Chapter Sixteen- Endings and Beginnings Psalm 25:20- "Guard my life and rescue me.."

Execute Tielle! Chayden's mind whirled with thoughts and emotions, all mixing together in his mind to be an utterly incomprehensible mess.

*Stop it! If I can't think clearly, I can't think of a way to get out of this mess!* Chayden told himself, numbly making his way back to his quarters. He had some intense thinking- and praying -to do.

***

Klane made his way to Ziex, where Queen Tenia greeted him with sobriety. She had called an emergency meeting of the Senate, she told him, and their Klane could petition the delegates for assistance. She had no doubts that he would get it, she assured him, but there were proper channels to go through.

"Could you not order for a fleet to go to Hidon without the Senate's approval?" Klane asked disdainfully. He had never approved of governments where the monarchy did not have absolute power.

"Well, yes I could," Tenia calmly replied, "but the Senate would be offended if they were not consulted, and that would only slow things down in the long run. It will benefit us in the end if the Senate enthusiastically supports the process."

Klane nodded stiffly. "I understand, although I will be frank with you: I do not approve. I do not like to creep around the issue, taking undue time, when Hidon and my family is waiting for deliverance from Fareari." In reality, though, he didn't care what happened to Hidon or his family, but that would not be the right message to send across.

Tenia nodded regally, her elaborate face paint emphasizing the seriousness in her features. "I expected your reaction and have assembled a fleet of warships, ready to be sent to Hidon the moment that the Senate gives the order. I, too, do not want to leave Hidon at the mercy of Fareari."

***

Partini clenched his teeth as he looked outside. The huge warships were visible even this far away, hanging in the atmosphere like Death itself. *Where are Ziex and Shansire?*

And how was Tielle? Was she even alive? Maybe it was better if she wasn't.then Fareari couldn't use her to get what they wanted. but they still had Arilana.

Or did they? They hadn't shown Arilana to Hidon and had only spoken of her once. Could she have somehow escaped?

But then where was she now? Why had they not heard from her before?

It hardly mattered. Now that Fareari was jamming Hidon, there was no way that she could contact them, and she'd have to be a fool to come to Hidon it was being blockaded by Fareari.

Perhaps it was better this way, for if Fareari did invade Hidon, and Partini was captured, he could not tell Faihn where Arilana was, for he did not know.

Partini scratched at an itch on his arm and lowered his gaze from Hidon's skies. He just hoped his youngest daughter was safe.

***

Tielle did not return to her small cell as she had the last time she had been interrogated. The medics were still concerned about her health, and so she remained in the medical wing under constant medical scrutiny.

She didn't mind, however; anything, even the septic atmosphere of the infirmary was an improvement over her dank cell, within hearing range of the inmates.

She was getting tired of being useless and powerless, though, and she told Chayden so when he came to talk to her on one of his frequent visits.

"I can't handle this," she complained, "all this lying around and doing nothing. It's so boring, and I'm used to doing things, not uselessly lying in bed all day."

Chayden sadly smiled down at her. "Soon it will all be over."

***

But how? How would it end? Certainly not in an execution, as Chayden's father had planned. Chayden had to somehow prevent such an event from ever taking place. But how?

He had decided not to tell Tielle of Faihn's order for her death; it would only distress her, and she needed to focus on healing. And if he told her, she would want to know about his plan to stop the execution and might accidentally reveal his plan to the gene-altered medics.

He couldn't let that happen; then not only would Tielle be executed, but he probably also would be for committing treason.

So, alone, he thought about an escape attempt and the possibility of failure and success for each different scenario. He had been fortunate that Hristen was no longer at the Hidden Fortress; now Chayden was in charge, and his actions could not be questioned. That would make things much easier.

Eventually he decided on the best way to escape with Tielle. Now all he had to do was wait until she was strong enough.

***

"So, how are you feeling?" The cheerful voice surprised Tielle, and she jumped slightly.

"Oh, sorry, did I scare you?" Chayden grinned and Tielle glared at him. It had become a game between the two of them in the last couple days, seeing if Chayden could come in quietly enough to scare Tielle. Most of the time he could, and Tielle protested that it wasn't fair that she couldn't sense his emotions to notice if he had come in or not.

"You exasperate me," she told him, and he laughed. "Then you're feeling better."

"Why do you say that?"

"Well, I can always tell how you're feeling by your emotions. If you're feeling calm or peaceful, I know something's wrong. If you're feeling annoyed or angry, then I know that my Tielle's feeling better."

She glared at him, but felt the corners of her mouth twitch and give way to a smile. "Yeah, I'm feeling better."

"Really? That's great. What do the doctors think, though?" Chayden didn't wait for a reply and pressed the buzzer on the side of Tielle's bed. A doctor came immediately.

"Yes? Is something wrong? How is the princess?"

"That's what I wanted to ask you. How much has her condition improved?"

"A lot, Your Highness. She will be ready to go back to her cell tomorrow morning."

"Tomorrow morning." Chayden repeated, and there was a look in his eye that made Tielle vaguely uneasy.

***

The next morning Chayden rose early and dressed. Then, instead of hurrying away as he usually did each morning, he took the time to kneel by the window looking out onto the brilliant blue-green ocean and uttered a quick, but heartfelt prayer. *God,* he silently said, *please protect Tielle and I as we attempt to escape, and guide us once we are free.*

Then he rose and left the room, never to return.

***

Tielle had been escorted back to her small cell and was now attempting to sleep. But it was no use; her spirit was restless and didn't want to rest.

A sense of urgency overcame Tielle, as though something very important was to happen and she had to get ready. No matter how hard she tried to shake that feeling off, it persisted until she got fed up.

*Okay God, I don't know what's wrong with me, but I can't relax. Please help me to; I'm tired and need my sleep!*

Sure that now she'd be able to fall asleep, Tielle lay down on her small bunk and waited for sleep to come.

It didn't. And that nagging feeling persisted.

With a sigh of frustration, Tielle sat up again. She frowned; she had the sudden urge to gather her Holy Books and get them ready.

*Ready? For what?*

She decided it hardly mattered and gave into the impulse, carefully stacking the books neatly, one on top of the other. She saw no reason to; she wasn't going anywhere, but if it would stop that irritating feeling, fine.

She had just laid down again when the door to her cell slid open, revealing Chayden standing there with a determined look on his face. "C'mon, Tielle, let's go." He grabbed her wrist and almost dragged her out. "Wait!" she yelped, and snatched her books, thankful now that she had them neatly organized. She twisted her wrist out of his grasp, and stared at him. "Where are we going?"

Chayden impatiently tapped his foot. "We don't have time for that. Let's go."

Tielle stared. Chayden wasn't acting at all like himself. "Why? Why is there a big hurry?"

Chayden let out a long breath. "Tielle. You have to trust me. Can you do that? Can you trust me enough to just come, no questions asked?"

Tielle looked at him and saw the love in his eyes. He loved her. That thought caused a well of joy to bubble up inside her, and she smiled. "Yes. I trust you, Chayden."

He smiled. "Good. Now let's go."

He led her down halls and corridors, through more doors than she could count and past more inmates than she had ever wanted to see. They remained silent because of Chayden's presence, but they still glared at her, and the hatred in their eyes was intense.

No one questioned Chayden. They curiously looked at them, but they asked no questions. Even so, Chayden looked uneasy. Why?

He led her to another door and stopped. He closed his eyes and a look of intense concentration came over his features. *Trying to sense the emotions of people in the next room, to determine if there are any people there.* Tielle thought, and her guess proved correct when Chayden opened his eyes. "It's still too early. No one's there yet."

He pressed his thumb into the door's I.D. square and the door slid open. Chayden and Tielle stepped inside.

Or rather, outside. They had reached the top of the building, where a small number of shuttles were sitting, the sun glinting off of them. "Where are we going?" Tielle whispered, but Chayden either didn't hear or didn't care to reply.

He quickly scanned the aircraft and headed for a small, unobtrusive one that was used frequently on a hundred worlds. It was the kind of shuttle that would blend in and disappear anywhere.

Tielle followed the prince into the shuttle and into the cockpit, where Chayden took the pilot's seat and gestured to the co-pilot's chair. "Can you fly?"

"A bit." Arilana had always been the pilot of the family. The thought of her deceased sister brought tears to Tielle's eyes, but she pushed them down. She could properly mourn her sister later.

Tielle sat down in the chair and took Chayden's hand to stop him from starting the shuttle. "Chayden, where are we going? What, what are you doing?"

He grimly faced her. "You're scheduled for execution today. My father is going to first give your father one last chance to surrender, and if your father still refuses to surrender, my father will broadcast your execution, then immediately attack Hidon."

Dumbfounded, Tielle could only stare. A lone tear slipped from one eye and cascaded down her cheek. Embarrassed, she turned away and hid behind a veil of red hair, trying to control her emotions.

"And when they discover that I've escaped?" she finally asked, her voice sounding choked.

"I don't know for sure, but I imagine that Fareari will just move the attack up and take Hidon that much sooner."

"No, not that. I mean, what about you?"

Chayden looked away. "I will be disowned and declared a criminal on the grounds of treason."

"Chayden, you can't come with me, then! Stay here. Say that I managed to escape, alone somehow. They won't dispute your word. Now that Hristen's gone, you're in charge. What you say goes. Stay here."

"And what? Lie? My sense would be deceitful and surely my father would figure it out, as soon as he saw me face-to-face."

"You managed to hide your feelings for me from Hristen."

"From my brother, yes. My father? No. I can't hide my feelings from him, no matter how many mental barriers I put up. He's my father. Those who have been gene-altered cannot hide their emotions from their parents, even if they're apart for many years. It's a bond."

Tielle looked away from Chayden, distressed. He would not be welcome on Hidon, she knew, and so where would he go?

"Besides which," Chayden continued, "how could I stay on Fareari without you?" Startled, Tielle looked up. Chayden was looking at her intently, his blue eyes sparkling. "I love you. I can't leave you. And if I stayed on Fareari, I'd have to be married in two months, when I turn twenty. I couldn't get over you in two months. I couldn't get over you in a lifetime."

A million arguments rose to Tielle's lips at that, the foremost one being that there was no way her father would accept Chayden as anything other than Farearian scum, especially when Tielle was engaged to Kall! How could they cultivate a relationship, then? And Tielle couldn't step down as Crown Princess and Heir Apparent; then the throne would be passed to Klane.

But her objections died as Chayden's proclamation of love melted her heart. "Fine," she whispered, tears welling up in her eyes. What kind of a life would Chayden have? How could she get out of her engagement to Kall without offending Shansire and convince her father that Chayden was different than his father?

Chayden understood what he was getting into, and yet he was willing. Shouldn't that be enough for Tielle?

So much stood in the way, though. So much. The tears spilled down her cheeks, and Chayden lovingly wiped them away with a finger. "It's going to be okay, Tielle. Just have a little faith."

She smiled. Yes, God would make everything all right, eventually. He had a plan, and nothing could stand in His way. That thought was comforting.

Chayden started the shuttle and they rose into Fareari's atmosphere. Tielle looked down at the beautiful planet, shimmering waters and forests filled with life.

Then she looked at Chayden, the one good thing to come out of this ordeal. How she cared for him. Was it love? She didn't know.

But she'd have fun finding out.

Chayden leaned over towards her, and their lips met as the shuttle eased into light-space.

***

This is not the end! Read the continuation of Tielle and Chayden's story, Beyond Hope. And tell me what you thought about this first story in the series. I would love to hear from you!

God bless and thanks for reading my story!