Gabrielle: A Warrior's Journey

Disclaimer: I own nothing (unfortunately). All rights and characters in this fic belong to their respective owners and creators. I gain no profit from this. It's purely for fun. I only own my OC's.

Note: The following is a rough outline of what was to happen in this chapter. I apologise for not being able to write the full chapter as intended, however, life has proven hectic and along with my plans to start writing original stories, I don't have the time needed to finish all my stories. I didn't want to leave them abandoned, so I decided to give a rough outline of the story's events so that you could see how it would have progressed and ended. I hope that you understand. Maybe one day I might come back and fully finish them as intended, but as that's up in the air, I thought that I'd end things this way rather than leave unfinished. Thank you for your time.

Chapter 2 (Rough Outline)

Surrounded by the warlord's men and women on horseback, Gabrielle and Achilles are left with no choice but to fight back. They get some unexpected help as the Satyr who challenged Gabrielle offers his assistance, though he claims that he still owes her a duel once this matter is settled. Begrudgingly, Gabrielle accepts this demand as they prepare to fight. She unleashes her Chakram on them and the three warriors battle the dozens of soldiers to the best of their abilities.

Struggling through the masses, the three of them find a way to cooperate and drive the warlord's soldiers away for now. The instant they are gone, the Satyr turns to Gabrielle but sheathes his sword. He gives them his name, Genya, and offers to push back his duel with Gabrielle as neither of them is at full strength. Gabrielle questions him on his motive for wanting to fight her, but he remains silent, offering her nothing more than stoic glares.

They follow Achilles through the village until he finds his family and they spend the night in his home. Gabrielle knows that the soldiers they defeated will report back to the warlord and they will return in greater numbers. Achilles wants to stay and fight for his home, but fears the casualties that could happen in the village is swarmed. Unsure of what to do next, Gabrielle steps outside to ponder and an idea comes to her when she spots a mole burrowing its way around the village. She asks Achilles to gather all the villagers and equip themselves with every bit of digging equipment they have.

At night, hundreds of soldiers begin to overwhelm the village, but much to their shock, they find many of the buildings and streets empty. They search every corner until they stumble across holes that have been dug underneath the houses, leading to tunnels underground. The soldiers send many of their units down the tunnels to track the villagers. However, they reach a dead end with all of them. With no sign of the villagers, the soldiers realise that they've fallen into a trap as the villagers emerge from all kinds of hiding spots around their houses. Under sheets, behind furniture, leaping off roofs, they catch the soldiers off guard. And by the time the soldiers who went underground emerge, they are met with Gabrielle, Achilles and Genya.

Unable to recover from the surprise attack, the soldiers are defeated, with the prisoners tied up and imprisoned.

Gabrielle questions one of the generals about the warlord and spends many hours trying to get him to spill the beans, but her efforts prove futile. Then, Achilles comes up with a strategy. He disguises himself as a woman and offers himself to the general. The general cannot resist the tantalising offer, and he reveals everything to the disguised Achilles, even giving the name of the warlord, Dementri.

Achilles removes his wig and turns to leave. ''Thank you for your cooperation.''

''Wait,'' the general calls out. ''Will I see you again?''

''You enslaved my village!''

''Well, no one's perfect.'' The general shrugs, earning him a hard punch in the face from Achilles that knocks him out cold.

Now with a name to work with, Gabrielle and Achilles vow to find the other remnants of Dementri's army and bring his reign of terror to an end. They part ways with Achilles family, the young warrior vows to one day return as a legend, just like Gabrielle and Xena before her.

As they leave, their path is intercepted by Genya, who demands a duel with Gabrielle. He draws his sword as Gabrielle advances towards him. But, she walks past him without a word, refusing to follow through with his demands.

''I don't have a reason to fight you,'' Gabrielle said.

Genya glances over his shoulder at her. ''The truth is, Xena is the one I wanted to fight.''

Hearing that name again, Gabrielle stops dead in her tracks.

''My home never recovered from her siege when she fought under Ares,'' Genya's grip on his sword tightens. ''Generations have suffered because of her actions. I grew up hearing stories of the monster she was. We despised her above all else. I promised my people that I would be the one to kill Xena.''

''Well, you're too late!'' Gabrielle snapped.

A sigh escaped from the Satyr. ''Yes, I know. That's why I came to you. Defeating her prodigy may be what is needed to bring me peace.''

Turning to face him, Gabrielle narrows her eyes. ''Do you really believe that?''

''Yes, but fighting alongside you, I believe there is more to you than the stories. If that's the case…there might be more to Xena.''

Gabrielle's expression softens. ''I can tell you other kinds of stories about Xena. The ones that are shared around by warriors.''

A moment of silence passed before Genya approaches her. Achilles watches on, ready to defend Gabrielle. His eyes flicker between the two of them as they stared at each other. Just as Achilles feared the worst, Genya retracts his weapon. The Satyr scowls menacingly. ''We will have our duel. Until then, I am willing to offer my help in your quest to defeat Dementri. Perhaps, you can convince me of Xena's innocence before them?''

''I don't know if I can do that,'' Gabrielle said. ''You'll have to learn to think for yourself.''

She extends her arm towards him and he accepts. Though it is an uneasy alliance, Gabrielle and Achilles are both glad that they have an alley on their side. Without another word, the three begin their journey.

To Be Continued…