PERSPECTIVE PART 1c
By D.virtue
Diana pulled back after a few minute and wiped her eyes, she then said, we
better get going, your surprise is waiting?” Diana said as she wiped a stray
tear from her cheek.
“ I see why you wear the hood of your cloak, you want to hide your pain, by
hiding your eyes.” Yesina deduced.
Yesina then turned and walked out of the chamber, and Diana stood for a moment
thinking about the woman’s logic, and again she found that she could not deny
it, the woman had reasoned correctly.
Diana strided and caught up with Yesina, and then with a smile they headed
down the stairs to go to the dining hall. When they arrived, Yesina was
surprised for more than the reason she had been brought down for, the dining
hall was full of guest, either sitting and eating, or standing and eating, and
as they finished the sitters would stand and the standers would take a seat to
finish their meals.
Money was being collected by the handful.
“ My Goodness!!’ Yesina exclaimed at the activity of her dining hall.
Suddenly everyone went quiet as they heard Yesina exclaim. Then they all
stared in shock at the woman, who looked as though she were a totally
different woman form the one who ran the Inn.
Diana scanned the room and she saw Trila and the other kids all waving for
them to come over to the table where Jabest was, and his older daughter was
crying on his shoulder. Diana smiled and thought it would be perfect timing.
So she pointed Yesina in the direction of the table and as Yesina got closer
she slowed in her progress as she tried to determine who the man was, and why
her daughter was crying on his shoulder, at first her brows knitted in
confusion with anger, but then as she got closer, they knitted deeply in
confusion.
“ Jab....Jabest? Is...Is that you?” Yesina stammered.
“ Yesina? Is...Is that you?” Jabest said as he eased his daughter off of his
shoulder and making sure she was okay, he stood up and walked around to the
other side of the table.
“ Yes...it’s me...but...but what happened to you, your so......so, handsome?”
Yesina stated honestly.
“ Me? Look at you woman, your....your more beautiful than the first time I saw
you? “
Yesina cheek’s pinked from the sincere compliment, and Jabest heart was
stolen, the same way it was the first time he saw her.
“ Yesina I have wronged you in so many horrible ways, but I swear by all the
GODS! That this day shall start a new beginning for me and my family, I have
made an oath, to that young lady, that I would lead a noble life, and to do
that, I must first gain your forgiveness.” Jabest stated as he went to one
knee in front of all who had followed him into the Inn, and in front of his
children and their friends, and family. “ Yesina, I ask that you will forgive
me for all of my wrong doing to you and to our children, I swear I will live
the rest of my life for one purpose and that will be to make you and our kids
proud. Please say you will give me this chance, and I promise you, you will
never regret it for the rest of our days, and may the Gods will, it be for a
long....time?”
Yesina was both crying and smiling and laughing and overwhelmed, but she
looked around the dining hall, but she brought her eyes to rest on her
children who were all sitting with tears or confusion in their eyes, yet all
were smiling brightly.
Yesina,then brought her eyes to rest on the man on one knee in front of her,
and with a loving gaze, she smiled and then answered him.
“ Yes. I forgive you for all.”
Jabest jumped to his feet and lifted his wife up in the air and kissed her
passionately, in a way he had not kissed her in years. Diana saw that
everything was going to be alright and she eased out of the dining hall as
people were clapping and congratulating the renewed family.
Diana was just about to go out of the Inn, when the woman caught up with her.
“ You were going to leave without saying goodbye? After bring my family back
together?”
“ I need to get going.”
“ Are you going to head home?”
Diana looked at the woman, and then she looked down at her own hand and shook
her head. The woman pulled Diana into her arms again, and this time she said
clearly.
“ Go home little one, before something bad happens to you, it would break my
heart if anything did.”
Diana hugged the woman tightly, and then she broke the embrace and pulling her
hood over her head, she told the woman, check you wood supply, I think you
will find another surprise waiting for you? Thank you, take care of your
family>” Diana said as she turned to leave, having changed her mind about
staying seeing how transparent she was, and how vulnerable she felt.
“ You take care of yourself little one!” Yesina called after Diana. Then she
whispered a prayer for the Gods to watch over her.
The warrior woman had watched everything and her love for Diana, grew with
each thing she saw, she didn’t know Diana the way any of Diana’s friends knew
her, but she could understand why she had friends, and why people wanted to
protect her, she was just a giving person, who despite her own pain, went out
of her way to help complete strangers.
The warrior then came out of her reverie, and realized that Diana could use
the thing that made her disappear, so she immediately moved to catch up enough
so when she did use it, she would be near enough to make it through as well.
Sure as she thought it, Diana threw the traveller out and walked through, The
warrior waited a moment and then she jumped through and once again she hid out
of view. The warrior was still amazed how they could be in one place and then
in another with whatever tool Diana was using, once again the warrior laid the
stones and continued to follow Diana.
It was once again daytime in the place as opposed to the evening hours they
just left.
Meanwhile back in one of the towns that Diana had been through, Xena was
heading for the tavern to get a drink and also see if she could find out
anything. When she got to the ground in front of the tavern, she noticed a
bunch of stones piled up facing in the opposite direction of the tavern, Xena
followed the point, but she did not see anything beyond where it pointed, but
she still motioned for her soldiers to be careful of the stones, obviously
they were met for someone to follow. But Xena didn’t think it was meant for
her.
Xena and her soldiers all stepped over the stones and stepped up onto the
first step and then went inside of the tavern.
“ Port!” Xena ordered, and she gestured to her soldiers to order what they
wanted, she then turned and scanned the tavern while she drunk her drink.
After only being there for a few minutes, she heard a conversation.
“ Man, my shoulder still hurts, who would have thought a poke in the shoulder
could cause so much pain, and that was days ago.” The man stated as he was
still babying his shoulder.
Xena put her port down and walked over to where the man and his friend sat.
“ Excuse me, but I couldn’t help overhearing your conversation?”
“ Yeah so?”
“ You said your shoulder still hurts from being poked in it?”
“ Yeah, some little girl came through about a few days ago, and some of the
men were harassing her.”
“ Were you two two of those people?”
“ Yes, but we didn’t hurt her, in fact, she threw one of our friends clear
across the room, and then she poked us and we felt this searing pain in our
arms, I couldn’t move my arm for days, and still I have some problems moving
it now.”
Xena’s heart was racing, it was the first real clue that she had heard in
months, the first confirming clue that Diana did in deed come through here.
“ Tell me!” Xena said putting on her Conqueror’s mask, despite the excitement
of her heart in her chest. “ Was this woman an uncommonly beautiful young
girl?”
“ Yes, we thought maybe she was a Goddess or something at first, but then
because we were drunk, we didn’t care, we just wanted a piece of her, but she
whopped all our buts and then ran out the door followed by some woman who
obviously had been watching the whole thing.”
“ Why do you say that?”
“ Because, when the girl ran out, the woman came running past us and she
knocked both of us out, but before I was completely out I heard her say, “
That’s for trying to hurt someone like her, pigs! and then she was gone also.”
“ MY LORD!!”
“ LORD??!!” The two men exclaimed in unison.
Xena glanced at them, but then focused on Miki.
“ What is it?!”
“ My Lord, I think you want to come and talk to the tavern keeper?”
Xena looked at her for a moment, and then followed her back to the bar.
“ Tell My Lord what you told me?”
“ A woman told me that if a woman came here looking for a young girl I was to
give her two things and tell her something?”
“ I am looking for a young beautiful girl, about yea high, with ebony colored
hair?”
“ Yes, that was her, she was wearing a dark blue cloak with a hood, it looked
like it was made from the finest material?”
“ Yes, Yes, anyway, what is it you have for me?”
“ This. “ The man then reached behind the counter and brought out a package
wrapped in a piece of cloth.
He handed the package to Xena and she looked at it and then at the man.
“ Open it.”
Xena smirked at the obvious, but then she untied the bow that was tied in it,
and when she did, she gasped.
“ Oh! Who gave this to you? What’s her name?”
“ She told me to tell you that Jeanni was following the young girl.”
“ Jeanni?”
“ My Lord, isn’t that one of your old warriors who use to hold my position
before I came along?”
“ Yes, she was also a very good friend of mine.” Xena then picked up the piece
of torn cloth and smelling it, she closed her eyes and felt her body tighten
as a result. “ Ah....that was a mistake.” Xena admitted, then she saw the
note, she opened it and read what was written.
“ Xena, I am stunned to learn that this young girls lover is you, I can only
imagine the rage that is running through you at the thought of her wandering
around this place by herself, I must admit when I first saw her, she was
hiding under her cloak, but when she finally removed the hood, I could not
imagine how you let her out of your sight, yet alone disappear like this. I
have been following her for a while because of her state of mind, she is quite
depressed, although she does not admit it, I managed to find out about you
because of a confrontation I staged, while she was crying, I went back to the
camp and found a picture of you and a bunch of other women, all beautiful,
although I must admit, not anywhere near what you or she is, it was wonderful
to be reminded of you, despite the circumstances, anyway, I have left the
direction in which we are traveling, and she has some type of thing that
transports her from place to place, I will try to leave the markers at as
close as possible in the direction we go through, I hope they don’t get messed
up, but I’m sure you can find our footprints if your still the tracker of old?
Whatever you do, hurry, I don’t know how much longer she will make it, I had
to literally send the servant from this Inn to take food to her room and wait
there until she ate at least half of it, her depression is growing, hurt Xena
if you want to see this young one again. Jeanni.”
Xena wiped her eyes of the tears that were rolling down her face and she
looked up at Miki and said in a determined voice.
“ The stones are for me. Let’s go!” The soldier threw money at the keeper, and
then when they went out Xena looked at the direction of the stones once again
and throwing her traveller in the same direction they all jumped on their
horses and rode through.
Meanwhile, in a distance kingdom not in Xena’s Realm, where a prisoner was
sitting shackled in a cell, with her eyes covered as well, a young girl was
levitated down into the cell from the roof area by a certain warrior. The
young Girl immediately took to looking for the prisoner, and once she found
her she eased over to her.
“ Who are you?!! The voice growled.
“ A friend. My Master has sent me in here to offer a deal with you?”
“ What deal?”
“ Your freedom from here, if you agree to do everything she says without
Question.”
“ A slave?!! I am slave to no one!!”
“ Not a slave, but your Lord, you will have to agree to do what she saws,
otherwise if you get out of line she will kill you....painfully.”
“ Who is this master of yours?”
“ Her name is Questra.”
“ Questra?!! Lord Questra?!!” The woman shrieked.
“ Not that one, but she is exactly like that one, except for the fact that she
is not NICE.”
“ You mean she’s a twin of Lord Questra's. like a sister or something?”
“ Not a sister, more like ......or something. So what do you say, yes or no?”
“ What will I have to do?”
“ Help her take over the world.” The young girl purred.
“ YES!!”
“ She said that would grab you.” The young girl then begun using the keys that
were lifted off of the guard as he was distracted with a small commotion. “
There, let’s go.” The girl said as she removed the blindfold from the woman’s
eyes.
The woman blinded a few times to adjust her eyes to the light and then after a
moment she looked upon the girl who freed her.
“ You look like a servant, the way your dressed?”
“ I am, I use to work in Lord Xena’s household, but I don’t think she would be
to happy to see me after everything.” The girl grinned.
“ Okay, so how do we get out of here, I can take a lot of the soldiers, but
there is no way I can take all of them?”
“ Don’t worry.” The girl then went to the 2x2 opening that was serving as a
window of sorts, and slipping the white cloth out of it and letting the wind
move it, she then brought her hand back inside.
“ Okay, hold on to me tightly, we’re going to go for a ride?” The woman
wrapped her arms around the young woman and laid a kiss on her of pure lust
mainly for the purpose of holding on, but also taking a few advantages of the
contact.
A moment later they were being levitated out of the cell the same way the
servant had been lowered. As they rose the woman looked at the ground in
wonder, but then she turned back to the young servant and with a lust in her
eyes, she slipped her hand down, as she held on with one arm around the girls
neck, and the woman held her with both of hers.
The freed woman slipped her hands under the servants dress and slipped into
her slick canal, and then she buried her fingers inside and begun pumping
wildly into the panting girl.
“ Now don’t drop me, otherwise I think your master will be very unhappy with
you?”
“ No mistress, I won’t....haaa....”
By the time they landed the young woman peaked and shook her release. Questra
watched the interaction, and was amused by it, she went over to the two just
as the woman withdrew her fingers from inside the now breathless young woman,
who sunk to her knees to catch her breath.
“ Welcome home.” Came the smooth voice of her former Lord.
“ Lord Questra?”
“ Not that one, I am a clone of her, made from her very essence, so I know
almost everything she knows, and I knew I had to get my ex-lover out of
prison, especially considering how valuable you will be to my plans. Now come
here and show me that your glad to be home.” Questra commanded.
“ The woman immediately smiled a wicked, yet lustful grin and walked over to
the woman and kissing her hungrily, she then was pushed to her knees and she
buried her face in Questra’s womanhood, where she feasted like a starved
woman.
The rest of that day was dedicated to the freed woman thanking her Lord for
freeing her. Meanwhile back in another place, Xena had made it to the place
where Diana had helped the family, although in so during she also helped the
town.
Xena saw the stones just as she came out of the traveller from the point where
the precious stones pointed her, a month had gone by the time Xena and her
entourage arrived in the town.
Xena followed the direction of the stones’s arrow, and when she looked at the
tavern she headed over to it, but when she went in to order a drink, she was
surprised to find the town’s tavern had changed.
“ A wine.”
“ I’m sorry madam, we no longer serve spirits in here, but we do serve any
type of other drink you would like?”
“ A tavern that doesn’t serve spirits, that’s different. Why?”
“ Because of the change that has come over the town, when our worse citizen
now has become the role model for the children and others.”
“ Wait, your telling me that your letting some horrible person serve as a role
model for your innocent children?” Xena asked put off by the whole idea.
“ No, he is no longer a mean spirited man, he is now one of the members of our
counsel, on raising a family properly, people come to his and his wife’s inn
from all around the province. The changes that has happened could only have
been a dream a month ago, if it had not been for a distraught young girl, and
three children coming together in friendship.
“ A young girl? Was there anything special about this young girl?” Xena asked
now facing the man.
“ Yes, she was a Goddess in person, at least that’s what all of us thought
when she first removed her hood from her head, so that she could take on
Jabest in a fight.”
“ Fight?! This Jabest person fought this young girl?!” Xena asked with anger
sounding in her voice.
“ It’s You?!! Your her?!! Traci come quick!”
“ What is it?!”
“ It’s her! The woman we were told about?!”
“ Really? Are you sure?!”
“ Yes, at least I think so. You are her aren’t you?!”
“ I’m who?”
“ Are you the woman who is looking for the young girl? You are her family,
right?”
“ Yes.”
“ Oh, wow! You have got to come with me, you have to talk to Yesina.”
“ Before I talk to anyone, letting me know what happened between her and this
Jabest person?”
“ Oh! Nothing, at first before she took off her hood, people were gathering to
see a fight, that they were taking bets on that she would lose and lose badly,
just based off of the size of her cloak, compared to Jabest’s size, he’s a
massive man, even the men of the town were afraid of him, and so they did not
say anything to stop him from wanting to hurt her....”
“ But?!” Xena asked with a sneer.
“ But when the young girl took off her hood, and showed her beautiful yet
innocent looking face, and then that body....whew! I.n.c.r.e.d.i.b.l.e, to say
the least, Goddess, plus, to say the most, and even then, it’s not even
close.” The man gushed as he thought about Diana.
“ I understand, anyway?” Xena said with a smirk.
“ Oh, sorry, anyway, once everyone got over the shock of how beautiful she
was, I had to say something, I couldn’t let him lay a hand on such a creature,
I just felt so......” The man searched for the right word and it was the woman
who answered it for him.
“ Protective.”
“ Yes! That’s it, it was amazing, a town that once thought about themselves
and minding their own business so not to be hurt by Jabest or any of his men,
now were standing up for a complete stranger.”
“ We had to. There was an innocents to her that just drew us all like magnets,
we all stood by her, and surrounded Jabest and his men, and the whole town
warned him that if he dared tried to lay a hand on her, then he would be run
out of town, and killed on site if he or his men ever tried to return, or he
could give up and let her win their deal, and become an upstanding citizen,
standing with his family. He chose to do the right thing, and the moment he
did, she was an absolute angel, rather than gloating like any of us would have
done, she walked right up to him with a smile on her face, and put her hand on
his shoulder and she told him, just because she won the challenge, it was he
who would win in the end, the renewed love of his family and the respect of
his neighbors, she was like an oracle, and with all the things she did for all
of us, which we will always be thankful to her for, there was a sadness in her
eyes, a longing of sorts. But I won’t go into any of that, I will let Yesina
tell you that, since it was she who spoke to the young girl. Come on, she’s
right down at the inn.”
The man then removed his apron and handed it to his wife and he lead Xena and
her soldiers down to the inn and introduced her to Yesina.
“ Yesina, this is the woman the other warrior woman told us would come looking
for the young girl.”
“ OH! How do you do.”
“ Fine. I understand you spoke with my friend?”
“ You mean your mate?”
Xena’s eyes narrowed slightly at the woman’s statement, then she raised a brow
at her. The woman smiled warmly and then taking Xena’s hand she lead her to
her room, and closed the door behind her.
“ I know because I saw the necklace, it had the symbol of to women intricately
designed into the metal. I recognized it as the bonding symbol.”
“ Oh, I see.”
“ She was surprised also.”
“ So....how is she?”
“ She seemed like she was probably a little thinner than what her normal size
is, but she was not gaunt or anything like that, anyway, she is profoundly
sad, I worry about her, everyday, wondering if she ever took my advice, now I
have my answer, and it saddens me more, to think that that little thing is out
there all alone, at least she thinks she’s all alone, if it weren’t for your
friend, then I would really be worried, she’s so vulnerable, she misses you
and hurts for you so badly, I can see she wants to just roll up in a ball and
cry all day and night. She loves you the way only others including myself
could ever hope to love. it is a deep and abiding love she has for you, she
said she couldn’t return home because she didn’t want any of you to be hurt
because of her.”
Xena now let her tears roll down her face as she whipped around to cover her
tears, and frustrations from the stranger.
“ It’s alright, she cried too when I brought you up.” The woman said trying to
console the tall woman.
Xena wiped her eyes and turned back around to face the kind eyes of the woman.
“ Did she say anything else?”
“ No, but I told her one last thing before she tried to disappear once again.”
“ What?”
“ I told her to go home, but I see she did not take my advice on that, and for
that, I am sorry.”
“ Thank you.” Xena managed through her choked off throat.
The woman now boldly pulled Xena to her and held her, and Xena allowed herself
to be comforted by the smaller woman for a moment, then she stood to her full
height and wiped her eyes.
“ Did you see which way she went when she left?”
“ Yes, come on.” The woman then lead Xena to the spot where she saw Diana go
into the woods, Xena told Miki to get their horses and when she returned, Xena
turned to the woman and hugged her once again, more out of the need to touch
someone or something that had been in contact with her Consort.
“ Thank you.” Xena said and then she mounted her horse and rode into the
woods, but only far enough so that they could use the traveller out of sight
of the woman.
Meanwhile in the province that Diana was in, and Xena was now heading into,
Diana was laying out in the woods, and because she had heard large wild animal
sounds in the forest of trees, she decided to surround herself with a
protective shield as she slept so that none of the wild cats would sneak upon
her and bite her.
Luckily she did it, for while she was sleep and Jeanni was up high in a tree
sleeping, she heard the roar of the cat and looking around to make sure the
cat was not near herself, she then looked down to see the cat sneaking up on
Diana. But just as the warrior was about to make a move to protect Diana from
the animal, Diana sat up and looked at the cat.
Diana spoke to the cat with her mind when the cat roared at her.
“ Are you looking for food?”
The cat roared again.
“ I know you understand me.” Diana said as her pupils now were slitted the way
cat’s eyes were.
The panther roared with less intensity, and then cocked it’s head at Diana.
“ Yes, I understand you, but how is it that you a human can speak and
understand me?”
“ Because I know some of your cousins, they are friends of mine.”
“ I do not sense a lie in you, yes I am hungry.”
“ Then eat, there is a large container with raw meat chopped up in it, it’s
deer meat, I think it will be more than enough to fill you, for more than a
few days.” Diana said with her mind.
The panther roared quietly as it moved to the container, sniffing the food,
the cat then ate it’s fill, and Diana sat and watched for a moment and then
she wiped her eyes, as she yawned.
The cat now came back over to where Diana was and spoke again.
“ Thank you, I am filled.”
“ Great, now I’m tired, do you mind if I try to get some more sleep?”
“ I will not harm you, as a way of showing my gratitude to you, I will act as
your personal body guard, no harm will come your way as long as I am around,
and I swear by the great Artemis that I shall serve you faithfully, and never
harm you.”
“ Then you are welcomed to stay as long as you would like.”
Just then Jeanni jumped from the tree with her sword Drawn ready to protect
Diana.
“ It’s alright Diana, I can handle this beast.”
“ Jeanni?!” Diana exclaimed at the surprise appearance of someone she thought
she left way behind.
“ Yes.”
The panther roared and was about to leap, when Diana spoke to the cat.
“ No! She is a friend, do not hurt her, she was concerned that you were here
to hurt me, she does not know that I am able to speak to you.”
The cat roared again in a quieter tone, and then backed up slightly and sat
down on her hind legs and watched Jeanni.
“ Jeanni, she will not hurt you or me, she’s a friend.”
“ Excuse me?!” Jeanni asked shocked by Diana’s claim and calm demeanor.
“ Yes. “ Then Diana spoke to the cat once again. “ What is your name, I am
called Diana, and this is Jeanni?”
“ Chirine.”
“ Jeanni, this is Chirine, Chirine, Jeanni.”
The cat walked over to Jeanni and Jeanni readied her sword to strike it just
in case, but the cat did not mind the stance, she trusted Diana who trusted
this woman, so she circled Jeanni, and then rubbed her head against Jeanni’s
hand, and Jeanni, cautiously petted the big cat, and the cat purred, and then
moved away and walked over to where Diana still sat, only now her protective
shield was gone, and the cat laid her head in Diana’s lap and Diana gently
petted her as Jeanni finally took a breath and then gasped.
“ Wow, that’s amazing.”
“ It’s a gift.” Diana said dismissing the ability due to her surprise at
seeing Jeanni. “ Now can I ask you something?” Diana asked as Jeanni took a
seat on a stump.
“ Yes.”
“ What are you doing here, and better yet, how is it that you are here?”
“ I followed you.”
“ Well I can see that, but how?”
“ I am an Amazon, remember?”
“ Yes I remember, but how did you follow me, I mean when I disappeared?”
“ I got close enough to jump through.”
“ I see, so you have been following me all of this time?”
“ Yes.”
“ I wanted to make sure you were alright, a few times I thought I was going to
have to expose myself, but then I didn’t have to.”
“ I thought you said you didn’t want to be around a coward?”
“ I still think your a coward for running away from people who love you, but
now I understand how you work.”
“ What do you mean?”
“ Your very willing to help others find and cherish love, but for some reason,
you don’t think you deserve to be loved?”
“ Actually I don’t think that at all, I think I deserve to be loved more than
anyone does.”
“ Then why are you out here by yourself, helping others, and when your alone
you cry yourself to sleep? Or whenever someone sees the obvious pain in you
and mentions it, you lose your composure?”
“ It doesn’t matter. I won’t go back.” Diana said coming to her feet and going
to get cleaned up.
When she returned she saw the warrior waiting for her, alone with the panther
Chirine.
“ So...where are we going?” The warrior asked.
Diana raised her brow at the assumption, but then she figured if the warrior
had followed her this far from her home, then it wouldn’t be right to abandon
her now.
“ Fine, I’m going to town to get some supplies.”
“ Great, let’s go.”
Diana looked at the warrior and then back at Chirine the panther and she had
to smile at the group she had going. Diana and the warrior and the panther all
walked to the nearest town, and Diana went to some of the merchants and stores
to buy the few supplies she wanted, and then Jeanni suggested something that
would change the day for all of them.
“ How about we go buy ourselves a nice hot meal in the tavern over there? We
can sit and just relax for a while inside?”
“ I don’t know, I really don’t feel up to talking to people right now.” Diana
said honestly, due to the down spirit she had.
“ You won’t have to, we’ll just sit and relax, and I want let anyone bother
you, and I’m sure if you asked Chirine, she would make people think twice
about disturbing us?”
Diana looked at the warrior and then at the large cat, and then nodded. The
three of them went to the tavern and were lead to a table. Diana kept her hood
on the whole time. The clients inside were frighten by the large cat, but
Jeanni allayed their fear by telling them they had nothing to worry about as
long as they did not bother the three of them.
Diana then removed her hood and once again as was the reaction of those who
did not know her, there was a collective gasp.
Diana and Jeanni sat and talked, well actually it was Jeanni doing most of the
talking as she was trying to convince Diana she needed to go home.
“ I don’t understand you, you say you love these people, and that you left to
protect them, but have you thought about how they must be feeling, I mean I
know how I would feel if you were missing, and I didn’t know where you were, I
would go out of my mind with fear and worry for you. I know the people you
left behind must feel like a knife just ripped out their hearts, they have to
be going through a lot of emotions, one of which I would think is anger at
you for making such an assumption about how they feel. I know it’s a wrong
assumption, because I can’t imagine anyone would consider this a solution to
what you’ve told me, if anything, most people do things for people, because
they are willing to go through anything for the one’s they love, that’s what
love is all about, it’s not about running.” Jeanni scolded slightly.
“ You don’t know what your talking about!” Diana said with sarcasm.
“ I think she’s right on the dinar if you ask me.”
Diana almost choked on her own saliva, as she swallowed hard, and felt her
body tighten like a rock.
“ Aren’t you going to say anything Consort?”
Tears just begun rolling down Diana’s face as she then turned her head to
Jeanni.
“ That’s why you followed me! So you could lead her to me?! How did you know
it was her?!!” Diana shouted at the woman sitting at the table with her, as
she was about to come to her feet to leave.
Xena caught Diana’s shoulder and pushed her back down in the seat.
“ Don’t scold her, she was being a friend to you, and you owe her an apology
for this outrage behavior of yours Consort, it’s not her who ran off.”
“ It’s alright Xena, I understand she’s really hurting.”
“ No it’s not alright, Consort I’m waiting?”
Diana glanced sidelong back at Xena, as if trying to decide whether to do as
she was told or not. She decided to obey.
“ I’m sorry.” Diana said curtly, and then turned back to look ahead.
“ Good.” Xena then turned to Jeanni.
“ Jeanni, it is wonderful to see you again. Thank you for watching over my
Consort for me, it seems you once again have been watching over my lover once
again.”
“ It was my pleasure Lord Xena.”
“ You know about that?”
“ Only because of the picture Diana carries in her pack of you and a group of
other people I don’t know, except for there was another woman in the picture
who looked a lot like....”
“ I know, that was Lord Questra, and when we go home I will introduce you to
all of them.”
“ There was one woman in the picture that I thought was very good looking.”
“ Who?”
“ Carmel complexion?”
“ Oh, alright, I will see what I can do for you, I owe her, maybe she’ll
except this as payment. Anyway, I need to see Diana alone for a few days, but
don’t leave, we’ll be back here to get you?”
“ Where would I go? I don’t even know this land, yet alone know how to get
back to our own, so I’ll be around.”
“ Good. Now as for you Consort.” Xena said in a low voice. “ I don’t know
whether to be pissed at you for this, or to take you in my arms and just hug
you until we melt together.
Xena then lifted Diana from the chair by her cloak , and then practically
dragged Diana out of the tavern and down the street. But when they came out
and Chirine saw how Xena held Diana she roared at her.
Xena stopped for a moment and looked at the large Panther that was about to
leap at her, but rather than being afraid of the animal, Xena’s eyes slitted
and she spoke to the beast.
“ I am Xena The Conqueror, Diana is my mate, do you understand?”
“ I understand, but I have swore an oath to her that I would protect her from
harm.”
“ And I appreciate that, but now I am here to take over that responsibility.”
“ Then I shall serve you, seeing how you are Diana’s master?”
“ Very well, I can use a beautiful beast as yourself as a guardian to my mate
when I am away, for whatever reason.”
“ I would be honored.”
Xena then smiled and her hers returned to their former state. Diana had
readied herself to tell Chirine not to harm Xena, but for some reason the
animal did not attack her, but instead came to stand By her and Xena.
Xena then petted the beast and then she turned her attention back to Diana.
She directed her towards the Inn, and Diana did not try to free herself of
Xena’s hold, she was too tired and she knew that Xena had plans to lay into
her left and right.
Xena took Diana into the room she had gotten them and then after she closed
the door she whipped Diana around and the first thing she did was kiss her.
Diana’s and Xena’s body locked in tightness and Xena lowered them to the floor
and with an intense need she took Diana through out the night and for the next
few days and night.
Finally Xena was sated enough to be comfortable, as Diana aroused from her
sleep to find Xena sitting in a chair next to the bed watching her.
“ Xena....I don’t feel like talking about anything right now.”
“ Why?”
“ Because it’s not going to change my mind.” Diana said as she rolled onto her
back and placed her arms behind her head and rested on them as she looked
anywhere but at the sapphire eyes that were focused on her.
“ Diana first of all let me clear some things up for you, some things you
obviously seemed to have forgotten.”
“ What?”
“ Do you really believe you have ANY choice in the fact that you are going
back with me? And even if you do believe it, you realize I will just
physically pick your little butt up and carry you back where you belong.” Xena
stated with fact.
“ I will just leave again.” Diana said not looking at the eyes she felt were
burning into her.
Xena’s mouth twitched at all of the emotions she was feeling, but she
maintained.
“ Then I would have to just tie you to the bed, until I was sure you wouldn’t
just purposely hurt me again, until I was sure you wouldn’t break your word to
me again?”
Diana swallowed hard and then with tears coming to her eyes she looked over at
Xena.
“ I didn’t lie to you.”
“ YOU LIED!” Xena sneered and then came to her feet so abruptly that the chair
she was sitting in flew back and crashed into the wall.
Diana startled from Xena’s accusation and her sudden movements. She rolled to
her side and searched Xena’s eyes to see if she really believed she had been
lied to.
“ Xena you can’t really believe I lied to you?”
“ You lied and you lied purposefully.”
“ How?” Diana shot back.
Xena whipped around to face Diana with a surprised questioning look in her
eyes.
“ You can’t be serious, You want to know how you lied to me, I’ll tell you
little girl! You once told me that no matter what we went through, you could
always deal with it as long as we were always together, and yet look at what
you did....you left! Diana you can’t just run away from things, and I’ll be
damned to Tartarus if you think it is alright to just walk out of a
relationship for one thing, and especially one with me. Your stuck with me for
the rest of our lives, and I don’t care if you hate me, resent me or despise
me, you are Mine and mine you will always be! I love you with all my heart
Diana, and while I want our lives to be that of the love we’ve always had, I
am not going to allow you to leave me. You swore you wouldn’t and yet you did.
I know you love me as much as I do you, but for some reason you have this
wrong idea that I have some regret or desire for you to leave, or something,
that makes you feel like you are a burden to me.”
“ I am.”
“ How could you possibly believe that? Where did I fail you in my convictions
that there is nothing about you that could ever make me feel that way,
absolutely nothing. Diana....” Xena said as she came to sit on the bed facing
Diana, she took hold of her smaller hands and brought them to her lips and
kissed them, then she continued. “ Kitten, I am strong because of you as well
as weak for you, NOT because of you. You have got to know that, Diana since
you left, I have done nothing but hurt and long, and wish and hope. Kitten,
you are the only person to ever steal the Conqueror’s heart so completely and
thoroughly, and I willingly let you keep it. I need you, my life means nothing
without you. To love you, fills me with strength and utter devotion to want to
see you laughing and full of energy and driving me crazy with your antics.
Diana your not allowed to just leave. You made a commitment to me that you
would always be mine, and I will do whatever I have to do to keep you from
breaking that oath to me and yourself, so if you resent me coming after you
and taking you back home where you belong, well too bad, you’ll just have to
suffer with it, because home is where your going. Besides kitten, I know
you’ve missed all of us horribly.”
“ Xena......I didn’t leave you to go and find someone else, or because I was
unhappy with you in any way what’s so ever. Xena I left because of my great
love for you and everyone else, but mainly you. Xena I couldn’t stop hurting
everytime I thought about the number of times someone had been hurt,and worst
because of me, it was like falling on jagged stones, the pain was tearing me
apart and I couldn’t bring myself to tell you because it would have been one
more thing that you would have had to worry about regarding me, and I had
already caused enough problems as it was.”
“ Diana?” Xena started to say with true amazement that Diana truly believed
she was a burden to her, and the others.
“ Xena please? You know I’m right...”
“ NO I DON'T KNOW THAT! And I would appreciate it if you would stop trying to
telling me what I think or know! I’m telling you what I know, and that is Your
wrong!” Xena snapped back irritated, by Diana’s assumptions.
Diana now sat up and looked Xena square in the eyes, determined to make her
point. Xena didn’t move from where she was, she just cocked her head and
raised a brow in question.
“ Xena how can you say that?! I mean look at the record since I’ve been here?”
“ What are you talking about?”
“ I’m talking about your record. Since I’ve come into your life how many
battles have you lost? How many people died during those losses, how many
times has one of you been hurt as a result, Xena how can you possibly not see
I’m nothing but a beautiful temptress of trouble? Trouble is drawn to me like
an over taxed horse is to water. I can’t keep letting things happen to the
people I love most in this world, so this was my solution, to leave.” Diana
then turned and walked over to busy her hands on something on the sill of the
window.
“ It was a wrong decision, one that I will not let stand. I want you home
where you belong. Diana I understand how you feel about thinking those you
love are being hurt because of you, but it’s not because of you, it’s because
people are the same everywhere, including in the time you came from, people
always want things they can’t have, and they feel if they can’t have it then
why should anyone else. Beautiful things whether things or people always draws
attention, good and bad, but the only way to deal with the bad attention is to
stand together with those you love and draw strength from each others love and
devotion. Diana together you and I are an incredible team, those battles that
we lost, were battles I would willingly lose again if it continued to bring us
closer together as it and all of the other battles we’ve won and lost. You are
my life, and I know I am yours, you could never be happy again if I allowed
you to leave. The only way for you to ever have peace about having left is for
you never to think of me or Gabrielle, or Questra, or Ephiny or Shatara or any
of the others ever again....and you know as well as I do, you couldn’t do
that, I couldn’t do it, I wouldn’t want to do it, and I won’t do it. Your mine
kitten, for better or worse.” Xena stated with love and compassion in her tone
for the sobbing young girl trying to hide her emotions by keeping her eyes
focused out the window.
Xena walked over to Diana and placing her hand on Diana’s shoulder lightly and
with a little pressure to it, Diana looked up at Xena and saw the matching
tears rolling down Xena’s cheeks. Diana’s tears rolled faster, and then she
said in a quiet voice.
“ See....I hurt you again?”
“ No. I’ll only be hurt if you don’t come here?” Xena said giving Diana a look
of encouragement.
Diana tried to smile, but instead she just turned and leaned into Xena’s arms
and Xena wrapped her arms around Diana, and held the exhausted woman as she
cried weakly. Xena knew Diana was physically exhausted not from the lovemaking
they had been involved in the days before, but from trying to convince herself
that she could make it without Xena and be happy, now the exhaustion of the
nearly year in wandering, was overwhelming Diana and she just needed to rest
in Xena, against Xena and with Xena. Xena understood exactly how Diana was
felling, so she lifted Diana up in her arms and carried her back to the bed
and laying down on the bed with Diana still in her arms, Diana repositioned
herself so that she was laying flat along the length of Xena’s long body.
Diana closed her eyes and fell asleep on top of Xena, and Xena held Diana as
she herself also went to sleep, the two slept the rest of the day, and into
the late hours of the next day just resting in each other. Xena finally
stretched her body and feeling a light weight on her, she opened her eyes to
find Diana had not moved from her original place on top of Xena.
Xena brought one of her hands up to Diana’s head and moving the mass of hair
from around Diana’s face, she then went back to holding Diana, as she listened
to Diana’s soft breathing, and gazing at the upturned face, resting on her
chest, Xena say the soft relaxed features, and every now and then she heard
Diana sigh in her sleep.
Xena’s heart leaped at all of it, and she hugged Diana tightly to her as she
wanted to feel the young woman more. Diana squirmed and then yawning in a way
that made Xena smile and once again hold Diana tightly.
Diana stretched her body along Xena’s and the feel of it, made Xena shiver at
the inadvertent touches Diana’s body pressed against.
“ Mmmm.....” Diana moaned through her stretch and then she slowly opened her
eyes and saw Xena looking up at her.
“ Good morning kitten, how did you sleep?”
“ Mmmm.....Xena, I slept wonderful, so peaceful and warm, after a long time of
not sleeping so well.” Diana admitted with a shy smile.
“ I know, I’ve been the same way, but now with you in my arms again, I’m at
peace in my being. You are my peace Kitten.”
“ And now I see, you are my peace My Love. I am so sorry for this and all the
pain I’ve caused you from the worry you have gone through about me.”
“ You were hurting, I should have known, or at least felt it, then I would
have seen what you were going through, I’m sorry for not being more aware of
what you were going through, I realize now that you had tried to tell me that
you were having some problem, but I didn’t listen, I just thought you were
overwhelmed by all that had happened to you and Gabrielle, and although that
was a part of all of this, it was deeper, but I didn’t see it, and for that
kitten......I am sorry, it won’t happen again.” Xena stated unquestionably.
“ I love you.” Was all Diana could manage. But it spoke the depth of the
universe to Xena.
“ And I love you.” Xena returned, with Diana understanding the same.
The next day was when the two finally got up and cleaned up and dressed. Xena
made Diana put on one of her less conservative outfits and she dressed in her
leathers. Xena sent one of her soldiers back to tell Questra and Gabrielle
that she had found Diana and everything was okay, and that they would be
returning in a few days. The other soldiers took their places behind Xena and
Diana and they headed back to the tavern to locate Jeanni.
“ Lord Xena, Diana, is everything okay?”
“ Wonderful. Diana will never do this again, right kitten?”
“ Right.” Diana said somewhat distracted by the women in the corner.
“ What is it Diana?”
“ Those women, they seem to be excited about something.”
“ Oh, yes, they are, they heard from a seer who was passing through here that
something was going to happen soon, and that no one would be safe if it is not
discovered who is behind whatever it is that is coming.”
“ Okay, a cryptic message, well, we need to be getting back, there is a lot
that still needs to be discussed.”
“ I thought we discussed everything?” Diana asked somewhat surprised that Xena
had more to say to her.
“ You thought wrong.”
“ But you told the messager that we would be back in a few days?”
“ I changed my mind, that message just got me to thinking that we really need
to close this chapter, and the only way to truly do this is by sitting you and
Gabrielle down and talking to both of you. Jeanni, we’ll get you back to our
land, and you may stay at the palace or go on your way, and I will send word
to you when the Carmel complexion woman comes to visit?”
“ Well, actually I will go and visit my sister Amazons, I understand there is
a tribe of them in Xenadia?”
“ Yes, the lead tribe, matter of fact Diana’s sister is the Amazon Princess.”
“ Really? You never told me that?”
“ I wasn’t up to talking a whole lot if you remember, you did most of the
talking, I was just trying to give you the hint to go away, but it didn’t
work.” Diana said somewhat with a tone, although her eyes danced.
“ Are you disappointed in the results of my denseness?”