Liz blinked, the scene around her was of a small dark room. Four faces
stared at her intently, a small man began to speak.
'Welcome, we have been long expecting your arrival. Today is a great day, at long last the prophecy will be fulfilled and our planets may once again unite.'
Liz raised one eyebrow at him, 'Right.'
A slender woman from the corner began to speak. 'My lady, I know the journey must have tired you and it grieves me to ask this of you, but please, you must go and save our king!'
Liz let out a small smile. 'Take me to Queen Ava.'
The smiles on the faces of the observers immediately disappeared, 'It is not advisable my lady! Queen Ava will not like it, she is very powerful!'
Liz' face went cold, 'Take me to Queen Ava or leave your king to die!'
Serena swallowed, 'Come, it is not far.'
***
Liz and Serena stood outside the great Palace. Liz stared up at the huge building in what looked like indiferance but inside emotions whirled around. So this was where Max lived, of course he would like it, servants to wait on him hand and foot, people fawning over him every spare second of the day. Could she live with that? No, no she couldn't, it wasn't somewhere she could be comfortable, never a spare second just to be yourself, just someone you want people to believe you are. Liz checked herself, but wasn't that all she was at the moment? Could she truly call her life happy? Call it the kind of life she actually wanted to lead? And could she in all honesty claim to be the same Liz Parker she used to be? And more to the point, did she even want to?
Liz slowly shook her head, why was everything so confusing? Looking back at the building she saw it in a different light. This wasn't just a building, this was a heart and soul of a planet, this was the place people looked to for help, for reasurance. Or at least they used too, now all they had was a blood thirsty tyrant and a self-centered queen. Could she really just leave these people to this? Was this what they deserved? But did they deserve Max? A king who was too weak to keep his pants up at the first sign of trouble? A king who hurt his friends and abandoned his loved ones? Or perhaps a king who couldn't pick the bad apples from a bunch even if they jumped out and bit him on the ass? How could these people live with someone like that? Liz felt a dull ache of guilt begin to consume her as she thought of what she was leaving these innocent people to, either way they turned they would be left with a bad king!
Liz shook herself inside, why was she even worrying about this? This wasn't her problem! her problem was killing Tess and saving Michael and Isabel's lives! And that was something she was going to do, even if it killed her in the process! She turned to Serena who was staring at her in confusion, 'Let's go.'
'Oh Liz, I dare not! If I am seen here it will be known that I am the leader of the resistance, and I will be killed, the resistance will fall apart!'
Liz looked at the woman who stood beside her, this girl was just like her, sacrificing everything for Max without even knowing who he really was! Liz smiled at Serena, 'Sure, it's OK. Just give me directions.'
Serena smiled back at Liz, this was more like the girl Max had described, was it possible that perhaps all this was an act?
***
'Queen Ava, you have a visitor.'
Tess sighed, 'Who is it? I don't have time for this! The execution is only a few hours away!'
'She did not give a name, ma'am, but I had trouble getting her to wait, she seems to have important news.'
'Very well, send her in! And send Lord Kivar to me as soon as she leaves!'
Tess walked over to the window and stared out, a small smile danced upon her lips. Everything was going perfectly! Soon this planet would belong to her and Kivar. Kivar, a small sigh escaped her, so great a king and he was hers, all hers!
'Good evening Tess, remember me?'
That voice! It couldn't be! Tess swung round. 'Liz?' she gasped.
'Surprise!'
'But-'
'Seems a little strange doesn't it, to be standing here again. Seeing each other once again, after all these years. It's been two years hasn't it, almost to the day. And how many days since Alex' death? Seven Hundred and fifty I think, I've been counting. Counting how many days have gone past that Alex lost, because of you! Because all you cared about was coming home, and coming back to power!' Liz began to walk towards Tess, Tess backed away in fear. A flame of anger was burning in Liz' eyes and a red light radiated from her body. 'And the rest of us? Kyle, Maria and me? Kyle loved you, he thought you were like a sister! And you made him carry Alex' body! Maria? You took Michael away from her! One of the only people she could trust, you killed one and ripped the other away. And me?' Liz let out a small laugh. 'Well, me! What didn't you do to me? Killed my best friend, took away my other best friends.' Liz trailed off.
Tess straightened up, losing her fear, 'And Max? Aren't you forgetting him? Can't have loved you that much if he would just sleep with me and then leave you on your godforsaken little planet to die! Can he? Hmmm. Did it hurt you? Did it make you squirm to think of him and me together, sharing what you never shared? It was a good night, that first night with Max, of course you wouldn't know, he never did that with you! Perhaps it was just because he didn't love you enough!'
'Perhaps a year ago that would have hurt me Tess,' spat Liz. 'But you know what, I've lived through that, I've moved on! And you're right Max and I never were much! And I don't care, the thing that mattered was Alex! And you need to pay!'
Perhaps it was the slight tremor in Liz' voice that gave her away to Tess, or maybe it was the bitter tears that were welling up in her eyes.
'Nice try Liz, but somehow I don't think today is your day. It was stupidity to come here as you are, a puny little human!'
Liz smiled, 'I guess you're a bit behind on the news then Tess.'
'Guards!'
Two guards ran into the room and started towards Liz. 'Very good Tess, just perhaps not good enough!'
Liz raised an arm and blasted the two guards to the ground, she walked out of the room. Tess stared after her in horror as the words, 'I'll be watching you.' Drifted back to her.
'Welcome, we have been long expecting your arrival. Today is a great day, at long last the prophecy will be fulfilled and our planets may once again unite.'
Liz raised one eyebrow at him, 'Right.'
A slender woman from the corner began to speak. 'My lady, I know the journey must have tired you and it grieves me to ask this of you, but please, you must go and save our king!'
Liz let out a small smile. 'Take me to Queen Ava.'
The smiles on the faces of the observers immediately disappeared, 'It is not advisable my lady! Queen Ava will not like it, she is very powerful!'
Liz' face went cold, 'Take me to Queen Ava or leave your king to die!'
Serena swallowed, 'Come, it is not far.'
***
Liz and Serena stood outside the great Palace. Liz stared up at the huge building in what looked like indiferance but inside emotions whirled around. So this was where Max lived, of course he would like it, servants to wait on him hand and foot, people fawning over him every spare second of the day. Could she live with that? No, no she couldn't, it wasn't somewhere she could be comfortable, never a spare second just to be yourself, just someone you want people to believe you are. Liz checked herself, but wasn't that all she was at the moment? Could she truly call her life happy? Call it the kind of life she actually wanted to lead? And could she in all honesty claim to be the same Liz Parker she used to be? And more to the point, did she even want to?
Liz slowly shook her head, why was everything so confusing? Looking back at the building she saw it in a different light. This wasn't just a building, this was a heart and soul of a planet, this was the place people looked to for help, for reasurance. Or at least they used too, now all they had was a blood thirsty tyrant and a self-centered queen. Could she really just leave these people to this? Was this what they deserved? But did they deserve Max? A king who was too weak to keep his pants up at the first sign of trouble? A king who hurt his friends and abandoned his loved ones? Or perhaps a king who couldn't pick the bad apples from a bunch even if they jumped out and bit him on the ass? How could these people live with someone like that? Liz felt a dull ache of guilt begin to consume her as she thought of what she was leaving these innocent people to, either way they turned they would be left with a bad king!
Liz shook herself inside, why was she even worrying about this? This wasn't her problem! her problem was killing Tess and saving Michael and Isabel's lives! And that was something she was going to do, even if it killed her in the process! She turned to Serena who was staring at her in confusion, 'Let's go.'
'Oh Liz, I dare not! If I am seen here it will be known that I am the leader of the resistance, and I will be killed, the resistance will fall apart!'
Liz looked at the woman who stood beside her, this girl was just like her, sacrificing everything for Max without even knowing who he really was! Liz smiled at Serena, 'Sure, it's OK. Just give me directions.'
Serena smiled back at Liz, this was more like the girl Max had described, was it possible that perhaps all this was an act?
***
'Queen Ava, you have a visitor.'
Tess sighed, 'Who is it? I don't have time for this! The execution is only a few hours away!'
'She did not give a name, ma'am, but I had trouble getting her to wait, she seems to have important news.'
'Very well, send her in! And send Lord Kivar to me as soon as she leaves!'
Tess walked over to the window and stared out, a small smile danced upon her lips. Everything was going perfectly! Soon this planet would belong to her and Kivar. Kivar, a small sigh escaped her, so great a king and he was hers, all hers!
'Good evening Tess, remember me?'
That voice! It couldn't be! Tess swung round. 'Liz?' she gasped.
'Surprise!'
'But-'
'Seems a little strange doesn't it, to be standing here again. Seeing each other once again, after all these years. It's been two years hasn't it, almost to the day. And how many days since Alex' death? Seven Hundred and fifty I think, I've been counting. Counting how many days have gone past that Alex lost, because of you! Because all you cared about was coming home, and coming back to power!' Liz began to walk towards Tess, Tess backed away in fear. A flame of anger was burning in Liz' eyes and a red light radiated from her body. 'And the rest of us? Kyle, Maria and me? Kyle loved you, he thought you were like a sister! And you made him carry Alex' body! Maria? You took Michael away from her! One of the only people she could trust, you killed one and ripped the other away. And me?' Liz let out a small laugh. 'Well, me! What didn't you do to me? Killed my best friend, took away my other best friends.' Liz trailed off.
Tess straightened up, losing her fear, 'And Max? Aren't you forgetting him? Can't have loved you that much if he would just sleep with me and then leave you on your godforsaken little planet to die! Can he? Hmmm. Did it hurt you? Did it make you squirm to think of him and me together, sharing what you never shared? It was a good night, that first night with Max, of course you wouldn't know, he never did that with you! Perhaps it was just because he didn't love you enough!'
'Perhaps a year ago that would have hurt me Tess,' spat Liz. 'But you know what, I've lived through that, I've moved on! And you're right Max and I never were much! And I don't care, the thing that mattered was Alex! And you need to pay!'
Perhaps it was the slight tremor in Liz' voice that gave her away to Tess, or maybe it was the bitter tears that were welling up in her eyes.
'Nice try Liz, but somehow I don't think today is your day. It was stupidity to come here as you are, a puny little human!'
Liz smiled, 'I guess you're a bit behind on the news then Tess.'
'Guards!'
Two guards ran into the room and started towards Liz. 'Very good Tess, just perhaps not good enough!'
Liz raised an arm and blasted the two guards to the ground, she walked out of the room. Tess stared after her in horror as the words, 'I'll be watching you.' Drifted back to her.