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Chapter 11: Home

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Early the next morning Abby woke to an empty bed. She searched the apartment for Connor but couldn't find him anywhere. All of their belongings were packed and piled by the door; the ship was landing that morning. Quickly throwing on the elegant robes Aranth had given her to wear for the landing, Abby left in search of her husband. After checking both Nate and Lane's rooms and Max's home, she turned to her parents. Her mother hadn't seen him, but her father was apparently missing as well. Worried, Abby left in a huff, checking up and down the corridor.

"So you're saying you don't want us together? Isn't it a little late for that?" Abby stopped when she heard Connor's angry voice coming from within a room. She put her ear against the door.

"I didn't say that," Michael said. "I said I didn't want my daughter with you. I can't stop her and I won't try."

"That's good, because she's my wife," Connor retorted, his voice rising. "You can't keep us apart so please don't try. And you know what, Michael? I don't appreciate this in the least. I've done nothing but love and care for her since the moment I met her. I've never hurt her and I've never done anything to earn this hatred."

"You took my daughter away from me. She's too young, she needs her family."

"She's a grown woman. She was going to leave you some day. I just gave her somewhere safe to go. At least you know she'll always be protected with me."

"But she'd be safer with me. I'm her father." Abby couldn't listen to them argue anymore.

"Would you two please stop this?" she demanded, bursting into the room. "Quit arguing about me all the time and quit fighting over me. This is ridiculous. Dad, Connor's right. I'm grown up and don't need you to watch over me. All always love you, but I'm all grown up now. And Connor, my Dad's right too. Maybe this all happened too soon and maybe I'm too young. Please respect my father's opinion on the subject." Connor nodded.

"Fine," he said. "I can do that."

"Daddy," Abby said, turning to Michael. "I'm grown up. I have a husband. Whether you like it or not, things have changed. Please let them change. I'm not asking that you like Connor or this new situation, I'm asking that you accept it and allow me to live my life." Michael sighed.

"Yeah," he replied. "I can do that."

"Good." Abby hugged him and then took Connor by the hand. "I'll see you when we land, Daddy." Michael nodded and Abby and Connor left.

~*~

A few hours later the ship was landing. Everyone was assembled and waiting. Everyone was scared. Abby spoke to Connor in her mind.

"What if they don't accept us?" she asked, trying not to show her fear to the others around her. Connor turned his head towards her and touched her hand gently.

"They will accept us," he said with certainty. "And, besides, even if they don't, we still have each other, and our families. We can always go home."

"I hope you're right," she replied.

"I am, I think. Are you afraid?"

"No," Abby answered with certainty.

"I am," Connor said honestly. "Why aren't you scared?"

"The first time I met Aranth privately, he told me something. He said we would be tested many times on our journey and we would be afraid."

"Yeah," Connor said, "He said the same thing to me. What does that have to do with not being afraid?"

"He also told me to be a better leader I needed to be strong and not afraid. The people would look to us for strength. Remember what the book about us said? The motto the people follow in our honor? 'Fear is the mind-killer. Fear destroys strength, so strength must destroy fear before it can develop.' I'm just practicing what we will apparently preach."

"Well haven't you gotten clever," he stated with a smirk.

"Yes," she replied, trying not to laugh. To a casual onlooker they were standing in silence. If Abby were to laugh, their secret would be discovered, and they guarded their secret very carefully. The door before them opened and they followed Aranth onto their new world.

"Welcome to your new home, your Royal Highnesses," Aranth said, gesturing to the wide spread of subjects before them.

"Home," Connor whispered. "Abby, we're finally home." Abby smiled at him.

"Yeah, honey," she agreed, looking at all of her new subjects, bowing before them. "We're home."

~*~

Abby laid down on the expansive bed of her new bedroom. Connor collapsed next to her.

"That was the most exhausting day of my life," she sighed, curling against him.

"It's only the beginning," he replied.

"Don't remind me," she begged, closing her eyes to find the world of dreams.

Their day had been more than exhausting. The action had been non-stop from the moment they stepped off the ship. First they had to greet the people of Antar, the planet where their palace was located. Then they toured the capitol city of the planet and meeting all the people important to their reign. Among the people there to greet them were the rulers of the other four planets. After the tour of the city, the two were quickly rushed into meetings with the four rulers to discuss diplomacy and policy. This made Abby's head ache, but Connor definitely enjoyed it. Once their initial meetings with the four rulers were over, there was an official ceremony to welcome the High King and Queen and officially grant them power over the five planets. Immediately following this there was another ceremony, where Abby and Connor, as High King and Queen, reinstated Max as the King of Antar and to make the humans citizens of the planet under the protection of both the King of Antar and the High King and Queen.

By the time the ceremonies had ended Abby and Connor were exhausted. Before being allowed to go home and relax, however, they had to attend a diplomatic dinner in the King of Antar's home. To the public it was a dinner of the rulers to discuss diplomacy and other political matters. Privately, it was the last chance Max, Michael, and Maria had to have their children to themselves before they moved into their own home and officially became independent. The rulers of the other four planets were there as well to become acquainted with the Royal Couple and, more specifically, their large and interesting Earth-family.

After the meal Abby and Connor finally came to their new home, the High King's Palace, in the center of the city. Quickly changing and preparing for bed, they were passed out within an hour of arrival.

~*~

The next few days continued much the same. There were official meetings to attend, subjects to greet, and a home to get settled into. By the end of the week the two were slightly more comfortable with their hectic schedule and with their new home. After they were settled, the first real act of the High King and Queen was to travel on a diplomatic mission to each of the other four planets, greeting the planets' people and meeting with their rulers. Since they had already met each of the leaders, this task was not at all daunting.

First they visited Fallor, the planet ruled by their parents' old friend, Larek. Larek was particularly fond of Connor because he was Max's son. Abby loved Larek's home, as well as the planet itself. The diversity of life on the planet was incredible. Beyond that, the habitat of the citizens boggled the mind. The primary living arrangement of the Fallorians was in trees. The planet was populated with forests and huts in trees seemed the most agreeable way for the race to live. Larek's palace was, however, located on the ground. The people of Fallor had a physique more suited to climbing than the other races of the five planets, so their diplomatic center was located on the ground, where others could more easily reach it. Abby and Connor stayed in Larek's palace for a week, touring all of Fallor and meeting as many of its people as possible.

After Fallor they moved on to Zallini, which was ruled by Sero. He was a nice enough man who, overall, seemed very happy with Abby and Connor. Zallini itself was the largest of the four planets, but most of it was covered with water. Unlike on Antar, however, the water wasn't like water on Earth. It was red and thick and very dense. The parts of the planet that were not covered in this water, called "carboth" by the Zallinians, were filled with hills and mountains. Most of the Zallinians actually lived in huts inside the hills, or caves inside the mountains. They had tried building homes on land originally, but the fierce carboth-storms Zallini suffered would always destroy them. Soon it just became an evolutionary adaptation to use nature as their home. Abby and Connor stayed here for a week as well, meeting the people, touring the planet, and discovering the joys of swimming in carboth.

After Zallini, Daglomar was the next planet to visit. Abby didn't care for it in the least, and she found the leader of the planet, Hanar, less than charming. Connor liked him, for he was definitely a man's man, but the planet lacked character. The whole planet, from top to bottom, was plains. Not plains and hills, or plains and rivers, or plains and woodlands, but just plains. One could see miles by looking into the distance, for often nothing blocked the scenery. The planet was plain boring. The one thing it did boast was an assortment of wildlife, which the hunting of was the primary entertainment. Abby and Connor only stayed four days here, and it was four days too many in Abby's opinion.

Finally the two came to Jacobni, the most powerful planet of the five, ruled by Queen Katana. Jacobni was, interestingly enough, the smallest of the five planets. Instead of boasting of interesting natural wonders or fascinating wildlife, Jacobni had technology. While all five planets had incredible technology, Jacobni oozed it. The whole planet was one large, impressive city. Both Abby and Connor were in awe of its enormousness and wanted to spend forever exploring it. After a week and a half, however, they had to return home. Their one-month tour of the five planets was over and they had to deal with official business.

And the first piece of official business was the judgment of Kivar.

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A/N: Yes, I stole from Frank Herbert, as I believe everyone should do at least once. I just love that line and think it's very true. If you have no idea what I'm talking about, here you go:

The Bene Gesserit Litany against Fear
from the series of Dune Novels

I must not fear.
Fear is the mind-killer.
Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration.
I will face my fear.
I will permit it to pass over me and through me.
And when it has gone past I will turn the inner eye to see its path.
Where the fear has gone there will be nothing.
Only I will remain.