AN-sorry been so long since an update. hope everyone is doing well. be safe. be well :)

The longer we traveled together, the more Xena proved just how much she loved me. How much she would do anything for me. I realized this from the beginning. After all, she saved myself and my fellow villagers from becoming slaves.

I witnessed many amazing feats over our travels, but at the thought of my soulmate giving up her eyesight just to save me has me near tears.

Gentle hands are upon my shoulders. I don't usually write while in our warm, comfortable bed, but so much happened the past week or so.

Winter Solstice was upon us. What had once been an intimate gathering for two, sometimes three, it's become quite the family gathering.

I know I tease with presents being made by Xena's own hands, being in a warm bed instead of the open trail and with more people than we are accustomed to. I promise that I will relate how it all comes together.

For now, I'll say that Xena would have given up the most precious thing to a warrior. In fact, anything that inhibited her ability to fight would be torturous for my savior.

The squeeze is gentle, as is the nuzzle upon my neck. Xena doesn't have to say anything. I know. She, even after how many times she saved my life, won't accept that she's my savior. That I know she would have inwardly died had she not been able to fight.

Now, Xena doesn't fight, but it's her choice. She remains in shape so that if the need should arise, she'd gladly take up arms to defend the innocent.

I love my life. I love what we've been able to accomplish. And it's because both of us used our strengths to change the world.

First, here's a little about how Xena sacrificed her eyesight so she could see me once again. And in the process, she managed to change one young man's life. Maybe even his soul.

BLIND FAITH

Shopping. It was something Xena never really enjoyed. It wasn't the warrior princess' thing. It was part of the reason Gabrielle was always the one to bargain for supplies. She was the better haggler. That and Xena hated it.

Why had Gabrielle suggested shopping to a warrior who was more worried about filling her stomach than finding a good bargain? Because she hoped it would be a different way they could spend their time together.

After separating, Gabrielle slowly glanced around. It wasn't long before she was in a groove. In fact, she was able to talk a gentleman down from five dinars to two.

But her luck immediately changed. Gabrielle found herself kidnapped once again. And on a journey she definitely didn't want to make.

As far as places to be kidnapped, winding up in a palace wasn't the worst. But the price of remaining there was too steep. Gabrielle a queen? She was barely able to accept the fact she was an amazon queen.

No argument the bard came up with would deter the man from making certain that Gabrielle was the queen. He had one of the guards literally throw her into the royal chamber.

It didn't take long for Gabrielle to decide she needed to escape. To most young farm girls, the chance to be princess or queen would be leapt at.

But Gabrielle had ceased being a farm girl a long time ago. It wasn't even being a traveling bard that would keep the bard from marrying this unknown king.

It was her soulmate. Gabrielle had already betrayed Xena once. Marrying Perdicus was the stupidest thing she had ever done in her life. She would not be forced to betray the woman who held her heart for all the dinars or parchment in the world.

There was only one way Gabrielle could think of to escape. There were no hidden passageways and only one door into the chamber she found herself in.

It wasn't the keenest of ideas, but Gabrielle had no choice. She wasn't even able to test the blasted makeshift rope when an odd man burst in with the guards.

As soon as Gabrielle was firmly on her feet once again, she felt herself being insulted left right and center. All she had wanted to do was to warn the man who her friend was and that she would be dead before she married some stranger, regardless if he was king.

Backwoods was backwoods? Gabrielle was becoming angrier and more frustrated the more this Vidalis person spoke. Some of it the bard knew to be true. But no one like to be told they were less than desirable.

Xena would have laughed. It's the first thought Gabrielle had after being distracted by grapes. Food really was a distraction for the bard. But it was because there had been times when the farm had had difficult times. She knew better than most that there was no guarantee of another meal.

Curtsy? Gabrielle wanted to scream. Especially when being taught to curtsy led to how to walk, talk and anything else in between.

Gabrielle found herself ready to be paraded around. In the back of her mind, she was screaming for Xena to come rescue her. It was only a matter of time. She hoped would come sooner, rather than later.

There was no way that Gabrielle would be paraded around for some nobles. It wasn't until she heard the tone of Vidalis' voice that the bard reluctantly relented.

As the cheers were still ringing through the air, Gabrielle was once again shoved into seclusion. There was one exception. Vidalis remained so he could teach her the errors of her way. From how to hold out her hand, to how to walk, to her tones and everything in between. The bard found herself continually humiliated.

The words came easily for the bard. All Gabrielle had to do was think of Xena and the words flowed. She would forever be with her warrior princess. It was merely the fact that she couldn't be with Xena until they were reunited.

The words had their desired effect. Gabrielle was led to the bedchamber of the king. She hated to disturb him there, but she had to convince him that she wasn't the one he should marry.

Not only did Gabrielle discover that she was speaking with a corpse, she found that she was to die with him. It seemed death lurked around the bard. No matter what she did or who she was traveling with.

This honeymoon was giving new meaning to a hot time tonight. Gabrielle fought to free herself from the prison she discovered herself in. It wasn't long before the smoke and heat were becoming nearly too great to handle.

The smoke was suffocating Gabrielle. She was losing the strength to call out or pound upon the lid of the coffin. Then she heard the voice. The one she knew would be her rescue. That would mean her safety as she was safe in her soulmate's arms.

Her excitement at being rescued and reuniting with Xena, faded immediately when she realized her soulmate couldn't see. Gabrielle knew there had to be something to help. The warrior princess had many skills, healing chief among them.

The bard's heart sunk when she heard there was a cure, but Xena had given it up for the chance to rescue Gabrielle. But the man who had tortured Gabrielle's poor ego had the potential cure.

Gentle. It's what Xena always was with her bard. Gabrielle knew she had to return the favor. She had to make certain her soulmate was healed, but to minimalize any discomfort she might experience.

The most amazing words, outside of 'I love you' had to be 'now that's a sight for sore eyes'. Gabrielle knew it had double meaning. She knew Xena was grateful to be able to see once again. But mostly, she was saying how beautiful her bard was to her.

Gabrielle watched as a newly sighted Xena placed herself in a position of protecting her. Paleamon baited her warrior princess, momentarily. And then words of wisdom were uttered. It was definitely easier to be who you are than pretend to be something you aren't.

Being a 'sidekick' was definitely worth it. Gabrielle had so many perks with the job. She only hoped that Paleamon and Vidalis had half of the relationship she had with her soulmate.

The bard didn't truly hate Xena. It was just that everything seemed to come so naturally for her warrior princess. From the curtsy to the wave, Xena had once again shown up her soulmate.

()()()()()()()()()()()()()

There were very few things the warrior princess needed. Number one was walking beside her. A well maintained arsenal was another. And, of course, to be fed.

One thing Xena didn't require was shopping. The only time she would reluctantly shop was for her mother or for her soulmate. Today, she wasn't in the mood.

Satisfied that Gabrielle would be happy shopping, Xena wandered off to discover a good meal. Fortunately, she wasn't disappointed. In fact, she was now rather sleepy after having filled her stomach.

The sleepiness instantly wore off as Xena searched for her bard. There was no answer to her repeated calls for her soulmate. That was when her eyes fell upon Gabrielle's staff.

Killed her? Xena knew it wasn't true. It didn't mean the young man with the scar hadn't taken Gabrielle. She had the sense the young warrior wanted to bait her into a fight.

As the fight continued, Xena realized just how right she was. He wanted to be the man who bested the warrior princess. Yet, there was something missing in the way he fought.

Frustrated was one way to put it. Xena not only knew she couldn't allow the man to die from the pinch, she couldn't take the time to heal her eyes.

Since she couldn't torture the man into telling her the information she needed, there was only one solution. And that was to tie up the man and force him to show Xena where her soulmate was taken.

With every word spoken, Xena was gaining a better picture of the man. He wasn't evil at all. He had probably grown up in a place that had made him show his worth by fighting. And what would the best way to show that worth?

To fight Xena. To be the one who ended the warrior princess' life. The only problem with that was the young man only had a reputation to uphold, unlike Xena who had her soulmate counting on her.

The first lessen Palaemon had to learn was that one had to be careful who the considered friends. Xena had made that mistake on numerous occasions. It's why she didn't trust easily.

During the fight, Xena's sight finally failed her. She knew by instinct Palaemon had a sword pointed at her. It was now time to discover if he was even half of the honorable man she thought he was.

There was also the fact Xena needed an eye guide. She would rather it be nearly anyone else besides Palaemon, but she had little choice if she was to discover where her soulmate was being held.

After hearing more of why Gabrielle was perfect, Xena understood the two-fold reasoning behind Palaemon's taking of her soulmate. Didn't ease anything. And her blindness wouldn't deter her from getting Gabrielle back.

One strike against Palaemon. He would ditch his friend to find the cure to his blindness. Of course, Xena realized that he didn't have the connection she had with Gabrielle. Even so, a decent human being would be there for their friend.

And now Palaemon was attempting to learn from being forced to guide a blind Xena on her quest to save Gabrielle from untold danger.

The problem was…Xena internally sighed. Palaemon was patterning himself after The Destroyer of Nations. He needed to learn from the mistakes she had made and learn to fight for the greater good.

Her limited sight was hindering her. In fact, it caused their bolt through the trees to be seen. Xena tripped. She ended up dangling in a precarious position. There was no way the warrior princess would take Palaemon with her.

Instead, Palaemon made Xena an offer she couldn't refuse. She didn't want to fight the confused young warrior. But perhaps it was the only way he could learn. Besides, it gave her the best chance at saving Gabrielle.

Xena became more and more uncomfortable. And when she was uncomfortable, she became angry. The plan would have nothing to do with any of the ways of her dark past. They weren't pleasant memories, yet Palaemon couldn't see that. And couldn't see that it was her past for a reason.

Finally, they made it to the wall. Even with no sight, Xena was able to scale the wall. All she needed now was to know how far away the wall was. Just in the nick of time, the warrior princess caught her trusty chakram. Inwardly, she smirked at the expression that must be upon Palaemon's face.

Once they had made it inside, Xena realized the sumac was settling in. It meant there was little hope for her to regain her sight.

Was it worth it? Xena answered easily. She would give up everything, including her own life, just to make certain Gabrielle was all right. To see her bard smile…

Vulnerable? Did Gabrielle make her vulnerable? Perhaps. But Xena's heart was no longer hardened. She was no longer a person she had grown tired of being. And Palaemon also had to learn that he had to stop pretending. That it was worth it to be true to yourself.

Even without sight, Xena easily dispatched the latest guards they came upon. Palaemon even said she should stick close to him. It did sound like he was beginning to care.

As often happened, it was pure luck that they happened upon someone or something that could help. Vidalis knew Gabrielle and was her friend. He could lead them to her bard.

There were a great deal of epic battles in Xena's lifetime. This one was shaping up to be one of the top ones. It wasn't because the warrior princess was blind. It was because she could easily lose the other half of her soul.

The call for help. The strained voice. The fact Gabrielle was in a great deal of danger. It all came together so that Xena was able to pull off another miraculous rescue. She was just grateful she was in time.

With the bad guys dispatched, it was time to face the fact. Xena was blind. It was worth it. It would always be worth it. Even if she could never see her bard again, she could use her hands to feel the soft skin and know what her touch did to Gabrielle.

The cure was in Athens. Or so Xena thought. Another lucky turn as Vidalis just happened to have Egyptian senna growing in his garden.

In the caring hands, Xena waited for the water to reach her eyes. She knew Gabrielle hated to hurt her. But the, at first blurry, sight of her soulmate made every moment leading up to this reuniting worth it.

If they hadn't had an audience, Xena would have swooped Gabrielle in her arms. She would kiss her soundly. She would show her bard just how much she loved her and how much she would give just to be with her.

The warm feelings were interrupted by Palaemon. Instantly, Xena had her body placed between the young warrior and her soulmate.

Luckily, Palaemon had learned his lesson. He decided to be who he actually was instead of who he pretended to be. Xena couldn't hide the smirk when Vidalis inquired about being a sidekick and Gabrielle telling him it was good work, if you could get it.

Xena couldn't help herself. She had to curtsy. She had to show that she could wave. But she had to do something more. Now that they were alone, she pulled her bard tightly to her. She stared into twinkling emerald eyes before closing the distance.

()()()()()()()()()()()()()

Alone at last. Xena was grateful they had come across a small, abandoned hut. She figured it had been used by local famers when herding ship, cattle or horses.

All that mattered was the fact it was secluded. Xena had already secured the area. She had made certain they would be alerted should anyone venture too near the hut. She needed to have her full focus on one thing and one thing only.

Xena hesitated for a moment at the door to the hut. She had left Gabrielle to prepare for bed. The warrior princess hadn't hinted of anything more than snuggling. But then again, she didn't have to.

The entire ride through the forest and happening upon the hut, Xena had her arms around Gabrielle. For once, the warrior princess had insisted Gabrielle sit in front. It was as if she needed to feel her bard and have the scent that was uniquely her soulmate at her beckon call.

After opening the door, Xena came to a screeching halt. Her azure eyes darkened instantly. The entire hut was lit in candles. There were flower petals leading up to the small bed in the corner. The fire was roaring and painting interesting patterns upon her bard's naked body.

It took the normally fast acting warrior princess several heartbeats before her body began moving. In less than the blink of an eye, Xena had joined her bard in being naked.

"Definitely a sight for sore eyes." Xena didn't hesitate in joining her beautiful lover in bed. "I would have missed this." She reached out and tuck an errant strand of blonde hair behind an adorable ear. "I would have missed taking in your outer beauty that pales in comparison to your inner beauty."

Gabrielle swallowed. Once again, the warrior of few words had spoken from the heart. "I don't want to think about what could have happened. I just want to love you. I want you to love me. It's been too long."

Xena used her eyes, first, to make love to her bard. She would never take being able to see her bard for granted again. Next, the warrior princess began worshiping Gabrielle with her hands. From her shoulders to her toes, Xena made certain to love her bard.

Where her hands had been, Xena's lips were soon to follow. The kisses rained down until they came across perfect breasts. A gasp could be heard as the warrior princess suckled first one breast and then the other.

Gabrielle had also missed this. It was one of the few things the bard hated about their travels. There was little time to make love, at least not in secure places.

"By the gods!" Gabrielle had her hands in ebony hair as Xena was slowly worshiping her body. The bard jumped as her navel was encircled by a strong tongue.

Xena couldn't help smiling as she continued her path south. The scent of her soulmate had her wanting to dive in. Yet, she managed to nip at sensitive inner thighs. She kissed the back of both knees before draping strong legs over her shoulders.

Emerald and azure met. There was no question both wanted this. It was merely the fact they wanted to convey their love for one another. That and the wish that they could convey their love physically more often.

The strong muscle was suddenly invading her slick folds. Once again, Gabrielle was gasping. There was a hand on each of her breasts as the tongue continued to swirl, thrust and find all the sensitive spots.

The sound of Xena making a feast out of her caused Gabrielle to find a mini release. The thumbs now stroking her hardened nipples was in prefect time with the tongue stroking her hardened clit.

Gasping for breath was the only way Gabrielle could describe her breathing. It wasn't long before the bard found the release that had been building since the moment she had seen the torrid expression upon Xena as she stared at her from the doorway.

Xena didn't hesitate in settling next to her bard. She pulled Gabrielle to her side so that the blonde head was upon her breast. "I love you, Gabrielle. For eternity."

Gabrielle smiled as she felt the strong arms holding her securely. The love she felt for her soulmate was something she could not express properly. "I love you, Xena. I second the eternity part."

Finally finding her strength, Gabrielle settled once again on her back. She smiled at Xena as her hands slid down the long muscular frame. They settled on the warrior princess' hips.

"Would you mind. My ability to move isn't what I want." Gabrielle pulled on Xena's hips. It didn't take long for the warrior princess to take the hint.

The bard's hands were on firm breasts as her soulmate settled herself on Gabrielle's face. The amount of moisture nearly caused Gabrielle to drown.

Xena had to steady herself with a hand on the wall. The other hand was upon Gabrielle's that was massaging her breast. Not even realizing it, the warrior princess began rocking against the mouth and tongue that were pleasuring her so.

"Gods." Xena was barely able to hold herself upright with the onslaught her bard was doing to her most sensitive area. The palming of her nipples was timed nearly perfectly with the thrusts of the tongue inside her slick folds.

Finally, too soon, Xena rose to the highest cliff. It was with the remaining strength the warrior princess maintained that she gently eased herself from her bard's loving mouth.

Once again, the soulmates resumed their position on the small bed. Gabrielle's head was upon Xena's chest. Arms were wrapped around the other.

"There's nothing, nor no one, that will ever come between us." Xena squeezed her bard to emphasize her words. "Just know, you are the only one I will ever make love to."

Gabrielle kissed the convenient breast. "Seeing the look in your eyes when you could see once again, I knew. Or should I say it reaffirmed what I knew. I love you, Xena. Hold me."

"Forever." Xena's eyes grew heavy. She already heard the soft snores emanating from her soulmate. There was a part of her that wanted to see. Even in the darkness, she wanted to see the shadows. For sight was as precious a gift as touching, tasting and breathing.