Chapter 47
Farah sat in her office drawing a print for the Adame that was going to be built in Kazakhstan. Arielle wanted a home for Cera and Mirac's family. Once the prints were completed, Farah would have to pick a group of men to Kazakhstan to build the Adame. She wanted to send someone to oversee the construction but she didn't trust anyone but herself.
While she used the ruler to draw a straight line her concentration was broken by Csaba walking in. She kept her eye on the parchment and tried to ignore him. He came up from behind her and kissed the top of her head and wrapped his arms around her thin waist.
"Csaba, I'm working," she curtly said.
He knelt down beside her and examined her work. "When are you going to forgive me? I've apologized several times."
She ignored him and continued sketching and writing down several notes on a separate notepad. Csaba rubbed his hand on her flat stomach with a smile.
"How are you feeling?" he asked, hoping for a response. "When will we tell the boys?"
"When I want to."
"We're going to have to tell them eventually."
Farah paused and pulled his hand off her stomach and tapered her eyes for a moment. She sketched a straight line and then grabbed a curved protractor for the dome of the drawn Adame.
"I wrote a letter to your mother," she said and Csaba's stomach dropped. "I told her about how you treated me."
Csaba jumped up. "You what?" he paced around in circles. "Farah, she will beat me!"
She smiled deviously. "I know you want to talk but I am very busy. Tell the children not to disturb me."
Arielle smacked her hand on the table, alarming the governor. "Since grandma is in Dalmatia with Eksama, we will deal with the division that is set to spy on Chieftain Mezamir."
"Yes, that's correct," said Gabrielle, scribbling in her journal.
"But first, I'd like to speak to Farah. I want the prints completed as soon as possible," Arielle sat down, smoothing her fingers on her chin. "I want her to go to Kazakhstan to oversee the first few months of construction."
At that, Gabrielle paused and set the quill down. This conversation was bound to happen sooner or later but she didn't think she'd have to talk to Arielle about this alone. So far the only people that knew about Farah's condition were Xena, Ernak and Gabrielle.
"About that," she laced her fingers together, "Farah can't go to Kazakhstan."
The Empress snorted and propped her boots on the table. "Why? Is she pregnant?" she laughed and chewed on her nail.
Gabrielle let out a heavy sigh and her eyes dipped to the floor, finding that far more interesting.
"That was supposed to be a joke!" Arielle slammed her hand down. "Well, that certainly changes my plans. I was really counting on Farah to go to Kazakhstan," she shook her head. "Oh well. I'll put her to use in some other way."
"Spy division," Gabrielle brought the topic back.
"Yes, back to that." She swung her boots off the table. "I want to put Csaba in charge of that. I think he should…" she trailed off when Kubrat entered the room.
He walked across the room and curtly nodded at the governor. He came to his new fiancee's side with a smile and felt a bit awkward since he was interrupting their meeting. He bent over and whispered into Arielle's ear.
"When will we plan the wedding?"
She grinned nervously at Gabrielle who could definitely hear but tried not to listen. She excused herself from the table and grabbed Kubrat's arm and led him off to the side.
"We really don't have to make a big deal about this. We can sign the documents and go on about our lives," she whispered.
Kubrat gruffly grunted. "I want to marry you the proper way, Khagana."
"You don't have to call me that. You can call me Arielle." She gently caressed his arm and felt his muscles twitch. "You still have Justinian's men in your camp?"
He nodded and Arielle turned to leave the conversation and he grabbed her wrist. "I won't call you by your name until I know you better, Khagana. Inform your parents that I wish to have a ceremony here in Pannonia with you."
"You're really not going to let this go, are you?"
Her wrist slipped out of his hand and Arielle sighed, nodding. Satisfied with her blessing, Kubrat exited and she went back to sit down with Gabrielle to continue their meeting. Arielle plopped down with heavy shoulders and tousled her hair.
"Wedding ceremony, huh?" Gabrielle inquired from her devious eavesdropping.
"Let's talk about anything but that."
"He seems to respect you. I'm sure your father will like to see that."
Arielle arched an eyebrow. "Gabrielle, focus."
Over the last week Eksama was able to take back the ships that the Lombards stole along the Dalmatian coast but most of them were badly damaged and needed repair which could take weeks or months. There were minor fires spread on the coast and she was able to keep the Lombards out of the area but the king's wife, Rodelinda, was relentless and refused to leave the coastline.
Xena arrived earlier in the week and watched as the Lombard Queen circled the area like a vulture, waiting to attack again. They were only yards away and Xena kept her eye on the fair skinned woman. She stood underneath a canopy in front of her tent and made sure all of the soldiers cleaned the area.
Eksama ran up the hill from the coast and met with her superior. "Rodelinda isn't going to leave anytime soon."
"She's looking for a fight."
"She has yet to strike. I've been watching her and she gave up the ships without a fight. I don't understand her game," said the commander.
Xena stepped out into the sunlight and glared over at Rodelinda who had been standing outside for hours, simply watching the Hun soldiers clean the rubble and dismantle the damaged ships. Rodelinda hadn't been inside her tent much since the attack. Xena didn't know how these Lombards could stay awake for days on end without overexerting themselves. The Antes were much the same back in Scythia.
"She's waiting for something," her eyes narrowed, "or someone."
Eksama crossed her arms over her chest, glaring at the Lombard Queen. "I've scouted the area. There isn't anyone else here aside from our men and the Lombards. What could she be waiting for? That woman hasn't slept in days."
"Not even I could stay awake for that long when I was in your shoes," Xena rubbed her chin, intrigued by the way these people operated. "They have an abundance of energy."
"Nobody can stand to stay awake for days," Eksama snorted. "They're probably taking drugs. Her men ran rabid on the coastline. They acted like animals."
"Drugs," the khanum half grinned. "There's an idea."
The afternoon came and went then evening approached. Xena retired to her tent to rest for awhile as nothing important was happening from the opposing side. She informed Eksama to wake her if something happened but just the slight movement of Rodelinda and her men wasn't enough to disturb her.
Eksama made sure that the Lombard camp was under heavy surveillance the entire time and she remained in her tent for the evening, drumming up new battle plans to take back Banat. They'd been at war with them for a little over a year now and she had yet to see Alduin and Rodelinda attack at full force.
Sitting on the floor, writing, one of the soldiers barged into her tent. He informed her that someone arrived in the Lombard camp. Eksama rushed outside and brought a lit torch with her to guide herself through the darkness. She stood at the edge of their camp and saw a figure walking up to Rodelinda. By the shape of the guest, it was a woman.
There were several men accompanying the guest. Off in the distance there was a trail of torches which meant that this wasn't just a casual guest. This was a person who had probably over fifty soldiers she brought with her.
"Go wake Xena," she told the soldier.
Several minutes later Xena waltzed out of her tent and placed her headdress on. She walked towards Eksama, adjusting the veil and tucked her hair underneath the large kozak's brim along her forehead. She put hands on her hips and witnessed the torches ride into the Lombard camp.
"What do we have here?" she asked.
Eksama shook her head. "I don't know but whoever it is brought soldiers and weapons. Rodelinda is going into her tent for the first time in days," she turned to the Lieutenant General, "you were right. She was waiting for someone."
"I'm hardly ever wrong," Xena alleged. "We'll have to wait until morning to see who it is but I already have a guess."
"You do?"
Xena cast a knowing smile towards the commander. "That woman you saw is probably Empress Theodora."
"I never thought Justinian would send his wife to such a dangerous area."
"She's here on a peace mission," Xena assumed. "She's probably paying a visit to all the churches in this area but don't be fooled. She's telling Rodelinda all of Justinian's plans for us. She's done this several times before. Don't be surprised if she tries to come over here to talk."
Eksama stretched her lips into a smile. "And we can't detain her or harm her."
"That's right."
A little more than a week back in Pannonia, everything moved very quickly concerning the empire's plans to combat three entities at once. Gabrielle was very busy and was able to write several reports and while her wife was away, she knew she was going to have to pry a report out of Xena. Talking to Arielle yesterday was very taxing.
She enjoyed living closer to the family again and she also loved that each family had their separate homes so everyone had their own space and they weren't crowded in one Adame. Early in the morning Gabrielle walked over to Csaba's home to discuss the tasks Arielle assigned. After that she was going to head over to Ernak's to assign his duties as well.
She was welcomed into the home by the twin princes and they guided her to Farah's office. Bright and early, Farah was already hard at work sketching the Nezak Adame and the church Arielle planned to build soon.
Farah set her work aside and joined Gabrielle on the floor. Her uncomfortable face was immediately noticeable and she gingerly sat down with a hand over her stomach. She took in a few deep breaths and folded her legs.
A corner of Gabrielle's mouth quirked up. "You feeling alright?"
Farah rubbed her stomach gently. "I've been sick all last night and this morning but let's get this meeting over with."
Csaba ran into the room to sit on the meeting and kissed his wife's forehead and sat beside her. He wrapped an arm around her shoulder and placed the other free hand on her stomach. "How are you?" he whispered.
She glared at him as if he was to blame for the way that she felt. Csaba awkwardly smiled and retracted his hand off her stomach and forgot that Gabrielle was watching the entire exchange. He waved his hand for her to begin the meeting.
"Arielle wants you to be in charge of the spy division for Chieftain Mezamir. You will be going to the Baltic region for a few months," said Gabrielle.
He was a bit disappointed to hear that. He wanted to be here for Farah especially since he treated her so poorly when he found out about their new child. He was even more nervous that Farah informed his mother about his behavior so maybe leaving for awhile was the best decision for now. He could escape his mother's wrath.
"When will I leave?"
"At the end of the month. She wants you to stay over there for four months at least. There will be a small group coming with you," Gabrielle sensed the tension between the couple. "Is that a problem?"
"No, no. It's fine." He laced his fingers with Farah's. "When is the baby due?" he whispered.
Farah rolled her eyes. "I told you already; the end of spring."
Gabrielle felt like a third wheel sitting in front of them. They looked ready to fight and she wanted no part in witnessing that. She heard that Csaba was able to talk to Farah but by the way they were interacting, there was a lot of unresolved anger on Farah's part.
"I just want to make sure I'll be here in time for the birth," he chided, annoyed by her standoffish behavior. "Anything else you wanted to discuss, Gabrielle?"
"Um, no, that about covers it," she finished writing and closed her journal. "Have you told your sons about the…baby?"
Farah sighed. "Not yet."
"We need to tell them," Csaba reminded her and she shot him a glare. "What? We do. You can't wait forever. You'll start showing in a few months."
"I know, Csaba."
Gabrielle raised her hands to halt the argument simmering. "When Xena comes back, we can have dinner altogether and maybe you can tell the boys then?" she offered a solution to which they both agreed to in silence. "You two really shouldn't argue. I hate to see you both like this."
He seemed on board with the suggestion and leaned into his wife. "What do you think, Farah?"
She curtly nodded and he kissed her cheek. Her eyes brightened and she turned towards him, showing a soft smile nestled her head on his shoulder. This was the first time in over a week that she showed affection towards him.
Eksama waited up later than the army to observe what Rodelinda was up to. That morning she indeed did see Empress Theodora walk out of the tent, smiling and talking to the Lombard Queen. She didn't acknowledge the Huns across the way and boarded her horse to leave with her husband's soldiers.
Xena walked out of her tent, unable to sleep for most of the night. She didn't expect for the camp to be attacked and even if it was, she was prepared to jump out of bed swiftly. She washed her face and then stood by Eksama just in time to see the Byzantine Empress depart.
"Told ya it was her," she nudged the commander's arm.
"It's almost like she wants us to see her. She's flaunting her arrival."
Xena wiped the corners of her lips. "Mhm. That sounds like her."
After Theodora left the campgrounds, Rodelinda hopped onto her horse and rode across the way into the Hun camp. Eksama immediately yelled at the soldiers to arm themselves while Xena stood back, calm and collected, cleaning the dirt out of her nails. Everyone frantically gathered to the edge of the camp and created a wall of soldiers to prevent Rodelinda from entering.
"What do you want?" yelled Eksama.
Rodelinda flicked her long auburn braids behind her shoulder. "I want to talk, that is all," she raised her hands to signal she was unarmed.
Hesitating, Eksama looked at her superior for permission and Xena inclined her head. Eksama allowed her men to create a path for the Lombard woman and Rodelinda galloped into the camp and dismounted the horse. She took long strides across the camp and stood a few feet from the military leaders.
"Did you have fun destroying our ships, your majesty?" Xena placated the woman.
Rodelinda smirked. "A sense of humor. That is amusing. You must be the famous commander of Attila."
"I'm no longer a commander but yes," her body language indicated she had no intention of giving in to the queen's ruse. "You said you wanted to talk, so talk."
"You must've seen the Empress in my camp earlier," she raised an eyebrow at Eksama who gave a penetrating glare. "Emperor Justinian wants south Pannonia under his control."
Xena cackled. "Not going to happen."
"We'll see about that. I expect you Huns will put up a fight. We will see who the victor is here," Rodelinda flashed a smile and swiped a finger on her nose and winked at Eksama.
She furiously rode out of the camp without giving the two enough time to respond to her open threat. Eksama closed off the camp with a wall of soldiers. She knew she couldn't trust the Lombard Queen but now she was a bit worried they were going to be attacked in Pannonia. She once attacked the place she called a second home now and she didn't want that to happen again even though she was not fully trusted by her family.
"What a spiteful woman," she thought aloud and spun around to see the smile on Xena's face. "You should go back to the tribe and tell them what to expect."
"You aren't honestly intimidated by this woman?" she scoffed audibly. "She is a child. She is a pawn for Justinian. He doesn't give a shit about her life."
Eksama was a bit amused and shocked by Xena's laid back attitude towards the situation. They were going to be at full on war with these people and Xena thought it was as simple as tossing them aside like mere toys. Rodelinda was a baby compared to the mass amounts of wars, battles and accomplishments Xena had completed throughout her life.
"Wait until Rodelinda leaves and then put soldiers along the borders for security measures," Xena told the commander. "Write down everything that's happened here. It will make Gabrielle's job a lot easier."
Eksama scratched her ear out of habit. "Do you want me to stay here?"
"What do you think?" she combated and the commander rolled her eyes then walked off, yelling at the soldiers.
Since Arielle was waiting on the prints from Farah and for her grandmother to come back home, she was restless sitting in the Adame. Gabrielle suggested that she and Drusilla go to west Pannonia to pick out furniture for the home. Arielle was a bit wary to spend some alone time with her future husband's wife but she couldn't avoid it forever. They'd been living under the same roof for a little over a week now and they hadn't said much to each other.
Drusilla brought her sons with them to pick out furniture and other decorations for the Adame. When they arrived in the western side of the state, the markets were very crowded and Arielle could hardly go anywhere without people recognizing her. She wore a headdress which she regretted because everyone knew who and where she was from.
They stopped at a shop that was covered in elaborate rugs and tapestries. Arielle smiled briefly at the merchant who wouldn't stop bowing his head which made her feel very uncomfortable. She touched several of the rugs to inspect the thread count.
"What about this one?" she asked.
Drusilla felt the rug and nodded. "It is nice. Where would you put this?"
Arielle shrugged a shoulder. "Perhaps in the women's quarters," she tapped the merchant's shoulder. "I want to buy twelve of these," she pointed to the style she desired.
They walked outside the shop to wait for her soldiers to load the heavy rugs onto the cart. Arielle felt she was very intimidating to Kubrat's wife. Drusilla was older than her and bore two sons to Kubrat already. She also didn't have her youth like Arielle and was an average looking woman compared to her as well.
"I, um," she nibbled on her lip, "I know this must be rough for you."
Drusilla smiled, "what do you mean?"
"I will be marrying your husband," she thought that would render some shock but it didn't. "I won't be having sex with him. He's all yours."
Drusilla chuckled and her cheeks radiated in mild embarrassment. "It is not a marriage until it's consummated," she reminded the khagana. "Your highness, I'm not going anywhere. I will always be in your life and whether you like it or not, we're going to have to get used to each other."
Arielle agreed, rubbing her suddenly itchy throat. "I was married once before when I was sixteen. That didn't work out like I had hoped," she admitted painfully, "but we have a daughter and he will be involved in our lives."
"The princess' father has that right."
"That isn't a problem for you?"
Drusilla took the khagana's hand. "Do not think of me as Kubrat's other wife. One day, I hope, we can become friends."
Friends. Arielle didn't think she could be friends with another woman who shared the same man. She didn't know how Kreka dealt with not one but multiple women in Attila's life. She wasn't alive then but she imagined that Kreka didn't like any of the women her husband slept with and married. Women were territorial in her culture but it was common for chieftains or kings to have several wives.
She never once thought that she'd be in the same position as the late khatun. If her father married another woman there was no way her mother would put up with that. But this situation was a bit different because she didn't love Kubrat and probably never would.
"I will try my best."
Drusilla kissed the cheeks of her soon to be other half and Arielle gasped. "I'm looking forward to meeting your mother. Will she make your wedding dress?"
This caused Arielle to laugh. "My mother can't sew to save her life."
"I can make your dress," Drusilla offered. "Since we are here, we can pick fabric that you want," she began to walk away and Arielle reluctantly followed.
Xena wasn't going to write up a report just as Gabrielle anticipated. Instead, she orally reported everything that occurred in Dalmatia with Gabrielle writing down every detail. Gabrielle also convinced her grumpy wife to have dinner at Csaba's home a day after she returned from her quick mission with Eksama.
On the floor, Xena tapped the wooden spoon on the bowl, hardly hungry at all. She was too tired and irritated to focus on having dinner with her grandson's family. The princes were very talkative and spoke of their recent studies in advanced mathematics and literature which Gabrielle encouraged them to keep talking about.
Farah pushed the food around on her plate but her loss of appetite was very noticeable to Xena, Gabrielle and even Edemen. She took a few bites of the food but drank more tea prepared for her. Liquids were much easier to digest than solids for the time being.
"I want to go home…" Xena mumbled.
Gabrielle traced her fingers down her spouse's back and whispered, "we'll go back soon. Just try to get through this dinner."
"I don't see why we have to be here."
Gabrielle wrapped her fingers around Xena's neck from behind. "Behave yourself. Csaba wanted you to be here."
Once Csaba was able to quiet his two sons down during the dinner, he loudly cleared his throat to grab everyone's attention. He held his wife's hand firmly and felt her sweating. He didn't think that she'd be the nervous one because he was far more nervous than she was or so he thought.
"Me and your mother have something to tell you boys," he said.
Aladar, with a mouthful of rice, spoke up, "are you still sick?" he asked in a muffled voice.
Xena smacked the boy's leg lightly. "Eat first then talk."
Csaba took in a deep breath, "you three will have to help your mother a lot from now on because I'm not going to be here for awhile."
"Where're you going?" asked Aman.
"I have to go somewhere far away. Just for a little bit," he pinched his son's cheek. "I want you two to be on your best behavior. I shouldn't have to remind you, Ede."
The eldest prince smiled, chewing the last bit of his food, very uninterested in his father's supposed news.
Xena groaned, scratching the nape of her neck. "Csaba, can you get on with this?" she begged and Gabrielle shot her a menacing glare. "What? I don't want to stay here forever…"
He squeezed his wife's hand. "Right, so boys, your mother is pregnant and it would mean a lot if you three helped out more," he said.
All three princes fell silent and gawked at their parents. Edemen had his mouth wide open and his little brothers wore similar expressions. Csaba swallowed a lump in his throat, not quite ready for their reactions. Silence wasn't always a good thing but maybe in this case it was. He only hoped it was.
"Pregnant?" Edemen uttered.
"Yes, that's right."
Farah nervously smiled, hoping her youngest sons would soon say something. They both had the same faces that Csaba had when she told him the news. This wasn't the reaction she expected from either of them.
Aladar broke into a smile. "I will be a big brother?" he clasped his hands together and Farah nodded, cupping his cheek. "Aman, we'll be big brothers!" he rejoiced with his other half.
Aman scowled and flipped over his plate and jumped to his feet then stalked off. Xena and Gabrielle shared a disturbed look and watched the angry small boy stomp up the stairs and then they heard the door slam.
"I think that tops Arielle's reaction," Xena smoothed her palms down her thighs. "Good luck with that one," she raised the wine glass and finished it off in one large swig.
Once that first tear broke free, the rest followed in a single stream. Farah bent over where she sat on the floor and pressed her palms onto her face. Her breath stuttered as she tried to take deep breaths. Csaba's hand came to rest on her trembling back.
Xena, wide-eyed, stared at the way Farah was reacting to her son's tantrum. Making jokes probably wasn't best suited for this situation but she didn't think that Farah would succumb to a sob fest. She was going to make sure that she was not the one to comfort Farah again but Csaba looked as helpless as a small child.
Her arm stretched over the spread of food and caressed Farah's arm. "There's no need to be so upset. Aman is just surprised. He'll come around and I know your other sons will be very helpful. Right, boys?" she encouraged the other princes.
Edemen wiped his mouth and nodded. "We'll be there for you, mother," he said.
Aladar crawled across the rug and sat next to his mother. He wrapped his arm over her back and gently paddled her knee.
"Don't worry mom, I will talk to Aman," he thumbed his chest.
Farah raised herself up and looked at everyone who gave her encouraging smiles. She blotted her cheeks with her fingertips and peered down at Aladar's glowing face. She wrapped a palm over his neatly combed hair and kissed the top of his head.
She rubbed her nose and her voice cracked when she spoke, "thank you…"
Gabrielle sat at the vanity set which was the only piece of furniture in the bedroom, and wrote the marriage decree. She felt hands massaging her shoulders from behind and dipped the quill into the ink bottle. It was a decent distraction but she always had a difficult time concentrating with Xena so close to her.
"I'm working…" she hinted that she wanted to be left alone.
Xena didn't want to leave and she had no intention to. She continued to dug her thumbs into Gabrielle's tense shoulders and felt several knots. And she thought she had tense muscles.
"Gabrielle..." she uttered, mildly disturbed by the muscle twinges beneath her fingers. "You never told me you were so tense. Is this painful for you?"
"It is when you keep doing that," she tried to relax and focus on writing but she couldn't.
"You should've said something," Xena pulled the silk robe off of her spouse's shoulders and pinched the knotted muscles in between her forefingers and thumbs. "Is that the marriage decree?"
"Mhm." She shut her eyes for a moment, embracing the shooting pain in her shoulders and upper neck. "I'm almost finished with this. Did you hear? Drusilla is making Arielle's wedding dress."
At that, Xena pulled her hands away and sat on the end of the bed. "I didn't think that Arielle wanted a huge wedding."
Gabrielle rubbed her sore shoulder and swiveled around. "She doesn't but Kubrat insisted," she hinted and Xena cracked a smile. "I think she's a little worried sharing a man with another woman even though she has no feelings for Kubrat. It's a sore topic for her especially after Bayan."
"It's not a situation that I would want to be in. I applaud Arielle for being such a good sport about it," Xena hid her animosity towards Bayan. She didn't know Kubrat well enough to make a good assumption of the way he treated women but from the conversation she had with his wife, she could tell Kubrat was very lenient.
"I never told Arielle that Drusilla was the one who proposed the marriage," she added.
Gabrielle completed the contract and blew on the wet ink and waved the parchment in the air. "Why not? That might ease her concerns."
"I don't really want to get involved in that web," she slapped a hand on her knee. "I want Arielle to have a good relationship with Drusilla."
Gabrielle set down the parchment and poured hot wax on the bottom of the contract and pressed her ring into the wax. Deviously, her mind wandered and thought to toy with her partner. She was curious to what her response would be.
"What would you do if I suddenly…I don't know, wanted to marry a man?" she pried.
Xena's entire face drained of color. "What?"
"Y'know, if I found a very attractive man and I wanted to marry him with your permission of course," Gabrielle bit her lip, trying not to burst into laughter. "Would you have a problem sharing me with someone else?"
"Are you trying to make me go completely gray?" Xena fidgeted and dug her fingers in the sheets.
"This is a serious question," Gabrielle's stomach fizzled and she couldn't look at her wife's face because she was deathly afraid of the reaction. "A hypothetical question of course."
Xena was tempted to grab a weapon of some sort but she wasn't going to succumb to her temper. She smoothed her tongue along her top teeth and finally Gabrielle turned around with the cheesiest grin she'd ever seen. With a tight lipped smile, Xena's nails scraped on her bare knee.
"You're mine and only mine."
Gabrielle stifled a laugh. "Oh, so I'm your property now?" she could barely contain herself and was bursting at the seams to throw herself on the floor, laughing uncontrollably.
Xena approached her petite wife and examined all of the body parts that she had claimed over the years. She picked up Gabrielle's arm and gently traced her fingers on the bare skin. "Mine," she massaged the hand she held.
She intertwined her ankle around Gabrielle's muscular calf. "Also mine."
Inching closer, Gabrielle's breath hitched as her wife's fingers trailed across her collar bone. Xena hinted a sly grin. "Mine as well," she said just above a whisper and swiped her fingers on Gabrielle's lips. "Definitely mine."
She combed her fingers through the short golden locks and then reared Gabrielle's head back with a swift jolt. "To answer your question; no I will not allow any man to touch you or even come close to you. Not even in death, Gabrielle."
"I get it…" she let out a suppressed laugh. A peck to her lips was enough to satisfy her curiosity, although she didn't expect a calm reaction either, she was amused. "You played into the game very easily. Do you really think that I could marry someone else?"
"No," Xena sat on the floor and tapped her foot on Gabrielle's. "If you wanted to leave you could've done so a long time ago."
Now it was time to let loose and let an explosion of belly laughs surface. Gabrielle smacked a hand on her meaty thigh. "As if you'd let me leave!"
"As you've said…I can be difficult."
"That's one way to put it."
Csaba had a rough couple of sleepless nights after he and Farah broke the news to their children. He tried to talk to Aman but it was like talking to a wall. He wasn't able to get through to that boy and he felt useless because he was going to leave soon. He wanted everyone to be on good terms before his departure.
When Farah told him that she wrote his mother he wanted to vomit. It was almost a blessing in disguise that he was leaving soon because knowing his mother, she was probably going to come here. He hoped that his mother was going to stay in Balaam long enough before he left to the Baltic region.
Rolling over in bed after spending hours awake, he peered at his slumbering wife beside him. He brushed her hair from her face. The color in her cheeks had been absent for days now. He expected her to wake up soon as she had trouble sleeping for awhile.
He slipped the strap of her dress off her shoulder, exposing her swollen breast. His palm cupped her breast gently and pressed his lips on her arm. Farah stirred and released a soft moan.
"Csaba…" she whined, half awake. The tenderness of her breasts was a symptom she always hated. She shifted in bed and her eyes fluttered open.
"Sorry," he muttered and kissed her hand. "I have to meet with Arielle today to discuss my trip. Are you coming with me? I think she wants those prints."
Farah rubbed her tired puffy eyes. There wasn't a morning without her body rebelling against her. She rubbed her stomach and sat up in bed. Her child wasn't going to give her a break this morning either. She jumped out of bed and darted across the room into the bath chamber.
Csaba sat up and sighed hearing his wife retching. It hurt him that he wasn't able to comfort her. He rolled out of bed and slipped on his trousers and sleepily walked into the baths. He leaned his elbows on the doorway walls.
He knelt down and held back her long mane and smoothed his hand down her back. Farah wiped her mouth and sat back with a hand over her stomach, breathing in and out several times. He pecked the top of her head and caressed her rosy cheek.
"He's giving you a real hard time already," he mildly joked and that provoked a smile from his wife.
"Or she…"
He smiled, "don't be disappointed if it's a boy, Farah." He held her hand to help her up off the floor.
She nodded and stood with his helping hand. "I won't be disappointed," she halted in the doorway and furrowed her brows.
"You alright?"
The wave of nausea passed and she followed him back into the bedroom. "I'm fine for now." She lowered herself to a chair and exhaled. "You should probably go without me. I'll talk with Arielle later."
Csaba grabbed his shirt and threw it over his head. "Will you eat today? Do you think you could handle it?"
The act of eating made her want to run back into the baths. She waved her hand, shaking her head vehemently.
"Alright, well at least try to eat something," he kissed her on the lips briefly. "I'll tell Arielle that you aren't feeling well. I'm sure she'll understand."
In the small breakfast circle Arielle ate ravenously after finally regaining her appetite. Over the last few days spending time with Drusilla stirred up several strange emotions. She didn't think that Drusilla was being insincere when she wanted to have a good relationship with her but the situation was still odd to her.
"How far away is the wedding?" Xena asked.
Arielle spread a large helping of jam onto her bread and the corner of her mouth twitched. "I don't really want to talk about it."
"You can't just ignore it."
"Grandma, I don't want to talk about it. Drusilla has been talking me about my dress for three days now." She stuffed the bread in her mouth. "I'm supposed to have my first fitting with her later today."
Gabrielle sipped the hot coffee. "That should be fun," she tried lighten the mood and Xena shook her head. "No? Okay then…"
Csaba sprinted over to the circle and sat down in between his grandmother and sister. He made a plate for himself and scooped the rest of the bread onto his plate. He took the bowl of the yogurt egg mixture and poured it over his bread then took the remainder of chopped peppers and dumped it on top.
Arielle raised an eyebrow, chewing her food slowly. "Hungry?"
He let out a stilted laugh and mixed everything together on his plate with a piece of the bread. "Morning, ladies. Farah can't make it. She's having some…" he scooped some food into his mouth, "issues."
"Issues?" the younger sister questioned. "Issues being pregnant, you mean."
"Yes…" he sent a frown her way. "She's sick."
"Oh imagine that," Arielle swayed her head back and forth, "sick and pregnant. Wow what a concept. I would've never guessed," she tapped her cheek.
Csaba sneered. "Don't start, Arielle."
"Anyway, you'll have to leave your wife for awhile. A squad is going with you to the Baltic region. I want to know everything Mezamir is doing. You'll send reports to me once a month."
"Gabrielle said I'm going to be stationed there for four months at least."
She snickered. "If it takes longer then it does. This is important, Csaba."
"But Farah…"
"Will have her family here," she slapped his shoulder. "Don't worry brother. I'll make sure you're back in time for your child's arrival," she rolled her eyes.
He ignored her usual sour attitude and smiled at his grandmother. "Mother might be coming here. Farah wrote her a letter."
Xena's face immediately lit up. She'd been apart from her daughter for nearly eight months now. Ever since both Cera and Pamira had their daughters, they left with Anastasia and have been living together in Balaam for the last year. Ana sent letters back and forth to everyone but she was hadn't seen her family in person for some time now.
"Maybe she'll bring Cera with her," she said.
Arielle gasped and clapped her hands. "I hope so! I want to see little Emese. She's so precious, Csaba."
He was a little disappointed that he was about to leave since he knew his mother was coming to Pannonia. There was no question about it. She was coming here or already on her way. If she was to bring his little sister and his niece, he was saddened that he was going to be absent from his family for awhile. He hadn't gotten the chance to meet Emese yet or see his mother in over a year.
"I hope I will get to meet her one day." He finished off his food and set the empty plate aside. "Where's the man you're supposed to marry? I haven't had a one on one with him yet."
Arielle flipped her hair over her shoulder."He's with his sons. They're sparring outside."
"Perfect," he nodded with a devious grin. "Has he been disrespectful to you? He hasn't tried to sleep with you has he?"
Xena smacked a hand to her thigh. "Csaba, you are the last person who needs to talk about disrespect right now."
Arielle snapped her head around. "Something I need to know?" she asked of her brother.
"No, ah, no." he caught a lump in his throat. "I'll get the prints from Farah later today. If you ladies don't have anything else to discuss then I'll be on my way." He couldn't wait to get out of there.
"You aren't going to interrogate my husband?" Arielle teased.
Mid afternoon Gabrielle finished her work early and she decided to go outside to get some fresh air. There was a meeting but she didn't want to sit in on it considering she heard both Arielle and Xena arguing back and forth for more than half an hour. She knew she was going to hear about it later but for now, she needed to clear her head.
She tightened the sash around her waist and breathed in the cold autumn air. She did miss the weather here and of course she missed just being in Pannonia in general. She strolled through the grass and spotted the twin princes playing a game of catch. The little tantrum Aman displayed days earlier didn't sit well with her and she wondered how that was being handled. It probably wasn't, she thought.
"Aman!" she waved her hand, catching the boy's attention.
He threw the ball at his brother and ran across the field to meet with her. He greeted her with a lopsided smile and Gabrielle cupped his cheek. She asked him to sit with her on the steps of the Adame. She remembered Arielle's reaction to her new siblings and she wasn't happy at all. Aman had a similar reaction and she wanted to find out why he was so upset.
She wrapped her arms around herself, shivering at the cold wind brushing by. "How are things at home?" she started the conversation off easy.
"Okay, I guess," he said, picking at the tassels on his coat.
"Are you going to help your mother before the baby arrives?"
Aman sighed. "Edemen locked me in my room for a whole day."
She tried not to laugh and sustain her composure. "Why did he do that?"
"Because I was angry," he grumbled. "He hit me too!"
"He what?"
"Just on my arm," he pulled up his sleeve and showed her the bruise. "But I hit him first so I guess I deserved it."
Gabrielle shook her head and ran her fingers through her hair. "You really shouldn't hit your brother. Did you apologize to your mother?"
He grimaced. "Why should I?"
She turned and pinched his arm and he whined then attempted to run from her. She grabbed him by the collar and yanked him back to sit beside her. She wrapped an arm around him, forcing him to stay.
"Your mother was really upset. She cried after you stormed off to your room."
Aman stopped wiggling and looked up at her. "She cried?"
She lifted her eyebrows into her fringed bangs and widened her eyes.
"I didn't know she was going to cry," he lowered his head and scratched his scalp. "She actually cried?"
"Yes, she did." She rubbed his back tenderly. "I think she would really appreciate it if you apologized. You're looking at this 'big brother' thing all wrong."
Aman looked at her suspiciously.
"You can teach your little brother or sister how to spar, use a sword, help with studies, ride a horse, play games…" she could tell by the slip of a smile on Aman's lips that he was liking the sound of everything she mentioned.
"And I think you'll be a great protective big brother," she said, nudging his arm.
Aman broke out into a big grin. "If I have a sister I will make sure no boys come around her," he swore with a furrowed brow. "But I could teach her all the things I know how to do too."
"See, not so bad, right?"
Infuriated by her conversation she had with her granddaughter, Xena rushed out of the Adame. Tempted to yell into the void, she scurried down the stairs and paused at Gabrielle talking to Aman. Her heavy breathing withered away and she contained her sizzling temper that was ready to erupt at any moment.
They turned their heads and she smiled, graciously making her way down the stairs. Aman stood up and greeted her with a head bow as he was in a far better mood than he was just a few minutes ago. She grabbed his shoulder and glanced at Gabrielle.
"What are you two talking about?"
"Nothing," Aman sneakily smiled and Gabrielle winked at him. "I gotta go see my mom now. I'll see you later." he jumped off the last step and ran back home, calling his brother to follow him.
Gabrielle chuckled and walked up the stairs. "I explained to him that being a big brother isn't the end of the world. I also told him to apologize to Farah."
"Ah, the wisdom of Gabrielle."
She ignored the light jest. "How did the meeting go with Arielle?" she asked and regretted doing so. "I take it that it didn't go well given your flushed face. Did you hit her?"
"No, I did not hit her," Xena snapped with a mocking smile. "But I was thinking about it. I have to go to Kubrat's tribe. Justinian doesn't know that Kubrat has allied with us now."
"So, what does that have to do with you screaming at Arielle?"
"She wants me to lead the Byzantines to the Black Sea for an ambush."
"Ambush…"
"Arielle's going there first with our army and she wants me to lead these men to their deaths."
The plan began to sink in. "Oh…that's very…interesting." Gabrielle nodded. "Did you try to talk her out of it?"
"Of course I tried!" she barked. "Sorry. I don't mean to yell at you."
Gabrielle, unaffected, asked, "when are you leaving?"
"After Csaba leaves." Riddled with nerves, she picked at her nail. "I really hope she knows what she's doing."
Next we will have some war and Anastasia ;)