Disclaimers: See Chapter 1

Additional Note (Please Read): This story is tied in with, The Conqueror & Ri: A Twist of Destiny. If you have not read the previous chapters preceding this one, you should do so now.

Xena & Gabrielle

A Turn of Fate

By Ahkiken

Chapter 7: Greater Good

Beads of sweat slowly dribbled off Gabrielle's forehead and neck, onto the sheets of the cot her body slept on. She was having an intense, lucid dream that seemed so real. In it was Xena, who had raven and silver hair tied to the back of her head with only a few wisps hanging around her eyes. Her appearance was aged, but she still looked attractive, dressed in a sable tunic covered by armor the color of crimson that had golden chains interlacing from the front breastplate up to her epaulets, with a darkened cape connected to it.

Her legs were concealed in tight-fitting, black leather with intricate, thin embroideries that also complimented the same red shade as her armor and ebony, knee-high boots. Equipped on her hips were two swords; one, the original broadsword she always wielded, the other, a gold, ruby-eyed, lion-headed hilt, and beside it was the dark chakram.

The elder Xena was leaning against the side railings on an average sized ship. She had the expression of being in deep thought about something that clearly incited happiness when a huge toothy smile formed on her lips, causing a man, who was wearing purple armor, to stare at her in awe. So she turned away to hide her visage and concentrated on the darkness.

It was nighttime whilst the vessel drifted along the sea, a half mile from the docks of an unknown location. The area she and her small army of soldiers were in was surrounded by a bunch of shadowy trees, as if the body of water resembled a glade.

Something caught her attention in the woods, making her call out words, but the dialogue was muted. A blonde woman, whose long hair was tied in a ponytail, walked up to the older Xena. It was Glaphyra, and she wore purple armor like the other troops, too, except she had an emblem on her right breastplate, deducing rank. A shortsword was sheathed on Glaphyra's back and many daggers encircled her waist, which was her custom.

Xena gave her an authoritative order, and Glaphyra quickly left to carry it out. Then, sapphire orbs focused on whatever it was that made her feel cagey till the subordinate returned, handing her a bow and an arrow. Using her index and middle fingers to nock an arrow between them, Xena's arm drew it back lightly on the bowstring. She mouthed some more words prior to closing her left eye and waiting a few seconds. Afterwards, she took aim and fired, hitting someone in the dark.

As the mortally wounded figure keeled over and was revealed to be a male styled in Roman armor, Xena shouted out orders.

The scene became terrifyingly un-deadened while projectiles descended on the ship, causing everyone to find shelter behind either the thick mast, or below the railings of the vessel. A few targeted people were too slow finding cover and received deadly points of arrows for their sluggish efforts. Xena searched out Glaphyra, and seeing her unharmed, she conveyed a couple of hand signals. Understanding, the long-haired blonde gathered six troops and trekked to the lower deck.

Xena was still concealing herself alongside the rails beside the man who was watching her in adoration preceding the raid. He was smiling sadly at her 'til an arrow's tip went through the wooden barrier and pierced his neck. His astounded leader gently eased the shaft out of him. With haste, she tore both sleeves off her tunic to wrap it tightly around his wound to halt the bleeding.

Thereon, the vessel started sailing faster towards the pier as Xena closed her eyes in meditation.

Another person crawled over to her and the injured male. After he got to them, Xena opened her eyelids suddenly to catch a projectile that was moments from finding its kill. The horrified troop gawked at the arrow that was inches from his head, until she dragged him lower to the ship's floorboards. She pointed to the hurt man in advance of grabbing her bow and a few pre-owned arrows that littered the area, whilst the soldier began putting pressure on the torn tunic that was wrapped around his fellow comrade's gash.

She moved along the railings of the deck, waiting for the barrage to have split pauses before taking quick potshots with her arrowheads. Every bolt she fired landed on its mark. Finally, Glaphyra, among two of her compatriots, came back, carrying a bundle of bows and quivers of arrows. Xena stood up, catching another arrow out of the air that was about to hit her while looking and yelling at her warriors. The whole army raised their hands in a cheer as the vessel was ten feet from the waterfront.

Xena spun on her boots, doing an amazing frontward flip onto the dock, and her soldiers had begun returning fire with their weaponry. With the enemy's arrow clutched in her hand, she shot it at the first Roman who'd charged her. Dropping the bow, she withdrew both her blades, decapitating the second one, slashing the chest of the third, and commenced engaging the fourth.

Glaphyra jumped on the landing pier once the ship got closer, running passed the dead Romans whom were killed by the crimson armored woman. She joined Xena, throwing two daggers into both eyes of an enemy. The blonde warrior tried to take down another man with them, but the Legionnaire dodged it, so she unsheathed the shortsword from her back, connecting it with his blade.

The Roman was bigger than her and apparently stronger, using brute strength with every swing. Bringing a downward stroke with his gladius, he brought Glaphyra to her knees when she blocked it. Notwithstanding, the smug grin on his features melted away into a pained mien as a dagger was lodged into his gut, then sliced across his midsection. He fell to the ground and his killer arose, delivering a retort with a smirk of her own.

By the time the rest of the Greek army disembarked and started to fight, many of their adversaries were already deceased, mostly by Xena's hand. Severing the arm of her opponent 'fore thrusting the lion-handle blade into him, more bombardments of projectiles showered Xena and her warriors again after all the Roman soldiers who'd tried to keep them from advancing beyond the wharf were defeated.

In defense, Xena's troops formed an aegis, shielding themselves as well as the two women. With the assault of arrows ended, the second wave of Legionaries, whom were led by a couple of Centurions, marched from the woods, branding gladius', spears, and shields of their own. Forming a defensive line, the shield and spear bearers were in the front while the other soldiers stayed behind them to seize their opportunity to get strikes in if Xena, along with her army, got pushed back.

As the Roman mass progressed forward, Xena stated something that made her troops' facial expressions show laughter. Next, she sheathed her two bloody swords and gripped the dark chakram. Breathing in deeply, she threw it with such force that the circular razor tore asunder every shield the Romans had, killing scores of them, too.

The disc didn't ricochet back into Xena's hand, but it appeared she hadn't expected it to whilst giving a command, coaxing the hoplites to pick up where their enemies were cut off; creating their own phalanx. Xena solely unsheathed her lion sword, directing it at the opposition and exclaimed a single word.

Her infantry proceeded onward, causing the Roman soldiers to take steps backwards, whereupon several toppled one another in fear. By the Romans' retreat getting foiled by their own cowardice, the hoplites made short work of the second wave. Xena and Glaphyra glanced at each other momentarily before they both decided to join the combat.

Xena flipped over the hoplites and Glaphyra sprinted around them.

Therefore, Xena's blade slashed through flesh and bone, permanently disabling one soldier after another, splashing blood that camouflaged with her armor. When the purple armored woman got into the action, there were just four men still standing. Sheathing her sword, she pulled out two daggers, throwing one in the carotid artery of her enemy, and the second found its way in the leg of an unfortunate other. Traipsing up to him, she took the embedded dagger out, slitting his throat with it.

Xena held her hand out, giving the sign for her forces to stop while she glared at the two remaining Romans. The first man tried shaking off his nerves and, because of being outmatched, he practically leapt right onto the sharpness of her blade. At the sight of the lifeblood leaving his companion's body, the last Roman dropped his weapon.

The elder Xena calmly spoke something to him. Nonetheless, when the Centurion shook his head in the negative, she rushed over and put the pinch on him. Falling on shaky knees, she kicked his chest, forcing him to land onto the bloody soaked grass. Lastly, she positioned the sword atop his heart as someone grasped her attention.

Walking out from the obscured shadows that the many trees provided for him and the contingent of Roman troops, moonlight shined on his physiognomy. It was Brutus, and alongside him was another man with cropped, brownish hair.

Brutus raised both of his hands skywards, appearing to be explaining or offering her something. Locking eyes with him, Xena made no reply, however, she smiled savagely, plunging her lion blade into the dying Roman's body beneath her.

Gabrielle roused from her slumber with a jolt, her upper frame lifting from the cot.

'God, what was that?' She mused, shutting her aqua irises and wiping the droplets of sweat off her face.

The bard exhaustedly laid down again, placing the back of her left hand over sealed eyelids. The dream felt like reality, as if she was really there. She couldn't differentiate whether it was a prophetic vision of the future; remembering the older appearance of Xena, or the past; recalling Glaphyra, Brutus, and the dark chakram.

'It can't possibly be a bygone time period. None of those events took place in our lives. Of that, I am certain.' Gabrielle justified. 'It cannot be the future either. Brutus is deceased. I've done the deed myself during the Battle of Actium. And Glaphyra would at least be old like Xena also.'

Rationalizing that it was all a dream, the petite, short-haired blonde cast it aside for now. Opening her pupils, she saw that the jade on the ring, which Xena had given her, was emitting a greenish aura. Gabrielle sat up and studied the strange glowing stone. In the two weeks she'd worn it, the gem had never done anything like that before.

Gabrielle rubbed her eyes free of sleep, thinking maybe she remained under the effects of tiredness; she and Xena had been extremely sexually active a lot lately, disrupting their normal sleeping pattern.

Espying the silver band once more, she saw that her gemstone had returned to its dull color. Positive it could be the aftereffects of what she'd dreamt, she started to shake her head to dispel the war fantasy, and climbed out from underneath the furs of the cot. Gabrielle determined the sun was rising as she noted its rays crept through the wooden boards of the cabin room's interior.

Scooping up her scarlet top and slipping it on, she saw a basin of water lying on the small table. She doubted her lover was the reason for it being there and wasn't too comfortable about any strangers coming in while she slept, but was grateful, nevertheless. Dipping the clean cloth into the water and rinsing the access liquid, Gabrielle washed her face, including all of her hotspots. Feeling refreshed, she put on her boots, preceding exiting the room to ascertain the whereabouts of her destined spouse.

{X&G}

Xena was brushing Argo II down whilst having a one-sided conversation with her, "I want to tell Gabrielle everything, but I know how she can be. She'll blow up on me. I should have more confidence in her than that. It's just, she doesn't know Akemi personally the way I do. She won't understand. Akemi's a good person who got the short end of the stick in life."

Argo snorted in disagreement.

"You don't know her either. Neither did your mother. Helping Akemi is the only consolation I'm getting out of stopping her soul-sucking father. And let me tell you, Yodoshi deserves to be sent to wherever it is that the damned go." Xena avowed with malice intent. "The things he'd done to Akemi and her family was cruel. She ended his life and I'd failed restoring her honor for that action. So, it is my duty to bring peace to her and Japa by obliterating his absolute existence."

The Palomino softly nudged her collarbone, offering support of empathy.

"I knew you would be understandable, girl. I wish Gabrielle could be more perceptive."

Argo began nudging her harshly.

"Okay, you're right, Argo. I will talk to her." She assented, patting and brushing the toffee-colored mare who'd become pacified.

Regardless of that, doubts remained about the choice to converse with Gabrielle anent to Akemi and her own feelings. Xena knew that the Amazon had a huge amount of compassion, but after Xena's sudden departure from their cabin, she became wary. The trim Queen already wasn't contented with going to Japa and she didn't want to chance upsetting her more.

'All I want to do is repair a failing act on my part. Nonetheless, I should be doing this for the Greater Good, not for selfish purposes. I need to place my affections for Akemi back where I had it. I will restore her honor, though.' Xena cogitated, declaring aloud, "I owe Akemi that much."

"Who's Akemi?" A familiar voice inquired.

Xena kept her back to the young woman, continuing the ministrations on her mare. "Hello, Tanya. How did you get acceptance to come aboard this ship?"

Taking Xena's question as an open invitation, the auburn-haired fighter strolled into the stall.

"When I arrived at the port of Scione, I asked around for captains who wouldn't mind me travelling along as a passenger on their vessel. I didn't want to go back to Larissa, so any destination was alright with me." She paused, and blew air out of her mouth in irritation. "I realized I'd left my dinars with Timon. He was the money holder of the squad that I was poorly leading up till now. Anyway, all deals fell through. No funds, no fare, unless I was willing to abase myself, which I wasn't. I'm not giving head to get ahead."

Tanya laughed at her own joke.

Seeing that Xena found no humor in it, she nervously coughed, and restarted recounting, "I was going to call it a day, till a monk queried about you. I was skeptical because of the armored warriors he had with him, but he told me they needed your help for an important matter. When he swore no harm would come to you, we made a trade; my information concerning your location, for a free ride on this gigantic ship. Well, not fully free. I do have to work the galley. Still-"

"The galley?" Tanya finally averred intel that piqued Xena's interest. "Do you know when we set sail?"

"Once the sun shines past dawn. It's twilight now, so it won't be long."

'Gods!' Xena was aghast. 'I spent the whole night away from Gabrielle? She's going to be furious.'

Tanya was unaware of Xena's dilemma, so she went on, "I'm up because the other galley workers woke me. I think they're slaves, and all of them are men. Also, they are foreigners like the monk who let me come aboard. I surmised they couldn't speak not one bit of greek 'cause I had no idea what they were talking about, until some of them got the message that I was ignorant of their language and started pointing at the oars."

The nineteen-year-old dwelled on the rude awakening the assumed slaves welcomed her to, and she released a light chuckle.

"They thought I was insane when I grabbed the oar and tried rowing. That's when one of them directed my attention to the sunlight we could see through the aperture of where the oars were inserted. He pantomined with his hands to vainly show me it represented sunrise. Then, he imitated propelling the oar. I remained at a loss till another guy announced in broken greek what the demonstrator was trying to say. Thank the gods for him." Tanya halted for a moment to consider the Godslayer in front of her, and corrected her statement, "I mean, thank whatever gods remain. That's why I'm here now to check on Brownie before we row. I do not know when or how we'll get breaks, and I don't want him to miss me. He can become edgy."

"You named your horse Brownie?" Xena smirked.

She retorted back, "You named your mare Argo Jr?"

"It's Argo II." Xena clarified.

"Same difference. My horse was a going away present to me from my father. He is brown and I happen to like brownies. There you have it." Tanya explained.

"I've never heard of brownies, but to each their own." The Warrior Princess conceded, putting the brush into the saddlebag and discovering something amiss.

"Guess I was right, huh?" Tanya smiled.

"What?" Xena remained digging around.

"I apprised that our paths would meet again. I'm more than assured our destinies are connected." She answered with confidence.

"Don't get coincidence confused with destiny, Tanya." Gabrielle pronounced, coming up behind her.

Tanya became surprised by the Amazon's sudden appearance. "Gabrielle, glad to see you again."

"Likewise." The bard responded, passing her to stand near Xena.

Xena could sense the displeasure for her pouring off of Gabrielle and was not ready to face it. So the dark-haired woman pretended to keep searching for the other currency she already knew was gone.

"Tanya, I want to be alone with Xena."

It wasn't a request, but an order, and Tanya abided by it. "I'm going to check on my horse in the next-"

"No." Gabrielle interjected. "I need you to leave the stables. You can see to your horse later. This won't take long."

"Yup." Tanya reluctantly agreed, spinning on her heels and leaving the stall to go back to the galley.

Xena stood onto her feet and rushed to the left side of Argo, creating a false barricade while squinted greenish-blue eyes leered at her. "Purple Samurai told you where I was?"

The blonde head nodded once.

"I'm sorry, Gabrielle. I didn't mean to stay here in the stables all night."

"Save it, Xena. I knew you weren't coming back to me. You are too absorbed by what's happening in Japa and everything that happened in your past there."

"You're angry with me?" Xena prodded.

"Not totally." Gabrielle replied, her disgruntled countenance was becoming somber.

Xena wasn't falling for the trap. There were many of times Gabrielle would appear to be forgivable, solely to snare her in for the bite.

"I had a dream whilst I slept. It felt more like a vision than anything else. Identical to the ones I used to have all those years ago. You remember?"

"Yes." Xena was remembering the particular prescient when she held off the troops from Persia.

Prior to going one against an army, Gabrielle warned her 'bout the Persian with the double-edged sword.

"I'd awaken feeling slightly disconcerted. I needed you. I'm trying to get it out of my head, but I can't." The Amazon looked down and Xena moved towards her as she professed, "The jade gem on my ring is usually darkened, but when I awoke, it was glowing very brightly. Then, it stopped after I closed my eyes."

"It probably was your imagination running away from you." Xena insisted, pulling her lover into her arms. "I should have been there."

"Why did you leave me?" The muffled voice questioned against her chest.

'Damn it.' Xena fell for the ploy and started feeling the entrapment.

If she gave a half-truthful response, Gabrielle would see through it and fuss. Answering wholeheartedly, Xena could risk the bard not caring for what she was hearing and fuss. The tall warrior could deny a reply altogether, and she'd fuss.

Expelling a sigh, she prepared herself mentally, hoping that her beautiful, future wife wouldn't make her regret the precarious decision.

Disengaging from the embrace, Xena expounded, "This mission is causing mixed emotions in me. I want to help Harukata for the right reasons, but I find myself wanting to fulfill my own selfish desires."

Gabrielle inquired, "Are you upset our wedding will be put off?"

"No." Xena affirmed too vehemently for Gabrielle's pleasure. "If it were only that, this would be a piece of cake. I'd simply decline aiding the Samurai and we would be heading to Egypt this instant."

"So why aren't we?" Gabrielle posed a different query, smothering the flame within her.

"Akemi is much more important than all of that." Xena proclaimed.

"Akemi's more imperative than our marriage!" Gabrielle felt the fire become an inferno.

"It isn't a comparison contest. Do not twist my words before I can finish them." Xena was halting her ire.

"I'm not twisting anything, Xena. You are the person who said it. I'm not blind, I can see."

Exasperated, Xena prompted, "What do you see, hmm?"

"You promised we would settle... We're not, and you don't seem nonplussed by it at all. I don't even know why I have the audacity to think you'd care!" Gabrielle exclaimed.

"Things happen sometimes and it alter plans. Don't misconstrue my caring for wanting to reinstate Akemi's honor as apathy for our love."

"You have done a terrific job of that yourself. You didn't even..." Gabrielle breathed in to find a sense of calmness, but didn't. "You haven't ask me if I wanted to take this trip to Japa. You made that sole choice and I accepted it. You've treated me like shit since you'd heard the name Akemi and I'd tolerated it. You left me last night on the brink of our lovemaking, and I was accepting that, until now, when you try to stand here feeding me garbage about how you feel torn between helping Harukata for moral reasons or egoism. It all adds up to the same outcome anyway; me following your lead. I don't care about none of that, just honestly tell me why you're distancing yourself from me?"

"Distancing? This is the main purpose I didn't want to talk with you on this matter. I had expressed to you how my time in Japa affected me. I didn't elucidate on a grand scale, but that's what I am trying to do now, and you blatantly call me a liar while I'm telling you how I feel." Xena was offended. "How dare you!"

"You are a liar!" Gabrielle blared, voicing her deepest pain out in the open. "Whilst we were in King Thoas' kingdom in Thebes, where you proposed, you confided to me that you'd never fell in love with another person after Caesar. Clearly that isn't true... Far from it. You're so caught up with Akemi, the only moments I can get a reaction out of you is by mentioning her name. She's the basis of why you've forsook me last night. Admit it!"

Xena turned away from her in rage. She took umbrage with Gabrielle's accusation of falseness.

'I did not lie. I'd pushed the memory of Akemi to the far recesses of my mind, to the extent of casting her out. I allowed myself to forget her. I had declared nothing but truths that night in bed with Gabrielle. I'd confessed my love, my soul. I had bared my all to the woman I'll marry... Would have liked to wed.'

Xena kept silent, keeping her ruminations where she felt they belonged; in her head, safe and guarded, for it served no benefit to expose them to Gabrielle, because she would continue to do exactly what the Warrior Princess feared.

Act pugnacious.

The dark woman's facial features were twisted in anger before she replaced it with a stoic facade that she had perfected. Stepping over to the saddlebags to retrieve the handled-bristles once more, Xena recommenced grooming Argo, keeping her back to Gabrielle.

"Don't ignore this and act like I'm not here. Say something." Her lover proclaimed.

She subsisted preening Argo II, so Gabrielle's hand touched her arm to spin her around, but the whilom warlord yanked Gabrielle off forcefully. Sucking her teeth, she tried to do it a second time, and Xena complied, then shoved her a few steps backwards, shocking the bard.

"It would be wise if you refrain from touching me, little girl." Xena warned in an acerbic tone, facing the nimble female.

The cropped blonde couldn't believe Xena's bellicose attitude. "What have I done to evoke a drastic change in you?"

She received a snide response, "Don't touch me right now."

"Or what? You'll hit me... Again." Gabrielle refused to cower, adding salt to a catastrophic laceration. "With what this time, I wonder? Your fist or chakram?"

Another blow to Xena's heart, but she didn't let her apathetic mask falter. "Go for it, and find yourself thrown out of Argo's stall."

The velvet-clad Amazon was hiding her discomposure. She had no clue what her soul mate would do, however, she wasn't backing down due to stubborn pride.

"Xena-Sama, and, Gabrielle-San." Kenji's interruption was a godsend. "Good morning, and forgive my intrusion, but the Shogun awaits both your presences preceding breakfast."

Tense seconds felt close to being candlemarks while the former Destroyer of Nations and Gabrielle stared at each other, both suffering from perceived injustices. Breaking their eye contact, Xena tossed the brush into the gaping saddlebag, and silently departed the enclosure behind the meek monk.

Quietly pondering to the compartment's resident, Gabrielle's glum irises watched her friend disappear, "Perhaps I've pushed her to the edge prematurely, Argo. Xena hasn't ever gotten this mad at me when she was wrong. Indifferent, but never violent."

With a heavy conscious, Gabrielle followed Xena as well...like always.

To Be Continued...