Disclaimers: See Chapter 1

Additional Note (Please Read): This tale is a companion with, The Conqueror & Ri: A Twist of Destiny. If you haven't read both stories' chapters preceding this one, you should do so now. Thanks to my very awesome editor, Jinxie 2013; if you haven't already, go check out her two tales, Weighing of the Heart and Rewriting the Scrolls. I would like to also thank my readers. This kicks off the Second Phase and I hope you all enjoy. :-)

Xena & Gabrielle,

A Turn of Fate,

By, Ahkiken

Chapter 31: Terrific Calamity

Long strawberry blonde hair was ravished by gusty wind as the lone figure trekked the pathway to her goal. Her destination was closer than when she'd first marched up the tallest peak in Japa, and far less hazardous. Unshed tears burned behind aqua orbs at the ratiocination of dying men and the sight of blood that spilled out from slaughtered bodies, spewing the snowy mountain in what seemed to be an endless flow of red. The fierce battle that was waged on Mt. Fuji had claimed many of lives; friend and foe, but there were a sole deceased person who truly occupied the storyteller's mind.

Xena...

The mighty Warrior Princess yielded her life to aid in destroying Yodoshi, emancipating thousands of souls from the daemon's entrapment, and saved Japa from any further turbulence. One problem existed though; Xena couldn't be resurrected, because the original forty thousand spirits she'd inadvertently killed had to be avenged. Only through her could they find rest and reincarnation. A teardrop slipped past the trim female's defenses. She kept chanting to herself there was no need for anymore tears, everything was going to be okay.

Nonetheless, she had trouble erasing the memory of nearly pouring Xena's ashes into the Fountain of Strength, just to see and feel elongated hands halting her from doing so. Xena elucidated she couldn't be renewed, because she'd vanquished Yodoshi. Greenish blue eyes went wide from puzzlement; she didn't comprehend what the raven-haired warrior was saying. Xena clarified it meant for her to remain dead and redeem the spirits that were freed from bondage.

The petite woman fussed and argued with the blue-eyed ghost, hoping to coerce her into changing her decision. However, Xena held steadfast in her choice to do what she felt needed to be done. Perched on the ground, leaning against the strong warrior beside her in silence, the storyteller felt like she'd failed as she wept while observing the last visage of light. She knew the yellow celestial ball by the name Helios in her world, but Harukata, the Ghost Killer, and others of this world, called it something else. Xena's ashes had to be placed in Mt. Fuji's fountain before the sun reached its decline, which it did. After the incipient sunset appeared, Xena vanished.

Clutching the black urn tightly to her body, the once-future bard wiped the wetness off of her cheek, knowing she would rectify her failure. She could not help feeling lighter as her steps quickened forward to the Fountain of Strength, discerning it had nothing to do with the un-equipped silver armor she'd worn on the battlefield. Kneeling in front of the fountain on the fresh snow that fell overnight, she grasped the ebony cloak firmly to her emerald-colored kimono-clad frame, shielding it from the harsh windchill.

Peeking upward, she gazed at the darkened sky, watching and waiting for the dawn. Once the tinge of sunlight kissed her with its rays, she hastily removed the lid from off the urn, praying that Amaterasu hadn't misguided her, and poured the ashes into the water. Emptying the urn's contents, the strawberry blonde rose to her feet, astounded whilst viewing the ashes swirling together. Next, the cremated remains altered its grayish coloring, forming appendages, extremities, then layers of skin, tresses of dark hair, and the appearance of a face, whom the storyteller knew well.

The whirling of the fountain ceased, causing the jovial woman to collapse on her knees from pure emotion. Staring at the revitalized warrior in the water, she saw Xena open two cerulean eyes and espy her, too. A smile was etched on her lips, but slowly turned into a livid frown.

"Ri! What have you done?"

Opening her eyes to darkness, Ri felt disoriented. Shutting them again, she cogitated on the strange dream while trying to regain her senses.

'It wasn't a dream.' Ri amended. 'That was another vision.'

Deciding to open her orbs with sluggish purpose, she rolled from her prone position and shook off the disorientation. Using the bit of light shining through the small window, Ri achieved a better visual, seeing that she lied on a bed inside a room with wooden planks for walls. Somehow it looked familiar to her.

'Where am I? This isn't my chamber?'

Shifting her weight slightly and bumping into something behind her, Ri froze after hearing the person next to her moan. Fearful of making any other movements, Ri stayed still, steadying her intake of oxygen. When an arm enclosed around her waist, she gasped, wondering who was on the bed with her. Listening to the calm breathing of the person holding her, Ri fought down her trepidation and built up bravery.

Looking over her shoulder, she glanced at the sleeping woman, falsely distinguishing her identity. 'Milady!'

The thought of the Conqueror, disarmed Ri's fright, and she rotated in her Lord's embrace, laying on her side to get a clearer view of her savior. On the rare occasions Ri had slept adjacent to her Lord, she would always watch the Conqueror of the Realm sleep and this Cronus was no different.

Caressing her beautiful features, Ri happily surmised, 'I must be dreaming.'

Glimpsing lower, she noted the fur didn't blanket the Conqueror's chest and quickly realized she was naked. Tearing her eyes from the arousing view of breasts that were shrouded by lack of light, Ri focused on her Lord's countenance, studying her intently. It was strenuous because the twilight had just begun; its brightness barely illuminated the room. Extremely curious if this was the Conqueror or not, the former Handmaiden wavered before grazing a dark nipple, knowing her Lord wore circular jewelry on them.

'No rings...' Ri panicked, taking her finger from the taut flesh like it was on fire. 'Am I... No! It can't be... It's not possible. I couldn't have transported to Xena's world!'

Controlling the urge to bolt off of the cot and into gods-knows-where, Ri espied the woman she was beginning to suspect wasn't the Conqueror at all. Choosing to say the name of the warrior, Ri braced herself. She hadn't forgotten Prince Lyceus' drunken warning from last night.

'Dreams or not, you better never speak of my sister's name in public. She is known as the Conqueror. Don't. Ever. Forget it.'

Nevertheless, Ri had to make sure this was the Conqueror, even if she faced grave consequences.

"Xe..." She hesitated, but swallowed her fear, whispering in the woman's ear. "Xena."

"Mmm." The Warrior Princess moaned, tightening her grip on Ri, pulling her nearer.

Reinforcing her courage, Ri echoed, "Xena... Xena... Xena. Xe-"

Suddenly, Ri's lips were covered with Xena's, putting a cease to her chants. Wide-eyed aqua irises locked on Xena kissing her, torn by wanting to break the kiss and desiring to continue it. She still was uncertain who laid juxtaposed to her; Xena, the Warrior Princess or the Lord Conqueror of the Realm. A tongue penetrated Ri's mouth and the storyteller found herself tasting the wet muscle with her own. Gaining her awareness, she detached their osculation.

"How I'd missed sleeping next to you." With her eyes closed, Xena groggily purred, "Seems you've awoke first, although I'd assumed you would wake me by spelling my name between my legs, not speaking it in my ear."

Ri was at a lost for words from Xena's lewd assertion. She had a very good idea which Xena this was who moved lower to suck her neck. Ri's hand gripped her dark mane unexpectedly while a groan escaped her throat. The sensation of her neck being kissed and sucked made her throb, reminding her of the night with Tessa. It was tantalizing like poor old Tantalus who's constantly punished in Pluto's Realm; she couldn't drink from this delicious pond of water either, unless it was her Lord.

Commencing another tact, Ri began moaning, "Milady, is it you? Please, let it be you."

"Milady?" Xena chuckled against Ri's fair skin. "Are we playing the Maiden and the Mistress?"

Ri had no clue what Xena was talking about. "The maiden and who?"

Xena's libido heightened. She loved the role of Gabrielle pretending to act innocent when they played their games.

Tugging on Ri's shift, Xena teased, "Well, young maiden, it appears you're overdressed to be in my bed."

Returning to Ri's neck, Xena started to gnaw on the sparkling jewelry with her teeth, coaxing Ri to become alarmed. "Careful, Milady. The necklace is dangerous. It can burn you."

'That's a new one.' Xena ruminated, opening her eyes to ascertain Ri's frightened tone. "Gabrielle, we are planning on having sex, right?"

"Who's Gabrielle?" Ri questioned, sincerely befuddled.

"Yes, sound more like that and lose the terrified voice, Gabrielle." Xena replied. "You usually croon with sexiness when doing it, but you seemed really scared a minute ago."

'What's a minute?' Affirming her conclusion that this wasn't the Conqueror, Ri scooted away from the woman who was bringing her arousal and bafflement. "Xena, I'm not Gabrielle."

"Okay, Little One. Whatever you say." Xena tenderly grabbed Ri by the back of her head, causing their lips to meet once more.

'She avowed her nickname for me.' Ri beamed internally, closing her irises and enjoying the kiss now. 'Only Milady would know to profess that. Perhaps this is a game she wants to play. That's why she's calling me Gabrielle. She wants to make love to me.'

Tongues danced and tangled, making Ri's ardor rise. Groaning her excitement and unsure of what to do, she brought an apprehensive hand to Xena's breast, palming it. She had a notion to put the nipple in her mouth similar to what the Lieutenant of the Fifth Army did to her, but felt nervous and then apologetic for betraying the Conqueror while she was on progress. Shoving her guilt out of her cognizance, Ri relented to let her Lord take the lead.

However, somewhere in Xena's brain, she couldn't shake that something was amiss. Gabrielle didn't feel the same like she did last night. Feeling her body through the shift, Xena noticed her abs didn't have its muscular definition. Gabrielle's kisses weren't delivered with equal finesse and fervor also. Even during their roleplaying, Gabrielle always gave as good as she got, never acting like a novice compared to now. The bard's moans sounded the same, her mouth tasted the same, and the texture of her long locks felt amazing entwined in Xena's fingers...

'Long hair!' Xena became utterly confused, withdrawing from Ri. 'Gabrielle hasn't had long hair since cutting it after we left the Norselands.'

Losing the connection with her Lord's lips and skin, Ri opened her eyes. "Milady, did I do something wrong?"

Studying the petite woman contiguous to her with a critical eye, Xena appraised Ri in the semi-dark. She was adorned in a shift Xena hadn't ever seen Gabrielle wear, the length of her silky hair cascaded well below a gleaming necklace that looked dissimilar to the three-pearled choker her soul mate normally wore.

"Milady?" Ri inquired again.

Xena's eyebrow arched. "Who are you?"

Ri's heart dropped to the bottom of her stomach from Xena's comment. It divulged what she already feared she'd known; this wasn't her Lord and she was no longer inside the Corinthian castle. The shard on her platinum jewelry had somehow teleported her from the Conqueror's Realm. Anxiety and terror filled the storyteller's veins, causing her breath to become labored.

Not getting a response, Xena's concupiscence deteriorated as she growled, "I'll ask once more, who the hell are you?"

Sensing the cabin's miasmal foretelling from the Warrior Princess' violent tone, Ri vamoosed off of the cot. Her hopes of fleeing were immediately vaporized when the bare warrior seized her by the forearms.

Gazing at the terrified woman struggling in her clutch, Xena inferred who she was. "Are you Ri?"

The storyteller wanted to answer, but couldn't formulate a coherent sentence. Her conscience was dealing with an impossible outcome that wasn't plausible to her. Somehow she was propelled from her world to another. Ri couldn't breathe, recalling her own cognomen became difficult, because of the terrific calamity she has been forced to suffer. She was void of friends and the most important mortal in her life; the Conqueror. Feeling nauseous, Ri tried to allay her ill temperament.

Losing patience with her, Xena started roughly shaking the strawberry blonde. "Damn it, tell me your name! What have you done to Gabrielle?"

The vibration, caused by having her body jerked continuously, made Ri lose the fight with her queasiness. Before she regurgitated the undigested nourishment she'd eaten inside the Banquet Hall, Xena released Ri when her knees buckled. Throwing up the remnant food in her belly, Ri remained feeling unwell afterwards.

"Get up!" Xena looked down at Ri with unabated suspicion, hoisting her onto trembling feet.

"Please." Ri pleaded, worried she was going to vomit again. "I don't... Feel too good."

"You're gonna feel a whole lot worse if you do not tell me what I want to know." Xena menaced.

Discomposed from the cogitation of a thrashing by Xena, Ri entreated, "Please, don't hurt me... By the patron goddess, Minerva, I'll confess everything I have knowledge of... Please."

Ri's guts churn once more, coercing her to surrender to dry heaves. Detecting that Ri probably agonized from the exact seasickness Gabrielle did, Xena granted mercy by pressing her thumb into one of the tormented storyteller's wrists.

Mistrustful of Xena, Ri became spooked enough to compel her that she was trustworthy. "You don't have to harm me. I'm not lying... I swear by any gods you name... I will keep my- Ow!"

"Stop your wailing, I'm only trying to aid you." She interjected, applying the pressure point to taper Ri's ailment. "Besides, I don't need to trust your verity. If you break your word to me, I will break something of yours in return."

Relief from a nauseated stomach was dashed as realization invaded Ri; Xena's disposition signified distress. Sitting on the edge of the cot and glancing at the tall, hostile warrior, Ri darted her eyes to the floorboards to avoid looking at the exquisite nudity standing in front of her. She took a deep breath, prepared to explain all she knew when the door to the cabin opened and the pair of women descried Kenji crossing the entryway.

Entering the room with a fresh vessel of water, the monk halted his movements, shutting his eyelids to refrain from browsing Xena's nakedness. "My apologies, Xena Sama. I didn't know you would be in Gabrielle San's cabin. I'll replace the basin later."

"No, do not go. I am getting dressed." Xena averred, gathering and donning just her leather battle dress.

Kenji kept his eyes closed, awaiting Xena to give him the okay to continue his duty. Now that the companions were probably sharing rooms again, the monk made a mental note to start knocking on either of their doors before walking in their lodgings. He didn't want to make a habit of running into either of the unclothed Grecian warriors.

As Xena lifted the final strap over a broad shoulder, her observance was keen on Gabrielle's look-alike. The strawberry blonde's mien seemed miles from reposed. Greenish-blue orbs were rivet to the wooden floorboards while her shaken hands indicated nervousness, if not fear.

'Fear of what?' Xena mused. 'Of me? The unknown of her predicament? If this is Ri, whom Gabrielle had spoken of last night, is she completely oblivious to what is happening?'

Xena's rumination shifted to her soul mate. The Warrior Princess couldn't prevent the dread of not knowing how her lover was coping in an unfamiliar environment, all alone with a sinister copy of herself, who's called the Conqueror, that would place Gabrielle in a dungeon with the guarantee of grievous intent. Xena curled her fists, her anger at being helpless almost evoked the dark presence within to blame and take vengeance on Gabrielle's twin.

'I won't enact my frustrations on her.' Unclenching her hands, Xena jilted her darker passions. 'She will answer my questions though, after I apprise Harukata of what is happening.'

Reeling in her emotions, she towered above the ex-Handmaiden. Xena steeled herself to gently tilt her chin, so downcast eyes would behold her azure ones.

"Are you Ri?" Xena queried softly.

"Yes." She responded in a small voice.

'Gabrielle, you were right to be troubled.' Xena fretted, wishing none of this came about and that they had more time together. "I want you to abide in here until I come back. Whenever you feel nausea, simply apply pressure on your wrist where I'd pressed on earlier. Can you remember that?"

"Yes... Thank you." Ri acceded hesitantly. "I will do what you've commanded."

"That would be best." Xena proclaimed, giving the silent monk her attention. "Kenji, is Harukata awake?"

"The Shogun always awakens before dawn." His eyes remained shut. "He's in his cabin meditating."

"I have to speak with him and I need you to guard her till we return. Make sure she doesn't leave this cabin."

Kenji was confounded by Xena's pronouncement. "Make sure Gabrielle San does not leave her own cabin?"

"Yeah, keep her from departing this room and do not get too close. It's doubtful, but she could be dangerous." Xena dipped her hands in the basin of water Kenji was holding to splash her face, then passed him to exit. "Oh, yea, you can open your eyes now. They will be needed for you to do what I ask of ya and to watch your step. There's a mess on the floor."

Finally raising his eyelids, Kenji protested, "But there are other cabins I must bring fresh..."

Perceiving that Xena had already abandoned the room, Kenji let his rebuttal trail off. Surmising that the Warrior Princess was joking about everything, the monk started performing his customary obligation.

"Morning, Gabrielle San." He greeted, giving her a glimpse whilst he strolled towards the table.

Shocked that he was greeting her, Ri professed somberly, "Good morning."

Setting the basin down, Kenji affirmed, "You and Xena Sama must be in a playful mood today after y'all dual yesterday. Everyone is talking about it, wondering which one of you won, and a lot of the Samurai wished they could have seen it. You've kicked my butt enough times in the armory, so I know how cunning you are, but I am curious about who came out on top between you two."

Then, something dawned on Kenji as he spun to have a thorough acuity of Gabrielle; her notable long hair became his main focus.

'Goodness. She'd recently cut it a couple of days ago and it's grown even longer.' Kenji thought, dubiously. "Gabrielle San, your hair... It grew."

{X&G}

Harukata sat cross-legged in the middle of his cabin, decked in his red kimono. He was in orison to the sun goddess because the conversation with Gabrielle drove him to supplicate Amaterasu for Xena's resurrection after Yodoshi's demise. The malevolent daemon was running amok in Japa, leaving once serene and opulent villages nothing more than destructive ruins in his wake.

The Tri-Sanctuaries were in peril of getting pulverized altogether with only Morimoto and five thousand Samurai standing in Yodoshi's path to obviate the Lord of the darklands from laying waste to Higuchi's temple until their arrival. The Shogun couldn't ferret out whether the Daimyo was successful in hindering Yodoshi, or had succumbed to his legions of undead warriors. As skillful as his secondary was, Harukata knew Morimoto had no chance defeating the fiend in combat. Other than the Sacred katana, only the Shogun's unique ability to slay souls could kill the daemon.

The insurance of Yodoshi's death, plus the perseverance of Japa's inhabitants, lied heavily with Xena, Akemi, and the Sacred katana that bounded them. They were the necessary components to secure a victory, but the imperative key to set all the elements in place was based on Xena's death.

'If Xena refuses the sacrifice, Japa will fall.' Harukata lamented.

Now that Gabrielle and Xena was reunited, he knew everything rode on appeasing the short-haired Samurai by declaring the Warrior Princess would be revived when Japa became freed of Yodoshi. The problem right now was, he hadn't been able to commune with Amaterasu. The warship was far off from Japa and his prayers were unable to reach her.

Hearing the knob on his cabin door rotating, Harukata opened his eyes to glare at the intruder. "Xena, your lack of decorum is excusable, but you can show me proper respect by knocking, instead of barging into my private room."

Ignoring him, Xena stated, "We have to talk."

"I'm already aware." The Shogun arose, trying to preempt. "Gabrielle San informed me that you and her are amiable again."

"You saw Gabrielle?" Xena asked, closing the door. "Where?"

"Last night on the bottom deck, before she went back to her lodging. She looked exhausted." Harukata imparted. "Also, she told me you aren't to die until y'all are married. Does she know about Amaterasu possibly returning you to life?"

"Yeah, she knows." Xena plopped on Harukata's modest cot, coming to the acceptance that Gabrielle and Ri had definitely exchanged worlds.

"Make yourself comfortable, Xena." Harukata was mordant. "You shouldn't have said anything to her quite yet. Gabrielle San might rely on your revival. It'll crush her if Amaterasu denies the request."

"It doesn't matter now." Xena muttered.

The Shogun became bewildered. "What do you mean?"

Xena narrowed her icy orbs in his direction. "Because we've got a serious fucking problem."

To Be Continued...