A/n: Sorry for the delay, but here's the next chapter. If you have any better ideas for a chapter title let me know.

Torres

"What do you mean, you can't get in, you're the ghost for the love of God!" Drake was angry. Lord Holt was still walking around a live and his shameless attempts to dishonor his wife were pissing him off. It was a relief she had gone to visit Gabrielle, he didn't want her getting upset. Her emotions were in enough of a whirl without the Lords of Moscow adding to it. Lord Milton fumed.

"What now?" Lord Seymour stabbed a block of wood he carried around. He had a nasty habit of wanting to stab things so he kept a block of wood on his person for just that. Lord Seymour was a lord of Moscow and he had visited southern part of Arcadia more than his fellow Lords. He had met the Queen even before her marriage took place. She had driven out the invaders from the west and he had brought men to help King Winston. He never really was a fighter and the war killed him.

But not before he engaged them officially despite what his Queen wanted just to see his son happy. Lord Seymour wandered if the Old King knew he was going to die in the war. The present Queen herself had a dazzling smile that he could stare at for hours. King Drake was a lucky man and if he thought he had a chance with the Queen he would take it, but he knew better.

"Lord Seymour!" Drake exclaimed.

"Oh yes sorry my King, I just got lost in my anger for a moment."

"Yes, of course quite all right, we understand," Lord Milton told him. They turned to the Ghost.

"Now why can't you get into Holt manor?"

"Too cold, you can freeze a ghost you know, and while I tend to stay inside during these northern winters occasionally I must venture out on business or personal matters. I've never been completely frozen except the one time I tried to work during a blizzard back some years. I stuck one hand inside the window of Holt manor and immediately my hand is frozen solid. I pulled back and ran hold where it was warm and safe. I do not feel the worth, but it unthaws my hand. I freeze faster than your average man for a Ghost is always cold."

"Do you descend from Glacial?" Drake asked suddenly.

"No, it's merely a special power given to one Arcadian at a time. My life span is much shorter than yours or these Glacial people. I could not survive in their world." Drake nodded.

"I've got it!" Drake, the Ghost, Lord Seymour, and Lord Milton turned to look at Lord Overbearing. His daughters were involved and he was not happy. Also forming their party was Lady Clara's father Mister Kerr the top Merchant in Arcadia, Lord Overbearing was only second to him, but than again he was born a Lord who decided to take up being a merchant before his brother's death and he inherited the land and title.

Also there was Earl Dolby, Marquis Holt, a cousin of Lord Holt whose family had always resided in the south with occasional and rare visits to the North for fear of their daughter. Of course on the last rare visit Colleen had been stolen by their own family and married to Barney. Now Marquis Holt only made the visit for his sister, he still didn't care for his cousins or feel any loyalty. In fact he rather wanted Barney and his brother killed so Colleen and Penelope would be free to sell and return with him to the south, he would provide his young niece with an excellent marriage and large enough dowry. His beautiful sister could than be married to Viscount Weber, he had loved his sister from day one and she had loved him. But she had chosen to remain faithful and pray that one-day they were together.

"How do you feel about arson?" Everyone turned to look at the ghost.

"I love it, it's the perfect time for arson especially if a maid is oh say careless perhaps?" They all grinned.

"Lord Overbearing you're a genius," Viscount Weber told him.

"Yes, but arson?" Marquis Holt asked.

"What's wrong with arson?" Lord Overbearing asked standing up to his full height in anger.

"Now let's not have any quarrels gentlemen," Lord Seymour said standing up. He gently lowered him back to his seat and resumed his own. " Now let's hear why the Marquis is skeptical about arson."

"Its not that I'm skeptical," Marquis Holt said. " I just want to know how you're going to get my sister and niece out of the manor?"

"Simple enough," Lord Milton said. "You could invite them up to the palace for tea."

"But I've always visited the house, and usually I reside there."

"Yes, but the King is in Moscow."

"I don't know, my cousins will expect and invitation and will most surely come with them. Than what?" They all fell silent.

"Well you've got time, Lord Holt and his brother rode south two days ago."

"My wife was headed south with my daughters," Drake said fuming.

"Yes, well I meant to check out the house while they were away and the ladies were doing a bit of shopping. Its not often they get too with the men around it seems from the talking I heard whilst I was creeping in the bushes waiting for them to leave."

"Has he returned?" Drake asked angry.

"Yes my King not too long before I came here. I suppose the Queen sent him back if he went after her. Or maybe he has her, its not uncommon in these parts."

"He's right, Lord Holt could have stolen the Queen, she didn't take much guard with her, just two ladies. And she had her two babes which would have prohibited her from fighting a bit," Lord Seymour told him.

"Lord Milton have the men saddle up immediately!" Drake yelled. He ran out and the others followed except the ghost who merely disappeared and waited to be summoned again.

"The Queen returns!" A guard at the tower shouted just as they were mounting up. "Lower the bridge!" There was a large and dirty moat surround the palace in Moscow, all the fish had died and it smelled horrible. It was not the high light of Moscow Palace. Currently workers were outside emptying it. Soon it would be full of clean clear water and live fish would be swimming in it.

"Oh thank God," Drake said as he dismounted and waited for his wife to enter. "If she asks we were getting ready to go hawking."

"In this weather?" Lord Milton asked.

"Good point, just a ride than." They nodded and quickly undid their armor. Looking as if they were riding into battle would not do if they were going to lie. Xena entered just as squires were taking them away.

"Xena what are you doing back, you just left," Drake said coming over and taking Eve who was reaching for him. Xena dismounted careful not to jostle Melody who was on her back too much.

"We were attacked by twenty men, ten of which are dead and nobles of Moscow." By now there were many people in the large cobble stone courtyard that could do with some new cobblestones being laid in the ground. Every one of them was shocked. Even the guards and had paused in rising the bridge. " I want someone other than Lord Holt to accompany me to that sight to investigate, I don't trust him." Xena didn't know why, but her distrust of Holt was growing more and more by the minute.

"Of course, my dear I'll accompany you, Lord Seymour you were asked to take Lord Holt's job, but you refused. You'll be a great asset." Lord Seymour nodded and bowed to his King and Queen. "Lord Milton, Lord Overbearing, Marquis Holt, and Viscount Polley will also come."

"We leave in an hour, be ready. You guards over there as well." They bowed and nodded. Xena went inside now. Lady Nava took Melody inside and Lady Saffron came for Eve. Xena was in a fine rage as she headed for their room. The nursery had been completed in her absence and they could have the bed to themselves.

"Did you get a look at the other ten?" Drake asked as he watched her change into a clean pair of pants and shirt. He angrily noted the cut on her arm and shallower she hadn't noticed on her leg. It wasn't bleeding and would heal quickly without even a scar.

"They all had their faces covered and their horses were merely transfigured sheep. Lady Emily is going to find which farmer she sent them back too. Once that's done she'll find the others perhaps interrogate the farmer, see who's land their on. The usual." He grabbed her silver chain mail and held it out to her even though she was about to walk out to make sure her daughters were sleeping properly.

"Put it on just to be safe." She growled at him in frustration and annoyance, but put it on anyway. "Thank you." She looked at him expectantly and he sighed. He put on his own chain mail. It did nothing to quiet his beauty that's for sure. His hair was fiery read that day, he wasn't in the best of moods now that someone had attacked his wife. Fiona walked in followed by Cyrene.

"What's this I hear about someone attacking my granddaughters?" Fiona asked. Now it was increasingly apparent that Melodies looks were taking after Drake, she was more accepting of her. The spell in other words had backfired in the worst way for Ubel's mother.

"Twenty nobles from Moscow attacked, we're going back to the scene of the crime to get a lead on whomever else could have been with the ten dead men."

"Drake, you had better do something right now."

"We are mother, we're on it."

"I need a messenger." Xena walked out followed by her mother.

"Are you all right dear?" Cyrene asked. Xena nodded.

"I'm fine, I'm just very angry right now." She stopped walking as she got an idea. She turned to face her mother. " Mother how would you like to take the girls and visit the Amazons."

"I'd love to dear, but I'm going to visit your brother." Xena would be damned if Eve went back to Greece.

"Um…okay how about I bring them here and you all go visit the Amazons, he's got all daughters and there's a village full of boys with all their sons Torres can stay in. The girls would love it. Than you can all come back here when its safe." Cyrene sighed.

"Its been ten years, since we last saw them."

"Please mommy," Xena poked out her life and gave her the doe eyes and Cyrene just had to give in.

"Damn you and those eyes, but you have to fetch them right this instant."

"Fine, just let me get Drake. I don't have that much power to make them hurry up. Why don't you go pack, and tell the ladies to pack, I'm going to send all my ladies except Ladies Daphne, Emily, Clara, Blair, Elizabeth, and Crystal." Cyrene nodded and went to tell them as well as pack. Xena spoke with Generals Halie and Kallie, they quickly assembled a guard that would break off from the group.

"What's going on?" Drake asked.

"I'm sending my mother to the Amazons with the girls where they will be protected." Xena finished writing her letter to Gabrielle and put her seal on it.

"My granddaughters aren't going there without me with that woman," Fiona said stalking out. Xena hadn't even seen her behind her son. Xena sometimes forgot that Fiona was a small woman.

"I thought your mother was going to see your brother."

"Yeah, see about that, we have to go back to Greece and get him and his family."

"Xena, how are we going to go check out the crime scene and do that?" Drake asked.

"Well we're going to send them on ahead. We're going to rush Torres to be packed in an hour or at least his family. We'll come back for him later. But my point is we can be back by the time they're there just before mother breaks off with our group."

"Just us?" Drake asked.

"Yes just us so it goes faster and three guards with a wagon, no telling if he's had more than two kids. Plus we need two extra horses for him and his wife." Drake nodded.

"Come on we're leaving as of right now literally. Leave Lady Daphne to lead the way." Xena nodded and did so.

"We'll meet you there." They nodded and set off. Everyone traveled in the air not wanting to contaminate the crime scene by accident seeing as the snow may have covered it a bit. Xena opened a portal now easily with the help of Drake. They went through and soon they were just outside of Amphipolis.

It was of course the middle of the night as they rode into the town. It had changed a lot in ten years. There were Roman flags everywhere and pictures of Caesar. Xena was highly disgusted by what had happened to her home.

"I think one day I'm going to come back and kill him," Xena told Drake resisting the urge to slash the one on the door of her mother's end. She didn't know what the consequences would be for slashing it and she didn't need the attention right now.

"No, let's just get your family and get out of here. We have to get Gabrielle's family. Ephiny never got the chance to get them nor I." Drake sighed.

"Xena, you said…"

"I know what I said, but I didn't know it was this bad, and I said I would get them when I got to the Amazon village. But that's not going to happen and I'm here."

"Tell you what, we go in greet your brother, than you go get her family with one guard. You can make any ordinary wagon fly now, you have enough power." Xena nodded as Torres came and opened the door. Xena wasn't surprised to see he hadn't aged ten years, but only two. Cyrene was their mother after all.

"Xena, what's wrong?" Torres asked ushering them inside.

"Nothing is wrong, mother insists you come stay with us. She can't bare to stay in Arcadia without you and time passes so quickly here and her grandchildren are just growing up."

"Actually ever since we've come back here they've slowed down in their aging. Mother explained to me in her last letter about our grandmother and your father." Xena nodded. "My wife was sad these last ten years however, my eldest daughter takes after her more, she's sixteen and not eight."

"God's curse," Drake said. "Um…listen I don't mean to be a bother, but we really are short on time, so if you guys could pack tonight that would be great."

"Yeah we're kind of in the middle of some stuff and need to hurry. How many kids do you have now?"

"Eight, six daughters and two sons. My eldest son is seven, my second son is six. My daughters are five, four, three, two, and three months."

"Great we brought a wagon and two horses for you and your wife to ride," Drake told him.

"No need my wife died three weeks ago."

"My condolences," They said. Torres nodded.

"In any case, the roman guards will stop us if we try to leave. We're not allowed out of the village."

"Let us worry about the guards," Drake said. "Just start packing quietly and leave the tavern to a friend."

"We can just leave, I'm actually the only one left. The entire village revolted, I was the last survivor. They um…enslaved everyone and I was allowed to keep my family because they arrived after the revolt and has far as they knew we weren't married yet. I service most of the guards with food and wine.

"All our friends, they were like family in the end."

"Yes, it was like Caesar knew you were incapacitated and couldn't bring help. It was like he knew. He personally led the attack. My son had a twin, he killed her because she was with me. She just so happened to be a dead ringer for you sis," Torres told her. Xena gripped her dagger.

"Don't worry Torres once things are settled and calm back home, I'm going to make Caesar pay." She released her dagger and hugged him knowing he needed it more.

"I'm just grateful, you were able to finally come back and come get us. I didn't think I could stand it if I had to watch Naomi married to the smug bastard that rules over this place, General Ving."

"General Ving?" A soldier asked suddenly perking up.

"Yeah," Torres said.

"He's got an ugly scar across his right eye, fit, bald with white fuzz by now, face always has a smug expression, says he's always right. Thinks of women as toys to play with and break as he please with no regard to her well being or any of her needs?" Everyone looked at the guard. He was getting older and more distinguished and had been fighting for Arcadia since he was eighteen, just after Drake's father came to power.

"You know him?" Drake asked. He nodded.

"My King you should know him, and you too my Queen."

"We should?" Xena asked.

"Or maybe just the King by name at least."

"Why don't you just tell us who he is."

"General Ving swore revenge on the Queen his army was smitten by her sword. He led the army from our enemies from the West. It was him who brainwashed the young prince and caused his death so he could rule in his place as regent before his sister who was only thirteen at the time. It's not the custom for them to marry girls younger than they so he merely intended to rule in her stead and marry her to his son, Ving the V. He killed your father."

"That son of a bitch!"

"Shh…you'll wake up the soldiers." Drake fell silent as they all did listening for movement. There was none.

"That would explain how he knew Xena was incapacitated, he has the power to travel between the two realms." Xena nodded. "Any good warrior seeking revenge would keep enough tabs on his enemy to know when to strike. Word travels quickly back to the cities I was captured and Drake was heading across the sea. They were advancing quickly and the last stand would have been Amphipolis."

"It was the last stand, we were just hopeless without you. Not that Hercules and Iolaus didn't appear."

"Where are they?" Xena asked.

"In the dungeons with most of your friends back in Rome. I was to pass the message on that they were all waiting for you. Ving's power drains Hercules strength, he is only a half God after all." Xena snapped the handle of her dagger in half.

"Which friends?" Xena asked in a low tone.

"Hercules, Iolaus, Leah, Meg, Diana, Philemon, Joxer, Tara, Minya, Rafe, Iphicles, oh and Amarice, she came back with the help of a guard from your world. You should also know that Caesar found the Helios dagger. Destroyed all the Gods except Artemis, Aphrodite, and Ares. I couldn't say what drives the sun now."

"Eli's God, that's who."

"Some God, he's no better than the rest."

"Well look, Xena we really need to finish at home before we can take care of here, as much as I would love to wipe the smug look off Ving's face."

"So would I," Xena told him. "But I understand. We'll have to move as quickly as possible. I think a lot of instructions need to go out." Drake nodded.

"Daddy what's going on?" Naomi asked looking scared.

"Its okay Naomi, its only your Aunt Xena, she's come to take us home."

"You mean so I don't have to marry General Ving?" Naomi asked. Torres nodded. Naomi hugged Xena and Xena returned it.

"Its nice to finally meet you, you've grown so tall." Naomi smiled. She had brown hair that was curly like Lyceus's hair, and brown eyes that were common in Thrace.

"Thank you. Father should I go wake the others." Torres nodded.

"Dress in your winter clothing," Drake told them.

"Why doesn't Naomi come with me in case I'm not back by Dawn. Than you all can just head back without me."

"Where?" Torres asked.

"Potidaea, I have to get Gabrielle's family, unless Caesar has captured them too." Torres shook his head.

"No, Caesar would have made it known to me than. Family of your best friend, he would have definitely told me." Xena nodded.

"Oh please, can I go, I don't think I could stand to be here at Dawn." Torres nodded.

"Just help me wake your brothers at least and dress your sisters without them waking. Its better if we just carry them out while they're asleep." Naomi nodded.

"I'll give you a hand, I've had practice with Eve."

"How is my niece?" Torres asked as he led Drake upstairs.

"You three stay here, they're going to need you more with Ving around." They nodded and bowed. "I'll be taking one horse to pull a wagon." They nodded. Naomi quickly dressed in a pair of her father's pants and tunic. She rode with Xena out of the village unnoticed. When it was needed the horses' hooves did not pound the earth like thunder waking the dead all around them within a fifty-mile radius.