Let the Spirit Move Me

The song is what they're dancing to and what inspired this fic, from Xena: Warrior Princess, A Tale of Two Muses.

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     Firelight flickered over the faces of the people gathered around the center of Tondisi, torches and braziers lit to keep them warm and to light up the night sky. The citizens all stood and stared with bated breath, their attention on two figures circling each other by the biggest fire. This was a sight none of them had ever seen: their Heda, dancing.

     The music was steady yet somehow not, the beating of the drums piercing the air with some other instruments, creating a sort of swaying sound. The Heda's body moved with the sounds, her gaze on the blonde skaigada with her. The two wore fierce expressions, the smirks on their lips only making them seem more predatory. They continued to circle around, closing in on the other, as if they were feisripa stalking their prey.

     Someone started singing, and the two women came together at once. They moved as one, their gazes never wavering from the other. Their limbs flowed in tandem, their bodies seeming to twist around each other perfectly, even as they didn't touch once. Grins adorned their faces, and the Skai Prisa's cheeks were tinted red from the exertion. Anyone close enough could see how their eyes darkened as the dance went on, the lyrics writing their story. They moved more as the song went on, dancing harder and harder. Now there were touches, light grazes of hands on arms, Heda letting her hand drift ever so gently over Wanheda's torso as the blonde turned in time with the music.

     Their skin glistened, their hands pressing together as they circled once more, then threw themselves into such a dance that made most viewers blush. Their hips swayed together, their bodies pressed together tightly, their noses brushing just the slightest. They still kept eye contact, their gazes so intense they seemed to block out anything else that was going on around them. Their movements spoke of an intimacy, their gazes a hunger.

     "You came along, you pulled me up, when I was down. The way you made me feel just took me by surprise. You took my hand, you stole my heart and fed the fire. When you moved with me, you gave me back my life!" Heda's lips moved with the lyrics, and the red on the blonde's cheeks darkened as her grin grew wider.

     The viewers watched with rapt attention, unable to look away as the intense love story played out before them. They were in a trance, ecstatic to see their Commander so happy and relaxed, dancing without abandon. Most worried about her, so young a woman, yet so serious and mature. They knew she was strong, and they all thought her even stronger now, able to push her worries back to celebrate with her people. Those that knew the words to the song joined in for the last bit, breaking out of their trance in time to start moving on their own, even as the lyrics ended. The music went on, the people danced, and no one noticed when Heda took her lover's hand and led her to their tent.