The Warrior Way by Cheeya

Comments/Constructive Criticism to [email protected]

"Hey, look at that!"

Gabrielle stood on the top of the hill, shielding her eyes from the bright Greek sun. Xena followed her outstretched finger and gazed in the direction she was pointing.

"Smoke," the warrior said, squinting at the thick black cloud. "Where's it coming from?"

"I don’t know," the bard replied. "I don’t see a village in that direction."

"There isn't one," Xena stated, taking a step closer to her soulmate. "We've been through this area a number of times and, unless it's a new settlement, there's definitely nothing around here."

"Yeah," Gabrielle agreed. "Wanna check it out?"

Xena mounted Argo and pulled her partner up behind her.

"I just want to make sure that everything's ok," she replied. They galloped off in the direction of the smoke and thirty minutes later, came across a horrific sight. Gabrielle's hand moved to her mouth and she shook her head in disbelief.

"Who could have done this?" she asked.

Xena's face was a picture of shock and anger.

"I don’t know, Gabrielle but I intend to find out," she growled.

They rode slowly through the charred bodies of men, women and children. It looked as if a caravan of merchants had been attacked and simply burnt out. Thirty blackened wagons lined the edge of the road, still billowing smoke, and there were no survivors. Xena dismounted and walked to the nearest wagon. She leaned over the edge to check it's contents and staggered back a few steps, desperately fighting the urge to vomit. There were several burnt bodies lying in it and even the battle-toughened warrior couldn't stop her stomach from turning over.

"What is it, Xena?" the bard asked.

"Don’t come over here, Gabrielle. Stay where you are," Xena replied, striding back to her soulmate. "I don’t understand this. There are sacks of what looks like grain in the wagons. Why would someone burn the wagons with the grain in them? Why didn’t they steal it?"

The bard looked away thoughtfully and then glanced at her soulmate, noting the strained look on her face.

"Xena, I don't think whoever did this was interested in the goods they were carrying. It seems that they murdered these people for the sake of killing."

Xena perched her hands on her hips and shook her head.

"There's more to this, Gabrielle. I can sense it. I think…" she paused to offer her soulmate a hand down from Argo and then caught her by the hips as she slid from the saddle. "I think that it's divine intervention," she spat.

"Ares?" Gabrielle asked, an angry look on her face.

"No… it's not his style. He prefers a battle to quick destruction. Gabrielle, there's only one god I know who uses fire to cause such sweeping devastation."

The bard's eyes grew wide as she realised who Xena was talking about.

"But… but… it can’t be…" she stammered, fear evident on her face. "Xena, Callisto is dead. You killed her."

Xena ducked her head to look into her partner's eyes.

"I trapped her, Gabrielle. She's a god. She was going to get out sooner or later. I just didn’t expect it to be this soon."

Gabrielle placed her hand on Xena's forearm and spoke softly.

"What are we going to do?" she asked.

Xena's face hardened and she curled her lip in disdain. Her piercing blue eyes flashed with anger and her fists were clenched in anticipation of smashing the blonde goddess' face in.

"We're going to find her and I'm going to kill her," she snarled.

"Hello there."

Callisto flashed a brilliant smile at a small child and twirled her long blonde hair around her finger. She tilted her head playfully as the child slowly backed away.

"Don't be frightened, Boy. I won't hurt you… much" the goddess said reassuringly but the boy ran away from her, stumbling as he looked back to see if she was chasing him.

"Oh well," Callisto stated, shrugging her slender shoulders. She walked through the village, grinning at the frightened looks she received. Her reputation was well known all over Greece. As well as Xena's, she thought to herself and then felt the familiar pain and anger well up inside her at the Warrior Princess' name.

"But this time, Xena, you're not going to trap me or trick me. I'm going to finish you and that irritating blonde off once and for all!" she stated out loud and then giggled wickedly. "And I know the perfect way to do it. Oh, I am sooo good!"

Callisto turned and studied the surrounding area carefully. She spotted a large thatched building and pointed her finger gracefully at it. A stream of fire erupted from her and the building burst into flames. She laughed as she heard the terrified screams around her and pointed at another building, watching with glee as it also burst into flames. Then she suddenly sobered and turned, following the panicked villagers with her hard, brown eyes as they ran from her.

"People of Amphipolis!" she cried. "I want you to know why I'm doing this. Xena, your precious Warrior Princess, burned my family. Now I'm going to destroy her hometown!"

"CALLISTO!"

The goddess turned and grinned at the petite woman who was staring at her defiantly.

"Well if it isn’t Xena's mommy. Hello Cyrene."

"Why don’t you just leave here! We have done nothing against you, Callisto."

Callisto shook her head and waved her finger at the older woman.

"Tut tut tut, no, you're wrong. You gave birth to the woman who murdered my family." She perched her hands on her hips and looked away thoughtfully. "You know, I blame the parents. Some parents just don’t know how to raise mannerly children. No matter, I will have my revenge soon enough." The goddess lunged forward and grabbed Cyrene by the arm, squeezing it cruelly. "You're coming with me, Mommy!"

Callisto spotted her final target and pointed at it, excitement etching a grin on her face. "I think this will be a sufficient message for Xena."

Cyrene started to cry as The Amphipolis Inn, where her daughter and two sons had grown up, burst into flames. Callisto giggled and waved her hand, disappearing and taking Xena's mother with her.

Gabrielle dropped into a chair beside her soulmate, sighing in exasperation.

"We've spoken to nearly every person in six villages and we're no closer to finding Callisto. Xena, she could be anywhere."

Xena's face was cold and her jaw muscles clenched and released rhythmically. Gabrielle smiled reassuringly at her and took her hand, entwining their fingers. The warrior looked up and squeezed her mug of port, causing the wooden vessel to creak.

"I have to find her, Gabrielle, before she murders any more innocent people. Their blood will be on my hands," she whispered.

"Xena, this is not your fault," the bard stated firmly. "Callisto chose her own path. She could have put aside her hatred a long time ago but she chose not to. She destroyed herself."

Xena didn’t answer. She just looked down and studied the ridges in the wooden table. Gabrielle squeezed her hand to get her attention.

"Xena, Honey, let's get some sleep, huh?"

The warrior nodded.

"Go on up. I'll be right behind you."

"Don't be long, ok?"

"Yeah."

The bard left her soulmate to her musings and retired to their bedchamber. It was small, but clean and warm and the bed was comfortable. Gabrielle slipped out of her clothes and climbed wearily into it, pulling the blankets up to her chest. She ran her hand through her short blonde hair and then laced her fingers behind her head. She was worried about Xena because she knew that the warrior blamed herself for Callisto's reign of terror. She also knew that Xena and Callisto would face off soon and though she had complete faith in her partner's combat skills, she remembered her husband's death and how she was helpless to stop it. She didn't want the same thing to happen to her soulmate. No, she wasn't going to allow it.

The door creaked open slowly and Xena entered her bedchamber to find Gabrielle asleep. She walked to the bed and gently stroked the bard's face with her fingertips before unbuckling her armour and slipping out of her leathers. She climbed into the bed beside Gabrielle and wrapped her arms around her, smiling as the younger woman sighed and snuggled into the warrior's body.

"I love you, Gabrielle," she whispered and drifted into Morpheus' arms with her lover.

Next morning, they got up early and went downstairs for breakfast. They sat at a small table and chatted idly about nothing until a man suddenly entered the inn, banging the door against its frame and hurrying to the bar. He was agitated and looked nervously around the room as if he expected some assassin to suddenly appear.

"Gabrielle, stay here. I'll be right back," said Xena and walked to the bar.

"Are you ok, Friend?" she asked the man as he knocked back a mug of strong port.

"No, I'm not alright. I've come with terrible news."

"What is it?" Xena asked softly.

"A small town nearby has been almost completely destroyed and I'm terrified that my village will be next."

Xena frowned and shook her head.

"Which town was destroyed?" she asked. "Maybe I can help the people there."

"It's a town about half a day's ride east. It's called Amphipolis."

Xena grasped the bar counter to keep herself upright and swallowed the lump that had risen in her throat.

"Did you say Amphipolis?" she asked hoarsely.

"Yes. Do you know it?" he asked, surprised at the warrior's reaction. Xena nodded slowly and glanced at Gabrielle.

"Yes, it's my home village," she replied. "Were there any survivors?"

"Yes, they came to my village shortly after dawn. The gods bless them, they were in a terrible state. We're taking care of them."

Xena thanked the man and went back to her partner.

"We have to go. Callisto has destroyed Amphipolis," she said, tears welling up in her eyes.

"Oh gods, Xena. Cyrene…"

"I don’t know," the warrior replied "but we have to hurry, Gabrielle."

The bard jumped up from the table and ten minutes later, they were back on the road. Xena pushed Argo hard and they arrived in Amphipolis… or what was left of it… at midday. Xena slid down from the horse and ran toward the inn where she grew up… to find it a ruined shell. She dropped to her knees in front of it and tears ran down her cheeks as she surveyed the damage. It was unsalvageable. Gabrielle knelt down beside her offering her comfort but the warrior just bowed her head and sobbed.

"Xena?"

The Warrior Princess looked up at the old man.

"Yes," she said, wiping her face with a shaking hand.

"Callisto took your mother. I don't know where she went. She just disappeared."

Xena got up and held the man by his shoulders.

"She was alive when Callisto took her?"

"Yes, but as I said, I can't tell you where she took her."

"Thank you," Xena replied sincerely and then turned to her partner. "I know where she's gone."

"Where?" Gabrielle asked, her own eyes starting to fill with tears.

"She's at the caves. That's where she went last time. I know she's there. She's waiting for me."

"Well, what are we waiting for then? Let's go, Xena."

She moved toward Argo but Xena caught her arm.

"No, Gabrielle. I want you to stay here."

The bard frowned and shook her head.

"What? Stay here? No way, Xena."

"Gabrielle! I've seen Callisto rip the hearts out of people I love. I won’t have that happen to you!" the warrior said, pain and anger evident on her beautiful face.

"It's already happened to me. She ripped my heart out when she killed Perdicus. Xena, I'm going."

The Warrior Princess stared at her partner and then lowered her eyes.

"I'm sorry. I just… I'm scared, Gabrielle. I can't lose you too."

Gabrielle pulled her lover into her arms and held her tightly.

"You won’t. We have to save your mom. She's my family now too."

"Alright, we'd better hurry."

Xena borrowed a horse for Gabrielle and they rode to the nearby caves. They didn’t speak on the way there but before they entered the cavern Xena spoke her heart to her soulmate.

"Gabrielle, if I die today, remember this. You are the best thing in my life and I love you."

"I love you too, Xena."

They kissed deeply, possibly for the last time and then drew their weapons and made their way through the dimly lit cave. Gabrielle spun her sais nervously in her fingers and watched as Xena ran her hand over her chakram, letting the cool metal calm and reassure her. The warrior signalled for Gabrielle to circle around and come in from the back entrance and she nodded and ducked into a side passage. Xena crept forward soundlessly until she came to the entrance to the innermost cavern. Callisto had held the people of Amphipolis there before, when she had been in Xena's body and the memories came flooding back to the Warrior Princess. She gritted her teeth in anger and moved into the cave.

Gabrielle peered into the dimness and spotted Cyrene tied to a post in the centre of the cave. She couldn't see Callisto but she knew she wasn't far away. She looked across the cavern and saw Xena watching her so she signalled to the warrior. Xena nodded and Gabrielle slipped into the cavern and crept to Cyrene. The older woman's brown eyes were wide and she indicated to her left continuously.

"I know," Gabrielle whispered and nodded once. She had realised where Callisto was when she reached Xena's mother. The bard untied her and glanced at Xena before leading her out of the cave.

The Warrior Princess stepped into the cave and looked into the dark shadows.

"Awwright, Callisto," she drawled. "I know you're in here. Show yourself!"

There was a sudden flash of light and Callisto appeared before her.

"Hello, Xena," she said brightly. "It's been a long time."

"Not long enough," the warrior growled in reply. She drew her sword and held it in both hands, pointing it at the goddess. Callisto threw back her head and laughed.

"Xena, Xena, Xena, you should know by now that you can't kill me."

Xena smiled coldly and tilted her head.

"Well, I did it before, Callisto. Remember? You wanted oblivion and I gave it to ya!"

The goddess crossed her arms over her chest and pouted.

"A minor setback," she stated and then drew her own sword. "That's not going to happen again!"

She lunged at Xena but the warrior flipped into the air and sailed over her head, landing behind her and kicking her in the back. Callisto staggered forward a few paces and spun, a blood-curdling scream ripping from her. She pointed her finger at Xena and fire shot towards her but again, Xena flipped out of the way. She landed and hurled her chakram at the goddess but Callisto ducked and watched as the weapon flew back to Xena's outstretched left hand. She caught it with a twist of her hand and hooked it back at her side.

"I've so missed our little chats," Callisto said as she circled Xena warily.

"I wasn't aware of any talking… or was it the voices in your head?" The Warrior Princess grinned evilly and spun her sword in a figure of eight around her body. "Come on, Callisto. Are we going to finish this or what?"

They ran toward each other and fought hard. Xena elbowed the goddess in the face and then took her down with a spinning heel kick but Callisto flipped back into standing and lunged again. Sparks lit the cave again and again as their swords clashed together and soon, the fight came to a stalemate. They stood watching each other warily, trying to catch their breaths and Callisto perched her hands on her hips.

"Answer me one question, Xena?"

"What?!"

"Why didn't you eat the Ambrosia and become a god after you trapped Velaska and me in the lava pit?"

Xena shook her head and glanced at the exit of the cave.

"No mortal should have that power. As much as I hate to say it, the gods of Olympus were born into their power and they know how to control it. You and Velaska, on the other hand only did it so you could have ultimate power. I don't want that responsibility."

"I said before that you're a sentimental fool. Despite that, I have a strange respect for you, Xena. You held your own against a god."

"I don’t want your respect. I don’t want anything from you Callisto. This is ending right here."

"Really? Well, you have to catch me first. There's someone waiting outside for you, Xena, isn’t there?"

The blonde goddess waved her hand and disappeared.

"Gabrielle," Xena whispered and ran out of the cave, her heart pounding fiercely in her chest. She skidded to a halt a few paces from the cave entrance and spun in a full circle, screaming her soulmate's name.

"GABRIELLE!"

There was complete silence in the wooded area and Xena dropped to her knees in despair.

"Gabrielle!" she cried.

"Xena!"

The warrior jumped to her feet and ran to meet her partner as she galloped toward her. Xena pulled her down off the horse and hugged her tightly.

"I thought I'd lost you," she whispered as she stroked her short blonde hair.

"Xena, it's ok. I rode to the next town to drop your mother off and make sure she was safe."

Xena sniffed back her emotion and smiled.

"Thank you. Gabrielle, Callisto's gone. She disappeared from the cave."

"We may never find her now," Gabrielle replied, "Xena, let's get back to your mom."

They rode to the next village and went to check on Cyrene.

"Mom," Xena cried as she ran into her room, "Are you ok?"

"Yes, Little One, I'm ok, but listen. Callisto gave me a message to give to you. She said that if I told Gabrielle, she'd kill her so I had to wait."

Xena nodded and hugged her mother.

"You did the right thing. What's the message?"

Cyrene frowned thoughtfully.

"She said 'Tell Xena to go to where hope was destroyed'. That's all she said. Xena, what did she mean? How can hope be destroyed when it's inside all of us?"

Xena looked at Gabrielle and saw the fear and sadness on her face. The bard turned and walked to the window, leaning her hands on the sill and gazing out over the countryside.

"Mom, Hope was Gabrielle's daughter. I don’t have time to explain now but I will, I promise."

"Ok, Little One. Please be careful. Callisto is crazy," the older woman said and Xena nodded. Then she went to Gabrielle and stood beside her looking out the window.

"Xena, I don’t know if I can go back there," the bard said in a tiny voice.

"It's ok, Love. Everything's going to be ok. Stay here and look after Mom. I'll be back soon."

She kissed the bard on the temple and squeezed her hand before walking to the door.

"Xena?"

"Yeah?"

"Be careful and remember that I love you."

"I will," Xena replied and then strode out the door. Cyrene went to Gabrielle and wrapped her arm around her shoulders.

"Are you alright, Sweetie?"

"I will be as soon as Xena gets back," the bard whispered.

The Warrior Princess reined Argo in and dismounted gracefully. The sun was moving low in the sky and she was tired after the long ride. She hitched her horse to a low hanging tree branch and walked slowly to the entrance of the old Temple of Dahok. Dahok… the name almost made her sick to her stomach. The evil god had caused so much pain and suffering to both herself and Gabrielle that the warrior was almost afraid to enter the temple. She pressed on regardless and drew her sword as she pushed the door open. The temple was deserted and in bad repair. The local villagers were too afraid to use this temple for any other purpose and it had fallen into disrepair over the years since Xena had been last there. The warrior closed her eyes as bad memories came back to her. She relived the moment when she saw Gabrielle fall into the lava pit, taking her evil daughter with her and felt the pain of the moment all over again.

"Focus, Xena," she whispered. "That was a long time ago and Gabrielle is safe now. She came back to you."

She calmed down and walked toward the hole where the altar once was. She peered over the edge and then stepped back quickly, taking a deep breath.

"I'm glad to see you haven't forgotten this place."

Xena whirled, her sword held out in front of her and stared coldly at Callisto.

"I'm here. What do you want?" she asked.

Callisto giggled and twisted her hair around her finger.

"I just thought it would be cool to kill you in the same place that you killed me. Ironic don’t you think?"

"Yes, except for one small thing."

"What's that?" Callisto asked, frowning as she tried to figure out of she had forgotten something.

"What makes you think that you're going to kill me?"

"Oh, I know I will."

Callisto pulled a dagger from her boot and threw it into the air above Xena's head. It sliced through a rope and a heavy net fell onto the warrior. She tried to move but she was too late and it tangled around her as she struggled against it.

"Son of a Bacchae!" she cursed as she dropped to one knee. The weight of the rope was hurting her back and she got as low as she could, even dropping her sword in an attempt to free herself. She drew her breast dagger and tried to cut through it but Callisto just laughed.

"Don’t bother, Dear. You won't be able to cut through it. I made sure of that."

The goddess walked slowly around the struggling warrior and clasped her hands behind her back.

"It seems to me that you have two choices. Either you agree to my terms or you die in that lave pit over there, just like my Hope."

"Your Hope? Callisto, what are you talking about," Xena spat.

"Well, Gabrielle didn’t want her so someone had to take care of her. I always wanted a child so I looked after her."

"You were her lapdog, Callisto. She didn’t care about you."

"Of course she didn’t. Don’t all children resent their parents at that age?"

Xena laughed incredulously.

"You really are crazy. All these years, I thought you were just misguided but you're actually a nutball!"

"Thank you! Now, do you want to hear my terms? Remember, two choices, agree or die."

Xena shook her head and sighed, knowing that she wasn't getting free from the net on her own.

"What are your terms," she asked coldly.

"I want you to give up being a warrior, Xena. I want your reputation as a do-gooder destroyed."

"That's it?" Xena asked, unable to believe what she had just heard.

"Yep, that's it," Callisto replied brightly.

"And how do you intend to destroy my reputation?" the warrior continued.

"I'm going to do what Draco tried to do. I'm going to form an army and carry your banner. I'm going to back to your warlord days!"

Xena shook her head and snarled, struggling in vain against the net but needing to vent her anger.

"No way, Callisto. I'll die before I let you kill any more innocent people."

The goddess looked almost sad as she pointed her finger at the helpless Warrior Princess but then she just shrugged.

"Oh well, so be it. You've made your choice. You can die now," she said.

Her eyes glowed white with power as she prepared to barbecue her long-time enemy but she suddenly staggered forward and rubbed the back of her head.

"Ouch!" she cried and scowled as she looked down at the heavy rock that had bounced off the back of her skull.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you, Callisto," said a low, angry voice and both Xena and the goddess looked around to find Gabrielle standing just inside the door of the temple. Xena breathed a sigh of relief and smiled at her soulmate but Gabrielle's eyes were cold and flashing with fury. She walked slowly toward them, her sais clasped in her hands and a sword sheathed on her back. She was dressed in full body armour, the armour Ares had given her a year previously when she had been under his influence, and a long dagger hung in a sheath at her side. She stopped in front of the blonde goddess and squared up to her. "Let's see how you do against Ares Chosen One," she snarled.

"Gabrielle!" Xena cried but the bard shook her head at her soulmate.

"One way or another, this ends here," she stated. "She murdered my husband and helped my daughter in her attempt to destroy the world. I'm tired of being afraid of her. I'm tired of hating her."

Xena nodded slowly, knowing that this was something her partner had to do. Gabrielle and Callisto faced off and regarded each other coldly.

"Ares' Chosen One, huh?" the goddess asked and Gabrielle nodded.

"You've missed a lot since you've been away," Gabrielle stated.

"Obviously. What in the name of… me… was Ares thinking?" Callisto replied cattily.

"Ha ha," the bard replied flatly. "Come on Callisto. It's just you and me this time. No tricks, no traps."

The goddess screamed and ran at Gabrielle but the bard ducked under her sword strike, catching her in the ribs with her sai and leaving a deep gash as she passed.

"Oww, that stings," Callisto whined and then grinned as the wound healed quickly.

"That was just a reminder of what it feels like to be mortal," Gabrielle said and kicked the goddess in the face, sending her reeling. Callisto fell onto her back and rolled out of the way as Gabrielle's sais headed for her chest. She returned the kick and the bard wiped a trickle of blood away from her nose with the back of her hand.

"The difference between you and me, Gabrielle, is that I don’t bleed," the goddess replied. She pointed at the bard and sent her flying across the temple. Gabrielle hit the wall hard and slid down it, fighting to stay conscious. Xena swallowed deeply and whispered to her love.

"C'mon Gabrielle, you can do it."

The bard scrambled to her feet as a stream of fire shot toward her and she flipped sideways, barely avoiding being burnt to a crisp. Gabrielle shook her head to clear her foggy brain and drew her sword. She ran at Callisto and their swords met with a flash of sparks. They fought viciously, kicking and punching each other but Gabrielle held her own against the goddess. The main disadvantage working against the bard was that she was getting tired but she forced her aching muscles to respond and found her second wind. Callisto hit her sword hard and sent it spinning out of her hand but Gabrielle drew her dagger and displayed it menacingly.

"Recognise this?" she asked and Callisto's face dropped.

"It can't be. It's…" the goddess trailed off, genuine fear evident on her face.

"That's right. It's the Hindsblood Dagger."

"Where did you get it?" Callisto whispered.

"After I fell into the pit with Hope, I woke up in a hospice. This was with me. I've kept it hidden in a safe place all these years. Even Xena didn’t know where it was."

She glanced at her soulmate and saw the shock on her face change slowly into a smile. Callisto perched her hands on her hips and shook her head.

"So what are you going to do now, Little Girl? You're not going to kill me. You haven't got it in you! You had your opportunity years ago when I cut your husband open and you didn't take it!"

"I'm not a little girl anymore and you know, things change, Callisto."

Gabrielle plunged the dagger into the goddess' chest and smiled as she saw the look of disbelief on her face.

"Enjoy oblivion," she whispered and pulled the dagger back out with a sickening squelch. Callisto dropped to her knees and her eyes glazed over.

"Not again," she whispered and fell over onto her side, the life leaving her body. Gabrielle stood there for a few seconds just staring at the body at her feet and then she ran to Xena and helped her free. The warrior pulled her into her arms and rocked her slowly. The bard pulled back a little and gazed at her partner.

"It's over," she said and took her by the hand, leading her out of the temple. They walked back to their horses but Xena placed a hand on Gabrielle's shoulder.

"Why didn’t you tell me about the dagger?" she asked, softly.

"No one should have that power, Xena," the bard replied. "Not even you."

"Especially not me," Xena corrected with a smile and gave her a boost up onto her horse. "You did great back there."

"No, I just did what I had to do," Gabrielle replied and smiled at her soulmate. "It's the Warrior Way."

Xena nodded and mounted Argo.

"The Warrior Way," she repeated, returning the smile and followed her soulmate toward the setting sun.

The End