She opened her door and quickly deposited the bags and her chakram inside. She ran to Dantien’s door and knocked rapidly.
“Come in.” Dantien’s voice was low and dispirited.
She flung open the door to find Dantien staring out the window, arms crossed, oblivious to the rain coming in. She was wearing her shift, and the wind whipped it around her body, outlining every curve and feature. She could have been a statue wrapped in cloth, motionless except for the flow of her hair in the wind.
Gabrielle slammed the door, surprising herself.
“Sorry. Did he hurt you?” she tried to keep her voice calm.
“No.” Dantien kept staring out the window. The breeze picked up her hair into an elegant arch.
“I told you, he visits me sometimes.”
Gabrielle clenched her fists. Did he touch you? Because if he did…
“He kissed my hand.” Dantien turned and gave her a small smile. “Is that ok with you, Gabrielle?”
“What? Uh, no problem.” Had she spoken out loud? She blushed and rubbed her hands on her skirt, making a pretense of straightening it out.
“Come watch the rain with me?” Dantien held out her hand. Her tone didn’t match the expression on her face. She looked- dejected.
“What did he want?” Gabrielle tried to sound casual.
“Let’s just enjoy this first together, Gabrielle. If you don’t mind.”
Gabrielle joined her and they watched as the rain became torrential. She yawned and rubbed her eyes, watching large brown puddles rapidly form in the courtyard below. A low rumble of thunder seemed to roll down her spine. Looking at the puddles, she remembered the sound of the samurai’s boots squelching in the mud as she had waited for him to strike, remembered how the cold rain rolled down the blade and onto her hands…
A quick shot of lightning flashed into the room. She saw the body strung in the trees.
“Give me her head!” she had shouted. All the while shaking inside as never before, from rage, from anguish, from horror. The rumbling turned into the drums of war, the shrieks and cries of battle as Gabrielle had raced through the forest to find her, swearing that she heard her call out her name one last time…..
“Gabrielle. Gabrielle.” Dantien slammed the shutters together and turned back to pull Gabrielle to her. Gabrielle sobbed and her hands grabbed Dantien’s shift as she balled them into fists, stretching the cloth until her knuckles paled with tension.
“It wasn’t fair.” the ache, the pain, racked over her body, and she sank in exhaustion to the floor, pulling Dantien with her. Dantien began to rock their bodies together as Gabrielle cried, murmuring softly to her as she rubbed her hands gently on Gabrielle’s quivering back..
“Talk to me Gabrielle, don’t hold this in.” she rocked her slowly. “Look what it’s doing to you.”
The rocking continued as the crying gave way to sniffles, and then a period of silence. The fists unfurled and Gabrielle’s arms went around Dantien, squeezing her close.
“Dantien?” the voice was so breathless she could barely hear it.
Dantien placed her lips to the top of Gabrielle’s head. “I’m listening.” she whispered.
A few deep breaths taken, a slow exhale. “I wasn’t there. I wasn’t there when she died….”
The story of Xena’s last adventure would finally be told.