XWP - Amazon Bonding - Awakenings 3 (final)

Amazon Bonding, An Awakening III

by Ms. Hunter Ash

ripperbard7@yahoo.com

frost29@post.com

Disclaimers:  Once again, let us recite the bard classic statement: I don’t own Xena, Gabrielle, Hercules, etc etc etc. This story is written for entertainment purposes, not for money, and no copyright infringement is intended. 

Subtext/Alt Fiction/Sex: Yup. This story contains a loving and sexual relationship between consenting adults of the same gender. Rating: R

Violence: Hmmm, very little. Probably even less than your usual TV episode.

Storyline: This is the third story in my Awakening set. As I said before, I didn’t intend on writing sequels but it worked out that way and who knows where these will end up. I hope that each story stands on it’s own but you might want to read "Discovery, An Awakening II" before this one.

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The war party moved quickly through the countryside, spurred on by the enraged and desperate warrior leading them on her beloved Argo.  With Amazons and the Warrior Princess tracking them, the Romans were quickly overtaken.

“Let me approach them, Xena. I can order them to turn over the antidote.” Brutus pleaded.

“No, how do I know that you won’t destroy it?” Xena said flatly, watching the Romans moving up and down a river, looking for a suitable place to pass with their horses.  On the rocky cliff overhead Amazons and warrior watched.

“I swear I won’t. Something I didn’t tell you,” Xena looked at him with narrowed eyes.  “I thought this would be an easy assignment.  One of the soldiers we left behind with the Amazons is my son. If I fail, his life and mine are both forfeit.”

“Your son?”

“Yes, I swear it by all the Gods.”

“All right, you have five minutes.  Alcyonia, give him his sword.” Xena instructed one of the Amazon warriors.

“Brutus,” the Roman turned to look at Xena.  “If you fail, I’ll personally castrate both of you.”

The Roman turned pale but nodded his understanding.

In moments he was riding up to his men.  Xena couldn’t hear the conversation but she was watching closely.  At her signal Amazon archers had taken up positions on the cliff overlooking the Romans, ready to unleash their famed deadly arrows.

Xena watched, chakram in hand as Brutus appeared to argue with the men.  The sound of shouting reaching the warrior’s ears.  Finally one of the men shouted something and drew his sword and the others followed.  Brutus pulled his own sword and ran the first soldier through and the other two fell with arrows in their chests and throats. The fourth one dropped his sword and held up his hands in surrender.

Xena ran to Argo and quickly sped down the trail to find Brutus ripping the saddlebags off the Roman horses and spilling the contents onto the ground.  Xena leaped off Argo with chakram at hand.  The Roman looked up, frowning.

“Bastards wouldn’t go back on Caesar’s orders.  It’s got to be here!”

Xena joined in the search as the Amazons and Hercules rode up.  Brutus let out a shout and held up a flask.  He grinned and handed it to the warrior.

“Hercules, make sure they get back to the village.  I’m going to move fast.”

“You got it.”

Xena was grateful that the border guards and scouts let her fly past without challenge.  She had answered the bird and animal calls with her own and didn’t slow Argo’s flight any.  The noises managed to beat her into the village and she found the way clear for her all the way to the healer’s hut with armed Amazons lining the road and yard.  Ephiny and Iolaus stood at the door with swords drawn.  Xena leaped off Argo and dashed through the door as Iolaus held it open.

The healer quickly moved forward and opened the flask, with a satisfied look she began pouring the herb into her mixing bowl.  “This is it, warrior.  Just pray we’re in time.  She’s very weak, it’s been hours.”

Xena was very aware of how long it had been and how fast poison could work.  Torches were already being lit in the village.  She quickly moved to Gabrielle’s side across from Hecuba and Lila.  Cyrene and Solan kept vigil off to the side.

“She’s been unconscious since you left.” Hecuba said softly. 

“The pain?” Xena asked, tears flowing down her face as she stroked her bard’s forehead.  The bard’s face was drawn and pinched with pain and her muscles continually twitched and spasmed.

“Worse. She finally stopped screaming half a candlemark ago.” Lila answered with a sob, burying her head in her mother’s shoulder.  Cyrene walked up behind her daughter and placed her hands on the warrior’s shoulders.

“Screaming?” Xena whispered.

“Yes, the pain has been bad.” Cyrene answered softly.

“Gabrielle!”

The healer moved around the warrior and with the help of Hecuba, pried the bard’s jaws open and forced the unconscious woman to swallow.  “We can only wait. The damage may be too much for her.”

“No! Gabrielle, listen to me! You fight back! I’m not going to lose you now!” Xena growled through gritted teeth and sat down on the stool next to her lover.

Ephiny entered the hut and took in the scene.  “Did she get it?” she asked the healer.

“Yes, we can only wait and see if it was in time.  Our Queen is very ill.”

“All right.  I’m sending the delegates on their way. I’ll tell them the son of bacchae have been caught and are dead.  I’ll send runners out once we know the outcome.”  Ephiny tried not to choke on the last words and stumbled out of the hut.

After some convincing the healer finally got the two families to go and eat something while Xena watched over her lover.  The healer knew better than to insist that Xena leave Gabrielle’s side and didn’t even try.  She helped the warrior keep cool cloths on the Queen’s forehead and wrists and helped the warrior hold her mate down when the pain racked her body once more.  Xena whimpered, each time the bard was getting weaker and weaker.

Xena felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand up.  She turned to the healer.  “Can you get me some bread and water, please?”

The healer was surprised but pleased, she hadn’t expected the warrior to even think of eating or drinking. 

Once the healer was out of the hut Xena stood up and drew her sword.

“Ares!” she hissed.

“I hate how you can do that!” he said as he appeared.

“Come to gloat?” she demanded, sword at his neck.  The War God merely ignored the sword.

“No, not at all.” he moved the point away and moved closer to his once Chosen.  “Look, I’m sorry about last night. I was upset.”

“What do you want!?” she demanded again, sheathing her sword.

“You,” he answered simply as she turned back to Gabrielle’s side.

“What else is new?” she asked in a tired voice.  The bard whimpered and gritted her teeth again.  Ares watched with disinterest as waves of pain ran through the small woman’s body.

“Always, of course. Look, I can heal her.”

“What price?”

“The usual deal.” Ares shrugged.

“I come back to you like before.  Total Warlord.” Xena said simply.

“Yup, you bet. What do you say? We can leave her here with the Amazons and go back to how it was.”

“Ares,” Xena held up her bandaged hand.  “We’re blood bonded, if I go back to my war ways she’ll die and then I’ll die.”

“Remember, you convinced the Furies that you and I are blood. Come back, all ready! You know I’ll win in the end.  The fight is in your blood. You can’t deny that your blood sings every time you go into battle or a fight.  That after a good fight you’re so turned on that you can’t stand it. Come back.”  He moved behind her and placed his hands on her shoulders. 

Xena shrugged them off.  “No, Ares.  I don’t care if you are my father or not, Gabrielle is my life.”

“Does she answer that call of the blood after the fight? Can she understand the fury in your blood?  Can she answer it? Only a warrior knows what it feels like.” he purred in her ear.

“You’d be surprised,” Xena managed to grin. “At what Gabrielle can do, in more ways than one.”

“Humph!” Ares snorted and moved to the end of the cot.  “If you are my daughter then take your rightful place at my side and become the Goddess of War!” he insisted.

“Isn’t that position all ready taken?”

“Athena, who cares.  She can go back to her weaving, she’s not the warrior you are!” he insisted.

“No, just leave.” Xena ran a tired hand over her face.

“Okay, I’ll just wait till the irritating little wench is gone, then you’ll be back.” Ares said smugly.

“Ares,” Xena’s voice stopped him from disappearing. “Know this, if she crosses over that I’ll follow her.” Xena’s eyes met the War Gods.

“No, you can’t do that!” he demanded.

“Yes, I can. She’s the other half of my soul and I won’t lose her.”

“You can’t mean that!”

“Yes, I do.  Now leave, all ready.” Xena turned her eyes back to her lover.  Without looking she knew that Ares was gone and she was alone with Gabrielle.  Xena finally let herself break down in tears as she felt how rapid and shallow the bard’s breathing was.  “Gabrielle, I hope you can hear me,” she whispered.  “Don’t leave me, please! I can’t live without you!”  Xena checked her armor and sighed to herself after feeling the dagger between her breasts.

“Hey,” a harsh voice whispered.

Xena looked up, tears of joy beginning to fall instead of terrified ones.  Green eyes met blue ones and Xena quickly grabbed the bard’s hand and held it.

“Gabrielle!” Xena grabbed a cup and moved behind the bard to help her sit up and take a drink.  The smaller woman couldn’t even raise her hands to help. “Shhh, little one, drink slowly.” Xena instructed.

Gabrielle leaned back into her warrior.  “What happened?” she whispered.

The healer walked through the door and took in the sight of her Queen in the arms of her Consort with eyes open and broke into a grin.  She quickly put the bread and wine down and ran back outside.  Xena smiled when they heard a cheer outside.  The healer quickly came back in and with experienced hands, began examining the bard.

After a moment she stepped back and looked at Gabrielle’s tired face.

“Well?” the warrior demanded, holding her arms around her lover.

“It’ll be a few days before we know if there’s permanent damage or not,” the healer warned.

“I’ll be fine,” Gabrielle insisted, her head starting to fall forward.

“Gabrielle?”

“It’s all right, Consort,” the healer reassured her.  “She’ll sleep a lot for the next few days.  It’s the body’s way of healing.”

Suddenly the room was filled with happy relatives, Amazons, and friends, all shedding tears of joy while the bard smiled a very tired smile.

After a few minutes the healer ran all of them out when Gabrielle’s head fell forward onto Xena’s arms and didn’t’ raise back up.  She motioned for the warrior to lay the bard back down on the cot.

Xena crossed over to the healer’s table.  “Well?”

“She’s very weak. We’ll know probably tomorrow if there’s muscle damage.  It may be a few days before we know if there’s problems with her stomach or nervous system,” the healer warned.

“She’s alive, that’s what counts right now.”

“Yes, and everyone is waiting outside. Hercules brought in the Roman and the prisoner.”

“You’ll stay with her for a few minutes?”

“Of course, she’s my Queen.”

Xena found Brutus and the other three Romans sitting at one of the tables, surrounded by Amazons.  Brutus looked tired but pleased when the warrior approached them and sat down opposite of him.  Xena knew the assassin was in the prisoner hut.

“I heard she’s alive.  Thank you!”

“Thank you for your help.” the warrior acknowledged.  “Ephiny agrees to let you go back to Rome.  I don’t believe you had anything to do with it or you would have run with the others.”

“Thank you.”

“What will you tell Caesar?” the warrior asked. Xena noticed that he didn’t ask about the proposed fate of the other Roman.

“That someone attempted to poison the Queen of the Amazons but they failed and I haven’t heard from his men.”

“It’s dangerous going up against Caesar’s wishes,” Xena mentioned.

“I know, that’s why I prefer to count him as my friend rather than my enemy.  It’s either let the Amazons kill us for being Roman or tell Caesar the truth and let him kill us, my son included.  I don’t think I like either of those options.  My son and these two will keep quiet because they know what will happen if they don’t.  A cross is not where I want to end up for me or my son.”

“You should probably leave soon.  I know it’s dark but the Amazons aren’t happy with any outsiders right now.  It probably wouldn’t turn out well if one of your men even looked cross-eyed at one of them.” Xena suggested.

“You’re right, of course.  Will you walk me to our horses?”

Xena was surprised but agreed.  Brutus fell into step with her.

“Thank you for giving me the chance to save my son and my men.” he said simply.

“It was a way to save Gabrielle.”

“I know, but it also saved my son too. Your identity as Consort to the Queen is safe with me, warrior.  It was before she was poisoned.” Brutus grinned.

Xena’s eyes narrowed.  “What do you mean?”

“I recognized you in the ritual and figured the only one who could grab your heart enough for a bonding ceremony like this would be Gabrielle.” Brutus shrugged.

“How did you recognize us? Even our hair was covered.” Xena was curious.

“Nice bruise on your neck, Xena.  Also, I noticed your bandaged hand at breakfast.”

“Oh son of a bacchae!” she complained and he laughed as he took his reins and mounted his horse.

“I swear by the gods that no one will know that Gabrielle is the Queen of the Amazons and that you two are bonded.”

“Thank you, Brutus.  It could be used as political power.”

“Yes,” he agreed.  “but I hate politics and I like Gabrielle and respect you.”

“Goodbye, Brutus.  I hope we don’t have to cross swords in the future.”

“So do I, warrior.”

When Xena returned to the hut she found Hercules and Iolaus walking out the door.  She hugged both of them tightly.

“Thank you both for being here.”

“Any time.” Iolaus offered and Hercules nodded.

“We’re going to get something to eat and some sleep. Things should be quiet tonight.  All the delegates have left and Ares hasn’t shown up and the Romans are gone.” Hercules said.

“Ares did show up.” Xena said simply.

“What? What did he want?” Hercules demanded.

“The usual, me.”  Xena smiled and shrugged. “He offered to save Gabrielle if I would come back to him.  He was using the moment because just after I turned him down she woke up.  I think he knew she was going to get better and was seizing the moment to try and get to swear I was his again.”

“I’ll kill him one of these days, Father’s wishes or not.” Hercules grumbled.

Xena hugged him again. “Thanks, you might have to stand in line for that one.”

She moved past him to enter the hut and found Ephiny and both families.  She moved into the room and gave Solan a big hug and then her mother.  Xena turned to the healer.

“She’s sleeping, not unconscious. You need some sleep too.”

“I’ll stay with her.” Xena insisted.

“I figured that, but at least take off the armor and crawl into bed with her and sleep!” the healer said in frustration.  Xena grinned a tired smile and Ephiny laughed for the first time in two days.

“She’s right, Xena. I’ll see to your families. Warriors will watch the hut outside.”

Xena quickly hugged everyone and then struggled out of her armor.  With a heavy sigh she settled down into the familiar position behind the bard and slipped her arms around Gabrielle.

The warrior was pleased when the bard sighed in her sleep and snuggled into Xena’s arms.  She was asleep in moments. 

Xena knew the recovery would be long and hard for the bard but had no doubt of the bard’s inner strength.

Xena also knew that she would be there every step of the way.

 

See what happens next in "Healing, An Awakening IV"

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Note: I want to thank whoever invented the Internet. In researching ancient Greek wedding traditions, modern traditions and pagan handfasting rituals, my time was cut down from over a week in a library to two days on the net. I also want to thank the thousands of people who put information out there for us to find and use.
Another note: I also want to encourage the use of libraries, they are still essential, even in the day of the internet. Nothing beats a good book in your hands and nothing has fed this bard growing up more than a good story.

Hope you enjoy my stuff. Let me know what you think.
Hunter Ash