War all over again

"I came, I saw, I will conquer!" was all anyone heard as another series of attacks commenced.

"Eve, Melody, Llyr!" Xena and Drake called recovering quickly only having been knocked on their butts unlike others who went flying. Eve and Melody were crying, as was Llyr, who got hit by a chair. His mouth was bleeding.

"Everyone back to your homes or castle." Everyone from Glacial ran for their portal as they got up taking with them any wounded as did people from Arcadia and Sultry.

"They came from Arcadia," King Rodrigo yelled. Drake immediately ran to protect his people seeing his wife being surrounded by guards from all three countries going back to Sultry against her wishes. Soon there was nothing left, but the burning remnants of a beautiful and colorful wedding on the lonely island in the sea that had once been the connecting point for three countries.

Caesar stood in the center laughing before General Ving returned him to his base. Xena saw to her children before she talked with the Monarchs all offering reinforcements when she needed it. She thanked them and said she might just take them up on the offer. Once they were all gone including Cahal and Bedwyr who she sent to Arcadia to help out Drake as needed until she had things situated on her end.

"I'm so sorry he ruined your wedding," Cyrene told Xena as she angrily took off her dress. Until a few minutes ago she had been happy now she was angry, she shouldn't have been angry. She should have been dancing with her husband at their reception and shyly awaiting their honeymoon in Sultry's private isles, but no once again Caesar was ruining her life.

"Xena we're ready when you are," Hercules told her from outside the door. "And I'm terribly sorry, for what it's worth the ceremony was beautiful I've never seen a ceremony convey such love." Xena didn't reply as she heard his retreating footsteps.

"You have nothing to be sorry for mother, this war was a long time coming. I just wish he hadn't chosen my wedding to finally attack, but I suppose he was waiting for today or tonight really. Thank you for planning my wedding I loved it until it was destroyed. Xena kissed her children goodbye until it was safe before walking pass the huge ballroom they would have held the reception in. She had especially made her own wedding cake and now it was wasted.

"Kill 'em all!" Xena yelled. They raised their swords cheering women from Sultry and Men from Glacial along with her friends, who didn't quite agree. There were some amazons as well. Queen Romualda erected a huge portal since the lands were no longer connected. Xena led them straight into the battle that raged when she arrived. They had attempted to storm Dragon City, but even when it was empty they could penetrate the walls that magically erected themselves.

Xena channeled all her anger into her sword mowing down Romans. Gabrielle protected her back alternating with Hercules as she went to save her fellow amazons from being killed if she could help. Xena wasn't surprised to see a young boy, but she put in the extra effort to make sure he wasn't sliced down by her blade, but rather knocked unconscious by the hilt of her sword. The fighting lasted for hours and it seemed there was no end until finally when they had taken a hill that was strategic on this particular battlefield the Romans retreated.

"Take Prisoners!" Xena yelled.

"Xena," Ares said.

"Not now Ares I'm not in the mood."

"You were hot, I mean awesomely hot, I have missed seeing you in battle." Xena ignored Ares as she looked for Drake helping wounded a long the way to the castle. She only found Drake in the castle looking worried and covered in blood as he wrote to her. He hadn't realized she had joined the battle.

"You messed up your suit." He grinned.

"Yeah, I'm sorry I'll get it fixed before we jump the broom and go on our honeymoon."

"I bet, but we both know this is going to be a long war before we see peace again."

"I'm sorry your wedding was ruined."

"No it's fine everything else went off as perfectly as possible except the end."

"Funny our wedding won't end technically until we're actually pronounced husband and wife." Xena chuckled.

"Well it'll be the longest wedding ever recorded."

"We'll have it pronounced so at least we're married, the honeymoon can wait, we waited this long." Xena nodded. She fixed the scratch on his arm before she rested. She wanted all of her strength to fight Caesar now he was intruding on her home.

"A bastard like Caesar is going to be hard to take down," Ares commented at the war council. Gabrielle, Artemis, Ephiny, Eponin, and Solari represented the Amazon nation. But Amarice and Flora had also shown up.

"Definitely but our forces out number his legions by two thousand to one regiment at least, which only have a few hundred men. But he's caught us at a disadvantage. The armies are not merged, but three separate forces. I can't legally do that until Drake and I am pronounced married and than we have to go through an entirely different ceremony just so I can be crowned Queen."

"How about a treaty than?" Ares asked.

"Yes, Drake's working on that now so we can merge our armies now and bypass the law."

"But that still doesn't make up for the lack there of, of training they have together as one force, the Romans have us at a disadvantage there."

"I know, and the fighting styles are vastly different. We're in luck that Arcadia's army and Sultry's army can adapt easily in times of war to any ally. However Glacial their war tactics is different we have a show no mercy policy and they have a show no mercy policy. But they're weak, yet their strength is all in how they're strategically placed." Ares nodded the screws of his mind working over time to remedy the situation and satisfy the powerful bloodlust in his veins.

"Who is this General Ving exactly, I know he was responsible for our imprisonment?" Iolaus asked. A huge purple ball appeared in the center of the table and showed General Ving's face.

"General Ving, a native to Slovenia to the West. The smuggest bastard on earth if you ask me."

"More smug than me?" Ares asked with a grin. Xena grinned back a little.

"Yes, so much more smug than you, but so much more weaker some years ago when I gave him that ugly scar on his face and slaughtered the entire army. I never told you he has a history of interrupting my wedding day. Last time it was the reception, but we were fairly done by than. That was after his scar and before I slaughtered his army. Drake's father was killed by him in-between than."

"Damn you slaughtered his army over your wedding."

"Yeah," Xena said nodding. "And for the people of Arcadia."

"I say channel that rage again, and we just might have a chance," Ares told her.

"No, I have to fight with love not hate and rage like them."

"Xena's right and if all else fails Xena you should probably think about letting the beast out is all I'm saying, sometimes its not a bad idea to use your bad side for good," Hercules told her. Everyone looked at him in shock as Drake entered with the treaty.

"Sign here darling and we have our treaty."

"What?" Xena asked looking at him.

"The treaty, what's wrong with you guys?" Drake asked seeing their shocked looks at Hercules.

"I'll tell you later, where's the rest of the war council." They entered and Drake was saved from answering as he pulled a map down on the wall. Xena read the treaty. Satisfied she signed it next to Drake's signature along with the other council. Currently she had no council in Glacial and ruled supreme. Queen Romualda entered and signed the treaty after reading it before she took a seat. King Rodrigo also made an appearance along with their generals.

"All right General Ving and Caesar have set up their camp on our northern border near Moscow, which they've completely taken, everyone who was there during the attack is either dead or on their way here," Drake told them. Xena looked at Lady Agnes who nodded and departed.

"Scouts tell me that they haven't moved out of the Moscow region. In fact there are tons of Villagers and Farmers who are virtually unaffected at the moment. I've already dispatched a group of soldiers to get them packed and moving towards Dragon City.

"What about the villages, and workers at Illusia?" Cyrene asked.

"They know of the danger, but most have opted to keep working, however I've ordered the immediate evacuation of all children. If anything the children will be safe.

"We already have a host of orphans here," Fiona cried. Everyone ignored her.

"The fact of the matter is our command post needs to be Illusia, there's a reason its there, a very strategic location and if they gain control there, we may as be screwed," Xena told them. Everyone nodded.

"How are we on supplies?" Queen Romualda asked. "Sultry had more than enough surplus crops this year. Xena how is Glacial?"

"Glacial produces only enough crops for its people and enough surplus to keep their Archduke well fed for at least ten years of war taking place on their own soil every year. So we have a large surplus that could be re-routed here if need be to the army or people. Arcadia is not doing so well. We had a good harvest considering just a year ago we began to recover from the war with Ubel. Plus some farmers tried to grow crops in the winter and some failed while others did not."

"We're going to have a famine brought on by war on our hands," Queen Romualda commented.

"I know, we're also going to have to limit fishing from the rivers and stuff. There won't be anything left.

"Gather teams of teenagers, girls and boys a like to make trips to the ocean and fish to compensate."

"The villages on the coast could also be responsible for such duties." They nodded. Soon they talked more about actual fighting and where to post regiments and scouts. What strategic places they would need to gain.

"Remember you will be responsible for alerting Bedwyr and Cahal of our signal to attack."" They nodded and bowed before going through the portal. As soon the refugees arrived they were immediately sent to work on the farms even residents who were waiting to find their home again in Illusia as well as Moscow's residents. The children were evacuated to Sultry, Constance was happy to be able to play with Eve, Melody, and Llyr again.

"Are you all right?" Drake asked as she lay back on the furs in their tent.

"I'm fine, just not looking forward to the lives this war is going to take. More civilians will die than soldiers."

"I know, but we're doing everything we can to prevent that from happening."

"I know, I'm going to visit the children, their probably asleep but I need to see them."

"Yeah, you know I never truly knew the risk I took fighting until the first time I held Eve in my arms, because at that moment I knew more than ever I was finally a Daddy."

"I had that feeling too every time I'd have to fight when I was pregnant gave me tons of nightmares. But that's why we strive so hard for peace, for our children and for their children." She opened the flap of the tent to show the many soldiers. She let it fall again.

"You know who ever the first person was that told a warrior that peace would be easy to obtain obviously never fought in a war and never held their child."

"Probably, but even Rome wasn't built in a day." She kissed him and left him to his own thoughts.

"What are you doing back?" King Rodrigo asked. He was assembling more warriors.

"I came to see the children." King Rodrigo nodded and kissed her forehead. When she entered her old nursery it was familiar and reminded her a good time in her childhood even though she didn't quite remember it still. Eve, Llyr, and Melody were sleeping in their respective beds.

"Can I get you anything Princess?" The maid asked standing up. Xena put a finger to her lips.

"No, go back to sleep. She went back to sleep on her pallet. Xena went to each of her children and kissed their foreheads and rubbed the sides of their faces. Llyr she had to bend down farther for because he preferred to sleep by the father. She also made Melody's bed a little colder. The poor thing was getting hot.

"I love you," Xena whispered to them before she left quietly. When she returned she made Drake go see them.

"You woke them didn't you," Xena said as she sharpened her sword without looking up from her place on the log. Gabrielle was in the center just a few feet away making the camp dinner, especially after Joxer offered. He would take out the whole army and do Caesar a favor if he did.

"How did you know?"

"You always wake them up." Drake chuckled.

"So it seems." He kissed her.

"I suggest you stop unless you plan on taking me back to the tent to finish this."

"Oh no I said the honeymoon and I meant it." Xena sighed. "So don't try to tempt me devil."

"Don't worry, there won't be much time for that."

"Dinner!" Gabrielle yelled. Xena and Drake made sure all the soldiers had food before they too ate.

"Good luck, I love you," Xena whispered to Drake. Drake would be rising a little earlier than Xena to lead the ground troops, though Xena doubted she wouldn't wake up with him. She wanted him so much, but he was resolute in his promise to exhaust her on their honeymoon because of her returned virginal state. She hated Ubel's mother with a passion just as much as she hated Caesar. In either scenario without them interfering with her life she should have been making love to her husband. But no instead all she got was a hug and chaste kiss, so he could control himself. She knew Drake wanted her, but he had made her a promise and he was determined to keep it even if it meant torture and not just on his part this time. She couldn't wait to feel their bare skin upon each other, that alone she thought could make her reach the heights of her pleasure with Drake.

"I love you Xena, good luck." Drake wanted to make love to Xena badly, to whisper sweet words in her ear. To have sweet words repeated in his ear. He wanted her breath to caress the side of his face as her hands took care of the rest of his body. He longed to rub his fingers through her hair leave a trail of hot burning kisses along her neck. He groaned at the thought as she embraced him remembering the feel of their arms around each other.

"You only have to give up," Xena whispered in his ear.

"No, you are a virgin again and I will not be some brute and take you in anything less than your palace gardens in the Gazebo, our private dining rooms, one of our bedrooms, and on a royal ship. You deserve better than a war tent on old furs used by my male ancestors to bed their whores or war slaves. You are my wife."

"We can role play, I'll be the whore and you can be your ancestor." Drake moved back away from her and shook his head.

"No, maybe when you're a little more experienced..." He didn't finish his sentence as Xena picked up a pillow and hit him as he grinned at his choice of words provoking her on purpose out of fun and to keep her from tempting him. However it backfired on him as he had finally bested her and was tickling her. All her wiggling just sparked a fire, he was trying to keep burning low until he was ready. It didn't help he was essentially already in position. The only thing prohibiting them was clothing. When he stopped she took no notice to his distress at what he'd gotten himself into and pulled him down into a much longed for kiss.

"Don't worry I won't let you break your promise, completely."

"Xena," He whispered in weak protest. "No I won't be able to stop."

"I can, I promise not to let you break your promise, I know how important it is to you." He trusted her, but he knew he only had to make her forget and promise or no they were both breaking their promise. He indulged himself in her neck as she extinguished the light in the tent. They heard visible groans from outside their tent. Drake and Xena stopped in mid caress and kiss in Drake's case to look at each other in the dark. Before the owners of all the groans could leave, the lights were lit. Everyone including Xena and Drake were silent.

"Guess it was nothing," Drake said to Xena loud enough for anyone to hear outside before lowering his head again and pretending to continue to kiss her. There were cheers that neither of them missed and Drake exited the tent catching the on lookers.

"What the hell?" Drake asked noting they were the men he had enlisted in helping him to keep his promise.

"You were caving we had to do something, so long as you two are in that tent tonight we'll be watching."

"That's right your majesty," said another soldier. "No one likes a crowd." Xena came to the opening of the tent. Her shirt was undone revealing her cleavage.

"I for one don't mind a crowd."

"Yes, but I do." He walked over to her and kissed her lips one more time and hugged her. "Goodnight love." He walked off grateful he had enlisted the men to help him.

"Goodnight love," Xena replied before he was out of hearing. "Ugh." She went back into the tent and flopped down on the furs. She knew it was for the best, she would have broken her promise to keep him from breaking his promise at the rate they were going.

"No luck?" Ephiny asked coming into the tent. Xena shook her head.

"No, I didn't anticipate the safety net, he had created for himself."

"Ah I see, smart man."

"Who are you telling," Xena replied as Ephiny lay beside her. Xena had figured one of two things would happen that night. She would either make love to her husband or he would separate himself from her to resist temptation.

"Well what can it hurt to wait?" Ephiny asked.

"Nothing at all, I just want him its been more than a year."

"Not on purpose."

"Eve was four months the last time we made love need I remind you. And she's two now."

"I get your point." Xena nodded. Eventually Ephiny left to get some rest and she decided to try and get her own, tomorrow was a busy day after all. She changed into one of Drake's shirts, which were to big for her by war. However, she was awoken in the middle of the night to Drake returning. She had not really been a sleep in the first place, so she wasn't annoyed.

He took off his boots as quietly as possible and stripped down to his leather pants before joining Xena on the furs, she moved the blanket back before putting it on him and scooting closer to him. He put his arms around her as they kissed before she got comfortable on his warm chest. They both dropped off into a peaceful sleep for the night, well as peaceful as they were going to get under the circumstances.