"FEBRIS"
--febris -is f. fever.
Xena tucked the book more securely within the folds of her robe, and made for the sounds of distress. She found the women ringed about the bed, all looking to Mei, who was completely at a loss. Borias, who was now restrained at the wrists, strained against his bonds, growling half formed curses in his native tongue. He was a fearsome sight. The silk strips that bound him to the bed, had obviously been added as a measure to ensure the delirious Hun didn't hurt himself. A wry smile tugged at the edges of her lips, as a similar scene came to mind.
A self-satisifed Borias smiled breathlessly up at her, "Going to untie me some time this morning? The men will wonder what happened to their commander..."
Xena shook out her tanlged hair, "What if I don't?" she asked playfully, begining to trail kisses along his jaw line until their lips met.
"Mmmmm...Moj hatar..." he breathed tenderly in her ear.
She fixed him with keen blue eyes, "I know that one," she murmurred, "Means..." her fingers played among his dark braids thoughtfully a moment, "my love..."
"Very good, " he purred.
Xena rolled her eyes, as she traced her fingers over the scratches on his broad shoulders. There were a few scars there already, and she felt satisfaction knowing she'd staked out and marked her territory on his body. "When are you going to teach me something useful, Borias?"
"Like what?..." he drawled.
She drew back in annoyance suddenly, the dormant argument over his teaching her the Eastern tongues gnawing at her anew. The night before, the argument had ended with Borias neatly trussed to the bed.
"Every day we get further east, and apart from a handful of the men, there's no one else who speaks Greek in these lands. How do you expect me to inspire the proper terror and command when these pathetic villagers aren't going to understand a word coming out of my mouth, and half of the men don't either."
Borias sighed wearily, recognizing the re-emergence of the argument, "We don't reach Chin until the new moon. That is more than enough time to learn the basics. Besides, " he added, defensive under her biting glare, "the nobility all speek Greek anyway."
She rose glacially silent from the bed, and began pulling on her shift and boots.
"Xena-"
"I'm not going to sit here and take this insubordination from you, Borias."
"Insubordination? I am not your 'subordinate'" he growled, his ire rising to match hers.
"This is a power-play for you 'moj hatar'" she sneered, "You want to keep control over the men, so you make it harder for me to command independently of you. You want them to see me as lower ranking. Well, "she put her hands on her hips, drawing perilously close to the now seething Hun, "You're obviously forgetting who the dominant one in this 'partnership' is."
Borias strained furiously against his bonds, but they were more secure than he'd thought, and Xena laughed maddeningly at his struggle.
"Nosi se!" Go to hell. he spat
"Kucka!"
"Fenka!"
Bitch.
Bitch.
Xena stormed out of the tent.
"There you go!" Borias yelled after her, "Don't say I didn't teach you anything!"
"Corinna!"
Mei was startled by her appearance at the door, "Zhao," she motioned to the shrewd older handmaid, "Lady Corinna does not need to-"
She was cut off by Borias, "Ja pravil te nista..." Though weak, his tone was dangerously low.
Mei blanched a little. Borias had all the aspect of an injured animal: weakened, but feral. It wasn't exactly the image of a gentleman, and hinted at something much closer to the barbaric nomad. Xena frowned at the glassy wild look in her lover's eyes. He was out of his mind. Not in the least cognizant of his surroundings, apart from the fact that he was injured and bound, something deeper and more instinctual had kicked in. Things could get ugly quickly. She brushed past the other women and made her way to kneel by Borias' side.
Forcefully, she took his face in her hands,"Nema vise." That's enough. She used his mother tongue in hopes of reaching him wherever his delirium had taken him now.
He continued to struggle feebly.
"Borias...Nezz ram," look at me commanded. "Mirovati. Taj je red." Be still. That's an order.
When his feverbright eyes met hers at last, she reached up and unbound his wrists slowly, keeping vital eye contact. He searched her face hazily, no recognition present there, but he was begining to settle. Either that or he was too weak to keep fighting. She held both of his larger hands between her own, her fingers travelling absently over the raw skin of his wrists. The bonds had been tied carefully (she'd tied him to a bed with much more cruelty, many a time) but his own delirious struggles had caused him some injury. His eyes were growing heavy as he held her gaze, the adrenaline wearing off, now that he had calmed. When his eyes fell shut at last, it was with her name on his lips, a pained whisper.
Slowly, she released his hands, laying them carefully on the bed covers. He trembled pitifully in his sleep, beads of sweat gathered on his plae face. Xena's eyes flickered to the shallow rise and fall of his chest, trying to guess how far the poison had worked its way through his system. Gingerly, she laid a hand across his brow. His body was on fire. Fever was one of the symptoms she'd been promised when she'd bought the Teisis' plant toxin. The fever was high, but the presence of sweat was a good sign. A dry burning would have signalled a more serious problem. Borias had a few days left in him yet.
Xena felt a gentle hand on her shoulder, and turned to look up into Mei's dark, shining eyes, "He knows you voice. Love calls to love, even in the darkest of times. And of course, " Mei smiled gracefully tucking a few rebellious strands of dark hair back into her bun, "It doesn't hurt to know his native tongue so well."
Xena accepted her hand and rose as gracefully as she could, her robes crusted with mud as they were. From the corner of her eye, she caught the gaze of the handmaiden Zhao, who concealed a suspicious frown with a bow. "Lady Corinna, can I fetch you some clean garments?"
Xena glanced down at her soiled robes, feigning surprise and disguising her annoyance, "Oh my..." she breathed, "I went for a walk in the garden early this morning, and I hadn't noticed...how embarrasing," she smiled innocently at Mei.
Mei returned her smile kindly, "Zhao, please get Lady Corinna some clean clothing."
Zhao bowed her way out of the room, though not without a last shrewd look at the Warrior Princess. The two other maids present, followed demurely.
Mei offered her guest a seat beside the bed, and took a small stool for herself. The dark eyed woman surveyed the darkhaired man sleeping fitfully beside her with a compassionate look. She picked up a square of cloth from the bedside table and carefully folded it, before soaking it in cool water. Gently, she placed it over Borias' fevered brow, "You must have risen early to have been walking in the gardens already this morning, Corinna. Is everything to your liking in your chambers?"
Xena straightened her robes and fished for a polite smile. Mei was again showing that glimmer of percpetiveness, when their eyes met, and Xena felt a vague stirring of suspicion, that her hostess was more than she showed, "Yes of course. I was simply...worried about my betrothed. I wanted to clear my mind."
Mei held her eyes a moment, then nodded sympathetically, "I understand. But do not fear: I have had my best physicians working on an antidote all night, and I believe he may show some improvement as early as tomorrow."
"Truly?" Xena's voice quivered with false hope, but in the back of her mind, she made a note of where she had hidden the extra viles of toxin, should Mei, by some ironic miracle figure out some kind of effective antidote.
As she spoke, a richly dressed man bowed and entered the room. Xena felt her muscles tense. She wasn't sure whether he was one of Cho Chan's men, and whether her whereabouts that morning had been guessed. The man bowed to both women and said something to Mei, who rose and nodded, smiling radiantly. Xena watched them both warily until Mei turned to her.
"Corinna, this is Li Yun, one of the greatest physicians in the realm. He has been working tirelessly on an antidote for Lord Nikko."
The man bowed and Xena relaxed and rose from her seat, returning his bow.
The physicican said a few more words to Mei, and handed her a small flask from the folds of his robe. She said something, casting a meaningful look over Borias. The man nodded and Mei made her way back to the stool beside the bed. She sat gracefully and removed the stopper from the vial, pausing to smile encouragingly up at Xena.
"I have assured you that you will see your wedding day my friend, I pray the gods will grant this be one step closer to that day."
Carefully, she slid a hand under Borias' head and propped it up, holding the antidote to his lips. Mei murmurred somethig softly to him, and he managed a few fitful mouthfuls before she laid his head back gently on the pillows. Xena watched him closely. Gradually, the feverish tremors wracking his body slowed a little, and his breaths lengthened out. Xena discreetly grit her teeth in annoyance. The physician approached the bedside and placed two fingers along Borias' neck, feeling for his pulse. The man nodded agreeably to Mei, and she beamed at him and then rose and took Xena's hands.
"It is working. I will have my physicians create more immediately."
Xena wrenched her face into an expression of joy, "Oh thank the gods!" She cried embracing Mei. Damn it all! Damn it all to Tartarus! Mei you stupid interfering..."My Lady. how can I possibly thank you enough?" Hades take your whore of a mother. Damn it, Damn it!