Day 36, On the road to Lerna
[21-24]
Day 39, Lerna
[CRADLE OF HOPE (#04)] [25]
Day 40, Lerna [26]
Day 41, Lerna [27-28]
Day 42, Lerna [29]
Day 55, Central Boeotia
[THE PATH NOT TAKEN (#05)] [30]
Day 57, Boeotia [31]
Day 58, Jail [32]
Day 61, Boeotia [33]
Day 66, Boeotian border land
[THE RECKONING (#06)] [34]
Day 69, Still wandering around in Boeotia [35-36]
Day 70, Who knows where [37]
Day 72 [38-41]
Day 72, Night. [42-43]
Day 73, Away from there [44]

Day 36 On the road to Lerna

"All her walls are up, but this hurts her. I know it."

[21] They do not even know her and yet they hate her. She will not let me talk to them. She just gives me a look and takes it. All her walls are up, but this hurts her. I know it. I will have to choose tonight's story carefully.

[22] You can feel the hatred. It is not just eyes on your back, but a hand pushing at you. It hurt when that mother snatched her child away for sharing a smile. As I was buying the bread, I could see the little groups gathering, and staring over at Xena, standing next to me. When she saw the way the baker was looking at me, her face got that set look, and her eyes went hard. That always worries me.

[23] I was thinking about this while dinner was cooking. I guess I was not talking much, because Xena kept glancing at me. She does that often when she thinks I will not notice. She finally came over and sat down. It would have been funny had I not been so upset. She obviously wanted to say something and did not know how to start. Eventually, she made the same awful joke about my name that I have been hearing all my life, but it came out so awkwardly, I could not stay mad at her. I hate that joke, but Xena could not know that. Anyway, she smiled after I did. Neither of us were smiling, though, when she told me she had earned their hatred. She also told me that I should always remember that. I will remember that, but not in the way she intended.

[24] She also promised she would never call me that name again, but what is so funny about threatening her with no more stories? It is not like there are many alternatives. I could shake my fist under her nose. Yeah, right.

Day 39, Lerna
[CRADLE OF HOPE (#04)]

[25] Why did I ever talk Xena into teaching me how to track? If I never crawl through another brush stand again, it will be too soon for me. She took pity on me, and we were camped beside a river. I had a bath I really needed and there was fish for dinner.

Day 40, Lerna

"Xena does not take to babies any more than
babies are that impressed by warrior princesses."

[26] I have seen many strange things while traveling with Xena, but a basketed baby bobbing around in the water is pretty unique (three "b's" in a row, that is good, I will have to remember to use that!). Xena does not take to babies any more than babies are that impressed by warrior princesses. While I got my things together, she had to hold him, and it looked like two enemies searching for a weakness to exploit. Xenos is definitely the name of choice.

Day 41, Lerna

[27] She had better be back soon. If she isn't, I am going to look for her. I do not care what she said. Pandora is frantic over the box, but I am worried about Xena. This kingdom hangs women! I hate this waiting.

[28] A quick reminder: never, never get myself into a situation where I have to dress up like some sort of...dancer. Not after seeing Xena in that outfit. I feel like a 12 year old.

Day 42, Lerna

[29] Hope is a funny thing. Pandora, Gregor, and little Gabriel are building a future on it. Nemos died because of it and Xena is trying to find it. As for me, I have added to my role in our travels. Xena does the fighting and I do the talking. And the cooking. Finally, I feel like I helped her make a difference. The baby tossing has to go, though. Way too stressful.

Day 55 Central Boeotia
[THE PATH NOT TAKEN (#05)]

[30] The hunting has not been that good, even for Xena, but at least there has been plenty of chances to tell stories in the villages we have passed. The dinar supply is not as bad as you would think. We have settled into a routine and I am trying to think of a way to convince her to quit leaving me out of the action all the time. It is pretty hard to tell decent stories about something you have not seen. Also, it is difficult when the one you are relying on to cough up the juicy details uses two words when you need two parchments.

Day 57 Boeotia

[31] Here we go again. Left behind while Xena gets all the fun, even if I do understand why I could not go. If I write that down often enough I might even begin to believe it myself. I am scared. Not about whether Xena will be able to come back -- she always does -- but whether she will want to. The Warlord had everything she had wanted in the past, will she want it again? She is trying so hard...she is strong...please, goddess, let her be strong enough.

Day 58, Jail

[32] Stupid stocks. My hands are numb. Nice of them to figure out we have no chance of escaping and finally taking them off. Mother and Father will not be too pleased to hear I was thrown in jail and then executed. But what choice did I have? If Agranon 's right, and Xena either cannot or will not get Jana back, there is going to be a war. Somebody had to talk to Jana 's father and explain what really happened. We were captured like a sheep! I wonder what Xena will say, if she says anything. Sigh. Luckily I found this parchment to write on. I would be going nuts by now if I couldn't write.

Day 61, Boeotia

[33] How can I reach Xena? I thought I might have earlier, but she is just sitting over there, with that same impassive look on her face. Anybody else, I would know what to do, but how do you comfort someone who flinches whenever you touch them, who will not talk about how she is feeling, and who will not admit that she is feeling anything? Marcus must have meant a lot to her. Except for Hercules, he is the only person I have ever heard her call a friend. Maybe she does not know how to mourn. Maybe she is afraid to. I don't know. But I do know I cannot stand to sit here and watch this. I shall try telling her some children's tales at the fire and maybe they will take her back to a time when someone would always be there to comfort a little girl suddenly alone and lost in the night.

Day 66, Boeotian border land
[THE RECKONING (#06)]

"Sophocles could not write a chorus any better than Xena.
'Gabrielle, stay back.' 'Gabrielle, wait here.' 'Gabrielle, stay put.'
You would think she could be a bit more creative."

[34] I am getting tired of hearing the same old song, over and over again. Sophocles could not write a chorus any better than Xena. 'Gabrielle, stay back.' 'Gabrielle, wait here.' 'Gabrielle, stay put.' You would think she could be a bit more creative. I have tried talking her out of it, but it is tough to argue with yourself. I even did that eyebrow thing she does, back at her, but while I tried to raise it, she had already turned away. The expression on her face was priceless though, the night she caught me practicing it. Her eyes got wide, and I could see her lips moving, but before she could say anything, Argo apparently needed some sort of emergency attention. The horse looked okay to me. Big, tough warrior. Right.

Day 69, Still wandering around in Boeotia

[35] Poor guy, I felt sorry for him, he was just trying to be nice. What guy would not want to buy Xena a drink? Really, we need to work a bit on her social skills. I am sure he did not mean what she thought he did.

[36] I have managed to draw her out a little. She told me a bit more about Marcus. I will always remember him for saving Jana 's life. Of course, that is not helping Xena's grief, but she has his sacrifice to remember, and that might make it easier for her to bear. She still does not sleep much, though.

Day 70 Who knows where

[37] If I hear one more comment about my sense of direction, I am going to practice a few skills of my own. On her.

Day 72

"They have chained her like an animal.
Gods, it is like seeing the winds confined."

[38] This is bad, really bad. I have not seen her yet, and I am worried about how badly she is hurt. That guy hit her so hard. My heart almost stopped when she just crumpled like that. Hit from behind, the coward. She had thrown her sword down and surrendered. This is all my fault. Why did she not leave? She could have gotten away whenever she wanted. Why aren't they looking for the guy who did it? There is not a shred of real evidence that it was her, because it wasn't. The sooner we can get this trial over with, the sooner we can get out of this town.

[39] They have chained her like an animal. Gods, it is like seeing the winds confined. At least all she has got is a headache. Typical Xena. She gives me yet another variation on 'get back'. She has lived without justice so long, she does not believe in it, but I do. Maybe I am just a storyteller, but words are what I do.

[40] Now they want to drag her to death. I am not leaving her. She can forget it. I need solid evidence that cannot be argued against. At least I can speak for her.

[41] Some trial. I do not know what to do. Without those footprints, we have got nothing. We were doing all right until Teracles . Xena has given up, and if I cannot persuade these guys, I think I am out of ideas.

Day 72, Night.

[42] I need to write this down in case something really bad happens. Something really bad has already happened. If anyone finds this, I would like it if they could take this journal to my parents. I am from Poteidaia , and anyone there can tell you where Gabrielle lived. If we get caught tonight, I do not think they are going to let me go, and I do not think they're going to worry about their verdict, either. I want the truth to be known, and the truth is that Xena did not kill those men. I cannot prove it, but I know it. She would never lie to me.

[43] The Council would not listen. The best I could do was to get an agreement that they would judge her only on what they heard at that farce of a trial. They would not even wait long enough for Teracles to recover a bit so I could talk to him. I do not know what happened to Xena, but my face hurts and I am scared. I am afraid of what this is doing to her. She cannot stand being confined like that, and I am getting her out of there. What they are doing is not right. It is vengeance, not justice. Argo and I stumbled across each other, and we are all getting out of here.

"She cannot stand being confined like that,
and I am getting her out of there.
What they are doing is not right.
It is vengeance, not justice."

Day 73, Away from there

[44] I should have figured she knows the God of War. He sure went to a lot of trouble. She seems pretty uneasy about the whole thing, except for what I did. That surprised her. I do not think she is used to that. I talked her into resting a bit while dinner was cooking, and it is good to see her actually smile for a change, although I could have done without her pointing out how useful the tracking lessons are turning out. In a way, I wish I had not found those footprints, because now I think I have got more bushes in my future. I hope she does not remember pay backs . I do not want to have to slug her again anytime soon. My hand is killing me, and the salve she put on it smells as bad as her cooking.

"I do not want to have to slug her again anytime soon.
My hand is killing me..."

Continued in October in Scroll 3. Be there or be square.