From: daviderl31@yahoo.com   
      
               A.N. A few days ago I promised/threatened to post the sequel to   
   Xena: Roman Gladiator.  This one is very different in tone - no sex, little   
   to almost no violence.   
      
      
                            Safe and Sound Back Home in Greece   
      
                   Previously,  Xena: Roman Gladiator:         Xena and   
   Gabrielle were captured and taken to the ludus at the House of Batiatus in   
   Capua where Gabrielle was made into a house slave and Xena was forced to   
   train and to fight in the arena as a gladiator.  Batiatus' wife, Lucretia,   
   fearful of her husband trying to gain favor with an increasingly unpopular   
   Caesar by letting him know Xena was at their ludus, arranged for her and   
   Gabrielle's escape in the middle of the night.   
      
      
                                           Chapter One   
      
                                           Going Home   
      
      
   Dawn hadn't quite broken, there was barely enough light to see through the   
   cold, wet fog as Xena and Gabrielle entered the outskirts of Napoli. They   
   both kept an eye out for anyone who might be watching for them. But there   
   was no one up yet;  it was too easy to stay inside where it was warm and   
   dry.   
      
   Despite Xena's  plan for Gabrielle and her to travel at night and to hide   
   and rest during the day, Xena had to abandon it. The second day away from   
   the ludus, the late autumn weather took a turn for the worst. Heavy clouds   
   moved in, bringing with them cold and rain, often accompanied with sleet,   
   and it was impossible to travel at night with no moon to see by. So they   
   spent the cold nights huddled together, lying on the horse's blanket,   
   covered with the slave tunics and the blanket their clothes and weapons had   
   been wrapped in. They dared not make a fire, worried those searching for   
   them would smell the smoke or see the light from the flames.   
      
   After a couple of days the cheese and dried meat ran out and even though she   
   hated doing it, Xena used her Chakram to kill a couple of rabbits. And   
   despite her better judgment, Xena did build a small fire, just big enough to   
   roast the rabbits, then put it out right away. And she hated being so   
   paranoid. She knew if soldiers found them they could probably kill some of   
   them and escape, but after being held as a slaves, she just wanted them to   
   get out of Italia with as little trouble as possible.   
      
   By day they rode double, both using the tunics as wraps around their   
   shoulders, and then with the blanket around both of them. The going was   
   slower than Xena would have liked, but at the same time, she realized that   
   the longer it took to get to Napoli, the less likely it would be that the   
   soldiers searching for them would still be there.   
      
   Xena was somewhat familiar with the city, so she knew of a stable was where   
   she could sell the horse and saddle, and that the blacksmith kept to his own   
   and didn't ask uncomfortable questions. Selling the horse and saddle was   
   necessary to have the money to book passage back to Greece. But once there,   
   they had to wait until the sun had risen enough to give enough light for the   
   blacksmith to finally open the doors for business.   
      
   Like all horse traders, he offered them a price less than half of what the   
   horse and saddle were worth. But eventually they came to an agreeable   
   price – enough for both the fare and for a hot meal at a local tavern until   
   the tide turned just before mid-day. Xena wanted to wait until the last   
   possible moment to pay for the journey and to board the ship, just in case   
   word they were there reached the wrong ears.   
      
   Even though they provided a bit more warmth, Xena decided it would be better   
   if she and Gabrielle weren't seen with slave tunics, so she threw them into   
   the smithy's fire, and cut the blanket in two to be used as shawls for the   
   both of them.   
      
   The tavern the smithy directed them to was near the docks. Even though the   
   weather was cold and damp, activity was high. Ships had to be loaded and   
   ready to leave at the outgoing tide. The tavern was half empty except for   
   the ship's captains, fortifying themselves with wine and ale, leaving the   
   loading details to their first mates and crews. The wares to be traded had   
   been agreed upon days before, but those who wanted to travel from Napoli   
   usually waited until the day before, or the day of,  the ships leaving   
   before booking passage. So the ships' captains were also negotiating with   
   prospective passengers over what each thought was a fair, or unfair, rate.   
      
   After finding a table and ordering stew, Xena began looking, and listening,   
   for just the right captain to approach. She wanted one with a Greek accent.   
   She didn't trust Roman ship captains. She knew their loyalty was to Rome,   
   and most likely they had been told to look out for her and Gabrielle. But a   
   Greek ship captain and crew held no love for Italia. They were only here   
   because the trading was profitable.   
      
   But there was just one potential problem. Xena remembered that the young   
   Greek gladiator in the House of Batiatus told her he was there because a   
   Roman warship had accused the Greek trading ship he and his brothers were on   
   of piracy and they were captured and sold into slavery. It wasn't something   
   she wanted to worry Gabrielle with, but she should have remembered that   
   Gabrielle was very good at reading her, and she knew there was some   
   something on Xena's mind.   
      
   "You can sit there and pretend there isn't something you're concerned   
   about," Gabrielle told her. "But I know it's more than just looking out for   
   soldiers or informants. So you might as well tell me."   
      
   Xena smiled at her and shook her head. "You still amaze me."   
      
   Gabrielle smiled back at her. "Yes, I know. And I also know you're not going   
   to change the subject with your slippery tongue."   
      
   "There's only one place I'd like to put my slippery tongue; well, two   
   places."   
      
   "My thoughts exactly. Now – what ELSE is on your mind?"   
      
   "I was thinking about a young Greek gladiator in the ludus. He said he and   
   his brothers were on a Greek trading ship when a Roman warship stopped them,   
   accused them of piracy, and took the ship's cargo and sold the men as   
   slaves. I'm not so sure how safe the journey will be with Roman warships   
   stopping Greek trading ships."   
      
   "But why? I thought there was peace between us."   
      
   "It has to be Caesar. I guess since he's not out leading an army and   
   bringing back the spoils of war, he's using warships to plunder honest   
   traders to fill his treasury."   
      
   "So we just take our chances?"   
      
   "Looks like we'll have to. And it looks like I've found our captain. He's   
      
   [continued in next message]   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)