The way back to the palace proved to be at least as equally awkward as the one towards the gardens - the same graveyard silence giving the Warrior Princess the impression that they had been walking for miles until they finally reached the base of those accursed stairs again….This time, there was one slight difference between their lack of interaction though- apart from the almost palpable tension floating into the air- the fact that if right before their little journey had started, Xena's heart was still in one piece, now she pretty much felt as if someone had bitten a considerably large chunk out of it, and it hurt so much that she could hardly think straight anymore.
" Here we are…" the Goddess announced, smiling lovingly at her guest- such a sweet, candid smile that one would have never suspected- not in a million years- that one tiny spark was all those two needed to start a full scale war against each other, but, on the contrary , any outside observer would have naturally assumed that they were actually the best of friends- and that ludicrous falsity only made the Warrior Princess want to punch this picture perfect woman dead in the face. The contempt she generally felt for this category of people had always abundantly transpired through each and every pore of her skin- there was no possible way to hide it, but neither did she have the desire to do it. ….
" Imaliah!" Amytis called out, and the very following second a young slave rushed by her Queen's side, waiting for her any command.
" See lady Xena to the wardrobe and help her pick out an outfit for tonight's festival." she ordered, her eyes still firmly fixed on the Warrior Princess' harsh gaze, obviously rejoicing in that ocean of pain and doubts she could easily read on their troubled surface.
"No need to bother. Ares will provide everything I need" her rival commented, sounding a bit less enthusiastic than she had been as they started their walk. From the Queen's point of view, that was just fantastic!
"As much as I agree with the fact that Ares has many, many skills, take it from me darling, dancing costumes aren't precisely his forte.." the redheaded said, laughing merrily, at the Warrior Princess' silly idea.
"Dancing costumes?!" Xena inquired, a solemn frown marking her face at the information.
" Yeah….the festival of Ishtar has always been a dancing celebration during which we honor our mother Goddess through the spectacular, uninhibited show off of our bodies….so we 'd like you to look at your best…You have to dress to impress. " she pointed out, much to Xena's irritation. " You'd be surprised what a proper gown can do…." she proceeded to explain, one of her eyebrows streaking upward at noticing her rival's expression. This was waaay easier than she had thought it would be….a piece of cake really….
"That's very kind of you." the Warrior Princess retorted, acid poring from her lips in spite of that equally bright smile she had offered in return.
"Feel free to choose anything you want- from clothes and jewelry to whatever else you consider necessary. I'm sure you'll find something to your liking; it shouldn't be too hard given that we pretty much have the same size- not to mention the same tastes…." she highlighted implyingly, deliberately ignoring Xena's snort of disbelief . "And one more thing….I know that when Ares wrapped you in this sack he likes to call a dress, he probably intended to keep his prized possession away from prying eyes, but uh….make sure to show some flesh, Xena….most women will be hardly wearing anything at all…I wouldn't want you to feel uncomfortable…."
" I'm flattered to know that you have my best interest at heart." the Warrior Princess laughed- a bitter laugh really that gave away a bit too much about her feelings on the matter.
" Ares deserves the best there is….so…." the Queen stung, and it was pretty obvious that she wasn't talking about her ex lover's Chosen. "Now if you'll excuse me, I need to make sure that everything is ready or at least close to ready for the event. See you tonight…." she added, mockingly blowing her still furious adversary a kiss and thus bringing the conversation to a screeching halt. Turning around, she graciously started to walk away, a discreet sign- made for her slave's eyes only - ordering her to keep her mouth shut- just in case that she would be confronted with the possible avalanche of questions that she had anticipated from the overly curious Warrior Princess..
"Please follow me, lady Xena…." the slave addressed her, and soon the two women were walking down the same dark, labyrinthine corridors the architectural logic of which Xena couldn't possibly understand. There were just so many of them, and so confusingly linked with a bewildering multitude of twists and turns that one could have definitely got either forever lost or terribly frustrated before reaching their destination.
"Have you been serving the Queen for a long time, Imaliah?" Xena asked, hesitating a second before uttering the girl's name, finding it a bit hard to recall it.
" Seven years, my lady." the slave answered, in a respectful, humble voice, placing the torch she had been holding –and that the Warrior Princess' couldn't recall to have actually taken from somewhere- on one of the walls, and, removing a tiny, golden key from her pocket, she used it to open a small, beautifully crafted oaken door, and courteously invited the honorable guest in.
" Thank you….." Xena softly articulated- the rest of the words she had meant to utter dying on her lips the minute she entered the surprisingly spacious chamber- probably as vast as the throne room itself- she silently remarked, scrutinizing the area with wide open eyes.
"Pretty impressive huh?" the slave asked with a warm, genuine smile, reading the utter shock on Xena's face, and there was nothing left for the Warrior Princess to do but nod her head in agreement….That room was indeed something else…..filled with shelves and rods on which several thousand items must have been displayed- an absolutely stunning collection of all types of clothes one could think of and definitely belonging to different eras judging by the materials used and by their overall aspect.
" Are these all hers?" she stupidly heard herself asking- of course they were hers, who else could have afforded such luxury?!
"Yes my Lady. Well, this is the main wardrobe….there are two more chambers in the back…The entire jewelry collection can be found behind that other door.…" she kindly let Xena know, chuckling lightly at the guest's reaction.
" Who even needs so many clothes?!" the Warrior Princess whispered, while walking absently through the racks , grid walls and hangers displaying the most fabulous dresses she had seen in her life….
" The Queen is very exigent when it comes to her appearance. " the slave felt obliged to clarify, but judging by her tone, she herself didn't believe that.
" I see…." Xena simply replied, casually feeling the soft satin of a superb lavender dress that a life size wooden mannequin was proudly wearing.
" The dancing costumes are over there" the slave zealously showed her, pointing towards a round clothing rack situated but a few yards away- while already taking a few steps towards it- but hardly had she sketched the intent to do it that she fell abruptly to her knees, both hands clutched defensively around her neck- inside of which something felt to have broken…..
"I've just cut off the flow of blood to your brain….You'll be dead in less than 30 seconds unless you tell me what I want to know…Answer my questions and I will be generous enough as to let you live. Have I made myself clear!?"
"Yes." the petrified in fear slave struggled to answer, without giving her options a second thought.
A swift movement of the Warrior Princess' skillful fingers later, and the poor girl was able to breathe normally again, but despite the fact that she no longer appeared to be in any immediate danger, Xena's furious glare kept her glued to that floor, and she left out an uncontrollable shriek when she was brutally grabbed by the arm and pulled up to her feet.
" Is Ares a regular guest here at the palace?" the interrogatory soon started with the first thing the Warrior Princess seemed to be interested in.
" Yes…" the slave murmured, with the delay of a brain –dead person.
" How regular…..?"
" He used to come by a lot…but I haven't seen him in quite awhile now…."
" Define awhile….." Xena ordered, raising her voice a notch, frustrated by the girl's sluggishness.
" A…a few mo…months…almost a year maybe?…." she stammered. "That doesn't mean he hasn't dropped by though…Maybe he went straight to the Queen's private chambers….I couldn't know - I just haven't seen him at the monthly events and parties…."
" What do you know abut his relationship with the Queen?" Xena anxiously asked, and her heart just stopped beating for a few seconds while waiting for the slave's answer.
" Not much…" the information finally came, in a low, trembling voice, and the girl looked guiltily aside- a reckless gesture that only made the Chosen of War feel compelled to drag the words out of her ….by force…Consequently, her fingers clutched into the girl's hair almost on their own, with an unusual fury that- as always- gave her a very rewarding sense of power over her defenseless victim.
" I wouldn't hold back anything if I were you….."
" My Lady please, have mercy….the Queen is going to kill me…." she begged, tears streaming freely down her face now.
" Maybe I'll decide to do her a favour and kill you myself first! Now tell me what I want to know…"
" They fuck ..a lot….The other slaves say that she's madly in love with him and that he's crazy about her…." she burst out, sounding really freaked out now.
" Is he now? " Xena rhetorically inquired, her stomach twisting into a knot and her throat constricted upon hearing those last details. "And just what does the King feel about this?"
" He doesn't seem to mind…..At a number of orgies they even fucked her together…."
" Aha… What was she planning to wear tonight.?" she finally demanded to know- as right out of the blue, an idea flashed into her mind.
" I have no clue….."
" Well, just take a wild guess then and make sure you pray to all Gods and Goddesses you get it right, cause if you don't, I'll twist every stone in Babylon to find you and I'll strangle you with that costume…"
" The red one is her favourite! " the slave half screamed, her sobs becoming even more violent than before.
" This one?" the dark haired Warrior asked, arching an eyebrow at the outfit.
"Yes…."
" Ok….Now we're finally getting somewhere." she replied, in an actual effort to calm her victim down. " What jewelry?"
" They're in the other room. "
"Go fetch them for me….And don't make me come after you…."
"Yes my Lady!" came the terrified answer and in less than a minute she had brought with her everything that the Warrior Princess had requested.
" Perfect. Take them all to my room and leave them on the bed. "
" Bu….but my Lady….What am I going to tell the Queen? She'll ask about them tonight."
" She said I could choose anything I wanted, didn't she? "
An hesitant "Yes. " was immediately spoken, much to Xena's content.
" It seems to me that you have nothing to worry about …as long as you keep that pretty mouth of yours shut. " she threatened, and the slave just nodded vigorously, the words catching in her throat.
" Good. Run along now…." War's Chosen commanded, and hardly had she finished her sentence that, with the speed of light the girl stormed out the door, leaving a finally satisfied Xena behind…
" You were right, Amytis…..Only fools play fair….."