I'm trying my best to make Xerxes likeable given his background lol.
Thanks for reading everyone!
Chapter 25 –Meeting the Avars Part I
Ernak took the time he had to spend with his infant daughter. He didn't know when he'd be needed to go to war so he thought he better spend as much time as possible with her and his sons before that time was taken away from him. He held his daughter in his lap as she played with one of Edemen's old toys left in the Banat palace years ago.
Prince Utighur tugged on his father's arm. "When will you teach me how to use a sword?"
"I thought Csaba was training you with Aman and Aladar?"
The boy huffed. "But they're not real swords!"
Nisa frowned and pinched her son's arm. "You're too little to use real swords. I'm sure you can wait a couple of years before you get your hands on a real weapon."
"But mother! Aurora uses real bows, why can't I use a real sword?"
Ernak looked at his wife and set his daughter on the floor so she could continue to play with the toy, or rather chew on it. "Listen son, bows aren't the same as swords. And Aurora doesn't use real arrows."
"Yes she does!"
"Oh really?" he sighed and pinched his eyebrows together with his thumb. "Just keep using the practice swords and don't pay attention to Aurora."
Utighur threw his hands in the air. "Ugh, princesses!" he stood up and bowed his head to his parents. "I'm gonna find Kurt. He'll let me use his sword!" he raced off.
"Be careful!" called out Nisa.
Ernak didn't seem too concerned for his son's longing to wield a sword and instead paid attention to his daughter. His smiled and stretched his arms out. She crawled towards him with a toothless grin and he picked her up and lifted her high in the air, causing his wife to panic.
"Ernak!"
"She's fine, Nisa," he leveled his daughter on one hand and smirked at his nervous wife. "She's having a good time. Right, Maria?" he asks and his daughter giggled softly. "See?"
Their special time together came to an end when Ebnedzar's sons charged into the room. Ernak handed his daughter off to Nisa and stood, surprised to see the teenagers. He walked over with open arms and a great big smile.
"Talat! Tolan!" he hugged them both and they pulled away quickly. "Where've you two been?" he slapped their shoulders.
"Hiding from the wrath of Eksama," said Tolan. "Uncle, she has executed over half of the Hun army because they wouldn't conform to her rules! She even started executing the citizens too."
"Yeah and she took over Ana's room!" Talat chimed in.
That was disappointing news but it wasn't surprising. The king folded his arms, waiting for more horrid news. "How did you escape and how'd you know we were here? She didn't follow you, did she? I'll kill you if she followed you!"
Talat raised his hands for defense. "No, no! She didn't follow us. We actually snuck into the Adame. She's been very busy, uncle. She's going through all the documents in the governor's office. She had all of the treaties of Banat in her bedroom. We think she's going to attack Banat so we came to warn everyone."
Tolan nodded his head in agreement. "Should we send a letter to our father? He's still in Ravenna."
At this point Ernak didn't know what to do. He was stuck here with the worst possible soldiers in the empire and Arielle was gone with Xena and Xerxes. He really wished Arielle was here but Persia was a more pressing assignment at the moment. Now he wasn't so sure it was a good idea to send all of his best people away.
A Banat soldier walked in and interrupted the circle. "Your highness, the Assyrian Huns are approaching our borders. They should be here by nightfall."
Ernak grunted. "I never thought I'd be so happy to see Bayan in my life until now…" he turns to his nephews. "Send a message to your father. Tell him everything that has happened but I want him to stay in Ravenna! Eksama's stepson is in that area."
Talat grabbed his uncle's arm before he ran off. "Wait, how is Oran and did Yeter have the baby?"
"You're in luck. Yeter gave birth two days ago to a prince. Your brother is with her upstairs."
XXXXXX
A week passed since everyone arrived in Balaam but the tension between Nousha and the Huns did not dissipate. Arielle's wound had healed somewhat but she suffered from erratic fevers and shakes every few hours each day. Her wound was sewn once but due to her stubbornness to get out of bed, the stitches broke and now she was stuck in bed again with her grandmother sewing the ripped wound.
The needle pricked her skin and she hissed. She knew that any subtle movements would irritate her grandmother so she tried her best to remain still. She hadn't seen Xerxes since they arrived and she didn't want to admit that she wanted to see him, talk to him.
"Grandma, can I ask a question?"
Xena sighed and pinched the skin to drive the needle through the wound once more. "You can always ask me anything."
"Do you like me?"
She paused and laughed. "What kind of a question is that?"
"Just answer: do you like me?"
"Well…" she scrunched her nose while focusing on sewing carefully. It was a tedious process. "I love you."
Arielle rolled her eyes and slammed her hand on her knee frustratingly. "I know you love me but that's not what I asked!"
"What's going on, Arielle?" she clipped the stitch with her teeth and cleaned the blood spatter on her granddaughter's back. "All finished. Something's bothering you, I can tell." She picked up a handful of Arielle's hair and draped it down her backside. "If you really want me to answer your question; yes I like you…sometimes."
The queen gasped and turned her body around, clutching the sheet to her bare chest. "Wow thanks!"
"Hey, you asked. I'm sure you don't like me all the time either but I'll always love you. If you wanted a sugar coated answer you should've asked Gabrielle, not me." She pinched the girl's cheek. "What brought this on?"
Arielle bit her lip and folded the creases in the sheet while looking in any other direction. As far as she knew, nobody else knew how she felt about the Persian prince aside from her grandmother. God forbid that her mother ever found out or even her father. The thought of those two knowing would probably bring an end to everything. Oh and Csaba. Can't forget about him.
She finally met eyes with her teacher and grinned from ear to ear nervously. She knew that her grandmother was always there for her no matter how much they disagreed or fought. She was there and she was a good listener but a good talker too which wasn't always ideal in Arielle's mind.
"It's about Xerxes," she blurted out. "He likes me, he told me so several times! I don't know what to do. By the way I already slept with him so if you want to yell at me, go ahead." She continued to blab, "He's not just a regular Persian. He's Peroz's grandson! My family fought against Peroz for years! So basically I'm sleeping with the enemy and he likes me. Grandma, what do I do?!"
Xena bat her lashes and smiled. "Do you like him?"
"Huh?"
"I asked if you liked him. Do you?" she repeated and Arielle's face paled. "Arielle, I've fought against several Shahs. First it was Yazdgard then Hormizd and Peroz then Balash, now there's Kavad. Xerxes is not like his grandfather and Shah Kavad doesn't have the hatred for Huns like his uncle, father and grandfather before him. He's a bit deceived by his councilmen but…I don't think he's a horrible man."
"You like Xerxes? You weren't lying about that?"
Xena was tempted to roll her eyes. "Yes, I like him. If I didn't he wouldn't be here right now. Even Ernak likes him and kept him as our commander. That says something, right?"
A smile graced her lips. "So, I have permission to like him?"
A laugh came from the khanum and she stared at her granddaughter's miffed expression. "You don't need permission from me to like anybody, Arielle. But since you're asking…I approve," she teased.
"Thanks!" she reached over and kissed her cheek. She slowly got out of bed and dropped the sheet on the floor then searched for a towel.
Xena's eyes widened at the amount of ink on her granddaughter's body. "Arielle! When did you get more of those…those tattoos?"
"Oh uh," Arielle wrapped the towel around her body. "Ku did them for me in Pannonia. I have one for you too! Do you want to see?" she took the towel off and Xena covered her eyes.
"I'm good, thank you. Just promise you won't get any on your neck or face."
Arielle indistinctively covered her back of her neck with her hand and smiled nervously. "Of course not, grandma. I'm going to wash my hair and then I want to talk about the campaign with everyone."
XXXXXX
Mirac rolled over, stretching his arms over his head and yawned. He turned to his wife who was wide awake, staring at the ceiling of their yurt. He smiled and kissed the side of her head and ran his fingers through her hair. Cera eyed him and faintly grinned.
"How are you feeling today?" he knew that over the last month and a half that she was not in the best spirits. Every single day she had migraines and nausea that unfortunately lasted all day. She hadn't eaten a lot and with her already thin frame, she lost more weight than she needed to.
Cera puckered her lips and glared with an incredulous look. "I feel like shit," she signed. She even mouthed the word for him to better understand. "S-H-I-T".
He chuckled and placed his hand over her stomach. The swell of their child fit perfectly in the crevice of his palm. "I'm sorry. I wish I could make you feel better. Have you been drinking the tea Yana's been giving you?"
The princess' face contorted in disgust and she shook her head.
"Okay, okay. Sorry, I shouldn't have mentioned tea. Maybe we could walk around outside? Get some fresh air. It might make you feel better."
She didn't seem very enthusiastic about leaving the yurt let alone the bed. Mirac scooted close and leaned his head against her shoulder. If she didn't want to leave then he wanted to be with her. He quickly caught on that she was emotional because of the separation with her family and to add to that this pregnancy has not been easy on her so far.
Cera tapped her husband's head and he looked up at her. "This baby better be worth it," she signs. He responds by kissing her hand and giving her a reassuring gesture.
The drums sounded outside and Cera sat up abruptly. Mirac cupped her cheeks. "Don't be scared," he whispered. He felt her trembling and he kissed her hands. "I'll go see what's happening outside. Hopefully it's nothing serious."
He ran outside while still putting on his tunic over his head. Cera waited in silence and slouched down on the pillows, clutching the blanket close to her face, watching the entrance of the yurt. The fear of being attacked and kidnapped was still fresh in her mind. She knew that her sister's soldiers were outside which made her feel better but not by much.
She heard some chatter outside the yurt and sank further down into the bed. The voices came closer and closer and then the curtains moved. She gasped and grabbed her sword close to her bed and got up slowly.
Anastasia stepped inside the yurt with Navaz by her side. "Cera?"
The princess grinned and dropped the sword then ran to her mother. She hugged her, squeezing tightly wishing never to let go. Ana breathed in sharply and pat her daughter's back and kissed the top of her head.
"Cera, I cannot breathe."
The redhead pulled away for only a moment and then hugged her again. She eyed Navaz and switched to wrap her lanky arms around his large frame. She hoped her father would've lived long enough to be with her but Navaz was good enough. He'd always been there for her as much as he was there for Arielle.
She took a step back and the smile on her face remained. Navaz raised an eyebrow at her excited face and he presented a small box for her. "I brought this for you."
Cera's eyes widened and she graciously accepted the gift. She ripped the top off and tossed it behind her and pulled out a necklace with a ruby pendant. Immediately, she handed the necklace to him and she pulled her hair up. Navaz put it on for her and she touched the pendant, admiring it silently.
"I told you Cera would appreciate my gift. Arielle hates jewelry," he whispered to Ana and she mean mugged him.
She walked to her daughter and began inspecting her with her hands. Cera cringed but stood still. Her hands pinched her waist and she gasped. "Cera! You're so thin!" she exclaimed. The princess' cheeks flushed. "Have you been eating?"
Yana walked in as soon as her brother told her who was here. She acknowledged Navaz with a curt nod. "Your highness."
"Chieftess," he said his greetings. "I'll let you ladies talk." He quickly disappeared.
Cera desperately looked to her for aid and Yana put a hand on Ana's shoulder. "Khatun, I didn't know you were coming. I would've prepared something for you."
"That is not necessary," she says dismissively. "Why is my daughter thin as a board?" she glared at the chieftess.
"She's been very sick. She can hardly keep anything down and suffers from headaches daily. Inzhu and I have tried our best to help her. I give her a tea every morning to curve the nausea. I'm sure it will pass in a few weeks."
Cera's jaw dropped. She didn't think she could stand this much longer. So far she hated pregnancy and wished it was over but it was just the beginning.
The khatun smiled. "I see. Yana's right, tatli kiz, this is only temporary. It gets easier, you'll see." She kissed her forehead. "I'll be with you the entire time."
Yana paused and saw the happiness in the princess' eyes. "I wish you would've told me you were coming. I'll set up a yurt for you."
Anastasia turned to the chieftess. "I'm not staying here. I'm taking Cera with me to Balaam. I want her to be in a safer environment. You are welcome to come with us of course, Yana. You've been a huge help already. I know Cera is comfortable with you." she pat her shoulder then walked out.
Yana stood in shock and looked at the princess who shared the same feelings as her. As much as she respected the khatun she felt like her toes were being stepped on a little bit. She'd been the one to take care of Cera since day one and now she's going to be taken away from her.
"Do you want to go to Balaam, Cera? If you don't I will tell your mother you want to stay here."
The princess pursed her mouth. "She is impossible to reason with, Yana. She's already made up her mind. Will you come with me?" she hoped.
"I'll come if you want me to but I have a hunch that your mother doesn't want me to." She gathered she was invited because the khatun was trying to be polite.
XXXXXX
Arielle grouped everybody into her father's conference room. It was strange being here again after being absent for so long. It was also strange to be sitting in her father's chair while he wasn't here. She was glad that she had so many people to help her with this campaign as she couldn't do it alone. If her mother was unable to do it she certainly had doubts she could but she persisted to make her ideas and dreams come true, no matter the cost or time.
"The Karen's will have figured out that Pamira has been missing by now. I want to discuss the marriage between my brother and Pamira," she told everyone. "The House of Karen is now considered our enemy and this marriage will either enrage them all or force them to leave Kawus' side and join us."
Gabrielle tapped her fingers on the tabletop, glaring at the queen. "I don't think they're going to join us, Arielle. They'll probably attack us. Did you even ask Soran if he wanted this?"
"It doesn't matter what he thinks. He has no input in my decision. I am a queen and if I say he's marrying Pamira then he is. My father did the same thing to Oran and Yeter and we're allies with the Gokturks now."
"I sure hope you know what you're getting yourself into. As soon as you sign the marriage decree, expect a horde of Persians at your doorstep."
Arielle nodded. "I understand the consequences of my decision but I'm going through with it. Write up the license immediately, Gabrielle," she said and the governor sighed, clearly not agreeing with this at all. "It's clear that the Sassanian house is divided between Shah Kavad and Kawus. We need to use this to our advantage. Xerxes, what do you think is the best way to approach this?"
The prince looked at the queen and the others sitting across from him. "Ah, I think the letter sent by Xena to my father isn't going to reach him. Our vizier, Rüzem, is slimy. He'll probably intercept the delivery. It's best that we somehow get in touch with Tegin Irkin."
Xena leaned forward and rests her elbows on the table. "And how are we going to do that? He didn't exactly seem very friendly to us back in Nahavand."
"Tegin is on my father's side. He'd never side with Kawus," he explained. "If we get him on our side and see the truth then we'll be able to get rid of Kawus."
"Okay, wait just a second. Arielle said there are seven Persian 'Houses'. What about the other five houses? Are they allies with your brother?"
Arielle turned to the prince and folded her arms, eager to hear this explanation. She hadn't even thought of the other Houses in Persia. Leave it to the khanum to ask the important questions. Xerxes was reluctant to answer the question and he knew that everyone was waiting for a response. He fidgeted and shifted in the seat awkwardly.
"Aren't you going to answer my grandmother's question, Xerxes?"
"The…other Houses do not like my father. They all followed my uncle, Hormizd. I don't think they side with Kawus but it's only a matter of time before they choose his side and try to overthrow my father."
"What a damn mess!" Xena growled and slammed her palms on the table. "It's no wonder Hormizd and Peroz were so powerful for decades. They had all the Houses on their side and even in death they cling to the old dynasty."
Arielle clicked her tongue against the roof of her mouth. "Here's what we're going to do. Grandma and Gabrielle will go to Scythia and scope out the area. I need to know how many people are there and if they have any kind of military."
Gabrielle shared a smile with her wife. "We'll get right on that, Arielle. When do you want us to leave?"
"As soon as possible. We can't waste any more time. We've got the Gepids on our left and Persians on our right. Both have very powerful armies high in number. We have nothing but my father's army and that won't be enough to stop either one of these people," she groaned in frustration.
Xena raised her hand like a child who was fervently waiting to speak her mind. Her wife stifled a laugh and Arielle crossed her arms, trying to put on a serious face but given the giddy face of her grandmother, that was difficult.
"Yes?"
"Can I pick the soldiers to come with me to Scythia? I'd like the Sabir men. They're ruthless."
She huffed and waved her hand. "Take whomever you like, grandma."
"Excellent!" she clapped her hands and stood up to leave the conference room.
"I didn't say you could leave. This meeting isn't over!"
"I don't need permission from you. I'm above you." she smiled and waltzed over, pushing the doors open and winked at her sassy granddaughter.
Xerxes rubbed his beard and eyed the queen. "Now I see where you get the attitude from," he says aloud and Arielle frowned in his direction. "Just making an honest observation."
XXXXXX
Later in the day Gabrielle wrote up a contract for Soran and Pamira. She knew this was not a good idea from the beginning but she also knew she wouldn't be able to tell Arielle or Xena otherwise. Sometimes she hated being around really opinionated women for this exact reason. Every now and then she could get a word in but there were times when her opinions were invalid and void in their ears.
Pamira was brought in by two soldiers and left alone. She nervously glanced around the room and Gabrielle could feel the poor girl's nerves from where she sat. This is going to be a disaster, she thought. She stacked the parchment on the desk and smiled at the Persian teen.
"Are all your needs being met, Pamira? Do you need more dresses? I'm sure I could tell Arielle to get some more fabric for the seamstress."
She shook her head. "No thank you. Why have I been brought here? Am I going back to Persia?"
Not exactly. "You'll see. We're waiting for Soran to arrive. He should be here any minute," she tells the girl, knowing her fate was in her hands, literally.
Waiting a couple more awkward minutes, Prince Soran walked in and shyly stared at the Persian teenager and smiled at her. She hid her face and turned away. He cleared his throat and addressed the governor with a head nod.
"Gabrielle. Good afternoon."
"Afternoon, Soran," she stood up and leaned on the desk, holding the marriage contract in her hands. "I have in my hands a decree ordered by your sister," she began and eyed Pamira, "Queen Arielle," she adds.
Soran nodded. "Alright. What is it?"
She took in a deep breath, preparing for the worst to come. "This decree is a…marriage contract," she treads cautiously, seeing the concern in his dark eyes. "For you and Pamira. It's already been signed by both Xena and Arielle so I just need both of your signatures."
Soran slowly turned his head to the girl beside him and saw tears in her eyes. His head hung lowly and he sighed, unsure of what to say. He knew causing a scene would not end well and considering that his sister was no longer a princess, she had higher status than him. His eyes drifted to Pamira, examining her body and profile of her face carefully.
"I'm to be married to…her?" he asks in a soft voice which surprised Gabrielle.
"Yes…" she hesitantly held out the parchment and a quill pen.
Soran looked at the contract and back to Pamira again. He snatched the pen and signed his name at the bottom. Gabrielle raised her eyebrows, shocked to see how well he was taking the news. Pamira on the other hand was speechless and obviously broken inside. She was taken from her home and now she was going to be married off to someone she didn't even know.
He grabbed Pamira's hands and she tensed. He presented a big smile and she held her breath, staring up into his eyes. "I promise I will treat you very well, Pamira," he said.
Gabrielle crinkled her eyebrows, watching the astonishing exchange. She became speechless herself much like the Persian girl.
"You'll be a princess of the House of Khushnavaz," he says with his smile growing. "If it makes you feel better, I'm half Persian on my mother's side. My family will take care of you."
Pamira swallowed and her tears stopped. She looked over at the governor, holding the contract in her hand. She wasn't sure what to think and this was entirely random. She went from being a hostage to a member of the Hun Empire in less than two weeks. She couldn't fight this and if she did then she didn't know what would happen to her.
She took the pen and regretfully signed her name. Gabrielle gave an uncertain smile and rolled up the contract to be put in the archives here in Balaam. She kept eyeing Pamira and could only imagine how she was feeling. Being uprooted from her home was jarring. Gabrielle knew exactly how that felt but she soon forgot her life back in Greece. It was a foreign land to her now. She hoped Pamira will grow to love the family she was forced to be married into.
XXXXXX
Soran wandered through the halls of his home and ran over to his sister who was heading back to her bedroom. He grabbed her arm and pulled her aside. Arielle frowned and looked around to see if anything urgent was happening for him to grab her like that.
"You assigned a marriage between me and Pamira," he stated.
She lifted her chin. "I did."
He smiled. "She's gorgeous! I don't think she likes me very much but I'll change that. I hope," he mumbled. "I will show her that I am interested by giving her gifts. I think I will go to the market and buy her some jewelry."
She expected much backlash from her little brother but was miffed by his enthusiasm. She leaned close and smelled his clothes and punched his arm. "Quit smoking opium, Soran!"
"Do you think Pamira likes to smoke opium?" he wiggled his eyebrows. "I bet she does."
"Stop it. I don't like that stuff. My mother smoked that constantly and it's highly addictive."
"Hey, I am not your mother," he put a hand on his chest and she hit him again. "Stop hitting me!" he hit her back.
She shoved him. "Get out of here. Go buy your new wife some jewelry or whatever." She wagged her hand and continued down the path to her bedroom.
Gabrielle rounded the corner and she held the marriage decree in her hand. She waved at Arielle and met her halfway to the bedroom. "Your brother was very…excited about the marriage," she informed her.
"Oh I'm aware. I'm glad he didn't throw a fit. I hope Pamira will eventually come through and enjoy spending her life in Balaam with my brother," she sighs and Gabrielle scratched her scalp out of nerves. "Where's my grandma?"
Gabrielle rolled her eyes. "She's hand picking the soldiers she wants for the Scythia mission. This is what happens when you give her too much leeway."
"I expect nothing less from her. I'm going to rest in my room for awhile. Thank you for all your help, Gabrielle."
"Always."
XXXXXX
The Assyrian Huns arrived at the gates of the palace before sunset. Ernak met with Bayan on one side of the gate, not very thrilled to see him. He refused to let Csaba outside because god knows that a fight would ensue between the two. Bayan had been distant from the family ever since he came to Pannonia with his mistress.
Bayan walked over to the wall of the palace and stared at Ernak through the rod iron gates. He smiled and gripped one of the bars and kicked the dirt with his boot.
"Are you going to open the gates?"
Ernak folded his arms. "Not yet. Why haven't you answered our letters, Bayan? You suddenly show up without notice."
"I heard you were in a bit of a bind so I decided to come to your aid. Aren't you happy to see me? I brought my entire army!" he kicked the gate. "Open this!"
"No! I thank you for bringing your army and I will be civil with you but that's it. I don't want you in this palace so I've arranged for you to stay in a mansion Farah owns down the road."
Bayan laughed and spun around, staring at his men. "And my soldiers?"
"They will be housed in the northern part of the city."
"Hmm." The Harran king nods his head and looks at Ernak with a smirk on his face. "Can I see Aurora? I've come all this way the least you can do is let me see her."
Now it was Ernak's turn to have a smug grin on his face. He took a step closer to the gate and glared at Bayan. "Arielle isn't here and I don't think she'd want you to see Aurora. You made your choice to be with your mistress."
"She's my daughter!" he rattled the gate and Ernak shrugged a shoulder. "Where is Arielle?"
"She's on a mission with Shehzade Xerxes."
Bayan laughed and smoothed a hand over his long wavy hair. "So she's opening her legs to the Persian now, huh?"
It was tempting to open the gates to beat him up, so, so tempting. Ernak kept his distance and inhaled heavily and exhaled through his nostrils. That smile of his was so irritating; he almost wished he could bash his face in. Ernak was so glad Csaba wasn't here to hear this exchange.
"Watch your mouth, Bayan. She is the mother of your child. I'm not going to stand here and listen to you talk poorly about Arielle. You are very lucky Xena and Navaz aren't here but Csaba is. I'll spare you the beating this time. The Szekely soldiers will escort you to the mansion. Good night."
"We aren't going to talk about Eksama?!" he yelled.
Ernak paused and kept his eye on the palace doors. He did not want to continue conversing with this man at all because he feared he'd beat him to shreds. It took a lot of patience and calming his inner self to hold him back.
"I'll come discuss her with you later. I hope you have a good first night in Banat."
XXXXXX
A few days passed since Xena and Gabrielle left for Scythia. Arielle remained confined to her bedroom in order to recover from her injury. She had to lay in wait until they come back to give her a full report. At this point in time she felt useless but used this time to write a much needed letter to her family back in Banat.
She used to hate living with them but now that she was away for awhile she realized she missed them more than anything. It was nice to live with her brother since she hadn't seen him in years. Once she finished writing the letter to her family she blew against the wet ink and grabbed a fresh parchment to write her following letter.
Xerxes knocked on the wall before entering. She looked over her shoulder and smiled, allowing him entry. He sat down on the bed and curiously watched her write a lengthy letter.
"You have nice handwriting."
"Thanks," she admits coyly. "Gabrielle taught me how to read and write Latin. I'm writing a letter to my daughter. I miss her a lot. I hope she'll be able to read this."
"She's a smart girl like you," he says and she laughs nervously.
She set the letter aside for now and gazed at the Persian. "What happened to those poems you promised me?"
He scooted closer to her and placed a hand on top of hers. "I'd be happy to write poems for you. Will you accept them this time?"
She knew what he was hinting. She enjoyed playing this little game with him and nodded her head. "I think so." It was obvious she was uncomfortable by his constant staring. "Xerxes…I like you I just don't know how to express –"
He grabbed her face and planted a kiss on her lips. Arielle's eyes widened and when he pulled away he was waiting for her to react some way like she had before. He expected a slap across the face but that didn't happen luckily.
"So, would you like that poem now or later?" he asked with a charming smile.
"We are still talking about poems," she took a long pause, "right?"
XXXXXX
Revisiting Scythia after twenty years was not on a list of things to do. Xena thought she'd never return to this place after she killed Queen Tomiri. She always wondered what happened to the Scythian kingdom after their queen was vanquished. For awhile the Persians must have taken over but that obviously didn't last long.
The moment they trotted across the border of Scythia, the place was filled with hundreds upon hundreds of people. Xena hopped off her horse and walked through the streets. She gave her horse to one of the Sabir soldiers and took off her gloves, taking everything in.
Gabrielle spoke to the soldiers and told them to wait by the border with the horses just in case. She knew that coming here on large black horses might be alarming to the people of Scythia. They didn't want to stick out like a sore thumb. She caught up with her wife and flipped the hood of her cloak off her head and ruffled her hair.
Turning her head around, she eyed all of the citizens in the large streets. This place reminded her of Banat with the brick mansions but they had clothes similar to the Hunnic tribes. Scythians certainly weren't yurt-goers like the Huns. It was clear they liked to live lavishly. Not a single person here looked to be in poor health.
While her eyes were focused on the busy commotion she kept walking and bumped into her wife. Grunting, she came around and adjusted the collar of her cloak and tapped her tall wife's shoulder.
"What are you stopped in the middle of the road for?" she asks and Xena stood frozen in place. "Hello?"
She followed her wife's stone expressionless face and saw a huge castle up the road, sitting on a hill. There was a flag flying at the highest tier of the castle. It was too far to see who it belonged to.
"Oh, I see. Is that Tomiri's old palace?"
Xena nods her head slowly.
"It's obviously occupied by someone," she gathers. "If I could just see the flag," she walked forward and put a hand over her eyes, quirking her mouth. "Hey, do you think we could get a closer look?" she asks and turned around. "Xena?" she twirled around and searched. "Ugh."
Xena tapped a man's back and he spun round with a smile. "Who lives in that castle up ahead?" she asked him.
"Ah, I take it you're not from around here?"
"Just tell me who lives there."
"The Khagana Jiulu lives there."
Gabrielle ran up to her wife and bumped her elbow. "You left me," she hissed. Her wife raised a hand to quiet her and kept interrogating the man.
"Who is Khagana Jiulu?"
He laughs. "The ruler of the Avars! Have you been in Scythia long? If so, you've been living under a rock, ma'am."
Xena grumbled and looked at the castle which was quite a ways from where they were now. By the time they'd reach the hill it would be nightfall. She grabbed the man's arm firmly, lifting him to his toes.
"Tell me who the Avars are," she demanded.
Nervously he stuttered, "They –they're from the Pontic Steppe! They settled here ten years after our queen's death. I'm not sure if you –you know Queen Tomiri –"
She let him down and frowned. "I know her," she curtly replies. "I killed her." She nudged her head, "come on Gabrielle."
The governor grinned at the terrified man. "Thanks for the information. Sorry about that." She paddled his shoulder and walked off to join sides with her wife. "Xena, what are we doing?"
"We're going to the castle to meet this 'Khagana Jiulu'. I feel like the more isolated we are in Pannonia the less we know. I don't want another Boareks in our hands. It's bad enough Eksama took our home. Now we have these 'Avar' people; whoever the hell they are!"
Gabrielle bumped into a few people passing by and she irritatingly groaned. "Eksama is not anything like Boareks, Xena," she scoffs. "Boareks reigned terror on everybody. She nearly wiped out every single tribe!"
She grabbed her petite wife and shoved her into an alleyway. "Gabrielle, do not underestimate Eksama. She may not be head on like Boareks but she is dangerous. Boareks was never able to get into Pannonia and conquer it. Eksama did it in less than a day. I just want to find out who this Jiulu is."
"Okay, I get it." She sighs and they stepped out of the alley to continue towards the castle. "What is a Khagana anyway? Is that like a queen or something? Or maybe like a khatun?"
"I don't know but we're going to find out."
"We're going by ourselves? Shouldn't we take the Sabir soldiers? They have weapons."
"We have weapons," she smiles down at the governor.
"There are only two of us…"
"Your point?"
XXXXXX
Deep in the heart of the Scythian castle, Jiulu sat in front of a fireplace, sipping a glass of wine. She heard the doors creak open and she didn't fidget or become startled. Footsteps approached the large throne she sat in and then halted abruptly.
"Khagana, two women are outside the castle walls. They desire…an audience with you."
She swished the wine and drummed her nails on the armrest. She set the glass down on a low table with her eyes fixated on the roaring fire. The fireplace was large –large enough to fit a grown man inside or perhaps three of them. She cocked her head and narrowed her eyes then turned up to the man beside her.
He awaited her answer patiently and she smiled softly. His angular features were accentuated in the ember's light from the fire. His long blonde locks that were almost white which matched his eyelashes and thick bushy eyebrows appeared to look like the fire itself in the dark room.
"What do these women want?" she finally spoke.
"I don't know, khagana. They appear to be from a different land. They're not Scythian."
Jiulu nods her head and waves her hand. "Send them in, Kuba."
He cinched his eyebrows. "Khagana," he stressed, "we don't know if they are here to attack you. I don't want anything to happen to you."
"I said send them in."
Kuba snapped his fingers to the guards waiting by the doors. Sometimes he questioned his ruler's decisions but he was obligated to follow anything she said no matter how much his advice and opinions differed from hers. He was grateful to serve her as she was kind to him. She even gifted him a different name than his birth name after he continued to serve her loyally for ten years.
He stood by the throne and anxiously tapped his boot on the hard marble floor. jiulu side eyed him and he turned away to not cause her nuisance.
Xena and Gabrielle were guided into the dark room surrounded with candles. Kuba walked over to the guards and dismissed them with a click of his tongue. Xena raised her eyebrow at the pale skinned blonde man. These people didn't like the sun, she guessed.
Jiulu said from the chair, "Leave us."
Gabrielle turned her head to the throne and saw the 'khagana' flick her wrist. The woman's voice was strong but soft at the same time.
The Avar woman rose from the throne after everyone in the room was gone. Xena was shocked to see the woman behind the chair. She was a tall woman and thin as a rail. She had icy blue eyes and blonde hair like the sun and sharp angular facial features. Her fingers long and bony which gave off a sort of witchy vibe that Xena didn't like already.
Jiulu walked over to the wine table and poured them two glasses. She approached the foreigners and handed them the wine glasses. Gabrielle and Xena looked to one another but accepted the wine.
"You're not from Scythia. What brings you here? I don't normally get visitors," says the blonde Avar.
Xena sniffed the wine, refusing to drink it. "Ah…we come from the Hun Empire. We're just stopping by. I didn't know that anyone claimed Scythia after the end of Tomiri's reign."
Jiulu smiles weakly. "Huns. I don't see many of you around here. This makes my job a lot easier."
"What does that mean?" Gabrielle asks.
"I was going to march to the Caucasus. I know the White Huns live there. Is that correct?"
Xena furrowed her eyebrows. "You were planning to attack Armenia?"
"No," Jiulu calmly replies and sipped her leftover wine. "I want an alliance with the Hun Empire."
Both of their eyes widened and the khagana acted so nonchalant it shocked them both.
"I want to join forces with the Huns." She licks her lips and grins.
XXXXXX
Arielle woke to the loud drums outside and groaned tiredly. She flipped her mass of curls over her head and stared at Xerxes sleeping beside her. She tried to stretch her arms and felt the stitches in her back pinch the skin around it and she hissed.
She literally rolled out of bed and walked over to the large window, rubbing her face. She peered from behind the curtains and saw her parents trotting on horseback through the gates with Cera and Mirac. She gasped and pulled the curtains to a close.
"Lanet oslun!" she yelled and ran to grab a pair of fresh clothes.
The shehzade woke to her rustling in her wardrobe and rose from the pillows. He watched her prance and race around the bedroom frantically with amusement.
"Arielle?" he tried to get her attention.
"Başım belada olacak," she muttered. "Sevgili tanrım bana yardım et." She kept on talking to herself.
Xerxes half smiled. "Arielle..."
"Ne ben yapacağım?!"
"Arielle!" he screeched and she finally stopped uttering sentences in her mother tongue. "I haven't the slightest clue of what you're saying but by the sound of it you seem frazzled."
She huffed and threw a pillow at his face. "You have to get out right now!"
He tossed the pillow to the side. "Why?"
"My father…my mother…they –they're coming here! I mean, they're here! You have to leave. Get your clothes on. Come on, let's go. Hurry it up, Perisan." She snapped her fingers.
He rolled his eyes and snatched his clothes off the floor and leisurely took his time putting on his slacks. Arielle breathed heavily and dug her fingers into her hair. He looked back at her frantic state and chuckled and proceeded to put on his blouse and then his boots next.
"I don't see why you're freaking out."
"Because if my parents see you in my room I'll be dead."
He scoffs, "why? I'm sure your grandmother knows and your brother does too by the nasty looks he gives me from time to time."
"But my father…" she ran to the window and saw her parents walking up the stairs into the Adame. "God dammit. Would you hurry up?" she yelled and turned around, bumping into Xerxes who was fully clothed. She smiled and paddled his chest. "Very good. Let's go." She grabbed his hand.
"What did I tell you about calling me 'Persian'?"
"I'll work on it."
XXXXXX
Cera held onto Mirac's hand tightly as she slowly entered the Adame. It was just how she remembered it was when she was last here as a girl. It brought back several horrible memories for her but aside from that, she did feel safe here. She was entirely sure why she had to come to Balaam but she wasn't going to argue with her mother. She learned to stop doing that a long time ago.
Mirac on the other hand had never been to Balaam and was enjoying it so far. He admired the architecture and it was a little bit different than the Pannonian home and certainly wasn't as large either.
Arielle ran around the corner and smiled at her little sister. "Cera!" she charged down the hallway and cupped her sister's face and kissed her cheeks. "Kızkardeş! How are you? What are you doing here? I mean, I'm very happy you're here."
Mirac intervened, "your mother thought it best to come here until Cera gives birth," he says excitedly.
Arielle's mouth parted and she took a step back, eyeing her sister's body. "You're pregnant?" she asks skeptically and Cera nodded. "Cera!" she smiled and then lightly slapped her arm. "Why didn't you tell me?"
Cera frowned and hit her sister back. Then she was accosted and kissed several times. She cringed in disgust and pushed her elder sister away. Once she finally got her sister at a fair distance she smoothed her hands down her dress and looked to Xerxes standing behind Arielle.
"Well this is a bit of good news," Arielle says with a smile firmly planted on her lips. "I'm very happy for you, Cera. You'll be a great mother." She looked at her little sister's thin frame once again. "You're going to need to gain some weight though. I'm sure mother has that covered."
Cera huffed. "She's driving me crazy!" she signed and waved her hands angrily. "She won't leave me alone."
"Yeah, she does that." Arielle looked at her parents talking to Zolten. "I have to go but we'll talk later." she pecked her sister's cheek and walked off.
Xerxes was left in an awkward situation and nervously smiled at the princess who was sizing him up. She looked very suspicious and cocked an eyebrow while staring him down. He took in a deep breath and bowed his head.
"Princess," he says nicely, "Shehzade Xerxes. Pleased to meet you. I've heard a lot about you."
Cera gave a tight lipped smile and folded her arms.
The Pontic Steppe consists of Russia, Ukraine and Poland.
Jiulu – pronounced "yu-lu"
Also, I've never addressed this but better late than never?
Cera – pronounced "sur-ah"
Csaba – pronounced "cha-ba"
