Thanks to Yoni Noni for editing assistance with this story
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The day had been long and the journey far for the two, and Argo. They were all tired and weary from the heat and the stone littered dirt roads. Their journey to Athens was nowhere near finished. But, it was getting dark and Xena was tired from a small, but stressful fight with a band of hoodlums that had transpired earlier in the day. Though not hurt, she was stressed and still reeling from the surge of adrenaline that fighting injected her with, every time she engaged in it. Xena was quiet and reserved during these times, and Gabrielle had learned the hard way that it was best to let her friend be, and wait for her to snap out of it.
Xena broke their silence, saying, "Stop, Gabrielle. We'll camp here tonight." She pointed to a large tree near a small stream.
Gabrielle collected firewood, as Xena made Argo comfortable for the night. Kneeling, Gabrielle was arranging the firewood for Xena to make a relaxing and cozy fire for them. She had not noticed that her warrior friend was standing behind her now, looking down as she positioned the wood the way Xena liked it; small twigs on bottom and large limbs on top. Startled, Gabrielle fell forward as she tried to stand up. Suddenly, she felt a knee to her back, causing her to fall on her hands and knees.
"Xena, what are you doing?!" Gabrielle exclaimed as she, once again, tried to get up from the hard ground. Xena just looked at her and placed a hard knee into Gabrielle's back. She pinned her little blonde friend down with a stern foothold to her lower back, as Gabby winced in pain.
Gabrielle was about to ask Xena what she was doing when, in a low voice, Xena interrupted her by saying, "I am doing what I have wanted to do all day long. Stay down, Gabrielle, and don't move." Xena had been watching Gabrielle walk in front of her as she rode Argo. She was feeling her desire to take the poetess grow with every step. The adrenaline from the fight, and her primal desires had caused Xena to be aroused all day, and now, she could no longer hold it in. She had to have Gabrielle in the worst of ways. She was also irritated with her young blonde friend, and her frustration had peeked to a crescendo.
Gabrielle dared not disobey her warrior princess. She lay on the ground as Xena lit the fire, arranged blankets and her saddle, and other bedtime objects onto their pallet. Xena then instructed Gabrielle to get on all fours, crawl in circles around the fire and blankets, and not to look up until she told her. Gabby knew Xena was in one of her moods, but she had never been so crude and direct with her. Normally Xena would brood and fall asleep, but something was different about her tonight, and Gabby was a little scared. She crawled around the campsite that Xena had prepared for what seemed like an eternity. Gabby's knees were hurting and her arms were strained and aching.
Suddenly, she heard Xena say, "Stop, Gabrielle," in a low, stern voice. "Crawl over to me." Xena was standing at the edge of the blankets where she had positioned her saddle. Gabrielle crawled over to Xena as instructed, not looking up until being commanded to do so by her mistress. Gabrielle arrived at Xena's boots. She then felt Xena's strong hands push her head down hard, pressing it against her boots as she said, "Lick them now."
Gabrielle did not hesitate to do as she was told, and ran her tongue up and down Xena's dirt encrusted boots. As the submissive bard's tongue reached the boot toe, Xena said, "Suck it," in a lower and huskier voice. Gabrielle's mouth opened to receive the boot that her dominating lover was pushing into her hungry mouth. Gabrielle struggled to take the width of the boot, as Xena pushed it deeper into her oral orifice. She could hear Xena's breath grow slower, deeper and harder as she raped her little one's mouth with her boot, obviously enjoying seeing her struggle to accommodate the oral invasion. Tears were streaming down Gabrielle's face as her mouth was being stretched to the point that she was now gagging. Xena coaxed her slave by pushing the boot deeper into her mouth, causing her to gag over and over, saying, "That's right. Suck it. You like that, huh,
Gabrielle?...Suck...it..." Xena pushed her boot into the poetess' mouth one last time, causing the bosomy bard to gag and heave as she continued to look down. Xena told her to start crawling again. Gabrielle did as she was told and crawled around the camp on her aching hands and knees, trying to please her master and hoping Xena would stop this madness. Thoughts raced through Gabrielle's head. She was desperately trying to figure out what she had done wrong. Why was Xena seemingly so angry with her?
Xena stood almost six feet tall, with her arms folded on her chest, watching Gabrielle intently. Gabrielle suddenly stopped crawling and asked, "Permission to speak, Xena, please."
Xena answered by saying, "Crawl, and no." Gabrielle once again obeyed her warrior princess, and started crawling again. Xena continued staring at Gabrielle and decided to tell her why she was so angry. Xena started pacing around the fire as she spoke, "Today was a bad day, Gabrielle. I had to fight. I had to kill. I had to once again protect us from the evil in this world. I have to be on guard all day, every day. There is danger at every corner. Do you know what that is like, Gabrielle? No, of course you don't. You have the eyes of an innocent, and the heart of a child. That's not a bad thing, but it can be a dangerous thing. Earlier today, before the fight, you wandered off when I asked you to stay put. You defied me no matter what the reason. You also wandered off without your staff. You must never go anywhere without your staff. The unnecessary worry is something I don't need. After tonight, you will learn the hard way that your staff is a part of you, and you will never dare to roam without it again." Xena's eyes were now glaring at her frightened bard, as Gabrielle slowed her crawling to a slower pace, out of exhaustion and fear.
What was Xena going to do?, Gabby wondered. She did not mean to worry the warrior princess. Was the fight today Gabby's fault? So many questions were in her head, swimming around, but she dared not speak without permission from her mighty warrior princess.
Xena ordered Gabrielle to crawl to her once again, and the little poetess did so, still looking down. When Gabrielle reached Xena's feet, she was ordered to her knees. As she rose up, finally able to see Xena, she saw that the warrior was holding her staff over her shoulder. Xena glared down at her sweaty and dirty bard, saying, "This is yours, I believe." Xena gave Gabrielle permission to speak, "Answer me!"
"Yes, it is mine, Xena." Gabrielle answered softly, and wearily.
"Where did you leave it?" Xena asked.
Her bard replied, "I don't remember, Xena." An angry Xena reminded her that she had left it on a rock that she had been sitting on before leaving to look for food. This happened before the fight, leaving the bard unarmed and vulnerable.
"You could have been killed!" Xena exclaimed. Gabrielle was in tears, apologizing to Xena for the stupid and careless mistake. Xena yelled, "You never go anywhere without this staff, Gabrielle, ever!"