WARNINGS AND DISCLAMERS

After dinner Xena got her things to go to the stream and clean up. "Gabrielle would you like to go with me to the stream to bathe?" the warrior asked.

"Yeah, just give me a second to get my things." the bard replied much to Xena's surprise. Gabrielle collected her things and followed the warrior.

When they reached the stream Xena laid her things down by the water and then started to undress and asked Gabrielle, "Would you like some help?"

"No, not right now. I'm just going to stick my feet in the water." The bard replied.

Xena waded out into the middle of the stream and then ducked under the water getting completely wet and then walked back and picked up the soap. She turned to Gabrielle; "If you change you mind let me know." She then turned and walked back out into a little deeper water to wash her hair and bathe.

Gabrielle liked sitting there and watching the goddess bathe. Xena had a well-built muscular body that the bard really loved looking at. The bard did her best to watch without just openly staring slack-jawed.

The bard didn't know that the warrior was very aware that she was watching as intently as possible without being caught. Xena was proud of the work she had put into making her body look like that and didn't mind at all that Gabrielle liked to look at her nude body. In fact the warrior found it rather amusing the different ways that the bard was finding to watch without appearing to do so.

Xena slowly bathed letting the bard 'look' as much as she wanted. Finally the warrior finished and walked back to the edge of the water and stood before the bard. "Gabrielle are you ready to get undressed and bathe yet?"

Gabrielle watched as the goddess approached and a lump appeared in her throat with one to match in her stomach. The bard had a little trouble pushing the lump aside so she could speak. "Yeah, I think it's about time." The bard said blushing and looking away bashfully. "I can get most of it except the tunic." Gabrielle continued busying herself with removing her own clothes.

While Xena was helping the small bard with her tunic she could feel the heat coming from the girl next to her, she closed her eyes and inhaled the fragrance of the scents that Gabrielle used to bathe and wash her hair with. This time she could also smell the musky scented arousal of the honey-blonde standing beside her.

The raven-haired goddess looked down at Gabrielle and decided it was time toÖ toÖ go see about anything. "Gabrielle I'm going to go check on Argo. If you need help when you're through just yell, I'll be glad to help." With that she was off with long strides to gain some distance quickly. GodsÖ it doesn't take anything to set that off. I'm going to have to get this under control. She tried her usual temporary relief of her own arousal before the bard returned from bathing.

Gabrielle finally came back to camp with her drying cloth wrapped around her. "Xena could you help me get my night shift on?" Gabrielle asked when she spotted Xena next to Argo just putting down the currycombs.

Xena turned filling her eyes with the beautiful sight in front of her. "Yeah, just let me get the salve to put on your back before we do that." Xena replied as she turned and dug through the bag of supplies.

Gabrielle sat down on her bedroll still holding her cloth across her breasts and waited for Xena to get the medical supplies.

Xena walked up and knelt behind the small bard and started to apply the salve to the bard's back. "Gabrielle your back is starting to look much better, but I'm afraid that you're going to have a few scars even after this completely heals." The warrior said with obvious pain in her voice. It hurt to know that the young girl was going to be marked for life because of her. Xena then started to cover the salve with fresh bandages. When the warrior finished Gabrielle handed her the shift and she helped her put it on.

Xena walked back and put the supplies back in the saddlebag. "Gabrielle I'm going to go check around the camp and make sure we're safe. I'm really in no mood for any more surprises for a while." She turned and headed out of the camp.

Xena scouted around the camp until she was reasonable sure that they were safe for now. She then stopped long enough to again try to ease the arousal that being close to and touching the bard's bare skin caused.

The warrior tried to be a lot more careful about satisfying her sexual needs now, since the night that she was sure that the bard had followed and watched her. She knew that she'd smelled the fragrance of the honey-blonde's hair and being close to the bard a little earlier supplied her with the other scent she'd smelled. And then the warrior was also sure she'd even heard the bard making a soft moaning sound at the same time that she'd climaxed.

Xena returned to camp after being gone for about a half-candlemark. The warrior felt like she might at least be able to sleep a little tonight.

Gabrielle had her usual round of nightmares, refusing to discuss them with the warrior.

Xena laid down next to the bard and held her until she'd went back to sleep and then got up and moved to her own bedroll. There just wasn't any way she could lay that close to the bard all night long even though that's exactly what she wanted to do. She just didn't trust herself.

The next morning when Xena awoke the sky was looking a little gray as clouds were starting to roll in over the area and the warrior could smell the rain in the distance.

Xena knew they were going to have to move or get wet very soon. She knew how much Gabrielle hated soggy blankets and she wasnít just overly fond of them herself. Xena got up and dressed in her leathers and armor. Then she started on breakfast so they could get an early start to get as far down the road as possible when the rain did finally catch up with them.

Xena was still feeling her sexual arousal when she woke up. She'd never really satisfied it the evening before. It was causing the warrior to really start worrying about the passions that she was feeling for the bard. She had already been having some problems around the honey-blonde and now her 'battlelust' was magnifying that arousal and making it almost unbearable. It was becoming painfully obvious to the raven-haired beauty that there were just some fires that couldn't be put out with self-manipulation.

Xena had finally decided it was time to go visit an old friend from her warlord days and see if she was still living in a small village about a day's ride from here. It would take the warrior a little farther to the south than sheíd originally planned, but it was time to try to put a stop to the sexual arousal that she was having such a hard time trying to control.

This kind of thing had never been a problem when she was a warlord, she'd just take whatever and whoever she wanted. Even if there wasn't slaves or prisoners there were always willing men and women in the war camp and she had her pick of them willing or notÖ no one dared refuse the warrior princess anything. It could mean that it would be the last time that they'd be able to draw a breath among the living.

Xena thought Melena might be willing to help quiet the burning lust coursing through the warrior's body. The woman had been a favorite of the warlords. Xena wouldn't force her under any circumstances, but she'd heard Melena was now a prostitute and maybe she'd be willing to do it for money if nothing else.

Xena went to wake the bard, just before their breakfast finished cooking, so that Gabrielle would have some time to get woke up and dressed before they ate.

"Gabrielle come on. You need to get up and get dressed." Xena said shaking the bard lightly. "We need to eat and get out of here before the rain gets here." The warrior continued explaining.

The little bard never moved. With an evil smirk on her face Xena walked over and picked up the waterskin and sprinkled some on Gabrielle's face.

The honey-blonde immediately yanked her blanket over her head and hollered. "HADESÖ is it raining?"

Xena started to laugh. "No, not yet, but if you don't get up from there that blanket isn't going to be enough to keep you dry."

"OK, OKÖ I'm upÖ I'm up!" Gabrielle exclaimed as she struggled to sit up on her bedroll. The warrior's words had sounded dangerously like a threat to dunk the little bard in the nearby stream and not a threat from the coming rain.

Xena walked back to the fire laughing and checking to see that their breakfast was burning.

"Gabrielle I know of a small village about a days ride from here. If we push a little I think we can make it before nightfall and we'll have a dry place to stay until the rain is over." The warrior explained as they ate their breakfast. "If we go that direction there's a cave about halfway where we can stay if it starts to really get nasty." Xena added. The warrior had her mind and arousal set on the small village.

"Sounds good to me." the bard replied. "I'm not crazy about the idea of staying in a cave, but you'll never hear me complain about having a nice soft dry bed to sleep in."

"It will mean you'll have to ride with me if we are going to make it before dark." The warrior told her hoping that the small bard wouldn't balk and change her mind.

Gabrielle looked thoughtful and then said, "You know I'm not really fond of riding, but I guess it's a small price to pay for a nice warm, soft dry bed." She then looked at the warrior with a genuine smile on her face and her green eyes dancing.

They pushed the rest of the day eating only trail rations so they didn't have to stop and finally reached the small village just as it was growing too dark to travel safely. It had been misting rain on them for about last candlemark and they both were starting to get a little chilled as their clothes absorbed the rain.

Xena helped Gabrielle off the mare and then dismounted herself. She told Gabrielle as they dismounted. "This is where we'll be staying tonight, maybe a little longer if the rain doesn't let up." The warrior handed the bard her staff and then started removing the rest of the things they would need over night and sat them by the door to the inn. "Would you mind seeing about getting us something to eat and drink and then a room for the night? I'll go put Argo in the stable for the night and after I make sure that she's taken care of I'll join you at the inn. It shouldn't take more than a quarter-candlemark or so." The warrior said smiling down at Gabrielle.

Gabrielle smiled back up at the warrior. "Sure I'll see what I can do." The bard always appreciated it when Xena trusted her to take care of things for them. The small bard turned and headed for the door as Xena walked away holding Argo's reins and leading the golden mare toward the stables.

Gabrielle walked into the inn and was immediately hit with the smell of stale liquor and sweaty unwashed bodies. The bard had been in stables that had smelled better than this place. WellÖ at least it was warm and dry, the bard considered.

Gabrielle looked around the small room as she walked up to the bar and what looked like the innkeeper. The common room seemed to be full of mostly rough looking men and questionable looking women. The men watched her as she entered and walked to the bar. Nearly all of them started to hoot and whistle at her and the women were laughing and pointing at her.

Gabrielle gripped her staff a little tighter to her body and continued toward the man behind the bar. The man behind the bar was also eyeing her with great amusement and was chuckling softly to himself as she approached.

The small bard noted that most of the customers looked like they were warriors down on their luck and some of the others just looked like trash and the few women looked like anything but village women. In fact they looked like 'women of the night' or the kind of women known as prostitutes in a brothel. She had seen these kinds of women before in Athens, but had never seen their kind in such a small village.

What kind of village has Xena brought me to this time? The honey-blonde was really starting to feel very uncomfortable under the leering eyes of the male customers. Gabrielle turned her attention back to the man standing in front of her and looked him over with a scowl; "I need a roomÖ"

The innkeeper started a hearty laugh now. "Little girl you don't need a room, you need a wet nurse. Maybe you should go home to your ma, before you get hurt. You're really very cute and if you come back when you're all grown up I'll give you a job. Now GET!" the whole room burst into uproarious laughter. Gabrielle could feel the flush of red spreading across her face as her anger soared at being humiliated and treated like a mere child

Gabrielle's pride and anger demanded that she convince the man behind the bar that she was already quite grown. The bard raised her staff and jabbed the end of it into the man's chest and sneered, trying to affect 'the look' of intimidation that the warrior was so good at. "I don't want your damn job. I do want something to eat and a room."

Five men were sitting, without any female company, at a table just to the right of the bard. The biggest man laughing heartily spoke to the innkeeper, "That's alright Simon we'll take her and make a WOMAN out of her for you. Then she'll be all GROWN UP and you can keep her." Again the room roared with laughter and all five of the men started to rise and move around to encircle the small bard.

OH HADES!! The bard's mind screamed. Gabrielle swung and connected with the one who'd made the remark, on his right temple and sent him crashing to the floor. As she had swung at him the other four grabbed at her and started to tear at her clothes, while everyone else was laughing loudly seeming to enjoy the floorshow.

Gabrielle turned toward the door and swung again clipping another one across the forehead and then sweeping low and taking another's feet out from under him.

The bard had managed to make a small opening between her and the door. Gabrielle made a mad run at the door, but just as she pulled on it one of the men grabbed at her back. Gabrielle let out a scream as the man's fingers dug into her already sore and swollen back tearing part of her tunic and the bandages away as she yanked free and fled out the door.

² Copyrighted January 1998 by DelShannon