Part 6

Xena awoke to find herself in the Healer's Yert laying on a cot in her shift under a blanket. The first thing that got her attention was the pain in her side, and that triggered the memory of what caused it and how she got where she was. She attempted to sit up suddenly, and found out the hard way that that was a very bad idea, and laid back down again, gritting her teeth. After the punishment for having attempted to sit up subsided and the pain returned to it's painful but tolerable sensation, Xena looked out of the window and saw the dawning light.

She tried to call out for Gabrielle, but her throat was dry, and nothing came out, so she swallowed a few times, and tried again, raising her voice as much as she could. "Gabrielle? Melana?" *Still not loud enough* Xena thought to herself, and tried again, "GABRIELLE? MELANA?" She waited no more than a beat or two, and the Shamanesse came in carrying something. "Xena, you're awake, you had us worried, you've been asleep for four days now. Here, drink this, it's broth with some herbs in it, it'll dull the pain". "Four days? I've been asleep for four days? Where's Gabrielle? Did they catch her? Did they catch Moraga? The last thing I remember is following the shadow and then a sharp pain, and seeing the Amazon running away, and then being brought between the Yerts by Queen Aria and Gabrielle".

Xena took a sip of the warm, tasteless broth, and laid back down. "No, not yet, but Gabrielle said that the other night, she heard footsteps outside and when she looked, the person was just disappearing around the corner of the second row in front here. She thinks it might be Moraga checking to see if you're alive or not". Xena was silent as she thought this over so the Shamanesse continued. "It was just coming dawn's first light, and since Gabrielle was here with you, the night guards had gone to their Yerts early rather than wait for the day shift guards. Moraga must be desperate to know whether she killed you or not to risk coming into the village so close to daylight like that. I'll send one of the girls to get some food for you".

Melana left Xena alone with her thoughts. Xena smiled to herself; If Moraga wanted to know if she were alive or not, then they would let her find out. Let her come into the village, and right into the Yert if she dared, and when she did, they had her. When Melana returned a few minutes later, Xena asked her to ask Aria and Gabrielle to come, she needed to talk them, she had a plan.


That night in the Healer's Yert right about the time when Moraga has shone up on more than one occasion to check up on Xena's condition. Gabrielle appears to be alone with Xena in the room and both appear to be unguarded and unarmed. It is nearly sundown and fairly dark outside, enough for Moraga to move around in the village without being seen, and enough light inside the Yert for her to see what's going on with a reasonable amount of clarity.

Gabrielle is sitting on the side of the cot that Xena lies on with her back to the window. Gabrielle has one of her sais on the cot between herself and Xena just incase Moraga actually dared to come into the Yert and actually got that far. It was unlikely that she would, but just incase. "Xena, are you sure this is going to work?" Gabrielle whispered.

"Yes, it already is, I just saw movement. Be ready." At her warning, Gabrielle's muscles tensed, and her senses tuned for the slightest sound. She held still, head down as if focused on Xena and unaware of any movement outside the Yert. Xena lay still on the cot, eyes closed as if still unconscious. The form they knew to be outside the window showed it's self, and seeing it there with barely opened eyes, Xena touched Gabrielle's arm ever so slightly to signal her. Gabrielle tenderly brushed the hair from Xena's eyes, and said just loudly enough to be heard by their "friend", "I'll go and bring you some of that broth that Melana left to bring your fever down. You're still a bit feverish, don't go anywhere".

As she was talking, Gabrielle secretively put her sais in Xena's hand, where Xena held it in such a way that it couldn't easily be seen unless one made a point to look for it, especially in such dim light. She got up and went off into another part of the Yert, leaving Xena alone supposedly. The form stealthily entered the room via the window in a crouched position; Xena held very still as if asleep or unconscious. She didn't want to give herself away until the very last minute.

The shadow crept closer, Xena watched with barely opened eyes as her possible assailant approached. Whoever this person was kept glancing back at the door to the other room, afraid of being caught naturally. As Xena watched, she heard the sound of a blade being drawn from it's sheath and prepared herself for the attack. When her attacker was beside the bed in position to strike, she suddenly found a sais in her gut, her attacker froze in place. "Gabrielle!" Xena called, and Gabrielle came running in, her remaining sais in her hand, Melana, Aria, and two guards right behind her. Two guards moved up to the attacker, disarmed and restrained her, Aria, candle in hand, right behind them.

"Moraga, I knew it had to be you. But why go after Xena? Talia I can understand, you two always hated each other, but why Xena?". The small Amazon, about Aria's height and build but not as buxom as Aria, continued to make futile attempts to free her arms from the much taller Amazons more for show than anything else. "She was never a target, if she hadn't come after me, she wouldn't have been hurt". Moraga stopped fighting the guards and surrendered to her fate; it was useless to fight now anyway, the entire village was awake now, faces looking in through the window were illuminated by several torches.


Despite the intense pain in her side that took her breath away, Xena forced herself to sit up and confronted Moraga. The only reason I was after you is because you killed my friend, and you still haven't explained why you killed Talia". Xena forced herself to her feet with a grimace, and Gabrielle, who'd come in with the Shamanesse/Healer and the guards, hurried over to her and got under her arm to support her as she stood. "Xena you shouldn't be up". "I'm alright" Xena said, and returned her attention to Moraga, "What about it Moraga? Why did you kill Talia? Did you really hate her that much? And if that's the reason, then why wait until now? Aria told us about the things you did to her when you were growing up together in the tribe, but why wait until now to kill her?".

"Why kill her at all? Why not just leave the tribe? By killing her all you did was bring grief to the entire tribe, and pain to your Queen, and get yourself banished. What good did it do you? Did it satisfy you to kill her? Do you feel better now that she's gone?" Gabrielle asked, cutting to the heart of the matter in her interrogation.

Moraga paused for a long moment, staring into Gabrielle's eyes, though she was really looking inwards. "All these years I fantasized about the ways I could kill her. How I would do it, when I would do it, where I would do it, but when I had finally done it, I waited for the feeling of euphoria that I expected to feel, as I stood there and watched her slump over, and then watched her being carried away to Melana's yurt, but I felt, nothing. I felt, empty inside". Moraga's gaze dropped blankly to the floor, and all the fight was gone from her.


"You discovered that you'd been so filled with hatred for her for so long, that not only was that all you knew any more, but that once that hatred was gone, there was nothingelse to replace it" Xena replied. "Just like Callisto felt when I confessed what my army did to Cirra when she was a child. She'd hated me for so many years for what me and my army did to Cirra that when that anger and hatred was gone, there was nothing left but emptiness. That hatred is what kept her going all her life, what had driven her, given her purpose, and when that was gone, her drive was gone, her sole reason for living was gone". "That's why she wanted you to kill her, why she kept trying to make you kill her" Gabrielle said, Xena nodded, "She lost her will to live, she had nothing, and no one to live for any more".


A defeated Moraga stood before them, head down, the life had gone out of her, she wasn't just beaten physically, her spirit had been beaten. Suddenly a new voice was heard in the room, a familiar voice. "Well, then I guess it's a good thing I'm not dead then isn't it?". A gasp went up from outside, and inside as well as all heads turned to her, Talia stood in the door looking pretty good for a dead woman. The only ones not surprised to see her were Aria, Melana, and Xena, "Talia but I thought she was dead? I saw her body on the funeral pyre" Gabrielle said, speaking for the crowd in general. "You saw a body on the funeral pyre" Aria said with a grin, pleased that their ruse had paid off.


"So this was all an elaborate ruse to capture Moraga?" Gabrielle asked, "Yes, what we didn't plan on was Xena getting hurt" Aria said. "But I was right there, I saw the arrow hit you Talia, I saw you slump over". "Oh it did hit me, but it went through my shoulder, well, just below and to the left a bit. It tore some muscles, this arm is going to be useless for a long while" she said, showing her arm in a sling. "You see, when I was here with Melana, as we were working on Talia, I caught a movement outside the window there, and I knew that it had to be the would be assassin making sure that she'd killed her. A few minutes after we'd laid her down on the table, Talia had come to, but I motioned her to remain still, and quiet, and she did. I warned Melana that we had an audience, and she played along with me".

"When Xena told me that Talia had died, I didn't know then that it was a ruse, so my reaction was genuine. I didn’t know the truth until Xena met with me later and explained it to me. “Now I get it, that’s why you looked so different the next morning. I couldn’t put my finger on it but your manner had changed” Gabrielle said, it was all coming together now. Aria nodded, "Xena told me what she and Melana had planned. So when I met with the warriors who were to prepare her “body” for burial, I instructed my most trusted warriors to do it, letting them in on the plan, and swearing them to absolute secrecy. In order for the plan to work the rest of the tribe had to believe that she was truly dead so their grief had to be genuine. Because she's my bond mate as well as First Warrior, I had to be the most convincing, but because I'm Queen, I had to be in on the plan incase something went wrong. The rest you know".


"But who's body did we burn?" Gabrielle asked, "No one's it was nothing but a bundle of animal skins wrapped for burial as a body would be". "Where was Talia all this time? I would think it would be hard for her to hide" Gabrielle asked, "No better place to hide than in plain sight" Talia said. "I take it you never noticed a tree runner who happened to be nearby whenever you or Xena were going from one yurt to another?" Talia asked, Gabrielle shook her head. "Or notice that I was going out "for a walk around the village" nearly every night?" Xena asked. "No, I just thought you were looking for clues, or securing the camp. It never occurred to me that Talia was still alive".

"You don't know me well enough, but if you did, you would have known that I never wear my hair loose" Talia said, turning her back to them briefly to show them that her long, raven hair, much like Xena's only much longer, cascaded down her back like a waterfall. "It gets in the way, so I always keep it tied back or braided. The only time it's ever loose like this is when Aria combs it out for me, or helps me to wash it. It's too long to wash without help" she gave Aria a wink that was received with a smile. She wasn't lying in that, her hair nearly touched the floor, and Talia wasn't exactly short; she wasn't the tallest in the tribe, but she wasn't short either.

"I do remember seeing an Amazon with really long hair one day, and I even told Xena about it. I even told her how much she looked like you. Now I know why" Gabrielle confessed with an embarrassed grin. "It was all I could do to keep from telling you then that it was Talia, but I couldn't take that chance. It's not that I didn't trust you, but I didn't know if Moraga would be listening or not. I couldn't take the chance". "It's alright Xena, I understand. The fewer people who knew the truth the safer she was, and the easier it would be to catch Moraga, which we did".

"It puzzled me why you didn't realize it was me though, you looked me right in the eyes. I was waiting for you to realize it was me, but you just smiled and went on your way" Talia said. "I assumed it was because you didn't know me well enough yet, and hadn't seen me often enough before Moraga shot me to put two and two together. The rest of the tribe did know me well enough, and know my habits, and mannerisms well enough to have known it was me had they gotten a good enough look at me even if they hadn't seen me with my hair down. That's why I tried to be as scarce as possible, and never made eye contact with anyone other than Kalana, the cook's daughter that day you stopped her when she was getting water. That's why she wouldn't let you help her, she wasn't just getting water for her mother, she was bringing me food. It was in one of the pails she was carrying. If you'd helped her, you would have seen it".

"And would have asked where she was taking it" "Our young are taught never to lie and she would have had to tell you the truth, and that would possibly have endangered the entire plan if Moraga had been watching" Talia said with a nod. "Clever" Xena said, "But why couldn't you hunt?" Xena asked, "Because in our tribe a warrior is sent to the Amazon Lands with her weapons, so when my "body" was cremated, my weapons were burned with my body. I had nothing to hunt with. Speaking of which Xena, you owe me a bow and arrows, and a good blade as well" Talia said with a smile to show she wasn't serious. "It was your plan after all".

Xena returned the smile, they had become fast friends over the last few days, "A debt I will gladly repay". Xena had found that she and Talia had a lot in common, similar in so many ways they seemed separated at birth. "Now, as for you Moraga, take her to confinement under double guard until her trial. For your offense this time Moraga, what we do to you will be mild compared to what our sisters in the Amazon Land of The Dead will do to you for trying to kill my First Warrior and Bondmate" Aria said seriously with a face that was so cold it made Gabrielle literally shiver. She was taken away roughly the others in the yurt following except for Talia, Aria and Xena and Gabrielle of course.

Angry cries of "Traitor!" "Murderer" "Assassin" were heard as the crowd parted and then followed as Moraga was taken away. "Xena, thank you for all your help, thank you both. We owe a debt". "And I owe you my life. I certainly would have died from wound if it weren't for your skill as a Healer. No insult meant to Melana of course". "Melana did most of the work, I just helped really" Xena said modestly; Melana herself had praised Xena's skill. "You don't owe us anything" Gabrielle said, with a nod from Xena in agreement. "We were happy to help. Besides, we made a whole tribe of new friends and Amazon sisters".

Talia stepped up and offered her arm in the warrior's greeting first to Xena and then Gabrielle, "That you have. As Aria said, we are forever in your debt, and a life debt is taken very seriously in this tribe. We will honor it all our lives as will our daughters and our daughter's daughters and all the warriors in the tribe. The life debt of the Queen and or her First Warrior is honored by the entire tribe, and will be honored whenever the one to whom the debt is owed wishes it. Your children may also call on this debt whenever they wish, and it will be honored without hesitation. It will be made known to the entire tribe before you leave the village in your presence so that none in the tribe may deny it. Not that any would, but it is law that it be done this way".

"Wow" Gabrielle said half under her breath; they were as formal as Danalia's tribe. Well, nearly so, they were as strict as Danalia's tribe. Understanding the formality, and gravity of what they were just pledged, Xena offered a salute of respect as equal to equal as they did in Danalia's tribe and gave a solemn, "Thank you First Warrior. It is taken with the same honor and respect that it is given". The salute was returned by both Aria and Talia who gave a slight bow as well to honor Xena and Gabrielle even more. "I ask that you bring your children here to the tribe so that we may all see them so that no one else can claim the Life Debt but you and yours. When you next come this way of course, there is no need to make a special trip" Aria said.

"Of course" Xena said, "But I have a son as well as a daughter. I know it is forbidden for males to be allowed inside of an Amazon village. Will this be a problem?". "No, he is of your blood, therefore the Life Debt is extended to him as well. He will be treated with the same respect and honor of a female warrior. I will have a medallion fashioned for him so that he may be identified as your son so that should he come here without you or Gabrielle, he will be allowed inside the village even if Talia or I aren't here". "Thank you Queen Aria" Xena said, using Aria's title in a formal manner, Aria nodded.

"Well, now, I think we should let you rest Xena, you need time to heal. When you are stronger, we will make the announcement to the tribe, and hold your ceremony". "Our ceremony?" Gabrielle asked, "Yes, you and Xena are to be made members of this tribe. You are to be my Regents, both of you" Aria said. Xena and Gabrielle exchanged surprised looks, they were just being heaped with honors for something they didn't think was such a big deal. "Aria and I agreed to it a few days ago. And as I have no heir, I would take you, Gabrielle, as my heir if you would accept it" Talia asked. Gabrielle's jaw hit the floor, "I'm honored Talia, but why me? Why not Xena? She's the obvious choice".

"Her skills are unparalleled, and undisputed, but you are already an Amazon Queen of your own tribe, you understand the intricacies of Amazon ways, and laws in ways that Xena may, or may not. Besides, Aria had a mind to take Xena as her heir should she die before our daughters are old enough to rule the tribe in her stead". This time Xena's jaw nearly hit the ground. "I don't know what to say. I'm honored Aria, I'll try my best to learn the tribal laws and the ways of the tribe before we leave". Xena couldn't believe it, she was to be made an Amazon, and the Queen's heir on top of that, it was all too much too fast.

"Then you accept as well Gabrielle?" Talia asked, "Yes, of course, I accept". "Good, then at the ceremony, we will become sisters before the tribe, and you will become our heirs. The tribe will obey you as they do us and will honor you as our sisters. Until then, rest and heal Xena heir to Aria, Queen of the Amazons, and Gabrielle, heir to Talia, First Warrior". Talia saluted in the manner of her tribe, and walked out, followed by Aria who saluted as well and followed her out.

Xena and Gabrielle sat on Xena's bed trying to absorb all of the events of the past candle mark and the honors just given to them by two women who just a few days ago had been total strangers. After only little more than a week, they found that Aria and Talia had become good friends; well, Aria anyway, they hadn't really gotten to know Talia before things had happened, but now that would change. Xena had to heal from her wound, and that would take awhile, they would have plenty of time to get to know Talia in that time.


The two sat there for a long while contemplating their new roles and positions in the tribe. "Gabrielle, I don't know if I can do this. I'm not an Amazon, I don't know how to be an Amazon. I don't want to offend Aria and Talia by turning down their decision to make me heir to Aria's title of Queen of the tribe, but I don't know the first thing about being the queen of an Amazon tribe. That's your thing. Give me a sword and throw me into battle, that I can do, no problem, but rule an Amazon tribe? That is a problem".

"But you ruled Sirasi's tribe as queen for a short time, remember? The only difference is that the Queen is still alive. Besides, the chance that you'll ever be forced to rule before their daughters come of age is slim to nil. Besides, by Amazon law, if Aria dies before her eldest daughter is old enough to rule, then her First Warrior becomes Queen. In which case, since Talia has no heir, I would become her First Warrior, so you really have nothing to worry about". Xena looked relieved, she hadn't thought about the "Rite of ascension", then a morbid thought sobered her again. "That also means that the only way I could become queen of this tribe is if both you and Talia were to die, and neither of their daughters was old enough to rule. The only way I would become queen is to loose you".

"That won't happen Xena" Gabrielle assured her, putting a hand on Xena's shoulder, "We could have lost Talia, and might have lost Aria as well if Moraga had chosen to kill her as well. If that were to happen again…" "Xena it won't, it won't happen again. Moraga has been captured and taken care of and the village is secure again. Now, stop worrying about it, the ceremony won't be held until you and Talia are healed, and that won't be for awhile yet" Gabrielle said, rising. "Now, lie down and get some sleep, and I'll see you in the morning". She helped Xena lie down, Xena grimacing in pain as she did so, and covered her with a blanket.

As Gabrielle turned away to leave, Xena called back, "Gabrielle, do you think I would make a good Queen?". "I know you would, Queen Xena" Gabrielle said, with a small smile, and then turned and left. Xena said the title over and over in her head, it sounded odd, but it didn't really sound all that bad she decided. She would do her best, try her hardest to do whatever was required of her to learn to be a good queen. To lead the tribe as well as Aria does, and to bring honor to the tribe and to Aria and Talia.