Chapter 2

Anastasia traveled for a month across mountains, grassy plains and deserts to see her daughter in Kazakhstan. She was very anxious to see Cera after spending nine months apart. Cera was her youngest child and when she gave her daughter's hand to Mirac she felt like she made the right decision. She liked Mirac's family and thought he'd be a good husband for her. She never cared for Bayan and now she really didn't like him. She hoped that this would not be the same fate for Cera as well.

Upon arriving she was greeted by Mirac's father, sister and her husband. Inzhu kissed her cheeks and hugged her briefly. "We're so glad you're here, khatun. Cera's been talking about your arrival for over a month."

Ana nodded. "I'm glad that I could find the time to come here."

"My sister prepared a yurt for your stay. I hope it's adequate enough for you. My husband will take your belongings for you."

"Thank you. Where's Cera?"

"She's in her yurt and my sister will be here in the evening. She is in the market buying fabric. She has a plan to make Cera a new kozak and a dress."

Anastasia sensed some tension immediately and walked over to her daughter's yurt, expecting her daughter to welcome her with open arms. When she entered the home of her son in law she saw Cera sitting on the floor, painting. Even though it hadn't been that long since Cera left home, she looked different.

"Cera, tatli kiz," she says and her daughter grinned and rushed to her arms. "I've missed you so much."

Cera pulled away with tears in her eyes and her mother cupped her cheeks. "Don't cry. I'm here. Tell me about your life as a wife," she says eagerly and sat down on the floor. Her daughter ran to get some tea and Anastasia took off her black headdress and smoothed down her hair.

It was a bit of an adjustment to see her mother dressed like Kreka Khatun and wearing a headdress all hours of the day. She was also not used to seeing her mother in dresses all the time either unless it was a special occasion like a party, festival or wedding.

She set the tray down and Ana smiled, helping herself to the sugar. "Has Mirac treated you well?"

Cera nodded and kept her gaze downward and stirred the tea repeatedly, clearly distracted. The subject of Yana was bound to come up and she didn't want her mother to throw a fit and cause a scene. She grinned at her mother and sipped the tea.

Anastasia raised her eyebrow at her daughter's odd quietness. "Is something the matter? You don't seem very excited that I am here. Everyone says hello back home."

"I am very happy you're here," the princess signs. "It's just…I have problems with Mirac's sister."

Ana set down the glass. "Inzhu?" She asked and Cera shook her head. "Yana."

She feared that might happen. Although Yana was very kind during the wedding ceremony in Pannonia she got the feeling that Yana was very headstrong and protective of her siblings being the oldest sister out of eight children.

"What kind of problems are you having?"

Cera sighed, unsure if this was the right time to discuss this. She didn't know if she could express herself in the way she wanted to. "She makes me…feel like I am a child," she began and added, "And she asks why I am not pregnant yet. It makes me," she put a hand over her chest, "nervous."

Ana had flashbacks of her dealings with Tuya long ago. She too felt pressured to produce an heir and it was very stressful.

"If you are not ready to have a child then you shouldn't feel obligated to. I understand that you are living in Mirac's tribe and things are a little different here but you are still a princess. Your say is more important than Yana's. Don't let her walk all over you."

She grabbed her daughter's hand and looked into those doe brown eyes. "I can talk to her if you want."

Cera felt relieved the moment her mother said this and she consented. Her mother kissed her hand and took a big swig of the hot tea. "But when you do decide to have a baby I want you to come back to Pannonia."

The princess' jaw dropped. "Mom, I can't just leave. This is my home now." She now knew she wasn't going to win by the look on her mother's face.

"I will not repeat what happened with your sister. I want you with me. End of discussion."

Cera held up her hand to combat her mother's decision that had already been made without even talking it over first.

"End of discussion, Cera."

Ernak returned from his expedition in Mongolia. He was able to gather all the tribes in the Zubu area and talked to the Beys and Chieftains of the tribes. He felt very close to these people since his mother's family reigned over the area but he was glad to be back in Pannonia for the meantime.

He organized a meeting with Gabrielle and didn't expect Xena to be there. He expected Arielle to be here but it seems that she was too busy training her men. Csaba joined the meeting and Ernak was anxious to tell everyone what happened during his trip.

"I'm happy to be back," the king said. "I have a problem. I've gotten a message from Emperor Liu."

Gabrielle wrote down the dialogue and paused. "The Chinese emperor?" she clarified and he nodded. "What does he want?"

"He requires someone to be in charge of his army and Bayan will receive a similar letter. He will have to go to China but since Arielle is the commander and his queen…she will also have to go."

Xena laughed as a reaction to that and slapped her knee. Everyone turned to her with puzzled faces. "That's hilarious, Ernak. Those two cannot be in a room together. Arielle will castrate that man!"

"Xena, please," her wife whispered.

"It's true. I know that she is still his wife and queen and she's the commander of the empire but she cannot be around him. He will die. She hasn't even sent him divorce documents! She's holding onto her old life because she doesn't want to give up her position as queen to his Mongolian mistress."

Csaba rubbed his temples and groaned. "So where do we go from here?"

Gabrielle put up her hands. "Hold on, wait a minute. Just because Bayan and Arielle have their differences doesn't mean they get to take this personally. If they have to go to China together then they will. Sometimes we have to work together with people we don't like for the sake of others' lives."

"Good point."

Xena rubbed her chin and didn't like the sound of this. She didn't want to get involved with her granddaughter's failed marriage. "I have an idea. I will go to China."

Her wife widened her eyes and her nostrils flared.

"You can't, grandma. You're not a commander anymore. There's no reason for you to go to China," said Csaba.

"Then give me another role. I'll fulfill it."

Gabrielle scoffed. "Xena, what is the point of giving away your role as commander if you just want to go back into the field again? We talked about this."

"No, we didn't, Gabrielle!" she argued. Ernak hid his face, finding this very awkward to be in the middle of. "Yes, I did resign. I've threatened that over the years several times and never gave into it. I finally did and I don't regret it but I can't spend my days as a teacher and babysitter. I need to do something with my life. I feel incomplete right now and I wish you'd understand that."

"I do understand. I really do. I feel for you, Xena. I love you and I want you to be happy. If you're not happy then we need to fix that." Gabrielle smiled and squeezed her wife's hand. She turned to Csaba who looked flustered and had a flushed face.

Csaba made small noises with his lips and he clapped his cheeks. "Okay, grandma, I have a position for you. It's not commander and this would be a demotion for you but would you…consider being a lieutenant for Arielle?"

She raised her eyebrow and shifted on the floor uncomfortably. To give herself to a role lower than her granddaughter would be difficult and she didn't want to obstruct Arielle's position and rank but to be lieutenant was something she never thought she would be. She'd been commander in chief and commander. Arielle did not have enough training to be commander in chief so that was off the table.

She relented. "Yes, I'll take it."

"You're okay with taking orders from Arielle?"

"No, but I don't have much of a choice now do I?"

He shook his head. "I will tell Arielle about the trip to China. Ernak, you will be in charge of this trip. I'll stay here. I don't know how long mother will be gone but hopefully she'll be back in a couple of months."

Ernak smiled, relieved this dreaded meeting was finished and over with. "I'll discuss the trip with you later, Xena. I must go see my wife and sons now. I haven't seen them in six months."

Gabrielle shared a sneaky expression with her wife. "You're going to be very surprised to see Nisa."

"Why do you say that? Is something wrong with her?"

Csaba slapped his forehead. "For god's sake, uncle, your wife is pregnant okay."

Ernak's face lit up and this brought joy to his life. He never thought that when he returned from Mongolia that he'd be a father to a third child. "Wow, a baby. This is the best news in my life right now."

"You say that every time you're expecting a child." Csaba rolled his eyes.

"Why the mood?" Ernak teased his nephew. "I love my children and my wife. Excuse me ladies, I must go see Nisa." He winked and quickly ran out.

Xena stared at her grandson and he glanced over, not amused by her wily eyes. "What?" he said.

"I didn't say anything."

Gabrielle gathered up her notes and stifled a snicker. "You seem stressed, Csaba."

"I am!" he growled. "There's a lot to be done here and with mother gone, I am overwhelmed. And Farah is not helping."

"Is she bothering you with her perfectionist demands?" Gabrielle put on a smug face.

He waved his hand. "I don't want to talk about it. She suddenly loves to be queen now that my mother is gone."

"Be nice to your wife, Csaba. Your sister doesn't have a good spouse and now you have to break the news to her about working with the person she hates the most."

"I'm always nice to Farah. I love her very much," he told Gabrielle. "But she's driving me insane!" he got up and marched out of the room. He muttered that he needed a drink or two, to prepare him to have this awful discussion with Arielle.

Gabrielle was left alone in the conference room with her wife. She held her journal to her chest, staring at her tall wife sitting on the floor, picking at the split ends of her hair.

"Xena, I know you're restless and bored stiff…but are you really willing to take a lower rank just so you can be on the field?"

She leaned back on her elbows, smiling at the governor. "If I can be around Arielle so she won't screw anything up, then yes."

"Now I understand what this is all about." The blonde nods her head. "When are you going to let her sink or swim? You're always looking over her shoulder."

"This is a win-win, Gabrielle. I get to do something but not be in complete control and I get to keep my eye on Arielle." Her eyes twinkled and her wife turned away, mumbling to herself. "You're coming with me."

Gabrielle spun around. "You're just going to make that decision for me." She stated.

"You know I can't do this without you."

"Uh huh."

Bayan waited for the Chinese princesses to come to Assyria for weeks. He had minimal contact with Ernak but the thought of working with Arielle on this mission in Mongolia and China was on his mind all the time. He wasn't sure what she was going to do. Sarnari was not happy that he was not divorced from Arielle yet and hated living in the same home that his wife lived in.

Now he paced the living room and Sarnai held their two month old son, who was also named Bayan. She was sick of his pacing and his distance lately wasn't helping their relationship either.

"When will you divorce your wife?"

He ran his palms over his face and gruffly groaned. "Sarnai, that is not on my mind right now. When will you stop asking me this?"

"When you divorce her! I should be your wife now. We have a child together, Bayan."

"I have a child with her too. It's not that easy."

"Seems easy enough to me," she shrugged her shoulder and tended to her son who gurgled and started to whimper. "You love me so I should be your wife."

There was a long pause.

"You do love me, right?"

Bayan rubbed the back of his head. "Yes, I do but I can't just let Arielle go. We built this tribe together and we have a daughter together. I should have handled the situation better when I told her about you."

Sarnai raised an eyebrow and set her son down on the floor on a mound of pillows. "You should have told her about us before I was pregnant, Bayan. Maybe she wouldn't have beaten you until you were black and blue. Your daughter is very sweet. She definitely doesn't get that from her mother."

He didn't tell Arielle that he'd been seeing Sarnai for two years during their marriage and Aurora was around her the entire time. While Ku was living in Harran she too kept that secret. He wondered if Ku told Arielle since they were so close but it didn't seem so because when he broke the news of Sarnai's pregnancy, Arielle had no idea. He felt guilty for keeping that secret so long and the thought that Aurora had been around Sarnai for two years would send his wife into a fit of rage.

"Sir, Song Princess Bosi is here to see you," a soldier interrupted their conversation.

Bayan nodded and the soldier left to wait outside. He turned to Sarnai who was very displeased about the lack of discussion concerning divorce. "We'll talk about this later."

"If you do not send her the documents I will leave."

He rolls his eyes and left the house. Princess Bosi stepped off her horse to greet him and he put on a façade for her. Her pale skin glowed in the bright sun and the blue silk robes she wore glistened as she walked towards him. She bowed her head and clamped her hands together. He did a simple awkward bow and welcomed her to Harran.

"I was expecting a letter. I did not think you'd come all the way to Assyria to meet with me."

Bosi smiled. "My father sent a messenger to Mongolia to tell King Ernak that he needs men. He is busy but I decided to make a face to face meeting. Is that an issue for you?"

"No, not at all. I am glad you are here."

"My sources tell me that you are married to Princess Arielle. I am very excited to work with her on this. My father wants someone to be in charge of his army due to conflict in the Song Empire."

He had reservations about working with Arielle but he didn't let that show. "I will do anything to keep my allies happy. Arielle is in Pannonia at the moment but Ernak has gone to tell her the plan."

"Excellent. I am always elated to work with Huns. You are a kind people. Might we continue this discussion in your home? It is rather cold out here."

Bayan nervously backed away. "Of course. Let me clear the area for you."

He ran inside while Princess Bosi waited patiently outside. He skids to a stop, alarming Sarnai and his slumbering son. "You need to leave."

She was insulted and slowly got up off the floor. "Why should I? This is my home too."

"You have no status as queen, Sarnai. I have invited the princess to come inside and you can't be here. She is good friends with Arielle's brother and I don't want to give her a bad impression of myself."

Her lip curled and she grabbed her son into her arms and threw the blankets over her shoulder. "This wouldn't be an issue if you had divorced your wife two years ago, Bayan."

Ku offered to spend more time with Aurora as long as Arielle was there with them. Arielle did put aside her daughter for quite some time and she organized her training with the army accordingly. She trained them early in the morning and late at night when her daughter was asleep.

Today they were supposed to spend time together and Aurora ogled her mother's tattoos on her arms and she wanted to copy her. Ku was busy inking the girl's arms with temporary ink that would stain her skin for a few weeks or a couple of months depending on how well she took care of the temporary tattoos.

Arielle folded some of her clothes and kept her room clean for the most part. She looked over at her daughter who had a big smile on her face, asking Ku millions of questions. "Can you put a snake here?" she pointed to her tiny upper arm.

Ku chuckled. "A snake? Halu, I will not draw a snake on your arm. What about a nice flower instead?"

"Nooo," she whined, "I don't wanna flower. Pleaaase?"

Arielle frowned and set the clean clothes in the hamper. "Tatli kiz, bebek gibi konusuyorsun," she says and the girl quieted down.

"I'm not a baby," Aurora stuck her tongue out at her mother.

"Then don't act like one. You will be happy with what Ku draws on you."

Aurora huffed. "Okay…" she squirmed and was tired of sitting in the same spot for a long time. She tapped her fingers on the sheets which frustrated Ku.

"Halu, athbat makanak," Ku said.

"Gosh, taking so long," she complained. She turned to her mother without making any subtle movement of her arm. "When can I see daddy? Is he done with his war stuff?"

Arielle paused and Ku hid her face, continuing to ink the princess' arm. "I'm not sure but you like living here with me, right?"

"Sometimes I like it."

"Sometimes?" she was hurt to hear that and she half expected it. She'd been ignoring her for a few months now.

Aurora played with her brown wavy hair while Ku had her arm locked in a steady position. "You always busy and don't have time for me."

"Well, I have time for you now. I promise I'll be here with you more and when I'm not here, Ku's here. You like spending time with Ku, don't you?"

"Mhm. But we do more fun things in Harran like…" she held up her fingers, "go to the church and –and see Sarnai too. She takes me to the market. I like the market."

Arielle grimaced and looked over at Ku who was deliberately avoiding eye contact. "What is she talking about?" she addressed her friend. "Aurora has spent time with that –that…woman?" she held her tongue from saying something far more foully of her husband's mistress.

"I am speaking to you!"

Ku put down the paint brush and lifted her brown eyes. "Arielle, please, not right now."

Csaba walked in unannounced and Aurora beamed. "Csaba!" she yelled and he smiled at his little niece.

"Arielle, I need to speak with you about a mission."

"Not now," she shoved him aside. "Ku, what is going on? Has that woman been around my daughter this entire time?"

"I don't want to talk about this in front of her," said Ku.

"Fine." Arielle grabbed her daughter and gave her to Csaba. "Take her away for a little bit while Ku and I have a talk."

He sighed and Aurora toyed with his beard as he held her up with one arm. "This is really important, Arielle!"

"I don't give a shit about your dumb mission right now. Get out!"

"But mommy, my arm!" Aurora pointed to her unfinished tattoo.

Arielle exhaled heavily and rubbed her eyes and looked at her disappointed daughter. "We'll finish it later, okay? Go with Csaba."

He hurried down the hallway to his room and Farah was inside, waiting for him to sign some papers about the Chinese/Mongolian mission with Ernak. She was surprised when he came in with Aurora glued to his hip. He set her down and Aurora ran over to hug Farah.

"Csaba, what's going on? Why do you have Aurora?"

"I need to talk to my sister. Just keep her here until I come back for her. Can you do that?"

Before she could answer he ran off. "Well, okay," she smiled at the princess."What's this on your arm?"

"Tattoos!" she cheered. "Not real ones…"

"Of course not. They look very nice." Farah grabbed the girl into her lap and smoothed out her hair. "Do you want to help me organize these papers?"

Aurora shook her head. "No."

"Aweh, come on. I would really like it if you helped." She tried to coax her.

The princess wiggled out of her aunt's arms and ran over to the wrack of dresses Farah had on display. "Oooo," she grabbed a silk mustard colored dress. "Can I have a dress like this?"

Xena visited her wife in her office earlier and now she was heading to the school to set up her classroom for tomorrow. She was in good spirits now that her grandson granted her a role albeit a lower rank than she wanted, she was still overjoyed at the decision. To be lieutenant was something to look forward to and she was excited to go on a new adventure.

She'd never been to China before except the outskirts. She didn't know how long this was going to last but she hoped that Arielle and Bayan would be able to behave in front of everyone. She had hopes that everything would work out but she had doubts.

Csaba ran down the staircase and saw his grandmother heading out. "Grandma!" he yelled.

She paused and he was coming towards her with intent on discussing a sensitive subject. "Oh, no, no, no." she shook her head and went outside, hurrying down the stairs into the brisk cold weather.

"Grandma, wait! This is important. I need to talk to you!" he says as he followed her. "Can you stop? Please?"

She stopped walking and turned around with crossed arms. "What do you want, Csaba? I have to prepare my classroom."

"I was trying to tell Arielle about the mission but she kicked me out of her room. She's arguing with Ku over Bayan and his stupid mistress. I need you to…mediate."

"No!" she continued on her way to the school.

He grunted and ran in front of her, blocking the path to the schoolhouse. She side stepped him and he followed her footwork. Xena raised her eyebrow and was ready to push him aside but there was no way he was going to lay a hand on her.

He puts up his hands, not looking for a fight. "Grandma, I can't reason with her. She's really upset at Bayan and Ku apparently. I really need you right now. Mother would do it and she's not here so you're the next best person. We need to get this mission situated and if she's going to be irrational this does not bode well for any of us."

"Csaba, I don't want to get in the middle of Arielle's business. If she's upset and angry I am not going near her. I might get whacked in the face or something. I wouldn't be surprised if she got into a fist fight with Ku."

"So you want me to get hit in the face instead?"

"I've had my nose broken too many times. You can take a hit or two from your sister. Good luck." She paddled his cheek and walked onward.

"Thanks for your help!" he yelled and she waved her hand. "Great," he muttered. "Have to deal with this myself…" he rubbed his chin. "Gabrielle…" a devious smile crossed his face and he ran back to the Adame.

In the privacy of her bedroom, Arielle went off on Ku, yelling at her without letting her friend get a word in. Ku sat on the bed, sobbing and continuously wiping her nose, avoiding eye contact with her infuriated friend.

"Why did you lie to me? You knew about this woman for two years and you said nothing to me!"

Ku's unsteady breaths heightened and she wiped her eyes. "I'm sorry."

"Your apology means nothing to me!" she screamed and Ku flinched. "I trusted you, Ku. You were supposed to keep Aurora safe and now I come to find out that she's been around Bayan's whore. How could you do this to me?"

"Arielle!" Ku stood up, tears streaming down her cheeks. "I am only your handmaid! I am here to serve you and Bayan, nothing more! It is not my business to spread around what your husband does behind closed doors. I –I clean for you, cook, wash your hair and take care of your daughter. My status –it…it means nothing! I am beneath you! How could I have the right to spill your husband's secrets when I serve both of you!"

The commander's face changed from hard to soft in a matter of seconds. She looked into Ku's light brown eyes and saw a sadness she'd never seen before. She didn't realize that Ku felt that way and it was true, she was technically a handmaid but Arielle always treated her more like a friend than a maid. Perhaps she didn't make that clear before.

"Ku…I…I don't want you to feel like I don't appreciate what you do for me. You're my friend and I care about you. I'm just angry at Bayan and I'm taking it out on you."

After a lot of convincing and coaxing, Csaba pushed Gabrielle all the way to Arielle's bedroom. Gabrielle protested the entire time and her heels slid against the hard wood floors until they entered the room and all fighting had stopped between the two women.

The governor ruffled her hair and fixed her coat, glaring at the king. "I thought you said Ku's life was in danger?"

Arielle raised her eyebrow. "Oh, is that right?" she asked her brother.

"Well…" he nervously says, "you looked like you were going to clock her at any moment!"

"I would never lay a hand on Ku."

Gabrielle rolls her eyes. "This has been a waste of my time. Thank you for dragging me all the way up here, Csaba." She turned to leave and he grabbed her shoulders and spun her around. "Take your hands off me!"

"I'm going to need you here," he whispered then smiled at his sister. "On to business since you kicked me out so rudely earlier. You, Gabrielle, grandma and Ernak are going on a mission to Mongolia and China. But there is something else…"

Here it comes, he thought.

"What else?" she asks impatiently.

"Bayan will be accompanying you all."

Arielle's eyes widened and she grabbed one of the wine bottles and hurled it at the wall. Gabrielle and Csaba ducked and the bottle smashed into the wall behind them. Ku gasped and covered her ears, staring at the red stained walls.

Gabrielle looked over her shoulder at some wine droplets staining her coat. "Alright well…glad I was almost decapitated. This has been enough excitement for me today."

She turned and left as quickly as she could. Ku stood was ready to make a break for it as well until Arielle pulled her back. "We are not done with this conversation."

"I don't want to talk about this anymore," says the Assyrian. "It looks you have bigger things to worry about with your future mission." She yanked her arm away from Arielle and walked away, gently brushing by Csaba and wiping her wet cheeks.

Csaba smiled brightly at his little sister, eager to avoid talking about Bayan as long as possible. "So, China and Mongolia..."

"Fuck off, Csaba." She kicked over the clean hamper and folded her arms. Giving her a few moments to calm down she breathed in deeply. "Where did you take my daughter?"

"She's with Farah. Are we going to talk about this or not?"

The exchange between her mother and Yana was everything that Cera expected. Yana was very defensive and acted as if Mirac was her son instead of her brother. She did address Anastasia respectfully and did not raise her voice, which was good, but she remained adamant on her views. Yana did not see Cera as a good fit for her brother despite being a princess of the empire.

After that conversation, a week later everything was tense. Cera decided to take her mother to the market on the west side of the tribe. It was a lot different than the markets in Pannonia and there were several buildings everywhere instead of tents and yurts scattered about.

Anastasia walking through the market caused a lot of stir and eyes directed towards her. She paid no attention to it although she could tell that the amount of attention received was bothering her daughter. She stopped at a jeweler and smiled at the nervous young man.

She pointed to black onyx earrings and he immediately pulled them out of the box to showcase them on his palm. She lifted the earrings into the sunlight and turned to her daughter. "Cera, what do you think about these?"

Cera eyed the jewelry and shrugged her shoulder. She looked behind her at the soldiers who stuck very close by them and sighed. "Mother, why did you bring grandma's thugs with us?"

"They belong to your sister now and I have to bring them wherever I go. Does Yana like onyx or emerald?"

"Why would you buy her anything? She doesn't like me and you want to give her jewelry?"

Ana smiled and looked through the emerald sets. "She likes you, Cera. She is the matriarch of the family and she wants you to respect her. I spoke with Inzhu and she told me that Yana is the chieftess of her tribe in the north. Her husband died a few years ago."

Cera rolled her eyes, already knowing all of this information. She couldn't understand why her mother was so obsessed over this jewelry and getting a gift for Yana.

"Inzhu told me that Yana does not have any children of her own."

Cera raised her eyebrow. "But she has a daughter."

"Nadia is her stepdaughter from her husband's second marriage. It is important to know the motives behind your family members. She isn't out to get you like you think she is, Cera. Now, emerald or onyx?"

She pointed to the onyx and her mother nodded. The young jeweler wrapped the earrings in silk cloth and Anastasia paid him generously even though he tried to refuse payment. She handed the gift to Cera and made her hold onto it. They hooked arms and went on about their way through the rest of the market to explore.

"I was able to talk to Inzhu while you were out with Yana the other day," she began and Cera lifted her brows. "Yana's had a hard life. I just want to make sure you understand where she's coming from before you judge her. She was married off when she was fourteen to a man fifteen years older than her."

Cera's eyes widened.

"A few years into the marriage, her husband took a second wife because she couldn't have any children," she looked at her daughter's guilty face. "She's not out to get you, Cera. Although I have my own thoughts of what happened to her husband," she implied.

"You…think she killed her husband?" asks Cera.

Ana looked at the fabrics and pottery as they passed by the merchants. "I'm not saying that she did but Inzhu was reluctant to talk about it." She winked and Cera's face paled. "So, anyway, when is Mirac coming back? I haven't seen him since the wedding."

The princess looked at her mother with questionable eyes and rubbed her neck. "He will come home soon. He's with his brothers. Do I really have to give this to Yana?" she gestured to the earrings.

"She will love them if they came from you." she tapped her finger on her daughter's chest.

"I am not working with him!" Arielle made her statement loud and clear for the fourth time in a row.

Xena sank in the chair and buried her face in hands. "Arielle…" she mumbled, "we have to do this. Nobody gives a shit if you're upset about Bayan! Do you know how many times I've had to work with people I hate in my life?"

"We're not talking about you, grandma. Besides, your husband didn't cheat on you for two years!" she growls and crosses her arms, glaring at everyone in the room. "He doesn't even care about me!"

Gabrielle sighed and was incredibly fidgety throughout this entire meeting. "Can we just get to the plan already? We all understand how you feel, Arielle. You're upset and angry and you have every right to be but there's a time and place for everything. Now is not the time. When you complete this task then you can go kill him for all I care."

"Gabrielle!" her wife hissed and pinched her arm.

"What? I don't care. Anyway, when are we leaving?" she asks Ernak while Arielle was fuming in her secluded corner of the circle.

He cleared his throat, staring at the three women. "I think we should leave in a couple of weeks. We'll meet up with Bayan in the Mongolian Steppes and then head to China from there. Everyone agrees?" he announces and they all nod except Arielle.

"Arielle? Are you not in agreement with everyone else?"

"I don't see why I have to work with him."

Xena slapped her cheek and moaned dramatically. "Arielle, stop acting like a child. You are commander now, not me. I am taking a lower rank to go on this mission."

"You're only doing that to spy on me."

"And rightfully so with the way you're acting. When I was your age I accomplished far more than you and you're upset about your husband's infidelities instead of thinking of the bigger picture. Get over yourself, child." She waved her hand, tossing the matter aside.

The young commander rose from her chair staring down at her grandmother. Xena didn't seem the least bit challenged and stared right back at her.

"What are you going to do? Stab with me your penetrating eyes?" Xena said in a mocking tone.

Arielle's nostrils flared and she looked at everyone who had their eyes averted elsewhere. She stormed off and pushed the doors open, stomping down the stairs.

Gabrielle gathered her notes and spoke for everyone in the room. "Two weeks it is," she says, adjourning the meeting. The two kings were eager to high-tail it out of the room far from the estrogen swarming around them.

"She is making me think twice about going on this mission," she adds.

"She needs to get herself together. I am not putting up with that behavior and taking orders from her if she's going to be like this the entire time." Xena stood and straightened her headdress. "I'll be back."

Gabrielle spun around in the chair. "Where are you going?"

"I'm going to tame a wildfire."

Arielle, filled with rage and hatred, pulled her sword and chopped through tree branches on her way to open field where she was getting ready to train her men. The entire field was pitch-black except for a few torches lit at the hillside. Her men were waiting for her lined up in several rows. The women were in the back, talking among themselves quietly waiting for their commander to make an appearance.

Xena followed her granddaughter and she too drew her sword. "Arielle!"

She turns around, almost to the top of the hill and the female soldiers fell silent. "What?" she spat.

Xena tapped her sword on the grass. "Why don't you put your anger to use right here –right now?"

She laughs, "you want to challenge me?" she snorts and Xena nodded. "I've already bested you to win your position last year, grandma. I don't need a challenge to prove my worth."

"Are you scared?"

Arielle lifted her chin. "I'm not afraid of you."

"Then why don't you take me up on my offer?" she smiles and twirls the sword with ease.

The young commander stepped down off the hillside, briefly looking at her army waiting for her. She eyed her grandmother and lifted the blade close to her, holding it with both hands. The first time she did this she was incredibly nervous that she would lose but to her surprise she did win after several attempts and several times landing on her back. It was a close call but Gabrielle deemed that she was the victor and was able to take her grandmother's position. Now, she wasn't so sure she'd win. She tried to put her anger aside and focus but it was going to be difficult. That was probably her plan all along, Arielle thought.

They circled around each other, eyes fixated and hands clasped to their swords. Arielle slowly watched her grandmother's footwork and tried to keep a straight face. It was unlike her to circle at such a slow pace and her stance was nothing like she'd seen before.

Xena thrust forward and Arielle barely blocked the blade coming straight for her midsection. Arielle ran forward and swung her sword upward to strike her opponent but Xena didn't use her sword but elbowed the commander's face and then kneed her in the groin and stomped on her left boot.

Arielle gasped breathlessly and took a couple of steps backward. She rounded out her jaw with large mouth movements and ignored the throbbing in her foot. Her eyes immediately went to her grandmother's boots, covered in bells and chains. The beads and coins on her headdress jingled slightly as she circled around. The atmosphere was so silent around them except Arielle's heartbeat was loud and clear in her ears, making it hard to focus.

Gabrielle stepped outside and witnessed the duel happening from afar. She could barely see the two shadows attacking each other. The more she watched her wife pommel Arielle repeatedly with swift movements of her arms, legs and elbows, the more familiar it seemed.

Xena was not using a regular technique to fight. Everything was taught to Arielle except for this one. What an unfair fight, the governor thought. Her wife was using classic techniques that were used when she once sparred with Kreka. Arielle had no previous knowledge of this particular fighting style.

Farah walked out of the Adame and stood beside Gabrielle. "What's going on?"

"Xena is fighting with Arielle." She pointed to the pitch-black field.

"Did Arielle lose her temper again? I have not seen Xena participate in a duel in a long time. Not since…" she trailed off as Gabrielle glared at her. "It's been awhile."

In the field Arielle was crawling on her knees and spat out a glob of blood. She did not let go of her sword as it was taught to her at a young age to never leave your sword behind. Xena grabbed her leg and dragged her across the grass and flipped her over onto her back.

Arielle breathed heavily, staring up at the sword that was pointed directly at her face, merely inches away.

Xena looked at the fear in her granddaughter's eyes and pushed the sword forward, an inch away from Arielle's nose. "You'd be dead right now."

"Are you going to take away my position?"

She retracted her sword and took her boot off of Arielle's chest. "No."

She lends a hand and pulled up Arielle off the ground. The young commander stared at her confusedly, blood dripping from her nose. "But I failed."

"I'm teaching you a lesson: don't let anger get in the way. I don't want to bring you back in a coffin, Arielle. Pull yourself together." She sheathed the blade. "Go train your army."

Halu = sweet one