Disclaimer: if you haven't read the previous stories it is strongly suggested to do so before reading this one. All the characters in this series are historical and/or based on historical figures, including Xena and Gabrielle to a certain degree. You guys know the drill.

Welcome back to our infamous Hun family, everyone! This will be a different type of story compared to the others.

We will be seeing some new faces in this part :)

Also, Xena isn't old as sin in this story lol she's about 65 years old if you all were wondering.

Enjoy and thanks for coming back and reading ;)

Part I: The Commander's Poet

Part II: The Consul's Warrior

Part III: The Governor's Wife

Part IV: The Lieutenant

Chapter 1

Eight months since arriving in Kazakhstan, Cera was still adjusting to her new life as a married woman. Mirac's family was very receptive of her and brought her several gifts upon her arrival. She got a chance to know all five of his brothers, their wives and children. Four of Mirac's brothers did not live in the same tribe and were scattered across the territory.

She did meet her husband's sisters briefly but was unable to have decent conversations with them because they lived in the mountains with their families. Mirac arranged for his older sister, Yana, to come down to the camp because Cera invited her mother to come visit.

It was clear that Yana was one of the oldest out of eight children. When their mother died Yana assumed the matriarchal position in the family and took care of all her younger siblings and Mirac looked up to her as a mother figure and valued her opinion greatly.

Now, Cera was supposed to meet Yana and spend time with her over the next few months. She was nervous to meet her husband's sister because she will be alone. Mirac was off with his brothers in eastern Kazakhstan to buy supplies, weapons and soldiers.

Cera waited patiently outside of her yurt and Yana dismounted her horse. She was very nervous to spend some intimate time with Mirac's older sister but she tried to put on her best face. Although, Yana did not seem the least bit happy to see her. Cera was unsure of how this was going to play out given her sister in law's unreadable face.

Yana approached the Pannonian Princess with caution. She raised her eyebrow and Cera gave her a great big welcoming grin. She saw the resemblance between Yana and Mirac –both with pale skin and light blue eyes. She instantly knew that she'd have to impress this woman.

"My brother tells me that your mother is coming here," says Yana.

Cera nodded.

"I know we have not had much chance to talk one on one," she informs the nervous princess. "But I want to let you know that I do not care if you are a princess. You will get no special treatment from me."

She stared at the princess intensely and Cera's smile faded away, feeling like a meek child again, even though she was slightly taller than the intimidating woman, she felt so small. Mirac warned her that his sister could be very forward and blunt at times but she wasn't expecting Yana to be so harsh with her upon having their first words together.

"Aren't you going to invite me into your yurt?" asked Yana with a menacing frown.

Cera ran her fingers through her long auburn hair and lowered her gaze then stepped aside to allow Yana to pass. Cera watched as she passed by and Yana's servants followed quickly behind her. She let out a sigh, knowing this time spent with Mirac's sister was going to be a challenge.

Ditron held a shooting target over his head and his sister was not far from him. He lifted the target higher as she told him it was too low. He sighed and stretched his arms as high as they would go.

"Is this high enough for you?"

Xena squinted one of her eyes and focused on the target. She twirled the knife in her hand and smiled. "Perfect!" she yelled. "Hold it still."

He had some caution and doubts being in the danger zone for his sister's target practice but he knew she wouldn't hurt him. At least, not intentionally. Xena gave him a big smile and then tossed the knife onto the target and he held his breath the entire time. He pulled down the target and the knife landed dead center.

"So, Arielle just came back from Balaam. Have you talked to her?" he asked and pulled the knife out of the board.

She sighed and tapped a second blade against her palm. "That girl doesn't like to listen to anyone."

"Not even you?"

"Not even me," she emits a sad smile. She wanted to be there for her granddaughter even when Arielle didn't want her there. "I helped her in Balaam for awhile but she didn't want me there. Navaz was very hard on her during the battle. They lost to Balash."

Ditron shook his head. "You can't win every time. She'll get over it."

"Yeah, I guess you're right. Hey, do you want to continue target practice with me? I'd let you give it a go but I don't really trust you throwing knives at me."

Ditron scoffed and tossed the target onto the grass. "Sorry sister, I have to go see someone. You can throw knives at another sap," he paddled her shoulder and sauntered away.

Xena frowned and threw the knife into the target on the ground. "Who're you going to see?!" she calls out.

"A lady friend!"

"Again? Am I ever going to meet this woman? This camp isn't that big, Ditron. I'll find out who it is eventually!" she says with promise and she heard him laughing.

She stood in the field not far from the surrounding yurts and Adame. Folding her arms, she waft a bug away from her face and glanced at children playing in the center of the camp. It wasn't like she was bored but she had so much free time now she didn't know what to do with herself. Playing games with the children and teenagers was always entertaining.

She also still taught at the school and it was definitely a challenge to find new ways for the children to stay focused. Xena had no idea how hard teaching children could be. Her wife must have had a difficult job back in Athens long ago. Aside from teaching her weaponry classes and occasionally advising Arielle, she had nothing else to do.

Farah was heading her way carrying a huge parchment in her hands. Xena grinned maliciously and stood in front of the queen, blocking her path. Farah halted and lowered the parchment from her eyes. She couldn't help but feel a bit apprehensive at Xena's expressive smile.

"Xena, what can I do for you?" she felt the need to ask since her path was obstructed.

"Would you be interested in doing some target practice with me?" the retired commander asked with glimmering eyes.

The queen nervously smiled at the gesture. She had grown to like combat training and learned how to use a small amount of weapons but she hoped she'd never have to go to war soon. She liked staying in the camp and being a math instructor and mother to her three boys.

"Um, ah…" she rolled up the parchment and looked into Xena's big luscious blue eyes, hungry for entertainment. "I'm actually very busy today. I have to take this to the school. I have a great lesson planned. We're going to learn the Pythagorean Theorem tomorrow!" she squealed with excitement.

All this talk of math put Xena off immediately. She didn't care for math, not as much as Ana hated math, but it was a low totem on her pole. It was no use getting anyone to fill her time here in the camp, especially Farah. She couldn't even get Gabrielle to pay attention to her lately.

"You…have fun with that."

"I'd love it if you could stop by my class. You could learn a lot."

Xena put up a hand. "I'm good."

"Are you sure? The children really love you a lot and I've heard that your class is going well."

"Math isn't really my best subject. Are you sure you don't want to help with my target practice?" she hinted with the knives on the ground and one in her hand.

Farah smiled nervously. "I really am busy…maybe another time?"

Xena, bored with her current situation, decided to visit her wife in her office. She came up behind Gabrielle and wrapped her arms around the governor's neck, squeezing tightly. Gabrielle jumped and pried Xena's arms off and continued signing her name on the next few papers.

The tall brunette frowned and sat down beside her wife, eyeing her work diligently for hours on end. "Are you ever going to take a break?"

Gabrielle tapped the quill on the table and eyed her wife with narrowed eyes. "I have a lot work to do, Xena. Why don't you go on a hunting excursion with Ebnedzar?"

"I already did that three days ago. We caught several deer and –"

"Rabbits, I know. You told me twice." Gabrielle sighed and smiled softly at her bored-stricken wife. "I'm sorry. I really need to finish these papers for Ana. Since she left for Kazakhstan, I've been overwhelmed with this. Alaric wants a new legion of soldiers soon and it's up to me to decide if he gets it or not but I need Arielle's consent. Is she ever going to come out of her room?"

Xena shrugged and rested her cheek on her palm, gawking at all the work Gabrielle had done in just a few short hours of the day. "She's throwing a tantrum because she lost in Balaam."

"Tantrum or not, I need her to sign this. Could you give this to her?" she hands her wife the document without lifting her eyes from the desk.

"Gabrielle, you can't keep working like this all day and night. We haven't done anything together in weeks!"

The blonde knitted her brows and waved the paper. "I just need this signed. You have all this free time on your hands and I don't. Help me out, would you?"

Xena snatched the paper and got out of the chair, glaring at her wife. She hated being bored throughout the last eight months but she was the one who chose this lifestyle. She gave her position away and she thought she'd feel free but instead she became restless as days went on. The first couple of months were nice to sit and relax but now she felt she had no purpose.

"I give up my role as commander and now I am demoted to messenger. Yes, this is exactly how I wanted my life to be like," she says and walks away.

Gabrielle rubbed the back of her sore neck. "Xena! That's not true!"

Ku picked up several of Arielle's clothing items off the floor and cringed in disgust at the dirty clothes caked with mud and other things she didn't want to be made aware of. She stepped over an empty plate and half filled wine glass. As she stepped around the messy room she kicked an empty bottle of wine across the room by accident which woke up Arielle.

The tired commander lifted her head off the pillow and brushed her curls out of her face then scowled at Ku. She pulled the sheets over her head and groaned.

"Arielle, this room is a disaster!" yelled Ku. She kept picking up clothes and throwing each pair of pants over her shoulder. "Your behavior is unacceptable. You can't keep wallowing in your room. You must come out sometime."

"You sound like my mother…"

Ku raised her eyebrow and smacked the commander's hip and Arielle squealed and ripped the sheets off, glaring at her friend. "Perhaps your mother has a point."

Ever since Bayan told Arielle about Sarnai, she didn't want to talk to him even though he sent her letters. This had been nonstop over the last eight months. Ku had decided to read the letters without her permission and feared that Arielle wasn't being a very responsible wife. Bayan's mistress delivered their child couple of months ago and Arielle refused to acknowledge the child's existence. She didn't even bother to ask whether the child was a boy or girl either.

She was still Queen of Harran even if Bayan had another woman in his life. He told her that she could still maintain her status as queen even if they got divorced but she didn't want to talk about divorce. Instead, she ignored it and blocked that part of her life out of her mind. She also dealt with an incredible loss in Balaam standing alongside her father and Safiya. Arielle felt like her life wasn't going the way she thought it would at all.

"I understand that you are upset about Bayan."

"He can go fuck himself," Arielle picked at a scab on her elbow and got a glare from Ku. "But he might enjoy that."

The handmaid shook her head and dumped the clothes into a basket and folded her arms. "Arielle, I have done everything I can to help you and you don't seem to care. You have not even paid attention to Aurora since you got back from Balaam. She is asking for you."

"I will see her later," says Arielle.

"When is 'later'? I am not her mother and you can't live like this! Look at this room! It's filthy! And you have empty wine bottles everywhere!"

"I already have a mother, thank you Ku."

Ku scoffed and picked up the basket and marched off, stomping on a plate and bumped into Xena on her way out. Xena stepped out of the way and held the paper close to her chest. She frowned upon entering the room and gasped.

"Arielle…" she began and the young commander lifted her eyes, surprised by her grandmother's entrance. "This room is a pigsty."

She didn't reply and brushed her fingers through her curly locks, avoiding eye contact with her grandmother. Xena stepped over the leftover clothes that Ku didn't bother to pick up for daily laundry. She didn't even want to touch anything and kept her hands to herself. Upon coming to the side of Arielle's bed she saw several wine glasses, some filled, some empty, on the bedside table.

"Gabrielle…wanted me to give this to you. Alaric wants some of your men for a legion in Rome. She wants you to sign it."

Arielle grabbed the paper and frowned. "Why should I give him my men?"

Xena didn't want to feel like she was stepping on her granddaughter's toes all the time when she gave advice. She pulled back a lot but was always there when Arielle needed guidance. "He is our ally and he probably needs more men to fight the Franks."

"I'm not signing this." She threw the paper off the bed and reached for the half empty bottle of wine.

Xena grimaced and grabbed the girl's wrist. "You don't need any more of that. You need a bath and to get out to the field and train your recruits."

Arielle ripped her arm away and reached for the wine anyway.

"Arielle, don't make me regret giving you this position."

"Am I not allowed to have a few days to myself? Is that illegal? I think not." She poured the last bit of wine and drank it generously.

It took every bit of strength for Xena to hold her tongue. "Your mother will be gone for a long time visiting Cera. Do not disappoint her but most of all, don't be a disappointment to yourself."

Gabrielle plopped down onto the bed after a long day of organizing and signing papers. She hated it when Ana wasn't here to do half the work. She even thought of asking Xena to help her out but she knew her wife would never go for that. Xena hated paperwork. It made her flee for hours and never to return.

Aside from a long day, Gabrielle enjoyed the peace and quiet. It wasn't that she was annoyed with her wife but Xena just had so much leisure time and it was beginning to get on her nerves. Xena was more than bored. She was suffering in a way that Gabrielle never thought was possible. Long ago, she wanted Xena to retire as commander because she thought it was the best thing to do. They tried it and it didn't work.

Now that Xena finally did pass down her role, Gabrielle thought this wasn't working out either. Her wife needed stimulation and advising Arielle wasn't exactly filling that void. Arielle wasn't easy to be around especially now that she lost her first battle in Balaam against the young Shah Balash.

Xena walked in and saw her wife sprawled across the bed dressed in her robes and boots. She took off her cloak and tossed it on the chair. Gabrielle opened one of her eyes and smiled weakly. A paper was thrown at her face and she abruptly sat up and sighed.

"She didn't sign it."

"Nope." Xena looked in the mirror and combed her long hair, searching for any grey hairs as usual. "I should have taken Kreka's advice and used her hair paint."

Gabrielle, frustrated with the unsigned document, hopped out of bed and was going to make Arielle sign this no matter. Her hand was grabbed and she furiously glared at her wife. Xena pleaded with big eyes and slowly, she calmed down.

"Gabrielle, she's not going to sign that. I tried. She isn't in the mood to listen to anyone."

"She isn't queen! She can't just –just do that!"

Xena gave a crooked smile. "Gabrielle, she is a queen. Besides, you really shouldn't go in her room. You might catch something."

The governor loosened up and pulled her tight collar away from her neck. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"That girl is living in utter filth. I told her to get herself together but we'll see how that goes. Only time will tell." She turned back to the mirror and fixed the part in her hair and ruffled her fringe.

Gabrielle fiddled with her coat and gripped her wife's arm firmly causing Xena to turn and stare at her with warm eyes. "I…I'm sorry about how I acted towards you earlier today. I've just been so busy and with Ana gone and not knowing how long she'll be away, I'm very…overwhelmed. I…I've been ignoring you."

Xena cupped her cheek. "I know you're busy, Gabrielle. I haven't exactly been very understanding of your job. I just don't know what to do with myself. Nobody needs me anymore."

"That's not true. I need you." she cuddled close and kissed her shoulder.

"Well, it's nice to know that I'm still needed by someone," she joked.

Gabrielle punched her arm and hopped back onto the bed. "If you really want to do something, you could take your class on a field trip. I could finish my work early and I could come with you. Just for a couple of days. What do you say?"

Xena walked over to the bed and put her hands on either side of her wife, pressing her forehead against hers. "Let me get this straight," she whispers, "you want me…to take a group of twenty rugrats on a field trip?"

Gabrielle nodded.

"You're really trying to kill me, aren't you?"

"It'll be fun!" she pecked her lips and Xena rolled her eyes. "We'll set up traps for them to find and teach them how to track."

"Now you're speaking my language."

"Not lethal traps," she felt the need to clarify.

"Gabrielle," she scoffs, "what kind of a person do you think I am?" she winked.

They began unbuttoning their blouses and heard a tiny wrap at the door. Xena held up her hand and walked over to the door and opened it slowly. She held her blouse closed and frowned, seeing nobody at the door then felt a tug on her pants. Aurora beamed up at her, holding her blanket named 'Esen'.

"Can I stay with you?" she asks in her sweet soft voice.

Xena had a hard time saying no to Arielle at this age and she equally had a hard time saying no to Aurora. Although Aurora was a much sweeter girl than Arielle ever was. Anyhow, she stepped aside and the tiny princess waltzed in and waved at Gabrielle.

"Why don't you want to stay in your room?"

Gabrielle helped Aurora get onto the bed and the princess cuddled her soft blanket. "Cause…"

Xena raised her eyebrow. "Because…why?"

"Cause…cause, I get lonely," said Aurora and Gabrielle wrapped an arm around her. "And –and I have not seen mommy in forever!" she threw her arms in the air.

Gabrielle and her wife shared a worried look with each other. She went and asked, "What do you mean? Your mother hasn't been spending time with you?"

Aurora shook her head.

Xena folded her arms. "Arielle, I swear to god. I'm going to –" she turned to her wife wagging her head. Her jaw clenched and Aurora stared at her with big green eyes. "I'll make sure she spends time with you."

Gabrielle was grateful that something foul didn't come out of her wife's mouth and smiled at the princess. "Aurora, we're going to go on a field trip soon. You'd like that, right?"

"Yeah!" she cheered and stood up on the bed, clutching her blanket. "Can we go to the river? We can catch the fish!" she jumped up and down excitedly. "Grandma Ana takes me there. I really like it."

"Okay, okay!" Gabrielle laughed and grabbed the jumpy princess and placed Aurora on her lap. She fixed the messy brown wavy locks in Aurora's face and couldn't help but smile at the girl's beaming face. "We'll go to the river. Is that okay with you, Xena?"

"She had me at fish."

So far during Yana's visit Cera had a very difficult time trying to have a decent conversation with the woman. She was convinced that Yana was never going to be pleased with anything she did. She never realized in laws could be so irritating. She'd been around in laws before and now she knew she was incredibly lucky to have Farah and Rabia as sister in laws. They were very accepting. Rabia was hard to talk to sometimes but she wasn't nearly as curt and blunt as Yana.

Everything Cera did not satisfy Yana and she was beginning to realize nothing ever would. She was counting the days until her mother's arrival so she could stop conversing with her husband's sister so much. By the looks of it, Yana looked about to be the same age as Anastasia. Cera was hopeful that the two could get along and why wouldn't they?

She wondered if Yana was going to overstep her bounds and combat her mother; the queen of the entire empire! She wouldn't put it passed the woman. Yana was demanding and felt very much in charge of the tribe alongside her father. Mirac's father adored Cera and she was grateful but she couldn't wait until Yana's departure.

Luckily, she did have one person to talk to when she needed: Mirac's other sister, Inzhu. She was closer to her age unlike Yana and very kind. Inzhu lived on the other side of the camp and came to visit regularly.

Cera scooped several scoops of sugar, three to be exact, into the tea. Yana liked her tea to be made a certain way. She was glad that she had this time to herself but knew her sister in law was coming back soon. Inzhu made her way into the yurt and smiled at the redheaded princess.

"Cera, how's it going?" she asked and the princess turned with a meek smile. Inzhu flipped her long brown hair behind her shoulder and nodded, knowing that look. "I know my sister can be a bit of…"

Cera raised her eyebrow.

"A pain," she added. "She loves Mirac a lot. He's the youngest in our family and she only wants the best for him. She was elated when she found out Mirac was going to marry the princess of the Hun empire!"

That didn't make Cera feel better and she set the tea glasses on a tray. She signed, "She doesn't like me."

"She has a tough exterior but once you get to know her, she'll love you. I promise." Inzhu smiled and cupped Cera's cheek.

Yana entered the yurt and Cera grabbed the tray and quickly set it on the rug. Yana eyed the tea, Cera then her little sister. "Inzhu, I wish to speak with Cera alone."

The younger sister nodded and grabbed her sister in law's shoulder. "Good luck," she whispered in Cera's ear.

Cera half smiled and waited for Yana to sit first and then she handed her a glass of tea and a spoon on the saucer. Yana stirred the tea and stared at the princess. "I have a yurt set up for your mother's arrival. She should be arriving soon, yes?" asked Yana.

Cera nods and tries not to look her sister in law in the eyes and focused on the tea, blowing against it gently.

"Are you and my brother planning to have children soon?"

Cera coughed on the tea and wiped her lips with the backside of her hand. She gawked at Yana, unsure of what to say. At eighteen years old she didn't want children right away. She and Mirac agreed to wait until they were both ready and not rush into anything. She hated to think this way but she didn't want to be like Arielle –alone and miserable with a child.

"You have lived here for eight months and yet there is no news of a pregnancy."

Cera's cheeks turned bright red and she signed slowly to the woman. "Mirac and I want to wait awhile before…we have children. My mother told me it was best to wait until I am comfortable here."

Yana sat in silence and eyed the princess then sipped the tea. "Are you not happy here? Has my brother not provided for you properly?"

This wasn't going the way that she hoped. "I am happy here. Mirac has given me everything I ever wanted."

Yana smirked. "It is remarkable to me that my brother would marry a mute girl. What ever do you two possibly have in common?"

Cera frowned, feeling incredibly insulted. The loss of her voice was not in her control and she wished she could yell at the woman right about now, but frustration overcame her when she couldn't utter a word. She stood up and Yana blinked up at her. She walked over to the yurt's entrance and pointed outside.

"You wish me to leave?" Yana asks and the princess nodded. She gathered herself and fixed the coined headdress about her head then walked over to the exit, glaring at her young sister in law. "Don't make this difficult on yourself, Cera. I'm not going anywhere for a long time."

Arielle succumbed to getting out of bed and was training her recruits, men and women alike, in the field. She was conditioning them to build endurance with heavy armor. She waved her hand up and down to signal them to drop to the ground and do pushups and stand back up to hold their arms out whilst holding their weapon to build arm strength.

Xena saw her granddaughter in the field and marched up the hill. Many of the soldiers' eyes darted towards her but paid attention to their new commander's orders. She stood next to Arielle and watched the men and women struggle to keep their weapons afloat.

"I need to talk to you."

"I'm busy," replied Arielle. She waved her hand and all the soldiers dropped to the ground and began doing incredibly slow pushups. She sighed and ran her fingers through her straightened hair.

Xena folded her arms. "Tell them to break."

"You are not in charge here. I am. Whatever it is, we can talk later," the commander says and looks over to her grandmother with a frown.

Xena groaned and clapped her hands. "Enough training!" she shouts at the soldiers and given that most of these recruits were trained by her, they immediately stopped training and Arielle gasped.

"Grandma, you are not commander anymore! This is my army!"

"Then you are not doing a very good job since they still listen to me." She grabbed the girl's arm and ushered her aside. "We need to talk about Aurora. You've been ignoring her ever since you've come back from Balaam."

The commander scoffs. "I am preoccupied with other things, obviously, until you put a stop to it."

"Arielle, I understand that you're not pleased about the turnout in Balaam but you can't ignore your daughter. She's been coming to my room every night for the last week. Ku is too busy cleaning your filthy room and she can't take care of Aurora by herself. You're Aurora's mother."

"I know! I am trying my best."

Xena looked into the commander's eyes and sensed anger, sadness and doubt. It was obvious Arielle was distracted by something, probably more than the loss of the battle, but with something else.

"You can talk to me. I can be a good listener. I know what you're going through, Arielle. I used to be in your position. It's very hard to be a commander and mother at the same time. I wished I paid more attention and spent more time with your mother when she was younger. You can't get those years back and I just don't want Aurora to suffer the same way your mother did."

"Are you saying I'm a bad mother?"

Xena was taken aback slightly by her granddaughter's accusation. "No, I never said that. Just remember to manage your time well. Pay attention to Aurora. This is a crucial part in her life when she'll remember everything you've done for her and what you haven't done."

The young commander was very avoidant of the topic. "Can I just get back to my job?" she says quietly.

"Gabrielle and I will be taking the children on a field trip soon. Aurora is coming with us. Are you okay with that?"

Arielle wiped a tear falling from her eye and nodded. "Yeah, that's fine. I really need to do my job now." She cleared her throat and walked back to her soldiers waiting for her instruction.

Gabrielle stared at all of the children from her wife's class and brought them to the river. They were dressed in their regular clothing and had black paint painted on their cheeks, very eager to get on with this field trip. They were hard to gather into a large group as some of them ran off, yelling, screaming and playing with each other.

She smiled at all of the children and finally was able to get their attention. "Okay, Xena made maps for you guys and you're supposed to do what?"

"Find the traps," Aman said for everyone.

"Correct. So everyone get your maps out," she instructed and they pulled out the small parchments from their pockets. "You all need to split up in groups of two and work together. When you've disarmed the traps then we'll meet back at the river bank. Does everyone understand what to do?" she asks and the students cheered.

She smiled and clapped her hands. "Get going!"

Aman and Aladar paired themselves up and darted across the field together. Edemen was stuck with his cousin, Issik, which he was not happy about. Gabrielle got the feeling that Edemen didn't like being in this class because he was one of the older children and Issik was the only person his age in the class. Even after all of these years, the two did not get along as well as everyone would've liked them to.

After everyone split up and eagerly looked for the traps, Gabrielle walked behind a huddle of trees and found her wife holding a bow and arrow ready to be shot at the little students. Xena smiled and pulled a mask over her face and eyed Farah's boys searching in a bush for a trap, working so well with each other.

"I know I was really against this trip but I must say this is very amusing."

Gabrielle grinned and crouched down in the brush. "See, I knew you would think this is fun." She eyed the arrow in the bow skeptically. "You put a protective tip on that arrow, didn't you?"

Xena sneered. "Safety first, Gabrielle." she pulled back the bowstring tautly and aimed the arrow directly at Edemen who was bickering with his scavenger partner.

"We should look in those trees across the river," suggested Issik.

"There aren't gonna be any traps there." Edemen groaned and looked at the map. "This is so stupid," he mutters. He felt something strike his back and bounce off him. He spun around and saw an arrow in the grass and scanned the area. Issik snickered and he was punched by his cousin in the chest.

Xena shook her head and loaded her bow to shoot the boys again. "Spoiled princes." She squinted her eye and shot Issik in the leg and he frantically looked around for the source.

Gabrielle concealed her laughter with a hand over her mouth. She couldn't stop laughing at the two princes' baffled faces and it was even funnier that Xena kept shooting them with arrows and they increasingly got angrier by the second.

"Yes, by all means, stand there and get shot at," muttered Xena. "Because that is exactly what soldiers do in the battlefield."

"Remember to have fun, Xena."

She shot a couple of more arrows and the boys did dodge them this time but still stood in the same place. Xena felt herself getting triggered by their clueless nature. She was used to training soldiers and if they were shot by an arrow or multiple, she felt like she failed as a leader and commander. Her upper lip quivered and she came out of her hiding spot.

Marching over to the squabbling boys she ripped the mask off her face and glared at them. They stopped arguing and widened their eyes. "Why do you stand there and do nothing!" she yelled.

Gabrielle raised her eyebrow and noticed the other children looking their way.

"You think it's wise to stand there and be shot at hundreds of times? Do you?!" she reprimanded and the princes backed away slowly silently. "This is not a game!"

"Xena!" Gabrielle ran out from behind the tree and gripped her wife's shoulder. "Xena, they're just children…"

Xena's eyes softened and she pinched the bridge of her nose. She closed her eyes for a brief moment and gathered her thoughts then stared at the frightened princes. She felt like she reverted back to her old self and the look on their faces was something she never wanted to see. They were horrified. Her eyes darted to the other students who also were in shock and gaped at her with open mouths.

"I'm sorry…" she says softly. "Go continue with your scavenger hunt." She dropped the bow and walked off away from the river.

Gabrielle was left with two fear-stricken boys and she picked up the bow and placed a hand on Edemen's shoulder. "Keep an eye on everyone. I'll be back."

She caught up with her wife who stood on a hill overlooking the snowy mountains across the valley. She slung the bow over her shoulder and approached with caution. It'd been awhile since she'd seen Xena act that way with anyone, but she didn't expect that kind of reaction to occur with a group of children. Now she knew that her wife's decision to abandon her role as commander was a lot harder than she expected it to be. And she had ignored her wife's feelings and emotions for months. She didn't know how much this decision would affect her.

"Hey."

Xena turned around and folded her arms, feeling very embarrassed and ashamed of herself. "You don't have to lecture me, Gabrielle. I know what I did was out of line."

The governor nodded and stood by her side, gazing at the sun hidden behind a tall mountain peak. "I didn't come to lecture you. I know you're capable of recognizing when you're wrong."

"I thought…I thought they were my soldiers. I forgot where I was, that's all. I hope they are not afraid of me."

"I…I didn't realize that this change of giving up your role was going to have a big effect on you…"

Xena frowned and looked at her solemn wife. "I chose this. It wasn't like it was ripped away from me. I just have to live with my decision."

"That doesn't mean that you have to go through this alone. I'm here for you –I always am. It's hard to change something that you've known your entire life. I should have seen that you needed me. I'm sorry."

"Don't apologize. I hate when you do that," she said with a crooked smile. "I will just have to learn how to adjust although that's easier said than done."

Csaba made his way to the dining hall in the middle of the night with a big smile on his face. He was spending time with Farah while he could since they were so busy. He told her that he was going to bring wine to the room and he quickly padded into the dining hall to grab a bottle of wine off the shelf.

He looked at the several bottles and rubbed his chin then took two bottles on the top shelf. Turning around he saw his sister sitting by herself by the fireplace, drinking wine. He furrowed his thick brows and set the bottles on the table and approached her.

"Arielle?" he says softly and she turned around and looked up at him with puffy eyes. He sat down on the floor beside her and watched the fire. "What are you doing in here all alone?"

She sniffled and took a small drink of the wine. "I just came here for peace and quiet and now you've ruined that."

He chuckled and wrapped his arms around his knees. He knew his sister always tried to put on a tough exterior but that was dwindling over the last few months. He touched her long straight hair and she slapped his hand.

"You look like mother with your hair like this."

Silence passed between them and he looked into her sad blue eyes. He hated to see her upset even if she got on his nerves from time to time. "What's bothering you?"

She glared at the fire and then wiped her nose. "He ruined everything," she admits barely above a whisper.

Csaba nodded. "Bayan, you mean."

"I'm his wife!" she yelled. "I should be the most central thing in his life and he just –just dismissed me! I wasn't even important enough to him so instead he went off and got a whore pregnant."

He sighed and scooted closer to his sister. He allowed her to continue to vent.

She huffed and gripped the wine glass and stared at the fire as if it fueled her anger. "How could he do that to me? I gave him a child like he wanted. I gave him everything! I left my home, my family, for him. I opened up to him. He listened to me when nobody else would. I wanted to have another baby with him and he…"

She covered her eyes and sobbed. Csaba smiled softly and wrapped an arm around her and she sobbed in his chest, knocking over the wine with her knee. She curled into his body and he ran his fingers through her hair.

Farah came in, wondering where her husband had gone and why he was taking so long. He turned around and nudged his head towards the doors. She smiled and grabbed the wine bottles and quietly exited the room. She didn't want to interrupt his moment with his sister.

Arielle wiped her cheeks and witnessed Farah leaving. "I…I didn't mean to keep you from Farah."

"It's okay. She can wait."

He brushed the hair away from her face and gave her a big smile. "You're very gorgeous, Arielle. I'm sure any man would want to marry you with my approval of course. And don't run off and elope again."

She finally cracked a smile after weeks of remaining in a depressive state. "I am never going to marry anyone ever again."

"Never say never," he pecked her nose with his finger. "Ernak married Nisa and they're very happy together."

"Perhaps I will just sleep with men and never marry them," she teased.

Csaba grimaced and he folded his arms. "Absolutely not. I forbid you."

"Forbid me?" she laughed.

"I will not allow men's hands to slither all over your body like the snakes that they are. No. It will not happen."

"Csaba, you are not in control of what I do with my life."

"You're my sister and I say no," he says firmly and she bit her bottom lip, smiling and then he too shared the same expression. "Seriously though. No."

She sighed and felt better being able to get that off her chest although she didn't expect her ear to be her older brother. "I suck as a commander. Grandma thinks so too."

"Nah, she doesn't. She trusts you. Just do yourself a favor and take her up on her advice and guidance. We're all here to help each other. She wants you to succeed and so do I, and mother, Gabrielle, Cera –"

"I get the point." She interrupted. "I just don't want to always run to her and mother when I need help. It makes me feel like a failure."

"You're not a failure, Arielle. Everyone needs help sometimes. Get rid of that pride of yours and life will be smooth sailing." He joked.

She hit his shoulder and he winced.

"Thanks for listening to me…you're a good brother."

"I know." He says proudly and she pinched his muscular arm. "You'll always be my squirt."

She rolled her eyes. "I'm not your squirt."

Arielle checked her daughter's room and was disappointed and disturbed to find the bed empty. She went down the hall to her grandmother's room and remembered what she said about Aurora. Quietly, she opened the door and saw Aurora sleeping in the bed beside her grandmother and Gabrielle asleep on the opposite side.

She frowned sadly and felt horrible for not paying attention to her daughter. She was so preoccupied with her own feelings that she forgot about her daughter's. She peered over the bed in the dark and knelt down, brushing her fingers against Aurora's cheek.

Holding back tears, she scooped Aurora in her arms and her daughter mumbled in her slumber. Xena awoke at the empty spot next to her and saw Arielle carrying her daughter out of the room. She smiled softly and laid her head back on the pillow.

The young commander returned to her bedroom upstairs and Ku woke up to the rustling around. She rubbed her eyes and could barely see in the dim-lit room. Sitting up in bed she smiled at Arielle, her friend, her companion, with Aurora in her arms.

Ku scooted over on the far side of the bed and Arielle placed Aurora in the center of the bed and gingerly lay beside her, pulling the blankets over her. Ku toyed with the princess' long hair and felt like her life was slowly going back on track and that Arielle was now conscious of her daughter.

She reached over and grabbed Arielle's hand. She kissed her arm and Arielle smiled softly, settling into the bed. Aurora shifted in the bed and woke up to her mother's eyes staring at her in the dark room. She turned to Ku and rubbed her eyes.

Frantically, the princess searched around the bed and lifted the sheets, searching for her special blanket. "Esen…" she whined tiredly.

"I'll get him for you," Arielle said and hopped out of bed. "You left him downstairs, right?"

Aurora nodded with a pout lip.