With Joxer and Autolycus to share her thoughts with, the nightmares were reduced to their real proportions and were easily shut away into the dark pit in her mind from which they had escaped. She told them all about how Patroclese had managed to deceive both of them. Of the fearful beating that Xena had taken when Caesar had captured her. Of the whipping he had ordered after that first night in his tent when she had claimed the toothpick, and the subsequent fever and the fact that she almost died.

"The man's a monster," she told them quietly, recognising the anger evident in their stiff postures and the white knuckles of their fists, "He sees Xena as his personal plaything, a toy for his amusement."

She hadn't told them about the beating she had received as a consequence of Autolycus's visit to Xena's cell, through the air shaft, in Nemausus, but she did tell them about the brawl in the courtyard, when they were preparing for the move to Arelate, and the punishment dispensed for it. Both men had winced and Joxer had gone very quiet for some while.

"I should never have sent you those letters," she said at the end. "All it's done is get more of my friends into trouble!"

"Gabrielle," said Autolycus sternly, "I can shuck these shackles in a blink of an eye, and that cell door will take me all of about thirty heartbeats to get past. I am not in any kind of trouble here."

"What about the soldiers on the other side of the door?" she asked with something of her old gleam in her eyes.

"Well ..." he said scratching his chin thoughtfully, "they present a little bit more of a challenge," he admitted reluctantly, "But given a little time, I'm sure we'll work our way around them," he grinned impudently at her.

"C'mon Gabby," coaxed Joxer gently, touching her arm tentatively, "Don't give up. Caesar hasn't beaten us yet. We've fought far tougher guys than him, remember? We'll find our way out and we'll work out a way to rescue Xena too."

Gabrielle smiled in spite of herself. Whatever else you could say about Joxer, and there was plenty that could be said (very little of it complimentary) you couldn't fault his loyalty or the courage in his heart. She patted his hand grateful for his optimism and said with as much certainty as she could muster, "Of course we will, Joxer."

The tribune sat at ease in a battered chair behind a scarred wooden table. The office he had commandeered for his short stay in Massilia, was poorly furnished but functional. He had chosen it for it's closeness to the cells, where his prisoners were being held, so that he would be easily accessible should he be required.

Meronius stood at ease before Brutus as he finished his report, "Since the slave has been in the company of the two male prisoners, she has recovered from whatever was ailing her and is certainly fit enough for a sea journey. I would suggest, however, that she be kept in the company of the two men, or we run the risk of seeing her fall into that malaise once more."

The tribune nodded his head considering the words of the medic. It was too soon to hear any word back from Caesar about how he wanted the two new captives disposed of. He did, however, know that his general wanted the bard taken to Rome as quickly as possible, and locked up safe and sound in the private dungeons of his palace, where there would be no chance of anyone getting in to free her.

As for the two men ... Well, he knew that Caesar wanted them to further bind the Warrior Princess into her captivity. The big question was, should he send them off, under heavy escort to Caesar, or should he take them to Rome and hold them in the security of the palace dungeons as well?

The girl was the real key to Caesar's plans and if she should sicken and die, then Brutus was well aware that he would be held accountable. It was essential, therefore, that the bard's health be maintained. He made the decision to take the men, Autolycus and Joxer, with him to Rome. He'd feel safer having them under his hand, anyway, than send them marching up and down Narbonensis to catch up with his commander.

"You've done well Meronius," he said at last, "You can return to your normal duties, but I'd like you to check on the girl's health each day, just to be certain that there are no lapses back into this illness she's been suffering from." He scratched at his neatly trimmed beard thoughtfully, before calling after the departing medic and telling him, "Have my scribe sent into me."

"Yes sir," registered Meronius as he left the sparsely furnished office.

Technically, neither man had done anything to be arrested for, although it would not take a lot to fabricate the charges required to hold them. Once in Rome, they would not be able to prove their innocence anyway ... even if they managed to get somewhere close to a magistrate to hear the case. Having powerful friends in Rome was a great advantage, and since there was no one more powerful than Caesar in the city, and since both men were foreigners with no friends in the Empire at all, then their fate was more or less sealed ... depending on exactly what Caesar would want to do with them.

The scribe, a tall man with short curly hair and a slight stoop, hurried into the office and took a seat on a small stool, opening up his wax tablets and checking the nib of his ready stylus. The man always irritated Brutus, but he was good at his work.

"Take down a message for Caesar, Polycrates," the tribune told him, "You can put in all the normal addresses and flourishes when you do the fair copy. The meat of the message is as follows."

The following morning, Gabrielle along with Autolycus and Joxer, were ushered out of the cell that they had been sharing. An escort of twenty men, plus Meronius, formed up around them, as they were marched out of the town gaol, down the winding streets and past those curious enough to stop and watch the procession, to the docks where they were held awaiting the arrival of Brutus.

The ship they were to board was a Roman bireme. It was about a hundred and twenty feet long and had a double bank of oars on each side of the ship. The ship was narrow with a strong beak shaped ram at the stem and a high, curved and abundantly decorative stern post. There was also a single mast that could support a sail in favourable winds. It was, essentially, a fast manoeuvrable warship that promised a swift passage to Rome.

The only other time that Gabrielle had been in Massilia had been when she and Xena had escorted Verchinex back home. They had said their goodbyes to the Gaul, on this dock, before they spent some few candlemarks in the markets gathering a some luxuries, like fresh fruit, and bread, before reboarding the ship and heading back to Greece.

It had been a time of much turmoil for the bard. She was still suffering the pangs of conscience that denounced her part in the death of Crassus, the Roman who had died in the place of Verchinex. The guilt she had experienced over that decision had cracked the lid on the terrible turmoil, she still suffered through, over most of the things that had happened to her and her warrior companion that year.

Xena had been kind and gentle around her. She had been there to hold the shaking bard when she awoke screaming from her nightmares. The dour, gruff, Warrior Princess had leant her friend the strength of her arms as she tried to sooth away the fears and the terrors. Gabrielle had known that Xena was absorbing the blame for all the pain and suffering the bard had shown. Xena had a capacity for taking the weight of other's sins upon her own shoulders. It worried and shamed the bard when she knew that the Warrior Princess already carried enough guilt for her own past misdeeds to crush twenty strong minded people. Yet still she insisted on taking the blame for more ... even when the guilt clearly belonged to another.

It had been amazing how they had managed to get past that period in their lives and still maintain their friendship. She knew that it was sometimes a little ragged around the edges; there were so many painful issues and memories that they shared, but they had not been enough to sunder the love, respect and friendship of these two firm friends. - It's almost as if the fates have bound us together for a purpose and whatever may come our way will never be strong enough to destroy that bond, - she mused thoughtfully.

They watched as stores were loaded on to the vessel and they passed the time as they waited, speculating about just what Caesar had in mind for Xena. As they talked, Autolycus was watching for the arrival of the rest of the maniple that had escorted them into Massilia. When Brutus arrived, it became pretty obvious that the twenty man guard was all that would be going with them. He wasn't sure how that would help them on the ship, but it was far better odds than they had been faced with previously. He stroked the stubble on his chin with his index finger as he speculated upon the situation.

When all the barrels and bales had been loaded, and Brutus had taken himself and his personal staff on board, the trio of prisoners were escorted up the gangplank .. Joxer and Autolycus stumbling somewhat in their chains, a problem that Gabrielle didn't have (they rarely bothered to chain her) and down to the small, well filled hold of the ship. As the hatch was closed down and bolted on them, they took stock of their surroundings. It was dark, a little damp, and uncomfortable, but they got to stay together, which had to be a bonus.

"You know," gritted out Autolycus with some feeling, "I never really did like boats and since our little underwater adventure that time, I think I've developed a definite hatred of them. Especially when I can't see the horizon."

"What underwater adventure was that?" asked Joxer, brightly, trying to ignore the darkness surrounding them.

"I really don't think you want to hear about it, Joxer," advised Gabrielle projecting her voice towards where she guessed her friend to be settled, "It happened a few moons ago and Xena, Autolycus and I were lucky to get out of it alive. It doesn't make a good tale when you're about to embark on a sea voyage," she assured him.

"Okay," answered Joxer uncertainly, although willing to be guided by the bard, "What about this pit fight that you watched Xena fight?"

Gabrielle squirmed about on the pile of sacks that she was sitting on, before proceeding to give them the edited highlights of what had happened in Arelate and the pit fight against Benidor, "I think," she concluded at the end, "that it's one of his plans for Xena. I think he's going to make her into some form of gladiator. He made a huge amount of money from wagering on that fight, and with Xena's fighting skills he'll make a fortune which he can then use to further his political ends."

"That makes sense," agreed Autolycus, from the darkness off to her left and a little way in front, "Once he gets her to Rome, Xena could make him the city's wealthiest man."

Gabrielle gave a vexed sigh as she thought about it all, "What I can't understand is why Caesar is traipsing all over Narbonensis when all the big prizes and money is in Rome."

Joxer's voice came from the darkness, "We think we've figured that one out, Gab," he told her smugly, "It's got something to do with this Vertical Gaul fella that you and Xena saved."

"Vertical Gaul?" questioned Gabrielle in puzzlement.

"The idiot means Verchinex the Gaul." answered Autolycus sneering at Joxer, "We reckoned that since Xena played such a prominent part in getting him away from Caesar, that it would be like the Roman to use her against him in someway. We haven't worked out what yet, but it seems to be the most logical reason."

"Mmmm, could be," agreed the bard thoughtfully.

They heard the muffled cries from above that told them the ship was ready to cast off and the sound of the side ropes being hauled aboard. Having never been on a galley before, the thud and thump of the rhythmic swinging of the oars took some time to register their meaning, and as the crew headed out to sea they began a chant as they rowed, to help them keep the beat of their task.

With the chanty becoming bawdier by the verse, the trio of captives tried to get comfortable on the first part of their trip to Rome.

Ephiny slapped her hand on the table, making mugs and parchment jump to the suddenness of her action. She scowled at the two women before her and they looked right back with angry stubbornness. This was going to be every bit as difficult as she had thought it would be.

"Both of you cannot go," she told them with calm patience that was beginning to strain around the edges.

"But, Ephiny ...." began Solari.

"Look, Eph ...." said Eponin at the same time.

The pair glared at each other then switched the looks back the Queen Regent of the Amazon Nation. Ephiny cast her eyes up at the thatched roof of the Queens council chamber and slowly counted to ten before looking back at her Amazon sisters, "Look," she said firmly, "This state visit is going to take a long time. You two are my lieutenants, so you both can't come with the delegation. One of you has to stay here and keep command of the nation, while the other gets to come. This is not a matter for debate. I need one of you here to keep the likes of Tarelle and her clique in order. Dammit!" she cursed angrily, "We can't all go off to Rome."

Solari and Eponin both looked startled by the edginess in Ephiny's tone and demeanor. She had become increasingly worried at receiving no word from Gabrielle upon the outcome of her bid to warn Xena about the trap she was heading into. All of them were! And so, they had come up with the plan of paying a State visit to the Romans where, they reasoned, both of the missing women would eventually turn up. The problem was deciding who got to miss the trip. Ephiny, as Queen Regent , had to go as head of state, but Solari and Eponin had been bickering for three days over which one of them was best suited to accompany her as head of the one hundred warrior contingent that Ephiny intended to take.

"We could make sure that Tarelle and all her cronies came with us to Rome, then we could both go," offered Solari.

Ephiny sighed wearily, "Look, Solari, we know that Tarelle has influence over a good deal more than a hundred of the sisters. Do you really want to go off to Rome on a hunt for Xena and Gabrielle leading a group of Amazon's who are out for their blood?" she asked incredulously.

She drummed her fingers on her table and chewed her lower lip as she thought her way through the situation, "I'll take Tarelle and the rest of the leaders of that particular group with me. Without their following they can't really cause too much trouble, and without their leaders the rest of the bunch shouldn't be a problem either. So that just leaves us to decide which of you two goes and which stays."

Ephiny grimaced as the bickering started again. She held up her hand in a silent demand for peace before she made her decision, "Since you two can't agree, I'll decide for you. Solari," she said turning to the stern, dour faced sister who nodded expectantly, "you'll stay here and run the city and the outlaying villages. Don't scowl at me," rebuked Ephiny, "You're the logical choice in that you've been running the nation's defence and with so many warriors away with me, you are best equipped to handle the problems that may arise from having to reorganise the rosters."

"Gee, I'm sorry that you don't get to come, Solari," grinned Eponin with abject insincerity, "Perhaps next time," she teased.

"Cut it out Eponin," warned Ephiny as she saw Solari's countenance darken even more, "I can always change my mind about this." She stared hard at the Weapons Master until she wiped the grin off of her face. "Now, there's lots of work to do. Solari, can I rely on you to make sure that Tarelle and her bunch are available for this excursion. I don't want her sloping off somewhere when it's time for us to leave."

Solari nodded her agreement, adding, "Off course you can," masking the feral grin that nearly made it to her features at that particular thought. She wasn't at all keen on Tarelle and her little clique, seeing them as a dangerous canker on the Amazon body politic.

"Okay, Eponin," continued the Queen Regent turning to her second lieutenant, "I want you to pick out sixty of the best hardened warriors we have. Fill the rest in with some of the good youngsters who would benefit from the experience, but make sure they're steady. I don't know what we're going to find, or what we might be called on to do, but I want to be ready for any situation. Got it."

She received nods of agreement from both women who scurried off to start their assignments. They had a week to get ready for this. Runners had already been sent off to secure passage on a fast ship out of Acanthus and some of them would proceed on to Rome with the news that the Amazon's were coming on a state visit. Once the Amazon Delegation was assembled they would head as quickly as possible for Rome, and see what could be found out about the Amazon Queen and her Champion.

Xena was continually in Gabrielle's mind over the following few days. Without the pressure point in her wrist, the sea trip would have been unbearable, and she silently blessed her missing partner, offering up quick prayers to any listening benevolent God, to protect her friend. Autolycus was right about being shut up in a ship; the nausea it induced was far worse than she normally experienced, as her subconscious plagued her with terrifying memories that awful adventure .. she shuddered just thinking about it.

The bireme took a route that hugged the coast. Apparently there were Carthaginian warships on the prowl out in the more open seas and it made sense for a single ship to stick close to the coastline, where it could put in if threatened. It made the voyage far longer, but was safer.

They had been in the hold for some time, before the hatch was thrown open, bathing the space of their confinement with light. All three of the prisoners had been blinded by the sudden brightness and it took some time to throw the dazzle effect off. An optio ordered them up onto the deck, and they were grateful to get out of the claustrophobic hold and into the daylight.

Now they were at sea, with land showing only as a smudge off the port side of the ship, the trio were allowed to sit, under the watchful eyes of four guards, on the small deck on the ship's prow. With the men in shackles, it was unlikely that they would jump into the sea, but to make certain that his three prisoners stayed put, Brutus had ordered each to be secured with a chain to a deck bolt. None of them cared. It was a pure relief to be out of the dark stuffiness of the hold.

"Besides which," grinned Autolycus happily, "I could open these locks with a fingernail.

They spent the rest of the day up on the deck, Gabrielle entertaining her companions and the soldiers on duty, with tales of adventures, mixed in with love stories, tales of the Gods and of course, Xena. With the weather set fair it was a blissful way to spend the day, but when evening came on, they were once again locked up into the small, cramped hold, while the ship's captain moved his vessel closer to the shore for the night, preferring not to run in darkness.

They spent the next two days in this manner, falling into the peaceful routine of the cruise, but with the knowledge lurking in their minds that they were drawing ever closer to Rome and the problems that awaited them there. It was a depressing thought that none of them particularly wished to discuss with the others, so they spent their time studiously avoiding mention of it.

On the fourth day, they all noticed a change in the swell of the waves. They were just to the south of Pisse, little more than a day's sailing from Rome itself, when the previously friendly sky became ominously black with a speed that promised no good. The area was notorious for the vicious squalls that could blow up out of nothing, but it was weeks past the normal season for such weather and the bireme was caught napping as a serious storm hit them, driving them towards the inhospitable shores of the Italian coast.

As crewmen, joined by all the available manpower including their guards, rushed about lashing down everything that could be secured, and those working on the oars pulled desperately against the driving rage of the squall, Gabrielle, Autolycus and Joxer were temporarily forgotten about. The thief had been watching the way that the ship was being relentlessly driven towards the shore, and he made up his mind that it was time to do something. He had no intention of being chained to a ship as it rammed into some inconveniently placed rocks!

"I think it's time we thought about getting out of here!" he shouted above the howling wind.

Gabrielle nodded her agreement, although Joxer looker at the thief as if he was mad, "Where do ya think we can go?" he yelled incredulously.

"Anywhere we want to once we get free of the soldiers and this boat!" yelled back Autolycus.

With the practised ease of a master craftsmen, he slipped the small pick out of his boot heel and expertly disposed of his, and his two friends, shackles with a moment's concentration. As the wind and rain screamed around them, he drew the others into the limited protection of the ships prow and shouted his plan to them above the roar of the wind.

Gabrielle nodded her agreement. She looked pale and worried, but she was brave and ready to try anything that got her out of Caesar's clutches, so long as it would eventually give Xena a chance to extricate herself from her imprisonment. Joxer shook his head vehemently. He stood up carefully and peeked over the prow of the ship before ducking down again and yelling, "No Way! We wouldn't last a minute!"

It was doubtful that the others heard all of his words as the wind whipped them away with frustrating ease, but they did understand his general sympathies. Gabrielle grabbed his arm and shook it, trying to make him understand that it was their only hope.

He shook his head firmly and clung to the side.

Autolycus pantomimed an execution, letting him know that it was their likely end if they didn't take this chance that they's been offered.

Joxer resolutely shook his head.

Gabrielle looked a plea at the thief. She knew that they had to make the most of this slim chance. She was desperate to! But she hated the thought of going without Joxer. He had, after all, come to help in her rescue and it would hardly be a fair return to abandon him to Caesar and Brutus' mercy.

A grating sound shuddered through the hull of the ship as the vessel scraped along the hidden dangers of a barely submerged rocky outcropping. The mast, already swinging dangerously in the high winds suddenly exploded in half with a shrieking, "CRACK!" that drew all heads in it's direction as the heavy timbers listed and fell, pulling rigging and men over the side with it.

Autolycus shook his head in exasperation over Joxer and bobbed up into the full teeth of the gale to check the ship's progress. They were awfully close to the rocks now, but the mast and canvas that had just gone by the board, was acting as something of a sea anchor and slowing their progress. Which was just as well, because the rowers, on the side that the mast had fallen, were no longer able to continue the unequal struggle against the elements. Many of them had been injured and the screams and cries from the galley pit could be heard above the roar of the sea and wind.

Autolycus knew that they would have to jump soon, to stand any chance of being swept past the approaching rocks. If they got too close, they risked being ground up on them along with the ship. Their chances weren't good, but both he and Gabrielle reckoned that they were better than remaining on the ship, and as Caesar's captives, if they should manage to survive.

He tapped on Joxer's shoulder and pointed at something off to one side of the vessel. Joxer bobbed up beside him, and before he could react, Autolycus tipped him over the railing and into the raging waters below. Grabbing Gabrielle's hand, he helped her on to the deck rail and then joined her by plunging into the swirling water, as the bireme struggled to shear away from the watery grave it was heading for.

Striking out hard, away from the ship to avoid oars and debris, all Gabrielle and Autolycus could hope was that Joxer would have enough sense to do likewise, because they could see no sign of him, and pretty soon, lost sight of each other. The one thing they had in their favour was that the storm was pushing them towards the shore which was less than a quarter of a mile away. So if they could avoid drowning and, or, being dashed to death on the rocks, they stood a good chance of reaching the beach in freedom.