This is the last chapter of this two part arc. I made sure not to leave it so abruptly like I did with the first story. Thank you for reading everyone! I love all of these characters (there are so many of them).

Please continue onward to the 3rd part of the series! (The Governor's Wife) Enjoy, everyone! :)

Chapter 44 –Last Time

By Anastasia's orders, Xena lead the Hun army into several of the smaller tribes surrounding Pannonia. A month after the Onogur tribe's encampment was burned down, Ellac took matters into his hands. He believed that this was a very serious situation that must be dealt with. Gabrielle worked with Anastasia when Xena spoke with Ellac in separate rooms. The two monarchs were sometimes in a room together but usually, they were apart.

Gabrielle and Xena reported back to one another after they got their spiels from the rulers. Dengizich organized a group of spies to be sent to Constantinople yet again but Ebnedzar was luckily already there and helped out with the spying with Ernak. He was in charge and Dengizich stayed back at the Adame to be beside his brother.

While the Hun queen often stayed in the conference room alone or with Ellac, Xena grew impatient and wanted to get into the field. They had no leads as to who could have burned down the Onogur tribe. Odoacer was said to have his army there but Xena wasn't entirely if that was true or not. She had dealt with many emperors during her career as commander.

Valentinian was the most fun of them all. He was a horrible child-like emperor and had everything done for him. His general and commander, Flavius Aetius would have made a much better ruler. Theodosius was not terrible but he often made deals with the wrong people and that is what lead to his death. Romans would always betray Romans. It was a custom by now.

Xena never had hope for Zeno and after he ransacked Pannonia and drove everyone out, she knew that he had to go the moment she lay eyes on him. Odoacer was another story entirely. He was a Hun himself and even worked with Attila while he was still alive and ruler of the great Hunnic Empire. Anastasius was a good emperor but he was very young. Xena never saw such a young emperor before, aside from Valentinian, that knew what he was doing.

Poor Anastasius, she thought. He didn't deserve to be beheaded by anyone, especially by a Roman. Justinian was the general of the Imperial Roman Army. His plan to kill the emperor had been lurking in his mind for quite some time. Xena knew Romans very well and the fact that Justinian didn't claim himself as a Roman Emperor, was surprising. He wanted a new empire and he was going to do anything to get it. And that is the reason why she thought Odoacer had nothing to do with the burning of the Onogur encampment.

Gabrielle traveled with Xena and the army into the Onogur tribe, the outskirts of the grassy planes and now they were scouting the Akitziri tribes. Xena was too bored to even scout with her so Gabrielle opted to go alone with a few soldiers. When she returned, Xena saw that the blonde found nothing.

"We couldn't find any traces of Romans or horse tracks here either," said Gabrielle.

Xena bit her fingernail and grumbled. "That's because Odoacer is not behind the attack." She knew it from the beginning but nobody seemed to believe her. It was good that the Hun princes were guarding Constantinople but it was only a matter of time until Justinian noticed Huns were hot on his trail.

"We're following a dead trail. We should just go back to Pannonia. This is pointless, Xena." The blonde rubbed her forehead and felt like this hunt went on too long. Ellac wanted to be sure that there were no Romans in the area, but it was getting to the point of ridiculousness. She had wanted to get back into the field just as much as Xena but at this rate, they were going in circles.

"We must follow the king's orders," Xena grumpily said and kicked her horse. Trotting down the hill she saw the Akitziri people looking her way. She smiled at them and they went on about their business.

Gabrielle rode beside the commander and looked out at the beautiful hills ahead. "What if Ellac is wrong?"

"Doesn't matter. He is the king and we follow his orders."

"It doesn't make any sense to ride in circles looking for invisible Romans," chided the blonde.

Xena frowned and kept her eyes peeled for anything unusual but she was right, there was nothing here. "Look Gabrielle, I know you are frustrated about this mission but we have to do what Ellac says."

"You never did everything Attila told you to do. Why are you suddenly different towards his son? He gives you orders and you carry them out without questioning anything. This is unlike you."

Xena eyed her consort and yanked on the reins. "I'm not just following Ellac's orders but also Anastasia's. She is the queen in case you forgot. She is also the commander and although she isn't here right now, I must do as she says. You still don't get it do you? I am beneath my own daughter now. She has the same status as Kreka now. Whatever she says I must do."

"Well I don't think we should continue this mission. I think we should go back to Pannonia," Gabrielle said defiantly.

Xena halted her horse and glared at her blonde arrogant partner. "We are staying like we were ordered to do. Anything could happen. There is a lot of waiting around during these types of missions. I know that you weren't in my life during the time I was a commander but this was the norm for me. I sat around a lot waiting for something to happen. If Justinian is carrying out attacks against us then we should be prepared. The Onogur tribe is almost gone and the Ashina are no more. The Akitziri could be next and then Pannonia. I can't let that happen again. So, we're staying. Understand?"

Gabrielle knew better than to argue with Xena and she knew how she acted when she was a commander before. Before Ana became queen of Balaam and now Pannonia. She was a heartless person that carried out anything that was asked of her. She was a killer and had no problem driving a sword into an enemy. Although, Gabrielle felt that the commander changed considerably over the years and recently the last couple of years, she was still a warrior at heart. Nothing could deter her from that path.

But for the first time, she was questioning Xena and her orders. "Fine but I want to scout the south side of the tribe. Am I allowed to do that or will I have to wait by your side?" she didn't bother waiting for an answer and rode off with a group of soldiers.

Xena grimaced and sat on the horse, watching Gabrielle leave her side. She had never been defied like that before in a long time and it made her blood boil. One of Ellac's men spoke up, "should we follow her, commander?"

"No. We stay in the north like we're supposed to. She can do what she wants."

Justinian waited in his throne chamber patiently. He looked out of the window at the Black Sea with a big smile on his face. He waited a long time for this opportunity. He longed to be emperor when Zeno was in charge and he even thought of taking out the emperor but he was glad the Huns interfered and got rid of him. That was the only thing he could thank those savages for. He hated him and the thought of mentioning them made his lip curl and clench his fists. He didn't desire a war with the Huns and hopefully today was the day he was to meet the Hun princes.

His guards walked in with two Hun princes and threw them on the marble floor. The cloth bags were ripped off of Ernak's and Ebnedzar's heads. The emperor waved his hand and the guards left the throne chamber. He was eager to meet the princes finally.

He was surprised to see the Hun men in front of him. He expected them to look different and more...barbaric, in a sense. In fact, these two young men were handsome and both had long dark hair, matching their late father. Justinian never had the opportunity to meet the great Attila, the Scourge of God and Terror of Rome, but he thought his sons were the next best thing.

"Well, well. You two are not hideous at all," he mused.

Erank spat at his feet and the emperor merely smiled. "If you kill us, my brother will hunt you down."

"I'm well aware of what your brother and his wife will do if I kill you both," Justinian said and rubbed his fingers together. "But, I will be kind. I'm not going to kill you today."

Ebnedzar lifted his eyebrow. "Then what do you plan to do?"

"You simple minded savage," Justinian chuckled. "I brought you here to talk. We will be civil."

"You call kidnapping us and forcing men on us, civil?" Ernak mocked.

Justinian grimaced and ignored the prince's comment. "I want to make a deal with you two and I trust you will relay this message to your king brother. It is obvious that I do not care for you and your people but you already knew that. I have no intention of slaughtering you. I am far too busy building a new empire that my predecessors ruined over the last couple of decades. I plan to make a huge empire, bigger than Odoacer's. Bigger than ever before."

"So, get to the point," said Ebnedzar.

The emperor sighed and sat down in front of the tied up Huns. "I will make a treaty with you. I will not come into your territory if you stay out of mine but this treaty is only temporary. I cannot promise that I won't invade Pannonia within the next ten years or so, but for now, we shall we live like neighbors. Sound fair?"

Ernak scoffed and struggled to get free from the ropes. "You cannot propose a treaty like this!" he spat. "You destroyed the Onogur tribe! You left almost nothing!"

"I did no such thing. My army has not stepped foot into any of your tribes but you sure have made quite a camp in my empire..." he snickered. Ernak's eyes grew in shock. "Oh, you seem surprised? You must think it was me or Odoacer. Is that right?" he stood and walked around the large chair. "No need to answer. You Huns always assume Romans are after you, which is true, but not this time. Odoacer is too busy trying to overthrow me. He has no business being in your tribes."

This changed everything. Ellac was certain that Odoacer was the one behind the attack and if Justinian was not behind it, then who could it be? Ernak frowned up at the emperor. "How can we believe you? You Romans don't exactly have the best track record."

Justinian's eyes widened with malice and he raised his voice. "I am not a Roman! This is a new empire, you barbarian!" he hissed. Ernak raised an eyebrow. He was unimpressed. "I am telling the truth and if you don't believe me that is fine but I did not invade the...whatever tribe you spoke of. I told you my army has not come into your territory."

He sighed and composed himself. "So, about the treaty. Will you agree to it or not?"

"What will happen if we don't take you up on your offer? Will you kill us on the spot?" Ebnedzar inquired.

"I don't have time to play games with you savages. I have no interest in your land. It is a pile of grass and mud. There is nothing for me there. You stay out of my empire and I stay out of yours...for the time being," he smirked. "So, the deal..."

Csaba walked into the conference room, or rather hobbled. Even after a month of being beat up by those Romans, he felt weak but tried to hide it especially in front of his father. The doors closed behind him and he couldn't be more nervous. He stared at his mother as she sat on the floor, writing quietly.

"You wanted to see me, mother?"

Ana nodded and did not life her pen off the parchment. "Yes. Sit down please." She said. He hobbled over to the empty pillow in front of her and sat down slowly. She whipped out a letter from her stack and handed it over to him as she kept writing.

He reached over and took the folded letter, staring at his confusedly. "From Navaz?"

"It's for Arielle. I want you to read it to her and when you're finished, I want you to go back to your room," she said.

Csaba sighed heavily and stood up. "I didn't say you could leave," she said and he halted then sat back down. "I also want you to stop hanging around Oran. He is a bad influence on you."

"Mother you were the one who wanted us to hang out and get to know each other..."

Her pen stopped gliding on the paper and she lifted her eyes, glaring at her teenage son. "I said to get to know each other not to get in trouble. You have been nothing but a nuisance to me recently, Csaba. I have enough to worry about and you keep getting yourself into these messes. I can't babysit you, Arielle and take care of an entire empire. Not to mention, the baby will be here in a couple months and I will have to deal with that soon. I expect you to help. Do I make myself clear?"

He frowned and stood up. "Yes, of course, mother," he replied in a terse tone which did not go unnoticed. "Anything else you want to tell me?"

"No, that's all." She hung her head and kept writing. "You may go now," she waved her hand. He grunted and hobbled his way to the doors.

Gabrielle came back to the campsite where the Hun army was located. She searched the south side of the Akitziri tribe but found nothing like she suspected. She spotted Xena sitting by the fire by herself. It was obvious the commander did not want to be bothered and she knew that Xena was not very happy with her.

But, all feelings aside, Gabrielle cared for the warrior and sat down beside her. She warmed her palms against the embers. Xena scooted over and averted gaze. "I didn't find anything in the south."

"I know otherwise I would have sent aid," responded the irritated commander. "You should have followed orders and stayed with me. Something could have happened to you."

"I can take care of myself, Xena."

The commander cocked an eyebrow and turned to her blonde. "I know that. You have proven it several times but we were told to stay within the encampment. We shouldn't go too far. Something could happen."

Gabrielle folded her arms and stared at the roaring fire. "But that's just it Xena. Nothing is happening. Nobody is here. No Romans. No Horses. No footprints. No blood. Nothing."

Then it hit the commander. Her eyes grew and she gazed at the army talking and drinking together surrounding their small campfires. "That's right. Nobody is here," she muttered. Gabrielle stared at her and saw a smile appear. A smile she had seen before.

"What?"

"You're right Gabrielle. There are no Romans here but we already knew that. Something else is missing. We're missing something. It could be right under our noses this entire time and we were blinded by it." she nodded to herself and rubbed her palms together.

Gabrielle shook her head and felt a headache emerging slowly. "I don't understand what you're saying."

"I'm saying what if the people who attacked the Onogurs weren't Roman at all. What if they were someone else?"

"Like who? Scythia doesn't have a ruler anymore and the Persian Empire has been destroyed. The Magyars are too far away from here. It makes sense that it was Odoacer or Justinian."

Xena grabbed her partner's arm firmly. "No, Gabrielle, it doesn't. Think about it. The Onogurs weren't exactly very happy to see us there when we offered to help them. Despite their hatred towards us, they came to Pannonia willingly. I don't think Justinian or Odoacer did this. How could they burn an entire camp and leave without leaving anything behind? You said it yourself, there were no tracks or traces of horse prints."

"But...Csaba said he saw Romans. He was beaten up by them."

Xena scoffed. "It was dark. How would he know the difference of who is whom?"

Gabrielle rubbed her chin and snapped her fingers. "What about that boy in the tribe? He said they were attacked by Romans. His entire family didn't survive."

"That is true but there were no tracks. I've never seen Romans do something so random in my life. There is no gain to be had in the Onogur tribe. The only reason the Ashina were killed was because that was Kreka's tribe and Peroz knew that. The Onogurs don't mean anything to the Romans."

The blonde huffed and couldn't wrap her head around this but there was one possibility. "Are you saying the Onogur destroyed their own tribe?"

Xena shrugged her shoulders with a smug grin.

"Why would they do that?"

"They hate Ellac. They practically said it when we arrived." She stood and looked at the men. They were relaxed for the evening. "We need to go back to Pannonia. We might have a tribal feud on our hands."

Anastasia sat with Ellac inside the king's quarters alone without anyone bothering them for once. It was one of the few times that they were together in the same place recently. Tonight, they weren't supposed to talk about strategy or anything to do with Justinian or the Romans. They sat on the floor eating together mostly in silence.

The queen's eyes drifted from her plate of food. She casually scooted the food on her plate with a spoon and sighed heavily. Ellac spooned some rice into some bread and eyed his wife. "Something on your mind?" he asked.

"Well," she began and he chewed his food slowly. She looked into his green eyes and smiled. "Never mind."

"What is it?"

She set the spoon on the plate and frowned. "This whole thing about the Romans and Justinian seems wrong."

He rolled his eyes and tossed the bread back into the bowl. "Anastasia we're not supposed to be discussing this remember? We promised ourselves to have a night together by ourselves."

"I know, I know," she said defensively. "But just hear me out. I don't think that Justinian sent people to attack us. We're missing something, something small and I don't know what it is but this attack doesn't scream Roman to me. My mother sent word last week and she said she couldn't find anything in Onogur or Akitziri."

"Maybe she is overlooking something," he said with a bit annoyance. He didn't want to spend his evening discussing politics. It was a mood killer, but she insisted.

Ana shook her head and tapped her fingers on her knees. "My mother never overlooks anything. She has been doing this longer than we've both been alive. I trust her judgment."

"So what are you saying then? If Romans didn't attack us then who did?"

"I don't know but it just feels off to me," she let out a deep sigh.

He reached over and grabbed her hand. "We can't keep just living on edge forever and we can't keep assuming things. So, are we going to keep talking about politics or are we going to spend this night doing what we were intended to do?"

She smiled softly and nodded. "Good," he pat her knee and began eating again. He noticed she wasn't eating anymore and frowned. "Now what? You can't tell me that you're not hungry," he jested.

Her nose picked up a scent that she was most familiar with. She lifted her chin and smelt the air surrounding her. Ellac looked around the room to see what she was staring at. Perhaps her sense were heightened or maybe he was unable to smell it because of the food beneath him, but she smelled, "fire," she said.

"What?" he stood up immediately and sniffed the air. "I don't smell anything."

Her eyes roamed the room and smoke seeped from the walls. "Fire!" she yelled and pointed to the west wall of the quarters. He spun around and saw black smoke coming in through the wall like she said. He quickly got her to her feet and hustled to the doors as fast as possible.

He opened the doors and coughed, seeing the entire west wing of the Adame on fire. He covered his mouth and she wrapped her hair veil around her face. He grabbed her arm firmly and pointed to the doors ahead. "Get out of here!"

She coughed and looked to the west wing. "But Csaba and Arielle..." her eyes widened in fear.

"I'll get them, don't worry. Go!" he pushed her gently and she was escorted by some of the royal guards towards the foyer.

Kreka ran towards Ellac whom looked to be in a daze. Soldiers were running back and forth inside the Adame. She grabbed his shoulder and he flinched. "Ellac!" she shook him and he gazed into her eyes. "Anastasia?"

"She left. She's fine," he said and coughed. She nodded and then marched towards the west wing. "Where are you going?!"

"To get Arielle and Giselle!" she snapped her fingers at some soldiers standing by doing what appeared to be nothing. "Go find out who is responsible!" she called out and ran down the hallway.

Kreka and the group of men arrived at Arielle's and Giselle's room. She turned the knob and was unable to get the door to open. She shoved her shoulder against the door and grunted, pushing fiercely. "Arielle!" she banged on the door. "Arielle!" she shouted.

She heard the princess from the other side of the door but couldn't make out what she was saying. Kreka groaned and tried opening the door again. "Arielle, open the door!"

"I can't!" Arielle yelled from inside her bedroom.

Kreka looked to the soldiers and leaned her ear against the door. "Arielle, I want you to move away from the door," she spoke calmly. She nudged her head at the men and they ran their shoulders into the door.

Inside the room Arielle backed away from the door when she heard a loud bang. She gasped and fell down, scooting away from the door. She crawled on the ground and coughed. Smoke engulfed the entire room and she lay low on the ground to hide from the smoke.

She crawled up to Giselle's bed and covered her mouth with her long sleeved blouse. She climbed onto the bed and shook her cousin's shoulder. "Giselle!" she yelled but the toddler princess didn't awake. "Giselle come on!" she begged. She shook the little toddler and Giselle's arm felt limp. "Giselle, wake up!" she frowned and leaned her ear against the girl's chest. She gasped and grabbed the little princess in her arms and drug her out of the bed.

She drug her on the floor and set her down on the rug. She slapped Giselle's cheeks gently. "Come on..." Arielle frowned sadly and tears swelled in her eyes.

The soldiers finally burst through the door and Kreka rushed in. She covered her mouth with her sleeve and saw Arielle hunkered down over Giselle. Her eyes widened and the princess lifted her eyes, tears streaming down her cheeks.

"She won't wake up," Arielle said.

Kreka put that thought out of her mind and she lifted Giselle into her arms and grabbed Arielle's hand pulling her up. "We need to go." She ushered her out of the bedroom as quickly as possible.

Anastasia waited outside standing with Leila while Ellac ordered the army to search the perimeter. The two women watched as the entire west wing of their home was being burned down and pieces of the roof fell onto the grass. Anastasia clamped her hands together, anxiously waiting for her daughter to come out of the Adame.

Arielle ran outside and Ana smiled. The princess ran towards her and she dropped to her knees, extending her arms. Arielle crashed into her and Ana ran her fingers through her hair and kissed her temple. Her curly dark hair smelt of smoke and her face covered in soot.

"Are you alright?" Ana asked.

Arielle wiped her cheeks and nodded. "Yeah..."

Anastasia attention was averted from her daughter when she saw Kreka walk towards her and Leila with Giselle in her arms. The khatun had a cold expression on her face but it wasn't her usual front she put on. Leila gasped and smiled happily when she saw her daughter. She ran towards Kreka and looked down at her daughter curled up in her mother in-law's arms.

Leila grazed her hand down her daughter's cheek and her smile soon faded. A cold cheek and she lifted her wide frightened eyes to the khatun. Kreka gave her a look void of expression. "No..." her lungs constricted and she lifted Giselle out of Kreka's arms and knelt down, holding her daughter in her arms.

Desperately, she pinched her daughter's cheeks and knelt down, listening to her heart beat that was no longer present. Leila breathed heavily and kept shaking her daughter. Anastasia's eyes grew in fear and she held Arielle close to her.

"Giselle, tatli kiz," Leila smiled sadly as tears ran down her face. "Giselle!"

Kreka averted her gaze and folded her arms. "I...couldn't get to them in time. The door was blocked," she said and Leila buried her face into her hands. "Leila," she reached down to touch the woman's shoulder and Leila swatted her hand away.

Leila stood up slowly and glared at the khatun. She shoved her and Kreka gasped. "Why couldn't you save her?!"

"Leila, please," Kreka began and she was shoved backward again. "I tried to save her."

"You let her die! How could do that? How could...you," her lips pouted and she whimpered softly. Kreka came forward and wrapped her arms around the petite princess. Her body shook violently as she wept into Kreka's chest.

Arielle wiped her eyes and looked over at her cousin laying on the grass. She turned to her mother, "is Giselle dead?"

Ana smiled sadly and hid her tears from her daughter and nodded. "She'll just sleep forever. It looks like she's sleeping, right?" she said and Arielle blinked her eyes. "So, if you just think that she's sleeping then it'll be easier."

Arielle sighed and took another look at her cousin. "She doesn't look like she's sleeping..." she admitted and her mother wiped her tears away.

Kreka finally released Leila and reached down, picking her lifeless granddaughter in her arms. She brushed Giselle's dark hair away from her cheek and smiled sadly. She then lifted her head and saw the Adame was slowly being put out by large buckets of water, but not fast enough. A menacing frown crossed her face. She was determined to find out who did this and why.

Xena and Gabrielle returned to Pannonia days after the fire. Upon arriving Xena scanned the area and saw almost all of the west wing of the Adame was completely gone. She wondered if it was too late. Something happened here and she was too preoccupied in Akitziri to come back. She should have listened to Gabrielle and came back. For once, she was wrong and Gabrielle was right.

This was the only time she should have defied Ellac and her own daughter, and came back to Pannonia. Although, she didn't know if her arrival would have stopped this catastrophe. Though, at least she was right about one thing. This wasn't a Roman attack. Odoacer had nothing to do with this and neither did Justinian. This was strictly tribal just like she predicted. But the question she asked herself was why? Why attack your own people? Have we followed the Roman's footsteps? Have we really gone that far to attack our own people for the sake of power like the Romans?

They went through many emperors and some didn't last more than a decade or even year. The least amount of time in office was Augustus Romulus. His position was taken from him by Odoacer. He last a few weeks. Not even a month. Now, the Huns have resorted to attacking their own kind and for what?

"What is going on here?" Xena spat and trotted towards the Adame. Nobody answered her but instead she got solemn stares. The people here were so quiet and just gawked at her. She spun around and saw a pyre where Attila was buried. "Who died?" she asked the people around her and everyone lowered their gaze. "Who?" she asked again.

Gabrielle grabbed her arm, "maybe we should just find out what's going on inside...?" she suggested.

The fear of losing Anastasia crossed Xena's mind. As she and Gabrielle walked into the Adame, her uneasy thoughts were set aside when she saw Anastasia talking with Ellac down the hall. They were speaking quietly and didn't appear to be too upset. Maybe confused, she gathered.

"Ana," she called out and her daughter finished speaking with Ellac and he left her side. "What happened?"

Anastasia sighed and folded her arms. She looked at the blackened wood of the west wing. Everything destroyed. Her home was half gone. It would take months to rebuild it. "Someone set the west wing on fire."

"I can see that but who did it?"

The queen shrugged, "Ellac suspects Romans."

Gabrielle shook her head and grabbed Ana's arm. "No, it's not Romans. We scouted the entire area around Onogur and Akitziri. There were no tracks or any signs of Romans. This isn't Justinian's work or Odoacer's."

"So, what are you saying? It was one of our own who did this?"

"Unfortunately, yes," said Xena. "The Onogur people were not happy to see us when we arrived after their tribe was burned to a crisp. They expressed a lot of anger towards Ellac. They don't like him and they don't like you either, Ana."

Anastasia's jaw dropped and she rubbed her chin. "But..." she was almost speechless. "Ellac has done everything for them."

Xena crookedly smiled, "listen, Anastasia, not everybody is going to like their rulers. I have seen it before with Attila. I hunted down many Beys in my life to make sure they submitted their allegiance to us. Not everyone is going to agree with what you do and how you carry orders out. This is just a fact of life. It doesn't matter if you or Ellac are fair to your people. There will always be a group of people that despise you."

"I'm so stupid. I should have seen the signs. We have the Onogurs right here in Pannonia. Any one of them could have done this. I should have realized it wasn't Romans who did this," Ana chastised herself. She could never be one step ahead like her mother. A skill that she longed to have just wasn't there.

Gabrielle sensed that the young queen was more distraught with herself than she had seen her before. She was worried about her people and her family of course. A direct attack was a good reason to start a war, but war wasn't the answer to everything. Gabrielle didn't want to see a war between the Huns. They had enough trouble dealing with Persia and the Romans. She didn't want to see that same spiral of hatred that the Roman emperors had for each other in these tribal people that she had grown to love.

"The pyre outside," Gabrielle mentioned, "who died?"

Anastasia's eyes swelled with tears and her mother gripped her shoulder warmly. "Arielle and Giselle were trapped in the west wing when the fire happened..."

Xena's eyes grew with worry and could only think the worst. Ana continued, "Kreka was able to save Arielle from the room but Giselle didn't survive..." she lifted her wet eyes and Gabrielle frowned sadly. "Leila hasn't come out of her room for the last three days and Dengizich is beside himself. He blames himself for not saving his daughter. Kreka is another story. She is furious. I have yet to see her shed a tear."

Xena nodded, "she won't allow people to see her true emotions. She is hurt, Anastasia, don't believe that she is not grieving. She is just angry."

"No, mother. She is beyond angry. She wants vengeance and will stop at nothing to find out who did this. First, she loses her entire tribe and now this. I don't think how much more she can take."

"First thing first," Gabrielle interrupted, "we need to find out who is responsible for this."

Xena agreed, "she's right. I promise you that Giselle's death will be avenged. We need to get to root of the problem," she reassured her daughter. She smiled and kissed Ana's forehead. "Don't tell Kreka anything. She might go off on a killing spree and slice every Onogur if she finds out about this."

Anastasia frowned, "so we keep her in the dark? I don't think that's a good idea."

"Anastasia, if you say Kreka is beyond angry, I can only imagine what she will do when she finds out our own people attacked this Adame and indirectly killed her granddaughter. She is not called the barbarian queen for nothing. You may mock her title but she can be vicious and very vindictive. She did not earn that title because she married Attila. She had that title long before her marriage. Don't underestimate her and don't...tell her about this. Alright?"

"Alright I won't tell her but...what are we going to do now?"

Gabrielle smirked deliciously. The thought of finding these people was all she could think about. "Xena and I will find out who is responsible. You should tell Ellac what is going on. Call off the spy brigade in Constantinople. It is pointless to continue to spy on Justinian. He doesn't care about us."

Ana nodded, "okay I will tell him." She smiled and walked off to the king's chambers.

"And don't tell Kreka!" Xena called out. Her daughter waved her hand and gave her a reassuring nod. The warrior turned to her blonde consort. "You're determined, aren't you?"

"I just want to do what is right and you know this is wrong. Huns attacking Huns is not the way to solve or fix anything. If these Onogurs have a problem with Ellac as their king, they should address it directly to him."

"Sometimes you can't fix pure hatred, Gabrielle. Believe me, I've tried many times before. Some people aren't fixable no matter how much you try."

The blonde's cheeks flushed a bright pink. "I tried and succeeded with you. Anything is possible, Xena. We can fix this. We have to try. We can't let this turn into a war because you know that is the next step. The best thing to do now is to stop this before it escalates to a worse situation."

The former commander smirked and crossed her arms. "What did you have in mind?"

Ellac paced back and forth in front of his wife. She stood anxiously watching him talking under his breath in his native tongue. Her eyes followed his every move and then he stopped abruptly in front of her. "You are telling me that my own people are the ones who are responsible for this attack? Right?"

Anastasia nodded, "my mother and Gabrielle say it is true. Ellac, they found no sign of any Romans near both camps. We invited the Onogurs to stay with us. It is the only logical explanation."

He frowned and continued pacing. "And you expect me not to tell Kreka about this? She is my stepmother. She is my father's wife. She is the queen mother. She's what keeps this place held together. How could I not tell her?"

"Because she will kill everyone in her sight, Ellac," she reached out and he brushed her hand away. "And my mother also says to stop sending spies to Constantinople."

The king stopped in his tracks and cast a strange look to his wife. "Sense when does your mother run this nation, Anastasia? I do not recall her being crowned queen. She is beneath me as she is to you."

"She is my mother!"

"And she is not in charge," he made sure to point out.

"She has taken my place as commander again. She is as much in charge as I am. We should listen to her. She knows more than both of us combined. We don't know everything about running an entire empire, Ellac."

His eyebrows rose at her tone. "You are questioning my abilities to run an empire?" he stepped closer to her and her arms dropped to her sides. She glared into his eyes silently.

"We should not be arguing with each other," she said calmly. "We are supposed to work together. You are upset because things are not going your way. I understand. We lost a very precious princess and daughter of your brother. I know how you feel and it is alright to be upset. But don't direct your anger towards me, Ellac. I am not your enemy. I am your wife and your queen."

Ellac turned his cheek and clenched his fists. Open. Close. Open. Close. He glared at the wall and thought it best to keep silent and lock his words away from her for now. She was right and he knew that. He was taking everything out on her and he shouldn't do that. Not when there was so much to be done, including finding out who is responsible for this attack.

A knock interrupted their conversation and he groaned. "Come in," he said.

Ernak and Ebnedzar briskly walked into the room right past Anastasia. Ellac folded his arms upon seeing his brothers. Ernak cleared his throat and spoke to his brother, "Justinian is offering us a deal."

"A deal?"

"Yes. He doesn't want anything to do with us. He will not enter our territories if we keep out of his empire. He made it very clear that he is not fond of us but he is willing to work with us for the time being."

Anastasia's eyes widened and she stepped closer to the three brothers. "We should take the deal."

Ellac whipped his head around towards her. "It is my decision. How can we trust Justinian? He is just another Roman."

"Don't be stupid," she said and Ernak pursed his lips, glancing over at Ebnedzar. "If he wanted a war then he could have killed both of your brothers yet here they are, standing before us. If an emperor offers a peace deal I think it would be wise to take it. We can't afford another war right now. We were barely able to conquer Persia."

"Justinian is not another Anastasius. He cannot be trusted," he retorted.

She nodded, "I know that but we should take this deal now. We don't have time to worry about Romans and our own people. We can't do it, Ellac."

"Do you two need to be alone?" Ernak asked.

"No!" both of them spat and he flinched.

"So, what is your decision then?" Ebnedzar said.

Ellac and Anastasia looked into each other's eyes and he sighed. "We will take the deal," he finally said and his wife smiled.

Gabrielle and Xena gathered up the last of the Onogur Huns in the center of the encampment. Xena looked at all the Onogurs and frowned. Some were women and small children but most of the survivors were able bodied men. They were healthy and none were too old nor too young. She eyed the boy that spoke against her a month ago when she observed the destruction of the camp. He wouldn't look at her in the eyes.

Gabrielle twirled a wooden staff in her hand and walked over to Xena. "I want to interrogate them," she whispered.

The warrior blinked rapidly. "Do you? Are you sure you can handle it?" she teased.

"I've watched you many times. I think I can handle it," she smiled deliciously and Xena stepped back, giving her the go ahead. She then stepped forward and walked in front of the twenty-something Onogurs that stood before.

She spoke loudly, "as you can see, there has been attack on the Adame. I'm sure you all are aware that the king and his family members live in this house. Correct?" she said and the Onogurs lowered their eyes. "No answer? Okay."

She stopped in front of the young man, or rather boy. He didn't look that much older than Csaba. "You," she poked his chest and he straightened his back. "You expressed some anger towards the king and queen, isn't that right?"

He remained stoic and looked into her eyes. She was nearly a foot shorter than him. She thought that he didn't take her seriously so she whacked his leg with the long staff. "Answer me!"

He groaned and looked over at Xena. "Yes..."

"You know the punishment for those who speak against the king and his royal court?" she raised her eyebrow and he nodded. "And since you expressed that you have this deep hatred for Ellac and his family, you burned your own camp, didn't you?"

He faltered and Xena glared at the boy. He felt nervous at her steely eyes on him. Gabrielle noticed droplets of sweat trickling down his cheek. "If you don't answer me I'm sure that I could hand you over to someone who would love to interrogate you."

He nudged his head at Xena. "You mean her?"

"No," Gabrielle smiled. "I will hand you over to Kreka Khatun. I'm sure you know who she is." In that instant she saw fear in his eyes. He did it. He had to have done it. He was scared shitless. "Her granddaughter died in that fire and you did it right? But you had help, didn't you?"

"Answer the question, boy," Xena said and he eyed her briefly. "If you don't answer now, I will hand you over to Kreka personally. She will have no problem driving her blade into you."

He breathed heavily and Gabrielle waited patiently for his answer. "Tell us if you were involved in the fire. I know you did it. Your eyes say it all. Tell us who else worked with you. Maybe the king will pardon you if he has a heart. If you are truly sorry for your crime then you can earn his trust."

"Time is running out," Xena smiled.

The young Onogur panicked and he took off running. Xena stepped forward and snatched the staff out of Gabrielle's hand and tossed it in the air. The staff hit the boy in the middle of his back and he fell, face flat into the dirt. She shook her head and marched over to him.

He grunted and spat dirt out of his mouth. He turned and saw her coming towards him. He gasped and tried getting to his feet but her boot stomped on his spine. "Your cooperation is most appreciated, boy," she grinned and folded her arms. "You ran like a coward so now we have our explanation for the fire in your camp and the Adame in Pannonia. I can't guarantee that you life will be spared."

Awhile later, Gabrielle escorted the Onogur boy into the king's chambers of the Adame. She pushed him to his knees and he looked up to see the king and queen sitting together. His eyes drifted to the three brothers of the king, glaring at him and then...Kreka Khatun standing beside her daughter in-law. She had the most menacing glare out of all of the royal family members.

Ellac waved his hand, "what is your name?" he asked.

"Treas," he answered.

"Treas," the king repeated. "I've heard from my commander that you are the cause of your own tribe's extinction and the destruction of my father's home. Is this true?"

"Sir please –"

Ellac raised his hand. "You've already been condemned. It is no use to beg for your life at this point." He said and Treas lowered his head. "You not only killed hundreds of your own tribe, you were the cause of my niece's death. She was only two years old. You enjoy killing children, Treas?"

The Onogur wept under his breath and Gabrielle frowned at the boy's cowardice. Xena folded her arms and looked at Kreka. "Maybe he would like to hear what his condemnation is, Ellac?"

The king eyed her suspiciously and Treas dared not to look at him in the eyes. "Death by crucifixion."

The boy's head lifted and he gasped. Kreka raised her eyebrow and shared a look with Xena. Gabrielle noticed the two having an almost telepathic conversation with each other from afar. Xena then said, "perhaps, the punishment should be in the hands of the Khatun..." she suggested.

"Xena..." Gabrielle whispered.

Ellac eyed his stepmother and saw she was fuming inside. "Alright..." he concluded and Kreka stepped forward. She extended her hand and one of the guards handed her a sword. She walked over to the terrified boy and looked into her hazel eyes.

She held the sword to his throat and tears streamed down his cheeks. Xena looked at Kreka and waited for her to strike at any moment. The room was silent and all eyes were on her. Ellac tapped his knee patiently and Ana placed her hand on top of his. They shared a nervous look together and then focused their attention on Kreka and the Onogur boy.

She raised the blade upward and he closed his eyes. She cast the sword down and he winced, fearing the worst. The tip of the blade clanked on the wooden floor and he exhaled deeply.

His eyes shot open and saw the ropes bound to his wrists were cut. He looked up to her and she handed the sword back the guard. Treas got to his feet, a bit confused. "Leave Pannonia," she said. "You are no longer welcome into our empire, Treas. You will be stripped of your tribe's name. You will be a Hun no longer but labeled as a traitor."

"You...didn't kill me," his voice trembled.

"You killed my granddaughter," she laced her fingers together and he frowned sadly. "Killing you won't bring her back. Leave this Adame before I change my mind."

He looked around at the royal court and stepped backward slowly. He glanced at Xena and she snarled at him. He turned to Gabrielle and she crossed her arms. He quickly ran out of the chambers and Kreka's head hung lowly. Xena turned to the khatun and grabbed her arm.

"I gave you a chance to kill him and you didn't do it." Xena said.

The khatun lifted her saddened eyes and half smiled. "I have lost my own tribe, Xena. The Onogurs are gone too. And now my granddaughter has been ripped away from me. Killing another one of our people wouldn't change anything. It would only add to the corruption. He will not get far living in foreign lands as an exiled Hun. Perhaps, killing him would have freed him and I couldn't do that. He doesn't deserve that freedom." Her eyes darkened and Xena's hand slipped off her arm.

One Month Later

Arielle waited patiently outside her mother's bedroom for the last few hours with her brother, Csaba. The two heard their mother screaming and Arielle's eyes widened. She tugged on her brother's arm. "Is she okay?"

"Yeah, squirt," he ruffled her long curly hair and she groaned.

"My name's not squirt," she huffed and crossed her arms. "What is taking so long? Why can't I go inside? I wanna see!"

"Trust me," he eyed her, "you don't want to be in there."

"Why?"

"Because, you just don't."

"Why?"

"Arielle, I'm not playing this game with you," he leaned back against the wall and heard another ear piercing scream from his mother and cringed. He saw the concern in his sister's eyes. "She'll be fine," he reassured her.

The princess kicked her legs back and forth, embracing boredom. "How come Kreka Khatun, Gabby and grandma can be in there but I can't?"

Csaba rolled his eyes. "Listen, you will get to see the baby soon, okay? Just be patient." He eyed his kid sister and saw her playing with a few strands of her hair. "So, when do you go to Balaam to see your brother?"

Her face lit up, "I dunno. When mom says it's okay I guess." She shrugged her shoulder.

"What's his name?" he asked, trying to distract her for the time being.

"Soran! I picked out the name," she said proudly and he chuckled. "Fairuza said I could." She lifted her eyes and saw Gabrielle come out of the room. She hopped off the bench and grabbed her leg. "Gabby! Did the baby come yet?"

Gabrielle smiled nervously, "almost."

Csaba cocked his head and asked, "why are you out here?"

She sheepishly rubbed the back of her neck. "Xena kicked me out," she grumbled. He smirked and Arielle tugged on her leg and she picked up the princess and sat down next to Csaba.

Another hour passed and Csaba fell asleep on the bench, leaned up against the wall. Gabrielle tried to distract Arielle as best as she could for the time being, but the girl was too focused on what was happening behind closed doors. And finally, as she was beginning to run out of stories to tell, the door opened and Xena exhaled heavily.

Arielle hopped out of Gabrielle's lap and smiled brightly. Xena grinned down at her. "Is it over? Can I see the baby now?" she asked eagerly.

"Go ahead, but be very quiet," Xena warned and the princess ran inside the room, brushing by her. Gabrielle stood and didn't even bother to wake Csaba. "It didn't go as badly as I expected."

"Uh huh," Gabrielle mused. "Is that why you kicked me out?"

"Nothing personal, Gabrielle," the warrior teased. The blonde looked at her intensely and she rolled her eyes. "A girl."

Gabrielle grinned, "I'm sure Ellac is very pleased about that. I'm surprised you let him stay in the room."

"It's not like I was given a choice. Anastasia wanted him there this time. She ordered me," she mocked. "Queens." She shook her head then eyed Csaba. "Should we wake him up?"

Gabrielle chuckled and looked at the exhausted teenager. "Nah." She hooked arms with Xena and the two waited by the door, watching from afar.

Arielle climbed onto the bed and peered down at her new sibling. Ana smiled softly at her daughter's shocked face. "You want to see your sister?" she asked and Arielle nodded. She scooted closer to her mother and looked at her baby sister's face.

"A sister," Arielle said. Anastasia looked over to Ellac worriedly that she would retaliate. Arielle grinned, "what is her name?"

"Cera," Ellac said. He only felt it was right to name his daughter after his late mother that he never knew. He heard that she was very beautiful and very kind. Words spoken from Xena many times throughout his life. He lifted his eyes and stared at Xena standing at the door.

He whispered in his wife's ear, "I'll be right back." He kissed her sweaty forehead and hopped off the bed.

Arielle ogled her little sister and didn't know what to think of her. She cocked her head from side to side and Anastasia raised her eyebrow, a bit amused by her mannerisms. "She's so tiny," she observed. "Will she meet my baby brother in Balaam?" she eyed with excitement in her eyes.

Ana pursed her lips and sighed. "Well, I don't know about that but maybe."

The princess nodded and touched her sister's soft cheek. "Cera..." she whispered.

Ellac walked over to Xena and Gabrielle. "Can I talk to you two?" he asked in a soft voice and both women walked out of the room. He closed the door behind him and exhaled deeply. "I was made aware that we have some trouble ahead of us."

"What kind of trouble?" Gabrielle asked.

"Visigoths are terrorizing the Khazar Huns," he said and both women looked at him confusedly. "I need to barricade the entire camp and I was wondering...if you two...would want to help?"

Xena smirked, "are you asking me to be your commander, Ellac?" she said with a smug grin.

"If you don't mind."

Xena and Gabrielle shared a look only those two would know and turned back to the king.

"Yes," they both answered.

The End of The Roman Empire and Extinction of The Huns

Kreka: Wife of Attila and mother to Ellac, Dengizich and Ernak. She was said to have major political influence during Attila's reign and even after his death. Despite her eldest two sons destroying their father's empire, Ernak revived his father's name and claimed to be the next Scourge of God. Kreka's influence in the empire after her husband's death kept the empire alive. Her cold exterior towards friends and family, allowed her to have authority over everyone as well as the king at times. She remained in close contact with her husband's former military commander. She and Attila's commander often had a strained relationship but the two worked together on several occasions to defeat the Romans and Goths together until her death.

Ebnedzar: One of Attila's sons and the oldest. He came from a Shaman family and due to this he had no claim to the crown. He was one of the least favored among Attila's many sons. Instead of being crowned king, he remained as governor of the empire alongside Dengizich.

Ellac: More background on Attila's second oldest son –he was an inept king and failed to revive his father's empire. He was a skilled hunter and spy for his father. Contrary to this story, Ellac was already in his twenties when Attila was still alive. As the son of Attila and Kreka (not in this story), he adored her and often asked for her advice in political matters.

Erzibet: One of the illegitimate cousins of Shahs Peroz and Hormizd. Due to her status as an illegitimate Persian princess, Peroz proposed her as a bride to Attila's family as a peace offering. This alliance was cut short when King Navaz invaded Persia and the Shah's cousin was captured by Persian assassins and sent away to East Asia in hopes to marry her off again to a suitable Persian cousin of the Sassan family.

The Hun Wives: Although women in a tribal society, the wives of all the royal Hun family had authority and could voice their opinions to their husbands. All of the wives of Ellac, Dengizich, Ernak and Ebnedzar, lived in the women's quarters inside the Adame together. Kreka Khatun was respected by all the wives and they called her the Queen Mother. The husbands often asked for their wives' advice on war, politics and diplomacy before engaging in a battle.

The Royal Hun Children: After Ernak lost against Emperor Justinian, the Hun Empire fell and the tribes spread across the Balkans once the Magyars invaded. The Huns and Magyars intermarried and within a few generations there were no more Hun children to claim Attila's crown.

King Khushnavaz: King of the White Huns or Hephthalites. He engaged in several wars and battles against the Persians and later invaded India, Kazakhstan, Afghanistan and won Persia after years of fighting. The White Huns were said to be the Scourge of Asia and conquered every piece of land, including parts of China and Nezak Hun territory in Siberia. In his younger years as king he married a Persian woman whose name is unknown. He was briefly married to a Pannonian Hun woman but divorced her when he realized she was too domineering as a wife and queen. The White Hun Empire/Campaign was established in 440AD (during Attila's reign) and then crushed in 670AD by the Byzantines.

Emperor Zeno: Appointed by Bishops of Nicaea and Constantinople. He fought against Attila's clan. He made several alliances with the Goths and Germanic tribes to stabilize the Eastern Roman Empire. His ultimate goal was to cause Attila's Hun Empire to be extinct by the end of his reign. Attila's Commander allied against Zeno thus tricking Odoacer to fight one another in a continuous war. Emperor Zeno was buried alive by Odoacer's allies and Former Commander of Attila.

Emperor Odoacer: The arrogant emperor claimed himself as King of Italy, separating himself from his Eastern counterpart. He was once part of Attila's court and convinced the Roman senate to ignore his Hun background and be elected as Roman Emperor. He overthrew Emperor Romulus Augustus. He is said to be the cause of the Fall of the Roman Empire. Constantly, he tried to assassinate Emperor Zeno and claim Constantinople, but every attempt failed. He had a strained relationship with Attila's Commander and feared that he would perish by the Commander's sword. He was in constant paranoia due to Attila's former commander's blood lust.

Emperor Anastasius: Once in charge of Constantinople, he revived the Eastern Empire. He balanced the government's budget in warfare, taxes and regulated the economy. During the Anastasian Wars against the Sassan Persians, he allied with several nomadic Hun tribes in the Black Sea, Caspian Sea and Bulgur Huns to fight against the Persians. He lost against the Persians but remained friends with all the Hun tribes. Later, he rivaled against Flavius Justinian of the Imperial Roman army and died in the fight to keep the crown.

Emperor Justinian I: As the new emperor, Justinian set himself aside from his Western counterpart and created the Byzantine Empire. He worked under Emperor Anastasius during the Persian wars before he overthrow his leader. He made several alliances with the Goths to combat the Magyars and Hun invasions in the north. King Ernak, youngest son of Attila, fought against Justinian for several years.

Shahs Peroz and Hormizd: Brothers of the infamous Sassan family of the huge Persian Empire, ruled together in attempt to get rid of Khushnavaz and the White Hun army. Grandsons of Shah Yazdgerd, a huge enemy of Attila, failed to keep the Sassanian Empire alive when it was overthrown by the White Huns. Their empire collapsed briefly but was revived for a short while until 650AD. The Empire was taken over by the Arab Caliphs and Turks.