This chapter is a bit shorter than usual but I didn't feel the need to drag it out. Enjoy!
Chapter 34 –Blending Families: Part I
Justinian was told that a very special package arrived this morning from his nephew. Curious enough, he waited outside his palace with Theodora beside him. His nephew Justin escorted a crew of men and horses pulling a wagon with a cage atop of it. Justinian raised his eyebrow and folded his arms, trying to see who was inside the cage from afar.
General Justin raced up the stairs to greet his uncle. He knelt on a knee, fist over his chest, and breathed heavily. "Your highness, I've brought Khanum Xena and Governor Gabrielle. They were trespassing in our territory in lower Italia."
The Emperor's eyes widened and he grabbed his nephew by the collar, lifting up off the ground. "You had them transported in a cage like animals?" he growled.
"They are Huns after all," Justin judged by the look on his uncle's face that he was in a heap of trouble.
"Release them immediately!" he shoved his nephew backward.
"Right away."
Justin waved his hand to the soldiers to untie the captives and release them from their confinement. Gabrielle stepped out of the cage, barely able to stand from being hogtied for a few days. She was tempted to whack the soldiers or reach for their swords to slice through them. She grabbed Xena's hand and aided her out of the cage once her wrists and ankles were free.
Together, they were escorted up the stairs by two guards. Xena brushed the dirt from her sleeves and brushed the long black cape over her shoulders and glared at the Emperor. Her lip quivered at the sight of him, though it appeared he wasn't too happy to see her either.
"Xena, long time no see," he said with a smile. "You must excuse my nephew. I didn't ask him to treat you so poorly."
She smirked. "If you wanted to speak with me you could've just written." She could see right through his façade. "There's no need for theatrics."
Justinian nodded and gestured for her and the governor to follow him into the palace. "Please, join me in my throne chamber. I wish to propose something to you."
Gabrielle glared at Justin as she walked behind everyone. "Can't wait to hear what he has to offer," she muttered to Xena.
"Simmer down, Gabrielle. Let's play the Emperor's little game."
Desserts and wine were brought to the chamber. Gabrielle cautiously watched all of the servants set down an array of bowls of cakes, fruit and honey. There were glasses of sweet wine and bitter wine set in front of them. She frowned and her eyes darted to the smug Emperor across the table.
"What is this, Justinian? Are you going to stuff us first and interrogate us later?" asked Gabrielle.
He picked up one of the small cubes of cake and bit off a small portion, smiling at the governor. "You've got quite a mouth, Gabrielle. It seems like you've lost your touch when negotiating with politicians. I know you served under Emperor Zeno and Odoacer for awhile. Isn't that right?"
"I did that against my will."
"Right." He nodded. "Because Zeno took over Pannonia and fed you all to the Bulgurs. I remember," he snickered, eyeing Xena who was very quiet. "And now your precious land has been taken from you again. That Eksama is very fiery. I expect nothing less from the daughter of Attila. A shame she was hidden for so long, eh?"
Xena let out a deep exhale. "What do you want, Justinian?" she crossed a leg over her knee. "I don't have time to play this game of yours."
"Oh but it looks like you've got all the time in the world, Xena!" he chortled and finished off the cake. "You have an impressive record." He held up his fingers to count, "Commander in Chief, proclaimed Caspian Queen, Roman General, Lieutenant, and now you've received the highest rank in the Hun Empire: the esteemed Khanum." He grinned. "What else will you put under your belt?"
She shrugged a shoulder. "Perhaps I will take your title next, Justinian," she said nonchalantly and winked.
He shifted in his chair and let out an uncomfortable laugh. "Well, your granddaughter is an empress now. Khagana of the Avar Empire to be exact. She has achieved so much at such a young age. It looks like she is your rival when it comes to conquering albeit she doesn't have your wit."
Xena furrowed her eyebrows. "Don't mock my granddaughter, Justinian. She is very smart. It wouldn't surprise me if she decided to attack your empire. She already knows that your wife visited Scythia."
Gabrielle gripped her spouse's wrist. "Justinian, why did you bring us here? You obviously didn't kidnap us to have cake."
"There it is. Straight to the point like a fine politician you are, governor," he wagged his finger. "Very well, I will tell you about my proposal."
He sat back, admiring the calm yet wry nature of Xena's eyes. She had been in the limelight of war for so long that negotiations didn't faze her anymore. Maybe twenty years ago she wouldn't have been so amenable and pounced across the table, tackling him to the ground. But her calmness and serenity disturbed the Emperor. She had developed a poker face over the years, which was very peculiar.
"As you know, the Persians are a problem for you," he said, noting the shocked look on Gabrielle's face. "Yes, I know everything. I have my men everywhere. Shah Jamasp is organizing an army to attack my empire."
Xena snorted. "What does that have to do with us?"
"I want your help. Say, we ally together and overthrow the young Shah?" he enticed the women. "Our Empires both despise the Persians and we both had a bit of peace when Shah Kavad ruled but now with his son on the throne…I fear that we will both be attacked."
"I don't like you either, Justinian. What makes you think we want to help you?"
"I'm so glad you asked, Xena." He smiled. "I'll provide weapons, horses, any supplies that you desire. It's a simple proposal. You get what you want, I get what I want. After the war is over with the Persians then we can go back to being enemies. What say you?"
Gabrielle and Xena looked to one another with narrowed eyes then turned their attention back to the scheming Emperor.
Gabrielle folded her arms, relaxing in the chair. "Your nephew said that you have control over Italia. Is that true? You know that Italia belongs to the Huns ever since Odoacer was dethroned and killed. If we're going to help you then you need to tell us what you've been doing behind our backs."
Justinian nodded, understanding the governor's doubt. "And here's where we go back to being enemies. I've allied with the Franks and Prince Elemund."
"What do you mean? You're allies with Eksama now?"
"No, Gabrielle," he snickered. "I allied with the Gepid Prince. I don't care for Eksama and her plans. She has a vengeance streak that is too unpredictable for my taste."
Gabrielle leaned over and whispered into her wife's ear. "Elemund is double-crossing Eksama."
"It looks that way. We need to get Eksama on our side."
Justinian cleared his throat.
Xena forced a smile and rubbed her chin. "Alright, Justinian. We'll ally with you to dethrone Shah Jamasp. We're going to need to go back to Banat to speak with Ernak. Then a letter will be sent to Khagana Arielle."
"Good. I'm glad that we can see past our differences."
Both women stood up and Justinian raised his hand, halting them from leaving.
"There's just one more thing," he began. "I need assurance that our deal is to be made properly so Xena, you will stay here. The governor will go to Banat to negotiate."
Xena scoffed. "I'm not going to be your hostage!"
"Not a hostage," he corrected. "A political guest. I will have a room set up for you, clothes and food brought to you. Once Gabrielle has cleared the deal then you may go on your merry way. Deal?"
Gabrielle grabbed her wife's hand and excused themselves from the table setting. She briefly eyed the Emperor's arrogant face and flashed a smile at him.
"Xena, it's alright. I will go to Banat," she whispered. "I'll tell Ernak everything. Maybe we can work out a deal with Eksama while I'm there."
"How do we know that he's telling the truth? What if he's lying to us?"
Gabrielle lowered her gaze. "Hmm. I'll ask for a copy of the documents Elemund signed. I'll show Eksama."
"I don't want to be a prisoner in Constantinople!" Xena hissed.
"I know," she squeezed her spouse's arm. "He's just using you as a political tool. You said we'll play his game, so let's play," she raised an eyebrow with a crooked smile.
She walked back over to the seated Emperor with a big smile on her face. "I will need proof of your alliance with Prince Elemund and the Franks," she ordered.
"Why's that?" he asked.
Gabrielle looked over her shoulder at her wife and licked her dry lips. "I need to be sure that what you say is true in order to secure the proposal to King Ernak."
Cera sat on the floor and attempted to play the kamancheh again after neglecting it for so long. She wouldn't have picked up the instrument again if it weren't for Aurora's interest in it. While she sat, stringing the bow along the taut strings, Arielle sat on the floor opposite her, enjoying the music.
She lifted her head, blushing at her sister's bright face. She pressed her fingers on the neck of the instrument and glided the bow along the strings and hit a sour note. Her face contorted and she took in a deep breath and attempted to try to hit the note again, properly.
"You're so good at playing," Arielle complimented her sister. "Aurora's going to love it when you play this for her. Pamira is a great teacher. I'm amazed she taught you so much in such a short amount of time!"
Cera nodded and kept playing, leaning the long neck of the kamancheh against her shoulder. She halted playing once Kuba entered the room. He bowed his head, smiling in her direction.
"Wonderful music, princess," he said and presented two letters to Arielle. "These came from Banat, khagana. One is for Princess Aurora."
Arielle puckered her lips. "Aurora?" she leaned forward and grabbed the letters from his hand. She opened the one to her daughter and frowned. "It's from Bayan." She set that aside and proceeded to open the next letter.
"Ernak signed my treaty!" she cheered and grabbed Cera's arm. As she kept reading, her mood soured. "What the fuck. How can both of these letters involve Bayan?!" she threw the scroll across the room. "Ernak wants Bayan to have a share of the empire. How dare him?" she turned to her sister.
Cera bit her bottom lip and awkwardly smiled at Kuba, bowing her head so he could take his leave. She set down the instrument carefully and crawled across the floor to read the letter silently to herself. She sighed when she read the part of Bayan. Turning around, she could see her sister seething, riddled with fury.
"Maybe it wouldn't be so bad if Bayan lived in Pannonia?" she signed.
Arielle huffed and grabbed the letter addressed to her daughter and stood. "I'm going to give this to Aurora. Stay here."
She stood outside her daughter's bedroom and breathed in deeply, crunching the scroll in her hand. She knocked on the door before entering. Aurora sat on her bed with her head in a pile of notes, writing and reading quietly on her own.
"Tatli kiz," she approached the bed, peering over the princess' shoulder. "Are you studying?"
"Mhm." Aurora dipped the quill in the ink and slowly finished the last bit of her sentence. She lifted her head once she was done and smiled. "This Scythian language is much easier than Latin. I did as I promised! I've been studying really hard."
"I'm glad you are working so hard. I'm proud of you." Arielle smiled and kissed the top of the girl's head. "I hate to interrupt your study session but I have a letter for you," she held out the scrunched scroll. "From your father."
Aurora gasped. "Daddy?" she took the scroll.
Arielle frowned and sat on the bed, reading the letter over her daughter's shoulder. Her hard face softened at Bayan's kind words written to their daughter. She often wondered what their life would've been like if they remained married but that was a thing of the past. She could never be rid of Bayan and with Ernak's request it looked like he wasn't going anywhere.
"He said he is gonna send me a present for my birthday!" Aurora turned around, facing her mother. "Can he come here for my birthday?"
Inside, Arielle cringed, but she put on a face for her daughter. "You really miss him don't you?"
"Yeah! He can bring Sarnai too. I like her. I know you don't like her."
"Well, Aurora…" she wrapped an arm around the princess. "I don't really know Sarnai." And she didn't really want to.
"Can he come here, please?" Aurora begged. "Please?"
Arielle let out a heavy sigh. "If you really want your father here then I guess…he can come. Write a letter and I'll have Kuba deliver it for you."
She marched towards the privy chamber and barged in. Kuba immediately froze and abruptly stood from behind his desk. He bowed his head, surprised at her sudden arrival.
"Khagana," he held his breath. "What can I do for you?"
She waltzed over to his desk, inspecting the various documents he was working on. Some of them were documents she sent over to him involving her subjects' demands. She brushed her tongue along her top lip and traced her finger along the tabletop.
"I just received a letter from Ernak and he ordered that I give Bayan a share of my empire."
Kuba kept his head down, eyes darting from left to right, unsure of how to respond.
"You mentioned you need someone to rule over the Pontic Steppe," she said softly.
"Y-yes khagana…"
"I want you to write an order that Bayan will be stationed in the Pontic Steppe. How far is that area from here?"
"Um," he mistakenly raised his eyes. "Not far, khagana. Maybe four days ride from here. There's…there's a palace there. Khagana Jiulu spent most of her life there before claiming Scythia. Right now a few councilmen are in the palace."
She nodded, clenching her jaw. "Write the order, Kuba. Bayan will be in charge of that area from now on." She turned to leave.
"Khagana!" he yelled and she turned. "I –I…with my understanding, you told me that Bayan is a Hun King."
"Yes."
"If he lives in the Pontic Steppe area then he will be a Khagan. He must work with you on political affairs and conduct meetings in the Pontic area regularly."
Arielle balled her fists and widened her eyes. She kept thinking of her daughter and closed her eyes, composing herself. "Fine. He will be a Khagan then. Write the order and have it sent to Banat immediately."
Ernak stood in the foyer with his elder brother and nephew, discussing the future of their empire with them. Arielle's proposal was well received on their end and Ernak told them he signed the treaty as did Csaba. He didn't mention that Xena and Gabrielle were still missing even after two weeks of the completed raid. He knew that Eksama was going to retaliate as soon as the word reached her and Elemund.
"I think it would be best if you, Yeter, and your sons return to your palace in the Caucasus," Ernak told his nephew.
Oran nodded. "It would be nice to go home. I know Yeter is tired of being around Farah," he rolled his eyes.
"They will never learn how to get along," said Ebnedzar. "Last night they argued over a game. They weren't even playing it," he laughed lightly.
Oran shook his head, nudging his father's arm. "Oh, would it be alright if my mother comes with us?" he asked both his uncle and father. "She's been very helpful and I don't think Yeter wants to admit it but she's really good at watching Taspar. Maybe my brothers could come too."
"Why don't you take the entire tribe while you're at it?" Ebnedzar joked. "I'm sure your mother would have no problem going with you although…am I allowed to go as well?" he questioned his little brother.
Ernak grinned. "You may go, brother. I don't need you in Italia anymore and with Arielle's army, I think we're prepared enough if Eksama does decide to attack again."
"Ernak!"
The three men turned and Gabrielle charged down the hallway. Ebnedzar and Oran, not privy to the situation, looked indifferent by her sudden arrival while Ernak was more than shocked to see her. She halted in front of the tall men and huffed, wiping the sweat off her brow.
"Gabrielle?" the king grabbed her shoulder. "How…I…where's Xena?"
"I need to talk to you. Alone." She eyed the others.
Ernak waved his hand, sending his brother and nephew away. He took her arm and walked to a secluded hallway. "Gabrielle, where have you been? Bayan told me what happened. You and Xena vanished!"
"We didn't vanish. We were kidnapped by Justinian's nephew and taken to Constantinople." She informed him.
"By god. That piece of shit," he growled.
She held up a hand. "Xena is still in Constantinople. She's being held there because…Justinian wants to ally with us to dethrone Shah Jamasp and give Kavad the crown back. Xena is basically being held hostage until you agree to the deal."
He scoffed. "That sly bastard. He's extorting me. Who does he think he is to keep my Khanum hostage?" he shook his head, placing hands on hips.
"There's more," she regretted to say. "Elemund has allied with Justinian and the Franks. He's stabbing Eksama in the back and she has no idea. I have copies of the treaty!" she pat the satchel strapped to her shoulder.
"Wow."
"I know," she sighed heavily. "I was thinking we could go to Pannonia and convince Eksama to change her mind and ally with us," she advised and noticed the stunned look on his face. "It's a long shot I know but I don't have any better ideas. Also, I don't want Xena to stay in Constantinople longer than necessary."
Ernak scratched his head and looked around at the maids passing by. "God dammit," he grumbled. "He really has me by the balls, Gabrielle!" he growled, clenching his fist. "Sorry."
"No need to apologize."
"Eksama isn't going to ally with us unless we give her what she wants."
Gabrielle's lips twitched into a smile. "So why don't we give her what she wants?"
"Excuse me? I'm not going to give her the title of Khatun, Gabrielle. That belongs to Anastasia. My mother gave her that title!"
"I didn't say give her the title of khatun," she said. "But what if you assign her a portion of the empire to control? She could reign as queen, assuming that she abides by the rules. She would be a great asset. God knows she has a powerful army."
He grunted. "She tried to assassinate Anastasia. Somehow I don't think this is going to over well with Xena and everyone else."
"Let's just offer it to her and see what she says. She's not going to have a lot of options when we tell her that the man, whom she calls her son, is betraying her." she wiggled her eyebrows.
"Well, you have a point." He smiled and wrapped his arm around her small frame. "I've always liked working with you, Gabrielle! You're my favorite," he whispered.
She smiled awkwardly. "Ah-ha, thanks Ernak."
"Bayan's going to be so relieved to hear this. He thought Csaba was going to kill him. I put him in the mansion just in case Csaba tried to attack him."
She nodded, clearly uncomfortable with the topic.
Admiring the Black Sea on the balcony, she tapped her fingers on the railing and looked down at the crimson dress that she was given. The flowing white sleeves were definitely not her style. She couldn't remember the last time she wore something with this much color. She was anxious to get back home, wherever that may be for now, and wear her regular black robes and pants.
Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Justinian join her on the balcony. She breathed out deeply and gazed at the ships sailing across the sea.
"Why are you doing this?" she asked calmly.
"Doing what? Asking for alliance?"
"Keeping me here as a hostage. You can label it however you want, Justinian but we both know that I'm a hostage."
He chuckled. "You've been in the game for a long time, Xena. You aren't new to politics. I remember when your granddaughter was an infant when I took over the Empire and created it as my own. And now look at her, an Empress."
She scraped her fingernails in the marble balcony railing. She spun around, glaring at the cocky Emperor.
"Leave her out of this, Justinian. If I find out that this is a distraction only to attack Arielle then I will personally make sure your body gets put into the ground –with or without a head."
He laughed haughtily. "Ho, Xena," he raised his hand. "Bold words but I know you're a woman of your word. Always have been. I'm not trying to trick you."
"I don't believe a thing that comes out of your mouth."
"And you're wise not to," he inclined his head and looked out at the coastline. "How is your daughter? Anastasia."
She blinked and fell silent to the question.
"Still gorgeous as ever, I'm sure. I heard she has several grandchildren now," he added. "Little Csaba isn't so little anymore, hm? He has three little princes. My, Attila's clan continues to grow by the year."
"Justinian!" she interrupted with a snarl to her lips. "Enough."
"I'm just making conversation."
"Well, don't."
He nodded and took a step closer to her with hesitancy. "Let us hope that the governor delivers my message accordingly," he whispered. "I don't want to keep you here longer than you need to be."
"Oh but you're such an excellent host," she said through clenched teeth.
Up and walking, Xerxes sought to get some much needed fresh air after lying in bed for weeks. His body far beyond healed but he became restless staying in the same room every single day. The periodic visits he had with his mother were also wearing him down and he was anxious to get out of the Adame. With no place to go, he had to remain here for the meantime.
In front of the Adame, he found Tegin Irkin in one of the courtyards, not too far from the poppy fields. He sat down on the bench beside the pasha. He had always been on good terms with Tegin Irkin but the man's attitude was very odd because he could be difficult to read at times. The expression on his face was always emotionless. Tegin was more than a Pasha that served the Empire; he was also a detective and mercenary when the job called for it.
"Shehzade, how are your injuries? Are you recovering well?"
Xerxes adjusted the sling on his shoulder. "I'll manage. Have you received any news from Persia? Do you know what my brothers are doing?"
"Shah Jamasp is organizing an army," Tegin said. "He's increased the taxes on the public for the war effort."
"Is he going to attack Balaam?"
Tegin smirked. "I doubt it, Shehzade. There's talk of him attacking the Byzantines. It's going to take a long time for him to gather a new army to fight Emperor Justinian."
The prince creased his eyebrows, looking out at the poppy field. "How long do you think it'll take?"
"Six months, maybe. Shah Jamasp is not stupid enough to ride his army through the winter. He's going to wait until spring."
"I need to speak with King Khushnavaz and tell him that we need to get my father back on the throne. My brothers have gone too far. Of all people, I never thought Jamasp was going to betray father like that."
Tegin chuckled. "Shehzade, no disrespect to your father, but he didn't make a wise choice by allying with the Huns and his policies against the Houses of Persia were ill advised. He played favorites with the Houses and excluded the most important House of them all."
"The Ispahbudhan House."
"Mhm."
Xerxes stood, groaning at his aching body. "Tegin, are you able to send letters into the Empire without my brothers noticing?"
The pasha hummed, rubbing his chin. "It will be difficult but it's not impossible. Do you have a request?"
"Yes. I want you to send a letter to my aunt Esther, my father's older sister. She married into the House of Mihran to a military officer. I know she has a lot of connections that could help my father."
"I will see what I can do, Shehzade."
He walked slowly back to the Adame and caught General Zolten before trailing up the stairs. He met with Zolten halfway up the staircase and pulled him aside inside the foyer, wise enough to not allow the women passing by to hear his conversation.
"Zolten, have you received any letters from…Khagana Arielle?" he whispered, hiding his demure behavior and hint of a smile.
"I haven't received any letters from her, your highness. Were you expecting something?"
Xerxes' eyes glanced around the foyer and grimaced. "Have you been sending my letters to Arielle?"
"I haven't had any letters to send, your highness."
He should've expected this but he thought his mother was better than this. He knew his mother disliked Arielle a lot and not to mention the entire Hun race but he didn't expect she stoop so low as to keep his letters from being sent out. He suddenly felt so embarrassed by his mother's behavior since her arrival from Persia. She was very rude to all of the servants and though she kept her distance from Anastasia Khatun, she sent malicious glares knowing the khatun very well couldn't see her.
Zolten took it upon him to bring the prince aside into a hallway, sensing what was going through Xerxes' mind. "Shehzade, if you want a letter sent to Khagana Arielle, deliver them to me by hand. I will make sure they are delivered."
That eased the prince and he smiled. "Thank you. I will."
"Oh, another thing, Shehzade," the general whispered. "The king is very protective of his daughter. If you have serious intentions with her I suggest you ask for her father's permission."
Xerxes bobbed his head slowly. "Permission. How do I go about asking for his permission?"
"I know our customs are different from yours, your majesty, but you could suggest a courtship with Khagana Arielle," Zolten kindly offered his advice.
"Courtship," he murmured. "That would mean I have the intention of marrying her in the future."
Zolten stifled a laugh. "Shehzade, despite what Arielle wants; her father is never going to continue to let you see her like you are now. I'm just giving you a fair warning."
"I understand…" he walked away, scratching his head. "Mother…" he growled.
They didn't get very far passed the borders of Pannonia and Banat. Attention was called immediately and Gabrielle, Ernak and Csaba were surrounded by a group of Gepids, blades pointed at them as they sat on their horses with their arms over their heads.
One of the soldiers went to the Adame to alert Eksama of their sudden intrusion. Gabrielle suggested that they waltz into Pannonia completely unarmed and without a mass of Huns behind them so they wouldn't seem threatening.
Csaba glared at the blonde governor. "Great plan, Gabrielle," he uttered with a low growl.
"We're not here to fight," she whispered, "Eksama will realize that when she sees us by ourselves without any guards. You aren't even supposed to be here!"
"I wasn't going to stay in bed like Farah wants me to. I deserve to be here! I am a king too, in case you forgot."
"Yeah, and Arielle is your boss," Ernak said, laughing under his breath. "Your little sister!"
Csaba whipped his head towards his uncle. "Yeah, well, your little sister took your land from you!" he spat.
"Touché."
Eksama trotted up to the trio and flicked her long silky auburn hair behind her shoulder. She smirked at her brother and dismounted the horse, walking through the armed soldiers as they made a path for her. She folded her arms, staring up at her family members and her eyes darted to Gabrielle. The smile on her lips turned into a frown in a matter of seconds.
"Have you come to your senses and finally decided to surrender?" she asked.
Gabrielle lowered her arms with caution. "We need to speak to you, Eksama. It's very important."
"I wasn't talking to you."
Ernak turned to his sister and leaned forward. "Don't talk to her that way. She's my governor and served our father and brothers long before you came along. Once you hear what she has to say then you will change your tune, Eksama."
"Oh, is that right?"
"Are you going to invite us inside the Adame to continue this discussion?" asked Ernak. "It's rude of you not to offer and that is my home after all," he added with a snide grin.
Eksama realized she wasn't going to win this argument. She backed off and asked her men to lower their weapons. She hopped onto her horse, steering backwards. "Come with me." She waved her hand and trotted back to the Adame.
It was like taking a step back in time when they entered the Adame. Everything almost looked the same minus the huge Gepid flag hanging from the balustrade in the foyer. Gabrielle walked around herself, staring at the huge wooden columns, wrapped with crimson silk. The smell of the place brought back several memories, good and bad.
Even though this wasn't the original home of the family, it had quite a lot of history here. Smiling as she recollected, she thought of several events that happened here. The births of the Hun children, the casual bickering from the women in the quarters, Cera's wedding, political meetings, the breakfasts everyone shared, Kreka's funeral ceremony.
She could almost hear the voices of those she called her family and then she realized this wasn't her home anymore. It had been robbed and the family was scattered in several locations without a stable place to call home.
Gabrielle pulled herself together and stepped into the conference room. The doors closed behind her and she looked at Eksama as she sat on the floor, ready for the discussion to commence. Ernak and Csaba took their places on the floor pillows and she sat in between the two kings.
She held the satchel in her lap, staring at Eksama opposite from her. Her eyes were of the same color and shape of Cera's and the two princesses shared the same hair color and similar facial features. It was hard to look at her and not think of Cera. Everything about the two was so eerily similar except Eksama was anything but kind and sweet.
Eksama slapped her hands on her thighs. "Let's get this started, shall we? I'm dying to know what you have prepared for me," she said with a big grin.
Gabrielle took in a deep breath and eyed the kings on either side of her. "We're pressed for time, Eksama, so I will try to make this short and sweet."
She pulled out the copy of the treaty and slid it across the rug. "This is a treaty signed by Prince Elemund, the Franks and Emperor Justinian. They've made a trilogy alliance against you."
The Gepid Queen took the parchment in her hands, reading furiously. "No." she threw the document on the floor. "Elemund would never betray me. How do I know you didn't falsify this treaty?"
"I copied this myself," Gabrielle said firmly. "I was in Constantinople recently. Xena is being held hostage there after we were kidnapped in Italia."
The look on Eksama's face was exactly what Ernak expected. His sister had no idea about the invasion and it looked like Elemund had left Pannonia awhile ago, holding that bit of information to himself.
"We invaded Elemund's base," she told the queen. "He has no army to go back to now. With this alliance he has with Justinian I suspect he might take your army." She paused briefly. "He didn't tell you that we invaded, did he?"
Eksama frowned, lowering her gaze, unsure how to answer. She was riddled with embarrassment and her cheeks puffed red.
"What is your purpose of being here?" asked Eksama in a quiet and somewhat defeated voice.
Gabrielle smiled faintly. "We want you to be on our side, Eksama. Everyone wanted that from the beginning. Elemund isn't on your side. He's betraying you right in front of your eyes."
Eksama laughed. "You want me to ally with you, is that it? I told you what I wanted. It is my right to be queen."
"I had a feeling you would bring that up," said Gabrielle proudly. "We're willing to give you a portion of the empire to rule over as queen. Farah, who is Csaba's wife and also a queen, is going to build several Adames throughout the empire."
She saw Eksama's mind ticking at the offer, contemplating and debating. Just take the damn deal.
"What does Anastasia have to say about this?" inquired the queen.
"She will be informed as soon as we get Xena out of Constantinople. Are you going to take the deal or not?" Gabrielle felt she was pressuring her but she didn't want Xena to stay in the hands of Justinian any longer.
"Are you only offering peace because your khanum is being held captive?"
Gabrielle huffed. "Elemund betrayed you, Eksama. It would be best if we put aside our differences and unite together. We're giving what you want. You get to be a queen and govern a portion of the empire."
"Hmm." The redhead swirled her finger long her cheek, smiling at her brother and nephew.
Quickly, Gabrielle thought on her feet and blurted out something unexpected that was surely to shock Ernak and Csaba.
"You can be Commander in Chief of the empire."
Ernak gasped. "What!"
"We never discussed this," Csaba whispered.
Gabrielle ignored the men staring at her as she was wedged in the middle of them. She clenched her jaw, staring at the satisfactory smile on Eksama's face. I have you in the palm of my hand.
"Well?"
Eksama let out a long sigh and grinned from ear to ear.
Proudly, Gabrielle walked through the hallway, waving the signed treaty in her hands and blew against the wet ink. She couldn't wipe the smile off her face staring at Eksama's signature at the bottom of the page. Today was a victorious day. Two problems down, one to go.
"Gabrielle!"
She flinched at Ernak's booming voice and turned around, feeling very small in front of the tall king. "I know what you're thinking…" she hid the treaty behind her back. "She wasn't going to agree, Ernak! I had to think of something!"
"So you offered her the position of Commander in Chief?!" he yelled. "I can't wait to hear what Xena is going to say about this."
She hadn't exactly thought of her wife's reaction. "We'll cross that bridge when we get there. On the bright side, everyone gets to come back to Pannonia. You get your home back!" she slapped his arm.
His upper lip quivered and slowly, Gabrielle backed away, laughing awkwardly.
"We…should probably head back to Banat and tell everyone the good news," she said. "I have to go to Constantinople and rescue Xena from Justinian's grasp."
"Mhm."
"Did you send the letter to Arielle about the Byzantine alliance?"
"Mhm."
"Did you…leave a copy for me to take to Constantinople?"
"It's in Rabia's office."
She nodded. "I can see you're upset with me. I'll just go round up the horses with Csaba outside."
He was a grown man. He once used to be the General of Persia. He was well educated and learned how to read and write Latin from the moment he could form sentences. He thought he was well spoken and eloquent in front of monarchs but as he stood in front Navaz and Anastasia, he was suddenly at a loss for words.
Navaz folded his arms, growing impatient. "Shehzade, you asked to speak with us. What is it that you want?"
The prince swallowed and looked to the khatun's face, stern yet with a hint of kindness shown by her pale eyes. He straightened himself out to the best of his abilities due to his injured shoulder. He waited a few days to talk to Arielle's parents and put off the impending argument with his mother. He couldn't focus on her. Not now.
"I wanted to ask you both for your permission," he took in a shaky breath, "to court your daughter."
Anastasia broke out into a smile. The thought of being asked permission to allow anyone to see her daughter was unusual. She didn't have that opportunity when Bayan was secretly seeing Arielle behind her back. Though, she couldn't say anything because she did the same thing behind her own mother's back with Ellac when she was a teenager. It was nice for a change to be asked.
Navaz was indifferent by the question and had a scowl on his face. He received a nudge to his arm from Ana and that brought him out his daydream.
"You want to court my daughter?" he repeated the question.
"Yes, your highness."
Unable to contain her excitement, Anastasia answered for herself and Navaz. "Yes, you may."
"Anastasia!" Navaz griped. "I don't get a say in this at all? She's my daughter too. She's half mine."
"You're taking too long to answer. Just say yes, Navaz."
Xerxes stood uncomfortably in the middle of the tense conversation. He didn't want to start a fight between them. Maybe this was a mistake?
"I don't know what kind of spell you cast upon these women but they all seem to like you," Navaz addressed the anxious prince.
"I…I promise I won't ever harm your daughter, your highness. You have my word."
"I've heard those words before, Shehzade."
"With all due respect, I don't like being compared to Bayan. I know he is not well liked in your family. I am not anything like Bayan."
Anastasia's eyebrow arched. "Your mother mentioned that you are forbidden to marry a divorced woman. Is that true?"
He lowered his head. "Yes, that's true. Princes are forbidden to marry anyone outside of Persia and the marriages are arranged by the Shah. It's not unusual for a prince to remain unmarried and stay with his harem all his life."
Ana nodded slowly and turned to Navaz. "You would be willing to sacrifice your spot on the throne for my daughter?" she asked in disbelief.
The least Justinian could do was provide a horse on the way back to Banat but he couldn't even do that. Gabrielle shared a horse with her wife on the way back after handing over the copy of the letter. He was a bit impatient when he was told that Arielle hadn't exactly agreed to the temporary alliance. Gabrielle was surprised he had to explain to the Emperor that letters sent to Scythia took a long time.
Riding through the barren fields, they were about a day away from Banat. Gabrielle was quiet most of the way and she didn't have the courage to tell Xena about the deal she and the kings struck with Eksama. Oh, she was going to be furious. She could foresee several punches coming her way.
Take one for the team. That's what she always did.
"Ernak, Csaba and I went to Pannonia," she began.
Xena raised her eyebrows. "Eksama actually let you enter Pannonia?"
"Yes…we told her that Elemund was backstabbing her. I could tell she was very embarrassed and angry but she didn't show it. I guess she's like Attila in that respect."
"What did she have to say? I'm guessing the meeting went well since you're still alive," Xena joked.
"Ernak and I both agreed to give her a portion of the empire to govern. She will officially be a Hun Queen. She signed a treaty of peace with us."
Xena smiled. "Good job, Gabrielle. I knew you would be able to set her straight. What did the rest of the family have to say about this? I can only imagine Austraia's reaction. Was she surprised?"
The governor bit her lip and loosened her grip around her wife's waist. She wanted to make sure she had a clean sweep to jump off the horse in case she was thrown off. Perhaps this wasn't the best time to mention this but she was going to find out sooner or later.
"I didn't stay in Banat long enough to see everyone's reaction," she said and shakily continued, "There is one more thing I had to promise Eksama in order to get her to agree to our deal."
"Hmm?"
"I…told her that she could…be the Commander in Chief."
Xena yanked on the reins, halting the horse. She stared out at the open fields, her chest rising and falling heavily. Her fingers dug into her sweaty palms and her heart raced. Commander. Commander in Chief. My old job, she thought. Given to Attila's rebel daughter.
"Xena?" she inched further back on the saddle. "Are you angry at me? Xena. Please, say something."