Big changes ahead…thanks for reading and enjoy :)
Chapter 44 –Rebellion: Part II
Even though Kuba reported that Arielle followed the Antes rioters by herself that proved to be untrue as soon as Xena rode into the field. There were more than fifty Avars by Arielle's side, firing directly at the enemy on the other side of the grassy plains. Xena did not like standing on the sidelines waiting for instruction and she didn't have to but Arielle was in charge.
She was itching to give advice throughout the entire battle but she chose to bite her tongue. The archer squads continued to aim at the Antes well into the morning and now it was nearing afternoon. Bishop Salman could be seen standing by a man with long gold braided hair. They were watching the battle unfold and unfortunately for them they were losing.
Arielle commanded her archers like someone who had been ruling for years. She was young and inexperienced but she was an excellent archer and knew how to command an army of hundreds. Adrenaline was all she had left to keep her going for more than a day. The tiresome battle weighed on her body and she felt herself beginning to fade.
Gabrielle thought it would be best if Tzes Bey took his tribesmen into the city to snuff out the remainder of the fires. While they barely had a chance to speak, Tzes was more than willing to help. Gabrielle stood by Xena, watching the Antes continue to fire at them. These blonds were relentless and seemed to be high on energy. She didn't understand how they could keep going for hours upon hours without losing hardly any men in the process.
She caught Xena biting her fingernails and put a stop to it by snatching her wrist. "You're going to have no nails by the time we're done here."
Xena spat the cuticles she chewed through onto the ground. "If we're ever going to be done here," she mused. "We should call this off now. They've already destroyed most of the city. This is a lost cause."
"Arielle's not going to let you do that."
Xena watched her granddaughter continue to bark orders at her tired archers and they bent to her every command. She was treating them like slaves but they obeyed her without question. At this point, Arielle was so close to winning but she lost a lot more soldiers than the enemy. Xena saw much of herself in the girl and that wasn't always the best. She remembered driving her men into the ground until they were so badly beaten that they could barely walk. Some men didn't make it till the next morning.
She took her chances and marched over to Arielle standing behind a fleet of archers. She took Arielle aside with a forceful hand.
"Call off your men, Arielle. You've already lost too many soldiers."
"But I'm almost there! I am winning, can't you see?" she held an open palm to the battlefield.
Xena's eyes flickered. "You've lost more men in the last day than a battle that would've spanned over four days. This ends now." She could see the fire in Arielle's eyes. The girl had no intention of stopping the attacks.
"Arielle!" she barked. "You put me in charge of your entire army and I am giving you an order. Don't make me use force."
There was about to be a rebuttal until Arielle collapsed into her grandmother's arms. Xena held her up and tried to support her weight but dropped to a knee. She whistled over at Gabrielle and waved her down. Moments later Gabrielle came to her side and gaped at the unconscious empress in her spouse's arms.
"Raise the flag and call a retreat!" she said over her shoulder.
Gabrielle quickly ran to Kuba and told all of the archers to slowly back away from the fields. While the firing stopped, Xena inspected Arielle's bruised body. She removed the chest plate and felt warm blood on her palm and ripped open Arielle's blouse. Three large gashes were splayed across the skin. One wound dangerously close to her breast.
Xena wanted to say that she was surprised. There were probably dozens of other wounds on Arielle's body that weren't visible beneath the armor. She had an urge to slap Arielle when conscious again. Hiding her ravaged body wasn't going to be easy once they returned to the palace. As soon as they were to return Xena knew that her daughter was going to panic over Arielle.
"Stupid girl," she muttered. "Why do you do this to yourself?" she stripped Arielle of her armor and threw it off to the side. "Why do I do this to myself?" she chastised.
It took a few hours for the medicine to do its work but when it did, the pain was gradual. Cera proceeded to act normal and hardly felt any pain at all. That lasted all but four hours and the waves of cramps intensified as the morning passed. She was expecting this to happen and she thought the pain would worsen but it was dull and caused slight discomfort.
This changed in the late afternoon when she could feel the full effects of labor finally settling in. She could hear all of the children talking about her and she tried to block out their voices. The dozen women in the room were no help either especially Farah. She did like Farah very much but her frantic attitude really put a damper on her already sour mood.
On the floor, Cera was hunched over with her elbows and knees on the rug. She moaned as loudly as her voice permitted her to. She extended her arms forward in front of her and dug her nails into the rug. She took in deep breaths to push through her muscles contracting.
Anastasia sat on the sofa and rubbed her daughter's slender back with a gentle hand. She hated to sit by and watch her daughter in such agonizing pain. Birthing three children of her own she understood the process very well and sympathized for her daughter.
Cera let out another moan, gritting her teeth. She cradled her abdomen and felt her child kicking up a storm. She felt horrible that her child was completely oblivious to what was happening. She raised herself up and sat on her heels, reared her head back and stared up at the ceiling, exhaling deeply.
Her eyes averted to her mother sitting next to her and felt instant relief.
Anastasia smiled warmly and got down on the floor. She pressed her palms on her daughter's belly and then caressed Cera's rosy cheek.
"You're doing great, tatli kiz," she put a hand on Cera's back for support. "We should have the midwife check you now. I think enough time has passed."
Cera nodded and grabbed hold of her mother's hand and slid onto the sofa. She winced at the intensifying cramps that withered to a dull ache. She relaxed against the pillows and gripped her mother's hand firmly, hoping never to let go. The moment Anastasia started to leave her side her eyes brimmed with tears.
"Tatli kiz, I need to get the midwife," she kissed Cera's hand. "I'm not going anywhere, I promise."
Regretfully, Anastasia left the area and hurried off to find the midwife. Cera lolled her head back on the pillows and focused on taking deep breaths. She heard footsteps nearing and frowned. She thought it was her mother who had come back but it was Mirac. She beamed at his presence and stretched her arm out.
Mirac grinned and took her hand and sat on the edge of the sofa. He wasn't allowed to come behind the screen but he slipped by when nobody was looking. He set his eyes on her abdomen.
"Is gülü going to grace us with his presence soon?" he asked.
Cera bit her lip, benefiting from his calming attitude. Despite all the pain she endured for the last few hours she was happy to see him and almost forgot about the throbbing pain in her lower back and pelvis.
He ran his thumb along the top of her hand and leaned down and kissed her stomach. He rested a hand on their child and smiled up at Cera. The touch seemed to soothe the active baby and Cera let out a shaky exhale, closing her eyes tightly.
Anastasia returned with the midwife and gasped. "Mirac! You can't be here. The midwife needs to examine Cera again."
He nodded, understanding, and rose up to leave. Cera pulled on his arm and whined, staring at her mother. Her eyes pleaded for him to stay. Anastasia sighed and rested a hand on her hip and her eyes darted from Mirac and then back to Cera.
"You want him to stay?" she asked and Cera nodded. "Okay, he can stay," she relented and Cera grinned brightly. "But he can't get in the way."
"I just want to be here for Cera, khatun," said Mirac.
Hours after the Antes dispersed from the countryside, Arielle was brought to her chambers for further inspection. Maids tended to her wounds and when she was to wake they would bathe her. For now she laid in bed, void of clothes, drenched in ointments and bandages.
Kuba thought to inform the others of her condition but Xena prevented it. Anastasia had no business knowing that her daughter was severely harmed. That was just another thing to add onto the pile of worry and Xena couldn't let her daughter be privy to that.
As much as she wanted to relax in her own bed, Gabrielle had to speak to Tzes Bey once more and hopefully have a lengthier conversation this time. She found him waiting in the foyer just as the sun was setting. She escorted him to the library where they could find a quieter setting.
Since the Antes were no longer in the city all of the children were taken out of hiding and told to go back to their bedrooms. Gabrielle sat opposite of the Hinukh Bey and spread out her journal and loose parchment. She was exhausted but tried not to let it show.
"Your men did a very good job putting out the fires. Arielle, I mean, Khagana Arielle, will graciously reward you for your efforts," she cast a tired grin.
Tzes gave a curt nod. "It is my duty to be loyal to the Khagana. I am pleased to be a part of the Hun Empire even though I am not a Hun myself."
"Can we count on your tribe to support us in the upcoming campaign against the Antes?" she wrote down some notes and briefly eyed the Bey.
He was apprehensive to answer and drummed his fingers on the table. "I will do anything I am told to, governor," he promised. "I cannot say the same for my neighboring tribes."
She thought that was going to be brought up sooner or later. Arielle was going to have a pay a visit to the tribes in northern Scythia and convince them to be a united front. If they showed weakness or lack of unity to Emperor Justinian then this would cripple the empire. Tribes were tricky and they had to be coaxed into joining the empire either by force or willful submission. There was no in between, Gabrielle quickly found out.
"Khagana Arielle will make a special visit to the tribes," Gabrielle politely tried to steer the conversation elsewhere. "About the marriage between Aurora and your son…"
"I would prefer if the Lieutenant General come to the tribes," he interrupted, shocking the governor. "I have reason to believe the other Beys would listen to her over the Khagana."
That caused her breath to catch in her throat. "How so?" she furiously scribbled in the journal.
"She is older and wiser than the young Khagana. She has also worked under Attila. The Beys admire the late Hun king."
Gabrielle's pen halted and she brought her lips to a thin line. "You don't believe the Khagana can hold her own, Bey?"
He faltered. "Not what I was saying, governor. I am merely concerned that she won't be able to convince the tribes to unite with her."
"Arielle is very intelligent, Bey. She has been groomed to be a queen since she was a child. She is young but she took on the role of empress without hesitating. I am sure Xena would accompany the Khagana to the tribes but she will not speak for the empire. That is Arielle's duty."
Tzes knew he struck a nerve and decided to bite his tongue. This wasn't up for debate but in the back of his mind he knew the other tribesmen weren't going to listen to Arielle. She was old enough to be their daughters and the Beys were set in their ways. He was the only Bey who sided with the Huns and he received backlash for it ever since he made his declaration of alliance.
"Onto the marriage," she dipped the quill in the ink well.
"Yes, I think my son should marry the princess when they come of age. My son is a very kind boy. He is learning how to read and write in Scythian and Latin. He could possibly learn the princess' mother tongue."
Gabrielle's cheeks tinged pink. She didn't feel comfortable discussing a marriage that may or may not happen between two children. They were very young and talk of marriage wasn't very normal at their age. Cera was just shy of thirteen when she was formally introduced to Mirac and waited a few years before marrying each other. Aurora was six years old and Kazem was probably only a year older than her.
"Khagan Bayan, he's the princess' father, will be arriving in a few days. It would be best if he and Arielle discuss this together."
Tzes titled his head puzzled at the sudden mention of Aurora's father. "Are they no longer married?" he inquired.
Gabrielle smiled faintly. "I'm not really in a position to discuss the Khagana's personal life."
A bath was what she needed and she was grateful she had the time to take one. She would've liked it to be longer but she couldn't sit in the water and prune away. Xena hoped for sleep but knew that it was not yet time to relax. She dreamt of her head hitting the pillows and falling into a deep slumber with hope never to awaken for days.
Scurrying through the palace, barefooted and in a silk robe, she checked on all the children upstairs. They were all asleep after a long day. She figured the children were kept busy with games and stories told by Austraia. She passed by several maids and they bowed their heads. Once she reached the lounge she could hear Anastasia and Yana talking rather loudly. It sounded more like arguing.
Cera must still be inside. She entered the room and she was correct when she didn't want to be. Ana and Yana, both the same age, had hard heads and liked to do things their own way. They were bickering and then there was Cera crying profusely in the background.
"What is wrong with you two?" Xena broke the fight between the women. "Why aren't you helping Cera?"
She stepped in between them and came around the screen to see Cera flushed and tears flowing freely down her rosy cheeks. Mirac barely took notice of her presence and was more focused on his wife. Xena smiled and rushed by to sit beside Cera and took her hand.
Cera, distracted for but a moment, turned to her grandmother's blue calming eyes and faintly smiled in between hitched breaths. She was ready to admit that she never thought labor would be this painful. She was so tired, so very tired, that she didn't know how much longer she could endure this pain. She desperately wanted this to end.
She squeezed the hands she held and whimpered in pain and reared her head on the pillow. For over a day she was confined to this room and stuck in this spot for the last six hours at least which her mother kept reminding her of. She didn't even count of all the previous hours of non-intensive labor.
Mirac shifted nervously, holding her hand. "I'm very proud of you," he whispered and kissed her hand tenderly.
Xena reached behind her and grabbed the damp cloth in the water basin. She pressed the cool cloth gently on Cera's forehead and wiped away strands of auburn hair glued to her cheek. She listened to Mirac giving words of encouragement and smiled, touched by his kind words.
Cera tried to listen to the women speaking all at once. Each of the women, concerned and impatient, all sent smiles her way. The bickering between her mother and Yana stopped once Xena walked in. None of the words were registered as the scorching pain coursed through her body. Her mother and grandmother both spoke to her at once, and Yana was standing by the midwife and Mirac held her hand.
She lost count of how many hours she'd been in pain but she needed it to end. She couldn't do it anymore. She'd rather take five hundred lashes to her backside than do this. There were five pairs of eyes on her. She saw her mother and the midwife both speaking to her but all she heard was white noise.
Slowly, she was hoisted up on the pillows. Both her mother and the midwife shared a large frown. She was too exhausted to panic. Her lips pulled into a vicious snarl as her body was hit with more agonizing waves of pain. If she could scream, she would and she wanted to.
Cera closed her eyes tightly and squeezed both hands she held. She wanted her baby that she waited so long for –that she worked so hard for. With the last ounce of strength she had she pushed through the hot searing pain that tore through her body.
Moments later she felt relief wash over her. She expected to hear the first cry of her baby and when she heard nothing but silence, she panicked.
Her eyes fluttered open and she looked at everyone who fell silent. There wasn't supposed to be silence. Her mother seemed the most worried out of everybody in the room. Cera lifted her head and inched her way forward. She saw the midwife carry the small bundle away in a sheet.
Frantic, she tried to get off the sofa and was pulled back by Xena's hand. The assured words of neither Mirac nor her grandmother were going to stop her from rising. She willed herself to push them both out of the way and they forcibly held her down.
Moments later, a loud wail echoed in the room. Relief sounded audibly in the room and Cera smiled, settling back down against the pillows. All the pain she went through didn't matter now and she was still in a considerable amount. She waited for the baby to be brought to her and she extended her arms forward with a luminescent smile.
The midwife gently placed the bundled baby in her arms. Cera held several babies throughout her life but holding her crying baby sent a surge of energy and love she never felt before. She looked up at everyone gathered around and saw they were all at ease.
"A girl," the midwife announced.
Anastasia's smile widened. "Another princess!"
Xena kissed Cera's forehead and said her congratulatory words then slipped off the sofa. She felt her knuckles realign and rubbed her sore hand. She didn't think such a thin girl like Cera could possibly break bones but she almost did.
"Arielle is here recovering in her room," she whispered to Ana. "She's taken quite a beating."
Anastasia's stomach churned. "Why didn't you tell me earlier?"
"I didn't want you to worry," Xena eyed Cera briefly and smiled. "You had your hands full. I'm going to bed. If you need me…don't come get me," she firmly squeezed her daughter's shoulder and winked.
Gabrielle towel dried her hair and let out an exasperated sigh stepping out of the bath chamber. Her meeting with Tzes Bey lasted longer than anticipated. She returned to the bedroom after she had a quick run-in with Kuba who informed her that the burning city was no more. The citizens were unrest and had no place to stay so tents were set up outside until permanent arrangements were made.
That reminded her to send a letter to Navaz. She could see his face now. He was going to be livid when he was to find out that he was going to have to house thousands of Scythians in Armenia. Anything for daddy's little girl. Arielle shouldn't have promised her people that they'd have temporary homes without her father's consent.
One step at a time, Gabrielle told herself. She returned to the room to find it empty though she counted on Xena to be here. She didn't have time to wonder where her energetic wife had disappeared to. The towel wrapped around her body fell to the floor and the door opened.
Gabrielle froze in place and was thanking every god in the world that it was Xena who entered the room. She casually went about her way to grab her dark gown and Xena paused.
If she wasn't so exhausted she would've had her hands all over the governor's flesh. Instead, Xena raised an eyebrow and smirked playfully. "You're lucky it was me that walked in. You never know who is going to walk through those doors."
Gabrielle slipped the gown over her head and felt a pinch to her thigh. She turned and pulled her arms through the gown's long sleeves. A devious smirk was cast on her lips as she locked eyes with Xena.
"Where were you?"
Xena flung the sheets aside and climbed into bed. She hoped Gabrielle didn't want to talk. All she wanted to do was go to sleep and she knew the next morning was going to be extremely busy. The city was quiet now but that didn't mean the palace would be. Things had to be done, documents had to be signed and sent off and meetings were to be held.
"I was with Cera," she answered with a lengthy yawn.
Gabrielle completely forgot about Cera. She was so wrapped up with her own duties, the battle outside, Arielle, the army and the citizens, that she didn't even stop to think about Cera. She didn't think to ask about her either when they returned from the field.
"Oh! Cera! How is she?"
Xena closed her eyes, snuggling against the pillow with her long silvery raven hair sprawled across the bedspread. "She had the baby," she murmured, slowly drifting off.
"She did?" Gabrielle said louder than she expected. "Did everything go smoothly? That poor girl has been in labor this entire time? My god," her breath hitched, "was it a boy or a girl?"
She waited for a reply and combed her fingers through her damp hair. "Xena?"
Gabrielle looked over to see her wife fast asleep with her legs curled close to her chest. She smiled softly and blew out the candles beside the bed. She leaned over and pressed her lips to Xena's temple and picked up the mound of hair and gently laid it on the pillow. Xena didn't even stir and was still as a board, breathing deeply.
A couple of days later Arielle groaned, groggily waking from her slumber. She tried to rise and winced at the pinching and twinges in her back. She rose high enough off the pillows to support her weight on her elbows and the sheets slipped off her torso.
She looked underneath the sheets and eyed her usually toned abdomen wrapped in thick bandages. A hand smoothed over her slightly swollen stomach and then inched her way up, grunting and hissing under her breath. Arielle knew that she was going to get yelled at by somebody she just didn't know who yet.
She managed to swing her legs off the side of the bed. That was quite an effort on her part. She reached for the robe on a chair and then noticed a pair of small shoes on the floor behind an adjoining change room. She leaned to the side and there was Aurora asleep on a sofa with Anastasia's arm draped over her.
Arielle smiled softly at the two sleeping soundly. Leaning too far off the bed, she fell onto her knees and cried out with an aggressive snarl.
"Motherfucker," she griped.
Anastasia, awakened by the loud fall, saw her daughter crawling on the floor. She gently maneuvered her way off the sofa and put a pillow behind Aurora so she too wouldn't fall off. While Arielle was trying to make her way back to the bed, Ana grabbed her arm and hoisted her off the rug.
"What are you doing out of bed?" Ana pinched her daughter's cheeks together, inspecting the glossiness of Arielle's eyes. "Do you need medicine? Are you in pain?"
Arielle smacked the hand away and plopped down onto the bed. "Of course I am in pain," she rubbed her sore neck. "How long have I been out? A few hours?"
"Two days…"
"What!" Arielle snapped her head around and then moaned at the swift movement of her muscles contracting all at once. "God dammit. Please tell me you didn't sleep on that couch for two days."
Anastasia smirked. "No, I did not. I was with Cera, but Aurora," she looked back at the slumbering princess, "has been here this entire time."
That poor child. She was the one who told Arielle not to get hurt and here she was, waiting for her mother to wake up. Arielle looked down at her mangled body and sighed. She didn't plan for this to happen and she also didn't plan on getting injured so badly that she fell into a deep sleep for two days. That was considerably short compared to Csaba but nonetheless, she was disappointed in herself.
"How is Cera?" she asked her mother.
"A lot better now," Ana casually said, waiting to shock her daughter further. "She delivered her baby two days ago."
Arielle gasped and flopped back onto the pillows to gawk at the ceiling. "I missed it," her tone clearly expressed her frustration. "I can't believe I missed that! Dammit." She lifted her body up and winced. "I wanted to be there for her."
"You can go see her later," Ana said with a smile and brushed a dark curl away from Arielle's forehead. "She was waiting for you to wake up to help decide a name for her…daughter."
Arielle's eyes brightened. "Wow another princess. Man, Farah is going to be livid," she joked. She was sure that if she wasn't hurt so badly that her mother would've slapped her already. "That's three princesses in less than two years! Oh wait, if Soran and Pamira have a daughter then it's possible that Farah might faint."
"Arielle…"
She leaned down to change the soiled bandages around Arielle's waist and then snickered under her breath. Arielle wasn't wrong about Farah. The lithe Banat queen was infuriated that both Nisa and Cera had girls over the last year. She didn't let either mother see her jealousy but it was painfully obvious to everyone. Even her eldest son, Edemen, caught on especially after Nisa's second daughter was born only a couple months ago.
"I guess it's just not in the cards for her to have a girl," Arielle wore a vicious smirk then received a pinch to the arm.
While her bandages were being changed, Aurora sleepily walked over to her. Arielle smiled and held out her hand for her daughter to grab hold of. She hadn't seen herself lately and knew she looked horrible. The look in her daughter's eyes was enough to tear her insides apart. That look off horror unsettled Arielle.
"You promised you weren't going to get hurt," said Aurora.
Arielle sighed. "I know." She took her daughter's hand. "I'm not very good at keeping promises, am I?"
Bayan and his army arrived promptly in Scythia just in time to clean the entire city. He worked with the rest of the Avar army to organize crews to salvage what was left of the city. Mongol tribes that he incorporated with the Assyrians weren't welcome in Scythia he came to find out. The Avar soldiers were also hesitant to work with the Mongols and Assyrians.
Once he assigned everyone their duties for the next few weeks he made the dreadful walk to the palace. He gave his greetings to Kuba and Ku-Ilm who were both in the foyer there to welcome him inside. He briskly stormed down the hallway and there was Xena and Gabrielle waiting for him. He braced himself to meet with Xena after several months.
He stopped in front of the women and Xena gave him the coldest shoulder he'd ever seen in his life. He smiled briefly at Gabrielle and she returned the gesture with a short head nod. He always knew Gabrielle tried to keep a neutral front but inside, he knew she disliked him just as much as everyone else.
"Xena," he said.
"Bayan," she forced a tight lipped smile. "Thank you…for coming here so quickly. Your help is appreciated."
"It is my duty to help Arielle. Has she been notified of my arrival?" he inquired, looking around the room. "I was told that she was badly injured."
Gabrielle spoke for the both of them. "She's recovering rapidly. I will send someone to tell her that you arrived. In the meantime, I need to discuss something with you that concerns Aurora."
He feared the worst. "Is she injured too?"
"No, it's nothing like that," Gabrielle heard Xena snickering and elbowed her ribs. "We can talk in the library. Just follow me, please."
Bayan hesitantly followed the governor and he bypassed Xena, noting the smug smirk on her face. That was very unsettling and now he knew that whatever Gabrielle was going to tell him wasn't good.
Xena clasped her hands together and thought to go speak with Kuba to see how the soldiers were faring outside. She walked only a few paces ahead and ran into the generational trio. Smiling, Aurora held both her mother's and grandmother's hands walking together, wedged in between the towering women.
Arielle tried her best to not reveal any sign of weakness or pain but it hurt to move every single muscle in her body. Her wet hair hung and dripped onto the floor.
"I see you're up," Xena observed. "Bayan is here talking with Gabrielle."
Aurora gasped. "Daddy's here? Can I see him? Mom, please?" she tugged on Arielle's arm.
Her mildly good mood was ruined but she chose to hide the distaste she had for her daughter's father. It was evident to both her mother and grandmother that she didn't want Bayan anywhere near her. Their relationship recently was less strained but still, she didn't like him so close.
"After Gabrielle is finished talking with him then yes you can see your father," she told Aurora. "But we're off to see Teyze Cera's baby, isn't that right?"
Aurora nodded excitedly, swinging the hands she held.
"Mother, would you like to come with us?" Anastasia offered.
"I was going to check on the status of the cleanup outside." Xena peered down at the pouty princess and rolled her eyes. "I'll come with you I guess," she grumbled.
Bayan slammed a fist on the table. "My daughter is not going to marry anybody!"
Gabrielle flinched at his tone but continued writing. This was going to be a very colorful parchment by the time this meeting was finished.
"Tzes Bey," he scoffed, "the man with the wings? His son is but a child himself! How could he even think to propose such an idea?" he paced aimlessly around the room. "Does Arielle know about this? What did she say? You cannot honestly tell me that she agrees to this fuckery."
She tapped the quill on her cheek. "She knows about it. She hasn't decided yet and wants your opinion."
He stopped and turned, bemused. "She does?"
Gabrielle nodded silently.
His temper had calmed and he sat back down, a bit more composed this time around. He smoothed his palms across the desk, smiling softly. He didn't expect Arielle to value his opinion even though they parented their daughter together somewhat. He hardly had any say when it came to Aurora since the divorce.
"I don't know anything about the Hinukh tribe," he stated. "I think it would be wise to find out what kind of man Tzes Bey is. If he wants his son to marry my daughter in the future then we should spend as much time as possible getting to know his tribe."
Gabrielle's eyebrows lifted, writing swiftly. She was surprised by his sudden change of tune but she wasn't opposed to it. Arielle wasn't the only person who matured but Bayan was still widely disliked by the family nonetheless.
"I think that's a good idea. I will run it by Arielle later." she closed her journal. "We'll have a meeting to discuss future actions against Chieftain Mezamir. I think you should sit in on the meetings."
Bayan rubbed his clean shaven chin. "Arielle won't mind if I'm there?"
"You are the ruler of half the empire. It would be strange if you weren't present."
It took some convincing for Mirac to relinquish his daughter. Cera was held up in the lounge for the last two days. Yana was insistent that she shouldn't be moved so quickly after the birth. She shifted on the sofa uncomfortably and smiled at Arielle sitting beside her.
Arielle held her niece in her arms, grinning. "She's perfect, Cera." She ran her palm over the baby's smooth head. "I'm sorry I couldn't be there for you."
"She had plenty of help," Mirac said, peering over Arielle's shoulder, very protective of his new daughter.
"Did you decide on a name?" Arielle looked at the couple.
Mirac shared a smile with Cera. "We think Emese is a good name for her."
"Princess Emese," she repeated and touched the baby's cheek. "That's a great name. What do you think tatli kiz?" she asked Aurora who clung to her side, peering at her newborn cousin.
Aurora twisted her mouth and caressed her cousin's cheek. "I like it. Finally I am not the only princess here!" she cheered and everyone laughed lightly. "I hope Pamira has a girl too then there will be five princesses!"
"Oh boy," Xena commented. "If only Kreka was here to see this."
Anastasia grasped her mother's shoulder. "She's here."
"Don't say that," Xena shuddered at the thought. "That woman lives to haunt my dreams."
"Maybe she's laughing at you right now. After all, you did make fun of her hair turning gray and now look at you!" Ana held a handful of her mother's silvery raven locks.
Everybody found the joke hilarious while Xena was less than enthused. She brought her lips to a firm line and sighed with a throaty growl added.
"I'm going to check on the army," she brushed by her daughter, hurrying out of the room.
Arielle snickered. "Look what you've done, mother. You've upset her now." Her attention was drawn back to the baby in her arms and smiled. The baby's eyes opened, staring up at Arielle's grinning face. "Hello there."
The pair of dark eyes wandered, looking at the many faces. She yawned and squirmed in the tightly bound linen and managed to wiggle her arm out from underneath the blanket. She curled her fist against her cheek and enlarged her eyes, familiarizing herself with her new surroundings.
Arielle passed the baby back to Mirac and grabbed her mother's hand to stand up. She winced and pressed a hand to her sore abdomen. Who knew there were so many muscles used when trying to get up from a sitting position?
"Can I hold her?" asked Aurora.
"Another time," Anastasia grabbed the girl's hand. "The baby isn't going anywhere. You will have plenty of chances to hold her."
Aurora sighed. Before she was escorted out of the lounge, her cousins ran into the room. The twin princes tried to pass by Anastasia and she blocked their paths.
"Out," she ordered.
Aman and Aladar pursed their lips. "But grandma khatun we wanna see the baby!" Aman whined.
"You will see the baby later. Get out, boys." She grabbed their shoulders and pushed them towards the exit. They protested and complained all while resisting her. She swatted their thighs and they both yelped. "Go!"
Aurora rolled her eyes. "Boys."
One Month Later
The Avar army trained in a field that bordered old Magyar territory. In order to reach this field one had to ride nearly half a day by horse or an entire day by foot. Xena was in charge of training the military just as she had done for almost her entire life. She enjoyed training soldiers more than actually being on the battlefield.
She knew she was enjoying it too much when one day she pushed the young men too hard and they all collapsed onto the ground after running their tenth lap around the circumference of the massive field. Today she decided to go easy on the soldiers and instructed them to wield practice swords and participate in mock fights. She never trained an army of this size and as she always said, quantity does not equal quality.
The soldiers were terrible when it came to close combat. An army of almost five hundred thousand and this is what she had to work with. Xena stood underneath a large canopy to hide from the blistering summer sun. She was close enough to the soldiers to yell at them but far enough so she wasn't to be harmed.
She shielded her eyes from the mockery in front of her. The need the scream was boiling inside her. This had to be worse than when she was forced to train Farah. Hesitantly, she peeked through her fingers and winced as a couple of soldiers drove the practice swords into their chests and fell to the ground.
"Dear god," she massaged her temples, "strike me down."
"I'd like to have you on this earth for a little while longer thank you," Gabrielle spoke from behind, startling the lieutenant.
Xena acknowledged her with a terse smile and then went back to focus on the disaster unleashed on the field. As much as she loved training military recruits it took every ounce of willpower to restrain herself from driving a sword through the incompetent soldiers.
"It's a miracle that they've made it this far," she slapped a palm to her cheek, watching the horror unfold. "I'm going to need help. I can't train an army of this size by myself." She looked to her wife.
Gabrielle paled. "Don't look at me." She opened her journal and rummaged through it. "I received a letter from Eksama."
Xena chewed on her nail. "Perfect…"
"King Alduin is the ruler of the Lombard tribe. He also has a wife, Rodelinda. They've been in Banat this entire time. They haven't attacked Pannonia at all."
"They're probably waiting for Justinian to give the order," Xena said through gritted teeth. "Are you kidding me?" two soldiers collapsed onto the field from heat exhaustion. She was ready to throw her headdress and call it a day.
Gabrielle chose to ignore her spouse's outburst. "Ernak requires more funds for weapon supply. I spoke to Farah since she's still the treasurer. She said that we should distribute a fourth of Arielle's treasury to Pannonia."
Xena narrowed in on the soldiers and chewed her nail to the nub. Her spouse loudly cleared her throat which grabbed her attention enough to distract her from the soldiers. She spun around, wide-eyed and stopped biting her nail.
"The funds, Xena."
"What about them?"
"You weren't listening to anything I said," Gabrielle shook her head and slammed the journal shut. "You're the leader of the Avar army. I need your consent on the disbursement of funds."
Xena flicked her wrist. "Can't you handle that? You know I don't care about that stuff."
"I would love to but I need your approval." She held the journal close to her chest. "Will you be able to train the army with three quarters of the treasury funds?"
Xena nodded, waving her hand dismissively. She ripped off her headdress and sat down, rubbing her chin, gawking at the soldiers who grew too tired to continue for the afternoon. She snapped her fingers at the Avar who stood by the canopy and called a dismissal. The horns were sounded and the army dropped their weapons.
Her eyes averted to Gabrielle who lingered. She wore a sheepish smile and forgot that her very irritated spouse was standing there waiting for a reply. Tapping her fingers on the armrest and tried to recall what was said to her. She really ought to pay attention more.
"You have my approval," she graciously waved her hand. "Is there something I need to sign?"
"There's a meeting tonight with Farah. You'll sign the document then." Gabrielle rushed away, marching to her horse.
Xena grunted. "Are you mad at me?" she called. "Gabrielle! I'm sorry I didn't listen to you!" she heard a horse galloping off and spun around. "Great."
Navaz arrived at his daughter's home without warning. Upon entering Scythia he saw several Mongol and Assyrian soldiers hovering around the city. Bayan was here and that meant he needed to keep his distance. He didn't want to engage with Bayan during this short visit.
He waited in the foyer impatiently tapping his boot. Kuba was gone for a long time or maybe he wasn't gone as long as Navaz thought. He had no need to stay here as he could walk anywhere he wanted but he was sure that his unexpected visit was going to warrant some tears from his daughter. That wasn't a sight he was ready to see.
Anastasia entered the foyer with Kuba and smiled warmly. They spent months apart but every time they reunited time ceased to exist between them. She embraced Navaz and was left alone with Kuba slyly slipping out of the room.
He brushed his thumbs along her cheeks. "Benim güzel eşim," he kissed her forehead.
"What are you doing here? You didn't send word that you were coming," she grinned and pressed her lips against the palms of his hands.
His gaze fell and he evaded the question. "How is everyone? I'm sure you have your hands full."
Anastasia tilted his chin to meet his eyes but he avoided her gaze. She knew him well enough to see that he was disturbed by something. She was in no mood for small talk.
"What's wrong, Navaz?"
He thought he could put this off for a little bit longer. He rode very quickly and was tired from the journey despite the short distance. The perturbed expression on his wife's face pressured him to reveal the real reason for his stay.
He pulled out a letter from within his robe. "Tegin Irkin delivered this a few days ago. I hurried over here to relay the message."
"News from Persia?" she reached for the letter and he retracted his hand.
"I need to speak with Arielle." He tucked the parchment into his robe.
Anastasia rubbed his arm. "I'll come with you."
He weakly smiled and gently pinched her chin. "I want to speak to her alone."
There were some upsides to having Bayan here. They didn't have to exchange letters to decide on political affairs and they reached several agreements concerning their daughter and the entirety of the empire. At first Arielle couldn't wait to kick Bayan out of the palace but since his arrival he was very, dare she say, helpful.
He hardly got in her way and they only spoke when necessary. He kept his distance from her and when they weren't held up in conferences he spent his free time with Aurora. She unfortunately got stuck with the mountain of paperwork while Bayan spent his evenings free of headaches.
At her desk she spent all morning and afternoon, signing various documents. She rubbed her aching head and the menacing stack of documents sent over from Gabrielle was taunting her. She was going to be stuck in here until the end of time.
The large double doors creaked open and Arielle kept her head in her work. Navaz slipped inside and rested his hand over his chest where the letter was beneath his clothing. He smiled seeing his daughter working diligently. He hated to interrupt her especially with the news he brought with him.
"If this isn't an emergency then I suggest you come back another time," said Arielle without lifting her head to see the guest.
Navaz smirked. "You aren't going to say hello to me?"
She gasped and snapped her head up from her desk. She grinned and ran towards her father. She crashed into him, wrapping her arms around him and pressed her cheek against his chest. She breathed in the familiar scent that she missed.
"What are you doing here?" she touched his beard. "Dad, you are becoming like grandma. Look at this gray hair!" she teased.
"It must be from all the demanding women in my life," he winked and she lightly punched his chest. "How are you?" he toyed with her curls.
Arielle sighed. "Very busy. Did you see Cera's daughter? She's very adorable. She looks like Cera except no red hair," she told him, running her words together. "Mother's been taking care of Pamira. She should have the baby in a few weeks. I know Soran is very nervous but I assured him that he will be a great father."
He nodded, knowing his son very well. Soran was considerably shier than any other male in the family. A moment of silent fell between them and he kept a solemn smile on his lips. A hand came to cup her cheek and Arielle crinkled her eyebrows, confused by his silence.
Before he got too sidetracked, he presented the letter and took in a deep breath.
"This is from Tegin Irkin," he saw her face light up which broke him.
"Is it about Xerxes?" she hoped, nearly hopping.
Navaz took his daughter by the arm and led her to sit down on one of the many couches in her room. He sat down beside her, clutching the letter. He could barely look at her because he knew what was written in this letter. She was desperate to grab it from him and he finally relinquished the letter.
She ripped open the letter and tossed the ribbon over her shoulder. The smile plastered on her face soon withered the further she read into the letter. Her heart thumped rapidly and found it hard to catch her breath. Her hands fell into her lap.
Her teeth dug into her bottom lip. She desperately fought back tears and crumpled the letter. She swallowed the lump in her throat and her chin quivered.
Navaz smoothed his palm over her hair. "Arielle…"
Unexpectedly, she leapt into his lap and squeezed him tightly with her face buried in the crook of his neck. Navaz adjusted her on his lap and held his trembling daughter, comforting her like he used to when she was a child. His shoulder soaked from her tears. He pressed his lips on the side of her head.
In between muffled sobs, Arielle whispered, "he's dead." She had to say it out loud otherwise she refused to believe it. She dug her nails into her father's back and let out a screeching wail.
Navaz closed his eyes, listening to her wailing. He stood up, cradling Arielle in his arms and walked over to the bed. He sat down against the pillows and settled into a more comfortable position. Arielle curled up against him and hot tears flowed down her cheeks like rushing rivers.
He combed his fingers through her hair. He knew he was going to be stuck here for a long time.
Emese = "Amesi"