Crownless again shall be the queen
Trophy on her grave still remains unseen
A boat on the river confessing the sins
The Riddler revealing the deep hidden things

Crownless again shall be the king
A gull covered in oil with a broken wing
A hitcher on a road alone and lost
Iron sharpens iron... - a truth that once was

Mine is the Earth and the sword in the stone
Mine is the throne for the idol
One fleeting moment and it is all gone
Crownless again
Will I fall?
Song: Nightwish –Crownless

The Greek Empire vs. The Roman Empire

AN: yes Xena is back and there will be some hell to pay for a few people. And Eve is heading into a direction that she thinks she can control. Good luck and thanks for following along ;)

Chapter 12

A few days later Samuel had sent some of his best men and his assistant, Balal, to retrieve Eve and bring her to Persia, willingly of course. They arrived mid-afternoon at the entrance of the large Athenian palace in the middle of nowhere, far from civilization. Balal himself had never been to the palace that belonged to the Grecian empress and it was quite large, even larger than the his king's palace in Persia.

The Persian soldiers were granted entrance once they stated who they were and what business they had with the empress. Balal stepped inside and saw the empress in flesh for the first time. She was everything that Samuel said she would be. She was intimidating, yet had a beautiful aura about her and once he saw the princess, he knew instantly that was Xena's daughter. She too had her height, her stature, icy blue eyes and dark hair, though, her hair was much curlier while her mother's was stick straight. Balal saw the two talking amongst themselves and he waited patiently.

Eve turned her head as her mother was speaking to her and saw the Persian soldiers waiting for her to go with them. A hand came to her shoulder and she swiftly turned to see the concern in her mother's eyes. She grinned lightly and grabbed hold of her mother's hand, squeezing tightly. "Don't worry, mother, if anything happens I will –"

"Let me know immediately," Xena said firmly and Eve nodded, knowing she was quite serious. She never joked about her safety and Eve knew that to be true. She had saved her before and would die for her if it came to that. Xena hugged Eve tightly as if hugging her for the first and last time. The young princess gasped for air and pat her mother's shoulder.

Gabrielle stifled a laugh and pulled on Xena's shoulder. Without realizing she was crushing her own daughter Xena pulled away with an embarrassed smile. "She will be back, right?" she eyed Eve carefully.

Eve nodded and hugged Gabrielle as well before she left. Gabrielle brushed a few long strands of hair away from her face and grinned widely. "I will fix this, I promise." She kissed Gabrielle's cheek then her mother's and let out a large sigh. She walked off heading to Balal and the king's soldiers waiting for her patiently.

Solan came out of the palace in his armor and Xena grabbed his shoulder forcefully, "if anything happens to her there will be terrible consequences not just for Samuel but for you too," she whispered lowly. Her son smiled nodding his head, completely understanding his mother's over protectiveness of Eve. She was much younger than him and she was his mother's baby in her eyes even if she was a young woman now.

"No need to threaten me, mother. I will protect Eve. She is my little sister after all," he smirked. He walked off going to grab a horse and saw Eve waving him to hurry it up. He mocked her waving and mounted the horse to trot alongside the Persian soldiers.

Xena called out, "don't let her out of your sight, Solan." She added and folded her arms, straightening herself. Solan rolled his eyes and nodded, suddenly feeling like she didn't trust him or had little faith in him. He wouldn't let that Persian King come a foot near his sister unless she allowed it.

Gabrielle and Xena watched the crew leave the palace and Eve was in a really nice caravan that Samuel sent for her, which Xena thought was really suspicious. As they rounded the gates they were no longer seen to the naked eye anymore and Xena turned to Gabrielle with a grimace. "Do you think this is a good idea?"

"Nope," Gabrielle shook her head, "but I trust that Solan will keep her safe and Samuel really liked Eve when they were children."

Xena pursed her lips, narrowing her eyes, yes she definitely remembered that very well. "That is what worries me, Gabrielle." She turned on her heel and entered the palace with Gabrielle skipping behind her. "Phraates tried to get the two married, if you don't remember," she scoffed.

The palace that she left behind was just as she remembered it would be. Children in classes and very educated teachers of course. She liked seeing this and she missed it greatly while in Egypt. She really enjoyed seeing the children learning in the place which she lived in. As soon as she walked through the halls a young girl ran into the front of her as she was running down the hallway in a hurry.

The child looked up at the empress with apologetic eyes. Xena smiled and knelt down, "hello there, where are you running off to in such a hurry?"

The child grinned at the empress, no longer fearing the empress's reaction any longer. She shrugged her small shoulders, "I have art class in a little bit," she said in her small voice. Xena looked up at Gabrielle with a warm smile. She did miss interacting with the students when she had the chance to and since she was so busy she hardly had any free time to interact, except when she taught the combat class all those years ago. She thought she should do that again since she was here. It would give her something more relaxing to do when she wasn't caught up with everything else in her life.

"I don't want to make you late," Xena told the young girl and stood up. "Get going now," she smiled making a path for the young girl and she ran past her and Gabrielle.

Gabrielle folded her arms with a smug grin. "You miss the children, don't you?" Xena nodded in agreement and they walked together outside to see some of the elder students studying quietly outside. Their eyes were glued to their scrolls not even acknowledging their entrance.

Xena turned to Gabrielle, "I want to start my combat class again. I think the children would really enjoy it. What do you think?" her eyes lit up and that was hard for Gabrielle to resist.

The blonde chuckled lightly, "I think it's a great idea, Xena. Plus, it would give you something to do, I mean, something fun to do," she corrected herself.

Xena liked the idea of renewing that class. She really enjoyed teaching those girls how to fight, but fight well and not violently. "I want to start as soon as possible. Tomorrow, perhaps," she nodded for her own self affirmation. Gabrielle thought Xena was being a bit hasty about this, though she didn't want to rain on her parade. She only had come out of that awful nightmare world a few days ago and though she saw a change in Xena, a good one. She hadn't been herself for a long time and she felt she was coming back to her regular self after a decade of harboring secrets. Her eyes were not tired anymore and her stature had changed as well. She was Xena again, after so long of being lost in herself, she was normal again.

Together they walked through the gardens that were definitely missed but had grown ten times since they left Athens. Xena was not one for enjoying flowers or nature but Gabrielle sensed a change in her. She was actually enjoying the lush green scenery which she was glad, but it was something new.

"Gabrielle, I told you I wasn't going to keep secrets anymore," Xena began softly as they walked through a large archway filled with vines and orchids. Gabrielle remained quiet following by her side with her hands behind her back. She could only expect the worse. "I used the entire elixir to be free from Eris' world. She used that as a hold on me and wanted to get close to Eve and I just couldn't allow that to happen. I have hurt you and I can't apologize enough for that, Gabrielle. You risked your life to come and save me from that awful place and I take you for granted. Somehow you are always saving me from my mistakes." She stopped and turned to her companion, who had doe eyes and saw her cheeks redden, though she couldn't tell if she was angry, sad or surprised. She grabbed her hands, grasping them tautly. "When I was in my palace in that other place...you acted different towards me," she frowned and sighed not sure how to continue with her thought.

Gabrielle waited patiently and saw Xena slipping. "Different how?" she egged her on and Xena looked up into her green eyes. She smiled warmly, allowing her to have her full attention.

"I told you that I didn't belong here...there, in Athens, that I belonged in Egypt and you...you didn't believe me. You thought I was crazy and that I...was not acting like myself." She sighed, hoping this was going to come out easier than she thought, but it wasn't. "It was then that I knew I was alone and it scared me. I never thought that I'd feel alone even with you there, but I did. I wanted you to believe me, but you didn't and I don't know why but...it was the first time I felt angry towards you. Perhaps, I was more angry with myself than with you, it sounds silly," she chuckled and covered her eyes, trying to feign embarrassment.

Gabrielle wasn't there when Xena was in that awful nightmare world, but obviously what she saw was something she didn't want. It was a good thing she decided to show up just in time and also explained why she was so hesitant to her first appearing before her. She had no idea what went on before she got there but now she knew. She grabbed Xena's hands and saw her watery eyes staring down at the dirt.

"Xena, whatever you saw there wasn't real and I always believe you, no matter how crazy it sounds," she jested lightly. "You are never alone but you sometimes shut yourself off from the rest of the world. You always think you can conquer things by yourself and you can, but sometimes...you can't. You need people, friends, to help you and you need to learn to accept the help," she lifted Xena's chin and saw a single tear fall off her cheek. She didn't like to see Xena cry, and it was a rare thing to see, but that was what made it all the more painful to watch.

Xena wiped her eyes and smirked, "you'd think I would have learned that after all these years being with you," she mumbled.

Gabrielle smiled, "it's never too late to learn how to accept yourself, Xena." A few short moments of silence passed between them and so she thought she'd ask one simple question, though it had complex answers. "Do you feel any different after using the elixir?"

Xena sighed, knowing that question was going to come up sooner or later. "I did, I mean I do. I feel rejuvenated, almost like a new person but I don't know...there was something Eris said. She was shocked and almost fearful when I used the rest of the elixir. I saw fear in her eyes."

Gabrielle tapped her chin pensively. "Maybe she is afraid that you could have killed her?"

The empress scoffed jokingly. "I cannot kill gods, Gabrielle. It must be something else, something else that we don't know." She frowned thinking of Ares once again, the person who got her into this mess. "If Ares would have never shown up, this would have never happened."

The blonde agreed but also disagreed with her. "But at the same time, this experience has changed you and in a good way. In some way, Ares did some good." She smirked knowing that'd light a fire beneath Xena.

"That'll be the first and last time you ever admit that," Xena firmly said. Gabrielle did not abject to that at all. She didn't like Ares from the first moment she laid eyes on him, but in this case, he saved Xena from what she was. She was awful to be around, so moody, grumpy and just not in her own element, but now...she was normal again. And most importantly, they were back in Athens again, where everyone belonged –where Xena belonged.

"So, all this time I thought Eve had turned but it was just Eris the entire time?" Xena referred to the vision Ares showed her fifteen years ago.

Gabrielle nodded, "yes. He hid the truth from you. He wanted to make you believe that Eve would betray everything you had taught her. In that sense...Ares is a pig," she smirked. Xena joined her in that statement of fact.

"He made me fear something that was never true to begin with," Xena shook her head feeling foolish for ever believing the War God. She knew that he lied to her on several occasions but that was just the icing on the cake. She was sure that she wouldn't see him anytime soon since his little plan didn't work and his sister was on her case as well as his. Whatever Eris had in mind obviously didn't work for now, as she told Xena. Xena only had to deal with Ares, no other disaster-causing Olympian and it sure sparked her when Eris wanted to control Eve. She wouldn't allow that to happen for several reasons. She knew that Eve had that fire inside of her as did Xena at that age, but as long as she stayed glued to her side, she would never turn to the dark side like Xena did. Eve was everything Xena wanted to be at that age and she wanted to make sure it stayed that way.

Though there was one thing that Eve seemingly pointed out very often and that was Xena's over protective nature. She wanted to keep Eve hidden and locked away so nobody could harm her but it only proved harder to do that as she grew older and had less control over her. At the young age of twenty two, Xena knew that she wouldn't be able to keep Eve by her side forever, no matter what path she took in the long run. But she was determined that it would be a peaceful path and not a violent one like the vision she saw, which turned out to be a facade more than a premonition. Xena knew that Ares was cunning but that almost seemed desperate in some regard.

Gabrielle saw Xena's mind was drifting off the longer they stood in the gardens. Her hand came to Xena's arm, shaking her out of her daze. "Are you alright?"

Xena shook her head and rubbed her temple, "yes, I'm fine, just thinking," she grinned.

"Well don't think too much," she teased.

Their moment together was interrupted by one of Xena's guards running to her with an urgent message. He huffed and then bowed his head towards her and she folded her arms. "Empress," he began breathlessly, "Octavius is arriving this evening from Assyria."

Xena's smile lit up her entire face and Gabrielle sensed the fire in Xena. She knew that Xena had been waiting for this moment for a very long time. She was definitely a changed woman. "Excellent," she hissed. "Prepare the west wing for the Roman," she demanded and the guard bobbed his head then left in a hurry back into the palace.

Gabrielle began sauntering with Xena back into the palace and they passed a few students whom were still studying quietly to themselves. "You are excited, aren't you?" she beamed.

The empress sighed, "I've been absent far too long, Gabrielle. It is time to take back what is mine," her pace quickened and Gabrielle frowned, not sure what exactly she meant by that.

"What do you mean 'take back what is yours'?" Gabrielle asked and Xena didn't answer. "Xena? Hello?" she groaned and caught up with her, pulling her arm. "You mean take back Greece?"

"No. I'm going to interrupt his little expanding empire party," Xena stormed off to her bedroom to get ready for this evening. Gabrielle blinked in shock, she thought that Xena had changed for good, which she did, but she came back with a vengeance and that was so...enthralling to hear. She smiled and ran up the stairs after Xena.


Eve arrived in Persia in a timely manner by horseback then by ship and then by horseback again to get to the palace. She remembered this place definitely since she had been there before when she was very young. It hadn't changed much except there were a lot more guards posted outside. She figured that when Phraates died the security around the palace expanded since Xena came there. She was not surprised, but she was surprised that Samuel asked to see her. She kidnapped him without knowing it was him and it had been quite a long time since she had seen him. He was very charming and he was very nice to her even after he told her that she captured him as a hostage. He was definitely not like his late father at all. She could tell even when she was young that he was not like Phraates.

The large doors opened and she saw Samuel standing at the entrance to greet her. She stepped out of the caravan and Solan jumped off his horse, wary of the Persian King with that smug look on his face. He would have to be extra careful around this guy, he thought.

Samuel walked down the steps and he glanced over at Solan, who he did not invite and did not recognize. "Who is this?" he said in almost a jealous tone. Eve turned to her brother and she smiled sweetly at the young king.

"This is Solan. He is my older brother," she hoped that Samuel would comply. Solan curtly nodded his head at the king and Samuel snickered. Eve leaned in close to the king, "mother wouldn't allow me to come unless someone else came with me," she whispered.

Samuel grinned and kissed Eve's hand, which he hoped that she wouldn't hate. She always hated being touched he remembered. "Well, I'm not going to harm you or anything," he winked. Eve smiled uncomfortably and Solan took notice of the charms the king had shown his sister and took note of it. "Please, come in," he gestured and Eve passed him and walked up the stairs. Solan trailed behind his sister and Samuel frowned at him then went in front of him. He grabbed Eve's hand aiding her up the stairs.

She eyed him cautiously, a bit nervous to be around him even after everything had happened. He probably had no idea that she knew that he wanted to attack Athens, which was a plus for her, though he wasn't stupid, she knew that much. She would have to be very careful around him, though it was nice to be around someone else besides her mother and Gabrielle. Even though she loved them dearly, she often felt like she was being suffocated by her mother and this was her time to set things right between the Persian and Greek empires.

They entered the royal throne room and Eve looked around. Nothing had really changed since she was last here. "Looks just as I remembered," she grinned. Samuel stepped in front of her and grabbed her hand and her eyes widened, afraid to take a step forward.

"Come sit with me. Your brother can watch from afar," he snapped his fingers at his guards and they blocked the entrance with large javelins in front of Solan. The blonde groaned but stood not willing to put up a fight. This wasn't the right time for that. As long as he could see Eve then everything was fine and as long as the king didn't do something stupid, then he would stay away.

Eve sat on the floor next to Samuel and wine was brought to them. Some servant girls also brought them a tray of fruit and other food stuffs. She eyed the wine cautiously and he chuckled at her suspicious nature. She gazed up at him raising a brow.

"It's not poisoned. I didn't ask you to come all this way to poison you," he sipped on his wine and Eve sipped hers as well. It was good, but as she remembered, not as good as the wine in Greece.

She set the glass down and eyed him as he reclined on a few pillows. "So why did you ask me to come here?" she wondered this for days as she traveled here.

Samuel shrugged a shoulder, "I wanted to be with you. I like you, you know. Just because our parents did not get along doesn't mean we can't, right?" he said with a charming smile. Eve grinned sheepishly, not quite sure how to address that subject. She didn't really want to talk about her mother and she didn't really have a plan but she wanted to make small talk with him.

"I'm really sorry about kidnapping you. It was an accident..." she admitted shyly. He dismissed it as if it never happened. "But your soldiers attacked my mother and her palace in Egypt. Why would they do that?"

Samuel sighed, "I told you Eve that they were going to come for me. It wasn't personal. You know I really admire your mother," he said as he bit into an apple. Eve raised an eyebrow at that. Now she was truly suspicious and he saw that in her eyes. "I do, Eve. She's a great warrior and strategist. I'm sure she's taught you well."

Eve nodded and sipped on her wine, "yes she has, but I don't think you brought me here just to talk about my mother..." she sneakily slipped that in, in order to change the subject.

He agreed to that and moved closer to her. "You're right. Let's not talk about her, let's talk about...you" he beamed and that made her uncomfortable. He touched her arm and felt her body tense under his fingers. He realized he was coming on a bit too strong and also eyed Solan, who was watching them like a hawk. Quickly, he got up and ran to the other side of the room to retrieve something that might make her happy.

She frowned and he returned with a large box. He set it down in front of her and opened the lid. Her eyes lit up seeing that. She hadn't seen one of those in a long time.

"I know how much you like playing chess. Do you still play?" he grinned.

Eve shook her head, "no not anymore."

He pushed the chess board closer to her, "do you want to?" he lamely attempted to get her on his good side. She smiled and finally relented. Excitingly, he pulled out all the chess pieces and she helped him. Their hands touched and she pulled hers away, her cheeks reddening. He smirked at that and continued gathering all the pieces out. Solan sighed as he thought this was going to be an awfully long and boring night if they were going to play chess. Eve played coy but she was very good at this game and she would stop at nothing until she won.

Eve arranged her pieces after Samuel did and she eyed him curiously. "Please tell me you didn't bring me here just so you can lose at a game of chess?" she teased.

Samuel laughed, "I would be happy to lose to you! You were always a great player and no, I didn't, but I don't want to make you feel uncomfortable..." he eyed her and saw her smile disappear. "Are you...uncomfortable?"

She sighed, "we were children when we met, Samuel. It's different now. We are different people."

He grinned charmingly at her, "you still look the same to me, maybe a little less stubborn though," he teased.

Eve gasped, "I am not stubborn!" she protested folding her arms.

Samuel nodded, "I guess I'm wrong...you're still stubborn," he winked and moved his first piece. "Your turn."


Octavius told himself that he would never come here again but here he was. He hadn't seen Xena in fifteen years and when he knew that she left for Egypt, he was glad that she was pitying herself and decided to hide.

The west wing doors were opened and he saw Xena standing there drinking some wine in dressed in a bright red dress with mesh sparkly sleeves. His eyes widened as he saw her. It was like time had stood still and she looked...gorgeous. He half expected and hoped that she'd be an old hag by now and look a mess, but that was far from the truth. The only difference he saw was the white streak in her hair, but everything else was right where it should be –her slim frame, her firm legs and wrinkle-free face.

Xena turned and saw the initial shock in his eyes. He couldn't believe his eyes and she was hoping for that kind of reaction. She made sure the atrium was filled with wine and food for her guest. She didn't want to put on a bad impression and she was dying to engage in conversation with the emperor. "Well don't just stand there and gawk, Octavius. Come in," she lead the way and he followed her, still in awe at her youthful appearance.

Xena had formulated a plan with Gabrielle hours before he arrived and it was going to put even more shock in the emperor. Gabrielle stood on the second floor in the dark, looking over the balustrade watching Xena saunter around showing him the well decorated atrium. She smiled looking down at Xena. She was beautiful, just as she always was, but this was a different kind of beauty. She was very confident of herself and she wasn't afraid to show it –something that she lost many years ago. Xena was back, she leaned on the railing as she listened to Xena from down below.

Octavius was handed a glass of wine and Xena gestured for him to sit down as she walked around. He sat down graciously and looked up at her. She was no hag for sure. He sipped on his wine and Xena turned around sitting across from him with an enticing sneaky smile on her lips. "So what made you want to come back to Athens?" he chided.

Xena sighed over exaggeratingly, "I grew bored of Egypt. I belong in Athens. This is my home," she waved her arm around at the grand atrium they were sitting in alone minus the few maids standing off to the sides.

"And what a...lovely home it is," he scanned her body and she took notice of that. The slit on her dress slipped over her leg as she crossed it over the other. He looked away, admiring all the decorations around the room. "You look like you're going to throw a party," he said awkwardly.

She grinned smugly and sipped on her wine, "Octavius, you're a dear old friend of mine. How would it look if I didn't show some effort in your arrival after all these years?" she winked.

He shook his head mockingly, "you love to joke. That is one thing I miss the most about you."

Her eyes lit up, "oh so you did miss me? How sweet of you..." she adjusted herself in the seat and leaned forward getting right to the meat of the real reason she wanted to talk with him. "I hear you expanded your empire to Assyria." He eyed her and nodded his head. "The Assyrians are my friends," she touched her heart with a pitiful face. "You hurt my friends, Octavius and when you hurt my friends, you hurt me," she played the victim and he caught on quickly.

The emperor scoffed, "you left your people behind you when you fled to Egypt for sanctuary, Xena." She frowned at that but pulled herself together, maintaining her composure. "And you had Solan working with that Allat fellow." He shook his head.

Xena pursed her lips and set down her glass. "Let's not talk about Solan. Tell me, why did you decide to visit me?" she smiled.

He nursed his glass of wine then stared directly in her blue eyes, which was an immediate mistake. "I wanted to see you. I haven't seen you in fifteen years, Xena!" he grinned. "It would have been rude of me to ignore your return.." he raised an eyebrow and sipped his wine.

"Yes of course, what was I thinking. Oh but you know what, Octavius?" she folded her fingers together and he avoided her gaze. "I sense you have a hidden agenda. You never liked seeing me because it meant that something bad was going to happen..." she lowered her eyelids gazing at him with a mischievous smile. "So you know what I'm going to do?"

He lifted his head and smiled tightly, "no, what's that?"

She frowned deeply then stood up, towering over him. He was no longer a young emperor, though not as old as she was, he had much to learn and she was about to give him a lesson. "I'm taking back what should have been mine. I want Assyria, North Africa, Anatolia and maybe I'll take Persia too," she smirked.

Now he stood up eye level to her with a large apparent frown on his face. "You lost those territories years ago, Xena. And you'll never have Anatolia or Assyria again and you can forget about Persia," he laughed, "unless you're going to kill the Persian King, again."

She took a step closer to him and now she was inches away from his face. Gabrielle leaned over to see that this conversation had suddenly taken a turn for the worse. She expected him to rebel and so did Xena. She waited patiently to see what Xena had planned next.

Octavius breathed heavily and that only made Xena happier. She fed off his fury and looked into his blue eyes. "I will win, Octavius," she hissed in a hushed voice.

The emperor waved his hand and stepped away from her, finishing off his wine. "In your dreams, Xena."

She scoffed, "had a lot of those lately and let me tell you, they're not filled with unicorns and rainbows," she jested and laughed at her own joke.

Gabrielle up above smacked her forehead with her palm listening to Xena's inappropriate jokes. Every time..she has to do that every single time.

"You don't even have any followers in those areas. You'll never win, Xena. Not in this lifetime." He stormed off and Xena folded her arms then ran to the entrance blocking his way out.

She breathed out heavily and smiled at him. "Oh you don't just get to leave in a tantrum, Octavius. I prepared this feast just for you and I and you're going to turn it down?" she played with riddles and he rolled his eyes.

"Get out of my way. It was obviously a mistake coming here," he tried to side step her but she continually blocked the way out. He was growing aggravated with this woman now.

Xena finally opened the door and he stormed out, brushing past her. She grinned and leaned on the doorframe watching him storm off. "I hope to see you again, Octavius!" she called out and he ignored her, continuing to walk to his men waiting for him on the side of the palace.

Gabrielle came running down the stairs and grabbed Xena's arm. "Did you just declare war on the Roman Empire?" she smiled, eager to get into the meat of their conversation.

Xena closed the door and grabbed Gabrielle's hand. "I hope so. I need more allies," she felt the adrenaline in her body roaming over her entire body. It felt so good to tell off Octavius, she couldn't even explain it, not even to Gabrielle, though she had a feeling she felt the same way she did. "Gabrielle, you're wonderful," she leaned down and kissed her cheek.

Gabrielle grinned, "I can't believe you did that! You were always such a great talker," she complimented her friend and it was Xena's turn to play coy. "You can get anything you want with just talking."

Xena laughed, "no that's you Gabrielle! This was your idea anyway, I should be thanking you." She sighed and grabbed another glass of wine and handed it to her. "Without you, I don't know what I'd do."

"Go crazy?" she teased.

The empress sipped on her wine and widened her eyes. "Already there," she joked. "But at least I don't have to be crazy and alone," she eyed her friend's green eyes and winked as she sipped on the dark red wine.

Gabrielle came around the table and sat down next to Xena enjoying the nice atmosphere. "So what now?" she anxiously asked.

Xena sighed and let her hair down from the updo and ruffled her hair with her fingers, relaxing on the couch next to Gabrielle. "We enjoy the decorations and good wine, Gabrielle," she smiled. Gabrielle smiled at her and moved closer to her. Xena propped her legs on the table in front of the sofa and felt Gabrielle's body close to hers and she smiled, finally able to relax without any interruptions or bad news, so far. Octavius was quite a surprise and it was fun to throw him around like that. She would definitely be doing more of that.


After many hours of playing Samuel had got beat by Eve twice in a row. He enjoyed her company enough and did not get flustered by his consistent losing. She yelled in victory just as she did when she was a child, he recalled. He laughed at her excitement and soon she realized that she needed to quiet down. Her cheeks reddened and he smirked at her. "You won again, not a big surprise," he pushed the chess board aside then stood up after downing the last of his wine. He stretched out his hand nudging his head to come along, "come with me."

Eve looked to Solan and saw he was nowhere near her. He was still watching afar in the same spot he was in for hours now. Samuel saw her eyes travel to her brother and he smiled helping her up. "Don't worry, Eve. You trust me, right?" she sighed and gave the nod to Solan.

Solan eyed the two carefully and folded his arms. "I can take care of myself, Solan," Eve called out with a wide smile. She took Samuel's hand and they left the royal chambers. Solan groaned and kicked the wall. Eve was an adult yes, but if something happened to her then he would have to deal with his mother, and he didn't want to do that. That would be a rude awakening for him. Samuel was not Phraates that was for sure, but he was also so very charming and Eve knew that, he hoped. Eve had spent some time with him when they were children and she even felt bad for him when Xena killed his father, but she was a child then. This was different, they were adults now and after hours of playing chess, Eve grew back into the child form of herself again, reconnecting with Samuel as if time stood still.

Samuel covered Eve's eyes as they walked through a long hallway and she tried to pry his hands off and smiled. "What are you doing?" she asked innocently.

"I want you to see something, just turn to the left," he guided the way and she reached forward trying to grab onto any walls nearby but there was nothing there. She allowed him to guide her through the unknown hall and she stumbled on a step and he stopped. "Okay, you're safe to open your eyes now."

Eve shook her head then saw they were on a balcony and very high up she might add. Her eyes widened and she then realized what she was looking at. It was the back of the palace and she saw mountains, they didn't have those in Athens and there was even, "snow?"

Samuel nodded, "sometimes I go up to the mountains in the summer. You should come with me some time, it's very beautiful up there. You can see the entire city!"

Eve smiled then realized what he was suggesting. He wanted to spend more time with her and she liked that idea, she always liked Samuel, but then her mother came to her mind again. Turning to face the king she frowned. "You know I can't stay here..." she said in a hushed tone.

He knew this but he still liked being around her. He never forgot about her when she was in the palace all those years ago. It was definitely fate that they met once again in Qin, though the turn of events was a bit unexpected, he enjoyed seeing her again. "Well, I didn't mean right now. It's not summer yet," he said with a jesting voice. Eve smiled at his charm and overlooked the scenery before her.

The princess then thought of Samuel's plan to attack Athens and she focused on that. "Would you...be allies with my mother?" she asked continuing to admire the dark sky and glistening snow on the mountain tops.

Samuel didn't think of that and he didn't hate Xena. It was her that made him king even with his elder brothers in the way, he rose to the top. He was very qualified and became king at the age of twelve, a few years after his father was killed. He owed Xena, but he felt like he didn't owe her that much. He wanted to expand Persia and the only way to do that was through conquest. "Your mother doesn't really like me or my people, Eve," he smiled trying to lighten the mood.

She nodded, "she didn't like your father. She loves Persians. We have some Persian students studying in Athens," Eve said proudly. Samuel blinked, a bit surprised to hear that.

"A Greek who loves Persians. That is the first I have heard," he chuckled. He grabbed her hand and she eyed him cautiously. "I thought you didn't want to talk about your mother?" he kissed her hand.

She smiled weakly at his kind gesture but remained focused. She wanted him to admit that he was going to attack her mother's empire, but she couldn't be so upfront about it. "I don't, but...my mother and the Persians were friends once, before I was born," she added.

Samuel sighed and leaned on the balustrade looking out into the distance. "Yeah, strange times. I don't know how my father ever agreed to that," he scoffed. "It didn't last long though. She taxed my kingdom to death in order to cover more land for her empire." He was growing irritated just thinking about it and Eve sensed that. He sighed and straightened himself with a smile. "But let's not talk politics Eve. I asked you to come here so I could spend time with you. I really enjoy your company."

She smiled nodding her head, "I do too. It seems every time we meet it is under awful circumstances."

Silence.

Then the two started laughing and he grabbed her hand leading her away from the balcony as their laughter died down. They walked down another long hallway that Eve recalled even from all those years ago, she remembered every hallway because she was trying to escape though this time it was different. She was here at her own free will and he was not trying to kidnap her or keep her as a hostage like Phraates did. She didn't have to come here, but she did.

Eve noticed a large room they passed and she pulled away from him. "Which room is this?" she eagerly said trying to distract the king. He ran after her as she entered the room. He remembered that she went wherever she wanted and didn't care about the consequences.

He leaned on the archway as she walked around the room, touching vases and statues. "This is my room," he casually said. Eve smiled sneakily and turned around feigning surprise. She knew this was his room. It was too grand to be anyone else's.

"Oh, it's very nice. Almost as nice as mine," she teased. She took off the extra fabric hanging around her neck and flung it aside. "It's always so hot in Persia."

Samuel sighed and came closer to her as she took off the mesh fabric around her waist, now exposing her midsection and wearing a cream colored top with tailored short sleeves. She sat down on his bed and brushed her hair aside from her shoulders. He looked away, now he was the one feeling uncomfortable. "You were always so curious. You do whatever you want, don't you?" he rubbed his chin as his eyes remained focused on a wall.

Eve saw that he was feeling rather shy and she smiled. Good, she thought. I have you unfocused now. "When I'm with my mother, I can't do whatever I want but she's not here so..." she hoped he would turn around but he didn't. "She can be rather controlling you know." she lied.

"What a surprise," he chided.

"why won't you look at me, Samuel?" Eve laid down on his bed running her fingers through her hair.

He cleared his throat, "because it would be rude of me. I am not my father, you know. He had many wives," he admitted a bit embarrassed. His brothers too, had many wives, but he chose not to have any and if he would, he would only have one wife.

Eve seemed surprised at his restraint. "Wow, you're quite the gentleman. Perhaps my mother will ally with you if you agree of course."

Samuel finally turned around and saw her sprawled on his bed then he looked up at the ceiling. Eve was rather enjoying this as he would not look at her, for some odd reason. "Why do you want me to ally with her? She killed my father. I can't just forget that and yes he was a horrible person and –"

"But you're not like him, Samuel. You're better than him," she stood up and touched his face, now lowering his gaze to stare into his green eyes. "Just think of the good things we could do together if we joined forces," she used a bit of her mother's play on words to win him over.

Looking like he was about to protest she frowned then kissed him forcefully. His eyes widened and then relaxed. Her hands roamed around and took off his vest throwing it to the side. Samuel stopped and pulled away from her embrace leaving her confused. "What are you doing?"

She smiled, "you said you like me right?"

"Well I –"

"I like you too," she smiled as her eyes narrowed and her fingers touched his bare arms. She needed him to become distracted and she felt like she was a snake in the grass at this point. Truthfully, she did like Samuel, but she was using him for her own gain to fix what she had done. She didn't want him to attack Athens. It would be better if they allied and then her mother's empire would expand and she would have more land. Everyone is happy, she told herself.

She grabbed his hand and lead him to his bed. He had a wary look in his eyes which she ignored. She pushed him on the bed with an eager smile and his eyes grew in shock, surprised by her sudden behavior. "Are you always like this?" he asked as she unlaced her top and threw it aside. He was tempted to look away but now he couldn't. She ruffled her wavy dark hair with her fingers and kissed his lips gingerly.

"I do get what I want," she smiled and he finally cracked a smile. Yes, embrace with me. Give in, Samuel. She had bewitched him and she had done it well, obviously. Too much reading from Gabrielle's scrolls, she reminded herself.

He caressed her arms and she smiled at him. Surely, she couldn't be the only woman he had seen naked, she wondered. He wasn't like his father for sure with his many wives, but he was still Phraates' son and all the Persian boys liked women. Obviously he had done this before and she had not, but she was willing to learn.

He flipped her over on her back and kissed her gently taking her for surprise. "Are you sure you don't want to stay until summer?" he winked and she shrugged her shoulder, wrapping her arms around his neck.

"We will have to see about that," she responded and he kissed her neck. Her eyes widened and she tensed up. He felt it beneath his touch but then his eyes glanced up at hers.

"Are you alright?" he smiled and she nodded, then he felt her body relax finally.

Conquering is a lot easier said than done.