Love/Sex Warning/Disclaimer: Oh yeah now we're getting down to it. YES this story depicts a sexual relationship between two women and between a woman and a man. Is it graphic? Well, maybe… kinda… in a tasteful sort of way… that is to say… yeah okay it's graphic but hey let your hair down a little. Give yourself a little thrill. As is indicative of a Conqueror story there is some nonconsensual sex, one scene of the disturbing kind and the other more of the "she's forcing herself on me and I just hate myself for loving it" kind. If you are under the age of 18 or live in a state or country where this kind of story is illegal or this kind of thing disturbs you then read no further. Oh yeah that love thing. Lots of love in this story, love between two women, love between a woman and a man and they all love me! Me, me, me! Hey it's my story and I can write it anyway I want. You want love too? Oh all right, they love you tooJ Happy now?

Feedback: What did ya think? tlh277@aol.com

Part 1

Part One: Influence of Innocence

A large golden mare strode casually through the wooded landscape. Its dark haired rider sat silently astride her, deep in thought. The Conqueror of the known world was feeling frustrated. Her life had become boring, mundane even. She had everything; she ruled over everything, she owned everything. There didn't seem to be any challenges left to her.

A week prior she had left Athens riding alone out of her massive palace for an undetermined amount of time. She didn't seem to be able to think in the ornate palace lately. She needed to get out where she could be alone undisturbed by the intricacies of ruling a world.

She had left her closest adviser in charge in her absence. Meleager was a good man and loyal to her to a fault. Although he was a little on the gentler side when it came to his style of command, he was fair and just. He was a good balance to her more aggressive tendencies and harsh way of ruling. She was known as being ruthless not without merit. But that was the way it had to be. That was the way she had conquered the known world and it was a harsh world that required a ruler with and even harsher hand, and she was more than up to the job.

But now there was something missing from her life. That spark that had driven her to take city after city, then country after country was gone. She had to get it back. She needed a new challenge, but what?

She sighed feeling the late summer sun on her tanned face. She reined Argo to a halt and gazed up at the azure sky with its few wispy white clouds. It was another gorgeous day, with only a slight refreshing breeze that barely rustled the leaves of the trees in the forest surrounding her.

Xena lifted her hand to her eyes and checked the position of the sun. It was well past midday. She would need to camp soon as there weren't any villages close by, just a few rural farms.

Xena suddenly regretted not bringing any slaves with her. She was getting tired of setting up her own campsites and tending to all the chores that came along with it. She had been living in the palace for five years and it was beginning to spoil her.

Oh well, she thought. I'll just have to improvise and take a slave at my next opportunity. With that she nudged Argo's sides and set the mare off again at a trot.

An hour later the sun was hanging well off towards the west. In another hour it would be dusk. The forest split into a large meadow in the distance and Xena could see a small farm at the far end of it.

As she approached the farm she saw a single male figure working in the field. She rode to him. When she came to within fifty feet of him the figure looked up from cutting the tall grass with a scythe and stared at her as she trotted Argo up to him.

He was a young man, Xena guessed around seventeen or eighteen summers. Tall, although not as tall as her, she guessed him to be about six foot and one hundred and seventy-five pounds. She had developed a skill at judging the physical build of potential slaves. It had come in handy in her warlord days and even now was still a useful skill.

He was a handsome boy, but definitely still a boy. His hairless face betrayed his farm boy innocence. He had bright blue eyes and short brown hair.

She rode to within ten feet of him and dismounted casually. As she closed the distance between them the boy smiled at her, dropping his scythe in the grass and giving her a short, shy wave of greeting.

"Hi, my name's Seth." He said staring curiously at her.

Xena said nothing just walked straight to him, looking him up and down. Then she was right in front of him. She looked him in the eyes and the boy shyly looked away. Not quiet sure how to deal with her aggressive body language.

Xena smiled to herself, this was going to be too easy, just like everything else it seemed. She thrust out her right hand and grasped the boy's lower jaw.

"Say ah." She commanded the confused boy.

Shocked at this stranger touching him but used to a lifetime of doing what his elders told him the boy complied.

Straight white teeth, that was good, and…. Xena tilted her head toward the boy's mouth and sniffed, mint?

She looked curiously at the boy. "Mint?" She asked, letting go of his jaw so the boy could speak.

He stared at her still dumbfounded, not quiet sure of what was going on. "I like to chew on mint leaves. They make my breath feel funny, cool like I guess."

Xena smiled, she liked that. A slave with good teeth and nice breath that was definitely a plus.

The boy caught Xena's smile and started to relax a little, but it didn't last as Xena continued her examination of him. She pulled up his faded brown shirt to expose his chest and abdomen.

"Hey! What are you doing?" Seth protested but did nothing.

"Shhh." Xena just made a shushing sound and that seemed to calm the boy as she proceeded with her exam.

His torso was hairless like his face but well developed from countless hours of labor no doubt. She turned him to his side so she could see his back. No scars. A good thing, he hadn't been a slave before, he was fresh. No one had whipped him. She turned him back to her then pulled back the waistband of the boy's trousers.

This turned out to be more than the boy would abide and he quickly pulled away but not before Xena had a chance to see that everything was in tact down there and looked to be in order.

"Hey! What are you doing? What do you want with me?" Seth asked backing away from Xena, starting to feel uneasy.

"Do you know who I am boy?" Xena asked casually keeping in step with him as he slowly retreated from her.

"No, and my name's not boy. Its Seth like I said earlier." He said trying to show some amount of courage that he didn't feel in the presence of this tall leather clad warrior woman.

She was tall, a couple of inches taller than him he reasoned and well built. Not only in the sense that she had impressive curves but also that she had impressive muscle tone that was clearly exposed by her short leather battle dress and armor.

Xena scowled at his insolent tone and Seth felt a chill go through his body.

"You should boy!" Xena emphasized the word as she spoke it. "My face is on all your money." She said as Seth continued to back away from her.

"I don't have any money." Seth said nearly in a panic now.

"Stop backing away from me boy." Xena commanded in a low tone.

Seth didn't know what exactly was happening but he felt it a good time to run. Mistake.

He had made about five feet when Xena's whip caught his ankle and he felt her tug his feet out from under him with surprisingly little effort. Xena dropped to her knees above him, pinning his arms with her powerful legs. A look of sheer terror came over Seth's face as he struggled to no avail and realized he was helpless.

"Let me go! Please let me go!" He cried.

Xena's ice blue eyes leveled on him and she slapped him viciously across the face leaving a deep red mark on his check. "Shut up and listen to me boy!"

Seth stopped struggling and stared fixatedly at her.

"That's better. I am Xena the Conqueror. Do you know me now?" She asked in a calm tone of voice that seemed to sooth the trembling farm boy a little.

Seth nodded his head.

"Good. Now I know that you're not completely ignorant. Like I said, I'm Xena your ruler and I find myself in need of a slave and I think you'll do nicely."

"But I don't want to be a slave." Seth protested. "I don't know how to be a slave."

A ghost of a smile crossed Xena's lips at the naive comment. "Well you don't have a choice and as for how to be a slave, you obey me, got that?"

Seth looked away from her not wanting to answer. Xena roughly grabbed his hair and twisted his head back to face her.

"There are two ways we can do this boy. The first way is very painful. That's the way where I show you who's in charge here with a severe beating and then you still have to come with me. The second way I simply let you up and you being a smart boy obey me and accept your new fate, knowing that there's nothing you can do about it. And you still have to come with me. What's it going to be? Decide quickly or I'll decide for you." Xena said in a remarkably complacent tone that seemed completely out of place to Seth in his high stress state of mind.

He decided very quickly that he didn't want Xena to hit him anymore but all he could seem to do was nod.

"Nodding yes the first way or yes the second way?" Xena asked knowing very well what he meant but toying with him anyway.

"Y… yes the first way." The boy stammered out.

"Hmm, do I need to tie you to my horse boy? Or can you be trusted to walk without me tying you?" Xena questioned him.

Seth quickly processed this new information. He knew exactly what she was getting at. Either he walked beside her horse or he was going to be drug behind it.

"I'll walk." He said in a nervous voice.

"Good, that's a smart boy. Lets get going then." Xena said raising herself off of him and mounting her horse.

Seth just lie there like a bushel of the tall grass he was cutting just minutes ago. He stared at the sky shocked. All he had ever known was his uncle's farm and now he was being taken away from that. He wasn't sure what to do, he couldn't think at all. Then suddenly Xena was staring down at him from what seemed to him a very great distance from atop of her horse.

"I said lets get going boy! Maybe I need to show you the first way after all." Xena said uncoiling her whip from her side.

That got his attention; Seth was quickly on his feet.

Xena replaced her whip eyeing him coolly. "When I give you a command boy you would do well to do it quickly. Do I make myself clear?"

Seth nodded.

"Good, come on then." Xena said turning her horse back to the north and starting the mare off at a slow walk.

"Xena?" Seth asked from her side.

"Yes."

"I need to get my things and I should tell my uncle that I'm going."

"Everything you need is on your back and your uncle will figure out you're gone soon enough."

A look of great concern suddenly crossed Seth's face and he froze in his tracks and thrust his hand in his pocket.

Xena had caught the look and the boy searching for something in his trousers. "What is it boy? What are you looking for? Are you hiding a knife in your pocket?"

Seth's face took on a calm as his hand closed on something that Xena couldn't make out. He looked up at Xena who had positioned Argo very close to him just in time to see her backhand strike him hard across the face. The blow jarred him back to the present leaving another red imprint on his face.

"I require an answer boy!" Xena said lifting her hand for another blow, a bit frustrated that neither of her hits had drawn blood on the boy's face. Damn farm boy resilience.

"No, no, its just my special rock!" Seth said quickly trying to get the words out before Xena struck him again and at the same time producing the rock and lifting it to Xena.

Xena took the rock from the boy's hand and studied it. It was a common piece of quartz that had been polished to a high shine. "And what is so special about this rock boy?"

"My mother gave it to me. On my birthday when I was small." Seth answered with a look of concern growing on his face as Xena continued to hold onto his special rock.

"And where is your mother now?" The Conqueror questioned.

"She died when I was little." The concern grew into trepidation.

"And your Father."

"He died too. That's why I live here with my uncle. Can I have my special rock back please?" Seth asked pleading.

Xena considered the request for a moment. A habit formed from years of manipulation. The worthless rock was obviously of great value to the boy. If she let him keep it then she would be able to use it as leverage against him later if he decided to miss-behalf. It would be an alternative to a beating for punishment for him. One that might have even greater effectiveness in disciplining him. Just then the Conqueror smiled to herself suppressing a laugh. This wasn't a nation she was dealing with; it was a simple slave and didn't really require such intricate thought. Nonetheless though…

"You may keep it." She said handing the rock back to the boy.

"Thank you Xena." The boy said with great relief.

Xena said nothing just nudged Argo's sides and headed her back off to the north. After a few more minutes of travel the boy spoke up again.

"Xena?"

"Yes."

"How long do I have to be a slave?" Seth asked seriously.

This seemed to amuse the ruler of the known world. She turned her head and looked down at him to see the serious look on his face, farm boys she mused.

"Until you get killed or just die."

Seth's serious look turned thoughtful. "That's a very long time I think."

"It could be." Xena said still slightly amused with this new slave of hers.

"Xena?" Seth asked again.

Xena normally didn't allow slaves to speak to her unless spoken to first or even to call her by her name. Usually she was addressed only as Conqueror or Mistress but in her current frame of mind she welcomed the distraction and the farm boy's naïve questions were amusing her, so…

"Yes."

"Where are we going?"

"North." The dark haired woman replied simply.

"Oh." Was all Seth said to the simple answer, it seemed to have satisfied him.

Xena thought about it for a moment. She really didn't have a destination in mind. She had just been heading north for no particular reason, yet she felt drawn in that direction.

She rode on with the boy keeping pace at her side. They had fallen into a silence and Xena looked knowingly at Seth. She knew exactly what he was thinking. Making plans for escape. He would wait until night when he thought she was asleep then make a run for it. It was always that way with new slaves. You had to break something inside them before they would stay without being chained and they always tried to escape on the first night. When their spirits and strength were still in tack.

No matter. She would let him go and then catch him in the woods. Then she would break that thing inside that gave slaves the courage to run. She actually found herself looking forward to it. It had been awhile since she personally had been the one to break in a new slave and the thought gave her a wicked sense of pleasure.

Seth was indeed deep in thought.

Until I get killed or just die. The words keep repeating in his mind. That was to be a very, very long time he thought. Too long, he couldn't wait that long he mused. Besides his birthday was in a few days and his uncle always took him into town on his birthday. He got to eat a big meal at the inn and got to have pie for desert. It was the only time all year that he got to eat so well and he couldn't just miss it. No he would wait until the warrior woman fell asleep, then he would sneak away.

Just then he looked up at her to see her looking at him with a bit of a smile on her face. This only served to confuse him more. Why was she smiling at me? Maybe she likes me? She did give me my special rock back. Or maybe she's going to eat me and that's why she's smiling. Looking forward to a good meal. He had heard stories told by the bards in town of all the horrible things she had done while she was still conquering the world. Although he never heard of her eating anyone the thought didn't comfort him. Yes he would have to run away tonight.

They continued on for another hour in relative silence until they came upon a spot that Xena decided would due for a campsite. The sun was hanging low in the sky to the west now and dusk was upon them. Xena set about unloading her gear and setting up camp while she sent Seth out to gather firewood. She knew he was afraid of some impending doom or punishment from his silence in the last hour. He definitely wouldn't try to escape until he was sure she was asleep and he would have more of a chance at getting away. So she wasn't worried in the slightest about sending him into the forest to gather wood.

The ability to judge what people would do and how they would react in a given situation was one of her most valuable skills she thought. Probably it was that even more than her unparallel skill as a warrior that was most responsible for her success in battle.

Xena's mind again was drawn to why she out in the middle of the Grecian forest. She had to find that something that was missing in her life. The last five years since her conquest of the last of the known world had been, to her anyway, dull. She had been so focused, so driven to her goals and now that she had achieved them there was this giant void in her life that nothing seemed to be able to fill. She had spent the last five years ruling over an empire but that was a much less fulfilling thing than conquering one. She had indulged herself in every kind of comfort and pleasure and while she had enjoyed herself still there was that void.

It was funny she thought, now that she was the ruler of the known world she was having more fun capturing and breaking in one new slave than she had, had in the past several months of running an empire.

She quickly had camp set and Argo unsaddled and tethered to a nearby tree. She had laid out her bedroll across from a fallen log and built a fire pit in the center of a ring of small stones she had gathered.

Seth returned with his arms laden with dry wood. She instructed him to place the wood in pile near the pit and then tossed him a brush and sent him off to rub down Argo while she set about building a fire. In a few minutes she had a nice little blaze burning in the pit. She withdrew a long dagger from one of her boots and placed the blade in the fire.

Thirty minutes later it was dark and Xena was sitting on the fallen log by the fire sharpening her sword when Seth returned to her from tending to Argo.

"I'm all done with your horse." He said extending the brush to Xena.

"Argo." Xena said without looking up.

"Huh?" The boy said confused.

"Argo is my horse's name. Put the brush back in my saddlebags boy." Xena said with a tilt of her head towards her nearby bags.

Seth replaced the brush then plopped down on the forest floor across the fire from Xena. He sat cross-legged and stared pensively at her.

Xena replaced her sword in her back scabbard.

"Come here boy." She ordered.

Seth got up and worriedly moved next to Xena who was still sitting on the fallen log.

"Kneel down here in front of me and turn your right shoulder to me."

Seth did so awkwardly, the fear he felt starting to paralyze his mind. This was it he thought, dinnertime and he was the main course.

Xena pulled the boy's shirt off over his head and withdrew her dagger from the fire. The tip of the blade now glowed red-hot. Seth began to sob when he saw the knife.

"What are you crying about already? I haven't even touched you." Xena questioned annoyed.

"Y…your gonna eat me!" Seth stammered out.

Xena stared at him for a moment in dumbfounded silence then she threw her head back and laughed. It was a few minutes before she was able to control her laughter enough to speak.

"Why would you think I was going to eat you boy?" Xena asked with an uncontrollable grin.

Seth dried his eyes with the back of his hand then answered. "Because of the way you looked at me and were smiling earlier. I thought you were deciding that I would make a good meal then when you took off my shirt and took the dagger from the fire I thought…"

Xena started laughing again cutting the boy off. When she finally regained her composure she grasped the boy's right arm with her free hand then brought the glowing tip of the dagger to his shoulder with the other.

"This is why I took your shirt off boy." She said as she burned an X in his shoulder with the red-hot knife. The boy screamed and tried to pull away but Xena's grip was unrelenting until finally she was done. She let him go and Seth fell to the ground at her feet grasping his right arm just below the burn.

He stared at her shocked and panting.

"It will only hurt for a day or so boy." Xena said nonchalantly placing the dagger's glowing tip in the dirt to cool.

"W… what is it?" Seth asked and noticed he seemed to be developing a bit of a stutter.

"It's my mark. You should be proud, now if you should get lost or separated from me somehow whoever finds you will know you belong to me and return you." She said it so seriously that it seemed to make sense to Seth.

Seth just looked from his arm then back to Xena with an, 'I can't believe you just did that' look on his face.

"Here." Xena said tossing Seth's shirt at him. "Leave it off tonight so it doesn't irritate the burn."

Seth simply nodded then stared at the ground still grasping his shoulder in pain. Looking pathetic. Well at least she didn't eat me, he thought.

Xena felt something very strange staring down at the farm boy huddled on the ground holding his arm. She felt sorry for him. Why was that, she thought? I usually get off on this stuff and seeing a slave in pain normally would have made it even better. Maybe its the absence of hatred in his eyes or maybe its because he's so naive. Yes that must be it. It made him seem a bit child-like and she never took children as slaves. Even she had her limits. She would take slaves only when they reach their middle teens or grew to full physical maturity. At any rate she was feeling strangely uncomfortable staring at him sitting there in pain.

"Oh Gods! Get my saddlebags and come here boy!" Xena commanded suddenly in a harsh tone that startled Seth.

He quickly did as she instructed, her tone of voice commanding immediacy. He placed the bags at her feet then knelt down between her legs again and stared up at her waiting.

Xena, extremely annoyed took up the bags and withdrew a long strip of cloth and a small tin of salve. Her movements were the hurried one's of someone that was angry with something and this was not lost on Seth who sat very still and quiet so as not to anger her anymore. He wondered what it was that had set her off? Maybe she was mad that I didn't scream more or pass out from the pain and now she was going to put some kind of pain enhancement cream on my arm so she could watch me cry out in pain.

Xena took a deep breath and talked in low disgusted tones as she applied the burn salve to the boy's arm and then gently wrapped the wound with a clean strip of cloth. She was a skilled healer among other things.

"Damn little farm boy! Just going to sit there and look up at me all pathetic!"

Seth sensed that Xena was speaking more to herself then to him and he remained quiet. Surprisingly the salve felt good and it soothed the pain considerably.

Xena quickly finished then replaced the tin in her saddlebags and handed them to Seth.

"Go put these back boy and you can put your shirt on now." She said looking very hard at him.

Seth smiled at her in gratitude. "Thank you Xena."

Xena suddenly grabbed the boy by the shoulders and shook him.

"Do not look at me that way boy!" She yelled at him.

Seth was stunned into silence and looked away turning his eyes to the ground.

"That's better." Xena said releasing him. "Go on and do as I said now."

Seth did as he was told and Xena stared after him wondering why in Tartarus he was getting to her. It really did annoy her though to have him look at her with such gratitude. Or maybe it didn't annoy her at all and that's what set her off. I've just got a lot on my mind she thought. That's all. She dismissed the feeling. Then she started to feel hungry and went to her supplies and got out some bread and cheese for her and Seth.

"Here." Xena said as she handed Seth the food. "Can't have my slaves getting scrawny."

Seth took the food and returned to his seat on the ground across from her still confused by her. She was mean and kind then mean again, strange. Oh well he thought and quickly got over it. A gift of his youth and simple nature, nothing really bothered him for very long.

This seemed to please Xena that he returned to a passive state and they ate in silence. When they were through Xena ordered him to go to bed.

Seth got up to do as she had instructed then stopped. "Where do I sleep Xena?"

She looked at him as if she were deciding that just then.

"You'll sleep on the bedroll with me boy. That way if I feel like raping you in the middle of the night I won't have to go far." Xena added the last part just to make the statement sound meaner. In reality she was letting him sleep with her so it would be easier to tell when he tried to escape. Although she knew she would wake at his slightest movement even if he were across the camp from her, this made it more convenient. Then suddenly an inspiration hit her.

"Wait a moment boy. Give me that rock of yours." Xena stated firmly.

Seth looked gravely at her. "How come?" He asked, not moving.

Xena's features grew hard. "Boy you better get over here in a hurry and give me that damn rock if you know what's good for you!"

Seth sighed went to her and reluctantly handed her his special rock. When he did Xena jerked him hard to the ground in front of where she sat and backhanded him viciously across the face.

Damn farm boy resilience she thought at not having drawn blood again with the blow. She jerked back his head by his hair and spoke in a low dangerous voice. "Don't ever question me again boy!"

She reached back with her other hand and started striking him across the face with each word. "You… just… do… as… your… told… got… that?"

A small trickle of blood ran from the corner of the boy's mouth. Finally Xena thought.

"Y… yes." Seth stuttered out.

Xena kept him in her grasp for a moment longer and held his vivid blue eyes locked in the ice of her stare. Seth looked away and his chest heaved a few times. He looked as is he was about to cry.

Oh Gods not that again! Xena thought. She released him and he fell backwards to the ground where he remained motionless looking pensively up at her.

Again Xena felt strangely sorry for the boy. What in Tartarus is the matter with me today? She thought. It must be this one's naïve boyishness that is bothering me. That has to be it.

"Come here boy." Xena commanded.

Seth picked himself up off the ground and moved back to Xena kneeling on the ground between her feet.

Xena lifted the boy's chin with one hand then she licked the thumb of her other hand and wiped away the blood at the corner of the boy's mouth.

"You're going to learn how to behalf one way or another boy. I'll give you this rock back in the morning if you're good." Xena said planting the seed of her manipulation in the boy's mind. Now she would see how much this special rock really meant to the boy. Was it worth his freedom to him?

"My… my mother gave it to me." Seth repeated in a shaky voice.

Xena took on a contemplative look. "Well for all intents and purposes I'm your mother now."

This seemed to confuse the boy. Seth looked off to the side and took on a very seriously contemplative look. This again seemed to amuse the Conqueror not only the comical look of intense thought but also how quickly she could sidetrack the boy from his previous woes. She liked that he wasn't particularly sensitive. He bounced back quickly. That farm boy resilience she mused.

"Go lie down on my bedroll and go to sleep boy." Xena instructed, the hint of a smile still lingering on her face.

Seth did as he was told and found a comfortable spot on the Conqueror's bedroll. He lay there looking up at the stars in the clear, late summer sky and thought about what the powerful warrior woman had said and done. He wondered what had set her off earlier when he had thanked her. Maybe she thought I really didn't mean it and that made her mad. Yes that's probably it. But I did mean it. Hmm, and why did she take my special rock? And what did she mean by she's my mother now? Seth thought very hard about it but he just couldn't see how Xena could be his mother now.

Then inspiration hit and the boy was sure he knew the answer to both of his questions. It must be that if you take someone's special rock that makes you that person's mother. That's why she wanted my special rock. But why does she want to be my mother? And what about tomorrow when she gives me back my special rock, does that mean she will no longer be my mother then or…

"Shut your eyes and go to sleep boy." Xena commanded from her seat on the fallen log.

Seth's startled at the low voice having been so completely lost in thought. He quickly did as Xena ordered and although he tired he just couldn't seem to think with his eyes closed and was quickly asleep.

Xena stared after him smiling. Well if nothing else this new slave was entertaining she mused. His serious consideration of the simplest things she said amused her. She found herself liking him and enjoying the process of molding his behavior. She was fascinated by how important the simple rock in her hand was to him. Tonight would tell the tale of its true worth to the boy. With that thought she looked over at the boy who had fallen into a deep sleep, his breathing low and heavy.

Again Xena smiled to herself. It had only been moments since she had made him close his eyes and go to sleep. The innocent sleep well she thought then suddenly her mood turned foul. She thought of the day so long ago when her innocence was lost. The day her village was attacked, the day the Conqueror of the known world was born.

She looked again at the sleeping boy and felt her foul mood start to subside. She watched his slow peaceful breathing for a while and she felt better.

Xena rose off the fallen log and went to her saddlebags placing Seth's special rock inside then she crossed to where the boy lay fast asleep and stared down at him.

She thought of the puzzled look on his face when she had told him she was his mother now and smiled. The boy took everything she said so literally; it never even occurred to him that she might be speaking hypothetically.

Xena removed her armor and weapons, placing them in a pile by the bedroll then laid down on her back. She turned her head to watch the boy's peaceful breathing again and felt herself begin to relax. She smiled inwardly then. The boy was proving himself to be valuable to her, even if he didn't realize it. Anything that could help her relax was indeed very valuable to the Conqueror. She might even make him one of her personal slaves when they eventually returned to the palace. Although at present all her personal slaves were female handmaidens, this one boy might make and interesting distraction from the norm for her.

Just then Seth's breathing increased and he started to shiver and jerk in his sleep. He was having a nightmare the Conqueror observed, probably about her.

Seth unconsciously sensing her presence rolled on his side next to her and pillowed his head on her breast then draped one arm across her abdomen and clung to her.

Xena stared at the boy for a moment considering what to do. She thought of beating him for touching her without her permission, even if he did do it in his sleep but…

She hesitated. She found that the boy clinging to her wasn't completely uncomfortable. It might even be relaxing in a strange and unfamiliar kind of way.

She observed that the boy had calmed and was again sleeping peacefully. She smiled ironically. He has a nightmare about me then clinging to me in his sleep is what brings him comfort. Farm boys she mused.

The Conqueror lie under the forest canopy looking up at the stars. The sound of her new slave's peaceful breathing and the crackling of the fire had a nice soothing effect on her and soon she too was asleep. As asleep as she ever was, her subconscious still keenly alert to any danger but still sleeping more peacefully than she had in a very long time.

The late summer morning came chilly and slightly damp. The fire had burned down to smoldering embers that glowed red in the low light of the dawn.

Xena woke and instantly she was fully awake. She didn't know if that was a curse or a gift but it had always been that way for her. She looked at the sky and frowned. She hadn't sleep past the dawn in literally years. Even in her plush palace she always awoke before first light. Strange, she wondered why she had let herself sleep so long. Although she noted that she slept better and felt more rested than she had in a very long time.

I must have just needed the extra sleep. The turmoil in my mind catching up with my body, Xena thought.

She looked to her left and noticed that Seth hadn't moved at all during the night. He was still snuggled up next to her with a warm, peaceful look on his young face, the slightest of slumbering smiles still lingering on his lips.

Xena frowned as she caught herself smiling at the boy. "By the Gods Xena what is the matter with you?"

Then instantly she was mad at herself for being mad at herself for smiling. Why should there be anything the matter with me? I am the Conqueror and I can smile if I want to smile and I can sleep late if I want to. I do whatever I want and that's that, she thought. Although her face did not return to it's previous smiling state but shifted into a neutral expression.

Xena sighed deeply then her train of thought returned to why she was wandering the woods; the farm boy snuggled contentedly against her side. All the same thoughts that she had been wrestling with for the past week ran through her mind. None of which had yet to be answered, except that she felt that she was getting closer to an answer.

That was a new feeling. What had changed in the last day to make her feel this? She looked instinctively to the slave that was currently keeping her side nicely warmed. What difference could one slave make, especially one that was just a simple farm boy?

Xena was puzzling it over in her mind when she felt Seth stir. She turned her head to watch him as the boy slowly woke with a yawn.

Seth felt warm and safe. His head was lying on something very soft that slowly rose and fell in a peaceful rhythm. He felt completely rested like when his uncle would get really drunk and let them sleep in until late in the morning, except this felt different somehow. Safer, like nothing could hurt him, then he remembered his nightmare and the thought broke him out of his subconscious musing.

His eyes fluttered then opened to see the source of his nightmare staring at him from what was he observed very close. Then with a gasp he realized that he was lying against the Conqueror, clinging to her even! He rolled away startled then got to his hands and knees and started to form a stuttering apology his mind not fully working yet.

"I… I um…" Quick, please don't beat the Tartarus out of me breathing. "I… I'm sorry, I didn't…"

Xena cut him off, annoyed. "Get back over here boy. We're not done sleeping yet."

Seth blinked at her then did as he was told completely confused but knowing it was best to do what the Conqueror told him to do quickly.

He moved back to the bedroll and lie down on his side about a foot from the Conqueror facing her.

This seemed to further annoy Xena. She rolled on her side facing him then reached over with her right hand grasping the front of the boy's shirt and drug him to her. She took a moment and positioned the boy exactly as he was, taking his arm and placing it across her abdomen then pushing his head back down on her breast. This done she sighed contentedly.

Seth was totally confused now. He had no idea what was happening. He had fully expected a through beating. What does this mean? Nothing, he could think of nothing. Then he remembered his special rock and what Xena had said the night before. It must be that if you take someone's special rock that makes you that person's mother while you have the rock and that's why Xena is being nice to me.

Xena was staring at the boy who was obviously deep in thought. She watched the puzzled look on his face as it rose and fell on her breast and smiled again. He was definitely turning out to be good at relaxing her.

"Tell me about your nightmare boy." Xena stated in an even tone.

Seth looked stunned and just stared at her for a moment before responding. "My nightmare?"

"That's right boy, I know what you're doing even when you're sleeping. Now tell me what your nightmare was about?" The Conqueror commanded.

Seth took a deep breath and sniffled a little before starting.

"Y… you were hurting me." He said fear resonating in his voice.

Xena's look remained neutral.

"I was huh, why was I doing that?" She asked knowing full well the answer.

Seth hesitated for the briefest of moments then went on. "I… I tired to run away and you caught me in the forest."

"I see. Well it's a good thing that you really didn't try something so foolish and since you were good and didn't you may have your rock back." Xena made the statement in an insinuative tone that Seth didn't seem to catch which made her roll her eyes.

Xena had her left arm draped over Seth's shoulder resting on his side. She took her right arm and reached over beside the bedroll and fished in her saddlebags for Seth's rock. Retrieving it she handed the rock back to the boy who took it gratefully.

"Thank you Xena." He said forgetting the anger that his gratitude had evoked in the powerful warrior woman the night before. He looked at the rock and smiled before putting it away in his pocket.

Seth's look of affectionate gratitude didn't bother Xena this morning because she had already made her point the night before. Don't mistake kindness, how ever so slight for weakness. Xena relaxed, deciding they would lie there for a bit longer.

Seth went quiet again, lost in thought as he lie comfortably against the Conqueror's side. He wondered why the Conqueror was still being nice to him now that he had his special rock back and she was no longer obligated to be his mother. He couldn't think of an answer and his puzzled mind turned to his nightmare. How did she know? Again he could think of no answer and it troubled him. He questioned whether he should try running tonight or not. He did have his special rock back but the dream worried him. He thought again of his birthday and eating at the inn in town and of the pie and he knew he had to try.

Seth's contemplation wasn't lost on Xena neither was the subject. She knew he was frightened by his nightmare and was now reconsidering whether or not it was a good idea to run. He would, she knew in the end decide to try to get away. They always did at least once. No matter, she would catch him and then he would never try again. That was the way of it.

They lie there for a bit longer, Xena enjoying the rarity of feeling relaxed and content. After a few more minutes though she decided that it was time that they got up and ordered Seth to go out and gather more wood while she made tea. Soon Seth returned with the small amount of dry wood they would need for the morning fire. Xena quickly had the fire going again with her tea warming on a rock next to the flames. She had Seth break camp and pack Argo while she waited for the tea. In thirty minutes they had drank the tea and eaten a light breakfast before heading back out on the road to the north.

It was a quiet day of traveling. They met no other travelers on the road that day and came upon no villages.

As they plodded along to the north Seth kept a silent pace at Argo's side. The curious questions of the day before had ceased, replaced by the silent fear of what he was planning for after nightfall. And then the night fell and soon after that they were camped. He took care of Argo, then they had eaten and soon the Conqueror would order him to go to bed, he knew with a sense of dread. He was nervous and his hands were sweating as he sat on the ground across the small fire from the Conqueror.

Xena managed to find another fallen log to use as a seat and was staring into the flames of the fire. She knew Seth was scared of what he was going to attempt. He had been silent most of the day, very often stumbling as he walked, so lost in his worries that he tripped on his own feet.

Soon she thought as she watched him fidget through the fire. Then a sly smile spread on her lips as she felt a surge of anticipation for the hunt and inevitable capture of the fleeing slave. She felt that wicked sense of pleasure she got from nearing conquest. Even if it was something as simple as recapturing a runaway slave. Was this the thing that she was missing in her life now that she had conquered all that could be? No, she thought, that's not it. It wasn't as simple as that unfortunately.

"Go to bed boy." Xena ordered and watched Seth trudge off to the bedroll almost reluctantly.

Moments later Xena striped off her armor and weapons laying them in a neat pile by the bedroll and laid down pulling Seth to her side again. She could feel the tension in his body. Soon she thought again. Soon she would never have to concern herself again with him trying to escape her. The thrill of the boy's impending punishment washed over her and her wicked grin curved into a humorless smile.

An hour past then two then she felt the boy move ever so slightly.

Seth waited what seemed to him like at least twice the length of his lifetime for the Conqueror to fall asleep. Then he waited some more to be sure. Now or never he thought and slowly slid from the warrior woman's side and sat up. He waited a moment breathlessly; sweat beginning to run down his face. The Conqueror didn't stir. He stood up and crept out of camp carefully placing his feet. He moved away from where Argo was tethered not wanting to start the horse then he was in the forest.

He made a few hundred paces before he allowed himself to start running. Wanting to wait until he was out of earshot before making all but the slightest amount of noise. Now he was running though, and all out run through the dark forest. A few minutes later he stopped running to catch his breath and figure out which way he was heading. He looked around him but all he could see was the dense forest, no sign of the road anywhere. Then he noticed a small clearing breaking in the woods before him. As he entered it he looked back to see if Xena was following him. Nothing, he was free.

He turned back around and ran directly into the Conqueror's breastplate. He was knocked backwards onto his back on the forest floor. He stared up at her in shock. She was wearing all of her armor and weapons and wasn't even breathing hard. She stared down at him ominously.

"And where do you think your going?" The Conqueror questioned in a low menacing tone.

Seth's mind raced for some sort of satisfactory answer but all he could do was stutter lamely. "I… I…"

"Were disobeying me and trying to runaway." Xena finished for him.

Seth lowered his eyes.

Xena felt that ruthless animal side of her take over. "It seems that I'm going to have to show you that first way after all."

Xena thought for a moment about how to punish the boy. Her hand went to her whip but then she changed her mind. He didn't have any scars on him now and she liked that. She looked about the clearing then spotted exactly what she needed.

She knelt down and bound the trembling boy's wrists with her whip then pulled him bodily up and shoved him hard over a fallen tree at one end of the small clearing.

"W… what are you going to do?" Seth exclaimed in a panic.

"Shut up boy!" Xena demanded as she broke a long slender limb from a nearby tree.

It wasn't as good as bamboo but it would do, Xena thought as she striped leaves from the thin, flexible branch.

With the branch prepared she moved to Seth and pulled down his trousers.

Ah oh, Seth thought then his pulse began to race and his breath caught.

The boy cried out in pain as the first strike landed leaving a red welt across his rear. Xena was pleased with the instrument. It was ridged enough to inflict a decent amount of pain yet pliable enough not to break with each of her blows. She struck the boy again and again and she felt that animalistic lust like pleasure of conquest.

Soon the boy no longer screamed, to exhausted by his efforts to fight the pain.

The boy no longer jolted with each blow. Xena stopped her administrations and tossed the limb to the ground.

"Have I made myself clear to you boy?" Xena questioned in an even tone that served to further unsettle the boy.

Seth nodded his head as he lie over the fallen tree, completely wasted. Crying softly.

The Conqueror moved to the boy's front and grasped a hand full of his hair lifting his head to look into his eyes. It was done. That spark that gave slaves the courage to run was gone. Replaced by a cold obsidian fear. Then something strange happened, as she looked deep into the boy's glassy eyes. She felt remorse.

She wondered if she had destroyed the boy's wonder along with his will to escape. The thought filled her with sadness. She lowered the boy's head and other thought's raced through her mind. Will he still look at me with that sense of awe? As if I were the creator of the universe and the source of all that is known. No, he would not she knew. That was gone now too. Now there would be only fear. The fear would envelope the rest. Gone too would be his ability to entertain her with his naïve questions and his way of relaxing her with his peaceful sleep.

Xena untied the boy's hands then pulled his trousers back up over his painfully swollen backside. She was sad that she had extinguished the boy's light and she wondered why she never noticed that before when she broke in a new slave. Probably because she never cared she mused. Why do I care now?

She wasn't sure but she knew this had to be done. She couldn't allow a slave to disobey her and you had to break a slave to keep them from running. That was just the way it was.

Xena sighed and hefted the boy to her shoulder with surprisingly little effort then headed off back towards their camp.

A few minutes later she laid Seth on his stomach on the bedroll and for the second time that night striped off her armor and weapons, laying them beside the bedroll. She stared down at Seth's tear stained face and suddenly she felt yet another new sensation, shame. Shame at the pleasure she had derived from his pain.

Xena quickly dismissed the feeling, angry with herself for having felt it at all. She went to her saddlebags and removed a tin of salve, some strips of clean cloth and some herbs. She mixed the herbs in a small cup with some water and brought it to Seth's lips.

"Drink this." Is all she said as she tilted the cup for the boy to drink, Seth drank the mixture wordlessly.

The Conqueror then took her tin of salve to the boy's rear and pulled down his trousers. She applied the cooling salve to the many large red welts and a few cuts then applied clean strips of cloth over them. She told herself that she needed the boy in good condition to be useful to her but somewhere in the back of her mind she knew better. She felt a strange sort of maternal instinct for the boy that she would never admit to.

Xena pulled the boy's trousers and underwear carefully back up over his swollen rear then replaced her herbs and the tin of salve in her saddlebags before lying down on her back on the bedroll.

She lie there staring up at the stars through the forest canopy for a long while. Soon she heard Seth's breathing deepen and she looked over to see him fast asleep. Moments later she heard Seth stir and watched as he rolled onto his side next to her pillowing his head on her breast and clinging to her waist with his left arm. Xena smiled ironically. Still the boy's instincts won't be denied, the subconscious mind seeking comfort, if even from the source of its torment.

Xena lie there staring at the stars for a while longer, wondering how severely she had damaged the boy's psyche. Then she sighed at her musing and wondered where in the world her strange concern for this boy was coming from. Finding no answers she let herself drift into sleep.

Xena woke before the dawn, the fire still smoldering. This was more like it she thought. She knew the day before had been a fluke. She looked to her side and noticed that Seth hadn't moved at all during the night. As she watched him in the low light of the dying fire his eyes fluttered open. The boy stifled a yawn then looked up at her and smiled.

The Conqueror was momentarily taken aback. This was the last thing she was expecting, although she immediately felt a sense of relief wash over her. Maybe I haven't totally extinguished his light after all, she thought. Although she knew she wouldn't have to worry about any further disobedience, that was a given, but maybe there's still a chance that he can still entertain me with his shy, naïve, childlike wonder. The look of awe was back. She liked that look.

"What on earth are you smiling about boy?" Xena questioned him.

The boy blinked at her then burrowed his head into her breast a little more before responding. "I'm just so glad not to have to worry about what I was going to do, I mean what I did, anymore. That's all I could think about yesterday. I couldn't even think about dinner or anything. I think yesterday was the worst day of my whole life."

Xena snorted at that then looked away from Seth for a moment biting off a smile. Farm boys she mused.

"Xena." Seth said.

"Yes."

"Thank you for taking care of me last night. I don't even really hurt that bad now." Seth stated shyly.

The Conqueror stared off into the early morning sky, the first rays of the dawn starting to break around them. "You're of no use to me if you can't work."

Seth said nothing but he continued to beam at the Conqueror.

Xena looked at him sternly. "And just what are you thinking little boy? That I treated you last night because I like you or something foolish like that."

Seth made no reply just lowered his eyes and clung to her more tightly.

The Conqueror watched him, staring at the top of his lowered head.

"Quit smiling boy." She commanded.

Seth giggled, how did she know I was still smiling he wondered. He felt elated today with the burden of his attempted escape gone.

"You better knock that off if you know what's good for you boy!" Xena ordered in a stern voice, although her own lips had curled into a faint smile.

"Yes Xena." Seth said doing his best to conceal his joy.

"That's better." The Conqueror replied. She was feeling that same relaxed contented sensation that she had experienced the day before and suddenly she didn't feel like getting up anymore.

"Go back to sleep boy." The warrior ordered.

Seth said nothing just closed his eyes and sighed contentedly, he had forgotten all of his concerns, his birthday, his uncle's farm, everything seemed trivial compared to his fears of the day before. He was asleep in moments.

Xena felt the boy's body relax against her and heard his breathing deepen mere moments after she had told him to go back to sleep. Her smile widened and her own relaxation deepened. She felt a profound sense of joy. She hadn't ruined him. She still couldn't figure out exactly why this made her so happy but it did and that was enough for now.

She let herself fall back into a blissful sleep. She woke again an hour later feeling completely refreshed. She had slept the same deep peaceful sleep of the day before. She didn't know why she was sleeping so well but she knew it had something to do with her new slave and his still in tact innocence. Well don't know how long that's going to last traveling with me but I'm going to enjoy it while it does, the tall warrior thought.

Xena raised her arms above her head, stretched and yawned then shook Seth awake. The boy did the same then looked at her with a sleepy smile that turned out to be infectious, spreading to the Conqueror's lips. It was funny she thought, his punishment of the night before seemed to have connected them, like it was just something that was out of the way and now they could move on.

"Go gather some wood boy." Xena instructed.

Seth wandered off into the woods in search of wood while Xena set about their breakfast. Minutes later Seth returned and they had the fire going enough for tea. They drank tea and eat a breakfast of dried fruits and bread. When they had finished they made quick work of packing Argo and were back on the road to the north.

"Xena." Seth said from Xena's side as she rode along on Argo.

"Yes."

"Do you like being in charge of everything?"

Xena thought about that for a moment, "It's my fate. You can't run from your fate boy, you have to embrace it."

Seth thought about that for a while then spoke up again. "Xena."

The Conqueror sighed. "Yes."

"What do you think my fate is?" He asked seriously.

Xena looked down at him and smiled. "Your fate is to please me or perish boy."

"Oh." Seth said wondering why the Conqueror found that so amusing. He wondered exactly what that meant to please the Conqueror. He decided he better ask, not wanting to risk perishing.

"Xena."

"What is it now boy?" The Conqueror asked with mild irritation in her voice.

"How do I please you?"

Xena looked again at the boy who had the most serious of expressions on his concerned face. She found herself smiling at him again amused.

"Be a good boy and mind me." She said her tone light.

"I can do that." Seth said confidently. Reassured that he was serving his fate well.

They kept on and the morning stretched into noon. It was another glorious late summer day, the sun shining in the blue sky with only the slightest of breezes.

As she rode Xena noticed a small lake off in the distance through the woods to the northwest. She rode toward it, thinking that they should bath and a nice refreshing swim sounded good.

The Conqueror swung down from Argo as they reached the lake's edge. It was nearly a perfect circle surrounded by lush green forest on all sides. On the side they were standing on a ledge of large rocks protruded from the forest into the lake. They were smooth and flat and nearly level with the water, tilting only slightly towards the surface of the lake.

She tethered Argo to a nearby tree and retrieved a bar of soap wrapped in an oilskin cloth from her saddlebags then began to strip off her armor and weapons.

"Strip boy, we're taking a bath then going for a swim." Xena instructed while removing her boots.

Seth looked uneasy. "Xena I… I don't know how to swim."

The Conqueror gave him an exasperated look. "I'm not going to let you drown boy. You'll just have to stay in the shallows."

Seth still had a worried expression on his face but he took his shirt and boots off anyway then hesitated at his pants and looked at Xena who was just about to take off her battle dress.

"What is it now boy?" She asked with slight annoyance.

"I… um, well you know, I'll be naked." He said shyly.

Xena finished taking off her battle dress and tossed it in the pile with her armor. "Well boy so I am and you are going to bath, that is not an option so hurry up."

Seth just stared at her nude form his mind having gone completely blank. He couldn't seem to move or even avert his eyes, which he knew he should do.

The Conqueror gathered his stare with relative patience. "Never seen a naked woman before boy?"

Seth shook his head, his mouth a little dry and his breath shallow but he wasn't sure why.

"Well get used to it. This won't be the last time you see me naked. Now come on lets go." Xena said looking at him in a manner that implied, you do or I'll do it for you.

Seth got the point and shyly removed his pants and underwear. Xena crossed to him anyway and removed the bandages from his backside, inspecting her handy work. His wounds were healing nicely and amazingly fast she thought. That farm boy resilience. She turned just then and noticed Seth openly staring at her breasts and then she also noticed that he was in full working order.

Seth saw that the Conqueror had caught him staring at her then he followed her eyes and was suddenly beat red, coving himself with his hands.

"I… I'm sorry Xena! I don't know what's wrong with me?" Seth stammered out, looking ashamed and averting his eyes.

"Nothing from the looks of it." The Conqueror smiled at her slave's virginal shyness. That was another thing she would take from the boy, but not now. Now they were going to bath. She took one of Seth's hands that were covering his groin and pulled him with her towards the large flat rocks that were sloping into the water.

She pulled the boy into a run when they reached the edge of the rock and ran the last ten feet to the water's edge, plunging straight into the water with a large splash.

Luckily for Seth it was shallow and he stood quickly and with great relief to find that his head and shoulders were above the water. He looked around for the Conqueror who hadn't surfaced yet. A few brief moments passed and he started to get concerned when his feet were tugged out from under him.

A few moments of panicked thrashing about later he surfaced to a laughing Conqueror. Anger and fear quickly faded as he was caught in her laughter and found himself smiling and laughing along with her. Briefly he wondered how it was that this the most beautiful woman he had ever seen could be so cruel one moment then playful and joyous the next. His thoughts were shattered by a large dose of water hitting him in the face. He blinked and found the Conqueror splashing him again.

Seth immediately ducked his head then returned the splash liberally soaking his new mistress with water.

Xena's face took on an incredulous look and she swam towards the boy.

"Feeling playful huh? You've had it now." Xena said her eyes betraying her mirth she quickly closed the gap between them.

Seth's eyes grew suddenly wide as the Conqueror hurried toward him. He turned and lunged through the water giggling but not being able to swim he was terribly slow and the Conqueror quickly had him.

Xena grabbed Seth from behind throwing one long arm around the boy's shoulder and neck crossing over his chest. She easily overpowered him and began dunking his head in and out of the cool, clear water.

Seth couldn't seem to stop laughing as he splashed the water trying in vain to get some kind of grip on it to pull himself free of the strong grasp of the warrior woman.

"I don't think so kid, you're not going anywhere." Xena stated teasingly continuing to dunk the boy and soon laughing along with him.

She felt light and free inside. The boy's laughter was like the notes of a sirens song freeing her long imprisoned heart, allowing it to feel joy again, not just pleasure but happiness. Being the Conqueror of the known world you didn't get many chances to be playful and she was taking full advantage of this one.

A few more moments of playful torment later the Conqueror released the boy after one final dunk of his head.

"I think you've had enough, time to get clean." Xena said taking the bar of soap she had managed to hold onto during her water torturing of her new slave. She began lathering her skin liberally with it.

Seth's head popped up from the water with him still laughing, his eyes searching for the Conqueror. He turned and found her rinsing soap from her tanned skin. He wiped the water from his face and watched as she washed her long black hair with the soap then tilted her head backwards into the water rinsing it, bringing her large breasts to the water's surface.

Seth caught himself staring again then shyly looked away, knowing that it was the right thing to do.

Xena finished rinsing her hair and noticed Seth's blushing face and his gaze towards the shore away from her toned body. She felt another smile spread on her lips and then she found herself swimming towards the boy.

Seth returned his gaze to the Conqueror when he heard her moving through the water. A moment later she was beside him her bar of soap in hand.

"Come here boy." Xena instructed pulling Seth into a little shallower water.

She stopped when they were standing with their waists above water then she turned Seth to face her and starting washing the boy. Generously scrubbing his skin with the soap. Seth elicited a small yelp and jumped when she reached his nether regions.

Xena smirked then turned the boy so she could get his back.

"Rinse boy." Xena instructed.

Seth dunked himself unceremoniously shaking in the water to remove the soap. He stood up facing the Conqueror grinning at her, but she didn't seem to notice.

Xena began washing the boy's hair when she suddenly realized what she was doing.

I, the Conqueror of the known world am bathing a common slave; she thought incredulously, shocked at herself. She immediately began to rationalize the action. The Gods only know what kind of hygiene habits this farm boy has; this is simply for means of instruction so he'll know what I expect of him.

Xena cleared her throat then spoke. "This is just so you know what I expect of you in the future boy."

Seth looked confused. "Huh?"

"So you know to bath thoroughly. I'm not going to have a slave of mine being sloppy." Xena said it and realized how lame it sounded but Seth seemed to buy it, nodding his lathered head vigorously at her.

Xena sighed and rolled her eyes. "Rinse boy."

She wondered then why she had washed the boy and not had him wash her, which is the norm at the palace. Xena could barely remember the last time she had bathed herself. Even stranger was the fact that she had enjoyed bathing the boy. For some unfathomable reason she found herself wanting to take care of him.

"Gods Xena get a grip. You must be going through some kind of maternal phase." The Conqueror said under her breath.

Seth's soap-less head re-emerged from the clear water and he stood facing her. Xena handed the boy her bar of soap and instructed him to wrap it in the oilskin and put it back in her saddlebags. When Seth trudged off through the water to do as he was told Xena swam into deeper water.

She gracefully breast stroked through the cool water enjoying the feeling of it gliding over her skin. When she had swam about a hundred feet from shore she turned and found Seth staring at her from shore, his hands now covering himself again. She could see that he was afraid to get back into the water without her being nearby. An inspiration hit her and she swam swiftly back to shore.

Seth watched as his new mistress swam towards him with long powerful strokes. He had noted that every inch of her body was firm and toned and he found that his heart beat at an irregular pace when he looked at her. He felt heat flush his face as his body reacted to the view of her swimming smoothly through the water. Ashamed he wondered just what was the matter with him. This had never happened before; of course there was no one but his uncle and himself on the farm with their closet neighbor nearly a day and a half's travel from them. He had seen pretty girls in town before on the rare occasion that he got to town, but never anyone like the Conqueror and he had always been more interested in the food then anything else.

As Xena reached the shallows again she called for the boy to rejoin her in the water. Seth kept his hands covering his private parts until they reached the water. He waded out to where the Conqueror was standing in chest deep water.

"You're going to learn how to swim boy." Xena stated her eyes fixed on Seth's.

Seth looked down at the water then back at her. He looked scared.

"You'll be alright boy, I'm not going to let you drown after I went to all the trouble of breaking you in." Xena said seriously although her eyes lightened. Strangely enough this logic seemed to comfort the boy a little, farm boys she mused.

Xena raised her arms out of the water and held them out straight in front of her. "Alright boy, pay attention. All you have to do is kick your legs like so…"

The Conqueror alternately moved her arms up and down in a kicking motion.

"While you pull your arms through the water like this." Xena lowered her head and chest into the water and started imitating a swimmer's strokes. "Got that?"

Seth had been silently watching her trying his best to memorize each word and movement. He went over this new information in his mind for a moment, and then satisfied that he got it he nodded his head.

"Let's give it a try then." Xena stated wading through the water away from Seth. She stopped when she was about fifteen feet away from the boy and faced him.

"Okay give it a shot boy. Swim to me." The Conqueror ordered, motioning him to her with her arms.

Seth looked nervously at the water's surface then took a deep breath and launched himself toward the Conqueror. He kicked and stroked at the water furiously and awkwardly made his way to his mistress.

Xena watched with exasperation as the boy franticly splashed towards her. He was so grossly absorbed in his plight to stay above the surface that he nearly rammed her. Xena stuck her hand out and arrested the boy's forward moment by grabbing hold of his head.

At the Conqueror's touch Seth stopped his efforts and immediately sunk beneath the water.

Xena, her hand still clutching the boy's head pulled him back to the surface where he regained his wits and stood gasping.

"Okay you need to calm that down boy, watch where you're going and stand up when you get there before you sink." Xena said watching the boy's face. He looked unsure of himself.

"Here watch me." Xena stated easing into the water and gracefully swimming a few paces from her pupil. "You see, nice and easy. You don't have to beat the water boy."

Seth nodded again, looking uncertain but determined.

Xena came to a stop and stood facing Seth again.

"Okay lets try that again boy. Swim to me." The Conqueror said holding her arms out to her new slave.

Seth launched into the water again but this time he forced himself to slow his kicks and thrusting arms. To his great relief after a few feet he found that he was moving through the water with much greater efficiency than before. He grinned broadly as he made his way toward the Conqueror.

Xena watched as Seth awkwardly made his way to her. He was far from graceful but he was swimming. She held her out stretched hands to him and swept him up in her arms once he was within her grasp. She smiled at him with a sense of pride.

"Much better boy." The Conqueror said holding her slave to her and hugging him like a small child who just learned to walk.

Xena quickly realized what she was doing and released the boy feeling awkward. What in Tartarus is going on with me? She chastised herself then she was mad at herself for being mad at herself again. Enough of this, I can do whatever I want and if I want to hug a slave then I will damn well do it! She decided stubbornly then gathered Seth back up in her arms and hugged him tightly.

Seth stared wide eyed at her confused for a moment then returned her hug and laid his head on her shoulder. He had no idea what had come over his mistress but whatever it was it was better than the beatings he had received in the last two days.

"I did it!" He exclaimed happily.

Xena released him again and smiled.

"We're not done yet boy. You still have to learn how to tread water."

"Tread water?" Seth asked.

"Treading water is what you do to stay above the water when you're not swimming. It's like swimming in place. All you do is bring your arms in and back out like this…"

Xena moved her arms from side to side demonstrating.

"And kick straight down with your legs just like when you're swimming except straight down." Xena stated watching the boy's face to make sure he was absorbing the instructions.

Seth was wearing his most serious expression as he watched and listened to the Conqueror intently.

"Got it boy?" Xena asked.

Seth merely nodded his head not wanting to break his extreme concentration.

"Okay let's give it a try then." Xena said grabbing one of Seth's arms and leading him into deeper water.

When they got to where the water was at Seth's neck he stopped and looked at the Conqueror, afraid. Xena absorbed the boy's frightened expression and tried to comfort him a little.

"You're going to have to go into water that's over your head to try this boy. Here I'll swim out a few feet and then you can swim to me but when you reach me you're going to have to start treading water as soon as you stop swimming. I'll be right there though in case you get into trouble." Xena turned then and swam out about ten feet and turned back to face her slave. The water was a good six feet below the bottom of her feet now.

Seth took a few deep breaths summoning up his courage then threw himself into a gangly swim. When he reached his mistress he stopped, bobbed for a moment then began to tread water with all his might. With ragged breath and great effort he managed to hold himself well above the surface lifting his upper chest and shoulders out of the water.

"That's good boy, now calm down." Xena ordered in a reassuring voice. "You don't have to lift your whole chest out of the water, just your head, now relax it a bit."

Seth cautiously did as he was told and was genuinely surprised when it worked. He was treading water with much less effort than before with just his head and neck above the water line now.

"It works!" He exclaimed joyously.

The Conqueror looked at him with a wide smile. "Of course it works. Come on now and follow me."

Xena slowly swam paralleling the shore with Seth following in her graceful wake. She made large oblong circles until she heard the boy's breathing become labored then headed towards the large rock they had entered the water from. She splashed the clear water onto the rock to cool it's heated surface then lifted herself out of the lake, sat on the rock and watched Seth work his way towards her.

She smiled and clapped as Seth finally reached her breathing hard.

"Good job." The Conqueror said with a sense of maternal pride in her pupil.

Seth leaned against the rock and smiled broadly at her, his chest still heaving.

"Thank… thank you… for… for teaching me." The boy said in between gasps.

"I can't have my property drowning now can I? That would be an extreme inconvenience to me, especially now after having broke you in." Xena said not willing to admit to the boy how much she enjoyed teaching him.

Seth continued to smile at her while he caught his breath.

Xena laid back on the warm smooth surface of the rock and closed her eyes, letting the warm rays of the sun caress her body.

Seth having finally gotten his breathing back to normal hopped up on the rock beside his mistress. He was about to lay down imitating the Conqueror's actions when he found himself staring at her again, he couldn't seem to help it. Her long bronzed body stretched out leisurely on the rock. She had one leg bent forward at the knee and one of her long arms lay crooked above her head, the other resting comfortably at her side. It seemed to Seth that her body had been sculpted out of marble, every curve flowing gracefully into the next from the swell of her breasts down to the athletic curvature of her shapely legs. She was perfect in every way as far as he could tell. His experience with the female anatomy being limited to what he had been able to pick up from his uncle over the years and what he saw now. Somehow he couldn't place the crude descriptions his uncle so often made bitter reference to with the beauty he was witnessing now. Then he felt his face flush with shame and he looked away. He lowered his head and berated himself for his lurid staring.

"It's okay boy. It's perfectly natural for you to want to look at me." The Conqueror stated her eyes still closed.

Seth stared at her dumbfounded. How does she always know just what I'm doing and even thinking?

A smile spread on Xena's lips. "Yes I know everything boy, don't concern yourself with how. Lie down; we're going to relax here for a while.

Seth's amazement deepened, he was completely mystified by the Conqueror now. He laid down on his back next to her and sighed, taking her instructions to heart he stopped trying to figure out how she knew everything, the subject he decided was far too complex for him to ever understand. He closed his eyes feeling the warm sun dry his cool skin. His mind turned to his having learned how to swim and he smiled proudly. The warm sun and his previous exertion were taking their toll on him and just before he slipped into dreams he was thinking that his new life as the Conqueror slave might not be so bad after all.

As Xena laid comfortably sprawled on the rock she thought about the strange feelings she had been having toward this new slave of hers. She liked him and that was unusual for her. She had slaves that she preferred more than others but that was all based on their beauty or skills this was something different. She liked Seth for who he is, his shyness and childlike wonder. He has this amazing ability to relax her with his simple and innocent ways. Well no matter what it was that was going on with her she could see no harm in it. If she was enjoying taking care of her new slave then so be it, he was after all her slave and as such subject to whatever her whims were, whether they were cruel or kind.

She turned her head towards him and opened her eyes. The boy was dozing peacefully a content smile on his lips. Xena's eyes roamed his body. He was well tanned and muscular although not overly developed. She rolled on her side and reached over with her right hand to stroke the boy's skin. She let her fingers trial from his belly button up to the hollow of his throat, which elicited a small giggle from the still sleeping boy. Xena smiled at that then let her hand trial back to his stomach, his skin soft and taunt.

The Conqueror felt her desires become aroused. She eyed the boy again then laid back down on her back. Tonight she thought, and then listened to the boy's rhythmic breathing and let herself fall into slumber.

She woke a short time later, her skin completely dry. She reached over and shook the boy awake.

Seth's eyes slid open and he smiled up at her.

"Time to get going again boy. Lets get dressed." Xena said standing up and moving to her clothes.

She dressed and replaced her armor and weapons then went to retrieve Argo who was tethered to a nearby tree. When she returned Seth was dressed and waiting.

"Are you hungry Xena?" Seth asked trying not to be too obvious.

Xena grinned at him. "Hungry huh boy?"

Seth nodded.

"Well you're going to have to wait. We'll eat when we make camp for the night in a few hours."

Seth nodded again, looking disappointed. Farm boys always thinking with their stomachs Xena mused.

She nudged Argo's sides and they headed back out towards the north again. Xena found herself thinking of the missing element in her life again and wondering if she would find it in the north.

They traveled for three more hours, Seth asking the occasional question with long periods of contemplative silence in between. Finally they reached a suitable spot in the woods not far from a stream to camp.

Xena swung down from Argo then tethered the mare to a tree.

"Okay boy you know what to do, gather the firewood then you can rub down Argo. Those will be your chores every night, got it?" The Conqueror asked.

Seth nodded his understanding then went off to gather the wood.

Xena found some rocks and made a small fire pit then unsaddled Argo and removed her saddlebags. She rounded up a fallen log to place near the fire for a seat then went about laying out the bedroll for later.

Seth returned with the wood and then went silently to Argo after retrieving her brush from the Conqueror's bags.

Xena made a fire then went about making their dinner while Seth rubbed down Argo. She could hear the boy talking softly to the horse as he worked. She smiled at the way he talked to the mare as if she could say something back to him.

Soon Seth was finished with his chores and he sat on the ground across the fire from Xena. Night had fallen and the air was cool and fresh.

Xena was seated on the log placing slabs of dried beef she had heated over the fire on two wooden plates. She put a slice of thick bread on each then handed one to Seth. The boy thanked her then devoured his food, the long day of travel and the swimming having built his appetite. When they had finished Xena gave the plates to Seth to wash in the stream.

The boy dutifully did as he was told then returned to his spot on the ground across the fire from his mistress. He sat watching the flames drift toward the starlit sky and noticed the Conqueror looking at him in a different sort of way, one that he hadn't seen before.

Xena stood and walked casually to the bedroll. She removed her weapons and armor and tossed them in a pile then slid her underwear down her long legs and stepped out of them before returning to her seat on the log.

Seth watched her curiously. He couldn't for the life of him figure out why she had taken her underwear off. Maybe they itch or something, he mused.

Xena continued to stare at him letting her anticipation build then she finally spoke. "Come here boy."

Seth obediently did as his mistress had instructed and went to her.

The Conqueror grabbed him with outstretched hands when he neared and guided him to a sitting position between her legs. Xena pulled the edges of her battle dress up towards her waist exposing her smooth thighs and glistening sex.

The boy's breath caught and he stared for a moment at a loss then quickly turned his head, his face blushing deep red.

Xena smiled deviously. "Time for another lesson boy." She said grabbing the back of Seth's head and guiding him towards her heated center.

Seth didn't resist her but he was completely lost. He had no idea what she wanted him to do and hoped that she would make that clear before she got angry and started beating him. He could smell the musky sent of her and found that it affected him; he glanced down to see he was straining against his pants. He looked up at Xena when his lips were almost touching her nether regions.

"Lick boy." The Conqueror commanded pulling Seth's face into her.

The boy did as she instructed and dipped his tongue into her. She was wet with something that was warm and thick. The taste was pleasant to him but different from anything he had ever experienced before. The Conqueror began to moan and she clenched and unclenched her fists in his hair. Seth found that his own breathing had become irregular and that his heart felt funny.

After a bit the Conqueror began to grind her hips into him as well.

Xena took one of her hands from the boy's head and placed a finger on her clitoris. "Suck here boy." She rasped out.

Seth took the swollen nub of flesh in his mouth and gently sucked. He wasn't sure of the significance of this but whatever it was the Conqueror liked it because she began to pull his head into her and grind her hips at the same time. She moaned with pleasure and her breath rasped then she seemed to tighten all the muscles of her body while she held his mouth firmly to her. A few moments later she relaxed and moved her hands from his head to the log behind her. She arched her back and let her head fall backward her long black hair cascading down her back.

Seth stopped sucking on her and resumed licking, it seemed the thing to do he thought.

"Mmm, that feels nice." Xena purred.

After a few moments of recovery the Conqueror stood and reached down pulling Seth's shirt off over his head then positioned him against the log. She reached down and pulled the boy's trousers down below his hips then lowered herself down, guiding his engorged member with her hand.

Seth gasped at the touch of her hand then again as the Conqueror lowered herself onto him. He moaned loudly as she ground her hips into him, then…

"Oh… Xena!" He cried out.

"Not yet!"

Too late.

The Conqueror looked down at her slave with disbelief as he lie back against the log his chest heaving. Then she noted to her surprise and pleasure that the boy was still good to go. She smiled, that farm boy resilience she mused.

Xena began to rock her hips into his again placing her hands on his shoulders, she threw her head back and closed her eyes enjoying the feel of him inside her and then….

"Oh… Xena ah!"

"No, no, no not yet boy!" Xena yelled at him.

Too late.

The Conqueror stared down annoyed at the boy but he was too lost in his own rapture to notice her irritation. She slipped the shoulder straps from her battle dress and pulled it down to her waist exposing her large round breasts. She grabbed the back of Seth's head and pulled his lips to the nipple of her right breast.

Seth opened his mouth and took the breast and instinctively began to suck on the nipple. In moments he was ready again.

"Try and make it last this time boy." Xena said.

Seth nodded slightly not removing her breast from his mouth.

Xena rocked her hips again then raised herself slightly and came down slowly. She repeated the action then built into a steady rhythm.

Seth let his hands roam up and down the Conqueror's shapely thighs then up to her firm backside. He kept her breast in his mouth all the while not wanting to give it up. He felt himself start to lose it again, his breath becoming ragged. He tried to concentrate on making himself last longer but he could tell already that it wasn't going to work and he knew he couldn't hold on much longer.

The Conqueror moaned as she rode her slave. She increased her rhythm on him as she felt her own climax begin to build then she felt the boy's building as well. She neared the peak then in one breathless moment she plunged over the edge, grinding her sex into the boy's as she felt him fall with her.

They both remained still for a few moments breathing low and deep. Recovering then Xena leaned back and pulled her breast from Seth's mouth. She stood up and looked down at her slave. His eyes were glassy and he sagged against the log breathlessly.

Xena smiled and pulled her dress back up then straightened the skirt. She reached down and removed a small sponge she had placed inside of herself earlier and tossed it into the fire.

Seth had pulled his trousers up and replaced his shirt and was watching his mistress curiously.

"So I don't get pregnant boy." Xena stated looking down at the boy.

His brow furrowed and he looked more confused.

"Oh by the Gods don't tell me you don't know how a woman gets pregnant boy?" The Conqueror asked incredulously.

The boy shrugged.

Xena rolled her eyes at him. "Boy a woman gets pregnant when she has sex with a man or in your case a boy. Sex is what we just did. The sponge is to block your sperm from reaching my uterus and therefore keep me from getting pregnant."

Seth tilted his head in thought and the Conqueror could tell he didn't understand.

Xena sighed at him. "Don't worry about it boy. Come on its time for bed." She said reaching a hand down to her slave.

Seth took the hand and Xena pulled him to his feet with surprising force making him have to balance himself once he was on his feet. The Conqueror moved to the bedroll and lie down on her back. Seth took his place beside her, resting his head on her shoulder and the top of her breast while he clung to her waist with his left arm. He smiled contently at her.

"Xena." The boy said quietly.

"Yes."

"Thank you."

The Conqueror smiled as she felt the warmth in the boy's voice. "Go to sleep boy." She replied simply.

Seth nuzzled her and sighed then fell into a deep sleep almost instantly.

Xena looked affectionately at him then kissed the top of his head. She listened to his peaceful breathing for awhile then let sleep take her as well.

A few hours later Seth began to mumble in his sleep waking the Conqueror. He started to twitch and he broke into a cold sweat as his incoherent mumblings increased.

Xena idly wondered about the boy's nightmare. Probably about me again, she thought then sadness struck her. She had been enjoying the boy's loving adoration of her the previous day and was sure this new reminder of who she really was would shatter that again.

Seth woke with a start then immediately looked up into the ice blue eyes of the Conqueror.

Here comes the fear, now he'll realize that he's clinging to the source of his torment and roll away, Xena mused regretfully. To her great surprise though the boy looked to her with fear but not for her, he looked into her eyes now for reassurance and he clung to her tightly.

Xena's eyes softened with this realization. "What is it boy?"

Seth burrowed his head into her breast and took a deep breath before responding.

"I dreamt that I got stolen, and the men who stole me were mean and ugly and took turns beating me." He said tears welling in his eyes as he relived the nightmare.

The Conqueror placed her left hand on the back of the boy's head and gently stroked his hair as he began to cry softly. She smiled then, she didn't know if the boy was crying because he thought she was the lesser of two evils or if he really did want to be with her now but either way it made her feel good that she wasn't the source of the boy's nightmare but rather his savior.

The Conqueror continued to stroke the boy's hair and made soft shushing noises until his crying subsided.

"You're my property now boy. Not much chance of anyone stealing from me. Not if they value their lives so you can go back to sleep now." Xena stated reassuringly.

Seth nodded into her breast then took a few more shaky breaths before he fell back into slumber.

Xena continued stroking the boy's hair long after he had fallen back asleep. It seemed to relax her as well as her new slave. After a long while of just lying there and listening to the boy's low even breathing the Conqueror finally let herself fall back into a contented sleep.

Seth woke to the low light of the dawn, the Conqueror awake and stroking his short hair. He peered up at her and smiled. She look relaxed, more so then when she first took him just three day's ago. She smiled back at him.

"Feeling better?" Xena asked.

"Huh?"

"You woke last night from a bad dream, remember?" Xena queried incredulously.

"Oh yeah that. Yeah lot's better thanks." Seth stated positively the dream of the night before returning to him. Though this morning it didn't matter to him, this morning was special.

"Mm hmm." Xena said shaking her head at the boy's range of emotions.

"Xena."

"Yes."

"Today is my birthday." Seth said with a hint of excitement.

"It is huh. Let me guess you're eighteen summers today." Xena stated smoothly.

Seth stared up at her in happy amazement. "How did you know that?"

The Conqueror decided not to tell him that it was a skill acquired from years of taking and selling slaves.

"I know everything remember boy?" She said simply.

Seth was encouraged; this was going better than he had thought so far. No harsh retorts yet. He plunged onward.

"Um Xena."

"Um yes." The Conqueror mocked him playfully.

"Today is my birthday." Seth said again summoning his courage.

"Yeah so." The Conqueror was getting annoyed at her slave's indirectness. "Spit it out boy."

Some of Seth's courage abandoned him at the irritation in his mistress's voice but he stammered on. " W… well Xena when someone has a birthday you're suppose to have a special meal at an inn where the birthday person gets to eat all he wants and then gets to have pie for desert. I thought maybe if we were going by a village today that maybe we could… you know since today is… um…"

Seth saw the steely expression on the Conqueror's face and lost all hope. He lowered his eyes and his voice began to abandon him as well as his courage.

"U… um… never mind." Seth said in barely a whisper as he buried his head once again in her chest.

Xena felt her heart melt at the expression of despair and the low sad voice of her new slave. She rolled her eyes and blew out a long sigh; irritated at herself again for actually considering the boy's meek request then something occurred to her.

"Is this why you tried to run away boy?" Xena asked perceptively.

Seth nodded his head not raising his eyes to hers.

Farm boys, Xena thought, always thinking with their stomachs. It had been important enough to the boy to risk her wrath that second night, she considered that for a moment.

"We'll see boy." She finally said.

Seth looked back up at her, his eyes shinning with the bright light of hope, his lips turned up in a smile.

It made the Conqueror feel something light deep within her that she hadn't felt in a long time. She had, had the same feeling the day before playing in the lake with the boy and it was all she could do to restrain herself from smiling back at the boy now.

"Knock that off boy!" Xena ordered with forced sternness.

Seth lowered his head again and chuckled with the effort to conceal his happiness.

"Boy!" Xena's voice got a little harder.

"Yes Xena." The boy capitulated managing to stifle another giggle but he couldn't help hugging her tightly.

Xena smiled, it was nice to be appreciated instead of just feared for a change, she thought. She considered their route. They would, she mused be going by a village around midday and they did need some supplies.

The Conqueror sighed contentedly. She let them lie there for awhile longer, Seth dozing in and out of consciousness now that all his simple worries had been addresses. His head raising and falling in tune with her breathing, if only her concerns were so simple she mused then amazed again at the relaxing affect the boy had on her. Happiness came so easily for him and she found it to be infectious.

Xena gently shook the boy awake. "Come on sleepy, time to get going."

Seth went about his morning chores of saddling and packing Argo while Xena made a simple breakfast and tea. In thirty minutes they were on the road to the north again and by midday they came into the large village of Callonus.

The Conqueror looked down from astride Argo to Seth who was near bursting with excitement, yet staying very close to her and Argo, holding onto her boot at the horse's side. She grinned; it was the largest village the boy had ever been in she was sure and although exciting it intimidated him too. The streets were crowded and the markets busy.

Seth looked constantly about him, his eyes never failing to see something of interest. It was thrilling to see so many people in one place but a little scary too. He was reassured though by the booted leg he held onto. As he looked about him to all the different venders he noticed that whenever Xena looked at them, they all lowered their heads and eyes to the ground and it was only then that the magnitude of who he was with hit him.

Well, he mused she may be tough but she can be pretty nice too. He looked up at her then with bright eyes and she smiled down at him then reached down and ruffled his hair with her hand.

Yeah, pretty nice too.

Xena rode Argo to a livery stable and swung down handing the reins to a nervous looking man.

"Take good care of her." Xena stated coolly.

The man bowed his head. "Yes Conqueror."

Xena turned to Seth who was close at hand but had turned back towards the street watching in awe.

The Conqueror nonchalantly tapped the boy on the shoulder. Seth turned quickly to meet her waiting stare.

"I'm hungry boy, lets get something to eat. That is if you're hungry, if not then I'm sure I can wait until later and make us something over the campfire." Xena teased.

Seth's features tensed in alarm. "No, no, no if you're hungry then we should eat something here. I mean I wouldn't want you going hungry."

"Well if that's what you think we should do?" Xena teased a little further, she couldn't seem to help herself.

Seth nodded enthusiastically.

Xena smiled at him. "Okay then lets go find an inn."

They turned from the livery and made their way through the busy market. The throng of people before them spread out to either side as the Conqueror made her way through. Finally they came to a large inn. They mounted the rough-hewn steps and went inside. The room was large with plank tables and chairs positioned about it and a long bar running the length of the back wall. It was about half full and the patrons stopped and stared as the Conqueror entered with her slave in tow. The room grew suddenly quiet.

"Mind your business." The Conqueror stated in a firm no-nonsense voice.

Everyone in the room quickly turned back to their meals and drinks, a few left dinars on their tables and quietly slunk out. Xena smirked, and then spotted a table near the front window against a corner. She strode to it and sat with her back against the wall. Seth took a seat on a bench across from her.

Seth first smelled then spotted two large pie's cooling on a shelf behind the bar. He smiled enthusiastically at Xena.

A grin automatically appeared on the Conqueror's lips. It seemed to be happening to her a lot lately. A pretty young barmaid strode to their table. She looked to be about twenty with long brown hair pulled back into a tail and tied with a ribbon. She seemed oblivious to who the Conqueror was and she smiled engagingly at them.

"Welcome, what may I bring you?" She asked cheerfully.

"What do you have for lunch?" Xena asked, thinking it was kind of nice not to be recognized.

The barmaid's features lit up as she went into an explanation of the day's meal. "Oh you're in luck. Today we have a pot roast served with garlic-mashed potatoes and topped with our special peppercorn house gravy. Fresh string beans and a slice of sourdough bread are also included."

Xena looked over at Seth who was practically drooling. She chuckled.

"Sounds good, we'll have it." Xena said as the barmaid scribbled on a small piece of paper.

"Would you like to try one of our ale's ma'am? They're very good." The barmaid asked with seemingly boundless energy.

"Sure."

"And for your son?" The barmaid asked.

Xena's face went blank then her features hardened. Seth smiled at her amused by the barmaid's mistake.

"This is not my son! This is my slave!" The Conqueror stated indignantly. By the God's I'm only thirty-three summers old, she thought then realized that would make her technically old enough but still!

Her harsh tone didn't seem to phase the barmaid's enthusiasm.

"I beg your pardon ma'am. It's just that you both have the same beautiful blue eyes and people generally don't dine with their slaves."

Xena seemed to notice for the first time that Seth's eyes were strikingly similar to her own. Her anger abated then as Seth continued to smile at her.

"Something to drink for your slave ma'am?" The barmaid continued.

"Ale?" Seth asked Xena tentatively.

Xena's features grew stern. "No! You're silly enough without adding ale." She turned back to the barmaid. "The boy will have milk."

The barmaid smiled not missing a beat. "I'll have your drinks right out then your meals shortly after that."

"Nice try." Xena said to Seth as the barmaid bounded off for their drinks.

Seth looked disappointed. "I've never had an ale Xena." He protested.

"You can have a sip of mine." Xena replied. She just loved teasing the boy. Although this last statement didn't quail the boy at all, to the contrary he perked up.

The barmaid returned with their drinks and Seth looked regretfully at his milk. He looked over to Xena who was taking a long drink of her ale. She set the mug down with a satisfied exhalation then her eyes met Seth's pleading one's. She slid the mug over to him.

Seth's face lit up as he took the mug of the fragrant liquid.

"A small drink." Xena cautioned him.

Seth nodded then took a drink of Xena's ale and hiccupped. Xena laughed as Seth handed her the mug.

"I like it." Seth stated.

"Drink your milk boy." Xena said still chuckling.

The barmaid soon returned with their meals and another ale for Xena. Seth was completely lost in bliss. He ate seemingly not to notice the Conqueror's amusement with his reverence for his meal.

They soon were finished with the amazingly good meal and the barmaid returned for their plates.

"Can I get you anything else? Another ale ma'am?" The barmaid asked gathering up their empty plates.

Xena stared at Seth. "I don't know. Perhaps we should be going. I can't think of anything else hmm… wait yes I can."

Seth had been listening intently, looking from Xena to the pies cooling on the shelf above the bar. He had looked to Xena with alarm when she mentioned going before he had his birthday pie and now his face showed relief as Xena seemingly remembered that a person has to have pie with their birthday meal, those were the rules.

Xena's face broke into a large grin; by the Gods this was good fun. "I'll have another ale and another milk for the boy."

Seth's jaw dropped and he stared with open anxiety at her.

Xena burst out laughing. She was starting to think that teasing her new slave was one of the most fun things to do in the entire universe. She regained her composure as the barmaid returned with their drinks. Seth looked confused by her mirth and Xena waved him off.

"I think you better bring the boy a slice of pie too. I don't want him getting scrawny on me." Xena stated with mock seriousness to the barmaid.

Seth's face lit up again and he beamed at Xena.

The barmaid's face seemed to light up too. "Are you sure you wouldn't like a slice of pie too ma'am? They just made them this morning, fresh apple cinnamon."

"Just the ale. You better bring the boy a big piece though. It will probably be another year before he gets another." Xena said continuing to tease her slave.

The jibe was lost on Seth and he looked to Xena with relief and gratitude. The barmaid returned with the pie and drinks and Seth ate in reverent silence.

Xena finished her ale then gave the barmaid a few dinars's as she returned for the last of their mugs and Seth's empty pie plate.

Seth looked at Xena across the table and smiled with his appreciation.

"Thank you Xena. This is the best birthday I've ever had."

The Conqueror returned the smile but she wasn't about to admit to treating him for his birthday. "I was hungry boy that's all."

Seth's face grew serious and he looked down into his lap for a moment then he reached into his pocket and withdrew his closed hand. He pushed his hand across the table to Xena and opened it, placing his special rock on the rough wooden surface.

"I… I hope you like this Xena. My mother said it would bring me good luck."

Xena stared at the rock in stunned silence. She couldn't believe the boy was giving it to her. Or that he would give her anything let alone his special rock that his dead mother gave him. She knew what it meant to the boy. It meant more to him than his freedom, he had taken a beating for it when he was reluctant to give it over to her that first night and now he was giving it to her.

The Conqueror felt warmth spread through her at the unexpected gift. The worthless rock meant more to the boy than its equal in diamonds. It contained in it all of the boy's love for his long dead mother and he was giving it to her. Gods it was nice to have someone actually appreciate her rather than just fear her, she thought then suddenly felt sad. Sad that a lousy three-dinar meal in a tavern constituted the best birthday that this boy who overflowed with love for everything had ever had.

"You don't have to do that Seth." Xena said quietly.

It was the first time she had ever used his name.

"But it's all I have Xena." The boy protested. "I want you to have it. You've been nicer to me than anybody ever since my mother died."

Xena stared at him. She had beat him repeatedly, caned him, stolen him from his home and the simple meal seemed to have washed all that away for the boy. Xena fought back the emotion welling inside of her. She wanted to sweep the boy up in her arms and hug him but she couldn't, not the way she was feeling right now. It would mean too much and she just wasn't ready to admit that to herself. Seth looked down at the table before he continued.

"I… I can't even remember what she looks like anymore." He said still staring at the table's surface then tears started rolling down his face.

The Conqueror's heart pained for the boy. She reached across the table and gently lifted his chin.

"It's okay don't cry." Xena said in a soft, comforting voice as she wiped away his tears.

She reached into a small pouch and held a dinar out to Seth. "Here take this, that way you'll always be able to remember what I look like."

Seth turned the coin over and stared at the likeness of the Conqueror minted into its surface. He looked up and smiled at her, adoration shone in his eyes.

Xena smiled back and took the rock from the table's surface and placed it in her coin pouch. "Come on boy we've got things to buy."

They walked out into the crowded market and Xena held out a small pouch of dinars to Seth. "Here take these boy. I'm going to get Argo and pick up a few things I want you to buy some provisions; dried meat, cheese, bread, tea… Got it?"

Seth nodded. "Uh huh."

"Good. Well meet back here in front of the inn in 20 minutes." Xena said. "Stay out of trouble and don't be late."

The conqueror turned and went off in the direction of the livery stable. Seth watched her go until she was lost in the mass of people. He was a little nervous to be in such a big village all by himself suddenly. He looked around at the busy market and took a deep reassuring breath.

"Better get going so I'm not late." He muttered to himself.

He turned and strode down the street toward where the food vendors were. He passed by merchants selling everything he could possibly image and more. Clothes and weapons, clay vessels and cooking utensils, brightly colored fabrics and beaded jewelry.

He was walking through the crowd when someone reached out and grabbed hold of his shoulder. He turned to face whoever it was and found an older man with a gray beard and dirty white turban standing in front of a closed tent.

The man smiled at him and held out open hands in a gesture of friendship. "My friend you look like a man in search of something. My name is Muhammad. Tell what it is you seek and perhaps I can be of some assistance. This is a very busy market and it can sometimes be very difficult to find what you seek."

Seth returned the friendly man's smile. "I'm looking for food stuffs. Dried meats and the sorts."

The man's eyes glinted and he gave Seth another toothy smile. "Ah, you are in luck then my friend. I supply the Royal Grecian Army troops. It is my specialty."

What luck, Seth thought, the Conqueror would be pleased that I got supplies from the same place that her troops get them.

"Great, where are they?" Seth asked with enthusiasm.

"Just inside my tent my friend, come." The man said holding the tent flap open for Seth to pass through ahead of him.

Seth entered the large tent to find it mostly empty except for a few chairs and some trunks and a small table at one end. He frowned confused.

"Where are the supplies?" Seth asked the turban-clad man.

Muhammad crossed to the rear of the tent and stood by another flap.

"Just through here my friend. The food is laden in my wagon. It makes it easier for me to supply the troops wherever they may be in the area." The old man said twisting the end of his beard with his dirty hands.

Seth nodded and took a step towards the rear tent flap when something struck him a wicked blow to the back of his head. He went down to his knees hard and groggily shook his head, his vision blurring. He heard someone grunt with dissatisfaction and then darkness exploded behind his eyes as he was struck on the head again, except harder. He fell unconscious to the dirt floor of the tent.

Continued in Part 2.