"You cast a demon out then, didn't you?"
"Hm?"
"That day back in Constantinople in the hospital..." Arielle whispered, her forehead resting against Eden's neck, "I watched you... You cast out a demon, didn't you?"
"A strange time to be asking me that, don't you think?"
Eden drew her finger lightly across the bard's back, leaving goosebumps along her skin. The bard responded with tightening her arm around the warrior's waist.
"I guess... I guess in moments like these, moments I never dreamed of... ones where it's only us and the rest of the world is so far away... I realize how much you mean to me, how much you are a part of me... and how little I still know and understand."
"No one knows me better than you." Eden said, kissing her gently on the head.
"But you are still a mystery."
"What's so mysterious about me?"
"It's not that you're mysterious. Well, you are, but that's not what I mean. There's just so much that I don't really know. So many stories without a plot."
"You don't have enough action in your life?" Eden asked.
"Not at all." the bard chuckled, "But just listen to this story- our warrior bravely made her way to the haunted island covered in thick mist. The rats had scurried away, the leaves had torn themselves from the trees; the only thing that remained was that mist. Onward she went, unshaken... And then she came back and everything was great again."
"I like it."
"Eden, I want to know what happened in between."
"On the island? Nothing really." Eden replied with a shrug, "Turned out it was haunted by some lesser demon of sickness who must have lost his parents somewhere in the lagoon. Even Caterina would have been able to handle him."
Arielle winced at the name, but said nothing.
"So you see, there's just no great story there. Am I less mysterious now?"
"Eden, it's not just that island. It's so many other things too." Arielle said, leaning in a little like she always did when she was adamant about something, "We're supposed to be similar, yet we're so very different. We don't have the same experiences or power..."
"Of course you do. You're a guardian just like I am."
"I couldn't have done what you did in the hospital in Constantinople... What happened there, Eden?"
Eden stared across at the corner of the window, watching a small, displaced fly fight against the glass to get home, or get food, or maybe just get away. They were so similar in that moment, she realized, despite being so different most of the time.
"It was..." she started slowly, watching the fly clamor up the window pane and tumble back to where it started, "It was a type of exorcism."
"You cast the demon out?"
"Not entirely... I don't have that much power. I housed the demon within me."
Eden felt the bard's arm tighten around her and knew that the same memories now filled their heads- black water, daggers, and loss of hope... and love.
"But I knew this one probably wouldn't want to stay. Demons like possessing people, but not just anyone. They can stand alone if they have to. So it soon left me."
"That's why you became so sick?" Arielle asked and watched Eden nod.
"I'm sorry, there wasn't time to explain and I was afraid you'd worry."
"I worried anyway."
Eden sighed and pulled the blanket up a little higher around the bard. The log in the fireplace popped loudly and split in half, sending sparks up the chimney and a stronger, orange glow through the room that mixed with the paleness of the moon shining through the window. It was so peaceful there in that moment that Eden just wanted it to be silent for a while. She wanted at least one moment to be clean of demons, war, blood, and bad memories. She wanted to remember the smell of the bard's hair, the feel of the bed sheets against her skin, the warmth of the bard lying against her. She wanted a beautiful, peaceful memory to cherish. Yet she also knew that it couldn't last forever.
"Do you see this? This is an example of your power." Eden said, pointing to the star shaped scar on her shoulder.
"I never understood it." the bard said, running her fingers lightly over the scar, "Am I a healer?"
"No, healers can't do that. You are a protector. You can do whatever you need to to protect your chosen one."
"To protect you?"
"It seems I'm the one you've chosen. It would explain our strange bond or how you purged the demon's blood from me." Eden explained, watching Arielle continue to lightly finger the scar, "Each protector has their own mark. Yours seems to be a star."
"What other kinds have you seen?"
"None, I've only heard of them. You are a very rare kind."
"There is so much I don't know..."
"Guardian or no, there is much we don't know. Some things we learn in time. Some we never learn."
Arielle didn't know if that thought filled her more with hope or fear. She was painfully aware how her lack of knowledge had gotten them into very deep trouble on more occasions than she cared to remember. How can I be a protector if I don't know what I'm doing? How can I protect someone stronger and smarter than I am?
"Have I changed at all?" the bard whispered.
"What?"
"Have I changed? From the girl you met?"
"So much." Eden replied, bringing herself up on her elbow, "You're stronger, braver, wiser... and a little less annoying."
Eden managed to block the pillow the bard tried to hit her with.
"In all honesty, you were all those things before. You just didn't know it." Eden said and in the faint light Eden watched Arielle's eyes begin to madly sparkle.
"You've saved my life in more ways than one, my love."
"As you have mine." Eden said and leaned down to kiss her with abandon.
A knock on the door disturbed their breakfast. Eden opened the door to find a ragged, toothless man on her doorstep with two large bundles.
"You're far from the sea."
"Aye, ma'am, but I got yer belongings 'ere."
Eden's eyes widened a little and she nodded at him. He dropped one package and pulled away the canvas of the other to reveal parts of her armor.
"Seems you do." she said, taking the bundles from him and dropping them inside the house.
"I 'eard," the man said slowly, shifting from foot to foot and playing with his hands, "'twas a reward for them things."
"Wait a minute, you mean to say that you didn't bring me my belongings out of good Christian charity?"
"Um... no ma'am 'twas not what I meant ma'am... 'Tis a lean year is all and I come far from the sea as you said..."
"Here." Eden said shortly and flung a bag of coins at him, "Just as much as I said there would be."
"Thank you ma'am!" the sailor exclaimed, beaming at her with a toothless grin, "May God bless you a thousand times!"
"Go on before you die of cold."
Arielle felt a weight seem to climb back on her shoulders the day their things unexpectedly arrived. Each item she unraveled seemed to being back memories of things that she had almost forgotten and things she never wanted to forget. Sadness was interlaced with happiness, safety with fear. Each piece of armor, weapon, page, trinket told its own story, for better or worse. All put together, they created her, Arielle, a young woman who she could no longer describe in just a few words. The bard organized her things as she unpacked them: weapons and armor for cleaning, linens for washing, pages for binding.
"This is for you." Arielle said, handing Elizabeth a crumpled, folded letter, "I had almost forgotten about it."
"What is it?"
"Father Albert gave this to me after I gave him sanctuary from bandits. I promised to give it to you if I ever met you. I guess he felt I would some day."
Elizabeth grew quiet and wiped her hands across her apron a few times before taking the letter from Arielle. Arielle watched the sage read the letter slowly, almost reverently and she couldn't tell whether Elizabeth's hands were shaking due to nerves or age. When she finished the letter she sighed and then read it again. Eden and Arielle couldn't help but just stand there and watch as if they knew something important was happening.
"He is a coward," Elizabeth said as she folded and tucked the letter into the large pocket in her apron, "but he is a good man."
Eden folded her arms and snorted.
"I see you're still quick to judge despite all you've been through." the sage said to her.
Arielle watched the two women lock gazes, one calm and steady, the other stormy and sharp.
"I've seen the two conflicted sides to that man," Eden said evenly, "and I don't think I like either one."
"Conflicted?"
"He doesn't know whether to admire us beyond measure or condemn us to the fires of Hell."
"That sounds like him," the sage said with a small smile, "He always was conflicted in his thoughts and feelings."
"And that's why he's sending you letters?" Eden asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Yes..." Elizabeth said slowly, looking at the floor for a while and then resting her gaze back on the guardians, "We knew each other when we were still young. We played dragons and princesses as children and then grew to share long walks and the same taste in literature. His questions were always profound and conflicted. I sometimes thought that he would talk for hours with me on different things so that I could help him come to a conclusion on what he thought about it... I was surprised when he decided to join the church, but he was the second eldest son so I should have seen it coming. He never even said goodbye... I was so angry about that... I wrote to him, demanding answers, but he remained silent and I finally stopped writing. Many years later he began to send me letters, begging for my forgiveness until I finally wrote him back. After that it was almost like he never left..."
"I don't remember you ever speaking of him." Eden said quietly, her arms relaxing and dropping to her sides.
"There are many things that sages don't want to know. Some of them are our own doing... But enough of my reminiscing. Hand me what needs washing."
"We can do it ourselves."
"I know that, child, but it's no bother. I need to move around a bit and give my hands a task."
The guardians handed over their linens with some hesitation and watched Elizabeth shuffle away.
"I didn't know that Elizabeth and Father Albert had a history..." Eden said, her tone betraying her disbelief.
"Neither did I... But I remember the same sad look on his face and tone in his voice that Elizabeth had now..." Arielle said, turning her gaze to the warrior, "There were many things that he regretted in his life and they weigh on him still..."
"Perhaps. No use to dwell on it now." Eden said and turned to the pile on the chair, "Let's see if our gear hasn't rusted."
"Eden... I never asked you how you paid that amount for our things. I don't even know if they're worth that much." Arielle said.
"You're still not asking." Eden replied as she sorted through her gear.
"Fine. How do you have that amount of coin?"
"I just do."
Arielle sighed, put her hands on hips, and stared at the warrior.
"I thought we were past the times of short worded answers."
"We are unless a short worded answer is all that's needed."
"Why is this such a big issue for you?"
"It seems to be a big issue for you."
"Why can't you just tell me?"
"We have our things, isn't that enough?"
"I can't leave you for one minute, can I?" Elizabeth said as she walked back through the door and turned to Eden, "Do you mind?"
Eden shrugged and busied herself with her gear again.
"Eden is a knight."
"What do you mean?"
"Did she ever tell you about the siege of Tortosa?"
"She told me of her family..."
"Yes... Well after that battle, the Count of Barcelona awarded all the women who had fought and protected the city from the Moors a knight's title and all its privileges."
"Is this all true?" Arielle asked, turning to Eden.
Eden sighed and slowly pulled out a ring from her belt pocket.
"The Order of the Hatchet." Eden explained.
"Why didn't you tell me?"
"Why did I have to? Does it make any difference? No one thinks a woman can be a knight and I don't need any more reasons for people to condemn me. It's just a shiny ring and a source of coin. I would have rather have had the battle never happen..."
Eden turned and left the room quietly before anyone had a chance to say anything.
"Poor thing," Elizabeth sighed, "She carries a very great weight. Her shoulders are burdened, her heart broken, her mind scared... It almost makes me think it's a miracle you got through to her at all."
Arielle said nothing, fighting against herself to not simply rush out of the room to find the warrior and beg her to give her all her burden. Again she felt useless when she was needed most. How can I be a protector?
"But you have made a great change in her." Elizabeth added, turning to look at the slightly surprised bard, "You have given her hope."
"I want most to take her burden." Arielle said softly.
"It's not your burden to carry, my dear. But burdens grow lighter when we do not have to carry them alone."
"I don't think-"
"You do more than you think, my dear. You give her a flame to light the way, a home to come back to, a haven for her tired soul. You are truly her protector."
"What? How did you-"
"I'm a sage, Arielle, I know much of your kind. Though protectors are truly rare."
"Do you know any others?" Arielle asked with quickened breath, "Can you tell me anything about them?"
"I've never met one in real life. But I do know the story of Evian, the first recorded protector."
"Tell me the story?" Arielle asked and Elizabeth motioned for the both of them to sit.
"Though the first recorded protector, there is little that remains about her. All I know is that she came from a land of thick forests and high mountains and was bound to a very gifted guardian healer, Wren. Yet Wren's gift was a burden to him and he finally refused his gift and fell asleep. He married, had children and lived as a carpenter. Yet Evian's bond to him was so great that she never left him and remained close by to protect him. She lived in misery and died alone and in sadness."
"That... That isn't the story I wanted to hear." Arielle said softly.
"No? I guess you'd rather hear that she had a big influence on the world and she and Wren protected the innocent against demons to the their dying day, hand in hand."
"I... I'm sorry, I'm being childish." Arielle said, looking at the floor.
"You're being human, my dear. Everyone wants to mean something, to leave their mark on the world and history. Some do that through having children, other through works of art and science, and still others through bloodshed and conquest. All of us want to matter and we're terrified by the thought that we simply might not."
"Am I seeing something that isn't there? Will Eden give up? Will I just follow her around for the rest of my life?" the bard asked, looking up at Elizabeth.
"I didn't tell you Evian's story to worry you or predict your future, child. I doubt Eden will give up her calling; she had many too many chances to do that before. But you must know that the protector's bond is a great one, one that sometimes transcends our own thoughts and lives. I simply want to know if you are ready for that kind of commitment?"
"I care for Eden, she is my best friend, you know that. I don't think I can turn back now."
"You can't be a true protector if you simply think that you just don't have a choice. You must choose it; you must embrace it. Your bond will be great and your power even greater."
"I don't care about the power. I want Eden to be safe and happy. I want that for the both of us. Even if our paths diverge on some part of the road."
"I don't think you understand what I'm trying to say."
"Then maybe stop trying to say it."
Both women turned to see Eden standing in the doorway, her hands folded over her chest. Elizabeth smiled lightly while Arielle's eyes again darted to the floor.
"What do you think you're doing? Arielle is a free woman and can and will do what she pleases with her life." Eden said.
"Stay your temper, child, you know I mean no harm. Arielle wanted to know more about being a protector."
"So you fill her head with stories that she can never leave me?"
"A true protector wouldn't. You know that without you-"
"You speak of it likes it's marriage. She can leave if she wants."
"I don't want to."
Arielle's voice seemed to surprise both women and they turned to look at her. Eden saw those green eyes she knew so well seem both sad and fierce at the same time as if the bard was penetrating her soul and then asking to be saved. It almost hurt her. It wasn't what she wanted. It wasn't what the bard ever deserved.
"Arielle is meant for a different type of marriage." Eden said to Elizabeth through almost clenched teeth, "Something I wish the both of you would remember."
Eden stormed off and Elizabeth only sighed loudly and shook her head.
"Why is that child so stubborn?"
"Let me try to talk to her." Arielle said, touching Elizabeth lightly on the arm.
Arielle searched around the house and half of Florence in the cold, winter sun. An hour later, she finally reached a patch of forest on the outskirts of the city where she found Eden hacking away at a dead tree with her sword. It reminded her of a time that now seemed to be a lifetime ago of a marauder who hacked away at a tree because she didn't know how to have a friend.
"I think you've killed that tree now and in the next few lifetimes to come."
"It deserved it."
"As I do?"
Eden sighed and her shoulders dropped. She turned slowly, still breathing hard, her arms loose like she wanted to give up and her legs tense like she wanted to run away. Arielle watched with slight mezmerization as the warrior's hot breath puffed out into the cold air. You have no idea of your effect on me, my love.
"I know you won't understand, but I do this for us."
"For us? You want to send me off to a husband again for us?"
"Arielle, what do you expect of me? Do you think I'll go in there and tell her that everything is perfect because our bond is greater than most realize? What we're doing, what we are might be great to us, but it makes us the greatest of sinners in most eyes. We can burn for it."
"You think I don't know that?"
"Then why tempt fate? Why not at least play a farce at the surface so that everyone's eyes aren't constantly watching us. One day our secret will be revealed and I don't know if I can protect you from the consequences."
"Of course you can."
"You think I'm that great a warrior?"
"I think our love is that powerful." Arielle said, slowing walking towards the warrior, "Eden, women warriors also aren't the most natural thing according to most and you're still standing before me with a sword in hand."
"That's because everyone is too scared to death to do anything about it."
"See? So if I keep close to you then they'll be too scared to death to do anything about me."
Eden couldn't help but smile at the bard who was now standing in front of her with an innocent, endearing grin on her face.
"I don't know why I still think I can get into arguments with you and win."
"You are a little slow sometimes."
The bard giggled and drew her arms around Eden. For her the warrior was a home more than her family's house ever was. The strong arms that now wrapped around her were her refuge and there was no place on earth where she felt safer. Eden was her champion, her best friend, her savior, her lover. The last thought made her tighten her embrace and sent a slight shiver down her spine. Eden was right to worry, but it felt so right that Arielle had a hard time remembering why it was so sinful. The warrior had been nothing but gentle and understanding, something that even Arielle hadn't expected. There were soft whispers and delicate touches and except for the first time, Arielle never felt any fear. She realized that her entire life she had dreamed of just this, a knight in shining armor who would sweep her off her feet and they would live happily ever after. And though she knew it sounded childish, it was exactly what she wished for them and she'd be damned if she was going to give it away.
"I know you worry about us, but we'll make it through like we always do, you'll see."
"I don't care particularly care what happens to me," Eden said, "but I'm terrified for you. If we were found out it would bring your good name to ruins and in the best case have you sent to a convent for the rest of your days."
"That's not so bad. You'd come for me within the week."
"I'm serious."
"So am I."
Blazing summers, frigid winters and anything in between could never keep Florence from holding a celebration when it wanted to. Though on the surface always presenting itself as properly Christian, its festivities were rivaled only by those held in Venice in terms of splendor and liberty. Things that were shunned in broad daylight were secretly coveted in the dim, incense filled ballrooms of those wealthy enough. This winter had been different; a rich crop and higher trade during the summer months had the granary bursting at the seams and money counters's table bent under the weight of coin. This abundance left the city in fine spirits, fine enough to hold a festival for the entire city to attend. The poor gladly accepted, the rich politely declined due to previous engagements, and the merchants and guilds always said 'yes' to a reason to drink and gamble. Elizabeth convinced the guardians to attend, explaining that a bit of fun and time in the city would do them some good now that they were both well.
The festival turned out to remind Eden a lot of the celebration thrown in Jerusalem on news of Arielle's rescue. There was music, food, drink, dance and no stuffy nobles whining about the lack of fine, aged liquors. Some wore masks and costumes, others could only afford to wear their fine Sunday dress. Both Arielle and Elizabeth engaged in lively conversations with all kinds of people while Eden sat in a dim corner and watched them, swirling around a drink in her goblet. Arielle could sometimes feel the warrior's gaze on her and it sent tingles down her skin; she was protected, she was loved, she was wanted. She felt the gaze as she talked, when she laughed, and when she agreed to offers to dance.
It seemed that the seventh dance was one dance too many and Arielle suddenly felt her hand in a strong grasp.
"May I take this dance?" Eden asked in a tone that didn't take 'no' as an answer.
"Of course." Arielle replied with a polite courtesy as the players started a new song.
There was something very solemn and very intimate in the slow moves they shared as if their bodies were sharing a secret only they knew. The touches were light, only a brief flutter of skin on skin like awakened ghosts pretending they weren't there at all. They didn't smile, whisper, or laugh like the other dancers. They moved to the music, the deep voiced singer sang only for them. Soon all the other dancers stopped as if they had realized they were interrupting something very special. But Eden and Arielle hadn't noticed.
'Alas! I thought I knew so much about love and I know so little.' sang the young, bearded singer.
Eden spun the bard around slowly, lightly touching her hand with her gloved fingers.
'She has taken my heart, myself, herself, and the whole world.'
Arielle grabbed Eden's forearm, pulling herself in, away, and then in again.
'I no longer have power over myself.'
The warrior slowly spun around the bard and the bard did the same in the opposite direction like two undecided planets.
'I don't know why this has happened to me.'
Arielle spun away and took tiny steps across the floor as if she was trying to escape and Eden followed her with a tense expression on her face.
'I the unhappy one, into exile, I know not where.'
At what seems to be the last minute, Eden reached out and pulled the bard to her sharply, sending a gasp through the guests. Arielle could feel a strange power rippling off the warrior with such an intensity that she almost thought Eden might burst into flame. It scared and excited her. She held her breath, captured by Eden's steady gaze and waited for something amazing to happen.
The crowd suddenly erupted into applause and a few cheers. Eden's expression changed and the moment was gone. The bard blushed and curtsied timidly to all sides of the room, secretly hoping Eden had a way of making them all disappear.
"It appears we've made a scene." she said quietly to the warrior.
"Yes, it appears that you have." Eden replied and quickly slid to the side and back into the shadows before the bard had a chance to reply.
Arielle found drink and conversation as the dances continued. She told new stories and answered questions about old ones others had already heard. Memories flashed in the bard's mind every so often and she half expected Lawrence to walk in with his flute and share a story about the warrior. The thought brought a smile to her face. She let out a long sigh; she missed Jerusalem, she missed Lawrence, Helen, and Aldric. She wondered what they were doing, if they were safe. Yet the saddest thought of all was the question of if she would ever seen them again.
"Well, you made quite a scene, child." Elizabeth said as she approached Arielle.
"I see I have no allies in that argument." the bard said, taking a sip of sweet wine.
"Yes, well, I'm sure that Eden gathers all the blame for the violent scenes."
"Good point. There will be no further complaints from me."
They watched the dancers twirl and the minstrels play. Wine flowed and tables were covered in food and surrounded by people talking and laughing. In the darker corners, young lovers kissed away from the prying eyes of chaperones and well standing men and women made deals and talked politics. Drunk men agreed to things they couldn't understand and lost their earnings in rigged gambling games while drunk women gossiped about other drunk women and swooned over men who would never be their husbands. In the middle of it all, Arielle wondered if she could ever be like they were; ignorant to the evil lurking in the world. I was like them. Eden changed that. She changed everything.
"You're not angry with me, are you? With what I said about being a protector?" Elizabeth finally asked, turning to the bard.
"No... I know what you're trying to tell me. But how could I be anything or anywhere else? Isn't this who I am?"
"Wren knew his calling, but chose a different life with his free will."
"I've seen a sleeper before," Arielle said slowly, "His life story didn't end as happily."
"I'm sorry to hear that... yet we all live our own stories."
"That we do... It will... It will probably sound completely senseless when I say it, but I believe my bond with Eden to be great enough that if she leaves her calling... and me in the process... then I will eventually leave her too."
"How so?"
"It would break my heart beyond repair... And that is a consequence I accept. As I know Eden does if it was the other way around."
"Eden would never leave you."
"And I would never really leave her. But we would never see each other again... It would be too painful to spend every day gazing at what might have been."
The crowd erupted into applause with the end of another song. Arielle joined in the clapping while Elizabeth looked at her as if she had heard something she hadn't been expecting. She drew in a breath and opened her mouth. She wanted to tell her more about being a protector; she wanted to tell her what it meant if she and Eden were truly bound to each other.
"Did you say something?" Arielle asked, turning to the sage and looking at her with a quizzical expression.
"No, no... Actually, I thought enough of this solemn talk. It's time to celebrate. Lord knows, there are so few chances to do so." Elizabeth said and took the bard by the elbow and pulled her into the next spirited dance.
The festival was so lively and such a welcome break from the cold and snow that even the heavens seemed to be pleased and blessed Florence with several days of sunshine. Eden and Arielle helped around the sage's house as much as they could. Eden repaired creaking doors, loose window shutters, and cleaned out the cellar while Arielle helped organize a few shelves in the library and stock food in the cellar and pantry for the rest of the winter. Elizabeth helped them with cleaning and mending their clothes. In the evenings, they would all sit near the fireplace and Arielle would sometimes read while Eden sharpened her sword or tinkered with her armor. Some nights, the sage would tell stories long forgotten and near the end of each of them, both guardians would be sitting and listening in captivation.
The guardians let Elizabeth sleep in one day and went to market early in the morning to buy a fresh cut of meat along with a few other things. Eden would glare and Arielle would haggle and soon they had everything they needed and with a few saved coins in their pocket. They were making their way across the bridge when a young man stood in their path.
"Ah well, the woman built like a battering ram and the lady of prim and proper. It seems like I finally found what I was looking for. And thank God too, it was beginning to get a bit tiresome." a young man said, swaggering their way.
"Who are you?" Arielle asked.
"Of course, we must have proper introductions before getting down to business I presume. My name is Anton of Brittany. Does that ring any bells for you?"
"No."
"I should have presumed as much." Anton said with a sigh and curled the tip of his well trimmed mustache, "My uncle is Jean-Michel of Paris."
Recognition spread across the bard's face and caused her to take a step back and straight into Eden.
"What is it?" Eden asked, holding the bard by the arms.
"My father..."
"Quite right, your father." Anton said, now folding his arms, "I heard you were having great difficulties in getting home. I can see why though."
His gaze now settled on Eden and she couldn't tell whether he was looking at her with contempt or with awe.
"So what do you say we take to the road right away, shall we?" Anton asked and adjusted the thick gloves on his hands.
Eden moved in front of the bard and stared at him menacingly, a growl escaping her throat.
"Oh for goodness sake!" Anton cried, tossing his hands up in the air and letting them fall back down and slap his thighs loudly, "must we immediately resort to violence? I'm up for getting into a good fight as much as the next fellow, but I'm not even intoxicated! I haven't been insulted either. Otherwise it's just two primitive brutes bashing each other with clubs whilst arguing who's is bigger. Makes for a boring story, wouldn't you say?"
For a moment, the two guardians didn't know what to make of the man. His speech, manners, and dress all screamed high merchant class, but there was something in his eyes and presence that gave him a hint of rebellion and Eden wondered if he had come for them solely out of duty.
"What do you want from us?" Eden finally asked.
"Want? There's nothing that I want that you could give me. Well... except for maybe-"
"Look at her like that for one more second and I'll feed you your eyeballs." Eden growled.
"Heavens, back to base violence, are we? I only jest."
"Well I lack a sense of humor so I suggest you spit out what you want before I finally lose my incredibly long patience." Eden said through her teeth.
"Dear child," Anton said, craning his neck to see Arielle, "why does she say that she lacks a sense of humor? I actually found that amusing."
Before Arielle had a chance to say anything, Anton was already lying on his back, the wind knocked out of him. Eden knelt on his chest and pushed her dagger against his neck.
"For the love of the Most Holy, woman, you're no warrior, you're a beast! You can't just jump on someone like a vile craven! Get off of me this instant!"
Eden didn't move and instead exerted more pressure onto his chest.
"Have you eaten an ox? No, a fat god?!" Anton sputtered, "All right, I give! Please?"
Eden remained motionless for a few moments and then finally relented and got to her feet. Anton rose and dusted himself off.
"Of all the ruffian things! Did I attack you? Threaten you? Insult you even? No, I don't think that I did. I swear if there was someone to complain to, I would."
"What are you doing here Anton?" Arielle asked.
"Other than gracing you with my presence?" he replied, adjusting his silk cloak and dusting off his knees, "I'm here to escort you home."
"I don't need an escort."
"Look around you, my darling. You're not home. You're anywhere but home. And you should already be at home. I am to take you there. Surely you can put that all together in that pretty little head of yours."
"How did you find us?"
"That's not very hard. Firstly, I'm extremely good at what I do. Secondly, wagging tongues follow your tall, dark, and murderous friend here no matter where she goes."
"How much did my father pay you?"
"Pay me? And now why are you asking me about money before asking about my feeling of Christian duty?"
Eden snorted loudly and folded her arms over her chest.
"I'd rather hope you have a strong love for money so I can pay you to get lost." the warrior said.
"No chance of that I'm afraid." Anton replied and twirled the end of his mustache again, "I am not for sale. And even if I was, I would be far from what you would consider a fetching price."
"Maybe I should just slit your throat and be over with this stupid conversation." Eden growled.
"I am trying to do a good dead here and all you speak of is killing!" Anton cried out with exasperation, "Did you ever give any thought to the fact that maybe this is what's best for your supposed friend? Does it always have to be about you? By the heavens, what they say about you is true- you are a demon among women."
Eden felt Arielle's hand rest on her shoulder as she was about to take a step forward.
"Let it go," the bard whispered, "He's not worth it."
Arielle could feel the warrior coiled beneath her hand, ready to pounce. Just when she thought the warrior would need more convincing, Eden finally relaxed and took a small step back.
"So what do you suggest we do with this... jester?" Eden asked quietly.
"I don't know if we have a choice."
"Are we nearing the end?" Xena asked as she watched Eden and Arielle.
"There are no ends, just ever changing stories." Gabrielle replied.
"You felt that there is an end when you thought I died... When I thought you died." Xena said, shaking her head, "Things come to an end even if we don't want them to."
"You know this is all part of a greater plan. They need time, they're not ready."
"But Dorian won't wait."
"Be patient, my love."
Xena exhaled loudly and folded her arms over her chest.
"I don't understand why we're still apart. They're together, aren't they? They've found each other. So why can't I touch you still?"
"There is something they still don't understand." Gabrielle said slowly, watching the two guardians speak quietly to one another, "There is still something God wants from them."
"I'm sick of waiting. This is taking forever."
"Xena, we're angels. We have more than forever!" Gabrielle laughed.
"You don't know what it's like to see you right across from me and not be able to touch you..." Xena said slowly in a low voice, "Plus these two keep wandering about like they can't see things even if they're thrown straight in their face."
"It sounds to me like someone is judging... and forgetting what they were like in their place." Gabrielle admonished gently, "It wasn't easy for us; it's even worse for them."
"How could it be worse? We had to fight the gods themselves."
"They have to fight men who think themselves gods. You knew what drove Ares, what Aphrodite held dear. But mankind is unpredictable and usually swayed by things they themselves don't even realize."
"I know you're right..." Xena said and sighed, "I just have a feeling I'm being played for a fool."
"I sometimes doubt too, despite everything. But if we don't believe that things can change, that we can overcome evil, then how can we help those two?"
Xena debated it in her mind for a few moments and her only answer was a long, loud exhale. She turned from the guardians to Gabrielle. The sunlight glinted off her blond hair, almost forming an aureole around her head. And even now, with all her knowledge and power, Xena was stunned to helplessness by the angel's gentle beauty.
"I may constantly doubt, but I know you are worth every minute of even the greatest trial."
Author's Note: Lyrics from the English translation of Bernard De Ventadour's "Can vei la lauzeta mover".