AN: I don't know what is wrong with this site but there appears to be a lot of bugs. I decided to wait to post to see if anything changed, I guess we'll find out lol.
I am working on a new story that requires a lot of research of historical characters and so on. Also, some of these characters are indeed historical and some of these events really occurred. (Sidon: a real Syrian ruler, Osman: Anatolian chieftain)
Chapter 17 –Valide Sultan
Gabrielle approached Borias and Osman in the middle of their conversation. She cleared her throat and both men ceased talking. "Excuse me," she smiled weakly, "can I see her?"
Borias raised his eyebrow, "and who are you?"
This is going to be a little awkward, she thought. "I am one of the sultana's trainees. I live with her," she said and Borias folded his arms, glaring at her.
"Gabrielle!" Helena yelled from afar and the blonde turned to see all the girls riding in on horseback and she immediately thought this was a horrible idea. She also didn't know why everyone followed her here either.
"What is this?" Borias saw the horde of girls riding in. All of them jumped off their horses and ran towards Gabrielle with concerned faces. He pushed Osman aside and blocked the girls from coming any further. "What are you doing here?"
Penelope stepped forward, "we came to see the sultana. We saw you ride in with her," she smiled and the other girls nodded their heads.
Osman placed a hand on Borias' shoulder and smiled gently at all the eager young women. "These girls got rid of the Templar Knights and Mongols at the palace."
Gabrielle saw Borias' face soften and she stepped forward to speak for everyone. "The sultana has been our mentor. She trains us to fight and we live in the palace with her. The Greek fire was her idea."
"An army of girls," Borias mused. "Nothing surprises me anymore," he rolled his eyes. "You can't see her right now, ladies."
"That's alright, we can wait," Penelope grinned and he groaned then left to go check on Xena.
Helena grasped Gabrielle's arm and looked at the tent that Borias disappeared into. "Have you seen her yet?"
Gabrielle shook her head. "I just got here," she turned around and frowned at everyone. "Why are you all here anyway?"
"We wanted to make sure the sultana was alright," Helena smiled softly and all the girls nodded. "If you say she is a good person then she must be. She must care about us and trust you a lot to put you in charge of that attack earlier."
Gabrielle thought about trust and she wasn't entirely sure she had earned Xena's trust yet. She still had no idea that she forged her signature in that letter, but she hoped that Xena would be lenient with her like always. After all, Osman and his army came at the right time, which is entirely unexpected. She was going to make sure to put most of the blame on herself instead of Solan and Belach, even though it was their idea in the first place.
Alexander ran up to Gabrielle and tugged on her arm. She peered down at him and smiled weakly. "Did you see mother yet?"
Helena grinned at the boy, finding him very adorable. And it was very odd to hear him call the sultana 'mother', in front of everyone no less.
"Sorry, Alexander, I haven't yet. But don't worry, I will check on her for you," she said and turned to lay eyes on the tent again. Borias had yet to leave and she began to wonder how badly hurt Xena really was. There had been a lot of people coming in and out of that tent since she got here.
"Is she okay?" he asked, blinking his big brown eyes.
"Um," Gabrielle frowned, trying to think of something to say but nothing was coming out of her mouth.
Astremia interrupted and put her hand on Alexander's shoulder. "Knowing her, I'm sure she's fine," she winked and Alexander stepped away from her cautiously.
"I asked Gabrielle, not you," he folded his arms and Astremia widened her eyes in shock. She saw that this boy was definitely a spoiled prince, but he was smart and wasn't going to settle for a simple answer.
"She'll be alright," Gabrielle finally answered and he raised an eyebrow, staring at her incredulously. "Why don't you go play with Solan? He looks pretty lonely."
Alexander groaned. "I am not a baby, Gabrielle! You can't tell me what to do."
"Demanding little boy, isn't he," Penelope whispered to Helena and the two snickered.
"I heard that," Alexander eyed the girls and their faces paled. "I'll come back later and I expect an answer," he looked towards Gabrielle then walked off to the tree where Solan was waiting for him. He knew all too well that his brother was just trying to distract him from everything, but it wasn't working.
Joan scoffed, "wow, he's something else," she said. She looked over at the tree and saw Belach sharpening a sword by himself. "Who is tall, dark and handsome over there?" she nudged her head over.
Gabrielle shook her head and sighed heavily. "That's the sultana's stepson, Belach."
Joan smirked and then began making her way over to him and Yasmine followed her. Gabrielle's eyes grew and she gasped. "What are you doing?!"
"Introducing myself of course," Joan smiled.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you!" Gabrielle warned but her advise was not considered at all as she watched the girls walk over to Belach.
Hours later, Gabrielle sat outside on the cold sand with Helena. She had her eyes on the tent and Borias had to leave, which probably meant that Xena was extremely hurt, or something else. She wondered what happened to her and why she wasn't getting any information from anyone yet.
Borias finally stepped out of the tent and Gabrielle sat up, eyeing them. Helena was talking away and she completely ignored her entirely, trying to listen to Borias talk to Osman from afar.
"We don't have enough supplies here," Borias whispered and eyed all of the girls, who were now sitting with his sons and he particularly eyed Belach sitting with quite a few girls.
Osman rubbed his chin and sighed. "What else do we need then?"
"Medicine," Borias answered curtly. "That gash is too deep to repair with just a few bandages."
"And she hasn't woken up yet?" Osman inquired and Borias shook his head. "Maybe you should take a few of those girls with you into the city. I'm sure they know where to look to find medicine. They know this city better than we do."
"I've never seen Xena so off guard before," Borias folded his arms, thinking that was odd. She didn't even put up a fight against Sidon. "She didn't even try."
Osman shrugged his shoulders. "Perhaps she was outnumbered."
Borias smirked, "that is never a problem for Xena." He pat his friend on the shoulder. "I am going to ask Belach and some of those...girls...to come with me into the city."
Gabrielle saw him leave and Osman step away from the tent. She smiled, thinking this was her chance now. Helena grabbed her arm just as she was about to leave her side. "Where are you going, Gabrielle?"
"Um, I'm going to check on the sultana," Gabrielle whispered. "Can you keep a lookout for me in case someone comes near the tent?"
Helena rolled her eyes. "You're always getting into some kind of trouble, Gabrielle. I don't think anyone is supposed to go in there."
"Please, Helena? I need to see what happened to her," she begged and Helena let out an exasperated sigh and gave her a curt nod. "Thanks, you're the best!" she grinned and leaned over, kissing her cheek.
She crept by and Osman was standing in front of the tent, watching carefully for anyone approaching. She realized she wasn't going to get past him easily, but there was something important, something that he should probably know.
"Excuse me," she tapped his shoulder and the chieftain turned around slowly.
"What is it, girl?" he asked in a gruff tone.
She grinned softly, "the sultana's army is on the beach protecting the civilians. They don't have any idea what has happened to the palace."
Osman furrowed his eyebrows. "Xena trusts you girls, doesn't she?" he asked and she nodded furiously. "They know the way to the beach area?" she nodded once more. He groaned inwardly, thinking that he had to succumb to working with women, not just women, but girls that were his niece's age probably. He didn't understand why Xena did this, but knowing her, she had a good reason, as usual.
He whistled at his cousin and a slew of men came running towards him. Gabrielle smiled sneakily as she heard them talking about Xena's army camped out on the beach. She took this opportunity to creep into the tent and finally see what happened to Xena.
She walked in and saw Xena laying on a pile of blankets and her wild dark hair sprawled across a bundle of animal pelts. She took another step closer and saw her neck was wrapped with a bandage, but it didn't seem to be doing its job. The bandage was completely soaked through with blood and her right arm was lathered in dried blood as well.
Frowning softly she knelt down beside Xena and lifted the bandage around her neck and saw a large gash. Her eyes widened in horror as she saw how deep the wound was. That Syrian bastard couldn't have gotten her in the ribs or something, but no, he went straight for the throat. Sidon was obviously out for blood and wanted Xena dead, literally. He waited so long to formulize this elaborate plan and even resorted to working with his enemy, the Crusaders, to oust Xena and kill her.
She couldn't help but think that Sidon almost succeeded in his plan if she was not saved right away. Borias was right, Xena was off her game with Sidon, but what he didn't know was that Xena had been recently poisoned and it obviously was still in effect.
Xena could barely walk or stand by herself, yet she tried to elude Sidon and his men far from the palace just to devise her plan with Greek fire. Gabrielle shook her head and grazed her fingers along the sultana's arm. Everyone seemed to hate Xena, but they didn't know who she was. She is merciful as she kept reminding Gabrielle time and time again.
Yet, Gabrielle didn't understand what Xena meant by that. So many people wanted her dead because she was a strong ruler and now the Templars, Mongols and Syrians were furious to find out that their foe is a woman. She couldn't imagine the embarrassment those men felt. To be conquered by a man is one thing and almost seen as noble but to be conquered by a woman is considered blasphemous. And Xena did such a good job at conquering in such a short amount of time.
She now began to realize why Xena hid herself for so long and it probably would have worked longer too, if there weren't so many snakes in the hen house. Sidon had this planned for years, employing his cousins to work for Xena was a brilliant plan. To ally with the Templars was also brilliant, considering they had a huge army, an army of God as they say, and Sidon was exiled from his kingdom. Xena spared his life, yet he is still vengeful.
They may have been able to get rid of the Templar Knights this time, but Gabrielle knew that they will come back and with a bigger army this time. Xena wasn't the type of person to ask for help as she really never needed it before. After all, she basically owned Anatolia and they followed her loyally. They were more than willing to help her without any questions asked, but that would have never happened if Solan didn't convince Gabrielle to send that letter to Borias.
Xena would have died, everyone probably would have died. Gabrielle smiled softly and grabbed a wet cloth and began cleaning off the dried blood on Xena's arm. She couldn't help but think of Xena's reaction once she found out that the father of her sons and his people, saved her. Xena would probably be furious and forget about her wound entirely. She was too stubborn to admit when she needs help for sure, Gabrielle knew that.
Also, Belach was here helping and Gabrielle had the feeling that Xena was not too fond of that boy and vice versa. Belach and Xena were obviously not related by blood, but she tolerated him, Gabrielle could tell. Belach on the other hand always made snide remarks about Xena, even if she were standing right in front of him, he didn't care. He was definitely a spitfire and very feisty, not to mention he looked so much like Borias. You'd have to be blind not to see the resemblance of the two. But Solan looked more like Xena and Alexander more like Belach with his dark hair and eyes. Gabrielle sensed a lot of tension between Solan and Belach when he first came to the palace, but she hoped that the two would work together more often in the future.
She sighed and brushed a few strands of hair away from Xena's face. "I'm sorry," she whispered. She watched Xena's chest rise and fall slowly. "Everyone is after you in every way possible."
She dipped the cloth into the water bowl and kept cleaning the blood of the sultana's bare arm. "If only people knew what a great person you are. If only they knew your true intentions then maybe they wouldn't be after you." She paused and chuckled, "or maybe they would still come after you. They thought you were a man all this time and still wanted you dead. They're afraid of you and now they're even more terrified since they know who you really are. Funny how men are so scared of women that are in positions of authority. Maybe those Templars should reread their holy book and recall all of the brave women in history then they'll really feel like fools!"
As she kept cleaning off Xena's arm she saw blood seeping from the wound and she panicked. She took off the bandage and blood came gushing out of the large gash. She gagged and covered her mouth seeing the thick crimson fluids running down Xena's neck and shoulder.
She placed her hand against the wound, pressing tightly. She frantically began looking for something to wrap around the wound, but all the bandages were used and soaked in blood. She mumbled to herself then ripped off a piece of Xena's robe laying on the floor beside her. She quickly pressed it against Xena's neck and tried to lift her head gently to wrap her neck, but more blood rushed out.
"Damnit," she groaned.
Alexander saw that nobody was near his mother's tent and he grinned, making his way over. He walked hastily and Helena lifted her eyes. She gasped and ran to block the tent's entrance. He huffed and tried to side step her.
"Get out of my way!" he demanded.
"Sorry, I can't let you in!" Helena frowned at the little prince.
He kicked her shin and she winced. "I said, get out of my way and I meant it, Helena," he pushed her aside and she fell on the ground, grabbing her hurt leg.
Upon entering the tent he saw Gabrielle holding a cloth against his mother's neck and she was covered in blood. His eyes widened in horror and he scanned the tent and saw bloodied bandages all over the ground and a water bowl that had turned crimson.
"Mother?" he said barely above a whisper.
Gabrielle snapped her head around and her face paled once she lay eyes on Alexander. "What...what are you doing in here?! I thought I told you to wait for me to come to you!"
He blinked rapidly and couldn't stop staring at the amount of blood all over Gabrielle's hands and his mother's neck. "You said she was okay," he frowned sadly, "she doesn't look okay to me," he shook his head and then ran out of the tent.
"Alexander!" she called out and she cursed to herself then kept applying pressure to Xena's wound.
"Osman!" Alexander ran up to the chieftain and shook his arm furiously.
Osman frowned and bent down, "what is it, child?" he stared into his teary eyes.
"Mother! So much blood! Blood everywhere!" he exclaimed and a single tear fell from his eye. Osman lifted his eyebrow and then grabbed the boy by his shoulder and escorted him to his cousin.
"Stay here," he marched off towards the tent.
Solan came running and saw his brother sobbing softly. He knelt down and frowned sadly, wiping his brother's cheeks. "What's the matter?"
Alexander breathed heavily and wiped his eyes. "Mother..." he frowned sadly and looked into his brother's worried eyes. "She is really hurt, Solan. I saw her," he shook his head.
"Hey, don't worry, she'll be alright –"
"Why does everyone say that?! She is not alright, Solan! Everyone lies to me!" he pushed Solan and he fell onto the ground.
"Alexander!" he gripped onto his little brother's shoulders. "Trust me when I say she'll be alright. She has a lot of people helping her, don't worry!" he said and Alexander blinked, wide eyed. "You want to hear a secret?"
The small prince nodded.
"When I was five years old I saw mother come back from a battle in Corinth. She was in her room for days and I wasn't allowed to see her. I didn't listen to those guards," he said and Alexander smiled softly. "I went in her room and saw bruises and cuts all over her arms, legs and face. I never forgot that, but a few days later, she was back to her normal self."
"Really?" Alexander inquired, not quite sure whether to believe his older brother or not.
"Yeah," Solan smiled. "Sometimes these things happen and that's why she doesn't want you to train with a sword. She thinks it is dangerous."
Alexander frowned, "but you train with one."
Solan rolled his eyes. "That was supposed to be a secret, and besides, she doesn't like it."
The young brother sighed heavily and wiped his teary eyes. "I don't want her to die."
"She's not going to die, Alexander. I promise you, nobody here would allow that to happen." He grabbed his brother's hand and escorted him away from the area, far away from his mother's tent. "Now, will you play a game with me?"
"I don't really feel like it..." he eyed the tent again and Solan sighed.
"You can't do anything except wait."
Penelope and Joan gathered the necessary items that Borias requested and quickly ran over to him and Belach as they sat atop of their horses. "Is this everything, sir?"
Borias lifted his eyebrow. "Yes," he said and Penelope nodded then walked over to her horse and placed the vials of herbs in the saddlebag. He turned to his son, "why do they keep calling me that?"
Belach smirked and shrugged a shoulder. "Just go with it."
Borias noticed that his city was fairly deserted and hardly anyone was in it, which he thought was strange. He felt like he was on constant alert and had no idea if the Templar Knights were waiting to strike again, although after what Osman told him, he didn't think they would come back anytime soon. Then there was Sidon and his men, which Osman's men gladly took care of.
"Father," Belach began and Borias looked over towards him. "Is Xena alright?"
His father gave a subtle smirk. "You care about her?" he pried and Belach frowned, sort of embarrassed.
"She's not so bad, I guess. I know she hates me anyway –"
"She doesn't hate you," Borias cut him off. "She always asked about you in her letters."
Belach's eyes grew in shock and somewhat in awe too. "Really?" he couldn't believe that Xena would even care about his existence.
"She even sent you gifts for your birthday every year, which you never got because of your mother," Borias rolled his eyes, thinking of how jealous Natassa could be.
"Wow," the teenager sighed heavily. "I am a huge asshole," he said and Borias' eyes widened. "I didn't know that she cared about me otherwise I would have never called her –"
Borias eyed him carefully and his son smiled cheekily. "Never mind..." he sheepishly said. "I should have never been so mean to Solan because I hated Xena. You never answered my question –will she be alright?"
Borias sighed heavily, "I don't know."
"What do you mean you don't know?!" he spat.
"Is this needle a good size? I couldn't find a smaller one," Astremia presented a pretty large needle and Borias crinkled his nose.
"It's fine. We should leave," he trotted off and Belach followed him.
"Father!" he rode beside him. "What happened to her?"
"We can talk about it later," Borias answered curtly and rode off without his son. Belach groaned and waited for the girls to catch up to them.
"We should have killed Xena when we had the chance!" Joseph yelled as he paced back and forth in their camp in Masada.
Gregory sat in front of the fire, contemplating everything that happened. Nothing went like it was supposed to and not to mention those girls ruined everything. No doubt that those men and sand was still burning from that Greek fire. It was impossible to put out that fire, it was like hellfire on earth. He thought it was an omen. Xena had created a hell on earth, literally.
"Sidon was too ambitious. He wanted Xena dead years ago. He is probably long gone by now," the Templar master said.
"And those stupid Anatolians!" Joseph growled. "They are loyal to Xena. You saw how quickly that were to defend her and her precious palace?"
Gregory nodded and waved his hand. "Joseph, you are getting angry for no reason. I have no doubt that Xena is still alive. It seems she has several guardian angels surrounding her constantly. She has survived all this time as a male sultan and now everyone knows that she is a fraud. We need to report this back to the Pope and ask for guidance."
Joseph scoffed and took a seat next to his master. "So, are you saying that we leave Persia? Xena still has a huge army that will attack us!"
The Templar master chuckled. "We do not have enough men to fight them!" he snarled. "We need to go back to Rome and ask for help. We should consult the King of Hungary and King of France for aid."
Joseph shook his head, thinking that was a terrible idea. "With all due respect, sire, the King of Hungary has close ties with the Anatolians. They will not side with us and the King of France is far too liberal. He allows his wife to rule several provinces. King Phillip's wife is in charge of the Spanish army. They are too laissez-faire and would not aid the Church in this situation."
"That is where you are wrong, my friend. Xena has been known across Europe as Xenophon –a man. When they find out that Xenophon is not who he says he is, they will come to our aid."
"I am not too sure about that, sir." Joseph sighed and rubbed his chin. "Has Xena made any treaties with France over the years?"
Gregory furrowed his eyebrows. "I am not sure what treaties she has made with anyone anymore. I know she made one with the Anatolians and Hungarians, but I doubt she would dare send a treaty to France. That is not in her territory and far too ambitious."
"I wouldn't put anything past her. She is conniving and obviously very intelligent, for a woman," Joseph snickered. "How did she become the most powerful person in Greece and Persia so quickly? It was like she took Greece overnight and made it hers. We should have gotten rid of her years ago!"
The Templar master couldn't fathom either. He had been serving the Church for nearly two decades and remembered when he was sent a decree that a new emperor had taken over Greece. Greece belonged to Rome once upon a time ago, but Xena ceased it with ease. She didn't destroy any villages to gain the territory either. She simply took it over in a peaceful way, although, cities began revolting against her and they attacked her. Unfortunately for them, they lost and were forced to submit to her in the end.
"When we return to Rome, we must inform the Pope about our losses. Xena is a force to be reckon with and she must be eliminated. We will go to France to talk to King Phillip about giving us his army."
Joseph nodded and smiled, relishing in the idea of getting rid of the fraudulent sultana. "And we should consult the Queen of Spain and King of Germany. Once we have all of Europe on our side, Xena will be forced to surrender unto the Church. Since the Khan was no help, we have to resort to allies closer to home."
Borias returned with the girls and Belach. He and Penelope rushed into the tent and he found Gabrielle beside Xena. His lip quivered and he saw a black cloth wrapped Xena's neck. "What are you doing in here?!" he grimaced.
Gabrielle stood immediately and put her arms behind her back. "She wouldn't stop bleeding. I tried to clot it but Osman was able to stop the bleeding." She saw the malice in Borias' eyes and she lowered her gaze. "I'm sorry."
Penelope's mouth gaped as she saw the sultana for the first time up close without all her garb on. She always looked so intimidating and large, but now she looked so small, so defeated and helpless. This was not the person that she feared for months. She realized that the sultana was a human –a woman.
"Just leave, I can handle it from here," Borias knelt down and grabbed the supplies from Penelope's hands. He began unwrapping the bandage from Xena's neck and saw Osman stuffed the wound with some herbs and although it wouldn't hold for long, it was a quick face.
He turned back and saw Gabrielle and Penelope standing in the entryway. "I said leave!"
Penelope grabbed Gabrielle's hand to leave but Gabrielle refused to move. "I want to help."
Borias sighed heavily and he tapped his fingers on his knees impatiently. "You've helped enough. I can take over now. You can go. If anything happens I will tell you," he said in a softer voice.
"Come on Gabrielle," Penelope urged.
Osman caught eye of Gabrielle and frowned. He marched towards her and yelled out, "you!"
Gabrielle cringed and she saw the large muscular chieftain coming right for her. Penelope's eyes widened and she slowly began backing away. She didn't think she did anything wrong except look after Xena.
"Yes, sir?" she smiled sheepishly.
"I have sent my men to gather Xena's army and the Hebrews from the beach like you said. You should have not gone into the tent! Nobody is allowed in there!" he growled and she wiped the spit off her face.
"Well, I was just concerned. We all are," she folded her arms and his nostrils flared. "We can't stay out here forever. We need to return to the palace where it's safer."
Osman snorted. "I suppose you think you're in charge here, don't you, girl?" he said and her frown deepened. "We will return to the palace once her men put out that Greek fire. That stuff is lethal, you know."
Gabrielle shook her head. "Those Templars will be back! They aren't going to give up. She nearly bled to death awhile ago! She is not strong enough to fight an entire army of knights! She wasn't even supposed to be out of bed when this happened!"
The chieftain cocked his head. "What are you on about, girl?"
Gabrielle cursed herself and groaned inwardly. "Sidon poisoned her. She wasn't fully recovered and that's why she couldn't fight them alone. She could barely stand and this nearly cost her, her life."
She saw a flash of realization hit him and her features softened. "You didn't know, did you?"
"That explains everything," he muttered. He motioned for his cousin to come to his side. "We need to get back to Xena's palace tomorrow morning and dump all the grain."
Gabrielle interrupted, "that's been done already," she said.
He eyed her and then spoke to his cousin once more. "Dump all the wine and water."
"Done," Gabrielle smiled smugly. "Solan made sure all of the grain, wine and water were gotten rid the day after the sultana was poisoned."
"Solan?!" Osman frowned and eyed the blonde boy, casually playing with his younger brother in a secluded corner of the camp. "Well, alright then..." he grumbled. "Go back to the palace and help Xena's army then," he instructed and his cousin took a horde of men with him.
He eyed the smug look on Gabrielle's face and folded his arms. "You girls must be awfully special to Xena." He shook his head then walked off.
"Wow Gabrielle, I can't believe you," Penelope gasped breathily. "You got some nerve talking to the chieftain like that."
Borias stuck the needle through Xena's skin gently and tugged on it to make sure the wound was completely sealed. He furrowed his eyebrows and then saw Xena's face contort and her hand rose, clenching her fist. She moaned slightly and he kept sewing the gash closed.
"Almost finished," he said calmly and her eyes fluttered open and she began panicking. She breathed heavily and tightened her neck muscles. He frowned and grabbed her cheeks, turning her face towards him. "Hold still," he demanded and she blinked in silence.
He smiled once she began to relax and her arm lowered to her side. He pulled the curved needle through her neck and she gasped. "Stop moving," he said and she frowned. "You never liked needles," he mused.
He bit the thread and cleaned her wound gingerly. She winced and he shook his head. She croaked to speak and he gave her some water. He lifted her off the blankets and she drank the water furiously.
She laid back down carefully and touched her sewed up wound with her fingertips. "I didn't ask...for your help."
He shook his head and wiped his hands on a damp cloth. "No, Solan and Belach did. If you weren't hurt I would hit you."
Her eyes widened. "Solan?"
"We can talk about that later," he said and looked into her blue eyes very sternly. "What is going on with you? Sidon nearly killed you!"
She frowned, lowering her eyes. "Where are they? Alexander and Solan?" she asked.
He sighed, "they're fine. Belach got them like you asked." He saw a sign of relief on her face and he kept looking at her curiously. "Why didn't you tell me that the Templar Knights were after you?"
"Because you betrayed me, or did you forget?" she sneered then winced at her neck. She wrapped her hand around her throat.
"No, I gave you a chance to ally with us, but you refused. You almost died, Xena! Sometimes you need to swallow your pride, don't be stupid!" he spat and she pursed her lips in silence.
She sighed and winced in pain. "You should take the boys back with you," she said and his jaw dropped. "It is not safe for them to be around me."
"We're not doing this right now, Xena," he pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration.
"No!" she grabbed his hand and he saw the intense look in her eyes. "You take them to Ankara! I am a walking target."
"Xena..." he began and she exhaled deeply, closing her eyes, trying to ignore the pain coursing through her entire left side of her body.
"Just do what I say for once, Borias," her eyes fluttered open and he sighed. "Please?" she frowned sadly.
He sighed and finally nodded, relenting to her request. He left the tent and saw Solan, Alexander and Belach sitting against a large tree, talking among each other. He frowned and walked over to the three of them and Belach hopped to his feet.
Alexander stood and Borias smiled down at him. "Is mother okay?" he immediately asked.
"Yes," Borias answered curtly and he kneeled down on one knee and grasped Alexander's shoulders. "She wants me to take you back to Ankara."
Solan gasped, "but we can't just leave!"
"But I want to stay here with her, why can't we stay?" Alexander frowned and creased his thick dark brows, glaring at his father.
Borias sighed heavily and Belach quirked his mouth. "Because that's what she asked me to do. She wants you to be safe."
"I want to see her," Alexander began marching off and Borias grabbed his arm and pulled him back. "Hey!" he whined.
"Not right now, Alexander," Borias narrowed his eyes and his small son stopped resisting. "You can see her tomorrow."
Alexander sighed heavily and then folded his arms. Solan tapped his father's shoulder. "Are you going to stay here and help her? She can't fight those Templars alone."
"And that's why Belach is going to take you both back to Ankara," Borias said and his eldest son's jaw dropped.
"I am?" Belach asked with uncertainty.
"Yes, you are," Borias frowned and Belach's cheek flushed. "I can trust you to do that, right?"
"Of course, of course," Belach nodded.
Solan grabbed his little brother's hand. "Come on Alexander, we should go to bed," he urged and for once, Alexander did not put up a fight and walked with him.
Borias folded his arms and had his eyes on the tent and Belach came up around him. "Can I talk to Xena before we go?" he asked and his father nodded. "When are we leaving?"
"Tomorrow. Tell your mother to be nice to them," he warned. "Or else," he walked off and Belach sighed.
AN: "Valide Sultan" means female sultan. This word 'sultana' does not exist :)
Another history lesson for you all -There was indeed a "Valide Sultan" that ruled Turkey/Anatolia after her husband died. She hardly came out of her palace and used her sons' names so she could continue to rule behind closed doors. She too, came from nothing and became the most powerful "Sultan" in Turkey/Anatolia. Later, other forces discovered that she was the brains behind the massive empire and sent mercenaries to kill her. She evaded all of the attacks and continued to rule until she was in her mid 60's then she was assassinated by her sister-in-law.
Valide Sultan can also mean "mother sultan"