Well, I lied. This isn't the last chapter. I didn't like that I fit so much into the chapter, and it was too long, so I decided to break it into two parts. You're welcome, lol.

Chapter 60

Tucked away in the corner of their bedroom, Navaz delved into using the water pipe he brought with him from Balaam. He never thought he'd be the one using this as it was something he stopped doing a long time ago. He also had no business telling Anastasia to quit smoking since he had his fair share of opium in his life. But since the news of his land possibly, most likely, being bought and taken from him, he decided to give in.

As he sat on the floor, smoking quietly, he lifted his head, peering through the thick smoke at his wife. Anastasia leaned on the door frame, brushing her hair over her shoulder. Navaz blew out a long trail of smoke and smiled.

"Care to join me?" he offered her a seat.

Ana folded her arms, clearly uninterested. "I promised Cera I wouldn't touch that again."

He muttered, "you women and your promises."

"I know you're upset, Navaz. You don't have to tell me that. I can see it."

He set the hose down in his lap and rubbed his face.

"If you're upset, you can talk to me. I'm always here for you," Ana said with a smile.

Loud knocking jarred both of them, and Anastasia raised a finger, indicating this conversation was far from over. She padded across the room, tightening the sash around her robe, and slowly opened the door. She was surprised to see Nousha standing on the other side of the door.

"I need you to come with me," Nousha said, beginning to walk away.

Ana stepped out into the hallway. "Wait, what for?"

"Arielle is…possibly in labor, and she wants you with her."

Anastasia's mouth parted, and she closed the door, heading down the hallway with Nousha by her side. As she made long strides, she coiled her long hair into a bulky low bun that rested just above her robe's collar. As she neared her daughter's bedroom, she saw the midwife and five maids standing out in the hallway, talking amongst themselves. They all looked grateful by her arrival with smiles, and Anastasia barged into the room.

She rushed over, kicked off her shoes, and climbed onto the bed. Rolling up her sleeves, she scooted close to Arielle, who was lying on her side, drenched in sweat with flushed cheeks.

"Arielle," she whispered, running a hand over her daughter's hair. "Arielle, can you hear me?"

After a few moments, Arielle's hooded eyes opened, and she smiled softly. Grabbing her mother's hand weakly, she took in a hefty breath, and her face distorted in obvious discomfort when she exhaled. Her fingers wrapped around her mother's wrist until her knuckles turned white.

Hot tears filled her eyes, and her breathing hiccupped as she tried to speak.

"I'm here," Ana kissed her daughter's forehead.

The midwife and maids trailed back into the room, and Mehry quietly began giving orders. The young assistants scurried around the room, grabbing fresh linen, cloths, and several basins, empty and full of warm water.

Anastasia scowled, glaring at the midwife. "How long has she been like this, and what did you give her?"

Mehry approached wearily, "a few hours, Khatun. I gave her some medicine for pain."

Ana wiped the sweat from Arielle's brow. "It's too early to deliver the baby. Can you stop the process?"

"I can give her a tea with cramp bark root…"

Anastasia twisted her mouth in discontent and ran her fingers through Arielle's hair. She remembered that root all too well, and Kreka gave it to her when she was in labor with Arielle. The medicine made her almost incoherent and unaware of her surroundings.

"If it will help, then give it to her."

Mehry nodded and whispered to her assistants, and the two young women hurried across the room, digging through the bags filled with vials of medicinal herbs.

Sleepy from staying up most of the night playing games with Kazem, Aurora walked through the hallway, eager to see her mother. She was all smiles as she approached her mother's bedroom. Nousha sat outside, not appropriately dressed, exhausted from being up all night, and didn't even see the princess walking towards her.

Aurora tugged Nousha's sleeve. "Good morning."

"Hello," she tried to put on a face for the princess.

"Can I see my mom? Is she awake?"

"Oh, um, you can't see her right now."

The door swung open, and two maids exited the room, carrying soiled bedsheets. Aurora gasped and pushed through Nousha and ran inside. Her eyes danced around, watching the women rushing back and forth from the bed to a table filled with cloths. Her eyebrows furrowed, and she walked over to the bed. She tilted her head, eyeing her mother cuddling close to Anastasia.

"What's going on?" she asked, alarming Ana.

"Tatli kiz, what are you doing in here?"

Aurora rounded the bed and peered over the edge, staring at her mother's jittery hands. "Is she okay?"

Anastasia smiled at her granddaughter, "she's alright. I think it's best if you leave the room. Nousha can take you to stay with Gabrielle and grandma Khanum, okay?"

The princess twisted her mouth, unconvinced. "Something is wrong. I'm not stupid. Is it the baby? Is there something wrong with it?"

"Aurora," her patience was wearing thin, and Arielle squeezing her hand was not helping. "Please leave. I'm not going to tell you again."

Smoldering and her eyes swelling with tears, she yelled back, "why can't you tell me what's going on?"

Nousha entered the room, calling for the princess. "Come with me," she ordered, and the princess refused to move. She made her way over, grabbing the girl's shoulder. "You can see your mother later. Come on," she said, extending her hand.

Aurora shoved her out of the way and darted out of the room, pushing through the maids. Nousha wore a look of distress and gaped at Anastasia, who was busy tending to Arielle and whispering to the midwife.

"Focus on your breathing."

Gabrielle sat opposite her wife, teaching her how to relax through meditation. She smiled, a bit amused at how Xena was trying so desperately to clear her mind. It was a struggle to even get her to agree to participate in these exercises, but Gabrielle was eager to teach once Xena finally agreed. She loved teaching, no matter what the subject was.

"What are you thinking right now?"

Xena exhaled through her nostrils with her eyes closed. "My back has an itch."

"Xena! You're supposed to be clearing your mind."

"I'm working on it, but that doesn't change the fact that my back is itchy," her lips turned upward into a smirk. She opened an eye to see the frustration. "Okay, okay. I'll really try this time. Clearing my mind…" she whispered, inhaling deeply.

While she attempted to clear her mind and finally dig deep inside herself, so ridiculous, she thought, the doors swung open and slammed against the wall. Her eyes shot open, and Aurora came running in, then crashed into her, hugging her so tight, she could barely breathe.

Xena looked up at her wife, who was equally as confused as she was. She gently caressed Aurora's back, fiddling with her long hair. She heard sniveling, and Aurora wiped her wet cheek on the shoulder she rested her head-on.

"What's the matter?" she asked, wiping the tears away from Aurora's cheeks. "Why are you crying?"

Sniffling, Aurora fought back more tears, and she wiped her eyes. "Something is wrong with my mom," her voice broke.

"Oh? What's wrong with her?"

"I dunno."

Gabrielle stood from the floor. "I'll go find out what's happening."

Xena nodded and smiled at the princess, cupping her hot cheeks. "I'm sure everything is alright. Hey, let's do something together. We can do whatever you want."

Aurora shook her head, wrapping her arms around herself.

"Ah, come on. We can practice archery. I know you haven't done that in a while. Would you like that?"

"Only my mom teaches me that," Aurora mumbled.

"Okay, what about sword sparring? Or we can play a game. You like chess."

"You hate chess."

Xena sighed, finding this child to be very difficult to communicate with at the moment. "But you like it."

Walking down the corridor, Gabrielle saw Nousha standing outside the bedroom with a scowl on her face. She was also blocking the entrance, and Gabrielle knew she wouldn't be able to go inside. By the looks of Nousha, she hadn't been able to put on proper clothes or even so much as to brush her hair. Whatever was happening in that room must've been severe, especially since Aurora came rushing in, crying her eyes out.

Gabrielle stopped in front of the Persian and pointed to the closed doors. "What's going on in there? Aurora came to my room, and she was very upset. Is something wrong with Arielle?"

"She's been in a lot of pain since early this morning. The midwife and Khatun are in there with her right now."

Gabrielle nodded her head and stood in awkward silence for a few moments. "Why aren't you with her? I'm sure Arielle would appreciate the support."

"She only wanted her mother there."

"Hmm. I see," Gabrielle rocked back and forth on her heels. "I know your relationship with Anastasia and Arielle isn't the best," she chose her words wisely, and Nousha shot her a look. "But I think it would be good for you to be there. Xerxes isn't allowed inside, and you're the next best thing to having him there."

Nousha folded her arms and gazed off in the distance. She flinched when she heard Arielle's soft moans intertwined with hiccupping sobs. She sighed, clapping a hand over her forehead.

"It's your grandchild, too," Gabrielle reminded her. "If Anastasia wasn't here, then you'd be the one in there with her. You can send a maid to stand outside the room. I'll wait here."

Nousha eyed the governor and tapped her fingers on her folded arms, contemplating whether or not to enter the room. All points Gabrielle made were valid, and she'd be lying if she said that she wasn't concerned. She didn't like standing outside, and the customary traditions were broken as soon as Anastasia rushed inside per Arielle's request.

She pushed the door open and briskly walked in, and Gabrielle smiled softly. Closing the door quietly, she waited for a maid to take her place.

Anastasia sat on the bed close to her daughter, holding her close with an arm wrapped around her. She wiped the sweat off Arielle's brow and looked up to see Nousha standing beside the bed. She didn't want to argue, especially considering the situation, but she wasn't sure how to feel with Nousha standing there in silence with those doe-eyes of hers.

"I want to help," said Nousha, staring down at Arielle.

Ana set down the cloth in her lap. Despite the plenty of hands in the room, another pair wouldn't hurt. "Alright…," she relented warily. "Mehry is making a tea for Arielle. You can give that to her, and I will help the others prepare the bath."

She crawled off the bed, eyeing Nousha carefully. Worried about leaving her daughter in the woman's care was one of the last things on her mind. Lingering for a moment, she finally left the area and went to the bath chamber to assist the maids.

Nousha sat on the bed, lifted Arielle's heavy long hair, and wiped the sweat off her neck. The blue eyes beneath her widened, and Arielle creased her eyebrows together, gawking intently. Nousha was handed the hot bowl of tea and raised Arielle's head off the pillow gently.

Once Gabrielle was relieved from her brief station standing outside, she made her way back to her bedroom, and there was Xena, holding Aurora's hand, talking quietly amongst themselves. Gabrielle smiled and stopped in front of the pair. Aurora wiped her eyes and refused to show her flushed face, so she hid her teary eyes in Xena's coat.

"What are you two up to?" asked Gabrielle.

"We're going to the horse pen. Right?" Xena peered down and pried the girl off her coat. "Right?"

Aurora grumbled and looked in the opposite direction, causing Xena to roll her eyes.

"She just being stubborn," she murmured.

"I'm not stubborn!" Aurora spat back.

"Uh-huh," she pulled Aurora close, holding a tight grip on her hand. "What did you find out?"

Gabrielle noticed the princess trying to eavesdrop and smiled uneasily. "I'll tell you later. So, am I invited to the horse pen too? Are we going to ride horses? You know, I'm pretty good at riding. I'll even let you hold the reins, Aurora."

The princess almost forgot about her mother for a second, seemingly excited about the offer. She quickly retracted and glowered. "You two are just tryin' to distract me. I know this game. I'm not little anymore."

Xena licked her lips, feigning laughter. "Oh yeah. You've been alive for a whole eight years. You must know everything, right?"

"Don't be ridiculous. I don't know everything," Aurora rolled her eyes. "But neither do you."

Gabrielle's mouth hung open at the comeback, and she held herself back. It was so tempting to release a surge of laughter, but she knew if she did that, Xena would probably murder her later. But the most she could do was keep the smile plastered on her face, which didn't help either.

Xena ran her tongue across her teeth and walked down the hallway, gripping Aurora's hand firmly. "Not a word out of you, Gabrielle."

"I said nothing!"

The Caucasus

Ursula stood outside, waiting for her son and husband to return from Balaam. She was anxious to see them both, but at the same time, she wasn't ready for her son to berate Yeter for her recent decision to ally with the Shah. The two women kept their distance after Tegin Irkin left for Pannonia. Ursula didn't want to argue with Yeter in front of the children, but she was sure her son wasn't going to be so nice to her.

Ebnedzar and Oran rode into the area, and Ursula smiled at the two. She descended down the steps to greet them, and Oran hopped off his horse, skipping towards her. He embraced his mother, kissing both of her cheeks, then frowned up at the palace entrance.

"Is Yeter inside?"

Ursula's heart hammered. "Yes…she's in her room."

Oran exhaled through his nostrils and gripped his mother's shoulder. "I'll catch up with you later," he kissed her forehead, then charged up the stairs.

Ebnedzar snuck upon his wife, and she jumped from his touch. He grinned and pecked her lips gently. "Didn't mean to scare you. How've things been here? Holding the home together…considering the circumstances?"

"I don't know what Yeter thought when she decided to do that," she admitted. "She will be in control of Navaz's kingdom now. I can only imagine what is going on in Pannonia right now."

Ebnedzar shook his head, wrapped an arm around his wife's slender hip, and walked up the stairs. "I imagine it isn't going well."

Entering the palace, a maid hurried over to deliver a letter. She blocked their path and extended her arm to Ursula. "A message from Chieftess Yana."

Ursula thanked the maid with a head nod, broke the letter's seal, and read the letter over quickly. She placed a hand over her chest, and Ebnedzar clasped hands on her shoulders, reading the letter over her head.

"What does it say?" he asked.

"Shah Khosrow is so brazen!" she grimaced, crumpling the letter. "He is taxing the Nezak tribes and taking them under his empire. Yana is asking for help. I need to write Anastasia and ask her what to do."

"Khosrow must think that since his brother his married to Arielle, that he can do what he pleases. He can't take control of all the eastern tribes."

Ursula grunted. "I wouldn't be surprised if he allied with the Yakuts by now. Madhiya hasn't been heard from since the siege in Pannonia."

He chuckled, "Madhiya is not a threat. She hasn't been a threat for decades. Persia gains nothing by allying with her. Khosrow wouldn't seek Madhiya out."

"Don't underestimate him, Ebnedzar," she whacked his chest playfully.

"You've caused a rift between our empires, Yeter!"

The queen rolled her eyes and stood from the chair, approaching her infuriated husband. "May I remind you that I am the queen. You'd have no position here if you weren't married to me."

"I married you because the Sabirs were invading every inch of Hun land, Yeter. You made a deal with Navaz. You were tied to his kingdom, and now you allied with the Shah without consulting everybody. Do you know how that makes me look?"

Yeter scoffed, "you? Since when do you dictate what goes on around here, Oran? Your people aren't my people. This is my kingdom and has been long before you came into the picture."

"You made a deal, and you broke it!"

Breathing heavily, he ran his hands across his face. His wife seemed unaffected by her decision, and this argument altogether. He didn't want to come home to this, especially after receiving the news about his uncle's recent death. He was happy living where he was now, but the last thing he wanted to do was get into a heated argument with his obstinate wife.

"Yeter, what you did was not smart. My family is going to hate you."

"Your family has never liked me," she said flatly.

"I wonder why," he rested his hands on his hips. "I care about you, and I care about our sons, but our sons are tied to my family's empire. Since you allied with the Shah, our children are no longer considered part of the empire. Do you understand that?"

Yeter nodded. "Yes, I do. Our sons don't need to wait in line for the throne, Oran. They can be rulers hereafter we pass."

"You really don't care, do you?" he admitted, defeated.

"I don't know why you're so upset. You live in the Gokturk Empire with me. This is your home! We don't need your family."

Oran smirked, wiping his nose, and thought to laugh at the absurdity of the situation. "You'd rather make us an enemy, then?"

"Nobody said anything about being an enemy. I'm finished with this conversation," she waved her hand, dismissing the argument. "Your sons are in their rooms. I'm sure they'd want to see you."

Oran sighed, feeling drained already, and he hadn't even been home for an hour.

Yeter spun around as she waited by the door, "oh, and your mother refuses to speak to me, so I suppose you can talk to her about that. If this turns into an ongoing thing, then she can go back to Pannonia."

"You can't kick my mother out, Yeter."

"Then I guess she should start acknowledging my presence," she flashed a smile and exited the bedroom.

As evening approached, Arielle fell asleep, drained from the entire day, and awake most of the night. The pain subsided since she had the tea earlier, and she slept, laying on her side, cuddling with a pillow. Nousha sat behind her, and after taking a nap, she kept a careful eye on Arielle the entire time.

Keeping Aurora occupied was difficult enough, and the rest of the family was also hovering on the second floor, asking questions constantly. Xena was the only person allowed into the bedroom after pushing past everyone else. She stood with Anastasia on the other end of the room. They were both surprised to see Nousha with Arielle, being as attentive as she was.

"How is she?" Xena whispered.

"Better. I think Mehry was able to stop the labor process," Ana said, fiddling with her hair. "Arielle will stay in bed for a few days so we can watch her."

"Mhm. Nousha has been with her this entire time?"

Anastasia nodded. "She wanted to help, so I let her."

"Look at you, being inclusive," she nudged her daughter's elbow. "I know she's not your favorite person."

"I just wanted to focus on Arielle, and that seems to be the only thing we have in common."

Xena cleared her throat, "I'd rather deal with Nousha than Tuya any day," she snidely said.

"Mother, you shouldn't talk about the dead like that."

"I never liked her. She was horrible to me, and to you! But I was forced…to get along with her because of Arielle. It was the only thing we had in common."

Anastasia sighed.

Xena motioned her head to Arielle. "I told you she was too stressed out."

Ana quirked her mouth upward. "Well, you know how she is. She doesn't listen to me."

"Yeah, I know how that feels," Xena muttered and received a pinch to her bicep.

"I listen to you!"

"Who said I was talking about you?" she smiled at watching her daughter blush. "I was talking about you. I see you have a few grey hairs. Maybe you're stressed too…"

Ana gasped and clapped her hands over her head. "I do not have grey hair!"

In bed, Arielle stirred awake and looked around the room groggily. She rubbed her face and saw three faces in front of her, and was taken aback. She peered down at her belly and was instantly relieved, and exhaled shakily.

"You're okay," Ana said, caressing her daughter's cheek. "How do you feel?"

She mumbled incoherent words under her breath and tried to get up, but by the looks on all of the women's faces, she settled back into bed. She couldn't really feel her legs all that well ever since she drank that tea, but at least she wasn't in agonizing pain anymore, which was a nice feeling. She also didn't have a reason to worry, but the entire situation was not something she wanted to go through again.

"We should probably leave you alone to rest," said Xena, hinting for the others to leave. "Xerxes can come in here. He's been very worried about you."

That brought a faint smile to Arielle's lips, and she laid back down, settling into the pillows. She was afraid that as soon as her head hit the pillow, she would fall asleep again, but being in this room for so long, was terrible. Not that she didn't appreciate all of the help, but she definitely wanted to see another face aside from her mother and Nousha.

After convincing Nousha to finally leave the room, all three exited, and the entire family swarmed in the hallway. Even Csaba's children walked over from their home, anxiously waiting for news.

"Wow, I see Arielle's got a fan club," Xena mumbled. She spotted Xerxes sitting down behind everyone. "Xerxes, she wants to see you."

Aurora gasped. "He gets to go in, but I can't? I wanna see my mom! Can I go in, please?"

"Another time," Xena ran her hand over the girl's silky hair.

As soon as Xerxes left, there was a flurry of questions from all the children. They backed both Anastasia and Xena into a corner. They shot so many questions at them that they didn't know how to answer. Nor could they understand any of the children all at once.

Out of all people, Nousha clapped her hands, silencing everybody. The children closed their traps, and Nousha flicked her wrists, and they all stepped away from the doors. Her size didn't seem to matter, as most of the children were much taller than her. But those who towered over her felt so small.

"She's fine. Go back to your rooms and homes…" she glared at Farah and Csaba's sons. "You can all see her in a couple of days. Go on," she shooed them away.

Xena leaned over to her daughter and whispered, "little…firework."

A few days after the whole scare with Arielle, everyone was relatively quiet in the home. Periodically, the midwife checked on Arielle several times a day, distributing medicine and giving her specific types of food. Aside from that situation, Arielle was forbidden to come anywhere near campaign planning or any duties she used to have. Before this happened, she would've argued, but now, she was too afraid to leave her room, let alone her bed.

Gabrielle finished going over documents with Anastasia and carried a satchel filled with paperwork. She was not excited about giving all of this work to her wife. Lately, Xena was not in the mood to do anything. Gabrielle only hoped that her partner would be more amenable, especially after what happened to Arielle.

She pushed the door open and saw Xena sitting on the floor. Meditating was something she tried to get Xena to do for a while now, but all her pleading never worked. But now, Gabrielle was shocked to see her wife in complete bliss. Well, almost absolute bliss.

"Hello, Gabrielle."

"Hi…"

Gabrielle walked in and set the satchel on the desk, still astonished by the display before her. She had to make sure this was real, and she just had to ask, "are you meditating?"

"Yes, and you're ruining my concentration. I finally cleared my mind," she opened one eye and smiled. "Aren't you proud of me?"

Gabrielle snickered and knelt down on the floor. She gently kissed her wife on the lips. "Yes, very proud. I hate to do this to you, but…" she motioned to the satchel.

"Oh no," Xena groaned. "You have more work for me, don't you?"

"I'm sorry…it's only ten pages! You know I wouldn't ask if Ana could sign on her own."

Xena sighed and wiggled her fingers, gesturing to the satchel. The paperwork was brought to her and her vision blurred once she attempted to read the documents. Already, she was getting a headache from the words taunting her.

"We need to get a move on with this campaign. Eksama should keep training the soldiers just in case something happens. I know Mezamir is planning to attack again, but I want to be more prepared. We are not surrendering again."

"We still owe Persia so much, and since we lost the war, we didn't get any funds."

Xena scratched her head and signed her name on the next few pages. "This time, we won't lose. At least we won against the Lombards."

"That's only because Navaz was leading, and it was a much smaller campaign. Maybe he and Eksama could work as a team? How well do you think they'd work together?"

"Hmm…I don't know, Gabrielle. That smells like trouble to me. Navaz doesn't like to take orders from others, and Eksama is bullheaded."

"We can call a meeting. We'll all discuss it together."

Xena hummed and finished signing the documents, smiling at her wife. "A meeting. Good idea. But I don't think we should start another campaign until Arielle has the baby. I think everyone is too worried about her right now. It's only one more month anyway."

Gabrielle sighed and reclined against the end of the bed. "You know there's another ceremony for her."

"You're joking."

"I'm not joking."

"After what just happened, I didn't think Nousha would be planning yet another ceremony. I told you that woman is scary. You should've seen her the other day. She scared all the children mute!"

"You're overexaggerating."

"You weren't there!"

Gabrielle laughed, shaking her head. "You can kill people without hesitation, and yet you're afraid of a woman who is smaller than me."

"You're the same height as her, Gabrielle."

"She's a little shorter than me!"

"Uh-huh…"

Gabrielle pouted, crossing her arms. "I could probably pick her up. She's small."

"I bet you could," Xena winked.

Licking the last bit of yogurt off the spoon, she looked over at Xerxes, who was busy rubbing his hand over their child. She wiped the corners of her mouth and raised an eyebrow at her oblivious husband.

"I'm trying to eat, you know," she said.

"I know," he said casually. "Are you feeling better now?"

She nodded, finishing off the last bit of fruit, and set the bowl aside. She relaxed against the pillows and sighed. "Xerxes, can you stop?"

"Stop what?" he looked up at her innocently, but there was that little tilt of a smile on his lips.

"I want you to pay attention to me too, not just the baby."

He raised his hand, "I will, I will. I just want to spend time with my child first. It might not seem important to you, but it's important to me."

Instantly, she felt her insides melt when he said that. It never occurred to her that he could feel left out or like he wasn't doing enough, which he did more than enough. She was sure that he was worried about her since he couldn't be in the room with her a few days ago. It was a reminder for herself to be more aware of others.

He lifted her dress and cupped his palms on the curve of her belly. He swiped his thumbs along her skin gently. His eyes drifted upward to his wife, who looked more occupied with the tray of almonds and cheese at the moment.

"Why isn't the baby moving?" he asked.

Arielle paused, chewing a mouthful of almonds. "You're asking me?"

"Well…you feel more than I do. I haven't felt anything in the last half hour."

She smiled, "I don't know? Maybe the baby decided to take a nap," she joked.

"That's not funny, Arielle. I'm serious. Is something wrong? I really can't feel anything."

"Xerxes," she swallowed, "you're overreacting."

"No, I'm not!" he barked, startling her. "Something could've happened to you. You could've died, our child could've died, and you're sitting here telling me I'm overreacting."

Arielle sat with her mouth agape. It was probably the first time that she'd seen him visibly upset since they'd been together, married or not. She didn't realize what happened affected him so much. That was when she knew that she really needed to pay attention to his feelings more. He didn't like to express his feelings too often, but when he did, he was very passionate about how he felt once he uncorked the bottle.

"I'm sorry," she caressed his cheek. "I didn't know you were so upset about this."

"Why wouldn't I be? I care about you. I couldn't be in the room with you that day. I didn't know what was going on!"

"I…am not used to all of this…attention you're giving me."

Xerxes sighed, rubbing his forehead, and responded calmly, "I'm not Bayan. I told you I would be here for you."

Always finding it difficult to express herself in words, she decided to reply by kissing him on the lips instead. She clutched his jaw and then wrapped her arms over his shoulders, fiddling with his long hair.

"That is so disgusting."

Arielle's lips slid off his, and they both turned to Aurora, standing beside the bed. Xerxes smiled and laughed under his breath. He grabbed the princess by her waist and hoisted her onto the bed. Aurora sat in his lap and folded her legs.

She gasped, "mom, I didn't know your tummy had tattoos too!"

"Oh," Arielle peered down at herself. Her cheeks flushed, and she placed her hands on her hips. "What are you doing in here?"

"Teyze Cera sent me in here to spy on you."

"Ah. How did you get in? I thought your grandmother had this room guarded."

Aurora smiled mischievously. "I have ways. I am very sneaky, you know."

Arielle hummed, drumming her fingers on her knees. "I'll make sure to remember that when you're older."

The princess placed a hand on her mother's belly, cooing, and whispering under her breath. She felt a small jolt against her hand and let out an audible gasp. Xerxes, holding Aurora, frowned, as he was mildly annoyed yet relieved that nothing was wrong with their baby.

"The baby moves for her, but not for me?" he said sourly and roved his palm over his wife's belly.

"Hey, hey," Aurora peeled Xerxes' fingers off her mother's belly. "You can wait your turn."

Arielle pursed her mouth, chuckling. "Since when did you get so bossy?"

Out on the field, Navaz convinced Anastasia to spar with him. He hardly spent time with her, he felt. Ever since her eyesight worsened over the last couple of years, the thought of her picking up a weapon wasn't thought of anymore. Navaz knew that hurt her. Ana trained with weapons of all kinds ever since she could walk. She previously trained with Gabrielle while back in Scythia but hadn't picked up a weapon since then, except for when she was alone in Farah's home during the invasion.

Navaz considered himself a patient man, and he really needed patience from all gods to help Anastasia today. She wasn't terrible at wielding a weapon, despite her poor eyesight, but she was a lot slower than she used to be. Navaz tried not to show that he was holding back during the training session, but he was sad that his wife of two times couldn't fight like she used to.

Swinging the blade to the right slowly, Anastasia blocked it with the wooden staff she held. She smiled and could see that Navaz was grinning right back at her. With a swift twirl of the staff, she knocked her husband off his feet, and he fell onto his backside with a loud thud. Navaz stared at the gloomy sky, astonished.

Ana leered over him, and her long, plaited hair fell over her shoulder. "Weren't expecting that, were you?"

"No…certainly not," he gruffly said, rising from the snowy ground. "You impress me."

She took his hand to help him stand and finagled with his fur collar. "I impress you?" she leaned in close, clutching his collar.

Navaz's cheeks flushed with color, and he gripped her wrist. There were many citizens in the area and soldiers around a fire, watching them.

"Not here," he whispered. "People are looking."

"I don't care if they stare!" she draped her arm over his shoulder.

A soldier approached and loudly cleared his throat. Anastasia looked back at the soldier, frowning, pinched Navaz's chin, and then stuck her staff into the ground. The soldier handed her a letter encased in a metal tube, and she slipped the parchment out of the canister.

"It's from Shamaness Ursula, Khatun."

"Ah, thank you," she smiled, dismissing the soldier. She walked over to Navaz, hoping he'd read the message for her.

Smiling, he took the letter and read it over. Ana rested her elbow on his shoulder, picking at the stitching on his coat. She expected good news every time she received a letter from Ursula, but given her husband's expression and silence, the content couldn't have been great.

"Shah Khosrow is taxing the Nezak tribes. Yana is asking for help," he said, broken by the news.

"Damn him," Ana cursed, reactively hitting her husband's shoulder.

Navaz winced. "Can you not take your anger out on me?"

"Sorry. What else does it say?"

"Ursula said Oran is not getting along with Yeter right now. She's disappointed by the entire situation," he sighed, rolling the parchment up. "She's not the only one. I lost my kingdom to my son-in-law's brother."

Anastasia rested her head on his chest, looking up at his dark eyes. "I know you're really hurt by that."

"I'll get over it. Now, about Khosrow," he whacked the parchment against his palm. "He suddenly thinks he can take over. He forgets that Arielle is the Empress of the Hun Empire. We need to handle this delicately."

She agreed, nodding her head. "What did you have in mind?"

Seated in the women's quarters, Nousha and the other Persian maids decorated the entire room with flowers and draperies. Tomorrow, just as Nousha explained to everyone, was yet another ceremony. Everyone was apprehensive about the ceremony, only because of what occurred two weeks prior concerning Arielle.

Unlike the other ceremony, everyone was invited, including the men and children. Arielle wasn't looking forward to the celebration, as she was tired and lately, not feeling the best. Still, she wanted to be a part of the preparation and sat on the floor, observing the maids decorating the place.

Aside from empirical duties, Xena was assigned the special task of sewing a headdress for Arielle. She had made many before, but this one was different. The headdress was a Persian design, and she hadn't made one of these before and was given a print to help guide her. Sewing the stitches on the hat portion of the headpiece, she looked down at the drawing of the headdress, grimacing.

Arielle peered over at her disgruntled grandmother and snickered. "What is that thing?" she asked of the fabric.

"Your stupid headdress," Xena grumbled. "I don't know how I get myself roped into these things."

Holding up the cone-shaped headdress, she wasn't sure if it looked the way it was supposed to. She twirled it around, showing Arielle, who contorted her face.

"Maybe you shouldn't have volunteered to make that," Arielle patted the Khanum's knee.

"I didn't volunteer. Nousha gave me no choice. It looks a little strange, but don't worry, I'll have it finished for tomorrow, even if I have to stay up all night…" she uttered in dismay. "The things I do for you," she winked, smiling at Arielle.

"I appreciate it," Arielle put a hand over her chest. "Where's Gabrielle?"

Xena kept her focus on stitching and answered, "helping the maids with Aurora's dress."

"Oh, she's wearing a new dress?"

"Persian dress," Xena lifted her eyes. "Nousha doesn't like to admit it, but she's very fond of Aurora. She likes to dress her up like a doll."

Arielle sighed, "well, I'm glad they're getting along. I was worried about that for a while."

Taking notice of the lackluster tint of Arielle's cheeks, Xena asked, "are you feeling alright? I know you've been locked away in your room for some time now."

"Yeah…" she ran her hand over her abdomen. "I can't seem to move an inch without someone fussing over me."

"It's understandable."

"I just want everything to go smoothly when the baby comes. I don't want any more problems."

"You're in good hands. Mehry is very alert. Nothing gets by that woman," Xena smiled, tugging the needle through the fabric.

Arielle quirked her mouth upward. "This baby is giving me a lot of trouble, and it's not even here yet. It's also incredibly spoiled! Did you see the number of gifts I got from the last party?"

Grinning wickedly, Xena added, "it's probably a small version of you."

"Grandma, that's not funny. I don't want a child that's like me. I was a monstrous child."

"Yes. My hair is proof of that," she joked, receiving a pinch to her arm.

Rolling her eyes, Arielle smiled, waving her hand as her daughter and Gabrielle came walking towards her. Aurora skipped ahead and jumped into the center of the rug, immediately showing off her sparkling black and gold dress. Twirling around in a circle, the princess donned a smile, which lit up her entire being.

"Wow, look at that," said Arielle, touching the fabric. "I can tell that you really like it."

"Mhm. Banu Talia said I look like a Shehzada."

Xena eyed her wife, "a Shehzada, huh?"

Aurora bobbed her head, "uh-huh. I told grandma Nousha to make a dress for the baby too."

Arielle cocked her head to the side, "well, what if the baby is a boy?"

"It's not! It's definitely a girl," Aurora said confidently, twirling around once more, looking down at the spread of her dress.

"And how are you so sure?"

"Cause me and grandma Nousha looked at a map—a map of the stars," Aurora said. She plopped down on the floor, dizzy from spinning around, and smiled at all the women.

Xena's eyebrows disappeared into the fringe of her hair, sewing quietly. "I'll be very impressed if those stars are correct."

Arielle scoffed, "grandma, nobody really believes that. That is so silly."

Coming in on the tail-end of the conversation, Anastasia inserted herself. "What's silly?" she asked and smoothed a hand over Arielle's hair.

"Nothing…" Arielle mumbled. "Where've you been? You should be helping. Nousha's been doing everything by herself."

"As much as I'd love to help, I have other duties—your duties—to tend to. And…I need to borrow Gabrielle."

Locked away in the conference room, the governor read over Ursula's letter. Distraught by the news, she sat in silence for several minutes. Meanwhile, Navaz and Anastasia were on pins and needles. Gabrielle kept reading the last portion of the message and stroked her chin with her forefinger and thumb.

"This is a lot," she spoke, finally. "There's just too much going on, yet nothing is happening either."

"What should we do?" asked Anastasia. "I could go negotiate with Khosrow, but I want to be here for Arielle."

Gabrielle groaned, drumming her nails on the table. "I would prefer that you go, but I know that Arielle would want you here. Also, I don't think your mother would like you to leave either."

She raised a finger to the ceiling and added, "I think we should give this assignment to Kurt and Soran."

Navaz's breath hitched. "Soran? Why him?"

"He's part Persian. Khosrow will be more open because of that connection. Kurt has been training since he was thirteen to be king. This will be good exposure for him, and this mission isn't dangerous. They're young, but I think they can handle talking to a Shah," she snorted. "Khosrow is fairly young himself."

"Soran is just a prince. He hardly has any political knowledge."

Anastasia rolled her eyes, "because you've spoiled him, Navaz. He is the laziest prince in the entire clan. All he does is play games, spars, and smokes opium all day."

"He is not spoiled. I just don't see it necessary for him to train heavily," Navaz spat back at his wife.

"He has no discipline, Navaz. He talks back to me. I've been like a mother to him since he was a child, even more so since Fairuza died."

Gabrielle intervened before this conversation would soon turn into an argument. "Aside from Soran's upbringing, I think he and Kurt will be a good team for this mission. You can coach them on how to address the Shah," she said to Ana.

"Fine. I can do that," Ana crossed her arms. "Maybe this mission will be good for Soran. It may open his eyes to the real world."

"He's my son, Anastasia. Watch what you say."

She slammed her palm on the table loudly, "I'm his stepmother!" she growled. "He needs to respect me."

Gabrielle pinched the bridge of her nose and intervened once more. "So, it's decided. Soran and Kurt will go to Persia and talk to the Shah."

The ceremony was a lot different this time around. Everyone was more relaxed, and it was nice to see the entire family altogether, instead of segregated like the previous ceremony. There were many games for the children to participate in, and all of the Hun women learned a few traditional Persian dances, which was amusing to watch. Arielle enjoyed seeing both her mother and grandmother being coaxed into joining in on the dances.

Despite their shyness, they were good dancers, but neither would ever admit to that. Towards the end of the lavish celebration, there was an announcement from Xerxes. He revealed to everyone that the baby was going to be a girl. Everybody already knew about the big surprise because Aurora blabbed. Apparently, Aurora didn't know that the revelation was supposed to be a surprise.

Unsurprisingly, the Hun side of the family didn't believe the prediction, but Xerxes' family was very adamant about it. The Persians trusted the stars more than they trusted people, it looked like. Like the previous party, there were several gifts distributed from Xerxes' family. At this point, Arielle thought she was going to need an extra room for the presents alone.

A week after the celebration, Arielle was mainly confined to her bed again. She would say she was bored, but she enjoyed the tranquility of her quiet bedroom for once in her life. She was also extremely cautious, but she didn't feel the need to be. Everyone and their mother checked up on her religiously.

Arielle woke to mild cramping and pulsating twinges in her lower back. She kicked the blankets off her body and rolled over onto her back, staring at the ceiling. Despite the snow outside, she was drenched in sweat. She rolled up her long sleeves and huffed. This type of pain wasn't a sign of labor, but just pure annoyance. As the time came closer to delivering her child, she increasingly became more and more uncomfortable. She was at the point where she couldn't sleep soundly anymore.

She struggled to sit up straight, lifting her heavy body. She glanced over at the empty spot beside her in the dark room. Frowning, she wondered where Xerxes went and how long he'd been gone. His side of the bed looked like it hadn't been touched at all.

Yawning, she got out of bed and padded over to the window. With a hand supporting her lower back, she drew the curtain, and her eyes widened. She poked her head outside and saw Gabrielle and her mother standing outside with a group of soldiers. She couldn't make out the two on the horses, but they were from the clan for sure.

The soldiers rode off into the darkness, heading towards the border. Arielle grunted, slightly aggravated that she didn't know what was going on in her own empire. Although she had a good reason not to be involved, it still irritated her. Whatever was going on might have something to do with Xerxes' absence.

Arielle grabbed her robe, suddenly cold after standing by the window, and threw it on quickly. She opened her door, poked her head out into the hallway. The area was clear of people, much to her surprise. She exited the room, closing the door very carefully, and head down the corridor.

"What are you doing out of bed?"

Arielle jumped, gasping loudly, and spun around to Xena standing in the center of the hallway. She placed a hand over her thumping chest, panting.

"Grandma, please don't ever do that."

Xena walked forward with hands behind her back. "It's the middle of the night. I'll ask again; why are you up?"

"I couldn't sleep."

"Why not? Something wrong?"

Arielle arched an eyebrow. "Have you looked at me lately? I'm huge! I can't sleep at all! I'm so tired. I don't expect you to feel sorry for me."

Xena rubbed her lips together, holding in laughter. "It's been a very long time for me, but I know exactly how you feel."

"Uh-huh," Arielle massaged her lower back. "I…saw some soldiers outside. What's going on? Who left? Is Xerxes leaving? He wasn't in bed."

"Arielle, I'm not going to tell you. We went over this, and no, Xerxes is here."

"I would've thought that you might feel a little sorry for me and give me information," Arielle teased.

"Nice try. Go on back to your room."

Arielle whined, "but I'm just going to stay awake forever. Can I come to your room? Why are you up so late? Can we play a game?" she clamped her hands together.

This child-like behavior was both amusing and frightening. Just a second ago, Arielle complained about how tired she was, yet she wanted to stay up and play games. Xena rolled her eyes and walked towards her bedroom.

"Are you coming or what?" she called over her shoulder.

Gabrielle walked into the Adame with Anastasia, brushing the snow flurries off her coat. She shook her hair and shivered. Winter—she's always hated this season of the year. Spring couldn't come fast enough.

"We should hear back from Soran and Kurt in a month or so," said Gabrielle. "Until then, we'll hope for the best."

Ana nodded, taking off her coat. "Xerxes' brother seems reasonable. If Arielle wasn't due to give birth soon, I would send him to Persia."

"Does he have a good relationship with Khosrow? He didn't have a good relationship with his other brothers…" she recalled their horrible deaths from their betrayal to the empire.

Anastasia shrugged, "I don't know, but he hasn't said anything to make me think otherwise," she stripped her hands of the gloves she wore. "Anyway, can you write the report? We will go over it tomorrow, and then my mother can sign it."

"Oh joy," muttered Gabrielle. "She really hates signing documents, Ana."

"Let's hope she's in a good mood tomorrow then," Ana smiled, batting her eyelashes. "I'm going to bed."

Gabrielle wagged her head, saying her goodbyes for the evening, and walked up the stairs. Her feet were frozen, and she couldn't feel her face either. She took her fur gloves off and stared at her pale fingertips. Opening the door to the bedroom, she took off her coat with her back turned.

"Wow, it's so cold out there!" she said aloud.

Arielle smiled, eating slices of cheese. Her grandmother put a finger to her lips, and Arielle played along. Gabrielle walked across the room and sat down to take her boots off.

"I think my toes are numb. Can we take a bath later?" she called out.

"Yeah, sounds great," Xena answered.

Meanwhile, Arielle held a hand over her mouth, laughing within. She took another card from the deck and continued snacking while listening to Gabrielle's grunts and pants in the background. It was difficult to keep from shouting out that she was in the room.

"I can heat the water," Xena said.

Gabrielle threw her boots across the room. "It smells like…onions in here. Did you have food brought to the room?"

Arielle eyed the bowl of pickled onions and sheepishly smiled.

"And it smells like cheese," Gabrielle made a grunt of disgust. "That's a disgusting combination, Xena. You don't even like onions."

"She has a good nose…" Xena murmured, drawing a new card.

"What was that?"

"I said, get in here!"

Gabrielle came from behind the screen, now dressed in a robe, still wearing her frigid stockings. She halted, seeing Arielle sitting on the floor, playing a card game with Xena. There was that bowl of onions she smelled, and the cheese.

"Well, that explains it." Gabrielle pointed to the food. "You're up pretty late," she said to Arielle.

"I couldn't sleep. We're playing a card game! Do you want to join us?"

Gabrielle smiled, sat down, and pecked Xena on the cheek.

"Your lips are cold…" Xena rubbed her icy cheek.

"Well, I was outside!" she chuckled. "Arielle, must you eat that? It smells awful."

Arielle chewed slowly as her face tinged pink. "It's not my fault! You can tell that to my child," she playfully said, scooting the tray of food away only to appease Gabrielle.

"Don't you mean your daughter…" Xena raised her eyebrow. "I'm really curious to know if that's true."

"I don't believe it. Xerxes really thinks it's a girl, but we will have to see. Okay, Gabrielle, choose five cards."

Gabrielle chose her five cards and tried to peek at her wife's cards. Xena slapped her cards to her chest from her cheating wife. Both smiled, and Xena turned her body so her cards weren't visible. Arielle chose her next two cards, studying them silently to herself. As the three sat in silence, Arielle felt a warm liquid running down her legs beneath her dress.

She gasped and touched the fabric. While the other women were whispering to each other, they paused at Arielle's extensive eyes—eyes that exuded fear and mild shock.

Xena set down her cards. "What?" her eyes drifted the soaked rug and dress. "That's just great. We just cleaned that rug," her tone expressed minor irritation.

Gabrielle whacked her wife's thigh and jumped off the floor, grabbing Arielle's arms to help her stand. "I'll go take her to the room. Can you go get Anastasia?"

"Yeah, yeah, I'll get her," Xena sighed, staring at the puddle on the rug. "No sleep tonight. Unclean rug." She smacked a hand to her cheek.

Overcome with excitement, Aurora charged down the hallway, dodging through the maids passing by. She pardoned herself several times and ran up the stairs, dressed in her nightgown, long cotton stockings, and unkempt hair. She arrived in the hall of the Khagana's quarters, and apparently, she was late.

Csaba waited with his sons outside the bedroom, and Gabrielle was outside too, playing a game with the twin princes. Austraia was also waiting as well as Ernak's youngest son. Aurora puckered her lips and ran forward, sliding across the wood.

"Why didn't anyone wake me up and tell me the baby was coming?" she slapped her hands on Csaba's knees, pressing her forehead to his.

"You didn't miss much," he said, pinching her nose. "She's been in there since last night."

"What!" she gasped, spinning around to Gabrielle. "Who's all in there?"

Gabrielle smiled, excusing herself from the game. "Everyone. Ku, Cera, Farah, Nousha, your grandmother Khatun and Khanum."

"Can I go in too?" the princess asked, widening her eyes.

Csaba laughed, overhearing the two. "I don't think you're old enough to see that."

Aurora tugged on Gabrielle's sleeve. "But I'm a girl too. I can go in, right?"

"Um…your uncle's right. You're not old enough."

"What's the big deal? I wanna see."

Gabrielle sighed, realizing the girl wasn't going to stop until she got what she wanted. She cracked open the door to peek inside. All the women were hovering around the bed, sitting, standing, and running back and forth to the bath chamber. There were a lot of bloody sheets in the hamper. All of the women were talking all at once to each other and to Arielle.

She closed the door and looked down at the eager princess. "You're definitely not going inside."

"But—"

Aurora paused as her mother's loud scream echoed in the hallway. Her entire complexion paled, and she backed away from the door. She hurried to go sit down on the bench next to her cousins.

"I'll stay out here."

Csaba relaxed, reclining against the wall with his hands behind his head. "I thought so."

"I hope this is over soon."

Gabrielle sat beside the princess, fixing her messy hair. "I'm sure your mother is thinking the same thing."

Two hours later, Xena emerged from the bedroom. She inhaled deeply and rested her back against the door. The first person to approach her was Gabrielle, and then Aurora was second, hiding behind the governor's green robes. Aurora gasped at the blood spatter on Xena's clothes.

"Well? I haven't heard Arielle in an hour. What's happening?" Gabrielle pestered.

Xena eyed the small princess, completely horrified at the blood. Ignoring her partner's question, she knelt down and grabbed Aurora's arm, bringing her forward.

"Why do you have…blood on you?"

"Don't worry, your mother's alright."

"That blood is from my mom?!" Aurora cried loudly, alarming her cousins. "Is she gonna die? I wanna see her."

Xena gripped the princess's shoulders firmly. "I just told you she's alright."

Fearing she'd be more sensitive than her mother, Xena inwardly panicked when Aurora began wheezing and sobbing simultaneously. Gabrielle stood behind them, observing the whole thing, and Csaba knelt down, attempting to comfort his niece.

"Aurora!" she screeched, and the child ceased sobbing. "The baby is here," she said slowly.

Hiccupping, Aurora wiped her eyes and beamed. "Really? Can I go see? Can I see the baby? Is it a girl? Can I see?" she panted, shaking her fists in anticipation.

"Later, you can see your sister. Later."

Gabrielle cast a lopsided smile. "So, those stars were right after all." She met her wife's tired eyes, and there wasn't excitement within those blue eyes at all. Something was wrong. "Csaba, can you take Aurora to go eat something?"

He nodded and scooped his niece into his arms. Aurora kept babbling in his ear about how excited she was, how eager she was, to see her new sibling.

"I didn't hear a baby," whispered Gabrielle. "What's going on, Xena? Tell me. I've been waiting out here since last night."

More silence. She couldn't handle any more silence.

"Can you just tell me? Something happened. Did…did the baby…did she…"

"No."

"Then what is it?"

Xena sighed, fiddling with her sleeve. "We just have to wait."

The cryptic language was never a good sign, but Gabrielle didn't question further. "Okay…and how is Arielle doing?"

"She passed out afterward. She lost a lot of blood," she said, noting her clothes.

"So, it's Arielle who I should be worried about?" she waited for an answer but received silence once again. "Xena, I've never seen you like this before."

"Can we just go to the room? I'm very tired, and I need to change my clothes."

Gabrielle huffed but gave in. "Sure, okay."

They hooked their arms and walked to their room. Gabrielle occasionally looked over her shoulder at the closed doors. It was eerily quiet. Her wife was also in some sort of unbreakable daze.

Xerxes was notified that his daughter was born just an hour earlier. He rushed to the room, eager to see both his wife and newborn daughter. The bedroom was clear of all women, aside from the midwife, assistants, and Anastasia and Nousha, who stuck close by the bed, watching over Arielle.

His presence disrupted their quiet conversation. He searched the room for his daughter, smiling happily. Both women stood from their chairs. Nousha smiled meekly and caressed her son's arm.

"Where is my daughter? I want to see her," he whispered.

Nousha pointed to the adjoining room. "You can't hold her or stand too close."

"Why?" his heart rate increased. "Why can't I hold her? Did Arielle hold her yet?"

"No, she's been sleeping. It was a difficult delivery, Xerxes. Just do as I say."

Xerxes furrowed his eyebrows, staring at his mother, then looked to his mother-in-law. He briskly walked into the adjoining room to see his daughter. Most of his worries were set aside when he saw the midwife whispering to a maid. A smile crept up, and he hesitantly padded across the room. Mehry saw him and stepped away from the bassinet, bowing her head.

"You can't hold her yet, Shehzade."

"Yes, my mother told me. I just want to see her."

He loomed over the bassinet, grinning from ear to ear. His daughter looked perfectly fine to him, swaddled in a blanket. He was surprised to see that she had very light hair, almost blonde, and dark eyelashes. It was tempting to touch her cheek, but he refrained and knelt by the bassinet, staring intently.

"Why can't I hold her?" he asked the midwife.

"Ah," she smiled uneasily, "she had trouble breathing earlier, Shehzade. We're just waiting to see if anything happens."

Xerxes' mouth gaped, and he leaned over the bassinet. "But she's okay now, right? She'll be okay?"

"We hope so."

"What about Arielle? My mother said she's been sleeping. Will she be okay too?"

Mehry sighed, "she'll wake up later. I gave her some medicine."

He wasn't sure how to feel about the answers he was given. They weren't straightforward answers, which meant they were either trying to spare him devastating feelings, or they were making it sound worse than it actually was. For now, he wanted to sit here, and he could, for hours, staring at his daughter. He'd been a father from the moment he found out Arielle was pregnant, but staring at their child truly made him feel more like a father now.

Anastasia walked in and head towards Xerxes, ogling the baby. She placed a hand on his shoulder, and Xerxes grinned up at her.

"She looks like Arielle," he said. "She has blonde hair."

"She's very beautiful, Xerxes. Congratulations to you."

He nodded, feeling rather proud of himself. "I have a name for her."

"Oh?"

"Abbaseh. It means 'lion' in my language. Like Arielle."

"A very fitting name for her. It was difficult to get her here."

Xerxes kept smiling and traced his hand on the bassinet rim, eager to touch his daughter. "Where did the blonde hair come from? I haven't seen anyone in your family with blonde hair."

Ana tapped her cheek. "I think one of my mother's brothers had blond hair."