FOR ALL THE STRANGE MYSTERY

Its been a week a long week at least it feels that way to me, maybe because I've been looking in to the healers room everyday to see if the young woman is doing okay. She's started to put the weight back on which is surprising but saying that she now gets four meals a day. Their small meals but that's the thing about barley it really piles on the pounds and she's getting stronger. She can eat from the bowl now and can sit up in bed but the room still has to be in total darkness. It's not going to be an easy process when they start opening the curtains slowly to allow the light in. That is unless she's gone blind from being in total darkness for so long then it won't matter ether way. I would like her to get her sight back personally, she's young she doesn't deserve to be blind for the rest of her life.

I'm disappointed, Chara and Phrixus found nothing in the records even in the prisoner records. There's no description of this woman it's like she never existed at all in this palace, which just angers me all the more. Someone went to great lengths to cover up this up even to the point of making sure that nothing existed showing that she was here. Now there's only one way to find out who she is which is to ask her name, that's the biggest problem off all though. In these past two days she been conscious and this opportunity was used to clean the stains of her teeth which wasn't a pleasant experience for her. In fact she hated it, I saw the whole thing she was so unhappy even though she never spoke her face said it all.

It got worse though she had to have a back chewing tooth taken out because it was badly infected and at risk of infecting her lower gum. I just waved my hand on that one and made sure they gave her a top of the range gold replacement. These replacements are long lasting and make eating feel natural. I should know I have two gold replacements of my own in the back off my mouth, the first tooth I lost in battle when a horse hair helmet was used to club me in the face when the Spartans declared war on me after I united upper Greece, a war which I ended very quickly. The other was from when that gladiator tried to kill me in Rome. During the battle he smashed my face in to the stone of the balcony, so I know how necessary these replacements are.

There not nice to put in though it's very painfully and that made this young woman even less happy afterwards. Oh she didn't speak but she made her feelings clear by throwing her empty food bowl at the wall, despite her weakened condition. Now thought all her teeth are white and clean and she can carry on healing now for the better. I respect her ability to get through this she's been very strong it's just such a shame that she won't speak. Not that its surprising all that time alone she can't be used to talking and if she ever did speak then I'm guessing it was to herself. It's clear though that her sight isn't good she has to be handed her bowl and spoon.

Most of the time I think she's confused it's an expression which plays on her face a lot. It's hardly surprising last week she was an inch from death and now she's alive and being taken care off. To her it must bring about all sorts of questions and none with answers. I feel though that its time that I answer some for her. I watch as Ceto comes up the corridor carrying her tray with the warm porridge and a tankard of water. She's my personal maid and normally she only deals with my meals but I felt it right just to bring this woman's to her. Until she's well enough to go to the kitchen and choose what she wants from the meats and vegetables on offer.

I turn meeting Ceto's gaze as I raise my hand. "I'll take this in to her." Ceto stopped still watching as the taller woman took the tray from her hand. "Are you sure Empress?" Xena looked at the warm food. "Yes I'm sure, I need to spend some time with this woman maybe get to know her then I can get some answers about who she is and why she was in the pit." Ceto pushed her medium length brown hair back as her dark green eyes darted. "May be you could ask her about that scar on her eyebrow Empress, the kitchen staff keep on asking me about it but I have no story to tell." Xena breathed in deeply she trusted Ceto on a personal level she'd been her personal maid ever since her return to Greece, she was both trust worthy and loyal.

Ceto though had problems because of her position she was prone to hearing the palace gossip and the other staff liked to ask her questions. This young woman being found where she had had been had caused a lot of gossip among the palace staff. It always perplexed her how they focused on odd things, like in this instance they were fixated by a scar. She wouldn't lie it was strange for such a young woman to have a scar like that on her eyebrow. For a warrior no one would bat an eyelid or want to talk about it. She turned slowly putting a hand on Ceto's shoulder. "I'll look in to it." Ceto nodded respectfully. "Thank you Empress I would like to stifle the gossip some what."

Xena watched as she walked away she hoped that she'd at least have some answers for Ceto. She slowly walked through the doorway watching as the young woman looked up from her bed though her eyes looked past her. She was sure that she could hear her footsteps as they echoed on the marble floor not that It helped matters as she had heavy boots on. She carefully sat on the bed next to her seeing that she was still looking in her direction. She took in a deep breath before speaking gently. "Hi." The young woman carried on looking at her, but there was no response. This was going to be harder than she'd first thought she carefully put the tray down picking up the hot bowl. "I brought you, your dinner."

She carefully took hold of her other woman's hand putting the bowl in to it watching as she griped it tightly. She slowly put the spoon in her other hand watching as she clutched it tightly. The younger woman started to eat very slowly, even though her eyes couldn't see her she seemed very wary. She'd probably become very used to the same people being in this room feeding her and helping her. Xena felt a smile form on my lips. "They say you're getting a lot better, it must be boring though eating that porridge every day I don't know how you can stand it." She looked down only to hear a voice hit the air it was so faint that she almost didn't hear it. She turned looking at the young woman speaking softly. "What did you say?" The younger woman turned in her direction as she spoke slightly louder. "You get used to it."

Xena shifted closer she'd actuality spoken to her, that was a surprise. "Must still be very boring, though." The young woman's fingers gripped her bowl tighter as she spoke again. "I wouldn't know I've forgotten what everything else tastes like." Xena leaned a little closer the woman may not have been able to see but her hearing was still good, as she moved back ever so slightly. "What's your name?" The younger woman unseeing eyes moved in darkness as though she was thinking it through which wasn't surprising ether. It had been so long since she'd had any human contact. The younger woman's gaze darted as she looked up as if remembering for the first time what her name was, she took in a deep breath as she spoke. "My name is Gabrielle."

Xena looked at her for a long moment that was a very charming name to her ears she watched as the younger woman carried on eating as she began to loose herself in her own thoughts. "That's a nice name." She turned hearing the foot steps up the corridor she watched as a Chara appeared in the doorway. "Yes?" Chara breathed in deeply adjusting her purplepeplos robes which had a thick golden embodied belt as she tapped her brown sandals. "I do not mean to bother you Empress, it's just there's something you need to see." Xena breathed in deeply as she stood up. "I'm coming." She put her hand gently on Gabrielle arm as she placed the mug of water with in her reach. "Your waters here, I've put it on the table opposite your bed."

She watched as she nodded, before following Chara whose long blonde hair was well over her shoulders and in a long plait. Her dark green eyes shifted as they moved in to the room opposite, where a big wooden box was sitting on the desk. The scribe moves her hand to the boxes lid. "You asked me to find something on the young woman sadly I couldn't and nether could Phrixus." Xena closed the door behind her walking over to the table eyeing the heavy box. "Yes I did." Chara's looked up as she opened the wooden lid. "We found this Empress, it was in the visitors study but it was hidden behind a shelf, I was looking through the remaining records when I stumbled up on it, I may never have noticed it otherwise."

She eyed the contents inside. "As you know when a prisoner under your law is put in prison all his or her items go in to a wooden box, the box is locked and stored with a record. If they are freed their items are returned if they are punished and go to their death the box is sent to their family." She paused before speaking. "This is a prison box but it was open, no key, no records but its items from what I can tell are hers the clothes are about her size." Xena eased her hand in pulling up a white long sleeved shirt with decorative sleeves embodied in red patterns, there was a black loose fitting pair of trousers and knee high pair of black leather boots. This woman obviously didn't wear women's clothes at all there had be a good very reason for that though.

A reason which wasn't clear to her at the very moment in time she carefully put the small shirt back in the box. Everything about this woman was a mystery the more she found the more she didn't understand. She blinked catching sight of a very familiar emblem which was on a golden medallion which had a thick gold chain. She pulled it out looking at the two wolf heads meeting in the flames it was the symbol of the Northern Rebels of Arcadia. They had been a separate faction to the Spartans and not allied with them. They were much worse than any faction she'd ever dealt with, she'd never understood their motives they were also known for their attacks which had been lightning fast and always killed innocent people.

They'd even attacked her palace and their attack just might have succeeded if not for Demetrius incredibly quick thinking. He'd bottle necked them in the courtyard, giving her enough time to force them in to a corner with her troops. She still couldn't work out to this very day how they'd gotten in over the wall which surrounded the palace. It was twenty feet high and not a single one of them had a rope on them, she could only assume some one had let them in on her side, though the traitor had been found to this very day.

They were aiming to kill her that much was true but they'd failed and those who survived that battle were locked away in her prison. A year later she'd been able to form and agreement with them as their leader had come forward in the cells revealing him self. She'd freed all those imprisoned as an act of good faith, but even now she'd never understood their sudden turn around in behaviour. She didn't buy it, she'd locked her enemies up for years before they had finally broken and asked to start an agreement. As a rule she never killed the leader unless she had no choice. She knew better, when you cut off the snake's head it doesn't necessarily stop the body moving. So her method was to imprison the leader until he couldn't stand prison any longer and wanted to start the agreement process.

It worked better that way and the leader's followers would go with it also since he wasn't killed it would mean there was no martyr and no one would take his place. She looked at the medallion this young woman was a Northern Rebel? She didn't look like one at all, all this aside though Chara was right these clothes were her size. She put the medallion down looking at the other items she eased out a small wooden bird which had been carved by hand with deep and beautiful details, it was painted in rich deep colours. It was a Goldfinch a small insect eating bird which was very common. She looked at the piece for a long moment it was so beautiful crafted, despite being nothing more than a table ornament.

She looked down seeing another small bird carved in the same beautiful manner she carefully placed the other down picking the second bird up which was a carved and painted Black Cap. It seemed so strange that this would be in the box along with the medallion of the rebels since these little carved birds were a world apart from them. She put the little Black Cap down watching as Chara picked it up looking it over with great interest. Her gaze drifted to a small leather bag which was Amazon in design, she eased it up opening pouring it gently out on to the table watching as a series of items came in to view. She picked up the filled money bag rattling it clearly the young woman wasn't poor.

She put it down picking up the next item which was bronze ring she turned it between her fingers she didn't recognise the design on it but it was clear that it wasn't hers. It was for a much bigger hand than hers. Perhaps it had been a gift she'd intended to give, or may be it was something more ether way it was another piece of a much bigger puzzle. She put it down picking up the next item which was a small chain with a red gemstone, which was very small. She put it down catching sight of a small wooden child toy horse which was very old she could tell by the darkened wood. It was clearly some kind of toy from her childhood which she'd never been able to part with.

The last item was a small carved ivory pipe clearly for smoking she picked it up looking at it. It was a strange thing to have she knew that noble Greek women smoked as did men but it seemed strange for this young woman have an item like this. She didn't look like the type to smoke, in her opinion. She sighed as she put the things back in bag then put them in the box watching as Chara placed the bird in with the other. "Your right this has to be hers but still there's nothing to say where she came from, or how she got here." Chara breathed in closing the box. "I'll leave this with you maybe you can give it to her when she's feeling better Empress."

Xena looked up slightly. "She is getting better she spoke to me today." Chara blinked in surprise. "She spoke to you, but she hasn't spoken to anyone since she was brought out of the pit, the rumour in the palace was that she can't speak Empress." Xena tapped the boxes lid. "Well she spoke to me today. She didn't say much though only that she couldn't remember how most food tastes. After I told her that eating barley porridge everyday must be boring." Chara leaned forward. "Did she tell you her name Empress? You see the healing staff have been trying all week to find it out but she won't speak to them." Xena blinked this was a strange turn of events the young woman had spoken to her before anyone else, she breathed in deeply. "Yes as a matter of fact she did…she told me that her name is Gabrielle."

End of part 3

Silvermoonlight