Chapter 51

Extremely rested, for the second time in as many months, bright blue eyes slowly started to work their way open. The Warrior Princess took in a deep long breath while she stretched a little in the comfort of her big plush bed that was outrageously coated with Ares' scent. She soon curled herself into the bed, hugging the covers around herself tightly as she laid there and breathed him in. Strangely though, it seemed that his aroma appeared to have been more intense on one side of the bed than the other. That thought intrigued her…Did the War God at some point come back during the night and just lay in bed with her? She tried to think if she could recall anything of the sort and she thought that at one point when she was still too groggy to realize what was really going on that she had felt his arms working their way around her body. At the time she had thought nothing of it and that it was only a dream, an incredibly nice dream that she didn't think much of when it was happening while she nestled herself against him comfortably, feeling safe in his embrace as he tightened his hold around her to keep her firmly against him. She had been having a bit of a nightmare about her ordeal in the woods before then and feeling his touch had relaxed her considerably and she had assumed that it was her own mind working to calm herself from her dream but smelling him so strongly now in that one area told her that Ares had indeed come back to soothe her from her dream.

Xena just laid there thinking about it for a moment, she was never going to be able to figure him out completely. That gesture seemed like something that the War God would most likely not do, and you certainly didn't hear stories about his gentleness, but she pushed the thought from her mind nonetheless. A lot of the things that she had heard about him before were not living up to their tales anyway and she wasn't going to start judging him now for it- she didn't really care much about his reputation actually. She sat up in her bed and let her eyes wander around her bed chamber for a moment, the place looked absolutely amazing! It was decorated beautifully in deep reds and blues and she felt immediately at home there. She soon got out of bed and made her way over to a chest that was sitting against the far wall. It was now her room and she figured that she could as well explore it a little. Opening the chest, she found it full of different types of clothing, how could Ares have been so sure that she was going to be staying with him? Besides, when did he have the time to do this, they had spent the whole previous day together training and he would have had no time to have done this.

The Warrior Princess pushed it off to yet another surprise that the War God just kept doing to her and started to look at the different dresses that she gradually came to discover inside. They were actually all quite nice, the perfect length to allow her to do any type of strenuous activity if it called for it. After shifting through a few for a few moments, she soon came to this one crimson dress, it wasn't anything fancy but she liked it. Xena pulled it out and then started to slip out of what the War God had so delicately placed on her the night before and put it on. It was actually nicer when she got it on, a soft olive green peeking its way out at the bodice as it split from the red to hug her breasts while it worked its way down her torso. The dress flared out in a loose skirt that stopped just short of her knees and had a split on either side that went up considerably on her thigh, and with a golden belt that hung around her waist. She had to give it to him, he certainly knew how to pick something that was both flattering and allowed her the necessary movements if she got into a fight.

Xena soon made her way out of her bed chamber, she decided that it was a good idea to explore his temple a little. Thinking that she knew the way that he had taken her the day before, she soon started to head down one corridor- that she could just swear that was going to lead her to his throne room. She walked for quite some time and noticed that nothing about this hallway looked vaguely familiar. She wasn't sure if she was really heading in the right direction after all and she immediately took a turn down another corridor once she came upon it. She pushed open several different doors to see if she could somehow figure out where she was and be able to retrace her steps if she had to. Several minutes had gone by since she had started on her little journey and she was nowhere close to finding the room that she was looking for. His temple was like a complete maze and at one point she thought that she was walking in circles, she could have sworn that she had seen that same jagged sword that was hanging on the wall at least three times already.

Now the Warrior Princess was just trying to find her way back to her bed chamber, how could she have gotten this turned around? She figured that she would start back from square one but getting there seemed just as hopeless as her original plan. She didn't remember having taken this many twists and turns the day before when Ares had led her down these same hallways. Xena just couldn't believe it, she had gotten herself lost in his temple and she figured that she might have ran into someone by then but every turn she took just led her to another endless hallway until she came to the next one. She huffed out an irritated breath, she didn't like not knowing her way around and she had thought that she had been paying attention when the War God was with her but apparently not or she wouldn't be lost now.

After walking around aimlessly in what seemed like an abandoned temple for about an hour, Xena thought she heard a familiar sound coming down one corridor that she walked by in a hurry, desperately wanting to just find something that looked familiar, and she immediately stopped in her tracks. She soon started to make her way down that hall towards the sound, she didn't know why but she was hoping that it was exactly what she had pick up on. As she drew closer to the door, she heard the sound again and a soft smile began to form on her face. Shortly after she reached the door, she pulled it open and stepped inside and found herself in a stable that was filled with several different horses. The Warrior Princess couldn't believe that the War God actually had a stable there and she cautiously made her way further into it and looked at all of the horses.

Each one looked as magnificent as the next one and as she wandered from stall to stall, gazing upon who inhabited them, she came to this one compartment and her eyes widened instantly at the sight of the mare that was in that one. She was a gorgeous looking horse, a golden palomino with beautiful white hair. Xena was instantly overcome with excitement at seeing the horse and soon made her way inside the stall, talking calmly to the mare as she approached her.

"Easy there girl, I'm not going to hurt you." she murmured soothingly to the mare when she noticed that she was a little skittish as she drew nearer to her.

Xena slowly got closer to her and noticed that the horse was warming up to her when the mare started to approach her too. She let her hand run smoothly up and down her muzzle and the horse leaned into her touch. The Warrior Princess fell immediately in love with her, it was a horse that she had always envisioned herself riding, and here she was, standing in a stable that belonged to the God of War all this time. She wondered if she had an owner, she secretly hoped that she didn't but she didn't want to just assume that Ares kept extra horses around and that she would be lucky enough to get this particular horse. Not wanting to dwell on negative thoughts, and wanting to enjoy the time she was spending with the horse, she quickly picked up a brush and started to move it along the mare's body. Xena looked around the stall for a moment and noticed some sugar cubes nearby and went and retrieved them for her new companion. Making her way back over with them she offered them to the horse, but the mare stubbornly refused to eat them though. Only sniffing against her hand but not taking them from her and she figured that she didn't like them all that much.

Frowning at the thought, the Warrior Princess looked around once more for something else and her sapphire eyes landed on a bushel of apples. That was exactly what she needed- the perfect treat- so she hurriedly walked over and retrieved some and brought them to the mare. The horse swiftly took the offered fruit, eating it out of the palm of her and Xena softly ran her hand against the mare's nose again.

"You like them, don't you girl?" she asked while the horse greedily took yet another apple from her, "Don't worry your secret is safe with me, and there is plenty more where that came from. I might be able to sweet talk your owner into getting you a whole bushel for yourself. Would you like that?" the horse merely nudged against her with her approval and a small smile formed on Xena's face, "Yeah, I bet you would."

She was so engulfed with the horse that Xena didn't even realize that she was no longer alone and Ares was standing there at the entrance of the stall watching her. He had been looking for her, when he went to her bed chamber and found her gone, from where he had left her peacefully sleeping just a few short moments before, he started searching for her through their bond and found her here. He noticed right away her love for the mare, she was a good horse, a bit stubborn but loyal. The War God was actually a little shocked that Argo had let Xena get that close to her since she usually didn't like strangers and never let anyone near her but himself- quite a jealous and possessive horse, one might add.

The War God continued to watch them together a while longer, looking on as a soft glow lightened up his Princess' face as she softly talked to the animal. A few moments later, Argo had become nervous and Xena tried to gently coax the mare down, soothingly running her hand along her snout but when the mare reared up, Ares quickly sent her a stern glare that made the horse think twice about causing his Princess any kind of harm the moment she placed herself in front of her while she tried to talk her down.

A few short seconds had passed and Xena finally caught sight of Ares out of the corner of her eye and turned to look at him and saw him propped up against the entrance of the stall gazing at them. How long had he been standing there she wondered, she couldn't believe that she was so wrapped up with the mare that she didn't even know that he was there. She just couldn't seem to wipe that silly grin off her face though and she just looked at Ares with a joyful expression and then turned back to the mare and started to brush her down again.

"Do you like her?" he asked while he made his way closer to them and picked up a brush of his own and started to run it over the horses body.

"She's gorgeous, Ares!" Xena replied, not being able to keep the excitement out of her voice as the words left her mouth and she feed another apple to the mare.

"Her name is Argo and she's yours."

"What?!" she asked a bit shocked, "But what about her owner?"

"Argo is my horse and she is yours if you want her. My Chosen deserves a good war horse and she is a fine mare, a bit stubborn though. Reminds me of a certain raven haired woman I know." he playfully teased, a slight smile pulling at his own mouth while he watched his Princess smile fondly at his words.

"Thank you…. You see girl, I told you I could sweet talk your owner into kindly offering you to me, now you can have all the apples you want." Xena whispered against Argo's ear but was still loud enough for Ares to hear her and she got a light chuckle out of him.

"Would you like to ride her?" the War God asked amused by his Princess' belief of her ability to get him to do what she wanted.

"Can I?" she asked, completely excited about the possibility.

"She is yours and you can ride her anytime you like." he said more huskily than he should have, a slight lustful look soon formed in his eyes as the words left his mouth. He would have certainly liked to be Argo at that moment and the War God let his eyes roam over his Princess' enticingly sexy form hungrily for a moment while the thought of sprawling her out in the hay and mounting her wildly entered his mind but Xena was too enthralled with the mare to have caught on to his hidden meaning.

It wasn't long after that the horse was soon all saddled up and they led her out of the stable. The Warrior Princess soon mounted and before Ares could even say anything she had quickly taken off from him. Xena loved the freedom that she got when she rode, the wind blowing threw her raven tresses, whipping behind her as she surged Argo on. To think that this magnificent horse was now hers just excited her, a mare that she had always wanted. Hearing a faint whistle, Argo soon stopped running and came to a halt. Xena had heard it too and wondered what it was that was making the mare stop. The War God soon appeared a few feet away with this smug grin on his face as he began to close in the distance between them.

"I see you like your present. But there are a few things you should know."

"Like what?"

"For one, Argo responds to a series of whistles, that was how I was able to make her stop without your command."

Ares soon whistled again and Argo started to lay down and Xena held on from the unexpected movement and then made her way off of the horse. She moved closer to the War God and soon he started to go over all of the different types of whistles that Argo responded to. They practiced and practiced for a few hours, going over every one of them until his Princess was able to nail them all and have the mare listen to her the way she wanted her to.

"Alright, I think I got the hang of this. Shall we put it to the test?" she didn't wait for an answer and soon made her way over to Argo and mounted her swiftly.

Xena looked over at the War God, the sight of him watching her quite fondly made her flash him a cunning smile and she attempted to put what she had just learned to the test. She decided to go for the one that would make the mare go into a soft gallop and she stuck her fingers in her mouth and gave her command. Argo was right about to respond but she was suddenly scared by a snake that was in the grass and instead of doing what she was commanded to do she unexpectedly reared up. That movement naturally caught Xena completely off guard and she was not able to react quickly enough from the sudden action and she fell off of the horse. Luckily, her fall was hastily cushioned and she was instantaneously encircled by a pair of strong, muscular arms before she had the chance to hit the ground.

"Are you ok?" Ares asked while sending the mare a harsh glare, making the horse shy away from the dangerous energy coming from him and then looked down at his Princess.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just working out the kinks." she replied a bit breathless, the sudden feeling of being in his arms was making her stomach flutter endlessly from the contact.

It was a feeling that she hadn't got in a long time and the last time she remembered getting this sensation was when she was a small child. The War Gods influence over her own body was a constant challenge for her, just being in the same area made her feel like some adolescent school girl with a crush and when they touched, her blood ran maddeningly fast through her veins from the simple contact. Although she was trying not to do it, Xena found her eyes locked on his mouth, she couldn't seem to break her gaze from it. His lips looked ever so tempting, right there in front of her practically inviting her to brush her mouth against his and making her want to just nibble playfully on his bottom lip. The Warrior Princess wanted to bite that lip, oh did she want to bite it and then devour it but in the end she settled on biting her own lip viciously as a way to control herself by inflicting a little bit of pain to drive the thoughts away and she slowly brought her gaze up and looked into his eyes.

They both seemed to have been stuck like that for a few moments, just looking intently into the others' eyes, and the War God's hold around her gradually tightened while her hand, that seemed to have a mind of its own now and she had no control over, moved against his chest. This closeness that they were sharing was only heightening their inner longing for the other. The longer Ares held his Princess in his arms, the more he wanted to lean in and capture her desirable lips in a fervent kiss, to lay her down in the grass and proceed to make love to her and learn her every little gasp and whimper while he moved himself within her, the thought was outrageously strong and he found himself leaning in a little closer to her face to take that first step in that long overdue joining of their bodies.

Xena's breathing grew more labored when the War God moved closer to her…Being surrounded by him like this was sure doing a number on her. She yearned for that kiss, in fact she wanted that kiss so badly that she thought she would go crazy if she didn't get it but before it could happen, she had been quickly set down on her feet and the feeling of his strong arms were gone just as swiftly. Ares had to put some distance between them, he was so confused about the feelings that were whirling inside of himself from just holding her in his arms, feeling her hot breath hitting against his face, her soft caress moving along his chest, that he could barely control himself any more. Not to mention the way she was sexily biting her lower lip, it was driving him insane! What was she doing to him?

He tried to get things back on track, attempting to block out those foreign sensations that seemed to creep up on him when he was around with her and quickly managed to get Argo back. Xena was also confused by the sudden exchange between them, he was just a man after all and she had touched and seen plenty of them in her time. She wasn't supposed to be having those urges, especially such strong ones for the War God and they didn't make any sense to her and wanting to regain some control over her own body she walked back over to the horse and got on her. She thought that by keeping her focus on the task would push the thought of wanting the War God to press his lips against hers out of her mind. But before the Warrior Princess could continue with her plan of keeping her distance from him, Ares had soon put a halt to it.

"Hold on, one of the stirrups is a little uneven." he told her and made his way over to her.

As the War God approached her, he was trying really hard to keep his urges in check. How was it that she managed to drive him out of his mind, she didn't even have to do much. Reaching his Princess, he softly placed his hand against her leg, and he immediately felt the small tremor that went through her when he made contact. Touching her was like his sweet addiction and when her body responded the way it did, it only made the joy that much more exhilarating and he slowly ran his palm down her leg. Xena's grip on the reigns had tightened their hold while he gradually made his way down her leg. Once he got to her foot, he soon positioned the stirrup to the correct length and then leisurely made his way back up, trailing his fingertips against her silky smooth skin. He got to her thigh and his touch lingered there for a moment, moving in stimulating circles that made her eyes drift shut for an instant at the feeling of it.

That was all he needed and before she could even think about what was going to happen next, the God of War soon materialized behind her on the horse. He then slowly began to run his hands along her body, taking his time while he softly moved them against her side and then he gradually began to snake them around her waist and encased her in his embrace. Xena shifted a little with his sudden closeness but soon realized that was a bad idea, he was sitting extremely close to her and the small movement had made her rub against him and she was both excited about it and annoyed with herself for yearning for his touch so much. Ares had soon moved his hands to her thighs and started to gently run them up and down them, each time he came back up he inched his way closer to her inner thighs, his hands disappearing under her skirt to what he knew awaited him there.

"About Athena…" Xena murmured out softly, trying to direct what was going to happen in another direction and she immediately felt how Ares' grip on her legs had tightened at the mention of the Goddess' name before he relaxed them again and then continued moving against her skin.

"What about her?" he asked a bit irritated, the thought of that harpy irked him beyond words but having his Princess flush up against him was counteracting any annoyance and he nuzzled his head against hers and he buried his face in her silky raven tresses and breathed her delightful aroma in.

"I've been thinking about a plan of cutting down her forces."

"Do tell, my sweet." the excitement of the prospect was evident in his voice, the look that would be on his sister's face at having lost her stupid little archers, he wouldn't miss that for the world. On top of that,the thought of Xena being the one to give him that boundless satisfaction made his desire to have her grow even more and he began to place slow enchanting kisses against her neck.

"We should eliminate them permanently and then take away whatever holds a special meaning to her, her precious city of Athens. Seeing the town in ruins would destroy her." Xena murmured out impishly, a small wicked smile forming on her face when she thought about the Goddess' reaction to seeing the town destroyed.

"I like it when you talk dirty! " Ares whispered seductively against her ear and then moved to her throat and placed a kiss against her racing vein.

He started to kiss against the side of her neck more ardently, the feeling of having her this close was beginning to be too much for him and he nibbled against her throat as she inhaled a sharp breath from the contact. She turned her head to look at him and Ares didn't even think twice about it, he captured her lips with his own in a passionate kiss that gave his Princess no time to think about a way to stop it. Despite her initial reluctance, the Warrior Princess returned his kisses with an equal amount of enthusiasm, letting herself indulge in them for a moment longer but when she felt his hand on her leg beginning to make its way further under her skirt she knew where this was going. And yes, she was tempted for a few seconds to just let it happen, to feel him touching her again in the same way that had drove her mind crazy by thinking about it….. The way their mouths were eagerly fusing together was making her slowly forget the reasons as to why this shouldn't happen and she gave herself over to their heated kiss a little more but when his fingers grazed along the outside of her undergarment, clearly letting him know just how much she actually wanted this, Xena quickly placed her hand over his, stopping his movements.

The slight annoyance of her having stopped him did not go unnoticed by the Warrior Princess. She had felt the minor frown in his kiss at having been denied the opportunity to pleasure her and she actually felt a small amount of triumph for being able to control Ares like that. The War God continued to devour her mouth nevertheless, now that he had taken possession of it he had no intention to relinquish it. After a few more passionate kisses, that only made their blood run maddeningly fast in their veins as they continued to taste one another, he broke away from her and started to kiss against her jaw and then slowly made his way down to her throat again, just to immediately work his way back up and take ownership of her mouth again. Having endeavored to draw his Princess further in with his fervent kisses, he once again attempted to move his hand to where he wanted to touch but Xena had stopped his advancements every time. The War God wasn't completely thrilled by it, he was literally just seconds away from tearing her panties off and drive himself within her but in his tactful mind, he wanted to show his Princess just what it was that she was going to be missing out on. As he skillfully moved to deepen the kiss, the War God suddenly made an image flash in her mind and she whimpered out lowly with pleasure into his mouth from it.

Xena didn't know how to react to what had just happened, she could feel that she was still keeping Ares' hand from moving against her leg but she could feel him on her and the images that were now clouding her mind were arousing her incredibly, making her moan more into his mouth.

The War God slowly moved his fingers towards where he wanted to be and started to fill her body with immeasurable amounts of pleasure when he plunged his finger into her, moving them at a steady pace that had his lovely Princess moaning into his mouth while he drove them into her. As he continued to fill her body with things that she could not have even begin to have imagined before, Xena broke their kiss and cried out hoarsely from it.

It seemed so real to her, and the perception of his touch was so addictive that Xena found herself doing the exact same movements and she tore her mouth from Ares and cried out in ecstasy, moaning out in pleasure as those sensations took over her body. She tried to shake her head clear from the assault, trying unsuccessfully to keep herself focused but they consumed her mind once again and her eyes drifted shut as the image of the two of them filled her head.

She leaned into him, rocking her hips against his hand as he thrust into her. Her hands had went to his strong thighs and she tried to steady herself and she pushed back against him, her fingers twisting violently into the leather material as she moaned out in pleasure while he increased his tempo from her new position. Since she was completely at his mercy, Ares moved his other hand to her clit and began to stroke her while he continued to move his fingers within her repeatedly. Her head had fallen back against him in complete ecstasy, crying out more at the pleasurable feeling that was now coursing through her as she rocked against him at a delicious pace that only seemed to heighten her pleasure even more while they moved together.

So much for her little plan to distract the War God and turn his focus elsewhere. She really didn't mind much though, ever since her arousing thoughts of the two of them together had plagued her mind relentlessly from the night before she wanted to feel him within her so badly again. This was a way to allow herself to give in to him without actually having to doing it. Ares started to kiss against her neck again, each time his lips touched against her skin another image would form in her mind. Her grip on his hand had tightened viciously, her labored breathing growing more intense while the pleasure flowed through her body, making her moan louder from the power of it and her body soon started to mimic the movements from her visions and her head had fallen back against his shoulder while she began to leisurely rock her hips to her imaginary passion.

Her grip on his legs had tightened significantly while he continued to drive her absolutely crazy with his stimulating movements. He was certainly extremely talented with his fingers, never had she felt anything quite what the War God was able to draw out of her before from another. She panted out harshly when he plunged into her more deeply, making her quiver in his arms while he made her ecstasy that much more enjoyable. Her addictive little whimpers of passion were making Ares that much more determined to deliver her to that blissful end that he was driving her closer to. A few more well placed strokes against her clit later, and five delicious thrusts, and his Princess was convulsing uncontrollably in his arms while she cried out with her release and her hands dug much more violently into his legs from the intensity of her orgasm.

At exactly the same time when the image came to her mind, Xena had come undone in his arms as well and she kept trembling in his embrace until the vision had ceased its pleasurable run. The Warrior Princess' limbs felt like jelly and she just leaned into the War God for support while she slowly came down from her make-believe passionate high while those images finally faded from her mind. Ares wrapped one arm around her waist and held her closely to him while her breathing gradually began to return to normal, rubbing his head against hers. His gorgeous Princess, whenever she let herself indulge in the power of their pleasurable touches she looked absolutely stunning and holding her in his arms while her passion filled body cooled down was a joy that he was starting to love. He softly began to run his other hand soothingly up and down her thigh, just enjoying the feel of her hot with passion skin while he touched her freely the way he wanted to. Xena just laid extremely satisfied in his arms, letting his tender, warm caress against her thigh relax her while she nestled her head against his shoulder.

That had been amazing and it only seemed to be getting better every time they came together, even if it was all in her head but it had felt so real! She wondered if it was only the highly anticipated thrill of finally joining together in a way that they had yet to do that made it all the more enjoyable, that unspoken promise of a much more intimate union that would have connected them for real while their bodies merged as one while they made love.

The Warrior Princess wasn't precisely sure which one it was but she secretly desired both options with the War God. It was a thought that had troubled her mind since the first time their eyes had connected. She wanted him but that want was overwhelming to her and something that she had never experienced before. The unbearable attraction she felt for Ares was overpowering, she craved for him like she had never craved anything before in her life. It was a rather conclusion- the pull she felt towards him was constantly there, and building so wildly out of control to the point that there were times that all she wanted was to just feel his touch, no matter how brief the contact was.

As some kind of unconscious response to these thoughts, Xena just shifted more comfortably against him, and watched as the sun was slowly beginning to set, pushing any wild idea from her mind for now and just letting everything about the War God consume her at that moment. Everything else she would have to figure out later on how to handle him and her own attraction to Ares but right now she truly wanted to just enjoy being held by him when she was actually aware of the fact that he was doing it. The shelter of his embrace was relaxing her and soon that feeling made her drift off to sleep surrounded by his essence even though the last thing she wanted was to do that and she tried to fight against it but slowly lost the battle.

In the meantime, Ares just took his time wandering his hand over her body, softly running his fingers through her raven tresses, then outlining the contours of her body before moving back to her leg and gently running his fingertips against her skin. It was only when her head had fallen against him softly that he realized that his Princess had fallen asleep. The low sunlight glistening off of her face made Xena look completely gorgeous in his eyes, she was the most beautiful Goddess that he had ever seen and he leaned into her and placed a sweet kiss into her hair. He took a hold of the reigns and, making sure that she was safely nestled in his arms, he guided Argo back to the Halls of War. Once they had reached the stables he gently shifted his sleeping Princess and scooped her up into his arms and materialized them off of the mare. With a small flick of his wrist he made everything vanish off of Argo and he carried Xena back to her bed chamber.

When they got inside he walked them over to the bed and he gently laid his Princess down on it. She had immediately burrowed herself into it more and let out a soft sigh while she relaxed into the bed. He thought she looked so adorable, and also completely sexy with the way she had did that, nestling herself in and exhaling a contented sigh while she snuggled her head against the pillow and he couldn't help the fond smile that began to pull at the corners of his mouth while he watched her. He let his eyes roam over her for a moment; she was all his, every little touch, every moan of pleasure that escaped from her mouth, every vulnerable second that she laid unconscious dreaming and these type of moments were for his eyes only. The War God waved his hand slightly and changed her out of her dress and into a black nightgown. He soon made his way to the other side of the bed and joined her on it, he told himself that he was just going to stay for a little while and watch her sleep.

Feeling his presence so close again, the Warrior Princess soon nestled herself closer to him and the War God slipped his arms around her, a gesture that not so long ago he wouldn't have even thought of doing with someone thinking that it was a sign of weakness to just lay with someone that now he longed for greatly with his Princess, and he pulled her tightly to himself while she made herself at home in his arms and cuddled against him as close as she could get. Ares just chuckled amused at her movements, it seemed like she couldn't find a good enough spot while she moved against him restlessly for a few moments more. A few times groaning out displeased with her efforts while she shifted as if he was the one that was really keeping her from finding the position that she longed for until she had managed to inch herself half way on top of him and at last buried her face into the crook of his neck and lazily snaked her arm across his chest until her hand had stopped to rest on his shoulder as she huddled against him and then sighed out pleased with the spot that she had managed to nestle herself into while her head nuzzled faintly against his neck. Her actions had instinctively made Ares tighten his hold once she was all settled next to him so she would stay there and not have a reason to want to leave it for anything.

It amazed him with how much he had come to actually crave to just having his Princess in his arms, feeling her against him completely at ease in his embrace was something that he found that he enjoyed immensely and he then materialized a sheet and draped it over them so she wouldn't get cold and started to softly run his fingers against her skin. That gesture made Xena tighten her hold around him, the coldness from the sheet and the feeling of his soft caresses were making her shiver a little while she sought out his warmth more and Ares had encircled his arms around her more possessively, chaining his lovely Princess to himself firmly to let her know that the only place she needed to be was right here. Now that he had her tucked securely in his arms the thought about leaving was the furthest thing from his mind. Ares wasn't sure how the thought had entered his mind in the first place but he found that he didn't want to be away from his Princess, he had spent enough time away already and so he decided to stay, just holding her tightly to himself until she would awake from her slumber. After all, she had spent all that effort of getting herself into the spot she was currently in and who was he to attempt to disrupt all of that valiant work she had done.