GABRIELLE
The Horde … they were different, savage, primitive, yet undeniably human. What happened … what I did was murder men and string them like trophies. Cut them down without a thought, each strike a calculated killing blow. No mercy, no choice, just death and callousness. Me … all on me …
Gabrielle avoids conflict but conflict does not avoid her. Here, the bard runs the hospital and the fort, placing Xena in charge of the military. And Xena fights spectacularly, having several great scenes and being the centerpiece of them; her legend grows. In The Price, Xena leaves Thessaly behind.
While the Warrior Princess is in her element, Gabrielle suffers. No matter how hard she tries to stay away from battle, duty sucks her back in. What makes it worse, yet is so typical of the bard, is that she gives full humanity to what has little. The only person in the fort who considers the Horde above the animals is, unsurprisingly, Gabrielle. This makes her task thousandfold harder.
Defensive archery comes down to necessity; going Predator on the Horde differs. There is a nobility and righteousness to fighting for a good cause. There is no honor in skulking around and murdering men; it needs doing, but still. Gabrielle believes the line is crossed when she does exactly that.
The bard’s kind heart is not for the cruel world she lives in. Gabrielle feels too much and too strongly; she is meant to save lives not take them. Sadly, you cannot run from destiny; more so, if it is of your own making. Discuss in FORUMS.
