It was night-time and Xena, the Conqueror gazed from her castle window, admiring her handiwork. It gave her an unspoken thrill to know that all roads led to her Kingdom in Greece, from Gaul to the Far East to the Roman Empire. Simply put, all of the Known World. The panorama before her was a testament to her wondrous power.
The high full moon gave her an excellent view of the bodies in the dark and she could hear their pitiful moans, anxious to be released to their ultimate deaths. Those who had dared to question her authority hung limply from their crosses and the ones with broken legs were envied by the ones without. At least their agony would come to an end much quicker than the other foolhardy souls.
Out of the corner of her eye, she watched a crucified figure, already assumed to be dead, come alive and open her eyes. The woman wore a dark cloak that surrounded her golden, almost flaxen hair, giving her the appearance of a halo’s aura. The woman released her arms and somehow managed to yank her wrists from the ropes that bound her. She stretched her arms above her head, then fixed a stare in Xena’s direction. The Conqueror gasped as the woman freed her broken legs from the wooden cross and leaped to the ground as if she’d never been hurt at all. She strode purposefully toward Xena’s castle with her dark cloak flowing loosely behind her. Xena irrationally feared for her life.
A few moments later, a knock sounded on Xena’s door and the warrior bolted upright in her massive bed. She leaped to her feet and reached for her sword all in one motion.
"Come in," she called as she hid behind the door anticipating the moment her sword severed the blonde woman in two. She raised her weapon in a high arc.
"Good morn–" was all the unsuspecting servant managed to utter before Xena’s massive blade sliced through his back, quickly sending him to his death. The tray of food clattered to the floor, scattering all its contents.
The Conqueror narrowed her eyes at the innocent victim. That’s what he gets for sneaking up on me, she rationalised. She raced to the window in the early dawn of first light and scanned the field of crucifixes. She searched for the blonde woman but found no person similar and the spot where she had been was cluttered with other victims, all men. Perplexed, she called to the guards to drag the carcass from her room and ordered a fresh tray of food.
All day, Xena’s mind wandered back to the blonde woman who had descended from the cross. She supposed it had been an oracle’s vision but it had been so vivid as to appear real. She had never been prone to visions and had trusted only what was in front of her. Visions and dreams were for the weak and she was prone to kill oracles whose prophecies didn’t agree with what she deemed was her path with destiny.
A knock on the door interrupted the Conqueror’s thoughts. It was Darphus, her Second in Command.
"There’s trouble with the prisoners," he announced.
"Go on."
"There’s an agitator."
"So? You know what to do with them," Xena said dismissively. It was clear she was bored with the entire subject.
"She’s an Amazon."
"An Amazon?" Xena queried. She wanted to hear more.
"Yes, Xena. Our spies say she’s Queen of the Amazons," he stated triumphantly, pleased with himself that he could bring the Conqueror such wondrous news. "A lot of good that title’s going to do her around here," he added sardonically.
"The Queen, is she?" Xena’s eyes narrowed as her mind conjured up visions of destroying the former Amazon nation once and for all. She had recruited quite a number of their finest warriors into her ranks but she knew there were still a few rebellious bands scattered about. However, they wielded no real threat except when they entered Xena’s domain trying to stir up trouble. The Conqueror knew there was a simple solution to this little problem. Kill them all.
Xena, the Conqueror awoke with her wrists bound by steel manacles. She found herself naked and cold, even though she was in the comfort of her private inner sanctum. She yanked on the chains and they echoed futilely in the quiet room. She called but no one came to her rescue. She began to envision a vividly detailed torture for each and every man and woman of her Royal Guard and fantasised about how long she would prolong their agony. The longer, the better. It wouldn’t be the first time she’d slaughtered every single member of her personal protectors.
"No one can hear you, Xena," a woman’s voice spoke behind her. Xena turned around to face her captor. The chains chafed her wrists but she ignored the excruciating pain. She wanted to see who had the audacity to intrude on her castle and live to tell the tale.
"You!" Xena exclaimed when she caught a glimpse of her captor. It was the same woman who had freed herself from crucifixion. "How did you get past my guards?!"
The woman counter circled around Xena, forcing the warrior to swing the other way. The woman stood close behind Xena and murmured in her ear.
"They’ll all have to die, won’t they, Xena?" she cooed. "Yes, you imagine what torture each of them will endure and you won’t let any of your minions do it for you, will you? The last time was exquisite, I’m sure. Too bad I wasn’t a witness. But this time, you’ll want to inflict every wound yourself. It’s the only way you will be able to feel anyth–" The woman’s words were cut off as she landed solidly on the ground, her legs kicked out from under her by the warrior. The woman laughed at Xena even as a foot stomped her in the belly. She rolled over and caught her breath, rubbing her abdomen to soothe the pain.
"I guess you really are as vicious as your reputation, Xena." The woman smirked as she stood up to face the warrior, miraculously recovering from the malicious blows. Her lips were just inches away from Xena’s mouth and the warrior wasn’t sure if the woman was just plain stupid or courageous well beyond mere mortals.
"Who are you?!" Xena spat out.
The blonde circled back around Xena and whispered. "I’m the woman of your dreams, Xena." Her sensual whisper made the Conqueror shudder and a spark involuntarily ignited her loins. "And your worst nightmare," the mysterious woman added.
Suddenly, the room was silent and Xena was released from her bonds, collapsing in a heap on the floor. Xena stumbled to her feet and sought out her sword and battle armour. Indeed, today would be a good day for a kill.
For Krykus, the Captain of the Royal Guard, the battle in the Courtyard seemed to go on for countless candlemarks. From the moment Darphus had informed him in the early morn that Xena proclaimed the fatal round robin, he knew his life was forfeit. There had been an intruder into Xena’s private quarters the night before, and as a consequence, all guards were instantly sentenced to their deaths. No man or woman had ever survived. Not against Xena.
It was a great honour to be a member of Xena’s personal guard, and being Captain was the best, however, for the dreaded round robin, it was the worst. He would be kept alive the longest, the lucky ones had already been put out of their misery. All thirty members of the Royal Guard were dispatched to the arena and they lined up in order of prodigious skill to take their turn engaging the self-appointed Executioner. And the Executioner was Xena, the Conqueror herself, fully dressed in her battle armour. She rarely needed to go into combat anymore, but her brutal workouts were legendary and it was sheer mercy that anyone survived. However, in a round robin, the sole survivor was always Xena. Krykus stood last in line, as being Captain, he was possessed with the most adept skills in the Royal Guard. But no matter, he knew he was a dead man.
The burden of captain was that Krykus was personally responsible for all intruders, but he had no idea what woman Xena was talking about. There had been no intruder upon the castle and he had investigated the matter himself and everyone said nothing out of the ordinary had happened. Except for the poor unfortunate servant who had simply been in the wrong place at the wrong time. No one knew of a woman who had entered Xena’s domain, and yet the Conqueror had insisted. Stupid paranoid bitch, Krykus fumed to himself. It wouldn’t be the first time Xena had been excessively paranoid behind her own castle walls.
Krykus steadied his nerves, held his head high, and resigned himself to his fate. He stoically waited as one by one, the woman formerly known as the Warrior Princess, gutted the relatively weak and strong with equal abandon. Dead soldiers littered the Courtyard and the crowd cheered on the Conqueror’s dastardly deeds. When he was the last warrior standing, Krykus was finally called upon to succumb to her sword.
Xena honed in on her prey. Her hair dripped with sweat from the exertion of battle, but she was hardly tired. An icy wall sealed itself around Krykus’ heart and his courage seeped out of him when he was confronted by twin pools of steely blue. Xena’s eyes shone with a murderous lust that rendered her completely unrecognisable. It was as if Ares himself had taken possession of her soul and there was little hope for Krykus’ survival. A feral smile creased her lips and it was clear that Xena thought of the Captain as merely a mouse to be toyed with. Krykus had no chance and he knew it.
Xena and Krykus waltzed a deadly dance with the Conqueror in the lead. She slashed right, then left, then right again, and repeated her moves, concentrating the wounds on his right arm, his swinging arm, and it weakened the limb severe enough to force him to nearly drop his weapon. But he didn’t. Blood poured from the open gashes, but Krykus was too frightened to notice for fear he may miss a thrust by the Warrior Princess. Before he had a chance to think, another gash sliced open his left arm and a stab to his right thigh almost made him sink to his knees. However, his pride refused to let him go down, even if he knew he wouldn’t be standing much longer.
Then he spotted an opening, and thrust at the Conqueror. But in the blink of an eye, she was somersaulting over his head and landed behind his back, planting a solid blow between his lungs. He felt the air wheeze out as his face smashed into the hardened earth, breaking his nose on contact.
"Get up," he heard Xena say as she landed a hard kick to his side. Despite, the thickness of his leather uniform, he was sure he heard a few ribs crack with the force of the blow. As he inhaled air, his lungs confirmed it. He willed himself to get up for what he knew would be his last time.
"Get up!" Xena repeated and landed another blow with the hilt of her sword to his lower back, a blow that made him jump up violently and swing wildly in her direction. However, his weapon sliced through nothing but air and she caught him square between the legs forcing him to upchuck his lunch. He crumpled to the ground, landing face first, barely conscious that half of his face was smeared with vomit mixed in with his own blood. Xena kicked him again so that he rolled over on his back and he came face to face with the most feared demon in the Known World.
The Conqueror jumped on the Captain and straddled his hips.
"Who is she?!" she screamed as she backhanded him across the face, his blood and teeth splattering her armour. It was with great agonising effort that Krykus tried to make out what Xena was saying. Even as pain wracked his entire body, he remembered why he was here. Why the Conqueror would execute him at any moment. The woman. A phantom. No one had seen her. Except Xena. But no matter, he knew he would soon be on a boat giving up his fare to Charon.
"No one got in! I swear!" he heaved, clinging on to the remotest hope that Xena may yet spare his life.
"Are you calling me crazy? She was there, damn you! Now who was she?!"
"There was no woman! By the g–!" he exclaimed as tears rolled down his cheeks, his grandiose bravado be damned. His throat constricted with a rising panic and all that his field of vision encompassed were two dark blue eyes boring a hole through his skull. He knew a blade across his throat would soon follow.
"Yeah, right. Say your prayers, coward," she stated evenly. The blood gurgled in his throat as Xena sliced the blade across so swiftly that Krykus thought he was still speaking. The words died in his throat as his last gasp of air was released.
The Conqueror lay in her bed, but could not sleep. The day’s events left her veins surging with a blood lust she hadn’t felt in several moons. She was restless and plagued by thoughts of the visions she’d had recently that featured the elusive phantom woman. Even a warm luxurious bath had not quieted the flames that burned within her.
A short time later, Xena awoke to the chafing of metal against her wrists. She yanked on the chains, in a panic that the new guards had not fared much better than the old.
"Xena, the Conqueror," the now familiar voice purred from behind. "Your blood is boiling now, isn’t it? But you can’t satiate your passions, even though they’re raging out of control. They wash over you, up and back and down again."
"What do you want?!" Xena asked, exasperated that she was unable to solve the puzzle presented by the enigmatic woman. She futilely tried to twist away from the steely grip the woman held on her waist. Not that she didn’t enjoy the soothing human contact, but she didn’t want to admit to her captor that her touch heightened the raging lust that swept through her.
"I’ll tell you why I’m here, Xena." As the woman spoke, her hands fluttered across Xena’s supple muscles, tracing a sensuous path along her stomach, her sides, and the curve of her breasts, stopping just short of massaging Xena’s nipples that stood hardened and aroused.
"You will be assassinated very soon."
"Oh, great. Another oracle," Xena answered sarcastically.
"There will be a girl who will be presented in your court. You will sentence her to die, to be put on the cross. If you put her to death, you will surely die. You must keep her alive, Xena."
"And why should I believe you?" Xena queried. She tried hard to focus on a scenario where someone would be close enough to assassinate her. But the woman’s wandering hands distracted her from thinking rationally.
"You have many enemies, Xena. The girl will come to you but you must spare her." The woman’s breathing increased as her fingers sought Xena’s pointed nipples. Dextrous fingers squeezed and twisted the erogenous points. Xena gasped when the blonde’s fingers wandered further down and found her sopping mound. She dripped with the blood lust that consumed her and she was helpless to control her body’s response. Then the woman’s fingers drove inside her, propelling her to savage new heights. Her eyes glared with contempt as this intruder into her life had transformed her into a raving sexual maniac. In self-defence, she asked a question.
"How will I know the girl? There are many in my court," she panted.
"She will be an agitator."
"An agi–?" Xena was cut off as the blonde woman smothered the Conqueror’s mouth in a searing kiss. The warrior reciprocated, her mouth inexplicably wanting to devour the smaller woman. She surged against the restraints that bound her and needed to press her full body against her captor. The blistering fire spread through Xena in a fierce assault as she drove hard against the aggressive fingers. It was as if she were possessed simultaneously by Aphrodite, the Goddess of Love and her mentor, Ares, the God of War. The heat that drove her depleted everything in its wake and she was no longer Xena, The Conqueror or Xena, the Warrior Princess or even Xena of Amphipolis but merely a slave to the passions that the blonde woman awakened in her. Finally, she reached the pinnacle of her climax and tumbled headlong into the dark abyss of ecstasy. She collapsed against the manacles, sweaty hair strands hung loosely around her face and her dark bangs matted against her forehead. The blonde woman released Xena from her grip.
"Like I said before, my precious warrior, I am the woman of your dreams and your worst nightmare. Remember that."
She planted two tender kisses on each of Xena’s eyes and another one full on her mouth. When Xena opened her eyes, the woman was gone and she found herself in bed, her fine silk sheets thrown off, her body sizzling beneath a thin film of sweat. She lay back in bed, and though utterly exhausted, she stayed awake until first light, basking in the afterglow.
"Just what you think you’re doing, Callisto?"
"Whatever do you mean, Aphrodite?"
"You’re supposed to be preparing her for Gabrielle, not turning her into a sex maniac!"
Callisto threw her head back and laughed. "It suits her, though, doesn’t it? She’s such a sexy sex maniac, don’t you think?" Her eyes gleamed with the memories of invading Xena’s dreams.
"I didn’t release you from the vortex just so you could screw everything up. Gabrielle will be here very soon, so get on with it already."
"Yeah, yeah, whatever," Callisto answered, waving her hand dismissively. "You didn’t say I couldn’t have a little fun along the way. And besides, we’re going to do this my way. Unless you want me to tell Ares what we’re up to...." She let her words trail off in an undisguised threat. It was true that Aphrodite had offered her a lot, but that didn’t mean that she couldn’t appear to have the upper hand.
"You wouldn’t dare!"
"Don’t dare me, ’Dite, you won’t win."
"All right, we do things you’re way, but get on with it already. We don’t want Xena to be a complete lunatic by the time Gabrielle arrives."
"No we wouldn’t want that, would me?" Callisto said derisively, rolling her eyes. "Personally, I think she’s a bit loony to want the irritating little blonde in the first place," she sighed. "But that’s another problem for another day. Now leave me alone, I’m about to make my grand entrance."
Xena, the Conqueror was awakened by a knock on her door. A servant, accompanied by the food taster, entered with a tray of food. She sat upright but stayed under the sheets as she was too exhausted to do much more. Her weariness over the past week was taking its toll and the darkened circles under her eyes were a testament to that. If her personal servant noticed, she judiciously kept her mouth shut as previous minions had been known to be slain in mid-sentence.
Xena began to eat the food deemed suitable by the taster. Pieces of her dreams, both vivid and elusive haunted her. They weren’t exactly nightmares as the sexual escapades were immensely satisfying. However, there was an ominous undertone to them and a sense of foreboding that troubled her. Even though she couldn’t remember the details, she instinctively knew that something unforeseen was about to happen and that her life would be irrevocably changed. She just had to be aware of everything going on around her, even to the point of extreme paranoia. She laughed to herself at the thought, as extreme paranoia seemed to be her constant state of mind.
Xena rose from the bed and prepared herself for the morning court session. The proceedings of the Court would soon fill up her morning. Xena, the Conqueror was the self-proclaimed judge, jury and Executioner. Depending on her mood, the slightest infraction such as begging outside the castle entrance could be met with a severe punishment of forty lashes. Not many survived the brutal flogging, but Xena’s rationale was, at least they wouldn’t be begging anymore.
There were also advantages to being the sole ruler of the Court. She had her choice of the finest men and women in the land. Men and women who would do anything to stay alive a few more days, including pandering to Xena’s exotic sexual habits. They all hoped to win Xena’s favour, but inevitably, they would falter and be put to death anyway. The women fared a much better chance than the men, but nonetheless, the Conqueror became easily disenchanted with the desperate people who paraded through her Court. Regardless, they were at least engaging enough to relieve the tension and boredom of her everyday life.
Sentries lined the path as Xena, the Conqueror made her way to her weekly appearance in the Courtyard. Xena sat atop her throne in all her splendid glory. A staircase separated her from the commoners as she awaited the first prisoner to be brought before her.
"Bring out the prisoner!" Darphus ordered.
Two guards dragged a blonde woman out into the light of day and threw her at the foot of the Conqueror’s throne. The woman’s face was hidden from view as she kept it buried in the dirt, but something familiar about the flaxen blonde hair caught Xena’s undivided attention. After a few moments, she spoke.
"What is your crime?"
The blonde lifted her head and the Conqueror instantly remembered who she was. Xena gave no outward sign of recognition except a raised eyebrow and a quick flash in her eyes. But it was enough. She couldn’t conceal it from the woman of her dreams and in that moment she knew the blonde would soon become her consort.
"We caught her trying to break into the castle," Darphus stated.
"What is your name?"
"Callisto. Callisto of Cirra."
"Now why would you want to intrude on my castle, knowing you would be caught?" Xena queried, her curiosity piqued. Despite her ultimate plans for the woman, she had to at least go on the pretence of meting out an appropriate sentence. After all, the woman had been discovered as a trespasser and that infraction couldn’t be allowed to go unpunished.
"I must speak with you, Your Royal Highness," Callisto addressed Xena with a title that appealed to the Conqueror’s massive ego. "I have a personal message for you," she stated enigmatically.
"From the gods, I presume," Xena announced, her mouth half-cocked in a bemused smirk.
The mysterious woman certainly had an allure in real life that at least matched the aura in her dreams. And she certainly knew how to address the Conqueror with the proper respect. She decided to assign the usual public sentence of forty lashes as the price for trespassing, however, she knew no whip would mark the lovely blonde’s back except her own. The woman had just become her pleasure slave even though Xena had no intention of allowing her plans for the woman to become public. She whispered her ultimate decision regarding the woman’s fate to Darphus.
"The penalty for trespassing is forty lashes. Darphus!"
"Forty lashes! Take the prisoner back to the dungeon!" he barked.
Xena waited in her private quarters for her new pleasure slave to be presented to her. Her silk robe, a gift meticulously designed by her dead lover from the Far East, hung loosely around her body. She wore nothing underneath it save the tattoo above her belly etched by Lao Ma’s own hand. For a moment, a fleeting memory of Lao Ma’s death at the hands of her own son passed before her and Xena swiftly suppressed the thought. She didn’t need to be thinking of Lao Ma at a time like this, although Ming Tien’s long and painful death gave her immeasurable satisfaction. She consciously brought herself back to the present and the matter at hand.
After a while, the prisoner was presented to Xena wearing only the leather wrist cuffs and a collar that marked her as the Conqueror’s pleasure slave. Callisto had been washed and scrubbed so that her fair skin glowed with a pinkish hue and each new cycle brought about a lustre and fragrance that the servants knew would suit Xena’s exotic tastes.
"So, what’s your message, slave?" Xena asked casually, although there was an unmistakable curiosity that tinged her words.
"You will be assassinated."
"Oh, that’s original," Xena said derisively.
"I know who causes it," Callisto continued. She gracefully sauntered close to the Conqueror and hovered at her side.
"Do you now." Xena leaned back in her comfortable chair, mildly amused by the woman’s foolish bravery. To her surprise, a warm flush swept through her at the near proximity of the enigmatic woman. She was forcefully reminded of her persistent dreams and her body was instantly alive with a sensual resonance.
"She’s an agitator. They say she’s the Queen of the Amazons," Callisto whispered.
An Amazon? Xena thought to herself. The blonde slave now had Xena’s wholehearted attention. Darphus had mentioned this so-called Queen as well.
"And how do I know that you aren’t the agitator? That you aren’t the Amazon calling herself the Queen," Xena spat out the last word with unmitigated disgust.
"Because I’m here to fulfil your every whim, your every desire, however you want, whenever you want. Isn’t that what you chose me for? To be your pleasure slave? You want to conquer me, don’t you, Xena? I could never kill you, my precious warrior."
Callisto’s melodious voice soothed Xena’s awakening libido. The words sounded vaguely familiar and she recognised some of them from her dreams. But she knew if she wasn’t careful, she could fall prey to the enigmatic woman’s charms. The blonde planted soft kisses on Xena’s cheek and led a trail to the Conqueror’s mouth. For a moment, their lips were locked in a soulful exchange of erotic power, and Xena allowed herself to succumb to the slight slave’s lascivious spell. But then, she wrenched the woman away and hurled her to the ground. She planted her foot firmly on the blonde’s chest.
"Next time you want to kiss me, you’ll have to ask me nicely," Xena declared. "Now I don’t know what your secret little plan is, but you won’t get away with it." As Xena spoke, she smoothed her bare foot between Callisto’s breasts, her toes wandering over to her nipples and stimulated the tips into arousal. "I don’t think you’re here to kill me, no, there’s something else you want." Xena allowed the blonde to massage her leg, her hands drifting up to the warrior’s knee. "Don’t worry, slave, I’ll find out what it is soon enough, or you’ll die from my trying. But for the moment, you are here for my pleasure."
Xena released her foot from Callisto’s chest. The blonde was instantly up on her knees and the Conqueror allowed the slave to leisurely discover the warm, wet folds between her legs.
"Xena knows who you are," Ephiny whispered to Gabrielle. The two women spoke quietly in the remotest corner of the crowded cell. They had been jailed for several days now, their only "crime" being that they had spoken out against the Conqueror. They had long since been branded as Amazons but they had hoped to keep Gabrielle’s true identity a secret for as long as possible.
"How?"
"A spy," Ephiny replied. They surveyed the other prisoners and tried to decipher who might be the culprit. The original plan of assassinating Xena by posing as a consort would have to be seriously reassessed. Someone must have known Gabrielle from the outside and in an effort to gain the Conqueror’s favour, revealed the pertinent information. Luckily, their plan was only in the initial stages and they had time to resort to their alternate plan. Hopefully, they could still recruit the former Amazons in Xena’s guard to assist them.
"You are to appear before her in the Courtyard tomorrow," Ephiny added.
"Where I will be sentenced to the cross," Gabrielle declared. It was a statement that both women knew to be true as surely as the sun would rise the next day.
"Yes, I know," Ephiny said sadly. Tears brimmed her eyes as she stared down at the ground. The Queen took Ephiny in her arms and hugged her tightly. After several long moments, she pulled away and held her by the shoulders, forcing Ephiny to look her in the eye.
"Ephiny, my dear friend," she said, her own eyes brimming with tears. "I never told you how much our friendship has meant to me. Especially right after Terreis was killed. You know she was the world to me and I couldn’t go on. If you hadn’t been there for me, The Nation wouldn’t have survived."
"To lose your mate like that can be the hardest thing. I was doing what any friend would do," Ephiny explained.
"And I’m sorry I never told you how much that meant to me. But listen, Ephiny. You have to carry on without me. If my death is a stepping stone to freedom for the Nation, so be it. But, please don’t give up. The consort plan can still work."
"Don’t worry, Gabrielle, I’ll go on with the plan."
"It won’t be long before she tires of the new one, and as we all know – "
"She has a weakness for blondes." They both exchanged wry grins as Ephiny finished Gabrielle’s thought. Everyone was well aware of Xena’s propensity for fair haired women.
Gabrielle’s tone grew serious again.
"Did you find out who the blonde woman was?"
"Her name is Callisto of Cirra."
"Never heard of her. Does anyone know her? Can she help us?"
"I doubt it, no one knows much of anything about her. How she gained an audience with the Conqueror so quickly is beyond me. I don’t remember seeing her here in the dungeon. And why she’s not dead yet…I don’t know. She must have inside help."
Both Gabrielle and Ephiny looked at each other for a moment, each trying to hold in their laughter.
"Blonde!" they exclaimed in unison.
Gabrielle returned her attention to the treasonous plan once more.
"Don’t tell anyone the new plan just yet. I didn’t expect that Xena would find out about me so quickly."
"Well, she didn’t become the Conqueror of the Known World by accident."
"Ephiny, here, take my bracelet, I’m giving you my right of caste. Xena thinks if she kills me, she can kill us all. You take over but no one must know, at least for now. Wait at least a week before you proceed with the alternate plan. You probably won’t have much more time than that."
"Gabrielle?" The Queen of the Amazons lifted her eyes to meet Ephiny’s. "I just want you to know, I think you’ve been the bravest Amazon Queen I’ve ever known."
The Queen swallowed her tears and held her Amazon sister in a long fierce hug.
The two women slept side by side in the dank dungeon until the guards came to get Gabrielle for her audience with the Conqueror.
"Bring out the prisoner!" Darphus ordered. The guards brought out a reddish-blonde haired woman clad in ordinary peasant’s clothing. They roughly pushed the prisoner along, dropping her in a heap at the foot of the staircase that led to the Conqueror’s throne.
"What is her crime?" Xena queried.
Gabrielle lifted her head from the ground. "I spoke," she said contemptuously.
"She incited the people against you, encouraged them to revolt," Darphus elaborated.
The agitator! Xena thought. The alleged Queen of the Amazons! The one whose neck she was supposed to save, according to the new slave. Well, we’ll see about that, she sneered. Xena descended the steps of her throne, closely followed by her Lieutenant, Darphus. It was on the most rarest of occasions that the Conqueror was in such close proximity to the commoners, but she had to see for herself what this Amazon Queen was made of.
"Get up," she ordered. Gabrielle struggled to her feet.
Xena placed her hand on the prisoner, smoothing back the hair from her forehead. It wasn’t until Xena grazed her thumb against the Amazon’s lip that Gabrielle defiantly jerked her head away and bravely met the warrior’s piercing gaze. Xena was not amused, however she held her emotions in check. The prisoner was fortunate that the Conqueror was feeling magnanimous and allowed the Amazon a final word before she imposed a sentence.
"I gave voice to the people, the fearful, the starving, the ones who disappeared in the night, never to be seen again," Gabrielle declared. Xena feigned compassion for those who got trampled under her ironclad rule. The Amazon continued her impassioned plea and turned around to address the crowd. "Have you no dignity? No rights? A right to live, to be free from harm!" she pleaded.
"I guess they don’t hear your voice," Xena answered cynically when there was no response from the crowd. She admired the woman’s uncommon bravery but she couldn’t allow malcontents to stir up trouble amongst the peasants, no matter how adorable the blondish redhead appeared. And she could think of more creative ways for the Amazon to channel her passions.
"I’m not the only one, you can’t break our spirit!" Gabrielle boasted. Xena knew exactly what the Amazon alluded to and she took it to be the threat that it was.
"The cure for spirit is fear, you’ll serve as an example, put her on the cr–" Xena paused in mid-sentence. For a fleeting moment, words from a dream came back to haunt her. "If you put her to death, you will surely die." No matter how much she wanted to kill every Amazon in sight, her own self-preservation served as a control mechanism. For now, the so-called Queen of the Amazons would live, but only until Xena decided what was to be done with her.
"No, wait. The cross is too good for the agitator. Forty lashes will do," Xena announced. "We’ll see how much spirit she has then. The sentence will be carried out tomorrow at first light," the Conqueror added. She ascended the staircase to take her rightful place on the throne.
"You cannot allow her to be whipped, Callisto," Aphrodite pleaded. "Xena must be stopped, things are only getting worse." The Goddess of Love could feel her voice rising in a panic, but she took in a deep breath to calm her nerves. She knew if Xena wasn’t stopped, the precarious balance between love and war would teeter dangerously out of control. She had explained the situation to Callisto and couldn’t understand why the blonde didn’t feel the same sense of urgency. Sometimes she wished she could be free of the restraints of being a goddess from Mount Olympus with their strict rules and codes of conduct, then she wouldn’t have to put up with unpredictable lesser gods like Callisto to do her dirty work. But she supposed that Callisto having nerves of solid iron served her well when the fledging goddess had been a mortal.
"I know, I know, you said that already. If Xena kills Gabrielle now, it effects all the other timelines, blah blah blah, ad nauseum. I need some time to think."
"Well, think quick, you don’t have much time. Xena said forty lashes at first light and she wants to be there herself. You know Gabrielle won’t survive the ordeal, few ever have."
Aphrodite had never realised how precarious Hercules’ balance of good and light against Xena’s dark impulses affected her very own existence. And in his absence, the monster in Xena was simply out of control. She shuddered to think of her own weakening powers and how it wouldn’t take long before Xena and Ares conquered all realms across the universe. Only the stay of execution with Callisto’s help could begin to bring the world order back in balance. But that was only the first step, they still had a long way to go.
"I know! I know, already! But you know how stubborn Xena can be and with her ego...." Callisto’s thought trailed off. "She wants to be there herself and destroy the little pissant who dares to call herself ‘Queen’".
"But you have to, Callisto! You’re the only one who can."
"What’s the matter? Getting scared, Aphrodite? Afraid Ares is going to win the War of Love and you’ll be left with only the power of a mere mortal?"
Aphrodite cringed inside at Callisto words. She knew she was playing with wild fire when she enlisted Callisto’s aid, but that didn’t stop the evil goddess’ tongue from twisting like a blade straight through her. She was heartless. "Callisto, you should be afraid too. You won’t get your chance for redemption if she dies."
"Honestly, ’Dite, you’re so good at stating the obvious," Callisto said sarcastically. "But there’s no need to panic. Don’t worry, I’ll talk her out of it. Leave me now, I have to think."
"You can’t kill her, Xena."
The Conqueror sat in her most comfortable chair while her slave brushed the length of her hair from behind. Callisto loved this part of being Xena’s pleasure slave and she knew Xena enjoyed being stroked as well. Even so, the blonde goddess knew that her time left with Xena would soon come to an end. She cherished being the Conqueror’s sole consort, but she knew that once Gabrielle arrived, Xena’s attention would be elsewhere. She wasn’t happy with all that she had to give up, and she found it especially ironic that she would be responsible for the getting the two lovebirds together, but in the end, it would be well worth it for a chance at a new life, a life that didn’t end with her being trapped in a vortex. She had yet another chance to make the rage she lived with evaporate into thin air, as if it had never been born. She had made a mess of things the last time, but this time would succeed. However, with the few days she had left of being a goddess posing as a mortal, she would make the most of it.
"I saved her scrawny little neck, didn’t I? She’s lucky she’s not hanging around outside my window as we speak," Xena chuckled at her own joke.
"Forty lashes will kill her and you know it. You can’t do it," Callisto repeated.
"And why not? Because she’ll send an assassin? Big deal! I’ve killed several in my lifetime."
"It only takes one, Xena. Look at what happened to Caesar. He had no idea you’d set him up."
"Caesar was a fool! So much for destiny." she snorted.
"But wouldn’t it be better to keep her alive and sabotage their plans?" Callisto kneaded the tense muscles in Xena’s neck and upper shoulders. The Conqueror was much too tense and Callisto intended to do everything in her power to get her to relax.
"Maybe. Go on." Callisto knew it was rare for Xena to discuss the matters of the Court with one of her minions but the goddess’ intrusive dreams and persuasive powers all culminated into making Xena susceptible to her suggestions.
"What if you convinced her little band of Amazons that the Queen has decided to join you. What if you made her your consort? What if you then made an alliance with all the Amazons? Then you will be able to kill the renegades with the Queen’s sanction. You can wipe them all out from the inside. But if she doesn’t survive the morning, plans are already underway to assassinate you. Trust me, Xena, they’ll succeed."
"You know this? How?"
"I have my ways, my precious warrior" Callisto whispered in Xena’s ear. "But believe me, there are many in the palace who would side with the Amazons if you killed their Queen."
"All right, I’ll let her live to see another day."
"Good," Callisto said. She pulled Xena’s hair away from her neck and trailed a line of soft kisses along the hollow of her neck to her shoulders. Her hands slipped under the Conqueror’s robe and settled on the soft mounds of her breasts. Xena turned her head and captured the slave’s mouth in a heated kiss, pulling the blonde over her shoulder and onto her lap. The naked goddess straddled Xena’s hips and her hands returned to the luscious mounds under Xena’s robe. The warrior withdrew from the kiss and yanked Callisto’s hands away, guiding them behind her back as one strong hand held them in place.
"That’s better, slave," Xena murmured as her other hand danced a slow waltz along Callisto’s delicate curves, across her ample breasts, along her muscular stomach, and finally came to rest between her legs as she stroked the wet hairs that covered her soaking mound.
"It doesn’t take much for you, does it, slave?"
"I stay ready, my sweet." Callisto leaned forward in an effort to entice Xena to explore further. "Just for you," she moaned. She moved close to Xena’s ear and whispered, "Take me, warrior. Conquer me."
"Ah!" Callisto gasped as Xena jerked sharply on her wrists forcing the slave to sit upright, her back as straight as a board. Her breasts were at the same level as Xena’s mouth and the warrior closed her lips over a protruding tip. She swirled her tongue around the erogenous nub stimulating the blonde goddess to tantalising new heights. Simultaneously, her fingers delved between the slick folds and slipped over the sensitive centre of nerves again and again.
"You really want to be conquered?" Xena asked huskily, her breathing hampered by the voluptuous mounds of flesh that soothed her face.
Suddenly, Xena bit down firmly on the nipple as two fingers plunged inside Callisto.
"YES!" Callisto screamed as the Conqueror invaded the most intimate of places. She was invaded again and again and she threw her head back in sheer rapture. She rocked against Xena’s fingers in a desperate race with time. Xena released her grip on her wrists and locked lips with Callisto in a fiery kiss as her hand held a tight grip on her long blonde hair. Xena’s thrusts became more urgent, more insistent, more driven and simply inescapable. Callisto soon soared over the edge and into the realm of absolute elation.