CONQUERING THE CONQUEROR

by The Geeky Bard

An alternate timeline where Xena is still on warpath accross the lands. She's still angry, lost and on a path of destruction. Both for everyone around her as well as herself. That is until one fateful day that while she doesn't know it at the time, the seemingly meaningless events will become the spark of something that will completely change the course of her life.

30. Chapter 30

DRACO

(Angry tone) What do you mean we can't keep going?!

Hector jumped slightly as Draco slammed his fist angerly against the table he stood at looking over a map of the area he and his men had been marching toward.

HECTOR

The heavy rain from last night flooded the river. There's no way we can cross safely and it would take us several more days to find a way around.

Draco scowled.

DRACO

(Angry/ Sarcasm) Great.

The warlord stood up straight from leaning over the table as he turned to face his subordinate.

DRACO

Then I don't suppose there's been any word on Xena's movements?

HECTOR

Still nothing since your last encounter.

DRACO

Interesting.

Hector saw his leader become thoughtful.

DRACO

Just what is that woman up to?

HECTOR

You did wound her pretty badly. So isn't it possible that she succumb to her injury. You did run your sword through her chest after all.

Draco scowled.

DRACO

(Irritated tone) You know Hector you can really shock me with how fucking stupid you are at times. Don't you think that if Xena were dead, we would've heard about it?

Not appreciating the insult, Hector scowled but didn't say anything as he knew it was smarter to remain silent. Because since being given a significant boost to his strength by Ares, Draco had become far more quick tempered and unforgiving. The warlord had clearly become far more comfortable with the power he'd been given and as result taken a far more brutal approach to dealing with whatever the warlord saw as opposition, disobedience or disrespect. Of which a fair number of the men within Draco's army had learned the hard way when several had entered up with fairly serious injuries after having unintentionally angering the warlord when not completing various tasks as he had instructed or even just doing something as simple as saying the wrong thing to him. However, even though Draco's approach in managing his army had changed, the warlord's men still remained loyal and overall satisfied with remaining in his employ. As they had come to claim multiple relatively easy victories across a very good stretch of area that they had been making their way across. Which had even included taking a number of smaller towns and villages that laid just along the boarder of the Conqueror's territory. And with those victories had come the spoils of war, that included a healthy surplus of a verity goods and activities of which along with Draco himself, the soldiers of the warlord's army were more than happy to indulge in and fully enjoy. However while Draco may have been making some headway in laying siege to multiple expanses of land not belonging to Xena, aside from the battle at Amphipolis where he had faced Xena, Draco hadn't yet moved in on any owned by the Conqueror as he was certain he'd be met with heavy resistance along the border. And attempting to slip by Xena's initial forces was a fools errand as he knew the result only him losing far too many men then he felt would be worth it in the process.

DRACO

She's alive. She shouldn't be. But she is.

Not quite as convinced as his leader of Xena still walking among the living, Hector sighed to himself as he decided to play along with the notion of the Conqueror not being dead as of yet.

HECTOR

Okay let's assume that's true and she is still alive. The question now is why haven't you made another move against her while you have the chance? If she's injured don't you stand a far greater chance of defeating her now while she's still vulnerable?

DRACO

You don't think that because of her being injured and knows that she has someone coming for her that she's gonna have her defenses up even further than usual?

HECTOR

I suppose she would expect a follow-up attack.

DRACO

Exactly.

HECTOR

Then if we aren't going after Xena's territories or her directly, what are we supposed to do, just stand around and wait for her to recover and retaliate?

DRACO

Oh I wouldn't worry about that.

HECTOR

Why's that?

DRACO

Let's just say sometimes the biggest threat can come be right under your nose without you ever even knowing it before it's too late.

Draco chuckled as he moved to leave his tent and stopped just before stepping outside.

DRACO

I'm grabbing something to eat, then I want one of the girls sent in.

HECTOR

Any particular one?

Draco thought for a moment before settling on which one of the slaves that he kept around he wanted for the night.

DRACO

Oh I can never remember her name. That one dark haired girl you grabbed from that little farm village a while back.

HECTOR

The one from Potidea? I wanna say it's something like Lilly or Lila.

DRACO

Yes, Lila, that's the one. Have her waiting for me when I get back.

HECTOR

As you wish Draco.

A low, painful growl was let out as the healer applied a light coating of salve to the lingering wound on Conqueror's chest.

HEALER

Everything seems to be healing properly my lord.

XENA

(Slightly Irritated) I should be healing faster.

HEALE4

Yes well if you actually listened to my medical advice and stayed in bed, you probably would be.

Xena scowled at the woman but didn't say anything as she was forced to grit her teeth from another jolt of pain that while she was still experiencing some lingering pain, it had gotten significantly more bearable. Though that wasn't to say that Xena's injury didn't still hinder her ability to do many of the more physical things she had typically done before getting injured by Draco. A subject that still bothered Xena greatly as the lack of activity from the enemy had puzzled and bothered Xena possibly even more than the fact that Draco had nearly killed her and left her in her current state.

HEALER

Okay that should do it.

Finishing wrapping a clean bandage securely around Xena's chest, the healers tucked the end into the wrap and move to wash her hands as Xena stood up from her seat and put her shirt back on.

XENA

Finally. I have things to do.

The healer looked at Xena with slight disapproval.

HEALER

You don't ever listen to a word I say do you?

Xena idly made sure her bandages were secure as the healer spoke. Before looking at the woman when she had finished.

XENA

(Lying) What was that? I wasn't listening.

Xena smirked at the look on the other woman's face who was clearly unamused by her comment but didn't say anything in response as she just told Xena that she was good to go as Xena had already begun heading for the door.

GABRIELLE

(Thinking to herself) She apologized.

Gabrielle quietly walked the halls of the keep, absorbed in her thoughts while on her way to take a bath before heading off to bed.

GABRIELLE

(Thinking to herself) I shouldn't be like her. What did she mean by that? Why would she even care? To avoid any possible future competition? Does she actually feel some level of remorse for the things she's done? I suppose she did appear completely genuine with everything she said about what she thought she did as well as what did happen when she came to my room. I just don't get it. Just who is she?

Gabrielle sighed to herself as she found herself being reminded of just how many more differences there seemed to be between the myth of the Conqueror and the woman that Xena actually was. But as Gabrielle carried on with her bath before going to her room and settling down in bed, she had no way of knowing that she would soon bear witness to yet another side of Xena. A side of which Gabrielle herself would unknowingly be cause.

TO BE CONTINUED...