Chapter Thirteen

Home to Poteidaia

Gabrielle’s homecoming wasn’t quite what she had expected. Lila was happy to see her, but Sarah had married and moved to another town. And the farm was showing serious signs of neglect. The most that Lila was able to do was keep a small garden for herself, a few chickens and a couple of goats. There were no horses or cows. The larger fields were overgrown with weeds. The barn door was lying on the ground next to the opening and the rats had taken over the interior.

Lila had learned not to be too nosy, so she waited until the morning after Gabrielle had arrived to ask about Xena. While explaining the circumstances of Xena’s death, Gabrielle continually had to reference back to something that had happened before. So she began almost a year before, starting with her birthday and the sliver pendant with the blue crystal Xena had given her. She ended her story in tears, and despite Lila’s “maybes” Gabrielle was now absolutely convinced that Xena was dead.  “. . . And the only thing I have left of her is what I’ve written in my scrolls.”

“And her memory,” Lila reminded her.

Gabrielle gave Lila a sad smile. “And speaking of my scrolls, I think I’d like to read them again.”

“Sure. I’ll get them for you.”

Lila returned with a large leather pouch. But after she handed it to Gabrielle, she just sat there, holding the pouch to her breast as if it were Xena. After a while she slowly untied the leather straps holding the flap closed, and gently took them out one by one  and laid them on the table.

“I wish I had numbered them,” Gabrielle said to herself, Lila was all but forgotten. “It would be nice to start at the very beginning.”

“You can still do that,” Lila replied, but Gabrielle never heard her.

Gabrielle sat up almost all night, unrolling then one at a time and reading them out loud, but not so loud that she kept Lila awake when she decided to go to bed. As she drifted off she could still hear Gabrielle occasionally laugh, or comment to herself after she finished each one.

The next morning Lila found Gabrielle asleep with her head on the kitchen table. A quill and bottle of ink were next to her. She had taken Lila’s unheard suggestion and had numbered them as best she could remember the correct order.