After Telius had told them his tale, Xena had come to see him as Alesandra had in her vision; truly, he had no evil in his heart. He was young, and had suffered the foolhardy confidence of too little experience-but she could see that he had learned his lesson, however brutal the experience had been.
Alesandra had taken to him immediately, perhaps because of his open acceptance of her gift. He looked at her with admiration, impressed by the depth of her powers, and Alesandra was obviously delighted with his open respect for her abilities. Xena could also see that Alesandra connected with him on another, deeper level-she had lost Otus and Telius had lost his own father, both recently. The child took his hand as he described the passing of Martus, and Xena saw how touched Telius was by the gesture.
Gabrielle was quite pleased with herself, and kept reaching up to touch the lump that had risen beneath her scalp where Cerebrus had whacked it; an admirable war wound, to say the least. The prophecy had been stopped, and she had played an important role, just as Alesandra had predicted. All of them had-without one another, they would have lost the war to Hades.
Telius had already apologized a dozen times, and now started to again.
"I can't tell you how grateful I am that you all came; if I hadn't been so stupid-"
Xena held up her bandaged arm. "Please. What matters is that you've seen your mistake."
Telius nodded. "Perhaps I'll try again-in twenty or thirty years, after I've studied a lot more."
He turned to Alesandra and smiled at her. "Maybe you could come back sometime and learn with me. Your powers are great, and I could really benefit from someone who could tell me which spells might be harmful . . ."
Alesandra's eyes shone. "Really?"
Telius nodded. "And I could teach you more about your gifts. There are so many books here on prophecy, I can't even count them all."
Xena and Gabrielle exchanged a glance, and Xena grinned. She didn't need second sight to know that all of Alesandra's vision was about to come true. The child would not be leaving the castle with them after all, but not for the reasons they had feared.
Alesandra had found a place that she could call home.
Xena slept late for a change, and awoke feeling refreshed. Her wounded arm was already itching beneath the bandages, a sure sign that the flesh was on the mend.
She walked out of the comfortable guest chamber she had stayed in and leaned around the open entryway of the room next door, smiling at the sound of Gabrielle's light snore. She briefly considered waking her up with the promise of something disgusting for breakfast, but decided to let her sleep a little longer; she deserved it.
Xena wandered back down to the kitchen, marveling along the way at the design of the castle, and found Telius and Alesandra already laughing together over a morning meal.
"Xena! Telius has asked me if I want to stay here!"
Xena smiled. "Do you?"
The child searched Xena's gaze with her own. "Is that okay? I mean, would you . . . mind?"
Xena shook her head. "I think that sounds wonderful. I'm very happy for you, for both of you."
Alesandra jumped up and ran to her, hugging her around the waist. "And he says it's okay if Binjer comes to live here, too!"
Xena cocked an eyebrow at Telius. "Really?"
Telius grinned. "Yes, and I know what I'm getting into. I remember him from when he came before, a long time ago."
Xena smiled. "He's hard to forget."
Alesandra looked up her, her eyes bright with happiness, and Xena found herself surprised by the warmth of emotion she felt from the girl, and for her.
The warrior dropped to her knees and returned Alesandra's embrace.
By noon, Argo was laden with several stuffed packs of supplies and treats, and sported a full new set of shoes. The four of them stood just outside the castle gate, saying their Goodbyes.
Alesandra hugged Gabrielle for the hundredth time, making her promise once again that she and Xena would visit soon.
"We will, really," said Gabrielle, and smiled at Telius over Alesandra's head. Telius grinned back, and Gabrielle found herself a little bit flustered at the look in his dark eyes and the beauty of his smile. It was obvious that she would be welcomed by both of them, for very different reasons.
Not too shabby, thought Gabrielle, and she smiled wider. She could do a whole lot worse, that was for sure. Of course, Xena needed her, for now; they had adventures to find, and battles to fight. But that didn't mean she couldn't take a vacation every now and then . . .
Xena mounted Argo, smiling to herself at the obvious glances being swapped back and forth between Telius and Gabrielle. She had the feeling that Gabrielle would be hinting about another trip to Avernus before too long . . .
Alesandra stepped back from Gabrielle, still holding her hands, and giggled, looking back over her shoulder at Telius, her honeyed eyes glowing.
"You're right," she whispered loudly, and both Gabrielle and Telius blushed, realizing that Alesandra had picked up a bit more than a simple hug. Suddenly they both developed an active interest in looking anywhere but at each other.
"The first thing you learn is tact," said Telius good-naturedly, and put an arm around the giggling Alesandra.
Xena tactfully changed the subject herself. "We should reach Binjer in less than a week, so expect him in two-assuming that he doesn't have too many belongings to pack."
Alesandra nodded. "Two weeks, that's about right, I told you he was going to move soon."
"Thank you, Xena, Gabrielle," said Telius, raising his hand in farewell. He'd never be able to repay them for all they had done, but raising Alesandra in a happy home might be a start. Already, he had come to care about the child, and knew that they could learn a lot from each other.
"I'll never forget you," said Alesandra, her voice a husky whisper. "You believed in me, and I love you, both of you . . ."
Gabrielle felt a rising lump in her throat and swallowed it down. "We love you, too," she said, and Xena nodded.
"Be good," the warrior added, and fixed Telius with a mock-stern gaze. "Both of you."
Their gentle laughter ushered the travelers on their way, Gabrielle walking alongside Argo.
After a mile or so, Gabrielle looked up at Xena. "What are we going to do, after we find Binjer?"
Xena shrugged. "I don't know. I thought we could head east for a while, see if we can manage to stay out of trouble for a week or two."
Gabrielle grinned playfully. "What, you're tired of saving the world already?"
Xena sighed dramatically. "A woman's work is never done, Gabrielle." Then she grinned back at her friend.
Together, pleased with themselves and the world, they made their way through a bright and sunny day.
About the Author.
Stella Howard is the author of Xena Warrior Princess: Prophecy of Darkness, based on the Universal television series created by John Schulian and Robert Tapert.
end.