"What do you mean you haven't seen her?" Avella demanded of the man.

"I can't say it any clearer than that, ma'am." The village watchman said apologetically. "Its been my shift since daylight and I've seen a few kids come through the gates, but none that fit your description." The woman's glare made him gulp. "You could try asking the night watchman."

"And where is he at?"

"At this time of day probably at home." The man pointed off to the side. "Third hut on your right."

Without a word of thanks or acknowledgment, Avella spun on her heel and took off for the indicated hut. For a woman as big as she was, she could certainly cover a good amount of ground when she was angry. Putting on her best distraught look, she stepped up to the door and wrapped hard with her knuckles.

A petite woman answered. "Yes? May I help you?"

Avella dabbed at her eyes with the corner of a handkerchief. "Is your husband home?"

"Yes he is, but can I ask why?"

"My granddaughter--she's missing. I thought your husband may have seen her on his watch last night." She sniffed dramatically.

"Oh. Just a moment please." The woman turned back into the hut. "Damien! There's a woman here to see you. Its about her granddaughter. She thinks you might have seen her on your watch."

A second later a middle-aged man with a young child in one arm appeared beside his wife in the doorway. "You say your granddaughter's missing?"

Avella nodded and proceeded to spin a pitiful tale about how Rhiannon is such a curious, loving little thing and would always have the tendency to wander away if not watched every second. She was terribly worried about her little 'peaches', she said with a sob.

Damien waited until she'd finished before slowly replying that he was sorry, but he hadn't seen the girl either. "I'll keep an eye out for her though. And I'll make sure a notice is put up around town." He smiled reassuringly. "Don't worry ma'am. If she's in the area, she'll be found."

This time Avella thanked him and left. She was heading back to the inn when she ran into Jorius. He was out of breath and angry.

"She's not anywhere in this town! She escaped, I know she did." His normally pasty white skin was scarlet. "Did the watchmen see her?"

"No. They were no help at all." She scowled. "The night gaurd agreed to put up a notice on her though."

"Bah! No point in that. If she's run away she won't come back here." Jorius took a deep breath and some of the color drained from his face. C'mon, we're leaving." He took off for the stables.

"Why don't we eat first?" Breakfast and lunch had come and gone and she was getting ravenously hungry. Never once did it occur to her that that was exactly how Rhiannon felt every day in their 'care'.

"No. We can eat on the way." Jorius led their horse out of the stall and mounted. "The girl can't travel fast if she's alone." He held out his hand to his plump wife. "Hurry now. I want to find her before nightfall." He was damned if he was gonna let that little girl go off and tell some authorities about the way they'd been treating her.

****************

Gabrielle scraped the remaining food from their plates into the fire. Xena had gotten up quiety to take a walk after she finished eating. It wasn't unusual for the warrior to take an evening walk, but the bard knew that tonight she went more to relieve some stress than to patrol the area surrounding their camp.

The bard set the dishes aside and looked at Rhiannon. The little girl was sitting on her bedroll clutching her doll and staring into the fire. She looked so lost within herself and her memories, Gabrielle couldn't help but reach out and ask if she was okay.

Rhiannon nearly jumped out of her skin at the sound of her voice. "I'm okay. Just thinking," she answered quietly.

She apologized for startling her. "I'm sorry. You just looked so, well, scared and I thought maybe you'd like some comfort or something," the blonde woman said tenatively. "Do you want me to tell you a story?"

This was a new concept for the girl. She couldn't remember the last time someone had offered her comfort. Hades, she couldn't even remember the last time someone smiled at her before she met Gabrielle. Why was this woman so nice to her? How did she see the things everyone else chose to overlook? Things like how she was so scared inside and how all she wanted was a little bit of love from someone. Someday she planned to ask her.

But for now Rhiannon just took her doll and climbed into the lap the bard was offering to her. It sure beat sitting by herself with her back to the dark woods.

Gabrielle smiled and gently wrapped her arms around the lithe figure. "So, what did you name your dolly?"

"Precious."

"That's a cute name," Gabrielle remarked. "How'd you come up with that?"

Rhiannon curled some of her hair around one finger. "Its what my momma used to call me. I think..." Her face took on a look of deep concentration. Gods! Why couldn't she remember things that meant so much to her?

Gabrielle gave her a mildly surprised look. It was the first time the child had spoken about her mother. "What was your mother like?"

"I don't remember much about her. It was so long ago. I do know she had pretty blonde hair and a smile as bright as the sun," she said in a wistful tone. "Her name was Calandra."

"I'm sure you love her very much." Gabrielle said quietly. "Where is she now?"

"Dead."

The bard flinched. Dumb question, Gabrielle, she thought. "Oh. I'm..I'm sorry Rhiannon. That must have been so hard on you." She paused. "If you ever want to talk about it, I'm here, ok?"

"Okay. Thanks."

She smiled down at the melancholy child. "Anytime. How about that story now, huh?"

****************

"Damn it!" Jorius muttered through clenched teeth. He and Avella had traveled all day hitting all the towns along the their way, giving out notices for Rhiannon. They had no inkling that they were going in the completely opposite direction of their granddaughter.

"Where is she?" he roared to no one in particular.

Avella yawned. "Who cares right now? Its late and I'm tired."

"So? Don't you want the brat back?"

"I could care less right now. Just let her try to manage herself out there in the wilderness. We don't neccessarily need her anyway."

"I know we don't need her, but she dilbertly disobeyed me and I told her what the price was for doing so. And I always keep my word." The man paused heatedly. "Besides, we can't have her going to the authorities now can we?"

"I'm not saying you have to give up, but let's just get some rest for tonight. Alright?" Avella took on a whiney tone.

"Oh fine. But we're up before dawn," he grumbled, steering them off the path.

******************

They lay looking up at the twinkling stars in the night sky. Xena was on her back, head resting her arms, Gabrielle in the same position, and Rhiannon curled up between them, for the moment peacefully asleep.

They were enjoying a comfortable silence, when a question from the warrior broke the tranquility. "Is there something bothering you, Gab? I mean, something besides this current situation with Rhiannon?"

The bard glanced at her friend and could see she'd been thinking about this for some time. "No. Why?"

Xena rolled onto her side facing Gabrielle and propped her head up on one hand. "I don't know. You just seem so different lately. Like there's something you're trying to hide."

The blonde tried to act nonchalant. "I don't know what you're talking about. I'm just fine."

"Gabrielle," Her voice rose in a warning tone. "you've bearly eaten a thing since the morning we found Rhi. I know you well enough to know there's got to be something really wrong for you to refuse food."

"Shhh!"

Xena looked disgruntled. "I was just trying to help--"

"No, I mean, listen," Gabrielle pushed herself into a sitting position and turned to look into the dense forest.

Now the warrior heard it too: rustling in the trees behind them. Her keen senses picked up the footsteps of a small group of people. Heavy steps, long strides. "Get your staff." She whispered to her companion as she stood.

They'd just gotten to their feet with weapons in hand when a small band of men jumped out at them. Without any words being exchanged, the obvious leader of the group and another man of slightly bigger stature, headed at Xena, swords out and intending of finding their mark on her skin. Three more went for Gabrielle.

Taking the smaller man first, Xena thrust her sword out in a half arc and knocked the blade from his hand. Easy opponent, obviously not a skilled fighter. Raising her foot she kicked the man squarely in the chest, sending him forcefully to the ground.

In the mean time, the bard had managed to rid herself of one warrior, but had two more to deal with. One man brought his sword down in the middle of her staff in hopes of splitting it, though she easily threw it off. Turning to the side, she thwacked the man in the face with the end of her weapon and saw him fall to the ground. Good, only one left.

"Aah!" A shriek from Rhiannon added more confusion and noise to the fight. She had been woke up when one of Gabrielle's 'disposed' men landed near her head with a thump. The minute she looked up and saw the warlords, she was sure they were sent by her grandfather.

"Jorius! He sent them! They'll kill me!" She yelped frightfully. One impulse took over and she got to her feet and ran into the night as fast as she could.

Gabrielle, whose back had been to the child, only heard the girl's shouts and saw her flee into the forest. No! If there were more men out there.. "Xena, Rhiannon left!" she shouted over the noise of battle cries and clanging swords. The bard was still having a hard time throwing off the last warrior. He seemed to be the most skilled fighter in the bunch.

Xena snapped her headed around for just a second and saw her friend was right. Still parrying with her own warlord, she unhooked the chakram from her skirt and tossed it at the man her friend was fighting.

The man caught it in the chest and thus freed Gabrielle to go look for the girl. "Thanks!" she called over her shoulder as she took off, staff still in hand.

"Rhiannon! Rhiannon, where are you?" The light of the stars couldn't penetrate the thick canopy of leaves overhanging the forest and Gabrielle was left with barely any light. She'd have to rely on her sense of hearing. "Rhiannon! Its okay, you can come back to camp now!"

Nothing. The forest was alive with the sounds of the night animals, but there were no signs that the child was anywhere near. Through the darkness, Gabrielle fought her way past shrubs, thorn bushes, and surfaced roots. Where was she? She couldn't have run that far.

"Rhiannon, please! If you can hear me, let me know. I need to find where you are."

Unexpectedly, a hand reached out and brushed the bard's leg. Letting out a squeal of surprise she instinctively inched back a bit. "Rhiannon?" She squinted her eyes to make out the form before her. No, that was a tree. Couldn't have touched her. Last time she checked trees didn't have hands.

"Here," came a small voice.

This time Gabrielle looked lower and was able to make out the child's small figure. Out there among the brush, she blended in looking like just another twig tangled in the brambles of a dark woods. Maybe that's how she felt, too.

"Oh Rhiannon, there you are." She knelt down and held her hands out. "I was worried about you. Why did you run? Xena and I weren't going to let those men hurt you."

Rhiannon was sure the beating of her heart would have made them deaf. Her whole body trembled weakly and she was certain her little fairy tale life she'd just found was coming to an end. "But Jorius sent them. He sent them to kill me."

Of course, Gabrielle wanted to say no, that's not why those men attacked. But she didn't honestly know. "You don't know that, Rhi. They could just be warlords out for a profit. Xena and I fight men like this every day." She felt the fear emanating from the little girl. "How about this: why don't you and I go back to camp and find out who those men were? I'm sure by now Xena's taken care of the last ones."

"What if--"

"No. They won't hurt you. I won't let them." The bard spoke with genuine confidence.

"Okay."

Even though she couldn't see it, Gabrielle smiled at her and took her by the hand. "C'mon let's get you out of these weeds."

By the time the two of them arrived back at the camp, the men had completely gone, even the one who'd been the victim of Xena's chakram. Gabrielle was glad to see they took the fallen man with them. Rhiannon didn't need to see a dead body next.

"There you are," the warrior said out of breath as she plopped down onto a log.

"Who were those men anyway?" Gabrielle asked while straightening up the blankets that had been strewn about during the commotion.

"Just a group of men trying to start an army. They thought they'd gain some popularity if they had my head," she replied, smirking at the thought of them going back to their village defeated.

"See Rhiannon? They weren't Jorius' men," Gabrielle said with a small smile. But the child refused to relax. So it wasn't them this time. Who knew about the next attack?

Xena looked at the girl and knew what she was thinking. It wasn't hard to see her fear; every inch of her body expressed it. She stood with a rigid back, eyes open wide and frantic, and her breathing was rapid.

"Its going to be alright," she said softly, both to the girl and the bard. She reached out to take Rhiannon's hands in hers. "We're not going to let anyone hurt you anymore." The warrior knew she and Gabrielle both had said that over and over since they found her, but if that's what it took, they'd do it. There could never be too much assurance.

Rhiannon just stood there, aware of everything, looking at nothing. Her stomach flipped and flopped and her knees felt like jelly. "Can I just lay down for now?" she whispered.

"Sure, if that's what you feel like doing." Gabrielle took her over to the bedrolls and tucked her in. "If you need anything, we're here." Though she didn't feel it in her heart, she smiled warmly and tucked some of the girl's hair behind her ear. As soon as she seen Rhiannon was situated, she returned to Xena's side.

"You're bleeding," the blonde said, pointing to the warrior's leg. There was a semi-deep cut just behind her left knee. She reached for the nearby medicine bag. "Let me take care of it," she said, immeadiately kneeling down in front of Xena. She wiped the blood from the surface of the cut and removed some gauze from the bag.

"I can get that Gab. Just go take care of Rhi," Xena said, gesturing to the little form under the blankets.

"She needs some time to herself right now." Gabrielle said, beginning to wrap carefully the injury. "Besides, don't you start thinking that just because we've got company with us that I'm going to start neglecting you." She paused in her task to look up at her best friend pointedly. She knew the warrior better than Xena thought.

The bard tied the corner of the gauze in a knot. "There, that should do it."

Xena side-stepped her companion's first comment. She was more than a little surprised that the young woman had picked up on those thoughts. And she also felt a little sheepish. The warrior felt she wasn't the one who needed to be worried about at the moment. There was Rhiannon, who went without explanation, and Gabrielle who seemed to be withdrawing a little bit more each minute. "You should try to get some sleep Gab. You're tired and I see it in your face."

"Oh yeah, that wasn't patronizing." She smirked.

"You know what I mean." The warrior looked down at her now bandaged wound. "I worry about you."

Gabrielle placed a hand over Xena's and smiled up at her. "Don't worry about me. I'll be okay. You should put more thought into yourself, my friend. You don't exactly look like you're ready to run a race." She grinned.

The raven haired woman smirked. "Look who's talking."

The bard just shook her head with a sigh and went over to her bedroll. "I'll see you in the morning," she said as she curled up under a thin blanket.

"Bright and early." She said and laughed when she heard the lump groan in response. "G'night," she said finally.

For a long time after Gabrielle had laid down, Xena sat near the fire and watched her friend's slow breathing. Though it looked like it, she knew the bard wasn't sleeping. She hadn't slept for the past few nights in fact.

The warrior wanted to demand an answer from the young woman as to why she had been acting so strange lately. There was such guilt and sorrow in those green eyes. What happened to the lively, optimistic bard she used to know? In a short time-- too short it seemed--Gabrielle lost her vitality and Xena knew it didn't have to do with Rhiannon alone. Yes, she could see through those smiles and grins that her friend was putting on. One didn't have to be truly happy to appear that way. What bothered her most was the fact that Gabrielle obviously didn't feel she could talk to her about something so important.

Finally, the fire began to die down and Xena knew she'd have to try and get some sleep herself. When she had taken her place on her bedroll, she leaned over and tapped the bard's shoulder. "Go to sleep Gabrielle. I know you're still awake."

***************

"No...I'm sorry...I'm sorry. Please don't do this again. No...no! HELP ME!"

Rhiannon's sudden outburst woke Xena first. Gabrielle who had been awake, but deep in thought, sat bolt upright with a startled gasp that made her cough. When she could breath again, it took both her and the Xena to wake the girl. The bard held her flailing arms securely so that she wouldn't hurt herself or anyone else.

"Rhi, wake up," Xena coaxed. "C'mon, open your eyes."

After what seemed like an eternity of thrashing and shrieks, the child's eyes snapped open. She lay there, eyes wild with terror and panting for air. Gabrielle released her arms slowly.

"You're still safe, Rhiannon. It was just a bad dream." Xena said gently, clearing the strands of hair off of her face.

The little girl was so frightened she couldn't reply. There was no peace for her mind, not even in her dreams. Now awake, the memories of her nightmare came back to her and she thought she might be sick to her stomach.

Xena took note of the gray-green shade of the girl's face in the moonlight. "Would you like to go for a little walk? It might help."

Actually, the idea appealed to Rhiannon. She knew she wouldn't be able to just fall back asleep anyway. "Sure," she managed to whisper.

Gabrielle watched as Xena helped Rhiannon stand and then took her hand. "We'll be back in a few minutes," the warrior said to her friend before the two of them left the camp.

"And I thought I was getting attached," the bard mused to herself as she watched them leave. "In a few more days, we're going to be in over our heads."

Xena and Rhiannon walked hand in hand down the moonlight path, a tense silence between them. They eventually stopped at a small stream not far away. The child was the first to sit down on the grassy bank and the warrior followed suit.

Side by side they sat, Rhi dangling her toes in the cool water and Xena skipping small pebbles across the stream.

The girl wondered if she'd ever find peace again. There was no place here on earth she could find it, not during the day, nor in sleep. She would have ended her own life long ago if she'd actually believed there was peace there for her. But instead she feared that Hades would take her for what she felt she did. Guilt didn't hesitate to steal whatever hope the fear had managed to leave dangling.

Rhiannon was sure she was the cause of her abuse. The hitting came whenever she wasn't fast enough doing her chores or when she back talked; something she did. As for the sexual abuse, she couldn't quite figure that one out. Maybe it was the way she dressed? Or maybe it was just another way to punish her when she messed up. Somehow the thought of a grown man wanting to sleep with a little girl didn't add up to her.

Finally the youth spoke. "Xena?"

"Hm?"

"I'm scared."

The warrior put aside the stone she was about to launch and turned her full attention to the shadowed silhouette next to her. "What are you scared of?" Of course she already knew, but she figured it would help the girl to talk about it if she could.

"Of them finding me. Every time I close my eyes I see them coming after me. They hunt me down and when they find me..." She shook her head trying unsuccessfully to clear the image from her mind. "I can stand the beatings. At least those marks heal. But Jorius," A beat. "I never want to go back to that."

Fierce, hot anger welled up inside of Xena once again. She wanted to put an arm around the girl for comfort, but she wasn't sure that touch was the right appraoch right now. Giving the girl a kind look, she tried to sound confidant. "Do you want to talk about it? It might help," she asked tentatively. It was the first time Rhiannon brought up the abuse on her own. She spoke about it in such a way that she seemed to be much older than her seven years.

"No, not yet. I can't." Her voice was so low a whisper that Xena was afraid the crickets would drown her out.

"Okay, that's alright. When, if, you feel like talking about it, you know I'm here. Gabrielle is here."

For the woman's sake, the child put on a brief smile of gratitude. It wasn't that she didn't appreciate their efforts, in fact, she felt she owed them so much already for giving her these few days of freedom. But she was afraid to get attached, to depend on them and then get separated. "Thank you Xena," she whispered finally, looking up at the warrior's concerned face.

Xena gazed down into Rhiannon's deep blue eyes. They were so pure and so probing that the warrior felt the child could look into her very soul. Almost intimidated by the brokeness in those two small eyes, she had to finally look away. "You're welcome Rhiannon," she said quietly. "You feel ready to go back now?"

Rhi yawned as she nodded. The walk did help a little, after all.

They returned to the camp where Gabrielle was sitting close to the restarted fire. "Oh you're back," she said now more alert.

"Yep. I think Rhi's feeling a little bit more sleepy, right?"

The child nodded obediently. She did feel a little more sleepy. "Xena? Would you..would you sleep by me?" she asked shyly, suddenly feeling afraid of being separated from her.

Needless to say, Xena was caught off gaurd by the question. She figured Gabrielle would be requested in such matters. Nonetheless, she agreed. "Sure. I think I'm tired enough to go to sleep now anyway." She looked at Gabrielle and shrugged before tucking the child in. "You coming to bed?"

The bard watched the interaction with curiousity and interest. Well, it was a good thing that Rhiannon was beginning to count on them for help. "Nah, I'm not tired yet."

If Rhiannon hadn't asked her to lay down, Xena would have argued with her friend a bit. Dark shadows were forming under the bard's eyes from lack of sleep and energy. "Well, try to rest soon, ok?" she said as she lay back on the bedroll next to Rhiannon's curled up form.

"Sure, no problem." Gabrielle watched Rhi cuddle up to Xena's side. She smiled when she saw a small grin on Xena's face.

She sat for a few minutes in silence, holding a blank scroll in her lap. There were so many things she was feeling, where could she start? Then, in a burst of inspiration, the bard picked up her quill and began to scribble away furiously. Each stroke brought a release that only ink and parchment could.

**************

"You have everything?" Jorius called over his shoulder as he packed up the bags on his horse.

"Yes, I said," his wife replied tersely.

"Good." The man mounted the stallion and motioned for Avella to do the same. "Let's go."

"I still don't know why we had to be up before sunrise. Another hour of sleep wouldn't have hurt." She grudingly took her place in the saddle. It was true that she hated Rhiannon and she would make that clear if she ever saw her again. But as far as she was concerned, the child could run away and stay away. It was a matter of revenge for her husband, unlike her who felt indifference more than anything else.

"Because if she's anywhere in Greece, I'm going to find her." Jorius dug his heels into the horse's flanks. "And the sooner I do, the better."

************

Just as the sun was making its appearance, Xena's eyes popped open. Craning her head to look down at her side, she found Rhiannon clinging tightly to her arm in her sleep. With a smile, the warrior carefully extracted her limb and sat up. Today would be the last push to get to the amazon village. If all went smoothly they would arrive by mid-evening.

Xena was beginning to extend her arms out in a stretch when she noticed Gabrielle dozing over by the fire. With a frown she stood and went over to her sleeping friend. Judging by her half slumped over position it was evident that she had only fallen asleep a little while ago.

"Gabrielle?" She nudged the young woman slightly.

"Hmm?" Slowly the bard lifted one leaden eyelid.

"Why don't you go rest for awhile on the blankets? You're going to get a crick in your neck like this."

Forcing the other eye open, Gabrielle righted herself and put on a pert look. "That's okay. I'm awake now."

"It wasn't a suggestion," the warrior said firmly. "You're going to make yourself sick going on like this."

"But.." the bard looked sleepily up at Xena's face. She could tell her companion was worried about her and that bothered her. As if she didn't have enough to worry about. "Alright, alright," she said and rose from her spot. "Wake me soon, ok?" she mumbled through a yawn, laying down next to Rhiannon.

"Uh huh," Xena replied noncomittally. A relieved sigh escaped her mouth when she saw the bard drift quickly off to sleep. She wished her friend would see that the more run down she was, the less she'd be able to take care of Rhiannon like she wanted to do so much.

Now that she was asleep, the warrior bent down to pick up the scroll that Gabrielle had unknowingly dropped when she got up. Normally, Xena just would have tucked the scroll away somewhere and not think any more about it. But as she picked it up the top unrolled a bit and she caught the title, "Fragile Innocence."

This time she couldn't just put it down. Hoping that Gabrielle wouldn't be too upset at her reading her inner thoughts, Xena sat down on the log and unrolled the paper. She smiled at the careful quillstrokes that filled the space. The bard's meticulous handwriting always amazed her. After smoothing out the wrinkles in it, she began to read:

Fragile Innocence

Xena sat staring at the parchment for a long moment. A single tear rolled down her cheek and dropped modestly onto the writing. To put words to it would have been impossible, but the warrior could feel every emotion Gabrielle put into that poem staring back at her. This was the first time she ever read her companion's poems and she was simply stunned. It wasn't the writing or the words even that affected her so greatly. It was the raw feeling that emanated from the page that captured her attention. And it was so intimately Gabrielle that she felt as if she were almost trespassing by reading.

The warrior was just thinking how the answers to many of her questions about the bard were probably in her collection of scrolls when a small voice startled her. "Morning," Rhiannon whispered coming up next to her.

Xena roused herself from her thoughts. "Oh, good morning Rhiannon. Did you sleep well?" she questioned as she fumbled to roll up the parchment.

"On and off. I got enough sleep though," she answered groggily. "What are you reading?" the girl asked, noticing the scroll. "Is it one of Gabrielle's stories?"

"Uh, yeah, more or less." The woman finally finished rolling it up and she rose to pack it carefully in their bags. "Are you hungry?"

"Yes ma'am," Rhiannon replied polietly.

Xena tossed the child an apple and grinned approvingly when she caught it. "You can skip the formalities Rhi. 'Xena' will work just fine."

Rhiannon smiled back and began to nibble on her apple while the warrior began to groom Argo.

Breakfast time had come and gone and Gabrielle was still sleeping. "Should we wake her up?" the child asked as Xena applied the prescribed poultice to her bruises.

"Nah, not right now. She should wake up soon on her own." She finished coating the girl's thin skin with the medicine and screwed the lid back on the jar. "Do you have your things together?"

"I think so." Rhiannon's nose wrinkled at the strong scent of the poultice. "This stuff smells awful."

The warrior princess chuckled at the look. Gabrielle did the same thing when she mentioned getting on a ship. "Its the herbs. Don't worry, the scent will go away soon."

"What time is it?" asked a tired voice from a few feet away.

Xena turned to find Gabrielle sitting up and awake. "Well, if it isn't sleeping beauty." She smirked. Her friend looked anything but beautiful this morning. Her eyes were red-rimmed and darkened by circles, brought out alarmingly by the pallor of her skin. "Its not too long after sunrise. We'll still get to the village on time," she said automatically answering the question she knew would be next.

Gabrielle pushed herself out of the bedroll and stretched her arms heavenward. "Hi there Rhiannon. Did you sleep okay?"

"Pretty much," she answered. The girl didn't want to tell them that she had still had nightmares even after the midnight incident. Luckily, those ones hadn't wakened them.

"That's good." The bard smiled and patted the child's head lightly. "Did you eat breakfast?"

"Yes, mother hen, she ate already," Xena replied with another smirk. "I can take care of a child you know." An impish grin tugged at the corners of her mouth. "After all, I've taken care of you for three years."

"You're a laugh a minute," Gabrielle replied sticking her tongue out childishly.

"Good example you're setting for the little one," Xena couldn't help but tease. Inwardly, she was grateful for this temporary break in the solemn atmosphere. "Now she'll be doing that."

The blonde haired woman stepped up to the warrior with a challenging look. "Oh, and I suppose showing her how to throw a chakram and put the pinch on people is good for her to learn?"

Using the bard's earlier expression, Xena popped her tongue out of her mouth which educed a laugh from Gabrielle. It wasn't everyday that you saw the former Destroyer of Nations stick her tongue out like a five year old. "You need to learn to practice what you preach." She grinned, tapping the older woman on the nose slightly.

By the time they turned back around, Rhiannon was staring at them amused. Never before had she seen two grown women tease each other like children. It was comforting to her though, odd as it seemed. It was the sound of their laughter.

"Alright, I suppose we should get moving now," Gabrielle said, recovering from her bout of immaturity.

"Right," Xena agreed, picking up and setting away the rest of their belongings. That being done, she set Rhiannon into Argo's saddle, mounted, and held her hand out to the bard.

This time Gabrielle complied without comment. These long hours of being in the saddle were beginning to wear on everyone, and more and more she was looking forward to getting to Amazonia.

**************

Mile upon seemingly endless mile they rode, stopping only three very brief times for rest and to eat. The morning remained mostly sunny until a few candlemarks after noon. Then the sky began to turn the color of old dishwater and the erratic sprinkling of raindrops came soon after.

The afternoon wore on with the atmosphere around the trio mirroring the look of the sky. There were no stories from Gabrielle, no chatter from Rhiannon. A few times Xena put forth the effort to begin some sort of conversation but to no avail.

By the time the three of them reached the amazon village it was late evening and the rain was coming down in torrents. They had barely set foot on the territory when two sentries met them with a defensive stance. "Who goes there? You're on Amazon territory."

Rhiannon instinctively tensed up while Xena and Gabrielle showed the sign of peace. In addition, the bard slid off the back of the mare and, trying to ignore the soreness in her legs, she approached the women. "We mean no harm. I'm Gabrielle."

"The queen?"

"Yes, that's right."

The taller sentry stepped closer to see the bard better. "My Queen!" she exclaimed finally recognizing the blonde. She swept low in a bow of respect which the other sentry quickly copied.

Before Gabrielle had the chance to tell them to skip the formal greetings, a third amazon, this one masked, emerged from the foliage. "Queen Gabrielle? Xena?"

"That's us."

The woman removed her mask to reveal a smiling face framed by waves of mahogany colored haired. As the bard squinted to see in the growing dimness she recognized the face. "Solari!"

"Its great to see you again," the amazon remarked.

"Likewise."

"Uh, I really hate to break up the reunion here," Xena cut in in an impatient voice. "but if we don't get out of the rain, this little girl is going to get sick."

A barely concealed questioning look popped up on Solari's face, but she didn't hesitate to obey the request. "Let's get you to the village then," she said hurriedly. As the four of them headed through the woods, she turned to Gabrielle. "Child?"

Gabrielle sighed and pushed a tuft of wet hair out of her eyes. "We'll explain later."

Once they reached the heart of the village, Solari waited for Xena and the nameless child to dismount before ordering a nearby woman to take Argo to the stables. She steered them over to Ephiny's hut. "Just a minute, I'll tell her you're here."

The brunette amazon stepped inside the door. "Ephiny? I'm sorry to bother you, but there are some visitors here to see you."

"Again?" Ephiny said with a sigh, not looking up from her work. "Tell them we're not accepting any more apprentice shamanesses. We've already got too many people floating between reality and unconsiousness."

Solari chuckled. "No, its not those girls again. These are different visitors."

"Oh? Well, not right now Solari. I've got to finish working on this treaty," she replied, eyes still glued to the parchment on her desk.

"I know, but I think these are a few people you may really want to see."

At last, Ephiny raised her head with slight annoyance. This quickly faded though as she saw two very recognizable faces and a child step through the door. "Gabrielle, Xena! What a pleasant surprise." She crossed the room to embrace the bard in a hug and the warrior in a friendly handshake. When she stepped back to look at them she noticed for the first time how worn out they looked. And the little one. Why was there a child? Something must be wrong. "So, what brings you here?" she asked as causually as she could, trying not to stare at the demure little creature that was clinging to the bard's hand for dear life.

"We need a place to stay with Gabrielle's child for awhile," Xena said bluntly.

The regent queen's eyebrows rose so high that they nearly disappeared into her hairline. "Your child?" She hadn't seen Gabrielle that long ago. Not long enough for nine months of pregnancy, much less have a child of this age.

Upon seeing Ephiny's clearly confused look, the bard quickly jumped in. "Eh, let me rephrase that. This is Rhiannon and we're taking care of her for awhile." She glanced down at the silent child. "We'll explain all this in a minute, but can we get her dried off first? We've been out in the rain for hours."

"Sure, sure." Ephiny said, looking at the child with curiousity. "I'll have one of the younger girls borrow her an outfit."

"No, no that's alright," Xena said quickly. Rhiannon's bruises were fading slowly, but they were still visible. The last thing she needed right now was to be gawked at for her appearance. "We'll just wrap her in a blanket until her clothes dry."

"Xena, have you any idea what the temperature is right now? Its far to hot for--" A look from the warrior stopped her mid-sentence. "Okay, if that's what you want to do," she finished, though now more confused than ever.

"Gabrielle, why don't you take Rhi to get dried off and get something to eat while I stay and talk to Ephiny," the warrior suggested.

"Sounds good to me. Solari, is there a hut open?"

"Of course," Solari replied with a smile and led the two of them out of the hut.

"Now, what's this all about?" Ephiny demanded of Xena the moment they left.

"You really want to know?"

"Would I ask if I didn't?"

Xena sighed wearily and sat herself down into a chair. "Its Rhiannon. We found her a couple days ago and decided to take her with us when we found out about her abusive home life." She waited for a response from Ephiny, but continued when there was none.

"She's been bruised up pretty bad, that's why I didn't want her put in one of those tiny amazon outfits right now. It would show all the marks. She doesn't need people staring at her next." The woman glanced at her friend, trying to read her expression. "And there was other abuse."

Ephiny shuddered involuntarily. Xena needn't say what the other abuse was. "How can anyone possibly do this to a child?"

"And that's not all," the warrior went on, bypassing the regent's rhetorical question. "there's something Gabrielle is hiding. She won't chatter like usual, she barely sleeps, and I doubt if she's eaten two bites of food since we found Rhiannon. She's just not herself and she won't tell me what's wrong." She sighed in frustration.

Ephiny nodded solemnly. She had noticed the dark circles under the bard's eyes and the thinner appearance to her frame. But it wasn't like Gabrielle to keep something to herself. "I'm sure she'll talk to you when she's ready, Xena."

"Mm. I don't know...I mean, I thought she would but she keeps denying anything being wrong every time I bring it up."

"Well, I'll let you know if she says anything to me about it. But I'm sure she'll come to you in no time," the regent said. "Was there anything else you needed to tell me?"

"Actually, what my question was is, would it be okay for Gabrielle and Rhiannon to stay here for awhile?"

"Xena," Ephiny gave her a look. "you know you don't need to ask that. The Queen and any of her friends are always more than welcome to stay. Besides, we'd love to have her in the village again. But where are you going?"

A cold look settled onto Xena's face. "To find justice. I'm leaving first thing in the morning."

"Let me come with you," Ephiny began until the warrior cut her off.

"No." Her tone turned gentler. "No, I want to do this on my own. And anyway, Gabrielle might need you here. I don't think she's up to ruling the village right now."

Letting out a resigned sigh, the amazon replied, "Alright, fine. But if you change your mind, let me know."

**************

Meanwhile, Gabrielle and Rhiannon had settled in the large Queen's hut that Ephiny sometimes resided in. Rhiannon was standing in front of the bard, who was sitting on the bed, while she brushed the child's damp hair out.

"Gabrielle, are you the queen here?"

"Yes, I am. Well, at least most of the time. When I'm not here Ephiny reigns in my place. She was the lady in the other hut with the curly blonde hair," she explained.

Rhi nodded and fell silent again for a few moments. She was throwing herself into this new, if temporary, life that she had found. It was a wonderful feeling to be with people who actually cared about her. Now, learning that Gabrielle was the queen of this land, she could add this to the little fantasy outlook she was clinging to. Sure, the pretending couldn't last forever, but at least it gave her time to breathe.

After a few minutes, she spoke again. "Who is the king?"

The bard chuckled. "There isn't one. Men aren't allowed in the the village except in rare circumstances, like Ephiny's son Xenan."

"Why?"

"Hmm, I guess its because we don't need them. The amazon's basic foundation of thinking is that, 'Its a man's world. Not because it should be, but because we let them have it,'" Gabrielle glanced down at the top of the girl's head. "But you probably don't understand that yet."

Rhiannon stepped forward and turned around to face the young woman. "No, I do understand. And I think that's right," she said. The thought of not having any men around--any threat--was close to exhilarating. "We don't need men. They're good for nothing anyway," she added quietly.

Gabrielle set the brush aside. "I know that you've been hurt by men and that's why you don't trust them. But they're not all bad," she said softly. "I was once married to a very loving man. And my father's a wonderful man, as are so many. You just haven't met the right ones yet."

"I could care less about meeting any more men. I don't trust them and I don't want to trust them."

The bard gazed at the angry child for a long minute, feeling every word she said with the same anger. But she couldn't encourage that, even when she condoned it for herself. "Okay," she said. "how about you try to get some sleep? Its getting late and we've had a long day."

Rhiannon pulled up the corner of the blanket that slipped off her bare shoulder. "I'm not tired. I don't want to go to sleep yet," she whispered.

"Alright, well, how about I tuck you into bed and I'll tell you a story?"

"Sure."

While the child crawled into the small cot and covered up, Gabrielle thought about what story to tell. Nothing was coming to mind until a story from her childhood popped into her head. She hadn't heard it for so long that it took her by surprise to remember it. "You all cozy now?" she asked, tucking the blankets around the small form.

"Um-hmm. What story are you going to tell?"

"Its about a little girl, about your age," the bard began with a small smile. "Once, a long time ago, before the time of ancient gods, warlords, and kings, there lived a little girl in the care of three nymphs, or fairies. They had raised the child since infancy after her parents were no longer able to care for her."

"What happened to her parents?" Rhi cut in.

"Eh, they had to move to another land without many resouces and didn't have the means to care for the child. So, they handed her over to the nymphs," Gabrielle faltered, hoping that explanation would suit the child.

"Oh. Okay. You can go ahead now."

"Anyway, they were all the girl knew of family and vice versa. The problem was, though, even though the child would tell them she loved them, they could never really say that back," the blonde said in a speculative voice. "You see, nymphs aren't very well equipped when it comes to feelings."

"That's too bad."

"Yes, it is," Gabrielle nodded empathetically. "Well, one day the girl became very ill and then died not long after. The fairies became distraught and tried every trick and spell known to their kind to bring her back, but nothing worked."

"That's so sad."

"Very," the bard agreed. "but wait, its not over yet." She smiled. "So, the day of the funeral they sat around her to say their goodbyes, when the eldest of the fairies began to cry. 'You know, I'm going to miss her so much. I..loved her. But..I didn't realize it until now.' And the other two chimed in, admitting that they loved the little girl too. One by one they said their goodbyes--and their 'I love yous' to the child.

"When they were about to close the sarcophagus, a sound from inside caught their attention. The child's leg moved, then her right arm. To the utter amazement of the others, the girl opened her eyes and managed to sit up.

" 'What were you doing? Were you trying to bury me?'

"The nymphs protested, exclaiming that she was dead. 'Well,' said the girl as she climbed out of the box. 'I was. But you brought me back.'

" 'How? We tried every spell there is,' said the youngest.

" 'Spells?' the child scoffed. 'It had nothing to do with spells. I came back when you finally realized that you loved me.'

"It was from that day on that they never went one day without saying I love you.. to the girl and to each other," Gabrielle finished.

"That's a nice story," Rhiannon commented. "but its not true."

"You're right, its not. Its just a fairy tale. However, there is a moral."

"What's a moral?"

"The point or lesson of a story. And the moral of this one is that love is the most important, strongest force in the world, Rhiannon. The lack of it can kill a person and the abundance of it can bring one back from the very depths of the grave. Never forget that."

Rhiannon never did.

**************

Early the next morning, before the sun could begin its upward journey, Xena was up and ready to leave. She had gathered together her things, few as they were without Gabrielle's items.

Once she finished putting on her armor and sword, the warrior sat down in the wicker chair next to Gabrielle's bed. The bard lay on her side with her hair draped over the side of her face, lips parted slightly in peaceful slumber. For the first time in more than three days she had actually gotten a full night's sleep. All thanks to the tea Xena had given her last night. Unknowingly, she had taken a good dose of a sleep-inducing herb her friend slipped into the liquid.

The warrior chuckled, remembering how her companion had gone from a state of alterness to a deeply sedated phase within minutes. Thankfully, Xena had been in the room at the time. Gabrielle started nodding off sitting up next to Rhiannon's bed and ended up falling right over onto the floor.

"You take care of yourself until I get back," Xena whispered to the sleeping blonde. She smoothed the hair off Gabrielle's face and smiled at the relaxed look underneath. "And stay out of trouble," she added with a friendly pat of the slender arm as she stood.

Xena turned her gaze to Rhiannon for a few minutes before turning out of the hut to greet the morning sun and the mission ahead of her.

*************

"Gabrielle, there you are," Ephiny said making her way through the crowd. The bard's welcome home cermony had just ended and it seemed that every amazon in the village wanted to speak to her.

Gabrielle smiled and turned to the regent queen. "Hi there. I'm sorry I haven't been able to come talk to you yet..." She gestured helplesly at the amazons around her.

Ephiny chuckled. "Don't worry about it. It seems like you're quite popular today. At least you look like you feel a bit better then yesterday so you can keep up with it," she said with a small grin.

"Yeah, I really slept sound last night," the bard said with wonder in her voice. How she managed to sleep last night when she hadn't in so many days escaped her. "I think I needed it," she said smiling. "Now I should be able to actually be alert today." She glanced around her with anticipation, looking forward to being back into the life at the village. Aside from traveling with the warrior, Amazonia always felt like her true home. She only wished Xena was there.

Rhiannon clung tightly to Gabrielle's side. The steady buzz of conversation above her head made her sleepy. She just laid her head against the side of the bard's leg when she felt a hand tap her on the shoulder. Slowly, she turned around and came face to face with a girl of about nine.

"Hi there!" the girl said brightly. "I'm Fernanda. My friends call me Fer, or Nanda, or Ferdi, or well, anything that shortens up my name," she said with a grin.

Fernanda had a petite, thin frame that made her look almost breakable, although she was healthy. Her light chestnut brown hair hung down to her shoulders and was slightly wavy. With her dark eyes, rosy cheeks, and a warm smile Rhiannon couldn't remain shy.

"I'm Rhiannon. People sometimes call me Rhi or Ann." She smiled back.

"Yeah, I heard you announced at the ceremony," Ferdi gave the girl a smile. "So, what do you think of the village?"

"I like it. Everyone is nice and there's no men," the child replied in her whispery voice.

The elder girl giggled. "I'm glad you like it. So, wanna go play or something? There's nothing to do here anyway."

"Oh, I don't know," Rhi said uncertainly.

"C'mon, it'll be fun. You don't want to just stand here and listen to adults talk, do you?"

"Well, no.." Rhiannon, a bit hesitantly tapped Gabrielle's hand. "Gabby? May I please go play with Fernanda?"

Gabrielle turned from her conversation and looked down at the girls. "Hi Fernanda," she greeted the familiar young amazon kindly.

"Hi Gabby," Ferdi replied easily. "Is it alright if Rhi comes out to play?"

One good thing about the children here in the village, the bard thought, was that if you told them to, they'd skip the "Queen" prefix to her name. "Sure, I suppose it wouldn't hurt." She glanced at the little blonde who seemed to be for the idea.

"Great! Let's go," Ferdi didn't waste a second and took Rhiannon's hand. Together they made their way through the sea of leather boots and brown skirts.

Eventually, they made their way out of the crowd and Fernanda released the child's hand. "I like your doll. She's pretty," she said, noting the toy in the child's arm. "What's her name?"

"Precious."

"That's a nice name. I had a doll once. I think."

Rhiannon gave the brunette a confused look. "What do you mean? Don't you remember?"

"Nah, I don't actually." Fernanda laughed it off and changed the subject. "So, what do you want to play?"

"I dunno. What's there to do?"

"Hm. Do you like horses? We could go for a ride."

The thought of riding again, after the four consecutive days of it, did not sound appealing. But she wasn't about to argue with her new playmate. "Okay, if you want to."

"Great," Fernanda said happily and took the girl's hand again, this time dragging her over to a hut. "But first you'll need to change your clothes. It'll be hard to ride in them," she commented, glancing down at Rhi's ankle-length skirt.

"Um, no. I don't think that's a good idea." Rhiannon rubbed her hand across her stomach nervously.

"Why? Aren't you hot in those clothes anyway?"

"Well, yes, but--"

"That's what I thought. You can borrow some of my old clothes."

Rhiannon couldn't be mad at her, it was obvious Ferdi was just trying to be of help. But still, her bruises weren't completely vanished.

"Just a minute," Fernanda said, breaking the girl from her thoughts.

The blonde turned to see Ferdi bent over and into a large wooden trunk. Only her waist to her ankles was visible, the rest was submerged into the trunk. After a few minutes she turned around and thrust a crimson skirt and shirt into the child's arms. "Here ya go. They were mine when I was your age."

Rhiannon looked down at the clothes in her hands. They were beautiful and definitely amazon. Hanging from the halter top were little colorful beads and feathers suspended on strings of leather. "Thank you," she said with a smile.

"No prob. You can change in that curtain over there." She pointed to a curtain-adorned doorway.

With a resigned sigh, Rhiannon retreated to the small dressing room. She set her doll down and then stepped gracefully out of her heavy dress. A small draft of cool air crept up her spine and made tiny goosebumps explode along her arms and legs as she slipped into the new outfit.

She turned to the mirror. Whew, it was just baggy enough to cover a few of the larger bruises. She smoothed the crinkled skirt and stepped out of the curtain. "What do you think?" she asked a bit self-conciously.

"Looks great," Fernanda said enthusiastically. "A little baggy, but you'll grow into it."

"You mean I can keep it?"

"Sure you can. I have no use for it cuz I'm not going to get that small again." She grinned. "Ready to go riding?"

"Sure." Rhiannon stepped back through the curtain only to retrieve her doll and clothes. She set them on the wooden chest and followed Fernanda out of the hut.

They walked together through the knee-high grass behind the huts until they reached a fenced in, trodden field of wheat. Inside were nearly two dozen horses.

"There's mine over there." Fernanda pointed out a white speckled pony. She took off running over to it, in the process startling some of the other horses. Rhiannon watched in admiration as the young girl expertly mounted the animal without saddle, bit, or bridle.

What a perfect life, Rhiannon thought wistfully as the brunette rode up next to her. No men here at all, no reason to be scared. It was a place she had dreamed about many times during episodes of the more violent abuse.

"Ready?" Ferdi asked, extending her hand.

Forgetting all about her reluctance to be on a horse again, Rhi nodded enthusiastically and accepted the help onto the foal. "What's its name?"

"Her name is Terra," she replied, patting the furry neck fondly. "And she's a great horse. You don't even need a saddle or anything to ride her." Ferdi waited until the girl had wrapped her arms around her waist. Then with a click of her tongue they were off.

Rhiannon, startled by the sudden lightning pace, instinctively buried her face into the back of the older girl's shoulder.

Ferdi chuckled. "Hang on, Rhi, we've got a minor speed bump coming up..."

Oh gods, she thought and squeezed her eyes shut tight. All of a sudden they were airborne. Although it was only for the briefest moment, her stomach jumped frightfully.

"There. We're out of the fence now," Fernanda announced slowing down.

Rhiannon's grip on the girl lessened and she opened her eyes. "Remind me next time to wait for you on the other side of the fence, ok?"

Fernanda laughed. It was a soft, lilting sort of sound, almost musical. Rhiannon smiled. It was one of the best sounds she'd ever heard.

***************

Xena rode along a deserted path, at a now slower pace than she had started out with. Although she had incredible ability to focus, her mind kept wandering to thoughts about Gabrielle and Rhiannon. What would life be like traveling with a child? Or would they travel? Would Gabrielle want to stay in Amazonia with Rhi? Xena wasn't sure she could stay put permanently. She had a hard enough time staying in the village--any village--for even a fortnight.

Of course, she didn't want to leave Gabrielle. There was no one she'd be more lost without. But would their friendship change with a child in their lives? A pang of jealousy hit her, followed promptly by a wave of guilt. Never did she begrude her best friend or the child an ounce of happiness, but she couldn't help wondering how things would turn out.

Thankfully, a small community appeared in the near distance, once again returning her attention to the task at hand. She spurred Argo on with renewed determination and hoped to find a clue to where Jorius was in the upcoming town.

****************

Sprawled out beneath a large cypress were the two girls. Fernanda lay on her back with her head resting in upturned palms, while Rhiannon sat a few feet away with her back resting against the trunk of the tree. Terra stood nearby munching on the remains of a carrot given to her by her mistress.

They sat in companionable quiet for awhile, until the older girl spoke up. "Rhi, can I ask you a question?"

"Sure."

"Why do you have bruises all over?" she asked hesitantly.

Rhiannon's heart lept alarmingly in her chest and for a split second she was tempted to flee. "I, uh, just fell, that's all." It wasn't completely untrue.

Disbelieving, Ferdi sat up and moved herself to face the reserved little blonde. "C'mon, I'm not stupid. People don't get bruises like this," She reached over and slightly lifted Rhi's arm. "from falling," she said gently. "Now really, what happened?"

At the moment, Rhiannon couldn't bear to look at her companion. She felt too ashamed and thought she might cry. What if Fernanda thought it was all her fault? "I got hit alot." She swallowed hard.

"By Xena and Gabrielle?" Ferdi knew the duo and couldn't imagine them inflicting harm on a child.

"No, no," Rhi was quick to correct. "Not them. It was my grandparents." She rubbed the bruises on her arm self-consciously.

And so, fighting tears and her fear, Rhiannon's story came winding out, one unhappy fact after another. She skimmed over the details though, afraid of even speaking of those acts. By the time she had finished, a solitary tear had managed to slip down her cheek. She wiped at it angrily.

Fernanda sat in troubled, commiserating silence watching the girl who couldn't even bring herself to look at her. Now she understood why she spoke in such quiet tones. It was her way of protecting herself.

When Rhiannon had finished, she ventured to speak. "I'm very sorry," she said, for the first time since they met sounding like the nine year old she was and not a girl of much older. "People--kids 'specially--shouldn't have to go through that." She scooted over to the young one's side and put an arm around her, mindful of the bruises. "Well, I promise you won't get hurt here. No one else will ever hit you if I'm around." She smiled so warmly that Rhi couldn't doubt.

"Thank you," whispered the little blonde.

"Hey, don't mention it," Fernanda said with a light shrug. She removed her arm and replaced it in her lap. "Besides," she went on after a pause, "I know what its like to feel scared and without family."

"What do you mean?"

"Ah, its nothing," Ferdi said looking away. "Its just that I don't have a family, either."

Rhiannon waited for her to go on.

"I never knew my dad. He was gone before I was born and Mother never spoke a word about him. But that wasn't a big deal to me. No, I had my mom and that was all I needed."

"What happened to her?"

"She was killed." Fernanda spoke emotionlessly, staring straight ahead as if she had practiced blocking this pain for quite some time. "It was such a stupid incident that I can hardly believe it." She drew a breath. "Mom went into town one day to pick up some food and saw a fight taking place between two young men. Being the peacemaker she was, she of course, tried to interfere. Didn't work though. The fight got more violent and mom got caught in the crossfire. Or at least, that's what I've been told." Her voice turned to a combination of biterness and sorrow.

"I had no family I could live with so I ran off. Supposedly I've got an aunt on my mother's side that lives somewhere in Crete, but who knows? I wasn't going to go searching for some nameless woman who might not even want me, should I ever find her."

Quietly, Rhiannon asked, "So how did you end up here?"

"I wandered until someone found me. Fortunately, it was the amazons. They took me in and this is where I've been the past two years." The brunette looked down at her hands, pretending that her nails were extremely interesting. "And they've been real good to me. But..its just not like a real family, you know?"

Rhiannon nodded as knowingly as a seven year old could and slipped her hand into the slightly bigger one of the girl next to her. She was trying to return some of the previous comfort she had been shown. "Well, I can be your friend." She offered a smile. "And friends are always the best kind of family, right?"

Fernanda squeezed the small hand. "Right."

They looked at each other and smiled, instantly becoming best friends. There was a bond between them; an invisible thread that bound them together for all their tomorrows. The thread of lost families and the irrepressible need to be cared for and loved by another.

****************

She had traveled for the better part of a day and now the sun was starting to slip beneath the horizon. Argo's sides were slick with sweat and her muscles quivered in exhaustion. Xena sighed. She knew she'd been pushing her horse extremely hard in her quest to seek justice. Or was is revenge?

Xena pulled the mare off the road to rest awhile. She dismounted and removed the saddle from Argo's back so she could graze without the extra weight. After taking a peach from the food bag, she sat down underneath the shade of a willow tree.

The warrior took a bite of the succulent fruit but didn't bother to savor the taste. Two things were bothering her at the moment. The first of which being that, out of the six towns she had been through, not one had seen or even heard of Jorius and his wife. She wasn't even sure she was headed in the right direction.

But that wasn't the major issue. What was upsetting her most right now was Gabrielle's attitude about the whole situation. It was a thought she had replayed a thousand times within the past few days: why the bard was so affected by Rhiannon's past. True, one would have to be completely heartless not to be touched and hurt by her story, but Gabrielle reacted in a way that Xena didn't anticipate. She was even to the point of being physically ill about it. Amazing how she could throw up so much when there was nothing in her stomach.

And plainly, it scared Xena. There was a thought that she had tried to keep at the back of her mind that was now floating to the front. "Not you Gabrielle. Please, not you."

Xena had finished the peach and stared down thoughtfully at the pit of it in her hand. She thought about how her heart used to be like that, hard, dark, and marred. But then Gabrielle walked into her life and changed her. The young woman's innocence, purity, and light had broke through her heart of stone. Gabrielle made the world look good again.

The bard had never condoned murder without a trial, even for criminals, but now she was allowing Xena to go off and kill a man. Gabrielle was letting hate blind her this time and it made the warrior feel insecure. Without her best friend's insistence on fair judgment, she felt lost.

*****************

Two weeks, Gabrielle thought as she flopped down in a chair. It had been two weeks since Xena left. It was the longest amount of time they had been separated since the time she went to the Athens Academy of Performing Bards.

The bard tried not to think about it, but she missed her best friend. She was never lacking in things to do here at the village but things just weren't the same without her companion.

With a sigh she gazed through the window at Rhiannon and Fernanda playing. They were tossing a ball back and forth between each other, giggling and chatting all the while they were doing it.

Gabrielle marveled at the numerous similarities in their friendship and her and Xena's. Physically, Rhiannon was small, blonde, and light-eyed. Fernanda on the other hand was a little taller, dark haired, with dark blue eyes. In personality, the older girl was strong, smart, insightful, and quick-witted, while Rhiannon was shy, inquisitive, and eager. Their qualities were almost a parallel to that of Xena's and her own.

One positive thing that had happened in the course of their stay so far was that she had heard Rhiannon laugh. A genuine, elated giggle. It was in response to some joke Fernanda told. It amazed Gabrielle that she had remembered how to laugh.

But even though this had occured, the bard knew there was a big hurdle to overcome yet. Rhi would need to talk about the abuse. For the past week her nightmares had become more and more violent. Last night Gabrielle had held her for hours on end while she sent ear spilitting screams shattering the silence of the night. Thus, neither of them had gotten much sleep at all over the past weeks.

"Tonight Rhiannon. We're going to talk tonight."

***************

"I'm not ready yet."

"Hurry up!" he hissed.

"Look," Avella said, finally getting into her husband's face with a defiant look. "We've been at this for more than two whole weeks. We've been through about a hundred godsforsaken towns with no sign of her," she threw her hands up in frustration. "Face it, the little bitch is gone. The better for us. Just let her die out there in the wilderness."

Before she could turn away Jorius grabbed her chubby arms roughly. "No!" he spat. "Someone must pay. She's that someone. We're going to try heading in the other direction now. We'll find her."

**************

"Are you going to tell me another story tonight?"

"Actually Rhiannon, I was wondering if we'd be able to talk."

"What about?"

"About the abuse," Gabrielle said gently but directly.

"No. I don't want to." Rhiannon shook her head from side to side.

The bard was prepared for an arguement. "I know you don't. But you have to talk about it, if not to me then to anyone you feel comfortable with. If you don't let that out its going to eat you up inside."

"I can't," the child whined, her whispery voice strained. "It hurts too much and I'll cry."

Gabrielle took Rhiannon's face in her hands and looked down into her eyes. "It is okay to hurt and its okay to cry. In fact, if you have a really good cry I bet you'll feel much better." She released her hold. "Now, will you talk about it?"

Rhiannon drew her knees to her chest and wrapped her arms around them. She lowered her chin to her kneecaps and stared down at the wooden floor. She was silent so long that Gabrielle thought she wasn't going to respond. Finally, she began, "The hitting started about two weeks after I went to stay with them. I knew they didn't really like me, but I didn't know they hated me until I broke one of Avella's glass plates. That's when Avella slapped me across the face." She flinched at the remembrance of it.

"The hitting came daily after that. It hurt alot, but the bruises would heal sooner or later." She shut her eyes and breathed deeply. "I didn't know that Jorius was going to start punishing me next." She opened her eyes and flicked her gaze up at Gabrielle. "You know the rest, so I'm done."

Gabrielle sighed slightly. "You need to talk about what Jorius did to you. It'll hurt you all the more if you keep it inside. Just tell what you feel you can about it. I'm not going to make you say anything you really don't want to, I'm just trying to help."

All of a sudden Rhiannon felt hot anger taking over her, burying her sense of sadness for the moment. "You wanna know what happened to me?" She pushed herself off the chair, walked halfway across the room, then turned to look at the bard with blazing eyes. "I'll tell you," she pointed her finger at the woman, shaking in fury. "That son of a bitch I'm supposed to call grandfather took me into his bed and did things to me that you're even too young to know about," her voice cracked and she stepped up to Gabrielle. "I could tell you details that would make you sick and give you nightmares for a month."

Gabrielle could only stare at the girl, almost not recognizing her in this new state. She spoke so full of hate and pain that it seemed she'd endured a lifetime of abuse, not just a few long years.

"But I won't," she continued. "I don't need to tell you the details to heal. And I don't want to talk about them anyway. It only makes me sick to repeat what he did." Rhiannon stopped for a minute, breathing slowly to regain whatever shread of composure she had.

"But you know what I don't get?" she asked when she could speak again. "I don't get why. I never asked for this, I never told him it was alright to do what he did. I told Jorius 'no'." The child raised her eyes to again meet Gabrielle's and they began to tear up. "Why did he do that to me, Gabrielle?"

The bard raised her fingertips to her lips and shut her eyes against the glare of brokeness coming from the little girl. When she opened them again two crystal teardrops cascaded down her face. "Oh sweetheart." She picked the child up and cradled her in her lap.

The comfort finally broke the anger in Rhi and she began to sob. She buried her face in Gabrielle's soft chest and whimpered, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry."

Gabrielle rocked the small one back and forth like she did the day she'd first found Rhiannon's bruises. "You don't apologize," she said sternly and compassionately as she licked the salty tears off her own lips. "You did nothing wrong, Rhiannon. Jorius hurt you because he is sick, NOT because of anything you did." She stared ahead, fighting back the nausea that threatened to attack. "Don't you ever feel guilty for what happened. Its Jorius' fault, all of it. And he's going to pay."

*****************

"You sure you haven't seen them?"

"I'm sure," came the curt reply.

With a discouraged look Xena pulled Argo's reins and they continued to make their way through town. She tried asking everyone she met if they'd seen either Jorius or Avella but to no avail. Disappoinment etched in her bronze face, she began to leave the village. As she was exiting the gates, a few words of a nearby conversation drifted to her ear:

"...about three feet tall, seven years old, dishwater blonde hair. Have you seen her?"

Xena pulled Argo to a stop so she could get a better listen.

"Please. My wife and I are sick with worry," the man's voice wavered in false concern.

After a swift dismount, the warrior went up next to the elderly man and woman who were interrogating a fruit vendor. "Excuse me," she cut in. "I believe I may be able to help." She struggled to remain in good temper.

The three of them relocated to a small alley. "You know where our grandchild is?" Jorius asked in a hopeful, if somewhat anxious voice.

All Xena saw in those two pairs of eyes was pure hate. What unnerved her was that it was a reflecting of what she was feeling. She drew her sword and pointed it at the two offenders.

Avella gasped. "What are you doing?"

"Drop the act, both of you. I can see right through it."

"What act?" The old woman tried to hide her fear of this tall leather-clad woman.

"You know what I mean." The warrior princess shot an icy glare at the woman then backed Jorius against the outer wall of one of the buildings. "Especially you. I know all about what you did to Rhiannon." She pointed the tip of her newly sharpened sword at his wrinkly throat.

"I don't know what you're talking about," he said defiantly.

From the side Avella asked shakily, "Do you have her?"

Ignoring both comments, Xena went on, "No child should be treated like that." Her eyes flashed with anger. "Give me one good reason why I shouldn't kill you right now."

"Please, I beg of you, don't kill him," Avella beseeched. "He's my husband. He's all I have." True, she didn't get along well with him, but deep down she did love him in her own way.

By now a crowd had gathered to watch the confrontation. With this and Avella begging for her miserable husband's life, Xena felt she had no choice to back down. She couldn't kill this man in cold blood when others viewed him as innocent. "Swear to me that you'll leave Rhiannon alone. She's safe where she is," she said, boring her eyes into Jorius'. If looks could kill, he'd be on his way to Tartarus at that moment.

"Fine, fine, whatever." Jorius grumbled inching his neck away from the blade.

Xena held the sword to his neck for a moment longer before stepping away. "For your sake, you'd better keep your word."

"Thank you," Avella mumbled, joining her husband.

Xena only grunted in response as she resheathed his sword. With a sour face she pushed her way indelicately through the crowd of farmers and peasants and remounted Argo. "Yah! On girl!" She dug her heels into the mare's sides harder than she intended and they were off, leaving the crowd murmuring over the incident with confusion.

*******************

Gabrielle paced around the village, twirling her staff distractedly. Xena was still away; it had almost been a month. Part of her began to want to go search for her friend, find out if she'd found Jorius yet. But of course, with Rhiannon there and needing her, she wouldn't depart.

Most thankfully, after that night of talking about the abuse Rhiannon appeared to blossom a bit. Not drastically, but enough so that progress was visible. Gabrielle managed to get her to talk more about the sexual abuse after all, which, as painful as it was, seemed to be what prompted the child's change in disposition. She knew Rhi had a very long and most likely unpleasant road of healing ahead yet, but the first step had been taken and she thanked the gods for that every day since.

"My Queen," a voice from behind her began, "I've been looking for you."

Gabrielle turned. "Hi Solari. Something wrong?"

"No, not at all. I just wanted to know if you were interested in coming along with the hunting party. I know how restless you've been here."

"What about Rhiannon?"

"She and Fernanda are out riding again. Don't worry, they're safe."

She should have guessed that. Since the two girls met they were inseperable. When you found one, you found the other. "Okay, I guess I could come along then. There's not a whole lot to do here anyway."

"Great," Solari said with a pleased grin.

As soon as the hunting party had assembled the seven of them headed out. Solari, Gabrielle, and a young amazon named Juliann brought up the rear as they chatted companionably about nothing in particular.

The bard had just let out a guffaw in response to a comment from Solari when the brunette slapped a hand over her mouth. "Forgive me, my queen, but listen..."

The steadily nearing sound of a horse compelled the amazons to ready their weapons. They waited in position until a tall,willowy figure appeared before them on a cream colored horse.

A broad smile broke out on Gabrielle's face. She'd returned!

With a collective sigh the amazons lowered their weapons. Xena forced a smile, but the bard could see through it. The warrior was plainly worn out.

"You're back," Gabrielle said in a warm greeting as she came up next to Argo.

"Yeah. About time, huh?" Xena said, her eyes resting on the figure of her best friend. She didn't dismount knowing that she would only be bombarded with questions from the amazons if she did.

Picking up her companion's resistence, the bard turned to her amazon sisters. "Would it be alright if I went back to the village with Xena? I'll make up for it."

"No problem, my queen," Solari said with a knowing smile. The other women nodded in agreement.

"Thanks."

"I'll talk to you guys later," Xena said, helped the bard onto the mare, and rode off.

Within only a few minutes Gabrielle and Xena entered the heart of the village. They were just getting off the mare when Rhiannon spotted them. "Xena!" she called, running over to the warrior.

Not paying attention to anyone who may have been watching, Xena scooped up the child in a flourish and smiled at her with delight. She looked so good! Her body had filled out considerably, the bruises were almost completely gone, and in the present moment she looked genuinely happy. "Hi there Rhi, how've you been?"

"Oh, I've missed you Xena."

It warmed the warrior's heart. "I missed you too, kiddo," she said giving her a little squeeze; for once not afraid of breaking her bones in embrace.

Gabrielle stood watching the two, marveling at Xena's maternal instinct and Rhiannon's response to it. She sighed contentedly, feeling like she was actually looking at a real family.

"I know you want to talk to Xena, but why don't we let her sit down and get a little food in her stomach first, okay?" the bard asked with a wink.

"Okay," Rhiannon replied agreeably and to the surprise of the warrior, planted a kiss on her cheek before scurrying out of the strong arms and back to her friend.

"She looks wonderful," Xena commented as they walked inside the large hut.

"Doesn't she? Rhiannon's really been thriving here."

"I'm proud of you. You've really taken on a new responsibility with her." The raven haired woman sat down on one of the beds and removed the scabbard from her back.

Gabrielle blushed slightly and took a seat across from Xena on Rhiannon's cot. "So, how did it go? You look awful." She took note of the dark rings under her friend's eyes and the cheekbones that protruded more than usual. It was funny; it seemed lately that if it wasn't one of them falling apart it was the other. The bard wondered momentarily what would happen if they didn't have each other.

Xena rubbed her neck trying to undo the knot there. "Haven't gotten much sleep lately."

Gabrielle nodded and moved across the room to sit behind her companion. "I can tell." She tapped the woman's hands away and took over massaging the knot out of her neck.

"I didn't kill him Gabrielle."

The bard's hands paused. "What?"

"I didn't kill Jorius. I couldn't."

She was stilled for a moment longer. "Why?"

Xena sighed and let her head fall forward. "His wife was there, begging for his life. There was a crowd gathered and...and I guess I just lost my nerve. I hate him, Gab. I hate him like I've never hated anyone, but I couldn't kill him." She spoke as if she'd committed a great sin by not killing another human being. "I'm sorry."

The smaller woman's thumb resumed the small circles over the lump in the warrior's neck. "Oh."

"I made him swear to leave Rhiannon alone. I don't think he'd risk going against that. I'm sorry I disappointed you," she said again.

Having worked the tension from her friend's neck, Gabrielle moved to sit beside Xena. "Don't be. I shouldn't have asked you to kill him. I sent you out to do something I wanted to but was too scared to do. I'm the one who owes you an apology." She let her breath wind out through a small part in her lips.

Xena turned her head to study the side of the face of her soulmate. Now, more than ever, she could see how their past three years together had matured her. And despite everything the young woman had gone through and endured, she still emitted a glow that never failed to light up the warrior's darkest nights.

She put a consoling arm around Gabrielle's shoulder. "I know this whole ordeal is a mess. But, we're going to find the way through this, you, I, and Rhiannon. Together."