The following is a bit of alternative fiction based on certain characters from the
Xenaverse. It is not meant to infringe on anyone else's rights. If you don't agree or
disapprove, please go read something else.
Xex Alert: Oh Boy Is There. .This is a Prurient Piece with a Bit of Kink
(If you hear the crack of the whip then you'll be in the neighborhood) Proceed at your own
risk. :)
Remember, this is all meant in fun!
Xena spent no
time dallying, though she yearned to take advantage of the day of rest, whisk Gabrielle
away on Argo, find a nice shady spot and seduce the young woman. Instead, to prevent
Colchak from changing his mind, they spent what was left of the daylight hours selecting
Xena's warriors. They roamed the camp while the comely warlord hand picked the hundred and
fifty individuals to be her soldiers. The raven haired woman had plenty of time, over the
course of her stay, to determine the worthies from the crowd and she used that knowledge
now to create a core group of people that would eventually lead, though they didn't know
it yet, one of the biggest armies she'd ever assembled. There were more women in the camp
than Gabrielle had suspected and Xena chose quite a few of them. The warlord wanted people
who could think their way around a situation, not just fight. She wanted people who were,
within reason (considering their current employment), somewhat reliable and honest. Xena
wanted people who would be loyal to her and her alone, until she told them otherwise.
Apparently the do not disturb clause only applied to warlords, because Xena strode
imperiously into the tents, usually without a hint of a warning. There were plenty of
startled lovers, some of whom were picked at the same time, and Gabrielle and Eponin soon
learned how to stop the blushes they experienced during the foray. At different times, the
brilliant warlord had Gabrielle make a special note of the individuals she intended to
have act in various positions of responsibilities within the core group. Xena even
selected a few persons, whom she'd not considered before, because they were out on the
practice field on this day of rest. To her that indicated a dedication that she expected
they would need.
Around the middle of their unusual excursion, (by that time there was quite a crowd
forming around the command tent) Xena had Gabrielle hand over the directions to Eponin for
how, when and where she wanted these new people located, with the intention of having the
Amazon carry it out. Most of the selected were to get their gear together that day and
move into the tents closest to Xena's (but not too close, just where she could keep an eye
on everyone). The individuals supplanted in those other tents would simply have to find a
new home.
Gabrielle didn't expect to see the Amazon again that day, so she also bade her get some
food and a little rest when she had a chance. Eponin smiled gratefully and bowed to her
Queen, then she made off to conduct her new duty. Gabrielle, on the other hand, continued
her scribing duties with no real pause, not even for a snack. Once Xena made up her mind,
she determined to see it through, as quickly as possible. So much for rest day.
There was a part of Gabrielle that wondered if Xena was doing this just because she'd
had to get up early to deal with the other two warlords. She decided, however, that it was
unlikely and an unworthy thought. Still, the strawberry blonde was grateful that she'd
done all that tromping around in the wilderness with Xena previously. Endurance had become
her middle name, and she needed it too keep up with the Warrior Princess.
In her usual uncanny style, Xena's timing was perfect. Their final round led them back
to her tent, where one hundred and fifty plus people were waiting to hear from their new
leader. Gabrielle watched in fascination as Xena took to the stand, which seemed to have
appeared out of nowhere (although it probably had been there earlier and she'd just not
noticed it). The redhead felt a thrill of lust as she watched the warrior's backside
ascend up the small steps and she savored it. There was no end to the wonder she felt now
that Xena was her lover. Gabrielle wished she weren't so tired. It had been a long and
emotionally trying day for her. Still, when Xena turned and signaled her up the stairs,
she followed and she took her place behind and besides the warlord.
It was here that Gabrielle learned something new about Xena and about herself. What she
learned was this: when it came to orating, she was a babe in the woods (or at least felt
that way right at the moment). The only reason she didn't stare in slack jawed fascination
was the deep training which placed the mask of impassivity firmly upon her face. Xena's
resonant voice filled the air with a rich vocabulary and virtuosity Gabrielle hadn't known
the warrior possessed. Her heart felt a little wrench. All this time. All this time, in
her arrogance, she'd said, "I'm the bard. I do the talking, you do the
fighting." Gods. She should have realized. Xena had led troops by the thousands.
Surely it wasn't based on good looks alone (but if anyone could do it, Xena could). But
why hadn't the strawberry blonde understood before, why no clue?
Her mind scanned their history together and came to one conclusion. Xena chose the
silence. The blue eyed, dark haired warrior chose the role that Gabrielle had assigned
her.
Why?
Then, gazing out at rapt faces, Gabrielle knew.
It was safer.
There was power in storytelling, in orating. The bard knew this from personal
experience. Gabrielle recognized the sensation of using a tool and talent successfully,
especially now. She'd known the thrill from the first time she'd picked up the quill, the
first story she told. How many times had she used her voice to sway people and had it
work? More times than she could count. Sure not every time. No one can be perfect at
something every time, even Xena. But there was a vibrancy to the (Gods) *art* of speaking,
that could be unparalleled. (That explanation she'd conjured up about Xena was finding
more and more evidence in its favor.)
Gabrielle asked herself. What if you had the power to influence with your voice alone
and you had the charisma to back it up? What if you added a mind so quick, it could
outthink the Gods, plus (hard gained) experience at leading people? What if you were
someone so wounded you were afraid you might use your gifts for the wrong reason or you
knew/believed that you had? Would *you* talk a lot?
No.
Her answer was a whisper in the silence of her heart.
If it would have served any purpose besides hurting herself, Gabrielle might have
wallowed in guilt about her stupidity. But she wasn't that kind of woman, never had been.
Oh she felt guilt, but she knew the cure. If you feel guilty about something, you set what
you can right. Simple as that. So she never lingered where she didn't have to. But it did
make her want to do an assessment of herself, to ask about what it was that made her
valuable to their partnership. For that was what she'd thought they'd had. But this
discovery did not mean *she* wasn't valuable, or that their experiences together were
invalid. It just meant some of her assumptions about Xena were wrong.
Just as some of Xena's assumptions about her had been. Xena had adjusted. The bard
could adjust, and still be a great storyteller. This life wasn't a competition, though
some people lived their lives that way. To Gabrielle's mind, there was room for everybody.
Her mind flashed on the earlier events of the day, and she thought, with antipathy, of the
man whose arm she twisted. Well, almost everybody.
What this meant, in the long trail of thought that wound its way around Gabrielle's
head, was there was no reason for the red head to get all hot and bothered because Xena
demonstrated those "many skills," she spoke so modestly (usually) of. Instead it
was cause for celebration. They had something in common; well, another thing.
Gabrielle grinned inside herself. Her mind juggled these thoughts with agility and she
realized she enjoyed learning this new thing about Xena. It takes time to get to know a
person all the way and the fair skinned woman hoped to spend her whole life and eternity
unraveling and reveling in the mystery of Xena. The warrior was, after all, the favorite
subject of Gabrielle's thoughts. She gazed appreciatively at the fine womanly form in
front of her, shivering as a sharp point of desire rippled in her (Well, maybe she wasn't
too tired). There was at least one plus to this whole slave thing, the view was wonderful.
Gabrielle's mind had drifted to such a lovely subject that she wasn't aware that Xena
had finished speaking until she heard the surge of a group shout burst from the lungs of
all who had been called on by the Warrior Princess (terribly rude, but she'd get Xena to
tell her what she'd said. She, herself, had every intention of telling *all* to the
warrior. Why not, she always did anyway. Gabrielle had to grin at herself at that one.
Some things weren't going to change.) "Xena, Xena, Xena." (Gabrielle shook her
head with a grin. You'd think they'd come up with a new chant or something.)
The bard watched as Xena drunk in the audience response and reflected it back at them
with an electrifying intensity, even pausing to bequeath Gabrielle a breathtaking and
scintillating smile . It was an intoxicating sight that caused the bard's heart to pound
hard in her chest and added yet another scare to Gabrielle's list of things to worry
about. (Boy that list was sure accumulating fast.) She strove to relax, but felt the
tingle of her response (and she'd had a lot of tingles today) roll down through her toes.
At least the warrior wasn't waving something bloody. . .this time. Gabrielle wondered
what would happen if Xena did. Would the she be able to resist the judgment she'd felt the
last time, when they'd been battling the Horde? How could she respect and keep her own
beliefs, yet help Xena? There was so much that had changed in her already. It bore
thinking about for it was a weighty problem and one she had to deal with. Soon. But now,
the red head had to set the issue in the back of her mind. The warlord needed her.
10 | 11 | 13
ŠAugust 1997