WELL...IT LASTED QUITE A LOT TO WRITE THIS CHAPTER, BUT THERE WERE SO MANY POSSIBLE SCENARIOS FOR THIS STORY THAT IT WAS HARD TO CHOOSE...HOPE YOU LIKE IT THOUGH :) AND I HOPE I MANAGED TO KEEP IT REALISTIC :)
Making a real effort not to curse out loud, the War God's teeth ground loudly in frustration. As much as he hated to admit it, it was simply incredible just how unpardonably stupid he had acted during that last week when it came to their relationship…..Stupid- more like teenage stupid, one might say. And though at first, his intentions had been amongst the most honourable ones- only wanting to prove to himself that gone were the days when the drop dead gorgeous redeahd could actually get to him -the only thing he had in fact managed to accomplish, was to create a frighteningly huge precipice between Xena and him …..
" Gods damn it!" he muttered unintelligibly, without even realising it, as countless images began fighting their obnoxious way into his mind…..a silent disaster unfolding, really…
To make matters even worse, despite being aware that she couldn't possibly piece everything together, his Princess' unerring sixth sense had accurately signalled all his unresolved issues with Amytis -and by Zeus himself he had done a terrible job at hiding them …He should have definitely had the decency to leave her out of their intricate past, but his accursed ego- the size of the Aegan- just had to interfere.…Looking back at it now, he could as well have slapped himself silly instead of taking her to Babylon!
It's small wonder that, drown in thoughts as he was, while still forcing his brain into finding a decent way out of that professionally fucked up situation, the son of Zeus almost missed the moment when, silently leaving the spring, the Warrior Princess headed towards the temple.
"Hey!" he exclaimed, grabbing her arm just as she was about to pass him by.
"Are …you sure you're ok …?" he worriedly inquired, making no comment what so ever about her alarmingly red and puffy eyes though- courteously pretending that the detail had somehow escaped him.
"I'm sure" she rushed to reply as her eyes narrowed into thin slits, biting her lower lip in a desperate attempt to avoid lashing out at him. She hated his guts at that very moment and she hated herself even more for that avalanche of feelings that had unjustly taken over her heavily assaulted heart.…..How weak was she, really, if a dream alone could do this to her?! Was she actually this desperate for his attention that she could no longer control her mind….her reactions ?!
"Ares, I'm fine …." she calmly reassured, breaking free from his grasp the very following second. And yet, Ares knew better …. This suddenly placid response of hers had nothing in common with those unusually deep breaths- plus, the deadly stare that had pierced him like a spear for a split-second when they finally made eye contact, only managed to make the handsome Olympian even more anxious…..
"Ok….Well….are you mad at me or something?" he pushed, literally running after her as she headed for their chambers- definitely unwilling to continue that conversation. "Xena….."
"Now why on earth would I be mad at you ?" the question finally left her lips- as she abruptly turned around to confront him, taking him completely by surprise .
" I uh…I have no clue…" he stammered, unsure of what the correct answer was supposed to be under those nerve racking, uncomfortable circumstances…." But you sure seem to be bothered by…something …." he reluctantly continued, trying to accurately predict her reaction…
It took her a moment or two to scan his face…..He didn't appear to be hiding anything , but by Tartarus, something was wrong- she could smell it- and the fact that she couldn't put her finger on it, now that enraged her tremendously!
" I'm just tired " she patiently explained- a cold, rather formal justification for her previous outburst- gently touching his chest….."…I feel as if I haven't slept in years….."
" Well…let me just tell you, this is your lucky day….!" the War God joyfully announced, skinning his teeth at her completely fictional excuse, but cutting her some slack nonetheless." It so happens that I have the perfect remedy for such problems …." he added, charmingly taking her hand to his lips, making sure to place a trademark, affectionate kiss on her knuckles.
"Oh ? Do you now….?" she absently retorted, for the thousandth time that night wondering why on earth was she even haunted by those ridiculous nightmares, to begin with…
"Yeah …..A cup of hot milk and honey and a good bedtime story is said to fix any type of sleep related issues. "
" Milk and ...stories …?!" she repeated incredulously, letting out a bemused chuckle despite the sternness of the situation.
" Sure! ….Plus, given that you're looking at the best storyteller on Olympus…." he bragged, his chest almost exploding with pride.
This time she let out a heartfelt laugh. " Right…..! I could have bet my life that one of the muses must have earned that title….."
" The muses ? Princess, please! Those airheaded bimbos can barely string two words together " he sharply contradicted, sounding almost sincere about it.
" And just what kind of bedtime stories do YOU know? " she playfully challenged, folding her arms across her chest and giving him the typical " You're so full of shit."
" Sweetheart , I know EVERY story those pesky mortals have come up since the beginning of time …and more …."
"Oh really ?! " she puffed , rolling her eyes at him . "Ares, come on, you've never read anything that is longer than a military agreement – and that's like... half a page…at most..!."
"Excuse me?!" he exclaimed, making an effort to appear offended by her statement . " Honey, my talent has shocked Rome itself …..! Plus….who ever said anything about reading….? This valuable asset here would shame even the library of Alexandria itself ! " he said, pointing towards his gorgeous head.
"Before or after the great fire?" she barely articulated in between laughs, shrieking in surprise once he swept her off her feet, adamant about carrying her back to bed..
" Are you by any chance doubting my abilities, Princess?" he playfully scolded, happy to see her in a visibly better mood .
"Can't help it, sorry ." she answered, and for a few precious moments in which a small porcelain bowl of deliciously looking creamy vanilla rice porridge materialized out of nowhere right between her hands, Amytis and everything related to her vanished like a puff of smoke from her frail, savagely tortured mind
"I thought you said something about milk…" she commented, frowning slightly at the amazingly scented porridge.
" Well…it does contain milk, so…..Plus, the last thing I want is for you to starve to death before I get to finish my tale. Enchanting you with my oral skills is definitely on my list tonight "
This time, they both burst into laughter, and the soft colour in her cheeks only made him even happier.
" Now that is something I would never doubt you possesses ….", she flirtatiously agreed, arching a brow at an immorally hot love scene they had shared not long ago- with her tied against a bed, her body squirming in ecstasy as his nasty tongue kept tracing and retracing the map of Greece between her legs….
" Why thank you, Sweet….." he courteously responded, making himself comfortable next to her, barely able to hold back one of those silly smiles that always got plastered on his face whenever she actually left her guard down around him . " That's good to know …." he continued, casting a quick glance at the bowl she was still clutching . "You should really try that out. I'm sure you'll find it exquisite …" he noted, the short pause that followed letting him know that she didn't have the slightest intention to take his advice. " It's just like Cyrene used to make ….." he added hesitantly, unsure whether that would bring out the good or the bad memories regarding their mother-daughter relationship. The last thing he wanted was to sadden her even more.
"It was Lyceus' favourite …." she whispered, faking a smile, but he could instantly see the tension building up in her muscles.
"I'm sorry Xe. I had no idea….Come to think of it, milk wasn't such a bad idea after all…." he stated, raising his hand, ready to dematerialize the porridge ….
"No….it's fine…" she stopped him, briefly touching his hand. " I like it…."
"..….You really don't have to... " he insisted, silently wondering whether he should just replace that damned dessert already….How could he have missed that ?! As a child, he had seen her countless times eating it in the evening, either seated on a small wooden chair in the dimly lit kitchen while Cyrene was washing the dishes or out on the porch, gazing wondrously at the starts…And Lyceus was always there, by her side, making sure to eat half of her bowl as well , as soon as he finished his own.
"I know…" she answered, while finally taking a spoonful to her mouth, as if wanting to prove that he had nothing to worry about …." Mmmmm….For once you were right…..This tastes better than ambrosia and nectar altogether…."
The War God just had to grin at the bitter irony of that statement .
" You have no idea what ambrosia tastes like…."
"Well let me just tell you…..it can't possibly taste better than this …." she said, closing her eyes while the perfectly soft and richly flavoured mixture did its magic ….It definitely felt divine…
The very following second, an identical bowl appeared in the War God's lap, and, wasting no time , he started digging his spoon into the creamy white content.
For once that night, the genuine warmth of her smile, also echoed in her voice as she spoke.
" So….? What's the verdict ?"
" Too busy for small talk right now, Doll….Sorry …." he muttered, as another mountain of porridge was headed speedily towards his mouth, much to Xena's amusement. …..The Bloody Lord of Destruction and Mayhem, Ares, God of War eating vanilla rice porridge in bed …Now that was unheard of….
XXX
It didn't last long until their bowls were close to empty ….and it definitely didn't last long until our favourite Warrior Princess fell into what proved to be a deep, dreamless, so much needed sleep…The porridge had done the trick….and so did the valerian root drops the War God had made sure to include in her dessert, cleverly covered by the powdery sweet, enveloping scent of the vanilla extract….
Placing a loving kiss on her forehead and materializing a thick protection shield over her bed, Ares cast a long, pensive glance at his heart melting , sleeping beauty...Her trust in him was slowly fading and their relationship was hanging on by a thread. Needless to say, he hated the feeling- almost as much as he hated himself. For the first time in eons, there was this little something he had never encountered before...a rather unique emotion of an almost tangible intensity...Guilt.
A mere blink later, he left the room…..There was something he needed to take care of, and it just couldn't wait …