Chapter 7
Dengi looked down at his boots and kept whistling throughout the day, trying to keep himself distracted and occupied. Although, the infernal whistling irritated the Roman guards to no end, but he no longer cared. He and his brother had been confined in the cell for days, possibly weeks, he lost count. He also hadn't seen any sign of Anastasia since the guards took her away.
Ernak lifted his head and sighed heavily, his throat dry from lack of water and his stomach he presumed, eating itself as the Roman emperor hardly gave them any food. He looked at his brother and his unkempt hair, whistling. The sound triggered him and he snarled.
"Stop it!" he yelled and Dengi bit his bottom lip.
"How long do you think we've been in here?" Dengi asked, becoming worried. Today there was no sun, but rain. In fact it had been raining for the last few days, maybe three days, he didn't know.
The young king sighed and banged his head against the wall. "I don't know, but I feel like I'm going insane inside of this place." He groaned and rattled the shackles. "Where is Anastasia? I haven't seen her in weeks!"
Before Dengi could bother to answer a Roman guard came inside and dropped two old pieces of bread and set two cups of water on the ground. Ernak raised his eyebrow and Dengi chuckled. "He gives us bread this time, brother, we should praise him and his emperor," he teased and Ernak laughed.
The Roman rolled his eyes and Ernak reached for the bread, immediately biting into it. As he was chewing the bread he bit into something hard and cringed. He pulled a large scrap of metal from his mouth and his eyes widened.
A key he held in his hand and a big smile graced his lips. "Gabrielle, you are a goddess!" he whispered and Dengi lifted his eyes and saw his brother holding a key to their shackles.
Ernak hurriedly unlocked the shackles from his wrists, eyeing the Romans cautiously. He quietly slipped the chains off and threw the key to his brother. Dengi grinned and quickly unlocked the chains and stood to his feet.
Both brothers walked quietly, approaching closer to the cell gate. Ernak wrapped his hand around the Roman's mouth and Dengi did the same to the other guard. The Romans muffled screams and cries for help were unheard. Dengi's eyes grew wild and he snapped the guard's neck.
Ernak nodded, "alright then," he twisted the other Roman's neck and both of them fell to the ground. He reached through the iron rods and grabbed the set of keys on the Roman's belt.
Ernak tried several keys and finally unlocked the cell door. The two stepped out quietly and Dengi checked around the corner for any soldiers. "The coast is clear," he whispered. He looked at his brother putting on the Roman's armor and cocked his eyebrow upward. "Clever, brother."
Anastasia sat in front of the mirror, running her fingers through her hair. She had been given Greek gowns and dresses, which she thought she'd never wear again. She remembered wearing such clothing when she went to school in Thebes and Athens and her mother was not pleased with the attire she chose.
A smile came to her lips as she remembered her mother's face. She couldn't forget that face her mother gave her when she arrived in a Grecian gown that was very revealing, more revealing than her mother would have liked. She was a rebellious teenager, but now she was a woman and she didn't feel rebellious at all. She felt trapped.
So far, she had been here for two weeks, maybe three, she lost count. She was able to continue this charade with Odoacer and dine with him and entertain him by saying absolutely nothing. He would stare at her constantly, fawning over her while he was drunk with sweet honey wine. Luckily for her, she refrained from wine and only sipped it throughout the night, hoping that it would make the nights go by faster, but alas, it didn't.
Gabrielle walked into the room and closed the door behind her. Ana turned around and frowned seeing her once more. "Ernak and Dengi should be out of the cell by now. You remember the plan, right?"
Anastasia nodded, "yes, but I don't know if this is going to work, Gabrielle."
Gabrielle hoped that this plan would work and she really wished Xena were here. Things would go more smoothly if she were here. "They aren't going to leave without you. Once you're out of the palace I want you to ride out of Rome. Don't come back here."
Anastasia gasped and grabbed her other mother's hand. "But, what about you? I don't want to leave without you, Gabrielle! I came all this way and won't leave without you!
Gabrielle smiled and touched her soft cheek and sat down beside her. "Ana, I love you, but I will be fine here. We will see each other again, I promise." She kissed her cheek and heard Anastasia sobbing softly. "Don't cry. This is not the end, but a new beginning. You need to leave Rome. Take care of yourself and your baby."
Anastasia frowned and her eyes darkened. She snatched her hand away from the blonde consul. "I don't care about this baby!" she rose from the chair and Gabrielle's jaw dropped. "It is nothing but a business transaction I made with my husband."
"You don't mean that," Gabrielle tried to calm the girl down.
"Yes, I do," she said in a softer tone and couldn't bear look at the shock and sadness on Gabrielle's face. She felt like she was in her mother's presence. "I wish I felt different, but I don't."
Gabrielle sighed and could feel the girl's pain. She was obviously depressed and missing something, missing her mother. "Anastasia, don't let your heart harden. Your mother wouldn't want that and I don't want that for you either. Despite your feelings for Navaz, don't blame your child. It's innocent and I know you are a loving woman. You wouldn't let your heart harden because of a child, would you?"
Anastasia sighed and folded her arms. "I don't know how to feel right now." She muttered.
Gabrielle wrapped her arms around her and brought her in close. "Just remember the plan, alright?" she whispered.
"If Odoacer tries to grope me I swear I am going to vomit all over him." She said and Gabrielle stifled a laugh. "Maybe just this once, I won't be able to control myself," she smirked and sauntered out of the room, readying herself to be in the company of the emperor again.
Xena and Malka crept in the dark corners of Rome's busy streets. Xena hid her face with a dark hood and frowned as she watched Romans pass her by. Malka kept his hand upon the hilt of his sword, eyeing everyone, being overly cautious.
"Where do we go now?" Malka whispered.
She lifted the hood and the hot rain poured down on the dirt roads. "We need to get close to the palace. Kreka said Gabrielle is consul of Rome so she would be close to the emperor at all times."
Being in this very city gave Xena the creeps. She hated Rome and she hated emperors. They always claimed to be working for God and greater good, but they weren't working for the greater good. They hated anyone and everyone that opposed them. Flavius Aetius once tried to befriend Attila, but that didn't turn out the way he had hoped.
There was one good thing about this dreadful place and that was Gabrielle. A sweet smile came to her lips when she thought of that blonde woman. She loved her dearly and knew that they would not live forever, but she wanted to be with Gabrielle even after death. Being so close to Gabrielle, yet so far, made Xena quiver inside. Her heart warmed.
Dreams of coming into Gabrielle's arms haunted her for an entire year. She never lost hope that one day she would be in the close proximity of Gabrielle again. Two people so different from one another yet worked so well. Oil and vinegar, as Gabrielle said long ago. They only go together if you shake the bottle first.
She and Malka walked through the streets, passing by all the civilians unnoticed. She had never been in the shadows, lurking like an assassin before. The thrill of it all sort of excited her and she was so used to be hated for what she looked like and who she was. But now, nobody knew who she was because they couldn't see her face and these citizens had no idea what she looked like. It was new, something new.
Every blonde body in the crowd made Xena's heart flutter, hoping that one person would be Gabrielle, but when she realized they weren't, her hope faded.
Rounding a corner she caught a bunch of senators walking together, talking. She also spotted someone wearing a white gown and short blonde locks. A smile appeared on her face and she waited for the woman to turn around.
She waited and waited. Walking closer to the center of the street she caught glimpse of Gabrielle and her sweet smile, her plump cheeks and muscular yet lean arms unhidden from the sleeveless gown she wore, accentuating her taut waist and thighs and slender calves.
"Gabrielle," she said beneath her breath. She saw Gabrielle walking off by herself and decided to follow her with Malka trailing behind cautiously holding onto his sword just in case something happened to them.
Walking a few paces behind Gabrielle she could almost smell her, taste her and feel her touch once more. A year too long, a year that felt like an eon. She almost felt like this was the first time she was seeing Gabrielle, not as a capturer, but as a lover, a friend, a companion, an ally. And the best thing of it all, Gabrielle was clueless.
She wanted to reach out to her, but didn't want to cause alarm. She continued following her and saw Gabrielle heading towards the senate. If she goes in there then I won't be able to see her. Reacting on impulse she wrapped her hand around Gabrielle's mouth and drug her into a dark alleyway.
Malka raised his eyebrow and blocked the alleyway so nobody could come by. He figured he should trust Xena even though he felt like he was left in the dark with this woman's plans.
Gabrielle screamed, muffled by Xena's hand and looked at the lips beneath the hood. Her screams faded and slowly her body relaxed. She had seen those lips before, but she couldn't believe it. slowly, she reached forward and lifted the hood and saw those blue eyes that she had longed to see once more. Just one more time.
Her eyes grew with shock and swelled with tears. Xena took her hand from her mouth and smiled warmly. "Xena..." she whispered and felt her heart about to beat out of her chest. She didn't know how to feel right now. She felt excited, betrayed, tricked, loved, sad, happy, all of the above.
She touched Xena's cheek, her fingertips gliding on her rigid high cheekbones. Her fingers roamed to her nose, lips and chin, making sure that Xena was in fact real and this was not a dream.
"Gabrielle," Xena smiled widely and kissed her hand.
"I...you're alive," Gabrielle said and that definitely wasn't the first thing that she wanted to come from her mouth. "You..." she flung her arms around the tall brunette, squeezing her tightly for the first time in a long time.
"I missed you so much. I thought you were lost forever," she exhaled heavily, smelling her hair that reminded her of hot campfires, wood and yet a small hint of lavender. A smell she missed dearly.
Xena pried Gabrielle's arms off her and was at a loss for words. She had so many things she wanted to say to her but suddenly she was mute. She cupped the blonde's cheeks and gaped into those jade colored eyes. "You can't rid of me that quickly, Gabrielle," she jested.
Gabrielle laughed whilst sobbing softly and hit Xena's shoulder playfully. "Your jokes are never said at the appropriate times," she wagged her head. She then realized that Xena was in Rome. Her city. The most hated city among the Huns. "What are you doing here?" she whispered.
"I'm looking for Anastasia," Xena said.
A smile graced the consul's lips. "She's here. I've been with her."
Xena's stomach turned and she gripped Gabrielle's shoulders. "Is she alright?" she hoped and Gabrielle nodded. "How is she?"
"She's..."
Loud horns sounded throughout the square and Gabrielle covered her ears and Xena cringed. Malka grabbed Xena's arm and pulled her to the entrance of the alleyway. "Xena!" he pointed to the slew of Roman horses stampeding through the square following two horsemen and one woman.
Xena's mouth parted as she saw Anastasia sitting behind Dengi on a Roman horse and Ernak riding beside them. They passed by her and she heard Ernak laughing loudly and saw Dengi with a big smile on his face.
Gabrielle pushed through Xena and Malka and gasped. "Oh no," she slipped and Xena looked down at her.
"What...are they doing?" she asked lowly, already becoming irritated.
"I...I told Anastasia that she could escape quietly with Dengi and Ernak. I didn't think they were going to steal horses!" Gabrielle slapped her forehead and then felt a tug on her arm and she was being pulled by Xena down the dark alley. "Xena!"
"You're coming with me," Xena mounted her horse and extended her hand. "Gabrielle, I did not come all the way to Rome to leave you behind." She wriggled her fingers and the blonde stayed put, thinking for a few brief moments and Xena creased her eyebrows.
"You aren't thinking of actually staying, are you?"
Gabrielle shook her head. "It's not that, it's just Odoacer will think that I –"
"Odoacer?" Xena interrupted and she tightened the grip around the reins. "Odoacer is emperor?" she asked and Gabrielle nodded. That look. Gabrielle had seen that look in Xena's eyes before –a look that could kill, literally.
"That bastard," she muttered under her breath. "I thought he was dead!" she growled and looked to Gabrielle. "You're coming with me." She grabbed her arm and hoisted the blonde on her horse.
"Xena! No! Wait just a minute!" Gabrielle groaned and yelped as the horse took off at great speed. She wrapped her arms around Xena's waist and leaned into her backside, squinting her eyes from the racing rain. Suddenly, she had flashbacks of the first time she met Xena and the first time she was taken by her.
"I'm not losing you again!" Xena said and rode through the rains. She spotted Anastasia, Dengi and Ernak trying to flee from the Roman guards with no weapons on hand of course. She smiled and took a shortcut through a few streets.
Gabrielle gasped and ducked her head from a large canopy ahead. She had forgotten how awful it was to ride with Xena. She was an insane horseman and always did unpredictable turns.
Now riding directly behind the Romans Xena smiled beneath the rain soaked hood and pulled out the bow upon her back and grabbed an arrow. "Gabrielle, take the reins."
"Excuse me?"
"Just do it," Xena grinned and Gabrielle shook her head and grabbed onto the reins, steering the horse to the left, riding behind a Roman. Xena squinted one of her eyes and released an arrow. The Roman screeched and fell off his horse, clutching onto the arrow pierced through his throat.
Gabrielle couldn't help but smile as she saw the Roman fall to his death soon followed by another soldier. Xena kept loading her bow and the Romans began to catch on and turned around to see her riding on the horse and her eyes widened. This is not good, Gabrielle thought.
"Huns!" a Roman soldier shouted. "The Huns have the Consul!" he turned around on his horse as did the three others and began charging right for Xena and Gabrielle.
"Xena..." Gabrielle began panicking and Xena smirked, slinging her bow behind her, she grabbed the reins and steered off in the opposite direction, leading the Romans away from Dengi, Ernak and Anastasia.
Malka, lurking in the shadows came up from behind and swung his sword, slicing through a Roman's arm. Xena unsheathed her sword and looked over her shoulder to see two Romans following her and felt Gabrielle's grip around her waist tighten.
Ernak and Dengi skid to a stop and realized they weren't being followed anymore. Anastasia frowned and saw Gabrielle on the horse with a hooded person with a long sword, a sword she recognized. Air escaped her lungs, her chest constricted upon itself and she kept gawking at the sword –her mother's sword.
"Alright Gabrielle, bringing the Huns to Rome!" Ernak smiled, nodding his head. "She's got more balls than most men I know."
Anastasia's eyes were locked on the hooded rider and watched as the rider twirled the large sword with such ease. The small flick of the wrist and plunge the blade into a Roman and it was then she knew it was her mother. She heard a loud cry as the sword thrust into the Roman's flesh –her mother's voice.
She slapped Dengi's upper arm over and over again. "My mother!" she pointed to the rider and both brothers looked onward. "My mother! It's her!" she yelled with excitement and she grinned from ear to ear.
She pushed Dengi off the horse and took hold of the reins and rode down the road to meet with her mother and Gabrielle. Dengi groaned and Ernak laughed. He spun his head around and mounted the horse with his younger brother.
"God dammit, Anastasia!" Dengi punched his brother in the shoulder. "Follow her!"
Xena let out a loud war cry and thrust her blade into the last Roman and breathed heavily. Gabrielle ran her hand across her face and couldn't believe this was happening right now. First, she thought Xena was dead, and now that she was alive, Xena was causing chaos all around her. It was not unusual, but unwarranted.
"Mother!" Anastasia called out and Xena turned at the sweet voice she had longed to hear again.
Anastasia skid to a stop and Xena pulled back the hood, revealing her face. Both smiled at one another and Anastasia hopped off the horse, running to her side. Xena swung her legs over and wrapped her arms around her daughter, squeezing her tightly.
"I thought you were gone forever," Ana whispered, sobbing softly in her mother's veil of hair.
Xena pulled away and wiped the tears from her daughter's cheeks, grinning warmly. "I'm not going anywhere." She winked and kissed her forehead. "Are you alright?"
She nodded, "Gabrielle took care of me."
Xena turned and smiled at Gabrielle and saw her cheeks flush. "Of course she did."
Ernak and Dengi pulled up and both had shocked looks upon their faces. Slowly, Xena turned around and folded her arms, glaring at both brothers. "Boys," she addressed them.
Ernak scoffed, "we are not boys anymore, Xena," he jested and hopped off the horse, staring into her eyes. He opened his arms for a hug and he grinned sheepishly. A smirk graced her lips and she embraced him and he sighed with relief.
Although a sigh of relief came too soon when he got punched in the arm and he hissed, stepping away. "Ow! What the hell!"
Dengi saw Xena's lingering eyes focused on him and her fist clench. He put his hands up and began walking backward. "Now, Xena...we can talk about this." He begged and she came sauntering towards him until Gabrielle grabbed her arm.
"Later, Xena," the blonde pressed and Xena grunted then turned back to her daughter, smiling once more.
Malka chuckled at the fear in the brothers' eyes. They truly looked like children about to be spanked by an adult even though they were both grown adults. They obviously feared Xena and he now understood why. All the tales he heard of Xena were true. She was a great fighter and she certainly cared a lot about her family.
"The rumors seem to be true about your daughter," he mentioned and Ana brushed a wet tendril behind her ear. "She is quite a beauty."
Ernak rubbed his arm, fearful of coming within a foot of Xena. He cleared his throat. "I don't mean to interrupt this lovely moment but I think we should get the hell out of here before more Roman dogs show up." He suggested.
Gabrielle agreed. "He's right and now that I'm absent, Odoacer will notice. We should leave."
"Oh, I thought you wanted to stay?" Xena teased and hopped on her horse.
Gabrielle crinkled her nose and climbed onto Xena's horse. "It wasn't even like that."
Hours later after riding in the rain they crossed the Tiber river into a small lesser Roman city. Gabrielle thought it best that they stay away from the larger cities to risk being caught by Odoacer's men. She knew that he would send a group of scouts to come look for her once he knew that the 'Huns' kidnapped her.
Anastasia, dressed as a Roman citizen as well as Gabrielle, were able to find a place for everyone to stay during the storm. Xena, Malka, Ernak and Dengi were snuck in through the back so they were not seen by the tavern owner. Their clothing would instantly give them away and Gabrielle didn't want to lose them again after everything that happened. It would be too close of a call.
Gabrielle walked into the room that the tavern owner so kindly gave them for the night. She was wrapped in a sheet, allowing her wet dress to dry. She looked and saw Xena sitting beside a slumbering Anastasia, cuddled in a warm wool blanket and her dress hanging on a rack to dry.
Xena ran her hand across her daughter's hair, watching her sleep soundly, completely exhausted, she could only imagine. The sound of footsteps caused her to turn head and she grinned faintly upon seeing her blonde companion she longed to see again.
The blonde sat down beside Xena and felt a little self conscious all of a sudden. She rubbed the back of her neck and then saw a gash on Xena's arm. She gasped and immediately gravitated to the warrior's wound.
"You're hurt," she said.
"Just a scratch," Xena said and Gabrielle went to grab a cool cloth to clean the wound, but Xena pushed her gently back onto the bed. "Gabrielle." Her eyes pleading for her blonde to stay by her side and not leave her, not even for the littlest thing.
Gabrielle smiled and settled onto the bed, gaping into the warrior's blue eyes. The feeling of seeing Xena again was overwhelming and she couldn't understand why her counterpart appeared to be so calm and collected. Perhaps she was holding back, Gabrielle didn't know, but what she did know is that, she couldn't hold back her emotions for so long.
Tears fell from her eyes and Xena cocked her head, frowning sadly. "Don't cry, I'm here." She said softly.
"You left me," the blonde whispered. "You promised you would never leave me."
Xena lowered her eyes and pursed her lips. "I kept my promise, didn't I?"
"Xena," Gabrielle's face contorted and Xena lifted her chin, daring to look into those sad green eyes. "I thought you were dead. I almost came to peace with it until...I saw your face. I –I didn't know what to do, how to feel. I still don't know..."
The warrior grabbed hold of the consul's hands and gazed into her eyes.
"There were times when I thought I couldn't go on living after what happened in Pannonia. I thought it would be better if I left the world for good and cursed Malka for saving me. I couldn't imagine my life without you or Anastasia but as time passed I realized that you wouldn't want me to be angry. I thought of you every day, Gabrielle. I thought of what you would say to me when I felt doubts about living. And when I saw you and heard you I knew that I could go on knowing that you'd always be with me no matter where you were. You were and are always with me."
To hear those words from Xena's lips warmed Gabrielle's heart. She felt her stomach flutter at the thought that Xena actually listened to her. She thought of her even if there was a possibility that she could be among the dead instead of the living. Gabrielle was in Xena's thoughts and that's all Gabrielle wanted to know and it was even nicer to hear it straight from her.
Gabrielle had known Xena to be cold sometimes and shut herself off from the world and that included her emotions. She felt overjoyed that Xena was able to say these words from her heart, from within, without hesitation. She truly loved her and her well being more than she had ever before it seemed and it showed greatly.
"You don't know...how much that means to me..." Gabrielle smiled, wiping her eyes. "To hear you say that." She sighed unsteadily, her breathing labored in between soft sobs.
Xena leaned in closely to the blonde's face, longing to touch and feel her once more after so long. Her fingers grazed her soft cheek and she kissed Gabrielle's lips tenderly. Silencing the world around them, ceasing all words, Gabrielle was caught off guard by the gentle kiss.
They pulled away from one another and Xena brushed a few short tendrils behind Gabrielle's ears, smiling. "I love you, Xena," she whispered.
"I love you too, Gabrielle," the warrior whispered back and their foreheads met as they locked eyes. Gabrielle cupped Xena's cheeks and couldn't help but let out a small chuckle, happy to see her face once again, after what seemed like a lifetime.
Ernak swung open the door and cheered, lifting a bottle of wine in his hand and a cup in the other. "We have wine!" he roared at the top of his lungs.
Xena groaned. "Ernak!" she hissed and motioned her head to Anastasia, whom was sleeping.
He cringed and whispered, "we have wine..."
Anastasia stirred in her sleep and she rose to sit up and saw Ernak with Dengi. Both with apologetic looks on their faces. Gabrielle rolled her eyes and shoved a pillow in Ernak's face.
"Nice going," she grumbled and walked over to see if her dress was dry yet.
Ernak scoffed, "come on, Gabrielle!" he walked over to Anastasia and smiled, sitting down on the floor beside her. She wrapped the blanket around herself and grimaced. "I brought some figs for you," he wriggled his eyebrows and pulled the fruits from his pocket.
"Oh joy," Ana sarcastically said, though she did not deny the fruit and set them in her lap.
Xena leaned backward on her palms, tapping her fingers on the bed, a little irritated that these boys, as she called them, interrupted her moment with Gabrielle. A moment she had been waiting for. A moment alone, but no, never alone, she thought.
Ernak poured a cup of wine and hopped onto the bed, wrapping his arm around Xena's shoulder. "I really missed you, you know," he began and Xena rumbled lowly. "I love you..." he said with a cheeky grin, hoping that she would forgive him for putting her daughter in harm's way.
"I'm going to give you three seconds to get off me," Xena said in a calm voice. "One..." she began her count.
Ernak chuckled nervously and he slunk down to the floor again, scooting far away from her. He huffed and sipped the wine and Anastasia smirked at him as did Gabrielle from afar.
"Don't be angry with him, mother. It was my idea to go to Rome and to Pannonia. It's all my fault."
"Ha!" Dengi cheered and he received a menacing glare from Xena and he cleared his throat, sinking into the ground, chugging the wine.
"Anastasia," Xena ran her fingers through her daughter's hair. "You shouldn't have gone anywhere to begin with especially since you're pregnant."
Ana gasped, "Gabrielle! You promised!" she griped.
Xena frowned. "Gabrielle didn't tell me," she quickly eyed the blonde though. Wondering if Kreka didn't tell her, would Gabrielle keep that from her because of Anastasia? Would she? "Kreka told me."
Anastasia's face drained of color. "You...saw her?" she asked in a meek voice.
Her mother nodded. "Yes, I met everyone. Why do you think I was in Rome?" she winked and Anastasia sighed heavily. "We need to talk about Navaz."
Ernak sighed and stood. "Well, looks like it's time to go," he nudged his brother and Dengi was completely engrossed in this conversation. "Dengi!"
"Okay, fine," Dengi groaned and stood, following his brother out of the room.
Anastasia cursed this moment. She had lived this moment in her dreams. Her mother's penetrating glare would forever haunt her and now that is was a reality, she regretted this so much. She regret marrying Navaz and she regret being in this very room at this very moment.
Gabrielle slipped on her dry dress and sat down beside Xena, rubbing her arm gently. Xena smiled, slightly distracted and then she focused on her daughter who refused to look at her.
"Navaz is a nice man. I could tell that he cares about you. He was very concerned for your safety in Rome." Xena said and Ana frowned, lifting her chin to stare up at her. "I want you to know that I am glad to call him an ally and hopefully a friend."
"You are?" Anastasia asked and her mother gave her a blank stoic stare. She suddenly felt bad for what she said to Gabrielle before. She felt that the child she carried was not important because of her marriage with Navaz, but now that she had her mother's approval, she felt awful for saying she didn't care about her child.
She whimpered softly and Xena frowned sadly then sat down on the floor, wincing at her aching hips. She wrapped her arm around the sobbing daughter of hers. "Why are you crying?" she whispered.
"I'm a horrible person," she said softly. Gabrielle lowered her eyes once she heard Anastasia say that. She thought of her as her own daughter, especially since she spent so much time with her.
"No, you're not," Xena smiled and ran her fingers through her daughter's hair.
The Hun queen shook her head. "Yes, I am. I...I promised to give Navaz an heir if he made me his commander. I convinced myself to not care about this child. I wanted you to be proud of me."
"Oh," Xena sighed and brought her daughter closer. "I am proud of you, so proud of you. Gabrielle is proud of you, everyone is." She kissed her temple and allowed her to lay her head on her shoulder. "Remember before you had Csaba and you were so afraid that I would be disappointed with you?"
Anastasia remained quiet and toyed with a tendril of her hair, listening to her mother's heart beat against her ear.
"I wasn't disappointed with you then and I'm not disappointed with you now. I love you very much and only want the best for you, Anastasia. You know Gabrielle and I would do anything for you."
Gabrielle smiled and sat on the ground in front of them, wiping Ana's cheeks with the back of her thumb. "She's right. We would do anything for you and we love you no matter what."
Anastasia laughed softly. "And I thought you were going to be mad at me."
"I could never stay mad at you," Xena said and Ana grinned, staring into her eyes.
"So sweet," Ernak said as he poked his head behind the door with his brother listening.
"Ernak!" all three women yelled unison and he smiled cheekily then quickly closed the door.