Aria and Talia

Part 5

By Shadowdancer

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Part 5

 

The next morning, Gabrielle woke up to an empty bed, and looked around for Xena, she was no where in sight, so she got up, dressed, and went out into the brisk, very early morning just as the sun was coming up.  The air was just nippy enough to wake your skin and your lungs up when you inhaled. Gabrielle moved out of their Yert into the main walkway through the village that passed their Yert, and looked for the leather-clad warrior, rubbing her arms a bit.  A young Amazon girl not more than six or seven was hurrying towards her carrying a fair sized bucket in either hand looking very intent on her task, and as if she were in an immense hurry. "Um, excuse me; have you seen Xena any where?"  

 "No ma'am, I'm sorry, I've only just come from the communal hut. I'm sorry, but can I go? I have to get water for mother so she can start first meal before the Queen and the warriors wake up". "Yes of course, I'm sorry to hold you up, do you want help?" "No thank you ma'am, I can manage" the very polite, dark eyed, dark haired little girl hurried off  looking as if she had the weight of the world on her shoulders already. "Poor thing, so young and so many responsibilities already. It must be hard work being the cook's daughter. So many warriors to feed, always making sure there was food whenever it was needed, and that it pleased the Queen. That young one is growing up before she's had time to be a child".  

"Remind you of somebody?" a deep voice came from behind her, and Gabrielle spun to find the tall, leather clad warrior behind her.  "Xena, I was looking for you. Does who remind me of somebody? The cook's daughter you mean?" "Mmmhumm,  she kind of looks like I did when I was that age; she's a lot more serious than I was though,  she has a lot of the same chores that I did, but there's one difference, I didn't learn to fight like she can until I was much , much older. Her mother said she's only six seasons old, but she can fight as well as girls twice her age, and keep up with them in the trees, and on the ground as well. She's going to be a great warrior when she comes of age. She'll make her mother proud".   

"I feel sorry for her though Xena, she's so young, and yet she has so many responsibilities, she doesn't get to just play and be a child".  "Its part of being an Amazon Gabrielle, you of all people should know that".  "I know, but still, they learn to fight the minute they can hold a weapon. They learn hand-to-hand combat, they learn to fight with staffs, swords, chobos, or anything that can be used for a weapon. They learn to run and jump in the trees soundlessly, and to track their prey whether human or animal without a sound. The minute they're old enough to understand what death is, and what it means to kill; they learn where to strike their opponent to kill quickly, or to incapacitate them without killing them. They make them into warriors before they have time to be children. Sometimes I just don't know if it's the right way to raise children Xena".   

"It's the only way we know how to raise children. It's the way we were raised, it's the way our mothers, and our mother's mothers were raised all the way back to the days of Samsara when the very first Amazons learned to ride horses, and shunned men from their tribes, and began to call themselves Amazons. Good or bad Gabrielle, we don't know any other way to be, and don't want to".  "Aria, I didn't mean anything, it's just...." Aria held up a hand and offered an understanding smile. "It's alright, I understand. It's hard for an outsider to understand our ways sometimes. Xena, have you found anything out about who killed Talia?"   

Gabrielle was stunned, Aria had called her an "outsider", she wasn't an outsider, she was an Amazon herself, she was a Queen of her own tribe in fact. Nevertheless, she was right in a way. How could she truly call herself an Amazon when she didn't live like one? How could she presume to understand the Amazon ways when she didn't live as an Amazon?  

"Well, I had Lelanna sit where the one who has passed was sitting that day, and judging by the angle that the arrow hit the one who crossed over, I followed the path to a tree fairly close to the perimeter of the village far enough away not to be noticed unless you made a point to look right at the tree for some reason, and yet close enough to get a clear shot through the window with your target in plain sight. Anybody with very good aim, and accuracy and very confident in their abilities could have made that shot".  

 "I know the tree you're talking about, that tree is over fifty paces from the communal Yert, and the main walk through passes right by the path the arrow took. Not to mention, the direct path to that tree from the communal Yert is between three rows of yerts each behind the other with walking paths each. Anyone could have crossed into the path of the arrow at any time between the moments it left the archer's bow to the time it hit Talia".  

"So who ever it was who shot the one who waits to cross over is extremely good with a bow, extremely accurate, and knew roughly when that path to the Communal Yert would be relatively clear enough to make that shot without hitting anybody other than the one she intended to hit" Gabrielle said.  Xena agreed with her, "When I searched around the tree, I found two small foot prints, and I found this".  Xena showed them a sheathed dagger she'd been holding, and pulled it out of the sheath to display the jagged teeth of the blade.   

"Talia's knife! Her prize dagger!  I never even thought to look for it" "You had no reason to look for it.  Do you remember if she was carrying it with her that day? I remember she said she would show it to us later, but I don't remember seeing her with it when she entered the Communal Yert". "No, it was very very special to her. She only wore it on very special occasions like ceremonies, or when she would represent the tribe". Xena held it out, offering it to Aria who took it and unsheathed the blade partially to look at it.  

She stared at the blade, remembering Talia, a single tear sparkling in the light of the rising sunrise like a diamond as it fell from her blue eyes. The silent grief of their friend made Gabrielle swallow hard against her own tears, and Xena to look away briefly. She knew that if she ever lost Gabrielle, and was forced to be the one left behind, she would be heart broken, "heart broken" wasn't even sufficient to describe the pain she would be in. She knew how much pain Aria was in; if she loved Talia as much as Xena had loved Marcus, and as much as she loves Gabrielle, then Xena could imagine that Aria must be screaming in pain on the inside most of the time. A kind of pain that isn't far different than physical pain, and is sometimes the same.  

After a few minutes of awkward silence, Xena said softly as if afraid to disturb Aria's memories of her lost bond mate, "Whoever took that knife, and killed the one who waits to cross over, has been in your Yert before, and also knew where she kept it. Can you think of anybody who would have been in your Yert when she would have been putting her knife away? Was she secretive about where she kept it?"   

"No, not that I know of. I mean, she didn't make a general announcement about it, but she wasn't particular about who saw her put it away, or knew where she kept it. I knew where she kept it of course. I asked her when she first got it if she wanted me to leave, or turn away while she put it away somewhere because she valued it so much, and some people are apt to hide things of great value to them just as a precautionary measure, but she said no. She kept it in the ground in our Yert in its sheath, wrapped up in two layers of the softest doeskin. When it rained, she would always keep it with her just as a precaution; she didn't want it to get wet. It's not as if our Yerts are watertight. I mean they're as water tight as they possibly can be, but when it rains heavily the rain does get in sometimes".  

"And it wasn't raining that day, and there were no ceremonies, so she wouldn't have had it with her right?" Xena asked, "No, she would have had it in its place in our Yert". "But didn't she just come back from visiting another tribe? I'm just assuming it was another tribe she went to. If that's the case, she would have had it with her wouldn't she?".  "Yes, but she would have stopped at our Yert first, and dropped off the weapons she travels with as well as the knife unless she'd had a reason to come directly to find me immediately, which she didn't".  

"Her bodyguards would have been with her, were the same guards who stay with her in the village the same ones who go with her when she travels?" Xena asked. Aria nodded assent as she turned and started to head towards the communal Yert, her stomach was telling her it was time for breakfast. Xena and Gabrielle followed, continuing the discussion. "Yes, two others as well. She usually travels with four guards when she travels between tribes, or goes to the nearby village for supplies. If an enemy tribe is in the area, she'll travel with six guards sometimes if she leaves the village, but that's rare. She always said, "The more guards I have with me, the more attention it draws to me. The more attention I get, the bigger target it makes me". She was right of course".  

They walked into the Communal Yert to find the long serving table laden with venison, boar meat, wild pheasant, three rabbits, and a couple of small game birds, as well as potatoes, onions, carrots, and radishes. It was a  veritable feast fit for a king, or in this case, a Queen.  "Wow, it looks like hunting was very, very good. Do you eat like this every day?" Gabrielle asked.  "No, in the winter months our game isn't as bountiful as it is now, nor is it as well fed as it is in the summer months as you can imagine. The vegetables are scarce to non-existent as well. We survive primarily on what game there is to be had. If we're lucky, there is enough meat in the smoke house to carry us through for awhile during the winter and the hunters can find enough game to supplement what there is".  

Upon walking into the Yert, Aria in the lead in the center, Xena to the left and behind off of her left shoulder, and Gabrielle to her right off of her shoulder a bit, and Aria's guards behind them, the cook dropped to one knee as did her daughter, and saluted her. The guards stopped at the door, and posted themselves to either side, standing at attention.  As Aria continued on up to the table to make her selections, Xena stepped to her side of the door, and removed her sword and chakram as she had before, and laid them side by side on the floor in plain sight.  

Gabrielle stepped to her side of the door, and removed her sais, placing them on the floor where the guard who stood outside on the opposite side of the door could easily see them, and then stood erect slowly, careful not to move suddenly, as had Xena, and then went to join Xena and Aria.  Gabrielle and Xena knew that even though the guards had their backs to the door, they were fully alert, and well aware of their location in the Yert. As she had stood erect from placing her sword and chakram on the floor, Xena noticed that, two more guards took their place across from the door. They appeared to be archers, both holding their bows in their hands and standing at attention.  Aria was in their direct line of sight, and they stood there staring directly at her as if they had been instructed to do so.  

Gabrielle noticed the archer guards as well, and also noted that the archers wore only enough clothing to cover what needed to be covered modestly, and wore no feathers, or fringes, or anything that moved or could hinder their weapon use in anyway. As she sat down and tasted a bit of succulent boar's meat, Gabrielle noticed, as she had before, that the regular warriors dressed like any other Amazons she'd ever seen. 

 Masks, feathers, fringes, whatever they wished and their rank allowed, leggings, gauntlets, whatever they chose with in reason. The hunters dressed rather like the archers, but with a bit more clothing, they were covered more than the warriors so that they could blend in with their surroundings better to make them harder to see in the woods. They also had loops on their waistbands to carry knives, and such for hunting and skinning.  

The "Tree Runners" as they were called in this tribe, dressed like the archers, their clothing was as fit to their bodies as they could be without being uncomfortable, and they wore deerskin pants for the most part. Gabrielle guessed to protect their legs from being scratched as they moved about in the trees; and they wore longer boots, like Xena wore, with the knee guards as well, and long arm and shoulder guards. She noted they didn't ware deerskin shirts though, Gabrielle guessed because the shirts could be caught up in the branches too easily at times.  

Then there were the "Ground Runners" who dressed like the tree runners minus the leg and arm guards, and carried very few weapons. From what Gabrielle could see, they only carried knives at their waists, those she'd seen anyway. If they were leaving the village, they would carry a sword most time, or a staff, but they traveled light so that they could move quickly, and weapons only weighted them down and hindered them.   

"Gabrielle? Are you alright? Don't you like the food?  Aria was asking. "What? Oh, yes, of course, I do, it's really good. I'm sorry, I was just thinking about all the different kinds of warriors you have in your village. So many different types of warriors, with different specialties. Queen Danalia's tribe is just as diverse, but her tribe has more craftswomen than warriors. I mean, her warriors are highly skilled in all Amazons battle skills, but they are known for their crafts by most of the Amazon nation. Yours seems to concentrate on battle skills".  As she was talking to them, Gabrielle noticed that they were being watched by a single warrior who was standing in an out of the way place, alone, where she wouldn't be noticed easily, but where she could see directly into the Communal Yert. 

"What is it?" Xena asked, noticing Gabrielle's stare. The minute the Amazon realized that she'd been spotted, she took off at a run. Gabrielle stood up, said, "We were being watched" and ran to the door to pick up her Sais, and run out, Xena on her heels, stopping to retrieve her sword and chakram as well.  Gabrielle ran down the alley where she saw the Amazon go, Sais at the ready, Xena, sword in hand, and Aria and two guard's right behind her. Gabrielle stopped at a "crossroads" in the alleys behind the main row of Yerts  and looked for her quarry to no avail, she was gone. "Gabrielle, who was it? An Amazon or an outsider?".  "An Amazon, she was standing in the center of the alley back there, the same alley where the killer's arrow passed that hit the one who waits to cross over. When I looked at her she ran this way, but she's gone, just vanished into thin air. The woods are yards away yet, and she has to cross an open field to get to them if she came this way, we should still see her".  

"There's only one warrior who could run that fast, Moraga, she could run and duck into cover so fast she seemed to vanish into thin air. It didn't matter how close behind her you were, she could turn the corner, and be gone in the most impossible escape routes. Even Talia, as fast as she was with her long legs could never catch her, or track her" Aria supplied. Aria turned to the two guards behind her and ordered them to get a party together and look for Moraga. "Check the Forbidden Field as well. She may be there, she knows that none of us will go there and that would be the perfect place for her to hide if she wanted to stay close". Xena and Gabrielle exchanged glances, they knew what field Aria was talking about.  

"Yes my Queen, but it will be hard to find any warriors who will enter that field. Even our bravest warriors will not even go near it much less into it" " Yes, I know Lokara, tell Manara, Kareena, her sister Zora, and Selena that it is my wish that they do this. Tell them that they will not be thought cowards if they do not do this, but that I wish it. The safety of the village depends on it".  "Yes my Queen, as you command" Lokara saluted Aria, turned, and left with the Amazon who had come with her.  Gabrielle was surprised. "They both left? I thought you always had guards with you?". I do, but your reputation as warriors has preceded you all over Greece. They trust you with my life, and rightly so". 

As Aria and Gabrielle were talking, Xena sensed movement behind her, and spun just in time to see a shadow vanish behind a Yert. Without a word to Aria and Gabrielle, she spun and dashed after the shadow, but it was too late, it was gone completely. "Xena, was it...." Gabrielle started, but Xena held up a silencing hand, and made a "stay here" motion; Gabrielle stopped, and she and Aria watched as Xena moved down the alley after the shadow. Xena moved silently down the row of Yerts, not seeing how anyone could hide in so much light; there wasn't much shadow for her quarry to hide in, but she was doing just that and quite well at that.  She'd made her way down a good deal of the row of empty Yerts, when she heard the sound of the ground shifting under a foot; she was shoved into, and felt a sharp pain in her right side. As she fell to the ground, the shadow dashed into the light long enough for Xena to see a very short, Amazon with short, black hair running away towards the open field, a bloody knife in her left hand.  

"Xena!" came Gabrielle's voice as she and Aria came running up to her, "Xena! What happened? You're hurt, oh gods".  "She got away, she headed for the field. I'm alright, it isn't deep, Aria, send your guards into the field, that's where she went".  "Despite her words, Xena was loosing color, and blood fast.  Gabrielle got under Xena's right arm and Aria under her left, and they helped her to her feet and between the nearest Yerts to the Healer's Yert. Despite the fact that she was getting very light headed very fast, Xena fought to hold onto consciousness, and to walk as much under her own power as she could. "Aria, the warriors, send them after her, have to catch her" Xena was starting to loose her hold on the world that was getting fuzzier every second, and felt new hands take her from Aria and Gabrielle just as the world vanished into darkness.