Title: Midgame
Rating: PG-13/R
Category: M/L, M/M, Kyle/Isabel
Disclaimer: I don't own any of the Roswell characters. They belong to Melinda Metz, Jason Katims, etc. However I do claim Nikolai, Tristan, Erik, Liam, Serena, and Christiana as mine. Except for Serena's name...Anyway, don't sue me, you wouldn't win much anyway.
Summary: Second in the Battlefield Antar series, sequel to King's Opening, and I recommend you read that first. The crew moves to Skyview Castle. Kivar gets pissed because his plan to kill Max didn't work. Isabel and Kyle get closer. The Resistance gains ground.
Chapter One – Settling In
Nikolai, Tristan, Erik, and Liam sat in the entertainment room of the Council's living quarters in Skyview Castle. Antarian basketball was on, and they were watching and talking, catching up and doing general guy stuff.
"So, Nik, I hope you aren't still hung up on Isabel."
Nikolai glared at Tristan. "Hit him for me, will you?" he said dryly to Erik.
"You were hung up on Isabel?" Erik asked instead.
Nikolai frowned. "I was interested in exploring the possibility of something happening, but clearly that's not an option."
"Aww," Liam said jokingly, "Nik's had his heart broken!"
"I have not!" he insisted, and the other guys broke out laughing.
They watched the game for a few minutes before the conversation turned towards more serious matters.
"So Liam, you thought of our next move yet?" Erik asked.
Liam shook his head. "Right now I'm content to sit on our laurels. Like Max said yesterday, the army does still need a bit more time to regroup completely. We lost a few men, and quite a few are still recovering from injuries."
"Max saved quite a few people though. And he didn't lose his powers at all." Tristan put in.
"They're getting stronger. Even Liz and Kyle. I heard Michael thank Liz for saving Max's life again, so she must have done something." Liam gazed pensively at the television. "Maybe Rena knows. I'll ask her later."
"Speaking of Liz," Tristan put in, "Did you hear what she and Isabel are doing? Well, Isabel mostly but Liz is backing her up completely."
"What?"
"Redecorating," Tristan answered with a purely male shudder.
"They're not making Max, Michael, and Kyle help are they?" Erik asked incredulously.
"Why did you think they aren't here? Like I wouldn't invite them."
"I thought maybe they just didn't want to come or something."
"Oh, they wanted to. But the Decorator Nazi, as they referred to her when she wasn't listening, laid down the law. None of them were allowed to leave the royal wing until she'd decided what color she wanted every wall and they'd made them those colors." Liam shook his head. "It's gonna be a long day for the boys."
"At least we're here. We won the battle. I know you weren't too worried, Liam, but still..."
"You're right, Tristan."
"I wonder if Kivar's been told yet," Erik mused.
The other three guys snorted. "I bet the guy who had to tell him was not a happy camper," Nikolai said with a laugh.
Daimtos and Maikos sat in the war room, musing over the previous day.
The battle and begun and ended all while Kivar was still asleep. He had awoken cranky, filled with vague memories of dreams that did not go quite his way in the end. Daimtos and Maikos could tell Kivar was already in a bad mood when he strode into the war room around noon, demanding to know why he'd been summoned to the war room right after waking up.
His mood had not improved when he was told of the loss of Skyview Castle. At first he said nothing, just stared at his two top generals in disbelief.
"Sir, according to legend we never had a chance anyway," Daimtos had said, in an attempt to calm Kivar.
"I had taken care of that, or so I thought," Kivar had murmured before catching himself. "LEGEND!" he roared. "You blame legend for your own incompetence! It's a wonder I don't fire you...or kill you!"
Daimtos and Maikos had nodded meekly, knowing that once he got over the rage, it would be much easier to deal with him. Eventually he'd calmed down, and the generals had been able to get him to believe they would win in the end anyway. But before Kivar had left the war room he had glumly colored in the area surrounding the castle as territory he no longer controlled on the map that covered one wall. Then he left without a word.
Today, the generals were commiserating.
"We'll never be able to get it back, not unless the king dies." Maikos' voice was glum.
"No, we won't. But there will be other victories."
"Maybe. The king is on a roll, and if we're being honest here, he has the moral right on his side."
"Perhaps, but you should be careful saying that here, my friend."
They sat in sad silence for a few minutes before Maikos spoke again.
"Remind me again why we got into this mess?"
Daimtos smiled humorlessly. "Because Kivar was our best friend. And because we were pissed at Zan."
"This is the last time I get into a war because of friendship and a woman."
"Hopefully it's the last time we'll ever get into a war at all."
"If it ever ends."
"It will." Daimtos got up and stood facing the map, his eyes focused on the dot that represented Skyview Castle. "He's going to see it through to the end."
Back at Skyview, Max, Michael, and Kyle were taking a break when Isabel stormed into the room.
"There you are!" she exclaimed. "What do you boys think you're doing? I need my painters!"
"Hail the Decorator Nazi," Michael mumbled. Kyle and Max suppressed grins.
"Well since you're in here you can do this room. I want the walls this shade of red," she ordered, thrusting a paint sample into each man's hand. "Then you can put up this border right up at the top." She handed each of them a roll of wallpaper border. "You shouldn't need paste. Just do it with your powers. I'll tell Liz to come do her furniture arranging thing in a half hour, okay?"
Without giving them time to answer, she sped out of the room again, mumbling about lazy men. The men in question shook their heads and turned to the closest wall.
"So Kyle, I saw you kissing my sister yesterday," Max said in a mock-threatening tone.
"How did I know that was coming?" Kyle mumbled. "Yeah, so?" he said aloud.
Max turned to face Kyle.
"Be happy."
Kyle blinked. Just 'be happy?' He was expecting some kind of big brotherly speech.
Max grinned. "I've told you before that I trust you. I meant it. I don't feel the need to tell you not to hurt her because you should know that I trust you not to."
Kyle nodded, understanding. Then he looked to Michael.
"You hurt her and we pound your face in," he said with a straight face. He let Kyle squirm for a second and then broke out into a wide grin.
"You guys are meant, man. I can't think of anyone I'd rather see her with after everything she's gone through. Never liked that Jesse guy anyway."
The three men smiled and went back to work.