Xena's always making new enemies ;)

Chapter 34 –Road to Africa

One Week Later

Gabrielle walked into the yurt and found Xena sitting on the floor, drinking hot tea by herself. She hesitantly approached her and twiddled her thumbs behind her back. Speaking in a low voice she said, "the coronation is in an hour."

Xena sipped her tea, keeping her words to herself. Ever since the execution of Tarsan, it was obvious that Anastasia really wanted the position as commander and she would do anything to obtain the position. This included, defying her mother's orders, although Xena realized that her days as commander in Pannonia were over, just like she wanted. Although, she wished someone else would have taken her place, someone more experienced. Kreka would have been a good fit as commander and her sons were adults, so she had no reason to refuse. The position as commander was at the king's discretion and of course he would choose his fiancée to be his right hand man.

"I think Anastasia would want you to be there..." Gabrielle said and finally got a reaction from the sulking warrior.

"I said I wasn't going and I meant that. If she wants to be the commander then good for her, but I don't approve." She set down the glass and sighed. "But I'm not going to stop her. Not anymore."

Gabrielle sat down on the floor and tapped her fingers anxiously on her knees. Her eyes wandered around and she couldn't think of anything else to say. Nothing was going to change Xena's mind and she came to that realization awhile ago, but she also knew Xena was incredibly stubborn.

"She might be good at it," she said with a sheepish smile.

Xena shot her a nasty look and Gabrielle smacked her lips, turning away. "She is obviously good at decapitating people," she mused. "I just don't want her to regret her decision."

Gabrielle furrowed her eyebrows and cocked her head. "Are you saying that you regret being Attila's commander?"

"At first, I didn't, but then it began to weigh on me. I couldn't be a mother to Anastasia and be a military commander at once. I left her alone for much of her childhood because I went wherever Attila told me to go. I went no questions asked and she was in the care of Galena and sometimes Kreka, but at that time, Kreka and I were not very good friends."

Gabrielle raised an eyebrow. "You consider your relationship with her...friendly?"

Xena smirked. "We get along much better now than we used to. She and I are very stubborn but we both share one thing in common. We both love our children and would do anything for them."

Now Gabrielle understood everything. "You're afraid that Anastasia is going to cast aside Arielle and Csaba."

"You can't command an army inside a house. You need to be on the field at all times and you can't do that when children are in your way," Xena said sadly.

"And you still think we should leave for Tunis so soon?" asked Gabrielle.

Xena frowned and tapped her fingernails on the tea glass. "She needs to figure out what she wants. She wants to be a commander but there are always sacrifices one must make and she isn't thinking about that. She can't be a mother and commander at the same time."

Twenty Years Ago

Xena walked towards the Adame, holding Anastasia's hand firmly. The little seven year old looked up at her mother confusedly. "Are you leaving again?" she asked.

"Yes. We already discussed this. You're staying with Kreka until I come back." Xena walked up the stairs and Anastasia refused to come with and snatched her hand away. She turned around and frowned. "What are you doing? We don't have time for this."

Anastasia pouted and folded her arms. Xena groaned. "Annas..." she pressed and her daughter lifted her chin. "Anastasia," she whispered, "come on, don't be difficult. We've gone through this a thousand times already!"

"I don't want to stay with Kreka. She doesn't like me!"

Xena sighed heavily and placed a hand on her hip. "Don't be ridiculous. Of course she likes you."

"No, she doesn't! She doesn't treat me like the other boys, mother!" she frowned sadly and Xena knelt down, fixing the fur hat on her daughter's head.

"Maybe because you're not a boy," Xena smirked and Anastasia quirked her mouth. "She likes you, I promise. Now, come on. I need to leave soon. Attila is waiting for me at the gates." She stood and extended her hand. Anastasia huffed and grabbed her hand reluctantly and skipped up the stairs.

They walked into the queen's quarters and Kreka sat in a chair, holding her toddler son, Dengi, on her lap. The queen turned and saw Xena at the door with Anastasia and frowned. She set down Dengi on the floor and stood up slowly, folding her arms.

"Do I look like your babysitter, Xena?" Kreka said sourly.

Xena frowned and gripped her daughter's shoulders. "Attila said I could leave...Annas in your care. You wouldn't defy your husband would you?" she teased.

Kreka rolled her eyes. "How long will you two be gone this time?"

"Two weeks at most. This is a short trip to the Onogur tribes." The commander said and Kreka sighed heavily then gave her a curt nod. Xena smiled and knelt down in front her daughter, buttoning the top button close to her neck. "You will be good for Kreka, won't you?" she whispered.

Ana nodded and looked over at the queen, glaring at her with a menacing frown. "She scares me."

"Yeah, she's real scary," Xena winked. She pat her daughter's cheek. "Don't leave this Adame unless Kreka is with you. Understand?"

"I understand."

Xena smiled and then left the queen's chambers. Ana sighed and turned around, gasping at Kreka who suddenly snuck up on her and towered over her. Kreka bent over, hands on her knees, staring at the blue eyed girl.

"You aren't going to give me trouble like last time are you?" the queen asked and Ana shook her head vigorously. "Good. I have enough to worry about and I don't need you getting into trouble." She said firmly and Ana's gaze dipped to the floor. "Go sit over there where I can watch you." She pointed to the corner of the rug.

Anastasia sighed and slumped her shoulders then plopped down on the floor. Dengi walked over to her and she smiled, seeing his bright face. He handed her one of his wooden toy soldiers. "Thanks, Dengi," she took the toy and ruffled the three year old's hair and he pat her shoulder.

She sighed and lifted her eyes, staring at the queen sitting in the chair, sewing quietly to herself. "Is that your senlik dress?"

"Yes." Kreka frowned and pricked her finger with the needle.

Ana nodded and tossed the toy in the air, dying of boredom. Kreka sucked on her bleeding finger and eyed the girl. Anastasia caught the harsh glare from the khatun and set the toy on the ground. Her eyes wandered around and she spotted a sword on the wall. She grinned mischievously and hopped up, walking over to the wall. She picked up the sword, nearly half her weight.

Kreka's eyes widened and she set the dress down in her lap. "Put that down!" she growled.

"Is this yours?"

"I said, put it down!" she snarled and threw the dress aside. Ana saw the heavily pregnant queen rising out of her chair and she quickly put the sword back on the wall. Kreka grabbed her arm firmly and Ana gasped. "You can't stay out of trouble for one second, can you?!"

"Let go of me!" Ana groaned and tried to get away from the queen but Kreka's grip tightened. "I said, let go of me!" she tried prying the queen's fingers off her arm.

"You have no manners. Would you behave like this if your mother was here?" she said and Anastasia breathed heavily and stopped resisting. "I didn't think so." She let go of the girl's arm. "Go sit over there and find something to do. I have to go see Helena in a little bit and you will come with me."

Ana grunted and walked over to the corner of the rug again and sat down, crossing her arms. Kreka sighed and sat back down in the chair, resuming her sewing. Anastasia looked at the queen and saw her threading a new needle.

"You hate me."

The queen raised an eyebrow and set the needle in her lap. "No, I don't."

"Yes you do. You don't treat me like the other boys."

Kreka sighed and looked at the girl, tapping her fingers on the armrest. "One day you will not be part of the boys circle anymore. Just remember that. And I don't hate you. Now, could you go get my sewing basket? It's in my room."

Ana was tempted to roll her eyes but she got up and waltzed into the other room, doing as she was told.

Kreka came into the yurt and Xena lifted her eyes, staring at the queen. Gabrielle turned around at her presence. "Anastasia wants to see you." She said and Xena rolled her eyes.

"You should go," Gabrielle insisted.

Kreka folded her arms and Xena got up then grabbed her sword. She gave a brief smile and Xena brushed by her, exiting the yurt. She turned to the blonde. "Are you two leaving for Tunis soon?"

"Tonight, Xena said."

The khatun nodded. "How long will you both be gone for?"

Gabrielle shrugged her shoulders. "I'm not sure. With the way things are going, I'm assuming Xena is not planning on coming back here anytime soon."

"She's hurt. She'll get over it," the queen waved her hand dismissively. "I will make sure to keep an eye on Anastasia while you both are away."

Gabrielle lifted her eyebrows in surprise. "You would do that for Xena? Why?"

Kreka smirked. "Despite what you might think of me, Gabrielle, I care about Anastasia. I can be hard on her and obviously so can Xena. She is young and doesn't know what she's doing. I will make sure that nothing happens to her. For Xena's sanity of course..."

The blonde smiled, "of course." She paused then snickered. Kreka frowned and stared at her intensely. "You are a nice person, Kreka."

"Hmm," the queen averted her gaze.

Gabrielle saw that the woman was being extra stubborn and maybe even a bit embarrassed. "So...Leila," she changed the subject drastically. "Xena is not going to be the only grandmother around here," she said and Kreka grinned.

"Finally! I have been waiting for this moment," she said excitedly and Gabrielle grinned smugly.

"And you won't be upset if it's a boy instead of a girl?" Gabrielle asked and the queen pursed her lips.

"Girls are preferable of course...but I don't mind," she cast a warm smile and Gabrielle stared in silence. She had not seen a smile like that before on Kreka's face in...never. No, never. "Now, I must get Ernak married soon," she tapped her cheek, already formulating her youngest son's future wedding and wife.

Gabrielle crinkled her nose and chuckled. "I think there have been enough weddings around here..."

"I will find him a nice girl from my tribe in Ashina," she smiled.

"Oh boy..." Gabrielle muttered.

Xena opened the doors to the queen's chambers and saw her daughter lacing up the gauntlets on her arms. She saw her struggling a bit and walked over to her, grabbing her arm. Anastasia whipped her head around, surprised to see her mother.

"Let me help you," Xena smiled faintly and Ana extended her arm. She tied the gauntlets as tightly as possible. She spotted a helmet dressed in long silver chains, sitting in a chair and tied the gauntlet.

Anastasia looked at the gauntlet and looked briefly at her mother. "Thanks." She turned and looked at herself in the mirror, adjusting her black corset. "You got my invitation, right?"

Xena traced her finger along a chair and nodded. "Yes, I did."

"You aren't coming are you?" she asked and turned around, looking into her mother's steely eyes.

"No."

"You don't approve. I understand." Ana turned around and tied the cape around her clasps.

Xena rubbed her forehead and grabbed her daughter's shoulder, spinning her around. "I don't want you to make a mistake, Ana. This life isn't for everyone."

Ana brushed off her mother's hand. "You don't think I can do this, do you?"

"No, I think you will be great at it," Xena said and Anastasia arched a brow. "You are inexperienced on the battlefield but not behind closed doors. Sometimes wars are fought with pen and paper, not with a sword. You are lucky to have the ability to talk to others and make them side with you. I am not gifted in that department."

Anastasia's eyes darted back and forth as she paused, pondering her mother's odd choice of words. "So, you never wanted me to be a commander because you think I would be good at it? That doesn't make sense, mother."

"Once you become a commander, it takes over your life. You won't have time to do anything. The army is your family now. I don't want you to forget about your children like I did."

"You never forgot about me. I never felt like that," Ana said with a smile. "You taught me a lot over the years, mother. You were always there for me when I needed you, but I need to do this by myself."

Xena sighed and nodded. "Of course you do. I am...leaving tonight with Gabrielle to go to Tunis."

"When will you be back?"

"I don't know," Xena said and saw the disappointment on her daughter's face. "I always come back, you know that," she winked. "I love you very much."

Ana frowned sadly and embraced her mother tightly. "I love you too," she whispered.

Pulling away, Xena grazed her daughter's cheek and smiled warmly. She turned and walked out of the room, leaving her daughter to finished getting dressed.

That evening, Gabrielle was outside packing their supplies they were taking with them to Tunis on the horse. Xena came out of the yurt, wearing her cloak and handed Gabrielle a few wine skins filled with water. "Is that everything?" she asked.

"I think so," Xena said. She turned and saw a crowd around the center of the camp. Ellac and Anastasia were standing on a dais together. He was speaking to the people, engaging with them. She turned to her consort, "I'm going to get something. Just wait by the gates for me."

Gabrielle frowned and checked the bags on the horses. "Are you sure we're missing something? I think we have everything."

"I forgot one thing. I'll be back," Xena said.

The blonde smiled, "okay Xena..." she watched Xena flip her hood over her head and walk over to the crowd of people. She knew exactly what she was doing. Grabbing the reins of the horse she began making her way over to the gates to wait as instructed.

After Ellac made a brief but eloquent speech to his people he turned to Anastasia and was handed over the helmet. Xena stood in the back row of the crowd, watching Ellac place the helmet on his wife's head. He raised her arm in the air and everyone in the square cheered loudly. Xena lifted her chin, watching her daughter beaming with a big grin on her face and raising her sword high into the air.

Anastasia's eyes scanned the crowd and was overwhelmed by the smiles she received. She spotted her mother in the back of the crowd and her smile lessened. Their eyes locked with one another and suddenly all the smiles surrounding her weren't as important anymore. Xena smiled from afar and turned, walking towards the gates.

Ana felt Ellac nudge her arm and she snapped her head towards him. The beaming smile returned to her face once more. She looked at the crowd briefly then glanced over at the gates and saw her mother mount her horse with Gabrielle and ride away from Pannonia. Finally, she felt a bit more at peace seeing her mother come to the coronation. Although, she would have liked it if she were on the dais with her, it was enough to she even bothered to show her face for a few seconds –a few small seconds of recognition was all she wanted.

The Maghreb

They were able to catch the last ship from Suevi to the Maghreb. Xena insisted that they be dropped off at Tunis but the ship merchant informed her that ships no longer travel to Tunis because there are a lot of pirates in the Mediterranean and most people were not allowed to travel through that dangerous territory. He told them both that they could travel by horse, camel or by foot to get to Tunis.

Gabrielle realized that she really hated traveling by ship within the first couple of hours. She was incredibly sick and didn't realize how much she took land for granted. When the ship docked at one of the coast cities in the Maghreb region, she made sure she was the first one off the boat and was happy to find land, although everything was sand. So much sand. Definitely a different world it was over here and far from the gorgeous terrain of Pannonia and Balaam.

There were no trees, no grassland, no mountains or hillsides. Just sand and a lot of it. Together, they walked through the streets and eyes were all on them. Everyone here had tanned skin and dark features and Gabrielle felt like she stuck out like a sore thumb in this place.

Gabrielle huddled close to Xena as they walked through the busy street. Xena's eyes wandered around and she adjusted the bag on her shoulder. "Um, Xena, I think we should buy some different clothes..." she suggested. Judging by the looks they were given, they obviously knew that she and Xena were foreigners.

"Sure, sure," Xena said and spotted a clothing merchant across the way and smiled. She grabbed Gabrielle's hand, ushering her through the sea of people. "Come on, let's see if you can work your magic here and get us a good deal."

The merchant's eyes widened upon seeing the two female foreigners. He eyed her black attire and fur cloak she wore. He kept counting his coins in his hands and looked over at the blonde woman beside the tall warrior. "It's a bit warm to be wearing fur, ma'am," he teased.

Xena nodded. "We need to buy some clothes."

He sighed and pulled out two white outfits, pants included. Xena frowned and looked at the clothes. "You don't have any black clothing?" she asked.

Chuckling the merchant poured his coin into a jar. "Sorry ma'am, only women wear white. The men wear black here."

Xena groaned and knew this place was quite different than her homeland. She couldn't exactly get anything free here nor could she possibly negotiate with him either. After all, she wanted to fit in here. "How much for these two outfits?"

"For you foreigners, forty."

Gabrielle frowned and looked at the clothes and tapped her fingers on his table. "We will give you thirty."

"Thirty five."

"Twenty," she smiled.

He nodded. "Thirty it is." Xena pulled out the coins and spread them out on his table. He frowned and picked up the coins and shook his head, pushing the pile of coin towards her. "We don't take dinars here."

"Why not? It is used everywhere else!" Xena snarled.

The merchant smirked and looked at her fur coat. "I will trade you for your fur coat," he said.

"You're out of your mind," she scoffed.

"Xena, just give it to him. It's not like you need it in his hotbox," Gabrielle whispered.

Xena grumbled and took off her coat and handed it over the merchant. He felt the animal fur against his fingers and then pushed the clothes across the table. "Where are you two from?" he asked.

"Pannonia," Xena answered.

His eyes grew as did his smile. "Huns. My people adore Huns. Your people fight against Rome and that is highly regarded in the Maghreb. God willing, we will be free from the Romans one day."

Xena smiled nervously and snatched the clothes in her arms. "Thank you..." she swiftly turned and walked down the street.

Gabrielle skipped ahead and adjusted the bag on her back. "Wow, they like Huns here. That's new!" she smiled. "At least we don't have to worry about being attacked here."

"Don't speak too soon, Gabrielle. This is a large area and I'm sure there are people that don't like us. We should lay low." She sighed and looked around to find an inn somewhere. "They don't even take our currency over here. Maybe we could find someone to exchange dinars for...whatever they use here."

After passing through the busiest streets in the bazaar area in this huge city, they came to a more suburban area and finally, they found some inns, taverns and tall buildings, which they were sure were apartments. Xena's ears perked up when she heard a familiar language and Gabrielle bumped into her from behind.

Her ears listened to the conversation on the side of the road and spotted a group of men armored men. "Huns," she said and Gabrielle raised an eyebrow. She marched over to the group of men and they immediately ceased conversation.

"You are Huns, yes?" she asked and the man eyed her from head to toe.

"Depends. Who wants to know?" one of the men asked and placed his hand on the sword hilt hanging from his belt.

Xena eyed the sword and she smiled deviously. "We're from Pannonia. We're trying to find transportation to Tunis."

The male Huns eyed one another and then saw Gabrielle standing behind Xena. "She is not a Hun," one of them pointed to Gabrielle. "Is she Roman?"

"I am not!" Gabrielle blurted out. "I'm from Greece."

He snickered. "Same thing different name."

Xena put her arm in front of Gabrielle to prevent any further confrontation with these men. "Can we exchange our money around here and where do we find transportation?"

The Hun folded his large arms and the other two men whispered to each other behind his back. "Pannonia, huh? You part of Attila's clan or what?"

She bit her tongue, growing impatient by the second. "Something like that. Are you going to help us or not?"

He smirked. "You can exchange your dinars for pounds at any inn. As for transportation, you will have to travel a bit west of this city to the countryside to buy a horse. Where are you heading?"

"Tunis," she said and his smile disappeared.

"Kadin, you cannot go to Tunis. It is dangerous there."

Xena smiled. Of course it is, she thought. "Danger is not a problem for me, boy."

"I am not a boy!" he unsheathed his sword and she quickly drew hers and knocked his blade out of his grasp and grabbed it. Now, she wielded her sword and his. He gaped at her in shock and the other young men slowly backed away.

"What tribe are you from?" she asked.

"Akitziri..." he said and felt a bit embarrassed now that he was unarmed.

She nodded and tossed him his sword back. "Very nice tribe. I used to live there a long time ago. You've been away from home too long." She winked and walked along the road to find an inn. "Let's go, Gabrielle."

"I hate to say this but that was really satisfying," Gabrielle chuckled and turned back to see the shock on the young Hun's face as he whispered to his friends.

"Kids with swords," Xena shook her head. "I find it strange that Huns are here in Africa."

Gabrielle shrugged a shoulder. "They were in Spain too, remember?"

"That made sense. Vandals took over and kidnapped Hun women, men and children. Africa is way out of Hun territory. It's just strange and the Romans apparently have this territory. Odoacer continues to oppress these people. I'm sure we'll find out exactly what is going on this place soon enough."

After some time they were able to find an inn to stay in for the evening and also were able to exchange their dinars were a foreign currency that was not familiar to Xena or Gabrielle. For a Roman province Xena expected these people to use Roman pounds but this currency was different, very strange, she noted.

Sitting on the bed, Xena studied the silver coin that had a man's face etched into it. She lifted her eyes and saw Gabrielle wearing the white garb and turban. Xena smirked, slightly amused by Gabrielle's clothing.

"I donno about this, Xena," Gabrielle rolled up the long sleeves.

"You were the one who suggested that we buy new clothes." Xena teased. "Besides, it doesn't look that bad."

Gabrielle scoffed. "Well, I don't see you trying on the new clothes!"

"I will, tomorrow." Xena said and held up the silver coin. "Do you see this man's face on this coin?" she said and Gabrielle took the coin from her hand and studied it. "That's not a Roman noble. There must be someone else here who is in charge. Someone of importance."

"A king?" Gabrielle guessed.

Xena rubbed her chin. "Maybe, but if Romans control this territory then they must allow this person to be in control of his people. Romans don't do that because if they did then all the Hun tribes wouldn't be at war with them all the time."

Gabrielle sat on the bed and examined the silver coin more carefully. "There's a language written on here." She said and brought the coin up to her eye to try and decipher it. "Definitely not Latin. It looks tribal. Do you think that the Maghreb still has tribes that control this area?"

"I'm not sure. Your guess is as good as mine, Gabrielle. I've never been here before. I think we're going to have a hard time finding a person to buy a horse from to go to Tunis."

The blonde tossed the coin back at Xena and lay down on the bed, staring at the ceiling. "Well, that ship merchant did say the place was loaded with pirates. Are you sure that you want to just walk into danger like that?"

Xena smirked and lay down on the bed beside her. "Gabrielle, this is me you're talking about. Commander of the Huns."

"Ex-commander!" Gabrielle playfully punched Xena's arm. "Do you think Ana is doing alright with her new position? It's been a couple of weeks."

"Who knows. She is a fast learner and picks things up quickly. I trust she will make the right choices."

Gabrielle grinned and scooted closer to Xena. "Now why couldn't you say those words to her back there, huh?"

Xena smirked, "because she needs to learn how to live without me beside her all the time."

"Tough love?" Gabrielle teased.

"She's a big girl. She can handle it."

Anastasia slapped Ebnedzar across the face and he nearly fell over in the chair he was tied to. "I'm not going to ask again. Why are you trying to overthrow the emperor of Constantinople?" she yelled and he spat out some blood, glaring up at the young queen.

"Shouldn't you be doing something more important? Like lying on your back?" he smirked and Anastasia widened her eyes. She kicked the chair over and snapped her fingers at the soldiers behind her.

"Waterboard him," she ordered.

The soldiers grabbed Ebnedzar and placed a cloth over his face. She smiled and grabbed a bucket of water and poured a stream of water onto his face. "Don't inhale, Ebnedzar!" she teased. She poured the entire bucket of water on his face and he coughed, gasping for air. "That's how you drown."

She stepped on the chair and pulled him up. Whipping the towel off his face he blinked rapidly, staring at her as he coughed up water. "I can do this all night. Tell me the truth. Who are you working for?"

He breathed heavily, "M –Mustafa," he finally broke down after days of interrogation.

Anastasia nodded. "Who is Mustafa?"

"Trader...in Tunis. He...he's called the Scourge of Carthage." He coughed violently and she grabbed his chin, gaping into his fearful eyes. "Are we done now?"

She smiled. "You'd like that wouldn't you?" she stepped away and pulled out her sword. "That doesn't tell me anything about your plan to overthrow the emperor. He is a good friend of mine. Did Mustafa tell you to kill him?"

"Yes," Ebnedzar said.

"Don't lie to me." She pressed the end of her blade into his neck. "I don't care if you're Ellac's brother. You aren't doing yourself any favors by coming here and making enemies. I suggest you start talking or I'll kill you right here."

He smirked and let out a weak chuckle. "If I tell you the truth you'll kill me anyway."

"Maybe not. I can be amenable. Tell me, Ebnedzar."

Ernak stepped inside the tent and saw Anastasia holding a blade up to his elder brother's throat. "Ana, Ellac is asking for you..."

She snarled, "I'm busy!" she shouted.

"He says it's important..." he said and saw she was ignoring him.

"I can override him. I am not finished with this bastard yet," she smiled at Ebnedzar and Ernak rolled his eyes and sat in a chair, waiting for her to finish her interrogation. "Now, you were about to tell me the truth, yes?"

Ebnedzar exhaled deeply and warily looked down at the sharp blade. One wrong move and she could slice his neck. "The Bey of my tribe in Suevi made a deal with Odoacer. He wants Anastasius out of the way so he can expand his empire and prevent any new emperors from claiming the throne. Suevi used to be a poor tribe but now it is wealthy due to the khat trade." He paused and felt the blade dig into his skin. "And I was appointed as treasurer by the Bey. I collect all the money from the khat trades that runs throughout Suevi."

"And all that talk of asylum for your people was what? A ruse?" she said and he fell silent. She growled and grabbed him by his hair and reared his head back. "Spit it out or I'll cut out your tongue and feed it to the wolves!"

"I wanted my family to come live in Pannonia so they wouldn't be killed by Odoacer!" he said finally and she let go of his hair.

"You have a family?" she asked and he nodded. She smiled and lowered her sword. "If I send some of my men to Suevi to retrieve your family and bring them here then I will know if you are lying or not, right?" she said and he furrowed his eyebrows. "We'll see if your story checks out." She waved her hand at the soldiers. "Untie him and bring him inside the Adame." She ordered and turned to see Ernak lounging in a chair casually.

The prince stood and folded his arms. "Impressive," he gave her a satisfactory nod. "My brother really needs to talk to you."

"Just tell me what he wants," she said and placed her hands on her hips.

He sighed. "Dengi found the rogue Huns in Constantinople and killed them all. The emperor is unharmed but he is aware of the situation. Dengi should be coming back soon."

"Is that all?" she raised an eyebrow.

"No. He wants to arrest everyone that possess khat in Pannonia and burn the plant."

She turned and grabbed Ebnedzar by the arm as he was being escorted out of the tent. "You see what your insolence has caused? You bring shame on your family, son of Attila," she hissed.

Xena and Gabrielle walked a long way to the countryside of the Maghreb and found a lonely old man with a stable full of horses. A traveler paid him some coin in exchange for a horse. "Hey!" Xena yelled and together, they ran to the man sitting outside of his shack in the middle of the desert.

"What can I do for you?" he asked and tucked the coin he received into his pocket.

"How much for a horse?" she asked.

He smiled and shielded his face with a scarf from the harsh sandy winds. "Do you have a license? Are you a merchant? You don't look like you two are from here."

Xena frowned. "We traveled a long way to find a horse merchant to travel to Tunis."

The man furrowed his eyebrows and rose slowly from his rickety chair. "I can't help you, sayaditi," he said and walked into his shack.

Gabrielle and Xena looked at one another and went inside his shack without being invited. "You don't understand. We need to get to Tunis. It's very important."

The man nodded and poured his pouch of coin on a table. "You're a Hun woman disguised in Maghrebi clothes. The crest on your sword gives you away. My advice to you is to stay away from Tunis. The Carthaginians do not take kindly to Huns or...Greeks," he chuckled, eyeing Gabrielle.

"You just sold a horse to that man outside," Gabrielle told him.

"He is from Maghreb and is a fruit vendor."

Xena arched her eyebrow. "A fruit vendor out here in the desert? Doesn't look like he was selling fruit judging by his clothing and sword on his back."

"Listen, sayaditi, I do not have quarrels with foreigners such as yourselves, but I cannot sell you a horse. There are pirates on the road to Tunis. It is too dangerous." He shook his head. Xena growled and slammed her hand on the table.

"Listen here, old man, you are going to sell us a horse. We need to get to Tunis." She pressed and he frowned, swatting her hand off his table. He scooted the coins off to the side and leaned his elbows on the table, staring into his fiery eyes.

"There is nothing in Tunis for you," he said seriously.

She took a coin out from her pocket and set it in front of him. "Who is this man on the coin?"

He looked down and smirked. "The Berber King of course."

"Berber King?" Gabrielle said bemusedly.

He nodded. "King Numeria of Maghreb. He is in control of all the tribes in this territory. His father married a Roman noble woman under Valentinian III. He is good friends with the Romans still I imagine otherwise he would not still rule the Maghreb."

Xena creased her eyebrows. "The Romans are friends with the king? Where do I find this Numeria?"

"I'm afraid I can't help you there, sayaditi. I've never seen him myself, but I hear he is ruthless. It said that he lives in the desert dunes in the territories between the Maghreb and Tunis."

"Well that solves the Roman occupation mystery," Gabrielle muttered. "Are you sure you can't sell us a horse? We can give you everything we have."

Xena gasped. "Gabrielle!"

"What is so special about Tunis anyway?" the man pried, now a bit curious. "It is not often we get visitors here in Maghreb, let alone a Hun and Greek no less."

"Afraid I can't tell you that," Xena smirked, playing the old man's cryptic game.

"I'll give you a horse for that sword," he eyed the Pannonian sword on Xena's hip.

"Have you lost your mind?" Xena held the hilt of her sword.

"Xena. A word?" Gabrielle grabbed her partner's arm and escorted her outside. "He's obviously not going to let us buy a horse. The road between here and Tunis seems more than dangerous. Even those Huns back in the city said so. Maybe we shouldn't go."

Xena huffed. "We didn't come all the way here to turn around! I want to find Mustafa and end this drug trade. The only way to do that is to go to Tunis."

"He's not going to budge. Either you give him your sword or we steal a horse and I don't want to do that."

Xena grumbled and walked back into the shack. She unsheathed her sword and slammed it on the table. "Sword for a horse, right?" she said and he smiled, examining the fine craftsmanship of the weapon.

"Deal, sayaditi. You may choose any horse you'd like. I suggest the Arabian horse." He said and she muttered under her breath. "Be careful of those pirates," he warned. "They take no prisoners."

Two days later, Gabrielle and Xena rode through the hot barren desert in between the Maghreb and Tunis. So far, there had been no sign of life out here and the days were scorching hot and the nights cold and windy. Gabrielle was beginning to think this was a bad idea, considering they had no real direction and the desert looked the same no matter what direction they went in.

She was convinced that they were going in a circle. Although, the scenery changed when they reached a rocky area of the desert and saw huge mountains wedged in the middle of the sand dunes. Xena pulled the scarf up on her face, shielding herself from the gusts of wind. They rode through the quiet alleyway in between the mountains.

Gabrielle looked around and frowned. She gripped Xena's shoulders nervously. "It's really quiet here."

"I know," Xena whispered. She halted the horse when she saw a giant sand cloud coming straight for them. Her eyes widened and through the sand she saw horsemen wearing all black, riding at them. Panicking, she reared the horse back and turned the opposite way, riding away from the black riders.

Soon, she lost sight of the road as the sand storm completely engulfed the area. She shielded her eyes and looked around and couldn't see the riders anymore. Her heart raced and she pulled out a sword from the holster on her back.

Gabrielle was struck on the back of the head by one of the riders and she fell off the horse. Xena turned around and could no longer see Gabrielle on the ground in the dusty storm. "Gabrielle!" she yelled. Circling around herself she growled and held out her blade, waiting for an attack that she couldn't see.

A weapon smacked her in the face and she gasped. She whipped her head around and couldn't see the riders. Suddenly, she felt all her combat skills were lost here. She felt blind and knowing that Gabrielle was not in her sight, she didn't know what to do.

One of the riders came up from behind her and hit her head with a large javelin and she slumped on her horse, dropping her sword.

Water was splashed onto Xena's face and she woke up, gasping for air. Her vision returned to her and she saw men dressed in black with tattoos on their faces, staring at her. She snarled and then realized she was tied at her ankles, neck and wrists to a large pole. Her eyes wandered around and she was inside a large tent. Still in the desert. She turned and saw Gabrielle was also tied to a pole, but still unconscious.

"Gabrielle!" she hissed. "Gabrielle!"

A dark figure came into the tent and Xena squinted her eyes from the bright sunlight. All the men stood, bowing their heads and backed away from the entrance. Her eyes soon adjusted and saw the figure unveil its face. A woman, she noted.

The woman, clad in black baggy pants, boots and a large tunic walked into the tent and knelt down in front of her prisoner. She grabbed Xena's cheeks, staring at her and uttered something in a foreign language to the men. Xena saw the men disperse from the tent immediately. The woman smiled and Xena breathed heavily. For people to disperse from the tent so quickly, Xena gathered this woman was of some importance. A pirate, perhaps? The tanned woman leaned forward, widening her golden brown eyes, studying Xena's face. She was quite beautiful and bore black sacred markings of some kind on her cheeks and forehead.

"Foreigners," the woman said in a thick accent. "I don't like foreigners in my land."

Xena raised an eyebrow, though being in a situation where she couldn't get out of, she chose to stay quiet.

"You!" the woman spat and held a saber up to Xena's throat. "Where are you from and why do you trespass into Aures Mountains?"

"We're...from a land far from here," she chose her words carefully. "We are traveling somewhere. We didn't know this land belonged to you."

The woman paused and chuckled lightly, lowering her saber. "White woman. You do not fear my sword," she said and Xena kept quiet. "You are warrior, no?"

"Some may say that," Xena said and eyed the saber the woman held cautiously. She glanced over at Gabrielle worriedly.

"Your blonde," the woman nudged her head over to Gabrielle. "She is yours, yes?" she asked and Xena lowered her eyes. "Why do you come here?"

Xena frowned, "I just told you, we are traveling."

"You lie," the woman smiled. "You lie to me, you die. Understand?" she said and Xena lifted her chin. "Now I ask again. Why do you come here?"

"We are traveling to Tunis," Xena relented, giving up trying to remain quiet about her plans. She didn't want to die and didn't want anything to happen to Gabrielle. "Are you a pirate?"

The woman let out a laugh and placed her hands on her hips. "Pirate?" she scoffed, "I'm Kahina, Queen of The Berbers!" she said and saw her prisoner's eyes widen. "You made a mistake coming here, white woman."

Yes, Xena was beginning to realize that at this very moment.