Chapter 31 –Khat
Leila stood on a stool while Kreka hemmed the dark blue wedding dress. She was getting anxious and the bottom of the gown ripped the night before. Today, she was supposed to get married to Dengizich and nothing seemed to be going like she planned. It was also raining outside and had been for the last three days. She'd never realized how wet it got in Pannonia. She was used to the dry cold air in Balaam and not the humid air here in the Steppes.
Xena sat on the floor, sewing the sleeves onto her daughter's gown. Gabrielle was on the floor as well, trying to keep herself busy, she opted to watch Arielle while Anastasia was helping with Leila's dress. Cursing from Ana and Kreka was a constant thing over the last few hours.
Gabrielle peered over at the two arguing women and Leila burying her face in her hands. She leaned over to Xena and whispered, "they fight like an old married couple."
Xena smiled and lifted her eyes, pausing her sewing. "You know how Kreka is. She is a perfectionist when it comes to dresses," she snickered and poked the needle through the thick fabric.
"Stand up straight, girl!" Kreka snarled and Leila straightened her body, fearing the khatun's tone. She stuck the needle in her mouth and pulled a long thread to continue hemming the gown. "Where's the faceless one?" she asked.
Anastasia frowned. "Her name is Erzibet. And she's with Ellac and Csaba."
"That girl should stop wearing that ridiculous veil. She's not in Persia anymore," Kreka griped.
Gabrielle chimed in. "Well, it's part of her culture so we should respect her traditions." She said with a smile and held Arielle in her lap.
Xena stifled a laugh, "you've made a big mistake, Gabrielle."
"What? I'm just saying..." she said and Kreka glared at her.
"Oh then I suppose we should respect your poetic and democratic culture too, huh Gabrielle?" combated the khatun. "And we should all wear togas and pray to the Greek gods."
The blonde laughed mockingly. "We don't wear togas..." she said and Kreka scoffed. "And the gods are not allowed in the Roman Empire anymore. Nice try."
"Don't egg her on, Gabrielle," Xena advised. She finished one sleeve and then ripped a thread with her teeth to start on the next sleeve.
"What is she gonna do? Hit me?" Gabrielle teased.
Kreka finished hemming Leila's dress and pat her leg. The young bride hopped off the stool and walked to the mirror to observe herself. Anastasia stood behind her and fixed the long train. "I can best you any day in combat, Gabrielle."
"Now you've really done it," Xena whispered with a smug grin.
"Something funny, Xena? I can best you too. Lest you not forget who I am."
"Yeah, we all know who you are, Kreka," Xena said and thread the thick long needle, ignoring the khatun's harsh glare. "The Barbarian Queen," she began, "the warrior of Ashina, the Queen of the Hun Nation, Wife of Attila. Yeah, yeah," she snickered.
Kreka frowned and stood from the floor. "You think you're better than everyone, Xena. Why don't you challenge me in a duel?" she asked with a big grin on her face.
"I'm a little busy at the moment and we have a wedding to attend tonight." Xena remained focused on her daughter's dress.
"You decide the time and place then. I will be waiting for you," she said and then grabbed Leila's arm. "Come, we must do your hair now." She yanked on her arm and Leila nearly tripped over her dress, ripping it again.
Gabrielle grumbled and set Arielle down on the rug, allowing her to crawl across the floor freely. "Are you seriously going to fight her?" she asked her consort.
Xena shrugged her shoulder, "it's been a bit boring around here lately. Should be fun," she smiled.
"Oh god," Gabrielle slapped her forehead.
A loud rapping from the door caused all the women to turn their heads. Ellac opened the door and poked his head inside, covering his eyes. "You ladies dressed?" he asked. Xena rolled her eyes and put the unfinished wedding gown into a box.
Anastasia smiled and grabbed his wrist, leading him inside the room. "Yes, of course." She said and he uncovered his eyes. He immediately spotted Xena sitting on the floor and his smile instantly disappeared. "Where are Erzibet and Csaba? Did you leave them alone together?"
He smirked and turned to his soon to be wife. "Do I look stupid to you?"
"Yes," Xena said and winked at him. He groaned and tried not to react to her comment.
Gabrielle elbowed her in the ribs. "Knock it off, Xena," she whispered.
"He set himself up for that one."
Ellac turned around and folded his arms. Xena gave him a cheeky smile and he was not so amused by her playful teasing. "Don't you have something to do other than tease me for the rest of my life?"
"I was sewing your fiancée's wedding dress until you walked in," said the warrior. "Besides, I like to keep you on your toes. It amuses me."
Ana sighed and placed her hand on his shoulder. "Ignore her. Did you need something?"
"Do I need a reason to see you?" he smiled and she rolled her eyes. He heard Xena scoff loudly and he turned to her. He had enough of her snide remarks. "That's it, Xena!"
Xena's eyes widened and she quickly grabbed Arielle. He walked straight for her and she held Arielle close to her chest. "I have a baby," she said and he gasped.
"You're using your granddaughter as a human shield?!"
She mused, "she's good for stopping arguments," she teased and pinched Arielle's cheek gently.
Gabrielle grabbed Arielle from Xena. "You're on your own for this one, Xena!" she stood and cuddled the child.
"You traitor!" Xena teased and then saw Ellac looming over her. "Just what do you think you're doing, boy?" she narrowed her eyebrows and rose, meeting eye level with him.
He snarled, "I am not a boy! I am King of Pannonia!"
Anastasia frowned. "King?" she grabbed his shoulder, pulling him away from her mother. "What are you talking about? Ernak is king."
He sighed and kept glaring at Xena. Their eyes never met but he spoke, "Ernak resigned as king. I came to tell you that I will be crowned king again." He finally looked into Ana's big shocked eyes. "I wanted to tell you sooner but I couldn't. That's why I was in those meetings so much."
Xena clapped her hands slowly. "Congratulations to you! King once again. This should be even more interesting than the first go around!"
"Xena!" Ellac growled and Ana grabbed his arm.
"Oh, you've got quite a temper now Ellac. I'm not your enemy," Xena gave him a wink and he breathed heavily, his nostrils flaring.
"Mother!" Ana griped. "I would appreciate it if you would leave now, please."
Xena sighed dramatically, having a good time annoying the two. "Alright, fine. If you really want me to. Come on, Gabrielle," she nudged her head towards the door.
Gabrielle held Arielle in her arms and walked behind Xena, eyeing Ana. "I'm keeping her though," she spoke of the baby. Anastasia's jaw dropped and the two made a hasty exit.
"They just kidnapped my daughter," she said and Ellac groaned, pinching his temples with his thumb and finger.
Luckily for Leila and Dengi, the rain subsided only an hour before the ceremony. The wedding was short, but the new young bride soon found out that the wedding between a wife and husband wasn't anything like the weddings back in Armenia. There were so many people inside the encampment. It was mentioned to her that people from other camps in Pannonia came to the wedding. Most of them were men and very few women attended.
Though, the women that did attend were accompanied by their husbands and all were fairly young. It was obvious to Leila that these people really liked to have huge extravagant parties and she was definitely not used to it. She was able to meet some of Dengi's friends that he made recently and she was introduced to a lot of people she didn't know. Most of them were left over Pannonians from Attila's reign and were very close to the deceased king's tribe. Some of them were even employed by Attila and worked in his court or his military, which also meant they knew Xena.
While Dengi was with his friends and old military friends, Leila spotted Xena sitting in on a bench with Gabrielle and a bunch of other women around a campfire. She tugged on Dengi's arm. "I'll be right back," she said and he smiled, nodding to her.
Making her way over, Xena lifted her eyes and frowned at the young girl. Gabrielle squeezed Xena's thigh. "Don't be mean," she whispered.
"Nonsense, Gabrielle," Xena said and Leila nervously approached her. "Congratulations. You are officially married." She said and the young Hun gave a shy grin.
"Thank you..." she said, feeling her palms begin to sweat.
Gabrielle leaned over Xena, "you look really pretty in your dress." She complimented and Xena rolled her eyes, sipping her wine. "Doesn't she, Xena?" she elbowed her in the rib and Xena coughed, spitting up her wine.
Xena grumbled and brushed off the wine spilt on her blouse. "Yes...very...pretty" she muttered, glaring at her partner. "What do you want? You keep staring at me like a doe."
Leila's cheeks flushed and she embarrassingly looked to the ground. "Well...I...heard that Ellac is to be king and that Anastasia will be queen of Pannonia."
"And?" Xena said while trying to rub the wine stain out of her blouse.
"I was...wondering what your title would be? I am not sure what to call you." The girl said with eagerness.
Xena laughed and eyed the young bride. "I'm no queen, girl. Kreka is the queen and soon to be queen mother. My name is Xena and nothing more. Now get out of here and go have fun somewhere else." She griped and rubbed her blouse.
Leila nodded and walked off. Gabrielle frowned and hit Xena's shoulder. "Why do you have to be so mean?"
"I wasn't mean! She shouldn't be talking to me anyway. This is her time to celebrate." She groaned and couldn't get the red stain out of her shirt. "Thanks a lot Gabrielle. Now I'll have to get rid of this blouse. I just bought this."
Gabrielle laughed mockingly. "Ha! No, you didn't! I bought that for you. 'Sides, I bought another one just like it."
Xena rolled her eyes and looked at the circle of women. She really hated spending her time with women, especially married women and these weren't women. They were girls, maybe even younger than Anastasia. They were all half her age and she had nothing in common with them. Her eyes lingered on a group of men across the way surrounding a campfire. She saw Ernak lift his arms in the air, cheering. She smirked and tapped her fingers on her cup of wine.
She stood and began making her way over to the males. Gabrielle frowned. "Hey, where're you going?" she hopped off the bench and followed her.
"To have some real fun. You coming or what?" Xena teased.
Ernak yelled, "that's right boys, pay up. I won this round." He grinned and the other men grumbled, throwing coin to his boots. He felt a hand squeeze his shoulder and he turned. "Xena..." he smiled nervously. "What are you doing here?" he asked nervously.
She sat down and nodded. "Gambling, huh?" she asked and all the men eyed her. "I want to play."
He scoffed, "alright sure, Xena. How much do you have?"
She pulled out her sword and he put his hands up for surrender. All the men scooted away. She smiled and placed the blade onto the ground. "I'll bet my sword."
Ernak cooed, "oooh," he sat down beside her. "You mean business. Prepare to lose, Xena."
"I may not be good at chess but I am good at this game." She said and grabbed the dice in the cup. "So, Chinese Chance?" she held up the cup and the men smiled at each other.
Gabrielle knelt down next to the warrior. "Are you sure you know what you're doing?" she whispered.
"I've gambled many times, Gabrielle. I am very good at this. Just watch and relax," she pat her cheek. "So, who wants to go first?"
Ernak shrugged. "Ladies first."
Anastasia caught up with Ellac and wrapped her arm around his neck while holding a glass of wine. He caught her before she nearly tripped on her own dress. "Are you having a good time?" he asked and she nodded, planting her lips on his. His eyes grew in shock and she pulled away. "Alright..." he licked his lips and it tasted of sweet wine.
She turned and held onto his shoulder. "Where is Csaba?" she asked, squinting her eyes looking for her son in the large crowd of people dancing.
"He's with Erzibet," he answered and she spun around with a big frown on her lips. "They have guards with them don't worry."
She nodded and sipped her wine, "good, good. Don't want little princes running around, you know what I'm saying?" she smugly smiled.
He stifled a laugh. "I'll make sure that doesn't happen. I don't think Csaba likes Erzibet like that." He said and she kept drinking the wine. "Are you sure you should keep drinking that?"
She eyed him and leaned her head on his shoulder. "I'm fine..."
"Uh huh," he wrapped his arm around her and guided her to a bench. He sat her down and then saw travelers coming into the camp. He frowned and stepped forward. He saw the travelers were definitely not strangers.
Navaz rode in with his royal guard and had a woman accompanying him. And that woman wasn't his mother either. She was young with fair skin and long auburn hair. Her sharp facial features could cut a knife. Her nose was long and pointed and her eyes a piercing green that he could see from afar. This wasn't something he was expecting at his brother's wedding. He didn't think that Navaz would show up so early.
"Hey, Anastasia..." he turned and she fell backward off the bench. "For heaven's sake." He grumbled and ran to her, picking her up off the ground. "No more wine for you."
She smiled and grabbed his vest, clinging to him for dear life. "I told you, I'm fine." She smiled goofily and he groaned. She lifted her eyes and spotted Navaz and frowned. "Navaz...he is here..." she said and suddenly she realized he was here to see their daughter. "Navaz!" she shook Ellac. "Arielle! Where is she?" she panicked.
Ellac sighed and grabbed her wrist. "She's inside with Amira, remember?" he said and she relaxed somewhat, quickly sobering up. "He can't see you like this."
"I'm fine!" she yelled and pushed him away, marching towards Navaz. He gasped and grabbed her arm, pulling her into his chest.
"No, you are not, Ana!" he snarled. "Where is your mother?" he looked around and couldn't find her anywhere. "Dammit Xena," he muttered. He felt Anastasia collapsing and he lifted her up by her waist. "Alright, I'm taking you inside." He whistled over to the Bulgur servant women and they came running to him. "Take her inside quietly," he whispered and passed her off to the women.
He cleared his throat and ran his fingers through his long hair. He walked over casually to Navaz and forcefully smiled at his soon to be wife's ex-husband. "Navaz, I didn't know you were coming so soon," he said.
The White Hun king grinned and dismounted his horse. "I see you are having a celebration. I don't want to intrude." He surveyed the area and saw everyone was having a good time, some more than others. A lot of wine, he noted.
Ellac nodded. "Yes, well, my brother got married today to Leila." He said.
"Oh! Leila, she's very sweet," Navaz said.
"And...who's this?" Ellac looked over to the auburn haired woman standing behind Navaz.
"Oh yes," Navaz grabbed the woman's hand, leading her to greet Ellac. "This is Natalia. She is from a tribe in the Caucasus. Per my mother's request and...persistence," he said with disdain, "I am courting her."
Ellac nodded and bowed his head to the redheaded Hun woman. "Very nice to meet you. My mother had red hair too. I don't see too many Huns with that hair color," he said politely.
Natalia raised her eyebrow and Ellac awkwardly looked away. Navaz smiled. "Well, I don't want to stay very long. I just came here to see Arielle."
He lifted his eyes and couldn't tell him that Anastasia was drunk out of her mind. "You should stay and celebrate with us!" he suggested. "We have more than enough wine."
"Oh no, that's alright...I don't want –"
"Nonsense!" Ellac smiled. "Anastasia retired early. You probably won't see Arielle until tomorrow morning. I insist that you stay. It would be rude of you to decline my offer," he pressed on and Navaz sighed heavily.
"I suppose it would..." the king said and Ellac walked off to go get some wine for himself, Navaz and Natalia.
Natalia frowned and turned to Navaz. "I don't wish to stay here for a long time, Navaz. I do not see why it is necessary that you see your ex-wife when she clearly is with him," she said bitterly, speaking of Ellac.
"I'm not here to see Anastasia," he reminded her. "I'm here to see my daughter. She is a princess of my kingdom," he whispered. "You are not my wife, don't forget that."
"Not yet," she said and then smiled tightly when Ellac returned with the wine. "So kind of you..." she took the glass and Ellac handed the other glass to Navaz.
"Welcome to Pannonia. I hope my people are not too crazy, but it is a party after all so...enjoy yourselves!" he lifted his glass and Navaz did the same. Natalia followed and then sipped the red wine.
Xena clapped her hands together and rose from the bench. "I win again!" she cheered. The men grumbled and threw their coin and weapons into the large pile that was piling up quickly. She smugly grinned and Ernak rose.
"Okay Xena, you are a hustler." He poked her chest.
"I am not! I told you I was good at this game!"
He huffed, "well, you didn't say that you were like...like...the queen of gambling!" he groaned, frustrated that he lost all of his money in less than an hour.
"I have many skills," she teased and ruffled his hair. "So, you boys want to play again?"
"You ran us dry, Xena," he griped and folded his arms.
A soldier by the name of Sabaton rose to his feet and pulled out a pouch. "I have something we can gamble with if you're interested?" he smiled and opened the pouch. Gabrielle leaned forward and crinkled her nose.
"You want to bet a bag of leaves?" Gabrielle looked up at the young soldier as if he were crazy.
"This is not a bag of leaves, kadin!" Sabaton laughed. "This is called khat. It comes from Tunis, Africa. It's very sought after and expensive."
Xena raised an eyebrow and picked one of the leaves out of the bag. "Tunis, huh?" she smirked and eyed Gabrielle. "What is it used for?"
Sabaton turned to look at his friends and eyed Xena. "Chew on it and find out."
"Whoa, what?!" Gabrielle grabbed Xena's hand. "Put that thing in her mouth? Are you crazy?"
"I thought you ladies wanted to have a good time," he teased.
Ernak nudged Xena's arm. "Come on, just do it. This is a party after all."
Xena eyed him and looked at the leaf in her hand. She slowly put it in her mouth and chewed on it. the leaf was quite sweet and bitter at the same time. She felt her entire mouth turn sour and then numb at once. She cringed and kept chewing.
Gabrielle leaned over and saw the reaction on Xena's face. "What does it do?" she asked Sabaton.
"It opens your mind to new things –wondrous things," he said and Gabrielle remained skeptical. "We play another round of Chance and you get this bag of khat. What do you say, Xena?"
The warrior frowned while she kept chewing the leaf. "I don't feel anything." She said.
"You will...in an hour..." he chuckled. "So? Another game?" he picked up the cup of dice.
She smiled and Gabrielle sat down, holding her cup of wine. "Alright, another game. What do you say, Gabrielle?"
"Well, I guess another game wouldn't hurt. You already beat them twice anyway," she chuckled. Xena reached into the bag of khat and handed her a leaf. She glared at it and frowned.
"Come on, Gabrielle. Humor me," she teased. Gabrielle sighed and took the leaf from her hand. She put it in her mouth and chewed on it slowly. "Alright boys, prepare to lose."
Gabrielle woke up groggily and her eyes fluttered open in the dark yurt. She turned over and saw Xena sleeping beside her with the sheet barely covering her bare chest. Smiling, she covered her with the sheet then slowly slipped out of the bed, grabbing a robe.
When she stood she felt a rush of blood drain from her face and a headache emerge. It was probably best that she stay in bed for awhile, she thought. Plopping down on the bed, Xena awoke abruptly and grabbed her sword. The blonde turned around and Xena lowered her sword.
"On edge?" she teased.
Xena frowned and rubbed her head. "No...maybe. I don't remember what happened last night."
"Me either," said Gabrielle. She then sighed deeply and ran her fingers through her short locks. "That's the last time we take something from one of Ernak's friends."
"Take what?" the warrior sat up, wrapping the sheet around her torso.
"That plant," Gabrielle groaned as her head pounded loudly. She could barely hear her own thoughts. "The...khat, I think that's what it's called. I don't ever want to see that leaf in my life again. I can't remember anything and I know for a fact that I didn't drink a lot of wine."
Xena nodded slowly, recalling her hazy memory of last night's festivities. "Khat. Sabaton said it is from Tunis. We are going there. We should find out how they are selling it and who they are selling it to." A devious smile appeared and Gabrielle frowned at that look, that unwelcoming smile on Xena's face.
"We aren't getting involved in drug trades or piracy, Xena."
"Why not? I've never done something like that before. Armenia is loaded with opium and apparently Tunis has an abundance of this 'khat'. We can control the drug trade!" she clamped her hands together, already forming a plan in her head.
Gabrielle rolled her eyes. "Let me get this straight, you want to trade your position as a commander for a drug lord? Isn't that the same thing? Not to mention, I think it's illegal."
"I want to find out who is selling these drugs and why. We can figure it out and play their little game. We will fight for good this time, Gabrielle. Come on, what do you say?" Xena's smile grew and stared at her partner. Gabrielle lowered her gaze and contemplated all the pros and cons in her head. There were probably more cons than pros, but it could be interesting.
"Okay but we are not going to consume any drugs!" Gabrielle advised.
"Of course not," Xena said. "Besides, we will start fresh in Africa. Nobody will know who I am and I...we, can gain access to these drug trades in the black market."
Gabrielle chuckled and shook her head. "You are crazy but ambitious. I hope that never changes."
"I'll never change and you should know that by now." Xena lay back down and relaxed on the pillows.
Loud horns sounded through the entire encampment and Gabrielle immediately turned to the exit of the yurt. "Do you hear that?"
Xena frowned and got out of bed, grabbing her armor and boots. "We have unexpected company."
"Never a boring day here," Gabrielle mused and ran to grab her clothes.
A group of Huns stormed into Pannonia, riding past the gates. A lot of the civilians came out of their yurts watching the horde of Huns ride in with their black steeds and burgundy capes and armor. Ellac ran out of the Adame, barefoot and bare-chested, wearing a simple black and gold robe around his body and baggy pants.
He ran his fingers through his long dark hair and frowned upon seeing the unfamiliar Huns ride into his territory. One of the horsemen halted his horse and glared down at the uncrowned King of Pannonia.
"Are you Ernak, King of Pannonia?" the man asked.
Ellac folded his arms defiantly. "No, I am Ellac, first son of Attila and I am the King now."
The man smirked and dismounted his horse. He gave the reins to one of the officers standing by the side and sauntered over to the supposed king. Ellac eyed the man cautiously and saw his head was shaved on the sides, but he had long hair that was braided down his backside. His armor was the colors of Pannonia. Burgundy, black, and gold. He also noticed the man wore the Pannonian crest on his necklace.
"Who are you?" Ellac asked.
The mysterious Hun man approached Ellac and took off his gloves. "My name is Ebnedzar and I am also...son of Attila."
Ellac's eyes widened in surprise and then he began laughing. "I've never seen you before in my life! My father has only three sons. Myself, Ernak and Dengizich. Who are you to claim such a status? You are no prince of Pannonia."
Ebnedzar frowned at the arrogance of this young king. "I am the son of Attila. Eskayar was my mother and my father left her this necklace."
"You probably stole it," Ellac accused.
"I did not steal it. My mother gave it to me at birth. Not long after, she was notified that he married Cera." He said and Ellac's face paled. Ebnedzar smirked and folded his arms. "Your redheaded mother, I assume? She is long dead. Kreka is still alive, isn't she? Or has she perished like my father?"
Xena and Gabrielle ran forward and Ellac was too fixated on this supposed brother of his. If this man truly was his brother, then he is not the eldest brother and that would make Ebnedzar the oldest brother from some woman that Attila had relations with before he married Cera years later.
"Ellac..." Xena began, "who is this?"
Ebnedzar turned to her with a smile. "Ebnedzar, eldest son of Attila. And you must be...Xena, the infamous commander of the Hun Nation. Is that right?"
"I am no longer a commander," she stated flatly. "You claim to be a son of Attila but I have never seen you before." She eyed Gabrielle and they both had skepticism written all over their faces.
"I imagine not. You were too busy raiding my tribe in Suevi..." he said and her mouth parted. "You were too busy with your own lover while Attila took my mother for his own pleasure. I don't expect you to remember. That was quite a long time ago." He chuckled. "Anyway, will you show me around? I'd love to get to know my people and my brothers."
To keep diplomatic manners conclusive and in order, Ellac remained poised and composed in front of this man that claimed to be his brother. "I will show you into the Adame. Follow me," he walked off and Ebnedzar smiled, trailing behind.
Gabrielle grabbed Xena's arm, pulling her aside. "Do you believe him? Is he telling the truth? You said it yourself that you've never seen him before."
Xena tried to remember what happened in Suevi all those years ago. It was a long time ago like Ebnedzar said, but she did remember going there and raiding the place with Attila and Borias. This must have been awhile before Attila married Cera because when they came back to Pannonia, she found out she was pregnant with Anastasia months later.
"I...do remember Attila with a dark haired woman, but...I don't remember anything else. It's too foggy," she sighed, a bit disappointed in her memory at the moment.
Gabrielle rubbed her chin and looked at Ebnedzar walking into the Adame with Ellac. "If he is Attila's son then why did he wait so long to come here? What is the purpose? Why didn't his mother tell Attila that she was pregnant?"
Xena eyed her with a knowing look. "Gabrielle. We were raiding a tribe to make them submit to us. A lot of things happen during times of war. Conquering doesn't always end with a sword."
Then realization hit Gabrielle and now she was deeply disturbed. "So...you are saying that Attila and his men...raped the women in Suevi?" she asked and Xena looked away. That was a good enough answer for her. "Xena...how could you let them do that?"
"I couldn't do anything about it. I was the commander and the only woman there. Being with Borias, who was commander in chief at the time, he did not share a bed with any other woman except me. It wasn't my place to question Attila."
Gabrielle grimaced and glared up at her warrior. "But you were still involved! Maybe not directly but you were there! You allowed it to happen!"
"Gabrielle! I could not do anything. I told you that I've done horrible things in my life. What do you think happens when villages are conquered, huh? You think they will automatically surrender? No. You have to force them and if that means taking their women then that's what you have to do to win!"
The blonde gasped and stepped away. "I can't believe his army did that and you allowed it to happen."
"I would never allow that to happen now. Things were different back then. Attila was just starting to gather all the nomadic Huns under his control. The only way to do that is with force. I am not saying I agree, but I did what I was told to do."
"What is that supposed to mean?" Gabrielle asked and Xena folded her arms, not daring to look into her eyes. "What does that mean? You did what you were told to do? What did you do, Xena?"
Xena sighed deeply. "I don't want to talk about it."
"No! We never lie to each other! You tell me what you did, Xena!"
"Why does it matter?! That was a long time ago! I don't want to rehash those times again, Gabrielle! You will never understand." She turned and walked off.
Gabrielle ran after her and blocked her path. "It obviously does matter because this man is claiming he is Attila's son. He might want the crown for himself and he might kill Ellac for it if he has to. Tell me what happened."
Xena's upper lip quivered and she relented. "I gathered up all the women in Suevi and gave them to Attila's men to do what needed to be done."
"You..." Gabrielle paused, not able to speak or even think clearly. "You...gave the women to the army so they could be...raped?" she said and Xena stared blankly at her with that stone cold expression of hers.
"Like I said, I was given orders."
Now Gabrielle was fuming inside and she didn't know if she was going to be sick or angry or maybe both at the same time. "So what, Xena? You just gave those women to the men and you knew what was going to happen! Would you do that again? Would you?"
"No! I would never do that again. War is an ugly thing, Gabrielle and that is why I don't want to be a commander anymore. I can't do it." she said and walked off, brushing by the blonde.
Gabrielle frowned sadly and watched Xena heading towards the Adame alone.