Warlord Daze

by Katrina

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 woke up as she usually did, eyes closed, yet with absolute awareness of her surroundings. She inhaled and knew three things, breakfast was almost ready, her leathers had been cleaned and Gabrielle was not in the bed. Well now, the third thing she knew previous to that, really, the warmth and pressure of her new lover's compact form was also absent. Xena felt a stab of astonishment. Gabrielle was up before she was. That was unexpected. Xena had been looking forward to waking her usually slugabed love.

The darkly beautiful woman sat up abruptly, her vibrant blue eyes scanning the sleeping area. She noticed that the separating curtains were drawn closed and spotted her equipment and armor laid out neatly upon the bench. There was also a clean blue robe folded neatly besides her leathers and this made Xena's heart pound loudly in her ears. It was her favorite. Xena closed her eyes, Gods, where had Gabrielle gotten that and how had she known to place it exactly in the manner Xena used to require it? Xena contemplated. She hadn't seen that robe in years, not since. . .

Her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of the curtains swishing to the side and back. Xena lifted her eyes and marveled in the sight of Gabrielle walking soundlessly, wearing a soft green robe and holding a mug of something obviously warm. Tea. Morning tea. Another surprise. How many were there going to be?

Gabrielle smiled as she approached the warrior and handed her the cup. Xena took it carefully, sniffed it out of habit (she'd caught one or two poison draughts that way) and sipped the lusciously sweet and minty liquid. Her favorite. She took another sip and sighed blissfully, then she set the cup aside on the small table for odds and ends. She patted the bed besides her and smiled, intending to make up for missing Gabrielle this morning. But Gabrielle shook her head and spoke softly, "You have a visitor, Mistress." Xena narrowed her eyes and was up off the bed like a shot. Who in Tartarus would be visiting her at this time of the morning? By Hades, it was still dark out. Xena knew that because, the night's shadows hadn't left the tent yet and because, she always woke up in the dark of the morning.

She strode to the curtain and pulled it open only enough so she could look out and she stifled a snicker. A man sat upon a stool in the middle of the tent. His back was being pierced by the stern gazes of two "slaves" guarding the the tent's entrance. His front faced her, though he hadn't noticed her gaze yet. She sniffed and whispered in contempt, "Nisus."

Nisus was not a tall man. His hair was dark and a little long. His face had scars from more battles than he cared to remember and some of them were still twitching at the rather abrupt halt he'd had to make. He turned for a second to look at the stern faces above him and realized that his plan to surprise Xena with his presence had been thoroughly scuttled. He'd hope to find favor in her bed this morning. Instead, he was faced with slaves with an attitude. Damn it, where was Harrel? He'd specifically told the slave to be here and let him in.

The whole situation had surprised him. So when he was confronted, he stammered and tried to come up with something conceivably meaningful. He claimed he'd come to discuss some plans and now his mind was firing up with trying to come up with those plans to discuss.

The strawberry blonde didn't scoff, but she didn't believe him and he'd known it. Of course she didn't. What warlord in his right mind would come this early in the morning to make "plans?" In her best, *I'm the one you have to go through to see anyone around here* mode, she quizzed him and invited him to leave and return at another more convenient time. If he'd been smart he would have taken her offer and come back later with a better sense of decorum. Instead, since he refused, she'd simply had one of the sturdy looking female slaves fetch him a "seat." Seat! Hah. It was a solid little nothing little stool. Then to his utter amazement, he'd been divested of his weapons which now lay to the side of one of those intimidating warrior types. He was a warlord damn it! But that officious. . .

His mind backed off from that statement. She hadn't really been officious, had she? In fact, she'd been quite courteous. But she'd also been very wary, very protective. He had heard that Xena's slaves were like that, but he'd never really believed it. None of his slaves would have taken the risk of offending a warlord in order to protect *him.* Yet here he sat, completely vulnerable, hands on his thighs, in full view of anyone who cared to look. There was a part of him that had to smile in admiration. Gods to have a slave like that. Then he corrected himself as he looked around the almost opulent surroundings. Slaves. There were slaves. It wasn't just the one, though obviously she was in charge. He counted the two behind him and could feel the presence of others, though he couldn't really find them.

He took a deep breath and realized that things smelled fresh. He tried to remember a time when his tent had smelled good and couldn't. Then he began to really take in his surroundings and noticed that compared to his warlord tent, which was no shabby affair, this tent had been transformed into something that exuded comfort. . .and wealth. A tent fit for a princess, a warrior princess. He began to get a sense that his world was in for a real change.

Xena let the curtain slide back and turned to face the strawberry blonde, who's impassive gaze disguised (barely) the fire that she felt at seeing Xena in a sleep rumpled state. Xena made a decision, determined at least to have a morning's kiss before dealing with the warlord outside. She knew what his real "plan" had been, but Harrel was saving up for his freedom and she had been paying him every day for his service. Nisus hadn't stood a chance, even if Gabrielle hadn't been here to circumvent his hidden agenda.

The warrior grinned ferally at her lover and in two quick steps pulled her into an warm embrace. Gabrielle couldn't help herself. She grinned in return. Then blue eyes sparkling with desire, Xena's mouth captured the bard's rosy lips in succulent kiss that left both of them gasping for air. She whispered into the bard's ear, "We are going to have to talk later." Gabrielle nodded, still mute from the kiss. Xena looked at lips starting to full from her kiss and decided it wouldn't hurt to have another one and her mouth descended again.

The peppermint tea was long cold before Xena left the small haven created by the curtains, but she was dressed and smiling a true smile when she greeted Nisus. The warlord, who could not believe how long he had to wait, was about to say something acerbic when he noticed something. Well, actually, two somethings. First it was the flushed slave, looking like she had been thoroughly kissed (and boy if that didn't spur some blood flow), who emerged from the partition behind the warlord. Second, as he gazed at the female warlord and he realized how comfortable she looked. Oh, it hadn't been that she seemed uncomfortable before. She'd joined in the feasts with a hearty appetite, had participated in the games, joined in the battle preparations, had (apparently) soothed her battle lusts with some of the men and all with a confidence and a relaxation that made him tremble with desire. Yet, he'd never seen her look so. . .so. . at home. He looked at the now solemn golden slave who stood behind Xena and regarded him with calm hazel eyes and he blinked with sudden understanding. He'd never had a chance. The odd thing: he couldn't even find a place in his heart to be jealous.

Oh he was envious of the obvious loyalty and if he'd thought he could convince the warlord to sell, he might have tried. But he knew in his cold little warlord heart that loyalty couldn't be bought. He should know, he had tried and had found out that there really were some things that dinars wouldn't cover. He'd never fully recovered from that. Still, he had appearances to keep up, so he growled a little at Xena about making him wait and got a sly little comment about early morning plans that nearly caused him to blush. Damn. She'd known.

But she covered for him by turning to the slave and with a voice like a caress said, "Have breakfast served Gabrielle." The compact woman, her golden hoops swinging with the movement of her head, nodded and then stepped out his line of sight. Xena turned back towards him, her well polished armor catching the gleam of the early morning light that was now filtering through an newly opened entrance. When had the guards done that? He resisted the urge to turn around and guess.

The warrior princess invited Nisus to the table, quite casually. She told him, as they were sitting down that usually she wouldn't eat breakfast quite this early, preferring instead to practice. This was something Nisus knew very well, having seen her practice and admiring how powerful and skilled she was. Then in a flash of awareness, he had another sudden vision of the sheer stupidity he had embarked on and he realized that the slave, Gabrielle, had saved him some *real* embarrassment. She was now twice as valuable in his eyes. At the moment though, he would have slapped himself on the forehead if it weren't for the fact he was in Xena's presence. Instead he tried to smile charmingly and engage in the conversation.

Gabrielle herself didn't serve the food. According to Shasta she would be too far above that station, unless it were only her and the warlord. But she did direct and the food was laid out quickly. She took her position to the right and behind Xena's chair. The food had been prepared by the Amazons, but the drink had been secured from the mess tent. An Amazon poured a cup for Nisus, who exclaimed, "Gods Xena! This is a spread," then immediately drank deeply from the cup. Then that same Amazon, with the same drink poured some into another cup, handed it to Gabrielle, who sipped it. Nisus could have choked at that very moment as he rapidly realized what that action meant, but the drink was already down his gullet. Then he watched the honey haired slave stepped around to the side of the chair and handed the drink to Xena. The warrior and the slave's gazes locked for an eternity as their fingers touched. Xena gazed into loving eyes and took the cup, though she vowed that if Gabrielle was determined to see this through, someone else would be doing the taste testing from now on.

Nisus set his cup down carefully and realized in an odd way, how paltry his life was. He looked at Xena. Now *there* was a warlord. He was just a wannabe. He would have sighed if it weren't for the fact it would make him look weak, but he'd learned his lesson. Nisus waited. When he noticed that she wasn't worried about the food, he didn't worry either and tucked in.

It was marvelous. Much better than the stuff he got served in his own tent. He wondered how Xena would feel if he visited her for breakfast everyday, then scratched that idea. He wasn't sure he wanted to be stripped of his weapons every time he came to see the woman. He took another bite. Then again, it might be worth it. Safe good food, safe drink. He looked about him again. Safe tent. He shuddered subtly. He hadn't realized how vulnerable he'd been. In that very moment, Nisus decided he would start taking lessons from the practiced warlord. Either that, or give up his vocation and maybe become a fisherman or something. Or maybe, he speculated as he gazed around one more time and let himself chew, he could be one of Xena's slaves.

pt 3 | pt 4 | pt 6

SPECIAL NOTE: Okay, I have no self control. Here's another Warlord Bit. . .

ŠAugust 1997