Blood Reckoning
by
Cath, Bard
OWNERSHIP
DISCLAIMER
The
characters of Xena and Gabrielle and others belong in their entirety to Universal/MCA,
Renaissance Pictures, and all the other powers that be. No copyright infringement is intended. I wrote this story at the urging of my muse;
it should never be used for profit. Please
do not copy or cite elsewhere without express permission of the author.
VIOLENCE
None
in this tale, exactly.
LOVE/SEX
WARNING/DISCLAIMER:
This
story depicts a loving friendship between two consenting adult women. If you
are under 18 years of age or if this type of story is illegal in the state
or country in which you live, please do not read it. If depictions of this
nature disturb you, you may wish to read something other than this story.
THANKS
To
Kamouraskan and Fyrgrrl for your comments and encouragement.
SPOILER
ALERT
Based
on the aftermath of Season Six episode, “To Helicon and Back.” As such, there
may be spoilers.
The
weary Amazon stared down at her stained hands.
She felt the blood – still tight and sticky on her face – a remembrance
of the last enemy she impaled before Xena’s voice summoned her back from that
place of fury.
Gabrielle
had gone beyond her true self to save her Amazons, but she knew the faces
of her dead sisters would haunt her dreams in the weeks ahead; never mind
the grateful faces of the women who lived because she led them. Her victory
had come at the cost of her spirit.
The
words echoed in her ears:
“War is tough on the soul.”
“You won”
“I don’t think so.”
“To a strong Amazon nation.”
With
a deep sigh, the young woman knelt by the stream and began scrubbing. She worked at cleaning herself until her hands
and face grew raw. In her mind’s eye,
the bloodstains remained.
Gabrielle
felt rising panic and desperation. She
rubbed faster and harder, using sand
from the streambed. Her breath caught
in her throat.
“No,”
she whispered.
The
Amazon sensed a presence behind her, somehow more familiar now than ever.
“Hello,
Gabrielle.” The voice was dark, smooth,
fluid.
“Ares. Sooner or later I knew you’d crawl out from
under your rock.”
She
stood and turned to face the God of War, disdain evident in her voice and
posture. He grinned.
“Hey,
I just stopped by to see how you were doing.
That was quite a battle you won there.”
“How
should I be doing?” She paused. “On second thought, don’t answer that. Just go away.”
“Believe
me. I know what you’re feeling. It’s like someone tore you open with a hot,
dull sword and shredded your gut. Am
I right?”
Her
look of disgust told him he’d struck a tender nerve.
“It’s
my heart and soul,” Gabrielle admitted. “I
can’t seem to avoid the killing, but it hurts so much…I can’t accept it either.”
“I
know.” He moved toward her, leaned
in, and stroked her cheek. The warmth
of his touch caught her off guard. She
began to pull away, but he grasped her gently by the back of her neck, tilted
her head up, and gazed into her eyes.
“It’s
what I do, Gabrielle. Like it or not,
warriors shape the future. Deep down,
you understand this. You’re a natural leader.”
Heat
and relaxation washed through her entire body.
She closed her eyes and let him hold her.
Ares
could barely control his glee. He
knew she was near the end of her resistance, and pressed his advantage.
“I
can take this pain away; make you the Warrior Queen of the Amazons. You remember my offer. Say yes.”
Gabrielle
was almost swaying now, trapped in the web of his voice and the powerful hands
that held her. She could not find
her own voice to resist.
“Open
your eyes, Gabrielle.”
She
obeyed, and stared up into the blue-black depths of Ares’ soul. He saw hesitation and doubt in the green eyes
that met his.
“You
are destined for greatness. No one
else combines your wisdom, your experience… your skill. You saved the Amazons. Imagine what you can do if you accept me
as your god.”
Ares
filled her mind with a convincing scene.
Gabrielle saw herself leading a massive army – powerful women warriors,
proud centaurs, even Roman legions. Then,
he conjured another image – that of a bard and Amazon Queen speaking to throngs
of attentive villagers. They cheered
her every word.
“I
could do that,” she said quietly. “But
at what price?”
“Price? Quite simple, really. In all things to do with war, you heed my counsel,
trust my judgement. Your courage and
skill do the rest.”
“And
what about Xena?”
“You
know she’ll follow you wherever you go. In fact, she might welcome a return
to her old ways.”
“…..Her old ways.”
Suddenly,
another image flashed before Gabrielle, an image not controlled by Ares. She watched a proud Warrior Princess humbling
herself in a village square, apologizing for the destruction she had wrought
on so many small villages. Gabrielle
remembered the endless nights she held Xena as they spoke of this dark past,
and the innumerable days fighting for the greater good. So much to atone for…
She
summoned a quiet resolution.
“If
I join you Ares, I might pull Xena back into darkness. Or we become enemies because she is strong
enough now to resist her old ways. No
matter what, I lose her.”
“Trust
me, Gabrielle. I know Xena. She’ll join you as a conqueror and enjoy every
moment of it.”
The
Amazon pulled away and shook her head sadly.
“I
don’t care what happens to me, but I won’t let you have Xena. My darkness will not be her darkness.”
The
God of War advanced on Gabrielle and seized her by the shoulders, almost lifting
her from the ground. Ares spoke with
quiet menace.
“You’re
a fool if you reject me this time. I offer you the world, and a chance to
share it with the woman you love. What
more do you want?”
Gabrielle
looked directly at him, daring him to proceed.
“Why
me Ares? There have to be hundreds
of others just waiting to be your chosen…”
He
released her. She rubbed her shoulders,
trying to restore the circulation.
“Because
you and Xena are invincible together. Her
abilities; your spark. Yin and yang;
light and dark. Call it what you will,
but your power together….”
She
cut him off.
“Then
together we’ll keep to our path.”
Gabrielle
felt lighter. Her own words removed
the burden she had carried since the fighting began.
“..Our path…”
“Give
up, Ares.”
He
looked her over. She noted both admiration
and scorn in his expression.
“One
day, Amazon, you’ll be mine. I have
all the time in the world.”
“Don’t
bet the farm on it.” Gabrielle smiled at the cleverness of her response. It felt right.
Her
smug reply enraged him and he towered over her.
“You’ll
never get those bloodstains out Gabrielle…and something to remember me by…”
In
a single, powerful move, Ares grabbed the Amazon by her top, ripping the strap
off her left shoulder. He captured
her as she tried to pull away, and hauled her close to stop the knee thrust
toward his groin. She struggled, but
he was stronger. He pinned her hands
behind her with a large fist.
Ares
placed his other hand on her shoulder. Gabrielle
felt the burning. She screamed in
pain and anger.
When
Ares released her, she collapsed at his feet, gasping, but refused to let
the tears fall. She stared at her
shoulder and saw his mark – the brand of the War God.
Gabrielle
raised her head; her eyes blazing defiance; her mouth set in a grim line.
“This
doesn’t make me yours. And it never
will.”
“We’ll
see. You’re a warrior now Gabrielle,
like it or not. And one day you will
be my warrior.”
With
that, the God of War vanished, leaving her kneeling in the sand.
“Never,
Ares. Never.”
The
Amazon touched the mark at her shoulder and winced.
“It
would be so easy to just give in,” she thought. “Why can’t I?”
Then,
she remembered the stark terror in the eyes of her last vanquished foe. She had fully intended to kill him, even though
he’d fallen, helpless, before her. Such
was her desire to avenge her Amazon sisters. But Xena had called her back from the brink,
as Gabrielle had saved Xena so many times before.
“No
Ares. No way will you have my soul,
or Xena’s. I’ll die first.”
When
Gabrielle looked down at her hands, the bloodstains had disappeared.