Aryana was about to hyperventilate. She was being prepared to see the king for the first time. Her mission...to keep his eyes off the other women. She did not understand why they had to treat the heart of the king like it was some kind of prize. Why Ava couldn't just trust him to fall in love with her. She knew that Ava loved this king on some level but with the way she talked of marring him, it seemed more like it was just a game. How she longed for the company of a man who would love her. The one who could complete her soul. Like the men that Aryana and Krystal would stay up all night whispering about. Heros that could save them from their boring lives. With the rememberance of Krysta, Aryana found herself wondering if she could sneak Krysta into the castle unnoticed later this week...

"Are you sure this color will impress the king?" Ava interupted Aryana's thoughts, asking the seemstress for the tenth time. All the while searching for the imperfections in Aryana's look.

"Well absolutely! I have it on good authority that this particular combination of purple and blue should make it hard for him to take his sights off her!"

"And what have you planned for her hair? This plain brown hue simply will not do. We must dress it up with more flowers, ones to match the dress….And what of…" Aryana begin to tune out her sister has she played with her hair and the color that would adorn her face. It was widely known that the king had set the Granolith up to keep all major powers from being used during the festivities, but he had allowed for the molecular manipulation to still be accessed for personal use.

"Ava," Aryana interjected, " what exactly is the purpose of me going in your place? I mean, why cant Kivar just.."

"Sister, dear." Ava said, trying to save face in front of the servants, "Kivar has been here for a week working on him. And while your beauty is no match for mine, I am almost confident in your ability to keep his eyes from straying and thinking of others. Just remember to stay near his side. Dance with him, sing his and my praises, and ALWAYS keep others from entertaining him for too long. Do this and you shall be greatly rewarded when the time comes."

While Aryana was distressed about playing games with another's heart, she knew the beast thing was to entertain the whims of her elder sister. Even if the difference was only by mear minutes. On the five planets, having twin boys was deemed the greatest honor to a family, no matter their rank in the world. However, twin girls where seen as a hindrances on the family. Being that she was born second, she should have faced death as an infant. But fortune spoke for her and granted her a powerful, loving mother. Her father, however much he loved his wife, was not that compassionate. While Aryana's mother spared her life, her father made her a servent to her sister.

"She is ready for him." Ava finally said after the final inspection. "She is not completely what I had hoped for, but this will have to do."

Aryana turned to face her sister, and bowed low to show the "respect" that she was due. With that, Ava called in Kivar.

"Let the games begin!" He announced, as he slipped on his mask.

When they entered the hall, two things stood out to Aryana. First, the beauty of the Granolith hanging from the ceiling. The second was the amount of pristine women. To her it seemed like there were thousands of women. How am I going to keep him away from this? She wondered in disbelief. Slowly she walked into the room. They were every where, each talking about how they were going to win the most prized heart. She turned around, looking for her brother. Panic set in as she realized she lost him in the masses. She started to franticly look for him, bumping into countless people. She started to feel so small, her breath escaping her every second. She sharply turned, desperately looked for an exit, when she bumped into Him. Almost falling onto her back, he twisted and caught her in a secure embrace. One look from his eyes and she felt like she was in heaven. This man, who ever he was, was smiling to her from behind a mask. His smile melted all fear she was having away. For the first time in her life, in his arms, she felt like…HOME.

Liz walked up to the symbol on the wall and slowly touched it. Fear escaped her as the symbol turned into what looked like a family tree. In the center she saw Max. Beside him on the right was Tess, and beside her was a strangely familiar looking woman. On Max's left was Isobel with Michael beside her. Below Max was another Picture of a woman and a man. They also looked very familiar. Glowing faintly was Max and the woman next to Tess.

This was too strange. Liz backed up to the wall beside her. She was feeling faint, and calling Max with her mind.