Disclaimer: Roswell, and its characters do not belong to me. Melinda Metz, Jason Katims and 20th Century Fox have that particular pleasure. I'm simply borrowing them until the Season 2 DVD's get released.
Chapter Fifty – Six – Happenings at the Palace
"I've been searching for you, my love," said Kivar. "It isn't safe for you to wander around the palace like this. Come with me, I will take you back to our rooms."
Isabel allowed herself to be taken by the arm, and led down a dark hallway. Kivar stopped outside a door, and opened it and led Isabel inside. Isabel stopped in shock when she entered the large chamber. She allowed her eyes to search the room, recalling the time when her parents, Vilondra's parents, shared it.
That pig, she thought. How dare he defile their room like that.
"Come my love," said Kivar, his voice heavy with lust. "I desire you." He swept Isabel up into his arms and carried her over to the luxuriously draped bed.
Oh, God! Isabel thought. How the hell am I going to get out of this one. I'll kill him before I let him touch me.
"I'm going to miss you, pet," said Kivar, lying next to her on the bed. He ran his fingers through her long golden hair, releasing it from its bonds. Her golden curls cascaded down around her shoulders. He filled his hands with the silken mass, and brought it to his face.
"So soft, just like you," he whispered. "Come love, touch me."
Hesitantly, Isabel brought her hand to his chest. Do I kill him, now? she thought. She was just about to do it, when his communicator gave a short ring.
"Lord Kivar, this is General Kobodi. "We're waiting for you in the Great Hall."
Kivar growled in anger and rolled away from Isabel. He grabbed his communicator and spoke into it.
"I'll be there in fifteen minutes!" he roared into the communicator.
"Aye, my Lord," answered Kobodi.
That answers my question, thought Isabel. If I kill him now, and he doesn't show up to his meeting with Kobodi, they'll come looking for him. I'd never make it out of the palace.
"Come here love," said Kivar, rolling towards her. We don't have much time. He reached down and took her hand and placed it back on her chest. Isabel reacted quickly and fired a bolt of energy into his chest, knocking him into unconsciousness.
Jumping off the bed, she quickly hid one of the communicators in the room and turned for the door. At the last second, she ran back to the bed, and yanked several hairs from Kivar's head.
Isabel opened the door, and looked up and down the hall, to make sure she was unobserved before dashing down the hall. She located the room where she had left her double and ran inside. She quickly stripped off the clothing that she wore and slipped back into her own clothing.
She dressed her double, and used her powers to wake her back up, and led her down the hall back to the room where the unconscious Kivar waited. She opened the door, and pushed the double inside and pushed her towards the bed. Isabel closed the door behind her and raced down the hallway. As she ran, she changed her appearance back to that if Isadra. She found the gallery and went inside, trying to slow her breathing as she did.
Isabel viewed the pictures in the gallery with horror, for most of them showed Kivar and herself in various poses.
As if, she thought to herself. She waited several more minutes, until her breathing slowed, and her face no longer felt flushed. She opened the door to the gallery and stepped out into the hallway, directly into the path of Kivar.
"E-excuse me, Lord Kivar," she stammered. "I was just looking at the pictures in the gallery. Thank you so much for your kind and generous invitation."
"Isadra, is it not?" asked Kivar. "The diplomatic apprentice?"
"Yes, Lord Kivar," said Isabel, nodding her head.
"Tell me, young lady, have you seen anything strange since you've been in the palace?"
Isabel felt her heart begin to race with fear. "No, Lord Kivar," she said. "But I've spent the last half hour in the gallery. Nobody came in there."
"Thank you, Isadra," said Kivar, turning away. "Tell me," he said, turning back to face her. "What was your favorite picture?"
"I enjoyed the picture of you, in your military uniform, walking in the garden with Queen Vilondra," Isabel lied.
"And why is that," asked Kivar.
"Because while I can still see you as a formidable leader, what is more apparent is the love you share with the Queen."
"Thank you, Isadra," said Kivar, pleased with her answer. "The Ambassador is right, you will go far as a diplomat. Your answer was truthful, as well as flattering." He reached out and took Isabel by the arm. "I am however going to ask you to leave the palace. We have an intruder in here, and are about to conduct a room by room search. I do not want you to be accosted by any of my guardsmen. I trust, Isadra, that as a diplomat, you know the judiciousness of not repeating this information to anyone."
"Should anyone think to ask Lord Kivar, I can honestly tell them that you and I discussed the artwork in the gallery," said Isabel with a smile.
"Very wise, indeed," said Kivar. He escorted her to the palace entrance and watched as she exited the gates passed the Aberjani trainees that were coming to search the palace, and walked back to town.
"I want a complete search of the palace," said General Kobodi. "Each team has been assigned an area of the palace. Do not leave the sector you have been assigned, unless it is to return back here. We had an intruder here today. Surveillance showed a black haired woman enter the palace this morning, but we have yet to see her leave. Find her, and bring her to me!"
"Who do you think it was?" Kyle asked Max as the two entered the palace.
"I'm guessing Isabel," said Max. "Maria said Liz was going to work in the lab today, and that Isabel was going to try and do some of her diplomatic stuff to gain access to the palace."
"Well, if it was Isabel, you can stop worrying," said Kyle. "There she is, right now."
They watched Isabel pass under the palace gates and head towards town.
"Guess we found our intruder," Max whispered to Kyle. "And we know that she got out okay."
"It will make searching that much more fun," said Kyle. "We can poke around and see what we can find. And maybe hide a few of Maria's communicators while we're searching," he added.
"You have been given your assignments!" shouted General Kobodi. "I expect no deviation from them. Is that clear?"
"Yes, General!" shouted the Aberjani and the Aberjani trainees alike.
"What sector did we get?" Kyle asked.
Max looked down at their assignment, and struggled not to explode with laughter.
"You'll never, in a million years believe me if I tell you," said Max.
"Try me," said Kyle.
"How does the throne room grab you?" said Max.
"No way. No freaking way," said Kyle. "Damn, because I was thinking we'd sneak in there and leave a communicator."
"Yeah, me too," said Max. "We just can't catch a break, can we?"
"It's okay," said Kyle. "We don't need to catch a break, we can make our own."
"Is that more of your Buddha stuff?" Max asked.
"N'ah, I got it in a fortune cookie one time," deadpanned Kyle.
Max gave Kyle a quick shove, knocking him slightly off balance as the two entered the main foyer of the castle. Following the directions they had been given, the two quickly made their way to the throne room. Max put his hand out to open the door, then stopped.
"Want me to go first?" said Kyle.
"I'm afraid," Max admitted. "For the first time since we got here, I'm afraid. What if I remember something, what if I don't remember something? God, Kyle, I sat on that throne and ruled this world."
"Max, I don't think it's going to be as bad as you think," Kyle said. "All of you have managed to suppress all the memories of your life here, and none of you, except Isabel have ever accessed the memory implants Che'koth gave us."
"Isabel did it?" said Max, clearly shocked by this revelation. "Why didn't she tell me?"
"She didn't want you to know," said Kyle. "She didn't want anyone to know."
"But she told you?" asked a confused Max.
"No," said Kyle.
"Then how did you know?" asked Max, still stunned by Kyle's announcement.
"You really aren't asking me that question, are you?" asked Kyle.
"Oh yeah, right," said Max, sheepishly. "You have that whole empathy thing going on. Sorry."
"Don't be. It's pretty helpful, now that I'm starting to get the hang of it. Like right now, I know what you're feeling, and I want to tell you to stop it. You didn't throw the thrown away, Max. It was stolen from you."
"That's incredible," said Max. "Can I borrow you the next time Liz is mad at me and I don't know why?"
"Do I look stupid?" laughed Kyle. "You ready, or do you want me to do this on my own?"
For an answer, Max pushed the door open, and the two walked inside. Max stood in the center of the room, and turned around in a circle.
"Nothing," he said. "I don't feel anything at all. Well other than admiration for Isabel's handiwork, that is."
"Come on, let's blow this pop stand," said Kyle. "We already know there isn't any intruder here."
"Yeah, okay, I'll be with you in a second," said Max. He waited until Kyle left the room, and moved over to what used to be his throne. "Something's missing," he mused, as he examined the high backed throne. Without thinking, he sat down on the throne, and it began to glow. Max jumped up and spun around, his jaw dropping in shock. He passed his and over the back of the throne, but nothing happened.
"At least I know what was missing," he said. "Kyle, come here!"
Kyle ran into the room and went directly to Max's side. "What's wrong?" he asked. "Oh, never mind, I figured it out myself."
There, emblazoned on the throne was the Royal Seal of Antar.