"Did you have fun?" the bard said as she sat the warrior down on the bed and began to untie the laces of Xena's boot. It had taken all of the warrior's concentration to make it from the healer's hut to theirs without swaying or leaning too much on Gabrielle for support. She thought she did rather well although the bard would have said otherwise, especially the two times that Xena leaned on her hard enough to make her almost lose her own balance.
"Actually I did." she replied with a grin. "I won, by the way."
"Congratulations." Gabrielle said sarcastically. "Remember that tomorrow when your arm is throbbing." she pulled the one boot off and went to work on the other. "I think I made some good progress tonight on the treaty with Cypresta."
"Hmm?" Xena was trying valiantly to keep her head from spinning and still focus on the conversation. She gave up trying to stay in a sitting position and laid back on the bed with a contented sigh.
"Yeah, I think they'll agree to continue the annual harvest payments for twenty-five more summers in exchange for severance. The sticking point is the silver mines and of course we still have to meet with Marto about it, but I think it'll work." she peeled the other boot off and swung the warrior's dangling legs onto the bed, straightening the drunken woman so there was room for both of them at the same time. "They've made it clear that they don't want any mining to go on because it might affect the runoff from the mountains."
"Uh huh." Xena mumbled, not completely following the conversation. She turned her head and saw something that did capture her attention. Gabrielle was getting ready for bed and had just removed her top.
"I'm hoping we can get everything settled quickly." the bard continued, unaware of the effect she was having on her warrior as she removed her belt and unwrapped her skirt. "We'll send a messenger in the morning for Marto and hopefully will be able to have a negotiating session by the time the sun is at it's highest point. Xena, get off the covers." she said as she tugged on the blanket. What she got was an aroused warrior pulling her down on the bed and smothering her with kisses.
"I love you." Xena murmured before moving to taste the bard's neck. Gabrielle took advantage of the warrior's movements to pull the blanket out from under her.
"Mmm, I know you do." she replied, pushing Xena onto her back. "Now go to sleep." she covered them with the now free blanket and snuggled close.
"Are you sure...?"
"I'm sure you'll be asleep before we could even get started." Gabrielle replied as she kissed the nearest flesh she could find. As she had expected, after a few moments of quiet she heard Xena's breathing slow and deepen. "Rest well, Xena, you'll have a tartarus of a headache come morning." she whispered before joining her lover in slumber.
"Absolutely not!" Marto said firmly, shaking his head. "We've been paying you for fifty summers and now you want another thirty? That's completely unacceptable."
"Look, continuing the harvest payments for thirty more summers is more than reasonable in exchange for such fertile land." Gabrielle said. "Up until this point your people were merely renting the land, this is a chance for you to own it."
"What about the mountains?" Krana asked. "I noticed that you've said nothing about them yet."
"I wanted to get this matter settled first before discussing that issue, but since you've brought it up, the mountains and the silver within them will remain the property of the Amazons."
"Unacceptable. You'll give us the land but ruin it by mining the silver." Marto said.
"We won't do anything that will interfere with the run-off. You have my word as an Amazon."
"We'll need that in writing, of course." Krana said matter-of-factly.
"And you'll have it. We'll agree not to open any mines on the sides of the mountains that face Cypresta but you'll have to agree to continue the harvest payments for thirty summers."
"Ten summers." Krana countered. Ephiny, who had been sitting quietly, looked up at Gabrielle and grinned. The bard had been expecting a counter-offer and no one was better at haggling than her.
"Thirty, we can't possibly accept any less. After all, you yourself talked of how fertile the land is, not to mention its natural protection by the mountains."
"Fifteen." the grey haired Cyprestian said. "You're gaining the ability to mine the silver."
"We'd be able to do that anyway in five days. You're gaining freedom from the Amazon nation as well as an agreement not to mine on the Cyprestian side. You realize of course that if we were to open mines that your village would reap the benefit of being the major supplier of goods and services for the miners. That can mean thousands of dinars per cycle of seasons for your village. Thirty." Gabrielle said firmly. The visitors looked at each other with silent questioning looks.
"Twenty." Krana said. "And that's our final offer."
Gabrielle decided it was time to flex her muscle. "I can have a hundred well trained, well armed warriors on Cypresta's doorstep the day after the treaty expires. I would much rather come to a peaceful solution for our problem. Twenty-five." she looked expectantly at Krana.
"You're a most excellent negotiator, Queen Gabrielle." the grey haired woman admitted. "But we'll need some time to confer and discuss this matter. Our people won't be happy with continued servitude to the Amazons."
"They'd be happier if the treaty expired and we moved them off 'our' land?" the bard asked, stressing who exactly owned the area in question.
"Twenty-five." Marto said, holding his hand up to stop Krana's protest. "We'd much rather work out a peaceful settlement as well."
"We'll have the treaty drawn up right away." Gabrielle said with a smile.
"Of course I'll need to look it over before we sign it." Krana said, glaring at the mayor for interfering.
"Of course." the bard agreed. "We'll have it ready for you by sundown tomorrow."
Word of the impending severance of Cypresta spread quickly. Darbo was in full fury by the time Staina arrived at her hut with the others. "Can you believe her? Not only is she giving away Amazon land but she's also agreeing not to mine on their side of the mountains." the sandy brown haired Amazon raged as she brought her fist down hard on the table. "Do you have any idea what that does to us?"
"But we can still mine the silver." Staina said, not understanding why her friend was so upset about land that none of them ever cared about.
"From the outside!" Darbo growled. "I've seen the reports that were made back when the silver was first discovered. It runs closer to the inside. It'll take summers to reach it. The nation could be extinct by then."
"If you don't like it why don't you challenge her?" Staina asked. "I'm sure you'd be able to defeat her in combat. I've heard she's only good with a staff."
"That won't work." the angry woman snapped. "She's got that goon of hers to be her champion, not to mention Eponin, Ephiny, and probably half a dozen other women who'd put their lives on the line for her. It wouldn't make a difference anyway. If I issue a challenge, she'd just sign the treaty beforehand. It'd make the challenge mute." she slumped into a chair and rubbed her eyes. "No, there has to be some way to stop her, but that's not it."
"Well what else is there?" Iphito asked as she brushed a curly lock of her dark hair from in front of her eyes. "You can't challenge her. Can you scare her into not signing?"
"And just what am I supposed to do? It's not like we can threaten her or anything." Darbo replied. "If only there was something…."
"We can't threaten her directly…" Staina thought out loud, drawing all eyes to her.
"What are you thinking?" the sandy brown haired woman demanded.
"Well…" she looked around nervously and lowered her voice. "…what if we threatened someone she loved? Like Xena?"
"And just how are we supposed to threaten the former Destroyer of Nations? She could take all of us with one hand tied behind her back." Darbo said, dismissing the idea.
"Not necessarily." Iphito chirped up. "Not if we could disable her, like with one of my darts."
"And just how do you suggest we do that? I've seen her. Xena has the keenest senses of anyone I've seen. You can't distract her or cause her to let her guard down. There's just no way." Darbo said. They sat there quietly for a moment while the sandy brown haired Amazon's brows knitted in thought. They all jumped when she slammed her fist down on the table and stood up excitedly. "I've got it! I've got the perfect answer!"
Xena ran into Eponin just outside the food hut. "You look like you were in a tartarus of a battle." the tall warrior quipped, noting the three different areas stitched up on the stocky warrior's forearms.
"Yeah." Eponin replied, looking at her arms. "I guess that's what I get for hanging out with you. You're a bad influence on me, you know." she grinned. "Was Gabrielle upset with you?"
"No, she was pretty good about it." Xena replied.
"Must be nice. Ilanna read me the riot act." a lecherous grin spread across the Amazon's face. "But she let me make it up to her this morning."
"Gabrielle had to go to that treaty negotiation." the leather-clad woman sighed.
"Hey, I heard she settled it, pretty good if you ask me. We still get the annual food supplies and we can now mine the silver. I'll tell you, I'm glad she's our queen." Eponin looked up at the sky. "I'd better get to work. I'll talk to you later." the stocky Amazon smiled and turned to head for the training grounds. Xena decided to go to the stables and spend some time with Argo.
The bright sunshine and warm breeze made it a perfect day for riding and the golden mare took advantage of the lack of the little human walking behind them to run full out across the fields. Xena held the reins loosely and let Argo set her own pace and direction, taking them a fair distance away from the village. Darbo and her companions watched her leave and set up their trap. Now it was just a matter of time.
After a full candlemark of exploring the countryside, Xena decided it was time to head back. As she approached a small grove of trees she sensed something wrong. She pulled on the reins and focused on her surroundings, instinctively knowing that there was danger. "Come on girl." she said softly as she patted the mare's neck. They moved forward slowly until they were almost at the trees. Four Amazons stepped out from behind the trunks of the large Cypresses and blocked her way. "Something tells me this isn't a social call." she said as she sized up the situation. One rather formidable looking Amazon stood in the front of the group holding a sword. Two others held staffs and the fourth twirled a pair of chobos in her hands. Xena knew she couldn't plow through them with Argo. With one staff wielder on each side there was no way she could prevent them from cutting her horse down as they passed.
"You got that right, Xena." Darbo said, drawing laughter from her comrades.
"What's the problem?" the leather clad warrior asked as she dismounted and sent Argo out of the way. Darbo twirled her sword in her hand.
"The problem is your little bed partner." she sneered. "She seems to think that it's a good idea to give Amazon land away for nothing." the women spread out slightly, forming a semi-circle around the warrior.
"You really don't want to get into this." Xena said as she drew her sword, her eyes darting from one woman to the other, waiting for one of them to make the first move. She kept her distance, trying not to let them get behind her.
"Tell me something," Darbo said as she moved forward, almost within striking distance. "How is our little queen anyway? I bet she's a real spitfire in bed." she taunted, drawing a murderous look from the warrior. "Oh yeah Xena, I bet you have a real good time with her."
"Someone should wash your mouth out with soap. Maybe I will when I'm done knocking you around." the raven haired warrior growled as she tried to back up away from the trees to give herself room to use her chakram. Darbo and company quickly turned to block her, cutting off any chance of escape.
"We'll see who knocks who around. In case you can't count, you're outnumbered."
"Are you gonna talk or fight?"
"Oh fight, most definitely fight." Darbo replied, sending her sword in a vicious arc at the warrior's head. Xena rolled out of the way and returned to a standing position.
"Is that the best you can do? My mother can swing a sword better than that." she turned just in time to block a swing from Staina's staff. The battle was on.
The four women made sure to keep their distance, never allowing Xena a chance to attack more than one of them at a time. From the safety of the trees, Iphito watched and waited for her opening. The small Amazon had been warned of Xena's keen sense of hearing and realized that she could easily catch or avoid one dart. As an added precaution, Iphito loaded two darts in her blowgun. It was an unusual thing to do since it required much more strength to blow two darts instead of one but the small Amazon knew she was capable of such a task and knew that anything less wouldn't work against the multi-skilled warrior.
Finally Xena got the break she was looking for. Staina, the woman with the chobos, and the other staff-wielder decided to attack at the same time. With a quick flick of her wrist, the leather-clad warrior released her chakram, striking both women in the temples and knocking them out cold. Just as her weapon came sailing back to her, Darbo yelled "Now!" Iphito put her mouth to the end of her weapon and blew as hard as she could, aiming at the middle of Xena's back.
With her sword in her right hand and her chakram heading for her left, Xena was left with few options. There was no time to somersault out of the way and just not enough hands to catch everything. She turned and held her sword out to intercept the round weapon at the same time her left hand shot out to catch what she thought was an arrow. As her fingers closed around the first dart, the second one found its mark, embedding itself into her wrist. Xena quickly dropped the first dart and switched her sword into her left hand, the chakram dangling loosely near the hilt.
Xena knew she was in trouble. She pulled the projectile out of her wrist and brought it to her nose, immediately recognizing the scent of a strong knockout drug. Letting the dart fall to the ground, she thought quickly about the best route of escape. Argo was now on the other side of the women and unable to help her. Xena felt the beginning effects of the poison as her vision blurred. When she shook her head in a vain attempt to clear it, Staina saw her chance and moved forward. "No." Darbo warned but it was too late. Staina took a swing with her staff only to have it caught and jerked out of her hands by the warrior. Xena dropped her own weapons and used both hands to twirl the longer weapon defensively around her weakening body, trying desperately to keep the women at bay while she continued to back up. Iphito took aim and blew another dart. With her senses rapidly dulling, Xena was unable to prevent the pointed missile from imbedding itself into her left bicep. The extra dart combined with the drug already running through her system was enough to do her in. Xena felt the dizziness wash over her and was on her knees before she realized it. As blackness descended on her, Xena felt her hair being grabbed and her head jerked up. She looked at Darbo with unfocused eyes, totally helpless, unable to even muster the strength to fight the painful grip on her hair.
"Now I think we'll be able to keep Gabrielle from signing that treaty." the Amazon said triumphantly as she let go of the raven tresses and Xena slumped to the ground.
Ephiny had just left the food hut when she saw Ilanna running toward her at a breakneck pace. The blond woman's heart beat double-time and she ran to meet the dark-skinned Amazon halfway. "Where's Queen Gabrielle?"
"She's still in the food hut. What's wrong?"
"We…we found Argo." Ilanna said while trying to catch her breath. "You'd better come see."
The golden mare was lying on her side, her breathing erratic and shaky. Two Amazons were kneeling next to her, doing their best to keep her calm. Five darts were lying on the ground next to her, pulled out of Argo's side a few moments before. Ephiny knelt down and gently stroked the injured animal. With barely controlled anger she asked "What happened?"
"We don't know." Ilanna said. "There are signs of a struggle and three more darts over here." she pointed to an area not far from the mare. Ephiny patted Argo's cheek and stood up.
"Is Marina on her way?"
"Of course, I stopped to get her before I went looking for you. I told her what I found and she ran back to her office to get her medical kit." they turned to the sound of a wagon and saw the animal healer approaching. "There she is."
Marina pulled the team to a stop and rushed over to Argo's side. "Give me room." she said firmly in a tone reminiscent of her sister, Saras. "Poisoned?"
"Five darts." Ephiny said, holding up one of the offending objects. Marina nodded.
"Take those darts to my sister and have her find out what kind of poison is on them." she put her hand on the mare's chest and concentrated on the erratic breathing. "I can't move her until we know what's running through her, it's too dangerous." she rattled off a list of herbs and powders she needed to a young Amazon and sent her back to the village along with the darts to deliver to Saras. Ephiny and Ilanna headed back to the village to break the news to Gabrielle.
They arrived at the bard's hut to find her sitting at the table with a piece of parchment in her hand. When she looked up at them the streaks of tears glistened in the candlelight. "I found this note pinned to the door with her breast dagger." she said as she handed the parchment to Ephiny. "They've got Xena and say they'll kill her if I sign the treaty."
"Gabrielle…" she said softly, pulling out a chair and sitting next to the bard. "I've been to the site where the fight took place. It looks like Argo tried to protect Xena." Ephiny looked down at the floor, desperately wishing that she didn't have to be the one to tell her young friend. "Argo…well, she…" each time she stumbled over the words it only served to cause more alarm and fear in the bard. "…she got hurt."
"Where is she?" Gabrielle asked as she got to her feet and headed for the door, almost running Ilanna over in the process.
By the time they returned to the site, Argo's breathing was punctuated with wheezing and Marina had a concerned look on her face while she continued to examine the weakened animal. Gabrielle knelt down and put her hand on the mare's chest. "What's wrong with her?"
"She's been drugged rather heavily and she seems to be having a reaction to the poison. I've sent someone back to the village to get something that'll help." the animal healer said. Argo trembled visibly and her muzzle and lips were flushed.
The Amazon returned with a pouch of herbs and a jar of ground up bark. Marina took the two medicines and mixed them together. "This will help her breathing." she separated Argo's lips but when she tried to put the mixture into the horse's mouth, the mare struggled and tried to rise to her feet. "Keep her down!" the healer urged. Eponin and Ilanna leaned on Argo to keep her on the ground but the mare refused to take the medicine.
"Let me." Gabrielle said. "Ep, in the left front pouch of the saddlebag is a small tin of honey." she took the sticky substance and mixed the medicine with it. "Come on, Argo…I know you can't resist a treat." the bard dipped her fingers in the mixture and wiped a little on the mare's lips. After a moment she was rewarded with the sight of Argo's tongue slipping out to lick the sweet substance. "That's a good girl…come on now…just a little more." Gabrielle continued to give Argo the medicine until Marina reached out and took it from her.
"That's enough. Now we'll have to wait and see if it helps." Within a quarter candlemark Argo's breathing had become more even and regular but the horse was obviously too weak to stand. Gabrielle was torn between running off in search of Xena and staying by Argo's side. Darkness started to fall and the bard knew that any kind of search at this point would be fruitless. There was no way that whoever took Xena would be stupid enough to make finding them easy. Gabrielle wiped away a tear and looked at the glassy eye looking at her. She swore that Argo was scared. "Shh…it's okay." she said. "I'm not going anywhere. I'm right here."
No matter what Marina tried, the bard adamantly refused to leave Argo's side. Ilanna eventually brought Gabrielle's bedroll out to the site when it became obvious to everyone concerned that the young queen wasn't going to go anywhere. The bard nodded to acknowledge the Amazon but never let her eyes leave the injured mare nor did she stop her gentle stroking of Argo's neck. "It's going to be all right." Gabrielle murmured to the unconscious animal. "You're going to be okay and so is Xena." whether the words were to reassure her or the horse, the bard didn't know. She took the bedroll and added it to the saddle blanket in an attempt to keep Argo warm. Ephiny, Ilanna, Eponin, and Marina stood by and watched their queen curl up against Argo and cry herself to sleep. Ephiny and Ilanna returned to the village to form a search party to look for Xena while the other two stayed with Gabrielle and Argo. All knew that it would be a long night.
The bard awoke to see Eponin and Ilanna sitting near a small fire. Her momentary confusion was replaced with fear as she remembered the previous day's events. "Morning, Gabrielle." the stocky warrior said as she leaned over and handed the queen a cup of steaming hot tea. The bard nodded and looked at them questioningly. Eponin looked at Ilanna, silently asking who was going to tell their queen the news. The dark-skinned Amazon looked down at her lap, deferring the task to her lover.
"What did you find out?" Gabrielle asked, not willing to wait for them to decide. Eponin looked everywhere except at the worried green eyes of her friend.
"We don't know who's responsible, but we do have our suspicions." this time the Amazon caught the glare from the queen that silently warned her to reveal everything she knew and to do so quickly. "There's only a few women that are capable of using the blowgun so efficiently. We're checking them out now. We also have two dozen Amazons searching the caves nearby for any sign of Xena or whoever took her."
Gabrielle nodded and continued to softly stroke Argo's cheek. "Where's Marina? Why isn't she here taking care of Argo?"
"She had to return to the village to tend to a newborn foal. She'll be back as soon as she can." Ilanna offered. "She said that if Argo wanted to stand up that we should let her. So far she hasn't moved much."
The bard nodded and stood up. "She means that Argo should be up and walking as soon as she's able. It'll help get the poison out of her system. Argo…Argo, come on…let's get up now. Up." she watched the golden mare struggle to rise but drop back down. "No, come on now. We have to get you up and moving. Come on…" she continued to gently coo and pet the horse. It took a while but eventually Argo stood up on shaky legs. "That's a good girl. Xena will be proud of you." she wrapped her arms around the mare's neck and hugged tightly. "I know you did everything you could to protect her."
Gabrielle walked Argo around in a wide circle until Marina arrived and took over. After a brief discussion about the care and health of Xena's beloved mare, the bard headed back to the village with Eponin and Ilanna to get an update on the search for her lover.