DM: July photo prompt #1 (sunlight through trees)
For deviant_muses.
Iolaus was awake long before the sun rose. Sleep had eluded him, leaving him to brood for the better part of the night on a log beside the dying embers of the fire. He faced the East but hardly noticed as the first blush of reddish gold peeped through the trees and extinguished the stars above. His thoughts were far from the small clearing and the new day ahead.
Lying on the ground a short distance away, Hercules rolled over and opened his eyes to the morning. Sunlight through leafy boughs cast a shining nimbus around Iolaus as he sat with his back to his friend. For a moment the image was nearly blinding, as if Hercules were looking into a perfect, pure white Light. A flash of premonition suddenly sent a shiver through his soul, stabbing his heart with an unnamed dread. With a gasp of surprise, Hercules sat upright and exclaimed, "Iolaus!"
Distracted, Iolaus turned his head and absently offered a smile. "Morning, Herc."
The shimmering aura was gone, if it had ever existed at all, and Iolaus appeared once more as he had always been.
Just a trick of the light, Hercules told himself, but a hint of nameless anxiety remained. "What's wrong?"
"What?"
"You heard me." Hercules pushed himself to his feet. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing's wrong," replied Iolaus, more defensively than he'd intended.
Clearly skeptical, the Son of Zeus folded his arms across his broad chest and waited expectantly.
Iolaus blew out a sigh. "Really."
"Nothing has kept you up all night?" Hercules looked pointedly at Iolaus' undisturbed bedroll.
"I was just thinking, okay?"
"Sounds painful."
"Yeah, it - HEY!"
Hercules waggled his eyebrows and offered Iolaus his "gottcha" smile. It did exactly what he intended it to do. Iolaus laughed.
"Okay, okay!" Iolaus threw up his hands in surrender. "I'm probably making too much of nothing, alright?"
"Sounds like you," grinned Hercules. "So. What is it this time?"
"Fate," admitted Iolaus reluctantly. "I was thinking about Fate. You know, like what might have been, what could be. What brings people together or tears them apart. That sort of thing."
"Ah," said Hercules, suddenly understanding. "She got to you, didn't she?"
Iolaus opened his mouth to deny it then grudgingly admitted, "Maybe a little bit."
"There's nothing wrong with that, you know."
"Yes there is!" he exclaimed. "Look at me! I've been sitting here all night like some lovesick teen mooning over a princess he can't have! Which doesn't make any sense to me, because I hardly know her."
"That doesn't mean your feelings aren't genuine."
"It could just be infatuation. I mean, you hear about it all the time in battle, right? A pretty girl nurses a warrior back to health and he falls for her, hard. I could be a classic case."
"Or?"
"Or," sighed Iolaus. "It could be . . . serious."
"You could save yourself more sleepless nights by just telling her how you feel."
"What?! I can't do that!"
"Why not?" Hercules asked reasonably.
"Because I can't!" exclaimed Iolaus in frustration. "Hercules, look at us. Look at what we do. Now look at Gabrielle and who she's with."
"Xena?"
"Xena."
"Iolaus, if this is about what happened between you and Xena before--"
"No, no, I don't mean that. I mean, look at where Xena's going. You and I both know she has years of work ahead of her to atone for everything she did when she was a warlord."
"So?"
"So!" said Iolaus, as if it was obvious. "We both know Xena wouldn't have found her way without your friendship. But you can't always be there to advise her. That's why Xena needs Gabrielle! She needs that light . . . that pure heart to reminder her where she's going and what she's fighting for."
"Give Xena some credit, Iolaus."
"Look, all I know is, right now Gabrielle's a part of Xena's destiny. Maybe the most important part." Iolaus picked up a stone and turned it over in his hands. "We couldn't be together even if we wanted to. Xena needs Gabrielle."
"Like I need you," replied Hercules, resting a hand on his friend's shoulder. "I can't imagine my journeys without you, Iolaus. You're an important part of my life and every decision I make in it. Xena probably feels the same way about Gabrielle."
"Gabrielle wouldn't leave Xena's side any more than I'd leave yours." Iolaus threw the stone into the trees, defeated. "That's pretty much it."
"Maybe for now," agreed Hercules, "But only the Fates know what the future holds. Who knows? A day may come when you can both be together. After all, Gabrielle can't travel with Xena forever."
"Maybe not. But I'm betting she intends to try." Iolaus looked up to meet Hercules' gaze. "That's something else we have in common."
Iolaus was awake long before the sun rose. Sleep had eluded him, leaving him to brood for the better part of the night on a log beside the dying embers of the fire. He faced the East but hardly noticed as the first blush of reddish gold peeped through the trees and extinguished the stars above. His thoughts were far from the small clearing and the new day ahead.
Lying on the ground a short distance away, Hercules rolled over and opened his eyes to the morning. Sunlight through leafy boughs cast a shining nimbus around Iolaus as he sat with his back to his friend. For a moment the image was nearly blinding, as if Hercules were looking into a perfect, pure white Light. A flash of premonition suddenly sent a shiver through his soul, stabbing his heart with an unnamed dread. With a gasp of surprise, Hercules sat upright and exclaimed, "Iolaus!"
Distracted, Iolaus turned his head and absently offered a smile. "Morning, Herc."
The shimmering aura was gone, if it had ever existed at all, and Iolaus appeared once more as he had always been.
Just a trick of the light, Hercules told himself, but a hint of nameless anxiety remained. "What's wrong?"
"What?"
"You heard me." Hercules pushed himself to his feet. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing's wrong," replied Iolaus, more defensively than he'd intended.
Clearly skeptical, the Son of Zeus folded his arms across his broad chest and waited expectantly.
Iolaus blew out a sigh. "Really."
"Nothing has kept you up all night?" Hercules looked pointedly at Iolaus' undisturbed bedroll.
"I was just thinking, okay?"
"Sounds painful."
"Yeah, it - HEY!"
Hercules waggled his eyebrows and offered Iolaus his "gottcha" smile. It did exactly what he intended it to do. Iolaus laughed.
"Okay, okay!" Iolaus threw up his hands in surrender. "I'm probably making too much of nothing, alright?"
"Sounds like you," grinned Hercules. "So. What is it this time?"
"Fate," admitted Iolaus reluctantly. "I was thinking about Fate. You know, like what might have been, what could be. What brings people together or tears them apart. That sort of thing."
"Ah," said Hercules, suddenly understanding. "She got to you, didn't she?"
Iolaus opened his mouth to deny it then grudgingly admitted, "Maybe a little bit."
"There's nothing wrong with that, you know."
"Yes there is!" he exclaimed. "Look at me! I've been sitting here all night like some lovesick teen mooning over a princess he can't have! Which doesn't make any sense to me, because I hardly know her."
"That doesn't mean your feelings aren't genuine."
"It could just be infatuation. I mean, you hear about it all the time in battle, right? A pretty girl nurses a warrior back to health and he falls for her, hard. I could be a classic case."
"Or?"
"Or," sighed Iolaus. "It could be . . . serious."
"You could save yourself more sleepless nights by just telling her how you feel."
"What?! I can't do that!"
"Why not?" Hercules asked reasonably.
"Because I can't!" exclaimed Iolaus in frustration. "Hercules, look at us. Look at what we do. Now look at Gabrielle and who she's with."
"Xena?"
"Xena."
"Iolaus, if this is about what happened between you and Xena before--"
"No, no, I don't mean that. I mean, look at where Xena's going. You and I both know she has years of work ahead of her to atone for everything she did when she was a warlord."
"So?"
"So!" said Iolaus, as if it was obvious. "We both know Xena wouldn't have found her way without your friendship. But you can't always be there to advise her. That's why Xena needs Gabrielle! She needs that light . . . that pure heart to reminder her where she's going and what she's fighting for."
"Give Xena some credit, Iolaus."
"Look, all I know is, right now Gabrielle's a part of Xena's destiny. Maybe the most important part." Iolaus picked up a stone and turned it over in his hands. "We couldn't be together even if we wanted to. Xena needs Gabrielle."
"Like I need you," replied Hercules, resting a hand on his friend's shoulder. "I can't imagine my journeys without you, Iolaus. You're an important part of my life and every decision I make in it. Xena probably feels the same way about Gabrielle."
"Gabrielle wouldn't leave Xena's side any more than I'd leave yours." Iolaus threw the stone into the trees, defeated. "That's pretty much it."
"Maybe for now," agreed Hercules, "But only the Fates know what the future holds. Who knows? A day may come when you can both be together. After all, Gabrielle can't travel with Xena forever."
"Maybe not. But I'm betting she intends to try." Iolaus looked up to meet Hercules' gaze. "That's something else we have in common."