The Petal of the Rose

by LJ Maas

  I knew it fell far short of what was in me, but Gabrielle, in her infinite capacity to know me, simply looked up and whispered, "me too."

  She took her place beside me and suddenly everything I was supposed to do, every instruction I had been given fully disappeared from my mind. Gabrielle must have noticed the sheer panic in my eyes. I think for a heartbeat or two, I was slightly perturbed that she didn't look as unnerved as I felt. Her calm demeanor belied her true emotion, however. When she took my hand, seemingly to calm me, I felt how warm her skin, and how damp her palms were.

  Gabrielle was always cold. The very first moment she wakes in the morning, she burrows herself against me, bundling the blankets all around her. She shivers and I know she must feel the cold much more so than I must. I often wondered if it wasn't something psychological. Perhaps one of the many abuses she suffered during her time as a slave. Whatever it was, I knew that if Gabrielle was warm, and her palm sweaty, she must indeed have been as nervous as I was. I must be a sick woman, for at the time, that knowledge pleased me just a small bit. I think it was simply a matter of misery finding companionship in numbers.

  Gabrielle and I went through a series of small formalities. We both did exactly as we were told and no calamities arose. It was, basically, as I suspected. Stand here. Say this. Turn that way. We were headed for the home stretch as both Lydia and Satena came to stand directly before the two of us. This was the part of a marriage ceremony were I'd seen grown men either bolt from the room, or break down and cry like an infant. It all came down to our final vows.

  Lydia began by first nodding to me, and then began the questions I had been anticipating.

  "Xena, Lord Conqueror of the Greek Empire. Do you stand before the patron Goddess of the Empire, Athena, along with these assembled witnesses, and declare your intention to wed Gabrielle of Potidaea, Queen to the Amazons?"

  "Yes, I do."

  "Is it your intention to acknowledge Gabrielle's right to become Queen to the Empire, and to crown her as such before all in attendance?"

  "Yes, it is."

  Lydia then indicated that I was to kneel before Athena's altar. I dropped to one knee and the priestess reached around and took hold of the golden crown on the right. She gently settled it on my head, and I just knew I would have a headache before the evening was over. It was one reason why I had only worn the blasted thing a total of three times since I became ruler. It was incredibly heavy. I kept pushing it around on my head until Lydia glared at me.

  "Can't help it. It's uncomfortable," I complained under my breath.

  Gabrielle smiled as Lydia continued to eye me.

  I stood up, thankful that I hadn't done anything to make a fool out of myself. Lydia then turned toward Gabrielle.

  "Gabrielle, Queen to the Northern Amazon Nation. Do you stand before the patron Goddess of the Empire, Athena, along with these assembled witnesses, and declare your intention to wed Xena of Amphipolis, the Lord Conqueror of the Greek Empire?"

  "Yes, I do." Gabrielle answered.

  It surprised me when I heard Lydia recite the name of my birthplace. It had been many seasons since I had been known as Xena of Amphipolis. At first, the people of Amphipolis forced me to leave my home. The people blamed me for the family and friends who died during the fighting when Cortese invaded the village. They wanted someone to blame, and I suppose I was handy. Even my own mother cursed me. When I took on the moniker of Destroyer of Nations, and proceeded to lay siege over the known world, that's when the people of Amphipolis refused to acknowledge their home as my birthplace. After all these seasons, to hear the word Amphipolis in association with me sounded strange to my ears.

  I listened as Lydia continued with Gabrielle much the same as the Priestess had with me.

  "Is it your intention to acknowledge your right to become Queen to the Empire, to accept the crown and all its responsibilities before all in attendance?"

  "Yes, it is." Gabrielle answered once again.

  Lydia nodded to me, and I assisted Gabrielle to kneel before the altar. The Priestess handed me the smaller of the two crowns and I gently placed it atop Gabrielle's head. The young woman grimaced immediately. I helped her rise and Anya assisted in returning her gown to its original state.

  Gabrielle gave me a sideways glance. "Why is it so heavy?" she asked. Her eyes rolled upward indicating the crown on her head.

  I nearly laughed aloud. "See, it's not just me." I muttered to Lydia.

  Lydia shook her head at the both of us as if we were misbehaving children. I looked over at Gabrielle. She looked so regal, and every bit the Queen that she now was. It was amazing really. With just a few words and a piece of jewelry, albeit a large piece of jewelry, Gabrielle was now the Queen of the Greek Empire. Although, there was one small bit of business left. She actually had to marry me.

  Lydia and Satena exchanged places before us. The Amazon Priestess would lead us through the actual bonding ceremony. This was to be more reminiscent of an Amazon Ceremony than a traditional royal wedding.

  Satena looked between the two of us. "Who provides the bonding tie?" she asked.

  I would have loved to capture Gabrielle's expression when I spoke up. "I do."

  I turned to Solan who had the cloth tucked inside his tunic. He pulled it out and handed the item to me, and I in turn handed it to Satena.

  Will you face one another and join hands?" Satena requested.

  We did as instructed, and were able to look at one another fully for the first time. I watched as tears filled Gabrielle's eyes, as Satena loosely wrapped the green silk tie around our clasped hands. She instantly recognized it for what it was, and it appeared to touch her heart. I can be very thick at times, and I am positive there will be future days when I might disappoint my wife greatly, but some days I do things right. I occasionally have flares of brilliance, and taking the time to create this Amazon binding tie was one of those times.

  "Just as this physical tie binds you together," Satena began. "Let your love for one another do the same. Xena, do you agree to this match?"

  "I do." I was never more terrified, yet more certain about any course of action in my entire life.

  "Do you promise Gabrielle your love, trust, and fidelity, for as long as you shall live?"

  "I do."

  "Gabrielle," the Priestess turned to the young woman before me. " Do you agree to this match?"

  "I do."

  "And do you promise Xena your love, trust, and fidelity, for as long as you shall live?"

  "I do."

  Gabrielle's gaze never left mine. With all eyes now upon us, we could have been alone for all the thought we paid them. There were only the two of us at this moment. No matter how old I become, and how feeble my mind might grow, I would always remember this moment. I would remember the song that was played, the way Gabrielle's green eyes sparkled, and the light scent of the perfumed oil she had bathed in. Not one detail would ever fade with time. This day was to be forever in my heart.

  "Then, with the blessings of Athena and Artemis, I declare your bond complete." Satena said in a loud voice.

  The Amazon Priestess slipped the bonding tie loose from around our joined hands. Then she reached in and fastened the cloth around Gabrielle's slim waist. Lydia looked out towards the outside patio before turning back to face us.

  "The timing is perfect," she said. I thought it odd because that's exactly what Philateus kept telling me, that for the evening to be perfect, timing was critical.

  Lydia motioned us both to step forward to the altar, and to remove the crowns from our heads. Athena's Priestess took both of the heavy circlets of gold, and placed them upon the altar. Each crown was encrusted with a seemingly random pattern of jewels, and they caught slivers of the light as the sunset crept down into the horizon.

  Lydia set the larger crown down into a circular groove embedded into the wood of the altar. She then placed the smaller crown onto it's own carved space beside the other one, except that the smaller crown came do
wn and interlocked with the first. They looked as thought they were two circles, forever sealed together. I was to quickly discover that this wasn't the only magic of illusion that the crowns provided.

  "Perfect, simply perfect," Lydia commented to herself.

  Out of the corner of my eye, I spied Philateus grinning like an idiot. Gabrielle and I exchanged curious glances. Frankly, I feared that the excitement had gotten to him. Just as Gabrielle tried to cover her growing smile over the spectacle before us, the sun dipped low in the sky.

  The moment the sun neared the apex of the mountain range in the distance, a sharp beam of light struck the exact center of the crystal in the center of Athena's spear. At first, the crystal burst into a thousand tiny rays of sunlight. Within the space of a dozen heartbeats, the illumination converged into one single shaft of light that struck the golden crowns upon the altar.

  It was the most amazing thing I'd ever seen. A collective gasp came from the many people assembled within the hall, my own added to the mix. Suddenly the hall was filled with stars. Not just any stars, but the entire Great Hall held the summer sky. Above us on the high ceiling, and around us on the walls was an exact replica of the nighttime sky, and the stars that twinkled like diamonds against a black silk cloth.

  I turned round and round, my mouth surely hanging agape. I felt Gabrielle's arm slip about my waist. I looked down into her face and beheld the same awe that mine must be reflecting at that moment. Her eyes expressed the question that her voice didn't ask.

  "I never knew," was all I could think to say.

  I held my new wife, as I stared around us at the wonder that would surely come just this once in our lifetimes. It would never come again, of that I was absolutely sure. For Gabrielle would be the only Queen, I would ever take. If anything ever happened to separate us, Gods' forbid enmity or death, I would never join with anyone this way again. As I felt Gabrielle's hold on me tighten, I knew that she felt the very same way. It seemed as if we receiving a blessing from the very cosmos, from Gaia herself. The air within the hall pulsed with energy.

  It lasted for long moments, and then as quickly as it came, the magic faded. The servants had obviously been well coached by Philateus and others who were aware of the phenomenon, and what would happen. The lamps and candles were lit immediately, and the guests in the Great Hall looked around as if dazed. We all returned our attentions to the task at hand. I looked up to see Lydia smiling from ear to ear.

  "Now you know, Conqueror, why I never returned to my place in Athens. I have waited for half my life to see the blessing of Athena," Lydia said.

  It was something that the guests of the royal wedding would talk about for the rest of their lives. They would tell their children, and some would nod their heads in disbelief. All who attended the day, however, would remember that for one moment in time all the heavens came together. For me personally, it would forever be a reminder that I was finally doing it right. For the first time in so long I could say that I was proud of my actions. Loving Gabrielle and accepting her love of me seemed to cause the world to tip slightly. It was as if nothing would ever be the same again. My world, as I had made it, was about to change. I had no idea at the time just how much.

  * * *

  The feast had been going on for candlemarks. Many of the guests were either drunk, or well on their way to that state. Guards and soldiers in and around the palace had been schooled in diplomacy for this occasion. They were to be respectful, but to keep the peace, and encourage some of the more inebriated guests to sleep it off in the palace.

  Gabrielle was truly the most beautiful woman in attendance. I may have been slightly biased, but not by much. She had removed the train on her gown so she could move around more easily. We ate, drank, and danced. We enjoyed one another's company until a number of women requested Gabrielle's presence. I always had one eye trained across the room on Gabrielle, but I soon joined in the challenges from some of the officers and Amazons. Usually the challenges were competitions in sport or drinking. I tactfully bowed out of the latter. I had no intention of going to bed drunk on this night.

  Frankly, getting Gabrielle into our own bed had been all I could think about the entire time we were dancing. I admitted as much to her, discreetly whispering in her ear until her face blushed a stunning pink color. I had no idea what had come over me, but I felt a need I hadn't experienced in at least a dozen seasons. At one time, when I was a younger woman, sex was like that for me. It was more than something I used as a pleasurable diversion; it was a driving need that usually caused a pounding ache between my legs. The difference between now and twenty or so seasons ago was that now I knew that only one woman's touch could satisfy my need. Back then; a thousand women could not quench my thirst.

  I found myself the last contestant in an arm wrestling challenge. When I sat down to the table, Ephiny sat across from me. We both grinned. The Amazon couldn't hide her admiration for my wife, but I knew two things for sure. One, Ephiny would never do anything that would disrespect either Gabrielle or me. Two, a physical challenge would be the only way I could ever hope to come close to pounding the Amazon for those thoughts.

  "At last you have her, Conqueror," Ephiny muttered as we set our elbows to the table.

  "I do indeed," I answered with a smile.

  Not another word was spoken. We each produced our own feral grin, and a look of fire as we struggled toward victory. She had me first, but that was always my way. I liked to test my opponents. I let her pull my arm over until she felt victory was hers. It was with sheer strength that I came back, as I pulled my arm upright again.

  I held her arm straight up until I felt a surge of adrenalin, as I'd not felt in seasons, course through my body. I graced her with a smile that could have been a snarl. It was as if I bared my teeth as a warning. One more heartbeat elapsed and in one swift movement, I slammed the Amazon's arm to the table. A loud cheer went up from the soldiers, and even a few exclamations of surprise from some of the Amazons.

  Ephiny stood as I did, and she rubbed her hand while staring at me. "Your message is well received, Conqueror." She smiled.

  I returned the smile along with a friendly slap on the back. "Tonight belongs to the warriors, my friend. There are more than a few lovely ladies who have never been in the company of an Amazon, perhaps you should drink up."

  The Amazon returned my good humor. "You're right, Conqueror. Perhaps there are a few highborn noblewomen who have never had a taste of Amazon love before. So, how does one go about the introductions?"

  I groaned at her play of words. "Come with me."

  We sauntered over to where Gabrielle was surrounded by a circle of lovely women. In all humility I will admit that when the two of us came into their midst, more than a few jaws dropped open. I stood behind Gabrielle, desperately trying to keep my hands from wandering. I placed them on her shoulders, and then introduced the Amazon Regent to the group. It didn't take long before at least three of the women had taken an earnest interest in our friend. I also learned that Ephiny could be a charmer when she wanted to be. When I turned my attention away, to focus on Gabrielle, I knew that Ephiny would be a busy woman for the rest of the night.

  I bent to kiss Gabrielle's neck and she lifted her hand, and placed it around my neck. I pressed into her and I wondered if she could feel the trembling of my body. I splayed my hand across her abdomen, probably lower down her belly than I should have in public. I felt her breath hitch as I pulled her back against me. I whispered in her ear.

  "Follow me." It wasn't a command, or a simple request. It was a desperate plea, and I think she recognized that fact by the tone of my voice.

  I held her hand and walked off to the back of the hall. I quietly opened the door of the room that I'd been in earlier that day. I hurriedly lit one lamp and turned back to Gabrielle. She stood in front of the large desk with a slightly confused expression on her face. I slipped one arm around her waist and drew her to me so that not an inch of space existed between us.


  I kissed her gently at first, but her mouth eagerly sought mine, which simply fueled my desire all the more. We took turns pulling and pressing against one another. It quickly brought us both to a state of some acute need. I pushed her back slightly, until she was sitting on the end of the desk. I could feel my kisses becoming more intense, more insistent, even demanding. I pressed my weight back against her, and as I lowered her back to the top of the desk, I swept papers and small objects out of the way with my right hand.

  "Gods, how I want you," I groaned.

  A low guttural moan, such as did not usually emanate from Gabrielle, came rolling from her chest. I felt her legs wrap around mine. That sound, the feel of her enveloped around me, it was all the encouragement that I needed to continue in that fashion.

  I straightened myself to remove the jacket I still wore. Gabrielle sat up, pushing the garment from my shoulders as soon as I had it unfastened. She tugged at the buttons to my shirt, and I temporarily let her have her way. I pushed the soft material of her gown up and along her legs, stopping when I reached her thighs. I slid my hands in further until I had a firm hold of her backside and pulled her body against my own body once more. I slid the fabric of her dress down her shoulder, and exposed a perfectly beautiful breast. Her skin was flushed pink, and her nipple pebbled and tight with excitement. It was simply too inviting to resist.

  My lips, my teeth, my tongue, they found every inch of Gabrielle's body absolutely delectable. I could barely understand my own body. Perhaps it was that we were now married, or that I'd finally found all that I desired. Whatever the cause, I was experiencing sensations that I hadn't had since I was a much younger woman. Coupled with my love and passion for this woman before me, I was insatiable. I could not touch her, kiss her, love her enough.