CHAPTER ELEVEN:
The first time Xena heard his voice in her head, she sat on some Persian rugs in front of her stone fireplace in her cottage going over some maps.
"Good morning my dear." Ares said.
She looked around as to make sure she was alone. "Okay, Ares where are you?" she exclaimed. "I've really got too much to do to be playing games with you this morning."
She then went back to studying her maps, intent on ignoring him if he was going to keep up with these childish games.
The next thing she knew, there was a pair of boots standing in front of her. When she looked up, sure enough there was Ares looking down at her with a broad smile on his face.
Her eyebrow swept up into her bangs along with the side of her upper lip that curled visibly, as she looked back down again at her maps…
She no longer felt the warmth of the fire on her back, that indicated he had shifted his position and had moved to sit behind her, and all that is confirmed when she suddenly became aware of his palm running down her arm and his warm lips on the back of her neck. Then a whisper in her ear sent a shiver down her spine.
"Why are you wasting your time with these things for?" he said, continuing with his lavish caresses. "It's not like you're going to keep up with that silly crusade after last night's events."
She abruptly sat up away from him, twisting around to look into his smug face.
"Just because our situation has changed doesn't mean anything."
She pushed the maps aside and got up to go to the fireplace.
She made herself busy with making a pot of tea. She kept her focus on the herbs in the box she retrieved off the shelf above the fireplace, only to take her mind off his piercing eyes she felt along her back.
She turned to seize the cup from the low table, when unexpectedly; a cup appeared in her hand instead.
She mumbled a barely audible "Thank you." Still trying to avoid that complacent look that was on his face.
She reclaimed the teakettle from its hanger above the fire, poured the water over the herbs in her cup, and stirred the mixture with her finger as she crossed over to the Kline and relaxed against the plush pillows.
The warrior watched him from across the room as he slowly made his way over to where she sat, moving in that swagger arrogant way she knew so well. He had more to say that she knew she did not really want to hear. She was well aware of the fact that anything he might say would end up in a big fight.
The woman blew on the steam rising from her cup before she took a sip, as he sat down beside her, at her feet.
"I'm going to see Phillip today to mend the situation from last night and talk to him about the campaign; I plan on leaving on soon." She informed him.
Her eyes studied his face for a bit, to gauge any reaction he had to her news.
He placed his hand on her leg and began stroking it in an up and down motion.
"Well, I guess you've got to do what you've got to do." He acidly replied, pinning her with his burning eyes and continued. "And I'm going to do the same."
The warrior sprang forward and grabbed his wrist and with fire in her eyes. "And what do you mean by that?"
He rewarded her with that arrogant grin again. "I guess you will find out soon enough won't you?"
Angry as she was, she decided that she had enough and lifted her leg up and knocked him off the couch and onto the floor. She stood up and stomped to the door going through it and slamming it behind her.
Once outside, she started down the stairs but paused halfway down and leaned against the wall behind her.
The woman's mind erratically went over the conversation they had just had and she shook her head thinking that she was going to end up killing him if he continued with his shenanigans.
She continued down the rest of the stairs having her mind made up to visit her best friend across the road. As she continued, her trek a cloak suddenly appeared around her shoulders. She hesitated at first but hearing a distant rumble, she glanced up to the sky and saw the black clouds rolling in.
She mumbled incoherently and flipped the hood of the cloak over her head as she continued across the dirty road.
Perdicus was the one who answered the door at her knock and as she entered their house. She looked around the room and saw no sign of Gabrielle. When she turned to him with a look of question on her face, he rapidly offered an answer.
"I was just going to fix me a cup of tea….would you like one too?"
He made his way to the fireplace to prepare the tea and turned to her, waiting for her to reply.
"No thanks." She answered. "Where's Gabrielle?" she asked when he finished with his cup of tea and gestured her to sit.
They sat together on the couch in front of the fireplace and she silently watched as he blew on his tea before he answered her question.
"….Well that's why I'm glad you're here." He said. "She's taking up sick and I wanted to talk to you about staying here to take care of her instead of going on the trail with the army."
At first, she was stunned that one of her captains would make such a suggestion but then her second thought was that this was her best friend and that he being here by her side was the best thing for her…
"Sure, you can stay here but I expect you two to catch up with us as soon as she's well enough." She said and then continued, "Have you taken her to see a healer?"
He nodded his head at her question.
"He said it was the coughing sickness and that she should recover in a few weeks."
In the meantime, he finished his tea and set his cup on the table, in front of them.
The General rose from her seat, walked to the door, opened it, and leaned out. She placed two fingers in her mouth and let out two loud whistles. A soldier seeming to come out of nowhere appeared at the bottom of the stairs and saluted her with a fist to the chest.
As much as she despised it, she knew Ares far too well not to be aware that he would have someone nearby to answer her call for when she needed anything.
"Go tell the King that I would like to visit him this evening." She ordered, calmly watching the soldier taking off to deliver her message.
The General then turned back into the house and closed the door. Perdicus had made himself another cup of tea when she smiled and said. "Now let's go visit my sick friend."
He returned the smile and together they made their way to the bedroom.
Xxx
The roll of thunder shook the crystals dangling from the candle chandlers suspended high above, and then it vibrated the stonewalls and filled the sitting room. Phillip was resting on the Kline in front of the rock fireplace absently twirling her wedding bracelets with his index fingers. "I can't believe it's been five years since she told me her answer was no."
He exhaled noisily as he sat up and dropped the jewelry on the wooden floor at his feet. The sudden movement elected a small twinge and he reached up and softly touched the wound on his neck. Instantly, thoughts started flooding his mind and images of last night's events started tormenting him again.
The king got up, went to the window, and pushed open the shutters. He ran his fingers through his blonde hair revealing the wrinkles that ran across his forehead. He leaned forward, placed his elbows on the windowsill, pressed his puffy eyes and flushed cheek against the cool stones, and let his gaze wander towards the dark clouds forming in the sky.
As he stood there in the window, the relaxing music coming from the castle yard filled his ears.
He closed his eyes when he recognized that it was a lyre, and involuntarily thought back to another time when her sweet voice had sung along with identical musical notes.
After the memory of the tavern that he once had visited faded, he got an idea.
He turned from the window and glanced across the room, rapidly spotting what he was looking for. He crossed the room and stood looking down at it.
Then he sat down cross-legged on the floor in front of it and reached out, caressing the lid, dust covering his fingertips. After he had dusted his hands together, he again reached out and traced the white cross on a blue shield that had laurel branches surrounding it on the lid. The coat of arms of Greece he had proudly worn on his chest for the three years he served.
He lifted the brass latch that held the lid closed and the hinges creaked as he pushed it open. When he leaned over, the sweet lavender perfume and cinnamon tickled his senses, eliciting a sneeze.
The first thing his hand reached for are the daggers that were lying on top of his uniform that had been neatly folded inside years before. After a quick inspection, he laid them beside him on the floor as his eyes caught sight of a pouch that was lying half way under the clothing. He bit his bottom lip as he reached down and plucked the pouch out of the chest.
He laid the pouch in his lap hesitating to open it. An exasperated sigh escaped his lips as he grabbed the bottom of the pouch and emptied the contents into his lap. His fingers wandered over the trinkets and he picked out the seashells that he had found on their evening walks along the beach.
After setting them aside, he glanced over the last of the items noticing the dinars lying there. On the face of the coin, there was the image of the town of Amphipolis, the closest village to where they had docked their ship on the shores of the Aegean Sea.
A knock on the door interrupted his trip down memory lane.
"Come in." He managed to say as his voice caught in his throat.
The door opened and his servant stepped inside. "Excuse me, my King, but I have a message from your General."
His mood immediately perked up at the mention of her. He does not want to sound desperate so he waits a beat before he responded. "What does she want?" he finally asked.
The roughness of his voice made the man visibly winch and he revealed the information immediately. "She wanted to see you later this afternoon." Then he turned and left.
For the first time that morning a huge smile found its place across his face and a giddy laugh escaped his throat, as he thought of the possibility of the meeting, might it be a change of heart on her part.
He immediately shoved all the stuff around him back in the truck and trotted off to his private baths to prepare for her arrival.
