Finding a Balance--Xena's Scroll (Part 1)
"Xena, I'm serious."
I looked up at my bard, even with my mouth still buried in her cleavage. I know that she was serious but quite frankly, the only thought in my mind was easing the pressure between my thighs. We had encountered a large band of the warlord Marodes's men earlier in the day, and had been involved in a lengthy battle with them. We had emerged unhurt, but we were tired and dirty and behind schedule, and I still had the nervous energy from the fight seething inside me.
I gave a long slow lick over the deep valley between her breasts. She had bared her top half to wash in the pond we had made camp by, but I had caught her before she got there. She had giggled at me at first, and then began to writhe against me when my mouth met her flesh. "Xena…I'm all sweaty," came the token protest.
"Mmm…you're delicious," I growled, pressing harder. I made a point of licking at the salty crease underneath her breasts, and then I was surprised when I felt her fingers intertwining in my hair at the nape of my neck, lifting my head upwards. I allowed her to pull my head away, and glared at her.
She was glaring right back at me. As usual, my intimidation wasn't working with her. It rarely did. "I'm serious, Xena," she said again.
"I know you are," I replied with a sigh. Reluctantly, I let her go, knowing she had other issues weighing down her mind. She had been distracted a lot lately, and I was trying to be patient with her.
Most of the time, it wasn't too difficult. But occasionally, I wanted to play when she didn't. Unfortunately, now was one of those times, and I was much more interested in my bard using her oral skills for something other than talking.
But I was thinking clearly enough to realize I should be careful in what I said to her. "I know you are, My Love," I repeated. "But don't worry, there will be another boat traveling east in a couple of days, if you're willing to wait. Even if we have to wait three days for a ship, we'll still get there faster than if we travel by land."
She nodded her understanding, and stuck her big toe in the water to check the temperature. She turned to face me then.
"I don't think I can wait three days," she told me with a shrug. "I'd rather be on the move."
I reached for the fastenings on my armor plate, "It's up to you," I told her.
She grinned at me, and rubbed a hand over my bared right arm. "So we can leave in the morning?" she asked hopefully.
I pretended to think it over. "Only if I get one of those first class backrubs tonight," I answered finally.
I wasn't startled to see the sudden gleam in her eyes. Now that she knew the plan, she was able to relax into the moment. Her hands came up to slide under the straps at my shoulders. "I'll massage more than that," she husked in my ear, before pulling the straps loose.
She didn't HAVE to show her gratitude for my compliance with her actions in the bedroll that night, but I wasn't going to turn her down either. We knew we needed to get an early start in the morning, but Gabrielle was too keyed up to sleep without a little help. We didn't have any milk to warm for her, so I tried another tactic. Three or four orgasms served as a great sleep aid, and were far less likely to leave any after effects than a sleeping herb.
We were headed toward the land called India, which was located to the Far East. I had never been there myself, but Gabrielle had heard much talk about some of the ways of life there. Yoga was something she had recently taken up, and among other things, Gabrielle had learned there were many yogi masters in India.
We had been traveling complacently together for three years, but lately, we both seemed to be struggling within ourselves a bit. We weren't struggling in our relationship; no, that was stronger than ever. Rather, we were struggling with private identity battles. Gabrielle had always been convinced her life calling was to be a bard, but lately, she had been working on fewer and fewer scrolls. She spoke often that she was feeling a calling to heal.
That really didn't surprise me. Although Gabrielle had become a skilled fighter, her first instinct was to help out when she could . She was far more likely to fight in self-defense than any other reason, and lately, I was getting the impression that even that kind of fighting wasn't settling well with her..
I am a skilled healer, having learned from an early age in Amphipolis how to treat wounds and various conditions. Unfortunately, I was called upon to demonstrate my warrior skills far more often than the healing arts. I could give Gabrielle plenty of practice on victims while we were on the road, but I realized that wasn't exactly what she wanted. When we had crossed paths with Najara, she had talked non-stop to Gabrielle about starting a hospice. Najara wasn't quite all there, as Gabrielle and I had soon discovered, but I knew her talk of the hospice really got to my golden-haired love.
We talked about it a lot. I seemed to bring it up more often than she did, but that was because I was worried she might not be happy. That was what I desired above all else, despite what anyone else might think, for Gabrielle to be happy. Gabrielle would talk about it for a little while with me, then skillfully change the subject. Just as I would try to bring up the subject around her, in order to show her I was supportive, she would drop the topic, knowing it was difficult for me to think about.
The idea of running a hospice still very much appealed to her, but lately, Gabrielle had been talking about a different kind of healing. She was speaking of a mental healing; maybe even spiritual in nature. I suspected Najara had something to do with that as well, but I didn't question it.
The gods know she had done had been able to heal my own spirits well enough! If ever there was a person beyond spiritual healing, it should have been me. But although it had been a slow process, Gabrielle had gradually helped me to turn my life completely around.
Despite all the help she gave me or perhaps because of it. Gabrielle was still on her own quest. She wanted to travel to India to see if perhaps the "masters" as she called them could offer her guidance.
I was just going along to keep her company. I have long heard stories about amazing magicians and acrobats hailing from India, but that wasn't enough to entice me there before now. It was going to take about a week and a half by horse to arrive in India, and that was with hard riding.
We had been traveling for a few hours that day when we ran into some trouble. A group of huge, hairy, ugly men had set
out on horseback after two young women driving a wagon across the flat countryside. The women were trying to outrun
the thugs, but it was apparent they would never be able to make it. Gabrielle had been walking along side Argo, but I reached down from the saddle, and she grabbed my outstretched hand, swinging up into the saddle behind me. Like a shot, we galloped off after the lowlifes.
The men obviously didn't recognize us as they quickly gave up on the wagon and turned on us. They formed a crude circle around us, and I gave Gabrielle a big grin before I somersaulted off Argo and knocked two of the guys from their horses. I could have sworn I heard Gabrielle say "Here we go again" before she jumped into the fray, but didn't have time to dwell on that right now.
The men were skilled fighters, but they weren't offering us much trouble. Gabrielle had knocked one of the men out, and I saw her give a shudder out of the corner of my eye. All her talk about healing and peace the last few days, and she was suddenly engaged in a brutal battle.
I knocked two of the men's heads each other, giving me a little breathing room. "Gabrielle, why don't you take Argo and make sure those girls got the wagon stopped safely?"
She nodded gratefully, and whistled immediately for Argo. I continued to fight, but kept an eye on her, making sure she got away safely. Once she had, I turned my full attention back to the fight.
I couldn't understand the language the men spoke, but when I saw one of them raise an animal's horn, I knew what was happening. He managed to get one long blast out on the horn before I stopped him with a blow to the windpipe. I made sure I only incapacitated him for a while, then stomped on the horn, crushing it. I hoped the one note wasn't enough to summon any others.
I heard them before I saw them. The reinforcements had arrived.
Instead of facing eight skilled fighters, I was now looking at nearly twenty. With a triumphant war cry, I jumped into the middle of the new arrivals.
It took a while for me to finish them off, and Gabrielle was riding back up as I finished off the last one. He managed to land only one blow on me, a fairly deep cut on my left thigh. I gave him a feral smile, acknowledging it was a good shot, before introducing his face to the hilt of my sword.
Gabrielle hopped down from Argo, and was immediately kneeling to check the wound. "The women are okay and are on their way home. You're going to need stitches," she told me.
"Yeah, I know," I replied. I took her by the shoulder and pulled her to her feet. "But first things first. There's a storm brewing. Let's see if we can make it back to those caves we ran across a while ago."
She glanced at the calm sky, but knew better than to question me. We were standing on a wide plain, and as far as the eye could see, there was no other place we could seek relief from the rain and the lighting.
"Come on," I said, hopping back onto Argo. The cut was starting to throb, but the adrenaline from the fight was keeping it from becoming too intense. Once again, Gabrielle took my hand, only this time, I swung her up into the saddle in front of me. If we couldn't make it back to the caves, I wanted her where I could shield her from as much of the storm as possible.
The thunder began to rumble and lighting streaked across the sky in the distance. "Do you have any idea where we're going?" Gabrielle asked after ten minutes.
My arm had been wrapped around her, and I drew her closer to me, so my voice would tickle her ear. "We're heading back to that river we crossed a while back," I reminded her.
She giggled a little, and I could hear several emotions in her voice. "Mmm…the cave," she remembered. The last time we were in a cave, we had camped there for two days doing nothing but make love, eat, rest, play, and make love.
I chuckled in her ear, enjoying the goosebumps I saw rise along her arm. "Maybe I can talk you into one extra day before we start back toward India."
She didn't even hesitate. "Sounds wonderful." Her head relaxed against my shoulder as we continued on.
We had to travel along the bank of the river for quite a while before the ground began to grow rocky. Fat drops of rain had just begun to fall when we found a sizeable cave. Little did we know this cave was more than just a cave…
Aiden's palace was exquisitely decorated. And it seemed to be tranquil. Yet, at the same time, I was sensing there was something hidden from our eyes, like a mass evil pulsating behind one of the many locked doors there.
One thing was for sure, Gabrielle wasn't feeling the same way I was. She seemed captivated by Aiden and his smooth ways and talk. She all but begged me to stay here for the night, and I reluctantly agreed. Whatever Gabrielle wants, Gabrielle gets.
Aiden had Gar show us to our bedroom. He didn't ask if we wanted two rooms or not, which struck me as odd, but I didn't dwell on it. Just like the rest of the house, the bedroom was huge, and both tastefully and expensively decorated. I'd never been in a bedroom that had two different kinds of beds before, but this one did. In the center of the room, was a large circular black and white bed in the classic Chin ying yang design. And then further back in the corner, in a darker part of the bedroom, was a gigantic canopied bed. White lace cloth draped the sides of the bed, offering a sense of intimacy and privacy.
The first thing on the agenda though, before checking out the beds, was a good hot bath. I was still a mess from my fight earlier, and even I had enough class not to spoil the clean bed sheets with my grimy body.
Gabrielle was out on the balcony taking in the view and the fresh air, when I asked her if she wanted to join me in the tub. She told me she would in a few minutes.
On a table near the bathroom door, lay our saddlebags. Where did they come from? Like everything else about this place, it didn't make any sense, but I picked up my saddlebag and entered the room Gar had pointed out as the bathroom. Once inside, I stripped down quickly. I stood on my tiptoes to peer out the single high window, and saw Aiden slowly walking across the courtyard. He was walking toward a bush that was heavily dotted with pink flowers. I don't know what kind they were. Aiden was picking some of the flowers, forming a bouquet.
Angrily, I pulled the curtains on the window shut. I had not doubt who he was picking the flowers for, and I felt rage swelling in me. I trusted Gabrielle, of course, but I didn't trust Aiden. He was harboring some kind of power source, and until I knew the extent of it, I wouldn't be able to rest easily.
Absently, I rubbed at the spot on my thigh where my stitched cut had been. The skin was totally healed, but I still felt a tingle there, not letting me forget what SHOULD be there. A glance outside the bedroom told me Gabrielle was still on the balcony. In the waning sunlight, she looked so achingly beautiful, and I felt my body responding strongly. I got a sudden wicked idea, and it took less than a minute to prepare it, and I was slipping into the water.
Gabrielle joined me a couple minutes later. I watched her undress, enjoying the sight I could never get my fill of. I was surprised when she climbed in the tub behind me. Her hips splayed on either side of me, and picking up a sponge, she began to wash me.
Her gentle touch helped sooth my surliness, almost instantly. I leaned back against her, my eyes shut as I reveled in her gentle hands stroking down my arms, and the bobbing of her breasts against my back. I had almost forgotten my preparations, until I felt her hands freeze on my ass. "Xena?" she asked quietly.
I shrugged. "It looked so lonely in my saddlebag."
She giggled at the image, not questioning how my saddlebag had arrived, and then I felt her hands tickling along my hips until she was reaching in front of me. Her fingers were tracing along the leather straps of the harness, and then she had a hand wrapped around my imitation dick. She began to stroke up and down the length of it, and I moaned, my head lolling back on her shoulders. For the first time since we'd arrived at Aiden's, I was feeling at home.
"You like this?" she whispered in my ear, as she continued to milk the cock with her hand.
"Mmm…you know I do," I managed to answer. The rhythm against my clit was intoxicating, and despite her efforts to hold me still with her left arm, my hips still moved in time with her touch. I could feel her cunt pressing hard against my upper ass, and an occasional moan escaped her as she continued to jack me off. Her hardened nipples were scraping against my back…her excitement level was rapidly rising as mine was.
"Gabrielle…" my own voice sounded funny to me, but I forced myself to turn my head so she could cover my mouth with hers. The warmth of the water, the motion of her hand, the feeling of her pressed against my back were all combining to urge my body to release, and I was determined not to let just anyone living in this place know I had reached fulfillment. She seemed to understand, swallowing any sounds that threatened to give me away.
My body started to relax, but she was redoubling her efforts, apparently enjoying my reactions to her touch. My hips raised involuntarily, and my eyes were riveted to the sight of her hand encircling the phallus, milking it in brisk, even strokes. The sensations began to pour through me again, as I felt another orgasm rushing through me. I turned my head to seek out her mouth again as the wave overpowered me.
While I caught my breath, we stayed in the bathtub, talking and listening to each other, teasing and touching, until our skin began to shrivel. As I was climbing out of the tub, there was a noise outside in the bedroom. I pulled open the door, and Gar, Aiden's short little helper was falling at my feet. He muttered something about bringing some towels, and then his eyes slowly traveled up my body. His eyes understandably filled with confusion when he took in my midriff. The beige phallus gleamed brightly against my darker skin. He concluded his statement with a tentative, "Sir?"
"Sir?" I repeated with a raised eyebrow, looking back at Gabrielle. She just smiled slightly, and barely shook her head. She was no help at all.
Gar made a hasty retreat, and I turned back on my bard. She was still smiling, but her expression changed to one of surprise as I scooped her out of the water. "Xena!" was all she could get out before I lowered her to the rug that covered the floor and began to have my way with her right then and there. I was determined to make it impossible for her to hold back her screams of pleasure.
Gods, it was good! I loved her thoroughly with the phallus, until both our bodies were singing with exhaustion. Thankfully, we had used the presence of mind to move to the bed at some point, because by the end of our lovemaking, I don't think either of our legs would have supported us during the trip from bathroom to bed.
I couldn't sleep for hours, but instead contented myself with just holding Gabrielle and watching her sleep. How many times had I lain like this…just looking at her rather than snatching a few hours' slumber? Too many probably, but seeing her like this always rested my soul, even if my body wouldn't find sleep.
At some point in the early morning hours, I must have finally dozed off. I was sleeping soundly, dreaming of my bard's loving. She was hovering over me, looking down into my sleeping face, and her hand reached out to move my hair aside, so she could stroke my cheek. I suddenly realized it wasn't a dream, and my eyes opened to see her cherubic face smiling down at me.
"Hey," I smiled, acknowledging I was back in the world of the awake.
"Can I love you, Xena?" she asked, not even offering a greeting. She was rapidly clearing the sheet from my body, which still bore the marks of our lovemaking from the previous evening.
We both knew it was a question that didn't bear an answer. She urged me to roll over on my stomach, and told me to relax and just let her love me. I laid my head back on the pillow, and tried to remain calm as I felt her drag her nipples over my backside and up my back, until I could feel her hot breath on the back of my neck, and her even hotter pussy grinding into my ass.
Her tongue slipped into my ear, and goosebumps rose along my skin as I felt her pressing me harder into the bed. Her fingers were moving up and down my shoulders, but it wasn't enough for me. The dreams I had been awakened from had been doing their work well, and my cunt was already on fire for her touch. My legs opened more, and I felt her fingers between them, testing my readiness.
"Gods, Xena, you are so wet…"
I tried to answer, but all that came out of me was a throaty hum. She made herself more comfortable, and I felt the hand
return to my center, strumming me like a lyre. The other hand tickled over the sensitive skin just above my ass, and she
touched me lightly there, knowing how much that drove me crazy. Apparently, she was being tormented a little too.
I could feel her own sopping cunt had sought out the back of my leg, as she rubbed up and down it. Gods, I was torn
between the desire to let her continue, and to roll us both over and dive headfirst into that pool that had collected between her thighs.
She made the decision for me. I felt the cool morning air hit the
wetness on the back of my thigh as she pulled herself from me, and then I felt her hair trailing along
my thighs as she moved it toward her goal. I expected her to go for my clit first, but she surprised me by pointing her tongue and sliding as far inside my pussy as she could. She was gripping my ass cheeks firmly, holding me to her mouth as she moved her mouth over me…drawing some intricate pattern that only made me feel her everywhere at once. I was so close already…
"Turn over, Xena." The absence of her mouth made me rush to do as she had told me, eager to have her on me once again. She urged me to hold my bent knees, telling me all she wanted to see was my pussy, and I did as she asked, not hesitant at all to put myself in this vulnerable position for her. I know what it did to me seeing her like this, and it was having the same effect on her.
"Oh yes, Xena…this is exactly how I want to eat you." What a coincidence…because all I could think of right now was her doing exactly that. The pleasure of being awakened in this manner only amplified the sensations. It tripled when I felt her lips close around my clit and she began to nurse.
"Harder, please…suck me harder…" I moaned out the words, and she did as I beseeched, and then I felt two of her fingers penetrating me. Her fingers filled me more than usual in this position, and I knew it wouldn't take much more to fill me to capacity. "Another finger, please, Gabrielle…"
Oh yes, that was it! She sounded as excited as I was feeling as I felt the third finger stroking my pussy walls, while her mouth was doing all sorts of weird, wonderful things to the exposed parts of my cunt. I felt the climax starting deep in my toes, and despite my numerous orgasms of the previous night, could tell I was on the verge of another big one.
She sensed it, as always, and her tongue ceased its meanderings, only to focus on my erect clit again. She sucked me in hard as the waves of pleasure raced toward the center of my being. "Unnghhh…" I'm not even sure if I was capable of speech at that point as I felt my body convulse, and my limbs flail of their own accord. Gods, was that intense!
When I had landed back on earth, she was still between my thighs, lapping up my juices. Her eyes met mine over my mound, and I could see how pleased she was with my enthusiasm. All I could do was grin at her in return as my head thumped back against my pillow and I tried to regain my breath.
Despite the incredible start, that day was one of the longest ones of my entire life. Gabrielle had given me a warm hug that morning, after the thorough loving by her mouth and fingers. And then she told me if it really bothered me, she wouldn't work with Aiden that day.
How in the world was I supposed to look into those plaintive green eyes, and tell her no? It was impossible! Instead, I just softly kissed her lips, and whispered that she was more than welcome to spend the day with Aiden. Aiden had mentioned he had a huge hunting ground, and that should be more than enough to keep me entertained.
As the day crept by though, I couldn't bring myself to go hunting. I didn't want to venture that far from Aiden's palace. So I stayed in the courtyard, stalking through it for a long period of time. I did my sword drills numerous times, practiced a few flips, and skulked around like a caged animal. I made frequent trips outside the "exercise" room where Gabrielle was working with Aiden, and each time, it worked me up a little bit more. Finally, I resorted to trying some of the concentration techniques Gabrielle had been showing me, standing completely still as I let my hearing and mind's eye take over. It helped…for a while, but when I couldn't stand the peace anymore, I broke free with a kick and did a little damage to the trees around me. I landed back on the earth, my chest heaving for breath, and feeling all my anger and resentment and hatred for this beautiful place darken me somehow. For the first time, I began to realize something was very wrong with me…not my surroundings.
It was almost dark when Gabrielle and Aiden finally finished. I had long since given up on relaxing outside the palace, and had retired to our room. I sat on the same chair Gabrielle had used last night, and replayed what had happened over and over in my mind. I was staring out at the grounds, but I wasn't really seeing anything but the tears in Gabrielle's eyes as Aiden had conjured up some unpleasant memory in her. It had to involve me…all of Gabrielle's pain involved me. I had stood there helpless, tears stinging my own eyes as I realized I didn't know what she was feeling. I was too busy trying to get a handle on what I was feeling.
It's difficult to explain. When I thought of Gabrielle, I felt my heart ache with love. It hurt to think about how much I loved her, and what a risk it was for me to show her that love. I was used to feeling the fear that Gabrielle might leave me. I don't think a day went by where I didn't consider this. Gabrielle had never given me any reason to think it, but I couldn't help it. I had grown used to that.
But what I was experiencing now was different. Just the though of being without Gabrielle caused a nausea to sweep through me. Following rapidly behind that was a coldness, an iciness that penetrated my entire being. And in its wake, the coldness brought an ache, a dull persistent sensation like a bone that hadn't healed properly. I closed my eyes and wondered what was making me feel so insecure. Gabrielle told me she wanted nothing more than to learn how to achieve inner peace from Aiden. Why couldn't I just accept that and get on with it?
I was lost in my thoughts, but stirred when I heard the bedroom door open. I listened carefully, and could tell right away it was Gabrielle. I was relieved. She was finally back, but I wasn't prepared to let her know I heard her.
Within a few seconds, I heard her making her way across the room. Her soft hands were sliding over my shoulders. "I missed you today," I heard her whisper in my ear.
I felt heat flood my face when shame became the overriding emotion. Then, the heat flashed lowered when I felt her fingertips moving, straying downward to dip beneath my leathers and brush against the sensitive skin of my breasts. A long slow smile melted my features.
"I missed you too," I answered, my own hand reaching behind me. I palmed her left thigh, and slowly let my hand move up further. I had just begun to nudge the warm, dampened crotch of her underwear when there was a knock at the door. "Dinnertime," I heard Gar's voice. I realized I hadn't seen anyone here but Aiden and his nervous little lieutenant.
With a sigh, I withdrew my fingers. "I had planned on eating something else," I leered, but I stood slowly.
She was giving me the sad, pleading look. "Put that away," I whispered, giving her lower lip a light touch. I felt guilty for causing her to break into that look. "We'll go eat, and then I'll have you for my dessert."
That brightened her expression considerable. "Come on," she said, taking my hand. :"Suddenly, I'm starved."
Xena's Scroll (Conclusion)
Gabrielle's Scroll
The Xena and Gabrielle XXX Scrolls Page 2
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