Xena and Gabrielle traveled together along a long, winding road, both women on horseback due to Gabrielle's uneasiness. The blonde studies a road map she in what was left of the daylight, one hand hold it flat and open against Xena's back and the other around the brunette's waist for balance. The warrior smiled darkly.
"I don't understand why you're so worried, Gabrielle. It's just Artanes. There aren't going to be any problems on the road this close to the city-"
Oh, but that's what they want you to think! But I know better than that, ha! And remind me why we're going to Artanes, by the way?"
"We're going because the princess has been kidnapped-"
"Exactly! Xena, I don't know about you, but that sounds like a problem to me. A big problem. And it happened inside the city! You're not very good at lying to make me feel better." Gabrielle gripped Xena's waist tightly with both arms then, her cheek pressing against the taller woman's cool back plate.
"We'll be just fine," Xena said. "We're almost there."
The two approached the entrance to the castle, Xena remaining mounted primarily because of Gabrielle's refusal to let go of her.
"I'm here to talk to the king and queen about their kidnapped daughter," she said with a strong voice to the guards before her. Their faces, though distorted by the firelight from their torches whenever a small breeze blew past, remained hard and unimpressed.
"And who are you?" the tall, bulkier of the two on the right asked, his grip tightening on his spear.
"My name is Xena," the woman said flatly. Gabrielle released her grip on her friend and straightened up, looking at the guards from around Xena's left side. The two men exchanged looks and a nod before responding.
"They have been expecting you."
"We didn't expect you until tomorrow morning, so please forgive the lack of preparation-"
"No, no, I assure you, it's no trouble. I'm only happy to help the two of you get your daughter back… And ruin the scum that abducted her." The king and queen weren't sure how to respond to Xena's dark tone, and so they both settled on weak smiles and a nod. They broke eye contact.
At the end of the hall the party stopped, the king stepping forward and unlocking a great marble door, intricate patterns carved into its face with delicacy. He gestured for Xena and Gabrielle to step inside, and the queen gave an encouraging smile.
"This can be your chamber for tonight," she said gently. "In the morning we will arrange for each of you to have a much larger, separate one-"
"That won't be necessary," Xena said. There was a new tone in her voice that caught Gabrielle's attention but went unnoticed by the king and queen. "This will work just fine, thank you. Don't trouble yourselves over it. I think it would be best that Gabrielle and I are together too in case anything were to happen, and besides we won't be here long." The king and queen smiled warmly then, and the king stepped forward. He laid a gentle hand on Xena's shoulder, which was followed briefly by the woman's gaze.
"Thank you, Xena, and Gabrielle. We'll be so glad to have our daughter back where she belongs."
"And so will we," Gabrielle said. The monarchs bid the two friends goodnight before closing the chamber door, and drew away. Gabrielle turned and faced the inside of the room, unable to keep a smile from her face. "Xena, look at this place! It's so beautiful!" The young blonde darted across the expanse of the room over to a charming bath powered by a massive hot spring beneath the castle. It was lined with scented candles and sprinkled with flower petals, giving it a magical, inviting look. She leaned against it and looked into the water, her reflection smiling back. "You should come over here and smell the bath-" Gabrielle cut herself off as her eye caught something glinting out of the corner of her eye, and she turned her head to find the place that they would be sleeping tonight. "And that bed! Xena, I think you made the right choice in staying in this room. I mean, I wasn't sure what you were doing at first, but now that I've seen everything inside…Don't you love it?" Gabrielle was already at the bedside, running her hands over the embroidery of the bedding in wonder. She had never seen something so intricate, especially on a thing meant to sleep in, in all of her travels thus far. She admired the beauty and colour, and was particularly partial to the fact that the bed was a canopy bed, a detail she had always loved. She waited for her friend to respond to her question. "Xena?" she called, not looking away from the bed yet. She pulled back the covers and pressed on the mattress with the heel of her hand, smiling in satisfaction. "What's the matter, don't you like it?" The blonde looked up and found Xena suddenly standing on the opposite side of the massive bed. Her armor was gone, put away somewhere out of Gabrielle's sight, leaving the brunette in only the simple cotton dress she wore beneath her leather one during the day. Gabrielle cocked her head to the side. "You're going to be already? I mean, it's dark now but… Don't you want to explore the room a little? I mean, there's an expansive wardrobe over in that corner, and you really need to check out that bath…" Gabrielle caught the look in Xena's eyes and felt a lump in her throat. "Xena, why are you looking at me like that?" she asked. Xena smiled, the wickedness on her face unwavering, and she came around the foot of the bed to Gabrielle. The blonde watched Xena's movements, reading her, even as the taller woman closed the gap between them.
"Gabrielle, I'd be lying to you if I said that I've been just fine for the past few weeks. That I haven't been driving myself crazy, that I didn't miss you…. That I didn't want you…" Gabrielle's heart began to beat wildly as she looked up into Xena's eyes. "It's been so long since we've…" The blonde's hands were involuntarily at Xena's stomach, and then at her hips, and she pulled the brunette gently to her without a second thought.
"It's been too long," she said softly, before accepting Xena's kiss. She felt a strong hand at the small of her back holding her close and was happy, like nothing bad then in the whole world could possibly happen to her or her friend.
A squeal escaped the blonde when Xena pulled Gabrielle off of her feet, holding her close in her arms for balance. She brought the two of them onto the bed, their lips reuniting quickly, and released Gabrielle to let her move by her own will. The shorter woman rolled off onto her side, keeping close to Xena, her arm across the warrior's torso.
"I don't know how- we've let- so- much time go by…" Xena mumbled between kisses. Gabrielle smiled.
"We've been so busy doing- good," she said. This brought a laugh from the black-haired woman, and she parted lips with Gabrielle and moved her kisses to the blonde's jaw line and neck. "… Xena…." She breathed, raising her head out of the way. Her heartbeat raced. Xena exposed her teeth, nipping at her companion's pale skin with a devilish grin, and sat up more, her upper-half hovering over Gabrielle now.
"I think maybe I should have thought this through a little more," Xena started. "I don't know how much good you and I will be if we're sharing a room… We might never come out of here." Xena bit down gently on the skin just above Gabrielle's clavicle, a sensitive spot she remembered well from past experiences, and the blonde tightened her grip on Xena's wrists, which were planted firmly on either side of her. She let out a moan when Xena bit down again, harder this time.
"Never, ever, ever…" Gabrielle breathed. She grew quiet then, reveling in Xena's talents, pulling the woman into sudden passionate kisses whenever the desire to do so struck her until she accidently pulled the warrior off balance from slight over-eagerness. Xena chuckled, but was drawn immediately to the look on her companion's face after the position shift. She looked into the blonde's eyes, their blue depths speaking worlds to her, and she understood easily what was going on in her head. Gabrielle's hands lay impatiently motionless on Xena's thighs, exposed completely by her undergarment, and her heart continued to beat at a hastened pace. Her lips parted slightly, waiting for her to speak. "… Xena, please," she breathed, her eyes half-lidded and her body going insane. Every inch of her buzzed with anticipation, even as Xena bent over to lay a few gentle kisses on Gabrielle's lips and skin… Her request was answered soon after, and then several more timed into the night.