As much as Xena wanted to climb into a hot bath and sit down to a good meal, she didn’t dare take a chance on bringing Gabrielle into a strange town. That was on top of her concern over their funds. Their foodstuffs were dwindling, despite her increased effort to use food found around the campsite. She could usually catch enough fish and rabbits, but she still had to provide more than dry grass for Argo. She held off having tea because she had so few leaves left. She realized that Gabrielle was aware of the food supply. Xena watched the way she filled herself with berries and nuts before taking any of the dry goods. Xena felt a twinge of guilt at her inability to take care of the bard the way she wanted to. It was nearly nightfall when they first spotted the small upcropping of huts and houses that signified the edges of Athens. They turned off into the woods and found a small private spot to camp out for the night. For the fourth straight night, they followed the same pattern: Gabrielle refused to touch her quill, yet still curled up in Xena’s arms at bedtime. Xena growled with frustration at Gabrielle, yet willingly took her into her arms when it was time to sleep. Each time, Gabrielle laid a gentle kiss on the warrior’s arm. Xena had been tempted to return the kiss, but she didn’t want to do anything to scare Gabrielle. The young woman didn’t need that on top of her current problem.

They found the medical building near the city entrance. "We’d like to see Hippocrates." Xena said to the young man holding a piece of parchment attached to a piece of wood used for support. He twirled his quill between his fingers. It was a habit that Xena found endearing in Gabrielle and utterly annoying in him.

"And who shall I say is calling?" His whiny, nasally voice grated on Xena’s nerves after days of quiet.

"Xena and Gabrielle." She said evenly. The young man stopped twiddling his quill and looked at her nervously.

"Um…Xena…"

"And Gabrielle. He knows us." She was quickly getting annoyed with him.

"Yes…I see, well…we’re really quite busy now and urggff." He was quickly picked up and pressed up against a near wall, the fingers around his neck keeping him a good two feet off of the ground.

"We need to see Hippocrates." Her tone was still even, her face devoid of emotions.

"See here, what’s going on? Michael, what are you-oh, hi Xena." Hippocrates came through the door. Xena released her grip on Michael and let him slump to the floor. He stayed there for a moment before deciding that the threat was over and stood up.

"Gabrielle needs help." Xena said as they followed him into the next room. He turned to face the bard.

"And what seems to be the problem, my dear?" He noticed, frowning, that she had a few more scars than last time they were here.

"She lost her voice." Xena answered for her.

"Hmm." The healer rubbed his chin as he contemplated what the possible causes could be. He walked over to the table and picked up a piece of wood as long as his hand. It was thin and flat, not much wider than a finger. "Hop up here on the table." Gabrielle looked at Xena, as if gathering courage, then climbed up and sat down on the table. Hippocrates walked over and stood in front of her. "Open your mouth…wider…that’s good, now hold still." He held her tongue down with the stick and looked down her throat. "Looks fine to me." He put the stick down and put his fingers on either side of her throat, moving them around as he felt about. "Lie down." Gabrielle flashed another look at Xena. This time the warrior saw fear in the bard’s eyes. Like a protective mother, Xena stood next to Gabrielle and held her hand. "Now I’m going to perform a few more tests on you. They shouldn’t hurt, but they might be uncomfortable." Gabrielle nodded in understanding.

"Be gentle." Xena said softly. She knew he would do that without being asked.

"You did fine." Hippocrates said to Gabrielle as he helped her sit up. He made a notation on a piece of parchment before addressing them again. "Gabrielle, could you wait out in the other room for a moment? I need to talk to Xena." Gabrielle hopped off of the table and started waving her arms animatedly in tune with her silent lips. She pointed at herself and stamped her foot in anger and frustration.

"Hippocrates, I think she wants to stay. It is her body, after all." Xena finally understood and came to Gabrielle’s rescue. Satisfied with her small victory, the Amazon walked over and stood next to Xena. The healer cleared his throat and thought about what to say. He wasn’t sure which one he feared more at the moment, the warrior or the feisty bard.

"I find no signs of an infection or any other physical reason for the muteness." He watched solemnly as both women allowed their disappointment to show on their faces. "I wish there was something more I could do." He walked over and put his hand on Gabrielle’s chin. "You have such a beautiful voice and you tell such wonderful stories. I don’t know why the gods saw fit to remove that gift from you." Gabrielle turned away as fresh tears brimmed her eyes. Hippocrates looked over a Xena. "I’m sorry, there isn’t anything more that can be done." He worried about Gabrielle’s mental state. In his years of healing, he had known of people who lost a precious gift; sight, hearing, or a limb. Most survived and adapted, some did not. He worried about what would happen if she did not adapt soon.

"You’ve done all that you could, I appreciate that." Xena’s tone gave away nothing of her emotions. "What do we owe you?"

"Oh no." He held up his hands. "I can’t take any money from the two of you." Xena nodded in quiet thanks. He looked at the bard for a moment. She still had her back to them, obviously not wanting to be involved in any more conversation. Turning back to Xena, he asked "Where are you two staying?" Xena stiffened slightly. Even without having to pay him, they still didn’t have enough money for an inn.

"There’s a cave a half-candlemark or so out of town." It was a lie and he knew it. Quickly assessing the situation, he smiled as he thought of a solution.

"Xena, why don’t the two of you stay at my house while you’re here? I have more than enough room." He shook his head when he saw Xena open her mouth to protest. "I insist. You two have done so much to help both me and the people of Athens out over the last summer or so. I won’t take no for an answer." Satisfied with the slight nod he got from the warrior, he continued. "Now, my servant Philos is there. I’ll write a note for you to take with you. He’ll arrange for a clean room, hot baths, and a warm meal for the two of you. You are welcome to stay as long as you like. Besides, it would be a good opportunity for me to monitor Gabrielle for any signs of change." Although he doubted there would be any change, it seemed to help sway the argument to his direction.

"It’s up to Gabrielle." Xena finally said. She was so unsure about what the bard was thinking that she didn’t want to make the decision on her own. Having heard the conversation, Gabrielle only nodded, keeping her back to them. Her mind was far away, trying to figure out why this tragedy happened to her. What had she done to deserve this? She allowed her mind to drift into the dark thoughts until she felt Xena’s reassuring hand on her shoulder. She followed the warrior out of the hut, the sad, depressed look never leaving the bard’s face.

Despite the warm food, hot bath, and clean clothes, Gabrielle still hadn’t lifted from her dark mood. Philos offered to make up a second room for them, but Xena refused. She needed to be as close to Gabrielle as she could get. Even one room away was too far for the warrior. She sadly wished she knew a way to get past the walls that Gabrielle was building up within herself. Xena knew better than to try and force the bard to write. It hadn’t worked yet and each time she tried, Gabrielle got angrier and closed down even more. No longer able to reach Gabrielle, Xena turned in early out of frustration. The warm food and hot bath did their job, Xena fell asleep quickly.

Gabrielle laid awake, listening to the deep breathing of her sleeping companion. She knew she was hurting Xena by not writing about her feelings. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t bring herself to put the quill to parchment. She thought about what Hippocrates said. Perhaps the gods did take her voice away as punishment for some unknown deed. She didn’t know what it was that she could have done to make the gods so angry. Which god? Artemis? No, she looked over at her staff. It still bore the markings of the Amazon Queen. If Artemis was mad at her, she would have taken away Gabrielle’s right-of-caste. Athena? Hermes? Calliope? Her eyebrows furrowed. Calliope. The Muse. The goddess of the bards. Of course! She must have said something to upset the muse and her punishment was eternal silence. Her mind went over every story she had told, every song that she had sung, trying to find the one thing that cost her the gift of speech. The first fingers of dawn peeked through the window before she finally fell into an uneasy sleep, her mind tormented with guilt over an unknown deed.

"Gabrielle." Xena gently shook the bard’s shoulder. The blue-green eyes fluttered open. The bard moved her mouth to speak, then closed it when she realized that no sounds were coming. Xena watched grimly as the bard’s face went sullen and hard again. It was going to be yet another long day, the warrior thought. "Gabrielle, breakfast is on the table if you want it." Gabrielle nodded, acknowledging the words, but she didn’t care if she ever ate again. Xena sighed, her frustration was closely reaching a breaking point. She didn’t know how much longer she could take the bard’s depression and anger. "Look, I have to go take care of Argo. I’ll be back in a couple of candlemarks. Can you stay here while I’m gone?" A thought formed in Gabrielle’s mind. She nodded to Xena while her mind worked out her plan. Thinking that she had convinced the queen to stay put, Xena went to go take care of Argo.

Once Xena left the room, Gabrielle quickly rummaged through the saddlebags, pulling out all of her scrolls, finished, unfinished, and blank. She found her ink and quill. Taking a blank piece of parchment, she quickly wrote a short note and left it on the table. Gathering the rest of the items into her bag, she grabbed her staff and left. She felt guilty about not staying where Xena wanted her to, but this was just something that she had to do.

Gabrielle walked through the busy streets until she found Polder’s scroll shop. Once inside the small hut, she waited for him to finish with another customer. "Gabrielle? It is you." Polder’s face beamed with happiness. It had been so long since he had seen her. A puzzled look came over his face when she didn’t respond. "Gabrielle, is everything all right? Where’s Xena?" Gabrielle pulled out a piece of parchment and quickly scribbled something down. Handing the note to Polder, she waited for him to finish reading it. "You lost your voice? Why? How?" She shook her head, refusing to tell him of her shame. Taking the paper back from him, she wrote more words down, then handed it back. "You want to sell your blank scrolls? I don’t understand, Gabrielle. Aren’t you going to keep writing your stories?" She shook her head solemnly. Obviously Calliope didn’t want her to tell any more stories, verbally or otherwise. "Well, it is almost time for the bard academy finals. I’m sure they’ll need all the blank scrolls they can get. I’ll give you a fair price for them if that’s what you really want." Polder didn’t like the look in his friend’s eyes. It was a look of hopelessness, as if she had resigned herself to her fate without a fight. She reached in the bag and pulled out the blank scrolls. Handing them to him, she waited for Polder to figure out a fair price. She didn’t care if he gave her only one dinar for the whole pile. "I can give you twenty dinars for all of them. I won’t make any profit when I sell them, but I figure that’s probably what you paid for them in the first place." Gabrielle nodded with acceptance. He reached into his pouch and pulled out the dinars, handing them to her. Gabrielle put them in her bag and turned to leave. "Wait." She turned to see Polder looking at her anxiously. "Is Xena still with you? If you can’t talk, then you’ll need her more than ever." She nodded to indicate she still was with the warrior. Polder still wasn’t at all comfortable with the mood of his friend. "Gabrielle, can I walk you to wherever you’re going? I’m sure Xena would appreciate it if she knew that someone was watching out for you." She shook her head. She had to do this alone. "If you need me, you know where to find me." Polder said, waving his arm to indicate the small hut. Not acknowledging the remark, Gabrielle left the hut and headed toward the edge of the city.

Xena knew something was wrong when she entered the house. Philos saw her and quickly decided that a trip to the cellar was in order. Entering the room, she frowned when she realized that Gabrielle wasn’t there. A quick look around told her that the scrolls were missing from the saddlebags and Gabrielle’s staff was also missing. She picked up the note on the table and read it. Brief and to the point, not at all like something that Gabrielle would have normally written. "I’m going to a temple." It didn’t say when she would be back or even if she would be back. Now nervous, Xena made a thorough search of the saddlebags. All the scrolls were gone as well as the packet of ink and Gabrielle’s quill. Perhaps she went somewhere to write? Xena hoped for that possibility, but seriously doubted it. She read the note again. Temple. She went to a temple. In a city as large as Athens, almost every god had a temple. They were scattered throughout the city. Xena had no idea whose temple Gabrielle would have gone to. Angry at Gabrielle for leaving and angry at herself for not staying with the bard, Xena stormed out the door to look for the Amazon.

The priestess watched as a young Amazon entered the temple. Unlike the many other bards that visited, she went nowhere near the dais. Instead, the young woman sat in a corner and started to write. The priestess watched as tears fell from the quiet woman’s face, spilling onto the parchment. Just as quietly, the woman rose and walked to the dais. Removing several scrolls from her pouch, the woman wrapped the parchment around the scrolls and tied it off with a thin strip of leather. She placed the pile on the dais, then set the quill and ink next to them. Without looking at the priestess, the woman bowed her head for a moment, then left. The priestess was stunned. No one ever entered Calliope’s temple without speaking a prayer to the muse, and certainly no one ever left their quill and ink, much less their scrolls. Many people visited the temple daily. Most were bards, asking for help with a story or thanking the muse for inspiration. Never had anyone come in and left their scrolls. She wasn’t sure how the gentle goddess of prose would handle this.

Xena checked six different temples before returning to Hippocrates house. Gabrielle had not been seen at any of them. It had been six candlemarks since she found the note. Now frantic with worry, the warrior paced back and forth across the room, afraid to leave in case Gabrielle returned and afraid to stay in case Gabrielle needed help. Why did Gabrielle leave? If she wanted to go to a temple, she knew that Xena would escort her. The warrior ran her fingers through her hair in frustration. Nothing she tried was getting through to Gabrielle. Now the bard was out there, all alone, by choice. By choice. The words played again and again inside the warrior’s mind. Gabrielle walked out by choice. Whatever was going on inside, she chose not to share it with Xena. Hiding her hurt behind anger, Xena continued to pace, this time with more force in her steps.

Gabrielle watched from behind the edge of a building as Xena left the temple of Artemis. She knew there would be a massive fight when she returned to their room, but this had to be done. Her heart full of guilt and shame, her head hung low, shoulders slumped, she entered the temple of the moon goddess.

Artemis smiled when she saw her queen enter the temple. It was so rare that her chosen came to visit. The goddess pulled her scrying bowl close so she could hear the soft, melodic voice of the Queen of her beloved Amazons. To her surprise, her queen said nothing. Gabrielle stood there, looking at the statue of the moon goddess, tears flowing down her face. Artemis frowned. What could be troubling her beloved queen that she would come to the temple and cry? She watched Gabrielle look down at her staff, then back up at the statue. What was she doing? Gabrielle took a hesitant step toward the dais. Anger welled inside the goddess as she realized what the queen was contemplating. She was almost ready to go down to the temple and confront the queen when she saw Gabrielle fall to her knees as sobs racked her mortal body. Artemis was tempted to read the Amazon’s thoughts, but hesitated, waiting instead to see what the leader of the Amazons would do. After several moments, Gabrielle rose and left the temple, staff in hand. As tempted as the goddess was to intervene and find out what was going on, she decided to wait and see what the fates brought to her chosen one. The moon goddess had no idea that another god had already intervened.

Gabrielle stared at the statue of Artemis. "I really should relinquish my title." She thought to herself. She looked down at the staff, then back at the statue. If she had angered Calliope, then surely the moon goddess was upset with her as well. She looked at the staff again. If Artemis didn’t want her to be queen, surely she would have taken the staff herself. Perhaps that was another punishment that had yet to be given. She collapsed to her knees as her tears poured out. She didn’t know if she should leave the staff or not. She didn’t dare call out in her mind for the goddess to appear, she was terrified that Artemis was angry with her. All the strain of the past few days came out in her tears. She was so confused. She rose and took a step toward the dais. What if Artemis wasn’t mad at her? If she relinquished the staff, that would certainly make the goddess angry. What if she didn’t? What if she was supposed to give up her title and she didn’t? Gabrielle decided that if the great goddess wanted the staff, she would take it from her. She had apparently already upset one god, upsetting another was not a good idea. She decided to wait and see what Artemis would do. Gabrielle turned around and left the temple, staff in hand. She fully expected a bolt of lightning to come down and kill her on the spot for making the wrong decision. It didn’t happen. Maybe even Artemis didn’t care about her anymore. No one cared except Xena and Gabrielle was sure that Xena would grow tired of her soon. What good is a bard that can’t talk? It wouldn’t be long before Gabrielle found herself alone, she was certain of it. She had ended up being the liability that she always feared she would be. Fear controlled the bard. She wandered aimlessly through the streets of Athens, afraid to return to the room, afraid that Xena would be gone. Gabrielle’s biggest fear was that Xena would leave, now she was sure that the warrior had no reason to stay. Looking up at the sky, Gabrielle realized how late it must be. She looked around to get her bearings and headed back to Hippocrates house, expecting Xena to be long gone.

Calliope entered her temple and met with her priestess, Milaas. Several minutes later, a very angry muse left to search for the God of War.

Gabrielle opened the door to the room. It was dark inside, only the embers of dying fire gave any light to the room. Standing in the doorway, she looked to see if their belongings were still there. The dim light made it hard to see. She stepped forward. The saddlebags were still there. Her eyes fell upon the chakram sitting on the table. If the chakram was there, then so was...

Xena moved quickly from behind the door, kicking it with her foot to shut it. Before Gabrielle could react, the warrior grabbed both her wrists and pushed her back against the door. The bard struggled, but Xena was too strong. "No!" Xena growled as she kept the bard’s arms pressed against the door. She pressed her six foot frame against the smaller bard, pinning Gabrielle. "Calm down, I’m not going to hurt you." Xena said, but she continued to keep her trapped against the door. The warrior moved her head so that her mouth was close to Gabrielle’s ear. She felt Gabrielle’s muscles relax slightly and she lessened her own grip, keeping it just strong enough to hold the bard in place. Xena took a few deep breaths to calm herself down. "Do you have any idea how worried I was about you? I didn’t know where you were or if you were hurt." Xena’s hands started to move up and down the bard’s arms, as if to make certain that she really was there. "I’m scared for you, Gabrielle. You’re sinking into a pit of despair that I can’t pull you out of. It’s killing me to see you in such pain. I feel so helpless." She released Gabrielle’s arms but continued to press against her. "Gabrielle, promise that you won’t leave me." Xena pressed her cheek against Gabrielle’s, her lips almost touching the bard’s ear. "Promise me. I can’t live without you, Gabrielle. It hurts too much."

Gabrielle was more confused than ever. She had expected Xena to be gone, to have left her. Yet here Xena was, begging her to stay. Gabrielle put her arms around Xena’s waist and gave her a gentle squeeze. She wasn’t sure why, but she was sure that Xena wanted her around.

Xena felt the bards gentle arms encircle her waist and give a squeeze. She pulled back and looked into the blue-green eyes she loved. "Promise?" Nod. Xena smiled, it was the first positive reaction she had gotten from the bard in days. Xena leaned down and kissed her on the cheek. She took the bard’s hand and led her to the table, motioning for her to sit down. "Gabrielle, we can’t go on like this." Nod. "I know it’s hard, but we have to accept that this has happened. I’m not leaving you and your not leaving me, is that clear?" Nod. "Good, now let’s…" Xena picked her word carefully. "discuss." Gabrielle allowed the edges of her lips to lift slightly, acknowledging the catch. "Where did you go?" Gabrielle pointed to the parchment note she had left for Xena. "I know the temple, but which one? I walked all over the city looking for you." Xena gazed at the now-dead fire. "I was worried, Gabrielle. I thought that you left." Her last words were said so quietly that the bard almost didn’t hear it. She reached over and laid her hand on Xena’s muscled arm. The warrior turned her gaze from the fire to the blue-green eyes. "I know you didn’t mean to worry me." Gabrielle mouthed the word ‘sorry’. "It’s all right now." Xena took a deep breath and assumed her let’s-solve-this manner.

"Let’s take a look at our options." Xena looked around quickly. "Gabrielle, where are your scrolls?" The Amazon’s head dropped down. She was so happy that Xena didn’t leave her that she forgot about her trip to the temples. "Gabrielle, what happened to them?" Xena watched Gabrielle thinking about how to explain the missing scrolls. "Okay, how about this, I’ll ask questions and you can tell me if I’m right or wrong." Nod. "Good." Xena thought for a moment. "Were they taken from you?" Shake. "Did you give them to someone?" Nod. "You gave your scrolls away?" Reluctant nod. Xena concentrated on her breathing as she forced herself to remain calm. "Gabrielle, those scrolls are your most cherished items. What could possess you to give them away?" Gabrielle raised her head to look at Xena. She pointed to her mouth. "I don’t understand, Gabrielle. Those were your stories, your dreams, your songs. I didn’t even get to hear all of them." Xena couldn’t disguise the hurt tone in her voice. "What does losing your voice have to do with getting rid of your stories?" Violent shake. "You didn’t get rid of them?" Nod. "I missed something." Xena sat back in her chair and rubbed her eyes. Looking around the room, she realized just how dark it was. She rose and lit several candles. This was going to take a while.

"Okay, let’s try something else. Where’s your quill?" Xena asked as she sat back down at the table. Gabrielle picked up the parchment and pointed at it. "You gave your quill away too?" Xena’s patience was slipping again. "Anything else?" She asked wryly. Gabrielle made motions of dipping the quill into ink. "The ink too?" The warrior’s eyes rolled. "Gabrielle, how am I supposed to communicate with you?" Gabrielle looked downward again. "All right. We’ll talk about the missing things later." The bard looked back up, grateful for the change in subject. "Whose temple did you visit?" Xena received a glare for her question. "What?" She feigned innocence. "I’m not asking you about the scrolls." Gabrielle shrugged in resignation. She pointed to the parchment again. She waited a minute to see if Xena would figure it out, but she didn’t. With an exasperated look on her face, Gabrielle pointed to the parchment again, then pointed toward Mount Olympus. "The god of…" Gabrielle pointed frantically at the parchment, then imitated writing on it. "Calliope?" Xena was rewarded with a relieved smile on the bard’s face. "You went to Calliope’s temple?" Nod and a smile. Xena lost herself in thought for a moment. Her eyes widened and she leaned in close to Gabrielle. "You left your scrolls at Calliope’s temple, didn’t you?" Gabrielle stared at the cold fireplace and nodded slightly. Xena tried to think of Gabrielle’s reasons for doing something like that. "Gabrielle…look at me…Did you leave your scrolls there because you thought the Muse was mad at you?" Nod, eyes starting to glisten. "Do you think she took your voice away?" Gabrielle looked down at the table as the tears started to spill. "Gabrielle, I admit that I don’t know much about the muses, but I’ve never heard of them being malicious to their people. Even if she was, why would she go after you?"

Gabrielle’s shoulders shook as the unlabeled guilt surfaced. She didn’t know why Calliope was so mad at her. She couldn’t remember saying anything that would have upset the goddess. That’s what made it so hard to bear. She felt Xena’s strong arms wrap around her. "It’s okay, Gabrielle. We don’t have to talk about it any more." Gabrielle’s head shot up and she turned to look at the warrior. The bard put her hand in front of her face and moved the her hands to mimic talking while her head moved from side to side. It took a moment for Xena to catch on. She rolled her blue eyes. "I’m sorry, Gabrielle. You know I’m not that good with words." Gabrielle forced herself to smile for Xena’s sake. This whole thing must be hard on her, the bard thought. The guilt she felt for hurting Xena piled up on top of the guilt of not knowing what had upset the goddess, weighing heavily on the bard’s heart. Xena was tired from playing twenty questions. "Gabrielle, let’s get some rest. We’ll talk about this tomorrow." The young queen nodded, eager to stop the questions.

Calliope stormed into Ares’ realm. "Ah, my dear Aunt Calliope, how are you, my dear?" He leaned over to kiss her on the cheek, stepping right into her slap. He recoiled and raised his arm, ready to bring the full wrath of a war god down, then remembered who he was with. Hera would turn him into a mortal or worse if he dared hurt her sister. He quickly put his hand down. "What brings you to my realm, dear?"

"You know damn right well why I’m here!" He stepped back from the furious woman. Her grandmotherly features had changed to a more hardened look. Her silvery hair was now a steel grey. "What did you do to my Gabrielle?"

"What is it about that girl?" He growled angrily. "Is there anyone on Mount Olympus that isn’t fooled by that brat’s charm?" He paced around, collecting his thoughts. He had been so concerned about not tipping Artemis off about his plans that he forgot about Calliope.

"Remove whatever it is you did to her. Give her back her voice." Calliope sounded stern, but inside she was nervous. Her nephew was not one to pick a fight with.

"I don’t think so." He sneered. "You can’t interfere with what another god has done. You have no power to make me give that whining little brat back her voice." An evil smile played on his lips. "I could give her a chicken’s voice, though."

"Don’t even think about it." Calliope warned. She knew the rules as well as he. "I protest your involvement with her. You can’t do anything else to her until I withdraw my protest, and I won’t do that until you give her back her voice."

"Oh, I’ll give it back to her eventually." He teased. "I don’t want her. I want Xena back."

"What makes you think that taking that poor child’s voice away will bring Xena back to you?"

"My dear Calliope, you’ve spent too much time reading scrolls. The only thing keeping Xena from me is that infernal bard. If Xena were to leave her, it would only be a matter of time before I had her back in my fold."

"What if Xena doesn’t leave her?"

"She will. Sooner or later, she will. You see, my warrior princess is in love with that farm girl. Every day it gets harder for her to keep her feelings in check. Eventually the strain will be too much and she’ll walk away from the dumb one." He smiled at his play on words.

"What if she admits her love to Gabrielle?" Calliope couldn’t see why anyone wouldn’t freely admit their affection for the young mortal. Her heart was so pure, so free. It was little wonder why Artemis chose her to lead the Amazons.

"She won’t." The smirk returned to his face. "You see, Xena has many skills. Talking about her feelings isn’t one of them." He walked around Calliope, circling her like a vulture. "She’s not one to initiate such talk. She’ll wait for the bard to tell her first."

"And she can’t do that without her voice." Calliope said softly.

"Right you are, dear aunt. Right you are. Eventually it will be too much for Xena to bear and she’ll come running back to me."

"But if they tell each other of their love, you lose." The muse said thoughtfully. Ares looked at her, trying to figure out what the old bat was thinking about.

"If they admit their love to each other, then I’ll give the bitch her voice back." He was confident that there was no way for the bard to express her love. She was a bard, after all. They talk about their feelings, without her voice, she was helpless.

"You have to give Gabrielle her voice back and give your word that you’ll leave them alone." She cowered slightly when Ares growled and grew in size, towering over her.

"Don’t try to negotiate with me, old woman!"

"Ares…if you’re so convinced that they can’t express their love to each other, then you should have no problem agreeing." Calliope forced herself to keep her voice level. She watched as Ares turned himself back into a less threatening form.

"I enjoy a good bet, my dear aunt." He chuckled slightly. "You have a deal."

"No tricks, Ares." She warned, knowing that he now had to honor his bet. "No interference from any gods in any form, is that clear?"

"As long as it’s clear to you too, my dear. No contact at all. You can’t even tell her that you’re not the one who’s mad at her." Ares laughed evilly at the muse’s predicament. "You have no choice but to let her continue thinking that she did something wrong. Perhaps her guilt will take her over the edge for me, hmm?" Ares evil laughter filled the muse’s ears as she left his realm.

Gabrielle awoke to the smell of fresh breakfast. "Good morning. Breakfast is still warm." Not eating the night before made the bard’s stomach growl at the smell of fresh meat cooked to perfection. Xena couldn’t stifle an uncharacteristic giggle. Seeing Gabrielle’s frown, Xena tried to explain. "I’m sorry, Gabrielle. It’s just that…" She lost herself to her giggles for a moment. "It’s just that I’d forgotten how…loud your stomach could be. You sure can convey a message with that." Gabrielle tried to stifle her smirk, but Xena saw it and gave her a lopsided grin in return. "Come on, let’s feed it before it growls again." Gabrielle gave a sheepish grin as she headed to the table. It was a grin that Xena would have given her last dinar to see.

After breakfast, they worked out a few more hand signals and decided to take a walk in the city. As they walked along, Gabrielle took in the sights and sounds with her bardic senses, memorizing as many details as she could for use in a future story. She stopped when she realized what she was doing. She wouldn’t be able to write any more stories. She pondered over it for a few moments before the feeling of the warm autumn day and Xena by her side brought her back to a reasonably good mood.

Turning a corner on the west side of the city, they came across a row of inns. Gabrielle noticed two Amazons enter one of the inns. A small wooden carving depicting a labrys swung from an overhead signpost. Remembering the dinars in her pouch, Gabrielle tugged on Xena’s arm and pointed toward the inn. "What? Oh, the inn? Gabrielle we don’t…" Xena stopped when she saw the dinars that Gabrielle was holding. "Where did you…oh never mind. I’m sure I don’t want to know." Xena looked over at the inn that her bard was pointing so frantically at. She looked back at Gabrielle and arched her eyebrow. "You want to go in there, my little bard?" Animated nod. Xena chuckled. "Anything you want, Gabrielle, anything you want." This was going to be very interesting indeed, Xena mused to herself as they walked over to the inn. It would turn out to be more interesting than Xena thought.

Gabrielle reached for the door handle and felt Xena’s strong arm grab her own. "Let me go in first and make sure it’s safe." The blue-green eyes flashed with indignation and anger. Her hands started moving in the air as her silent lips tossed a tirade of silent words at the warrior. "Okay, okay." Xena held her hands up in defeat. "You first." She waved her arm in front of her, gesturing to the door. "I’m just trying to protect you, Gabrielle." She said as the bard passed by her. Gabrielle stopped and turned her head to look at the proud warrior. ‘Always trying to protect me.’ The bard thought as she raised a small smile to her lips for Xena’s sake.

No sooner did they step in than four well-armed Amazons rose to their feet and quickly drew their weapons. Gabrielle quickly assumed a battle stance and positioned her staff accordingly, causing several of the Amazons to stare at her in surprise. A sandy haired Amazon wielding a vicious looking blade spoke up. "We don’t want any trouble here, Xena." Her tone indicated a familiarity with the warrior.

"Neither do we, Halla. Gabrielle and I just want to sit down and have a drink. After that, we’ll be on our way." Xena kept her tone even. She didn’t want to fight with Amazons.

"Gabrielle?" Halla looked at the young queen, then her staff. There was no mistaking it. That was definitely the queen’s staff. Halla quickly knelt down and bowed her head. "My Queen, I apologize." Gabrielle looked down at the Amazon and watched as the several others knelt down. Murmurs swept through the crowd of women, many of whom wore Amazon garb. The queen stepped forward and put her hand on Halla’s shoulder, urging her up. Gabrielle looked to Xena for help. She couldn’t explain to them what was going on.

"Halla, Gabrielle has been injured." Well, it was true, sorta. Before the Amazon could speak, Xena pressed on. "She lost her voice." A look of relief swept over Halla’s face. She motioned for the other Amazons to put their weapons down. Several of them looked at the well-armed warrior and were decidedly reluctant to part with their only means of defense against the former destroyer of nations. Gabrielle sensed that she had to show them that Xena was not a threat. ‘How do I do that without words?’ An idea came to her. She quickly moved up against Xena and put her arm around the warrior’s waist. Xena arched an eyebrow and looked down at the bard. Halla interpreted the message just the way Gabrielle had meant her to. Xena was no threat. The Amazon cleared her throat and ran her fingers through her short, sandy brown hair.

"My humble apologies, my queen. Please take any seat you want. I’ll arrange for someone to bring you some drinks." Gabrielle looked nudged Xena and rubbed her own stomach.

"The queen is also hungry. Would it be possible-"

"Say no more, we’ll make sure that food is brought to you shortly." Halla showed them to a comfortable table in the far corner. It provided an excellent view of the room and all the exits. Xena was quite pleased with the table and it let be known by the approving look on her face. A woman not much younger than Gabrielle brought over two large mugs of port. Xena chuckled and held out her hand to stop the serving girl.

"Uh, perhaps something a little milder for Gabrielle?" The bard reached forward and grabbed the mug. "Okay, guess not." Xena smirked as she watched Gabrielle take a large swallow and grimace. The serving girl nodded and moved away quickly. Xena looked around at all the Amazons that were staring at them. "Gabrielle…" Xena whispered, "You’d better smile or nod or do something so they stop looking at us." Gabrielle smiled and nodded at the women, who seemed satisfied with that for the moment. They slowly turned around and returned to their conversations, not forgetting that the queen was sitting with a former warlord over in the corner.

They sat there quietly, watching the activity around them. Xena spent a few minutes sizing up the crowd, then turned her attention back to the bard. Gabrielle’s eyes were glued to something going on at a far table. Xena followed the bard’s gaze and smirked when she saw what had captured her friend’s attention. Halla and another woman were sitting with their chairs so close that their thighs were touching. Unable to resist, Xena leaned close to Gabrielle and whispered. "You’re staring." The bard sat bolt upright and looked at Xena, a slight blush creeping up her neck. Unsure of what to do, the bard took another sip of the port. She crinkled her nose at the strong taste. Sometimes she paid for her stubbornness. Gabrielle decided that she had to pick her fights more carefully.

As they ate their dinner, Xena couldn’t help but notice Gabrielle’s continued interest in the Amazon couple. When Halla put her hand on the other woman’s thigh and started to caress it, the bard’s eyes grew wide and her mouth opened slightly in surprise. Xena couldn’t help herself. She was genuinely amused by the bard’s interest in the couple. "Gabrielle, what is so fascinating about that couple? You’ve seen women touch each other before." Gabrielle turned her attention back to her companion. She nodded then waved her hands around, as if to encompass the room. "Oh, you haven’t seen that in public." Nod. Xena looked quickly over to the aforementioned couple. "Well, take a look now, Gabrielle, because things just started to get interesting over there."

Gabrielle turned her attention back to the couple and saw exactly what Xena was referring to. Halla was kissing the woman passionately while her hand kneaded the woman’s thigh. "They won’t last long." Xena chuckled. Gabrielle lightly elbowed her. Xena was sure that if Gabrielle could talk that the warrior would be receiving a hades of a tongue lashing right now. She arched her eyebrow as she watched the two Amazons get up and head upstairs. I bet Halla is going to get a good tongue lashing tonight, Xena thought to herself. She looked over at Gabrielle, who had watched the couple leave. Xena worried that the depths of her feelings for Gabrielle would be too much for the young woman to bear. The warrior worked hard not to entertain erotic thoughts of Gabrielle. Xena knew it would be too hard to distinguish between reality and fantasy if she indulged herself like that. She was interrupted from her thoughts by the serving girl.

"Miss Halla wishes to extend the two of you use of a room and bath for tonight. If you wish, I can show you to your room right now." Xena looked at Gabrielle, asking without words what the bard wanted to do. Gabrielle took one more look around the room and nodded.

"I guess we accept then. Please extend our thanks to Halla." Xena rose and followed Gabrielle and the serving girl to their room.

It was rare that Xena had ever stayed in a room this nice, and never with Gabrielle. The bed was huge! It could easily accommodate four people. A large tub took up the far corner. There was a comfortable sized table in the other corner. The room was well lit with multi-pronged candelabras resting on sconces. Gabrielle noticed with glee that the fireplace was heating up two large pots of water. "Please be sure to thank Halla for me." Xena breathed as her eyes took in the sight. Two more girls brought in pots of water and dumped them in the bath. The serving girl dismissed them, then turned back to face the women.

"There are clean shifts on the bed. If you need anything else, don’t hesitate to ask. You are guests of Halla’s and you are welcome to stay as long as you wish." She bowed slightly, then left. Gabrielle immediately rushed over to the bath and started to undress. Xena walked over and sat on the bed. The bard noticed and stopped undressing. She walked over and stood in front of the warrior, topless. Gabrielle’s soft mounds were at the warrior’s eye level. After a brief glance at them so close up, Xena turned her attention upward to meet the bard’s gaze. Upon eye contact, Gabrielle held out her hand. "Gabrielle, I can wait. You go first." The bard’s tugging increased. "All right, all right. You just want me to scrub your back, that’s all." Xena said as she rose and trudged out of her clothes. Gabrielle met her eyes and smiled playfully as her head bobbed up and down.

Gabrielle climbed into the tub and waited for Xena to join her. In a way, it was easier to get what she wanted from Xena right now. The warrior guessed that she wanted help washing, which was fine with her. Gabrielle didn’t have to think of an excuse to tell to get the warrior into her tub. Gabrielle liked the playful hair ruffles, the gentle back rubs, but most of all she loved the feeling of Xena’s wet naked body against hers. There was something so strong, so sensual about the feel of her warrior’s body. So many times she had wished to tell Xena of her true feelings, now she would never get the chance. She would never get to tell the woman who protected her just how the bard truly felt. She almost lost herself in her sadness when she felt Xena slip in behind her.

"You comfortable?" Xena’s low voice rumbled in her ear. Nod. "Good, you relax and let me pamper you for a change." Xena worked the soap into a lather and rubbed put her hands on Gabrielle’s shoulders just below the neck. Starting with her thumbs, Xena massaged the muscles in Gabrielle’s neck, working her way down to the shoulders. She marveled at the softness of the skin beneath her fingers. "This okay?" She asked softly, her blue eyes never leaving the sight of her hands caressing the bard’s smooth back. Nod. "Good." Her hands continued their decent.

Gabrielle slumped her head forward as she relaxed into Xena’s ministrations. With every touch, Xena was removing the stress of the last quarter-moon. Gabrielle allowed herself to give in to the sensation, not fighting her body’s urge to moan. She closed her eyes when she felt Xena’s hands move down her back, the long fingers splayed out to massage every rib, every muscle. The hands reached her waist, then stopped. Gabrielle frowned at the disappointment. She couldn’t see the same look on the warrior’s face.

Xena reluctantly pulled her hands away. "You’re back’s clean." She said softly. She cursed herself. Every fiber of her being begged her to reach forward and cup the bard’s soft breasts, to feel the heavenly weight of them. She caught herself at the last moment and pulled her hands back, but it was too close for the warrior’s comfort. She never made mistakes like that before. It was finally happening. Her desires were crossing over into her reality. She handed the soap to Gabrielle. "Here, go ahead and finish up."

Gabrielle took the soap and haphazardly washed the front of her body. When she reached between her legs to clean, she found herself leaning back against Xena’s powerful body. Closing her eyes, Gabrielle concentrated on the feelings against her body. The softness of Xena’s breasts against her shoulder blades, the firmness of Xena’s stomach against her back, the rough swirl of curls that tickled her lower back. All those touches mingled with the realization that she was laying naked against Xena with her hand between her legs. Quickly coming to her senses, Gabrielle sat up and finished washing.

Xena took it all in with amusement. She desperately wanted to know what the bard was thinking about with her hand between her legs. There was no way that Xena could have mistaken the look of desire that was evident on the bard’s face. ‘Who is it that you think of, Gabrielle?’ Xena thought to herself. ‘Who is it that makes you feel that way? Who do you think of when you touch yourself? Perdicus? Maybe the Perdicus you wanted, not the one you had. What can a country boy like that know about loving a woman’s body? Who moves you like that?’ She was pulled from her thoughts by the movement of the body in front of her. Gabrielle tossed the soap over her shoulder and stepped out of the tub. After enjoying the close up view as the bard left the tub, Xena moved forward to give herself some room and started to wash up. She reached up to wash her shoulder when she felt Gabrielle climb back into the tub, this time behind her. Xena moved forward to give the bard plenty of room.

She slid in behind Xena. Reaching forward, she wrapped her arm around Xena’s stomach and pulled her back across the smooth tub. She held her hand out and waited for the soap to be deposited into it. She rubbed and massaged the warrior’s back with the same slow, lazy circles that she had felt on her back only moments ago. She listened carefully to Xena’s breathing, catching the intake of breath when her hand strayed around the side to stop just before the side of the warrior’s breast. She repeated the whole massage, noting that she didn’t receive any protest from the relaxing warrior. Between listening to Xena’s breathing and concentrating on the feelings beneath her fingers, Gabrielle caught several times where Xena had moaned silently. Despite the lack of sound, Gabrielle was certain they were silent moans. She felt the rumbling under her fingers. She felt Xena stiffen and pull forward slightly. "Thanks."

They quickly got out and dried off. Xena handed the bard a clean shift and donned one herself. After a quick trip around the room to extinguish candles, Xena climbed into the bed. Gabrielle curled in next to her and reached out for the arm that she knew would be there for her to take. As she did every night, Gabrielle reached down and placed a light kiss on the warrior’s arm. She felt Xena’s arm pull her closer. It was such a safe and comfortable place to be, wrapped up in Xena’s arms. This was where she wanted to be. She stared out into the night, thinking of the scene she had witnessed earlier. While her mind was replaying the lover’s kiss, her fingers were lightly stroking the warrior’s arm.

Xena was well aware of the feather light touch on her arm. ‘Gabrielle, do you know what you’re doing to me?’ Xena’s mind screamed at her to pull away, to end this delicious torture. Her ears picked up another sound. Through the wall next to them, Xena heard the unmistakable soft moans of pleasure. Gabrielle’s fingers stopped moving when she heard the increasing sounds coming from the next room. She rolled over to look at Xena quizzically as moans became grunts. Xena shrugged her shoulders. "Don’t look at me, I don’t know what they’re doing." Although she knew exactly what they were doing. She could tell from the change in tempo and the muffled sounds. Halla was getting her tongue lashing. The two of them sat there, enthralled at the activities taking place on the other side of the wall. At least Gabrielle was paying attention. Xena was paying more attention to the bard’s reaction to the sounds. She watched as Gabrielle’s eyes grew wide with thought and vision. She watched the bard lick her lips involuntarily when Halla cried out a request for urgency. Then with an arched eyebrow, Xena watched Gabrielle’s expression change to amusement at the extreme increase in volume.

Gabrielle was propped up on one elbow, facing the wall. She looked down at Xena to make certain she was hearing the same thing. When they heard the pallet banging against the wall rhythmically, Xena was unable to stifle a chuckle. Gabrielle slapped her playfully on the belly and held her fingers up to her lips. "Sorry." Xena whispered as she regained control. One long howl signified the climax next door. That was all Gabrielle could take. She collapsed against Xena in fits of laughter.

At first, Xena was worried that Gabrielle might have been crying. She pulled the bard’s head up long enough to realize what the true emotion was and lost herself to a laughing fit. Gabrielle laid down on her back as the giggles wore off. "Well, Gabrielle, I guess that was our entertainment for the night." She said, sending Gabrielle into another giggle fit, for which she received another playful slap.

Gabrielle leaned up on one elbow again. She pointed at the wall and mouthed the word ‘loud’. Xena nodded in agreement. Gabrielle pointed at the warrior and looked at her questioningly. "What?" The bard pointed at the wall, then at Xena. She looked at her again with a question in her blue-green eyes. "Her? Did I ever…" Shake. "What then?" Gabrielle mouthed the word again. "Am I loud?" Xena propped herself up on both elbows. In a low, throaty voice, she asked "Gabrielle, are you asking me if I’m loud?" There was a hint of dangerousness to the question. Gabrielle nodded shyly and blushed when she saw Xena’s eyebrow rise.

Xena leaned back with an amused look on her face as she pondered how to answer the question. "You really want to know?" She asked without looking. After a moment, she realized her mistake and looked up. She smiled sheepishly at the bard. "Sorry." Gabrielle smiled back her acceptance of the apology. She nodded. "You sure?" Aggravated nod. Xena broke her gaze from the bard. "I can be, at certain times." Without looking, she felt the blue-green eyes bore into her, asking the unspoken question. "Sometimes…if it’s with the right person…I can become rather…vocal." She turned to look at the bard and quickly added. "But only if it’s with the right person. Normally I’m not so…" She looked for the right word. Gabrielle mouthed ‘vocal’. "Vocal, yeah, that’s it. Normally I’m not so vocal." She laid back down and pulled the blanket up to her chin. "Enough questions for one night. Let’s go to sleep before they decide to perform act two." She closed her eyes and felt Gabrielle curl up against her. The sounds of passion from the next room started again, this time it was Halla who made the other woman moan. Xena felt the bard’s body shake against hers with giggles. Sighing to herself, Xena realized that it was going to be another long night.