She heard the bolts being drawn and the key turning in the lock, even though they seemed to be taking pains to accomplish this task as silently as possible. The door was swung back and four men, bearing torches, stepped over the threshold. The sudden brilliance that the flaming brands brought, dazzled the warrior momentarily, forcing her to squint against the violent harshness of the light. She forced her eyes to became accustomed to the brightness and immediately recognised that Caesar stood framed in the doorway, with the torch bearers having moved to the side.

Xena waited uneasily. If Caesar was there he no doubt intended to deliver some ultimatum that she was unlikely to appreciate. She remained silent, although she arched one eyebrow questioningly at him as she watched the flickering light dancing and reflecting on his burnished armour. - He looks ... good, - she admitted to herself grudgingly as she felt the subtle pull of attraction that Caesar seemed able to exert at will. - He knows the effect he has on women, - she acknowledged, - But I'll give myself to Ares before I ever allow myself to be fooled by him again! -

Caesar looked at the woman before him, silently appraising her as he had so often over the passing days since her captivity, - She's a half wild savage with a homicidal streak that makes her one of the most dangerous people living in this world, - he told himself coolly, - but she makes my blood burn like no other woman ever has! - he conceded reluctantly. - I may never break you, my sweet, but you'll never be free of me, and that in itself gives me dominance over you, O proud Warrior Princess. You are mine. One way or another, you will always be mine! -

They stood unmoving, silent in their contemplation of each other, locked in their private battle for control of the situation. A situation in which Caesar was always going to have the upper hand ... at least until some chance occurred that would allow the warrior to break his hold upon her. Finally, Caesar broke the silence and spoke, "Well, Xena. When are you going to learn proper obedience?"

A crooked twist to her lips accompanied her reply, "Why don't you come and teach me?" she invited as she hefted the chain. She knew Caesar wouldn't respond to her challenge, but it would rankle him that she knew he would avoid her invitation. As she saw the muscle in his right cheek twitch, she knew she had scored a point.

"I don't brawl with slaves, Xena. I have far better ways of handling them," he pointed out, gesturing his head in the direction of the waiting guards who stood just behind him. "Now we can do this one of two ways. You can walk out here and behave in a suitably docile manner, in which case we'll overlook your ... temper tantrum of last night. Or ...." he left the sentence unfinished.

"Oh, c'mon Julius, don't leave the best part out," she chided mockingly, "Or what?"

"I've got a dozen men with dart bows out here who'll pump your body so full of Curamin that you won't wake up until we're half way to Rome, and leave you to the mercies of your nightmares!" he told her flatly, "Your choice."

The mocking look remained on her features as she responded, "Choices, choices," she breathed as though she were considering her options, "Well I'll tell you what, old friend," she shot him a malicious look, "Since you so want me to take a sea voyage with you ... it's been some years since we did that together," she reminded him, "I think I'll opt to stay awake for a while. I like to feel awake at sea .. you never know what opportunities might present themselves," she informed him using stately tones that created the illusion that she was indeed solely in charge of events.

Caesar scowled. The woman was infuriating. However much he knew himself to be master of this situation, she always seemed to find a way to make him appear to be the lackey. However, he had no intention of showing her or his men how frustrated she made him. Standing aside from the door, he made a sweeping gesture with his arm, inviting her out from the cell, "If you please?"

Xena shuffled out of the room into the crowded corridors where her guards awaited her along with the thick oak beam, the longer leg irons, and the various handling chains. While the changes to her restraints were made, Caesar disappeared down the stairway, his personal involvement with her finished for the time being.

Flaccus appeared in front of her and grabbed the chain close to the collar, pulling her forward, "Your getting off light for your actions yesterday, but let me make it as clear as I can, as you have obviously failed to understand my previous explanations." He nodded to the two men behind him who slammed their batons against the taught muscles at her shoulders, "Firstly, if any Roman tells you to jump, you jump."

Again the heavy wooden batons struck, this time on her lower back. She grunted, realising that these were fully swung blows, not held back in anyway, and designed to hurt as much as possible, "Secondly, you will not attempt any form of resistance to your masters."

Two more blows smashed into the back of her thighs, making her legs tremble with the pain they induced, a bare, soft groan escaped her, "Thirdly, you speak only when spoken to."

The batons crunched in behind her knees causing her to collapse forward onto them from the force of the blows, "Lastly, you will always act with suitable humility and respect when in the presence of Lord Caesar!"

He grabbed her chin and forced her head up to be met with chill blue eyes blazing with anger and indignation, "Learn the lessons, slave. We can administer punishment for far longer than your body can take it."

Xena shook her head free and with dogged determination, forced herself to stand once more in front of the Centurion. He gave her a long, considering look. Flaccus had been in the army for many years. He was a hard demanding officer and had worked his ways through the ranks of the legions to attain his present post. He'd seen many men come into the legions during that time. Some were eager soldiers who adapted easily to the harsh disciplines of the legionnaire's life. Others were like this slave, strong, full of arrogance and pride who had tried to buck the system, until the system ground resistance out of them. They had either become good soldiers, or had died in the making.

This woman was made of similar metal. She was physically and mentally strong. She had withstood all the rigours of physical and mental abuse that had been thrown at her and continued to resist to the full extent of her ability. Flaccus had never been faced with a man he could not break to the discipline of his station, but he thought that this slave might be the first to fully resist him. He wasn't sure whether he felt anger at an impending first failure, or admiration for the tenacity of the woman.

"Take her down to the courtyard, and wait for the others," he snapped at the twenty man unit assigned to the task for the morning.

The lead jerked her forward as Xena dwelt on his words, - Others? What Others? Gods, don't let them have taken Toris and Iolaus, - she prayed silently.

It was a difficult climb, going back down those steps. Her guards were not in a mood to accommodate her awkwardness and, even though she now wore the longer leg irons, she still stumbled, unbalanced by the beam restraining her arms, and would have crashed down a full flight of stone stairs if the press of bodies around her hadn't been so tight.

They finally made it out to the dark courtyard, where the rest of the guard maniple were assembling. She was pulled to a halt just away from the base of the tower, and she became aware of the rattle and clank of chains as maybe fifty men were lead out from the dungeon entrance to be detained on the opposite side of the yard from where she was being held.

- Poor bastards, - she thought with compassion and relief that she couldn't identify either Iolaus or Toris amongst them. She guessed that these men were destined to live out the rest of their existence chained to an oar in one of the Roman galleys out in the harbour. It was not an enviable life and, whatever they had done, no one deserved such a fate. - Well at least I know why I wasn't put into the dungeon yesterday, - she brooded, - the accommodation was already taken. -

The men wore an ankle cuff on the right leg and a chain connected each man to the next in a long line that was guarded by half a dozen garrison guards who looked bored and uninterested in their mundane task. Xena compared her own, highly efficient guards, the chains that loaded down her body and allowed herself a wry grin. She wasn't the only one to notice the difference. Men from the line of the condemned galley slaves whispered, nudged and pointed to each other as they became aware of the tall woman who stood in the midst of twenty men who watched her every move for the slightest twitch.

Finally Caesar, his staff and personal guards appeared and the whole procession formed up to make the march down to the harbour and the waiting ships. Caesar and his group led the way, followed by Flaccus and Xena with her attendant soldiers, - I've got more of a staff than he has, - she thought wryly. About half of the remaining soldiers from the maniple fell in behind these, before the luckless galley slaves were herded into line and backed up by the rest of the maniple.

The sun slowly began to push it's way over the horizon as they clattered along the cobbles of the harbour road. A few early risers watched them pass, many shook their heads at the sight of the chained men. No one spared a thought for the proud barbarian woman who marched along, her face a blank mask while she concentrated on keeping her balance on the uneven surface as the muscles in her legs screamed from the pounding they had received.

When they reached the docks, Xena could see that one of the large triremes had been warped in and secured to the wharf, while others had boats ferrying units of the VIIth legion out to them, - So Caesar's taking his pet Legion home. I wonder how Pompey is gonna feel about that? - she asked herself.

Xena studied the warship, while she and her escort waited for their embarkation orders. The ship was just over a hundred and eighty feet in length, she calculated, and had a beam of about twenty-eight feet. There were ports for three banks of oars on either side of the ship, suggesting that it could move very fast under the raw muscle power of the slaves chained to those oars. The prow sported a wicked looking curved ram, sheathed in bronze, designed to hole an enemy ship below the waterline, and sink her. There was a high, plain sternpost on the rear deck above the junior officer's cabins, while senior officer's accommodations were up at the prow of the ship downwind of the slave pits. The stench that came from the slave galley was indescribable.

One thick mast rose from the centre of the slave pit with a large sail that would be used to catch favourable winds and save the strength of the slaves for when either the wind dropped or battle was imminent. Triremes could manoeuvre more swiftly and with greater turning capacity under the power of the oars, than the fickle fortunes of the wind.

Xena watched as Caesar confidently mounted the gangplank followed by his staff and guard, and was greeted by an enthusiastic captain, who was happy to show his pleasure in having his illustrious passenger aboard. The Warrior Princess shook her head in disgust. One of the worst things about the Roman military system was that it provided a route into politics. That meant that every mother's son who held commissioned officers rank was, - Some fornicating arse-licker that's trying to ingratiate himself to the top of the tree, - she growled to herself. She had far more respect for the likes of Titus and Flaccus who had earned their promotions from the ranks, though they could proceed no further in the military hierarchy.

While the guard maniple stood vigilant around Xena, the condemned men were herded on board the big vessel by their shepherds. The warrior received many inquisitive looks as they were hustled past her, and she watched sympathetically as they hesitantly climbed aboard the ship and disappeared from sight as they were taken below into the slave pit.

Xena could hear the muffled sounds of chains being secured as the men were assigned places on the oar benches, and the heavy thud of hammers as chain ends were secured into the oak frame of the ship with heavy staples designed for the job. Whips cracked as slave masters made their presence felt and 'instructed' the new men in the realities of their existence, sounds that filled the wharf with the brutal realities of a galley slave's life.

She didn't bother keeping track of how long she was kept standing on the wharf, but the sun had raised significantly before Flaccus tugged on the chain to get her moving towards the ship. She moved her feet carefully, her bruised muscles had seized with standing still for so long and made walking a little treacherous. Once up on deck the wooden stake was removed giving her a little more freedom of movement.

She glanced around at the layout of the ship. The slave pit lay along the centre of the structure, with gratings covering a long length and more solid, wooden decks at the prow and stern ends, as well as along the maindeck edges. The prow also had a small raised deck used as a firing platform for archers during battle, while the stern had a far larger, raised, deck housing the wheel and giving assault troops somewhere to mass ready for boarding parties.

Caesar appeared by the stern deck rail and looked down on his slave, "I've arranged for you to get a little exercise, Xena. I know how much you've hated being cooped up while we travelled in Narbonensis, so I've arranged with Admiral Veranius to have you do a little light rowing," he smiled at the glare she threw him, "It should keep you out of trouble on our journey to Rome and, if this fair weather holds, the voyage should be quite pleasant."

He gave her an evil grin as she threw her guards hands off of her, "Oh, Xena," he called after her, "Try to behave yourself down there. The oarsmaster has something of a temper, I'm told, and I can hardly expect him to treat you any differently from any of the other slaves, now can I? ... even if you are my personal property." His malicious laugh followed her as Flaccus dragged her to towards the hatchway and she was prodded along by the batons of her guards.

There were wooden steps down into the slave pit and the warrior tackled them with difficulty as she bent her head to pass through the hatchway. The stench of the slaves intensified as she descended from the open deck, making her stomach churn in protest.

Once down the steps, she could see a raised walkway that ran centrally between the benches of rowers, both in front and behind of where the steps ended. The walkway was about four feet wide, and there were extension platforms built to allow the overseers to pass the steps and mast without mingling with the rowers.

The rowing benches were built on a three tier system, to accommodate the three banks of oars. Six men were seated on each bench and shackled to their oars. As Xena understood the system, three men would row while three would rest unless they were going into battle when all slaves would bend their backs to the oars.

The Oarsmaster gave her a long considering look as he took note of the heavy chains that decorated her wrists and ankles, "This one's trouble, I take it?" he growled to Flaccus.

"Make sure your men keep an eye on her at all times," the centurion advised, "It took a whole maniple to capture her, and if she gets free the Emperor will have everyone on this boat's hides," he warned.

"Where's she think she's going to go if she gets free from the pit?" asked the oarsmaster incredulously.

Flaccus gave him an amused look, "Having come to know the damn woman, she'd probably swim for shore ... and I'm not certain that I'd bet against her making it."

The muscular oarsmaster eyed the troublesome slave with hostility. She turned the full force of her icy blue glare on him, "What if she causes trouble down here?" he queried.

"Treat her like any other galley slave," Flaccus told him, "you've only got one stipulation and that is you can't kill her. She's Lord Caesar's personal property and any man that kills the bitch is going to be skinned alive and roasted over a slow fire. Understand?"

The oarsmaster nodded reluctantly, "Those shackles have gotta come off her, she can't row an oar in those."

"The leg irons can stay on .. once I get her boots .. she won't need them down here," Flaccus told him, "That belt can stay around her waist. If you have any trouble with her that you can't handle, lock her back into those restraints, and send for me. I'll take the collar chain with me." He looked hard at Xena, "She's got a smart mouth and hasn't learnt her place. Don't be afraid to use the whip on her, she can take anything you can dish out." He frowned at the warrior, "You gonna behave or do we have to get rough again?"

The warrior looked at him and said nothing, "Damn you slave," he growled with controlled exasperation, "Do we have to go through our conversation of this morning again?"

Xena's glance told her that all the guards were alert and ready, there wasn't really a lot she could do but submit, "No," she told him, holding out her wrists, "I won't give you any trouble," she conceded and then added the codicil in her mind, - For now! -

Flaccus unlocked the cuffs at her wrist, allowing the manacles to fall and settle at her waist. He gave her the key to the leg irons, "Take them off, get your boots off and then lock the shackles back on."

She took the key and gave him a wicked grin, but followed his instructions, handing her boots to him. He unlocked the chain from the collar and stepped aside as an overseer shoved her forward, further down the line of benches to where there was a spare seat on the end of a top tier bench.

Flaccus watched as Xena's wrists were locked into the manacles already secured to the oar. Once he was satisfied that she was secure, he gave one last word of warning to the oarsmaster, "She is about the most complete and deadly fighter I have ever seen, don't take any chances with her, and remember, any trouble, you send someone for me, hear?"

"Understood," agreed the oarsmaster as he watched Flaccus leave. "Urminus," he barked.

A six foot tall, solid slab of muscle moved along the walkway to his commander, "Aye Trassis?" he asked.

"I want you to give the woman a taste of what's in store for her if she causes any trouble here," he told him levelly, "then I want you to make sure that she remembers it throughout this trip. If she even looks like she's thinking about trouble, use the whip, understand?"

"Sure Trassis," Urminus replied with a grin. This was the kind of assignment he liked, he just hoped that the woman was stupid enough to prove troublesome. He made his way to where Xena sat passively on the bench. Without saying anything, he flicked his whip and slashed it across her shoulders, seeing her body jump to the bite, but noting that she uttered no cry of pain.

He grabbed a handful of her hair and used it to pull her head around to face him, "That's just a touch of what you'll be getting if you prove to be the trouble that I expect," he promised.

She gave him a look of contempt, then spat full in his face, "That the best you can do?" she sneered disdainfully.

Using his not inconsiderable brute strength, he smashed her head forward into the heavy wood of the oar, causing darkness and light to flash in her brain as she struggled to stay conscious. She was 'helped' when another lash cracked across her back, jerking her back to full awareness with the pain, "You know, I might enjoy taming you," he told her.

"In your dreams," she growled at him, drawing a laugh from the hulking brute.

"Oh yes, this voyage could be fun." he chuckled.

Xena gave a tentative pull at the manacles holding her wrists and knew that she could break out of them any time that she had a mind too. Well if Urminus became too annoying, she'd give him a lesson in humility. For now, though, she'd go along with the rowing to work off some of the excess energy that had been forged during her confinement, that and the fact that it would give her lazy muscles a thorough workout.