Xena's nose wrinkled at the gentle touch to her shoulder. It definitely hurt, but she was the big strong warrior and oftentimes she felt invincible. It took things like this to bring her back to reality. She wasn't immortal, no matter how many times the offer had been made to her. She'd always chosen to remain a human. She returned Gabrielle's smile, albeit a bit more tight lipped.
Xena did her best to guide her friend through the maze without too many backtracks and turns, but she hadn't designed it and it seemed to change right before her eyes many times. She was getting entirely too frustrated and when they were suddenly closed in, she was ready to snap. She pounded against the blank wall until Gabrielle's voice permeated her tantrum. She turned to see the ornate doors with ugly knockers.
No, they hadn't been there before, but after their time in the labyrinth so far, she wasn't exactly surprised to see them either. She gave Gabrielle one of her unamused looks, but not because the bard was annoying her. "Don't think so." She reached out for one of the knockers and the ring came away in her hand. She hadn't meant to break the knocker, but what happened next startled her beyond anything she'd experienced in the past.
"I don't know, Gabrielle..." Her voice trailed off when the knocker began to speak. She stepped back and reached for her sword.