Disclaimers: The characters of Xena: Warrior Princess and all other associated with the television series of the same name are owned by MCA/ Universal Pictures. This is a work of fan fiction and no copyright infringement is intended.
Subtext: I guess with my writing so far we'll just quit calling it subtext and call it maintext. Yes they are in love with each other.
Sex: Lots of teasing
Violence: Not yet…
Language: Mild
Spoilers:
Other: Part Eighty-five in the series "Raising Melosa". Takes place about two weeks after "A Nice Cold Shower".
To Be Queen
By T.Novan
"Xe?"
"Yes dear?" I stop her as we walk toward the village, turning her to make her face me.
"You know this whole thing is about to drive me crazy." I just have to run my hands up the soft leather front of her tunic.
"Yes Ri," She captures my hands as the come to rest someplace she doesn’t want them to rest. "I know honey, but we’ve only got a few months to go."
"Aww Gods! Xe it just isn’t going to happen. If you don’t take me back to the tent right now and…"
"Don’t say it Ri. Please just don’t say it." I find myself relaxing into the palm of her hand on my face. "I love you Ri. We promised to be good."
"I know, but you know I can only be so good for so long. How long have you lived with me that you haven’t figured that one out?"
I watch as she drags her hand down her face, growling at me as she does. "You know we’ve gone longer than this before."
"Yeah, but that was our choice. By the Gods we are adults who have been together for more seasons than some of these people have been alive. If I want you to take me to my tent and make love to me who in Tartarus do they think they are to try and stop us?"
She wraps me in her arms and kisses the top of my head. "Your council."
"I’m disbanding the council the moment we get home."
"Oh no you’re not." She chuckles as she holds me tighter.
I just can’t resist. I lean in and using every bardic skill I have, begin a little rant in her ear. I can hear and feel her heart pounding. Is that a sweat breaking out on her forehead? I continue to talk to her and I can feel her start to shake. Come on Warrior even you aren’t that stoic.
"Ohhh Gods Ri…please stop…please…." She looks down at me. Her eyes are turning that shade of blue they get right before she totally loses it. If I time this just right….I lean up again and whisper the one thing I know will send her right over the edge.
"Your Majesty?" An unfamiliar voice squeaks out from behind my. Oh by the Gods this had better be important. I nearly fricken had her!
I take a deep breath before even attempting to say a word. "Yes?" I turn to find a Royal Guard, everyone calls Storm.
"Your Majesty the Regent and the council are ready to receive you. Princess Melosa is on her way to take you to council chambers.
"Very well. You are dismissed."
"Yes Your Majesty."
As she turns to leave, I hear Xe roar from behind me. "Wait!" She slips past me and grabs the guard by the arm. "Sparring…now!" She rumbles as she leads the guard away.
Her battle lust is legendary. Wait until they get a load of it in reverse. The thought makes me smile, even though we’ll probably have to fill the spot that will be left empty when Xe kills Storm. Interrupt me when I’m this close to seducing her.
Mel joins me as I watch Xe and Storm walk away. "Mom?"
I turn and smile at my daughter. "Yes honey?"
"What are you doing?"
"Oh my dear," I take her arm as we start for this village we are visiting. "You don’t really want to know what was rattling around in my head."
"Umm really starting to get to you huh?"
"You have no idea." I smile as I look to my daughter pulling her to a stop. "Mel do you love me?"
"What kind of a question in that? Of course I love you."
"Wanna help me?"
She cocks her head and her brow. "What? What do you want me to do?"
"Ah come with me my partner in crime." I laugh as I tug on her arm. "A frustrated Queen is a bad thing. You are going to single handily save the Amazon nation."
"Huh?"
"Don’t ask questions sweetheart just follow my lead."
"Yes Ma’am."
I dismiss Mel after my session with this Regent and the council begins. She knows what she’s suppose to do and she has a huge grin in her face as she leaves the council hall.
I’m pleased with this meeting. This tribe is adjusting well to all the changes and they too have taken on many new members as well. The Regent here, Leeta seems to be a competent woman. She was one of the surviving Queens and I had expected trouble from her, but I haven’t had a single problem. We had the chance to speak briefly when we first arrived, she told me that she never felt right ruling as Queen and she was more than happy to step down to allow me to rule the nation.
She seem to be a very sweet woman I am a little concerned about how quiet, almost timid she is. As the we end the meeting, I take the opportunity to speak with her a little more. As the hall clears I move to her and lay a gentle hand to her shoulder causing her to jump just a bit. "I’m sorry I didn’t mean to startle you."
She turns to me and smiles, shyly. "I’m sorry Your Majesty."
"Leeta don’t apologize to me. I startled you. Do you have some time that we might talk?"
She glances nervously to the door then back to me. "Actually Your Majesty would it be all right if we do this later? I’m afraid I’m expected at home and I’m very late already."
Something about her request is panicked and I’m afraid if I tell her no I’ll see the woman in tears. I give her a nod and smile. "Of course. Maybe this evening during the evening meal?"
"I’d like that Your Majesty."
"Leeta are you married?"
"Yes You Majesty?"
"Then why don’t you and your bondmate join Xena and I for the meal. In my tent, in my camp." I don’t know why but I feel the need to have the home field advantage here and since I’m not in my own village, my own encampment is the best I can do.
"Yes Your Majesty."
As I follow the woman out, Mel is at my side almost immediately. I continue to watch my Regent retreat across her village before turning to Mel and smiling.
"Celia and I have everything all ready for you." She says with a grin as she pulls her gloves on. Then she takes a cloak, which she has draped over her arm and place it around my shoulders. "This is from you healer by the way. She says you are to stay warm and dry."
"And if I refuse?"
"She’ll make me pay for it almost as much as Mother would. Please do give anymore of a reason to torture me than she already has."
I smile at Mel as I realize that my daughter is truly, deeply in love. "So how are you two doing?"
"Well, we’re just kind of are relaxing and taking things as they come. We promised not to push or try to hurry anything. If it’s meant to be then it will be. If it’s meant to happen then it will happen."
"Ah that’s my girl. When did you get so smart?"
"I have really, really good teachers." She cocks her head as she gives me some real consideration. "Hey are you okay?"
"Yeah I’m fine. Mel we’ve been here a few days now, have you seen anything ‘unusual’ here?"
"Define ‘unusual’."
"Oh I’m not sure. Maybe it’s just the change in the season and the lousy weather, but there is something very wrong here."
"What makes you say that?"
"Something very deep in my stomach. Have you ever met Regent Leeta’s bondmate?"
"Umm-hmm." She nods slightly as we begin the walk back to our camp.
"Oh that sounds dubious at best. "
"Well, Torin is a lot like Mother, but she doesn’t seem to have any sense of humor at all. Very umm stoic."
"Warrior?"
"Oh yeah. In such a big way."
"Hmm."
"Is there a problem with her?"
"Oh no honey not at all I was just curious about what she was like. I’ve invited Leeta and Torin to the evening meal over in camp tonight and I wanted to know what to expect."
"Very little conversation from Torin that’s for sure. I dunno she and Mother may hit it off, but I don’t think Mother will like her very much."
"Great, just great."
"Hey on the up side. If there is no bloodshed at dinner, everything is ready for after." She grins and winks at me.
"Oh yeah there is that." I smile as we enter our camp.
I find Xena with her palms against a tree, bending and stretching her legs. I wink at Mel who peels off and heads for her own duties. As I approach my loving consort I can’t resist giving a little slap to her backside, which sends her straight up.
"I swear Ri! Can’t you keep your hands to yourself?"
"Nope. Have no desire to keep my hands to myself. As a matter of fact," I pull her down and whisper in her ear again about exactly when and where I’d like to put my hands. I noticed a little growl, but she’s not attempting to get away from me. I finished my explanation with a little nip. Then I pull back and smile. "So what do you think?"
"I think you are an evil woman who needs to be spanked."
"You can save that for later." I smile as I take her arm. "Right now I need your opinion on something."
"This sounds important."
"It may be. Let’s take a walk."
As I look around the tent I can almost picture what it must have been like for Xe when she was a warlord. She has personally seen to every detail for tonight’s meal. The tent is arranged to put all the power in my favor. She has called for attendants to serve us and my formal leathers have been prepared. She has gone to change and inform Mel that she will be needed as Champion tonight. I asked her to invite Celia as well.
An elaborate meal is being prepared as Xe sees to the final details. "Bring it in here." I hear her voice as the flap is pulled back on my tent and five guards bring my throne in. Xe had decided that if I would be holding court during our travels then I should have my throne. Personally, I think that it silly, but I must trust her judgment in these matters. She knows more about how to command from a tent than I do.
It’s amazing really to watch her work. Even after so many seasons of being settled in the village she simply falls right back into a command presence the second we leave the safety and the comfort of the village. All those seasons of experience packed into that, oh now much younger body. I want the meal over and I want it over now.
The last of the food is being placed on the table and I am being fed an olive from the lips of my suitor and enjoying it immensely when Mel enters and clears her throat slightly.
"Your Majesty. Regent Leeta and her Champion Torin have arrived."
"Tell them to wait." Xena growls without even a glance over her shoulder. When the flap fell back into place she smiles down at me. "Where were we?"
"Right here." Just as I am about to finish the kiss a yell from outside sets us both on edge.
"Wait! Wait! Who in Tartarus does she think she is?" This was a voice I didn’t know.
Mel’s voice I knew. "She is your Queen and she has asked that you wait."
"By the Gods I don’t wait for anyone!"
Oh this was bad. I felt Xe tense under my hands. "Don’t love. Let’s just let them in." I whisper.
"How dare she…." It was a low and threatening growl as Xe moves to the opening. I watch her disappear through it and just shake my head.
I take my place at the large table after a few moments Mel enters and gives me a very wide-eyed look as she takes her place behind.
"What happened?" I ask in low tones as she settles in behind me.
"You don’t want to know. Just be prepared for the fact that this is going to get really ugly.
Suddenly I have a really bad headache.
TBC….