Explanation
"So when I got to Egypt I decided to stay and lose myself in the crowds of Alexandria, but eventually I ran into Cleopatra so that didn't exactly happen. While I preferred to be the simple fisherman I basically ended up helping her keep order every so often."
"You must be very important in Egypt," Eponin stated. Xena shrugged.
"Sort of everyone knows me."
"You've acquired a lot of wealth," Gabrielle commented lazily. Xena shrugged again.
"Yeah, Cleopatra has a tendency to give gifts as she calls them when I won't take payment. Its been to say the least a dull life without you guys, I've missed you all dearly." That wasn't completely true with Daniel there was never a dull moment, but when he decided to go off by himself there were times.
"Does he know?" Gabrielle asked. Xena shook her head no.
"Don't want him too, I pray he never finds out and if he does Daniel will have already chosen his path in life and not easily made into be something he's not with gifts and false promises." Monkey came through the window and hopped up onto the table. Gabrielle jumped.
"What the hell is that?" Gabrielle asked.
"Monkey."
"Monkey?" Gabrielle asked.
"Yeah, they have them a lot in Egypt, I've seen them before," Ephiny said. "What's his name?"
"Monkey," Xena replied." Daniel hasn't been very creative with names."
"You say that as if there is more." Xena looked at Gabrielle.
"More doesn't cover it, before we left he insisted we keep a partridge, pheasant, and quail as pets. He even found them husbands."
"You're kidding?" Solari asked. Xena shook her head.
"I wish, but that doesn't account for the pigs, the goats, rabbit, chickens, geese, ducks, dog, cat, and if I'm lucky he won't be befriending mice."
"Mommy look what I found." Daniel came out with a mouse.
"Speak of the devil." She took the mouse from him. "No."
"But..."
"No, I don't care I draw the line at rodents."
"Please, please..." Xena shook her head.
"No, now go back to bed I'll set him free in the woods." Daniel poked out his lip and hung his head walking slowly back to his room. Gabrielle laughed as Xena threw the rat out the window.
"Oh he's good and here I was going to teach him all the faces to getting around you." Xena sat down.
"Please don't he's come up with enough on his own." Monkey jumped on her shoulder. He handed her a nut and she cracked it for him.
"Can he do tricks?" Ephiny asked picking up a piece of fruit and offering it to Monkey. Xena nodded.
"Yeah, Monkey's smart, Monkey give Ephiny a kiss." He went over to her cheek and blew a raspberry. They all laughed.
"Oh yeah a real stinker," Ephiny said laughing.
"Monkey can you bring me an apple?" Xena asked. Monkey did so. "How about a glass of wine." They watched as he grabbed the right pitcher and even cleaned out the cup with a cloth. She sliced the apple for him and he ate them sitting on her shoulder and even drunk some wine. When he was done he ran out the window to use the bathroom before joining Daniel in Solan's room.
"So you said you knew a place where we could move too, Velasca's not worth it," Gabrielle said. "We've got enough wounded sisters as it is."
"Yes, there's lots of unused land in Amphipolis and lots of room for you to have the same amount of land you had before with excellent hunting grounds."
"Perfect, we'll give Velasca the mask as long as she let's those of us who want to go, go and join another tribe."
"I'll take the message," Xena said.
"Xena no you could be killed."
"Yes, but she wants you right, so if I go she'll listen. I'm practically neutral. Besides I stand a better chance at surviving."
"Fine," Gabrielle conceded. Xena nodded. The days passed and they performed many burials, the amazon burials were the best. Solari accompanied Xena back to the village. They stopped in the spot where the amazons with Gabrielle still waited keeping Velasca at bay as much as possible.
"Retreat to the centaur village, we will no longer stay here we've found some place better not cursed by a false God," Solari told them. "We'll worship Artemis in peace." They cheered and gathered all the children. Several centaurs met them with wagons to carry the wounded.
"Solari go with them," Xena said.
"No, I will stay and advise you whether you like it or not." Xena sighed as they walked on. They entered the village where Velasca sat on the throne she had rebuilt. Everything was in ruins. Very few, but a lot of Amazons bowed before her along with the very few scattered children.
"Solari you've come to join us and you bring friends."
"No, I come with the messenger for Gabrielle, she is a neutral party, I'm just here to make sure she stays in one piece." Xena bowed to Velasca slightly, but not meaning it.
"What's the message?" She asked.
"That you can have the crown." Velasca laughed.
"I've already taken it." Xena nodded.
"I see that, but she means you can have it she will not fight you for it. The village, the amazon lands its all yours. She's left the land in fact they've all left. They're so called Queen may have deserted them, but they will not stay here either. They're moving on to the northern amazons and spreading out across the world."
"You mean they will be leaving," Velasca said. Xena nodded.
"Only on the condition that you let them and whomever here who wishes to leave, leave safely." Xena looked at the bowed amazons. One had a baby and she was silently begging them to take her child at least. Not everyone was here of their own free will. Solari went to the woman.
"I'm reclaiming my child, she will not live here without me."
"Fine take her, but no one else leaves this village, they're mine. Go what do I care I have what I want now. I am a God now after all." Solari took the child. "And while you're at it take that sniveling child as well I won't have any weak children among us." Xena picked up the young girl.
"Fine I will return to the centaur village and tell her you accept. She will depart immediately." They left and quickly.
"Do you know this child?" Xena asked.
"Just orphaned, but her Aunt will take her in for sure. She loves her like her own four." Xena nodded. They returned in the middle of the night. The next morning both children were given to relatives.
"She accepts, but I say we prepare to leave though for a quick get away she seems likely to change her mind if some of her amazons run which I think some will," Solari said.
"We have nothing but the clothes on our backs and weapons," Gabrielle said.
"Good than barrow some wagons for your wounded that can't walk, but can survive the trip." They nodded. Most of them set off that night with torches. As expected the mother of the baby showed up. Soon several more followed with tales of being forced to worship her. Gabrielle forgave them all and sent them on their way over the next few days. Xena sent Gabrielle off with Solan and Daniel.
"Don't worry I'll be fine, I'm just going to stay and finish up some last minute things." Daniel nodded and went off with Gabrielle, Solan, and Xenan.
Velasca never came and seemed to not notice so Ephiny, Solari, and Eponin left. They caught up with their fellow amazons pretty fast. Xena was helping the last of the wounded into a wagon when Artemis appeared before her in the now empty hospice.
"Xena, you've returned." Xena looked at her. "I want to ask you a favor. Do you accept?"
"First let's hear the favor?" Xena replied thinking that this was one of the worst things to happen to her since she got back aside from the war. This could definitely get back to Ares if he didn't already know she was back.
"I want you to free my wayward amazons. They won't follow you or cause trouble that I will see too, but I want you to help me rid them of Velasca."
"What can I do?" Xena asked.
"Push her back into the lava, near the ruins."
"How am I going to get her there?" Xena asked.
"My plan is to make you look like Gabrielle and draw her to the ruins and than I will handle it from there."
"Why, everyone else is safe." Artemis shook her head.
"No, Velasca only wants you guys to think that before she strikes again. She is determined to kill Gabrielle. If you do this I will help you shield your presence from my brother, whenever he searches for you thinking perhaps maybe you came back I can prevent him."
"You have a deal than." Soon she looked exactly like Gabrielle. She found her presence good enough to make Velasca chase her. She glanced back to see Artemis talking to the four hundred or so Amazons left in the village. A very select few were leaving the village already along with the children. She kept running until she got the ruins where she was nearly sucked into a tornado. Thankfully she got her self out of that predicament. She got on the rope bridge.
"Any day now Artemis, any day," Xena said as she got to the middle and turned to face Velasca when she taunted her. She grinned at Velasca as the spell wore off and she appeared as herself. She took out her sword.
"You!"
"Yes me."
"Not just a messenger, who are you really Artemis?" Velasca asked with a grin. "Because frankly I've been waiting for you." Xena grinned as Artemis appeared with her silver bow and drew a silver arrow.
"No, I'm Artemis and you made the biggest mistake of your life." She loosed her arrow quickly as Velasca turned around. She had no time to think as the arrow lodged itself in her heart and the sound of a shattered mirror filled the air as she shattered. Xena felt the full force of the blast as shards of Velasca actually cut the side ropes of the bridge and sent her tumbling over towards the lava. She screamed as she missed grabbing the last rope, but found herself landing on soft grass.
"What the hell..." Xena said breathing hard and feeling her body to make sure she was all there and feeling the grass around her to be sure she wasn't dreaming.
"Sorry about that, it happens," Artemis said. "But you're all right."
"Oh thank...well you I guess." Artemis laughed and gave her a hand up.
"You will find four or five Amazons waiting for you with the ten or so children left in the village. Take good care of them." Xena nodded and Artemis sent her back to the village. Soon she set off with everybody feeling slightly weird, but okay. She found all the amazons waiting about seven miles away from the centaur village.
"Finally, we wanted to wait for you and take care of our wounded who got tired pretty quickly. Some of us have already set off again," Gabrielle informed her as she walked over with Daniel questioningly.
"I see, well I came with the last of the wounded and some escapees from the village and all of the children from there." There was cheering though there were some worried faces.
"Artemis shielded us," one woman told them and they nodded happily. When they reached Potidaea, Xena told Gabrielle to stop and see her parents. They hugged her and they gave her a few days with her family before Ephiny, Eponin, and Solari knocked on the door demanding their Queen be returned to them.
"Guys, not so hostile," Xena said. "But seriously Gabs we gotta go." Gabrielle nodded.
"I'll come back and visit now, I won't be far away."
"No, I will not have you taken away from us again."
"Goodbye dad," Gabrielle said. She kissed her mother and her sister Lila, who ran after them a little later.
"I've come to help you settle in." They smiled. "Mom made me promise to come back and Dad doesn't know." They laughed. They finally made it to Amphipolis where Cyrene showered both her grandchildren with hugs and kisses news of their fierce battle had already reached them.
They built their village in the forest only coming into town for the market and to visit with new friends they had made. It became a peaceful existence.