by B L
Miller
part 1
Copyright: The characters of Xena, Gabrielle, Argo, etc. are owned by MCA/Universal. I
only borrowed them for a little while. No infringement was intended. The rest of the story
is mine and I hold the copyright to it. Do not use any part of this story without my
written permission. I may be contacted at blmillerstories@aol.com.
Sex: This story contains scenes of two women making love. <smile> If this offends
you, please don’t read my story. There are plenty of other wonderful stories out
there.
Violence: There are scenes of violence within this story.
For Julie - who always expects Amazons
 Artemis and
Athena listened carefully to Ares, searching for any sign of insincerity from their
brother. It wouldn't be the first time he tried underhanded tactics to get the Warrior
Princess back into his fold. "Artemis, dear sister..." he began, walking up
behind her and putting his hands on her shoulders. "I'm only looking out for your
best interests and those of your precious Amazons. You say that you have no doubt that
Xena will always protect that annoy- I mean Gabrielle, your Queen. I'm just saying that
perhaps you're wrong." he released the huntress and turned to Athena. "Athena,
tell me, would you trust Xena to watch over Athens, your beloved city?"
"Why, yes of course...she's changed, Ares."
"Ah, before you say that, think about this...would you trust her to have complete
control? To influence your government, have free reign in decision making? The woman who
once tried to kill Hercules?" he looked at Artemis "And let us not forget Queen
Melosa."
"That was to prevent a war, Ares, you know that." the huntress protested.
"So it seemed. Xena will do many things in the name of 'protection', won't she?
Just think of how many villages she razed in the name of protection for Amphipolis."
both goddesses shuddered at the memory of Xena the Warlord. Ares stroked his beard
thoughtfully. "You trust her to protect Gabrielle. What if the name of that
protection she destroys another village? Athena, she helped your army defeat the Horde,
tell me...did she keep Gabrielle safe then? Or did bloodlust make her blind to the
truth?" the Goddess of Wisdom closed her eyes at the legitimacy of her brother's
words.
"She allowed her fear and lack of knowledge about the Horde to cloud her
judgment." she admitted. "But she still protected Gabrielle, Ares."
"Oh?" he said slyly, knowing she had fallen into his trap. He waved his hand
and an image appeared in the scrying bowl. Gabrielle outside the gates of the fort giving
the wounded men water, Xena inside plotting the best way to destroy the Horde. The image
changed, as he had directed, to the tall warrior sending a hatchet into the back of an
escaping man, reminding his pure and noble sisters just how cold-blooded his former
princess could be. Images filled the bowl, the visions he loved best, of his warrior
princess riding through a village; her army at her back, the smell of fire and blood in
the air, he had to stifle the urge to grin at the sickened faces of his sisters. "Now
tell me, Artemis, do you still believe that she's the best choice for your Queen's
protection?"
"Ares, she's not that warlord anymore. She's on the path to redemption." the
huntress said firmly.
"Ah, and is that all it takes" She has proven time and again that she cannot
protect the blond from danger." he waved his hand again and the images changed once
more. Gabrielle dangling from a beam while Xena battled Callisto, Gabrielle tied to a pole
with the totally incompetent Joxer, Gabrielle trapped on in a casket heading into the
crematorium.
"She rescued her each time." Athena said firmly.
"Yes, she did rescue her those times." he walked around the room, his hands
clasped, the forefingers touching each under just below his chin. "But it's only a
matter of time before she doesn't. How close was Gabrielle to being fried?"
"Ares, this is just another one of your tricks to get her back." Artemis
accused. "Xena loves Gabrielle. She won't allow anything to harm her."
"Really" She loves her so much that she let her marry that poor boy. Let her
become a widow in the span of a day. There's a loving act." he sneered. "And who
exactly was it that tried to kill Gabrielle and did kill her husband? Callisto, a vicious
killer created by Xena. Tell me, Artemis...do you think harm came to your Queen then? How
many nightmares has she had since then? How close did she come to losing her blood
innocence?" he stopped the images in the scrying bowl. "Ah, but enough of that.
The important thing is to prove that she's truly changed."
"Ares, Athena and I won't allow you to use Gabrielle in one of your little tests
for Xena." the brown haired goddess warned.
"Oh, I don't want to give Xena a test, dear sister. You see, Xena is far too
cunning for any kind of test I might throw her way. No, what I propose is for you to give
her a test. One that proves beyond a shadow of a doubt that she would never harm
Gabrielle." he looked Artemis in the eye. "I ask again, are you so certain of
the Warrior Princess?"
"I believe that Xena would never hurt Gabrielle, no matter what." the
huntress said with conviction.
"Even if she were still a warlord?"
"She loves Gabrielle. And my queen loves Xena. There is nothing that can break
that bond."
"Nothing? Even if Xena was a warlord again? With no memory of Gabrielle?" he
baited. "Is your faith that strong? Do you believe that Xena would hesitate to use
that little br- blond for her own personal gain?"
There was a long silence in Artemis' realm while the two goddesses considered their
brother's words. Ares waited patiently, the taste of victory on his lips. Artemis looked
at the scrying bowl again, the images swirling around in a montage of scenes thanks to her
brother. She turned around to face him and Athena. "I despise treachery, Ares, you
know that." her brown eyes bore into him, daring him to turn away. The God of War
held his ground, his evil nature allowing him to remain steadfast and return the gaze.
Treachery was an art form to him and he could play it better than anyone else. "The
paramount question here isn't Xena, but rather the safety of my Amazon Queen with her. You
were right about her actions with the Horde." her gaze turned briefly to her sister,
who lowered her eyes in silent agreement. Artemis took comfort in that motion and
continued. "I am concerned at how quickly she was able to return to her former ways.
I wonder if Gabrielle had not figured out that the men were only asking for water what
would have happened."
"Exactly, Artemis. What if Xena was a warlord again? Gabrielle would be nothing
more to her than a pawn or a fetch-it girl. And if she crossed her, then what? Xena would
treat her the same way she treated any of her lieutenants that disobeyed her." he
smiled inside when he saw the exchanged glance between his sisters. "How will you
ever be sure? Do you really believe that Gabrielle could ever be safe with Xena, knowing
the warlord lies just below the surface?"
At that moment, the Goddess of Wisdom made a statement would soon cause one of the most
heated exchanges in the history of Mount Olympus. "Even if Xena had no memory of
Gabrielle, she would still never allow any harm to come to her. Their love is too great
and the warrior is not the animal you make her out to be, Ares. I would stake Gabrielle's
life on it." before Artemis could recover from the shock of her sister's words, Ares
broke into a sinister grin.
"As you wish, dear Athena." he bowed in a sweeping motion at his sisters.
"The challenge is accepted." his evil and chilling laughter filled the chamber
as he disappeared. Athena lowered her head, waiting for the explosion she knew was coming.
"You, you made a challenge with Ares? And you're the Goddess of Wisdom?"
Artemis raged. "You're giving him exactly what he wants, another chance to win Xena
back!" she balled her immortal hands into fists. "And you're using Gabrielle to
do it! You know what Xena was like. How can you think she won't do anything to hurt
Gabrielle?" Athena was certain that if her sister got any more angry that smoke would
pour out of her ears. "And to top it off, you staked Gabrielle's life on it!"
Artemis sputtered to a finish.
"Please calm down, Artemis. If you were mortal, you'd have a stroke. Now just
think about it for a moment. You told me once that Gabrielle was the calming factor that
kept Xena on the right path. Are you saying now that she isn't?"
"Did you forget in your quest to best our brother that it wasn't Gabrielle that
turned Xena, but rather Hercules?"
"Are you saying that your queen isn't capable of turning Xena around? Do you have
so little faith in their love for one another?"
"Xena won't even know who Gabrielle is, much less that she loves her!"
Artemis protested. "You made sure of that with your boast!" she was still fuming
and her words dripped with her anger. Far below Mount Olympus great storms rolled over the
land as the Moon Goddess let loose on her sister. "And even if she does survive this
ordeal, do you have any idea how much damage that can do to their relationship? Xena may
not remember everything, but Gabrielle will!"
"Artemis, you should visit Aphrodite more often. You have to believe in their
love."
"For your sake, sister, their love had better prevail. There isn't a place on
Mount Olympus that can hide you should Gabrielle fall victim to the Warrior Princess'
blade." Artemis moved in close, her eyes burning into her sister. "I swear it on
my Amazons. If Gabrielle dies, Zeus help Athens." Athena could only gulp at the
intensity in her sister's gaze. She had no doubt that she meant every word.
"The Gods must be fighting again." Gabrielle commented, looking at the
teeming rain just outside their small cave. "Wonder what it's about this time?"
"Probably nothing more than their petty little games that they like to play."
Xena replied as she tossed more wood on the fire. A series of thunderclaps struck with
such ferocity that the bard jumped back from the mouth of the cave. Instantly the warrior
was by her side, hands on the younger woman's shoulders "Whatever they're arguing
about, it must be pretty serious for the storm to be this bad." mentally the warrior
was concerned. Rarely did anything good come from a battle between gods and more often
than not it was nothing but trouble for mortals. She felt Gabrielle shiver beneath her
hands. "Come on, let's get you near the fire."
No matter how hard the bard tried, she couldn't shake the feeling of foreboding that
came the instant the rains started. Something was wrong, but she didn't know what. Xena
had caught a pheasant for dinner but Gabrielle did nothing more with her share than pick
at it until the bird was cold, she shove the plate away from her. The warrior arched an
eyebrow in concern. "Gabrielle, you barely touched dinner. Are you feeling all
right?" without waiting for an answer, she reached over and placed her hand on the
younger woman's forehead.
"I'm fine, Xena, it's just...I don't know, I just have a feeling that something
terribly wrong is about to happen." she said with a shaky voice, her green eyes
filling with unshed tears. Gabrielle found herself immediately enveloped in the warrior's
strong arms.
"Shh...it's okay. I won't let anything happen to you." Xena pulled her into
her lap and held her close. The blue eyes looked down at the bard with concern. She'd
never seen Gabrielle so spooked before. The warrior gently rubbed her hand up and down the
bard's back in a comforting motion. After almost a full candlemark of comforting the young
woman, Xena was finally able to get her calmed down enough to carry her to her bedroll and
continued the gentle rubbing of the bard's back, gently lulling the younger woman into
sleep.
Long after she heard the soft snore emanating from the bard, Xena continued to lay
there, gently stroking the long blond strands of Gabrielle's hair want watching the steady
rise and fall of her chest. The warrior longed to curl up next to her and hold the bard
all night long, to feel the warmth of Gabrielle's skin against hers, to bury her face in
the golden tresses, to pretend that they were lovers settling down for a peaceful night's
sleep. Gabrielle shifted slightly, drawing the warrior out of her musings. Xena placed a
soft kiss on the bard's forehead before moving over to her own side of the fire and
falling into a restless slumber.
A silvery white owl fluttered into the cave and transformed into the Goddess Athena.
With a wave of her hand, she made certain that both mortals would continue to sleep,
leaving her to complete her task undisturbed. She collected all of the scrolls from the
saddlebag as well as the ink and quill. She then removed all the personal items that they
had given each other over the last two and a half summers of traveling together. Combs,
bracelets, even a small lamb that made noise when its tail was pulled. Ah, the winter
solstice, Athena recalled. Xena had given the wooden gift to Gabrielle. The goddess
quickly finished her task, effectively removing any trace that the two women belonged
together. A shimmering light appeared behind her. Athena knew without looking that her
sister was there. "Artemis, you know you can't interfere in this."
The moon goddess looked down at her sleeping Amazon queen. "I'm not interfering,
Athena. I just wanted to see my chosen one last time." she knelt down and brushed a
lock of hair off the sleeping bard's face. "Be strong, little one. Trust in your love
and be strong." she bent down to place a kiss on Gabrielle's cheek but was stopped by
her sister's hand on her shoulder.
"No, Artemis. You know that a kiss of protection isn't allowed."
"Thanks to you." she spat bitterly as she rose to face the goddess of wisdom.
"You still had no right to make a deal with Ares." Artemis waved her hand and a
table appeared, a scaled down version of Athens covering the top. Both goddesses walked
over to it. Artemis grinned almost evilly at the vision before her, reminding Athena of
the look Ares was so famous for. Faster than the goddess of wisdom could react, Artemis
brought her fist down, crushing the Coliseum into little pieces. Athena nodded solemnly,
the silent threat acknowledged. "Finish your task, sister." Artemis said,
changing into a shimmering form and disappearing. Within heartbeats, the table and all
upon it also dissolved into nothingness. Athena let out an involuntary shudder at the
memory of her sister's fury.
The goddess knelt down next to the sleeping warrior and passed her hand over the
chiseled face, her touch draining Xena's memories. Athena stopped at the point just past
when the warrior went through the gauntlet of her own men in order to protect a baby. The
goddess rose and walked over to Gabrielle, repeating the words of her sister. "Be
strong, Gabrielle. Only your strength and love can guide Xena back." she reached down
and moved the bard's staff closer to the sleeping form, just in case. Athena moved to the
mouth of the cave and took one last look at them before turning back into an owl and
flying away to Athens.
Continued in Part Two
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