At the top of the fresh, new scroll, Gabby scribbled a few words, as a warm-up for writing the newest chapter in the ongoing Xena scrolls. First, she wrote the words, "Xena: Warrior Princess." She then scribbled "I love Gilead," looking over her shoulder to see whether Gilead was watching. If he did, he’d surely tease her about it.

As Gabby wrote about last night’s fire at the village of Eolis, and how Xena and Gilead had saved a child from an imminent death, she could hear laughter and footsteps coming from down the path. It must be Xena and son returning from fishing down at the river.

Gabby was reclining against a tree, in a little grove that was set back from the main dirt road, surrounded on all sides by grass. Argo was standing nearby and swishing flies with his tail. The voices got nearer, and louder.

Xena:

"Mark my words, my son. You will pay for that."

Gilead put an arm around his mother.

"Ahh, mom. What’s a little morning swim going to do to you?"

"I didn’t ask for a dive! I’ll get back at you one day, when you least expect it!"

As Xena and Gilead stepped into the clearing, Gabby had to fight to hold back giggles.

Following behind Gilead, who was carrying a basket full of fish, was Xena, drenched and wringing water out of her hair. Seeing Gabby chuckle, Xena rolled her eyes.

Xena:
"You’d better cook me along with the fish."
Gilead, grinning:
"Really???"
Xena punched Gilead.

"You would like that, wouldn’t you?"

Gabby:
"Hey you two, what happened?"
Xena slapped the top of Gilead’s head. Then, as she tickled his side, she proceeded to explain.
"This son of mine threw me into the water."
Gilead:
"But it woke you up."
Gabby:
"He threw you? You mean pushed!"
Xena:

"No, he ambushed me from behind. He picked me up and hurled me into the river!"

Gabby:
"Enough with the water story, you two. Let’s eat!"

As Xena sat in front of the fire, Gabby could not keep the giggles in. She kept glancing at Xena, who sat drying herself. She then looked over at Gilead, who winked at her.

Gabby:
"Hey, Xena."

No answer.

"Xena!"
No answer.

Gabby leaned over and touched Xena on the arm; she did not move. Gabby whispered to Gilead.

"Gilead, come here."
"What is it?"
"Look at Xena!"

Gilead walked over to Xena and looked at his mother in the face. Xena seemed to have dozed off; she had her eyes closed, with her head tipped to one side. Gilead squatted down in front of her mother. He swept his finger over her brow, and felt her pulse.

Gabby, coming over to Gilead’s side:
"Is…something wrong?"
Gilead did not answer. He looked at his mother, starting from the head, down to her shoulders, then her left arm. He squinted, then reached over and plucked out three tiny needles on her forearm.

Gabby:
"Gilead! Are those what I think they are?"
Gilead, in a grave voice:
"Yes. …These are poison needles. Throwing needles. Very easily concealed, and oftentimes the victim does not even know they’ve been hit."
Gabby:

"But where could she have…I mean…how in the world? Who could have thrown it? And from where?"

Gilead stood up without answering. He was sensing someone nearby. Gilead grabbed Gabby’s arm and pulled her up.

"Gabby, get behind me."

"What?"
Gilead, pulling Gabby toward him:

"Get behind me, now!"

A frightened Gabrielle let herself be dragged away from Xena. She picked up her staff, and took a battle stance behind Gilead. She looked at where Gilead was looking: the dense forest that was directly in front of the three people. Gabby now realized that the forest could be an ideal place to conceal an ambush.

Just as she had finished this thought, an arrow flashed in the glint of the morning sun. The sharp nose of the weapon flew straight at Gilead, but within an instant, the arrow was not in Gilead’s chest but on the ground, batted away by Gilead’s sword.

Gilead yelled out toward the forest.

"Come on out!"

The leaves started rustling, and four men, obviously knights, came out from among the thick trees. Judging from the way they were armed, they obviously did not want to chat. They each had on iron breastplates, helmets, a shield, and various weapons: one of them was clutching a sword. Another one, obviously the one who had shot at Gilead, had a bow and arrows. The remaining two each gripped double-edged spears in their hands.

Gilead:
"So, gentlemen, start talking."

Man in blue armor, with sword:
"Who do you think you are? We are the honorable Knights of Keiar, and I’ll have you know, you three are on forbidden ground."

Gilead, pretending to be belligerent:
"Keiar? Knights? I mean no disrespect, sir, but I do not think so. If this here is forbidden ground, and you really are knights, where is your castle? Nowhere around here did I see a castle as we were traveling."

Man in brown armor, with bow & arrow:

"We don’t have to tell you anything. If you value your life, we suggest you take yourself and your two companions and come with us. You three are under arrest."
Gilead:
"Arrest??? Without fair warning? Under what charges?"

Gilead cut himself short, turned 90 degrees to his right, and delivered a powerful sidekick to one of the spear-toting knights, wearing red armor, who was about to get his hands on Gabby. The knight had somehow made his way around Gilead without being seen. Taking that as their que, the three remaining knights—wearing blue, brown, and green armor—made their move. The red armored knight, who just got kicked, got up and joined the fray.

Gilead:
"Do not provoke me, sirs. I do not murder, but I will kill in self-defense. You are the ones who are obviously in the wrong here. Perhaps if you heard us out—"

Gilead raised his fist and delivered an uppercut to the green knight’s chin, sending him flying into his companions. He turned toward Gabby; he was about to tell her to get Xena away from here, when he saw that Gabby was already doing just that. After flashing a smile at Gabby, Gilead positioned himself between the four men, and Gabby, who had her back turned.

Blue knight:

"One against four."
Gilead:

"Yes. I’d say you sirs are quite outnumbered."

Blue, scowling:
"Oh, you will regret saying that."

Blue swung his sword, which Gilead parried easily. Then Green and Red attacked at once, stabbing at Gilead from the front and back. Gilead’s lighting reflexes, however, proved to be more than a match for these men. As soon as Gilead leaned forward and grabbed the handle of Green’s spear, he pivoted on his side and let his spear pass harmlessly by to his left, while at the same time he ducked his body low, which enabled Red’s spear to thrust thin air above Gilead’s body. Gilead then immediately stuck his foot out and rammed Red’s head with a shattering kick. He then delivered a knee into Green’s stomach; Green half-grunted and half-screamed, and collapsed down onto the ground.

Brown, seeing Green out of commission and Red unconscious, hesitated. Blue, however, hoisted his sword up and attacked.

Blue:
"So, you know some moves. Let’s see how you like this."

Gilead, with a blank expression:
"Please, you’re scaring me. …Tell me, did that guy, over there, the one with the bow, hit my mother with the poison needles?"

Blue ignored Gilead’s question.

"You’d better be scared. I don’t know where in Tartarus you come from, but you shouldn’t have crossed us."

Without any further delay, the battle resumed. Blue came on with a side swing of his sword, and Gilead timed his jump perfectly over the oncoming blade, and landed a downward axe kick onto Blue’s cheek. The angle, plus the power of the kick would have snapped anyone’s neck, but Blue not only stayed alive, but remained standing.

Gilead:
"Whoa! …What are you? No one could survive a kick like that; not from me."
Blue, rubbing his neck and coughing, obviously dazed and barely standing on his feet:

"What do you mean, not from you? Are you some immortal in disguise?"

Gilead did not have time to answer; his brain was busy telling his left arm to lift up and snatch away the arrow that Brown had just fired in his direction. He turned toward Brown, and looking at him, snapped the arrow in two. Gilead spoke harshly.
"If you don’t mind, I’d like to stop fighting and at least learn your names."

Brown glanced over at Blue, as well as Green, who had recovered from his pain and was standing up. Blue nodded at Brown, and Brown lowered his weapons and came forward. Blue put his sword back in his sheath; so did Gilead. Red had awakened, and Green helped him up.

Blue came forward.

"We four are brothers, loyal knights to the king of Keiar—ur—the late king of Keiar, I should say. The reason why you could not spot our castle is because it is well hidden in this very forest," the blue knight said, indicating the forest behind him, from where he and his three brothers had emerged. Before he could continue, Gabby came out to the clearing, holding Xena up, who was still unconscious. Gabby had seen and heard everything, and was convinced that these men meant no harm. Still rubbing his neck, Blue turned toward Gabby.

"My lady, I apologize for the trouble we caused you. But we had good reason to think that you, as well as the gentleman here, were one of them, as you will soon see."

Gabby:
"One of who? Just what is going on here?"

Blue:
"Let me explain, from the beginning. (Then to Gilead) Sir, you’d better sit down."

Gilead:

"I’ll stand."

Blue laughed, which led to an outburst of coughing and wheezing. Brown rushed over to his brother and kept him from falling down.

Blue:
"I understand why you won’t trust us yet; but you will after listening to me."

Blue sat down; he then motioned his brothers to do the same.

Gilead put himself again between the four knights and Gabby, who was gently laying Xena down on the grass.

Blue:
"First of all, my name is Kore. I am the eldest; and this (pointing to Brown) is Rexlar, the second oldest and a master of the bow and arrow. This (indicating Green) is the third oldest; his name’s Taggard. And here, the youngest (indicating Red)—his name’s Homan."

Gilead, not changing his stony expression:
"Howdy."
Kore:
"…As you know, the law of the land here is that anyone can claim a piece of land as their own, provided no one else already dwells there. Our King Keiar, in his humble beginning, was a wandering bard—a fighting bard."

Gilead looked over at Gabby and winked. Kore continued.

"Keiar was an ordinary citizen of Rome, under the rule of Julius Caesar. He, like many others, was fed up with Caesar’s rule of tyranny; he and a thousand others planned a revolt, to storm Caesar’s castle and take the dictator prisoner."

"And how does that tie in to your attacking us?" Gabby snapped.

Kore shifted uneasily on the grass.
"My lady; please; just hear me out. (Then to Gilead, after stealing a glance at Xena) You, sir. Administer this on your friend there."

Gilead received the tiny leather pouch Kore handed him, no bigger than the palm of a human hand.

Gilead:
"She’s my mother, not a friend."
Kore bowed his head.

"My folly, sir. …Mix the herb in water and make her smell the resulting fragrance; that should wake her. Then let her drink the water."
Gilead handed the pouch to Gabby, who instantly sprang up and ran down to the river. Kore continued talking.

"Now, where was I? Oh, yes. The night before the invasion on Caesar’s palace, someone from Keiar’s strike team eloped to the other side. The man’s name is irrelevant; what is relevant is that he managed to make his way before Caesar, and laid down Keiar’s entire plan before him. Needless to say, the reason why that man had betrayed Keiar was in hopes that Caesar would reward him. But no…after Caesar learned each and every detail of the planned attack, and had set up a trap for Keiar and his men, the first to die was that man who had betrayed Keiar."

Gilead:
"How do you know all this?"
Kore:

"This is all according to King Keiar himself. I must have been a toddler back when this happened!"

Gilead:
"…"
Rexlar jumped in.

"You do not believe us, sir Gilead?"
Gilead:

"I’ll make that decision after I have heard your story thoroughly."

Kore:
"When next morning came, and Keiar’s men attacked Caesar’s stronghold, they were walking right into a trap. As soon as Keiar’s men entered the palace, they were surprised to find the palace completely empty. They spent the whole morning searching the palace, but there was not a soul in the huge complex. Just as Keiar realized that they’d been tricked, a soldier found the decapitated body of the man who was missing from their squad all morning, the one who had leaked information to Caesar. Keiar searched his clothes, and found a note—"

Gilead:
"Hold it!"
Taggard:
"Someone’s coming!"

The four brothers readied their weapons, but Gilead knew who it was.

"Gentlemen, put your weapons away. It’s not anyone we don’t know."
Homan:
"You mean?"
Gilead:
"Look."

It was Gabby, coming back with the leather pouch. She was covering her nose at the smell of the medicine.

Rexlar, smiling:
"I can imagine what she had to put up with to bring that all the way back here."

Gilead:
"How bad can that really be?"

Gabby quickly walked over to Xena, who was very pale. Gabby gasped at the sight of her, and almost dropped the pouch.

"Oh …what if we’re too late?"

Homan:
"Worry not, lady. The venom from the needle must stay in a victim’s systems for at least 7 days to become life threatening; the venom’s main purpose is more to disable and immobilize, than it is to kill."

Gabby kneeled next to Xena, cradled Xena’s head in her left arm and put the leather flask up against Xena’s nose. The stuff smelled horrible; a minute more of inhaling it would have nauseated Gabby. Gilead looked on; he started counting. After he had gotten to thirty-three, Xena still had not moved. Gabby was getting terrified.

"Come on, Xena. Don’t do this to me. Please wake up!"

Kore:
"Xena?"
Taggard:
"Sir Gilead, did your lady just call her, "Xena"?"

Gilead knew what was coming. He turned toward the four knights. He sighed, and rolled his eyes.
"Yes, she is Xena. The one and only…"
Rexlar:
"The one and only Xena! The warrior princess!"

Homan:
"Brothers, what have we done? (Then turning toward Gilead) Sir Gilead, we are ever so sorry…we had no idea…"
Gilead:
"Yeah, yeah. Never mind that. But why isn’t the medicine working?"

Kore:
"The venom has stayed in her system for a lengthy amount of time; it will take a while. Relax, sir Gilead. We guarantee her well being."

"I sure hope so," said Gilead, as he touched his sword, his voice heavily ridden with implications.

Gilead went over to Gabby.

"Gabby, let me take over."
Gabby:

"…Thanks. I have a headache already…"

Gilead gave Gabby a kiss on the forehead.
"Sit down and get some air."

Gabby crawled away from Xena and slumped down on the ground. Gilead held up the foul smelling medicine to his mother’s nose. To Gabby, it looked as if Gilead wasn’t affected at all by the smell. As all the attention was suddenly shifted to Xena, the four knights inched over to get a better look at what Xena the Warrior Princess looked like.

To be continued in "The Knights of Keiar #2"…