Xena Fan Fiction ❯ To Settle the Score ❯ Scars: Chapter Three ( Chapter 3 )

[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]

When in the company of her empress alone, Gabrielle realized that their relationship differed, and it was for the better. Despite this development, the slave girl kept her distance, barely even glancing up as she entered into the bathing room. Xena did not turn away as she undressed, but simply allowed her robe to fall from her shoulders. Gabrielle got up from her spot next to the bath, gathered the crumpled robe into her arms, and laid it out on the drying board nearby. She looked back to her empress and watched as she lowered herself into the water. Her empress’ waist length black hair stuck a violent contrast with her creamy skin, and this coupled with her proud countenance and striking features to make any argument against the empress' beauty moot.

When Xena had completely immersed herself into the tub, her body immediately deflated, succumbing to the intoxicating embrace of the steamy water.

Thinking her presence unnecessary, Gabrielle turned to leave, but a firm voice stopped her. "No, girl: Stay. I'll let you wash up when I've finished."

"Yes, empress." She stood still for a moment, her back still to Xena. Then the idea that she was missing another cue occurred to her and she impulsively offered her service. "Would you like me to wash your back for you then, empress? Or I could tell you a story to occupy the time."

Without a word, Xena reached around, gathered her black locks to the side, and swept them out of the way. "The story won't be necessary, girl." A closer examination of her empress’ back startled her. Scars etched themselves into her creamy skin like harsh memories lashed in by an unrelenting hand. She sensed that by touching them she would be overstepping a boundary that her empress had yet to grant her access to cross. Though unknowing of what the best action should be, she decided it was best to act without keeping her empress waiting any longer. Dipping the sea sponge into the hot water, she lathered it with soap, and then began to glide it gently across her empress’ back.

"Don't be weary of the scars, girl. The wounds were only painful upon infliction. They're fine now."

The words served to reassure Gabrielle's movements and this gradually built into a confidence in her strokes. Xena stretched, cracking her neck and shoulders. Gabrielle winced.

"Empress?"

"Yes?"

"Would you like me to help you with that? I mean, I've read some books on healing. Perhaps—"

"A massage would be helpful, yes," her empress replied.

Gabrielle smiled at the chance to show off her talents. She let the sea sponge float away and proceeded to knead her hands into her empress' strong back. Xena winced at the girl's grip and rolled her eyes.

Gabrielle felt her empress tense and asked, "Something wrong, empress?"

Xena sighed and slid her shoulders away. "Girl, did your father happen to be a sailor?"

"Um, no, empress. He's a—"

"Oh, I wonder where a pretty girl like you would get hands like that from then," Xena said, her face deadpan.

Gabrielle was perplexed, but did not ask. Her empress was proving to be more of an amusement than she had anticipated. Perhaps there was hope that one day she could breech the barriers between them. "Yes... empress."

Xena ducked her head under the surface of the water a last time, pushed her hair back out of her face, and emerged bare from the tub. Gabrielle hastily wrapped a towel around her.

Gabrielle smiled in spite of herself. "Maybe I'll get the hang of this whole handmaiden thing after all."

Xena smiled plainly."Let's not get ahead of ourselves.”

Gabrielle smiled in response, her arms still on the towel that now held her empress. She caught Xena’s gaze unintentionally for a moment, and when it lingered, she averted her eyes. Yet, her empress’ stare continued to press into her. She shot her eyes up again, as if to question her. Why was she staring so intensely?
Suddenly Gabrielle realized that her empress' eyes weighed heavy in sympathy… something Gabrielle had not seen since she was captured, and somehow, it disturbed her. She cowered under Xena's examination, locking her eyes away, as if it would stop the influx of nervous fire from tap-dancing its way to her heart.

"Go ahead and clean yourself up and join me in my chamber when you're ready."

"Yes, empress."

When Xena did not immediately leave, Gabrielle tried to busy herself by preparing the bath. Her empress observed her curiously. "Something the matter, girl?"

Gabrielle glanced back at her empress, her eyes retreating, and her mouth refusing to answer.

"You were so eager to speak earlier. Say something."

"Yes empress, there is something wrong." The slave girl paused, not sure how to phrase herself. "I've... well, I've heard things about you—a lot of things. Things that have disturbed me."

Xena nodded, knowingly. She replaced her towel with her robe and nonchalantly said, "Just as you were supposed to, girl. But don't worry: I'm not going to rape you. In fact, I'm not even going to touch you, just as long as you do something for me."

Gabrielle dreaded what the request would be. "Yes?"

"When you leave this room you do not speak of me. Do not mention that I allow you to wash after me. Do not say a word that would even imply that I sympathize for you."

Gabrielle was taken aback and her face illustrated her confusion. "Excuse me, empress? I don't understand."

"You don't have to understand. Just tell everyone you wish you were dead." With that, the empress turned and exited.

Gabrielle opened her mouth to protest but Xena silenced her.

"And don't even think of questioning me. You wouldn't want to make me angry, now would you?"

Gabrielle slowly shook her head, and satisfied, her empress exited. Gabrielle mulled over her thoughts in the bath as the soft sea sponge worked through the weeks of grime built up since her "escape" from Potedeia. Maybe everything she had heard about Caesar's empress was false, to a certain degree. Why would she want to make such a horrible reputation for herself? Does she want to be hated? The thought struck her, hitting a violent chord in her heart, like a feeling she had long forgotten had sparked again to the surface. Shaking off the revere, she removed herself from the tub, and then dressed in the clothes her empress had laid out for her. They were made out of imported cotton by their touch, and hung off her body like the expansive branches of a willow tree. Empress-hand-me-downs. "Well, better than peasant clothing," she mumbled to herself.

Xena reappeared in the doorway, this time fully clothed. "Better be. That's Egyptian cotton you're wearing."

"Well, throw me in the Nile and call me Cleopatra."

This time Xena did not hide her smile. Gabrielle caught her empress’ eyes for a moment and was suddenly inspired. "You should smile more often, empress. It lights up your eyes," she began, an air of wonderment in her voice, "like moon beams reflecting off the Mediterranean."

This seemed to rattle Xena’s demeanor and it ever so quickly came unglued. Her smile instantly fled, and she spewed out the first topic that entered her mind. "So, I get the impression you like poetry," she replied awkwardly.

Gabrielle's face brightened. Her empress was initiating a conversation? She was all to honored to answer. "I always have. Since I was a child, I've wanted to travel, telling stories wherever I went. Back in my village though, that wasn't going to happen. And, when my father decided to marry me off—well, that's when I left."

Xena seemed to be contemplating this.

"And I was a good distance from Potedeia when the Romans caught me."

“Potedeia… I haven’t heard of that place in a long time,” Xena said, a nostalgic tone to her voice. “If you’re from Greece, then those weren't Romans that caught you and brought you into this life. It was a warlord named Draco.” Xena paused and shook her head. I rode with him at one time, after I left my life in Amphipolis."

Gabrielle scoffed. "Nice guy."

Xena wiggled her eyebrows at the girl. "You don't know the half of it."

Why her empress told her this, Gabrielle was unsure, but she was vastly intrigued to hear more. “Why did you—“

"And you never will."

Gabrielle was disappointed and sighed, but went on, "not long after that I was on a ship—oh, and let me tell you, do I ever hate ships!"

Xena, forgetting her previous mistake, smiled again.

Gabrielle saw the smile on her empress' face and froze, turning away from her.

"Does your empress' smiling frighten you, girl?" she asked, taking an step closer.

Please don't call me ‘girl’, was Gabrielle's thought. The word was drenched in dominance and if there was one thing she hated more than anything, it was being controlled. "No, my empress' smiling makes me happy."

"Then why do you turn away, girl?"

Please don't call me ‘girl’, she thought again. "Because I want my empress to keep smiling."

Xena stared at her slave girl's back and quirked an eyebrow. "Well, there are few things to keep me smiling on your backside."

Gabrielle’s eyebrows narrowed and she peeked over her shoulder, her eyes questioning.

Xena realized her mistake—that she had accidentally insulted the girl. She immediately tried to reconcile, "I mean, except your backside, of course. Your backside is actually quite nice."

What was her empress saying to her? Was that supposed to be a compliment? Gabrielle’s expression said everything that she herself could not vocalize, however, she did manage to utter out a subtle, "thank you, empress?"

Gabrielle was not the only one surprised at the compliment, even Xena herself did not understand what she was saying until it was already said. She stood there as if she had caught herself completely off guard and jumbled to say, "Yes, well, I must be going... to Caesar." Then she hastily left her slave, who blinked, bedazzled, at the door for many more moments after her departure.

Once outside the door, Xena paced down the hallway.

By the Gods... I was flirting with her. I have to get my act together. First Ares, and now this girl. What am I thinking? Xena shook her head a few times as if to straighten her thoughts. Perhaps this palace was getting to her; Rome did always make her act crazy.

"It lights up your eyes like moon beams reflecting off the Mediterranean..." When is the last time someone had romanced her like that? Probably one of the boys back in her village so long ago, but she doubted they had been so poetic—or that she would have been so affected by the phrase. Yet, this silly, little slave girl from Greece comes barreling in and when she says it, it somehow rings with meaning? It was completely unreasonable.

"My empress," Caesar's voice broke in from behind her, very closely behind her. She had not heard him approach? This was worse than she had thought. "Have you come down to collect your own meal? Is the slave girl I sent you not feeding you well?"

Xena took the double meaning and grinned. "Oh no, she's feeding me just fine, my Caesar. Though after the beating I gave her she is quite sore and weak. I discovered too late that I should have made her get my meal before I beat her."

"Well, I'm glad you're enjoying your new toy."

"Immensely."

"Be sure to have her look presentable in a fortnight."

"Ah, for the festival? I'd nearly forgotten."

"If only I could be so lucky as to forget," the emperor muttered to himself.

Xena played up to him. "Oh, hire someone else to do the planning then." She added a kiss to top off her facade. "My emperor will work himself to death."