"I'm sorry, Queen Gabrielle," the big Amazon told her, "The law doesn't allow for that. Xena must remain in custody until the judgement of the Elders is made."

"Don't worry over it, Gabrielle," Xena told her, "It's only for a little while longer, and It's as comfortable a place to wait as any." she reassured.

"Xena ...." the bard said, laying her hand on her friend's arm.

"Hey," smiled the warrior softly, recognising the concern in the blonde's mannerisms and loss of words, "I'll be fine. You did a great job as an advocate. No one could have done better."

"Move you," growled one of the guards, giving Xena a rough shove on the shoulder to get her started.

The Warrior Princess gave the Amazon a dangerously feral look before leaning close to her and saying softly so only the other woman could hear, "Bite me!" Before turning and smiling reassuringly at the bard as she allowed the guards to steer her away towards the door.

As Xena was lead away by her guards, Gabrielle looked after and whispered, "But will it be enough? Did I convince them?" She allowed her vacant gaze to flick across the banners of fallen foes that decorated the walls of the meeting hall. Here were the honoured trophies that Amazon Warriors had collected throughout their battle history. She closed her eyes as against the prospect of her Amazons being the ones to bring the Warrior Princess down. - Of all the enemies she has made, is it going to be her friends that finally destroy her? - she wondered miserably.

Patroclese came over to join the bard. He too had watched Xena being led away, standing quietly, recognising that Gabrielle needed time to collect herself. When she finally turned to him she said, "Well, now you know all the details of the problem. As an outsider, how do you think it went?"

The healer looked at her thoughtfully for a moment or two before replying, "You understand that I'm a sceptic about Gods manifesting themselves to ordinary mortals?" Gabrielle nodded her head impatiently, and motioned for him to continue what he thought. "Well, from an outsiders view, the whole thing seems incredible! I mean this thing with Ares chasing after Xena! .... You made it sound like it's an ongoing contest, or something," the healer mused trying to get a grasp on the concept.

"It is," the bard told him quietly, "Xena was once Ares' greatest creation. His Chosen. She revelled in war and destruction. Not only that she was very, very good at what she did. Shall we say very good at being wickedly bad. It's only in the last few years that she turned away from that side of her nature to begin to make amends for all the evil she has done in her life. Ares, however, hasn't given up on her, and he tries his best to return her to the dark path that she followed as his greatest disciple."

She looked at Patroclese and offered him a half smile, "None of that is questioned by the Amazons. They've had their own brushes with the whims of the gods, so they won't be sceptical over that. No, the problem here is that Xena's reputation as a cold blooded killer is too well known, and the fact that she unleashed her might upon them may well have scared them enough to make them forget all the good she has done for them as well."

"Look," Patroclese said taking her arm, "We might as well sit down. We don't know how long the Elder's will be, so we might as well be comfortable, and here's as good a place as any. We've got it to ourselves at the moment." So the pair took seats at the table where Xena had sat with Gabrielle during the hearing and continued the discussion.

"Alright," the healer began, "lets take it as read that the gods played a part in this whole affair." He looked at her with a slight frown of concern, "You really gave birth to a half goddess, and then abandoned her?"

A look of loss and hurt came into Gabrielle's eyes. She really hated talking about something that had caused both her and Xena such pain, but since the story was now common knowledge amongst the Amazons, and Patroclese was fast becoming a friend, she felt she needed to explain her actions, "Patroclese, I know it's hard for you to understand, but although Hope was my child she was always her father's tool. I was blinded to that when she was born. Even after Hope killed her first victim when she was but a few candlemarks old, I couldn't see the evil in her. Xena did. And she wanted to kill her."

The bard wiped a tear from her cheek that escaped through her tightly wound emotions, "I felt I had to protect my baby. Xena doesn't stop once she makes her mind up about something. The only way for me to save Hope was to convince Xena that she was already dead, and that meant I had to abandon her." Her eyes were red with tears she refused to shed, "If I had let Xena kill Hope, so much hurt and suffering would never have had to happen."

They sat silently for some while, Gabrielle lost in her tormented memories, the healer worrying over the conundrum that he had found himself spectator to. - Everything has become so complicated, - he mused. - From the time I met up with Xena until now, I've done nothing but stumble from one scrape into another. I wonder if their lives are always like this? -

Looking across at the tense bard, he asked a question that had been puzzling him, "This other Goddess ... Callisto? Why does she figure in the story?" he asked.

"Callisto was once a mortal. She was everything that Xena once was, cold, uncaring, deadly, ruthless, but where Xena always had a spark of humanity in her soul, Callisto was eaten up by the desire for revenge. She has been Xena's most deadly enemy for a long time. Her hatred consumes her and she will do anything to destroy Xena ... and me. She murdered my husband, Perdicus, and she played her part in the death of Solon," she told him with little emotion, then a thought flickered in her mind and she said in an absent way "I'm not sure if Xena hates her more, or Caesar." She thought about that for a moment, "No I think Xena feels responsible for Callisto, feels pity for her, perhaps, angry that she tries to hurt me and those Xena holds dear, definitely ... but her real hatred belongs to Caesar."

Patroclese looked confused, "What's Caesar got to do with this?"

"Nothing," the bard told him, "Maybe everything." the bard seemed to get a distant look in her eye, "Caesar is so responsible for so much that has happened in Xena's life. If he hadn't had her crucified, and her legs broken, all those years ago, so much of the evilness that she has been responsible for, may never have had to happen. In a very real way, Caesar moulded Xena into what she became and must share the blame for her actions."

"Why was she crucified?" he asked, a hint of concern in his eyes. He had formed a grudging liking for the warrior woman he had heard such bloodthirsty, evil, tales about. In the time he had been with her he had gotten the chance to see that there was so much more to her than the stories could ever convey. - She is. - he admitted to himself, - the most enigmatic person I have ever met. -

"She captured Caesar years ago when they were both very young. Xena, in truth, was not much more than a child. She'd cut her teeth on fighting off a Warlord who attacked her village, and was determined not to allow her family and friends to be threatened again." Gabrielle sighed as she thought about what she knew of those early years in Xena's rise to infamy.

"She lost sight of her objectives though, and she became something of a Warlord and a pirate herself, although she only attacked targets that threatened her village. Caesar was picked up on such a raid. She ransomed him for a huge amount, but while he was with her she fell in love with him, and he made her believe that he felt the same way. He promised her that he'd find her again once he was free. He did, but he came as an enemy, not a lover. He had her, and all her men who survived his attack, crucified. He also had her legs smashed as she hung on the cross."

She looked Patroclese in the eye, "She escaped with the help of a friend, but even then Caesar wouldn't let her go. He sent soldiers after her to kill her. They managed to kill Xena's friend before the Warrior Princess killed them, but that final betrayal was enough to turn her into the murderous monster that you've probably heard about in the stories. She wasn't more than sixteen or seventeen summers old at the time and after that fateful encounter she went from being misguided into a dedicated killer of any and all who stood in her path. So you can see, Caesar has much to answer for."

Gabrielle fell silent for a while lost in a world of painful memories that the hearing had brought crashing back to the forefront of her mind. At last she came back to the present, she looked at Patroclese and said, "You know, you haven't answered my question. How do you think it went?"

Patroclese frowned into thoughtfulness, his long fingers tracing the patterns of the wood grained table top, "It will depend if the Elders want to take mitigation into account," the healer said after some thought. "You built a good case to show that Xena was not fully in control of herself, and you backed it well by showing that Xena had proven to be a friend of the Amazons in the past and present, but none of that will matter if the Elders decide that it bears no relation to the charges."

"Ephiny says that the Elders are all fair minded and not part of any faction, so we can hope that they'll take all the circumstances into consideration," the bard sighed in a worried way.

"Did I hear someone taking my name in vain," asked Ephiny cheerfully, as she returned to the meeting hall with a tray of fresh bread, cheese, fruit and a jug of wine. She saw Gabrielle looking at the food, "I thought you might be hungry." she told them with a grin.

"I'm too worried to eat," the bard told her, just moment before her stomach growled to betray her.

"Eat!" Ephiny instructed, slapping an apple into her hand, "Xena will have my hide if I let you waste away."

Gabrielle looked about to protest, but the apple did look inviting, so she obediently bit into it with a satisfying crunch. She gave Ephiny a sideways look as the Amazon sat on the table beside her, "You know, I'm gonna have Tasha assign you full time duties as a meal server," she grinned.

"Ha!" retorted the Regent, "Who d'ya think you'd get to run the Amazons in my place, then?" she smirked.

Gabrielle's grin faded slightly, "You may have a point Eph," she said softly.

The blonde Amazon gave her friend a worried look, "Hey, I was only joking," she told her softly.

The bard nodded her head solemnly, "I know you were, but I don't think I've really thanked you for taking on the burden, and you've done such a good job here." She looked up at the Regent, drew a deep breath and said, "So thank you, Ephiny, for all you've done for me."

Not quite sure what to say, the blonde attempted to lighten the suddenly very heavy atmosphere, "Hey no problem, but you owe me big-time, ya know?"

Understanding what her friend was trying to do, Gabrielle forced a half grin onto her face and asked, "What do you have in mind?"

Ephiny shot an impish look at her, "I don't know. How about you take over running this place for a moon and let me go and have a holiday?"

Her Queen looked back at her with mock terror in her eyes, "Do you know what Xena would do to me if I agreed to that?" she demanded playfully.

The Regent smiled back at her, "Gods forbid," she laughed, "how about we make it a half moon, then? Your warrior shouldn't be able to object too hard at staying in one place for that length of time."

"Hah!" responded Gabrielle, a real smile shining from her expressive features, "Xena doesn't like staying in one place more than a couple of days .. fourteen would be pure torture."

"Well that will be paybacks for my arm then," snickered Ephiny.

Taking another large bite of the fruit, the bard's mind turned back to the present situation. "How long do you think they'll take to decide?" she asked around a mouthful of apple.

"I don't know. But I think the longer they take the better," Ephiny answered, adding the explanation, "Tarelle was certain that things were cut and dried. She had all the evidence of the attack, after all. But the longer the Elders take, the more it means that they're considering your arguments."

"How do you feel about her now, Eph?" asked the bard softly.

"I think .. I really hope .. that you're right, Gabrielle. For all Xena has done for me in the past, I hope the Elders agree with you. Xena's suffered enough, is still suffering, I think," she smiled as the bard squeezed her arm in gratitude for her words.

Patroclese finished chewing on a piece of cheese and asked, "How long do these things normally take?"

Ephiny considered a moment, "That's difficult to answer. Nothing like this has ever really come up before. Normally though, in straight forward cases, the judgement is usually delivered within a candlemark."

"How long has it been now?" asked Gabrielle who had lost all track of time. She reached for some of the bread and cheese.

"The Elders have been deliberating for about five candlemarks now." the Amazon told her.

"No wonder I'm hungry," admitted the bard.

"I suggest that you go home and get some rest," encouraged Ephiny. "The Elders could be a long time yet."

Patroclese nodded his agreement. He could see that Gabrielle was running on nervous tension, and felt that she should at least try to take a nap while they waited, as he knew that she had got little sleep the night before. Knowing that she hadn't got anything else she could do made up the bard's mind, although she privately felt that she was too restless to relax.

Patroclese and Ephiny walked with her back to her house. They passed the gaol on the way and Gabrielle stopped saying, "I think I'll go and talk to Xena for a while."

Ephiny took a grip on her arm and told her, "You won't be allowed to see her, Gabrielle. She's under the authority of the Elders, and no one but Solari is allowed to communicate with her. And she can only do so with express orders from the Elders."

Gabrielle relented and allowed the pair to guide her back to her hut, where she forced herself to lay down on her bed, and much to her surprise soon found herself asleep.

Xena struggled with the urge to break something .. namely the Amazon who kept prodding her. Keeping her temper with difficulty she made it back to the cell without resorting to bodily damaging anyone. That was probably a good thing as her surrounding guards looked tense and more than ready to subdue any hostile act from their prisoner.

When they reached the thick, stone walled, gaol, she was conducted through the solid, metal studded, oak door and down the short corridor to the cell that had been her lodgings for the last few days. The heavy iron door was opened and a shove propelled her through into the room. Keeping her balance with ease, Xena turned and channelled a burning look at the culprit, wiping the grin off the woman's' face with the menace that she projected. Behind the guard, stood a grim faced Malonda.

"Cut out the rough stuff, Cassie!" warned the Head of Scouts.

Xena just glared at them as the door was swung shut, bolts were shot home and the lock tumblers turned over to the pressure of the key. Sighing, she twisted her wrists irritably in her manacles, moved across to her cot and sat down to brood over the situation.

She knew that Gabrielle had done the best job possible in defending her, but the fact remained that she had killed two Amazon warriors, she had assaulted Ephiny and she had abducted the Amazon Queen with the intent of killing her. There had been mitigating circumstances .. the whole unedifying episode was full of so many unique occurrences that it was impossible to believe that something like that could take place without divine interference. But, however you looked at it, she knew herself to be guilty of the actions .. and so did everyone else. The question was, what should she do about it?

- If they come back with a guilty verdict and a death sentence, do I accept it? - she pondered.

It was very tempting to leave the problems of her life behind her. Tartarus awaited her and all of her past misdeeds would finally get the punishment that they deserved. It would also break her free of the problem of Caesar and leave Gabrielle to live her life in safety. But then, the problem with allowing that was Gabrielle.

- I promised not to leave her again, - she acknowledged guiltily.

There were other problems to consider too. Xena knew that if the Amazons should decide to execute her, then her bard would find it impossible to remain in the Nation. She would see the Amazon's as responsible for her best friend's death, and would never be able to settle with them .. which meant, what would she do? She loved her family and home dearly, but had always found it far to restrictive for her, so returning there would not be a happy option for her. Athens and the Academy might provide the answer, but she'd already turned her back on that life once .. - Would she be able to settle to a life of study and teaching? -

She shook her head, - If they decide to execute me .. and I break out of here .. I can't take her with me. Caesar's not going to have gone away and it would be too dangerous for her to be around me. But ... I know she'd follow me, - her mind worried at the problem.

Unable to sit still any longer, she started to pace the cell, the same problems swirling around in her mind as she tried to find someway .. anyway .. out of the situation she found herself in. - C'mon, warrior, think! Use your brain! You're supposed to be able to come up with a plan to tackle any situation! -

A mirthless grin slowly edged it's way onto her face and she stopped pacing as the seeds of an idea germinated in her fertile mind, - Oh yeah. If there's no other way .. if they condemn me to death, then that's what I'll do! -