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she-ra-cat-ra · 4 years

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I’m honestly just kinda bored and decided to make this for no real reason. I like doing fic recs because I think I have taste but some of these.... kinda aren't good lol it’s more of what stuck with me through the years.

So yeah List of fics that were important to me and that were on my fanfantion.net fave list and may or may not be good:

What The Eyes Can't See : The only fic on this list that made it over from my very first fanfic.net account that has now been lost to time. This was the fic that got me into long fics It’s a Bleach fic and made me super disappointed that Tatsuki never got to do anything as cool as she does in this fic, at least when I actually watched/read it. Also, my mom found my bookmark of it and had to have a talk with me because she ended up reading the smut bits. You can’t even read the whole thing on fanfic.net, parts had to be cut when they did that purge of smut years and years ago

Timely Errors: I love time travel more than like any other trope. Harry Potter goes back in time is pretty common but this fic is pretty rare in that it still pretty good. Plus it’s cute and made me cry. And whats funny is that it’s a small bit at the end that I remember the most, where Ron has no idea that something is wrong until Hermione gives Harry an extra piece of cake then he just Knows has stuck with me for years because it’s so cute and sad and just so.... idk the perfect way I’ve seen their friendship expressed?

Hourglass For some reason the general outline of this fic has been in my head since 2009 when I first read this 142k beast of a fic. I had just started to really get into fandom and Kingdom Hearts was poping. The idea of an older vision of the nice main character coming backward in time but is really mean and jaded because the future sucks really stuck with me. Also, there is a throwaway line about how Mulan lost her husband in the war but continues to fight anyway and Mickey Mouse has a moment to be sad about it has also stuck with me because what the fuck

Wait This fic is here more because I kept thinking over the idea more than the actual fic, I mean it’s a little bit of a mess because it’s a songfic and the way it’s written through a couple of lifetimes BUT the idea of someone who is the Avatar's companion and gets reincarnation randomly instead of in order is one that I’ve thought about a LOT because of this fic. You again? is same thing but I like the actual fic more as the idea that the companion isn’t always a lover and they kill each other about half the time is a good one.

Diamonds Are A Girl's Best Friend ok look this is not a list of fics that are 100k and have great plots etc etc this is a list of fics that have stuck with me and for some reason, this Icarly fic is one of them. I have no idea why but it is funny and cute and I love the idea that Sam is wanted in France for stealing the Eiffel tower

Lily Potter and the Worst Holiday I love the idea of two universes clashing together and seeing two that aren't great, as both had a lot of people die including a young Ron and Hermoine because Harry wasn’t there, stuck with me.

Many Thanks this fic made me cry AT LEAST three times, just thinking of it makes me tear up man. And it keeps going way longer than you think but in a good way? Not only does it have time travel but instead of being in the traveler's point of view, it’s from a bystander. It’s just... ugh the idea of it is great and it just works really well. I just love me some badass Hermione.

Old Bones just a little fic that made me go, ‘oh shit maybe seeing everything underground after a 100-year war could end up fucking up a 12 ear old’

Awkward Once again this is a list of fics that stuck with me and for some reason this one did. No idea why since I didn’t even ship Raven/Starfire but it’s pretty cute

City of Ghosts such a weird little Xena Fic but it’s weird in a canon kind of way? Like yeah, that could be in a Xena episode. This fix it fic works pretty well at what it’s going for I guess. I so love Gabrielle, or her reincarnation kicking ass and saving Xena

ab igne ignem capere AU where Azula was born first so she isn’t the favorite. Great idea and I loved the style but it’s unfinished and it’s such a shame too.

Alone, Together Oh my god this is where my love of weird plots came from. I LOVE this fic and I think about it all the time. The idea of two people having to be alone together for YEARS and they actually fall in love and have to work at it for it to work but they do it!!! Only to have all of that taken away, memories and all??? And now they have to deal with where they were before that all happened and just UGH what a fic man.

And The Whole World Tilted this fic made me cry and still kinda does and since it’s a iCarly fic that's impressive

A Secret Relationship Unlike Any Other back at it again with the weird plot. The idea that Rachel Berry loves planning and bossing people so much that she ends up dating Quinn with Finn as a puppet is very funny and is super in character.

A Million Miles Of Fun this fic is so dumb but every once in a while I think ‘lol remember that fic where Faberry and Brittana kill a ton of people and it was like 100k and kinda good?’

The Line Between Jealousy and Hate this fic really really got me when I was younger. It’s a KND fic and the idea that 86 hates boys because she’s a lesbian is kinda overplayed in fandom a lot but idk man this fic hit me hard when I wasn’t out yet.

Just off the Key of Reason is Quinn out of character in this fic? Yes. Is there any plot? No . Have I read this fic and all its sequels like 100 times? Yes because it’s pure wonderful fluff

Animals and Prizes .....OK I need you to listen to me. Do I want to remember this fic so much? No not really but can one really forget their first alpha/omega fic? I read this fic way back in 2013, I was in high school! Honestly, everything considered it’s better than you would think, I mean it has an actual plot

Those Gilded Chains We Wear this fic got me in two ways. One: I love me some dark ladies with a Past that fall in love with some good-hearted person and grow from it. Two: a kinda weird plot where Hermione and Bellatrix have a magic bond thing because Bella, of her own free will, leaves Voldemort and the magic bond thing is the only way to make sure she isn’t lying. Re-reading it now I don’t enjoy it as much, as Hermione just takes way way too much crap but it’s still enjoyable. The idea that Bellatrix is actually legally insane and should be treated for it is nice and the idea that magic could affect how mental illness shows up in a person is cool.

Dark Energy Yo not one other fanfic series has made me cry as much as Dark Energy. I usually hate re writes fics but Dark Energy makes it work really really well. The first is pretty plain compared to the others but by the second it just nails it. By far this is my favorite Mass Effect fic and it’s differently effected how I see characters in the game.

Sight the King once again I got taken in by weird plot. I mean you know how rare season 0 fics are in Yu-Gi-Oh? Super rare and this one is what happens when you realize season 0 is super fucked up, I mean people get set on fire and that's like three times! So yeah seeing Yugi deal with waking up at the scene of four-ish murders with blood on his hands and realizing that no one is going to belive him is just great. A+ for the great tone too, the writing is great and it’s by far the most in-character fic out there for this time period

#long post #I have 800+ faves on fanfiction #I mean most are trash but still #I like going back and reading stuff that I liked years ago #God if I did a master list of fic recs....#I read fic a LOT #Like a LOT a Lot #maybe I'll do one if I get bored again lol

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faveficarchive · 5 years

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Reality Check

Sequel to Creative License

By Ella Quince

Pairing: Xena/Gabrielle

Rating: PG-13

Synopsis: Xena and Gabrielle start out on their new life together after Darphus buys (kicks) Xena out.

The woodland glade was restored to tranquility in the aftermath of that morning's battle. Only one combatant, and her companion, remained in the arena. Just as well, since there was only one felled log on which to sit and the warrior was in need of a resting place.

"I wish you'd warn me before you start re-enacting my stories, especially the really bloody ones," said Gabrielle, dabbing at the wound on Xena's forehead.

Xena winced as the stinging salve took effect. "This wasn't exactly 'The Gauntlet,' Gabrielle."

"Maybe not," said the bard, swallowing audibly as she wiped away a thin rivulet of blood. "But greed triumphed over honor, delivering your army into the hands of a despicable minion of Ares."

"Oh, Darphus is all right, even if he did force a change of management. And he only whacked me because we couldn't agree on the sale terms. He gets a little aggressive when he's frustrated, which is a useful trait in an up-and-coming warlord."

"Uh, Xena...I'm—I'm not feeling...so good..."

"Oops!" Xena jumped to her feet, catching the swaying bard in her arms. "Here, sit down and put your head between your knees." Rubbing Gabrielle's back, she said, "You're not used to all this blood, are you?"

"No," admitted Gabrielle weakly.

"That's probably why you can tell such gory stories. It doesn't seem real to you."Thank the gods.... Xena smiled fondly at the pale-faced young woman, then leaned down and gently kissed her on the forehead.

"What's that for?"

"A remedy for fainting."

Gabrielle smiled, color returning to her cheeks. "It does seem to help." She sat up with an enthusiastic gleam in her eye. "Maybe we should—"

"I wouldn't want to overdose you," teased Xena.

"Too late for that," replied Gabrielle smugly. "If too much kissing is bad for us, we're going to die young."

"But happy," said Xena cheerfully. "Very happy."

"I'm sorry about your army, though."

"I'm not." The warlord bent down and scooped up the small purse of gold coins Darphus had finally thrown at her feet. It was lighter than the sum she had asked for, but considering he could have killed her instead, it was a generous settlement. "As business ventures go, my army wasn't a resounding success. So it's time to move on and put my skills to better use."

"What do you have in mind?"

"I dunno." She whistled for the chestnut gelding grazing on the meadow grass at the edge of the glade. "We'll just have to see what turns up."

"Now that I think about it, this is going to be fun," said Gabrielle, determined to find some good in their reversal of fortune. "Traveling on the road together, having adventures just like Gabrielle and the Warrior Princess. What more could a bard ask for?"

"Aw, Hades!" hissed Gabrielle, squirming yet again to avoid the pointed rocks that littered the hard ground beneath her. Unfortunately, the chains on her wrists and ankles severely restricted her movement. On top of that, she was hungry and cold... and even just a little scared.

She studied the scruffy trio of men who were bunched around the blazing fire, a fire that was too far away to offer her any warmth. They were deep in furious discussion, but she couldn't make out their words. "What do you think is going to happen to us?" she whispered to the woman lying beside her.

Xena tried to shrug, but her bonds were too tight. With a frustrated sigh, she said, "Well, considering that I don't really have any mortal enemies, he just thinks I do..."

"It could take awhile for him find someone who wants to ransom the Warrior Princess," realized Gabrielle. "Oh, Xena, this is all my fault!"

The warlord shook her head. "No it's not, Gabrielle. These are thugs, so they would have robbed us anyway, then probably killed us if they hadn't recognized me. Besides, it doesn't matter why they attacked — I should have been able to protect you. Some warrior I've turned out to be," she said glumly. "More like a scroll-pusher with delusions of grandeur."

"Xena, you were outnumbered three to one. I thought you were splendid. If there'd only been two of them, you would have won for sure."

"The Warrior Princess can rout an entire army."

"Yes, but she has me as a choreographer. And I'll have you know it took me days to work out that fight scene against the Persians. If the guys who jumped us had made an appointment ahead of time, I could have written one for you too."

And despite their desperate situation, they began to laugh...

"This is a trick, right?"

Startled, Xena looked up to find the burly leader of their captors looming over her. He appeared to be the only one of the men still left in the campsite.

"It was too easy," he said, nervously licking his lips. "You just let us take you, even though there were only three of us. Which means you wanted to be captured." He broke out into a sweat and began to fumble in his pockets for the keys to the locks. "I'm no fool. It just isn't worth the risk. You might not believe this, but I have a wife and children, and I really want to get back to them. Alive, not in pieces."

Xena and Gabrielle exchanged incredulous looks as he jumped back, anxiously waiting for them slip off their chains.

"Please, Xena, don't hold this against me," he pleaded. "According to the bards, you've changed, you're merciful now, right?"

"Uh, yeah," said Xena as she and Gabrielle scrambled to their feet. At a prod from her companion she assumed a dour expression and growled, "But it's a good thing you let us loose, because what I had planned for you..." She trailed off, her brow wrinkling in concentration.

"Whooo, you don't want to know!" interjected Gabrielle quickly, before Xena's lack of imagination became too obvious.

"No! No, I don't!"

"Good save," whispered the warlord as their captor turned heel and ran.

"That's what bards are for," said Gabrielle.

By dawn they were on the road again, walking side by side, with the gelding ambling in their wake. It was, reflected Gabrielle, an eerily familiar scenario, as if she'd stepped into the middle of one of her own tales. Except, of course, that this Xena was much too good-natured to bear any resemblance to a brooding, haunted mass-murdering warlord with a hair-trigger temper and lethal killing skills. Upon further reflection, the bard decided this was probably a good thing....

"Tell me another one," said Xena, still chuckling at the thought of a royal princess who was her mirror image.

"Okay, how about the Callisto trilogy next?"

"Great, that's one of my favorites... only leave out Joxer."

"Hey! I'm in those scenes with him, too, you know."

"Necessary collateral damage," said the warlord, dismissing Gabrielle's protest. "If he'd tried to join my army I would have gutted him on the spot."

"I thought you were a kinder, gentler sort of warlord."

"Not that kind, not that gentle."

"I think you're being very close-minded. Joxer is the comic relief, an advanced literary device only recently introduced into contemporary oral narratives."

"Too advanced for me," said Xena flatly. "Besides, it's not as if his scenes further the plot."

"Everyone's a critic," muttered the bard.

Xena's reply was cut off by the gelding snorting loudly and pulling at the reins in her hands. "Steady, steady," she soothed, trying to calm the horse, who appeared to be on the verge of bolting.

"What's wrong?"

"Beats me."

"I don't suppose it has anything to do with the smoke that's blowing our way?" asked Gabrielle.

Xena sniffed loudly, then frowned. "Damn sinuses...."

Gabrielle stared at her companion. "Just what are the minimum qualifications for a warlord these days?"

"I had scouts, okay?" snapped Xena. "I paid them good money to notice details like that."

"Yes, yes, of course," said Gabrielle tactfully. "So," she continued with a bright smile and a shiver of anticipation, "what do we do now?"

"Do?" Xena looked at her blankly.

"About the fire."

"We go around it," said the warlord.

"Xena, we can't ignore a town that's been set ablaze by a ruthless conqueror! We have to help them fight—" Gabrielle broke off, unsettled by the smirk on the warlord's face. "What?"

"There's no town in that direction. Some farmer is probably burning the stubble in his fields."

"You don't know that for sure," said the bard with a stubborn jut of her chin. "There could be rapacious raiders just over that hill, rampaging in a frenzy of blood lust as they loot and pillage a defenseless farm."

"Wrong time of year for looting farmers. The harvests are over and crops have been taken to market by now. Rapacious blood-lusting raiders are off attacking city granaries instead."

"Oh."

"But it does make a good story," said Xena kindly. Then, with a sudden start, she cocked her head, listening intently. "Someone's coming."

"That's more like it." Gabrielle was suitably gratified by this proof of her companion's keen hearing. Bouncing on her toes, she tried to peek over the hill to see the dangerous assailant who was approaching. Her face fell at the sight of a stoop-shouldered figure in worn clothing.

"Uh, oh," whispered Xena under her breath. "Trouble."

"Really?" The bard's pulse quickened as she studied the peasant who was shuffling his way toward them. "He looks harmless, but obviously you've seen through his disguise. Who is he: a warrior, an assassin, a god in mortal raiments?"

"Hurry up, Gabrielle," said Xena, panic edging her voice as she grabbed the bard's elbow and yanked her into motion. "I've seen that look before. He's a lecherous old man who's going to want to keep us company all the way to Athens."

But it was too late. The man's gait was faster than it looked.

"Hey, don't I know you?" called out the peasant as he fell into step beside them.

"Umm, I don't think so," said Xena, tugging at the gelding to pick up his pace.

"Yeah, yeah, sure I do. You're that warrior princess gal... Xener."

Gabrielle winced. "That's 'Xena.'"

He nodded sagely. "That's what I said, Xener."

"I'm sorry to be the bearer of sad tidings," proclaimed the young bard, assuming a dramatic visage of grief and woe, "but the Warrior Princess is dead, crucified by the Romans."

"She looks like a pretty lively corpse to me," cackled the man. His eyes fixed on the warlord's breastplate. Peering more closely, he added, "You been eating enough lately? You're skinnier than I expected."

"Death will do that to you," muttered Xena through a clenched jaw.

"This is my lucky day," the peasant crowed, his gaze shifting over to Gabrielle's generous bustline. "Two lovely young ladies and me with a full week's pay. So, what's the going rate for the both of you, dearie? And don't try to charge me those big city prices. We're still a half-day's walk from Athens, and I know what's a fair rate around here."

Oh, gods...we're doomed, thought the bard as she began to realize the full magnitude of their peril.

"I wouldn't have held it against you," insisted Gabrielle as they wound their way through the crowded city streets. "One little jab with the sword, not enough to disembowel him, just enough to draw blood and slow him down."

Xena shook her head, her mouth twitching with restrained laughter. "Occupational hazard, my bard. If I attacked every obnoxious man I met while traveling, I'd have to lay waste to half the countryside."

"And this is a problem, why?" prompted Gabrielle. Four hours in the company of a garrulous, doddering lecher had seriously eroded her temper. He had stuck to them with the tenacity of a starving leech until the last mile of their journey, then pinched her on the butt when he left.

"Now do you understand why I loathe Joxer?"

"Touché," said the bard. "I'll kill him off in my next story. That's a promise."

"Remind me to make an offering to Athena," said Xena gratefully. "She's obviously heard my prayers." Then, with a cluck of encouragement, she led her horse off the road and into a tidy stable yard.

A lanky young stablehand stopped pitching hay and ambled over. He nodded a polite greeting to the warlord, but then his eyes sidled to the belly of her horse. "That's a gelding," he said in an accusing tone.

"Uh, yes, the last time I checked he was," agreed Xena.

"But where's Argo?"

She sighed heavily. This was going to be a long day. "I'm not Xena. At least, I'm not that Xena."

The lad guffawed. "Yeah, right. She's okay isn't she?"

"Who, Xena? Actually, she's dead."

"No, Argo," he said stubbornly. His forehead creased with worry. "She didn't get hurt or anything, did she?"

"But I don't have—"

"I've always wanted to meet Argo," he continued anxiously.

"Argo is just fine," said Gabrielle, deciding this wasn't a battle she and Xena could win. "We left her with... Xena's mother."

"Oh, that's okay then." He hoisted their saddlebags and bedrolls off the gelding. "Guess we can count on Cyrene to take good care of her."

Xena stared at him incredulously, but the bard just nodded in agreement. "Yes, Cyrene is pretty reliable."

As the stablehand led the gelding into the barn, Xena shook her head in amazement. "But I don't have a horse named Argo. I don't even have a mother."

"Well, you do now," said Gabrielle wearily, "so just go with it."

"I thought I'd be anonymous in Athens," complained Xena as they carried their packs to the adjacent inn. "Or at least inconspicuous. Surely the citizens of the most cosmopolitan city in Greece can tell the difference between fact and fiction?"

"Now, now, don't judge the entire population based on the reaction of one illiterate stablehand." Gabrielle smiled brightly at the dour-faced innkeeper who was slumped against the doorway of his establishment. "We'd like a room, please."

"Yeah, I figured that. One bed or two?"

Xena blushed at the drawled inquiry, but Gabrielle answered calmly. "One bed is fine."

"About time," muttered the innkeeper, his expression softening slightly.

"Excuse me?"

"Oh, nothing." He opened the door for them and pointed to a flight of stairs. "Second room on your left."

"Am I imagining things or did he wink at us?" asked Xena as they climbed up to the second floor.

"I'm sure it was a trick of the light."

"Like Hades it was. I'll bet he also thinks we're Xena and Gabrielle—I mean, that Xena and Gabrielle — and that we... they... are finally lovers."

"Well, we are."

"But we're dead."

"Love endures!" proclaimed the bard as she flung open the door to their room.

They both stared in dismay at the cramped space and its drab furnishings, then took a hesitant step inside. There was barely enough room to take yet another step.

"They need to dust more often," said Xena critically, wiping a finger across a tabletop. She rubbed off the resulting smudge with a shiver of distaste. "At least once a year."

"I've seen worse...somewhere," muttered Gabrielle.

Sitting down on a bed with a decided absence of any bounce, Xena judged the mattress to be slightly softer than a granite slab. "By the way," she asked curiously, "just how many times have you done this?"

The bard suddenly became intently absorbed in unpacking their bedrolls. "Done what?"

"Checked into an inn...with another woman."

Gabrielle shrugged and kept her face averted. "I'm a bard...I travel a lot...meet lots of people...."

"I'm not complaining," said Xena softly. "It's just that," she took a deep breath and confessed, "I was always so busy running my army that I didn't have much time for... socializing. So sometimes I worry that I don't... measure up."

"Oh." When the young woman turned around, there were tears running down her cheeks. "Xena, I fell in love with you the day you rode into Potidea, and you've been worth every minute of the years I've waited for you. No one has ever made me feel as wonderful, or as beautiful, as you do."

"Oh." The warrior blinked, then cleared her throat, but no words came out. So she pulled the bard down onto her lap and enveloped her in a fierce hug.

Her face buried against Xena's chest, Gabrielle whispered, "But if you're still worried, we could get in some practice before lunch."

Not many patrons were left in the common room by the time the two women wandered downstairs again.

"There's plenty of food," yelled the innkeeper from the depths of the kitchen, "as long as you want stew."

"Stew?" said the warlord under her breath. "It smells more like dirty laundry,"

"Hush, Xena." Gabrielle mustered a polite smile and called back, "Stew will be fine!"

"Delius was here," Xena read off the top of the trestle table in the middle of the room. As they settled onto a low bench that wobbled ominously, she continued her perusal of the words etched into the wooden surface. "Fiscus loves Antonio...Gratius has a twelve-inch—"

"Here ya go!" barked out a busty woman who emerged from the kitchen with a tray of food balanced on her hands. Then her eyes fixed on the leather-clad warlord. "Oh my!" Setting two bowls down in front of her customers, the waitress leaned over at a strategic and obviously well-practiced angle that displayed her breasts as if they were a special on that day's menu. "You're Xena, the Warrior Princess, aren't you?"

Xena smiled broadly. "Why, yes—"

"Yes, there's a strong resemblance," interjected Gabrielle. "How sweet of you to notice. But hadn't you heard? The Warrior Princess is dead." Leaning closer to her companion, she muttered, "Or she certainly will be soon."

"Yup, dead," said the warlord with sudden conviction. "Nailed to a cross, they say. Nasty way to go, but very thorough."

The waitress shuddered, which only served to accentuate her assets. Then she looked at the young bard, coolly measuring her appearance. "Well, you're obviously not Gabrielle. Is she dead, too?"

"Yes," said Gabrielle through gritted teeth. "She died with Xena."

"Oh, that's so sad!"

"What's really sad is this food," said the warlord, hastily dropping her spoon after just one taste.

"Don't you worry, I can fix you something very special," gushed the waitress.

"We wouldn't dream of putting you to that kind of trouble," said Gabrielle quickly and firmly. "We'll pick up something to eat at the marketplace instead. Now!" she said, prodding Xena into leaving before the waitress could offer any more of her services.

As they headed out the door, Xena spat out a knot of gristle that had lodged between her teeth. "We really should move to another inn."

"Yeah, we probably should," agreed Gabrielle reluctantly, "only this place is so convenient. It's near the city gate and the stables and even the markets."

"But—" The warlord broke off her protest; her blue eyes lit up, fired by a sudden spark of inspiration. "Why so it is, my bard, so it is..."

"One dinar."

Gabrielle nodded and handed over a coin. As she turned away from the stall, she saw the horrified look on Xena's face. "What?"

"Gabrielle! You just paid three times the market rate for that apple! I thought you knew how to bargain."

"Excuse me, Destroyer of Nations, but I'm a bard, remember? I write fiction."

Behind them, the fruit vendor was staring at the warlord, running his eyes from her leather boots up and up to the raven-dark tresses of her hair. "Destroyer of... You're Xena, the Warrior Princess!" he yelped.

"Xena's dead," said the warlord automatically.

"But you look just like her!"

"No, no she doesn't," cried out Gabrielle, assuming a visage of obvious dismay. "You've made a mistake, a dreadful mistake. It's just a... a strange coincidence, that's all."

Startled by Gabrielle's very unconvincing denial, Xena decided the better part of valor lay in letting the bard play out this scene on her own. Setting her mouth in a grim line, the warlord maintained a steadfast silence.

"Why, if this woman were Xena," said Gabrielle, "do you think for one minute she would let you live after cheating me out of a full dinar for that mealy apple?"

Ah — that's my cue, realized the warlord. "Like the little woman said, I'm not Xena." And she let her hand drift onto the pommel of her sword.

The vendor swallowed hard. "No, not Xena... how silly of me..." Taking a deep breath, he said, "Uh, by the way, you forgot your other two apples. And here, have a pear as well. They're very tasty this time of year."

Gabrielle broke into a beatific smile. "Why, thank you — you're very kind."

As they strolled away, munching on fruit, Xena said, "And I thought you said you couldn't bargain."

"That wasn't really bargaining. It was improvisational acting. And for an amateur, you did a pretty good job of picking up your lines."

"It was fun," said Xena thoughtfully. "I haven't had a whole lot of fun in my life." She turned to her companion. "That's one of the things I like about being around you. Even before we met, I figured that you'd just naturally make life more interesting. It was one of the reasons I had you abducted."

"Really?" Gabrielle flushed with pleasure. "Just for that, I'll forgive you for that 'little woman' crack."

One advantage to having such a small room, decided Gabrielle philosophically, was that it could be lit by the single candle stub reluctantly provided by the innkeeper. She sneezed as a cloud of dust tickled her nose. "Guess the maid's been here."

During their absence their packs had been thrown into a corner of the room and the bedspread had been turned down to reveal stained, threadbare sheets.... and a whip coiled neatly on top of a flat pillow.

"What the—!" growled the warlord. Snatching her whip off the bed, she hastily stuffed it back in her saddlebag. "I'd like to get my hands on the bard who's been spreading those damn S&M stories again."

"Yeah... so would I," said Gabrielle, a speculative tone in her voice. At Xena's outraged look, she said, "Hey, don't knock it until you've tried it."

"What is it about you bards and leather?" asked Xena in dismay. "How many times do I have to tell you that armor and weapons are the tools of my trade, not sex toys. I have no intention of using a whip on you."

"That wasn't the scenario I had in mind."

"Oh no, you don't! Whips hurt!"

"Chains?"

Xena fell silent for a moment. "Well...maybe...."

This promising line of discussion was abruptly interrupted by a series of blood-curdling yells and the sound of splintering furniture coming from the room next door, followed by a rhythmic chanting that gathered force until the two women could hear the words, "Toga, toga, toga!" reverberating through the wall.

"Just a wild guess," said the bard, "but I think that's a party we want to avoid."

"And I think it's time I had a small talk with management," said the warlord, striding masterfully out of the room.

Gabrielle shivered. There had been an edge of menace in her companion's voice that the bard had never heard before. As she waited for Xena's return, Gabrielle even felt a twinge of sympathy for the hapless innkeeper. Then the candle guttered out, throwing her into darkness, and the floorboards began to vibrate from the escalating noise of the nascent orgy. "On second thought — Take the village, kill 'em all," the bard muttered as she stumbled her way out of the room and went in search of the warlord.

She found Xena standing alone in the middle of the empty common room.

"Well?" Gabrielle demanded. The dazed smile on Xena's face was starting to worry her. "Did you find the innkeeper? Did you make him give back our money so we can stay somewhere else?"

"Not exactly." Xena's smile broadened. "Actually, I bought the place from him."

"Bought it!" Without even trying, the bard managed a truly impressive dramatic visage of pure horror. "But Xena, this inn is a dump!"

"A dump with a good strategic location, which is why it's stayed in business as long as it has, despite its many shortcomings. All it needs is a good administrator and some first-class entertainment, like a bard, and—"

"...and it could be a roaring success," finished Gabrielle with awe.

"Xena, Athenian Innkeeper," proclaimed the former warlord as she surveyed her new territory. "Has a nice ring to it, doesn't it?"

#xena #xena warrior princess #xena/gabrielle #xena/gabrielle fanfiction #pg-13 #femslash #fanfiction #author: ella quince

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9r7g5h · 7 years

Text

Remember All - P12

Fandom: Xena: Warrior Princess

Overall Rating: T+ (Rating subject to change)

Genre: General

Summary: Given another chance, left with her memories of their first time through, Gabrielle knows there’s only one option for her- let Xena live. Whatever she had to do, whatever she had to change to make sure that would happen, Gabrielle was willing to do it.

Words: 4,237

AN: Updates might be a little bit slow for the forseeable future. I'm trying to figure out where the plot goes from here, and while I have some major things planned, I need to figure out how to jump to them, you know? But I am actively working on it, and will hopefully figure things out soon. Until then, please bear with me and enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own Xena.

Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7, Part 8, Part 9, Part 10, Part 11, ???

They stayed for another week. A week of celebration and excitement, of feasts and drinking and merriment- though nowhere near to the levels the Romans had been, everyone still on tense guard for any who might wish to do them harm. But still they celebrated, just glad for the first official win they could call their own.

With Londinium theirs, fully stocked and easy to defend, Boadicea had already begun planning. It wouldn't take long to move her entire army into the safety of the city, finally forsaking the caverns for now. From the city, they would easily be able to begin sending out raiding parties, coordinating and organizing strikes that would slowly, over the course of many months, begin to drive out the Romans. There was still a long road ahead of them, but with the largest, best fortified fort now theirs, it would be possible.

She tried to convince them to stay, offering Xena command of half the army- she had earned it, earned it and Boadicea's trust back, after so long of it missing. She had offered them a home, someplace not safe, no, nor an easy life to live, but one that would allow them to fight the Roman bastards, perhaps even with a greater chance at Caesar. While there was no guarantee, Boadicea was sure he would return, especially once he heard about the death of his friend.

Xena disagreed.

"He'll be angry," she pointed out that first night, after Boadicea had had the bodies removed from the commander's lodging and the blood as well washed from the wooden floors as was possible. Which it wasn't- still a large stain coated the floors from where the wood had absorbed his blood. A stain they all did their best to ignore, but still, Gabrielle could feel everyone's eyes flicker to her whenever they were first drawn to the stain. Even after she had cleaned up, changed into a spare set of clothing one of the women had been able to offer her while her own clothes were cleaned- a soft shirt, a long skirt, so close to what her mother used to wear, Gabrielle had almost felt young again- she knew what they were all imagining.

Already the kinder soldiers were beginning to hail her as Andarta, Andraste, different names for their goddesses of war and victory falling from their lips whenever they saw her. Because none of the others knew it wasn't her blood that had covered her, believing the illusion of her slit throat, but still she lived, and they had won without a single casualty of their own.

The more fearful named her Ankou, claiming their god of death had taken female form to walk among them, just bidding her time before she dragged them all into their graves. Because who else could walk away from death so easily?

For those who did know, still they stared. Stared and wondered at the girl standing before them, wearing borrowed clothes as she stayed close to Xena's side, trying to figure out how she had managed to defeat Brutus, supposedly one of the Roman's greatest swordsmen, with only a nick.

Even Xena seemed unable to focus entirely, her gaze constantly finding Gabrielle, constantly drifting to the bandages that had been wrapped around her throat, everything about her tensing with rage whenever she did. It was clear she wanted to fight something, do something to fix the fact that Gabrielle had gotten hurt, but there was no one to fight. The Romans had been locked away, awaiting interrogation, and the person Xena truly wanted to get her hands one was already dead, his body already moved to the giant pyre the soldiers had built for the dead Romans outside the city.

But as if feeling Gabrielle's discomfort with the stares, Xena tried.

"He'll be angry to have lost Londinium," Xena said again, drawing everyone's attention back toward her, "but Caesar will believe this to be Brutus' loss, not his own. As far as he'll see it, his destiny is to continue on to the rest of the world, and come back to Britannia when he has the council's favor again. Until then, it's safe to say he won't be back; there might be someone else, but not Caesar. As for Brutus..." She gave a little shrug. "To Caesar, alive he was a piece to be ransomed. Dead, at least we don't have a prisoner to bargain with."

"It's too bad we don't," Boadicea said with a sigh, shaking her head. "I know you did what you had to do, girly," she continued, addressing Gabrielle, "but someone like him would have been worth his weight in dinars, or at the very least information. It's good the rat bastard's dead, but it's too bad his worth goes with him."

All Gabrielle could do was shrug. She wasn't going to apologize, wasn't going to look ashamed of what she had done- she had done it to keep Xena safe, and her mission had been a success so far, even with its setbacks. Brutus' blood was on her hands, but she could live with that.

"Oh well," Boadicea finally sighed, giving a small shrug of her own. "At least we have the city. And you two are sure you don't want to stay? It might not be Caesar, like you said, but there's sure to be a long line of Roman bastards that would look pretty wearing a souvenir from your chakram there, Xena." She nodded at the weapon hanging from Xena's belt, as if mentioning it would be enough to convince Xena to stay.

Instead, Xena just glanced over at Gabrielle once again and shook her head, an understanding light on Boadicea's face, even if it was clear she disapproved of her response.

"It's been a long time since Gabrielle and I were home," Xena replied verbally, making it clear to everyone else listening what her decision was. "It's time we paid some friends a visit."

"Fine," Boadicea said, giving her head a little shake, though the small smile she gave Xena was real. She was annoyed at losing their help, but clearly she understood. "I would suggest you stay at least a few more days, until we can clear a path to the nearest port town. There'll be Romans crawling all over the countryside, and while I'm sure the two of you can handle yourselves, a few more days wouldn't hurt."

Xena agreed, if slightly reluctantly, and so they stayed. Stayed for another week, taking part in the celebration that marked the beginning of the Roman's fall, at least in the minds of the soldiers. There was still much to do, much more to come, but the first battle they actually stood a chance at winning had been won. For most, that was enough.

For them, it was a chance to rest, for Gabrielle's wound to heal, and for them to avoid talking about everything going on their lives.

Xena tried. By the gods, did she try, and try persistently. Despite these kinds of conversations- ones that were deep, that actually discussed their thoughts and feelings and fears- not being her forte, she tried. Tried to talk to Gabrielle about the fact that she had just killed someone, tried to offer comfort and support and love. Tried to bridge the gap currently between them, that Xena could feel, even if that wasn't Gabrielle's intention.

Because she wasn't pulling away, not intentionally. No, Gabrielle was well aware of what Xena was trying to do, well aware of what her intentions were, and Gabrielle appreciated them, as much as she didn't need it. Xena thought her bothered by the blood that covered her hands, by the first life she had had to take; believed that was why Gabrielle often separated herself from everyone else, wasn't sleeping as much, was spending more and more of her time quiet. While part of that was true- she had a new name on her list, a new face that haunted her nightmares, as rare as said nightmares were, and while she didn't regret killing Brutus, she did regret that he had had to die in this life- for the most part it wasn't.

She was already used to the kill, already knew what it felt like to have someones’ life end because of your own actions. In this life, she had just been waiting. Waiting for it to crumble, for the illusion of innocence she had been able to build for this life to shatter. Now that it had, she found herself unbothered by it, even if Xena believed otherwise.

No, the explanation for her withdrawal, for her silence, was so much simpler: much like Boadicea, she was planning.

Callisto, the northern Amazons, the Vikings, and Japa. Lao Ma had laid out right before her exactly what needed to be changed, what needed to be fixed, before Xena began to forgive herself of the worst of her sins. Everything else could come with time- those had been on a larger, less personal scale, fighting and killing and hurting people Xena never knew the names of. Those would have to be fixed with kindness and love, helping and protecting those who remained from those who wished to follow in Xena's former footsteps. Those would be sins that would hover for as long as they lived, unable to be fixed with a single action that would right the former wrong committed.

But those four, those four Gabrielle could plan. She could manipulate, reorganize, use her knowledge of the future to ensure the best possible outcome came about. So, for that week, Gabrielle planned.

They would go to Greece- she did miss home. She had tried to be better in this life, sending more letters and copies of her scrolls to Lila and her parents, keeping them in the loop of what was going on with her life better than she had last time. But even still, she had barely been able to receive a letter in return, her and Xena's movements never steady for long enough for one to reach them, and she was curious as to what was going on. A few days of rest with them would be nice. And she knew Xena missed Cyrene just as much as she missed her own family, so a few days in Amphipolis as well.

A visit to the Amazons was also in order- while Ephiny was more than capable of ruling in her stead, Gabrielle couldn't help but worry. Ephiny had died at Brutus' hand, and while Brutus was dead, dead and turned to ash, she still couldn't help but worry. Would Brutus' death here be enough to push an early invasion into Greece, thus putting her friend and people in danger? Or would it delay it, Caesar unwilling to push forward without his biggest supporter? She wasn't sure, so she wanted to find out. A rest among the Amazons would be nice, and would be a great help to calming her fears.

And Solan. She knew he was alright, knew, now, he would live happily among the centaurs, but still she wanted to see him. Wanted to confirm with her own eyes that he was alright, that he was safe and sound and no harm had come to him. She wanted her own sins to lift, and seeing him would do wonders to help with that.

They would have to stay for a bit, at least until after the Persian invasion had been turned away, until after Tara had been set straight. They would end up in Rome, would face Caesar (though whether or not it was safe, Gabrielle had to wonder. Caesar knew, he would remember the last time they had been in Rome and its consequences, so Gabrielle wasn't sure. Perhaps some form of preventative measure, keeping them all safe? Something she would need to spend more time thinking about), and they would save the peace statue before it could be melted down and sold. Adventures that had gone well in their last lives, friends she was excited to remeet- it would be simple and easy, at least for a little while.

But after Greece, they would go north. The Vikings would be the easiest of Xena's sins to confront and fix: Grindl would still be young, Grinhilda not yet so far gone as to try and use the ring again, both of them still contained within the caves and just waiting for something to change; it would, theoretically, be easy. Not simple, no- they would still have to convince Grinhilda to believe in herself, to refind the humanity she thought she had lost, to win back her previous form from the ring. They would have to root out the evil that had grown among the Valkyries, and they would have to return the ring to the Rhein Maidens.

It would be hard, but she already knew. She already knew what they would have to do, what they would have to go through. And, perhaps, it could be done without losing more time. Without lost memories and sleeping spells and years spent waiting for a return unknown if it was going to come.

It was, perhaps, the sin with the least number of variables. Not much would need it change; it would all just take place a couple decades earlier. It would be the easiest of the sins still to come.

But after Greece. They were both tired, both ready for a short visit home, both ready for a chance to rest.

By the time the week was up, Gabrielle was settled. With a plan in mind that at least addressed the near future, she was ready. Ready to leave Londinium, ready to face the future that stood before them, a future she had the knowledge and will to bend into a shape she saw fit. She was ready for what might come.

And it showed. Her mind set, the future a plan laid out before her, it was easier to focus on the now. To slide her hand into Xena's and lean into her side, a movement that took Xena by surprise- after the first few days of Gabrielle shutting down any conversation she tried to start, Xena had let her be, just checking to make sure she ate and at least got a few hours of sleep. Unwilling to force Gabrielle to talk, she had thrown herself into helping Boadicea plan her takeover, her reacquisition of her home. But now she just smiled and tugged Gabrielle close, releasing Gabrielle's hand to wrap her own around her waist instead to hold her near.

Held her near as they stood with Boadicea in the commander's room, a large fur rug covering the floor a few feet away, as they examined the map that would show the cleared route to the sea.

"This is one of our biggest port cities," Boadicea explained, tracing the line with her finger. "If we can get and keep this route, we'll be able to bring food, weapons, men, everything we need to make sure we can survive and get back our home. We've cleared it out as much as we can, but I can't say how much longer it'll stay clear. It would do you good to leave soon."

Xena said something- Gabrielle wasn't sure what, her gaze instead focused on the trail Boadicea had drawn for them to follow. A familiar trail that Gabrielle recognized, a trail that went by a crudely drawn square in a forest surrounded by hills. A square that she knew would be ruins, information she had gotten from Boadicea herself.

Ruins that, now that they were going to be close, she had to see for herself.

It didn't take long for them to set off; they were already packed. Gabrielle had been ready to go for a while, ready to go back home and rest. Their bags filled with some of the supplies the Romans had had, her clothes returned to her cleaned, knives- not her sais, for neither Boadicea’s army nor the Romans had anything like that, but still knives that, for now, worked well enough- tucked into her boots, she was ready.

All they needed was to ready Argo, and they left with Boadicea's thanks, left heroes to her men.

They both road; Xena wanted to cover as much ground as she could, always on high alert for any Romans that might show up. The faster they could get to the port city, the faster they could be free of this island, the better. But...

"Xena?"

For a moment Gabrielle thought Xena hadn't heard her, not over the sound of Argo's hooves keeping up a steady canter, eating away at the miles. But, after a few moments, Xena pulled on the reigns, bringing her down to a trot- slow enough for them to hear each other, to have an actual conversation. Glancing over her shoulder, Xena raised her eyebrow in question, an answer to her call.

"That temple, the one Boadicea said was destroyed? I want to go there."

"Why," Xena asked, turning back to stare into the forest before them. It was getting towards noon- they had been traveling for a while, having left at early dawn. They would need to stop soon, give Argo a break; she wasn't used to traveling with two, and while she had yet to falter, her breathing had become hard. Her head turned slightly to stare into each new part of forest, searching for a good place to stop. "I thought you were glad it had been destroyed?"

"I need to see for myself. Xena, I... I just need to see it."

"A vision," Xena asked, once again falling into their normal dance and game, Xena trying to figure out what Gabrielle knew without having to press too hard for the future.

"A dream." And perhaps it was the sheer relief in her voice, but Xena, soon after, pulled Argo to a stop. Without a word she slid off the horse and held out her arms, a gesture Gabrielle accepted- she slid off the saddle into Xena's arms, resting her head on Xena's chest as Xena's arms folded around her, held her close.

"Gabrielle..." Xena said slowly, her one hand coming up to run her fingers through Gabrielle's hair. She stayed quiet for a long moment- and Gabrielle knew exactly what she wanted to say. Knew she wanted to broach the perceived gap between them, wanted to mend the supposed wound she felt had formed.

Gabrielle instead lifted her head and kissed her, a long, slow kiss that left them both breathless.

"I'm alright, Xena," Gabrielle said, laying her head back on Xena's chest, Xena's fingers once again running through her hair. "Killing Brutus shook me, but..." She let the words trail off, taking a deep, almost shuttering breath before continuing. "My visions told me I would do so. I've always know that's where our paths would meet, and I accepted the consequences of our lives together a long time ago."

She didn't tell Xena that yes, in her “vision” she had killed Brutus, but she had killed him what would have technically been years from now. That she had killed him not here, in a room in Britannia, but instead far from here, on a ship in Egypt. That she had killed him after he had killed Ephiny, after he had helped to destroy Caesar, after he had decided to continue to expand Rome beyond Rome's borders, making him a threat.

That world was over, so what was the point?

Instead she just held Xena closer, because right now Xena was alive, and that was good enough.

"I've been thinking about the future," Gabrielle eventually said into the silence around them. "About where we should go next. We should go home for a while. To see our families, the Amazons. Then maybe we can go north. I've heard about lights, rainbows that dance in the sky. Could we go see them, after we go home?"

For a moment Xena stiffened- and for a moment Gabrielle felt guilty about her trickery, knowing exactly what was running through Xena's mind. But a moment later she relaxed, the hand that had been running through Gabrielle's hair stilling, instead just pressing Gabrielle closer.

"Of course," Xena said, bending down to place a kiss on the top of Gabrielle's head. "Of course. Anything."

They continued to stand there for a long moment, holding and being held, until Argo reminded them of her existence, nickering and nudging them. She wanted to move on, move on or officially rest, neither of which could be done just standing there.

Xena kissed her one last time before they climbed back into the saddle, once again setting off at a steady canter.

For two days they traveled, constantly on watch for any who posed them harm, sleeping in shifts for nowhere near long enough, traveling as fast as they could push Argo without harming her. They didn't talk much- there weren't many words they needed to say. Little conversations that filled those few empty hours- about the north, about what of Gabrielle's visions she wanted to share, about how glad they both would be to be home. But nothing too deep- they were saving those for when they were safe, when they were home.

For two days. And at the end of the second day, they camped just a half mile away from the temple.

"We'll go in the morning," Xena promised as they settled in. It had already been dark by the time they found the clearing, and while it was close, Xena didn't want to take any chances. There could be any number of dangers waiting, and she waited to approach it in the light. "Are you sure you want first watch?"

Gabrielle just nodded. She nodded, didn't say a word, and the moment Xena slipped into sleep, slipped away.

It was just like Boadicea said- rubble scattered the ground, only the slightest impressions of a foundation left. Everywhere she stepped, stone and mortar shifted under her feet, crunching slightly as she tried to avoid the worst of it, avoid cutting her skin or tearing her clothes on the sharp edges that jutted from the ground. There was just enough light- the destruction of the temple had cleared the surrounding area as well, trees torn out and bushes removed, leaving the arena open, nothing to block the quarter moon above her.

The stairs were still there, cracked but stable as she climbed them. Climbed them into the open area that had once been walled, into the arena that had once been the temple of Dahok. Pillars had been toppled, creating new corridors for her wander, but it wasn't enough. Wasn't enough to change the place that had haunted her nightmares for so long, that had tortured her for so many years. That had spilled into her waking moments back in that other life, that had turned her life into hell.

It only took a few moments longer to reach what had once been the center. To reach that larger inner room, where, in her last life, everything had fallen apart.

It was gone. A mallet had been taken to the alter, scattering shards across the floor, leaving nothing but powder, few pieces large enough to truly understand what it had once been. The alter she had found herself sacrificed upon was gone.

She wasn't sure when she fell, nor was she sure how long she just knelt there, staring at the destruction that had been wrought around her. Stared in the silvery light, her fingers almost mechanically playing with the dust, just watching. She didn't think- she couldn't find the words, even within her own mind. She just sat there and stared, absorbing the absence of evil that had once permeated this place.

It was almost beautiful.

Gabrielle started as something skittered behind her- some creature that had come to call the destruction home. She wasn't sure what it was; even though she had turned at the first hint of noise, it had quickly hidden behind one of the pillars, leaving only an impression of something unfamiliar in the almost impossibly quick glimpse she had caught. Wiping her cheeks- when had they become wet? When she had started to cry?- Gabrielle pushed herself to her feet, shaking away whatever spell the loss of this place had cast over her. The moon was high- Xena would be awake soon, expecting to take over for her watch. She would have to get back before she did.

Gabrielle stood- and paused as something caught her eye. Even though the alter itself was gone, still the raised platform it had once stood upon was there, ever so slightly obscuring the other side. Where something was.

Gabrielle stepped forward, her head tilted ever so slightly to the side as she peered around the dais-

And froze as the skittering sounded behind her, close this time. Froze as she stared at the skeletal hand that laid on the ground before her, a skeletal corpse wearing an outfit- blue, even in the moonlight, even partly decayed and dyed with blood, still parts of it were blue, held together on the corpse with the golden rope wrapped around her- an outfit she remembered so so well.

Froze as a soft, rasping voice whispered "Hello, Mother."

#Xena #XWP #Xena: Warrior Princess #Xena fanfic #Xena fanfiction #XWP fanfic #XWP fanfiction #Xena: Warrior Princess Fanfiction #Xena: Warrior Princess fanfic #Remember All

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