When the gods interfered in our lives, we always had quite the adventures. In the case of Aphrodite, it was always something rather interesting. Though in this case substituting Joxer for Xena was not a happy thing for me.

I still have that scroll that caused all the trouble when it was enchanted. We both still laugh when we think about waking with a jerk. And then we sober knowing Joxer is forever gone from us.

Back to the chapter of how Aphrodite became jealous of Xena. It wasn't entirely her fault. It was because of Ares wanting Xena out of the way so that his army could attack without worrying about the warrior princess.

I remember one thing from our last adventure. The doppelgangers for Xena. I asked how it felt to have lookalikes. It was my turn as there were three of me. Only mine were naked and dancing.

Xena wolf-whistles as she reads over my shoulder. I elbow her gently. It causes her to laugh loudly as she walks out the door leaving me to continue writing these chronicles.

One good thing I did appreciate about the scrolls was the fact that Minya was summoned. I admit to being at odds with her in the beginning. Then we became good friends. So seeing the woman with Xena's whip dressed in leather was a very big plus.

One thing about the enchanted scroll was I learned I have trouble writing action. I write with imagery and with metaphors. It wasn't easy to write just what was transpiring.

In a way, I think this adventure helped my writing. It could be one thing I could actually thank Aphrodite for. And in a way, I could thank Ares as well.

THE QUILL IS MIGHTIER

The feel of a new scroll. There was nothing like it. The crinkle as it opens. The way it feels to the touch. The scent. The way it was ready to be used.

Gabrielle couldn't believe to Xena it merely smelled like old leather. Perhaps it was to the noncreative person. That's why it smelled the way it did.

Now to start the last adventure that Xena had…Nope. The warrior princess didn't want it to be about her. Why not make it fiction?

Hmm. Gabrielle had been contemplating writing fiction. She sent Xena fishing. The bard had fun with the fiction making herself the heroine of the story.

Gabrielle awoke with a jerk. She kept calling for Xena but to no avail. It meant the bard was on her own. The moves she was using she had no clue where they were coming from.

The bard heard the scream. Joxer was in trouble. She flipped until she was there using her abs of steel to block the sword. The moves were enough to scare the barbarians away.

It took several moments for Gabrielle to realize exactly what had happened. Xena had gone fishing as she had written. She awoke with a jerk which was Joxer. And she'd written the fight scene with the barbarians. But how did it come true?

The scroll. Everything Gabrielle wrote in the scroll came true. Including having Joxer hit himself with her staff. It was a gift to mankind she had in her possession. When the bard was through, Xena would be very proud of her.

Joxer couldn't understand how he wound up in camp with Gabrielle and the bard didn't have the heart to tell him about the awoke with a jerk part so leave it he showed up on his own.

Now what? What wouldn't they do. Gabrielle knew stories could have happy endings. Just then came along the Sisters of Gaea. Joxer wouldn't part with his scabbard because his father gave it to him.

Gabrielle took to the scroll and had a man give a jewel encrusted sword to the Sisters. It would provide for the orphans for years. Only problem? There was a man who wanted the sword back.

Next stop for use of the scroll was Gabrielle and Joxer in a tavern. The bard was still figuring out the wording as the food was free but the drinks were literally on the house and pouring through the cracks.

Just as Gabrielle was about to try and think of another use for the scroll, a barroom brawl breaks out. And to make things worse, the barbarians reappeared.

So Gabrielle took to the scroll. She sent them west. Which was the Sisters of Gaea orphanage. Next it was east. That was Akanacia. When she attempted to have them disappear from the land they would become pirates and kill and pillage. Finally, to the caves where they would fall into a deep sleep.

After hearing Joxer say 'this was the good you wanted to do', Gabrielle had had enough. She was not about to write another word. Ever.

A little while later, the bard sat with the scroll. Gabrielle didn't understand what was transpiring. Her writing had always been vivid, but she was missing something.

There was no way Gabrielle was editing her work. She just had to be more careful with wording. In fact, she could end war. Instead of ending war, she ended both Ares and Aphrodite's powers as gods.

Gabrielle was the pawn in all this. Ares wanted his army to attack without Xena's interference so he used Aphrodite to enchant the scroll. But now because the scroll was enchanted neither god had their powers.

After all the arguments for which god should get their power back, Aphrodite won out. Only problem was when Gabrielle wrote her as she was before, she was as she was before landing on top of Ares.

There just wasn't an easy way to do this. The wording was everything. Gabrielle was becoming frustrated. There was the slight amusement in how Joxer was brought once again.

The first thing they needed was to bring back Xena. Gabrielle wasn't certain on how to go about it. Ares' suggestion wasn't helping as usual.

The next suggestion Gabrielle wrote was bringing a woman with leather and black hair carrying the whip of Xena. Instead of her soulmate, Minya appeared not know why she had appeared.

The conversations around Gabrielle were amusing, yet she couldn't be amused. She was supposed to be this great bard yet she couldn't write a happy ending without screwing it up.

Joxer, as always, attempted to comfort the bard. But it was no use. After all, the Sisters of Gaea sold the sword, which was good, but now Scaborous was after the man who bought it. Off to the crowded caves.

Frustrated even more, Gabrielle was thinking that maybe they needed to go to Xena instead of attempting to bring the warrior princess to them. There weren't that many fishing places around.

Gone for only a few moments, Gabrielle returned to find there were three naked of her dancing. For the whole village to see. It was off to the caves and it was lucky not to kill a certain bumbling warrior for writing his little ditty.

When Gabrielle awoke the next morning, there was a beautiful necklace. It was an amazing gift from Joxer. But there was a major problem. He sold the scabbard that the scroll was hidden in.

Gabrielle finally knew what to write. But now they had to figure out exactly where the peddler had gone with the scabbard and more importantly with the scroll.

The bard took charge as if she were Xena. Minya and Aphrodite were to head to town to see if they could find the peddler. Ares was to go to where it was raining dinars to see if he was still there. And Joxer gets to wait at the caves.

Tracking mission. It was something Gabrielle wasn't an expert at, yet she had learned so much from her soulmate. As Ares was discovering.

The pair did a bit of bonding over the different brilliant ways that Xena had out maneuvered the god of war. In the end, neither really liked it.

The trail led to the caves. When they arrived, Joxer was attempting to unarm the barbarians. Gabrielle kept telling him not to that he'd screw it up.

That's when all Tartarus broke out. One moment one person had the scroll then someone else the next. There was the three naked dancing Gabrielles running around among the chaos. Finally, the scroll and the occupants of the cave headed for the exit.

Finally, Gabrielle hoped she had done the right thing. More so she hoped she had phrased it properly when she sent the scroll onto her soulmate.

In the meantime, Gabrielle was attempting to get Ares to call off the attack. Ares promised as soon as he got his powers back that he would punish them.

It was frustrating that the god of war didn't care about innocent people dying. War was not something Gabrielle looked for, but with or without Ares they would fight the army.

That's when Joxer asked if they smelled something. Gabrielle was never so happy to smell the nasty scent of fish in her life. Xena was back!

Gabrielle had to admit she messed things up, though she hoped Xena realized that her heart was in the right place. A blonde eyebrow rose when her soulmate's voice hitched when she spoke of three naked bards.

When Gabrielle tried to get Xena back by sending her to her number one friend, it was to a girl she hadn't seen since she was five.

The next time Gabrielle tried sending her to a woman who brought her to a new life. Xena was glad to see her mom. And Cyrene was grateful for all the fish.

The next thing Xena knew again was an overwhelming urge to fish thanks to Gabrielle's writing. It charmed the bard that her soulmate said she'd visited just about anyone who had ever meant anything to her with the exception of Gabrielle.

As usual, Gabrielle's soulmate figured out the charm upon the parchment. It was all about fiction vs truth. All they had to do was fill up the parchment and it would end the charm.

The only problem? Gabrielle wasn't that great at writing action. Everyone got on her because she followed Xena around all the time. It was all about the metaphors. That they couldn't use or the warrior princess could be harmed if not worse.

Gabrielle wrote furiously as Xena did her thing. She did it in her unusual style. An entire cart of fish, squid and eel were used. There were quibbles over wording but she wrote it exactly as it happened.

As the scroll filled up, Gabrielle noticed things were beginning to return to normal. First Minya returned and said the barbarians went back to Barbaria. Next, Aphrodite got her powers back and disappeared. Lastly, Ares got his powers back and began to zap his own warrior.

Watching Minya having raging hormone because of fighting and because of Ares remind Gabrielle of her soulmate. Fighting and the bard did the same thing for Xena.

Everything seemed fine. There was a little more space at the bottom. What to write on the scroll? Xena suggested the end. It sounded a bit…

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

Xena couldn't help inwardly smiling at how happy unrolling a new scroll made her soulmate. Though to the warrior princess, it smelled like old leather.

Now Xena was rolling her eyes. The bit about the noncreative person. She was quite creative in battle and when making love.

As usual, Xena grew tired of being the subject of her bard's stories. Why not try fiction? Make up her own characters and new images.

The warrior princess had faith that Gabrielle could do it. But Xena would appreciate her doing it quietly as it was time to get some sleep. Oh and please made someone else the hero.

Fishing. It was all that Xena could think of doing. For the longest of times it was all she would do. Fish. Fish. Fish. Fish. And more Fish.

Suddenly, Xena had the urge to visit Arelia. She was a girl she hadn't seen since she was five. The young girl was shocked to say the least to see the warrior princess on her doorstep.

They had a nice visit catching up. Xena still couldn't understand why she had decided to visit a friend she hadn't even thought of in over twenty seasons.

Next thing Xena knew she had the irresistible urge to visit with her mother. The good thing about visiting the matriarch was the fact all the fish would go to good use at the inn.

When Xena couldn't explain where Gabrielle was, things were becoming suspicious. But just as the warrior princess was putting two and two together, she had another urge to fish.

That's when Xena came upon a peddler who she took a scroll off from. It was definitely one of Gabrielle's even if it wasn't exactly her normal work of art.

The peddler was being chased by barbarians who, this was Xena's favorite, being chased by three naked Gabrielles who was being chased by Minya.

Xena did indeed read the scroll. Gabrielle's intentions were good, but yes she did make a slight mess of things. And it figured that Joxer was the one that wrote the limerick.

The warrior princess had to explain how she was sent to a girl she was friends with when she was five. Then how she was sent to see her mother who says hi. Then she was coming back but then had the urge to fish once again. She wanted to come back to the one person who meant the most to her.

Xena figured out the charm on the scroll from asking Aphrodite the wording of the spell. All they had to do was write the truth not fiction. It was up to the bard to write what the warrior princess did as she fought the warlord.

Using her fish, squid and eel as weapons, Xena made quick work of the warlord and his army. She only hoped that her bard could capture what she did without embellishing like she was apt to do.

Everything was back to normal. Aphrodite and Ares had their powers back and had disappeared. Minya was hormonal and seeking Hower. Joxer was an idiot.

There was only one little piece of the scroll left. There was only one thing left to write. Would her bard do the right thing. Would she write the end?

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

There was never the end to the story of two soulmates. Gabrielle felt their story went on forever and a day. But then she was the romantic one of the two.

"Flowers for a bard." Xena produced a bouquet of flowers from behind her back. "These are actually from Mom. She said to pick flowers for her favorite daughter."

They both chuckled at the joke. "They are beautiful, Xena. Thank you." Gabrielle placed them by her bedroll. "I now know what it's like to have doppelgangers. Only my doppelgangers were naked so I think that tops yours."

"I enjoyed the view." Xena avoided the slap to her arm easily. "But as you said, the original is the only one that I love and want to be with for eternity."

"Flowers. Sweet talk." Gabrielle came and sat next to her warrior princess. "You'd think some of Aphrodite's love stuff had rubbed off on you."

"If anything, a certain bard has rubbed off on me." Xena kissed Gabrielle on the nose. "Now, I say we travel for a week. You choose the direction."

"I say we head back to our Amazon friends." Gabrielle could feel the body next to her stiffen. "Xena, it's been a long time since we've been back there. I am their queen."

Xena sighed heavily. "It's not that Amazons that I'm worried about seeing." If it were the northern tribe, the warrior princess would be more concerned.

"It's not the Centaurs either." Gabrielle took hold of Xena's hand. "Wouldn't it be nice to see him? To see how he's doing? You left as friends after all."

"Gabrielle…" Xena wanted so much so to see how Solan was doing. How big he had gotten. All the things she never got to see while she was traveling with her soulmate.

"All right. But I still want to see the Amazons. See if there is anything I need to do. Ephiny does everything I can. Mostly." Gabrielle squeezed the hand she still grasped. "Now, will you hold me while we sleep?"

"Always." Xena held her bard as she slept. But sleep wouldn't come for the warrior princess. She had that nagging feeling. Like trouble was coming. Epic trouble. The kind of trouble that was nearly too much to handle.