Chapter Text
Xena strode through her palace, surrounded by her Royal Guard. Even though she could handle herself perfectly fine, having the guard diminished the number of attempts on her life. The less of those, the less stress she had.
Today, nothing of note was supposed to happen. She didn't have any meetings or any diplomatic appearances for once. That meant she was left to her own devices, but that just posed the question of what she should do with herself.
She had conquered the Known World a few years ago and the world had settled into the routines set. Rogue warriors were punished for disobeying the laws, villages paid taxes in exchange for protection, and slave laws had tightened considerably, especially after Xena publicly punished and executed Krykus. Her different liaisons made ruling over the different countries easier, so that relieved a bit of hassle from her shoulders.
Still, being Empress of the Known World had its drawbacks. The main one being the lack of battle. Xena was a warrior by nature and not having to clash swords with anyone for a reason other than sparring was boring. She wanted action, the smell of blood, the feel of her strength pitted against someone else's. Couldn't get that when everyone submitted to her rule.
Groaning, Xena stepped into her private chamber, her guards saluting and remaining on watch outside. Xena sank into her chair and placed a hand over her face, wondering what she could do with herself. A sharp tingle down her spine made her sigh.
"What is it you need, Ares?" she asked, not moving her hand.
Ares sparkled into existence beside her and chuckled. "Why the long face, Xena? You're ruling the world. What's not to love?"
"The boring, running the world bit," Xena responded. "I control everything, but the goal is much less desirable than the journey to get here. I want to fight with someone seriously, but all the world has heard of my skills and few are stupid enough to try their luck."
"Yeah, sounds tough," Ares agreed, stroking her hair. "Once a warrior, always a warrior. That thirst for blood, the lust for battle, trading blows and sinking your sword into a chest or a neck."
"Not helping," Xena huffed, finally removing her hand and looking up at him.
Ares gave her a smug smile as he sauntered over to the map hung on the wall. He examined it calmly and cocked his head. Near Corinth, there was an area outlined in red and marked on the map. One section read 'Amazon territory', another was 'Centaur territory', and 'Horde: Dangerous' was the last one. "What do we have here?" he murmured, looking closer. "Looks to me there's a sizable chunk of land you haven't touched yet."
Xena raised an eyebrow. "Ah, Amazon and Centaur territory. I've made agreements with Melosa and Tildus that I wouldn't march on their lands. The Horde is too dangerous, even for my army."
"Aren't you the Conqueror of the Known World?" Ares sneered. "I'm pretty sure those areas are known. Can't really claim the title when there are autonomous pockets like those out there."
"Both have formidable forces." Xena knew Ares was trying to goad her into making more war. She was itching for a battle, but even she wasn't sure about fighting the Amazons or the centaurs. The Horde wasn't even a question, there was no fighting them.
Even so, it couldn't hurt to at least stir a bit of conflict before settling things down again. Standing, Xena stretched and sighed. "I think the best course of action is to do some recon work to make sure they can be fought." She smirked over at Ares. "Last thing I need is any unwelcome surprises."
Ares grinned at her. "You'll do just fine," he shrugged nonchalantly. "Soon, those stick carrying recluses will either be part of your rule... or erased for defying it."
"The Amazons and centaurs are an honorable people," Xena told him. "With any luck, I won't need to get rid of them completely. Would be a waste of history and skill."
"Yeah, yeah," Ares rolled his eyes. Still, she was doing as he wanted. That's what mattered. "Regardless, within the week, you'll rule over all the world, including those little pockets."
Xena watched him sparkle away and rolled her own eyes. Personally, she'd rather not fight the Amazons, but with any luck, she could convince some of the scouts to fight her. Just to get a thrill like old times.
Stripping of her commanding leathers, the ones that showed her rank and command, Xena stepped into some leather she hadn't worn in a long time. The dark brown leather still fit, even after all this time. She hadn't worn it but a handful of times since becoming the sole ruler of the world. Thankfully, not many even remembered this outfit, so it was perfect for going out without being too noticeable.
Xena fastened her old armor in place and stepped from her quarters. The guards saluted her and took in her attire. Mavican cocked her head in confusion. "My Lady, are you going out on a solo venture?"
"Yeah," Xena replied. "Just need to get away for a bit. Heading to the Amazon Nation to do a bit of recon. I trust the decoy will be ready by the time I leave?"
Mavican nodded with a salute as Petracles hurried off to prepare. Xena returned the nod and headed off to the stables. Her trusty Argo stood at attention as she strode in and Xena rubbed her nose affectionately.
"Ready to head off on an adventure, girl?" she cooed. "It won't be quite the same as old times, but that might be good for ya, huh?" Argo only huffed in response and Xena chuckled, leading her from the stable.
Xena mounted and off they were. She urged Argo into a steady canter. It wasn't enough to diminish Argo's strength, but enough that they'd be near Amazon lands before noon. As she rode, Xena took in the fresh air and her surroundings. With summer well on its way, the trees were blooming with new leaves. She'd missed being able to just enjoy nature. The wind in her hair, the feel of Argo beneath her, the sun beaming down on her, it was all so familiar.
Before too long, they were nearing Amazon lands. Xena knew that riding in on Argo would only make her more noticeable to the scouts, so she dismounted before they made it that far. Patting Argo's side, she sent her off into the surrounding fields. With any luck, this wouldn't take too long, a day or two at most. Argo dutifully headed off and Xena started for the markers.
She walked carefully, not wanting to be taken off guard. The scouts were usually hiding in tree branches, so if an attack was coming, it would likely be from arrow or-.
An axe sunk itself into the tree beside her and Xena had a split second to react before several men with markings covering their bodies converged on her at once. Xena cursed. What the Hades were the Horde doing in this area? Had even the Amazons not been able to fend them off? That wasn't good. More Horde territory meant a power imbalance in this area. Even worse, the Horde weren't known for being merciful to those in their territory.
Xena didn't even have time to remove her sword before three axes were aimed at her from different directions, one poised right under her neck. One of the warriors not holding a weapon to a vital body part stomped forward and tied Xena's hands behind her back, keeping her defenseless.
This was probably the worst case scenario. Xena had no clue how to get herself out of this one. She was trapped.