The _what_ is Mightier than the Sword? – 4 of 4
The morning sun, once more, beamed down upon the track. This time there were three figures. Gabrielle again, was in front, not bothering, or able to keep her legs straight. Rosebud walked nonchalantly next to her, and Xena followed on Argos.
'Gods, what do I say now' thought Xena. This had gone way beyond what an apology could fix. She'd never been so out of control or felt such bizarre needs before. Having seen a lot in her time it little shocked her what some people considered pleasurable. But she never thought she'd feel that way. Even now, in her mortification, her pulse raised to see Gabrielle hobble like that.
'What have I done to you?' But one nagging thing kept at her. It was probably just her projecting her wishes onto her perceptions, but it actually seemed last night like Gabrielle was enjoying it!
Gabrielle just tried concentrating on the road as she walked. It was the only constant she could count on. Last night just totally blew her mind. She couldn't deny what she had done. It would be easy to say that Xena, in a fit of whatever was controlling her, forced her. **** was a horrible thing and deep down she knew Xena couldn't have been responsible.
But that wasn't what was bothering her. Deep down she knew how she felt. She had enjoyed it! They had been at it almost all night. And she couldn't say, in her heart of hearts, that she had resisted as much as she might. And that she, at least once, initiated it. And if so, was it just Xena responding to her desires?
'But boy am I sore', she thought, once again trying to restrain her pace.
Xena, seeing her discomfort, reigned in Argos. "Let’s take a break. Time for lunch." Gabrielle sighed and sat down. Then, thinking better of it, got up again quickly. Xena winced. She dropped the saddlebags from Argos. "I'll water Argos" she said, leading him off.
________________________________________
Gabrielle waited till she was out of sight before rummaging through the saddlebags for the lunch provisions. While doing so she came across the Corinthian 'thing'. She looked at it in horror for a moment and then an idea struck. "What if it is some curse? Maybe one of those bastard gods…", she looked up guiltily for a moment, "…cursed this. It isn't like they haven't done that before." She looked at it speculatively and tried to divine if something sinister, other than the obvious, lurked within.
"I'll get rid of it. That will free us from the curse, and we can get back to normal." She turned with determination to go but found herself hesitating. 'But Xena really seemed to enjoy it' she thought. 'I'm not sure why, but I did too and I'm sure it gets easier with time.' Then she realized what she was thinking. "No. It ends here."
She strode purposefully from the camp holding what had come between them grasped firmly before her. Without warning she came face to face with Rosebud whom she had sent for water. She stopped and stared at him, and at what she had in her hand in horror. He looked up at her and sighed. He turned around, bent over a convenient tree, and hiked his tunic up over his waist.
Gabrielle looked on in shock. At one level she was horrified that the k** was, obviously, so expectant of it. At another level she was insurmountably curious. Why did Xena do it? What enjoyment did she get from it? Was it as much fun from the other end? Feeling like she was watching from a great distance she felt herself affixing the straps and grabbing Rosebud's hips...
________________________________________
Xena sighed as Argos drunk his fill. She rested her head on his flank trying to sort out her own thoughts. Her eyes came to rest, however, on the evidence that he was a stallion and not a mare. "What is it, Argos, that you do with that? Is it anything like what I feel like when I do that to Gabrielle?" She had known men. She knew what they did and the pleasure they got from it. She didn't think the pleasure she got was the same. She had given up trying to define it.
"But what about Gabrielle?" what did she see in it. She knew the pleasures of women, but this was way beyond it. Well, only a few inches beyond it, actually. "Could she really enjoy it?" She didn't understand how. "How can I deal with this if I don't understand it. I can't see her talking about it." 'Gods, I can hardly think about it.' But while watching Argos an idea came to her.
She looked around her making sure she was alone. Then she reached down and stroked Argos. "There's a good horse. Do you think you can show me what Gabrielle sees in it?" She stroked him a few more times but it didn't seem to be having much of an effect. She knew one sure fire way to make man stiff. "I wonder if it works on horses." She sighed and got down on her knees. It worked.
Having achieved her first objective, she sought her second one. A nearby rock was at exactly the right height. She climbed on it and lifted her skirt. "Now Argos, I've trained you well. Do exactly what I say..."
________________________________________
A few days later three people approached the hall of Warlord Philo leading a horse. All walked a little stiffly and none of them wanted to ride on the horse. Critius burst from the hall as soon as they were on site. "Oh, welcome, welcome, welcome!" He danced around them, also a bit stiffly. "I'm so glad you've brought Rosebud back! Oh, and the master will be pleased too, of course."
Gabrielle bent over and looked into Rosebud's eyes. "Are you sure you want to go back? You don't have to."
Rosebud looked at her with half lidded eyes. “I’m not as young as I look”, he said, in a voice much deeper than expected. He then put his hand into Critius's to be led off. Gabrielle shrugged.
Before that, Critius paused. "I know you two are very busy" (they both flinched) "and I'm sure don't want to be delayed with court etiquette. So, here's your scrolls and a small bag of dinars in thanks." He bowed and looked nervously over his shoulder.
Gabrielle took her scrolls back and felt as if a huge weight had been lifted from her shoulders. Xena also felt a bit more like her normal self. "Sure. Anytime." she said and turned her horse up the road.
________________________________________
"Oh, by the gods!" exclaimed Gabrielle around the campfire that night. "How did this get in here?"
Xena grunted and turned over. "Huh? I thought I left it in the saddlebag."
"No", she glared, "not that. This piece of, of, pornography!"
Xena wrinkled her brow and took the scroll from her. She read with dawning comprehension. "This, this is that cursed scroll from... But how?"
Gabrielle looked shocked, "Someone erased it and wrote down... That explains..." they immediately both started giggling and laughing.
"So, it really wasn't us. It was..."
"... a damned curse." They laughed some more and clasped each other. When the laughter stopped they dried the tears from each other’s faces, then looked deeply into each other's eyes in the flickering flame of the fire. "Xena..." began Gabrielle.
"It's in the saddlebag, I'll get it."
'Gods, what do I say now' thought Xena. This had gone way beyond what an apology could fix. She'd never been so out of control or felt such bizarre needs before. Having seen a lot in her time it little shocked her what some people considered pleasurable. But she never thought she'd feel that way. Even now, in her mortification, her pulse raised to see Gabrielle hobble like that.
'What have I done to you?' But one nagging thing kept at her. It was probably just her projecting her wishes onto her perceptions, but it actually seemed last night like Gabrielle was enjoying it!
Gabrielle just tried concentrating on the road as she walked. It was the only constant she could count on. Last night just totally blew her mind. She couldn't deny what she had done. It would be easy to say that Xena, in a fit of whatever was controlling her, forced her. **** was a horrible thing and deep down she knew Xena couldn't have been responsible.
But that wasn't what was bothering her. Deep down she knew how she felt. She had enjoyed it! They had been at it almost all night. And she couldn't say, in her heart of hearts, that she had resisted as much as she might. And that she, at least once, initiated it. And if so, was it just Xena responding to her desires?
'But boy am I sore', she thought, once again trying to restrain her pace.
Xena, seeing her discomfort, reigned in Argos. "Let’s take a break. Time for lunch." Gabrielle sighed and sat down. Then, thinking better of it, got up again quickly. Xena winced. She dropped the saddlebags from Argos. "I'll water Argos" she said, leading him off.
________________________________________
Gabrielle waited till she was out of sight before rummaging through the saddlebags for the lunch provisions. While doing so she came across the Corinthian 'thing'. She looked at it in horror for a moment and then an idea struck. "What if it is some curse? Maybe one of those bastard gods…", she looked up guiltily for a moment, "…cursed this. It isn't like they haven't done that before." She looked at it speculatively and tried to divine if something sinister, other than the obvious, lurked within.
"I'll get rid of it. That will free us from the curse, and we can get back to normal." She turned with determination to go but found herself hesitating. 'But Xena really seemed to enjoy it' she thought. 'I'm not sure why, but I did too and I'm sure it gets easier with time.' Then she realized what she was thinking. "No. It ends here."
She strode purposefully from the camp holding what had come between them grasped firmly before her. Without warning she came face to face with Rosebud whom she had sent for water. She stopped and stared at him, and at what she had in her hand in horror. He looked up at her and sighed. He turned around, bent over a convenient tree, and hiked his tunic up over his waist.
Gabrielle looked on in shock. At one level she was horrified that the k** was, obviously, so expectant of it. At another level she was insurmountably curious. Why did Xena do it? What enjoyment did she get from it? Was it as much fun from the other end? Feeling like she was watching from a great distance she felt herself affixing the straps and grabbing Rosebud's hips...
________________________________________
Xena sighed as Argos drunk his fill. She rested her head on his flank trying to sort out her own thoughts. Her eyes came to rest, however, on the evidence that he was a stallion and not a mare. "What is it, Argos, that you do with that? Is it anything like what I feel like when I do that to Gabrielle?" She had known men. She knew what they did and the pleasure they got from it. She didn't think the pleasure she got was the same. She had given up trying to define it.
"But what about Gabrielle?" what did she see in it. She knew the pleasures of women, but this was way beyond it. Well, only a few inches beyond it, actually. "Could she really enjoy it?" She didn't understand how. "How can I deal with this if I don't understand it. I can't see her talking about it." 'Gods, I can hardly think about it.' But while watching Argos an idea came to her.
She looked around her making sure she was alone. Then she reached down and stroked Argos. "There's a good horse. Do you think you can show me what Gabrielle sees in it?" She stroked him a few more times but it didn't seem to be having much of an effect. She knew one sure fire way to make man stiff. "I wonder if it works on horses." She sighed and got down on her knees. It worked.
Having achieved her first objective, she sought her second one. A nearby rock was at exactly the right height. She climbed on it and lifted her skirt. "Now Argos, I've trained you well. Do exactly what I say..."
________________________________________
A few days later three people approached the hall of Warlord Philo leading a horse. All walked a little stiffly and none of them wanted to ride on the horse. Critius burst from the hall as soon as they were on site. "Oh, welcome, welcome, welcome!" He danced around them, also a bit stiffly. "I'm so glad you've brought Rosebud back! Oh, and the master will be pleased too, of course."
Gabrielle bent over and looked into Rosebud's eyes. "Are you sure you want to go back? You don't have to."
Rosebud looked at her with half lidded eyes. “I’m not as young as I look”, he said, in a voice much deeper than expected. He then put his hand into Critius's to be led off. Gabrielle shrugged.
Before that, Critius paused. "I know you two are very busy" (they both flinched) "and I'm sure don't want to be delayed with court etiquette. So, here's your scrolls and a small bag of dinars in thanks." He bowed and looked nervously over his shoulder.
Gabrielle took her scrolls back and felt as if a huge weight had been lifted from her shoulders. Xena also felt a bit more like her normal self. "Sure. Anytime." she said and turned her horse up the road.
________________________________________
"Oh, by the gods!" exclaimed Gabrielle around the campfire that night. "How did this get in here?"
Xena grunted and turned over. "Huh? I thought I left it in the saddlebag."
"No", she glared, "not that. This piece of, of, pornography!"
Xena wrinkled her brow and took the scroll from her. She read with dawning comprehension. "This, this is that cursed scroll from... But how?"
Gabrielle looked shocked, "Someone erased it and wrote down... That explains..." they immediately both started giggling and laughing.
"So, it really wasn't us. It was..."
"... a damned curse." They laughed some more and clasped each other. When the laughter stopped they dried the tears from each other’s faces, then looked deeply into each other's eyes in the flickering flame of the fire. "Xena..." began Gabrielle.
"It's in the saddlebag, I'll get it."
Pre 10 meseca/meseci
