"Within days I gave birth to a baby girl, Hope. Obviously my pregnancy was far from normal, but the father was a god and who knows what is normal to them." She explained to the assembly, "I thought that she was the most perfect, beautiful child that had ever been born and, against all the evidence to the contrary, I was convinced that she was an innocent ... she was, after all, my daughter.

"Xena, however, was convinced that Hope was the embodiment of evil. Her father's gateway into our world. She was certain that Hope had strangled a young warrior who was helping to protect us. He was good and kind and the only people in that room had been me, Xena and Hope. Xena accused my child and prepared to thrust her sword through her. My best friend wanted to kill my baby!" She heard Xena's knuckles begin to crack as her fists clenched tighter at the recollection of the memories and the angry mutters of the Amazons at the callousness of the Warrior Princess.

"I managed to escape with Hope, who was growing at an amazing rate, and eventually, when I knew that I'd never be able to lose Xena, I tricked her into believing that I had thrown Hope off of a cliff. Abandoning my child," she said quietly, "was the only way I had of ensuring her safety."

All eyes were on the Amazon Queen and the Warrior Princess. The suffering and anguish were clear to those who cared to read the signs. The powerful emotions played clearly on Gabrielle's expressive face, while Xena's stone faced blankness could not hide the rigid tenseness that her body language displayed.

Swallowing hard, Gabrielle forced herself to continue, "Some moons later, Hope, no longer a baby, but a growing child, turned up here and freed Callisto from the lava pit where Xena had sealed her and Valesca. An act of evilness in itself," the bard explained. "But, when I found Hope again, all I saw was my beautiful child. Not the daughter of Dahak, the Daughter of Darkness. My blindness to what her father was, and who she was, led to the death of Solon, a truly innocent and good child. And not only him, but others too. There could have been so many more deaths if it hadn't been for Xena!" she declared passionately.

She looked up at Amara and told her, "I poisoned Hope, but it was too late for Solon, and Xena's grief was all the deeper because she had never told him that she was his mother."

Taking a deep breath and allowing the listeners to digest the story she had told them, she then began to explain how these events had lead to the deaths of Amazons, "With emotions twisted into tatters, it was the perfect time for Ares to return to reclaim his Warrior Princess," she told them. "All here know how much the God of War want's Xena, the Destroyer of Nations, to return to his flock.

"He went to Xena and tugged at her frayed emotions, playing on the hatred she felt towards me because of Hope. My deception in Britannia and the end result of Solon's death earned the hatred that was driving Xena at that time, and Ares used that to warp her judgement. She was in no mental condition to fight against Ares' arguments and clever blandishments. He used everything in his armoury to turn her back to her dark side and sent her here to kill me. Not only that, but his interference wiped her memory of these events and we were only able to break through those blocks last night. Needless to say, Xena is suffering through these revelations, the more so since to her they are a fresh, new, wound."

There wasn't a sound in the hall as the Amazon's waited to hear what the bard had to say next, "Well," she continued, "you can see Ares plan worked ... for a while. Xena raided the village, killing and injuring Amazons without really knowing what she was doing. That she eventually regained her senses is shown by the fact that I'm here alive to tell you this story. And the point of me telling you all of this?" she asked rhetorically, "The point is that, if you must blame anyone for the deaths of our Amazon sisters, you could try Ares. Or should Amazon justice require a mortal culprit, then I really am more to blame than Xena is," she finished quietly.

Loud clamouring erupted throughout the hall, but one voice cut clearly across all of the noise, "No! Gabrielle! It was not your fault!" Xena shouted as she pushed the table away so that she could get to her feet, only to be restrained by two Amazon guards.

Gabrielle shot a pleading look at her friend, who appeared ready to do something reckless to the guards, "No Xena," she pleaded, "just let me do this my way. It's something I need to do. Something I have to do." She waited tensely until the Warrior Princess subsided and sank grudgingly back into her chair with the table drawn up in front of her again and the two guards each standing with a hand on a shoulder.

Xena could feel the urgency in the bard's voice and, although it hurt her to allow Gabrielle to try and shoulder the blame, she understood her need to do so. Forcing herself to relax, she allowed bard to continue to handle the situation in the way she chose.

As the noise in the hall gradually abated, the young Queen faced the Elders and declared, "There is no way that I can deny that Xena attacked this village killing and harming sisters. I cannot deny that she took me from here against my will. What I am telling you is that she was not in control of herself. Grief, and Ares, manipulated her actions. She was not responsible for what happened. She was a tool, a pawn, if you like, in the hands of a God."

Tarelle rose to her feet and heatedly shouted, "That's no defence, to hide behind the coattails of a God. She committed the acts. She should suffer the penalty for her actions."

Against restraining hands, Xena forced herself to her feet once more, a deadly look in her eye, her voice the whisper of Tartarus, "I hide behind no man or God!" she declared.

Pandemonium broke out in the meeting hall as the Amazons started to yell the arguments for the side they backed. Gabrielle moved quickly to Xena's side and hissed, "What do you think you're doing?"

"I won't be accused of cowardice, Gabrielle. I face up to my responsibilities," Xena told her bleakly.

"Just go along with me," pleaded Gabrielle. "Don't let Tarelle get to you. If she pulls you down, her faction won't be long in coming after Ephiny and me." It wasn't exactly fair to use that argument, but it got Xena's attention and a grudging nod of compliance.

With a storm of words raging through the hall, the Elders ordered Solari and her guards to restore order within the chamber so that the hearing could continue. When silence had been finally achieved, Elder Amara asked Tarelle, "Do you wish to ask Queen Gabrielle any more questions?"

"No Elder," the prosecutor replied smugly, "I do not believe that Queen Gabrielle's testimony has any baring on this case."

Elder Katanis looked up sharply and reprimanded Tarelle, "That is not your decision to make Prosecutor. Only the Elder's may decide what is relevant to this case." Tarelle bowed in submission and resumed her seat. Only a twitch at the corner of her mouth showed her annoyance at being spoken to so.

"Thank you Queen Gabrielle," Amara smiled at the young ruler, "Your statement has been most illuminating." She turned to Tarelle, "You may call your next witness, prosecutor."

Tarelle arose and said in a clear, gleeful voice, "I call upon Xena of Amphipolis to hold truth!"

The silence in the meeting house was deafening until Gabrielle stood up and growled, "Now wait a minute! Defendants are not required to testify, unless they chose to do so, under Greek Law."

The red haired prosecutor smirked, "But this trial is being conducted under Amazon law, my Queen, and under Amazon Law I have the right to call anyone as a witness, including the accused. I therefore exercise my right under law to call Xena of Amphipolis to hold truth ... if she's capable of it." she added snidely, almost too quietly to be heard.

The Warrior Princess, though, with her remarkable hearing, heard and stiffened perceptively. Gabrielle heard and shot a murderous glare at Tarelle. Most surprisingly, Elder Sarelle heard the comment and glowered, before having a hurried, whispered, conversation with the other Elders whose face's also turned stormy.

Amara cleared her throat and spoke first to the bard, "Tarelle is right about the law, my Queen. She has the right to call Xena as a witness and may do so," her grey eyes were coldly angry as she turned them on Tarelle, "once she has apologised for the unnecessary, and insulting comment she just made, that demeans the Warrior Princess' honour."

The prosecutor had gone rigid with anger and all colour had drained from her cheeks at Amara's words. Her comment had been meant only for Xena's legendary hearing and maybe the upstart Queen's, if her ears were sharp enough. She had never expected her words to be picked up by the Elders. She was well aware of the loud buzz of speculation in the background, as her fellow Amazons discussed just what kind of comment the redhead had made.

Slowly, under the scrutiny of everyone in the room, Tarelle stood and turned towards the table where Xena was seated. Her furious grey-green eyes bored into the raven haired woman's before she forced herself to mouth the required apology, "I'm sorry for any aspersion that I cast upon your honour," saying it in a flat monotone that carried no conviction whatsoever.

The Warrior princess made a slight bow of her head towards the Elders for their intervention and then ignored the event while, once again, a loud buzz of speculation filled the halls as Amazons again wondered about exactly what had been said.

Amara regained the attention of the packed court when she continued, "Due to implemented safety measures, this Council of Elders feels that it would be more suitable for Xena of Amphipolis to give her evidence from where she is seated. Therefore if you'd care to begin, Prosecutor Tarelle?"

The red head had managed in that short time to pull herself together and was ready once again to wage war upon the Warrior Princess, "You are Xena of Amphipolis?" she questioned as she stood up and moved before the warrior.

"Yes," replied the raven haired woman in a cool, clear voice. "Is it not true that you have other, far less innocuous names?"

The question was met with silence.

"Come now, do you dispute that you are known as the Warrior Princess?" charged Tarelle belligerently.

"No," came the flat answer.

"Or the Destroyer of Nations?" continued the prosecutor detecting a subtle flicker of pain in the other woman's eyes.

"No," came the reply once again, flatly said with no emotion to be heard in her inflection.

"Can you tell the court how your acquired these names .. these titles?" sneered Tarelle getting into the swing of her attack.

Gabrielle jumped to her feet and appealed to the Elders, "I object. These questions don't have any baring on what happened."

"I disagree," responded the prosecutor promptly, "The Queen is the one who has insisted upon bringing evidence from the past into consideration, and the Warlord past of Xena of Amphipolis goes a long way to showing that her actions here, within the bounds of Themiscyra, were far from a one off abhoration in her life."

"But she's no longer that person," persisted the bard, "She's changed so much in the last four summers. It's hardly fair to judge her actions by what happened so long ago."

The Elders conferred for several moments before Amara turned back to them with a decision, "We will allow this line of questioning. However much she's changed, the Xena of then and now is still the same person and the latitude we allowed you, my Queen, must be allowed to the prosecutor also."

"Just make sure that your questions are to the point, prosecutor," Elder Borayne interjected.

Tarelle gave a short bow towards the Elder's bench before turning back in time to see Gabrielle return to her seat with a disappointed look on her face. Not bothering to hide a grin of triumph she returned to her question, "So how did you earn those titles?"

There was a long stretch of silence as the whole meeting house waited to hear what Xena would say. Just when it looked as if the Warrior Princess had no intention of answering the question, she gave a soft sigh and said simply, "I was a warlord for ten years. In that time I acquired many names and titles. Those two are the most well known. There were many more, mostly in foreign languages."

"You were a warlord?" prodded Tarelle.

"I have admitted so, yes," agreed Xena.

"And as a warlord you did what? Help farmers? protect villages? What?" pushed the prosecutor.

Xena glared at her before answering in a cold, distant voice, "I led a god's be damned successful army that conquered territory and the cities, towns and villages within those territories."

Tarelle nodded thoughtfully, "You ravaged the land?"

"My army did, yes," conceded the warrior.

"Ah, your army!" the prosecutor repeated as if stunned by the insight. She looked Xena full in the face, "So your army did the things you directed? You didn't participate in the fighting at all?"

"I was the leader," she took a deep breath and added, "I usually led from the front."

"So you were a full participant in the raiding, burning, looting and killing that went on at your orders?" prompted Tarelle sharply.

"Yes," came the agreement.

Tarelle wandered across the floor in front of the Elders bench, then turned abruptly and flung out the question, "Just how many people have you personally killed, Xena?" she demanded.

Gabrielle fought against the urge to squirm as she saw the look of self-loathing fill Xena's eyes. She wanted to stop this, but the Elders had made their position clear here. She watched helplessly as her best friend replied very softly, "I don't know."

Cupping a hand to her ear, Tarelle said sarcastically, "I'm sorry, I didn't hear that answer."

In a firmer voice the raven haired woman replied, "I said, I don't know."

"Oh," nodded Tarelle in a disappointed tone, "Now why is that, I wonder? Could it be that you've killed so many men, women and children that no one would ever be able to count the people that you've personally slaughtered."

"I object!" shouted Gabrielle angrily, "It's well known that Xena has never killed women and children."

"Prosecutor?" questioned Amara giving Tarelle the chance to back up her claim.

"The women and children of Cirra are a well known case, Elder Amara. I'm certain there are others, without the women warriors that have been slain by her hand."

"Can you dispute these?" the Elder asked Gabrielle.

"Well, no," admitted the bard edgily, "But Cirra was an accident. Xena has never deliberately set out to injure defenceless women and children."

"Just defenceless men?" sniped in Tarelle.

"You may have a little longer with your line of questioning prosecutor, but I want to see a connection to the issues we are looking at before much longer" Amara insisted.

"The Point I'm trying to make here, Elder Amara, is that Xena, the Warrior Princess, Destroyer of Nations, has for a large part of her life, gloried in spilling blood and taking innocent lives. She's killed so many people by her own hand that she cannot count the deaths attributable to her. Whatever changes she's made in her life, she is still the woman who has done these things."

"Have you finished with you questions to her?" asked Amara.

"Almost," agreed the prosecutor and turned back to face the defendant. "When you rode into Themiscyra that day, what did you intend to do?"

Xena stared at her for a few heartbeats before answering, "I came to kill Gabrielle."

"Like you have killed countless others before her?"

"Yes," the warrior admitted, feeling the burden of her overwhelming guilt grow heavy once more on her shoulders.

"Was there any difference between the Xena who came here bent upon murder, and the Xena of old? The Xena who was a bloody, murdering warlord?"

"No," came the quiet admission that carried across the silent hall.

"I have no further questions," said Tarelle as she returned to her seat.

"My Queen?" asked Amara, "Do you wish to ask any questions?"

The bard gave the Elders a wan smile as she stood and answered, "It seems that I need to." She walked in front of the table so that she could look at her friend. Her brows knitted in concentration as she looked to find the best way to begin. Her face brightened suddenly and she asked, "Xena, in the last three to four seasons, what have you been doing?"

"I .. I have sought to help people who couldn't help themselves," she replied slowly.

"Why is that?" questioned Gabrielle gently.

"I wanted to .. needed to try and make amends for what I have done in my past," she told her.

The bard assumed a perplexed look on her face "Why?" she asked, "I mean, weren't you happy as a warlord? You'd managed to conquer half of Greece at one time. You were pretty good at what you did."

Xena looked at her friend, puzzled over what she was trying to get at, "Hercules made me realise that what I was doing was wrong. He gave me a chance to change."

"Ah," the bard nodded her head, "So Hercules looked you up, had a chat and asked you to change, so you did?"

"Um, not quite," responded the warrior, beginning to get an inkling of how Gabrielle was handling this.

"Oh? So what happened?" the blonde asked.

"I was trying to kill him," Xena relied matter of factly, and almost grinned at the rumble that ran around the hall at that news. There had always been rumours, but this was the first definite confirmation on it most of them had heard. "We fought. I almost succeeded .. would have succeeded if it hadn't been for his cousin interfering .. but finally he had me down with a blade to my throat. I told him to kill me. He let me go." A very straightforward recitation of bare facts.

Gabrielle nodded and wandered around in the clear space between the Elder's bench and the two tables occupied by prosecution and defence, before turning back and saying, "So you're telling us that the greatest hero in Greece, a man known for his stance on law and justice, had the opportunity to kill you or take you captive? and he just let you go?"

"Yes," agreed the Warrior Princess.

"Why?"

"He said afterwards that .." she paused somewhat embarrassed by what she was going to say next, "there was goodness in my heart." She shrugged.

"So the son of Zeus released you because he saw goodness within you?" re-iterated the bard.

"That's what he said," confirmed Xena.

"Why did you try to kill me?" asked the Amazon Queen suddenly.

The raven haired woman looked at her for a long moment before answering slowly and carefully, "Because you betrayed me."

"Some moons ago, I betrayed you to an enemy in the land of Chin and nearly caused your execution. Why didn't you try to kill me then?" the bard asked feeling a fresh stab of pain at the memories that she was raking over and hearing more muttering from the assembled Amazons, who knew nothing of this.

Xena looked at her manacled hands and tried to find the right words for the answer, "You are my best friend. Your intentions were good, I was angry with you, but I couldn't blame you for what you did."

"Why did you try to kill me here, then?" pushed Gabrielle.

"After the death of Solon .. of my son," she felt a constriction in her throat as the emotion boiled up again, "I wasn't thinking clearly. All I thought of was the time I never got to spend with him, because I had to hide him from my enemies. My heart was full of rage and grief .. and Ares came. You know the rest."

The bard thought for a moment, looking at her boots as she tried to cover the angles, "How many people who have betrayed you more than once are still living?" she asked carefully.

"Just one," returned the Warrior Princess grimly.

"What about the people who have betrayed you just once?" the Queen asked.

"Just one," replied Xena coldly.

Gabrielle looked up at the Elders and said, "Since I betrayed you twice I know who the first person is. But who is this other, that betrayed you."

"Caesar!" the warrior almost snarled.

"Every other betrayer is dead?" queried the bard academically.

"Yes," agreed Xena.

"Then why is he still alive?" she demanded bluntly.

"Because I've never had an appropriate opportunity to kill him," snapped the Warrior Princess.

"If you had the chance, would you kill him?" probed the blonde.

"Yes," agreed the warrior eagerly.

"Then why should the Elders and the Amazons believe that you won't try to kill me again?" came the succinct question.

Xena looked at her blankly for a moment before blurting, "Because you're you. You're my best friend. Gods, Gabrielle! If I was going to kill I would have done it moons ago. No one would have been around to stop me, not that anyone would have been able to should I have really wanted to."

"Thank you, Xena," the bard smiled warmly, "I've finished with my questions, she told the Elders.

"Have you anymore witness's to call, prosecutor?" asked Avena, the smallest of the Elders, a neat, petite woman who sat ramrod straight and had a stern face.

"No Elder, I have finished calling my witnesses," answered Tarelle demurely, giving a slight bow.

"Queen Gabrielle," Avena addressed the bard, "Have you any further witnesses that you wish to question?" "If the court will allow, I would like to ask Solari some questions," responded the honey blonde woman.

Solari came forward to the witness stand as the Elders nodded agreement. She turned and awaited Gabrielle's first question. The bard knew that she could trust Solari to answer truthfully and only intended to use her testimony to emphasise the fact that Xena bore the Amazons no ill will.

"When we met as we entered Amazon territory, did Xena show any hostility towards any Amazon?" she asked.

"No," was the simple reply.

"Did Xena cause any harm to, or any problems for, any Amazon sister?" asked the bard.

"No," returned Solari for the second time.

"During the evening, when we were attacked, can you tell the Elders what actually happened," invited Gabrielle.

Tarelle stood and asked in a weary tone, "Can I ask the relevance of this to the attack on the village?"

"I'm trying to show, that the attack was an abhorration performed at a time of severe mental trauma and not within the bounds of Xena's normal dealings or attitudes towards the Amazons," answered Gabrielle hotly.

"We'll allow this, so long as it's brief," instructed Amara.

Taking a deep breath, Solari gave an honest description of the events of that evening, finishing with, "If Xena hadn't warned us about the imminent danger, we'd all have been dead. Both Alexa and I owe our lives to Xena, who blocked killing blows aimed at us by attackers."

"So in conclusion, could you honestly say, in your own personal opinion, that Xena holds any hatred toward or for the Amazon people or that, in normal circumstances, she would do anything to harm an Amazon sister?" questioned the bard.

"In truth," conceded Solari, "No. Xena has always proven herself to be a friend of the Amazons."

"Thank you," Gabrielle said, turning back to the Elders, "I hope that from the testimony given, and the explanation of the events that led up to the attack, you will see and believe that it would be a very harsh judgement to hold Xena responsible for what happened. It would also be poor thanks for all of the help that she has given the Amazon Nation in the past. Additionally, I hope that you can see that I am in no personal danger from Xena." having finished, Gabrielle returned to her seat next to her friend.

Amara looked at Tarelle, "Do you have anything that you wish to say, before we retire to consider out judgement?"

"If it pleases the Elders," began Tarelle, standing up, "All I wish to say is that Xena is responsible for the deaths and injuries of Amazon sisters. Whatever circumstances led her to do this, there can be no doubt that she is responsible for those deaths and injuries, nor can there be any doubt that she abducted the Queen and so committed an act of Treason, and the judgement should be rendered accordingly."

Amara and the other Elders rose as Tarelle took her seat once again. The Eldest announced, "We will withdraw to consider all that has been said here. We hope to give our decision shortly."

As the Elders left, Gabrielle patted her friend lightly on the shoulder, "It will be all right," she tried to reassure.

"Gabrielle," the warrior said softly, "I ... you ...," she stumbled trying to find the right words as she stumbled over a host of emotions that she had tried to bury, " ... Thank you," she said simply at last.

"Hey," smiled the bard, "What are friends for."