------Chapter Three------

As she was sleeping in her room, Vilandra had dreams. Premonitions of the battles to
come. She saw Zan and Ava being killed by her own hands, as well as Khivar killing Rath.
She saw many others being killed, some by her, others not.

She woke up gasping. Never before had she had dreams such as these. So powerful,
they were. Her personal servant rushed into the room with a bowl of water and
proceeded to wipe the sweat from her face with a cloth. When she finished that, the
servant kneeled before her in a bow-like movement and rushed away.

Vilandra stepped out of bed, walking into her lavatory. She looked into the mirror and
made sure that she was still herself. She walked back out, but instead of returning to
bed, she walked outside into the halls. Looking around, her servant saw her out of her
room, and rushed over to her, kneeling in front of her, same as before.

"Queen Vilandra, if I may perhaps ask, your highness, what are you doing out of bed at
this time? It is not safe, with the war." She said, as if afraid of what the Queen might
do if she said the wrong thing.

"It is no matter to you of what I am doing. Be gone from my sight." She said with a
brush of her hand. With this, the servant literally ran in the opposite direction of
Vilandra.

With this, she through the halls that we familiar to her. She knew almost every hall in
the palace. Walking into one room, she took the vial out of her pocket. She, herself,
knew nothing of science, as it didn't interest her, so she woke up a scientist. He, of
course, agreed to do anything for her.

"Tell me what this is exactly and how to use it. And then I will tell you what to do about
it."

Vilandra walked out of the room, back to her own. No sooner had she sat down, the
scientist knocked on her door.

"My Queen, I have news for you. The vial that you gave me held DNA intended for
cloning. It appears that they were not only cloning, but also breeding with another race.
What is it that you would prefer me to do now?" The scientist said, hurriedly, bowing at
the same time.

"I would like for you to prepare the clone. Have it done as soon as can be. We may need
it for the battle to come." She said with a brush of her hand. The scientist walked
away, thinking over in his head what he was going to have to do.

Vilandra went to sleep again, this time, not haunted by her dreams. When she woke up,
it was low-sun, and she felt rested. She checked on the scientist, finding that the clone
was almost complete. The clone on earth would takes years to gestate, but on this
planet, only hours.

She walked to breakfast hall, finding that Khivar was already eating. "Why did you not
wake me?"

"I felt that you needed more sleep than you had. What prompted you to have the clone
made?" He said, eating a little more of his food.

"What better to fight for our cause than a clone of one of their own. More than likely,
at one point, the clone will be killed nevertheless. I mean, it is not like we have
anything entertaining planned in the battle, so I would like to see his expression when
his clone walks right up to him. Can I not at least see that?" She questioned.

"I suppose that it will be tolerable. Would you care to eat?" Khivar added.

"I am not hungry. I want to see the clone. Do you want to come with?" She asked him,
starting to walk away.

"I will be there." He said to her retreating form.

Vilandra walked back into the laboratory and signaled to the scientist. "How goes
everything?"

"The clone is advancing at an amazing speed. He is still nothing more than a child,
nonetheless." He reported.

"Is there any way that you can accelerate the process?" She questioned, wanting
everything to go faster.

"I am sorry, your highness. If we are to accelerate his growth, he would have the mind
of but a child. But if the complete growth is uninterrupted, his brain will advance at the
same speed as the rest of him. Otherwise, his brain will be damaged."

"I understand. How much longer will it be before he is grown?"

"No longer than 5 days, my Queen." He bowed and walked away from Vilandra.

------Six Days Later------

"It's magnificent. Just like him, down to every detail. You will be commended for your
great work." Vilandra said, looking at the fully grown clone. "Can he talk well?"

"He can speak the whole language, if that is what you are asking, my Queen."

"Leave us be for a while. We have some important matters to discuss."

The scientist nodded his head and walked out of the room, closing it quietly behind him.

She examined him a few minutes more. "Do you have a name?"

"I am called Jukon. Who are you?" he said, unmoving.

"In 3 hours, I will reign as Queen. My name is Vilandra. Do you know your purpose?" She
asked, wondering exactly what the scientist taught him.

"I am unaware of what my purpose is. Do you know what it is?"

"I created your purpose. You are to fight in battle in three days. You are to search out
the person who has the same face as you. Then, and only then are you to capture him
and bring him to me. I am presuming that you have been training for battle. Am I
correct?" She finished.

"Yes, Queen Vilandra. I have been training for the last four days. I am strong enough to
lift an entire wardrobe, without perspiring."

"That will do. I will expect you to be prepared for anything that can happen." And so he
was.


---Wedding Day---

Vilandra walked into the room where the ceremony was being held. Khivar was standing
at the front, with the high priest in front of him. Law required that each person to be
wed had to have one family member present at the ceremony, or it couldn't be
preformed. Vilandra had her cousin, Nirladru present.

Vilandra walked up to Khivar and held his left hand, together facing the high priest.
They both bowed. Still holding hands, they turned to they gathering, bowing to them.
The high priest recited a few words in a different language and then proceeded to bless
the ceremony. After the blessing was over, the priests asked that one person from each
of them stand up.

Nirladru and Khivar's sister both stood up. Walking up to the area where Vilandra and
Khivar were standing, they stood off to the side.

"The wedding of a King and Queen is the most sacred of bonds. It is not only personal,
but political as well. While you are wedding to each other, you are making a completely
separate bond to this planet and it's inhabitants. Under no circumstances is this bond to
be broken. Is that understood?"

After they both said 'Yes', the high priest continued.

"As far as the sun can reach, as long as the river flows, may you both be wed today.
At the boundary where the mountains reach the sky and the sea at the horizon, may you
both be happy. May you happily wed on this day and be happy for all days forever. You
may kiss the bride."

Vilandra and Khivar kissed and they were married. But that was not to stop what was to
happen.