Prologue
Xena awakened with a start. The sound of twig snapping in the chilly breeze startled her. The bushes outside of camp were rustling softly in the wind-or was it some unseen but not unheard intruder waiting to attack? She looked around sharply, ready to torture whoever dared to interrupt her on this night, of all nights. Her face was scrunched up in an unbecoming manner, causing wrinkles and ridges to invade her normally smooth face. She stood still, not daring to make a sound. For a moment, she looked like like the wild warrior princess Ares had first met with her dark long hair making a soft swish sound as it cascaded down her shoulders in the wind. The moonlight caused her face to look distorted and evil. She had a wild gleam in her eyes and felt all of her passion for killing and pain returning to her like a long lost friend. Just as quickly as quickly as the thought crossed her mind it departed, never to return. After searching the area with her piercing eyes, Xena decided to her satisfaction, that the possible intruder had probably left to terrorize someone else.
She turned around to go back to her deerskins to hopefully get some hard-earned sleep when her breath caught in her throat. The sleeping figure beside her looked so peaceful that she didn't have the heart to wake him up to tell him about their late night visitor.
"Let him sleep", Xena said aloud, to nobody in particular. "He definitely earned his rest," she once again said aloud with a knowing smile. They had a hard, but rewarding night. "Very rewarding", she thought aloud. There was a full moon and that pale golden light made Ares' body look like the picturesque god he was and made all doubts about the events of late fade away like the evening sun. No, there would be no turning back now. The fates' loom could never be destroyed and the yarn of life they spin ever undone. In the last few cycles of the moon, Xena had come to know all of the phases of life, birth, marriage, and death.
Staring into Ares' eyes, she realized why they were called the windows to the soul. His eyes were full of pain, anger, anguish, and love. His eyes told stories of betrayal, and hate, but Xena looked past that and saw their future together and undying love. She caressed his lips with her own and silently vowed she would spend an eternity making his pain go away and replace the bad memories with good ones. She wished that they would know only love. She decided that this was an empty dream, without pain and sorrow, they never could have been together, and would never be where they are now. Moreover, Ares wouldn't have come to be the King of the Gods and Xena his Queen.
Xena listened to Ares' unbroken breathing for a moment and wondered for a fleeting moment if she really deserved him. Turning to look at Ares for one last time, Xena almost changed her mind. She groaned unvoluntarily and made a grimace of pain as she tore her eyes from his. "No, she said, "This is what's best for both of us. She said a quiet goodbye and took a stroll along the moonlit lake. She would be back-eventually when the wounds had a chance to scab over and she wouldn't fear the look of hate in Ares' eyes when he looked at her. The hate of her and life in general They would love each other for an eternity, that Xena was sure of. It just hurt too much to be together right now and remind each other in so many little ways every day of the price they paid to be together. A price she began to fear they would be paying for the rest of their lives.
She had no plans on where she was going or when she would be back, but Xena was not afraid-too much. This was very much like her life- not knowing where she was going, or exactly where she was now, but she did know where she had been. She started on her journey to discover herself and the forces that bound her and Ares' hearts together.
Xena awakened with a start. The sound of twig snapping in the chilly breeze startled her. The bushes outside of camp were rustling softly in the wind-or was it some unseen but not unheard intruder waiting to attack? She looked around sharply, ready to torture whoever dared to interrupt her on this night, of all nights. Her face was scrunched up in an unbecoming manner, causing wrinkles and ridges to invade her normally smooth face. She stood still, not daring to make a sound. For a moment, she looked like like the wild warrior princess Ares had first met with her dark long hair making a soft swish sound as it cascaded down her shoulders in the wind. The moonlight caused her face to look distorted and evil. She had a wild gleam in her eyes and felt all of her passion for killing and pain returning to her like a long lost friend. Just as quickly as quickly as the thought crossed her mind it departed, never to return. After searching the area with her piercing eyes, Xena decided to her satisfaction, that the possible intruder had probably left to terrorize someone else.
She turned around to go back to her deerskins to hopefully get some hard-earned sleep when her breath caught in her throat. The sleeping figure beside her looked so peaceful that she didn't have the heart to wake him up to tell him about their late night visitor.
"Let him sleep", Xena said aloud, to nobody in particular. "He definitely earned his rest," she once again said aloud with a knowing smile. They had a hard, but rewarding night. "Very rewarding", she thought aloud. There was a full moon and that pale golden light made Ares' body look like the picturesque god he was and made all doubts about the events of late fade away like the evening sun. No, there would be no turning back now. The fates' loom could never be destroyed and the yarn of life they spin ever undone. In the last few cycles of the moon, Xena had come to know all of the phases of life, birth, marriage, and death.
Staring into Ares' eyes, she realized why they were called the windows to the soul. His eyes were full of pain, anger, anguish, and love. His eyes told stories of betrayal, and hate, but Xena looked past that and saw their future together and undying love. She caressed his lips with her own and silently vowed she would spend an eternity making his pain go away and replace the bad memories with good ones. She wished that they would know only love. She decided that this was an empty dream, without pain and sorrow, they never could have been together, and would never be where they are now. Moreover, Ares wouldn't have come to be the King of the Gods and Xena his Queen.
Xena listened to Ares' unbroken breathing for a moment and wondered for a fleeting moment if she really deserved him. Turning to look at Ares for one last time, Xena almost changed her mind. She groaned unvoluntarily and made a grimace of pain as she tore her eyes from his. "No, she said, "This is what's best for both of us. She said a quiet goodbye and took a stroll along the moonlit lake. She would be back-eventually when the wounds had a chance to scab over and she wouldn't fear the look of hate in Ares' eyes when he looked at her. The hate of her and life in general They would love each other for an eternity, that Xena was sure of. It just hurt too much to be together right now and remind each other in so many little ways every day of the price they paid to be together. A price she began to fear they would be paying for the rest of their lives.
She had no plans on where she was going or when she would be back, but Xena was not afraid-too much. This was very much like her life- not knowing where she was going, or exactly where she was now, but she did know where she had been. She started on her journey to discover herself and the forces that bound her and Ares' hearts together.