Title: What the Future Holds 2 (Part Seven)
Author: SpyGirl314
Email: GroupieChic319@aol.com
Rating: PG-13
Disclaimer: I don't own Roswell, although I really wish I did.
Summary: If you haven't read What the Future Holds, you'll be totally lost. This takes place about a year after What the Future Holds ends. When 2020 Roswell is taken captive by an unexpected enemy, the offspring of the pod squad must now ask for help..... from the past.
Category: Max/Liz
Author's Note: Thanks to all the people who have been giving me such nice feedback lately! I truly could not have written this without your support!
6:00 a.m.
Saturday, April 30, 2020
Roswell, New Mexico
Katie looked around the room slowly. It was unbelievable. Advanced technology that she'd never laid eyes on before. It was so futuristic looking, it almost looked fake. Doors slid open when you walked through them, computers knew what to do if you told it in your imind/i to do something.
She turned to the three mysterious people that had brought her here, and something in her mind told her these people were inot/i evil. That they were here to ihelp/i.
"Who-- Who iare/i you?" Katie whispered.
She felt Gabriel's hand grip hers tighter.
The blonde man stepped up, the two women behind him. "My name is Dakota. This is Denise," He motioned to the muscular girl on his left, "And this is Ilana." The other girl looked more feminine. She gave Katie and Gabriel a small smile.
"Well, I'm Katie and this is Gabriel." Katie responded and the three nodded their heads.
"Yes, we know all about you." Dakota smiled. "It's so nice to finally meet you, iprincess/i."
Katie's eyes widened at that. "Are you from Antar?"
Dakota nodded his head and suddenly, 5 chairs and a table appeared out of nowhere. "Have a seat, this is going to be a ivery/i long discussion."
As they sat down, Ilana said quietly. "Would either of you like a refreshment?"
"Actually, a water would be really great if it's not too much trouble." Katie smiled and Gabriel nodded his head in agreement.
Ilana smiled brightly. "It's no trouble at all!" She was only gone a few moments, and sat the glasses down in front of them.
Dakota took a deep breath, and exchanged glances with Ilana and Denise. They both nodded their heads in encouragement. He cleared his throat, and said solemnly, "We were in the remaining three pods."
Katie had been in the middle of drinking a big gulp of water, and nearly choked when he said that sentence. Coughing can practically gasping for air, Ilana quickly ran over to her and patted her back. When Katie seemed to have gotten herself under control again, Ilana sat back down, watching the girl intently.
"Oh my god!" Katie breathed in amazement. After all the searching with her parents, they'd never found a trace of the other three. And now finally, they were sitting directly in front of her. "Where have you been? How did you find us??"
Dakota relaxed, and settled in for a long talk. "Well, we've been in Los Angeles ever since we hatched from our pods. Our pods were hidden in some cave in California. Nasedo took us and put us in a shelter. He said that both pod sets should be separate, incase the skins found us. We tried hard to stay together, and a nice family ended up adopting us all. We had a safe home for years."
"When did you find out about my parents? And Michael and Isabel?" Katie asked.
"We found out about them when we were 17." Denise answered. "You see, Nasedo had left all the technology of our planet with us. It was in the cave were our pods were. Over the years we remembered more and more of our past lives, and were able to work with the equipment easily. We had a locator device that went off as soon as Max activated the pods. We easily traced it to Roswell..... and we just knew that's where everyone was."
"And this place would be....." Gabriel's voice trailed off as he looked around the high-tech room.
"We moved our base here when we found out that the MI-63 rebels were here. This technology can locate any alien activity within the nearest 6 galaxies." Denise explained.
"Why didn't you contact them when you first found out who they were?" Katie asked curiously.
"Nasedo had always told us to remain seperate from the other set, until the time was right." Dakota said. "We didn't want to attract anymore danger to ourselves than there already was."
Katie nodded her head, understandingly. This all made perfect sense. Suddenly, something occured to her. "Wait-- you knew Nasedo when you were little?"
Dakot nodded his head. "That is correct."
"Then you know about Tess.... right?" Katie's voice trailed off and she saw all their eyes darken at the mention of her.
"Yes." Denise said with no emotion in her voice. "We know ialot/i about Tess."
Katie looked all three of them in the eyes, and she saw many different emotions. Anger, hatred, and fear. "Exactly how imuch/i do you know?"
"Everything." Denise said flatly, just talking about Tess made her blood boil. "We know everything about her... and Ava."
"Ava?" Katie asked, "You mean.... who Tess was on Antar?"
Dakota nodded his head. "Yes. We, unlike your parents, remember ieverything/i about our past lives on Antar."
Katie's eyes widened in shock. Her parents remembered very little about their past lives. Her mother remembered Zan and Adri, and how much she loved them.... but that was just about it. She had no recollection of what she did on the planet. Her father was the same way, except he remembered a little more. He remembered his family, feelings of resentment towards his royal parents, and the utter agony of being forced into marriage with Ava. But other than that, they remembered nothing.
"We are going to tell you now, whow we are." Dakota said, his voice calm again. "And explain to you exactly what went on during Antar's fall."
"But shouldn't we do this with my parents?" Katie asked, "And shouldn't we do this after those people from MI-63 are gone??"
Dakota shook his head. "This explains a ilot/i of what is happening now. You must be well informed of the evil you are up against."
Katie exchanged glances with Gabriel, then looked back to Dakota. "Ok, I'm ready. What ireally/i happened on Antar 60 years ago?"
Dakota closed his eyes briefly. He was about to tell this young girl, a very painful story. A story he relived in his mind every day of his life. A story that haunted him. But the truth would finally be said. After all these years, everyone would ifinally/i know what ireally/i happened. That was something that was long overdue.
"I should explain first, who we," He referred to him, Denise, and Ilana. "are. My name on Antar was Dakotar. I was the leader of the Antarian army, and Zan was one of my closest friends."
Denise sat up straight and looked Katie in the eyes. "I was Desimina. Basically my job was to represent the Royal family in all foreign affairs. I would speak for the family at conferences and such. However, for the short few days Zan was King, I was an informant. A spy. At that time the planet was in serious danger, as we'll explain later."
Denise looked to Ilana, as if it was her cue to talk. Ilana smiled at Katie, a soft smile that spoke of utter adorement. "I was Ilania. I was a servant to the royal family at the palace. But more than that, I had a very dear friend..... Zara. And I helped her raise her little girl, when Zan was not there."
Katie swallowed past a lump in her throat. She could feel the kindness rolling off of Ilana in waves. This woman thought the world of her, and Adri, and she'd just met her. Katie nodded her head and she saw Dakota take a deep breath.
"Now, everything started with your parents meeting......."
***
8:00 a.m.
Sunday, May 13, 1927 (Earth Time and Date)
The Royal Palace, Antar
16 year-old Zan threw his books down on his desk in disgust. He hated this. He studied none stop all day, and for what? So he could take a few tests in the morning and then go back to his room to study the rest of the day iagain/i for tests he would take the next day?
His life was an endless routine of tests, studying, and going to formal dinners with his parents. He didn't have any friends, with the exception a couple of Rath and Dakotar. And of course, his sister. He disgusted his parents. The only way they were connected was by their DNA. Nothing else. He had completely different views with them on every subject you could think of. From politics all the way to food. He was the exact opposite of them. But he wasn't the only one. His sister, Vilandra, was the same way.
Zan looked around his room. He had no real possessions. Nothing that meant anything to him, anyways. He just wanted to be normal, have a normal life like everyone outside the palace walls.
He shook his head. He needed to get out for awhile. Clear his mind. With a determined look on his face he walked out of his room and quietly slipped down the stairs and slipped out the front door. The guards at the gate looked at him, then opened the gates.
As he walked down the main street of Lucinda City.... he already felt at ease. iThis/i was where he belonged. He smelled the heavenly aroma of the bakery that was a little ways down the street. Walking through the town always reminded him of how deprived his people really were. Antar was a great, evolved planet. Their advanced technology exceeded any other planet. The palace was full of security systems and their military base was the most sophisticated in the universe.
But you would never know this by visiting the cities of Antar. They were medieval looking. People wearing raggedy old clothes, and no sidewalks... only dirt roads. The buildings were old, and recently some began to collapse. Many people had been killed an injured. But his parents did nothing.
Zan had walked this city many times. No one recognized him, because no one knew who he was. The Royal family refused to let the public see them. Except for Zan and Vilandra. They frequently would escape from the treacherous palace and walk with the commoners. It was the only thing that kept them from going insane.
He walked down farther, and was about to turn around when he felt something. He'd never felt it before. It was as if something was tugging at his heart. At his isoul/i. He had to keep walking... so he did.
He had never walked that far into the city, but he wasn't going to stop. This feeling that he had, this sensation, was incredible. And the farther he walked, the stronger it got.
His feet carried him and suddenly, he saw a small floral shop, directly in front of him. It was in an old building and it had a dusty old sign hanging in front of it that read "Zara's Flowers".
"Zara....." As the name rolled off his tounge, it felt so right. He couldn't explain it, but before he knew it, he was walking into the store.
It was a small little shop. Everywhere you looked, there were flowers. It was the most beautiful things he'd ever seen in his life. Plants hanging from the ceiling, bright green vines wrapped around posts, and colorful little flowers in pots all over.
He was particularly drawn to a single flower in a beautiful vase, sitting amongst a few other flowers. It was a rose. A white rose. He gently touched one of its petals with his hand, and it was the softest thing he'd ever touched.
"That's my favorite one." A voice said from behind him.
Zan turned around quickly and came face to face with an angel. It had to be, because nothing in the universe looked as heavenly as the young lady he saw in front of him. His heart pounded in his chest and all he could do was look into those wide brown eyes that were looking at him with such an intensity, he had trouble breathing.
"It-- It's very beautiful..." Was all he could force out of his mouth. The girl looked around his age, and he couldn't stop staring at her.
She smiled at him, a little blush creeping up on her cheeks. And in that one single instant, Zan's heart melted. He was in love.
She finally looked away, blushing more now. An idea popped in her head, and she moved past him towards the flower.
Zan felt her move against him, and he thought he'd died and gone to heaven. Electricity shot through his body, awakening all nerves, at just a few seconds contact with her.
He watched her pull the rose out of the vase and turn to him, the rose outstreched to him.
"Here, you can have it." She smiled, her eyes looking warmly into his. "Free of charge. From one rose lover to another."
Zan smiled back at her and reached for the flower. Their fingers slid against each other and excited the electricity in his body again. Her quickly slid back down to her side and she looked away again, blushing even more now.
"Thank you." He said, his voice quiet. "I'm Zan, by the way."
The girl smiled and looked into his eyes once more. "I'm Zara."
"Oh, so you own this store?" Zan asked, relieved now that atleast he think and talk more clearly now. Her presence was having a profound effect on him, and he didn't want to leave.
Zara nodded her head. "Me and my mom do. I'm only 16 so I'm not really old enough to run it by myself yet."
Zan smiled, almost bursting through the seams with happiness. She was his age! How perfect was this?? But her next question brought him back to reality in a harsh way.
"So, does your family live in Lucinda?"
Zan smile faded and he slowly nodded his head.
Zara smiled and suddenly, an alarm went off in the back and her eyes widened. "Oh! I forgot. I'm making some pies for this family dinner we're having tonight. I better go check them."
Zan nodded his head. "Yeah, I better get going anyways."
Zara nodded her head as she started to back away. "Well, it was nice meeting you..... Zan."
Zan gave her a smile. "Likewise, Zara."
She smiled and then disappeared behind a door.
As he walked back to the palace, with the white rose held delicately in his hands, he couldn't stop thinking about her. He had never smiled so much in his life. In fact, he really didn't smile at all.... until today.
He looked down to his hands at the rose.... he would keep this forever. This morning, he had nothing he treasured. Now, he had two things he would treasure for his entire life. This rose...... and Zara. He made a solemn vow to himself that day. He would see Zara every single chance he got.
And he did.
***
7:00 a.m.
Saturday, April 30, 2020
Roswell, New Mexico
Katie had tears in her eyes. That was the sweetest story she'd ever heard. Their love was so pure, so innocent. It made her angry to think of all they had to go through just because they were in love.
"That's not even the tip of the iceberg, though." Dakota said, clearing his throat. "You see, after Zan and Zara started seeing each other regularly, they became almost inseperable. Zan finally told her who he was, and he was terrified of doing so. Terrified that he would lose the one person that meant most to him. Terrified that she wouldn't love him anymore because of who he was. But it was exactly the opposite. She loved him more. Their love...... it's so complicating. It's one of a kind. They became even closer after he finally let her in, telling her about how he didn't fit in in the palace, with his parents, with his entire life. Before that they were inseperable, now you just could inot/i keep them apart."
"But it was forbidden." Denise interrupted. "A Royal was only to court someone of Royal blood. So they had to keep everything a secret, or else Zara and her family could have been killed. Zan was always iso/i careful with Zara. He'd hurt himself before anything happened to her. He protected her with his life. There were only a handful of people that knew about this relationship. And they were the only people Zan felt he could completely trust. Those people were Dakota, Ilana, Vilandra, Rath, and I. No one else in the universe knew about it but us. And it was imperative that we keep it that way."
Ilana spoke up then. "I moved in with Zara when we were both 17. My family's business went broke so I had to find a place to live while I worked at the palace. Zara's store was next to our old one, and we had known each other for a long time. We became great friends for the 3 years I lived with her. We shared many secrets. Of course, with working at the palace, I had already known about their relationship. Zan had come to me early on in it because he needed someone to help him see her. I arranged secret rendezvous so they could spend time together. It got increasingly difficult as the years went by, but we managed."
"Finally, when they were both 20.... four years after they'd met. They got married." Ilana continued, then whispered softly, "And that's where everything went wrong."
"Because they got married?" Katie asked.
"No, because of who isaw/i them get married." Dakota said. His head was down. "At the time, Kivar's old planet, MI-63, was plotting to take over Antar. Kivar had a spy follow each member of the Royal family. Which, we didn't know about until years later. The spy had found out about Zara a few days earlier, and when he followed them to the ceremony.... he knew the prince was breaking a very sacred custom in the Antarian Royal family."
"So that's how Kivar found out about Zan and Zara..." Katie's voice trailed off.
"Yes, and that's when Ava came into the picture." Denise said. "Ava to a descendant of the Royal family on MI-63. She's of no relation to Kivar, but she knew him. She knew him well."
Denise paused, then continued. "Growing up, Ava was a spoiled brat. She got everything she wanted. Her parents frequently visited Antar because they were old friends with the Royal family. That's when her obsession with Zan began. She was determined to marry him someday. When she and Zan were 16, she convinced her parents and his to make a deal. An arranged marriage between Ava and Zan would happen once Zan was crowned King. Not a word of this was spoken to Zan. That was the last time Ava visited Antar... until she was to be wed to Zan."
"Many, many years later when Ava was around 36, Kivar came to her. He told her of Zan's secret marriage with the peasant girl. Ava became very angry at this. Even though Zan never knew of the arrangement their parents had made, she felt as if he belonged to her. The fact is, the only reason Ava wanted to marry Zan is because she wanted to be Queen. She wanted the power that only a Queen could possess. They made a deal that day. Kivar told her of his plan to take over Antar in a matter of days. He said he would make her his Queen, only if Ava handed over Zan, Vilandra, Rath, and the rest of the Royal family of Antar. Ava agreed to do it. When the King died of a virus he contracted while visiting another planet, Kivar knew it was the perfect timing to set his plan into action. Ava went to Antar the iday/i that the King died, and told Zan of the deal their parents had made many years ago. Zan's mother backed up Ava's story, and said they were to be married the next day, so that Zan could be crowned." Denise stopped, looking at Dakota to pick up where she left off.
"Needless to say, Zan was angry. I was in the room when all of this happened," Dakota explained, "And to be quite honest.... Zan lost his senses right then and there. He refused to wed Ava. He told everyone.... that he was already married. That he'd been married for 16 years. His mother was shocked, to say the least. Ava pretended to be hurt, but Zan saw right past her deception. He tried desperately to plead with his mother, but she would have none of it. Ava and Zan were to be married the next day..... and they were."
"She made him marry Ava??!!" Katie exclaimed. "But that's..... that's so wrong!! He loved Zara!"
Dakota nodded his head sadly. "It broke my heart to see this happen. But I'm afraid, the bad times were still to come."
Denise started again. "That night, Zan snuck out of the palace to see Zara at the house he had bought for her many years ago. It was out in the country, very secluded, so no one would know that he was hiding a wife and daughter there........."
To be continued.....
Author: SpyGirl314
Email: GroupieChic319@aol.com
Rating: PG-13
Disclaimer: I don't own Roswell, although I really wish I did.
Summary: If you haven't read What the Future Holds, you'll be totally lost. This takes place about a year after What the Future Holds ends. When 2020 Roswell is taken captive by an unexpected enemy, the offspring of the pod squad must now ask for help..... from the past.
Category: Max/Liz
Author's Note: Thanks to all the people who have been giving me such nice feedback lately! I truly could not have written this without your support!
6:00 a.m.
Saturday, April 30, 2020
Roswell, New Mexico
Katie looked around the room slowly. It was unbelievable. Advanced technology that she'd never laid eyes on before. It was so futuristic looking, it almost looked fake. Doors slid open when you walked through them, computers knew what to do if you told it in your imind/i to do something.
She turned to the three mysterious people that had brought her here, and something in her mind told her these people were inot/i evil. That they were here to ihelp/i.
"Who-- Who iare/i you?" Katie whispered.
She felt Gabriel's hand grip hers tighter.
The blonde man stepped up, the two women behind him. "My name is Dakota. This is Denise," He motioned to the muscular girl on his left, "And this is Ilana." The other girl looked more feminine. She gave Katie and Gabriel a small smile.
"Well, I'm Katie and this is Gabriel." Katie responded and the three nodded their heads.
"Yes, we know all about you." Dakota smiled. "It's so nice to finally meet you, iprincess/i."
Katie's eyes widened at that. "Are you from Antar?"
Dakota nodded his head and suddenly, 5 chairs and a table appeared out of nowhere. "Have a seat, this is going to be a ivery/i long discussion."
As they sat down, Ilana said quietly. "Would either of you like a refreshment?"
"Actually, a water would be really great if it's not too much trouble." Katie smiled and Gabriel nodded his head in agreement.
Ilana smiled brightly. "It's no trouble at all!" She was only gone a few moments, and sat the glasses down in front of them.
Dakota took a deep breath, and exchanged glances with Ilana and Denise. They both nodded their heads in encouragement. He cleared his throat, and said solemnly, "We were in the remaining three pods."
Katie had been in the middle of drinking a big gulp of water, and nearly choked when he said that sentence. Coughing can practically gasping for air, Ilana quickly ran over to her and patted her back. When Katie seemed to have gotten herself under control again, Ilana sat back down, watching the girl intently.
"Oh my god!" Katie breathed in amazement. After all the searching with her parents, they'd never found a trace of the other three. And now finally, they were sitting directly in front of her. "Where have you been? How did you find us??"
Dakota relaxed, and settled in for a long talk. "Well, we've been in Los Angeles ever since we hatched from our pods. Our pods were hidden in some cave in California. Nasedo took us and put us in a shelter. He said that both pod sets should be separate, incase the skins found us. We tried hard to stay together, and a nice family ended up adopting us all. We had a safe home for years."
"When did you find out about my parents? And Michael and Isabel?" Katie asked.
"We found out about them when we were 17." Denise answered. "You see, Nasedo had left all the technology of our planet with us. It was in the cave were our pods were. Over the years we remembered more and more of our past lives, and were able to work with the equipment easily. We had a locator device that went off as soon as Max activated the pods. We easily traced it to Roswell..... and we just knew that's where everyone was."
"And this place would be....." Gabriel's voice trailed off as he looked around the high-tech room.
"We moved our base here when we found out that the MI-63 rebels were here. This technology can locate any alien activity within the nearest 6 galaxies." Denise explained.
"Why didn't you contact them when you first found out who they were?" Katie asked curiously.
"Nasedo had always told us to remain seperate from the other set, until the time was right." Dakota said. "We didn't want to attract anymore danger to ourselves than there already was."
Katie nodded her head, understandingly. This all made perfect sense. Suddenly, something occured to her. "Wait-- you knew Nasedo when you were little?"
Dakot nodded his head. "That is correct."
"Then you know about Tess.... right?" Katie's voice trailed off and she saw all their eyes darken at the mention of her.
"Yes." Denise said with no emotion in her voice. "We know ialot/i about Tess."
Katie looked all three of them in the eyes, and she saw many different emotions. Anger, hatred, and fear. "Exactly how imuch/i do you know?"
"Everything." Denise said flatly, just talking about Tess made her blood boil. "We know everything about her... and Ava."
"Ava?" Katie asked, "You mean.... who Tess was on Antar?"
Dakota nodded his head. "Yes. We, unlike your parents, remember ieverything/i about our past lives on Antar."
Katie's eyes widened in shock. Her parents remembered very little about their past lives. Her mother remembered Zan and Adri, and how much she loved them.... but that was just about it. She had no recollection of what she did on the planet. Her father was the same way, except he remembered a little more. He remembered his family, feelings of resentment towards his royal parents, and the utter agony of being forced into marriage with Ava. But other than that, they remembered nothing.
"We are going to tell you now, whow we are." Dakota said, his voice calm again. "And explain to you exactly what went on during Antar's fall."
"But shouldn't we do this with my parents?" Katie asked, "And shouldn't we do this after those people from MI-63 are gone??"
Dakota shook his head. "This explains a ilot/i of what is happening now. You must be well informed of the evil you are up against."
Katie exchanged glances with Gabriel, then looked back to Dakota. "Ok, I'm ready. What ireally/i happened on Antar 60 years ago?"
Dakota closed his eyes briefly. He was about to tell this young girl, a very painful story. A story he relived in his mind every day of his life. A story that haunted him. But the truth would finally be said. After all these years, everyone would ifinally/i know what ireally/i happened. That was something that was long overdue.
"I should explain first, who we," He referred to him, Denise, and Ilana. "are. My name on Antar was Dakotar. I was the leader of the Antarian army, and Zan was one of my closest friends."
Denise sat up straight and looked Katie in the eyes. "I was Desimina. Basically my job was to represent the Royal family in all foreign affairs. I would speak for the family at conferences and such. However, for the short few days Zan was King, I was an informant. A spy. At that time the planet was in serious danger, as we'll explain later."
Denise looked to Ilana, as if it was her cue to talk. Ilana smiled at Katie, a soft smile that spoke of utter adorement. "I was Ilania. I was a servant to the royal family at the palace. But more than that, I had a very dear friend..... Zara. And I helped her raise her little girl, when Zan was not there."
Katie swallowed past a lump in her throat. She could feel the kindness rolling off of Ilana in waves. This woman thought the world of her, and Adri, and she'd just met her. Katie nodded her head and she saw Dakota take a deep breath.
"Now, everything started with your parents meeting......."
***
8:00 a.m.
Sunday, May 13, 1927 (Earth Time and Date)
The Royal Palace, Antar
16 year-old Zan threw his books down on his desk in disgust. He hated this. He studied none stop all day, and for what? So he could take a few tests in the morning and then go back to his room to study the rest of the day iagain/i for tests he would take the next day?
His life was an endless routine of tests, studying, and going to formal dinners with his parents. He didn't have any friends, with the exception a couple of Rath and Dakotar. And of course, his sister. He disgusted his parents. The only way they were connected was by their DNA. Nothing else. He had completely different views with them on every subject you could think of. From politics all the way to food. He was the exact opposite of them. But he wasn't the only one. His sister, Vilandra, was the same way.
Zan looked around his room. He had no real possessions. Nothing that meant anything to him, anyways. He just wanted to be normal, have a normal life like everyone outside the palace walls.
He shook his head. He needed to get out for awhile. Clear his mind. With a determined look on his face he walked out of his room and quietly slipped down the stairs and slipped out the front door. The guards at the gate looked at him, then opened the gates.
As he walked down the main street of Lucinda City.... he already felt at ease. iThis/i was where he belonged. He smelled the heavenly aroma of the bakery that was a little ways down the street. Walking through the town always reminded him of how deprived his people really were. Antar was a great, evolved planet. Their advanced technology exceeded any other planet. The palace was full of security systems and their military base was the most sophisticated in the universe.
But you would never know this by visiting the cities of Antar. They were medieval looking. People wearing raggedy old clothes, and no sidewalks... only dirt roads. The buildings were old, and recently some began to collapse. Many people had been killed an injured. But his parents did nothing.
Zan had walked this city many times. No one recognized him, because no one knew who he was. The Royal family refused to let the public see them. Except for Zan and Vilandra. They frequently would escape from the treacherous palace and walk with the commoners. It was the only thing that kept them from going insane.
He walked down farther, and was about to turn around when he felt something. He'd never felt it before. It was as if something was tugging at his heart. At his isoul/i. He had to keep walking... so he did.
He had never walked that far into the city, but he wasn't going to stop. This feeling that he had, this sensation, was incredible. And the farther he walked, the stronger it got.
His feet carried him and suddenly, he saw a small floral shop, directly in front of him. It was in an old building and it had a dusty old sign hanging in front of it that read "Zara's Flowers".
"Zara....." As the name rolled off his tounge, it felt so right. He couldn't explain it, but before he knew it, he was walking into the store.
It was a small little shop. Everywhere you looked, there were flowers. It was the most beautiful things he'd ever seen in his life. Plants hanging from the ceiling, bright green vines wrapped around posts, and colorful little flowers in pots all over.
He was particularly drawn to a single flower in a beautiful vase, sitting amongst a few other flowers. It was a rose. A white rose. He gently touched one of its petals with his hand, and it was the softest thing he'd ever touched.
"That's my favorite one." A voice said from behind him.
Zan turned around quickly and came face to face with an angel. It had to be, because nothing in the universe looked as heavenly as the young lady he saw in front of him. His heart pounded in his chest and all he could do was look into those wide brown eyes that were looking at him with such an intensity, he had trouble breathing.
"It-- It's very beautiful..." Was all he could force out of his mouth. The girl looked around his age, and he couldn't stop staring at her.
She smiled at him, a little blush creeping up on her cheeks. And in that one single instant, Zan's heart melted. He was in love.
She finally looked away, blushing more now. An idea popped in her head, and she moved past him towards the flower.
Zan felt her move against him, and he thought he'd died and gone to heaven. Electricity shot through his body, awakening all nerves, at just a few seconds contact with her.
He watched her pull the rose out of the vase and turn to him, the rose outstreched to him.
"Here, you can have it." She smiled, her eyes looking warmly into his. "Free of charge. From one rose lover to another."
Zan smiled back at her and reached for the flower. Their fingers slid against each other and excited the electricity in his body again. Her quickly slid back down to her side and she looked away again, blushing even more now.
"Thank you." He said, his voice quiet. "I'm Zan, by the way."
The girl smiled and looked into his eyes once more. "I'm Zara."
"Oh, so you own this store?" Zan asked, relieved now that atleast he think and talk more clearly now. Her presence was having a profound effect on him, and he didn't want to leave.
Zara nodded her head. "Me and my mom do. I'm only 16 so I'm not really old enough to run it by myself yet."
Zan smiled, almost bursting through the seams with happiness. She was his age! How perfect was this?? But her next question brought him back to reality in a harsh way.
"So, does your family live in Lucinda?"
Zan smile faded and he slowly nodded his head.
Zara smiled and suddenly, an alarm went off in the back and her eyes widened. "Oh! I forgot. I'm making some pies for this family dinner we're having tonight. I better go check them."
Zan nodded his head. "Yeah, I better get going anyways."
Zara nodded her head as she started to back away. "Well, it was nice meeting you..... Zan."
Zan gave her a smile. "Likewise, Zara."
She smiled and then disappeared behind a door.
As he walked back to the palace, with the white rose held delicately in his hands, he couldn't stop thinking about her. He had never smiled so much in his life. In fact, he really didn't smile at all.... until today.
He looked down to his hands at the rose.... he would keep this forever. This morning, he had nothing he treasured. Now, he had two things he would treasure for his entire life. This rose...... and Zara. He made a solemn vow to himself that day. He would see Zara every single chance he got.
And he did.
***
7:00 a.m.
Saturday, April 30, 2020
Roswell, New Mexico
Katie had tears in her eyes. That was the sweetest story she'd ever heard. Their love was so pure, so innocent. It made her angry to think of all they had to go through just because they were in love.
"That's not even the tip of the iceberg, though." Dakota said, clearing his throat. "You see, after Zan and Zara started seeing each other regularly, they became almost inseperable. Zan finally told her who he was, and he was terrified of doing so. Terrified that he would lose the one person that meant most to him. Terrified that she wouldn't love him anymore because of who he was. But it was exactly the opposite. She loved him more. Their love...... it's so complicating. It's one of a kind. They became even closer after he finally let her in, telling her about how he didn't fit in in the palace, with his parents, with his entire life. Before that they were inseperable, now you just could inot/i keep them apart."
"But it was forbidden." Denise interrupted. "A Royal was only to court someone of Royal blood. So they had to keep everything a secret, or else Zara and her family could have been killed. Zan was always iso/i careful with Zara. He'd hurt himself before anything happened to her. He protected her with his life. There were only a handful of people that knew about this relationship. And they were the only people Zan felt he could completely trust. Those people were Dakota, Ilana, Vilandra, Rath, and I. No one else in the universe knew about it but us. And it was imperative that we keep it that way."
Ilana spoke up then. "I moved in with Zara when we were both 17. My family's business went broke so I had to find a place to live while I worked at the palace. Zara's store was next to our old one, and we had known each other for a long time. We became great friends for the 3 years I lived with her. We shared many secrets. Of course, with working at the palace, I had already known about their relationship. Zan had come to me early on in it because he needed someone to help him see her. I arranged secret rendezvous so they could spend time together. It got increasingly difficult as the years went by, but we managed."
"Finally, when they were both 20.... four years after they'd met. They got married." Ilana continued, then whispered softly, "And that's where everything went wrong."
"Because they got married?" Katie asked.
"No, because of who isaw/i them get married." Dakota said. His head was down. "At the time, Kivar's old planet, MI-63, was plotting to take over Antar. Kivar had a spy follow each member of the Royal family. Which, we didn't know about until years later. The spy had found out about Zara a few days earlier, and when he followed them to the ceremony.... he knew the prince was breaking a very sacred custom in the Antarian Royal family."
"So that's how Kivar found out about Zan and Zara..." Katie's voice trailed off.
"Yes, and that's when Ava came into the picture." Denise said. "Ava to a descendant of the Royal family on MI-63. She's of no relation to Kivar, but she knew him. She knew him well."
Denise paused, then continued. "Growing up, Ava was a spoiled brat. She got everything she wanted. Her parents frequently visited Antar because they were old friends with the Royal family. That's when her obsession with Zan began. She was determined to marry him someday. When she and Zan were 16, she convinced her parents and his to make a deal. An arranged marriage between Ava and Zan would happen once Zan was crowned King. Not a word of this was spoken to Zan. That was the last time Ava visited Antar... until she was to be wed to Zan."
"Many, many years later when Ava was around 36, Kivar came to her. He told her of Zan's secret marriage with the peasant girl. Ava became very angry at this. Even though Zan never knew of the arrangement their parents had made, she felt as if he belonged to her. The fact is, the only reason Ava wanted to marry Zan is because she wanted to be Queen. She wanted the power that only a Queen could possess. They made a deal that day. Kivar told her of his plan to take over Antar in a matter of days. He said he would make her his Queen, only if Ava handed over Zan, Vilandra, Rath, and the rest of the Royal family of Antar. Ava agreed to do it. When the King died of a virus he contracted while visiting another planet, Kivar knew it was the perfect timing to set his plan into action. Ava went to Antar the iday/i that the King died, and told Zan of the deal their parents had made many years ago. Zan's mother backed up Ava's story, and said they were to be married the next day, so that Zan could be crowned." Denise stopped, looking at Dakota to pick up where she left off.
"Needless to say, Zan was angry. I was in the room when all of this happened," Dakota explained, "And to be quite honest.... Zan lost his senses right then and there. He refused to wed Ava. He told everyone.... that he was already married. That he'd been married for 16 years. His mother was shocked, to say the least. Ava pretended to be hurt, but Zan saw right past her deception. He tried desperately to plead with his mother, but she would have none of it. Ava and Zan were to be married the next day..... and they were."
"She made him marry Ava??!!" Katie exclaimed. "But that's..... that's so wrong!! He loved Zara!"
Dakota nodded his head sadly. "It broke my heart to see this happen. But I'm afraid, the bad times were still to come."
Denise started again. "That night, Zan snuck out of the palace to see Zara at the house he had bought for her many years ago. It was out in the country, very secluded, so no one would know that he was hiding a wife and daughter there........."
To be continued.....