Part 62
The marriage was accomplished quickly. It did not surprise Zan one bit that Rath was able to produce a priest on the ship. Since he had been fighting for this for days, of course he was ready when Zan finally agreed to it.
He could barely look at Ava as she was brought to the bridge for the ceremony. But, finally, when Rath elbowed him sharply in the side, he forced himself to be kind. After all, it was not this girl's fault that she was a pawn in the game of kings. When his eyes finally lit on her, he felt a shudder descend his spine. He couldn't help it. She was not Rowena, this was wrong, and he literally felt sick as they exchanged the vows that bound them to each other until their deaths.
"Thank you, your highness, for so honoring me," Ava whispered, as he lowered his head to bestow the kiss of peace upon her lips.
He nodded tersely, still not meeting her eyes. "You have honored me."
He felt her grab his hand firmly, which so surprised him, he was forced to look at her more fully. "What is your will, my husband? My planet is now at your disposal."
Zan sighed. "We must contact your brother, at once," he replied quietly. He looked over his shoulder at Rath, who was finding it difficult to hide his satisfaction, although he was trying. "Hail Knosis," he ordered. "My wife must inform her people that this marriage is accomplished. We will then strategize our next move."
"As you wish, highness," Rath replied formally.
The irony of this was not lost on Zan, although he knew that Rath had not meant it to be so ringing. Because, of course, none of this was what he wished.
Zan sighed again, removing his hand from where Ava was still clutching it. "Khivar, Ava, and I will parlay with Aliander in my presence room."
He started to walk in that direction, grimacing when Ava called after him, "Zan?"
He closed his eyes briefly, swallowed, then returned to her side. "My apologies. I forgot myself for a moment there. This is all quite sudden." He offered her his arm, which she took, her eyes gleaming strangely.
"Not so sudden," she reminded him, glancing at Rath.
"No," Zan replied flatly. "I suppose not."
He met Rath's eyes then. He knew it was wrong, knew that his best friend had only convinced him to do this because it was the only thing to be done to save their system, and, yet, he also knew that he was going to blame Rath for this for the rest of his life. It was perhaps unfair - in fact, Zan knew it was - but he could not help it.
Things would never be the same between them again. As he met his general's gaze fully for the first time since he had agreed to the marriage, he could see that Rath knew it too. But Rath had convinced him anyway, because he was an advisor first, and a friend second. It was the way it should be.
And, yet, in some ways, it hurt more than losing Rowena would. Because, now, all because of this marriage, he was more alone than he had ever been before.
With Knosis' commitment to their cause, Wendar was very quickly subdued. In fact, there was not a single shot fired. It did not surprise Zan overmuch to discover that most of that planet had no idea that a rogue Wendarian named Yorvin was attempting to conquer the system in their names. The Wendarian parliament was not entirely guiltless, Zan deduced, having not necessarily told Yorvin not to interfere in the leadership of the other planets, but the fact that he had named himself king had not even been transmitted to them. They were mortified upon hearing this from Zan's faction, and quickly surrendered the planet to his control.
The final move would be to journey to Antar to have the Council of Five Planets restore Zan officially to his throne. It was, of course, a formality. He presently had the backing of the political bodies of Sardica, Knosis, and Wendar - a clear majority - but he wanted no dispute. And, so, to ensure that, their next move had to be to regain control of the Zan clone, bring him before the council in answer for his crimes, and to demonstrate that it was Zan who held the royal seal. When the Antarian councilor was able to legitimize him with the Zan clone next to him, the entire mess would be cleaned up once and for all.
A price would have been paid for Yorvin the Wendarian's treachery. Far too many Valonians had died in the razing of that innocent planet. But, in the end, the system would return to the status quo, and the five planets would be allied even more strongly, and able to move towards the golden age long prophesied.
The next step to that end was why the Antarian Sky Army presently found itself returned to the atmosphere above Valonia. To regain control of the Zan clone, it was necessary - and now time - to deal with Yorvin directly.
Zan stared down upon Rowena's planet, his expression blank. Rath stood next to him quietly, knowing that the time for his vocal counsel was past. Rath's aid had brought them to this point, but now it was up to Zan to play it out to the end.
Because, in the end, he was the king, and it was his place to ensure the safety of all his subjects. The queen of Valonia was his subject. Nothing more, nothing less. It was Zan's duty to save her. Rath knew this, and he supported it. But he would also stand closely by to ensure that Zan did nothing to endanger the fragile alliance with Knosis….which basically meant that he did nothing to endanger his fragile bond with his new wife, Ava.
That he did nothing foolish, like perhaps give up his throne to ensure Rowena's safety. Because Rath was no idiot. He knew it was a distinct possibility.
Basically, Rath was no longer royal advisor. Instead, he was royal baby-sitter. It was what was. It was unnecessary, of course, but Rath was a great general because he never took anything for granted. He trusted Zan to do the right thing. But he was careful.
He, as usual, had underestimated his king's resolve. Zan did not want to be king, but he would be a good king anyway.
From now on, it was all he was, after all. With the loss of any hope of Rowena, he was no longer a man anyway. And, so, he would be king.
Zan did not expect any of this to take long - he hoped it would not - nor did he expect Yorvin to put up much of a fight. His cause was, after all, hopeless. He had lost the covert support of his planet. He had lost Knosis. He had nowhere to turn.
No, Zan did not doubt that the end of this disaster was near. But he did fear the fact that Yorvin now had nothing left to lose. Rowena and Serena's lives were in acute danger because of it. Yorvin had already broken from Wendarian culture and tradition to the point where he was practically unrecognizable as belonging to that race. Zan did not expect him to honor the strict code of his people - that all prisoners of war should be treated respectfully, and handed over unharmed if the Wendarian should prove defeated. This shapeshifter was not Wendarian in any true sense of the word. And, so, he was dangerous.
The door to Zan's presence chamber slid open and Khivar entered, with Nikkol trailing behind. "Has he answered our hail?" Khivar asked, crossing the room and joining Zan at the window.
"No," Zan replied curtly.
"It has been fifteen solar minutes," Rath informed the king of Sardica. "He has thirty to surrender."
"If we are forced to land ground assault troops, their lives will be worth nothing," Khivar said.
"I know." Zan did not look at him. He continued to stare down at Valonia. The one place that, for a short time, he had been happy. The irony that he had been the most happy in his life in a prison cell did not escape him. He was still in a prison cell, but now a much larger one, and its walls were impenetrable.
The fact that you don't really want to be king will make you a great one. Rowena's voice threaded its way through his mind, reminding him that even if they could not be together physically, she would always be with him.
Ten more minutes passed without another word passing between the four men. It was so silent that when a beep, signaling a transmission, sounded into it, Zan's heart leapt into his throat.
He closed his eyes briefly, then turned away from the window, toward the view-screen opposite. He took a deep breath, then nodded at Rath. His general leaned forward, touching something on the wall, which activated the viewer.
"Your highness. I apologize for keeping you waiting."
Zan stared at his enemy, carefully maintaining an implacable expression. This shapeshifter could not know how important this was to him. That Rowena's safety was paramount to him. That he would, in fact, give this bastard whatever he wanted to ensure that she lived.
Fortunately, it would not come to that.
"I am sure that this is the least of your crimes, Yorvin," he finally replied mildly. "I requested visual confirmation of the queen of Valonia's health."
"She is here," Yorvin said. He glanced to the left. "My lady?"
Rowena appeared next to the shapeshifter. "Greetings, Zan." Her expression was serene. Zan smiled slightly to himself. He couldn't help it. Everything was going perfectly according to plan.
"My lady. You are well?"
"Yes, your highness." She met his eyes directly, nodding sharply.
"Very good."
Zan reached out, touching the com link on his desk. "Captain?"
The ship's captain's tinny voice responded immediately. "Yes, your highness?"
"Prepare for air assault upon the palace."
Zan heard Nikkol's sharp intake of breath. But it was only Rath who dared to grab him by the arm. "Zan, what are you doing?"
"Taking care of the problem," Zan replied simply. He looked back at Yorvin, who was staring at him, his expression taken aback. It had worked. He was completely caught off guard. "Yorvin of Wendar, you are hearby pronounced guilty of high treason. You are sentenced to death. May the gods have mercy upon your soul."
He hit the comm again. "Captain, fire. Now."
"Yes, your highness."
Zan turned away from the stony silence of the other three men. He returned to the window, his hands clasped behind his back, and watched, his expression blank once more, as a huge explosion appeared on the planet below.
Good-bye, my love.