Madness. We fought it on several levels throughout our travels. But when the furies cursed my soulmate with madness, it was nearly too great for me to fight.

Luckily, Xena, in her feverish mind, was able to use her madness to her advantage. With writing that I'm getting ahead of myself. But when aren't I?

This adventure was difficult on me as much as it was on Xena. I had to watch as her mind warred with itself. As she fought to protect me and her mother from herself.

There was also reliving of the some of her past. I still can only somewhat understand what my soulmate endures each day having to live with the things she has done.

Xena places a hand upon my shoulder. She knows that if I could take away her pain from all those years of being a warlord I would do it in a heartbeat. Just as she would take away the pain of my taking innocent lives.

But neither of us can take away the pain. Neither of us can truly help shoulder the pain and anguish we deal with each and every day.

All that we can do is be there for one another. We will do it in each of the lifetimes we live together. For we know we will travel this earth in every lifetime.

This is another interesting introduction to another introduction into our adventure. Madness an adventure. But it was. And while there were some interesting moments, the fact was Xena and Cyrene's lives were in danger. And it was only through the fast thinking of my soulmate that they, and potentially others, were saved.

THE FURIES

Competitive. While neither Gabrielle or Xena would admit it, they were both extremely competitive. And even though the bard knew nearly without a doubt she would lose, she couldn't help challenging the warrior princess to a race.

For Gabrielle the stakes were not that high. Though the dumplings were time consuming, it was something she enjoyed making from time to time because she knew how much Xena loved them.

Collecting firewood? A majority of the time it was Gabrielle's job anyways. She wasn't a hunter or as good a fisherperson as Xena. Yes, she cooked whatever her soulmate caught, but again it seemed an easy division of the chores.

Gabrielle couldn't help gaining even more of an advantage then the one agreed upon. And yet, the bard lost easily when Xena used one of her many skills.

Cheating was an understatement if Xena was to draw her sword at being accused. It took Gabrielle a moment to realize she was missing out on the gang of thugs looking for trouble.

It was more than trouble. There was a bounty on Xena's head. While that in itself was no shock from her warlord days, it had been many moons since anyone had mentioned there being a price upon the warrior princess' head.

And that's when things got weird. Xena continued to fight, but she did it as if she was intoxicated was the best way for Gabrielle to describe it. Though exclaiming she loved warrior sweat in the morning wasn't all that unusual for the warrior princess.

The next thing Gabrielle knew they were back at their campsite. Xena continued to act very strangely. She was using her chakram as a tiara and placing flowers in her hair. That was something the warrior princess never would do.

Xena was acting beyond strangely. She called her bard Mavis and did a backflip upon Argo. So that she was seated backwards. It was better because she could see where she had been.

It was Gabrielle who spoke about finding out about the bounty and using the pinch to do so. Instead of asking what they needed to find out, Xena was asking about when the thug had lost his virginity.

The priest of the furies was the one who had placed the bounty upon Xena's head. Instead of releasing the pinch, Gabrielle had to order her soulmate to. Instead of making their way to the temple, the warrior princess was hungry.

It took every bit of Gabrielle's reasoning, including what the furies were famous for punishment, for Xena to finally agree to see the furies. Yet, she wouldn't believe she was mad.

Attempting to speak to a warrior princess who was suffering from madness was impossible. There was serious trouble brewing and Gabrielle couldn't convince her soulmate. It was time to attempt to sleep.

Something caused Gabrielle's sleep to be interrupted. She whispered for her soulmate but she wasn't there. Tracking at night was not the bard's greatest skill, but she managed to find the warrior princess.

Xena was naked. She held a torch in her hand. She was speaking of retribution by flames. That the people were evil incarnate and needed to be burned. That they had crucified all the women and children.

It was a moment before Gabrielle's words seemed to penetrate Xena's mind. The bard had been terrified she would not be able to. Luckily, the warrior princess handed the torch over and allowed herself to be covered. The fact she finally admitted, as she cried, that she was in trouble informed Gabrielle the madness was finally settling in so deep there might be no return.

The priest was helpful, even with Xena's madness attempting to interfere. Failure to avenge a family member? Gabrielle knew that was one of the first things the warlord did was to avenge Lyceus' death. But her father? A father that only Ares before had brought into the fold.

Who was the killer? The priest didn't know that. Before Gabrielle could react, Xena was off. Did she know who the killer was?

Madness. Pure madness. Gabrielle attempted to reason with her soulmate who was seeing things. Who was thinking she was a danger to the bard. In fact, Gabrielle found herself being tied gently to a tree.

It took some time for Gabrielle to track Xena down. It wasn't the way she wanted to return to see Cyrene, but was grateful to see her second mother.

Cyrene was fearful this day would come? Ever since she heard what had happened to Orestes? Gabrielle needed answers. And since Xena was now incoherent, it had to be her second mother.

The question had Gabrielle flustered. Could Xena kill her own mother? Especially when she was inflicted by madness? And then understanding dawned on the bard.

It was Cyrene's turn to be a bard. Gabrielle shivered as the story unfolded. How Xena's father had been sent home angry from Ares' temple. How he had wanted to kill his own seven-year-old daughter. And how it was Cyrene that had killed her husband to save her child.

It was exactly the same situation as Orestes. His mother had killed his father and therefore was supposed avenge him by killing his mother. Did it work? Gabrielle had to find out so she could help her soulmate.

Before Gabrielle left, she had to reassure her soulmate that she was there for her. That they would get through this together as they always did.

The trip to Andreas thankfully didn't take long. But then when one was as motivated as Gabrielle was to help her soulmate, a journey took less time.

What Gabrielle discovered in Andreas was beyond terrifying. Because Orestes killed his mother the punishment remained madness for the rest of his life. And that meant Xena would remain insane if she killed Cyrene.

Gabrielle pulled Xena. She arrived just as her soulmate was about to kill Cyrene. The bard hastily informed her it wouldn't do any good only to find herself being silenced by Ares.

As Xena bantered on with Ares, something was niggling at Gabrielle's brain. While her soulmate remained insane, there was somewhere she was heading with the banter.

The fact Ares could be Xena's father nearly shocked Gabrielle into not being able to do the bard thing. But she managed to tell how legend had it that the god of war would take the place of his warriors while they were in battle and bed their wives.

Gabrielle watched in awe as Xena, even insane, managed to convince the furies that Ares might just be her father. Not shockingly, the warrior princess managed to defeat the god of war.

As they made camp, Gabrielle couldn't help ask Xena if she knew exactly what her mother and the bard would say. Being that predictable was not something Gabrielle liked very much.

The bard noticed how Cyrene sat staring into the fire. She knew this was one of those moments that a mother and daughter needed alone time. There was a great deal to sort out. Eventually Gabrielle knew she would be included to help her second mother and her soulmate heal.

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

Xena shook her head. While she knew she was competitive, Gabrielle would never admit that she was. Yet, here was her bard challenging her to a race.

But at least there could be something worthwhile to gain if Xena did win. It wasn't often Gabrielle made the dumplings with the red sauce inside. It was a special treat that the warrior princess couldn't resist. Just like her soulmate.

Again, Xena was shaking her head as she watched Gabrielle taking an extra stride or two beyond the agreed upon head start. With the warrior princess' many skills, she could easily win each and every time.

Cheating? Just using one of Xena's many skills. Like seeing that they were soon to be under attack. In fact, the warrior princess was the quarry. While that wasn't unusual, it was the way the thug said it.

Bounty? It had been forever since Xena had a bounty on her head. There were those from her warlord days, but not since she was attempting to fight for the greater good.

As the fight progressed, an unusual sensation flowed through Xena. In fact, she didn't just want to fight. She wanted to do it her way. Which was sort of comical in nature.

Even Gabrielle was telling her she was acting strangely. But it felt natural to Xena. A little different than usual, but still felt as natural as can be.

The fact Xena was on Argo backwards didn't mean she was acting strangely. It was merely trying something new. Forgetting about the bounty and the pinch wasn't unusual. The warrior princess had a lot on her mind.

Like when the bad guy lost his virginity. Or the capital of Assyria. If it weren't for Gabrielle, Xena never would have asked and discovered it was the priest of the furies who had placed a bounty on her head.

Xena's thought process was becoming muddled. It could only focus on one thing. Like the fact she was hungry and that the furies could get their own food.

The furies were punishing Xena with madness? That was silly. The warrior princess had never felt better. There was no way she was insane.

Finally, Gabrielle convinced Xena that they needed to find out what was happening. Watching where she was going was overrated. This seeing where she had been was the best.

As they camped, Xena decided it was time to dress up a little. She wasn't crazy. She just wanted to look good. And the daisies were perfect.

Not about her outside but what was going on inside? The inside was a terrifying place. Xena's thoughts were anywhere and everywhere.

As Gabrielle slept, Xena knew she had to right some wrongs. It wasn't odd that she was doing it while naked. The town needed to be punished.

It took Gabrielle speaking to her slowly and with love for Xena to see there were only women and children and that she was terrifying them. Afterall, she had threatened them with retribution with flames.

Finally, the furies made sense and Xena knew she needed help. More help than even her soulmate could give her. What and who remained to be seen.

Xena only half listened as Gabrielle and the priest spoke. It wasn't until he accused her of not avenging Lycus' death that she took notice. It was one of the first things she did was to kill the man who had killed her brother.

Father? Xena didn't even know for certain where her father had been all her life. She barely even remembered him. The time that Ares appeared as her father was the closest she had come to knowing him. Who had killed her father?

Into the forest Xena went. There were so many hallucinations that she couldn't keep up with them. She began mumbling not even knowing what she was saying.

There was a voice attempting to penetrate the fog Xena found she was immersed in. It was a voice that always kept her grounded. But the one the voice belonged to wasn't safe to be around her. Plus, the warrior princess needed answers. There was only one place to go.

Before Xena could make it very far, some ruffians decided she was an easy mark as she was babbling. The warrior princess proved how dangerous she could be fighting while insane. It gave her something to crow about.

Ignoring all as Xena made her way through the village. She found she was so exhausted. For a few more moments she continued to babble before sitting and staring into nothingness.

Xena listened carefully to the tale her mother spun. Momma killed papa. It was to save her baby girl, but it still placed the warrior princess in a conundrum.

One Xena wasn't going to make so easy on Cyrene. Her momma might have offered to be sacrificed, but it wasn't that simple. If the furies or gods were involved, it could never be that easy.

Instead of remaining in her home village, Xena knew she had to go somewhere people were few. Into the forest near a cliff was the best place to be.

Even in her befuddled state, Xena wasn't surprised to find Ares appear before her. He was telling her how life wasn't just worth living. One had to beat the daylights out of it. And anyone that got in their way.

Scarily, Ares was beginning to make sense. Enough so that even through her madness, Xena was beginning to understand what was happening. What was truly at stake now.

Now all Xena had to do was have an audience. But not just any audience. It had to be the furies. If she was to kill her mother, she needed the right people to see it.

Xena couldn't be nice while retrieving Cyrene. The sooner this was all over the better. And there was no way Gabrielle could help. Only the warrior princess could.

And the way Xena could help herself was to push her momma. Cyrene finally admitted that the night the warrior princess was conceived that it was different. That it was good.

Just as Xena was about to lower the sword there was that voice again only to have Ares shut it up. But the timing was enough to make the warrior princess wonder why she was doing this. Or was it Gabrielle being there?

Cyrene killed her father? Xena shook her madness laden head. How could that be when her father wasn't dead. That her father was standing right before her.

Of course no matter what craziness or sense Xena was making, Ares attempted to deflect. He wouldn't admit to being her papa. It wouldn't play into his plan if she wasn't.

Finally, the voice of reason spoke. Gabrielle, at Xena's urging, did the bard thing. She told how legend had it that Ares would often take the form of his soldiers while they were in battle and have his way with their wives.

Cyrene, at Xena's urging, admitted how it was different the night the warrior princess was conceived. It was a night that her father had been off to war and appeared suddenly.

To further the point, Xena urged the furies to consider how Ares had said her father was jealous. It wasn't how one would think when coming to a child.

Xena's theory was simple. Cyrene and Ares did their thing. Her papa came home thinking he done the did. The god of war sends Papa back and Momma protects her. And now we're here with Ares claiming not to be the father.

Why would Ares want a mad Xena? Because she would be more sympathetic to his cause and easier to control. The best part would be the warrior princess would be doomed forever because she killed her momma.

How to prove Xena was right? To do what she was best at. She had fought Ares before and usually to a standstill. Why wouldn't this time be any different?

And just like that the madness was gone. The fact Xena could have easily killed her mother was something the warrior princess may never overcome. After all, even when a warlord, she would never kill her mother.

Did Xena truly think Ares was her father? It didn't matter. All that mattered was that the furies did and that her mother was now safe. As was Gabrielle.

Did Xena know what Gabrielle and Cyrene were going to say? Yes. The warrior princess couldn't help but smirking as her soulmate admitted not liking being that predictable.

Xena was grateful as Gabrielle used gathering more firewood so that she could be alone with her mother. To any mother, it was the only thing she could do. It was how the warrior princess could understand Borias turning against her.

There was nothing to forgive. Now Xena knew what happened. It killed her ideal of a father. But what was important was she knew the love of her mother. And the love of her soulmate.

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

Xena stretched. It had been forever since she had awakened in her bed. Of course, Gabrielle was beside her. It was even better feeling the warmth of her soulmate so close.

As much as she would love to remain in bed, Xena knew someone else needed her. While sensitive chats weren't her thing, she knew her mother needed more than what they had shared around the campfire.

"You're up early." Cyrene was in the kitchen readying for the few early crowd. She turned back to the porridge when she felt to long arms wrap around her. "What's this for?"

"Because I rarely if ever get to hug you." Xena reluctantly released her mother and took a seat upon the stool next to the fire. "And because I owe you my life. I'm sorry that so many seasons of my life were not what you'd want for your daughter."

Cyrene's hand stopped its motion. She turned toward her only daughter. "Xena, we've been through this. Yes, you brought shame to your family. But you've changed and you are righting wrongs. That's all I can ask from someone with your fighting skills. It's me that's sorry for taking away your hope."

"I have hope." Xena once again rose to stand before her mother. "I have hope of making you proud. Of knowing you love me. That the life you saved was worth saving."

"Sounds like you two are at an impasse." Cyrene and Xena both turned at the sound of the bard's voice. "I think as mother and daughter you both have so much to be grateful for. I know I'm grateful to have both of you in my life."

"My beautiful soulmate is right." Xena crossed the distance between herself and Gabrielle. Not even hesitating, the warrior princess placed a gentle kiss upon the bard's lips.

Cyrene cleared her throat. "You two do have a bed you can make use of for once if you want."

"Mother!" Both bard and warrior princess called out simultaneously. It was Xena who recovered first. "We might take you up on that later. Right now, it's family time."

Gabrielle buried her head in her soulmate's shoulder. "Not in front of the mother." Was mumbled.

Cyrene laughed. "I love to see young love." She sighed heavily. "I just wish my marriage to your father had been like your relationship. You two radiate love. Your father and I had an arranged marriage. I grew to respect him. Until that moment."

"What was he like?" Xena held onto her soulmate. It was one question she never asked of her mother as a child. It was understood by all three children that no one was to ask about their father.

"He was a good man. The problem was he wanted to be a soldier not a tavern owner." Cyrene removed the porridge from the heat and placed in near the fire to keep warm. "His father wouldn't allow it. So that's how I ended up owning this place. I ran it after your father started worshiping Ares and went off to war in his name."

Gabrielle listened closely. This would make a good story. Of course, it wouldn't be one she told in a tavern. It would be one she wrote to chronicle the life of her soulmate.

"And then one day, as you know, it led to what just happened." Cyrene sighed heavily once again. "It will take a while for me to fully deal with what I did and what it cost you. But just know I would do it again in a heartbeat."

"And I love you for it, Mother." Xena kept Gabrielle at her side. It became a trio hug. The love between the family shown through as it always did.