DISCLAIMER AND AUTHOR'S NOTE: All Xena stuff is the legal property of MCA/Universal and Renaissance Pictures. No copyright infringement was intended in the writing of this fiction. All other characters that appear belong to me. This story cannot be sold or used for profit in any way. Copies may be made for private use only and must include this copyright notice and disclaimer. This story is set before the Xena - Warrior Princess episode The Greater Good.

The Test
By Kristjan Brezovnik

Xena and Gabrielle quietly walked along Argo. It was a hot day and even Gabrielle wasn't in the mood for talking.

"How much further, Xena?"

"Not long."

"You said that two hours ago."

Xena flashed a brief smile and then suddenly froze as she saw some bandits harass a young woman in the distance.

"Come," she said and started running.

While she was running, Xena noticed that the woman was a pretty good fighter with a staff, but that she didn't stand a chance against the bandits. She saw that the bandits noticed her and Gabrielle and that a part of them approached them. She grinned and screamed her war cry. She threw her chakram and took out three bandits. Others stopped, surprised, and Xena took out another two.

The bandits that were still harassing the woman now turned their attention to the two intruders who had already taken out six of their number. Unfortunately for them, they soon found out that it was not healthy to be around the newcomers and they decided that they actually wanted to be somewhere else.

"Thank you," the woman said after the bandits left.

Gabrielle smiled.

"You're welcome. Hey, you're wounded. Let me check out your wound."

"Okay."

Callisto lifted her skirt a bit and let Gabrielle examined the wound.

"It's a bad cut. Sit down, I'll take care of it."

The woman obeyed and sat on the ground. Gabrielle fetched the necessary stuff from Argo's saddlebags and started to take care of the woman's leg.

"You fight well," she started the conversation. "Oh, my name is Gabrielle and this is my friend Xena."

"Xena? The Warrior Princess?" the woman asked.

Gabrielle smiled.

"That's the one."

"I thought she was evil."

"She changed."

"Oh."

"So, what's your name?"

"Callisto."

"It suits you."

Callisto flashed a pretty smile.

"Thank you."

"Well, Xena, it looks to me like we'll have to make a camp after all. She's in no condition to travel with a wound like that."

"You're right. I'll go scout ahead for a suitable place. I'll leave Argo here so Callisto can ride it."

"You think she'll let her?"

"She will, unless Callisto doesn't like horses. Callisto?"

"I can ride."

"Okay then."

Xena went to Argo and whispered something in her ear. Then she patted her between the eyes and left.

"She lets you order her around?" Callisto asked after Xena was gone.

"I don't order her around. We're friends and she respects my opinion."

"Oh."

"You're a pretty good fighter. Where did you learn to fight like that?"

"My brother taught me. He's in the militia and he thought that a girl should know how to defend herself."

Gabrielle smiled.

"Yeah."

"Who taught you how to fight? Xena?"

"Aha. I wanted to learn how to fight with a sword, but, fortunately, Xena knew better. I'm still learning, though."

"Me too." Callisto paused. "How did you two meet?"

"After her army banished her for not being cruel enough…"

"They banished her?" Callisto asked with disbelief. "They banished the Destroyer of Nations for not being cruel enough?"

"Yes."

"Somehow I don't think that all the women and children she had slaughtered would agree."

"Xena never killed women and children," Gabrielle said sternly.

Callisto was surprised.

"And you believe her?"

"Yes."

Callisto thought. This was not going the way she had planned.

"So, you said they banished her?"

"Ah? Yes. She wanted to stop fighting then, but when a slaver came to our village, she saved us. When she left, I followed her. She didn't like me around at first, but I didn't let her scare me away. Now we're best friends."

"So, you're like a sidekick or something."

"No, I'm her friend and I'm a bard."

"A bard?" Callisto asked, surprised. "What use does Xena have for a bard?"

"I earn extra dinars." Gabrielle checked the bandages one last time. "Okay, this should do for now. I'll check it again when we get to the camp. You don't mind camping with us, do you?"

Callisto shook her head.

"No."

"Good. Come."

Gabrielle helped Callisto get up and escorted her to Argo. Argo didn't like the idea of letting some stranger ride her, but Xena had asked her and she indulged her.

When they found Xena, Xena had already set up a camp and was about to go hunting.

"Everything okay?" she asked Gabrielle.

"Yes."

"Good. I'm going hunting."

"Okay."

Xena left.

Gabrielle found a suitable spot for Callisto to sit down and then checked the wound again.

"Did Xena teach you how to heal?" Callisto asked after a while.

"Aha."

Callisto thought.

"So, she has changed, ha? Does she still kill?"

"Sometimes."

"And you?"

"I don't kill."

Callisto rose her eyebrows.

"So, you're a bard. Can you tell me a story about Xena?"

Gabrielle glanced at her. This woman was most definitely a puzzle to her.

"Sure," she said.

When Xena returned, she found Gabrielle busy writing and the woman they had saved was obviously deep in her thoughts. Both women did look at her, though. Gabrielle got up and took the prey while Callisto quietly observed her every move.

Gabrielle quickly prepared a late lunch and they quietly ate it. After the lunch, Gabrielle cleaned up the dishes and Xena sharpened her weapons.

"Xena," Callisto finally asked, "why did you change?"

Xena and Gabrielle looked at her, surprised. Xena took a deep breath.

"I met Hercules."

"The son of Zeus?"

"Yes. He was the first that didn't immediately treat me like a bandit. Not long after I met him, my army burned down a village and killed every living being except a baby. I saved it, but after that, my army banished me. I wanted to stop fighting, but when slavers attacked Gabrielle's village, I realized that I couldn't leave my past behind."

Callisto thought.

"Is it true you never killed women and children?" she asked.

Xena jerked and looked away. She hasn't confessed that to anyone, not even Gabrielle, and now this stranger wanted to know. She looked at Callisto and had a feeling that it was somehow important to her. She sighed.

"There was one time, beside the one I told Gabrielle about," she said and took a deep breath. Gabrielle looked at her, surprised. "It was a small village called Cirra," Xena continued and noticed that Callisto's eyes changed for a fraction of a second. "We went there to get supplies and most of the villagers were hiding in their houses. Suddenly, a fire broke out and it quickly spread across the village. Many people died in the fire, including women and children."

She looked away as bad memories came back to her.

In the brief moment before Xena turned away, Callisto saw something in her eyes that surprised her. It was remorse. That was the last thing Callisto expected and it disturbed her. She leaned back at the tree and thought about what Xena had said.

A few hours later, Gabrielle made dinner and they all turned in early.

When Xena woke up in the morning, the first thing she noticed was that Callisto was gone. She got up and looked around, but Callisto was nowhere to be seen. She was surprised that someone could sneak away from the camp so easily, even her men couldn't do it. Then she realized that this woman was more that she seemed. For a moment she thought that she may have been a goddess, but she quickly discarded that thought when she recalled the look in Callisto's eyes when she mentioned Cirra.

"Xena?"

Xena turned.

"Good morning, Gabrielle."

Gabrielle noticed the look in Xena's eyes and looked around.

"Where's Callisto?"

"She's gone."

"Gone? When did she leave?"

"I don't know."

Gabrielle was surprised.

"What do you mean?"

"I didn't hear her leave."

"You're kidding, right?"

"No."

"Why did she leave?" Xena didn't respond. "Xena?"

"I think she was from Cirra."

The End