Chapter 42 –Reunion
The day of the senlik Xena woke earlier than everyone else. She wanted to begin questioning every servant since she knew they'd be the first to rise for the day. Every room in the palace was occupied once Mirac's brothers arrived with their wives and children. Over the last few days Xena began to miss the tranquility of the palace.
There were children running around the entire palace at all times of the day. She made a point to stay far away from everyone else and hide in her room. Gabrielle laughed at her for hiding from the children but she understood her fear last night. All of the children ganged up on Gabrielle and forced her to tell stories.
First stop was the kitchen. Xena walked through the corridors to the basement of the palace and stopped on the middle of the stairs. Eksama beat her to the questioning. She huffed and entered the kitchen. All of the servants and cooks bowed their heads.
Eksama turned, licking the pudding off her finger. "Khanum," she smiled.
She grabbed the commander and pulled her aside. "What are you doing here?"
"Questioning the servants just like Arielle wanted."
Xena folded her arms and looked around the large kitchen. "Did you know I was coming down here?"
"How would I possibly know that?" Eksama wiped her fingers on a rag. "Since I have the kitchen staff maybe you could go question the seamstresses?" she suggested.
She was positive that Eksama did this on purpose. The twinkle in those brown eyes said it all. Xena chose to act calm and smiled. "Seamstresses. Right. If you find out anything suspicious make sure to tell me."
"You're the boss," Eksama winked.
Xena pursed her mouth and then ascended up the stairs. Eksama titled her head upward to see that the khanum had finally gone. She smugly grinned and then made her way around the kitchen, inspecting all of the food preparations.
Per the khagana's orders, Gabrielle found a suitable soldier to be stationed at the cathedral. She interviewed several soldiers for the job and found a young man, no older then seventeen, who was perfect for the job. He looked harmless which was exactly what was needed.
Jasper, a previous altar boy for Bishop Salman, entered the army at the age of sixteen and left the church. He was an avid Christian who attended prayer services once, sometimes twice a week. Gabrielle handpicked him after a few soldiers pointed her to him.
She gave him specific instructions to stand by Father Theotimos and be on the lookout for suspicious behavior from the clergy around the area. This wasn't going to be an easy task given that Justinian was behind this scheme. Bishop Salman was very quiet and hadn't written Arielle asking for donations in a long time. Gabrielle made a note of that.
Bright and early, Gabrielle escorted Aurora to the foyer where the students she invited were. Aurora rubbed her tired eyes and held onto Gabrielle's hand as they walked together. It was a chore to get the princess out of bed this morning and Ku was too busy with Arielle so it was up to the other maids to get her up. It wasn't until Gabrielle intervened that Aurora finally dressed herself.
"Gabby, it's too early," she whined. "I want to go back to sleep."
"No sleeping. Today is your aunt's party and you have a few guests that are waiting to meet you," she squeezed the girl's hand.
Aurora griped, "the birds aren't even awake!"
"Maybe you wouldn't be so tired if you hadn't stayed up so late with Muqan and Bönan playing games," she hinted, speaking of one of Mirac's nephews.
They entered the foyer to greet the children and Gabrielle counted the heads. She remembered there were at least twelve students but only six arrived. She stared at a man with a long dark beard, standing behind one of the boys. She stared at the robed man who wore an elaborate beaded headpiece, matching the boy's.
"Hello," she said, hesitantly approaching the group of six boys. "Where's the rest of the students?" she asked.
The tall bearded man stepped forward and Gabrielle blinked quickly. "They were unable to attend. My name is Tzes Bey of the Hinukh tribe," he introduced himself with an inclined head.
Gabrielle's jaw dropped. "Bey?"
"This is my son, Kazem," he gestured for the boy to join him. "He has a gift for the princess."
Aurora raised her eyebrow, staring at the dark haired boy. Kazem stepped forward and presented her with a gold box. Aurora confusedly stared at the gift and graciously took it, letting go of Gabrielle's hand. She lifted the lid and pulled out a teardrop pendant made of glass embedded with an azure stone.
Gabrielle gawked at the gift and looked at the Bey who was waiting for a reaction from Aurora. She quickly snatched the gold box from Aurora and nervously smiled. She'd seen an exchange like this before when Mirac came to Pannonia to greet Cera. He gave her a gift and his father was intent on marrying the two.
"That was so nice of you to bring a gift," she said, hiding the box behind her. "Please, come in. Just go through the long hallway and you'll find your way to the sitting area."
The Bey nodded and pushed his son along. The other boys shortly followed and together the six of them ran down the hallway. Tzes turned to Gabrielle and clasped her shoulder.
"I would like to speak with the Khagana. Is it possible that I could speak with her soon?"
Gabrielle's face turned chalk white. "Um, she's a little busy at the moment. You will see her later tonight. Excuse us," she grabbed Aurora's hand and hurried off.
Aurora grunted and eyed the box in the governor's hand. "What a strange gift!" she giggled. "What am I supposed to do with a rock?"
"Hopefully nothing," muttered Gabrielle.
All throughout the night he felt Cera toss and turn in the bed. She also got up several times during the night which disturbed his sleep too. He knew she had to be exhausted being awake most of the night.
Mirac didn't want to disturb his wife but he always said his early greetings to their child. He grew accustom to talking to the baby for months now and he knew Cera enjoyed it because he was the voice that their child reacted to. He tapped his fingers gently on his child.
"Gülü," he whispered.
He felt a couple of jarring kicks against his palm and then heard Cera moan softly. He looked to her and she yawned, waking up gradually. Smiling, he leaned over and kissed her tenderly on the cheek.
"Good morning."
Cera rubbed her eye and lifted her head off the pillow, peering down at the child within her that kept her awake for hours. It was as if she was challenging her unborn child in a staring contest and narrowed her eyes. Ultimately, she lost when she felt the baby turn over and writhe in his or her cramped space.
"Gülü is already disobeying you," he teased.
Cera smiled faintly and winced at the abrupt shudder in her lower abdomen. Irritated and sleep deprived, she had no desire to get out of bed this morning. She rubbed her face and kicked the blankets off the lower half of her body.
She heard the door to the bedroom open and in walked her elder sister, bright and early, dressed in a black floor length gown. She was tired of everyone checking on her constantly, especially her mother. She hated to say but she thought Arielle was worse than their mother.
"Here she comes," Mirac snickered, knowing Cera was bound to get annoyed by her sister.
Arielle came to the side of the bed and gasped, staring at her little sister with a big grin.
"Look at you!" She squealed. "You're huge!" She bent over and rubbed her sister's stomach. "Sevimli bebek," she cooed.
Cera grimaced and smacked her sister's hand. She tried to sit up and Mirac held her arm to aid her and she sat against the mound of pillows, breathing out heavily and adjusted the long sleeves of her dress.
"Today is your day, Cera. We have to get ready for your party. I asked the chef to make your favorites for breakfast. There's rice, quail eggs with yogurt because I know you love spiced yogurt. Oh and there's pickled figs too."
The princess ran her fingers through her hair and lazily signed with one hand, "I'm tired…"
"Aw, yes I know." Arielle cupped her sister's cheek. "Yana wants you to try on your dress before tonight just to see if it needs any alterations. Also, mother is going to take you to the bath chamber after breakfast."
"I don't want to eat right now," signed Cera with a scowl on her face.
Arielle raised an eyebrow skeptically. "You? Not hungry? I don't believe you," she teased. "There's also…that stuffed bread you like. You know, the kind filled with potatoes and cheese," she enticed her little sister.
Cera raised both eyebrows and tapped her fingers together, contemplating if she should go eat with everyone or not. She did like that bread a lot ever since she was a child. She smiled and swung her legs to the side of the bed and grabbed her sister's hands to stand.
Mirac smirked at his sister in law's enthusiasm. "I suppose men aren't invited to this breakfast?"
"Sorry Mirac, ladies only." She hooked arms with Cera and walked together.
With no luck in the sewing room Xena left in a hurry and met with Eksama in the middle of the corridor. The two stared at each other and inched closer to meet face to face barely a couple of feet apart. Xena studied the cold expression on Eksama's face and could tell that this was a game to her and that was it.
"Did you find out anything?" asked Xena.
Eksama shook her head. "Did you?"
"No," she painfully admitted. "The stable boys should be questioned next."
"Already done," Eksama replied with a grin. "Before you ask, I've already questioned the armory guards and the laundry maids as well."
Xena curled her upper lip and clenched a fist. "Do you ever sleep?"
"I just like to be concise and thorough, khanum," she hummed a laugh. "I'll tell you what, you can question Arielle's chambermaids next and I'll go for the elite guards."
"You don't get to make those –"
Gabrielle came charging down the hallway, waving her hand in the air. Her boots echoed throughout the stone halls and she came to an abrupt halt and held onto Xena's arm, waiting until her breath caught up to her. She eyed Eksama warily and then took in a deep breath with a minor cough.
"I need to talk to you," she whispered to Xena.
Xena was caught between one-upping Eksama and listening to Gabrielle. Given the sense of urgency of her wife's voice, she succumbed and waved her hand to Eksama to disperse. The commander sauntered off, whistling. Once she rounded the corner, Xena glared at her jaded spouse.
"This better be good, Gabrielle," her tone clearly stated annoyance.
"I did something terrible," Gabrielle said in between labored breaths. "There's a Bey here –from Hinukh –children…stone…" she heaved.
Xena's head began to suffer at the incoherence. "Slow down. What are you talking about?" she shook her wife's shoulders.
"Those children I invited. They're here." She began, putting a hand over her beating chest. "A boy's father is a Bey of the Hinukh tribe."
"And?"
"Kazem –that's the boy –gave a gift to Aurora!" she gripped Xena's arms firmly. "I think the Bey assumed I was proposing a marriage when I invited the class to the palace!"
Xena felt like she was going to faint. Her legs went numb and she stared off into the distance. Gabrielle's mindless chatter went in through one ear and out the other. A jolt to her arm brought her back to reality and she watched Gabrielle dig her fingers into her hair, pacing around like a restless bird.
"Maybe that isn't the Bey's intention?" Xena implied.
"Yeah right, Xena!" she barked. "He wants to speak with Arielle right away. What am I going to do? Arielle's going to kill me!"
Xena soothed Gabrielle with a gentle hand to the arm. "This isn't your fault. How were you supposed to know that one of the students had a Bey for a father? Besides, we don't even know if marriage is on the table. Aurora is six years old." She laughed.
"This isn't funny," panic set in. "Where's Arielle? We need to keep her out of the sitting room. Maybe I could get rid of the Bey."
"Unlikely." Xena rubbed her chin. "We should go talk to the Bey. I've never heard of the Hinukh tribe."
She grabbed Gabrielle's hand and went through the corridor. Gabrielle felt she was to vomit. She didn't want to be in the same room as that Bey because her fear of him talking of marriage was going to be a reminder of the hugest mistake she had made yet.
"Aren't you supposed to be questioning the servants?" she asked, trying to get away.
"I put Eksama in charge of that."
"Say what?"
Cera stood for her final dress fitting with Mirac's sisters. As she stood patiently she felt a lot of tugging and pulling behind her all while Yana and Inzhu were cursing under their breaths. Cera sighed and wondered if her sister in laws thought she was deaf. She could hear everything they were saying.
She tried on the dress twice before but that was nearly a month ago. Yana commented on how the dress didn't fit in the back anymore. Cera occupied herself by picking at her nails, trying to ignore their conversation. Her abdomen grew rapidly over the last couple of months and while Cera was glad that her child was healthy, Yana was infuriated.
Yana came around with a mouthful of pins hanging over her bottom lip. She pulled the collar of the dress back. Cera stumbled a bit and then felt Inzhu pull on the back of the dress from behind to bring it to a close. Cera took a sharp inhale from the dress tightening underneath her breasts.
Yana groaned. "Take the dress off. I need to fix this."
Cera slipped the dress off and grabbed a robe. She sat down and watched the sisters interact, almost arguing with each other. She felt bad for causing them to argue. Yana worked so hard on the gown and now she had to make last minute adjustments before tonight.
Anastasia waltzed in, interrupting the bickering sisters. "How is it coming along?" she asked, smiling.
Yana and Inzhu shared a look of concern. "Really well, khatun. I will have the dress ready by tonight," said Yana.
"Excellent," she walked over to Cera. "I can take you to the baths now. Ku will style your hair for you afterwards."
Cera took her mother's hand and in walked in Arielle. She inwardly groaned at her sister's presence. She was being followed all morning and though she expected that all the women were going to fawn over her today, she was annoyed by Arielle's constant need to be around her.
Anastasia hooked arms with her daughter and bumped into Arielle who was eating from a bowl of fresh walnuts. She looked to Cera and saw a flash of anger in the doe eyes of hers. She hid a smile and tried not to laugh. Cera was hardly ever angry but when she was it was incredibly noticeable.
"I'm going to take Cera to the baths, Arielle. You've already done so much this morning," Ana tried to shoo Arielle away.
"I've cleared my whole schedule! There must be something I can do."
Anastasia rubbed her lips together. "Where's Xerxes? I thought you'd be spending time with him before the party."
Arielle rolled her eyes. "He and I aren't speaking at the moment."
"Ah, well that's too bad. I hope you clear things up with him." Ana brushed her daughter's shoulder and hurried away with Cera.
"Mom!" Arielle followed. "I want to help."
Ku-Ilm walked into the messy room and stepped over piles of fabric. She nearly tripped over herself and bumped into Yana. She backed away at the wicked stare she received from the Nezak woman and apologetically smiled. She jumped over a basket of linen and stood in between Anastasia and Arielle, breaking their conversation.
"There's a Bey who wants to speak with you," she whispered.
Arielle's nose wrinkled. "A Bey? Tell him to come back another time."
"He accompanied the students Gabrielle invited. He says it is important."
While Arielle was occupied talking to Ku she realized her mother and Cera left. She grumbled and glared at her chambermaid who sheepishly smiled.
"Where is he?"
"Your tribe is from northern Scythia," Xena repeated and the Bey nodded. "And the other children in the class are from neighboring tribes?" she received another nod from Tzes Bey. "And the tribes didn't want their children to come to the palace because they don't like the khagana, is that right?"
Tzes, impatient with the incessant questioning, answered, "yes, that's correct."
"Hmm," she peered over her shoulder, "you getting all of this, Gabrielle?"
"Mhm." Gabrielle wrote down everything the Bey said. She knew this information was vital but at the same time, they were both stalling and the Bey came to realize it after Xena kept repeating everything he said.
"I asked to speak with the khagana. I don't want to be rude," he flashed a smile. "Perhaps I should go find someone to look for her."
He tried to evade Xena and she blocked the doorway with a stretched arm. "But we were just getting to know each other, Bey," she said and jabbed her finger in his chest. "So, stay awhile."
Tzes backed away and frowned, glancing around the room filled with children. They paid no mind to the little interrogation he received in the corner. He kept a close eye on his son who apparently made friends with the Gokturk princes and played a game of chess on the floor.
"Tell me more about these tribes who despise the khagana. It is my duty to know all the tribes in Scythia." She flipped the veil over her shoulder.
Gabrielle scribbled quickly and her pen scraped along the notepad at the sound of heels clicking on the hard marble floor. She held her breath, looking over her shoulder and gasped audibly, startling the Bey and Xena. She took hold of her wife's arm and shoved her aside.
"She's coming!"
Xena peeked from behind the wall and locked eyes with Arielle who smiled at her, waving a hand. She disappeared and never felt the need to pray until now. She grabbed Gabrielle and used her as a human shield.
All smiles, Arielle walked into the sitting area and her eyes darted to a tall dark haired man wearing burgundy and black robes. By his headpiece she gathered he was the Bey who wanted to speak with her. She felt underdressed right now in a simple black gown and her hair a wild mess but it wasn't like she was given much notice.
Tzes Bey recognized her immediately and greeted her. "Khagana," he kissed her hand. "Thank you for speaking with me, your highness."
"It's not a problem." She laced her fingers together. "What can I do for you?"
"I wanted to discuss Princess Aurora with you."
Arielle brought her brows to a fine line. "My daughter?"
He was apprehensive of the subject and tugged at his collar. "I can see she will grow to become a beautiful young woman," he said cautiously.
Arielle narrowed her eyes and looked over to Gabrielle and her grandmother huddled in the corner together, cowering like frightened deer.
"What is this about?"
"I wanted to present my son to your daughter," he said, "I'm the Chief of the Hinukh tribe. It is the only tribe in the north that is loyal to your empire, your highness. "
Slowly, the boiling blood inside her was threatening to surface.
"Allow my tribe to unite with yours," he inclined his head, "when they reach of age, your daughter can marry my son. He was very eager to meet the princess."
Arielle inched forward and put on a smile. "I'm afraid we must discuss this matter another time," she said calmly. "This celebration is for my sister. I don't want to talk about politics today."
He didn't let his disappointment to show and graciously bowed. "Of course."
Several hours later the senlik commenced and the women and men were split into different rooms. Anastasia compromised with Yana to introduce some Nezak traditions but it was very strange to have a party in two different rooms. She knew the men weren't complaining since they didn't have to stick by their wives and watch their language around the children.
Cera's dress was finished at the last moment and she sat on the floor, surrounded by a large circle of women. So far she received more gifts than she could count and she had an urge to open them all but she had to restrain herself. She felt like a child on her birthday with the mountain of gifts. The best part about being surrounded by women was that she didn't have to engage in conversation as they did most of the talking while she listened.
The children found themselves in segregated circles. Aurora was among one of three girls compared to the dozen of boys. She chose to include herself in the circle of boys instead of talking to the other two girls which were from Mirac's side of the family.
Arielle sat on a sofa, watching the party continue on without her. She had her eye on the little Kazem who was wrestling on the floor with a classmate of his. Aurora watched but she didn't participate. Her fingers wrapped around the glass flute to the point of nearly breaking it.
Xena reclined on one of the sofas adjacent from Arielle. She ran her tongue along her top teeth and elbowed Gabrielle.
"She is livid."
Gabrielle caught the khagana's fiery eyes from afar. "I didn't know this was going to happen."
"She's not mad at you," Xena scoffed. "Get over yourself, Gabrielle. Not everything is about you," she teased. "I could really use some wine right now."
"I'm not going into another filthy black market tavern with you again," Gabrielle demanded. "But I wouldn't mind having some myself," she coyly admitted.
Anastasia stood outside of the circle of women, holding a flute of sherbet. She smiled, listening to all the women talk all at once to Cera. She could tell her daughter was besieged with attention. The women in Mirac's family were far more animated than those in their family. They were very chatty except for Yana who did more listening than talking.
She felt body heat nearby and turned to see Eksama standing next to her. She frowned and swallowed a generous helping of the drink. Eksama was absent for half of the party and she suddenly appeared. Her presence irked Anastasia.
"I brought a gift for Cera," she whispered.
Ana ignored the comment.
"I've never been to a senlik before and I wasn't sure what to get Cera but I –" she paused at Ana's harsh stare.
"I don't like you, Eksama," she bluntly said. "It's bad enough that my daughter looks like you and now we're forced to associate with one another." she turned her attention elsewhere. "My mother told me to be nice to you. It is obvious that you have bewitched her."
Eksama snorted. "Your mother does not like me."
Anastasia's lips turned up into a subtle smile and her eyes scanned the room. Anything to get her mind off the tall redhead beside her.
"Give this to Cera for me," she handed the box over to Ana and then left the room.
Anastasia peered down at the neatly wrapped box and glanced back at Eksama walking down the hallway by herself. She set down the glass and moved over to the side, away from prying eyes. Curiously, she unraveled the ribbon and lifted the lid of the box to peek inside. She felt a bit silly for thinking that Eksama would give Cera something horrible but she was presently surprised of what lay inside.
She lifted a pair of opal earrings and silver necklace from within the box and admired the jewelry in her palm.
"I don't think that belongs to you."
Ana yelped and slammed the box shut. "Mother!" her heart raced. "Don't do that."
"What did you think she was going to give Cera? A box full of serpents?" Xena joked, snickering.
"I don't trust her. Sue me, alright?" Ana set the gift down into the pile of other presents. "Why is Arielle in such a foul mood? She was so happy earlier it was beginning to scare me."
Xena sighed deeply. "Empress duties." She nudged her daughter. "Anastasia, this is a party. You are supposed to enjoy yourself. Stop worrying over everyone."
"How very hypocritical of you, mother."
Xena placed a hand over her chest. "I am merely concerned for your health," she playfully added to which Ana gave a dramatic eye roll.
Two Weeks Later
The servants and guards in the palace continued to be questioned but it was clear that nobody was a spy for the Antes. The real enemies were outside the palace walls. Jasper stayed with Father Theotimos for the last couple of weeks and acted as a private assistant. His presence had gone undetected thus far but he had nothing to report yet.
In the middle of the day, Jasper was to help prepare the church for a special service. Women were allowed to come into the cathedral with their children today. Each family was to be given baskets of food donated by Arielle's treasury.
People trickled into the large church and formed a line in front of a table. Jasper was on bread duty and handed out packaged loaves to the families passing by. He gave brief smiles to the children and their mothers. While he was preoccupied with the other altar boys behind the elongated tables, he noticed Father Theotimos speaking with a robed man near the altar.
He frowned, keeping an eye on the conversation. He lost his place in the bread line and almost missed a couple of children. Father Theotimos was joined by two other men and then he was grabbed by the arm and not in a friendly manner.
Jasper watched the exchange and then the priest was ushered out of the main area and into one of the adjoining rooms. He slipped away from the tables and ran down the aisle. He made sure all the families were busy enough not to notice him before he slipped into the room where Father Theotimos was taken.
The room was empty but he heard from voices from behind a door. He crept up and put his ear to the door listening in on the hushed conversation.
"You continue to side with the pagan empress," one of the men loudly growled.
"Am I to turn away charity? This is for the people!" cried Theotimos.
Jasper heard a loud clap. He imagined the priest was slapped. There was a loud thud and a bang against the wall. He winced, sympathizing with the priest.
"If you chose to continue to ally yourself with the pagan you will have to answer to Chieftain Mezamir."
"I…cannot refuse charity. The khagana sends donations every month…" Theotimos was barely able to speak.
Jasper then heard a more gruff man speak, "we will need to act soon. Spread the word to the others."
There were others in the city? Jasper sensed this wasn't going to end well and he needed to get back to the palace as soon as possible. Xena needed to know.
He backed away from the door and bumped into a vase. He grabbed it before it fell to the floor but the sound echoed in the small chamber. He heard rustling around and cursing from the Antes men. Jasper quietly set the vase on its pedestal and hurried to the exiting door.
The door swung open and Jasper was grabbed from behind and thrown to the wall. He reached for the dagger hidden under his robe but his leg was stomped on by the man's heavy boot. He screeched in agony and then a hand came to his mouth.
Jasper was sprung to his feet and escorted down the hallway by two heavily armed men. He was tossed on the ground like a bag of grain and forced into submission with a foot pressing against his cheek.
Father Theotimos stammered and tried to scatter but a redheaded Antes soldier pinned him to the wall.
"Do you know this boy? Is he your protector?"
The priest's eyes swelled with tears. "I…I…"
"Talk or I'll kill the boy and then you next. You'd look very nice on a crucifix, Father Theotimos."
"He…" the priest eyed the poor Avar soldier. "He is from the khagana's army. He was sent to protect me."
"I see." He nodded to the other Antes men.
Father Theotimos watched as Jasper's throat was slit and blood dripped into the crevices of the stone floor. He leaned over and retched with a throaty heave.
"Continue on with your service, Father Theotimos," the Antes man smiled and paddled the priest on the shoulder. "Dispose of the boy's body," he ordered. "We will show the pagan empress that she poses no threat to Chieftain Mezamir."
Arielle thought she was going to have her home cleared after Cera's senlik but she was so wrong. Mirac's siblings all decided to stay until Cera delivered the child. She was thanking every god in the universe that the Gokturk family left after a week of visiting. She did not want to look at Yeter's face longer than needed.
But now she had a new problem. Not only did she have a palace full of twenty or so people, Tzes Bey's tribe kept sending gifts for Aurora over the last two weeks. She tried to ignore the continuous flow of gifts and put off writing Tzes Bey but that couldn't last forever.
Plagued with a four day long headache, Arielle drank a calming tea made by Ku to soothe her agonizing aching head. She sat with her mother, Pamira and Cera, drinking the bitter cold tea. The headache prevented her from thinking clearly and she could barely make out conversations.
Two maids carried a large chest and set it beside Arielle. She jumped and the maids opened the chest. She raised her eyes to take a look inside. It was filled with dresses, scarves and jewelry. She scowled and waved her hand for the chest to be taken away.
Anastasia snuffed a laugh. "More gifts from Tzes Bey?"
"I am not giving my daughter's hand to a boy!" Arielle chugged the tea and slammed the empty cup on the floor. "She's just a little girl!"
"I'm not for arranged marriages all the time but it could work in your favor."
Arielle gasped and pointed to her sister. "You had Cera locked in an arranged marriage!"
"And look how that turned out?" Anastasia smiled cheerfully at her fuming daughter. "You could always say no, Arielle, but you haven't given the Bey a reply and that's why he keeps sending gifts."
Arielle let a heavy sigh escape. "I should talk to Bayan about this. He is Aurora's father and I suppose he has the right to know. This would be an ideal time to send Aurora to the Pontic region for awhile."
"Do what you think is necessary, tatli kiz."
"I'm a little concerned that if I do decline the Bey's offer that he will retaliate and turn his tribe against me. He mentioned that several Scythian tribes don't like me!"
Kuba briskly walked over to the circle of women and acknowledged Anastasia with a gentle smile and inclined head. He smiled at Cera and then bent over to speak quietly to Arielle.
"Khagana, the Pannonia clan have arrived," he did his best to relay the message quietly but Anastasia overheard.
"Farah's here?" Ana chirped. "I was beginning to worry. I'll go see her."
Cera smiled, hearing the news. She struggled to rise from the floor but her mother gently pushed her back down.
"Don't get up. I will tell Farah to come see you," Ana advised and Cera mildly pouted. "Arielle, are you coming?" she extended her hand.
Kurt stuck close by to his stepmother and little brother, Utighur. He held his baby sister, Maria, in his arms while Nisa held the newest addition to their family in her arms. Kurt was ordered by his father to make sure that everyone was taken care of during the long journey to Scythia.
Everyone was at their wit's end throughout the journey. Aman and Aladar quickly got on each other's nerves and bickered almost the entire way. It was up to their oldest brother to keep them in line but Edemen constantly had to calm his sobbing mother.
They waited in the foyer until someone met up with them. Kurt anxiously wanted to get away from his siblings and cousins and when he heard the twin princes fighting behind him, he turned around and gave them a horrid glare.
"Stop fighting or I'll tie you both to a goddamn tree!" he yelled, causing his sister to whimper.
The boys shut their trap and stared up at their teenage cousin. Aman uttered, "sorry, Kurt. We won't fight anymore, promise…"
"Good. You two are getting on my last nerve," Kurt mumbled and tried to soothe his whiny sister with a wooden toy.
Anastasia and Arielle arrived a few moments later and they were shocked to see the entire family in the foyer. They were only expecting Farah and were concerned when she didn't arrive in time for the senlik and now they knew why. Aman and Aladar caught sight of Anastasia and ran across the foyer.
Ana smiled and knelt down with her arms stretched out to embrace the princes. She kissed their cheeks several times and then inspected each of their faces. They wore matching robes and had the same hairstyle which made it difficult to decipher who was whom. She hadn't seen her grandsons in so long that she was ashamed to admit she could no longer tell them apart but she took a guess.
"Aman?" she pointed to the twin on the left. "And…Aladar?" she pointed to the other, second guessing herself.
They both nodded.
"I'm so happy to see you both!" she grasped their hands. "I missed you."
Arielle instructed Kuba to tell the men outside to empty the caravans and bring in their belongings. She then waved her hand to the maids who were on standby to help Nisa and Kurt with the infants. Nisa was escorted down the hallway by two maids. Kurt handed over his baby sister to a helpful maid who soon followed Nisa and the others.
Edemen grabbed his mother's hand and led her over to greet his grandmother and aunt. Anastasia allowed the twin boys to be escorted away and she gawked at the horrible condition Farah was in. She was a lot thinner than usual and her skin lost its color. Her eyes were puffy and red from crying endlessly.
Ana cupped the queen's hollow cheeks, "Farah, tatli kiz, you look terrible." She swiped her thumbs along Farah's face. "What's got you so upset?"
It didn't take along for the waterworks to surface. Farah's chin quivered and she burst into tears. She sought solace in Anastasia's warm embrace and sobbed in her chest. Ana widened her eyes and ran her palm over Farah's hair, looking to Edemen for an explanation.
Edemen, clearly tired of dealing with his mother, let out a loaded sigh. "She's been like this ever since we left Pannonia."
Arielle brought her nephew to the side while her mother continued to comfort Farah. "Did something happen to your father?" she kept her voice low. She couldn't bear it if something happened to Csaba.
"No," he lowered his gaze. "There was an attack in Banat from a tribe in Italia," he paused and looked into his aunt's stern eyes. "Teyze Rabia didn't make it."
Arielle faltered and she brought her nephew close and kissed his forehead. She didn't know whether to be sad or angry that she wasn't notified of this attack sooner. She pulled back and reassured Edemen with a gentle smile.
"I promise I will find out who is responsible for this." She gave his shoulder a firm squeeze. "I'm guessing your father and Ernak stayed behind?"
Edemen nodded. "Teyze Arielle, you're going to send your army to help, right?"
"You can count on it."
She averted her eyes to Austraia walking in, pointing to the chests of clothes to be carried up the stairs. Arielle knew that Eksama was watched constantly in Pannonia and wondered if the same rules applied to her teenage daughter.
Edemen followed her gaze and half smiled, waving at Austraia. "She's nice," he assured Arielle. "She always help mother with my brothers. She's a great storyteller. She reminds me of Teyze Cera except…she can talk," he smiled. "Where is Teyze Cera anyway?"
"She's in the sitting room. You should probably rest. You've had a long journey," she cupped the prince's face. "I have to call a meeting. We'll talk more later."
Xena rolled out the large map that Cera painted out on the long table. Gabrielle held the other end of the map and put weights on each of the corners on her side. They smoothed the wrinkles out of the parchment and then came to stand beside each other, titling their heads from side to side.
Xena grabbed a longer pointer and whacked the Pannonia state. "The tribe that attacked Banat is from Italia," she moved the pointer to Italia. "They're most likely the Lombards who side with Justinian."
"We know that he is orchestrating all of this," Gabrielle said. She placed a wooden totem to mark Italia. "The Lombards are going to attack Pannonia."
"Yet we have the Antes near us," Xena moved the pointer across the map to the Baltic Sea.
Another totem was placed in the Baltic region and everyone sat quietly with the same confused and cold expressions on their faces. Arielle drummed her fingers on her cheek and saw how far apart the Lombards were from the Antes.
Gabrielle slammed another marker on Constantinople. "And here we have Justinian."
"And then there's us." Xena circled Scythia with the end of the pointer. "Justinian knows that we have several areas of the empire under our control. He's attacking Pannonia because it's closer to him but he also has his little buddies, the Antes, on our tail in Scythia. We're being attacked from all sides."
Eksama leaned her elbows on the table. "I'm willing to go back to Pannonia to help Ernak and Csaba."
"Fine…" Xena said and turned to Arielle. "What do you want to do about the Antes?"
Arielle scratched her cheek and sighed. "I will lead a campaign against Chieftain Mezamir. Just tell me what needs to be done and I'll do it."
Xerxes interjected much to Arielle's disapproval. "My father wants me to return to Persia to act as General again. He said there are Byzantines on the borders of Persia. I can provide aid if needed."
"I don't want your men. I have plenty," Arielle snapped back.
Gabrielle shared a look of concern with Xena and wrote down some key points of the meeting. "Alright then so Eksama is going to Pannonia, Xerxes leaves for Persia and Arielle is in charge of the Antes. We're still waiting on Jasper's report from Father Theotimos' church."
Anastasia rushed into the conference chamber more than an hour late. She took a seat in between Eksama and Xerxes. All eyes were on her and she smiled nervously at all the hostile faces.
"Where have you been?" Xena asked.
"I had to give Farah a serum to sedate her. She wouldn't stop crying and I couldn't leave," Ana apologized to everybody.
Xena nodded, offering a solemn frown. "It's unfortunate that Rabia is no longer with us. I'm sure she tried her best to keep the Lombards out of Banat."
No longer wanting to dwell on the loss of Farah's sister, Arielle snapped her fingers at her mother. "I need you to contact father. He needs to keep Armenia's borders guarded at all times."
"What am I? A glorified messenger? I want to help. I am the superior queen of this empire."
"That you are," remarked Eksama with a sly grin.
Anastasia whipped her head around to the commander and twiddled her thumbs anxiously in her lap.
Xena could tell that there was a fight inside her daughter ready to come out and attack Eksama. She set down the pointer loudly and that grabbed her daughter's attention to distract her from Eksama.
"Anastasia, you can help Gabrielle plot a battle plan for the Antes campaign," she offered and still, her daughter didn't seem satisfied. "You once held the White Hun Campaign against the Persians. I think we could use some of your skills."
Ana smiled and sat back in the chair. She was pleased with the task she was assigned and was more than willing to help. Being stuck inside the palace was boring her to death.
Arielle stood. "Everyone's been given their duties so this meeting is finished for today. We'll meet up in a week so I can oversee everyone's progress, except for Eksama."
She was about to leave until Xerxes took her wrist. "Can we talk?"
"There's nothing I want to say to you."
"Please, Arielle? You've been ignoring me for two weeks. I need to explain myself."
Her eyes danced around and frowned at the Persian. "Come to my room then. No, on second thought, we'll talk in the gardens outside after dinner." Having Xerxes anywhere near her bed was always a bad idea.
An overcrowded home was exactly what Xena tried to avoid. She knew there was going to be a lot of people for Cera's party but she didn't think that all of Mirac's siblings were going to stay, and bring their wives and children too! And now the entire clan unexpectedly arrived. There were probably no vacant rooms left in the palace.
After today's unfortunate news and family that was sprung unto everyone, Xena didn't think she could sit and eat with so many people. She could only take so many chatty women and rowdy children. She opted to have dinner in the bedroom and was grateful that Gabrielle didn't oppose the idea.
She sat on the floor with her back against the end of bed, dressed in a long black silk floor-length robe. She took a bottle from underneath the bed and quickly filled her glass while she was alone. With a bent leg, she balanced her arm on her knee and brushed her long mane behind her shoulders.
Gabrielle opened the door with her elbow and walked in with a silver tray of food she snagged from the dining hall. She closed the door with a flick of her foot and then set the tray down on the floor. She uncovered all of the saucers and set the lids aside.
"We have goat, fig rice, yogurt, quail, picked peppers –I grabbed the last bowl because I know they're your favorite –spinach soup, and I'm not sure what that is." She pointed to a bowl of cloudy gelatinous mixture. "But apparently it's Cera's favorite. She said to eat it with yogurt and bread."
Xena leaned forward and scooped the gelatinous substance onto a spoon and gave it a whiff. She turned her nose up at it and dropped the spoon back into the saucer.
"Is this goat fat?" her face contorted. She took the saucer and set it off to the side. "Do not take food recommendations from pregnant women, Gabrielle."
Gabrielle chuckled and filled her plate with an adequate amount of food. She poured a large helping of yogurt on her rice and looked to Xena who was moving a lot slower than usual. She mixed her food together and tapped the end of the spoon on the edge of the plate with an arched eyebrow.
"Are you alright?"
Xena lifted her eyes. "What? Oh, yes, I'm fine." She smiled and spooned some rice into her mouth.
"Uh huh." Gabrielle reached for the peppers. "I saw Ernak's daughter. Her name is Rakel. If Kreka were here she'd be so excited. Two princesses! She's so adorable."
"You think all babies are adorable," Xena said with a full mouth. She took a drink to make the food easier to swallow. She caught her spouse's gaze upon her. "What?"
Gabrielle noticed the glossiness of her wife's eyes and set her spoon down. She crawled across the rug and Xena pulled away, raising the glass. She sniffed Xena's hair and followed the familiar scent.
"Gabrielle! What are you doing?" she chewed rapidly and put a hand over her glass to prevent spillage.
The moment she spoke, Gabrielle could smell the bitterness of alcohol on Xena's breath. She leapt forward and fell into Xena's lap and grabbed her wrist, lowering the glass to her nose. She took a huge whiff of the liquid and gasped.
"Wine!" she accused. "Where did you get that?"
Xena sheepishly smiled and pulled out the wine bottle hidden beneath the bed. Gabrielle's mouth parted in shock. With her head resting in Xena's lap, she sent a glare upward.
"Don't tell Arielle but…" Xena looked down at the irritated wife of hers. "The seamstresses hide wine in their cupboards," she whispered. "I took it upon myself as Lieutenant General to confiscate the contraband."
Another gasp escaped Gabrielle's lips. "And then you decided to drink it."
"Well…I couldn't let it go to waste." She leaned downward to kiss Gabrielle and a finger pressed to her lips.
"Are you going to share some of that?" Gabrielle asked with a cheeky grin.
Xena fluttered her eyelashes. "Am…I going to share," she mocked and pinched her wife's arm which caused a yelp. "I'll share if you ask me nicely," she teased.
"Xena, come on." She attempted to grab the glass and it was lifted higher in the air by Xena.
"What was that, Gabrielle? Did you say something?"
Underneath the night sky, Arielle sat with Xerxes on one of the benches in the gardens. It was perhaps the only quiet place to escape from the family. Several moments of silence plagued them and Arielle ran her hands down her thighs and cupped her knees.
"Thank you for talking to me," Xerxes said warmly.
"What did you want to discuss?" her voice was cold and gaze distant.
The temptation to grab her hand entered his mind but he recoiled. "I know you want me to tell my father about us." He said and Arielle hid her frown. "I shouldn't have dismissed the topic so easily but I didn't think you were going to ignore me for two whole weeks."
"Well, I guess my stubbornness is another thing you've learned about me," she snidely retorted.
"I want us to work," he took her hand. "But if I tell my father that I have intentions of…marrying you," he took in a deep breath, "he will take my privileges away from obtaining the throne."
Arielle raised her eyebrows. "What if he doesn't? What if he approves?"
He snorted. "I admire your optimism but he won't. My mother already knows how I feel about you but she wouldn't dare tell my father. She wants me to marry a Persian."
"But you won't," she firmly squeezed his hand.
"No," he denied immediately seeing the fire in her eyes. So, she does care, he thought. "I didn't want you to think that I was keeping you a secret on purpose. I care about you enough to protect you from my family."
Arielle smirked, shaking her head. "Why is your family so intense?"
"I could ask the same about your family."
She pointed a finger in his face. "Hey my family is very easygoing compared to yours! My family has married Persians, Sabirs, Thracians, Romans, Gokturks and Szekelys."
He put up surrendering hands. "Fair enough."
They shared a smile together and Arielle intertwined their fingers. "Do you really have to leave?"
"I do. My father is expecting me by the end of the month." he ran his free hand through her bouncy curls. "But I'll come see you."
She nodded, a bit disappointed they were going to be separated again. "There's absolutely no way you could tell your father?"
"I would, if..." he took a long pause, "if my mother would advocate for us but we both know how she feels."
"She hates me."
"Hate is a strong word."
She smiled incredulously and pat his hand. "Xerxes, your mother would rather see me on a burning cross."
He frowned. "She's still my mother, Arielle," he defended Nousha. "I know she can be very difficult. Looks can be deceiving. She fools people because she looks so kind and alluring. When I return to Estakhr I will talk to her."
She cackled and slapped her knee. "Oh, so you think you can convince your mother? I'd love to see that!"
Aleksander played a game of cards underneath one of the canopies of a tavern. He flipped a card over and the men on the opposing side whined and tossed their losing cards on the ground. Aleksander laughed proudly and held out his palm to be paid his winnings.
The streets of Neapolis were just waking for the day but sleep did not come easily for Aleksander. He had a lot of free time while he lived in Scythia for the time being. As he collected his winning coins he tipped the tavern owner for the sherbet provided and walked down the street.
At the corner of an apartment he saw a man with a hood waiting for him. He loosened the collar about his neck and discreetly met up with his confidant and waited until a few Scythians passed by before conversing.
"What news do you bring from the cathedral?" whispered Aleksander.
"The Empress sent a spy. I've seen him lurking around for a couple of weeks, following Father Theotimos."
Aleksander grunted and flipped his long golden braid over his shoulder. "What will happen now?"
"I took care of the spy," the emissary reported. "Chieftain Mezamir wants an uprising soon. I think this is the right time to act. Don't wait too long. She's going to be expecting her altar boy to come make his report and when he doesn't return she'll know we're onto her."
Aleksander nodded. "Understood. I'll tell the others." He brushed by and they parted ways.
Cera, that poor child. I feel like she's been pregnant forever. I will end her suffering soon lol.