Path of Forgiveness

CHAPTER ELEVEN - MEDDLING PARENTS

It was Varia who made the first move. She turned on her heel, and ran as fast as she could away from my hut. I just stared after her, not knowing what to do. Should I go after her? That would probably be foolish. Maybe Gabrielle was wrong, maybe we weren’t soulmates, maybe I was just in love with her and she wasn’t with me. But then again, why would I be able to feel her like I did?

Regardless on if we were soulmates or not, one thing was pretty clear: Varia was not ready to be with me. Her running as fast as she could in the opposite direction from me kind of made that obvious. I could feel my eyes watering, and I clenched my teeth. I refused to cry.

Part of me was angry at Gabrielle, why would she do that to me? Yeah maybe her and Mom will work out fine, but me and Varia clearly were not. She doesn’t want to be with me, she doesn’t even want to be near me. And why would she? I ruined her life.

A tear fell down my cheek as I got up and closed the door. Slumping back onto my cot, I leaned over and blew out the candle beside me as I wrapped myself in my blanket as I started to cry myself to sleep.

******

Morning came all too quickly. The birds chirped and I put my hands over my ears and hid under my blanket. I wasn’t in the mood to be cheery with them today. I took the blanket off as I heard a knock on my door. Sighing, I rose from my bed and went to open it.

Mother and Gabrielle were standing there, holding hands and being all... close. I tried to suppress my annoyance from their obvious happiness as I looked at them blankly, waiting for them to say what they came to say.

“Are you coming to breakfast?” Mother asked me.

“Not hungry,” I said, my tone even.

“How did last night go?” Gabrielle asked.

“It didn’t GO at all,” I stated evenly, trying to show no emotion on my face.

Gabrielle’s faced formed into concern and she asked, “Why? What happened?”

“Don’t want to talk about it,” I said as I pushed past the two of them. “Someone said something about breakfast?” I asked, trying to change the subject.

“I thought you weren’t hungry,” Mother said, cocking an eyebrow at me.

“Changed my mind,” I replied as I turned and walked to the Dining Hut.

“Eve,” my mother said firmly, making me stop. “Don’t be rude, turn around. Me and you both know your not going to go there in your sleep clothes.”

I made a face and sighed, before I turned to face the two of them. “What?”

“What happened?” She asked in a softer tone.

I folded my arms across my chest and replied, “She ran, okay? She ran! She ran as far as she could from me without saying a word. Happy?”

“Oh Eve...” Mother said as she advanced towards me, no doubt trying to comfort me.

“It doesn’t matter, Mother. I was foolish to think that she could ever return my feelings.”

“But she does,” Gabrielle said.

“She sure has a funny way of showing it,” I said and rolled my eyes.

“She’s scared,” Mother said in a tone that made me look at her in curiosity. “Much as I was, probably more than I was. But she’ll come around, don’t worry.”

I shook my head in disbelief, “It just seems impossible.”

“Then I’ll talk to her,” Mother said in a wave of determination but Gabrielle put a hand on her shoulder to stop her.

“Xena, don’t. I see that look in your eye, and you can’t make her see the truth by scaring her or pummeling her.”

Mother narrowed her eyes and said evenly, “Alright. Then what do you propose? Because I am not going to stand by and watch my daughter be unhappy because of her... thick headedness!.”

I hate when they do this, talk about me like I’m not standing right next to them.

“We don’t DO anything. Things will work out like it’s meant to, just let fate takes its course.”

This was all very ridiculous to me. My parents standing there talking about my apparent future relationship and debating on how to put it in motion.

“Just stop... both of you,” I said, and they both turned to look at me.

“This is my life,” I said, “And what happens with it, happens. I don’t need my life to be forced in a particular direction it might not be meant to go. So just... let me live my life, okay? Don’t go talking to Varia about it.”

They both looked at each other, then back at me. “Fine,” they both said in unison.

I looked them both over, “You promise?”

“Promise,” they both said.

I looked over Mother skeptically but she gave me an innocent smile. I raised an eyebrow at her, and said, “I’m going to go get dressed, I’ll meet you both for breakfast in a little while.”

Mother nodded and gave me another one of those innocent smiles of hers. She’s up to no good, I can feel it. But they promised not to talk to Varia, and I know they won’t go back on it. I turned and retreated back into my hut, closing the door behind me before trying to find my clothes.

******

“Come on, Mavis,” Xena said to Gabrielle as she pulled her hand towards their own hut.

“Xena! Where are we going?” Gabrielle gasped out as she was dragged in the other direction then where she was planning on heading.

“We’re going to meddle in her life,” Xena said with a smile as she opened their hut door and dragged the other woman inside after her.

“You promised you wouldn’t!” Gabrielle said with disbelief.

“No,” Xena said with a crooked grin, “I promised I wouldn’t talk to Varia, and I won’t.”

“Then what...?” Gabrielle started to ask, then was cut off by Xena calling out.

“Aphrodite!”

Aphrodite appeared in a pink shimmer of light, her hair all done up with curlers. “Xena, I was in the middle of my hair appointment!”

“Xena...” Gabrielle said wearily, but Xena cut her off as she addressed the Goddess of Love.

“Aphrodite, we need a favor.”

“Well...” Aphrodite started, obviously not wanting to at first. “Okay, you did restore me to Olympus after all, I guess I owe you one.”

“Good,” Xena said. “I need something that will make Eve and Varia forget their past history together.”

“You mean mess with her memory? Xena she just got it back, I don’t think that’s such a good idea, what if something goes wrong?” Gabrielle interjected, looking at Aphrodite with apprehensiveness. It wouldn’t be the first time one of her spells went wrong.

“Oh ye of little faith!” Aphrodite said with a grin to Gabrielle, then turned to Xena, “But I don’t understand, why do you need it?”

“If they don’t have their past to hold them back, I think things will progress, and then when they get their memories back of each other they can see that they were meant to be.”

“I have just the thing!” Aphrodite exclaimed, and a small blue bottle appeared in her hand. “One drop of this in their drinks, and about a half an hour after they drink it, they will lose all memory of each other. But I’m warning you, Xena. It only lasts for a day. Once the sun comes up tomorrow morning, they will remember everything.”

Xena took the bottle out of her hand and looked at it, “That’s perfect, a day will be all it takes, I guarantee it.”

“Xena...” Gabrielle started. “Eve is going to be SO mad at us when she found out what we did to her.”

“But she’ll also be thanking us, because we showed her a world where there’s nothing holding her back.”

Gabrielle looked apprehensive about it, but kept silent.

“Is that all? I need to get back, if these curlers stay in much longer, they’re going to fry my beautiful golden hair!”

“Yes, that’s it. Thank you, Aphrodite.”

“No problem, later!” And with another flash of pink light, she was gone.

“Xena,” Gabrielle started, “I really think messing with her memory is a bad idea.”

“It’s only temporary. Now come on, we need to get to their drinks at breakfast before they do.”

TBC.....