Into the Void

21)Blood and Steel

Keith recovered quickly, the surprise fading from his face and replaced by a dark, bemused smile. He leaned in even closer, his golden eyes narrowing with a mixture of challenge and intrigue. "Careful," he said, his voice as smooth and dangerously low as velvet. "Teasing, is a game with consequences you may soon come to regret."
Xena didn't back away, her smile only widening in challenge . "Oh? And what kind of consequences are we talking about, Your Highness?" She emphasized the title with mocking tone, her words laced with sarcasm.

Keith's fingers grazed her jawline, his touch featherlight, but the intensity in his eye was far from gental. "Ones that may prove far beyond your capacity to endure,"he murmured. His words hung in the air like a warning, yet her defiance only grew.
Xena tilted her head as she bit her bottom lip lightly as if in deep thought, her confidence untouched  despite the rapid thump of her heart. "Well, I guess I'll have to take my chances," she challenged, the playfulness never leaving her tone.

Before he could say something Ian burst into the room, his eyes wide with alarm and breath coming in ragged gasps. "Your Highness!" he called out, his voice cracking. "There's an emergency near the forest......We need you immediately!"
"Voras ka'hvren talissa doran!" ("The beast is creating havoc") he declared, the foreign words thick with intensity which was beyond Xena's understanding.
Keith was already moving, his expression grave and focused, leaving her in the dark and chained he moved towards the danger unfolding.

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After hours Keith returned, his hair disheveled and his clothes soaked in blood. Dark streaks of crimson splattered his hair and face, and his golden eyes burned with a fierce intensity. He held his weapon loosely, still dripping from the slaying. The room seemed to darken, tension curling through the air.
Xena felt her breath knoked out of her lungs, her gaze frozen on the sight before her. Memories of his family's cruelty rushed back—those stories of merciless, blood-soaked vengeance and torment. A chill prickled at her skin, and she shifted as far from him as possible, her hands curling into fists. He's just like them, she thought, a mixture of fear and anger surging through her veins. No different at all.

Keith noticed the way she recoiled, his gaze flickering to mistrust on her face. His jaw tightened, and a shadow of frustration passed over him, but he said nothing. The distance  between them widened, unspoken truths and misunderstandings building like an unscalable wall.

Night eventually came and Xena took the small vial of her dreamless sleep potion, takeing a sip and pretend to drink it in front of Alphine before slipping out of view to bathroom and throwing it all up. With her heart racing,  she hoped no one would notice her little act of rebellion especially Keith.
Keith stood by the entrance of bathroom, observing her with narrowed eyes. He didn't seem to suspect her, but with a flick of his wrist, he transfigured the side table into a plush, velvet couch. The sudden change startled Xena, settling onto his new resting place with a look of tiredness engulfing him.
"I trust your sleep will be peaceful" he remarked, his voice laced with tiredness as he stretched out, one arm draped lazily over the back of the couch.
Xena turned away,ignoring his comment clenching her jaw. Little did he know, she had no intention of letting sleep claim her so easily tonight.