Chapter 42

"If Tuya asks me to do one more thing for her I might clock her in the mouth!" Xena threw a box onto Arielle's bed. Gabrielle knew that Xena was getting more and more frustrated while they stayed in Balaam.

Tuya wasn't very easy to get along with and it was obvious she didn't like either one of them. They had to be civil around the queen for Arielle's sake. Gabrielle grabbed the dresses that Tuya made for Arielle and placed each one neatly on the bed.

"We've only been here for a few days, Xena. You're going to have to figure out a way to get along with her for the next ten days. Then we can go home."

Xena groaned and sat on the bed, glaring at the wall. She wanted to kill Tuya. She didn't like being ordered around and the worst part is that the woman kept doing it in front of Arielle so Xena had no choice but to act calm and collected in front of her granddaughter. Tuya knew exactly what she was doing and she was enjoying it.

"I hope Arielle is having a good time," Gabrielle decided to change the subject.

"I think so. Tuya gives her whatever she wants. She isn't used to that type of treatment back in Pannonia," Xena said and her partner smiled at her.

"You sound jealous."

Xena gasped, "I am not jealous. I just don't want her to be spoiled. She is a well behaved girl and if Tuya keeps giving her whatever she wants then she might turn into a brat."

"I don't think she's going to turn into a brat as long as you're there. Not to mention Anastasia isn't exactly very lenient on her either!" Gabrielle placed out all five dresses on the bed and nodded. "Wow. So many dresses that Arielle isn't going to wear. No doubt Tuya will force her to wear these while she's in Balaam."

The mystery woman that Gabrielle saw a few days appeared in the room. Xena eyed the fair skinned woman and the redhead smiled at the two women. "And you are?" Xena asked.

"Xena!" hissed Gabrielle, "don't be rude."

"Sorry. My name is Xena and this is Gabrielle. We saw you a few days ago. Who are you?"

The woman nodded and approached the two women. "My name is Fairuza. I'm from Persia and engaged to Navaz."

Gabrielle's mouth gaped. "Wow, that was fast. He had someone else that we met before but I guess she didn't last long..."

Fairuza grinned. "Natalia, yes. Tuya did not like her much and I am not certain that she likes me either." She said regretfully. Walking over to Arielle's bed she glanced at the variety of gowns. "These are very nice. I would like to meet Arielle soon. Navaz was nervous about me meeting her but I hope she likes me."

Xena smirked and Gabrielle glanced over at her, shaking her head. "I can't guarantee anything but she has been amenable so far."

"Well, would you mind telling me what Arielle likes?" Fairuza was anxious and Xena couldn't wipe the smugness off her face. Gabrielle saw the mirth in her partner's eyes and this could end really bad or really well.

"For one, she hates dresses but she wears them from time to time." Xena said and Fairuza eyed all the dresses Tuya made for Arielle. Xena grinned and continued, "she likes toys, specifically wooden swords that her brother gives her."

Fairuza nodded, taking mental notes of everything. "And her favorite foods? What does she like?"

"She likes manti," Gabrielle said. Fairuza looked at her confusedly, not entirely sure what that dish was. "It's dumplings with yogurt and tomatoes on top. She asks for it at least three times a week." She said and the redheaded Persian slowly nodded her head, taking all the information in.

"Alright. Thank you," Fairuza said to both women and they smiled. "I will see you both later. Thank you again." She turned and quickly left the bedroom.

Xena snickered under her breath, "she is very nervous about meeting a three year old."

"She's just trying to be nice, Xena. You can't blame her for trying to be a good stepmother to Arielle." Gabrielle sat on the bed and pushed the dresses aside.

"We should do something fun while we're here. Since Tuya is taking care of Arielle, we have some free time," Xena suggested.

"What do you think we should do?"

Xena smiled mischievously and Gabrielle didn't really like that look on her face.

In the forests near the mountains the two encountered the poppy fields that were such a big issue years ago when they lived in Balaam. These fields also had an abundance of animals. Xena desperately wanted to hunt something and she hardly had any time to hunt game since she had been taking care of Arielle for a little more than a year since she came back to Pannonia.

Having access to the weaponry room, Xena was having too much fun picking out large war bows and hunting bows. Gabrielle liked using bows more than swords, so she picked a crossbow while Xena chose a medium sized hunting bow. They crept down in the poppies and spotted a large deer on the opposite side of the field.

Xena pulled out an arrow slowly from the holster and smiled at the oblivious deer. "There he is, Gabrielle," she whispered. "Do you want to take the shot or you want me to do it?"

"I can try," Gabrielle crouched down and walked through the poppies. The deer was looking straight at her and she grinned. She clocked the arrow against the crossbow as quietly as possible. The deer was about to bolt, she could feel it. This was now or never. She eyed the animal and took her shot. The animal was hit in its hindquarter and fell over.

She jumped up and ran towards the deer. Xena followed her and saw the deer suffering laying in the middle of poppies. "You need to shoot him again, Gabrielle. He is in pain."

Gabrielle frowned sadly and really thought she had the deer in a clear shot but he moved too fast. She pulled out another arrow to shoot the deer in the heart. Xena stepped in front of her and pulled out her sword. She plunged it into the deer's heart and slowly, the deer began bleeding out and life escaped his black eyes.

"I thought I had him. I really did."

Xena nodded and knelt down then pulled out the blade slowly. "It's alright Gabrielle. You just need to be quicker next time. So, you want to carry this or should I?" she teased.

"You carry and I'll skin it. Deal?"

"Deal."

Instead of going back to the Adame, the two opted to make camp near the poppy fields. Gabrielle skinned the deer for hours and the sun had set already. Even though it was spring time in Balaam, it was still very cold and snow lingered on the grass. Pannonia was so beautiful in the spring but Balaam was definitely in the mountains and there was a reason why the White Huns were given the name they had.

The clanking sound of the stone against the sword alarmed Gabrielle but she remained skinning the fur off the deer meat so they were able to cook it before it went bad. Although, it was so cold, she was sure the meat wouldn't go bad. Xena lifted her eyes in the middle of her sword sharpening and shared a smile with her consort.

"This is nice. Just the two of us," she admired.

Gabrielle nodded and added another skinned piece of meat into a pan. "Yeah. I can't remember the last time we were alone like this."

"I guess spending time in Africa doesn't count?"

The blonde chuckled and chucked off a large chunk of hair off the meat. "That was quite an adventure, but I like spending time alone with you when we have no distractions. Like this. Look at this forest. It's so peaceful here. A little cold, but peaceful."

"You were always a sucker for nature," Xena chuckled.

"I like to see the light in the smallest things. Nature is one of things I admire most living on this earth. We should see the beauty around us," Gabrielle implied more than what she meant and saw her warrior blush at her words. "You're an amazing person, Xena. You've made so many strides over the last few years. I feel like you've changed more in the past few years than you have when I first met you."

Xena lolled her head, feeling a bit embarrassed. "Don't be such a flatterer, Gabrielle."

"I'm serious. I love seeing the change in you and who would have thought you'd be a grandmother of not just one child but two!" Gabrielle grinned. She tossed the meat into the pan and was nearly done skinning the entirety of the deer. "A mighty Hun commander is now a grandma. How funny does that sound?"

The warrior sighed and tossed the stone aside and set her sword in the snowy grass. "That doesn't make me old because I'm not!" she pointed her finger at the coy blonde.

"No, of course not. Definitely not old," Gabrielle teased. "Are you going to cook this or should I?"

"Me? Cook? You must have a lot of faith in me," Xena winked and Gabrielle wagged her head. She set the pan on the fire and Gabrielle put the first stack of meat she cut up into the pan. "You were always a better cook than me."

"That's no lie." Gabrielle pushed the meat in the pan with a large wooden spoon. "I'm guessing you don't want to go back to the Adame tonight?"

Xena scoffed and shrugged her shoulder. "Tuya thinks she's such a big shot. She can handle Arielle by herself for just one night. She is her grandmother after all."

The blonde snorted and couldn't believe what she was hearing. "You're jealous."

"Am not!"

"Yes you are. You don't want to share Arielle with her or anyone for that matter."

"That is...ridiculous." Xena averted gaze but Gabrielle knew that she was hiding her true feelings, as usual.

"Alright, Xena. Whatever you say."

"I'm not jealous."

"Okay, Xena." Gabrielle kept the smile on her lips listening to her partner's denial.

Fairuza came into the queen's bedroom with Navaz by her side. She saw Arielle sitting on the floor playing with a few toys that Tuya gave her. The queen mother was elated by the sight of Arielle and enjoyed spending time with her every minute, every second of the day.

Tuya eyed the redhead Persian woman next to her son and sighed. She focused on her granddaughter and grabbed her hand. "I think your father wants you to meet someone."

Arielle stood up and turned around. Her jaw dropped when she saw the redheaded woman standing beside her father. She walked over to them with Tuya and looked up at the woman. Fairuza smiled and knelt down in front of her. Those big brown eyes were piercing and her dark red hair complimented her pale features and big smile. Arielle gazed at the woman suspiciously and eyed her father briefly.

"Hello, Arielle," the soon to be queen greeted. "My name is Fairuza. I'm your father's new...wife," she said and Arielle's eyes grew. "I'm so happy you came to see us. I hope that you like it here."

Navaz saw his daughter's apprehension towards Fairuza and he didn't want her to misunderstand. He knelt down and grabbed Arielle's hand firmly. "Fairuza is going to be your stepmother. I hope you two can have a good relationship in the future."

"Stepmother...?" Arielle frowned.

"Yes. She's like your second mother, but she will never replace your mother. When you come to stay with us in Balaam she will take care of you and I want you to be very nice to her. You understand?"

Arielle nodded and peered over at Fairuza. "Are you my mommy now?"

Fairuza grinned, "you'll always have your mother back in Pannonia but when you come and see us, I will be like your mother. Is that alright with you?"

"I think so." She said and Fairuza pat her shoulder.

"But we can be friends first if you'd like? What do you think?"

"Okay..." Arielle said uncertainly.

Fairuza stood and eyed Navaz nervously. He cleared his throat and extended his hand to his daughter. "Fairuza made your favorite food for you."

"Manti?" Arielle's face lit up immediately.

"Yes..." he said and wasn't sure if she was excited or not. "That is your favorite food, right?"

"Yeah!" she grinned excitedly. Fairuza then exhaled a sigh of relief when she saw the girl's face burst into happiness. So far, so good, she thought.

Anastasia was reluctant to stay in bed for long periods of time. She was advised by the medic to stay in bed for at least a month until she was fully healed but that proved more difficult as the days went by. She was also very impatient and nervous without Arielle in Pannonia. She knew that her mother and Gabrielle would take care of her and so would Navaz. But the thought of her daughter being so far had her on edge.

She grunted, pulling the blankets over body and leaned against a pile of pillows. A knock at the door instantly annoyed her. She was tired of people constantly coming in to check on her. Though she was surprised to see her son come into the room.

Csaba smiled at his mother and figured she was still angry about what happened more than a week ago. He set down a tray of food and tea by her bed and stepped away awkwardly. "Kreka told me to bring you this."

"Thank you," she said but she was not feeling very hungry at the moment. She reached for the tea and held the warm cup in her hands. "Is that all?"

He was tempted to leave but he stayed. "No. I want to talk to you about what happened."

"My answer is still no, Csaba." She sipped her tea.

"I know but I like Erzibet. She's very nice and very beautiful."

"You don't have to marry her anymore you know. Your grandmother's alliance is no longer in effect now that the Sassanian Empire is gone." Ana eyed her anxious teenage son. She realized that he wasn't going to stop and now felt bad for her own mother. She wondered if she was this obstinate at this age like Csaba.

He sighed. "I know but I like her."

Ana tapped the cup and puckered her lips. "I'll make a deal with you, Csaba. When you turn eighteen and if you still want to marry Erzibet then you can but until then, stay away from her. That means no touching, no looking, no kissing. Nothing!"

He grinned happy to hear his mother was more amenable to his situation. "I promise mother. I won't do anything. Thank you! This really means a lot to me." He reached over and hugged her lightly.

"Alright, alright." She pat his shoulder and he let up off her. "Go on and get out of here."

"Do you need anything else? I can bring it to you."

"Thanks but no. Go have fun." She shooed him away. "But for the love of all things good, stay away from Erzibet and don't go off anywhere with Oran. I want you inside this encampment, alright?" she pressed and he nodded.

Finally alone again and she sunk down in the pillows, sipping her tea slowly. She saw Ellac come into the room and she groaned. He smiled and kissed her forehead. "Feeling better?"

"Not really. I just want to be alone but people keep coming in here."

He sat down and grabbed her thigh. "Sorry, but this is important. I've put all your duties on Ernak until you recover. We sent out some spies yesterday and we should get a report in a month or so."

She wasn't even going to bother arguing with him over giving her position away temporarily. She needed to rest and she could barely walk on her own without excruciating pain. "Just let me know if anything happens."

He nodded and saw pain cross her face. He hated seeing her in such pain and he couldn't do anything about it. "Do you want me to get anything for you?"

"Stop whining over me. I'll be fine. I have everything I need right here." She pointed to the tray of food and his head dipped. Her cranky mood was not helping their relationship at all and he was just trying to be kind. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be sorry. I love you." He kissed her hand and she smiled.

"I love you too." She leaned forward as much as she could bear and pecked his lips. "I miss Arielle. I hope she's doing alright."

He inched closer to her and firmly gripped her hand. "I'm sure she's fine. One more week and she'll be home."

"I made a deal with Csaba. If he still wants to marry Erzibet when he's eighteen then he can." She said and he frowned. "It was the only thing that I could do. I knew he wasn't going to stop badgering me."

"I'll make sure it stays that way..."

More than a week later, Arielle returned with her grandmother and Gabrielle. The princess ran into the Adame and immediately saw Ellac. She smiled and crashed into him. He hugged her warmly and fixed her long dark curly locks.

"Did you have a good time?" he asked.

"Yeah! Great time!" she cheered and Gabrielle nudged Xena playfully. "Can I go back soon?"

He stifled a laugh and nodded. "Maybe later in the year. Your mother wants to see you. She's in her room." He thumbed the stairs behind him and she gasped loudly and took off running as fast as she could.

Xena shook her head. "That girl," she sighed and looked at Ellac. He was drained and looked very tired. "How is she?"

"Not good. Her hip is getting worse and she has a fever. I gave all of her duties to my brothers and they're in Constantinople right now spying on Justinian."

"Has the healer come back and looked at her?" asked Gabrielle.

He nodded, "yes he has. I don't know if she will able to go back to the way she was or if she will get better," he frowned sadly and rubbed his eyes.

Xena pat his shoulder and grabbed Gabrielle's hand. "We'll go see her."

Arielle sat on the bed cuddled up next to her mother and told her of all the things that she did in Balaam. Navaz has a new wife, or soon to be wife, and Ana was glad to hear that her daughter liked Fairuza. She could barely keep herself awake as she listened to the talkative toddler.

The princess looked up at her mother and saw dark circles under her eyes and she was pale. She touched her mother's face gently. "Are you sick?"

Ana smiled weakly and rubbed the girl's arm. "A little bit but I'll be better soon."

"Promise?"

"I promise." She inhaled deeply and felt the sharp pain in her hip escalate. The door opened and in came in Xena and Gabrielle. "Oh, look who's here."

Arielle smiled and crawled across the bed. "Grandma!" she stood and lightly jumped on the bed. "I tell her about Fairuza and all the stuff we did!"

"Oh yeah?" Xena said but was more focused on her ill daughter. Gabrielle grabbed the princess and set her on the floor.

"Hey Arielle, you want to go show your brother your new bow?" Gabrielle suggested.

Arielle pouted, "but I wanna stay here."

"I know but I'm sure Csaba would love to see your bow. Come on," she nudged her and Arielle grabbed hold of her hand. They both looked back at Xena and Anastasia before leaving.

Xena sighed and sat down on a chair beside the bed. Anastasia lolled her head to the side, gawking at her. "Ana, you don't look better. Ellac said you have a fever. Did the healer give you something for the fever?"

Ana shook her head. "I...feel so tired. I was fine...I don't...I don't understand."

"Your body is catching up. You didn't allow yourself to heal during the war. I should have gone to help you but I didn't. I'm sorry."

The queen smiled and reached out for her mother's hand. "Don't be sorry. You did the best you could and you took care of my daughter. So...thank you."

"I would do anything for you."

Ana yawned and her eyes began closing. "I know," she inhaled heavily and relaxed against the pillows. "I think I'll sleep for now."

Xena furrowed her eyebrows and kissed her daughter's forehead. Within seconds, she was asleep and her mouth was slightly ajar. Xena let go of her hand and placed her limp arm over her chest as she slept.

Gabrielle hung their clothes over a chair and watched the warrior sit on the bed silently by herself. She had sat there for hours. Seeing Anastasia in such a horrible state earlier obviously took a toll on Xena and Gabrielle didn't know what to do. She wasn't talking and Gabrielle sure wasn't going to pry it out of her. Instead, she sat by her warrior and rubbed her arm gently.

Xena stared at the wall in front of her, resting her chin on her hands. Her fingers twitched. Her mind went in several directions. She didn't know what would happen if she lost her daughter, her only child she ever had. She couldn't imagine life without her and it seems that her condition worsened within a week of being apart. Living life without her daughter was not a life that she wanted. She didn't want to lose her child before she died herself.

"Are you feeling alright?" Gabrielle said but received no answer. "She's going to get better you know."

Xena hung her head and tapped her thumbs together. "She looks terrible."

"I know but I think she'll recover. Once her fever is broken, everything will be alright." She kissed Xena's temple to comfort her.

"I don't want her to die. I don't know what I would do without her."

Gabrielle's heart sank at the idea. "She's not going to die. She's going to get better and recover. Don't think like that, Xena, please." Her eyes swelled with tears that were begging to be shed but she refrained. Xena hadn't shed a tear yet. She was probably more than upset. She was hurting inside.

"She's going to live a long time and be a great mother to her children and queen to her people with you by her side. You can't let your mind go in that direction." She leaned her head on the warrior's shoulder. As she sat in silence she heard soft whimpering and smiled sadly.

"I should have gone to Persia," Xena muttered, "like you said. I should have listened to you."

"Don't do that to yourself. You were just doing what you thought was best at the time."

"And now she's sick, Gabrielle! I've never seen her like this before! This is my fault."

Gabrielle sat up right and shook Xena's arm gently. "No. This isn't your fault. It was a Roman's fault. He did that to her. Not you. This is out of your hands and you can't do anything about it. You don't want Arielle to see her mother looking the way she does, do you?"

Xena shook her head.

"Then we can't tell her anything and hope that Anastasia recovers quickly. This is the time to be brave and hope she pushes through. You can't give up on her."

"I'm not giving up on her. I just can't get the thought of killing that Roman General out of my mind," Xena grimaced. "I want to see him at the end of my sword."

Gabrielle wrapped her arm around the Hun woman. "It's not worth it. The only way to do that is to go to Rome."

"Then why don't we?" Xena stood up and looked at the frightened emerald eyes beneath her. "Why don't we?" her eyes were wet and puffy.

Gabrielle saw the pain in her eyes. She was more than hurt. She was more than upset. "You would go all the way to Rome to rid the person who injured Anastasia?"

"Yes!" Xena growled. "I would do anything for her!"

"I love you too much to let you do something like that. We need to put all of our energy in Ana. Forget about Rome, forget about Justinian. Now is the time for you to be with your family. Be with her. Be with me. Don't torture yourself, please. I can't take that again."

Xena relaxed her shoulders and sat down on the bed once more. She leaned in and kissed Gabrielle on the lips for a short moment. "Thank you. I hope she gets better."

"She will we just have to do as much as we can."

Weeks later, Anastasia's fever did break like Gabrielle predicted, but she was still bed ridden. Whenever she got antsy and wanted to leave her room, her family would come and talk to her throughout the day so she wouldn't become bored to death. Ana got several visits from Arielle and her mother and Gabrielle. Her son came to see her every other day and Kreka was in and out constantly. She was definitely a worried mother all the time.

As the days passed, she saw less and less of Ellac. She was dying to know what went on inside the conference room. She knew that Ernak and Dengi came back from Constantinople while she was ill but she wasn't privy to any of that extra confidential information. As weeks passed, she tried to ignore the urge to ask her mother to find out what went on in that room in the king's quarters.

For once, she didn't fight her mother on this. She wanted to get better and hopefully regain her status as Ellac's commander, but that was further and further away from her as she continued to stay in bed. While Anastasia enjoyed being a commander and working alongside her husband and king, it didn't come without any repercussions. Their relationship faltered several times throughout the last couple of years.

When she did see Ellac, she felt he was distant from her. He wanted more from her and she couldn't give him her attention like he was used to. She began to think that he didn't want her anymore and might move on to another woman and share a bed with her instead.

While Xena was busy watching over Arielle, Gabrielle decided to check in on the sickly queen. She walked into the room with some cloths and smiled. Anastasia sat up against the headboard of the bed and was relieved to see someone. Gabrielle was the first to visit her today and she had been alone for most of the day.

"Your mother is with Arielle so I came by myself." Gabrielle sat on the bed and lifted Ana's dress, looking at her swollen hip. "It looks better but how do you feel?"

Ana sighed and rested her hand above her injured hip. "I'm better but I can't walk anywhere still. I hope this stops soon. Ellac hasn't come to see me in weeks."

"He's busy with Ernak." Gabrielle didn't want to give away too much. She grabbed some oil and rubbed it on Ana's hip. The queen hissed. "Sorry."

"Is he seeing someone else?"

Gabrielle stopped rubbing the oil on Ana's hip and couldn't look into her eyes. "Why would you think that?"

"He hasn't come to see me. I know he's busy but I just want to see him." Ana frowned.

"I'm sure he'll come eventually," Gabrielle reassured her.

What went on in the king's quarters was hidden to the rest of everyone's eyes. The public had no access inside the Adame unless the king said so. The queen wasn't even allowed in the quarters either unless the king okayed it. Ellac had organized a barricade to protect Pannonia and it was a lot of land to cover. He wasn't sure if he could cover the entirety of the tribe without help.

Ernak was able to organize the other tribes like the Akitziri and Onogur to help with the protection of Pannonia. They were a nation after all and when the time came, if it came, Justinian might attack. So far, the emperor was busy expanding his empire into Syria, Arabia and Egypt. Odoacer surely would grow tired of his counterpart and might attack. The Huns couldn't worry about the Romans and their feuds. As long as they stayed far away from this new Byzantine Empire.

While Ernak and Dengi were busy organizing the barricade, Ebnedzar spent a lot of time with his king brother. Ellac sat on the floor, smoking out of a water pipe and enjoyed wine with his elder brother. Ebnedzar smiled and sipped the dark wine, staring at his brother.

"Your queen is still sick," he mentioned.

Ellac's mood changed and he blew out a generous amount of smoke and sipped his wine. "Unfortunately. I haven't seen her in awhile but everyone says she is doing better."

The elder brother nodded. "She's a gorgeous woman. You shouldn't lose a woman like her, brother. If I were you I'd be all over her all the time." He smiled deviously.

Ellac eyed his brother and smoked the hashish from the water pipe. "You have two wives, Ebnedzar. Do not have eyes for my queen."

"I'd never dream of it. She is yours of course. When is she going to give you another son? It has been a long time. Csaba is your only son."

The king felt a bit pressured by his brother and he too wanted another child and heir to the throne but he couldn't put that pressure on Anastasia in her condition. "When she's better we can discuss it. I don't want to stress her."

"Understandable," the elder brother commented. "You should consider getting another woman to rule by your side."

Ellac was disgusted by the idea. "I would never marry another woman! Anastasia is my wife and queen. I don't need another woman by my side. I am not like you or our father. He had many wives and I only need one."

"The option is still there. There's plenty of women in these tribes, Ellac. Think about it." he smiled then downed the rest of his wine. "I'm going to check how the others are doing with the barricade."

Gabrielle found Xena outside with Arielle. She was teaching the princess how to use the bow that Navaz gifted her a few months ago for her birthday. The blonde warrior approached the two and hated to interrupt their session.

Xena lifted her eyes and smiled. She focused on Arielle's hand placement again. "Pull the string back close to your cheek," she instructed.

Arielle struggled but was able to pull the bow's string tautly. "Like this?"

"Exactly like that. Now, just release." Arielle released the string and huffed. "What's wrong? You did great."

"When can I have arrows?"

Xena grinned and pat the girl's back softly. "When you know how to use the bow properly. Maybe in a year you can use real arrows."

"A year?!" Arielle moaned.

"That's right." Xena said, admiring her granddaughter's spirit but she was just too little. She turned to Gabrielle, knowing she came from seeing Anastasia. "How is she doing?"

Gabrielle teetered back and forth. "She's doing a lot better. Her hip is still swollen so I guess a few more months and she'll be alright."

"Good. Arielle go put your bow away and get ready for your bath."

The princess folded her arms and didn't want to leave. She wanted to practice more. "Do I have to?"

"Yes you do. Go inside, please?"

"Fine..." Arielle grumbled and marched off.

Now that they were alone Gabrielle spoke freely. "Ana is worried that Ellac is seeing someone else."

Xena scoffed at the idea. "He is not. I would have noticed. You can't do anything around here without someone knowing. There's eyes everywhere."

"I think he should go see her. She's really lonely."

"I won't interfere in their life, Gabrielle. I made a promise to myself recently. I can't baby my daughter her entire life. I know she needs help and she's tired of being by herself but Ellac is her husband. They need to work out their differences. Alone."

Three Months Later

Anastasia recovered through most of her injury and was more mobile. She has stopped relying on her mother to take care of Arielle. While Ellac remained somewhat distant from her still, she was able to walk around the Adame with her cane to certain distances. Being a commander was her dream for a long time but the further she was away from her duty, the more she enjoyed it. She was able to spend time with her daughter and although she wished she spent more time with Ellac, she relished her time with Arielle.

Xena was able to have more free time with Gabrielle now that Arielle was no longer under her feet constantly. Since she wasn't a commander anymore and hadn't been for awhile, she thought it would bother her more. But as time passed, she realized it didn't bother her as much as it did before. Her military life was fine the way it was at the time, but years passed and she grew tired of that life.

Now she could do all the things that she wanted to do. She could be more normal like Ana always wanted. Spending time with Gabrielle was her main focus right now and their alone time was much needed.

Xena rolled over onto her stomach in the bed and her eyes fluttered open. Gabrielle was already awake and the two shared a smile. Xena's hand traveled up to Gabrielle's bare shoulder and her fingers traced along her arm.

"You know the longer we stay in this room, people are going to come looking for us."

The blonde chuckled and rolled over onto her side. She had never seen Xena so at peace with her life until this moment. "They're preoccupied with other things. You know, barricading the camp and all," she said half jokingly. "I wonder if they found out anything about Justinian –"

"No war talk Gabrielle. We aren't in charge of that anymore, remember?" Xena smiled and Gabrielle sighed heavily. She climbed on top of the blonde and stared into her eyes. She wrapped her long hair away from her face and pinned Gabrielle down to the pillows.

Gabrielle felt the warrior's large thighs wrapping around her legs and her breasts pressing against her chest. Xena grinned and kissed her jaw gingerly and moved towards her lips. "Do I look like an old lady to you now?" Xena whispered.

"N...no...definitely not," Gabrielle chuckled and felt Xena's lips grazing her skin. For such a violent warrior, she had a soft touch with her hands and her lips. Gabrielle held her breath and clenched her fingers against the sheets.

Xena let up and saw the flushed blonde underneath her. "You're alright?"

"Yes!" Gabrielle said a bit too excitedly and saw the raven haired woman above her snicker softly and slip her hand along her outer thigh. She gasped and her hips raised slowly. She couldn't remember the last time when they spent this much time together. Sometime they'd have to make an appearance out of their bedroom, but for now, they enjoyed each other's company.

Anastasia sat down in the hot bath water inside her quarters. She finally had some time alone away from Arielle. Since her mother hadn't come to see her in the last few days, she gave Arielle to Kreka to watch over her for a few hours. Settling down in the hot water, she dipped her long hair in the water and exhaled heavily. The water definitely helped her sore hip and the swelling had gone down significantly but everything ached.

She spread her arms out on the bath's edges with her eyes closed, enjoying the water. She heard footsteps and her eyes shot open. "Ellac," she was surprised to see him in her quarters. He did come and see her a few times throughout the last three months, but not nearly enough.

He kept staring at her and smiled. He missed being with her a lot. He took off his tunic and boots. Ana cocked her eyebrow watching him undress in front of her. He slipped into the water and she dropped her arms to her sides. She didn't know what he was doing or what to expect from him.

He waded in the water and swam towards her. He cupped her cheeks and kissed her forehead. "I'm sorry I haven't seen you in awhile. I've been busy."

"It's alright," she blushed and turned away from him. He reached underneath the water and grabbed her taut thin waist. "Ellac!" she gasped.

He had a sneaky grin on his lips. "Are you feeling better now?"

She nodded and wrapped her arms around his neck. She ran her fingers through his long hair and touched her forehead against his. "I'll be going to Constantinople with Ebnedzar in a couple of months. I won't be able to spend time with you." He said and she smirked.

She wrapped her leg around him and pulled him closer. His eyes widened at her eagerness. "Then we'll have to spend as much time together as possible, right?"

"You sure you're feeling alright?" he asked to make sure and Ana nodded then planted her lips on his.