Day 1: War and Peace - Xena - Peace
Feb. 1st, 2022 07:28 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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halfamoonTitle: Peace
Fandom: Xena Warrior Princess
Author: Apache Firecat
Characters: Xena, Gabrielle
Rating: PG/K+
Summary: Life is war, but they all need moments of peace.
Word Count: 1074
Written For: Half a Moon: Day 1: War and Peace
Warnings: None
Disclaimer: All characters within belong to their rightful owners, not the author, and are used without permission.
They look at her and see a woman hardened and shaped by war. She was forged in the fires, Xena herself will always be one of the first to admit that is true. But Gabrielle knows the softer woman. She knows the softness of a woman who cries in silent secrecy for both her men who have been slain and those she has slain. She knows the tenderness of a mother figure who yearns to do what is best not only for her son but for every child into whose path she happens. She knows the earnest goodness of a woman who wishes war was not real, and who would give anything, make any sacrifice, to free her friends, and even people she doesn't know, of the terrors of war.
And Gabrielle herself knows what it is like not to fight in the war at large but to fight in the normal, everyday, never-ending struggle. Life itself is war at times. Coming from a poor family and a small village, she knows this, and it isn't always because of bandits. There are famines and crop diseases, there are wild animals and natural disasters, there are major storms of wind and rain, not just of arrows and blades. She has never known war like Xena has -- if the Warrior Princess has her way, she never will --, and Gabby doesn't really want to know war. There is far too much war in her life already, far too much pain and sorrow in just everyday existence.
But sometimes... Sometimes when Xena's allies want to laugh at her, Gabrielle is tempted to speak up. She often does, though never without the results bringing them more trouble. She has never been one suited to holding her tongue, and her words, though true, always bring more trouble. There is nothing more fierce than the truth, nothing mankind hates more than the ugly truths men and women too would otherwise cover up, there is nothing that makes people angrier or more ready to fight than forcing them to acknowledge a honest truth they do not want to accept.
Her tongue used to get her into trouble all the time in her village. She never minded questioning the men, and that was not her place, or the place for any female. It angered them, but men anger Gabrielle ever single day of their lives. They anger her with the way they look at her and her friend. They anger her with the things they whisper about them behind their backs. Their judgements anger her, not just for what they think Xena has done but also what they think they do together and what they think Xena's reasonings were back when she was evil.
Xena is no longer evil. Gabrielle knows she will never know a better person than the valiant, beautiful woman with whom she shares every day, splendid and terrible, of their lives. She will never know a kinder soul, and it takes both incredible gentility and strength to be able to use other methods to deal with bullies, monsters, and other truly evil things rather than just slaying the beasts, especially when one knows how easily one can do so. Xena doesn't have to put up with these men. She doesn't have to tolerate any ugliness in this world, but she does anyway out of her desire for peace.
Right now Gabrielle can feel eyes on them. If it was not for the stiff way Xena is walking ahead of her, she would have already turned back around and given the men in the village in which they are currently in a large heaping of her mind. But Xena is moving stiffly and quickly away with the determination Gabrielle knows comes from wanting to simply be rid of these people without hurting them. Words will lead to a battle, and they are both weary, not just from their most recent ordeals but from this world at large.
From the sharp tongues behind them.
One especially hairy, especially sweaty, especially portly, and especially man whistles sharply. "Hey, baby, I can show you a real sword!"
Fury flushes Gabrielle's face, and the blonde whirls around on the villager. "You -- " she starts, but Xena's voice cuts smoothly above her impending tirade.
"Gabrielle, please -- "
Gabrielle's mouth shuts, but her green eyes glare furious daggers into the slob. "I got something for you too, baby!"
"You're lucky she's in a good mood!" Gabby retaliates, knowing full and well that if Xena were upset or angry, she would make short work of this men. But it takes a bigger person, a stronger person, a far better person to walk away. "You know I've seen her kill dozens of men in less than two seconds!"
But then she clamps her mouth shut and follows behind her friend. They don't need another fight tonight, Xena's right on that, but even she could take these pigs! Although that, she acknowledges silently, is cursing pigs!
"I can't help it that they weren't man enough to make her happy, baby! Hey, come back here!" Men laugh and whistle. They cat call, beckoning them back to them and making Gabrielle's fury flush up into her face. Still, she knows Xena only wants peace tonight, and anything she says will surely lead them into yet another battle -- and probably into having to find another place to stay tonight.
She keeps moving, keeps walking, and then she notices before her that Xena is wrapping her hand around Argo's reins. She flips up into the saddle. The fluid, graceful motion displaying both muscle and beauty actually silences the men, but Gabrielle knows what this means. Her Warrior Princess has decided they are not staying in this filthy brothel of a town tonight. They don't speak a word until much later when they are laying on their backs together on cool, clean grass, looking up at the night sky sprinkled and brought to life with a million plus stars.
Very quietly, Gabrielle acknowledges, "This is peaceful."
"Yes," Xena says simply, and takes her hand in hers, and closes her eyes. Maybe tonight she won't have nightmares. Maybe tonight her dreams won't be so full of anger and screams. Maybe tonight she can at least rest... for a while.
Gabrielle falls silent, squeezes her hand, and prays to the Gods, Whoever cares to be benevolent tonight, to give her best friend as much peace as they can.
The End
Fandom: Xena Warrior Princess
Author: Apache Firecat
Characters: Xena, Gabrielle
Rating: PG/K+
Summary: Life is war, but they all need moments of peace.
Word Count: 1074
Written For: Half a Moon: Day 1: War and Peace
Warnings: None
Disclaimer: All characters within belong to their rightful owners, not the author, and are used without permission.
They look at her and see a woman hardened and shaped by war. She was forged in the fires, Xena herself will always be one of the first to admit that is true. But Gabrielle knows the softer woman. She knows the softness of a woman who cries in silent secrecy for both her men who have been slain and those she has slain. She knows the tenderness of a mother figure who yearns to do what is best not only for her son but for every child into whose path she happens. She knows the earnest goodness of a woman who wishes war was not real, and who would give anything, make any sacrifice, to free her friends, and even people she doesn't know, of the terrors of war.
And Gabrielle herself knows what it is like not to fight in the war at large but to fight in the normal, everyday, never-ending struggle. Life itself is war at times. Coming from a poor family and a small village, she knows this, and it isn't always because of bandits. There are famines and crop diseases, there are wild animals and natural disasters, there are major storms of wind and rain, not just of arrows and blades. She has never known war like Xena has -- if the Warrior Princess has her way, she never will --, and Gabby doesn't really want to know war. There is far too much war in her life already, far too much pain and sorrow in just everyday existence.
But sometimes... Sometimes when Xena's allies want to laugh at her, Gabrielle is tempted to speak up. She often does, though never without the results bringing them more trouble. She has never been one suited to holding her tongue, and her words, though true, always bring more trouble. There is nothing more fierce than the truth, nothing mankind hates more than the ugly truths men and women too would otherwise cover up, there is nothing that makes people angrier or more ready to fight than forcing them to acknowledge a honest truth they do not want to accept.
Her tongue used to get her into trouble all the time in her village. She never minded questioning the men, and that was not her place, or the place for any female. It angered them, but men anger Gabrielle ever single day of their lives. They anger her with the way they look at her and her friend. They anger her with the things they whisper about them behind their backs. Their judgements anger her, not just for what they think Xena has done but also what they think they do together and what they think Xena's reasonings were back when she was evil.
Xena is no longer evil. Gabrielle knows she will never know a better person than the valiant, beautiful woman with whom she shares every day, splendid and terrible, of their lives. She will never know a kinder soul, and it takes both incredible gentility and strength to be able to use other methods to deal with bullies, monsters, and other truly evil things rather than just slaying the beasts, especially when one knows how easily one can do so. Xena doesn't have to put up with these men. She doesn't have to tolerate any ugliness in this world, but she does anyway out of her desire for peace.
Right now Gabrielle can feel eyes on them. If it was not for the stiff way Xena is walking ahead of her, she would have already turned back around and given the men in the village in which they are currently in a large heaping of her mind. But Xena is moving stiffly and quickly away with the determination Gabrielle knows comes from wanting to simply be rid of these people without hurting them. Words will lead to a battle, and they are both weary, not just from their most recent ordeals but from this world at large.
From the sharp tongues behind them.
One especially hairy, especially sweaty, especially portly, and especially man whistles sharply. "Hey, baby, I can show you a real sword!"
Fury flushes Gabrielle's face, and the blonde whirls around on the villager. "You -- " she starts, but Xena's voice cuts smoothly above her impending tirade.
"Gabrielle, please -- "
Gabrielle's mouth shuts, but her green eyes glare furious daggers into the slob. "I got something for you too, baby!"
"You're lucky she's in a good mood!" Gabby retaliates, knowing full and well that if Xena were upset or angry, she would make short work of this men. But it takes a bigger person, a stronger person, a far better person to walk away. "You know I've seen her kill dozens of men in less than two seconds!"
But then she clamps her mouth shut and follows behind her friend. They don't need another fight tonight, Xena's right on that, but even she could take these pigs! Although that, she acknowledges silently, is cursing pigs!
"I can't help it that they weren't man enough to make her happy, baby! Hey, come back here!" Men laugh and whistle. They cat call, beckoning them back to them and making Gabrielle's fury flush up into her face. Still, she knows Xena only wants peace tonight, and anything she says will surely lead them into yet another battle -- and probably into having to find another place to stay tonight.
She keeps moving, keeps walking, and then she notices before her that Xena is wrapping her hand around Argo's reins. She flips up into the saddle. The fluid, graceful motion displaying both muscle and beauty actually silences the men, but Gabrielle knows what this means. Her Warrior Princess has decided they are not staying in this filthy brothel of a town tonight. They don't speak a word until much later when they are laying on their backs together on cool, clean grass, looking up at the night sky sprinkled and brought to life with a million plus stars.
Very quietly, Gabrielle acknowledges, "This is peaceful."
"Yes," Xena says simply, and takes her hand in hers, and closes her eyes. Maybe tonight she won't have nightmares. Maybe tonight her dreams won't be so full of anger and screams. Maybe tonight she can at least rest... for a while.
Gabrielle falls silent, squeezes her hand, and prays to the Gods, Whoever cares to be benevolent tonight, to give her best friend as much peace as they can.
The End
