I recently watched a few episodes of season 6 and found something interesting. Attila was in an episode and so was Kahina as well as a mention of the white Huns. I didn't even realize these people were in the show and completely forgot about it lol. Just a side note I thought was pretty cool. Although, these depictions of these historical people in this story are more accurate portrayals than the show.
Enjoy! Thanks for following along, everyone! I really enjoy writing this story.
Chapter 35
Kahina, the Berber Queen, sat down in the tent and pulled the black turban off her head, letting down her long black straight hair. Xena watched the woman cautiously, waiting to see if she would do anything or pull another saber out. Gabrielle began to come to and wake slowly. Xena glanced over at Gabrielle, worried that she might panic and invite this tribal woman to act with sword in hand.
"What are you white women doing in the desert?" Kahina asked. A tray of food and tea was brought to her. She picked up the glass of hot tea and sipped it slowly, not taking her eyes off her new captives.
"Traveling east," Xena answered curtly.
The Berber woman snickered and set down the glass on the silver tray. "Nobody travels in this desert unless you look for trouble. You like trouble, no?" she studied the raven haired fair skinned woman and eyed the blonde whom was now awake. "Blonde," she smiled and Gabrielle breathed heavily then tried to break free from her bondage.
"Gabrielle, don't even try. I already did," Xena whispered. Her partner cast her a worried glance and then her eyes traveled to the tan skinned woman with tattoos on her face. Her eyes were a piercing golden brown and her hair, parted down the middle, framing her high cheekbones and her wide tight lipped grin. She was a menacing woman to look at. A dangerous woman.
"Where are we?" Gabrielle asked.
Kahina frowned, "Aures Mountains. You trespass on my territory, you are my prisoners now, yes?"
Gabrielle raised an eyebrow and got a bad vibe from this woman. Her accent was thick and barely understandable. "We aren't pirates."
The queen cackled and Xena rolled her eyes. Sometimes Gabrielle doesn't know when to shut her mouth. "I know you are no pirates. Only I am in charge of this desert. Certainly, no white women or men come through here unless they want to die. You wish to die, eh?"
"Who is this?" Gabrielle whispered.
"Kahina, Queen of The Berbers!" the raven haired tribal woman snapped and rose to her feet. "I don't like you. You have a big mouth," she glared down at Gabrielle.
She decided to take a stab in the dark here and glanced over at Xena briefly. She lifted her eyes to the terrifying woman. "We heard there is a Berber King by the name of Numeria. Is he in charge of this desert too?"
Kahina scoffed. "My husband," she shrugged her shoulder nonchalantly. "I kill him long time ago." She spread her arms out and smiled. "All this desert under my control now." She said proudly.
Oh so she's a murderer, Gabrielle thought. This woman obviously doesn't play games. She was more surprised that Xena hadn't tried to combat this queen yet, or maybe Xena already had a plan and she wasn't aware of it yet? It seemed Xena was playing it safe. Being in an unfamiliar area was difficult enough but this woman obviously did not like trespassers in her land and they were unwelcomed here.
Kahina knelt down in front of Xena and grabbed her face. "You wear Maghrebi clothes. Where you from?" she asked and Xena kept her mouth closed. "White woman with no tongue," she licked her lips and Xena cringed in disgust. "You tell me what land you come from or you die, yes?"
"Pannonia," Xena said through clenched teeth.
The queen squinted her eyes. "I know not of this Pannonia. Where is this land?"
"Hun territory."
Kahina's eyes widened and she let go of her prisoner's face. "Hun woman," she rose to her feet and Xena eyed the saber on her hip, waiting for her to pull it out at any moment. "Huns are great enemy of Rome. My people, how do you say..." she frowned, "admire you." She said and Gabrielle looked confusedly up at the woman. "You travel far from your land, Hun woman. Why you come here?"
"We were going to see someone," Xena remained cryptic, still suspicious of the woman's intentions.
"There nothing here for you, Hun woman. You travel to see sand. You trespass on my land. Why you no tell me your real...story?" Kahina smiled smugly and traced her tattooed fingers along Xena's cheek.
Gabrielle grunted and didn't like the way this woman was treating Xena. Although it could be worse, they could be tortured or beaten to death. "We're going to Tunis," she blurted out. Xena whipped her head around and widened her eyes at her partner and her big mouth.
The Berber woman grimaced and stood up. "You travel to my enemy's land. You be safer here than there. Foolish white women." She scoffed and waved her hand dismissively then took a seat by her tray of tea again.
Xena's eyes wandered around this woman's tent and realized this was a tribal society much like her own land in Pannonia and other Hunnic tribes. The inside of the tent reminded her of the yurts back home. They weren't that different except for their location and language. Other than that, the two women had more in common than differences.
She decided to play into this woman's hands. "Do you know about the drug trades in Tunis?"
Kahina lifted her eyes. "Drug trades?"
"Khat. There's a ship route from Tunis that delivers khat to my land, Greece and Rome." Xena said and saw the woman's eyes flicker.
She spat on the floor. "Khat," she frowned in disgust at the plant. "I hate khat. It destroy my people and kill them."
Gabrielle's eyes widened. "Do you know a man named Mustafa?"
The queen chuckled. "Know him? He is my brother." She saw the look of shock on the women's faces. "I know of the 'drug trades' you speak of. My brother is not good person. He kill people for khat. He kill your people too, Hun woman."
"why haven't you stopped him?" Xena asked.
Kahina held out her hands to explain, "his army too strong. Bigger than mine. He kill me too if I fight him."
This woman wasn't as terrifying anymore, Xena realized. "How many men do you have?"
The Berber Queen hummed and counted quickly in her head. "Maybe three hundred. Not sure."
Perfect. "I need to get to Mustafa and stop the drug trade coming into my land. Let me help you defeat him."
Kahina laughed. "You? Hun woman ambitious. You not powerful enough."
"Don't underestimate me. I used to be Attila's commander. I have fought against three emperors of the Roman Empire. Let us help you. I can take your brother out and you can have control over your people again." Xena coaxed the woman.
"Ah, you are warrior," Kahina nodded. "I don't trust you, Hun woman. You come into foreign land and think you take over and kill my brother with no help. Foolish, you are."
"She's very resourceful," Gabrielle chimed in and the Berber woman snarled at her. "She killed Emperor Zeno."
The woman shrugged. "Make no difference. Still another emperor on the throne after one dies. Romans are rats. Never die, only replaced."
"Emperor Anastasius is our friend. He will not harm you," Xena said. "I can help you command your army against Mustafa."
The days were hot as summer approached in the Hun nation. Rain was scarce and clouds did not make their presence. The people living in Pannonia soon realized that their land was destined to become infertile and barren of fresh crops in the mountain side. Ellac, the new king of his people and his father's homeland, came to grips that ruling an entire nation was more difficult than he imagined. His short reign as king at the young age of sixteen and seventeen was nothing compared to his later years as king.
He was able to persuade his people to seek out other profitable areas of Pannonia to plant crops during the harsh summers. As weeks passed by Ellac knew that Anastasia wanted to move onto their plan of creating a more vast empire. An empire greater and larger than Attila's. The young king had doubts that his fiancée's plan was going to work. He sought advice from his stepmother, Kreka, on matters of conquering neighboring Hunnic tribes. The Khatun was hesitant to give advice and step on Anastasia's toes as she was the new commander and Xena was no longer in command.
Kreka knew that Anastasia was trying her best to command an army, but that was not the problem. Anastasia had no issues ordering soldiers around and they bent to her wills and commands whenever she wished. The wife of Attila admired Anastasia's attempts to influence her fiancé to go to war with the lesser tribes. She was resilient but Kreka knew that this was soon to become a huge burden on Ellac. Her stepson was more than overwhelmed with the immense changes in the growing empire but the overwhelming decisions did not stop there. Anastasia, the royal commander and queen, weighed heavily on Ellac's mind throughout the last weeks.
Ellac was a king now, yes, and he was forever grateful to his youngest brother for giving up the crown when everyone reunited. Dengizich remained the governor of Pannonia and was in constant meetings with Ernak, now part of the council of the nation. Anastasia thought it would be beneficial to have a council for the empire instead of making decisions as king and queen. Adopting the Roman's government system of a senate was ideal for the Hun people and the various tribes. No tribe leader was going to have complete control over their people, Anastasia thought.
So far, Anastasia organized a campaign in the eastern tribes near the Black Sea and Caspian Sea. She told her king that it would be better to have the Onogur tribe and Akitziri tribe on their side and later they could work their way up to gather the Atlyns, Khazars and eventually Nezaks. It did not take long for the campaigns to work in Ana's favor, since she lead the campaign with Ernak by her side. The eastern tribes were given an option of submitting or paying a heavy tax to Pannonia. Beys of each tribe were forced to join the royal empire of the son of Attila.
The reign of terror that Xena cast down on the Hunnic tribes so long ago was instilled in the tribes' minds. Seeing the young commander, the daughter of Xena, head of an entire army was a sight that anyone would be afraid of. She not only convinced the tribes to join herself and her king's empire, but she gathered up several able men to enlist in the army. The political campaign was turning into a military campaign and the more tribes Anastasia was able to grasp, the more power she had over her new subjects.
Though, she and Ellac were not yet married, they worked together as husband and wife, as king and queen. Kreka, the mother queen, feared that Anastasia's desire for a new empire would drain the young commander and perhaps send her down a road that Xena wanted her daughter to stray away from. The fear that Xena had all along was not far from Ana's reach and the Khatun saw the fire in the queen's eyes –a fire that Xena had long ago when she was a commander.
Late in the evening Anastasia returned from her campaign in the east with the Onogurs. She had a huge smile on her face as she walked into the king's quarters. Most queens of the Huns were not allowed to share the king's bed unless their presence was requested. Ellac was more lax when it came to formal matters and his soon to be wife, was allowed to come and go in his room as she pleased.
Dark circles lingered under the king's eyes as he could not sleep these last few weeks. He was overcome with so many decisions to make for his people and constantly wondered what he was doing was the correct decision. He had no idea that being a king would be such hard work.
Ellac felt the hands of his wife grasp his shoulders from behind as he sat at his desk, overlooking a mound of paperwork. He felt her breath against his ear and her lips graze his sunken cheek. Although he loved the woman from his childhood, he felt that he was not able to give her the attention she deserved. He grabbed her hand and turned in his chair, looking into her fierce blue marbles.
"I have secured the Onogurs and Akitizirs on our side," Anastasia said. Grasping his shoulder she noticed he was not well. His bright green eyes were dull and void of the spirit that she loved seeing the most in their years spent together as lovers. "You look tired. Are you not happy with the campaign? We will have all the tribes on our side by the end of summer season."
He smiled faintly and hung his head, feeling the exhaustion in his body overcome him. He wanted to sleep but his mind wouldn't allow him. "The campaign is fine and you are doing a good job so far. I am more concerned with Pannonia and this famine." He let out a big sigh and Ana knelt down and lifted his chin.
"We can ask for grain from the Akitiziri and if you are so desperate then we may even ask Anastasius for help," she hinted with a darkness in her eyes.
Ellac grumbled under his breath and rose from the chair. He made his way to the bed and poured a glass of wine for himself and his queen. Anastasia rose slowly and saw her king was more than tired. He was simply not himself at all and he couldn't bear to look at her for more than a few seconds without dozing off into a dreamland.
She took the wine from his hand and saw he was more fixated on the alcohol than anything else. His mind was elsewhere and it didn't look like he was in a good place. "Ellac..." she rubbed his arm and he did not turn to look at her. "I'm worried about you. This person you've become is...troubling. This is not the man that I wanted to marry a few months ago."
Her words were sweet and sincere, he thought, but they were not enough. None of this was enough. Being a monarch was nothing like he dreamed it would be. Ernak managed to control Pannonia after Dengizich failed to do so and who knew that the youngest son of Attila would be such a great king. He thought that he was also a failure like Dengizich and did not deserve the crown and to lead his people. Not even the most beautiful queen he had was able to convince him he was a great king. He felt her doubts at times and she often overrode his decision-making.
"I am not a good king like my father. I am not suited to rule my people. I can't give them what they want and our animals and crops are dying." He finally let the truth come out.
Anastasia set the wine glass on the table and gripped her king's hand and sat on the bed, staring into his solemn eyes. "You are a good king, Ellac. The people love you and I love you too. Starting over with a new empire is always difficult and your father would be very proud of you and his other sons."
He frowned down at his queen and could tell that she was not being truthful. "You are lying to me," he said. She saw the color in her face drain. "You know that I am not good at this, Anastasia. You don't think that I can rule an entire nation let alone an empire. You override my decisions and take control of everything. You are becoming more overbearing than your mother."
Now it was her turn for the blood to boil in her veins. She quickly jolted up from the bed and crossed her arms. "What are you saying? That you don't want me as your commander anymore? Or perhaps you don't want me as a wife?"
"We aren't married, Anastasia because you want your mother by your side at every waking moment. You can't live without her and you refuse to get married because she isn't here. Don't you understand that she has moved on? She doesn't want you to be a commander and you are so stubborn that you went against her wishes and drove her away!"
Ana gasped and shoved his shoulder, spilling the wine his hand all over his black vest. In a fit of rage Ellac rose his hand to strike her and her eyes widened. Moments of tense silence filled the air and slowly the irate king lowered his hand. He backed away to clear his mind from what he was about to do. He threw the glass at the wall and breathed heavily, gaping at the wine stained wall. He had no desire to intentionally hurt the person whom he loved and he almost did.
Csaba waited outside his father's room and peeked through a sliver of the cracked door. He saw his father raise his hand to his mother to strike her. He felt anxious and nervous as he watched his parents fight. He hadn't seen them fight in public together but behind closed doors it was obvious the two were not working well together. At first, everything was fine and his parents were in a phase that revolved their rekindling loving relationship, but over the months, those feelings had long passed.
He had not known his father all his life and he was delighted and overcome with joy to finally meet the man that his mother loved and told stories about throughout his childhood. He had come to really enjoy spending time with his father and hoped one day that he would be a great king like his uncles, grandfather and now father. But he was not a naive teenager. He knew that his parents weren't getting along well and they tried their best to keep it hidden from everyone, even from him.
Kreka grabbed the boy's arm and pulled him aside. Csaba looked into her eyes and feared the worst to come. He was not allowed to approach the king's quarters unless he was summoned. "What do you think you're doing, boy?"
"Nothing. They are arguing again. I saw my father almost hit mother," he regretted to say.
The khatun's grey eyes narrowed and she eyed the cracked door. She knew that Ellac was stressed but he would never harm Ana. Not even if he was so furious with her. Never, would he do such a heinous thing. "You know you are not supposed to spy on your parents. You are forbidden to come into his area."
The prince nodded. "I know. I wanted to see what they were talking about. I overheard mother's soldiers say that they were going to ride into Atlyn territory and claim the tribes there too."
The khatun's upper lip turned into a snarl. She knew that Anastasia was ambitious but she never thought she would pick up on being a fierce commander in a few short months. Without Xena here, that girl was able to do what she pleased and no longer needed her mother guiding her every step of the way. Pannonia was in the fate of the queen's hands and not the king's.
"Come with me. We will not speak of this campaign anymore. You understand?" she squeezed his shoulder and Csaba nodded.
Kahina's prisoners were upgraded to a new position. The Berber Queen did not fully trust Xena and her blonde woman, but she was willing to give the white women a chance to show what they could do for her people. The Berber people controlled the Aures Mountains and a vast area of the Sahara wedged in between the Maghreb and Tunis. The truth of her savage drug lord brother, Mustafa, was no lie and she suffered greatly after she killed her husband, Numeria.
Now that Kahina had been in charge of her tribes across the Sahara for over ten years, her brother veered off and took half of the tribe with him. He desired to create a new empire for himself and the leftover Berbers. Mustafa was a cunning man and he thought to use his land's gifts to his advantage. Kahina explained to her white prisoners that her brother sold khat locally and then gradually made several tribes in Tunis submit to him or die. Khat was more than just a plant of healing. It was a deadly plant that grew in the deserts.
He sent out several shipments of khat to Corinth as a test. He wanted to see if the white people of Greece were fond of the plant. Of course, the drug lord knew that the khat would go over well in Corinth and since the Greek city was a major port and in close proximity to Tunis, he could trade within days and receive his coin as exchange. He, himself, did not chew on the khat or smoke it out of large brass waterpipes, but simply surrounded himself with servants and beautiful women of Tunis. Kahina had little faith in her brother when he left their tribe. Together, they were supposed to rule, but he wanted more. He wanted an empire just like the Roman emperors.
Xena told Kahina that khat was being brought inside Pannonia and the queen was reluctant to give out vital information about the khat trades. The Hun woman rivaled the Berber Queen's authority and Gabrielle was no stranger to stubborn women. While the blonde poet was alone with the Berber woman, she was able to pry information out of her for Xena's plan.
Gabrielle sat inside the queen's tent and shielded her face from the harsh sandy winds that invaded the tent. She stared into the golden cat-like eyes of Kahina and thought she should put on a poker face. She wanted to seem like she knew what she was doing and she couldn't let Xena down now. She was a good talker like Xena said over the years. She knew she could get this tribal queen to talk one way or another.
"You know, I would trust Xena if I were you. You and her are more alike than you realize," she began. The queen cast a suspicious glare her way and Gabrielle refused to avoid eye contact. "She was a commander for Attila. I'm sure you've heard of him."
"I have," Kahina answered. "He is Scourge of God. Destroyer of Rome. King of Huns. My brother admire his ambitions," she said and tapped her fingers on her knee impatiently. "Xena is dangerous woman. I heard stories of her when I was young wife of my husband. My people loved her and Attila. They want to be like the Huns and destroy Romans, but we live in desert." She smirked. She saw the nervousness in Gabrielle's subtle movements of shifting positions on the rugged floor.
She continued, "you scared of me, blonde?"
Gabrielle smiled, a bit amused. "You don't scare me. I've dealt with worse. Listen, your highness, Xena is willing to help you defeat your brother and put an end to the khat trades. We know the Roman emperor and he is more than willing to help you and your tribe if you cooperate with us. We don't have a lot of resources out here and the longer you keep us here, the more you allow your brother to continue his drug empire."
Being in this desert for the last two months was very difficult and although Kahina had warmed up to her and Xena, the other tribesmen weren't as keen on foreigners staying in their camp as much as their queen was. Kahina didn't want to seem weak in front of her people but she also desired help, but she was too stubborn to let foreigners take control of her soldiers, especially a Hun and Greek no less.
"What you suggest I do, blonde? I have less men than my brother. He is more powerful than me. He has Romans on his side. Rome hate me and I would kill all of them if I could but...I am not strong enough."
Gabrielle nodded and leaned forward, invading the queen's space. Kahina slowly backed away, a bit appalled by the Greek's behavior. "Trust Xena. She is a very good commander and has been for almost all her life. Xena taught me that a small army of strong men is better than a huge army with weak men. Your soldiers are very skilled in combat and swordsmanship. I have faith that if you trust us then we can help you get rid of Mustafa."
Kahina grunted and ran her fingers through her silky black locks. Her eyes traveled to the open flap of the tent and witnessed Xena commanding the army as if she had taken over. The queen's suspicion of these foreign women had long faded as the months passed. She spent many moons deciding what her people's fate would be if she lead her army into battle against Mustafa. She had so little of her tribe left since Mustafa took her best fighters. The women and children in this camp were hungry and since the Romans were not very kind to the ethnic Berbers since Odoacer replaced Valentinian, her people would starve to death by winter season.
"You have big mouth," the dark skinned queen remarked. Gabrielle frowned slightly and Kahina chuckled under her breath. "A big mouth that is wise. You talk very...what is the word..." she sighed, growing frustrated at her lack of communication skills.
"Diplomatically?" Gabrielle said.
Kahina's golden brown eyes grew with excitement and she then slapped her hand on Gabrielle's knee. "Yes!" she exclaimed. "Diplomatic. You talk like Romans. I am no good at talking with Roman pigs," she spat on the floor and Gabrielle cringed.
"Looks like you have something in common with Xena. She doesn't like talking with Romans either. She leaves that to me," she said proudly. "I know you don't want your people to suffer, Kahina." She got a harsh stare from the Berber Queen and quickly corrected herself. "Your majesty," she said. "I know it must be hard for you to ask for help but the Romans won't help you. They will destroy you and they love the khat trade. I know for a fact that Odoacer is loving this trade. I used to work for him."
The queen arched an eyebrow and cleared her throat. "You work for Roman emperor? Yet you travel with this Hun woman?"
Gabrielle shied away and looked outside. She saw Xena yelling at the soldiers and smacked one on the head with the hilt of her long saber that Kahina gifted her. Doing her duty as commander. It cannot escape you Xena, she thought.
"It's a long story," she said and the queen gave her a curt nod of understanding. "Will you let us help you? Xena can be your greatest ally or greatest enemy."
Kahina let out a heavy sigh and narrowed her eyes to slits, gaping at the way Xena treated her men. Her soldiers were afraid of her. They were lazy from laying dormant in the battlefield. They were not used to such treatment from their queen as they was no use to go to war until now. She turned and eyed the Greek woman with a subtle smile on her dark features.
"Xena is great enemy of Rome so she is my ally." She extended her hand and Gabrielle's lips turned upward into a big grin. Together, they shook hands. "Allies most wanted at a time like this." She said and saw the happiness in the blonde's eyes and face. "You white women are brave. I, as queen of my people, am blessed by your presence." She lifted her arms in the air, praying to her gods in silence.
Gabrielle felt like she accomplished something being here in this desert. "We are always willing to help out those who need it."
Xena walked into the tent, drenched in sweat and the bangs of her long hair stuck to her forehead. Kahina rose from the rugs and approached Xena. "Your blonde woman is diplomatic and a great friend to you. She convince me to allow you to help my people fight my brother and crush his khat trade."
Xena and Gabrielle shared a knowing look. She took Kahina's arm, giving it a tight squeeze. "We will defeat Mustafa by the end of winter. I promise you that and I always keep my promises."
The queen chuckled and bobbed her head. "A woman of promises. I admire this. You are my ally now, yes?" she said and Xena gave her a big smile. "Mabrook!" she yelled and Xena jumped at the queen's sudden outburst. "We have a party tonight. A celebration for my new allies. White women and Berbers together. What do you say?"
Gabrielle looked to Xena and shrugged her shoulder. Xena smiled nervously at the queen. She hated parties mostly and knowing these tribal people were much like the Huns, she knew these parties could get very wild and out of hand. Nevertheless, she agreed.
"A party...how kind of you," Xena said through clenched teeth. "You don't have to go through all the trouble just for us. Gabrielle and I are more than happy to spend time alone while you celebrate with your people."
Kahina wrapped her arm around Xena. "Nonsense! You are my guests now. Prisoners no more, yes? You are my allies and we have celebration together. You drink wine, Hun?" she asked and Xena nodded her head slowly. "And what of you, blonde?"
Gabrielle's mouth gaped. "Well, I mean, sometimes..."
"Mumtaz!" the queen said and squeezed Xena to her side. The warrior cringed and Kahina had a big smile on her face. "We have best wine in the world in my land. Better than wine from your motherland. You smoke hashish?" she said and Gabrielle's eyes widened.
"Um," Xena slipped out of the queen's tight hold. "I don't think smoking hashish is the best idea."
"You tried before?" the queen inquired. Gabrielle slapped her forehead and sighed deeply.
"Yes and opium. I promised I wouldn't touch any more drugs. If you don't mind..." Xena explained. "I don't mean to offend you."
Kahina grinned. "You do not offend. You have all the wine for you and your blonde woman. I welcome you to my tent during celebration. You will not deny my offer, yes?"
"Of course. We are your guests," Xena said and the Berber woman pat the warrior's shoulder then left her tent, yelling at her elite servants to bring wine and an assortment of treats for tonight's festivities.
Gabrielle stood and brushed the sand off her pants. Folding her arms, she gaped at her partner. "I guess drugs are just common in these tribes, huh?"
"Relax, Gabrielle. We are guests. I don't want to offend her but I made a promise to you and Anastasia, remember?" Xena smirked and nudged her lover's arm.
"Just make sure you keep it." she said and Xena rolled her eyes. "I was able to convince her to trust you. Something tells me that she is desperate. I'm glad that we stumbled into her territory. I mean, despite us being kidnapped and imprisoned, she turned out to be a kind person. Right?"
Xena raised an eyebrow at her partner's kind words. "Someone that kills their husband is not what I call a kind person. Who knows what she could have done to us if she kept us as prisoners. I have to thank you for your fine negotiating skills," she teased.
Ellac woke up to an empty bed and scanned the sheets, expecting Ana to be by his side. He groggily rose from the pillows and ran his fingers through his long dark tresses and looked around the room. He saw that Anastasia took her armor and boots, as well as her sword. A loud voice from outside alarmed him. He jumped out of bed, nude and all, then ran to the balcony.
Overlooking his nation, he saw his queen commander ride off with a third of the army out of the west gates. The king furrowed his eyebrows and the doors flung open. His guards stormed inside and he whipped his head around.
"Your highness, the queen wishes to tell you that she is going to speak to the Atlyn Bey. She will convince him to –"
Ellac raised his hand and gawked at his queen riding into the hills. "I know what she plans to do. When she returns, I want her arrested."
The guard's mouth gaped. "My king..." he began and Ellac turned around swiftly. The guard averted his eyes from staring blindly at the king's naked flesh.
The king sauntered over to the nervous guard and gripped his throat. "You arrest her and bring her to my room when she returns. Do you understand?" he hissed. The man nodded and then ran out of the room in a hurry. Ellac let out a deep sigh and snatched his robe from the floor and slipped his arms through the long droopy sleeves.
Kreka walked into the room and waved her hand to the guards. The doors closed behind her and she stood with arms folded, glaring at her stepson. "Ellac, I must talk to you."
He groaned. "I did not call for you, Kreka. You can't just walk into my room whenever you please."
"Oh?" she mused and watched the king pour himself wine. "You drink in the early mornings now, do you?"
"Kreka, get out of my room. Your presence is not needed. I am much too tired to deal with you and your motherly advice." He sipped the lukewarm wine and cringed at the bitterness. Even the wine that was produced in Pannonia had grown sour from the famine and lack of grain and fruits. This land once fruitful was barren of life and food. Soon, there would be nothing by the end of fall season.
The khatun adjusted the veil on her head and scowled at the king. "Ellac, you are my stepson, but you are just as much a son to me as Ernak and Dengizich. I can tell that you are overwhelmed with the tasks of being king. It is not easy and your father went through rough periods too. We had a huge flood when you were very young. It took almost two years for us to recover but we did it. This should not deter you from succeeding as king. I hope you understand that."
Ellac frowned and set the glass on a table and sat on the bed. "I don't need you to boast my ego, Kreka. The famine is enough to deal with but my mind is on other matters."
"Anastasia," she flatly stated. The king's gaze lowered to the wood floor. "She is becoming like her mother and she is a very good commander. She knows what she is doing. It looks like Xena and I underestimated her abilities. She was able to convince the Onogurs and Akitziri to surrender under your control."
"You mean her control."
Kreka pursed her lips and approached the king cautiously. She watched his hands fidget as he gripped his knees. "Ellac, you are the one who appointed her as commander. She is not going to drive your kingdom into the ground. She loves you."
Ellac grumbled. "I know she loves me, but she is driving me insane! She overrides my decisions and takes control of everything to do with the military! I am going to have her arrested when she returns from her mission." He rose from the bed and turned to see a very surprised khatun. "Don't look at me like that."
"You really are dense, aren't you?" she spat. "What do you think a commander does, Ellac? They command an army! She can do what she pleases with your men. You signed your rights away as soon as you crowned her as commander. Not to mention she is the queen. She can override you anytime she wishes if she doesn't think your decision is good enough. You regret your decision, I can tell."
He couldn't bear to look into his stepmother's eyes. He and Kreka hadn't always had the most loving relationship over the years especially during his childhood, but he respected her because she was his father's wife and queen. He still respected her since she was still a queen mother, but he didn't want her advice to sway him away from his choice to arrest Anastasia. He wasn't sure if he regretted his decision to appoint his lover as commander or not, but he didn't like when he was upstaged by her either.
"I heard that you almost struck her," she said and he widened his eyes in fear, yet he was angry, she could tell instantly. "You would hit the mother of your son? Your queen?"
"I...I would never hit her. I love her," he muttered. Suddenly he felt guilty for what he almost did yesterday. He never wanted to inflict pain on Anastasia. He loved her too much to do that and instead of apologizing to her, he brought her to bed and asserted his dominance over her for hours until sleep overcame him.
Kreka's face relaxed and she saw such pain in the young king's eyes. "You are taking this entirely too personal. You must separate Anastasia's commander position from her role as queen. The more angry you become, the more you will push her away. And she will leave you, Ellac. Do not think that she won't. She may be queen of Pannonia but she still has status in Armenia."
"What are you saying? That she would leave me for Navaz?"
She kept staring at him with a blank face. "I didn't say that. If she really wanted to stay with Navaz, she would have but she chose you. She loves you and you aren't doing a very good job at returning the love to her. Think about the future, Ellac. Focus on the goal, don't focus on the present. If you continue to dwell on the present you won't last as king. You'll kill yourself. I would hate for Anastasia to raise Csaba alone again." She turned on her heel and slowly tread to the doors.
He balled up his fist and felt like punching something, a wall maybe, but he refrained. "Wait!" he said and Kreka halted. "What should I do?"
She looked over her shoulder with a serious stone cold expression. "Talk to her. Do not arrest her or you will bring down the wrath of your wife. You don't want that, Ellac. Trust me." She smirked then walked out of the room, trailing down the hallway.