Things will speed up in the following chapter :)

Chapter 10

Arielle stayed with her sister all night like she promised and neither one of them got any sleep. Ku came by in the morning to ask if Cera needed anything. Later she came back with broth since Arielle knew that her sister wasn't going to be able to eat any solid foods for awhile.

Cera sat up in bed against a mound of pillows while she was being spoon fed like a child. Just the few sips of the broth that she had were just enough to fill her uneasy stomach. She wrapped an arm around her sore womb while her sister kept trying to feed her. She put up her other hand and turned her cheek the other way.

"You need to try and eat a little bit more. I promise you'll feel a lot better. In a few days you can eat regular food." Arielle coaxed her sister and pushed the spoon closer to her mouth. "Cera, work with me here. Mother is coming to see you today and you have to appear at least somewhat normal."

The younger princess creased her eyebrows and opened her mouth. She got in two more large spoonfuls of the broth and then refused to eat any more of it.

Arielle smiled and set the saucer on the table near the bed. She looked underneath the sheets at the bloodied towel and nodded. She realized that she needed to change the towels and dispose of them before anyone noticed –anyone, that being her mother.

Cera sighed and sank into the pillows, staring at the ceiling. She felt her sister's eyes on her at all times and this was an all night ordeal. She felt bad for keeping her sister here especially after the long trip they had but Arielle didn't seem tired. Even if she was she was good at hiding her exhaustion.

She lowered her head and Arielle kept gawking at her. It was a bit unnerving. She signed in her lap and her sister watched her hand gestures carefully. She complained that this was the most painful thing she ever went through and Arielle half smiled.

Then she asked, "Why did you decide to get rid of your baby, Arielle?"

The commander anxiously ran her fingers through her wild hair and looked into her sister's eyes. "I don't know. I was scared I guess."

"And you weren't scared the second time?"

Arielle squeezed her sister's arm. "Of course I was. That's why I decided to come back home."

Cera frowned confusedly. "But we would've helped you the first time. Mother loves you. She wouldn't have been mad at you."

"My life would've been very different if I had the baby, Cera. In a way I did the best thing for myself at the time. Don't get me wrong, I love Aurora very much but I don't think I would've been a good mother living alone back in Harran. I didn't know what I was doing for the first year of Aurora's life. I still don't know what I'm doing," she says with a light laugh.

Her sister grinned. "You're a good mother, Arielle. Grandma is right; you're too hard on yourself."

"Listening to grandma again, huh? Yeah well, I could be better. Mother is always doing things for Aurora."

"Mother loves her. She just likes to spoil her." Cera looked down at herself and wiped her nose. "Do you think Mirac will still…want to be with me after what happened?"

Arielle grabbed her sister's hands. "Of course he would. Why kind of question is that? He'd bend over backwards for you!" she tried to reassure her sister and instead got tears as a response.

"Cera, you don't have to worry about anything! Mirac is a great person and he loves you a lot. What happened wasn't your fault. You didn't ask for this to happen. Cera, look at me."

The redhead princess lifted her tear stained cheeks and her sister dried her face with the backside of her hand.

"You're going get through this and we'll help you. One day you will have a child of your own and I will definitely be there to bug you the entire time. You'll be a great mother because you're very kind and compassionate of others. Don't let this one event ruin your life."

Ren was invited to the queen's chambers to have a formal meeting. He met her advisor and Farah who was also a queen. He didn't realize there were so many queens in the Hun Empire. First Arielle, the khatun and now Farah. There he stood in front of the three women and the governor and Xena stood behind him.

He couldn't keep his eyes off Farah and Anastasia took notice of his inconspicuous eyes. Farah was obviously amused and kept smiling. She was not insulted at all as she normally got those reactions when men met her. Thankfully Csaba was not in the room otherwise he'd definitely say something to the sailor.

"Ren, thank you for saving my daughter in Japan," Ana said.

He shook his head and blinked his eyes then looked at the khatun who met him in equal height but she looked so much taller the more he looked at her. He nearly forgot his manners and bowed his head.

"It is an honor, your majesty. Both of your daughters are very beautiful."

Xena rolled her eyes in the background and Anastasia's smile grew.

"My mother told me that you are a sailor and trade in Assyria. You know that my daughter is queen of Assyria…"

He nodded. "Yes, khatun."

"I would like to show my gratitude for protecting my daughter. How would you like to be in charge of my navy? We have a port in Dalmatia. It is not being used currently but you may use it for trading in Africa if you'd like."

His mouth parts and he looked behind him at Xena and Gabrielle who both had their arms crossed. Xena raised her eyebrow at his gaping mouth.

"What are you staring at me for, boy? Answer my daughter. She is talking to you!"

He spun around at the grinning khatun. "That is very generous of you, your majesty. I'd love to be in charge of your navy. I didn't know Huns were sea bound. I assume you do most of your trades and wars on land."

"We do but I had ships built a few years ago. We don't have anyone experienced enough to handle the navy. You seem like a perfect choice. If you accept then Farah will pay you for rescuing my daughter as well as becoming naval captain."

He knelt down on one knee and all the women chuckled softly. She grabbed his arm and hoisted him off the floor. "I will do anything you say, khatun."

"Very good. Farah, show him to the treasury and pay him."

Farah smiled and walked over to the nervous sailor and waved her hand to the doors. Ursula took her leave and followed them out of Anastasia's chambers.

Now Gabrielle could finally laugh since the sailor left the room. Xena was disinterested in the young man's sweaty hands and anxious manners and more focused on what happened to Cera in Japan. She didn't press her daughter about the idea since they all arrived yesterday late in the day.

Anastasia frowned at the women and Gabrielle ceased laughter. "When I was visiting Cera in Kazakhstan there was an attack on the tribe. Men came and killed almost all the women and children in the camp. Cera was taken right under my nose," she explained.

She adds, "I went to Madhiya's camp after the attack because I suspected she had something to do with it."

Xena groaned. "I told you to stay away from her, Anastasia. She is nothing but trouble. She's a worthless piece of shit."

"And she doesn't like you," Gabrielle chimed in.

Ana sighs and continued, "Madhiya didn't seem to know anything about the attack. She has a horde of Alps who are skilled hunters. I convinced her to let me buy her best Alps and I brought them back to Pannonia with me. I had them interrogated and they revealed that they were the attackers and Cera's kidnappers."

Silence.

"I had them beheaded and sent their heads to Madhiya."

Xena smiled with satisfaction. "Excellent job, Ana. You accomplished a lot while we were gone."

"And it seems you did as well. Killing the shah wasn't a wise decision, mother. Now the Persians are going to come after us. As if we don't have enough to deal with." She rubbed her forehead. "Gabrielle, I want you to write a letter to Navaz. Tell him to come here so I can devise a plan to keep Persia out."

The governor nodded. She kept thinking about what that Persian soldier told her and she kept it a secret from her wife which probably wasn't the best choice but there was too much going on at once. Now she stared at the two, wondering if she should open her mouth or keep her trap shut for awhile longer.

"I'm going to see Cera. Arielle was with her all night. You're both more than welcome to come with me," Ana suggested.

Xena put up her hand. "We'll come later."

The khatun smiled at her mother which made her feel a bit uneasy. Gabrielle's cheeks reddened and she desperately wished she wasn't in the same room as her wife right now. She could make a run for it but that might look suspicious and her wife was already on her tail about every move she made.

Xena cringed at her daughter's goofy face. "Stop it. Stop looking at me like that."

Anastasia squished her mother's cheeks together and Xena's eyes darted in several directions. "I just want you to know that you're very special to me."

Xena furrowed her eyebrows and slapped her daughter's hands then glared at her shy wife. "What are two planning behind my back? I know you're doing something."

"Mom. Why are you always thinking the worst?"

"Because you two are working together. I don't like it when you do that."

"I can see that you are going to give Gabrielle a hard time so I'll tell you. We're planning a surprise for you. I think you're going to like what I have in store for you."

Xena grumbled and Gabrielle slowly began to back away. She grabbed her wife's arm and pulled her close. "I'll kill you….in your sleep, Gabrielle," she hissed.

"Don't blame her, mother. It's my idea!" Ana grinned from ear to ear. "I'll leave you guessing. See you both later."

Gabrielle felt like she was in a very dangerous situation being in a room alone with her wife right now. She backed down as the blue piercing blues bore into her soul.

"Xena, I swear to you, I had nothing to do with it!"

Bayan left his daughter's bedroom after spending all of last night and this morning with her. Ku finally was able to convince the princess to wash her hair and change out of yesterday's clothes. He missed his daughter a lot and he listened to her tell him all about her adventures and mishaps here in Pannonia. He hardly had to say anything because she was quite talkative which reminded him of Arielle.

He rounded the corner and met face to face with Csaba. His eyes widened and he hadn't laid eyes on Arielle's brother since their last encounter before she went to war with Persia in Balaam.

Csaba grimaced and took a step forward. "The only reason you aren't six feet under is because of Aurora and my sister."

"I think Arielle can make up her own mind, Csaba."

He cornered Bayan and was so close they were nearly touching foreheads. "Arielle is very precious to me. Don't even think you deserve forgiveness from anyone in this family. Be grateful that Navaz spared your life. If you fuck up again I can't guarantee your safety."

Bayan furrowed his thick eyebrows and stared down the king.

"Don't cross paths with me again. I don't want to see you or hear you breathe."

Csaba shoved him against the wall and stomped off down the hallway to pay a visit to Cera. Bayan's heart raced and he exhaled heavily. He hated dealing with Csaba ever since he was a little boy. Everyone else in the family wasn't nearly as hostile towards him but he knew that he'd have to deal with Csaba as long as he was alive.

This was the real test. Arielle left Cera alone with their mother and told her to keep quiet about what happened. At least staying in bed for a few days wouldn't seem abnormal given her journey across the entire world practically. She hoped that her mother wasn't too suspicious and would keep her focus on Cera's health and nothing else.

She went to see her daughter before she'd go to her room to change. She was still in her robe from last night and had circles under her eyes from not sleeping for days. Upon entering her daughter's room she saw Ku brushing Aurora's wet wavy hair with a wide tooth comb.

Aurora smiled. "Mommy! Where have you been?"

"I was with Cera, tatli kiz."

"Is she staying here?"

Arielle looked at Ku sadly and picked up a few of her daughter's clothes lying around. "She will for awhile."

The princess clapped her hands. "I like Teyze Cera. She draws pretty paintings. Is she gonna teach at school again?"

"I'm not sure. We'll see. How was your visit with your father? Did you two have a good time?"

"Yeah!" she squealed. "Will I go to Harran with him? I miss it there."

Arielle frowned and sat on the bed and Ku kept combing the princess' long hair. "We talked about this. You're staying with me from now on. Ku's here to take care of you."

Aurora pouted and picked at the threads on her dress. "But I like Harran and I miss Sarnai too. She gives me presents."

Arielle clenched her fist and let her daughter continue talking about her husband's whore. "She takes me to the market and makes my favorite foods 'cause you can't cook," she says and her mother slightly smiled. "And –and she spend time with me when I get bored."

The commander's face softened. "You like Sarnai, don't you?"

"Mhm. She's nice."

"Well, I'm glad that she's nice to you." She felt like she'd been stabbed in the heart but she could see that her daughter liked the Mongol woman a lot.

She stood up and kissed Aurora's forehead. "I'll be back later. I'm going to change clothes. Ku, keep an eye on her."

"Always, Arielle." The Assyrian smiled.

Gabrielle sat with her wife in the women's room eating on the floor in silence. She dipped the bread in a dip and stared at her wife who was completely ignoring her. She dropped the bread on her plate and Xena lifted her head in the middle of chewing.

"Are you going to give me the silent treatment now?"

Xena smirked and wiped her mouth with a swipe of her thumb. "I'm just enjoying the food, Gabrielle. Why do you think I'm always out to get you?"

"You just told me you'd kill me…in my sleep."

"That was a joke. You should know me better than that." She sipped the fruity drink and winked at her panicky wife. "Since you love being a spy for people, did you ever figure out what Arielle and Cera are hiding?"

The blonde huffed and decided to leave the subject alone. "No. They were acting strange, weren't they?"

Xena nods and spread a large helping of cheese onto the bread. "Those girls love to keep secrets and Arielle is a devious brat. She knows that Cera is unable to tell anyone about their secrets. The only time her lack of tongue is of use is when Arielle is up to something."

"What do you think they're hiding?"

"Who knows? But whatever it is must be pretty juicy. Arielle is protecting her sister."

Gabrielle frowned with a mouthful of cheese. "Protecting her from whom?"

Xena raised her eyebrows and shrugged her shoulders. "Anastasia, I'm sure. Secrets are bound to be told eventually."

Farah's twin boys ran into the room screaming loudly. Xena had her mouth wide open ready to put an olive in her mouth and paused at the loud boys. They had wooden swords and were sparring with each other. She stared at the two clashing swords with one another and frowned, already getting a headache.

They turned to the women and dropped their swords and immediately sat down. They began picking at the food and Xena raised her eyebrow. Gabrielle chuckled softly allowing the boys to steal most of their assorted foods.

Xena slapped Aman's hand as he reached onto her plate. "Get your grubby hands off my food, boy."

"Grandma Xena, will you teach at school again?! We miss the class."

"Yeah, we do," Aladar said and grabbed a handful of olives and stuffed them into his mouth.

Aman continually ate off her plate and finished all her food before she had the chance to. She folded her arms and stared at the boys who seemed to have no manners whatsoever and they didn't care either. Entitled princes, she thought.

Gabrielle looked at the ravenous boys and eyed her wife who was astonished by their appetite given their tiny bodies. "Did you two…eat this morning?"

They bobbed their heads and finished all of the small bowls of fruit, olives and cheeses.

Xena pursed her mouth. "Thank you for finishing my food for me. I wouldn't even dare to think of finishing it myself," she says with utmost sarcasm.

The princes stood up and wiped their hands on their pants. "You're gonna teach us how to use real swords, right?" Aman asked hopefully.

"Absolutely not. You will continue training with the practice swords."

"Aweh!" they whined.

"Don't you two have somewhere to be?"

Aladar went to pick up his sword. "We have math class with our mom today. We're gonna go in the treasury!"

Gabrielle smiles at the boys. "I'm sure you'll both learn a lot. Your mother is very smart."

"Come on brother," Aladar wrapped an arm around Aman and they left the room together with swords hanging by their sides.

Xena sighed looking at the empty tray of food and heard her wife giggling. "Those boys are pigs."

"They're adorable, Xena."

"They're lucky they have Farah's face."

Disclosed Location

Eksama crossed the old Goth plains and settled a very small discreet campsite along the border of Pannonia. She was notified by her scouts that the Hun palace was located in the Matra Hills. This was good news for her because she wasn't too far from the infamous clan of Attila.

In the woods she sat in a chair at her desk with one leg propped up on the tabletop. She finished eating a plate of rice and lamb off the shank and licked her fingers. She smiled at the woman in front of her and waved her hand to her soldiers to take the empty plate away.

She folded her arms and leaned back in the chair much like imitating a man. "Zelda, you've always been a loyal servant to me."

Zelda, a woman of small stature with long blonde locks, bowed her head to her queen. "Yes, my lady. I would do anything for you."

Eksama nods. "Let's keep it that way. I have a job for you and it's very important. If you make any mistakes I'll gut you and feed your carcass to the wolves."

Zelda hung her head and listened to her queen's request closely.

"Attila's clan lives in the Matra Hills. It's an hour's walk from here. I will send you to be a servant to the Huns. You will live in the Adame with the rest of the clan."

"How will I do that?"

The queen frowned. "Did I finish?"

Zelda's cheeks flushed.

"You will be stopped by the guards before entering the Adame. Here's where you listen closely." She swung her leg off the table and pulled out her dagger and jammed it into the table. "One mistake and your skin is mine to hang on my wall."

She saw that she struck imminent fear in her servant and chuckled. "Alright here's what you're going to tell the guards. You used to be a Roman slave under Emperor Odoacer. You have no family left and King Alaric offered to help you because he felt sorry for you. He suggested you'd be sent to the Huns. The Goth king is very good friends with Queen Anastasia. You will serve the royal Hun family and follow their every move."

Zelda nodded. "Yes, my queen. I'll do as you say."

Eksama narrowed her brown eyes. "I want a report from you once a week. Find out all of their names and what their occupations are. If you can, get close to the queen. Listen to everything she says and does."

Before her servant could answer she pulled the dagger out of the table and threw it at Zelda's feet. The young woman gasped and her face turned almost translucent.

"Your name will be Diana from now on. If you get caught don't bother coming back to my camp."

Eksama pulled out a vial and threw it at the servant's feet next to the dagger planted in the floor. "If you get caught, drink this poison. I will have no trails lead to me. Understand?"

"Yes, my queen."

"Off you go then. I'll be waiting for your report in seven days." Eksama smiled and waved her hand.

Arielle hurried down the stairs and tucked her black blouse in her trousers. She jumped off the last step and rolled up her sleeves as she briskly walked through the hall towards her sister's bedroom. Her thick curls bounced with every step she took.

Xena left her wife awhile after the twin princes ravaged their food. Gabrielle was in her office writing a report of everything that happened in China. Xena was sure that her daughter wasn't going to like what was in the report but she knew that her wife wasn't going to leave anything out.

She head in the direction towards her room and saw Arielle ahead of her. She narrowed her eyebrows.

"Arielle!"

The commander halted and spun on her heel. "Grandma, good morning."

"Morning." She approached her granddaughter and eyed her attire from head to toe. Black pants, blouse and flats. "Why are you wearing simple clothing?"

Arielle looked down at herself almost like she forgot what she was wearing. "I changed clothes earlier. I was in a robe."

Xena folded her arms and quirked her mouth to the side. "Where's your kozak?"

"In my room. Why do you ask?" she was wasting time here and increasingly worried over leaving her sister with her mother.

"You're a commander, Arielle. You're supposed to wear your headdress all the time unless you're off duty."

Arielle smiled. "Then why are you wearing yours?" she nudged her head at her grandmother's headdress. She received a hideous glare and cleared her throat. "I'll get it later."

Xena grabbed her arm. "Where are you going? Gabrielle is writing the China report. Your mother and Csaba will be waiting for you to explain what happened. I have to be there too hence why I'm still wearing the headdress." She raised her eyebrow skeptically.

"I'll be there for the briefing, grandma but I need to check on Cera first."

She yanked on Arielle's arm and pulled her close. "What are you and your sister hiding from everyone? She knows everything that happened in Japan. Whatever she's not telling us will hurt us. If she has information she needs to hand it over."

Arielle didn't want to reveal anything too quickly and she calmed herself before she released a surge of anger.

"She will tell us when she's ready. She's very tired. Allow her a few days rest then she will explain everything. Fair enough?"

"Keeping secrets is no way to build trust between you and your mother. Don't forget that she is your superior."

Arielle nods with a weak smile. "I know, grandma. I don't know any more than you do about Japan. Cera's been quiet about everything. You saw her. She's like a walking skeleton. It's clear that she's been through a lot."

Xena saw pain in her granddaughter's eyes and sensed what she might be hiding but she didn't want to press further. She knew she was hard on Arielle ever since she could talk and that was only because she saw that Arielle had a lot of potential from the start. She hoped that her granddaughter knew that she wasn't hard on her for no reason.

She also had several rocky conversations with Anastasia over the years although now they were both older their relationship was a lot better. Anastasia had always been very smart and spoke her mind but she didn't have the same fire that Arielle had.

She realized that Arielle liked to put up a wall against her mother and her as well. She flocked to Gabrielle when she needed to talk but Xena didn't want Arielle to feel like she needed to keep secrets from her family. After all, she ran away with Bayan and spent most of her pregnancy in Harran without telling anybody. Arielle liked to do things her own way but Xena thought that she should know that you don't have to do everything by yourself –a lesson she herself learned several times. Loneliness was not the way to solve problems.

She grabbed Arielle and pulled off to the side in a separate hallway. "Arielle, what is going on? I know you think that you can't trust me with your secrets but I know you're protecting your sister."

"I…I promised I wouldn't tell. Cera's really broken inside. She's scared what people will think about her."

"She was sold into slavery. It's obvious something was bound to have happened." she hinted and Arielle frowned sadly. "Someone abused her, right?"

Arielle lifted her head, tears threatening to run down her face.

"She was raped, wasn't she Arielle?"

The commander nods her head slowly.

Xena sighed and felt sick to her core. "And you're helping her get rid of the aftermath."

"Please don't say anything to mother yet. I want to help Cera. She's too afraid of what mother will do."

"I'm not going to say anything."

Arielle wiped her cheeks and stared at her grandmother with puzzled eyes. "You aren't?"

"I didn't say anything when you did the same thing, Arielle."

"You know about that?"

Xena half smiled. "I can keep secrets."

Arielle surprisingly and abruptly wrapped her arms around her grandmother and hugged her tightly. Xena's eyes widened and she smiled softly and returned the warm embrace. She got the feeling that Arielle definitely needed that love and affection for quite some time.

Csaba sat with his sister and kissed her hand several times. She could barely keep a smile on her face and kept shifting in bed as she sat in her own pool of blood. She was glad to be home and see all of her family members but she wondered when Arielle was going to come back. Her mother kept staring at her from the end of the bed.

"I'm so happy that you've come back here in one piece."

Cera nodded silently at her brother's affection.

"Everyone was so worried about you! You're my baby sister and I'd do anything for you. If someone hurt you, just tell me and I'll make sure they won't live to see another day."

She reached outward and cupped his cheek. "Thank you Csaba. Is Mirac coming here?"

Ana stared at her daughter and saw there something in those brown doe eyes; something that was being hidden and locked away.

"I've sent a letter to Mirac's family. Yana was very adamant that you were returned safely. See, I told you that she likes you, Cera."

The princess grinned and looked back at her brother who was sitting incredibly close to her. She turned away shyly and laced her hands in her lap, anxiously waiting for her sister to return. She'd been gone for a long time already.

Right on cue, Arielle and Xena walked into the bedroom. Cera's face paled upon seeing her grandmother. If she could run away from this place, she would. Arielle put up her hand, signaling her to calm down and Cera settled back against the pillows but she kept her eyes planted on her grandmother's expressionless face.

Xena came by to stand beside her daughter and said in a hushed voice, "Gabrielle's almost done with the report."

"We can have a meeting before dinner. I'd like for all of us to eat altogether."

Xena looked to the laid up princess and Arielle was sitting on the bed, comforting her. She licked her upper lip and grabbed her daughter's arm to guide her away from the bed to allow the siblings to catch up with one another.

"Arielle wants to be with Cera. We can have their food sent to the room. We can eat together in the hall."

Ana frowned and turned back to look at her children. It was a rare sight to see all three of them in one room and get along so well with each other. "But I'd really like it if Cera joined us."

"Anastasia just let her stay in bed for awhile. She wants to be with Arielle."

"She still hasn't said anything about Japan. I need to know what happened there if we're going to have problems in the future."

"She'll tell you after she rests. Emperor Liu knows that Cera was in the imperial palace in Kusuba."

"How could he know about that?"

"It's all in the report. Let's leave them alone. Csaba and Arielle will join us later for the briefing." She pulled her daughter away and Anastasia kept her eyes on her children until she was guided to the doors by her mother's forceful hand.

After the formal briefing, Arielle went back to tend to Cera and everyone else went their separate ways until dinner. Now everyone sat together on the floor in the large hall. They sat in a circle together and Xena sat by her daughter with Aurora on the opposite side. Throughout the dinner Xena hardly touched her food and kept thinking about what Arielle indiscreetly revealed about Cera earlier.

Gabrielle noticed but said nothing of it as she didn't want any attention brought to it. She turned to Ursula who sat with Ebnedzar beside Aurora.

"Where are Oran and Yeter? Aren't they going to eat with us?" she asks.

Ursula's conversation with her husband was interrupted and she smiled softly at the governor. "Yeter is not feeling well so I sent her to her room."

"I hope it's nothing serious."

"I will send a physician to examine her tomorrow morning."

Aurora had trouble finishing her food as she was too busy telling Anastasia about everything she wanted to do in the future. She talked about the horse she wanted quite a lot whilst Ana tried to force a spoon into her mouth in between short sentences.

Zelda, the spy for Queen Eksama, stood beside the khatun and reached down to refill her glass. Anastasia spun around at the pale arm crossing over her plate. She looked up at the blonde young woman confusedly.

"Who are you?"

Ursula paused and stared at the blonde. "Her name is Diana. She was sent by King Alaric to serve you. I didn't get a chance to tell you. I've assigned her to serve as your chambermaid."

Zelda bowed her head nervously and held the pitcher of water close to her chest, refraining from filling the khatun's glass.

Anastasia smiled. "Oh, I see. Welcome to Pannonia."

"Thank you, your highness," said Zelda. She filled up the glass of water and took a step backward. She glanced over at Ku who kept glaring at her from afar. She tried not to make direct eye contact and focus on the queen.

In the midst of the busy dinner, a maid walked in and tapped Ku's shoulder and whispered in her ear. While everyone was preoccupied with conversation and filling their palates, Ursula looked at Ku and the maid having a quiet conversation with each other.

Ku nodded to the maid and slipped away from Princess Aurora's side and hurried towards the doors. Ursula narrowed her eyes and saw a hooded figure standing outside of the dining hall. Ku grabbed the cloaked figure and went down the hallway.

Ebnedzar nudged his wife's side which startled her. He smiled. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine, thank you. I'm going to check on Yeter." She pat his thigh and he held her hand so she could stand easily.

Aurora proceeded to talk continuously, "and then Aman hit his brother in the face!"

Ana forced a spoonful of rice into the talkative princess' mouth.

"And then…" she murmured.

"Chew first then you can speak, tatli kiz," she ordered and Aurora frowned then slowly chewed the mound of rice in her mouth.

Xena sighed and tossed the spoon onto her untouched plate and got off the floor. Her wife turned her head upward and grabbed a hold of her wrist.

"Where're you going? You didn't eat anything," says Gabrielle.

"I'm going to turn in early."

Gabrielle wiped her mouth and attempted to get up but her wife held up a hand.

"Stay. Finish your meal," she says quietly then walked out of the room filled with chatter.

Xena sat on the floor in her bedroom, brushing her hair in front of the fireplace. Her eyes were focused on the flames and she was in a comatose state though the brush bristles continuously ran through her long locks. Her eyes feigned to blink as she kept gawking at the fire with her mind elsewhere.

The governor entered the room an hour later after everyone finished eating. She kicked off her flats and rounded the corner leading to where she and Xena slept. She lingered in the archway and saw her wife sitting by the fire deep in thought, obviously.

She took a seat beside her wife and subtly wrapped her hand around the brush handle. Xena turned and handed over the brush to her wife. Gabrielle smiled and took the long raven locks in her palm and brushed through the knots that had been missed entirely.

"You hardly said anything during the briefing and you didn't eat anything at dinner. What's going on with you?"

Xena knew better than to keep her feelings hidden away from Gabrielle. "I was thinking about Cera."

"Arielle is being a good caretaker. I'm sure she'll be back on her feet in no time."

Gabrielle embraced the silence that was handed to her once again. She sighed and kept brushing her wife's hair. This was a silence that she didn't like. It was odd silence and she didn't like it when her wife kept things from her especially if it was important.

"Xena, I can tell that you aren't acting like yourself. Are you sure there isn't something you want to talk about?"

The brunette turned and smiled, cupping the blonde's cheek. "Never change, Gabrielle. Your compassion for others becomes you."

Gabrielle lifted her eyebrow and stared at her wife with an open mouth. "Okay? Thanks…"

"Right now I just want to sleep. I'm sure we can tackle this mane tomorrow," Xena jested about her hair and kissed her wife's forehead then stood up and head towards their bed.

Ku took Lutifah out of Princess Cera's room and quietly closed the door. She turned and gasped at the sight of Ursula standing right in front of her. Lutifah hid her face beneath the cloak's hood and turned her cheek to the chief shamaness.

"Hoşgeldiniz, Ku-Ilm," she greeted with a terse smile. "Who's your guest?"

"Um…ah."

Ursula walked forward and ripped the hood off the woman and her eyes widened. "Lutifah?" she growled and grabbed Ku's hand. "What are you doing with a shamaness?"

"Princess Cera was complaining about insomnia. I asked Lutifah to bring some medicine to help the princess sleep."

"You could've easily gotten the medicine from our physician. You don't need a shaman for that. I know you are very close to Princess Arielle and you are at her beck and call. What are you doing with Lutifah and why was I not notified about it? You do know that I am in charge of all the shamans in my tribe."

Ku nodded. "Yes, Ursula. I didn't want to bother you. You're busy with your duties serving the khatun."

The shamaness smirked. "So you secretly snuck in Lutifah and left the dining hall? I saw you. What is she doing here?"

"Please Ursula, I cannot say. I am sworn to secrecy."

Ursula grabbed the handmaid by the throat and shoved her against the wall. Lutifah stepped away slowly and pulled the hood over her head. Ku croaked and coughed. She grabbed the hand that was choking her and stared into the shamaness' dark eyes.

"Talk, Ku-Ilm."

Ku's eyes widened and she kicked her leg against the wall, trying desperately to breathe. Ursula tightened her grip and Ku choked out, "wait!"

The shamaness pulled her hand away and the Assyrian collapsed on the floor, coughing and heaving heavily. She wrapped her hand around her throat and swallowed.

"Princess…Princess Cera was carrying a child," she whispers. "She –she wanted to get rid of it. Arielle told me…to find a shamaness to help."

Ursula glared at Lutifah who shied away. She was tempted to walk straight into Cera's room but refrained and instead she stormed down the hallway. Ku sat up and leaned against the wall, rubbing her sore throat.

Ku spoke to Lutifah, "you should go. The khatun will scathe you with her wrath."

"She will come looking for me eventually."

Ku coughed lightly. "Just go. Ursula is on her way to tell the queen everything. They will return soon."

Lutifah eyed the doors and pulled out a small pouch of herbs from her bag. "Give this to the princess. She will need it for the next few hours to help her sleep."

Ku took the bag of herbs and nodded.

She stayed outside the room longer than she should have but she went in after she stopped throwing a coughing fit. Cera was still in bed and in a lot of pain. Luckily, she had Arielle to help her and Ku smiled at her companion who was being very motherly-like towards the younger princess.

Arielle sat on the bed, holding her sister's hand and looked over at her handmaid who stood by the doors. She saw a huge handprint around her throat and jumped off the bed to inspect her. She frowned sadly and touched Ku's neck gingerly.

"Who did this to you?"

"Ursula did. She knows everything about Cera and Lutifah. I'm sorry…she was going to kill me, Arielle!"

Cera gasped overhearing their conversation. She began to panic and if she could get out of bed she would. She could only think of what was going to happen to all of three of them now. She knew her mother was going to be furious but she didn't exactly know what her sister's fate was to be.

The commander grumbled. "Well, she was going to find out eventually I guess." She squeezed Ku's hand firmly. "This isn't your fault. Stay clear of this room, Ku. I don't want you to be blamed."

"But Arielle…"

"I'm serious, Ku. My mother is going to be angry when she hears about this. It's best if you go back to my room. You can take the back entrance. Go, go!" she pushed her along and Ku regretfully looked back at her with.

She paced the room and glanced back at her anxious sister. "Don't worry, Cera. Mother's not going to be mad at you."

She slipped on her shoes and raced to the doors. She thought she could perhaps get to her mother before her arrival. She swung open the double doors and her mother stood outside with Ursula standing behind her.

Anastasia glared at her daughter with her fingers laced in front of her body.

"Good evening, Arielle," she says calmly.

Arielle backed away from the doors and bowed her head.