Champion - Melissa GoodPrinted: 09/15/18
Champion
by
Melissa Good
Champion
By Melissa Good
Part 1
Tall, white capped mountains rose skyward, their craggy slopes stark and forbidding. The air was cool and crisp, a brisk wind coming down off the ridges brushing through the stands of pine and rustling their branches.
Nestled in a fold of the hills, a patch of bright green grass stood out, it’s surface speckled with fall flowers as it slanted towards a pool of water fed by a small waterfall gushing over the granite surface and plunging down the rocks with a cheerfully loud roar.
It was a beautiful, wild scene, nature at peace with itself.
“Aaaaiiiieeee!!!!!” Three naked bodies shot over the edge of the falls and plummeted down towards the pool, entering the pristine waters with a thunderous splash.
For a moment, peace returned. Then the surface erupted again. A tall, dark haired figure broke into the cool air first, it’s broad shoulders flinging the water off in a spray as a smaller dark head, and a pale one popped up next to her.
“Whoo!!!” Xena emerged from the water, her arms full of her family. She had one arm curled around Dori’s squirming body, and her other wrapped around Gabrielle’s waist. “Yeah!”
“Whhheee!!!!” Dori squealed in delight. “Mama! We flyed!”
“You can say that again.” Gabrielle gasped. “But not in my ear, honey.” She wiped wet, pale hair out of her eyes. “Wow.. that was a nice one!” She turned to look back up at the top of the falls. “Yikes.. looks a lot higher from here, doesn’t it?” Her eyes lifted to Xena’s face and brightened, sparkling like the water around them. “I liked it!”
Xena chuckled, cradling Dori in her arms. “You ready to go again, munchkin?”
“Yes!” Dori shook her head vigorously. “Boo, dat was good! We flyed, and went go down, like dis!” A small finger pointed at the water’s surface. “Liked that!”
“Uh huh. You and mama liked that. Gotcha.” Xena ruffled the child’s dark hair. “Me too.” She lead the way towards the sloping ground that entered the pool unexpectedly, grass strands poking up through its surface. The freshly crumbled rocks around them and the drowned turf indicated just how unexpected, a landslide not long before creating both waterfall and pool before it continued on down the mountainside.
“Brr.” Gabrielle rubbed her arms as they moved to shallower water and her body was exposed to the cool air. “Tell you what, kids. Why don’t we do this again tomorrow morning, when the sun comes back, okay?” It was later than she’d realized. They’d spent time up at the top of the falls exploring the newly sunken rocks after they’d stopped their traveling for the day, letting Dori clutch at passing fish and picking up handfuls of elderberries growing wild there.
“Noo!!! Go now!” Dori protested.
Xena glanced at the sky, already darkening to twilight. “Mama’s right.” She sloshed out of the pool with a disappointed Dori tucked under her arm. “You don’t want to catch cold, Dori.” She put her free arm around Gabrielle’s shoulders. “Or see your mama get sick, right?”
Gabrielle looked up and gave Xena a wry look. “Or have Boo get the sniffles, either.” She poked Xena in the ribs.
“Bbbbbooo…” The toddler wriggled a little. “Guff! C’mere!” She called to the black wolf curled up in the grass. With a long suffering look, the wolf got up and shook himself, then trotted over as his family approached. “Good!”
Gabrielle exhaled, glad of the warm body pressed next to hers. “We’re going to need to pick up some warmer gear the next place we go through, Xe.” She commented as they approached their campsite. A fire in the center of it was crackling strongly, putting the scent of wood smoke in the air along with a whiff off the bubbling stew pot she’d left cooking.
“Shouldn’t be a problem.” Xena answered, stopping at her pack and pulling out a stretch of linen which she wrapped around her daughter, drying her body off. “We should be in Cirron by sundown tomorrow if the weather holds.”
Gabrielle knelt next to her own pack, removing a set of clothing from it. “Ooo… Cirron. I’m looking forward to going back there.” She looked up at her partner with a smile. “I have very, very fond memories of that place.”
Xena walked over and deposited Dori into her mother’s arms. She took the linen from around her shoulders and dried Gabrielle’s sun tanned body off. “So do I.” A brief, wistful smile crossed her face, unseen by the smaller woman.
“You’ll like it too, Dori.” Gabrielle fastened the laces on the thick, sturdy shirt she’d put over the child’s head. “There’s lots of things to see, and if you ask Boo real nice, she’ll show you where she won the war and saved the city.”
“Sissy?” Dori put her arms around her mother’s neck. “Boo, you show me sissy?”
“Sure.” Xena agreed solemnly. She finished donning her clothes and took Dori from Gabrielle, while the younger woman put on her shirt and leggings. “Let’s go over there, and you show me what you learned today.”
Gabrielle tousled her hair dry as she watched Xena carry their daughter over to the fire, sitting down with her on the thick furs as Ares ambled after them. She flexed her bare toes against the grass, taking in a deep breath of the fragrant air as she paused to reflect on the last few months.
They’d been traveling north for almost two moons now. First along the coast, then moving steadily inland but keeping to the wilder, emptier places. That meant they were mostly on their own, relying on their own hunting and gathering skills to provide food and provisions and seeking shelter where they found it along the way.
Two women, alone in the wilds, with a small child. It should have been a nightmare. Most anyone Gabrielle would have spoken to would have thought them insane. But she had found the journey surpassing her wildest dreams in terms of the wonder and joy she’d discovered in it, and though they’d been challenged by weather, by the trail, and by each other – she knew there were very few times in her life she’d ever been happier than she was right now.
She leaned against the tree their packs were stacked against and watched her partner and child. Dori was busy showing Xena the rocks and bits of debris she’d found at the top of the waterfall and explaining their importance. Xena had her chin propped on her fist, a grin spreading across her face as she listened.
Gabrielle studied her partner’s lean, relaxed figure, the muscles in her arms and shoulders casting faint shadows as she shifted to accept a rock from Dori’s hand. The trip had given her soulmate time to heal, and save a thin, red scar across the front of her knee there was little to indicate the trials she’d faced in Athens.
Having Dori with them had made things inarguably tough, Gabrielle acknowledged, both because of the danger and because of the child’s almost insatiable curiosity. However, both she and Xena had gotten quickly used to the changes in their traveling routine needed to accommodate the presence of their offspring and Xena’s sharp senses had been put to good use more than once to prevent near disaster.
The effort had been more than worth it. Gabrielle smiled, folding the linen over a branch of the tree to dry. She walked over and gave the stew pot a stir, then joined Dori and Xena on the furs. She had a pile of new adventures to turn into stories, and the utter satisfaction of having spent the time gathering them in the company of the two people she held most dear in her life.
“Mm.” Gabrielle grunted contentedly. Life was good.
Xena glanced down as Gabrielle curled up on the furs and put her head down on the warrior’s thigh. She draped her free arm over the bard’s body and their fingers twined together as Gabrielle reached up to clasp her hand. “Comfortable?”
Gabrielle bounced her head once or twice. “Mmmm…” She wriggled closer. “Could be a little softer, but you’ll do.”
Xena leaned over and kissed her on the crown of her head, giving her a one armed squeeze at the same time. Gabrielle uttered a soft sound of pleasure and returned the squeeze, settling herself and turning her attention to their daughter.
“Dis is good rock.” Dori held up a shiny stone for inspection.
“Why?” Xena inquired.
“Big.” Her daughter explained. She put the stone down, and picked up a second. “Bad rock.”
“Why?” The warrior asked again.
“Owie.” Dori touched the point on the sharp bit of granite. “Dis rock bites.”
Gabrielle chuckled softly. “Did you step on that one, Dori? Is that how you know it bites?” She extended a hand and turned Dori’s bare foot towards her, examining the sole. A tiny red mark confirmed her suspicions. “Oh, you poor baby.”
“Bck.” Dori pulled her foot from her mother’s fingers. “Dis rock no good. Throw back.” She lifted her hand and looked around for a likely target.
“Wait.” Xena took the sharp stone from her hand. “Watch me.” She picked up a small piece of flat slate from Dori’s collection and pressed the point of the granite against it, drawing her hand down and leaving a white mark. “See?”
Dori studied the result. “No.”
Gabrielle chuckled soundlessly.
Xena made another mark, drawing a stick picture of an animal. “Now see?”
“Oo..Boo that’s so pretty.” The bard teased. “Is that a dog or a horse?”
Xena scratched a curly tail. “It’s a pig.” She handed the rocks back to Dori. “Now you try.”
The child gazed at both stones with a serious expression. Then she brought both hands together and smacked the two into each other with an impressive clack. “Good!” Dori repeated the sound, making Xena wince slightly. “Like that!” She banged them again and again.
“Wasn’t quite what you had in mind, was it?” Gabrielle felt Xena exhale. “Try it with chalk and parchment next time, honey. It’s quieter.” Xena’s arm tightened around her and she closed her eyes in a brief moment of utter content. “Mmmmmm.”
Xena glanced down at Gabrielle’s face, outlined in both twilight and the firelight. Its tanned, lean planes attested to their long days of walking; yet the hardships seemed to have brought her nothing but happiness. A smile crossed Xena’s face, as she acknowledged her own sense of pleasure in their current lifestyle and realized though living wild had its downside, it suited them.
“Hey. You know something?” Xena played put and take with Dori with her free hand.
“Hm?” Gabrielle was occupied placing tiny kisses on the inside of her partner’s muscular leg. “What?”
“I think we’re just a couple of natural wanderers.”
Gabrielle rolled onto her back and looked up through lazily half lidded eyes. “Are you saying we like to shirk responsibility and live a vagabond lifestyle?”
Xena nodded, watching her face intently.
Gabrielle bit the inside of her lip and studied the slowly darkening sky overhead. She wiggled her bare toes as a slow, sweet smile spread across her face. “Yeah.” She admitted. “I think you’re right.” With a slight grunt, she sat up and pushed herself to her feet. “Isn’t that terrible?”
Xena kept an eye on Dori as she abandoned her rocks and climbed into her lap, reaching up to play with one of the laces in Xena’s shirt. “Awful.” She agreed dryly. “Whatcha doin, Dori?”
“Got Boo.” Dori tugged at the string, drawing the neck of Xena’s shirt closed. “Go show you my bugs now?”
“You got bugs?”
Gabrielle listened to the chatter as she filled their bowls full of rabbit stew. She set the bowls on a wooden platter and poked a slab of her newest experiment, travel bread. It seemed ready. She broke off a corner and nibbled it, pleased with the result.
Xena’s remark had hit home, she readily acknowledged. She liked being able to do what she wanted when she wanted, without anyone else giving her advice. Xena felt the same way, apparently. Was it fair to Dori, though? Having her away from her little friends, and their extended family – growing up out in the wilderness?
Her eyes lifted, to see her partner flying Dori through the air over her head, her hands fastened firmly around the toddlers body. Dori was squealing in delight, her arms and legs spread out and a big smile on her face.
Hm. Gabrielle suspected Dori didn’t have a problem with it. She picked up the platter and walked back over to the furs, settling cross legged next to Xena as the warrior brought Dori in for a landing. “You ready for dinner, Dori?”
“Yes.” Dori copied her seating posture, watching intently as Gabrielle handed over her small bowl and spoon, and a chunk of the bread. “Mama, mmm.” Ignoring the spoon, she pulled a bit of root out of the bowl and ate it. “Good good good.”
“Thank you, honey.” Gabrielle gave Xena her portion, then joined her partner in eating.
“She’s right.” Xena leaned an elbow on the bard’s knee, and pointed to the dish with her spoon. “You put something different in this time?”
Gabrielle bit into a carrot, a pleased smile crossing her face. “You mean all this practice is paying off?” She teased. “Yes, something’s new. I picked up some dried herbs from that traveling caravan we passed two days ago.”
“Mm.” Xena wiggled her eyebrows in appreciation. “I like when you experiment. Used to make things interesting on the road.” She commented. “Mom’s stuff is fine, but it never changes.”
“Hm.” Gabrielle sucked on her spoon. She’d never considered how much the effect of the many daily challenges of the road affected their day to day life. Traveling, she realized, forced you to constantly adapt, constantly solve problems to just handle the basics of survival.
Her eyes slipped to Xena’s profile, watching the blue eyes sparkle in the firelight. An unconscious smile was pulling at her partner’s lips, giving the watching bard a good indication of the internal happiness riding just below Xena’s often stoic surface.
Vagabonds, eh? Gabrielle leaned her head against Xena’s convenient shoulder, and dug in to her bowl, tasting the spices of an interesting revelation.
**
The stars spread over them in a dark blanket. Dori was asleep in her crib, a wooden folding item made by Xena’s clever hands. The fire had burned low, and was now shedding just enough light for Gabrielle to see by as she sat behind her partner, brushing out her hair.
Long and thick, it curled around her fingers, releasing the scent of the herbal soap they both used. “Want me to braid this?” Gabrielle offered. “It’s a little breezy out.”
“Mm.” Xena nodded. She had her forearms resting on her upraised knees, as she gazed into the fire. “You can use those ties we got in that little town.”
“Alfrif got fm.” Gabrielle had the ties between her teeth. She removed them and started braiding the leather into the dark hair. “It was so cute of that crafter to give them to you after you rescued his bull.” She said. “He was blushing so badly, the poor little guy.”
“That’s because I grabbed him by the genitals.” Xena murmured.
Gabrielle paused, and leaned forward, resting her chin on Xena’s shoulder and giving her a wide eyed look. “Excuse me?”
Xena turned her head slightly, brushing Gabrielle’s cheek with her own. “The bull.” She uttered in a low rasp.
“Oh.” Gabrielle leaned forward a little more and they kissed. “Well, then.” She rested her head against Xena’s darker one briefly, then went back to completing her task.
“See any grays yet?”
“Sweetheart, in this light you could have a stripe like a skunk right across the top of your head and I’d never see it.” Gabrielle remarked. “Do you really want me to look? What if I find one?” She finished her neat braid and put her hands on her partner’s shoulders. “Most people don’t really go hunting for signs of getting older.”
Xena half turned and snaked an arm around her, then pulled Gabrielle into her lap, cradling her easily as the bard put her arms around Xena’s neck. “I don’t need to hunt for that.” She said, with a wry smile. “I feel it every time I wake up in the morning out here.”