Chapter 39 –Byzantium Part II
Days after the Roman ambush in the supposed neutral territory, Ellac held a meeting with several of his elite soldiers. Gathered inside one of the tents that managed to survive the attack, he spoke for over an hour of what to do next. Anastasia's wounds were being tended to and she couldn't lead the men into Persia alone so he had to do it. Their escapade to the borders of Persia were thwarted and Ellac was certain that Navaz was waiting for them patiently.
"I want word sent to Navaz that we will not be arriving on time," the king said and the soldiers nodded. "We will continue our journey to Persia but I want this entire area surveyed first. We can't let another attack like that happen again."
"Of course, your majesty," the head officer bowed his head. "What of the queen? Will she be joining us?"
"Yes, she will," Anastasia stumbled into the tent, hobbling along with a staff. The soldiers stood at her presence and Ellac's mouth gaped. She looked awful and could barely walk on her own. Her arm was sprained or fractured surely and her left leg was broken most likely as was her pelvis. Anastasia leaned half of her weight on the staff and breathed heavily.
"Anastasia..." Ellac began and she raised her hand.
"I am coming with you. I did not come all this way to turn back around and hide in Pannonia." She grimaced and Ellac smiled softly. He held her arm so she would not fall. "I won't let Odoacer win. He is not going to stop me from destroying Persia and the Sassan family. We will destroy Persia and claim the fertile land as our own."
Ellac nudged his head at the soldiers and they quickly took their leave. Now he was alone with his queen. He stared into her hardened eyes and saw such ambition in her. Something that was definitely foreign to him. She wanted to continue onward even at her weakest state. He reached out and touched her bruised cheek.
"You don't have to do this," he whispered.
Her frown deepened. "Yes I do. I need to prove that I am a good commander and queen. I won't let Romans win. After what they did to our people and my family, I can't let them trample all over us again. I won't allow it to happen. We leave tomorrow and continue to the borders to meet with Navaz. No need to send a message to him. We will arrive on schedule."
"Then allow me to lead the men." He suggested and saw she was going to protest. She was in no condition to carry on and lead men into battle. "Tell me what to do and I will carry out your orders." He said and the queen's eyes softened. "We are a team, yes? So we should start acting like one." He said with a charming smile.
Leila sat with Dengizich inside the women's quarters. It had been a few weeks since he arrived in Pannonia from Balaam and he was very happy to be back here. Also, it took a lot of convincing for Anastasia to allow him to stay here with Leila. Even though Anastasia promised this a long while ago, she was quick to change her mind for the sake of winning a war. Dengi convinced her, after several minutes of arguing. Queen or not, the two had known each other all their lives and she should have known better than to disagree with him and take back her word.
Arielle sat on the floor in her bright gold and green dress, wearing a green hat and veil for her second birthday that passed a couple of days ago. Without her mother here to celebrate, Kreka and Csaba gave the little princess gifts that a toddler could not appreciate and would be used much later when she grew older.
Leila scooped some rice into the toddler's mouth and Dengizich sat beside his wife, eyeing Arielle's big blue eyes that reminded him so much of Anastasia's. A sweet slender pale face with curly dark hair and quite tall for a two year old, he noticed. He wondered if Anastasia was much the same when she was her daughter's age. Arielle eyed Dengizich as she chewed on her rice that was spooned into her mouth. The two were having a staring contest and he smiled down at the girl.
Another spoonful of rice inched close to Arielle's mouth and she swatted the spoon away. Leila gasped and cleaned the rice off the rug. "Are you finished?" Leila asked.
Arielle nodded and then glared up at Dengizich again. Leila smirked and wiped the girl's mouth with a cloth and the girl grimaced, trying to pull away. He continued smiling at her and the toddler frowned unsurely.
"Do you always watch over her?" he asked his wife.
Leila nodded. "When Anastasia is busy, yes. Otherwise, she takes care of Arielle but those times are far too few," she sighed. "If we have a girl I'm sure Arielle would be thrilled to have someone to play with," she nudged her husband's arm.
His cheeks reddened and he rubbed the back of his neck anxiously. Arielle was still staring at him hardcore and he never felt so nervous before being stared down by a toddler. She definitely had her mother's and grandmother's piercing eyes. "I guess we will just have to wait and see..."
Amira walked into the room and bowed her head. "Leila, Kreka Khatun wishes to see you in her room."
Leila sighed. "Alright." She tried getting up and Dengizich grabbed her hand, aiding her. She smiled down at him and eyed Arielle. "You can watch her while I'm gone."
His face drained of all color. "You're leaving me alone with her?" his voice filled with panic.
She chuckled softly. "It will be good practice for you. She's no trouble. I won't be long." She waved at Arielle and walked out of the room with Amira.
He tapped his knees nervously and smiled at the toddler. "Do you want to play a game?" he asked.
Arielle frowned, "no," she answered in her sweet voice.
"Alright," he sighed heavily. "Do you want some sweets?"
"No."
"Is that all you know how to say?" he raised his eyebrow and she smiled mischievously. He sensed that this little princess was not as well behaved as Leila thought she was. That look in her eyes was most troubling. Arielle stood and brushed the wrinkles out of her dress and veil on her head, covering her dark long locks.
She grabbed his hand and walked over to a chest near the far side of the room. He curiously followed the toddler and Arielle opened the chest. She dug inside and pulled out a small wooden bow. She lifted the bow up to him and he smiled, shaking his head.
"Now what are you going to do with that?"
She frowned and pouted, lifting the bow. He sighed and took the bow from her. She looked into his eyes, pleading and clamped her tiny hands together. "Show me," she said and he lifted an eyebrow.
"You want to learn?" he asked and she looked at him, trying to understand. He knelt down to her eye level. "You want me to teach you? To show you?" he asked and she nodded. This girl, he thought, was far too ambitious for her own good.
Ernak ran into the room and saw it was void of women. He spotted his older brother and Arielle. He smiled, folding his arms. "Well, well, well. I see Leila has put you to work huh?" he teased and Dengizich rolled his eyes. "I wish you the best of luck when your baby arrives, brother."
"Very funny." Dengizich mocked and stood upright. He felt Arielle tugging on his pants and sighed. "Not now, Arielle." He said and she groaned loudly, crossing her arms. "What is it?"
"Have you seen mother? I thought she'd be in here with the women."
"She's in her room with Leila. Is something wrong?"
Ernak shrugged. "Well, Xena and Gabrielle are back. They traveled from Syria and brought mother's brother with them."
Dengi's eyes widened and he put the bow back into the chest of toys. "They're back? We need to go tell mother." He began walking out of the room.
"Hey, hey!" Ernak yelled and his brother stopped. "You can't leave Arielle here by herself."
Dengi grunted and he scooped Arielle into his arms. "Alright, fine. She can come with us." He said as he marched through the hallway quickly. Arielle wrapped her arms around his neck and her eyes wandered around as they rounded several corners.
The two brothers walked into the foyer of the Adame and saw Xena and Gabrielle standing with their uncle. Xena turned and saw Dengizich holding her granddaughter and smiled widely seeing Arielle for the first time in what felt like forever. Gabrielle smiled seeing the little toddler. She had grown a lot since they were last here.
Xena approached Dengi and he put Arielle on the ground. The princess lifted her chin, staring up at Xena and her eyes grew with uncertainty and slowly backed away from her. The tall warrior knelt down and held out her hand and Arielle grabbed onto Dengizich's leg.
"Arielle..." she spoke softly and the girl gasped. "You don't remember me?" she asked nicely and the dark haired princess furrowed her eyebrows and kept eyeing her grandmother curiously.
Csaba came into the Adame laughing with his cousin, Oran. Their laughter ceased when he saw his grandmother and Gabrielle inside his home. "Grandma!" he yelled out and Xena grumbled. He ran up to her and she stood, spinning around to see her grandson. He was at her eye level now and didn't look like a little boy anymore.
"Csaba, you're...much taller," she noticed and pinched his chin, examining his face.
He grimaced. "Come on now. Don't embarrass me," he muttered and Xena looked at the dark haired teenager standing by the doorway.
"Who is that?" she asked.
Csaba grinned and turned, "that's my cousin, Oran. He is Ebnedzar's oldest son." He waved his hand at his cousin. "Come over here! I want you to meet my grandmother."
Oran nervously walked in between Peticus and Gabrielle with his gaze lowered. Xena folded her arms and he felt Csaba pull him close and he flinched. She raised her eyebrow and Oran finally looked into her steely eyes.
"Ebnedzar's son, huh?" she said and Oran gave her a slow affirming nod. "I hope you have been behaving yourself."
"Yes ma'am," Oran answered sternly.
Csaba sighed and Xena smirked. "Don't call me ma'am. Do I look old to you?" she asked and his face paled.
"Well, no, I...no?" he wasn't sure what to say to her and the smirk on her face was no help either. He wasn't sure if he was supposed to answer or not. "Csaba told me a lot about you. You are a great commander!" he beamed.
"I am not a commander anymore," she said sourly. She looked at the older princes. "Where is your mother? I need to speak with her. It's very important."
Ernak stepped forward. "She's in her bedroom with Leila."
She nodded. "Come on Gabrielle. Peticus you wait out here," she ordered. Gabrielle ran to join her and the two walked into the Adame together.
Now that Xena was gone, Csaba slapped his cousin in the back of the head. Oran gasped and frowned at his younger cousin. "What are you thinking? You don't ever call my grandmother 'ma'am'! She really hates that and by the way, she is not a fan of your father."
Oran grumbled under his breath and rubbed the sore spot on his head. "I gathered that. She's your mother's mother, right?" he asked and Csaba gave him an incredulous look. "Scary woman."
"You got that right, kid," Ernak joked. "Well, I got work to do." He ran down the stairs and Dengi frowned.
"Hey, what am I supposed to do with Arielle?!"
Ernak snickered. "There's a thing called babysitting, brother. Watch her until the women come smother her later! Good luck to you!" he waved and ran off to grab his horse and scout the outer rim of Pannonia.
Csaba and Oran smiled smugly at their uncle and Arielle clung close to Dengi's leg. "Well, have fun, uncle. We're going to inside to play a game of chess. Maybe you can join us when you're free from your babysitting duties?" Csaba teased. He slapped his cousin on the back and the two waltzed inside.
Dengi sighed and peered down at the little princess. She smiled from ear to ear and wrapped her arm around his leg. He had no idea how to take care of this girl and now he was stuck with her until Leila or his mother or Xena came to free him of his duties.
He picked her up and she wrapped her arms around his neck again. "Do you like stories?"
"Yes," she said with a big smile.
"Do you want me to tell you a story?"
"Yes!" she cheered and he cringed at her loud voice in his ear.
He smiled and then looked at his uncle. "You can come inside with me, uncle. I'm sure my mother will greet you very soon when she is finished talking with Xena and Gabrielle."
Peticus joined his nephew and eyed the blue eyed princess. "And who is this?"
"Anastasia's daughter." He said and Arielle smiled proudly hearing her name. "She's the princess of Armenia."
"Oh very nice," Peticus said and ogled the girl's serene face. "White Hun princess and princess of Pannonia," he gathered.
"My brother did what?" Kreka spat. Xena explained everything to her and this was much worse than she thought. Anastasia and Ellac were out traveling to Persia and they would have made it to the border already. Hopefully, they haven't been attacked by Odoacer's men and if they have been then surely those two could handle them. "Where is he?" she stood up and Xena put her hands up.
"He's inside. I told him to wait in the foyer."
"Why didn't he contact us sooner? Anastasia sent out that message two months ago!" Kreka growled and balled her fists up. Leila sat in a chair watching the khatun rage out while she picked at a large piece of sesame bread and ate in silence.
"Well, to be fair, we didn't know what was going on either," Gabrielle interjected and Kreka sent a glare her way. "He was very lucky that we showed up. The Romans were going to imprison him or kill him right on the spot."
Xena nodded. "And he was injured but he's fine now."
Kreka cursed under her breath. "I want to talk to him." She walked off and almost forgot about her daughter in law. She sighed and turned around. "Leila, I'm sorry. I will fit your dress tomorrow."
Leila smiled. "It's alright."
"I can do it for you," Xena offered and Kreka pursed her lips. "What? I can do it. You don't trust me?"
Kreka thought about the time she didn't have these days and looked at Leila sitting patiently. "The dress is on the table," she said. "Don't make any alterations without me!" she warned and left her bedroom.
Xena smiled deviously and eyed the gown. She looked at the blue dress and held it up in the air, admiring Kreka's fine work of course. She was too good at this and Xena was surprised that the khatun let her touch it. She could be very stingy and overprotective when it came to her sewing.
Leila eyed Xena and kept eating the bread, chewing slowly. Gabrielle folded her arms and looked around the huge bedroom in awe. She hadn't been in Kreka's before, at least not this room. It was very nice and had a large bed in a private section. There were couches and pillows on the floor adorned with expensive embroidered rugs sprawled across the room.
"I'm surprised that you're having a senlik in the middle of this war," Gabrielle said and Leila wiped her hands on a cloth.
"I told Kreka Khatun that I didn't want one. I didn't want anyone to go through the trouble but she insisted on it," Leila shrugged her shoulders.
Xena nodded, "she's been waiting for this moment, no doubt." She spun around and handed the dress to the petite princess. "Try this on."
Leila slowly rose from the chair and took the dress from Xena's hand nervously. She walked off to change by herself. Gabrielle sat down on one of the low couches and ran her hands over her face. "What are we going to do now? Anastasia and Ellac are already on their way to Persia. We can't warn them about anything."
"We're probably too late," the warrior guessed.
"Are we going to follow them to Persia?"
"No." Xena said tersely. "They will have to come back and resupply. This is going to be a long fight. Besides, it isn't my business to interfere in my daughter's life anymore. She is the commander now and she will just feel overshadowed if I come to her rescue."
Gabrielle sensed that her consort was hurt in some way. She wanted to be included in her daughter's life but at the same time she wanted to give her space as well. "So, what are we going to do? Just let the war happen while we stay here?"
"That's the plan. If she needs my help she can ask me but I don't think she'll be asking me for my help anymore."
Leila came out in her senlik dress and held the back of the dress together. "I think this is a little big," she said. Xena smiled and came to her and pulled the fabric closer together. Leila gasped and felt a lot of tugging going on back there. "Is everything okay?"
"Did she measure you?" Xena asked confusedly.
"Yes, of course but that was a few months ago. I guess she thought the dress was going to be too small for me," the princess said and felt the fabric tighten under her bust. "That's too tight!"
"Sorry," Xena released some of the tension in the fabric. "Better?" and Leila nodded. "Gabrielle hand me some pins."
Gabrielle folded her arms. "Xena, she said no alterations."
Xena scoffed, "I'm not going to alter it, I'm just going to pin it. Now, get me those pins would you?" she wagged her fingers and the blonde sighed heavily then padded over to the table to search for pins inside the sewing basket.
She stuck a few pins in the back of the dress and Leila looked over at Gabrielle sheepishly. "So, how was the trip to Africa? Did you go on a lot of adventures?"
Gabrielle eyed Xena briefly and then sat back down on the couch. She tucked her legs underneath her. "Something like that. We met some very interesting people along the way. Take my advice: don't go to the desert."
"It wasn't that bad..." Xena said and she stuck a pin into her thumb. She hissed and sucked on her finger.
"Yeah right, Xena. Don't lie to yourself." Gabrielle smirked and looked at the worried princess. "We ate scorpions and other strange things."
Leila made a face of disgust and immediately felt nauseous at the thought of eating insects. Gabrielle went on, "and we had to boil these leaves into a stew. It didn't really work and tasted awful!"
"Okay!" Leila protested. "Please, I don't need to hear anymore..." her mouth went sour and her face paled to a shade of green. Gabrielle grinned anxiously and scratched her scalp impatiently waiting for Xena to finish pinning the gown.
"Alright," Xena pat the young woman's shoulder. "I think Kreka is used to making dresses for Anastasia. She must have miscalculated the measurements."
Leila looked at herself in the mirror and smiled. She smoothed the wrinkles out of the gown and fixed the veil on her hair. "Wow, thank you."
"Well, I didn't make it," Xena folded her arms. "You should take off that dress before dragon lady comes back in here."
Leila nodded and began slipping the sleeves off her arms. "I should get back to Arielle. I left her with Dengizich and I hope he is doing alright with her..."
Gabrielle's ears perked up and Xena's grin widened. "I can take care of her now. You don't have to do it." Xena offered.
"Really?"
"She is my granddaughter after all. It will be a nice distraction, right Gabrielle?" she turned and the blonde bobbed her head excitedly.
Ellac's army entered Navaz's camp in between Persia and the White Hun kingdom. The meeting between General Justinian proved unfruitful and Ellac felt the meeting with the arrogant Roman was completely pointless. Not only did Justinian speak in riddles and cryptic sentences, he was not willing to give information about Emperor Anastasius' thoughts of the war with Persia. Anastasia was not very keen on the general herself and she knew she couldn't trust him.
The meeting was in a clandestine area and although, Justinian did provide a good sum of soldiers, Ellac didn't feel protected with two hundred Romans by his side. Anastasius was a good man and a fine loyal friend to the Huns, but Justinian had other plans obviously. The general did not even bother to travel with them and insisted on returning to Constantinople as soon as possible. The message was to be relayed to the emperor upon arrival just as promised.
Ellac halted his horse and saw Navaz standing outside a large tent which was well guarded by his men. No surprise attacks here, apparently. He walked over to Anastasia and helped her off the horse then handed her the staff to aid her in walking.
The White Hun king frowned upon seeing the crippled-looking queen, his former wife, his friend. He rushed over to her and Ellac. "By God, what has happened to her?" he asked with utmost concern.
"Odoacer's men ambushed us a few weeks ago. Our camp was bombed and we were caught in the middle of it all," Ellac said and Anastasia hid her face from both of the men in front of her.
She hobbled along with her staff towards Navaz's tent. "Let's getting this meeting started, shall we." She grumbled and pushed through the two kings.
The three gathered inside the large tent. Tea and wine was served to them all and Ana refused any wine. She was not in the mood to drink anything that would fog her mind. Although, Ellac and Navaz took the wine to soothe the awkward tension in the sitting.
She cleared her throat and started the discussion. "The Romans ambushed us for a reason. They must be working for Peroz and Hormizd. Otherwise why would they attack us? That was neutral territory and it is supposed to be safe."
Navaz nodded, "I have confirmation from my spies. The Sassanians are working for Odoacer in hopes to get rid of us all. I have no doubt that Peroz is waiting for our attack."
Ellac interrupted, "we should not attack straight away. We should wait for their attack. If the Romans are on their side, I believe that the entire legion is there on the border, waiting patiently for us to invade."
"We should use Roman tactics," Ana suggested and both kings eyed her suspiciously. "My mother uses them all the time."
Navaz definitely remembered when Xena commanded his army against Persia before and she used Roman strategies to combat them. It was very successful except for one problem. "If the Romans are in Persia and we use their own tactics against them, they will know and use a counterattack."
She nodded. "Yes and that is the idea. We will trick them by using a strategy they are very familiar with and then switch to our own tactics. It will throw them off."
"How do you know that will work?" inquired Ellac.
"Because they will have to respond to our attack no matter what it may be. If we use the common Roman military strategies in the beginning of the battle then they must attack back. When we have them cornered then we use Attila's strategy."
Navaz frowned. "Which is?" he felt lost and obviously was not familiar with the great king's military tactics.
"Ellac and I know it. Leave it to us," Ana smiled and winked at the White Hun king.
"How long do you think it will take Peroz to attack?" Ellac asked the Armenian king.
Navaz exhaled deeply and ran his fingers through his short hair. "I don't think it will be long. Persians are hotheads and have no patience. We Huns are far more patient than they are. Until then, we will wait. I expect Peroz will send a messenger over before the war will begin."
Anastasia smiled deviously. "And we will decline his offer for peace." Ellac eyed his ambitious wife and knew that she would stop at nothing until the Persians were crushed into the ground. She wanted heads on pikes. She wasn't going to take no for an answer. She wanted to wipe them all out.
A few moments of silence passed between the three and Navaz stood abruptly. "You both are welcome to use this tent during your stay here."
"You don't need to do that. We can have our men set up a tent for us," Ellac said.
Navaz smiled and placed his hand over his heart. "Please, you are my guests. You are my friends and I would be nothing without you both. So please, stay here. I have plenty of other tents at my disposal." He gave them a curt nod then left the tent with the guards accompanying him.
Anastasia was finally able to let her guard down and she nearly fainted. Ellac rushed to her and wrapped his arm around her for support. She felt short of breath and the excruciating pain she felt in her leg and pelvis returned. She tried her best to ignore on the ride over here but she couldn't hide it anymore.
"I can get a healer for you," he said, wiping the sweat off her forehead.
She shook her head. "No...I just need rest." He lay her down gently on the rug and grabbed some blankets for her. The staff she held rolled out of her hand off to the side. Trying to adjust herself, she flinched as a twinge of pain was sent up her spine.
"Anastasia, don't be stubborn. You are very wounded and you aren't allowing yourself to heal properly. I will go ask for a healer."
"No..I –"
"Stop!" he firmly said and her eyes grew in shock at his tone. "You need to listen to me. You will not make it if you keep going on like this. I'm going to get a healer. Stay here and don't move a muscle, you understand?" his voice strong and assertive caught her off guard. Slowly, she nodded and he stormed out of the tent.
The healer probed the queen's body and she glared at the middle aged man. She didn't like to be touched in places that were only for her husband's eyes. Although Ellac stood behind him, watching his every move, she felt the need to slap the medic's face and swat his hands from her body. The healer did his job and his hands shook nervously as he felt the wound on her leg. She flinched at his subtle touch.
"My apologies, your majesty," he said with a sheepish grin and she groaned, rearing her head back on the pillows. "Your femur is broken and I will need to make a splint."
Ellac raised his eyebrow and moved in closer to examine his wife's leg. "Is that all? What about her pelvis?" he pried.
The medic eyed Anastasia and he retracted his hands. "I will...need to cut her pants to examine her hip," he muttered and her eyes grew with animosity.
"Absolutely not!" she yelled.
"Quiet," Ellac retorted. He nodded at the medic. "Go ahead."
The medic grabbed his sheers and cut through her pant leg carefully and steadily. He saw her body stiffen as the sheers grazed her skin lightly. He ripped the waistline of her pants and looked at her swollen hip. Frowning, he wiped his hands on his apron and placed his hand on the swollen bone.
She hissed and she clenched the blankets tightly. "Forgive me," he said and then lifted her tunic, examining her bruised ribcage. He sighed and pulled his hands away from her pelvis. "I must ask but have you had any children?"
"What does that have to do with anything?" she glared at the medic.
"Have you?"
"Two children," Ellac answered for her and she shot him a glare.
The medic rubbed his beard. "I see." He nodded slowly, thinking of what could be done. He could make her a splint but that was all he could do for now.
"What does that mean?" Ellac asked.
"Well," the healer sighed and turned away from the irate queen. "After a woman has a child, the pelvis expands slightly and after birth, if not given proper time to heal, the bones are not properly fused. They are more prone to breaking if any extreme physical activity happens. You understand?" he eyed the king and Ellac eyed him confusedly, completely clueless of the entirety of it all. "Her hip is not broken nor is it fractured, but rather...strained if you know what I mean."
Ellac nodded, beginning to understand. "So, what will happen now?"
"I can make a splint for her leg but I would advise that she stay seated or laying down for awhile."
Anastasia frowned, not liking the sound of that. "How long is awhile?" she asked.
The medic turned and saw the concern and worry on her face. "A few months. Maybe three or four. I cannot be certain." He regrettably told her and her mouth gaped. He placed the blanket over her exposed leg and stood. "I will get to work on the splint and have it ready within a few hours. Excuse me," he brushed by the king and quickly left the tent.
"I am not going to be immobile for months!" she sat up slowly and wrapped the blanket around herself.
Ellac frowned and grew tired of her insolence and stubbornness. He gripped her throat firmly, but not too tight. "Anastasia, this is out of your control. You are going to do as he says and stay put. I will not risk you becoming more injured due to your obstinate behavior," he spat and she breathed heavily. He let go of her throat and she rubbed her neck. "I'm going to send word to Pannonia about your condition."
"Ellac!"
"You have no say in this!" he yelled and she flinched at his loud voice. "You will stay here and command behind the scene. We work together, remember? If you so much as get up and even dare to command on the field I will strike you and make sure you stay down, you understand?"
She hung her head and remained silent and he stomped out of the tent.
Some coaxing and convincing had to be done on Xena and Gabrielle's part to take care of Arielle. The young princess didn't remember the two from when she was just a baby and now that she was a tad bit older, she was curious and suspicious of the two women. She heard Kreka tell her it was alright for her to go off with the women, though she had her suspicions.
Arielle lead her grandmother and Gabrielle into her bedroom. They walked inside the room and it was quite large for such a small child. Xena didn't remember this room being here before and figured that Ana and Ellac had this built onto the Adame during hers and Gabrielle's absence.
Gabrielle's eyes wandered around the room and saw toys on the ground, a large bed and huge windows that overlooked the field of Pannonia. It was definitely a great view. "Wow, this is a very nice room, Arielle," she said and the toddler peered up at her.
Xena walked behind the little girl and spotted a bassinet on the other side of the room. She figured that was for Leila and Dengi's child. She pointed to the bassinet and knelt down in front of her granddaughter. "Is that for Leila's baby?" she asked.
Arielle nodded silently. She hadn't said a word since she was escorted by the two unfamiliar women earlier. Xena smiled warmly and Arielle looked into her eyes, blinking rapidly. "Are you excited about the baby?" she asked and Arielle finally smiled and nodded again. "I bet you are and I know you will help your aunt, right?"
The princess shyly smiled and turned away from her. Gabrielle knelt down beside Xena and nudged Arielle's arm. The toddler gasped and stared into the blonde's big green eyes. "It's very kind of you to share your room with your baby cousin." She said.
Arielle shrugged her shoulders. "Mommy says," she said and Xena's eyes brightened, finally hearing the girl speak since their arrival.
"You miss your mom don't you?" Xena asked and the girl frowned sadly and gave her a slow nod. "Yeah, me too." She sat on the floor as she grew tired of kneeling. "You know who I am, right?"
Arielle timidly shook her head. "No," she answered.
"Well," she began, "your mother is queen of Pannonia, right?" she asked and Arielle stared at her seriously then sat on the floor in front of her and crossed her tiny thin legs. "I'm her mother," she said and the girl widened her blue eyes.
Arielle's contorted in confusion. She rose to her knees and then cupped Xena's face with her small palms. Gabrielle stifled a laugh and didn't quite understand what the girl was doing. Arielle pushed back Xena's bangs to examine her face more thoroughly. She gasped, realizing the resemblance of her mother and grandmother. Although, a few differences were there, she recognized her face shape was much like her own mother's.
"Wow!" Arielle said with a big smile and sat back down on the floor. Xena fixed her bangs and peered down at the curious princess. "Like mommy."
"Right," Xena affirmed. "I think it's time for bed. We can spend time together tomorrow." She stood and Arielle pouted. She didn't want to go to sleep.
"No!" the girl spat and folded her arms.
Gabrielle pursed her lips. "She wouldn't say a word to us earlier and now she's defying you," she joked.
"Very funny, Gabrielle." Xena bent down and looked into Arielle's eyes. "You're going to bed."
"No!" Arielle shouted.
"Must be her favorite word," Gabrielle jested again and Xena snarled up at her.
"Arielle," the warrior said nicely, "you have to go to bed. Tomorrow we can see each other." She extended her hand and Arielle stepped back. "Arielle."
Gabrielle sighed and crossed her arms. "This is going to be fun."
"Arielle, I'm serious. I don't have time to play this game," Xena warned. She grabbed her defiant granddaughter's arm and walked her over to the bed. The princess whined and struggled to run away.
"No!" she said again and Xena sighed. She picked up the girl and set her on the bed. "No sleep."
"Yes, sleep." Xena smiled and slipped off the girl's shoes and stripped her of her nice gown. Now she was in her undergarment gown and folded her arms, puckering her lips angrily. Xena pulled the blankets over the fuming toddler and gently pushed her down onto the pillows.
"Go to sleep," she whispered and Arielle groaned lowly.
Gabrielle plopped down onto the bed and exhaled heavily. It felt really nice to lay on a soft bed and of course have a room to themselves. She never wanted to live in the desert out of tents or sleep under the stars again. The sandstorms were enough to keep her away.
"It was nice of Kreka to let us have this room," she said and spread her arms across the bed.
Xena nodded and threw her boots across the room and relaxed on the bed beside Gabrielle. "That child."
Gabrielle lifted herself up on her elbow and chuckled seeing the drained warrior. "We were only with her for a couple of hours! She definitely didn't want to listen to you. Bring back memories of Anastasia?"
"She is just like her," Xena smiled proudly. "She's only behaving that way because Anastasia is not around her enough. She must give Leila a hard time."
Gabrielle shifted closer and ran her finger along Xena's arm. "Maybe. Seeing the similarities between you two?"
"I warned her about this. You can't be in two places at once. She doesn't like to listen to me even though I'm right."
"You're always right," the blonde joked.
"Not always," Xena turned her head and Gabrielle smiled, leaning in their lips met briefly. Rolling over onto her side, Xena stood over Gabrielle, veiling them with her long locks. It had been a long time since the two were able to be alone together without anyone around them. The look in Xena's eyes meant trouble, Gabrielle saw it.
Xena unbuttoned her consort's blouse gradually and her fingers trailed along her sternum then to her breast. She leaned down and kissed her neck.
"Excuse me," Arielle called out.
Gabrielle yelped, immediately closing her blouse and Xena jumped off her so fast. She fixed her hair and smiled at the girl standing by the door holding a stuffed doll. "Arielle..." her breathing heightened, "tatli kiz, what are you doing in here? I thought I told you to go to bed."
The little princess stared at her grandmother and Gabrielle's back was turned to her. "Not tired."
Xena sighed heavily and slapped her hand on her thigh. "Well, you should really go to sleep."
Arielle smiled and walked over to the bed, grabbing onto her grandmother's leg. "I stay," she batted her long dark eyelashes and Xena arched a brow. "Please?"
"Alright," Xena lifted the girl onto the bed. Arielle happily crawled across the bed and made herself comfortable in the middle, getting under the blankets.
Gabrielle eyed Xena cautiously and the warrior shrugged her shoulder apologetically. She would have to make it up to her later. The two lay down beside Arielle, sandwiching her in between them. Gabrielle glared up at the ceiling and was a bit annoyed. The one moment she had Xena alone, was taken away from her and not by war or some kind of assassination attempt but by a child.
Arielle yawned and closed her eyes. Not tired, Xena mused. She shifted under the sheets and soon fell fast asleep. Gabrielle's head lolled over and smirked. "So much for not being tired," she whispered.
Xena shook her head. "Goodnight, Gabrielle," she said and closed her eyes, hoping sleep would take over. Gabrielle rolled over onto her side and did the same. Exhaling heavily, Xena felt an arm sprawl across her chest and her eyes shot open. Arielle was snuggled up to her, exhaling softly. Xena smiled and closed her eyes once more.
One Month Later
General Justinian made it back to Constantinople and stood inside his emperor's throne chamber. Anastasius ran his fingers along his blade and the doors were closed. They were all alone minus a few guards standing post by the entrance.
"Justinian," the emperor started off and the general lifted his chin proudly. "How are the Huns fairing? Did you deliver the necessary soldiers?"
The general nodded. "Of course sir. The queen was badly injured but I am sure she will recover. She insisted that she travel with her people to fight the Persians."
The emperor frowned sadly and stabbed the table with his blade. "It is unfortunate that Anastasia is wounded but I admire her bravery. She is much like her mother. Tell me, is Navaz and his army with Ellac and the others?"
"I was not able to accompany them to the Persian borders but –"
"Why not?" Anastasius frowned.
Justinian smirked, "your highness, I had to report back to you. I could not stay long."
"You left your post without my permission? You are the General of the Imperial Roman Army and you left the Huns and my men alone to stand against the Persians? Knowing that Queen Anastasia is injured and the Persians have far better weapons than the Huns?" he grabbed the sword from the table and slowly walked towards the general.
"You took your time coming back to Constantinople. Everyone knows that it takes a fortnight to return to my palace yet here you are. One month later. Imagine that?" the emperor smiled deviously and Justinian backed away. "You wouldn't have gone anywhere else before your return, would you, general?"
Justinian shook his head. "No sir. I apologize for my late arrival. I wanted to make sure that no more of Odoacer's men were scouting the perimeter."
Anastasius lowered his weapon. "Odoacer? What are you talking about?"
"Odoacer's men attacked the Huns in neutral territory. It seems that your prediction about the Sassan brothers allying with your counterpart was true." He said and saw the emperor's shift and a frown appear. "The Huns did not lose a lot of men but they were bombed. I have reason to believe that the Imperial Army of Rome will be at the opposite end of this war. I am sure that Odoacer has men in Persia as we speak. The Huns will not be able to fight them back for long and frankly, I think we shouldn't send any more of our men to aid them."
The emperor growled and thrust his blade towards the general's chest. Only a couple more inches and he'd be dead. Anastasius smiled at the fear in Justinian's eyes. "Bold words, general. You have some vendetta against the Hun people? They have been nothing but loyal to me."
"They are savages," Justinian said and his eyes never left the blade that begged to be plunged into him. "No Roman emperor has been able to keep a peaceful alliance with them. They will betray you and kill you, sir."
"You are wrong! I owe them my life! I won this crown because of the Huns! You dare make any move against them and I will slit your throat. Do I make myself clear, general?"
Justinian bit his tongue and gave his ruler a curt nod. "Apologies. It seems I have overstepped my rank."
Anastasius pulled back his sword and smiled. "See that we send two hundred more troops to the Persian border tonight." He ordered and the general nodded. "Have you received the reports from the Bishops in Nicaea? I asked for them months ago."
"I will go check the mail room sir." He bowed and made a hasty exit.
Justinian stormed down the halls and was shortly accompanied by the commanding officer and his right hand man, Flavius Octus. "Sir, I heard the emperor wants to send another legion to the borders of Persia by tonight."
The general growled and couldn't stop thinking of the emperor's smile that he desperately wanted to wipe from his face. "We will not be sending reinforcements to Persia or anywhere else for that matter. "
"But sir –"
Justnian halted and grabbed Octus' robes and shoved him into a wall. "We will not be sending any men to aid those savage people!" he hissed. "They can rot in hell for all I care. Fucking barbarians think they can walk all over the Roman Empire. They have Anastasius wrapped around their little finger." He let go of his officer's robes and pat his shoulder. "Once the Persians have obliterated the Huns then nothing stands in my way to take Constantinople. Although, if the Huns win this war, I will gladly rip their new land from them." He smiled.
"Have the troops sent to Syria and execute all of the Ashina Huns that Peroz gifted me. I will make sure that the savages are wiped out." The general said.
Octus eyed his general suspiciously and saw malice in his eyes. "All of them sir?"
"Yes, of course. I want their heads sent to the Pannonian Huns. They will be devastated when they see their people's heads rolling on the grassy hills. I will turn the glorious green land of Pannonia red. And of course, they will suspect the Persians and ask for more troops and there will be none to aid them. Pitiful isn't it?" he snickered.
Anastasia sat in the tent, drawing a new strategy to combat Peroz and his large army. The Roman tactics only worked for the first few days but they caught on. Peroz wasn't going to fall for that trick again after what happened to him last time he fought against Navaz and the White Huns alongside the insane queen, Tomiri. Ellac was in charge of the Hun fleets while Navaz took charge of Anastasius' men.
She felt the ground shake and lifted her eyes. Ellac burst inside the tent covered in blood. Her eyes widened and tried to get up off the floor. He raised his hand and crouched down in front of her. He immediately saw the new plan she was drawing.
"I hope this is not another one of these Roman military strategies," he said.
She frowned, "it's not. It's a strategy my mother uses." She pointed to the center of the parchment and circled the Hun army with her pen. "We gather up our men into the center of the field. It will make it more difficult for Peroz to attack us. It is easier for him to target us if we are spread out and –" another explosion landed outside. She sighed, "and we are getting killed out there."
"He has catapults, Anastasia. We don't have that kind of ammunition. We are fighting on his turf and he has a lot more men and weapons than we do."
She nodded. "How many men have we lost?"
"One hundred roughly. We can't keep going on like this. It's been three days and Peroz has endless supply of catapults."
"Catapults are a coward's weapon. We don't need ballistic weapons to bring them down." She smiled and he raised an eyebrow. "We have barrels of oil. My mother uses oil a lot in war. It is very effective and works every time."
He sighed. "That will only buy us time for a couple of days."
"That's all the time we need. We need to get the men close enough to spread the oil on the field. We will burn Peroz's catapults to the ground. How many are there?"
"Five," he said.
She rubbed her chin and then drew a few boxes on the map that represented the catapults. "We need to burn at least three of them down. The Persians will be too distracted by the fire to notice our men charging through the border. We will kill as many Persians as we can and then retreat. They will need to resupply and I assure you Peroz will pull his men back for a few days."
Ellac grabbed her hand and stared into her ambitious eyes. "Ana, that is suicide. We will lose a lot of men if we go through with this plan. They might not make it in time to burn down the catapults. It will be all for nothing."
She sensed his doubt in her and if she could go outside and see the war for herself then she would, but she was trapped here, confined to a tent far from the battlefield. "Then we need a distraction so our men can get close enough to the catapults." She saw the uncertainty written all over his face. "You trust me, right?"
The king ran his fingers through his hair and she reached forward, cupping his cheek. Smiling faintly, he gripped her wrist. "Yes, I trust you."
"Then, do as I say."
As promised, Leila had her senlik, but insisted that it be small and only family were allowed inside the Adame. Much to Kreka's disappointment, and with some convincing from her son, she agreed to Leila's terms and held the senlik inside the women's quarters with family and servants only.
Over the last month, Arielle had grown very fond of Xena and Gabrielle in her mother's absence. She did enjoy spending time with Leila from time to time but now she really enjoyed being with these two women in her life. She really liked when Gabrielle told her stories, especially when they were acted out in front of her. Gabrielle was very good at animating her stories for Arielle's enjoyment. Although, Xena was not much of a storyteller, she sat in on the stories, amused by her consort's ability to entertain both children and adults alike.
Being away from Pannonia was fun for awhile and even though some parts of the journey were dangerous, Xena felt like she needed to spend time away for awhile. She did miss her family and was happy to be back. She did wish she could see Anastasia and at least know what was going on in Persia. She suspected that Peroz and Odoacer had quite a team. Peroz was going to stop at nothing until every last Hun was dead, she was sure of that.
Xena walked behind Arielle up to Leila whom was sitting down on the floor beside Dengizich. Arielle held a small gift in her arms and was gently pushed by her grandmother. "Go on," she urged and Arielle smiled then stepped forward, presenting the gift to her aunt.
Leila's smile widened and she took Arielle's small gift. "Thank you Arielle," she pat the girl's cheek and the princess beamed. Xena folded her arms and had a flashback of her own daughter just a few years older than Arielle was. At Kreka's senlik, pregnant with her youngest son, Anastasia was certain that the khatun didn't like her, but obviously, that wasn't true. She was so nervous giving Kreka the gift unlike Arielle, who was thrilled and excited to gift the wife of Dengizich a gift. Such similarities yet the two were different in a few ways.
Arielle ran back and sat beside Gabrielle. She wrapped her arm around the blonde and smiled when her grandmother sat down next to her. Gabrielle smirked down at the girl and eyed Xena. "She's a little attached."
"A little?" Xena joked. "She likes you Gabrielle."
Arielle tugged on Gabrielle's arm. "Story?" she asked and the blonde sighed heavily. "Please?" she begged.
"Another one? I just told you one this morning."
"Please..." Arielle frowned and leaned her head on the blonde's arm. "Please!" her voice raised and she shook Gabrielle's arm.
"Okay, okay!" the blonde said and Arielle cheered then climbed into her lap, getting comfortable. "Jeez," she muttered. She turned and saw the smug look on Xena's face. "Was Anastasia this manipulative and demanding?"
Xena shrugged her shoulder, "can't say. I wasn't around much," she admitted regrettably.
Gabrielle began telling the princess a story and Xena spotted a soldier talking with Ernak on the far side of the room. He was handed a scroll and she noticed the change of expression in Ernak's face. He was distressed and began waving his hands in front of the stone faced soldier. She frowned and completely ignored the storytelling beside her.
Ernak marched over and Xena stood. "Can I talk to you?" he said.
Gabrielle paused her story and lifted her eyes. Arielle groaned and touched Gabrielle's face. "Gabby! Story..." she insisted.
Xena gave her partner a curt nod then walked off with Ernak. Gabrielle smiled down at the toddler. "Right...where was I..."
Off to the side in a quiet corner, Xena folded her arms standing in front of Ernak. "What is the problem?"
He waved the scroll in her face. "This is from Ellac. They are in Persia fighting Peroz. Anastasia was badly wounded by Odoacer's men. They were ambushed in the middle of night. He said that she insisted on staying but she is immobile for now."
She felt a lump in her throat hearing such awful news. She knew that nothing good could from fighting Persia. "Odoacer..." she snarled. That man needed to be stripped of his title and rid from this earth long ago. How she wished that Attila killed him long ago. "Peroz is working with Odoacer. Of course," she smirked.
"Should I send in troops from the other tribes? I am sure they will be willing to help."
She frowned. "Did she ask for more troops?"
"Well no but –"
"Then no. Don't send more men to their deaths. It is pointless to send more men in now."
Ernak scoffed. "I can't believe you would allow your daughter to command an entire army while she is severely injured. Don't you want to help her?!"
"Of course I do!" she said loudly and some eyes turned in her direction. She smiled at everyone and turned her back towards everyone. "She doesn't know I am here. Do you know how upset she would be if I suddenly showed up and tried to take over?"
"She will get over it. Xena, come on, you're the best commander we have. I know you can help my brother."
"No!" she spat and he flinched. "I am not the commander..." she stepped closer to him and he backed into a wall, "...anymore." She turned and nearly bumped into Gabrielle.
"You're not going to help Anastasia?" Gabrielle said.
Xena's lips curled and she almost lashed out at her but there were too many people here. It would cause a scene. "No, I'm not. She can handle it on her own. If she needs help she will ask for it."
Ernak rolled his eyes and crossed his arms. "So, do you want me to tell her that you're here at least?"
The warrior hesitated and she got a nasty look from Gabrielle. "Fine. You can tell her that but that's it."
He nodded then walked out of the room to go write a letter back to his brother. Gabrielle hit Xena's arm and the warrior gasped. "We could help them! You know we can and you don't want to? What is wrong with you? We could leave tomorrow and be there within a couple of weeks, Xena!"
"Leave?!" Arielle said and Gabrielle turned around. She ran over to Xena and wrapped her arms around her leg. "Nooo..." she begged.
Xena frowned sadly and knelt down, unwrapping the girl's arms from her leg. She stared into Arielle's teary wide eyes and smiled. "I'm not leaving. I'll stay here with you until your mother comes back."
The princess cocked her head and asked, "really?" and her grandmother nodded. She smiled and grabbed hold of Xena's hand, escorting her back to where they were sitting earlier.
Gabrielle frowned and watched Xena walk away with Arielle. She eyed the doors and knew exactly where Ernak was heading. She didn't want to get in the way, but at the same time, she wanted to help Anastasia and Ellac. She turned back and saw Arielle sitting in Xena's lap. Discreetly, she waltzed off and left the room while everyone else continued to enjoy the party.