Aria and Talia

Part 3

By Shadowdancer

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Feedback: Shadowdancer

 

Part 3

 

Talia was carried to the Shamanesse’s Yert very carefully, and as gently as possible by six strong Amazons. She was carried though a village of very worried Warriors as they were either going out into the woods to search for the attacker of the First Warrior, or were either going to or coming from their Yerts after or about to gather their weapons and their masks to go out on the search. As she followed the warriors carrying Talia, Aria commanded in a loud voice filled with anger, and grief, ”Find Talia’s attacker, and bring him or her back alive, I want to see the face of the one who would do this before I kill her with my own hands and watch her die! The Warrior, or Warriors to bring the person back will have the honor of destroying not only the attacker’s body, but his or her soul anyway they please in honor and vengeance of Talia!”. Wild cheers went up through the village, and Xena and Gabrielle looked at all the Amazons, hungry for revenge, and blood.  

“ Their wild with revenge; I have no doubt they’ll find whoever did this Xena” Gabrielle commented, Xena nodded, “I feel sorry for whoever it is that was stupid enough to try to kill Talia. They just signed their own death warrant”. They watched for a few more minutes and then followed the others into the Shamanesse’s Yert; That is, they were about to, but they were stopped by the guards at the door who barred their way. “It’s because we’re armed and Talia and Aria are inside” Xena explained. She slowly withdrew her sword, and laid it on the ground, then removed her Chakram, and laid it beside the sword, Gabrielle did the same with her sais, moving as slowly and deliberately as Xena had, the guards moved their weapons aside and allowed them to pass.  

Xena and Gabrielle stepped cautiously between the guards moving very slowly, careful not to make any sudden movements,  and preceded up the few steps to the Yert. “We’re going to have to move nice, and slow, and easy in their Gabrielle, everybody’s keyed up right now because Talia’s hurt, and they’re apt to kill first, and think later”. “I don’t blame them” Gabrielle responded quietly to Xena, “The Amazon Spirit is very strong here, I can feel it in the air” again, Xena nodded as they stepped into the Yert cautiously. Melana was working over Talia as quickly as she could, trying to stop the bleeding, apparently with little success, she was shaking her head. “I thought their might be a chance, but it’s hit a main artery, if I can’t get this bleeding stopped we’ll loose her” Melana said. Melana looked up and saw Xena “Xena, can you see if you can do anything? You have more skill than I do”, Xena doubted that, but she stepped up to see what she could do, Aria stepping out of the way quickly.  It didn’t look good, Xena knew that the second she saw the all the blood just pumping out, not to mention the blood coming from Talia’s mouth.  

“I’m afraid there’s not a lot I can do. There’s just too much blood loss and damage”. In a voice that was tight with barely controlled anger, Aria begged Xena with forced politeness that at any other time would have been natural, “Please Xena, please try. If you can’t save her, I won’t hold it against you, nor will any of my warriors, this isn’t your fault, but please, you have to at least try”.  Xena could see that Aria was so angry that someone had tried to kill Talia, and so worried that she would die, that she was literally shaking with the barely contained emotion that threatened to explode out of her like lava from a volcano.  “Why don’t you go outside with Gabrielle and try to calm down? I know it’s impossible, but Talia can sense you’re anger, and fear, and she needs to concentrate on surviving this right now. Gabrielle will stay with you, won’t you Gabrielle?” Xena said in her softest voice.  

“Yes, of course, come on Aria, Xena will save her if she can, she’s the best there is. Talia knows you’re nearby, don’t worry. If anything happens, Xena will send for you. Come on”. Gabrielle coaxed, wrapping her arms around Aria and walking her out. The minute they were gone, Xena told Melana, “We’re going to have to push the arrow through, when we do, she’s really going to start loosing blood fast. Judging by where it went in, and from the sound of her breathing, it hit her right lung but missed her heart or she would have died instantly, and their’s blood coming from her nose, as well as her mouth. That means that she’s bleeding into her lungs” Xena said as she carefully rolled the big boned, tall Amazon over away from herself onto her opposite arm, hurried around the table still holding onto her with Melana’s help, and then pulled her up into a sitting position with difficulty.  

Talia had gone so pale that her color had even sent a tremor through Xena’s heart, and there was very little that Xena hadn’t seen. “Okay, I’ll hold her, you push it through” she saw Melana cringe a bit, “Don’t worry, she can’t feel it at this point” Xena said soothingly. She felt Talia’s wrist, the pulse was barely there, and fading fast, when they pulled the arrow out, it wouldn’t be long before it was gone. Xena sat on the table, and let Talia lie against her, her own body just barely clear of the part of the arrow sticking out of Talia. “Okay, go ahead” she told Melana, hooking her arms up under Talia’s and holding onto her shoulders from behind to brace her. Melana shoved the arrow through with great effort, having to use all her strength and her body weight.  

“Okay, now we have to pull it out” she told Melana, and they switched places, Xena laid Talia down on her back, and told the panting Amazon, “You hold her down and I’ll pull it out”. Melana was crying, Xena could tell that she and Talia had been friends, and that this was killing Melana, but the Shamanesse was doing her duty despite her own pain, a true warrior. Melana nodded silently, trying to keep her face from Xena’s gaze as much as possible, and  put a hand on either shoulder, and leaned her weight against Talia, to hold her down. Xena took a firm hold of the arrow with both hands, braced herself, and pulled with all her strength. Very slowly the arrow came with a sickening wet, sucking sound, the shaft wiped clean of blood as it exited the body, and Xena’s body jerking in reaction to the arrow suddenly coming free.  

“It’s out, you can let go now” she told her, and Melana released her friend, still keeping her back to Xena, and her face away.