#khrafstar

I’ve said it before, but I’ll say it again. Khrafstar wasn’t the true deliverer of the story in Britannia. Xena was.

According to dictionary.com, “to deliver” is both a transitive and intransitive verb with seventeen definitions altogether. Some, of course, are very similar to each other and/or don’t apply here, so they won’t be explored in this post. First up is “to carry and turn over to the intended recipient or recipients.” Others are: “to bring to the support of a candidate or a cause;” “to utter or pronounce;” “to strike or throw;” “to set free;” “to save;” “to assist in bringing forth young / to assist at the birth of;” and “to do or carry out as promised.” Khrafstar more went along for the ride while Xena did all these things.

She’s the one who liberated him and his fellow prisoners and ensured that they were returned to Boadicea, the cult to their temple. 

After pledging herself and Gabrielle to Boadicea’s campaign, Xena freed the Celtic warrior and her army from Roman oppression altogether. 

Xena struck physical and emotional blows against Caesar’s soldiers, Ares, Boadicea, Caesar himself, and Khrafstar, making bold declarations all the while. 

*gif below*

More than once, she rescued Gabrielle. (The following GIF will only account for “The Deliverer” since Tumblr won’t accept larger files.)

*gif below*

She also played midwife to Gabrielle while the bard was birthing Hope.

Gabrielle believed that Hope was the fulfillment of Xena’s proclamation. 

Lastly, the warrior princess’s final promise of the titular episode takes a while to come to fruition, but gets there in the end.

Recap: Xena delivered Khrafstar to Boadicea and, unwittingly, Gabrielle into Dahak’s hands. She delivered the rebels from their oppressors and portents of doom along the way. With her usual mixed fury and glee, she delivered hefty blows left and right. She delivered Gabrielle from danger multiple times, then delivered Hope. All in all, she delivered on her intentions. …What’s that, Xena?

One thing I found super interesting while watching “Past Imperfect,” was that they chose to have the same actor who played Meridian also be Satrina, just like the man who portrayed Khrafstar was also Borias. The implication seems to be that not only are Gabrielle and Xena soulmates, but they were surrounded by the same people at major life moments too. Khrafstar/Borias and Meridian/Satrina especially played huge parts in providing Gabrielle and Xena with their children! [ETA: Please click here for the TL;DR version.]

I’ll just come out and say it. I think that Khrafstar sexually assaulted Gabrielle during “The Deliverer.” First, we see him hold the dagger over himself and then tilt it upward like, well, a man becoming aroused. Gabrielle cowers from him while the rest of the cult closes in on her.

Then we witness Gabrielle’s telltale reaction to seeing Khrafstar again after Xena finally returns to her.

The demon smirks at this.

Xena takes in the situation and becomes increasingly shocked, furious, and heartbroken.

When she demands to know what Khrafstar did to Gabrielle, he says that he fulfilled the bard’s destiny, later revealed to be birthing the child of darkness. (Gabrielle wasn’t just destined to kill Meridian, the only other thing Khrafstar played a part in; the killing was the gateway to her destiny.)

Khrafstar then telekinetically throws Xena across Dahak’s temple. 

Hope later does the same thing.

It would seem that she inherited his power. No one else (to my memory) ever shows this ability on the show. The pair is also extremely skilled at emotionally manipulating people, Gabrielle in particular. So, even though Dahak was undeniably Hope’s father, I think that Khrafstar might have sown a seed that Dahak …fertilized, or something*; Borias, of course, impregnated Xena the old-fashioned way.

And while Meridian played a part in Hope’s conception by providing the means for Gabrielle to unwittingly sacrifice her blood innocence to Dahak, Satrina helped Xena birth Solan. Look how the actor even mirrors herself below.

Lastly, Khrafstar died within moments of Hope’s (full?) conception while Borias died moments after Solan was born, all to a backdrop of flames.

So, it would seem that Gabrielle’s and Xena’s souls not only revolve around each other but pull same people into their respective orbits as well. Parts of their circumstances show direct correlation, the others, converse correlation. These periphery souls and situations, along with Xena and Gabrielle, are equal and yet opposite, like the separate but eternally connected menhdi the couple also represents. Pretty amazing, eh?

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In this theory, I posit that there is significance to casting the same actor, Catherine Boniface, to play Meridian and Satrina on top of Marton Csokas being both Khrafstar and Borias. This is especially true when we consider the roles these four characters played in providing our favorite soulmates with their children.

There are many hints in “The Deliverer” that Khrafstar sexually assaulted Gabrielle: her reaction to seeing him again, Xena’s reaction to Gabrielle’s reaction, and Khrafstar’s behavior in that scene. There is even a moment he puts the dagger in front of himself and mimics arousal, later saying that he has only “fulfilled [Gabrielle’s] destiny,” which we later learn to be birthing the daughter of darkness. 

Khrafstar then throws Xena across Dahak’s temple, just like Hope will later do. Both he and his (?) daughter manipulate the hell out of Gabrielle upon their initial meetings. One last thing? When the warrior princess argues Hope’s paternity in “Gabrielle’s Hope,” Gabrielle’s immediate response is that maybe that’s true. This too strongly suggests that someone other than Dahak acted upon the bard in a way that could have impregnated her. So, yes; though the evil god was undeniably Hope’s father, I think that his priest planted a seed within Gabrielle that the flames “fertilized” or whatnot.

Meridian gave up her life to provide Dahak with the means to overshadow his chosen one while Borias impregnated Xena the usual way and Satrina helped Xena deliver Solan. Note how Catherine mirrors herself in the image below and remember how Khrafstar and Borias die just moments after the children’s conception/birth, both with a backdrop of flames.

In conclusion, we find that Xena and Gabrielle’s souls, like their karma, not only spiral around each other but pull the same people into their individual orbits as well, producing the next generation through equal and yet opposite psychic echoes that reverberate across time.

For the full theory, click here.

The third (and dead-center) chapter of The Betrayer, Gabrielle’s untold story with “The Deliverer,” is up now!

Today’s excerpt carries a trigger warning for violence. Reader beware!

“Gabrielle!”

Hurry! Punch Meridian again and then-

The world ended.

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Khrafstar, how could you? Gabrielle thought a second that seemed like a lifetime later. She grabbed the man’s hand and yanked the knife out of Meridian’s waist as if the reversal of the action would undo it.

The woman smiled at her.

I-I did it! I saved her! Gabrielle tried with all her heart to believe even though she knew it was not true. Oh no! Fumbling numbly, she tried to ease the woman to the ground.

But the priestess fell too fast and slow to be helped. In the span of another eternal second, Meridian lay dead upon the floor.

Gabrielle instinctually tried to impart comfort to her by squeezing her hand.

That’s when she saw her own, covered in blood.

And it held the knife.

The world ended once more.

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Dancing flames reflected in blood hypnotized her. The crimson liquid showed Gabrielle her past, present, and future and how they had all been ripped from her by her own hand.

Khrafstar gently took the weapon from the shaken girl.

Green-blue eyes snapped into focus. S-so it is in his hand. He did stab her…

But even through her confusion, Gabrielle could see that her hands were the ones covered in blood, not his.

What did it mean?

“Thank you, Gabrielle…” The priest continued speaking, but the bard did not comprehend a word of his speech.

And yet, she understood each one perfectly. They all fit together in ways that made grammatical and logical sense but could not be true. Little sounds of gaping loss and pleading protest fell from her lips. No, no…

“NO!”

A terrible cry rent the world in two, and Gabrielle could not draw air into her lungs.

It was her own breath that had done it. Her life brought death.

And that which she had clung to as a lifeline, that which she had thought would be safest with her, had wrought irreparable destruction.

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The second chapter of my XenaFic series is up now! (I think I'll publish a new chapter every day.) Go check out book one, The Betrayer, Gabrielle’s untold story through “The Deliverer.” Please enjoy today’s excerpt:

“Okay,” Gabrielle assented upon Xena ordering her back below deck and then walking away from her without a backward glance. With a rueful shake of her head, the girl trudged down the steps. “You’re still mad at me.”

“About what?” that caramel voice asked her from the darkness when she got to the bottom.

“Oh! Sorry, I didn’t mean to say that out loud.” Avoiding her new friend’s gaze, the strawberry-blonde blushed and said no more.

A shy smile glowed briefly in the torchlight before ducking back into the shadows. “Forgive me. It is not my place to pry, but you look so sad.” Consolingly, Khrafstar squeezed the bard’s arm. He turned over his own when he told her, “I just wish I could help you feel better like you’ve helped me. This trick you taught me is amazing! Thank you, Gabrielle.”

The girl could not help but smile at receiving genuine gratitude for the first time in a long time. “It’s n- I’m glad. Xena taught me.” Mild melancholy once more tinged her expression.

“She seems to have taught you many things.” Khrafstar’s tone gave off the impression that he did not think the evaluation to be positive.

Green-blue eyes lifted to search his questioningly.

“Some of her lessons trouble you,” the priest said in a way that was not a question but pressed his listener for an answer.

A pause drew out between the pair.

“Hey, are you hungry? There has to be something to eat on this ship, right?” Gabrielle tried to recapture some of her usual energy, wiggling her hips and lifting her fists in a grand gesture.

The man took a moment to peer into her the way she had thought only Xena could. “Famished,” he said at last. “But I hope they have something other than meat. I cannot abide by any sort of killing, even if it’s of an animal.” His lips curved when the bard spun away from him to avoid swooning at his feet.

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So, I know that “Married with Fishsticks” is not on many people’s Top XWP episode lists. In fact, it is regularly cited as one of, if not the, worst episode(s) of the show altogether. Me, I can draw profound meaning from even the tiniest details, as I’m sure you know by now if you’ve read my other theories. So, I thought I’d try to redeem this thing. 😆 Here goes…

Remember how in my theory “Soul Orbits,” I found it very interesting that the same actors played Borias/Khrafstar and Meridian/Satrina? Sure, the XenaVerse has many dopplegangers running around and re-uses many actors, but I thought that the same people being used in those specific roles had deeper significance. 

Believe it or not, I find Aphrodite and Discord’s presence in this episode telling as well. In my head-canon and fics, the goddess of love secretly took care of the bard all through The Rift Arc and beyond, but Gabrielle didn’t learn about that until after the show ends. There’s also that small matter of soon GIVING UP HER ENTIRE FAMILY for our favorite bard that Aphrodite will do, but I digress. Suffice it to say that she counts herself as a friend of Gabrielle’s while Gabrielle isn’t yet sure of the goddess’s motives at this point of the show.

Too, almost no one else seems to remember this, but Discord was in “The Deliverer.” She’s the one who was most concerned with Dahak’s temple and wanting it destroyed. Ares listening to Discord and Xena listening to Ares could have saved Gabrielle a lot of heartache, but again, Gabrielle never knew about that. Or, didn’t know until much later, since she is the one who wrote the scrolls which became scripts for the episodes. 

So, Aphrodite and Discord were friends to Gabrielle who had ulterior motives. Of course, their sniping that she witnessed and then got caught between played into a part in her fantasy world too.

Hagar represented the worst in Khrafstar, Joxer, and Xena, along with the life that had been planned for Gabrielle before “Sins of the Past” ever started. I think that the second version of Perdicas was a sweet guy and so not directly correlated with Hagar. (More on this later.*) But the life that Gabrielle would have been expected to live with her betrothed—endlessly, thanklessly cooking, cleaning, bearing him a bunch of children—that’s what Crustacea had but fled and Gabrielle got roped into… kinda like her marrying Perdicas.

Gabrielle was more or less okay with her housewife life, as long as she drank the Kool-Aid of Hagar’s memory-eraser, just like she drank the Kool-Aid of Dahak’s cult. This is where Hagar is like Khrafstar; he duped the bard with manipulation disguised as goodness, which could have led her to the similar destruction of her soul.

But in her dream world, Gabrielle stopped short of going through with both those mistakes.

It’s interesting, too, though, because except for that third expectation of child-bearing, she got that kind of life with Xena. How many times did we watch Gabrielle resent doing all the menial tasks and not getting credit for her contribution? Off the top of my head, “A Day in the Life,” “Fins, Femmes, and Gems,” and “If the Shoe Fits” come to mind. But after Gabrielle confronts Hagar about his treatment of her, he starts to change, just like Xena did. He even echoes a lot of Xena’s sentiments to Gabrielle after “reforming.”

Continued in Part 2.

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*If you didn’t know/notice, then the first Perdicas actor too was in “The Deliverer,” playing the man who captured Gabrielle and later told her that her legs were to be broken. So, maybe there’s something more to that casting and the Hagar-Perdicas connection too. Hmm... You guys can figure out that part, if you wanna. I’m too tired and need to move on to the main point of this theory/analysis. X’)

The Betrayer is now complete! Chapter five has been re-uploaded! (Sorry for the delay. Even though this excerpt has been in Drafts for days, I was #shocker obsessing over redoing the theory for my previous post. :"D)

I stabbed her! Isn’t that what you wanted? Gabrielle searched beloved blue eyes for support, approval, and understanding that she immediately hoped she would never find. Shame weighed on her heavier than a stone block from the altar beside them would.

Or maybe like something else.

Something like-

Khrafstar!

But he was her friend.

But he hated her.

He had punished her!

He had…

Gabrielle gasped and cried out as she twisted away from him, desperate to escape her nightmare but knowing deep within her shredded soul that any attempt would be futile. No, no, no… Please! No more! Please! No! a chant of her own started up in her mind as she tried to retreat into blankness before the demon could pounce on her a second time.

Don’t let him, Xena. Please don’t let him!

As if in answer to her unvoiced prayer, Gabrielle felt the warrior draw her sword. The many hands that had held her still and mute before despoiling her fell to the floor under that shining blade, her beacon of hope. Xena… she murmured the name of her hero without breathing.

A spark of light rose within her chest and chased away the darkness pressing in on her, growing ever brighter the more she put her faith in her friend.

Then the altar caught fire.

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Fire flowed like water down the platform steps toward the one it wanted to consume, cursed chanting following closely.

Unreality swept over Gabrielle like a fever. The body that no longer felt like her own barely cooperated with her sluggish will.

A tendril of flame grabbed hold of her along the double rope burn around her right ankle with the lash of a whip. Reawakened pain brought clarity to a fractured mind.

Gabrielle screamed and begged Xena for help. Panic billowed inside of her the closer she got to raging heat that so reminded her of Khrafstar’s touch.

The altar exploded with the magnitude of her distress, annihilating Meridian’s body with it.

Hollowed, Gabrielle fell still and silent even as she was dragged the last few feet toward what was sure to be a horrific death.

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