Disclaimer: The characters of Xena and Gabrielle belong to MCA/Universal and Renaissance Pictures etc. etc. etc. No copyright infringement intended etc. etc. etc. Yes, there´s sex in this one, and yes, it´s between two women. There´s also a bit of violence, not much though, but if any of this makes you uncomfortable, don´t read.

Author´s note: This story is a sequel to another story I wrote, called The Remuneration (so much for creativity, huh?) which was inspired by the excellent piece, Chattel by Dark Angel. I hadn´t intended writing a sequel, but obviously, I changed my mind, mainly due to the people who wrote me and asked for one, so thank you for doing that. You don´t have to read the other one first to make sense of this, but it won´t hurt if you do.

Comments are welcome at: dayze11@hotmail.com
 
 

For Karon, who always knows what to say
 
 

It´s been two months since she last came to me or sent for me.

The week following my birthday I remember as being very cold, probably because I was never fully dressed during those days. Her need for me seemed even stronger than when she first acquired me, and after only a few nights I was so exhausted from lack of sleep that I was afraid I would collapse, bringing her wrath upon me, but then everything changed.

One night the guard didn´t come to fetch me and she didn´t seek me out. At first I was too tired to contemplate her change of behaviour. I was just grateful for being able to sleep, but when two days and then three went by without any notice from her, I began to wonder. In a way I was relieved, I was now granted the solitude and peace I´d always wished for, but soon I started to worry.

If the Conqueror no longer had need for me then it was only a matter of time before I would be passed on to somebody who did, and as much as I feared my keeper, by now, I more or less knew what to expect from her, what pleased her and what didn´t. Those had been hard learned lessons, and I was very uneasy by the prospect of having to go through that again with a new owner.

Soon the rumour went through the castle that I was no longer the Conqueror´s favoured toy, and her former favourites, men and women who´d once held my position found great delight in my fall from grace. They had all envied me the place in her bed and in some grotesque way, the bruises on my body, and since I´d lasted longer than anybody else before me, instead of welcoming me into their circle, they treated me with even more contempt then before.

They didn´t even bother to take care that their beatings didn´t leave marks, or that my eyes turned red and puffy from crying since everybody now knew the Conqueror was no longer concerned if anybody touched her property. Also the soldiers had lost their reservation and fear about touching me.

She has tired of me and I have been disposed of, it is as simple as that. It has happened to countless of slaves before me and will happen to countless of slaves after me.

As a result, I´ve lost my sense of purpose, my place in her household and instead of feeling relief, I feel only fear. At least before I knew what to expect, now I don´t, and everyday I´m afraid that this is the one they´ll come for me and put it to an end.

"Hey, cutie. Where are you going?"

I look up and feel a wave of fear wash over me as I realize that in my musings, I´ve taken a wrong turn and ended up in the soldier´s mess hall. I immediately turn around, although deep inside of me I know it´s already too late, and I´m not surprised when I feel a heavy hand on my shoulder, holding me back.

"Where do ya think you´re going?"

He turns me around and I just stare into his bloodshot eyes as I´m surrounded by two of his comrades. I know what´s coming. I just hope they won´t hurt me so much that I won´t be able to read tonight. That´s my greatest fear, that I won´t be able to seek refuge in the scrolls, the only place where I can hide from my own thoughts and my memories.

"Well, I´ll be damned if it isn´t the Conqueror´s little whore who´s come to pay us a visit."

They leer at me openly, grinning with anticipation.

"Maybe our ruler thinks we deserve a small reward after all the hard work we´ve done for her?" One of them suggests as he reach out and grabs my breast and I close my eyes, wishing they´d get it over with so I can come back to my chamber and my reading.

They pull me away from the doorway and push me down on the dirty and greasy table. One of them captures my arms over my head while another forces my legs apart. As I close my eyes, the last thing I see is the third soldier loosening his trousers. I hear them fall to the floor and bite down hard on my lip as I feel a rough hand pull my undergarments away. I can taste blood in my mouth, but I don´t care. Sometimes the pain you create yourself, the pain you control yourself, makes it easier to deal with the one you don´t.

Calloused hands fondle my breasts through the fabric of my coarse dress and I can hear the soldiers´ breathing increase, they´re all getting excited now. Suddenly one of them moves to stand between my legs and roughly runs a finger through my folds, lingering briefly at my opening and grunts with disapproval when he finds no wetness.

The hand is removed and in spite of myself, I open my eyes to see his face, but instead of looking at the soldier or his comrades, my gaze moves past him and onto the figure standing silently in the doorway behind them.

For a second our eyes meet. Her face is expressionless as her gaze leaves my face and focus on the three soldiers, all with their backs to her.

"How dare you touch my property."

Her voice is so icy cold and controlled that for a second nobody moves, then all three men stiffen and become deadly pale. I can see in their eyes that they´re afraid to turn around, and a in a strange detached way, I feel almost sorry for them. Apparently, she still regards me as hers which means that the three soldiers have just forfeited their lives. I watch them look at each other and I can see they know it too. It´s not a question whether they´re going to die, it´s a question of how long it´s going to take.

Suddenly she moves and I don´t even see the knife before the man between my legs falls to the floor with his throat slit. The two other men don´t even reach for their weapons or try to defend themselves, they know it´s useless. She cuts them down without a word, her blank, but beautiful face stained with their blood. Then she turns to me.

"Get up."

I obey instantly, trying not to let my eyes drift to the carnage on the floor.

"Go to your chamber."

I bow and hurry past her, feeling her eyes at my back as I walk down the corridor. Inside my chamber, I pour some water in a bowl and start to wash the soldiers´ touch and blood from my body. As I undress, I realize I left my undergarments in the mess hall, but I know better than to go and get them. I put my dress in the bowl to soak when suddenly a feeling causes me to turn around.

She´s standing less than three feet away from me.

Her black tunic doesn´t show the blood, but her arms, hands and face are still sprayed with crimson stains. She stares at me and I can practically feel the raw energy radiate from her. Cold, eerily pale blue eyes study my naked body and suddenly she walks forward, and presses her fingers into my jaw.

"So…" In spite of her calm voice, I can tell she´s angry. Very angry. "Did you enjoy it when they touched you?"

My jaw is hurting from the pressure of her fingers and even if I knew what to say, I probably wouldn´t be able to. Her eyes narrow and her grip tightens.

"Tell me, slut! Did you enjoy it? Did you like the feel of their hands on your body?"

Before I can even attempt to answer she leans forward and kisses me roughly, her tongue thrusting into my mouth. When she finally pulls away my lip has started to bleed again.

"My Lord, I-."

She backhands me across the face then grabs my chin again, bringing my face back to hers. A faint red flush has begun to colour her sharp features and I try to swallow.

"How come you didn´t fight them, slut? Were you just going to spread your legs and let them take you?"

She leans closer again while her free hand grasps my sex.

"Take what´s mine?"

I involuntarily flinch away from her and the blue of her eyes darkens.

"That´s right, my little whore," she hisses. "Struggle, I want you to struggle."

I stare at her in confusion and don´t move. Suddenly, I´m shoved hard in the chest and I stagger a few steps back. She´s over me immediately and pushes me against the wall.

"Fight, damn it! I want you to fight!"

She moves away a little and I uncertainly take a step forward. The blue fire in her eyes instantly flares and she yanks me closer, bringing our faces only inches apart.

"Didn´t you hear me?" Her voice is low and menacing and my head is spinning from the impact with the wall. "I want you to fight me. I want you to do your fucking best to get away from me. Now!"

Instinctively, I close my eyes from her last outburst and I immediately realize it´s a mistake. She grabs my shoulders and holds me suspended in the air.

"Look at me!"

The moment I open my eyes, I´m hurled hard against the wall. Still dazed, I get to my feet. I don´t know what kind of game she´s playing, or why she´s acting so strangely, but in that instant I don´t care. A loud animalistic howl escapes my throat. I scream out years of anger, pain and humiliation as I throw myself at her.

She´s strong and her body feels almost as hard as the wall, but my attack takes her by surprise and she loses her balance and falls to the floor with me on top of her. For one frozen moment we stare into each others eyes. Shock and disbelief written on both our faces, then she abruptly turns and I´m effectively pinned beneath her, unable to move.

The floor is cold against my bare back, an odd contrast to the searing heat coming from the body lying heavily on top of me. I can feel her frantic heartbeat against my chest and her surprisingly ragged breathing is blowing the hair from my forehead. She looks at me for what feels like an eternity then she says hoarsely, "Why didn´t you fight harder?"

I have no time to answer as she comes down hard on my mouth, her tongue taking possession of mine with an almost desperate feel. Her hands starts to roam, but seem strangely indecisive as they run over my body, touching me everywhere, but never lingering.

Then she moves back a little, bringing some space between our bodies so she can remove my hands which have been trapped between our torsos. She captures my wrists above my head in one strong hand as is her usual routine, before leaning back down to slowly, almost gently lick the blood from my bruised lip.

It doesn´t last long then she bites down hard on my lip and I can´t stop a whimper of pain when her teeth pierce my sore flesh. She practically growls as it resumes to bleed and she instantly begins to lick the blood away again. Soon her tongue stills it movements and I close my eyes, bracing myself for another bite. But it doesn´t come.

Instead she releases my wrists and goes down on me. I almost yelp from surprise as I feel her between my legs, her hands pushing them further apart, my bare feet sliding against the floor. She wastes no time entering me with her tongue, beginning a rapid thrusting and as always my body betrays me, and she moans deep in her throat when she tastes the first drops of my wetness.

My thighs start to quiver helplessly from the assault and without breaking her rhythm, rough hands reach out, holding them steady. I claw impotently at the floor as I suffer the ultimate betrayal of my body, and arch my back the second my world shatters and gives everything up to the sensations coursing through my very core, leaving me helpless and weak as the child I was when she first took me.

She rests between my legs, not moving a muscle as my breathing slowly returns to normal. Then with an almost inaudible sigh she sits back on her haunches, half-lidded eyes regarding me intensely.

Just as I begin to wonder what she´ll do next, she reaches beneath me, effortlessly lifting me up from the floor. For the briefest of seconds, I´m cradled in her arms then she moves purposely towards my bed, dumping me none too gently on the firm surface.

Her eyes never leave mine as she quickly disrobes then with uncharacteristically clumsiness climbs onto the bed, pulling me into a fierce embrace. I´m crushed against her body, but just before my lungs start to cry out for oxygen, she loosens her grip and I gratefully inhale deeply a few times.

"Roll onto you side," she whispers hoarsely and I do, but is stopped by a hand on my shoulder. "Other way. I want you to face me."

I do as I´m told, unable to stop my eyes from drifting over the dark woman lying on her back beside me, trying to gauge her mood and anticipate what she wants me to do. Everything today has been different. I´m on unfamiliar territory and don´t know what to expect. It´s with apprehension and confusion I watch her reach out and take my left hand into hers.

"Touch me," she demands, but her voice is strained and it comes without the authority her commands usually have.

I pull my hand free, relief washing over me. I know what to do now, I know how she wants to be touched. My hand runs over bronze skin briefly then I touch her breast, pinching her nipple hard between my fingers. She gasps and presses herself against my touch, but before I can continue, her right hand releases the sheets it has been clutching, and she places it on top of mine, halting my ministrations

"Not…" She gasps again. "Not like this… I want…"

She doesn´t finish the sentence, but instead interlace our fingers and begin to move our joined hands over her slick and heated skin. Our hands move in unison, touching and mapping every part of her body, from breasts to thighs, the pace slow and leisurely, like we have all the time in the world. She manages to hold my gaze for a while, but when our hands finally cup her sex, she involuntarily closes her eyes and a strangled moan breaks the silence of the room.

Our fingers move through warm, liquid fire and her breathing increases. I try to guide us to her bundle of nerves, but again she stops me.

"Not… yet."

I obey and begin to slowly stroke her wet folds while my mind tries to come to terms with this unusual scenario and her sudden patience. Her body starts to shift on the bed and I know what it is she wants, but still she doesn´t allow me to touch her where she needs it most.

Without realizing it or even acknowledging what´s happening, I lean over and place the gentlest of kisses on her swollen clit. Her hips instantly fly off the bed and a loud, startled gasp escapes her throat. She lets go of my hand and tangles her fingers in my hair, pressing me hard against her centre.

I can tell by the way her body moves and her ragged and uncontrolled breathing that she´s very close, and I follow her unspoken command and plunge three fingers deep inside her. My mouth find her aching clit and I bite down hard, vaguely registering the salty/sweet taste of her essence as I continue the forceful and relentless thrusting with my hand.

In the back of my mind, I´m surprised she isn´t louder than she is and I look up to see barred teeth and eyes squeezed tight. I wonder briefly why she´s fighting so hard to stay in control, then I feel her inner muscles begin to contract, and I know she won´t be able to hold back much longer. A feeling of victory passes through me as I resume my attack on her centre with my mouth.

The grip in my hair becomes painful and a low groan accompanies the final rise of her body before she comes crashing down, her back tight as a bowstring. I continue to gently move my fingers inside her until I feel the last spasm subside and then I pull out. She sighs a little when my fingers leave her body and I wait uncertainly between her legs, unsure of what to do next.

She answers the question by pulling me up and roughly crush her mouth against mine. She rolls on top of me, but quickly her kisses become less forceful and hectic and soon she abandons my lips all together, resting her head on my breast.

She stays like that while her breathing slows down, and I can feel her heart pounding against my skin as I tentatively caress her back, not knowing what else to do. Suddenly she moves, but instead of rolling over she snuggles closer, burying her face in my shoulder. Then she whispers, so softly that I almost don´t hear it.

"I dream about you, Gabrielle. I dream about you and I want it to stop."

I blink in confusion, but have no answer for her and she doesn´t expect one. We lie in silence for a moment then she gets up and begins to dress. I watch as the naked woman is slowly turned into the Conqueror again, and a small part of me is saddened by the transformation.

She walks to the door then pauses briefly to look at me. Her blue eyes are distant and unreadable, then without a word she opens the door and disappears outside. As she walks away, I can hear her steps echoing down the empty corridor.
 

The End
 

Part III

Back to story index