I'm sorry this took so long for me to update. I forgot to tell everyone that I started grad school, and my life has been consumed with lots of homework over the last two weeks. I've been writing this chapter over the course of 9 days.

Thank you for being patient with me, and no, this isn't the end. I have 60 chapters planned. There's so much left to do! Thank you for reading and enjoy!

Chapter 51

Csaba didn't want to, but he had to ride to Scythia to keep him and Nasrin safe from the Antes. They were hot on their trail for two days straight. With Csaba's excellent horseman skills, he was able to deter Mezamir's men and lead them down a winding path. Since he didn't tell Bayan that he was arriving, he was met with very confused guards in front of the Scythian palace.

Khagan Bayan came to greet Csaba and the young Persian girl. He put on his best smile and welcomed them both into the palace. He wasn't brave enough to hold a decent conversation with Csaba, mostly since they had talked with their fists instead of their mouths in the past.

Nasrin was given a room, bath, food, and fresh clothes. Given the journey she just endured, she was exhausted and opted to rest for the next few days until the departure to Pannonia.

Csaba, on the other hand, joined Bayan in the large sitting room. Reclined on a sofa set on the floor, he rested his arm over his bent knee, casually sipping sherbet and glared at Bayan. Sarnai, Bayan's wife, brought food for everyone to share.

Sarnai smiled nervously at the men and spread out the bowls of food. Csaba tapped his fingers on the cup and eyed the anxious Mongolian woman.

"It is very kind of Arielle to allow you and your son to stay here," he said.

Sarnai froze at the mention of Arielle. She flipped the tray over and clutched it to her chest. Without making eye contact, she trailed off, leaving the two men to talk among themselves.

This wasn't getting off to a great start, and Bayan dreaded any sort of interaction with Csaba. He knew very well that Csaba wished him dead.

"I don't mean to be rude, but –"

"But you're about to be," Csaba interrupted.

Bayan pursed his mouth and continued on to say, "you're supposed to be spying on the Antes. Care to share what happened?"

"Mezamir figured out I was a spy, but he doesn't know who I am. I'd love to sit and chat with you, Bayan, but I have to leave for Pannonia in a couple of days."

"I'm not that horrible of a host."

"I don't like you, and I never will. You're only alive because of your daughter."

Bayan rolled his eyes and drank the remainder of the sherbet, wishing it was wine. There was definitely a reason why Arielle wanted him here in Scythia. He was too far away from the family, and he deduced that was Arielle's way of distancing themselves from each other.

"There's going to be an attack soon. Mezamir is sending his army to Pannonia. I won't make it in time to warn them all," Csaba scratched his beard, groaning lowly.

Bayan sneered, "oh, I'm sure Xerxes will be in Pannonia soon. He should be able to help."

It came as a shock when Nasrin told him that Xerxes was alive. A part of him was happy for Arielle, but another part was skeptical. Csaba never trusted the Sassanians. They had a horrible track record, and that proved to be true several times over as the years passed by. Xerxes was by far the sanest out of the famous Sassan family, but Csaba had his reservations about the Shehzade.

"It's amazing to me that your family accepts Xerxes. He is a Sassan, after all."

Csaba tapered his eyes and rose from the floor to excuse himself. He had no desire to continue this conversation with Bayan and needed to leave before he said something he would come to regret later.

Xerxes' meeting with his father didn't go very well. Initially, he wasn't supposed to transport the army to Pannonia. Xerxes' little brother, Khosrow, was going to be in charge of transportation, but Xerxes was able to convince his father to put him in Khosrow's place. Persia only had two princes heir to the throne now, which put a considerable strain on the brothers.

Khosrow was a better choice for Shah. Xerxes knew that his father favored him out of all the siblings, but Khosrow had more training to be a ruler. He wanted to continue to be General of the army despite his father's concerns.

He also desperately wanted to get out of Persia because of his mother. Xerxes did not have any desire to discuss his new wife, Mera. He was not happy that his life was already planned out. He was married to a woman he hadn't seen since adolescence. Divorce in Persia wasn't highly talked about and was looked down upon.

If he wanted to marry Arielle, he was going to have to tell her about Mera. He owed Arielle a huge apology for the pain he caused, even if it wasn't his fault. He was also going to owe her an explanation as to why he was already a married man. This reunification with Arielle wasn't going to go well at all.

Transporting an army this size wasn't easy, and it was downright irresponsible. Xerxes guided the army across Persia, Armenia, and now they were in old Khazar territory. Another couple of weeks and they'd finally reach Pannonia, but they made camp in the desolate Steppes.

He took the utmost precaution and sent scouts to scan the perimeters of the unfamiliar area. Xerxes waited for the soldiers' return. So far, he hadn't had a lick of sleep since the departure. His eyes burned from being awake for days on end.

Trying not to nod off, he slapped his cheek to keep himself alert. Waiting for hours while sleep deprived wasn't the wisest choice.

The soldiers galloped back into camp, and Xerxes walked forward to greet the scouts. One of the soldiers dismounted and approached the prince, bowing his head.

"There is an army in the lower plains of this territory."

Xerxes frowned, crossing his arms. "Are they Huns?"

"Doubtful, Shehzade," he said. "They look to be Mezamir's men."

"We're going to need to leave by first light," said Xerxes.

He walked back to his tent and sat down inside, rubbing his face. Dawn was approaching soon. Sleep was out of the question, but he could at least try to close his eyes for a couple of hours.

Xena walked into Ernak's Adame, welcomed by a stare from Ernak's son. Utighur smiled and immediately ran over to her, hugging her legs. She attempted to keep walking with the child wrapped around her leg.

"Get off me," she tapped the boy's head.

Utighur slid off and looked up at her. "Xena Khanum, what're you doing here? Are you busy with war stuff? Is my father still fighting the Lombards?"

"Uh-huh," she bypassed the talkative prince and headed down the hallway. She heard little footsteps trailing behind her and sighed.

She spun around, and Utighur bumped into her. He nervously giggled and cheekily grinned.

"I have a lot of things to do today, so why don't you go play somewhere?" she suggested.

Utighur groaned and stalked off. Xena wagged her head and continued to walk the halls of the large home. She came to Eksama's room and found Austraia sitting outside on a bench, weeping quietly.

Austraia lifted her head when she saw a pair of boots a foot away from her. Lifting her eyes, she gasped and jumped up from the bench, wiping her tear-stained cheeks.

"I heard your mother was severely wounded on the field. I came to see her."

Austraia tried her best to put on a brave face, but Xena could see right through her façade. It was painfully evident that Austraia wanted a better relationship with her mother. Everyone knew the relationship was stilted, and that was due to many factors, one being how Austraia came into the world.

"She has a broken leg and a few broken ribs," she said with an unsteady exhale. "She had a fever for a few days."

Xena nodded and set a hand on the princess's shoulder. She made sure to ensure that she shared compassion for Eksama despite the horrible start they had in the beginning. Smiling gently, she pinched Austraia's chin, then entered the room.

Closing the doors behind her, she stared at Eksama, propped up by a mountain of pillows. She walked around the bed, hidden behind a veil of curtains. Xena parted the sheer curtains, alarming the wounded queen.

Eksama shifted and sat up. She was surprised to see anyone come into the room, aside from her daughter. Nisa came to check on her every now and then. But other than that, Eksama was alone most of the time.

"How are you feeling?" Xena asked.

"Better now that the fever passed."

Xena faintly smiled. "You're an excellent swordswoman. I'm surprised to see you in this condition."

The corner of Eksama's mouth quirked up. "I didn't expect Rodelinda to send her men to raid my tent." She winced at the pang in her lower ribcage. "I would've stayed to help Ernak, but…" she gestured to her broken leg.

"I've had my fair share of broken bones," Xena mused. "Navaz took your place and has been fighting the Lombards for the last couple of weeks."

She sat on the bed, and Eksama gazed at her, puzzled. Xena crossed a leg over her knee and brushed the veil of her headdress behind a shoulder.

"I want you to tell me everything you know about Rodelinda. Tell me how she operates."

Eksama's lips parted.

"We were winning two weeks ago, but not even catapults could stop them. How are the Lombards so resilient? What is their secret?"

"To tell you the truth…" she took a long pause and inhaled, "I don't know, Xena. I've never seen anyone fight the way they do."

Xena huffed. "There must be something. Anything you noticed on the field. I need something, Eksama."

Forced to stay in bed, Gabrielle was moved to the bedroom and out of the infirmary. She was obligated to continue her duties as governor, but it would be a lot easier if she wasn't confined to her room. It was also challenging to write with one hand as she couldn't use her other arm. Her wounded shoulder was bound and her arm in a sling for the next few months, she assumed.

Arielle paced in front of the bed, giving a lengthy spiel that Gabrielle dictated. She paused, deep in thought, and tapped her fingers on her lips. This War wasn't going the way she hoped. At first, she was thrilled that they were winning, but now that she knew catapults weren't going to stop the Lombards, she was running out of options.

"Should I ask mother for help?" she asked, turning to the governor.

Gabrielle hesitated, "I don't see how your mother would be able to help."

Back to square one, Arielle thought. "She is more experienced than I am. Surely, she should know another way to defeat Rodelinda?"

"If she did, don't you think she would've suggested something already?"

Arielle grumbled, "good point. Maybe we should just wait for the Persian army. 50,000 soldiers is a lot. We could just run the Lombards down with lots of manpower."

Gabrielle tilted her head. There was a thought. Was it a good one? She didn't know. Without being on the field to observe first hand, she couldn't make a fair judgment of how the Lombards operated. But it was clear that Rodelinda was an excellent warrior queen and strategist. Throughout this War, she managed to maintain her army's numbers.

"I wish grandma would let me go help my father and Ernak," she said in disappointment.

Arielle had been sulking over the fact of staying in the heart of the state to protect the tribe. Gabrielle had to give her some credit, though. Arielle was very patient this time around, and not once did she disobey Xena's orders.

"Your work here hasn't gone unnoticed, Arielle."

"I know, but I want to do more…" she plopped into a chair and slouched. "I'm nervous to see Xerxes. What if he doesn't love me like he used to? Do you think he's changed? What if he doesn't want to marry me anymore? I know I wasn't too thrilled about the idea at first, but after Kubrat…I…"

Gabrielle blinked at the bombarding questions thrown at her. Most were probably Arielle's thoughts vomited out from pure nerves.

"I don't think you'll have to worry about any of that," she said to ease Arielle's lively mind.

"But Gabrielle, how do you know he loves me? He never told me he loved me!" she clapped a hand to her forehead. "I'm a mess."

Gabrielle chuckled. Despite the playfulness in Arielle's tone, it was amusing to see the girl whom Gabrielle taught for many years, speak so openly about her feelings. A few years ago, Arielle would've bottled up her emotions to let them simmer in a boiling colliery until she imploded.

"I wonder what our wedding will be like," Arielle thought aloud. "Would we incorporate Persian traditions too? They only believe in one deity, you know. I wonder how that works."

"Get your head out of the clouds, girl," Xena emerged, startling both her wife and granddaughter.

Arielle's face paled, and she pulled her curly hair over her shoulders. "Grandma," she cleared her throat, "did you find out any information from Eksama?"

"Unfortunately, no."

Gabrielle asked, "how is she?"

"She's beaten up pretty badly." Xena whipped the Kozak off her head and combed through her bangs. "How are you?" she asked Gabrielle.

"You asked me that this morning."

Xena sat down and flicked her wrist, "excuse me for caring," she snidely said with a flippant smile.

She directed her attention to Arielle, who was chewing on her nails. "Arielle, I have something for you to do."

Arielle gasped and clapped her hands to her cheeks. "Can I go onto the field?"

"No, I –"

"I'm in charge, yet you still have control over everything I do when it comes to the military."

"Will you let me finish?"

Arielle grinned cheekily and sat down, anxiously waiting for orders.

Xena let out a breathy sigh before adding, "when the Persians arrive, I want you to split the effort. Half the army will stay in the tribe. I want this place barricaded, do you understand? I don't want anyone coming into the heartland."

Arielle nodded, mentally taking notes.

"The other half will go to the south to help Ernak and your father. Got it?"

"Got it!"

Xena slipped her gloves off and smacked them against her thigh. "And do not, I repeat, do not let Xerxes distract you. You two will have plenty of time to catch up, but I want you to be completely focused."

"That really isn't fair, grandma. I haven't seen him in over a year. My stomach is in knots as it is! You can't expect me to contain myself!"

Gabrielle snorted in the background to which she received a glare from her wife. She settled in the bed and averted her eyes to the ceiling.

"Your people come first," Xena raised a finger. "I also have a job for Farah. Your original idea of building a military base in the south should be reinstated. Have Farah draw a print for it."

Arielle sighed, already bored with her task for the day. She already had a mouthful from Farah about spending too much money. She wasn't looking forward to speaking with Farah again.

"Today, Arielle," she snapped her fingers.

After Arielle sulked and waltzed out of the room, Gabrielle stared at her wife with an amused smile. She drummed her fingers on her leg and raised an eyebrow. Their eyes met, and Xena cast a worn grin.

"You're doing all of her work for her," she stated.

Xena shrugged, "no, she does all the boring work," she arched an eyebrow. "All she does is write and sign documents and implement laws. Besides, she still needs guidance. She is young. But she's doing a good job despite her scattered mind." She massaged her forehead.

"Give her a break, Xena. She's coping very well, considering," Gabrielle implied the Shehzade. "She never had time to mourn him, and now that he's alive, she's very excited to see him again."

"I know, I know."

"I think she took her time with Xerxes for granted."

Xena sighed, "I know what that feels like," she muttered.

To lighten the mood, Gabrielle said, "you brought me back from the dead, yet you couldn't fix my shoulder."

"That'll be my next mission," Xena winked. "Perhaps, I should learn some of those shamanistic skills," she waggled her fingers.

"I'd pay to see you do that."

Farah's sleep schedule was terrible as of late. She was given orders from Arielle to draw up new prints for a military base. Balancing the budget and distributing funds was also on her agenda, which she ended up doing that after her sons went to sleep.

During the day, she dedicated her time to drawing the prints. But even she needed a break from that, even though she enjoyed it. She sat in bed, correcting all the errors in her sons' Latin journals.

Her two sons sat on either side of her, watching her correct the mistakes. They waited patiently and silently for her to finish. Farah warned them plenty of times that she needed peace and quiet to read.

Aman peered over at his mother. He raised an eyebrow and scooted closer to Farah. He tapped his fingers on her belly, curious about his new sibling.

Farah felt the prodding and looked over at her guilty son. She was in such a foul mood lately, which made it hard for her to be lenient on her sons. She remembered that they were very young and needed to be more patient with them.

"Can the baby hear us?" Aman asked.

She smiled tiredly, "I think so."

Aman quirked his mouth and tapped his cheek. His hand roved over the entirety of his mother's belly, humming softly. Farah raised an eyebrow, watching her son analyzing. It was amusing, so she tried to keep herself from laughing.

So far, his inspection wasn't as eventful as he thought it would be. He retracted his hand and glanced up at his mother.

"Is the baby sleeping?"

Definitely not, Farah thought. "I think the baby is just a little shy."

Aman brought his eyebrows together. He looked a bit hurt and miffed by that news. He leaned up against Farah and narrowed his eyes, zeroing in on his sibling.

Aladar then stood up on the bed with hands on his hips. "Can we help pick out a name for the baby?"

Farah sighed, "you can help, sure. Sit down," she ordered, and he plopped onto the bed, crossing his legs. "Where is Ede? I haven't seen him in two days."

"He went off with Kurt or something," Aladar shrugged, not the least bit concerned. "So, when is dad coming home? Are we gonna have a party?"

Farah slammed the journals shut. "What do you mean, Edemen went off with Kurt? He never asked me for permission to leave the Adame."

She slid off the bed and stalked off, swinging the doors open. Aman groaned and punched his brother in the arm to which Aladar snarled.

"You have a big mouth!"

Aman hopped off the bed to chase after his mother. Aladar griped, rubbed his arm, then followed his other half.

Anastasia stood at the bottom of the staircase, talking with one of the maids. After their conversation ended, she flicked the long plaited hair behind her and turned to see Farah sprinting down the stairs. Frowning, she blocked the stairs.

She laced her hands in front of her body and smiled. "You're in a hurry. Going somewhere?"

Farah heaved, "where is Edemen?"

"He's hunting with Kurt."

"He's not supposed to leave without telling me first!" Farah tried to pass and grunted. "Move, Anastasia."

Ana grabbed Farah's shoulders with a firm grip. "Edemen asked me for permission. I told him it was okay," she said, studying the queen's sizzling eyes. "Farah, what has you so riled up? He's safe with Kurt."

Farah breathed in sharply, and tears brimmed in her green eyes. "No!" she yelled, "I want him here with me. He has to stay here with me!"

Anastasia cinched her eyebrows and cupped Farah's cheeks, wiping the tears away. She could tell this wasn't about Edemen at all. It was about Csaba. All this time spent apart from Csaba was affecting Farah more negatively than she was letting on. On the outside, she seemed so composed and well put together, but that was so far from the truth.

Any other time this would've been a typical reaction of Farah overreacting, but this time, she had good reason to worry.

"I can send someone to bring Edemen back here. Would you like me to do that?" Ana asked.

Farah fervently nodded her head while breathing unsteadily.

"Alright," she grinned, brushing her thumb across Farah's cheek.

Anastasia waved down a soldier standing guard by one of the hallways. She left Farah's side and whispered to him, pointing back at Farah and then to the doors. The soldier eyed the frazzled queen then whistled to one of his cohorts to join him to find the teenage prince.

She spent most of the day in Csaba's Adame only to keep Farah company, but now she was worried about leaving Farah alone indefinitely. Farah had been separated from Csaba before for extended periods, but she always had someone to rely on, and that particular someone was her sister, Rabia.

Rabia was gone, as was Banat. Farah felt very alone, and she was in such a vulnerable state that Anastasia feared leaving her by herself. It was very convenient that all the Adames were close together, and for that reason, Ana wanted to keep Farah close to everybody.

"I think you should come back with me to Arielle's Adame," she suggested.

Farah shook her head and wrapped her hands around both her sons' heads. "No, no…I –I want to stay here and wait for Edemen."

"I'll tell the soldiers to bring him over. Please, Farah, you're worrying me." Ana took a step closer, extending her hand.

Farah pulled her sons close protectively, intent on staying.

"I don't want you to be alone. It would do you some good to be around everybody. You can't sit in your room and wait for Csaba's return."

"You cannot force me to leave, Anastasia."

Ana sighed and crossed her arms. "No, I can't, but I really think you should come with me." She could tell that Farah wasn't willing to bend, so she compromised. "Alright, I will stay here until Edemen returns, and then will you come with me?"

Farah thought over Ana's offer, making a quick decision was not something she was capable of doing at the moment. The more she wracked her brain over the possible outrageous scenarios her son could be in right now, the more she wanted to belt out and cry. Her overactive imagination was getting the best of her, and because of that, she couldn't make a cohesive and sensible decision.

Her mouth parted, waiting for the words to drip off her tongue, but her mind drew a blank. Everything that has happened in her life recently was out of her control. The one constant in her life was her children, and that was taken away from her too.

"I should've told you before I allowed Edemen to leave," Anastasia apologized. "But you don't have any reason to worry. Kurt is very responsible."

"Yeah, mom," Aladar looked up to his teary-eyed mother. "Edemen is safe. Don't be sad."

Without anyone to come to check on her for a while, Gabrielle slipped out of bed quietly. She repeatedly told her namesake, Arielle, to obey Xena's orders, yet here she was, defying orders directly from her wife's mouth.

Forbidden to get out of bed and wander around, Gabrielle was going stir crazy. She just wanted to at least walk out onto the balcony and breathe some fresh air. That shouldn't be too much of a task, should it?

She grunted, cursing, all while trying to slip on a coat to walk out onto the balcony. It was frigid outside, and the last thing she needed was to catch a cold. The sling strapped over her shoulder was a nuisance. Struggling for several minutes, she gave up and draped the coat over her shoulders.

Embarrassingly, she broke a sweat. Gabrielle began to make her way over to the balcony and then heard the doorknob turn. Her heart palpitated and rang in her ears. She panicked and instantly jaunted back to the bed and tripped over a pair of boots.

She collapsed onto the floor, luckily onto her uninjured shoulder. She grunted and rolled over onto her back and looked up at Xena, staring down at her. Smiling nervously, Gabrielle froze.

"I leave you alone for one hour, and this is what happens." Xena rested her hand on her hip, shaking her head.

"I was bored. You can't expect me to stay in bed all day!"

Xena bent over and extended her hand. She hoisted Gabrielle up off the floor and whipped the coat off her shoulders and threw it onto a chair. Xena, typically, would be angry, but she was having a hard time showing any other emotion aside from worry when it came to Gabrielle.

"Are you hurt?"

Gabrielle adjusted the sling and scowled. "Obviously…"

"I meant, after your tumble," Xena said with a sneer.

"No…"

She sat on the end of the bed and felt like a child being scolded by its mother. Xena had a smile on her face the entire time. She was enjoying this a little too much, Gabrielle mused.

"Let me see your wound."

Xena walked over and lifted the sling gently over Gabrielle's head. She peeked beneath the gauze and studied the wound. The stitches provided by the physician were holding up nicely so far, and the surrounding area began to bruise, which was a good sign it was healing properly.

"Very nice," she murmured to herself. "In a few weeks, you should be as good as new!"

Gabrielle sighed. "I doubt my shoulder will ever be able to move the same again. What terrible luck, right? Only me."

"You're normally so optimistic. I'm shocked to hear you talk this way," Xena teased, nudging her wife's cheek with her closed fist.

"Maybe I'd be in a better mood if you let me leave this damn room once in a while!"

"You're letting Arielle's attitude influence you too much."

"Xena, you're being overly cautious."

"I have every right to be."

Crouched down behind a tree, Edemen studied a deer with a fawn beside her. He held his bow on his thigh and watched Kurt weave in between the trees, coming closer and closer to the deer. Edemen wished that his aunt had more time to teach him how to use a bow correctly. He was nowhere near as good as Arielle.

He was convinced that his aunt was probably the best archer in the entire empire. His cousin, Kurt, was pretty skilled with all weapons and practiced with a bow almost every day. Edemen had a lot to learn. He wanted to be the one to kill the deer but knew that he would miss the animal and probably shoot his cousin due to his poor aim.

Once at a decent distance, Kurt loaded his bow, focusing in on the fawn. He pulled the bow taut and aimed the arrowhead directly at the animal. Before he released the arrow, he heard horses galloping from afar. The two deer scattered and disappeared into the thick of the woods.

"Dammit!"

Edemen threw his bow over his shoulder and ran to his cousin, cold breath escaping his lips. "What happened? You nearly had it!"

Kurt slipped the arrow back into the holster and stood from his crouched position. "The horses spooked them."

He weaved his way through the woods, following the sounds of men shouting and horse hooves digging into the snow. Edemen followed, and then they both watched from behind a thick thorn bush.

On the path that connected West Pannonia to the inner state, there were hundreds upon hundreds of soldiers moving on horseback and foot heading to the tribe ahead. Edemen gasped and grabbed his cousin's arm.

"Who are they?" he whispered.

Kurt frowned and answered, "they must be Lombards or Antes. They're heading to the tribe."

"We have to head back!" Edemen said with urgency. "We need to tell everybody they're coming!"

Kurt yanked his cousin back and clapped a hand over Edemen's mouth. "We didn't bring a horse with us. We wouldn't make it back in time. If we leave now, they will catch us and probably kill us."

Edemen widened his eyes, fear-stricken. He just wanted to go hunting. He didn't plan on dying or getting captured.

"We're going to have to wait here until morning."

Edemen looked over at the soldiers riding on the dirt path ahead. "But my mother, my brothers…"

Kurt tried not to display his fears in front of his little cousin. He also thought of his stepmother, little brother, and infant sisters. Since his father was fighting Rodelinda in the south, the only capable people of fighting were Arielle and Xena. He would be lying if he said he wasn't worried about everyone's safety, but he couldn't express fear in front of Edemen.

"Don't worry, they'll be safe."

Edemen sighed heavily and waltzed over to a large tree. His back hit the trunk of the tree, and he slid down, hitting the ground with a loud thud. He brought his knees close to his chest and wrapped his arms around his legs. Right about now, he truly felt like a child. He wasn't able to help and instead had to stay in the woods until it was safe to leave.

Kurt focused on the soldiers, snarling. There were so many men, and it pained him that he couldn't run out and stop them. This was clearly an ambush. He looked over his shoulder at his cousin when he heard soft snivels and sobs.

"Hey," he knelt down, and Edemen hid his flushed face in the crevice of his knees. "Everything's gonna be alright. Arielle will protect the tribe."

Edemen wiped his nose and gaped at his cousin. "I promised my father that I'd protect my mother and brothers. My mother is going to be so worried about me."

Out of anger and frustration, he threw his bow at the tree across from where he sat. The wooden bow broke in half from the blow.

"Don't beat yourself up over it, Ede. I rather we come back alive than have them find us dead. We're safer if we stay here."

In the middle of eating dinner, the call of an invasion sounded throughout the entire tribe. Xena lowered the spoon from her mouth and jumped up then ran towards the balcony. Daylight passed, and Xena could barely see beyond the borders up ahead. The horns continued to sound, and soon, everyone emerged from their yurts, while others gathered their belongings and families to retreat.

She leaned over the rails and saw Arielle outside, yelling at the soldiers to gather up the citizens and horde them in Ernak's Adame on the opposite side of the tribe. Of course, the tribe was much too large to house everyone.

Xena raised an eyebrow, observing Arielle orchestrating all of the children and women to be escorted to Ernak's home. For once, she didn't have to shout orders at Arielle to get her to do her job.

Gabrielle joined her on the terrace, and the display of organized chaos caused her heart to race. "Xena…" she grabbed her spouse by the arm. "Why are you still here? Go down there!"

"Look at her go," Xena marveled and turned to Gabrielle. Her smile faded. "Right. I'm leaving right now."

She briskly walked back into the bedroom and grabbed her coat, Kozak, and sword on the bed. She expected an attack, but she didn't think it would come so soon. The Persians hadn't arrived yet, which put them at a considerable disadvantage combat-wise.

Gabrielle nervously scratched the back of her neck, watching Xena prepare to leave. She felt so helpless, and it was nearly impossible to convince Xena to allow her to aid in any way.

"Is there something I can do?"

"Yes. You can stay here."

"Xena, I want to help! Give me something to do. I am capable of doing some things."

Xena sheathed her sword and huffed. She might come to regret this later, but sometimes she couldn't argue with Gabrielle, and they did need all the help they could get.

"Crowd control. Gather all the women and children, as many as you can, and bring them here."

It wasn't a task she particularly enjoyed, but she took what was handed to her.

Gabrielle smiled and said, "I can do that. Be careful," she felt the need to remind Xena that continuously.

"Farah! That was a call of distress! We need to move!"

Anastasia tried desperately to remove Farah from the sofa in the women's quarters downstairs. It took several hours to finally get Farah to calm down, but after the invasion warning was heard, Farah broke down in tears, wailing irrepressibly.

She expressed concern over her son, who hadn't returned and uttered incohesive sentences in between her hysterical crying. Anastasia tried to hoist Farah off the sofa, but she was unresponsive and became like a stone, unable to be moved.

Turning over her shoulder, she saw the twin princes gawking, horrified at the way their mother was reacting. Anastasia took in a deep breath and walked over to the boys.

"Go upstairs and wait for me there, okay?"

They were too concerned and worried about their mother to speak. Anastasia frowned and grabbed both of their chins, and finally, they registered her demands. They quickly darted up the staircase. Two down, one to go, Anastasia thought.

She marched back over to the hysterical queen. The overwhelming urge to slap Farah was unreal. Her fingers fidgeted, and her nostrils flared, breathing heavily as she stared at Farah curled up on the sofa, crying uncontrollably.

"Farah, it is unsafe for you to be downstairs. I need you to cooperate."

She attempted to grab Farah's arm again, and Farah pulled away, wrapping her arms over her chest. Anastasia clapped a hand to her forehead, at a loss of what to do. She looked outside the windows and saw her mother mount her horse and ride out with a group of soldiers.

Arielle rushed into the quarters and gaped at both her mother and Farah. "What are you two doing down here?"

"She won't get off the couch," Ana tiredly admitted.

Arielle marched across the room and frowned down at her sister in law. Without hesitation, she scooped Farah into her arms, groaning loudly as she struggled to lift Farah. She charged up the stairs, holding her breath.

"Put me down!" ordered Farah.

"Shut up!"

Arielle picked up her pace and headed down the hallway towards Farah's bedroom. She kicked the doors open with a hard push of her boot and hurried inside. After she received a slew of curses from Farah, she eased the heavy queen onto the bed.

She blew out a breathy exhale and set her hands on her hips. "You're going to stay in this room. Mother will look after you."

"But –but Edemen!"

Winded, Arielle was barely able to speak, "what about him?"

"He never came home!"

"Fuck," Arielle muttered under her breath. She sighed, staring at her sobbing sister in law. "I'll find him. Don't you dare come out of this room!"

She scurried out and bumped into her mother in the hallway. "Give Farah something to sedate her. She is stressing herself out too much."

Anastasia nodded and grabbed her daughter's arm. "Arielle…" her grip tightened, "please be careful."

"I will."

"And make sure to tell your grandmother to be careful too."

Arielle guffawed, "as if she's gonna listen to me!"

"Arielle, I mean it!"

"I'll tell her, mother."

Ernak mirrored Navaz's expression of confusion and distrust. They watched as Rodelinda rounded up her men and retreated from the area. Each side fought relentlessly and endlessly over the last few weeks, and Rodelinda made no attempt to stop until tonight. The two kings studied the way the Lombard Queen commanded her army, and neither of them understood how these people fought so well with so little energy.

"Fascinating," Ernak said, rubbing his beard. "She's pulling back."

Navaz furrowed his thick eyebrows and added to that, "but why? She has no reason to stop. She's like a machine with unlimited coal to keep the machine churning."

"There's a reason. She's not pulling back for no reason."

Ernak walked across the camp and watched as Rodelinda stood in the center of the field, shouting out commands to her soldiers. There was something odd about this retreat, and Ernak couldn't put his finger on it. But he'd seen and been in enough wars to know that enemies who fought like Rodelinda, always had a motive.

"This is a distraction," Navaz said.

"Why do you say that?"

"She has more than enough men and weapons to keep fighting, yet she stops. This is clearly a distraction."

Ernak nodded, narrowing his eyes as he collected information during his surveillance. Looking at Rodelinda wasn't going to give him any clues, so he stomped his back to the inner campsite. Their men were exhausted. Even after weeks of warring, Ernak and Navaz were able to come up with a strategy so the army wouldn't tire so quickly.

They attacked in waves. It was a method that Navaz used several times and one that Anastasia taught him when they fought against the Shah brothers many years ago. The strategy wasn't meant to be used long-term, but they had to make do with what they had.

"I just realized something," Ernak said, and Navaz arched a curious brow. "Her husband, Alduin, hasn't been here at all during this battle."

After the military base construction, Arielle thought to build a physical wall around the entire tribe. Not only would it be safer, but there would be fewer attacks. People were free to come and go through the tribe as they pleased as there weren't any physical borders that were guarding Attila's tribe.

Arielle was forced to use her soldiers as human shields. Unfortunately, it wasn't working very well because most lost their lives in a matter of seconds from the Antes ramming their large scythes and javelins through bodies to push their way through.

She sat on her horse, ordering the archers to consistently fire at the invaders. The archers kept shooting, raining arrows out onto the dark field. Arielle fearfully looked at the hundreds of torches lighting up the outer area.

She kicked the horse's hind leg and galloped her way to Xena, who was waiting by one of the back rows of soldiers. She tried not to sound the least bit afraid, but her eyes said it all.

"I…I don't know what to do. My tactics aren't working. They're pushing through," Arielle said shakily. "If they get through, they're going to raid our entire tribe."

Xena slipped on her leather gloves and tapered her eyes.

"Let them through."

"W-what?" Arielle stammered.

"Let them through!"

Arielle flinched, and she swallowed. She galloped close to the soldiers guarding the borders and gave an order for them to allow the Antes into the tribe. Her head whipped around, staring at her grandmother, confused and wary of this terrible decision.

As if in slow motion, Xena braced herself for the surge of Antes that came pouring in like a rolling river that crashed through a broken dam. She took in a deep inhale and gripped the reins, preparing to fight if needed. They'd have to come through a lot of rows of soldiers to get to her.

Gabrielle wasn't going to like this at all, but she couldn't think about that right now. She had a duty to uphold. She swore to always protect the tribe ever since she met Attila. She had kept her word on that even after his passing. She wasn't going to allow the heartland to be retaken like it had been so many times in the past.

The two armies collided with each other, clashing swords, javelins plunged into bodies, soldiers were run over by stampeding horses. Xena turned to Arielle, who was continuing to command the archers to shoot from afar.

She made a quick decision to employ a Roman strategy that she hadn't used in a long time. She couldn't do it alone, though, and needed Arielle's help. There was one problem. Arielle wasn't very familiar with Roman tactics as Xena didn't focus on teaching those during Arielle's short reign as commander.

"Arielle!" she shouted, waving her arm to grab attention.

The Khagana rode over, leaving her archers to fire freely at the Antes. She wasn't in a position to judge her grandmother's choices and knew that this rash decision must have a good reason behind it, but she had her doubts.

"I'm going to teach you a Roman strategy right now."

Arielle took in a sharp breath, "right now?!" she looked around at the chaos unfolding around them. "Grandma, we are in the middle of a bloodbath!"

"Listen to me carefully," Xena held up two fingers. "Do you remember that technique I used back in Armenia when we fought Shehzade Kawus?"

Arielle panicked and nodded, "the time when we took out the siege towers?"

"That's the one."

"Grandma, that is a perilous strategy. You almost died. I can't let you do that again."

Xena smiled, touched by the concern. "I know, but you're going to do it."

"Me?" she thumbed her chest. "But grandma, I…I've never done that before. I don't…I can't!"

"I have faith in you," Xena clasped a hand onto Arielle's shoulder. "We don't have a lot of time, so pay attention to every detail I'm going to tell you."

In the crowded Adame, Gabrielle organized all of the women or as many as she could fit inside. She pushed her way through the women and children, most of which were either crying or talking over each other, very worried about the situation outside.

She had guards posted at every exit. This wasn't going to be a repeat like what happened last time. She peered out one of the windows and could barely see anything due to the lack of light. She felt a tug on her pant leg and spun around.

Aurora gazed up at her with teary eyes. "Gabby, is my mom okay? Did you hear any news?"

"Sorry, no, I haven't," she knelt down and caressed the princess' cheek. "She's going to be fine. Where's Ku? Why aren't you with her?"

Aurora rubbed her eye, "she's helping the women. Gabby, I don't want her to get hurt like last time!" she started to whimper, and Gabrielle grabbed her hand, leading her away from the talkative women closeby.

They sat down on a bench in one of the hallways near the entrance. She brushed a few strands of hair from Aurora's cheek.

"War is scary, I know. I know exactly how you feel."

Aurora sniffled, "you do?"

She nodded, "I've seen your grandmother hurt several times and Xena too, and Ernak, Cera, Csaba, your grandfather too."

Aurora's breath hitched. "I dunno if I want to ever go to war," she wagged her head.

Gabrielle grinned and ran her fingers through the girl's long hair. "You don't have to if you don't want to. I'm sure that'll ease your mother's concerns in the future," she chuckled.

The thought of Arielle parenting a teenage daughter was comical and horrifying at the same time. Out of all the mothers here, Arielle was the most eccentric when it came to parenting. Although Aurora was far easier to discipline than Arielle ever was. Gabrielle guessed that the gods granted Arielle some mercy in that department.

"But I still like learning how to fight and stuff," said Aurora with a gentle smile. "And I like archery too. I'm pretty good, right?"

"Not as good as your mother, though."

"She's the best archer in the world!"

Somehow, Gabrielle was inclined to agree. It was probably true because Arielle exceeded her own father when it came to mastering the bow and arrow.

"Why don't you play a game with Kazem? It should help you get your mind off things."

Aurora shrugged. "I don't think it's gonna help. Thanks anyway, Gabby."

She stifled a laugh, "anytime."

Given the quick lesson, Arielle managed to do everything that her grandmother said. She rounded up half the able-bodied men she had and circled around the entirety of the tribe, which enclosed the Antes in the center.

The Antes had no idea what was happening around them, thus distracting some of the soldiers, and they ended up dying by a Hun's sword or arrow to the body. Arielle kept riding around the entire tribe, making her way back around from her starting point for the third time. She looked behind her, trying to keep her eye on her grandmother, who had suddenly disappeared.

"What –" she whipped around and craned her neck. "What the hell!"

While Arielle was busy with the spiral tactic, Xena was able to gather the archers and lead them off to the side for a different task. With little light she had to work with, she was able to spot the man in charge; a man with long blond braids chatted with another blond man. They were displeased by the abrupt Roman strategy used.

She asked all the archers to line the outer rim of the tribe with oil. This was going to cause a lot of damage and ultimately destroy hundreds of yurts in the process, but thanks to Gabrielle, everyone was out of harm's way.

"Lite it," she ordered.

Galloping away from the archers, she waited in the distance. The entire circumference drenched in oil was ignited by the flame of the arrows soaring through the air and onto the snowy grass. Xena enlarged her eyes with a luminescent grin, watching the field burst into flames.

She raised her hand, which Arielle caught sight of. Just as she planned, Arielle and the soldiers in the circle dispersed and scattered about the field. This left the Antes trapped in the middle of a blazing ring of fire.

The obstacle didn't deter some of the men, and they ran through the ring, continuing to attack. It only slowed them down for a little while. Xena's eyes darkened two shades and growled. What is wrong with these people? They were just the same as the Lombards. Nothing could stop them. Not even fire would cease their willpower to keep pushing through until every Hun and Avar were dead.

Amid the scattered chaos, Arielle halted in the middle of the circle of fire. Her horse reared on its hind legs, and she fell onto the ground. Rolling over onto her back, she was met with an Antes soldier, ready to strike.

She tumbled across the field and whipped her sword out. With a swift kick to the chest, she sent the soldier flying backward. Then, she charged forward and drove her blade straight through the center of his chest.

She raised her head, looking for her grandmother for aid. Breathing heavily, she heard the sound of hundreds of horses stampeding into the tribe. Arielle jumped to her feet and tried to run after her horse, who since ran away, terrified of the fire.

She pulled back her hair, hanging in front of her face, and her heart stopped as soon as she saw Persian soldiers riding in. She cried out, driving her blade through an Antes who mistakenly tried to attack her head-on.

Arielle ran and jumped over the ring of fire, searching to see if she could find Xerxes in the sea of soldiers. It was nearly pitch-black, and with only the light from the fire illuminating the field, she couldn't make out any faces.

"Arielle!"

She turned, and Xena galloped towards her. She hopped onto the horse and kept her eye on the Persians charging in to save them ultimate destruction and maybe even extinction.

"It's about damn time your man showed up," Xena teased.

Once they were in the clear, Arielle hopped off the horse and ran up the hill, searching for the Shehzade. She stepped over bodies and growled, shoving a soldier out of her way. She spotted a man, whom she thought might be Xerxes, wearing a black leather outfit and silver helm with chainmail.

He turned his head, and Arielle was able to make out the features despite the darkness surrounding them. She stopped, dead center, in the middle of the chaos as men fought around her. The horseman dismounted and pulled off his helm. Now, she could see the long dark hair tumbling down his back, and she put a hand over her beating chest.

Xerxes grinned upon seeing her. The way she was looking at him, he might've thought she had just seen a ghost before her.

Tears surfaced, and Arielle ran across the field and collided into Xerxes. She jumped on him, wrapping her legs around his waist. Xerxes nearly fell backward, but he held her, squeezing her tightly. He clutched a mound of curls in his palm and pressed his cheek against the side of her head, smelling her ember-scented hair.

Arielle pulled back and held his face. She gave him a passionate kiss to the lips, inhaling every bit of air within him. Pulling away slowly, they touched foreheads, and tears streamed down Arielle's cheeks.

"You came," she whispered.

"I told you I'd always be there for you." He kissed her forehead.

She lowered her feet to the ground, though she felt like she was walking on air. Her hands roamed over Xerxes' body to ensure he was real and standing in front of her. This was real –he was real.

"I'm here," he assured her with a light laugh.

This was more of a reaction than he expected. Tears flowed down her cheeks, which was very unlike Arielle. She was always so shy to express herself. Perhaps, Xerxes never realized how she felt or how much his death affected her. She never behaved this way around him before.

Pent up rage simmered inside Arielle for over a year. She punched Xerxes in the chest, not once but twice and then a third time.

He spoke too soon. Xerxes grabbed her shaking fists, gazing into fiery eyes.

"You –you left me! How…how could you do that to me?" she said breathlessly.

"I know. I can explain, please…"

From afar, Xena whistled, and the two turned their heads. "We aren't finished out here!" she yelled, gesturing to the battlefield.

Arielle wiped her cheeks and glared at Xerxes.

He smiled and tenderly cupped her cheek. "Later, we will talk, I promise."