Authors Note: We're getting closer to the end! The next two chapters are of the battle then the next chapter will be the last. The story has already been completed, though there will still be a day or two between posts just to add to the suspence! Once again, I thank you all for sticking with through this story and I love the comments I've been recieving. If you want to email me, my email is jacklavigne13@hotmail .com
In Need Of A Friend
Chapter Twenty One
Gabrielle eyes followed Alexandria as she raced down the hill, her feet hardly touching the ground. She watched as almost half of her Amazons followed her, each of them releasing their own unique battle cry. She fiddled nervously with the hilt of her sword as they finally hit the front line, easily batting away the spears pointed at them and crashing into the enemy with their swords drawn. She watched in awe as Alexandria shot down a man on the front line with her bow before she vaulted herself off his metal shield as he fell and landed somewhere in the middle of Delvin's army. She couldn't see the red headed warrior, only the bodies falling around where she guessed her friend was.
"Alessia!" Gabrielle called to one of her warriors before making the hand signal to start their own attack. She took her half of the cavalry around one side of the battle while Alessia took the other half in the opposite direction.
"To a strong Amazon Nation!" Gabrielle cried as she raised her sword and charged into the unsuspecting army, successfully boxing them in. She tried not to look at the faces of the men she cut down with her sword as she made her path towards where Delvin was in the middle of his army. She hated war more than anything in the world, finding it meaningless and a complete waste of life. It was something she couldn't avoid though. She was an Amazon Queen and if war is what it took to defend her Nation, then she would fight until her dying breath.
She felt the air leave her chest as a man vaulted himself through the air and threw her off her horse. She hit the ground hard and quickly forced herself to stand. She swung around, finding a dagger that had stopped inches from her throat. She stepped back in surprise as her attacker fell to the ground, Eponin standing behind him with a wild grin.
"Thanks, Ep," Gabrielle breathed as she threw her sword to the ground and pulled her sais from her boots, feeling more comfortable with her usual weapons.
"No problem, My Q-"
Gabrielle watched in horror as an arrow hit her friend in the heart, killing her instantly. Her mouth dropped open as Eponin crumpled to the ground at her feet, her brown eyes staring up at her lifelessly. She had no time to think of it further as she blocked a blow aimed for her leg, tears blurring her eyes as she fought off her opponent.
"Oh, Ep. I'm so sorry," She whispered as she took one final glance at her friend before throwing herself into battle.
*******
Everything was a blur. All she knew was blood and death as she cut a path through the neverending amount of men. She deflected a blow aimed to her head before slicing through her attacker's throat, grimacing at the blood that sprayed onto her armor. Turning around, she glanced at the faces of those around her, searching for her friends. Varia was a few feet away, a feral grin on her face as she toyed with a soldier before ending his life. Satisfied her bestfriend was okay, she looked for the Queen.
She snarled as she saw the blonde being over powered by several men at once. She must have been thrown off her horse, Alexandria thought to herself. Where was the royal guard? She ran towards Gabrielle before flipping through the air to land besides her.
"Having a little bit of trouble, my Queen?" Alexandria teased as kneed a soldier in the stomach before cracking him on the side of the head with the hilt of her sword.
"Oh, shut up, Alexandria," Gabrielle growled. "Have you given Xena the signal yet?"
"She should be here any sec-"
Alexandria and Gabrielle both grinned as Xena's battle cry echoed through the clearing before using King Delvin's men's suprise to their advantage. They took down the rest of the men surrounding them and then turned their heads to watch Xena as she raced down the mountain and into the battle. Her raven black hair whipped around her face as she sped towards the battle. Her blue eyes seemed to spark with electricity as she bared her perfectly white teeth in a feral grin.
"Now, she looks like the Angel of Death," Alexandria mumbled, earning a raised eyebrow from Gabrielle. Alexandria shrugged her shoulders, turning back to watch Xena as she flipped off of Argo and landed in the middle of a group of soldiers.
"Alexandria!" The red headed warrior turned back towards where her Varia was fighting off a group of men with a spear she'd picked up off the ground. "A little help?"
"Are you going to be okay?" Alexandria asked Gabrielle, resting her hand on the bard's shoulder.
"Of course," Gabrielle replied with a smile, cracking a man in the chin with her sai almost absentmindedly as she spoke. "Go save my regent's ass."
Candlemarks seemed to fly by as Alexandria continued to fight. She had suffered several small cuts and bruises, but nothing serious. Breathing heavily, she turned in a circle and surveyed the clearing, feeling her heart break at the amount of death that surrounded her. She was thankful though that she counted very few bodies that belonged to the Amazons, though she almost lost her breakfast as she stumbled over Eponin's lifeless body. A sob caught in her throat as she leaned down, closing her friend's dark brown eyes before taking off her cloak and covering the woman with it.
A flash of silver caught her eye and she turned to watch Xena fighting off several men. She looked magnificent, even covered in blood and gore. A man was running towards her back, arm's held high over his head, holding a sword. She waited a few moments, expecting Xena to throw her chakram and take the man out, without even looking, but it never came.
"Xena, no," Alexandria whispered.
To be continued in Chapter Twenty-two.