TITLE: A TEST OF LOVE

AUTHOR: Spacey

E-Mail: adelesmith4@yahoo.com

DISCLAIMER: Don't own the show, no need to sue. The only characters I do own are Ava's mother and the chambermaid Molain.

SUMMARY: A love story like no other.

RATING: PG13 (Violence)

CATEGORY: Rebel

~*~

ANTAR

"Awww, do I have to?" Ava mumbled as she looked at her mother

"Ava, you have a royal obligation and the queen asked you to assist Princess Vilandra on her wedding gown"

Ava knew that if the queen wanted her to help with the preparation for her daughter's wedding to her brother then she had to, but she also knew that Vilandra was a spoilt brat. Her brother Zan on the other hand was shy and content with life. She often saw Zan at a distance with Larek, his advisor and friend and felt a strange pull towards him.

She sighed and said,

"Oh, all right"

She stood up and started to walk towards the door when she saw her brother Rath coming in,

"What's your problem?" he asked

"Go and ask our mother" she said and took off.

Ava walked towards the lake where she often sat and looked at the rising of the triple moons over the ruby colored waters, but this was no ordinary day. She heard laughter in the distance and knew that her solitary moment was ruined. For most of her young life she remembered the first day she looked at the cosmos and dreamt of a different life away from the royal life she had. She was promised to Zan from birth and for a long time she resented it and tried to avoid being seen near them, but last year everything changed for her.

FLASH

Ava walked to the lake as what she always did and sat basking in the sun, when she saw someone coming towards her,

"Excuse me, Miss"

"Yes" she replied

"Prince Zan wants to know if you'll accompany him to his sister's birthday party tonight?"

She looked up and saw Zan looking shyly at her and smiled,

"Tell him that I'll be honored"

"May I ask who you are?"

"My name is Ava"

"What! You can't be" he exclaimed

"Why not?" she asked

For a moment there was silence then Larek said,

"Prince Zan told me that you were ugly as what Kivar's toe is"

This was a shocking moment for Ava, but she controlled her anger and said,

"I believe the reason he said that was because the last time he saw me I was seven and it's been eight years since that day"

"I'll tell him you'll be ready by sundown"

Both of them stood up and went on their way. Ava walked home and thought about the comment Larek gave to her. It infuriated her, but she felt the same about Zan.

Back at the lake, Zan looked at his friend and confidant and asked,

"What did she say?"

"She'll do it, but you'll never guess who she is"

"Who?"

"It's your fiancé Ava, Sire"

"No…" he exclaimed

"Yes, it is"

"I'll be damned"

Ava opened the door to her house and went to her room, in a way she felt guilty about what happened at Damaras Rock that afternoon, but she still felt the sting of Larek's words.

END OF FLASH

Ava took her towel and walked to where the voices came from,

"Hey Ava. Come and join us!" Zan screamed

She smiled at them and said,

"Coming" and with that she dove into the lake.

"What have you been up to?" Zan asked

"Well, my mother told me that your mother wants me to help your sister with her wedding gown"

"And what did you say?"

What choice do I have, but to help" she smiled

"I know what you mean, my sister can be a pain," he said.

They climbed out of the water and took a stroll along the shore,

"Ava, there is something I want to ask you"

They stopped and the two turned towards each other. Zan took Ava's hand in his and said,

"We knew each other since childhood and I know that they promised us to one another, but now I want to know if you'll marry me"

"Oh, Zan. I've been waiting so long for you to ask me and the answer is Yes" she hugged him and kissed him.

In the back ground two strangers looked at the scene ass it unfolded,

"So it is official. Zan and Ava's going to be wed"

"Yes, and I must say that it won't affect our plans"

"Are you sure about that Kivar?" the stranger said

"Nicholas, the plan is fool proof" Kivar replied

"What are you planning to do?"

Kivar looked at Nicholas and said that the plan involves Vilandra and that as soon as she is seduced they are going to kill the Royal Four.

Ava walked home in a dream state back home. She looked at her engagement ring; the ring had the insignia of the royal family. Both of her mother's children are now part of the royal family.

"Ava, where have you been?" Rath asked annoyed

"I was with Zan, if you want to know"

"Did you forget that in five minutes you have to be at the palace?"

"I'm on my way" with that she skipped out of the house

~*~

PALACE

Ava walked in the corridors of the palace towards the royal chambers. She heard laughter in one of the rooms and stepped into it,

"You made it at last" she heard Vilandra say

"Sorry to be late, but I forgot"

"Don't worry about that. What do you think about this?" with that Vilandra pulled out a white-laced gown.

"It's spectacular, but I think it needs something".

She waved her hand across the gown and million diamonds dotted the dress,

"Thank you Ava. It's beautiful," Vilandra said

Ava sat down and played with the engagement ring on her left hand.

"What do you have there?"

"Oh, I forgot. Zan proposed to be this afternoon that is why I was so late"

"That's great news. When are you planning to get married?"

"I don't know, but I promise not to hold the wedding near yours" Ava smiled

The two girls sat down and talked about their fiancés. Vilandra looked at Ava and said,
"Ava, I have to be honest and say that I'm scared"
"I know the feeling. I'm scared too. At least we have something in common" Ava smiled

They closed the door to Vilandra's room and stepped out.

"Will I see you tomorrow?" Vilandra asked

"Sure"

Flash

Ava {Tess} emerged from the pod and looked at the empty pods around her. She felt more alone than she ever did.

END Of Flash

As the flash ended she knew that her life was Destined to be with the Royal Family. She opened the door and went into the house, it was peaceful no-one was there to bother her. She went into her room and fell onto her bed. Her heart was heavy with worries about what the future might hold. She knew that there was no escape from what the future might hold. As she looked at the ceiling, she felt nervous about her marriage into the Royal Family. It was her Destiny to be with Zan, but it felt more like an obligation than anything else. Suddenly she heard the front door open and knew that her mother and brother just arrived.

"How was your day?" Rath asked her

"It was okay, I believe that you can't wait to see Vilandra's dress?" she mocked him

"Could you please give me a hint?" he begged

"In your dreams buddy" she smiled.

~*~

AT THE PALACE

Vilandra looked outside her window at the star-studded sky. Her thoughts were on what kind of married life she could have, when suddenly her chambermaid interrupted her with the news,

"Your Highness, I just got an urgent message from Lord Kivar for you"

"What does he want, Molain?" she asked

Her chambermaid told her that Kivar wanted to speak to her and that he couldn't wait.

"Tell him that I'll be right there" she said

"Certainly" with that Molain left her standing next to her window.

She turned around and went out to find out why Kivar summoned her. She knocked on his chamber door and waited for the invitation to enter,

"Enter" she heard from the inside and stepped in.

"You wanted to see me, Lord Kivar," she asked

"Ah, Vildandra, good to see you. Won't you please sit down?"

Vilandra sat down and waited for the response from Kivar. Kivar sat opposite her and said

"The reason I asked you to come here is to ask you to help me over-throw your brother"

"What…you must be mad!" she screamed

"Do you know what he is planning to do after he married Ava?" Kivar asked

"No, I haven't asked him yet. As you know I'm busy planning my own wedding"

"That I know, but I believe that Rath cares more about power than you. I loved you since the first day I saw you in the Garden of Celestial Dreams"

"Why didn't you tell me before?" she asked

Kivar sat down for a moment silent and tried to conjure a good lie, and then it struck him. Vilandra is beautiful and the only way to enter her heart was to add to her vanity and so he did. She looked at him and said that she would sleep on it. With that she left his chambers and went back to her own.

The weeks went by and Vilandra's wedding day was there. Even though Vilandra decided to marry Rath, the lies Kivar fed her let her side with him. The wedding was a dream; everything was perfect even though Vilandra felt guilty about deceiving her family. She looked at and asked;

" Have you and Zan decided on the date for your wedding yet?"

"No, but we are going to talk about it after your reception tonight"

Later that Evening

Ava and Zan walked in the palace gardens and looked at the stars in their system. The three moons were in perfect alignment and a brilliant white light shone on Ava's golden curls. Zan looked at her and said,

"Ava. I think it is time we decide the date"

"You are right. Antar won't accept you as king without a wife and I got a feeling that war is on its way"

"How about a week from today?"

Ava stopped and turned towards him and smiled,

"It's perfect!"

They sat down and as they looked at the stars, then she asked,

" Do you remember Vilandra's birthday party last year?"

"How could I forget that? You pulled a dirty trick on Larek"

FLASH

Ava stood behind the palace walls and saw Larek passing back and forth. She closed her eyes and Mind-Warped Larek in believing that Vilandra was calling him. He raced to meet her, but without warning he walked into Vilandra's room while she was dressing for the party. As Vilandra screamed for Larek to leave her room. Ava smiled and dropped the Warp just to see the stunned look on Larek's face.

END OF FLASH

"You are right, that was one classic evening I won't forget" she smiled

For a while there was silence, then Zan asked,

"Ava, what did you mean when you said war is on its way?"

"It's complicated, but you know every Antarian is born with one gift or maybe more. I have two unique gifts. One is my Mind-Warping, then I get flashes from the future"

"For how long have you had those flashes?"

"It's been going on for about three weeks now, but they are different"

"How?"

She looked at him and told him about the flash of the empty pods and their search for each other.

~*~

IN THE PALACE

The queen looked at the counsel and said,

"There's an uprising coming and we need to form a plan of action"

"Your Highness, there is one thing we can do, but Ava and Zan has to be married before we can do it"

"What is it?" the queen asked

The scientist looked at her and pulled out two vials of blood samples and said,

"We already have Rath and Vilandra's essences and as soon as we have Zan and Ava's we are going to replicate them with another species DNA and as soon as war break out we are going to launch two ships with incubation pods to the planet where we received the DNA from"

The queen looked the scientist and said,

"I'll talk to them about this, but we are not going to tell them about our plans. Is that clear?"

"Yes, Your Majesty" the scientist said

With that she left the laboratory in search of her son and future daughter-in-law.

THE GARDENS

Zan and Ava sat in one of the chair inside the gardens and talked about their future, when Zan's mother came up to them.

"Zan, we need to talk"

"Yes, mother" he said and stood up.

"I think I must go home" Ava said and walked off

"Will I see you tomorrow?" Zan screamed after her

"Yes!" she replied

Zan looked at his mother with questions in his eyes and asked,

"What do you want to talk about?"

She signaled for him to sit down and sat down next to him and said,

"Zan, you need to get married soon. There's trouble brooding"

"I know, mother and you don't have to worry, Ava and I decided to set the date for a week from today"

"Thank you son. Now Antar can face anything," she said with a sigh of relief.

AVA'S HOUSE

Ava opened the front door and tiptoed to her room. She knew that her mother in would want to know when her wedding day is. She stopped in front of her room and opened the door, as she stepped in she stood shocked and looked into space. Again a future flash was taking place, but this time it was an enigma.

FLASH

Ava (Tess) placed her right hand onto a pulsating relic and disappeared into it. She looked with a sad expression down and disappeared into space.

END OF FLASH

~*~

THE WEDDING

The week went by in a blink of an eye and when Ava came to her senses she stood in her wedding gown. She sat on her chair and tried not to cry. She wished that her father was there to give her away, but he died five years previously and now she had to face the biggest day of her life alone. She stood up from her chair and adjusted her veil. Suddenly a soft knock interrupted her thoughts with a voice asking,

"May I come in?"

"Sure, Rath"

The door opened up and her brother came into the room,

"What's wrong, sis?" he asked with a concerned tone in his voice

"Rath, I miss father very much and I wished that he was here on this day"

"Ava, he is here" with that he tapped onto his heart.

"I know; but still I wished he was here"

Rath looked at his younger sister and give her a hug.

"Don't worry, Ava. You'll do fine"

Another knock interrupted them and this time it was her mother who entered.

"Ava, dear. It is time"

"Coming mother"

She wiped her eyes and smiled, with that she walked out of the room to greet her new life. Slowly she walked towards the altar and stood next to Zan. As if in a dream, the wedding celebrations ended. Ava was happy to be with her Soul Mate, Zan too felt the same emotion. Vilandra was torn between happiness and anger. In secret the queen took Ava and Zan's essences and placed them next to Vilandra and Rath's vials.

Months went by and Antar was more prosperous than ever. The five System Lords were pleased at the outcome of Ava's marriage towards King Zan. One day when Ava was sitting in the gardens looking at the flowers that bloom there, she saw her husband approaching her.

"Ava, you have a minute?"

"Sure" she said and he sat down next to her.

" I think it's time that I discuss peace with Recluse"

"Are you sure about that?"

"Yes, it's been a hard cold-war and it has to end"

"I agree, but what about the counsel. Don't they have a say?"

"I'm going to discuss the matter with them tomorrow"

They stood up and walked into the palace halls.

Vilandra looked at the dagger that Kivar gave her. She could feel the power it generated, but she was uneasy. She felt the change in the air and that it had something to do with the conversation she over-heard from Ava and Zan. After they left the gardens she went to Kivar and told him about the peace offering. This really pissed him. He looked at her and handed her the dagger and said,

"You know what you have to do"

"Kivar, I don't think I can kill her"

"You have no choice. If there's peace then we can kiss our relationship good-bye"

She left his chamber with tears in her eyes and walked towards the throne room. She knew that Ava would be alone there, hence a better time to kill her. Softly she knocked on the door and waited,

"Enter"

Slowly she opened the door and saw Ava sitting on the throne,

"Ah, Vilandra. Just the one I want to see"

"Hello, Ava"

She sat down and for a while Vilandra delayed the murder.

"Why did you want to talk to me?" she asked

"Well. I got good news! It seems like there's going to be peace in the system"

"What are you talking about?" Vilandra asked

Ava told her that Zan was planning on a peace treaty with Recluse. Vilandra stood up and walked towards Ava,

"That will never happen!" she screamed and pulled out the dagger.

"What are you doing?" Ava asked surprised

Without further explanation Vilandra drove the dagger into Ava's heart and saw her slumped forward. In a daze she left the throne room and walked towards her room.

Meanwhile in the counsel hall everyone was buzzing on the idea of peace. Rath looked at Zan and asked,

"Do you think it's the right thing to do?"

"Yes, it is. That war has been raging for over two centuries and now it is time to end it"

With a loud bang the door burst open and Kivar stormed into the hall.

"Zan, you will never have peace in the system. Look!" Kivar said and showed him Ava's dead body

"What have you done?" Zan asked shocked

Kivar smiled and said,

"It's not what I've done, but what your sister did"

"What are you talking about?"

Kivar told them that Vilandra was the one who drove the dagger into Ava's heart.

"You can't stop change, Kivar. It's already been decided. We are going to ask Recluse for peace"

This statement infuriated Kivar and he lunched towards Zan. He used his powers and struck the young king down. Then he turned towards Rath and said,

"It's your turn now" with that Kivar killed him too.

He walked out of the hall and smiled, Vilandra ran towards him and said,

"You never told me that you are going to kill my family!"

"That was the plan in the first place"

"What are you going to do now?" she asked

"Just what I've planned to do in the first place"

He hugged Vilandra and drove his sword into her. As he saw her life drifting away he said,

"No one will rule beside me"

~*~

THE LABORATORY

The scientist came up to the queen and told her that Kivar killed her family. She hung her head, but said,

"Get the ships and the pilots. It's time"

"Certainly, Your Majesty"

As the ships were prepared for the trip she looked at the pilots and said,

"I've made arrangements that there were going to be two sets of my children and their spouses. It's a safety precaution. If one set doesn't survive then the next one'll take its place"

"Yes" the two said

"They're ready"

"Good. Now go!' she ordered

As the ships left Antar tears came to her eyes and she said,

"Good-bye, my children"

~*~

ROSWELL-1947

One of the ships came into the atmosphere and saw a thunderstorm. As it tried to escape the lightning bolt it crashed into the desert. Thus beginning the Roswell Saga.

THE END