Northern Scrolls, Awakening 25
Frau Hunter Ash
(Aka Dana Cooper-Kjarr)
*Disclaimers: see Part 1
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Gods, I am tired of this! My back is killing me, I can’t
sleep, I can’t get comfortable and everyone just smiles and tells me it’s
normal to feel like this. I want to
scream in frustration.
I keep reminding myself that the pain is nothing like when
I was poisoned on Caesar’s orders at my wedding but that’s not helping. That was so long ago and this is now. Now hurts!
I wish Sasha was here with us, I wish Hercules, Iolaus and
Ketli were here. I wish this child was
here already!
I still have another moon to go before our son is due.
Xena is adapting to not having Sasha around but it still
hurts her. I see her eyes become pained
when she watches the young girls listening to the older women as they work at
their spinning. Watching them checking
out the young men over dinner.
I miss Sasha too. I
know the training is needed and Xena and I certainly couldn’t handle everything
that Sasha needs but it doesn’t help.
I’m so tired and the pains are annoying. I’ve been having them off and on for a while
- again I’m told that it’s normal. I
want to scream at the next woman that tells me that!
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Xena
watched Gabrielle as the bard worked a drop spindle, spinning raw wool. Her mate looked tired, uncomfortable and
irritable. The warrior’s blue eyes
could tell that Gabrielle wasn’t paying attention to the tales being woven by
the women as they wove the wool into thread.
Normally, the bard would be engrossed in the tales but not today and
Xena could tell.
She
walked up with a smile for her mate and Gabrielle smiled a tired smile
back. The bard started to stand up but
decided against it and Xena resisted grinning at how heavy Gabrielle’s stomach
now looked. With the bard’s small frame
the pregnancy seemed even more pronounced.
“Stay
put,” the warrior ordered and knelt down beside her mate.
“What’s
up?” Gabrielle asked.
“I’m
going out with the hunters this morning.
We should be back by tomorrow night, you going to be okay?” Xena asked,
her face concerned. Even though it was
still another moon before their son was due, the warrior wanted to stay
close. Sasha’s warning had her a little
spooked.
“I’ll be
fine,” the bard’s voice was a little sharp but then her face softened. “We’ll both be okay.”
Xena
smiled, remembering how irritable she was in the last couple of rounds of her
pregnancy.
“Don’t
kill anyone before I get back?” she suggested and Gabrielle smiled back.
“I’ll try
not to,” the bard promised.
Xena
hugged Gabrielle as best she could, considering the bard’s protruding stomach,
and stood up.
The
warrior frowned, still feeling uneasy.
“Go, I’ll
be fine!” Gabrielle grinned and then winched, her hands going to her belly.
“Pains?” Xena knelt down quickly by her bard.
“Nothing
new,” the bard said reassuringly.
“Okay,
you sure you don’t want me to stay?” the warrior questioned.
“No, I’m
fine, love,” Gabrielle said gently.
“What can you do here? Watch me be grumpy?”
“I love
you, Gabrielle,” Xena said softly, kissing the top of her mate’s head.
“I love
you too, Xena,” Gabrielle answered.
“Now go.”
Gabrielle
watched Xena walk to the end of the hall to the doors with her own concerned face. She also felt unease with Xena leaving, even
for a night but it seemed silly.
Probably one of those emotional up and downs that everyone told her to
expect with being pregnant.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
It was
just past the sun’s high point of the sky when shouts came to the wall of the
steading and passed along the guards inside and then to everyone.
Herkervar, Ivar the One Hand and Ketli Axe Hand, known to Xena and Gabrielle as Hercules, Iolaus and Ketli, were on the trail and heading their way.
Gabrielle
looked up from peeling carrots and grinned.
She wanted to jump up and rush out to see them at the gate but decided
against it. Her back was still hurting
and she hadn’t seen her feet in forever.
The
bard’s pain was forgotten as the three travelers entered the hall among the
clamor afforded visitors and homecoming family. Axel was laughing heartily, Svenda was offering a huge drinking
horn as a welcome. The Greeks were well
liked and loved among the steading and everyone wanted to greet them with hugs,
laughter and drink.
Gabrielle
waited, finally standing when they got closer to her end of the Hall. Her smile broke into laughter at the sight
of their stunned faces as they took in her condition. Obviously Cyrene hadn’t told their best friends about her
condition when they had passed through Greece.
Gabrielle knew very well where Xena got her wicked sense of humor and
wished her mate was there at that moment to meet the males.
The bard
had her own moment of surprise as she took in the tall Viking next to Hercules
and Iolaus. Process of elimination told
her this could only be Ketli and she could see the child he had once been in
his face and eyes but standing before her was a young man. A very tall, handsome young man who reminded
her of Beowulf.
Hercules
shook his head in amazement at her pregnant condition as Iolaus tried to figure
out how to hug her with his one arm and her very swollen belly.
The rest
of the Vikings began pulling back to let them greet each other and catch
up.
“Gabrielle,
your family forgot to tell us something,” Hercules laughed and confirmed the
bard’s suspicion.
“I can
tell by your faces,” she joined in his laughter and hugged him once Iolaus
released her. “You forgot to send word
that you were bringing a huge Viking along with you.”
Ketli Axe
Hand blushed beneath his smile and hugged her.
“You are
beautiful, Gabrielle,” he said in perfect Greek.
“And
you’ve grown, Ketli Axe Hand,” she countered and then winced, her hand immediately
going to her stomach.
Instantly,
all three males were attentive and concerned.
“Gabrielle?”
Iolaus questioned.
“What is
it?” Hercules asked and Ketli reached out to steady her.
“Just
some pains, they told me to expect that,” she said, trying to reassure them
all. “I need to sit down.”
“When are
you due?” Iolaus asked as they all moved towards the chair the bard had vacated
when they had entered the hall.
“Next
moon,” she responded, gritting her teeth through a sudden sharp pain.
“Are you
early?” Hercules demanded.
“No, just
uncomfortable, irritable and just want it over.”
“You
sound just like my wife before she delivered,” Hercules laughed as the bard sat
down.
She
smiled at her adopted family and all three men thought to themselves how tired
she looked. Wonderful with impending
motherhood but tired.
“Where’s
Xena?” Ketli asked.
“Out with
hunters for the night,” the bard responded and accepted a drinking horn of cool
water from one of the women as everyone began to settle back into their
routine.
Another
wince and Hercules looked more concerned.
“You sure
you don’t want to lay down for a bit?” he suggested.
Gabrielle
started to snap that she was fine and held her tongue. She knew her friend and Xena’s half brother
was just concerned and the suggestion was a good one.
“Might be
a good idea,” she agreed and then squealed in surprise when the Greek demi-god
reached down and swept the bard into his arms.
“Hercules!”
He
laughed and turned towards the benches lining the walls. “Quiet you! Which one is yours and Xena’s?”
She
laughed and pointed to the sleeping area she shared with Xena and found that
one of the best men at her wedding was strong but also gentle as he carried her
across the hall and placed her on the sleeping furs.
He further
surprised her by gentle removing her short leather shoes and began massaging
the bard’s feet.
“Oh gods,
that is wonderful!” she exclaimed, laying back onto the furs.
“I
remember how much my wife used to complain how much her feet hurt at the end of
her pregnancies,” he explained.
She
glanced over and saw Iolaus and Ketli talking with Axel near the hearth and
looked back at Hercules.
“Do you
miss them?” she asked softly.
“Very
much so. I loved them very much,” he
answered, moving his hands up to rub her lower legs as well. “I love Iolaus deeply and believe that he’s
my true mate but I loved them very much.”
“Ketli is
huge!” she commented and was delighted with the pleased look on the adopted
father’s face.
“He’s
turned into quite a young man. We
decided we should stay up here in the North for awhile until he decides what he
wants to do with his life,” the demi-god explained.
“He’s
well past a manhood ceremony, what does he want to do?”
“He’s not
really sure,” he continued. “He’s very
gifted with sailing. That’s one reason
we wanted to come back up here. We’re
hoping he go out on the raiding next summer after spending the winter here and
adjusting to Viking life again.”
“What do
you want for him?” Gabrielle asked as he sat down on the bench next to her,
pulling one of her legs over his and continued rubbing her foot.
“I don’t
know,” he admitted. “He was meant to be
a Viking and we don’t want to take his heritage from him. I’m not keen on the thought of him on a
raiding ship but that’s the life here.”
“Xena and
I are thinking of staying here for awhile too,” Gabrielle commented. “Did Cyrene tell you about Sasha?”
“Yes, she
and Torris filled us in on what’s happened since we last saw you, including
Solan’s death and the kidnapping of Kiryk,” he informed her. “She did not tell us about your pregnancy
though!”
Gabrielle
grinned. “I guess they wanted me to see
the look on your faces.”
He
grinned back at her. “Good one,” he
agreed.
“How much
did they tell you about Alti and Bacchus?” Gabrielle forced herself to ask.
Hercules
lost his smile as Gabrielle’s face tightened.
“Just
that you both went through Hades fighting those two,” he hedged and then
sighed. “Cyrene told Iolaus and me that
you were tortured.”
“I was
physically tortured and raped,” she said softly.
“Gods,
not again,” he muttered, laying his hand against her cheek. Then the fear hit his eyes and he was
surprised when Gabrielle nodded in understanding.
“That’s
just what I thought when I found I was pregnant, drove me right to a vial of
poison,” She continued. “Xena and some
of the Gods stopped me. The Gods
finally explained that Bacchus wasn’t the father but that the Forest Spirits of
the Siberian north had worked magic.
The child is from Xena and me.”
“Thank the
gods!” he said softly.
“I
agree,” the bard smiled.
“I’ll
fill Iolaus and Ketli in that you and Xena are fine and we don’t have to kill
some guy somewhere,” the demi-god grinned and was pleased when Gabrielle began
blushing. “Now get some rest.”
Gabrielle
tried to keep from crying, she was glad the guys were there and especially
grateful for their love, understanding and kindness.
He merely
smiled and wiped one of the tears away.
“My wife
used to do that too,” he said softly and turned to join Iolaus and their
adopted son.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Gabrielle felt a cold chill run over her body at the sight
of Roman soldiers trotting with their javelins and shields at the ready.
The bard quickly took in a group of people, mostly men,
standing under an awning. It felt warm
and dusty and the air was stifling. The
Romans were heading right for the group.
Gabrielle realized suddenly that the man at the head of the
group, apparently conducting a meeting, a speech or teaching was Eli. The Hebrew mystic that had come seeking
Xena’s help in stopping the War God Kal from getting a magical chakram.
“No!” Gabrielle screamed as the Romans drew closer, some of
the men on the outer edge of the group starting to turn at the sound of the
rhythmic sound of pounding feet.
No one seemed to be able to see or hear Gabrielle,
including Eli.
One of the men turning at the sound, she noted, was Asher,
Eli’s zealot brother.
“No!” she screamed again as the fanatic drew a sword along
with several of the other men as they caught sight of the Roman soldiers.
The bard wanted to turn away but couldn’t as the two groups
met. Half of the men and few women
gathered under the shade began to scatter, and Gabrielle kept shouting at Eli
and Asher to join them but they didn’t hear her.
“Eli!”
“Asher! No! Come on!” Eli shouted at his brother.
“Go, get away, we’ll hold them!” Asher shouted.
One of the men grabbed Eli’s arm and began pulling him away
as Asher met several soldiers, sword against javelins and shields.
Gabrielle blinked, trying to understand that the scene had
abruptly changed.
She was now standing outside the dry city along a
road. There were lots of people along
the road, all waiting for something. No
one talked loudly and no one seemed to want to move or leave.
Then she saw them.
Roman soldiers surrounding several prisoners. The bard glanced in the other direction and saw more soldiers on
top of a small hill, also waiting.
Gabrielle felt her heart stop. She knew what was waiting for those prisoners, she had been on
the receiving end of Roman “justice” once and had died for it.
A quick twist of her head back to look at the prisoners
confirmed what she already knew, Asher was among them. He was about to be nailed to a cross.
Gabrielle screamed and no one heard.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Gabrielle
woke up with Svenda shaking her and talking to her gently.
“Its
okay, Gabrielle,” she kept saying.
“Only a nightmare.”
The bard
blinked and nodded that she was finally awake and then cried out in pain,
grabbing at her stomach again.
“Sweet
Freya!” Svenda exclaimed loudly, causing the women to stop at their work and
glance over. “Her water has broken!”
The hall
became a flurry of activity at once.
Hercules,
Iolaus and the other men moved back out of the way as the women rushed in to
take over the situation.
Within
moments screens had been brought from somewhere and established some privacy
for the bard and the women helping.
Word spread throughout the steading that the bard was giving birth and
it was early. The men continued on with
their few duties around the steading but stayed close to the main hall.
Axel,
Hercules, Iolaus and Ketli tried to settle in next to the hearth and wait. Fingers and feet drummed nervously as they
listened to the sounds behind the screens.
“How far
apart are the pains?” a voice asked.
“How long
have you been having pain?” another asked.
Moans
were recognized as Gabrielle’s voice.
Hercules,
having been through births with his family before, tried to calm his nerves and
wait patiently.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Xena
gasped as a sudden pain hit her womb and then yelped as the earth was suddenly
no longer under her feet.
A moment
later and Xena screamed in frustration and pain as she hit the bottom of a cave
opening, the first pain having distracted her from noticing where her feet were
stepping. She looked around, barely able to see anything in the darkness; the
only light was coming from above, from where she had fallen into what was
obviously a cave. She was at the bottom
of a cave and the entrance was like a well shaft.
The
warrior tried to scamper out of the way but only managed to cover her head as
logs and deadfall began raining down on her.
The downed tree limbs and trees that had hidden the entrance to the cave
were now falling on top of her. She
screamed as a large log hit her legs and pinned her to the cave floor.
Xena
tried to pull her legs out and growled in frustration, as the log wouldn’t
move. The lightning shooting from her
legs hurt as they were probably broken and other parts of her body were hurting
from the fall as well.
Then she
remembered the pain that had distracted her.
“Gabrielle!”
she screamed.
She began
yelling for the other hunters.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
“How long
has it been?” Iolaus finally asked.
It was
long past the nightly meal and most everyone had gone to their own sleeping
furs.
“Eight candle
marks,” Axel commented, looking to the time candle kept on the mantle of the
hearth.
“How long
can this go on?” Ketli complained.
“A lot
longer than this,” Hercules responded.
A weak
cry caused the young Viking to jump again.
“I sent a
rider out to find the hunters,” Axel informed the Greeks.
“Good,
thank you,” Hercules commented.
“I hope
they find them soon,” Iolaus muttered.
“Me too,”
Hercules said softly as another tired scream sounded from behind the screens.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Hercules
snapped his head up and then moaned as the pain of a very stiff neck hit
him. A quick glance around told him
that it was just before dawn and the steading was starting to come to life.
He stood
up and stretched, he could still hear movement behind the screens and moans of
pain.
The Greek
rushed forward as Svenda came out from behind the screens.
“How is
she?” he asked.
“A
difficult birth,” she answered, looking even more tired than he felt. At least he had gotten a little bit of
sleep, even if it was in a chair at the long table.
Iolaus
and Ketli were still asleep, leaning over the same table.
“She’s
exhausted and the child won’t come,” Svenda complained.
“Hercules!” a voice
unexpectedly filled his head. “Uncle Hercules!”
“Sasha?”
he asked softly and wasn’t surprised when Svenda looked at him, her face
confused.
“Grab a horse,” the voice ordered. “Xena
is in trouble and only you can help. If
Xena doesn’t get back here we’ll lose Mum!”
Hercules
looked down at Svenda. “Freya and Sasha
are going to guide me to Xena.”
“Axel!”
she shouted across the Hall. “Have the
fastest horse we have ready!”
“Yes, my
love!” he shouted back and dashed out of the Hall.
Hercules
shook Iolaus awake.
“I’m
going after Xena!” he explained while Iolaus was still trying to wake up.
“Okay,”
the Greek muttered.
It wasn’t
long before he was riding fast in the direction the voice, Sasha, told him
to.
“Sasha,”
he spoke as the horse sped along the rough trail.
“I’m with you,” Sasha’s voiced responded.
“Where is
Xena?” he asked.
“At the bottom of a cave, the hunters are
having trouble getting her out,” Sasha informed him. “Her
legs are trapped under a huge fallen tree.”
“She
needs my strength,” he commented.
“Yes, and Gabrielle needs Xena,” Sasha
confirmed.
“Why? How
can she help where the other women can’t?
They have shamans, healers and the women have assisted at births
before.”
“The boy will be healthy but Gabrielle will
have problems, they won’t be able to stop the bleeding and she will die,”
Sasha answered.
“The
pressure points,” Hercules commented.
“Yes, only Xena knows enough to save
Gabrielle,” Sasha said.
Hercules
urged the horse to move faster. He had
seen women bleed to death in childbirth before.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Iolaus
paced restlessly along the table as the sounds became more frantic behind the
screen.
“Has the
child finally turned?” a voice asked.
“Yes,
thank the gods! Frigga, help us!” another voice responded and Iolaus added his
own small prayer to the Greek gods.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
“Herkervar!”
Vikker shouted as he saw Hercules come into sight. “Ysla is trapped below!”
Hercules
bounded off of the horse and over to the area where Vikker had pointed and
looked down. He could see how Ysla/Xena
had missed the deadfall; you had to be right on top of it to even see it now.
The Greek
could see Xena at the bottom of the cave with several Vikings surrounding her,
some with torches. A climbing rope had
been dropped down to the floor.
Xena
looked to be barely conscious and he could see a small pool of blood seeping
out from under her legs into the torchlight.
“Herkervar!
Thorryke shouted up, taking in the sight of Hercules.
“Tie the
rope around the tree and have the horses pull it up,” he called down.
“The tree
is at an odd angle, it will rip her legs off,” Thorryke shouted back. “And we
can’t get enough leverage down here.”
“Alright,
I’m coming down!” he shouted back.
“Hercules!”
Xena blinked, spotted her half-brother and shouted. “Hurry! Gabrielle is in trouble!”
The Greek
merely nodded and dropped into the dark hole, not bothering with the climbing
rope.
He
ignored the surprised looks on the faces of the Vikings as he stood up from the
crouch he had landed in. Any other man
would have broken both ankles.
The Greek
demi-god knelt beside Xena and quickly looked her over.
“Just get
this damned thing off of me!” she snapped, sweat dripping from her brow.
“Do my best,”
he promised.
The
demi-god stood and took a position at one end of the tree. After several deep breaths he squatted
slightly and grabbed the tree firmly.
“Get
ready to pull her out,” he instructed.
“You
can’t lift that!” Thorryke protested.
“You’ll kill yourself!”
“If I
need to!” Hercules said and began to lift.
The
Vikings and even Xena was amazed at the effort it took the Greek known for his
strength. The muscles throughout his
body stood out, veins pulsing, sweat pouring off his body as he struggled. His normally tanned skin became flush with
the effort and everyone was convinced he was going to fail.
With a
stubborn shout he finally heaved the tree up to knee level.
Thorryk
quickly pulled the wounded Xena out from under the tree and Hercules dropped
the tree and fell back against the cave wall.
The men quickly looked over the warrior’s legs.
“Both are
broken, she can’t ride,” one announced.
“She can
ride,” Hercules said in a firm voice.
He lifted the warrior up and moved her around until Xena was clinging to
his neck from behind. “Hang on, Sis,”
he instructed.
“You got
it!” she responded.
The trip
up the rope and out of the cave was longer than it took both of them to get
down and both were stretched to the end of their strength by the time Hercules
reached the top. Vikker helped Xena up
off Hercules’ back and onto the ground.
Xena was
breathing heavily and biting her lip in pain.
They could all see the twist in one leg and a large gash in the other.
“She
can’t ride!” Vikker protested as the other Vikings began climbing the rope back
up to the upper world.
“She has
too or Gabrielle is dead,” Hercules informed them.
“I knew
she was in trouble,” Xena muttered.
Vikker
threw his hands up in frustration and went to a nearby dead tree and began
breaking off branches for splints.
Once the
rest of the hunters were above ground and the warrior’s legs had been splinted,
Hercules lifted her up onto the horse and grabbed another one for himself.
“Can you
stay in the saddle or do you want me to ride behind you?” he asked.
“I’ll
ride, we have to travel fast!” Xena answered and turned her horse towards the
Steading.
“Let’s go
then!” he urged.
“How did
you know?” Xena asked as they began riding, trying to concentrate past the
incredible pain.
“Sasha
called to me and led me to you,” he answered and smiled at her raised eyebrows.
“I knew
Gabrielle was in trouble but I got caught in that damned cave,” she responded.
“She’s
been in labor since mid-point between high sun and sunset,” he told her.
“She was
still in labor when you left?” she demanded.
“Yes,
Sasha says that the baby will be healthy but they won’t be able to stop the
bleeding,” he explained.
“Damn!”
Xena swore, urging her horse to move faster.
She remembered the last of Alti’s visions: Gabrielle sweating and
screaming in pain.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Gabrielle
screamed again. Someone wiped her
forehead with a cool cloth and soothing voices encouraged her to relax between
the pains. The bard was exhausted, she
wasn’t sure how long it had been going on but it felt like forever. She wanted to scream out of frustration but
her voice was long gone. Gabrielle had no
idea where she was finding the energy and the voice to scream with the pain.
“Xena,”
she whispered.
“Brie!”
someone insisted that she pay attention and she wanted to strangle them.
“What!?”
she snapped, gripping the piece of wood someone had thrust into her hands.
“The baby
is almost here, push as hard as you can,” Svenda instructed.
“What do
you think I’ve……” the end of her angry words were cut short by another
scream.
Gabrielle
wasn’t sure she had ever felt anything like this before. Not even when she was poisoned by Cows’
Bane, this was different and painful.
“The
head!” someone said loudly and then Gabrielle screamed again.
“Xena!”
Suddenly
it was over and the bard collapsed into someone’s arms behind her. Excited voices surrounded her and the gentle
hands continued to wipe her forehead.
After a few moments the woman behind her was raising the bard up
slightly and Svenda was talking to her.
Gabrielle
managed to open her eyes at the sound of the small cries.
“You have
a son, Brie,” Svenda was handing her a small bundle and Gabrielle let the tears
of joy stream down her face as she took her son into her arms. “He is beautiful and healthy.”
“Thank
the gods,” the bard said softly.
“Svenda,”
one of the women at the other end of the bed called Axel’s wife away but
Gabrielle barely noticed, she was entranced at the sight of the small creature
in her arms.
“I wish
Xena was here,” she said softly to her son.
He was crying but not screaming, almost seeming to listen to Gabrielle’s
voice. Like a typical new mother,
Gabrielle checked that all fingers and toes were there and the limbs seemed
intact and worked correctly. He had a
shock of blonde hair that was full and thick.
The bard
knew that she needed to feed him but she felt so tired. It was becoming impossible to even hold
him. Gabrielle began to struggle against
darkness trying to overcome her.
“Gabrielle!”
Svenda yelled. “Stay awake! Stay with
us!”
“Asher,
his name is Asher,” Gabrielle muttered, struggling to keep her eyes open and
failing.
“How do
we stop the bleeding?” a voice drifted to her but it seemed so far away.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Half way
back to the Steading and that same darkness was crowding Xena as well. She yelped as a strong arm wrapped around
her ribs and held her upright.
“Quiet,”
Hercules ordered and gently pulled her into his arms onto his horse. She growled as they began moving quickly
again, this time Hercules holding her close.
“Goddamn
legs!” she muttered.
“Your
healing abilities will take care of them,” he commented. “If you weren’t mostly a goddess you would
have lost both of those legs.”
“Or died,
I know that,” she growled. “Just get me
to Gabrielle.”
“As fast
as I can,” he promised.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
The
guards saw them coming and Hercules was grateful that the gates were open for
him and Xena. He took the horse right
up to the doors of the hall and he slid off the horse with the warrior in his
arms, landing heavily on the ground.
Fortunately
the doors to the Hall were already standing open in the heat of the summer and
the Greeks rushed in.
“Xena,
Herc!” Iolaus called as they entered.
“Thank the gods!”
The large
Greek demi-god moved swiftly down the hall to the screens. Without waiting for someone to anticipate
his moves, Hercules kicked one of the screens aside.
“Gabrielle,”
Xena whispered.
The bard
was unconscious and Svenda and other women were working frantically trying to
stop the bleeding from Gabrielle’s womb with sea sponges and moss. The bard was deathly pale and her breath was
rapid and shallow. The experienced
warriors could both recognize the effects of blood loss.
Hercules
sat Xena down on the bench bed next to her mate. Both of them tried to ignore the large amount of blood already
soaked into the birthing blankets under the bard.
“Can you
help?” Svenda demanded.
Xena
heard a baby crying near but her attention was focused on her mate. She quickly gauged the amount of bleeding
from what healer training she had acquired over the years and hit several
points on Gabrielle’s body.
She
watched Svenda watching Gabrielle and after a few moments the Headwoman and
healer nodded, sighing with relief.
“How long
can you hold those on her?” the Headwoman questioned.
“Not
long, I’ll have to release them in a few moments, let the blood flow for a bit
and then hit them again,” Xena answered.
“She won’t bleed to death now but it’ll take time to stop the bleeding
this way. She’s still going to lose
some more blood.”
“Raforta, keep the sponges and moss rotated,” Svenda ordered one of the women. “Guorior, get bandages and fresh water for Ylsa’s wounds and something to splint those legs.”
The next few candle-marks were spent taking care of the Greek women. Xena had been right, it had taken time to stop the bleeding by using the pressure points but the bleeding had finally stopped.
Svenda ordered that the screens be kept up for the night while both women slept after the bedding was changed. Gabrielle was still unconscious and the Headwoman was worried she might not survive such a massive blood loss but Xena thought that the bard’s god healing abilities would save her.
Hercules, Iolaus and Ketli peeked around one of the screens and smiled at the sight of Gabrielle, still groggy but awake, being held in Xena’s arms, the bard’s new son feeding at her breast.
“Thank the gods,” Hercules muttered and Gabrielle managed to smile at him.
“Thank you, Herc,” she whispered and Xena nodded gratefully.
“He’s handsome,” Ketli said softly. “His naming?”
“Asher, his name is Asher,” Gabrielle smiled.
“All of you! Out!” Svenda said loudly and rushed the men away.
“Asher?” Xena questioned as Gabrielle shifted their son to the other breast. The warrior caught the happy expression leaving the bard’s face.
“I had one of those vision dreams, Xena,” Gabrielle started to explain. “Eli and Asher were somewhere in Palestine or Judea, I saw a Roman unit attack them and Asher was captured.”
“Little One,” Xena whispered. “We knew it was likely to happen with his fanaticism.”
“I know, I know, I just didn’t expect to see it,” the bard complained. “I saw him being led to a cross, Xena.”
Xena felt her jaw muscles tighten. She remembered how she felt watching Gabrielle being led to a Roman cross. The warrior had gone berserk and nearly ripped her hands off from her manacles.
“What about Eli?”
“I don’t know, I just saw Asher at the end,” her mate answered.
“Asher may not have been my favorite person in the word but I agree, he was loyal, brave, and a good man overall,” the warrior responded.
“We’ll see Eli again; I have a strong feeling on it.”
After a few moments of both of them watching young Asher drifting off to sleep in his mother’s arms, Gabrielle glanced up into Xena’s eyes.
“What happened with your legs?”
“I felt a very sharp pain in my abdomen and missed stepping into a deadfall that happened to be over a very deep cave opening. Damned thing was almost like a mineshaft. The logs, fallen trees, and brush followed me down. One of the trees fell on my legs and trapped me.”
“Pain?” the bard questioned.
“Yeah, I knew when you went into labor,” Xena grinned. “The others couldn’t get the thing off my legs until Hercules showed up.”
“How did Hercules know where you were?”
“He says that he heard Sasha’s voice telling him where to go,” Xena smiled sadly.
“Sasha? Using her psychic powers?” Gabrielle tried to keep her voice down but there was a tone of surprise there and Xena heard it.
“Apparently, I’m just glad she and Freya were looking out for us,” it was difficult to admit gratitude to a goddess and Gabrielle knew it. “Get some rest, my love. My legs will heal in a few days, you’ll regain your strength and we have a son to raise and a daughter to visit.”
“Okay,” Gabrielle agreed sleepily.
Nearby, Hercules curled up with Iolaus in their sleeping furs, both muttering similar comments and sighing with relief that things finally seemed to have gone right for their favorite Greek couple and relatives.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Asher
has made his way into the world a little early. I was in labor for almost a full circle of candle-marks. They tell me that I almost died from
bleeding, fortunately I don’t remember a lot of it. What I do know is that Xena saved my life once again.
I
look over our lives and sit back in amazement at how rough it’s been. At the same time I wouldn’t trade my life
for anyone else’s. Not as long as I’m
with Xena. How many times have we
died? How many times have we come close
to dying? How much pain have we lived
through?
On
the other side of the coin: where would I have ever found a love like Xena and
I have? So many good times as
well. I love being with her so much and
I see sides of her that no one would believe, maybe not even Cyrene.
Asher
is sleeping now, I probably have half a candle-mark before the next round of
feeding. I wish even more now that I
had been there for the first part of Sasha’s life. I have more than enough help with all the women of the steading
and Xena but I’m still tired from losing so much blood.
Why
does my life seem to revolve around blood?
I need to drink blood every moon, now I nearly die from losing it giving
birth to our son.
Asher,
named after a man that thought Xena and I are condemned by his god to a
horrible eternity. Because of our
relationship and my need for blood condemns us in his eyes. At the same time I know we made a connection
and we got him to think about his stubbornness. He understood the life of a reluctant slave.
Xena
calls him brave and loyal, especially to his religion. I guess that’s true. I do hope that we tamed some of that
fanatical behavior of his though. At
least the vision showed me that he and Eli were together.
I’m
not sure why I insisted on naming our son Asher. The last time we saw Asher he tried to kill me with his sword
because he caught me feeding from Xena’s wrist after the fight with the War God
Kal. The Hebrews have very strong views
and actual laws about blood and I broke the main one. My relationship with Xena is also a stoning offense in their
culture.
Why
name my son after him? Maybe to honor
Eli, a tolerant and peace loving mystic and teacher. I have the feeling that Eli is still alive and that we’ll see him
again. I truly pray we do, I liked Eli
and his message. He reminds me of what
I wanted for the world so many years ago, the difference is that he’s working
to make it happen while I fell from that path of peace. Xena and Eli both try to convince me that it
wasn’t my fault and probably not my path but it’s difficult. I never wanted to kill. Before I truly knew what it was to kill and
be in battle I thought I wanted to be like Xena. Then I realized I couldn’t kill.
Unfortunately that changed as well when I was thrown into a damned arena
with a sword and shield and told to fight or die.
Xena
keeps reminding me I did what so many thousands of others have done; I did
whatever was necessary to survive. I
learned to kill and I learned very well.
Well enough to win my freedom from the Arena in Rome from Caesar
himself.
Maybe
Asher is a reminder of what I wanted for my life and for the world. No more senseless killing. Eli’s brother ended up just where we knew he
would, on a Roman cross as a criminal because he continued to follow his path
of armed rebellion against Rome. I hope
that he and Eli stayed close these last few years and that Eli’s teaching gave
Asher comfort. From the vision it
appeared that Eli was being a teacher and Asher was listening or protecting
him. Maybe the fanatic calmed down a
bit.
Did
Eli have something of the same effect that I had on Xena in helping her turn
from a path of violence? I hope so, for
Eli’s sake. Both brothers loved each
other very much and I hate to think that religion came between them.
We
talked with Freya about maybe staying up here; I think I’d like that. It’s such a hard decision though, Mom is
getting older and we’re not. Xena and I
haven’t talked about it but it was a bit of a shock seeing Ketli as a grown man
and how much older Iolaus looks. A
reality smack on the head.
Hercules is like Xena and me, immortal and
it appears that we don’t age. Iolaus is
totally human and does and it’s beginning to show.
I
think it’s beginning to hit Xena and me about our families. We’re not going to get older but our family
and friends are and eventually they’re going to die. The only way we’re going to die is if we’re killed. How in Hades am I supposed to watch Lila
grow old while I stay the same age?
What kind of life is that? We’ll
go through eternity watching our families and friends grow old and die? Or do we move constantly, leaving our
friends before they figure out we’re not aging? Probably.
Given
that Xena and I are both immortal and Asher is a child from both of us, does
that mean he’s going to be immortal as well?
Will he have gifts like Sasha?
Gods,
I’m tired and I think Asher is beginning to stir.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Xena
grinned as she watched Sasha playing with Freya’s cats in the same meadow they
had been in before.
The Greek
warrior and Northern Goddess leaned against a large oak tree and relished the
coolness of the shade it offered. The
sat in silence but Xena reflected that it was a comfortable quiet as Sasha
giggled and romped with the huge cats.
After
half a candle-mark Freya turned to the warrior.
“She is a
remarkable child,” she commented and smiled as Xena blushed with pride.
“That she
is,” Xena agreed. “How is her training
going?”
“Very
well. She does have a major stubborn
streak that gets in the way sometimes,” Freya grinned. “She must have gotten it from her father.”
Xena’s
eyes narrowed in mock anger and then she grinned.
“Thank
you for letting me see her,” Xena said softly.
“I’m glad
to see you and to give her a break,” Freya smiled as the child gave up playing
with the cats and threw herself on the grass at her mom’s feet.
Both the
goddess and Greek found the child’s grin contagious.
“How’s it
going, kid?” Xena asked.
“Okay, I
miss you and Mum but it’s okay.”
“Gabrielle
misses you too,” Xena smiled.
“Wish she
could have come along,” Sasha said wistfully.
“She’s
still tired from the birth and the complications,” Xena explained again. Sasha had almost pouted when Xena had
arrived in the meadow without the bard.
“She’s
okay, though,” Sasha demanded.
“Yes,
she’ll be fine and Asher is doing great,” Xena answered, hugging the
child. “He’s big, bigger than you were
when you were born. He’s got thick
blonde hair and the greenest eyes.”
“Excellent!”
Sasha clapped in delight. “She named
him Asher? She knows that Asher is dead, then?”
“You saw
it? She saw it in a dream,” Xena asked.
“Asher is
dead. The Romans thought that Eli was
getting too popular and attacked him while he was teaching. Asher tried to protect him and they were
both captured,” Sasha explained.
“What
happened to them? Gabrielle thought
Asher was going to a cross,” Xena asked.
“Asher
was crucified. They didn’t want to
execute Eli publicly, they were afraid of making him more of a martyr than his
brother,” Sasha continued explaining, her eyes slightly unfocused as she
remembered her vision. “They sent Eli
to the galleys.”
“Oh
gods,” Xena muttered.
The
galleys, Roman war ships. Powered by
sail when the wind was right, powered by slaves when the wind wasn’t
right. Slaves chained to oars or below
lower decks in darkness. An endless
existence of brutality and pulling an oar, even worse than what Gabrielle had
been through in the gladiator school.
Life
expectancy wasn’t long in the galleys.
“How do
we find him?” Xena questioned and Sasha blinked, losing her concentration.
“Not for
a long time, Mom,” Sasha responded sadly.
Xena
frowned. “Gabrielle has the feeling
that we’d see him again.”
“We will,
but not for a long time,” Sasha answered.
The
warrior continued to frown.
“How are
Hercules, Iolaus and Ketli?” Sasha asked bringing the smile back to Xena’s
face.
“Doing
well, Ketli is grown and quite handsome.
They are all extremely proud to be uncles,” the warrior commented.
“You are
all thinking of staying in the North,” Freya joined the conversation and Xena
nodded.