OK...SO LET'S MOVE ON TO WHAT GABRIELLE FOUND OUT THAT DAY...
It was the seventh year spent serving Lord Ares, and I can say in all honesty, I was happy….as happy as I could be given that I had to share the man I loved with…well with right about anyone he liked, but anyway, I was happy…Somehow, during those few nights of complete intimacy with him, my heart always managed to find a way back to him…Somehow, nothing else seemed to matter when he wrapped his arms tight around me and kissed my forehead…All the jealousy and the pain melted under the soft touch of his lips…Gods…
I tried to hide my shock at what I was hearing of course, but I could tell it was a lost battle, really, for I was able to feel my face slowly taking the shape of a theatrical mask, my mouth opening on its own and my eyes widening like portals at the image I now had playing before my eyes….Only the sound of her voice breaking was able to shake me back to reality….
" Did he sleep with all his priestesses?"
" Not all of them, just his favorite ones….And they weren't few…I guess it pretty much depended on his mood…Sometimes it was one, sometimes there were three at a time… "
"And you simply accepted that?"
" You don't understand…It's like…I can't help it….From the very first moment a mortal dedicates their life to a God, a very special bond is created between them…"
" A bond? What kind of bond?"
" Well…I wouldn't really know how to describe it…But you feel the love for the God you are supposed to serve burning inside you- like an inextinguishable flame…It feels like the Elysian Fields when you're in his presence and when he's not there, it's like Tartarus…like…a void that can't be filled by anything else…."
"That sounds like torture…."
"A very sweet torture, that we all gladly accepted…"
" Ok…."
So where was I…..?
Let's just say that things were pretty much bearable until the day she showed up…I had no serious competition, not in our temple, and I was Lord Ares' favorite -which guaranteed me at least a few nights a month in his bed….more than the rest of the priestesses could even dream of….
I could instantly feel my stomach twisting at the thought….;
Everything turned upside down when she became his Chosen though…It was unheard of...unthinkable really….The God of War having a Chosen- and a woman to top it all! We all knew that he was the only God in Olympus that had refused for millennia to give a mortal such a great honor. His standards were- and still are- extremely high, you see, and not even Achilles himself had proven himself worthy of his attention…
I could suddenly hear my heart drumming so loudly in my ears that I feared it was going to explode…So he and Xena did work together or something…Whatever it was, she must have been very important to him if he chose her.
And yet, somehow , this mere peasant from Amphipolis had managed to captivate him to such extent that not only did he place her ahead of his armies but also ahead of any other priestess serving him…No one was more important than his precious Warrior Princess…Everyone knew about her, and every single one of us hated her with a passion, despite the fact that no one even knew how she looked like….She was a mystery…Prophecies said that she was supposed to be some raven haired beauty with eyes as blue as sapphires and lips as read as cherries…But we all know that most of the times prophecies as far away from the truth as a Centaur taking part at the Olympic games…
At this point, I was literally on the verge of having a heart attack….Legends and prophecies had been told about Xena- my friend, Xena?! Why didn't I know about them? I was a Bard for crying out loud!
His behavior changed almost right away….I guess from the moment she showed up, our lives have never been the same…She suddenly became the center of his universe, it was like he only breathed because she was breathing…He was entranced by her in a way I could have never imagined it possible….I don't know if he was really in love, because love is too weak of a word to describe that accursed connection they shared, but let's just say that if her name wasn't always on his lips, it was only because it was always on his mind….
I was definitely going to have a heart attack now…
" Ares in love?!"
"It's hard to believe huh? Imagine our shock when it hit us that he was drifting more and more away from us , probably seeking refuge in the arms of that unwelcomed intruder…No more group sex, no more decadent parties, no more drinking till sunrise, no more one on one time with him…Xena was all that mattered…."
"How did you meet her?"
Her armies finally reached our area one summer day, probably during her third year of service…Three long years in which Ares acted as if we were all invisible, limiting our contact to affectionate caresses, mostly a brief, very dispassionate kiss on our foreheads….The situation had become absolutely intolerable…
I still remember it as if it were yesterday- the moment she first set foot in our temple, she was alone, her soldiers had made camp at the foot of the hill…We were all going about our daily chores, but, as if the Fates themselves had commanded it, time stopped when we saw her! She was of an indescribable beauty, I must confess, the prophecy hardly made her justice…She was perfect in every sense of the word…a walking Goddess, radiating a confidence I had only seen in one person up to that moment…."
"Ares…." I finished for her, completely captivated by the story….She would have been a wonderful Bard…
" Yeah….."
She walked past us as if we were statues, completely ignoring our presence, and definitely acting as if she owned the place. With unhurried but firm steps, she got to the altar. We didn't dare articulate one sound, for deep inside, we all knew who she was…Plus, we were all either too petrified or too busy scanning her from head to toe to even dream on doing anything else. We all thought that she wanted to bring Lord Ares a sacrifice, thus thanking him for his divine intervention during her last battle or something…Our shock only turned into utter astonishment when we saw her grabbing an apple from the altar, and casually taking a bite out of it...
"Hey! You can't do that! " one of the younger priestesses shouted at her, visibly infuriated by the stranger's nonchalance. " Those are for Lord Ares. They are sacred fruits! ….Part of the ceremony….!"
" What did Xena say?" I asked, literally holding my breath for the rest of the story.
"It seems to me that I can…." - she acidly retorted while making herself comfortable on our Lord's throne. " Do you happen to have some good wine around here?"
" You might not have noticed, but you're not in a tavern, lady! You're in the temple of the God of War! Do you have a death wish or something?" Lethara broke out, almost as equally irritated as her sister, though she looked rather blown away than furious.
" A death wish…?No…I don't…Not any more, anyway…Why? Do you?" she asked in a low, threatening tone that made us all tremble...
Before any of us summoned up the courage to answer in any way to that inconceivably obnoxious affront, Lord Ares made an appearance though, right behind the throne and under our very excited eyes….She might have been his Chosen but what she did was an unpardonable offense, and knowing the God of War as we did, we could easily anticipate how their little meeting was going to end…A sweet, vengeful smile found its way on our lips as we discreetly bowed our head to salute him…..It was time for another shock though….
"What did he do?" I immediately asked almost exploding with curiosity..
He started massaging her shoulders….And a very weird dialogue began between them.
" Ares…It was about time you showed up…." she said, addressing him as if he had been one of her soldiers.
" Princess…to what do I owe this rare but incredible honor? " he softly asked, placing a sweet kiss on the top of her head, and let's just say that our smiles faded the very following second.
" I was in the area….I need some supplies for my army. "
" You can get them from Elateia…Some ten kilometers north east from here…"
" That's what I thought….Anyway, as I said, I was in the neighborhood and I decided to pay you a visit…."
" I thought you hated my temples…" he replied, with a smirk, finally ending his massage and casually descending the stairs and heading towards the altar table where he poured himself a glass of wine, making no sort of comments neither on the fact that she was sitting on his throne nor about the fact that we were standing there like rag dolls, doing nothing at all except for staring stupidly at them.
" Hate is a strong word." she said, taking another bite from that apple. " Let's just say I dislike them, and leave it to that. "
" Would you care for some wine? " he inquired, while already pouring her a glass, not really waiting for an answer.
"Sure. I asked your priestesses for one, but they weren't very cooperative…"she let him know, winking at us.
His eyes immediately darkened at the news.
" Is that so…? " he said, making another throne appear right next to hers...
" I'm sure they were busy doing …something else though…." she added, flashing us an evil, mocking glare.
" I'm sure they were….They wouldn't have knowingly disrespected my Chosen, right girls? "
We didn't dare offer a reply,our gazes now firmly fixing the floor.
"Right girls?!" he asked once again, and this time, his voice thundered through the large hall, making even the columns tremble.
"Yes my Lord!"
"'Cause what Xena wants, Xena gets, I don't care how freaking busy you are with dusting this place up! Have I made myself understood?!"
"Yes my Lord!" we all answered in one voice, visibly shivering in fear.
"Now scram! Find something useful to do!" he ordered, handing the wine glass over to his Chosen….
"Wow…So this type of relationship they have, goes... way back, huh?"
"Yeah….ten – twelve years….I really don't know exactly. All I know is that from that day on, the order given to all his temples was for his priestesses to serve her – even in his absence- as if she were him. Imagine our outrage!
" Why would he do that?!" I naturally asked, trying to find a reason behind his actions.
"He was obviously fascinated with her…with the power she could bring him…She was a fabulous warrior…nothing could stand in the face of her armies. She was like a destructive force of nature…Zeus himself was said to fear Lord Ares terribly back then…Olympus trembled at the perspective of his Warrior Princess conquering all Greece, thus crowning my Lord the new King of the Gods…."
"I had no idea that even happened! I mean…Xena was a great warrior, I agree, but…"
"You have no idea just how great….She was truly magnificent. I saw her training with my Lord a couple of times…She was breathtaking…And on the battlefield, she shined. Her soldiers worshiped her…like literally..."
" So…what was it that shocked you so much?" I asked, curious to find out how her story ended.
She cleared her throat before speaking, clenching her fists as if working up her courage to speak.
"I won't tell anyone…I promised…I keep my promises." I reminded her, noticing her hesitation.
In the following three years I only saw her a couple of times…She didn't come by a lot, but I do know that she used to spend most of her free time either in Sparta or Macedonia, at least that's what the other priestesses claimed to have heard….For a long time, things were pretty much the same with Lord Ares, until one day when everything magically changed…He suddenly started bedding us again, but he was not the same anymore…He was unusually brutal, almost violent and despite the fact that most of us were thrilled to witness this rough but extremely pleasant displays of passion, I could sense that something had gone terribly wrong between him and his Warrior Princess, and that him having sex with us again wasn't going to end well…Not for us, anyway….Call it a premonition if you will….I think all of us felt it, but we were just way to desperate to get his attention to think about any other consequences…Some say it was because of the child they had lost…."
"They had a child?!" I almost screamed out my surprise, and suddenly my legs felt like jelly….It was a good thing I was sitting.
" It appears so…She lost it though. Some swear an arrow hit her in the stomach during a battle, some blame Zeus, some say that Athena ordered her tortured and raped until she lost the child….They are all rumors- no one knows for sure and obviously no one dared ask…"
"I can't believe it! Xena has never mentioned anything about a child to me…."
" Can't say I'm surprised…."
Anyway, all that volcanic sexual energy boiling inside him made us terribly happy, but definitely as equally reckless…And that led to a colossal mistake one evening…
Needless to say, I was holding my breath for this part, dear Papyrus, cause I could sense that I was finally going to find out something crucial…
It was early September, and it had been a rather hot day. Even inside the large temple halls, the air was heavy and barely breathable, the intense aroma of incense and sacred herbs making us all a bit edgy and even more needy than usual …Our Lord had graced us with his presence all day long, and some of us were still working hard at finishing the days' tasks while two others were giving him a massage. Sendra, our head priestess was seated on his knee, obviously in the dirty intention of turning him on…And he did look pretty turned on if you ask me, but none of us minded it….As long as he paid attention to us, everything was just peachy….
It wasn't long until he called me to pour him some more wine, and I just dropped whatever it was I was doing at the altar, and headed for his throne. By then, Sendra was already half naked, and his hand was roaming freely up and down her breasts…She looked ecstatic at his ministrations. I unwillingly smiled at the sight of him pleased like that, and I poured a bit of wine in the almost empty silver goblet he was holding and I was just about to leave when he ordered me to stay, saying that he might need my services a bit later…
"The pig!" I couldn't help exclaiming, revolted with his attitude.
"I was actually thrilled.." she simply replied, offering me a candid but somewhat bitter smile.
I remained there, close to his throne, the jug of wine still in my hand and Sendra had already started working her way into his pants when she entered the temple.
"Xena?!"
"Yes…." Draja answered, in a weak, secretive voice as if fearing that someone might actually hear her.
I froze the moment I saw her coming towards us. Lord Ares didn't seem very surprised though, nor was he extremely impressed with her presence. I thought it was because they might have had a fight or something….Anyway, Sendra stupidly misinterpreted his reaction, absolutely certain that he didn't want her there, so, instead of running away with the speed of light, she simply stayed there, thinking it wouldn't hurt for someone to humiliate the Princess a bit. Strangely enough, the other girls seemed to share her crazy, unspoken idea given that no one bowed their head or saluted her as she passed them by. By the time she reached my Lord's throne, I was the only one who showed her the proper respect, courteously asking her if I could get her anything…
I felt stiff, dear Papyrus. And my heart felt stiff too, cause I could now accurately predict what had happened that night…
She cast me a contemptuous once over, arching an eyebrow at my question and I immediately bowed my head, taking a couple of steps back, offering her full access to the throne…
From where I was now standing, I could finally inspect her closely…With sneaky, careful peeks, I noticed that she was wearing her dark red leather amour…She was as beautiful as a goddess but visibly bothered by something and covered in the blood of her victims. She had probably just won another battle somewhere, I musingly told myself…
My Lord was seemingly too busy with suckling Sendra's nipples to pay any attention to her, much to the other girls' amusement- who had already started laughing behind her back. I on the other hand, I was way too terrified by what I felt was about to happen, to have that audacity….
" I could always come back, if you're busy" her words slashed the air, in a cold, steely voice, that finally made my Lord glance her away. Sendra on the contrary, was not that easily impressed, and, as if only meaning to infuriate her even more, with slow, languid moves, she unfastened my Lord's pants and began massaging his cock.
My hand covered my mouth almost instantly….Xena must have surely killed that poor, brainless woman.
"She killed her…."I mumbled, staring at Draja in awe.
"Not really….and not right away…."
" I'm never too busy for you, you know that….." he replied, closing his eyes for a second at the priestess' sensual ministrations. " Keep doing that, you're great at your job…."he told Draja, with a smirk.
My blood froze inside my veins at the death bringing glare shining in her eyes.
" I have news , from Piraeus…."
"You do? Did you manage to intercept their weapon suppliers?"
"The place is history…And Athens has just fallen along with it"
" That is amazing news! …Definitely the best I've heard in like…centuries! One worth celebrating, that's for sure! " he exclaimed, hungrily moving his hand from the priestess' breasts underneath her short, light brown skirt.
"I figured….Anyway, it was an exhausting day and I'm not really in the mood to celebrate ….In exchange though, I'd like to ask for a favor…"
" A favor?" he inquired, a rather bewildered expression painted on his face.
"Yeah. As your Chosen I do have that right, don't I?"
"Of course, my Dear. I'm just surprised. You've never asked for favors before."
"Well….it's a special occasion, isn't it?"
"It certainly is….So do tell me what does your heart desire, Princess?"
The jug almost fell out of my hands as I heard her request, despite the fact that I was holding on to it for dear life…
"That slut's head on a spike…."she said, casting a murderous glance Sendra's way, despite that disarmingly seductive smile she was displaying. My Lord simply replied in an equally unaffected tone, as if she had just made an ordinary comment about the weather or something….
" Who? This one?"
"My Lord!" Sendra panicked, looking at him with wide, imploring eyes.
" Actually…..can I get a bit greedy?" Xena asked, going up the stairs straight to his throne, where she casually took a seat on the armrest, wrapping a hand around the God's neck, and without waiting for his answer, she just added " I want them all dead…."
And suddenly, there was utter, complete silence in the room….Not one whisper could be heard anymore, not one sound….nothing. They were all holding their breaths , hoping- or better said praying to all deities- that Lord Ares' adamant refusal would save them…
"Tsk, tsk tsk! Sweetheart….I'm afraid I can't do that…"my Lord mildly contradicted after careful consideration, a look of utter regret on his face, and for a moment there I could hear a few breaths of relief in the room.
Sendra's triumphant glare met the Warrior Princess' apparently defeated one for a brief moment- an inarticulated proclamation of her victory.
"See….these women have dedicated their lives to me…..They swore to serve me and I swore to protect them…I couldn't possibly hurt them…"Lord Ares explained, his hand resting casually on Xena's leg.
Despite the physical distance between us, I could feel the stench of the blood- now almost dry- on her body, and my stomach twisted at the association. Somehow, Lord Ares' didn't appear to be the least bothered by it, on the contrary, I guess he actually enjoyed the smell.
"That's too bad…." she replied, tracing the contour of his lips with her index, while grinning devilishly at the priestess he was still holding on his knee. "Still…they didn't swear anything to me, did they?" she questioned , her hand now gliding teasingly down his chest, through the opening of his leather vest, and the instant I noticed the effect she had on him, I knew it….
"That's true…."his answer came loud and clear and the very following second, all doors of the temple were automatically shut with a noise that reminded me of a devastating earthquake on the island of Santorini…
" So uh…..Can I go play, Daddy?" she purred in a dark, feral voice and this time, the jug fell from my hands with a loud thud, breaking into hundreds of little pieces, all that dark crimson wine now staining the pure snow white of the marble floor….
" Don't get too wild now…."he responded with a bemused chuckle, seizing her lips in a brief but passionate kiss to Sendra's boundless horror.
"I think I'll leave the best for last….." she finally stated, smiling devilishly at the priestess, while drawing her sword. " Enjoy the show, Sweetie…."
" Did she …." I couldn't even get myself to utter it….I couldn't even imagine it, let alone say it out loud….
"Every single one of them….For her it was a game, you see…She clearly enjoyed it…Hearing their desperate screams, having them beg for mercy…..their futile attempts to defend themselves with candle sticks…"
"By the Gods….I can't believe Xena would do that…."
"Trust me, you don't know the first thing about her…"
I unconsciously wiped away the tears that had started rolling down my cheeks at some time during the story, and I kept listening, though somehow absent mindedly to the rest of the disgusting details…..
" I don't really know how much it lasted….but once she was done with them, there was blood everywhere- on the floor, on the walls, on the curtains, on the altar…It didn't look like a temple now, but more like a slaughter house….
Sendra and I were the only ones left, and as she came back to Ares- whose hand was firmly gripped into the priestess' hair- she just smiled, again, the innocent, childish smile of a person who hadn't done a bad thing in her life, and I couldn't help thinking how gorgeous and radiant she looked despite the horrible things she had just done…
She wiped the blade clean against Sendra's dress before she raised her chin up with the tip of the sword.
" So….how did you like the show, you little slut?"
She didn't say anything, probably too shocked at the thought of what awaited her.
" I see you didn't quite finish what you started.." she remarked, taking a look at Lord' Ares' still visible erection.
" My Lord please!" she finally begged, bursting into an uncontrollable wave of tears.
" Sorry, Doll. You should have known better…"
" My Lady….." she tried, but her attempt was doomed from the start.
"Oh….so now I'm your Lady…..Kneel, you worthless piece of trash!"
With a push, Lord Ares threw her at her executioner's feet.
" Now let's see….You only need one hand to please your Lord, right?" she inquired, hinting at the very passionate way in which she had been stroking him earlier….
" No! My Lady please! Have mercy!" she kept screaming, but soon, her right hand flew away to the other end of the hall and despite the heartbreaking symphony of screams that followed, the Warrior Princess didn't appear at all moved.
"Oops! Was that your right hand? Damn! You were right handed weren't you? Silly me, I should have cut the other one…..Well…let's do that too while we're at it, I mean, what use can you possibly have for a left hand? You could always please him with your mouth…."
"Stop it! Just stop it!" I yelled, jumping from the edge of the bed and covering my ears…."I can't take this anymore….She killed her didn't she?"
" More like she let her bleed to death, trashing in her own blood!"
"By Gaia herself! I'm gonna throw up!" I said, and Draja immediately rushed to pour me a glass of lemonade.
"Here drink this. You'll feel better….."
I strongly doubted that I would ever feel better again…Once my stomach calmed down, I couldn't help asking though….
"Why did she let you live…?"
"I don't know…..Maybe because she didn't perceive me as a threat or maybe because it was her own private enjoyment to know that I had witnessed all those horrors and I was alive to tell the story and fear her…I was close enough to joining the others in death though…."
"You were?"
"Yeah….."
Once Sendra was dead, she turned her attention to me…I was still at the foot of the stairs, trembling like a leaf, not daring to lift my eyes from the floor.
"What's your name?" she asked, now placing the sword at my neck.
"Draja my Lady. "
"Why aren't you running?"
"I guess it wouldn't help much…."
"That's right. Look at that….beautiful, delicious carnage….What do you think about it?" she inquired, tilting my chin up with the sharp sword, forcing me to look around.
I didn't really know what to say...The only thing I could do was fight the impulse of bursting into tears...
"I don't think anything, my Lady. I'm not here to think, I'm here to serve. But if it pleases you, I can form an opinion..."
She seemed to like my answer.
"That won't be necessary….Do you wish to live?"
"If it pleases you…"
"Hmmm….let's see what your Lord has to say about it….."she casually said, glancing towards Lord Ares who simply waved his hand at her, signaling that he couldn't care less what happened to me and that it was her choice.
"What?! That son of a bitch! How could he do that?! And you're still here serving him?! Are you crazy?!"
"Actually, believe it or not, it was the only thing he could do…His apparent indifference saved my life. He knew Xena. He knew that regardless of his answer she would have killed me anyway, she only need the incentive to do it. So he just pretended that he didn't care…..It worked…"
" Go to your room. I'll call you if I need you…" she told me, and it was everything I need to hear, cause the very following second, I was dragging my feet towards my chambers, finally allowing myself to cry…..
All doors were closed shut though, there was no way for me to enter it, so I just hid behind a column, waiting for her to leave.
The following scene is still incredibly vivid in my memory, just like most of the horrors that took place that night. …Xena literally threatening My Lord, her sword, grazing his chest to the point where it drew blood is one of the things I have never managed to understand…How could he allow her so much power over him? ….The wound closed immediately, that's true, but the thought alone still gives me the chills.
"From now on, I'll kill each and every one of those whores who even dare think that they are more important to you than I am, let alone look at me the wrong way! Make sure you let them know if you don't want to personally start cleaning all your temples ! " she barked her order at him.
His answer left me speechless.
"As long as I have front row seats, you can do whatever the fuck you want, Princess…Whatever makes you happy." he said, slowly pushing the sword away with his hand, without breaking his gaze.
" Whatever makes you happy, Princess….That was his answer to everything she wanted, back in those days…" Draja added, making me frown ever more.
With an expertly fast move, he then kicked the blade out of her hand , and once it landed in his, he pointed it at her, cutting the straps of her battle dress and letting it fall to the ground. A wave of his hand later, she was completely naked before him.
" Get on your knees…..You still haven't conquered everything that was to be conquered today…."
" I watched them four hours, fucking right about everywhere…On the throne, on the floor, in all that blood, on the altar. It still makes my skin crawl…"
" Thank you for sharing this with me…" I simply stated, barely restraining the impulse to cover my mouth with the back of my hand again..." I think I'll go to my room…." I added, slamming the door shut behind me, without glancing behind. Her words were still echoing in the back of my head…
"Whatever makes you happy, Princess…"
