The Silent Bard
by B L Miller
part 1
Disclaimer 1: The characters Xena, Gabrielle, Argo, Hercules and Iolaus are owned by MCA/Universal and they own all rights to them. I only borrowed them for this story. The rest of the story is mine. Comments can be sent to me at blmillerstories@aol.com.
Disclaimer 2: This story contains explicit, graphic scenes of two women making love to each other. If this offends you, run, don’t walk, away from this story. There is also scenes of physical and emotional violence. Just so you’re warned.
See also LA BARDE SILENCIEUSE, translated into French by the ever wonderful Valerie
"Damn that impertinent brat!" Ares stormed around his realm. "She’s always ruining my plans." He looked into the scrying bowl. It contained an image of Xena and Gabrielle sitting by a fire. As he moved closer, he heard Gabrielle telling Xena one of her stories. "And that voice! Ooh, how it grates on my nerves!" He stomped around, getting even more furious. "She’s always talking Xena out of doing things my way. With her influence, I’ll never get my warrior princess back. If only there was a way to shut her up!" he scratched his beard, as if it might give him some new ideas. "I can’t kill the bitch, Artemis would never let me kill her precious Queen of the Amazons!" He walked closer to the bowl. Gabrielle’s voice filled the air again. "Arggh! Doesn’t she ever shut up?" An evil smile formed on his godly lips. "That’s it! I’ll shut her up! Without her voice, she can’t tell Xena what to do. She’ll be helpless to stop me!" The room vibrated with his evil laughter.
As usual, Xena woke with the first rays of Apollo’s chariot. She took a moment to check on her sleeping companion, then headed to the water to catch breakfast. The rabbit she caught last night was small, but Gabrielle didn’t complain. Xena decided to make it up to her this morning. She would catch enough fish to fill her bard’s belly. Of course she knew that Gabrielle’s belly didn’t stay full for long. That girl could eat. In all her summers as a warlord, Xena had never seen anyone who could eat more than Gabrielle. The maddening part of it was that the bard didn’t have an ounce of fat on her. Xena knew that if she ate even half of what her companion did, she would be bigger than a hut. Chuckling at the image, Xena entered the water.
Gabrielle squinted against the bright sun. There was no use trying to go back to sleep now. She didn’t have to look to know that Xena was off somewhere getting breakfast. She did her normal morning all over body stretch and yawned. A quizzical look came over her face. She normally grunted when she stretched. This time she didn’t hear a sound. "Xena?" She called out, but no sounds came from her lips. She tried again. She felt her mouth move, her lips and tongue forming the necessary motions to make noise, but all she heard was silence, a deafening silence. Maybe it’s a dream, she thought. A painful pinch on her leg told her that she was quite awake. Scared, she tried again and again to call out for Xena, still with the same results. Her vision blurred as tears started to fall. Looking at the smoldering campfire, she spotted their frying pan. She crawled over and picked it up, smashing it again and again on the rocks that rimmed the fire.
Xena had just finished cleaning a small trout when her ears picked up the sound of metal against rock. There was an urgency to the banging. Fearing for Gabrielle’s safety, Xena dropped the fish and ran back to the campsite. Gabrielle was wildly banging the pan against the rocks, tears streaming down her face. The look on the bard’s face was something that Xena had never seen there before, stark terror. She knelt down next to her and took the pan out of the crying woman’s hands.
"Gabrielle, what’s wrong?" The bard shook her head back and forth. Not understanding, Xena grabbed her by the shoulders. "Gabrielle, tell me what’s going on." Those words served only to increase the amount of tears. More disturbing for Gabrielle was that even her sobs didn’t have sounds. She pointed to her throat and shook her head, desperately trying to make the warrior understand. "I don’t understand, Gabrielle. Calm down and tell me what’s got you so frightened." Frustrated with the lack of speech and angry at herself for not being able to communicate, Gabrielle pushed Xena’s hands away and ran towards the water. Totally confused, Xena quickly followed.
Gabrielle stopped at the edge of the water and frantically started to move her fingers through the muddy dirt. Xena almost reached down and pulled the bard’s hands away until she realized that Gabrielle was trying to write something in the wet earth. Xena waited until Gabrielle’s fingers stopped moving. Two words were written. Can’t talk. Xena looked from Gabrielle to the dirt and back to Gabrielle. "You can’t talk? Is that what’s wrong?" Gabrielle slowly nodded her head up and down. Without warning, the bard threw herself against Xena, wrapping her arms around the warrior and holding tight. "I’ve got you, it’s okay." Xena put her arms around the crying woman and stroked her hair. They didn’t move for almost a full candlemark, Gabrielle needing comfort like never before and Xena not certain how to provide that comfort. When she felt that Gabrielle had finally calmed down, Xena pulled back to look at the tear stained face. "Gabrielle…hey, look at me." She put her hand on the bard’s chin and forced her to look. "I don’t know how this happened, but I swear we’ll find a way to get your voice back." Gabrielle nodded and wiped her eyes. "That’s better. Are you hungry?" Xena was surprised when the bard shook her head from side to side. "Are you sure?" Another shake. "Okay, I’ll tell you what. I’ll get camp packed up and we’ll head toward Athens. We’ll go see Hippocrates. If anyone can figure out what’s wrong, he can." Xena moved her thumb back and forth across Gabrielle’s cheek in a comforting motion as she waited for the young woman to agree. After several heartbeats, the storyteller finally nodded.
The silence was eerie as Xena packed up the rest of their gear. She continually looked over at Gabrielle, who spent most of her time staring at the ground. The bard made no effort to help. Once everything was packed, Xena vaulted onto Argo. Gabrielle started walking, her head down as if the weight of the world was on her youthful shoulders instead of on Atlas’. Normally, Gabrielle would follow behind Argo, constantly chattering about their previous adventure or about a story that she was working on. However, Xena found herself holding Argo back, keeping the bard within her line of sight. Xena never realized how much she depended on Gabrielle’s chatter to let her know that the bard was still with her. Looking down now, Xena watched as Gabrielle walked slowly, staring at the ground. The warrior’s heart ached to take the pain away. Gabrielle’s voice was one of her biggest assets. It opened inns for them, eased the way for Xena to enter new towns, haggled for the best prices on goods. Now it would be up to Xena to handle all that, and the warrior knew that she was nowhere near as proficient with words as her beloved bard.
After an candlemark of deafening silence and painfully slow progress, Xena could stand it no more. Hopping off of Argo, she walked over and put her arm on Gabrielle’s shoulder. "Would you like to ride for a while? We’ll get there quicker." The bard turned to face her and Xena realized that she had been crying. "Hey," Xena said softly as she wiped away an errant tear. "Why didn’t you tell me?" Quickly realizing the mistake in her words, she corrected herself. "I’m sorry. Gabrielle, would you ride with me?" The bard shook her head. "Please?" Gabrielle looked at her thoughtfully. Xena never said please. "Gabrielle, I really want you to ride with me." Seeing no reaction, Xena took a deep breath and contemplated her words carefully. "It would make me feel better. I can’t hear you but at least I would be able to feel you. Please Gabrielle, I need some kind of contact with you." It was an admission of Xena’s own helplessness over the situation. As upset as Gabrielle was, she still understood the importance of the warrior’s words. The bard walked over and put her foot in the stirrup. Xena pushed her up, then climbed up behind her. Holding the reins in her hand, Xena wrapped her arms around the younger woman’s waist. Gabrielle continued to cry silently, but allowed herself to take comfort in the strong woman’s arms. Xena’s mind raced as she tried to figure out what happened to the bard’s voice.
Argo stopped quickly when Gabrielle pulled back on the reins. "What’s wrong?" Xena asked, then mentally berated herself for being so stupid. "I’m sorry. We have to figure out a way to communicate with each other." Gabrielle nodded slightly and pushed her hand against Xena’s leg. "What? You want to get down?" A nod. Xena slid off and held her arms out to aid the bard. As she lowered Gabrielle, Xena wrapped her arms around and held her close. "Gabrielle, you know there isn’t anything in the world that I wouldn’t do for you. We’ll find a way to make this better. I swear to Artemis that we will." She released the embrace. Gabrielle started to walk toward the thick underbrush. "Where are you going?" Xena said as she reached out and grabbed the bard’s arm. Gabrielle pointed at the woods. "Why do you want to go there?" Gabrielle looked at her, trying to figure out how to tell her without embarrassing either one of them. Finally she pointed between her legs, then waved her arm, indicating the woods. Xena arched her eyebrow as understanding set in. "Oh." She smirked. Gabrielle rolled her eyes in the first pleasant gesture all day. The bard headed into the mass of trees and undergrowth when she heard Xena’s footsteps behind her. She turned around. "I have to make sure you’re all right. What if you fell over a log and hit your head? How would I know? I’m just looking out for you." Gabrielle scowled and kept walking, well aware of the six foot shadow behind her. When she found the spot she wanted, she reached up and pushed on Xena’s left shoulder while pulling on the other one. "I was going to turn around, Gabrielle. I didn’t need your help." She turned around and looked up at the treetops, smirking at the bard’s modesty. Her ears told her when the bard was done, but she waited until she felt a gentle hand on her shoulder before she moved. They walked back to the road in silence.
It was two candlemarks past mid-day when Gabrielle pulled on the reins again. They dismounted. Xena assumed that Gabrielle had to go to the woods again, but the bard stood there and rubbed her stomach. "Oh, it’s time for lunch, isn’t it?" Gabrielle nodded. Xena looked up at the sky. "I’m sorry. I guess I lost track of time. Usually you…" She let the words trail off, realizing her mistake. "Come on, I’ll catch us a rabbit and I swear it’ll be bigger than the one we had last night, okay?" She had hoped for a smile from her bard, but all she received was an indifferent shrug.
Xena quickly unsaddled Argo and let the war-horse munch on the sweet grass. Gabrielle made no attempt to unpack their foodstuffs or cooking gear. Uncertain if the bard even wanted to eat, Xena walked over and sat cross-legged next to her. Gabrielle quickly wrote something in the soft dirt. Xena looked over to read the words. "You’re scared? I know you are." Xena reached over and put her hand on the bard’s knee. "This isn’t permanent, Gabrielle." She said the words although she feared the opposite. "Look on the bright side, at least your hand isn’t broken. You still can write, even if you can’t talk." Gabrielle frowned and wrote in the dirt. "Big deal? Gabrielle, it is a big deal." Gabrielle turned her head away. "No. Look at me, Gabrielle." Xena used her hand to move the girl’s head. "It is a big deal." She sighed, wishing that she knew what was going on in her bard’s head. "Gabrielle, maybe you should take some time and write down what you’re feeling." The head shook. "Gabrielle, I mean it. I really think it would help." There was a long pause. "It would help me. I have no idea what’s going on in your pretty little head and I would give anything to know. Use your parchment and talk to me, Gabrielle. Don’t shut me out like this. I don’t deserve it." Xena stood, unable to deal with the feelings anymore. She needed something to do. "I’m going to get something for lunch." She reached into the saddlebag and pulled out the frying pan. "You go get some wood and start the fire. If you need me, use this." She held the pan out and waited a few heartbeats for the bard to take it. Unsure of what else to say, Xena turned and headed for the woods, making certain that she was within earshot of her precious friend.
Xena returned with two small rabbits, neatly skinned, to find that Gabrielle had indeed started the fire and made a spit. To her disappointment, however, she saw that the bard had made no attempt to write anything down. The warrior was not used to Gabrielle keeping her feelings inside. Usually Gabrielle was very forthcoming about her feelings. Xena realized the irony of the situation. The stoic warrior trying to get the passionate bard to express her feelings. She felt a twinge of guilt. Gabrielle tried so hard to get Xena to express even the tiniest of emotions, most of the time failing. I have to be more open to her about my feelings, the warrior thought to herself. "Well, I couldn’t get a large rabbit, but I got two small ones." She knelt down and put them on the spit. "Don’t feel like writing right now, do you?" Shake. "Okay, I won’t push you, Gabrielle, although I should. Zeus knows you push me enough to express my emotions." The bard looked up at her, acknowledging the remark. "What I’m trying to say is, I’m here for you." She took a chance and sat down next to her. "I’ll always be here for you, no matter what happens." Gabrielle maintained the eye contact, her face revealing a contrast of emotions. Xena saw the pain, fear, and sorrow mixed with a despondency that didn’t belong on a face so young. Xena moved over to the fire and turned the spit. I never realized just how difficult it was to keep up a one sided conversation, she thought to herself. How does she do it? Smiling to herself, Xena thought about just how lucky she was to have the copper haired woman in her life.
"Yes, Xena. How lucky are you?" Ares chuckled as he looked down on them. "How lucky will you think you are when you end up using your last dinar to get food for her, Mmm? She’ll be totally dependent on you, Xena. She’ll drag you down until you’re her personal servant. Sounds real lucky to me, Xena." The skies rumbled with the God of War’s laughter.
"Do you want more?" Shake. "Okay, I’ll go saddle Argo and you can pack up." Xena tossed the remains of her food into the fire and went to go take care of the horse. She was quickly getting frustrated with herself for not being able to get through to Gabrielle. Gods, how she missed that voice. How she missed closing her eyes and listening to Gabrielle weave a tale. The bard knew just the right words to say to bring Xena out of her shell, and the right words to comfort. As she brushed Argo’s back, Xena wished she knew what words to say to comfort Gabrielle. Nothing she tried had worked. She privately feared that her precious bard was slipping into a depression.
After dinner, they sat next to the fire. "Gabrielle, I want you to try to write." Xena set the ink down on the ground next to the bard and handed her the quill and parchment. Gabrielle dropped the objects on the ground next to the ink. "Gabrielle, you need to write down what’s going on." Shake. "Why?" Shake. "Tell me how your feeling, Gabrielle, please." Shake. Xena felt her anger rising and her patience thinning. "Gabrielle, I can’t stand not knowing what your thinking." That got a reaction. The bard’s blue-green eyes flashed with anger as she grabbed the quill and parchment. The angry scowl was still on her face as she wrote. She tossed the quill on the ground, something she never normally would do, and shoved the note at Xena.
"How’s it feel? Now you have a glimpse of what I go through every single day, and the funny part is, YOU CAN TALK, YOU JUST DON’T!!!"
Xena looked up from reading the note, her face clearly showing her shock. Gabrielle watched her until eye contact was made, then turned her face back to the fire. The orange flames reflected off the tears that rolled down the face of the Amazon. Xena moved the ink and quill out of the way and sat down next to Gabrielle. Both women looked into the fire. "You know, there was a time when I liked the silence. It was calming after a battle. After all the screams and shouts, the thundering of hooves, the sound of metal against metal, the silence was a blessing. Right now the silence is anything but calming. You mean more to me than anyone else in the world, Gabrielle." The bard’s head turned, Xena continued to stare into the fire. It was hard enough just trying to talk. "I guess I never told you that, huh? You do." Xena quieted. Gabrielle reached out and touched the warrior’s shoulder. Xena turned and looked at her. "More than anyone." Gabrielle’s bottom lip quivered as her eyes brimmed with unshed tears. "Come here." Xena pulled the bard in and held her close, burying her head in the coppery hair. When Gabrielle pulled back, she had a sad smile on her face. "What?" Gabrielle pointed at the warrior, then held up two fingers. "What? One two?" Shake. Repeats the motions. "Me?" Nod. "Okay, me" Two fingers held up. "Two? Me two? Oh, me too." Nod. Xena looked down at the ground. "I’m not good at this, Gabrielle." Xena said softly, "I’m trying, I’m better than I was two summers ago, aren’t I?" Gabrielle nodded, then smiled and held up her thumb a forefinger, a thin flicker of light between them. Xena’s eyes widened. "Oh you." She leaned over and ruffled the coppery hair, receiving a good-natured shove in return. Xena sat there for a moment, unsure of what to do next. Deciding that she needed to keep her hands busy, she threw more logs on the fire. "Why don’t we make it an early night so we can get a good start in the morning?" She looked over to see a shrug from Gabrielle, who made no effort to move. "Gabrielle…" She arched an eyebrow to make her point. Her body making the motions of sighing but without the sounds, Gabrielle got up and moved over to her bedroll.
Xena moved to the opposite side of the fire and laid out her own. That was the way they always slept, unless it was a cold night. Only then did they sleep together. Xena didn’t feel the cold as much as the young bard did, but she never minded when Gabrielle asked to sleep with her. Xena sometimes wished that the beautiful young woman would sleep with her more often. The warrior loved the way Gabrielle’s hair felt against her face, how soft the bard’s skin was against her own. Xena had just settled into her bedroll when she saw Gabrielle stand up. Xena propped herself up on one elbow and watched Gabrielle pick up her bedroll and walk over to the warrior’s side of the fire. "Come here." Xena said affectionately as she pulled back her cover and made room for her bard. Gabrielle quickly took refuge in the warrior’s strong arms. Xena covered them both with the bard’s bedroll and put her hand on Gabrielle’s hip.
It felt so good to be held in the warrior’s strong arms. Gabrielle snuggled in closer, feeling the heat radiate from the warrior’s body wherever their bare skin touched. Reaching down, she took Xena’s hand and moved it off of her hip and down across her stomach. She needed to be held, be comforted. If something happened during the night, Gabrielle had no way to let Xena know. She decided that she needed to feel her warrior’s body during the night. Even in her sleep, Xena would be able to protect her. Xena tightened her grip around the young woman’s midriff. Pulling the bard closer, she wrapped her tall body around the soft, smaller one, and fell into an uneasy slumber.
Gabrielle thrashed about, instantly waking Xena. She watched the bards lips move silently. Even with no sounds, Xena knew the girl was in the throws of a bad nightmare. Xena could usually tell what kind of dreams the bard was having just by listening to her from across the fire. Some nights she would hear giggles. At first, Xena would sit up and see if the bard was awake. After a while, she realized that Gabrielle was dreaming about something funny. One night, Gabrielle’s giggling had been so bad that after a while Xena couldn’t control herself and started to giggle at the girl giggling in her sleep. Other nights weren’t quite as pleasant. After becoming Queen, Gabrielle had terrible nightmares reliving the recent deaths over and over in her sleep. She would scream out the name of the person who died in her dream. At first, it was Perdicus or Xena. In recent moons, the occasional nightmare was always about Xena’s death. Although they never spoke about it in the mornings, what Xena witnessed at night spoke volumes to her about the depth of the bard’s feelings. On rare occasions, Xena woke up to hear sounds of pleasure part from the lips of the young sleeping bard. When those nights happened, Xena would quietly sit up and watch Gabrielle, enthralled with the movements and sounds she made. Gabrielle’s moans would start out soft, gentle. Then they would become more passionate as her dream progressed. The bard’s body would move beneath the bedroll and Xena would sometimes catch uninhibited gazes at Gabrielle’s smooth, soft breasts. They never talked about those dreams either, though Xena noticed that Gabrielle was more pleasant and easier to get up the next morning.
The way that she was thrashing about, Xena worried that the bard would hurt herself. Xena hated to wake up anyone in the middle of a nightmare. She knew what she was like when she was woken up from one. She almost knocked Gabrielle out one time when the bard tried to wake her from a nightmare. She’d even heard of people just plain dying from being woken up. She looked down at her best friend again. Whatever terror had it’s grip on her, it was too much for Xena to bear. She grabbed hold of Gabrielle’s shoulders and shook her.
Gabrielle stood there, looking at the three sword-wielding thugs. Her staff was out of reach. She knew Xena was nearby. She tried to shout but no words came. The men came closer. She tried to run but her legs got tangled up in the bedroll. She fell down just as they reached her. The men laughed lecherously as they realized that she couldn’t speak. She felt hands grab her shoulders, shaking her…
"Gabrielle! Gabrielle! Wake up!" She opened her eyes to see a very concerned Xena looking down at her. It was a nightmare. Just a nightmare. "Boy, Xena, you wouldn’t believe…" Her mouth moved, but no sounds came out. It wasn’t all a nightmare. She had no control over the wave of tears that coursed down her face. Xena let go of her shoulders and pulled Gabrielle close. She stroked the coppery hair, gently rocking back and forth. "Okay…it’s all right now…I’ve got you…I know…" Xena repeated the words over and over like a mantra. Her voice low and throaty, she spoke in a hypnotic tone, hoping to calm the silent woman down.
Gabrielle listened to the deep voice of her warrior. She loved this woman so much. When needed, Xena was her calm port in a storm. Gabrielle never ceased to be amazed at how fierce and rough Xena could be one minute, yet gentle and soft the next. There were many dichotomies like that about Xena. She was a warrior and a healer. She hunted animals for food and pelts, yet spent candlemarks brushing down Argo. Intelligent about so many things, yet completely helpless in many social matters. Listening to Xena’s voice speaking gently to her, Gabrielle finally calmed down enough to fall back asleep. Xena waited until she heard the familiar rhythm of breathing that indicated sleep before she slid out from between the bedrolls.
She knew there would be no more sleep for her tonight. Between worrying about Gabrielle’s nightmares and the new horror of the day, she was lucky she had been able to sleep at all. Staring at the fire, Xena contemplated the new problems raised by Gabrielle’s sudden muteness.
The most obvious problem was the financial one. Keeping a full grown war-horse fed gets expensive quickly. Put that on top of the ravenous appetite of the bard and the situation became even more grim. Another new realization to hit Xena was that Gabrielle was responsible for most of the money that they earned. Whenever they were low on funds, which was most of the time, Gabrielle willingly told her tales to whoever would listen. It was the dinars that she earned that kept them clothed and fed.
With the concern over money heightened, Gabrielle’s haggling skills would be needed more than ever. But without the bard’s voice to sway the merchant, Xena was at the mercy of whatever mood the merchant was in. Xena never haggled. To tell the truth, she wasn’t always sure just what was a fair price. Gabrielle knew those things, she knew what everything cost, how much profit was being made, and how firm the merchant was on his price. Xena would be lucky if she could make the few dinars they had last until they got to Athens. Once there, there was no way Xena could afford to pay for a place for them to stay much less whatever it would cost to heal Gabrielle, if a cure could be found.
The problem that pressed on her mind and her heart the most was not Gabrielle’s physical state, but her emotional one. Xena could understand how upsetting it was for the bard to lose her voice. She could understand the mood swings between anger and sadness. But the bard seemed to be spiraling downward into a deep depression. Communicating was a lifeblood to Gabrielle. Xena watched many times as Gabrielle reached out and talked to people, not just with her mouth, but with her heart. They once came across a young boy who spoke a different language and Gabrielle worked and worked until she found a way to make him understand her and be understood. Xena sadly thought that Gabrielle was making no move to try to communicate with her. The most disturbing action was the Amazon’s refusal to put anything down in writing. Even in their most troubled times, Gabrielle found comfort sitting by the fire and putting her thoughts and feelings into words on parchment. Xena feared the bard would lose herself in the sea of emotions that were bottled up inside her. She knew from personal experience just how difficult it was to live with hidden feelings. She often had to battle within herself to maintain control over her own emotions. How could Gabrielle, a woman whose heart is so pure, so free, handle the intensity of caged feelings?
Gabrielle’s safety. The young woman had become so proficient with her staff that Xena had become more and more confident about letting the bard wander off on her own. That would no longer be possible. There was no way that Xena would let her precious Gabrielle out of her sight now. She knew the dangers a mute could face in an unfriendly village. The bard was much too vulnerable now for Xena to think about anything else but protecting her. The warrior only hoped that they didn’t run into any problems between here and Athens.
Rubbing her temples to ward off the impending headache, Xena impatiently waited for dawn, knowing that the new day would bring new problems for the two of them, especially if Gabrielle still refused to reveal her feelings. Xena’s inability to get Gabrielle to communicate with her was wearing on her patience. She wasn’t used to having to work hard to get her questions answered, especially from Gabrielle. Xena only hoped she could keep her frustration and anger in check until the bard could work out her feelings.
"Gabrielle, it’s going to be a long enough trip as it is. It would be a lot easier if we could work out some hand signals so I don’t have to ask a dozen questions to find out what you want." Xena said as she double-checked the straps on Argo’s saddle. Satisfied with the tension, she gave Argo a pat and walked back over to sit next to Gabrielle. "All right, let’s think about what we need." Xena smirked. "Let’s start with a trip to the woods." Gabrielle frowned at her friend’s attempt at humor. "Come on, we have to think of something. I can’t very well have you pointing at…" She raised her eyebrow. Gabrielle blushed slightly. Her sexuality wasn’t something she was comfortable with. The one and only night with Perdicus was her only experience and she felt sorely disappointed. Her mother had done an excellent job of instilling a sense of modesty in her. "Gabrielle, are you listening to me?" She was pulled out of her revelry by the warrior’s voice. "Good. Now, what are we going to use for you to tell me that you have to go to the woods?" She watched as Gabrielle’s face went thoughtful for a moment, then watched her decide on something. Gabrielle held out her hand and pointed two fingers at the forest. "Fine, two fingers pointed at the forest. That’ll do. Now, what else?" Gabrielle’s hands started to move rapidly. "Whoa, I can’t keep up with you. What are you trying to say?" Gabrielle held her hand out in the shape of cup, then held it to her lips. She did it a couple of times before Xena spoke. "Drink?" Nod. "Good. That’s a good one for drink, Gabrielle." Xena tried to remind herself that Gabrielle needed more compliments than ever now. "Yes, a very good one." She was rewarded with the first real smile she had seen on her bard’s face since the incident started. Unable to resist the joy at the moment, the warrior revealed a rare emotion. "That’s nice, Gabrielle. I wondered if I was ever going to see your beautiful smile again." Gabrielle looked at her thoughtfully, then lowered her eyes. Uncomfortable with the current mood, Xena quickly took the opportunity to go back to their original subject. "Okay, we have the woods and we have drink. What else do we need?" They spent a few more minutes going over different hand signals before packing camp and getting back on the road.
They were fortunate that no other travelers were on the same road. Xena worried about the dangers of a possible ambush. Her fear over Gabrielle’s safety already caused one fight earlier in the day when Xena insisted that the bard ride rather than walk. At least having Gabrielle on Argo made it easier to make a run for it, if need be. She tried being nice, then being firmer, then growling. When none of those methods worked, she used the tone reserved for when she would broach no argument. It was extremely rare that she used that tone with Gabrielle because she knew that it hurt to bard to hear Xena talk like that to her. Even if Gabrielle could talk, Xena figured that lunch would have been a silent affair anyway. The bard refused to write anything that evening, inciting another argument between them, if one could call Xena stomping around the fire, ranting and raving, an argument. Several times Gabrielle stood up to walk away and Xena followed her, making it clear that the bard was not going to be let out of her sight. Despite the hostile feelings during the day, when it came time to settle down for the night, Gabrielle pulled her bedroll over and snuggled up against Xena. Just before Gabrielle’s breathing eased and deepened into full sleep, Xena swore she felt the bard’s lips brush against her arm. Deciding to take it as a sign of truce, Xena pulled her closer and cuddled up for a semi-restful sleep.
As much as Xena wanted to climb into a hot bath and sit down to a good meal, she didn’t dare take a chance on bringing Gabrielle into a strange town. That was on top of her concern over their funds. Their foodstuffs were dwindling, despite her increased effort to use food found around the campsite. She could usually catch enough fish and rabbits, but she still had to provide more than dry grass for Argo. She held off having tea because she had so few leaves left. She realized that Gabrielle was aware of the food supply. Xena watched the way she filled herself with berries and nuts before taking any of the dry goods. Xena felt a twinge of guilt at her inability to take care of the bard the way she wanted to. It was nearly nightfall when they first spotted the small upcropping of huts and houses that signified the edges of Athens. They turned off into the woods and found a small private spot to camp out for the night. For the fourth straight night, they followed the same pattern: Gabrielle refused to touch her quill, yet still curled up in Xena’s arms at bedtime. Xena growled with frustration at Gabrielle, yet willingly took her into her arms when it was time to sleep. Each time, Gabrielle laid a gentle kiss on the warrior’s arm. Xena had been tempted to return the kiss, but she didn’t want to do anything to scare Gabrielle. The young woman didn’t need that on top of her current problem.
They found the medical building near the city entrance. "We’d like to see Hippocrates." Xena said to the young man holding a piece of parchment attached to a piece of wood used for support. He twirled his quill between his fingers. It was a habit that Xena found endearing in Gabrielle and utterly annoying in him.
"And who shall I say is calling?" His whiny, nasally voice grated on Xena’s nerves after days of quiet.
"Xena and Gabrielle." She said evenly. The young man stopped twiddling his quill and looked at her nervously.
"Um…Xena…"
"And Gabrielle. He knows us." She was quickly getting annoyed with him.
"Yes…I see, well…we’re really quite busy now and urggff." He was quickly picked up and pressed up against a near wall, the fingers around his neck keeping him a good two feet off of the ground.
"We need to see Hippocrates." Her tone was still even, her face devoid of emotions.
"See here, what’s going on? Michael, what are you-oh, hi Xena." Hippocrates came through the door. Xena released her grip on Michael and let him slump to the floor. He stayed there for a moment before deciding that the threat was over and stood up.
"Gabrielle needs help." Xena said as they followed him into the next room. He turned to face the bard.
"And what seems to be the problem, my dear?" He noticed, frowning, that she had a few more scars than last time they were here.
"She lost her voice." Xena answered for her.
"Hmm." The healer rubbed his chin as he contemplated what the possible causes could be. He walked over to the table and picked up a piece of wood as long as his hand. It was thin and flat, not much wider than a finger. "Hop up here on the table." Gabrielle looked at Xena, as if gathering courage, then climbed up and sat down on the table. Hippocrates walked over and stood in front of her. "Open your mouth…wider…that’s good, now hold still." He held her tongue down with the stick and looked down her throat. "Looks fine to me." He put the stick down and put his fingers on either side of her throat, moving them around as he felt about. "Lie down." Gabrielle flashed another look at Xena. This time the warrior saw fear in the bard’s eyes. Like a protective mother, Xena stood next to Gabrielle and held her hand. "Now I’m going to perform a few more tests on you. They shouldn’t hurt, but they might be uncomfortable." Gabrielle nodded in understanding.
"Be gentle." Xena said softly. She knew he would do that without being asked.
"You did fine." Hippocrates said to Gabrielle as he helped her sit up. He made a notation on a piece of parchment before addressing them again. "Gabrielle, could you wait out in the other room for a moment? I need to talk to Xena." Gabrielle hopped off of the table and started waving her arms animatedly in tune with her silent lips. She pointed at herself and stamped her foot in anger and frustration.
"Hippocrates, I think she wants to stay. It is her body, after all." Xena finally understood and came to Gabrielle’s rescue. Satisfied with her small victory, the Amazon walked over and stood next to Xena. The healer cleared his throat and thought about what to say. He wasn’t sure which one he feared more at the moment, the warrior or the feisty bard.
"I find no signs of an infection or any other physical reason for the muteness." He watched solemnly as both women allowed their disappointment to show on their faces. "I wish there was something more I could do." He walked over and put his hand on Gabrielle’s chin. "You have such a beautiful voice and you tell such wonderful stories. I don’t know why the gods saw fit to remove that gift from you." Gabrielle turned away as fresh tears brimmed her eyes. Hippocrates looked over a Xena. "I’m sorry, there isn’t anything more that can be done." He worried about Gabrielle’s mental state. In his years of healing, he had known of people who lost a precious gift; sight, hearing, or a limb. Most survived and adapted, some did not. He worried about what would happen if she did not adapt soon.
"You’ve done all that you could, I appreciate that." Xena’s tone gave away nothing of her emotions. "What do we owe you?"
"Oh no." He held up his hands. "I can’t take any money from the two of you." Xena nodded in quiet thanks. He looked at the bard for a moment. She still had her back to them, obviously not wanting to be involved in any more conversation. Turning back to Xena, he asked "Where are you two staying?" Xena stiffened slightly. Even without having to pay him, they still didn’t have enough money for an inn.
"There’s a cave a half-candlemark or so out of town." It was a lie and he knew it. Quickly assessing the situation, he smiled as he thought of a solution.
"Xena, why don’t the two of you stay at my house while you’re here? I have more than enough room." He shook his head when he saw Xena open her mouth to protest. "I insist. You two have done so much to help both me and the people of Athens out over the last summer or so. I won’t take no for an answer." Satisfied with the slight nod he got from the warrior, he continued. "Now, my servant Philos is there. I’ll write a note for you to take with you. He’ll arrange for a clean room, hot baths, and a warm meal for the two of you. You are welcome to stay as long as you like. Besides, it would be a good opportunity for me to monitor Gabrielle for any signs of change." Although he doubted there would be any change, it seemed to help sway the argument to his direction.
"It’s up to Gabrielle." Xena finally said. She was so unsure about what the bard was thinking that she didn’t want to make the decision on her own. Having heard the conversation, Gabrielle only nodded, keeping her back to them. Her mind was far away, trying to figure out why this tragedy happened to her. What had she done to deserve this? She allowed her mind to drift into the dark thoughts until she felt Xena’s reassuring hand on her shoulder. She followed the warrior out of the hut, the sad, depressed look never leaving the bard’s face.
Despite the warm food, hot bath, and clean clothes, Gabrielle still hadn’t lifted from her dark mood. Philos offered to make up a second room for them, but Xena refused. She needed to be as close to Gabrielle as she could get. Even one room away was too far for the warrior. She sadly wished she knew a way to get past the walls that Gabrielle was building up within herself. Xena knew better than to try and force the bard to write. It hadn’t worked yet and each time she tried, Gabrielle got angrier and closed down even more. No longer able to reach Gabrielle, Xena turned in early out of frustration. The warm food and hot bath did their job, Xena fell asleep quickly.
Gabrielle laid awake, listening to the deep breathing of her sleeping companion. She knew she was hurting Xena by not writing about her feelings. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t bring herself to put the quill to parchment. She thought about what Hippocrates said. Perhaps the gods did take her voice away as punishment for some unknown deed. She didn’t know what it was that she could have done to make the gods so angry. Which god? Artemis? No, she looked over at her staff. It still bore the markings of the Amazon Queen. If Artemis was mad at her, she would have taken away Gabrielle’s right-of-caste. Athena? Hermes? Calliope? Her eyebrows furrowed. Calliope. The Muse. The goddess of the bards. Of course! She must have said something to upset the muse and her punishment was eternal silence. Her mind went over every story she had told, every song that she had sung, trying to find the one thing that cost her the gift of speech. The first fingers of dawn peeked through the window before she finally fell into an uneasy sleep, her mind tormented with guilt over an unknown deed.
"Gabrielle." Xena gently shook the bard’s shoulder. The blue-green eyes fluttered open. The bard moved her mouth to speak, then closed it when she realized that no sounds were coming. Xena watched grimly as the bard’s face went sullen and hard again. It was going to be yet another long day, the warrior thought. "Gabrielle, breakfast is on the table if you want it." Gabrielle nodded, acknowledging the words, but she didn’t care if she ever ate again. Xena sighed, her frustration was closely reaching a breaking point. She didn’t know how much longer she could take the bard’s depression and anger. "Look, I have to go take care of Argo. I’ll be back in a couple of candlemarks. Can you stay here while I’m gone?" A thought formed in Gabrielle’s mind. She nodded to Xena while her mind worked out her plan. Thinking that she had convinced the queen to stay put, Xena went to go take care of Argo.
Once Xena left the room, Gabrielle quickly rummaged through the saddlebags, pulling out all of her scrolls, finished, unfinished, and blank. She found her ink and quill. Taking a blank piece of parchment, she quickly wrote a short note and left it on the table. Gathering the rest of the items into her bag, she grabbed her staff and left. She felt guilty about not staying where Xena wanted her to, but this was just something that she had to do.
Gabrielle walked through the busy streets until she found Polder’s scroll shop. Once inside the small hut, she waited for him to finish with another customer. "Gabrielle? It is you." Polder’s face beamed with happiness. It had been so long since he had seen her. A puzzled look came over his face when she didn’t respond. "Gabrielle, is everything all right? Where’s Xena?" Gabrielle pulled out a piece of parchment and quickly scribbled something down. Handing the note to Polder, she waited for him to finish reading it. "You lost your voice? Why? How?" She shook her head, refusing to tell him of her shame. Taking the paper back from him, she wrote more words down, then handed it back. "You want to sell your blank scrolls? I don’t understand, Gabrielle. Aren’t you going to keep writing your stories?" She shook her head solemnly. Obviously Calliope didn’t want her to tell any more stories, verbally or otherwise. "Well, it is almost time for the bard academy finals. I’m sure they’ll need all the blank scrolls they can get. I’ll give you a fair price for them if that’s what you really want." Polder didn’t like the look in his friend’s eyes. It was a look of hopelessness, as if she had resigned herself to her fate without a fight. She reached in the bag and pulled out the blank scrolls. Handing them to him, she waited for Polder to figure out a fair price. She didn’t care if he gave her only one dinar for the whole pile. "I can give you twenty dinars for all of them. I won’t make any profit when I sell them, but I figure that’s probably what you paid for them in the first place." Gabrielle nodded with acceptance. He reached into his pouch and pulled out the dinars, handing them to her. Gabrielle put them in her bag and turned to leave. "Wait." She turned to see Polder looking at her anxiously. "Is Xena still with you? If you can’t talk, then you’ll need her more than ever." She nodded to indicate she still was with the warrior. Polder still wasn’t at all comfortable with the mood of his friend. "Gabrielle, can I walk you to wherever you’re going? I’m sure Xena would appreciate it if she knew that someone was watching out for you." She shook her head. She had to do this alone. "If you need me, you know where to find me." Polder said, waving his arm to indicate the small hut. Not acknowledging the remark, Gabrielle left the hut and headed toward the edge of the city.
Xena knew something was wrong when she entered the house. Philos saw her and quickly decided that a trip to the cellar was in order. Entering the room, she frowned when she realized that Gabrielle wasn’t there. A quick look around told her that the scrolls were missing from the saddlebags and Gabrielle’s staff was also missing. She picked up the note on the table and read it. Brief and to the point, not at all like something that Gabrielle would have normally written. "I’m going to a temple." It didn’t say when she would be back or even if she would be back. Now nervous, Xena made a thorough search of the saddlebags. All the scrolls were gone as well as the packet of ink and Gabrielle’s quill. Perhaps she went somewhere to write? Xena hoped for that possibility, but seriously doubted it. She read the note again. Temple. She went to a temple. In a city as large as Athens, almost every god had a temple. They were scattered throughout the city. Xena had no idea whose temple Gabrielle would have gone to. Angry at Gabrielle for leaving and angry at herself for not staying with the bard, Xena stormed out the door to look for the Amazon.
The priestess watched as a young Amazon entered the temple. Unlike the many other bards that visited, she went nowhere near the dais. Instead, the young woman sat in a corner and started to write. The priestess watched as tears fell from the quiet woman’s face, spilling onto the parchment. Just as quietly, the woman rose and walked to the dais. Removing several scrolls from her pouch, the woman wrapped the parchment around the scrolls and tied it off with a thin strip of leather. She placed the pile on the dais, then set the quill and ink next to them. Without looking at the priestess, the woman bowed her head for a moment, then left. The priestess was stunned. No one ever entered Calliope’s temple without speaking a prayer to the muse, and certainly no one ever left their quill and ink, much less their scrolls. Many people visited the temple daily. Most were bards, asking for help with a story or thanking the muse for inspiration. Never had anyone come in and left their scrolls. She wasn’t sure how the gentle goddess of prose would handle this.
Xena checked six different temples before returning to Hippocrates house. Gabrielle had not been seen at any of them. It had been six candlemarks since she found the note. Now frantic with worry, the warrior paced back and forth across the room, afraid to leave in case Gabrielle returned and afraid to stay in case Gabrielle needed help. Why did Gabrielle leave? If she wanted to go to a temple, she knew that Xena would escort her. The warrior ran her fingers through her hair in frustration. Nothing she tried was getting through to Gabrielle. Now the bard was out there, all alone, by choice. By choice. The words played again and again inside the warrior’s mind. Gabrielle walked out by choice. Whatever was going on inside, she chose not to share it with Xena. Hiding her hurt behind anger, Xena continued to pace, this time with more force in her steps.
Gabrielle watched from behind the edge of a building as Xena left the temple of Artemis. She knew there would be a massive fight when she returned to their room, but this had to be done. Her heart full of guilt and shame, her head hung low, shoulders slumped, she entered the temple of the moon goddess.
Artemis smiled when she saw her queen enter the temple. It was so rare that her chosen came to visit. The goddess pulled her scrying bowl close so she could hear the soft, melodic voice of the Queen of her beloved Amazons. To her surprise, her queen said nothing. Gabrielle stood there, looking at the statue of the moon goddess, tears flowing down her face. Artemis frowned. What could be troubling her beloved queen that she would come to the temple and cry? She watched Gabrielle look down at her staff, then back up at the statue. What was she doing? Gabrielle took a hesitant step toward the dais. Anger welled inside the goddess as she realized what the queen was contemplating. She was almost ready to go down to the temple and confront the queen when she saw Gabrielle fall to her knees as sobs racked her mortal body. Artemis was tempted to read the Amazon’s thoughts, but hesitated, waiting instead to see what the leader of the Amazons would do. After several moments, Gabrielle rose and left the temple, staff in hand. As tempted as the goddess was to intervene and find out what was going on, she decided to wait and see what the fates brought to her chosen one. The moon goddess had no idea that another god had already intervened.
Gabrielle stared at the statue of Artemis. "I really should relinquish my title." She thought to herself. She looked down at the staff, then back at the statue. If she had angered Calliope, then surely the moon goddess was upset with her as well. She looked at the staff again. If Artemis didn’t want her to be queen, surely she would have taken the staff herself. Perhaps that was another punishment that had yet to be given. She collapsed to her knees as her tears poured out. She didn’t know if she should leave the staff or not. She didn’t dare call out in her mind for the goddess to appear, she was terrified that Artemis was angry with her. All the strain of the past few days came out in her tears. She was so confused. She rose and took a step toward the dais. What if Artemis wasn’t mad at her? If she relinquished the staff, that would certainly make the goddess angry. What if she didn’t? What if she was supposed to give up her title and she didn’t? Gabrielle decided that if the great goddess wanted the staff, she would take it from her. She had apparently already upset one god, upsetting another was not a good idea. She decided to wait and see what Artemis would do. Gabrielle turned around and left the temple, staff in hand. She fully expected a bolt of lightning to come down and kill her on the spot for making the wrong decision. It didn’t happen. Maybe even Artemis didn’t care about her anymore. No one cared except Xena and Gabrielle was sure that Xena would grow tired of her soon. What good is a bard that can’t talk? It wouldn’t be long before Gabrielle found herself alone, she was certain of it. She had ended up being the liability that she always feared she would be. Fear controlled the bard. She wandered aimlessly through the streets of Athens, afraid to return to the room, afraid that Xena would be gone. Gabrielle’s biggest fear was that Xena would leave, now she was sure that the warrior had no reason to stay. Looking up at the sky, Gabrielle realized how late it must be. She looked around to get her bearings and headed back to Hippocrates house, expecting Xena to be long gone.
Calliope entered her temple and met with her priestess, Milaas. Several minutes later, a very angry muse left to search for the God of War.
Gabrielle opened the door to the room. It was dark inside, only the embers of dying fire gave any light to the room. Standing in the doorway, she looked to see if their belongings were still there. The dim light made it hard to see. She stepped forward. The saddlebags were still there. Her eyes fell upon the chakram sitting on the table. If the chakram was there, then so was...
Xena moved quickly from behind the door, kicking it with her foot to shut it. Before Gabrielle could react, the warrior grabbed both her wrists and pushed her back against the door. The bard struggled, but Xena was too strong. "No!" Xena growled as she kept the bard’s arms pressed against the door. She pressed her six foot frame against the smaller bard, pinning Gabrielle. "Calm down, I’m not going to hurt you." Xena said, but she continued to keep her trapped against the door. The warrior moved her head so that her mouth was close to Gabrielle’s ear. She felt Gabrielle’s muscles relax slightly and she lessened her own grip, keeping it just strong enough to hold the bard in place. Xena took a few deep breaths to calm herself down. "Do you have any idea how worried I was about you? I didn’t know where you were or if you were hurt." Xena’s hands started to move up and down the bard’s arms, as if to make certain that she really was there. "I’m scared for you, Gabrielle. You’re sinking into a pit of despair that I can’t pull you out of. It’s killing me to see you in such pain. I feel so helpless." She released Gabrielle’s arms but continued to press against her. "Gabrielle, promise that you won’t leave me." Xena pressed her cheek against Gabrielle’s, her lips almost touching the bard’s ear. "Promise me. I can’t live without you, Gabrielle. It hurts too much."
Gabrielle was more confused than ever. She had expected Xena to be gone, to have left her. Yet here Xena was, begging her to stay. Gabrielle put her arms around Xena’s waist and gave her a gentle squeeze. She wasn’t sure why, but she was sure that Xena wanted her around.
Xena felt the bards gentle arms encircle her waist and give a squeeze. She pulled back and looked into the blue-green eyes she loved. "Promise?" Nod. Xena smiled, it was the first positive reaction she had gotten from the bard in days. Xena leaned down and kissed her on the cheek. She took the bard’s hand and led her to the table, motioning for her to sit down. "Gabrielle, we can’t go on like this." Nod. "I know it’s hard, but we have to accept that this has happened. I’m not leaving you and your not leaving me, is that clear?" Nod. "Good, now let’s…" Xena picked her word carefully. "discuss." Gabrielle allowed the edges of her lips to lift slightly, acknowledging the catch. "Where did you go?" Gabrielle pointed to the parchment note she had left for Xena. "I know the temple, but which one? I walked all over the city looking for you." Xena gazed at the now-dead fire. "I was worried, Gabrielle. I thought that you left." Her last words were said so quietly that the bard almost didn’t hear it. She reached over and laid her hand on Xena’s muscled arm. The warrior turned her gaze from the fire to the blue-green eyes. "I know you didn’t mean to worry me." Gabrielle mouthed the word ‘sorry’. "It’s all right now." Xena took a deep breath and assumed her let’s-solve-this manner.
"Let’s take a look at our options." Xena looked around quickly. "Gabrielle, where are your scrolls?" The Amazon’s head dropped down. She was so happy that Xena didn’t leave her that she forgot about her trip to the temples. "Gabrielle, what happened to them?" Xena watched Gabrielle thinking about how to explain the missing scrolls. "Okay, how about this, I’ll ask questions and you can tell me if I’m right or wrong." Nod. "Good." Xena thought for a moment. "Were they taken from you?" Shake. "Did you give them to someone?" Nod. "You gave your scrolls away?" Reluctant nod. Xena concentrated on her breathing as she forced herself to remain calm. "Gabrielle, those scrolls are your most cherished items. What could possess you to give them away?" Gabrielle raised her head to look at Xena. She pointed to her mouth. "I don’t understand, Gabrielle. Those were your stories, your dreams, your songs. I didn’t even get to hear all of them." Xena couldn’t disguise the hurt tone in her voice. "What does losing your voice have to do with getting rid of your stories?" Violent shake. "You didn’t get rid of them?" Nod. "I missed something." Xena sat back in her chair and rubbed her eyes. Looking around the room, she realized just how dark it was. She rose and lit several candles. This was going to take a while.
"Okay, let’s try something else. Where’s your quill?" Xena asked as she sat back down at the table. Gabrielle picked up the parchment and pointed at it. "You gave your quill away too?" Xena’s patience was slipping again. "Anything else?" She asked wryly. Gabrielle made motions of dipping the quill into ink. "The ink too?" The warrior’s eyes rolled. "Gabrielle, how am I supposed to communicate with you?" Gabrielle looked downward again. "All right. We’ll talk about the missing things later." The bard looked back up, grateful for the change in subject. "Whose temple did you visit?" Xena received a glare for her question. "What?" She feigned innocence. "I’m not asking you about the scrolls." Gabrielle shrugged in resignation. She pointed to the parchment again. She waited a minute to see if Xena would figure it out, but she didn’t. With an exasperated look on her face, Gabrielle pointed to the parchment again, then pointed toward Mount Olympus. "The god of…" Gabrielle pointed frantically at the parchment, then imitated writing on it. "Calliope?" Xena was rewarded with a relieved smile on the bard’s face. "You went to Calliope’s temple?" Nod and a smile. Xena lost herself in thought for a moment. Her eyes widened and she leaned in close to Gabrielle. "You left your scrolls at Calliope’s temple, didn’t you?" Gabrielle stared at the cold fireplace and nodded slightly. Xena tried to think of Gabrielle’s reasons for doing something like that. "Gabrielle…look at me…Did you leave your scrolls there because you thought the Muse was mad at you?" Nod, eyes starting to glisten. "Do you think she took your voice away?" Gabrielle looked down at the table as the tears started to spill. "Gabrielle, I admit that I don’t know much about the muses, but I’ve never heard of them being malicious to their people. Even if she was, why would she go after you?"
Gabrielle’s shoulders shook as the unlabeled guilt surfaced. She didn’t know why Calliope was so mad at her. She couldn’t remember saying anything that would have upset the goddess. That’s what made it so hard to bear. She felt Xena’s strong arms wrap around her. "It’s okay, Gabrielle. We don’t have to talk about it any more." Gabrielle’s head shot up and she turned to look at the warrior. The bard put her hand in front of her face and moved the her hands to mimic talking while her head moved from side to side. It took a moment for Xena to catch on. She rolled her blue eyes. "I’m sorry, Gabrielle. You know I’m not that good with words." Gabrielle forced herself to smile for Xena’s sake. This whole thing must be hard on her, the bard thought. The guilt she felt for hurting Xena piled up on top of the guilt of not knowing what had upset the goddess, weighing heavily on the bard’s heart. Xena was tired from playing twenty questions. "Gabrielle, let’s get some rest. We’ll talk about this tomorrow." The young queen nodded, eager to stop the questions.
Calliope stormed into Ares’ realm. "Ah, my dear Aunt Calliope, how are you, my dear?" He leaned over to kiss her on the cheek, stepping right into her slap. He recoiled and raised his arm, ready to bring the full wrath of a war god down, then remembered who he was with. Hera would turn him into a mortal or worse if he dared hurt her sister. He quickly put his hand down. "What brings you to my realm, dear?"
"You know damn right well why I’m here!" He stepped back from the furious woman. Her grandmotherly features had changed to a more hardened look. Her silvery hair was now a steel grey. "What did you do to my Gabrielle?"
"What is it about that girl?" He growled angrily. "Is there anyone on Mount Olympus that isn’t fooled by that brat’s charm?" He paced around, collecting his thoughts. He had been so concerned about not tipping Artemis off about his plans that he forgot about Calliope.
"Remove whatever it is you did to her. Give her back her voice." Calliope sounded stern, but inside she was nervous. Her nephew was not one to pick a fight with.
"I don’t think so." He sneered. "You can’t interfere with what another god has done. You have no power to make me give that whining little brat back her voice." An evil smile played on his lips. "I could give her a chicken’s voice, though."
"Don’t even think about it." Calliope warned. She knew the rules as well as he. "I protest your involvement with her. You can’t do anything else to her until I withdraw my protest, and I won’t do that until you give her back her voice."
"Oh, I’ll give it back to her eventually." He teased. "I don’t want her. I want Xena back."
"What makes you think that taking that poor child’s voice away will bring Xena back to you?"
"My dear Calliope, you’ve spent too much time reading scrolls. The only thing keeping Xena from me is that infernal bard. If Xena were to leave her, it would only be a matter of time before I had her back in my fold."
"What if Xena doesn’t leave her?"
"She will. Sooner or later, she will. You see, my warrior princess is in love with that farm girl. Every day it gets harder for her to keep her feelings in check. Eventually the strain will be too much and she’ll walk away from the dumb one." He smiled at his play on words.
"What if she admits her love to Gabrielle?" Calliope couldn’t see why anyone wouldn’t freely admit their affection for the young mortal. Her heart was so pure, so free. It was little wonder why Artemis chose her to lead the Amazons.
"She won’t." The smirk returned to his face. "You see, Xena has many skills. Talking about her feelings isn’t one of them." He walked around Calliope, circling her like a vulture. "She’s not one to initiate such talk. She’ll wait for the bard to tell her first."
"And she can’t do that without her voice." Calliope said softly.
"Right you are, dear aunt. Right you are. Eventually it will be too much for Xena to bear and she’ll come running back to me."
"But if they tell each other of their love, you lose." The muse said thoughtfully. Ares looked at her, trying to figure out what the old bat was thinking about.
"If they admit their love to each other, then I’ll give the bitch her voice back." He was confident that there was no way for the bard to express her love. She was a bard, after all. They talk about their feelings, without her voice, she was helpless.
"You have to give Gabrielle her voice back and give your word that you’ll leave them alone." She cowered slightly when Ares growled and grew in size, towering over her.
"Don’t try to negotiate with me, old woman!"
"Ares…if you’re so convinced that they can’t express their love to each other, then you should have no problem agreeing." Calliope forced herself to keep her voice level. She watched as Ares turned himself back into a less threatening form.
"I enjoy a good bet, my dear aunt." He chuckled slightly. "You have a deal."
"No tricks, Ares." She warned, knowing that he now had to honor his bet. "No interference from any gods in any form, is that clear?"
"As long as it’s clear to you too, my dear. No contact at all. You can’t even tell her that you’re not the one who’s mad at her." Ares laughed evilly at the muse’s predicament. "You have no choice but to let her continue thinking that she did something wrong. Perhaps her guilt will take her over the edge for me, hmm?" Ares evil laughter filled the muse’s ears as she left his realm.
Gabrielle awoke to the smell of fresh breakfast. "Good morning. Breakfast is still warm." Not eating the night before made the bard’s stomach growl at the smell of fresh meat cooked to perfection. Xena couldn’t stifle an uncharacteristic giggle. Seeing Gabrielle’s frown, Xena tried to explain. "I’m sorry, Gabrielle. It’s just that…" She lost herself to her giggles for a moment. "It’s just that I’d forgotten how…loud your stomach could be. You sure can convey a message with that." Gabrielle tried to stifle her smirk, but Xena saw it and gave her a lopsided grin in return. "Come on, let’s feed it before it growls again." Gabrielle gave a sheepish grin as she headed to the table. It was a grin that Xena would have given her last dinar to see.
After breakfast, they worked out a few more hand signals and decided to take a walk in the city. As they walked along, Gabrielle took in the sights and sounds with her bardic senses, memorizing as many details as she could for use in a future story. She stopped when she realized what she was doing. She wouldn’t be able to write any more stories. She pondered over it for a few moments before the feeling of the warm autumn day and Xena by her side brought her back to a reasonably good mood.
Turning a corner on the west side of the city, they came across a row of inns. Gabrielle noticed two Amazons enter one of the inns. A small wooden carving depicting a labrys swung from an overhead signpost. Remembering the dinars in her pouch, Gabrielle tugged on Xena’s arm and pointed toward the inn. "What? Oh, the inn? Gabrielle we don’t…" Xena stopped when she saw the dinars that Gabrielle was holding. "Where did you…oh never mind. I’m sure I don’t want to know." Xena looked over at the inn that her bard was pointing so frantically at. She looked back at Gabrielle and arched her eyebrow. "You want to go in there, my little bard?" Animated nod. Xena chuckled. "Anything you want, Gabrielle, anything you want." This was going to be very interesting indeed, Xena mused to herself as they walked over to the inn. It would turn out to be more interesting than Xena thought.
Gabrielle reached for the door handle and felt Xena’s strong arm grab her own. "Let me go in first and make sure it’s safe." The blue-green eyes flashed with indignation and anger. Her hands started moving in the air as her silent lips tossed a tirade of silent words at the warrior. "Okay, okay." Xena held her hands up in defeat. "You first." She waved her arm in front of her, gesturing to the door. "I’m just trying to protect you, Gabrielle." She said as the bard passed by her. Gabrielle stopped and turned her head to look at the proud warrior. ‘Always trying to protect me.’ The bard thought as she raised a small smile to her lips for Xena’s sake.