Part 2: The Battle

Gabrielle approaches the weapon embedded in the trunk of the ancient tree, its surface reflects part of her face like a polished mirror, emitting a certain dazzling shine on the edge of the circular blade. For a brief moment she remains still, admiring it, examining the weapon in all its threatening beauty. That’s it… you came at a good time, you can help me, but I can’t forget to surprise her with this…

Very carefully, she raises her hands and holds the chakram, applying force only to the inner part. However, for a brief moment, she feels the gentle nudge of the blade’s edge on the softest part of her hand. Calm down… this is very sharp, and I need these whole hands… but it’s very tight, I need to force it more… but how?

Gabrielle pauses for a moment and goes back to examining her surroundings, looking for something that could help her release the weapon. If only there was something she could wrap around it… No… the vine could break on contact with the blade… it must be something… Gabrielle lowers her face and looks at herself. Excellent, my coat! The bard then removes the coat from herself and wraps it under the steel blade.

Come on… it shouldn’t be that hard… just a little more… Gabrielle contracts her mouth to the point of grimacing, gradually her veins pop out due to the force she applies, while the weapon remains still. She stops again, perplexed. I must be forgetting something… it doesn’t make sense, she should have let go already… She certainly could have done it with one hand without much effort… What strength… The bard loses herself in her thoughts, now remembering her face, staring at her, in silent splendor, and that warm, pleasant feeling gradually warmed her heart.

That’s it then… if I’m going to use your weapon, I have to use it like you used to… Still with her image formed in her mind, Gabrielle removes the weapon’s coat, noticing that there are some small cuts on what would be the back of the garment, but shrugs and puts it back on. After a deep sigh, she then closes her eyes and mentally sees her warrior and how she easily removes the chakram stuck in a similar tree, examining every detail, position, minutely.

As an instinct, she opens her eyes, approaches the weapon, raises her torso in a more imposing, authoritative posture, raises one of her hands and holds the exposed part of the blade, without caring about its edge or any force applied, her hand contrasts with her rigid and firm body, lightly touching the item as if she were holding her beloved, her image is seen again in her mind.

Before any force is applied, she moves it slightly to the sides, thus detaching the item from that rocky surface and emitting a metallic scraping that echoes in her ears. She looks at it for a moment and ties it to her belt. Very good… now comes the worst part… Gabrielle gets up and ties the vine to the strongest part of the trunk, wrapping part of it around her forearm as she approaches the edge.

The ground at the foot of the cliff seems to move away as she gets closer to the end of the ground. Her feet seem to start losing feeling, her body staggering a little, due to her inexplicable fear of heights. For a brief moment, the height of that place was very familiar. It is very similar to the depth of that pit in the temple of… Dahrak… “Gabrielleeeeee!” She hears a distressing scream coming from above her and, taken by reflex, she raises her head to see who it was, but only sees an empty gray sky.

A chill runs down her spine as she stands still on the edge of that high plateau, but it doesn’t take long for her to hear that scream again, this time coming from the depths of the passage at the bottom of that cliff. Her back vibrates to the sound, generating an agonizing fear in her most hidden depths. I have to get there… there’s no other way… Gabrielle grows… Her voice whispers harshly, admonishing herself.

The bard feels that fervor rising to the back of her neck again, an incomprehensible lightness follows, her eyes open wider, to the point where she feels the cold wind passing through them. She crouches down, turning her back to the abyss, and carefully sliding down. For a brief moment she feels an involuntary shaking of her feet, desperately searching for solid ground, but it does not last long. Remembering the teachings of her beloved, she then tries to wrap the vine around one leg while holding it with the other, forming a mini mobile ladder.

So, she flexes her knee, loosening it on her arm enough to slide down a little and get to the turn of going down another step, slowly repeating this cycle of movements in a funereal rhythm. She doesn’t look down… it’s not that high… almost there… A little while later she hears another scream, this time without uttering a single word, just an anguished howl in that same soothing voice. Her nature grows instinctively and the tremor begins to take over her completely.

For a brief moment her strength fails, and she begins to feel her weight diminish, the rocks accelerate upwards and a wind from below begins to push her, however her mind remains staring fixedly ahead, trying to look into those blue eyes, a few seconds later she stops abruptly and a slight pain is felt in her hip. Solid ground finally…? She slowly stands up and examines her legs, still a little dismayed.

Thank goodness she was close to the ground… what a scare! Gabrielle catches her breath and turns around, examining her surroundings. Not far away, she finds the opening of the lifeless forest passage in front of her and starts running. Her concern now was to get to the source of the sounds of the battle as quickly as possible, but without making any noise.

The sounds of combat are getting closer and closer, between the trees she begins to see the swords glinting, releasing sparks in a deadly dance contrasting between the grunts of the warriors as they force each blow and a mixture of screams and groans of the victims fleeing aimlessly. Ahead, the end of that corridor appears, whose exit leads to a clearing and a somewhat familiar village.

Gabrielle notices some nearby piles of hay and tries to hide, while examining the next obstacles that she can take advantage of to sneak past, at the same time scouting the place. There are many soldiers… but the strategy seems to be weak, dispersed like this, it is easy to corner them little by little… Where could you be…? The bard tries to force her hearing a little more, affecting her eyes that react by narrowing discreetly.

Aaaaaaaaaaaah… Her body vibrates again, this time more frantically when she hears that hoarse howl, a piercing shiver runs down her spine, her neck throbs hard, the lightness of her body increases. It’s you… where are you… I have to get there, wherever it is… NOW!!!! . Gabrielle refuses to wait a little longer, anticipating the slightest possibility that the worst has already happened. Not again, I won’t let it happen, even if I have to be in your place… Her senses simultaneously gather in a concentration never felt before, being able to feel the direction of that scream.

Nothing else was relevant, and she then, making her irrevocable decision clear, got up and took off in a quick run, between the duels at the entrance and in the main courtyard of the village, not stopping for anything, without avoiding the blows given close to her, and being able to, without any effort, knock down whoever crossed her path.

As they approached the source of the screams, the incredulous combatants in the scene momentarily stopped their blows, shocked by the courage of that young woman. Who is this… What a crazy woman! She’s going to kill herself!, BE CAREFUL!, COME BACK GIRL, RUN AWAY… On both sides of the battle, an unconscious ceasefire momentarily arose, caused by the action of the bard, who didn’t notice anything.

Glazed by the scene, those enemies remained in disbelief, they had never seen such courage in their lives. However, little did they know that it was the height of their despair. The only sensation she felt was her heart galloping through her body heated by the race, contrasted by the icy wind, and her eyes glazed forward. Gabrielle suddenly stopped in front of a stable, seeing from the dark interior the bright reflection of a sword being raised, and in the background an agonizing cry, denying the probable and inevitable end of this nightmare.

Under a breathless breath, the bard involuntarily feels her hand reach the chakram, her body follows the movements, positioning herself in a posture similar to the one her beloved used for long-distance throws, and acrobatically throws the weapon with a precision that, she knew, was not hers. The scream of that object moving through the air is heard to increase, followed by the echo of a tear, the sword descends abruptly, but does not touch the ground immediately, remaining, as if it were swinging suspended, and soon falls to the ground, along with its owner.

Another scream comes from that dark interior, but it quickly stops. Gabrielle hears the roar of the thrown weapon increasing rapidly, returning from the blow, and reproducing a half-moon, she captures the chakram in the air, now reddened, but she does not notice and already fixes it again on her waist, while she takes off in a new run towards the interior of the room. The environment gradually becomes clearer, and gradually, she begins to see the figure of a woman huddled in the back corner of that place, trying to protect her head and body with her forearms and shins, between sobs begging for mercy.

The bard slows down her pace, her firm steps become disarmed, now she feels her lightness return, her breathing becomes deeper, keeping her eyes fixed on that defenseless victim, in a supernatural effort, she tries to overcome her panic saying in a soft voice “Hi… Calm down… it’s okay… he won’t hurt you… me neither… I came to help you… calm down… you’re safe now… don’t be afraid…”.

Gabrielle begins to see her form more clearly, with deep dark hair, firm and strong hands, but extremely shaky, feet and forearms slightly stained after an apparent lost physical fight. The sobs are closer and louder. Being a few steps away from her, the bard crouches down waiting for eye contact, remaining momentarily in absolute silence. I recognize this feeling… She just needs to believe that she is safe… I have to convince her that she is safe… what do I say? Will she believe me? My hands… are they bloody??? Oh no… she won’t believe me… what will I say? Calm down… calm down… come on… stop it… she’s going to run away… say something DAMN IT!

“Hey… are you okay?” Gabrielle whispers to that trembling figure. “You look hurt… if you don’t treat it, it’ll hurt even more…”. She waits a moment, and notices that the sobs subside, while the forearms slowly move away and reveal a look, familiar, very, familiar. “I can only help you if you allow me… Will you accept my help?” She then hears a trembling and choked whisper. “You’re not going to hurt me?” The bard feels a weight rising from within her, feeling the weight and gravity of what she heard, as she begins to unravel the face of that woman.

Blue eyes like a spring sky, clear and cloudless, deeply dark hair, whose face highlights her expressions, the face of her longed-for beloved, but with an expression never seen before, of pure and genuine childish despair, reflecting a loneliness never witnessed, accompanied by a look of supplication. What did they do to you… my love… what did they do to you… “Gabrielle??? Is that you?” Xena stammers, still sobbing lightly.

“Yes, it’s me… Xena, I’m here.” Gabrielle whispers, finding strength from where she didn’t think she had, to sound serene and happy. Inside, she was torn apart by seeing her completely vulnerable. This is my fault… where was I… I’m the one who left her like this… she’ll never forgive me… oh, if you only knew… I have to pull myself together… she needs to see me well… She notices the warrior’s arms open, without strength, limp on the floor, revealing her exhaustion, panting, somewhat sleepy.

Gabrielle approaches, wraps her arms around her in a position that allows her to be lifted into the air, supporting her back and legs with her arms, long enough to carry her to a safe place there. Still with her in her arms, the bard notices the fatigue on her face, still damp from the recent cessation of crying. Xena runs her eyes over her beloved’s face, her arms remain loose, relaxed, unable to help but show an effort to smile in response to the rescue.

The bard quickly examines the place, but Xena stammers, “Up there… it seems… safe.” She struggles to speak between deep sighs, trying to catch her breath. Gabrielle looks in the direction she pointed, and returns her gaze to her beloved, with a slight smile. Gods, how beautiful she is… I have to protect her… even though she is so hurt and tired… she brings me a peace that… I have never felt…? Is that how you felt? Gabrielle recovers, realizing that Xena noticed her momentary hesitation of admiration, responding with a raised eyebrow, and a more relaxed smile.

After climbing the stairs, Gabrielle places her lying down on a makeshift bed of straw and hay, not very comfortable, but lined with a cloth she had found there, and carefully covering her with a sheet. For a moment, the bard loses herself looking again into those blue eyes, responding with a sweet and slightly stronger smile, while she was focused on examining her face. “It’s over, my… beloved…” Xena raises her eyebrows a little in surprise, still appearing to be struggling to move, and say “Yours…?”. Xena looks at her with a pleading, slightly mischievous look. “Forever…” Gabrielle answers, now in a more serene and spontaneous way, full of conviction.

“Are you… okay…?” Even in that state, Xena shows a remnant of that protective flame, with a hopeful look for a sincere answer. “Uh hum” Gabrielle lifts one corner of her mouth in a smile. Not now Gabrielle… swallow that crying… she needs to feel your peace… swallow… now… Gabrielle repeats mentally like a mantra, trying hard to keep a serene expression, but a tear stealthily escapes, contrasting with her calm face. Xena was also well known for her skills as a tracker, sharp vision, a detail like that would never go unnoticed, and her face reacts by responding in kind.

Both of them, without realizing it, in a reflexive act, and simultaneously, wipe away that tear, and approach each other in a gentle embrace. A warmth, so distant, has come closer to them. “Xena…” Gabrielle interrupts with a sigh. “Gabrielle…”. Their glances exchange, in mutual admiration, in the expectation that one of them will break the silence. I can’t take it anymore… this suspense, damn it… why did I make this so difficult, for so long… who am I trying to fool… enough… it doesn’t matter anymore what she’s going to say… I have to confess. The bard reveals her internal war in order to start the confession. However, she is interrupted by her passionate patient.

“I knew… deep inside… me…” Xena pauses, a little less breathless. “Xena, you need to rest, don’t worry… we’re safe…” Xena interrupts her, this time furrowing her eyebrows, her face a plea. “Please, let me finish…” Gabrielle nods, and waits patiently.

“I was… for so long… afraid of losing you… of straying from your path… of your… peace… I wanted to see you, to make you happy.” Xena keeps examining her reaction. “After a while… I realized it wasn’t a friendship anymore… and I was willing to go further… I denied myself that.” She pauses again to catch her breath, as Gabrielle feels her right hand being held, guiding her above her heart. A brighter look is cast at the bard.

“I… I confess… I did that too…” Oh my… her heart is racing… just like mine. Gabrielle remains silent, respecting her request, which continues. “I’m tired… of waiting… damn it… I… the…” Xena is abruptly interrupted, noticing that another tear escapes from her savior. The bard, still speechless, brings her face closer to hers, and delicately lets her mouth join with hers, filling every corner of this union, and being reciprocated equally.

That burning in her eyes, the salty taste in her mouth were contrasted with the sweetness felt in this unique contact, so well kept for so long. A sigh of relief is felt. “So that’s it…” Xena, still confused, keeps her gaze fixed on her. “Together forever…” Gabrielle completes, regaining her senses.

The bard then stands up a little, and tries to continue examining the rest of her body, looking for injuries or scratches, while she hears Xena whisper something almost inaudible “Finally… I can sleep peacefully today…”. Gabrielle can’t help but laugh, receiving a raised eyebrow from her. “So… what’s the plan?” Xena asks her, with a distracted air. “It depends… do you mean the escape, or the wedding?” Gabrielle raises an eyebrow, accompanied by a mischievous smile.

Xena, surprised, couldn’t contain a spasm reacting to what she had just heard, “Is that really you…? What did you do to my bard?” Xena joked with the question, denoting a sarcastic tone. “Ah… I also wish I had said that before… It was already so obvious… but we were afraid…” Gabrielle shrugged, while she was interrupted by the warrior “for nothing…”. They both looked at each other and let out a short laugh.

“Alright, Miss Tough Guy…” Gabrielle settles in next to her. “What’s the prognosis, Doctor?” Xena raises an eyebrow, waiting for an answer. “Well, no broken bones, I found some bruises, but I’ll take care of them for you…” Gabrielle tries to fake a serious expression as she continues with another mischievous question. “What about the treatment?”

“Well, in your condition, I recommend rest, without strong emotions… and an ointment for your wounds. Which, luckily for you, I have here ready for use.” Gabrielle matches the playful tone, although with a hint of concern. Xena then settles in bed, nodding her head in acceptance of the treatment.

“Very well, let’s begin.” Gabrielle carefully removes her robe and begins the treatment, spreading the herbal paste with aloe vera on each wound, finishing each one with a light kiss. “Hey…doctor, is this part of the treatment?” Xena lifts her face to meet her beloved’s gaze. “Only if you accept…” Xena smiles and leans back again, letting her bard continue.

After a few minutes, Gabrielle finished the treatment, moved behind her, who stood up a little and leaned on her abdomen, ending a deep sigh. Gabrielle wraps her in a hug, which the warrior responds to, relaxing completely. She remains looking at her for a while, admiring her tranquility, while she rested. So this is how she saw me, felt, when I was like this with her… what a wonderful feeling… but she is still very fragile… she has never been like this… what made her change so much… how? The bard continues to analyze every detail, going over it and finally absorbing reality, but the warrior’s instinct spoke louder, and she turned to her bard, staring at her.

“Hey… is everything okay?” Gabrielle returns to her lucidity. “Hey… yes… is it better?”, she returns the question with a gentle air. “A little… so this is your dream passage… quite agitated, don’t you think?”. Gabrielle sighs. “Yes…”. Xena changes her gaze, brimming with fear, but asks. “Was it me who left you like this?”. Gabrielle feels a weight on her chest, noticing the shame taking over her, which begins to diminish in her arms, anticipating the dreaded confirmation. “I think I always had this, inside me… But I chose to hide it… your focus made me contain it…”. Her surprised warrior remains still.

“I warned you… no matter the consequences, I will never leave you.” Gabrielle says, with an air of resolute certainty, receiving a squeeze in her abdomen. “Hey… calm down there..” Gabrielle lets out a jovial laugh, in response to her beloved’s calm face.

“Let’s rest a little, we have to continue our journey soon.” The bard says with a thoughtful look. “Do you have any plans?” Xena asks a little sleepily. “I think so… I just don’t know what to expect… like it was with you… now it’s up to me…” Xena interrupts her, looking at her with a serious expression “With us…” Gabrielle responds by repeating the same thing to her, however, it seems that this was more of an answer for her than for her beloved.

Gabrielle feels slightly tired, and allows herself to relax her body momentarily, and falls into a brief sleep. They both remain like that for some time until they wake up. However, upon waking, the bard notices that the wounds on her beloved have disappeared. Her skin, which was previously pale, is now more flushed, and her beloved is stronger, but still appears to have a barely controlled fragility.

“Hey.. is that better, my sleepyhead?” Xena teases her a little. Gabrielle responds with a smile. “Yeah, and you?” Xena nods, her eyes widening more than usual, her eyebrows slightly raised. “Let’s continue then, are you ready?” her warrior nods, and Gabrielle helps her up.

“If I don’t notice something, let me know, okay?” Gabrielle waits for confirmation from her warrior, who nods. Something’s wrong, she’s very different, this fragility isn’t normal… has she always been like this and I just haven’t noticed? She’s so beautiful like this, but it would be nice to have a little bit of the warrior around… maybe she’s asleep… but I’m not going to take any chances… I have to make sure everything will be okay… Gabrielle continues cautiously, leading Xena, holding her hand.

On the other side of the clearing there is another passage, leading to another clearing, this time a little different, the village seems empty, but they don’t risk crossing it through the center, heading between the alleys, silently. Xena stays right behind her, who continues each step patiently, with her katana unsheathed, ready to skillfully deliver quick defenses, due to the posture adopted for the path.

Suddenly, they hear a noise, like a vase breaking on the ground, apparently from an accidental bump, and then a tabby cat passes by them, at full speed, disappearing between the trees, as if it were running away. They shrug their shoulders, but remain fully alert. They manage to reach the passage, but they remain at the same pace, they can never be too careful.

Arriving at the next clearing, they find a somewhat familiar place, Gabrielle’s family home. The grass appears to have been recently mowed, the lights in the house are on, and there is some chatter from inside. They both look at each other in slight surprise, but inside, they can already feel the cohesion of the place… They continue at a faster pace than before, until they reach the door to the living room.

The door opens slowly, but they cannot see who opened it. Xena looks at her in dismay, worried if it was safe to enter. However, a strong storm has begun, and they both have to enter, seeking some shelter from the raging storm. The door closes by itself as soon as they reach the middle of the room. Heavy footsteps are taken in their direction. And from the hallway, a familiar figure appears, for Xena, but Gabrielle has a hard time assimilating who it is.

A tall man, with white hair and mustache, dressed in dark armor, whose strength could be extraordinary for his age. A firm and dark gaze, enough to frighten her, however, Gabrielle strangely is not able to feel anything, she remains apathetic to him, returning his hostile gaze. However, she feels her beloved’s hand squeeze her arm. Are you… trembling? Who could this man be… what has he… done… it’s not possible… Gabrielle tries to look at her beloved, while attentively observing the stranger, but before she can, she hears her warrior stammer “Father???”.

Gabrielle is overcome by a heat, similar to that of a sword being heated for the forge, her hands position themselves holding the handle of the katana, and keeping her distance from him, and Xena, behind her, trying to cover her, like a Roman shield. “Atrius… Why am I not so surprised to see you here? Or should I say… Ares…”

The warrior stops his slow walk, takes out a sword from his belt, performs some short juggling, spinning a few times in front of him, but throws the sword to the wooden floor, sticking it in hard, making it remain standing, swinging for a few seconds. “It’s been a while, girls… I’ve missed you.”

“What do you want?” Gabrielle maintained an imposing air, her voice emanating an air of authority and firmness that surprised the potential opponent. “Me? I just came to visit you, a loving father like me, can’t stand being away from his family for too long…”. Atrius let out a slight ironic smile, but remained in place, and observed Gabrielle’s katana, already unsheathed and pointed at him. “Do you really want to do this, young lady, even though I’m unarmed?” The warrior opened his arms, showing that he had no more weapons with him.

Gabrielle then, without making any effort, stands up from her defensive stance, raises her sword, keeping it vertical, and only then releases it, the katana, due to its well-made sharpening, sinks a little into the wood in a dry and still blow. Calling the warrior’s attention. “Impressive, my little one… Beautiful sword, saves you a lot of effort… efficient damage I would say.”

“Yes, force and violence are not always the answer, without peace, without love, life has no meaning… have you ever loved?” Gabrielle asks calmly.

Atrius, surprised, stays without answering for a while, but changes his mind and answers “Love… it depends a lot, my dear… look at my daughter…” He points to Xena, who instinctively withdraws and steps back. “She loved her family, but she loved to play fight…” Xena steps back further. “This division made her lose her blood innocence…” The warrior feels a pang inside her and shrinks further, a distressed look appears. “The same way it happened to you.” Pointing to Gabrielle, now.

Xena kneels, resting her hands on the floor, trembling, as if she had been punched in the stomach. Her eyes widen and she begins to sob. She reveals her internal struggle, trying to contain her pain, her inner child’s youthful desire to cry. “And this, my dear, is destiny… Who in the family was like this? ME.” She affirms resolutely, raising her tone firmly, and looking at her daughter. “Who is daddy’s favorite destroyer, who?” Xena, exhausted, loses her balance, and inertly gives in to pain, shame and disgust. “Me…” Gabrielle steps in front of the warrior and looks at him firmly. What a coward, low… how dare you speak like that… she in that condition, so vulnerable and… defenseless… if I could, just for a moment… just give me a reason… a gesture towards me… that’s all… and it will be over soon… I swear… I’ll tear you apart inside… that jugular… I’ll break it in two!…

“What’s wrong Gabrielle? You’re angry, right? You can end this. Raise your sword and pass it here… no, very quick and merciful… no… I’ll make things better…” Atrius kneels down and points to his artery. “You can apply the pressure point, do that, it’ll be much more fun… Oh, just a second, this position isn’t good. My little girl won’t be able to see…” Atrius turns a little. “There, now she’ll be able to see everything from a ‘best seat’…” Gabrielle’s eyes widen, feeling a visceral contempt for what she heard.

Meanwhile, the warrior remains dejected, kneeling on the ground without the strength to make a sound, looking at him without any sign of life, apparently apathetic, reliving her dark memories in a kind of trance. Gabrielle looks at her and recognizes her expression. She is about to explode, I have to stop it… before it is too late… she will not be able to handle it if that happens… “Very well, are you sure you want this?” Gabrielle asks resolutely, and feels Xena looking at her coldly.

“Hurry up and free me from this pain, of seeing my daughter like this…” Gabrielle continues to stare at him, but does not move immediately. She pulls out her katana, and sheathes it again, turning to her beloved, and lifting her. Finally, she turns around, and in a soft tone, answers before her perplexed expression “No one gives what they do not have… We feel very sorry for you, I just hope you can feel the love I feel for Xena, only love can save you… I wish you luck. Goodbye.” Atrius suddenly disappears like smoke.

Gabrielle returns her gaze to her beloved, who is slowly recovering as she regains consciousness. She finds the bard’s gentle and sweet face. She smiles and sighs and leaves the house, contrasting with her still staggering and withdrawn posture. The bard needs to balance her strength to support her, while she scans the surroundings. It seems like there is not much left… there is another path ahead… another clearing… let’s go there soon… Her thoughts are interrupted by an increase in her weight. She looks at her warrior, who slowly falls to the ground, with an incomprehensible fatigue.

“Hey… are you okay?” Gabrielle crouches down to help her, their eyes meet again as the bard wraps her in her arms. Those blue eyes reflect a different glow, of shy admiration, at the same time, of regret. Gabrielle… I can’t take it… it’s too much for me… to see myself like this, so… fragile… I’ve always been like this… I’m no good for you… but… save me, please… Staring at her, Xena gathers her strength and whispers: “Forgive me… my strength is gone…” Her gaze lowers embarrassed, reluctant to continue, she sighs momentarily “Go… save yourself… I don’t want to be a burden to you…”

The bard feels a knot in her stomach, furrowing her eyebrows, “Hey… don’t you dare say that… it’s my turn now, to be strong for you, don’t deny me that right!” Letting out a smile, he gently lifts her up, and leads her to the next passage, humming her favorite song to her, while receiving a sweet smile, accompanied by deep sighs.