fathers throne it's not the issue here, freeing this land from that bastards rule is!" He felt his hands clutch the thrones sides. "I may not be fit to rule but any of those gods in my alliance are." He looked up slightly. "The alliance will mean that we can help one another and my people will not starve this winter."
He sat further back. "I can no longer sit back and turn a blind eye to Quetzalcoatl." Ares smiled coldly as he dragged himself to his feet, he watched as the room fell silent as they all turned to look at him. "Your plan sounds so intriguing." Huitzilopochtli eyed the lesser war god in disgust as he pulled out his Greek sword of war from its spot behind him. He didn't think as he threw it clean over both his head warriors heads watching as it landed with a hard clatter close to the lesser war god. "Take your sword and go, you are no longer welcome here lesser war god." Ares leaned over slowly picking up his sword carefully placing it back on his belt, he leaned his hand on it slightly. "I could help you."
Huitzilopochtli eyed him disgust. "I do not want or need your help lesser god." Ares felt a cold smile form. "Over throwing the king of the Aztec gods, sounds like you need all the help you can get." Huitzilopochtli narrowed his gaze. "You have no use to me lesser war god, every tactic you have ever learnt, every fighting skill you have, even your laws of war, all came from me." He looked at his hand for a moment before looking up. "I do not hire warlord's ether I very much prefer to fight as a warrior on a battle field unlike you." Ares put a hand on his chest. "You know I think your just venting your anger because you're trying to get over the fact that Gabrielle went off with Xena and not you."
He felt his cold smile widen. "Trust me it doesn't work, I've been trying for years." Huitzilopochtli eyed him for a long moment. "Do not compare your love of Xena to my love of Gabrielle you don't know how to love Xena you never will." Ares sneered slightly. "You know I have never slept with Xena when she was brain washed, I've also never ripped there souls apart." He turned slightly. "That was you." Huitzilopochtli felt his teeth grind together as he met the other gods brown eyes. "You are testing my patience lesser war god, don't think I won't take it up on myself to hurt you again. I may have given you, your powers back but that will not help you, instead you will loose."
He sneered slightly. "I am no fool I know the only reason that you want to join my war is so I will tell you were C'thulon sleeps and I will not do that, nether will any of the other gods who will join my alliance." He felt his teeth grind together. "Don't think ether that I'll give you anything you could use to over throw Zeus because I will not!" He turned sharply watching as Xochipilli appeared in a shower of flowers, he growled slightly as he pushed the petals that landed on his throne of. Xochipilli smiled as he eyed Huitzilopochtli. "Your people have been healed." He looked down sadly. "Twenty five people died because of the serpent as you already know that's including the three traitors that Gabrielle killed and one which she stuck her horn through during the chase."
Huitzilopochtli put a hand on his face breathing in painful. "It was never meant to be this way." Xochipilli turned patting his shoulder. "I was talking with your people they see that you made a bad judgement, but I told them that you didn't realize what was going to happen with Gabrielle's soul and that you could not have known ether way." Huitzilopochtli looked up sharply. "You very kind to defend me but you should not, I have done a great wrong If my people are angry and curse me then they have every right to, I have caused them terrible suffering." He shook his head. "I have taken the lives of their love ones there is no greater evil than taking that from them, whether it was unintentional or not."
Xochipilli leaned against his throne. "Well my pool of creation unlike yours is specially made to bring back people as they are. I could take all their bodies to my city and then resurrect them and then I can bring them back to you. They'll never know the difference, they'll just think that they have been asleep and then I can bring them back to you." Huitzilopochtli put a hand under his chin. "Why would you do that why would you bring back my dead warriors and innocents just like that?" Xochipilli smiled slightly. "It's who I am, you're the god of war, I'm the god of love." Huitzilopochtli felt a smile as it started to form on his lips. "I believe I understand that now."
He looked up slowly "I would like an extra favour if you could." He turned eyeing Ares. "I want you to take him with you, take him back to your sister's keep and get him out of my site." Xochipilli smirked as he walked toward the lesser war god grabbing his shoulder. "You need not explain your reasons, I understand the issue." He turned to meet Huitzilopochtli's golden gaze. "I hope that when you are finished here that you will join my self and Chantico in my sister's keep because we all need to talk." Huitzilopochtli looked up slightly. "I will be there very soon." He watched as Ares tried to struggle only disappear in a flash of flowers along with the love god, he looked down sadly nothing had gone right.
End of part 86
Silvermoonlight
Thank you everyone for all your kind reviews.
