GENERAL COPYRIGHT DISCLAIMER: Xena, Warrior Princess, Gabrielle, Ares, Argo and all other characters who have appeared in the syndicated series Xena: Warrior Princess, together with the names, titles and backstory are the sole copyright property of MCA/Universal and Renaissance Pictures. No copyright infringement was intended in the writing of this fan fiction.

All other characters, the story idea and the story itself are the sole property of the author (meaning Kharis and Syrinus belong to me). This story cannot be sold or used for profit in any way. Copies of this story may be made for private use only and must include all disclaimers and copyright notices.

VIOLENCE WARNING/DISCLAIMER: this story is based on the series and of course, what would Xena be but not the violent kick ass grrrl that she is! But violence has been kept to a minimum with very little actual bloodshed involved. That's for the next story. Muhahaha

SEXUAL VIOLENCE WARNING/DISLAIMER: This story insinuates a scene of sexual violence and a small amount of its aftermath. This type of depiction may disturb some readers thus anyone who is sensitive to this particular issue may wish to read something other than this story. But I promise that there isn't any gory description of it, just a vague inference to it.

LOVE: This story depicts a loving relationship between anyone who loves someone that is close to them. If you can't stand the idea that women can have a loving relationship with those that are around them or each other then please keep your closed mind where it belongs and don't bother reading this story. 'Nuff said

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This was my first attempt at XWP fanfic so I wasn't sure what I was doing. I'm still not sure , but at least I think I'm starting to.

Thanks HAVE to go out to my beta readers, Stacia & Taleweaver, for clearing up all of the grammatical errors that were present, along with giving me some great feedback on how to make it better.

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And Then There Were Two
by Crys
~ June 12th, 1999 ~
~ Revised January 20th, 2001 ~

PROLOGUE

Pain.

Hatred.

That was all she knew... all she could feel. Succumbing to both meant she was alive and that gave her hope.

Hope.

What could she hope for? A body crucified on a cross, beaten and tortured into oblivion? A body that would be slowly picked clean by carrion birds that even now worked on the dead close by? She knew there was no escaping death, but as long as she had her pain, and her hatred, she had hope. Hope to exact retribution from the man and woman who made her suffer. Hope to fulfil the blood debt that bound her to them. Hope to be free from the cross that slowly took her soul down to Hades, bit by bit, for judgment. The Elysian Fields seemed so close yet so far away. If only she could enter the golden splendour instead of feeling nothing but…

Pain.

Hatred.

Hope?

She would wait.

CHAPTER 1

The plain was awash in a golden hue from the grasses that grew upon its surface; a living ocean swaying wave upon wave as the southerly winds kissed its delicate surface. Rain was needed yet had been denied for many moons. The lush dense forest that lined the edge of the field was a stark contrast to the dry earth that begged for relief. Zeus was not in a good mood and punished the land below, denying it his life-giving moisture.

As the wind silently moved amongst the trees, and their boughs, in a sensual motion a golden beast and its rider forged through the overgrowth out onto the plain's light, disrupting the calm of the forest. A raven-haired woman, majestic with her toned bronzed body and piercing blue eyes, sat silently on her mare scanning the distance for any signs of trouble. When she was satisfied that none was to be seen she motioned behind her for her companion to follow.

The forest sighed as a smaller woman emerged from the trees. Slight in body while fair in face and hair, she quickly walked up to the mare's shoulder and scanned the horizon also. Both the women were direct contrasts to each other, one being of a darker nature and mind compared to the lighter-souled companion.

Gabrielle rested against her staff while scanning the distance. "What do you see?"

Xena looked out once more with her unnatural eyesight, picking up a thin trial of smoke slowly threading its way past the far hills. "Smoke. And not the type that's usually associated with a campfire, that's for sure."

Gabrielle looked up apprehensive, "That can only mean...."

Xena nodded sadly. "A village is burning. Or has already been burnt and destroyed." The anger that threatened to overwhelm the ex-warlord's control swept suddenly through her. No matter how hard she tried to combat the darkness that once possessed her soul, slowly but surely it was gaining power over her once again - but not today. Today she would only take that small part that she would need to survive and lock the rest away in that place where she held all of the shame, guilt, and horrors of her past. The place where even her friend had no key to enter.

Xena looked down onto Gabrielle's honey-coloured hair and sighed. She knew that the young bard wouldn't stay behind while Xena checked out for any survivors. There was always a battle when Gabrielle's safety was concerned and lately, she realised, she was losing more and more battles to the sharp-tongued bard.

"I guess asking you to stay here while I go and check it out would be out of the question huh?"

Gabrielle looked up into Xena's ice-cold eyes, surprised at their intensity despite the warm overtones of the warrior's voice. "If there are any injured people I can help. Plus I'm sick of sticking to the forests. We've haven't really been out in the sun for over a moon now. Surely Caesar's army is long gone."

Xena shrugged and reached her hand down to help the bard onto Argo's back. Lately she had been losing this particular battle with the bard more often than not. "I don't think so. Something tells me that the fire is because of his army. Come on. We should be able to make it there before the sun starts to set."

Gabrielle hesitated. She hated riding Argo, even though the war-horse was really a sweet mare. Riding was almost as bad as Tartarus in the young girl's mind, but the harried look on Xena's face was all that Gabrielle needed to grasp the warrior's firm grip and be swung up behind her. Snatching her arms around the hard body, Gabrielle held on for dear life while Xena galloped her golden mare forward towards the smoke.

'It's destiny I tell you' The God of War thought while watching his favoured one ride swiftly away. As he walked out from the dense forest his thoughts became almost happy. 'Only Xena would pick that moment to come out of cover. Caesar had better watch his back from now on. There'll be hell to pay for this day's work.' Ares smiled seductively at the Warrior Princess' back. The day that she returned to his side would be coming soon. He could wait. Just like he waited for the other to come into glory.

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A reddish hue filled the horizon as the sun slowly set aside its golden robe for the night. Xena and Gabrielle silently climbed up the hill on foot, leaving Argo behind to graze below out of sight. Inching their way over the top the grisly sight that their eyes beheld was dumbfounding. Laid out in rows, the crosses marked the landscape as a beacon of death. Every villager was either nailed or hung upon the wood. Mutilated bodies surrounded the charred remains of the village. Men without legs, woman without breasts, babies ripped open from groin to throat.

Gabrielle tried to hold the bile that quickly worked its way up her throat but lost. Turning sharply she shuddered as her body tried to expel the image that burned itself into her heart. 'How could he have done this? How could anybody?'

Xena looked over at her ailing friend, her steel blue eyes softening slightly before being replaced by untempered hatred that once again welled up within her stoic warrior's soul. Caesar would pay for this atrocity. With his life, if Xena had anything to say in the matter.

Reaching over to her companion, the ex-warlord shook the girl's shoulder slightly. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I think. I just need a few moments."

"I'm going to go down and see if there are any survivors," the dark woman said while standing up. "You stay here and keep an eye out for any remnants of the army. Sometimes the back troops come back to plunder whatever is remaining after the main army has already wiped a village clean. Call me if you see anything, all right?"

Gabrielle looked up while wiping her mouth dry. "How?" The question hung in the air while the bard tried to make sense of the wanton slaughter that occurred down below.

Xena shook her head and sighed. "I don't know, Gabrielle. Normally Caesar takes the men but leaves the woman, children, and elderly alone. Something happened here. This isn't his way. But there isn't anything we can do about it right now so please, just do as I say and wait for me here. I won't be long. The next village is two days' ride north of here. It should be safe since Caesar was going south-west. Maybe some of the men there can come back to bury the bodies. But for now I have go down and see if there is even one person still alive." Xena sought the green eyes filing with tears. "Can you do that for me? Stay here?"

Gabrielle nodded, a haunted look filling her eyes as she once again looked upon the villagers and their crosses. Xena half smiled, to comfort her friend, then slowly made her way down to the first row of crosses below. Moving silently between the rows Xena reached up to feel the skin of the damned hanging in the air. All were cold to the touch, dead for a day, maybe more. Realising that there was no hope, she quickly checked each cross in her methodical way, all the while planning revenge on the village's behalf. Coming upon the last row the dark-haired woman recoiled when she felt warmth in a pair of legs. Looking up quickly she saw the shallow breath of a child, whose arms strained against a fragile body for its final resting-place.

Stepping back quickly, Xena grabbed her chakram and sent it on its way to the base of the cross, slicing the timber in half. Jumping forward, the warrior strained as she held the cross upright until she could slowly lower it to the ground. Reaching up, she snatched the disc out of the air and in one fluid motion sent it downward on the ropes that held the child to the cross. At least Caesar didn't nail the children, unlike the adults. 'Small mercies' she grimly thought.

Gently, Xena lifted the girl in her arms and carried her to a small pool in the centre of the village. Laying her down on the moss covered ground, the warrior checked for internal injuries. Lightly prodding here and there, the warrior suddenly realised that injuries inflicted on the girl where not by sword or dagger, but by fists and another instrument of man more insidious in nature. Gasping in shock at her discovery, Xena grimaced as she stood up to call Gabrielle down.

A small moan escaped the lips of the dark-haired child, bringing Xena back down to the child's side. Ripping some moss off of the ground, the woman soaked it in the stream slightly, then applied the moisture to the girl's lips and forehead. The child was delicate, a dark-haired and skinned creature with a face so familiar to Xena that she couldn't place it for the life of her. Even now, beaten and bloodied, the child exhibited the beginnings of beauty. A strange exotic look, usually associated with the Warrior Princess, could be seen underneath the blood on her face.

Returning the moss to the pool, Xena looked up and caught Gabrielle walking down the hill towards the woman and child. Like a zombie, the young bard looked neither left nor right at the crosses and their victims as she made her way through the rows to her friend.

Coming upon the two dark bodies, Gabrielle was stunned to see that the child was truly alive. Kneeling down, the bard felt the child's chest rise and fall very slowly, stunned beyond words. How could someone so young and frail have survived? Looking up at Xena, the bard wasn't shocked to see the striking blue eyes aflame with anger. The ex-warlord's face was blank, but her eyes spoke volumes on what was running through her mind. Death. Hatred. Anger. Guilt. Guilt over what Gabrielle had no idea, but guessed that something in her friend's past was resurfacing in the woman's mind.

"Will she live?"

Xena applied the wet moss to the girl's face again, wiping off the dried blood very gently. "I'm not sure. She's lost a lot of blood and has been on that cross for over a day, possibly even two already. I'm surprised she's even alive."

Gabrielle nodded and stood up. "I'll go get Argo and your packs. You'll be needing your healing herbs."

Xena reached up and grasped the bard's hand. "No. Stay here by her. I'll go get Argo and check out for a place for camp tonight. We're not staying here out in the open by the crosses. The scavengers will be coming out soon and I'd rather not have to be fighting them off all night when I should be trying to help this child."

Gabrielle nodded and sat down beside the child, taking the moss from Xena's hand and applying it to the girl's face. Looking down at the still form, the bard could only wonder at what type of spirit could survive what the child had gone through. How strong this girl must be to continue fighting for a life that should have been gone a candlemark ago. Despite her weakness the child continued to fight Hades' call while Xena retrieved Argo and started looking for a spot to camp for the night.

Most of the town had burnt down to the ground, but by some minor miracle a few buildings had escaped total destruction. Xena walked her palomino up to a building that was once an elder's abode. Slipping off the mare, the alert warrior quickly surveyed the damaged building quickly, accepting it as a safe harbour from the elements. Tying Argo to a rail, the woman unpacked her herbs from one of the saddlebags and trotted to the pond.

"Is she?"

"Yes", Gabrielle sighed. "She's still hanging on. How, I don't know, but she's still breathing for the moment."

Xena knelt down and scooped up the light child in her arms. "Good. I've found a place for us to spend the night. Find a bucket and bring some water to the house over there." She nodded in the direction of the elder's home. "We'll use whatever is inside for firewood."

Gabrielle stood up and searched the surrounding area for anything that would hold water while Xena marched towards the building. Kicking open a door that hung off its hinges, the dark woman strode into the middle of the room. Spying an overturned table, she swiftly moved the child into one arm while grasping the leg of the table and returning it to its proper place on its legs.

Gently lowering the girl onto its top, Xena pulled out her breast dagger and cut away the small amounts of cloth that hung on the child's body. The bruises that had been inflicted upon her body were in their majestic glory of purple, green, and gold. Every inch of her body was molested in one way or another. Swallowing hard, Xena cut up the remaining scraps of cloth from the child's body into strips.

A loud snap outside the open doorway propelled the warrior into her reflex defence. Unsheathing her sword from her back, she stepped in front of the table holding the child, sword at the ready for any intruder. Gabrielle caught her breath as she walked around the corner into the tip of her friend's sword.

Gasping suddenly, the bard released her short breath. "Xena? It's me."

Xena shuddered as she fought to control her actions. One more second and her sword would have impaled her bard's throat. "Gabrielle, next time say something before you enter the room," she hissed as the warrior sheathed her sword.

"Who else did you think it was?" the young woman asked as she carried a bucket towards the remnants of a fireplace. "There's no one around. You checked it out yourself, remember?"

"It doesn't matter," Xena spat out. "You should know by now how I react when danger is around. No matter how much I believe that we are safe I have to stay on my guard at all times."

Gabrielle recoiled at the venomous outburst. Her friend was affected more than she showed by what had happened here. There was something that was bothering her, and it wasn't just the disgust for what Caesar had done.

"Xena, what's wrong? Something is bothering you, I can tell."

"There's nothing wrong with me."

Gabrielle continued her verbal attack. "Yes, there is. You've not said a word about what happened here. You've not said a word about those people hanging on the crosses. What are you trying to hide?"

Xena looked into her friend's soft green eyes and wondered how this person could know what was in her soul. 'How does she know I'm hiding something? How can I explain that I've done far worse than what has happened here?' The woman winced when she saw a speck of fear in the bard's eyes at her outburst. Why did she continue to hurt the one she loved?

"I'm sorry for snapping at you. I was just afraid at what almost happened. I couldn't live with myself if I had killed you. Especially if it was because of a trained reaction." The warrior's eyes slowly softened to a cobalt blue as she relaxed a bit.

"Xena, you don't have to apologise," the bard said as she approached her friend. Placing her hand on her friend's shoulder, she squeezed lightly for comfort. "I know you'd never hurt me no matter how trained you are to react. You always are able to stop before going over that edge. I'm just worried about you. Usually you react in some way, besides just being angry. But you haven't yet."

Xena shrugged as she walked towards the fireplace. "I guess I've become cold to the horrors of what an army can do. Leading one of my own for many years dulled me to the atrocities that happen when an army invades a town or village."

Kicking away some rubble from the roof of the building, Xena cleared a spot in the hearth and looked around for some firewood. Glimpsing a chair that was beyond hope of repair, the warrior broke it apart and placed it on the hearth. Taking her flint out of one of the packs, the woman soon had a fire going, along with a pot of water heating up over it.

The bard continued to stare at her friend, wondering when Xena would ever trust her and reveal what was going on inside her soul. 'Why can't she just tell me what's wrong? Nothing she could say would ever make me respect her any less, or love her any less. Why can't she trust me?' The bard knew the answer and frowned. If Xena were to admit all of her fears and misdeeds she would buckle under the guilt and shame of what she had done, and could still do, to so many innocent people. The weight of those deeds alone would crush anyone, but Xena wasn't just anyone. She was a survivor. If that meant having to bury her feelings forever, then that was what she would do to survive.

Xena looked up from the herbal mix, which was slowly starting to boil, into her friend's concerned eyes. 'Gods, why doesn't she just let me be sometimes?' The love that Gabrielle gave her was too much some times. How could a cold-hearted murderer deserve someone like her? 'What does she see in me that's so deserving of friendship and love?'

Rising away from the fire, the warrior walked towards her friend, placing her well defined calloused hands on the bard's shoulders. Seeking the light that burned so brightly in the bard's eyes, Xena smiled gently. "Gabrielle, let me attend to the girl and then I'll answer any questions you have. For now I need you to help me with the poultices and not ask for answers that I'm not prepared to give right now. Can you do that for me?"

Gabrielle nodded. "Okay, what do you need me to do?"

The bard would wait, like she always did.

CHAPTER 2

The girl was bathed, wrapped in one of Gabrielle's sleeping shifts, and attended to in a gentle yet efficient manner that was one of Xena's many skills. Resting peacefully for the first time, the child was left close to the fire on the warrior's bedroll while Xena and Gabrielle went outside for some fresh air.

Standing just by the open doorway, Xena looked out to the east, the crosses no longer in her line of sight, contemplating the young girl by the fire. Morpheus had taken the child into a blissful sleep, keeping her safe and secure for a few more hours.

"She's much stronger than she should be," the warrior mused in a whisper.

Gabrielle looked up slightly. "What?"

Shaking her head, Xena walked a few steps towards the end of the porch. "I was just thinking about the little one in there. By the Gods, she should be dead like the rest of them, but she isn't. Not only that but she's getting stronger so quickly. I've never seen anyone heal that fast before."

"Except you of course," Gabrielle bitched. The warrior's renown for shrugging off injuries that would ruin a lesser mortal's body was a continuing sore spot with the bard. What took Gabrielle weeks to recover from only took Xena a few days. Karmic balance was not right with her brooding friend when concerning all of her many special "skills". It was unnatural, yet seemed so right when associated with the Warrior Princess.

Xena turned her head sharply and scrutinised her bard's face. "And what's that supposed to mean?" The edges of her mouth slowly climbed into a small grin.

"Nothing," the bard quickly replied. "I was just making an observation. You heal much more quickly than anyone I've ever known does, yet you think of it as normal. Maybe she's just like you."

The dark warrior's face lightened as a full smile broke on her face. "I highly doubt that, Gabrielle. But she is unusual, to be sure. Something about her is so familiar yet I just can't place where and why."

"I know what you mean. Once the blood was gone her features were familiar to me too. But I can't see how since we've never been in this area before."

"Well, we can figure it out later I guess. For now we should get some shuteye. We'll make a litter for her and take her down into the forest. Once we're there, at least we'll have the cover we need to stay unnoticed for some time so she can heal fully."

Gabrielle moaned at the thought of spending more time in that drab, dark place they only left just a candlemark ago. "Hades' balls, Xena, do we have to go back there?" A raised eyebrow from her friend was the only response the bard received.

"I know I'm an Amazon and all and the forest is an Amazon's sanctuary, but even this Amazon gets depressed in such confined surroundings at times," the bard quickly explained.

Xena strolled to the end of the porch, now facing the crosses, and gestured toward the dead. "Well if you want to stay here and enjoy the scenery, then be my guest."

"No, I don't think my stomach could handle one more day here. But I thought we'd find another village close by so these people can have a proper burial." Gabrielle turned and stared at the crosses and silently wept at the waste.

"That was when I thought there was no one alive," the warrior explained. "Now we have a child that needs time to heal and the more travelling she does the more less likely she'll survive the trip. No, we don't have time to bury the villagers. We'll build pyres around them and send their souls on to Hades for judgment."

The young bard nodded and realised that burning was the only option. "So when do we get started?"

Cobalt eyes turned towards the bard as a shudder coursed through her body. 'Gods she was beautiful in the moon's light'. Xena lightly touched the bard on her shoulder, turning her away from the grisly sight. Wiping a stray tear away from the bard's cheek Xena pulled her friend into a hug.

"Shhh. We won't start anything, I will. You have to stay here and keep an eye on the child in case she wakes up. I can do this by myself," Xena said in a soothing voice. Lightly touching a finger to the bard's lips she continued. "And don't even think of arguing with me on this one. I can do this faster without your help than with your help. Plus, someone must be hungry by now and you know how refined my cooking skills are."

Gabrielle chuckled, despite her melancholy mood. "I am a bit hungry. I'll have it ready when you're done." Lightly pushing herself away from the warrior's body, the bard moved back into the building and prepared to make the day's end meal.

Xena looked towards the horizon and swore. "Caesar will pay for this! Even if I have to drag him down to Tartarus myself!" Checking inside the building for a second and seeing that the child was still within Morpheus' spell, Xena walked towards the first row of crosses and began to prepare them for the fire.

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The pyres burned bright, lighting up the midnight sky, as the tall, dark woman began to sing the warrior's song of death. The death knell was a time-honoured ritual, firmly entrenched in Xena's psyche. Not of words or phrases but of sounds and emotions only those who had been bloodied would understand. Many a time she presided over the burials of her army's fallen, singing the dirge to help guide them on their way to Hades. Unlike other leaders Xena used the lament as a form of control over her remaining troops. Every man was willing to die the following day for her, just to have her sing at his burial. Like everything she used, it was another powerful weapon. She realised early on that out of all of her skills her voice was one of the most potent and used it to her advantage time and time again.

Yet tonight there was no one to sway for the next day's battle, no one to coerce into capitulating to her demands, no one to control later on. Tonight she was respecting those whom she never respected before... the ones she once destroyed.

The heat emanating off the crosses slowly parched Xena's leather and heated her armour till it glowed as red as Tartarus' door, yet she never moved till she was done. Satisfied that she had paid a worthy tribute, Xena turned towards the house and saw a small, dark figure leaning against the front door's frame. How that the child had been able to stand, let alone move towards the door, was a miracle. Why that Gabrielle was nowhere to be seen was unnerving for the alert warrior.

Silently moving away from the crosses Xena, started to walk towards the house, never breaking eye contact with the child. When Xena was twenty paces away, the child suddenly moved away from the frame and released Xena's chakram from behind her back, sending the deadly disc towards Xena's neck. Reflexes took over as Xena reached forward and instantly stopped the disc from removing her head from her body. Dazed, the warrior hooked the golden disc onto its proper place and continued to walk towards the girl once again.

Seeing that her efforts were for nought, the girl quickly leapt off the porch and made a mad dash towards the back of the house and the hills beyond. Xena shook her head as she quickly picked up her pace and ran after the fleeing girl. 'How?' kept repeating through the woman's mind. It had taken the Warrior Princess years to master the chakram with all of its nuances and achieve a straight flight, let alone one of any complexity. It would have taken her a few days to recover from the abuse the girl had received. Yet there she was, within Xena's grasp, in perfect control of her frail body. A body that not only almost nearly decapitated the warrior, but also was able to maintain a good lead on her until Xena's longer legs finally shortened the gap.

Leaping forward, Xena flipped in the air and landed a pace in front of the child, who slammed against the woman's body, crumpling to the ground. Xena quickly reached down towards the girl but recoiled when the dagger that the girl had held close to her body, snaked out and ripped across the warrior's right thigh. Cursing under her breath, Xena roughly grabbed the child's arm with one hand, twisting it back in a violent motion that sent the dagger spinning from the child's now numb hand. With her other hand the warrior jabbed a pressure point at the back of the girl's skull, forcing her into unconsciousness.

Ragged breaths escaped Xena's mouth as she fought to control her desire to kill the now helpless child before her. It had taken all of Xena's control to not rip the girl's arm from her socket, nor pummel her into the ground after the knife tore the woman's thigh open. 'How' was quickly replaced by 'why' as Xena slowly counted down from twenty, quenching the darkness that was fighting to come to the surface.

Slowly the tension left the warrior's shoulders as her eyes regained the deep blue that had been momentarily replaced with the ice blue of fury. Checking to make sure that the girl was no threat, Xena picked her up not so gently and marched back to the village.

Stepping on the porch, the warrior could hear a low moan from inside as her companion slowly rose up off the floor, rubbing the back of her neck where an already large bump was beginning to throb in earnest. Gabrielle looked up as Xena entered the room and placed the girl back on the table. Only then did she quickly turn towards the bard with a worried look of inquiry.

"I'm all right I think," the bard answered as she moved towards the table and its occupant.

"What happened?" the warrior asked troubled.

"I'm not sure exactly. I was bending over to stoke the fire when I heard a sound behind me and before I could even turn around, everything went black."

Xena walked around the table and motioned for the bard to turn around so she could check on her head. Lightly probing the tender skin, the warrior saw that there was no bleeding and turned her friend around to face her. "I don't know how she did it but our little charge here woke up and has done some amazing things in the short time she's been awake."

"Like what?" Gabrielle grimaced as her head continued to spin slightly in a nauseous way.

"Well for starters she knocked you out, grabbed my chakram, and tried relieving my head from my body. Then led me on a merry chase towards the hills in the back, only to slice open my thigh when I finally caught up to her," the warrior said matter-of-factly.

"What? You're kidding right?"

Xena's raised eyebrow and quick glance down to the wound on her leg was the only answer her bard received. Stepping back from her friend, Gabrielle turned towards the unconscious body on the table and marvelled at what she had just heard. "Guess you aren't kidding. But why? After we helped her."

Xena limped towards her bags and retrieved some herbs to help dull the pain for both of them. "I don't know and that isn't what is bothering me. How she did it has me confused and worried."

Light green eyes widened as the realisation finally sunk into the bard's throbbing head. "You don't think that... well... she can't be a god can she?"

Xena snorted as she prepared the healing herbal tea for herself and her bard. "Gods can't be physically hurt and she was. No, she isn't a god but some god IS protecting her. She's not normal."

Gabrielle sighed. "Xena, if I had a dinar for every time someone said that about you we'd be living in a castle right now."

An eyebrow shot up under raven-haired bangs. "I'm not one for castles, thank you."

"Me neither," Gabrielle chuckled slightly. "But you're missing the point. If she isn't a god, then she's like us, well, like you maybe. So that means she's normal, I guess. Right?"

Xena just shrugged and poured the medicinal tea into two mugs. "I don't know about that. I'm the way I am from years of hard work and conditioning, and a few lucky breaks I have to admit. This is just a child, for Zeus' sake."

Gabrielle took the offered mug and sat down against the wall, slowly sipping the pungent concoction. "Hades, this stuff tastes bad. Don't we have any honey left?"

The warrior just slowly sipped her tea, her eyes clouding into a greyish blue as her mind tried to sort through the day's events. Something was up and she couldn't figure it out. Her hair had been standing on the back of her neck ever since they found the village, but not like it usually did when Ares was close by, or when she sensed that either she or Gabrielle was in immediate danger. It was almost like a string was pulling her along. One that controlled her yet allowed her control up to a point. Almost like she was being moved in a direction that she didn't want to, yet had no choice but to take. The Gods were involved, there was no doubt in the warrior's mind, and this child was the key. It was only a matter of time before Xena would finally figure out for what purpose.

"Xena?" Gabrielle called for the third time, trying to capture her brooding friend's attention.

The dark woman looked up from her mug of tea and smiled slightly to calm her anxious friend's nerves. "Sorry, Gabrielle. I was just thinking."

"What are we going to do about her?"

Xena looked in the direction of the child and shrugged. "Tie her up and take her with us. There isn't much else we can do. Obviously she's going to live or she would have never been able to do what she did."

"Are you sure tying her up is a good idea?"

"What else can we do? I'm not going to let her have a second chance at killing me now, am I? Or even you for that matter."

"If she wanted to kill me she could have done it. I don't think she's really all that dangerous. Confused more than likely," The bard replied, which brought a snort from the warrior. "Imagine being tortured, hung on a cross, and expect to die only to wake up with some stranger hovering around you. Not knowing if they are going to hurt you more. Maybe kill you since you obviously didn't die when you should have."

"Gabrielle, I have gone through that. Remember?" Xena said stonily as her piercing blue eyes focussed on the bard. The vision of Caesar standing down below her as she was hanging on the cross quickly filled her eyes; 'Break her legs!' echoed around her head.

Gabrielle quickly sucked in her breath when she realised what she had just said. "I'm sorry, Xena. I forgot."

"It's all right. I know what you meant to say but I don't buy it. Even if it were true she would have had only one thought and that would have been to flee. Not grab my chakram and attack me with it. Sorry, Gabrielle, but she's going to be tied and will stay tied until she comes to her senses. End of story."

CHAPTER 3

The pyres were still smoking when Xena stepped onto the porch, the unconscious child slung over her back. Clear blue eyes quickly scanned the landscape until they fell upon a distant hill slowly being bathed in the sun's motherly glow. Sliding up to her friend, Gabrielle averted her eyes from the crosses and looked in the direction that the bronzed warrior was focussing on.

"Anything?" the bard asked as she slung one of Xena's saddlebags over her shoulder and retrieved her staff from beside the door.

"Nope. We'll have to cut across those hills to the north-east. Cyphus is in that direction and I want to get there as fast as possible."

The golden head looked up, surprised that they weren't heading back to the forest. "Why Cyphus?"

"I have to see someone there," was all that the warrior would reply as she lightly jumped off the porch and walked towards Argo. Slinging the girl over the mare's broad back, Xena quickly attached the saddlebags before turning her attention back to the child. Gently tying her hands and feet, the warrior looped the two ends of rope underneath her mare's belly, effectively securing the girl to the mare and stopping any chance of slipping off.

"How long will she be out you think?" Gabrielle asked as she leaned on her staff.

"As long as I want her to," Xena drawled as she jabbed the pressure points on the child's neck, essentially keeping her unconscious for a few more hours.

"Xena? Is that safe?" the bard was worried about the child, but more so with her friend.

"Yes, Gabrielle. I know what I'm doing. I just want to keep her quiet until we make camp tonight. Then I'll wake her up. Okay?"

Gabrielle nodded and lowered her eyes to a bronzed thigh. "How's your leg?"

Xena shrugged while grabbing hold of Argo's reins. "It's fine. Just a scratch really." Which was a lie, but the warrior didn't want to admit it, or worry her bard. The knife had gone in deeply, but cleanly. Stitches and a bandage were all that was needed for now. And time to heal of course, something that would more than likely only take a few days. 'Thank the Gods, I'm a quick healer.'

The two women walked side by side as the golden mare followed behind placidly along the same path of last night's chase after the girl. By midday the three of them had covered a great deal of ground and decided to stop for a break at a shady pool of water, surrounded by a light ring of cypress trees.

Sitting down heavily, Gabrielle laid back in the soft grass while watching her warrior gently untie the ropes that bound the child to Argo's back. Gingerly, Xena lifted the girl up and laid her down under one of the trees before sitting down herself and checking her wounded thigh. The walking had loosened the muscles somewhat but had broken a few stitches that now needed to be cleansed and sewn again.

"Gabrielle? Could you grab my instrument pack? I've got to sew this back up."

"Sure. I'll get us something to eat also."

Slowly rising, the bard retrieved the pack that was needed along with their provisions and walked towards her friend. "You want me to do that for you?"

A dark eyebrow raised as Xena shook her head. "Don't worry. I can do this. Just watch the little one here." The warrior made her way to the small pool and slowly sat down. Quickly undoing the pack, she removed the needle and gut, along with a small rag which was doused in the cool water. Cleaning off the wound, Xena cut open the rest of the stitches and removed them from her skin. Grimacing, she started to sew the deep cut, ignoring the pain like she always did.

Pain was something she could handle, placing it in the same spot she used for everything else that enabled her to survive the trials and tribulations of being a warrior. Pain, contempt, disgust, hatred, anger. All very powerful forces yet all managed under a tight control that enabled the woman to do things that would have been impossible for anyone else. She could have used pressure points to numb the leg, but that would have defeated the purpose. Without the pain she would never know if she had sewn deep enough.

Gabrielle nibbled on some dried venison while watching her friend quietly sewing the leg. Shaking her head, the bard couldn't understand why the warrior submitted herself to endless pain all the time. Atonement for past evils was one thing, but masochism was something that the light haired woman thought her friend wasn't into. Shrugging, Gabrielle leaned back against the tree's trunk and slightly closed her eyes.

Silently at first, a moan started from the girl lying next to the bard bringing two sets of eyes to quickly snap open. Looking down, Gabrielle was surprised to see small golden eyes staring up at her in shock. They were so unusual; shards of gold lining the iris in a star pattern that mesmerised the bard. Unlike the bard's own soft green eyes, the child's were harsh in their intensity as they changed from a look of surprise to wary disgust, finally growing colder with hatred. Gabrielle quickly smiled down at the child to appease the obvious disorientation that was coursing through the girl's slight body.

"Hi there. You've had a rough couple of days haven't you?" The bard said softly, trying to calm the numerous emotions lying on the surface of the child's eyes.

Unlike her body, which remained tense yet silent, the girl's eyes visibly changed, darkening as she fought to control the panic that was quickly building inside. She had to get away. She had to be free so that she could seek retribution that was hers alone.

Gabrielle laid her hand on the girls' head and soothed. "Shhh. We won't hurt you. You aren't going to die. You're safe now."

The girl violently recoiled from the touch, shifting away from the bard while trying to roll over to get up. Grasping her around the shoulders, Gabrielle held the girl down while continuing to softly talk the child out of her fear.

"Shhh, you're safe. No one's going to hurt you any more. Shhh, don't be afraid. Shhh."

The dark shadow of the silent warrior loomed over the bard and child while Gabrielle tried calming the distressed girl. Looking up at the beautiful face before her, the child instantly recognised the warrior in one sickening moment. With strength she never knew she had, the girl broke the bonds tying her hands together and with a sudden lurch, threw a startled bard off her body as she propelled her hands towards Xena's throat.

The warrior saw the futile attack coming towards her and weighed her options quickly before finally settling on the most obvious course of action. Side stepping the advancing girl, the warrior swung her leg out as she pivoted on the other, sweeping the child's legs from underneath her. Falling down hard, the girl was suddenly engulfed in muscular bronzed arms that slowly tightened their grip the more the girl struggled.

Xena looked questioningly at Gabrielle as the bard struggled to her feet; shocked at the strength the young girl had shown. The child continued to struggle like a wild animal caught in a snare while Xena held on for eternity it seemed.

The bard slowly walked towards the wild child while speaking in her soothing voice. "Shhh, little one. Easy. We won't hurt you. Shhh."

The girl continued to struggle free as the exertion slowly started to drain her strength until she finally succumbed to exhaustion. Despair overwhelmed her as her body shock from the deep sobs that racked her body.

Gabrielle knelt down beside her friend, placing a hand on the shaking girl's midnight black hair. Gabrielle sought Xena's eyes, questioning, seeking answers. The warrior frowned and sat back cross-legged, pulling the girl into a more comfortable position while still holding the girl tight in case the child's strength returned to her suddenly.

"Xena."

The mention of the warrior's name from the bard's lips sent violent shudders through the girls' body as she started to struggle once again, only much weaker than before. Looking deep inside the vault, which held the entire warrior's evil past, Xena quickly sought some remembrance of the village they had left earlier that day, hoping to find some resolution to the child's hatred. Not finding any Xena sighed as she struggled to control the darkness, that quickly bubbled to the surface. Memories were like food for the soul, feeding the light as well as the darkness.

Time passed slowly as the sun started to slide quietly over the treetops, emitting a patchwork of lights and shadows that splayed themselves across the three bodies on the ground below. Final exhaustion overcame the child as she slept peacefully on the warrior's lap. Sensing that the battle was over, Xena quietly stood up, cradling the young girl in her arms and walked towards the closet tree. Placing her down gently, the warrior motioned towards her friend to retrieve the broken rope that lay next to the spot where the, once confined, girl had freed herself.

Gabrielle swiftly stood up and retrieved the ropes, bringing it to her friend. "What are we going to do? We can't keep her tied up obviously."

Xena sighed and looked up into mist green eyes, seeking permission. "There is only one thing we can do until we get to where we need to go."

The bard realised that her companion was right and nodded her head. "Your right. She's too dangerous awake. How long can you keep her unconscious?"

"A few days before any after effects start, but not more than that. We'll have to move quickly."

"How? We only have Argo and there are three of us. She can't carry all of us."

Xena smirked as she finished tying the girl's legs and arms. "Don't forget, Gabrielle, I have many skills."

CHAPTER 4

'How does she do it?' Gabrielle thought as she struggled to stay on top of Argo while cantering along beside her raven-haired friend. The child was light to be sure. But to be able to carry the girl while running beside the war-horse, with a thigh wound to boot, was beyond the realm of possibility. If there hadn't been a necessity for speed the bard never would have agreed to ride the war-horse alone, but there was no other way. Xena could run for days it seemed, whereas Gabrielle couldn't.

Strong defined legs pumped towards the ground as the woman warrior ran effortlessly beside her mounted companion. The child, slung over on either side of the warrior's neck, bounced lightly at each step. Xena didn't even notice the child's slight weight around her shoulders as she ran. She had done that for years, while training to be a warrior. Instead of a child though it was usually a sack of millet or an old log.

Coming out of the valley, the two women stopped once they caught sight of the city that lay on the open plain before them. Cyphus, despite it's outwardly appearance, was a bustling city behind the stone walls that protected its open attack existence. Unlike most prominent cities, Cyphus didn't have the nature defences of forest, water, or land to help aid it against raiding armies. What it did have was one of the most advanced systems of fortifications found in the Thessaly region.

Gabrielle smiled as she looked upon the gleaming white walls and multicoloured banners. Surely there was good shopping to be had. It had been so long since the last time the bard was able to be selfish and buy something for herself. Maybe she'd even find something for Xena.

Xena lifted the girl off her shoulders while Gabrielle admired the city. Putting her down on the ground, the warrior checked the girl's level of unconsciousness and smiled. Thankfully it had been an easy journey with that little beast from Tartarus knocked out cold. Reaching up and shaking her bard by the knee, Xena indicated for her friend to dismount the mare.

"So what next?" the bard asked as she swung herself out of the saddle and lightly landed on her feet.

"We have to find a man called Syrinus." the warrior replied as she threw the child up onto Argo's back and swung herself up behind the sleeping girl.

"Who's Syrinus?"

"A healer from my old army."

Gabrielle looked up at the warrior's face and saw the typical cold, steel blue eyes that usually sat in the woman's face when confronted with anything from her past.

Xena clucked to her mare and urged the golden horse forward. "Come on. We want to be inside those gates before they close them for the night."

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Gabrielle felt like she was in the Elysian fields upon seeing the marketplace. Everything under Helios' sun was to be found. Glancing to her left, the bard spied a booth that sold parchment and quills, among other worldly things. Starting to veer over, Gabrielle was stopped dead in her tracks when a loud voice rang above the crowd.

"Xena, Destroyer of Nations! Halt!"

Sharply turning her head back to where Xena was just a moment ago, the bard quickly found the man who had raised the challenge. Taller than even Hercules, this man was a bear among men. Large in body and bone with long chestnut hair, and a sweeping moustache to match, the man stood directly in front of the warrior and her horse, towering over the two of them. Xena sighed as she stood up in her saddle to be on the same eye level as the man before her.

"Syrinus! How many times have I told you to stop calling me that?" she hissed into his face as she reached forward and grabbed his head, butting it against her own forehead.

The large man chuckled as he also grabbed the beautiful warrior's head and held her face close to his mouth. "Until I stop finding you dressed like that, you irresistible woman."

Xena blushed slightly before releasing her hold on the man as Gabrielle moved her way up to her friend's side. The exchange was brief, yet electrifying. Who was this man that could make her normally stoic warrior blush, even if slightly?

Xena cleared her throat when the recognisable presence of her bard was at her side. "Syrinus, this is Gabrielle. Gabrielle, this is my old friend Syrinus."

Gabrielle looked way up and beamed a beautiful smile at the giant before. "Pleased to meet you."

The man smiled down at the small golden woman and grabbed her into a great bear hug, before she could even flinch, swinging her around. "So you're the one that won my Xena's heart. Welcome to Cyphus. Welcome indeed!"

Gabrielle squealed as she was quickly set down, trying to orientate herself once again on firm ground. Xena just shook her head with a small smirk. 'Leave it to Syrinus to make a display here in the market.' The crowd that was around the threesome slowly went back to its regular shopping when it became obvious that nothing besides a reunion was going to happen.

Grabbing the bard by the arm, Syrinus started walking her away from the marketplace towards a large building just beside an inn. Following behind, the warrior scanned the crowd for any trouble that might come up while her two friends started to chatter about nothing in particular. 'Hades, this was going to be a long night' the warrior thought grimly.

Syrinus was in his element when he showed Gabrielle his healing practice, pride overflowing from his deep rich voice. The bard was impressed to say the least. Everything about the place was warm, inviting, and tranquil. The perfect place to help bring the child back from whatever demons possessed her soul at the moment. The man had a knowing look when he spied the young girl being held in Xena's arms. Looking up at the dark warrior, with a raised eyebrow and a question in his eyes, she shook her head, leaving the questions lingering on his lips for later as he showed Xena where to place the girl.

The child was resting in bed, in a smaller room with a stool, while Xena unpacked their things in her old, much larger room. Carefully placing everything in its proper place a small gleam over the hearth caught the warrior's eye. Walking over, Xena quickly recognised the snake staff that she had given to the man when they parted ways over 6 years earlier. 'How touching that he had kept it in such a prominent place.' Syrinus was one of the few people who knew the warrior from her evil days and yet, still considered her a friend despite everything.

A tear gingerly made it's way to the corner of the warrior's eye as she turned from the hearth. Reprimanding herself, over her short loss of control, the warrior went to check on the girl. Seeing that she would be out for another candlemark, Xena quietly left the room to join her two friends.

"So, Xena, what brings you this way and with a child no less?" the burly man asked while handing his friend a large mug of ale.

"The child actually," Xena replied as she flopped down onto the chair Syrinus had been holding for her. He was always so considerate. "Her village was burnt down and her people hung on crosses four candlemarks ago. She survived some how but has been violent and crazy ever since. I thought you might be able to 'see' what was wrong with her."

Syrinus looked down at the dark head, the same question from before. The warrior took a large drink of her ale before placing the mug down on the table and looked directly into his eyes; the azure eyes filled with apprehension. Fear was definitely lying beneath the surface of those expressive eyes and he had a feeling he knew why.

"So..." was all the healer could say as he sat himself down. "When?"

Xena released her breathe, not realising she had been holding it. She never doubted that the man would help her as he had done in the past, but there was always that chance that someday she would ask for too much and he would have to decline.

"Once she awakens I suppose. I applied pressure points to keep her unconscious."

The gentle giant quickly looked at his friend, wondering why she had taken such severe steps with such a small pup. Flicking an eye towards the bard, who was reclining back on rocking chair, the man sought an explanation knowing that he wouldn't get much from the normally stoic Warrior Princess.

"The girl, well, has a few issues with Xena it seems," Gabrielle started to respond when her friend wouldn't continue.

"Issues?" Syrinus inquired softly.

"It seems like the girl has a real hate going for our leather-bound friend here. She's already tried to kill Xena twice, in the time that she's been awake, which hadn't been long on both accounts."

The man choked at the last statement, spraying ale on the table. Xena just raised an eyebrow and continued to drink hers in silence. Syrinus looked from the warrior to the bard and back again, trying to discover if they were attempting to pull one over his eyes. When he understood that it wasn't a joke he sobered quickly.

"So you want..." the healer started to ask Xena, who nodded slightly. "Fine. We'll do it tomorrow morning before the cock crows. It's the only time of day where I have a chance to be at peace in this city. Until then, I'm assuming you two must be hungry."

Xena just quirked an eyebrow in the bard's direction. "I'm fine myself but I'm sure Gabrielle here will no doubt challenge you to keep up with her appetite."

Syrinus gave out a large bellow as he looked over at the slight bard. "Her? I think I could do that in my sleep." Gabrielle just smiled her winning smile and patted her belly.

"I think I might be up for that challenge."

The large man just shook his head as he went into the kitchen and prepared to make the meal. This night was going to be interesting.

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A large belch emanated from the bard's lips as she finished the last chicken on her plate. Syrinus was in awe. The girl not only ate twice as much as him, but also was able to put half a pie away after the meal. 'What strange creature was she?'

Xena stood up from her meal, nodding her head towards her dinner companions as she made her way to a door next to the child's room. "I'm going to hit the sack. Don't stay up too late you two."

Gabrielle swallowed the remainder of her cider and nodded towards Xena. "I think I'm going to go to bed too. It's been a long day. Thank you for the wonderful meal Syrinus. I haven't had anything this good since we were last at Cyrene's place."

Syrinus beamed with pride as he motioned towards the door Xena had just entered. "You're room is right through there. May Morpheus bless you with happy dreams."

Gabrielle stood up and quickly placed a small peck on the large man's cheek. "He always does." Slowly the bard wove her way to the door and entered the room.

Xena was already out of her armour, placing it on the table next to her sword and chakram when Gabrielle entered the room. Flopping on the bed, the bard kicked her boots off and rolled over to go asleep without removing any of her clothes. Smiling, Xena walked over to the now sleeping bard and flipped her over gently. Carefully stripping the bard of her mud-stained clothes, the warrior picked up her friend and placed her under the sheets. After stripping down herself, the warrior silently squeezed into bed with her friend, who snuggled up to the larger woman, wrapping slim pale arms around the bronze woman's waist. Signing contentedly, Gabrielle delved deeper into Morpheus' grasp, leaving her companion to stare up at the ceiling still wide-awake.

She had been trying to figure out the mystery of the strange child for over two candlemarks now and couldn't come to any conclusion. A god's hand was at play here... that was to be assumed. No mortal body could heal as fast as the child's had, let alone exhibit such strength for such a frail body. Hercules possessed inhuman strength, but he was a demigod. Xena, herself, had unusual strength but she attributed that to the years of training she submitted her body to, along with the luck to be born with certain muscular development not usually found in woman. As for her healing abilities, they weren't THAT unusual, just accelerated a bit. That is what she told herself time and time again.

The one question that truly had the warrior perplexed, and a bit afraid, was why the child was so filled with hate towards her? Searching deeply within herself, the woman could find no answers. Defeat was not a notion that came easily to the dark woman. Exasperated, she finally had to accept it, for the time being. Tomorrow would hopefully reveal answers to the questions that lingered just out of Xena's grasp.

Sighing, the woman wrapped her free arm around the bard and kissed the honey-coloured head. Tonight she was safe in a bed, with the woman she loved with all of her life, in the home of a truly forgiving man. It was enough. What more could she ask for? Besides answers that could wait till the next day.

CHAPTER 5

Waking up slowly, Gabrielle stretched luxuriously in the large bed, smiling at the sounds of morning birds. Turning over she found the spot next to her empty, of course. Xena always rose before dawn for her morning drills. Sitting up, the bard continued her stretching and looked about the room. The furnishings were modest yet very ornate in their intricate carvings. Spying a rather complex design, on the back of one chair, Gabrielle got up and walked over to it. Bending down to get a closer look, she could make out a vast army at battle with another, many of the dead littered the ground. One army was obviously in control, led by a figure so familiar yet so foreign it took the bard a few moments to realise who was depicted on the engraving.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?" a rich voice said, startling the woman. Syrinus stood by the doorway with a large smile on his face.

"Yes, it is. Did you do this?"

"No, she did."

Gabrielle looked up in amazement. "Xena?"

"The one and only," the man smiled.

Gabrielle turned back to the engraving, lightly tracing the image of her love. "When?"

Syrinus sat on the bed and looked at the young woman before him. "After losing Borias during the battle with the Centaurs." Gabrielle nodded as she remembered the stories Xena had told her about Borias. "When she lost him, and then gave up her son, she was devastated."

Gabrielle turned sharply towards the gentle man, shocked that he knew about Solon.

"Yes, I knew. I was her healer. How could I not?" he raised his hands slightly, palms turning upwards. "She had lost everything and had just discovered it after it was too late."

"So what happened?" the bard whispered, guilty that glimpses of her mate's dark past were coming from the healer instead of her friend. Knowledge was the key to deciphering the enigma that was Xena and Gabrielle was becoming an expert at obtaining the information.

"Syrinus brought me here to heal me," the sulky timber of the Warrior Princess pervaded the small space. Gabrielle turned towards her friend, embarrassed at being caught. Seeking bright blue eyes for forgiveness, she was rewarded with a lazy smile that said 'I don't mind' loud and clear. Xena walked into the room and shook her glistening wet hair. The morning drills had gone so well that the warrior rewarded herself with a nice leisurely swim in a chilling river beyond the healer's house.

"I was suicidal after it all. Not caring whether my army or I survived that day's battle. Syr, here, decided that a certain warlord needed some downtime so he drugged me and kidnapped me from my own camp. The only one to survive my wrath, I might add." A low chuckle escaped from Xena's lips. "He brought me here and chained me to the bed that you just slept in last night. He kept me for over a moon. Talking to me, soothing me, arguing with me. Eventually I gave up and succumbed to his will and started to listen to him. Not enough to stop my wanton need for destruction, but enough to glimpse that life was worth living for, in some small measure. During that time I carved. There wasn't much else to do considering I was chained to the bed."

Syrinus laughed at the memory and reached over to Xena, pulling her down onto his lap. "And a good job you did at the carvings, m'lady."

An elbow went into the large man's ribs as the warrior extracted herself from the bear hug with a wink in the bard's direction. "Anyway... when I was finally let go my army had dispersed so I had to build another. Syr stayed with me during that time and eventually left me when Darphus joined up with me."

"He was pure evil," Syrinus plainly stated.

"Oh, and I wasn't?" the warrior asked jokingly.

"No, I saw the light shining behind your darkness. I knew that eventually you'd find your way. And look what happened, I was right." the man smiled broadly as Xena got out of his lap.

"Yeah, well, it took a while but you were right. As always."

Gabrielle looked pensive as she digested what she had just heard. "How did you know?" She directed the question towards the man.

Syrinus looked into the pair of sky blue eyes, waiting for some sign that it was okay to reveal the secret that they had been hiding from the bard. A slight line appeared around the edges of the woman's eyes as she smiled in support.

"I have the Sight."

Gabrielle was a bit confused, which wasn't unusual for her. "The Sight?"

Syrinus held his breath a few moments before letting it out in one long exhale. "I can read people's auras. I know what type of person they are beneath all of the layers that they build to defend themselves against the world."

Xena slowly walked towards a bench in the back and sat down, lifting her legs to rest on a stool, while Gabrielle tried to comprehend what Syrinus was stating. It had taken the warrior a long time to accept the man's gift as true and she used it to her advantage many times during battle. Which leader would be a coward in the heat of battle, which would fight till the death, which would run before the fight even started? It was amazing that he still considered her a friend after being used by her for so many years, yet there he always was and always would be.

"What do you see right now?" the bard asked suddenly, accepting what the man said as the truth.

Syrinus was taken aback at the pointed question, but complied readily. "I see an aura shining so brightly it almost hurts to view it. The golden hues radiate with such intensity that I'm surprised no one else sees it."

"I do," Xena stated.

Gabrielle smiled at her friend's devotion. "And Xena?"

"I see an aura so deep in purple it could be mistaken for black, but with a silver lining that has grown stronger and brighter each year," the healer smiled as he fondly looked towards the dark woman resting peacefully on the bench.

Gabrielle grinned at this known statement. It didn't take the Sight for her to see the good that was slowly overcoming the evil within her friend's soul. Sooner or later the silver lining would encompass the deep purple until only a small speck of the darker colour would remain.

Xena snorted. "That's not what you told me all those years ago."

Syrinus chuckled as he remembered what he had told her. "Well, I wasn't going to tell you that you were sweetness and light all dressed in white, now was I?"

"You could have tried," the woman drawled.

"And you wouldn't have believed me."

"You're right. At that time I wouldn't have."

"So that's why we're here?" Gabrielle asked no one in particular.

Xena stood up, stretching her leg muscles. "Yes. I want to know if that child is who I think she is."

The bard stared at the ex-warlord as Syrinus bowed his head in acknowledgement. Shrugging, the woman walked towards the door. "I don't want to say it out loud until I know for sure so... if you two are curious, then let's get this act on the road."

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The three figures moved into the small room that contained the tiny girl. Her face grimacing in pain as the nightmare slowly unfolded.

The villagers had given up without a fight, praying to the Gods that their lives would be spared. Every man, woman, and child was taken to the centre of the town and held under guard until the army's leader arrived. Caesar was in his glory, astride his black war stallion, the golden armour shone upon his bronzed body as he slowly made his way to the villagers and his guards. Beside him rode his second in command. Her long, toned body easily moved as one with her golden war-horse. The jet-black hair blowing in the early morning breeze as her cold blue eyes surveyed their surroundings.

Coming upon the villagers, Caesar halted is horse and declared to all. "This town is now under the rule of Rome as decreed by me, Caesar of Rome, and as decreed by the Emperor of Rome all tributes and allegiances will be bestowed upon me and my army. What say you people?"

A small, bent man stepped forward and spat in the direction of Caesar before being cuffed across the face by the soldier closest to him, forcing him to the ground roughly. Instantly, a small child ran forward and placed her body over the man, as the soldier was about to run his sword through the old man's stomach.

"No, don't touch him!"

Caesar looked down at the dark-haired girl and sneered. "And what do we have here? A small saviour of this village?"

The girl looked up at the man and shivered. She had only reacted and didn't realise the mortal danger she was in. Fighting down the urge to cry she offered up her voice to reason. "We did not fight you or your army and have willingly complied with your requests. Why kill one who is old and doesn't know his own mind?"

"Why should I offer him leniency?" the startled man answered back.

"Why should you not?" was all the girl could reply, defiance shining through her forest green eyes.

Caesar was amused that such a young one would be so fearless in such dire circumstances. Looking over at his companion he smiled. "And what do you think we should do, Xena?"

Ice blue eyes scanned the villagers and then rested on the dark-haired child. "Crucify them."

Caesar nodded in agreement and waved his hand at his soldiers as he headed back to camp. The villagers, now desperate, backed away from the advancing wall of soldiers, fear shining in their eyes as their doom cut off all hopes of escape. Woman and children cried as the soldiers began to run swords through the town's people before dragging them off for the crosses.

The small girl looked around her in shock as her family and friends were slaughtered before her own eyes. Rage burned brightly in her mind as she ran to the closet soldier, grabbing a dagger in his belt and shoving it into his heart before he even realised that the dagger was missing. Turning to her left she proceeded to run after a group of soldiers who were about to kill some of her friends. Coming to the one closet to her, she slammed her body into his back while slicing the dagger into his kidney. Swiftly leaping over his crumbling form, the child vaulted onto the back of her next victim, slicing his neck upon before leaping off to take on two soldiers who were intent on stopping her. Standing firm, she waited till the last second then dove under the legs of one of the soldiers and quickly sliced upwards as came out from under him, his groin sliced open that suddenly pumped out his life's blood. Standing, she turned to face the other soldier when she heard a whisper in the air behind her and felt a blow to the back of her head. Dizziness quickly invaded her vision as she turned to see what had hit her. The chakram returned to its dark master as the girl succumbed to oblivion.

The woman warrior replaced the disc on her belt and ordered the remaining soldier to bring the unconscious girl to Caesar's quarters. Turning her stead around, a sinister sneer was seen on her lips as she loped back to the camp.

Awakening with a splitting headache, the child was confused as she looked around her surroundings. A lavishly filled tent filled her eyes. Fear crept into her soul for the first time as she remembered what had just happened, confusion ringing in her mind as she tried to figure out why she was here.

Muted voices could be heard outside the tent's entrance but the girl's keen sense of sound easily picked up the trial of conversation.

"Why was she spared?" the man's voice inquired.

"She will serve a purpose for you tonight and then tomorrow she will be crucified along with the rest of them," the woman purred.

"You are pure evil, Xena," the man chuckled. "I never know what to expect from you moment to moment."

"That is why you love having me around," the woman said as she pulled the tent's flap aside and beckoned for Caesar to enter. The commander walked through the opening followed by the exotic woman as faced the child who was now fully awake and fearful for her life.

"So," he said seductively. "You're awake I see."

The girl looked into the hard brown eyes and shuddered involuntarily. "What are you going to do with me?" she whispered as she held his gaze.

"Whatever he likes my dear," the woman sneered as she stepped around Caesar into the child's view. "Whatever I want him to do to you more precisely."

"Why?" was all the girl could manage as her stomach lurched as horrifying thoughts ran through her mind.

Caesar just smiled as the woman answered for him. "Because he needs a catamite tonight and none are to be found, so you will have to do unfortunately."

The young child seethed as she turned her eyes towards the bronzed woman before her. Her image burnt deeply into the girl's mind as Caesar slowly advanced on the helpless child, slowly undressing.

"What is your name?" he asked.

"Kharis."

"Well, Kharis, tonight you will become a woman for me. Tomorrow you will die for her," Caesar said as he finished removing his battle dress, his lust burning as he reached for the child's head.

Time stood still for the girl as she continued to stare into the eyes of the dark warrior while Caesar ripped the tunic from the girl's body. Forcing her down onto the bed he ravaged her while she held the gaze of the dark woman. A slow, seductive smile played across the woman's lips as the girl silently made an oath to the Gods that if she ever survived she would spend all her days avenging the deaths of her village and her innocence.

Groaning, Caesar rolled off the girl and shook himself as he rose from the bed. Stepping towards the woman warrior he grabbed her by her hair and draw her lips to his in a slow passionate kiss. Never taking her eyes off the girl's, the woman ran her hands up his back and held him by his neck until he was satisfied.

The girl slowly came back to her body, which was aching from the misuse, as she watched the woman in apprehension. Her ordeal was not over and she prayed that she would pass out before her body was violated anymore.

The woman pulled Caesar off her lips as her eyes danced in cold fury. "Now leave us, my sweet. I have more to teach this girl before tomorrow."

Caesar looked down at the child and nodded. "Do what you like. I'll be organising the troops for tomorrow's march." Putting on his battledress, Caesar stepped out of the tent leaving the child to the mercy of the woman standing in front of her.

A smile chilled the girl to the core as the woman advanced on her. "What he showed you was frivolous. What I will do to you will be Tartarus."

The child whimpered at the statement as the woman reached down and grabbed the girl around the neck.

The next day the girl was tied to the cross, beaten and bloodied, and left with her fellow villagers to die. Her mind, in shock at what had happened the previous day, never broke as she repeated her vow to the Gods over and over till she passed out.

Xena reached down and jabbed the pressure points that would awaken the girl from her unconscious state. Stepping back out of eye's sight, she watched as the nightmare played its way across the young girl's face only to be replaced by a sneer as the girl slowly came to. Fluttering her eyes open, the child's vision slowly cleared as she took in the small room, filled with only the bed and a stool, along with 3 figures that hovered at the edge of her bed. Trying to shake the sleep from her eyes, the girl's head started to pound with its own beat from the days without consciousness. Slowly rising, she focussed on the woman before her. Memories of rose blonde hair draping over her shaking body filled the girls' vision. Was this the woman who tried to soothe her?

Looking further upward, the girl saw a bear of a man with a sweet smile on his lips looking intently into her eyes. Shocked at the nakedness she felt in her soul, the child hurriedly snatched her eyes away from him and sought sight of the last figure standing in the shadows. Unable to make out anything more than form, the girl sighed and lay back down to still her beating head.

Syrinus continued to smile but his heart grew heavy. The moment of eye contact revealed a soul so dark yet so light he shuddered to comprehend how such a tiny creature could encompass such raging emotions. Looking over at Xena, he nodded and stepped towards the bed, bending on one knee.

"My child, you are safe here. How do you feel?"

The kind words echoed in the girl's head as she struggled to comprehend their meaning. Slowly taking in a deep breath the child's slight whisper of a voice replied. "I'm not well."

Syrinus chuckled softly. "No, my dear, you are not. Lie back while I attend to you and then we'll see about getting some meal and drink in you."

The man's quiet demeanour stilled the girl's quaking heart. She couldn't survive much more hurt or anguish. Relenting she allowed the giant man's hands to roam along her body, prodding gently to find any broken bones. Though her mind and body screamed in anguish she knew that, somehow, what this man was doing was not a violation of her body like the other ones committed, but an act of compassion.

Satisfied that her body was sound, Syrinus looked into the girl's eyes once more to fathom what and who she was. Sensing that her soul was under attack, the girl threw her hands at the man's neck. With one quick motion the man held her hands away from his neck as he continued to read the girls' soul. 'Such unusual eyes, almost like a hawk's. But filled with such rage and hatred.' Only one other person had made him wish he never had the Sight and she quietly leaned against the wall blending in with the shadows.

Releasing the girl's hands, Syrinus stood up and nodded down at her. "You are wise to defend yourself my dear but not against those of us that only want to help you. Rest now and I will bring you something to eat and drink in a few moments."

The girl shuddered at the peaceful voice that washed over her. Trying to fight was all she could do but his soft voice beckoned her fragile mind into accepting that what he said was true. The rage left her eyes as her body slowly eased back into relaxation.

"What is your name child?" the man asked softly.

The girl sighed in defeat to his voice. "Kharis."

"Well my child, you already exhibit the beauty that your name implies. Maybe later on you will grace us with your other attributes," Syrinus said as he lead Gabrielle out of the room leaving Xena still standing in the corner.

The warrior stared from the shadows at the young girl, wondering how and why she was here. Grace... beauty... kindness. 'Strange choice of a name for a child such as that.' Even the Gods loved irony at times. Watching intently, Xena waited for the girl's breathing to soften into slumber before she silently moved from her spot to the door.

"I will claim you," the girl said dreamily, her eyes still closed.

Xena whipped around and faced the girl; a lone eyebrow rising a fraction as the raven-haired woman pondered the child's statement. Was the child talking in her sleep or was she still alert? If so, how did she know the warrior was still in the room? Should she question the girl now or wait until she heard what Syr had to say? Realising that the answer started with Syr, Xena turned and left the girl alone in the small room with the stool. 'I will claim you? What did she mean by that?' Shrugging her well-toned shoulders, Xena knew she'd have to wait before questioning this young one, but she was patient.

CHAPTER 6

"Well that was interesting," Gabrielle said once they had left the room. Syr nodded as he sat down, pensively chewing his upper lip. Both bard and healer looked towards the doorway as Xena gliding through, closing the door. Her face was a mask, usually reserved for her warrior moments, and was out of place when compared to her two friends. 'I will claim you.' The words kept repeating in the warrior's mind triggering a small memory that refused come into the light. Knowing that time would help, the warrior quickly placed the memory back down into the dark until it was ready to rise up to the surface.

Gabrielle walked towards her friend and placed a hand on the woman's shoulder. "Xena, what's wrong?"

Xena's mask dropped slightly as a small smile briefly played across her lips only to return back again as the woman looked at Syrinus. "Well? What did you see?"

The man looked up apprehensive. He wasn't sure he had read the girl right but if Syrinus had, then his warrior friend would not be pleased. "I'm not sure."

"Syr, tell me."

The man swallowed and closed his eyes. "I saw a child with a soul as old as the Gods. A soul in silver that was nearly encompassed by the blackness that surrounded it." He stopped and chose his words carefully before continuing. "She is almost lost to him."

Xena shuddered as Syrinus confirmed her belief. She couldn't believe he would do it. That he would go that far to reclaim her.

Gabrielle was confused at Xena's reaction to Syrinus' reading. "What's that mean?"

The man looked at Xena for approval but only received a harsh, blank look. Standing up, Syrinus looked down at Gabrielle and tried to reassure her with a smile. "It just means what it means. The girl is lost and needs our help." Looking down into the slightly frightened eyes of the bard, the man smiled reassuringly. 'Does she know? Has Xena told her yet?'

"Xena? Syrinus? Will one of you tell me whats going on?" Gabrielle asked adamantly, her anger starting to rise as she was being made to feel like a child who has interrupted the adult's conversation.

Xena looked down at her friend and gave the bard a quick hug. Releasing her too quickly for the bard's liking, the warrior slid down the wall at her back as she focused on the back of a chair she had carved many years ago. The scene was a happy one of two young children playing in a field... a boy and a girl from Amphipolis. No cares towards the future besides the next mock fight.

Sighing slowly, Xena voiced her suspicions and gave light to the dark secret that was held within the girl's soul. "She is Ares' child."

Not quite hearing her friend right, Gabrielle sought the warrior's gaze. "Are you sure? How could that be?"

"I don't know," Xena replied wearily. "All I do know is that she is."

Syrinus nodded in affirmation towards the bard, fear slightly creeping into his soul as the ramifications of what they discovered started to settle into his brain. If the child was from Ares why was she brought onto this earth now? For what reason? 'Why did the Gods insist on playing with mortal's lives?' he thought sadly.

Thinking along the same paths, Xena guessed that the answers lay with the one that she despised with most of her soul. Standing up suddenly, Xena walked towards the centre of the room and shouted. "Ares! Show yourself, you sorry excuse of a god! Show yourself now!"

Tingling on the back of the warrior's neck alerted her to the presence of her former god as Ares instantly materialised in front of Xena. Smiling seductively, the god strode forward and placed a hand on the warrior's cheek. "What would you like, my dear? The world on a platter?"

Slapping his hand away, Xena's anger started to rise as she struggled to control the darkness that always threatened to overwhelm her when she was in the presence of the God of War. "No, Ares, I just want answers. Now!"

Shrugging, the God of War agreed and sat down on a bench against one of the walls, placing his booted feet up on a stool close by. "Shoot."

"Why did you make that child?" Xena spat out venomously.

"Because I could."

"Wrong answer," the ex-warlord said as she unsheathed her sword.

"Tsk tsk, Xena. Always falling back on the violence when we don't get our way, now aren't we?"

Holding the sword's tip at the god's eye level Xena asked again. "Why did you make that child?

"She was my backup plan."

"Backup plan?" the bard asked intrigued. Ares always made her uncomfortable for more than one reason. The major one being how his presence had a bad influence on Xena's control of her emotions. The other being that he just gave her the creeps.

"Yes. I knew that Xena, here, would not live forever so I created another Chosen to take her place eventually. Fourteen years ago actually. Little did I know that she would have to fulfil her duties much sooner then she should have," Ares explained straightforwardly. "If you had only stayed with me, Xena, the child could have grown up as normal as could be until the time she was needed. But no, you had to go and ruin my life, and her life, by finding the 'goodness' in you. Why couldn't you have just left it alone?"

Xena declined to answer that old question, after having answered it already too many times to the stubborn god. "Why does she want to kill me? Or need I ask?"

"Probably because of Callisto," Ares shrugged.

"Callisto?" both warrior and bard said simultaneously.

Ares was surprised that the warrior didn't know of Callisto's release from hell. Happily surprised in fact. It wasn't often that one could surprise the Warrior Princess. Even if one was a god. "I'm surprised you didn't know, Xena?"

Smirking evilly the warrior could only admit her ignorance. "Well it's not like I keep tabs on every one. So how does Callisto play into all of this?"

"She convinced Caesar to ransack the village and impersonated you while he was at it."

"What?" both bard and warrior replied again in unison. Xena glanced over at Gabrielle and frowned slightly as the bard tried to hide a smile. 'Jinx'.

"My, my, Xena. You really should keep abreast of things. You wouldn't want your reputation to tarnish now would you?" the God of War sneered.

"Not like it hasn't already been tarnished," Xena shrugged. "So why did she impersonate me if there were to be no survivors to spread the word that it was me?"

"She knew the child wouldn't die. I wouldn't let her die. It served Callisto's purpose. The child would survive and try to kill you. With her being my begotten she would have a good a chance at that too, I might add. If she failed, then the good deeds you've been pulling over the last four years would be for naught when word got out that Xena, with Caesar and his army, ordered the crucifixions. Brilliant, I must say, but she should not have used my child like that," Ares voice deepened menacingly.

Xena was surprised to notice an inflection of concern in Ares voice over the girl being a pawn in the war between Callisto and herself. Rubbing her neck, Xena pondered her next move. 'What to do with the child?'

Ares heard the warrior's thought and shook his finger at in her face. "You will do nothing. Leave the child to me." Turning sharply on his heal the God of War raised his arm towards the closed door leading into the girl's small room. Palm flat forward, he twisted it gracefully and beckoned the door to open.

A small creak was heard as the girl slowly opened the door a fraction, peering out at the man standing before her. Had she heard right? This man was her real father? Xena wasn't really Xena but some woman called Callisto?

"How much did you hear, child?" Ares asked the eye peering through the crack in the door.

"Enough," was all she replied.

"Come here."

Kharis opened the door more while continuing to look into the god's eyes. 'My father? A god? That would make me...' The thought was too much to bear as she pushed it aside for the moment and allowed her body to unwillingly step towards the God.

Smiling down on the child, Ares felt a sense of pride he hadn't felt since Xena was his so many years ago. "You are mine, Kharis. It is your destiny. But for now you must learn a warrior's ways and I can not teach you that. It is forbidden." Looking towards Xena he smiled a knowing smile with the question on his lips.

"No, Ares. I won't teach her to be what I was." Xena declared forcibly.

"Then I'll have her trained at one of my temples."

"No," Gabrielle spoke up suddenly. "She'll stay with us. We'll take her to the Amazons and she can learn there."

"Gabrielle," Xena warned, but was cut off by a knowing look from her friend. What was that bard thinking?

Ares frowned as he weighed the possibilities. If the child was to learn fighting skills in the Amazon village she would be prepared enough that Ares could teach her the rest in a few years, but being that close to Artemis' hand could be a problem. Deciding that the pros outweighed the cons Ares agreed. "Fine. She will learn with the Amazons. But I will be keeping a close eye on her. If any of your Amazons try to convert her to Artie you personally will pay." He said directly to Gabrielle.

"And if you lay a hand on Gabrielle, I will personally remove it from your body forever," Xena's cold voice said.

"I would expect nothing less of you, Xena" Ares smiled. Looking down at his daughter the God of War smiled. "Stay with Xena. Learn from her what you can. Learn from the Amazons. Then when you are ready, you will come to me and we will reign together, father and daughter. Like before."

Kharis shuddered at the promise and said nothing. 'Before?' Stepping away from the god, the girl walked towards the Warrior Princess and bowed. "I am sorry for the attempts on your life. I realise now that you were not a part of what had happened at my village. Please accept my servitude until you decree that I have paid the life debt."

Xena was slightly surprised at the girl's well-spoken manner and stiff form. 'How old was she again? Fourteen?' She looked no more than nine or ten at best but looks were deceiving, as the girl's earlier exhibits of strength had shown the warrior. Grunting her affirmation, Xena nodded towards Ares, dismissing his presence. "You can go now, Ares."

"Now, now, my dear Xena. Wouldn't you like to chat some more?" Ares asked his Chosen. A raised eyebrow was his only reply. Shrugging, the God of War licked his lips and blew a kiss at Xena before disappearing without a trace, leaving the group in silence.

Syrinus was the first to speak after a few moments. "Kharis, my child. Are you hungry?"

Kharis looked over at the gentle man and smiled a frighteningly familiar smile. "I thought you'd never ask."

CHAPTER 7

The room was silent as four bodies slowly rested in contentment over the meal. Xena had to chuckle. Gabrielle now had a run for her money on who could eat more. The girl not only kept up to the bard's voracious appetite but did it one better. 'It's amazing that she's so small for someone who eats that much. Though regaining strength after being on the cross took a lot of nourishment. I should know.' Wiping the dark image from her mind Xena stood up and walked over to Syrinus, placing a hand on his shoulder lightly and stooping down to give him a quick kiss to the top of his head.

"Thank you for the wonderful meal, once again, Syr. You out did yourself this time."

Syrinus patted the hand. "It was nothing you haven't tasted before."

Xena smirked slightly then made her way to the fire where her friend was happily daydreaming by. Sitting in the high chair, the warrior reached over and lightly stroked Gabrielle's hair, bringing the bard out of her thoughts. Shifting back, Gabrielle leaned against Xena's right thigh and placed her head on the muscular leg.

"Xena?"

"Hmm?"

"What did Ares mean by 'like before'?"

'Uh oh. I was hoping she wouldn't remember that. Damn his hide' Xena composed herself for a few seconds as her eyes shifted from a deep sea blue to a wary azure. This was one thing she had hoped would never come up. "Oh, I don't know. Maybe he was talking about when I was his Chosen." 'That was half true.'

"I don't think so. I think you know exactly what he meant. What did he mean?" Gabrielle knew she was treading on shaky ground. Any mention of Xena's link to Ares usually put the warrior in a black mood. But this was something that was important and the bard had to find out for sure before she could go on with what she had been thinking about during dinner.

"Gabrielle, not now, please. I just want to relax by the fire." The hand stiffened a bit as Xena tried to control the darkness that was slowly overcoming her, but continued to stroke the rose coloured hair. 'Not now. Not here with the girl in hearing distance.'

"It has to do with Kharis though. She's not as weak as you think she is."

'That, my bard, is the understatement of the century' Xena thought as she caught the girl out of the corner of her eye. 'We are so much alike... yet so different.'

"I never thought she was weak."

"Really? I thought she was until I started noticing..."

Xena stiffened slightly. "Noticing what?" The coldness in her voice made the bard sit up and look into the now flaming eyes.

'Might as well get this out of the way now before we're with the Amazons. They'll notice right away. Funny I didn't until tonight.' Swallowing hard, Gabrielle continued with what she started. "She is a lot like you, you know?"

"Really?" Xena asked, trying to maintain an even voice. Fear slowly crept in her mind but was beaten down by a control that was stronger. 'She knows. She can see as plainly as Syr did when I brought the child in. Damn. Damn Ares to Tartarus.'

"Besides the obvious of course... dark hair, dark body. But it's more than that. An aura of control and deadly intent that I've only seen with you. Plus she heals as quickly as you... is stronger than what she should be, like you. It's just weird how similar you two are. Except for her eyes." There, she had said it and now could only wait for Xena to admit what she had feared for many years.

Xena sat in silence as she tried to muddle through some viable excuse for the girl to be so much like the warrior. Discovering that only one was an option she finally played her card. "Well, why not? I was Ares' Chosen. Some of that had to rub off on me didn't it?"

"I guess..."

"And considering that the girl is begotten by him, she would have to have some of those qualities also. But she was born with them, whereas I developed them over years." Satisfied that the explanation would be good enough, Xena relaxed a bit.

"I don't think so. Remember when you challenged Ares in front of the Fates and beat him? Declaring that he must have been your father, since there was no way you could have beaten him any other way, wasn't just a ruse, was it Xena?"

Xena lost. She knew there was no denying it now. She had pushed that moment in her life down so far into a box that she prayed it would never see the light of day again. But it had and it was, right now. Struggling to look the bard in the eyes, Xena admitted defeat and nodded slightly.

"Why?" was all the bard could ask.

"I didn't want to admit to it. If I did that would mean that all the struggles I have gone through for the past four years would be for nought. I would have to accept that what I am is far different than what you have tried to show me what I could be. I would have to admit that I'll never be free from him, and that was something I prayed would not happen. Some how. Some way."

"You aren't his," the bard said with determination. "Just because he gave you life doesn't mean you are his by right. He has no control over you and he won't as long as you keep fighting it."

"You think so, huh?" Xena asked as she allowed a small portion of her darkness to overcome her features. Gabrielle shuddered as Xena's features hardened into cold, intense hatred for a few moments. Then, as quickly, they changed back to her somewhat normal mask, only this time the eyes beheld a pain at the knowledge that the evil within the warrior was never far from the surface. "Gabrielle, what I am, who I am is not goodness and light. That we both know. But it is hard to always maintain control over that aspect of my soul that belongs to him. If I doubt myself at times how can you think that the child will be able to fight it?"

Gabrielle looked into her friend's eyes and knew this was the moment she had been deftly steering her friend towards. Smiling a brilliant smile the bard could only reply. "Because she will have you there to show her how."

Xena slumped as her friend's words repeated in her mind. The hatred at how her soul had been warped because of him was unbearable at times until the light that was her friend showed the warrior that all was never lost. A gift worth more than anything Xena could ever accept, but she did on a daily basis as they struggled together combating the forces of evil and good within her own dark soul. Finally realising that Gabrielle was right, Xena's shoulders straightened as she ran a finger lightly over the bard's cheek, smiling at that radiant face.

"I thank the Gods every day for you being in my life, you know that don't you?"

"I've heard you mention that in passing before,"

"You have, have you?" Xena said as a mischievous glint crept into her eyes.

"Oh yes, at least once a fortnight."

The ex-warlord chuckled as she wrapped her friend in a giant bear hug and held her close. 'Maybe things will work out.' Releasing the bard slowly, Xena turned towards Syrinus, who had witnessed the exchange intently. "You can wipe that smile off your face before I wipe it off for you," she said good-heartedly.

This only brought an even larger smile from the man as he rose and indicated for Kharis to rise also. "I'm assuming you'll be leaving tomorrow?"

"Yes. Are there any shops that open right now? We need to get the girl some proper clothing," Xena asked.

"The girl has a name, thank you," Kharis said vehemently.

Xena quirked her eyebrow as she admired the sight before her eyes. 'Did I look like that when I was upset and still a child?' Amused, the warrior went over to the girl and stood in front of her, forcing the girl to look way up so as to make eye contact. "I'm sorry, Kharis. I should thought before I had spoken."

"Yes, you should have. I'm not a child anymore. I deserve respect, even if it's yours."

Everyone held their breath as the girl and woman squared off against in each other in a battle of wills. Xena's eyes hardened as she heard the challenge. This girl was so much like Ares it was amazing no one ever saw it before. Arrogant, fearless, cocky. Much like herself.

Kharis held her ground as Xena's presence overwhelmed the girl's personal space, stifling the air around her. She had gone through Tartarus and back over the past few days and no beat up ex-Chosen of Ares was going to intimidate her. Slowly a smile played across the warrior's face that unnerved the girl. 'What was she up to?'

Xena sighed internally. There were always battles, even one as insignificant as this one was. But the competitive nature of the warrior never allowed her to back out of a challenge of wills, even if it was with a child of Ares. Realising that the only way to keep the promise that Gabrielle had made for the warrior was to swallow her pride and let the child have the victory. This time.

"You have my respect. And you have my apologies once more. Do you accept?"

Kharis sharply took in a breath as the air around her opened up. Nodding her head, the girl accepted. "When do we leave?"

Gabrielle released her breath when Xena stood down and apologised. Shaking slightly, the bard knew it was going to be a long trip with these two. If only she could get Kharis to tone down her combativeness when around the warrior. 'Yeah right, like I'd be able to tone down Xena's.' Standing up, the bard gestured to the girl. "Come on. Let's see what we can find for you to wear at the market."

Kharis hung back a few seconds as she composed her emotions before she walked haltingly towards the bard, unsure on how to take the light haired Amazon. Realising that not everyone was going to treat her like a child, Kharis accepted the inviting arm that Gabrielle held out to her and walked out the door with the bard.

Syrinus shook his head as Xena turned around to stare at the child's back. "You two are going to have a lot of fun with that youngin'"

Xena grimaced. "Tell me about it."

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Despite herself, Kharis had a fun time with the bard as they shopped for new clothes for her. Not only was Gabrielle a shopping freak but she was deadly at bartering. Discovering that Gabrielle was a bard was even more of a joy as the girl sat at the woman's feet outside the healer's home, entranced at the stories that were being unfolded before her eyes.

"And so, with a mighty throw of her deadly chakram, the Warrior Princess cut the bonds of the giant's hand and released him from his prison. Standing no taller than his knee, the Warrior Princess demanded that he hold to his promise. Swearing on his oath to his family Xena allowed him to leave the canyon unharmed by the army that lay beyond, ready to strike the giant with hundreds of poisoned arrows if the princess was unsuccessful with her negotiations." Gabrielle finished up the tale as a look of rapture filled the child's face at what she had heard.

"So what happened to the giant?" Kharis asked eagerly.

"He kept his promise and never bothered the villagers again," a silky voice answered from beyond the doorway forcing the girl to turn her head sharply as Xena swaggered out onto the porch. Gabrielle chuckled as her friend sat down beside her, scanning the courtyard. Running her hands through her jet-black hair, Xena looked over at the girl admiringly. "Those look good on you."

Kharis blushed at this sudden warmth coming from the ex-warlord and stammered thanks. Waiting to see what the woman wanted, the girl fussed at the edge of her new clothes. A deep forest green tunic and black leggings were her choice from the start, and Gabrielle readily agreed. The darker tones highlighted her eyes even more; forcing anyone whom looked her way to focus on them even more. The boots were a surprise, since Kharis had always worn just sandals, but the bard explained the amount of walking involved when travelling with Xena, along with the types of terrain they'd run into. It felt good to be completely covered. Even though the bruises were no longer to be seen, the girl imagined that everyone would notice the ones still on her soul and tried to visibly hide the shame and anger that she held for the man called Caesar by covering herself up.

Leaping lightly off the porch, Xena walked to the middle of the courtyard. Deciding what her next move would be with the child was frustrating until it dawned on her that if Ares wanted the child as his next Chosen then he'd have to take her from the warrior's grasp. Smiling in the direction of the girl, Xena held out her chakram. "Want to show me how to use this?"

Kharis was shocked, to say the least. Not believing what she had heard, the girl looked at Gabrielle wondering if she heard that also.

"Go on, Kharis. She won't bite." the bard smiled.

Controlling her sudden fear and disgust at being caught off guard, Kharis walked up to the warrior and took the chakram in her hand. Feeling it's cool surface and deadly sharp edge, the girl marvelled at its strength and beauty. "What do you want me to do?" she asked simply.

Xena pointed at a bucket on a bale of hay 400 yards away. "Hit that." Stepping away from the girl, Xena watched as Kharis spotted the bucket and concentrated. Judging how far the distance was and how hard to throw it was the hard part, throwing it was easy. Quickly flexing her wrist back, the girl released the chakram and watched as it flew straight and true to its mark, knocking the bucket over with a resounding clang.

"Very good. Now tell me, where did you learn that?"

Kharis was surprised at the seemingly good nature of the warrior and answered readily enough. "My brother and his friends used to always throw the discus around but wouldn't let me try because I was a girl. So I'd practice after chores when no one was looking just to prove my brother wrong. Girls can do what boys do."

Xena chuckled. 'So we are more alike in more ways than I originally thought.' Walking over to retrieve the chakram, Xena discovered that the bucket hadn't even been dented. The throw was not only accurate but also dead on in pressure. It took a lot of skill to not ruin the bucket with a weapon that could sever a man's head from his body. Walking back over to Kharis, who stood still where she was, Xena noticed that the girl's face was a grim mask as the child tried to forget the image of her dead brother's body nailed to one of the crosses.

"So you proved to your brother that a girl could throw a discus. But a discus is only for distance, not as a weapon. What made you want to learn how to throw with accuracy?"

Shaking her head a bit to clear the horrible image, Kharis realised what Xena was leading to and knew she couldn't hide the answer from the warrior. Resigned to the fact that Xena would find out eventually, Kharis answered truthfully. "I knew you carried your chakram and you were the greatest warrior in Greece. I wanted to be a warrior to."

Defiance swept into the girl's eyes as she waited for a reaction from the warrior. Xena used all of her control in stopping a small smile, that threatened at the edge of her lips, from forming.

"I see," was all Xena said as she pulled out her breast dagger. "Have you ever used one of these?"

"Yes."

"Show me."

Kharis took the dagger from the calloused hand and looked for a good target. Spying a group of trees beside the house, she indicated the small grove and her intended victim. "The small tree on the far right, below the bottom branch."

Nodding at the girl to continue, Xena once again marvelled at the concentration in the child's brow as she quickly released the dagger and sent it on its way to the small target. Four hundred yards away, the dagger stood out of the trunk quivering, dead on target.

Xena reached down and turned the girl towards her. Grasping her chin gently, the warrior pulled it up and studied the face intently. "You are a remarkable girl, Kharis. Not many people could do that."

Taken aback at the sudden compliment, Kharis blushed as Xena continued to look at the her face. "You're... you're... just saying that to make me feel better."

Xena's icy blue eyes sharpened slightly as she shook her head and released Kharis' chin from her fingers. "No. I don't say anything that isn't the truth. You are going to have to learn how to accept compliments from me when they are warranted because I don't give them often."

"That's for sure," Gabrielle laughed from the porch. "She didn't give me a compliment until we had been travelling together for over two months, and let me tell you, it was a scary feeling."

Kharis nodded in agreement as she swallowed visibly. "I guess I should go and get the dagger, huh?" Not waiting for an answer the girl walked off to the tree as the two women watched.

"It's unnatural," Xena half whispered to herself.

"So are you at times," Gabrielle answered, smiling as she walked up to her friend.

"That's not true."

"Oh really? How many warriors do you know, let alone a woman warrior, can take on ten armed opponents and walk away afterwards relatively unharmed? How many warriors do you know can leap ten feet straight up in the air while doing a summersault? How many warriors do you know can die and come back?"

"Alright, Gabrielle, I get the point."

"Do you? Xena, I know what you do is normal for you. And yes, you've trained long and hard to do that. But how many people have also trained long and hard and never even get close to what you can do?"

"Not many," Xena sadly agreed. It was true. Not many could match her ferocity, skill, and guile in battle. Maybe it was because she was from Ares. Maybe she had been deluding herself all this time that she was like every other warrior out there, she just had to be better because she was a woman who fought in a man's world. It was a bitter truth to accept and had taken her many years to accept what she, herself, discovered after almost having to kill her own mother.

"Exactly. If it weren't for Ares' gift you wouldn't be the best fighter there is. And yes I do consider it a gift. If you were like the rest of them you would have never been able to fight off Cortese's men when they attacked your village. You would have never been able to save my sister and me from the slavers. You would have never been able to save the countless people you have saved over the years. And, you would have never been able to save your sister."

'Sister' The word sounded alien to Xena, but the way it sounded when it came out of the bard's mouth made it seem right. Seem very right for some reason. "You're right, of course. If my abilities weren't what they are I would have been dead a long time ago. I just don't like the idea that they came from him. That they aren't mine."

Gabrielle sighed as she wrapped an arm around her friend's waist. "But, Xena, they are yours. You were given natural abilities that are above what most people get. Those abilities that are Ares' gift. But it was YOU who had to learn how to use them effectively. Who had to train them long and hard over the years to be able to put them to good use? Ares didn't just drop out of the sky and bang, you're the meanest, scariest fighting machine that ever lived all of a sudden. Everything you are is because of you, and only you."

"But there is also that double edged sword, isn't there Gabrielle? He gave me abilities yes, but he also gave me tendencies to be a paranoid, unstable, homicidal maniac with lethal fighting skills to boot. I think that, in itself, is sometimes not worth the price for my abilities."

Gabrielle looked up into her friend's eyes and clearly saw the pain of that admission. Xena believed she was a person who couldn't be anything but a murderer, even if it was for the greater good. Releasing her hold, Gabrielle reached up and cupped the warrior's chin in her hand and directed Xena's gaze down to hers. "No. You listen to me and you listen good. Everything you did in your past is just that, the past. What you are here, now, is not what you keep beating yourself up over. Yes, you do have to kill. Yes, you do like what you do. You can't help that. It's what you are. But I have seen over the last few years a few different person than you think you are."

"Gabrielle..."

"Shut up and listen to me will you. Stop it right now. I don't know how many times you could have killed everyone in sight whenever we got into a skirmish. But you didn't. You would only stop them with an elbow, a knee, or a fist instead of continually going for your sword. You think I don't notice when you use the flat instead of the edge? You think I don't notice when there is more blood on you than is on your opponents? If you were this so called homicidal maniac then anyone that crosses your path would be dead and we would have left a trail of blood across this side of Greece. But there isn't? And do you know why?"

Xena sighed knowingly. She knew what her friend was leading to but wouldn't accept the excuse. There was no excuse for ten years of wanton murder on a scale that no one would ever be able to lay claim to. Not just Greece, but most of the eastern continent.

"Xena."

"Okay, Gabrielle. Why?"

"Because you are good. You might not believe it but you are. You told me once that while in Chin you learnt of the teachings of balance. Yin and Yang."

"So?"

"So. If you wholeheartedly believe in the evil that is in you, why can't believe in its balance of goodness?"

Xena pondered that for a moment, suddenly realising that the bard was right. Every man, woman, and child had a touch of darkness within them. Most weren't aware of the darkness and only allowed the goodness to shine through. Even those that were, by all accounts, evil still had to have some form of goodness in them for there to be a balance. Why hadn't she remembered that from Lao Mah's teachings?

Gabrielle slowly smiled as the notion finally dawned on Xena that the bard was right. Yes, she had an evil in her that was always near the surface. That was very strong and all encompassing. But that meant that there had to be a goodness that was also as powerful and also as strong. Her friend just needed to find the place where she had buried it and let it out.

Xena finally understood and took a small breath, afraid to even hope. Maybe Tartarus wasn't always going to be in the cards. Maybe it never was to begin with. Maybe, just maybe, everything that she had done for all those years had to have a balance and without the evil there would have been no chance for the good to come about. Slowly a small smile crept onto Xena's face as she felt hope stirring in her soul for the first time in a very long time. It felt good. It felt damn good.

CHAPTER 8

Kharis walked up to the tree and pulled the dagger out of the trunk. Turning back to Xena and Gabrielle, she could see them deep in conversation, the bard's arm wrapped around her much larger friend's waist while he other arm was motioning around the two bodies emphasising some point or another. Shaking her head slightly, Kharis sat down against the tree she had pulled the dagger from, resting her head on her crossed arms.

The past few days had been such a turmoil of contradictions that she still couldn't focus her mind clearly on how events had come to pass. She had only been gone a few hours, hunting for small game when she came back to find her village under attack by 'him'. Slipping in unnoticed with the rest of her village had been easy enough. Watching as the soldiers started to attack the villagers was unbearable. That she remembered but she couldn't remember what she had done because of it. Did she really kill those soldiers or was it her wish that she did? Standing up to the woman, who she originally thought was Xena, didn't even seem real. But she knew that it was, and what happened afterwards. Trying as hard as she could Kharis couldn't even remember who did what first nor what was done exactly. Somehow her mind blocked out most of the day. Small fragments of instant clarity would hit her out of the blue but the whole was a whirlwind of chaos.

Clutching her arms even more tightly, Kharis pushed what had happened to her out of her mind and succumbed to the horror of what happened to her loved ones. Allowing the pain a final release, she mourned her mother's and brother's deaths. The anguish filled her soul as she silently wailed for her family. Her family - good, honest, loving people - had been wiped away from this world with the same amount of thought that the Gods bestowed upon man. None.

Sobbing with her head bowed, Kharis tightly held the dagger against her arm, never noticing the hands that slowly reached out to grab her. Feeling a pressure on her arm, she quickly raised her head to see who was touching her, only to have a large hand cover her mouth and roughly pull her small body up. Fear climbed into her heart as she was held against a large man's chest and carried into the dense brush beyond the trees backwards. Struggling with all her strength, Kharis bit down onto the man's hand and kicked with all her strength at any body part she could come into contact with. A surprised yelp was heard from behind her as the hand slightly withdrew from her mouth and from around her arms. The slight movement enabled her to free her dagger arm, which she used quickly to stab down between her legs, hoping to hit the man in the stomach. Suddenly her body was falling down the man's chest as she was released.

Turning sharply, Kharis had a second to see that her dagger had done damage but not in the area she had hoped for. The man was clutching at his groin, which quickly pumped out his life's blood. Seeing her opening, Kharis surged forward and plunged the dagger into the man's heart, feeling the dagger slip between bones, as it struck true. Moments later he was dead on the ground while Kharis stood over his body, bloodlust shining in her eyes.

Sensing a presence behind her, Kharis whipped her arm around to slash at whomever was almost upon her, only to have her hand suddenly go numb as the dagger was kicked out of a now broken hand. Ice cold eyes behind midnight hair quickly passed from the girl to the man, dead on the ground. Kharis realised who it was instantly and crumbled to the ground unconscious as the adrenaline suddenly left her body.

Xena had seen the man grab Kharis from her peripheral vision and instantly ran across the courtyard to save the girl, leaving Gabrielle to stand in dismay at her friend's sudden leaving before realising what her friend was rushing to. It was over before the warrior got in sword distance and only battle trained reflexes stopped the dagger from slicing at her arm as she was about to pull the girl out of the way. A quick kick took the dagger out of harm's reach but broke the bones. The darkness was instantly upon her as she quickly scanned the surrounding area, praying that someone else would step forward to help relieve the adrenaline rush that was coursing throughout her body. Seeing none, Xena sheathed her sword and knelt down to the girl's side. Gently lifting Kharis' now weak body in her arms, Xena stood up and turned to her bard who had just arrived.

Gabrielle was breathing heavy as she stopped by Xena's side. A man, likely a slaver, was dead on the ground from wounds to his groin and heart. Kharis was cradled gently in the warrior's arms, a broken hand now inflamed with pressure as the swelling started to begin. Looking into her friend's eyes, Gabrielle could see the darkness slowly abating as Xena struggled to control her emotions.

"How is she?" the bard asked concerned.

"Broken hand only. He didn't hurt her."

"She did that?" indicating to the dead man.

"Yup. Did it before I could even get to her."

Gabrielle only nodded. "How'd she..."

"I kicked the dagger out of her hand. Forgot how delicate her bones were," Xena replied sheepishly. She hadn't meant to break the girl's hand, just disarm her, but muscles that were used to defending against opponents sometimes larger than even Xena herself were already in motion before she could check their strength.

Gabrielle could see the guilt already starting in her friend's eyes over another mistake that Xena was sure could have been avoided. Touching the warrior on the arm, Gabrielle shook her head slightly. "You are not to blame for that. It was in self-defence. So don't even think of..."

A quirked eyebrow shot up. "Okay, Gabrielle. I won't blame myself for that. But I will for her being taken. I should have checked the perimeter before allowing her to go over there."

"Xena, you couldn't have known."

"Yes, I would have if I had been paying attention. But that's in the past now. I've got to set the bones now. Could you go and retrieve the dagger. I kicked it over there," Xena nodded her head in the direction of where the flying dagger had went.

"Okay. Wait for me," Gabrielle said before jogging to the area where the dagger lay on some moss. It was covered in blood up to the hilt. The shock of seeing it red hit the bard hard. She had seen all of Xena's weapons covered in battle gore, too many times to even count, but the knowledge that the girl used this dagger was hard to accept. 'Could I have done what she did?' the bard mused as she wiped as much blood off the dagger on the ground as possible. 'Could I have lost my blood innocence at her age to save myself?' Knowing what the answer was, Gabrielle sighed sadly and walked back to Xena who was waiting for the bard.

Both women walked back to the house in silence, both deep in their own thoughts. Stepping up onto the porch, Xena was blocked at the door by Syrinus who had heard the commotion from inside and went to check out what was happening. Seeing an unconscious Kharis in Xena's arms was not what he had expected.

"What happened?" he asked concerned as he stepped back into the house to allow the warrior passage through the door.

"She was attacked by a man, more than likely a slaver. Took him out before I could even get there." Xena answered calmly as she went into the girl's room and gently lowered her onto the bed. "Syr, you have anything I can splint his hand with? Gabrielle, could you get my healer's kit and some water?"

Both friends nodded and went to retrieve what Xena had asked for as the warrior probed the hand for the amount of damage that she had inflicted. Two knuckles and three fingers were broken but would heal if set properly. The swelling was at its peak and slight purple bruises could now be seen starting to form. 'If she's anything like me she'll have full use in a few days' Xena mentally sighed. The girl was frightening in her speed and deadly accuracy of her attack on the man. Xena was impressed despite herself but also deeply worried. Kharis' eyes were what worried the warrior more. Rage, and that feral quality that Xena knew was in her own soul, clearly shone from those golden orbs. If the girl was deadly now at this young age what would she be like when she was fully trained and fully-grown? The thought left Xena shaking. Kharis would be unstoppable. Even more so than the ex-warlord was herself when she was the Destroyer of Nations. Kharis would fulfil what Ares once prophesied for Xena herself. One that she never fulfilled.

Syrinus and Gabrielle both returned at the same time to the room and handed over what Xena had asked for. Xena quietly worked on the girl's hand, splinting the fingers and binding the rest of the hand. Reaching over to the bard, she took the mug of water from Gabrielle's hands and applied a few healing herbs to it. Mixing them with her finger until the herbs had dissolved Xena leaned forward and lifted Kharis' head with her free arm. Titling it back a bit to open the mouth, Xena poured some of the mug's contents into the girl's mouth. Reaching over with the arm that was holding Kharis' head, Xena applied her fingers to the girl's neck, hitting a pressure point that forced Kharis to involuntarily swallow. She repeated the process until all of the water was drunk, then gently placed the girl's head back down on the pillow.

"She'll sleep a bit now. When she wakes up the pain killer should dull most of the pain."

"Come," Syrinus gestured towards the main room. "We'll eat and let the youngin' rest."

The gentle giant served the two women before sitting himself down at the table. Grabbing a large portion of mutton he noticed that Xena wasn't even attempting to eat, unlike the voracious bard. The warrior was staring down into her mug, trying to control the darkness that was once again rising within her. 'Why now? Why am I losing control now?'

"Xena, what's the matter?" he asked quietly.

"Nothing. Just thinking."

"Well, you can think and eat at the same time you know."

Between bites Gabrielle also noticed her friend wasn't partaking in the small feast before them and nudged some nutbread towards the warrior, knowing it was one of her favourites. "Xena. Eat." The bard ordered then went back to attacking her extremely large portion of mutton.

Xena grabbed her mug of port and slowly drained it in one fluid motion. "Not hungry."

"It's the child, isn't it? She has you spooked, doesn't she?" Syrinus guessed.

"Spooked? Me? Never." Xena scoffed as her soul continued to fight an evilness that was threatening to come out.

Nodding his head as if he understood, Syrinus took another bite of mutton but continued to hold the warrior's gaze, challenging her to deny it again. She knew he was right but hated to admit it. Hated to admit any weakness but this was one that had her worried for all of their souls. Especially her own.

"Fine. I'm worried."

"About Kharis' hand or just her?" Gabrielle asked as she helped herself to more mutton.

"Her."

"Is it because she lost her blood innocence?" the bard asked softly. The point of blood innocence was very much ingrained in her friend's psyche.

"No. I think she lost that a long time ago."

"What?" Gabrielle sputtered, mutton flying out of her mouth. Blushing slightly, the bard mumbled her apologies as she cleaned up the small mess in front of her.

"That was no chance of luck out there. She knew where to hit him. In the exact spot that would kill him instantly. That doesn't happen with luck. That happens with practice." Xena said blankly. 'It only happens when you are like me' the warrior cringed.

"She's just a youngin'. Where would she have acquired that practice?" Syrinus asked pointedly.

"Hunting more than likely, but I think she has killed before. Maybe some of those soldiers that raided her village. Maybe even before then."

"If that's so then why are you upset?" Gabrielle asked, concern showing in her features at her friend's distress.

"Because she might be a lost cause already. I fear Ares already owns her. More so than he ever owned me."

"Why would you think that? Just because she was able to defend herself against that foul man doesn't mean that she's a lost cause."

"Gabrielle, you didn't see her eyes."

"No, I didn't. What did you see?"

Xena sighed and stood up, pacing across the floor to stand by an open window. The compound was quiet and peaceful, as was the house. But it wouldn't stay that way with the child under its roof. The memory that had lurked at the edge of the warrior's brain suddenly sprung to the surface with crystal clarity. How to explain the prophecy. How to explain Kharis' role in history, as was shown Ares' former Chosen once upon a time. Turning around to look at her friend's faces, Xena realised that it was time to bring to light what had been kept in her dark soul for over fourteen years. The releasing of a secret that had burned her soul down to its core and was now allowing the darkness to gain control. The darkness that was reclaiming its place.

"I saw Ares' prophecy in the flesh."

"Prophecy? What prophecy?" Gabrielle asked confused.

Syrinus' face was drained of colour as he sought a release from Xena's eyes. The cold, harsh light in those piercing blue eyes hid everything yet nothing to the man. Why he didn't see it before, he could never say afterwards. But the woman who was first his damnation, then salvation, was no longer there. Ares' Chosen was back, but back for a different reason. Xena was no longer there in front of him. Only death.

"You've heard of the Four Horsemen?" Xena asked casually, though her crystal eyes never reflected the easiness that her voice portrayed.

"Of course. What type of bard would I be if I hadn't? What about the Horsemen?"

Xena chose to ignore that comment for the moment. "Pestilence, Famine, War, and Death. Apollo rules over the Horseman of Pestilence, Athena rules over Famine, Ares rules over War, and Hades rules over Death. Each God gives certain powers and freedoms to their chosen Horsemen to do as they please until they are called into service. Once the service is performed then the Horsemen are free to live their lives as they see fit." The statement hung in the air as Xena finally admitted, in her own way, her role in the fates of millions that went beyond the massacre of just the Destroyer of Nations.

"Xena? Did you ever have to... well..." Gabrielle didn't know how to say it. The sudden thought of what Xena was saying sent chills down her spine as the ramifications of what exactly being Ares' Chosen really meant.

"Yes." The truth of all truths that lead to the dark. Xena had been not only been a warlord held on a pedestal by the God of War but was his own tool as one of the Horsemen. If she had known that, when she initially accepted his offer, she would have renounced the sword. But Ares was no fool and held off telling her what being his Chosen really meant until it was too late. Her soul was already lost to anger and hatred. What was another title to her? Destroyer of Nations, Ares' Chosen, Third Horseman of the Apocalypse. Did it all really matter? They were one in the same. All titles led to death on a massive scale that pleased the Gods when it suited them. And Xena suited them very well for ten years.

"Xena," Syrinus said softly. "What was the prophecy?" He always knew that death had hung on the warrior's shoulders for years. But the reasons were suddenly much clearer to him. Once again, he was mistaken in his assumptions that he knew this strange, enigmatic woman. Sadly mistaken.

Xena turned and faced the window again as the darkness struggled even harder to wrest control of the warrior's soul. The evil that had lain dormant for four years was striving to be free. With one pronouncement, evil would take control in all its glory. Realising there was no way out Xena succumbed to the temptation, almost willingly.

"What once was four shall now be one. Unto only one, pestilence, famine, war, and death will be bequeathed. Thus fully claimed, the One shall be called forth upon this realm and shall be beholden neither to men nor gods. The One shall be known as the Guardian of Apocalypse and where-so-ever pestilence, famine, war, and d