Xena cursed loudly as the rain had continued to fall for the past two hours and the temperatures had dropped as fast as anyone opposing her. The trip to her ship should have only taken an hour or two at most even with a green horn in the saddle. But the damn rain was pouring down and lightning and thunder continued to startle her young slave's green horse. It had come to the point where she had to ride side by side holding the other horse's reins in her own.
The thought had occurred to her that she could ride ahead and force one of her lackeys to watch over the bard but something was forcing her stay by the blond's side. After what had happened with the first man and what she had almost done to the girl something was making her want make up for that. In a way she had already. Why had she kept that from her young slave? That was easy. It was a way to control her and make her know that she was no pushover.
A sneeze from the rider on the horse next to her resulted in another large curse. The dark haired warrior chanced a quick glance at her riding compatriot and cursed once again taking in the paler look on her face. This was the last thing that she needed to deal with. The warrior was already planning on how to conquer Greece and perhaps beyond. Now she had a sick new slave to nurse back to health seeing that she had no healer on her ship besides herself. There were many healers with the troops so why not the ship? Another curse.
Of all the stupid things and the timing could not be worse. Just trying to break in the little wench and now I have to coddle her. Another three sneezes and her fears were justified. Along with the smell of the fresh rain falling on her Xena picked up the scent of salt water and was relieved that soon they could be in her personal cabin upon the ship that would also be warm. The girl needed a hot bath which could not be on the ship. Mmm. Maybe I can warm her up some. Course that could lead to something else and she's not ready for that. Damn!
Damn is right! Since when are you concerned with a slave being ready? Xena looked over at the woman that was now slumped over in the saddle barely able to keep herself there. The warrior sighed deeply wondering if the girl was going to be more trouble than she was worth. Already the way that she did things was so different. Never before had she spared potential slaves or those that might bring in money out of deference to one girl. She certainly used to take what she wanted and right away.
"Hold on there lil one. We'll be at the ship in just a bit. Don't need you falling off the horse and getting all muddy. No place to really clean up once you are on board." Blue eyes met green ones that were now bloodshot. The warrior cursed in five different languages. The healer in her saw exactly what was happening. The only thing she could do was to get her someplace warm, get some special herbs in her and make her rest.
Gabrielle could barely understand what Xena was saying. It was like there was this fog in her mind. She could plainly hear the words that the other woman spoke but she could not understand. Her instincts were to just clamp down on any part of the horse that she could and hope that she had enough strength left in her rapidly weakening body. Guess she's getting more than she bargained for with me. Take that warrior princess. I hate being sick but if it annoys her good! Maybe I should tell her that I get sick easily.
The bard looked over at the tall dark, and she had to admit very beautiful, warlord. I vowed to get under your skin like you have mine. I can take being sick. Can you take me being sick? That made the blond smile a very weak smile. Then her entire body was racking with coughs and she let out one of the curses she had been hearing Xena mutter. The warlord shot her a surprised look and that brought an even larger smile upon her face.
Gabrielle didn't even remember the horse she was on stopping. She never felt strong arms holding her close to the body they were attached to. She never felt being carried up a gang plank and never felt it as she was gently laid on a super soft bed with furs upon it. The blond never felt her wet clothes carefully being removed. All she could remember was the world spinning from a gray of the outdoors to a dark brown of the interior of the ship though she knew not where she was.
Xena left the girl and went up to the captain of the ship. The warlord was more than ready to get on to Corinth but wasn't sure if the seas were calm enough. Regardless it was going to be a long voyage as the rattling in the bard's chest had continued to get worse and in such a short time. "Petral, how do the seas look?" She herself went to the railing and looked around. So far the seas seemed calm. Though she was not a sea faring person she knew enough to know that that could change in the blink of an eye especially once you've pissed off Poseidon a time or two.
That brought back some fond memories. Xena loved to challenge anyone that thought they were better than her god or not. It had given her a few battle scars which she gladly wore almost like a badge of honor. The old gnarled captain looked her directly in the eye. He knew she was wanting to shove off but his instincts were telling him not to chance it. He took a deep breath to steel himself against whatever backlash she would give. "Well they do appear calm. However my gut is telling me to stay put." The captain closed his eyes and waited for whatever it was pain wise that she was going to dish out.
In reflex Xena's hand rose to backhand him across the deck and maybe off the railing. Something made her stop and she was not sure what it was. Of course she knew that, while she could sail better than most captains, this man was the best captain alive and that she had better heed his warning. It just meant that it would force her to spend more time alone with her new slave. If she wasn't so sick it would be a good thing. Her hand dropped at her side. "All right. Inform me when you think that it is safe. We've got too many weapons, horses and other supplies on board to take chances with."
The warlord didn't bother to wait for a response. Instead she just made her way through the rain and men scuttling here and there toward her cabin. She just hoped that the stupid kid was still in bed where she had laid her. She is your responsibility now. True you have your reputation to uphold but she never asked for this. In a way you never asked for her. Xena sighed heavily and continued to walk through cascades of water it was now raining so hard.
The door to her cabin was a welcome sight and she slammed the door open and slammed it shut again. She glanced over to the bed where the slave girl was supposed to be. The bed was empty and her heart skipped a beat. Instead of tearing off her wet cloak and leathers she bolted around the room looking for anyplace that the young blond could be hiding. In the darkest corner of the room was a huddled pale form of the bard. Her entire body was shaking and her eyes were looking around in fear.
As soon as those green eyes met her blue ones the girl scrunched up even more in the corner. The look on her face was wild. Xena knew the look all too well. The fever had gotten worse and now the girl was in some kind of state. Perhaps she had gone back in her mind to the little village they had found her outside of and waking up in a ship had been a shock to her system. The curses that escaped the warrior would have made Ares himself blush.
Xena held up her hands in entreaty. "I may look scary but I'm not going to hurt you I promise." The deep sound of her voice echoed throughout the cabin. The green eyes opened wider and more fear was upon the young blond's face. The warlord's patience was just about at their end. This was not supposed to be what she was doing. She sighed heavily and took several steps back. The girl seemed to relax a little so the warrior decided to get out of her wet clothes and try again in a bit.
The warlord took her time in undressing. The leathers were never easy to remove once they got this wet. She could feel eyes upon her and in a way she enjoyed it very much. The girl was so young and naïve about life and especially sex that it felt good to be the one teaching her the finer points. None of her last slaves had been this innocent. Even Satrina had, she later found out, been prostituted out by her mother at thirteen years old. That was why she never really cared for the girl. The warrior knew she was damaged and she liked her girls pure.
Gabrielle was the purest one she had ever come across. Even though some of the others had been virgins they still had a knowledge of life. This girl was nothing but a blank slate and the warrior had free rein to define the girl as she so chose. That brought a little bit of a smile upon her face as she took off the last of her leathers and hung them to dry. She turned to see that the bard had come out just a bit from the corner though fear was still etched upon her face.
Xena took a towel and dried herself off fiercely. Though she was a little cold she decided to stay naked to see if it would help the young girl be coaxed back to the bed. Slow and deliberate was her walk over to the girl. Green eyes grew wider and wider as she approached but the bard never retreated back to her corner. Finally only a couple feet away the warlord held out a hand to the young woman. "I'm not going to hurt you. I'm just going to get you dressed in something warm and give you something for that cough. Trust me."
Gabrielle looked at the naked woman standing before her. Her mind told her she should be making dinner at this time instead of being, she assumed, on a ship. The woman was strange to her eyes and yet there was something familiar about her as well. From this vantage point the dark haired woman seemed to tower over her and even without all the leather and weapons she seemed dangerous. Part of the bard liked the thought of her companion being dangerous.
That got the bard a mental slap on the back of the head. Since when do you think of anyone dangerous being likeable. Clearly this woman can't be trusted. And yet I fell like a centaur is sitting on my chest it's so hard to breathe. Cautiously the young woman took the hand offered to her only to find herself being picked up like she was just an empty flour sack. The room that had been spinning slightly was now moving so fast that she thought she her body was going to rebel against her.
Luckily it didn't take long and she found herself on her back and looking up into very pale and yet very powerful blue eyes. There was no doubt in her mind that there was something about this woman that should be feared and respected at the same time. A coughing spell took over her thoughts and her entire body was bouncing up and down. She found strong arms pinning her to the bed and kept her there until the coughing fit subsided. Her body and mind weak but she had to know. "Do I know you?"
Xena cursed so loud that the blond girl's body lifted off the bed in surprise. Damn! What in Hades is happening to her? I've never seen someone get the coughing sickness so fast nor have I seen them lose their memory. Is she playing me? Is that it? "You know me but you don't want to know me." That was probably the wrong thing to say but it just slipped out. Quickly the warrior went on. "Relax. No one really wants to know me. I'm Xena."
Green eyes went so large the warrior thought they might just fly out of the girl's head. Instead they rolled back into her head and the body next to the warrior went completely limp. "Well, that was one way to get her to relax though I need to get those herbs down her." The warrior was muttering to herself. For a long moment she took the time to stare at the beautiful young body next to her. It did something way down deep inside her and it wasn't simple lust. It was something else. It was something the warrior had never experienced before.
The warlord sighed heavily and made her way over to one of her many chests in the room. She sorted quickly through the herbs and crushed what she needed and put them in a cup. She added water from a nearby barrel she kept in the room just in case anyone got any ideas about trying to take her out. Then she went back to the things in the chest and found a salve that she had discovered in her travels. There were many things in the chest from all over the world all having to do with healing.
A little moan escaped the unconscious bard and another bout of racking coughs took over the slender body. Xena quickly made her way by the bed in case she needed to hold her down. Green eyes flickered open for a moment and for some reason the warrior smiled at her perhaps because there was a slight bit of recognition there. "I need you to drink this, lil one." Green eyes widened but her mouth opened readily. As the last drop slid down her throat the warrior patted her shoulder. "Good. Now get some rest. That's the best thing for you now."
It only took a few moments for the herbs to kick in. Along with something for the cough Xena had added a special herb that helped with sleeping. It was the best medicine in the world and the warrior knew she too should get some sleep. While the warrior rarely got sick she was also not one to tempt fate. She got up and returned to her healing supplies and mixed the same thing minus the sleeping part and drank it down wishing she had honey or something to sweeten the contents.
The warrior then returned to the bed and got the mixture ready. Generously she rubbed it across the chest of her slave reveling in the feel of the skin below her fingers. Not being able to stop herself she took several moments to play with each nipple. Oh the ache that shot to her very core as she felt the nipples blossom into tiny round roses at her touch. Even with the slave sick the desires that the warlord felt were hard to control. All she wanted was to taste her property and officially make it hers!
But once again just one look at that innocent face that still had layers of baby fat on it and those desires were somehow pushed deep down inside her. When I finally do get to taste you my lil one I hope I am not too aggressive for you. It's all getting bottled up and I need some release. The warrior sighed and made her way to the water basin. She poured the liquid in the bowl first getting the salve off her hands then splashing herself liberally all over with cool water trying to calm herself.
It only helped slightly. She took the towel she had used earlier and wiped her hands and face dry. Then she turned her attention back to the sleeping bard. Quickly she went to the chest that held her clothes in it. She found a flannel shift that would almost envelop the younger girl but it was all she had. One more look at the girl and there were fires stirring inside again. As fast and as gentle as she could she dressed the girl and covered her up with the firs.
There was nothing more she could do for the girl but just wait and hope that the girl got over her illnesses as quickly as this one seemed to have come on. She watched for a long moment the sleeping girl and brushed stray blond hairs out of her face. The desire was back with just that simple touch. If all I have to do is look at her to get this turned on I am in big trouble. I might have to go elsewhere to get my release. But she is so damned cute! I just want to taste her and not just her sweet juices. I want to taste ever square inch of her body.
Xena cursed and cursed. She thundered over to her big comfortable chair and threw herself into it. She had an excellent view of the blond which continued the aching between her legs. Finally she could not contain herself anymore. The warrior began to touch her own breasts. She played with them thinking of how it had felt just a few moments before when she was touching the smaller but no less attractive breasts of her slave.
As her own nipple blossomed under her touch she moaned rather loudly. In her mind she was not touching herself but touching the soft skin that was just across the room. If she just let her inner beast out she could go over there and…And what? Have your way with a sick girl? Even you aren't that depraved Xena Conqueror of Nations. Instead she kept up the gentle exploration of her own body all the time imagining that she was touching the fair haired girl's body.
Her hands moved down to her sides and then to her ribs and her stomach. The warrior was needing this so badly. It had been almost two weeks since she had released all the pent up sexual energy that was raging through her body like water going down a waterfall. Her hands strayed further south touching her hips and then onto her long legs. The feel of the skin was making her want oh so much more and finally her body could no longer be denied.
Her own lips parted as she inserted gently one finger deep inside herself. That caused an audible moan to escape from her other lips. Oh how she would rather it be the bard that was doing these things to her as her free hand captured one of her breasts and kept squeezing and teasing all the while her finger kept up a steady rhythm. It felt so good as long as she kept in her mind that she was not doing this but Gabrielle was. In time the bard would be but for now she needed the sweet release.
Not sure how long she had been at it and she really didn't care. All Xena cared about was working her way up to that frenzy and letting the whole ship know about it. Finally she found herself convulsing and let the sweet feeling of release rake through her body. Just as she came to that final climax a word escaped her mouth. Louder than she had ever shouted in fact and that word finally sunk into her. It was something she had never done before while truly being intimate with someone or doing what she had just done. She had shouted "Gabrielle." She took the time to lick the sweet juices off her fingers.
The warrior was now almost totally relaxed. She glanced over at the bard who appeared to still be sleeping. In a way she had hoped that her new slave would have been watching. It would have been a lesson in how to please the warrior princess which she knew that the bard desperately needed. But at least she had finally gotten her release. Only one thing was bothering her and that was the fact that she had said the young girl's name. What in Hades was that about?
Xena laid her head back wanting nothing more than to sleep. She felt a cool draft from somewhere and decided to get up and put on a flannel night shirt for herself. After she was dressed she looked over at the bed. It was really big enough for three people so she made her way over and looked down at the still sleeping blond. Carefully she got into bed as not to disturb her. She leaned herself against the wall so that she was as far from the girl as she could be. Sleep took her faster than she expected.
Gabrielle rolled over so that she was facing the warlord. Unknown to the warlord she had been awake during the entire little show. The bard had never even thought of doing anything like that but after watching she felt a fire growing between her legs. The fire however was not just there. It was shooting throughout her entire body. Though she was aching from chills of the coughing sickness her body was also on fire. It was an interesting feeling.
The bard realized something as she was watching her master pleasure herself. Now that she realized what it was like to be intimate with a woman she found herself wanting to please Xena that way. She cared not for herself. All she wanted was to make the other woman feel that good so that once again her name was upon the warrior's lips. The smell coming from the warrior she was not sure of ever having smelt it before but it actually made her swallow wanting to truly be tasting it.
Maybe this won't be so bad. Maybe I was taken away from something that was not good for me just to end up in a place while not ideal was still where I belong. Perhaps I ended up here because both Xena and I were lonely and needed someone that could eventually understand one another. She reached out and pushed some dark hair off the warriors face tucking it behind her ear. All I know is that I feel more at home with her though I'm scared all the time then I ever did in Potadeia.
Still the bard knew that she would have to tread lightly. From what she could tell of the warrior princess she had not had anyone mean anything to her in a very long time if ever. It would not be easy for the woman to accept wanting someone else or desiring them or taking care of them. Still it was clear at least to the bard that there was something happening between she and the warrior. There was a deep bond somehow formed already.
What would their relationship be like in just a few days? Time would only be able to tell that. Time would be able to tell just how long it would take for Gabrielle to fully recover and use what she had just learned on the warrior because now she knew what desire was and she knew that she wanted to make the warrior happy. That was quite the change from not that long ago when all she wanted to do was antagonize the woman. Question was would Xena ever feel the same about her?
AN-thanks for the wonderful reviews. hope you continue to like this. any comments and suggestions are welcome!
