Ramshackle, Brokendown Hut 

Well past midday Xena and Gabrielle entered the village of Midlos. After asking, Xena was directed to the Healer’s hut.

“She’s in bad shape,” tThe old man said after a quick examination. “Don't know how much I can do for her.”

“Whatever you can do, do it!” Xena demanded. “If she dies, I’ll die with her.”

The old Healer nodded in sympathy, then went to work.

He first made Gabrielle drink a painkiller and sleeping potion combination. Next, he cleaned the wound with the strongest disinfectant he had – red wine. Then he sliced open the wound on her back, cutting away the now-decaying flesh. And taking a narrow, pointed, red-hot iron rod, he forced it into the open wound, cauterizing and killing some of the infection.

After dressing that wound, he did the same for the front injury.

Despite being unconscious, Gabrielle trembled and cried out at the painful treatment. Xena could only hold her, watch, and hope it would keep her from dying.

For three days Xena sat by Gabrielle’s bed, trying to get her to drink chicken broth or water whenever she thought she needed it. By the end of the third day improvement was obvious.

Gabrielle woke up on the fifth day, weak as a kitten, but asking for something to eat.

“She’s not completely healed you know,” the old Healer told Xena. “She’ll need bed rest for a half month at least. And she should keep that her arm in that sling until all of the feeling comes back and she can start building up some strength in it.”

“Is there an inn in town where we can stay while she gets better?”

“There’s one here. But it won’t be cheap. Room and board for the two of you will cost you four dinars per day. Figuring fifteen days at least, that’s sixty dinars. You have that kind of money?”

“Not even close.”

“Xena,” Gabrielle said weakly, “If we have to, we can always sell my horse and saddle.”

Xena smiled down at her ailing friend. “No. You love that horse too much. We’ll figure something  out.”

Turning to the Healer she had a questioning look on her face.

“There may be something else,” he said. “Not too far from town, about a quarter of a day’s walk, there is an old abandoned cabin. No one’s lived there for a couple of years so it probably isn’t in very good condition.”