Contact: Phineas_Redux@yahoo.com
—OOO—
Summary:— Gabrielle feels like a wash and brush-up, big-time, in the gigantic Baths of Trajan, Rome; so Xena tags along as security.
Note:— Although holding generally to the plan and design of the actual Baths, I have simplified the lay-out and exaggerated certain aspects for dramatic effect and story necessity.
Coins:— As -a small copper coin equal to ¼ sestertius, or 1/16 th denarius.
Disclaimer:— MCA/Universal/RenPics own all copyrights to everything related to ‘ Xena: Warrior Princess ' and I have no rights to them.
This is the 6th in the ‘ Xena's Exploits ' series—
1. Xena and the Island Fortress.
3. Gabrielle on the Chalcis Ferry.
6. Xena iIn the Baths of Trajan.
—O—
Prologue.
“You wan'na do what?”
“Take a bath lady, just a bath.” Gabrielle really couldn't see the problem, shrugging nonchalantly. “Only a wash an' bathe, an' brush-up; maybe a little massage at the end, like everyone else. What's wrong with that?”
They were strolling idly along one of the minor roads of Rome, in the early morning. Not so early, though, that their passage wasn't hindered by the usual crowds of citizens going about the Gods' alone knew what business. But at least the route was less hazardous than similar roads in Athens; there being a daytime curfew for all wagons and carts in the streets of Rome. You could bring your wares into the city during the night, or very early morning; but from sun-up to sunset, the streets were the exclusive reserve of the Roman citizen. So, on this mid-morning of a sunny day with a bright blue sky, the two women were strolling along the centre of a wideish road just enjoying the exercise. At least Xena had been, until her fair-haired—but dangerous—companion had sprung her surprise.
“It ain't the what, it's the where, young lady.” Xena, moving smoothly with a confident stride, cast a glance at her lover. “Why can't ya be like everyone else, an' just order a bath-tub in the outhouse behind our Inn? I'm sure a couple o'the female servants'll fill it with hot water from the boiler for the kitchen without any trouble. There , a nice private quiet room all t'yourself; what more d'y'want?”
The blonde feisty and self-confident Amazon was having none of this shilly-shallying.
“I want enjoyment; I want company t'chat to while I'm soaking; I want the energy of the city's life all round me while I relax.” Clearly on a roll Gabrielle expanded on her heart's desires as they continued along the dusty road; trying not to bump into too many of the passing citizens. “ Hey lady, come on, y'got the whole road an' you barge into me? Yeah, you too, bit—, er , where was I, Princess?”
“Annoying the Hades out'ta me, as usual.”
“Wha—what did you just say, dearest?”
“— umm , y'were tellin' me y'wanted t'widen your horizons, in the bathing and personal pampering line.” The Warrior fell back on her first line of defence in such circumstances, caressing Gabrielle's ego. “Kitchen tub too mean an' small for ya; wanted t'engage with the majority of the citizens of Rome in y'r bath too. Or sumthin' along those lines.”
“You make the Baths of Trajan sound like the middle of the market-place, on a particularly busy Festival day.”
“Well, ain't that just exactly what the dam' Baths are always like? Every dam' day. Crowded from morn till dusk, every day.” Xena was now well into her particular censorship of the projected expedition. “Y'wan'na go to the biggest, most widespread, most crowded—have I already said this—bath-house not only in Rome, but the rest of the entire world.—”
“Yep, that sums it up. That's my plan, in about another clepsydra or so from now.” The Amazon Queen, holding her adored confrere's hand tightly as they swung along, began to day-dream. “Bring on the water-tanks; the palaestra's; the swimming-pool; the walks in the gardens; an', of course, the relaxing gorgeous massage. Yep, I'm up for it. You coming too? Or d'you just wan'na breeze off somewhere while I'm enjoying myself, an' ogle some armourer's shop-stalls by yourself all day, or what?”
“Like Hades I will; an' leave ya to wallow amongst a crowd of goggling bystanders, while y'r stark— er , while y'r completely nud— umm , while y'ain't got a dam' stitch t'call y'r own: Oh Hades , while y'r plain naked, from top t'toe—includin' all the best bits between? er , I mean, uuhm ,—”
“I know exactly what you mean, lady; an' I ain't amused.” The Amazon, drawing on her experiences with her tribe in the wild Northern forests, here offered her compatriot another unnerving example of her—still only relatively recently acquired—mature knowledge of the world and Human Nature; which newly attained outlook on Life continued to cause the apprehensive Warrior Princess an ongoing uneasiness. “What's a little nudity between friends? Hades , don't we jump in an' out'ta rivers an' lakes whenever we have the chance, on our travels?”
“Not usually with a gaggle of onlookers eyeing every detail as we do, if memory serves.” The Princess was not going to submit without a fight for her principles. “An' by onlookers I mean half the populace of Rome, dearie—which is just about what it'll be like at the Baths. Hey , an' another thing, if I might impose on y'r moral conscience—supposin' there's any remnant of such left in that blonde head o'yours—y'do realise that the Baths'll be thronged with persons of both sexes? That's men and women, to you; just so you're clear on the matter. Both sexes, an' neither harbourin' a stitch o'clothin' t'their names. An',—an' here's the critical point, young lady,—they'll all be mixin' together; all around an' about; minglin' like a crowd at the Theatre or Circus, but without the idle necessity o'wearin' anythin'. Have ya taken that in'ta account? They used t'be strictly segregated years ago; but in modern times that's fallen by the way, the Gods' alone know why, an' now everyone, men an' women, jostle t'gether everywhere in the Baths like best mates. So, when y'r swannin' around in the altogether in the palaestra; the water tanks; an' the gardens, most o'your companions'll be men. Eh? Eh? ”
“Wha'd'you mean—‘ Eh'? ” The fair-haired proto-bather sneered unconcernedly. “So, we'll all be naked together—what's there t'that? I'm easy with nudity these days. What with you an' I; an' my Amazon sisters; Hades , I'm often happier in a crowd naked than otherwise these days.”
“ Great Balls of Greek Fire .” The Princess admitted defeat—after all, what else was there to do. “Well, in that case, y'ain't gon'na be doin' it alone—I'm comin' too, so there.”
“OK, no bother; you'll enjoy it, take my word for it.” Gabrielle tossed her short blonde locks from side to side; thereby giving her companion some reward for the long walk. “So, shall we go an' have our mornin' meal, at the Inn, before we hit the Baths; just t'keep our strength up for the pools an' water tanks, an' the strollin' around, an' what-all?”
“ Oh Hades , yeah, yeah; I give in, mornin' grub it is.”
“ Yippee .”
—O—
The Baths and Vestibule.
The Baths of Trajan, named after the eponymous Emperor, sat in their own grounds, appearing more like a miniature city than anything else. Of a roughly rectangular lay-out, they composed a ground area of some 330 by 215 metres. The whole complex had its own surrounding wall; but the main building didn't stand centralised and separate in the interior, it had two wide side-wings facing to the rear, past the back walls of which abutted the Northern perimeter wall, leaving a wide internal space or open court where a large swimming-pool lay nestled between the widespread wings. The remaining three sides of the main open compound, around the sides and front of the Baths, were grassed over and used by the clients as a walking area where they could cool down after the warm baths, chatting idly with friends and acquaintances meanwhile—all still completely nude, of course; after all, what benefit from your recent ablutions, or the presence of the strength-giving sun, could you attain otherwise?
Because of the high solid surrounding enclosure there wasn't much of the immediate city to be seen when strolling in the gardens outside the Baths proper—unless you took into account the nearby presence, to the south-west, of the gigantic Flavian Amphitheatre, otherwise colloquially known as the Colosseum. Its curving walls soared into the air only a matter of a few stadia away, presenting a focus for the idle eye across that whole segment of horizon—the line of flagpoles with their flags encircling the top curving line of the exterior Circus wall adding a bright colour note.
The main building of the Baths was significant in height, although it's proportions made it seem somewhat flat and relatively low; except for a couple of cupolas rising above the level roof-line—while the grand central hall containing the main bath rose above its general surroundings in a fine rectangular mass, with a low curved roof. Inside were several separate rooms and halls, of significant size, containing marble-lined water-tanks for clients to wallow or swim in; while at least two open-air garden-like palaestra's within the building offered an airy, though still relatively private, space for bathers to walk about in the sun, and gain some fresh cool air before moving on to the next step in the routine of bathing-rooms and tanks.
Enclosed by the rear wings of the main Baths, but still separated from the exterior surrounding wall by some distance, the large open-air swimming pool was surrounded by its own colonnade—with a couple of wide column-lined corridors leading through each opposing wing of the Baths to the outside space, on either hand, where the wide grassy gardens and lawns offered light and air for the relaxation of the satisfied bather.
The main entrance lay in the centre of the south-west wall, where a stone gateway allowed access. Inside, the newly arrived bather found themselves in the middle of the longest widest side of the exterior gardens and lawns, with the enormous Thermae some way over to the north-east. So they immediately mingled with veteran bathers who had already more or less completed their ablutions, and were now simply idling a half clepsydra or so in strolling in the sun, holding conversations with their friends, just peacefully enjoying the crowd; or, in various groups of both men and women of the younger set, playing various light-hearted ball-games with high enjoyment—all still naturally, men and women together, entirely nude.
A high arched entrance in the Great Hall led into a wide atrium or vestibule where several servants and slaves awaited the orders of newly arrived clients; and also where the office of the fee-collector lay. Here, for the deposit of what was merely a purely academic handful of small copper asses,—the whole concern being financed and underpinned by the State for the happiness of its citizens,—the bather was given a metal tag on a cord to put round their wrist and so given the freedom of all the delights of the Baths for the day, or as long as they desired to stay.
—O—
The Apodyterium.
A short walk along a corridor brought the neophyte bather to the first main room in their approaching odyssey of self indulgence, the apodyterium—or area where one deposited one's clothes and valuables; the place, in fact, where the client first got naked with intent. On either hand were small square compartments, with wooden doors, inset in the concrete walls; and rows of high chests or wardrobes with separate compartments. In these clothes were laid till next needed by the satisfied, and hopefully cleaner, customer. There was no sort of privacy available for the act of undressing; one simply stood beside the particular cupboard assigned to receive the customer's belongings, and proceeded to unclothe oneself then and there, in the open room—or, in fact, smallish high-ceilinged hall, as it in fact was. And here the open and unrestrictive nature of modern Roman moral and social attitudes made themselves felt, men and women mingling together as one. So it was, on Xena's and Gabrielle's entrance, they found themselves from the start almost shoulder to shoulder with representative types of both sexes—in various states of dress, from their own as yet fully clothed status, through all the intervening stages, to absolute full nudity itself. And no-one, male or female of all ages, seemed the least put out—a fact which gave the Princess no consolation whatsoever; her Amazon companion, of course, apparently taking it all in her stride.
There was a policy of no weapons allowed within the confines of the Baths, so Xena had left her sword behind, as had Gabrielle with her beloved sais. But even Amazon Queens had their problems.
“Xena, can you catch the knot at my back here, please?” Gabrielle twisted a hand between her shoulder-blades, trying to grip the cords which held her somewhat small top in place. “It's too tight for me.”
At which point the mighty Princess found herself blushing, or at least feeling a hot flush, as she stood amongst the crowd preparing to help her friend undress. She cast a flickering suspicious eye to left and right; on the lookout for the first of those morons who, she firmly believed, would be wholly focussed on the local scenery to be viewed around them. But to her regret everyone merely seemed engrossed in their own business—not that this helped in any way. Xena fiddled with the leather cord and finally separated the straps, letting them fall to either side, baring Gabrielle's back from skirt waistband to neck.
Gabrielle unconcernedly, far too much so for her tall dark companion's sense of the proprieties, grasped the loose top in both hands and swept it off to place it in a cubicle just at her head height; then, wholly topless amidst the encroaching throng, turned to face the Princess.
“Say, place's like the Forum on a busy day, eh sis?” Her green eyes swept from side to side, taking in all the movement and action of the crowded scene. “Well, come on gal, get with it; whip ‘em off, there's a bath with my name awaitin'.”
Firmly encouraged, in this wholly inappropriate manner, the Princess gave her lover one of those high-browed tight-lipped icy stares which had been known before now to bring tears to the harshest of warlords—but against the Amazon, nothing.
“Come on, it's draughty here, get a move on.” Gabrielle bent to grasp her own boot. “ Hey , gim'me your hand a moment; that's great, there we go— Gods , the stone floor's cold, ain't it.”
Then, to Xena's consternation, she began fiddling with the waist of her skirt in a completely matter-of-fact way.
Once more Xena felt impelled to eye the surrounding throng for elements of raucous misbehaviour; but could find no element of such within her field of sight. By the time she had returned her gaze to her short blonde companion this lady stood entirely naked from head to toe beside her, nonchalantly folding her skirt before placing it among its few companions in the storage-cubicle. After which the blonde ran a hand through her silver locks and grinned at her friend in encouragement.
“Boots first, lady; no, on second thoughts, that dam' annoyin' corset thingy.” Gabrielle seemed to have everything well in hand, taking not a whit of notice of the many people moving to and fro all round. “Here, lem'me slide behind you, an' get t'grips with these corset laces. Dam' , what a fiddly business it always is, undressin' you, madam.”
Under the unrelenting fingers of the determined Amazon the corset finally gave up any further thought of resistance and came loose. Another few breaths and it had been removed from its duty of covering the resplendent chest of the Warrior Princess and flung haphazardly into the compartment next to Gabrielle's. The Amazon then slapped the Princess's hands aside and herself loosened the belt around her lover's waist; removing it with what the recipient thought a wholly unnecessary sweeping gesture. A few other bits unfastened, with a speed made achievable from Gabrielle's long practice, and the short, multi-leather-pieced skirt joined its erstwhile companion in the cubicle. Now the Princess retained only her short white linen shift and heavy leather boots. Gabrielle stood in front of the tall dark warrior, giving her a slow ‘ I'm waiting ' look which Xena recognised immediately. With a grimace of defeat and submission the Princess grasped the thin garment round the waist and, in one fluid movement, swept it over her head and off; revealing herself for the first time wholly nude from top to toe. Well, almost so.
“ Hmm , mighty fine.” Gabrielle unembarassedly gave the figure of her impressive companion an all-encompassing up and down glance, nodding in approval without the slightest sign of shame. “Think I like you in just your knee-high boots, lover. Gives you a—I don't know; what the Gauls call a certain je ne sais quoi , I fancy. Anyway, a swell sight. Now lose the boots, baby; y'can't swim in boots. Hurry up.”
Two breaths later Xena found the moment of truth had arrived and, as her unashamed blonde cohort was already, she stood amongst a seething throng of men and women—far too many of the former for her piece of mind, in fact,—absolutely stark naked from head to toe, feeling so much like a plucked chicken for a brief moment she found herself only wishing to run somewhere to hide as quickly as possible. Standing fast however beside her appallingly unfazed Amazonian confidante, she instead took a deep breath; eyeing everyone in sight with extreme prejudice; but finding only innocent activities on every hand admitted defeat, shrugging her wide muscled shoulders.
“ Athena, Aphrodite, an' Hera . OK, here we are, dammit; so, what's next?”
—O—
The Frigidarium.
“It's cold!”
“O'course it's cold; it's not called the frigidarium for nothing.”
Gabrielle was relentless as they stood in the wide high-ceilinged hall. A smooth marble-paved walkway going all round the walls of the vast room, encircling the wide long tank or bath or pool of freezing cold water some 10 metres wide and 30 metres long—the first of the trials laid out for the brave bather intent on taking the whole course of the required bathing regime.
There were a few groups or couples standing on the paved floor all round the pool, idly chatting; all, of course, unconcernedly exhibiting themselves in a state of nature; while, in the water itself, a number of hardy, or more likely desperate, swimmers ploughed along from one end to the other; many creating more splashes and rolling waves than strictly necessary in their efforts. The size, stone walls, and lack of furniture or rugs in the hall, gave the place a hollow ringing echo of some depth; so that anything one said, even in a more or less ordinary tone, seemed to re-echo back from a distance like faraway shouts from strangers.
Xena, naked as a statue, stood on the pool's rim, contemplating the rippling clear water. It was of a depth whereby if the Princess stood on the bottom her flowing hair would still be just below the surface. Casting a glance laced with mixed emotions at the seemingly even more naked form of her Amazon lover, Xena gave a short shake of her head, leaned forward, and gracefully dove down into the water, eliciting hardly a splash in doing so.
Gabrielle waited till her partner's head broke the surface, long arms beginning the task of cutting through the water, before herself following in the wake of the warrior.
Xena was taking it easily, while Gabrielle raced along at full stretch; so it was only a few breaths later that the blonde warrior caught up with the idling Princess. Knowing each other's capabilities to an infinite degree, from long association, they then struck out through the water side by side in even strokes until the further end of the pool had been reached. Here Gabrielle gave a joyous cry of delight; reaching out to grab Xena's head and duck her underwater, before slipping round with the grace of a dolphin, to head back along the pool.
“ Ho gal, so that's the way it's gon'na be, eh ? Just wait, I'll get ya back, see if I don't.”
The Warrior Princess's shoulders were muscled almost to the same tone and degree as a Circus wrestler; her back was a delight to view, with muscles rippling across from side to side; all sweeping down to a remarkably tight waist, before spreading out in wonderfully curvaceous buttocks, themselves the splendid pinnacles above incredibly muscled thighs—stunning aspects, in their own right, of a pair of magnificently long and well-defined legs. The ordinary man or woman about town would have registered delighted approval; any sculptor of quality, who knew their job, would have been in ecstasy.
The Amazon, on the other hand, presented a more composed, less flamboyant, figure. Her shoulders, for her form, were beautifully muscular; her waist petite; skin of a glossy pale ivory; and legs perfectly formed; the whole seemingly a work of art of the finest quality brought to life, like Pygmalion's statue. It was only as she reached the end of the pool again and darted out of the water like an eel, that the zenith of her figure was revealed. Facing the Niobe newly risen from the waves—as several idle bystanders of both sexes now did—one saw a lithe young form, yet of remarkable maturity. Shoulders wide and graceful; beautifully shaped breasts of notable fullness; lower abdomen lacking all excess fat, but showing instead muscles of tight hard firmness; and a wonderfully smooth overall skin tone; finally, her short silver-white hair as she tossed her head on exiting the water,—in opposition to her dark partner's long black locks—reflected another subtle difference between their physical forms.
There being an etiquette in these things, as was only to be expected, no one of the spectators gave more than a quick, though still all-encompassing, glance at the gorgeous double vision. Which was just as well, because the suspicious stare which the Princess now took time to rake across the various nearby strollers and other bathers would have singed the flesh of any guiltily sensual party eyeing the women with intent unlucky enough to have caught her eye. But, again, nothing of that sort seemed to be going on, so Xena had no option but to carry on regardless; and, anyway, her energetic companion was now heading inexorably towards the next torture on their schedule.
“Come on, Princess, hurry up.” Gabrielle glanced over her retreating shoulder with a wide grin; entirely unaware of the magnificent spectacle she made, to anyone immediately behind her, as she strolled with an easy fluid naked grace over the marble floor. “It's too cold t'dive in here again—next stop, along this other corridor—race you, babe.”
—O—
The Tepidarium.
The warm pool lay in a further hall, again with a curving high ceiling, though of slightly smaller proportions than its chillier neighbour. The tank set in the floor, surrounded again by a wide marble-laid walkway, was around 20 metres long and 8 metres wide; the water here being heated to a comfortable balminess, light steam wafting from its surface. As a result of this larger degree of comfort there were proportionately more bystanders, all naked in their own right of course, as well as more actual swimmers; the conversation and loud cries of delight and badinage filling the space were also more intense and cheerier, leading to the acoustical echoes being themselves louder and more ringing in tone. Altogether there seemed far more life and energy, as well as noise, in the tepidarium than its predecessor.
The passing onlooker might here remark ordinary housewives, daughters, mature women; young men of the middle to higher ranks of society, as well as the hoi-polloi; members of the merchant class; obvious young soldiers, centurions, or personnel of greater rank; senators, and all those others making up a rich all-inclusive mix of Roman society—for the whole purpose of these state-operated Baths was to imbue a sense of comradeship between all citizens, male and female, which could only be to the greater good of the Empire and its advocates—it being, indeed, not merely bread and Circuses which benefited and contributed to the happiness of the populace.
The two adventurers had now progressed to the middle of the triumvirate of swimming-pools aligned to the needs of the bathers. They had successfully engaged with the cold pool; something which many failed to achieve; these dispirited survivors deciding, after the freezing shock of the cold water had worn off enough for rational thought to return, to take a quiet walk outside in the sunshine to get warm again before hurriedly leaving. This tepidarium pool notched the level of warmth up a trifle. Not too much, but enough for the bather to realise they were experiencing another level of physical gratification.
And here Xena became aware of the next barrier to comfort and happiness regarding this whole trial; they immediately, on entering the high-ceilinged hall, met someone they knew.
“Greetings, Gabrielle; and Xena too, I see.” The speaker was a large, well-built man in his early fifties with slightly greying hair and beard, though clearly in still startlingly excellent physical shape. “I wondered when you both would first feel the call of the Baths. Magnificent, aren't they?”
Gabrielle stopped on the edge of the pool, smiling at her naked interlocutor, completely at ease with everyone's nudity.
“Senator Scipio, nice t'see you, as well.” She graced the man with one of her most relaxed and open grins. “The lady-friend here, an' I, thought it'd be a good idea t'take a walk round the joint today. Must say, I'm liking what I see, so far.”
She obviously could not have said anything more satisfying to the member of the Roman Senate, who visibly expanded; sticking his bare chest out in almost proprietorial dignity.
“Yes, the premises have that effect on bathers and visitors.” He nodded vigorously, sweeping an arm round to indicate, well, everywhere around the small group. “No expence spared, as you may easily see; and all in order to show the ordinary citizen that the Republic looks after them, one and all.”
Xena essayed a preliminary sneer; but, catching the snapping green eye of her companion, let it die unborn; merely shrugging her shoulders half-heartedly. An action which only served to make the warrior once more aware of her absolute nakedness; she sighed deeply.
“Xena an' I were about to try the tepidarium waters, Senator.” Gabrielle carried on, not a whit put out by her nudity among so many companions. “We've just endured, at least that's what the dark lady here called it, the frigidarium. It'll be good t'get warm again. I think I see icicles forming on the flanks of my friend, as it is.”
“Let me not hold you both back from that certainly enjoyable experience.” The Senator smiled as he turned away to continue speaking to the group of also naked men around him. “Perhaps we shall meet again in a few days, at the Circus? Salutations.”
Gabrielle walked on, along the side of the marble-edged pool; Xena by her side, trying to keep herself between the naked nymph and the unseemly—to her eyes—crowd of other bathers; without much success, of course.
“Ready?”
“Ready? For what?”
“Diving in, of course.” The blonde Amazon shook her head, as at an innocent young girl. “Here's where we get warm again; see you on the other side.”
With this short farewell she thrust her arms out, inclined her wonderful pale body, and slipped into the water like a trout in a river; leaving her companion standing, in more ways than one.
“ Oh Gods , what a gal.”
The tall dark-haired warrior took a single step to the edge of the pool, ducked her head; and, with hardly a splash, followed her lover into the warm depths of the pool.
The two women showed differing techniques in their swimming styles as they slid through the water, like swift silver arrows in the air. Gabrielle kept her dive low, cutting through the water just under the surface, long smooth strokes of her arms keeping momentum going as her form knifed along. Xena, on the other hand, dived straight to the bottom, pushed off from the marble floor with both hands, then set out to catch her lover whose slim shape she could see far ahead racing through the light green flickering depths. The necessity for breathing hardly seemed to be of paramount importance to either female as they swam along, as fast and as at home as two salmon in a deep stream.
For all her superior strength Xena found herself too far behind. Gabrielle was first to reach the further end of the long pool; sliding out in one graceful movement, as if she were a true water-nymph, to stand grinning; brushing her white hair back and gasping with a beautiful fall and rise of her fulsome breasts as she awaited the arrival of the Princess, her body dripping water droplets from every inclined plane of her ivory flesh.
“Beat you; beat you; be—”
“Yeah, so ya beat me.” Xena tried a snarl of unhappiness as she powered out of the water, like a fish leaping, to stand by her companion in a further shower of splashing silvery rain; but she knew it was in vain as she did so. “So what's that make? Once in how many other times, dearie? Twenty, by my reckoning.”
“Your reckoning's nonsense, lady.” The white-haired Amazon wasn't standing for this. “It was only a couple of weeks ago I beat you twice, back at that river in the mountains, remember?”
“ Grrgh. ”
“Exactly.”
After lightly brushing the excess water from their respective bodies, and running fingers through their hair to clear their eyes, the women headed for the exit from the tepidarium—a high fancifully pillared marble arch reaching nearly to the ceiling of the large hall; beyond which lay another long stone corridor.
“So, what's next?”
“The Calderium, sister.” Gabrielle smirked as she looked over her shoulder at the tall Princess bringing up the rear, still with a gloomy frown. “Be prepared t'be boiled within an inch o'your life. I hear they keep this pool nearly at boiling point; opens the pores, or some such nonsense.”
“ Great Hera , I don't wan'na end up on the menu as the next poached dish at the banquet.” Xena was outraged, striding forward to place a hand on the bare shoulder of her loved one. “Y'r surely jokin'?”
“Of course I'm jokin', gal.” Gabrielle expelled a breath in a deep sigh, as she shook her head at the crass naivety of some. “It's only relatively hotter than the tepidarium, is all—an' that not by much; so relax, will you. Come on, here we are. Gods , not so many people here; that's better, we can have the whole pool to ourselves for a change. Come on, move those feet, lady.”
—O—
The Calderium.
This third and last pool lay in yet another hall with an arched roof; the walls cut by deep tall windows allowing great floods of light into the long room. This pool, however, was much smaller than the tepidarium; being hardly larger than the pools to be found in many Roman families' own private villas. Some eight metres by six metres, again lined with marble; and also steaming, as Gabrielle had tried to pretend, like a bubbling bowl of hot water. Xena once more laid a hand on the bare ribs of her lover to hold her back from anything possibly dangerous.
“How hot's that bloody water, d'ya say?”
“Just a few degrees hotter'n the tepidarium.” Gabrielle brushed Xena's protecting hand aside with a gentle but firm motion of her fingers. “Don't worry, we ain't gon'na be boiled alive; the Baths management ain't got enough fuel or boilers or stokers t'keep the temperature that high. That's why this pool's so much smaller than the rest; too expensive keeping a larger one hot. Come on, gal, Mummy'll go first, to show how safe it is.”
“ Ha-ha. ”
Gabrielle this time—the pool being clear of other bathers at this point—stood on the edge, took a deep breath, then jumped forward while remaining in a standing position. She entered the steaming water feet first, disappearing into the heated depths in a splash of hot water which caught the Warrior Princess full-on, trickling down Xena's bare legs and belly; causing her to take a sharp intake of breath at the unexpected difference in temperature. Then she grinned as she saw the short lithe form of her lover knifing through the water heading for the other end, obviously in full control of her naked body's movements.
“Well, if she can—”
Xena took a breath and jumped forward, in a rather graceless manner, causing a huge all-encompassing splash as she entered the water with all the elegance of a buffalo. Coming up for air she was somewhat surprised to find Gabrielle waiting for her halfway along the pool. From here they swam in easy strokes to the further end, Xena stepping out first on the shallow steps which finished-off this side of the pool—giving her blonde lover a helping hand, with all the dignity she could muster in the circumstances.
“Well, that was short an' sweet.”
“An' too dam' hot for my likin'.”
“It's only water, Princess.” Gabrielle laughed as she took Xena's hand in a firm grip, heading for the exit to the calderium. “Know what's next?”
“ Gods no , what?”
—O—
The Palaestra.
“The open air, at last. Gods , I need fresh air, after all that.”
“Don't be a wimp, Princess.” The blonde naiad laughed unfeelingly as they stepped out a large open door onto the short grass of an enclosed open-air garden or court. “ Whee , looks nice here, benches t'sit on, too.”
The wide space was open to the sky, being encircled by a columned colonnade along each of its four sides. The open ground was covered in a wide grassy lawn; the whole being some twenty metres square. As Gabrielle had already noted, there were several benches, wooden as well as some of more solid stone, for the overheated bathers to sit on and cool off—a process which Xena at least wasted no time in putting into operation.
“ Ahh , that's good—dam' good. Rest, at last.”
“Y'sound as if you've just run t'Marathon, girl.” Gabrielle's laugh was like a duo of silver trumpets playing sweetly, as she joined her exhausted companion on the stone bench. “ Arr , cool too, just where it matters.”
“ Harph. ”
“We can spend a little time here, darling, then we head for the outdoor swimming-pool.”
“What? Where? Tell me y'r jokin' again.”
“Nope,” Gabrielle loved coming over all informative to the Princess; who so often tried to make like a know-all to her smaller companion. “outside, in the encircling gardens—well, between the two wings of the Baths, and the main outer wall, anyway—there's a wide long pool with water at normal air temperature, expressly meant for bathers t'swim their aches an' pains away, before the enjoyable task of mingling with the hoi-polloi in the outer gardens, t'soak up the sun an' chat with everybody.”
“ Gods , will it never end?”
“Wassat, lover?”
“Nuthin', dearest, nuthin'.”
“ Oh , OK.”
There were only a few beds of flowers in the garden, surrounded by various benches; the whole encircled by the sweep of the airy colonnade on all four sides. All in all it made for a very peaceful environment, if what was required was silence, tranquility and the chance to be alone with your lover. Xena, for the first time that morning, found herself relaxing and beginning to enjoy life. After all, what could be better than sitting quietly on a garden bench beside the love of your life, entirely taken up with the physical presence of your companion; a position not in any way hindered by her being as naked as a new born babe. Xena found herself grinning inanely at her Amazon companion, just because it seemed the right thing to do.
“Somethin' wrong, gal? Y'look a little sickish; the Calderium been too much for you, darlin'?”
“What? Nah, doll, everythin's perfectly alright, thanks.”
Gabrielle gave her lover another questioning glance; then leaned back, arms supporting her with hands gripping the rear edge of the bench, closing her eyes and letting the warm fresh air wash over her nude body. Xena's attention remaining fixed on this vision of Olympian beauty as if nothing else mattered at that moment.
But all good things come to an end; several other bathers entering the garden some little time later; they conversing, men and women, in loud happy tones: the spell was broken and, in mutual though silent agreement, Xena and Gabrielle unostentatiously stood up and made their way to one of the exits, heading for the next step in their morning's ablutions.
“Not that door, this one, lady.”
“ Oh , where's it lead, then? Some other torture chamber?”
“ Ha. The Natatio, you'll love it; like swimming in a country lake.”
“Big as that, is it, Gabs?”
“Pretty much.” Gabrielle, as was her wont, had read up in several scrolls beforehand all about the lay-out of the famous complex of buildings. “It's an open-air swimming-pool; set in the space between the two wings of the main Baths building. The far side is protected by the north-east exterior encircling wall. So, we have a quiet, private—”
“Private?, Harrgh. ”
“—fool,—relatively private pool.” Gabrielle took little note of this interruption. “It's vast, about thirty metres square, and deep—if you stood on the bottom and I stood on your shoulders my head'd just about be at the surface—”
“ Hmm .”
“Wha'd'you mean,— Hmm ?”
“ Oh , just that it sounds good for diving.” The black-haired warrior shook her head innocently. “Y'know how much I like divin', in all its forms.”
The Amazon paused to give her lover an enquiring glance; sometimes it was so hard to tell what the Tall One really meant; then she too shrugged and carried on along the cold stone corridor, lit by a row of small windows; all open, letting the warm air circulate inside the building.
Finally they walked out through another high arched doorway and found themselves in the stone-paved quadrangle which made up the site of the natatio, or swimming-pool. And it was a sight to see.
—O—
The Natatio.
The distant walls enclosing the open space on each side, consisting of the wings of the huge Thermae building along with the main outer encircling wall, gave just the right amount of privacy for the ambulating bather to feel at ease in walking across the wide pavement to the side of the pool; which, as Gabrielle had said, seemed enormous. This was fed from the same aqueduct serving the Baths' other interior pools; the water coming in straight from its long journey from the far hills, and sweetly cool as a result. The pool was, as usual, made of the finest dark marble; the water level being only a calf's length lower than the surrounding marble rim, so one could sit comfortably on the side, dangling feet in the cool water while chatting to friends or companions. At the far north-east side the pool ended in a set of shallow steps allowing tired swimmers to simply walk up and so out of the water.
There was enough space for bathers to parade around at their leisure, circling the pool if so desired rather than diving in to swim. Many customers of the Baths were engaged in just this activity as Gabrielle walked across to the edge and sat with easy grace, beckoning Xena to her side. Xena, curiously, found herself growing more accustomed to the situation—if feeling a smidgin less embarrassed than previously about being naked amongst so many others in the same condition meant anything. Though she still cast a mildly suspicious glance round the vast courtyard, examining eveyone's intentions; once more only finding innocent enjoyment in the moment: a situation which tended more to increase her grumpiness than not.
“ Gods , there seems t'be an enormous amount o'bathers, t'day.” Xena swiveled her head almost completely round, like an owl, as she surveyed the groups of citizens milling about. “Though many are just strollin', I note.”
“Nuthin' wrong with that.” Gabrielle leaned back on her arms again; face up to the warm sun, eyes closed. “ Gods , this is good.”
This sight was naturally inclined to tug at the heart-strings of the tall dark-haired woman by her side, which is exactly what then transpired—Xena finding herself so taken with the sight of Gabrielle, naked and calmly relaxed among the surrounding spectators, and so absolutely beautiful in the meanwhile, that she could hardly breathe never mind find something intellectual to say.
“Wan'na, ahh , wan'na swim?”
“Yeah, sure.” Gabrielle opened her green orbs and smiled happily at her protector. “Race? Or just splash about?”
“Splash about; I'm too tired t'race any more. You first?”
“Thanks.”
Gabrielle rose to her feet on the pool's edge; Xena noticing several of the crowd, for the first time, actually pausing to glance over the blonde's petite form as she stood proud and casual in her nudity; the Amazon herself taking no note of the impression she was making. Then the blonde warrior bent forward and knifed cleanly into the fresh water like a sprite slipping back into her natural environment.
Xena followed with easy grace, slicing through the water with the swiftness and determination of a hungry shark. Joining her partner in the middle of the wide pool they trod water, fingers intertwined for a few breaths as they grinned at each other with the simple joy of the cool water and physical exercise. There weren't many other swimmers at this particular moment so they had all the room necessary to indulge themselves. Gabrielle tried swimming on her back for half a length; Xena, moving more conventionally by her side, finding the sight almost overwhelmingly delightful. Then the blonde Amazon, just because she could, slid round with swift purpose and set off down the length of the pool with high overarm strokes, leaving her erstwhile companion in her ever-receding wake. Not to be left out Xena turned and set about catching the pale sinuous form ahead of her; her strength bringing her level with the Amazon just as they reached the lowest of the steps at the far end.
Splashing out of the water onto the pavement again, sweeping hands through waterlogged hair and raising their heads to grin at the open blue sky then each other, Xena found herself for the first time taking simple pleasure in the situation, without any clinging wisps of anxiety about their position in this Public place; just enjoying herself with the one she loved most in all the world, no strings attached.
“ Whoa , that was great.” Gabrielle laughed with pure pleasure, as she turned to place a hand gracefully and gently on Xena's bare waist as they walked across the stone apron. “I've never enjoyed myself more for ages. Isn't this marvelous? An' being naked just seems, y'know, t'make things ever so more—natural, don't you think?”
“Yeah, I suppose y'r right.” Xena nodded in agreement, finding that she was actually finally accepting their situation for the innocent carefree action that it was. “Wouldn't wan'na swan down the main street in the nude every day, mind you.”
“ Ha .” The irrepressible Amazon gave her partner a sly look as they reached the colonnade surrounding the pool. “ Oh , I don't know, though. What'd be wrong with amblin' along the Via Sacra in the altogether, after all? Not sure I wouldn't like t'give it a go sometime, lover.”
“ Huh , not on my watch, lady.” Zena sniffed magisterially. “Don't think the Romans are ready for a nude Amazon paradin' the streets on a Festival day, or any other, come t'that.”
“ Hrrph , well, we can indulge our desires in the next best thing, though.”
“ Gods , an' what'd that be—scared as I am in askin'?”
“The last step in this wonderful mornin's relaxation, o'course.” Gabrielle knew exactly what her timetable consisted of. “We trek through these cold corridors, across the north wing,—an' where d'we come out?”
“Is that a question?” Xena sneered lightly. “How'd I know; this place's a maze; bigger'n the Minotaur's lair, if y'ask me. Sure y'know the dam' way out? By the way, what about our clothes? Just a minor point; but I for one ain't paradin' naked through the streets back t'our Inn, whatever your idea might be, gal.”
“Clothes-s'mothes—we ain't finished yet, darlin', not by a long way.” Gabrielle took the hand of her still muttering friend, steering her along yet another high-ceilinged and quite busy arched corridor; the women slipping through the moving, also naked, throng like eels. “Here we are, dearie, just through this archway— ah yes , the Gardens.”
—O—
The Gardens.
The Baths of Trajan were set in a generally square plot of land, close to the Colosseum; though the space was on an unusual north-east-south-west inclination. The main building was backed-up against the north-east exterior wall—which encircled the whole complex. While the Baths took a huge amount of space the wide plot was so large there was a great deal of un-used land still left over. Nothing loth, and having the comfort of the customer in their minds at every opportunity, the architects had come up with a spiffing idea—lay this extraneous ground out as a wide-spread Garden, complete with groves of trees and bushes. There were sections given over to flower-filled miniature gardens, complete with winding paths under the shade of mature trees where numerous wooden benches gave relief to the tired walker; whilst elsewhere wide grassy lawns allowed the exhausted bather to regain their energy as they strolled in the sun, talking to their friends and meeting acquaintances. This was by far the most popular area of the Baths, often reflecting the presence of vast numbers of citizens, of both sexes—all, of course, still fully nude.
Coming out, while naked, onto this wide open extent of ground filled with many people, even though all in the same condition or state of nature, was—as Xena had been complaining all morning,—just like parading Publicly in the altogether. But, as Gabrielle led her companion across the cool grass Xena now found herself more relaxed and accepting of the situation than she expected.
“Must be the earlier experiences; I'm gettin' used ta'it, I suppose.”
“Wassat, darlin'?” The Amazon had her eye on the milling groups of other exhausted bathers scattered over the landscape, looking for anyone they knew—she dearly loving a gossip, in any circumstances. “ Oh look , there's Sylvia. Let's go over an' say hallo, come on.”
Having built up a deeply-rooted suspicious nature over the course of the morning's exercises Xena found herself, for all her newly acquired calm, still looking dubiously at everyone they passed in the sunshine; though again she found no iota of ill-will or vulgarity present—the masses seemingly only bent on enjoying themselves; as if being totally naked amongst large numbers of others of the same taste was the most natural thing in the world. The Warrior Princess found herself sighing quietly, Oh well, the whole experience was nearly over now, anyway .
“Well, Gabrielle, how nice to see you here.” Sylvia was a mature matron, as the Romans called almost any woman of whatever age who was married; though she was still in her late twenties. “Found your way to the Baths at last? And with Xena, too; greetings, Princess, glad to find you indulging yourself here. Magnificent, isn't it?”
The Lady Sylvia was tall, almost as much so as the black-haired Princess; pale-skinned, though herself blonde with long wavy tresses floating over her bare shoulders. Wife of an important and wealthy Roman citizen, she held court with her own famed evening banquets to which all the important people were accustomed to come. Having met Gabrielle on her first arrival in the capital they had rapidly become close friends; and Xena, along with the ever-loving party-girl she shared her life with,—Gabrielle never saying no to one of Sylvia's invitations—had grown used to visiting the Lady.
Sylvia stood straight as an arrow, with a slightly boyish form; mostly as a result of her lithe small-breasted physique, with narrow hips allied to long legs; all shown to advantage by her soft but well-muscled limbs. In the nude, as now, Sylvia might easily have been taken as the original inspiration for a marble nymph by Praxiteles himself.
“I finally argued her Excellency into accompanying me here.” Gabrielle waved a deprecatory hand at the love of her life, much to Xena's chagrin. “She was so conservative about comin' here, but I broke through her defences at last. Though I think she's enjoyin' everythin' now, at last; ain't you, dear?”
Pressed suddenly, without warning, like this Xena opened and shut her mouth wordlessly twice, then retrieved her capability of speech with a near blush— Gods, Amazon Queens, have they no shame at all?
“ Oh, er , yeah, great.” Feeling herself this reply lacked enthusiasm the Warrior bucked-up, grinning at Sylvia. “You know the Blonde One, Lady, once she gets a bee in her hair she won't let go. I had'ta see this place; it was great, just wonderful; baths an' water, an' gardens, an' massages, an' everythin'. Wouldn't let up fer dam' days. Broke my spirit in the end. What you see here before ya t'day, Lady, is a mere shadow of a former warrior—in short I'm pooped, an' so the Amazon here took advantage of me t'drag me along this mornin'.”
“ Idiot , take no notice of her carping criticism, Sylvia,” Gabrielle merely sneered gently at her lover, whilst simultaneously smiling winningly at the Roman matron; an expressive duality the Amazon was fully mistress of. “that's just her normal frame of mind—no sense of the social proprieties at all. But she's here, so I call that a success. Y'liked the mornin', didn't you, darlin'?”
“If ya call likin' takin' my clothes off shoulder t'shoulder with six men, who were themselves already mostly naked.” The Princess wasn't going to admit defeat without a fight. “Naked men t'the left of me; naked men t'the right; naked women everywhere, in droves; reminded me of a dream I had one evening a few weeks ago out on the Campagna, after one of Gabs' trout fry-ups. It started with twenty me—”
“Can it, gal; your erotic dreams are of no import t'Sylvia, or me, come t'that.” Gabrielle expertly took command of the conversation, before it got out of hand. “Say, what was that you said, just then?—massages? Dam' , I forgot about the massages. We should have gone t'the massage-rooms before we came out here. Layin' on a marble table, sloshed from head t'toe with fine-scented oils, an' caressed all over by expert masseurs. I've a good mind t'go back in, before it's too late; see you, Lady Sylvia—comin', gal?”
“ Here , hold up just an iota.” The Warrior Princess hadn't gotten to her present high status without having some sense, and sharp ears. “Masseurs? Men , d'ya mean? Shouldn't that be masseuses, dear?”
“Nah, the masseurs here are all men—experts in their chosen field, mind you, so I've heard.” Gabrielle, seemingly having no sense of shame whatsoever, wittered on as they re-crossed the wide lawn back towards the towering Baths. “Don't worry, it's all done in the best possible taste. Why, they've been massaging women for donkey's years here; they know everythin' there is t'know about how to give a Lady a good time; gentle caresses, smooth rubs all over your body, lovely sweeping strokes over all your muscles an' curves; a good overall seeing-to, in fact. Gods , I'm lookin' forward to a really good slow, scented, caressingly smooth massage by an expert.”
“Well, I'm not.” The Princess glanced at the blonde Amazon by her side in consternation. “Are ya actually tellin' me, t'my face—in the nude t'gether, like this—that y'r gon'na let a man stroke and massage an' do Gods know what t'you with their hands an' hot oil an',-an' everythin'.”
“Yep.” Gabrielle nodded contentedly. “ Hey , it's only a massage, not a love-match at someone's orgy. They know just how t'ease those tired tense muscles an' tendons, dear. You'll love it. Right, let's see; this way, I believe.”
“ Oh Gods . Is there any way I can—”
“ No. Hot scented oils from Araby, the caress of expert hands all over my body, an' yours', girl; an' the pleasure of a really good massage. Look, we're nearly there; just through this door. Gods , steam everywhere. Wonder what we— oh, here comes a guy—”
From out of the heavy clouds of steam filling the large high-ceilinged room appeared the form of a short-statured but well-built man in his forties—entirely nude, as were his customers, and clearly presenting the evidence of his maleness; though happily, for at least one of the women present anyway, not in any virile or annoying way—probably it already having been something of a long morning for him; and one man only being capable of so much, spirit willing or otherwise.
“Two full massages, please.” The blonde Amazon showed not a scintilla of shyness or shame. “The full Mon— er , I mean everythin' you've got,—hot oils, over-all massage, muscle-kneading, all-encompassing full-body rubs; the whole works, in fact. These two tables here?”
“Certainly, madam. I'll just call young Bachylides, to work on your companion. I can assure you both of a complete inclusive massage you'll remember for ages—if I say so myself I'm an expert in the methods of giving ample pleasure, as well as physical relaxation, to men an' women—mostly women, as it happens.” The man bustled about, bringing over several glass vials and flasks of curiously coloured, as well as scented, oils from a nearby table; along with a number of objects, obviously tools of his trade, which filled the still somewhat dubious Princess with foreboding as she hurriedly glanced at them. “Now, if you will both just lie on the tables, face-down to start. Bachylides, where are— oh , here you are. Two customers, the full schedule—you take the big dark woman; I'll see to the blonde lady myself. Now, to begin—”
“ Oh Gods. ”
The End.
—O—
To be continued in the next instalment of the ‘ Xena's Exploits' series.
—OOO—