Chapter 2

It was strange to be back in Persia, especially since she hadn't been to the Elam palace in three years. Aurora had no idea what to expect when she saw her mother, but she was greeted warmly. Her mother hugged her so tightly that she thought she'd pass out. She was then smothered with warm kisses on her brow and cheeks. Aurora was initially taken aback by her mother's affection, and the questions soon followed. She was complimented on her hair, as well as her overall health and beauty. As if her mother's attention wasn't enough, her senses were heightened tenfold when her younger sisters began questioning her.

They gathered in one of the large sitting rooms once everyone in the immediate family could properly greet each other. They were given their own suites, which they utilized. By dinnertime, everyone had bathed and changed into more comfortable clothes. Princess Aurora remained in her room, and while Arielle considered bringing her daughter out for dinner, she discovered Aurora had already dozed off.

Abbaseh and Boran were unconcerned about their family members' exhaustion and kept asking questions. Abbaseh sat on Anastasia's lap and inquired about her Pannonian cousins and extended family. Anastasia answered every question posed to her, despite her exhaustion.

Boran squirmed in Gabrielle's lap while her older sister was well-behaved and sat still. She kept picking at the food she'd been nibbling on for a couple of hours. She also played with Gabrielle's pants while the adults chatted. Boran grabbed Xena's headdress from the rug and placed it on her head to draw even more attention to herself.

Arielle paused her conversation with her grandmother when she saw her daughter wearing the kozak.

"Boran, take that off!" she ordered.

The Shehzada smirked and slid down into Gabrielle's lap. Her mother's eyes narrowed, and her smile faded gradually. That expression only indicated that she would be reprimanded if she continued to be disobedient. Boran removed the headdress that had swallowed her head and placed it on the rug.

"You aren't allowed to wear a kozak until you've earned it," Arielle said to her daughter. "And you won't be wearing anyone else's kozak. Do you understand me?"

Xena raised her eyebrows, stunned by Arielle's firm demeanor. Gabrielle, too, appeared surprised by the sudden widening of her eyes. The immature princess whom they had mentored for several years was no longer with them.

"Gabrielle and I can design a kozak for you," Xena said, and Boran's smile returned.

Arielle frowned, irritated that her authority as a mother and a ruler was being undermined. "Grandma, don't interrupt me. She needs to respect other people's things."

Anastasia's eyes widened as she was taken aback by her daughter's tone. Despite the joyous family reunion, Arielle was clearly under a lot of stress. Arielle wore her empress hat far too often, and the strain of maintaining an empire and ensuring everyone's safety was interfering with her ability to secure balance in her personal life.

Anastasia suggested that the girls get ready for bed to de-escalate the situation. She took Abbaseh's hand in hers and motioned for Boran to accompany them. Before leaving with the chatty Shehzadaler, she made a nonverbal gesture to her mother with a flare of her eyes. Xena caught the gesture, nodded curtly, and turned to face Arielle.

Gabrielle took a long slurp of tea and made eye contact with Xena after the room had quieted down. When her elbow was nudged, she groaned and set the tea glass down. She smiled at the enraged Khagana, and she could almost see a vein pop out of Arielle's forehead from the strain she was under.

"We understand you have a lot on your plate, Arielle. That's why we came here—to see you," said Gabrielle. She then elbowed Xena's arm, prompting her to chime in.

Xena grunted. "That's right."

"It's been a long journey, so we should probably call it a night," she suggested, and Xena nodded in agreement. "But maybe we could go to the market altogether tomorrow? Boran is very excited to show us around."

Arielle neither agreed or disagreed, but she seemed open to the idea. She weakly smiled at her grandmother and Gabrielle, then called for the maids to clear the area. After she gave the instructions to the maids, she stood up, turned around, and nearly bumped into Xena.

As she stared at Arielle, Xena's warm smile deepened the wrinkles around her eyes. With a swipe of her fingers, she pushed a few of Arielle's ringlet curls back.

"I think you're doing a great job," Xena whispered. "I'm very proud of you."

Arielle felt as if a spark had been ignited within her. Gratitude and accomplishment were unheard of recently. She'd been working nonstop to keep the empire afloat while being separated from her family. She hadn't realized how much she needed to hear her grandmother's encouraging words until now. A flood of emotions washed over her, and tears welled up in her eyes, which Xena wiped away.

In the eyes of the rest of the world, she was a powerful young ruler. But, at this precise moment, she reverted to being a woman without a title or responsibilities. Arielle squeezed her grandmother tightly in a warm hug, silently grateful for the praise.

Xena returned the embrace, wrapping a hand around Arielle's head and digging her fingers into a mass of curls. They had been apart for so long, and she had hoped for a moment like this as soon as she stepped foot on Persian soil.

Because the family was now in Persian territory, they had to follow Persian customs. Nousha was more than willing to show everyone around Elam. It was apparently customary for the Shehzade's family to visit the market at least once a month. Nousha led the day trip to the market square quickly and cheerfully. It was one of the few times she could be in charge, and she relished every minute of it.

Anastasia was forced to walk ahead of the entourage with Nousha, much to her dismay. Boran and Abbaseh were sandwiched between them, which Anastasia appreciated. There was at least a small barrier between her and Nousha. Up ahead, Arielle walked along the dirt path with Aurora, trying to strike up a conversation with her quiet daughter whenever she could. Aurora was hesitant to speak openly with her mother, but she tried to answer all of her mother's questions.

Xena and Gabrielle walked in the back of the group, accompanied by a few Persian guards. Whenever they passed a shop, Xena was pulled aside by her wife. She had learned a long time ago not to deny Gabrielle the pleasure of shopping, so she forced herself to behave and comply.

Gabrielle picked up a yard of red silk and rubbed the fabric across her cheek. She nudged her wife's arm. "Xena, what do you think about this?"

"It's nice."

While her wife was surveying the area, Gabrielle clutched the fabric to her chest. She was intent on buying the yards of silk, no matter what. Though, she knew that Xena wouldn't care if it was in their chest of clothes or back on the merchant's stand. She also realized that Xena wasn't paying the least bit of attention to her. Xena was too busy scoping out the area; always suspicious and on alert.

Gabrielle kept ogling the fabric and said out loud, "I'm going to get the red fabric."

Xena mumbled in response while looking over her shoulder at the people passing by.

"And…maybe I'll get this gold fabric too."

"Uh-huh."

Gabrielle grumbled. "Would you relax?"

Xena turned around with bemused eyes. "I am relaxed." She looked at the chosen fabric and raised a brow. "I don't like the red."

"Well, you weren't listening to me anyway," Gabrielle snarked.

"I was listening. I don't like it. Pick something else. Keep the gold, though. You'd look nice in that color." Xena winked and pinched her spouse's arm.

Gabrielle tossed the fabric aside. "If you didn't like it, why didn't you say something?" she asked, drumming her fingers on the merchant's table.

"I did," Xena said with a smirk.

"Grumbling like a bear hardly qualifies as talking, Xena…" she muttered.

Arielle walked ahead of her daughter, and she found it increasingly difficult to hold a decent conversation. Aurora was eerily quiet and only responded to questions with one-word responses or head nods. Arielle realized she was spending far too much time apart from her daughter at this point. She didn't know Aurora, and a lot had changed in a year. She felt she didn't really know who her daughter was or what kind of woman she was becoming.

Sighing heavily, Arielle knew she needed a different approach. Talking about school and family wasn't enough. The topic of archery was also apparently a sore one.

"You know, I didn't leave you in Pannonia because I wanted to," she began. "I left you there because I thought being around your cousins and family would be easier for you. Abbaseh and Boran are still so young, so I couldn't leave them behind."

Aurora kept her blinders on and walked silently listening to her mother. She wasn't sure if she wanted to say anything, especially with all these strangers staring at them. She hadn't been to Persia in a long time, and she remembered how much she enjoyed it when she was younger. But everything was strange now. She was from another country. Pannonia was not Persia. People dressed differently had different customs and traditions and spoke a different language here. Persia was also aware that she was not a member of the Sassan family. Nobody objected to a Hun princess accompanying them as a child, but as Aurora grew older, she became more estranged from the Persians.

The citizens' stares were not as friendly or welcoming as those directed at her sisters. The stares were judgmental and cold. Aurora, unlike her mother, was not used to the stares. As they made their way deeper into the market, the stares became less intense. Aurora's attention was drawn to an apothecary shop, and her mother's words went in one ear and out the other.

"Can I go to that shop?" asked Aurora.

Arielle eyed the apothecary shop and wrinkled her nose. It was obvious her daughter didn't want to talk. "Sure, but don't take too long. I'll send a guard with you."

One of the female guards hurried over, dressed in black leathers with an opaque veil covering her face but her eyes. She stood beside the princess after being given her orders. Aurora raised an eyebrow at her mother, clearly annoyed that a guard would be watching her every move.

Arielle apologetically smiled. "I'm not going to let you wander off by yourself."

Aurora groaned. "Alright. I won't be long." Her eyes drifted up to the tall soldier. "Let's be on our way then…."

Arielle waited around long enough for her daughter to enter the apothecary shop. The guard stood outside of the shop, keeping watch. Now, it was time for Arielle to run off back to her family. She hurried passed her mother, daughters, and Nousha. She headed straight for her grandmother and Gabrielle to seek guidance.

She grabbed hold of Xena's arm firmly. "Grandma, it's impossible to speak to her! She won't say a word to me. Is she angry with me? Did I make a mistake leaving her in Pannonia? I can't live like this for the next four months!"

Xena squeezed her granddaughter's shoulder. "Aurora just got here. I think you need to give her some time to adjust."

Arielle sighed. "I just thought she would be happier to see me. I've been counting the days, hours, and seconds until this moment."

Gabrielle finished paying the fabric merchant while listening to the conversation behind her. She stuffed the fabrics into her satchel and sorted her coins into her coin pouch.

"If you want to talk to Aurora and tell her how you feel, you should probably wait until you're both alone. It isn't the right time to attack her with questions in the middle of a busy marketplace," Gabrielle chimed in.

Xena smiled. "What Gabrielle said."

"How long should I wait to talk to her? I want to know what she's thinking."

"A couple of weeks?" Gabrielle casually said.

"Two weeks!" Arielle barked, then began muttering in her native tongue.

Xena rolled her eyes and cupped Arielle's cheeks. "I know patience isn't your strong suit, but you need it. Try not to think about it too much. Aurora will open up eventually."

Out of the corner of Xena's eye, she saw Anastasia marching over, frazzled and frustrated. She had just calmed one storm and now she was about to calm another. Anastasia, scowl and all, halted in front of her mother and immediately began ranting.

"Mother, I cannot stand to be around Nousha all afternoon. She suggested I go with her and the girls to a sewing class. I can't be with that woman all day!"

Xena scrunched her nose and turned to face Arielle, who was lost in her own thoughts. In the midst of it all, she heard Gabrielle cackle under her breath, sending shivers down her spine. She wanted to be invisible at this point so she wouldn't have to be a go-between for other people's problems.

This shop had to have had hundreds of different herbs, spices, and oils. Aurora could stay in here all day, every day if she hadn't been given a time limit. She was relieved to learn about the use of herbs and the distinction between poisonous and non-poisonous plants. Ursula claimed to be an expert in herbs, spices, and oils and offered to teach the students at the school. Those were some of the few classes Aurora actually enjoyed.

Aurora overheard a few middle-aged Persian noblewomen chatting in a corner while inspecting a vial of lavender oil. She wasn't sure if it was a curse or a blessing that she could speak and understand three dialects of Persian. She tried to ignore the idle chatter and concentrate on dissecting the plethora of oils.

The shopkeeper, a middle-aged woman, approached Aurora and cleared her throat. Aurora gasped and turned around swiftly. "Do you need any help?"

Aurora set the vials back on the shelf. "No, ah, no, thank you."

"If you need any help, I will be behind the counter."

Just as the shopkeeper was trailing away, Aurora changed her mind. "Actually, do you have any ginseng oil?"

"Ginseng oil?" the woman questioned skeptically. "That oil is very expensive, girl."

Aurora smiled, clutching her coin purse. "I can pay for it."

"I will go to the back to fetch the oil. One moment…."

As she waited for the shopkeeper to return, the chatty noblewoman's words became burdensome. Aurora quickly discovered that women in Persia loved to gossip. She whistled a light tune to keep her mind occupied, but she wasn't drawn in until she heard her mother's name from the mouth of a woman. Aurora jerked her head around, her gaze fixed on the group of women.

"Shehzade Xerxes could have any woman and he chose to marry a foreigner."

"A foreigner from the mountains, no less," the second woman added.

"And she has given the Shehzade two daughters and no sons. God surely has cursed the marriage."

"Perhaps, the Shehzade could pursue a harem and he will finally have a son," the third woman said.

Aurora puffed her chest out and marched over to the women as the three women laughed. Their laughter faded, and they exchanged glances, perplexed as to why a young adolescent was staring at them.

"You shouldn't talk about your Khagana like that," Aurora snapped.

One of the three women took a step forward, and Aurora assumed she was the wealthiest of the group. She drew her veil behind her shoulder and glared at the willfully ignorant princess.

"And you shouldn't be eavesdropping on elders' conversation, child."

Aurora took a step forward, challenging the woman. "You show disrespect for the Khagana, which also shows disrespect for your Shehzade and Shah. Prepare to face the consequences if you openly criticize the Khagana."

The noblewoman smiled sourly, not at all intimidated. As she exited the apothecary shop, she brushed up against Aurora. The other two women quickly followed, glaring at the teenager as they walked away. Aurora stalked out of the shop just as the shopkeeper returned from searching for the ginseng oil.

Aurora stood at the top of the stairs, scowling at the retreating, laughing, and conversing women. She took a look at her personal guard's sword. It was unguarded and open for grabs. She drew the guard's blade from its scabbard and dashed over to the women. The sword immediately drew attention to her, and the crowd dispersed. When they saw a mere child wielding a sword, their whispers went haywire.

Gabrielle stood, her gaze darting away from the generational debate in front of her. Xena was accosted not only by her daughter's needs but also by her granddaughter's needs. Initially, they took turns talking and seeking advice, but things quickly escalated. All three were now speaking at the same time. They seemed to understand each other in some way. Gabrielle stood there, amazed, perplexed, and slightly irritated.

Shouts rang out from afar, and conversation filled the air. Gabrielle crinkled her brows and took a step back to observe the commotion. Squinting, she noticed Aurora in the midst of the crowd, holding a sword and pointing it at three women.

She gasped. "Aurora!"

She scuttled down the road, slicing her way through the crowd. She saw Aurora encircling the women. Some citizens became agitated, and Gabrielle noticed a few men reaching for their weapons from their belts. She decided to intervene and help the situation.

"Aurora…put the sword down. We don't need to use weapons to talk…" she calmly approached.

The princess tightened her grip on the blade and refused to budge from her position. She had no idea she was making a spectacle of herself in front of hundreds of people.

Arielle arrived on the scene, struggling to catch her breath. "What is this?" she yelled as blood rushed to her cheeks. "What's going on?"

Everyone in the crowd gasped and fell to their knees. The three women who had been cornered by the princess bowed and dropped their heads. Aurora was the only one left standing, and the crowd took notice.

Arielle folded her arms and looked at the back of her daughter's head. It was one thing to be obstinate at home, but quite another to be so in public. Arielle was no longer Aurora's mother, but her ruler at this point.

"I asked a question."

Gabrielle raised her eyes, remaining still, and bowed her head. She saw Xena and Anastasia emerge from the crowd to witness this humiliating scene. Arielle walked calmly to the center of the area where Aurora stood motionless before either of them could intervene.

Aurora's heart raced as she heard the boots approaching. When a hand grasped her shoulder, her hands trembled and all the muscles in her body tightened.

"Give me the sword," Arielle said softly into her daughter's ear. "Now."

Aurora finally let go of the sword, which was snatched from her grasp. She flinched, and she was finally able to look around. The market was deafeningly quiet. All eyes would have been on her if her mother hadn't arrived.

Xerxes happily entered his home, unaware of the drama that had occurred earlier in the day. He'd just returned from a council meeting in Estakhr and was eager to meet his wife's family. He whistled through the grand halls, meeting Xena and Gabrielle's gaze. They were in one of the opulent living areas, conversing quietly amongst themselves.

Xerxes approached with a big smile and took Xena's hand, kissed it quickly, and touched his forehead to her hand. He gave Gabrielle the same greeting but managed to sneak in a quick hug.

"It's been a while," said Gabrielle. "Nice to see you again, Xerxes."

"And it's so wonderful to see you both! I heard you all went to the market. How was it?"

Xena whacked her gloves on her palm, raising a heavy eyebrow. "Don't ask."

"That bad? Was it my mother? I had a stern talk with her before you—"

"It wasn't your mother," Xena interrupted. "It was Aurora."

Before he could retort, Gabrielle said, "She made quite a…scene at the market. It involved a sword and defying Arielle in front of the entire market square."

Xerxes exhaled heavily and firmly planted his hands on his hips. "Persia isn't Pannonia." He took a long pause. "She's going to have to get used to that while she's here."

"Agreed."

They turned around at the fourth voice entering the conversation. Nousha trailed into the room and briefly welcomed her son with a curt bow.

"Aurora accosted three noblewomen in the square. We were able to track down who they were and apparently, they're councilmen's wives. The court already doesn't recognize Arielle as a ruler. Now this incident will make it ten times worse!"

Xerxes could see Xena's temper rising, and he de-escalated the brewing feud by putting himself in the middle. "Why did Aurora draw a sword on these women? I'm sure she has a good reason."

Nousha shrugged. "She wouldn't talk to anybody. Arielle is talking with her at the moment."

It wasn't her intention to be lectured in Persia. She received enough lecturing in Pannonia from Farah, who became her primary caretaker. Aurora listened to her mother talk for an hour and the longer she sat, the angrier she became. The entire time, she hadn't been able to get a word in due to her mother's wrath. At one point, she began to tune out her mother.

"Do you not understand what you did out there?"

Aurora groaned. "Can I go stay with Teyze Cera? Kazakhstan shouldn't be that far from here."

Hearing that, Arielle's heart sank to her stomach. The crown which she wore had now vanished, and she went from monarch to mother in seconds. Arielle knelt on a knee and took her daughter's hand.

"What? Why would you want to leave? You just got here! I've been waiting over a year to see you." she squeezed Aurora's hand tightly.

"I don't want to be somewhere I'm not welcome."

Arielle's eyes flared. Her daughter was never disobedient as she was one of the most well-behaved children in the clan. However, the stunt in the square was going to cause a whole lot of havoc for Arielle. She knew the moment she realized she wanted to marry Xerxes that there would be obstacles. Yet, she felt she underestimated the stubbornness that plagued Persia and the Sassan family.

She stood, grabbed a chair, and took a seat opposite her daughter. She smiled meekly and rested her elbows on her knees, meeting Aurora inches away.

"I missed you," she whispered. "More than you'll ever know."

Aurora's eyes dropped to her lap and she began fiddling with the beads on her coat.

"I can't be your mother all the time, Aurora," she said softly. "In here, at home, I'm your mother. But out there? I'm your Khagana."

"So…when you were lecturing me just now, were you my mother or my ruler?" Aurora asked, furrowing her brows.

Arielle sighed deeply.

"You didn't even ask."

"What?"

"You never asked what those women did."

Arielle held her breath and asked, "what did they do?"

"They were saying horrible things about you. They disrespected you! They even suggested that Xerxes get a harem to give him a son."

Arielle stifled a laugh, mildly flattered that her daughter had gone to such lengths. She thought it was also amusing that she was still a hot topic in the market square.

"Are you laughing at me?"

"I would never do that," she assured her daughter. "I've heard far worse. The gossip never dies. If I gathered all the people who spoke negatively about me, you wouldn't be able to fill this palace!" She pinched her daughter's chin, which elicited a smile from Aurora.

"I'm honored you did that for me," she continued. "However, keep the swords to a minimum next time. Swordplay can only take you so far in Persia. Politics is the most important game here." she then studied Aurora's complacent eyes. "It's not your job to keep the public in line. Let me do that, okay?"

Aurora half-smiled, but relented to her mother, nodding her head.

"Well, this wasn't what I had in mind for our first outing together," Arielle admitted. "Still want to go stay with your Teyze Cera? Because I'd love to have you here…."

The teen giggled. "Mother," she whined. "I'm staying."

It took a great force to keep Arielle from squealing. She grabbed her daughter's hand and hoisted her up. "We have so much to talk about! I could take a few days off to be with you. How does that sound? We can practice archery and go riding. I just got a new horse that could be yours if you can help me break her in."

Aurora's stomach bubbled at the thought of practicing archery. She knew she wasn't the best of archers and if she was up against her mother, she never had a chance.

"Um, don't—don't you have important stuff to do? Like meetings and things?"

"I can have someone stand-in for me. A few days off wouldn't hurt anyone," Arielle concluded, waving her hand casually.