Thank you for following along and reading this story, everyone. I really enjoyed writing this AU story and hope you all enjoyed it as well. I hate to end stories as much as you all do. I will continue to work on my other stories and I do have other stories in my folder of unfinished work that I will publish in the future for you all.
Once again, these characters that are non-canon to the Xenaverse are historical characters, except for Alexander. He is my own creation ;)
Osman: Commander in Chief of Anatolia (ancient Turkey)
Saladin Ayyub: Sultan of Abbasid Empire, Fatimid Empire and Ayyub Dynasty
Sidon: Sultan of Aleppo, Syria
Baldwin: King of Jerusalem; conquered by Saladin
Genghis Khan: Ruler of Mongolian Empire/Golden Horde
Gregory: Master Templar Knight of the Catholic Church
Don't Google fact-check me lol. I twisted history to the max with this story. Enjoy :)
Chapter 30 –Wife of The Khan
Xena and a slew of her men crossed the borders of Persia and China. Now that she was in Mongolian territory she immediately regretted coming this far. She didn't think she would ever have to set foot in the Khan's lands and to be truthfully honest, she had never seen Genghis Khan before in her entire life ruling in Greece or Persia. She heard stories about him and brief descriptions but nobody ever stayed long in Mongol territory to talk to him long enough.
All her life as an empress and sultana, she lived her life through a mask of deceit. She fooled all of her people thinking that she was a male ruler and it worked for years until those Templar Knights made a deal with Sidon, signing their life to the Syrian –the man who betrayed her. He ruined everything, though she supposed she had to thank him for that in the long run. Now, she no longer had to hide who she really was and she was tried to be more open with her people and include her family in her life more. The ugly scar on her neck was a reminder of defeat and yet she gained so much from it. Sidon almost took her life and gave her life at the same time. How uncanny was that, she thought?
She then remembered that Borias had spoken with Genghis Khan before. Although, that time had long passed since then, she was still hurt and felt betrayed that he went behind her back. When Solan came back to Persia a few weeks ago, he mentioned that Borias was often away and her instincts told her that he was sent to Mongolia again by Osman. She tried to reach out to him through Osman but didn't receive a reply which either meant her intuition was spot on or she was terribly wrong. She hoped for the latter.
Crossing into China she still had a long way to go to meet with the Khan. She hoped she didn't have to stay too long or be coaxed into staying or worse, held against her will. She had so many people she cared about back home. Her children, Gabrielle, her people, she even still cared for Borias and even Natassa, a little bit. She didn't want to risk being held prisoner in Mongol territory. Now, she felt like she was getting ahead of herself. She was thinking the worst and that was a flaw of hers, but she was usually right about these sorts of things. She hoped she was wrong about this feeling though her gut told otherwise.
Dajan halted his horse and she did as well. He trotted ahead of her and she frowned. "What is it?" she asked.
He squinted his eyes at the large stone wall protecting the west side of China, presumably from the Mongols, but that did not work obviously. Parts of the wall looked unfinished or perhaps it was destroyed when Genghis Khan and his horde invaded.
"Mongols on the wall, Xena," he turned back to her and saw her eyes widening with fear, something he had never seen before. "Shall we go around?"
Darkening her eyes she trotted ahead at a slow pace. "No. We keep going. I didn't come all this way to turn back around."
Dajan nodded and rode along side her. "Are you positive that the Khan is in China?"
She sighed heavily and eyed the wall that seemed to go on for miles and miles. She wondered where it stopped. "Last I heard he was still in China. If he's in Mongolia then we will travel there next if...we can." She held her breath and continued to ride through the desert terrain.
Mongols perched at the top of the wall saw riders coming towards them. One of the soldiers yelled at the others along the wall. Everyone grabbed their bows and arrows, pointing them directly down at Xena and her men. She halted her horse and her head swiftly turned from right to left, counting the hundreds of men lined on the wall, their bows taut and ready to strike.
She raised her hand and for the first time she felt incredibly nervous. She did not nearly have as much as men with her as she'd like, but she didn't think this was going to be difficult. The first time in her life, she was wrong, so very wrong.
"Sultana of Persia, Empress of Greece!" she shouted and the Mongols glared at her but did not budge from their spots nor lower their bows. "I've come to talk to your Khan! Let me pass."
The head Mongol officer on the wall nodded to the other soldiers and finally the bows were lowered. She breathed a sigh of relief. She felt like her heart was going to explode out of her chest. "Will you allow me to pass? I have come a long way to see your Khan. I pose no threat to you or your people." She said and the officer nodded.
The draw bridge was being lowered and she smiled softly, turning to Dajan, she saw he was more nervous than she was. The smile faded from her lips the moment she saw fear in his eyes. He was never afraid of anything, but this had to be a start, right? The Mongols were allowing her to pass through their large wall into the heart of China. Dajan's expression was less than relieved. She wasn't going to lie to herself and say that she wasn't nervous either. This was a new territory to her. Never in her life she thought she'd be in China at this very moment, but here she was. She also never thought to invade China or Mongolia.
Genghis Khan made it nearly impossible for intruders to invade his growing empire and she wasn't going to be his next victim in defeat. She would lose everything. If she couldn't conquer this land, she could at least make peace and hopefully renew the trade agreement that had with the previous Emperor of China years ago. Although, trotting into the territory of China, she knew the old Emperor was long gone from the Song Dynasty. There was no Song Dynasty anymore. This was Khan territory.
Halfway through her journey through China she was immediately accompanied by Chinese soldiers. They escorted her on foot and horseback to a palace that could be seen from miles away. It was massive and she knew it belonged to the old Emperor, but now it belonged to Genghis Khan.
Once they reached the large steps outside the grand palace the men uttered some words to her in a foreign language and she frowned. They began tugging at her horse's reins and she snarled. Dajan cleared his throat and grabbed her shoulder.
"They want you to go inside alone. We have to wait out here." He said.
She eyed him cautiously and turned back to the Chinese soldier. "Alone?" she asked, making sure she head that correctly. Dajan nodded. She sighed and hopped off the horse and the soldier bowed from the waist then escorted her men and took her horse away.
Another man came to her aid, though this man was not a soldier. He was dressed in fine silk robes and was bald with a long mustache, reaching his chest. "Empress," he smiled and bowed his head. She smiled faintly and bowed her head, unsure of what to do. For once, she felt like she was a 'commoner' and not a ruler. Not here. Not anymore.
"Please, this way," he began walking up the stairs. She brushed a tendril behind her ear and her eyes danced around her surroundings. She peered over her shoulder and saw Dajan waiting with the rest of her ten lonely men. Her horse being captive by that Chinese man. She snarled and followed the robed man up the endless stretch of stairs leading to the palace doors.
She was escorted into a large room in the back of the palace. There she saw a large throne at the front of the room and frowned. There were women seated on the floor with their heads bowed down, their eyes not to linger upon her. The robed man left her side and she gasped, spinning around.
"Welcome to China, Empress," he smiled and closed the doors.
Xena's eyes widened and she spun back around, glancing around at all the ornate furniture and ornaments inside. Lanterns hanging from the ceiling and candles everywhere, some even taller than her. The quietness, the stillness –she was not used to such silence in her life. Wherever there was silence, there was something wrong. Something very wrong. She didn't get a good feeling from this place at all.
In the midst of the eerie silence she heard doors open from the east side of the room. Her eyes darted over and there she saw a few men walking out from a long hallway and bow their heads. She frowned and then she saw someone walking down the long hallway, though it was too dark to see anything, she presumed it was Genghis Khan. Now, she felt more nervous than before. This was an awful idea.
A woman, dressed in silk robes and her hair pulled back into a low bun walked in between her guards. Xena's eyes widened upon seeing a woman. She didn't expect to find a woman here. She was expecting the Khan obviously. Maybe this was an adviser of his.
She couldn't have been more wrong an watched the woman walk over to the throne and sit down slowly. Xena raised her eyebrows and then the robed woman lifted her head, smiling at her.
"Empress of Greece, right?" the Chinese woman spoke.
"Yes..." Xena said and the doors were closed. Now she was not alone, but she was alone with this woman.
"You traveled a long way. I am surprised to find you here," she said softly yet authoritatively.
Xena dipped her head and stepped forward. "I asked to speak to the Khan."
The woman nodded. "I know. He is not here at the moment. I will be filling in for him." She said and saw the empress's eyes narrow and her face contort into confusion. "Forgive me. My name is Lao Ma, former ruler of the Lao Dynasty. I am the wife of Genghis Khan. I am sure you have not heard much about me but I have heard so much about you."
Xena smiled faintly. "Have you?" she folded her arms. "Listen, I don't want to take up a lot of your time but I came here to discuss the trade ban."
Lao Ma smiled and bobbed her head. "Yes, of course. You got rid of our trade agreement once Genghis came to power. I am not sure if that was a smart move on your part or a foolish one, Xena." She eyed the Greek Empress, studying her defensive posture and blank face. "May I call you that? Xena?"
"That is my name," she answered curtly. "I didn't want to come here and waste your time or mine. I want to reinstate the trade agreement under a new set of laws."
"Your laws, I am assuming?" Lao Ma said with a subtle smile on her lips, never leaving her face.
Xena clenched her jaw and glared at this woman on the throne, staring down from above. "A mutual agreement. We will use both of our laws. That is...if you are willing to reinstate the agreement?"
The wife of the Khan stood and walked down the steps, and faced the eager yet anxious empress. She smiled, eyeing her from head to toe covered in black. Black pants, black tunic, black cape. "You resemble such darkness, Xena." She began circling her like a vulture. "You are a great ruler from what I hear. You pushed back the Crusaders in your Holy Land. That is very admirable and brave of you."
Admirable? Is this woman serious? Xena sighed and her body tensed as she felt like she was being put on for a show. "They will be back. So, about the agreement?"
Lao Ma chuckled and lifted her chin, staring into the blue eyes that resembled the Aegean Sea. A sea so far from this land. "You are very eager about this agreement." She stated and Xena narrowed her eyes down at her. "I have no problem reinstating the trade agreement, Xena but I want something from you."
"What could I possibly give you?"
Belach sat outside the academy after training all morning he was really eager to get away from all of those kids for awhile. Not that he didn't like teaching alongside Gabrielle, but he felt like he really needed his space. Too many kids and not enough people his own age around here, but he knew that when he decided to stay with Xena for awhile. At least he was able to write his mother while he was here. He knew that his mother really hinted in her letters for him to come back to Ankara, but he wanted to stay here and get to know Xena more.
He spent almost his entire childhood hating her and now he didn't understand why. It was definitely his mother spreading hatred about Xena and he of course believed every word that she said. Now, that he was able to spend time with Xena he realized that she was not awful nor was she mean or cruel. She was very strict at times but she had a big heart and that was shown more and more. He didn't know what changed her but he saw a lot of change in his stepmother. A change for the better.
Gabrielle plopped down next to him and he jumped at her presence. She smiled and took a large swig of water from her wine skin. "I didn't mean to scare you."
He rubbed his chin and looked out beyond the large iron gates. "You didn't scare me. I was just thinking about something."
"Lost in your thoughts, eh?" she teased and he nodded.
"Something like that." He smirked and turned to her as she was eating a large apple. "You know Gabrielle, can I tell you something?"
She paused and set her apple down in her lap. This was a surprise, she thought. "Sure, Belach..." she drank some water and nervously glanced around the compound wondering what he could possibly talk to her about. She hoped it wasn't something she'd have to hide from Xena because after that party, she didn't know if she could handle any more trouble.
He rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. "I like staying here with you guys, you know," he admitted shyly and she smiled lightly. "I used to think that Xena was a really...horrible person most of my life. Spending my time here with you all and with Xena, of course, made me realize that I was being fed lies by my mother. And that is why...I don't really want to go back home."
Her eyes widened and she tapped her fingers on her knee. She didn't know what to say. Although, it was very nice to hear that Xena had grown on him but she wasn't sure this was the solution to his problem. Especially since the problem was his own mother.
"I'm...really glad that you like spending time with us here, Belach. You really used to give Xena a headache every time you showed up but I know that has changed. She likes you and always has. I know that may be hard for you to believe. She's told me some of the stuff she remembers about you."
He interrupted, "I remember them too. I pushed those memories back because of my mother. She told me from an early age to stay away from Xena and Solan too. When he was born I was really curious to see him. I didn't know he was my brother –half brother –until Xena told me. I was too young to understand but I did understand that Solan was my brother. I never forgot about that."
"Belach," she sighed heavily and rubbed her thigh vigorously. "I'm really happy that you and Xena have a better relationship but you can't shut out your mother. She's still your mother. Xena allowed her to stay with us in Thebes for awhile. Xena wouldn't want you to hate your mother and to be honest, I don't think Xena hates her."
He nodded. "They don't get along. They never have and I don't expect them to but my mother told me awful things about Xena and I believed her! Now that I know those things aren't true, how can I trust her again? You always know the right thing to say, Gabrielle. What should I do?"
Suddenly she felt like the weight of the world was on her shoulders. She wasn't expecting such a deep conversation like this, especially from Belach. His mother really didn't give him enough credit and Xena was right. He is a smart boy and being in Ankara with his parents was definitely holding him back. He wanted more but he didn't know how to achieve that just yet.
"Um..." she bit into the apple and chewed furiously thinking to herself –her mind jumping in several directions and his eyes on her were not helping one bit. "Belach, I think you should talk to your mother. Xena was never good at talking to anyone and look what happened to her. She cloistered herself off from everyone. Don't be like her and bottle up your emotions and feelings. Just talk to her and see what happens."
Belach nodded his head and smiled, wrapping his arm around her and she tensed. "Thanks Gabrielle."
"You're...welcome?" she said and smiled at him with apple pieces still in her mouth.
Alexander and Solan came running out of the academy, obviously finished eating their food. Gabrielle was beginning to understand why Xena was so stressed out whenever her sons were here. They were an awful lot of work. They were two balls of energy, especially Alexander. He couldn't stop running his mouth or going from place to place. Endless energy.
"Hey, Gabrielle, are we finally going to use real swords now?!" Alexander clamped his hands together, his big brown eyes growing with anticipation.
She frowned and Belach rolled his eyes. "Alexander, your mother said no real weapons. We are going to use the practice swords like we do every day."
He pouted and folded his arms. "But when will we get to use real swords?"
"When mom says so," Solan said and crossed his arms, copying his little brother. "When is she coming back from China anyway? She's been gone for a long time."
"Soon," she answered. She knew China was extremely far from Jerusalem and would take her weeks to go to and from. Although, she couldn't help but be a little worried about the sultana, her friend. "Are you guys ready for the next session?" she rose from the bench.
"Yes!" Alexander cheered and grabbed Solan's hand. "Come on Solan! We can be partners!"
"I thought Oona was your sparring partner?" Solan teased.
His brother's cheeks reddened. "Um...well, maybe she can be partners with the both of us? I'm sure she won't mind," he hid his flushed face and heard his brother snicker. "It's not funny!"
"You want me to combine my empire with yours?" Xena asked for the second time. Lao Ma stared at her as they sat together in a more comfortable setting. She tapped her fingers on the table incessantly.
The Chinese Empress smiled and saw such apprehension in her guest's eyes. "You fear us, don't you?"
"I fear no one," Xena said firmly. "I don't understand why you would want to join with me. I thought the Khan wanted to invade my empire and take everything for himself."
Lao Ma nodded. "Many assume the worst from him and he can be ruthless but you can be as well. Can't you, Xena?" she arched an eyebrow and saw the dark haired warrior dip her head. "I want to be your ally. You are a great warrior but you have a kind heart. I sense you will do great things for your people one day."
"Are you saying I don't do enough for the citizens of my empire?" Xena was beginning to feel a bit threatened by this woman.
"No, I didn't say that. I admire you, Xena. You are strong and level headed. There are not many rulers like you in this world. You and I could create an alliance that has never been done before. You will control your empire just as you did before as long as we remain allies."
Allies. Xena didn't really like that word. All the so-called allies she had turned out to be bad fruits in the basket. She had so many people betray her trust and she didn't even know this woman, yet she wanted an alliance. She traveled all this way to talk to the Khan and ended up talking with his wife and former ruler of the Lao Dynasty. This was definitely a turn of events.
Lao Ma sensed such tension between them as the room fell silent. She reached out and touched Xena's hand, startling her. "We do not know each other very well, but my instincts tell me to trust you. You are trustworthy woman, Xena. We are the only two female authorities here. We can strengthen our power as one. Together."
Xena smiled, liking the sound of that. Lao Ma was right. They were the only two female rulers in the eastern part of the world. Why not exploit that? She extended her hand to the empress.
"Allies," she said and Lao Ma grinned, shaking her hand.
"And hope to be friends in the future." The Chinese Empress bowed her head and Xena gave a curt nod of her head.
"Great job today, everyone. Make sure that you are here bright and early tomorrow morning." Gabrielle said to all the exhausted students as they trailed out of the academy. They handed her their practice swords and she handed them off to Belach to be put back on the rack.
Solan handed Gabrielle his sword and took a step aside. He saw Alexander talking to Oona near a window with swords still in their hands. He smirked and nudged his elder brother's arm. "Check out those two."
Belach rolled his eyes. "He really likes her, huh?" he put the last sword on the rack. "Alexander! Oona!" he called out and the two children spun around with pale faces. "Lesson is over. I need your weapons," he wagged his fingers.
They both walked over and handed the weapons over. Gabrielle smiled at the two. "Oona, you did really well today. But you really need to work on your thrust motion. You just aren't getting it just yet!"
Oona grinned. "I'll try better tomorrow, Gabrielle." She turned to Alexander. "I'll see you later." She leaned over and kissed his cheek then ran out of the academy to catch up with the other girls.
Alexander gasped and Solan snickered along with Belach. "Wow, he's star struck," Solan whispered.
After everyone left the academy Gabrielle closed the doors and sighed heavily. She never thought that teaching children would be so exhausting but it definitely was. She saw a shadow standing behind her and frowned. "I'm almost finished locking this up and I'll go inside." She shook her head. Those guards of Xena's could be incredibly annoying.
"Nice to see you too," Xena said.
Gabrielle gasped and spun around with a big smile on her face. She wrapped her arms around the tall sultana, hugging her tightly. "Xena! You didn't tell me you were coming back!" she pulled away and Xena grinned, running her fingers through Gabrielle's golden locks. "How was China? Did you see the Khan?"
Xena sighed and hooked arms with Gabrielle as they made their trek to the palace. "China was interesting. I didn't see the Khan but his wife instead. We talked for a long time."
"Wow. His wife. What was she like?" now she was very interested and more than happy to see Xena in one piece.
"As I said..interesting. We came to an agreement about the trade routes on the Silk Road into Persia." She paused. "And she wanted an alliance with me."
Gabrielle stopped in her tracks and raised an eyebrow. "Alliance with China? What did you say?"
"I said yes."
You've changed a lot Xena. So much that I can't keep up with you anymore. You're a chameleon for sure. "I'm surprised to hear that."
Xena cocked her head. "Why are you surprised? Am I not likable?"
Gabrielle chuckled. "It's not that Xena. You are very wary of alliances and I guess I'm just surprised that you would ever consider allying with someone again especially someone from China. The wife of Genghis Khan!" she could barely believe it.
"You doubt me." Xena teased and they walked towards her bedroom inside the palace now.
"I didn't say that, Xena."
"You don't have to."
Gabrielle frowned sadly and then Xena winked at her. Oh, very clever Xena. You have jokes. You think you're so funny. "Ha-ha. I have so much to learn from you Xena." The sultana smiled warmly and lowered her eyes as they trailed up the large staircase.
"No, I have a lot to learn from you," Xena said.
We can learn from each other, Gabrielle thought.
"So, am I going to meet this wife of the Khan?"
"She's an Empress, Gabrielle."
"Oh, just like you!"
Xena sighed heavily.
The End.