HMMM...I GUESS AMYTHIS IS A TOUGH ONE , HUH ? :) ...: ) CAN'T WAIT FOR YOU TO READ THE NEXT CHAPTER :))) THAT WILL DEFINITELY BE A TREAT :))))
The moment she tried to lift the sword up, blinded with the vicious need to finally free all those burdensome, soul crushing frustrations that had piled up deep inside her-from the very second she had mentally noted the first gesture of affection between Ares and the Queen- the Warrior Princess was shocked to realise that the dreadful weapon was so incredibly heavy that not even Zeus himself could have lifted it from the ground- much to Amytis' amusement, of course.
A mere blink later, the next detail that literally left her mind blank was the confusing image of her own hands. Fascinated as she had been by the heart-melting vision of her village, way too deep in thought as the nostalgic memories of a deeply buried childhood were slowly brought to the surface – the Chosen of War pay little or no attention at herself….But now, as if having awaken from a deep, lifelong slumber, in what felt like forever and a day, Xena finally started to analyze her body , her beautiful, cerulean eyes, immediately widening in pure, undeniable amazement…That was definitely not the body of a grown up…..and, as one might have expected, she didn't actually need a mirror to realize it- the dimension alone of her close to inexistent breasts spoke volumes of her age- she must have been ten or eleven at most …
"You cunning little…. " the Warrior Princess grunted silently, taking a couple of deep, much needed breaths that were not only meant to calm her down but to give her brain the needed time to adjust to this new, unexpected situation.
Her gaze didn't meet Amytis', not for awhile , forcing her every neuron to actually focus on that supernatural mess she suddenly found herself in-she could just smell the trouble from afar. The Queen was not there to play, that was sure…
" I must admit, Amytis, I'm surprised…." she finally uttered, with a cold, military detachement after having carefully reassessed her situation.
" Surpirsed ? the Queen countered, exhaling a significant quantity of both disdain and irony along with the air that came out of her lungs.
" Yeah…." Xena continued, wisely abandoning the obviously useless blade…." I would have never imagined that the very prototype of the primal coward could be hidden behind the mask of such an unbelievably self-assured woman….It's a shame really ….." she cleverly challenged, wondering if the redheaded witch was going to take the bait.
" Coward ? Me ?!" the Queen scornfully replied, a bemused, genuine laugh escaping her throat.
" Well…just what exactly would you call a person who uses cheap magic and second hand parlour tricks against her opponents instead of having the guts to actually face them ?" she venomously bit, staggering to her feet- that barely controlled fury still vibrating through each and every muscle of her petite body.
" You cleverly avoided a fair fight back in Babylon, and what do you know ….history seems to be repeating itself …." she clarified, illustratively pointing towards her child-like from. " Though, on the other hand I should be grateful I guess- at least you didn't come up with the idea of fighting a baby ..." she recklessly mocked, arching an eyebrow at the visibly affected Queen .
"Touché " she had definitely hit a sore spot – right in the heart of that gigantic self-centred image her personality was built upon.
In response it only took a wave of her hand for the Queen to create a dark, whizzing mini tornado that surrounded her insolent adversary, and, lifting her up- probably about thirty feet into the air- at an impressive speed, really, it projected her frail form against the muddy, soaked ground , straight into a puddle that had formed as a result of the continuously falling rain.
" No need to …It's way more fun for us to have some kind of physical interaction" the response soon came, but Xena could only distinguish the vague impression of a sound, echoing through the air , way too concetrated on the pain she was now in…
" As for the cowardice you accuse me of …I simply prefer to consider it an unparalleled advantage . Knowledge has always ruled over that barbaric method of solving problems, you and Ares like to make use of.
Aressssssss. The sounds vibrated through the air, through her, reaching each and every nerve that was still intact, making them tingle instead…..
"Aresssssssssssssss"the Warrior Princess almost unconsciously murmured, and the mere pronunciation of his name offered her the needed motivation to get back to her feet – or at least struggle to reach that particular goal.
" Sorry, Xena….It's just the two of us today ….." the Queen spat hatefully, glaring daggers at her.
She hated this woman! By all gods and goddesses- the old and the new- how she hated her! She had been the main reason for which, her skilful lover - the only man that had ever managed to get close enough to her heart to make it hurt- had dropped her like a nasty habit, after centuries of incredible sex, drama, laughter and memories shared …..Well, that and... a certain, tiny mistake she had foolishly made –and that Ares appeared to have blown out of proportion, adamantly refusing himself- or better said themselves- the pleasure of enjoying each other's perfectly enviable expertise when it came to carnal knowledge.
….But this madness was finally going to end…one way or another ….and judging by the impulsiveness characterising this so called Chosen of War, she was going to break her to little pieces in no time, in ways she never knew possible….
" …plus…I was under the impression that you were keen on teaching me a lesson …?" she sweetly reminded Xena right before the unthinkable happened.
As if they had been made out of rubber, the redheaded Queen's arms suddenly started stretching unnaturally, more and more, gradually getting the horrific shape of two dark grey tentacles that found their way around the ten year old Warrior Princess' neck…
This was definitely not going according to plan, a slightly panicking Xena silently said to herself as a ferocious fight for her own life began – still in a haze about the fact that it was all but an eerie nightmare, dream and reality merging strangely into something that appeared to announce a rather gloomy ending and a way too early departure for someone who had been destined to rule Greece and the world itself by War's side.
XXX
It only took the War God an instant to recognize his new whereabouts…
"Amphipolis…" he remarked, clicking his tongue, a hint of vivid interest gleaming in his eyes as he realised that he was no longer in their previous reality. "Always the same ….." he mumbled- scanning his surroundings while pensively digesting the information- letting out a breath of frustration as he noticed the boring layout of the houses, the straw roofs and the few cows grazing methodically not too far from the village .
" Who in Hades' name would have thought that from this meaningless dump, the architect of a new world would come to arise? Not from a family of kings, definitely not from a family of warriors….but from a whore and a drunkard ….Funny that …." he added musingly, pride beaming from his face despite the apparent harshness of his statement.
She was his diamond….his newly found treasure- and he was more than thrilled with the perspectives their foretold union was about to bring…
" Well, it's a good thing the Fates didn't screw it up this time. No hidden meanings, no metaphors ….an unmatcheable warrior, of a magnetizing beauty, possessing a force to rival the one of the Olympians themselves. Gods and mortals alike will hear her name and tremble at the sound of it . Wherever she will go, fear, blood and devastation will follow. Never again will humanity be the same after her alliance with Ares…." he replayed the text in his mind, just as he did that day – for about a thousand times or so- when he accidentally overheard the conversation between Zeus and his three crazy daughters that had officially proclaimed themselves mistresses of Destiny.
So yeah…he did know every single word by heart. Needless to say, from that moment on- for centuries on end- he had been restlessly searching for a woman to fit that description, just to finally track her - much to his boundless surprise- right there, in that stinky, cheaply looking tavern.
He could still remember that cold, stormy night she was born ….By all Muses, he had been ecstatic. She was the most beautiful baby he had seen in his entire immortal life- not that he had actually accepted up to that point any type of interaction with any of those incredibly annoying, tiny little creatures whose only apparent preoccupations were to eat, sleep, scream and vomit…..
Despite his usual hesitation and anxiety at the mere idea of having to be anywhere near a child, those amazingly curious sapphires and that enslaving smile of hers quickly made him cross any self- imposed line …. She had him wrapped around her little finger from day one…..
"And just what is there not to like …?" he continued, biting his lower lip at the realization that almost overnight, his Princess had turned into an absolutely breathtaking young lady …He could still see her running around with her brother up and down those hills from dusk to dawn ….
" Aressssssssssssssssss" the distinct sound of her voice suddenly washed over him, freezing his mind along with his body ….
"Xena?" …