Some heavy stuff here, guys.

Chapter 8

Menokohime watched the redhead Hun opposite her poke the fire with a long withered stick. She was tied to a tree in the middle of a dark forest far from the imperial palace. She studied the young Hun woman's mannerisms and they were much different than they were when she was kidnapped earlier by force. She was manhandled and pushed onto the ground upon their arrival in the forest.

Cera laid the stick in the snow and lifted her eyes to the horrified woman. Japonca. She sat down on a log and folded her hands on her knees, cocking her head from side to side. Menokohime pulled her legs close and icy breath left her shivering lips.

"They –they will come for me. You can't keep me hostage, Huna."

Cera smiled and grabbed the stick again which caused the Japanese consort to flinch. Chuckling, she drew a simple picture of a crown in the snow. Menokohime eyed the drawing and it was quite good for someone using a piece of a tree branch as an instrument.

The princess pointed to the crown and then pointed to herself. Menokohime raised her eyebrow, not understanding the mime-like gestures. Cera whacked the crown drawn in the snow with the stick and then thumbed her chest several times.

"Royalty?" the consort guessed. "You are royalty?"

Cera nodded slowly. And it was just then that Menokohime's face turned a shade of ghost white, mirroring the snow.

She wiped the drawing with a swipe of the kimono sleeve and began drawing again. This time it was a drawing of a long sword. She eyed the frightened woman and pointed to the sword and then pointed the long stick in Menokohime's face.

"You…you're going to kill me?" she whispers.

Cera half smiles and shook her head. She drew a few stick people in the snow and tapped the sword drawing and then circled the stick people and raised her eyebrows at Menokohime, hoping she'd understand.

The consort inhaled sharply. "Your people. Your people will kill me?"

The princess grinned.

She cleared the drawing once more to create a clean slate to draw on. She drew a ship with large sails and pointed the stick at the ship drawing and then to Menokohime's chest.

She signed, "You will take me to the port." Fully aware that the woman could not understand her silent language.

She made a wave motion with her arm, mimicking the waves of the ocean and nodded to the consort. Menokohime exhaled deeply and lowered her eyes; fearing that death was awaiting her at the port of Japan.

"Explain to me the difference between a battle and a raid again."

Xena sighed for the third time. The more her wife kept asking questions the more annoyed she became. Two weeks passed since Arielle and Bayan were locked away. She had to act quickly but efficiently as well. She hadn't organized a raid since Arielle was a teenager and that was a very easy raid. This one wasn't going to be so easy.

"We're going to rush into the palace and kill everyone in our path," she explains. "We will lose a lot of men because the emperor has several guards and soldiers inside and outside. The purpose of a raid is to be unexpected. A battle is planned."

Gabrielle scratched her chin and eyed Ernak getting the men ready to charge into the palace in the dead of night. Camping outside the imperial city was tiresome and she was eager to get out of China but she couldn't help but feel there was something missing. Prince Houfei was the missing puzzle piece in this mess.

Her wife explained further. "Our number one goal is to get Arielle and Bayan out first. Once they're out, our men will take them to us."

"You mean we're not going inside with the army?"

Xena chuckled. "Gabrielle, I am not participating in this raid. I'm here to observe and make sure things go smoothly. Arielle is the commander and since she's not here, I am taking over her position."

"And when she's rescued, you'll hand over the role, right?"

Xena smiled and tapped her headdress. "But of course."

She walks over to Ernak and points through the gates leading towards the palace. There were several soldiers lined on the Wall that kept invaders from intruding. Little did they know that there was about to be a huge surge of Huns who'd invade the imperial city.

"Don't stop no matter what," she told him. "Your priority is to get Arielle and Bayan. Make sure she is protected on her way out. Remember: Emperor Liu is not our friend or ally anymore. He's proven that several times since we arrived."

Ernak nodded. "I'll get them back, don't worry Xena. I won't let you down. Raids are my specialty."

The Hun army broke through the wooden gates of the Great Wall protecting the imperial city. It was then that Ernak lead the army into the city and soldiers lined on the Wall immediately started shooting at him and the rest of the elite men surrounding him.

Xena's eyes wandered staring at the Wall and all the soldiers on it. She noticed they were distracted by the Huns rising in the city. She was surrounded by a group of recruits, holding their bows ready to strike at any moment.

The governor eyed the Wall and then in the midst of the screaming from afar, her ears picked up on a small, almost unnoticeable, sound.

Snap.

She spun around and saw an archer in the darkness aiming right at her wife. She looked over at Xena who was oblivious and kept her focus on the archers along the Wall and within the inner city. She sprinted across the field in a short distance and wrapped her arms around Xena and forced all her body weight to push her wife onto the ground.

The arrow pierced through her coat and into her shoulder and she collapsed onto the snow, breathing heavily, wincing, heaving and hissing.

Xena lay on the ground, wide eyed, gawking at the arrow sticking out of her wife's shoulder. She didn't have to tell the men to shield them and they immediately shot arrows blindly at the attacker who had long since escaped. This was the first time in a long while that she'd been the target for an assassination. She'd been somewhat out of the war scene since Arielle took over and she wondered if that arrow was meant for Arielle instead of her.

She got to her knees and crawled over to her wife who was in agonizing pain. She brushed a blonde tendril from her flushed cheek.

"Gabrielle…" she breathily whispers whilst staring at the arrow.

"Don't." the governor put her hand up. "Don't ask me…why I did it."

Xena half smiled.

"Because you already know the answer."

"I was going to say thank you."

The blonde tried to laugh but instead coughed and put a hand to her bleeding shoulder. Without hesitating she broke the arrow in half and sat up slowly with her wife's lending hand. She pushed the arrow through her shoulder and clenched her teeth.

Xena bat her eyelashes, quite surprised at the governor's will to heal herself. Usually she was not so forthcoming when it came to wounds of any kind. She quickly took off Gabrielle's coat and looked at the bloody wound.

"I'll fix this for you. We need to relocate you somewhere safe."

Gabrielle swiped her wife's hand away. "No. I'm fine, Xena. I want to be in the field with you. It's just a shoulder wound."

The lieutenant pursed her lips as a response and backed off. "Alright. Have it your way," she lightly jests. "I'm going to wait outside for Arielle and Bayan then. Are you sure you can handle that by yourself?" she asked of the wound.

"I think I can manage."

Bayan struggled to stay awake with the minimal fluids and food that was given to them over the last two weeks. His body wore thin and malnourished. He tried to offer his food and water to Arielle so she could regain her strength and heal her wounds but as usual her stubborn-self refused.

As his head lolled from side to side he was jarred by the screaming outside the dungeon. He quickly stood up and nudged his wife in the leg. She grunted and rubbed her eyes. They both stared at the door and heard soldiers yelling in Chinese.

They heard cries for help for only a few seconds until it was silent.

The door was knocked down and they stared at Ernak, smothered in blood and holding two swords with his men standing right behind him. He gave them a huge smile and ordered his elites to unlock the cell door.

Arielle ran out of the cell once the door was opened and hugged Ernak tightly. He awkwardly pat her back and glared at Bayan who was not one for humble reunions. He knew that he wasn't liked by any of Arielle's family members from the beginning except now, he gave them more of a reason for them to hate him.

"Is it true that grandma is raiding the palace?" she eagerly asks. She'd been idle too long and wanted in on the action despite her shoulder and rib injuries.

He pinched her cheek. "Yes. We need to hurry. Xena ordered me to take you out of the palace. She and Gabrielle are waiting for you outside the Great Wall."

"What? I don't get to stay and fight? It is my job!"

"Arielle!" he snapped. Suddenly she became quiet as a mouse. "These are orders directly from Xena. Since you were out of commission I am obligated to follow her orders. Besides, I'd never disobey your grandmother's orders. I am not stupid enough to do that, but apparently you are."

The commander folded her arms. "But I am in charge now. I don't need her permission to stay."

He grabbed her arm and threw her out of the dungeon and she rammed into the wall. He pointed his blade at her chin and she wrapped her arm around her throbbing bicep and upper body.

"She's not trying to take your position from you, Arielle. You will learn to take orders. I am above you indefinitely. You may be queen in Assyria but you are not queen of the empire. Go to the camp now," he states firmly.

He threw the extra sword he snagged off one of Liu's men to her. She caught it with a bit of a struggle and rolled her injured shoulder backward. He glared at Bayan who already stole a sword from a Chinese corpse on the ground.

"I pity the day you have to share the battlefield with your mother," the king glares at the bright eyed commander. "You think Xena is hard on you now, wait until you have to go to war with your mother by your side."

Ernak whistled at his elite soldiers and they ran down the hallway to finish off the last of Liu's men waiting behind the throne chamber's doors. Arielle sighed and suddenly felt like there was no end to her being chastised. She was used to it when it came from her grandmother but she never expected it from Ernak. He was always playful and very nice to her. He was the jokester out of all his brothers but during battle he was stern and a completely different person.

At this moment she knew that her attitude wasn't liked by anyone. She even began to hate herself for the way that she was. She'd been very outspoken since she could talk and now it was coming to bite her in the ass. At this rate she felt like she was disappointing everyone especially her family. It was unfortunate that her entire family was among the most powerful empire next to Byzantium. It was a blessing and a curse.

Bayan grabbed her shoulder and she gasped.

"We should do as he says. They're probably waiting for us. We shouldn't worry them."

Cera traveled with her hostage to the port of Japan and couldn't be happier to see ships. She wasn't around the sea often but right now, she could kiss the ocean if she were able to. Along the journey she switched outfits with Menokohime so she wouldn't be mistaken for a concubine.

She sold the horse she stole from the imperial groundskeeper to a merchant in a village a few miles back. They continued on foot until they reached the port. She kept the veil over her head so she wouldn't reveal that she was a foreigner here. Menokohime was too afraid to say anything and she didn't dare run away.

Cera pulled the consort with her and they met up with a sailor who was not Japanese at all. Cera searched the entire docks for someone who might speak more than a few languages. This sailor wasn't from the East at all. He looked like someone from the Steppes judging by his skin color, long nose and brown eyes.

She pushed Menokohime forward and the sailor turned around after finishing a conversation with a Japanese merchant. He bowed his head to the two ladies and smiled at the very nervous imperial consort. Cera lifted her eyes skeptically eyeing the sailor.

"Where –where is your ship heading to?" Menokohime asked.

The sailor smiles. "We're heading to China, ma'am."

Cera sighs. Close enough, she thought. She figured if she went to China she could somehow make her way back to Kazakhstan. After all, it wasn't too far from China. Menokohime looked to her and she nods curtly.

"Are…you able to take passengers?"

He rubbed his chin. "I don't have room for the both of you. I must tell you, I don't normally transport people on my ships."

She was handed the gold from Cera. "I'm not going. She is."

He held the weight of gold in his palm and sighed deeply then eyed Cera's concealed identity. "Why should I take someone aboard that I cannot lay my eyes upon?" he chuckles.

Cera took the veil off her head slowly and kept her gaze low. The sailor's jaw dropped at the sight of her auburn hair. She briefly made eye contact with him and anxiously turned away with a heavy frown.

"A white woman," he mutters, a bit disturbed by the women's request. "She is not from here. Why do you want to sail to China? Are you a slave?"

Cera shook her head.

Menokohime interrupted, "She doesn't speak, sailor. She is from the land of the Huna."

He folds his arms. "Huns! I do business with them often in Assyria."

Cera saw a glimmer of hope ahead of her. She immediately grabbed his shoulders and furrowed her eyebrows, angry that she couldn't speak to him in the way she should. Out of desperation she signed her entire story of what happened to her and he frantically tried to follow her fast hand gestures and phrases.

"Whoa, easy now, girl. I cannot follow what you are saying. I'm afraid I don't understand you."

She clamped her hands together and pleaded with her teary doe eyes. She dropped to her knees and hung her head, sobbing softly.

The sailor awkwardly grabbed her arm and gently lifted her off the ground. "Perhaps I can help you but this is not enough coin."

Once a sailor, always a sailor, the princess griped inwardly. She didn't have anything else to offer for him and gazed at the ship. It was her only way back to her family and she hoped she wasn't going to be stuck here.

"Which tribe are you from? Harran?"

She shook her head.

"Nezak?" he guessed wrongly again. "Pannonia?"

Cera nods with excitement.

"I see. Pannonia is far from where I am traveling to but I can see you're in trouble here…" he grumbles. "I can only take you to China. You will have to find a way back to Pannonia yourself."

She could live with that decision and with a lending hand she climbed aboard onto the large ship. The sailor stared at the Japanese woman who was equally as lost. She didn't look like a slave but she was dressed in a kimono while the Hun woman was in fine imperial clothing. He sensed something was off about this transaction.

Far from the docks, imperial soldiers appeared and scattered themselves across the loading docks. Cera turned at the loud commotion and frantic yelling from afar. She saw the Japanese soldiers raiding the entire village and shipping grounds. Menokohime yelled to them in her mother tongue and pointed to the ship.

The sailor whipped his head around at the auburn haired woman and quickly boarded his ship and ordered his men to raise the anchor and cut the ropes to the docks. Cera backed away from the deck and breathed heavily. So close, she thought.

He grabbed her arm firmly. "Who are you?! Why are imperial soldiers after you?!"

Cera pulled her hair back and turned to show him a tattoo of her clan on the nape of her neck. The sailor's eyes widened, instantly recognizing the symbol.

The night before Cera's wedding her sister gifted her something that nobody else could think of. Cera sat on the floor while the needle pricked her skin in little bursts over and over for the last hour. Arielle dipped the needle in the ink well and finished off the last details of the tattoo marking.

Cera turned to look at her sister with reddened cheeks. Pain was not a thing she was good at hiding and her elder sister knew that.

Arielle turned her sister towards the mirror to showcase her fine tattooing skills.

"Whenever you're in trouble this mark will help you. God forbid that happens. Only use it when you need to."

Cera nods and kept staring at the fresh tattoo. A bird holding a sword with its talons. A lot of pain went into creating something so small.

"Oh and one more thing. Don't tell mother you have a tattoo. She'll think I am a bad influence on you."

"God almighty," the sailor whispers. "What are you doing on the other side of the world?!"

It wasn't easy bypassing all of the Chinese fighting against their people but Arielle and Bayan safely made it out of the imperial city. They immediately met up with Xena who was standing in their camp which was somewhat dismantled. It didn't appear that anyone was sleeping in large tents to stake their ground.

Arielle caught her breath and her shoulder throbbed. She spotted Gabrielle with a huge bandage on her shoulder and ran to her, completely forgetting about her own wounds and aches and pains.

"What happened? Who did this to you?"

Gabrielle crookedly grinned, glad to see that Arielle was alive and well for the most part. "It's nothing."

Xena scoffed. "She took an arrow for me."

"Gabrielle," the commander looked displeased. "How noble of you. Don't do that again."

Her grandmother grabbed her arm, hoisting her over to stand by her side. "Someone wants to kill you, Arielle. My enemies are long gone. You are the target now. Be on guard at all times. But, just for the record, I'd take an arrow for you any day." She grins.

Arielle wasn't sure how to process all of the information. She turned to eye the Wall lined with archers shooting at her men. "What are we going to do? I want to help. This is my army. My men are being slaughtered in the palace."

"We don't have time to mourn over our losses. The goal was to get you out of the palace. We need to head to Japan. Your mother gave us another task to complete."

"Mother? What? Why Japan?"

Gabrielle stepped forward and saw the sadness in her wife's eyes. "Cera was taken from her camp and is now in the imperial palace in Japan. Your mother wrote a letter to you but it was intercepted by Emperor Liu. He's no longer our ally. We can't depend on him anymore."

Arielle tightened her hands around the hilt of her sword and glared at the palace which some sections were up in flames. The news of her sister's kidnapping was just the icing on the cake. First the emperor betrayed them and now this. She couldn't bear to think what horrible things have happened or will happen to her little sister.

She walked towards the wagons filled with the goose feathers, bellows and pots she asked for weeks ago. She grabbed the reins of the horse and pulled the wagon along away from the camp and headed towards the palace.

Xena and Gabrielle followed the commander's every step in awe and puzzlement. Gabrielle ran in front of the cart and Arielle's nostrils flared. It was a look that she knew very well –a Xena look. That expression of determination and death was near –not for her but her enemies.

"What are you doing?" she asks Arielle. "The raid is almost over. Ernak is coming back here soon."

"I'm heading back to the palace. If the emperor wants to be my enemy then he picked the wrong person." She pulled the horse forward and Gabrielle stopped her again. "Out of my way!"

"There's no point in you going back there! You'll be killed!"

Arielle huffed and glared back at her grandmother who stood silently watching everything unfold. "I'm going back. I need you three to cover me. My plan will work. Do you trust me?" she specifically asked her grandmother and mentor.

Xena raised her eyebrow. She could see that the young commander wasn't going to give up and nothing she could say was going to stop her.

She waved her hand to the soldiers. "Cover the commander."

Gabrielle gasped and watched as Arielle hopped onto the horse and lead the wagon of supplies through the imperial gates.

"Xena, you can't be serious. You're allowing this?"

"I'd like to see this brilliant plan she's come up with." She nudged her wife's ribs and walked behind Arielle and drew her swords.

Ernak wrapped his arm around a Chinese soldier's neck and slit his throat with a quick swipe. He threw the traitor on the ground and wiped the bloody blade on his pants. He heard Arielle yelling from nearby and his blood boiled. Not following orders again.

He marched over to Arielle who was yelling at her men to carry the pots and bags of feathers close to the several entrances of the palace. Xena was off to the side a few feet from the empty wagon, fighting three Chinese soldiers. Gabrielle was behind her, covering her with a few punches and kicks, merely wounding the Chinese.

"Arielle! What the fuck!" he screeched. "I told you to go back!"

He kept his eye on Xena who drove her sword into the last soldier who tried to slice her leg open. That happy grin after a kill was something to be feared, he mused.

"And why is Xena here? What have you done? You can never follow orders!"

Arielle ignored his wrath and kept commanding her men. She was too focused on snuffing out the imperial palace to hear the king's mouth run for miles, conveying his disdain and disappointment.

The men dumped the goose feathers into the large pots and then pushed them towards the doorways. Arielle heavily relied on her elites, the governor and lieutenant to cover her while she executed her plan. Ernak grunted and walked over to Xena.

She let out a loud cry and rammed her blade into a Chinese soldier's throat and he fell to the ground, bleeding spewing out of his jugular. She turned and blinked the leftover blood off her lashes.

"Ernak," she greets calmly. "So good of you to join us."

"What the hell is going on? You were supposed to wait at the camp and we were going to high tail it out of here!"

Gabrielle whacked a man across the face and held up her sword with one hand. She chimed in to the conversation. "Arielle's got a plan. She makes it hard to disagree with her."

"Don't I know it," he grumbles.

Meanwhile the Hun soldiers were gathered around the feather filled pots and they were instructed to ignite the feathers. Arielle stepped away and waited for the feathers to burn until smoke appeared. She waved her hand behind her.

"Cover your mouths!" she demands and put a hand over her mouth. Others did the same as smoke filled the air. She snapped her fingers at her men.

They put scarves over their mouths and used the large bellows to pump air through the nozzles. With great bursts of pressurized air the smoke entered the palace halls. Arielle clapped her hands, telling her men to increase speed while pumping the bellows full of air, pushing the smoke further and further into the palace.

Within minutes the entire palace was filled with black smoke and people jumped out of the windows, coughing violently. Blood seeped from their eye sockets and they spat up blood as they crawled on all fours, trying to escape the smoke within the emperor's home.

Gabrielle gaped in horror at the bloody-eyed Chinese. A group of women ran out of the palace entrance, crying tears of crimson, screaming. Those screams. They were screams of terror and agony.

She slowly turned her head up to her wife who also looked horrified yet interested at the same time.

Arielle ordered that the lids be placed on the pots and they quickly vacated the smoke filled area. She waved her hand to the others and they took off running behind her. Ernak stayed behind a few seconds longer watching the imperial Chinese guards bleed from almost every orifice of their bodies.

They ran outside of the city and gazed in awe at the people collapsing onto the ground, crying out for help. Smoke engulfed the entire imperial city and it was now covering the mountains and even the archers on the Great Wall felt the effects.

Arielle saw a child crying out for his parents. He went into a coughing fit and cried bloody tears. She frowned sadly and turned her cheek.

Gabrielle wiped her brow and approached the commander. "What…just happened?"

She inhaled sharply, trying to ignore the child's cries. "The goose feathers…are poisonous when lit on fire."

Xena folded her arms and kept watching the people of the Song Empire suffer greatly. Their deaths were slow and hard to watch but she kept a stoic face through it all.

"Impressive," she says. "Where did you learn that?"

Arielle looked at her grandmother's satisfaction written all over her face. It was the first time she'd seen that she did something to get her mentor's approval. She didn't realize wiping out an entire city was the way to get that fulfillment, but she didn't know the outcome would make her feel so terrible.

"Let's move out. We need to get to the port to sail to Japan."

Edemen clashed swords with his father several times until Csaba caught him in a dirty position. His father's sword was held up to his throat which meant that he lost. The prince sighed and stepped back then stuck the play sword in the ground.

"When can I use a real sword?"

"When you're older, Ede."

The prince folded his arms. "Father, I am eleven now. I think I am old enough to learn how to spar with a real sword! Teyze Arielle used one when she was nine! Why am I being treated differently?"

Csaba could think of so many things to say about his little sister. Crazy was the first that came to his mind. "You aren't Arielle. You don't want to be like your aunt, do you?"

"Of course I do! She's amazing! She's great with a bow. She can shoot from hundreds of miles away!"

"Hundreds, huh?"

Edemen nodded. "And she says I'm her favorite. I want her to train me. Will she?"

"She's a little busy, Edemen. She's a commander. She's not going to have a lot of free time to be with you." He saw disappointment on his son's face. "But I'm sure she would love to teach you."

Badr walked up to the two and held out a letter. "Your highness; a message from China."

Csaba nods and read the letter over. Edemen tried to peer over to see what was written. He frowned and rolled up the parchment paper and tightened his grip around it. The prince tried not to seem interested.

"I have to speak with your grandmother. We'll continue our lesson at another time."

Edemen knew his father had many things to do but he was glad that he got to spend a few hours with him.

"Do you think mother will want to spar with me?"

Csaba cringed, not quite sure that Farah was up to doing anything. She did train under Gabrielle's and Xena's supervision for a few years but she was not the best. Still, Farah enjoyed sparring even if she got hit in the face a few times.

Ursula sat on the floor in the khatun's room, writing up a few contracts that Ana requested. She finished the last one and sighed heavily. She was not used to writing so much but she was glad to be in Ana's service. Now that tension had died down over the last couple of weeks and Farah's health improved, the Adame was a lot calmer.

"I've finished the contracts you asked for."

Anastasia lifted her eyes for a brief moment during her daily reading and signing sessions. "Thank you."

She grabs the contracts and gave them a quick look then signed her name at the bottom of each page. She smiled at her advisor who seemed a bit overwhelmed and tired. She took notice of it but it was so much easier with a person to help her with everything while Gabrielle was away.

"Farah will be very surprised when she will be announced as the empire's treasurer," she adds.

Ursula nodded. "You are making a lot of changes in the empire. There has been talk in the tribe that you are moving too quickly since you took over Kreka Khatun's position."

Ana raised a brow and stacked the papers into a neat pile. "Let them talk. I am making necessary changes. Everyone in the family should have a role. It's ludicrous to give multiple tasks and positions to one person. Gabrielle is a good example. She is the governor, treasurer and advisor. That's too much for one person to handle. That's why I gave each one of her tasks to you and Farah."

"I agree that they are positive changes but Kreka Khatun was loved by everyone in the empire. She is missed dearly. I fear that too many changes will cause our people to…"

"To what?"

The shamaness exhales softly. "To revolt against you."

Anastasia smiled and paddled her advisor's knee gently. "It wouldn't be the first time that's happened. These changes are better for everybody. They will come to understand eventually."

She pauses at Ursula's unhidden angst and proceeded to add, "Kreka was a great queen to her people. She served them well but she did not execute her power properly in her later years. She was not very accommodating or welcoming to foreigners. She did not like that Thracians relocated to Pannonia. Thracians are my mother's people. Every single person here is accepted as part of our empire. I have decided to build a church in the outskirts."

Ursula's mouth gaped. "Anastasia, you will surely have a mob of angry Huns at your doorstep…"

"I was forced to accept your people and Attila banned shamans from the tribe, yet here you are," she snidely replied.

Csaba knocked on the door and entered the room. He eyed his mother and Ursula sitting together on the floor and bowed his head. "If this is a bad time I can come back later."

"No. We're finished here," she says. "What do you want, Csaba?"

"I received word from China. Emperor Liu imprisoned Arielle and Bayan. Apparently Wang is against us and it seems that China is no longer our ally from what grandma said in her letter. She said she's going to get Arielle and Bayan then come back to Pannonia as soon as possible."

Ana frowned. "There's nothing about Cera in there?"

"No, mother. She didn't mention Cera."

She nods her head slowly. "She probably hasn't received my letter yet. Let me know if she sends something else."

He smiles and replies, "I will, mother."

"Bring Farah to me. I will assign her a new position today."

Cera sat huddled in a corner on the deck of the ship with arms wrapped around her legs. She nearly escaped the imperial guards of Japan at the docks and she'd definitely reward the sailor for his bravery and help.

The sailor walked over with a cup of water and some bread. He knelt down in front of her and she smiled weakly. "This is all I have for now until we reach China."

She graciously accepted the food and drink and immediately downed the water. He sat down beside her and watched her silently eat. She noticed him staring and looked at him from the corner of her eye. She was not one to be ravenous over a piece of bread but traveling in the woods in Japan for a week with no proper food or water took a toll on her body.

"My name is Ren. We were not properly introduced." He lends his hand.

She hesitantly shook his hand and their eyes met for a moment and she went back to nibbling at the hunk of day old bread.

"By your tattoo I am assuming you're a princess?"

Cera chewed quietly and kept to herself.

Ren chuckled. "Alright. I can see you're shy."

She whipped her head around and took the dagger from his belt and held it up against his throat. Ren had no time to react and he put his hands up for surrender.

"I take back what I said," he pleads.

She lowered the dagger and handed it back to him. Slowly, he snatched the dagger from her and placed it back where it belonged. He marveled at her warrior skills. She was quick and silent –silent being the operative word. He never met someone quite like her and her hair was definitely something he hadn't seen in the Hun tribes. It was a rare sight to see a red or blonde Hun but they did exist evidently.

"We'll reach the coast in a couple of days. It would be an honor for me to escort you home, princess," he teases with a mock of a bow.

Cera lifted an eyebrow and he stood up and bowed appropriately this time. He smiled and went to the wheel to continue steering the ship. She emits a small grin as they kept eye contact while he steered the ship.

Arielle rode nonstop to the coast of China. Three days. They traveled for three days without stopping. Gabrielle tried to convince her to stop and let the remaining army they had left rest but Arielle refused. Ernak had no objection to the continuous ride but he couldn't say the same for his horse or men.

Xena trotted up to her granddaughter and couldn't even get her to make eye contact. She could see that Arielle was beyond upset and she had the right to be, for several reasons.

"We need to stop for a night at least, Arielle. We'll make it to the port tomorrow but you need to let your men rest. The raid exhausted them."

The young commander grit her teeth and ignored her grandmother.

"Aren't you listening to me? I told you we need to stop. Gabrielle told you that yesterday."

"Why didn't you tell me about Cera earlier?" she asks softly.

Xena looked sheepish and she did feel guilty for keeping that from her but there was a bigger task at hand at the moment. "I needed to get you out of the palace first. Your safety is important to me."

"What about Cera's safety?!" she spat and stopped her horse. "She's my little sister! I would do anything for her! Who knows what she's been through? I don't even know if she's alive!"

"Arielle…"

"No! You don't get to plead guilty to me, grandma. You should've told me before the raid. I could've helped. We could've left China a lot sooner." She huffed. "We'll stop tonight but I'm not stopping because of you. I'm stopping for my men. As you said, they're exhausted."

She dismounted her horse and yelled at her men to find a good spot to set up a small camp for tonight.

Xena sighed and her wife soon joined her. Gabrielle slowed to a trot and couldn't help but overhear the entire conversation –the entire army heard it.

"She's not upset at you. She just cares about Cera. Imagine that? Arielle caring for someone else besides herself?" the governor joked.

"Gabrielle…"

"Sorry. You and I both know that you couldn't have gotten Arielle and Bayan out of that cell fast enough. She doesn't know what we did outside the palace. Let her cool off for awhile."

"She might need an ice bath to cool that hot head of hers," she scoffs. "How's your shoulder?"

Gabrielle unconsciously put a hand to the wound. "Better. It still aches sometimes. This cold weather isn't helping either."

That evening camp was set up and a few tents were pitched, the biggest one for the commander and company. Arielle sat by the fire, warming her bare hands. She requested to be left alone by her men so she could think. Usually she liked company but she never felt so empty inside as when she heard that Cera was kidnapped.

She tried not to be angry at anyone as it wasn't their fault. She knew it wasn't. She had to blame whoever took her sister but she didn't know who did it or why. That was the most frustrating part of it all. She was left in the dark.

Gabrielle made her way over, nursing a cup of wine. "Can I sit with you?"

Arielle frowned and scoot over on the fur coat on which she sat. The governor sat down with her, enjoying the warm roaring fire together.

Gabrielle didn't expect Arielle to talk. She just wanted to sit by the fire because one, it was cold, and two, she figured the commander needed someone to be with. Nobody should be alone at a time like this, she thought.

"Is this what it's like to be a commander?" she blurted out.

Gabrielle paused from slurping the wine.

"I probably killed hundreds of children in that city. I gave them the worst possible death. They died slowly; blood pouring from their mouths, ears and eyes. They probably took fifteen minutes to die –minimum."

"Sometimes…" she began, "you have to make tough decisions when you're a commander. War is not pretty. It weighs on the soul."

Arielle looked her in the eye. "Did grandma kill children?"

Gabrielle licked her dry lips and focused on the fire.

"Did she?"

"Not intentionally…"

Arielle smirked. "Don't lie to me, Gabrielle."

"Yes she did, but she was different than you are now. I'm not saying she was swinging her sword, decapitating little boys and girls or anything."

"Did she…feel bad about it afterwards?"

What a loaded question, the blonde thought. "I don't think she did at the time but I wasn't around then. She does now. She would never hurt a child."

"But I did. I hurt hundreds if not thousands in the city."

Silence.

Gabrielle felt her hair stand up on the back of her neck. Her eyes drifted to her wife who was sitting at a fire by herself, mirroring her granddaughter. Both were in deep thought but they probably shared more of the same thoughts than either cared to recognize.

"Gabrielle, how do you get rid of this feeling? I feel like I'm going to vomit each time I replay the image in my head."

She inhales deeply. "It will pass. You'll never feel the same again. This is what your grandmother was trying to tell you when you were sixteen. Being a commander isn't just giving orders and leading your people to war. You've become a target now. All of China knows who you are."

She spoke once more, "death is never an easy thing to come face to face with. If you've become too comfortable with it then you know you're too far gone. There will be many more wars during your reign. You must be able to deal with the losses and gains but still remain composed."

Arielle dipped her head and stared at the sword in her lap.

"I understand now. I didn't understand before but I do now."

Gabrielle sipped the wine. "Understand…what exactly?"

"I will treat death like love. It is easy to gain and lose at the same time. Both cause a great deal of pain but sometimes they can be rewarding to the mind and heart."

The governor blinked rapidly. She was choked up for words. She'd known Arielle since birth and everyone knew what a brat she could be and she was at times. She was headstrong and liked doing things her way. If it wasn't her way it wasn't going to happen. Now, she saw a dramatic change in Arielle. Or maybe it was always in her and she needed a slap of reality to bring the tongue of wisdom forth.

"Have I ever told you that you're nothing like your mother?" she teases.

Arielle finally gave a genuine smile and bumped knees with her confidant.

The sailor docked his ship at the port and helped the princess off the boat. She was not one to ask for a hand but he aided her against her wishes. Cera stared at all the merchants and she recognized one of them who was handling large pouches of coin. It was the same man that took her to the imperial palace.

That felt like a lifetime ago now. She was so alone in that harem and she didn't want to think about Prince Senka again. Not even a hundred baths could get rid of his hands crawling across her flesh. She blocked the image from her mind. But this from this point she knew her family wasn't going to let the imperial family of Japan live this down. They were going to pay some way or another.

Ren walked with her through the market and kept a close eye on anyone who lingered by them. She was very noticeable in this area due to her height, hair and skin. He gingerly grabbed the cloth veil and draped it over her head. Cera frowned and shot him a glare.

"You're drawing unwanted attention," he whispers.

She didn't know why this man was being so kind to her but she didn't mind it. She'd been around enough enemies. She kept her guard up in case he tried anything but so far he was amenable and tended to her like he did to his men. She thought that he might be seeking a lot of coin from her family when she was to be returned. Pirates always think with golden eyes instead of their brains or hearts.

"I promised I'd take you back to your home but first I need to buy supplies for my ship. We'll sail around to Dalmatia and ride the rest of the way to Pannonia."

Cera nodded.

They stopped at a vendor who sold dried foods, grain and wine. "Wait here. Don't wander off."

She turned around and sighed lightly. All eyes were upon her. Each person that passed glanced at her like she was some kind of enigma. She stared at the people passing by and saw a glimpse of a red cape in the crowd.

Cera narrowed her eyes and stepped forward into the rushing crowd. She recognized that cape anywhere and that head full of curly locks. She pushed through the sea of people, bumping into everyone in her path.

A huge smile appeared on her face for the first time in so long. She ran across the market and Ren spun around.

"Hey! I told you to wait here!"

He didn't get a chance to negotiate prices with the vendor and ran off after the princess.

Her heart raced and she shoved people aside. The lookers cursed at her in several foreign tongues but she paid no mind to them. She collided with her elder sister and wrapped her arms around her from behind.

Arielle nearly fell over and she pushed the unknown person off her and turned around to whip her sword out. She paused and gaped at her little sister standing before her, alive and in one piece.

"Cera…" she leapt forward and hugged her sister tightly. "I thought something horrible happened to you!"

The redheaded princess sobbed in her sister's hair and her body shook lightly from the adrenaline rushing through her veins. Arielle pulled away and cupped her wet cheeks. Cera could barely contain her excitement and was so relieved to see a familiar face.

"I…I knew someone would come for me." She signs with unsteady hands.

Arielle smiled and kissed her sister's cheeks. "H –how did you get here?"

Ren caught up with them and he halted at the sight of Arielle. She whipped her sword out and Cera stepped in front of the frightened sailor.

"He's a friend. He helped me."

Despite her little sister's words she was skeptical of the man. She lowered her blade and eyed him from head to toe. "Thank you…for helping my sister. My mother will reward you generously."

Ren's face paled. "I was not…able to get her name."

"Princess Cera and I am Princess Arielle. My men are waiting at a camp nearby."

She grabbed Cera's hand and held her close. She looked back at the man gawking like a fish out of water.

"Are you going to stand there? I'm ordering you to come with me!"

He didn't know how to behave in front of princesses but quickly trailed behind them nervously.