Happy Thanksgiving to all my American readers! I have big plans ahead for Xena and Gabrielle. So, stayed tuned ;)

Chapter 30

Two weeks later, Xena tried to talk to Anastasia about what happened when Peroz arrived with his kid cousin Erzibet but she refused to talk to her. Gabrielle, also tried to talk to Ellac, but he too didn't want to speak with her or Xena just yet. The tension was thick between everyone and these last couple of weeks crept by because of the awkwardness within the large family. Xena and Gabrielle continued training the young teenage boys how to use weapons as well as hand to hand combat.

All boys learned how to use weapons so they could fight in wars later. Hopefully, they would not see another war when they were so young, but everyone had to remain vigilant. Just because it was peaceful in the Hun Nation, meant nothing. There would always be war. Xena knew what she was doing when she made that deal with Peroz, but Ana and Ellac didn't see it that way.

Kreka was too busy making Leila's wedding dress and preparing for the ceremony that would take place soon. Dengi, Ernak and Ellac had their meetings every night it seemed like and everyone else was kept in the dark about them all. They didn't bother to ask for anyone else's input and Ellac didn't want Xena anywhere near their meetings anymore. Little did they know that Xena would denounce her position as commander and leave Pannonia, but she couldn't leave anytime soon, especially after what just happened.

She had no idea that Peroz was going to propose the engagement so soon. She thought it would take a year at most, instead of a couple of months after the massive and chaotic war with Queen Tomiri. Now the Persian Empire had control of the Scythian army at their disposal, yet Scythia was undecided territory. It was too close to Armenia and could not be claimed by Peroz and his elder brother just yet. The Persians would have to make a treaty with Navaz in order to gain control of the barren territory that once belonged to the vicious Scythian queen.

After Peroz made that deal with Xena he was going to keep his word as long as the Pannonian Huns kept theirs. He was not to enter Balaam or any Caucasus territory unless he had permission. He needed an alliance with someone else since Constantinople was out of the question. Anastasius was loyal to the Huns. Hormizd was not thrilled that his brother agreed to marry off their cousin to a Hun, but at least it was from Attila's bloodline, so that was good enough. And besides, Erzibet would be no good to a Persian suitor since she was a half breed. She was considered almost worthless, but Peroz knew that the Hun people were no strangers to marrying people of a different ethnicity. It had been done several times before. Whoever married a Hun then became one themselves and it was even better that his cousin was half Hun herself.

In the middle of the large field, Gabrielle stood beside Xena watching the teenage boys spar with each other. Xena quickly decided that they should not use swords especially after what happened yesterday. One of the boy's faces got sliced and another boy's arm had a huge gash. She would sure that their fathers would coming hunting for her if she kept allowing them to use swords. So, now, they resorted to using javelins with dull ends instead.

Gabrielle watched a pair of boys knock each other down repeatedly and saw they were both getting frustrated. She ran over to them and broke up their fight. "Hey, hey!" she yelled and the boys backed away from one another.

"You both are supposed to be working together, not fighting. Pick up your staffs and try again and don't kill each other this time," she said with a smile then ran back to stand beside Xena. "This is really difficult," she muttered.

Xena looked at the other pairs. "Hmm," she answered.

Gabrielle frowned. "Is that all you have to say? You haven't said anything all day!"

"Sorry," the warrior said. "I can't get Anastasia to talk to me. I hope she doesn't hate me."

"She doesn't hate you, Xena, but she has a right to be angry. You technically married her son off without her consent."

Xena groaned. "It wasn't like that! I was desperate and we were going to lose to Tomiri. Besides, in three years, if Csaba doesn't want to marry Erzibet then he doesn't have to."

"I know I'm not really from here and all but even I know that's not how things work here, Xena. Ellac was supposed to marry a girl that Attila picked out for him and it didn't happen because he got Anastasia pregnant. If that never happened then he would be married to that girl with no questions asked. He was forced to do it. Csaba is in the same position. He will be forced to marry Erzibet or we will go to war with Persia again. This is a lose-lose situation."

The commander pinched her bridge of her nose and was in basic denial of what she had done. She didn't really comprehend everything in the midst of the war until now when her plan came to bite her in the butt. She knew Gabrielle was right and inside, she knew it all along. The only thing she regretted was that she didn't tell Anastasia sooner.

"This whole marriage-alliance shit is so outdated," Xena grumbled. "It shouldn't have to be this way."

"Then you shouldn't have proposed the idea to Peroz." She combated.

Xena turned with a huge frown on her face. "I see. Well, miss philosopher, what should I do now?"

Gabrielle shrugged, "I don't know, Xena. You made this mess. You fix it. You're good at getting yourself out of these situations." She spotted another pair of boys rolling around in the grass. "Hey! Boys! Come on, this is not how it's supposed to work!" she yelled and ran over to them.

The problem now was that Xena wasn't sure she could fix something like this unless they went to war with Persia and she didn't want to go through that again. She began to feel selfish thinking about her plan to go to Africa with Gabrielle.

The more she thought of war, the more it made her cringe and the more it made her want to leave Pannonia. But she couldn't leave yet, especially after what a mess she caused. She couldn't think of another time when she had done something like this. In fact, she was acting out of character when she proposed the idea to Peroz. She so desperately wanted to win and instead of arguing and coaxing Peroz to agree to something else, she caved. Years ago, that would have never happened. She wouldn't let her grandson be a pawn in war, or anyone for that matter, but she did this time. She was responsible for this mess and she needed to fix it somehow, but how was the real question now.

Csaba walked with Erzibet in the forests of Pannonia and he looked behind them and frowned. Two of his father's men were following them wherever they went. He sighed and looked at the veiled girl beside him. He was supposed to spend a lot of time with her since she got here two weeks ago and he had spent every day with her and was missing out on hanging with his new friends. Though, his mother said it was important and his father was less than enthused about the idea but told him to do as his mother says.

"They're pretty annoying, huh?" he said speaking of the guards, trying to make small conversation.

She smiled beneath her veil and dared not to look into his green eyes. "A little bit..." she answered softly.

"Sorry, I'm not very good at talking to girls," he said awkwardly. "There were no girls in Pannonia when I grew up here and there were hardly any girls my age in Balaam either."

She nodded and kept quiet. They walked out of the forest and he spotted his grandmother sitting outside of her yurt, sharpening a sword. He wanted to go talk to her and get away from these guards but he promised to spend time with Erzibet.

"Sooo..." he sighed heavily. "Do you have a sword or a bow?"

Erzibet frowned and turned to him with her big brown eyes. "Ladies don't use weapons."

He scoffed, "but you are a Hun. All women here know how to use weapons! I could teach you," he said with a big smile.

"I'm not supposed to use any weapons."

"Come on, I can show you. It's really easy," he offered and she lowered her gaze, tightening the veil around her face. He sighed. "Okay how 'bout this. I teach you how to use a weapon and you teach me...whatever you're good at it."

Erzibet halted in step and stared at him, cocking her head. "You're a weird, boy." She stated and his face paled.

"Well, you're a weird girl. I don't even know what you look like," he chuckled and she hid her smile. "I see you are smiling. So, you think I'm pretty funny, huh?" he mused and her cheeks flushed. "So, what do you like to do then if you don't use weapons and stuff?"

"You're not going to stop are you?" she asked and he shook his head. She tapped her veiled cheek. "I know how to sew, spin and weave rugs."

Csaba raised his eyebrow. That wasn't exactly what he was expecting, but he was going to honor his offer. "Alright. You teach me how to sew something and I'll teach you how to use a weapon. Deal?" he held his hand out and she looked down at his hand.

She smiled and shook his hand. "Okay," she said and he grinned happily.

"Will I ever get to see your face?" he asked curiously. He desperately wanted to know what she looked like. He knew that his mother and other women inside the Adame knew what she looked like. The only thing that he saw were her eyes and not that they weren't beautiful, but that was the only thing he could see.

She smirked. "If I marry you then you will see."

He pursed his lips and continued walking towards the Adame. "Well, we can just be friends for now, right?"

"Friends," she repeated. "That sounds nice I suppose."

He stood by the Adame to drop her off and he desperately wanted to get away to go hangout with his friends. "So, tomorrow we begin our training, right?" he said and she nodded. "Until tomorrow then," he smiled then ran off to meet up with his friends.

Xena sat on the floor in her bedroom, drinking a glass of wine to herself. Gabrielle finished washing her hair in the bathhouse across the field. She came inside the yurt, expecting to see Xena in the sitting area but when she wasn't, she supposed that she was in the bedroom looking at the map of Africa.

Although, when she entered the bedroom she saw Xena was drinking wine by herself on the floor. She also still had her leathers and furs on from today's training session with the young teens. "Are you sulking?" she asked and Xena lifted her eyes. "You are!"

Gabrielle sat down on the bed and grabbed the empty bottle of wine. "You drank all of this by yourself?" she glared down at the warrior.

Xena scoffed, "it was only half empty..."

"We're not doing this again. First the opium, now the wine." Gabrielle snatched the half filled glass from Xena's hand. "You can't do this to yourself." She walked over to the fire pit and poured the wine directly into the fire, feeding it.

"Gabrielle! You can't tell me what to do! You aren't my mother!" Xena stood and Gabrielle smiled mockingly.

"You're upset. I get it. But you can't do this to yourself. Just go talk to Anastasia." She folded her arms.

Xena groaned and plopped back down onto the floor, digging her nails into her messy mane. "I already tried. She won't talk to me."

Gabrielle sighed and then took a seat down next to her. She brought her knees close to her chest and looked over at Xena hiding behind her veil of hair. "I've seen the way you talk to her, Xena. She's not a child and she's not one of your soldiers nor is she one of your prisoners. She has told you before that you can be controlling and that you interrogate her. We've had this exact conversation before when she was a teenager. She's not a little girl anymore and you still think that she is."

Xena lifted her head and ran her hands down her face. She gawked at the fire in front of her and felt Gabrielle's eyes on her –glaring. "But she will always be that innocent little girl that I remember her to be. I wasn't trying to...upset her. I wasn't thinking at all when I gave Peroz that proposition."

"I know that you love her and you'd do anything for her. We both know that and she does too, but Xena, she is a mother just like you. If I remember correctly, you were furious when Attila suggested that Ellac and she get married. I think you should remember that the next time you attempt to talk with her again."

"Just because she is pregnant doesn't mean she has to marry him," she folded her arms defiantly, "I refuse."

Attila stepped forward, close to Xena's face and both glared at one another, "I am the king of this empire. You are not in charge here, Xena. This is my territory, not yours," he reminded her of her place.

"I don't care if you are king of the world," she smirked, "she is my daughter and she is not marrying your son, end of discussion."

Xena caught herself in a daze and felt Gabrielle grab her arm. She abruptly turned her head and stared at her consort's sweet face, her soft smile and warm eyes. "You would think I would learn from my mistakes." She said softly.

"You have, Xena, in many ways. But you can't keep doing this. You treat your daughter like she is a child sometimes. She is an adult! You undermined her authority as queen, took her position away from her –"

"I only did that to help and protect her," Xena was quick to remind her.

Gabrielle nodded. "I know, but she didn't see it that way. And now, you are doing it again. You did something that you yourself would never allow. You would never let her be married off to someone without your permission. I think you should try and go talk to her again and maybe you should start off with...an apology."

"An apology?!" Xena spat and the blonde frowned. "Right. Apologize. I can't fix what I did, Gabrielle. You heard Peroz. He said that he would go to war with us again if the engagement was off. Ellac was forced to agree and it's my fault."

Gabrielle smiled softly and brushed Xena's hair away from her face. "Listen, Ellac has been gone for a long time. We all thought he was dead and now that he isn't, he wants to be involved with his son as much as possible. I don't think he wants to be like his father and marry off his son to someone like Attila almost did to him." She said and Xena stayed quiet.

"You loved Attila, right?" she asked and Xena quirked her mouth. "He was a great friend to you. You both had a great relationship together and you worked very well together. He was a kind person," she frowned, "well, not to his enemies." She then saw Xena break out into a small grin. "He never got to meet Csaba. Ellac has no parents, not any biological ones anyway. He thinks of you like his mother, more than Kreka, I think. He feels hurt by what you did. He's angry, but anger passes. Anastasia on the other hand is probably just as furious as you were when Attila proposed marriage to Ellac many years ago. So...you should talk to her."

Xena let out a big heavy sigh and turned to Gabrielle. "Thank you," she said. "I know I can count on you to point out my flaws," she teased.

The blonde chuckled and nudged the warrior's arm. "Your flaws are what make you special and you are very special to me. I love everyone here and I love you very much. I hate to see you fight with your daughter. She is like a daughter to me too."

Xena nodded and leaned over, pecking Gabrielle's lips softly. "Maybe Tomiri was right. I have grown too soft."

"Soft all in the right places," said the blonde and her cheeks flushed. "You still cut off her head. I don't think that was a sign of weakness."

Xena laughed lightly. "She had to go. She needed to be stopped and the only way to stop that was to kill her. You know that, right?"

"I know, I know. But I don't know if I'll ever be able to get used to you doing that."

"I don't kill people for fun, Gabrielle. I kill people that need to be gone from this world. This earth doesn't need leaders like Tomiri, Zeno or Odoacer. They instilled fear into innocent people, not their enemies."

Gabrielle nodded. "Philosophizing again, eh?"

"I learn from the best," Xena playfully nudged Gabrielle's arm. "I promise when all of this chaos dies down, we will leave Pannonia and go on our adventure. I'm sure we'll find interesting things in Africa," a devious smile crossed her lips.

No, not that look again, Gabrielle thought. "We aren't going to Tunis to 'hangout' with pirates."

"You're no fun. Live a little, Gabrielle. There is so much we haven't seen!" Xena stood and ruffled her long hair. "I'm going to talk to Anastasia."

"Don't interrogate her," she warned.

"I promise." Xena smiled then walked out of the bedroom.

Gabrielle sighed and leaned against the bed, staring up at the ceiling. At least she could count on Xena when she made promises. She had yet to disappoint her in that department.

Csaba stood in his mother's bedroom and watched her tend to his baby sister. He waited patiently and heard his sister fussing while his mother was changing her clothes. "Have you been spending time with Erzibet?" she asked.

He rolled his eyes while her back was turned to him. "Yes, every day just like you said, mother."

"And how is it going? What do you think of her?" she asked and smiled down at her fussy daughter.

"She's really quiet, but I like spending time with her. I wish she'd take that veil off. I can't see her face and it's really annoying. I promised to teach her how to use a sword."

Ana frowned and picked up Arielle into her arms, turning to her son. He immediately straightened up. "Did you?" she narrowed her eyes and he nodded. "Just because she is technically a Hun doesn't mean anything. She was raised in Persia and knows nothing of our customs and traditions. You need to be mindful of that."

"Yes mother," he said, lifting his chin. She walked by him and set Arielle down in the bassinet. "You...have seen her face, right?" he asked and she said nothing. "What does she look like?"

Anastasia groaned and turned around, facing her anxious son. "I can't tell you that but...she is very beautiful," she said and he smiled, nodding his head.

Xena knocked on the doorway and stood, leaning against the wall. Csaba turned and smiled at her. Anastasia frowned and crossed her arms at the sight of her mother. "I need to borrow your mother," she said to her grandson and he turned to his mother briefly. Ana curtly nodded and he smiled at his grandmother before leaving the room. Xena winked at him then entered the room.

"What do you want?" Ana said.

"You're on the defense , I see," Xena mused and walked over to see Arielle in the bassinet. She smiled at the baby and Arielle grinned up at her. "Anastasia, I want to talk to you. I know you don't want to talk to me but –"

"No, I don't."

Xena sighed and turned to her irate daughter. "I want to apologize. I was wrong and should have told you immediately about my agreement with Peroz. I want you to know that I wasn't thinking at that moment. Tomiri's men were invading and I had to ally with him. You know I am not one to befriend Persians. It didn't go well the first time, but I was desperate. I shouldn't have used your son as a wager for war."

Anastasia uncrossed her arms. "Say it again."

"Say what?" Xena eyed her confusedly.

"Say that you were wrong."

Xena bit her tongue. She felt like this was draining enough, but she wanted to appease her daughter. "I was wrong."

"Apologize again." Ana said with a deep frown.

"Anastasia, I'm not going to play this game with you."

"Apologize!" she snarled. "You never apologize for anything! Say it!" she yelled and her mother kept staring at her blankly. "Your face. I've seen it many times in my life. You are not sorry for what you did, mother. You just want to make yourself feel better. You are very selfish sometimes, you know that? Instead of using a different tactic to coax Peroz, you used my son, your grandson. How could you do something like that? I thought you were better than that."

Xena raised an eyebrow and ran her fingers along the back of a chair. "Alright. I deserve that," she said in a soft tone.

Anastasia scoffed and folded her arms once more, giving her mother the cold shoulder. Xena stepped forward and decided to take a different approach, like Gabrielle suggested. "Anastasia, I'm very sorry. For everything. I tried my best to raise you by myself. I did everything I could to protect you and I don't expect you to understand. I did a lot of horrible things when Attila was the ruler of Pannonia. I left you in the care of others to go off on missions and raids for months. I only did what I was told to do, but I always kept you safe and protected. I tried my best and I will continue to try." She exhaled heavily and Ana frowned sadly.

She continued, "you once asked me to be normal. Why couldn't I be a normal mother to you. But I couldn't then but now, I can and will." She said and Ana turned her head, creasing her eyebrows. "I'm going to denounce my position as a commander. I am not going to be in control of any army any longer. I just can't do it anymore. You are a target as long as I'm around. I spoke to Gabrielle and we will leave to go to Africa for awhile."

Anastasia gasped. "You're leaving?" she said, a bit saddened to hear this.

Xena smiled and walked over to her daughter, cupping her cheeks. "I'll come back. I always do." She saw her daughter's eyes well with tears. "Don't cry. I really hate when you do that." She said and Ana tried to hold back her tears. "You will be fine without me. You managed fine in Balaam. I just want you to know that I didn't just decide this. I have wanted to leave the military for many years."

"And you kept it a secret all this time," Anastasia said with a bit of sourness in her tone.

"I had a duty to protect you and now that I have I don't have to be a commander anymore. I'm not leaving forever. Just for a little while."

Anastasia frowned and wiped her eyes. "Does anyone else know about this?" she asked and her mother shook her head. "I didn't know that you wanted to leave your position. You could have left it a long time ago. Why didn't you?"

"To protect you of course. You are my daughter and I love you very much. I said I'd do anything for you." Xena smiled warmly and kissed Ana's forehead. "I'm sorry for the mess I've caused but there might be something good that comes out of this arrangement. Maybe Csaba will marry Erzibet and we will have a peaceful alliance with Persia."

Anastasia nodded and looked into her mother's radar eyes. "You're insane, you know that?"

"Your father told me that at least twice a day. I'm used to hearing that," Xena winked. "But my insanity got us out of a lot of trouble and unnecessary wars over the years. Don't knock it until you try it," she teased. She then brushed her daughter's veil behind her shoulders, taking a good look at her face. "My pretty girl."

Ana's eyes widened. "You haven't called me that in a long time."

Xena sighed. "I haven't exactly been very nice to you lately and I'm sorry. You don't have to forgive me now. You don't have to forgive me at all, but I am very sorry. Really."

Anastasia smiled and wrapped her arms around her mother. She hadn't heard her mother say she was sorry in a long time. In fact, she never remembered her mother being so open with her feelings in a long time. It was something new and something that she could get used to.

"Normal," she whispered and Xena grinned softly. Pulling away, she held her mother's hands firmly. "Not quite normal but I will take it. Thank you for...talking to me."

Xena shrugged her shoulder. "Gabrielle convinced me to."

Ana smirked, "Gabrielle. I should have known."

"Everything I said was sincere though," Xena protested.

"I know. I could tell." Ana said. "You're going to stay for my wedding with Ellac, right?"

And just at that moment, all happiness left Xena's face and a frown formed. Anastasia groaned. "Mother. It would mean a lot to me."

"I...will stay," she answered. "He hasn't tried to climb into bed with you yet, has he?"

Ana's cheeks blushed bright red. "Mother!" she griped. "I'm an adult."

"And I'm just asking," Xena smiled smugly.

"No," Ana said curtly. "I told him to wait."

"Ohhh," Xena's eyebrows rose, "waiting huh?"

"Mom, please. I'm a grown woman and am in complete control of my body. Ellac has been very patient with me," she said and Xena kept staring at her. "Don't look at me like that."

"Men are never patient," Xena said and Ana raised a skeptical brow.

"Well, Ellac is not like all men."

"Anastasia," Xena began with a smirk, "he hasn't been with a woman for a long time. He's not being patient, he's just being respectful."

Ana gasped. "We're not talking about this anymore."

"Oh right, because you're so experienced with men, aren't you?" her mother teased.

"Oh my god," Anastasia put her hands over her ears. "We're not doing this." She felt her cheeks burning from her mother's abrasiveness and assertiveness to keep talking about sex. She didn't ever want to talk about this with her mother. Not when she was twelve and not when she was twenty seven.

"We're both adults, right?" Xena kept teasing her daughter.

"Yes, but you're my mother..."

Gabrielle trotted beside Xena on the outskirts of the encampment within Pannonia. Now that Xena was finally able to make up with her daughter, things were going a bit smoother. Although Gabrielle was sure that Kreka was going to blow up any day now. It was obvious that she wanted to be in complete control of her son's wedding with Leila and Xena knew better than to get in her way. Also, Leila was not from here and wasn't familiar with their customs in Pannonia compared to hers in Armenia.

Gabrielle was starting to realize that Anastasia was right a few months ago. The Hun nation was scattered and nobody was united. Erzibet was a Hun technically, but she too was like Leila and were unfamiliar with traditions of Pannonia. These people all needed to be united. Though, Xena had yet to tell everyone else that she was going to step down as commander, she knew that Ernak, Dengi and Ellac were planning something.

On the hills outside of the camp Gabrielle looked onward to see more yurts. "How big is Pannonia exactly?" she asked Xena. She had only lived in the encampment where Attila stationed his people and Adame, but never ventured anywhere else.

Xena smiled and looked at the hundreds of people on the other side of the hill. "It's a large territory but the military is stationed inside Attila's camp. There are several encampments."

Gabrielle nodded. "And what exactly are we doing over here?" she asked as they trotted down the hill together. She saw a river up ahead surrounding this smaller camp of Huns.

"We're supposed to be looking for fabric for the dress that Anastasia wants for her wedding." Xena said and hopped off her horse, handing the reins to a man by the entrance of the small camp. Gabrielle followed her and did exactly as she did. Even though she had stayed with Xena and these people for many years, sometimes it was still a bit awkward meeting new people.

"Let me get this straight." Gabrielle said, "Anastasia is allowing you to pick out the fabric for her dress?" she asked with a smug grin.

Xena frowned. "No, she told me what kind she wants and asked me to get it for her."

"Hard to believe that the only thing she wears now are dresses. Since she was dressed like a boy for most of her childhood," Gabrielle said and saw Xena's eyes lower as they walked through the rows of large yurts. "Maybe since...you won't be a commander anymore, you could wear dresses?" she implied with an impish grin.

"Not a chance in hell." Xena retorted with a bitter tone. "I only wear them for special occasions. It was bad enough that I had to wear a dress when I was pregnant with Anastasia." She frowned and came up to a fabric merchant. She touched the fabric and crinkled it in between her fingers.

"You really don't like feminine things do you?" the blonde teased.

Xena shot her a glare. "Yes, I do but I don't do dresses. They aren't my thing." She picked up some burgundy and gold fabric. "How much is this?" she asked the man and he smiled, admiring the fabric.

"One hundred dinari," he said and her eyes widened.

"One hundred?!" Xena spat.

He fumbled and nervously grabbed the fabric. "Woven with real gold and made in Egypt..."

Gabrielle smiled and leaned on the merchant's table. "We will pay sixty for it."

"But this is my finest fabric. I paid a lot for it, kadin," the man frowned.

"Fifty then unless you want to go lower?" Gabrielle wriggled her eyebrows. Xena smirked and folded her arms, watching her negotiate with the merchant.

"Seventy," he said.

"Sixty-five..." she tapped her fingers on the table.

He sighed and relented. "Fine, sixty-five dinari for you, kadin." He shook his head and Gabrielle grinned proudly.

She turned to Xena. "Alright, go ahead and pay the man," Gabrielle said and Xena pulled out a small pouch of coin and set it on the table while the merchant was folding the fabric up neatly.

"I should keep you around when I go shopping," Xena mused. She looked at the merchant. "Have you got a matching veil?" she asked.

He smiled, "a special veil, eh?" he presumed and Xena rolled her eyes. "I have something that she might like." He reached underneath the table and pulled out a golden veil. Gabrielle gasped in her eyes grew in awe of the long veil.

"Xena!" she gasped and grazed the gold veil gently, "we have to get this. It's so pretty," her eyes ogled the fabric.

The merchant's face went pale. "You are the commander," he said and Xena said nothing and stared blankly at him. "A gift from me to you," he bowed his head and Gabrielle grabbed the veil without hesitation.

"No, no. I want to pay for it," Xena insisted. "How much is it?"

"Please, it's a gift," he smiled nervously.

"I don't want your gifts. Just tell me how much it is," she said, growing impatient.

Gabrielle nudged her warrior lightly. "Come on, Xena, just take the gift. It's rude to turn down a gift, remember? Besides, I'm sure Anastasia will love this."

Xena grumbled, "fine..." she snatched the box of fabric and Gabrielle folded the veil, holding it in her arms. "Thank you..." she said with a tight smile and the merchant nodded vigorously.

"For future reference, don't mention my name when we go shopping," she muttered.

Gabrielle chuckled. "Well, we got the veil for free, didn't we?"

"It sounds like you want to wear that veil yourself." Xena teased.

"It's made of gold! Gold!"

"And it probably costs a fortune," Xena mumbled.

"Yeah!" Gabrielle kept eyeing the gold veil in her hands as they walked through the camp. "Probably at least a two hundred dinari."

Xena scoffed, "two hundred? Gabrielle, please. That veil probably costs a thousand dinari."

Gabrielle's jaw dropped and then she spotted a jeweler not too far from them. "Oooh, jewelry!" her eyes twinkled and Xena rolled her eyes. "We should pick out some earrings too."

"We're only here for fabric, Gabrielle. You're going to run me dry."

"Come on, Xena. I never get to go shopping. Plus, I'm sure you won't mind spending money on your daughter's wedding, right?" she raised her eyebrow and Xena frowned.

"Okay fine. One pair of earrings but that's it! Then we go back."

Gabrielle nodded. "Yeah, yeah." She picked up some gold earrings. "What about these?"

The jeweler smiled. "These would be better." He pulled out a pair of white gold dangling earrings. Her eyes instantly lit up and Xena came to observe the layout of jewelry, pretending to be interested. "These are from China."

"And how much?" Gabrielle eagerly asked.

"Eighty dinari."

Xena gasped. "Forget it!"

"Aweh, come on don't be a grumpy old lady, Xena." Gabrielle teased and she received a slap on her back. "Hey!" she griped. "Okay, okay. Do you have any earrings from Egypt?" she asked the jeweler.

He nodded and pulled out tear-drop shaped earrings. "From Alexandria. I just got them yesterday. Thirty five dinari for you, kadin."

Xena rolled her eyes and felt like she was going to have a heart attack listening to how expensive everything was. Gabrielle smiled. "Do you think Anastasia will like these?" she asked and Xena covered her eyes.

"Just buy whatever you want," she handed Gabrielle the bag of coin. "Don't tell me how much it is."

Gabrielle smiled smugly and held the bag of coin in her palms, feeling like she had full control now. "We will take the ones from China instead."

"Oh god," Xena pinched the bridge of her nose and turned around, refusing to look at the transaction.

Gabrielle leaned in close to the merchant. "This is for Attila's son's bride." She whispered and his eyes grew in shock. She thumbed behind her, "and that's the bride's mother. You know, the commander."

The jeweler eyed Xena and nodded, understanding. "Xena's daughter. I remember her. Very pretty girl. A gift from me to Anastasia," he whispered and she grinned gleefully.

She held the box of earrings and hooked arms with Xena, pulling her along. "How much was it?" Xena asked.

"Don't worry about it. I handled it," Gabrielle tried to hide her mischievous smile. "Are we going back now? No necklaces...shoes?"

"Gabrielle..." she groaned.

"Okay fine," she walked along and presented the earrings to Xena. "These are so gorgeous, aren't they?"

"You bought the really expensive ones..." Xena frowned. "But yes...very gorgeous..." she muttered.

"Xena, I never knew you were so stingy with money. Come on, she will love it." she said and Xena sighed deeply. "So all we have to do is deliver this fabric to Kreka to make Ana's dress. Do we need anything else?"

Xena halted and grabbed her consort's arm. "I'm going to make the dress this time," she said and Gabrielle's eyes bugged out. "I can sew."

"You? Sew?" the blonde laughed aloud heartily and received an intense glare. "Okay..." she cleared her throat, "you'll make Anastasia's wedding dress but I want to help with something," she begged.

"You picked out the expensive jewelry. I don't think you need to help anymore," Xena implied. "Come on, let's get out of here before you buy something else."

Ellac crept into the women's quarters, knowing his stepmother was out with Leila and he saw Csaba with Erzibet in the field. He was attempting to teach the poor girl how to use a sword, but it didn't seem to be working in his favor because the girl could barely hold up the large weapon. It was nearly as tall as she was, but at least he was trying.

Slowly, he walked inside and saw Anastasia with half of her dress on, leaning over the bed, talking to Arielle quietly. He smiled and inched closer to her while she was distracted. Anastasia frowned and felt someone else in the room and she spun around and he gasped.

"Ellac," she said with a flat tone, "what are you doing in here?" she asked and turned back around to fix her daughter's stockings.

"I was trying to surprise you," he said, "but I see that my plan was foiled." He came around and leaned over the bed, grinning at Arielle, and to his surprise, she smiled back at him. "She looks a lot like you."

Ana smiled softly and once she finished dressing her daughter, she attempted to button up the back of her dress herself. He turned and then began buttoning up her dress for her. "Thank you," she said. "I sent a letter to Navaz last week and told him to come here."

Ellac's face paled and he finished the last button close to her neck and his hands slid down her backside. She turned around and saw the shock on his face. "I want him to see Arielle. You don't have a problem with that do you?" she eyed him curiously and arched her eyebrow.

He shook his head and finally half smiled. "No, no. He has a right to see his daughter."

"Good," she pecked his cheek then grabbed Arielle into her arms. "I hardly get to see you. You've been spending a lot of time with Ernak and Dengi. What exactly are you three doing?"

Ellac grinned and followed her over to the bassinet. "Well, I can't tell you yet but I will soon. Very soon." He said and she frowned. "It's not bad, I promise."

"You boys aren't planning a war against the tribes are you?" she asked.

"No, nothing like that. You know I can't tell you anything about our meetings, Ana." He said and she nodded, placing her daughter in the bassinet. He eyed Arielle who was about to fall into a light sleep and grinned. "She's the only girl in Pannonia, just like you."

Ana nodded, "I know. Hopefully Leila will have a daughter or Kreka might kill her," she joked.

"She's not that bad," he said and she cast him a knowing stare. "Okay, she's crazy. When she was pregnant with Ernak she really hoped it was a girl, but that didn't turn it out quite like she wanted," he said and she smiled, eyeing her daughter. "I've...always wondered if I had a daughter that she might have red hair like my mother."

Anastasia turned to him as his eyes were fixated on Arielle. "Maybe she will," she said and he looked up at her with his big green eyes. He cupped her cheeks and she backed away slowly. "Ellac..." she pushed his chest away. "Waiting, remember?" she reminded and he sighed.

"I know," he smiled and held her hands with a fair distance between them. "But you...would want to have another baby?" he asked, his smile widening.

She couldn't help but laugh at the goofy expression on his face. "With you, of course, but maybe in a few years."

"A few years," he muttered, "I can wait," he said and she shook her head, rolling her eyes.

Xena frowned and knocked on the wall. Ellac immediately stepped away from Anastasia and held his hands behind his back. "Another baby, huh?" she teased, eyeing the Hun prince's flushed face. "You just can't wait can you?"

"Mother!" Ana griped. "Did you get the fabric I asked for?" she asked and Xena nodded. "Great! Ellac, get out," she said and his jaw dropped. "Wedding dress..."

"Oh, right..." he grinned nervously and slowly made his way out, side-stepping Xena then quickly exited the room.

Gabrielle rushed into the room and placed the box of earrings on a table. "We got these earrings for you. They're from China," she said eagerly and Anastasia opened the box, examining the gold jewelry. "And this veil too," she unfolded the long veil on the table.

Ana gasped and picked up the veil in her arms. "You got all of this for me?" she lifted her eyes to her mother. Xena smiled briefly. "You didn't have to do this. This veil must cost a fortune!" she examined the fine details.

"Yeah and it's made out of gold!" Gabrielle boasted and Ana's eye widened in shock.

"Mother...how much was this veil?"

"Well –" Xena began.

Gabrielle interrupted, "don't worry about it. Just accept it. You like it, right?"

Ana nodded vigorously. "Of course I do!" she set the veil down carefully and Xena placed the fabric on the table. "Wow, this is much nicer fabric than what I asked for. Where is it from?" she frowned, grazing her fingers on the burgundy fabric.

"It's from Egypt and it has real gold woven into it," Xena said and Anastasia looked at her, miffed that she would spend so much on fabric. Xena was starting to get nervous by the look on her daughter's face. "You don't like it do you?"

"No! I mean...yes I do. I love it. Thank you!" she wrapped her arms around her mother. "I'll make sure I give this fabric to Kreka as soon as possible."

Xena frowned and grabbed her daughter's arm. "I'm going to make your dress this time."

Ana raised an eyebrow and looked over at Gabrielle. "Really?" she asked suspiciously. "Why?"

"Because I want to," Xena smiled. "Don't you trust me?"

Anastasia quirked her mouth. "Well, yes, but mother I've never seen you sew a dress before."

The warrior scoffed. "I made all my own dresses before I had you. I can do it."

"Alright..." Ana finally relented.

Xena grabbed her daughter's waist and Anastasia frowned. "Besides, in a few months you will be your slender self again and the dress will have to be altered."

Ana gasped and swatted her mother's hands away, feeling a bit self-conscious. "I...have to go get Erzibet. Could you watch Arielle for awhile?" she asked and both women nodded. She frowned at her mother then left the room.

"See, I told you she would like the veil and earrings," Gabrielle said and reclined in a chair.

Xena rolled her eyes. "Yeah, yeah. She doesn't trust me to make her dress."

"Well, to be fair, I've never seen you sew a dress either..." Gabrielle lamented. Xena snarled and kicked the chair and Gabrielle fell backwards on the floor. Gabrielle coughed and sat up slowly."I was just being honest!"

"You're going to wake up the baby, Gabrielle." Xena teased, folding her arms.

The blonde gasped. "Oh sure, blame it on me," she whispered.