The Birthday Gift Part
IV
By Shadowdancer
DISCLAIMER: I didn't create Xena and Gabrielle, Alti, nor any of the other characters you recognize from the show, but I did create the ones you don't.
CLASSIFICATION: ALTERNATIVE FAN FICTION
SEXUAL CONTENT: YEP
VIOLENCE: DUH!
Contact: Shadowdancer@xenitemail.zzn.com
“My these Amazons
are so formal and so strict on protocol and ceremony, must be Danalia’s influence,
Ephiny isn’t this strict” Gabrielle thought to herself. “I know you won’t Lannia, you’re forgiven,
please rise and continue in your duties”.
Both six-foot Amazons bowed their heads, never once meeting Gabrielle’s
eyes, and posted themselves outside the door.
“Are they all six-feet tall around here or what?” she thought as she
went to Xena’s side, and pretended to be checking her wound. “We have guards now” she whispered to
Xena. “So I heard,” She answered just
as quietly, not moving at all as she did so.
“What now Xena? “ “Now we have to find Alti and let her find out that
I’ve been badly hurt and it doesn’t look like I’ll live much longer”. Xena was keeping her voice down to a whisper
so that the guards at the door wouldn’t hear her and know that she was
conscious. “But when she finds you
laying here nearly dead, won’t she try to kill you herself, “finish you off”
“Probably, I hadn’t thought of that, that is a problem, I could take care of
her, but if I’m nearly dead, then I wouldn’t be able to fight her, and she
really would kill me. Maybe it’s better if she sees me already dead, but you
and the Amazons have to keep her away from me, but not be so obvious about it
that she gets suspicious. Maybe even
let her see me on the funeral pyre “. “The funeral pyre! Xena are you crazy?
She’ll insist on watching you burn”, “And she’ll get to see me burn, so to
speak. Go and get Ephiny and Danalia, or whichever is available, and bring
them, or her here and I’ll tell her my plan, but first, call the guards, and
have them help me into the chair. Tell them I want to sit up for some reason,
that I’m tired of laying down”. “Alright” Gabrielle knew better after all these
years than to question Xena and just did as she was asked.
Dannay and Lannia
entered the hut, and carefully got Xena to her feet and mostly carried her to a
chair in a corner of the hut facing the door. Xena played her part well, barely
moving, and keeping her body mostly limp, and making her breathing harsh as if
she had difficulty breathing. Gabrielle
thanked them as she covered a limp Xena with a blanket. Lannia whispered, “She doesn’t look good at
all” as if Xena couldn’t hear her. “I’m going to find Ephiny, will one of you
stay inside and watch her incase she should fall from the chair? Or something?”
“I’ll stay with her “ Dannay volunteered, and posted herself inside the hut
near the chair Xena slouched in as Gabrielle left to find Ephiny or
Danalia. Lannia followed Gabrielle out
and then posted herself outside the door, staying very alert to any and all
movement or sounds near the hut. Just to test the Amazon beside her, as she
didn’t appear to be looking at her, Xena allowed herself to begin to fall
forward. Dannay quickly grabbed Xena,
and pushed her back, Dannay made sure Xena wouldn’t repeat the feat, and then
bent to adjust Xena’s bare feet so that her legs were bent in a way that would
support her in the position that she now sat in and returned to her previous
“guard” position. “The Mighty Warrior
Princess…(snort) not so mighty now ay Xena?” Dannay said under her breath
scornfully. Inwardly, Xena thought to
herself *gonna half to watch her*, but she remained still, sitting in
the position she had been put into, eyes shut, unmoving.
Gabrielle ran to
Danalia and Ephiny’s hut, and called out, knowing the social rules of this
tribe. It varied from tribe to tribe,
but she knew this tribe like the back of her hand. “Danalia? Ephiny? It’s Gabrielle; can you come to our lodge
please? It’s important”. Ephiny
answered, “I’m here, Danalia’s gone to Canali’s village to see if she can
enlist some of her warriors to join us in our battle against Alti. She thought
to have some of Canali’s warriors dress as our warriors, and impress Alti with
our numbers”. “But she’s already been here once, she’s seen the warriors of
this tribe”. “Yes, but as far as she knows that was only part of the tribe,
maybe the larger portion of the tribe was out hunting, or on a delegation to
another tribe or some sort of thing. Danalia and I will work something out”.
“Well you can explain it to Xena, she
wants to talk to you, she has a plan”, “Great, let’s go” Ephiny, and Gabrielle
headed for the lodge that Gabrielle and Xena shared.