Babies everywhere lol and war.

Chapter 43 –Blood Rises

Five Months Later

Kreka came into Ana's bedroom and set some dresses down on the table. She began unfolding the gowns and hanging them up inside her dresser closet. Occasionally she peered over at the bed and saw Anastasia eating quietly to herself as she sat in bed with the blankets over her. "You feeling alright, tatli kiz?" she asked.

Ana paused while eating and stared at Kreka from afar. "Yes."

The khatun finished hanging all of the dresses and walked over to the bed. Anastasia didn't look at her and continued eating her food. She eyed the tray of food curiously and raised an eyebrow. There was an assortment of salted cheeses, extremely hot purple colored peppers that grew rapidly in Pannonia, spiced yogurt and some dried fruits. She thought it was odd that Anastasia would be eating peppers.

"I see your appetite has returned but I don't recall you liking those hot peppers before," she inquired.

The queen sheepishly chewed on one of the hot peppers and looked up at Kreka's smug face. "What?"

"It's just that you don't like salty cheese and hot peppers. I've never seen you eat them before in my life," she shrugged her shoulder and Anastasia sighed. "You're pregnant aren't you?"

Ana looked up at her with a mouthful of yogurt and bread. Kreka ripped the blankets off and Ana gasped, immediately grabbing the blankets to cover herself. The khatun's eyes widened as did her smile. The small bump was barely able to be hidden beneath her tight black gown.

"I knew it!" Kreka clenched her fists and Anastasia rolled her eyes. "I'm sure Ellac is elated."

"I didn't tell him. There wasn't enough time before he left for Constantinople."

"Anastasia, you need to tell him. I'm assuming your mother doesn't know either. She's not coming back from Balaam with Arielle until a few more weeks you know."

Ana nodded, "I will tell her when she gets back."

"And Ellac? You can't wait until he comes back. It might be months before he returns. You need to tell him."

"I will, alright!" she groaned and chewed another piece of the hot pepper slowly.

Kreka sat on the bed and watched the young queen finish off the tray of assorted foods. "Listen, Anastasia, I know the baby really likes these foods but your body doesn't. You're going to make yourself sick if you keep eating this stuff."

"But I feel fine."

The khatun furrowed her eyebrows. "Alright. I'm going to bring you some kefir."

Ana groaned. She didn't want to drink the kefir but it was unlikely that Kreka wasn't going to leave until she drank all of it.

Gabrielle walked alongside Xena towards the Adame of Balaam. Arielle walked ahead of them, excited to go back and see her father, Tuya and Fairuza. This would be her third time returning to Balaam and a few weeks after her fourth birthday, she was extremely anxious to see what new presents she was going to get this time.

Xena tapped her cheek and said, "well what about Athena?"

Gabrielle scoffed. "She's a neat goddess but I don't think she's as important as everyone says. She and Ares always had wars with each other."

"So wouldn't Aphrodite be more important to Ares than Athena?" Xena pried.

"I guess so. Can't have love without war, right?"

Arielle turned around and grimaced at her grandmother and aunt. "Come on you two are so slow!"

"Someone is being a little bossy," Xena whispered.

"I heard that!" the princess yelled. She took off running to the Adame when she saw her father waiting for her.

Navaz smiled and knelt down. She came crashing into him and he lifted her up, hugging her tightly. He rested her on his hip and wafted her curly hair away from her face. "Happy birthday!" he kissed her forehead and she shyly smiled. "How's your mother? She wasn't feeling well last time you came."

"She's better now," she said.

Xena and Gabrielle walked up the stairs together and Navaz set his daughter on the ground. "Navaz," both greeted and he gave them a curt nod.

"Thank you both for bringing Arielle again. It really means a lot to me that I get to see her at least once a year."

"It's no problem for us, Navaz," said Gabrielle. "Maybe when she's a bit older she can come by herself."

Arielle's face lit up and she clung to her father's arm. He smiled at the two women and invited them inside. Arielle swung her arm back and forth as they entered the Adame. At the end of the large foyer she saw Fairuza with her back turned talking to Tuya. She didn't get a chance to see her stepmother the last time she came. Her father explained that she was with her family in a different city not too far from Balaam.

She had grown to like Fairuza a lot and felt like she could turn to her as a second mother when her real mother wasn't around. She was tempted to approach the queen as she was talking to Tuya but Navaz pulled her back. Arielle frowned up at her father.

Fairuza turned around and both Xena and Gabrielle dropped their jaws when they saw the queen. Arielle's eyes roamed the queen's body. She was very pregnant and Navaz watched his daughter's reaction and he wasn't quite sure what she was thinking at the moment. If she was upset or sad or angry. He didn't know what she would do when she lay eyes on his wife.

The queen smiled nervously and bent down in front of the princess. "Hello Arielle. Happy birthday! I have a present for you."

Arielle was speechless and her shocked expression then turned into a deep frown. She backed up against her father's leg and Fairuza nervously eyed her husband.

"She's pregnant," Gabrielle whispered to her partner.

"I'll say," Xena walked over and took Arielle's hand. "Hey, why don't we go to your room to unpack?" she suggested.

Fairuza stood up and smiled anxiously. "She has a different room now but I'm sure she will love it. It's next to her old room."

Arielle gasped. "You gave my room away?!"

Xena sensed this wasn't going to go well for anybody and she dragged her granddaughter down the hall. "Let's go check it out, huh?" she eyed Gabrielle and quickly, she came running to her side. Fairuza sighed heavily and looked to Navaz worriedly.

Arielle walked into her new bedroom and all of her old furniture was moved into a larger bedroom. She frowned and folded her arms, staring at the room. Xena and Gabrielle shared a look with each other in silence. Gabrielle placed the bag of clothes onto the bed and began taking out the princess's pants and boots for the next couple of days.

"I don't want this room. I want my other room," the princess said.

Xena sighed and grabbed her granddaughter's shoulders and spun her around. "This room is just fine. It's a lot bigger and there's more windows. It's not so bad, right?"

"I don't want this room."

"Arielle don't be a brat," she said firmly and Arielle gasped. "Yeah, that's right. You're being a brat. Didn't you see your stepmother?"

"Yes." The girl grimaced. "She's having a baby."

Gabrielle came up to her and knelt down beside her. "That's right and I think they needed your old room for the baby but this room is just as good if not better. You don't mind sharing a room with Giselle back in Pannonia but you still have your own room here."

"So?"

Xena rolled her eyes and grabbed the princess by her arms and plopped her down on the bed. "Listen, Arielle, you are upset I get that but there's no reason to be upset over a room."

"I don't care about the room!" Arielle shouted and Xena covered her mouth.

"Then why are you upset?" she asked and the princess huffed, turning her face away. "You're upset about the baby?" she hinted and Arielle's face softened. "I see."

Fairuza knocked on the doorframe and Arielle instantly turned away. "Can I talk to her alone?"

Xena stood upright. "She's all yours. Come on Gabrielle."

Fairuza smiled and glanced down at the irate princess. "Can I sit with you?" she asked and Arielle scooted over. She sat down slowly and ran her hands down her thighs. "I hope you aren't too upset about moving into a different room."

"It's fine," Arielle said curtly.

"I brought you your birthday present. I hope you like it." She pulled out a small flat box and handed it to the princess. Arielle took the box graciously and held it in her lap. "I made it for you."

Arielle opened the box and pulled out a necklace made from gold and had a black onyx stone in the middle. She lifted her eyes at her stepmother and Fairuza grinned. "Thank you," she said softly and set the necklace back into the box.

"Arielle I want to talk to you about something very important."

Arielle sighed. "About the baby," she guessed.

"Yes. You will be a big sister very soon and I want your help during your visits here. I like you very much and I hope that you feel the same way."

The princess kicked her legs back and forth and quirked her mouth. "Will it be a boy?"

Fairuza chuckled softly, "maybe or you might get a sister. How do you feel about that?"

"I don't know." She admitted and her stepmother wrapped her arm around her, bringing her close. "Can I name the baby?" she asked.

"Well, you can help with the name. How about that?" Fairuza said.

"Okay." Arielle hopped off the bed. "Can I see grandma Tuya now?"

"Sure." Fairuza watched her stepdaughter leave the room and rubbed her forehead. She wasn't entirely certain that Arielle was going to cope with this. She knew that she and Navaz dropped a huge bomb on Arielle and figured it would take awhile for her to come around.

Gabrielle plopped on her back with a loud thud. She groaned and looked up at the raven haired warrior above her. This was the second time in a row that she was knocked down by Xena. The visits to Balaam were usually very boring because Arielle was too preoccupied with Tuya or Fairuza, so sometimes they had to make their own entertainment and today, they were sparring.

She jumped up and shook the snow out of her hair. "Alright Xena. You are definitely going to pay for that."

"Give me your best shot, Gabrielle," the warrior smirked and put her fists up to her face. She threw a punch forward and it was blocked with Gabrielle's arm. She threw another punch and Gabrielle clocked her in the jaw with reasonable force. Xena gasped and rubbed her chin.

"For a short person, you sure know how to throw a punch," she teased.

Gabrielle shook her head and chuckled under her breath. She swung her fist outward and Xena caught her fist and at that moment she regret that move. She was knocked off her feet and landed in a pile of dirt and snow. Again. At this point she felt defeated but she wasn't going to give up just yet.

Getting to her feet once more she charged for her partner and grabbed hold of Xena's waist and both stumbled backward into the snow. She lay on top of Xena and pinned her arms to the ground. "You were saying?" she teased.

Xena smiled softly and grabbed Gabrielle's arms and flipped her over onto her back. "Nice try, but not good enough. Have you had enough for today or do you want to keep going?"

Gabrielle grunted as she stood. She rubbed her back and raised her hand for surrender. "I think I'm good. I probably have bruises in places I didn't know could get bruised."

The two were in the kitchen eating together. Xena reached over and grabbed a tray of dried fruits and pickled vegetables. She made a face of disgust. "These people pickle everything."

"Well they are from the mountains, Xena." Gabrielle picked at her bread and dipped it into a mint sauce. She watched Xena pick at the table of food and couldn't decide what to eat or not. "Will you stop being so picky?"

"I am not picky."

"You keep picking up different bowls of food and putting it back. Just eat the fruit and pickled vegetables. I'm sure the servants will be making a lot of food tonight for Arielle's birthday celebration." Gabrielle teased the warrior.

Xena groaned and finally decided on eating bread with fruit to tie her over until later. Tuya walked into the kitchen and now her appetite was spoiled by the sight of that woman. "What a lovely surprise."

The queen mother waltzed in and stood in between the two women. Gabrielle did not dare to look into the pale dark haired woman's eyes. "Arielle wants to go back to Pannonia."

"But we just got here," commented Gabrielle.

"She is not happy about Fairuza's pregnancy. She told me she doesn't want a brother or sister."

Xena eyed the queen mother. "And you want me to do what? Convince her to stay?"

"She obviously likes you more," Tuya said sourly.

"That's not true. She talks about you all the time, Tuya. Just because I don't like you doesn't mean that affects Arielle." Xena wiped her hands on her pants and stood up. "I can talk to her but I don't know if I can change her mind."

Tuya was hopeful that Xena could change her granddaughter's mind. She wanted to spend a lot of time with Arielle as much as possible and those times were so few. Anastasia was pretty lenient and this was only the third time she had seen Arielle since her birth. And although she was thrilled that Fairuza was giving her a second grandchild, Arielle was special to her and she wanted to learn more about her. Hopefully, Arielle will decide to stay in Balaam for the full three weeks like promised.

Before Xena even made it out of the kitchen, Arielle nearly ran into her. She had a big smile on her face and was obstinate about leaving. "Grandma, can we go home?"

"I think we should stay here like we promised your mother. Don't you think your father will be upset if you leave? We just got here."

Arielle's smile turned upside down into a frown. "But I wanna go home!"

Xena grabbed the princess's hand and set her in the chair opposite Gabrielle. "Look Arielle, the only reason you want to leave is because you are upset about the baby. I know that, Gabrielle knows that, Tuya knows it and so does your father. It is a big adjustment for you, I understand. You are used to being the littlest and the only princess. That is all about to change soon and I think Fairuza would appreciate it if you help her out. Right?" she eyed Tuya.

"That's right," Tuya bent over and smiled at Arielle. "I think you will be a great big sister."

"It is going to take awhile to getting used to but when we come back for our next trip you can see your new sibling," Xena encouraged her and Arielle folded her arms. "We're staying here whether you like it or not. Understand?"

"Okay..." Arielle said reluctantly. She didn't want to stay but it wasn't an option for her to leave now.

Xena kissed her hand and helped her out of the chair. "Why don't you spend time with Fairuza?"

Arielle trailed off with her head hanging and Tuya followed behind her. Gabrielle ruffled her hair and picked at her food. "She is something else."

"She'll get over it. If she spends more time with Fairuza then she might get excited about the baby." Xena sat down and rest her forehead against her arms. So far, this trip was exhausting and it was only day one. She couldn't imagine how the rest of the three weeks were going to be like. Being stuck in a house with Tuya was bad enough.

"Hey, do you want to go spar again? It might get your mind off things?"

Xena lifted her head with a malicious smile. "So you want to get knocked down huh?"

"Not this time." Gabrielle stood and wiped her mouth. "You coming or what?"

"It's your death wish."

Three weeks later, everyone returned from Balaam like they planned. Xena realized that they more they stayed in Balaam, the more annoyed Arielle was. She tried to be nice to Fairuza and her father while she was there but she was definitely upset. Her face was unable to hide her true feelings. The fact was that the White Hun princess didn't want a brother or sister and she made that clear from the moment she got there until the last day there.

On the way back to Pannonia, Arielle wasn't so talkative and refrained from making conversation. Xena was not much for talking during their long journeys but even she tried to get the girl to talk. Nothing worked. But once they arrived to Pannonia, Arielle was more relaxed and ready to get back to her old room and her regular life.

Csaba was wrestling outside the Adame with his cousin, Oran, when he spotted his sister, grandmother and Gabrielle walking towards him. He punched Oran in the face playfully and ran to his kid sister. Even though she could be very annoying sometimes, he still loved and cherished her. Not to mention, he even got bored without Arielle coming into his room late at night to bother him.

Arielle immediately hopped into her brother's arms and he squeezed her as tightly as possible. She squealed and begged to be put down. Gabrielle noticed that Csaba was not a thin little teenager he once was and all except for his short hair, he definitely resembled Ellac a lot. She hoped that he was staying away from Erzibet like Anastasia ordered.

"So, how was the trip?" he asked his sister.

Arielle groaned and he eyed Gabrielle. She explained, "she wasn't very happy when she found out she was getting a brother or sister."

He nodded and then smiled nervously. "You'll be a great big sister, squirt." He pat her cheek.

"My name's not squirt!" she yelled and he cringed. "I want to see mom."

"She's a little busy right now. She's in a meeting but when it's over I'll make sure that she comes to see you right away, okay?" he said and she marched off, pushing him aside. "Jeez, what's her problem?"

Xena walked up and handed her horse to a Bulgur servant. "Like Gabrielle said, she was not happy. She has been in a bad mood for weeks."

The teenager looked back at his sister stomping her way up the stairs. "Yeah, well, then you might not want to tell her about mother."

"What's wrong with her?"she felt concerned now. Whenever she left, something horrible seemed to happen.

"Oh nothing," he chuckled. "She's pregnant and if you say that Arielle was mad about Fairuza then I can't imagine how –" he got shoved out of the way by both his grandmother and Gabrielle. "What the hell!" he grunted.

Oran smiled and slapped his hand on his cousin's shoulder. "These women and their babies."

"Yeah really." Csaba pushed his elder cousin. "I have a feeling we should stay far away from the house for awhile."

"So, we go riding then?"

Csaba shook his head. "My mother might be pregnant but she can still hit me. I'd rather stay here unless..." he said and eyed Dengizich, his uncle. "Hey!" he ran over and Dengi frowned seeing his teenage nephew. "What are you doing this afternoon?"

Dengizich folded his arms. "Why are you asking? You two getting into trouble again?"

"No, uncle!" Csaba smiled and wrapped his arm around Dengi. "Can you be our bodyguard for the day? We want to go riding."

"Get lost," Dengi scoffed. "I'm not going to be your bodyguard."

"If you don't, my mother will kill me."

"Then let her!" he chuckled and walked off. "Not my problem you keep getting into trouble with her."

Oran smirked at his cousin's effort. "What're we going to do now?"

"Let's just go anyway. It's not like anyone can stop us," Csaba ran over and grabbed a horse for his cousin and himself.

Anastasia sat on the floor within the king's quarters next to Ernak. "We should gather up men from Akitziri and relocate them here." She suggested.

He wasn't sure that was such a good idea considering that Justinian had men all over the mountains now. "I think we should just send men to the Akitziri. Uprooting an entire tribe is really difficult. Not to mention, we will have to feed them and house them. We definitely don't have enough room for thousands of people."

She scratched her head and was running out of ideas. "So then we keep the Akitziri in their area and send men. But what about the Onogurs?"

"I'm still waiting on word from Ebnedzar about that."

"What is that supposed to mean?"

He sighed, "well, he and Ellac are still in the outer rims of Constantinople. Their camp is small and they don't want to risk being caught. I'm not sure if they will be able to return safely without Justinian's thugs attacking them."

That was not good news for her. She sent a letter to Ellac two weeks ago and hopefully he'd get the letter by now. And if he decided to return to Pannonia, it would take him awhile and she couldn't imagine the look on his face when he saw her. He was either going to be very upset or very happy. Either way, she'd have to wait.

She raised her hand and then the doors swung open. "Mother!" she grunted and Ernak turned around. "You can't just come in here and –"

"You're pregnant?" Xena blurted out.

Ernak stood up and slowly backed away. He didn't want to be in the room for this. Anastasia sighed heavily and turned her gaze to the floor. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"I wanted Arielle to go to Balaam. Can we not do this right now? I was in the middle of something." Ana griped. Now Ernak was gone and looks like her meeting was over. "I guess I'm not anymore." She stood up and Gabrielle pursed her lips, nervously rubbing the back of her neck.

Anastasia smiled, "where's Arielle? I can't wait to tell her." Xena and Gabrielle both looked at each other and Ana was now a bit disturbed by their expressions. "What is it? Did something happen?"

"Not exactly," Gabrielle began.

"Maybe," Xena said.

The queen folded her arms and glared at the two women. "What is going on?"

Xena wrapped her arm around her daughter. "I don't think it's a very good idea to tell Arielle about the baby yet," she advised.

"Why not?"

The three women began walking out of the room and Anastasia's eyes darted from one protector to the other. Xena explained, "Fairuza, you remember her right?" and Ana nodded. "She's pregnant too and she'll have her baby any day now since we left. Let's just say Arielle was not very happy about it."

"Oh..." that was disheartening, Ana thought. "Well, I need to tell her. I can't hide this from her. Look at me," she spread her arms out and her mother nodded.

"I know, but maybe later. Not today. She's not in a good mood. Trust me."

"It's for the best," Gabrielle said.

"So..." Xena hooked arms with her daughter, "you just decided to hide this from me?"

Anastasia smirked, "you had already left and I was going to wait until you came back to tell you anyway."

"And when are you due?" Gabrielle asked.

The queen became shy and she halted with her mother. Both women were gawking at her, awaiting for her answer. "I'm not sure. I would say fall season."

"You don't know? You haven't seen anyone yet?"

Ana shook her head. Her mother gave her a look that she hadn't seen in a long time. "Please don't look at me like that. We can go tomorrow to see a midwife okay?" she compromised and her mother smiled. "You two really can be scary sometimes."

"We just want the best for you," Gabrielle nudged her arm.

The next morning Xena waited with Gabrielle in the foyer for Anastasia. They were going to see one of the midwives from the Bulgur tribe. She was recommended by Kreka and was also the woman who delivered Leila's baby, Giselle.

Xena had a big smile on her face when she saw her daughter walking down the stairs. Gabrielle noticed the happiness in her warrior's eyes. It had been awhile since she'd seen that glimmer in her eyes. "You are glowing more than she is," she whispered.

"I'm in a good mood, Gabrielle."

Anastasia smoothed out her black cotton dress and fixed the veil on her hair. "How do I look?"

"Beautiful as usual. Ready to go?" Xena held out her hand and Ana inhaled deeply. "You're nervous," she noted.

"A little bit."

Arielle came around the corner and her face brightened as soon as she saw her mother. She ran over to her and then stopped. Her smile faded and looked at her mother's stomach. She felt like she was reliving what happened back in Balaam and all those feelings rushed back and she frowned.

"You're having a baby too?!" she cried out.

Xena and Gabrielle shared an uneasy look and Anastasia felt her heart thumping. She approached her daughter and Arielle backed away. "Tatli kiz, please don't be upset." She grabbed her hand and Arielle snatched it away.

"I don't wanna be a big sister! How many times do I have to say this!"

Anastasia frowned sadly and kneeled down. "Arielle, you will always be my little princess and I love you so very much. This baby won't change that. I heard you are getting a brother or sister in Balaam. You get to be a big sister twice in one year. How exciting is that?"

Arielle wiped her teary eyes and Ana smiled. "I don't blame you for being upset and I know it will take awhile for you to adjust to this. It's a big change huh?" she rubbed her arm and Arielle nodded. "I just want you to know that I love you a lot, okay?"

"Okay," Arielle said and finally cracked a smile grin. She hugged her mother warmly. Xena and Gabrielle were both relieved that didn't turn out as badly as it did in Balaam. "Where you going now?"

"I have to go see a midwife."

"What's that?"

"Uh," she looked to her mother and received a shrug. "Someone who helps deliver babies. You should stay here until I come back."

"I wanna come!" Arielle cheered and Anastasia sighed.

"She can come with us," Xena said and grabbed her granddaughter's hand. "There's no harm in it."

Inside Marsa's yurt on the far side of Pannonia, Anastasia laid down impatiently. The most thing she hated about midwives was the poking and prodding. She didn't like being poked everywhere and her colds hands on her skin wasn't exactly welcomed. She listened to both the midwife and her mother talking about her as if she wasn't here.

Gabrielle waited with Arielle on the other side of the yurt. Arielle rose to her toes, trying to see over the two women hovering over her mother. "I can't see!" she whined.

"Trust me, you don't want to see what they're doing," Gabrielle smirked. The only person she could hear was Xena and she kept talking and talking. She almost didn't allow Marsa to speak and Anastasia didn't seem to have a voice at all during this entire process.

She finally heard Anastasia curse at the woman and slap her hand away. Arielle gasped and tried to see what was happening but her height was a major disadvantage. "Is she okay?"

"I'm sure she's doing fine." Gabrielle furrowed her eyebrows and saw Xena swatting Marsa's hand away and the two began arguing. Anastasia exhaled heavily as she lay on her back with her ankles crossed. She was growing impatient. "I think..."

"Why is grandma so mad?" Arielle wondered.

"I have no idea. Maybe we should wait outside?" Gabrielle pulled the girl along.

"No! I wanna stay. Please?" she begged and Gabrielle grumbled.

A few more minutes passed and Arielle sat on the floor, playing with the tassels of the rug waiting. Anastasia finally walked over with Xena and Gabrielle got off the rug. "That took awhile."

Ana frowned. "I don't want to talk about it." she held up a bag of herbs and Gabrielle eyed Xena confusedly.

"She has to drink this tea for awhile," Xena said and felt her daughter's anger seeping from her pores. "She's not happy about it."

"I see..." Gabrielle took a generous step backward from the angered queen.

Arielle stood and smiled at her mother. "Are you finished?"

Anastasia grinned and was relieved to see that her daughter was in a better mood than she was earlier. "Yes, all done. You ready to go back now?"

"Mhm." Arielle grabbed her hand and they left the yurt together. "Can we play a game?"

"Sure. What did you have in mind?"

"Can we play chess? Fairuza taught me how to play."

A devious smile crossed Ana's lips. "Of course, tatli kiz. You know who would really want to play chess?" and her daughter lifted her eyes. "Your grandma. She simply adores chess." Knowing that her mother was god awful at chess, this was an opportunity that she didn't want to miss.

"Grandma!" Arielle called and Xena was in the middle of a conversation with Gabrielle. She ran over and tugged on her arm. "Will you play chess with me?"

"What?" Xena frowned.

"Mom says you like it."

"Oh, did she?" Xena grimaced at her sneaky daughter.

Two nights later Csaba stumbled into Pannonia with Oran by his side. They lost their horses and had black eyes and clothes torn off their bodies. Some of the royal guards immediately came to aid them when Csaba collapsed onto the ground. Two men lifted the prince and drug him into the Adame.

Quickly, the queen was alerted and Anastasia ran down the stairs as fast as she could. She swung open the doors to her son's room and saw a few maids tending to wounds on his face, arms and bare chest. Her eyes widened in fear and her stomach churned at the sight of her son who was so badly beaten.

"Csaba..." she sat on the bed and he lolled his head over, staring at her with blurry vision. "What happened to you?" she caressed his cheek and he winced.

"I..." he licked his dry cracked lips, "I went riding...with Oran." He began and his mother furrowed her eyebrows and a deep frown appeared on her lips. "We ran into...Romans."

She looked at the maids tending to her son. "Get out," she ordered. The women immediately grabbed their supplies and dispersed. She rose from the bed and Csaba flinched before she even said anything. "You stupid boy!" she hissed.

"How many times have I told you not to ride off by yourself?!"

"Mom..."

"Susmak!" she yelled and he shut his mouth instantly. "You disobeyed me again, Csaba. I am tired of you going against my orders. I know I can't control your foolish choices but if you do this again I'm confining you to the Adame."

He gasped and sat up painfully. "Mother! You can't do that!"

"Don't test my patience," she warned. "You want to be treated like an adult then you should start acting like one." She said and he grumbled then relaxed on the pillows, shifting slightly to ease his suffering. "Now, where were these Romans? Where did you ride to?"

"To the...Onogur area."

She nodded and gradually became more furious. Her son rode far from Pannonia right under her nose. "Thank you." She turned to leave.

"Wait! You aren't going out there are you?"

She turned around, "do I look stupid to you? I'm sending your grandmother." She smiled.

As ordered by the queen, a group of soldiers were sent to the Onogur tribe to see if there were truly Romans in the area. Xena lead the soldiers throughout the night and now it was dawn. They rode all night to reach their destination. She wasn't expecting to find much here and if Csaba and Oran were attacked, that meant the entire tribe must have been attacked.

She halted her horse and raised her hand. Gabrielle trotted up to her and they were standing idly over the hill, overlooking the Onogur tribe, except there was no tribe here. All the yurts were burned, destroyed or ripped down. There were bodies scattered all over the land. Although there were still some people alive and most were trying to relocate the dead to be burned.

"This is terrible," said Gabrielle. She couldn't even look at all the bodies. She figured this was Justinian's work.

Xena shook her head and the smell of dead bodies turned her innards. "Love the smell of death in the morning." She kicked her horse and slowly descended down the hill into the tribe.

She snapped her fingers at one of the young men in the camp whom was looking very lost and confused. He looked to be only a few years older than Csaba. "What happened here?"

"They...killed...everyone. My sister. Parents. Everybody!" the young man hung his head.

Gabrielle surveyed the area and tapped Xena's shoulder. "I'm going to take some men around the area to help them gather the fallen," she said and trotted off.

Xena turned her attention back to the boy. "Who is 'they'? You mean, Romans?"

He nodded and wiped the tears from his eyes and frowned seeing the crest on her cape and sword. "You are from Pannonia?"

"Yes."

"This is all your fault!" he yelled and others turned in their direction. Xena saw the number of eyes and she gripped the hilt of her sword just in case. "The Romans attacked us because we ally with the king of Pannonia! You are supposed to our allies and you do not protect us!"

Xena raised her eyebrow and soon a bunch of people surrounded her and the soldiers. She pulled out her sword and pointed it at the mob. "Get back!" she hissed and waved her sword to scare them off. "Everyone get back or I will strike!" she warned.

The crowd slowly backed away taking her word seriously. "Now listen to me! We are not your enemy. We are here to help you. I was sent by the queen to inspect the area. We are trying our best to find new ways to combat the new Emperor Justinian."

The boy pushed through the crowd. "It is not Justinian who attacked us! It was Odoacer!"

"Odoacer?" she lowered her sword. She hadn't heard word about him in a long time. If Justinian wasn't behind this then maybe the two emperors were working together but that was highly unlikely. Justinian was busy building a new empire while Odoacer tried to maintain his crown as emperor. The only way to do that was to attack his own blood.

"Are you sure it was Odoacer's men that attacked you?" she asked to make sure.

The boy nodded. "Yes, I know what his flag looks like. It was Odoacer and because of you all of our tribe is nearly dead!"

Xena frowned and sheathed her sword. She turned to the soldiers behind her. "Gather up the families and bring them to Pannonia. Women and children first," she ordered and the men hopped off their horses to escort the Onogur Huns.

She rode over to Gabrielle and dismounted her horse. Gabrielle was helping up an elderly woman from the ground and a soldier came to her aid. "Gabrielle, we have a problem. Justinian didn't attack this tribe. Odoacer did."

"Really? He came all this way to attack us? But why?"

Xena sighed and rubbed her chin. "I don't know. I don't think the two emperors are working together. This might be a standalone attack. Odoacer might be trying to incite us to attack him but we can't handle going into another war with Romans right now."

"So what are we going to do now?"

"I told the men to round up everyone to be taken to Pannonia but I think we should scout the area. If Odoacer's men attacked last night then their camp can't be far." She advised. Seeing another tribe yet destroyed in a year was not something she ever dreamed of. First the Ashina tribe and now Onogur. Next it would be Akitziri, then Khazar and lastly, the Nezaks. Everyone was being wiped out one by one.

Gabrielle adjusted the gauntlets on her wrists and eyed all the Onogurs gathered together with the Pannonian soldiers. She hated to see another nation rid of this world but it happened. Twice. Her body pumped with adrenaline the more she thought of seeing Odoacer's Roman army. She had been absent in the field for awhile and the thought of going back in, excited her.

"Are we going alone or do we go back for more men?"

Xena placed her hands on her hips and took one last look at the destroyed camp grounds. "We'll scout alone. We're not going to attack them. Just spy on them. Are you ready for that?"

Gabrielle smiled. "I'm always ready."

The minute Ellac got a letter from his wife saying that she was pregnant, he left Constantinople. He rode for days without stopping. He made it back to Pannonia in less than ten days which the trip normally took a full two weeks. It was dark when he arrived and it was almost dawn. He was tired but excited at the same time.

He came into her bedroom and saw her sleeping on her side peacefully. He took off his tunic and boots then crawled onto the bed. He was tempted to wake her but he let her sleep. Ana exhaled heavily and rolled over onto her back. She kicked the blanket off her body and raised her knee. It was dark in the room, but not so dark that he couldn't see. The small candle by her bed was enough to see the outline of her face and her body.

His eyes drifted to her belly and he was surprised to see the size of the child inside her. When he received the letter he expected her to be earlier in her pregnancy but the fact was that she wasn't and he was more than surprised.

She lolled her head on the pillow and he was careful not to wake her. He scooted closer and reached over, placing his hand on top of her belly. He felt the child inside her move against his palm. He couldn't help but smile but at the same time he was angry that his wife kept this from him. His hand roamed across her belly and she frowned, shifting her body slightly.

Anastasia's eyes fluttered open when she felt a hand on her. She saw Ellac leaning over her and she gasped. "Ellac!" she sat up abruptly and he frowned, glaring into her eyes. The darkness of the room was not helping, but the sun was beginning to rise and the rays beamed through the curtains.

"I got your letter," he said flatly.

She brushed a few strands of hair behind her ears. She didn't want to look at him. He looked furious. "When you said you were pregnant I didn't think you meant...this pregnant," he gestured to the size of her.

"You...were already gone when I found out. I didn't want to distract you. I didn't –"

"Anastasia!" he growled and swung his legs over the bed. He dug his fingers in his hair and heard her sigh heavily. "When is it due?"

"Ellac please –"

"When?" his voice raised.

"In the fall."

He chuckled and ran his hands down his face and got off the bed. "In the fall," he muttered. He leaned one palm against the wall and stared out the window at the sunrise. "That is less than three months away. You do realize this right?"

"Yes of course I do." She crawled to the other side of the bed and fidgeted with her fingers. She couldn't remember the last time he was this angry with her. "I don't want you to be angry with me."

He turned around and folded his arms across his large chest. "Why didn't you tell me sooner? I would have came home."

"I didn't want you to be distracted!"

"That's my baby too and you kept this from me!" he leaned on the bed and she flinched. "You're carrying my child and you are doing the same thing you did when you were pregnant with Csaba. You didn't tell me then and you didn't tell me now."

She furrowed her eyebrows. "That was different!"

"Was it?" he inched closer to her face and she averted her gaze. "Look at me," he grabbed her chin and she pursed her lips. "We don't keep secrets from each other. No more secrets."

She nodded and began whimpering softly. He sighed and bent down, kissing her forehead. He then grabbed his robe and boots. She wiped her hands and got off the bed. "Where are you going?"

"To tell Ernak to take my place in Constantinople." He walked away and she grabbed his arm.

"Wait. I sent my mother to the Onogur," she exhaled heavily and wiped her cheeks. "They were attacked by Romans and Csaba was badly injured. I...couldn't go so I sent her."

He frowned. "Alright, I will go check on that too." He smiled softly at her and kissed her again. "Stay here and rest. Take care of our baby." He winked and she cast him a crooked smile.

Gabrielle and Xena returned from scouting the entire grassy planes of the Onogur tribe and found nothing. They met with Ellac, Ernak and Dengi in the king's room to discuss the necessary options they needed to take. Ellac was more than overwhelmed. He had to deal with his wife, a new baby, Constantinople and now Odoacer.

He sat on the floor and rubbed his face. "Alright, so there were no Romans. How is that even possible?"

"We didn't find anything. They must have left quickly when the tribe was destroyed," Gabrielle said. "This doesn't make any sense in my opinion. Justinian is the real enemy here. Odoacer has been off the radar for a long time and he suddenly makes an appearance. I don't think so."

Xena smiled and nodded. Quite proud of her little blonde spy. "She's right. Odoacer is not that bold. I think he has teamed up with Justinian somehow without us knowing. I know that the locals said they saw Odoacer's flag, but that could have been a farce."

"So you believe Justinian attacked us? Ebnedzar and I have been watching his army for months now. They haven't left the city."

"That doesn't mean shit," Ernak said. "Romans are sneaky bastards. They operate in ways that don't make sense to us. We are the sane ones. They are the savages. I will go to Constantinople to scout with Ebnedzar."

Dengizich chimed in, "I can go scout more areas. Send out more spies."

Ellac nodded. "Alright and Xena...I hate to ask you but –"

"Yes," she answered immediately.

Gabrielle grabbed her arm. "Are you sure you want to do this?"

"Ana can't do it. Besides, it's been a long time since I've had Roman blood on my blade." Xena raised her eyebrow and Ellac smiled, thanking her for her contribution.

Days after Ellac had a heated conversation with his wife, he returned to her bedroom. She sat up in bed in the middle of her writing. He closed the door behind him and both stared at each other. He sat on the edge of the bed and caressed her cheek.

"I put your mother in charge of the military again. I hope you don't mind."

She wagged her head. "No, it's alright. I can't do it anyway. Again." She sighed.

"Hey," he looked into her eyes, "I'm sorry I snapped at you. You know I love you. I was just upset but I don't want you upset you."

Her cheeks flushed and pushed his hand away from her face. He chuckled and placed both his hands on the sides of her belly. His eyes grew in awe much like before, when they were both teenagers. The same facial expression he had from long ago made her grin.

"How do you feel?" he asked.

"Fine. Hopefully you will get that daughter you always wanted."

He raised an eyebrow. "I don't care if it's a son or daughter, but yes, a girl is preferable," he jested. "You know, even though your mother will be taking your place for awhile, that doesn't mean I won't need your help here."

"Oh? Are you allowing me in your conferences?" she mocked him.

"I need you by my side. We work together, right?" he pecked her lips.