With the sun rising, Xena was awakened by the sound of a rooster's crow. Her eyes opened to the ceiling of the stable yet again as the memory of the previous day made its way to the front of her mind.
XENA
(Thinking to herself sadly) Argo.
She then heard a snort that got her attention, and instinctually looked in the direction of the sound, only to see an unbelievable sight.
XENA
Argo?
Quickly, the warrior sat up and turned to get a better view of her beloved horse standing in the nearby stall, peacefully munching on some hay.
JOXER
Rise and shine, everyone…
Hearing Joxer's voice, Xena's eyes were drawn to the barn entrance to see him standing in the doorway saying the same line that she had heard him say for the past two days, with his helmet full of eggs.
JOXER
Rise and shine.
GABRIELLE
I'll rise, but I refuse to shine.
Again, Xena watched as the bard sat up from the same pile of straw giving her same complaint about being woken up so early. Then remembering what happened next, the warrior brought her attention back to Joxer, telling him to step aside.
JOXER
Why?
XENA
Just do it.
JOXER
Why?
The dark-haired woman sighed as she looked up to see that it was now too late for her to change what happened next.
XENA
It's too late now, never mind.
JOXER
What are you…?
Before he could finish his thought, Xena watched as a horseshoe fell from above yet again, hitting Joxer on the head and dropping him to the ground..
EDOS
Sweet Equestra! I'm so sorry. I…
Knowing what the stable hand was going to say, Xena finished the man's sentence along with him.
EDOS/ XENA
Didn't hit anything, did I?
Now very confused by how the warrior appeared to know everything that was going to happen before the events took place, Gabrielle looked at Xena with a surprised, yet baffled expression.
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Outside of the barn, Xena explained the strange situation she had found herself in, to Gabrielle and Joxer again.
GABRIELLE
Poison dart? Did you hit your head? Or maybe you're sick or something. How're you feeling?
Concerned about the lack of sense that Xena seemed to be making, the bard put her hand to the other woman's forehead to check for a fever.
XENA
(Slightly annoyed tone) Stop that.
The warrior swatted Gabrielle's hand away.
XENA
There's nothing wrong with me. I'm telling you, Everything keeps repeating itself. This is the third time I've woken up to it being the same exact day.
The blonde looked at Xena in disbelief.
GABRIELLE
(Lying) Sure, I always hate it when that happens.
The dark-haired woman scowled at the condescending comment, but had to admit that what she was saying did sound completely crazy. But even so, she knew that she wasn't just imagining things, and needed to do something to stop the day from repeating, otherwise she could be stuck living out that same day forever.
XENA
I'm telling you, I'm not imagining things. This village is on the verge of an
all-out bloodbath. And there's something that happens today that's causing everyone here to relive the same day over and over. I don't know why I'm the only one who seems to be aware of what's going on, but I'm gonna find what's causing it. Then finally bring this day to an end for good.
GABRIELLE
Xena…
The blonde stood there for a moment, unsure of what to say or think of what the warrior had just told her, as Joxer decided to speak up.
JOXER
Okay, so let's assume you're right, for the moment, and it has something to do with the feud. Then the solution to the problem is simple.
XENA
Which is?
JOXER
The enemy of my enemy is my friend. If they had a common enemy, they'd
have to work together.
GABRIELLE
(Slightly sarcastic tone) Sure, that's easy for you to say. But just who would be that enemy?
Joxer smiled.
JOXER
The three of us.
GABRIELLE
(Flat tone) Seriously?
JOXER
Yeah. Look, if we declare our hatred of both houses. Then, when they get together to kill us, we throw down our weapons, and get them to join us in
peace. It's a great plan! I've known plenty of people who've bonded over their mutual hatred of me.
Xena and Gabrielle looked at each other for a moment, as they contemplated the man's plan.
GABRIELLE
Well, he does make a good point.
Xena thought for another moment before making her decision on whether to go with Joxer's plan, and began to form one of her own.
XENA
(Thinking out loud) The best time to stop something is before it starts. If I can break this cycle somehow…
Xena's thought process was then interrupted by the feuding families arguing in the streets, over a nearby cart.
TYBELUS
(Angry tone) Neron! I've been looking for you, you jackass.
NERON
(Angry tone) I heard about Casca, Tybelus. He's dead because of your people.
XENA
's it.
Over hearing the men's argument, Xena got an idea for where to begin to hopefully put an end to the cycle that everyone in the town was stuck in.
XENA
If I can find Casca and save him. Then these two guys will have no reason
to fight. And no fight means no duel, which means no bloodbath, so the day will no longer have a reason to repeat itself.
GABRIELLE
And that makes sense to you?
Xena looked at the blonde.
XENA
Gabrielle, nothing about any of this makes any kind of sense to begin with.
JOXER
So when it comes to what you say is happening, then what you said actually does make sense.
XENA
Exactly.
GABRIELLE
(Sarcasm) I think I'm just gonna stop trying to understand any of this, it's giving me a headache.
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The next repeating day started as all the others before, with the sound of a rooster and Xena shot up, fully ready to tackle the upcoming events before the barn door even opened.
JOXER
Rise and shine, everyone, rise and sh-
Not wasting any time, Xena closelined the man, knocking him to the ground as she hurried outside, and raced through the town to find Casca and prevent his death.
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Making her way through the busy city streets, Xena moved quickly to locate her target. She searched the area where she had learned from her research that Cassca was at that time. Then through the crowd, the warrior overheard the name, before looking to spot an elderly man moving through the street, and realized that she had found her man. She was about to approach him when the warrior heard another sound and saw a horse drawn cart racing down the street toward them. The people in the way heard the cart coming and swiftly got out of its path, with many complaining about it going too fast in such a crowded area. However, there was one person who didn't move, and Xena realized that the elderly man must have been hard of hearing and couldn't tell that the cart was coming right for him.
XENA
Look out!
The warrior lept into action and ran toward the man, before getting a few feet away and with the cart nearly on top of the man, dove forward to push him out of the way just at the last second.
CASSCA
(Slightly irritated tone) Hey, watch where you're going.
The old man brushed himself off as Xena gave him an annoyed look of her own.
XENA
(Flat tone) Good to see that you're clearly okay.
The man looked down at where the cart had just come through to see his hat that hat fallen off when Xena shoved him, laying flattened out with dirty wheel tracks on it
CASSCA
(Irritated tone) My hat! Damn Menos driver!
The man shook his fist angrily at the disappearing cart as Xena sighed at the man's priorities before walking away.
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The day went on and Xena, Gabrielle and Joxer walked through the city as the bard tried to wrap her mind around what Xena had told her about the day being on a loop.
GABRIELLE
And every morning, you wake up back in the stable.
XENA
That's right.
JOXER
Well, what if you stayed awake all night?
XENA
No, I've tried that. No matter what I do, once it reaches a certain point during the night, I just blink and I wake up right back in the stable again, and it's still today.
GABRIELLE
But that just doesn't make sense.
XENA
(Flat tone) No kidding.
GABRIELLE
How many times have you woken up to the same day?
The warrior thought for a moment as she realized that all of the repeating days were beginning to blend together for her and sighed.
XENA
Too many.
GABRIELLE
What do you think-
Knowing what the bard was going to ask just like everything else that took place that day, Xena had experienced this very same conversation multiple times before, and because of that, already had her answers ready.
XENA
It's not the Fates, it's not Ares, it's not something
that I ate.
She moved her hair to the side to show her neck as she continued.
XENA
No, I have no poison dart marks, or any Bacchae bites.
JOXER
Is that a hickey?
Xena let her hair fall back in place as she turned away from Joxer, and Gabrielle looked away to hide her face that had turned a bit red from someone noticing the mark that she hadn't realized she had left on the warrior's neck from their lovemaking the night before they had gotten stuck in the time loop.
XENA
Look.
Xena let the slightly awkward moment pass as she continued.
XENA
You can believe me, or not. It doesn't matter. Today has happened before. Multiple times. But now hopefully, by saving Casca, it won't keep repeating anymore.
The group walked on for a bit, before hearing people shouting and Xena knew that it was the feuding houses going at it yet again. But this time, over something completely different than she had seen them fighting over before.
XENA
(Irritated Tone) This feud is even worse than I thought. These guys'll
find any excuse to fight.
The warrior, bard and their friend looked on as the warring sides drew their weapons to attack one another.
XENA
It's gonna take more than saving Casca to end this level of deep-seated hate.
JOXER
You know, the enemy of my enemy-
A scream rang out and knowing that Joxer would be killed if he intervened, Xena looked to Gabrielle.
XENA
Get Joxer out of here.
JOXER
(Slightly insulted tone) What's that supposed to mean?
XENA
(Stern tone) Go!
Seeing how serious the warrior woman was, Gabrielle took Joxer by the arm and began dragging him off as the man complained.
JOXER
Hey, I don't wanna go. This is stupid. I'm a warrior.
Xena watched as the two left and was feeling good that they would be safe. That was until she saw them make a turn between some buildings and she remembered that was where Joxer was killed before.
XENA
Wait, not down that alley!
The warrior woman ran to catch up with Gabrielle and Joxer in the hopes that she could reach them before it was too late.
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GABRIELLE
Joxer, no!
Hearing Gabrielle yell, Xena pushed herself to move faster as just a moment later she rounded the corner and froze as she saw Gabrielle laying on the ground.
XENA
Gabrielle!
In an instant, the warrior was kneeling at the young woman's side, holding her as she pressed her hand over the deep stab wound in Gabrielle's stomach to try and stop the bleeding.
XENA
Gabrielle?
The bard didn't respond, as Xena tried again to get any kind of reaction from the woman.
XENA
Gabrielle!
She pressed her fingers to Gabrielle's neck to check for a pulse and only felt her heart sink when she didn't find any signs of life
XENA
No, Gabrielle. No.
Knowing based on the wound, that there was nothing she could do, and that Gabrielle was dead, Xena cried as she gathered the bard's body in her arms. She stayed like that, just holding the blonde for some time, as Joxer looked on and silently cried before walking away to give Xena some space when he saw just how devastated Gabrielle's death had left her.
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Later, Xena stood looking at the night sky after Gabrielle had been laid to rest. She let out a sorrowful yell into the air as she sunk to the ground and cried, cursing having ever stepped foot in the city before her tears eventually gave way to the warrior's exhaustion and the heart-broken Xena slowly drifted off to sleep.
TO BE CONTINUED…