Gabrielle By Rampant Tiger The story of how a young female develops from lowly squire to magnificent master. Gabrielle --------- (This is a spin-off of the `XENA-WARRIOR PRINCESS' TV series in which Xena's friend and travelling companion, Gabrielle (played in the series by Renee O'Connor), develops into a warrior in her own right, and after becoming a powerful Amazon fighter under Xena's guidance, gets separated from Xena, and, in another far-off land, experiences many exciting and heroic adventures of her own - still holding to Xena's creed of helping the oppressed and of battling cruel oppressors - be they war-lords, giants, amazon queens or fearsome beasts. This spin-off was inspired by members of the `XENA' production crew commenting, in Rene's hearing, on how the youthful physique of `Gabrielle' had developed during the series until she now had muscles comparable to Xena herself. Rene gave this some thought and the idea of competing with her ideal champion excited her no end. So, during the long break after the year's taping was concluded, Rene found a personal trainer who would work with her to carry out her dream. He was as excited about the plan as she was, and planned an exercise program that developed her already impressive musculature into a hard sculpted physique , and a diet regimen that peeled all the baby-fat from her now sinewy body and left her looking like a champion body-builder - a YOUNG champion body-builder. When Rene turned up for the beginning of the next year's taping, and got into her familiar costume, the whole crew, from producers to grips, just gasped in amazement, and Lucy Lawless threw her arms around her former protege and screamed in delight. "WOW!" said Lucy, "You're not going to be my side-kick any more, and you're not going to appear beside me in that outfit, at least, not more than once. Let's talk things over with our producer." And so they did, and the outcome was that a short three or four episode story-line would set the stage for Rene's departure into a spin-off series, and she would be replaced in `Xena' by someone else, maybe a sturdy, young lad (Xena's long-lost son?) or whoever. In any case the story-line leading to Gabrielle's departure was soon put together and the new taping began. This is the story, in brief. ---------------------- BOOK I Gabrielle in Training ------------------------------- Chapter 1 - Gabrielle Becomes a Warrior After using her strength and her skills and her wiles to defeat a fierce War-lord and his powerful army AND Gareth, the biggest, strongest, meanest giant in the world, at the same time, Xena decided that it was time to rest. The two companions, Xena, the Warrior Princess, and Gabrielle, her young and devoted friend, lay down together in a forest glade, on a bed of pine boughs, covered only with their robes. Their naked bodies warmed each other in the cool of the night, and their arms held firmly around the other's shoulders. And so they slept. At least Xena slept. Her battle-trained senses were just as awake and alert as if she stood upright on guard, and not a sound in the forest or on the trail was not heard and named and rejected as friend or foe or not to be worried about. Her speed and strength and weapons right at hand could break any attack upon her sleeping body. Before the attacker, be it a wild animal, a fierce enemy warrior, or a band of heavily-armed ruffians, could even touch the naked body of the sleeping Princess, her hands and feet and elbows and knees would demolish the animal or animals, two-legged or four- legged, and rip them apart with her bare hands. If Gabrielle wakened during such a violent massacre, she'd just lay back and grin, knowing Xena, after her exertions, would want to be comforted and caressed and have the blood wiped off her hands and feet before settling down to sleep once more - and Gabrielle loved to wash her mentor's feet and hands and hold her close to her breast until Xena at last relaxed and fell asleep. But this night, there was no violent attack from without. But there was an attack! So alert and fast was Xena, that once in a while, while she lay sound asleep as she was tonight, Gabrielle would suddenly, silently, and with- out warning, drive her staff against Xena's nose! As suddenly, silently, and without warning the blow came, Xena's hand would drive up, seize the staff and rip it from Gabrielle's grasp. It never failed, and it was a game they both enjoyed. And Gabrielle, lying awake in Xena's arms, played it often! But tonight was different! Gabrielle's staff, heavy and with all of Gaby's weight behind it, crashed into Xena's nose. Xena's reaction was wild and furious, and Gabrielle went flying into the upper branches of a nearby tree, and her staff was broken into kindling wood before Xena was even awake. Then she laughed, and leaped into the tree to extricate Gabrielle. "Well! Gabrielle, You've finally done it! I didn't realize you were getting so fast and strong. Now my nose tells me you are! Please wipe the blood off my face and lie down beside me and promise not to hit me again, and we'll talk about this in the morning. "Xena! Tell me true, did you let me hit you? I think you did!" "No way, Gabrielle. You hit me fair and square - and it hurt! Now go to sleep." "Honest, Xena, I still think you let me do it. Wow! You're the greatest" And so they slept, in each other's arms, until morning. Next morning, after breakfasting on fish Xena scooped up out of a nearby stream, Xena stood up and stripped off her clothes. Standing naked, she told Gabrielle to do the same. Gabrielle did, and stood quite still while Xena walked slowly around her, several times. "Gabrielle, all the running you've done alongside me while I rode on Hugo, all the water you've carried, all the firewood you've chopped, and all the camp-cleaning you've done, as well as all of the fighting you've done, has changed you into a fit strong young woman. And soon you'll be reaching the stage where you'll want to be with a man - and sleeping with me just won't do the trick. "So flex your muscles and let me see what I have to work with here" Gabrielle flexed her muscles. She flexed her biceps, and she flexed her traps, and she flexed her abs, letting the ripples run up and down her belly. She flexed her quads and she stood on tip-toe and flexed her calves, and then she rippled the ropes of muscle that crossed her broad back and wide shoulders. Xena gazed on approvingly. "Well. Gabrielle, you've got a good start. Now all we have to do is harden you up and make you a lot more flexible, and then teach you how to use some weapons. Your staff is good - to start with, but it's just not enough! Well, I know a secret valley about a week's journey from here where we can train you for as long as it takes - and I don't think that will be too long" The two companions hugged each other in confirmation of their pact, dressed, and started on their journey to the hidden valley. ------------------------------------- Chapter 2 Defeat of the Champion Reaching the hidden valley, after a week's uneventful journey, Xena and Gabrielle entered a large clearing in the middle of a dense forest. There, in the clearing, was a large building in front of a large, level area of packed sand, with wooden and iron and stone targets spread all around the perimeter. In the center was a large, round platform of hard wood, about shoulder-high. To the side of the pavilion was a cooking area with a large table for food prepar- ation, and on the other side was a large table piled high with every type of weapon and offensive and defensive device that Gabrielle could imagine. "HO! Xena. What do we have here? It looks like a training arena for future gladiators and warriors!" "Yes, Gabrielle, that's exactly what it is, but dedicated solely to my personal use. Here's where I come to rest up after a battle, to recover my strength and let my wounds heal. And, while I rest, I can practice the use of just about any weapon there is." "But who do you practice with? I can see you practicing with sword and spear and your chakram, but how do you get to practice your defensive skills? Someone has to fight against you - and it has to be someone pretty strong! No ordinary man - or even a champion gladiator! - would last a minute against you, even if he were fully armed in the weapons of his choice, and you were stark naked lying on the ground!" "You're right, Gaby, and this is a deep secret that you must promise never to reveal! Do you?" "Yes, Xena. I promise never to reveal to anyone the name of your powerful protagonist. Who is he? Or she? It has to be a god!" "Ha! Gaby, you're very close. My partner is not a god, but he fears none of them and will do battle with any of them - even his father, Zeus!' "By Hera! Xena! You mean Hercules? The mightiest, strongest, bravest man in the whole universe? Do you mean you battle him? Even in play? I can't believe it, Xena! Even whole armies can't stand up against his strength and skill. Do you really mean Hercules?" "Yes, I do! You know we've been friends for a long time. And you know we were deadly enemies before that, before I changed my life and my goals. I was a vicious war-lord with a fierce, well-trained army, and power and wealth was all I wanted. We'd over-run villages and towns and loot their wealth and rape their women, and I, personally, would rape their king or their lord and his powerful courtiers. And then, when my lust was sated, I would line them up in front of me, and strangle them, one by one, with my bare hands. Sometimes, when I was feeling especially lusty, I would take one powerful warrior into my cunt and squeeze him to death, screaming!, while I choked the life out of his two strongest cronies, one in each hand! God! How I loved that life!" "WOW!!!" "But that all changed when I battled Hercules. I had become the most power- ful, most feared war-lord in the universe. My captains could stalk alone into a town and select the most beautiful women and screw them in the nearest private room - or public room, if they chose! And stalk out again without a hand being raised against them. Such was the fear my might exacted from the populace. Finally the towns and villages got together and appealed to their only hope - Hercules! - to save them from my vicious tyranny. He accepted, and when this news reached my ears, I laughed. "By Zeus! I'm going to defeat the strongest, bravest man in the universe - and when I do - the universe will be mine!" The thought of defeat never entered my mind! And! as an added bonus, when I had Hercules grovelling at my bare toes, I would demand from Zeus, as exchange for the life of his beloved son, a free hand - without interference from the gods - to do as I pleased, to loot and plunder and rule as Empress of the Universe." When Hercules agreed to this task, he was many days journey away from me. When Hercules at last approached my armed camp, my army, rested and strong, was ready for battle. An armed horde had followed behind Hercules, ready to mop up after their hero had destroyed my mighty army. But my strategy was just a bit different. The job I had assigned to my army was to ignore Hercules completely - and to engage and utterly destroy the armed horde behind him! I was going to take Hercules on BY MYSELF! Confident? YES! Stupid? No, not a bit. I knew Hercules would be tired after his long journey. I was fresh and well-rested! I knew Hercules would be over-confident at the thought of facing a lone female warrior, no doubt sated and weary from the strings of orgies she had no doubt had. I knew what I was up against! And I was prepared! As the armies closed, my strategy went into effect. My army skirted Hercules, ignoring him completely, and fell viciously on the armed horde behind him. Not prepared for this, the horde was utterly routed in a very short time, screaming for help from their hero. But he was out alone in front, being approached by a tall beautiful young woman, whom he immediately recognized as Xena, the vicious and fearsome warlord he was here to battle. Hercules laughed! "Xena! Where is your vaunted army? Do you really want to do combat with me, alone? Do you know who I am?" "Yes, Hercules, I know who you are, and I intend to do single combat with you. The winner takes all. My army will not interfere and yours can do what- ever it wants - as soon as it stops running away! My challenge - your choice of weapons." Hecules grinned. "OK, you asked for it. You're a beautiful woman and I'm a strong and lusty man. We'll fight body to body - man to woman - as the gods intended. Strip off all of your clothes and armour, and I'll strip off mine. Then, as the last garment drops to the ground, we'll fight! TO THE FINISH!" The last garment dropped to the ground, and the two combatants moved towards each other, both confident of a major victory! As they reached almost to arms-length of each other, Xena suddenly gave a violent twitch and leapt into the air in a rolling somersault, landing behind the startled Hercules and facing his broad back. Before he had the wit to react, Xena had her arms around his neck and, falling backwards, flipped him over her head to land spread-eagled on his back on the ground, stunned by the suddenness of the maneuvre and the the complete loss of his wind as a result of the violent fall. In a flash, Xena was on top of him, seizing his wrists in her hands, and flipping him over again and again, then raising him above her head and slamming him down across a huge rock rising out of the ground. Hercules groaned and sank to the ground in a daze, completely helpless in the strong arms of his beautiful female opponent. Xena's army, having long routed the horde that had come with Hercules, rallied around and cheered their champion to the echo. Xena stood up, her naked foot on Hercules naked chest, and clasped her hands in a victory salute above her defeated foe. The army roared its victory chant and waved their swords and spears up to the heavens. Xena bent down to heave her powerful foe up above her head and started to carry him into the privacy of her great pavilion. But the thunderous roaring awakened Hercules from his daze, and he quickly escaped Xena's powerful grip. Astride the ground again, Hercules snarled, "You tricked me once, Xena. You won't do that again. This battle is not yet done!" And the two mighty warriors clashed again in the midst of the cheering, expectant army. But this time the combatants struggled fiercely in each other's arms, chest to chest and thigh to thigh. Xena was faster and more flexible, but Hercules' god-given strength began to prevail. He tumbled Xena to the ground time and time again, and forced her arms into holds she was unable to escape. But Xena, facing defeat at the hands of the champion she had almost overpowered, was not yet beaten! As she staggered up from the ground after escaping a final pin once more, into the silence of her despondent followers, she took one last chance. Seemingly staggering into another deadly hold, just as Hercules reached out to give her the coup de grace, Xena pounced, with deadly accuracy, to grasp his balls with one hand! Then she squeezed! And she squeezed! And Hercules screamed in agony, and dropped to his knees in pain. Xena belted his open jaw with her rock-hard elbow, again and again, until Hercules dropped to the ground completely senseless - beaten AGAIN by a beautiful female champion - Hercules first defeat ever at the hands of another mortal! There was no doubt this time as to whom the victory belonged, and Xena again raised her defeated foe over her head to carry him into her pavilion. But first she turned to her screaming captains and said, "Victory is mine! The world is ours! Now go and loot and rape and burn, but, on pain of death, do not return here for at least a month. I have my own victory to celebrate, And I think the strongest man in the world, the bravest hero before the gods, may last that long before he dies at my - well, my hands. Now GO!" Saying that, Xena picked up her powerful foe and carried him, over her shoulder, into her huge pavilion. ------------------------------------- Chapter 3 Rape of the Champion Inside her pavilion, Xena dropped the unconscious champion onto the silken sheets covering her wide bed. He was naked, as was she, and they were both covered with a thick film of sweat and dirt. Xena pulled a bell-rope, and immediately, four beautiful serving-girls slid into the chamber. They bowed to Xena, but all their eyes were on the massive-muscled giant lying senseless on the bed. They stared, and they shook their heads in amazement. "Mistress," said one, "We heard of your wonderful victory, but over Hercules??? The strongest man in the universe! He must be over twice your size. How did you do it - and do it twice! You must be a god! You have to be! As well as a fierce and vicious warlord, and now Empress of the Universe!" and the four servitors knelt down at Xena's feet. "Get up, you lazy crones. I'm not a god, and I don't want to be. I'm just stronger and smarter than any man that has ever lived - and that's the proof lying there stinking up my bed. Now draw a bath for me, and bathe me and lavish me with perfumes and oils - and be quick, or I'll break your bones as I did his!" The serving-girls leapt to their feet and hurried to do her bidding. In a short time, Xena was bathed and perfumed and swathed in silken robes, all while Hercules lay helpless on her bed. "Now, you sluts, carry that hunk of smelly meat into my used bathwater, and scrub him free of that sweat and grime. When he smells fit for human company, soak him in perfume and wrap him in your most sensuous gowns, and bring him to lie at my feet at my Chair of State. Then absent yourselves from my compound until I summon you once more. What is about to transpire is between me and Hercules and the gods and is not for mortal eyes to see!" Again the servitors did as Xena bid, and as the now cowed champion was laid at Xena's feet, they disappeared from the chamber, leaving the two warriors alone. `The two warriors' ??? Well, maybe not. One warrior, a tall stately amazon dressed in regal robes and chains of office and carrying a long, slender cane in one hand and a rawhide whip in the other, sat upright on a burnished throne. The other `warrior', dressed in a gown suitable for a lady of the night and slathered with powerfully-smelling perfume, lay on his belly in front of his conqueror. Xena looked down at Hercules and laughed out loud. "Ho, Hercules! Strongest man and bravest hero in the universe! Lie at the feet of your conqueror! No, don't lie there on your belly. Get up on your hands and knees and crawl, like the dog you are, or the whoring bitch you smell like, to my throne." Hercules raised himself to his hands and knees and started to crawl towards his victor's throne. Not being used to wearing dresses, he tripped on the hem as he crawled and fell flat on his face. As he struggled to rise, three savage blows from the long cane drew blood from his almost uncovered buttocks and he fell back down on his face. This time it was the whip that curled across his back, and he fought to keep tears of agony from running down his cheeks. "Slave! Or may I call Hercules, Master of Men, Slave? I can and I will and unless you do as I say better than you've done so far, I'll whip you within an inch of your life. Now crawl - and I won't tell you again - to the foot of my throne!" Hercules crawled! As he reached the foot of the throne, he saw Xena slip off her golden sandals. She extended her foot toward him and said, simply, "Kiss!" There was no doubt as to Xena's meaning, but Hercules hesitated just a second to realize the implication - and it was long enough! Once, twice, thrice, the slender cane descended on Hercules backside! He leapt with pain and, quick as a flash, he kissed the bare foot that was extended to him. As he kissed it, the foot flexed back and forth, and presented new surfaces to be kissed. He kissed them all. "Suck!" was the command from on high, as strong toes were pushed into his mouth. He sucked them until his mouth was dry, and then he chewed on the toes and then the rock-hard sole of the perfumed foot. "And now - the other foot!" and so it went, kissing, licking, sucking and chewing, until every muscle in his face was exhausted. Xena smiled down at last. "You've done very well for someone not accustomed to licking the feet of women who defeat you in combat. But just to make sure you don't forget this little lesson, we'll give you something to remember it by. Strip off your skirt!" By now Hercules knew the penalty for hesitating so, without a thought, he dropped his skirt to the ground, leaving his muscular glutes exposed to the view of the victor on the throne. "Now, touch your toes!" And Hercules did. Then, leaving all compassion aside, Xena struck blow after blow with her slender cane across those exposed muscles, until blood poured down his thighs and calves and covered his feet. He bore the pain as long as he could, then he collapsed in agony at the foot of the throne, completely unconscious. Xena grinned. "This seems to be going well. In just a few days, he'll be eating out of my hand - or wherever else I want him to eat out of. Then, we'll start to negotiate with his dear Daddy - and the world will be mine!" Xena arose from the throne and, without a glance at the unconscious form lying on the floor, went off to bed for a sound and dreamless sleep. Next morning, Xena sprang from her bed and called, softly, "Herky. Come here." There was no response. In a rage at being so callously ignored, Xena, naked from her warm bed, swept into the throne chamber with her whip in hand. There, at the foot of her throne, still suffering from the horrible beating he had been given last night, lay Hercules, moaning in pain. Xena hesitated not a minute, but raised her whip and lashed out at Hercules' silk-clad back. Again and again, she brought the cruel whip across his quivering torso until, at last, he staggered to his knees and wailled. "Mistress! Please stop beating me. Tell me what I can do for you - while I still can. Anything! I'll do it." "Yes, you will, Herky, and to begin with, you will always - ALWAYS - stay in range of my voice so that, when I want you to perform some service for me, I'll just have to whisper my commands - and you will jump to obey! Under- stand me!" And this quiet order was emphasized by a final slash of the whip across Hercules' chest. "Yes, Mistress. I'll obey." Hercules quaking voice responded, a full measure of how this strongest man in the world, this hero of heroes, was cowed and intimidated by the vicious female warlord he had challenged. Now he knelt at her feet, beaten and helpless, waiting - nay! EAGER - to do her bidding. "First, call me Mistress no longer! To you, I am MASTER! and you will always address me as such! Second, draw my bath and carry me into it - surely you have enough strength left in your puny muscles to do THAT!" and Hercules scurried to obey. Her warm bath drawn, Hercules lifted his mistress up in his arms and carried her into the bath. He was amazed at how little the warlord weighed! She was not even a load for one of his powerful hands. Why was he doing this, he thought. Then, as if in answer to his thought, a small, strong hand brushed briefly against his balls. His whole being quaked at the thought of what that hand could do to him, and he instantly dismissed his rebellious thought. He laid his mistress - no! his master! - down in the warm water and started to leave the the bath. "Stop!" came a whispered command, "Did I tell you to leave? I did not! I want you to soap me all over, from head to toe, then scrub me clean till I gleam like a jewel. Then dry me with rough towels and rub me all over with aromatic oils and sweet-smelling perfumes. And be gentle, Herky, - Oh, so very gentle. If I'm jostled or bumped in the slightest, it'll be a long day before you will again be able to stand!" Hercules, carefully and gently, did his master's every bidding. He soaped her naked body from head to toe, ensuring every crevice and striation was cleaned, and he scrubbed every inch of her till her skin just gleamed. His big hands fondled her firm breasts and slid into her vaginal opening and her anal orifice until his master was moaning in pleasure, and he had an erection that was monstrous in size and hardness, but which he kept carefully concealed from his purring master. Then he carefully lifted her out of the bath and dried her from head to toe with thick, soft towelling, until she lay on a padded bench with her eyes closed and her arms folded quietly over her breasts. Hercules' erection was fabulous - hard and thick and long - and it ached with the need for release. Annointing Xena with scented oils was more than Hercules' massive, muscular, lusty physique was able to endure and, in his excitement, he jostled his master's arm. Instantly, before Hercules could even begin to regret his error, Xena was wide awake and aware of her slave's condition. She looked up at him and grinned. "Well! What a weapon it is that you have here in front of me! What in Hades were you going to use it for? Were you going to club me to death with it? I hope not, because I have a much better idea. Now, Herky, lie down on this mat with your legs apart and your arms by your sides and, no matter what happens, don't move a muscle or I'll break your jaw - and your nose. So lie quite still! Hercules blushed with shame at having been caught with such a powerful, unwilling erection and he quickly complied with his master's command. He lay down on his back on the mat with his arms by his sides and spread his legs wide apart. His penis, thick and long and hard as a rock, stood upright, unwavering, at the base of his muscled belly. It was solid as a iron post but, oozing from the rounded head, a small stream of a creamy fluid started to flow down the smooth skin of his cock. Xena watched it ooze for a few moments, then she bent over and lapped at the source of it with a rough and flickering tongue. This was just too much for Hercules self-control to handle and his whole being exploded in a fiery orgasmic explosion. His cum shot high in the air and landed in a stream over his belly and chest. His penis rippled with the advent of another ejaculation but, before it could even shoot, it was encircled by a small, powerful hand that squeezed every drop of seminal fluid right back into its source. The hand held tight, and the pain of the arrested orgasm erupted in a wild and violent scream. "God! Master! God! Master! Please let me go! You're crushing my manhood into my belly and my bowels and my asshole. I'm going to explode in agony!" Xena grinned again. "No, you're not. Not while I have such a strong grip on the source of your manhood. You're going to let your orgasm sink away, but your penis is going to stay just as rigid as a rock until I get through with it. My hand will encircle your balls and, if I feel the smallest ejaculation start to flow, I'll crush you dead! Now, just relax and let me take that monstrous cock inside my uterus, inside my vaginal tunnel, and right up into my womb!" And Xena slid her naked, perfumed torso across the muscular physique of the world's strongest man, and slid his great penis into her cunt, and started to ripple the muscular walls of her vagina until Hercules screamed in agony. He couldn't come, he couldn't escape the lusty stroking of his rock-hard penis, and he couldn't reduce his erection. All that he could do was to lie in supreme agony while his master, his conqueror in a battle to the death, and now his dominating lover, screwed him to within an inch of his life! Death would have been better! At last, Xena came in an explosive, eruptive orgasm, and lay back in the arms of her reluctant lover. "WOW! Herky! You're all I ever hoped a man to be. Your body is massive and strong, your cock is huge and hard, and your orgasms are full and explosive. By Zeus, if you could only fight, what a great team we would make! But that is not to be! Now, feed me!" ------------------------------------- Chapter 4 Xena, the wild and vicious victor Hercules set a large table with roasted cuts of meat, thick loaves of bread, bowls of fruit and tall jugs of wine. Then he picked Xena up in his arms and carried her to a wide divan beside the table. There, he covered her naked body with silken robes, and knelt down to feed her. The amazon warlord had a tremendous appetite from her bathing and her sexual interludes and her devious planning for her future as Empress of the Universe, so her feeding was completely Hercules' responsibility. Xena had no need now to feed her- self, or even to chew her food, so that was Hercules' job. He chewed every chunk of meat till it was just the right consistency for Xena to swallow, then he bent over her and let it drop into her mouth. Bread was treated the same way, and every orange, grape and date was pared and masticated before it entered Xena's mouth. Everything was so easy for this female warlord, and wine was no exception. Poured from the jug into Hercules' mouth, then from Hercules to Xena, but here Xena had her own ideas. Locking her lips about Hercules', when he stooped to pour the wine, Xena sucked the wine into her stomach, then regurgitated it into his. Back into her stomach, back into his, then after many mouthfuls of the intoxicating fluid, both warrior and warlord were drunk as skunks. It was not Hercules habit to get rolling drunk but, being the leader of a tough army rabble, Xena was well used to the joys of intoxication. Before very long, both were rolling on the ground, naked, while Xena raped her defeated foe, over and over again. She aroused his rampant penis, easily, and took it into her mouth, deep into her mouth, till he ejaculated, and ejaculated, and ejaculated, till his whole body was covered in thick, creamy fluid. Xena laughed, and spread the fluid over every inch of his muscular torso, especially around his anal orifice. Then she covered her hand in the fluid and thrust her hand, first one finger, then the next, until her whole hand, almost up to the elbow, was deep in Hercules' ass. Spreading her hand in Herky's rectum, she seized his testicles from the inside and manipulated them until he ejaculated on demand. Xena screamed with laughter! She stood him on the table with her hand up his rectum and tweaked a little and he shot his wad. Then she tweaked a bit more as he faced the divan, and his cum covered the cushions. Then she turned him to face her, and took the end of his cock in her mouth, and tweaked once more. His whole load poured into his master's mouth, over- flowed, and ran down her chest. Hercules was done! He collapsed on the table completely senseless. Xena removed her hand from up his ass and wiped it on all the hairs on his body. And then she carried him to her throne, laid him at her feet, and cried out for Zeus! Reluctantly, Zeus answered her call. It was not the custom of the gods to respond to mortals' pleas, but this was different. This warlord had ensnared his beloved son, the strongest mortal on earth, and the only mortal who could battle against the gods - and win! And now this Xena, this vicious female warlord, had his son in thrall and would soon beat him to death to satisfy her twisted desires. She seemed merciless! So Zeus responded, and looked at the sorry state of his son, and the gleeful mien of his conqueror. "So, Xena, what do you want, and when do you want me to do it?" "Oh, nothing much, King of all the Gods, Just a little forbearance when I loot this world, and rape and murder the citizens, and declare myself Empress of the Universe. And, in return for that little favor, I'll return your son to you, - such as he is! - pretty much in the condition you see him in now. He's a lousy fighter - I don't think he'll ever challenge me again! - but he's a great lover, so I may want to screw him once or twice more before I let him go free. "OK, Xena. You win this round. I agree - with a minor condition that you'll learn about later, but which will not affect our agreement. Please don't hurt my son any more than you must. I don't think you'll have to - he looks pretty much under your control right now. Goodbye, Xena. It was a pleasure to do business with you." Xena roared with laughter, and threw her hands in the air in joy! The strongest, fiercest warlord in the whole world! Empress of the Universe! And conqueror, in single combat, of the strongest man in the world! What more could the future hold? Well, one thing. Before she turned that great, powerful ex-hero loose, she was going to screw him until he lay sense- less at her feet again. That would be fun! Especially, if he didn't know it would be the last time. Hercules still lay senseless on the divan, but he stirred as Xena approached him. "Get up, you lazy lout!" she roared, "I'm going to bed!" and she gave him a vicious kick in the side. She was barefoot, but her feet were hard as rocks, and the kick lifted Hercules into the air. He staggered to his feet and followed her, like a beaten puppy, to his post at the foot of her bed. "Whoa, Herky, you smell like shit. You can't stay in my chamber like that. Go and take a bath! Wait! Take me with you and we can take a bath to- gether." So Hercules gathered Xena up in his arms, still amazed at how little she weighed, and carried her into the bath. As before, he soaped her and scrubbed her and towelled her dry. Then, as he was about to slavish her in aromatic oils, she held up her hand. "Stop! Lie down on this bench, Herky, and I will anoint you with these perfumes and scents. I would like you to smell pretty for me when you lie at my feet." So Hercules, a bit disappointed at missing the chance to fondle and stroke his lord and master, but still leaping at his master's command, lay down on the bench and closed his eyes. He was going to take full advantage of this reversal of their roles. Xena poured the vials of aromatic oils all over the massive, muscular torso of her soon-to-be victim, like a black widow spider about to devour her mate. She soothed the lotion over his chest and over his arms and all across his belly and, softly, gently, down his great thighs and bulging calves. By now, Xena's loins were burning with the heat of the scented lotions and the gentle stroking of Hercules' torso. Finally, Xena began to stroke the gigantic member that was protruding like a mainmast from between the spread legs of the now moaning warrior who lay on the bench. After the first stroke, that mainmast, that long, thick cock that had hardened into an iron bar, began to cough gently and again, the thick, creamy fluid began to flow in a stream down the silky sides. This time Xena made no effort to stem the flow but, instead, slid her hot, wet body over that of the muscled giant beneath her, enclosing, in her mouth, the great, iron-hard rod that now slipped unprotesting passed a questing tongue into a long, tight tunnel that led into Xena's pulsing stomach. Hercules cock was monstrous. It was long and thick and hard as an oaken post, but it was covered with a slick and slippery skin that quivered with the pulsing muscles of Xena's throat. Now Xena's thighs, hard as oak and rippling with the striated musculature that let her leap high over the heads of her on-coming enemies, closed around Hercules' head and gently - oh so gently - squeezed until his mouth popped open and his tongue was forced outward into a hot and hollow cavity that grasped it and pulled it hard into a pulsing, sucking vacuum that took all of the breath out of Hercules' lungs and collapsed his chest till he completely lost consciousness. He lay there, inert, defeated, in the arms of his once-again victor. Once, as the known strongest man and greatest hero in the mortal world, he went down to ignominious defeat, in a field of physical combat, to a female warlord he'd had the audacity to challenge, and now he went down to an even more ignominious defeat, in the arena of sexual combat, to the same female hero that had reduced him to a slobbering lackey and treated him like a female serf. But it was not over yet! Hercules was unconscious, - dead to the world! But his vanquisher was not! Xena lay on top of the magnificent torso of the world's champion hero, with her legs locked about his head after sucking the life-giving air out of his lungs, and rendering him completely senseless, by the powerful suction of her uterus and womb. And now for the coup de grace! Hercules was out cold, completely unconcious, as far as his mental and physical capabilities were concerned. But his sexual being was still in existence, and still under the control of the female who had subjected his physical and mental beings to such a savage battering. Xena felt her combatant, Herky, yield to the strength of her womb. Yield, and completely give up the ghost! So she relaxed the oaken musculature of her powerful legs, and she loosened the grip that her small, powerful hands had on his muscular glutes. Why not? Hercules was unconscious, and could offer no resistance or response. Or could he? Xena wondered. Could she screw a man who was completely unconscious? And not just screw him to satisfy her own sexual lust, but to make him respond, physically and sexually, so that he, too, could experience the joy of orgasm and ejaculation, unconscious though he may be? Well, she could try!. Lying on top of her unconscious victim, Xena still held, deep in her throat, the long, hard cock that was the last of Hercules physical attributes. Deep in her throat, Xena could still feel the slick and slippery skin that hugged the muscular walls of her throat. Her throat had stopped its pulsing long ago, but that was not a problem. Raising her head just a little, she captured, with her fingers, some of the creamy cum that had long ago escaped the pulsing of his cock. Now spreading that cum around the drying walls of her throat, she could once again feel the pulsing muscles begin to respond. Slowly, not to disturb sleeping dogs, she swallowed the cum, then she swallowed again. It was easier this time. And again. And again. And now she could feel the slightest response from the slippery skin of the unconscious champion's cock. Then, gently, she raised her head a little, to let the large and still turgid cock slip along the now softly-pulsing walls of her throat. Incredibly, the slippery skin of the engorged penis began to respond to the flexing of the strong and rippling muscles that lined the length of Xena's throat. The vascular skin of Hercules enormous penis was rubbed by the cream- covered walls that squeezed it tightly within their increasingly powerful grip, and helplessly, without control, began to press inwards and outwards along that gently pressing, powerfully sucking column of muscle that led in- ward from Xena's moistening mouth. As the skin slid more easily within its creamy confinements, the cock itself began to stretch and fill and reach onward and inward until the great glans bellied into Xena's stomach. Feeling the response, now getting stronger and more violent, Xena pulled her head up from where her lips were in eager contact with the rocky mound at the root of her victim's great cock, out along the whole length of the pulsing penis, until only the huge head rested in her mouth. Then she drove in again, till the head was in her stomach once more and her teeth were scraping the now-sensitive skin of the penis that had become as hard as a length of burnished oak. And again! And again! And that was enough! The body of the senseless giant, who lay beneath the strong loins of his rapist, moved not a muscle. How could it - it was merely unfeeling meat? But the powerful sexual organs that protruded from its belly exploded in violence, and flung Xena far off, onto the floor. He orgasmed, and ejaculated, and shot forth a stream of cream that passed by his belly and sprinkled his chest, but laid down a thick, gooey mask of creamy cum all over his face. And then his whole being, including his great belching penis, collapsed in a dead lump on the bench. Xena arose and examined her unconscious victim. "By Zeus! I've done it! I've seduced the sexual organs of a man who was almost dead - and who still is! By Hades! I wonder if I could do it to a man who was REALLY dead? Maybe I could, but this isn't the one to try it on. Zeus would never forgive me if I cut off his son's head - the one on his shoulders, that is! - to see if I could later rape the other one." Grinning weakly, and picked up her unconscious sexual partner. She carried him into the bath and scrubbed him thoroughly - except for his face! Covered with a hardening mask of cum, that face was Xena's treasure! Drying him off, she clothed Hercules in the filmy garments of a houri, and carried him to the foot of her throne. She dropped him there without ceremony and prepared to tell him the good news. He was free! But first, she had to awaken him. Should she sit naked on her throne as she brought him back to life, or should she don the classic robes and armour of a warrior lord? That, she decided would be best. So thus clad, she gave him a hefty boot in the ribs, and another, and another, till he rolled over, moaning, onto his knees. "Ho, Herky. You're a lousy fighter, and you're not as strong as you think you are, but you sure make a great piece of ass. I would like to keep you and that monstrous dong of yours here to satisfy my daily urges. That would be wonderful - and a great workout for me whenever I wanted one, but I just can't. I promised your daddy that I would release you, just as you are, back to the world at large. In return for a small favour, of course. I can loot and pillage and rape and murder where-ever I choose, and he, or any of the other gods, will never interfere. What a great lusty life I have ahead of me! You, of course, can interfere any time you like - if you dare! I would welcome your feeble efforts! So, now, Hercules, GO!" Hercules staggered to his feet and turned to go, his face burning with shame. The he heard a great laugh behind him, and swung around to see Xena holding up his armour. "Hey, Herky, you'd better put this on before you go, or people will wonder where you've been. Put it on, try it out, and then come back and stand in front of me." Hercules put on his armour, and once more felt like the hero he once had been. Then he walked back and stood upright in front of his master. She looked down at him. "Now, you look like a hero again, Herky, but I want to leave you with one last reminder of your stay here with me. Look at me!" And Hercules looked, and saw Xena's tongue slowly circling her wide-open mouth. As it flicked in and out, and circled around and back and forth, Hercules felt his strength escaping from his body, his legs got weak, and he fell to his knees. And then, like a phoenix arising, his huge penis sprang forth and swelled and lengthened and stood up like a rock in front of his belly. It hurt, engorged with blood, and then it began to throb, and to pulse, and creamy cum began to ooze from the opening in the dark red glans. Try as he would, he could not bring his hands, hanging at his sides, up to protect his throbbing manhood. And the ache went deeper, into the depths of his loins, and swelled, and finally, with a burst of agony and relief, he exploded in a violent orgasmic ejaculation that flung his sperm right to the foot of the throne, to land on Xena's sandals. Hercules fell forward on his face and, without a hint from his master, licked the creamy cum from Xena's feet. "So, my lover. Remember that, and when you hear me call, be sure to come!" And Hercules turned and went away. Hercules left the valley of Xena's encampment, and started on his long journey back to the people he had sworn to deliver from oppression. He knew he would no longer be the invincible hero he once had been, but he was still Hercules, and he was still as powerful as ever! There was not a man he could not defeat nor an army that did not fear him, but he knew he was helpless against the power of Xena. And Xena, in her greed and lust, was about to let loose her forces on the populace of the world, in her ambition to become `Empress of the Universe'. "By Zeus! I hate that bitch. I hate her strength and I hate her cunning and I hate the way she defeats me in open combat! And especially, MOST especially! - I hate the way she makes love!!! That cold, man-devouring, amazon whore! She stole my strength, and she stole my reputation, and she stole - NAY! DESTROYED! - my manhood, and she made me quiver in helpless desire at the very sight of her! God! How I hate her and miss her and need her and WANT her!" Hercules just sat on a rock and wept openly at the confusion that now left him limp. But his journey continued and shortly, he encountered one of the bands now returning to Xena's camp. "Ho!" he thought, "We'll see if Hercules still IS Hercules. If he is, this is one band that will never again loot for that witch. It's small - not more than thirty villeins, but every little helps." So he drew his sword and stood in the path of the howling band. The band gathered around the sober champion, and laughed and sneered at him, saying such nasty things as `Lady-killer - NOT!' and `Hey! Ex-warrior. Do you now sit down to pee?' And they waved their swords and spears and, in unison, rushed the standing hero. And then their sneers came to an end! Hercules sword slashed and cut, and his spear thrust and parried, until the first rank of the savage band was cut to pieces and lay dead on the ground. The rest turned to flee, but Hercules was among them like an avenging devil and, in moments, thh whole band lay dead at his feet. "So, Hercules! You still ARE Hercules! And that plundering witch had best beware!" So thought the restored champion of men as he found a glade in the forest and lay down to rest, and to sleep a long restoring sleep. Hercules had eliminated one roving band, but the rest of Xena's army had gathered at her command, warlords and captains and slobbering followers, all eager to start a campaign of plundering and looting that would make them masters of the world and owners of all the world's riches. "Lords and Captains and Men! I have good news and I have bad news for all of you. First, the good news! I have released Hercules in return for a oath from Zeus, his father, that he, or any other god, would not, in any way, interfere with our conquest of this world and collection of its riches. Un- happily, with that oath came two minor conditions - one of which concerns you. I have been stripped of my ambition to become `Empress of the Universe', and must oppose you with all my strength and courage. Instead of `Empress of the Universe', I will become `XENA - WARRIOR PRINCESS'! I now release you all from your allegiance to me, and command you to go from here your separate ways. Loot and plunder and kill and rape, as you will! But know that I am your enemy and I am strong! If any among you dare to challenge me to mortal combat - do it now! Or leave in peace." The savage horde hesitated, waiting to see if any warlord would accept that flung challenge - but none did. The life ahead of them, divided though they were, looked too good to die now at the hands of Xena - Warrior Princess. So they slunk away, each to their own devices. Xena watched them leave, without regret, but knew she had one more condition to meet before Zeus would be satisfied. She was aware her battle against cruel oppression and against bands of looters would need all the help it could get, and her strongest ally was leaving her presence as fast as he was able. Not that she blamed Hercules for his headlong rush to escape her clutches. She had beaten him up, painfully and with utter ease, physically, and she had brought him to the state of a helpless and submissive female slave, and, most enervating of all - but most fun, too, Xena grinned - she had reduced him to a powerless but sexually-eager sex toy that, she reminded herself with a sensual howl, she had raped, and brought to violent orgasm, by simply looking at him in a certain lusty way. Great! And now she was going to ask for his help! Well, if he won't give it willingly, I can always beat him up again. With that thought cheering her, Xena sent a long, loud mental hail to the subject of her desire, and Hercules, waking, heard it and responded. When Hercules again entered Xena's pavilion, and knelt at the foot of her throne, Xena grinned and started to open her mouth and lick her lips, but then she stopped. Reminding him of that sexual exercise wouldn't help a bit. Instead, she stepped down from her throne and took Hercules hand and raised him to his feet. "Hercules, I have a tale to tell, and a request to make, and then we can leave as friends - or maybe not. It will be up to you. One thing I promise - I'm not going to beat you up!" And Xena told her tale, to Hercules amazed and unbelieving ears, and then she described the Zeus-imposed condition that convinced him and made him put his great, muscular arms around her broad, sinewy shoulders, and hold her tight. "God! Xena! Not you! The world has lost a lover - a greater lover than it has ever known! And I have lost my most-feared enemy - and gained a friend. The best and greatest friend I will ever have! So, our goals are common, and we leave as friends. My sincerest wish is that, in your battle against oppressors, you meet someone you can really and truly love. Now, farewell, my friend." And the two warriors went their separate ways. Chapter 5 Gabrielle's Training Starts - and Ends! This was the story that Xena told to Gabrielle, and Gabrielle knew it was true. So when Xena began the training that would transform Gabrielle, from being her acolyte and companion, into a powerful hero and champion in her own right, Gabrielle knew she was in the right hands. Xena's training of Gabrielle began with the basics - wrestling, leaping, throwing and kicking and man-handling her protagonists - as well as lifting and running and climbing the surrounding hills with huge weights in her arms or strapped to her back. Gabrielle felt she had no need for further muscular development, but Xena knew the world - and one antagonist! - she was going out to meet, so she insisted and Gabrielle grew stronger and stromger. Her biceps bulged like softballs on corded, valleyed arms and her traps billowed out like wedges of muscle and her pecs split and separated like ladders running down her chest past round, hard breasts. Her abs became plates of steel in front of the rippling muscles of her sinewy waist supporting glutes that were hollowed and round and hard as rock. Her thighs bellowed out with mounds of muscle between deep, striated valleys, and her diamond calves bulged out on both sides of her shin-bone and her tendoned feet ended in short, powerful toes. When Gabrielle twisted or reached out for some far-out hand-hold, the ropes of sinuous muscle playing across her broad back rippled like battling pythons. And this was while she was relaxed! In motion or in training, she was FANTASTIC! In a few months, Xena had passed on all of her tricks and moves and battle defenses to Gabrielle, and now found that, even in play, Gabrielle was a match for her teacher. She was as flexible and athletic, she was as skilled in the secrets of hand-to-hand combat, and she had become far, far stronger. Her youthful physique had absorbed the massive exercise program Xena had devised for her, and now even Xena was shocked and surprised by the physical capabilities of her erst-while student. As a final test, to make sure it was not just her physical attraction to the attractive young pupil or her desire to hold Gabrielle in her arms, Xena proposed - no! challenged! - that she and Gabrielle engage in a no-holds- barred combat, and that the winner should rule the valley. Gabrielle, still somewhat impressed by her mentor and not really fully confident of her own power, agreed reluctantly, but having once agreed, she fully psyched herself up for a win. She knew Xena was good, and she knew she was good - she just didn't know who was the best. But if it wasn't her, at least Xena would know she'd been in a fight. On a bright, sunny morning, the two amazon contenders approached each other across the hard-packed sand of the great arena. No weapons were allowed and, for the maximum flexibility and slipperiness, both combatants were naked and their bodies greased with scented oil. As they came within reach, their hands clasped and their bodies twisted to drive the other to the ground. Xena spun and bent over and Gabrielle went flying over the rippling muscles of the twisting back and, her hands held tight in Xena's steely grip, landed with a thump on her back on the ground. Quick as a flash, she flexed her stomach muscles and threw her feet up to crash into Xena's abs. Straight- ening out, with a tremendous heave, Gabrielle threw Xena high into the air. Xena landed on her feet, and spun and drove her shoulder into Gabrielle's gut, knocking the wind out of her, then threw her leg about Gabrielle's waist and clamped her feet together in the iron vice of a scissors hold. She straightened her legs, compressing her captive's waist, until Gabrielle screamed in pain. Then her threshing arms got behind Xena's head and she twisted until her powerful arms were around her throat, and now SHE squeezed, cutting off Xena's air. Xena was forced to release Gabrielle's waist hold, and leap high in the air, landing on Gabrielle's shoulders and breaking her grip on Xena's throat. Reaching down, Xena seized Gabrielle's ankles and leaped backwards, flinging her high in the air over her shoulders. Before Gabrielle could recover from the shock of her thunderous landing, Xena leaped in the air and landed, with her legs straight, right on Gabrielle's stomach. That should have left Gabrielle without a breath of air and unconscious in the sand but, at the moment of impact, her survival instincts tightened her rock-hard abdominal mounds into a plate of iron, and Xena just rebounded into the air. Leaping to her feet, Gabrielle seized Xena's head in her hands and pulled her up in front of her. Then she smashed her right fist into Xena's jaw, and Xena sagged. Gabrielle hauled her up straight again and, from almost a running start, drove her knee into Xena's belly. Another sag, another left to Xena's cheek, another sag, another knee to Xena's belly and Xena collapsed completely. Gabrielle was astounded! To her complete and utter surprise, she had beaten her hero into a pulp, and almost without raising a sweat. "Gods! Does that mean I'm as strong and as good a fighter as Xena says I am? If I am, does that mean I'm ready to go? There's no way I want to stay here and lord it over Xena - I love her too much for that! But now at least I'll wash her off." And Gabrielle picked up her still-unconscious antagonist in her arms, and carried her into the pool. She was surprised, as Hercules had been, many months before, at the lightness of the figure in her arms. It never occured to her that the apparent lightness was the result of the fantastic and increasing power of her young muscles. Gabrielle washed Xena off and washed herself off, and soothed their battered flesh with aromatic and soothing oils. Then she carried her now limp and moaning beaten mentor into their bed, where she laid Xena down to rest and recover. As Xena lay there, moaning softly, Gabrielle took pity on her defeated friend and lay down beside her. She put her arms around Xena, kissed her tenderly on the lips, and pressed their naked bodies close together. And then they slept. In the morning, Xena dragged herself out of bed and started to prepare breakfast. "Hey, Xena, that's not necessary. I'll be leaving here in a day or so, and until then, things can go on just as before." "No way, Gabrielle, your training is nowhere near completed. You've learned all that I can teach you, but that is physical domination. In hand-to-hand combat, you have nothing to fear from any man - or any TWENTY men, if it comes to that - but you still have to learn to use many weapons. Swords, knives, battle-axes, and clubs, and long-distance weapons as well, like javelins and bows and arrows. I won't teach you how to use my chakram, because that's special to me, but with your skill in all the other weapons, you won't need it. "But If I can't learn those from you, who can I learn them from?" "The best swordsman and axeman, and the best archer, as well as the strongest man in the world! Hercules, of course! I'll call him now and he'll be here in a few days." "Gad! Hercules! All my life, I've dreamed of meeeting that great hero, champion of all mortal men! Will he really teach me?" "He surely will, and he's as great a teacher as he is a warrior. With your fantastic strength and tremendous flexibility, you'll be as good as he is before you know it!" In a week, Hercules appeared in the valley and renewed his aquaintance with Xena by tossing her high in the air and catching her in a great embrace when she came down. They hugged, and Xena explained the situation to Hercules, including how Gabrielle had beaten her in physical combat. He was astounded! "Gabrielle, you know that Xena is the only mortal who has ever defeated me in a wrestling match. And you beat her? By Zeus, you must be a god posing as a mortal! You're not? Well, stand up, my child, and let me look at you." Gabrielle stood up, and turned slowly around, then she turned around again, this time flexing and stretching and bulging every muscle of her magnificent physique. Hercules just gaped, and slid down to rest on a rock. "By all the gods in Olympia, Gabrielle, I've never seen a finer physique in all of my life. Atlas must be staring at you in envy! Certainly, I'll teach you the use of every weapon I know and, when that is done, I'll be very careful not to make you angry with me. If you can whip Xena, I won't be able to call on her to defend me, and Zeus, my father, will not rescue me twice from female warriors! He's never had to do it even once from male mortals." Gabrielle just grinned, and then the lessons began. With sword and buckler, sword and knife, and sword and battle-axe, Hercules demonstrated every attack and defense, and Gabrielle repeated them over and over again until her great muscular arms were like jelly, and she could barely lift a blade. The day after, it was sword and axe and club, and the days, many days, following, it was slash and parry, cut and swing, each day ending in Gabrielle's complete exhaustion. Her muscles were fantastic and hard and flexible, but the moves and the pace and the alertness required to withstand a blow and deliver the parry were something she had never experienced before, and it required a total immersion in a hot bath and a complete rub-down in soothing oils, at the experienced hands of her teacher, before he would carry her up to her chamber and lay her down in her bed, beside Xena's warm and comforting torso. Xena would hug her and kiss her gently, and the two naked warriors would go softly to sleep. After months of endless practice, Gabrielle's youthful physique had adapted to the ferocious moves and defenses of swordplay, and Hercules was not only hard-put to defend himself, he was, more often than not, the beaten warrior in their endless jousts. He was proud of the progress of his student, but he often recalled to himself his vow to never make her angry with him! Hercules training program for Gabrielle also included hours and hours, for days and days, of throwing knives and daggers and razor-sharp stars from every conceivable position and at targets that crossed the firing range with lightning speed. From standing upright to lying on her back to hanging from the branches of trees by her powerful toes, Gabrielle fired missiles with her right hand and her left until even a hawk, swooping down from the sky after a darting rabbit, was dead before it reached the ground and its prey, as well, lay pinned to the ground in front of it with another dagger. Hercules was a master of the assassin's art and drilled Gabrielle well - so well, in fact, that her youthful agility and adept musculature finally made the student master of the master, and Hercules readily conceded her superior prowess with the little, sharp - but oh-so-dangerous - weapons. Gabrielle's ability to use close-in weapons was now unexcelled, and Hercules started to demonstrate the use of the weapons that would be better used at the longer distances, the bow and arrow, and the javelin. With Gabrielle's facility with short-range weapons, the switch to the other weapons was easy. But the required skills were different. These weapons did not require the speed and agility of the ones she was used to, but they required accuracy and a steady stance, even in the midst of falling enemy missiles. That required courage and maturity in the heat of battle. Those attributes could only be proven on a field of war. But accuracy and range could still be taught and practiced, and all of the tricks that Hercules knew were soon passed on to Gabrielle. Targets, logs of all sizes, were set up everywhere in the valley, at distances of from ten feet to fifteen hundred feet, and each was assigned a name. Then Hercules and Gabrielle went off into the forest for days to search for the proper material for arrows and bows and the long slender javelins. The two warriors travelled light, wearing only a tunic with a knife in the belt. Their bare feet slid through the forest with so little sound that they were in the midst of herds of deer before the lead buck knew it, and led his herd off in a wild panic, to the two friends' hearty laughter. They lived on small game, brought down by the throwing knives of one or the other, or on fresh fish, scooped up by Gabrielle from quiet bays in the mountain streams. After a week's harvest, they had aquired enough material to satisfy their needs, Tough elmwood for bows, slender ironwood shafts for arrows and long ones for javelins, and an especially tough oaken bar for a staff for Gabrielle. As they wended their way eagerly homeward, they came across a placid pool sheltered by a small hill. "Ho!," said Hercules, "An ideal place to camp tonight. I'll cook our supper on this hill while you refresh yourself in that quiet pond." So Hercules set up camp on the hill, while Gabrielle slid out of her tunic and into the cool, refreshing water. She played and ducked about in the clear pool, and was just leaving the water to give Hercules his turn when she heard a hoot from the shore. "Oho! What have we here? A maiden, by Aries, all clean and bare and ready to be plucked!" Gabrielle looked up, and there on the shore stood six filthy, fierce warriors, clad in leather fighting armour, and armed with swords and clubs and axes. The leader, a great bearded brute, reached out and seized Gabrielle by the arm, looking around to see if she had any help at hand. Seeing no one, he pushed her back into the arms of another and said, "Well! This will make us a merry night - and she's a big one, too. We'll all be well satisfied by morning, and then we'll see what wealth she has in her clothes. But hold her! I'll be first to sample this rare fruit.", and he began to strip off his armour. Gabrielle stood docilely by, sizing up the situation. She could call for help, and Hercules would be there, armed, in a flash, but she decided that would not be at all the right thing to do. After all, Hercules was cooking their supper and she was hungry after her swim, and didn't want her supper burned. And there were only six of them, the smallest being not more than twice her size. Nope! There would be no need to disturb Hercules. Waiting until the leader had stripped off all his clothes, Gabrielle jiggled her arm at the oaf that was holding her. "Please, sir. Will you call that bowman over here. He's standing in my sunlight." The oaf laughed and called the bowman over. "Here, fellow, you're not in her sun- light now. You can stand here and hold her other arm while Carl dives into her pool" Both arms held firmly by the sniggering villeins, Gabrielle watched Carl approach, waving his great dirty dong, now fully erect, in the direction of Gabrielle's vagina. As soon as he was close, Gabrielle's foot shot out and struck the leader right in his muscular, hairy belly. He collapsed with a great "Whoof!" and fell on his back on the stones bordering the shore. At the same time, Gabrielle's arms broke free from the hands restraining them and she reached up to seize one neck in each hand, and crashed their helmeted heads together, dropping them dead on the shore. She swung around and dived at the other three thugs, who were now leaping toward the unarmed girl, waving swords and axes. She kicked one in the head, hearing a satisfying crunch of his neck, then kneed one in the balls, and as she heard him fall to the ground, screaming, she drove her fist into the face of the remaining, stunned villein. His nose crunched under the blow, and Gabrielle seized his neck in her hand and twisted and his neck broke with a snap. The thug screaming on the ground was attempting to rise to his feet before Gabrielle seized him and threw him onto the ground again, and then she stepped on his neck with her bare foot and crushed his windpipe. Six, brawny armed thugs, five killed in less than a minute by a naked young girl, and the leader, shivering with fear, crawling up the rocky shore, begging for mercy. Gabrielle was merciful, just as merciful as she should be! She lifted the blubbering raper high in the air and dropped him on his head on the rocks on the shore. His helmet flew off and, once more Gabrielle pounded him on his head. With his five cohorts, he lay dead on the quiet shore. Gabrielle dived back into the water to wash the smell of death from her hands and as she emerged, she heard a shout from the shore and there stood Hercules, roaring with laughter. "C'mon! Supper's ready, and you'll need it after that little bout of exercise." "You saw that! And you didn't come to my aid? What kind of man are you? Were you hiding in the bushes?" Gabrielle was mad, but it was mostly the release of tension that provoked her outburst. Hercules roared again. "Come to your aid?" he asked, "Why should I have done that? There were only six of them and I noticed you were unencumbered by weapons. They didn't have a chance." Gabrielle finally grinned her forgiveness, and leaped into Hercules' arms for a big hug. Since she was still naked and wet, it was a long hug, but Hercules' strong will (and maybe, some realistic fear) overcame his sexual desire, and he finally sat her down to eat. Loaded with their harvest of material for weapons, the two warriors soon reached the valley and, after greeting Xena and telling her of Gabrielle's smashing victory, they set about transforming the raw material they had collected into weapons. While Gabrielle skinned and fletched the arrows and javelins, Hercules laboured at the forge to make iron heads for them. Then Gabrielle and Hercules together formed and strung the heavy elmwood staves into bows of varying size and strength, from light bows for Gabrielle's initial training to great thick long bows that took all of the mighty power of Hercules' arm to flex to the length of an ordinary arrow. Their weapons assembled, the training began and, to Gabrielle, it was entering a new dimension. The strength of her mighty, bulging, rock-hard muscles was not a bit less, but the way that those muscles had to be used was not like any thing that she had done before. Even the light training bows were a test, and she would just stare in awe as Hercules bent the heavier ones. But hour after hour, day after day, Hercules drove his eager pupil to relentless practice. As Gabrielle shot arrow after arrow, at ever-increasing distances, into target after target, she became aware that she was developing new layers of muscle, and the shape of some of her mounded and valleyed arms and shoulders and traps and pecs were changing. Her triceps bulged into mounds of iron and her shoulders were capped with striated layers of newly-developed musculature - yes! shoulders!, because she was, at Hercules' insistent demand, shooting equally with both her right and left arms. Her pecs filled out massively into ladders of muscle that supported her hard grapefruit-sized breasts, and the thick mounds of muscle-plate on her abdomen now extended around her sides to join striated glutes. The pythons of muscle rippling across her wide back grew thicker and harder as the valleys between them cut deeper still. Her traps were massive. As Gabrielle's archery strength increased, so did her skill. In months, she was drawing the long bows and hitting - nay, centering! - all but the furthest targets. And as her skill as an archer increased so, also, did her ability to throw the heaviest javelin and plant the iron-clad tip deep in the heart of the target logs. The javelins did not have the range of her arrows, but their greater weight made them feared by heavily armored troops. Weeks later, Hercules threw up his hands to the watching - and admiring - Xena, and said, "Xena, there's nothing more I can do here. Gabrielle is just as good as me now. Maybe, even better! I'll challenge her to a contest tomorrow, and if she wins, I'm out of here! To be the strongest man in the world, and to live with two female warriors who can beat me at everything I do, will destroy my pride and my reputation." Xena laughingly agreed, and the contest was arranged. Long-range weapons only, for accuracy and distance. The two contestants agreed to meet the following morning, and targets were set up in preparation. Man-sized logs set upright were placed, spread ran- domly over a semi-circle, at 400, 600, 800, 1000, 1200, and 1500 feet. 1500 feet! - five times the length of the arena in an amphitheatre! (or a football field). Xena was going to act as judge, but the winner was not likely to be decided on points. Both Hercules and Gabrielle were deadly in earnest, and neither would yield on minor flaws. Next morning, the three warriors gathered at the shooting dais. Each compet- itor would have six javelins, twenty-five arrows, and two bows of choice. Two javelins would be hurled, one from each hand, at each of the three nearer targets. Most hits would determine the winner. Then sixteen arrows would be fired, four from each arm at each of the four nearer targets, and this would be a contest of speed and accuracy. No arrow would be released after the last arrow from one competitor struck the final target. The greater number of arrows in the targets would determine the winner. Then, in the last leg of the contest, four arrows would be shot, with either hand, at each of the 12 and 15 hundred foot targets, and then, if either archer could still draw a bowstring, the last arrow would be shot purely for distance into the depth of the valley. The winner of each of the earlier contests, for javelins, speed, and power, would get a point, but the last, furthest arrow would garner two points for its owner. The contest was about to begin when each contestant, to gain every advantage, shucked off their sandals, for a better grip on the ground, and dropped their tunics, to avoid any restraint from their clothing. To Xena's amusement, both were now attired only in loin-cloths. The two great warriors, starting the contest, displayed torsoes and physiques that were worthy of the utmost in admiration. The strongest man in the world, ripped and bulging with striated muscle, and the female warrior who had beaten, in physical combat, the warrior - also female! - who had, in physical combat, beaten Hercules, twice! The gods, themselves, had nothing better to display! So the contest began. Alternating, in the javelin throw, the great upper- body strength of both contestants resulted, after six throws each, in twelve heavy javelins protruding from the battered targets. A tie. The speed round left both warriors screaming with pain as their great shoulder muscles burned like in a fiery furnace as their sixteen arrows were shot so fast that the contest ended in seconds. But not in a tie! Gabrielle's last arrow stood quivering in the heart of the nearest target just before Hercules' final arrow left his bow. It was forfeit, and so Gabrielle was the clear winner of the round. Every fired arrow had sunk deep into its target! As the hero and the maiden lined up for the last round, Gabrielle was gloating. She was in the lead, her favorite distances were now to be shot, and her younger, more resilient physique, she was sure, was in better shape than her bigger, heavier opponent's. They lined up to shoot and, biting through the pain and tiredness, all sixteen arrows thudded home in the man-sized targets that looked like elongated dots on the horizon. The archery was fantastic, and Gabrielle still led - by one! The final arrow would determine the winner and the pressure, both physical and mental, was almost overpowering. Xena stood back and stared in amazement at the powerful, fantastically-muscled physiques of her former hero and champion and her former obedient, subservient side-kick, and knew that either of them were now her equal. What a team they would make in battle! Hercules shot first and his great long bow, a bow that few mortal men could even bend, was drawn back to the full length of his longest arrow. Striving for the greatest distance, he aimed his bow high in the sky and, with a final heave at the bowstring, released his arrow and followed it with his eye until it disappeared in the distance, far beyond the 15 hundred foot target. He stepped back - well satisfied with his effort and confident in his victory. Gabrielle, who just months ago, could barely lift his great bow, would never match his magnificent shot. But Gabrielle now toed the line. She was impressed with his mighty effort, and knew it would be hard to beat, but damned if she was going to give up now - without her own best shot! Setting, like Hercules, her best arrow in her great bow, she drew back the bowstring. Back, back, and still further back, until the mighty muscles on her arms and shoulders just screamed with bitter pain, and her abs grew hard as bellies of rock and twisted in agony as she leaned backward to get the greatest range. Then, from a torso wracked with pain, she released her final arrow. Her eyes couldn't follow it - they were filled with tears of agony - but she knew the path where it had gone - just how far along that path was the question! The three mighty warriors - two contestants and judge - ran quickly along the arrow's path, eager to see who had finally won - and who had defeated the other in this ultimate battle. There, upright in the ground, hundreds of feet beyond the furthest target, stood Hercules' arrow - a fantastic shot. But where was the last arrow fired by Gabrielle? Was it shorter or longer? And, at last, they found it - two hundred feet beyond the furthest arrow shot by the world's strongest man and finest archer! There was no doubt, no doubt at all, that that title now belonged to Gabrielle - and she was NOT a man! She was barely a woman. She was a GIRL! But what an amazing, powerfully-muscled, rippling, rock-hard physique was eagerly displayed, from head to toe, on that young female warrior. When her arrow was found, she seized Xena and Hercules by their waists, and leaped high in the air, spinning in a double somersault, with those two muscled warriors tight in her arms. She roared a victory roar, and there was no one to deny her claim! She was Queen, and her consorts trailed her back to the pavilion for a final triumphal feast. Their stay, here in the valley, was over, their mission accomplished! Soon, they would leave and go their separate ways. *********************************************************************