A Tale Of Votara

Chapter Nineteen- It Was...

The next day, they decided to search a few places where Xena's father might have been hiding. They suspected these places because they had concluded that he was not explicitly trying to hide from the radar. They were getting ready for the search operation, putting on their armor and preparing their guns and weapons. All of them were a bit fearful since they were trying to catch the best soldier in the country. They got into the van, and inside, the guards saw that Xena and Her Majesty were holding hands and showing PDA. They giggled at the sight, but Xena ordered them to look around, and they were alarmed and looked away. However, The Prince scoffed at them and asked them to reduce the PDA as he felt nauseous at the sight. Her Majesty raised her hand to smack The Prince, but Xena stopped her from doing it. Seeing this, The Prince acted as if he was puking.

After they reached their destination, Her Majesty saw Xena visibly shaking as she got out of the van. Seeing Xena like this broke Her Majesty's heart, and she hugged and consoled her, saying that she didn't have to come if she couldn't do it by herself. She suggested that Xena could stay in the van while Her Majesty took care of the operation. However, Xena refused and insisted on catching her father herself to clear his name.

After searching for a while, Xena, Her Majesty, the Prince, and the guards saw Xena's father approaching them with his hands raised as if he was surrendering. The guards became alert and surrounded Xena, the Prince, and Her Majesty to protect them. Seeing this, Xena's father chuckled and ordered the guards to relax, explaining that he was there to surrender himself. The guards complied out of habit. Xena looked at her father with a mix of emotions in her eyes. However, she suppressed those emotions and took out her handcuffs, proceeding to put them on her father. She said, "You are under arrest for committing treason towards the throne. You don't have the right to remain silent since this is the highest form of crime." Xena's father replied, "It took you a while to catch me. I thought I had trained you well, but I guess I didn't do enough. Train yourself well from now on, as I might no longer be around." Unable to hold back her emotions any longer, Xena ran towards a quiet place to cry. Her Majesty witnessed this and ordered the guards to escort Xena's father. She then ran towards Xena and hugged her tightly.

After regaining her composure, Xena went to the van and sat beside her father in complete silence. Throughout the journey, neither of them spoke to each other, as they had no words to describe their situations. Upon reaching the palace, Xena's father was taken to a cell and tied to a chair according to protocol. Seeing this broke Xena's heart, but she remained silent, knowing there was little she could do. When Her Majesty and the Prince arrived at the cell, Her Majesty pleaded, "Uncle, please tell me everything and don't hide anything from me anymore. Why did you do this?" The Prince added, "I know you weren't the one who decided to betray the throne. So tell me who forced you to do this."
To which he replied, "You won't believe me even if I confess who made me do it. But I will tell you anyway since I have been waiting for this moment since I started committing this sin." Xena interpreted and asked, "Papa, please tell me, what made you do this? Who made you do this?" He replied, "I'm sorry, my girl! I made you the daughter of a traitor, but I had no choice but to do everything and anything this person told me to." Xena exclaimed, "And who is that person?" He continued, saying, "It was the Queen Mother of this country. MOTHER BERTHA!"