Chapter 11: The Invitation: Part I

Estakhr, Persia

Xerxes had always thought that his relationship with his younger brother was superior to that with his other deceased brothers. He has felt distant from Khosrow as of late. He knew that a single trip to the palace wouldn't solve anything, but he was curious as to why Khosrow was taking such strange diplomatic tacks.

"You shouldn't have made a deal with Justinian's nephew," he said aloud.

Khosrow put the cup down from his mouth and returned it to the silver tray. Even the nicest afternoon tea could not save this one. The two of them were having a nice chat at first, but he could tell that things were about to go sour. He was ready for this move on Xerxes' part and anticipated any counterarguments.

"Are you speaking to me as a Shehzade or a brother?" he snapped. "If you're speaking to me as a Shehzade, I would say that I made that decision for the good of Persia. Getting the Byzantines off my back is one less thing I have to worry about." He paused, sipping the tea. "Now, if I were addressing you as my brother, I'd say that you need to tell your wife to stay in her lane and let me worry about my empire's future."

Xerxes' lips thinned to a fine line. "This is not about Arielle."

"Isn't it, though, brother? I should've punished her for the way she spoke to me. I'm only lenient on her because she's my sister-in-law."

"Khosrow, she is a monarch just like you," Xerxes pressed. "I'm not here to discuss my wife with you. I know about the rebels and that you're a number one target right now. As am I and my children. You should have told me about this."

Khosrow stroked his chin, glaring at his older brother. "I have my reasons for signing the peace treaty with the Byzantines. As for the rebels, I have it handled. The less people that know about this, the better."

"Including me."

The young Shah sighed and apologetically smiled at Xerxes. "Our father left me a mess to clean up," he spoke earnestly. "I'm trying to fix what he left behind. There's too much corruption in the court, the military, and the Houses."

With an open mind, Xerxes inquired about strategies to improve the empire's infrastructure. Khosrow continued by detailing his plan to eliminate lowly taxes from the lives of the general populace. Next, he'd increase taxes on the six Houses, since he said they were a major contributor to the unfair tax system. He went on to say that the court is undermining his authority and that no one recognizes him as the empire's legitimate ruler.

"So, you see, I have a lot on my plate," he said. "I don't like Justinian or his nephew, but I need them to stay far away from Persia for a while."

Xerxes nodded, agreeing. Then he asked, "What about the Huns? Arielle is drowning in debt because she's fighting Justinian."

"Her people are protected by me. I won't let anything happen to them. I meant that," Khosrow said with a gentle nod. "I like Arielle. I think she's a passionate empress and she has great ideas. When I sort out the corruption in the court, she will be welcome."

Xerxes smiled at that.

"But until then, she needs to keep her nose out of Persia's business."

"You must have never met my wife."

The two shared a quick laugh at the jest and continued eating dried fruits and drinking spiced tea together.


Elam, Persia

With their next steps laid out, Xena and Gabrielle prepared to depart Elam for western Persia. Gabrielle managed the trip's supply list. Xena, meanwhile, was in charge of the overall mission and was responsible for deciding where the soldiers of the spy division would go.

When Xena gave the soldiers their orders, they immediately began packing up and preparing to leave. While the rest of the troops were to scour the interior of western Persia, she and Gabrielle were tasked with scouting the area's perimeter. As she spoke, a group of soldiers had amassed just outside the gate. With a raised eyebrow of suspicion, Xena continued talking while still keeping an eye on the soldiers.

As one of the guards rushed up to her, she bowed her head and whispered, "Khagan Bayan's soldiers are here."

"Shit," muttered Xena.

Gabrielle soon joined her after she ordered the soldiers of the spy division to leave. She and the Persian gate guards were constantly glared at by Bayan's swarm of men. She folded her arms thoughtfully as she considered her options regarding Bayan's troops.

Gabrielle puckered her lips. "Ah, what's happening?"

"Remember that letter you wrote to Bayan asking for more soldiers?"

"Oh..."

"Yeah," Xena said, sighing deeply. "What are we going to do with them? We sent that letter before we knew everything that Adarmahan was investigating."

"There's no harm in having more soldiers around here," said Gabrielle.

"We never told Arielle about this."

Gabrielle shrugged. "Doesn't seem like our problem anymore," she said, smiling forcibly. "We need to leave soon. Find something to do with those...soldiers, and we can be on our way."

Xena mocked her wife, teasingly. "Who's the bossy one now?"

Bayan's soldiers were garnering near the gate, so she left to check on them. She ordered everyone to gather in the courtyard and gave them assignments to ensure the palace grounds were secure while she was away. The troops scattered in all directions and readily followed the Persians' orders. Though she disliked Bayan, Xena recognized the flexibility and adaptability of his troops.

The final count of the weapons on the wagon was interrupted by a noise at the gate. Ku-Ilm approached the entrance and pleaded with the guards to let her in. With a furrowed brow, Xena motioned for the guards to open the doors. Ku ran towards her, gasping for air but happy to see her.

"Khanum, I am so glad to see you," Ku exclaimed, bowing her head.

"What're you doing here, Ku? I thought you were with your family."

"I was. I...I was asked to come—I need to talk to Arielle. Do you know where she is? I really, really need to speak with her."

Xena pointed to the palace. "She's inside." Grabbing Ku's arm, she said, "maybe you should rest a bit. You look exhausted."

"Thanks, Khanum, but I'm alright. I'll go find Arielle. Thank you!"

While Xena stood there in displeasure, Ku ran off in the direction of the palace. With a shake of her head, Xena turned around and collided with her wife, who was looking at her with a curious grin.

Gabrielle looked over her shoulder. "Was that Ku?"

"Uh-huh." She crossed her arms, staring at the palace. "Don't you think it's strange that Ku is here before her six months leave is up?"

"Maybe, but we have other things to worry about; two empires are on the verge of war here, Xena."

"Okay, okay. You don't need to be all dramatic about it." She raised her hands in defeat. "Are all the supplies in order?"

Gabrielle tapped her notepad. "Yup. Just waiting on you."

Xena mounted her horse and raised her eyebrows. "Well, I'm ready to go. What're you standing around for?" she cracked a smile.


Ku strolled through the corridors as if she had never left. She saw some familiar faces among the many people who recognized her. Some people, who did not know her, looked at her in a peculiar way. Without waiting for anyone, she made her way to Arielle's chambers.

She walked right in, no knock at the door. Since Arielle was busy at her desk at first, she went unnoticed. When Arielle didn't look up from the ominous pile of papers, Ku quietly closed the door and waited by the entrance.

Ku took a step forward. "I guess those documents are more important than me."

Arielle's head shot up as she stopped shuffling papers. In the brief time it took her to figure out who was talking to her, she soaked it all in. At last, her face lit up with a broad grin. Arielle bolted from her chair and raced across the room. She then pressed her lips to Ku's in a passionate embrace.

The warmth from Ku's glowing cheeks lingered on her palms after she pulled away. Ku's wide eyes were also fixed on her.

Arielle chuckled softly. "I've missed you so much, you have no idea!" she said, squishing Ku's cheeks together with her palms. "Nousha's chambermaids are going to be upset when they see you! Why are you here? Wait, no—how was Assyria? How's your family? Did you have a good time with them? Why are you back so early?"

Ku could barely register any of the questions thrown at her. She stuttered to say, "Uh...no, I...I came here to..." her gaze drifted to Arielle's bandaged arm. "What happened to you?" she gasped.

"Nothing. You didn't answer my question."

Once the initial surprise of the greeting had worn off, Ku requested to speak with Arielle about her findings in Assyria. Tea and some savory snacks were brought in, and they sat on the floor.

"I saw Shehzada Esther in the merchant square in Aleppo. I was surprised to see her and asked what she was doing there. She told me Aleppo is not safe and said I should leave."

While Arielle stared thoughtfully at Ku and sipped her tea, she figured out what was going on. Her mind wandered to the times when her grandmother had insisted that they keep tabs on Bawi and Esther. As she reflected on her treatment of her grandmother and Gabrielle, she realized she had been too harsh.

"And she thought you sent me to follow her."

"Mmm." Arielle set down her tea cup. "Was there anyone with her?"

Ku nodded. "Yes, two men."

"I'll look into it."

This was an unexpected reply from Arielle. She was familiar enough with her to anticipate a more hostile response to the news. Arielle greeted her with her trademark dazzling grin, which both baffled and comforted her.

"I'm so happy you're here."

"I'm happy to be back," Ku said warmly. "How are the girls? I'd like to see them."

"There'll be plenty of time for that later! You're probably super tired."

Ku sighed, her shoulders heavy. "My trip was pretty...long. I'll go to my room."

"You can stay with me." Arielle got off the floor and grabbed Ku's hand. "I'll have fresh clothes sent to my room and have a bath ready."

Ku looked around the spacious room and frowned. "But Arielle, this is your room. Wouldn't Xerxes mind if—"

"Xerxes isn't here and this is my room, not his. I can do what I want, and right now I want to take care of you."


Arascia District, Persia

When they reached western Persia, the odds were stacked against them. The two days of exploration across the region were full of trial and error. The map Gabrielle drew wasn't as useful as they'd hoped because they didn't know the area well enough. After four days on the road, they reached what appeared to be an Arascian district.

Wealth and social standing were clearly demarcated in this area. The wealthy and the poor were easily distinguishable. This community was severely disadvantaged. It didn't resemble thriving cities like Elam or Estakhr in any way. Gabrielle decided that, in order to maintain anonymity, they should dress as nomads rather than as members of the Khagana's court. It didn't help them blend in with the crowd since they still looked like a bit of an oddity, even with the new outfits.

Xena tugged on her horse and kept walking through the busy street. "What are we looking for exactly?" she whispered.

"I don't know yet," said Gabrielle. "Everyone here is so poor." She set her eyes on two children, alone on the street together. "One of the Houses of Persia controls this district."

"We should find out which House it is then," Xena concluded.

They stumbled into a guesthouse meant for wayfarers. It made the most sense to be in a large group of tourists. In the inn, they found a quiet nook and ordered drinks. Xena surveyed the room, taking note of how everyone was acting. The inn's occupants were exclusively men, and they ran the gamut in age from young to old. She sat down on the couch with her ale in hand, observing and watching.

A young man passed by the table and Xena snatched his arm. "Excuse me, what district is this?"

He gave her the cold shoulder and ignored her. Xena got to her feet and yanked him sharply back. With a deep rumble of displeasure, he nearly knocked over the table and wasted his drink. He straightened himself up and stared at Xena and Gabrielle.

"Spandiyadh district," he answered gruffly.

Xena forced a smile and thanked him with a head nod.

As the young traveler walked away, he muttered under his breath, "Kocakari."

Xena, infuriated by his remark, went to draw her sword, but Gabrielle intervened. She fought for a while, her breath coming in short bursts as she glared at the man who had insulted her.

"Not here!" Gabrielle hissed.

"He called me a crone!"

"I heard," she whispered. "We can't draw attention to ourselves."

Xena's grip loosened on the sword and she slowly let go. For a moment, she failed to make the connection that this young man spoke the language of the Hunnic people. He wasn't Persian, so he insulted her directly in front of her, assuming that nobody would understand him. Xena cast a coy glance over her shoulder in his direction, where he was seated at a table at the far end of the room.

"He's one of us," she said.

Gabrielle stopped writing in her journal and looked up. "There are travelers from all over in here."

"But they're from different parts of Persia. He's not Persian."

The fox and rabbit fur lining the traveler's coat caught her eye. Furthermore, he was armed with a wide range of weapons. She discovered the knife on his left boot, the dagger on his belt, and the concealed sword on his back. A normal traveler he was not.

Xena jumped off the sofa, ale in hand, and began making the rounds of the tavern. Upon looking around, Gabrielle noticed that her wife was gone.

"What are you doing?" she spat in a low voice. "Xena!"

At the table opposite the stranger, Xena slammed her ale cup down. He recoiled in surprise and scowled at her. His gaze darted around the room to see if anyone had noticed that he was no longer alone.

"Hoşgeldiniz," she greeted.

His complexion paled by three tones, and he cleared his throat. "Hoş bulduk," he grumbled.

"You should watch what you say. You never know who is listening," she said, sipping the ale.

"My apologies."

"Are you from Pannonia?"

"No, I'm from Balaam."

She arched a brow. "You're Gokturk?"

He leaned in close. "Why are you asking me all these questions? I don't even know you."

"You don't look like a traveler who sells goods," she crookedly smiled. "You have six weapons on you right now. That's a lot of protection. You're either in the business of selling weapons or you're a mercenary. It'd be a shame if you're the latter because you'd be dead right now." She winked and finished drinking the ale.

He glanced down at his belt filled with weapons. "What do you want? Are you here to rob me? I don't have much."

She snorted. "My kozak is worth more than all you've got. I don't want your stuff."

"Then, what do you want?"

With a raise of her eyebrow, she settled in the chair, getting comfortable. "You look like you know this area pretty well. You travel back and forth frequently, am I right?"

"Yes."

"How would you like to help us," she looked back at Gabrielle, "find the palace of Spandiyadh?"

He chuckled, twirling his cup of ale around. "I'm not interested in helping Persians. Find someone else."

"We're not Persian. And you aren't either," she said flatly. Sitting up, she leaned her body against the table, inches away from the traveler's face. "You're either a Hun or a Gokturk, but judging your accent, you're probably a Hun—a Hun who is running away from a problem in Balaam. Who wouldn't? That place is run by Gokturks."

He shot her with his piercing gaze. "You've figured me out. I still won't help you."

"Not even if the Khagana orders you to?" she whispered.

His eyes widened. "The Khagana?"

Xena smiled. "I'll make sure the Khagana knows you helped us. You will be compensated. So, will you help?"

For a while, he thought about the offer, which wasn't really an offer at all. Following some consideration, he extended a hand to offer assistance. Xena smiled, shook his hand warmly, and returned to her seat.

Gabrielle scowled as she seemed unimpressed by her wife's recent boldness. She stared at the young man and tapped her pen on the table. Given that she and Xena were strangers to the area, she had no choice but to accept assistance in making their way through it.

"This is..." Xena looked at the young man.

"Marbzan," he said.

"Marbzan is going to help guide us around the area."

Gabrielle huffed. "Nice to meet you, Marbzan. Thank you for offering your assistance. I'm sure you weren't coerced in any way..." she glared at her spouse.


After two days of travel, Gabrielle began to wonder how Adarmahan managed to discover so much on his own. Unfortunately, only ten of his men were available to help with the scouting, and the area was much larger than they could handle. Each of the Houses in Persia had control over one of the country's many administrative districts. This much she was aware of. Despite having a Shah, a royal court, and a sizable military, she couldn't fathom how these noble families exercised such dominance.

In an effort to both document her thoughts and gain insight into Marbzan's mind, Gabrielle decided to sit down and journal. On the other hand, Xena continued her independent scouting while promising not to wander too far.

Marbzan sat at a table in the courtyard, slurping the piping hot coffee and keeping a wary eye out for any potential threats. But he had no idea what or who he was searching for. He had never been asked to do anything like this before.

"Can you tell me what you know about the Spandiyadh family?" asked Gabrielle.

"What do you want to know?"

She shrugged. "Names of the family members, who's in charge, who runs the district. Anything like that."

"Hmm. I don't know if the stuff I know will be of much help to you, Gabrielle."

She smiled gently. "Any information is helpful."

Marbzan bit his tongue from the scorching coffee. He began, "Well, I do know two of the family members. One is Kaantang. He's the oldest brother out of seven."

As she wrote down the name, she asked, "And what about the other siblings?"

"They're dead."

"Ah..." not surprising at all, she thought. "He must have a lot of influence in running this area."

He nodded. "His wife is known for her acts of charity. Her name is Katayoun. I've seen her walk the streets a few times during my travels."

"Could you describe her for me?"

Gabrielle found Katayoun to be just like every other noblewoman she had met in this region. She was described as being of middle-age, somewhat tall, relatively thin, having pale skin, long dark hair, and brown eyes. According to Marbzan, Katayoun was well-known in the area for her charitable contributions to the local temples and housing for abandoned children. The fact that she had previously collaborated extensively with the royal family of Persia was also mentioned. That piqued Gabrielle's interest.

"Were these royals from the Sassan family?" she probed.

"I think so."

"Do you happen to know which family member Katayoun worked with?"

Marbzan expressed his dismay by shaking his head. As Gabrielle kept working in her journal, he said nothing. He took a look at the coffee cup's sludge-filled bottom, grimaced, and put it down. Xena had been gone for a long time, he realized.

"Say, do you two work with the Khagana a lot?" he asked curiously.

In a delayed response, she said, "Hmm. Oh, yes."

Marbzan scratched his chin. "How do you two know the Khagana?"

Gabrielle dipped her pen into the inkwell. "She's Xena's granddaughter," she replied nonchalantly.

Suddenly, he felt his stomach sink. He instantly felt bad about the way he had spoken to Xena at the inn.

Xena finally returned from scouting and pulled out a small piece of paper from her coat pocket. "I got some directions that lead directly to the Spandiyadh palace."

Marbzan went from standing before Xena to kneeling at the sound of her shoes. He buried his face in his hands and held on to her coat.

"Please forgive me for the way I spoke to you," he pleaded.

She cocked an eyebrow in confusion at the young man who was groveling at her feet. Her focus shifted to Gabrielle as she looked for clarification. Her wife smiled sheepishly, understanding the gravity of the situation.

"I told him you're the Khagana's grandmother," she whispered.

Xena sighed, grabbed Marbzan's shoulder, and hoisted him up. "You don't need to do that."

"Forgive me, please."

"If I forgive you, will you drop this?"

He furiously nodded his head.

"You're forgiven," she said, fanning her hand. "Now, I have the directions so we should get going. We'll need to change our clothes." She glanced at Marbzan's tattered clothes. "We'll get you something to wear too."

"What? You want me to go with you two to the Spandiyadh palace?"

Gabrielle packed her journal away and walked to the saddlebag. "You did say you were going to help us."


Elam, Persia

Adarmahan questioned the entire palace staff and found no cause for alarm. During his questioning, everyone, especially the chambermaids, was mostly terrified. Treasurer Zal Pasha was the last person he needed to see.

"Is it true that you approve all of the documents from the Khagana to be sent to the Shah?" he asked.

Zal Pasha scoffed. "That is my job, general."

"Just a yes or no, Pasha."

"Yes, that's correct."

"Is there a record kept of all the outgoing documents?"

"Yes."

"And where are those records kept?"

Zal grumbled, irritated by all the questions. "They're kept in a locked box in my office. What is the meaning of all this? I haven't done anything wrong."

Adarmahan smirked. "I'm just doing my job, Pasha." He took a pause, examining his suspect. "I understand that you're in charge of divvying the funds between Persia and the Hun-Avar Empire. Have you noticed any discrepancies in the distributed funds?"

"Discrepancies? General, I assure you, if there were incorrect numbers on any document, I would be the first to notice it!"

When he received nothing but silence, he rose from the chair.

"Are we finished here? I have a lot of work to do."

Adarmahan dismissed the Pasha with a wave of his hand, ending the interrogation. As he left, Zal Pasha mumbled angrily.

"Were his responses sufficient enough for you, Shehzade?"

Xerxes emerged from the shadows. "He seemed very defensive, which makes him look suspicious."

"I agree, Your Highness."

"He's the only person who has access to the funds here. If he forged Arielle's seal, he won't admit to it. We need proof. Where is that expense journal?"

"It was sent to Pannonia to be kept safe, Shehzade."

"Good. I want all of Zal Pasha's belongings searched. Do it discreetly and report back to me."


At the sound of laughter, Xerxes hastened to his wife's quarters. Just barely, he opened the door and peered inside. Ku and Arielle joined the girls on the floor, where they all sat together to draw and chat. The sight of the happy gathering made him happy, and he beamed from head to toe.

He didn't want to be a distraction, and he knew that if he walked in, the mood would be ruined. Thankfully, his hand waving was enough to get Arielle's attention.

As quickly as she could, Arielle made her way to the door and entered the corridor. She gave Xerxes a quick kiss and interlaced her fingers with his as they greeted each other.

"Nobody told me you returned from your trip." She lightly pinched his arm.

"I was working and I wanted to surprise you."

Pressing their bodies together, she put her arms around his neck. "You can still surprise me. I'll go to your room and wait for you."

Xerxes attempted to hold himself in check by closing his eyes. He inhaled deeply and began to slowly open his eyes after he did so. She was smiling in that devilish way of hers while she glared straight at him.

"I...I still have some work to do."

Arielle weaved her fingers through his hair. "Tonight. After dinner. You and me, no interruptions."

Boots stomped noisily on the marble hallway floor. A soldier came barreling toward them and abruptly stopped. As if she needed to catch her breath, she bowed her head.

"Khagana, there were two dead soldiers found outside the gates."

Arielle brushed past the soldier without asking any questions and dashed out the door. Xerxes was close on her heels. Two female soldiers were dead in the center of the courtyard when they came to a halt. Their armor had been damaged, their weapons were lying abandoned, and their limbs were riddled with bruises, gashes, and deep wounds.

Arielle furrowed her eyebrows. "Who delivered their bodies outside the gates?" she asked the head gatekeeper.

"We don't know, Khagana."

Xerxes stepped forward. "Find out who the soldiers' families are and notify them. Make sure they receive proper burials."

"Yes, Shehzade."

Arielle crossed her arms. "They must be the soldiers my grandma sent to Babylon."

"Why would she do that?"

"She has her reasons, and now I'm starting to see why."

Arielle saw soldiers huddled together by the stables as the bodies were being removed. The shields' crests bore a design typical of the Pontic Steppe. The sight of Bayan's soldiers made her stomach churn with rage.

"What are the Khagan's soldiers doing here?" she yelled at a gatekeeper.

The guard kept his gaze low. "The Governor requested them to be sent here for reinforcements."

She groaned. "He won't respond to my letters yet he responds when someone needs manpower," she grumbled.


Xerxes quickened his stride in the palace halls. He grabbed his wife's arm and pulled her back. "I never authorized for Bayan's troops to be here."

Her eyes flared. "Neither did I."

"From now on, any military matters need to come through me. I'm sure Gabrielle and Xena have their reasons for this, but I'm in charge of the military here."

"They shouldn't have asked Bayan for his aid in the first place! He makes me want to rip my fingernails out! Do you know how many times I've written him this year?"

"Arielle..."

"Four times! I've written him four times! He doesn't seem to care that we are co-rulers or that we have a daughter together."

Xerxes reached out and put his hands on his wife's shoulders to show he understood her anguish. She followed his lead and took a deep breath. Slowly, Arielle matched his breathing pattern until the rage in her body subsided.

"You let yourself get so worked up."

"I know, but he just irritates me."

"Do yourself a favor and lower your expectations." He kissed her forehead. "I still have some more work to do, but we're still meeting tonight."

Arielle nodded. "I'll put it on my task list."

He rolled his eyes. "That is not sexy."

"Sexy? Is that what you want?"

She slapped his behind and Xerxes let out an audible gasp, and his face flushed.


Arascia District, Persia

Marbzan wasn't sure what he got himself into when he offered his help. He was dressed in nobleman's clothing and felt like such a fraud. Xena and Gabrielle changed out of their traveling clothes and they looked like completely different people. If he had seen them in that attire, there wasn't a chance he'd been rude to Xena.

Crossing over into the Spandiyadh territory wasn't difficult. It was the guards manning the gates on palace grounds that were going to be a challenge.

As they neared the entrance, Xena displayed the wooden placard bearing her name. She went right on through the barriers without a hitch. Gabriella flashed her pass, and she was allowed entry. Marbzan looked terrified as he observed the guards. There was no placard of the sort in his possession.

"He's with us," Gabrielle spoke up. "He is one of the Khagana's court members."

The guard frowned. "He needs a permit to get inside."

Gabrielle didn't realize this place was going to be so secure. It wasn't as if this place was the Shah's palace. "I don't think you'd like to anger the Khagana, sir. She gave specific instructions. If there's a problem, I'm sure Shehzade Xerxes would love to talk to you."

The trick was to let the guards have power but know their place. Reluctantly, he gave passage to Marbzan and they were on their way into the palace.

Xena couldn't wipe the smile off her lips. "That was hilarious."

"I've dealt with worse," Gabrielle chuckled.

A maid came up to them as they were waiting in the foyer. After a brief introduction, the young woman hurriedly went upstairs to inform her superiors. Gabrielle noticed that Marbzan was getting increasingly tense as they waited.

"Hey, how are you holding up?" she asked.

"You lied to those guards. I'm not part of the Khagana's court!" he scowled.

"Would you be interested?" Xena asked over her shoulder. "You would have a comfortable place to live in Pannonia, plenty of food, new weapons, nice pay." She shrugged a shoulder. "Something to think about."

Gabrielle took a step closer to her wife. "Are you seriously offering him a job?"

"Why not? He's young, strong, and capable of adapting to all situations."

"We don't know him that well."

"Yet he didn't bat an eye when I asked him to help our Khagana," she hinted, smiling. "He's loyal."

Eight maids filed down the stairs in a neat row. On the stairs, they formed an orderly line and lowered their gaze. Gabrielle believed she saw Katayoun, a woman in a black gown, at the top of the stairs.

Gabrielle elbowed her spouse's ribs. "We're going to talk about this later," she grumbled.

Katayoun was a dead ringer for Marbzan's description. She was of average height, with a fair complexion, large brown eyes, a middle-aged appearance, and long hair that dipped to her hips. She floated down the stairs in a graceful arc. Her lips curled into a welcoming grin as she prepared to meet her unannounced visitors.

"I don't ever receive visitors from the Khagana's court. Welcome. I am—"

"Katayoun Spandiyadh," Gabrielle interrupted.

"Oh..."

"We've heard many great things about you in the area. My name is Gabrielle, governor of the empire, and this is Xena, our Khanum, and Marbzan." She turned around, seeing the fear in his eyes. "He's our scout."

Katayoun nodded, examining everyone's expressions, clothes, and unique headdresses. "Very nice of you all to stop by. We don't get many visitors in the Spandiyadh district. May I ask why you've come?"

"We have some concerns about the Sassan family's safety and we were wondering if you could help us."

"Oh, the Sassan family has always had close ties with us. Please follow me, and I will be happy to answer all of your questions," said Katayoun.

Xena took a hold of Marbzan's arm and they all started following Katayoun down the hall into a separate room. She waited until everyone entered the room before taking him aside.

"How good are you at searching places without being noticed?" she whispered.

He faltered in his words. "Uh, um, fairly good, I think."

"I need some certainty here, Marbzan. Are you good at it or not?"

"I used to search the Gokturk palace grounds and steal weapons from soldiers," he admitted.

Xena raised an eyebrow. "Alright...I'm going to be in this meeting for a long time. I want you to search every room in this palace and look for anything that is connected to the Shah."

"You can trust me, ma'am."

She slapped a hand on his shoulder. "Good. And don't call me ma'am."


The meeting itself, as well as everything that happened before and after, felt strange. Xena was able to observe Katayoun's demeanor and responses because Gabrielle did the bulk of the talking. Katayoun came across as a very sweet lady who knew the solution to any problem. Nothing about this went unnoticed. Gabrielle understood quickly but persisted with her questions.

What they found out so far was that the Spandiyadhs had not been invited to any major events in Elam or Estakhr for at least ten years. Katayoun claimed that this family had always been close to the Sassanians, but this information raised major red flags.

"It's getting rather late. Perhaps we could stop for the evening?" Katayoun suggested.

"Just one last question, Katayoun," prompted Gabrielle. "If there was a war against the House of Sassan, would your family be willing to provide aid?"

Katayoun sat still for a moment and looked at Xena's stoic expression. "It is our duty to provide aid to our Shah when needed," she answered.


Too late to travel elsewhere, the house was made available as a haven. After being shown to their quarters, Xena and Gabrielle found out they had been assigned separate bedrooms. They looked at each other and smiled, nearly laughing, before thanking the helpful staff. After being left alone, the pair decided to spend the night in the same room.

Xena began unlacing her boots as she spoke aloud. "How do you think that went?"

Gabrielle nudged the logs in the fireplace with a poker. "I don't know. Katayoun is strange."

She removed the boot with a groan and said, "I was thinking the exact same thing. She's just too upbeat. Always smiling," she said, imitating Katayoun's eerie grin.

"She must be hiding something."

"Maybe. But where are the rest of the family members? Her husband? This place is deserted."

Gabrielle set the poker next to the hearth and stared at the roaring flames. "Maybe Adarmahan didn't investigate this place enough because he couldn't get any answers from anyone. It looks suspicious for us to show up randomly." She turned around, an idea sparkling in her eyes. "We should invite the Spandiyadhs to Elam for the harvest festival."

"You're familiar with all the Persian festivals now, huh?"

"I try to memorize them," she coyly admitted. "And...I heard Nousha talking about it before we left."

Suddenly, three knocks on the door cut off their conversation. After opening it, Gabrielle was taken aback to see Marbzan standing there. Disoriented, he peered over her shoulder and saw Xena standing nearby. He decided not to mention that he had previously knocked on the door of the adjacent room.

Xena waved her hand. "Come in. Did you find anything?"

He stepped inside and closed the door. "Ah, yes, actually. There's a library filled with dozens of journals. I swiped this one." He pulled the journal out of his coat. "It looked important."

She snatched the journal and started browsing its pages. Despite her limited Persian knowledge, she was able to recognize the names of the previous Shahs. In addition to Xerxes, Khosrow was also mentioned. The remaining bits would require a trusted language expert to decipher.

A smile ghosted across Xena's lips. "You understand Persian?"

"A little bit. I picked up some of it when I lived in Balaam before...before the Gokturks took over."

She could hear the pain in his voice. "It's terrible what they've done to that wonderful place." She handed the journal to Gabrielle. "Thank you for finding that. You can go rest. We'll be leaving here in the morning."

After a polite bow, Marbzan walked out. The door closed behind him, and Xena's smile faded along with her bright eyes.

"Gabrielle."

Her wife looked up from inspecting the journal.

"Invite the Spandiyadhs to that festival. We're going to search this palace while they're gone."