In the dead of night, a pair of shadows were casted onto the wall of Gabrielle's dimly candle lit room. One of them a terrified Gabrielle, whose mind was in a state of pure panic as her eyes locked on to the caster of the other shadow, the Conqueror. Gabrielle let out a muffled, fearful moan from beneath the hand that had been clasped over her mouth as the woman who stood over her simply looked at her with an unreadable expression as the shadow from her long hair covered her face like an eerie mask. Again Gabrielle tried screaming but only a quiet, muffled sound came from behind the Conqueror's hand as Gabrielle began to struggle to get the other woman away from her. She fought against the larger, stronger Xena for several moments as she kicked, pushed,scratched and hit her with no success. All the while the Conqueror's expression didn't change as Gabrielle could see the woman's normally bright blue eyes were now darkened and bloodshot as they stared down on her with a deep absorbing gaze that appeared void of any feeling whatsoever. Gabrielle continued to struggle against her attacker and caught Xena's face with her hand as her nails dug into the Conqueror's skin,leaving a good set of deep scratch marks across her cheek. Xena let out a yelp of pain that caused her to pull back and hold her cheek just enough for Gabrielle to turn slightly, raise her leg and with as much force as she could, plant her foot square in the center of the Conqueror's chest. And while the kick by average standards wasn't very powerful and in Xena's normal state, likely would've only caused her to take a small step back, due to the Conqueror's drunken state paired with the fact that she was still recovering from the injury she'd sustained to the area, the impact had a much greater effect as the Conqueror was sent stumbling backwards and into the wall that was opposite from the one that Gabrielle's bed sat against. As Xena worked to regain her balance and stand back upright Gabrielle took the opening and swiftly leapt out of bed and made a mad dash for the door. It was just a few long steps from the bed to the door of the small room as Gabrielle grabbed the doorknob, turned and began to pull the door open before a hand came from behind Gabrielle and slammed against the wooden surface, forcing and holding it shut. Knowing that the Conqueror was now right behind her and not knowing what else to do, Gabrielle turned around and stood face to face with the other woman. She pressed as far against the door as she could as Xena placed her other hand on the other side of Gabrielle's head and against the door. Gabrielle trembling in fear as the Conqueror stood so close to her that she could feel the woman's breath on her ear as she leaned her head down slightly and spoke.
XENA
You know that scratch really hurt, and I'd appreciate it if you didn't do that again.
Gabrielle felt the Conqueror pull back slightly as she then found her face being lifted slightly until she was looking Xena in the eye. She looked at the woman with a terrified expression as she felt the Conqueror lightly stroke her thumb against her cheek for a second.
XENA
So soft, sweet, innocent. Eyes that still have a light behind them. Tell me, do you dream?
Gabrielle looked at Xena now both terrified and confused as she tried to think of what the woman wanted to hear that might get her to just go away and leave her alone.
GABRIELLE
Sometimes.
XENA
Of what?
GABRIELLE
My family, going home.
XENA
What for?
GABRIELLE
Because I..
Gabrielle paused in giving her actual answer as she tried to decipher what it was that the Conqueror wanted to hear as Xena spoke again.
XENA
Family. Home. What good is any of it? People who say they love and care about you will always be the first ones to turn their backs when you need 'em. You make a single mistake, make one wrong move and suddenly you're nothing to them.
Xena stood up straight as she stepped back from Gabrielle and began pacing around the room while continuing her what seemed to Gabrielle was nothing more than the drunken, incoherent rambling of a mad woman.
XENA
And when you try reach out, try rebuilding that bridge, they see what they've made you and call you the monster.
Gabrielle jumped when the Conqueror suddenly slammed her fist down on the nightstand she happened to be standing next to at that moment.
XENA
Well maybe you should look in the fucking mirror before you start pointing the finger at me! I wasn't the one who forced him to fight. Everything I did, everything I do... it wasn't supposed to be like this.
Gabrielle looked on as Xena suddenly paused in her ramblings and grabbed at her chest in obvious pain. As Xena grasp at her chest she felt herself becoming slightly short of breath. The ill advised moving around paired with the kick from Gabrielle to her injury and alcohol beginning to loose its numbing effects caused Xena to drop to a knee as agonizing jolts shot through her chest. Not knowing what was happening Gabrielle stood in shock, unable to move or what she should do. Was the Conqueror dying? Should she go get help? Did she even want to? After all this was evil, heartless woman. Wouldn't this world be a better place if she were dead? But as Gabrielle stood there contemplating the value of Xena's life, she came to the realization that while the world would undoubtedly benefit from the woman's death, if she simply stood by doing nothing and just let Xena rive on the floor in agony and potentially even die, then would that really make Gabrielle much different from the woman that was now laying in a crumpled heap in the middle of her room? It barely took another moment before Gabrielle knew the answer to her own question and against all logic that seemed to point to her during the contrary, Gabrielle hurried out of the room and down the hall to the nearest room and ponder on the door as she yelled for help.
ELLE
Gabrielle?! What's wrong? What's going on?
GABRIELLE
I'm honestly not sure. The Conqueror just showed up in my room while I was asleep. She's clearly been drinking and after pinning me to my bed she just started pacing around my room rambling about a bunch of stuff I don't understand before she dropped to the floor grabbing at her chest. I didn't know what's going on or what else to do so I came to get you.
ELLE
It okay Gabrielle, you did good coming here. Now go back to your room and stay with the lord Conqueror while I go get the healers.
Elle quickly moved passed Gabrielle as she began hurrying down the hall and Gabrielle called after her.
GABRIELLE
Wait what am I supposed to do?
ELLE
Just talk to her. Try keeping her calm. I'll be there with the healers as soon as I can.
Gabrielle stood in the hallway as Elle ran around the corner wondering how her life had become so chaotically bizarre and terrifying, before turning around and returning to her room where she saw Xena still in excruciating pain. Not knowing what she could really do for the woman, Gabrielle slowly knelt beside her and could see the agony etched across the Conqueror's face. Though she couldn't explain it, even after everything she'd heard, the way she had been utterly horrified by the Conqueror's actions since coming into her company, including the strange and unsettling behavior that she had just seen from Xena, seeing the normally intimidatingly strong and almost inhuman woman in such a state made Gabrielle feel oddly synthetic towards the woman. As it was clear that the Conqueror was a very angry and tortured soul. And when the healers had arrived and did some work right there before taking Xena away, Gabrielle found herself oddly curious about why the Conqueror had come to her room? Had she actually planned to attack her? and what it was that she had been going on about? But as Gabrielle walked over to her bed and sat down while trying to unravel everything that had just taken place, perhaps the most perplexing question of all to her was why in that moment did Gabrielle feel any kind of sympathy for the woman who had done so much hurt to so many people? But pushing the thoughts away from the forefront of her mind, Gabrielle layed down and after the swirling thoughts eventually surrendered to the need for sleep, Gabrielle drifted off into a dreamless slumber as the night went on before giving way to the dawn of the next day. As well as the dawn of something that would slowly begin to shed a new light the Conqueror. A light that could just as easy spread like a wildfire or burn out completely. And whichever happened would ultimately decide the fates of so many, but none more so than Gabrielle and Xena themselves.
TO BE CONTINUED...