Series: Part three of my five-part Reincarnation Arc
Spoilers: None really
Summary: In 16th-century Central America, Gabrielle has successfully rebuilt the Amazon nation, but it soon comes under attack by outside forces.
Episode Influences: Endgame, Path of Vengeance, To Helicon and Back
Name Disclaimer: The names in this story are an approximation of names used by Central American and Mexican natives. It's not the first time I've done this in a story, and it won't be the last.
Warning: This fanfic features a loving (but no on-screen sex) relationship between two women. If this bothers you, please turn back now.

c. 1500 Central America

The casual visitor to the area of modern Nicaragua, near the Pacific Coast, might come across a rather large village filled with huts and with people milling about. They might find it a normal village, at first. But upon closer inspection, they would find something very unusual for this time and place.

All the inhabitants of the town were women.

The leader, a slender dark-skinned woman named Quexatca, walked through they village. "Everyone, listen up!"

They all turned to face her.

Quexacta cleared her throat. "Everyone, plase, gather your weapons and fortify your homes. We're going to attack soon, so make sure you're ready."

The women shouted that they will.

"Good. Serakti!" she called to her second-in-command. The woman, a dark-skinned, thin, and beautiful woman appeared. "Make sure everyone has their weapons in place, and then stop by my tent. We need to discuss a few things."

"Yes, my queen," said Serakti. She rushed to the nearest hut, as Quexacta returned to her tent.

Gabrielle pulled off her headgear and fixed her hair. It had been two years since she had remembered her past identity for the first time. She had been in meditation, looking to the gods to pray for the safety of her tribe, and had a strong memory of her time as Gabrielle, sidekick of Xena, the warrior princess. It had startled her at first, but now she had successfully managed to think of herself one way and be called another named without total confusion.

She had been shocked when she realized that she had become an amazon queen again, sort of. It had happened five years earlier. The first wave of Spaniards had decimated the number of men in her village. The men had been very oppressive. Women were confined to their homes, and faced penalties if they were outside. They were not allowed to worship the gods publicly. They weren't allowed to socialize with other women. They were hardly allowed to speak at all. When the men were mostly killed off, Quexacta helped inspire the women to revolt, and they established their own village. It was the amazon nation reborn.

Gabrielle had always mourned the loss of the amazon nation. It was so powerful when Ephiny was still alive, but only four years after Gabrielle and Xena returned from the ice cave, the tribes were gone. If she was helping to bring it back now, the effort was worth it. She could only hope that more women would be inspired by her tribe's example.

"Quexacta, everyone's ready," said Serakti, coming to the tent.

"Thank you, Serakti," Gabrielle said. She gestured to the room. "Are you going to get ready?"

"Yes," said Serakti. She began gathering her supplies. Serakti sighed. "Quexacta, I've been thinking."

"About what?" Gabrielle asked.

"You know, we should let the tribe know about us," said Serakti. "They still think I've been living in that old shack a couple of huts down."

Gabrielle shook her head. "No, we can't let them know yet. Everyone will think I played favoritism."

"Just because you got a new second-in-command so soon after Jezxetl died?" asked Serakti. "They're going to figure it out eventually."

Gabrielle sighed. "I'll tell them. Someday. I promise." She pulled Serakti in for a kiss. "Just be ready for the troops."

"I will, my queen," said Serakti.

Gabrielle watched Serakti as she fortified their hut. Before the women became their own village, Serakti had been abused the worst. She had left her hut only three times since her marriage at fifteen, and had often spent entire days tied to bed if she misbehaved. Her back had scars that would never go away. She was the shyest member of the group when they broke away. She had learned not to talk or move around, and it took a lot of work for her and other women like her to be retrained. Many still had never recovered.

Serakti was different, though. With the help of Gabrielle and Jezxetl, she was taught to fight back and stand up for herself. The warrior spirit gradually emerged, and her confidence grew.

Loving her took a little longer. When her confidence and fighting skills began to emerge, Gabrielle began to find those qualities attractive. They shared their first moment during the spring festival. Dancing and drinking had led to a quick kiss. Nobody had made an issue out of it at the time, but Gabrielle and Serakti began spending more time together. Upon Jezxetl's death, and the suitable mourning period, Gabrielle named Serakti second-in-command. Quite a few were surprised, considering Serakti had only recently become a good fighter, but Gabrielle told them Serakti was the right choice.

"Everything's set, Quexacta," said Serakti, coming in brushing off her hands.

"Good," said Gabrielle. She picked up her weapons. "We need two more people to go ahead and locate the Spaniards. Get Kzetca and Xzenti, let's head out."

"Yes, my queen," said Serakti, and she headed out.

The four women crouched in the bushes while the others waited behind. They spotted a group of Spaniards several hundred feet away. "Wait just a few minutes," Gabrielle whispered. They waited until the Spaniards had settled down, and then they came out to attack.

The Spaniards got up and drew their weapons. They looked both confused and amused by being attacked by women, but two weaker ones went down very quickly.

The fighting took all of five minutes. Serakti and Gabrielle cut down two each, and a few amazons were lost, including Xzenti, but the Spaniards called retreat. Gabrielle and her tribe cheered.

"Tonight we celebrate!" said Kzetca.

"Yes, tonight we celebrate," said Gabrielle, "but they'll be back before long. Don't think they'll leave us alone forever. Remember, stay on guard." She sighed. "All right, let's celebrate!"

Things went fine for several months, except for several more attacks that either their tribe or the Spanish started. Then illness began infiltrating the group. Many amazons came down with smallpox, which created a stir in the community. Gabrielle and Serakti were unaffected, but many more became sick over time. Gabrielle was alarmed.

"Quexactl, I don't know what's going on," said Serakti one day. "We were fine for years. Now everyone is dying."

Gabrielle sighed. "I know. Gods, I wanted to create a great tribe, and now it's working against me." She sighed.

"Maybe we should move north," said Serakti. "Whatever the gods brought on us, I hope we're the only ones."

"Serakti, we could infect others," said Gabrielle. She sighed. "I think we should move everyone else who hasn't been affected, get them to where the Spanish haven't invaded yet. If we're lucky, maybe we can recruit others one day."

"Why aren't we affected?" asked Serakti.

Gabrielle shrugged. "I don't know. Kzetca is fine too, and so are a few others. Hopefully this will pass."

By fall the tribe had dwindled from 100 to 30, and Gabrielle told the others that they were moving north.

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