"I couldn't disagree more! I've only known Xena for a year, that's true, but I feel like a lifetime has passed since I first met her…She's a good friend, and a wonderful person!" I fought back, a rather stupid and reckless reaction given that I wanted this woman- who obviously didn't like my friend one bit- to offer me information about her….
" If you already have your mind set on what you think you know, why do you even bother asking, then? Just believe whatever she got you to believe, and die a happy person!" she naturally bit, apparently struggling to make it in one piece out of that avalanche of emotions crushing her heart.
"I need to understand…"I murmured rather stubbornly, finally letting go of her hand. "Some things, just don't seem to add up…Like her relationship with Ares…"I subtly insinuated, silently praying that she wouldn't refuse to talk about it, just like that.
"What my Lord did or does it's none of your business!" she harshly responded, glaring at me as if I had committed the ultimate blasphemy. Her clear, acorn brown eyes- flashed angrily as she yelled, forcing me to reconsider my strategy…
"Good job, Gabrielle!" I silently chastised myself for my blatant lack of tact.
"This is not about Ares….Not for me…This is about Xena. " I insisted, wringing my hands nervously.
"Well why don't you ask her whatever it is that you want to know, then? She's your friend. She can fill in the gaps for you. That's what friends do…"
"Xena doesn't like to talk about her past…." I once again whispered in a desperate, defeated voice, taking a seat on the edge of the bed, breaking all eye contact.
" I'll say…with that kind of sordid memories buried in the back of her brain, I can't blame her. Who would?"
"I know she wasn't always a good person, and that there was a time when her soul was engulfed by darkness- some people do seem to hate her with everything they've got and they probably have their reasons too- but….she's different now….And still…I don't really understand the nature of her relationship with Ares….There's something she's not telling me…"
" What is there to tell? She's his Chosen. You can easily picture the rest. "
"His …Chosen? What does that mean? "
The priestess cast her a pitiful glance for a few seconds before answering.
" And you claim she's your friend, huh? It sure seems to me that she has been hiding a lot of things from you …." she stated, on a surprisingly indifferent tone, but this time it was precisely that utter indifference that attracted my attention. For some reason, it seemed unusually menacing to me…
" Well…it's not like I insisted too much in her telling me every single detail of her life…."
"Don't delude yourself in thinking that she ever would. Xena is hardly the person to open up to right about anyone…."she ironically remarked and her last words echoed terribly loud inside my head.
"You seem to know her pretty well…Have you met before?" I asked, trying not to look in any way affected by her previous line.
"We sure have…..I'm part of that past she has been struggling so much to bury. "
" Oh..." It was all I could say for a few awkward seconds. "You haven't told me yet what that meant- being his Chosen-….Xena hates Ares….Why would she even accept working for him….?"
"Working? That's an interesting choice of words. Trust me, the last thing she did was to work for him"
" Isn't that what a Chosen is? His chosen general or something?" I asked, panic already present in my voice...Could that even be an actual possibility?
"She did leave you completely in the dark didn't she?" she replied, taking a seat by my side. " Let me shed some light on things for you!" she added, her eyes narrowing a bit before she started her story.
" I'm not really allowed to talk to anyone about this…so the only thing that I will do tell you, is the one that has changed my life forever….And you are not going to repeat what I'm about to share with you now, to any other mortal or God, do you understand me?"
"What happened? I won't tell anyone, I promise…"
"Can I trust you? My own life is at stake, here! "
I swallowed dryly before answering, a very strangled "Yes, yes you can!" , and that very moment I just got this distinct feeling that I shouldn't have asked anything in the first place…
Almost five years have passed since that tragic night , but I will never forget it….I wish I could, I'm still haunted by it….I wish I could just let it go…."
XXX
" Ares? "
"Princess…I'm sorry I woke you…." Bro somehow managed to reply, roughly taken aback by that unique melody of her voice, and the instant their eyes met, I could once again feel a wave of energy reinvigorating my every cell.
As if under some kind of old, dangerously powerful spell, his gaze instantly started to wander on the deep, endless oceans of her cobalt blue moons, drowning more and more into them with each passing second….
" It's ok….How long have I been asleep?" she inquired, struggling to break free from that primitive, urgent need that had taken over her the moment he unconsciously licked his lips, the intensity of his gaze - sending her heart into a wild dash - making it almost impossible for her to ignore that sudden jolt of liquid pleasure barreling straight to her groin.
I had always known what his mere presence could do to her, but lately- to my ultimate depression- I was almost certain that their dramatic break up and Bro's unforgivable outburst had maybe changed things between them to the point of no return. I was of course delighted to see just how wrong I had been! She was absolutely ravished by him, and despite that frighteningly deep abyss separating them, the sexual chemistry they shared was undeniable. Tartarus, I could sense it from the other side of the room!
"Not long…..About two hours I guess…" he replied, unable to shift his longing gaze from hers, unable to move an inch from where he was currently standing, unable to blink, unable to breathe, unable to do anything else but absorb and absorb that intoxicating feeling of her nearness…
"I thought you said you had some stuff to take care of…By your tone, I assumed it would take you most of the day." she said, finally finding the inner strength to break free from the enslaving effect of his hypnotizing moons, arching an eyebrow at the awareness of her own weakness….
" Oh Xe….just give up fighting it….Look at him! He's crazy about you! He'd lay the world at your feet for you to forgive him!"
"I did….I came back though when I saw that Blondie had left…I didn't want you to be alone…." he murmured, probably not really sure if he should even say that aloud…
For a long moment, the world crashed to a halt and ceased to exist, as the meaning of his last words sunk in…
"Where did she go…?" she asked, in a low, hesitant voice.
It was his turn to feel reluctant at choosing his words. …He could see that something was bothering her but he couldn't really tell what it was…Was it something he said…or did…?
" …Grab a bite to eat…"
"Oh….Ok…." she concluded while clumsily trying to stand.
" Let me…" he offered, rushing by her side, arranging the pillows behind her back so that she could be more comfortable. " Here you go…"
"Thank you" she whispered back, not daring to say anything else, her pulse running maddeningly wild when she felt his strong arm wrapping around her waist while the other pressed lightly against her stomach as he slowly helped her up.
"Yeah..."
His comment was brief and sounded alarmingly cold but from the way in which his hands lingered a bit more on her body before he finally put some distance between them, I could see just how out of control he was around her. He was just scared...that was all, he was just scared...
"How's your shoulder? he added, fighting with himself to give his brain something to worry about, thus drifting his attention from that hard not to notice, ample cleavage that was now generously revealed through the almost completely opened top of her robe. ….The crimson robe….his favorite…
He swiftly glanced aside this time, as the overwhelming desire to plunge his fingers into her long , silky hair and just shove her onto that bed was becoming dangerously hard to suppress…He could already imagine himself on top of her, he could already hear her gasp as he eagerly buried his cock inside her, and judging by the way in which his body stiffened as she left out a small moan the instant she tried to move her arm, I just knew that my guess had been correct.
" It still hurts…." she said, wanting to touch its surface but immediately frowned at the contact….
" Let me see…" he urged, taking a step closer and taking a seat on the bed, in front of her. With impossibly light, gentle moves, he pushed the robe off her shoulders leaving her chest almost completely exposed, her, round, temptingly swollen breasts being now only partially covered by a thin layer of soft dark silk …..Gods, how he missed her! His aura was simply pulsating with lust...
By that moment, I was deliriously happy….a truly intimate moment between them, after all those long, boring months of waiting and waiting for something to happen besides the regular fighting and screaming…I could hardly believe my eyes.
She trembled slightly as his fingertips touched her skin, doing her best to control her breathing, suddenly self conscious at the way in which her breasts were rising and falling in quick jolts.
" Does it still burn?" Bro' asked, in a deep, husky voice, but she definitely failed to hear him, way too busy with fighting with herself not to close her eyes at his ever so soft and subtle caress.
" Hmmm? "
" The shoulder, does it still burn?" he patiently repeated the question, forcing himself not to crock a smile at his little victory.
Before she offered an answer though, her eyebrow immediately arched as she detected a note of concern in his eyes.
" What's wrong?" she questioned, suddenly pulled back from her trance.
"The wound….it's bleeding again. Damn!" he swore, casting her a nervous glance this time.
She immediately looked down at her shoulder, but her expression lightened a bit when she noticed that it wasn't very serious..
" It's ok….A few drops of blood won't kill me…"
"It starts with a few drops, Xena….." he made sure to mention, gazing pensively at her old bandage. "I need to change it…" he whispered, pausing a bit while waiting for her confirmation, his hand freezing on the thin silky strap of her shift, and all I can say was that at this point, I could barely restrain myself from screaming my boundless joy and clapping my hands. This whole scene was like a dream come true…Nothing could go wrong now…
