A/N: Sorry about the wait! Just as a refresher, an "antari" is the Antarian name for Antar. It's been so long that I'm sure if I didn't remind you, you'd be confused. haha! :)

Chapter Three

After Arrin, Isabel, and Kyle left, Maria looked over at Michael, who looked at Max, shrugged his shoulders, and headed for the buffet. Max slowly followed, leaving Maria and Liz to stand and look warily at the buffet table. Maria glanced at Liz, shrugged her shoulders, and said, "We might as well. It's not like we're going to find a McDonalds."

Liz nodded and they slowly walked up to the table. Maria grabbed what she hoped was a plate and then surveyed the food. It wasn't that it looked disgusting. There were an assortment of colorful foods that Maria assumed were some sort of vegetable, something resembling a chicken with four legs instead of two, and a multitude of round objects she assumed were probably fruits…or maybe a pastry of some kind. The problem was simply that it was all completely foreign.

Julayna walked up behind them and pointed at a purple ball. "Those are my favorite." She pointed to an orange gelatinous substance. "I always put that on it."

Maria nodded and smiled. "Thanks. I'd ask what they taste like but you probably wouldn't be able to tell me anyway." Julayna chuckled as Maria grabbed a couple of the purple balls and dumped the orange Jello-like stuff on top. It didn't necessarily look appetizing, but Maria figured she might as well be adventurous.

"Beth? Are you ok?"

Maria looked up at Liz, wishing Max would call her Liz, and saw that she was looking a little green.

Liz swallowed and tried to smile. "Yeah. I think that the ride down here left me feeling a little more seasick than I thought."

Julayna reached over and grabbed a blue wafer. "Try this. It is easily digestible."

Apparently crackers are a universal food, Maria thought.

Liz reached over, grabbed the wafer, thanked Julayna, and went to sit at one of the tables. Maria surveyed the rest of the food quickly, picking up things at random and putting them on her plate, and then walked over to sit down next to Liz.

"Are you alright?" she whispered.

Liz took a bite out of the blue wafer and nodded. "Yeah." She smiled and lowered her voice. "I have something to tell you but not here."

Maria immediately had an epiphany and gasped loudly, pointing at Liz. Liz had been perfectly fine up until she saw the food. It was so obvious. Liz was pregnant!

Liz quickly grabbed Maria's hand and widened her eyes, giving her a pleading look. Maria quickly snapped her mouth shut as Max walked over.

"Everything ok?" he asked, sitting down next to Liz.

Maria smiled, a little overly brightly. "Yep. Sorry. I just tried something I didn't like."

Max looked at her plate, "You haven't touched anything."

Maria laughed nervously. "I mean…I just realized that I didn't want…" She looked down at her plate and grabbed something that looked a little like orange broccoli. "This. I hate broccoli."

Max looked at Liz, who just shrugged her shoulders and smiled. He leaned closer to her as Michael sat down next to Maria and immediately started eating. "Are you sure you're feeling alright?"

Liz took another bite of her wafer. "Yeah. These crackers are actually pretty good. They taste like a mixture between saltines and Ritz."

There is no way I can sit here and not ask her!

Maria looked over at Julayna, who had taken a seat on the other side of Max, and smiled sweetly. "Julayna, is there a bathroom around here?"

Julayna smiled back, looking slightly confused. "I'm afraid I don't know what a 'bathroom' is."

"Oh. Uh…It usually…I think - although I don't know about here – has a place to, um…clean yourself and um…relieve yourself?" Maria couldn't believe how difficult it was to describe a bathroom without using the words toilet and shower. To her relief, Julayna's face relaxed into understanding.

"Oh yes. I believe what you're looking for is what we refer to as the 'purification space'." She immediately stood up. "Come. It's probably best if I show you."

Maria looked over at Liz. "Liz, I think you said you had to go to the bathroom too right?"

"Wha - uh…" Liz widened her eyes warningly at Maria and then smiled at Max. "I'm just, um…going to go to the bathroom with Maria."

Max looked confused but merely replied with, "Ok."

Liz got up and when she came around, Maria grabbed her arm and then smiled at Julayna. "Lead the way."

Julayna led them down the same hallway that Arrin had taken Isabel and Kyle through, stopping about three doors down and placing her hand on a white square, causing the door to slide open. "Here you are."

Maria smiled. "Thank you, Julayna. I think we can find our way back, if you want to just go back and catch up with Max – I mean Zan."

"Are you confident you will not get lost?" Julayna smiled, looking questioningly between Maria and Liz.

Liz nodded. "Yep. I have a good memory." She pointed. "It's just straight down this way."

Julayna nodded. "Very well."

As she was leaving, Maria pulled Liz into the bathroom. She opened her mouth to speak, but then caught sight of the room.

"This is the bathroom?" She looked at Liz, who looked equally surprised. They were in a small, cube shaped room, like a smaller version of the place they had been eating, except that it was completely bare, only granite and those curious white squares. "Where is the toilet?"

"Or the sink?" Liz asked.

Maria shook her head. "Never mind that. It's not important right now. You're pregnant?"

Liz smiled. "How did you know?"

In answer, Maria grabbed Liz and squeezed her. "I can't believe you didn't tell me!"

Liz gasped, "I can't breathe."

Maria let go and then looked at Liz expectantly. "So tell me everything! Was it planned? How far along are you? What has Max said? Do you have names picked out? What are they?"

Liz, laughing, put a hand over Maria's mouth. "Maria!"

Maria nodded to indicate that she could control herself and Liz removed her hand. "Right," she said, "Sorry. I'm just so excited!"

Liz beamed. "I'm pretty excited too. I just found out today…or yesterday…" She shook her head. "The morning before we were all taken. Max doesn't know yet." She looked at Maria severely. "And you can't tell him!"

Maria closed her eyes and shook her head quickly. "Wait, wait, wait. What do you mean you haven't told Max yet? Why not?"

"I told you. I only found out that morning. I was just about to tell him when we got taken."

"Well you're going to tell him soon then right? What are you going to say?"

Liz frowned. "I don't know…" She looked around the small cube shaped room they were in. "I mean…I don't want him to worry."

Maria frowned back. "So…you're just not going to tell him?"

Liz shrugged. "Yes. No. I mean…I'm going to tell him, I just don't know if I'll tell him right away. We kind of have other things going on right now." As Maria continued to stare Liz held up her hands. "I'm going to tell him. Just not tonight."

Despite her best attempt at trying to act her age, Maria started giggle and hop up and down. Liz started laughing. "Why are you so excited about this? I mean, don't get me wrong, I love it, but we haven't even seen each other for eight years."

Maria put a hand on her hip. "And that means I can't be excited when my best friend gets pregnant? You and Max are just so…adult. I mean, you've been married forever, and now you're going to have a kid. Michael and I…" She trailed off as she recalled the argument she and Michael had had just before they were taken.

Liz frowned. "Hey." She put an arm on Maria's shoulder. "Is everything ok with you two?"

Maria tried to smile. "Of course. You know Michael." She shrugged. "We just…sort of got into an argument before we were taken."

"What about?"

Maria suddenly felt a little self-conscious, and was confused by the feeling. This was Liz. Married and pregnant Liz…

She waved her hand. "You know what? It's nothing."

Liz looked at Maria, concerned. "It doesn't sound like nothing."

Maria looked towards the door. "We'd better get back or they'll think we've fallen in."

Liz looked around. "Into what?"

Maria also looked around at the bare granite. "You know…we're going to have to figure out how to use these things…Maybe we can ask Julayna." She looked back up at Liz. "We can just say we never figured it out." She raised her hand to touch the white square next to the doorway, like Julayna had done. Nothing happened.

Maria looked over a Liz. "This is what she did right?"

Liz nodded. "Yeah. I wonder why it didn't work?" She walked over and put her hand on the same spot Maria had. The door immediately slid open. They looked at each other in confusion and then walked out and back to the dining room.

Kyle stared at Isabel for a moment, frowning. "What do you mean we're locked in?"

Isabel looked at the white square, in a daze. "The door won't open." She turned to look at him. "That's the only explanation."

"But, why lock us in?" he asked. "They're the ones who brought us here. They wanted us, not the other way around."

Isabel shook her head, her panic level continuing to rise. It was taking a lot of control to keep from breaking down. She walked over to look out the large window, unable to focus on the beauty outside. "No. They wanted Max and Michael. Arrin didn't want me or you, or Liz and Maria."

Kyle walked over to join her, looking at her rather than the spectacular view. "Ok, fine. They didn't want you or me…or Maria or Liz. But why lock us up?"

Isabel looked at Kyle impatiently. "Don't you get it? It's because of her."

"Her?" Kyle looked at her in confusion and Isabel closed her eyes to reign in her panic before it boiled over.

"Vilandra," she whispered. Isabel hated Vilandra, hated that she had betrayed her family, betrayed her people. Isabel had spent the past eight years trying to forget about Vilandra, and now she was here, with the very people Vilandra had betrayed. "No matter what I do, I can't escape her," she said more to herself. "And now I'm in this place, where she betrayed everyone." She looked intently at Kyle. "I'm not Isabel to Arrin. Did you see the way he looked at me? How he paused every time I asked a question? I'm Vilandra. He's locking me up here like a criminal. And he's probably locking you up because you came with me."

She turned away and crossed her arms, feeling cold despite the pleasant temperature of the room. "I'm nothing but a traitor to these people. I'm the reason they have to have a rebellion." Her shoulders started shaking as she felt her control slipping. She let out a gasp, throwing her hands up to cover her face as hot tears rolled down her cheeks, the result of years of pent up fear, frustration, and embarrassment over everything Vilandra had done boiling over.

Kyle immediately pulled her into a hug. "Hey. It's ok." He rubbed a hand over her back as she leaned into his embrace. "You're not a traitor. I know you're not Vilandra. Max and Michael know you're not Vilandra. And they also know that Vilandra had no idea what Khivar was planning when she took him to Zan. When they find out that you've been locked up, they're not going to let it stand."

He pulled away, gently tugging her hands away from her face, using his thumb to wipe away a tear. "Max won't let them keep you locked up."

Isabel looked down at Kyle, being a couple of inches taller than him, their eyes locking. She watched him swallow hard and felt him gently rub his thumb along her wrist. Her eyes flitted towards his mouth, her pulse starting to race, and then back up at his eyes. He was going to kiss her. She wanted him to kiss her, wanted it more in this moment than anything since Jesse.

Jesse's name brought Isabel crashing back to reality and she quickly pulled her hands away and took a step backwards. Kyle frowned in confusion but didn't say anything, instead clearing his throat and walking over towards the white square Arrin had said would somehow bring them food.

"You know, I think I'm hungry after all." He smiled at her, but his eyes didn't quite meet hers. "Care to help a guy out?"

Isabel nodded, feeling awkward about the moment they nearly had, and walked over, wondering what she'd be able to figure out how to order food.

By the time Liz and Maria got back to the dining room, Arrin had returned from dropping off Isabel and Kyle at their rooms. Liz immediately went to sit back down next to Max, her stomach lurching at the sight of the half eaten plates of food. While she was strangely happy about feeling nauseated, due to the reason behind it, she still prayed that she wouldn't throw up.

As she sat down, Michael spoke to Arrin. "So where is everyone?" He shoveled in another mouthful of food and looked at Arrin expectantly.

Arrin sat ramrod straight, with his hands folded on the table. Only then did Liz realize that he only had four fingers on each hand. She covertly glanced at Julayna's hands and saw that she also had four fingers. It seemed so obviously, Liz wondered how she'd missed it. Well, at least one stereotype had to be true, she mused to herself.

"They are on the lower levels," Arrin replied.

"Why?" Max asked.

Arrin turned his head so that he was facing Max. "Julayna and I were both in agreement that the transition from Earth would be made less cataclysmic for you if you did not have to immediately resume leadership."

Liz could see Max stiffen out of the corner of her eye. She reached over to grab his hand. Hearing it stated wasn't a shock, necessarily - after all Arrin had said that the point of the rebellion was to reinstate Max as king - but Liz knew that leadership was something Max feared. He had done an amazing job when they had been on the run, but it had worn on him, having every decision be his, and thus a large part of the consequences his fault.

Michael tore off a piece of something resembling purple bread and stuffed it in his mouth. "So are you and Julayna co-leaders or something?"

Arrin paused again and then nodded once.

Julayna laughed. "Indeed. If lifemate qualifies as co-leading."

They all looked around at each other. Maria held up a hand. "Hold on. Do you mean you're married?"

Arrin paused a moment, regarding Maria without expression, and then simply said, "Yes."

Liz looked at Max, who looked equally as surprised. Maria sat back, saying, "Well I didn't see that one coming," mostly under her breath.

Arrin looked at each of them in turn, his face still expressionless. Julayna smiled. "You seem surprised."

"What?" Maria said, laughing nervously. "No, not surprised. Liz, are you surprised?"

Liz jumped slightly, startled at having to give her opinion. "Uh…" She glanced at Max and then shook her head, trying to smile. "Nope. Not surprised at all."

Maria turned to Michael. "Michael?"

He shrugged his shoulders. "Yeah, I am."

Maria laughed again nervously and widened her eyes at Michael.

"What?" he said. "It's not like you're fooling anyone."

Julayna laughed, although Liz noticed that Arrin did not. "Please, do not worry that you have offended us. You would not be the first to wonder at my life bond with Arrin."

That didn't surprise Liz at all. She wondered what would draw someone as upbeat and obviously easy going as Julayna to someone like Arrin, who had yet to be anything but staunchly formal to everyone, including Julayna.

"How'd you guys meet?" Maria asked.

Julayna glanced at Arrin, suddenly looking uneasy. Arrin didn't return her look, but glanced around and said, "Perhaps it's best if we exchange pleasantries at a later time. There is much to inform you of."

Liz glanced first at Maria and then at Max, who nodded once at Arrin. "Ok. What's been going on since we…died?" He frowned. "How long has it been?"

"It has been thirty revolutions."

"Revolutions," Max spoke slowly, as if he were thinking. "Revolutions around the sun?"

Julayna smiled warmly. "Very good, yes. We were told that time flows differently on Earth from Antar. How long has it been for you?"

Max glanced at Michael before answering. "We landed in Roswell in sixty-six years – revolutions - ago."

"So you are sixty-six revolutions then?" asked Arrin.

"No. We were in stasis pods for forty-two years. We're about thirty-years old."

"Fascinating," said Julayna. She turned to Arrin. "I wonder if the former queen had it timed so that a similar amount of time would have passed for the Royals by the time they returned."

Arrin nodded once. "I also wonder." He turned back to Max. "To understand Antar as it is today, it is best to understand the past. Under the leadership of the monarchy, of which you were a part, Antar endured many thousands of revolutions of relative peace. Our only enemies were those outside out planetary system."

"Then how come Kivar had enough people to overthrow and kill us?" Michael interrupted.

Arrin turned to look at Michael. "I am given to understand that Earth has different types of people."

Liz thought wondered at Arrin's abrupt change of subject. Michael frowned, also looking confused. "What…like races?"

"Are there not different colors?"

Michael shrugged. "Sure." He looked around. They were all basically the same skin color. "Some are darker or lighter."

Arrin nodded. "You will no doubt have noticed that Julayna and I are not the same color."

No one responded, since only a blind person wouldn't be able to tell the difference between their red and green skin tones. Arrin continued. "Prior to his rule, King Zan I, grandfather to you, Zan, and the man for which you were named, was made a fool by his betrothed, a ruby skinned woman named Aninay. As a result, his first decree as ruler was to strip away the rights of those with ruby skin. They were, so he decreed, to be treated as a second class of citizen, fit only to serve those with emerald skin." Liz saw Arrin's knuckles whiten on his clasped hands. Julayna placed a hand over them, no longer smiling. "His decrees against our ruby skinned brothers were vast, even including monetary restrictions so that they would never be able to gain wealth. Families were torn apart as it became illegal for the ruby and emerald to be lifemates. Those who didn't comply were made to watch their ruby skinned lifemates and antari flogged."

Liz couldn't believe what she was hearing. "And the people just went along with this?"

Julayna looked at Liz and spoke softly. "They had no choice. It was the decree of the king." She looked at Arrin. "Not all believed in the restrictions. Being ruby skinned was a genetic mutation which took place many thousands of years ago. All Antarians are descended from the same group."

"It was asinine," said Arrin, tensely, showing the most emotion Liz had seen yet.

"I don't understand," Max said. "Why didn't my father just change the decree when he was made king?"

Arrin looked at Max. "By the time your grandfather passed, the rift between skin colors had solidified. There were many more who now viewed the ruby skinned as true second class citizens. They did not want a change in the order."

"But he was king," Liz interjected. "He didn't have to listen to the people. You just said it. They would have had no choice."

"Beth," Max said quietly. Liz looked over. Max had his head turned towards her, but his eyes were on Arrin. "Arrin is trying to say that my father was prejudiced."

Liz looked over immediately at Arrin, whose face remained expressionless. Liz started to wonder if he was even capable of forming an expression. "Oh."

Max gestured towards Arrin, his face looking tense. Liz knew him well enough to know why. He was wondering if his former self had held the same prejudices. "Go on."

Arrin nodded once and then continued. "By the time your father, King Ahndee, took the throne, a new generation of citizen had been born and raised to believe they were superior to the ruby skinned people. But the ruby Antarians had not forgotten a time when they were viewed as equal, nor that they had been made to suffer humiliation at the hands of their own families. As Julayna said, all Antarians share common ancestors. It was, and is, not uncommon for two emerald Antarians to produce a ruby skinned antari. When this happened, they were now, by law, forced to relinquish their offspring to be raised by others for a life of servitude. Often times lifebonds were severed as a result, due to the misguided belief that a ruby antar could only come from a ruby parent. Bitterness grew among the ruby Antarians. By the time you, King Zan II, took the throne, the anger of the ruby citizens was barely contained. And they now had a leader."

"Kivar," Max said.

Arrin nodded. "Yes. Kivar had allowed himself to become impoverished rather than work as a servant. He was well educated, likely the result of illegal schooling, found on occasion and severely punished. Kivar spoke well, and the ruby Antarians listened. He painted you as a villain, who would follow in the footsteps of your father and grandfather. By the time you were made King of Antar, we were on the brink of a rebellion."

"Did…was Zan - I mean I- going to change the decree?" Max asked.

Arrin paused for a couple moments. "It is difficult to say. The history of that tumultuous time has been corrupted. The history currently taught paints King Zan II as a spoiled man, who cared nothing of the plights of his people. It was not long after you ascended the throne that Kivar killed you. It was only the quick thinking of your mother and a few loyal scientists that saved the Royal Four. It was not until after you were on your way to earth that we learned of Vilandra's treachery."

"Vilandra wasn't a traitor," Michael interjected. Arrin looked at him. "At least not on purpose. She thought Kivar was going to talk to talk to Zan, not kill him."

"You would defend the woman who betrayed you? Who betrayed us all?"

Michael shook his head. "She didn't betray us all. She was tricked. And in case you've forgotten, she was killed right along with us."

Julayna spoke up, looking surprised. "She was your betrothed, and she betrayed you with another."

Michael's eyes narrowed and Maria put a hand on his arm. "We weren't married yet. She loved someone else. It's that simple. It's not a crime to love someone."

"Actually," Julayna said, "it was. More than one crime even. Her king had given her hand. To give herself to another man was considered treason. And even had you not been betrothed, his red skin made it a crime." She tilted her head. "I find it curious that you stick up for her."

Michael boldly looked at Julayna. "Look. We don't even really remember it. Just bits and pieces. And anyway, Isabel isn't like that. She's practically my sister."

Liz glanced at Arrin, wondering what his reaction was to this news. His face was still blank, but Liz thought she saw anger flash in his eyes and wondered. He had been distant with her, Maria, and Kyle, but now that she thought back, he had also been distant with Isabel. It was only with Max and Michael that he hadn't paused before talking, as if to consider whether they were worth the time it took to answer. She had assumed that he just didn't like humans, although considering his reaction to the racism of his own planet, it was ironic that he should be so discriminatory towards them. Now she wondered if Arrin didn't view Isabel as a traitor.

"Michael," Max said calmly, though Liz could hear the underlying irritation in his voice. "We can discuss the finer points of our death another time." He looked at Arrin. "I don't remember what Vilandra did, but Isabel is no traitor." His tone brokered no argument and Liz looked at Arrin, wondering if he was going to say more or heed the warning voice of the man he calls King. Liz could see the muscles of his jaw working, but he must have decided to move on, because he didn't respond.

Liz glanced at Maria, who broke the awkward silence. "So then, after Kivar took over he got rid of the racism thing right?"

Julayna shook her head. "No. There were many revolutions of civil war before Kivar's rule was solidified. Naturally most of the emerald Antarians were distraught at the dissolution of their monarchy. But they believed they would prevail in the war against the ruby Antarians. Kivar and his army were largely untrained, having never been allowed in the military."

"Then how did they win?" Maria asked.

Arrin looked at Maria and Liz saw another flash of anger in his eyes. "Through brutality. Kivar did not play by the rules of war. He and the so-called officers he commanded spared no emerald in their path, male, female, or antari. He took no prisoners. All who fell in his path were slaughtered."

Liz pictured the terror of living through such a time and felt her eyes prick with tears. "That's awful," she said quietly.

"Eventually," Arrin continued, "the emerald Antarian military leaders decided that enough blood had been shed." Liz heard a hollowness in Arrin's voice, and wondered what horrors he had seen, how old he had been. "They gave a full surrender." His voice became hard again. "Kivar promised that no harm would come to them, but at the formal surrender hearing, broadcast around the planet, he had them immediately shot following their verbal surrender." Maria put a hand to her mouth and Liz saw Max flex his fists, his knuckles going white. She felt like she was going to be sick and closed her eyes to try and stave it off. But Arrin wasn't finished. "He then said that anyone who dared challenge his rule again would meet the same fate. After that, there was none who dared think of rebellion. Even those of us who have since formed the rebellion did not start meeting together until more than five revolutions had passed. He reversed King Zan I's decree. All ruby Antarians were now free to educate and work as they chose." Liz thought she heard a subtle bitterness in his tone. "And in exchange for the years they had lost, and the suffering they had endured, all emerald Antarians were forced to relinquish their possessions and homes to the ruby citizens. And to show the emerald the consequences of oppression, we are not allowed money. We can work for a meager fixed amount of food and a poor material to make clothing, but are not allowed anything else." By the end Arrin's commanding voice had become almost a whisper, though aside from the occasional flash of anger in his eyes, he remained largely expressionless. Julayna put her hand on his arm again. Seeing the look Julayna gave Arrin, Liz saw why she had married him. It was obvious she loved him, though just why she had fallen in love in the first place was still a mystery.

A silence extended for several minutes as they all digested the information they had just been given. Liz knew these kinds of things happened on earth, but also that it was usually limited to countries, specific small portions of land, and that help was usually sent by other countries. She couldn't imagine what it would be like to have the entire world fighting, to be unable to get away, unable to hide the color of your skin. She couldn't imagine praying that the child she and Max were having was one color and not another for fear of being forced to give him or her away. She shuddered and folded her arms. Max wrapped an arm around her and brought her close. She leaned her head against his shoulder, taking comfort in his presence.

These were his people they had been hearing about, even if it was still strange to think about. The atrocities which occurred before his reign were nothing compared to the atrocities and oppression which had occurred afterwards. She glanced up at him, wondering what he was thinking. She couldn't imagine his refusing to help after having heard all these people, his people, had suffered in his absence.

Michael was the first to break the silence. "So where did all this come from?"

Max, Maria, and Liz all looked at him. Michael gestured around. "You said that you weren't allowed to have money. So how did this rebellion end up with a high tech facility underground?"

Arrin answered, "Those who have joined our rebellion are not restricted to the downtrodden. They are not only emerald skinned, either. Kivar's brutality has many, even high up in his government, seeking a way to dispose of him. They do dangerous work for us, setting up supply lines, and acting as spies within Kivar's internal network. Though our group here on Hylian numbers only in the hundreds, our rebellion numbers in the thousands, with many more simply too scared to join us. We are well supported."

Suddenly Liz yawned. "I'm so sorry," she said when she recovered.

"You are in need of rejuvenation," Arrin said, making a statement rather than asking a question. He stood up. "Come, Julayna and I will show you to your quarters. You all can rejuvenate and then we can begin our planning."

Max looked sideways at Liz as they stood up. Arrin immediately walked out the same door he had taken Kyle and Isabel through, and they filed out after him, with Julayna bringing up the rear.

Michael and Maria were shown to their room first. Julayna volunteered to show Michael how to use the various features. Several doors down, Arrin indicated that they had reached their room. He walked in first and then paused to allow Max and Liz walk in behind him. Liz gasped at the view out their window, reminded of the many prisms in the cave on the slide down.

Arrin explained which squares were for the bathroom and how to use them and then left them alone, with instructions to meet back at the dining room when they woke up. After he left, Liz walked over to the enormous bed and sat down. It was soft. She ran her hand long the blanket on the outside. The fabric was soft, completely unlike anything she had felt before. It was like a combination of silk and velvet underneath her hand. Max walked over to the window and stared out.

Liz kicked off her shoes and climbed underneath the covers, sighing as she sank into the bed. It molded to her body perfectly, as if she were lying on a cloud. "Zan," she said yawning, "Come to bed. It's amazing."

Max looked over at her, and then walked over, also removing his shoes and climbing under the covers fully clothed. Now that they were alone, Liz felt her exhaustion hit her like a ton of bricks. It had been late when they had been sucked through the vortex, and who knows how many hours had passed since they arrived. And that's not to mention the extra exhaustion from her pregnancy.

Max settled down and Liz scooted over, lying against him, with his arms wrapped around her. They lay for several minutes before Liz broke the silence. "You have to help these people."

Max didn't answer for several moments. Liz turned her head up to look at him. "You're going to help them aren't you?"

Max looked at her and Liz could see the conflict in his eyes. "How can I help these people?"

"You're their king."

Max shook his head. "I'm no one's king. I'm just a copy. I don't know anything about this planet. I don't even remember my own past. How can I lead a rebellion when I don't even know how? I couldn't even keep our group of six together." He looked away, focusing on something across the room. "You heard what Arrin said, about Antar's history. These people are fighting wars over skin color. What are they going to say when their supposed King comes to them with white skin, looking like an earthling and not an Antarian? Look at what happened to Tess. To my son." He looked Liz in the eye. "They completely rejected him."

Liz shook her head slightly. "No Zan. The people didn't reject him. Kivar rejected him. No matter what he said originally about wanting equality for Antar, the only thing he wanted was power. He's just as much a bigot as King Zan I. More so. He repressed the people even more than your father and grandfather." Liz sat up, lookinb at Max seriously. "And you are not just a copy. You're an improvement. You weren't raised with preconceived prejudices against your people."

Max looked at her a moment before he put a hand behind her head and pulled her in for a kiss, surprising her. When he pulled away he looked at her. "Thank you for always believing in me."

Liz tried to smile. "Of course." She ran a hand through his hair, a new thought occurring to her. "You know…you don't have to call me Beth anymore."

The corners of Max's mouth turned up. "And you don't have to call me Zan."

"Actually," she said teasing, "I might. It is your name after all."

Max reached up to grab her wrist and pull her hand down from his hair, all semblance of a smile gone. "Promise me from now on you'll call me Max, Liz."

Liz felt a something like electricity travel through her as he said her old nickname. She hadn't even realized how much she had missed it until now. "Ok…Max."

He visibly relaxed as she said his name. She lay back down against him, yawning again. Just before she drifted off, Liz managed to say one last thing. "I think you'll be an amazing king."

A/N: Thanks for reading! :)