Disclaimers: See Chapter 1

Additional Note (Please Read): This tale is tied in with, Xena & Gabrielle: A Turn of Fate. If you haven't read both stories' chapters preceding this one, you should do so now. Thanks to all the readers that continue to find entertainment by my tales... I hope y'all remain entertained. ;-)

The Conqueror & Ri,

A Twist of Destiny,

By, Ahkiken

Chapter 19: Justification

"Commander Brutus. Commander Cassius." A Roman Centurion entered their tent, saluting.

"Speak." Brutus enjoined.

"Scouts sighted a ship that belonged to the Grecian Realm a couple of days past."

"A sole vessel?" Cassius queried.

"Yes, sir. It posed no threat to us. The ship's trajectory was headed towards the mainland of Greece."

"And here you are, delivering useless information." Brutus admonished, impelling the the warrior to become anxious.

"How are the Legions that are camped on Dia's port holding up?" Cassius intervened.

"We have been out there for a fortnight with no activity and barely enough food to go around. The true reason I am here, is to pick up more provisions." He hesitated. "If...if I can make a suggestion?"

"What would that be?" Brutus inquired.

"We are to keep a vigilant lookout for the Conqueror. Yet, all we've seen was merchant vessels after the rainstorm that had recently cleared away three days ago, and the Realm's ship I've mentioned. Our reserves are quickly becoming exhausted by the few Legions that are encamped there."

"Get on with it!" Brutus flared, having grown impatient. "What is it that you want?"

The Centurion flinched. "Perhaps one if not two of the Legions could be sent back here. My men, along with myself, will remain in the encampment at the port."

Cassius gazed at his half-brother, praying he would resolve the matter indefinitely.

"Send a single Legion back... Only one." Brutus overly clarified.

"Yes, Commanders." The man saluted once more, departing the tent.

"Did I communicate with you about how much I disapprove of this plan to engage the Conqueror?" Cassius spoke.

"Several, actually." Brutus smirked at his clean-shaven companion. "I'm not changing my mind."

"The Conqueror will destroy us!"

"Don't be a cynic, Cassius." Brutus rebuked. "If she arrives with half of her army, the men know not to confront her and we will be forced to play it by ear. However, if she comes here with anything less, I see no problem in humbling her."

"Antagonizing the ruler of the Greek Empire isn't a bright idea to me." Cassius affirmed.

"If she survives the attack, we'll make some excuse that we were protecting ourselves. We are in conflict with Marcus Antonius and Octavian. If the Conqueror dies..." Brutus hunched his shoulders. "So be it."

"We still need her aid." Cassius stated. "Being secluded here on this island has driven you insane, Brutus."

"Self-imposed seclusion." He corrected. "What's the problem? I thought you would grow to accept the plan. After all, the Conqueror did kill your slave."

"Pindarus is not a slave."

"Right, you freed him." Brutus was sarcastic.

Cassius shunned Brutus' sarcasm and supplicated, "Withdraw all three Legions from the port."

"The discussion of bringing all of the Legionnaires back here became closed when I told the Centurion, whom just left, what to do." Brutus elucidated. "A Legion will return. Be jubilant for that."

Cassius broadcasted deprecation with a scruff, leaking his frustration.

Brutus clapped his arm in a brotherly manner. "You look quite dashing with your haircut and shave, so be of good cheer. If our two Legions contend with the Conqueror, try to look at it as justification in honor of your slave."

Next, he left the tent, leaving behind an agitated ally.

"He isn't a slave." Cassius mumbled.

{C&R}

"You want me to do what?" Joxer didn't hide his bafflement.

"Sign up for soldier training." Virgil repeated.

Father and son was seated within their home, trying to fix the quandary that came between them.

"I'm the court's Jester, Virgil. We make good dinars doing what I do. I like what I do."

"But everyone laughs and make fun of you." Virgil's features were saddened. "The residents, even some of my classmates, call you names."

"Ignore them. People are always going to have something to say." Joxer gently touched his son's face. "I'm an entertainer, it's what I do. Making the denizens, nobles, and warriors alike laugh is what my job entails. There's nothing to be ashamed of. Your mother, the gods rest her soul, use to always enjoy watching me entertain. It made her happy, although she'd overheard many of insults directed at my profession, she remained proud of me."

"Mother is gone, father. I don't like what others are saying about you, and because of that I'm never going to any of your so-called entertainments again." Virgil pronounced with finality, moving from his father's encouraging touch. "I have a class to get to. At least ponder on becoming a warrior."

The thirteen-year-old arose from the couch and opened the door, nearly running into the person who was about to knock.

"Virgil."

"Hey, Ri." He gushed, giving her a hug.

"Is your father available?"

"Yes, come in." Virgil offered whilst their attachment ended.

"Ri-Ri." Joxer greeted, walking over towards them.

"Hello." She requited, strolling inside.

"I have to get going. Will you be here when I return, Ri?" Virgil was hopeful.

"Maybe. I'm pretty much free today now that my study with Master Eramus is over."

"Great. Perhaps you can coerce my father into quitting his job as a Fool." Virgil trudged out of the apartment.

Ri grew perturbed. "He's still unhappy about that?"

"Yeah. Howbeit, don't concern yourself over it." Joxer hugged the petite woman, then pulled apart and gestured for her to take a seat on the soft furniture. "I heard you were busy with the whole going to Athens thing. So, what brings you by?"

"I wanted to visit you, and yes, I've kept myself immersed in studies to be ready for my new teacher." She became serious, sitting down. "If I'm not holding you up from anything, I would like to chat."

"Please, not if it's anent to Virgil." Joxer sat as well. "Can you believe he wants me to sign up for soldier training? What am I gonna do in the Conqueror's army?"

Ri was shocked into merriment. "Virgil wants you to become a trooper? Wow, he's intent on having you stop being a jester."

"He imparted that individuals in the castle are calling me unpleasant names. I told Virgil to ignore them, but I suppose they're getting to him."

"He's young and doesn't want anybody disrespecting his father. It's merely so much he can turn his ear from." Ri asserted.

"I know, and I'm assured he's hearing the same derogatory comments his mother, Meg, would catch people spewing when I was the jester at the Athenian castle, before transferring here after the Conqueror razed all of Athens to the ground. After she had apprised me that some were insulting me with words like imbecile, idiot, moron, buffoon, and other phrases to enounce that I'm a dimwit, I was going to stop immediately. Nonetheless, she sternly averred to me that I'm a hilarious entertainer, but most of all, I make her laugh, and everyone's not gonna respect who I really am like she do." Joxer explained, preceding his sullen visage. "I miss her."

Ri seized Joxer's hand, proffering comfort.

"Meg resembled our Lord of the Realm. With the exception of their voices and height, she had the same blue eyes, plus long, ebony hair. She dyed her tresses purple while in Athens, and cut it shorter so nobody would confuse her for the Conqueror, 'cause she was an enemy of the city throughout the Peloponnese Purge. My wife predicated that it was only fair to look as wacky as her Jester-husband acted." His tonality had gotten increasingly somber, "During our travel to Corinth, she caught a chill and became grievously ill... She died before we arrived at the castle. It was hard on us, particularly Virgil. Now, obloquy apropos to me is happening all over again and my son has to listen to such nonsense."

"Speak with him, Joxer. Let him know how you feel and how his mother felt whilst she was alive."

"If I do that and Virgil still insist on me resigning, what am I supposed to do?" Joxer urged. "Quit?"

"No." Ri replied. "A compromise has to be reached somehow."

"He thinks if I become a swordsman, it'll show I deserve esteem."

"So do it." The storyteller acceded.

"Huh?" He became mystified.

"There's the settlement." Ri grinned. "You continue on being a jester, and in the duration of your free Cronus, get some sword practice."

"I can't join an army." Joxer frowned.

"You don't have to. Just showing initiative with soldier training will go a long way with Virgil. He'll see you are trying and appreciate that." Ri hoped.

"Oh, Ri-Ri, you have possibly solved my problem." Joxer beamed. "Thank you."

"You're welcome." She squeezed his hand, letting it go afterward. "You have a lot to ruminate on, I'll bother you with my situation another day."

"No. That's foolery and I thought I was the Fool." He tried lightening the mood. "You helped me, allow me to assist you."

"Okay, but my divulgence cannot be spoken to anyone else."

"You know you can trust me." Joxer professed.

"I'm certain of that." Ri drew in a deep breath, clutching the glimmering adornment that rested around her neck. "This jewelry was given to me by Milady, our Lord. She presented it to me in Minerva's temple, prior to leaving on progress. It symbolizes a promise; an avowal that she will visit me in Athens."

"The Conqueror will be traveling there to see you?" Joxer was astounded.

Ri nodded her consent to his question. "She plans to make visitations at the Academy."

"The Academy of Performing Bards!" He exclaimed. "I presumed that you were going to Athens to be tutored by Aristotle."

"My apologies, Joxer." Ri voiced, admitting, "In all the excitement of this moon, I've forgotten my original purpose for journeying there in the first place."

"That's amazing, Ri-Ri."

"Um, there's more..." Appearing pensive, the former Handmaiden cogitated on how the jester would take her forthcoming admission. "Also, we, uh...we osculated in the sanctuary."

"What?" Joxer became flummoxed again.

"We kissed." She chose to expound further, "Milady intends to court me once she returns, but the Chancellor doesn't think so. He has inclination to believe I'd imagined the entire affair and commanded my silence on the matter. I had begun to accept that, albeit, after conversing with him yesterday, I feel he only demanded it because of Prince Lyceus."

"Why would he do that?"

"I can't fathom the Chancellor's intentions fully. Withal, the Prince evinced that he is in love with me."

"Romantically?" Joxer's dark pupils had widened while Ri gave a concurring nod, hence his joke, "Seems you got sibling troubles."

"There is no room for your expertise in foolish notions." Ri swatted his arm playfully, pertaining a woeful tone, "I don't know what to do, Joxer."

"Does the Conqueror love you like Prince Lyceus do?" He prompted.

"She never disclosed it to me, but I love her. And...I feel Milady does, too."

"That's all that should matter, Ri-Ri." Joxer smiled. "If you feel, in your heart, a strong bond for the Conqueror, then by all means, it's there, and, perchance, the Lord of the Realm feels it as well. She did bestow a magnificent necklace for you to adorn."

"The jade pendent glows, too." Ri blurted without deliberation. "Well, it did once after I had this dream that felt real."

"What dream?"

"You've helped me enough. Let's get some food and talk about other interesting topics." Ri began to stand, just for Joxer to gently tug her back down on the couch.

"Uh-uh. Tell me about this dream." The Jester insisted.

"You're going to think I'm weird."

"Try me."

Sighing, Ri summoned the courage to explicate everything like she planned, "It happened the first night I donned the necklace. I had a dream Milady was on the deck of a ship fighting these people whom looked like Akemi."

"The Conqueror was beating up multiple chambermaids?" Joxer questioned.

"No." Ri giggled, rephrasing, "She was battling male warriors that had the same ancestry as Akemi. The difference was, Milady resembled a younger version of herself."

"Oooooh... Yea, I think you're weird." Joxer jived.

Ri chuckled. "Let me finish. When she defeated all of them, another combatant, whose identity was concealed by a helmet and clad in blue armor, unsheathed a metal pole off of his back to assault her. Thus, Milady equipped herself with a circular disc, before they charged at each other."

Joxer was getting into the story. "What happened next?"

"I'm not sure. The scene changed and I was in this spacious room with an assortment of weapons. My hair was cropped short and I wore a sky blue robe, pointing a curved sword at an auburn-haired female, who withdrew hers. Thereafter, the scene altered again."

"Come on, Ri-Ri." Joxer complained. "You can't get me immersed into your tale and leave me hanging when it gets to the good parts."

"I'm telling you exactly how it took place in my dreams." Ri purported, becoming sardonic. "Shall I continue or not?"

"You can keep going." He acquiesced, hoping she wouldn't cut out anymore exciting aspects.

"The fourth scenario revealed me and Milady in the room with the various weapons. She still appeared young whilst holding out her hand as if she wanted something from me. I got up quickly and threw that same disc-shaped weaponry she had wielded against the blue armored warrior. She'd managed to duck under it, only for me to commence attacking her with these pronged daggers in both my hands. It ended with her shoving me onto the wall. Then...then..."

"What?" Joxer probed in anticipation, wanting to hear more.

"We... We made love." Ri recalled the passionate sequence with vividness.

Joxer swallowed hard. "Love... Like, 'love'? Actual..."

"Yes, sex." Ri informed him.

"Well, was it, um, amazing?"

"It had the illustration of looking that way." Ri's eyes landed on Joxer's intently. "But I don't think it was me."

The Jester laughed. "Of course it wasn't. You were just dreaming."

"It was more than that. I can't describe my cognition wholly, notwithstanding, I'm positive it was real, and the towhead I'd dreamt wasn't me."

"Once you awoke, is that when the jade glowed?" Joxer quizzed.

"Briefly." Ri answered. "It stopped, and so far, it haven't ever glowed again."

"Hmm. Have you had any dreams like that before or after?"

"Not that I have recollection of."

"Wouldn't it be hilarious if the necklace caused you to have that dream and it truly was a vision, or something?" He asked humorously.

Ri started tittering. "Putting it that way, declaring my dream is grounded in reality does sound ridiculous."

"That's my point, Ri-Ri." Joxer emitted. "It was just a dream, nothing more. The morning rays of Helios probably reflected off of the gemstone. Or you were so groggy, your eyes made its own depiction of it seemingly glowing."

Ri dwelled on Joxer's proclamation, concluding, "You're right. It was solely a dream that I became obsessed over."

"Yup." The Jester agreed, preluding his licentious query, "So, did the sex part last for awhile?"

"I'm not exposing anymore." Ri blushed.

"That's not fair. I listened to you drop all the action and now you deny me a simple request?" Joxer fretted.

"Okay." Ri yielded. "I'll tell you."

"Thanks, Ri-Ri." He said, and got comfortable.

"Milady twirled her long, hard, shiny blade twice, and clipped the first guy who fought her." Ri teased. "The second challenger became disarmed when she deflected his sword and swirled their adjoined blades together. Thereupon, she performed a jump kick, knocking him down. The third man got kicked in his head by our powerful Lord, but managed not to fall. So, she smacked him on the rear with the flat of her sword, preceding striking him with a fist. She hit the guy with such force, he wounded up twisting off of his feet in midair and landed on the floorboards with a thud. Milady had a radiant smile, causing all of the other warriors to rush her as one, just for them to be vanquished also."

Joxer applauded. "That's not the scenery I was going for, but it'll do."

"Thanks." Ri began to redden. "Maybe I will share my more erotic story with you after Milady and I tie the knot."

Joxer espied the emotion in Ri's optics. "You really love her, huh?"

"I do. I have for a long Cronus now, and can't picture my life without her." Ri closed her orbs, confessing, "Milady's everything to me, and it's not 'cause of who she is and what she's accomplished. It's her essence that many, if not anyone, can see, other than myself. Milady can be so stoic around people, but whilst she's with me, she is beyond being the ruler of a Grecian Empire. She is greater than the Realm itself. Our Lord is the life that breathes into me and creates a fire, which burns for her love. If she takes me... When we make love, I will give her all of me, until we're both consumed with nothing, except one another. My savior is the spark that drives me, ergo after I see her again, I'm going to make sure she knows."

Opening her greenish-blue irises, Ri saw that Joxer was misty-eyed.

"That was beautiful, Ri-Ri. That's how I felt about my wife." He cried.

The strawberry-blonde moved closer, gathering Joxer in her arms, allowing him to weep for the woman he'd loved and had to let go. Ri counted herself lucky that she had someone who made her swell with loving affection, and wasn't going to let anybody take it away from her. Numerous candle-drips had passed, nevertheless, the storyteller and Jester stayed on the couch in an embrace till Virgil traipsed into the apartment, returning from his class.

"Whoa." The teenager was taken aback at the sight of the two adults, noting the dried tear streaks on his father's cheeks. "I know you like being a Fool, but I didn't think you'd cry over it."

"Don't tell him the veracious purpose for why I was crying." The dark-haired man whispered to his friend.

"Telling Virgil that, what kind of monster would I be." She retorted.

Thereon, Ri and Joxer descried each other, laughing once more with smiles.

To Be Continued...