This is a
what if story. What if Xena had immediately chosen to stay a warrior and
fight to protect people and that she wouldn't go home until she had
redeemed herself? However it is mostly about what would have happened to
Gabrielle when Xena wasn't there to rescue her from Draco. Here is one
possibility.
Disclaimer:
I don't own them. However I hear they're going to be on the market pretty
soon so maybe you can get them then.
Archive:
Anybody. Just keep my name with it and tell me if you get it.
Servant
Girl
Gabrielle
tried to keep the other village women calm, and for the most part managed
it. She told them stories of anything and everything to keep their minds
off of where they were, but occasionally you could hear one or two
weeping. If truth were told she was probably as scared as the rest and
more uncertain about what would happen to them. Their captors had not said
anything to them, and Gabrielle was afraid that they hadn't decided what
to do yet. She had the hope that the village men would come back early
from the hunt and come to free them, and the worry that if they did they
would all be killed in the attempt. She tried to keep everyone's hopes up
for rescue without sharing the worry.
"Draco, why
haven't you given the village women to the men yet? That's usually the
first thing you do to teach them their new place in life." Asked Tozan one
of Draco's lieutenants.
"I'll tell
you why. We have been having quite a good run lately and I think it's time
we pay a tribute to Ares." Draco replied smugly.
Tozan looked
at Draco in astonishment. "You have never given him tribute before! You
have always said you didn't need the God of War to be a
Warlord."
"That is why
I am paying him a tribute now. He won't feel I am slighting him and ruin
our good run. If we continue this way for a few more years we can retire
to run our own personal kingdoms. Live the pampered life, no more sleeping
in tents and always being on the move." Draco paused obviously fantasizing
this perfect life. "That is more than enough reason to give up one measly
slave."
"So which
one are you going to give him?" Tozan asked, having been eyeing one or two
for his own pleasure.
"It has to
be one of the virgins since, after all, we can't give the God of War
spoiled goods. However I haven't decided yet so I can't give them to the
men. I will make my choice in the morning and take her to Ares closest
temple before dawn. Making the girl a dawn sacrifice, so to speak. The men
can have whichever women I leave."
Tozan
recognized the order to leave and bowed as he exited. "As you say, Lord
Draco."
The next
morning as Draco walked over to the cage holding the women he evaluated
what he saw in the firelight. He saw a young blond girl moving from woman
to woman offering comfort. The blond was the first to see him coming
and roused the other women.
"Married
women to one side single to the other." Draco barked out fully expecting
them to rush to obey. When they did not he was surprised. Especially as he
saw they looked to see what the blond did first, and she was not
moving.
"Why?" Was
all she asked.
"Because I
said so." Draco replied, he continued with a leer on his face. "If
you want further reason, it is to find out which of you are virgins.
Virgins fetch more on the market. If you disobey me on this, I will have
one woman beaten to death for every hour you refuse to comply." Draco
spoke as if he was addressing all of the women but Gabrielle knew he was
talking specifically to her.
Gabrielle
turned to her fellow captives. "Go ahead. Follow his orders, try to avoid
whatever punishments you can." The women shifted, with Gabrielle moving to
stand beside her sister on the single women's side.
Truthfully
Draco had already made his choice even before they split sides. Ordinarily
he would take the rebellious slave on personally and teach her respect for
her owner. However he had an out in this case. He could hand his problem
slave over to Ares and let him deal with her.
He called
her forward, "You girl, the one who questioned me. Come here." He opened
the cage door and motioned her out. He shut the door and held onto her as
one of his soldiers put manacles on her.
The women in
the cage heard him say to her as he led her off, "I have special plans for
you."
Draco had
scarcely been gone an hour and the sun was slowly rising when the attack
came. The men of the village had come to get their women back. Draco's men
were overconfident and the sentries were sleeping on duty. The Poteidaian
men were already well into the camp before any warning cry was given.
Without Draco there to lead them they were unable to competently recover
from the surprise attack, and all of Draco's soldiers were wiped out. The
village men retrieved their women and kept Draco's spoils as their
own.
Everyone was
saddened to learn that they had lost Gabrielle, but there was no way to
track her and they didn't have any clues as to where Draco had taken her.
After they were back home in Poteidaia, the wives and daughters who had
been captured let their men know how courageous Gabrielle was and how she
kept them together. It was unanimously decided to give Horace and
Hecuba a larger portion of Draco's treasure as a way to say thank you, and
to show their sympathy.
Draco had
Gabrielle in front of him on his horse. "I suppose your wondering where
I'm taking you. Well you can relax, I am not taking you to a potential
buyer." Instead of relaxing Gabrielle stiffened more as she caught the
obvious hole in his logic. If he isn't taking her to be sold where was he
taking her, and what was he going to do with her?
It was hard
for even her imagination to think up horrible things that he could be
going to do to her. After all, most of those he could have done back at
the camp. Her curiosity had always been one of her larger character traits
and it liked to get her in trouble. Like now. Although still afraid her
curiosity demanded she ask. "What are you going to do with
me?"
Draco
laughed. "I was expecting that question when we first got on the horse.
You held out longer than I thought you would, and as a reward I am going
to tell you. I am giving you to the God of War."
Draco held
her tighter as if expecting her to fight, but she was too shocked to
fight. "It's good to know you can be sensible sometimes. You might want to
remember not to fight the God of War. He can do a lot worse to you than I
can. We're here anyway."
At this
point Gabrielle would have fought to get away, if she thought it would do
any good. Instead she decided to save her energy, she would probably need
it later. She looked to see where they were and she saw an extremely run
down temple.
Draco
decided to make an impressive entrance and swung her to dangle over his
shoulder. He strode into the empty main chamber. It looked as if no one
had used it in months. He carried her over to the main altar and set her
down. He reached into his belt and retrieved the key to her manacles. He
unlocked them only long enough to wrap them through an iron loop on the
side of the altar. He said simply, "My Lord Ares I give you this tribute
of an untouched slave. She is yours to do with as you wish." He then
turned and walked out the door, shutting it behind him.
Gabrielle
was too overwhelmed to protest this treatment by Draco. Until she realized
she was chained to an altar to Ares in an unused temple. She started
tugging at her chains testing their strength and the amount of movement
they aloud her. It wasn't much. Because of the way Draco had chained her,
the most comfortable position was laying down in a rather provocative
pose. "Great now I'll either starve to death or Ares will come and I'll
suffer a fate worse than death." Gabrielle muttered
sarcastically.
"Oh, please.
Don't give me all that blushing virgin crap." Ares said irritably,
startling Gabrielle.
He had
appeared behind her so she had to crane her head around and look at him
upside down. Needless to say this wasn't the most comfortable position and
did not make the greatest impression of intelligence on her part.
Embarrassed by her gracelessness Gabrielle retorted waspishly, "So I take
it unless you leave me here, starving to death is off the list of options?
And come around in front of me. I can't exactly turn to face you chained
like this can I?"
Gabrielle
heard a snap and then her chains were gone.
"Better?"
Ares asked.
Gabrielle
immediately sat up and faced him while rubbing at her wrists. "Better. I'm
sorry I snapped at you this hasn't been a great day for me, what with
being made a slave and everything." Gabrielle offered in apology. She
hoped to smooth things over, as this wasn't exactly someone she wanted
angry with her.
Ares sat
down on his throne facing Gabrielle. They stared at each other for a few
minutes in silence before Ares spoke up and asked his most pressing
question.
"What am I
supposed to do with you?"
"Well, since
I take it raping me isn't in your plans?" At Ares agreement she went on.
"You could let me go."
"I can't do
that, you're tribute. I can't have everybody thinking I'll just let my
tribute go. It would cause havoc. Not to mention the other gods would
think I've gone soft." Ares paused before continuing with a different line
of thought. "Why is it that warlords give me slaves as tribute. Slaves are
of absolutely no value to me. I'm a god for crying out loud."
"Well if
that wasn't a rhetorical question, may I ask if all of the slaves you're
given are young and female?" Gabrielle asked quietly.
"Sure and
for the most part virgins. What would I want with whimpering, whining
virgins? Give me a woman of experience any day." Ares asked. He truly did
not understand the reasoning behind the warlords' actions.
"Well most
men see you as the ultimate virile male. They think that like any virile
male you would enjoy, er, conquering unexplored territory." Gabrielle
began blushing and hoping he wouldn't ask for further detail.
She hurried
to change the subject. "What do you usually do with your
'tribute'?"
"Well
ordinarily I put them to work as servants at one of my temples and
eventually marry them off to warriors who think they are privileged to
marry a servant of Ares." Ares began to look slightly uncomfortable.
"However I can't do that with you."
Gabrielle
immediately began to get upset. "Why not? Why am I different from the
rest? What are you going to do with me if not that?"
"I can't let
you be seen by anyone. Draco brought you here as tribute so I wouldn't
turn against him. Unfortunately he left it a little too long. His entire
camp was just wiped out by your men folk. If anyone sees you and begins to
ask questions they won't see it as my taking offense at someone not giving
me my due. They will see it as me turning against one of my
warlords."
Gabrielle
paled. "Are you going to kill me?"
"No, I need
you as proof to Draco that I accepted his tribute. I will go to him and
tell him that I had his camp wiped out as a warning not to go so long
between tribute. I will also tell him not to leave me slaves as tribute.
They're more trouble than they're worth."
"Then what
are you going to do with me?" Gabrielle asked fearfully.
Ares looked
around searching for an answer, and found one. "This temple hasn't been
used in years. I don't know why Draco used it. However this is where I
come when I don't want to be bothered by my priests or my family. You
clean it up and keep it cleaned and ready for me. I will give you
everything you need and it will stay stocked with whatever you want. You
will be my personal servant. That means you will do what I want when I
want." Ares tipped her face up to look her in the eye. "Is that
clear?"
Gabrielle
nodded and told him, "Clear."
Ares set his
hand on the top of her head. Gabrielle felt her body shiver as a cold
sensation ran through her body and then turned warm making her feel that
she must be glowing.
"You can't
leave the temple grounds so don't try. If you have need of me call I will
hear you." With those parting words Ares left in a flash of light and
smoke.
Gabrielle
was left to ponder how much her life had changed in less than a day. She
was captured at noon the day before and hadn't eaten or slept since then.
She made the decision to see to her own needs, before tackling the huge
project that the god of war had left her.
"He never
even asked my name."
Ares found
Draco in the ruins of his camp. He appeared standing beside him. "It's a
shame isn't it? Nice army like that one gone, all in the space of a few
hours. Of course it didn't take that long to happen. They were wiped out
in the space of a few minutes."
Draco turned
to him furious. "How did this happen? My army was well trained. Who could
have taken them so quickly?"
"Why
villagers of course, coming to take back their women." Ares said
carelessly. At Draco's incredulous look Ares smiled. "Of course they
couldn't have done it without my help. Next time don't wait so long to pay
me tribute. You can also do better than to give me a slave. All slaves do
is clutter up my temple. Don't worry you'll get an even better army now
that you have experience being a leader."
Ares started
to walk away before turning for one last comment. "That village you
attacked? That's under my protection now. You try for revenge and you will
be wishing you had been here too."
Gabrielle
was muttering to herself as she cleaned. "I can't believe this. It's like
one of my stories. Not even one of the adventures, no this is like one
where the moral is the driving force for the story. Unfortunately for me I
don't know what that moral is yet. Hard work is good for the soul? I need
to learn humility? The fates are laughing their heads off at
me?"
Gabrielle
decided to clean the cobwebs out of the corners of the ceiling. "I'm going
to need a ladder." One appeared in the closest corner. Gabrielle closed
her eyes and sighed. "I wonder if I will ever get used to that." The
bedroom of her dreams had been a surprise until she realized that was what
she had been wanting, so it was given to her. Now she is just glad it was
clean so it was one less thing for her to do.
She was
pleasantly surprised to find that all the temple really needed was a good
spring-cleaning and then it would be much easier to keep it neat and
clean.
Over the
course of cleaning the temple Gabrielle learned that wanting is an
extremely broad term. A lot like wishing. She became adept at manipulating
her surroundings simply by wanting it so. If she wanted a table cleaned it
was so if she wanted it moved two feet it was so.
She also
learned that being given everything she wants did not extend to Ares wing
of the temple. That had to be cleaned by hand. Fortunately it was not as
bad as the rest of the temple, due to Ares constant use of
it.
After making
sure the temple was as clean and nice as she could get it, as well as one
or two makeovers. She decided to see what constituted the temple grounds,
so she knew where she could go outside.
In the front
of the temple she walked up to the nearest road which was past a line of
trees obscuring the temple from view. She found that she could walk up to
the road but not onto it. It was like walking into a brick wall. She sat
on the ground stunned for a moment before getting up and putting a hand
out to touch the 'wall'. She began to walk beside the 'wall' with one hand
on it. She traced the temple grounds, memorizing land marks so she would
be sure not to bump into the 'wall' again.
The temple
stretched over a fair piece of land, and she immediately started planning
a garden for behind the temple. She stayed outside for several hours just
enjoying the beautiful day. She returned to the temple building as it grew
dark.
She entered
through the main doors and lit the wall torches.
"You've
gotten quite good at that haven't you?" Ares said from his seat on his
throne.
Gabrielle
jumped at the sound of his voice and turned to face him. "You startled me.
I hadn't realized you were here." Then as she remembered what her job was:
"Is there something I can do for you Lord Ares?" When he didn't speak she
became nervous. When Gabrielle is nervous she tends to talk. "Is that not
the right form of address? I'll call you whatever you wish. Have I done
something wrong?" Gabrielle resolved not to say anything else until he
spoke.
That
intention lasted ten seconds as he continued to stare at her. "Can
I
"Enough! You
tried to leave." Ares stated.
Gabrielle's
relief showed on her face. "I thought you were angry about something
worse. I didn't try to leave I was just seeing what the temple grounds
encompassed. I wanted to know how far I could stroll in any given
direction. You told me I can't leave the temple grounds and not to try. So
I won't try." Gabrielle took in a deep breath to continue but Ares cut her
off.
"Alright I
believe you. Shut up already. I want a bath drawn in my quarters as well
as a meal and a massage. Bath first, then the massage, then the meal. Got
it?" Ares asked while looking her in the eye, warning her he wouldn't take
any more babbling.
"Got it."
Gabrielle said before hurrying to his quarters. As she drew his bath she
thanked every god she could think of that she had taken the time to learn
how everything worked. When the bath was ready she rushed to the main room
to tell Ares.
Ares stood
as she entered the room. "Go prepare a meal for me. I will call you when
I'm ready for my massage.
"Just
wonderful a war god in a bad mood, and I don't know how to give a
massage." Gabrielle closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "Ok, I really
want a scroll with instructions on how to give a massage." One appeared in
her hand. The Basic Massage Techniques the scroll read. "Good I can only
handle basic right now. However I will be doing a lot of studying of the
various things he may ask me to do as his personal servant in the next few
days." Gabrielle sat down to read the scroll.
Gabrielle
was still studying the scroll intently when she heard Ares call out.
"Girl! I'm ready for my massage."
"Here we
go." Gabrielle muttered to herself as she headed toward Ares room. As she
entered she blushed bright red as she saw Ares laying face down on his bed
naked as the day he was born.
Ares turned
his head and sighed as he saw her face. "I had almost forgotten your
blushing virgin status. Well don't worry girl I don't have any designs on
your body. There, is that better?" he asked as he materialized some
pants."I advise you to get over it, this will be a regular part of your
duties."
Gabrielle
swallowed hard as she made her way to Ares bed. His bed was huge and he
was in the middle of it. The only way she was going to be able to reach
him was to climb onto it with him. She climbed up beside him slowly and
settled kneeling by his side. She slowly worked up her courage and reached
out to touch him. She had just barely touched him only to jump back as
Ares spoke. "Get on with it I'm not made of glass. I won't
break."
Gabrielle
was so embarrassed she forgot herself and snapped back at him. "I realize
that! I've just never done this before."
"I told you
I'm not expecting you to sacrifice your virginity to me I just want a
massage." Ares said in exasperation.
"Well I've
never given anybody a massage before so I'm nervous." Gabrielle said
trying to defend herself.
"Why didn't
you say so? Never mind. Just start doing what you think is right I'll talk
you through it as we go along." Ares said as he lay back
down.
"Alright."
Gabrielle decided to try and follow the scroll's directions and whatever
Ares told her to do.
Surprisingly
this worked rather well. With what she had read from the scrolls and a
little coaching from Ares as to what he liked she did quite
well.
"I think
you've got it now just keep doing what you're doing now." Ares declared
wanting to relax fully into the massage.
Gabrielle
spoke up hesitantly. "I do better if I talk. Do you mind if I tell a story
as I work?"
"Whatever,
just not too loud." And that is how one of their first traditions came
about. Ares became engrossed in the story and always after that when
Gabrielle gave him a massage a story went with it.
Several
weeks passsed with Gabrielle growing used to many things. One of which was
seeing Ares semi-naked body. Apparently when he was in his room he was
always an encumbered by clothes. It was only due to her presence that he
wore anything at all. Since many of her duties were accomplished in his
room it became something of a familiar if always breathtaking sight. Her
duties expanded as time went by and she learned more.
She desired
to be the best servant Ares could hope for. She had no other purpose for
which she could live. So she vowed to herself to learn everything she
could to be the best companion for Ares she could be. It was something she
had learned as a child. Whatever you endeavor always give it your best.
Being Ares servant may not have been what she set out to be, but she would
give it her best.
The first
thing she set out to learn was the more advanced techniques of massage. As
she learned more she became enthralled with the body and how it worked. As
she learned new techniques she would practice them on Ares. She found the
body's pressure points fascinating and experimented with them quite a bit
until Ares all but banned her from them. Apparently a few of them were
quite painful. She was quite curious about many things and so Ares gifted
her with a library from which she could learn all the things she wanted to
learn.
Probably one
of the most surprising parts of their arrangement was that even though
Gabrielle fulfilled all of her duties, Ares allowed her to talk to him as
if he was her equal. Even more surprising, that was how he talked to
her.
She
experienced Ares uncertain temper more than once. He would sometimes show
up in a rage and trash various rooms in the temple. Her library was
accepted as off-limits for these rampages. However Gabrielle quickly
learned to adapt, and for the most part could sooth his
temper.
It was one
of Ares rages that caused a profound change in the routine they had come
to.
It had been
three months since she became Ares servant. Ares had still never asked her
name. They were in the main hall of the temple and Ares was throwing
everything he could get his hands on. Gabrielle had long since given up
trying to avert his temper and was now trying to ride it out.
Unfortunately she was trapped without a way out of the room. Ares picked
up a wine cup from his altar and threw it blindly, not caring where it
hit. Gabrielle saw it coming and tried to dodge, but she was too slow and
it glanced off the side of her head. Surprisingly Ares immediately stopped
his rampage and came and lifted her from the floor where she fell. He
carried her over to his altar and sat her there facing him.
Ares put his
hand to her head and she felt the cold followed by warmth that she had
felt when Ares had first laid a spell on her. The pain of the blow faded
until it was gone and she knew he had healed her. She looked up at
him.
Ares was
frowning. "You could have avoided that girl. Your reflexes are too
slow."
The next day
Ares began training her as a warrior.
Ares created
yet another room in the temple. This one was rather large and dedicated to
her training.
"Alright,
obviously you have never had any type of physical training at all. That
means I will mold your abilities from the ground up. We will start with
hand to hand fighting techniques. Don't be fooled when I say start with
hand to hand. I mean that you will be an expert at using your body
as a fighting tool before you will ever pick up a weapon."
"Ares I
don't want to learn to kill people." Gabrielle stated
unequivocally.
Ares eyes
narrowed before he smiled smugly. "Girl by the time I am through you will
be so good you won't have to kill anybody to defeat an opponent. Besides
the words 'she is yours to do with as you wish' comes to mind. I can do
with you whatever I wish. If I wish to teach you how to fight I will teach
you how to fight."
Gabrielle
narrowed her own eyes as she replied. "Fine I will learn everything you
chose to teach me. However, I will chose how I use those
skills."
From that
point on Gabrielle's training became a battle of wills. Over the next few
weeks Gabrielle gradually became extremely adept at dodging anything Ares
threw at her. Whether it was for training or in one of his rages. The
causes of these periodic fits of anger were a mystery to Gabrielle, since
he refused to talk about it. That was in itself a mystery since he had
taken at the very beginning to talking all of his plans out with her. She
had gotten very good at spotting holes in his battle strategies and plots.
The reason
for his fits of rage was cleared up two months after she began her warrior
training. Ares showed up in her room while she was taking her bath. He had
never been into her room before. It had always been her sanctuary. His
reasoning was soon clear.
"I have
brought a 'guest' to stay for a while. You will give her whatever she
needs but she is not to be allowed to leave the room she is in. Do not go
into her room. You can watch her from the mirror hanging in the main hall.
She is a project I am working on, and she may be here
awhile."
Ares paused
as he looked around the room. "Nice, not exactly to my tastes but nice.
It's classy."
Gabrielle
laughed. "No, I don't see you as a pastel or white person. I will see to
it that she has everything she needs. Will there be anything
else?"
Ares turned
back to face her. "Yes, today's training will have to be put off for a few
hours I have a meeting on Olympus that I have to attend."
Gabrielle
spent the next few days in the main hall for the most part, to be certain
the 'guest' had everything she needed. Her curiosity about the woman in
the mirror grew. Ares hadn't included sound as one of the mirror's
features but she hardly needed it as she had learned to read lips as a
child. For anyone as curious as her it was a necessity for knowing what
all the grownups didn't want her to hear.
She watched
as Ares confronted the woman. From what she could tell the woman was once
one of Ares warriors and no longer wanted to be one. She kept refusing
Ares and Ares kept getting angry. Every time she got to him he would leave
her room and vent his anger in the training room.
Gabrielle
could tell that the woman was desperately trying to escape. She could also
tell that Ares was holding a good woman against her will, and she was
going to have to help her escape. No matter what Ares would do to her when
he found out.
She planned
to help Ares' prisoner after he had left for one of his more important
campaigns. She had to wait three days before she had the opportunity she
was looking for.
Gabrielle
hurried to where she knew the woman's room to be and wanted a door to
appear. As soon as it did she opened the door and prepared to go in. She
looked around but the woman was no where in sight. Had Ares moved her? She
entered the room. Gabrielle's instincts were the only warning she was
given before she was attacked. She had managed to turn around, so as the
woman landed on her Gabrielle fell back and used her feet to toss her
across the room.
Gabrielle
was quickly back on her feet and in a defensive position although she was
quick to speak up. "Wait, I'm here to help you get away."
The woman
held her attack. "Why should I believe you?"
"There's the
door. You can leave now, if you want." Gabrielle responded.
The woman
moved in that direction as Gabrielle backed away from the door. "Why are
you doing this? And who are you?"
"I am doing
this because you are a good person, and Ares shouldn't be holding you
against your will. As for who I am, I am Ares personal
servant."
"You don't
have to be! Come with me. I can protect you from Ares." The woman said
earnestly.
Gabrielle
laughed. "Like you protect yourself from Ares?" Gabrielle asked
sarcastically.
"I didn't
think he would try anything like this. Now that I know better I can guard
against it." The woman spoke fiercely.
Gabrielle
frowned. "It doesn't matter, I can't leave the temple grounds. You had
better leave. I don't know when Ares will be back, but you had better be
long gone by then."
"I can't
just leave you here for Ares to punish."
Gabrielle
shook her head. "He'll be angry but he won't do anything permanent. He
never does."
"Alright,
I'll go for now but I will be back to free you." The woman
promised.
Gabrielle
began walking forward trying to get the woman to leave. "Don't bother. I
am Ares servant. I will be fine, just leave."
The woman
just nodded once and then ran toward the main hall.
Gabrielle
followed at a slower pace. Once in the main hall she sat down on Ares
altar to wait for his return.
Gabrielle
waited for three hours before Ares returned. Gabrielle had kept the mirror
on and she watched as Ares went there first.
Ares
appeared right in front of her. Closer than she was expecting and he
growled into her face. "Where is she?"
Gabrielle
had become something of an expert on Ares levels of anger, and right now
he was nowhere near as angry as he should be. "I let her go."
Ares
straightened. He wasn't expecting her to tell him right off. "What do you
mean, you let her go? You just took it upon yourself to let one of my
prisoners go?"
"Yes, and if
you really want to know I did you a favor." Gabrielle sat up straight and
did not give in one inch.
"How was it
doing me a favor girl?" Ares demanded.
"You weren't
getting anywhere with her and she wasn't getting anywhere with you. You
were deadlocked and you had trapped yourself in a corner. You couldn't let
her go without seeming to lose and you no longer wanted her here."
Gabrielle answered.
"I was
playing a waiting game with her." Ares blustered.
"You were
not! Just admit it Ares. She got the better of you, and judging from your
temper, I would say not for the first time." Gabrielle
challenged.
"Alright
yes, I've been having a tough time with her since shortly after you got
here." Ares was angered to have to admit it.
Gabrielle
sighed. "Come here Ares. Sit down and tell me about it, and maybe I can
give you some advice."
Ares went
and sat in his throne and Gabrielle turned to face him. It was there
customary places for these types of talks.
Ares cleared
his throat as he began. "Her name is Xena. She used to be one of my
greatest warriors."
Gabrielle
interrupted. "I'll say. That was the Warrior Princess you had in that
room? It's a wonder I survived letting her out."
Ares glared
at her for the interruption. "Anyway something happened to change her and
she fell for my brother Hercules. He has her doing this hero to mankind
thing now. It's disgusting! She destroyed her army before leaving, and now
she travels by herself protecting villages and the like. Unless she's
traveling with Hercules and his annoying little friend!"
"Ares it
sounds as if she's a lost cause. If I were you I'd stop trying to get her
back. Instead you can think of ways to make her life difficult, like you
do Hercules. Give them both the same treatment."
"That is a
good idea! Trying to get her back is more work than one warlord is worth.
There will always be other warlords. Finding worthy opponents for those
warlords is much harder, and Xena added herself to the list."
Gabrielle
could tell Ares was back on an even keel. He was already planning things
designed to torment Xena. From what she could tell Xena could take care of
herself, and at least she had gotten him to stop trying to get her
back.
Two days
later Ares was in the middle of showing her a throw technique when he left
abruptly. Gabrielle rubbed one of her bruises as she got up from where she
was thrown. "Must have been called." She thought no more about it as she
went out to check on her garden.
Ares wasn't
as lucky. He was being called to one of his temples about a day and a half
away by his brother and Xena. "What now? I haven't done anything to either
of you in two days, and I'm not running anything in this area so you can
leave me alone now. Go ahead run along." Ares made a shooing motion with
his hands.
Hercules
wasn't about to be dismissed. "We've come because we want you to release
one of your servants. The one who helped Xena escape. If she's still
alive."
"Why would I
want to do that? She is my servant and she will stay with me. You have no
say in the matter. You can't just demand I release my servants. I don't
let go of them even when they wish it. So get over it."
Xena spoke
up for the first time. "We will not get over it. I want that girl free,
and I am willing to do everything I can to see it happen."
Ares began
to frown. "What do you care about the girl anyway? You only spoke to her
for a moment. It was only a moment wasn't it?" Ares eyes narrowed. "Did
she talk to you before she released you?"
"No, she
didn't. I nearly knocked the girl out before she told me she was releasing
me. What is her name anyway? I can't keep calling her 'the girl'." Xena
asked in exasperation.
"Sure you
can, I do it all the time." Ares quickly replied.
Hercules was
suspicious of his quick reply. "Why don't you want to tell us her name?
It's part of one of your plots isn't it? I don't know how, but it has to
be. Tell us Ares. We won't give up until you do."
Ares
glowered at them, but knew Hercules told the truth. They wouldn't give up
until he told. "I can't tell you."
"Can't or
won't?" Xena asked menacingly.
Ares growled
before replying. "I can't, because I don't know it."
"You don't
know it? You're a god and you don't know your own servant's name?" Xena
asked incredulously.
"Yeah well,
I've never asked her and she never volunteered the information." Ares
answered sullenly.
Xena and
Hercules didn't quite know how to take that information so they got back
to the reason they were confronting him in the first place.
Hercules
decided to offer a compromise. "If you won't release her we want to see
her to make sure she isn't being mistreated."
Ares snarled
at him, "I don't mistreat her!"
"I'm sure
you'll understand if we want to see for ourselves." Xena purred
dangerously.
"Fine," Ares
conceded. "If you want to see her you can walk to the temple I held Xena
at. She is always there." Ares started to leave but Hercules grabbed his
arm.
"I don't
think so. You would have over a day to heal any of her wounds. You will
take us to her now." Hercules stated absolutely.
"Fine you
see her, you determine for yourselves that I treat her fairly and then you
leave." Ares stated with equal strength.
They arrived
in the main room of the temple. Gabrielle was nowhere to be
seen.
"I thought
you were taking us to her?" Xena questioned ominously.
"I have.
She's here but I didn't want your presence to startle her. I'll call her
now. Girl! She'll come now." Ares stated smugly as he moved to sit on his
throne.
Xena
narrowed her eyes. "I can tell you right now that will
change."
"What will
change?" Ares asked in an unconvincingly innocent manner.
"You will
call her by her name or I will use the rest of my mortal life to make your
godhood excessively uncomfortable. You will also treat her with
respect."
Ares seemed
amused by her threats. "Whatever you say Xena."
Xena looked
at him closely before following Hercules as he took a closer look at the
room's furnishings.
"Xena this
is strange." Hercules pointed out.
"You mean
how on the surface it looks like one of Ares temples but you look closer
and you see definite refinement in the décor? Yeah I noticed it too. Now
that I think about it the room I was kept in had a great deal more class
than Ares usual flashy style."
Hercules and
Xena were in the corner examining a small tapestry when a small whirlwind
burst through the main doors. All they could do is watch in shock at what
they saw.
"Hey Ares,
sorry it took me so long but I was out in the back woods watching the
squirrels prepare for winter. It's the funniest thing to watch." A bowl of
fruit appeared on one of the tables and as she passed Gabrielle grabbed an
apple and began to eat it between sentences. She quickly walked towards
Ares before sitting on her customary place on the altar.
"You should
have seen this one squirrel. I was sitting there enjoying the day when
this squirrel comes running down out of this tree. He looks all around for
other squirrels and starts to bury this nut. He just gets finished burying
the nut when this other squirrel comes out of nowhere and tackles him.
They start to chase each other all over the clearing. They get too close
to another squirrel and drag him into the fight. The funniest thing is
that while all this is happening, a fourth squirrel runs up digs up the
nut and takes off with it. The first squirrel never saw a
thing!"
By the end
of the story the apple was gone, Ares was laughing, and Hercules and Xena
were stunned speechless.
Ares slowly
stopped laughing. "That was a good one. Did that really happen or did you
make it up?"
"It was
true! Would I lie to you?" Gabrielle asked mischievously.
"In a
heartbeat. Besides it sounds like one of your stories where the moral is
the only reason for the story."
"Really?
Then what was the moral of the story?" Gabrielle dared.
"Avoid being
distracted?" Ares guessed.
Gabrielle
laughed. "Now I have another moral story I can tell, and it's all thanks
to the God of War."
"Speaking of
distraction. You've been so distracted you haven't even noticed our
guests." Ares teased her.
"What
guests? You didn't bring any other prisoners here did you? I thought you
would have learned your lesson the last time." Gabrielle teased
back.
"No I
brought some people concerned for your welfare." Ares said as he gestured
for her to turn around.
She did and
she was amazed to see Xena and some man she didn't know. "Xena! I wasn't
expecting to see you again. Who do you have with you?"
Ares
responded for her. "That little girl, is my little brother
Hercules."
Hercules
stepped forward to shake her hand. "Yes I'm Hercules, and your name
is?"
"My name?
You can call me girl." Gabrielle said seriously.
Ares looked
irritated. "Just tell them your name."
Gabrielle
turned to face him. "No."
"What do you
mean no? Just tell them your name so they can ask the rest of their
questions and leave." Ares told her as he leaned into her
space.
Gabrielle
didn't move one inch other than to fold her arms in front of her. "No I
won't. I am not going to tell anyone my name until you give me a good
reason to. You haven't seemed interested in learning my name before so I'm
not going to let you know now."
Ares and
Gabrielle stared at each other until they heard a muffled sound to the
side. They turned and saw Hercules and Xena trying to stifle their
laughter. Hercules managed to control his laughter long enough to make
their good byes. "That's all right Ares, I think we've found out
everything that we came to learn. We'll stop by for a visit in a couple of
months maybe you'll have the name situation under control by
then."
Gabrielle
spoke up after they left. "See it's not an issue. They don't really want
to know, so you can let it drop now."
"I don't
think so. I know everything else there is to know about you except your
name. I know your parents, your sister, and practically your whole village
by names, but not you. I even know about your extra toe. Why won't you
tell me?" Ares asked in exasperation.
"Because you
never bothered to find out before. I won't tell you simply because someone
else brought it up." Gabrielle said trying to be reasonable.
"I will find
out. You know how stubborn I am. I won't rest until I find out what your
name is." Ares said firmly.
Gabrielle
walked over to her seat on the altar and thought over the situation. After
a few minutes had passed she looked up at Ares on his throne. "I have a
deal to offer you. For one year we continue as we are. However during that
year you will try and find my name. Only one guess per day. You can try
and trick me into giving it away and you can try and get it from other
people who know me. My condition is that you cannot look into the future
or the past to find out what it is. If at the end of the year you still
don't know my name, I will tell you what it is and you will let me go. If
during the year you learn what my name is, I will stay with you for the
rest of my life plus whatever concession you wish."
Ares stood
up and began pacing in front of her. "Do I have to name what concession I
will want now?"
"Yes."
Ares stood
still in front of her. "The concession I want is if I win you will use the
skills I teach you and become a warrior in my name. Do you still wish to
make the deal?"
"Yes."
"Then I
agree to your terms." Ares smiled smugly.
Gabrielle
smiled slyly. "You're going to have to get really creative to find out
what my name is Ares. No one in my entire village will speak my name. They
think I am dead. My village believes that when you speak the name of the
dead it disturbs their rest. They will only refer to my place in the
family. I will be referred to as first daughter, never by my name. Good
luck finding someone who can tell you my name."
Ares was
stunned. "You tricked me! You are a lying, sneaky, devious, daughter of a
Titan. I don't believe this."
Gabrielle
smiled impishly. "What can I say? I learned from the master."
Ares stepped
up Gabrielle's training. By the time Xena and Hercules came to visit Ares
had decided she was almost ready to begin weapons training.
There was
one problem. She didn't have that special edge she would need to really be
able to be a warrior. She didn't have the mindset of fighting for
survival. To Gabrielle it was just something fun to learn and an
exhausting workout.
Ares decided
to enlist Xena's help in changing that.
Gabrielle
and Ares were in the training room. Ares was attacking her with a staff
while she defended herself without any weapons. Gabrielle was doing well.
She was managing to block or dodge all of his blows, while getting one or
two of her own in. Ares finally managed to get in a solid hit to her side
and she fell. He quickly moved forward and positioned his staff for a
mortal blow.
Ares reached
down to help her up. "You are doing very well. If I wasn't a god I
wouldn't have been able to get that blow past your defenses. In a few days
we will start you on arms. It will work the same way as learning to use
your body as a weapon. You will completely master each weapon before we
will move on to another weapon."
Gabrielle
nodded before asking, "Why don't you start me on weapons
tomorrow?"
Ares
laughed. "Because little one, there are still a few lessons you need to
learn before I will put any kind of potentially lethal object in your
hands." Ares turned and started to walk out of the room. He paused at the
door and looked at her with a smirk. "You might want to clean up, Hercules
and Xena will be here any minute."
Gabrielle
gasped. "You jerk! Why didn't you warn me?"
Ares laughed
again. "I just did." He said as he walked out the door.
Ares was
alone in the main hall when Xena and Hercules arrived. He was surprised to
see that they had brought Iolaus.
"I see you
brought the comedic relief with you."
"Nice to see
you too, Ares. I'm just here to meet your apparently nameless
servant."
Ares began
to growl at Iolaus and Hercules quickly stepped in hoping to avoid having
to go to the Underworld to retrieve Iolaus again. "Speaking of that. Has
she told you what her name is yet?"
Ares
transferred his glare to Hercules but before he could say anything another
voice chimed in. "Not yet."
Everyone
turned to see Gabrielle standing in the doorway looking very nice in a
variation of an amazon outfit. A bright red variation that was very eye
catching.
Hercules and
Xena were rather shocked at the change from the last set of clothes they
had seen her in. They had been very nice elegant outfits, but they had
covered a great deal more of her.
Gabrielle
noticed their shock and decided to give the simplest explanation. "Ares
told me I should wear something more in line with a warrior. The red is
more vanity than anything else though." Gabrielle said with a mischievous
smile.
She turned
towards Iolaus. "Isn't anyone going to introduce us?"
Iolaus
quickly stepped forward. He bowed and kissed her hand. As he straitened he
gave her his most flirtatious smile. "I'm Iolaus, I occasionally travel
with Hercules. And you are?"
Gabrielle
returned his flirtatious smile and then turned an impish one on Ares. "I'm
afraid I can't tell you my name. However I am Ares personal
servant."
Ares let out
a breath he hadn't even been aware he was holding. He glared at Gabrielle
for a moment, before deciding he wouldn't give her the satisfaction of a
response, and proceeded to ignore her.
"Xena, would
you care for a spar in our training room? You can check out the
equipment." Ares decided to try and get Xena alone to propose his plan for
furthering Gabrielle's training.
Xena looked
surprised for a moment before agreeing and following him out of the room.
They had barely gone through the door when Gabrielle burst out laughing so
hard she almost fell over, and had to lean on a table for
support.
She laughed
for a minute before she could calm herself. She looked up to see Hercules
and Iolaus staring at her like she was crazy, and it almost set her off
again.
"I'm sorry.
You just don't get the joke. Let me tell you what's so funny." Gabrielle
explained to them her deal with Ares and it's conditions. By the time she
was through they were both leaning against each other trying to hold
themselves up.
As their
laughter wound down Iolaus spoke up. "Wait until we tell Xena." This
started a whole new round of giggles.
Gabrielle
finally managed to stop giggling. "Come on, I'll get us some food and we
can swap Ares stories."
Ares had
begun to tell Xena of Gabrielle's progress as soon as they were in the
training room.
When he
finished he asked her what she thought of his plan.
"I don't see
why this is necessary. If she can hold her own against you she is much
better than I gave her credit for." Xena replied.
"I am
training her to be a warrior. She doesn't know what it means when I tell
her that she will be fighting for her life. She doesn't have the
experience to correspond with the words in her mind. She can't progress
further until she knows what it is she's learning." Ares stated
firmly.
"Alright.
But I will use my own judgement on when she has learned the lesson. You
can't be here you know that. It would never work. If you're here she won't
believe she is in any danger." Xena stated staring him in the eye, daring
him to object.
"Anything
you say, Xena. I will have to come up with an excuse to get Iolaus and
Hercules out of the way." Ares said thoughtfully.
Xena's eyes
took on a slightly playful look. "It should be simple enough. You tell
them you are off to start a war and they will chase after you to stop you.
I will stay behind to get to know the girl better."
"Perfect."
Ares gave Xena an admiring look. "That was always one of my favorite
qualities of yours. That ability to come up with plans within seconds of
knowing the lay of the land."
Xena gave
him a cold smile. "Get over it."
Ares and
Xena returned to the main hall to put their plan into action.
Ares
immediately walked over to Gabrielle. "I have a war in Lyka I need to be
at. I will leave you to entertain our guests." Ares immediately
disappeared.
Gabrielle
looked surprised but decided to continue her conversation with Hercules
and Iolaus.
"I think now
will be a good time to tell her about my deal with Ares. I'll let you tell
her while I get Xena some food." Gabrielle turned to walk out of the main
hall. She was almost to the door when another round of laughter
started.
Gabrielle
returned a few minutes later. The guys were talking to Xena in low
tones.
"Can I get
you gentlemen something else?" Gabrielle asked.
"No that's
all right. Iolaus and I have to be going now. Maybe we can visit again
soon." Hercules answered.
"You have to
leave right now? I thought you were going to stay longer. At least stay
for dessert." Gabrielle said trying to entice them to stay.
"Well I
don't think..." Iolaus trailed off as Hercules elbowed him in the side. He
turned to see Hercules glaring at him with a warning look in his eyes. He
hurriedly turned back around. "That we can stay. We just remembered that
we promised to visit... um we promised to visit..."
"My mother."
Hercules broke in. "She'll worry if we aren't there on time."
"Yeah she
knows us both too well. She'll think we ran into trouble." Iolaus put
in.
"So we will
be going now." Hercules said as he practically dragged Iolaus out the
door.
Gabrielle
stared at the door for a minute before turning to face Xena. "You know,
that was probably the worst example of lying I have ever seen. Where are
they really going?"
Xena gave a
crooked smile. "After Ares, they are going to try and stop the war he has
brewing."
"Well good
luck to them, but why did they lie about it?" Gabrielle asked in
confusion.
Xena smiled
again. "Probably because they didn't know whose side you would be on, and
they didn't want to upset you. Come on and spar with me. Ares says you
have gotten very good very fast. Let's see you in action."
"Alright let
me just go get changed, and I'll meet you in the training room." Gabrielle
tried to walk past Xena but she grabbed her arm. Gabrielle looked up to
see a completely different woman.
"I don't
think so. I think right here is just fine." Xena told her before
backhanding her.
Gabrielle
landed on the floor and immediately rolled away. That instinctive reaction
saved her at the least broken ribs at the most a crushed chest. Gabrielle
was immediately on her feet. Xena was on her in a heartbeat. They began
exchanging blows at a speed so fast you could hardly see them. It became
apparent that Gabrielle was off her game and she was mostly on the
defensive. She was managing to defend herself but she should have been
able to at least equal Xena on the offensive. Xena saw that she would have
to get her focused, instead of working off of instinct. She backed off to
attack psychologically.
"Is that the
best Ares new pet can do? I was better than that before I became his
chosen. You don't deserve to be one of his warriors. You don't have the
fire, the talent, or the brains. I might as well save Ares the trouble of
getting rid of you himself." Xena said viciously.
Gabrielle
found her focus. She realized this was a do or die fight, and she was not
going to die. She immediately launched an all out attack. After the first
flurry of blows the fight became even.
Once the
initial exchanges were over Gabrielle realized that she didn't have the
long experience with battle that Xena did. She needed a way to end the
conflict fast. Before Xena could take the fight because of her superior
endurance.
Gabrielle
went onto the defensive to give herself time to think of a strategy. She
went through what she knew. They were evenly matched on strength and
speed. Ares had trained her thoroughly on all the aerial tactics, so they
were evenly matched there. Gabrielle decided that in order to win their
duel she needed to make her blows as effective as possible. She went over
everything she had learned about the human body and decided that going for
Xena's pressure points were her best option.
Xena was
taken off guard by the complete change in tactics. Gabrielle managed to
hit a pressure point in Xena's right arm to disable it. She instantly went
for a kill point while Xena's defenses were handicapped. It didn't
register on Gabrielle exactly what she had done until she saw Xena
kneeling on the floor holding her throat. She had shut off the flow of
blood to her brain. Xena was now dying and she had done it. She took
several steps away and tried to control her breathing as she watched a
woman she thought was her friend die.
As she
watched Xena did something extremely unexpected. She reached up with her
good arm and twisted something in her neck. Gabrielle's mind recognized
that Xena had released the pressure point while her body got ready to
continue the fight. She waited cautiously as Xena released the pressure
point on her arm and stretched her neck.
"Well that
was unexpected. Ares didn't tell me you knew pressure points." Xena said
cheerfully.
"Ares?"
Gabrielle asked uncertainly.
"Don't look
so worried. This was a test. Ares deliberately lured the boys away so I
could test whether or not you would defend yourself. Not could, would. We
knew you could fight. We just didn't know how far you would go to defend
yourself. You did very well." Xena said tacking the praise on to her
explanation.
"This was a
test?" Gabrielle demanded. "It explains a few things, but I could have
killed you." She seemed to choke before continuing. "I certainly
tried."
"What did it
explain?" Xena asked curiously.
Gabrielle
gave her an ironic look. "Well it explains why you suddenly attacked me
for one. It also explains why Ares said where he was going, he doesn't
usually. For another you weren't gone long enough for you to have had a
sparring session. More like a strategy session I take it?"
"I knew you
were a smart one. You tend to spot the holes in any story." Xena
complimented.
"That is
what I wanted to do before I became Ares servant you know? I wanted to be
a bard. Now after everything I've learned, from Ares and on my own. I
don't think I could ever be just a bard. I've changed mentally and
emotionally. I see things differently now. I will fight to protect people
however I can." Gabrielle stated passionately.
"I'm going
to need time to think this through though. It is a major change in where I
thought I wanted to take my life." Gabrielle was beginning to come down
off of the adrenaline high she had been on.
Xena could
see that she was going to become depressed in the aftermath of the fight
and tried to head it off. "Like I said before, Ares didn't tell me you
knew pressure points. Where did you learn that?"
Gabrielle
looked up and smiled. "Surprised you didn't it? I sometimes use it when I
give Ares massages. That was the first time I used it in a fight. I was
improvising."
Xena
laughed. "A girl after my own heart. If you want I can teach you to really
be able to use them in battle."
Gabrielle
gave Xena her brightest smile. "I would really like that. There were some
other moves you had that I would love for you to show me."
Gabrielle
and Xena moved into the training room for a real training session. That
was where Xena was when Ares came looking.
"Where is
the girl?" Ares demanded.
"She had a
big change in the way she thought of herself today. She went outside to
think about those changes." Xena explained scathingly. "By the way she saw
through the plan. Not enough to avoid being taken in by it but enough to
accept I wasn't a true threat to her fairly easily."
"I told you
she is good." Ares said smugly.
"Yeah, she
is so good you can't even find out her name." Xena said
tauntingly.
Ares flushed
and tried to defend himself. "She tricked me on that. I didn't know her
village would consider her dead much less about the disturbing their rest
part."
"It doesn't
matter anyway. I only have ten more months to teach her everything I think
she needs to know. Then she will leave." Ares finished
gruffly.
"Why Ares,
if I didn't know better I would think you didn't want her to leave." Xena
said teasingly.
"I've gotten
used to having her around. Besides it's nice to have someone who
understands me." Ares said seriously. "I would like it if she
stayed."
"Then why
are you teaching her to be a warrior? A warrior does not stay in a temple
all the time." Xena questioned his reasoning.
"I
accidentally hurt her one time and I didn't want it to happen again. The
rest is because I couldn't just teach her half way. Besides that, she
enjoys learning how to be a warrior and she is very talented at it." Ares
said trying to justify his actions.
Xena decided
to let him off the hook. For the time being. "Just make sure you teach her
what she wants to learn. Not what you want to teach."
Xena stayed
for two weeks teaching Gabrielle several specialized techniques. Gabrielle
was sorry to see her go. Xena had been a good teacher, but was now an even
better friend.
Her training
stepped up a notch again. She had learned several weapons when Ares
decided to switch her from simply discussing battle plans, to planning
battles on her own. She became his right hand on his various campaigns.
Although thanks to her the campaigns had slowly taken on a less
destructive nature. He took her from temple to temple with him, but never
could she leave their grounds. Occasionally the fighting on the campaigns
would overrun the temple grounds and Gabrielle would lead in its
defense.
They grew
steadily closer as the time passed. Guessing her name became something of
a joke between them instead of a sore spot. Ares threatened several times
simply to rename her.
Ares wasn't
the only one who liked having someone who understood him. Gabrielle still
told her stories; she didn't give them up. They were just told to an
audience of one. He was probably her most appreciative
audience.
On the final
day of her servitude they performed all of the ritual chores that had
developed over time. Gabrielle was saying goodbye to being Ares servant,
and he was saying goodbye to that part of her as well.
The next day
found Gabrielle up at dawn, and standing just off of the road yet still on
the temple grounds. Ares came up to stand beside her. Both of them were
staring at the road in front of them.
"It's time."
Ares said as he reached out and cupped her face in his hands.
Gabrielle
shuddered as she felt the cold heat of his power flowing through
her.
"The
enchantment is gone now. You can leave whenever you want." Ares said
sadly.
Gabrielle
broke away from him and took several steps into the road before turning
and looking back at him.
Ares spoke
before she could say anything. "Will you stay with me? I want you to be my
wife and my chosen. I would make you immortal so you could be with me
always. I am not asking this lightly."
Gabrielle
gazed deeply into his eyes trying to gauge his sincerity. The love she
could see warmed her and confirmed her decision.
"Yes Ares, I
will stay with you. I will be your chosen. I will be your wife. And my
name I give to you freely. Gabrielle. My name is Gabrielle."
"Gabrielle."
Ares said quietly as he smiled. "Thank you for telling me."
"I have just
one condition." Gabrielle said breaking the mood.
"What is
that?" Ares asked warily.
"That we
have our honeymoon somewhere that is not one of your temples." Gabrielle
said teasingly as she moved into his arms.
"Definitely." Ares said as he lowered his head towards
hers.
Gabrielle
tried to say something else but Ares lips reached hers first, and after
that she had no interest in talking.
The End
