Standard disclaimer:
The characters: Xena, Gabrielle, Eve, Ares, Argo II, the "Pomira" and the backstory belong to Universal Studios and Renaissance Pictures. No copyright infringement is intended. The story and all other characters are my sole property. Anyone screw around with it, you answer to me.
Warning: A bit of coarse language in this. Horrible punctuation. Just ignore it, ok? 'Til I get the chance to change it.
Rated: PG 13
Now that I've actually seen the Season 6 premier, don't be surprised by some references to it. Sorry this took so long, I don't have the best Internet connection.
Lilorae crept though the dense brush, her emerald-green gaze trained on the resting form of the Bringer of the Twilight. 'How can this girl be Bringer? She probably can't take care of self...'
Brushing her clotted jet-black locks out of her eyes, she slipped under a fallen branch, still thoughtful. 'But if she is, I have to meet her.'
Then, the universe froze, at the sound of small stone skipping across the hard, packed ground.
Lilorae winced. 'Oops...'
Not unexpectedly, a strong hand reached through the darkness and pulled her out into the open by her tattered collar. Lilorae opened her clear, nervous pools and looked up into the suspicious crystal stare of a beautiful, dark-haired warrior woman.
Xena scowled at the cringing form of the pretty little girl. Looking the child over, she saw that the girl could not be more than thirteen. The thing that caught the tall warrior's attention was the noticable markings that were painted across the girl's cute features.
"You're Pomira." The clear words were a statement, not a question. There was an endless moment of silence, broken only by the quiet crackling of the small flickering ball of fire, then...
"Yes," the girl spoke shortly, her stubborn over-confidence returning after the tall warrior didn't kill her at once. "I want to talk to Bringer." Brushing past the two warriors, Lilorae strode into the clearing, while Xena shared a counfounded glance with the blonde bard.
At that second, Ares burst into the clearing holding up a string of fish. "Hey Xena, look what I..." He frowned, "Who's the kid?"
Xena looked up from where she was standing. "Where did you come from? Did you follow us?" He bit his lip, unsure how to answer, but then paused when Lilorae popped up in his face.
"You are Ares." She crossed her arms. "Why are you not dead? You god."
The former War deity stared at the little girl speechlessly, "Is this a joke?" The Warrior Princess smirked atrociously. "Quite a know-it-all..."
Lilorae ignored the dark-haired warrior, "I Lilorae, Protector of the Bringer." She pulled out a short stone knife, "I kill you."
Ares quickly dropped the fish and grabbed the dirty arm firmly. "Whoaaa there. Just what do you think you're doing?" Lilorae pouted in disappointment. "Not fair, you're not supposed to do that."
Ares raised his dark brows at the girl's sulking face, "What?? ... This isn't funny." the last remark was directed at the stationary form of the dark-haired warrior, who was in no way interested with arguing with the man.
"Lilorae is it?" Gabrielle strode over and removed the weapon. "What's a girl your age doing out here in the middle of nowhere?"
"I told you, I want to talk to Bringer." The little girl pulled away from the man. "Don't you people listen?" Xena placed a hand on Gabrielle's arm, shooting her a warning look. The petite blonde warrior swallowed her mild irritation, and turned away; muttering: "How rude..."
The bard's dark-haired friend took the child's slim arm and directed her to a seat by the growing fire. Lilorae avoided looking into the woman's eyes, picking at the hem of her short, black skirt. "Do you want to know what I'm doing here too?" The Warrior Princess propped her chin up on her fist as she sat across from the girl. "That would be helpful, but you don't need to tell me anything if you don't want to. Do you want something to eat?"
Lilorae shook her raven mass, "My tribe is in big trouble." She glanced up, but Xena was silent. "We have always honoured the sky, the air, but now we hear of God of Love. Father doesn't know honour to what anymore."
"Your father is the leader?" The daughter of Pomira nodded.
"So I think if I find the Bringer, she can help tribe know one faith. Or else, the tribe will split, and there will be great wars. I don't want that. Mother says war is bad." She shot a murderous look at the God of War, who put on his most innocent face.
"Who's your mother?" Lilorae jerked her head around, staring in surprise at the attentive face of the Bringer. Eve smiled shyly, "Sorry. I didn't scare you did I?"
The younger girl grinned back. "My mother know everything; she told me about a beautiful Warrior Princess," The girl transferred her gaze to the warrior, "she teach me to speak your talk, and she very pretty." The child's sweet smile faded, "She dead now, in one almost war. She was protecting Father, and got hurt." Lilorae's cute features hardened, but then softened immediately in loving memory.
"She was called Vanessa."
Xena's beautiful azure pools widened in shock and recognition. "Vanessa's..."
"Wait a minute," the wargod cut in, brow creased in confusion, seeing the startled expressions on the faces of the two warrior women. "You just lost me. Who's Vanessa, and what's a Pomira?" The puzzled look on Eve's peaceful features echoed the questions.
"The Pomira are a tribe of people that honour nature and the elements instead of pagan or Olympian gods. They were much like the Amazons, but not as...female." the blonde woman answered. "Vanessa was the adopted daughter of the leader of the tribe."
Lilorae shook her dark head, "No, she was wife of Leader. My mother."
"Well yes," Gabrielle corrected, "When we met her, she was the daughter, but that was what, twenty-five, twenty-six years ago?" She glanced at her best-friend to verify.
"So this girl's the daughter of the leader of the Pomira?" Ares continued dubiously.
"I suppose so..." It was Xena who answered this time.
Lilorae sat quietly for a while, staring thoughtfully into the dancing tongues of flame, and then she glanced up at the ring of adults. "Oh, why do I tell you anyways. Only the Bringer matters." She stalked over to the surprised form of Eve, and flopped down in front of her. "Tell me," she began, "Tell me what the God of Love is like." The girl being questioned looked to her mother, unsure how to reply.
Xena smiled encouragingly, "Just look inside," the warrior whispered, "You know the answer."
Eve's soft smile lit the darkening night, and she shifted her gaze back to the silent, unmoving girl sitting in front of her.
**********
Soft sun-light filtered through the thin green tree tops overhead, throwing an intricate pattern of greenish gold onto the floor of the forest. Slowly, as the Solstar rose higher, a thin ray crept towards the woman warrior, lighting gently on her scattered raven tresses.
Xena stirred imperceptibly, and lay still, her senses immediately sharp and clear.
Then, with a sigh, she sat up, and stared full into the little girl's face. There was a slight pause as she did a double take at the difference in the girl's attire. She now wore a short, form-fitting top that clearly showed the beginnings of womanhood, and a beautifully embroidered short skirt. Tiny, twisting strands of stone beads were carefully woven into the dark green cloth, swirling and dancing up her slender waist, closely resembling wild growing vines. The biggest change though, was that the paint was gone, revealing a pretty little immature face, with porcelain features and surprisingly large, incredibly green eyes.
The Warrior Princess raised a characteristic dark brow, showing only a small degree of amazement; and Lilorae shifted self-conciously under the intense blue gaze. "I keep watch." she pulled at the thin strap of her deep mohagony shirt. "I forgot to bring colours." she continued, meaning the late markings on her face.
Xena looked askance at the girl's damp mass of raven locks, not unlike her own, but longer, and on a bad hair day. Pulling out a fine toothed bone-handle brush from the bard's bag, she tossed it at the girl, and commanded in her usual brisk manner. "Here, brush your hair, looks like a hawk tried to make a nest on your head ... Glad to see you washed up." She watched the girl comply silently, "Keep the brush, I can always make another." Then, leaving the girl to straighten out the seemingly unrescuable tangle, she reached over to tap Gabrielle on the shoulder.
"Gabrielle, Gabrielle..." At the dangerous undertone of the third call, the blonde warrior bolted up to a sitting position.
"I'm up, I'm up." After a brief struggle to focus on the other woman's azure gaze, she yawned and began to stretch out the kinks in her neck, "So what's on the agenda today?"
"Well, we'd better start early if we plan on getting to Lilorae's camp by nightfall." She flashed a bright, teasing smile at the bard, "Imagine that, our little girl's grown up to be a famous preacher."
"I'm all misty-eyed." replied Gabrielle's very droll voice. "Alright, I'll wake Eve, get breakfast started, while you," she jabbed a slim index finger at her soulmate, "Get that god of yours to stop snoring."
"What do you mean that 'god of mine'??" Xena protested uneffectively as she headed for that god of hers, unaware of the bewildered stare the little Pomira girl was sending her way.
**********
"So explain to me again why we're travelling to this gods-forsaken place inhabited by savages hundreds of leagues away?"
"It's not that far, Ares," Xena glanced at the Pomira girl, noticing the angry glint to her pale orbs. "It's not inhabited by savages, and you can't say it's gods-forsaken anymore can you?" She sent that last point home with a deadly sideways glance at the suddenly anxious god.
"And to answer your question," Gabrielle put in, "It's for peace."
Ares was about to object to the purpose of their mission, but a quick glance at the Warrior Princess was enough to change his train of thought. "Woo hoo, peace, let's hurry to get there as soon as we can." The dry tone in his low voice suggested otherwise, but he wasn't about to say it out loud.
Eve glanced down peacably from her high perch on Argo II, "Yes, we are rather in a hurry, can't let the tribe break into war."
The man hissed under his breath, a bit put out, "Jeez," he grumbled, "They've got to be doing that on purpose. Extremely aggravating."
Trying to stifle her laughter, Gabrielle cleared her throat carefully, "Um, that's a very nice dress, Lilorae, Where'd you get it?"
"Mother made it for me, before she died." her eyes brightened to an clear emerald at the memory, and she pushed back her now silky midnight locks, "And she told me it is better not to talk on journeys, one can never be sure of any company present." She turned her stone hard gaze to the Warrior Princess. "I know it was you who told her that in the first place." Without another word, she quickened her step, ignoring Ares' condenscending: "Kids..."
The fiery sun travelled slowly across the clear, illusion-like blue. The shadows swayed and lengthened, the sky-blue fading to indigo in the East, and faintly tinged with mauve and magenta in the West. In the far distance, a tiny cluster of twinkling firelight appeared, growing into a huge bonfire. Gentle sounds began to reach their ears, and then growing louder, reverberating along the rocky terrain, eventually becoming thousands of war-cries. Lilorae stopped in her tracks, her breath choking in her throat.
"What's wrong?" Eve was worried, "What's happening?"
The Pomira girl turned anguished eyes to the gentle features of the Bringer, "It is too late, that is the Ritual of War, my tribe is going to war!" She spun in a whirlwind of darkness and dashed off through the the growing darkness, in the direction of the distant camp, resounding with hundreds of horrifying war-cries. Her clear voice floated back to Eli's Messenger, painful and desolate, "It's too late..."
Gabrielle followed her raven-haired friend as she strode stolidly through the forest. Seconds later, she broke into the Pomira's camp clearing, jerking to a stop just inches short of crashing into the other, taller woman. Xena was combing the clearing with her cold, crystal glare, while the girl Lilorae was speaking to a tall man in the chief's attire, presumably her father. Her clear, high voice filled the entire camp, but the Warrior Princess could only guess what she was telling the Pomira chief.
"Lilorae!" Eve slipped from between the two warrior women, and lay a gentle hand on the girl's smooth, pale shoulder. The child turned to face her, "I tell him, I bring the Messenger." The corner of her little mouth twitched bitterly. "As it is probably pretty obvious, I am having trouble convincing Father that I am not lying." The Messenger turned in answer to the huge warrior, and slowly extended a small hand in a gesture of peace.
"I am Eve, Eli's Messenger; We have come to help you." She spoke slowly and softly. Even the blonde bard was astonished by the girl's sweet neutral voice. The leader of the Pomira stared at the small brunette, and then slowly reached out to engulf her peaceful gesture in his big calloused hand. The Warrior Princess breathed a sigh of relief and started forward, questions nearly bursting from her experienced, ever existant worry. There was never a chance to speak them though, for at that time, dozens of flaming arrows began raining down upon the camp, making orangy, flickering pools of energy spring up through-out the camp. The rebel half of the Tribe had snuck up while the chief was occupied!
"Guttaera!" The huge chief's voice boomed throughout the small clearing, echoed by hundreds of the tribe's warriors. Xena snatched up Eve's arm, pulling the girl out of harm's way.
"I have to stop them," She told Eve, "Make sure Lilorae's all right, 'Kay?" The Messenger nodded, and crept off through the darkness to find the Pomira girl in question. Once Xena was sure her daughter was well on her way, and in no trouble, she and Gabrielle hurried into the escalating fray.
As she was nearly killed by a huge warrior with a filthy battle-axe, adding the danger of tetanus to the already deadly deal, Xena suddenly realized in a rush of epiphany that it was practically history repeating itself. Once again, the girl was the key, the only way to communicate. She should have seen it before, and planned for it. 'But for now,' the woman narrowed her icy gaze, 'There's only one way to stop this one.'
The man crashed to the ground, his own axe buried in his chest...
**********
It was almost daylight, both forces had retreated, and there was a temporary truce hanging over the brightness of the false dawn, as uneasily as the smell of death lingering in the air.
The Warrior Princess and her friends were resting at the edge of the camp as Eve and Lilorae spoke to the chief. Xena couldn't really understand what they were talking about, but she knew they were planning a meeting of the two halves of the tribe.
When they meet, the Messenger would talk to them, try to convince them to follow the God of Love. Xena was satisfied that their troubles were nearly over; now that the Messenger of Eli was here, it will be alright. The warrior pushed her long black locks behind her shoulder, and sat down at the foot of a boulder, beside Ares, to wait.
Lost in thought, she didn't notice when the man shifted closer, and slowly slipped an arm around her waist.
Eve watched the girl Lilorae speak to the crowd of warriors standing beneath the stone platform, listening to her promulgate the faith of Eli. She had told the girl everything she knew, and now it was being retold to the Pomira. She didn't know exactly what was being said, but she could feel the love, and peace, in her heart. She could see that it was working. Lilorae had been speaking passionately for almost a candlemark. A little while ago, the rebellious expressions upon the warrior's faces had disappeared, and they had crowded close, hanging onto each word, whispering among themselves. They hadn't accepted God yet, but they were wavering. Lilorae could also see that; her clear, silvery voice rose with excitement. This day can be won.
Now that the people knew of her God, of everyone's God, the girl began to share her vision of the future. A futue where each cloud would have it's silver lining, and each rainbow it's pot of gold. It would take work, no frolick in the brush with pixies, but by the moon and the stars and the sun, and by God, they would be happy. She would not have been so certain if she had known what was happening only a small distance away...
Gabrielle was wandering the edges of the camp, if it could be called that. 'People who live underground aren't the greatest tent builders.' She noticed. Then, she jerked her head up, in a questing way, when the sound of a person crashing through the brush far away reached her ears.
'There's something wrong here,' the young woman thought suspiciously as she crept towards the sound. Seconds later, a warrior of the Pomira fell through a copse of trees to land at her feet. There was an ax jutting out of his back, soaked in blood and gore. As Gabrielle rushed forward to help, he looked up at her, and with a final shudder, lost his weak grip on life. The bard started sadly for the other side of the encampment where she knew Xena was; and in her mind, the desperate, haunted gaze of the dead man overshadowed the deceptively bright early sunshine of the day.
**********
"It's one of the greek axes..." The Warrior Princess's tone was one of surprise. "What happened? Weren't they at peace?" She glanced up at her companions. "Lilorae didn't mention anything about the Pomira and the greeks at war again, did she?"
Gabrielle shrugged, "You'd think she'd mention something that important."
"Huh." Xena cast a worried glance in the direction of the Pomira convention as straightened up. "You guys go ask her; and tell Eve I've gone to see what's up with the greeks."
"Xena," it was Ares, "I question the wisdom of that." The Warrior Princess stared at him. "I mean, you shouldn't go alone. They're liable to shoot at anybody."
Gabrielle was also bewildered, "Ares, what are you talking about? Xena can take care of herself." The man shifted position uncomfortably, "Well, the sav ... Pomira don't seem to like me much..."
"Uh." Xena rolled her eyes, annoyed. "Don't worry, idiot; Gabrielle'll probably protect you." Shaking her head, the woman strode off through the greenery, ignoring Ares': "But... Fine. If your friend Gabrielle kills me, I'm going to hold you responsible!!"
**********
Rahl stood in front of his house, gazing up at the wall guards, as he paused in the middle of collecting logs for the fire. He shaded his eyes against the glare of the sun behind Julianes, his son. It had come as a shock when he and his wife Aja had Julianes, but he would never regret it. At 21, the boy was already a great leader; And he was the only comfort Rahl had. Aja had passed away a year earlier, and now Vanessa, his daughter, had died in a war a few moons ago. He looked down, wiping at the tears threatening to spill from his eyes.
"Rider approaching!" The whole village went on dead silent, the tension, emanating from everywhere, was tangible in the air. "It's a woman!"
"I come in peace!"
Rahl stopped breathing, and the logs in his arms fell to the ground. That voice! The voice on the other side of the wall sounded so familiar...
'Impossible,' he thought as he strode to the gate, 'She's dead!' "Open the gates!" Rahl couldn't believe it was his voice speaking. "It's a friend!" Slowly the heavy slabs of metal creaked apart, and he stood, shocked, as the beautiful, impossible face of the Warrior Princess, his former commander, the Destroyer of Nations, was revealed.
Xena smiled gently at the elderly man gaping at her with his mouth wide open, "Rahl?"
He kept on staring.
As she walked through the open gates, a young man came down from the wall to stand beside the immobile form of her former soldier. No one else moved; The sea of strange faces stared warily at her, not sure what to do. She was a stranger, but she wasn't Horde; So they stared suspiciously. The young man spoke, "Dad, who's that?" Though he gazed straight at her, Xena could tell that he was talking to Rahl. The fact that Rahl answered also helped.
"Xena..."
The young man gawked at his father; The name had broken the spell over the villagers. "The Xena? The Warrior Princess?" Around him, the others began murmuring incredulously. "Impossible!" "She's just a legend!" Xena glanced around at the people ... this was going to take a while.
**********
"What? You let Mother just go?" Eve was just a little worried.
"You try stopping her."
Gabrielle grinned crypticly. Sometimes she forgot how well Ares knew her friend.
"With Xena, "let" isn't an issue when she makes up her mind. But she'll be fine; she always... almost always is. How'd it go with the Pomira?" The bard changed the subject, knowing there was nothing useful they could do for Xena besides uniting the Pomira.
Eve grinned widely. "It worked. They are united peacefully under the wisdom of Eli and his God. They were never that much against each other anyway; one little talk straightened things out. Right now they're standing around, happily pumping Lilorae for information about the God of Love."
"That's great!" Gabrielle grasped the girl's arm briefly. Now half of their problem was solved, and they would be able to go visit Amphipolis and Potaedia like they'd been planning to as soon as Xena returned. There was probably a simple enough reason for the Greeks behaviour. Probably.
They smiled congratulatorily at each other for a while in silence; Then, abruptly, they all sat down glumly to wait for the Warrior Princess.
**********
"So what's going on here? My friend found a dead Pomira man in the woods, killed by one of your village's axes." Rahl looked up sharply into Xena's inquisitive blue gaze. "Weren't you two at peace?"
"We were at peace with the hor... Pomira. But then this, person showed up. It wasn't very long ago. He came about a fortnight ago, after the Pomira had been fighting among themselves for a few moons." Rahl frowned uncertaintly, "He told us the Pomira were fighting because some of them wanted to wipe us out and take over our land. They divided into the two tribes. One wanted to take over our land, and one thought it was wrong. He wanted us to destroy the Pomira before they killed us all. Everyone bought it. But I don't trust him; there's something wrong about him. I think it's because he has this... aura of power." He raised his dark pools. "Do you understand what I mean?"
The warrior woman shook her dark head. "Not really, but 'aura of power'... that sounds supernatural." Her smooth features took on a stolid cast. "Where is this man?"
Soon, the Warrior Princess was facing the source of the hostility between the Greeks and the Pomira. He wasn't very tall, his eyes only came up to about Xena's shoulder, but he did have this strange ambience of some sort of power around him. 'Strange,' Xena thought, 'That power is familiar somehow..."
He stared right back at her. 'So beautiful... but she will be a hard one to tame.' Aloud, he said: "Welcome stranger, I am Chaoleos, the leader of this village. I hear you wish to speak to me."
Xena narrowed her eyes, she now understood what Rahl meant. She didn't trust him either. "Yes. My name is Xena." She ignored the little flash of recognization in his gaze. "Why are you attacking the Pomira? They mean you no harm. They are fighting because..."
"Because some of them want to attack us." Chaoleos interrupted quickly, his tone slightly annoyed and immensely patronizing. The warrior didn't seem to notice. "No, they are fighting over their faith. It has nothing to do with the you. You are not being fair to them by attacking in their weakness." The man grinned soothingly, "Well then we'll just have to start attacking to take over their land. The village really needs more space to grow."
Xena itched to wipe that infuriating grin of his face. "I'm sure you can solve that with a treaty." Chaoleos roared with laughter, "We won't be able to understand a single word they say!" He slapped the woman's shoulder, "Don't worry, little lady, we'll protect you!"
Xena glared at him. If looks could kill...
She slapped his hand away, and followed with a hard right to his nose. He spun around, still laughing, using his momentum to help him land a hit to Xena's middle. She flew back, smashing a hard wooden table to splinters. A bit winded, the Warrior Princess took a while to stand up. "You're not mortal." The sneered words were a statement, not a question. He inclined his head, "Chaoleos, god of Chaos, at your service. I delight in causing chaos and confusion." He spoke smoothly, as if it was his title and...motto.
"There's a god of chaos?" The warrior spoke lightly to show she wasn't worried. She had regained her breath. "Chaos," She paused reflectively, "No wonder you're causing trouble." "But of course." Chaoleos swept an arm around in an elaborate bow. "I suggest that you leave now, and I grant you safe passage. I suppose you want to try to warn the horde." He disappeared in a flash of black, leaving his ominous last warning hanging. "You don't have much time."
**********
"Xena!" Gabrielle strode forward to meet her friend. "What happened?"
Not pausing on her way to see Lilorae, Xena gave the bard the shortened version. "God named Chaoleos tell greeks the Pomira are going to attack them, convinces them to attack Pomira. Lilorae!" The latter sentence was aimed at the above-mentioned girl.
Lilorae swung around, and grinned in a welcoming way. "Warrior Princess." Xena stopped short, eyeing the girl with surprise: It had been quite a long time since someone had addressed her like that. "Tell your tribe to be ready for an attack. The greeks are heading this way soon." Lilorae's smile faded; uncomprehending, she began asking, "Why would greeks..." Then she remembered, "They are coming to attack us? Like they did that warrior?" The Warrior Princess nodded lugubriously, a sad compassion in her azure gaze. "They've been brainwashed, they think that they're protecting themselves from Pomira attacks." She shook her dark head gently. "I have to stop their leader. He's not human; But the rest of them are innocent." Her eyes were almost pleading as she stared into the girl's pure emerald pools, "There must be a way to stop this war."
"What if there isn't?" It was Gabrielle. "We'd have to take sides, who would we fight for?" She shook her short blonde locks, "I know this sounds strange coming from me, but we must be prepared to fight in a war." She looked down in abnegation, unable to face the horror in Xena's eyes.
"No, Gabrielle." Xena regained her balance, "You won't need to fight. I'll detain the army and kill Chaoleos." Gabrielle, Eve and Ares all protested loudly at this: "No!" "But..." "No! You can't go alone!" Respectively. The bard grasped her dark-haired soulmate's arm, "I will not let you take on an entire army by yourself. I don't care if you're trying to protect me from bloodshed or not. I am going with you!"
Eve also disagreed vehemently. "Take Gabrielle and Ares with you. And the Pomiran warriors." She added the last part as an afterthought.
Xena laughed gently at that. "That won't help prevent a war between the Pomira and the Greeks. But you're right," she conceded, "I should bring someone with me."
"Yes!" Gabrielle looked very relieved. "Me."
"And me." Ares went to stand on the Warrior Princess's other side. Despite his light uncaring manner, there was no small degree of concern in his deep brown pools. "There's no way I'm passing up a good fight." The woman frowned at him, trying to hide the hint of gratitude present in her pale blue eyes. "What happened to your changing and hating war?" Xena ignored the man's useless sputtering. "Never mind, I knew you weren't serious about that anyway." Turning to Lilorae, the Warrior Princess didn't notice when Ares and Eve exchanged a flabbergasted glance. She knew!? (Refer to "Mortal Bonds")
"Whatever you are doing," Lilorae was staring past them, towards the green darkness of the wood; or more acurately, the sky above the wood. "I advise it be soon." The others turned. There was a huge, amorphous dust cloud hanging threateningly over the verdant treetops. Moving quickly, it would cast its shadow over the Pomira camp soon. The greeks were moving.
**********
The Warrior Princess and her two friends were standing on a stone ledge facing the road where the greek villagers were marching along. "Chaoleos is the god of Chaos." Xena was explaining the entire situation to Gabrielle and Ares. "Since he just arrived in the area, I'm assuming he doesn't know about the part of the road which passes through the canyon."
"Chaos?" Gabrielle understood. "No wonder he's causing trouble!" Xena raised a dark eyebrow at her friend. "That's... what I said." She turned to the former wargod at her side. "Do you know this Chaoleos?" Xena was surprised when he shook his head. "Really? But, war..."
"No, no, no." Ares seemed as if he had explained this before. "War is not Chaos; war may cause chaos if it isn't handled properly. But controlled, war is a blaze of glory, the ultimate solution to problems and crises."
The women weren't impressed by his campaign.
"Alright then..." Xena didn't have time to argue the politics of war. "Let's go push around some rocks."
A short while later, they stood above the pile of rock, waiting for the dust to settle so they could be see if the road was completely blocked. It was. The skittering cracks echoed up and down the empty road as one lone rock tumbled down the face of the canyon to land on the mound.
"There." Xena made a show of brushing the dust off her hands, and faced her best friend. "Isn't it strange how there's always a place where we can start a rockslide to block roads?" Gabrielle thought about it, "Yeah, it is kind of funny."
It was Ares' turn to look askance at the women. "What?" Then he suddenly realized something, and grasped the Warrior Princess' arm, hard. "Did you cause that rockslide that blocked my army when the Furies drove me insane?"
Xena stared at him, her azure pools turning a vice-like icy steel.
"Don't. Touch. Me."
Ares backed away, knowing he had just committed a faux pas. There was a long stretch of silence as Xena and the former god of war faced off, where even the restless wind didn't dare make a sound. "Yes, I did cause that." The raven-haired warrior woman had decided to forgive him. "Now come with me. As soon as the army gets to this part of the road, I want to block their path from behind and shut them in." Ares and Gabrielle didn't move, still frozen by the memory of Xena's threatening gaze. Then, Ares whispered half-jokingly to the bard, "She's scary..." Exasperated, Gabrielle exhaled deeply, and pushed him toward the diminishing form of the Warrior Princess.
**********
Chaoleos rode ahead of his pathetic army of greek villagers, silent and reflective. The villagers were not well trained in war. Most of them could barely hold a sword correctly; but he had no complaint about that. Untrained soldiers cause twice or even thrice the amount of chaos a well trained soldier would. He had no special place in what passed for his heart for a trained warrior. No, what had him nervous was the frightening amount of rage he had seen in the piercing blue eyes of that raven-haired warrior woman. Such fury was usually an asset to him, but not when it was directed at him. And that one was a god-killer... What was her name now? ... Xena. Yes, he remembered, the one War had betrayed the Olympians to save; War... Chaoleos shuddered. Such power in War. But such organized, controlled power. He didn't like War. Chaoleos laughed out loud: So why was he causing a war? Then the depraved laughter died out; because War has no control over this one.
"Sir!" A young man rode up to canter abreast of Chaos. His name was Julianes, and he was arguably the best warrior Chaoleos had, having none of the sickening obsequiousness most of the rest of the soldiers had. "We will be in view of the Horde's war camp soon. Normally they would be underground and impossible to find, but for the past few moons, they've set up a camp there. Our scouts reported that the two parts of the split Horde have congregated recently, and there were rumours that the Messenger of Eli has passed through here." Julianes frowned uncertaintly, "We're ... not sure why the Messenger would come here."
Chaoleos grinned wolfishly. 'The Messenger is involved?' he thought, 'This just keeps getting better...' Then, realizing the boy was staring at him, he shook his head dismally. "We can't let the Messenger of Eli get hurt." He pretended to think it over. "It's probably just chance that she's passing through, and besides," He turned on his most winning smile, "Eli wouldn't let her get hurt."
Julianes nodded enthusiastically, relieved to have had his confusion abated.
"Good work, boy." Chaoleos nodded at him, "Dismissed."
Suddenly, the well-trodden dirt road swung around a sharp bend, and there, right across the road, was the biggest pile of rocks Chaoleos had ever seen. Aside from Olympus.
"Damn," he cursed, reining his war horse to a sudden stop to keep from crashing into the pile. "I swear I'll get you for this, Warrior Bitch!" Wheeling his steed around, he bellowed at his bewildered men. "Alright! We're stopping for an unscheduled weight-lifting exercise!"
"Xena?" Gabrielle nugded her dark-haired friend. "Are you really going to attack those villagers?"
The Warrior Princess shot the blonde an incredulous glance. "You kidding? I'm gonna talk to them, eh, first. Didn't you always believe the quill, er, word is mightier?"
"Yeah," Ares chipped in, "Especially when you use it to make war lose it's power!" He was referring, of course, to the time Gabrielle recieved a magic scroll that made everything she wrote come true, to teach her to only write the truth, and she wrote something along the lines of 'War loses it's power.' Naturally, Ares came falling out of the sky.
Xena and Gabrielle turned to stare blankly at the leather clad man, and then scolded in unison, "Shut up, Ares."
The above mentioned's dark brown eyes widened in indignation, even as the dark-haired woman's blue orbs morphed to cold crystal to show that they were in business. "Chaoleos just entered his tent. Let's go."
A brown haired villager decked out in a soldier's gear grunted as he heaved a rock from the pile. He had no idea why the commander wouldn't just go another way. It wasn't as if the Pomira were going to run away. They were the ones who were being attacked, so what's the use of a counter-attack if you had to spend days clearing a road for the enemy? He sighed, Chaoleos was definitely crazy. He was about to voice his objections to the soldier beside him when a shadow fell across the small boulder he was about to pick up. Glancing up, he gulped. It was the woman warrior who had visited the fort earlier that day. It was the Warrior Princess.
Gabrielle swallowed a giggle, looking around at the awed stares directed at the tall woman beside her. Inclining her head to Xena, she muttered from the side of her mouth: "You really have a thing for dramatic entrances, don't you?"
Xena quickly turned her grin to a smirk. "Isn't that the pot calling the kettle black?"
"Wow, Xena. You remembered one of the expressions of civilisation."
The soldiers watching didn't understand why the Battling Bard of Poteidaia suddenly jumped and squeaked.
**********
"So, Chaoleos is the god of Chaos and he's trying to make us fight the Pomira who are only fighting because they can't agree on a religion just for fun." Julianes frowned as he exchanged a half-dubious glance with a villager beside him. "Well, makes sense..."
"Uh," Another man spoke up. "How do we know he's actually a god?"
A jagged streak of reddish orange lightning crashed through the air, striking with a resounding boom the exact spot where the Warrior Princess had been standing seconds before. Xena flipped quickly through the air, and landed a short distance away. Pivoting one her heel to face the fuming chaos deity striding forcefully toward her, she shot a wide-eyed glance at the now extremely pale villagers. "See?"
"You!" Chaoleos roared. He stuck his large hooked nose menacingly into Xena's face, and to the woman's surprise, pouted. "Why do you keep ruining my plans?" He whined, stamping his foot petulantly.
Xena leaned forward so she could glare at him at eye level. "Well if you didn't cause trouble for my friends!" She suggested very loudly. Or to be exact, yelled in his face.
Ares couldn't hold it in, he laughed, he roared, he basically made a lot of noise, earning him two very annoyed glares. Chaoleos took advantage of the situation to knock Xena backwards with an elbow in the ribs.
Brushing her leathers indignantly, the Warrior Princess grinned fiercely at the short man. Then, she drew her sword, and showed Chaoleos her infamous sneer. "Time to join the other Olympians."
Chaoleos was very good with his sword. Came of an insane god with loads of time. Xena's downward sweeping cut was blocked with a jarring clang, and Chaoleos took over the offensive department. Xena was amazed. This guy was really good. The Warrior Princess found herself being forced back little by little under the onslaught. Then, with a swinging back blow, she knocked the god on his butt. Chaoleos avoided her sword thrust barely, and scrambled to his feet. Touching his fingers to his stinging cheek, he drew it off to find, blood. His murky brown eyes widening, he stammered, "Blood? But I can't bleed! I'm a god!"
The former god of war snorted. "Hello? Xena, killer of gods? Ring a bell?"
Chaoleos opened and closed his mouth wordlessly, as most gods do when suddenly confronted with their own mortality. The danger he was in finally was sinking into his brain. With a wild yell, Chaoleos redoubled his attack, desperation fueling his blows. Xena kept one step ahead of the man at all times, just out of reach of his slashing sword. Such desperation was dangerous, the tall warrior recognized, but it was easy to make a mistake in that state of disorder. Xena watched him carefully with a cold, calculating eye, and, then after a long downward slash, Xena stepped into her opening. With a quick snap kick, she knocked the man's sword far away. Then, spinning into a back kick, she sent Chaoleos crashing to the ground on his back. Pinning his hand to the ground, Xena drove her sword into the chaos god's chest with a loud, feral roar.
Chaoleos' dark pools were drawn impossibly wide, and a soft gurgle forced its way past his throat. Then, he relaxed, his head falling back onto the ground, and a foamy mixture of blood and spittle rolled out of his mouth. The breath escaped slowly from his chest, and the man seemed to deflate, his eyes still wide open in horror.
**********
Lilorae stood behind her father as the big man clasped hands with Julianes, who was deemed the villagers' new leader. As the people all around began cheering, Lilorae smiled shyly as Julianes glanced at her. Xena, standing beside Rahl and the boy, didn't miss the glance, or Lilorae's soft blush. Now that she thought about it, Julianes was quite handsome. The Warrior Princess grinned. She'd let them work that out themselves; she wasn't really the matchmaking type.
Grinning, Xena shook hands with the chief, and then, as she hugged Lilorae, the pretty girl whispered in her ear, "Thank you, Xena. Mother was right about you."
Now standing with Ares as Gabrielle collected Eve, the beautiful warrior gnawed on the inside of her lip. "This is so sappy." She seethed quietly. Ares agreed whole-heartedly.
"Mother!" Eve called as she came forward. Taking Xena's arm, a habit caused by the twenty five years she had no mother to touch or hug, she informed Xena hesitantly. "I think I'm going to stay with Lilorae a bit longer, to teach them more about the God of love. Is that alright?"
The warrior mom thought about the information carefully. "Just for a while?"
Eve nodded quickly.
Xena smiled softly, "Of course it's all right." She held up an index finger, "Just know that there is no way I'm staying here with you." Her voice softened. "Too many memories here..." Eve stroked her mother's arm compassionately, and Xena grinned gratefully. "You know where Amphipolis is now? Catch up with us later?" The girl nodded.
As the mother and daughter embraced, Ares cleared his throat in amusement, and mumbled, "You were saying something about sappy?" He then doubled over Xena's fist in his gut.
As the former war-god groaned, the Warrior Princess placed her fists on her hips, "Don't tell me you're still going to follow us around."
Ares stared down at Xena. "Of course I am. You need my help, admit it." He was very earnest. The dark-haired woman contemplated his serious expression, then gave him an abrupt kiss on the cheek. "Maybe." She conceded as she strode off to get Argo.
Gabrielle laughed at Ares' shock. "She has these really silly moods." The blonde explained, and followed Xena away.
The former war deity stood there dumbly for a while more, while Eve crossed her arms, holding back the urge to burst out laughing, and then he noticed the two warrior women were gone.
"Hey! Wait for me..."
Eve giggled, shaking her head sententiously, and then went off to find Lilorae.
The End