WOE BETIDE THE PALACE MONSTER

Xena stood up from her studies chair looking at her quill for some reason she didn't feel like sitting right now. The arrangements were being made for the royals who'd be here in four days. The royal hall was being decorated today and the masses of food were going to be brought in because of the people involved it would not take place in the study but in throne room.

The guard would be doubled as well and the last thing she wanted was for Gabrielle to show her face. She didn't want to have to answer any questions regarding her being here. She leaned against the desk hearing the foot steps coming up the hall, she breathed in deeply trying to clam herself she was getting stressed. Saying that though she always got stressed when it came to this royal banquet, there was so much that could go wrong. She also hated it as it was the one party when she was the most unprotected unlike the rest which were held in her study which had be a bottle neck to stop assassination attempts.

Her gaze shifted as the door was opened and Gabrielle walked though, she looked up as Demetrius took up Iona's position. "Where is Iona?" Demetrius looked up slightly. "She's not feeling well today Empress, I'll be taking her place for today." Gabrielle folded her arms some how she was glad Iona wasn't here she was beginning to truly dislike her she never knocked and always barged in to her room. At least Demetrius had shown the courtesy of knocking even the servant who put her dinner plate on the floor every damn day never did that. She breathed in trying to control her emotions she was starting to feel stretched and torn deep down in side. Every day in this palace was starting to feel like a nightmare.

Just about everyone hated her and she was beginning to find it deeply depressing. She thought at first that she'd cope with it but now it was starting to really get to her. The sleepless nights the nightmares the looks she got when she walked around at night. It was all pure hatred directed at her for one reason or another, people didn't even call her by her name it was always dog, monster, or beast. Thaleia and her mother had been the first to even talk to her, but she didn't expect them to talk to her again, why would they? They'd be risking harassment by the other staff for being seen with her. Thaleia had brought her coltsfoot leaf to smoke which she grateful for but now graved opium so badly.

This wasn't the first time in her life when she'd felt this way she'd felt this way before and she smocked opium to take away the pain. To forget her feelings and block out the horrible images from the past, when she was high was one of the few times when she was happy. True it wasn't real happiness it was fake but she didn't care. She had nothing else to hold on to it had been a very long time since she'd been happy about anything so in her view the delusion of happiness was better than nothing. Xena took in a deep breath realizing that Gabrielle hadn't said a word she was deep in her own thoughts. She eyed Demetrius. "Thank you for telling me." Demetrius nodded. "You're welcome Empress." Xena turned back to Gabrielle. "You didn't finish your story so please continue I want to know what happened after that werewolf bit you."

Gabrielle sighed aloud she was getting tired of these sessions she put a hand through her hair which was much longer now, it was still short but at least now she had a growing fridge and her hair was starting to cover her ears. "Do we have to do this today? I'm not in the mood." Xena turned ignoring the other woman's dead pan tone. She wasn't in the mood for this today she had too much on her mind. "Yes we have to do this today it's in your agreement." Gabrielle put a hand on her face. "Then can we just ignore that agreement for one day." Xena stepped away from the desk as she came to stand near her, she couldn't stop her angry voice as it hit the air before she could stop it. "You do as I command!"

She narrowed her gaze. "And I command that you carry on where we left off!" She ignored the shock as it spread across Demetrius's face as she stepped back slowly. "Now carry on with your story, I have important business to attend to today and you're holding me up." Gabrielle looked down sadly this was what she'd feared. When you are inhuman you became inhuman in the eyes of others and no matter what you do or say it changed nothing. Just about everyone here disliked her and now that had finally extended to the Empress herself. She was no longer a person to the Empress but a thing to command by her will and she had no choice but to obey.

Maybe for once she'd thought that someone would see beyond her inhumanity that may be this woman would be nice to her. Like she had been when she'd been in the healer's bed. Dreams were always fleeting and she knew better than anyone that when you grasp them in your hands they became like sand and would spill through your fingers in the end. She looked up trying to ignore the pain in her heart as she thought back to her youth once more.

8

Gabrielle felt the intense agony as she walked through the forest trying to take the pain in her shoulder. She had no idea how long she'd walked but it felt like forever. She had no idea where she was going and every step took painful effort and the chain on her foot didn't help. Her shoulder was now a mass of red blood and ripped material. Though oddly no flies were landing on horrific wound on her shoulder or on her face they were only landing on her bloody dress where her friend had been laying before her death which she couldn't understand but the smell of blood was there she couldn't seem to escape it. It was sickening smell and one she really wasn't used to.

She took in a painful breath, it was taking everything she had to not pass out which was all she wanted to do, the pain in her shoulder and her face was becoming excruciating, she had left the bloody camp and the bodies a long time ago. She'd done nothing but walk but now she could truly feel the exhaustion and she was wanted to be sick. The only water skin she'd found on one of the men had been half full and it had now run out long ago. She realized that she had walked all night and the sun was coming up she could just see it in the trees above. She stopped leaning against the nearest tree trying to catch her breath feeling for the first time since she'd started walking that she wanted to give up.

There were just trees all around her in every direction and she had no idea how to navigate out of this forest. She had no training in walking anywhere she never even left her home town before now, she didn't even know how to heal wounds. She took in a deep breath trying to stay awake as she forced herself in to a standing position. She looked up slowly realizing that she had passed by an odd looking mask like symbols which was hanging from the trees with red and blue feathers. She carried on moving not really caring why it was there she was too tired to care about anything right now. She found herself suddenly stopping as yelling came from high above her.

She looked up in surprise only to watch as two women dressed in what looked like patterned leathers wearing masks came down on ropes their feet hitting the ground hard, they were both wearing strange bird masks on there faces complete with coloured feathers. She watched as they both pulled out their long gleaming swords as the first woman eased up her mask showing her red curly hair medium length and blue hair and fair skin.

Her blue eyes narrowed as she spoke the anger in her tone. "My name is Terreis and you are on Amazon territory! State your purpose and tell us who you are!" Gabrielle breathed in deeply as she looked at them both standing up tall so they could see her bloody shoulder. She breathed in painfully. "My…name is Gabrielle and if you can't tell I'm wounded badly." She felt a half smile form despite her pain only for it to slowly fade as her strength suddenly ebbed away from her body and the pain truly hit home. She couldn't stop her as self as she fell sideways hitting the floor hard on her side watching as the world around her faded in to darkness as she lost consciousness.

8

Xena breathed in deeply. "So you insulted the Amazons when you met them, it does seem that you have a knack for opening your mouth when you should be silent." Gabrielle looked up trying to ignore the pain of that remark. "I'd lost a lot of blood I didn't know where I was and I thought there question was foolish since they could see the blood all over me." Xena eyed her. "Yet the same type of remark was what got you that scar on your face." Gabrielle looked up sharply about to say something only to stop. There was no point in saying anything, the Empress was making her thoughts clear which was that she deserved what she got because she couldn't keep her mouth shut.

Xena moved back to her desk leaning on it eyeing the younger woman whose eyes were looking at the floor. "I have a royal banquet taking place in four days the most important guests of the year are coming I don't want them to see your face." She breathed in deeply. "As far as they are concerned you don't exist, is that understood?" Gabrielle nodded breathing in painfully. "Yes, Empress…" Xena eased up her hand. "Demetrius take her back to her room." Demetrius nodded opening the door he watched as Gabrielle walked out he closed the door behind him watching as she stood still. "Gabrielle you can make your own way back to your room, I need to speak to the Empress."

He watched as she nodded saying nothing he opened the door walked back in to the Empress's study closing the door behind him. He took in a deep breath as the Empress looked up from her desk which she now was stood over. "Was that necessary?" Xena turned eyeing her second in command. "Was what necessary?" Demetrius breathed in deeply. "You were being very harsh to Gabrielle you were commanding her that's not you, you lead by showing compassion." Xena breathed in deeply putting a hand on her face. "You said it yourself she's not human." Demetrius breathed in deeply. "Yes I know I said that but I still believe that she should be treated with the same respect that as anyone else in your palace." Xena eyed him breathing in sharply. "Look I'm tired Demetrius the royal banquet is in four days and I hate the whole event."

She looked at one of her scrolls. "Most of the royals are spoilt idiots and I loath them they do nothing but sit in their chairs whining about how I don't give them enough. Then they have the nerve to ask me about my love life and how many people I've slept with. Then just to top it off they ask me why I have no children! Then they try and give me remedies ideas so my womb will hold a child its so humiliating!" She slammed her fist down hard in to the desk. "Gods I hate them, I own Greece and them they should keep their mouths shut!" Demetrius raised his hands. "Empress I know you hate the royal banquet I don't like it ether I worry about you and people trying to kill you and over the years I've seen how uncomfortable it makes you."

He put his hands together. "But please don't take out your anger on others you are a good person, others shouldn't suffer through your anger." Xena took in a deep breath as she looked at him. "Look I need to rest we can talk about this later." Demetrius nodded calmly as he moved towards the door. "Yes Empress." He opened the door walking through then closed it behind him he turned only to pull back in surprise as he caught sight of Gabrielle. She was sitting in the corridor on the floor close by with her head on her knees. He could see the sadness in her eyes as well as her lit her pipe which she was smoking. He moved towards her feeling the surprise take over. "I said you could go back to your room."

Gabrielle looked up slowly breathing out the smoke in her mouth. "It's not in the agreement that I go back to my room alone after the discussions." Demetrius watched as she stood up. "But I told you, you could go back to your room." Gabrielle adjusted her shirt sleeve. "No I have to honour the agreement. It's not a case of choice its something I have to do because I'm the considered a monster, almost everyone's made it very clear to me now. If I dishonour the agreement I know it will mean my death and just about everyone in this palace will cheer when I finally die."

8

Tiara turned the corner eyeing the floor only to feel the anger burn as she caught sight of wet muddy foot prints on the floor and they weren't Iona's boot prints which she was so used to. No these were huge muddy dog prints and she knew whose they were. She grabbed the bucket following them catching sight of the large werewolf walking across the throne room hall. She breathed in feeling the anger take over all at once as she grabbed the wet scrubbing brush throwing it with all her might. She watched as it came down hard slamming full force in to the golden werewolves head, bouncing off it before slammed in to the floor. "You stupid over grown dog I just spent all morning cleaning this floor!"

Gabrielle eyed the scrubbing brush she slowly put her hand on her head ignoring the pain in her ear from where the brush had hit her. She watched as the small woman with brown hair which was greying at the side came towards her. She had dark blue eyes and was slender built she was also in her late fifties and wearing white and red robes. Her hair was long in length and slightly wavy but the anger in her face was clear as day. Gabrielle eyed her feet she'd just come in from the rain and it hadn't even occurred to her that she had muddy paws she'd been too engrossed in her own thoughts. Tiara watched as the werewolf stopped still lowering both ears. "I don't clean this floor just to have you mess it up!"

She put the bucket down folding her arms. "I already have to deal with Iona's messing up my floor, I don't need you joining in you stupid dog!" Gabrielle slowly stood up on her hind legs watching as the woman, stepped back the fear suddenly showing. She felt her teeth grind together as she eyed her. "I am not a stupid dog my name is Gabrielle!" She raised a clawed hand. "I'm sorry about your floor! I'm sorry I have to live under the same roof as you people! I'm sorry that I'm forced to stay here the truth is I have no choice because if I decide to leave I'll probably die!" She narrowed her gaze trying to control her anger, she couldn't help it where ever she turned she was disliked and what ever she did it was looked up with distain by just about everyone apart from Thaleia and her mother. "I'm sorry I didn't die because that was no doubt what you all wanted to happen!"

She breathed in painfully no longer being able to control the pain in her voice. "I'm sorry I'm not human and that because I'm not human that you would never do me the courtesy of putting out a cloth and some water so I can wash my feet and hands and dry them!" Tiara stopped still she could see the pain in the green eyes as clear as day staring back at her. She watched as Gabrielle lowered herself back on to all fours the sadness still in her eyes. She slowly picked up her scrubbing brush taking a slow step closer to her. "I'm sorry I didn't know, I just thought you were being rude on purpose, they told me you had no manners." Gabrielle felt a sneer form. "Do you think I like walking around with wet and muddy feet? Because I really don't, it's cold."

She eyed her muddy clawed hands. "I wouldn't expect you to understand that ether after all I'm just a stupid dog in your eyes." Tiara eyed her she was sure she could see the beginnings of tears, she breathed in deeply before speaking. "If you raise your hands and feet I'll clean them for you." Gabrielle eyed her for a long moment she moved in to a sitting position raising her hands and feet.

Tiara moved forward scrubbing away the dirt and mud there was no resistance what so ever, she put the brush back in to the water then eased up a clean cloth scrubbing the paw pads clean and dry. She watched as Gabrielle got back on to all fours the painfully look was still in her eyes. "Look I'm really sorry I didn't know you needed a bowl and cloth left out side." Gabrielle breathed in painfully moving slowly away from her. "Every one is sorry for something." Tiara lowered her cloth watching as she disappeared from site, this was the palace monster?

Frankly seeing Gabrielle up close like this for the first time she now felt conflicted about that title. Gabrielle could have hurt her when she'd thrown that brush at her and she knew that and, yet she hadn't she'd just let her clean and dry her feet as well. She could also see now that there was so much pain staring back at her in those green eyes, a human pain just like any other and it was the pain of someone who was deeply depressed.

End of part 18

Silvermoonlight

In Gabrielle's flash back the flies not landing on her open wounds is due to her blood changing.