Jack's flagship was vast.
The 3000 sailors could easily roam the decks and crawl the endless ropes that hanged from the 6 main masts.
The ships was generally designed with 3 sections.
The rear steering and command section was higher then the rest of the ship. Giving the captain a very clear and unhindered view over the ship and ocean.
The middle section was lower and much longer. It contained all the masts as many manually placed scorpions at the edges.
The front was connected to the middle section by a short stairway. It was slightly higher and the 3 ballistae was fastened here so they had a clear firering range.
It would take these ships at least two days to reach Ramises harbour.
On the third day the festival would commence. Announcing the complete first year on Prime.
Jack didn't have much to do, so he just enjoyed the clear skies and open ocean.
He often though about his family and empire, but knew Nisha and the generals, once finished with their 'General Education', would be more than capable to safeguard everything.
He especially though about Xena, and the task he had given her.
--
Xena watched the ships disappear over the calm ocean for a long time.
It wasn't before the last white sail was barely visible that she returned to the citadel.
Dex was busy in the outside yard with something, and Xena saw her chance as he didn't seem to notice her.
She sneaked passed the citadel guards and made her way to the dungeon cells as she had already done many times before over the weeks.
She came to a steel corridor with many rooms, but the doors to those rooms were made of steel bars.
She had reached the cells and quickly moved to the last and larger one in the end.
"You've grown yet again... You're now as tall as me, brother."
Xena smiled when she saw Gushi'ran standing up and leaning towards the steel bars.
He smiled back when he saw her and ranked his posture.
"Actually, sister, I think I might be slight taller than you now." He smiled his charming smile, one side of the mouth slightly higher than the other.
Xena couldn't stop looking at him at times like these.
His human face was very handsome and homely. His eyes, the same golden colour as her father, was strong and deep enough to simply stare at for hours and loose yourself in their depths.
The shining thin patterns of scales that ran along the sides of his neck and ended in a beautiful clawed crown in his forehead, made him look like otherworldly royalty.
"Stop starring at me! Why do you always do that, you know how it makes me feel!"
Gushi'ran sat down with an annoyed expression.
Whenever Xena or Dex looked at him for too long, it made him feel like trash.
He felt like he was a dirty abominated in their eyes.
Hideous and evil!
He knew what he had done as a child.
He knew he had murdered many of his fathers people, and even almost killed him as well!
He had lost his mother, killed by his father, and in his sorrow he had lost control and almost killed the emperor himself!
He could have lost both his parents in a single day...
Had his mother been alive, even she would have scolded and beaten him roughly for loosing control of his ability.
Xena saw how Gushi'ran's mood had quickly worsened and sat down next to him, only the steel bars between them.
"Dex seemed to be cleaning outside. Did you finally train with him in the open sun?" Xena asked to change the subject.
This made Gushi'ran smile again.
"Yes! He say I'm a quick learner! We already finished with the sword and begun sparring with the spear today!"
He looked at Xena with a raised eyebrow.
"I'm actually amazed how you are able to sneak in here every day... During the training sessions, Dex seems to be aware of everything I plan to do, way before I think it myself."
He looked at Xena with care.
"Don't get caught. You're the princess so they won't kill you, but it is extremely forbidden for anyone but Dex to enter these cells."
Xena just giggled and stuck her hand through the bars to shake his golden hair with the green shiny locks of hair falling over his forehead.
"Don't worry! Noone suspects a thing! Oh and brother... I'm calling you Goran from now on. I hate I always twist my tongue when I speak your name..."
Gushi'ran looked thoughtful for a moment.
"Goran..." He tasted the word.
"I like it." He said with a smile.
They stayed quiet for a while, just enjoying eachothers presence.
"So what's new out there? How is father?" Goran said quietly.
"Yeah... That's actually why I came to see you. Father has left for the alliance meeting and festivities. The anniversary is just a few days ahead now."
Goran closed his eyes and sighed.
"So he truly don't want to see me. He just left like that..."
Xena could feel Goran's heartache as if it was her own. She knew how it felt to live without parents!
But she knew that Goran's pain was different, maybe even much worse and painful than her own.
He had know his mother. Seen her die.
He has a father, but the farther detest him.
Such feeling she couldn't understand, but she could relate to the pain.
"Maybe some day he will come to see you for who you really are. There is so much of the good of humanity in you. I can see it clearly brother!"
Seeing Goran didn't respond to her soothing attempt, she continued.
"I don't have much time. The Bloodfall Mountains and it's drakes still pose a danger to our father. It's almost impossible to both scale the mountains and fight the drakes up there... However father has send me on another mission while he's away. I am to take command of his army and secure the mainlands connection to our empire."
Goran finally opened his eyes.
"You are to command a huge army? I'm impressed sister!" He could only dream about such a privilege.
"I will miss you... Don't get hurt Xena." Goran spoke honestly.
Xena could see that somehow the human and mixed reptilian DNA had made her brother grow rapidly. In just this short time he was already comparable to herself in size and wits.
"Don't worry about me brother. 130.000 troops will keep me safe. Just continue to heed Dex's teachings! He is a good man and has already taught you so much about our world and the human race that you ARE a part of! Take care Goran!"
With this she rose up and walked.
"Be safe, my sister!" Goran slowly whispered behind her.
Goran sat down and began his common teenage-boy dreams of helping the emperor to conquer new lands, ahead of a giant army.
The new dreams was focused around the drakes of Bloodfall Mountains and the vast lands beyond the peninsula. Given fire by Xena's tale of the large army she was to command.
Xena however quickly went to the citadel kitchens and grabbed a new honey-chocolate cake that they had baked there.
The women in the kitchen just giggled and truly enjoyed whenever the princess came to 'steal' some of their freshly baked or cooked items.
And good that she did, because as she left the area, Dex suddenly stood in front of her.
"I finally caught you, princess!"
He looked at her sternly with that old man face.
Xena gasped and almost panicked!
'Did he know that I've been visiting Goran?' Xena's head was getting red in panick while trying to come up with excuses.
But Dex just smiled and pointed at the cookies she had casually hid behind her back.
"You're stealing food again aren't you? HahaHa!"
He laughed friendly while Xena scoffed and pushed past him, "It's just a single cookie, What's the big deal!" She snerred and moved out of the citadel.
However Dex was completely aware single time Xena had visited Goran.
"The boy needs a sense of family and belonging. You're helping him with your visits, and in turn the Emperor as well"
Dex had a very serious expression as he saw Xena run away.
Outside the citadel Xena went to the north walls where the army had camped just outside it.
A vast amount of white tents had been raised. Countless fires and patrols amongst them.
As she walked through the tents, she saw bare areas where the troops practiced spear trusts, sword swings and archers who fired arrows at targets further away.
Many columns of troops drilled in marching and battle formations.
'The new Captains and Majors that father educated for his army, surely has a lot of new knowledge to teach the troops...'
Xena casually thought about this as someone yelled for her.
"Your Imperial Highness!"
Gunnar came and bowed before her, making Xena feel slightly out of place.
'I guess this is to be expected now that I'm in command of the army.' She thought, but still felt very awkward.
"Thank you Gunnar. Are you joining the army when we march?" She simply asked.
"Yes your Highness. The emperor commanded me to lead the centaurs and keep you safe. We are all at your service!" He bowed slightly again with a warm smile on his robust face.
"Thank you Gunnar. Then please have the army ready for tomorrow, we will march at dawn." She waved him goodbye.
Actually Gunnar hadn't appeared alone. A company of centaurs trailed him, and she just couldn't wait to get away.
'I still hate those creatures! They make my skin crawl and fill my head with painful memories! I can't stand them!" She walked quickly away towards the mansion.
In the mansion, she talked with Nisha and played with baby Janus the rest of the day.