Antony
and Cleopatra, An Awakening XXVII
Frau Hunter Ash
(Aka Dana Cooper-Kjarr)
*Disclaimers
Ownership: Repeat after me: I don't own Xena, Gabrielle,
etc. I'm borrowing them for entertainment purposes, please don't bother to sue
me, you wouldn't even get court costs.
Violence: Rating: R. A couple of assaults, and an aborted
sexual assault.
Subtext/Alt Fiction/Sex: the story
assumes a loving and sexual relationship between people of the same gender and
of the opposite sex. If this offends you or is illegal for you then please
leave. Come back when you are older, have an open mind, moved, or changed your
laws.
Feedback: always welcome and responded
to!
Storyline: Artemis wants Gabrielle and
Xena to follow through on their blood oath of vengeance against Marc Antony and
sends them to Egypt. The problem is their friendship with Cleopatra. It soon
becomes clear that they can't hurt Antony without adversely affecting their
friend and possibly their own future and relationship. The story isn't based on
the TV episode of Antony and Cleopatra.
This follows more along the lines of
actual history. The battle is real, Cleopatra and Antony's behaviors during the
battle are historical. There's no asp in this one – that fate awaits the
Egyptian Queen a year down the road.
The story can stand on its own but it is part of a series
and you might want to catch some of the earlier parts to know exactly who is
whom.
A Visit Home, an Awakening 1 * An Awakening, Discovery, 2 *
Amazon Bonding, Awakening 3 * Healing, 4 * Trial of a Roman, 5 * Gladiator,
Bard, Warrior, Mother; 6 * Reunited, 7 * Ides of March, 8 * Children
of Gods, 9 * Even with Ares, 10 * Settling with Brutus, 11 *
Darkness Awakening, 12 * Amazons North, 13 * Amazon Darkness, 14 * The Wild
Hunt, 15 * Bard Scrolls, 16 * A God's Twilight, 17 * Chakram, 18 *
Death and Rain, 19 * Beowulf & Grendel, 20 * Night
Stalkers, 21, * Blood Darkness, 22 * Aftermath, 23 * Here Comes Trouble, 24 *
Northern Scrolls, 25 * Old Problems, 26 * Antony and Cleopatra, 27 *
Gabrielle sighed as she took in the sight of the
life on the Nile from the rail of Cleopatra’s Royal barge.
Without even looking over, the bard felt Xena step
up beside her and lean down on the railing.
“What’s on your mind, Gabrielle?” the warrior asked
with a smile.
“Thinking how nice the sun feels,” the bard admitted
as she smiled at her best friend, companion and mate of many years.
Xena grinned in agreement. “To think, three days ago we were wearing a couple of layers of
wool and getting ready for snow. Now
it’s warm for light fabrics.”
“Five days ago you were nearly killed and crippled,”
Gabrielle added.
Xena glanced down at the thin white scars along her
thigh with a frown. She knew those
scars would fade to almost nothing within a week but it was still painful to
have gone through the injury in the first place, god healing abilities or not.
“Yeah, five days ago we were with Herc and Iolaus
raising our son,” Xena grumbled. “Now
we’re in Egypt waiting to see Cleopatra and working on a way to destroy her
life.”
Gabrielle sighed.
“I don’t like that part either,” she agreed.
“Can you handle being around Antony and being
friendly with him?” Xena asked softly.
“I’ve got to,” Gabrielle muttered.
“I hope so, lover,” Xena said as she straightened up
and turned her back to the railing.
“Because here he comes with three Praetorian Guards.”
Gabrielle felt her muscles tense as she turned to
stand with her lover and face her blood-sworn enemy.
It was almost 10 Spring seasons since they had seen
Antony as he prepared to battle Cassius and Brutus. At that time he had been allied with Octavian but even then Xena
had predicted they would quickly become enemies once Brutus and Cassius were
dealt with.
The warrior had been right. Gabrielle just didn’t think it would take 10
Springs for them to finally settle everything between the Roman and themselves.
“Xena, Gabrielle,” Antony greeted them with an easy
manner, as if they were old acquaintances but both Greeks were well aware that
his men had their hands on their swords, their bodies tense and prepared to
fight.
Xena had her hands resting on the railing behind
them and Gabrielle crossed her arms, keeping her hands away from her sais.
“Antony,” Xena responded.
“I didn’t think you’d come, even with Cleo
personally sending word for your help,” he admitted.
“She’s a friend, we take care of our friends,” Xena
responded.
“That’s what I’m afraid of,” the Roman General
laughed. Despite the years he was still
incredibly handsome, much like Ares had been, Gabrielle reflected.
“I remember a slight matter between us, something
about your friends.”
Gabrielle felt her face flushing with anger and her
arms quickly unfolded as her hands clenched.
She felt a restraining hand on her shoulder from Xena.
“Those ‘friends’ were my tribe,” Gabrielle
growled. “My family that you
slaughtered, just for political reasons.”
“Still want to kill me?” Antony grinned and Xena’s
grip on the bard’s shoulder tightened.
“Yes!” Gabrielle snapped, resisting throwing herself
into a fight with him.
“Yet you want to work and ensure Cleopatra’s success
against Rome?” he pressed.
“Once again, my personal feelings about you have to
come second,” Gabrielle spat.
Antony surprised both of them by laughing.
“Good, honesty is a rare thing between enemies in
this restless sea of power and politics,” he commented and nodded to his
men. The guards relaxed their grips on
their sword hilts and Xena’s grip loosened on Gabrielle’s shoulder. “Come and let’s have some food, Cleopatra
will be here this evening. Your word
you won’t stick one of those things in my ribs when I’m not looking?” he asked from
Gabrielle.
“I swore a blood oath to kill you, what oath would
you believe from me?” Gabrielle demanded.
“Hmmm,” Antony frowned. “Good question, I know you Amazons and your damned blood
oaths. How about this, you swear not to
kill me while with me or my forces? That should stop any ideas of assassination
from both of you.”
Gabrielle appeared thoughtful and glanced up at
Xena.
“Alright, we agree that as long as we are your
guests and not your prisoners or hostages that we won’t kill you,” Xena
clarified.
“Agreed,” Antony nodded and his men saluted him and
moved off to go back to their other duties.
Gabrielle sighed and let some of her anger dissipate
as she and Xena began to follow Antony towards the inside of the barge.
“I’m sorry, Xena,” Gabrielle said softly.
“Don’t be, he pushed you intentionally,” Xena
responded, smiling down at her mate.
“It was a good move on his part, I wouldn’t trust us either.”
“Yeah, especially since we really don’t have a clue
how to work this mission out either,” Gabrielle smirked.
“Play it by ear until we see an opportunity,” Xena
shrugged.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Antony turned out to be a charming host and Xena was
reminded of Antony’s friend and patron, Julius Caesar. The Roman General kept away from sensitive
topics and talked endlessly about the charms of Egypt, which soon had drawn in
Gabrielle, despite her reluctance to listen to him. The bard had never been to Egypt and was finding the culture and
long history fascinating.
Both women knew that Antony was turning on his
fabled charm and let him. They needed
to find out as much information about Antony and his relationship with
Cleopatra before they could decide how to complete their mission.
Their mission to destroy
Antony without dragging Cleopatra down with him.
“So tell me, is it true that you two are immortal?”
Antony asked, drinking deeply from a goblet of wine.
“Whatever gave you that idea?” Xena asked easily.
“I saw your mate after that crucifixion, Xena,”
Antony countered, his face friendly but his eyes serious and calm. “No one should have lived through that.”
Xena glanced over and saw Gabrielle frowning and
looking down at the bracers that covered the scars of that crucifixion and the
one from Bacchus. Antony was also
looking at the bard closely.
“Neither of you have aged either, which is a
marvelous and wonderful thing since, besides my own wife, I have never seen two
more beautiful women in all the Empire,” Antony grinned.
“And why the silver tongue? We’ve already agreed to
help you and Cleo,” Xena asked with a smirk.
“No silver tongue intended,” Antony protested with a
grin. “Total honesty, you two are
incredibly beautiful and I can get away with saying that because I’m
married. You still haven’t answered the
question.”
“Didn’t intend to,” Xena quipped back. “That would be a fantastic long shot,
wouldn’t it? That would mean that both of us would have to be immortal,
somehow. What would be the odds of two
immortals getting together without knowing it?”
Gabrielle resisted smirking at Xena’s dodge and
realized that this question was going to start coming up more and more as the
seasons went by. They were immortal and
weren’t going to age, everyone else around them would.
“That’s not quite an answer, is it?” Antony
noted. “You both would have to have
gods for parents and then meeting totally by accident would be against the
odds, wouldn’t it?” he agreed. “Still,
Cleo will be envious of your beauty secrets.”
Xena shrugged and reached for some dates to nibble
on, her blue eyes catching Antony’s deep brown ones.
Antony hesitated over his wine.
Xena turned and glanced at the door, a moment later
Gabrielle and Antony heard the sounds of many footsteps as Cleopatra and her
servants, advisors and scribe approached the main room of the barge.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Gabrielle and Xena’s delight in seeing Cleopatra was
matched by her joy in seeing her Greek saviors. Antony seemed amused as he watched the women uncharacteristically
hug and grin in actual pleasure and not in polite, political greeting.
The next two candlemarks were spent with Cleo and
Gabrielle exchanging stories and catching each other up on what had happened
since the last time they had seen each other.
The time when Gabrielle, Xena and Joxer had saved the young Egyptian
from Joxer’s assassin brother, Jett.
“Hey, you two,” Xena grinned, throwing a grape at
her mate to get Gabrielle’s attention.
“I’m going out on deck for awhile; I’ve had a bit too much wine.”
“You alright?” Gabrielle asked with a frown. Xena never had too much wine, port or any
other alcohol, the bard reflected and wondered what her mate was up to.
“Yes, I’m fine, honest,” Xena smiled and leaned down
to kiss the bard’s forehead.
“Why don’t I accompany you, Xena,” Antony suggested
and Gabrielle saw Xena half wink at her before straightening up to face the
Roman. “I can make sure my men don’t
get too jumpy around you and these two can talk away.”
“Cleo?” Xena asked and the Egyptian Queen waved at
them.
“Yes, go,” Cleopatra encouraged with a laugh. “Antony hates talking about the past, he’s
always dreaming of the future.”
Gabrielle suddenly had a feeling she knew part of
Xena’s improvised plan and hoped her mate knew what she was doing as she turned
her attention back to Cleopatra.
“So, you’re happy with Antony, obviously,” she
commented.
“Yes, very,” Cleopatra smiled a genuine smile. “We have four beautiful children and there’s
my son from Julius.”
“He is still very handsome,” Gabrielle commented,
“And you are still incredibly beautiful.
The rumors about that are true.”
Cleo laughed.
“Yes, don’t think I know Antony has a roving eye and has noticed both of
you.”
“What?” Gabrielle exclaimed.
“Don’t worry, he never does more than look,” Cleo
grinned. “He lets me have my incredibly
well built slaves around as long as I have his body to attack at night and the
same with him.”
Gabrielle shook her head in amazement.
“You and Xena have been together for years, haven’t
you looked or strayed?” Cleo questioned.
Gabrielle lost her smile. “Not willingly, either of us.”
“I’m sorry for bringing up bad memories,” Cleo said
quickly.
“It’s alright.
I was kidnapped and sold into slavery, they weren’t kind,” Gabrielle
explained.
“I understand, I have bought abused slaves
before. I don’t permit in my service
but I have seen others who are cruel.
Tell me, I hear rumors that you have traveled north, tell me about the
north,” Cleo urged.
Gabrielle grinned and began trying to describe the
difference between the Egyptians and the Germans.
Xena choose a shadowy part of the barge to stop in
and take in the cool Egyptian night air.
The Greek leaned down on the railing as Antony looked out over the water
with her.
“Does Cleo know that you don’t exactly keep it at
home?” Xena asked bluntly and glanced up at the Roman.
Antony looked surprised and then burst into
laughter.
“You are incredibly sharp,” he commented. “Caesar was right, you are amazing!”
“He also underestimated me and Gabrielle,” she
responded.
Antony lost his smile. “He was my friend.”
“Julius Caesar was friends with no one and you know
it, Antony,” Xena countered. “He was
planning on killing Brutus and you would have been next if he thought you might
slip that leash he had you on.”
Antony looked angry for a moment and then shrugged.
“Probably,” he agreed. “But we both understood the arrangement. He was bound for glory and I was riding the
chariot with him. You and Brutus put a
stop to that.”
“Yes, and I’d do it again in a moment,” Xena said
firmly, her blue eyes flashing. “I’d
find a way to protect Gabrielle a little better though.”
“You two are mates, aren’t you?”
“Yes, have been for years,” Xena said easily.
“Yet you have a child by Ares and Gabrielle was
separated from you for almost two full Springs and became a gladiator, the
Champion of Rome,” Antony commented, looking out over the water as Xena frowned
at him. “It was also well known that
she was lovers with the females of the gladiator school and was taken into
Brutus’ bed, willingly. Does that mean
you both stray?”
Xena clenched her teeth together for a moment and
then shrugged, appearing nonchalant about the question.
“No, Gabrielle was kidnapped and sold into slavery,”
Xena explained. “Because of Caesar
wanting to use her against me, she kept her identity a secret until she could
get away. We are loyal to each other,
Antony.”
“Even after Gabrielle recently gave birth to someone
else’s child?” he asked and smirked at Xena’s confused expression.
“I’m a good general, Xena,” he commented. “When Cleo asked Artemis for your help, I had
you investigated. I need to know about
my allies and my enemies.”
“And which are we?” Xena smirked back at him.
“Well, I know Gabrielle will never be considered a
friend,” Antony grinned. “Not with that
stupid incident with the Amazons. Like
the battle with Brutus, I figure you’ll both be allies until it’s over with
Octavian and then you’ll try and kill me.”
“Try is not in our vocabulary, Antony,” Xena warned
but the Roman merely laughed at the threat.
“As long as I’m with Cleo, I figure you won’t move
against me,” he said easily.
“I still remember that you ordered your men to kill
Gabrielle and me after that battle with Brutus and Cassius,” Xena said flatly.
“Politics,” Antony said, dismissing the
incident. “You were sworn enemies; I
was attempting to take care of a left over problem.”
“We’re still a problem, Antony,” Xena growled.
“I don’t think so as long as I’m with Cleo,” the
Roman said confidently.
“And if she knew you strayed?” Xena demanded.
“She’d never believe anyone, Xena,” Antony said
softly and moved closer to the Greek.
“She believes in me, our love and our power together. Just like
Gabrielle believes in you.”
“I’m loyal to my mate, Antony,” Xena growled.
“Really?” he smirked and Xena wasn’t surprised when
he placed his arm over her, leaning in closely. “Tell me you don’t miss Hercules or Ares in bed,” he whispered.
Xena growled a warning and started to shake his arm
off but the Roman tightened his hold.
“Tell me that your intense hatred for Caesar wasn’t
because he used and betrayed you, especially after you took him to bed. You know he constantly dreamed of you. Do you still dream of him?” Antony purred in
Xena’s ear and pulled the warrior into his arms, against his chest. “Tell me you don’t miss a man sometimes.”
Xena pulled out of his arms, moving quickly away
from him and headed back towards the inner rooms.
Antony’s laughter followed her.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Gabrielle leaned up on an elbow, glancing over at
Xena. The warrior was sitting in a
chair in their luxurious room on the barge and sharpening her sword with a
scowl.
“Are you okay?” the bard finally demanded from the
bed. After years of being with Xena,
she knew when her mate was disturbed and this was one of those times.
“I’ll be fine, I figured out how to do this, I
think,” Xena growled.
Gabrielle moved quickly out of the bed and over to
her mate, surprising Xena by moving aside the sword and kissing her
passionately. The bard moved her lips
to Xena’s neck and then earlobe.
“Cleo is famous for having ears in the walls,”
Gabrielle whispered and felt Xena nod as the warrior dropped her sword and
reached for the bard. The warrior stood
up, holding firmly to Gabrielle and the bard wrapped her legs around Xena’s
waist, never losing contact with her lips on Xena’s neck.
“Oh Gods,” Gabrielle cried out as Xena returned her
to bed and covered the bard’s body with her own. “You have his scent on you,” the bard growled softly.
“Not my idea,” Xena whispered, pulling Gabrielle’s
top off as Gabrielle grabbed hers off.
“Let me guess, you seduce Antony, let Cleo catch
you, break them up and that will leave Antony vulnerable to Octavian’s troops
without Cleo’s support,” Gabrielle whispered, crying out loudly as Xena’s lips
went to her nipples.
“Something like that,” the warrior whispered.
“Oh Goddess,” Gabrielle said softly. “Just don’t let it get too far, okay?” she
whispered.
“Never!” Xena nodded, continuing her assault on her
mate.
“Seducing the mate of the Queen might be extremely
dangerous,” Gabrielle muttered and whimpered.
“Gods, your touch, always!”
Xena grinned and pulled the rest of their clothing
off and reached over to snuff out the candle on table next to the bed. Whoever
was watching and listening would have to be content to just listen to her
making love to Gabrielle, damnit.
“I agree, that’s why I’m going to keep him at arm’s
length,” Xena whispered.
“He doesn’t strike….” Gabrielle whispered. “Don’t stop that…” she whispered. “As the type to be kept at bay,” Gabrielle
whispered.
“I kept Ares at bay long enough,” Xena grinned as
Gabrielle lightly smacked the top of her head in frustration. The warrior began kissing her way down the
bard’s incredible body, hoping to make it up to Gabrielle for bringing Ares up
in their bed.
“Gods, even after all this time, your touch is
incredible!” Gabrielle gasped. “I love
you, Xena!”
“I love you, Gabrielle,” Xena said softly. “Let me show you how much.”
“Gods, yes!” Gabrielle cried.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Gabrielle smiled as she walked into the main area of
the barge. Xena, Antony and Cleopatra
were bent over a table pouring over maps, diagrams and reports from spies, just
like they were a candlemark before when the bard left them.
Gabrielle, trusting the battle planning to the three
brilliant military and political minds, had gone out on deck to do her sai and
sword practice. They drew several open
admirers from the crew and the Roman soldiers as she went through the workout
that revealed her deadly skills with both sai and sword.
"I still say a land battle here," Antony
said firmly. "Cleo's admirals are
no match for Agrippa on the sea."
"That's why it’s perfect for Octavian,"
Xena protested. "He doesn't know
I'm helping you and he'll expect a traditional Roman attack from you. Remember what I showed you at the battle of
Phillipii?"
"Romans are predictable," Antony grinned,
remembering how Xena's unorthodox methods had pecked away at the troops of
Brutus and Cassius; especially how she had demoralized them.
"Yes, Octavian and Agrippa won't be expecting
you to launch a full assault on the water," Xena urged. "Agrippa won't even have a plan except
to contain your ships. The ships you
have are heavier and can cause more damage."
"Octavian's are smaller and faster and can
maneuver easier," Cleopatra frowned.
"Only if they get a chance to separate your
ships and get a clear shot at the sides," Xena argued.
"It might work, husband," Cleopatra said
thoughtfully. "If we can keep
Xena's aid a secret from Octavian."
Xena nodded but Antony still was frowning and
continued the debate with Xena over battle strategy. Cleopatra looked up and saw Gabrielle and left the two warriors
with a smile and a nod and walked over to the bard.
"Let's leave these two to haggle,"
Cleopatra suggested and Gabrielle grinned in agreement.
The Queen of Egypt and the warrior bard went into
her ‘small’ bedroom, a small bedroom that took up a large chunk of the barge’s
inner rooms. Cleopatra took off her
royal headdress and flung herself on the bed with an exaggerated sigh.
Gabrielle laughed at the Queen’s spontaneous
silliness and flopped down in a chair that was so padded it could double as a
bed.
“You should have seen the battles I had getting
Caesar to listen to me about battles and things,” Cleo smiled. “Now I can’t get Antony to think for himself
most of the time. Ten years of
successes and he still has an insecure streak.”
“Antony never struck me as insecure,” Gabrielle
commented with raised eyebrows.
“Oh, he knows very well that he’s strong and
handsome; women have always thrown themselves at him. Quite a number of men as well,” Cleo smiled. “He grew accustomed to having men and women
seek him out for his good looks and his power but he’s never trusted his own
intelligence and military skills.”
“Yet he aspires to control the entire Empire,”
Gabrielle responded.
“Yes, he felt he had to follow Caesar and take what
he had accomplished or he would disappear,” Cleo tried to explain.
“I think I might actually follow that,” Gabrielle
said thoughtfully. “If he had stepped
aside he would have been killed.”
“Yes, he had gained too much power under Caesar to
be ignored,” Cleopatra agreed. “If he
had given it away to Octavian, then the little bastard would have been forced
to kill Antony just to ensure his position.”
“I know you two originally got together for the
power and the lust,” Gabrielle teased and was rewarded with a pillow thrown at
her. “Seriously, though, why force
Octavian into such a long civil war? Isn’t Antony happy in Egypt?”
“He’s very happy in Egypt, with me, with our
children and with my culture,” Cleo nodded.
“Antony is also a Roman; it is something in their blood.”
Gabrielle nodded, remembering Brutus saying the same
thing when Xena suggested his life might be in danger when he helped rescue
Gabrielle from slavery and so maybe he should leave Rome. Brutus had resisted the suggestion, claiming
the very thing Cleopatra was now saying about Antony.
“He won’t be satisfied until he has Rome, totally,”
Gabrielle said thoughtfully.
“Exactly, no matter how much I might think it’s a
bad idea at this time to press it. I
believe we can win a military victory but we wouldn’t win a victory over the
people,” Cleo continued. “When Caesar
took me to Rome; do you know what the people shouted out at me?”
“No, your Highness,” Gabrielle said softly.
“They called me Caesar’s foreign whore,” Cleo said
bitterly. “Octavian has been very
clever in his war with Antony. He has
turned the Roman people against Antony by making them think he has abandoned
them in favor of the foreign influence of me and my Egypt.”
“They no longer believe him truly Roman?” Gabrielle
questioned.
“No, they remember Caesar falling for me and now
they think Antony has abandoned Rome for Egypt,” Cleopatra said. “Unfortunately, we can’t back out of this
war without giving Octavian everything, including Egypt. I can’t allow that. I fought very hard to keep Egypt as a major
power under Caesar and Antony and I worked very hard to keep it going.”
“If you lose, Octavian will kill Antony and possibly
you as well,” Gabrielle said seriously.
“Yes, he might let me live as a vassal Queen,” Cleo
agreed. “I won’t live without Antony
though.”
“Isn’t there any way to back out of this without
losing Egypt? You’ve always tried to do
what is right for Egypt first.”
“I don’t see any way without destroying Antony and I
can’t do that,” Cleopatra said firmly.
“Gods, I hate politics!” Gabrielle complained. “Antony killed my Amazons only because it
suited his political agenda. Caesar
betrayed Xena for his political ambition, starting her on a path of destruction
that nearly destroyed the world.
Politics eventually cost Caesar his life, had me crucified and nearly
killed Xena.”
“I understand how much you hate Antony, can you work
with him now?” Cleo asked, her face curious.
“I’ve promised not to kill him while your guest,
Cleo,” Gabrielle shrugged. “It was so
long ago but I still miss Ephiny, Solari and the others.”
“I still miss Julius at times,” Cleo laughed at
Gabrielle’s doubtful look. “Shall we go
see if they’ve killed each other yet?”
“Killed or kissed?” Gabrielle asked bluntly.
“I trust my mate, do you?” Cleo said a little more
seriously.
“Yes, totally,” Gabrielle responded with a smile,
hoping it wouldn’t take long to figure this whole mess out. She was really hating the thought of
destroying Antony because that would destroy Cleopatra. Gabrielle was also hating herself for
attempting to plant a seed of doubt in her friend.
They hadn’t counted on
Cleopatra still being in love with him.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
To counter Cleopatra’s spy holes, Xena and Gabrielle
decided to take in the night air under the Egyptian stars later that evening.
“Xena, I don’t know if I can do this,” Gabrielle
admitted. “Cleo really loves him. I feel like Ares trying to break us up.”
“Ares’ motives were different, we’re trying to do
what’s right for the world, Egypt included,” Xena responded firmly.
“How do we know what’s right for the world?”
Gabrielle complained. “Even the Gods
make mistakes. Ares thought that having
you conquer the world was the ‘right’ thing.
Artemis thinks that getting rid of Antony is the ‘right’ thing for
Cleopatra. Caesar thought ruling the
world was the ‘right’ thing; we believed killing him was the ‘right’ thing for
the world. Who in Tartarus really
knows?”
Xena leaned her arms on the railing of the ship and
was thoughtful for several moments.
Gabrielle inclined her back against the railing, watching the sailors as
they worked to keep the ship moving.
“You’re right,” Xena said, glancing up at her
mate. “You’re right about all of it.”
“What do we do?” Gabrielle asked.
“Do we attempt to destroy Antony because of our vow
of revenge or because Artemis wants it?” Xena questioned. “Revenge isn’t a path I’d like to see you
on. It burns everyone it touches.”
Gabrielle’s jaw tightened in a familiar way. “I want justice for our friends and family
but I’m not sure what that would mean in reality,” she admitted. “Do I want to put my sais between his
ribs? Yes, when I think about Ephiny
and Solari on a cross with their legs broken and backs ripped to shreds from a
whip. Could I do it and then face
Cleo? Probably not.”
“You’re not an assassin, Gabrielle,” Xena smiled
gently and leaned against her mate’s arm affectionately.
“No, I’m not,” Gabrielle sighed. “Does that make me a bad Queen?”
“No, it makes you a better Queen,” Xena
countered. “How do we get out of this
and do what’s best?”
“I talked with Cleo,” Gabrielle filled Xena in on
the conversation with the Queen of Egypt and Xena shook her head at the end of
the description.
“I don’t see a way out of the war either,” Xena
complained. “I suggest we spend some
time with them. Cleopatra’s right,
though. Rome would never accept them as
rulers and Antony can’t see that or accept it.”
“That means Octavian is the better choice?”
Gabrielle questioned.
“Caesar did pick him and not Marc Antony as his
successor, despite his youth, when Caesar died,” Xena commented.
“I remember you mentioning your approval of that,”
Gabrielle nodded. “Caesar may have been
an arrogant son of a bacchae but you did admire his genius when it came to war
and politics.”
“And sex,” Xena teased and playfully ‘ducked’ a blow
from her mate with a laugh.
“You and the bad boys,” Gabrielle teased back. “Does that mean you’re attracted to Antony
as well?”
“Yes,” Xena admitted with a shrug. “Just like you are to Cleo.”
“What?” Gabrielle frowned and thought about it for a
moment. Then the bard nodded. “Okay, I could be if I weren’t so head over
heels in love with you.”
“I understand that, she’s incredibly beautiful and
knows it,” Xena grinned.
“Like Antony knows he’s handsome,” Gabrielle threw
in.
“We need to figure out what is best for the rest of
the world, it may not be what’s best for Antony and Cleopatra,” Xena
growled.
“The Greater Good thing again?” Gabrielle added her
own growl.
“Exactly,” Xena nodded.
“I know it works out in the end but getting there
usually sucks when it’s the Greater Good,” Gabrielle complained and Xena
couldn’t help but laugh in agreement.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
The next week was spent traveling up the Nile to the
sea where everyone on board knew that the destiny of Egypt waited for them in
the ships of Antony and Octavian. Xena
spent much of the time with Antony and Cleopatra’s generals and admirals making
plans and then changing them. Gabrielle
spent most of the time with Cleopatra and her Priests.
Xena learned about Egyptian military strategies and
more about Roman military arrogance than she ever wanted to know. Gabrielle began to understand the culture
and people of Egypt through their myths, history and religion.
She also got closer to Cleopatra while Xena
confirmed that her first assessment of Antony was correct. The warrior felt he was an arrogant Roman
with even more fatal flaws than Caesar.
Antony’s insecurities made him somewhat of a bully with the servants and
occasionally with Cleo.
Xena and Gabrielle quickly learned to get out of the
room when Antony and Cleo had differences; it was safer. Listening to the servants, the Greeks
learned that thrown vases, raised voices and occasionally thrown fists from
both sides were common in the relationship.
They also learned that Antony wasn’t as faithful as Cleopatra thought he
was.
Gabrielle, having a better rapport with the
servants, discovered that Antony could also be a bully when it came to his
affairs and wasn’t above taking what he wanted from a servant or slave
girl. Getting the girl drunk, forcing
himself on her and then threatening her were more common than Cleo could have
imagined.
While she practiced with her sais, Gabrielle moved
with the grace of the nickname she had earned in the arena as a gladiator, that
of Dancer. She looked over and saw Xena
out of the corner of her eye, the warrior's blue eyes sparkling as she watched
her mate. A smile for her bard.
"Wanna practice with me?" Xena asked.
"Sure," Gabrielle grinned as Xena pulled
her sword out and twirled it around her wrists a few times, loosening up.
"Now that we know no one is close and listening
in, how is it going?" Xena asked as she rushed Gabrielle with a serious of
flashing sword strikes that would have intimidated most warriors. Gabrielle parried with both sais, trapping
Xena's blade between the smaller weapons and lashing out with a foot, lightly
connecting with the taller warrior's ribs.
"Harder than I thought it would be, Xena,"
Gabrielle admitted. "Cleo is
blindsided by her love for Antony. She
sees some of his faults but won't see his infidelity."
"The more time I spend with Antony the more I
think we're on the wrong side of this," Xena added, twirling under her
trapped sword and lightly tapping her elbow in Gabrielle's ribs, just hard
enough to break the hold and send the bard back a foot. Xena reversed her direction and laid her
sword hilt just short of Gabrielle's temple.
Gabrielle held up her hands with a grin, acknowledging
what would have been a crippling blow.
Xena also grinned and turned to face her mate again.
"What do we do?" Gabrielle asked as they
began circling each other again, looking for an opening in the other's
defenses, both a little more cautious.
"Try and get Cleopatra to see that the cause is
lost and the best thing for Egypt is to abandon Antony," Xena reasoned,
slashing forward with her sword only to find Gabrielle gone from the spot she
had been in. The bard was now under
Xena's sword thrust and moving at her with one sais forward and the other up
parrying the sword.
Xena grinned and twisted around, grabbing
Gabrielle's wrist and moving the bard past her back as she finished her turn
with Gabrielle's back to her. The bard
surprised the warrior by diving forward, out of Xena's sword and foot range and
coming up with sais at the ready.
"Nice move!" she complimented.
"If I had held on, I could have taken you over
my back," Xena added.
"You would have lost your sword,"
Gabrielle countered.
"Maybe," Xena agreed.
"Cleo will never abandon Antony, not even for
Egypt," Gabrielle commented as she shifted one of the sais to its blunt
end for hitting instead of piercing.
"She's always been a good leader, she has to
see that it’s best for her land and people," Xena frowned.
Gabrielle met Xena's next series of thrusts and
slashes with equal skill and they both backed off to circle some more.
"I know she's been a good leader but when it
comes to Antony, she's totally unreasonable," Gabrielle explained. "It’s like they both lost all their
dreams when Caesar died and they're struggling to make them come true through
each other. They seem desperate to make
things work just to prove he was right in his choice in them."
"That makes strange sense," Xena continued
to frown. "The problem is Caesar
didn't pick Antony as his successor and he didn't choose Cleo to team up with
him."
Xena went into attack mode and was surprised when
she got past Gabrielle's primary defense position but discovered it was a feint
when Gabrielle somehow thrust upwards with her foot under Xena's chin, almost
becoming vertical.
Xena somehow stopped her momentum, knowing that if
she connected with Gabrielle's booted foot, she'd be lifted right off her feet,
hard.
"Whoa! Where in Hades did you learn that?"
Xena grinned as Gabrielle lowered her foot.
"Part of my stretching moves, thought it might
work given the disadvantage with the shortness of the sais," Gabrielle
smiled and blushed under the praise from her warrior mate.
"Could take someone's jaw off," Xena
agreed.
Both mates began going through a slower version of
their individual workouts, a cooling down routine.
"So what do we do with these two?"
Gabrielle complained. "To take
Antony out we'll destroy Cleopatra and possibly Egypt. That's not what Artemis wanted."
"I don't care what Artemis wants," Xena
growled and shrugged at Gabrielle's stern expression. "I don't want to hurt Cleo but it's getting really difficult
to justify helping Antony win over Octavian."
"We're going to side with Octavian to ensure
Antony's defeat?" Gabrielle asked.
"That'll destroy Cleopatra."
"I know, but if Octavian can be reasonable it
might save Egypt from total destruction at the hands of vengeful Roman
troops," Xena said thoughtfully.
"How do we know we're right?" Gabrielle
questioned and noticed Xena's puzzled look.
"We're deciding the future of an entire country and possibly the
entire Roman Empire, Xena."
"Well, Cleopatra would be best for Egypt
without Antony. She won't give up
Antony, therefore Octavian is the best choice," Xena reasoned.
"Who decides that?" Gabrielle pressed,
getting up to lean on the railing of the ship, enjoying the feel of the warm
Egyptian sun on her back. "We do?
What gives us the right to play judge?"
"Well, Artemis did," Xena shrugged.
"As if you're usually happy with the decisions
of the gods," Gabrielle smirked as Xena joined her.
"What do you suggest?" Xena frowned.
"Let's go home," the bard suggested and
wasn't surprised by Xena's stunned look.
"Leave the Fates to decide who wins what; let's go back and raise
our son."
"Leave your sworn oath of vengeance against
Antony?"
Gabrielle sighed heavily as she looked out over the
water.
"I think I need to, Xena," she said
softly. "To fulfill that oath, I'd
have to betray a friend, a fellow Queen.
I don't think that's the Amazon way either. I'll resign as Queen on the way back home and let Pony curse my
name if she wants."
"Gabrielle, the Amazons have always been an
important part of your life," Xena said softly while watching her mate's
troubled face.
"Yes, but you and our family have to come
first, Xena," Gabrielle said firmly.
"I'm no longer the Queen of the Amazons, I'm your wife and Asher's
mother and Sasha's mum."
"I understand," Xena said gently, wrapping
an arm around Gabrielle's shoulders.
"There's one problem, if Artemis doesn't agree with you."