by rory midhani

A lot of y’all have been asking me take it old school with Fan Fiction Friday and round up some Xena: Warrior Princess stories to make your hearts sing. And I have heard your Battle Cry! Below are five stories I’ve had on my Kindle since the dawn of time and five more I found through extensive research/Tumblr binging. From canon continuations to modern day AUs, there’s something here for everyone. (Everyone who’s awesome.)

Shattering Of The Silver Light by Silvermoonlight GJ

Pairing: Xena/Gabrielle
Plot: “In a world where Xena is the Empress of Greece she has come to know what it means to be alone. That world is about to change though, as a person appears who will shake the very foundations of her beliefs and turn everything upside down.”
Length: 400,000 words (Yes, for real!)

Betrayal it’s a word I’ve come to know very well in these past five years, it’s a word that fills me with self loathing and doubt. My name is Xena and I’m the ruler of Greece. I own every part of it from Sparta to Crete and right up to Thrace, everything beyond that used to be mine but not anymore, not since my betrayal. I was a fool I believed in the nobility of Julius Caesar he was my husband and I loved him. We both ruled Rome and the whole of Greece together for six years I was Empress. I was a fool for trusting him and for loving him and not seeing the truth, which was that I was his wife for no more than reason that I held peace over Greece.

He always intended to kill me, my death would have meant that Greece would have been his but he failed. I saw the truth and saw my destiny I saw the hired gladiator who had been sent to my room to kill me. He didn’t live to talk about his actions, no I made sure that he died in that room but not before he told me the truth, which was that my death had to be made to look like an accident so my husband could take full control of Greece. Caesar forgot my back ground I was a warrior long before I was ruler, I was never a decadent spoilt roman wife. Though I may have dressed like one at times I still trained as a warrior and kept my skills sharp. I had to make a hard choice that night and I made it an ultimate act of revenge, I made sure that he died by my hand.

Return To Me by DarkMoroseXena

Pairing: Xena/Gabrielle
Plot: “Several years after her death a resurrected Xena begins the desperate search to find her lost soul mate.”
Length: 55,000 words

“That’s not possible,” Sarah said stepping forward. “Xena’s dead…”

“Yeah,” Xena replied, shrugging off her cloak. “I get that a lot. Mind if we come in? It’s kind of damp out here.”

Xena stared into the fire; hands wrapped tightly around the mug of hot tea. Lila handed the warmed blankets to Eve, who wrapped one around herself and draped the other around her mother’s shoulders. Eve nodded her thanks and took a seat next to Sarah on the hearth.

Lila sat down opposite Xena and regarded her silently. The warrior looked pale and thinner than she remembered. The pensive expression seemed out of place on her face. This was not the arrogant bronzed fighter of Gabrielle’s scrolls but someone quite different. Still, she had risen from the dead – once more.

All I Wanna Do Is (Bicycle, Bicycle, Bicycle) by fleete

Pairing: Xena/Gabrielle
Plot: “Gabrielle really, really likes this whole cycling hobby Xena has picked up.”
Length: 18,000 words

7:32 AM. Ugh.

She flops onto her back. The ceiling of their tiny studio apartment is tinted orange from all the sun Xena’s letting in, and Gabrielle blinks at it until the indignation of being woken so early dissipates. Cool air wafts in through the door, making her cocoon of blankets feel cozy by comparison. She digs in with her toes to get the sheets tucked in more securely and turns her face toward the door.

Xena’s got one hand propped on the doorframe, bending over to rip at the velcro on those strange, clunky bike shoes. Her helmet’s already off, and there are damp tendrils of hair clinging to her forehead and neck. She appears as a silhouette, framed by the morning light streaming in through the screen and shining off her edges. Gabrielle sighs her appreciation.

One Woman May Be The Difference by ATildeProduction

Pairing: Xena/Gabrielle
Plot: “More than anything Gabrielle wants to get out and experience true adventures. So when she poses as a man and takes her father’s spot the Imperial Army to stop Callisto’s rampage, what will happen?” (It’s Mulan!)
Length: 32,000 words

But he was alone, just him and the intruders. Men were coming from all corners, laughing maliciously as they were closing up to backed up against the wall and his back hit a wooden ladder. He looked over his shoulders and his eyes were filled with new hope. He needed to warn the rest, he needed to light the signal. He quickly climbed up the ladder as a sword missed his feet by a mere couple of inches. He could feel the ladder break under him and he quickly grabbed the cold surface before him and dragged himself up the rest of the way.

As he climbed over the edge his hands found the already lit torch hanging on the wall and just as he was about the lit the bonfire, signalizing the attack, a blond-haired woman jumped over the edge opposite him.

A terrifying war cry filled the air and the warrior gasped in horror as he knew perfectly well who was standing before him. Before wasting another second of his precious time, the warrior lit the bonfire, and a great fire emerged between the two warriors. The blond-haired woman looked out the horizon, and just as she expected, bonfires were lit, one by one.

‘Now all of Greece will know you’re here.’

The woman slowly turned towards the other warrior whom so desperately tried to hide his fear. She simply smiled at him as she drew her sword from the scabbard on her back.

‘Perfect.’

A Hand in the Dark by Sproid

Pairing: Xena/Gabrielle
Plot: “Gabrielle is battered and bruised, and Xena’s having nightmares.”
Length: 8,000 words

The road was quiet as they travelled away from the temple, a welcome contrast to the chaos of war they’d gone through to get there. For once, Gabrielle was atop Argo, where Xena intended to see she stayed. She’d let Gabrielle walk to start with, but around mid-morning she’d petered out and stumbled heavily on a tree root. Xena had only just caught her in time to prevent another injury, and hadn’t missed the pained gasped as she’d wrapped an arm around Gabrielle’s bandaged waist.

“That’s it, up you go,” Xena had said. Argo had turned her head to nudge at Gabrielle’s arm; Gabrielle gave Xena a rueful smile and let herself be helped up into the saddle.

Now Xena was up front, leading the way and trying to focus on their surroundings. It was a pleasant enough day, and there shouldn’t be any trouble now, but she wanted to keep alert just in case. Any threat would be twice as dangerous with Gabrielle already injured. Xena wasn’t about to let anything else happen to her.

Her concentration was split though, drawn away from the road every time Gabrielle shifted in the saddle, huffing out a quiet breath just sharply enough for Xena to know she was in pain. Whenever she turned around though, Gabrielle was there with a smile and a wave of her hand that she should carry on.

“I’m alright,” she said, when Xena couldn’t ignore the urge to stop Argo and check on her anymore. “Really, I am,” she insisted, reaching down to squeeze Xena’s hand. “Black and blue and with a few more gashes than I usually like, but I’m fine. Actually, I’m quite a bit less sore than I expected to be.”

The Truth May Vary by wonderluck

Pairing: Xena/Gabrielle
Plot: “When assassins are around every corner, Xena and Gabrielle employ new tactics to deal with them.”
Length: 2,300 words

“It was an innocent observation,” Gabrielle said. “It wasn’t a challenge.”

Xena ignored her, methodically stirring the pot that hovered over the fire. She had been at it for so what seemed like an eternity, no matter how many times Gabrielle had reminded her she wasn’t cooking for a king. Xena’s cooking had always been of questionable result. Gabrielle had made the slightest mention of it and here she was, hungry because of one ill-advised comment and Xena’s legendary stubbornness.

Gabrielle frowned and sat back against a log, taking off her necklace and digging into her pack for spare beads to keep her mind off her growling stomach. She glanced up from her task to see Xena peering into the pot with concern.

“Is it burning?” Gabrielle asked with a hint of smugness.

Xena shot her a look. “Does it smell like it’s burning?”

Gabrielle conceded that it did not, shrugging as she discarded a bead, which pinged off of Xena’s breastplate lying next to her. She watched as Xena chopped another handful of herbs that she didn’t remember having carried with them.

An Evil Queen and a Savior in Ancient Greece by wanderingaroundyoutube

Pairing: Xena/Gabrielle
Plot: “During one of her magic lessons, Emma accidentally transports Regina and herself far from Storybrooke, where they have to enlist the help of a certain warrior and bard to get home. But as always, things are never as simple or easy as they should be.”
Length: 22,000 words

Emma shrugged, her back still to Regina. “They look friendly enough I guess. It’s hard to tell from this distance. It’s funny. I’ve never been to the Mediterranean, but I swear they look familiar.” She took a few more steps forward and squinted then stopped dead in her tracks.

“It can’t be.” Emma whispered so Regina couldn’t make out what she’d said.

“What was that?”

Emma shook her head as she turned and walked back towards Regina. “Nothing, nothing. I’m sure it’s fine.”

“Emma…”

“Really, Regina. It’s fine. I thought for a second… But that would be impossible…”

Regina raised an eyebrow. “Said the Savior to her girlfriend, the reformed Evil Queen, after accidentally transporting them halfway across the globe in a world that’s not supposed to have magic.”

Before Emma could respond, there was a cough from behind her. She spun around to find the two women (and their horse) now stopped just a few yards away.

“Good afternoon,” said the blonde, cheerfully, “my name is Gabrielle. And this is Xena.”

Emma didn’t respond. She was too busy staring, mouth dropped open again, at the woman sitting on the horse dressed in leather and armor. Then, as the silent warrior raised a single eyebrow, Emma fainted.

It’s All I Believe In by lady_ragnell

Pairing: Xena/Gabrielle, Emma/Regina (Once Upon a Time)
Plot: “Xena returns to the New Zealand Shatterdome after five years.”
Length: 8,000 words

Everyone knows how Rangers when they see them, usually because they walk together, in eerie sync too perfect for anything but animation and people who are in each other’s brains. Xena recognizes a few sets as soon as she comes into the New Zealand Shatterdome, not from the television or acquaintance (it’s sad how few pilots she knows these days, after five years out of the Dome) but because of the walks, the movements, and in a few cases the flashy jackets.

She isn’t given long to look around before she’s approached by Lao Ma, who approaches from the side, just enough in Xena’s view that she doesn’t react with violence. “Ranger. It’s good to have you in the Shatterdome again. I assume you remember the layout?”

“I’m not a Ranger again yet, Marshal.” Xena forces a smile onto her face and shakes Lao Ma’s hand. “But yes, I’m finding my way around.”

“I don’t think Amazon Chakram would move for anyone else. It’s why I asked you back.”

“She also won’t move without a second pilot.”

Lao Ma only smiles. “I have some ideas about that. Walk with me, please.”

Xena hasn’t been away long enough that she doesn’t recognize an order.

Five Times They Talked About Xena’s Admirers And One Time They Didn’t by Revolos55

Pairing: Xena/Gabrielle
Plot: “Xena has an annoying tendency to pick up admirers wherever she goes.”
Length: 5,000 words

It had been a long day of work and Xena and Gabrielle were both exhausted. All of the preparations that could be made against the warlord’s attack had been put in place and there was nothing left to do but wait for his arrival sometime the next morning. It wasn’t much of a village, but it was all these people had, so Xena had done her best to train farmers and blacksmiths to use the tools of their trade for more martial pursuits, and left Gabrielle to oversee the construction of the fortifications she had sketched out.

A young village girl, Malia, not much younger than Gabrielle, had appointed herself Xena’s personal guide and messenger, not leaving the warrior princess’ side since they arrived three days ago, unless she was sent on an errand by Xena herself. If she had been any younger Gabrielle might have dismissed it as mere hero worship, which she completely understood. As it was, Malia seemed a bit too eager, stood a bit too close, and something about the way she stared at Xena when her focus was elsewhere caught Gabrielle’s attention.

During the day there were too many tasks to complete to give it much consideration, but lying here quietly in the dark gave her thoughts time to circle around, and it was either think on Malia or worry about the approaching warlord. She sighed and flipped onto her side, hoping sleep would claim her soon.

“Will you keep it down over there?”

Gabrielle turned back over to face towards Xena. “I didn’t say anything.”

“You didn’t have to. I can practically hear you thinking,” Xena replied without turning around. “We have an early start and a long day tomorrow. Try to get some sleep.”

Blue Eyes, White Horse, and a Chakram by Stardawn19

Pairing: Xena/Gabrielle
Plot: “Xena and Gabrielle are called by magic to the strange and mysterious land of Mercedes Lackey’s Valdemar. The duo team up with old and new acquaintances to solve a mystery and fight a unknown darkness that has it out for the Heralds and Mages alike.”
Length: 386,000 words (Yes! Again, for real!)

Xena sighed as the bard ventured on to yet another vender booth. If only she’d had known there was a festival going on she would have never offered Gabrielle a night at the local inn. She remembered this peaceful little village as just that; not full of the gaudy bright tents that now littered the main street and overflowed into the surrounding area.

“Oh Xena, look at this lovely fabric… Oh Xena! You hungry? How about one of these pastries? Xena will you look at this…” Gabrielle seemed oblivious to the fact that the dark warrior didn’t answer. She was like a hummingbird fluttering from one booth to the next without a care in the world. It was all that Xena could do to physically follow the bard; to follow the conversation was impossible.

Xena sighed again, this time a little louder, hoping to catch Gabrielle’s attention. She was bored and getting antsy. It was crowded and with all the people around, it always made her a bit nervous. Gabrielle did catch the warrior’s hint and echoed the warrior’s sigh. She was trying to enjoy herself, but Xena was making it difficult. She knew the warrior was uncomfortable but would never leave her side. Especially in crowds like this, Xena would be like a little mother hen pecking away, making sure Gabrielle was safe and no one messed with her. In a way it was sweet, and in another way it was annoying. When Xena’s protective side came out she was often difficult to get along with. When this happened it always made Gabrielle feel like she was a kid again. She knew she would have to wrap it up soon and they would have to be on their way.

“I know you want to go Xena, I’m almost done.”

“It’s ok, Gabrielle, you don’t get to do this often,” Xena lied. It wasn’t ok and Gabrielle knew it, but neither of them would admit to it.

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