Gabrielle's First Dream
Lila wakes up Gabrielle because she is shouting in her sleep about someone named Xena, and Lila insists Gabrielle tell her the dream.
"Gabrielle! Gabrielle! Wake up! You're dreaming again. You're going to wake up everyone in the house the way you're shouting."
"What? Who? Oh. It's you, Lila. I was shouting? Really? What did I say?"
"The same as you always do, you keep trying to warn someone named Xena to watch out, like they're in some kind of danger."
"I can't believe I keep having the same dream. And it's so REAL!"
"Well, are you EVER going to tell me what it's about? Who is Xena? And what kind of danger is it?"
"No, I really don't want to. You'll just think it's stupid."
"Well so what? Dreams are supposed to be stupid. Come on, Gabrielle, you can tell me. I tell you MY dreams. I know yours can't be any more stupid than the ones I have!"
"Okay. But you have to promise that you won't tell anyone, and I mean NO ONE!"
"I promise. Honest, I won't tell a soul."
"Well, all right. First of all Xena is a tall, beautiful, dark-haired warrior woman."
"A warrior WOMAN?! Who ever heard of a woman being a warrior?" Lila said laughing out loud.
"Never mind! Just forget I ever said anything."
"Come on, Gabrielle, I'm sorry. I won't laugh again. Tell me, please?"
"As I was saying, before you so rudely interrupted me, Xena is a tall, beautiful, dark-haired warrior with deep blue eyes. And she carries this really sharp sword in a scabbard strapped to her back so all she has to do is reach over her shoulder to get it. And she has this knife hidden down between her breasts. But her best weapon is her Chakram."
"A what? A Shock ran? I never heard of one of those."
"No. It a Chak RAM. It's a metal ring about the size of a dinner plate, but it's made of a secret metal so hard that it never gets dull and it can cut through any other metal - iron, bronze, silver -- ANY metal, even through stone."
"How did you ever dream up something like that? Your dream isn't stupid, it's just plain weird!"
"Do you want to hear the rest of it or not?"
"I'm sorry, go on."
"Anyway, Xena has a beautiful golden horse named Argo."
"Does she have a dog?"
"NO! No dog! Now will you let me finish?"
"Sorry."
"Now you made me forget what I was going to say!"
"You said she had a horse named Hargoad."
"Argo. Her horse's name is Argo. And Xena rides all over Greece helping people out by fighting the bandits and warlords."
"Did she ever come to Poteidaia?"
"Lila, it's only a dream, remember?"
"That's what I meant, did you ever dream that she came here?"
"Yes, and the best part is that she takes me with her."
"Now I know what's going on! You're starting to have second thoughts about marrying Perdicus."
"Second and third and fourth thoughts. But that doesn't have anything to do with my dreams."
"Doesn't it? It sure sounds like it does to me. You don't want to get married so you keep dreaming about this strong woman coming to save you from Perdicus. Don't you see? Xena is really YOU! She is the kind of woman YOU want to be - strong and powerful and not needing a man around."
"But what about the part where I save her life?"
"Okay. Tell me about that."
"Well, Xena had this really dark past. I mean she was really evil! But she had this change of heart, and was trying to make up for all the killing and destruction she and her army caused."
"So now you, I mean, SHE has an army?"
"Not in this dream. So she comes to Poteidaia, but no one wants her here even though she saves all of us from slaver traders."
Putting up her hand to stop the interruption, Gabrielle said, "Let me finish. Everyone seems to know her reputation except me. So everyone wants her to leave except me. I ask her to let me go with her, but she won't. She says she travels alone. And she rides off."
"I thought you said she takes you with her."
"That's later, now shush, and let me finish. So Xena rides off. And that night after everyone is asleep I try to sneak away, but you wake up. And when I tell you that I want to be a warrior like Xena you say that even you can beat me up."
"Well, I can!"
"But I go anyway. And I run into this blind Cyclops. But he's so stupid I trick him into believing that I'm going to kill Xena and bring her back so he can eat her."
"Oh, Gabrielle! That's disgusting!"
"I can't help it. That's what Cyclopses do - they eat people."
"How do you know? When did you even SEE a Cyclops?"
"In my dreams!" Gabrielle said smugly. "Anyway, I follow her to another village. But the people in this one just don't want her to leave, they want to kill her."
"What's the name of the village?"
"I'm not really sure. It seems like it was Anphilipees, or Amphlipsis, or...."
"Do you mean Amphipolis?"
"YES! How did you know?"
"If you had been studying like you should have been instead of dreaming about leaving, you'd know that Amphipolis is in Thrace, near the sea coast."
"Well, wherever it was, I had to save Xena."
"And just how did you do that? Talk everyone to sleep so she could get away?"
"You know, you're really funny, ha ha. As a matter of fact, I just gave them the facts about how Xena had changed from bad to good, and that they were mistaken about her army burning their fields."
"I thought you said she didn't have an army any more."
"That's just it! It wasn't her army. It belonged to an evil warlord who was trying to get the townspeople to get rid of Xena so he and his men could sack the town without having to fight Xena."
"And you saved her."
"That I did. And she was so grateful she took me with her!"
"So what were you yelling about that she had to watch out for?"
"Oh. She was just about to squat down in some stinging nettles."
"Why was she doing that?"
"Because she had to GO! Why else would you squat down in the woods?"
"I was wrong, Gabrielle, and you were right, Your dream isn't weird. It is stupid, and kind of gross!"
Gabrielle's Second Dream
Gabrielle tells Lila another dream she had about Xena, and her scrolls.
"Lila. Wake up."
"Gabrielle? It can't be time to get up already. It's not even light outside."
"I know. But I had another dream. You've GOT to hear about it!"
"Can't it wait 'til morning. I'm SO sleepy!"
"Come on, Lila. Wake up. I want to tell you before I forget it."
"Oh, all right."
Lila sat up on the bed, crossed her legs, put her pillow in her lap, but kept her eyes closed.
"Tell me the dream."
"Aren't you going to open your eyes?"
"I can listen with my eyes closed."
"No you can't, you'll fall asleep. Lilllaaaaaa!"
"Okay! They're open! See? Is this one about Xena again?"
"Why would you think that?"
"Because she's all you dream about, even if you won't admit you're really dreaming about YOU wanting to be like her."
"I don't know what you're talking about. Now hush. In this dream Xena and I are camping out in the woods."
"I doubt THAT! You HATE camping out!"
"Well not in this dream I don't. So we're camping out, and one morning I notice that a corner of one of my scrolls has been torn off."
"What scrolls?"
"I'm not really sure. I just have all these scrolls I've been writing on. Anyway, Xena tore off a piece of one because she couldn't find any good leaves to use for, well, YOU know. So I get real mad at her about it because it had some writing on it."
"What did it say?"
"I don't know! Do you really have to ask all these questions?"
"How am I going to know what you're talking about? You're always leaving out details."
"Just let me finish. Anyway, so I got really mad at Xena, and she had the nerve to say she took it because it didn't have much writing on it! Like how much writing determines how important it is!"
"Well, she could have torn off a piece with a LOT of writing on it."
"Sometimes I wonder why I even bother to tell about my dreams."
"Okay, okay. So what happened next?"
"Actually, that was just about all."
"That's all? And you woke me up just for that?!" Lila threw herself back down and put the pillow over her face.
"Oh! I almost forgot! There was something else, but I can't remember whether it was before or after she tore my scroll."
Talking through the pillow, Lila asked, "Does it really matter?"
"No, I guess not. Come on sit up. Let me tell you this part and then you can go back to sleep."
"This better be good."
"We were both asleep, and suddenly, I don't know, four or five bandits attacked us. Of course Xena was instantly awake, but instead of using her sword, she grabbed my only frying pan and started whacking them with it."
"What were you doing with a frying pan? You don't cook."
"Lila, why do you keep interrupting me? Don't you know that in dreams we can do whatever we want to? And I do so cook, I'm just not as good at it as you are. But like I was saying, by the time I woke up all these bandits had been run off and my frying pan was completely ruined. So I asked Xena why she had to use it, and she said something about being creative when she fights. I was so mad because now we had nothing to cook the fish in."
Lila sat silently, staring at Gabrielle.
"What? No sarcastic remark about me not liking fish?" Gabrielle asked.
"No. Just waiting for the Big Exciting Ending. There IS a Big Exciting Ending isn't there?"
"Maybe you should go back to sleep now." Gabrielle whispered quietly. "We wouldn't want to wake up Mother and Father."
Shaking her head in pity, Lila laid back down. "Gabrielle, you need help. I sure feel sorry for Perdicus. After you two get married neither one of you will ever get any sleep."
"Excuse me?"
Realizing what she said, Lila laughed out loud. "I wasn't talking about your wedding night. I was talking about him having to listen to your weird dreams all night long."
"Then maybe I won't marry him at all! Maybe I'll just stay here with you until I'm an old woman and keep YOU up all night."
"I knew it! Just another excuse NOT to marry Perdicus. You ought to be ashamed of yourself. Any girl would be GLAD to have him for a husband."
"Then YOU marry him!"
"But he doesn't love ME, Gabrielle. He loves you."
"Aren't I the lucky one?"
From somewhere in the house, a male voice boomed out, "If you two don't shut up and let me get some sleep, neither one of you will know what a Good Morning is, much less a Wedding Night!"
Giggling, both sisters snuggled together under the blanket, poking and tickling the other until they drifted off to sleep, one dreaming of her sister's incredibly romantic wedding, the other dreaming of a tall, dark, beautiful Warrior Woman riding up to rescue her from a fate worse than death: a dreary life of housework and child rearing with the slowest, dullest man ever born.
Gabrielle's Third Dream
Gabrielle dreams about meeting the Amazons with Xena.
"Lila! Lila!" Gabrielle yelled as she ran across the field of ripening barley toward her sister.
Panting and out of breath, she struggled to speak, "Where ... where did you ... you go? When I ... I got up you were ... you were gone."
"I know. Mother wanted me to go into town early with her to help her pick out some material for the dress she wants to make to wear at your and Perdicus' wedding. She said she didn't see any reason you had to get up."
"But I had another dream."
"I know - another dream about Xena. So what's new?"
"But this one wasn't just about Xena. It was also about the Amazons."
"The Amazons!" Lila laughed. "Don't you ever dream about real people? Everyone knows they're just stories made up to frighten naughty little boys."
"Maybe they are. And maybe they aren't. How do you know they aren't real?" Gabrielle asked in defense.
"Have YOU ever seen any Amazons?"
"Well, no."
"Just like Xena, AND that Cyclops you dreamed about. They're just figments of your imagination."
Seeing Gabrielle's expression sadden, Lila said, "Okay. I'm sorry. Tell me your dream."
"No. Never mind. It's not important. Besides, I've forgotten most of it anyway."
As Gabrielle turned away to go back home, Lila put her hand on Gabrielle's shoulder, turned her around and hugged her.
"I really am sorry, Gabrielle. Please, at least tell me as much as you can remember."
"I don't remember much, but it seems like Xena and I were walking through the woods when we were surrounded by all these Amazons. They just seemed to drop right out of the trees. And then something else happened, but I don't remember what. We weren't captured, but for some reason we had to go to their camp or village or wherever they live. Anyway, we were all walking along and then suddenly we were attacked by soldiers of some kind. They were shooting arrows at us. Xena caught some of them with her bare hands, but one of the Amazons, a young girl, was hit. And I fell over her trying to protect her from getting shot with more arrows."
"Why did you do that?"
"I don't know. Maybe because she reminded me of you. She died anyway, but before she did, she gave me her Right of Caste."
"Okay, I give up. What is a Right of Caste?"
"I'm not really sure, but I think it had something to do with a challenge to be Queen of the Amazons."
Laughing out loud again, Lila said, "Gabrielle! You are TOO MUCH! First you dreamed about being a warrior WOMAN, of all things! And now you want to be the Queen of the Amazons, just anything to keep from marrying Perdicus. Why? Why don't you want to marry him? I just don't understand."
Deliberately ignoring Lila's tiresome and often-repeated comments, Gabrielle continued. "There was more to the dream than that, but I just can't remember all of it."
"Then why don't you write them down?"
"What?"
"You heard me. Why don't you ask Father to buy you some blank scrolls, and then the first thing every morning you can write down your dreams. They would make wonderful stories for your children someday."
"I suppose I could. It's too bad I can't remember all the details about the first ones I had about meeting Xena."
"Then just make something up."
"Do what? I can't do that! It wouldn't be -- honest."
"So who's to know? It's not like someone's going to find the scrolls a couple thousand years from now and think this Xena, and the Amazons, and the Cyclops were real."
Gabrielle's Fourth Dream
Gabrielle dreams a sad dream about Perdicus
"Well, there you are! I've been looking for you all day."
Sitting on a fallen tree trunk, Gabrielle looked up at Lila with red-rimmed eyes, tears running down her cheeks.
"Oh, Gabrielle! What's wrong? You look like you've been crying all day."
With a crooked half smile, Gabrielle nodded her head, "I guess I have. It's been so hard putting my dream down on this scroll. Every time I start writing I start crying."
"Gabrielle, how can it be that sad? It's only a dream you know."
"I know. And I've told myself that so many times. But this dream, ALL my dreams, are so REAL! It's like they actually happened and I'm just remembering them."
"Maybe if you read to me what you've already written it won't seem quite so sad."
"No, I can't. I've tried reading it back to myself, and I just start crying all over again. But you're welcome to read it if you'd like."
Lila sat down next to Gabrielle and took the scroll from her.
"Okay. 'The Story of the Death of My Husband.' Holy Hera! It starts out sad right from the title."
"Lila, please don't read it out loud. I don't think I could bear to hear it."
"Of course not, Gabrielle, not if you don't want me to."
As Lila started reading again, Gabrielle couldn't help but watch her lips as she silently read the story to herself.
After a short while, Lila asked, "Who's this Callisto? I don't think you've ever mentioned her before."
"I'm not sure who she is, but I get this feeling that she's horribly evil."
Lila continued reading. As she got toward the end of the scroll, Gabrielle saw her eyes began to glisten just a bit. Knowing what she was reading, Gabrielle began to softly weep, wiping away tears that wouldn't stop.
When she was finished and put down the scroll Lila said, a little sadly. "Gabrielle, I'm really sorry your dream is so sad, and it's so violent, too. But I can't help but wonder why you dreamed about Perdicus being killed. Do you really hate him, or the thought of marrying him, so much?"
"NO! I don't hate Perdicus, but I know I can't marry him. He's a good man. And he's a hard worker, and he'd be a good provider for me, but I don't want to spend the rest of my life doing housework and raising children. I'm destined to do so much more. I just KNOW it!"
Shaking her head, Lila said, "Gabrielle, I don't know how you got this way, but face it, women were created to bear and raise children and take care of the household. Just like men protect us and do all the manual labor to provide for us. It's always been that way, and it always will."
"NO! I don't believe that! We can do, and be, anything we want. We just have to ... to DO it, that's all!"
"Gabrielle, just because you dream about women who are strong and brave and don't need men around doesn't mean that it's so. Tell the truth, have you EVER heard of a woman who was a soldier? Or who ruled a kingdom? Or even a town? No, of course you haven't."
"Cleopatra." Gabrielle interjected.
"Okay. That's ONE. Which may or may not be a true story. But even if it is, women AREN'T as strong or as bloodthirsty as men are. We just aren't."
"Then maybe it's time we were."
"Okay, just say you wanted to be the Head Magistrate of Poteidaia, what would you do?"
"Well, I guess first thing, I'd have a public meeting to announce to everyone of my intentions."
"And do you actually think anyone would come to a meeting called by a poor peasant girl who's barely in her seventeenth year?"
"So maybe I'd have to wait until I was older, maybe twenty or twenty one."
"And then they'd want to know what is wrong with a woman of that age who isn't married with children already."
"It's not fair, Lila! It's just not fair!"
"Gabrielle, who said life was fair? But think about this, what if life really WAS fair? Wouldn't it be terrible if we actually deserved all the bad things that happen to us? All the pain, and the diseases, and the wars, and the deaths of those we love? I couldn't think of a more terrible world to live in, could you?
Shaking her head, Gabrielle knew Lila was right. Whether her life as a peasant woman was fair or not, perhaps that was the way it was supposed to be.
The End