THE COLDNESS OF THE DARKNESS

Xena threw another document aside she was so bored at this moment, these past few days had just been deeply stressful on her as everything was being put in to place ready for the royal banquet. Everything was almost ready for the banquet the last things were just being brought in ready for the lavish dinner which would have four courses. She sighed another document, then stamping her royal seal in to the hot wax on it using her ring, which was on the third finger of her right hand. Now it was just a case of fixing the entertainment she already had two letters back regarding the Greek gladiator undefeated champions, two were going to be brought in, one from Athens and another from Crete, to display fight for the royal guests.

She hadn't been able to get two female champions only one as the others, were all engaged in important fights on that day. The only one she had been able to get hold of was the undefeated gladiatrix from Apollonia. She could use her as a show piece and have her display and show of her skills. She was a Hoplomachus which was in essence a warrior who used a small shield and long spear which wasn't common as most of the female fighters in the Greek gladiatorial games preferred swords and shields. The two male gladiators were a Murmillo and Retiarius, which would make for a great mock fight, as it would be the heaviest armour wise against the most light and agile. The horses had arrived this morning complete with all three champion's armours and weapons the champions would come tomorrow along with the head trainers who'd taught them at the villa training schools.

It was customary for the trainers to come to the palace and show off their champion's prowess then they'd tell the royals about how they'd trained them and boast the many victories they'd won. Then the champion would take the stage speaking for them selves and then they'd leave the audience in awe with their displays. Although she had tried to ban gladiatorial games in Greece to start with she'd found it difficult as she enjoyed the games. She admired the power and honour of the warriors. There was one fight though that she didn't permit despite that it was allowed in Rome, the werewolf battles with gladiators were banned in her land, in Rome they refereed to them as Dog Fights.

They were too dangerous and far to brutal and she knew that people died in horrific ways when facing werewolves, any one caught doing a Dog Fight would be fined and imprisoned. There were also rules in place when killing werewolves under the hunting law, a sword through the neck as a final kill blow and they weren't to be kept alive or tortured by law they could only be skinned and taken apart after death. Her gaze shifted as the door was opened she breathed in as Gabrielle was brought through followed by Iona this had become the routine now. Gabrielle was brought in by Iona to her study for talks. She carefully put down her quill as she looked at the short haired blonde woman who really didn't want to be in her study she could see it in her eyes.

She put her hands together not caring that her tone sounded cold. "I'd like you to continue from where you left off yesterday." Gabrielle narrowed her gaze pulling on her shirts sleeve. "The Amazons didn't like me they threw me out, the end…." Xena stood up sharply feeling the anger as it started to burn. "Don't try and be clever with me!" Gabrielle put her hand on her chest speaking slowly not caring for the sarcasm in her tone. "It's what you want to hear Empress I mean you do so enjoy mocking my life story as well as me." Xena felt her hand form a fist. "Why do you have to be so difficult with me?" Gabrielle sneered slightly. "Because you don't treat me with any respect, I'm just here at your beck and call!"

Xena moved out from behind her desk. "That was our agreement!" Gabrielle felt her teeth grind together. "No it was your agreement, I never got a say I just have to comply with your rules!" Gabrielle looked her down slightly. "You're meant to be this figure of nobility, kindness and dignity yet I've never seen any off it, maybe the truth is you're a Conqueror hiding behind the face of an Empress."

Xena moved so she was standing over her she didn't think as she grabbed her shirt at the collar unable to contain her rage. "You know nothing about me! You don't know who I am. What I've done or my life story, you have no right to judge me!" Gabrielle ignored her grip as she looked up meeting her enraged light blue gaze. "No and you know hardly anything about me, yet you've already judged me and given me the title of monster!" Xena let go of her harshly. "Get on with your story!" Gabrielle breathed in deeply great, just great it didn't matter what she did or what he said. When ever she was in this room speaking with this woman she always lost the argument. The Empress hated her that was so clear to her now, she hated her the way others had through out her life when she'd done nothing more than show her face.

8

Gabrielle slowly picked up the broken mirror with her clawed fingers easing it up to her face watching as the monstrous snout appeared in the glass staring back at her. She'd thought up to this moment that she knew what pain was having suffered so much of it in these past few days, yet it was just the tip of the ice beige to what she'd just gone though. She'd never been in so much in her whole life, as he body had reshaped itself and her bones had cracked one by one repositioning themselves as she turned in to this living nightmare. She had almost lost consciousness due to how painfully it was, she couldn't even put in to words how painfully it truly was she couldn't describe it ether, she had even cried out to the goddess Aphrodite who she worshipped for help.

No reply had come, the pain had just kept coming and she had been awake enough to see her body reshape and reform as its humanity was stripped away leaving the monster that she was now looking back at her in mirror glass. The Amazons had clearly done this before because the shackles she was wearing had special hinges which meant that they had expanded as her body had grown. She looked in to the mirror again seeing the only thing to her that was familiar her which was her eyes which were encased behind a frame of fur and still looked the same only the pupils were slightly bigger. Worse still the scar on her right eye stood out just as much in this form as in her human one. She felt her clawed hands shake as the tears started to run down her long snout.

She was a monster an ugly hideous beast and she would now be this way for the rest of her life. She found her tears coming harder, as a notion hit her harder than any other. She could not return home this way, her parents would disown her she was an animal and monster and if anyone ever found out they'd kill her on sight. Oh gods her life had truly turned in to a nightmare she put the mirror down feeling her scream of anguish hit the air as she stood up on her hind legs only to topple over as she was unused to the her new body she winced as she hit the ground hard on her back. She pulled on her chains hard feeling the panic take over she was in a nightmare and she wanted to wake up from it!

She couldn't stop herself screaming again as everything hit home in a way she just couldn't handle. Why was this happening to her? What had she ever done to anyone to deserve it? She had always prayed to her goddess and given her offering she had been good to people, so why was her goddess punishing her now? Had she truly abandoned her?

8

Ephiny looked up watching as the young girl with very long blonde hair was led out of the tent the smaller chains were back in place. She'd been given a very simple long green dress to wear as well as a blue top and a pair of walking boots. Her other clothes had been ruined and though the Amazons didn't wear village clothes they did have some as they were used for missions undercover as no one could tell an Amazon from a village woman if they were dressed the same.

There had been a set in her size which was lucky she picked up a medium sized bag which had Amazon designs on it. All she'd heard all night was the girl screaming, crying and roaring with her werewolf lungs in side the tent clearly this had been very traumatic for her. She folded her arms as Gabrielle was walked slowly to the edge of the village she wasn't her problem anymore though.

No doubt the werewolves would find her and take her in as they always did with all their people. Werewolves even had special scouts who had no other purpose than to track backwards and forwards across Greece to find trays. They took very good care of there own, so it wouldn't be long before someone found this young girl. She breathed in watching as they stopped at the clearing and the two other women took of her chains the woman hadn't raised her head once, she looked truly down beaten and tired. She folded her arms as she stepped in front on her. "Gabrielle!" Gabrielle looked up sharply seeing that Ephiny was looking at her. "Yes?"

Ephiny didn't think as she shoved the Amazon bag in to her chest which had enough supplies for three days in it. "It's time for you to go by order of Queen Terreis." Gabrielle looked up slightly. "Don't do this to me I don't have anywhere to go, I don't even know Greece!" Ephiny breathed in deeply. "That's not my problem it's yours, now move!" Gabrielle looked up slightly realizing that she was now begging. "Please can't you tell me where to go…I don't even have a map I'm just a village girl I've never even travelled." Ephiny didn't think as she pulled up her sword watching as the fear spread across the young girls face. "I said leave! It's not a request! Go and find your people!"

Gabrielle swallowed gripping the bag tighter as she walked slowly away from the sword point and in to the clearing in front of her. She stopped feeling the anger take over as she turned to face Ephiny feeling her teeth grind together. It was first time in her life that she'd ever felt truly anger and she was unused to intensity of the feeling. "Tell me has my goddess Aphrodite cursed me?"

Ephiny blinked what a strange question she could see the girls intense green eyes staring at her the rage in them as clear as day. "Yes Aphrodite has cursed you." Gabrielle didn't think as she eased pulling out the little wooden statute of Aphrodite which she carved some years back from her new dresses pocket it had been in the pocket of her other dress. She turned throwing it watching as it landed at Ephiny's feet. "Then this is no good to me anymore." She turned as she carried on walking not looking back feeling the rage boil in her stomach as moved through the forest. She no longer cared where she was headed only that she wanted to be away from this place and these vile hateful people who had just thrown her out in a cold of the world with nothing but the clothes on a back and an Amazon bag.

8

Xena looked up slightly. "So that is where you got that Amazon bag from which is in your chest?" Gabrielle breathed in deeply. "Yes." Xena raised an eyebrow. "So the Amazon gave you supplies and told you just to go?" Gabrielle narrowed her gaze. "If you call three days worth supplies then yes, because they didn't give me anything else, I had no money, no map and I had no idea where I was going." Xena leaned against her desk. "I'm guessing the werewolf scouts found you though?"

Gabrielle laughed slightly but it was a cold laugh. "You'd think that wouldn't you that they'd just find me, but believe me they didn't not for a very long time." She sneered slightly. "The Amazons kicked me out in to the cold and they left me to die out there, I knew nothing about my life outside my peaceful village. I didn't know how vicious people could be or that they'd try to kill you." She felt her teeth grind together. "Oh but I learnt believe you and me, it was a painful process." Xena raised her hand to Iona. "Take her back to her room." Gabrielle folded her arms feeling the disgust take over. "Oh you don't want to hear more? I'm surprised." Xena turned sharply. "No I don't want to hear more I have some very important business to attend to!"

She watched as Gabrielle sneered at her in disgust as she was led out of the room, she'd didn't care for the monsters sob story it was just as a way for Gabrielle to get attention and make her feel guilty. No she had better things to do with her time that waste it by having her emotional strings pulled, which was no doubt just be a ploy to get to drop her defences. Gabrielle's wasn't stupid she was very bright and she wouldn't fall in to her emotional trap.

8

Gabrielle pulled the cords tighter around the branches which she'd found last night in the royal gardens, she pulled the sting tighter double looping it forcing the branches together to create a perch. She found the thick rope outside the kitchen the cooks had been throwing it out in to the trash, she'd taken it washed it and dried it out. She carried on looping she was bored and she had so little to do with her time. She spent most of it sleeping and the rest she sat around doing nothing. Since nothing she'd ordered on her list had come, she had ordered wood carving tools three days ago and she had received nothing. She had ordered new clothing and none of that had come ether.

No one cleaned her room now they used to but now that had stopped and she didn't even bother to sleep on her bed anymore. Instead she just slept on the floor in werewolf form it meant she didn't ruin her sheets which she had to wash herself now and hang off the balcony to dry in the warm weather she no longer wanted to mess them up since they were all she had. Just to add insult to injury they were putting her food outside on a tray now, they didn't even bother to knock to tell her it had arrived so it was always cold when she found it. Not that she cared anymore for eating it anymore there was one luxury about being a werewolf which was at night she could hunt for herself, the palace gardens were filled with warrens and she knew how to hunt rabbits.

A whole year of wandering alone in the wilderness's of Greece after being tossed out by the Amazons had taught her a lot. She'd leant that she didn't need to bother with eating cooked food and she could eat raw things, even though they tasted vile. She loathed eating dead whole rabbits but it was better than nothing. It was one of the times in her life when she lived up to her name of werewolf, when she hunted and killed animals in the woodlands. She'd run after them on all fours hearing her own heart beat pounding like a drum in her ears and her muscles flexing as her feet hit the ground right before the moment when she dug her teeth in to what ever she was killing and tasted blood for the first time.

She'd become very feral in that long year in which she'd drifted from place to place being penniless and completely alone. Her dress had turned to rags and she'd become tougher. She started to hate everyone including Aphrodite for abounding her to the cold outdoors. Her world had been spinning out control and she had, had no direction in her life. She couldn't see anyone hiring her as she had no proof of her carpentry skills and she couldn't afford tools. She'd been too young to work it all out and she'd had no help and she'd had no friends.

She had started to loose herself and had started to do things that she'd never even considered before, like stealing and breaking in to places to get things she wanted. Because by the end of those long twelve months the world was starting to get to her as was the fact that she had nothing. Her seventeenth birthday had passed her by and she had started to become depressed. She had been looking at a better pair of boots in a sellers shop and her desire had gotten the better of her.

Her thoughts were suddenly broken as someone knocked on her door she pulled the rope tighter on the wooden branches it was probably that bitch Iona. How she loathed her she looked up speaking coldly "Come in!" She watched as her door was opened as Fedora walked in closely followed by Thaleia. The older woman smiled as she met her gaze. "Ah there you are, you know I've been looking for your room for a while."

Fedora paused looking at the bloody painted symbol on the door which had been painted in animal's blood it was the symbol for a heretic and who ever had painted it on her door should be punished by the Empress her self for doing something so vile. "There appears to be a symbol on your door would you like me to clean it off you?" Gabrielle lowered her gaze forcing the rope tighter on the branches she'd found that symbol on her door when she'd returned from the Empress's talk this morning. Clearly someone on the kitchen staff had painted it since it was done in animal blood plus they hated her more than the other staff because she didn't worship the Greek gods and that made her a heretic in their eyes. "Don't bother."

Fedora closed the door looking in side the room which was well kept although there were two smashed chairs in the corner, she could also see wide ripped claw marks on the velvet curtains, clearly Gabrielle was starting to take out her anger on her room. "You know it's not healthy for you to be in your room all the time you need to get out." Gabrielle looked up slightly. "And go where? I'm not allowed out of these walls with out permission." Thaleia stepped forward. "What are you making?" Gabrielle put the branches down. "It's a bird feeder." Thaleia raised an eyebrow. "Bird…feeder?" Gabrielle took hold of her pipe lighting it on the candle she breathed in deeply before breathing out the smoke. "You put food on it and it attracts little birds who feed on it."

Fedora blinked. "You like watching birds?" Gabrielle breathed in her pipe. "Yes…it's stupid I know but yes I like watching birds." Fedora raised her hands. "No it's not stupid at all it's nice to have a hobby and a thing that you like." She paused watching as Gabrielle breathed out the smoke from her pipe. "Can I ask you a personal question?" Gabrielle sat back on her beds pillows. "Go ahead." Fedora put her hands together. "I heard the healer talking he said that you can smoke with no ill effects what so ever, is that true?" Gabrielle breathed in her pipe. "Yes its true its one of the perks of not being human, I can smoke because my body will just repair itself and I get no ill effects, the only thing that can kill me is a well placed sword through my head, throat or heart."

Fedora walked up to her sitting on the bed next to her. "You seem like a nice young woman you should have more people to talk to." Gabrielle looked up slightly. "Look you and your daughter have been very kind to me, but you both don't have to pretend to like me, out of guilt. I'm grateful for your gifts of food and coltsfoot leaf it was kind of you but you don't have to give me anything else." Thaleia walked forward. "We aren't pretending to like you Gabrielle I personally think your nice, it's a shame that others in this palace don't see it." Gabrielle turned breathing out the smoke from her pipe away from Fedora out of respect. "People see what they want to see." Fedora felt a smile form. "Then their very foolish, for not seeing that are a nice young woman with have a good heart."

Gabrielle breathed in deeply. "You think too much of me." Fedora moved closer. "Well that's up to me and I'd like you to go to the market with my daughter today it's just outside the palace." She eased out a small piece of scroll. "I have your paper work here I had Chara the palace scribe write it up for you. It's a one day pass out of palace to go to market with my daughter so she can get some personal shopping." Gabrielle sat up sharply. "I'm not allowed outside!" Fedora put the scroll in to her hand. "Yes you can this confirms it and it doesn't conflict with your agreement with the Empress. Plus if you ask me I'm sure she'd let you out for one day she's very kind like that." Gabrielle lowered her gaze personally that wasn't the Empress she knew. "I don't think she will."

Fedora felt her smile widen. "Yes she will, just trust me on this." Gabrielle put her hand on her chest. "Why would you want me to go with Thaleia and not one of the palaces guards?" Fedora stood up shaking her head. "The palace guards have no sense of fun and its not fun being around them. I also want her to be safe and I know she'll be safer with you than anyone else, you're her friend after all."

Gabrielle opened the small scroll piece looking at the scribe's handwriting and personal seal before looking at her unsure of what to do next she'd never been in this situation before. "But…I'm." Thaleia moved forward seeing her moment. "Look I want you to come with me, my mother and I got this all set up for you. I know we only talk now and again when your sitting on the marble lion at night but I consider you my friend and I want you to come with me to the market, it would mean a lot to me."

End of part 20

Silvermoonlight

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