"Story Time" is copyright © 1997 by Morgan MacLeod, all rights reserved. Do not distribute, archive, or repost without prior permission from the author.

Xena and Gabrielle belong to MCA/Renaissance Pictures. Some characters herein are also based on situations belonging to Paramount. All these characters are used here in a strictly non-profit manner, and their appearance is in no way intended to infringe on the trademarks of MCA, Renaissance Pictures, or Paramount.

"Leonides, and Chloe. You will save them? Please?" The girl seemed on the verge of collapse.

"How long have they been out there?"

"The elders took Chloe out to the rock around midday. I don't know when Leo went out ... he was still home when I came to work this evening, but after work, when I went home, he was gone. He'd left me a note, that he'd gone to save Chloe.. or die with her."

Xena nodded. "I'll do my best, Therese... If they're still alive when I get there, I'll try to save them both. Now you go home -and don't tell the elders what you've told me. I don't want to have to fight them as well as the monster."

"No. I won't tell anyone. Just... "

Xena patted the girl on the shoulder. "I know, Therese. I'll do my best." She grinned. "And my best is very good. Now go." As she said this, Xena pushed the girl towards the door and opened it. After checking that no one was near, she gestured to the girl to be silent, and stepped into the hall. From the corner of her eye she saw the girl flee down the back steps, as she turned towards Gabrielle's room. Quietly she eased the door open and slipped inside.

Gabrielle was sleeping soundly, one arm cradling her head, the other thrust beneath her pillow, her hair spilling across the bedding, her breathing soft and steady. Almost as though she sensed Xena's approach, she rolled onto her back, though her eyes remained closed and her breathing even.

Despite the terrible urgency of her errand, Xena could not help but hold motionless for a second, struck yet again by the innocence, the vulnerability, that co-existed with the strength and beauty in her beloved's face. How rare it was to see such qualities mingled, how paramount the need to protect the bearer of those qualities from every danger - even those she posed herself, as she had done the night before.

"Gabrielle," she whispered, stepping forward to shake the sleeping bard. "Wake up. It's urgent. We have to leave at once."

"Wha..." Gabrielle murmured, batting one hand at her shoulder in a futile attempt to end the shaking.

"C'mon. Wake up." Xena reached down to grab Gabrielle's other shoulder, and firmly pulled her into a sitting position. Her eyes opened.

"Xena! What..."

Xena crouched down and looked into Gabrielle's face meeting her sleep-clouded gaze eye to eye. Her piercing blue eyes captured Gabrielle's, willing her to wake. "There's a sacrifice at the rock. We have to leave at once, if there's any chance of saving the girl. Now get dressed, while I wake Rillian. I'll be right back for you."

Seeing full consciousness and a horrified awareness steal across the other woman's face, Xena nodded grimly and sprang towards the door. As she slipped into the corridor once more, she heard the sounds of movement behind her, as Gabrielle rose from the bed and readied herself. There was still no sight or sound of anyone else stirring nearby. She rapped lightly at Rillian's door. "It's Xena," she whispered.

"Come," came the muffled response. Once inside, she saw the dark form of the foreign bard outlined against the plaster of the wall, and the rough sheets of the bed she sat on, her legs coiled and ready to spring, her axe already at hand. Xena grinned.

"No taking you by surprise, I see."

"What's the problem?"

"The maid just woke me. Seems the elders have already sent a sacrifice to the rock, and didn't bother to tell me. And the girl's intended is out there as well, ready to defend his love or die trying."

Rillian nodded. "I'll get ready," she said, standing and reaching for her clothes. "How's Gabrielle?"

Xena shrugged. "I woke her first. She was moving when I left. I'll go make sure she's all right to travel. Meet you in the stables?"

"Three on one horse?" Rillian questioned.

"I'll figure something out," Xena replied as she turned to the door. "Timon always used to keep his horse here. Maybe we'll borrow it." Through the darkness, Rillian could almost hear Xena's ironic smile.

Once back in Gabrielle's room, Xena was relieved to see the young woman moving normally, as she dressed and packed her belongings. There seemed to be no sign of the sudden weakness that had overcome her the night before. "How are you feeling?"

"Who, me? Fine... well, worried, and I'm not really awake yet, but basically fine, all things..."

Xena cut her off. "Do you remember fainting last night?"

"Uh... sort of." Her voice took on an unusual note, one that Xena could not interpret. Gabrielle bent over her shoulderbag, checking its contents, her face shrouded by her hair. "I think it was just the heat in the bath-house... and the humidity, too. They say that heat and humidity is a really bad combination. But I feel much better now." She straightened up, hoisting the bag to her shoulder. "I'm ready. Let's go."

Xena looked searchingly at her for a moment, alert for any sign of illness. Gabrielle stared unflinchingly back at her. Finally Xena smiled. "Right. Rillian's down at the stables waiting for us."

Quietly the two crept down the back stairs to the rear entranceway. On one hand were the corridors that led to the kitchen and the common room, on the other, the doorway out into the back courtyard and the stables. Carefully Xena opened the door. The courtyard was empty. Gesturing to Gabrielle, she stepped into the yard, and ran across the yard, Gabrielle on her heels. The stable door was ajar, and a dim light issued out through the cracks. Slipping inside, they saw Rillian saddling Argo by the light of a solitary lantern.

"Thanks," said Xena, as she looked carefully at the other three horses inside the stable.

Gabrielle gasped. "You're not going to steal one of these horses, are you?"

Xena shook her head. "One of these is Timon's horse," she said, then gave a quick snort of recognition, as she opened the door to the stall of a sturdy grey gelding. "This one, in fact." She turned to Rillian. "You can ride, can't you?"

Rillian smiled. "Well enough. It's been a while, but I think it will come back to me."

"Good." Quickly Xena gathered the horse's tack from the pegs on the walls, and began to saddle and bridle the quivering animal.

Gabrielle spoke behind her. "How do you know that's Timon's horse?"

"Because I gave it to him, last time I was here. His own was killed in the search for the creature's nest. Rockfall accident. We had extra mounts, so I made it up to him." She pulled the saddlestraps tight.

"But if it's his horse now..."

"I'm borrowing it. I'll bring it back, when we're finished." Clucking softly to the horse, she led him out of his stall. Rillian was there, to take the horse's lead from her. "His name's Castor." Xena went to Argo, checked her tack, and fastened her saddlebags, then led the horse out to the stable door.

"We'll never get the horses out of town without making a sound, so we may as well just mount up and ride for it," Rillian observed.

Xena nodded in agreement. "If we get separated, cross the bridge, and follow the path along the river towards the mountains. It leads past the sacrificial rock. The girl's name is Chloe, the boy's name is Leonidas. His sister Therese sent us. Gabrielle, douse that lantern."

Once the light was out, Xena opened the stable door wide, and led Argo out. Rillian followed with Castor. Gabrielle followed behind them, and pushed the great door shut while Rillian and Xena mounted. Dropping the heavy wooden beam that held the door shut into its place, Gabrielle ran to Argo's side and reached up for the hand Xena held out to her. Gritting her teeth, she let Xena's strength and her own momentum swing her up into place behind the warrior, and quickly settled in, grasping Xena tightly around the waist. "Hang on, Gabrielle," Xena whispered, and, nodding to Rillian, urged Argo into a run.

Across the stableyard and out into the main square they raced side by side towards the main bridge, dark figures on pale mounts in the silvery moonlight. Behind them, they could hear a few confused shouts, and the sound of windows flung open, but nothing that suggested an immediate pursuit. Once clear of the town, Xena took the lead, riding at a gallop along the well marked path, with Gabrielle clinging to her back, and Rillian on Castor keeping pace just behind her.

As the minutes grew longer, and the rocking motion of the horse in full gallop began to overwhelm the adrenalin that had sustained her during the initial moments of the ride, Gabrielle felt her unease growing. She had never really become accustomed to riding Argo like this, it was so different from her memories of her pony, so long ago. The pony had never stood so far off the ground, or moved with such jolting speed.

She clenched her eyes shut, and concentrated on the one unmoving reality she had in this universe of haste - Xena, solid and secure in front of her. She leaned into Xena's back, resting her cheek against the supple leather of her battle garb. Unsought and unbidden, the image of Xena as she had been the night before took form in her mind's eye. For one giddy moment, she had thought that Xena was about to touch her, as a lover touches her beloved. And perhaps she had been. Gabrielle could still remember the sudden unbearable burst of sensation that had flooded through her at that moment. She had felt suspended between the earth and the sky, unable to move, to breathe, every inch on fire with feelings she had never known before, as though some giant burning hand had reached into her body and turned her inside out. Nothing had ever moved her so before.

And then like an idiot, like a skittish virgin, she'd started to faint. And now she might never know if she had seen desire glowing in Xena's eyes, or only imagined it. She concentrated on bringing back to her memory every nuance of those dizzying moments. She had been lying, eyes closed, enjoying the sensuous warmth of the water on her skin. Xena had started to talk about grasping love, had talked about Perdicas, had asked her if she could ever love again, had transfixed her with the ferocious intensity of her eyes, and then she had been overcome by the wave of yearning that had enveloped her. Why had Xena spoken so? She rarely spoke of Perdicas, probably because she hoped to spare her friend the pain of unexpected memory. Perhaps she was only trying to see if Gabrielle was truly finished mourning, ready to move on. What reason did she have for thinking that Xena might be asking if she were ready to move on with her? Gods above, perhaps she was only wondering if she herself was ready to move on after the death of Marcus. Gabrielle had always felt that Xena's feelings for the lover now free to wander the Elysian Fields had been much stronger than she had ever admitted.

Right, that was the far more likely explanation. How could she have thought that Xena's eyes had burned for her? How thankful she was, to whatever god had blinded the warrior's usual keen observation, that Xena had blamed her collapse on the heat, and her fatigue. She had no idea of the real reason behind the swoon, and as long as Gabrielle could keep her mind off such foolish ideas, Xena would never have another chance to discover the deepest, sweetest, most agonising secret of her heart.

Suddenly, shouts, screams and cries, some that had never issued from any human throat, but so faint as to barely be heard, broke into her reverie. She opened her eyes, to see that the cold, pale light of early morning had struggled over the mountain peaks to the east, and surrounded them as they raced across the grasslands. She swallowed and hung on more tightly as Xena urged Argo to the limits of the horse's speed and endurance. Rillian still kept pace beside them on the grey. Carefully shifting her position, she peered around Xena's hunched frame.

Ahead of them, thrust up out of the earth like a giant spearhead, stark grey against the yellow-green of the grasses and the blue-green of the line of ragged trees that marked the edge of the forest not far behind it, was a huge spire of rock, five or six times a man's height. Roughly diamond shaped, it was greater around than two grown men could reach where it broke free from the soil, broadened out to almost twice that width at a third of its height above ground, then it narrowed sharply, almost to a point. Bound loosely to the spire, above the widest point, was the frantic, struggling form of a young woman, dressed in flowing white robes, her golden hair unbound.

On the ground not far from the spire, a young man crouched in the grass, half behind, half beneath a great round antique shield of bronze he held like a steeply slanted roof between himself and the creature which soared and swooped around him. In one hand he held a sword, slashing out awkwardly at the beast whenever he heard or felt it dive toward him. Blood streamed from a dozen shallow wounds on his unprotected arm and shoulder.

As they raced towards the embattled youth, the creature broke off its attack, and with a feral screech, swerved towards its favoured prey, tethered helplessly to the rock nearby. Her screams alerted him to its retreat, and he stood, setting the shield aside and shouting first at the maiden to be still and silent, and then defiantly at the monster itself, waving his good arm wildly in the air to divert it from its target and draw it back to focus its fangs and talons upon him instead. Without flinching he held his ground until the last moment, then ducked down behind the shield once more and struck out blindly at his foe, landing a glancing blow that scarcely touched the creature at all.

"Gods, the lad has courage," Xena shouted to Rillian as they drew ever nearer, willing the young warrior to hold the creature at bay until they could get within range. She looked over her shoulder at Gabrielle clinging on behind her. "Run for the girl, get her down from that rock, and take shelter. Leave the rest to us." Gabrielle was only too glad to voice her agreement.

Now they were almost there. Reining Argo off towards the spire, Xena stood in the stirrups and vaulted from her back, slicing through the air as she cut across the sounds of battle with her warcry. Drawing sword in mid air, she slashed out at the monster's broad wing as she landed beside the crouched figure of the Leonidas. An instant later Rillian, still mounted, pulled up to strike from the lad's other side, swinging her axe at the creature's tail as it passed overhead.

Gabrielle meanwhile had lunged forward on the saddle, grabbing both the pommel and the reins, and managed to stay on Argo's back until she could bring the warhorse to a halt at the foot of the spire. Grabbing both her staff and Xena's spare dagger from the saddlebags, she slid to the ground and searched for a way up the side of the great rock. Almost at once her eyes fell upon a rope ladder dangling down its side. She glanced towards the fighting, and saw the beast diving again towards the three fighters. Both Xena and Rillian seemed to be fighting confidently, maneuvering easily around the young man still crouched on the ground. As Xena landed another blow to the creature's torn wing, she forced herself to turn back to her task, and swarmed up the ropes towards the girl. As she climbed, she could see that knotted ladders and ropes were hung all around the lower half of the rock. Finally she could see that she was level with the bound girl. She reached over and grabbed the rigging that wound around the rock, stepping gingerly off the ladder. Carefully she inched her way around the rock until she was beside the girl. "Chloe?"

"Who are you? What are you doing?" The terrified girl's voice rose towards a scream. Gabrielle clapped her hand over Chloe's mouth.

"Shhh. Don't draw that thing's attention over here. I'm going to cut you free, and then we'll climb down and hide 'til they drive the Wingclaw away. Nod if you understand me."

The girl nodded. Gabrielle lowered her hand, then quickly covered the girl's mouth once more as she drew in a deep breath as if to scream again. "Don't talk. Understand?" The girl nodded, hesitantly. "Promise to be quiet?" Another nod. "All right." Carefully Gabrielle withdrew her hand once more. This time the girl remained quiet.

Gabrielle carefully examined the girl's bonds. Unless there was some secret mechanism she could not see, the girl's only support was the weathered ledge of rock on which she stood, and she was held in place only by one length of rope, tied around each wrist and stretched around behind her, encircling the rock spire. Gabrielle grabbed one of the ropes hanging nearby and pressed it into Chloe's hand. "Grab onto this. If you slip when I cut you loose, I'll try to hold you, but if I can't, just hang onto this rope, all right?" She felt, rather than saw the girl's nod. Carefully, she twisted the ropes around her lower body to anchor herself and began to saw away at the thick rope.

As she had expected, the girl slumped and began to fall the minute the rope gave way. Gabrielle leaned out and grabbed the girl around the waist, pulling her back against the rock. "I've got you," she said. "Now turn towards me, and keep turning, so you face the rock." Slowly, guided by Gabrielle, the girl did so. "Good girl," she whispered. Slowly, she shifted back towards the ladder, moving in slow increments, making sure she was always anchored by the ropes to the rock before urging the girl to move towards her, always keeping her grip on the trembling girl. Finally they reached the ladder. Making certain that Chloe was holding firmly onto both sides, and that her footing on the rungs was secure, Gabrielle began to slide carefully down one side of the rope ladder, watching all the while to see that Chloe was climbing down as well, checking her footing, keeping her from falling. At last they reached the ground.

During all of this time, Gabrielle had been trying to think of any safe place she might have seen nearby where she and the girl could hide, and had realised at last that there was no better hiding place within reach than at the narrowed base of the spire itself. The trees would be safer, but Chloe was in no condition to run that far, and she didn't think either of them would be able to mount Argo and ride to safety. She pushed the girl to the ground, and motioned for her to press herself tightly against the rock. Then, remembering Xena's actions during the attack in the mountains, she reached for Argo, standing patiently, if nervously, where she had left her, and positioned the horse as best she could under the wider portion of the rock, and almost on top of the girl. "Relax," she whispered to Chloe. "Argo won't hurt you, and she'll help keep the monster away from both of us, if it comes back this way."

Then Gabrielle herself crouched down, underneath the bulging slope of the rock, beneath the shelter of Argo's arching neck. From where she knelt, she could see the battle against the winged creature.

Rillian and Xena continued to harry the beast from horseback and afoot, slashing and chopping at the wings, legs and tail as they creature made pass after pass over them. They had driven it some distance away from the brave young defender, who had now crept out from behind his shield and watched the fray. Suddenly, he dropped the shield and, with a loud yell, holding his sword straight out before him, he ran toward the diving beast, head on, clearly hoping for a mortal strike. Cursing, Rillian drove her horse across his path, fouling the beast's approach as she struck with her axe, ripping the beast's wing once more. As she did so, Xena leapt through the air, knocking the lad's sword from his hand, and throwing him to the ground.

He roared in disappointment and anger, striking out at her. She struck him again, rolling him onto his back and crouching over him. He grabbed for her throat, but Xena caught his arm in mid thrust and held it there. Unseen behind her the beast prepared for another dive. Watching in horror, Gabrielle rose to her feet, narrowly avoiding Argo's head as a warning shout tore its way out of her lungs. Rillian whirled on the grey horse, and rode towards the woman and man frozen in their struggle, axe hand raised to land an intercepting blow, knowing that she would be too late to guard Xena's back, yet throwing herself towards her anyway.

Xena turned her head to see the great head approaching, its maw wide, its fangs gleaming row on row. She was still for an instant, almost as if waiting for something. Suddenly she vaulted backwards, touching down for a second with her hands, then tucked her legs in tightly and rolled backwards towards the oncoming beast. Gaining momentum, she unfolded to her full extension as her shoulders met the ground, and drove her booted heels with all the strength she possessed into the soft underthroat of the beast. The force of the blow drove its head up sharply, marring the angle of its dive and keeping it out of striking range of the defenceless Leonides. Quickly she dropped her legs and rolled out of the way of the creature's strong legs and talons, unsheathing her dagger and slashing at them as she slipped out of harm's way. Behind her, the creature roared in pain as Rillian chopped again at its torn wings.

Shrieking in frustration, the beast rose higher and higher into the sky, before turning towards the mountains in flight. Xena rolled onto her knees, looking up and watching it for just long enough to see that it had indeed fled the battle, and then rose to her feet, and held out her hand to the pale and blood-streaked young man in the dust at her feet. "Leonides, I presume?"

He lay there, looking up at her. His response was angry, and bitter. "I could have killed it. You stopped me from killing it."

She sat on her heels beside him. "If you were very lucky, you might have wounded it badly. More likely, it would have killed you. Something your young lady would not have wanted to see, I'm sure."

"But it will be back."

"I certainly hope so. Though if we've scared it too badly, it might not be, which will make things harder for me."

He looked at her in bewilderment. "What are you talking about? Why do you want it to come back?"

"I have my reasons. And now is not the time to discuss them. We need to see to Chloe, and set up some sort of defensible shelter nearby." She paused for a moment. "And bind up those cuts of yours. You're very brave, but very foolish. If you weren't so lucky, you'd probably be dead." She rose to her full height, and this time he took her extended hand and scrambled to his feet beside her. As she turned around to look for Rillian, she saw the woman, still seated on the grey, her strange seeing glass held up to her eye. "Did you see where it went?"

Rillian lowered the glass, and returned it to her beltpouch. "It's a better line of sight from here than it was in the mountains. I've got a good idea of where to start from."

Xena smiled. "Then this was worth it. C'mon, lad, let's go see how the others are."

Rillian dismounted, and led the labouring horse toward the rock spire. Gabrielle, had gotten the girl to her feet, and as the three fighters drew near, she began to take slow, halting steps towards the wounded young man. "Leonides! You're hurt!"

Rather than answer Chloe with words, Leonides ran to her instead, sweeping her into his arms and holding her close. She began to sob against his chest, and he soothed her, stroking her head and shoulders, murmuring softly to her.

Xena turned to Gabrielle. "She's not hurt?"

"Not a scratch. Just tired and frightened. So what do we do now?"

Xena looked past the rock, towards the trees. "Let's get under some cover, set up camp, and see what happens next."