Chapter 6

Nezak Territory, Kazakhstan

The Gokturks had one goal in life, and that was to wipe out everything in their path. The Nezak troops were caught off guard as they rushed through the wheat fields. The entire crop of harvested wheat had been reduced to ashes and dust. A thick layer of smoke hung over the mountains, engulfing the indigenous people. Cera's job as commander was made more challenging by the thick smoke.

She worried for hours that she wouldn't be able to successfully lead the troops. There was complete anarchy, and the tribesmen stopped listening to her orders as soon as they were showered with arrows. At the outset of the battle, she took a commanding position on the sidelines. When nobody paid attention to her whistles and cues, she was thrust into the action. As quickly as she had been willing to risk her life to save her people, she had become disgusted by the fact that her soldiers would not obey even the most basic orders.

When night fell, she was still covered in mud and enemy blood, and her clothes were in tatters. She suspected that more Gokturks were on their way to finish the job started by the first group when she saw a horde of horses coming her way. Cera, however, was relieved when a cavalry of archers attacked the Gokturks. The black leather was easily identified as being from Persia, indicating that assistance had been dispatched by Arielle. Of course, this also implied that the Adame had successfully communicated with the falconry keep in Elam, Persia.

Moments earlier, she had prepared herself for the certainty that she would suffer serious harm or even die. With her sword drawn and her small band of loyal soldiers at her side, she stared down the Gokturk mounted warriors. When Arielle's troops charged in, she retreated while the enemy was distracted.

Cera was awake and alert as dawn quickly drew near. It was the lack of sleep, food, and water, combined with the lingering smoke, that gave her eyes such a painful sting. Although her body was completely spent, her thoughts were still moving at breakneck speed. There was a stench of decaying flesh and old blood in the air. Thirty or more soldiers died, and she wasn't confident that she could have saved them even if she had tried.

As she walked through the field and over the bodies of the dead soldiers, she felt an intense emotional surge. There was a lump in her throat, and tears clouded her vision as she continued to stare in disbelief at the bodies littering the field.

"Your highness!"

Cera dabbed her cheeks and turned to face the loud voice coming from behind her. Trotting toward her, a female Persian soldier carried a scroll. It was obvious that Arielle didn't even have time to react and sent a poorly handwritten letter instead of a formal decree.

"The Khagana said she will provide your tribe with extra wheat for the fall season."

Cera tucked the letter into her belt and stared up at the cloaked Persian.

"I will take my soldiers around to clear the field." The soldier steered her horse around, and looked back. "Princess, my name is Officer Wasifah. I may offer to stay here and guard the tribe if you wish..."

Cera appreciated the thoughtfulness, especially in light of the clan's current situation. She merely nodded her head in assent. She longed to look the woman who identified herself as Wasifah in the eye. Aside from the armor she wore, it would have been impossible to single out the leading officer in a group of veiled women.

When Wasifah mounted up and rode off into the field, Cera walked over to meet her. She wasn't confident the officer would understand her request, so she made a motion for the veil to be removed instead. Wasifah thought for a second before removing her veil but eventually did so. Cera studied the woman's pale face, brown eyes, and pronounced nose. With a gentle smile on her face, she nodded as she mentally cataloged the features and then headed back to the camp.

While soldiers carried the wounded past, Cera simply made her way through the camp invisibly. She paid no attention to the people in her way, and she was oblivious to the sobs of grieving women over their dead sons, cousins, and uncles. She trudged up the Adame's stairs, bracing herself for a reception from some agitated women. She was able to tune out the distractions, so that wasn't a problem for her.

"Cera! Cera!"

To pause, she heard her husband call her name. There was a prolonged humming in her ears, but eventually, it faded. She circled back around, and Mirac limped over to greet her. She was shocked to see him in such a sorry state: his face was covered in blood, his arm was bandaged, and a deep gash ran the length of his thigh.

Disregarding the excruciating pain he was in, Mirac smiled brightly at the sight of his wife. With his dirty hands, he cupped Cera's cheeks and wiped her tears away.

"I'm so glad to see you're alright," he said and kissed her forehead.

She stuttered, unable to process her husband's injuries. He might have met the same fate as the other men on this day. She could've been widowed. There would have been no father figure for Emese. When her fingers brushed across his cheek, he flinched visibly.

Mirac grabbed her hand, interlacing their fingers. "Hey, don't be upset. I got away with barely a scratch!" he crookedly smiled.

Despite his wounds, Cera struck his chest with rage. She continued to punch him in the chest until she eventually collapsed into his arms.

Yana dashed down the Adame's steps as soon as the doors opened. She saw Mirac and his injuries at once. Seeing Cera cling to him while whimpering made her hold back her reaction. Her expression of shock was evident as she walked through the camp. Mirac looked at his sister and tried to muster a grin. From her expression, he could tell that his wounds were more severe than he had thought. Yana's occasional displays of anxiety were cause for concern, but her lack of discretion was notable.

"I...sent a message to Persia for aid," she said quietly.

Cera turned away from him abruptly and wiped her tear-stained face. Thankfully, the soldiers were too preoccupied with tidying up the camp to notice her frazzled condition.

"Ah, yes, I thought I recognized Arielle's horsewomen," Mirac said. "Thank you, Yana. I don't know what would've happened if you hadn't sent that message."

Cera, who had been eavesdropping on the conversation, hugged herself tightly, her fingers digging into her ribs. Everything that was previously quiet escalated in volume abruptly. She felt like she was being choked by the sounds of cries, moans of agony, and soldiers' yelling.

Yana brushed some dried blood off her brother's cheek. "You need medical attention."

When that happened, she finally lost it. Cera quickly ran across the camp and into the Adame. Mirac and Yana both turned quickly as she left abruptly. The two siblings exchanged curt nods, and Mirac hobbled after Cera toward the Adame.

Commanding Officer Wasifah rode up to the camp and promptly dismounted. With an air of confidence, she slung her bow over her shoulder and strode authoritatively over to Yana.

"Where's the princess?" she asked.

Yana pointed to the Adame behind her. "She's inside. You can talk to me."

Wasifah's eyes narrowed with skepticism.

"I'm Cera's sister-in-law."

With little hesitation, the officer relayed, "I've cleared the area. There aren't any Gokturks around, but I believe they're heading northwest."

"Northwest? Back to the Caucasus?"

"The Pontic Steppe," Wasifah corrected. "I've sent a messenger to relay the information to the Khagana."

Yana nodded slowly.

"The princess agreed that my troops and I could watch over the tribe. I will set up camp soon."

Yana surveyed the situation carefully and saw that her people were already on edge due to the presence of Gokturks and now dozens of Persian soldiers.

"It would be wise of you to set up camp far from the tribe. We may be allied with the Sassanians, but my people aren't very trusting of the Persians."

Wasifah swallowed and bowed. "Yes, ma'am."

"Chieftess," Yana snapped.

"Chieftess."


Elam, Persia

Gabrielle rolled over in bed and swung her arm to the left just before dawn. The spot she expected to find a warm body next to her was cold and empty. She blinked, lifted her head off the pillow, and pushed her hair back. Xena had left the bed at such an ungodly hour. That was uncharacteristic of her.

She stood up slowly and surveyed the area. Her bleary eyes caught sight of Xena's silhouette by the hearth. She yawned, got out of bed, and nearly tripped over her boots as she made her way across the room.

"When did you get up?" she asked, rubbing her forehead.

Xena tapped her fingers on the empty cup in her hand. "I never went to bed."

"Wha...you've been awake all night?"

"I drank too much coffee." Xena sheepishly smiled and peered up at her disgruntled spouse. "This stuff is like tar. Very dangerous tar. Also deadly, very deadly."

"Got it. Tar. Are you going to come to the baths since you're...awake?"

"I was doing a lot of thinking last night."

Gabrielle mumbled incoherent words and walked off toward the baths. "How much of that stuff did you drink?"

"About five cups. Issik is very bold to invade one of the tribes," Xena interrupted. She tapped her lips, continuing to say, "he's really asking for it. I think it's going to be difficult to get Muqan and Tespar out of Gokturk territory."

Gabrielle listened in from a distance but recognized that Xena was engaged in one of her typical monologues. She knew that saying anything to break up her thoughts would be futile, so she only sort of listened to her. While Xena talked, she swished her hand in the water to see if it was comfortable.

"Instead of sneaking in and grabbing the boys, we could offer a temporary peace agreement," Xena thought out loud. "Or, or..." she pointed her finger to the ceiling. "We'll ask for Muqan and Tespar as hostage exchanges so Issik won't attack any more of the tribes. We can definitely use them as leverage, especially with Yeter here. What do you think?"

Gabrielle caught only a few words from that long spiel. "I think that you've had too much caffeine."

"Perfect." She slapped her knee and snatched her kozak off the floor. "I'm going to tell Arielle."

Gabrielle gasped and spun around. "But I just got the water ready!"


There has been no other thought in Anastasia's head for the past three days besides Cera and the Nezak people. She knew that Cera could defend herself and the tribe, but she still felt terrible. She questioned whether or not she shielded Cera from the responsibilities of being an heir to the throne and a warrior. While she had set up Csaba and Arielle for success as independent rulers, she had neglected to do the same for Cera.

She felt guilty that she had failed Cera in her upbringing by not giving her the same attention she had given to her other children. In Ana's mind, there was no question that the death toll in Kazakhstan would have been much higher if Arielle's troops hadn't arrived.

She sat on the terrace, which looked out over the gardens until she felt calm again. Until the sun had risen, she stayed there, staring at the night sky. There was only a slight downpour, but she was transfixed by the sound of the rain on the marble balcony railing. She felt a hand on her shoulder and turned to see her daughter staring at her from the corner of her eye.

"I know you said you wanted to be left alone, but I thought I'd check on you," Arielle said.

Her mother faintly smiled and squeezed her hand for reassurance.

"My soldiers are staying in the Nezak tribe for a while. I also received word that Cera and the tribe are safe."

She should've been grateful for the joyous news, but she was wrought with guilt. "I should've prepared Cera better for the role of queen. I treated her too different from you and your brother."

Arielle twisted her mouth. "Now is not the time to focus on that, mother."

"But it's true. She doesn't know the first thing about commanding an army. I never trained her to be a ruler like I did with you because I never thought she..."

Arielle leaned in close. "Never thought what?"

"I never thought she would be able to do it," she admitted, adding a heavy exhale. "I set her up for failure."

"Mom, you are too hard on yourself. Cera is very capable of taking care of herself and her tribe. She's smarter than you think, and she pays attention. Actually, I think she's smarter than me and Csaba combined. I'm sure she has taken notes of all the shitty decisions I've made over the years."

Ana raised an eyebrow at her daughter.

"Besides, grandma didn't teach you how to be a queen either. You had to learn all on your own, and for the record, I think you've done a great job." Arielle smiled, hoping her mother would be receptive to the feedback. "And you don't need to worry about Cera."

Anastasia's eyes crinkled, and her grin broadened. Those were the only words of encouragement she'd heard in recent days. Despite her ongoing feelings of guilt, she found some solace in Arielle's confidence in her sister. She cuddled up to Arielle and pecked her on the forehead.

"Thank you, tatli kiz."

Arielle shrugged in reply. She knew she couldn't make her mother leave the bedroom, but changing the subject would help. She dilly-dallied, tracing her fingers along the balustrade, before bringing up the festival.

"So...are you coming to the solstice ceremony tonight?" she asked, almost mumbling.

Ana scrunched her nose. "I don't know, Arielle. I'm not really feeling up to be in a room full of Persians."

"Abbaseh and Boran would be so thrilled if you were there..."

Ana wagged her finger, knowing exactly what her daughter was up to. "Ah, don't do that, Arielle."

"But they hardly get to see you..."

"I'll think about it. Maybe I'll wear black just to spite Nousha," she said with a smile.

"Mom, please, I don't need any problems."

Anastasia chuckled. "I'm just teasing."

Arielle rolled her eyes. "Now, if only I could get Aurora to go. I don't understand her. One minute she wants to spend time with me, and the next, she locks herself in her room and thinks I'm being annoying by wanting to spend time with her! I don't ever remember her being so morose. She used to talk to me all the time."

"Yes, it's almost like she's...a teenager," Ana said and bumped her daughter's arm.

"Ha. Well, I don't like this phase."

"Yeaaah," Ana slowly nodded and continued, "I didn't like you at that age either."

"Mom!"

Ana kept chuckling at her daughter's miffed expression. "Don't worry, tatli kiz, you'll get through it. Just be patient."

They were both taken aback when Xena burst through the curtains and onto the balcony. She gave Anastasia a quick kiss on the cheek and walked over, smiling. She turned her attention to Arielle and ignored the strange look she received.

"Good morning. I need to talk to you. It's very important."

Arielle looked at her grandmother's dilated pupils and dark circles with concern. She cocked her head further as she became increasingly perplexed by the increasing number of peculiarities she had begun to notice. Also, restless and fidgety was her grandmother.

"Are you...alright?" asked Arielle.

Xena let out a long, loud yawn that made her eyes water before she could reply. As she opened her mouth to speak, another yawn overtook her, and she quickly covered her mouth.

"Never...better. Anyway, I really need to talk to you about...you know," Xena eyed her daughter. "About the Gokturks," she whispered.

"I can hear you," Ana whispered. "Mother, why are you acting so strangely?"

"I may have had too much coffee."

"And...you haven't slept?"

Arielle slapped her forehead. "Grandma, I am not going to have any conversation with you until you sleep."

"But it's important! I have an idea!"

"Your ideas will have to wait."

Xena looked at the two pairs of icy eyes gawking at her. "I see I'm not going to win this argument."


Arielle was ready to leave the solstice celebration a few hours in. She had been expecting Persians to wear black, so the sight of everyone in white was jarring. Since she had only been permanently based here for a small fraction of that time, she had missed every solstice festival. Because she was unfamiliar with the customs, she was unable to comment on whether or not she enjoyed herself. She cared most about how much fun Abbaseh and Boran were having together.

She sat at the head of the room and watched as the guests chatted. One of the rare occasions when she didn't have to keep an eye on her children. Xerxes and Aurora showed up out of nowhere, and Arielle waved at them. Aurora did not seem pleased to be there. She looked beautiful in her ivory pantsuit, despite her terrible frown.

Xerxes sat down next to his wife while Aurora glared at them from a distance. When her daughter expressed her displeasure, Arielle smiled and raised an eyebrow in amusement.

"I'm glad you decided to come out of your room."

Aurora groaned, tensing her shoulders.

Xerxes pointed across the room. "There's a group of girls your age over there. Maybe you can talk to them."

The princess peered over at the gaggle of Persian noble girls. "They won't like me."

"How do you know if you don't talk to them?"

"They'll know I'm not from here—that I'm not Persian."

Arielle drummed her fingers on her knee. "If they give you any trouble, just tell them the Khagana is your mother," she said with a grand smile.

Aurora scowled. "Despite what you think, telling people that my mother is the ruler of two empires isn't a great conversation starter." She turned on her heel and weaved through the crowd to attempt to talk to the Persian girls.

"Ouch," Arielle muttered. "Thirteen-year-olds are mean."

Xerxes chuckled. "I told her she could stay for an hour and go back to her cave."

"When the girls get to that age, you can deal with them."

"Ah, yes, because I'm skilled in parenting them," Xerxes bit his lower lip and flicked his collar cockily.

Arielle arched an eyebrow, glaring at her husband. "You think so, huh?"

"I know so," he replied, wriggling his eyebrows.

She stared for a few more moments until she gave up. "You're right. They listen to you more than me."

He gasped, clutching his chest. "Did you just admit I was right?"

"Stop that." She whacked his chest. "But, yes. I did."


Just as Gabrielle suspected, Xena passed out the moment she was forced into bed. Since mid-morning, she'd been asleep. While Gabrielle knew that the outcome was indefinite sleep, her wife tried to fight for a couple of hours. However, after talking for a while, Gabrielle found out that Xena was too distraught to deal with the attack in Kazakhstan to talk about it. So, that resulted in drinking copious amounts of caffeine as a distraction.

Gabrielle promised Xena that she would discuss the best way to fight the Gokturks with Arielle before Xena went to sleep. She hadn't intended to go to the festival, but it turned out to be the best chance to see Arielle. When she finally made it to the party, she realized how out of place she really was. She tried to blend in with the crowd by wearing ivory-colored clothes, but instead, she just got stares. It probably wasn't the smartest move to attend this festival.

She went to the front of the room to join Arielle despite the curious looks she received. Gabrielle made eye contact with her counterpart and waved. Arielle waved back in kind. She was no longer the focus of the crowd's attention once they realized she was going to talk to Arielle. Indeed, Arielle was more impactful than she gave herself credit for.

"Gabrielle, I didn't know you were coming out tonight!"

"I'm not staying long," she said, looking out into the crowd. "It's like a white sea out there."

Arielle smiled, bobbing her head to the music while occasionally bowing her head to several guests who looked her way.

Gabrielle stepped closer. "I know this might not be an ideal time to discuss warfare, but given what happened in Kazakhstan, I think we should talk."

Arielle, keeping a smile plastered on her face, said, "I'm listening."

"I talked with Xena before she fell asleep, and she thinks we should ask Issik for his brothers to be hostage exchanges so he'll stop attacking the tribes. Muqan and Tespar can also see Yeter."

Arielle's lip twitched. "But if we do that, I won't get any useful information out of Yeter. I'm not giving her what she wants until she talks," she said through a forced smile.

To keep the guests unalarmed, Gabrielle kept her eyes forward and continued talking to Arielle. "Can you really trust what she says right now? She's more likely to tell us the truth if she gets to see her sons. That was the deal she made with Xena."

"A deal made without my consent."

"Pick your battles, Arielle."

"And how will I explain to Issik that I have his mother in my custody?"

"Xena and I can handle that. Does this mean that you're giving the go-ahead for this plan?"

Arielle grumbled, her smile now disappearing. "I trust you two, but this better not make my relationship with the Shah more difficult."

Xerxes had to listen in on this conversation, and he could tell his wife's temper was starting to flare. He took her hand, interlaced their fingers, and kissed it tenderly. It was enough to get her mind off of Gabrielle.

"Relax..." he whispered.

Arielle exhaled smoothly and looked over at Gabrielle. "Do you two have a plan in place?"

"We'll figure something out. Thanks for your cooperation," Gabrielle gave a cheeky grin and squeezed Arielle's arm. "By the way..."

"...yesss?"

"Do you know when Adarmahan is coming back from Estakhr? Xena was skeptical of his intentions, and I was trying to be optimistic about it, but...I do have to say, him disappearing is a red flag."

Arielle smugly smiled and glanced at her husband. "Your lovely brother doing his best to irritate me once again."

Xerxes grumbled and slumped in the chair. "I'll make sure Adarmahan returns to Elam shortly," he told Gabrielle, following that with a quick glare toward his wife.


Shehzada Abbaseh made it her mission to meet and greet everyone at the festival throughout the night. She was already acquainted with several nobility members from previous gatherings and made some new acquaintances. After she had said hello to the bulk of the crowd, she ran through it several times while waving a small flag.

She was out exploring when she spotted her big sister across the room and made a beeline for her. With great effort, she raised the flag high into the air. The girls, who Aurora was talking to, turned to see the little shehzada sprinting towards them. Abbaseh stopped, grinned, and accidentally collided with Aurora.

Abbaseh brushed her hair out of her face as she smiled and greeted the group of girls. She started coughing as she gasped for air. Yet, she covered her mouth in an attempt to stifle her cough.

Aurora frowned in concern and knelt down. "Abbaseh, why are you running around like that? You could really hurt yourself," she whispered.

"I...I'm okay," she said in between short coughs.

"Why don't you go wait over there, and I'll get you some araghijat?"

Abbaseh preferred spending time with her sister's new friends to drinking the herbal juice her parents made her drink on a regular basis. Given that she had difficulty stringing together more than a few words at a time, she wasn't going to argue. She heaved a sigh and walked away, coughing softly.

When Aurora straightened up, she looked back at the Persian girls and saw their shocked expressions. As if she had committed a terrible crime, everyone stared at her.

"You speak to the Shehzada so casually," one of the girls mentioned.

This is exactly what she was trying to avoid. She unexpectedly struck up a pleasant conversation with the three young girls, and they discovered that they shared many interests. Everything was about to change, however, once she revealed her family's connection to a powerful Persian family.

"Ah, she's my sister," she said quietly. Just as she expected, all of the girls gawked at her. "I should go. My sister's waiting for me..."


Balaam, Armenia [Gokturk Territory]

It was saddening to see what had been a peaceful, welcoming landscape transformed into a place of danger. After weeks of travel, they finally reached Balaam, where they were forced to regroup and reevaluate their options. Every street corner was guarded by a line of Gokturk soldiers. Issik also erected a massive wooden fence around the village. Since the Gokturk conquest, Nevaz's Adame has undergone significant expansion. Given the small number of soldiers they had with them, getting close to the gates was virtually impossible.

Xena hopped off her horse and hid in the brush, and began to examine the field. The fence was lined with guards on each corner. There were archers seated atop the front gate, ready to attack at any moment. She had to give it to Issik; he was well prepared. Perhaps, the prince absorbed a lot from his mother during her reign.

She mounted her horse and regrouped with the soldiers waiting in the woods. She trotted up to Gabrielle, ready to relay her findings. "Four archers on top of the gate, one soldier on each corner of the barricade, and six guarding by foot outside."

Gabrielle huffed. "He knows he might be attacked; otherwise, why the need for all the security?" she looked over her shoulder at the twelve soldiers. "I say we should pick two soldiers to talk to the guards. We need to make sure our message of peace gets across to Issik. I don't want him to attack us."

"Agreed." Xena smiled at the masked women. "Who wants to volunteer?"

The Persian soldiers exchanged worried glances. No one was willing to volunteer because they were afraid of what might happen to them if they did. There was a real chance that two people would die because they were outnumbered.

"Don't be shy, girls. If two of you won't volunteer, then I will pick for you."

Two women eventually stepped forward to volunteer. Xena kept her eyes on the Gokturk guards while Gabrielle quietly gave them orders. With their flag bearing the Avar-Pannonian symbol, the Persian women rode through the woods after receiving orders.

Gabrielle chewed nervously on her lip, and Xena tidied her nails as they waited on the sidelines. The Gokturks were quick to draw their weapons at the sight of the flag being raised. As her breath caught, Gabrielle reached for her spouse's arm.

"Maybe this wasn't a good idea."

Xena spit out a bit of her nail she chewed off. "They aren't attacking yet. That's a good sign."

After some time had passed, the Persian women were heard in low tones conversing with the Gokturk guards. A response was on the way, and everyone could finally stop waiting. The Persian galloped back into the woods and bowed tersely to Xena and Gabrielle.

"You're allowed into the encampment," she relayed. "But...only you two are allowed inside...unarmed."

Xena scoffed. "Unarmed! It's two of us against hundreds! I'll be damned if I go in there without some kind of weapon."

Gabrielle interrupted, "will we get to meet with Issik? Is that guaranteed?"

The young soldier nodded.

"Xena, I think we should go inside. We have nothing to lose if he's willing to meet with us."

"Except maybe a limb."

Gabrielle rolled her eyes and started to unload her weapons. She unbuckled her belt and gave the soldier her sword. She reached into the pockets of her coat and pulled out the Sais. She glanced to her left and saw Xena pull the dagger out of her boot and conceal it in her leather vest.

"Uh, what are you doing?"

"I'm not going in there completely unarmed. You're crazy if you think I'm doing that," Xena said as she adjusted the dagger beneath her vest. Smiling, she added, "ready to go."


Prince Issik awaited his unannounced visitors in the reception area. As the Persians approached his gates, he learned that additional visitors were hiding in the bushes. While waiting for them to arrive, he paced back and forth. He stopped pacing and braced himself for the oncoming footsteps. His eyebrows knit together, and he puffed out his chest.

He saw Xena for the first time, and she was just as he remembered her to be, albeit older. Her peppery dark hair, deep blue eyes, and pronounced cheekbones were all different from his memory. She appeared to be unchanged, and he was sure she was eager to question him. A moment later, Gabrielle joined them. She looked almost identical, with the exception that her short blonde hair was copperier than he recalled. A combination of years in the sun and the natural aging process, perhaps.

"Welcome," he said.

In the foyer, Xena raised an eyebrow and cast her gaze around. Since her last visit to the Adame, a lot has changed. No mention of Navaz or any other member of his family was to be found. No decoration remained on the walls, only the drapery covering the pillars.

"Did some redecorating, Issik?" she inquired with a teasing smile.

"Prince Issik to you, Xena."

"Ah, Khanum to you," she wagged her finger playfully. "I can play this game too."

He frowned deeply, lines creasing around his mouth. "What brings you both here?"

Gabrielle decided to cut this meeting short before an argument arose. "You attacked the Nezak tribe a few weeks ago."

There was a subtle twitch of his lip, concealing his smile.

"We want to negotiate with you, so you'll stop attacking the tribes. We'd like to offer a trade."

"Negotiate?" he snickered. "What could you possibly have that I want?"

"Your mother," Gabrielle replied, grinning.

Issik's mouth dropped open, and his eyes widened as his face paled. He tried to keep his cool and read Xena's expression to see if she was trying to pull a fast one on him, but she wasn't. Both she and Gabrielle were grinning and staring him down the entire time. They weren't trying to pull a fast one on anyone.

"If you're willing to offer your brothers up as hostages, they will get to see their mother, and you will temporarily stop attacking us," Gabrielle explained. "How does that sound?"

His mood quickly shifted. "What do I get out of this? And why should I believe that you won't kill my mother and my brothers?"

"If we wanted to kill your mother, she would've died on the battlefield when Arielle arrested her," she reminded him. "You know us, Issik. We wouldn't harm your brothers."

"Then I want to see her too. She is my mother."

"No," Xena intervened. "The deal is you relinquish your brothers to us so they can see your mother, and you'll stop invading our territories."

"No deal then. I don't see any benefit for me."

"You know what, you little—"

Gabrielle raised her hands for a truce. "Alright!" she shouted. "What about the subject of payment?"

As a last resort, she and Xena came up with this. Considering the trajectory of the negotiation, they would need a bargaining chip to sway the obstinate prince. Gabrielle knew that in order to influence this discussion, she would need to use money. She also anticipated Arielle's wrath and was prepared for it.

"We'll pay 60,000. Half now and half when your brothers reach your mother. Deal?"

Issik smiled and held out his hand to seal the deal.

Gabrielle grabbed his hand and pulled it. "This deal is temporary. You will not attack our tribes for six months. You understand?"

After they settled their differences, she and Xena hurriedly departed the Adame. Xena kept looking back up the stairs until the haughty prince was no longer in her line of sight. While passing through a camp of hundreds of armed men, she grabbed her wife by the arm and dragged her to the side.

"How does it feel to negotiate with a child?" she whispered. "He just got paid to send his brothers off!"

Wary of all eyes upon them, Gabrielle whispered back, "can we talk about this later? He's an arrogant prick, I know."

"This should buy us some time to figure out how to attack him."

"I'd like to make it out of this camp alive, Xena," she growled.


Nezak Territory, Kazakhstan

It took more than two weeks of staring at the Persian guards at Cera's camp before she could take it no longer. She didn't want them near her people for any reason. It made her doubt her abilities as a princess, a leader, and a superior. The events of the invasion made everything she'd feared come true. There was anarchy because her troops weren't following orders. If not for her sister's soldiers coming to her aid, the tribe might have lost dozens more innocents. Seeing Arielle's guards there served more as a reminder of this than anything else.

In spite of his wounds, Mirac sat up in bed. He stared at his wife, who was waiting by the windows, nonstop. He saw her glare directly at the Persian guards. For weeks, she'd been brooding.

"Come away from the window?" he called out. "Please?"

Cera cast a glance behind her before leaving her despondent perch by the windows. She walked over to her husband and sat down on the bed with him. She reached out and took his hand, smiling broadly as she ran her fingers over the diminishing bruises.

"I like it when you smile. You should do it more often."

She shrugged a shoulder. "Are you feeling better?"

"I would feel a lot better if you would stop watching the Persians like a hawk," he said half-jokingly. His wife then squeezed his hand, and he flinched. "Easy, easy! Okay, okay...ah, I'm sorry. Listen, Cera, it's not a crime to take help when it's offered. We needed it."

She knew that was true, but she felt inferior as it is. "I want the soldiers to take me seriously, but they don't. I know it's because..." she tapped her throat.

Mirac sighed, rubbing her arm affectionately. "It's not that, Cera. You're great, and you're still learning. I'm learning with you. I could do a better job helping you with the army. I'll make sure to do that when I'm fully recovered."

"I shouldn't need extra help," she pressed her fist to her chest.

"You're very stubborn, you know that?" he said and pinched Cera's nose. "Let me help. We oversee this tribe together. You're a princess, yes, but this was my father's clan. I should help out more."

Cera swayed her head from side to side and finally came to terms with the offer.

"And would you please stop staring at the Persians like you want to kill them?"

"I can't make any promises," she swiped her finger across her neck. "But I'll try."

"Good. We should probably start planting in a new field. I know Arielle's giving us wheat for fall, but we should get a head start."

Cera tapped her cheek and smiled. "Do you think the Persians would scout with me to find a new field?"

"Um, I guess you won't know unless you ask?" he snatched her hand. "Should I come with you?"

She pinched his thumb. "You're still recovering. Don't worry, I can handle this."

"Hey, before you go..." he sat up slowly. "Could you check on Emese? She's still pretty shaken up over the attack. She's afraid to go outside."

That's weird. When Cera was around her daughter, everything appeared to be fine. She speculated that Emese might be acting fake around her to avoid any probing. Her daughter had finally joined the ranks of the rest of her family in avoiding her.


It was unusually quiet in the Adame, and for that, Cera was skeptical of what was going on. It could be that everyone was still anxious about the attack, and maybe they anticipated a second invasion. Either way, she was sort of grateful for the quietness, despite the cause of it.

Cera walked slowly into her daughter's room and opened the door. Through the narrow opening of the door, she could see that Emese was lying on the ground. Seeing as how her daughter's back was turned, she had no idea what the girl was up to. When Cera rapped on the door frame, Emese immediately whirled around to look.

"Come in..."

Cera quietly slid inside and locked the door. Inquiring about what Emese was so intently doing, she took a stroll around the room. The floor was littered with bowls, each holding a different colored powdery substance. Cera cocked her head as she watched Emese use the pestle to break up the powder into finer particles.

She joined her daughter on the floor where they both sat. She picked up one of the bowls to take a whiff of whatever was inside.

Emese lifted her head and gasped. "Don't touch that!"

Cera swiftly set the bowl back down on the floor.

"Sorry, I...um, I'm making the dye for the tapestries. Teyze Yana told me to crush the flowers for her."

Cera agreed with a half-smile and a nod. She hated to break her daughter's concentration, but she knew she couldn't wait forever. Trying to get Emese's attention, she tapped her on the knee.

"I want to talk to you."

Emese sighed, setting down the pestle. "Is this going to take long?"

"Your father told me you're scared to go outside," Cera said, signing slower than she normally would. Her daughter's cheeks flushed with color. "Is it because of the attack?"

Emese paused briefly, her gaze leaving her mother's hands. She kept quiet for fear of retribution.

"It's okay to be afraid. You don't have to worry because I will protect you," Cera swiped her hand over her heart and smiled warmly.

"Were you afraid?"

Cera hesitated to answer, and before she could, Emese interrupted her.

"I saw you from the window. There were a lot of soldiers attacking you." as she spoke, her voice broke once tears surfaced. "I thought you were going to die!"

Her stomach tightened as she saw her daughter sobbing. She made her way across the floor on hands and knees and hugged Emese tightly. Cera, her eyes closed, pressed her daughter's head against her own thumping heart.


Cera walked out of her daughter's room angrier than she had hoped to be. She felt her daughter should not have had to experience the trauma of the attack and the death of her own kind. Emese was worried that something bad would happen to her parents if she ventured outside the house.

She blinked away her tears and exhaled sharply. To her right stood a bust of the goddess Eje. Cera scowled at the mother goddess, demanding to know what had gone so horribly wrong over the past few months. In a fit of rage, Cera knocked the statue off the pedestal, where it shattered into several pieces.

After a moment of glaring at the broken statue, she looked up to find Yana staring at her. She clamped her teeth together and locked eyes with her sister-in-law. Her internal rage unabated, she marched off down the hall.

Yana's gaze shifted from the enraged princess to the shattered statue and back again.