WrshpXena The Dark Pirate..

Disclaimer:
The following story includes characters loosely related to those of the Xena: Warrior Princess shows owned by MCA and RenPic. I only borrowed the characters in name and general body description, most of this story does not revolve around the normal story lines Xena: WP follows. It is a dark tale of our favorite Warrior buried deep within the darkness of a warlord and our favorite bard a slave. If you are offended by violence, punishment of a slave, or same sex relations, please do not read this story�.

 

Chapter 1

The slave sat on the stage quietly awaiting the next buyer to enter the room. Her hands fidgeted with the iron shackles on her wrists as she continued to wiggle on the small wooden stool that she had been forced to sit on when the guards had brought her once again to this stage. Finally, the two large wooden doors at the entrance of the room opened and the small evil man who currently owned her followed two figures into the room. Her only recognition of the slaver in darkened room was his annoying high-pitched voice as he continued begging with the two visitors to examine his wares and verify the age and purity of the young women he currently owned. A tall female clad in black leather and a cape approached the stage. She slowly pulled her hood back with both hands revealing the most intense crystal blue eyes and long dark flowing hair the slave had ever seen. Quickly the slave lowered her eyes to the floor just in front of the tall woman that she began to think of as �the Pirate�.

The Pirate�s voice was deep and held a commanding quality when she told the slaver that she wanted her attendant to examine the slave�s purity before considering the purchase. The slave winced again; knowing a thorough examination of her most intimate parts was soon to be inflicted on her once again today.

The slaver agreed quickly. He knew that if he proved the purity of the woman, the Pirate would surely pay greatly for her in tomorrow�s bidding. He motioned to a table in the corner of the room as he yelled for one of the guards to enter the chamber and open the thick curtains to light up the area near the table. His irritating voice rang through the thoughts of the slave as he commanded her to go lie on the table immediately. The guard smiled evilly and continued to stand near the curtains at the end of the table.

As the young slave lay on the table, the second figure approached the table and began removing her cloak. The slave noticed that the woman had fine features, with dark skin and dark hair. She removed her cloak and said something in a language the slave did not recognize. The Pirate then spoke to the guard, telling him he was to wait outside now that his job was complete. The guard started to protest his dismissal from the visitor when suddenly the obnoxious slaver ordered him from the room.

Watching the dark attendant of the Pirate, the slave noticed her tan leather bodice and short skirt. The woman wore a small beaded headband and matching necklace of blue and green beads and feathers. She had a simple beauty that the slave could not name or place as the woman began a thorough examine from head to toe. The slave was impressed with her speed and gentleness as the woman once again spoke in a foreign tongue to the Pirate. The Pirate had been standing at the window gazing out at the shoreline. This positioning had allowed the slave a good look at the Pirate while avoiding the realization that her intimate parts were being examined. She could see the black leather pants and black boots the Pirate wore, as well as a view of the bright breastplate of linked gold coins under the black cape. The slave also noted the small braid with a gold thread along the left ear of the Pirate. As the Pirate turned toward her attendant the slave noticed a short sword strapped to each thigh. The dark woman spoke again in the odd tongue as she began putting her cloak on.

The Pirate walked over to the doorway where the slaver stood impatiently awaiting her consideration of his property. He had done business with the dark one before and knew her standards were high, and death awaited any that tried to cheat her.

Her voice again rang out she clearly as she walked out of the room announcing that she would be bidding the following morning.

The next morning the slave was given an opportunity to bathe and eat a small amount of food before being dragged to the stage once more. This time the room was well lit and she could see a number of people filing into the room. Many of them she had seen the day before as she was paraded in front of them to entice them to bid on her today. She was not shocked by any of the treatment she was receiving; she had been sold to the small man in the same way around the last full moon. She scanned the room hoping for one more glance at the dark Pirate before she was sold into a life of cruel treatment by one of the men in this room.

The slave stood in the center stage scanning the room as the short man stepped behind the podium just to the left of the stage. He began pounding on the podium to draw the attention of the room. His high-pitched voice rang out as he called for everyone�s attention.

Just then the double doors opened wide and the slave looked toward the doors and watched as the dark Pirate and her attendant entered the room. With a slight nod of her head, the Pirate motioned to the man at the podium to continue. The slave watched every action of the Pirate carefully as the bidding began. She stared into the pale blue eyes of the woman standing in front of the doors and noticed how the woman took in everyone and everything around her, as if sizing up danger or purse size.

The sound within the room became unbearable as everyone began yelling amounts at the auctioneer. He called one price after another as he pointed at the bidder. The slave noticed that not once had the dark Pirate said anything, she just glanced around at each of the bidders as the short man pointed at them. As the price climbed higher, many of the bidders began to drop away obviously knowing that they could not afford the price many were willing to pay for the young virgin on the platform.

The Pirate stood there watching everyone bicker and try and outbid one another patiently. She knew she was the only one in the room that came prepared to make such a purchase and would wait for the price to come near an end with most of the men in the room before she made her move.

Her attendant stood quietly to her right watching the room for any danger, and glancing occasionally at the prize on stage. She knew her master would outbid anyone in the room to take home the pretty blonde slave on the stage.

As the bidding narrowed down, two bidders continued to fight between themselves. The Pirate used this time to study her competition. One was a short balding male with ragged leathers and two scrawny guards at his sides, she knew he was nothing. The other was a tall good-looking man with short dark hair and goatee, wearing green and black leathers. The Pirate knew his name and reputation, he was Autolycus, a well-known thief that traveled in this area. She also knew that he was probably the only one in this room that could be of any consequence in bidding and paying for the virgin slave.

The dark Pirate raised her hand just as �Baldy� had made his bid and said loud enough for the room to hear her, "Double his bid." All eyes in the room turned.

Autolycus smiled as he raised his hand, "Double her bid."

The slaver began to stutter as he realized the amount that was now being bid on the young slave. "Aaaanyyy other offffffers?"

�Baldy� continued to look at the thief and then the Pirate, but said nothing more.

A feral smile graced the face of the Pirate as she looked at the thief and an eyebrow rose on her forehead. "Double his bid."

The entire room was silent except for an occasional sharp intake of breath as the price of the insignificant slave continued to rise to unfathomable amounts.

The thief smiled back and raised an eyebrow in mock surprise. "Well, now, let�s get this over with shall we, Xeeena?" He drew the pronunciation of her name out.

The entire room drew a sharp breath in unison at the mention of the Pirate�s name.

"Triple her bid." He continued to grin at her.

The woman continued to smile as she stared at the thief. "Double his bid."

No one said anything as they all waited to see if the thief would make the next move. The slave just stared at the two bidders who seemed about to destroy each other financially before ending this bidding war.

The slaver stood on stage with his mouth open wide gasping for breath as he waited for the thief to make another bid.

Autolycus knew he was outmatched and tilted his head slightly as the motioned with his hand to the stage.

Finally the slaver was able to get his voice back and stuttered, "going ooonce? Going tttwice?" He looked around the room to see if anyone would try and outmatch the Pirate�s offer. "Sssold!" He looked to the Pirate and announced, "Xena, you have one day to come up with the amount bid, or you will forfeit the slave to Autolycus� last bid."

Autolycus smiled when he realized he might still have a chance at the young thing on stage.

She motioned to her attendant, who began making her way to the stage and produced a large leather bag from beneath her cloak. As the dark woman neared the stage, she held the bag out to the slaver.

Xena announced, "the amount in the bag will certainly cover the bid. M�Lila, get the slave and let�s go." With her statement made, the Pirate turned from the stage and left the room.

The fat slaver sank to his knees when he opened the bag and saw a number of very large gems. He motioned to his guards to come to him. Fear suddenly filled his eyes as he realized the prize he held in his hands had suddenly made him a target in this room.

M�Lila beckoned the slave to come to her.

Slowly the slave walked to the edge of the stage and was helped down and led by the chain between her shackled hands after the tall Pirate.

Chapter 2

The dark woman led the slave past the other bidders in the room and then out into the courtyard as they both followed the Pirate to a horse near the entrance. The slave noted the beauty of the dark war-horse that the Pirate mounted. Neither the dark woman nor the slave mounted a horse as they followed the Pirate out of the castle.

The dark woman said nothing to the slave but continued to lead her down the dusty road to the Pirate�s camp. Occasionally she would glance at the slave or tug on the chain as they continued traveling for the entire day. Near nightfall the slave stumbled and fell to her knees. Still the dark woman said nothing as she pulled the slave to her feet and continued dragging her after the horse.

It was quite dark when the group began heading into a valley littered with tents and campfires. Soon the slave was pulled along a dirt path to a large tent in the center of the encampment, as they drew closer, a young man near the age of the slave stepped out of the shadows and snaked his hand under the thin material wrapped around the slave�s hips. As he squeezed the firm young flesh the slave squealed.

The young warrior gasped as a dagger was driven through he wrist. He looked down to see a long portion of a silver blade on one side and the hilt on the other. The slave was pulled away from his grasp as his eyes slowly lifted to meet the cold blue eyes of the dagger owner. The dagger rotated within his wrist and he screamed. His screams brought a number of armed soldiers from the tents and surrounding area. Again the dagger rotated, this time he fell to his knees unable to scream as his blood began to pool and the crowd grew larger.

Finally the owner of the dagger looked up and spoke. "I have purchased this slave and she is not the common property of this army. If anyone has a problem with that, step forward now." She waited impatiently as she glared at the members of the camp crowded around. The slave noticed that most of them lowered their eyes under her intense stare. "Captain?"

"Yes Mistress." A man with a golden helm stepped forward.

"Have this man staked in the training yard immediately. I shall sentence him in the morning light." She slowly pulled the dagger from the young man�s wrist and he passed out from the slow rotation of the blade on the way out. "If anyone else touches this slave, be warned you shall not be as lucky as Damon."

The Pirate grabbed the slave�s arm and tugged her into the large tent close by.

Inside the tent M�Lila quickly helped the Pirate out of her cloak and armor while the slave kneeled on the floor shaking in fear from the sight that had taken place outside of the tent. Once the attendant had completed her task, the Pirate stood before the slave and spoke.

"You are nothing without me, I shall make you everything you will become. You will stay with M�Lila and learn the ways I expect you to serve me. Once she feels you have met certain goals you will begin your service. Until then I expect you to listen to her. Learn slave or you to shall join the soldier on the cross." The Pirate turned and spoke to M�Lila, "train her well. Reward her as you see fit. Any severe punishment shall be handed down by myself." She turned to sit in a chair covered in multi-colored silk and pillows. "M�Lila, I want her bathed and present at sunrise."

The following morning was cold and foggy when M�Lila lead the slave to the training grounds north of the large tent. The slave had spent most of the night being bathed and her cuts and bruises being treated, she was exhausted, as she was lead by her new trainer into the training area by a small golden chain attached to a leather collar around her neck. She was very grateful the shackles had been removed, and had learned a very valuable lesson during their removal. M�Lila had removed them by crushing the metal with her hand and the hard surface of a rock. The slave feared the dark woman�s ability to do the same thing with her head should she not listen and obey.

The slave was lead through the group of warriors to stand about three paces from the young warrior. She pulled the dark cloak M�Lila had given her tighter around her shivering body, covering the small bodice and leather skirt she was now dressed in. She watched the offender shiver on the crossed beams he had been chained to. He had been stripped naked and shivered from spending the entire night in the cold damp air. Stepping from the tent, the Pirate appeared to be well rested even though she could not have slept more than a few candlemarks. She walked through her army and stopped before her attendant and slave, she whispered to the slave. "Today you shall learn a important lesson about me slave, I do not tolerate insolence." Turning she addressed the group. "I shall teach everyone a lesson in respect today." She turned to face the shivering soldier, "today Damon, you are to pay for your crimes against me. Your sentence," with a quick movement of her hand, "death!"

Everyone looked at the soldier. Embedded in his throat was the hilt of the silver dagger she had used on him the previous evening. No one spoke as the sentence was handed down and fulfilled.

"Captain, at sunset you may remove his body and return my dagger. I want everyone in this camp to witness his body before sunset and know of his crime against me."

"M�Lila, have breakfast served in my tent immediately," the Pirate turned and headed back to her tent.

The trainer and slave made a stop at the cook�s tent and then entered the large tent of the Pirate. M�Lila made the slave stand just inside the entrance of the tent as she attended to the needs of the Pirate. The trainer set the table for breakfast, set out a scroll with a list of appointments near the plate, and poured a goblet of wine while the Pirate draped her legs over the arm of her chair. As the cook and her helpers entered the tent carrying trays of food, M�Lila stood next to the table pointing to the locations she wanted the food placed. When the cooks left, two guards entered the tent escorting a leather-clad man that was obviously a soldier in the army. He was made to kneel before the table and handed a plate of food by the trainer for tasting. As he kneeled on the floor tentatively tasting the morsels on the plate the slave continued to stand at the entryway wanting more than anything to be in the man�s position as food taster, and have a hot meal in her stomach. Once the man had completed tasting the food on the plate, the guards removed him from the tent and M�Lila began fixing a plate for the Pirate.

The trainer said nothing while the other woman ate. Once she had finished eating the trainer pointed to the slave and motioned for her to stand near the table. The slave stepped to the side of the table her eyes wide with the amount of food still on the table. The first to speak was the Pirate as she instructed the trainer to ensure the slave was prepared for her service when she returned from the battlefield in a fortnight. Then she rose from her chair and grabbing her cloak strode from the room.

Later that day as the slave carried trays back to the cook�s tent she noticed a number of missing soldiers in the camp. She saw more children and woman then the night before at her entrance into the camp. When she had finished dropping the trays off at the cook�s tent she hurried back to the large tent and her training.

Chapter 3

Over the next ten days the slave was conditioned by the trainer to do various tasks she would be required to perform for the Pirate. The slave had a hard time understanding the trainer because M�Lila did not speak Grecian, but after a swift slap to the back of the leg with a short leather crop by the trainer, the slave usually got the idea and quickly changed. When she performed well she was allowed to wander around the encampment and speak with other women in the camp. Most of the women were friendly and would tell her stories of the Warrior Princess. The slave learned many horrid tales of discipline that Xena dealt out.

The cook, Alicia related one such tale, while the slave was learning the Warrior Princess� favorite foods. Alicia continued with the story, "about five seasons back the Princess had taken a young male to serve her, he was granted similar privileges of wandering the encampment during the times when the Princess was away in battle." She smiled at the slave. "The Princess returned late one afternoon after being gone close to two seasons after she and her army had traveled to Chin." The cook directed a helper in prepping some vegetables before continuing. "When she returned, he was not in her tent. She questioned a number of people until she located him in the tent of one of the kitchen helpers, Daroa, no�Daria, or something like that."

The cook handed a bowl of potatoes to the slave, "peel those. Anyway, she found both of them in the helper�s tents going at it like jackrabbits. Saying it mildly, she was angry. Whew, ANGRY!" The cook shook her head as if remembering something. "She hauled him from the tent screaming about revenge. By the Gods did she draw a crowd! So, she drags him, naked mind you, over to the training field, the whole time Daria, who is close to naked, is begging forgiveness and tugging on the Princess. Once she gets him in the field she forces him against the crossed beams and chains him. He was facing the post, so he didn�t know what was going on except the screams of Daria as the Princess placed a whip in her hand and commanded her to whip him for his actions."

Turning around the cook began slicing the peeled potatoes into a pot. "Daria, of course, threw the whip on the ground and refused to whip him, declaring her love for him. The Princess has no mercy for not following out commands and she drew a dagger from her boot and grabbed Daria, holding the dagger to her throat, she once again told Daria to whip �the miserable slave�. The Princess picked up the whip and closed it in Daria�s hand, her own hand holding the whip in place, she pulled back and the strike tagged the middle of his back hard enough to draw blood the first time. Daria, of course, began to scream and tried releasing the whip."

The kitchen helpers were all quiet, listening to the tale intently as Alicia continued. "The Princess struck again, right in the small of his back. Now, he began to scream as well. I had never seen her so angry and vicious as she welded the whip and continued to strike him. Soon a number of bloody streaks covered his back, legs, and ass. Yet, she continued to whip him even after neither he nor Daria were able to make more then squeaks as the whip continued to strike." Alicia noticed a number of workers had stop to listen and screamed, "hey, you guys get back to work!"

The slave tried to keep her face from showing the fear she now felt.

"It appeared that the slave had finally passed out from the sheer pain and loss of blood. Daria was also bleeding because her throat had been pressed against the dagger a number of times. When the Princess released her hold on the whip and Daria, the whip was covered in blood and lay in the bright green on the grass. Gods, how I remember the drops of blood on the grass." Shivering slightly at the image within her own mind, the cook paused. "When the Princess released her hold on Daria, the helper fell to the ground and began crawling toward the slave. It was ordered that he would spend the night chained to the pole, and Daria was to be chained so that she could look at his welted bloody back until the morning light. A huge bonfire was built near them and kept burning until the first rays the next morning."

Finally the slave spoke, �did he live?"

"Gods, no child! He died during the night, he never woke up from when he had passed out."

"And Daria?" She questioned quietly.

"Well, Daria became stark raving mad, claiming she had killed him. Though everyone had known it was the Princess, Daria believed she should have known better. Daria had been a cook�s helper for, hmm, near three years. She knew how the Princess was, and she could not forgive herself, or the Princess for making her whip her lover."

One of the younger helpers asked, "what happened to Daria?"

"Well, the next full moon, she snuck into the Princess� tent."

The slave interrupted, "Daria didn�t attack her did she?"

Alicia smiled as she turned around to face the slave, "oh no. Daria stole her boot dagger. Then she returned to the beam where he had died. She cursed the Princess loudly and as a few of the night guards appeared in the training area, Daria plunged the dagger into her own throat."

Everyone drew a sharp breath. A lone tear made its way down the slave�s face and she lowered her head as her growing fear of the Pirate was replaced with great sorrow at the loss of the two lovers.

The slave heard other tales of punishment during her training, but none left the impact or fear that Alicia�s tale of the two lovers did.

Chapter 4

The soldiers would escort the slave near the edge of the encampment but none would come within three paces of her or speak with her. The slave could sense their fear when she neared any of them or spoke directly to them. One older soldier took a liking to her and volunteered to escort her around the camp whenever she desired. Kaless, was his name and he enjoyed her company as much as she enjoyed his. He would tell her many stories of battles he had fought with the Warrior Princess and how she had taken him in when he had been wounded in a fight with the Centaurs. She had healed him. He said that he was forever indebted to her and stayed with her training the younger soldiers.

The slave liked to refer to the Warrior Princess as the Pirate still, and she noted the Kaless was as tall as the Pirate, with shoulder length gray hair. He wore brown leather pants, high boots, and a dark brown leather vest with nothing under it. She noticed how tan and muscled he was even at his age, but he had many scars from battle.

Kaless told the slave of many battles he had fought with the Warrior Princess, and how she was certainly a sight to behold in battle. He told the slave of a battle cry the Warrior made that could stir her army into frenzy and scare the enemies to death. He had seen her kill more men at once than any other soldier or fighter he had ever seen. He even told the slave about the round killing thing she carried on her belt.

He told the slave, "I�ve heard her call its name many a time, but I can never pronounce it right. But I have seen her throw it in a battle and break swords in two and severe many a heads at one time. By the Gods, I would never want to go against her."

Before the return of the Pirate, the slave learned many things about her style and favorite weapons from Kaless.

Chapter 5

Late one night as the slave slept on a pile of pillows near the bed in the large tent, a loud clanging noise awakened her. Standing in the center of the tent was a dirty blood covered Pirate ripping her armor from her body. The slave immediately jumped from under the covers to assist with the removal of the Pirate�s armor. She startled the Pirate and was attacked. The Pirate quickly jumped the slave, tackling her into the pile of pillows near the bed. When the slave opened her eyes and tried to breathe, the Pirate was straddling her hips and her arms were pinned above her head.

The look in the blue eyes above her scared her more than the look in the crystal blue eyes the morning the Pirate had heartlessly killed Damon. She knew her very life depended on calming down the warrior. Softly she began to speak. "Mistress, please forgive me. I fell asleep before your return. Please let me help you with your armor and draw you a bath." She patiently waited for an answer as she tried to calm her breathing. Kaless had told her of the rage he had seen fill the Warrior Princess in battle and how unapproachable she was for days after she returned. "Mistress?"

Finally her calm soft voice began to break through the shell and the Pirate began to blink in the pale light of the tent.

"Mistress, shall I order you a hot meal with your bath?" The slave continued in a soft calm voice.

The Pirate shook her head as if to clear a thought and then slowly released the arms of the slave pinned under her. "Help me with my armor, slave." She slowly stood up and turned away from the figure on the floor.

The slave quickly stood and began loosening the straps and buckles holding the breastplate in place. M�Lila had ensured she could do this very quickly and efficiently. Once she had the Pirate stripped down; the slave pulled a silk robe from the bed and wrapped it around the Pirate. She poured the Pirate a glass of wine and bowed before leaving the tent and sprinting to the cook�s tent to fetch hot water and a meal. She instructed the cook to make a hot meal and knowing she did not have time to wait, she quickly made a tray from the leftovers and hurried back to the large tent. As soon as the slave entered the tent she set the plate down on the table near Pirate, and realized she did not have a food tester. The slave pulled small bits of food from the tray and began testing them.

The Pirate sat in the chair, her legs draped over the arm, trying to look relaxed and at ease. She was doing a poor job of it, her darting eyes giving it away. She noticed the slave testing the food before setting the plate of finger foods before the Pirate. The slave heard a noise outside the tent and the Pirate jumped to her feet, preparing for battle as members of the kitchen help carried in buckets of hot water. Quickly the helpers dumped the water and left the tent.

Sitting back down in the chair, the Pirate demanded that the slave feed her the morsels of food on the plate. The slave stepped up behind the Pirate and picking up the fork on the table started to poke a small piece of meat.

"No, with your hands, slave." The Pirate stretched, her right hand coming to a rest on the back of the slave�s right knee.

Inhaling sharply at the touch, the slave dropped the fork. The slave had expected punishment for doing something wrong, but when she received none, she took a deep breath and picked up the piece of meat between her thumb and forefinger, bringing it to the Pirate�s mouth.

"Mmm," the Pirate purred, "more."

The Pirate relished every bite, sucking gently on the fingers of the slave while the slave fed her piece by piece of the tidbits on the plate. Gently rubbing the back of the slave�s knee, the Pirate continued savoring the taste of the slave fingers, as her thoughts of carnal pleasure ran away with her.

The slave was enjoying the rubbing her leg was getting. So many times over the past few days, the only attention she had received was the smack of the crop on the back of her thighs. She was startled when the cook entered the tent carrying a tray of hot beef and bread.

Alicia bowed, "welcome back, Princess," she paused before standing up and asking, "is there anything else I can get you at this late hour?"

The Pirate said nothing to the cook as she waved her away with her hand. The cook quietly left the tent.

Once the Pirate had eaten her fill of the bread and meat she had been served by the slave in bite size portions, she stood and casually dropped her robe to the floor before stepping into the tub and commanding the slave to wash her.

The slave shuddered. The trainer had taught her how to give a bath, BUT they had always had their clothes on. She had never seen a completely naked woman until tonight, and now she was expected to bathe HER. With an unsteady step the slave approached the tub and knelt beside it, grabbing a cloth and the soap bar she began to lather the rag before running it across the shoulders of the Pirate.

As the slave began to move the rag down the muscled back in front of her, feeling the muscles tighten under her fingers, the Captain of the Guards yelled from the tent flap for the Pirate. Rising from the hot water, the Pirate mumbled about stripping him of his skin, and strode to the tent flap. She threw open the flap, the cold air rushing through the opening. The slave watched the Pirate�s skin prickle with goose bumps and her dark nipples harden, ignoring her anger as her voice rose at the Captain.

The slave allowed her thoughts to run away with her as she continued to kneel on the floor, her fingers still tingling from touching the muscled flesh, her eyes taking in the beautiful woman across the tent. As the Pirate turned from the opening, the slave dropped her eyes to the rippling water of the tub in fear her open gaze was noticed.

"Slave, fetched M�Lila." The Pirate demanded as she stepped over to a chest near the end of the large bed and began dressing.

The slave dashed through the tent opening and ran the twenty paces to M�Lila�s tent. When she burst through the tent opening, she dropped to her knees panting "M�Lila" and "Warrior Princess".

M�Lila could only guess that the Princess was back and grabbing her cloak to cover her naked body, strode toward the Master�s tent with the slave behind her. As she entered the large tent, M�Lila noticed the pile of blood soaked clothing on the floor, the warm bath, and the table of scraps. She was impressed that the slave had at least fulfilled a few of the Master�s needs in her absence.

As soon as M�Lila entered the tent, the Pirate began speaking in the unknown language to her as she approached the Pirate and assisted with fastening the last of armor buckles.

The slave stood near the door, shivering slightly from the cold air that caressed her sweat-covered body, watching as M�Lila and the Pirate left the tent only moments after. The slave knew nothing of the conversation the two had just had or the possible danger that drove them to leave so quickly. She began cleaning the tent.

Chapter 6

The following morning dawned quickly for the slave, with little to no sleep after the Pirate and M�Lila had left. The slave had cleaned up the tent, returning the dished to the cook�s tent, and then tried to wash out the bloodied clothing before emptying the tub. She then laid on her make shift bed of pillows trying to sleep, but was unable to. So, as the sun made its way above the horizon, the slave ventured from the large tent in search of Kaless. She was unable to find Kaless anywhere. She had looked in his tent, the training area, and the common tent where everyone usually ate. Unable to find him and so near the cook�s tent, she went in search of Alicia.

"Alicia?" The slave called out near the fire pits.

Alicia came out the back of the common tent and smiled gently at the slave. "Morning dear. What are you doing up so early this morning." The cook knew it was uncommon for the slave to be here so early.

The slave neared one of the fire pits to warm herself in the chilled air and spoke. "I have been unable to find Kaless this morning, and was wondering why the pir�Princess left before sunrise." It was at this very moment that the slave noticed a number of the soldiers were also missing and the cook was not busy preparing the morning meal.

Unable to keep the truth from the slave, the cook explained that a large army lead by Borias, another great warlord, had attacked before dawn on the far northern ridge of the camp. All of the soldiers had been commanded to protect the camp. Alicia was quite sure that was where the Princess was.

An unexplainable dread came over the slave as she stood listening to the cook. How could someone attack the Pirate without her knowing? The slave had heard how great the Pirate was in battle, her abilities, her skills, and her forethought. Now the battle was so close. Turning the slave ran through the camp toward the northern ridge.

Near mid-day the slave made it to the top of the hill that protected the camp. She sat down heavily as she looked out over the small valley that lay before her. She could see the carnage that the battle had brought so close to the camp she now called home. Broken bodies littered the ground as far as she could see. Small tendrils of smoke rose here and there. The smell that assaulted her now made bile rise in the back of her throat. Tears streaked her face as she turned her head and began retching. The slave had seen death, but never had she witnessed such mass destruction and the number of bodies that lay below her.

The clash of metal and a shrieking sound drew her attention further into the battle. There in a mass of two dozen men was the Pirate. Her long hair whipping around in the heat of battle, her two swords blood soaked and shining in the bright sun, and a war-cry that stilled even the slave�s blood and breathe. The slave held her breath as she watched the Pirate cut down the men with a number of kicks and sword thrusts. Soon, all the men lay at her feet dead or dying. With another blood curdling cry, the Pirate did a double flip over the pile, landing behind M�Lila as the battle began again.

The number of warriors that poured into the valley must have equaled the number of citizens in Athens, for it appeared never ending to the one witness on the hill. The lone witness watched the blood and gore, occasionally puking from the sights until near sundown. The power and abilities of the Pirate impressed her, but lack of emotion as the number of dead grew appalled her.

As the sun began to sink behind the mountains, a number of mounted warriors rode toward the Pirate from the west. The slave was unable to count their numbers with the low sun behind them and reflecting off of their armor. She feared the worst outcome as four soldiers from the Pirate�s army joined her and M�Lila in the path of the screaming horsemen. The horses continued to run at the six figures, hooves goring the men already on the ground, as the leader swung a large cutlass again and again. He seemed to care little whether the soldiers were his or the Pirate�s as he made his way toward the small group slashing at all figures he passed.

Unable to witness the battle from the hilltop anymore, the slave stood and began running down the hill toward the Pirate. Tripping at the bottom of the hill, she came face to face with a dead man. Standing up she paid little attention to the sticky blood now covering her stomach and leather skirt. She continued to run.

As the horses drew close, the Pirate let go with another war cry and leapt into the air, kicking the first rider from his horse. He landed on his feet, and as the Pirate landed, the clash of swords began. The cutlass and the two silver swords were a blur of blood and metal that struck hard enough to create sparks. It was hard to tell which figure was the pirate and which was the rider as long dark hair whipped about both their faces and the swords continued to flash.

The slave finally made it to the battle, noticing most of the warriors had stopped fighting to watch the battle of the Pirate and the other warrior. The slave assumed that he must be Borias, as she watched the two continue their battle. An upward stroke from his sword caught the Pirate in the upper arm, drawing blood from the nasty gash. The anger was evident on the Pirate�s face as she kicked him squarely in the hip, dropping him to one knee. He looked up into the Pirate�s face and the feral grin pasted there before he smiled and said, "You have the better army, I shall withdraw."

"Not this time Borias," the Pirate replied, "this time is the last!"

The slave drew a sharp breath and watched as the Pirate sank both swords into the chest of the figure kneeling on the ground. The Pirate used her foot to shove the figure back and withdraw her swords. The whooping and screaming began as her soldiers taunted Borias� warriors to leave the valley, forcing them into a circle near their fallen leader. Turning around the Pirate caught sight of the slave standing about ten paces away, blood covering her hands and lower body. The Pirate began walking toward the slave, an odd look on her face. The slave stood still, her hands held up, the sticky blood from the corpse clearly visible. Her eyes held captive in the glazed look in the Pirate�s eyes. The Pirate appeared as though she were either going to take the slave or kill her where she stood. The slave began to shake.

Suddenly the Pirate was thrust into the slave from behind. The Pirate landed hard on top of the slave as the mumbled words in the foreign tongue were heard. Quickly the Pirate was on her feet again standing above the slave, in a flash the golden ring on her belt was thrown and the whirring was followed by a thud. When the slave sat up, the Pirate was kneeling before M�Lila, a large cutlass protruded from her chest and held her on her side as blood pooled around her body. Just beyond the pair, a headless body sat. The slave could only watch as the Pirate spoke to M�Lila in the language only the two understood. M�Lila smiled one last time at the near by slave, her last words to the slave garbled as blood spurted from her mouth. The slave fainted.

To be Continued.......
(better write her though and beg for more!!! ;)



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