By L. Crystal Michallet-Romero
Copyright © May 28, 2004 L. Crystal Michallet-Romero
All Rights Reserved
Disclaimers:
* Xena Warrior Princess, its characters, and all related materials are the property of MCA/Universal and Renaissance
Pictures. All other characters are mine.
* This story in no way reflects the life or actions of the wonderful actress, Claire Stansfield. Her portrayal of Xena’s nemesis
was so wickedly inspired as to make the character of Alti the absolute evil villain.
Rated: NC-17, not intended, or suitable for children.
Violence: Physical child abuse issues are portrayed and its effects are completely explored.
Sexual Violence: Child molestation is depicted and its effects are explored fully.
Subtext: X/G are portrayed as being in a loving, long-term relationship/marriage.
Heterosexuality: You might be thinking, “Ewwwwe, yuck, there’s scenes like this in the story?” To which I’d have to say,
yep, there is. But not to worry, you’re free to skip these icky, disturbing scenes. But keep in mind, if you do, don’t ask me
later why you’re lost. It may not seem like it, but there is a method to my madness and everything I put into a story is there
for a reason.
Extra Warning:
As Alti raised the main character, I feel it’s necessary to warn that this story deals with child abuse and molestation issues. It
may trigger abuse issues for some. This story should be unpleasant for all readers, but to know Ari, and the difficulties that
her new family faces, it is important to know where she came from.
All feedback welcomed at: CrystalMichallet@yahoo.com
Xena sat bare legged in the cool morning breeze. Abandoning her leather armor for just her cotton shift, she relaxed in the
early morning sun. The few weeks since their arrival had passed without much incident. Their family life, the normal routine
that occurred on a daily basis, was beginning to take on a familiar rhythm. Lately, Ari was waking up much earlier than the
rest of the family to disappear for the better part of the morning. Eve, after working late into the night at Meg’s tavern, slept
the morning away. Although their girls’ habits were falling into place, Xena and Gabrielle’s routine was anything but normal.
Despite this, she felt that it was a welcoming change to the life of travel.
As the warrior methodically sharpened her sword, she reflected on her past. All of the images of the life before meeting her
soulmate flickered past her memory until they settled on the days when she first met the storyteller. If anyone had told her
back then that the plucky blonde girl would not only be her lover, but her life mate, Xena would have laughed the prediction
away. Nothing would have convinced her on that first day that the small farm girl would be able to capture her heart as no
other could. But she had. Just when she wasn’t looking, Gabrielle had swooped right in to take her breath away.
With a slight smile, Xena leaned back in the chair. Her hand stopped sharpening the sword as her thoughts replayed the
images of her love. As a quirky smile formed, she felt a sudden heat cross her cheeks. Before her daydreams could continue,
the sound of the door opening broke through her thoughts. Seeing the object of her love, the warrior smiled broadly as she
set the flint down, and shifted the sword to her right hand in order to open her left arm to her mate. With the most beautiful
smile she had ever seen, Gabrielle moved to her and leaned down for a kiss. As their lips met, the gentle prodding of her
beloved’s tongue beckoned for entrance. Complying with her desire, the dark haired woman opened her lips and accepted
the soft texture of her soulmate’s full kiss.
“Ummmmm… maybe we should go back inside?” Xena huskily whispered, as they broke apart. With her eyes closed, she
took in the bouquet of aromatic fragrances that were Gabrielle’s alone. When the magic of their love threatened to pull her
under, she parted her eyelids slightly, and smiled up at her lover.
“You know I would love nothing more, Xena,” the storyteller whispered as she moved to sit on the warrior’s lap, her arms
around the bigger woman’s shoulders as she gazed deeply into her eyes. “But, I think our girls would probably like to have
breakfast this morning,” Gabrielle cooed as the tip of her finger lightly traced the outline of the dark haired woman’s ear.
“Ummmm, then why are you driving me crazy, woman?” The taller woman’s grip tightened around her spouse’s waist.
Gabrielle giggled at Xena’s discomfort, then reluctantly pulled away as she moved to the end of the porch.
“Sorry Xena, I shouldn’t tease you like that,” the blonde smiled as she covered her mouth with the back of her hand, and
turned suddenly serious. “But honest, Xena, I only wanted a kiss… and besides, you know there is more time for that later. I
just want to get Ari into a pattern, help her become familiar with a routine.” The Amazon explained.
“Discipline,” the warrior nodded as she reached for her sheath, and pushed her sword into its protection.
“Yes, I guess you could call it that. I just want her to feel like there is a constant in her life, like there is a routine that needs to
be followed. Then maybe it will be easier to start her on her lessons.” Gabrielle spoke softly as she turned away to glance
out at the nearby forest. “Where is she anyway?”
“She’s off in her tree again,” the warrior sighed as she stood up and moved next to her partner. “Every morning, she wanders
over there, climbs up it, and just sits,” she explained, then added a bit softly, “sometimes, she talks to herself too.”
“Oh,” Gabrielle’s brow creased in thought. “Do you think that is bad? I mean, is that normal?”
Xena thought over the question. It was something she often wondered herself, yet had no answer. When she discretely
followed her girl and found out what she was doing so early in the morning, she wondered if this was normal, or if this was a
symptom of something worse. Truthfully, whenever she heard Ari talking to herself in the tree, or when the girl thought she
was alone in the meadow and began to talk to someone no one else could see, a part of the warrior woman felt a genuine fear
for her child. She remembered all of the various souls she had met in her life, many who were not sane, and how they often
times spoke to the spirits in their minds. She knew that many ended up alone and destitute in a world that did not know how
to handle their affliction and Xena was afraid that the same illness would be a part of Ari’s life.
At the feel of her soulmate by her side, the melancholy woman glanced down at her lover as she released a tired sigh. “I don’
t know, honey. I-I want to believe that our girl will heal from everything that she’s gone through, honestly I do! B-But, I’m
worried Gabrielle. It seems like lately she’s growing angrier and keeping everything inside.” Xena grew solemn, then added in
a hushed whisper “maybe I’m not the best one to help her with this?”
Sensing her sadness, the blonde moved into her arms. Her strong, Amazon grip hugged her close as she rested her head
against Xena’s shoulder. With a sad sigh, the warrior held her lover in a tight embrace. She vainly tried to close out the
disturbing images that were a constant plague to her mind ever since returning home. When she felt her lover’s palm against
her cheek, she smiled down at Gabrielle.
“Xena, you will help Ari, we both will! We just have to be patient. The damage didn’t happen overnight, and she’s not going
to heal from it overnight either. All we can do is be here for her, let her know that we love and support her with whatever she
is going through. Sweetheart, that’s all we can do.” The conviction in Gabrielle’s voice bolstered Xena’s spirits. With a slight
smile, she nodded agreement, knowing that what her lover stated was true. No, they may not know what is needed to help
their girl. All they could do was to let Ari know that they would always be there for her, that they would never turn away
from her, no matter what.
“Why don’t you call her in for breakfast, it’s almost ready.” The storyteller smiled as she pulled away from the warrior.
With a slight smile, she nodded as she moved away from the house. Cupping her lips, she called out once to her daughter.
As she waited for any signs of movement in Ari’s tree, she wondered why she always had to go through this ritual. Every
morning it was the same thing, she would call and call but her daughter would not respond. Only when she grew weary of the
game, did Xena turn to her soulmate. With hands on hips, and a slight scowl, she glanced at Gabrielle.
“Here honey, I’ll do it.” The blonde gave an apologetic smile as she lightly touched Xena’s arm. Looking back to the forest,
Gabrielle called out their girl’s name. As predictable as always, Ari’s movements were seen in the moving branches of the
distant trees.
“I just don’t understand her sometimes,” Xena shook her head. “Why can’t she hear my voice? Aren’t I projecting far
enough?” The taller woman shook her head.
“Yes, you are honey,” Gabrielle weakly smiled as she looked away from Xena.
“Then I don’t get it! Is she trying to drive me crazy?” The dark warrior shook her head in frustration. Beside her, her lover
sighed deeply as they waited for their girl to arrive.
“Xena, maybe she just gets preoccupied. Next time, I’ll try calling her first.” The Amazon promised as the outline of their
daughter was seen on the distant hill.
“If you did that, she’d probably come on the first call.” The warrior princess muttered under her breath.
“Awe, Xena, I’m sure it’s not intentional.” Her soulmate tried to appease her as the girl came walking down the grassy knoll.
Dust and dirt covered her dark boots while her brown britches carried the evidence of her recent tree-climbing excursion. The
tunic that had been carefully laid out the previous night was now dusty and wrinkled. Her once shoulder length dark hair was
beginning to grow past her shoulders. With head down, Ari walked right toward them, her body language exuding a façade
of calmness.
“Honey, its breakfast time.” Gabrielle reached out and lightly touched her daughter’s arm, then turned to enter their home. Ari
gave her mother a weak smile as she brushed her hair back away from her eyes and followed the smaller woman into the
house.
“We were beginning to wonder if you were ever going to come down and join us,” Xena added with a broad smile. Just as
she was getting ready to touch her daughter’s shoulder affectionately, Ari turned a gaze as cold as ice upon her. Within the
blink of an eye, the warrior princess saw the full hate and anger emanating through her child’s single glare. Before she could
question it, the girl turned away, her head lowered in defeat; her shoulders slumped, as she quietly followed Gabrielle into the
house.
While a part of Xena understood her daughter’s actions, another part felt heartbroken by it. She knew everything that Ari
was going through. The recovery from the abuse was only compounded by the girl’s experiences she underwent as a
warrior. The ravages of war could not be forgotten, not even by the hardest of soldiers. Knowing that her child had far more
on her plate than the average person, the older woman did her best to remain calm and understanding. Despite her best
attempts, as the weeks waned on, she found it hard to brush aside Ari’s growing animosity. Yet, she was unable to think of a
way to help her child.
~~~~~~
As boys go, Talouraj was of normal appearance. He did not stand out, nor did he show evidence of being extraordinary. In
fact, he was hardly noticed in a crowd. Shorter than most boys his age, and with an unruly shock of reddish, brown hair that
hung past his shoulders, Talouraj was a typical, ordinary teen. The only thing that made him stand out in a crowd was the
occasional antics that he liked to play. Sometimes he got away with his pranks and was amused by whatever joke he played.
