"There have been rumors that the Horde might be coming back our way," Ephiny said, sipping on her wine. "One or two of our scouts have wandered along the far western borders, and they’ve seen them." She put the goblet down and massaged her left hand with her right one.

"Is that bothering you?" Gabrielle asked, gesturing to Ephiny’s hand.

"No," the amazon queen replied, smiling. "It just gets numb once in a while, that’s all."

Gabrielle nodded. "So what are you going to do-- about the Horde?"

Ephiny shook her head. "I don’t know. Every year it seems our tribe gets smaller. I sent a messenger to Tyldus, but he’s so old now. I don’t think the centaurs will come."

"If I may make a suggestion?" Gabrielle ventured.

"Please, do."

Gabrielle took a deep breath. "I know it’s been many years since I ruled the Amazons, but... you’re in Corinth, aren’t you? Why not talk to Iphicles? He’d be willing to help. I’m certain of that."

Ephiny brightened. "I will-- after the wedding."

"Mmm," Gabrielle agreed. "Good point. He’ll be busy beforehand anyway."

Lila strolled in, a long sack folded in two over her arm.

"Your turn!" she called out to her sister.

Gabrielle rolled her eyes. "I think Xena’s doing this to me on purpose to get back at me for my wedding."

Ephiny laughed, and Lila smiled. "It’s not like you wouldn’t deserve it," Ephiny chimed in. "You were a monster the whole week beforehand."

Gabrielle put on a lofty air. "I have no idea what you mean."

The women all burst into laughter.

Gabrielle sighed. "Yeah, I was pretty bad. But Xena-- well you saw her. You know."

Ephiny nodded. "I was certainly surprised to see how... enthusiastic... Xena is about this."

"She’s not that bad," Lila said. "I think he’s even more excited, myself."

Gabrielle smiled. "The guys usually are. We do the work; they do the pacing back and forth." More laughter erupted.

"I know," Ephiny said. "It was the same at Tassandra’s wedding. I thought Autolycus would wear out the floor!"

Gabrielle turned to her sister and gestured to the sack. "So, how’s it look?"

Lila managed a grin. "It’s really pretty. You’ll love yours-- I’m sure of it."

"I’d better go," Gabrielle said. "Vidalis will have a fit if I’m too late."

Lila turned to Ephiny as her sister scampered out the door. "So, when is your fitting?"

Ephiny gave her a wicked smile. "Amazon Queens wear Amazon dresses to weddings. The privileges of rank."

Lila set the dress down and sat on the couch across from Ephiny. "Lucky."

Ephiny leaned forward conspiratorially. "Lila," she asked, her voice low.

"Yes?"

"Tassandra told me that Autolycus told her that he heard that Hercules might not be coming. Could that be true?"

Lila shook her head no. "I haven’t seen Hercules since Gabrielle’s wedding, but I can’t believe he’d miss this. He and Xena always seemed so close. And you know he and-- well, he didn’t exactly introduce the two of them, you know, but..." Lila shrugged. "I don’t think he has any issues with Xena’s choice in men."

Ephiny sat back, resting her chin on her good hand. "I wonder about that," she said, her eyes staring off out the window.

He placed another stone along the low wall, setting it down, and quickly dabbed some mortar along the crack, fixing the rock in place. He had been working on the extension to the stone wall since that morning, and as he stopped now for a second, he realized that he had added almost fifty feet to the length of this section-- usually at least two days’ work, and maybe three. Must have really had my mind elsewhere, he thought, wiping off the trowel and standing up. "That should be enough for today," he said to no one but himself, and he put the trowel down next to the container of mortar. There was no need to clean up; no one would disturb his tools. No one ever came after dark.

As he turned to make his way back toward the house, there was a flash of light and a whoosh of air behind him. Hercules paused for a second, and then he said over his shoulder, "Forget it, Aphrodite. I’m not going."

"That’s funny," a basso voice answered him. "Neither am I."

"Ares," Hercules said, turning. "I thought I told you never to set foot on this farm again."

Ares crossed his arms. "You did. But I have a good reason for being here."

Hercules peered at him in the fading light. "I’m sure you think you do."

Ares held up a hand. "Much as it pains me to say this, brother, I’m not here for me. I’m here for you."

Hercules laughed, but the sound was bitter. "When have you ever done anything for me? Ever? Even once, in your entire miserable life?"

Ares spread his hands. "Never. And I would remember if I had. But there’s a first time for everything."

"Not for this, there isn’t," Hercules said as he turned away from his brother.

Ares appeared in front of him. "This time, brother, I need you to listen to me."

"I’ve had enough of your lies, Ares. I don’t want to hear anything you have to say."

"I know you don’t," he said, smiling. "And I know that’s going to make what I have to tell you sound even more absurd."

Hercules and Ares stood face to face, glaring at one another. "Well?" Hercules asked at last.

Ares stroked his beard. "You have to go to Xena’s wedding."

Hercules scowled. "Not you too," he muttered. "Did Aphrodite put you up to this?"

Ares raised an eyebrow. "Like she could ever convince me to do anything."

Hercules shrugged. Okay, it was a stupid question.

"But it is her fault, in a way," Ares said, and he began to pace in a circle around Hercules. "Aphrodite, for some reason I can’t begin to fathom, wants to make sure this wedding goes smoothly. So all of the gods made a pact that none of us would interfere with the wedding. To appease her." Ares stopped. "I agreed-- why not? It’s a good laugh."

The dark god continued, "Only trouble is, she got Zeus to listen to her. So now I really can’t go to the wedding. Even though I want to. So you have to go for me. For us."

Hercules shook his head. "What are you talking about?" he asked his brother.

Ares considered him for a moment in the encroaching dusk. "You really don’t get it, do you? Should I draw you a picture?"

"Ares..." Hercules growled.

"Okay, okay." Ares raised an eyebrow. He opened his mouth to speak, but closed it again, shaking his head. "You have to go, Hercules. This will kill you if you don’t." Ares resumed his pacing. "Normally I’d say that was a good thing. I’ve been trying to do that for years. But this is not how you should end up-- a bitter old man, alone on his farm."

Hercules laughed. "Since when do you care about my well-being?"

Ares chuckled himself. "I don’t, really. But seeing the son of Zeus sitting on his farm sulking like a child is pathetic."

Hercules raised a hand. "I’ve heard enough. Leave. I don’t want to be part of any of your sick little games." He started to walk back toward the house.

"Dammit!" Ares bellowed, vanishing and reappearing directly in front of his brother. "This isn’t about you. It isn’t even about me."

Ares stepped forward and grabbed Hercules by the shirt. "Do you know how much it will hurt Xena if you don’t show up?" He exhaled, and released his brother. "I don’t give a damn about how you feel. But I care about Xena. I care how she feels."

Hercules laughed aloud. "No you don’t. You’ve spent the last fifteen years trying to kill her after she left your service. Time after time you went after her, and--"

"No," Ares said, his voice strangely calm. "I never went after her and I never tried to kill her. Sure, I tried to make life hard on her. But all those years all I wanted from her was the one thing she wouldn’t give me-- her heart." He looked down at the ground. "And now she’s never going to give that to me."

He looked up at his brother. "You’re the only one in this life who feels pain? You’re the only one who regrets what he didn’t do?" Ares threw his hands wide. "You’ve got the whole rest of eternity to find another woman. But this is it for Xena. She’s not like us. She’s mortal. She’ll die soon-- twenty, thirty years maybe. A long time to her, but the blink of an eye to us. She’ll be gone before you know it."

"She’s already gone," Hercules said quietly.

"Don’t be stupid," Ares hissed. "Don’t make her hate you. Don’t cause her pain. Go."

Hercules frowned at his older brother, sifting through his words. "I don’t know what bothers me more," Hercules said after a space. "That you make sense, or that you might actually care about someone other than yourself."

"Don’t try to figure it all out now. You’ll miss the wedding." Ares gestured. "Go. Run. While you still have a chance to make it. It is tomorrow, after all. And Corinth isn’t that close."

"If this turns out to be some kind of trick..." Hercules warned.

Ares raised an eyebrow. "Spare me the threats. Just go. Worry about me some other time."

Hercules nodded, his face still shadowed by doubt. He started to reach out toward Ares, his huge hand about to clasp his brother on the shoulder; but he stopped, and merely nodded, and took off like the wind, long legs carrying him over the grass faster than any horse ever could.

"Don’t forget to tell her who sent you," Ares murmured as he watched his brother disappear into the night.