In spite of her previous doubts, the Warrior Princess seemed to radiate an unshakable confidence as they entered the main hall- Ares' strong arm snaked tightly around her waist and the affectionate kiss he made sure to plant on the top of her head as they reached their destination, helping her bury in a distant corner of her mind all about the fact that she had a pretty tricky and difficult night ahead of her.
One single half- glance around to room was enough to paint a discreet smile on Xena's lips- once again, she had been right: the party was just like she had expected it to be- wild and decadent-not very far from the Roman orgies she had attended with the War God on several occasions- each and every one ending with them leaving early- given that for the excessively arrogant Olympian it was way too much to witness- for more then an hour or two- all the male attention his protégé was getting….A few punches were generally thrown here and there before he would finally decide that he had done enough damage for one night and that it was time they got themselves busy with other -considerably more pleasant- activities ….
Even now, she couldn't help the small chuckle that escaped her lips at how rigid his body had become the very instant he saw her arching a brow at the perfectly sculpted chest of one of the guests….His fingers dug almost painfully hard into her flesh as he pulled her even closer to him, the deep frown distorting his face and the slightly curled upper lip letting that poor guy know that it was a good moment for him to start staring at the walls if he cared about his physical well- being.
A few more steps and they finally reached the royal table where, sprawled on a bed of dark red, fluffy pillows, Nabucco was eating a grape- his eyes literally glued to one of the amazingly gifted belly dancers that had been summoned to entertain the animalistic crowd present at the palace.
" Doesn't she have the most incredible breasts you have ever seen in your life?! " he asked Ares, without even blinking once- so entranced he was with the captivating way in which the spectacularly endowed woman moved, just a few tempting feet away from him.
" I've seen better." the War God replied with a smirk, inviting his Princess- who was still gazing around inquiringly, a bit surprised that the Queen hadn't arrived yet- to take a seat.
Indeed, our dark haired beauty could have bet that the bitch would already be there, anxiously waiting to sink her claws as deep into into her ex lover as possible…
" You're just saying that because this little minx has been probably fucking your brains out these past few hours….." the King snorted in disbelief, but one could also easily detect the raw note of envy in his voice. Truth was, he would have loved nothing more than to bury his cock to the hilt inside this juicy, newly forbidden fruit for at least a few savage rounds. She was exactly his type and, more than frustrated, he was offended that Ares was still obstinately refusing to deny him that pleasure when he had never denied him anything- heck he had even allowed him to fuck his own wife, so why on earth he couldn't do the same thing with this gorgeous, untamed Greek beauty was beyond him.
The God just laughed at the King's response, shaking his head at his childish reaction. He just didn't get it- not that he blamed him though, not when this inexplicable possessiveness he was feeling when it came to this mortal had taken even himself by surprise. He couldn't really put it into words, but he would have rather cut off the hands of each and every man in that room than to allow them to lay even a finger on her. She belonged to him and that was that….
" So uh…..please help yourselves…." the King courteously invited, pointing towards the excessively loaded table- the fruit pyramid alone could have fed an entire legion, Xena thought - while signaling to a couple of slaves to start attending to their any need. " How do you fancy Babylon so far, Xena? Have we managed to satisfy you? " he then asked, staring lustfully at her while sipping his wine, closing his eyes for a moment as the fine, aromatic liquid glided down his throat, inflaming his senses even more….
" …It's been a blast." she answered dully, without actually paying attention to their conversation as involuntarily, her eyes started scanning the crowd again, obviously looking for Amytis.
"That's good to hear….I'm happy to see that our little party has aroused your interest though. " he remarked, grinning at how promptly the War God had reacted to that information.
Indeed, his gaze had immediately shifted to his Chosen, just to discover that Nabucco had been right….She appeared unusually preoccupied with what was happening around them. Generally, she couldn't care less about this type of events and he always had to nag her for weeks about just how vitally important social gatherings such as this one were, before she finally agreed to accompany him….
" Yeah well…it's an interesting crowd. Novelty is always fascinating." she said, making herself even more comfortable in Ares' arms- who had ostentatiously marked his territory from the second they were invited to sit. There was no way he was going to let the King get anywhere near his Princess again- not after their last confrontation on the matter- so, as if all the signals he had been sending hadn't been enough, his other arm wrapped around her chest, literally chaining her to him.
" Easy there Bro'…You're gonna choke the poor woman to death…." Nabucco half laughed, obviously getting the message.
"Actually, she can take good care of herself, remember…? " the War God retorted, gently brushing his knuckles against his Princess' cheek, and the King had to make a face at the still humiliating memory of that sharp knife whizzing past his ears earlier that day.
Just as he was about to answer- keen on defending his manly honor- an unexpected silence took over the room though, and, several seconds later, on the exotic rhythm of two large barrel drums alone, the Queen herself made her entrance, dancing her way to the royal table, swaying and undulating her hips with the perfectly executed moves of a professional belly dancer, and, as if possessed by the music demon itself, the already ecstatic men and women flanking the improvised wooden stage set in the center of the room, went simply wild. Every single soul was visibly mesmerized by her performance... It was as if the vibrations of each note were literally flowing through her body, as if every new beat would pulsate at the same time with hear heart, becoming as fluid as the blood in her veins.
She was truly a spectacular presence, her every gesture, no matter how insignificant radiating femininity, grace , but also sex appeal through her every pore and as with every new step she glided closer and closer to the table, Xena became more and more restless- until a fierce pang of pain shot through her the moment the War God's embrace loosened for a second, just to tighten back again like a shield once the redheaded Queen had reached her destination.
As much as she hated this cunning witch, the Warrior Princess' own eyes were transfixed by the flawless perfection of her face, so once again- despite having solemnly promised herself to stop making comparisons- a despicable voice in her head kept asking how on earth could Ares not feel attracted to this absolutely glorious woman and, most importantly if she had ever come up to his standards in the first place….It was just that everything about his ex lover was so irritatingly fragile and vulnerable that protecting her came as natural as breathing for any living and conscious body, but on the other hand, at the same time, there was a distinct air of ultimate confidence and strength radiating from her delicate form that could be immediately remarked by right about anyone…
All in all, she was stunning and she knew it- just like she knew perfectly well how to use her unique beauty in her advantage- and that Persian flame themed costume she was wearing, along with the crystal rhinestones covering it, made her look like some surreal vision who was slowly coming to life under everyone's very eyes, just waiting to be consumed…
Needless to say, a thousand doubts and questions were bound to start consuming Xena's already tormented soul but, as if having sensed her nervousness, the War God began to slowly brush his fingers through her silky raven tresses, and for a few moments, despite the wave of insecurity that had been washing over her, she suddenly felt strong again….Whatever it was that Amytis was trying to do, that didn't change the fact that it was her he was holding…..
The Queen's little number finally ended in her husband's arms of course, with them kissing passionately as the music gradually changed its rhythm into a more languid, dreamy one and just as Xena was about to turn around and ask Ares something, a disarming thing happened…She could just swear she had felt Ares harden the instant the King's hand disappeared under the organza veils of his wife's dress, and though she had only felt it for a moment- a meaningless, fleeting moment before it was gone, letting her think that maybe she was being paranoid and that she had just imagined it all- something inside her broke…..His body still reacted at the mere sight of her...
" Just try to relax and enjoy the party…" he whispered huskily into her ear, once again sensing how impossibly tense her muscles had become.
He could tell that his old flame was the main reason behind her completely unjustified nervousness- they couldn't stand each other, there was no doubt about it- but not in a million years could he have guessed what was actually happening inside his Chosen's tormented soul.
As the royal couple's kiss eventually ended and Amytis finally decided that it was about time to greet her special guests, in less than a second, a new surprise was about to shake the Warrior Princess straight to the core, and indeed, a hurricane of pain devastated her mangled heart the moment her gaze stopped on a detail she had clearly- and strangely- missed while watching the Queen's show…..a black rose decorating her fiery read hair…
" I'm so glad you agreed to stay for the festival, Ares! " she exclaimed- way before the agony began settling on her rivals' face, not giving her the needed time to process this new information. " We have a lot of catching up to do." she added, astutely talking as if she actually wanted to include Xena in the conversation as well.
"Refusing you has always been a difficult task in itself " the God formally replied, his fingers now gliding up and down his Princess' arm.
"Yeah, well it's been way more fun with you around…I'd say we should turn this into a tradition…" she continued, while with the most delicate of gestures she signaled a slave to pour her some wine. " Xena, this outfit looks marvelous on you….It's a fabulous choice….This was my very first dancing costume.- a wedding gift from a very…special…friend. " she casually mentioned , her eyes holding a rare shade of melancholy in them and Ares unwillingly flinched at her words….Just what friend was that? Who was she talking about?
" Thank you. I had no idea you were so fond of it- I would have worn something different." Xena assured her, but though her words stated one thing, her tone told a completely different story.
" Nonsense! …..You couldn't have picked better! Seeing it again sure brings back a lot of memories, doesn't it Ares? " Amytis inquired, gently resting her hand on the God's knee, right above his leather boot, and this time, the Warrior Princess felt a wave of sizzling electricity coursing through the God's body along with an explosion of heat radiating from his suddenly tense form.
" What can I say? " he promptly replied, nothing in his speech betraying the intensity of his emotion. " Indeed, she looks amazing wearing it …..Still… I do prefer her naked …." he pointed out, his fingers pushing Xena's hair lightly to the side, so that he now had free access to her right shoulder on which he placed two soft kisses that made the Queen's eyes flare with jealousy despite the still positive vibes of her fake smile.
" I figured…You do have a thing for naked women.…." she said with a laugh that made Xena wanna slap her silly…
" You can't precisely resist them and they can't resist you…I'm sure that's something both your Chosen and I agree upon …She probably knows you like the back of her hand." the Queen stung, barely managing to conceal her malice but aware that there was no better way to intimidate a rival than by making her doubt everything she thought she was sure of up to that moment…
" You're just over reacting. As for my Princess here….all I can say is that she has many skills …keeping me in line is one of them." he said, grinning widely at his ex's subtle attacks….She hadn't changed…not one tiny bit…
" You're just being modest…" she teased, squeezing his leg a fraction, while offering him an equally broad, candid smile. " Anyway…..I have a surprise for you tonight, Xena…..You'll have the perfect opportunity to enthrall us all with your…skills…and make your patron God proud." she announced, raising from her divan and signaling to the musicians to stop for awhile.
" My beloved guests…. On behalf of our divine King, Nebuchadnezzar, here present, I would like to welcome you to the annual festival of Ishtar, our patron Goddess, eternal protectoress of love, fertility, war and sex….attributes that we all honor and cherish …I thus officially declare open the long awaited celebrations we have been given the privilege to hold in her sacred name!
...May you all enjoy your stay at the palace for the following days and may your screams of infinite pleasure echo throughout the land….This year, we are most honored to have by our side, a precious ally and friend- Ares, the Greek God of War and Xena of Amphipolis , his breathtaking Chosen- who has been kind enough to agree to perform tonight, in my place, the traditional dance of the Sun and the Moon, a humble spiritual sacrifice in the name of our holy Goddess.
Let us all give her a warm welcome! "
Busy as she was with setting her devious plan into motion, Amytis failed to notice though that besides her, there was another person wearing an equally devious smile on her face….