Trials of Xena Ch. 01

This is the first story I've ever written. I hope to make it a series of sorts. It's based off a recurring dream that I figured I would share with you all. There is little sex in this chapter and it is mostly just meant to set the story up. If this goes over well I have other chapters written and ready to go. Enjoy!

-Bunny

*****

Xena winced as the traditional morning songs sounded through the city. She hadn't slept, instead staring at her ceiling, and thinking of the day she had ahead of her. It was the eve of her eighteenth birthday and the day of the most important decision of her life. She forced herself out of bed as the last notes of the songs she both adored and detested reverberated against the walls of her room. The coldness of the stone floor was unforgiving as she dragged herself to the window, opening the shudders and letting in the sunlight. Xena closed her eyes as her tan skin felt the warmth of the sun, while her nostrils flared to take in the familiar smell of the salt from the sea. She touched the butterfly charm that hung from the thin gold chain around her neck, the serenity of the moment disrupted as her hand maiden burst through the door.

"Oh goodie, you're awake!" Tilly exclaimed as Xena opened her eyes, smirking at her hand maiden and best friend.

"Tilly, how do you have so much energy? The sun is barely up and you're bouncing off the walls. It's quite irritating and if you continue I will have to replace you." Xena squeaked as Tilly squeezed her. She had repeated the same threat every day for years and Tilly, the best hand maiden the city had to offer, scoffed, and rolled her eyes.

"No one else will put up with a brat like you. Have me replaced if you want! If I served anyone else, it would be easy compared to you!" Tilly grinned, her eyes betrayed her thoughts. "Have you made your decision?" she said somberly.

"I have."

Tilly allowed her true feelings to show on her face before pulling her friend into an embrace. "I will support you in whatever you choose. You are a wise girl and..."

"Stop before you make yourself cry! I need help getting ready. The Council will be shocked to see me on time for once." The girls shared a laugh as Tilly ran to draw a bath. Xena returned to the window, looking out over the horizon. She closed her eyes again, trying to memorize the feeling of warmth on her skin and the smell of the sea. She knew her efforts were in vain.

Xena bathed as Tilly washed her hair. The skilled fingers of the hand maiden braided Xena's tight curls into a bun that sat at the nape of her neck. Xena allowed Tilly to pull the ceremonial battle suit over her body, the black fabric clinging to her like a second skin. As she sat to be decorated with war paint, her heart threatened to burst through her chest. She was the strongest warrior the city has ever seen. She thought back to the day the Council watched in shock as she took on three of the Masters during training, knocking them down one by one and forcing them to yield at only ten years old. The Masters were embarrassed and the Council in awe as the prodigy stood, unscathed, and bowed to them. Standing strong in training, Xena could not understand why she trembled now as she stood in front of the doors to the chambers of the Council of Twelve. She took a deep breath, rolling her charm between her fingers as she looked back at Tilly and smiled before pushing through the doors.

Xena lifted her chin as she walked with feigned confidence to the center of the room. The platform stones appeared as she walked, her boots clicking as she made her way to the center of the room. She stepped into the final and largest stone and it rose to center her in front of the Council. Each of the twelve Elders represented the twelve cities. The Eldest was the speaker of the Council. He spoke first.

"Xena," his voice echoed through the chamber, "You have been given a decision to make: stay and guard our city or be cast out amongst the humans with no memory of this place." The Eldest chuckled. "I think it goes without saying what decision our most valued warrior would make. What say you?"

Xena looked at the faces of each member of the Council. Their expressions darkened as her reply did not come as quickly as they assumed. She sighed before giving her reply.

"Eldest, I would like to live amongst the humans."

The chambers were full of the Council's surprise at her decision. She stood, steadfast and chin held high, as they spat their disappointment and rage at her. The Eldest slammed his fist against the solid wood that separated her from them.

"If you wish to be so ungrateful, then so be it. You will be exiled, never to return to these cities. I am disappointed in you. I hope you said your goodbyes."

Xena thought of Tilly standing outside the chamber doors as the stone disappeared from beneath her. Her dearest friend knew her decision before she even spoke it, she had seen it in her eyes. She felt guilt at how preparing her must have felt for Tilly, knowing that they would never see each other again. She didn't make a sound as she fell through the air towards the unknown below her. She closed her eyes, smiling at the freedom that she was about to face.

*****

Xena jolted awake at the sound of her alarm clock, sitting up in her bed. Her heart raced, once again waking up to the feeling of falling. She steadied her breathing and laid back. She smiled to herself, remembering that it's her twenty-first birthday. Then she sighed. Her bare skin against her covers brought her attention to her hardened nipples. She pulled back her covers and rolled the sensitive nubs between her fingers. She groaned as they were still sensitive from her assault on them the night before. What is happening to me? She thought. She was a virgin, and it seemed as if every day she became more insatiable. She dipped a finger inside her dripping sex, licking her fingers before returning them her clit. Even more overworked than her nipples, it protested by sending pangs of discomfort through her.

Xena ignored her body's protests. She knew how unbearable she was if she didn't satisfy her needs. She chewed her lip as her hips rolled towards her hand. Her breathing was labored, and she quivered as she brought herself over the edge. She bit into her lip, her moans filling the empty apartment as she came, her arm nearly cramping as her hand flew across her painfully hard clit. Her pace slowed as she came down from her high. Another sigh escaped her lips as she realized she would not be able to return to sleep. Her sheets were no doubt soaked and she needed to change them and get ready before her friends came to get her. They pretended not to remember her birthday, but she knew from their guilty faces that they had planned a surprise for her. She reluctantly swung her feet out of her bed and put her dirty sheets in the laundry before stepping over the cold floor to her window. Opening the blinds, she rolled her eyes, looking out at the view of the brick wall her apartment building faced. Some view, she thought to herself as she made her way to the bathroom to prepare herself for her friends' arrival.

*****

Xena sat on her couch, facing the door. Her legs were crossed and her foot bounced as she sipped her tea and listened. Her friends failed to hush themselves as they used a spare key to enter her apartment. She giggled as she thought about how easily she can read them and how excited she was to ruin another one of their surprises. The women finally found their silence and carefully unlocked the door, tiptoeing into the apartment before Raelynn groaned at seeing Xena's smug grin.

"Why do you always ruin everything!" Raelynn whined as Kelsey and Brent peaked their heads around her with equal looks of disappointment. "It's like you have a sixth sense for fun and instead of letting it happen, you crush it in your tiny little hands!"

The girls jumped on Xena as she put her tea down on the table. They hugged her before pulling her off the couch to examine her outfit: ripped jeans, a cropped Panic! At the Disco shirt, and red converse.

"Oh no, honey absolutely not!" Brent voiced her disgust at Xena's choice of clothes. "I can't believe you would ever try to leave the house looking like that." She tossed the dress that Kelsey was holding into Xena's arms. Xena rolled her eyes and humored them. The dress, red like her converse, hugged her curves, holding her breasts like a pair of hands. The back, lifted by her round butt, fell just below her cheeks.

"You guys, this dress is smaller than my kitchen, and now I have to wear underwear to avoid flashing everyone. I can't believe you guys want me to go out in public like this!"

It was Kelsey's turn to chime in. She walked over and handed Xena a small bag from a local lingerie boutique. "Put them on and stop your whining. How can someone ooze sexuality and be such a grandma at the same time? Hurry up, dude, we have places to be." Instead of arguing Xena put the underwear on, as well as the gold heels that Raelynn handed her. She shook her head as she looked at herself in the mirror.

"Stop your internal struggling, we're not going to put you on a corner and pimp you out! You look amazing and you won't be in public... for long. Let's go!" Xena looked at Raelynn with doubt but shrugged it off. She trusted her friends.

*****

The girls blindfolded Xena, but her unique skill set meant she knew exactly where they were headed with every turn and bump in the road. When they stopped, she grinned knowing that they were at her favorite restaurant where she had met her boyfriend, Gareth. Her heart began to beat fast as the girls giggled around her and led her into the building. The heat grew inside her as she thought of her boyfriend. She tried to shake the image of him peeling off his shirt after a sweaty session at the gym, or the way that he grabbed at her body when they kissed after being apart for too long. The damage was already done as she felt her pussy flood her new panties, her nipples pressing against the thin fabric of her dress. She rolled her eyes beneath her blindfold as she was led out onto the deck behind the restaurant overlooking the bay.

The blindfold was removed to reveal Gareth standing in front of her with his signature grin. Xena's eyes adjusted to the sudden brightness of the sun and when she recognized him she let her own grin spread across her face. She took in her surroundings before walking over to him and wrapping her arms around his neck, kissing him softly. She was trying to hide her arousal, but she knew she was failing as he nibbled on her bottom lip, his way of acknowledging her altered state. He pushed her away by her hips, kneeling and holding a ring out to her.

I knew it! She thought as her love for him swelled in her chest. He had been nervous for months and she knew what he was hiding from her as she did with everyone else. She could read him so easily, but this is one surprise she didn't want to ruin. She waited patiently, grinning down at him as he stumbled over his words and grinning even harder as he pressed the ring onto her finger. The purple stone was set into the back of a butterfly on a gold band. Her smile started to fade as the ring was an exact replica of the charm that hung from her necklace in her dreams. It couldn't be... could it?

She brushed it off, excited to be engaged to the man of her dreams. They embraced again, sharing a lengthier kiss as the patrons of the crowded restaurant clapped for them. She hated the public scene, but she wouldn't let her annoyance ruin the moment. They separated, and Gareth smiled as he nuzzled her neck. She looked at the ring again, the hair on the back of her neck standing up. She didn't have time to finish her thoughts as a loud explosion blew them backwards. She blacked out momentarily, and when she came to she held her head as blood ran down the side of her face. Her eyes focused as Gareth was taken away into a foreign looking aircraft. She kicked her heels off and ran towards the closing door as her fiancé was lifted away. Xena fell to her knees and held her head, looking at the ring. Everything went black again as the world as she knew it disappeared around her.

*****

When Xena woke she was no longer at the restaurant. She sat up too quickly and her head throbbed. Xena felt her head, but there was no sign of a wound and no bandages. Confused, she moved her hand from her head and looked at the ring again. How did he get this? How could he have known? The door to her room flew open and Xena leapt out of bed prepared to fight. I probably look ridiculous, she thought as she squinted at the person who stood before her.

"Tilly?" Xena questioned. "I must be dreaming, right? I'm so glad my subconscious decided to be creative this time. The other dream was getting old!" She laughed and let her guard down. "It's nice to see you here instead of that sad face you had when I was leaving. I guess I got to come back after all?" She continued to joke as she got back into bed.

Tilly did not look as sullen as when Xena left her, but she did not share in her amusement. She stood with her hands behind her back and frowned as she watched her old friend. She knew she couldn't blame her for reacting this way, but she didn't have time for games.

"This isn't a dream, Xena, and you know it."

Xena hid beneath the covers and peaked out at Tilly. Somehow, she knew it wasn't a dream, but she couldn't accept that the woman that she had seen as she slept was real. Her mind raced as she recognized the markings on the wall of room, knowing exactly how to translate them. She struggled with how something she had dreamt about for so long could be rooted in reality.

"Where are my friends? Where is Gareth?" she asked.

Tilly sighed. "Your friends are fine. We need to..."

"And Gareth?" Xena interrupted, her eyes becoming dark as she angered at the thought that he had been harmed.

"We have some things to discuss, Xena. I need you to come with me."

Tilly had not helped Xena dress like in her dream as she dressed in her warrior uniform. The thick, black fabric clung to her curves like the red dress had, accentuating her breasts, and supporting them at the same time. She zipped the knee-high leather boots, frowning at the wedge heel. Instinctively she stomped her foot on an angle and a blade flipped out of the heel. Her head began to hurt as more memories flooded her mind of being trained to be sensuous and deadly, innocent but ruthless. She shook her head as Tilly returned to get her.

She followed Tilly, trying to digest her every word. The halls that she walked were darker than the ones she had walked in her dreams. She furrowed her brow and took it all in, wishing her head would stop throbbing.

"You were exiled, Xena. That dream that you have is very real. The Eldest was so angry with you that as you fell he did not erase your memory as he should have. His anger manifested in such a way that it plunged our city into darkness. He left memories in your mind so that you would feel guilt every day of your life. He watched over you and waited until you were at your happiest to rip it away from you. You were the strongest warrior our city had ever seen, and your decision blindsided everyone, even me." Tilly looked to Xena's face and could not read her as friend she once could.

"Where is Gareth?"

Tilly frowned. "The Eldest had him kidnapped. He knows how happy Gareth makes you and he wants you to suffer. The rescue efforts are being planned, but we need your help." Tilly opened the door to the operations room. Raelynn, Kelsey, and Brent were huddled around the table, sharing a hushed argument as they entered the room. "They were also exiled. There are people here who were exiled from each of the twelve cities within days after you. The Eldest was so angry with you he left others with fragmented memories as well. Those who held alliance to you but didn't ask to leave were sent here to this city of outcasts."

Xena helped plan the rescue. She opted to stay behind, knowing that her love for Gareth would only endanger the rest of the warriors. Tilly brought her back to her new room and commented on her obviously agitated state.

"You are what you are, Xena. After our eighteenth birthdays, the sexual need turns on faster than you can flip one of those human light switches. If our needs are not met our anger will boil over and cause destruction around us. If you want I can send you a man to..."

"Thank you, Tilly, but I have promised myself to Gareth. I can distract myself until he is rescued."

Tilly questioned her love of a human but kept her opinions to herself. Xena's brown eyes grew darker by the moment and she feared her. Instead, Tilly left her, glancing over her shoulder as she left. Xena was beautiful and the men here would jump at the snap of her fingers, yet she pined after a weak human. She shook her head, reminding herself of her place.