Disclaimer: In chapter 1.
Author's Notes: Another town, another problem. Thank you to everyone reading, reviewing, favouriting and following "Hero".
Also: If you want a Xena magnet go to Shipper Haven on Facebook and follow the link to their eBay page. Mine is on my fridge already. They have quite a good selection.
Emma couldn't get the image of Regina smiling and laughing out of her head from the few minutes they had played in the water. It was the only time she had seen her so carefree and youthful, and it had taken her breath away. And now the memory was on replay, looping in her head as she tried sleep, as it had since they had left the creek.
She groaned mentally. It was one thing to find the woman physically attractive, because she was without a doubt, but it was another thing to feel to feel something deeper, something that made her heart flutter with every stunning smile, and every gaze. It shook her foundations, to her core. She could feel their dynamics changing, and it left a haze of excitement swirling through her blood, making all her senses tingle.
Emma turned her head and looked at Regina's back. Her shoulders rose and fell slowly. What should I do now?
A few days later they walked into town. It was larger and busier than the few Emma had seen since her arrival in Xenaverse. She watched in awe at the people all around her, amazed and fascinated by how the people could be so similar and different at the same time. She saw people pulling carts of harvested crops, women carrying pales of water on their heads, venders bartering for the best price for their goods and some other travellers weaving about the place.
The group made their way towards the eastern outskirts, where Xena knew of a tavern with good rates. As they made their way through the central plaza their attention was drawn to a gathering of people. The gathering was all talking amongst itself and only quietened when a shrill whistle sounded. The group made their way closer and, over the hum of the crowd, heard a voice.
"…and we must all stand ouw gwound and say no to the daowkness. We cannot allow the evil to win a place in our hearts."
Emma laughed, and then stopped when Regina shot her a glare. "I didn't… it's not…" she stammered. "I'm laughing at who it is, not at the words." At Regina's sceptical look she lifted a finger and drew a cross pattern over her heart. "I promise."
"Wenounce your wicked ways and make way for the light, and your life will be glowius. The path to salvation lies within all of us thwew the love of Hestia. Come, let us sing her pwaise."
Xena and Gabrielle sighed heavily.
"Pwaise Hestia! Pwaise Hestia!"
"Come on," Xena directed the group back towards their destination. "We'll find out all about it later, I'm sure."
"Did you know Leah was here?" Joxer asked nervously. He only got on with one of Xena's lookalikes, and Priestess Leah certainly couldn't take Meg's place in his heart.
"No," she grumbled. She caught the amused smirk on Emma's face. "At least one of us might enjoy this."
"You're not going to sleep with this one too, are you?" Regina snarled.
"What!" Emma's amusement quickly vanished at the venom in Regina's tone. "God, no! Leah's is a Priestess, a Hestian virgin Priestess. No way I'm going there."
"So it's just the trollops you bed."
"It wasn't… And here we were, getting along, and then you go and become nasty again." Emma folded her arms. "What's your problem this time?"
Regina increased her pace, "You, as always Miss Swan, are my problem."
Emma opened her mouth to protest but knew it would do her no good. She shook her head and followed with quiet anger.
The rest of the early afternoon passed slowly, and was full of tension. Regina ignored Emma, Emma ignored Regina, Joxer avoided Regina, and Xena and Gabrielle just shared exasperated looks. They split up after paying for rooms at the tavern and storing their gear. Xena and Gabrielle took Argo to a nearby stable, with Joxer tagged along, and then got prices for the supplies they would need when they left the town. Emma wanted to explore so she went off on her own. She had no clue that Regina followed her from a distance, at Xena's insistence.
"I know you're angry right now, but I don't care," Xena waved her hand to silence whatever protest Regina would have offered. "Emma doesn't know how things work in this world, in spite of her claims otherwise, and we both know you would never forgive yourself if anything happened to her."
Regina grumbled but went after the Sheriff anyway. When she was out of Xena's ear-shot her grumbles grew in volume. "How hard is it to stay out of trouble? It's not like people are trying to kill her in this world, unlike me." She thought, I should really avoid Athens…
She watched as Emma meandered through the streets and alleys. She stopped at each vender to browse the goods on show, and picked up a few to examine them closer. At this distance Regina couldn't see what the items were, but she was still in a state where she didn't care. But as the afternoon wore on her anger lessened, and eventually she just watched with open curiosity and appraisal. She was secretly glad that it was a warm day, as Emma had left her jacket at the tavern, which gave her opportunity to indulge in one of her guilty pleasures. At one stall she noticed Emma stop longer and converse with the slender Grecian woman behind the table. After a few minutes Emma removed something from around her neck and exchanged it for something on the table, which the woman put into a bag before she handed it to Emma. Emma shoved it into the pocket of her jeans, thanked the woman and then continued.
Eventually Regina followed Emma into the central plaza. Her anger flared up again as Emma approached the group of people in the same place as they had seen before. She marched up to Emma to give her a piece of her mind, but faltered when she didn't hear the woman from earlier. It was a man.
"Hestia only seeks to destroy our families," he declared. "The food put aside in her honour could be used to feed another child!"
There was a murmur in the crowd. Regina felt Emma tense in front of her. She was only an arm's length behind when she had stopped to listen.
"To let her into your home is to let Hades in as well, for you will surely see him when you starve to death! She would not even save her pwecious priestess!"
There were a few gasps amongst the gathered people, including Emma's. Her eyes went wide, "Leah..." Emma grabbed the nearest villager's arm and pulled them around. "Where's the Temple of Hestia?"
The plumb woman obviously saw something on Emma's face to make her afraid. "It, it's that way," she pointed, "near the n-northern smithy."
Regina didn't have time to ask what was going on before Emma had taken off at a run. She barely kept sight of the blonde as she darted between people and sprinted in a northern direction, and eventually she lost her altogether. Panic gripped Regina as she frantically searched the streets. Eventually she grabbed the sleeve of a man walking past and demanded he take her to the temple. He yelped when he saw the purple glow to her eyes but did as she said.
Regina hurried through the front doors of the temple to see a robed woman with long dark hair leaning over a body. Emma's body. "Emma!" Regina cried as she rushed over. She knelt down on the blonde's other side and was flooded with relief when she saw she was still alive. Her eyes scanned the toned body and found a bleeding gash on her right upper arm. She looked up into the crystal blue eyes on yet another Xena-look-alike. "Quick, get me something to tie around the wound. We need to stop the bleeding."
The woman nodded and scurried off. Regina quickly glanced around the room and found two unconscious men not far from Emma. She looked back and was shocked to find a goofy smile on Emma's face. Regina's breath caught in her throat for a moment, before the classic relief-turned-anger kicked in. "What the hell were you thinking?"
"Ah…"
"You just ran off like some crazed woman! And look at your arm!" Regina yelled.
"Regina, I'm…"
"Do you enjoy putting your life at risk?" She demanded. "Did you ever think what could happen?"
"R…"
"How do you think w- Henry would feel if you went and got yourself killed?"
"This is all I could find," Leah announced as she handled a white sash to Regina.
Regina quickly wrapped it around Emma's wound and tied it tight.
"Ow! Regina that hurts," Emma hissed.
"Well next time don't run off without me."
"She awwived wight as those men attacked me. If she had been any later I would have been dead, or worse, taken pwisoner." Leah took Emma's hand in her own. "Thank you, kind stwanger."
Emma smiled, "It was nothing."
"Nothing!" Leah shook her head. "You have the heart of a Hestian Virgin!"
Regina snorted.
"Such self-sacwifice is seldom seen in this world. I shall pway that others learn fwom your hewoism."
"Ah, thanks…" Emma blushed. "Maybe we should let the guards know what happened, or something…"
"Not going to get Xena?" Regina mocked.
"Xena? You know of her?"
"Yes," Emma answered before Regina could make a snide reply. "We're travelling with her and Gabrielle." She gave the former Queen a pointed look, "We should get her, actually. I'm sure she'd like to know that Leah is safe."
"Fine," Regina huffed. "And how do you propose we do that? It's not like she can just walk into the streets after her life was threatened. And I am notleaving."
"If only we could talk to birds…" Emma joked. She smiled at Regina, hoping to lighten her mood, but she frowned when she saw the purple manifest over brown irises.
Regina closed her eyes and concentrated. She held out her palm and a piece of paper appeared with flowing black writing on it. In one fluid motion it folded into an aeroplane shape and flew out the open doors. She swayed with the effort and leant heavily on her other arm. When she opened her eyes she froze; when she had leant forward in exertion she had moved her face directly over Emma's. She felt the haze of magic leave her and all she could see was Emma's eyes, and all she could feel were their breaths dancing between their lips.
"Are you alwight?" Leah asked as she grabbed Regina's shoulder to help her sit upright.
Regina brushed her off. "Yes, of course."
"What did you do? What was that thing?" She asked.
"Magic." Emma stated grimly. Her worried eyes never left Regina, but the older woman refused to acknowledge her, not when her heart was pounding against her ribcage and the tears threatened to spill.