WHEN THE DICE REFUSE TO ROLL IN YOUR FAVOUR

Xena looked up as the door to her study was opened she watched as Gabrielle walked closely followed by Iona. The short haired blonde woman was wearing the dark trousers and black knee high boots as well the white shirt that had been in her chest. She looked at the little Goldfinch on her desk which she had not put in the chest when she'd showed Gabrielle her things the night before. She breathed in seeing that Iona was standing still waiting for her next orders. "Sorry to wake you up Gabrielle, but I called you to my study because I need to set out the ground rules of our arrangement." Gabrielle folded her arms she should have seen this coming, she was stupid not to she was after all a monster in a palace and only fit to be treated like one.

She turned eyeing Iona. "That's nice now tell your guard to leave." Xena looked up from her scroll. "Iona is to stay here during these talks, we have together that is the first rule." Gabrielle turned eyeing the other woman. "Oh really and why is that?" Xena moved the quill between her fingers. "Because she's exceptionally good at killing werewolves even more so than Demetrius who is head of my army." Gabrielle turned eyeing Iona who smiled smugly she spoke once more not caring for her sarcastic tone. "I'm so flattered." Xena looked up slowly. "It's no more than a pre caution so you don't try to harm me in any manner when we are together, she won't follow you around the palace." Iona put her hand on her swords hilt. "We wouldn't like you to get angry and kill the Empress you see."

Gabrielle eyed her in disgust. "If I wanted to kill your Empress I would have done it already." Iona eyed the blonde woman. "Well then I'm here so you don't change your mind." Xena eased up her scroll she turned it around so Gabrielle could see it. "Second rule when I ask you to come to this room be it day or night you come, if its night you can come in ether your human form or your other one." She put the quill in the ink well. "Note though that in your other form that they'll be an archer with his bow and arrow ready and he'll be pointing it at this room and the target will be your heart or your head." Gabrielle adjusted her shirts collar. "A second pre caution clearly you've spent a lot of time on this, must have been a big effort on your part."

Xena looked up slightly Demetrius was right this woman had no manners, she wasn't going to enforce any though, in her view that was one step to far and this situation was difficult as it was, with out adding any more friction. She eyed the scroll. "Third rule you don't leave this palace for any reason and if you have to leave you'll tell me why you need to and I'll have a guard escort you." She tapped the parchment with her finger. "If you leave at any time with out my consent my guards will bring you back and you will not fight them you'll comply and come back quietly. If you choose otherwise your head will be like every other werewolf's in Greece, in that they'll be a fifty dinar ransom on it."

Gabrielle narrowed her gaze how quick that rule had been put in place, clearly she was in truth a prisoner now with in these walls, but the outside world was closed off to her. Maybe she shouldn't be so annoyed by that she had nothing out there waiting for her and there was no one out there who loved her or who would ever love her. Xena eyed the parchment. "Fifth rule, if royal guests come here you are to stay in your room out of sight, unless you're called for." She eyed the next line. "You are also not to cause bodily harm to any of my staff, if you do so you'll spend the night in the cell." Gabrielle sneered slightly oh yes she was clearly a monster in this woman's eyes now and not a person as she had already been branded as the type who would harm innocent men and women.

Xena looked up sharply. "Is that understood?" Gabrielle breathed in deeply. "Perfectly…Xena." Xena eyed her for a long moment. "You don't get to use my name you're not my friend, to you its Empress." She eyed the last line of the document. "You are also to report to my healer for study every once in a while as he'd like to document your species for the records." She breathed in deeply. "The last thing is that my scribe Phrixus wants you to help translate the werewolf scrolls being a werewolf its clear that you can read it." Gabrielle narrowed her gaze. "No." Xena looked up sharply. "No to what, my scribe or the healer?" Gabrielle looked at the document. "To your scribe and the scroll translation…."

Xena leaned forward. "These are my rules." Gabrielle folded her arms. "If you get all the rules then I should get one or your arrangement is dishonourable." Xena stood up easing up her hand only to stop. The younger woman was right she was forcing the rules with out compromise and that wasn't very diplomatic. She lowered her hand as she sat down meeting the other woman's forest green eyes. "Very well what are your terms in this agreement?" Gabrielle looked at the scroll. "I only translate that scroll on my terms it's an ancient scroll which belongs to my people." Xena looked up sharply. "So it is a true werewolf scroll then, written by a werewolf's hand?"

Gabrielle put both hands behind her back. "It's important that's all you need to know." Xena looked at her for a long moment this blonde woman was smart there was no denying that. She knew what that scroll was but she obviously liked to keep her ace cards very close to her chest in a manner of speaking. She put both hands together in these last few minutes something had become very clear Gabrielle had a high sense of honour her use of the word dishonourable was very intriguing, as only warriors ever used those words. Clearly she was a warrior of some kind but what kind was still very unclear. "Very well, any thing more you want to add?"

Gabrielle looked down slightly. "No." She eyed her quill feeling the need to test her theory more deeply. "So your word is binding?" Gabrielle looked at the scroll. "Yes." Xena slowly rolled the scroll up easing it watching as she took it from her hand. "Good then it's settled, I have two guests coming tonight and you are not to show yourself." Gabrielle breathed in deeply. "As you wish, Empress." Xena turned to Iona. "Please escort Gabrielle back to her room." Iona nodded opening the door to the study she watched as Gabrielle walked out of the room. She turned closing the door behind her seeing Gabrielle stop in the corridor she shoved her shoulder moving her forward "Come on doggy back to your kennel."

Gabrielle sneered at her in disgust. "My name is Gabrielle!" Iona smirked watching as she walked forward. "Frankly I don't give a Tartarus what your name is, the fact of the matter is you're a big dog and you now have to obey our Empress, so be a nice dog and do as you are told." Gabrielle turned saying nothing there was no point no one ever listened to her anyway.

8

Gabrielle slowly placed a clawed feet on the floor she could hear the party of some kind which was going on down the corridor clearly the Empress was entertaining her guests as promised. The day had been quite and with out incident, no one had spoken to her though despite that they'd seen her, her dinner had been placed inside her room by a servant who had also not said a word to her. She didn't expect anyone to be nice to her anyway and she'd just have to put up with it for however long that would be. She lowered herself slowly on to all fours looking at the dark sky through one of the window somehow she preferred the night it was comforting. She liked the dark shadows made by candle light and the quite with hardly anyone around.

So far she'd only walked a small area of the palace and tonight she intended to see more off it. It was a huge glorified place full of corridors and rooms. So far she'd seen the scribes study, the kitchens and most the gardens, there was still so much more to see though and she curious about it all. She walked towards the noise forcing her claws up slightly so they didn't tap the ground. She had stayed in her room out of sight up until now, mulling over the Empress's talk. For one thing she hadn't expected any diplomacy so the fact that she'd gotten any was a surprise. She moved quietly catching sight of the large room which had and no door. Instead there were two huge pillars with huge rafters on ether side giving it a temple like feel and in front of it hung two red curtains which had been drawn together.

She moved forward slowly and quietly it was more curiosity that was guiding her than anything she wanted to know what kind of party the Empress was having, no doubt it was orgy party. She had lived in Rome after all she probably enjoyed decadence and being spoiled as well as lavishing her guests with highly strung parties. She stopped with in inches of the two huge velvet curtains which had a very small gap enough for her eye to see through. She slowly looked through catching sight of the musicians playing her gaze shifted upwards to the large rafter above the doorway, which was hidden by the curtains. She didn't think as she leapt up on to one of pillars pulling her self slowly on to one of the rafters so she had a much better view.

She could see the four guests talking all on side ways chairs. The Empress herself was dressed in a long golden peplos with silver plated decorative gauntlets. She had long golden earring on and an elaborate leaf woven crown of silver hair peace, her long black hair had been styled and pulled back to show off her neck. She could see Demetrius standing close by her chair watching the guests who were eating, drinking and talking. It was very civil and diplomatic not really what she was expecting somehow she'd expected naked flesh and sex. She kept still the room was a huge study with scrolls on every shelf these huge book shelves surrounded the guests in a half circle that faced the curtains there was no way out except the way in.

She narrowed her gaze realizing why it was laid out in this manner it was a purposely built bottle neck one way in and one way out. Clearly the dark haired woman wasn't stupid she had done this so if any one tried to kill her that they'd confined to this room, giving her the ability to kill them first if they attacked her. She sneered slightly clearly she had fears about being killed she felt her ear prick up as she heard footsteps they were the sounds of someone trying to be quite but failing miserably. She looked down catching sight of the young woman she'd seen in the corridor the other day cleaning things. The woman dark eyes darted as she came to a stop looking through the curtains only gap at the whole spectacle.

Gabrielle looked down studying her she could see the longing as it appeared in her brown eyes filling them up almost to bursting. She looked at the party once more before looking back at the young woman who hadn't seen her or even heard her. She slowly followed her gaze realizing that it wasn't focused on the party but a single person. Her eyes were focused on Demetrius no one else, clearly she liked him in some way but it was the look of woman who understood the rules and her position and could look forever but never touch. He was head of the royal army, she was no more than a cleaning servant and she was right at the bottom at the ladder.

Gabrielle lowered her head watching as the woman turned away leaving as best she could hoping that she wouldn't be caught for being here. She waited till she was far from sight as she jumped down landing quietly on the floor moving away from the room making no sound. She knew how that woman felt she'd been there once a long time ago. Before she'd learnt the hard way that you never get what you want and its always taken from you no matter how much you try to hold on to it. No doubt the young woman would learn that cruel lesson soon enough. She'd learn that any love you seek is for nothing and that no one ever loved you they just used you for personal gain.

Love was an illusion spoken of by foolish scribes and bards who had no idea of what the real word was really like beyond the confines of there walls. They had no idea of the true pain and suffering that was out there. In her view people wasted their time over love, what could be gained by loving someone anyway? It wasn't as if any one ever truly stood by the person they claimed to love anyway. As for the soul mate myth that was even more laughable, as if there was someone out there attached to your soul who would love you unconditionally and ask for nothing in return. She lowered her head shaking her mattered mane as she moved further up the corridor. In her view loving someone only made you weak and when the one who claimed to love you found your weakness they did nothing but exploit it for them selves and in the process they'd cause you nothing but pain and suffering.

End of part 12

Silvermoonlight

Thank you everyone for your kind reviews and feedback I really appreciate it. I wanted to add a thought in that this story is very much inspired by the fairy tail Beauty and the Beast, but unlike the fairy tail it's not about a breaking of a curse.