Kindred Spirit Lodge Presents
The Quest
Part 7 of 8
by Shasa Jin Umi
May 16th, 2002
____****____
“Okay, are we all clear?” Xena asked for the third time.
“Xe, it’s not that difficult a plan!”
Nessa’s grave face shook resolutely. “That’s not the point, Gabrielle. I’ve been in this damn contraption myself, and it’s—“
“What?!”
Nessa spun around and cursed.
Gabrielle quickly moved to the door to wrap a supportive arm around the injured sailor. “What are you doing out of bed, Shasa?”
“Until about 5 heartbeats ago, I was feeling better!” Shasa turned questioning eyes to the Celt. “What did you mean?”
“Hold it.” Xena raised her hands. “First, you are getting back into bed right now.” Xena picked up the protesting woman and carried her out the door.
As she strode towards Shasa’s room with her bundle, Xena continued quietly. “Even though your cuts are shallow, they’re apt to break open again if you don’t start taking a less active approach to healing for a couple days.” She reached the bed and placed Shasa down, pulling the blankets over the slut. Xena leaned close and gave her a no-nonsense look. “That means no unnecessary standing or walking, and absolutely no more fucking, until I say so.” Shasa’s eyes bulged. “Is that clear, sailor?”
Shasa found herself unable to form an intelligible word, so nodded instead.
“Great.” Xena sat in the chair next to the bed. “Now, I know you’ve got at least three major questions right now, but I’m only responsible for two. So listen carefully, because I only have time to say this once.”
“Okay.”
“Question one. Gabrielle tended the wounds to your face. But she knew that she needed me to check the lump on your skull, and to figure out if we could stop your bleeding. She followed my directions by giving you herbs to make you sleep while I did these things, because we knew you wouldn’t take kindly to my touching you. Nessa knew nothing about this until after it was all over. Any comments so far?”
Shasa nodded. “You were right. I wouldn’t have accepted your help. Thanks for doing what was best for me.”
The response pleased Xena, and she graced her with a smile. “You’re welcome, Shasa. Now lets move on to the answer to your second question, shall we?”
“Nessa was scared to death this morning that your sexual decisions last night might have been harmful to your healing. I made it quite clear to her, and now to you, that I would be very displeased if I was not consulted before the two of you decide to have relations again.”
Shasa pulled the blanket over her head.
Xena stood and walked to the door. “And Shasa?”
Piercing green eyes peeked over the top of the blanket.
“Whatever Nessa has or hasn’t told you…remember that she was also doing what she thought was best for you.”
Shasa watched the warrior leave, then thought about her last words until a worried-looking Celt poked her head in the door.
“Can I come in?”
Shasa laughed. “Of course you can! I’m not mad, and it is your damned room.”
Nessa climbed into bed. “You’re not mad?”
“No, Nessa, I’m not. You must have had your reasons for not telling me. But I am a little scared about the circumstances of your being in that…thing.”
Nessa nodded. “Gabrielle said that, too. But the answer’s not what you’re fearing.”
“You weren’t, then?”
“No.” Nessa put her arm around Shasa’s shoulders. “After I’d talked to Treyker about Kirsa, and then about you, the creepy bastard demonstrated it to me by stringing me up.”
“Oh gods! How did you get loose?”
“He wanted my admiration of his trap, not my womanly charms, lass. He let me go after I praised his fucking craftsmanship.”
“Ness?”
“Aye?”
“I’m gonna throw up.”
“Aye. I kept flipping between that, and wanting to kill the prick.”
“No, Ness. I’m going to throw up!”
“Bloody hell!” Nessa dove off the bed in pursuit of the washbasin.
*****
Gabrielle sat behind Shasa, cradling her head while holding a cool towel to her neck. Nessa stood looking out the window, tense as a well-honed bow, while Xena examined Shasa’s cuts and checked for further indication of internal damage.
Xena stood and washed her hands before feeling the sailor’s forehead and cheeks one last time.
“Am I okay?”
“As far as I can tell, you just have a fever, Shasa. Probably from the stress of these last couple weeks, on top of not sleeping. The cuts haven’t reopened, and I can’t find any tears or bleeding from penetration.”
Shasa looked nervously at the rigid back of the Celt. “That’s great, Xena, thanks.”
“Stay in bed for the next two days, and I’ll check you over morning and night, to make sure I didn’t miss anything. Then we’ll try having you walk around a bit. But Shasa?”
“Yes?”
“You have to sleep as much as you can the next two days. I’ll have mom bring you a cup of tea every few hours with herbs that will help you sleep. Will you drink them?”
“Yes I’ll drink them, I’ll sleep, and I’ll stay in bed for two days. I promise. Now get going. You all have a lot to do without fussing over me.”
“Xe, I’ll get Shasa settled in, and meet you both in our room, okay?”
“Sounds good, Brie. See you later, Shasa.” Xena walked to the window and tapped Nessa on the shoulder. “Let’s go.”
As the door closed behind the warriors, Shasa turned her worries over to the bard. “Xena said I’m okay. Why is Nessa acting like that?”
“I think she just blames herself for risking your health.” Gabrielle straightened the bedding and fluffed Shasa’s pillow.
“But it was my idea to have sex! Nessa was against it.”
“Honey, don’t worry about it. Sometimes warriors just get burrs under their saddles, and it takes another warrior to knock it out of there. Now, start thinking tired thoughts. I’m going to get your first cup of sleepy-time tea. Be right back.”
*****
Nessa walked back into the warrior and bard’s room, stopped, and stood with hands on hips. Xena entered a moment after and lit into her backside.
“What’s wrong with you?” Xena demanded. “You screwed up and fucked when you shouldn’t have, Nessa, but it didn’t hurt her, so get over it. She’s already stressed out so much that she can’t sleep and she’s sick, she doesn’t need to worry about your sulking too!”
“Drop the act, Xena.”
Nessa turned around and presented her question calmly and clearly.
“Is she pregnant?”
“What?”
“Is—she—preg—nant?”
Xena stared at the Celt.
“Answer me, please.”
Xena closed her eyes briefly and released the breath she held, before meeting her friend’s gaze. “I don’t know.”
____****____
Gabrielle entered their room and whistled at her partner. “Verrry nice, Xena.”
Nessa tilted her head to view Xena from different angles, critically assessing the results. “You don’t think it’s too much?”
The bard grinned. “No! It’s simple, and says, ‘I’m beautiful, but approachable’.”
“Yes, but weren’t we also trying for young and naďve? I don’t see young…”
“But naďve’s written all over her.”
“Mmmm.”
“Oh, shut-up, both of you!”
Nessa chuckled and backed off, while Gabrielle rewarded her lover’s patience with a kiss.
“All set with the magistrate?”
“Yep. He’ll wait for me to get him, and we’ll wait outside for the signal.”
“We haven’t decided on a signal, have we?”
Nessa grunted. “Trust me, the signal will be you screaming your bloody head off.”
Xena rolled her eyes. “Highly unlikely.”
Gabrielle stopped making adjustments to Xena’s hair, and walked to the window. “Hey, wait a minute.”
“What?”
“Nessa, do you know if Shasa screamed?”
The Celt thought about it. “I don’t think she ever told me. She said she fought, but I don’t remember her saying anything about screaming.”
The bard continued, “But you said you screamed when Treyker used it on you, right?”
“Yeah, I screamed at him to let me go, or I’d rip out his heart…or something like that. Why?”
“Because we didn’t hear anything.”
“Nessa, you and I were downstairs drinking tea, not 100 feet from the stable, when Shasa was being raped. And we didn’t hear anything. Isn’t that strange?”
“Yeah, it is.” Xena agreed. “And it makes screaming definitely not the signal.” The warrior princess began to pace. “We have to assume that somehow, sound is muffled in the stable. Or at least in that stall.”
“So we have to actually hide in the stable, not outside it.” Gabrielle sighed. “This is getting more complicated by the minute.”
“Would this be a good time to revisit the idea of killing the bastard?” Nessa asked hopefully.
“No, but it would be a good time to get more information!” Xena grinned. “New plan! Brie, your job from now until dinnertime is to become Toby’s new best friend, and find out all you can about that stable, especially anything odd. Nessa, you’re on Shasa duty. I’m going to walk around and just be seen.”
“What happens at dinnertime?” Nessa asked.
Gabrielle lit up. “We eat!”
“And de-brief. And we’ll eat in Shasa’s room. We need to make sure she feels like she’s included.
“Good.” Nessa nodded. “I know she hates not being able to help.”
“After dinner, you and I’ll do a little snooping around the stable while Gabrielle takes a Shasa shift. Oh, and Brie, tell the magistrate that we’ll be needing him tomorrow, not today.”
“Ok.”
“We’ll pull it all together over breakfast, again in Shasa’s room, and hopefully have him sitting in jail before noon.”
“Do your plans generally go smoothly, or should I start worrying now?”
“You’re a real optimist, aren’t you, Nessa?”
The Celt just grinned.
____****____
Shasa lay in bed smiling at the ceiling, thinking of all that had happened in the last month. Stumbling upon the Lodge, seeing Marishta again after such a long time, finding Xena and an unexpected desire to forgive, feeling the love of the Celt and submitting to her power again…
The smile faded. Feeling the hatred of the blacksmith and resisting his dominance…futilely. Shasa’s arms moved protectively about her body to cover her vulnerability, yet her own touch seemed to awaken her senses more fully to the memory of him. His smell assaulted her nose, and her body quickly curled in upon itself.
Shasa lay upon her side, rocking rhythmically against the darkness that threatened her. She bit back her desire to scream endlessly, and she furiously commanded the tears not to come. Whispers became chants, and if willpower could have saved her, she would have been victorious.
“I’ll not be afraid. I won’t remember his face anymore. I’ll not be afraid. I’ll not remember. Not afraid. Don’t remember. Only Ness took me that day. Only Ness. Don’t remember, don’t remember…”
Yet her soul could not abide by her mind’s attempts to forget, and had to scream it’s rage…and so the tears came, sobs wracked her body, and a different type of cleansing began. After what seemed like an eternity, her heart began to slip free of the binds that held it. The sailor, who had survived much over the years, felt strength and clarity return to embrace her.
Before sleep claimed her, she formulated a new mantra. “I won’t be his victim. And neither will anyone else.”
*****
The door opened with a slight creak, and Nessa treaded softly across the room. She released a bone-weary sigh, as she squinted into the mirror. As her eyes adjusted to the dim firelight, she saw what she had expected—a warrior nearly depleted of all her reserves.
She felt raw. Lack of sleep, lack of outlets to vent her rage, lack of a warrior’s resolution to the problem of her friend’s rapist…it was all wearing on her. Yet she had to continue on for the sake of the lass. Practiced hands went about removing her weaponry, placing them silently within reach of the bed. Then, she stoked the fire, and placed a couple large logs on the blaze.
She’d returned to the inn nearly two candlemarks earlier, with an equally disheveled Xena, and all she’d wanted to do was to fall into bed. Yet, the warrior princess had insisted that they sit down with Gabrielle to make sure that everything was set, and ready for the morrow. It had taken all the Celt’s considerable strength to not just tell Xena to go fuck herself.
Nessa moved quietly to sit at Shasa’s bedside. Tousled red hair outlined the face nestled in the pillow. The bruising had begun to fade somewhat, and the re-emerging tanned skin contrasted nicely with the white shirt she wore. The Celt lightly brushed a stray hair from Shasa’s cheeks, and was surprised when green eyes fluttered opened.
“I didn’t mean to wake you, lass.” The warrior whispered.
“S’okay.” The sailor’s eyes captured her with love and gratitude. There were no traces of confusion, doubt, or fear. Grief and pain had also disappeared. A look of quiet confidence and calm acceptance had taken their place.
The Celt’s heart stopped. Shasa was beautiful. And yet the alarm of a thousand bells tolled their warning in Nessa’s memory.
Shasa’s lovely brows scrunched with curiosity. “What’s wrong?”
The exhausted warrior stared at the sailor for several heartbeats, before shaking her head and smiling. “Nothing. Actually, it looks like your fever’s gone.” Nessa stood and walked around the bed, to remove herself from the comprehensive gaze that studied her. She began to strip off her clothes as she walked. “I just want to crawl into bed and sleep with you. I’m really tired.”
Shasa waited until the warrior slipped beneath the covers, then slid into the strong arms of her Celt. “Anything that gets a naked woman in my bed, is fine with me. You know that.”
Nessa chuckled and wagged a finger at her bedmate. “Don’t start. I don’t want another lecture from Xena, and I don’t want to drown in frustration, either.”
Shasa feigned innocence as well as a slut possibly could. “I’ve no idea what you’re talking about.”
“Yeah, right.” Nessa scoffed.
Shasa grinned and pillowed her head on a lovely warrior breast.
Nessa tightened her hold around the lass, and then plucked the fabric that billowed around her form. “Isn’t this your favorite shirt?”
“Mm-hm.” Shasa mumbled in comfort. “My best pirate whites.” A moment went by before an amused green eye peeked up. “Why? You want to play ‘Shiver Me Timbers’?”
A growled warning was her first reply. “I just wondered. I thought you had on a green sleep shift before.”
The sailor hoisted herself on an elbow. “Have you joined the Warrior Women Fashion League or something?”
Nessa looked quite comical, as she tried to think of a retort for such a question.
Shasa grinned and saved her, by leaning in for a chaste kiss. “Don’t hurt yourself, my lord. I burned that shift in the fireplace, and if I’ve unknowingly made a fashion faux pas, I’ll yield to any punishment that you and your fellow Leaguers may wish to extend.”
“Burned it?”
“Yes.” Shasa answered with exaggerated patience.
“Why?”
“It was soiled.”
Incredulous gray eyes bore into the frugal lass, until Shasa sighed and explained further. “I…” Shasa bit her lip, then smiled and tried to look nonchalant. “I got a little blood on it, and I didn’t want to alarm anyone.”
Too late. The Celt sat bolt upright and grabbed her friend’s shoulders.
“Ness, I’m fine. Don’t go all crazy.”
The warrior opened her mouth to speak, and found a hand instantly clamped upon it.
“Do you think I’d wear my favorite shirt to bed, if I was going to bleed on it?”
Nessa stared wide-eyed at the absurdity of the logic that Shasa presented. “You’ll not get out of a thorough looking over, so don’t argue.”
“You’re being silly.”
“Don’t argue with me, lass!”
Shasa’s mouth clamped shut, as she looked at a Celt whose frustration had reached its limit. The warrior had been so patient and gentle with her for days, reigning in her fury and need for vengeance, controlling and evaluating her every movement to make sure that it was what was best for the sailor. But now that restraint was fading fast. Her resolution was collapsing, and it was painfully obvious. The sailor had to proceed cautiously.
“I’m sorry. You’re right, of course.” Her voice was repentant. “I’ll do whatever you say.”
Nessa swung long legs over the bed, and held her head in her hands. When her voice came, it was strained. “I can’t bear this much longer, lass.”
Shasa sat quietly and waited.
“I’ve honored your wishes, when every part of me has screamed for his blood. And now, I’m trying to follow Xena’s plan to trust in the local authorities.” The dark lord looked the sailor directly in the eye. “But if all fails, I will kill him.”
Shasa’s gaze softened with understanding, and she ran a hand over the thick tresses of her beloved friend. “Oh, Nessa. I’d expect no less from you. And I love you for it. But believe me when I tell you, that I know he’ll never hurt anyone again. I know it.”
“I’d be wishing I could share your faith, lass, but he’ll not stop willingly. He feels no guilt or shame for what he’s done. He’ll not turn away from this evil.”
Shasa easily retrieved the words from her memory. “Evil doesn’t repent or apologize. Evil simply is.”
Nessa watched her friend crawl with feline grace onto her lap. Silken arms circled her neck, and full breasts strained against their covering to contact her own. Strong legs wrapped around her hips, opening a searing moistness above her own center.
The warrior clenched her jaw, as a need to release the intense, emotional pressure merged with the desire for physical release that now pulsed in her sex. Her chest rose and fell rapidly, and her nostrils flared to take in the scent of the slut. Smoky gray eyes looked up to meet gentle green.
“You told me that once, Ness. Do you remember?”
“Aye,” was the lustful response, “I remember the night well, lass.”
A soft smile crinkled her knowing eyes. “Xena didn’t turn out to be the evil I thought she was. She is desperately remorseful, and feels the guilt and shame of all her past actions. She has apologized to me…and I know that her words are genuine.”
Large hands slid across her ass, and pulled her cunt tightly against the Celt. Shasa closed her eyes to let her body completely feel the closeness that brought no fear. Her voice quieted, and tones of slurred sensuality emerged, though her words continued to follow a coherent path. “But this blacksmith is evil. You’re right. And I’d like nothing more than to tell you right now, that I want you to make him suffer before you take his life.”
The fingers of one hand felt their way up Shasa’s strong back, and circled around to her breasts. The slut arched into the contact, moaning, as her head fell back.
“But I can’t kill him for ye?”
“No.” Shasa gasped. Startled eyes flew open, as her prized shirt was rent in two.
Nessa bit down on a protruding nipple, her need surging as she felt the slut buck. The warrior then utilized the last of her restraint. She stopped and looked up to verify what she could not assume any longer, if they were to continue.
Shasa’s passion-filled eyes were also completely unshielded, and the Celt looked freely into her soul. She confirmed her suspicions. “The blood?”
“Aye.” She whispered, green eyes searching for understanding and approval, even as overwhelming desire consumed her. “It had to be me, Ness. You know it wasn’t a rash decision, or an easy one. But it was the only one. It was the right one.”
The warrior studied the sailor’s face, whose gaze didn’t shy away from the inspection. Gradually, acceptance came, and with it, respect and pride began to shine through gray eyes. The warrior nodded. “Then justice is done. And he’s damned lucky it wasn’t me who served it to him.”
Shasa released the breath of nervous anticipation that she had been holding, and yielded completely to the Celt, who devoured the feast that was exposed and in violent need of her.
____****____
It was never easy to get Xena to wear a dress, but add a wig to her torture, and it was damned near impossible. Yet it always was cause for the bard to smile. Xena claimed it was due to the fact that the blond rarely got a chance to see her in misery, but the young woman knew that wasn’t the case. She was happy because everyone got to see what she often saw behind closed doors—the softer side of her warrior.
Gabrielle bounced down the final three stairs, and headed for the kitchen. She hoped that one of the wonderful smells that wafted about, would be something capable of putting the warrior princess turned “common village peasant girl” in a better mood. She changed direction when she saw Cyrene standing at the front window, worrying a dishrag in her hands. “What’s going on, moms?”
The innkeeper turned with a troubled expression. “I don’t know, honey.” She pointed towards the blacksmith’s workshop and stable. “Someone just started yelling, and a bunch of folks went running in there.”
Gabrielle scowled and headed for the door. “Alright, I’m going to go see what happened. I’ll be right back.” The bard paused in the open doorway, and looked back at her mother-in-law. “Do you have nutbread baking?”
Cyrene laughed, in spite of her concern. “I’ll have a tray ready for you to take upstairs, when you get back.”
Gabrielle licked her lips. “And fresh butter?”
“And fresh butter.” A huge grin was all the thanks that the woman needed. “Now go on! With all the happenings around, I’ll not have myself dying of curiosity!”
The battling bard of Poteidaia trotted the short distance to Treyker’s workshop, in search of the answer to the morning’s mystery.
*****
“What?”
“Dead. Very, very dead.”
Xena had been shocked by the news, and had Gabrielle repeat herself three times already. It seemed to finally sink in, as she now had a different question.
“How?”
“It looks like he was run through with a sword, and his throat was slit.”
Xena sank to the bed, shaking her head.
An uncharacteristic darkness fell briefly over the bard’s features. “It’s not like Treyker’s a great loss to the community, Xe. He got what he deserved. Why’s this bothering you so much?”
“That’s not like you, Brie.” Xena pulled the blond wig from her head and shook out her glorious mane. “You’re not even curious as to who did it?”
“No, I’m not.” The bard cocked her head and studied her partner. “And I’ve no plans to ask questions, or to try to figure it out.” Gabrielle opened their bedroom door. “And you shouldn’t either.”
“Where are you going?”
“To wake Shasa and Nessa. I think they should hear this from friends, and not from someone yelling in the street.”
Xena scoffed. “You think they don’t already know?”
Gabrielle glared at her mate for a single instant, and then the look was gone. In its place was innocent mystification. “How could they?”
Gabrielle slammed the door and walked a few steps down the hall, before stopping to get hold of her anger. She leaned against the wall and breathed deeply until her heart rate slowed, then turned her thoughts to Xena’s words.
True, it wasn’t like her to ignore a murder. She’d grappled over the years with the concept that killing evil people was somehow justifiable. But with all her experiences, the bard indeed believed it was—though she rarely acknowledged the dark thought, even to herself.
And she’d certainly not shed a tear for Treyker. In any case, they didn’t know who killed the smithy, and from his bragging to Nessa, it seemed that there would likely be a long list of potential candidates. Certainly they hadn’t cornered the market for hatred of this rapist.
She gave herself a good shake, then tapped lightly on the door of her kindred. No response. Gabrielle let herself in quietly, and found herself mesmerized by what she saw.
Shasa’s bare body lay completely atop the Celt’s equally uncovered form. Her cheek rested on an ample warrior bosom, and long muscular arms held her protectively in place. Both were sound asleep, and both had matching expressions of peace.
The bard stood in silence, merely watching the innocent beauty of two women in one another’s arms. She remembered Shasa’s comment when they first met, about her not being in Sappho’s league, and it brought a feeling of regret to the young blonde. At this moment, she longed for the poetic words that could capture what her eyes saw, and her heart felt, so easily.
Piercing green eyes fluttered open, and locked on to the intruder. Shasa’s surprise quickly passed, and she gazed warmly at Gabrielle. The sailor didn’t move or disturb Nessa in any way; instead, she indicated with her eyes that the bard should sit at their bedside.
Once settled, the bard was blessed with a serene smile from her newest friend. And, Gabrielle noticed, the sleeping warrior mirrored it immediately. “You share a bond.” She noted.
“She’s very dear to me, and I to her.” Shasa whispered back. Then stroked the wild tresses of the lord. “But we’ve no claim on one another. The time for that passed long ago.”
The beautiful Amazon queen accepted the simple statement and shifted her focus to watch the warrior sleep. “She’s been so worried about you, I don’t think she’s slept much since she arrived.”
Shasa looked within. “Ness has seen me through the most difficult times in my life. I don’t know what I’d have done if she hadn’t come here.”
The warrior in question moaned and stretched, then closed her arms tightly around the sailor once again. Shasa looked up and watched the sleepy gray orbs open. “Good morning, Caraid.”
“Mornin’ lass.” Nessa burred with sleep thick in her accent. The Celt pulled Shasa up a bit, and kissed her gently. When the kiss deepened and became more insistent, Shasa pulled back.
“Mmm…Ness, although I’d love to continue this exploration—“
“Then continue it, lass.” Nessa growled playfully as she reclaimed the slut’s lips.
Shasa groaned with a mixture of amusement and frustration, and regretfully pulled away again. “Hold on, tiger, we have to be respectable for company.”
Nessa was adorable in her sleep-induced confusion. “Company?”
Shasa began to explain, “Gabrielle—”
“Mmm…Now there’s a lively vision…Shasa and Gabrielle for breakfast…that’d be a fine way to start the day, lass.” Nessa chuckled and stretched again, her features becoming more alert. “But I’d be doubting Xena’d be so kind.”
Shasa blushed deeply and clamped a hand over her lover’s mouth.
“Whaf? Snut lok u dunt won fruk r.” Nessa teased behind her confinement.
The rarely embarrassed slut cringed and pointed a finger in the direction of the bard, before burying her face in the warriors shoulder. The Celt turned her head, saw the beautiful object of their discussion casually sitting an arms length away, and promptly jumped out of her skin. “Good gods, lass!” Nessa announced the obvious. “She’s here!”
“Uh-huh.” Came the muffled reply.
Gabrielle thought she’d taste blood soon, from biting back her laughter.
The dark lord made the most amazing and immediate return to decorum as was ever recorded in the history of the Kindred. She rolled both herself and Shasa on their sides, facing the bard, and pulled up a blanket. She wrapped a protective arm around the belly of her mortified lover, and looked Gabrielle squarely in the eye. “What can we do for ye, lass?”
Gabrielle’s brow hiked. “Well, I thought the suggestion that you already made was a rather interesting one.”
Nessa’s gaze was stern, and the bard wisely decided to change directions. “Good morning, Nessa. I’m very sorry for this inconsiderate rousing.”
“As you should be.”
The sincerity was genuine, as Gabrielle continued. “I truly am sorry, Nessa.”
The Celt nodded. “I doubt you’d have done such a thoughtless thing, lest ye had good reason.”
The bard nodded.
“Then let’s hear it, lass.”
“Treyker’s been murdered, and I didn’t want you to hear it from anyone else.” Compassionate eyes fell briefly on the sailor, before returning to the warrior. “There’s a lot of yelling outside, and I wanted you to hear it from a friend.”
Nessa laid quietly watching the face of their visitor. Seeing no signs of blame, the Celt nodded her thanks. “I appreciate your concern, Gabrielle. It was good of you to come, thank you.” Her arm tightened around the slut. “Has there been an arrest?”
“Not that I know of.”
“Do we have to do anything?” Shasa asked.
Gabrielle looked at the sailor. The lack of surprise or any type of reaction from the women, had not escaped her. Yet as she looked into Shasa’s eyes, she didn’t see a murderer, she saw a loving soul longing for emancipation for all who chained her spirit. “What do you mean, Shasa?”
“Do we need to talk to the magistrate?”
“I don’t know yet. If so, I’m sure we’ll find out soon.” The bard stood. “I’ll leave now and let you two get up.”
Nessa nodded. “We’ll see you downstairs, lass.”
Gabrielle turned to leave, but a hand grasped her own. She looked at the sailor’s grateful face and felt her curiosity rise. “What is it?”
“Thanks for not asking.”
The bard smiled fully and squeezed the strong hand in her own. Then, she leaned down and kissed the full, willing lips. When she pulled back, she tenderly stroked the lightly bruised cheek and whispered, “I’ve no idea what you’re talking about.”
With that, she left the room.
Shasa smiled and pulled Nessa’s arm more tightly around her body. “I love that woman.”
The warrior let out a long sigh, as the tension in her body slowly eased. “I do too, lass.”
____****____
“Shasa, I should turn your stubborn ass over my—“
“You’re not responsible for protecting me, and I won’t allow it.”
“You’ll not allow it?”
“That’s right.”
“This is ridiculous. We’ll not be arguing any longer.”
Shasa pulled her boots on and glared at the pushy Celt. “You’re right, Ness, we won’t.”
The warrior grunted and pulled her shirt on. “That’s better!”
Shasa rolled her eyes and fastened a wide belt around her long shirt and linen pants. Damn it felt good to be dressed again. The sailor ran a hairbrush over her now shoulder-length, wavy mop, and looked at the final result. She didn’t look too bad. She tossed the brush back on the table, and headed for the door.
“We’ll not argue, because you’ll do exactly as I said.” Shasa opened the door, turning back to meet angry gray eyes with her own no-nonsense green. “I’ll have your word.” She then walked out.
“Stop!” The Celt bellowed.
Shasa did. Not out of fear, but because she plainly heard the panic in the warrior’s voice. She closed her eyes and sighed, before walking back inside their room. The sailor walked straight into Nessa’s body, and waited for the Celt’s arms to surround her. She wasn’t disappointed.
The pounding heart beneath her ear would not slow, no matter how long she stood there. Shasa finally pulled back just enough so that she could see her warrior’s face. “Ness? You can’t lie for me, and you can’t protect me if they want to question me, or punish me.”
“I can.”
Shasa smiled softly and lowered her voice. “Yes, I know you can, Ness.” Appreciative fingers traced the hard muscles of the warrior’s arms. “And I know you’d whisk me safely away, right now.” Determined green eyes shifted to plead with the Celt for understanding. “But I can’t let you do it.” She felt the proud shoulders sag slightly. “I’m sorry, love.”
“It serves no purpose, Shasa.” The beautiful warrior shook her head.
“I’m not asking you to do anything but tell the truth--and only if you’re asked.”
The Celt set her jaw. “They’ll not accept the truth! You’re being naďve!”
Shasa leaned her forehead on Nessa’s shoulder, trying to find a logical path that the woman would accept. She looked up sharply as a thought struck her. “Wait a god damned…do you think…you do! No wonder you want me to run! You think…gods Ness!”
“What?!” The Celt looked bewildered, as the sailor could not seem to formulate a comprehensible accusation.
“You think it was murder, like Gabrielle said!”
“I do not! The bastard deserved what he got, lass, and a whole lot more if you ask me.”
“He wasn’t given a trial, so they’ll call it murder!” Shasa’s eyes were wide
and unfocused. “I didn’t murder him, Ness.”
Nessa grabbed her panicking friend by the shoulders and shook her sharply. “It
was justice, Shasa. We both know that.”
Shasa stared at the warrior, then took a deep breath and nodded.
Nessa pulled the sailor to a chair, and then sat on the bed in front of her. “We didn’t need a trial. You’re the surviving witness, and he confessed to me. He wasn’t innocent.”
“But Gabrielle said—“
“You did not murder him, Shasa.”
“But—“
“Stop it, lass. Please, listen?” The warrior’s voice was gentle. “Vengeance comes from a place of anger --like your quest for Xena all these years-- and it seeks retribution.”
“So?”
Nessa smoothed Shasa’s hair. “We didn’t speak of it last night…but tell me now? What made you kill Treyker?”
“He needed to be stopped for good, and I couldn’t let anyone risk themselves. And I couldn’t let you kill him, Ness, you would have—“ Shasa stopped short, and her brows furrowed.
“Relished it?”
Shasa sighed. “Taking his life was necessary, and I had to do it myself. I couldn’t trust anyone else to…well…to act with any sort of balance. You’d have ripped him apart, and the local authorities would have imprisoned him until he did something even worse.”
“I can’t be apologizing for who I am, lass.”
Shasa smiled slightly. “I don’t mean for you to, and I’m not blaming you for anything. I knew what I was doing, and I was ok with doing it myself. I was swift and merciful, and I didn’t enjoy it…but I did feel…relieved, and safer afterwards.” Shasa rubbed her hands absently. “At the time, I actually felt bad killing him.”
“Bad?”
Shasa hung her head in embarrassment for a moment. “I felt more justified avenging my father, then myself. I know that’s stupid, but it’s true.”
“The wee voice within still tells you it was your fault. Shut that devil up, Shasa.”
The sailor laughed at the unexpected command. Confident eyes looked up once again, and she squared her shoulders. “I know I wasn’t wrong; I followed the way of my people.”
Nessa’s voice held a thick sort of sorrow. “Aye, but our kind of justice isn’t generally accepted in foreign lands. It’s best to just get out of here.”
“But Nessa—“
Gray eyes flashed briefly, and Shasa closed her mouth to hear the rest of her friend’s words. “I watched you go through every emotion possible these few days. I saw you fight the fear and anger that gripped your heart, war against the shame and rage that wanted your soul. I saw your bloodied body trying to purge itself of him.” Celtic fingertips tenderly caressed the cheek of the one who suddenly could not meet her eyes. “I saw courage, Shasa. I watched the warrior within you fight a battle that I couldn’t save you from—though I wanted to. All I could do was chase nightmares, and hold you while you cried, and feel utterly helpless.”
Protesting lips were silenced with a soft and lingering kiss, before they could utter a sound. “You’ve prevailed, my friend, and I’ve never felt a deeper pride.” Shasa’s eyes brimmed with tears at the wondrous words spoken. “I kept my honor by abiding my word to you, and not killing the bastard. But please don’t ask me to let you do this…I just can’t.” The warrior’s eyes held the truth of the strain she felt ready to break her, and the sailor’s heart clenched. “I can’t stand another heartbeat of your suffering, or my forced impotence. Trust me this one time, Shasa. We need to leave now, and go home.”
Shasa sat silently, absorbing both the verbal and non-verbal messages of the Celt. There was no decision to make, but she hoped the time she took helped her to appear more convincing. She finally looked at her oldest friend and nodded. “Alright. I do trust you, Ness. I know I’m not guilty of murder, and there’s no reason to stay to convince the town of that.” She smiled slightly. “Take me home.”
The smile was so broad and the embrace so tight, that Shasa knew she’d gladly face whatever consequences came, to give her lover this one thing she so obviously needed.
*****
“I don’t want to ever think of that man again, and I know if I run now, he’ll always be a fear that follows me.”
Shasa was met with silence.
“But I’ll figure out how to deal with that later. Right now, I have to pack.”
Gabrielle sighed and took the sailor’s hands in her own. “It’s not that easy.”
“Yes, it is.” Shasa said as she the bard off and stood. “And you’d do the same thing, in my position.” She grabbed her pack and began to throw the few items she had brought, inside.
The bard stood and opened her arms at her sides. “Shasa, I heard everything.”
“Good, then you know that she’s taken care of me this whole time, and she’s about to collapse.” Shasa tied the leather bag closed, and grabbed Nessa’s.
“You’re not guilty of murder, and the magistrate will clear your name!”
Shasa snorted. “I don’t know if you really believe that, but you can present my case to him if you want. I’ve got something more important to do.” The sailor made for the door.
The frustrated blonde raised an arm across the door’s threshold. “And what am I supposed to tell Xena?”
“We’ll be gone. Tell her whatever you want.” Annoyance was clear in the snide answer.
The bard glared and refused to be moved.
Shasa sighed. “Fine. Tell her that I appreciate all she’s done for me.” Shasa stopped for a moment, and heard her own words. “I really mean that, Gabrielle. And tell her that although I killed Treyker, I didn’t murder him. She should know that I speak the truth about that. And finally, tell her that if she demands that I return to stand trial, I’ll do it.” Shasa smiled. “But it’ll be one full moon before I do so, and as Kindred, she’ll know where to find me.”
Gabrielle smiled and moved her arm out of Shasa’s way. “Alright. This I can sell.”
“Good.” The sailor began to move past the bard, but then stopped. Her mind was clearly racing, and her hesitance became awkward silence. She finally spoke. “One more thing?”
“Sure.”
Shasa dropped her bags and took a deep breath, releasing it slowly. Then she met the soft green eyes with her own intense emerald. “Listen, ever since I got here, things have been crazy, and with all that’s happened…well, I’ve got a lot of things that I’d like to explain, and even more that I’d like to apologize to you for.”
“You don’t need to apologize for anything, Shasa, but you can explain whatever you want to, later. As Kindred, and as friends, we’ll have time for many talks.” Gabrielle smiled and stepped into the taller woman’s body. “But for now, why don’t you just kiss me goodbye and get your butt over to the stable?”
Shasa’s heart fell into her stomach, and she felt the silliest grin overtake her face. Yet she couldn’t move. The beautiful Gabrielle had said the words: you, kiss and me in the same sentence, and the slut had become completely incapacitated. Luckily, the bard found this to be charming. She graced the debilitated woman with a soft, explorative kiss that lasted just long enough for the slut to confirm that Xena was indeed the luckiest woman in the world.
____****____