Right now there are a lot of politics and that will change. But for now, I apologize lol. Later, the story will be focused on Xena, Gabrielle and Arielle but not quite yet.
Chapter 19 –Young and Hungry
Safiya joined the khatun on the balcony within the clinic and carried a plate of mini cakes. She paused for a moment and stood behind Anastasia who was sitting down, enjoying the early afternoon sun and light breeze. She set down the plate on the small table and Ana turned her head to the sound and lifted her chin to see the blurry outline of Safiya's blue veil.
She extended her hand to the empty chair beside hers. "Sit with me."
Safiya took a seat and crossed a leg over the other. She awkwardly sat in silence with the khatun and then looked out onto the camp filled with hundreds of yurts. Children played in the square and women were sitting outside talking and weaving rugs.
"Anastasia," she began with a soft tone, "I'm sorry for what happened to you."
Ana grinned. "I wish people would stop saying that to me. There are many things that I miss and my eyesight isn't one of them."
There was a long moment of silence and Safiya cleared her throat, unsure of what to say now.
"I miss the sound of Cera's voice. I have forgotten what she sounded like as a child," Ana said. "I miss Ellac. He was my best friend throughout my childhood and he was taken from me not once, but twice. I regret that I didn't spend more time with Arielle to understand her better when she was younger. I miss all of the women that were killed by Boareks' son. So you see; there are many more things I long for than the loss of my sight."
She sighed heavily. "You didn't have to stay here. You could've gone back to Balaam with Navaz."
Safiya nodded and looked at the veiled khatun sitting beside her and crookedly smiled.
"Navaz cares a lot about you. He'd do anything for you. I can see that I will never be able to compete with you."
Anastasia raised her eyebrow. "I have no intention of taking him away from you. I apologized for what he and I did years ago and I know you won't ever forgive me. I understand that and you don't have to. His previous wife, Fairuza, felt the same as you but I had a good relationship with her. It's a shame I ruined our relationship, Safiya."
The Sabir took in a deep breath and narrowed her eyes at the beaming sun. "Anastasia, I see the way he looks at you. He may love me but not the way he loves you and he denies himself of his true feelings. I was merely a distraction for him at the time when we met."
She stood up and Ana raised both her eyebrows and lifted her chin up at the Sabir woman.
"I'm going to divorce Navaz."
"Safiya –"
"I'm not doing this because I have hard feelings towards you, Anastasia and I don't want you to think you're the cause behind my decision. I've thought about this for a long time and it's clear to me that he deserves to be with you especially after he visited you. I saw the way he looked at you. I will never be looked at the same way."
She bowed her head and then left the balcony. Anastasia sat with her mouth ajar and she put a hand to her forehead and sank in the chair gradually.
XXXXXX
In the women's quarters Arielle sat her grandmother and governor down for a meeting of the minds. She had to plan everything she wanted to say because she knew they weren't very happy that she got her mother's permission to reinstate this campaign behind their backs.
The toughest person to convince was indeed…the khanum.
They sat together on the floor in a small circle. Arielle requested that the room be vacant for awhile so all the children weren't allowed to come in until she was finished discussing with them.
"I know you two aren't very happy with me right now," she said.
Xena and her wife stared at the queen with furrowed eyebrows and silent mouths. They just kept staring like two cats who dared not to blink. This made Arielle feel like she was going to be yelled at but this meeting needed to be done. It'd been two weeks since she began the expansion process of the empire.
"But just hear me out! I have a plan to relocate the army to a fortress. I asked Farah to design it for me and it should be done next week hopefully. I want it to be in south Pannonia close to Dalmatia. I think it'd be better if the soldiers had their own barracks and place to train without distraction. What do you think?"
Xena had plenty of time to process this new campaign and she swallowed her pride. Exhaling heavily she calmed herself down and stared at her anxious granddaughter.
"That is…not a bad idea," she told her.
"I thought it was a good idea too!" the queen cheered. "I know I'm not a commander anymore and neither are you but I wanted to assign you to be the overseer of the fortress. Xerxes is more than willing to help me."
Gabrielle interrupted, "you? Don't you mean the entire empire?"
Arielle's face flushed. "That's what I meant. Grandma, will you be the overseer? You don't have to live there or anything but at least make trips there once a month or so."
"You're really taking this very seriously, aren't you?"
"Yes. You two told me I have great potential and I am executing that. I will be the greatest Hun queen in history. People will write about me. You'll see."
Gabrielle snorted. "Let's not get ahead of ourselves here. We don't doubt your ambitions, Arielle. But we should talk about strategy and politics. How are you going to expand the empire? What are your plans?"
Arielle smiled smugly. "Well, I read that there are more territories and tribes that aren't Hunnic. I'd like to go to the Magyar and Scythian areas. I know those areas are without rulers and it will be easy to conquer."
Xena nodded. Although she didn't doubt that Arielle was ambitious because she is, but she had the fear of Arielle getting in over her head. She didn't want her young granddaughter to fall into a horrible cycle of destruction that she couldn't come out of. She was stuck in that cycle herself for so long and if it weren't for Gabrielle she would've kept on and on.
At one point Xena was an enemy of the Huns and rebelled against Attila. She didn't want Arielle to do that but there was one thing this young queen had; a clear head.
"There are plenty of people here to govern Pannonia. We have Csaba, Ernak and Farah. I don't need to be here and neither do the both of you. I'd like it if you two came with me to conquer the surrounding tribes."
Gabrielle and Xena looked at one another. They were equally surprised at how much homework and thought Arielle put into this and it had only been two weeks since the proclamation.
The queen's new advisor tapped her fingers on her knees nervously.
"Have you calculated the amount of funds a campaign this size will cost?"
Arielle bobs her head rapidly.
"I spoke with Farah and she wrote down everything for me. We have more than enough funds for a campaign. By the way grandma, you are super wealthy; I think the wealthiest person in the empire. You should put that to good use," she suggested.
"I'll take it under consideration," Xena said dryly. "Arielle, I am really shocked that you've thought everything through in this short span of time. I'm proud of you."
Arielle widened her eyes and a bright smile illuminated her face. She couldn't be happier to hear those words. It was the first time she had finally gotten some recognition and gratitude from her grandmother.
"But there is one more thing I want to talk about."
The excitement died down and a knot formed in the queen's gut.
"If we're going to be traveling to these areas, what are you planning to do about Eksama? She's not going to go away."
Arielle quirked her mouth and folded her arms. "I haven't thought about that. I think she's going to attack us sooner or later."
Gabrielle nodded. "She will. You know she will. Why don't we build another Adame? We could build one in Scythia. That way we can have two bases."
"A great idea, Gabrielle! My father's Adame isn't too far from Scythia! I could definitely use his help. He would help of course because I'm his favorite," she wiggled her eyebrows.
Xena rolled her eyes and her wife sneered.
"I'm really looking forward to working with you both and Xerxes. That reminds me, the Karens are arriving in a few days. I have to go over the party details with Farah. Also, I want to send more soldiers to Kazakhstan. I don't want Cera to feel scared of being attacked again."
She added, "oh and if we build an Adame in Scythia I want Aurora and Ku to come live with me. I'll be closer to my little brother too. Thanks for having this meeting with me. I'll let you both know more about the campaign after this party."
She stood and kissed both of their foreheads and left the women's quarters. Xena scrunched up her face and Gabrielle sat with a puzzled look as well. They stared at the wall for awhile in silence, digesting the mass of information.
XXXXXX
They walked through the hallway leading into the foyer, still in shock and awe at Arielle's ambition and determination.
Gabrielle grabbed her wife's arm and halted in the middle of the hall.
"It's like she changed overnight."
The khanum arched a brow. "Yes. It's strange. She switched gears as soon as she became queen."
"Who would've thought that you'd be by your granddaughter's side conquering tribes?" she said lightly. "Anastasia had the right idea but she couldn't execute it properly. Arielle is one step ahead of us. We did a good job mentoring her."
"Gabrielle, it's just begun. You do realize that she asked us to assist in the campaign? You know what this means…" she hints with a deliciously wily grin.
Silence.
"I get to be in the field again!"
"I should've known you were going to say that."
Ursula walked up to them and interrupted their conversation. She greeted them with a short smile and curtsey and looked at Xena with a stern face.
"Anastasia wants to see you."
The khanum frowned with concern. "What for?"
"She didn't say but she seemed out of sorts. Don't worry, there's nothing wrong with her physically."
Xena nodded and squeezed her wife's shoulder and quickly retreated towards the clinic. Gabrielle studied the shamaness' worn expression and could tell that she needed a friend –someone to talk to.
"How is Yeter?" she asked.
Ursula faintly grinned. "She's not doing so well unfortunately. She misses Oran and she hasn't come out of her room either. Issik and Muqan sleep on the floor in the bedroom at night."
The governor nods in understanding. "I know you're worried about your son. Oran is a smart young man. He'll be alright."
"I don't like knowing that my son is being held captive and my husband is so far away. Both of them are in danger all thanks to Eksama. I long to see them walk through the doors so I won't have to worry anymore."
"I have faith that they'll return safely. At least you will have a new grandchild soon," she tried to cheer her up. "In the summer, right? That's not too far away."
Ursula nods and laces her fingers together. "Yes but I want Oran to be here. He almost missed the birth of his son last time. I don't want him this one all because of maniacal queen."
XXXXXX
He knocked. Then he knocked again. After knocking a third time Edemen barged into his parents' room and saw them passed out in bed with the curtains drawn.
The prince walked over and flung open the curtains and his parents both groaned. He snickered and approached the bed and Csaba looked up at him with one eye open.
"What are you two doing in bed? It's the middle of the afternoon!"
He eyed the empty bottles of wine and glasses then saw his mother lying on her stomach with her long hair covering her face. He cringed and took a step back because now he knew exactly what went on in this room throughout the night.
"Gross. You two aren't trying to have another baby, are you? Cause I can't deal with another brother. The two I have are enough."
Csaba sat up and rubbed his face. "Ede, what are you doing in here?"
"Teyze Arielle wants to see mother. Something about a party with the Persians. I donno. She's in the treasury." He leaned over and gaped at his mother. "Is she alright?"
Csaba turned and looked at his wife. "She's fine. I'll tell her to meet with Arielle. You can go now…"
The prince put up his hands. "Alright, alright. I'm going."
Csaba picked up Farah's thin limp arm. He spread her veil of hair apart like curtains and she was glaring at him, clearly awake.
"Oh good, you're alive. Arielle wants to see you."
She groaned and rolled over onto her side. "I heard the message," she grumbled.
XXXXXX
Gepid Fortress
Austraia kept her distance from her grandmother after the argument she had with her. This fortress wasn't big enough to hide from anyone and everyone knew of her whereabouts. She knew her grandmother hated that she visited Oran on a daily basis and she was positive her soldiers reported to her all the time.
She came to her cousin's room and there were two blonde soldiers posted outside. She tried to get through and they blocked her path with their swords crossed.
"Let me through," she ordered.
"Queen Eksama said we aren't allowed to let anyone inside."
"I am the princess! I am giving you an order! Open the door!" she yelled.
The two men looked at each other nervously and then stepped aside to allow her to pass. She grinned and they unlocked the door and she marched in. Oran sat on the bed, staring at the wall and he stood up as soon as the princess walked in.
For once he was glad to see her after being secluded for the last couple of weeks. He smiled and she returned the smile.
She sat on the bed and he sat back down. She leaned in close and whispered, "I have a plan to get you out of here."
"What? But the queen. How? She will know I am gone."
"Don't worry about her. I'm going to take you back to your home. Trust me."
Oran sighed. "Austraia, I don't want you to get in trouble because of me."
She placed a hand on his knee. "You should be with your family. I'd love to meet my other cousins too! I'll get rid of the men outside of this room. We'll leave tonight. Trust me…"
XXXXXX
"This is my fault."
Anastasia ripped the veil off her head and threw it on the bed. Xena sat on the edge of the bed and saw the distress all over her daughter's face.
"Whatever…happened between you and Navaz has been long since passed. Safiya must have thought this over for awhile like she told you. This has nothing to do with you, Anastasia."
The khatun shot a glare at her mother and frowned deeply. Xena averted her eyes and realized everything she said was not helping the situation at all.
"Navaz is going to be so upset when she tells him this. He's going to blame himself as I am right now. I don't think I can forgive myself. I know I am the reason and don't convince me otherwise, mother."
Xena put up her hands.
"I'm not saying anything."
"I should have never asked him to stay with me that night. If I hadn't done that then Safiya wouldn't hate me so much."
"Well what's done is done. You can't change the past, Ana."
"Mom!"
"What?" she snapped. "What do you want me to say?"
"I want you to agree with me that this is partially my fault."
Xena sighed. "I'm not going to do that because for the last time, it's not." She squeezed her daughter's arm. "You have a special bond with Navaz that Safiya could never have and she understood that from the beginning. She's not happy in her marriage so just let her divorce him. This is out of your control so just let it be. Not everything is your fault."
"But…where will she go? How will she get by?"
"I'm sure Navaz will provide her a salary to live off. He's not going to let her starve. Please stop worrying yourself over this. We have to get ready for the Persians coming here. I will have Ursula pick out a dress for you."
XXXXXX
Three days later members of the House of Karen arrived. They were allowed a couple of days rest before the ceremony. Those days since passed and tonight was the event that Arielle had been waiting for. She orchestrated all of this and she wanted to make sure everything went well tonight.
She made sure that Xerxes informed her brother and Ernak about each member so they wouldn't be embarrassed during the introductions of each person. For more than five decades the Sassanians and Huns had never been on good terms and this was everyone's chance to end the feud.
Arielle only hoped that the Karens were as amenable as the Sassanian Shah Kavad. He was kinder than the previous shahs so she had been told. She couldn't help but think of when Bayan and his older brother allied with Hormizd. Bayan was considered a traitor among her people.
It took for a mistress, a bastard child and divorce for her to realize that Bayan was truly hated by all members of her family. Her relationship with him when they were children was innocent but that all changed when their daughter was born. That was such a sad and difficult time for her that she never wanted to relive.
Now she had goals for the future of her family's empire and she promised to see them through. But she knew she needed help and that was why she instantly thought of Gabrielle and her grandmother. They were the perfect people to help her expand the empire. They were not only experienced but they were also her mentors since she was ten years old.
Ku stood behind the queen and brushed her straightened hair with a boar brush. Arielle stood in front of a mirror and adjusted the bodice of her dress. Unlike her other gowns she'd been wearing that had high collars up to her neck, this dress exposed more cleavage than she anticipated.
Aurora jumped onto the bed and stared in awe at her mother's black long sleeve dress with gold accents.
"Mommy you look very pretty."
Arielle grinned and pinched her daughter's cheek. "Thank you, tatli kiz."
"How come I can't come to the party?"
"Because this party is for adults. You would be very bored. You're going to be with Ku tonight in the women's quarters. I'm sure your cousins would love to play a game with you."
Aurora grunted and rolled over onto her back and gaped at the ceiling. "Aman and Aladar don't like to play with me. They think I'm weird."
"They do not."
"Yes, they do!"
Ku chuckled at the princess and then grabbed the elaborate headdress and gently placed it on Arielle's head and smoothed out the long veil from behind.
Gabrielle sauntered in wearing an emerald and black dress to match her emerald green headdress. She halted at the sight of Arielle's attire and her jaw dropped. Arielle saw her reflection in the mirror and spun around as Ku was still fixing the veil.
"Are you…you…wearing that?" asked the blonde.
She couldn't stop staring at the amount of cleavage exposed and it was even more noticeable due to Arielle's tapered thin waist.
The queen looked down at her chest and blushed. "Yes? I had this dress made for the party. Do you like it?"
"Oh no, Arielle. You need to change before your grandmother sees you. You can't let her see you wearing that."
"What's wrong with what I'm wearing? I can wear whatever I want. I'm not changing, Gabrielle. This took weeks for Ku to make this dress!"
The princess hopped off the bed and tugged on Gabrielle's dress.
"She looks pretty, right?"
The governor sheepishly smiled. "Yes, she does. Arielle I'm serious."
"So am I."
XXXXXX
In the ballroom, Xena impatiently waited for Arielle to arrive. Everyone was here except for her so she sent her wife to retrieve her. She tapped her fingers on the armrest and Anastasia sat beside her and grabbed her hand.
"Why are you so jumpy?" she whispered.
"Arielle is taking too long to get ready. The Karens aren't allowed to come in until Arielle is seated," Xena hissed.
Ana smiled beneath the sparkly veil and nodded. For this evening she decided to have a veil made for herself that exposed her eyes but kept the rest of her face hidden. She didn't want to appear to be weak in front of the Persians and she remembered many women in Persia also wore face veils daily.
Gabrielle ran into the ballroom and then plopped down in the chair next to her wife, breathing heavily. Xena jumped and frowned at her abrupt entrance.
"Where is Arielle?"
"Oh…she's coming…"
After a long waited arrival Arielle walked in and Xena's eyes widened at the young queen's dress. She smiled and then sat in between Csaba and her mother. Csaba turned his head and stared at his little sister and Farah leaned over, who sat next to Ernak, and gawked at Arielle's gown.
"Have you come to expose your breasts to the world, Arielle?" chided Farah.
Anastasia's eyebrows rose and she whipped her head to her daughter seated beside her. It was probably a blessing she couldn't see very well but she could definitely see the outline of her daughter very clearly.
She leaned over to her mother, "what is she wearing?"
Xena grimaced and focused on the unopened doors. "You don't want to know."
Xerxes entered the room and he bowed his head to the seated monarchs and then his mouth parted when he saw Arielle. Csaba narrowed his eyes at the way the prince was staring at his little sister.
"What are you staring at, shehzade?" Csaba snapped.
The Persian lowered his head. "Nothing, your highness."
He hurried over to stand behind the women and kept his head facing forward.
Once everyone was situated Csaba waved his hands to the guards at the other side of the room. The doors were opened and a sum of at least twenty people walked in and leading the way were obviously the head of household.
A man with a grey long beard, dressed in all black and silver, walked forward and bowed his head to the Hun monarchs. Csaba and Ernak smiled at him, knowing who he was since Xerxes was kind enough to brief them on the members in the House of Karen.
Sukhra Karen, also known as the Spahbed of Persia, stepped forward as did a few other young men and a boy. He introduced them one by one as his sons and the youngest boy kissed the hands of the queens and they all smiled at his sweet gesture.
A girl no older than sixteen appeared from the men and she nervously stared at the Hun men and women. Xena raised an eyebrow at the girl and Arielle's eyes scanned the girl from head to toe.
"This is my only daughter, Pamira Karen," Sukhra presented.
The girl had olive skin, big almond honey colored eyes and chestnut hair covered by a silver chained headpiece. She bowed her head and kept her gaze low.
"She's pretty," Arielle whispered to the khanum.
Xerxes overheard and he leaned into her ear. "Sukhra is looking for a suitor for his daughter. He wishes her to be married in the summer or fall of this year."
Arielle nodded and watched as the Persians presented chests of jewels, coin, weapons and furs from their land. She kept staring at Pamira who stood on the sidelines while her brothers spoke to the kings and Farah at the end of the row of chairs.
She turned to her peeved grandmother.
"Do you think Soran would want to marry her?" she whispered.
Xena glared at her. "Excuse me? We didn't invite the Karens here to propose a marriage. Certainly not to your brother."
"Why not? She's pretty and he can't be more than two years older than her! If he gets married to a Karen then we could have more power in Persia. What do you think, Gabrielle?"
The governor awkwardly tried to hide from her wife's harsh glare.
"Um…I don't know, Arielle. Maybe you should ask your father before you decide to marry off your brother…"
"Of course I'll ask him but I want to propose the idea to her father. My brother is half Persian from Fairuza's side. I know how Persians hate to marry people outside of their kind. I wish my father hadn't left so early then I could ask him right now. Where is Safiya? I heard she left a few days ago."
Xena cleared her throat. "She's not coming back."
"What? What happened?"
"She…she's going to divorce your father."
Arielle put a hand to her chest and frowned sadly. "Why? I thought she loved him."
"She does but she thinks your father loves your mother more."
The queen looked over at her mother who was having a conversation with Sukhra. She stared at her and half smiled.
"Well, my mother is very beautiful of course," she says charmingly.
Xena hummed and leaned her cheek on her palm.
"Kill me."
Gabrielle stifled a laugh. "Xena, it's not that bad. At least there's no dancing!" she teased.
"Thank god for that."
XXXXXX
Halfway through the party Xerxes left the ballroom and met with Sukhra's eldest son, Zarmihr. He was hesitant to speak with him because he knew Zarmihr was a huge supporter of his brother, Kawus. He met with him in the hallway far enough from the ballroom.
Zarmihr folded his arms and glared at the prince. "Kawus told me that he hasn't received a letter from you. I wasn't aware that the so called Princess Arielle is now a queen and I'm sure your brother doesn't know either!"
Xerxes looked around to make sure nobody was listening.
"I haven't gotten a chance to write him yet," he lied. "I've been held up recently in the Adame."
"Oh, have you now? I hear that you are the commander of the Hun army. That's good. This will increase our chances of attacking the Hun tribes."
Xerxes frowned and kept his opinions to himself. The longer he was here the more in danger he was in. Kawus was counting on him to plan a revolt against their father and the Huns. Now that the Karens were here he was put on the spotlight, especially by Zarmihr. He wasn't sure if Sukhra knew of his son's relationship with Kawus and the rebellion plans or not.
They heard running down the next hallway and ceased conversation. By the sound of the boots it was someone small or very light on their feet.
Aurora raced down the hallway with Ku-Ilm chasing behind her. She stopped when she saw the Persian prince and smiled.
"Xerxes!" she yelled and then ran towards him.
Xerxes smiled and knelt down on a knee. "Princess, where are you off to in such a hurry?"
Zarmihr raised his eyebrow, watching the two exchange words. Aurora looked up to him and furrowed her eyebrows, uncertain of him. He didn't bother to smile or greet her properly but kept glaring at the child.
"I'm running from Ku-Ilm," she whispered in Xerxes' ear. "You never saw me!"
She took off; rounding the corner and Xerxes grinned then stood up. He turned and saw the scowl on Zarmihr's face and he avoided eye contact.
"You're very friendly with the Hun children it seems, shehzade," he says with a smirk on his face. "I hope you won't grow too attached to her."
Ku halted in the middle of the hallway and put her hands on her knees, heaving deeply. She turned her head and was grateful to see the Persian prince. She pulled herself together and walked over.
"Shehzade," she greeted with a bow of her head. "Have you seen Princess Aurora?"
Xerxes decided to play the princess' little game. He replied, "I have not, Ku-Ilm. I do hope you find her."
She cursed under her breath and then braced herself to dart down the hallway. Xerxes chuckled and then was about to make his way back to the ballroom until Zarmihr grabbed his arm.
"I don't know how long my father plans to stay here but we will talk again."
XXXXXX
Aurora ran into the ballroom and bumped into a gaggle of Persian noblewomen of all ages, young and old. She gasped and the women turned at the sight of her and immediately accosted her with words of affection in their language.
The princess fearfully backed away as the women came close to her. One of them touched her hair and another grabbed her face.
"How adorable is she?" one of the women said.
Aurora breathed heavily and she was enclosed in a circle of women who kept coddling her and ogling at her long wavy hair. She tried to get away from them and bumped into a woman. And then another.
"Are you one of the royal children?" a young woman asked.
"Are you a princess?"
"She must be. What is your name?"
Aurora gazed up at the unfamiliar women and her entire body seized up.
Gabrielle stood off to the side with the khanum while they drank wine and observed everyone talking and mingling. She and her wife kept their eyes on Arielle who was talking to Pamira, the daughter of Sukhra.
The governor's eyes traveled around the room and she saw a horde of veiled women in a circle. She nudged her wife's arm and Xena nearly spilled wine all over her dress and robes.
"What's going on over there?"
Xena grumbled and looked in that direction. "Women. They'll find any excuse to gossip."
She set her wine on a tray that a servant was carrying and walked over to the gaggle of women. Gabrielle downed the wine and followed behind at a quick pace. They stood behind the circle of women and Xena cleared her throat loudly.
The noblewomen dispersed and a very terrified princess stood in the center of the open circle with big green eyes.
"Aurora?"
The princess ran and clutched onto her legs and hid behind her robes. Gabrielle saw the women were very interested in Aurora and she waved her hand for them to clear the area. She waited until they left and then turned to her wife.
Aurora hid in the crevice of the khanum's heavy robes and Gabrielle smiled then knelt down in front of her.
"What are you doing in here? Aren't you supposed to be with Ku?"
"I…I was bored. I didn't wanna stay in the women's room. And –and I wanted to come here and I saw Xerxes. He was talking with a man. He didn't look nice."
Xena frowned and she met her wife's concerned eyes.
"Alright, well, I'll take you back to your room. I'm sure Ku is worried about you."
She grabbed the princess' hand and head towards the exit then whispered to Gabrielle.
"Find Xerxes and bring him to our room. I want to ask him a few questions."
Aurora wiped her face from the many hands and lips that touched her and made a disgruntled noise. "Who are those ladies?"
Xena peered down at the agitated princess and tried not to laugh.
"Persians."
"Yuck," she wiped her hand on her pants. "I don't like them."
"Nobody does."
XXXXXX
Gepid Fortress
Eksama didn't find out about the two escapees until the following morning after they were long gone from the camp. Four days went by and she didn't send any of her men after her granddaughter or nephew. She allowed them to escape without repercussion which struck odd with her men.
She remained in her room for those four days without rest. She kept twirling a sword in between her palms, twisting it back and forth, driving holes into the expensive woven rug.
Samtas entered her bedroom and stood by the doorway, waiting for her acknowledgement. She continued twisting and turning the sword and kept her gaze to the wall behind him.
"What is it?" she asked in a flat irritated tone.
"Prince Elemund has made contact with Ebnedzar. He is willing to meet with you but he will not come here. He requests that you go to Ravenna to the Hun base."
The queen smiled and halted the spinning of the sword.
"Does he know who I am?"
Samtas curtly nodded. "Yes, your highness. Shall I ask the men to prepare your horse?"
"Yes…yes do that," she orders softly.
"Your highness, what do want me to do about the princess and grandson of Attila? Are you going to let them continue to ride to Pannonia?"
Eksama jammed the sword into the floor and her right hand man flinched. She rose from the edge of her bed and narrowed her brown eyes.
"Don't question my decisions, Samtas. The princess has a soft heart and she felt guilty because I kept Oran hostage. Let them go to Pannonia. I will be taking over the area anyway. She should make herself at home," she grinned wily.
Samtas lowered his head. "Whatever you think is right, your highness."
"Bring some ink and parchment. I will be sending a message to the people of Pannonia."
"And what message would that be?"
She turned and looked out the window and scraped her fingers on the empty spot around her neck where her pendant used to be.
"A seed of doubt."
XXXXXX
Xerxes waited in the khanum's room and he stood with hands behind his back. He admired the amount of weapons that were plastered on the walls. He eyed the black and silver armor that was neatly placed on a rack to be showcased. A silver coined headdress was placed on top, making the armor complete.
Gabrielle stood a few feet behind him and watched his head turn in several directions.
"Governor, why does the khanum want to see me?"
"She didn't say why. She just told me to bring you here."
The doors creaked open and Xerxes turned his head and bowed as soon as Xena walked through the doors. She came around and circled the prince, searching his body. His eyes followed her but he chose wisely to keep quiet.
She halted in front of him and he slowly lifted his head to meet eyes with her.
"Of all the members of your family I've known over the years, you're my favorite, Xerxes," she compliments.
"Oh…thank you…"
"You're nice and well mannered. You also tell the truth and do as your told," she emphasized.
He swallowed roughly and stared into her piercing blue eyes.
"You work for me, for my daughter, for my grandson, the list goes on. You represent your family's empire and ours. If you're hiding anything from us or lying to us now would be the time to say something."
He held his breath and felt the hairs on the back of his neck stick straight up.
"I…I've got nothing to hide, khanum."
She took a step closer. "Are you sure about that?"
"Are you accusing me of something, khanum?"
"Am I? I'm simply asking you a few questions. No harm in that, right?" she grinned.
He eyed the governor who stood behind Xena and cleared his throat. "Our alliance is important to me and I will make sure to do what is right on both sides. If I come across information of any kind you will be the first to know."
She raised her eyebrows and took a step back. "You may go."
The doors closed and Gabrielle rushed over to her wife. She looked into her eyes, trying to read what was going on through her mind.
"He seemed nervous. Do you think he's hiding something?"
Xena sighed. "Let's hope not but Aurora said he was talking to someone. That someone has to be a Persian. No doubt. It's one of Sukhra's sons for sure."
"They could've been talking about something harmless. The Karens and Sassans are very close and have been allies for years."
"Yes, they could have," she muttered. "I want Arielle to talk to Xerxes. He likes her and if he's got something to hide then I know she can pull it out of him."
Gabrielle arched her eyebrow. "Are you seriously suggesting for a man to get close to your granddaughter? Are you sick?" she put a hand on her wife's forehead to check for a fever.
"Stop that!" she hissed. "Contrary to your belief Gabrielle, I like Xerxes. It's Bayan that I don't like. I didn't like him ten years ago and I don't like him now."
"You like a Persian? Never thought I'd hear that."
"You know what…" she leaned in close to her petite wife's face. "Don't you…don't you have something better to do than spit flashy comebacks at me?"
The governor smugly smiled. "Nope."
XXXXXX
For the first time in months everyone gathered in the dining hall to eat altogether. Out of all the children present, Aurora was the most talkative in the morning. The princes had no desire to talk and were barely awake to eat as well.
Anastasia sat in between her mother and son, seemingly more awake than everyone sitting in the large circle together. She collected rice with her fingers and spooned it into her mouth whilst listening to Aurora blab about mindless things that a child normally would.
She couldn't see everything clearly but she did recognize Ursula's orange colored headdress seated opposite her.
"Isn't Yeter going to come eat?" she asked.
Ursula lifted her head and stared at the khatun who was gazing back at her with blind eyes.
"I'm going to send a tray to her room."
"She can't stay in there forever. It's not good for her. She should at least walk around outside or something."
"I've tried to convince her to leave but she won't. I'm not going to force her to do anything she doesn't want to do," Ursula said and Ana sighed.
Arielle took a large swig of pomegranate juice and set the silver cup down slowly. "Well, I never knew Yeter had such strong feelings for Oran. I always thought she hated him."
Xena opened her mouth for a spoonful of rice and frowned at her granddaughter's snide comment. There was that big mouth that had been absent too long, she thought.
"No, she just hates you, Arielle," she chimed in.
Arielle gasped and she turned to her brother who was laughing.
"Let's be honest, she actually hates Farah," he said. Soon after he got hit in the arm by his wife and he kept snickering.
Anastasia groaned lowly and finished chewing her food. "Can we not argue this early in the morning, please?"
"Mother, we're not arguing we're just joking around," Csaba lamented.
"There is nothing funny about a woman who just happens to be your aunt, holding your cousin hostage and leaving his pregnant wife and children alone!" she yelled.
Everyone in the circle fell silent and even stopped eating their food. Csaba hung his head and cheeks reddened from embarrassment.
Aurora broke the silence with her chipper attitude. She pushed her plate of unfinished food away from her lap and stood up.
"I wanna go play outside."
Arielle grabbed her daughter's hand. "You're not going anywhere."
The princess pouted, "But it's Sunday! That means no school and no Ku. I can do what I want today."
"I thought we could spend the day together. We could do some archery practice and maybe I'll let you ride one of the horses in the stable. What do you say?"
Aurora quirked her mouth to the side. "No thanks."
"No? Ah, come on, it'll be fun. Just you and me…"
"I just wanna do my own thing today," she placed a hand on her mother's shoulder. "You understand, right?"
Xena and Gabrielle chuckled under their breaths at the princess' seriousness. Arielle did not find it amusing and instead emit a sad defeated frown.
"Okay, if that's what you want but you still need someone to watch you and Ku is off today."
Gabrielle wiped her hands on a cloth and interrupted, "Farah can watch her. We need you to do something today anyway."
This caught Ana's attention and she glared at the blonde and her mother. "What is that exactly?"
"We'll tell you later," said the governor with a big smile.
XXXXXX
After everyone finished eating and all the plates were cleared, Arielle was in her bedroom, staring at the khanum and governor confusedly. They kept staring at her with weird smiles on their faces and she wasn't sure what was happening or what was about to happen.
Gabrielle decided to explain to the young queen of what her mission was.
"Your grandmother and I need you to do a small mission for us."
Arielle's blue eyes lit up. "A mission?!"
"Don't get too excited. You'll be in the Adame for this mission."
"I…don't understand."
Xena grunted. "We need you to talk to Xerxes. We both think he might be hiding some important information from us about his father's empire and possibly the Karens. You are closer to him than anyone else so you will go to his room and talk to him."
Arielle stood in silence for a brief moment and then burst into laughter.
"Wait, wait," she held up her hands. "You are sending me to seduce Xerxes. Am I hearing this correctly? Grandma, I am surprised you would even suggest such a thing."
The khanum dramatically rolled her eyes. "This is just business. It'll work especially if you wear something like you wore to the party…"
"You know it will work, huh? Grandma, are you telling me you used to seduce people to get your way?" she hinted with a smug grin.
"Hey. I used to be young like you once upon a time. "
Arielle nodded and hid her sly grin. "Will Csaba find out about this?"
"No," answered Gabrielle. "This is between us."
"Good because you know how he is. Is this a trick? Are you really letting me do this?"
"Do you not want to?" Xena teased.
"I don't know. This seems like a trap. You aren't going to beat him up later, are you?"
"Arielle!"
"Okay!" she griped. "God. Well…this should be fun," she tapped her fingers against her cheek. "If I had known missions involved seducing men," she paused and saw the horrid look on their faces. "I'll go pick out a dress."
Xena grabbed her granddaughter's arm before heading out of the room. "Do what you need to do but no sex."
Arielle arched an eyebrow. "Is this another one of your rules I'm supposed to follow?"
"This is just business. Just get what you came for and leave. Are we clear?"
"Alright, alright."
She walked off to her wardrobe and began searching for a dress to wear. Gabrielle leaned over to her wife and whispered, "I don't think this was a good idea."
"By all means, Gabrielle, this was your idea."
The blonde gasped. "I clearly remember this was your idea, Xena."
"If you didn't like the idea then why did you go along with it?"
Gabrielle scoffed and crossed her arms. "You're impossible."