Raising her head through a purple watery portal, Xena winks. "Nice sculpture. Come on." Her arm splash up and down through grade level.

Hercules steps close. "Stand aside, if you can." He counts, one, two.

"Now." Xena yanks his ankle through the portal into RedPrincess's old banquet room.

Reaching for anything, Hercules falls into a pile of dusty rugs. "How about a little patience, Princess."

"On your time, not mine!" Xena holds the scepter and the bauble, standing in a room alone with Hercules. "I've sent Dove to Iolaus. Are you all right?"

"Sure." Hercules stands up, stretching. "As long as I don't have to punch any more rocks. What's the plan?"

Xena tosses a blue sphere. "Hold this. It's a weapon, if we need to defend ourselves."

Hercules slowly rotates the unusual blue sphere in his hand. "How does it work?"

"You form an image in your mind, then project a task on an object, person, situation. It will teleport us to where we need to go."

"Where's that?"

"The theater outside Corinth."

Hercules bows. "My pleasure, Xena."

In a moment, Xena and Hercules meet Dove standing in an empty amphitheater.

Seeing the blue sphere, Dove quickly races past Xena to shake Hercules's hand. "It's a delight to meet you, Hercules."

Pulling Dove back, Xena pats Dove's clothing. "Let's keep it that way."

Dove lowers her eyes, blushing. "I sent word to Iolaus and Gabrielle." She perks up to grin at Hercules. "What now?"

Xena scans the theatre. "Just keep the people from coming here. Our little party is about to begin."

Flirtatiously eyeing Hercules, Dove shakes his hand again. "Honestly, it's been a thrill for me to meet you, the god, the legend."

"Yes, yes." Hercules hugs her. "Back to work."

Xena slyly stares.

"I'm going. Good battle. " Dove steps forward then backs, hugging Xena. "What you did for LeeAnn...I..um."

Compromising her waring attitude, Xena pats her back then lightly pushes Dove forward. "Battle on, Dove."

"You, too, my friends!" She jogs away.

On the west side of Corinth, LeeAnn and Gabrielle run toward a crowd. In the valley, Iolaus and Iapetus' honor guards fight RedPrincess's attacking warriors. With a loud horn blast, the crowd charge to join the battle below. Among RedPrincess' army, young soldiers hide behind their captains. With short-sword and staff, LeeAnn and Gabrielle chase some soldiers dropping their weapons on the field.

Iolaus laughs as if victory were his. "Come on Corinth!"

Without crimson cover, the infallible army shrinks into a hardy ragged band slowly massing behind Kram, the Crusader.

Twirling his long sword, Iolaus waves back his warriors. "Kram, fight if you dare. Why watch all these children die?"

From the hill side, Gabrielle yells to Iolaus: "Don't fight him alone. He'll kill you."

"I can handle this!"

Kram raises his sinuous arm, halting his men. "I have no children in my army. Yet, I'll grant your contest little one."

"Little one?" Iolaus chuckles then turns to see his men backing away.

"Pardon me. Puny one!" Kram chuckles watching his men stepping forward.

Dove rushes downhill. "LeeAnn, don't let him do it. It's suicide."

LeeAnn shouts behind Iolaus: "Iolaus, live another day, we out-number them."

Iolaus glances back. "Thanks a lot." Then, he bravely faces Kram. "Die you arrogant bastard!"

As Iolaus charges Kram, LeeAnn runs from Gabrielle's side. "Stay here."

LeeAnn tackles an empty hill in the north. Gabrielle standing with her staff, glances. "Where are you going?"

"To get some leverage." Several times, LeeAnn looks back at the armies tensely watching a one-on-one battle. Rushing uphill, she whispers into the wind, "Hang on, Iolaus."

Grinding teeth, Gabrielle twirls her staff, watching. "Xena, I hate this!"

"Xena, stay out of this!" Iolaus swings his long sword left then overhead right. He ducks, watching Kram casually block his assault as if in play. "Fight me!"

"If you insist." Twirling his broadsword like a feather, Kram strips Iolaus of his sword. "Pick it up. I find this too easy."

"Damn, you." Iolaus dives into a roll, recapturing his sword. "Then try this."

"Yours is the trial, plebe." Kram jumps Iolaus's charge, smashing his armor elbow behind Iolaus's neck. "Enough, frolic. I've a queen to please."

Before landing a deadly thrust, LeeAnn screams. "You do and she goes next!" She pushes RedPrincess forward, her sword is to her chest.

Kram peers up. "Warriors, to the woods!" Noting his warrior's scrambling for safety, Kram steps from over Iolaus's chest. "Here is your playmate. Release my queen."

"Drop your sword." LeeAnn wrestles RedPrincess to kneel. "Don't push me, pal. I'm stronger than you dare to believe."

RedPrincess raises her hands. "Another day, Kram."

"Agreed, my queen."

As Kram tosses Iolaus, his sword, Mycaia attacks LeeAnn. Lightening strikes, another horn sounds. With RedPrincess free, Kram rushes Iolaus scrambling for their weapons.

"Iolaus, duck!" Gabrielle launches her staff like a javelin.

Kram falls back. Kram's warrior brave from the woods, Iapetus' honor guards accelerate their descent. Instantly, war clashes once again, fast and furious.

Kicking free from Mycaia, LeeAnn backs away from the two adversaries, unarmed. "Try it. I'm ready for ya."

Mycaia and RedPrincess vanish in a flashing crimson cloud.

"Oh, thank the gods!" LeeAnn falls to the ground, panting in relief. "Dove, you and me are going to have a really long talk."

In an abandoned theatre, RedPrincess and Mycaia appear together. On the opposite side, Perager sits on her whisper horse.

RedPrincess pushes up her brilliant satiny sleeves. "I demand to know who brought me here."

Chuckling, Perager pulses blue clouds between her fingers. "Of whom, petty princess."

A deep male voice replies, "Perhaps me." From an entrance on the south side, Hercules strolls, throwing and catching a blue bauble. "Hercules."

From the north, Xena struts,holding RedPrincess's scepter like a batton. "I don't take demands, Queenie. I make them."

Perager lowers smoking fingers. "I met our agreement, Warrior. Why have you brought, son of Zeus?"

Hercules saunters closer. "Unlike you, I'm a trusted friend, Perager. What game are you playing this time?"

Mycaia side steps away from RedPrincess.

Seeing Mycaia looking for an exit, Xena raises the scepter. "Freeze, Toots! I'm not sure what this scepter might do. And for you, I'm thinking of something pretty nasty."

RedPrincess glances at Mycaia. "Challenge her, god. I'm no warrior."

"You, challenge her!" Mycaia stands with arms akimbo. It's your property. And, I'm no one's servant."

Rolling her eyes, RedPrincess folds her arms, watching Xena step closer. "If you pass me my property, I'll reward you with a leadership commission in my army."

"I don't think so." Xena swings the scepter from palm to palm. "I'm my own army."

"Enough, talk!" Pulling the reigns, Perager charges Hercules. "All your betrayals!"

Her whisper horse smokes blue fire, climbing a faint smoke cloud inches above the ground.

Jumping aside, Hercules rolls to his feet then raises the blue bauble to Perager. "Don't make me hurt you."

Perager laughs,turning her horse around to stop. "Try before you die."

"You were warned." Fumbling the sphere into sunlight, Hercules points the sphere to Perager. "You're unharmed?"

Perager grins. "You're quick."

Xena stops progressing to RedPrincess. She glances to Hercules. "Hold it to the light."

"I am." He tries another angle of sun rays. "It's not working."

Backing her horse a few steps, Perager points a long smoking blue finger at Hercules. "Know, I won't harm you, as long as you work for the power of Good."

"I make no bargains with you." Hercules tightly cups the odd bauble in his right hand. "This is not your property, Perager."

Perager nods,yes. "Truly, it is yours."

"Right." Anxiously, Hercules glances at Xena. "Look out!"

RedPrincess jumps Xena, falling into a backwards somersault. The scepter bounces free. Diving ahead of Xena and RedPrincess, Mycaia catches the scepter. She raises it over her head like a weapon. "I command you to kill them!"

The scepter sizzles into a brillant glowing rod burning her palm.

RedPrincess raises her hand to Mycaia. "Toss to me."

"No way!" Mycaia smashes the glowing scepter into two pieces: staff and sphere. "I'll kill you, both, the old fashion way!"

"Dream on." Xena flips RedPrincess, rolling to her feet. She yanks her broadsword.

Mycaia charges with her sword.

Before Hercules can join the fight, RedPrincess grabs her scepter pieces. A crimson cloud forms, RedPrincess dissapears moments before Mycaia. The dark cloud vanishes.

"Where did they go?" Xena looks to Perager.

"New conquest, I imagine."

Xena lowers her sword. "We have your defective bauble. I'm surprised you still remain."

"You don't have my bauble, dear Warrior." Perager boldly chuckles. "And yet, I leave you alive."

Hercules shows a blue sphere tightly clutched in his palm. "What does she mean?"

"This." Perager shoots sparks from her finger tips smashing Hercules' bauble into worthless glass shards.

Xena bats her eyes. "Any more bright questions?" She cautiously steps away from him. "Have at."

"Fine." Hercules massages his hand. "What's next, Perager?"

Calmly, Perager strokes her horse's feathery main. "Your friends need your combined talents engaging RedPrincess's army. And, Xena? Next time, don't trust your purse so close to a clever a thief." Perager raises the blue sphere casting showers throughout the land. "Battle on!"

Clenching her fist above her head in the rain, Xena grits her teeth. "Dove did it again!"

Raising his hands to his temples, Hercules chuckles. "And, I thought Autolycus was bad."

In seconds, Xena and Hercules fall into the sword clashes of a battle on the west side of Corinth. Seeing Gabrielle drop her staff, Xena leaps forward engaging Kram a second time. "YiYiYi Ya!"

A pink cloud envelops the scene. Facing Xena, Kram gives all he has: thrusting and parrying with one sword then a second short-sword drawn from his sleeve. As Xena backs for a better stance, a red fog envelopes. A wounded soldier falls behind her knees. Like a tree, Xena crashes backward smashing her head on a stone.

RedPrincess calls from the cloud: "Kill her."

Valliantly, Kram watches Xena patting the blurry ground for her lost sword. "She has honor, my queen. I can not."

A spear flies from the pink clouds. Leaping into it's path, Kram passes into the pink clouds. The smoke clears and RedPrincess's army is gone.

Xena wipes Kram's blood from her forehead. "That bitch!"

"Good Battle, Xena." Hercules lifts Xena up to her feet. "They're gone."

"For now. I don't know where RedPrincess hides."

"Not here, not now." Hercules waves up to LeeAnn, Gabrielle, and Iolaus shouting down a hillside. "She's Perager's cousin."

"RedPrincess?" Walking uphill with Hercules, Xena massages her sore neck. "Why didn't you tell me that before?" She glances at LeeAnn. "Oh no. She still has ThunderCloud."

"I wouldn't worry about her." Hercules dolefully grins. "ThunderCloud becomes whomever she pleases. I've borrowed her services before."

Irked, Xena punches his arm. "You were a big help!"

"Ouch." Hercules rubs his arm. "Don't blame me, it's that author. Wilma3 didn't like it when you raised your sword to a baby."

"Gabrielle's daughter was evil. Yet, Wilma3 let's Dove get away?"

"She's got her own sense of justice."

"So, do I!" Xena pulls her belt dagger, etching w3 in her arm. "I'll see to both of them."

"I'm sure you will." Hercules arms her shoulders. "But, it will take another Bard to write that story."

"Then find me another BARD! I want action! I want justice. I want another Forum Tale!"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah." Wilma3 lays down her pen and grins.

**********************The End, for now**********************

logan_a@hotmail.com I hope you enjoyed it! I know I did...especially at Xena's expense. *giggle-giggle*