Chapter Twelve: Scarlet Tanager

In a hoarse voice, Erva croaked, gagging on her own saliva. She dug her nails into her scalp as she pushed back her hair. Lifting her head out of the pail, she wiped her mouth with the backside of her hand, heaving and lightly coughing. Out of her side view, she spotted a hand holding a cloth.

Her head tilted upward, and Xena stood behind her, lending aid. Erva sighed, snatched the cloth and dried her lips, and flushed moist cheeks.

Xena folded her arms, leaned on the wall, and said, "you really ought to stop poisoning your insides with wine."

"I can do what I want," Erva grumbled, tossing the cloth aside.

"I don't want to find you dead on the floor one day," her voice cracked slightly, which caught Erva's attention.

Rubbing her forehead, she snapped her head around, "as if you'd notice if I was gone or not."

Xena crinkled her eyebrows and set a hand on her ill friend's shoulder. "What is that supposed to mean? I told you that I care about you. I always have."

Erva tapered her eyes at the comment and slipped the hand off her shoulder. "If you cared about me, then you wouldn't put me in this position."

"What do you mean?" Xena knelt down, folding her hands on her thighs.

"Eylül wants me dead because of you," Erva spat, inching closer. "If I had gone to Rome with you instead of Gölge, I would be the dead one. You used her as a sacrifice."

"That…was not something in my control," Xena pinched her fingers together. "I had to make a choice. It was either her or Xian…and I," she trailed off, feeling the dagger eyes piercing through her.

Erva snorted, "so you don't deny it. If I was in Gölge's position, you would've had me killed."

"I would never do that to you."

"I don't believe you," Erva whispered.

She used Xena's shoulders as a means to support her poor balance so she could stand. Once upright, she slowly walked through the doorway. Xena slouched her shoulders, contemplating in silence.

Gabrielle tip-toed around the villa, obviously avoiding the two brunettes that stalked the halls. She felt like she was lurking in a minotaur's cave the last few days. Talking to Xena from time to time was nice, but it wasn't enough. After Xena's little storytelling of a small sliver of her life, she seemed more distant.

Gabrielle expected as much from her. She encouraged herself to be more patient with Xena. Patience is the key here. Walking up the stairs, she pushed open the door to Varinia's room with the side of her hip. The two made eye contact, and Varinia sat up in bed, eager to see someone other than her lovely new friend—the pail beside her bed.

"I brought some tea for you," she set the tray on the bed. "No sugar, no honey, no nothing," she smiled.

Varinia took the warm cup in her palms. "Thanks. It's pretty quiet down there."

Gabrielle sighed, nodding her head. "That's not always a good sign around here," she lightly joked, although she was very much serious. "Are you feeling any better? Maybe you should see a doctor."

"Maybe. I thought it was the wine, but I guess not," Varinia hissed after sipping the hot tea. "I feel really terrible that I made them fight again."

"It's not you, Varinia. They're…," Gabrielle glanced around the room, pausing for a while. "They're just going through a lot of things."

The Syrian twisted her mouth and tapped the glass. "You know, I don't want this to sound stupid, but why doesn't Xena just take all of Eylül's properties away from her? Xena owns this land."

Gabrielle also thought of this initially because it looked to be that the Bastillia family had control over all the ports. It was a considerable disadvantage for Xena, especially now since Eylül was in contact with the Romans. Gabrielle couldn't understand why Augusta Sabina would be bothered by someone from Edirne in the first place. Although Eylül was a very wealthy woman and had status here. She was probably more talked about in Edirne daily than Xena.

"From what I was told, the Bastillia family has owned the Steppe ports for two hundred years or so. It would be complicated if Xena tried to intervene. The family is very large and powerful."

Varinia snorted, adding on, "if they're so powerful, how come they aren't in charge of the entire Steppe region, then?"

Gabrielle let out an awkward laugh, stepping closer to the door. "That's probably the intended plan."

She allowed Varinia to be by herself for a while. She was also dying to know what was going on downstairs. Leaving the room, she spun around and bumped into a tall woman—the wrong woman. It was Erva, and she had the most horrible glower painted on her face.

"Oh, sorry," she muttered.

Erva's lip twitched. She attempted to step to the side, but her head throbbed, and her balance nearly failed her. She saw a hand reaching for her shoulder, and she quickly snapped away.

Gabrielle retracted her hand. "So, did you two clear things up?"

"I don't want to talk to you about…anything," she whispered lowly, then stalked down the hallway, entered her room, and slammed the door.

Well, that was a disaster, but Gabrielle wasn't surprised. She exhaled, then began to walk towards the stairs and met Xena halfway down. They shared a smile, and Gabrielle continued down the stairs, and Xena shortly followed.

"Hello," said Xena, brushing a few blonde strands off Gabrielle's shoulder. "How is she?"

Unable to focus on anything but the pair of eyes above her, she fumbled to come up with a quick answer. Instead, she blurted out, "who?"

Xena licked her lips, grinning, "Varinia…"

"Oh," the hairs on the nape of her neck stood up. "She's feeling better. I brought her some tea. I think she should go see a doctor or something."

"Hmm. I have one woman puking downstairs and another puking upstairs," Xena said with a stone-cold expression, then broke into a smile.

Gabrielle cleared the lump caught in her throat. "Erva's sick too?"

"Sick on wine," Xena rolled her eyes. "She thinks that fixes her problems."

"Maybe she's looking for…someone to talk to," Gabrielle hinted. "She's more than your ex-commander, chambermaid, and right-hand. She's your friend. You know her best, and she knows you best, so she keeps reminding me."

Xena led them to sit in the foyer together and laced their fingers together once they sat. Looking down at their laced hands, she brushed a thumb across Gabrielle's and sighed heavily.

"I'm sorry that Erva is treating you poorly. She…she's a bit green-eyed."

"Really," Gabrielle's flat tone caused the woman opposite her to smile, "I couldn't tell." She squeezed the hand in her grasp. "I should be more…considerate of her feelings. She was here before me."

"That doesn't mean she can treat you like shit, Gabrielle."

"No," she interjected, chuckling, "but she has the right to feel the way that she does. I don't think either one of us gave her any time to adjust."

Xena nodded, her head lowering as her thoughts overwhelmed her. "She said something to me that I can't get out of my head."

There was a long pause, and Gabrielle leaned forward, intent on listening.

"She said if…she was in Gölge's place that she would be dead right now. But I told her that I would never put her in that position."

The memory of slicing into that girl's neck came rushing back. Gabrielle remembered that day so vividly. She tried to put it aside, and for a while, she hadn't thought about it until now. She didn't want to remember that moment—the way the blade slit into Gölge's throat, the warm blood trickling down her neck and collarbone—it was too gruesome. A chilling sensation soared up her spine, all that was noticeable to Xena's keen senses.

"But I don't know."

Gabrielle held her breath, barely able to concentrate, "don't know what?"

"If I convinced myself. I don't know if I would've been able to spare Erva's life if she were in Gölge's place."

Gabrielle's lip curled upward into an uneasy smile. She reached over and lifted the ruler's chin with a gentle finger. "You thought you were doing the right thing at the time. You were trying to save yourself."

Xena's eyes dropped to the floor. If that were only true, she thought. It was only half the truth. She wasn't going to let herself be killed in Rome of all places. If she was going to die, it was going to be here, in Edirne, definitely not Rome. But Gölge had to die. It was the only way. The plan was poorly executed, and maybe, if she had more time to contemplate, she could've spared her apprentice's life. But she was only thinking of one person, and it certainly wasn't Gölge. Her son was the most important person during that ill-thought-out plan.

"Yes…"

Raising her eyes, she faintly smiled at Gabrielle's warm expression. Inching off the sofa, nearly falling off, she leaned in, gingerly kisses the lips opposite her. She felt the lips against hers twist into a smile, and warm breath glide onto her skin.

A day away from the shop was what she needed. She sometimes loathed the women she worked with, and that included her clients. Most of the women in Edirne were considerably wealthy and thought of nobody but themselves. After an altercation she had yesterday with a client of hers she had seen for nearly a year, Fatma decided to take a day off.

Or more like, her cohorts strongly advised her to. Working with affluent needy egotistical women was beginning to take a toll on her. If she didn't have family here, she would've already made plans to go to another province.

Fatma set out a spread of food for the afternoon. She organized the table accordingly with fruit in the center, bread off to the left, and a carafe of wine to the right. She inwardly chuckled at the thought of her brother teasing her for having an 'artist's eye' at all hours of the day. She rearranged the plates for the third time and smiled, placing her hands on her hips.

"Perfect."

She jumped at the loud, intrusive knocking at the door. She quickly grabbed a veil and wrapped it over her hair before approaching the front door. She hadn't expected her elder brother to be home this early.

Pressing her ear against the door, she answered, "who is it?"

A man responded back to her, "we need to ask some questions."

Fatma frowned, clutching her veil tightly to her neck. "I'm home by myself. My brother will be home soon." She heard whispering and added, "maybe…maybe in an hour or two."

"The Conqueror ordered us to ask citizens questions."

Fatma closed her eyes and uncertainly unlocked the door. She peered outside, staring at two men. By the look of their attire, they weren't dressed like Xena's soldiers that Fatma had seen wandering around the city from time to time. She held onto the door, unwilling to show herself.

"What are these…questions?"

One of the men pushed the door open, shoving her aside. Fatma gasped, stumbling into a nearby table, and watched both men barge into her home. She stood up, the veil flying off her hair, and ran to block the men from rudely searching her home.

"What are you doing? Get out of my house! I didn't give you permission to—"

A blade was pulled on her, and her throat went numb. She retreated, backing away from the dangerous tip that was barely an inch from her chest. Standing off to the side, one of the men soared up the stairs. Fatma looked at the blade, then at the staircase. She heard doors opening, slamming, and items being knocked over.

Breathing heavily, she asked, "what—why are you searching my home? I've done nothing—committed no crime."

The man returned from searching upstairs and shook his head at his partner. They both smiled at the pale-faced artist and made their way to the exit.

"You may go on about your day," one of the men said.

Fatma watched them leave her home and wrapped a hand around her throat. She ran to the window, peering from behind the curtain, and saw them approaching the next apartment home. She knew her neighbors had children. The children's mother was alone most of the day, and her husband wasn't likely to return until sundown.

Just as she thought, they barged into her neighbor's home, and she heard the cries emitting from the small children. Fatma clamped hands over her ears and backed away from the window.

As much as she loved peace and quiet, living in this household was anything but peaceful. Gabrielle hated living in between two women who were at odds with one another. If it wasn't quiet, it was an all-out match, but over the last two days, Xena and Erva hadn't spoken a word to each other. For that, Gabrielle was grateful.

Gabrielle was awake earlier than usual. With all the tension around her, she found it difficult to sleep well at night. She could tell it was affecting everyone else as well, but nobody wanted to address the elephant in the room. She decided to go pay her early morning visit and entered Xena's room.

She expected to see a body in the bed but saw it was empty. The sheets were half off the mattress, and a few pillows were on the floor. Gabrielle picked up a scent from afar and followed the flowery aroma, which brought her to the baths. She peered from behind the open archway, watching Xena pour warm water over her long hair and arms.

Xena tilted her head back, running her palms over her wet hair, and paused. She spun around in the water with an intensely furrowed brow. Every muscle in her body relaxed once she realized who the lurker was.

"Am I bothering you?" asked Gabrielle.

Xena smiled, shaking her head. She turned around, grabbing a wet cloth and a saucer of waxy soap. She met the pair of lurking eyes once more and motioned for Gabrielle to come closer. Gabrielle slipped off her shoes, descended down the wet stone floor, and took a seat beside the warm pool.

Without uttering a word, she set the saucer and cloth in front of Gabrielle. She brought her hair over to one side of her shoulder, exposing her upper-back. For a few long moments, Gabrielle stared at the olive skin and let her mouth gape.

"The soap irritates my wounds," Xena alleged, wiggling her fingers.

Ah, was that it? Gabrielle dipped the cloth into the water and doused it with the soap. An excuse to get close to you, she thought. She glided the soapy cloth along Xena's shoulder, taking careful notice of the twinging muscles beneath her touch. She wrung out the cloth, allowing the water to pour over the skin.

Xena closed her eyes, stretching her neck, and rolled her shoulders back. The warm water soothed her tense muscles, and she slipped further beneath the water's surface. The gentle motion of the cloth that washed her skin allowed her to be placed into a trance where she heard nothing but the ripples of the water and birds outside.

"You seem calmer today," Gabrielle whispered, interrupting the silence.

"Only because you're here," Xena's eyes fluttered open, and she turned, smiling softly. "I…was thinking about what you said the other day."

Gabrielle paused in thought, scooping water into a bowl and leisurely doused Xena's skin. "And…what exactly did I say?"

The response caused the conqueror to hold in a chortle. She stared at the slowly healing cuts on her hand, frowning. "Erva is my friend. She's always been there for me and carried out my orders without question. I didn't even think about what I am doing—putting her life in danger."

She grabbed Gabrielle's wrist and stared into her eyes.

"All this time, I thought I was one the with the target on my back, but it's Erva. She's a moving target, and that's my fault."

Gabrielle blinked. "I…don't think I said all of that…"

"You did," Xena gave the wrist in her grasp a firm squeeze. "Perhaps not in so many words…for once," she winked. "Still, you were right. I'm not sure what to do. I can't stay in this villa forever."

"You can't exactly go back to your home in the mountains either. Apparently, Eylül has spies everywhere."

Xena's hand slipped off the wrist she held and stared at a bird that flew into the bath chamber. Lifting a suspicious brow, she glanced back at the blonde, who continued washing her neck and shoulder.

"You killed Demir too. Now, we won't be able to pass any messages to Rome."

Xena sighed. "I reacted too quickly. I was angry…"

"At Erva, I know."

"I didn't think it was possible to feel so unsafe in your own land," Xena admitted in just above a whisper. She wrapped a hand over her bare shoulder and felt fingers grab hers.

"We'll figure it out, but I think you need to know exactly what Eylül is up to. Buying land and jewelry from Augusta Sabina isn't enough."

Xena nodded, settling into the water. It was hard to talk of possible murder when she was in the one place where she could relax. The washcloth gently grazed her neck, and just behind her ear, her lip twitched, and she shifted, folding a hand beneath her thigh.

Gabrielle leaned over, cheeks flushing as she watched the reaction beside her. Her finger slowly slipped from the cloth and touched the sun-kissed skin. She felt a twinge of the ruler's jaw tighten and traced her finger down the neck to the collarbone, shoulder, and finally the upper arm. Her eyes focused on the breasts beneath the murky warm water and allowed her fingers to pull away.

Holding her breath, she hadn't noticed Xena staring. A hand reached up to caress her cheek and took in a shaky inhale.

"Thank you, Gabrielle."

"F-for what?"

Xena rose from the water and wrung out her hair. "For listening to me."

She stepped out of the pool, flicking her wet hair behind her, padded over to grab a towel, and smiled, looking back at the baffled blonde. Wrapping the linen around her body, she exited the chamber, seeking to find clothes.

Gabrielle shut her eyes tightly and inwardly cursed at herself. She slapped a palm to her forehead and felt her heart palpitating in her ears. Tossing the wet cloth into the soap saucer, she ran her hand over her face. The internal turmoil within was not something she was used to, nor could she understand how to regulate any of the feelings that overcame her recently.

"Dammit."

Plagued with a headache that now seemed to subside, for the time being, Erva left her room for the first time in two days. She looked at the room at the end of the hall, grimacing. The last conversation she had with Xena was not pleasant. The last words they shared weren't for the faint heart, and Erva was sure the others heard them.

Erva walked downstairs, entering the kitchen, and found Varinia sitting at the table, stirring a glass of tea that had long gone cold. Erva sighed, folding her arms, watching the girl stare in the distance at the wall, continuously stirring the spoon mindlessly.

She walked over to the counter, snatched a lemon and cut it in half with a knife, then pulled out a bowl of coarse salt. Squeezing the lemon juice into a glass, she took a pinch of salt, a pinch of sugar and mixed it with the lemon juice. Adding a bit of water, she swished it around then walked over to Varinia.

Varinia hadn't noticed company and lifted her head, staring into Erva's dark eyes.

"Drink this. It will make you feel better."

Varinia eyed the glass warily, and it was practically shoved towards her mouth. She took the glass, sniffed it, and took a small sip. She coughed at the bitterness that hit her tongue like fire. Her lips puckered, and she saw Erva smiling or smirking; she couldn't tell.

Erva sat and propped a leg on the table. "Go on, finish it."

"It tastes horrible."

"Would you rather have your head over a bucket of your own bile?" Erva raised an eyebrow.

Varinia sighed and slowly sipped on the tart mixture, finding it hard to manage. After a few minutes, she was able to finish the juice and was pleasantly surprised that she could keep the liquid down. She sat back, sliding the empty glass aside.

"Better?"

Varinia nodded, wiping her mouth. "Why didn't someone give me this magical drink sooner?"

Erva lowered her eyes, chuckling softly. As they sat in silence, cries of women were heard outside. They both frowned, listening to the women shouting angrily. Erva jumped up, hurried over to the nearest window, and hid behind a curtain. Several women were outside their homes, shouting, and moments later, three men exited the homes.

On the other side of the street, more men exited more homes. One of the groups of the men came towards the villa, and Erva quickly backed away from the window. Varinia lurked on the west side of the villa, narrowing her eyes.

"They are Eylül's men," she said, turning to Erva. "I recognize their clothes. She had dozens of men guarding her home when I was there."

Warding off another headache, Erva charged up to the second floor. She barged into Xena's room, pushing the doors open, and caught both women talking in the center of the room. Erva, too worried to question, went directly to Xena, grabbing her arm firmly.

"Eylül's men are coming this way. They're searching homes."

Xena grabbed a robe and veil. She walked over to the mirror and set the veil on her hair, brushing her bangs beneath the fabric.

"I want you to listen to me carefully and do exactly as I say," she told them both.

The knocking persisted, and Xena hurried down the stairs, looking back at the second floor. The knocking soon turned into a series of pounding, and Xena kept her best face to exude patience. She tightened the robe sash around her waist and adjusted the headdress before opening the door.

Met with three men, she smiled warmly. "What can I do for you?"

"We were given orders to search this home."

Xena blocked the doorway, preventing them from entering. "Orders from whom?"

"The Edirne Conqueror. Who else?"

Xena's eyes flashed red, and all she could think about was how cunning Eylül was. That woman was so bold. It wasn't a terrible plan in hindsight. The citizens didn't know any better and would go along with the plan. But it had a thoughtless consequence. How could Eylül believe she could get away with something like this? The citizens of Edirne already didn't fully trust their ruler, Xena had come to find out recently, and now they will be riddled with fear and even more distrust of her.

"And…if I may ask," she plastered a smile on her lips, "why the conqueror gave you this order?"

"There have been reports of Romans in the area. If you don't mind stepping aside?"

Xena allowed them inside the villa, smiling at the three until they scattered. The smile quickly left her face, and she eyed the horses outside by the stables.

"You've thought of everything, haven't you, Eylül" she mumbled.