The Hephthatlite Huns are called White Huns because they were the only light skinned Huns and wanted to distinguish themselves from the Pannonian Huns –Attila's people.

Chapter 16 –The Anastasian Alliance

Xena took Navaz's army to the outskirts of Pannonia. There they hid in the snow banks, hunkered down watching over the territory that now belonged to the Bulgur Huns. Dengi and Ernak laid down in the snow, wrapped in their large fur coats. Gabrielle laid down beside them, her breath shaky from the frigid weather and snow falling on them. Meanwhile, Xena stayed yards away on her horse with the first fleet of men talking with Zolten and quietly overseeing the lit up city with hundreds of campfires.

Dengi narrowed his head and pulled his fur hat over his shoulder length hair, covering the entirety of his forehead. "When will she give us the signal god dammit?" he grunted.

Gabrielle frowned and kept her eyes focused on the Bulgur Huns. She saw a lot of men surrounding the Adame, the home that once belonged to the greatest Hun king of them all. She didn't have any bloodlines with these people and neither did Xena, but she had spent years with these Huns and they felt more like family to her than her own family she had back home.

"Patience is not your strong suit, I see," she whispered.

She felt a hand on her shoulder and turned to see Zolten knelt down beside her. "Xena is sending out the first fleet into the field," he whispered in ear and she nodded.

Turning back to the anxious Hun men. "She's sending the fleet out now."

Ernak grinned. "Alright. 'Bout time Xena." He pulled out his crossbow as did Dengi and Gabrielle settled her crossbow on a rock, aiming at the Huns guarding the border around Pannonia. Each had a target of three men in front of them and Gabrielle turned her head to see Navaz's men crawling in the snow towards the other Bulgur Hun guards.

"Steady..." Ernak squinted one eye and all three of them released their arrows at the same time, piercing through the Bulgur Huns' throats. "Bastards," he chuckled and reloaded the crossbow.

The other guards took notice of their comrades falling to the ground and Navaz's men came up behind them and twisted their necks to achieve an instant kill then drug them off into the snowy forest. Gabrielle, Dengi and Ernak crawled in the snow to get to their next checkpoint without being noticed, covered in black fur coats drenched in snow, giving the appearance of rocks in the banks above the city.

Xena sat on her horse watching the king's army slowly invading the Bulgur camp inside Pannonia in the dead of night. Dengi, Ernak and Gabrielle were taking care of the border patrol. Her eyes darted to the Adame and she narrowed her eyes.

Zolten walked over to her, his icy breath apparent in the cold air. "Xena, the first fleet is waiting behind the Adame."

She lowered the scarf wrapped around the lower half of her face. "Send in the second fleet to the south forest." She commanded and he nodded then waved his hand to the men, being as quiet as possible, directing them to go to the far end of Pannonia. She arched an eyebrow and trotted closer to the hill top to oversee the White Huns dressed in all black crawling through the camp like assassins.

In all her life as a commander she was not one for ambush attacks that were so secretive and clandestine as this. When she did ambush attacks she had her men hidden in trees and then charge forward, alarming everyone and attacked with full force. But not this time. She wanted all of the soldiers of the Bulgur tribe to be eliminated before she set foot inside that Adame. She had her eye on the prize –Basil, the Bey of this tribe. The ally of the Roman emperor, Odoacer. Traitor.

Gabrielle ran up to Xena, panting heavily. "We got rid of all the guards on the border. Are we going to the Adame now?" her eyes lit up, excited to see the look on the Bey's face. She never thought she'd want to be a part of this but here she was. Being an adviser was so much better than being a scribe. She actually got to work in the field with Xena and participate in the plan instead of standing on the sidelines.

Xena smiled deviously, noting the hunger in the blonde's eyes. "The second fleet is waiting for you behind the Adame. You remember what to do, right?" she asked.

"Yes, of course. I got this," Gabrielle smiled then ran off, hunkering down, covering her blond locks with the black hood of her coat.

Ernak thumbed at Gabrielle. "She's got good aim. I'd trust her with a bow any day."

Basil sat in his room calculating all of the food, supplies and weapons that he was going to need for his army. He had got word from Odoacer that Zeno was taking over the entire Roman army under his belt and training them to go up against the White Huns. Basil never thought those particular Huns would be a problem. He was surprised to hear that Anastasia, the daughter of Xena, was in fact the wife of Khushnavaz, the White Hun king.

She was not a liar, though he couldn't say the same for her mother. He was never able to speak to Xena in person but had seen her pass by, ransacking his territory in Thrace with Attila's second eldest son, Dengizich. She gave him an ultimatum –surrender or die. He surrendered but then Dengizich foolishly ruined the deal. Basil smirked thinking of how angry Xena must have been.

Outside the doors of the grand bedroom Gabrielle saw a man heading towards the doors with a letter in his hands with the royal Roman seal on it. She hid behind a wall and watched the man knock on the door. Thinking quickly, she pulled out a dagger from her boot and came up behind the man and stabbed his throat and drug him off, throwing him into a separate hallway. She looked down over the balcony and saw Navaz's men trailing in through the entrance, pointing their swords at the servants, telling them to leave.

It was so strange being in this place again. A place that was so important and there had been many meetings here, parties and arguments, even deaths. Now it was just empty, filled with people that didn't deserve it. Xena was right, taking back Pannonia is the right thing to do and it was all Anastasia's idea.

Gabrielle saw the doors open and Basil frowned down at her confusedly. She was clever enough to snatch the letter from the man's hands. "I come from Rome, delivering a message from Odoacer himself," she waved the letter with a smile.

He eyed her suspiciously. "You must be Odoacer's Consul," he finally smiled and she nodded.

Why yes, yes I am. "I've come a long way to give this to you but I have an adviser that wants to speak with you downstairs if you don't mind coming with me?" she asked politely and saw the White Hun soldiers out of the corner of her eye.

He stepped out of the room and she growled, "grab him!" The White Huns hit Basil in the gut with the dull ends of their swords and put a bag over his head. They grabbed his arms and forcefully pulled him down the hallway towards the grand staircase.

Once the soldiers were outside they threw Basil onto the snowy soil and Xena smiled, walking up the Bey and he slowly rose to his knees. She ripped the bag off his head and he looked up at her, groaning lightly. She took the scarf away from her face and saw his eyes display such horror. He felt like he was staring at a ghost, but she was very much alive. The black fur hat and coat she wore, very much like the attire he had seen her in when he saw her years ago.

She pointed her blade at the Bey's throat. "Basil, right?" she grinned wider seeing the fear in his eyes. Gabrielle came to stand beside her, grinning smugly at the frightened Bulgur. "Good work Gabrielle."

His eyes darted over to the deceiving blonde woman. She waved the letter in front of him, teasing him. He growled and Xena pressed the blade into his skin and he froze. "Don't make any sudden moves," Xena said, "or...do. Your choice," she chuckled. "You've been a very naughty man, Basil," she shook her head and he shivered. "First, you attack my home, then you take it for yourself, then you capture my daughter and send her to the most despised man in the entire Hun Nation!" she hissed.

"Harming a Hun Queen is punishable by death. Surely you know that," she gave him a crooked smile and his lips parted, begging to speak but she stepped forward, slicing into his skin ever so slightly. Blood dripping down his neck. "We could do this the hard way or the easy way. Which do prefer?"

Basil bit his tongue at the stinging pain from the light cut he received from Xena's sword. "What...what do you want?"

She lowered her blade and grabbed him by the throat with her gloved hand, choking him. "Surrender Pannonia. Give it to me or I'll take it from you. This is an invasion, Basil. Don't be stupid." Her eyes wild as her grip tightened around his neck.

Gabrielle raised an eyebrow, hearing the Bey struggling to breathe. "Xena..."

"What?" she whipped her head around.

"You might want to let go so he can speak," she suggested.

Xena turned back to the Bulgur and smiled. "Oh, yes..." she released him and he coughed, gasping for air. "So, what have you?" she waved the sword tauntingly in front of his face and he eyed the sharp blade cautiously. "Will you surrender or will I have to take Pannonia from you?"

Basil spat at her boots and she frowned. She kicked him down and stomped her boot onto his chest. "Submit, you fool!" she growled, pressing her heel into his chest and he moaned loudly.

"Burn in Hell," he croaked.

She gripped her sword tightly and smiled, raising it above her head. She stared down at the Bey, fear in his eyes. She hesitated and her arms shook as she began having conflicting thoughts over killing this man or not. She thought about what Gabrielle said to her. That dark path that she promised never to go down again. She made a promise. Killing him would be the justified thing to do after how he treated her daughter and everyone in Pannonia, but it was also too easy.

Gabrielle held her breath watching Xena stand over the man, gripping her sword. She raised her eyebrows, hoping that she wouldn't. Don't do it, Xena. There is another way. You've always told me there is another way.

Xena growled and lowered her sword and saw Basil's eyes widened, surprised to find himself not sliced into several pieces by now. She let her boot off his chest. "Dengi, tie him up. We're taking him back to Balaam."

She looked over her shoulder to Ernak. "You will stay here with two fleets and guard Pannonia. This is our land, not his," she glared at the Bulgur. Dengi grabbed Basil and tied his wrists and put a noose around his neck.

Gabrielle smiled and Xena turned around, sheathing her sword. She ran her hand across her face then caught her consort gazing at her. Giving her a warm smile she walked off to her horse. "We leave at once," she mounted the steed.

The blonde ran over to her. "I have this letter from Odoacer," she lifted her arm and Xena nodded.

"You hold onto it. We will give it to Anastasia when we return to Balaam." Xena said and nudged her head. "Aren't you coming?" she asked and Gabrielle hopped onto the horse, wrapping her arm around Xena's waist.

"I thought you were going to kill him," Gabrielle said in a soft voice.

"I was," Xena couldn't deny it. She really wanted to drive her sword into that arrogant bastard. "But I thought of you." She looked over her shoulder and saw a smile on her consort's lips. "But if he doesn't cooperate I will kill him."

Gabrielle let out a breathy sigh.

"If Navaz agrees," Xena added and that eased Gabrielle's mind a little bit.

Navaz received word from Hormizd and Peroz that they wanted to talk. He suspected that the Nezak Huns had attacked the empire border already on the east. When he gave Malka the command to attack he knew that they would devastate the eastern border of Persia in a matter of hours. Fortunately for the Shahs, their capital was nowhere near the eastern border with Nezak Huns but that also meant that the border was weak and unprotected.

The Shahs kept their borders heavily guarded on the western side close to the Caucasus region, fearing that Navaz and his army would attack at any moment. But Navaz didn't want to attack Persia, not yet anyway. He was anxious to hear what the two brothers wanted to talk about. They said the meeting was strictly political and meant no harm. There was one thing about those Persians –they loved politics and Navaz wasn't very good in that department. He wished that Anastasia could come with him. She was so good speaking politically especially the last time she rejected Peroz and his ridiculous treaty of peace.

Just before dawn approached he was going to head out with his elite soldiers and ride to the Sassan palace in the heart of the Persian empire. He sat on a chair, slipping on his boots trying to be as quiet as possible. He laced up his boot finally and stood, grabbing his cloak.

Throwing it over his shoulders he turned back to see Anastasia sleeping soundly in their bed. He smiled softly and tied his cloak around his neck and watched her sleep peacefully. Her long hair draped over her hip and her arms tucked underneath the pillow as she slept on her side. Her chest rising and falling heavily.

He sat on the edge of the bed and brushed her long hair behind her body and pulled the silk sheet over her long sleeved black gown. She inhaled deeply and brought one knee close to her, shifting in her sleep subtly. He ran his hand over her hair and she cuddled against the pillow.

Slowly, he leaned downward and kissed her forehead gently. "I love you," he whispered and smiled then carefully lifted off the bed so he wouldn't disturb her. He had never actually told Anastasia that he loved her face to face, but he constantly reminded her that he would do anything for her and he meant that. He took in a deep breath and grabbed his sword before he head out.

He stormed out of the room and saw Csaba outside of his room and frowned, back tracking a few steps. "What are you doing awake?" he asked. The hour was nearing dawn and he had never seen the boy awake so early before.

Csaba lifted his eyes and jumped off the bench that was outside his bedroom. "I was waiting for mother to wake up. She told me that she'd train me with the sword today." He smiled.

Navaz nodded. "She's still sleeping," he said and the boy lowered his head as if he was afraid to look him in the eye. "I have to go to Persia but I'll be back in a few days."

"I know," the twelve year old answered.

The king stood awkwardly in front of the boy, the boy that was not his true son. Smiling softly he took a step forward and Csaba lifted his eyes, staring up at the tall king. "I know your birthday is soon. I have a special gift for you."

The boy's face lit up. "Really?" he grinned excitedly.

Navaz nodded. "It is being made so it might be a little late but I think you will like it." He said and couldn't help but smile at the boy's excited face –his smile just like his mother's. He hoped one day that he could be better friends with him in the future.

He placed his hand on Csaba's shoulder firmly. "I'll be back soon. Take care of your mother."

Csaba nodded. "I will."

Hours later after Navaz left the borders were secure by orders of Xena especially since she and Navaz were gone. The White Huns guarding the border saw a small group of Roman horsemen approaching. One of the soldiers stepped forward, putting his hand up.

"Durmak!" he yelled and the Romans halted their horses, staring at him confusedly. "Who are you and why have you come to Balaam?" he asked.

"I come from Constantinople," the governor stated and immediately his men were surrounded by Hun soldiers, pointing their weapons at everyone. "Wait!" he begged, "I do not come on orders of Emperor Zeno. I come for my own interests. I wish to speak with your queen."

The Huns eyed him suspiciously and lowered their weapons. Jalal, the head officer in charge of border patrol whispered to the other men. He turned back to the Roman governor and stepped forward. "Do you have a meeting set up with the queen?" he asked.

The governor shook his head. "I came here on my own. May I speak with her?"

Jalal folded his arms and spoke to the others for a few more moments in hushed voices. "You may come inside the city but you must come alone." He eyed the Roman posse behind the governor cautiously.

Anastasius nodded. "I will come alone." He nodded to his men and they hesitantly stayed behind. Jalal allowed him to pass through the gates into the city of Balaam. He nervously eyed all of the Huns glaring at him as he was being escorted by the border patrol towards the Adame ahead.

Once they reached the steps of the Adame Jalal put a hand up, halting the governor from coming any closer. "Wait here," he said then ran up the stairs, briskly walking through the large dwelling.

Kreka stood behind Anastasia fixing her veil and pinning her hair underneath the crown on her head. Anastasia held the crown on her head steadily as her hair was being worked on. Kreka pulled back the loose strands of her hair tightly and the queen hissed.

"Why are you pinning it so tight?!" Ana growled.

"So everyone can see what a pretty face you have," Kreka grinned and pinned her hair back to the middle of her scalp. She then smoothed out the veil attached to the crown and looked into the mirror, framing Anastasia's face. "See?"

Anastasia frowned and spun around in the chair, reaching for her earrings on her vanity set. "Did Navaz leave this morning?" she asked.

Kreka nodded. "He left before dawn. He didn't say anything to you?"

"I must have been asleep," she frowned sadly and then looked at her face in the mirror one last time. "I will be with Csaba today overseeing his training while my mother is away." She rose from the chair, staring into the khatun's eyes. "If you need anything just come and –"

"Queen Anastasia!" Jalal knocked on the door.

She groaned. "Yes?" she called out and he opened the door, bowing his head.

"Governor of Constantinople is here to see you. He came alone. Shall I ask him to come inside?"

Anastasia frowned and shared a worried look with Kreka. Turning back to Jalal she gave him a curt nod. "Yes, bring him in..."

"Yes, your highness," he turned and closed the doors behind him.

"Governor of Constantinople?" Kreka arched an eyebrow. "Were you expecting him?"

"No, I wasn't..."

Governor Anastasius was brought into the conference room in the center of the Adame. He walked inside the room and saw the Hun Queen sitting at the end of the table with two women on either side of her. He smiled nervously and bowed his head at the three women.

He jumped as the doors were closed behind him and Kreka smirked. He was very young, probably around the same age as Anastasia, maybe even a couple of years younger. Tuya sat opposite of Kreka, eyeing the young governor from head to toe.

Suddenly, he felt like he was being interrogated by these women with their silent judgments. "Queen Anastasia," he bowed again and she smiled slightly amused at this young man. "Thank you for seeing me. I traveled a long way to see you."

She skipped the formalities. "Why are you here?"

"Oh," he nervously began and she eyed the chair.

"You can sit down. Don't be so shy, Roman," Ana kept smiling and Kreka and Tuya both smiled at the young man's anxiety creeping up on him.

"I –I came here on my own accord. I am the governor of Emperor Zeno and head of the Roman Court in Nicaea and Constantinople. I came here to discuss a possible alliance with you." He said and saw all the women look to each other with frowns on their faces.

Anastasia folded her hands on the table, eyeing the governor. "Alliance with Zeno?" she asked.

He shook his head. "No, your majesty. I want to make an alliance with you. This has nothing to do with Emperor Zeno."

"I don't understand."

He took in a deep breath and stared into her piercing blue eyes. He also had two other pairs of eyes staring at him intensely, which was making him very nervous. The tribune of women glaring into his soul. He wondered if he was making the right decision to do this.

"I want you to get rid of Zeno and put me on the throne as emperor of the Roman Empire," he blurted out.

Anastasia blinked and dipped her head, twiddling her thumbs. At this moment she wished that Navaz and her mother were here to oversee this meeting. This man was asking her to do the impossible but she also wondered if this was a trap set up by Zeno. She didn't trust Romans at all. If her mother were here then she would grill the poor young man until he poured his heart out, but she was not her mother. She was different than her. And it was too soon for Anastasia to form a court of her own since the deal was sealed only a week earlier. She only had Kreka Khatun by her side and Tuya. One comforting while the other was much to be desired.

She closed her eyes and spoke silently to herself, figuring out what to do. What is the right thing to do here? She lifted her head and stared at the governor. "Could you give me a few minutes?" she asked.

He nodded and stood. "Of course." He bowed his head and exited the room.

"Aptal adam!" Kreka scoffed, finally able to express her feelings. "What will you decide Anastasia?" she turned to the frozen queen. "Anastasia?"

The young queen turned to her with wide eyes. "I don't know. He seemed very nervous. He did not come here by orders of Zeno. He will be put to death if he is caught here."

Tuya folded her arms on the table, leaning towards Anastasia. "We could order a coup and take over Constantinople."

Kreka raised an eyebrow. "You want a coup? Huns don't do coups, Tuya."

Anastasia sat in silence listening to the two women go back and forth with each other. She furrowed her eyebrows then put her hands up. "Stop!" she said firmly and both women ceased their tongues. "My mother has an old military base in Troy."

"That place has been abandoned for years," Kreka added.

The queen nodded. "Yes but it's still there." She smiled, eyeing both women. "We could have some of the army stay there and organize an attack on Constantinople. Nobody owns Troy. It's considered neutral territory. Not even Romans go there."

"Sounds like you've already made your decision." Kreka said and Tuya smirked.

Anastasia nodded to the guards to allow the governor back in. She adjusted in the chair and placed her arms on the armrests, eyeing the doors open slowly. The nervous Roman walked back in with sweat dripping off his forehead, even in this frigid weather. He was definitely anxious.

"We will help you organize a coup to overthrow Emperor Zeno." She said and he broke out in a smile. "I will need to tell my husband about this when he returns home of course."

He nodded and bowed his head towards her. "Of course, your highness. Thank you. This would mean the world to me." He bowed again and she smiled, once again amused by his humbleness.

She rose from the chair as did Kreka and Tuya. He walked over and shook her hand. "What is your name, Roman?"

He lifted his chin proudly, "Flavius Anastasius."

Her eyes widened and lowered her arm, arching an eyebrow. "We share the same name." she smiled.

Csaba was outside playing with his sword by himself since his mother was preoccupied with queenly duties for the last few days. He was hoping that he would be able to spend more time with her but he hardly ever saw her and she was always so tired by the end of the day that she went to straight to bed only to wake up the next day and do it all over again.

He swung his sword at a wooden post in the courtyard outside the Adame and sighed heavily. He also didn't see a lot of Kreka either. She was the next person he spent most time with but now, he was alone. Nobody was here to be with him and the boys in this tribe were fearful to come near him. He growled and threw his sword into the snow and pouted, folding his arms.

Loud horns were sounded at the entrance of Balaam and Csaba spun around to see Xena riding in with Gabrielle and his two uncles behind her with some of the army. He grinned and ran over to them all, pushing through a few people, not even bothering to pardon himself.

Xena smiled when she saw her grandson charging right for her. He skid to a stop and grinned up at her with his big green eyes. "Did you get Pannonia back, grandma?" he asked with hope in his eyes.

She frowned. "I told you to stop calling me that."

Gabrielle cackled behind her and Xena shot her a glare. "When are you going to get over it, Xena? It's been how many years now?" she teased. "Twelve?"

"Thirteen soon!" Csaba said and Xena rolled her eyes. "You didn't forget about my birthday did you?" he blinked his eyes up at his grandmother.

Xena sighed and ruffled the boy's hair. "Of course I didn't. Where's your mother?"

He groaned. "She's inside working..."

She frowned sadly seeing the disappointment on his face. It reminded her so much of Ellac when he was told to go off alone with his brothers because Attila was busy with other duties to serve the empire. Now Csaba was in the same position as his late father.

"When I'm done talking with your mother maybe we can do something altogether this evening?" she offered and saw his face light up again.

"Really? Like what?"

Gabrielle grinned evilly and suggested, "we should play chess." Xena grumbled at that suggestion. Gabrielle knew that Xena hated playing that game because she was really bad at it. It was probably the only thing that Xena was bad at and she hated to admit it.

He clamped his hands together. "Sounds great! We'll play in teams. Me and mother and you with grandma."

Xena snarled. "My name is not grandma!"

Gabrielle nudged the commander's arm. "How about we make a bet? If Anastasia and Csaba win then he gets to call you 'grandma' for...eternity."

"No way!" Xena chided.

Csaba smiled, "afraid you'll lose?"

She scoffed, "in your dreams, boy." She yanked on the reins and trotted off. Gabrielle winked at Csaba as they rode off together towards the Adame.

Anastasia glared down at the Bulgur Hun on his knees. He kept staring at her with such malice. She turned to her mother and Gabrielle. "Did you seize Pannonia?" she asked.

Xena cleared her throat and uncrossed her arms. "Ernak and the rest of the army are still in Pannonia. I asked him to sanction it."

The young queen smiled and stared at Basil. "Good." She bent down to his eye level, inches from his face. "You are no longer the Bey of Pannonia. That land never belonged to you and it will never belong to a Bulgur Hun ever again." She pat his cheek and he snarled.

He chuckled lightly and she stood up right, folding her arms. "I was wrong about you..." he lifted his head slowly with an eerie smile. "You are your mother's daughter." He turned and stared at Xena.

Anastasia's lip quivered. "Kill him." She ordered.

Xena raised an eyebrow and unsheathed her sword walking over to the Bulgur Hun. She pointed the blade at his gut and he kept smiling up at her. She so wished to see that smile wiped off of his face. "Pannonian cunts," he hissed.

Gabrielle's eyes darkened and she gripped the crossbow in her hand. Xena clenched her jaw and swung her sword, decapitating his head from body. Anastasia wiped the blood off her face and kicked the Bulgur's body over.

"Send his head to Odoacer. A gift from me," the White Hun queen grinned. Xena wiped her sword down and stared back at Gabrielle. She half expected her to be horrified but Gabrielle's expression did not convey horror, but anger.

Later that evening inside the queen's quarters within the Adame, Csaba and Gabrielle played chess against each other. He being on a team with his mother and Gabrielle on Xena's team. The young soon to be teenager had his heart on winning the game and each person would play best two out of three games. Gabrielle won the first game against Csaba and Xena warned her that if she lost that there would be a punishment in store for her. Whichever team had the most wins would have to forfeit.

Now on the second game nearing its end, Gabrielle was positive that she could win. She played this game several times while living in Athens long ago and Rome as well when she served under Odoacer and Zeno as Consul.

Xena sat with her daughter a ways away from the game on the floor. Anastasia set down her glass of water and stared at her mother whom was completely ignoring her, focused on the game. Her eyes fixated on Gabrielle.

Csaba grinned and jumped up. "I win!" he said proudly and Gabrielle shook her head.

"We have another game, Csaba," she began setting up the board again for the third game. He plopped back down onto the ground with an eager smile on his face.

Xena frowned and Anastasia smiled. "Mother I didn't know that you were so competitive in chess." She teased.

"I'm not. I just need Gabrielle to win this game and then..." Xena turned to her daughter with a smug smile, "we play each other next."

The queen sighed heavily. "You really don't like being called –"

"Don't say it," Xena warned and sipped the wine.

"Well, I'm afraid you should get used to it because I am very good at chess and I know for a fact that you aren't." Anastasia winked and her mother frowned, lowering the glass of wine from her mouth.

"This game is ridiculous," the commander muttered.

Ana smiled softly. "Mother, I need to tell you something," she said seriously, catching Xena's attention. "Emperor Zeno's governor came to see me a few days ago." At that moment she saw her mother's hand grip the wine glass tightly. "And...he asked me –us –to overthrow Zeno so he can become Emperor. I agreed and said we would help him."

"You did what?" Xena's voice dark. Gabrielle briefly looked over during the game at Xena's tense face and large irate eyes.

"I know what you're thinking but this is not a trap. Think about it! We can get rid of Zeno and put someone who we want in charge of Constantinople. We will be able to thrive and have an ally in the Roman Empire! We will be at the top of the world again, mother." Ana's eyes grew with excitement.

Xena groaned and tapped her fingers on the table impatiently. "Does Navaz know about this?" she asked in a more calm tone.

Anastasia shook her head. "He hasn't come back from Persia yet. I was thinking...we could use your old military base in Troy to organize the coup –"

"Coup?!" Xena's voice raised and Gabrielle spun around as did Csaba. "Anastasia, I don't do coups. I've never done one in my entire life. I invade territories. Coups are for political gain and power."

The queen nodded. "And I want that power. So, will you do it? I would if I could." She bat her long lashes at her mother. "Please?" she pleaded.

Xena grumbled and pinched the bridge of her nose. Looking over at Gabrielle playing with Csaba she quirked her mouth. Turning back to her nervous daughter she let out a large sigh. "I will talk to Navaz about it and see what he says."

"Thank you," Ana smiled finally satisfied with her mother's answer.

Csaba moved the 'queen' chess piece across the board, coming into Gabrielle's territory. "What did you get me for my birthday?" he asked Xena.

Anastasia furrowed her eyebrows. "Csaba!"

"What?" he shrugged a shoulder. "I'm just curious."

Xena smiled. "You will have to wait and see."

He sighed and lifted his eyes at his opponent. Smiling deviously he asked, "what about you Gabrielle? What did you get for my birthday?" he pried.

Gabrielle shook her head. "No, no. I'm not telling you anything. You'll have to wait like your..." she eyed Xena playfully, "grandma said."

Xena shot her a mean glare. "You really want to play this game, Gabrielle? You're on my team, remember?"

Gabrielle zipped her lips and kept playing chess quietly, avoiding Xena's glare staring into her backside. Csaba moved another piece across the board, knocking out Gabrielle's pawns. "Navaz said that he has a special gift for me," he said.

Ana whipped her head around and raised an eyebrow. "He does?" she asked, not privy to this information at all.

Her son nodded. "Yeah, he said it's being made. I don't know what that means but I hope it's a new sword or a bow!" he grinned. "Ha! Prepare to lose, Gabby." He snickered.

"Navaz didn't tell me he has a gift for Csaba," Anastasia whispered.

Xena shrugged a shoulder. "Does he need your permission for that too?" she teased and Ana narrowed her eyes at her mother. "Did Kreka finish your dress?"

The queen rolled her eyes. "I don't know if having this senlik is such a good idea, mother. We have so much to do and –"

"Oh come on, Ana, it'll be fun," Gabrielle said just as she knocked out a few more of Csaba's pawn pieces.

Xena smiled. "I agree with Gabrielle, for once." She teased and received a snarky look from her counterpart. "What's wrong with you? You were so excited to have a senlik before you had Csaba."

Anastasia exhaled heavily and leaned her cheek on her palm. "That was different. I was really naive and had no idea how much work a baby would be. I know better now and I am busy enough as it is."

Xena leaned forward and grabbed her daughter's hand firmly. "You don't have to be a queen all the time, Anastasia. You will burn yourself out. You are allowed to have fun, you know."

"Maybe you should take some of your own advice," Gabrielle retorted and Xena grunted. "I win!" she cheered and Csaba folded his arms. "In your face, boy!" she grinned. "Okay Xena, your turn."

The commander stood and lend a hand to her daughter. "Are you going to play against me or what?"

"You can totally beat her mother," Csaba encouraged. "She sucks."

"Ha..." Xena mocked. "You think you're so cute, don't you?"

"I'm adorable," he teased and helped his mother out of the chair. He whispered in her ear, "whip her butt, mother."

Anastasia grinned and walked over to the chess board on the floor and sat down slowly. Xena was setting up the board and she couldn't help but see the nerves in her eyes. "So, two out of three, right?"

"Three out of four," Xena said.

"Wow you really don't want to lose," Ana teased. "Two out of three."

"Three out of four."

"Mom, you can't just change the rules of the game because you aren't good at it," the queen said and laid out her pieces. "Two...out of three."

"Fine," Xena finally relented.

Anastasia smiled and finished setting up her pieces. "You first. Grandma," she teased and Xena grimaced.

Gabrielle sat at the table with Csaba and had her arms folded, basking in the fact that Xena was definitely going to lose. She needed to win two games and that was very unlikely to happen.

"This is going to be fun to watch," she crookedly smiled.

"I heard that," Xena said and focused on her daughter's next move. "We're on the same team, Gabrielle!"

The blonde chuckled. "I know but Xena, you really suck at this game."

Anastasia jumped over the board and knocked out the 'queen' chess piece. "Check."

Xena's jaw dropped. "We still have two more games to play."

"Then let's hope you win both of them." Anastasia smiled as she began resetting the game.

"Next time, I pick the game."