Xena thought deeply to herself, her stoic presence filling the room the way stones do a lake. There was a lot to consider.

Gabrielle was about to open her mouth, but stopped herself. They still had… five days. There was no sense in rushing things and making Xena upset. The bard then stood up and pulled Aphrodite by the ear to another room in the temple, which looked pretty similarity to a cabin.

“Owie!” Aphrodite said. She slapped Gabrielle’s hands, “Watch the hair okay.”

“Sorry I just-“ Gabrielle hesitated for a moment. “Look Aphrodite, we need to have some girl talk” she said. She looked around, they were in some sort of kitchen.

“Yeah sure, catch up on old times. Paint each other’s nails… do each other’s hair” Aphrodite smiled like a 1990s house harlot that watches too much Lifetime.

“I wouldn’t be a very good friend if I didn’t say that I had some… concerns, about your feelings for this Murdra” Gabrielle said in that kind of semi-abrasive uppity way she speaks in.

Aphrodite defensively put her hands on her hips. “I already told you, Murdra is sensitive. Deep down inside!”

“Yeah but c’mon- women tell ourselves that, but it’s the beast in him that turns you on right?”

Aphrodite thought about that for a moment “Look, he could have killed and ate those people but he didn’t. He’s a businessman. He does business.”

“We both know - or we should both know” Gabrielle said while giving Aphrodite’s shallowness a once-over , “that there are fates worse than death.”

“There are no victims here flower child” Aphrodite said to Gabrielle. “The Elijaholics gave themselves up willingly, or at least, they knew the risks. Some cannibals are still common savages but Murdra is doing what he can to keep them under the control. He’s so… he’s just so dominant and sexy in bed.” Aphrodite giggled, getting lost in thought. “You should see the size of his-“

Gabrielle put her hands up. “Oversharing! That’s enough….”

Aphrodite looked disappointed. “I thought you said you wanted to have some girl talk…” her eyes turned into a sneer, “Or was that just a manipulative thing you said to get info out of me.”

Gabrielle gave a puppy dog look to Aphrodite. “Both of those things can be true, you know.” The non-god blonde tried to soften her approach. “I have to admit, I just don’t trust him. I have this feeling…”

“Feelings are often wrong” Aphrodite said, cutting Gabrielle off. “Or I mean they are just feelings. I’m the Goddess of Love, duh! I know that better than anyone. But he is beyond mere feeling. He’s passion, he’s physical and honey… it’s true what they say. Once you go black you never go back.”

“Last time I checked, passion is still a feeling” Gabrielle said. “I just don’t want you to be like a common… “ she stopped herself. “I don’t want to see you get hurt.”

“No say what you were going to say before!” Aphrodite said. “You were going to call me a common whore weren’t you? Now yes Murdra has made love to many other women in the past sure, but he’s really only in love with me.”

Gabrielle couldn’t help but roll her eyes at that. Could Aphrodite really be this naive?

“A-and if you wanna talk about being a common whore, you’re the one that’s talking behind my Murdra-kins back before even meeting him!”

Gabrielle realized Aphrodite had a point. “Well… we do need to see him anyway. To talk shop about the body snatching process.”

“Yeah you’ll need to summon him. Call out to him. Can even do it right now if you want. I miss my baby anyway.”

“Uh okay - Murdra, show yourself!” Gabrielle said. She looked at Aphrodite as if to say ‘Like that?’

Aphrodite chuckled. “A God of his caliber only listens to another God such as myself” Aphrodite said narcissistically. “Allow me.” A beat. “Murdra, show yourself!”

In a puff of black smoke , a tall and dominant and stereotypical heterosexual looking african american male appeared in the kitchen. He was mostly shirtless in tribal-like gear, with dark purple tattoos on his biceps in the shape of broken suns & scythes.

Okay so he was kinda hot Gabrielle admitted. But still too… jungle-y for her tastes. Too jungly and manly.

“My joonkuh” Murdra seethed, while looking intensely into Aphrodite’s eyes. The two kissed passionately in front of Gabrielle. Yep, I’m definitely not much of a hetero she thought to herself.

“Joonkuh is the cannibal word for woman” Aphrodite said. “See? They are just misunderstood. T-they have their own language and culture and everything.”

Now class, look at the nice little people eaters. It would be a shame to discriminate against them, right? Gabrielle thought.

Murdra approached Gabrielle, instantly reading her and understanding that she didn’t like him much. He got the sense that Gabrielle was a compassionate person, a typical heroic type that had a soft spot for the underdog.

“We had much of our land taken from the Romans, and other Warlords” Murdra said.

“You also eat and kill people” Gabrielle said bluntly.

Murdra smiled at that. “We’re trying to change that.”

Trying was never good enough for Gabrielle. She was a woman of action, of do or do-nots. “Look, I don’t like you and I doubt I ever will but I do need you to help a friend.”

“You want me to put a dead friend back in her old body” Murdra said plainly and obviously as if he heard it a million times. “Revive her, cheat korpar.”

“Yes-“

“But there are other people, other friends- but I am curious. You somehow think your friend is more special, than other people’s friends.”

“Well I- but I mean. She’s Xena.” Gabrielle didn’t want to be arrogant, but… it was Xena!

“She’s just a person. All are one under Ak’duh” Murdra said.

‘God of Gods’ Aphrodite mouth said to Gabrielle without making noise. Yeah, she kinda got that on her own.

“Yeah well… but I, you see there’s like this-” for once in her life, Gabrielle fumbled for the words. “Are you gonna help us or not?” she finally said. She tried to tell herself to be patient, but it was like every second she could feel Xena die all over again and it was torture.

“I can do of what you ask” Murdra said. “But the penalty for your arrogance will cost you.”

“What?!” Gabrielle said. “Don’t be unfair to me just because I can be… snobby.”

“You misunderstand. It is not about you, it is about Natural Laws of the Universe” Murdra said wisely. Aphrodite just looked at him all impressed like, like ‘see he’s so strong AND smart-ish.’

“You hold your friend to a higher level than you do other people, and so the payment must be greater too” Murdra said. “It is one of Ak’duh’s many laws.”

Gabrielle realized Murdra was sadly right. Xena could come back without her super mortal strength, into a different body maybe; and the consequences of reviving her would be less- but she wouldn’t quite be Xena either.

“And the five million dinar question is… am I willing to pay” Gabrielle said. She looked up and all of a sudden, saw Xena/Eve from the doorway not knowing how long she’d been standing there. Autolycus had joined as well, even Virgil.

“Now there are not one, not two- but three prices to pay for this particular resurrection” Murdra said to everybody in the room.


“A loved one must willingly sacrifice themselves” Murdra explained. Everybody but Xena looked around at who this was going to be.


“A great good will become a great evil” Murdra explained again. Xena herself was the one most worried about this one.


“And… “ Murdra sighed. “This is the worst of all. I am sorry but there is no other way. To revive a hero as great as Xena, all those close to her must suffer a fate we call Undi Sakarski. Which translates to ‘Bad Surprise.’ It means… nobody knows what the third consequence for this resurrection will be, other than it will be something inherently negative.”

“Makes sense” Autolycus said grimly. “Just as the best things that happen in life are pleasant surprises, the worst are well… not pleasant ones.”

Murdra, and everybody else- turned their attention to Gabrielle. “Now young one” Murdra said. “Knowing what you know, do you still wish to do this?”