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Chapter 46 –Kings and Queens
Over the last year Farah commissioned two more Adames to be built across the state of Pannonia. She traveled around the state to make sure all of the construction was completed in a timely manner. The home for her family was further north and had just been finished in the last few months so everyone was allowed to move in.
The next Adame was scheduled to be completed by the end of winter but Farah urged the workers to finish quickly as soon as she received word from Arielle. The Adame was livable if nobody minded listening to hammering early in the morning until sundown.
Rain halted most of the work for the last couple of weeks and Farah fell ill a month prior. She hid the illness very well from her family but when she collapsed onto the field, Csaba was alerted immediately and she was taken back to their Adame. Laid up in bed almost two weeks, Farah grew tiresome of staring at the rain.
Csaba came in the bedroom to greet his wife and Farah sat up, eager to see him. He rushed to the bedside and kissed her hand.
"How are you feeling today? Better?" he titled her chin, examining her hollow cheeks. "Have you eaten today? Should I ask the servants to bring you something?"
Farah cast a worn smile. "I'm alright, Csaba. I would like to get out of bed."
He frowned. "No, you will stay here until you're well again."
It was of no use to argue with him. She tried to leave the room twice and as soon as Csaba found out of her sly escape she was forced back into the bedroom. She wouldn't be surprised if he decided to lock the doors but he did post guards outside to make sure she wouldn't leave without notifying him first.
"Arielle will be arriving soon. The rain has slowed them down. I received a message that they've set up camp on the border. Hopefully the rain will let up and they'll be here in a few days."
Farah could see how excited he was to see the other half of his family. He'd been separated from Arielle for more than a year and hadn't seen anyone since his mother's wedding. Farah was grateful that wouldn't have to share her home with Arielle or anyone else. She enjoyed the quiet of the Adame but occasionally she would go to see Ernak's family.
"Csaba," she gripped his hand, "I am going insane. I don't know how much longer I can stay in this room."
"I know you're dying to get out of bed but you worked yourself too hard. You've been outside every single day overseeing the Adame's construction," he kissed her forehead. "You will stay here."
"But Csaba!" she pulled his arm for him to stay by her side. "The physician cleared me. I'm fine."
He wrinkled his eyebrows. "Why wasn't I told this?"
A ball of nerves formed in the pit of her stomach and she swallowed. "I told her not to tell you."
Csaba raised his eyebrow. "Why would you do that?"
"Because…I wanted to tell you myself," a smile crept up on her lips, "the...midwife told me I am in perfect health."
With wide eyes, Csaba snatched his hand away and abruptly stood. Slowly, he backed away from the bed and stared in horror at the nervous smile on his wife's face. He felt his heart race and a lump formed in the center of his chest.
"Midwife?" he croaked.
Farah nodded. So far, she didn't like his reaction. He hadn't said anything and it was like he was staring right through her. She pushed the blankets off and rose from the bed, coming close to her husband. Nervously, she looked into his eyes with a smile.
Csaba clenched his jaw as her hand grazed his cheek.
"Won't you say anything?" she asked.
He grabbed her hand and took a step away; his eyes darkened and deeply frowned.
"How?"
She stifled a laugh. "Do I have to spell it out for you?" she wrapped a hand on the nape of his neck.
"I thought you were taking the serum," he said flatly.
Taken aback by his tone, she tapered her eyes and responded, "I must have missed a dose." Her hand slid off his neck. "Are you mad at me?"
Csaba's eyes traveled to his wife's still flat abdomen and pursed his mouth. He darted for the door and Farah ran after him. They met in the hallway upstairs and Farah watched him briskly walk down the staircase.
"Csaba! Aren't we going to talk about this?" she ran down the hall and stood at the top of the stairs. "Csaba!" she screeched.
Edemen prowled the halls after he finished his studies with his tutors. He didn't care for schoolwork but his mother was always breathing down his neck to study as much as possible. He wanted to be in the field training with weapons instead of reading endless amounts of mathematics from Persia.
He sometimes envied his brothers who had more freedom than he did. They played games all day and only studied twice a week. Edemen was grateful that his mother was not able to follow him everywhere lately since she was preoccupied with the construction.
He walked up the stairs and greeted the maids with a smile. He waved his hand to the guards to open the doors to his mother's bedroom to pay her a visit. Upon entering his smile faded at the sight of his mother sobbing in bed.
"Mother?"
Farah rose from the pillows and wiped her cheeks and gaped at her young teenage son. "Edemen," she held out her hand.
He rushed over and took her hand. "Mother, why are you crying?" he sat and brushed the tears away with his thumb. "Who made you cry? Tell me so I can put them in their place."
She wiped her nose and smiled. "That's…very sweet of you but I'm alright."
Edemen stood. "You are not. You're very upset. Who caused it? Was it my brothers?"
She shook her head. "Ede…"
"Did father say something to you?" he pestered her and Farah turned a cheek. "So, father is the cause of your sadness." He nodded his head, contemplating his next move. He then scurried out of the room.
Farah gasped and ran to chase her son. "Edemen!" she was out breath by the time she trailed halfway down the stairs. "Where are you going? Edemen!" she gripped the rail and put a hand over her heaving chest.
Csaba sat in his office going over a new map of Pannonia. He placed a few markers on where the Lombards were located in Banat. Sipping the wine, he made a few notes. He was anxious for Arielle to arrive because he knew she was bringing half the Avar army. He had several plans for the rest of the season and wanted his sister's opinion.
Eksama was a great commander but there was nothing to be done here since King Alduin was lurking in Banat. He wanted Alduin to make a move so badly but for now, Eksama was stationed on the borders, anticipating an attack. It had been a long year for everybody.
He had a mouthful of wine and jumped at the doors swinging open. He raised his eyebrows at his eldest son charging inside. Swallowing the wine, he swung his boots off the desk and laced his hands together.
"Edemen? Something the matter?"
The prince grimaced and turned around. "Leave us," he instructed the guards.
Csaba raised an eyebrow and the soldiers refused to move. He gave a terse nod to his men and they left the chamber. Clearing his throat, Csaba walked around to the front of the desk and folded his arms, staring at his son.
"What's on your mind?"
"Mother is crying because of you," Edemen plainly said.
Csaba groaned and hung his head, scratching his brow.
"What did you say to her?"
"Edemen, this is between me and your mother." Csaba nudged his head to the doors, "you can go now."
The prince crossed his arms and challenged his father to a staring contest to which Csaba broke with a smirk.
"I said leave," he pointed to the doors. "Edemen, you are a child. I don't need to explain my business with your mother to you."
"I am not a child. I am thirteen." He dangerously approached the desk. "I'm not going to allow anyone to make my mother sad, father. I'm going to take her to Ernak's Adame if you won't apologize to her."
Csaba's eyebrows lifted. "Oh really?"
"Yes!" he spat and then cowered at Csaba's menacing scowl, "your highness," he added softly.
The rain slowed to a sprinkle and Arielle led everyone into Pannonia. They traveled two days crossing the border into her homeland. Everyone in the tribe, Huns and Gepids alike, were gathered around to greet them with smiles and waves. Arielle for once, smiled sincerely at the people. She didn't think that they would be happy to see her but she figured Ernak straightened them out after the Eksama incident.
That felt like a lifetime ago. Arielle steered her horse carefully through the crowd to meet her immediate family at the largest Adame which now housed Ernak's family. Aurora sat in front of her on the saddle and waved excitedly at all her cousins.
Ernak stepped forward with Csaba to say their greetings. Csaba helped the small princess off and she ran to see her cousins, completely ignoring him. He grabbed Arielle's hand and aided her off the horse even though she didn't need help.
"Arielle," he held her cheeks in his palms, "benim güzel kardeşim," he kissed each of her cheeks several times. "I'm very happy that you're here at last."
"Me too. If you don't mind I'd like to look at the new Adame."
Csaba's mind drifted to Farah for a moment. "Of course. Be my guest," he pointed to the unfinished Adame across the field. "It's almost finished but you're able to live in it comfortably. There needs to be a few more repairs."
She smiled and then mounted her horse again, nodding to everyone then trotted off by herself. Xena and Gabrielle walked through the sea of people, horses in hand.
Xena stood before Csaba and he kissed her hand and pressed her hand to his forehead. He then stepped over to Gabrielle and kissed her hand and both her cheeks.
"Welcome back to Pannonia!" he said loudly. "I know it's been a long journey for everyone. I'm sure you'd all like to rest for awhile."
"That would be nice," said Xena. "All of our clothes are drenched. I'm guessing the new Adame isn't furnished."
"Farah made sure that there are beds in every room but other than that it's pretty bare," he said uneasily.
Gabrielle looked around. "Where is Farah?"
He shifted his weight and glanced over at Edemen who was eavesdropping. "She's very tired from overseeing the construction. She's resting in her room." He offered to take their horses and walk them to their new home. "Ernak is throwing a party tomorrow for everyone at his Adame."
"A party in the middle of a war. That is so unlike Ernak," sarcasm dripped off Xena's tongue.
Gabrielle hooked arms with her spouse. "It'll be fun!"
"Yeah, yeah. You say that every time." She mumbled. "There are baths in the Adame, right?"
Csaba chuckled. "Farah designed the place. Of course there are baths."
The next morning Edemen slipped out of his room undetected. He made sure to wake up before anybody else in the quiet household. He dressed quickly and closed his door as quietly as possible and then walked down the hall and across the entire second floor to where his parents' bedroom was.
He peeked inside and saw Farah sleeping soundly though he knew that sleep didn't come easily last night. He could hear his mother weeping from across the hall up until sunrise. Meanwhile, his father wasn't around and not in his bedroom either.
Edemen didn't have time to check all this rooms in the Adame so he left before he was caught. The only people awake in the tribe were shepherds and he kept his head down so they wouldn't call out to him. Without thinking, he darted across the entire tribe to Arielle's home. He figured they'd be awake since workers were already hammering away on the roof.
He walked in as soon as the doors were opened for him. Several of the maids were definitely not from Pannonia judging by their clothes and facial features. Nonetheless, he was greeted properly and the women continued decorating the place.
Aurora and Kazem came running towards him still dressed in their bed clothes.
"Edemen, Edemen!" the princess cheered. "You're here!" she wrapped a silk scarf around his waist. "Are you coming to the party tonight?"
"Um, yes," he eyed the little boy. "Who is this?"
"Oh, this is Kazem from the Hinukh tribe in Scythia. He's my friend." She hung her arm over Kazem's shoulder. "This is my cousin, Prince Edemen." She whispered in his ear.
Kazem gave a brief bow. "Aurora told me she has lots of cousins."
Edemen smiled. "I think you'll have no problem fitting in, Kazem. You two are up early," he took the scarf and twirled it around Aurora's head. "Are grandma khanum and Gabrielle awake yet? I need to talk to them."
"I think so," Aurora tapped her cheek pensively. "Do you want me to show you the room?"
"I think I can find it by myself." He had his eyes set on the grand staircase ahead.
"Make sure you are really quiet," Aurora whispered. "My mom is sleeping." she pointed above her head to the second floor.
Edemen raised an eyebrow. How could his aunt be sleeping through all of this noise?
As if one bath wasn't enough last night, Xena soaked in the pool in the morning as well. Gabrielle was barely awake and struggled to get out of bed. Her head was pounding from the workers on top of the roof. She tried to ignore it but it was impossible.
Food was brought to the room and she sat on the floor, picking at the fruit and dabbed the warm bread in the eggs. She sighed in relief when the hammering stopped for a few moments but when it started up again she groaned.
"Xena, are you going to come out of there or what?" she called from the bedroom.
"I could stay in here for days."
Gabrielle hummed and kept eating quietly. She wiped her hands and then went to the chest at the end of the bed and rummaged through it. She tossed her blouses and pants onto the floor and stuck her head deep into the chest and cursed under her breath.
"Where are our dresses?" she yelled and pulled out a long black and gold robe which belonged to her spouse. "Xena, did you forget to pack them?" she sat back on her heels. "Hello? Are you listening?"
Xena let out a dramatic sigh from inside the bath chamber. "Do you ever stop talking? You're ruining my peaceful morning."
"Peaceful morning?" she muttered. How could anyone enjoy a morning of incessant hammering? "Alright, you didn't pack the dresses, did you? I can't find them anywhere! We're supposed to go to the party tonight and I am not wearing pants."
"Nobody said you had to wear pants," Xena snickered.
Gabrielle rolled her eyes and gave up on looking for the missing dresses. Either Xena forgot to pack them on purpose or she was hiding them. That had to be it, thought Gabrielle. Or perhaps there was another chest of clothes that hadn't been brought to their room. Either way, Gabrielle didn't want to worsen her headache over the matter anymore.
She jumped at the loud rap at the door. "Come in."
Edemen opened the door and Gabrielle's face lit up at his presence. He came into the room and kissed her hand gingerly just as Csaba did yesterday. She had to look up to him now. It was so strange to see him taller than her and looking more and more like a blend of his parents.
"Good morning," he politely said.
"Morning!" she sat back down on the floor. "Eat with me, please."
Edemen sat with her and looked around the empty room. "Where's grandma khanum?"
"She's still in the bath," she said, annoyed. "I didn't expect to see you until tonight. How are you? Your brothers? Your mother? Are they doing alright?"
"That's why I came here," he kept tearing the bread into bits and pieces. "It's about my mother." He hesitated and further added, "she's been in her room for weeks because she was sick but…"
"But?"
"She's been crying nonstop!" he tossed the bread on the tray. "I think my father upset her somehow," he burrowed his fingers in his lap and grimaced. "They haven't spoken in days. I don't like to see her so upset. I don't know what to do."
Conflict followed them wherever they went so it seemed. Gabrielle bit a small piece of the warm bread and tapped her fingers on the table, staring at the prince's intense green eyes.
"Um…what do you expect me to do? Your parents have a right to their privacy."
"I was hoping you…could punch him in the face or something?"
She choked and Xena walked in, towel drying her hair. "Punch who in the face?" she asked.
Edemen jumped to his feet. "My father."
Xena paused at grabbing the comb. "That's an odd request," amused, she sat down and combed the knots in her hair tediously.
"My mother's been crying for days and he hasn't talked to her either," Edemen relayed.
Xena turned with a furrowed brow. She had a hard time believing that Csaba could ever do that to Farah. They'd been married for a long time now and those two were inseparable from the day they met. Hearing this was unsettling but she refused to believe her grandson could treat his wife as poorly as Edemen described.
"I will talk to him."
Edemen nodded. "I guess I'll see you both tonight." He turned to leave.
"Hey," Xena set the comb in her lap. "Aren't you going to give me a hug?" she smiled.
He sighed and stepped over the large floor pillows and gave her an awkward side hug. Xena squeezed him until he could barely breathe and then she pinched his arm to which he winced. Edemen pulled back before he was to be smothered by Xena and darted to the exit.
Gabrielle snorted. "He's such a sweet boy and very protective of his mother."
"Many girls are going to fawn over him in a few years," she tugged at the knots at the ends of her hair. She then moved to the floor and waved the comb in Gabrielle's face. "Can you…?"
Without hesitating, Gabrielle took the comb and gently worked her way through the knots in her wife's wet hair. "Xena…what did you do with our dresses?"
Xena picked at the fruit and hid a devious smile. "I'm sure they're around here somewhere."
"If you left them in Scythia I swear…"
"I didn't!"
Gabrielle huffed. "I'll have to look through the other chests." She continued to rake the comb through the mass of hair, "sending me on a scavenger hunt," she mumbled. "I think you need a haircut."
Xena protectively grabbed her hair. "I do not."
She knew that Xena didn't do much to her hair but she'd been neglecting it for awhile. It was going to take a long time to work through these knots and she was tired of doing this every single week after Xena washed her hair. Normally, this wasn't a terribly long process but now that Xena's hair was well passed her hips, it was increasingly becoming more difficult to care for it.
She'd have to convince Xena to cut her hair or she'll end up with hair down to her ankles like Anastasia's. And then she was going to be stuck with painful evenings combing out the knots.
"Should I send word to Khan Kubrat to come to Pannonia? His tribe isn't that far from here."
Xena licked her fingers. "Probably. Csaba isn't going to be happy when he finds out his little sister is going to marry someone."
"He thinks every single man is sent from hell when it concerns Arielle," she laughed. "If it were up to him, she'd still be a virgin."
Xena winced at the hard tug on her hair and cursed. "Gabrielle, must you have hands of steel?"
"I'm sorry but you really need to take better care of your hair!"
"That's what I have you for," Xena looked over her shoulder, sending a charming smile her wife's way.
Farah stood in front of the mirror after putting on a sparkly black and gold dress for tonight's party. She adjusted the long sleeves and shifted the collar around her breasts. Her hands traveled down to her abdomen. She pressed her palms on her stomach and felt tears stinging her dry eyes.
Of all people, she never thought that Csaba would react the way that he did. He hadn't spoken to her in days and she made no attempt to spark conversation either. Csaba appeared in the mirror's reflection and her breath hitched.
She spun around and her hands slid off her flat stomach.
He lingered in the doorway, admiring the dress perfectly painted on her svelte figure. "You look beautiful as always," he said and Farah looked down at herself, "are you ready to go?"
"Csaba, please," she tread across the room. "I want to talk to you." she rubbed his arm. "Why are you treating me this way? What is my fault?"
He tried to be as gentle as possible and put space between them. "Shall we go to the party now? Everyone is waiting for us."
Farah crossed her arms over her breasts. "I'm not going anywhere until we talk about this."
He sighed. "I'm going to the party. You can stay here if you want." He grabbed the door handle and slowly began closing the door.
"Do you love me?"
Csaba wore a faint smile. "What kind of question is that? Of course I love you." he waited to see if she was going to change her mind but Farah sat on the bed. "Make sure you eat something."
It wasn't easy but after searching for hours, Gabrielle found the missing dresses in a chest located in the women's quarters. She knew her wife was behind this. It was the only explanation for the smugness on Xena's face. Due the little hunt she had to go through, Gabrielle forced her wife to wear a dress for the millionth time.
They set foot in Ernak's Adame and everyone was dressed in their finest clothes. Wine was the first thing that Xena acquired. She snatched two glasses from a tray and passed one over to Gabrielle. The temptation to soil the green gown was great.
"You look wonderful," Gabrielle whispered, snickering under her breath.
"No thanks to you," Xena said through a tight smile.
"I bet you'll think twice before you try to pull a fast one on me again," Gabrielle smiled at the children who passed by. "I might even cut your hair while you're sleeping."
Xena gasped. "You wouldn't."
"Just a small joke," she pressed her forefinger and thumb together. "I sent a messenger to Kubrat."
"Smooth, Gabrielle."
Aurora ran circles around them with Kazem and Utighur chasing her. Gabrielle pressed her body against Xena, trying to avoid being trampled over by the small energetic children. She yelped as she was being grabbed by Aurora's hands, evading any attacks from the boys' wooden swords.
Xena smirked, amused by the game. "Where is your sword, Aurora?"
"Aman stole it!" she screamed and took off running, bumping into several guests. The boys darted after her, waving the swords in the air.
Gabrielle was able to breathe again and then collided into her wife as the twin princes ran right passed them. She put a hand over the glass to prevent it from spilling all over her dress.
"We should probably move…" she suggested, "before we get run over."
Xena smiled. "A wise choice, Gabrielle." she took her hand and walked over to a safe spot where benches were lined along the wall. "You should stay here, catch your breath."
"Ha," she downed the wine. "Where are you going? Are you leaving me here alone?"
"Are you afraid of the children?" Xena teased. "I won't be long. I'm going to talk to Csaba."
On the far side of the room, Csaba stood watching the children weaving in and out of the guests. The toddler princesses were in the women's quarters with servants which allowed Nisa to roam the Adame freely for awhile. He leaned against a wall and held wine that he had yet to drink from.
Lost in thought he didn't even see his grandmother approaching. He stared at his smallest sons terrorizing Aurora with their swords.
"Where's your head?"
He flinched at Xena's voice and half grinned. "Enjoying the party?"
She crossed her arms, holding the glass in one hand. "Where's your wife?"
"Farah decided to stay home," he quickly answered.
"Is there something going on with you two? Edemen came to my room today and told me that Farah has been crying for days."
Csaba growled. "That boy. He can't keep his nose out of my business."
"He says that you haven't talked to Farah in days. Is that true?" she pried.
"Grandma, I don't want to talk about this, please."
Xena's eyebrows lifted into her fringe. "Your son is very concerned about his mother. Whatever is going on between you and Farah is already affecting your children so I suggest that you –"
"Farah's pregnant," he blurted out.
"Oh," she felt more at ease. She thought the situation was more serious. "But I see you aren't happy about it. Is that why Farah's been crying? What did you say to her?"
Csaba fearfully glanced over at her. "Nothing. I said nothing."
"Then why is she crying? You've obviously upset her."
"This is such bad timing and our children are older now. I'm not ready to have another baby. We were really careful and she –"
"Csaba!" she grabbed his jaw and turned his face towards her. "Do not put blame on her. You're both responsible." She gave his cheek a hard shove.
He rubbed his jaw and took a step to the side.
Xena clenched her fingers around the wine glass and then gave her grandson a hard slap to the chest. Csaba choked and gasped for air. He dropped the glass and keeled over from the blow. Some eyes turned to them and Xena casually sipped the wine, smiling at the guests.
He regained breath and supported his weight with a hand plastered on the wall.
"I don't want to hear you say those words again, Csaba."
He nodded in pain.
"I didn't hear you."
"I…" he coughed, "I won't."
She pat his shoulder. "Your behavior is very disappointing."
Ku-Ilm sat in front of a mirror, braiding her hair. The nightgown she wore slipped off her shoulder when she reached for a few pins to pull the wispy hair from her forehead. She heard Arielle stir in bed and slipped a smile and looked behind to see the sleepy empress roll over onto her stomach. Arielle opened an eye and groaned.
"Günaydin," Ku cooed teasingly.
Arielle rubbed her face and sat up, holding her aching head. "I drank too much wine last night."
"That you did," Ku swiveled around and flung the braid behind her shoulder. "It's been awhile since you've had wine." She came to kneel beside the bed. "I heard that Gabrielle sent a messenger to Khan Kubrat…"
Arielle smirked and pulled her fingers through her hair.
"Are you…really going to marry him?"
"Are you jealous, Ku?"
"No!" she denied instantly. "I just want to see…what kind of man he is first."
Arielle swung her legs over the edge of the bed and pinched Ku's chin, boring into her honey colored eyes. "Don't be jealous. There's plenty of me to go around," she winked. She walked over to the water basin and splashed some water on her face. "This is just a political marriage. He already has a wife anyway. He's definitely not going to sleep in the same bed as me!"
Ku frowned and sat on the floor with a palm resting on her cheek. "But he will still live under the same roof as us. What if his wife doesn't like you? What if she's mean like Yeter?"
That brought a snarl to Arielle's lips. "Then I will kick her out." She wiped her face dry. "This is my home –my land –and I won't put up with anyone overstepping their boundaries."
Ku smiled. "Would you like me to iron your hair?"
"That would be wonderful," Arielle sat down in front of the vanity, combing her locks. "Have someone send for Farah. I want to talk to her about the disbursement of funds throughout the empire. I'd also like her to design the church my mother wanted."
"A church?"Ku asked, eyes lightening with glee.
"Gabrielle told me Kubrat is a Christian. I should appear tolerant of everyone, shouldn't I?"
Ku nodded. "Yes, it's a great idea Arielle but won't that cause unrest with the tribe?"
"I don't care," Arielle shrugged. "I made a promise to myself to complete everything my mother started. Now, go, go! I want to hold a conference with everyone."
He could barely sleep after he returned from the party last night. He knew his uncle was probably still asleep due to the amount of wine consumed. Csaba lay in bed all night alone thinking about what was to happen in the next year. He wasn't ready to be a father again but after he was harshly accosted by his grandmother he thought he could've approached the subject better with Farah.
He rolled out of bed and immediately went to the kitchen below to gather food. Hesitantly, he trailed up the stairs with a tray of food and stood outside Farah's room. Once the guards let him through he stepped inside and Farah was laying in bed with her back turned to him.
Csaba knew she wasn't truly asleep because she never slept on her stomach. He tiptoed around the bed and Farah jolt forward in bed, surprised to see him. She wiped her nose and tried to smooth out her messy hair.
"I…brought some food," he set the tray on the bed and sat. "Kefir for your stomach," he lifted the tall glass. "Are you feeling sick?"
She shook her head and sniffled.
He set a hand on her knee. "I should've talked to you instead of ignoring you."
Farah frowned and forced herself not to shed any more tears for him. She rubbed her cheek and took in a deep breath.
"I was really surprised. I didn't know what to say," he explained and could see his wife about to weep again. "The truth is I'm not sure if I want another child right now."
Farah's mouth gaped and her throat closed up. "What are you saying?" her chin quivered. She put a shielding hand over her stomach. "Do…you want to get rid of the baby?"
"No, I…Farah, come on," he held her chin. "Don't cry. It's just that I'm not prepared and I…"
"It's not all about you!" she spat and tucked her knees under her chin. "I'm not getting rid of the baby, Csaba."
"I didn't ask you to do that."
"But you don't want it!" she broke down and wept. "I can't believe you –you're acting like this." She dug her nails into her hair.
This wasn't going the way that he thought. He wanted to talk things over with his wife but instead he made her cry yet again. Csaba sighed and knew if this got out to any of his family members he was going to be given a verbal beat down and possibly a physical one from his grandmother and his sister.
"Farah, I never said I didn't want the baby," he tried to hold her hand and she scooted away. "I'm just telling you how I feel. I'm nervous to be a father again. We have three children already and we're both very busy. Are you ready to raise another baby?"
Farah exhaled and fanned her face. "Just go."
"What?"
"Leave! Get out of my room!" she pointed to the door.
"Farah…"
She pushed him off the bed and lay down on her side, glaring at the wall. Incessant knocking at the doors caused Farah to groan and she refused to answer the person on the other side of the door. Csaba looked at his solemn wife and then walked over to open the door.
A Scythian servant bowed her head at Csaba answering the door. "Your highness, Khagana Arielle requests Queen Farah in her Adame."
As of now, Xena felt like death. Her body ached in places that she didn't think were possible. Her head pounded at any minuscule sound. She wanted to strangle everybody this morning. Gabrielle was clinking glasses in the background and tapping a spoon on the rim of the cup over and over again. And again. And again.
She massaged her temples with a circular motion of her fingertips. Groaning, she could barely handle the noises.
"Must you do that?" she griped.
Gabrielle gently placed the spoon aside and walked over to her pained wife and sat down. "I told you, you overdid it last night." She handed Xena the cup. "Milk and honey."
"I don't have a stomachache, Gabrielle. I have a headache."
"Just drink it."
"Günaydin! Iyi sabahlar!" Arielle charged into the room and Xena winced at the obnoxious voice. "Oh, rough night, huh?" she relished in her grandmother's misery. "You're not the only one who's suffering. I too, had my fill of wine last night."
She sat on the ground and swished her straightened hair around, smiling. Xena kept drinking the milk hoping that this meeting was going to go by quickly. She could barely keep her eyes open and didn't know how much longer she was going to last. This was the beginning of the day and this is not how she wanted to spend it: in pain.
"I'd like to get this meeting started. We have a lot to talk about before Kubrat arrives."
Gabrielle smiled, rubbing her spouse's arm.
"Don't touch me," Xena mumbled.
The Scythian maid hurried inside with her gaze to the floor and curtsied in front of everyone."Khagana, Queen Farah is unable to come."
Arielle raised an eyebrow. "Did she give a reason why?"
"She did not, Khagana."
"I haven't seen that woman since I arrived," she drummed her fingers on her knees. "Tell her that I really want her here. This is very important."
The servant nodded and trailed away.
Xena pushed through the headache and called out. "Stop!" she yelled at the maid. "Do not disturb Farah," she rubbed her head.
"Grandma, I have lots of things that need to be done. Farah can't stay in her home indefinitely. Get the queen," she waved her hand at the maid.
"No!" Xena barked and the maid stopped in her tracks again, unsure of who to obey. "Nobody is going…to get Farah…" she moaned and held the side of her throbbing head. "She and Csaba need time to themselves right now."
Gabrielle offered a suggestion, "why don't you tell me what needs to be done and I'll deliver it to Farah?"
"I guess we could do that," Arielle relented. "But I really want to talk to her in person. Grandma, is there something wrong with Farah that you're keeping from me?"
Xena licked her dry lips. "It's their business and I'm not entirely happy with your brother. Let's put it that way."
"Is Csaba mistreating her?"
Gabrielle grabbed the empress' wrist. "Arielle, let's talk first and then we'll deal with Csaba."
A day later, Khan Kubrat and his family rode into Pannonia. As soon as he received Gabrielle's letter he immediately set out to greet the Pannonian clan. Upon his arrival most of the tribe gathered around to satisfy their curiosities. Kubrat was anxious to meet everybody as were his children and wife.
He recognized Xena and Gabrielle from their previous encounter. They stood outside the largest Adame in the tribe and there were other people as well. He eyed one of the women who stuck close by to one who thought was the king, one of the kings anyway.
Kubrat bowed in front of the family and Ernak stepped forward, holding out his hand.
"Hoşgeldiniz," he said, shaking the Khan's hand.
"Hoşbulduk," he glanced around, eyeing the others. There were several children of various ages staring at him and his family.
Ernak introduced all of his children and wife, Nisa. Kubrat shook the hands of the king's sons and kissed Ernak's daughters' hands. He also briefly acknowledged Xena and Gabrielle who were whispering off to the side by themselves.
"Khan, I'm sure you're very anxious to see Arielle," said Xena, slyly slipping into the circle. "She's in her Adame getting ready. If you'd like, I will take you to meet her."
He smiled and bowed towards her. Xena then escorted him to the Adame with his wife and children trailing behind. Gabrielle was about to follow but Ernak pulled her back by the arm.
"Where the fuck is Csaba?" he whispered.
"I don't know," she swiped her bangs off her forehead. "Farah hasn't seen him in two days."
Ernak huffed. "I will send some scouts to find him. He should be here."
"He and Farah aren't on good terms," she told him. By his wide eyes, she gathered he was oblivious. "I don't know why they're arguing but he probably took off."
"It's not like him to do that."
This was a political marriage, Arielle kept telling herself that. She was going to marry someone she didn't even know for her people. She thought about the end goal and couldn't wait to see Justinian's face when he was to find out that his greatest ally was to become his greatest enemy.
Aurora and Kazem stood in the foyer ready to greet the khan and his family. They were asked to wear their best clothes and be on their best behavior but Arielle had her doubts that those two could behave properly.
Arielle entered the foyer and the children's jaws dropped. She wore a floor length black gown with gold trim on the sleeves and collar. She smiled at her daughter and ruffled Kazem's hair. Nervously, she stood in between the children and flipped the sheer veil over her face.
"You look very lovely," Ku whispered and squeezed Arielle's arm.
"çok güzel," Aurora said and held her mother's hand.
Arielle smiled, gripping her daughter's hand tightly. A hand rested on her stomach and she felt like she was going to be sick. The first person she saw enter the home was Xena and she held her breath, pressing her palm on her stomach. Kubrat came in right after with his wife and two sons.
Kubrat stood a foot away from Arielle and tried to peer through the veil that concealed her face. He put a hand over his chest and bowed from the waist. He pulled out a small porcelain box from his coat pocket and presented it to her.
"I have a gift for you, khagana," he said.
Arielle hesitantly with a trembling hand, took the box and opened it. She pulled out a ring lined with emeralds. If only he knew that she didn't care for jewelry but it was a very thoughtful gift which she accepted graciously.
He took the next step and took the ring from her and slipped it on her finger. "I made this for you."
"You made it?" she gazed at the ring on her finger and nodded, "güzel."
He smiled and then introduced his family. "This is my wife, Drusilla and my two sons, Bezmer and Kotrag. They were very anxious to meet you."
Arielle's hand was kissed by both boys and she pushed her daughter forward. "This is Princess Aurora, my daughter and this is Kazem, son of Tzes Bey."
"Very nice to meet you, khagana," Drusilla said with a short curtsey.
They stood in awkward silence for a few moments. Arielle glanced over at her grandmother who gave her a reassuring smile to finally reveal her face. She took in a deep breath and lifted the veil to expose her face. Her eyes fluttered at the many faces around her.
Kubrat's mouth parted as he gazed into her blue eyes. In awe of her young beauty, he grinned and kissed her hand which made Arielle feel more uneasy. She was able to get a good look at him now that the veil wasn't obstructing her view. Well he certainly wasn't ugly like she thought he would be. Her eyes instantly went to the tattoos on his clean shaven head.
"There's food prepared for everyone. If everyone would follow me please?" she stepped to the side and motioned to the long hallway.
Xena slowly slipped away and Arielle ran after her, grabbing her hand.
"Aren't you coming to eat with us?" she asked, almost pleading not to be left alone.
"You need to get to know them, Arielle. Don't be scared. You can do this," she kissed the empress' forehead. "You can do it."
Arielle inhaled and nodded. "Don't go too far. I might need you."
"Where would I go?" she jested. "You'll be fine."
In the center of the tribe of all three Adames Gabrielle spoke to a group of Ernak's elite guard and their eyes traveled behind her. She turned and waved down Xena approaching the field. Shortly, Xena made her way over and the soldiers inclined their heads, lowering their gaze.
"What's going on out here?" she asked.
"I'm sending these men to look for Csaba. He's been gone for two days."
Xena sighed, putting her hands on her hips. "Go to the borders of Dalmatia where Eksama is. Check to see if he's there," she ordered the soldiers.
"Yes, khanum," one of the men answered.
"We should go check on Farah."
Gabrielle looked at the Adame. "How's Arielle doing? You're leaving them alone with her?"
"She'll be fine. She doesn't need me there," Xena admitted with a hint of sadness. She grabbed her wife's shoulder. "Let's go see Farah then, shall we?"
Csaba's Adame was fairly quiet even with the several maids bustling around, carrying baskets of linen and trays of food everywhere. The princes were nowhere to be seen and Xena assumed they were up in their rooms studying or so she hoped they were. A maid rushed down the stairs, carrying a tray of vials and bottles so Xena grabbed her arm.
"Where is Farah?"
The maid motioned her head to the staircase. "In her room, khanum."
Gabrielle picked up one of the empty vials on the tray and inspected it thoroughly. She tipped the vial over and uncorked the top then took a big whiff of the foul smelling liquid remnants.
"What is this?"
The young maid tried to get away but Xena's grip tightened. "Queen Farah asked me to prepare a mandrake root tea," she mumbled.
Gabrielle pushed the maid aside and darted up the stairs with Xena trailing behind her. They ran through the hallway on the second floor and rudely shoved the maids in the hall close to Farah's room. Gabrielle pushed the doors open and Farah sat up in bed, holding the glass of hot tea in her hand. She held the rim of the glass close to her lips about to take a sip until they barged in.
Gabrielle rushed to the side of the bed and put her hand over the glass. Xena sat on the edge of the bed and took Farah's hand.
"What are you doing?" asked Xena.
Farah's chin wobbled and hot tears rolled down her cheeks. The glass of steaming tea was taken from her and set aside on the bed. While she was sobbing with her face buried in her hands, Gabrielle discreetly poured out the tea out the window.
Xena brushed her fingers through Farah's locks and rubbed her arm. "Farah, did you drink any of that?" she asked and received a silent head wag. "Why did you want to do that?"
The frazzled queen wiped her red eyes and heaved.
"You know that stuff can kill you if you're not careful." Xena tried to look into the watery eyes in front of her. "Farah?" she titled the queen's chin.
"Csaba…he hates me."
Xena smiled softly. "No, he doesn't."
"He doesn't want the baby and blames me," she spoke in between spurts of tears and labored breaths. "But I want it." She put her hands over her flat stomach.
Ernak poked his head in the bedroom and made a sound to draw Gabrielle's attention. While Xena was comforting Farah, Gabrielle slowly moved away from the bed and met with Ernak who stood in the middle of the doorway.
"I found out where Csaba is," he whispered.
Gabrielle felt relieved. "Oh thank god, where is he?"
"In Dalmatia with Eksama. The Lombards took control of our port and navy. They're stealing all of our supplies on the ships."
"That's just great," she grunted and pinched the bridge of her nose. "Is he hurt?"
He shrugged. "I don't think so but Eksama has everything under control. I ordered that Csaba come back here," he looked into the room at Farah. "What's going on between them?"
Gabrielle shook her head. "Farah is pregnant and Csaba told her he doesn't want the child."
"Ah Csaba," he rolled his eyes. "I don't want to get involved in their business but I will talk to him if I have to."
"Thank you, Ernak," she gave his arm a firm squeeze. "Do you need Xena's help at all?"
"No I just wanted to let you know what happened. I'll keep you updated." He paddled her shoulder and then hurried down the stairs.
Farah more or less forced Xena to stay with her all night. Just when she thought she couldn't cry anymore, the waterworks continued all throughout the night until she finally knocked out a few hours before sunrise. Xena woke to the sun shining in her face and she tried to maneuver her numb arm out from underneath Farah.
She sat up gingerly and moved a pillow under Farah's body and caressed her cheek. She inched her way off the bed and was able to leave the room without waking up Farah. Sighing in relief she closed the door and pressed her forehead against the wall.
"Morning!"
"God dammit, Gabrielle!" she hissed. "Not so loud. Do you know how long it took for her to fall asleep?"
"And you did such a good job," Gabrielle pecked her wife's lips.
Heavy footsteps ascended on the stairs and they both turned to see Csaba, disheveled and worn from the short excursion he went on. He halted at the top of the stairs and received a malicious glare from his grandmother and he felt the need to hide. This was last place he wanted to be right now.
"Look who it is," Xena folded her arms.
Csaba swallowed and was counting the seconds he had to run. Suddenly, she walked towards him and grabbed him by the collar and slammed him against the wall. The possibility of him running away was void now that he looked into her eyes.
"Your wife almost killed herself yesterday."
"Wh…what?" his chest tightened. "Is she okay? The baby?"
Xena smirked. "I spent all night comforting your wife. That's your job, Csaba and instead you went off to help Eksama!" she slammed him against the wall again. "She thinks you hate her."
"I could never hate her."
"Then what is your problem?" she spat.
"I'm scared!" he barked.
Xena's eyebrows lifted and she backed off, releasing his collar. "Scared? Csaba you don't need to be scared. You have your family here with you. You've been through this twice."
"I know, I know but last time we planned it. Well, we didn't plan on having twins," he said with a light laugh. "But I wasn't ready for this. I feel like someone punched me in the gut."
"That can be arranged."
Gabrielle rolled her eyes and crossed her arms. "Xena…"
"Relax; I'm not going to punch him," she arched her eyebrow, "yet."
Csaba ruffled his hair. "I feel terrible. I will go talk to Farah after I bathe," he started to disrobe.
"You should probably wait until she wakes up. It took a long time for her to fall asleep," Xena cupped his cheek and descended down the stairs.
Gabrielle smiled at him and then grabbed her wife's hand. "Aren't you going to tell him about Khan Kubrat and Arielle?"
"One woman at a time, Gabrielle," she dramatically sighed. "I'm looking forward to sleeping in my bed, with you. No interruptions!"
"You know that's not going to happen."
Xena pinched the hand she held. "I can dream."
Kubrat hardly slept in the new home and was awake most of the night. When morning came around he decided to explore the empty Adame and found Arielle standing on a balcony in the front of the home, overlooking the tribe. He joined her but kept his distance.
She briefly grinned. "Did you sleep well?"
"No," his response was terse and blunt. "Your family is very hospitable."
Arielle looked down and gripped the rail of the terrace. "You haven't met all of my family yet. My parents live in Balaam with my little brother and sister. You also haven't met my older brother. He's not going to like you."
Kubrat furrowed his eyebrows. "Why's that?"
"Because you're going to marry me."
"He will be hard to please I gather."
Arielle hid her smile.
He ran a hand over his bald head and sighed. "When will we have the wedding?"
"I will have Gabrielle write up the marriage decree. We can sign it together."
Kubrat turned to her and grabbed her hand. "I know this is a political marriage but I want a traditional ceremony. We will have both of our tribes merge. We will have a large celebration."
She awkwardly grinned. "Ah, I wasn't expecting that. I just wanted to sign the decree to finalize the marriage…"
"Let me marry you the right way, Khagana," he cast a lopsided smile. "We will have a wedding. Drusilla is looking forward to it. She likes you."
"Oh…how nice," she slipped her hand away from his. "I'm sorry. It will take me awhile to get used to another woman living in my home…being married to the same man."
"It is not uncommon in our culture."
"That doesn't mean I have to like it," she said defensively.
Kubrat chuckled.
"Did I say something funny?"
"No, Khagana," he rubbed his beard. "I have much to learn about you."
lol I'm so sorry for all the babies, guys.