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 Seventy Seven – Summits, Meetings and Surprises, Oh My!
The summit meeting with the cabinet members went better than anybody could have ever expected. Many of them knew of the plan to send cloned embryos away for safekeeping, but fewer of them were aware of how far the duplicity of Kivar actually went. To find out that the two sets of embryos were mixed together came as a shock to many of the cabinet members as did the news that the cloned embryos of their beloved king managed to beat the statistical odds and survive to maturity without any obvious defects or deviations.
This news caused a wave of discord and discontent among the cabinet members as they tried to decide who should rule over Antar. Max and Zan observed the proceedings, but both were reluctant to step forward and act as king.
"We have to do something," Max whispered to Zan.
"Hey, you're the king," said Zan. "You do it."
"You're forgetting something," said Max. "We're both the king and we can both rule Antar. For that matter, so could Liz, Isabel, Kyle, or any of the others."
"Do they know that, yet?" Zan asked, inclining his head towards the cabinet members.
"I'm not sure, why?" asked Max.
"Well, for once, I have an idea. Just go along with me, okay?"
"Okay," Max said, warily. He could only hope Zan's idea didn't include abdicating the throne in favor of him. He hadn't yet had a chance to tell Zan and the others about his plan, and he couldn't do anything until they all agreed to go along with it. Especially Zan.
A loud piercing whistle filled the chamber, and Max turned to find Zan, standing on top of the table, fingers in his mouth, poised to whistle again.
A second blast of Zan's piercing whistle was unnecessary, as the cabinet members quieted down and looked questioningly at Zan.
"Listen up," he shouted, his voice carrying to every corner of the room. "You guys are all trying to decide which one of us is going to rule Antar, but none of you have bothered to ask if either of us want to do it, or even if either of us is /ifit/i to rule."
A shock wave rippled through the crowd as they absorbed the meaning of Zan's words.
"What say you, Majesty, you do not wish to rule our world. Why then did you come back to fight for such a right?" questioned one of the cabinet members.
"We came back because no person should be forced to live under the rule of a tyrant such as Kivar!" shouted Max, joining Zan on top of the table. "As far as we're concerned, our job is done. We all have lives on Earth."
"How then, will we know who will rule us?" shouted another cabinet member.
"Why can't the Granolith chose?" asked Zan. "Doesn't Antarian history say that if there is no clear choice, then the Granolith will lead the people to their new king?"
"Kind of sword in the stone, isn't it?" Max whispered to Zan.
"Yeah, well, I guess every world had it's own Arthur type legend. I guess we're going to be Antar's, Zan whispered back."
"Tonight at sunset, we shall adjourn to the Granolith chamber, and see who the Granolith chooses," said Max.
The two men watched as the cabinet members filed out of the room, still discussing their choice of ruler amongst themselves. When the room was empty, save for Drinian and Kitana, they jumped down off of the table.
"Zan, I don't get it, other than buying us some time, what good was that?" asked Max. "The Granolith is going to chose both of us. It already has."
"No, it's going to chose all nine of us," said Zan, with a smile. "The others need to be in on this too. I want the people to see that they have a lot of options open to them at this point. It doesn't have to be a ruling king, just because that's the way it always has been."
He turned to look at Drinian and Kitana. "No offense, Father, Mother," he said. "I'm not saying having a king is wrong, but these cabinet dudes really need to chill. They were just freed from Kivar's rule, and they are ready to subject themselves to another ruler, regardless of who he is, and what he believes in."
"No offense is taken, Son," said Drinian. "I believe you are thinking very clearly, and what you are saying makes sense. The old ways may be good, but there is nothing wrong with looking at things from a different perspective."
Exactly," said Zan. "And if I may impose on you and Mother, for a moment, I was wondering if you wouldn't mind going to get the others and asking them to meet us in the throne room just before sunset?"
"We would be delighted, Zan," said Drinian, taking Kitana's arm. "It will be a great pleasure to walk freely around the palace again with my beloved wife."
Max watched in silence until his Antarian parents left the room before turning to Zan.
"We have to talk," he said to his brother. "It's my turn to have an idea, and I want to know what you think."
"Shoot," said Zan, leaning back in one of the chairs that had been pushed away from the table. He leaned back in the chair and propped his feet up on the table. "What's on you're mind, bro?"
"You realize of course, that hundreds of long dead Antarian legislatures are turning over in their graves at the way we've treated this table," said Max, sitting on the table, looking at Zan. "Anyhow, it's about this king thing. I don't want it, I don't want to be a king, I'm not a king. Hell, I can barely take care of myself, never mind a planet."
"Yeah, well, I don't wanna do it either," said Zan, but his tone lacked the conviction that Max's had. "I'd make a crappy king."
"No, you wouldn't, and actually, when it comes right down to it, neither would I. The only difference is, you want it, and I don't."
"What about the others, what if one of them wants to stay?" asked Zan. "Or even Liz, what if Liz wants you to stay and rule?"
"I can pretty much guarantee you that Liz does not want to stay," said Max. "And I'm pretty positive Isabel won't either. That whole clone thing freaked her out more than she'll ever admit, but I'm betting she can't wait to get home and see Mom and Dad. I can't speak for Kyle and Ava, or Michael and Maria, all we can do is ask them. But Zan, if you don't want to do it, then don't do it," Max added, looking incredibly serious. "Don't stay here out of some mistaken sense of obligation to a world you know nothing about. You can always come home with us. You heard Kyle. Dad's ready to build you your own room."
The two men laughed and continued to discuss the pros and cons of their plan until the shadows began to lengthen and the day began to draw to a close.
"Hey, your Majesties," a voice called from the darkened doorway. "If you're gonna go all king like and summon us, don't you think you ought to be there when we do show up?"
"Shit," said Zan. "Sorry Alex, we got to talking and kind of lost track of time."
"I guess," said Alex, entering the room. "You missed lunch and everything. Too bad, it was that pladyia crap you ate so much of at the Training Academy."
"Damn," said Zan, regretfully. "I really like that stuff."
"Zan, hesitating to point out the obvious, but as a king, you can kind of ask for it any time you want," Max said.
"True," said Zan, brightening, visibly.
"Come on, we'd better get to the throne room before the rest of them come looking for us," said Max.
"No chance of that," said Alex. "They're all having fun watching Kyle have fun pretending to be king. Good thing he doesn't really want to stay and rule, or the entire planet would have to convert to Buddhism."
"So, uh, Kyle doesn't want to stay, and really be king then?" Zan asked, as casually as he could manage.
"Are you kidding?" asked Alex. "He is so ready to go home and get some Saturn Rings at the CrashDown, that it isn't even funny."
"Oh," was the only thing that Zan said. He looked over at Max to see an almost smug smile of satisfaction on his face.
"Nobody likes a know it all, Max," he whispered.
"Wanna clue me in, guys?" Alex said.
"No," they replied in unison, stopping before the throne room door.
"Nice to see you're developing a freaky twin thing," said Alex. "Can you do it in front of Maria, it would totally freak her out."
"Some best friend you are, Alex," laughed Max. "We'll see what we can do, okay?"
"Good enough," said Alex. "Now, can we please get this self imposed summit of yours over with? I want to spend some time with my wife, you know."
"That's my sister you're talking about," said Max and Zan, again simultaneously.
"Beam me up, Scotty," said Alex, rolling his eyes and pushing open the door. "Hey everybody, looks like our illustrious kings forgot all about their meeting."
"Sorry," said Max, rather unapologetically. "We were talking. Anyhow, I suppose you're wondering why we brought you all here tonight," he joked.
"Actually, I took the liberty of forcing your father to tell us, Max," said Maria, cheerfully. "And we're all on board with whatever we have to do to help with the king thing."
"Actually there's a bit more to it than that," said Max. "I need to know where all of you stand about ruling Antar. Is anybody up for the job, or are you ready to head back home?"
"Max, I know I've said I'll follow you anywhere," said Liz. "But I don't think I want to live here forever as a queen or whatever."
"Mother, Father, I am so happy to find out that you're alive, and I never want to not have you in my life," said Isabel. "But I don't belong here. Maybe Vilondra did, but Isabel Whitman belongs on Earth with her husband."
"We understand, daughter," said Kitana. "We shall never truly be separated again, as long as there is love in our hearts."
"Ava and I have already talked about it," said Kyle. "It's totally her call. She knows that she is my life, and I'll do whatever it is she needs me to do."
Ava smiled at Kyle and reached out and slipped her small hand into his. "I agree with what Isabel said. Antar is a wonderful place, but it isn't our home. Our home is on Earth."
"Michael, what about you?" asked Max. "Do you think you'd want to stay and rule."
"Hell no," said Michael. "I'm not a ruler, I'm the General, remember. I was second in command for a reason. I don't have the temperament to be a king. Besides, Maria has a real shot at a singing career back home. I'm going to do whatever I can to help her achieve it."
"Now do you believe me?" Max asked, turning to Zan. He looked at the man he now called brother the man he once considered killing, then turned back to look at the others. "Zan wants to stay and rule. Anybody have a problem with that?"
Shouts and cheers of celebration filled the room as one by one, each of the group went up to congratulate Zan on his decision and to offer their support. Kitana had just hugged him, hugging him as only a mother can, when the door to the throne room opened again. A lone figure walked in and moved towards the small group.
"Plash Nevenia," said Liz, moving towards the woman who had been both teacher and confidant to her. "I'm happy to know you survived the battle, and I am sorry I did not try and contact you. You have been nothing but kind and generous to me, and it was wrong of me not to seek you out to reassure myself that you hadn't been hurt."
"I am fine, Lan, or should I say Liz," said Plash, smiling at her. "And I know you have been busy. It would have been easy for me to join you at the palace, especially since I can now reveal my true self."
As she spoke, the woman's features began to morph and change, as did her hair, changing from the short dark style she normally wore to a mop of blond curls.
"Dijanya," whispered Drinian. "You are alive."
He moved towards the woman, his face a mask of joy, only to be halted by a small gasp from Ava.
"Mother," she whispered, as she slumped to the floor in a dead faint.