Conclusion

"I think Argos is as reluctant to leave as we are Xena, she got used to staying in one place and grazing with other horses, and being groomed and fed by the young girls of the tribe. Little Menara really fell in love with Argos". "I know, she even offered to trade me her pony for Argos. She was so upset that I wouldn't trade her horses, and that we were leaving her mother said she was crying for three candle marks straight; it broke my heart just to tell her that she couldn't have Argos. I'm half tempted to stay here, maybe even settle down, for awhile anyway".

When she heard that, Gabrielle was so stunned she dropped onto the bed, and just stared at Xena. Xena caught the stare, "What?" "You want to settle down? YOU? Xena of Amphipolis? The great Warrior Princess? You want to settle down? Xena, you can't stand being in one place more than a few days, and we've been here for a full moon at least. Normally you would be climbing the walls by now itching to get back on the road".

"I know, but for the first time in my life, I feel perfectly content to stay here. For some reason, I don't feel the need to move on. It's the first time since I was a kid that I've felt at home anywhere, safe, and accepted. The first time I've felt like I didn't have to keep my guard up constantly. It's an Amazon village, and yet I feel like one of them, I am one of them. They accept me as an Amazon even though I wasn't born and raised one. They teach me their ways everyday, helping me get better, stronger, faster, even the children accept me. I can't tell you how good that feels Gabrielle, to be fully accepted and loved by people who used to be strangers".

Gabrielle smiled at Xena's words, she was happy for Xena, happy that she had finally found somewhere that she felt she belonged, somewhere she felt accepted and loved. For the woman who had spent so many years fighting everyone and everything, trusting very few if anyone, to finally find a home was wonderful; and the fact that the woman was Xena was all the better. "Xena, I'm happy for you" Gabrielle said. Maybe after we've helped Rowen in Troezen we can come back here, maybe for good. We could still help people when they needed us, but this could be our permanent home. Then Eve could find us easily, and come and visit whenever she wanted to, whenever she's in the area, and Arex could have a place to grow up, a normal home, rather than constantly traveling the roads with us. We would have to move outside of the village boundaries, but at least it would be a good home for him, and he would be safe here".

"I don't know Gabrielle, I mean, I know they wouldn't mistreat him, but if they accept one male into the tribe so to speak, even if he doesn't live within the village boundaries, then wouldn't they have to make an allowance for other male children? I mean, if say Aria or Talia had a son, if they allow me to live here with Arex, then Aria or Talia should be allowed to live here with their sons. If they're allowed to have their sons in the village, then it wouldn't be fair to stop the other warriors from keeping their sons. Do you see what I'm saying Gabrielle? It's a ripple affect, one thing causes another. I can't live here with Arex, it would change the entire Amazon way of life, at least for this tribe. Not only that, if this tribe were to allow male children to live in their tribe, they might be shunned by either the other Amazon tribes, or other tribes might begin to allow male children into their villages. No, I can't do that to the Amazon Nation Gabrielle, even if it means I can never live here again".

The words broke Xena's heart as she said them; she never thought she could want to stay in one place and settle down again. She never thought that the idea of leaving a place where she'd stayed for such a long time, which in itself was unusual, would make her heart ache so. The idea of leaving their friends, friends who had come to consider them family, sisters, and even heirs to the leaders of the tribe, grieved Xena in the same way as when she had to leave Arex behind because an adventure was too dangerous to take him with them. Only this grief was different, there was a chance that they could never come back here to live again. They could come back for a visit, and even bring Arex, but they couldn't live here as they did now. She'd come to learn to love the life of an Amazon, the entire tribe of women living, working, playing, and loving together as one whole entity, not separate parts of an entity.

They worked together to make one another, and the entire tribe as a whole, stronger, and to keep it safe. They protected one another without hesitation; even if one warrior were angry with another, and they were in a battle, and the one she was angry at were in danger, she would still run to her sister's aid, and protect her from harm and even death if she had to without hesitation. The anger was put aside, saving her sister's life was more important than anythingelse. If a sister needed something that only another could provide she would surrender it, even if she had to go without herself, that, was the sisterhood. To loose even one warrior weakened the tribe regardless of how many there were in it because every warrior was loved, and respected by all. Even with the children; Xena observed, were taken care of by the older warriors who couldn't fight so well any more, and still, the other warriors would take the time to take care of a child if she needed to be tended to whether she was her daughter or not.

Xena watched one day as a tall, heavily muscled warrior entered the village carrying deer meat on her shoulder, and a toddler, no older than two winters, toddled up to her and asked her something. The heavily laden warrior stopped, and talked to the toddler for a few minutes, smiling at her, evidently found out what she wanted, and after shifting her burden on her shoulder, took her little hand, and they walked off in the opposite direction that she'd intended to go. Xena loved that the most about this life, the way they all loved one another without reservation.

"Xena? Xena? Where are you? Come back" Gabrielle was calling her, waving a hand in front of her face; "Huh? Sorry, what were you saying?"."I've never seen you like this; you really do love it here don't you? I never thought I'd see the day when you would want to stay put in one place and settle down, let alone adapt to this life style. You've always preferred to be alone, away from other people. You've changed Xena, you've gone from a lone warrior traveling the roads of Greece with her companion, to being one warrior among many who love her and accept her as a sister".

"I've haven't felt this kind of love and acceptance since I was a child Gabrielle. When I was learning to hunt the way they do, and to run in the trees, and on the ground for miles without getting out of breath, to track someone when it seems impossible, and how to disappear in the open, they all encouraged me, and praised me constantly. Even when I'd screw up, or wasn't getting something, and they had to tell me repeatedly until I got it right, they never gave up on me. More importantly, they never let me give up on myself, never let me get discouraged. "It's alright sister, you'll get it, take your time, we all had to learn just as you are. Soon you'll be better than any of us, you'll see". I want Arex to grow up around that kind of love and encouragement and acceptance Gabrielle. I want him to have a home, one he can come back to where he'll be loved, and protected".

Gabrielle sat on the bed beside Xena and listened silently to her. "I want to bring him back here to live with us, even if it's only for a short time. But I don't want to change the Amazon's way of life, I won't change it. Besides, I don't think Ares would take kindly to his son being raised in an Amazon village". "Oh, I don't know Xena, he did say once that he respected the Amazons, the way they live, their skills. I don't think he would mind". "No Gabrielle, maybe there's another way to have both worlds without changing the Amazon's way of life. But for now, we have to move on. It won't be so long; we'll go help Rowen, pick up Arex in Potediea, find Eve, and come back here. We're supposed to introduce them to the tribe anyway, so it's the perfect excuse to come back".

"Will Eve have problems with this tribe Xena? I mean, taking into account her previous experience with Varia's tribe?" "I don't think so Gabrielle, I don't think she ever came this far south before. Besides, this tribe is in a very sparsely populated area, it's not likely she would have bothered to come here. Anyway, they won't hurt her, I'm Aria's heir, and they're sworn to protect my children. This is one place where who she is will protect her from harm rather than cause her harm. Come on, let's go, Aria and the others are waiting for us". Xena gave herself the "once over", smoothing her leathers, making minute adjustments to her grieves, and arm guards, checking the placement of her chakram, and then slung her saddlebag over her right shoulder. "Ready? She asked Gabrielle.

While Xena had been doing her self inspection, Gabrielle had done likewise, and then took up her scroll bag, her satchel, and their food stuffs bag. During their time in the village, she'd taken to writing again, chronicling their time in the village; she then found herself writing about Arex's birth and how their lives had changed since. She'd soon found out just how much she'd been writing when she'd begun packing to leave. "Wow, I didn't realize I'd written this much. Maybe I should leave these here with Sarlana until we come back, it's an awful lot to carry, plus we'll have Arex's things to carry as well".

"It's up to you Gabrielle, they're your scrolls. They'll be perfectly safe here I'm sure. I'd suggest you leave them with Talia though, more as a show of trust and respect. She's the First Warrior, and she made you her heir, if you leave your scrolls with her it will show the tribe how much you trust, and honor her by leaving such precious possessions in her keeping". "You're right Xena, but they're just scrolls" "To you they're "just scrolls" to them they're very important because they were written by the heir to the First Warrior. If you leave them with Talia, it will show that you fully accept her as your sister, and that you're keeping them in "the family". She'll value them as much as she does her own weapons, and protect them just as well". "Alright, I'll give them to Talia then. Come on, let's go, they've been waiting a long time for us already".

With a slight nod, Xena turned and walked out of their yurt, followed by Gabrielle, struggling a bit with the heavy scroll bag, her satchel, and the food stuffs bag. Seeing Gabrielle over burdened as they stepped outside and she looked back to check that she was following, Xena said, "Let me take something", and she took the heavy scroll bag and slung it across her body, making it look feather light. "Show off" Gabrielle commented as she moved in front of Xena and headed to the entrance of the village where the others were waiting. "What?" Xena said innocently, though she knew what Gabrielle meant.

Several minutes later, Talia had taken the scroll bag with great solemnity, honored to be entrusted with such valuable items just as Xena had said, and swore to protect them and take great care of them until they returned. In exchange, she gave Gabrielle her prized dagger, the one with the very special jagged toothed blade telling her that if anything happened to her scrolls, then the dagger was her's to keep in payment for the loss, as well as Talia's best horse, and ten of her special hunting arrows that are highly prized in the tribe that only she makes. Gabrielle had been shocked, and protested, trying to refuse the dagger, and return it, but Talia refused, saying that a sister was of more value than any dagger she could ever own.

As she and Xena rode out of the village on Argos, Gabrielle looked at the blade, marveling at the craftsmanship. She was afraid to put it in her satchel with her other things incase something happened and she lost the satchel, so she clipped it to her waistband where she couldn't help but see it, and where she could feel it against her stomach. "Xena, those scrolls aren't worth nearly as much as this dagger, did you see this thing? I shudder to think how much it cost Talia. What if I loose it? How will I ever repay her for such a valuable blade as this?". "Talia knew there was a chance that might happen when she gave it to you Gabrielle, but she prizes your friendship, more, and thinks of you as her blood sister now. To her that's worth much more than that blade". "But Xena, what if I loose it?" Gabrielle fretted, seriously worried. "If you loose it, then we'll try and find one just like it, and explain to her what happened and give her the replacement. If we can't find another like it, well, we'll worry about that if it happens. Don't worry about it Gabrielle, like I said, to Talia, your friendship is worth more than that blade. She can replace the dagger, but she can't replace you".

*And neither can I* Xena thought, as they got back on the road heading off to their next adventure.

The End
(Phew!)