It had been a long day. The work hadn't been too physically demanding, but there had been a lot of vegetables to peel and chop and otherwise prepare, so Gabrielle hadn't had many chances to talk with either Lila or Cress. Her sister seemed to be doing all right despite this. Like Gabrielle, Lila had grown up working with her parents on the farm and in their little kitchen, so she already had some basic cooking skills, and that seemed to help her confidence.
When the work was finally done, Gabrielle was taken away by Hedia for her evening bath. Mynor had tersely told Cress to "take care of" Lila. Cress had known what this meant. With Lila's help, she'd fetched a fresh heap of straw and a blanket and made up a crude little bed in the scullery next to her own. Gabrielle, on returning, gazed down at the piles of straw with some disapproval. She promised herself that she was going to bring this up with the queen as soon as possible.
Wearily, Lila sat down on her makeshift bed and smiled at her fellow scullion. "Thanks, Cress," she said. "It'll be nice not to have to sleep on the ground outside anymore." Silence fell. The three girls looked at each other awkwardly for a minute or two. "What happened, Bree?" Lila finally asked. "Why did the Conqueror make you…well, you know…" Her voice trailed off.
"That's what she took me for in the first place," Gabrielle said, sitting down on the straw beside her. "The queen just prefers girls, and I guess she liked how I looked." Lila looked sickened. "It's not so awful," the blond girl said uncomfortably. "Queen Xena promised to keep me fed and clothed, and she had you brought here just because. She's given me some pretty nice things. I'm learning a lot. It could be a lot worse, Li."
The younger girl reached out and traced the tooled leather of her sister's collar. "I guess this is kind of pretty," she murmured. "I've never seen a collar on a person before. Do they always look as nice as this?"
"I really don't know," Gabrielle admitted. "I've never seen any either. I ithink/i slave collars are usually made out of metal, but I'm not sure. I'm glad this one isn't. A metal one would probably be really uncomfortable."
Lila's dark eyes studied the object. "It's not locked on."
"No. But I'm not allowed to take it off," the blond said. "I'd get in real trouble if I did. I'd probably be whipped." Lila nodded silently and lowered her eyes to the floor. Her arms came up to hug herself. She looked very young and frightened. Gabrielle instinctively put her arm around her, and Lila leaned into her with a soft sigh. "Lila," the older girl whispered, "what happened to Mama and Da?" Across from them, Cress sat down on her own bed and listened silently.
Miserably, Lila closed her eyes. "I don't know, Bree." Her voice was faint. "They…they sold all the older people when we got to Pella. A merchant man took them away. Then they took the rest of us somewhere else, and sold us to another merchant. I got sold the next day to a storekeeper, and then that Bennu man bought me back two days after that. They said Mama and Da got bought by somebody, but they don't really know who it was or where they were going."
The girl's voice broke. Gabrielle was reminded of just how young Lila was – her sister had just barely reached her teens, and was still really a child. Her own heart ached for the loss of their parents, but she swallowed the lump in her throat and hugged Lila closer. She had to be strong so that her little sister wouldn't be afraid. "I know it's hard," she said gently, willing her own voice to remain steady. "It's kind of scary being here and not knowing where our parents are. But we're safe here, Li. If we work, they'll take good care of us. It's not so bad. And…and maybe they'll find Mama and Da later," doubtfully. "But it's not so bad. We've got each other now."
Lila nodded a bit, still cuddled against her sister's body. "At least we eat pretty good," she said in a small voice. "I mean, if we always eat like we did today."
"Yeah, we do." Gabrielle managed to smile. She smoothed back Lila's unruly brown hair. "They feed us really well, actually. We won't starve here. And the queen told me she always makes sure her slaves have clothes to wear and a warm, dry place to sleep at night. It could be a lot worse."
"It's true," Cress put in softly, as if she wasn't really sure whether she should interject. "They take care of us. I've been here five and a half years, and the only times I've gone hungry is when I was bad and had to go to bed without supper. It's better than begging in the street."
"I guess." Lila peered at Cress nervously. "Do they really whip us?"
There was a beat of silence. "Sometimes," Cress admitted. "But if we're quiet and do what the cooks say, it's usually all right."
The little brunette's lower lip quivered. She turned her head so that she could look up at her sister. "Can you stay with me tonight?" she asked softly. "I don't really want to sleep here by myself, Bree…"
Gabrielle shook her head regretfully. "I can't. I'm sorry, Li," she said. "I have to go to the queen's bed at night. In fact, I should probably go soon." She felt her sister shudder. "But Cress is here," she said comfortingly. "She'll be with you. You won't be by yourself. And you'll see me again in the morning – I work here every day, okay?"
Lila hung her head sadly. "Okay," she whispered.
The blond girl kissed Lila's cheek and hugged her hard. "I'm so glad you're okay," she said. "I missed you so much." The two girls held each other in silence for a few minutes. Then, kissing Lila's forehead, Gabrielle looked up at her friend. "You'll take good care of her for me, won't you, Cress?"
The scullery maid nodded and smiled. "Sure I will."
"Thanks." Gabrielle's green eyes softened and warmed. She gave Lila one last squeeze. "Good night, Li. I'll see you in the morning."
"Good night, Bree," her sister said softly. Gabrielle got up and made her way out of the kitchens. As she left, the soft murmur of voices came to her ears, and she knew that the shy scullion was trying to put Lila at ease. She smiled to herself. She did wish that she could stay with her sister tonight, but she knew the girl was in good hands with Cress. She turned her steps toward the queen's quarters.
When she slipped into Xena's bedroom, the woman was already there waiting for her, seated on the bed. Thinking that she must be late, Gabrielle started to stammer out an apology, but Xena waved it off. "You're fine. I'm early." She beckoned. The slave girl moved forward and was drawn into the queen's lap. Gabrielle let her arms impulsively slip around the woman's muscled torso. Xena smirked at her. "So, did your Lila settle in all right?"
"Yes, Mistress." Gabrielle gazed up at her almost adoringly. "Thank you so much. I know you didn't have to do that for me. I'm so thankful. I…I'm just so thankful."
"Eh. Wasn't that big a deal." Xena looked equal parts pleased and uncomfortable. "Glad it made you happy, goat girl. Just make sure the kid knows she's got to work hard for her living, all right? She doesn't get a free ride just because she's your sister."
"She will. Lila's a good worker. Better than I am, actually…she doesn't daydream as much." The slave nestled her head into Xena's chest. "Why did you do that for me, Your Majesty? I mean, I'm so happy that you did, but…you always made me feel like you didn't care about my family or my village at all. I guess I could've misunderstood something, but you pretty much told me to get over it."
The Conqueror began to undo the knot that held the sash around her slave's waist. "You should get over it," she said gruffly. "No sense mooning over what's dead and gone. But I figured I liked you, and it'd make you happy if you could see some of your family again. Didn't take much to send a messenger after Bennu. He was lucky enough to find your kid sister after looking for a bit."
Gabrielle's throat tightened as she thought of her parents. She wanted to ask whether the queen was looking for them, but she didn't want to make the woman angry. Would Xena feel like she was presuming on her generosity if she asked about it? She bit her lips as the queen tugged the sash loose and slid her hands against her thighs underneath her toga. "Thank you," she whispered again.
Xena's hands paused. "I'm sorry we couldn't find your folks, kid," she said gruffly. "They got sold, and the idiot who sold 'em didn't know who the guy was who bought 'em. They're probably gone for good."
"Oh." The slave had to swallow hard to defeat the lump in her throat. "Well, I…thank you for trying."
"Yeah." The Conqueror, after a short pause, resumed her stroking of Gabrielle's legs. The touch was gentle and comforting, and not overtly sexual yet. "So did you and your sister have a good visit? Did you get her all settled in downstairs?"
Gabrielle nodded her head. "Yeah," she whispered. "Lila's still kind of scared about things, but I got her calmed down, I think. We made her a bed near Cress." She paused. "Mistress, I wanted to ask you about something," she said hesitantly. "I, um…wondered why Cress has to live the way she does. And I guess I'm asking about Lila now, too. Cress works really hard. Why does she have to sleep on a pile of straw?"
Xena arched her brows as her lips twitched humorously. "You would prefer that she slept in a feather bed with silk sheets, I suppose?"
The blond girl met the queen's gaze. "Why not?" she asked. "Cress works hard every day. She's no more free to leave than any slave in this palace. Why shouldn't she be given a better place to sleep at night?"
The queen stared at her in silence for a minute or so. "What are you asking me for, exactly?" she asked gravely.
"I'm asking that Cress and Lila be given real beds to sleep in," Gabrielle said promptly. "I don't think it's right to make them sleep on the floor like dogs. And there are mice in the scullery. Cress told me they run over her and wake her up sometimes." She rested her head against Xena's shoulder without breaking their eye contact. "Will you please give them something better, Your Majesty?"
"Huh." Xena brushed her palm to the outside of Gabrielle's thigh and drew it upward beneath the silky fabric until it cupped her bare hip. "Tell you what, my demanding little slave girl. I've got a meeting with my war generals tomorrow morning, but I have a few minutes in the afternoon. I'll go inspect those beds then. If they're as unacceptable as you say, I'll have someone do something about it."
Gabrielle lifted up her face and kissed Xena's cheek. "Thank you, Mistress," she said softly. "I know I said this already, but I can never, ever repay you for bringing Lila here. Thank you so much."
The Conqueror smirked a bit. "We'll see if you still say that the next time you earn yourself the strap," she said. The faint twinkle in her pale eyes made the slave giggle and rest her head back against the queen's firm shoulder. "Laugh, will you?" Xena's voice dropped into a teasing growl. "You think getting punished is funny, do you, you wet-nosed little farm girl? I'll give you something to giggle about." And both her hands shot up inside Gabrielle's toga to grip her sides.
The slave girl shrieked with helpless laughter as she was tickled. She writhed and tried to fight, but Xena's agile fingers were merciless, and nothing she did could dislodge them. She fell back on the bed, still wriggling and howling in protest. Grinning viciously, Xena pulled away the girl's toga and renewed her attack on the naked flesh. Barely able to breathe through her giggles, Gabrielle begged for mercy. Xena's touch gentled at once, changing from teasing to erotic. Gasping, the slave lay limply under the queen's stroking hands. "Give up?" Xena growled.
"Yes, ma'am." The slave girl gazed up at her, wondering at the sudden playfulness and generosity her owner had displayed that day. Could this warm, mischievous woman really be the same one who had so callously flogged her buttocks not so long ago – who had carried a crimson-stained blade through Gabrielle's ravaged hometown? "I surrender," she said softly, playing along with the game. "What are you going to do with me, Queen Xena?"
The Conqueror stopped to consider, her long hands pausing in their eager exploration of the young body that lay beneath her own. "A very good question," she said thoughtfully. "I think I'm going to lie back and make you undress me, and then I'm going to ravish you until you scream for mercy. I think that's a good enough plan."
Gabrielle's heartbeat sped up, and she felt her face flush crimson. "Um…"
"Well? What are you waiting for?" Xena rolled onto her back and folded her hands behind her head, casually crossing her legs at the ankles. "Get to work, my conquered little slave." She reached up a hand and tugged at Gabrielle's collar. "Don't make me put you on a leash," she purred.
The straps and ties of the woman's leathers gave way before Gabrielle's touch. She stopped once the last one came loose, but Xena simply looked at her with a wicked grin and waited. Gabrielle realized that she wanted her to complete the undressing herself. The prospect both excited and embarrassed her. She grasped the leathers awkwardly beneath the woman's muscular arms; Xena helpfully arched her back, and the slave eased the garment down, baring her owner's body to the waist. Gabrielle paused for a moment to cast a veiled glance at the woman's generous breasts. Then she resumed her task. Xena lifted her hips to allow the slave girl to pull the leathers down and off her.
When Gabrielle stopped again, Xena reached out to grasp her wrists. The blond girl gasped softly when the queen pulled her hands up to press against her breasts. Gabrielle froze, transfixed by the soft, warm flesh beneath her palms. "Well?" The queen's deep chuckle rumbled. "You were looking at them. I saw you. Go ahead, my adorable little love slave. Pleasure them." The slave still couldn't seem to move. "Well? You like them, don't you?"
"Oh, yes," Gabrielle whispered, truthfully and shyly. "Yes, I…I like them. They're beautiful, Mistress." Once more, the slave wished that her own were more like Xena's. She slowly began to move her hands, very carefully stroking the smooth skin.
"Mm." Xena stretched herself out sensuously. "That's perfect, Gabrielle. Keep doing that." The slave girl continued to rub. As many nights as she'd already spent in the queen's bed, and as much verbal instruction as Nasreen and Tannaz had given her, Gabrielle still felt awed and virginal every time. She couldn't quite believe that she, Gabrielle the goatherd's daughter, was kneeling here on silk sheets and pleasuring the breasts of a stunningly beautiful monarch. Even her very fertile imagination would never have imagined something like this happening to her.
Xena growled appreciatively. Strong hands grasped Gabrielle's arms, and the slave found herself pressed against the queen's muscular body. "Now," Xena growled into her ear, "I think my plan involved a little ravishment. No time like the present, I always say." She gasped as the Conqueror's hand slid up her thigh. Her muddled thoughts were swamped in the waves of pleasure that followed.