Incoming: heavy feels lol.
Chapter 35 –Blending Families: Part II
The silence was killing her inside. She sought refuge in training in the imperial gardens. Twirling the long wooden staff she glared at the stone pillar. She huffed and swung the staff at the pillar, stopping just before the wood met stone.
She took a step back and raised the staff above her head, heaving deeply, sweat droplets forming on her forehead. With a loud cry she spun around herself and thrust the staff at the pillar. Anger overcame her and she kept whacking the pillar fiercely as if waiting for it to attack back.
Gabrielle kept her eyes on the pillar and gripped the staff firmly, turning her knuckles white. Her eyes averted to Csaba standing off to the side watching her take her anger out on an inanimate object.
Once it was safe, Csaba approached the riled governor and rest his palm on the tall stone pillar.
"Oran, Yeter and their sons left for Gokturk territory today," he said.
She lowered her head and lowered the staff then wiped the sweat from her brow.
"Ursula and Ebnedzar left with them too."
"I'm sure they'll be happy to return to their home," she said just above a whisper.
Csaba knew Gabrielle since before he came into the world and he had his suspicions as to why she was so riled up. Ever since she returned from Constantinople two weeks ago his grandmother ignored her and refused to utter a word. He witnessed both his grandmother and Gabrielle engage in several arguments over the years but this had to be the worst one yet. But they were always able to overcome their differences and that was an admirable trait that he applied to his own marriage.
"Have you tried talking to my grandma?" he asked.
Gabrielle peered down at the raw skin peeling off her palm and turned to the young king. "She won't listen to me. I've tried several times to talk to her, believe me."
"I know how she can be," Csaba chuckled. "She's very stubborn but she has a big heart. She's still sour about not being the commander anymore."
She grimaced and set the staff against the pillar and rubbed her sore palms together. She didn't want to look Csaba in the eye and acknowledge that he was right.
"She's tried to give her role up several times and even when my mother took the mantle as commander she was furious. She can't stand anyone stomping on her livelihood."
"I only gave Eksama that offer because she wasn't going to agree to the deal," she reminded him. "And I didn't want your grandmother to stay in Constantinople anymore."
Csaba nodded. "I understand, Gabrielle. I really do. She'll come around."
She snorted and shook her head. "She's not going to, Csaba. She's very angry with me. She's never been this angry before."
He grasped her shoulder and their eyes met. He gave a reassuring smile.
"We're leaving for Pannonia tomorrow morning. If anyone can suppress my grandmother's wrath, it's you." He squeezed her shoulder.
Mirac sat underneath canopy outside and worked on the map that he promised Arielle. He set weights on the four corners of the parchment on the table and began organizing his brushes by size. He periodically lifted his eyes to Cera and Arielle sparring out in the field together. He never saw his wife spar before in hand to hand combat. He was a bit surprised to see her besting her elder sister.
He set out the bottles of black paint and then Aurora ran outside with Ku-Ilm. He smiled at the little princess and waved at her. Aurora rushed over to the table and rose to her toes, peering at the impressive map.
"What're you doing?" she asked.
"I'm painting a map of the Empire for your mother," he explained.
She smiled and admired his hard work then looked to the field. Her eyes enlarged at her mother and aunt sparring together. She stared in awe and her mouth parted as the two women danced around one another.
Cera stood a few inches taller than her sister which wasn't much of an advantage when it came to sparring. She circled around her sister and latched onto Arielle's arms. They dug their boots into the grass and nearly touched foreheads as they walked in a circle around themselves. Their arms locked and both smiled while glaring into one another's eyes.
Cera waited for the right moment then reared her head back and smashed foreheads with her sister. Arielle fell backward onto the ground and moaned loudly. The princess grinned with satisfaction and placed her hands on her hips.
Arielle groaned and sat up rubbing her forehead. "Fuck, Cera…" she muttered.
Aurora excitedly ran out to the field and heard Ku calling her name several times. She halted in front of her mother with a big grin.
"That was amazing! I wanna learn how to do that!"
Cera snickered at her eager little niece and then helped her sister off the ground.
"I'll teach you one day," Arielle said to her daughter. "Or maybe I should let your aunt train you," she sent a glare at her smug little sister.
Arielle brought her daughter close and ran her fingers through the girl's long dark hair. She saw Kuba and Ku-Ilm talking together near the palace. Kuba carried three scrolls underneath his arm and she sighed, knowing what that entailed: more work. She received messages daily and that took up most of her time but now she got the hang of writing and reading but the process was still tiresome.
She bent down and kissed Aurora's head. "I think Kuba needs to speak with me. I'll see you both later."
Aurora grabbed her mother's arm. "But you promised to play backgammon with me!"
"And I will," the empress said with a smile. "We'll play after dinner. Teyze Cera loves that game. I'm sure she'll give you some pointers."
Before dinner Cera opted to take a bath with her sister in the large bath chamber in Arielle's chambers. The pool was incredibly large, much larger than the baths in Pannonia and Balaam for sure. Cera poured a pan of hot water over her soapy hair and ran a hand over face. She glanced over at her silent sister and nudged her.
Arielle flinched and smiled faintly. "I can't believe they let Eksama be commander and queen," she said.
Cera leaned against the wall with her elbows up on the bath's ledge. She cocked her head at her miffed sister and snapped her fingers to grab her sister's attention.
She signed, "Eksama is nuts. She probably threatened them."
Arielle nodded and picked at the knots in her wet curls. "Grandma is going to be livid if she isn't already. I don't envy anyone over there right now." She shuddered at the thought. Her grandmother's cold stare continued to haunt her to this day.
"The alliance with Justinian is going to put me in a bind. I'm going to have to give money to the Hagia Sophia for awhile to appease the asshole," she added.
The princess' jaw dropped. The news of Eksama was jarring enough but Justinian allying with her family? It was unheard of but it certainly wasn't the first time her family allied with enemies if they had common goals. It usually didn't end well for either party. She worried her family was going to get the shit end of the deal.
Arielle sighed. "Anyway."
She smiled at her sister and took notice of her incredibly thin figure Cera retained. She wondered why her sister was so strong being the lean person she was. Her head still hurt from the spar earlier and she was sure to have a bruise or bump on her forehead the following day.
"I'm really enjoying spending time with you. I'm going to be sad to see you leave."
Cera blushed. "I told Mirac I wanted to stay until the end of spring. I hate winter in Kazakhstan. Me and snow don't mix." She shook her head and wagged her finger.
"Great!" Arielle cheered. "We'll have to write mother and tell her you're staying with me for awhile. I know she's going to just love having you close by. Kazakhstan isn't that far from Balaam but for mother it might as well be on the other side of the world!"
The sisters turned their heads at the sound of small footsteps running across the marble floor. Aurora rushed into the bath chamber with dripping wet hair from her bath earlier. She smiled at her mother and couldn't contain her excitement.
"Ku told me to tell you that dinner is ready. We'll play backgammon after, right?"
Arielle chuckled at her daughter's enthusiasm. "Yes, tatli kiz. We'll play as many rounds as you want."
"Why are you two still in the bath? You're gonna turn into prunes," she urged them to get out of the bath. She even went as far as to grab the fresh towels and set them beside the pool. "I'll be waiting!"
Eksama waited in the foyer to greet the clan. She knew that she wasn't going to be welcomed into her family immediately and the thought of being surrounded by a large family was very foreign. She lived on her own for so long only to have her mother and daughter by her side. She also knew Austraia wasn't going to show her any kindness for awhile or possibly indefinitely.
Slowly, the Hun servants trailed into the Adame carrying large chests and furniture brought from Banat. Eksama looked at all of the servants and then eyed her brother walk in with his two sons, baby daughter and wife.
She bowed her head. "Ernak."
He and his family walked over to her and he held his daughter in one arm and his other arm wrapped around his wife.
"These are my children, Kurt, Utighur and Maria and my wife, Nisa. We are also expecting a baby in the summer," he told his sister.
Eksama eyed the children who were her nephews and grinned at the baby cradled in her brother's arm. "Congratulations to you and your wife."
Ernak raised an eyebrow at his sister showing mild affection. Her eyes didn't leave his baby daughter and he took a step away. He didn't trust her just yet even though she was welcomed into the family but it was by force. He had doubts when Ebnedzar showed up in Pannonia years ago and it took a long time for his family to be accepted by everyone. He wished the same fate for his sister.
"I will let everyone settle in and then we'll talk together," he said.
Eksama nodded. "Of course."
She rocked back on her heels, sighing heavily as the people kept trailing in. Her eye caught Xena walk through the entrance and her body tensed. If she was going to be hated by anyone in the family it would definitely be Xena that hated her the most. She remained composed as Xena approached her.
Xena halted in front of the tall redhead and despised that she looked far too much like her granddaughter. She sized her up from head to toe and lifted her chin, examining the serenity across Eksama's face. The wildness was still present but for now it was contained.
"Don't think for a second that I don't have my eye on you."
Eksama smirked. "I don't doubt it, khanum. I should thank you for giving your former position to me. I am an excellent military leader."
Xena titled her head and forced a smile. "That is obvious since you almost destroyed Banat," she spat. "And I didn't give you my old position."
"Formalities aside, I'm a great strategist. My father probably would've given me the role of commander if I lived in Pannonia. But alas, I was kept a secret. Oh, except…Kreka Khatun knew about me."
That stung and Xena knew the fiery redhead was attempting to get a rise out of her. How she wished she could smack Kreka for betraying her all these years. There were plenty of opportunities to bring up Attila's abandoned daughter especially when Ebnedzar arrived but no. Even in death Kreka's denial lived on.
She stepped forward. "You will earn the position just like anyone else," she whispered then marched down the hall.
Eksama swallowed and grimaced at the fuming khanum disappearing into the depths of the Adame. She turned her head and in walked Gabrielle. She gave a curt nod to the governor and added a shimmering smile.
Gabrielle swiftly averted her gaze and hurried out of the foyer.
Princess Austraia walked in with her twin cousins and then glanced at her mother. The knot in her gut tightened when she met her mother's brown eyes across the room. She felt indifferent upon seeing her mother for the first time in awhile. She grew to become a member of her long lost family and she knew she was never truly accepted by her mother since birth.
Eksama's face softened as she gazed at her teenage daughter from afar. She had the urge to talk to her daughter but was frozen in place. She had all of the courage in the world to war with her family but when it came to her daughter she turned into a coward.
Her eyes dipped to the floor. She chose to act on the spineless side of herself. She lifted her eyes for a moment when she saw her daughter waltz away with the little princes.
The day was long and once evening came it never seemed to end. Gabrielle desperately wanted this day to come to an end but most of all; she wanted her spouse to speak to her. Even if it was a nasty comment she would be content with that. Instead, she received the cold shoulder.
She unpacked the chest full of clothing and laid out her wife's clothes on the floor, sorting them by color. She had yet to unpack the chest full of weapons but knew better than to touch Xena's swords. There wasn't much to take what was leftover in Banat as all of their belongings were in Scythia.
Gabrielle took out her boots from the large chest and placed them at the end of the bed. Xena was standing by the fireplace, prodding the logs with an iron poker. She paid no mind to Gabrielle but felt eyes burning into her backside.
"It's strange being back here," said Gabrielle.
Xena tapped her fingers on the stone fireplace and jabbed the poker into the fire, stirring the firewood.
"It almost feels foreign since we've been gone so long."
She waited to see if her wife was going to talk back to her and was only left with silence. She sighed and closed the lid on the chest.
"Xena, I know you're dying to yell at me. Go ahead and let it out."
The khanum gently leaned the poker on the wall and turned around slowly. The acknowledgement was enough to spark Gabrielle's eyes from across the room.
"Have you been preparing yourself to be yelled at?" she asked.
Her silence was all that Xena needed to confirm her question.
"I'm not going to yell at you." she turned around and fixated on the fire.
Gabrielle's mouth parted. "But I deserve it! You're angry at me. Just tell me how you feel. You haven't said a word to me in two weeks! Please, don't do this to me."
"To you?" Xena swiftly turned on her heel. "You must think the world revolves around you, Gabrielle. What about what you did to me?"
"I had no choice! What was I supposed to do? Kill her?"
"Is that what you think I would do? I want Eksama to be in Ernak's life more than anything but you had the nerve to bestow the position of commander. No, Commander in Chief."
That sickening glare she knew all too well was being cast down on her. Gabrielle's cheeks radiated as she was put in the spotlight. She is disgusted with me, Gabrielle thought. She's staring at me like she does to her enemies.
"I…I'm sorry," she whispered. "You still love me, don't you?"
Xena let out a frustrated sigh. "Gabrielle. I will always love you. That won't ever change but I can't say that I like you very much right now."
Understandable, she thought. "I didn't think you were going to be this upset. I knew you were going to be annoyed but I never thought –"
"Oh? You didn't think I'd be upset?"
Gabrielle's inner cheeks soured and she felt herself shrinking as her wife approached her. She mistakenly lifted her head to her towering wife above her and froze.
"You gave the woman one of the most powerful positions in the empire without talking to me first! She tried to burn my daughter alive!" she spat and Gabrielle flinched. "Because of her my daughter can't see five feet in front of her!"
Gabrielle scratched her arms and felt her body coil. She wished she could crawl into a shell and hide.
"I…wasn't thinking of that at the time."
"You got that right. You weren't thinking at all." Xena folded her arms.
"What should I do? Take Eksama's position away? I can do that. I'll write it and it'll be done."
Xena shook her head. "The damage's been done, Gabrielle. There is only one way to solve this problem."
A wave of nausea settled in the pit of her stomach. She could feel the bile threatening to rise in her throat. She wrapped her arms around her body and dug her nails into her shoulder blades.
"And what way is that?" she was almost afraid to ask.
Xena drew her sword and spun around. She pointed the blade at her nervous wife's throat. She saw Gabrielle flinch and a smile crossed her lips.
"I'm going to challenge Eksama to a duel," she said and watched Gabrielle's eyes widen in fear. "We'll see how mighty the daughter of Attila is once she has a one-off with me. All commanders must fight in a duel. Arielle did the same and so should Eksama."
Gabrielle looked down at the blade and slowly sat back, leaning against the end of the bed. She brought her knees close to her chest and tried to fight the urge to vomit everywhere.
"But Xena…but w-what if you get hurt? What if she doesn't accept the challenge? What will you do if she loses?"
Xena lowered her sword. "I'm not going to be commander again. If she loses then she'll just have to deal with that and another person who is better fit will be the commander. It's as simple as that."
"But Xena…"
"You aren't going to change my mind, Gabrielle. This is how it has to be."
Farah sat on the floor in the bath chamber connected to her sons' bedroom and furiously scrubbed one of her twin boy's arms with a soapy cloth. She specifically told her sons to not wander off and play outside but they disobeyed her and now they were stuck in the bath and it was only the beginning of the day.
Aman winced as his mother scrubbed underneath his arm and behind his ears. His wet hair dangled in his eyes and he whined, attempting to swim away from his mother.
"Come here!" she yelled and yanked him by the shoulder.
"I got soap in my eye!" cried the prince.
She poured a bowl of water over his soapy hair and wiped the soap from his eye. How she missed the maids in Banat who did everything for her when it concerned her sons. She washed the soap off his tiny arms and scrubbed his back full of sandy dirt.
"We just got here and you two have already made a mess of yourselves," she chastised her sons.
The boy scraped his tongue and moaned. "I have soap in my mouth now!" he started to whimper.
"Aman," she said firmly and reared his back and looked down into his light eyes. "Why are you crying? I thought you were my big strong prince now?" she said with a smile and wiped the tears from his cheek.
Aladar sat on a bench in the warm pool and pushed around a miniature wooden ship in the water. Already succumbed to his mother's intensive washing he waited until his brother's torturous bathing was finished.
"Are we gonna live here with Eksama now?" asked Aladar. "She's crazy!"
"Yes and you should stop calling her crazy," Farah told him. "She's…your family."
"She looks like Teyze Cera!" he said with a smile and lifted the toy boat in the air and waved it over his head. "Except scarier."
Edemen ran down the stairs and skid across the slick tile into one of the marble pillars. His little brothers laughed at his clumsy entrance. He wrapped his arm around the pillar, panting heavily.
"Grandma khanum is going to fight Eksama!"
The princes quickly got out of the large pool and wrapped towels around their tiny waists. They ran out of the bath chamber, dripping wet. Farah threw down the cloth and glared at her son.
"I was just bathing your brothers because I found them covered in the mud this morning. Now they're going to get dirty again!" she griped.
Edemen steadied his balance. "I'm sorry, mother."
Navaz read Gabrielle's letter several times and rubbed his beard pensively. He couldn't fathom the words on the parchment no matter how many times he read them over. He folded his large arms across his bare chest and let out an exasperated sigh.
"I don't know what to say," he thought out loud. "If I were Gabrielle I'd fear for my life right now."
Anastasia smoothed her tight black sleeveless gown over her abdomen and turned to look in the mirror at her blurry reflection. She pinched the extra weight around her hips and grunted. She was by no means considered fat and she didn't expect her body to be as trim as it was when she was in her twenties especially after carrying three children. She was simply frustrated.
"Navaz, do you think I should start training again?" she turned around. "I think I've gained too much weight ever since those Persians came here."
"Hmm?" He turned and admired the dress clinging to her slender hourglass figure. "You look perfect to me."
She thumbed her nose at the compliment and faced the mirror then ruffled her straight lengthy hair. "Did you say something about Gabrielle?"
"Oh yes." He cleared his throat and held the dreadful letter in his hand. "It appears that Elemund betrayed Eksama and allied with Justinian. Gabrielle spoke with Eksama and convinced her to surrender. She is now a Hun Queen and Commander in Chief of the Empire."
Anastasia paused and felt her chest tighten at the news. Her family suffered at the hands of tyrannical queens before. She was grateful that both were gotten rid of but it came with a price. Tomiri took Ellac from her and Boareks stole Cera's voice, nearly killing her. She hoped that Eksama would face the same fate as the other queens even if she was Attila's daughter.
Her sight was stolen from her and she was nearly burned alive in her own home. She could never forget what was done to her and now she came to find out that Eksama was able to weasel her way into the clan by none other than the governor's means to politically fuse the two fractured tribes.
She inhaled sharply as her heart raced. She punched the mirror and it shattered all over the floor. She held her fist, blood pouring from her knuckles with glass shards embedded in her skin.
Navaz quickly ran over to inspect her hand and stared at her snarling face.
"Let me bandage that for you," he offered, slowing leading her to the bed. "Can I see?"
She relaxed her fist and pieces of glass fell to the floor. Navaz hesitantly grabbed her wrist and gingerly picked out the shards from her palm and knuckles.
Csaba ran out of the Adame and skipped down the stairs. He met with Gabrielle who stood by her lonesome self in the field. He heaved and looked out at the empty field where Eksama and his grandmother stood a few yards apart with their backs turned to one another.
"What did you say to her?" he asked.
"I didn't say anything." Gabrielle folded her arms and felt ill as she anticipated the event about to occur between her spouse and Attila's daughter.
Csaba frowned. "This is ludicrous!" He stomped his boot. "I'm going to put a stop to this otherwise they're going to kill each other."
She put a firm hand on his chest. "Don't, Csaba. I've already warned her but she refused to listen. She isn't going to let this go."
"I've never fought with Eksama one on one but if she's as brutal as her soldiers then I'm afraid that grandma is going to meet her match."
She had the same feeling and looked over her shoulder at the crowded staircase in front of the Adame. Everyone heard already and watched from afar. They all had worry painted on their faces. They were all here to see bloodshed and there was definitely going to be bloodshed.
The worst part of it all was that she couldn't talk Xena out of it. She learned her lesson long ago when she interfered in her wife's conflict with Anastasia. She wanted to say that she wasn't the cause of this duel but she was and she was about to witness her wife being stomped on by the auburn haired Gepid-Hun woman.
Xena turned around and pulled the sword out of the grass. She met eyes with Eksama and studied her posture, body position and the hand that held the blade.
"Trying to anticipate my first move?" asked Eksama. "I'm not surprised you decided to challenge me. I've always wanted to best you in combat. My father must've thought you were special since you were the longest reigning commander in Hun history."
Xena's lips twitched and she twirled the sword about. "I liked your father very much. He was my friend and I know he would be very disappointed in you, Eksama."
The redhead scowled. "Swords or hand to hand combat? What's your preference?"
Their swords clashed as Xena made the first move. Both applied a large amount of pressure on the blades and the metal creaked and waned. Eksama smiled and then with a jolt of her elbow she jabbed her opponent in the nose.
Xena shifted for a moment and brought her leg around to knock Eksama off her feet to deter her. The move was too predictable for the Gepid and she wrapped her leg around Xena's and sent her to the ground with a loud thud.
The former commander lifted her head and blood dripped from her nose. She rolled over onto her back and eyes widened at the blade swinging down at her. Instinctively she put her sword up, blocking the attack.
Eksama's grin widened and forced all of her weight on the sword, glaring into her opponent's icy eyes. Xena felt the sword wavering and lowering, lowering and lowering some more. She recalled the several spars she had with Kreka and remembered when the khatun accused her of playing dirty to win.
She allowed the blade to reach her chest and grabbed Eksama's long hair and gave it a hard yank. She kneed the queen in the gut and then sent her flying in the air. She got to her feet and turned to face the queen who recovered quicker than she expected.
Gabrielle watched from afar and wore her fingernails to the nubs. She cringed watching the fight and saw her wife continuously be knocked off her feet. She covered her eyes and peeked through her fingers as Xena kept getting whacked in the face repeatedly.
There was one advantage Eksama had and that was her age. She was very nimble and quick to react to each move thrown at her.
Xena wiped the blood from her lip and slowly got to her feet and held the sword with both hands, heaving. She spat a glob on the ground and glared at Eksama. Her vision blurred for a moment and thrust the blade forward only to be smacked across the face again.
Eksama raised an eyebrow and grabbed a handful of Xena's hair and rammed her forehead against a knee. She shoved the former commander backward and watched as Xena recovered, shaking her head.
"I am impressed," she admired. "Most would've given up by now. I know all of your tricks, khanum. They're old and worn out just like you."
Xena smirked. "You're right. I've been doing this a lot longer than you have."
Eksama raised her eyebrows and charged forward. They grabbed each other's shoulders and circled around, digging their boots into the soil. Eksama grunted and felt a lot of resistance. She growled and took a heavy step forward and Xena took a step back, forcing all of her weight on Eksama's shoulders.
The queen's lip quivered and blood dripped from her head wound. Her arms shook as she increased her resistance.
Xena grinned and forced the queen backward by two steps.
"Getting angry, Eksama? You shouldn't do that. Anger clouds the mind."
She pushed the queen back another two steps.
Eksama snarled and she was pushed onto her backside and a blade was pointed inches from her nose. Her chest rose and fell heavily and she glared up at the cut up, bruised and mangle haired woman above her.
Xena's eyebrow arched and she lowered her sword and held out her hand to aid the defeated queen. Eksama eyed the hand offered to her and she swallowed the lump in her throat.
"Take it," said Xena.
The redhead shakily grabbed her foe's hand and was brought to her feet. She gawked in awe and horror at the raven haired warrior. She'd be lying if she said she wasn't embarrassed being bested by a woman twice her age. She lowered her gaze and rubbed the sore spot on her shoulder.
Xena smiled weakly at the resilient daughter of Attila.
"Anger. You can never rely on it."
She dropped her sword and exhaled then felt her limbs give out. Instantaneously, she collapsed on the grass and Eksama's jaw dropped in shock.
Gabrielle gasped once her spouse fell to the ground. "Xena!" she yelled and darted across the field.
Ernak and Csaba bolted as soon as they saw her collapse. Despite their long strides they didn't beat Gabrielle to the scene. They halted and hovered over Xena being smothered by Gabrielle. Ernak knelt down and brushed a few strands of the raven locks away from her face.
Gabrielle put a hand over her mouth at the destruction she caused. Tears welled as she gawked at her wife's horribly bruised cheeks and neck with slashes across her forehead and welted nose.
Without hesitating, Ernak scooped her body into his arms and turned to his little sister. Her expression was anything but malicious. It was the first time since he'd seen her show a hint of remorse.
He sent a meek smile her way and Eksama turned her cheek.
Arielle lay on the floor with her legs propped on a pile of pillows while she snacked on a bowl of cracked warm walnuts. She read one of the letters from Bishop Salman and laughed aloud, jarring her sister and Mirac nearby.
"He's overjoyed that I've decided to give charity to the Hagia Sophia." She tossed the letter. "Of course he is."
She rolled over onto her stomach and picked at her teeth with her pinky nail and stared at Cera and Mirac and smiled.
"How's the map coming along? I'd like to take a look at it."
Mirac wiped his mouth and looked to his wife. "We can show it to you tomorrow. It'll be finished by next week hopefully."
"You two are so talented. I wish I could draw. I can barely comb the knots out of my hair." She picked up a long curly lock and chuckled. "Luckily I have Ku to deal with that mess. She has the magic touch when it comes to taming my hair."
Kuba interrupted everyone's downtime and bowed at the three. "Khagana, someone is waiting in the foyer for you."
"Who is it?"
She halted under the large archway and smiled upon seeing Xerxes wandering around in the foyer. She looked down at her attire which was something to be desired. Her hair was a wild mess from the season change and her skin paler than usual due to lack of exposure to the sunlight.
Xerxes waltzed around himself and then saw Arielle standing on the opposite side of the large entrance. A grin formed and he gave a slow wave of his hand.
She darted across the floor and jumped at him. She wrapped her legs around his torso and crossed her ankles behind his back. Xerxes grunted and held her thighs. She wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed her lips against his.
Xerxes' eyes widened at the surprising kiss and once he could breathe again, he stared into her glittering eyes. It was definitely all or nothing with Arielle. A woman passionate about war was one thing but she took everything to the next level in her life which now he knew that's why she could be impossible to deal with.
"Hello," he said.
She let her feet touch the floor and pressed her body against his, missing his touch and smell. She ran her fingers through his long hair and kept grinning.
"I wrote you a few letters."
She furrowed her eyebrows. "I…never received any letters."
He smiled. "I know."
She titled her head, looking him in the eye.
"My mother burned them," he stated.
"I can't say that I'm surprised. That woman hates me." She placed her hands on his chest. "Did she lambaste you for coming here to see me?" she wondered curiously.
He stifled a laugh. "I didn't bother to tell her before I left." His stomach churned as he kept gazing into her eyes. "Arielle, there is something I need to tell you."
She didn't like those words at all. She heard those same words come from Bayan's mouth right before she was about to reunite with him having spending months apart only to find out he'd been sleeping around with another woman. Instantly, she put distance between her and the Persian.
He noticed her face had gone cold and her body language indicated she didn't want to be touched. He tried to reach out to her and she took a step back and crossed her arms over her breasts. He knew better than to provoke her and feed her growing irritation.
He retracted his hand. "I asked for your parents' permission to…court you."
Arielle dropped her arms to her sides. That wasn't what she was expecting to come out of his mouth. She always feared the worst. It was a horrible habit of hers but she had lived through enough heartache with Bayan which thwarted her view on any man all except Xerxes.
"You…what?"
"I want to court you," he said with a smile. "Your parents allowed me to."
She felt the walls closing in on her and she placed a hand over her beating chest.
"Court me?" she repeated barely above a whisper. "That would…mean you want to marry me."
Xerxes was taken aback by her lack of excitement even though he could barely contain himself from throwing her over his shoulder to take her to a nearby room. He approached and took her hands.
"I…I can't. I can't do that. No…no." She shook her head vigorously, fear engulfing her entirely.
He gave her hands a firm squeeze. "I want to get to know you, Arielle. I will court you for a year, two years, three years even!" he lightly jested. "I told you I would wait for you."
Suddenly she resisted and a scornful look traversed. She tried to pull away and he refused to let go of her hands. He wrapped his arms around her and held her close.
"Let me go!"
Xerxes held her writhing body until she calmed. He felt her rapid heartbeat against his chest.
"Let…go," her voice worn from her abrupt hostility.
She allowed her head to lean against his broad chest and felt a hand grasp her hair. She sniveled and let her arms wilt in his hold, letting go and releasing herself to him.
Never should I have proposed that idea to Eksama, she thought. I should have consulted Xena first. Would that have made a difference? Surely it would have otherwise she wouldn't be lying in bed, badly beaten yet still undefeated.
It wasn't easy to defeat the infamous commander and very times had Gabrielle seen her bested. Kreka was a formidable adversary when she desired to be. She gave Xena a run for her money. Gabrielle remembered when Kreka broke Xena's nose and made her surrender unto her. Her warrior wife spoke of that even till this day.
Xena was a fierce warrior and had seen several battles and fought numerous people who stepped up to the challenge. There were so few times that she had fallen. Zeno was her ultimate downfall and Gabrielle knew it was shameful to speak of the Roman. He had the audacity to not only beat her senseless but to crucify her like she was a trophy to be showcased to the world.
But Gabrielle was no Roman and she was no enemy that wanted Xena's head on a platter. She was her other half. Her wife, friend and soul mate since the day they met yet neither one knew it at the time.
They had arguments and conflict just like any other married couple would. They also shared many joyful moments together that one couldn't put a price on.
There were also many mistakes made throughout their relationship.
A mistake. This was a grave mistake.
I made a mistake. A stupid mistake, she chastised herself.
Gabrielle's face fell into her hands and whimpered.
"Don't cry. I hate it when you do that."
She lifted her head to see her wife awake, unwell, but alive. She wiped the tears from beneath her eyes.
Xena dimly smiled and released a pained breath. Her tongue scraped across her inner lip and recoiled. A swollen upper lip. That's just what she needed.
"Xena…I…I'm so sorry I did this to you."
"Gabrielle, don't –"
"Let me finish," she paused. "Please."
Xena brought her eyebrows together and shifted uncomfortably in the bed.
"You were right. I should have…asked you. I acted impulsively and drove you to fight Eksama. If I had thought of you –of Anastasia –I wouldn't have…I shouldn't have put you or myself in this position."
The warrior nodded her head slowly and reached out to grasp Gabrielle's hand.
"I'll exile Eksama if you want me to. It can be done with a simple swipe of a pen."
Restricted and confined to the bed, Xena grinned and lolled her head on the pillow, meeting the emerald eyes beside her.
"Don't do that," she said, sure of herself. "She's good. She beat me to a pulp," she regretfully admitted.
"Exactly and that is why she should –"
"Gabrielle." Her voice stern and eyes fixated on her spouse. "Eksama stays. She won."
"But you…you won. She fell to the ground first," she insisted.
"And I fainted like a wilted flower. She barely had a scratch on her. Look at me," she peered down at the wounds on her forearms. "How do I look?" she said with a sneer.
Gabrielle giggled. "Terrible."
"Make no mistake, Gabrielle, I'm still mad at you."
The hand loosened grip and Gabrielle curled her fingers in her lap. She didn't expect Xena to forgive her so quickly but she thought she knew her well enough to know that Xena didn't hold grudges, at least with her family that is. Holding grudges against enemies was another story. She knew that Xena held her hatred for all Romans and that ended up working in her favor in the end by getting rid of Odoacer who'd been a hindrance for more than twenty years.
Gabrielle remembered that Xena was a woman who kept her promises. In the back of her mind she never doubted Xena when she promised to eradicate all Romans, though she'd never tell Xena that.
A rap on the door caused both women to turn. Eksama stood in the doorway and Gabrielle slowly rose from the chair and glared at the redhead. Xena lifted her head off the pillow and sat up in bed. She winced and fought for breath.
She raised her hand when Gabrielle tried to assist her. Once she was situated against the headboard she motioned to Eksama to come close.
Eksama looked at the harm she inflicted on the warrior. While she sustained minor injuries she wasn't nearly in bad of shape compared to the former commander.
"You're a good fighter," said Xena. "I have reason to believe that you would've killed me if I hadn't stopped you when I did."
"And I have reason to believe that if we had that same fight twenty years ago that I would be the dead one."
Xena let a smile slip. "You look a lot like my granddaughter."
"So I've been told," Eksama lowered her gaze. "She is Anastasia Khatun's daughter, yes?"
Gabrielle approached the tall leggy queen. "What you did to Anastasia will not be forgotten nor do I think that she will forgive you."
Xena exhaled painfully and rubbed her ribs. "There is one question that I want to ask you, Eksama."
The queen grimaced down at the petite governor and curved her attention to the wounded warrior.
"What was given to Anastasia to make her lose her sight?"
"Datura," she answered immediately. "It's a nightshade. If she applies fennel oil drops daily, it should improve her vision," she stated and saw Xena's light up with hope. "It…won't return her eyesight to its normalcy but it will help overtime."
Gabrielle slipped away from the bed and smiled at her wife. "I will see if I can find some of the oil."
"There's an abundance of fennel plants by the Danube River," said Eksama.
"Thanks…" Gabrielle said through gritted teeth and head out of the room.
Eksama awkwardly shifted her weight and felt eyes on her. She gave a curt nod to the warrior and turned to take her leave. She was called back by Xena's firm tone. Too easy, she thought. She spun on her heels and approached the bed once more.
"Your daughter, Austraia," she gave pause and noticed the queen waver. "You hid her well from your husband to the point of disowning her. If Ardaric isn't her father, then who is?"
Her body shuddered as she relived a moment she thought she set aside long ago. It seems her daughter told them everything about her life. Austraia wasn't raised by her and she had no intention of raising her since birth. She did so well to hide her up until King Ardaric's death. It wasn't until her daughter reached the age of eight when she told her the truth and that she threatened to kill her if it was spoken of again.
"I was alone," Eksama began shakily. "My husband was away at war with Theodoric. I'm sure you remember the Goth king."
Xena tried to recollect what was going on in her life sixteen years ago but so much had happened since then. If she recalled correctly, Cera was a toddler and she was given her title back to push the Visigoths out of Khazar Hun territories. That was a couple of years shy from the horrid invasions brought on by Sabir Queen Boareks. Yes, she definitely recalled clearly.
"I remember him," she stared intensely at the redhead. "His men killed Anastasia's father." She weakly smiled at Eksama's enlarged eyes. "May his soul never find peace."
She pushed auburn strands behind her ears. "I was alone," she started again, "my husband allowed his advisor to stay behind with me. One night…I was in my room and he came in. I thought he was checking on me but before I knew it I was," she inhaled sharply, "forced onto the bed with his body on top of mine."
Xena felt sick at the thought of that happening to anyone regardless of who they were. She put herself back in time and while she was fighting off the Goth tribes she probably crossed paths with Gepid King Ardaric and hadn't even known it at the time.
"Then nine months later I had my daughter." Eksama said rather indifferently but Xena could tell by her tone that she was hurting.
And there was the missing piece to that confusing puzzle. Xena always knew there was more to the story of sending Austraia away but she didn't think it was something as awful as that.
"I'm sorry that happened to you, Eksama. But you know…your daughter is safe here. You don't have to live a lie anymore. You don't need to hide her," she said sincerely and shared a smile with the Gepid.
Gabrielle came waltzing back into the bedroom and looked at the teary eyed queen. She arched an eyebrow and peered over at her wife questionably.
"I…have asked a few men to go to the river and retrieve the fennel plants," she told the two women.
Eksama gave a firm head nod and looked down at the governor then retreated, trailing out of the room. Gabrielle ran to the side of the bed and felt the tension circling in the air around her. She gripped her wife's arm gently.
"What did you say to her? She looked like she was crying."
Xena slid down on the pillows, grunting in the excruciatingly painful process. She settled in the bed and took a moment to catch her breath as her ribs contracted with every inhale.
"I didn't say anything to her," she said and hissed at the stabbing pain in her lower back. "Let's just say I understand her a lot better now."
"Did you forgive her for what she did to Ana?"
Xena tapered her eyes and spat, "No and I haven't forgiven you either."
Marriage was never something she thought was in the cards for her especially after she recently divorced Bayan. Initially she never thought to marry again because of the emotional scars that she carried. She remembered the conversation she had with Bayan in her bedroom when he asked her to marry him.
She agreed so quickly and now that she had a lot of time to think about it, she was almost coerced into marrying him. She was stuck in a depressive state after she disposed of the child she carried for a brief couple of months at the time. Her emotions were erratic and mind unstable yet Bayan was more concerned about taking her away from Pannonia.
And she went along with the plan and left with him without question. She didn't even have time to process what she had done until it was too late. She thought she knew Bayan very well since they met were they were children but she didn't know him at all. Their marriage was rocky from the start and there wasn't a day when they didn't argue with one another.
After she got pregnant with their daughter she thought that would solve all of their problems but it only made everything worse. She repeatedly said she never wanted children but Bayan did. She only agreed because that's what he wanted.
Now that she was alone, far from Bayan for the time being, she realized she succumbed to everything he desired while none of her wishes were fulfilled. Her wants and dreams caused her marriage to fall apart. She didn't think she could go through the disappointment again.
She lingered on her balcony and looked out at the leaves on the trees, changing with the upcoming fall season. She heard footsteps behind her and dared not to turn around.
Xerxes joined her and leaned on the balcony's ledge. He peered at the profile of her face and he knew she chose to ignore his presence though it wasn't out of malice.
"You didn't think I was serious when I said I'd wait for you, did you?"
Arielle felt the need to guard her emotions. "Do you know what it means to have a relationship with a Hun, Xerxes?"
He sensed a loaded answer building within her.
"You're bound to her forever," she said. "It doesn't even matter if you're married or not. The man belongs to her and the woman belongs to him."
She swiveled her head and saw a content look on his face which was mildly irritating considering that he proposed a courtship to her a few days ago.
"My grandmother never married my grandfather but they were bound to each other."
"But Hun women are allowed to divorce their husbands," he stated in more of a question.
She guffawed. "Yes they are."
He nodded and stared out at the city. "Women aren't allowed to divorce their husbands in Persia. I am grateful that I don't have any sisters otherwise they'd be stuck in loveless marriages arranged by my father."
"Yet your father has a garden of women to choose from," she spat a snide remark. "You admitted to me that you also have a harem."
Xerxes chuckled and he received a glare. "I'm not in Persia, Arielle and I highly doubt that I'll be welcomed back as long as my brother reigns as Shah."
He slid his hand on top of hers, causing her to tense.
"Let me get close to you, Arielle," he begged. "I'm not asking you to marry me. I'm asking you to give me permission to get to know you."
"Courtship is practically a marriage proposal," she said sourly.
He faltered and slowly pulled his hand away. "I'm not going to force you to do anything you don't want to do, Arielle. And I'm not going to sneak around behind your family's back to continue to see you. I openly asked your parents' to court you. The least you could do is give me a straight answer."
"It's not a simple yes or no answer!" she withdrew from her calm composed state. "I just need to think. Could you leave me alone for awhile?"
A week after the match Ernak noticed his sister distancing herself from everyone. She had since moved out of the khatun's suite upstairs and into a room in the back of the Adame. She was truly in seclusion and he never knew how large his home was until he walked through endless halls to stand outside his sister's bedroom.
Luckily the door was ajar and he allowed himself in. Eksama sat on the bed, brushing her long auburn hair and set the brush down as soon as he walked in. She shielded her slightly exposed chest with the silk robe.
Ernak kept staring at her like she was some rare jewel. He always wondered what it would've been like to have a sister. He always thought Anastasia to be an elder sister. She was the closest thing he had to a sister but now that he had a blood sister in front of him he didn't know how to feel.
They didn't know anything about each other and only had their father in common between them. He had a stranger living in his home –a stranger that was willing to wipe out everything in her path to get what she wanted. Spoiled princess, he thought.
"Are you going to hide in here forever?" he asked in a joking manner. "You're not getting off to a good start by secluding yourself."
"I don't want to be more of burden to your family than I already am, Ernak."
He found her cold exterior amusing and chuckled. "They're your family too, Eksama. You should open yourself up to them. Csaba's boys love Austraia."
Eksama stood and circled around him then walked to the vanity. She started braiding her hair and thought to ask him to leave but how could she? This was his home. She surrendered herself unto him willingly. She had no right to give him orders.
"Xena told me what happened to you," he broke the awkward silence.
She held the unfinished pleated hair in her hand and kept her back turned to him.
"If I had known you back then I would have helped you. You've been alone for a long time, Eksama. I just want to let you know that you're not alone anymore. I hope we can become friends one day."
A tear streamed down her cheek and she held her breath. She listened as footsteps gradually drifted further and further away. Her hands dropped into her lap and she let out a heavy lungful of air, finally feeling like she could breathe freely for the first time in a long time.