Sorry for these line break issues. It wouldn't cooperate with me and it's irritating me more than y'all probably lol.
Chapter 18 –A Heavy Burden: Part III
Both khanum and governor lurked outside the throne chamber with their ears pressed against the doors. There was a long pause after Arielle greeted the Gepid queen. They listened intensely and then heard the queen speaking softly.
Gabrielle pressed her entire left cheek against the door and grunted.
"I can't hear anything!"
"I can't either with your yakking!"
The governor stepped aside and crossed her arms. "I don't think this was a good idea. It was one thing for Arielle to make a public appearance as de facto khatun but for her to hold a meeting with another queen…she's never done that alone before."
Xena sighed. "Gabrielle, you and I have mentored Arielle for years on how to be a queen. She's not going in blindly. Would you rather Ana conduct the meeting? If Eksama sees that she injured Anastasia then that gives her the satisfaction she's looking for. Now, can you be quiet? I am trying to listen."
"Still don't think this is a good idea…" the governor mumbled.
Arielle stared at the Gepid queen with a deep frown. She desperately wanted to lock the woman in the armory and give her a very cruel punishment for what happened to her mother. But she couldn't do that and had to tread carefully. It was very hard for her to contain her emotions. She considered this a test, a very huge test.
Eksama smiled and shifted her weight, staring at the de facto khatun. She studied her face and by the rising and falling of her chest, she sensed the khatun was angry or very nervous.
"You look too young to be a khatun," she said.
Be patient, Arielle told herself.
"We're not here to talk about me. I understand that you are holding Oran hostage. You also said you have a granddaughter who is related to Attila. Is that true?"
The auburn haired queen nods her head slowly. "Yes, that's true. I have no reason to lie about that. As for the grandson of Attila, I have him a hostage as a promise that I will not be harmed here."
Arielle smiled briefly and pulled out the necklace from her pocket and waved it front of her face. "This was found in King Alaric's mouth. Does this look familiar to you?"
Eksama's smile widened. "Yes."
"You do realize that this pendant is specifically for the heirs of Attila."
"Of course I know that because the necklace is mine."
Anastasia marched down the hallway with her tall walking cane. Navaz followed after her and tried to help her but it was clear she could walk fine on her own. Her mother and Gabrielle turned at the sound of the cane hitting the wood floor and gaped at the veiled queen making her way over.
She stopped at the close doors and Xena stared at her faceless daughter.
"Open the doors," she ordered the guards standing by.
"We can't do that. Arielle is in a meeting with the Gepid Queen," Gabrielle said.
The khatun banged her cane on the floor. "Açmak!" she yelled.
Gabrielle looked to her wife who curtly nodded. Both stepped aside and the guards grabbed the handles and opened the doors. Arielle, sitting in her mother's throne, drifted her eyes towards the large doors opening and stood up immediately.
"Destur! Anastasia Khatun senin huzurunda!" one of the door holders announced loudly.
Eksama looked with a raise of her eyebrow at the doors and then Anastasia passed through the doors and Arielle bowed her head, breathing heavily through her nostrils. Eksama's eyes darted from both women, one unveiled and the other veiled. They wore identical clothing and were the same height.
She chuckled and folded her arms. "You sent someone in your place, khatun? I knew there something fishy about this meeting."
"My daughter is my regent but I was told of your arrival and all that happened. You wanted a meeting with me and here I am."
Ana lifted the veil up over her head and narrowed her cloudy blue eyes at the Gepid Queen. Eksama grinned at the sight of her.
"You sent a woman to kill me and it obviously didn't work. And while you were at it, you killed King Alaric. Why? Why are you here and what do you want from us?"
Eksama approached the khatun and Arielle stepped forward and drew her sword. She smirked and took a step back, knowing that she was unarmed she didn't want to die here without a fair fight.
"The Goth king should've told you about me. I openly threatened him and he didn't believe me. I told him I was going to speak with you and I am. I have fulfilled all what I told him. He thought I wasn't serious about attacking his camp but he's dead now. As for you…"
She eyed the necklace in Arielle's hand and then looked at the khatun.
"That pedant belongs to me. My mother gave it to me before she died last year."
Anastasia scoffed. "You are not a child of Attila, Gepid Queen."
"Oh? Why don't you ask Kreka Khatun. But oh wait, she's dead, right? She knew of my existence."
Gabrielle pulled her ear away from the door then gasped and turned to her wife. "Xena, your dream. That was what Kreka was trying to tell you! Could it be true then? Is Eksama an heir?"
Xena felt suddenly ill and she clutched the collar around her neck and leaned against the wall. This was different than when Ebendzar came to Pannonia and revealed he was a son of Attila. It wasn't the same. Eksama deliberately attacked the empire's queen and allies. Ebnedzar didn't want the throne at all but he dealt with shady people and sketchy business transactions which ultimately lead his people to become refugees.
This woman was a different ball game altogether.
"She wants the throne."
Gabrielle frowned and listened at the door again. "But she can't take the throne."
"Yes she can, Gabrielle. If she kills off the queens, she can. If she is who she says she is then she is the rightful heir and queen to the empire. The only reason Anastasia became khatun was because of her marriage to Ellac. If Attila had a daughter then she'd be khatun right now. Eksama is here to claim what is rightfully hers."
The governor gawked at her wife and kicked the wall. "What are you saying?! She can just waltz in here and take over the empire? She tried to kill Anastasia!"
"Gabrielle! I've seen this happen before. Remember, Bleda killed his uncle to become king then Attila killed him and he became king. Eksama is doing the same thing but her plan failed."
"Well…well we can't let her! She has no right to do that. She's already a queen. Why would she want the empire?"
"Why wouldn't she?" Xena scoffs. "The empire is powerful and has a lot of land. Eksama wants that. This is not good, not good at all."
"I'd think wisely, khatun," the Gepid queen told her. "We could be enemies or we could be friends."
Arielle frowned and held the sword up to the redheaded woman's throat. "You tried to assassinate the empire's queen. You are not our friend."
Ana intervened and put a hand on her daughter's arm. The sword was lowered and the princess took a generous step backward but not without keeping her eye on Eksama.
"My daughter is right. You sent someone to murder me. Why would I want to be friends with you?"
Eksama's brown eyes flared and she pursed her lips. "Because I am the only daughter of Attila! I have rights to the empire just as his sons do. By law, I am allowed to take the throne and you, Anastasia Khatun, are not of my father's blood. You have no right to be khatun as long as I am alive."
The khatun lifted her chin and blinked her eyes slowly.
"I will return to my kingdom but I will continue to hold Oran as my hostage. I will come back for what is mine, Anastasia."
Eksama stormed towards the doors and pushed them open, knocking the guards off their feet and they fell to their knees. Arielle breathed out heavily once the woman left. She sheathed her sword and put a hand on her mother's shoulder.
Anastasia's head hung and she fell back into the chair.
"Don't listen to her, mother. She can't take the throne. She's crazy."
Ernak sat with his legs crossed and fingers tapping against his cheeks. He was told that the theory about another heir was in fact true. He didn't know what to think or what to say. He was surprised the first time when Ebnedzar showed up but at least he was a Hun entirely. This woman was not a Hun. She was a Gepid, essentially a subset of a Goth.
He was surrounded by the khanum, governor, khatun, two kings and princess. He had completely forgotten they were in front of him as he was lost in thought.
"I have a little sister," he said aloud. "A fucking crazy sister."
He picked up the wine glass and threw it across the room. Everyone ducked their heads and Navaz looked behind him at the wine stained wall and cleared his throat, adjusting his collar.
"She looks a little bit like Cera," the white Hun king alleged. "Her granddaughter also has red hair. Her name is Austraia."
Ernak grunted. "She cannot have the throne. She tried to kill my brother's wife. She can't. I won't allow it."
"We should be very cautious from now on, Ernak. She said she will come back and claim what is hers. I don't think she was bluffing about that," said Gabrielle.
Xena nodded. "She's right. Eksama wants the crown and she is entitled to it. If she is willing to reason with us she could rule as de facto khatun and –"
"No!" he barked. "She will not be anything in this empire! That is my final say!" he stood up and glared at the circle of monarchs. "Let her come," he added then left the room.
Arielle awkwardly shifted and felt a bit strange still dressed in her mother's attire. After Ernak's outburst nobody said a word and sat in silence. It was obvious he was very upset finding out he had yet another sibling but it was due to Eksama's monstrous behavior that ticked him off.
She turned to her grandmother. "Can I still act as de facto? I can handle everything for mother. I'll conduct all of the meetings and sign documents."
Xena raised a suspicious eyebrow and turned to her daughter who fiddled with the trim of her dress.
"That is a huge responsibility, Arielle. If you decide to continue to act as regent then you can't be a commander anymore. Are you willing to renege on your oath?"
The princess sighed but she did not hesitate. "Yes. I'll resign as commander. I'm not sixteen anymore. I can be queen. I can do it," she begged.
The khanum was about to reply until Anastasia held up her hand to interrupt. "Once you take on this role, you can't turn back. You can always resign as commander but you can never resign as a queen. Are you sure you want to do that?"
Arielle smiled. "I will be your eyes and ears, mother."
Xena grabbed the princess' hand. "You better not screw this up, Arielle. I can't deal with your tantrums anymore. This is very serious. Gabrielle and I will be overseeing you and I swear to god if you –"
"Grandma, I understand! I see how serious this is and I am willing to do whatever you two say. It'll be different this time."
As Arielle's first duty as queen she took it upon herself to tell Yeter about Oran's situation and Eksama. Ursula was told by Csaba and the others that her son was being held captive by the Gepid Queen and ever since then she locked herself in her room.
She knocked on the Gokturk's door and heard a soft voice from the other side. She opened the door and Yeter turned around, brushing her hair in front of the mirror. Arielle gave a weak smile and closed the door behind her.
"Arielle, what can I do for you? You don't normally pay me visits," she remarked.
"How are you feeling?" she asked and Yeter grimaced. "I hope your baby is healthy."
The Gokturk set down the brush and started braiding her hair. "Why are you here?"
Arielle stepped forward, coming closer to the queen. "Yeter, I'm here to tell you that Oran isn't coming back home any time soon. He's being held captive in the Gepid kingdom by Queen Eksama."
Yeter's mouth parted. "W-what do you mean he's not coming back? Are you going to bring him here? Why is he being held captive?"
"We're dealing with a very sensitive situation. Eksama revealed that she is Attila's daughter and she is holding Oran to assure her safety. I promise we will get him back."
She was surprised to such concern on Yeter's face. She always thought that Yeter and Oran didn't get along very well; at least that's what she was told. But she guessed after spending several years together that they two had a mutual relationship now and cared for one another.
"If you need anything don't hesitate to ask. I can assign Ku to be at your service. She is great at taking care of people," she offered. "Well…I have to go but let me know if you –"
"Just leave, please," Yeter said and sat down on a chair and put a hand to her forehead.
Two weeks after the meeting with Eksama, Arielle was overwhelmed with the amount of tasks she was handed. She was stuck in the governor's office, signing document after document. It was strange to be reading over documents like her mother used to do. Being a queen wasn't exactly very exciting all the time but she knew that since she was a girl when she began her training.
Gabrielle slapped another parchment on the desk and the young queen jumped.
"Sign here."
Arielle signed her name and then the paper was flipped over and Gabrielle pointed to the next blank space.
"And there."
She sighed and signed her name.
The governor looked at the fragile state of the princess turned queen and pointed to the bottom of the page.
"And here too."
"For god's sake," she mumbled and signed her name then slammed the pen on the table. "Is that it? Am I done?"
"We're finished with these but you have an entire stack to go through," the governor said and Arielle gaped at the large pile of documents. "You've now signed your rights away to Xerxes to take your place as commander. This is your last chance, Arielle. Are you sure you don't want to change your mind?"
"I'm sure," the queen nodded. "Does this mean I will be queen and de facto?"
Gabrielle scrunched her face and rolled up the signed documents and stuffed them into one of her shelves. She replied, "You are de facto khatun but you're a queen now too. That doesn't mean you have the same power as your mother. You still have to do everything she says because that's what a de facto role is. Also, your grandmother has a higher rank than you."
Arielle rolled her eyes and sank in the chair. "She will always have a higher rank than me. So I have to do what she says too?"
She chuckled, "Don't think of it as that. You two will be working together a lot now. Think of her as your equal. Work together. I know it's a hard concept for you to grasp."
She finished putting away the papers and slapped her hands on the queen's shoulders. Arielle flinched.
"You're free to go. I have other business to care of."
Arielle nodded and stood up. Before she was about to leave she turned around and gazed at the shelves filled with treaties dating back to forty years ago and some probably even older than that. Her head cocked to the side and Gabrielle waited at the door for her.
"Actually Gabrielle, I think I want to stay here for awhile and read some of these documents. Can I do that?"
The governor was surprised but she didn't argue. "Sure, just make sure to put them back in the order in which you found them when you're finished."
Gepid Fortress
Oran was pulled by two Gepid soldiers into Eksama's fortress. They handled him roughly and threw him to his knees while holding onto his arms. Eksama sat on a lavish sofa with one leg draped over the armrest while snacking on a tray of fruit.
"Oran, so good to see you again. I hope my men have been treating you well? Plenty of food and water?" she asked.
The young khan frowned and refused to say anything. He pushed the soldiers away from him. He didn't like being manhandled especially since he was not a slave or commoner. He stood up and laced his fingers together, glaring at the queen.
"I met your khatun although I was duped when I first arrived. She sent her daughter to stand in for her as regent. She was obviously too ashamed to show her face to me."
"Anastasia Khatun fears no one and she will have your head on a platter soon."
She laughed and waved her hand to the soldiers to leave. She swung her leg off the sofa and hopped onto the floor then approached the young Hun. She met him face to face, barely leaving any room between the two of them.
"You should watch what you say, Oran. I am going to claim the crown and if I have to kill every single queen in the empire then I will."
He chuckled at the thought. "I wish the best of luck to you, your highness."
"I don't need luck. My son, Elemund, is in Italia right now. I'm sure your father must've found him already if he's a good scout like his father once was," she smiled deviously and his face turned a shade of white. "I'd love to meet my older brother."
"Your…brother?"
She nods. "I am the daughter of Attila and you're my nephew. Don't think that I won't take care of you, Oran. You're my family after all." She paddled his cheek.
XXXXXX
Today was Friday and that meant Ku-Ilm was given a day of leisure to do what she pleased. She didn't have to watch over Aurora or tend to any of Arielle's commands. These days off had been ignored since she arrived in Pannonia but Arielle reinstated the same rule they had in Harran shortly after she became de facto khatun.
Aurora was being looked after by Xena while Arielle was busy with her new duties as queen and de facto khatun. Most of the day the princess spent in school and then she had an archery lesson with Navaz then she was able to visit several people in the Adame including Anastasia who was always eager to see her.
As the day was nearing an end she was inside Xena's room eating rice pudding and explaining everything she did during the day. Xena listened intently to the princess' hectic day.
"And then after I saw grandma khatun I went to see Princess Maria," she said.
Xena nodded. "You like the little princess, don't you?"
Aurora swallowed a large spoonful of the pudding. "Uh huh. Cok, cok, cok güzel! She's the only princess, besides me of course."
"Of course."
Gabrielle passed through the doors with a wary look. Aurora smiled and waved her hand at her to sit down with them on the floor.
"Gabby! Tell me about your day." She pat the large pillow beside her.
"I don't think you want to hear about my day, princess. It was kind of boring." But Gabrielle went and sat down anyway and greeted her wife with a big smile. "What have you two been up to?"
Xena lounged backward on her elbow and nudged her head at the princess. "Aurora has been telling me about her day. She's a very busy princess. But I'd like to hear about your day…" she hinted at her wife.
"Well, all of the papers of Arielle's resignation were signed today. I think she was kind of upset about giving her role away after she worked so hard for it but she seems serious about her new position as queen."
Aurora gasped. "My mommy is a queen again?"
"Yes, princess. Queen of the entire empire."
The girl's jaw dropped. "Wow! Will she spend more time with me now?"
"I think so but she's a little busy right now. I'm sure she'll see you tomorrow morning," she reassured her then turned to Xena and whispered, "I've been notified that the House of Karen is making their way across the border. They will be here in a few weeks."
"Good. We'll be ready for them. Eksama must be back in her home by now. I'd like for Yana, Cera and Mirac to return to Kazakhstan. I don't want them to be here if Eksama comes back with her raging wrath upon us."
Gabrielle nodded. "I'll tell them tomorrow. What about Navaz and Safiya? Do you want them to stay?"
Aurora's ear perked up. "Safiya is leaving? I don't want her to go! I like her."
Xena grinned and caressed the princess' cheek. "I'm glad you like her, tatli kiz. She's a nice lady. Maybe she can stay but Navaz has to go back to Balaam. He needs to be there in case something happens."
"You're expecting something to happen?" asked the blonde.
"Eksama really ruffled everyone's feathers, especially Ernak. We should all be on alert."
Aurora spooned more of the rice pudding into her bowl and Xena furrowed her eyebrows then grabbed her tiny wrist.
"I think you've had enough of that. You're never going to go to sleep if you keep eating that stuff."
"But Ku always gives me dessert before bed."
Xena and Gabrielle looked at one another and then shook their heads at the princess.
"Are you lying to me, Aurora?"
"Me? No, grandma khanum," she smiled cheekily. "Just one more bowl. Please?" her long eyelashes fluttered.
"Don't give in to her, Xena. It's a trap."
"You're right, Gabrielle. I don't like it when people to lie to me. You know what happens when people lie to me?" she whispered and the princess wagged her head. She sent a smug look to her apprehensive wife. "They don't get desserts for an entire month."
Gabrielle released a sigh of relief and Aurora gasped.
"A month!" she exclaimed.
Xena bobbed her head. "That's right. So, no lying, got it?"
Aurora put away the bowl of pudding and sighed heavily.
XXXXXX
The following morning Arielle left the governor's office after spending all night reading and looking over old treaties, war proclamations and documents left by her mother, Kreka Khatun, Attila and her grandmother. She took a few documents that she thought were pertinent for her future as queen.
Without sleep her mind was completely wired and lack of sleep didn't seem to bother her. She ran into her father who had just left the clinic. She assumed he was visiting her mother. She waved her hand and Navaz stopped with a smile.
He admired her attire which was that of her mother. The black dress, heavy cape and large headdress served her well. She really did look like a queen and she no longer looked like a princess or a little girl anymore. It was a bit scary to see her dressed like that and he always imagined she'd remain his little princess forever in his eyes.
"Father, I'm glad you're still here. I wanted to speak with you," she said.
"About what? Have you been awake all night?" he noted the dark circles under her eyes.
She pulled out a large parchment from beneath her arm and unrolled it then presented it to him. Navaz leaned over and inspected the parchment. It was a map of the entire empire but it was marked in several places. He remembered that map very well. It had been a long time since he laid eyes on it.
"The White Hun Campaign," he mused, nodding his head. "Why do you have that?"
"I want you to tell me what this is. I read in the archive that mother was in charge of this campaign. I've never heard anything about a White Hun Campaign."
XXXXXX
They regrouped in her bedroom for a more private setting. Ku-Ilm was up early and served them both juice, tea and a light breakfast. After Ku left the room to take care of Aurora, the two stared at one another. Navaz was reluctant to talk about this campaign but it was obvious that Arielle wasn't going to let this one go.
"Your mother designed a campaign while she was pregnant with you. She was the commander of Balaam at the time but due to your grandmother's worries and concerns that your mother was not experienced enough, she convinced your mother to allow her to be commander."
Arielle nodded, not surprised at all to hear that. Her grandmother liked to be in control of everything.
"Your grandmother became the Commander in Chief and your mother remained commander. She wanted to control all of Persia and the lands extending beyond that. She held several meetings with Zeno and his right hand, Anastasius."
"But what happened? This campaign failed because we don't have control over Persia."
Navaz sighed. "After she gave birth to you she resigned as commander and your grandmother took over again. Kreka Khatun also served as a commander for awhile. Everyone moved back to Pannonia and your mother reinstated the campaign against Persia."
Arielle frowned confusedly. "Mother resigned as commander and still continued with the campaign?"
"No. She resigned for awhile but when you were two, she was crowned commander again and fought the Sassanians. I worked with her and we won Persia but that dream of hers fell apart. After she had your sister, she gave the role of commander back to your grandmother. That campaign was never put back into action after the Sassanians made their comeback."
Arielle looked at the large map and saw her mother's dreams that were never fulfilled. They didn't have control over Persia but at least the House of Sassan was their allies now and Odoacer's empire fell apart. She never realized how much her mother did during her short reign as commander.
Now she understood why her mother was not keen on her decision to take the job as commander. It was a difficult job and not everyone could do it. Her grandmother was commander on and off throughout her life.
"I never knew mother was so ambitious. I know why she wasn't very excited for me to be commander now."
He smiled weakly. "It's a huge responsibility but now you're a queen. That's an even bigger responsibility. Your mother had a tough time being queen and commander. She didn't want the same fate for you."
"I understand everything now. Grandma was so hard on me and now I know why. I'm so stupid," she grumbled.
"You're not stupid, Arielle. Don't ever say that about yourself." He said and kissed her cheek.
Arielle blushed. "Thanks for explaining this to me. I have to go talk to grandma and Gabrielle now."
"Maybe you should get some sleep," he suggested.
"Sleep is for the weak, dad!" she said as she ran out of her bedroom.
Xena soaked in a hot bath and rubbed oil into her long hair. Gabrielle was still asleep and it had been awhile since she had time to herself to think. She never liked to wake up Gabrielle and she learned her lesson not to do that again after she nearly got hit in the nose.
She reached behind her and grabbed a soapy cloth and ran it across her bare slender toned arms. She rubbed the cloth against her neck and exhaled deeply, enjoying the peaceful atmosphere.
"Grandma!" Arielle shouted.
Xena's eyes shot open and she grimaced. "God dammit," she whispered. She rung out the cloth and kept cleaning her arms.
Arielle slid across the slick marble floor and then sat down next to the baths. "Grandma, why didn't you tell me mother had a campaign?" she asked and presented the large map.
"Where did you get that?"
"I found it in the archives in Gabrielle's office. How come you didn't tell me? Mother could've had so much land!"
Xena rolled her eyes. "Arielle, I am trying to enjoy this bath and you're ruining it for me. You came all the way over here to tell me about this?"
"No, listen. I want to reinstate this campaign. I want to expand the empire and you're going to help me –you and Gabrielle."
The khanum's jaw dropped and gawked at her granddaughter's eager facial expression. "I beg your pardon?"
"I want to do everything that mother couldn't do. I'll be the best queen the empire's ever had. I will make the empire the most powerful entity in this world. Xerxes will be my commander. You and Gabrielle can be my mentors and guide me through everything. You two have taught me so much and I want you to stand by me. Will you do it? Please?"
Only two weeks into her position as queen and she wants to do this. This wasn't exactly what Xena had in mind for today's agenda. So far she had woken up early and decided to have a peaceful bath and that was ruined. Now she was hearing what she thought she'd never hear before.
"Arielle…I…what…have you lost your mind?"
"I've never had a clearer mind! Will you do it? Will you help me?"
"Well Arielle, you know I will always be there for you but I –"
"Great! I'm going to talk to Farah about our funds then I will rebuild mother's old campaign. It will take me awhile to do this," she tapped her cheek pensively. "I'll have to talk to Xerxes first and see what he thinks. You won't regret this, grandma. And I'm being serious this time." She kissed her temple then ran out of the baths.
Xena sat in the water dumbfounded and had no idea what just happened. "I didn't say –" she heard the bedroom door slam, "…yes," she sighed. "Dammit."
She splashed some water and then walked up the stairs out of the pool and grabbed her silk robe. She snatched a towel off one of the hooks on the wall and rubbed it through her hair as she walked back into the bedroom.
Gabrielle groggily awakened at the door slam and sat up in bed. She blinked and stared at her wife.
"What's going on?" she asked and ran her fingers through her short blonde locks.
"Somehow, some way, this is your fault."
Gabrielle creased her eyebrows. "Huh?"
Xena threw the wet towel in her wife's face. "Get up. We have a busy day ahead of us."
The governor groaned and smelled the vanilla scented towel. "You took a bath without me! Why didn't you wake me up?"
"Waking you up is like poking a bear in hibernation," she said and her wife gave her a snotty look. "What're you waiting for? Get up!"
XXXXXX
Gepid Fortress
Princess Austraia sat on the floor with her newfound cousin and offered to share lunch with him. She tried to push a plate of rice and quail towards him and Oran refused to eat anything for the second day in a row. He was confined to a room inside the fortress and forbidden to go anywhere without guards.
"My grandmother isn't going to hurt or poison you. Like she said, we are family."
He nodded. "Family doesn't keep one another hostage."
"You'll get to go home eventually. Tell me about yourself, Oran. I'd love to know about your life," she says eagerly.
"How old are you?" he asks, a bit annoyed.
Austraia smiled warmly. "Fifteen. How old are you?"
"A lot older than you. How long is Eksama going to keep me here? I need to get home."
"You waiting for someone special? A woman perhaps?" she snickered.
He shot her a glare. "I have two sons and my wife is pregnant."
Her brown eyes shimmered. "A baby! I love babies. Are you hoping for another son or a daughter?"
Oran sighed and massaged his aching temples. "I don't care. I just want to be with her and my sons." He kicked over the tray of food. "Fuck!"
Austraia gasped and stared at the food splattered all over the rug. Two soldiers walked into the room and she waved her hand. They glared at the Hun captive and she shooed them out. They reluctantly retreated and she scooted closer to Oran.
"Maybe I could talk to my grandmother to see if she will release you? We're cousins. I can help you out."
He laughed painfully and ran his hands down his face. "You seem like a sweet girl, Austraia but your grandmother is insane!" he hissed.
She lowered her head and frowned sadly.
"It pains me that I see my little cousin's face when I look at her," he said softly.
"She looks like my grandmother?"
He nodded and looked into her doe brown eyes. "Yes, she does. My –our cousin –also has red hair. She and Eksama share a similar face. It's disturbing to me. She's only a few years older than you."
"I…I'd like to meet her someday and the rest of my cousins. I bet your sons are adorable!" she tries to cheer him up and he half grinned.
Eksama glared at her granddaughter and wasn't sure what to say after what she was just told. She leaned over in her chair with elbows on her knees and Austraia's gaze turned away.
"Absolutely not. I am keeping him here for a reason. I have given him everything that he needs! I am not treating him like a normal prisoner!"
"But grandma!"
The queen rose from her chair and Austraia shut her trap. "I'll give him back when the time is right."
She approached the distressed princess and lifted her chin with a finger. "Liebchen," she smiled, "I see you care for him. You've always been very compassionate but this is something I need to do. You'll understand in the future."
Gabrielle and her wife stood in the foyer together and Xena just finished explaining what happened early in the morning. The governor rubbed her chin and couldn't fathom a word her wife said. She didn't think that Arielle would go so deep into the archives. In fact, she didn't know why Arielle wanted to read all of those old documents anyway.
In a way, she was proud that Arielle decided to do her homework and read up on the documents recorded in the empire's archives. It seemed all those lessons in Latin really paid off since most of those records were written in Latin. But of all things, the White Hun Campaign? She couldn't wrap her head around it.
"Is she serious? She really wants to do this?"
The khanum slowly nodded her head.
"And you agreed to this?"
"Not exactly. She also asked if you would be a part of it. She didn't even give me a chance to speak!"
Gabrielle slapped her wife's arm.
"What the hell was that for?!"
"You should've woke me up! My god, Xena."
"It happened so fast! I couldn't stop her. She came in just as quickly as she left!" Xena rubbed her arm. "What do you think we should do?"
The governor laughed. "We? Oh no, Xena. You're the boss. This is all on you."
"Hey, you're the governor." She jabbed her finger in her wife's chest. "You have just as much say in this as I do."
"Grandma!" Csaba bellowed from the second floor. "You. Me. In my room now!" he demanded. "You too, Gabrielle."
They sat on the king's bed and watched Csaba pace back and forth, twiddling his thumbs with a menacing frown. Xena arched her eyebrow and grew impatient the longer she had to wait. She knew exactly why she was here.
He halted and clicked his boots together. "Why did Farah tell me that Arielle wanted the records to our war funds in the treasury?"
"She found your mother's plans for the White Hun Campaign and she wants to reinstate it. She told me about it this morning."
"Oh really? And you agreed to this? Are you crazy?" he raised his voice.
She stood. "Don't talk to me in that tone, Csaba. You know very well how your sister can be. She came in like a lightning bolt. She didn't give me a chance to talk about it. I have not agreed to anything."
"She seems to think you're on board with this preposterous idea!" he yelled. "And you!" he pointed to the governor. "You're her advisor! You're supposed to be watching her and you allowed this to happen. Why did she have access to the archives without your presence?"
"I gave her permission. I didn't think she was going to stay up all night and uncover old documents!" Gabrielle spat back.
Xena grabbed her grandson by the shoulders and looked him in the eye.
"Csaba, you need to relax. Gabrielle and I will handle this."
"You better."
"Are you threatening me? I don't respond well to threats. I'm not beneath you anymore, Csaba."
He took a step back and collected himself. "You may leave now."
She raised her chin and they were staring at each other intensely. Gabrielle bit her bottom lip and continued to watch and wait in utter silence.
"Have you told your mother about this?"
Csaba turned away and looked out the window. "No. She was given opium syrup to help her sleep. She won't be awake for awhile."
"Good. We'll keep this between us for now. Let Gabrielle and I speak with Arielle first."
Arielle came to Xerxes' suite and ordered the Persians to open the doors. One of the perks of being queen was that she didn't have to wait for someone to allow her to enter any room in the Adame. She stepped inside the room and found it empty.
Curiously, she wandered around the room and found a parchment on his desk. She picked up the paper and there were sentences written in Persian. It was one of the few languages she didn't learn how to speak, read or write. Latin was useful and she found that out quickly when she looked through the archives last night.
Xerxes entered from the baths and rubbed his wet hands on a cloth and his heart sank at the sight of Arielle in his room, reading his private letter.
"Princess," he greeted and she spun around. "Oh, I'm sorry. I mean, queen," he lightly joked.
She waved the parchment in the air. "What's this?"
He smoothed out his long hair and tossed the cloth onto his bed. "It's…poetry. I like to write poetry sometimes."
Arielle nods and examined the parchment. "Aren't you going to read it to me?"
Xerxes' stomach churned and he gently took the parchment from her hand and set it back down on the desk gently. He kept eyeing the words written and was thankful that she did not understand his language. But now he had to be more careful.
"Another time, your highness. What can I do for you? As I can see, you're spying on me."
She chuckled. "I wanted to ask you something and I hope you will agree to it."
He led her to the bed and offered her a seat. She sat down beside him and he kept smiling at her. She looked into his dark brown eyes and suddenly lost her train of thought. Her mouth parted, begging for words to come out and nothing came to mind.
"Your majesty…" he coaxed her and grabbed her hand.
She inhaled sharply and then smiled brightly.
"I…I trust you as my commander of the Hun army. You have plenty of experience: more than I could ever have. I'm going to expand the empire and with Eksama's emergence I think this is the perfect time to act. After the Sabirs destroyed almost all of our tribes, we are only left with three tribes: Pannonia, Nezak and my father's empire in Armenia."
"What about your tribe in Assyria?"
She frowned. "Yes, that one too," she says sourly. "But that is a small tribe and not large enough to live on its own. I hope that you will be willing to help me expand my family's empire. Your family is a great asset to us now and that could help us in the long run."
He smiled nervously. If only you knew, he thought. He regretted ever making that pact with his brother and now he truly regretted it. He was in the middle of writing a letter to Kawus saying that Arielle had become queen and de facto khatun. He was also going to mention that Eksama threatened the empire that she'd take the crown.
"I will be at your service, your highness. I think you will be a great queen."
Her cheeks flushed and she stood up. "Thank you for agreeing. I think we will work very well together."
He stood and bowed. "Likewise."
She curtly nodded then left the room.
Xerxes exhaled heavily and he marched over to the desk and grabbed the letter to his brother. He stared at the written words for a long time then made his way over to the fireplace and threw the letter in the fire. He stood with his arms folded, watching the parchment burn gradually.
Arielle had a smile on her face as she rounded the corner and then bumped into her grandmother and Gabrielle. She gasped and wiped the smile off her face then adjusted her headdress and stood up straight.
Xena narrowed her eyes then looked over the young queen's shoulder. "What are you doing in the politician's wing?"
"I went to talk to Xerxes about my campaign. He is on board with me. I hope you two are also going to support me."
"We need to talk about that. I never agreed to anything. Your brother and I had words earlier. Your mother doesn't know about this and I don't plan to tell her because it's not going to happen, Arielle."
The queen grinned smugly. "Too late, grandma. I already told mother after I told you everything and she agreed."
Gabrielle's eyes widened and her wife looked down at her with a ghostly expression.
Arielle pulled out a small scroll from her belt and presented it to the women. Xena snatched it from her and unrolled it, reading the proclamation. Her eyes enlarged when she saw Ana's wax seal at the bottom of the page.
"I have her seal of confirmation. Not even you can override a khatun's words."
So it begins!
Liebchan = sweet one/sweetheart