Love For One Night

Summary: M/L AU (short story) - Max is King Zan (duhh) and Liz is one of his servants, Adella. Mana is Maria, Rath Michael, Alextia is Alex and Vilondra is Isabel. Zan is supposed to propose to lady Ava (Tess), but he doesn't love her. Read to find out what happens.

Disclaimer: I do not own Roswell, and I never will. It all belongs to, first of all, Melinda Metz, Jason Katims and the UPN. I read this story about Zan and another girl, I believe Maria's name in the fic was something like Mayala, and it was also about Zan's love for a servant girl. I wrote my story with that story in my head (it was a really good story, also on this site), but I can't remember who wrote it. Don't know to whom the first quote belongs, read it somewhere and found it fitting to the story.

Author's Note: This is another story I had to write for my English class, and well, since Roswell is the best inspiration source in the whole world I wrote about the supposed past lives of the pod squad. I kind of rushed it in the end, cuz there was a limited account of words (1000) and I had way more words than that.

"And as she stands and gazes there into the eyes that know her all too well, her heart begs reason with her head and cries the silent prayer that night by night she whispers, even as she dreams."

"Come on Adella! Please, pretty please with sugar on top?" A small, blonde girl with bouncy hair and a just as bouncy personality stepped out of the shadows. "Mana," the petite brunette next to her sighed. "You know we can't! You know what happens when they catch us!" Mana turned around. "I really don't understand you, Ella! This could be our chance to see something else besides our cot and the kitchens of the castle. You would be able to see the king, without needing to bow your head! You could talk to him, or even dance with him!" Adella knew Mana was right. Sometimes Mana knew her better than she knew herself. Ever since Adella met King Zan, well, not exactly met him, but seen him, she'd been in love with him. He was a generous and a righteous king, and besides that, he was incredibly good-looking. Zan hadn't even seen her. Of course not: for him, she probably just was one of his servants, cleaning out the parlour. She looked Mana in the eye, who was grinning, already knowing that this was a battle she'd win. Adella looked away and sighed. "Okay, Mana, if you want to go, then that's fine with me, but did you already think about your clothes? There's no way they'll ever believe that you're a noblewoman when you're wearing those clothes." "Don't worry about that El, you remember Kyle? He was one of the king's best men," Mana said. "The soldier?" Adella asked. "Exactly," Mana answered. "Every time he returns from one of his trips, he brings me something. The king and his men are returning this afternoon, and I asked him to bring me a velvet dress." Adella stared at Mana in disbelief. "You asked him to bring you a velvet dress? Mana, how could you? You know how expensive those dresses are? We'd have to work, like. like twelve years before we could afford such a dress!" "Calm down Ella, would you? He's going to Rama. The Ramans don't stand a chance against the armies of Antar. They make a lot of dresses in Rama, and a part of the confiscated goods will be divided among the king's men." Adella nodded. She knew what this meant. She also knew that she wouldn't be able to talk Mana out of this. "Does Alex know about it?" "Of course. He agrees with me. He told me he would make sure he'd get a dress for you, too," Mana answered. "He's been invited by the king himself, so he'll also be there. Now, are you going with me, or what?" Adella sighed. It surely would be nice to see the king again. No! Where did that thought come from? She shouldn't be thinking this way about him. He probably wants a lady, or a princess. Not a servant like her. But it might be fun to play princess or lady for one night. "Okay," she said, still hesitating. "But we won't stay long, will we?"

"We received an answer from lady Ava, sir. She was very honored by your invitation and she will surely attend tonight's ball." "Good, good, very good indeed," Zan said. "How about the preparations?" he asked, walking through the hallways of his castle. "Her Highness Vilondra decided to do the planning herself, Your Majesty." Zan smiled inwardly. If Lonnie would take care of the ball, it was bound to become a splendid party. "Good. Well, that's all Kerin. You're dismissed," he said. "Yes, sir." "Oh, and Kerin?" Zan said, looking at the retreating servant. Kerin turned around. "Yes, sir?" "Loose the whole your-majesty-stuff, okay?" "Yes, sir," Kerin answered. "And the sir-crap, too," Zan said. "You can call me Zan." "Okay, sir. I mean Zan, sir." Zan walked over to his window and braced himself on the windowsill. He could see the farmers working on the countryside. He had a bird's eye view of the country. It was all his. His kingdom. He thought of the question he'd been asking himself the whole month. Did he really want to do it? He'd been taught from childhood that the kingdom demanded sacrifice and that it was a gift to be asked to give an offering. He sacrificed a lot. He gave up nearly everything, but could he give up love? Because that was what he would do, by marrying Ava. He did not love her, and he didn't know how he ever could. But the Council wanted him to marry her, and he couldn't go against the will of the Council. He was supposed to do his proposal tonight, at the ball, so that the survival of the Unity would be guaranteed. Maybe lady Ava was a woman who he had to learn to love. Or perhaps. perhaps he was doomed to live a life without love.

Adella looked at her reflection in the mirror. Was it really hers? She looked so different. Older, somehow. Alex had given her a crimson red dress, not a velvet one, but that didn't matter. "Are my two favourite ladies ready to perform?" Alex asked Adella and Mana. Adella smiled and looked one last time in the mirror before turning to her two best friends. "Let's get this over with," she said.

Zan was talking with his second-in-command and also best friend, Rath, and with his sister Lonnie when he saw her. She wore a red dress and was without any doubt the most beautiful creature he had ever seen. She was accompanied by another girl and a young man, whom he recognised. Wasn't that Alextian DeLuca? Yes, yes, he believed it was. He ran over to them. "Alextian!" he said, "I'm so pleased you could make it! And you brought." he immediately asked about the two girls, impatient to know who this woman was. He didn't notice how uncomfortable the fellowship was; he was too busy trying to look casual and indifferent. "King Zan! Your Majesty! Uh, these are my two sisters, Mana and Adella. It was alright to bring them here, wasn't it?" Alex asked. "Yes, yes, of course it was! Of course! And please just call me Zan, okay?" Zan asked for the second time this day. "Okay, Zan," Alex answered. Zan saw lady Ava coming his way. It was now or never. "Would you do me the honor, and dance with me, my lady?" he asked Adella. She looked slightly surprised, but hid it very well. "The honour would be all mine, sir," she said, and he took her hand and led her towards the dance floor.

Adella couldn't believe what was happening! Did the king just asked her to dance? Was she dancing with him, right now? It had to be a dream, it just had to be. It was an amazing feeling to be in his arms. They protected her from the outsideworld and created a place where just he and she existed. She looked up and his gaze crossed hers. A shiver ran down her spine as she felt how his eyes looked straight into her soul. If she could just have this one moment. One little moment in time; it had to be sufficient for the rest of her life.

Zan closed his eyes. He had never felt so alive in his whole live, not like he did tonight. He would ask Ava to marry him. Not because he loved her, but because it was his duty. He could ignore the Council's order and not propose to lady Ava, but it would do no good. There was no way he would ever be allowed to marry Adella, the woman who stole his heart in just a matter of seconds. He'd never love another, he was sure of that. It didn't matter if he married Ava or waited for another suitable lady. They'd always be second best. He might as well marry Ava, for the sake of Antar and the Unity. He might be bonded with Ava by law, but his soul had already bonded with Adella's. His kingdom he would share with Ava, but his soul and heart were Adella's to keep.

The End