WHISPERS OF SOMETHING TO STRANGE FOR WORDS

Evadine led the short blonde haired woman down the hallway to her room she had been doing this for a week now. Gabrielle liked to go and feel the grass and she liked for the moon lit sky to be described to her. It was a very odd request but she had done it regardless, she'd been told to for fill any of the young woman's requests and act as her personal maid by the Empress. Gabrielle didn't talk that much she was very quite though she put that down to the traumatic events she'd been through in the pit. The palace rumour was that she'd lost of her mind and had no memory of her past. Frankly she didn't really buy that Gabrielle showed no sighs of insanity, she was very quite and thoughtful.

She turned eyeing the deep diagonal scar on her eye before turning to her seeing that her unseeing eyes were staring forward. "How did you get that scar on your eye?" Gabrielle turned in the direction of the young woman's voice. "Scar?" Evadine stopped her putting her hand on her eyebrow where the scar began running her fingers along the deep healed scar which ended at her eye. "You have a scar right here its deep." Gabrielle moved her hand up easing the other woman's hand aside as she ran her fingers along the scar feeling the deep grove where a weapon had cut in deeply. No one had even mentioned this scar to her not in all the time she'd been in the healer's room. She spoke feeling her own words become distant to her. "Is it ugly…does it ruin my face?"

Evadine blinked feeling a smile form. "No of course not though it does stand out." Gabrielle narrowed her gaze feeling a sudden burst of pain which caused her to wince painfully. She suddenly didn't feel well the grey shadows in her eyes were flickering with white light and it was causing her to blink as a distant male voice penetrated her mind. "Ugly little whore you'll have to live with this for the rest of your miserable life."

Gabrielle turned feeling the anger burn deep down in the pit of her stomach taking over everything in her mind. "I'm not an ugly whore!" Evadine blinked suddenly feeling confused as Gabrielle's eyes focused on her. "Hey easy now, I didn't call you ugly or a whore." She stepped closer watching as the young woman's body tensed. "Are you okay, you don't look so good?" Gabrielle looked up no longer hearing anything but the male voice in her mind which wouldn't leave her alone as it tour through her thoughts for the second time. "What's wrong filthy peasant you don't like your new scar? Did I cut the wrong way maybe I should cut the other side of your face as well then it'll look more creative, wouldn't you agree?"

Evadine stepped closer seeing the binding rage appear in Gabrielle's eyes. "Gabrielle you need to take a deep breath." The next moments seemed to happen to her in slow motion as Gabrielle's scream of intense rage hit the air as her eyes suddenly focused fully on her. The blonde woman suddenly dropped her stick as her feet slammed in to the ground. The next moments turned to agony as both her hands wrapped around her throat and her body was smashed in to the wall with enough force to make her scream in pain. The intense greens eyes large pupils suddenly dilated in front of her going small due to the bright light, as they stared in to her own suddenly very much full of life.

She couldn't scream the hands were gagging her and she felt her feet scuff the marble floor as she was slowly raised higher. Gabrielle's voice hit the air but it was filled with a deeply vindictive and all most freighting tone which was spoken through gritted teeth. "How's about I rip your head of your shoulders, now wouldn't that be fun?" The green eyes narrowed to slits. "Or may be I'll rip you open and watch your guts spill out!" She felt herself cough as she tried desperately to breathe. She couldn't get out a breath the grip on her throat was like iron and the blonde woman seemed insanely strong, her feet had now left the floor and her shoes were scuffing the wall.

She was terrified at this moment in time more terrified than she'd ever felt in her life there were no guards close by they were in the other corridor she moved her shaking arm seeing the only means of escape which was an expensive vase on a stand. Her fingers shook as she took hold of it being higher ironically made it easier to grab. She didn't think as she swung it with all her might watching as it smashed apart as it collided with Gabrielle's head. She felt the sudden pain as the hands let go of her throat. She winced in pain as she hit the floor back first watching as Gabrielle hit the ground opposite hard, she heard the thundering as the guard's footsteps as they came up the hall.

She breathed in painfully watching as the forest green eyes slowly closed as the short blonde haired woman lost consciousness. Blood was dripping down from her forehead where she'd taken the force of the blow. She breathed in feeling herself shake as the guards appeared running up to her gods she could feel her heart hammering in her chest like a drum as she took a deep needed breath.

8

I don't believe this! I mean how did this even happen? Things like this do not happen in my palace, unless they are directed at me! I was having a nice night I was about to drink myself to sleep again and now I'm in my throne room and really not in the best mood for this conversation. Xena looked up meeting Evadine's terrified brown gaze as she spoke. "Go though this one more time please?" Evadine rubbed her bruised throat which was now turning red and felt painful. "She tried to kill me Empress!" Iona leaned against a pillar. "Could you please be more pacific, details and all that?" Evadine pushed her long braided red hair back as she turned to Iona not bothering to hide her disgust. "I just asked her about that scar on her eyebrow and then she just went insane!"

Iona put a finger to her lip. "Maybe you hit a soft spot?" Evadine sneered raising her hands. "Oh please she thought I was calling her a whore, I never even said anything of the sort to her! I asked her what was wrong and then she tried to strangle me. She wanted me dead I could see it in her eyes!" Iona raised an eyebrow. "There's still something I don't get, how did she raise you off the floor?" Demetrius turned sharply eyeing Iona. "Be quite your not helping the situation!" Iona shrugged slightly. "Look I just want to know how she got her off the floor she's meant to be weak. I mean how does a woman who's still got her ribs showing and can only walk short distances pull someone off the floor like that?"

She eyed Evadine. "She said her feet left the ground!" Demetrius folded his arms. "Adrenaline?" Iona snorted in disgust. "Oh please that's a poor excuse. You know as well as I do weak people don't have that kind of strength and in her condition that amount of adrenaline might cause her heart to suddenly stop." Xena turned watching as Phantasos walked in to the room the concern in his eyes. "How is she?" Phantasos he looked up slowly. "Gabrielle is not doing very well, its like she's had a serious relapse, she has a very high fever and keeps on throwing up. She won't stop shaking and she's now awake which is making it worse as she has a serious head wound."

He breathed in deeply. "I'm so grateful to who ever that was who decided to smash her over the head with an expensive vase, you've made what she's now going through very unpleasant." Evadine snarled as she side stepped. "She was trying to kill me!" Phantasos turned eyeing her. "You're lucky you didn't break her skull! I mean hasn't this woman suffered enough as it is?" Evadine raised her hand. "I don't believe this your all defending her! She tried to kill me shouldn't that say something to you about her mental stability? If you'd seen how she was looking at me you might change your tune, she was enjoying it I could see it in her eyes." Phantasos clapped his hands together. "Ah yes her eyes explain that me because I'm really confused."

Evadine blinked as she sat down in one of the long chairs opposite the thrown. "What?" Phantasos breathed in deeply. "Well it appears that she can see now, where as before she was blind can you please explain that to me?" Evadine breathed in deeply. "That's real easy before she grabbed me her pupils just dilated it was very sudden and the next thing I knew her hands had found my neck!" Xena breathed in feeling her teeth grind together. "Be quite all of you!" She watched as the room fell silent instantly. She walked towards Evadine putting a hand gently on her shoulder. "No one is blaming you for anything and if I'd known this was going to happen I would not have left you alone with Gabrielle."

She breathed in deeply. "We just need to know all the facts, as this happening has shocked us all." Evadine rubbed her neck. "I understand Empress, I'm just shaken up, I thought she was going to kill me." Phantasos shook his head. "I've never seen anything like this before Empress, people don't relapse in this manner." He breathed in deeply. "I can't explain it ether, she was perfectly healthy and on the mend, this shouldn't have happened. Plus if what's been said is anything to go by it sounds almost like a mental episode, which I've seen warriors have on the battle field. Normally though there are sighs, signals, odd behaviours and she's showed none of this."

He put a hand through his beard. "As for the eyes I can't explain that ether, I've never seen anyone go from blind to seeing like that, it just doesn't happen." Xena put a hand through her hair in frustration. "Where is Gabrielle now?" Phantasos folded his arms. "She's in her room in bed, one of my healers is with her, I told him to give her a sedative before I left which will hopefully knock her out for the night." Evadine looked up sharply. "No offence but I don't want to be her personal maid anymore, next time she might kill me for real." Xena looked at her for a long moment, this was hardly surprising and she'd feel the same way if she had been in Evadine's shoes. She felt her eyes dart she had not wanted to get involved with Gabrielle due to her position but now that choice had been taken away from her.

She put her hands together. "I'll take care of Gabrielle from here on in she'll be my reasonability." Demetrius blinked in shock. "But Empress, you don't have to do this she's not your responsibility." Xena narrowed her gaze. "She's been my responsibility ever since I found her in that pit and it's clear to me now that I should have been watched her more closely." She folded her arms. "So regardless of what you feel I will take care of her from here on in. If she's a danger to herself and others then she need's some one with good combat training to stop her actions." She looked at the floor. "Clearly Gabrielle is not a run of mill patient and what ever was done to her has affected her mind."

She took in a deep breath. "I refuse to argue with any off you regarding this matter my discussion is final." Demetrius nodded trying to ignore the anger he felt over this. In his view this was dangerous and reckless and the Empress didn't need to burden herself with this young woman who was clearly mentally unstable. He knew though that he couldn't change her mind once she had made it up. He nodded meeting her gaze. "As you wish." Iona leaned against the pillar once more. "Yes Empress." Phantasos walked over to Evadine putting a hand on her shoulder. "Come with me we'll both talk about what happened and I'll have a look at your neck."

Xena watched as the healer left she could still feel the fuzzy alcoholic haze which was mildly clouding her judgement but frankly she didn't care. She stepped away from Demetrius and Iona. "I'm going to call it a night, excuse me." She ignored their looks of surprise as she walked through the corridor that led to her room she had probably made a crazy choice but she could deal with it at later time.

End of part 6

Silvermoonlight

Thank you Hazmot for pointing out the issues with this chapter, which I have hopefully fixed now. :)