The Xena Scrolls

By:  Gabrielle Bard of Potedia

Scroll#3:  Dreamworker

September, 49 B.C.

     There are many lessons to be learned from the warrior princess.  I know that she can teach me, but convincing her of my value and skill is another story.  Earlier this morning I was exploring what it felt like to hold her mighty sword for I have never held a sword before until now.  I picked up the large piece and felt it’s massive weight and then wondered how she made it look so easy.  When Xena handles her sword it looks like it weighs nothing, but that is purely illusion.

     Then I looked at it and studied the materials that it was made of.  It certainly wasn’t bronze which is the typical metal of choice for sword makers.  This was a special piece like no other.  It glistened in the sunlight and it was hot to touch the metal part beyond the leather handle.  It was wrapped and intertwined tightly in design.  The design looked similar to her chakram design with small precious stones on the bottom of the handle which was gold-plated.  If I were a thief I know I could sell it for a pretty dinar, but I couldn’t do that to a friend.

     After studying the craftsmanship of the sword I slowly lifted it into the air as if I were about to do battle with the tree stump in front of me.  It had once made a nice resting place, but now it was an evil warrior that I had to kill.  I battled him bravely yet with difficulty in handling my piece.  Luckily he was not very agile and much slower than I.  Then I said a few choice words to him just before I went in for the kill.  Quickly I struck the sword down onto his head and split him into two pieces.  The battle was over and I had won.  That was until I couldn’t get Xena’s sword out of his head.

     About that moment was when Xena caught me playing with her weapons.  She scolded me for handling them so carelessly as she yanked the sword out of the broken tree stump.  I tried playing it off  by suggesting that I had been using it to chop wood like she had asked of me, but she could always see through me.  Xena acted like I didn’t know anything about using a weapon let alone a sword.  Of course I couldn’t because  I didn’t really know so I challenged her accusation of my nieve view of what a sword was.  She explained to me that I should never want to use a sword and that it should be only a last resort. 

       I pleaded with her to teach me how to use a weapon even if it wasn’t a sword so that I could learn to at least survive and defend myself when we did run into trouble.  It wasn’t like I really wanted to kill anyone.  But of course Xena couldn’t allow me to have my fun or my way.  I’d been traveling with her for about two months now and it had hardly been safe for more than a few hours at a time.  Instead she told me the four rules of battle and said that they were all that I needed to know about using weapons.

     Rule number one was to run if you could run which didn’t sound like anything I’d ever seen the warrior princess do.  In fact, it seemed very cowardly to me.  Rule number two was if you couldn’t run to surrender and then run.  That didn’t sound any better than the first one.  Rule number three was if you were outnumbered by your enemy you were to let them fight each other which sounded a little bit better, but rule number four was the most valuable.  Xena told me that she was confident that I could at least accomplish rule number four in battle which was to talk my way out of becoming a victim.  I thought about it for a moment and realized that she was right.  My words had gotten me this far so they must be good for something.  I had never thought of words being used as a weapon before, but it was an interesting revelation.

     The moral of this was that it was wisdom before weapons no matter what.  That I could agree upon because I could see how wise Xena really was and I admired her for that.  Then Xena continued on by explaining that the moment you kill someone everything in life changes.  She seemed very disturbed by that thought and almost in shame that she had to kill so many to do what she did.  Xena didn’t realize that she had been fighting for good for at least the past couple of months since I’d known her.  That was commendable in my eyes.  That was when I realized that I never wanted to know what she knew about life after the killing. 

     Then we heard the sound of Argo warning Xena of some enemies approaching.  I turned around to look and saw a band of five thieves approaching us.  They looked like trouble and they were indeed.  I asked Xena if this was the time to run and she told me that it was not time to run just yet.  So I stood behind her as she grabbed for Argo’s saddle and took out a knife throwing it into the ground behind a nearby rock.  It was concealed and out of view.  Obviously Xena had a plan, but I had not idea what she was thinking.  I had to figure her out.

     The ring leader of the group approached Xena candidly and smiled commenting on the beautiful day.  Xena’s response to his nasty smile was to draw her sword naturally.  That was definitely a normal Xena response.  Then she asked him in that dark and serious tone what he wanted.  He was very calm and light as he explained that he and his pals were just trying to scrape by in this evil world and occasionally it required that they take things from fellow travelers.  Then he demanded Xena’s horse, any gold, and jewelry that we may have had.  He was also partial to Xena’s attractive sword.  Then he demanded that Xena surrender or suffer the consequences. 

      Here’s the part that she used rule number two because she accepted his conditions of surrender.  I was actually shocked for a moment that she was even thinking of surrendering to these obviously amateur warriors.  They weren’t at all like the Draco’s I’d seen or like Spherus.  These guys were about as unintelligent as you get when it comes to evil, and definitely the bottom of the barrel.  But here’s the part that shocked me even more.  Upon accepting to surrender she called out to me and asked me to go ahead and take their swords from them.  Now this I didn’t think I could do, but hey it was a rare event that Xena had asked me to do anything exciting.  Then the five barbaric creatures busted out in deep laughter.  They did not at all believe in my ability to take them out.  Of course they were right in thinking that because I knew that I couldn’t take five men on my own.  Maybe one, but definitely not five.  Now that was something that I had only seen Xena do single-handedly and plenty more than five.

     The light moment only lasted for about five seconds and then suddenly the ring leader shouted a command to attack us.  The warrior princess took the cue and went into action.  She slashed her sword through one man then two.  They both fell immediately to the ground.  Then she moved behind her back to fight off a third man.  The sounds of the battle were fierce as the warrior princess was in control like a dancer upon the theater.  At this point I was feeling like there was something I should be doing, but I didn’t know what it was.  I didn’t have a weapon and everyone else had swords.

     Xena gracefully removed a staff from one of her attackers, and then another removed her sword from her unsuspecting hand.  The heavy piece crashed to the ground before me and I realized that this was my chance to help Xena.  Yes it was five men and she could probably handle them, but I couldn’t resist.  I bent down to pick up Xena’s sword and I held it up ready for battle.  Letting out an attempt at Xena’s battle cry I entered myself into the fight.  Suddenly it was real and two of the five henchmen approached me with their weapons.  They were closing in fast and I didn’t know what to do.  I didn’t know how to use it, and I realized that battling a tree is a much simpler process.

     I could see it in their eyes that they were ready to strike and take the breath out of me.  I was gripped with fear because now I had to choose.  Do I let them kill me or do I draw blood?  Just before I had to make that fateful choice I heard Xena’s battle cry as she flipped backward with the staff she had acquired and put herself between me and the enemies.  Then she knocked the two men down with one push forward with the weapon and slid to the ground going for her concealed weapon.  Then I threw down Xena’s sword.  It happened very fast and then I saw Xena’s knife hurling through the air.  The knife’s path met the chest of the ring leader killing him instantly.  It could have been much more painful, but Xena hit him straight through the heart.

     That was the moment that ended the battle and all of the four remaining thieves followed rule number one as they ran leaving behind the dead.  My heart was pounding through my chest harder than it ever had before.  I had felt a strange rush like no other and I found myself not ever wanting to visit that place again.  Yet the excitement was hardly over for the day.  As Xena and I left the scene and headed into town she revealed to me that someone had been watching us from a distance.  She truly was amazing for how could she know something like that.  I had to find out.

     As we entered town not much else was said between us.  I could feel Xena’s disappointment in me and I didn’t like it.  The tension was so great that I had to break the silence.  I told Xena that I knew that she wanted to tell me that the choice I had made was wrong, but I couldn’t allow her to be right.  Yet she knew that eventually I would realize that she was always right.  I hated that about her, but what could I do.  Then I tried to explain to her why I had made that choice.  I expressed to her of how eager I was to help her and she responded by making it very clear that my help was never needed.  She was able to handle everything on her own.  Her independence from me was difficult to take sometimes.  But I couldn’t let this go so I had an idea.  I told Xena that I would return back at the tying post after I went to pick up some salt port.  She was off to buy a sharpening stone anyway so she’d be plenty busy while I went weapons shopping.

     I had a little difficulty finding the weapons shop, but as soon as I did I was in awe of all the beautiful swords.  There was this one in particular lying on the table near the door.  It looked as if it had been crafted and traveled many days to get to its final resting place.  I began to pick it up and get a feel for its texture and design, but was startled by the shop smith.  At first he thought that I was a thief, but then he realized that I was probably pretty harmless.  In fact, he asked me a very unusual question.  He was shocked to see me in town and implied that I should fear the god Morpheus.  It was as if I didn’t know who Morpheus was, but I displayed my fine knowledge of legends and myths by explaining that it was the god of dreams that we were discussing.

     The peculiar gentleman seemed very interested to know that I was experienced.  Experienced at what I didn’t really know, but I was guessing it was of the sort of experience one might have with one’s lover.  But then he said that I wouldn’t be in his shop if I wasn’t experienced which meant that he was talking of battle.  Of course I did have to play it up and let him know just how experienced I was.  Though he didn’t have to know that I knew nothing of sword play.  He was very pleased to see that a young thing like me was skilled and believe me I was impressed myself.

     He asked me if I had lost my weapon of choice in battle.  Naturally I had to say yes although I had never had a weapon other than words which was working pretty well at the moment.  First he showed me a beautiful Albanian piece which had a very wide blade.  It was much wider than the one Xena carried, but impressive.  I picked it up with excitement for I couldn’t wait to handle it, but as soon as the smith handed it over to me I almost fell to the ground with it.  I needed something a little more petite for someone with my frame.  It wasn’t me.

     So then he took me across the shop and pulled out the cutest little weapon.  It looked almost like a bird with a point at the bottom.  He told me that it was a breast dagger.  It must have been designed for death by being pierced in one’s breast, but the gentlemen corrected me and showed me its function.  He gently pulled down the top of my dress and slowly slid it into the breast area.  I could see now what he meant.  It was a dagger held by one’s breast.  This was definitely my weapon of choice.  I could carry it without anyone knowing and when the right moment came I could use it to help Xena the next time we encountered into a big battle.

     When I returned to meet Xena she was preparing to leave town.  And when I asked her if she had gotten everything she needed she replied flatly that she had not.  She seemed almost annoyed and it was obvious that she wanted to leave this particular village in a hurry.  Then she looked to me in all my pride for I could barely conceal it.  She asked me what was wrong and naturally I hid my little secret.  Then she persisted and asked me why I looked different.  She had been talking about my suddenly enlarged breasts of course.  I tried to play them down, but to no avail because my little secret poked me in the breast and fell out of my clothes. 

     It was obvious the game was over yet I still tried desperately to play it off.  I suggested that it was amazing how one could find hidden treasures in old clothes.  It was obvious the warrior princess was not buying that one.  She took the breast dagger and put it into her own breast-plate for safe keeping.  Then there was a sudden interruption in our little game of wits.  Several mysterious warriors swept through the village.  Xena commanded me to get up onto her horse as always, but as I went to follow through I was kidnapped and taken to a strange place. 

     Upon awakening I was greeted by the head mystic in the valley whose name was Manus.  He told of Morpheus and of how I had been selected to be Morpheus’s bride.  Suddenly, I found myself wondering how it was that I had gone from Xena’s horse to becoming someone’s wife.  I was quite confused and anxious to leave, but Manus explained that I would not be leaving until I had completed three challenges.  I tried desperately to talk my way out of these challenges, but to no avail.  Instead I was to discover that the three challenges required me to fight to the death.  When I heard that word death I realized that I was in serious trouble, but where was Xena?

     Xena immediately went into action once she had realized that her encounter with a blind man at the halter shop had been a mystic.  She had bought the poor old man a halter for his horse instead of a sharpening stone for her sword when he had been rejected by the shopkeeper.  Xena was angry for the shop keeper had not told all there was to tell about the missing young girls around summer solstice.  He had been particularly interested in my experience as was the keeper of the sword shop when Xena had first reported the dead highway man.

      After getting little more information from the shopkeeper she seeked out and found the old blind mystic whose name was Elkton.  Elkton spoke of how each young girl kidnapped had been taken by the mystic order to be sacrificed for Morpheus upon losing their blood innocence.  Xena demanded to know how to find the mountain where the mystic order resided, but Elkton was certain that it would take Xena days to fight through the heavy guard that protected it.  He made it clear to Xena that she did not have days to find me, but hours before I would be sacrificed upon losing my innocence.

     And then he spoke of a brave warrior with a dark past.  He said that this warrior had been shown to him within a vision.  This brave warrior with a dark past was the only one who would be able to stop Manus and defeat Morpheus.  Xena insisted that she was indeed the one for the job so Elkton quickly prepared to send Xena into the fire of her dreams and with the key to unlock the gate.  Her spirit would travel through a dreamscape and be reunited with her body once it reached the other side.  However, it was a dangerous mission for she only had a few hours in which to accomplish this task and Elkton spoke of how Morpheus would use Xena’s mind against her to keep her from succeeding.  There was only one special oil that would allow Xena more time to travel through her dreams.  Elkton then sprinkled the carmaoil upon her body and sent her on her way.

     Once inside the dreamscape Xena found herself immediately challenged by its mystery and its darkness.  She found herself confronted by the evils of her past, but was only slowed by their interruption.  Xena took control of her dreams and continued onto the next challenge within her dreamscape.  She found herself revisited by the first kill and the most recent.  They were meant to haunt her spirit, but again she did not allow Morpheus to win and continued on her journey.

      And while Xena met her three challenges within the world of dreams.  I was presented with my first.  Manus sent me into battle against two skilled warriors.  He had given me a sword in which to kill them so that I could survive.  The room was quiet and eerie as I walked slowly down the corridor.  And then I heard the sounds of boots from both sides.  There were shadows lurking beyond the thin curtains which were the only thing that shielded me from death and blood.  The first man caught me by surprise thrusting his sword narrowly missing my ear.  I ducked and was forced to clash swords with the second dark warrior.  Yet his sword was much more powerful than mine for he took the point right off.  I found myself left with only half of a sword and then Xena’s words ran through my mind again. 

     My only chance for survival would be to let them kill each other.  Now that I could do, and so I began my plan to set them up.  Quietly I walked between the two veils and watched as the shadows came closer and closer.  Then just as the two shadows met I let out a rather large sneeze and dropped to roll out-of-the-way of battle.  The two dark warriors clashed instantly thrusting their swords simultaneously within each other.  And then they were gone and my pounding heart-felt relief for a short moment.  Yet my challenge was still not over for Manus returned reminding me that Morpheus would soon demand me to meet his second challenge.  Manus was surprised that I had not chosen to kill my attackers, but I had no choice without a weapon of my own.

      I was then taken back to my bedchamber where I was allowed to rest for a short while.  Upon closing my eyes I began to have a very strange dream.  In my dream I was pulling the petals off of a daisy trying to determine when and if I would be sacrificed by my captures.  Suddenly, I was interrupted by the sound of a pleasant voice.  It was Xena and she was dressed in the most beautiful purple gown.  She then asked me if I was real and I explained to her that she was the one that had entered into my dream and that I was the only one who could be real.  Xena was still not certain that I was real so she then asked me a strange question.  She wanted me to tell her something about myself that no one else could know.  So I told her about how I had been born with six toes on my right foot.

       Peculiar as it seemed Xena was convinced that it was indeed me sitting upon the bed with the daisies.  She then came and sat down next to me telling me that I could not kill as I passed through each of my challenges for if I did I would most certainly be sacrificed.  Our dreams had strangely overlapped and it was a fortunate thing for I could ask Xena what my other choices were.  She then told me to use what I knew, but I wasn’t certain that I knew anything really.  And then my dream began to fade away and Xena’s comforting words with it.  I called out for Xena, but I could no longer see her.  Suddenly, I was awakened by someone I did not care to see.  It was Manus and he was preparing to take me to my next challenge.  Once again I tried desperately to talk my way out of the challenge, but Manus would not allow it.

      So once again I found myself being released into a mysterious place where skilled bloodthirsty warriors lurked within.  This time it was a cave and in the middle was a large pit of fire.  Again I was given a sword, but now that I knew what it was for I threw it into the fire pit for I would not take a life.  And then three dark warriors appeared ready to kill me.  One carried a net with a dagger, another a spear, and the third a sword.  The man with the spear made the first move almost hitting me with his weapon.  But fortunately I was able to dodge it.  I then picked up the weapon and dismantled the shaft turning it into a staff.  I wasn’t really certain what I would do with a staff, but it made me feel like I had a chance.

      I began to hear Xena’s words once again within my mind.  She had said to use what I knew.  At first I was uncertain of what that meant until finally I remembered that I knew how to talk so I began to talk.  I talked the three warriors into fighting one another by using their egos against them.  The first warrior to step forward was the one with the sword, but the warrior of the spear took him down instantly.  It was a surprise at first, but now I was down to two against one.  The man with the net and the warrior of the spear.  As the spear warrior began to thrust forward toward me the net warrior took his knife and slit the spear warrior’s throat.  Now it was just me and my lone enemy.  He threw his knife at me, but I ducked barely missing injury.  The net warrior lunged forward and grabbed me preparing to throw me into the depths of the fire.  I kicked and screamed desperately, but then an amazing thing happened.

      His knife had come to a rest within a hot spring which exploded releasing the weapon back through the air and into his spine.  The net warrior then fell into the fire himself dropping me safely upon the ground.  My chest rose and fell frantically and my heart was pounding wildly for I had almost lost my life during this challenge.  And then Manus returned irritated that I had discovered that I could not kill if I wanted to stay alive.  He declared that Morpheus demanded of me the final challenge and that it would not have any options.  I would have to kill my attacker if I wanted to save my own life.

     As he took me to the next chamber I began to hope that Xena would be arriving soon.  And indeed the warrior princess was on her way, but she was confronted by her own ultimate challenge within the dreamscape.  She found that though she had found the exit she had not obtained the key.  Yet the key was just around the corner lurking within the shadows.  The brave warrior princess was then confronted with the nightmare which haunted her more than all of her past deeds combined.  It was the nightmare of her dark side that approached her and taunted her spirit.  Yet Xena could not be defeated by her darkness for she was too strong to return to it.  And so Xena confronted her evil side with acceptance as she left it behind for a life of good deeds.

     Soon I found myself facing my own final challenge before the mystical tribunal.  They had set up a trap of spikes which forced me into the clutches of my dark enemy.  And as I was forced to face him there before me was my weapon against him.  I saw the sword lying upon the floor and it looked so inviting.  It was the only thing that stood between me and death.  I had to pick it up and as I did I inched closer and closer to making that choice to cross over into the way of the blood.  My heart did not want to kill the warrior standing before me on the other side, but my mind did not want to die.  And just before I reached his clutches Xena burst into the ceremony through the walls like an olympic god.  My attacker was distracted and I made my move knocking him out with the handle of my weapon.

     Xena then fought off all of the dark warriors within the tribunal and defied the wishes of Manus and his council.  I was so relieved that she had made it in time to save me from death, yet so angry that Manus had forced me to make a choice that I did not want to make.  I then unleashed my fury upon him delivering a punch squarely upon the nose.  Xena was surprised for a moment to see that her innocent friend had so much fury within her soul, but smiled to see that I could be tough.  And so all had been restored by our adventure together through the dreamscape.  Elkton had been placed once again as the head mystic of the order, and all of the young girls of the village at the bottom of the mountain could live without fear during the summer solstice.

     Xena found herself filled with joy for she had done another good deed to go against all that she had done in her past.  As we sat by the water and contemplated our adventure together I confessed to her that I had come close to chosing to kill someone.  It was a feeling that I did not like and I did not want to peak into that realm of blood ever again for I could see that I too was capable of taking a life despite what my heart guided me to believe.  Xena then took a stone and threw it into the calmness of the center of the lake.  She spoke of how it rippled because it had been changed, but I reminded her that eventually the ripples would disappear and the lake would become calm again.  Yet Xena reminded me that though the lake would look the same in the end it would be forever changed because now it had a new rock at the bottom.  And then I realized what she meant.  No matter how many times she had done wrong.  It would never be redeemed for those wrongs would be a part of her for the rest of her life.  Her heart was forever in debt to those she had wronged.