Chapter 5 –Spying on The Enemy: Part II

The day's first order of business was to inquire with Arielle regarding the possibility of sending troops to Balaam. That was it for Xena's to-do list today. In the absence of Arielle's consent, she would have to wait for Adarmahan's return from Estakhr. She was skeptical that he would give his approval to such a dangerous assignment after their last encounter.

Xena made her way swiftly downstairs to the Khagana's living quarters. Aurora emerged from the chamber as she ran down the stairs, and she was pleasantly delighted to see her. She stopped on the final stair, grinning at Arielle as she chatted with Aurora. They spoke with bright expressions on their faces. Aurora soon departed, carrying a plethora of parchment in her arms, and Arielle was available for conversation.

She looked directly into Arielle's eyes, and for the first time since her arrival, Arielle smiled. There was no pretense in the sincerity of her grin. With her fingers interlaced behind her back, Xena strolled over. She had the good fortune to witness this encounter between Aurora and Arielle, and it left her feeling lucky.

"You're in a good mood," she said, pinching Arielle's arm playfully.

Arielle rubbed her arm. "I am, thanks to your advice."

"Since when do you take my advice?"

"Aurora's been helping me organize some documents. She confessed that she hates archery," she admitted sheepishly.

Xena wore a smug smile. "I see you two have finally seen eye-to-eye on things. Good for you for listening to your daughter."

In response to the compliment, Arielle waved her hand dismissively. She continued down the hall but was followed. Her gaze swam to her grandmother, who was standing very close to her on her left. Despite her uncertainty, she had a sneaking suspicion that she was needed for something and that there was some ulterior goal at play.

"Is there a reason why you're following me?"

"Actually—"

Xena's speech was interrupted before it could begin. Arielle stood in her way, staring at her intently, and she couldn't take another step forward. Those icy blue eyes were reminiscent of Anastasia's, and she felt threatened in a way. Arielle was starting to look more and more like Anastasia to her. While Arielle and her mother had few things in common, her features began to resemble her mother's as she got older.

"Uh, you know how you assigned me and Gabrielle to work with the spy division..."

"Mhm."

"I thought it would be a good idea to send a few spies to Balaam to see what Yeter's sons are up to. But your spy division leader is in Estakhr, so I wanted to ask you first before I send the soldiers."

Arielle's stern face warped into an expression of gratitude. "Look at you, abiding by Persian rules. I'm surprised, grandma. Proud of you," she teased, fist-bumping Xena's shoulder.

"Very funny. So...?"

"Sure, do whatever you want, but I want the women soldiers to do the mission. I can't trust Khosrow's soldiers to carry out my orders."

Xena didn't try to resist how simple it was, but she had to admit it was too good to be true. When she saw that Arielle was feeling upbeat, she took full advantage of the situation. Gabrielle would be so happy about this, she thought to herself. They had plenty of time on their hands despite the lengthy duration of their operation. She needed only to have those budget plans reviewed at this point. Gabrielle had spent the previous week in the archive chambers, poring over stacks of paperwork.

She was about to turn around and head in the opposite direction when Arielle asked her the strangest, yet exhilarating, question imaginable.

"I'm going to question Yeter, would you like to come with me?"

Xena's eyebrows raised to her hairline. "You want me to go with you?"

"Unless you don't want to."

"I'm just making sure."

Arielle chuckled in a mocking tone. "You get to witness what has become of the imprisoned Gokturk Queen." She whistled as she strolled through the grand hallway.

Following their fight, Xerxes stopped talking to his wife. After their argument earlier in the week, neither he nor Arielle apologized to each other. Both Xerxes and Arielle stayed in their respective chambers. He had hoped to see her at least once this week in his bedroom, and when she hadn't shown, he knew she was beyond upset.

By this point, he knew Arielle well enough to appreciate her tenacious nature. It was a serious weakness, yet it could also be a source of power in certain situations. Now was not the moment to be unyielding. He hated to be at odds with Arielle, especially because he knew she would never be the first to apologize. Nonetheless, he didn't feel like apologizing either.

He wished he could confide in someone other than his mother at moments like these. His brother was the next best person to talk to, but he didn't feel comfortable talking to Khosrow about his marital issues. Khosrow was a caring brother who was enjoyable to be around, but when he donned the Shah crown, he became practically impossible to reason with at times.

Since Xerxes understood that talking to Anastasia would only make things worse, he was forced to approach his mother instead. In one of the sitting rooms, he discovered his mother giving instructions to the housemaids about how to arrange the furniture. When the maids noticed him, he smiled and motioned for them to finish cleaning up.

Nousha spun around, surprised to her son in the room. She didn't think she'd see much of him during the decorating process. She left the area, leaving the maids to tend to their duties, and greeted Xerxes.

"The place looks great, mother. You've done a good job here," he said, admiring the dozens of flowers strung around the marble columns.

Nousha eyed her son suspiciously. "It's a work in progress. I only have five days to decorate this palace, but everything should be finished soon."

"Hmm."

She could tell he was not listening to a word she said. "Your body is here, but your mind is in the clouds," she observed.

"I had an argument with Arielle, and we haven't spoken about it in seven days," he admitted.

His mother walked off and went to tend to a bouquet of flowers. Not getting an answer, Xerxes decided to go after her. He was aware that his mother preferred not to meddle in his marriage matters, but he was desperate. He was also aware that his mother did not have the most unbiased opinion of his wife. But as time passed and Arielle gave birth to two Sassan children, Nousha softened and became more accommodating.

He continued, "I don't know what to do. I don't want to be the one to bring up the subject first."

"Xerxes," she released an exasperated sigh, "you know your wife better than I do. I don't know what you two were fighting about, but if you're asking for my advice..."

"I'm asking."

Nousha smirked, plucking at the flower petals. "My advice is to ask what is bothering Arielle. From my experience, she is very stubborn and she is likely waiting for you to bring it up."

That was not the news he had hoped to hear. In reality, he was hoping she would say something nasty as if he were ready to debate his wife's merits with his mother. He wasn't comforted by the advice; rather, he felt more discouraged and angrier than he did a few minutes ago.

"She isn't going to like it if I ask her what's bothering her," he said, his tone displaying clear discontent.

Nousha caught her son's tone and turned around, frowning. "It sounds like you already know what is bothering her."

His brown eyes darkened three shades.

"Perhaps, you are the problem, Xerxes. You aren't listening to Arielle."

"Whose side are you on?"

Nousha's eyebrows lifted. "Side? I am not on anyone's side. I am not going to stand here and talk poorly about Arielle."

He couldn't believe what he was hearing. After all these years, she was the last person he expected to defend Arielle.

"I may not agree with Arielle on a lot of things, but she is your wife. You mistreat her and I will make sure you will hear a mouthful from me." she pinched her son's arm hard enough to make him scowl. "Now, as much as I'd like to continue this conversation, I have a lot of work to do."

Gabrielle waited for the finance scribe to finish reading the paperwork for what seemed like an eternity. He appeared as bewildered as she did. She questioned Arielle's ability to comprehend the full scope of the agreements she was asked to sign. Gabrielle wished Farah were present so she could read these financial journals with her. At least she'd get a straight response.

"Well?"

The scribe shuffled through the pages once more and looked at the anxious governor. "This is beyond my jurisdiction. You will need to contact the Shah's scribes to tell you what these finances are used for."

That was a bitter pill for Gabrielle to accept. She suspected the scribe had uncovered crucial information, but that he was deliberately concealing it. Nothing about the politics of this empire resembled that of the Hun empire. At that moment, she realized why Xena had been so wary of the Sassanids. While she had suspected that this was how Xena felt all along, she now knew for sure. She also understood that Arielle's every move in this place was being scrutinized. Getting an honest response was next to impossible.

"These documents were signed by the Khagana. I work under her. Why can't you tell me what these numbers mean?" she asked.

"They may be signed by the Khagana, but the Shah's court is in charge of all finances. I can send these to Estakhr to be evaluated."

She panicked and snatched the journal. "That's not necessary. I'll go through the proper channels. Thank you for all your help."

He smiled uneasily, and stood to leave. Just as he was exiting the archive room, a messenger walked in, carrying a metal case. Gabrielle swiveled in the chair and caught eye of the gold case the messenger held. She knew that was directly sent from Estakhr, which meant it was sent by the Shah's court.

She picked up the metal container and opened the top. She prepared herself for bad news as she pulled a letter from the tube and unrolled the parchment. The news was so horrible that, for once, she hoped she was mistaken. Shah Khosrow turned down her request to join Arielle and Xena at a council meeting. She wrapped the letter up angrily, moaned, and then set it aside. She prayed Xena was making progress with the spies for her sake.

It had been over five years since Xena had seen Yeter, and she was almost disappointed by what she saw. Compared to Xena's recollection, Yeter had lost a lot of weight. The queenly aura no longer loomed large. After what she saw, she decided she no longer wanted to take part in the planned interrogation of the queen. Even if Yeter's sons did see her, it's unlikely they'd recognize her. Xena didn't think Oran would worry about his wife if he saw her like this, but she wondered if he'd be just as saddened as she was.

Yeter was given better treatment than she had had at Anosbord, including a lovely suite and three meals a day despite her criminal record. To put it simply, she was treated with respect and dignity. Xena knew the former Gokturk queen appreciated the care she received.

Yeter stood there, staring at the ground. In other words, she was ready for any kind of interrogation. She was surprised, however, to see Xena standing next to Arielle. Her gaze would occasionally rise to meet Xena's. While everyone else was silent, she shuffled uneasily.

Arielle began, "I've given you more than enough time to consider my questions, Yeter. Are you prepared to tell me how Issik is funding your empire?"

Yeter sighed. "I don't know."

"You don't know," she mocked. "Please. The Shah released you into my custody because your son kept trying to invade Anosbord. I know you have inside information, otherwise why would Issik keep trying to invade? His plan must've been to attempt to break you out."

"I don't know anything!"

Arielle's temper simmered. "If you don't tell me, I will invade your territory and Issik won't stand a chance against my army."

Yeter's gaze narrowed. "You harm my son, and I will make sure there are severe consequences for your people."

A fight was about to break out, when Xena pulled Arielle aside to have a word. She had to use some physical effort to get Arielle to follow her. She turned around and saw a blazing intensity in Yeter's deep brown eyes. Since Arielle initiated the meeting with such direct queries, it was clear the outcome would not be positive.

"Let me talk to her," she whispered.

Arielle gasped. "She is my prisoner, not yours! Don't tell me you actually feel sorry for her?"

"You two hate each other. She isn't going to give you any information, especially if you keep threatening to end her son's life. If you let me talk to her, I think I can get more out of her."

Looking over her grandmother's shoulder, Arielle shot an angry glance at Yeter. There was no use in continuing this debate, and she knew it. There was no mistaking that Yeter was taking the defensive. After some initial resistance, she agreed to step back and let her grandmother lead the interrogation. A gentle nod of Xena's head directed her toward the exit as she stood there, arms folded.

"You want me to leave?" she barked.

"You want answers or not?"

A smirking Yeter listened in on the argument. As Arielle left the room, her gaze followed her, but as soon as it landed on Xena, her grin vanished. The sight of Xena approaching her caused her heart rate to increase. When Xena finally sat down on the floor, she was at a loss as to what to do. With a gentle descent and a crossing of her legs, she sat down with her as she had been invited to do so.

"You're no stranger to this process, so let's be smart about this," Xena said.

Nezak Territory, Kazakhstan

This time of year, was the only bearable time to be outside. Beyond the terrible winters, there were lovely summers that weren't nearly as warm as the Pannonian plains. But Cera certainly missed her family as she hadn't seen them in a long time. Ever since the chieftain passed two years ago, she was obligated to stay in the Nezak tribe to help Mirac and his siblings govern the tribe.

They had a really spacious Adame thanks to Arielle and Farah, and she was quite appreciative. More than a year was needed to construct Farah's extravagant timber palace. The Adame was home to Mirac's brothers, their wives, and their children. Because of the continual noise and activity, Cera often wished her sisters-in-law lived farther away. Fortunately, she, Mirac, and their daughter Emese were assigned to the largest wing, so she was allowed some peace and quiet every now and then.

In addition to Mirac's siblings, Pamira and Soran, as well as their daughter, Mahfiruze, lived in the Adame. Two years ago, Navaz assigned Soran to Nezak territory due to the Gokturk uprisings. At first, Cera didn't want another set of people living with her, but she came to enjoy having them around. Mirac benefited from it the most as he got along well with Soran since they were close in age.

Nonetheless, Cera's loneliness increased with time. Because she was the only princess and the chieftain had died, she had to take charge. While she formerly found Arielle's preoccupation with royal matters annoying, she now fully comprehended why it took up so much of her time. Despite her husband's reassurances, she continued to feel like she didn't know what she was doing half the time.

Whenever problems arose, Yana was the only person she could talk to. Due to the age difference between them, Cera looked up to Yana more like a mother than a sister-in-law. Yana also had experience as the leader of her own northern clan, serving as chieftain for many years. Cera made extensive use of Yana's knowledge whenever possible.

Cera sat under a canopy on one of the few cool summer days and enjoyed the peace and quiet. She had to get away from the Adame, and she had a few days off to spend with Emese. She was responsible for leading the tribe while Mirac and Soran were away guarding a wheat field. As her role in the clan expanded, she had less and less time to spend with Emese. To that end, she planned a full day of activities for Emese.

Yana, who would be spending the following month with the clan, offered to take Emese and Mahfiruze herb- and flower-collecting in the flower fields. These plants were used to make cloth dyes. The girls seemed unusually invested in the ritual; perhaps they were simply delighted to be spending time outdoors.

From a distance, Cera observed her daughter as she gathered flowers in the field. At times, Emese would wave her hand, and Cera would return the gesture with a smile on her face. Pamira soon came over and sat down on the blanket with her. She continued to pay attention to Emese and ignored Pamira.

Pamira gave the princess the side-eye and turned to survey the landscape beyond. As she watched her daughter with Emese and Yana, plucking flowers, she smiled. Again, her thoughts turned to Cera, and she understood that she had been deliberately ignored. Cera had been cold to the rest of the women for the past eight months, and they all knew why. Unfortunately, no one had the guts to approach her, and the princess's attitude continued to fester.

"I'm glad Emese and Mahfiruze are spending time together," said Pamira.

Cera wrinkled her eyebrows and let out a puff through her nostrils. She knew people were afraid to approach her and converse, but she herself had little interest in social interaction. She wanted to escape the hushed conversation inside, so she came to sit outside and Pamira was ruining that for her.

Pamira shifted her posture, knowing she was basically talking to a wall. "It's such a nice day outside. The women inside wouldn't stop talking," she said, chortling. "They're talking about some festival coming up for summer solstice. We have a similar festival in Persia. You know, I'm still learning about these Hun traditions, but it's a bit tough since I've been bouncing around from tribe to tribe and—"

Cera put up a hand that meant to silence everyone. When her speech was abruptly cut off, Pamira bit her lip in frustration. Yana was already on her way over with the two girls in tow, otherwise, she could have said something more.

Emese dropped Yana's hand and ran toward the canopy. She landed awkwardly on the grass, sat down, and reached for some colorful blossoms she handpicked.

"Look how many flowers we got, mom!" she beamed. "We're going to dye some tapestries for the festival. Right, Teyze?" she peered up at Yana.

Yana smiled warmly, bowing her head slightly.

Cera smiled as well and picked at the flowers in her daughter's hand. "They're very beautiful. How many colors will be in these tapestries?"

Yana was focused on Cera as Emese enthused about her intricate plans. Her trip here was not a spontaneous decision, and it had nothing to do with the solstice celebration, but it served as a convenient alibi all the same. Inzhu, Yana's sister, wrote her about Cera's disturbing behavior during the past year. She could not discuss this matter via letter writing. She needed to have a face-to-face confrontation with Cera.

If she was going to confront Cera, it was going to be now. Yana marched down the hallway into the west wing and entered Cera's bedroom. Two chambermaids were cleaning the room and changing the sheets. Yana gestured for the maids to vacate the room with a nudge of her head. Hurriedly, the maids exited the room, and Yana closed the doors behind her quietly.

Cera stood by the window, silently twirling the whistle attached to a leather necklace. Years ago, she had a whistle made for herself, Emese, and Mirac to wear. If they were ever far away from each other, the whistle served as a warning signal. It was a safe way to alert Cera of their whereabouts since she didn't have a voice of her own.

When she could no longer hear the rustling from the chambermaids, she spun around. The maids were long gone, but Yana stood merely a few feet from her. Cera frowned, insulted that her sister-in-law had entered her room without permission.

"I think we need to talk," Yana asserted.

Cera eyed the doors, fearful of anyone just walking in.

"I locked the doors." Yana smiled, holding up a key. "The women are walking on eggshells around you. I shouldn't have to receive a letter of desperation from my sister to come down here and talk to you."

Cera rolled her eyes. "Nobody asked you to come."

Yana snorted. "Oh, and your attitude is not going to work on me, either."

She grabbed Cera's hand and led them both to sit down near the windows. At first, Cera was reluctant, but there was nowhere to run. Nobody wanted to talk to her in the Adame anyway.

"I know how hard it is to oversee a tribe all by yourself," Yana began. "You've done a remarkable job these last two years."

Cera slouched her shoulders, ignoring the compliment.

Yana continued hesitantly, "I also know that you have been trying to conceive for over a year with no success." A look of rage and hatred formed on the princess's face, which she watched unfold before her eyes. "And the women in this family have been bearing the brunt of your wrath. Am I understanding that correctly?"

Eventually, Cera relaxed her guard enough to allow a tear to fall, which she immediately wiped away. She was afraid of giving the impression of weakness since she knew that many in the tribe already had that impression about her. The more she listened to the rumors and chatter, the more she began to believe that they were true. She felt hopeless, and she didn't need continuous reminders that she was wrong. As the leader of a whole community, though, everyone knew your business.

Yana smiled wistfully and placed a reassuring hand on Cera's shoulder. She then said, "I understand how upsetting that is for you, Cera. That is not something in your control and it isn't your fault. But it also isn't everyone else's fault. Do you really think it's reasonable to vent your frustration on everyone around you?"

The princess raised her glossy brown eyes to meet Yana's. She then shook her head slowly. She secretly hoped that Yana would say it was acceptable to vent her frustrations on her loved ones. Another part of her appreciated Yana's validation of her emotions. There's a good chance that her mother would have said the same thing if she were sitting there with her.

Yana fondled her fingers through Cera's long auburn hair. "Emese is fortunate to have you as her mother. She's a very bright and well-behaved child."

Cera's smile brightened up her face at the compliment.

"It's probably best if you leave the idea of having another child up to the gods," said Yana, as she raised her eyebrow. "No sense in getting upset about it. Perhaps it will happen when you least expect it." She clapped her hand on Cera's thigh, and was met with a small nod.

Outside, near the tribe's borders, troops began beating drums. Cera immediately stood up and walked up to the windows. She looked east and saw a thick plume of what appeared to be black smoke. Then, through the dense haze, a herd of horses charged toward the camp. Her eyes bulged and she sprinted out of the room, bumping shoulders with Yana on the way.

Yana drew near the windows, and her younger brother Mirac rode in on a horse. Soran and a couple other Nezak warriors followed closely after. But they weren't alone; other horsemen were swiftly approaching behind them. With haste, she briskly walked out of the room, and noticed the worried faces as she passed by them. She ignored the worrisome eyes tracking her every move, though she appeared to be somewhat calm on the outside as she scurried about.

Cera was already on her horse and rounding up troops by the time Yana arrived at the Adame's entrance. She looked every bit the part of a warrior with her leather garments and elaborate headgear. Soldiers exerted intense pressure on the tribe to return its citizens to their yurts. A panicked outcry echoed through the air, and the Adame's internal conversations soon became a spinning maelstrom of noise.

Yana strained to make out the conversation between the women behind her and the troops outside. Eventually, a group of soldiers kept repeating, "Gokturks," to her ears. She wanted to know what was going on, but troops pushed the Adame's massive doors shut before she could. From inside, she could hear the doors latching. They were trapped.

"What's going on?"

Yana craned her head and stared down at Princess Emese. After considering the gossipy nature of her in-laws, she decided it was better to be honest with the girl. She reached out and snatched Emese's hand, pulling her away from the commotion. She knelt down, adjusting Emese's collar.

"We're under attack right now," she said calmly.

Emese's jaw dropped. "Under attack? But my father is outside," her breath hitched. "Where's my mother? Where is she?"

Elam, Persia

Yeter never wavered from her original claim that she had no idea what her son planned to do with her empire and people. While Xena was confident in her ability to identify truthful answers from a lie, she was uncertain about whether or not she could do so this time. Yeter lost more than just a battle when she was exiled from her homeland and her people. If what Yeter said was true, then this feud would go on for much longer than it needed to.

Before wrapping up this botched interrogation, Xena had one more trick up her sleeve. She was confident that if she fueled Yeter's desperation enough, it would work.

"When Ursula was kicked out of the palace, she said that Issik was holding his brothers hostage."

Yeter lifted her eyes, momentarily showing interest. There was genuine surprise there, Xena noted.

"If I was able to get Muqan and Tespar out of Balaam to see you, will you help us?"

Yeter smirked. "I'm your prisoner. You'll just send me back to Anosbord to rot," she dismissed the entire idea. "And you'll never be able to get my sons out of Gokturk territory. The palace is heavily armed."

"I'll find a way," Xena said, grinning. "So, will you consider it—if I get your sons to you?"

"I don't know if I can trust you."

"Yeter, you know I am a woman of my word. I promise I will bring them to you, but only if you agree to help us."

Yeter's mind was a little conflicted. More than anything, she yearned for a reunion with Muqan and Tespar. She hadn't seen Tespar since he was a toddler, after all. Worse yet, she could end up telling her enemies everything she knew. She didn't like the idea, but she also knew she couldn't run away from the Persian palace any time soon. No one from her people, at least no one of any significance, knew she was here.

"I...won't give any information to help you all until I see Muqan and Tespar face to face," she relented.

Xena smiled, and held out her hand. "Deal."

Yeter hesitantly grabbed Xena's extended hand. She held it with a firm grip and said, "and I don't want Issik harmed."

Xena confirmed the request with a firm squeeze to Yeter's hand, but she did so with some apprehension.

It was a risky decision, but it was already done. Gabrielle kept going over what she was going to tell Arielle. Better yet, she wondered what she was going to tell Xena. Purposely, she did not seek out either one of them and remained in the archive chambers. While she searched through the unnamed documents of the foreign travelers, nothing jumped out at her as being suspicious.

By how this was going, Gabrielle assumed that she and Xena were going to have to do most of the work without Adarmahan and his team. They had accomplished a lot so far without his help. One thing was certain and that was that Khosrow was keeping secrets about his supposed alliance with the Gokturks. Turns out, the alliance was merely a façade. But that begged the question; why—why did Khosrow give Hun land to the Gokturks in the first place? He would've had to know that the Huns and Gokturks were forced allies due to Yeter and Oran's marriage. Now that was completely destroyed.

Gabrielle left the archive chambers and wandered the halls, searching for nobody in particular. She heard those signature boots from afar, and suddenly she clammed up. She tried to pinpoint exactly where the echo was coming from and snapped her head around a pillar. Nothing.

She backed up slowly and bumped into a warm body. She yelped and spun around, gawking at her wife. Gabrielle groaned and thwacked Xena's chest.

"Must you sneak around like that?"

Xena's eyebrow arched. "Why're you so jumpy?"

Gabrielle's nose wrinkled from the mocking smile. She then retraced Xena's steps and eyed the forbidden wing where the imprisoned Gokturk queen was kept. She eyed her wife suspiciously. She isn't even trying to hide that arrogant smile of hers.

"What are you doing in this area?" she asked.

"I just finished questioning Yeter. We might need to add another task to our list of things to do for this spy mission. Have you seen Arielle?"

Gabrielle gawked with wide eyes. "You were—you were interrogating Yeter?! What happened to obeying the rules? You promised that you—"

"Relax!" she shouted, raising her hands. "Arielle let me. See, I can follow rules." She bumped Gabrielle's shoulder lightheartedly. "Did you get those budgets figured out?"

"About that..."

"Yeah...?"

Gabrielle twiddled her thumbs. "I...did something illegal," she whispered. "I gave one of our soldiers the budget journals to send to Farah so she could look at them. He left this morning..."

"Gabrielle!"

"I—I got a scribe to look at them! But he said I would have to send them to the Shah's court to have them deciphered! I didn't want to do that because I think that will just take longer than usual, and I don't trust these people. And—" she paused as her wife began chuckling. "Are you laughing?"

Xena's laughter trailed off into a subtle chortle. "I just think it's so funny that you were ready to chastise me about breaking rules and here you are, committing a crime!"

"Hey, you said to figure out what was in those budgets. You never said how to go about it."

"Whatever helps you sleep at night, Gabrielle," she jested. "I need to gather up some troops to go to Balaam, but first I need to find Arielle."

They strolled down the hallway together, and Gabrielle asked, "How is Yeter anyway?"

"She doesn't look good," Xena regretfully admitted. "She looks like her soul has been ripped out of her."

"Hmm. She probably would've died if she stayed in Anosbord."

"No doubt."

"Did you get any useful information out of her during your...interrogation?"

Xena forced a smile. "You're about to find out."

Abbaseh and Boran were having their gowns tailored in a room off the main lounge. They were able to maintain their silence for a while but eventually got restless. The tailors were conscious of Nousha's presence and restrained themselves from reprimanding the girls.

Boran kept flailing her long, sagging sleeves about by swinging her arms. While doing so, she whistled a pretty tune. A similar situation occurred when her sister's waist swiveling distracted the seamstress.

The moment Arielle entered the room, the girls stopped their wriggling. When she beamed at them, they both returned the gesture with broad grins. She casually walked over to the tailoring area and ran her fingers through Abbaseh's hair. She felt Boran tugging at her attention as she examined the dress. She gave her youngest child a knowing wink, and Boran's grin grew.

"Are we finished yet?" asked Boran.

"Yeah, this is taking a long time," Abbaseh said, folding her arms.

"I'm sure they're almost finished. Have you two been behaving for these women?"

"Yes!" they spat.

Arielle raised an eyebrow. "Uh-huh. I hope that's true."

In an instant, her daughters' expressions changed from quiet anticipation to shrieks of joy at the sight of their father. At this point, Arielle swiveled around, and Xerxes followed close behind, passing by with his hand lightly brushing against her back. She cocked her head to the side and straightened her back ever-so-slightly. The girls appeared oblivious to her reaction and quickly resumed talking over one another.

Xerxes was acutely aware of Arielle's icy demeanor toward him. While his daughters told him about their day, he tried not to let it bother him. He did his best to keep up by nodding his head and pretending to understand their gibberish. He could never explain their uncanny ability to finish each other's sentences.

"Sounds like you two had a full day," he remarked after they finished their spiel. "Do you know where your grandmother is?"

"Which one?" Abbaseh asked.

"Ah...Khatun?"

Arielle arched her eyebrow, her eyes darted to her left, glaring at her husband suspiciously.

"She's with Aurora."

Perfect. Now that Anastasia wasn't in the room, he felt safe talking to Arielle. He wasn't sure if his mother was sneaky enough to inform Anastasia about the problems in his marriage, but he was ready in case she did.

He whispered into his wife's ear, "can I talk to you?"

She followed Xerxes so that her daughters would think well of her. They were the deciding factor in her responding to his request. Arielle made sure her girls were behaving for the seamstresses by keeping an eye on them whenever they were out of earshot. The intensity of Xerxes' stare was melting holes in her clothing.

"You're not even going to look at me?"

"What do you want?"

Xerxes inhaled deeply before saying, "I just wanted to say that I apologize for the way I acted the last time we spoke."

Arielle lowered her chin, continuously staring at her daughters. She exhaled through her nostrils, expressing her clear displeasure for his half-ass apology.

"And...I'm sorry for walking out in the middle of our conversation."

"That's it?"

"What? What else do you want me to say?"

Arielle whipped her body around. "You're so clueless."

"What more do you want from me, Arielle?"

"I want you to stand up for me!" she snapped. "You let the court walk all over me! It's humiliating to be talked down to. You say my reign means nothing in Persia. If that's true then what the fuck is my title good for? I may have married into your family's empire, but you also married into mine. I deserve just as much respect as your brother!"

When her frustration finally reached a boiling point, her cheeks flushed and tears welled up. As she stared into Xerxes' dark eyes, she gulped heavily. Her anger was only increased by her husband's silence.

"You're right," he replied. "Your status is equal to that of Khosrow's and you should be treated as such."

Arielle swallowed her anger quickly and changed her tune. "Thank you..."

Xena and Gabrielle strolled nonchalantly into the room from the opposite direction. Once they found Arielle, they went to talk to her. Abbaseh saw them and hollered for Gabrielle, who turned around and beamed at her. Gabrielle smiled, dropped her wife's hand, and left her side. On the other hand, Xena maintained her mind clear and headed in a direct direction toward Arielle.

Gabrielle jaunted over. "What a gorgeous dress you have on."

Abbaseh was ecstatic by the compliment, which caused her younger sister to become envious. Boran's brows furrowed and her brown eyes widened in concern.

"My dress is pretty too!" Boran chimed in.

Gabrielle stifled a laugh. "Yes, it's very pretty. Are these your dresses for the festival?"

"Mhm. Are you coming to the party, Gabby?"

"Ah, I don't think so."

"Why?" Boran whined.

"I have a lot of work to do, but I'm sure you two will have lots of fun!"

From afar, Arielle barked at her grandmother, "how could you make a promise like that?!"

Gabrielle winced and looked over to the far side of the room. "I'll see you two later," she whispered, then quickly excused herself.

"It's Yeter's weakness. I knew she'd comply if I said I'd get her sons out of Balaam," Xena explained, and she heard her spouse gasp loudly. "Now you know she has information because she said she'd help us."

Arielle balled her hands into fists. "You should have cleared this with me first."

"You lost those privileges when you gave me permission to question her."

"Oh-ho, privileges, huh? How many times do I have to tell you, grandma; I am above you. I am your ruler."

"Hey, I am following your stupid Persian rules," Xena snapped back and looked over at Xerxes. "No offense."

When the three women began arguing, he responded by raising his hands in a submissive gesture. He had no interest in participating in the scheme, even though it was being hatched on his own family's land.

One of the female soldiers came charging forward in a hurry in search of Arielle. She stood off to the side, hoping the Khagana would see her, so as not to interrupt the conversation. Xerxes, seeing her waiting in the shadows, was able to escape the bickering women. The soldier whispered something into his ear, and he nodded and told her to leave.

He rejoined the group. "The Nezak clan is under attack," he blurted out.

As one, everyone stopped talking and looked at him anxiously.

"Gokturks set fire to all of the wheat fields and they've been trying to invade the tribe since this morning."

Gabrielle grasped her wife's arm and mumbled, "Cera..."

Arielle hurriedly elbowed her way past the others and stormed out of the room. A path was quickly cleared for her by the tailors and housekeepers. Her sudden departure left everyone stunned.

Xena went to follow and called out to Xerxes, "Don't tell Anastasia!"

Yeter plaited her long hair as she sat in front of the mirror in her room. When the doors opened, she stared at Arielle's reflection in the mirror. With a swift turn of her head, she took in Arielle's enraged expression. Her brows knit together in surprise, and before she could respond, Arielle came striding over. Frightened, Yeter got out of her seat and retreated to a nearby wall. Arielle stared her down, and she froze. They were in such close proximity that breath could be shared between them.

"You want to see your sons again?"

There was a sudden change in Yeter's expression, and she nodded slowly.

"Then you'll do exactly as I say. If you comply then I won't send you back to Anosbord. Do we have a deal?"

Yeter suddenly noticed the extra bodies trickling into the room. Her eyes darted to Xena, who bowed her head slowly in support. She then averted her attention back to Arielle, and nodded, agreeing to the terms.