Reactions And Resolutions
Chapter 5
by DQiscool
Hercules and Iolaus had made camp. Iolaus had attempted to cheer his friend up for hours and had finally given up. Hercules was hiding somehow. Inside himself there was a mask. Iolaus could see a kind of glaze over his friend’s brown eyes. Hercules merely sat staring into the flames. It was as if he thought that if he just stared long enough everything would go away and he would be free. Iolaus sighed as he decided to turn in. "I’m going to sleep now," He commented. Hercules merely nodded. Iolaus laid out his bedroll and laid down on his back. He looked up at the vast sky and wondered if Gabrielle was doing the same thing. He made a wish on the first star he saw. "Let my friend be all right," He wished silently. He then rolled over onto his side and tried to fall asleep. Hercules began to rock back and forth as he sat hunched over with his knees to his chest. He could almost see Xena in the flames, hear her calling his name. Why did he let her go? Why didn’t he follow? What if? So many questions and possibilities. He knew that Iolaus was right, it wasn’t his fault. Still, he felt responsible for Xena. He knew what he had to do. First, he had to visit her grave. Talk with her mother. Then, he was going to bring her back. He wouldn’t let another be taken from him. He would offer himself to Hades as a trade for the Warrior Princess’s life. Hades owed him anyway. He wished that he could pray but knew that the gods wouldn’t be of any help. He wondered how Ares felt at that moment. He knew that his brother wasn’t a great guy, but deep down, he cared about Xena, almost as much as Hercules did. Ares was born with a heart of coal, Xena seemed to spark a flame there. Hercules shook his head sorry for all the suffering around Xena, the suffering she caused, the suffering that others gave her. Why Xena? She was so beautiful, so strong. Why her and not him? So many questions. He looked up at the starry sky and thought he saw Xena sketched in the stars. He couldn’t help smiling for a moment. The one thing he remembered most about Xena was her eyes. Those intense blue eyes. He noticed that his friend was already asleep and seemed to wake up from a sleep himself. He laid out a blanket and laid down after removing his yellow shirt. He merely gazed at the moon. Artemis seemed to comfort him tonight. She seemed to weep with him for the loss of the amazon. Xena may have denied it, as some said, but she was a true amazon. Even mother earth herself seemed to weep for the Warrior Princess.
Meanwhile Xena grinned waiting for the thugs to make the first move. "Hello there," The leader replied hefting his sword over his shoulder good naturedly. "Now, we don’t want no trouble. Why don’t you just hand over your purse and valuables like good girls?" He asked.
"Because I’m not a good girl," Xena replied fingering her chackrum. He followed her movements and saw the chackrum at her hip.
"That, that’s Xena’s chackrum," The man stammered staring at the leather clad woman. "She’s dead," He added taking one step back not as sure of himself as he was a moment before.
"Well, as you can see, I’ve come back," Xena replied smiling an all teeth grin. The man took another step back and swallowed. His buddies were as nervous as he was.
"You are Xena?" He asked as if he wasn’t quite sure any more.
"What, does my name bother you? You can call me Princess if you like," She offered.
"You can’t be Xena," He said regaining his confidence. "Get them!" He yelled. His men looked at him as if thinking he was crazy but followed his command. The first charged head on at Xena. She side stepped and held out her arm. He ran right into it and flipped over onto his back. Xena leaned forward and kicked her left leg backwards kicking a man in the gut who was attacking from behind. She let out her war cry almost deafening her opponents. Gabrielle tapped a man on his shoulder and he turned around only to be knocked onto his back by a swing of her staff. Gabrielle jumped into action bringing her staff around into another man’s stomach and then around cracking his skull. Xena smiled at her young friend’s progress, it cost her as a man charged at her with a knife.
"Look out!" Gabrielle screamed. Xena spun around as the knife cut deep into her left shoulder. She glared at the man and held her shoulder. She kicked him causing him to fall and then pushed him forward with her foot. As he slid, he knocked into two other men, knocking them down. Xena laughed wildly as she was attacked from both sides. She sprung into the air like a cat and the two men ran each other through killing each other. Xena landed gracefully ten paces away from the fray and again glanced at Gabrielle. Her friend was down on her knees about to be run through. She grasped her chackrum and threw it as hard as she could. It hit a tree cutting a huge branch off that fell on one of the thugs and then embedded itself in Gabrielle’s opponent’s chest. Xena glared at the leader and he cowered in fear.
"Retreat!" He exclaimed. They all ran and Xena started to follow but her wound prevented her. Gabrielle ran to her friend as Xena fell to her knees in pain.
"It’s deep," Gabrielle commented. Get me my flask," Xena replied. "Do it!" She yelled when Gabrielle didn’t move. Gabrielle ran over to Argo and grabbed Xena’s water flask. She handed it to her friend. Xena opened the flask and poured it’s contents on her wound. Gabrielle was shocked when Xena winced in pain. The flask contained alcohol. Xena took a sip trying to block the pain. "Now, get me some cloth. I need to bandage it," She said between sips. Gabrielle found a blanket and brought it to Xena. "Rip it for me," Xena ordered. Gabrielle did as she was told and ripped a strip of the blue cloth for her friend. Gabrielle then wrapped the cloth around her friend’s wound and Xena smiled at her friend in appreciation. "Thank you," Xena said softly.
"I’m not going to lose you again," Gabrielle warned.
"I don’t plan on being lost," Xena replied. She then winced from the pain. She stood up bravely and whistled for Argo. Her horse came galloping out from the trees and to her mistress. Argo seemed to sense her master’s wound and licked at the bandage. Xena smiled and patted the horse in gratitude. "Gabrielle," Xena said, turning to face her friend.
"Yes?" Gabrielle asked.
"When I died, I could hear your thoughts, it was your thoughts that gave me the strength and courage to come back," Xena said.
"How did you manage to get into Autolocus’s body?" Gabrielle asked.
"When you’re dead you can return to the world of the living as a spirit with Hades permission. Hades owed me and gave me time to save my life by putting an aura around my body. I chose him because I knew that the amazons had my body," Xena explained.
"I’m sorry, I thought," Gabrielle began.
"It’s all right," Xena said holding her right arm up to stop her. "I understand," Xena said smiling at her friend. She then winced from the pain in her shoulder. She felt like it was on fire.
"I love you," Gabrielle said.
"I love you too Gabrielle. I always wanted a sister Gabrielle. Flora became like a little one and then M’lila," She broke off. "Then I met you Gabrielle. We couldn’t be any closer if we were blood relatives," Xena replied.
Gabrielle and Xena smiled at each other and then set up camp. Xena couldn’t travel right away from the wound and needed some rest. But, she would push on in the morning.
Continue to Chapter 6
Return to Chapter 4
Return to XenaCrazed's General Fan Fiction and Poetry
Go to the Absolutely XenaCrazed Home Page