Author's Note: This is the sixth section to the "true" story of Xena and Gabrielle. You will find this story extremely subtext-friendly. If two women showing their love for one another and making wild, passionate love is not your cup of tea, please find another story you'd like to read. This story will be submitted in several parts and is based off the series, yet the "history" has been changed somewhat to suit the purposes of this story. Not all sections will contain erotic sex scenes as there is a plot.
Also, I'd like to note that I do not own Xena: Warrior Princess, the series, or the characters and I will not be receiving any payment whatsoever for writing this story. It is intended for entertainment purposes only.
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They had been travelling for days. Gabrielle was physically exhausted. Her body was aching, every muscle begging for rest and relaxation. She could barely stay awake, as Xena was pushing them both to the limit, insisting they travel many miles at a vigorous pace. She could hardly feel the pain of their joining now as she had healed well and the aching of her bruised thighs was far greater. Despite Gabrielle's protests, Xena had told her she must ride upon Argo with the warrior; they had no time to spare.
One night at dusk, they arrived at an inn. "Come on, little one, let's get Argo to the stable. You need a good night's rest in a nice soft bed," Xena said, pulling Gabrielle down into her arms from the back of the mare. Argo was sweaty from miles of riding. She too needed a rest.
"And food," Gabrielle added, looking into Xena's sapphire eyes, getting lost in them for a second.
"I will have it brought up to our room. We both need a nice bath. I stink," said Xena, crinkling her nose. "So do I," said Gabrielle with a little giggle. "I smell of horse and sweat." Xena laughed heartily, reaching for Argo's reins.
After they had Argo properly stabled, they set off for the inn. A gasp came over the crowd when they saw Xena, the former Conquer of Nations enter, along with her little sidekick. "We need a room for the night, along with a hot bath, and a tray of food," Xena said to the innkeeper, her stance threatening anyone who may challenge her.
"Xena," said the innkeeper in astonishment. He had heard stories about the warrior princess. Horrible stories. Surely someone this beautiful could not have been so evil and had taken so many lives during her former warlord days. No one wanted to cross the warrior princess. There were many tales of her courage and her strength. Now the warrior fought for the greater good, yet no one wanted to cross her.
The innkeeper's eyes then went to the beautiful young woman travelling with the Warrior Princess. "Gabrielle," he said softly, taking in the beauty of the bard before him. She was breathtakingly lovely, but yet now she had dark circles under her eyes and looked as though she might pass out from exhaustion. The young woman was slightly more than a head shorter than the Warrior Princess and where she was blond and golden, her companion was dark, exotic and sexy. They made quite a pair.
"Sure, a nice room coming right up. One with a fireplace and a hot bath," said the innkeeper, giving Xena the key. "Go upstairs and it's the room right at the end of the hall. I will have a maid draw the bath and bring a tray of fresh food. That will be four dinars."
"Four dinars?!" said Gabrielle in a steely voice. "That's robbery. Two dinars...........and that is final." Xena glanced at Gabrielle appreciatively. Gabrielle always knew how to bargain and had a knack for bringing the price of items down to a more affordable rate. It was the little bard who always secured their provisions at the market. She knew how to haggle the merchants. It was her way with words. She could talk down a miser.
The innkeeper looked a bit nervous. He didn't want any trouble here... especially not with the infamous Warrior Princess. He valued his inn and most importantly he valued his life. "Two dinars," he agreed, as Gabrielle reached into her leather coin purse, withdrawing the coins. She handed them over, eyeing the innkeeper wearily. She then gave him a bright smile, easing the tension immediately.
"Thank you for your hospitality. I'm sure we will enjoy our stay here very much," she said quite cheerfully. The innkeeper nodded, watching the Warrior Princess and her sidekick ascend the stairs which lead to where the rooms were located.
Xena and Gabrielle found their room at the end of the hall and to Gabrielle's delight, there was a nice soft bed, a cozy fireplace, and a very large wooden tub. A few moments later, a maid entered, carrying a wooden bucket containing hot water in which she promptly poured into the tub.
Soon an inviting bath had been drawn, and the maid entered one more time, bringing a heavy tray, laden with food. After the maid left, Gabrielle went to inspect the meal that had been placed upon a table. There was hot roast beef, boiled potatoes and carrots, turnips, fresh bread, and a sweet pastry desert filled with fruit. It was piping hot and topped with a drizzling of white icing.
Gabrielle clapped her hands together, delighted with the delicious meal as the scent of it wafted toward her nostrils. "Mmmmmm... this looks fabulous," Gabrielle said to Xena, scooping up some food onto the two plates that had been provided for them.
"Yep, and so does this," Xena said, reaching for the chilled bottle of wine that had been brought up with their meal. She poured the wine into silver goblets and handed one to Gabrielle. "To our love," she said, bringing their goblets together in a soft little clink. She then quickly downed the wine and poured herself another. Gabrielle took a small sip, more concerned with the food than the wine at that moment. She was so hungry, she could have eaten a centaur. She began devouring the succulent meal upon her plate, looking up at Xena after a moment who was staring at her intently. That is when she realized she had been eating like a savage. She then giggled softly, beginning to eat in a more lady-like fashion. After the fine meal and a couple of glasses of wine, they both started to strip out of their dusty clothing. Gabrielle sighed, cause it felt so good to get those dirty garments off. She tossed them aside, thinking all their clothing needed a good wash. There had been no time to properly wash and dry their garments, and she was tired of wearing soiled clothes. Her mother would have fainted on the spot if she knew of her daughter's recent lack of cleanliness. At least there was a nice warm bath before them now. Gabrielle couldn't wait.
"Can we both get in there together?" asked Gabrielle, thinking it wouldn't be fair for either of them to have the first bath. They both deserved to bathe when the water was hot. "Sure. I'll get in first... then you climb in and sit on my lap," said Xena, doing just that.
