Liz's brow creased in confusion at what Khivar said about he knew that Zan would find Enola. It didn't make any sense to her. "I'm confused, if Enola was with you in your past life, I mean as a girlfriend or whatever. Why would you think Zan would find her...uh me?"
"Zan was obsessed with Enola from the first time he saw her," Khivar explained. "He thought he was in love with her and wanted her to be his queen."
"And it wasn't reciprocated?" Liz asked. She found it hard to believe that she had not loved Max before, after how much she loved him now or at least did until he changed.
"At first, Enola had known him since they were young and had had a crush on him. But later her feelings changed to one of just
friends and he wouldn't accept it." Khivar stated.
"Can you tell me more about before Enola and Ardeth were killed? You mentioned earlier that Ardeth had a twin sister, was Enola close to her. Is she still alive?" Liz asked. She felt this overwhelming urge to find out as much as she could about this person she was supposed to have been. There was so much to find out, she didn't know where to start.
"Yes, she's still alive and yes you were close to her." Khivar stated. "On Antar there were several families who although were not related were considered to be the royal class. Zan and Vilandra's family was first in line, so that was how their family came into power. If their family failed to produce heirs other families could come to power. There were several other families under them, Rath's, Enola's, Ava's, mine, as well as a couple more including Larek's. It is similar to the noble classes among the monarchies here on Earth. Enola's father and mine were very close as were our mothers so of course we knew each other. We played together as kids during our parents' visit with each other."
"As I said, Enola was good friends with our sister, Katrin and Ardeth until he was sent away. The males of the higher families were sent away to an academy, to train us for what was to be expected of us. We were sent away for several years, Zan being the crowned prince was the only one allowed to come home on a regular basis that was when he and Enola became more friendly." Khivar explained trying to detail it out for her.
"And the girls? What was their education?"
"Mostly they were trained with tutors back at their homes as well as attend classes at an ordinary school. Don't think that the females were looked down upon at all. On Antar women have as high positions as any of the men, except for king of course. I've told you that Enola was a brilliant scientist, she was top of her class, much to Ava's dismay if I recall. When they were growing up, Ava was always very jealous of her. She liked to think she was smarter than anyone so when Enola took the top rank in her class, Ava was livid. Not that she was in the running; Vilandra was second after Enola. And Katrin or Kat as we called her was in third." Khivar stated before smiling. "Enola's parents were so proud."
"Are they still alive? The parents?" Liz asked.
"They are all alive except for my mother. She actually died right before Ardeth and I left. Your mother took on the role as a surrogate mother especially to Kat." Khivar explained. "We were very lucky to have her. Kat really needed a mother as she got older."
Khivar smiled. "It brought the girls closer together. Enola was only child and loved being around people. And everyone loved to be around her. Her parents pampered her but she was far from spoiled. She used the advantages to learn everything she could. She was very independent and strong willed. Her families' home was in a wooded area that she loved. She said it was more beautiful then the cliffs that were close by. She could be seen out there all the time exploring on her own most times usually dragging Katrin along with her." She noticed a slight sadness in his face when he mentioned the woods but continued.
"During the years he was gone, Ardeth kept in touch with Enola. I was two years older as was Zan and Rath then them but in the close circle of families a few years meant nothing. When Ardeth and I came back the first place he went after visiting our father was with Kat to see Enola. I did not see her until a couple of months later when our father threw a ball in celebration for our homecoming." Khivar smiled at his memories and looked at Liz. She saw his eyes roaming her face like he was remembering how she had looked. "She was wearing this gown of deep red, the color a deep red wine here, and looked so beautiful. It not the most modest dress and hugged her just right. Well anyway I came upon her while she was talking to my brother and sister. I asked her to dance and we stayed in each other's company for the remainder of the evening. There was just something between us from the beginning and I wasn't going to let that slip away. I asked her if I could see her again and she said yes. After that we spent quite a bit of time together, at her home or mine."
"But we were told that you were involved with Vilandra. That she betrayed Zan and her family to be with you. Both Whitacker and Nicholas told her that." Liz said.
Her statement caused Khivar to have a look of amusement on his face. "I'm sorry, I'm not laughing at you. Just your words. You see I was no more involved with Vilandra than that of a friend and at the time just before her death, hopeful to soon be a brother in law."
It took her a minute but when she figured it out, Liz 's eyes swung over to Alex, "Ardeth and Vilandra? I'm right aren't I? You were together?"
"Yes." Alex said unable to stop from blushing.
"Now it makes sense why you've always been in love with her." Liz joked. "Even when we were younger and before you found out about girls you were obsessed with her."
"But when the events before the war started Zan forbade it and I wasn't allowed to see her. Then he arranged her engagement to Rath, who of course was loyal to him and he could keep an eye on her. He wasn't happy when he found out that even after I was killed that she was still loyal to Khivar and met with him in secret to give him inside information." Alex stated. "She wasn't supposed to be killed, she was caught in the crossfire."
"Her brother and mother could not stand that she had politically aligned herself with our cause, said that she had been influenced and used by us. But she was stubborn and knew her own mind so she continued to see Ardeth in secret. When Zan found out he considered it a betrayal."
"What about Rath? You haven't talked a lot about him." Liz said.
"There's not much to tell at least not in relation to Enola. They knew each other but that's about it. They were sort of friends at first when she was friends with Zan but when her and Zan fell out of sorts, she fell out of sorts with Rath. He was Zan's bestfriend and extremely loyal to him. Unlike his sister." Khivar explained before moving ahead.
"When Vanessa and Nicholas approached Isabel, they were trying to help her get back to where she belonged. With who she had chosen to be before, we thought she could be in danger if she stayed with her brother. When we found out that they also had no memory of their pasts, Nicholas tried to jog it for her. He told her that he wanted to take her back to her lover, which he meant Ardeth, and Khivar, me, which meant the cause she had fought for. When she refused, they couldn't risk her finding out who Alex really was and was treated the same as the others."
"What about the dupes? We know that they were working with Nicholas, and that they were more advanced than the other group. If they were more advanced, then I figure they might have more of their memory. And if they did, why didn't Lonnie know who Alex was?"
"Alex told me that you are aware that one of the two batches of Royals were defective, the ones in New York were those ones. Nicholas didn't trust Lonnie completely. He determined that while Lonnie had somehow retrieved her memories, they were jumbled up and she never was able to unsort them."
"What happened to them?"
"After they failed repeatedly to meet the demands of the agreement, to kill both recreations of Zan. Nicholas became upset and killed them."
"Is Nicholas still alive?" Liz asked, Khivar nodded and she said. "But the Harvest was destroyed and then Tess destroyed the other skins ."
"True, the rest of his people were destroyed. But Nicholas is very powerful. He has the ability to teleport himself and managed to do so before he too was destroyed. He reached a secondary base and contacted me. So I came to clean up his mess, get the granolith and of course to find the two of you. The latter being the most important."
"What about his skin, his husk?"
"At the base they were able to help him until we could arrive with a fresh husk. He was weak when we arrived a week ago but he survived the shift. He's here." Khivar informed her.
Liz nodded her head. "If they knew who I was, why wasn't anything said when I was at Copper Summit? Why was I attacked along with the others?"
"You were perfectly safe, nothing would have been done to you. Nicholas would have taken care of Isabel while Ida or one of the others took you away from Tess and Max. After you and Isabel were separated from the others, your guardians would have come with Alex and told you everything early. But things didn't work out that way. Courtney ended up betraying us and destroying the harvest which you know aided their escape and doomed the skins." Khivar explained before going on. "Then the attack on Roswell was designed so that you two would never be in it. The device Nicholas used had human and added your DNA to what would be taken away. You were both supposed to be gone but of course you were out of the boundary of it so you were excluded for a time while Alex disappeared. The whole thing ended up failing since they were unable to take care of the others and retrieve the granolith. "
"What is the granolith?" Liz asked. "I know everyone wants it but why?"
"The most basic explanation of it is an energy force. But it's an energy force that is almost sentient. It can sense whoever enters its chamber and can program itself to do whatever the command given to it. No one really knows what it is but it was one of your ancestors that discovered it in a deep cavern on Antar. He studied it for the rest of his life trying to learn everything he could about it. And while he made some progress, its true history and nature as well as real purpose are not known but it can be used as a regeneration chamber, a weapon, and even a transport if needed. People on Antar look on it as a symbol of power, the closest thing they have to a religious icon. Whoever has the granolith has the power over the people."
"You said its chamber? Do you mean the whole thing isn't the granolith?"
"No, just the cone in the middle. The rest is just safety casing."
Liz nodded, "That covers that. Tell me more."
PART 7
Khivar tried to figure out where to start in his description of their planet. "Antar is a very rich planet, that is in resources and the biggest of our system. We have one sun but three moons. The sky is a different shade of blue compared to Earth's, more of a slate color. There are many other differences. Too many to explain it all now."
"And Max was ruler over the whole planet? Until you took over?" Liz asked.
Khivar nodded. "Zan became King less than a year after we returned from the academy so we were still young. Too young for him, as it turned out. His father was a great king, our world was thriving. Our technology was advancing even faster than before. Space travel had been achieved long before but we were trying to enhance it more, such as faster speeds etc. But it was put to a halt when he died and Zan took over. He started making mistakes right off, and wouldn't listen to anyone to change them. Not Rath or me, or anyone on his council. He wanted the change but he didn't want to wait for it. He wanted results immediately. And he didn't like when the people he asked of it didn't provide results. When I finally spoke up and started to disagree with him, the friendship we had started to deteriorate, but it was only the beginning."
"Zan was always stubborn, but also a spoiled little prince. He felt that he should have anything he wanted because of who he was or who he would be someday. And as I said before, what he wanted the most was Enola. He and Vilandra were at my father's homecoming celebration and was not pleased by what he saw. Enola in the arms of another, enjoying herself and having a good time. Then later at his coronation Enola accompanied me, and when he saw we were together, he was further enraged. He used the friendship they had to talk her into coming to the palace for visits. She agreed to it after all she was good friends with Vilandra and was there often anyway. I tried to tell her but she said I was imagining things. She did not realize his intentions until one visit. From what she told me, he attempted to kiss her. She pulled away and told him that she didn't care about him in that way, that she saw him only as a friend. He didn't listen. He kept insisting that she loved him the way that he loved her. They argued until she finally told her that she loved me. Zan saw red."
"He banished me from the council, made it clear that I was no longer welcomed there. It angered quite a bit of people. We might have lived in a monarchy, but the council members were something like public officials. Not elected but still did whatever to gain community approval. Enola was the first to notice this, and it's what put the idea of overthrowing Zan in my head. After all, I was of royal class as well and had right to the thrown. So we started planning, and finding out how many others, of all species and such, were against him as well. That was actually when I first became involved with Nicholas, he was in the army under Rath's command and brought over the soldiers that agreed with us. I talked to Rath as well but he would not be swayed away from Zan. It's a long story about our struggle so I won't bore you with the details. When Zan found out that I was speaking against him, even gaining approval from some of the general public, he banished Ardeth as well from the palace and forbid Vilandra from seeing him. It was a petty thing for him to do really and only added to the quarrel that had already start brewing between himself and his sister."
"But what I think infuriated him more was when he found out that Enola was at my side the whole time that I was doing this. It infuriated him to know that she was against him and was a part of the fight to overthrow him. If I had known at the time how far he would go to keep her away from me, I never would have let her become a part of the fight." Khivar said looking grave before turning at Liz more intently, directly into her eyes. "You will remember all of this one day and I hope that you will forgive me when you do."
Liz was shocked by the sincerity in his voice and the almost plea for forgiveness. She didn't know how to respond to it so she asked something else, "What were her powers?"
"Enola was like other women Alorians, her powers were mental in nature. She had the ability to pick up on peoples' emotions as well as another power that is similar to mind warping. She could access someone's memories, at first by touch and then just by focusing on their eyes and use what she found to project it back to them."
Khivar could see that Liz was confused so decided to elaborate, "It's like you could go into my head, find a memory of mine and then make an image of that memory or anything in it appear. As I said, it's like a mindwarp except instead of creating any illusion you are limited to what is in a person's memories. Granted that gives a wide range of options but it can still be limiting. Does that make it any clearer?"
"Yes." Liz answered.
"Enola was powerful with these powers but not completely comfortable with using them. She felt that they could be very intrusive so she would often block people from her. She learned at a young age how to control them and would only let her guard down she used to block others emotions around the people she trusted the most. People that trusted her but even then not always. She didn't like knowing peoples' feelings that way. She wanted to find out how people felt on her own, without using her powers."
Liz thought over what he said and small things started to come together, "The flashes."
"What?" Khivar asked.
"Um, flashes." Liz repeated suddenly feeling embarrassed. She felt strange talking about them to him, uncomfortable to tell the guy you were in love with in your past life that you kissed and loved his enemy. "Ever since I was shot and Max healed me, I've got these flashes of memories when I've ...come into contact with the others. Actually just Max and Nasedo, one of their protectors, I never got close enough to any of the others to see if it worked on them. And I never tried to form a connection, the only one I did wasn't originated by me but by Max."
"His healing you probably broke through the block that kept your powers locked away. From your explanation it was more like cracked it. Your powers then started to leak out and you were picking up peoples' memories but didn't do anything with them." Khivar said through gritted teeth obviously uncomfortable as she was at the admission.
"So Enola's life is locked away inside of me? Like from the time she was born until she died? Her loves, her hates, the knowledge of her powers and the science that helped recreate her?"
"Yes." Khivar answered her. "It is all inside you, just locked away. When you came out of your pods your guardians connected and pooled their energy to lock your memories away."
Liz looked over at Alex, "Do you have yours?"
"Yes, I remember everything and I have my powers." Alex said. "When I was healed they came out."
Absorbing everything in, Liz looked at them both before saying, "I want to remember too."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
From her spot outside the pod chamber, Isabel had a perfect view of the night sky. It was clear out and the stars sparkled unrestricted. But as beautiful as it was, it felt empty without Alex sitting next to her. They had spent many nights last summer doing exactly what she was doing now, just sitting in different parts of the desert and staring at the stars. So she had come out there to try and make herself feel better. She had been here for hours, she had asked Kyle to drop her off at the podchamber. She knew that she wouldn't want to go home, she had felt like she had to get away. If she stayed home she would have had to deal with Max, and later her parents asking her how she was. How did they think she felt? Alex was dead, and if Liz was right it was because of her.
She looked up to the stars as if they held the answer to Alex's death. As she stared up she asked, "Come back and talk to me, please."
But no answer came, Alex didn't pop up to visit her again. And although she knew it was a figment of her imagination, she would have been happy with that little bit of Alex. It helped her heart some to know that she could at least confess her feelings for him in those illusions. She knew she had only herself to blame for it. If she had fought her feelings for so long and gotten over her paranoia then she would have had more time with him. But she had let years of not trusting anyone except Michael and Max influence her, and kept him out. Nevertheless however much she had kept herself and her feelings locked away, Alex had known more about her than anyone.
She saw lights in the distance and knew it was Kyle. She had felt bad about it but he had insisted on coming to get her. She climbed down the rock face and hopped in the car when he stopped. They had been driving about ten minutes before Kyle said, "You want me to drop you at home?"
"Unfortunately yes. Looks like I'm going to be stuck there for a long time." Isabel complained as she watched the desert scenery go by.
Kyle glanced over at her for a minute before turning his eyes back to the road. "I thought you wanted go to college, you shouldn't let Max stop you."
"Kyle you don't understand." Isabel said. "As much as I don't agree with Max, I have no choice. He's going to make sure that I don't go anywhere. And he's the king."
"Isabel, did you ever think that he shouldn't be in charge?" Kyle asked.
"What do you mean?" Isabel asked. "Max always has been the leader, it's just a role he assumed when we came out of the pods. I guess it's some ingrained thing since he was king before."
"It's no secret that Evans and I don't get along, but don't think that I'm saying this out of spite. But just because he was king before doesn't mean that he deserved to be or the best man...alien for the job." Kyle explained trying to proof his point. "After all, you four died before. That's why you were sent here. Have you ever thought that maybe it was King Max's leadership that got you all killed?"
"No, I haven't." Isabel said. They didn't talk anymore on the drive home. She thanked him when he dropped her off and she crept into the house. It was silent and she was thankful for it. As she snuck past Max's room she saw the light was off and she breathed a sigh of relief. He was the last person she wanted to see right now. She managed to get up to her room without waking anyone up. She undressed and fell into bed with the hopes of dreaming of Alex.
PART 8
"I want to remember too."
Khivar and Alex looked at each other for a minute before Alex asked, "Are you sure?"
"Yes, it'll prove it too me that I am indeed Enola. And if I am then I'm going to remember efficiently anyway. What's a few less months?"
"Liz, when you do this, you're going to be out again for a little bit. It's draining, and when you awaken its going to be really confusing. Enola and Liz will have to mesh." Alex explained.
"But you did it, even after a massive head trauma and you came out okay." Liz stated.
"True, I just want to warn you is all." Alex said. "Just think a little more on it."
Liz did what he suggested and thought on it. She had only just found out that she was an alien and lived a past life. A past life where she had been in love with the man who up until now, had been called the enemy. That the people she had thought she had to run from were actually her people. She knew her story but it was from another person and not her memories. And there was even more that she didn't know. She wanted to know her life stuff like what their home looked like. But was she ready to remember it all? In her past life she didn't feel the same way toward Max as she had in this one. Hell she had helped to start the fight to dethrone him. But hadn't she told Max that they weren't supposed to be together? Future Max's visit had shown that they were not to be together, it had brought the end of the world. Had Khivar been upset that she had chosen Max? Did she even know in the other time line that she was Enola?
She shook her head to clear those thoughts. She wanted her memories, they were a part of her and not knowing that part of herself would drive her nuts. "I want to know."
Khivar nodded, "I'll go to set it up now. It will take a little time so if you want to get freshen up you will have time."
"Thank you." Liz said suddenly uneasy to be around him. When this was over, she would remember their time spent together. By the way he acted, they had probably been lovers. Ever since she had said she wanted her memories back she saw a glint in his eyes that hadn't been there before. He nodded slightly towards her before he left. Alex stayed behind wanting to talk to Liz. He watched as she started to go through the bag of her stuff looking for fresh clothes when looked up, "What it's like? When you got your memories back?"
"Like I said, it's disorienting. But once you remember that you are both people, and one doesn't have to be put aside for the other one."
"What did you remember?"
"Everything. Not just snatches here and there but my whole life as Ardeth. I have as many memories of that life as I do for this one." Alex explained.
Liz nodded, as she thought about it. She couldn't wait to find out about her past self. Then she remembered something and said, "My parents. They're going to wonder where I am."
"Khivar already told them what was going on and they know you're safe."
"So your family knows of course that you're alive?" Liz asked.
"Yes, they have come to visit once but to keep up appearances they couldn't come more." Alex explained, "My supposed grandparents have been able to come more often.
"I wanted to ask you something that I didn't think to ask before, my aunt in Florida, is she really my aunt? And if she isn't my aunt, who is she?" Liz asked.
"She is your aunt, she is your grandparent's child." Alex answered. "She moved to Florida to help run a base there. A small group were sent down there years ago to set up the secondary base in case something happened to Copper Summit. Which was a good idea."
"It's strange to think that while we were battling skins, they were the side we were on before." Liz said. She looked at Alex and said, "You know Isabel has been miserable since the night of your accident. She's really kicking herself for not telling you sooner how she felt about you."
"I miss her and Maria too." Alex said.
"Oh God! What are we going to do about Maria?"
"I don't know, but for now, nothing." Alex said. "And I wish I could tell her. But at the moment your safety was the bigger issue. I have no doubt that Tess would come after you if you got any closer to finding out the truth."
"But you got to me first. And now we can expose her." Liz said thinking of what they could do.
She watched as Alex's expression turned serious. "Liz, I know that you and Max have been fighting."
"How do you know about that? Wait, don't answer that. I forgot that Khivar has been having everyone watched." Liz said answering her own question. "You're right, we have been fighting. At first when I talked to him about it, he listened but then he talked to Valenti and looked through what I'm guessing was fake evidence he changed his mind. I mean Max wouldn't listen to me. It's like he just closed his mind to any idea that they could be the reasoning behind your death. He's changed Alex. He's changed so much. You know what's kind of funny. When I brought up that I thought you were murdered by an alien and they all said I didn't know anything about 'their' world or Khivar."
"I just want to make sure that you're not doing this because you're upset with him." Alex said.
"I can't believe you'd think that!" Liz exclaimed. "I want to get my memories because that's what they are, my memories. If I was this other person than I want to remember. My relationship with Max or lack there of has nothing to do with this. Max and I have moved on. We're not supposed to be together, end of story."
"Okay, okay. Then I feel better about what I'm about to tell you." Alex said. "I wouldn't tell you about it at all but I think you should know."
"What?"
"The night you supposedly left for Sweden, when you were actually brought here, Max and Tess slept together at the observatory." Alex said.
Liz's eyes widened in shock at his words. She looked at Alex and said, "I'm going to clean up before Khivar comes back and I have to go."
Liz grabbed what she needed and went through the second door that did indeed go into a bathroom. She let the tears fall and tried to compose herself. But she couldn't, the information was the straw that broke the camels back. Whatever she still felt for Max didn't matter anymore, there was no going back. What they had was gone, there was no fixing it and she accepted it. Sean had been right when he said she'd been suffocating, living in this limbo with Max had taken it's toll on her. Stomping out the feelings she had held on to.
She finished changing her clothes and went back to join Alex in the main room. He looked her over before he got up and came up to her. "If you're going to lie and go cry, you should take care of your eyes."
Alex shocked her when he ran his fingertips under her eyes and she felt the puffiness fade away. He smiled at her surprise, "Having powers are cool and come in handy."
The door opened then and Khivar came back in, "We're ready."
"We'll talk later." Alex said. Liz nodded before the two turned to follow Khivar. She looked around to see they were in a long corridor similar to an apartment building and Liz realized she hadn't asked where they even were before. She leaned over to whisper to Alec, "What is this place?"
"It used to be an old nursing home between Hondo and Roswell. With all of the rooms, it was a perfect place for Khivar to set up when he got here."
Liz noticed them getting stares from several people as they walked by, "Are they skins or like us? And why do they keep staring at me?
Alex smiled, "They're a mixture of both skins and Alorians. And they are staring at you because they recognize you of course. They are loyal to Khivar."
"Oh," Was all Liz said. They continued to follow until they reached what Liz thought had probably been the medical treatment area before and she saw a table that looked like a cocoon or coffin like Alex described earlier. "Alex, is that where they are going to put me?"
"Yes, the healing cylinder is the safest way to restore you memories and also the most complete. You could connect to Khivar or I but that would only open up your memories that we shared with you and not all of yours." Alex explained from the knowledge Khivar had previously informed him of. "Don't worry, it won't hurt. It'll be like taking a long nap in a warm soothing bath, and I know how much you would like that."
"I'm not afraid." Liz said. Khivar spoke for a few minutes to someone nearby until he turned towards her and told her it was time. Alex helped her to get inside and the tube closed in on her. After a moment of claustrophobia Liz relaxed as she felt herself beginning to get sleepy. She fought it for a little while but then she could no longer and drifted off. But she didn't dream, instead her mind was flooded with memories of her life as Enola.
PART 9
But she didn't dream, instead her mind was flooded with memories of her life as Enola. All of them came back to her but several were more potent than other.
Ten year old Enola made her way down the steps of her house looking for any signs of Kat, or Ardeth. They were playing and at the moment to two were hiding from he and it was her turn to find them. She heard a faint rustling and saw a small pair of feet peaking out from under her mother's new hangings over the large window in the main sitting room. From the shoes she could tell it was one of her best friends Katrin. Her other best friend was Ardeth, Katrin's twin although they didn't look it. Katrin had long blonde hair while Ardeth had dark. But their eyes were identical, both shades of blue like others in their family. She crept over to it intent on grabbing the one hiding there but before she did, she saw a small movement over to her left and knew that it was Ardeth. She snuck up behind his hiding place and jumped out at him.
Ardeth jumped high into the air and screamed, "Aha!!"
She couldn't help giggling at his hysterics. "I found you!"
"You didn't have to scare me to death." He exclaimed.
"Shh, I have to get Kat." Enola chastised.
Ardeth's face changed from fear to one of glee at the thought of Enola doing what she did to him to his twin, he lowered his voice and said, "I'll be quiet."
Enola smiled as she crept back to the hangings and saw the small pair of feet still there. Using her powers she swept them back quickly before reaching out to tag Katrin. "I got you too!"
Kat pouted slightly at being found before admitting defeat. "Okay, okay, you won."
"Enola! What do you children think you are doing playing around here? Your mother will be very upset." Her nanny Cladya
reprimanded as she entered the room. She could be stern but kind as well. Enola loved her like a second mother. She smiled at the children before saying. "Now your mother wants to see you in your father's study."
"Her and father are back?" Enola asked excitedly.
"Yes, they are."
"Come on," Enola grabbed Ardeth and Katrin's hands and pulled them to her father's study. She burst through the door and saw her parents sitting inside. She ran to them and her father gave her a big hug, "There's my little one. What was all that yelling we heard?"
"We were just playing and I scared Ardeth." Enola told him before hugging her mother. Although she looked like both of her parents, with her dark hair and eyes, it was her mother who she favored most.
"Well it's getting late and I believe the twins' are expected at home so say your good-byes." Her mother stated.
"But I don't want to, if I do then Ardeth will go away." Enola said.
"He has to, but don't worry he'll be back in no time." Her mother said trying to placate her young daughter.
"Okay," Enola huffed. The three of them walked the twins out to where their transport was waiting for them. She hugged Ardeth tightly before saying, "You better write me all the time!"
"I will don't worry." He said before whispering to her, "Take care of Kat for me."
Enola nodded before the two left.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Enola was so happy that she felt like she was about to burst. She had graduated with honors at the top of her class, her parents had been very proud of her, she was going to be helping at the science labs soon and one of her best friends had come home from the academy a few months ago and was home to stay. She had been so happy when Ardeth came to see her when he arrived home and him and Kat had been by to visit every day since. Now she was their house at the celebration their father was throwing for the homecoming of his two sons, Ardeth and Khivar.
The celebration was a large formal ball and she had a new gown. Her mother had picked the color but had let her have free range over the design. Kat had talked her into going a little more risqué and the dress only covered half of her. Thankfully the half that covered her were parts she didn't want seen the most. She grabbed another drink before returning to chat with Ardeth and Kat.
She was there for some time watching the guests when she saw someone moving to approach them. Her eyes locked on him, he was one of the finest looking males she had ever seen. He had a strong build, tall with broad muscular shoulders she could see even with his formal wear on. He had light hair as well as eyes. Eyes that looked like sky during a cloud storm. Their color looked familiar to her but she was too busy looking him over to think about it. As he came up she saw him smiling slightly in Kat's direction. Was he a romantic friend?
When he finally arrived in front of her, Kat hugged him before turning to her, "Khivar, you remember my oldest friend Enola, don't you?"
"Yes, I do. You have certainly grown up. I see the girl I knew in the woman before me." Khivar said as he took her hand and kissed it.
Enola suddenly felt foolish for her assumptions about him and Kat and couldn't help but smile bashfully at him. "Welcome home, Khivar."
"Thank you." He nodded to her in gratitude. "Kat has caught me up on what I have missed and what Ardeth did not tell me from his letters from home. Congratulations on your academic achievement even if you did beat out by little sister."
"Thank you." She said blushing. "I enjoy learning very much."
"It is delightful to see a woman that is intelligent as well as beautiful." Khivar said still smiling at her. "Do your gifts extend to dancing as well?"
"I can hold my own, that is if someone was to ask me?" She said coyly.
"Well, then would you do me the honor?" He said gallantly. She nodded and took his proffered hand. He led her out onto the dance floor. Khivar whirled her around and they had a marvelous time. He did not leave her side, nor she his and she found herself enjoying it immensely. When they weren't dancing they visited with the other guests and she felt she further impressed Khivar when she contributed to the different conversation with what she thought were well-informed views on the subjects. She was separated only a few times when she danced with Ardeth. She joked with her friend as she noticed him peeking glances at the Princess Vilandra.
The night flew by and soon they were on the last dance and Enola was back in Khivar's arms. She was absorbing it as much as possible when something caught her eye. It was the dark look on Prince Zan's face. She had never seen him looking that way and wondered what had gotten him so upset.
When the night was over Ardeth, Kat, and Khivar all walked her out to meet her parents so she could go home. She was about to go when Khivar seized her hand, "May I come to visit you?"
Enola smiled and said, "I would enjoy that very much." before she got into her parents' transport and sped away. She watched him until he was out of her sight.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Enola loved each of Khivar's visits. He had visited six times since the ball, which had been only been three weeks ago. A few times he had come with his brother and sister but the last few it had just been him. And as much as she loved her friends, she was glad for the private time like now. They walked through the gardens on her families property talking about the illness of the king when Enola noticed the way he was looking at her, "What?"
"You are one of the most considerate person I know. It makes you even more beautiful." She dodged her head down but his fingers placed on her chin pulled her face back up to look at him. "And that increases ten fold when I realize that you are clueless to the fact of your affect on people. You don't even realize it."
They stood there gazing at each other for only a second before he lowered his lips to gently brush against hers. His lips were soft and the kiss was sweet and tender. His lips lovingly caressed hers and his hand cupped her cheek. She returned the kiss with enthusiasm and brought her hands up to lace behind his neck. The kiss broke before it could be deepened and they pulled away. He must have seen the disappointment in her face because he said, "Don't worry. There is more to come."
**WARNING: The next part is NC-17 for sex and later violence. **
PART 10
Enola raced to the door when she heard the loud banging. She flung it open and was so happy to see the person on the other side. "Khivar."
Khivar caught her as she flung herself into his arms. She started to cry then. He let her cry it out and he ran his fingers through her hair to try and soothe her. He guided her inside shutting the door behind them and moving farther into the house. "Shh, it's going to be okay."
"How can you say that?" She sobbed. "Things are going to be in chaos. King Xavier is dead. He is, was a great king who did his best to move us forward, to advance us. And now he's died too soon leaving only Zan to reign. And he can't do it, he's not ready yet, too naïve."
"And selfish." Khivar added causing Enola to give him a fierce look. "He is."
"He's also your friend,"
"Who has been increasingly hostile towards me." Khivar interrupted.
"A friend who just lost his father." Enola stated.
"You're right. I'm sorry." He said apologetically. She knew he hadn't meant to upset her but his opinion of Zan had just came out. She knew he was right though, everything from the fact that Zan could indeed be selfish to the tension in their friendship. A tension she felt was her fault. They stood in the entranceway of her house, in front of the grand staircase but it didn't matter as she settled back his arms to relax. "How are Ardeth and Kat?"
"Coping. Kat stayed at home but Ardeth went to be with Vilandra."
"I spoke to her earlier. She's taking it hard, I can't imagine what it is like to loose a parent." She stopped when she realized what she said and looked at Khivar, chastising herself for bringing up bad memories. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean..."
"It's okay. I know you didn't mean to be hurtful, and you're right. It is difficult." Khivar said. "There's not a day goes by that I don't think about my mother. I think about what she would think of Kat, Ardeth, me. She would be so happy to see me with you, she always loved you. Just like I do."
Enola pulled her head away from Khivar's shoulder to look up into his eyes, "Really?"
He nodded slightly as he said, "Yes, I do. How could you not know?"
"I've blocked myself from reading your emotions, I wanted you to tell me on your own, to hear it from your mouth.." She said. "And now that I know...I..."
Enola couldn't find the words to express herself so instead she pulled him close and crashed their mouths together. This kiss was very passionate, and soon got carried away. Khivar broke away from her, "Enola..."
"Shh," She said pressing a finger to his lips, "I want to be with you, in the most intimate way."
"We can't, not here." He said although she could tell that it was taking all of his control to do it. He wanted to be with her like she wanted him. But he was worried about them being together in her families' house.
"My parents are gone, Father gave everyone else the day off to grieve. The house is empty, and I want you to show me how much you love me." Enola said before she kissed him again deeply. She felt him give up his struggles. Khivar swept her up in his arms and carried her back to her bedroom. Gentle kisses and soft touches slid across skin as it was revealed to their hungry gazes. Warm, silken limbs entwined as they moved together in the dance of the ages.
Once they were there, clothes came off swiftly, as if their passion would consume them in its fiery embrace. Once she was naked, and her dark skin was bathed in nothing but the light filtering in from the windows, Khivar laid her back on the bed. The first touch of his mouth to her breast caused her to moan loudly. Her fingers fisted in his hair, as he nibbled slowly on the hard peak, and sending delicious shivers racing over her and straight to the very center of her being. His fingers danced along her flesh, the roughened digits memorizing every silken curve. He trailed his tongue across the valley of her breasts, to the other soft mound, giving it equal attention. She mewled softly when his fingers brushed the soft curls of her sex, and she surged her hips up to urge him on. She gasped when his tongue slid lazily down her stomach, dipping playful into her belly button, and then lower. Their eyes locked when he kneeled on the floor between her thighs, his large, warm hands sliding between the bed and her buttocks. He gently kneaded the swells of her ass, his eyes burning hers before he dipped his head to taste.
She reared off the bed at the first swipe of his tongue across her heated core. Her legs came up to wrap around his neck as he feasted greedily on her juices. Her fingers plucked uselessly on the bed as she tried to hold on to it. Her breaths came in shallow gasps as the throb in her center mirrored the strokes of his tongue on her sex. Alternating between her clit and her entrance, Khivar slowly, languorously brought her to the edge. When she was writhing beneath him, her hands desperately trying to push him closer to her, he stiffened his tongue and attacked her with ferocity like no other. The sound of his name broke his own hold on his control. While she was still trembling from the force of her climax, his nude body skimmed over hers, his shaft sliding into her tight, fluttering heat.
They both groaned as he filled her. He kissed her deeply as he began to move, his hands gripping her knees and spreading her wide to his plundering thrusts. Her nails dug into the strong muscles of his shoulders, her hips grinding against his. Thrust for thrust, stroke for stroke they met, equal in passion. She felt him stiffen and knew he was close. He tore his mouth away from hers, and buried his face in her hair. One of his hands moved between their sweat slicked bodies to where they were joined. With a gentle touch, they crashed over the edge together.
"I love you, Enola," he gasped into her hair, shuddering violently. When he raised his head to look at her, she ran her fingers through his hair and she knew that her eyes were shining with unshed tears. He brushed a thumb over her lashes, gathering the moisture on it.
"I love you, too." She smiled at his slightly dumbfounded expression, and leaned up to kiss his surprised mouth. Slowly, they began to move together again, the force of their feelings pushing them to reiterate it, over and over. The room filled with soft moans and whispers of love as they fell into oblivion again.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Enola and Ardeth walked through the woods, enjoying a peaceful stroll. Khivar had told her that he didn't want her to go but she had insisted. She argued that she knew the woods by her home like the back of her hand and there was almost no safer place except with him. She told him that she needed a break, a few minutes away from talk about their plans for his rise to power, and away from Vilandra trying to help her plan their upcoming wedding. Many of times she snuck out of the palace to see Ardeth she also came to see her. She appreciated Vilandra's help but she was trying to talk her into a big one when Enola just wanted a small one, since they had so much else going on. Khivar had told her that he would give her whatever wedding she wanted but she had said as long as the people they cared about were there that was good enough for her.
As they walked she noticed that Ardeth was looking around uneasily, "Enola, are you sure about this? That we should be going in so deep."
"I can't understand why you never liked these woods." Enola smiled as she picked up how uncomfortable he was, "It's just nature, science, Ardeth, nothing to worry about." She loved being in the woods, she could drop her block without having to worry about picking up stray emotions and such from others.
"I'm just more of an inside kind of man. You know, solid walls, floor beneath my feet." Ardeth trailed off as he started to look around them. "Shh, I think I heard something."
Enola picked up his change of emotion from uneasiness to alarm but before she could ask him about it, she picked up that they weren't alone. She dropped her block so she was completely open to what or who was around her. Then she could distinguish at least six men, one, which was familiar. "Zan!"
She spun around looking for him, all she could see was trees but she knew that they were hiding what was there. She yelled out in the direction her powers were directing her. "I know you are here! Show yourself!"
He stepped out of the trees surrounded by six men all their hands ready to fire. She could feel his anger at her pouring off of him but found it odd that it was mixed with love as well, or at least what he thought was love. As he moved closer Ardeth pushed her behind him to try and keep her protected, to keep as much as possible between Zan and her. Zan only smirked as he said, "Enola, it is a pleasure to see you, looking beautiful as always."
"Pour it on thick there Zan." Ardeth said sarcastically.
"Shut up traitor! Your big brother isn't here to protect you anymore." Zan snarled.
"I don't need Khivar to fight my battles." Ardeth said angrily.
"Really?" Zan said smirking. "I've always known you being more brains then brawn. I think that's why Vilandra is so happy now to be with Rath. To have an actual man who can take care of her and not have her be stronger than him. She can't wait for their wedding day."
Enola was almost knocked out by the wave of anger that hit her full force from Ardeth as he lunged at Zan. Zan put up his hand and his shield popped up but Ardeth didn't make it that far. A blast from one of the guards sent him flying backwards until he hit the ground with a horrible thump. Enola watched in horror, "Ardeth!"
She ran forward to go to her friend's side when Zan seized both of her arms. She started struggling against him. "Let me go! I have to help him!"
"Calm down Enola, you're getting all worked up." Zan stated.
"Of course I'm upset. One of your guards just attacked one of my best friends!" She said angrily.
"They were just doing their job, he was trying to attack me!"
"You egged him on!" Enola snapped. She felt Ardeth's emotions weakening even more and she knew he was close to dying. She looked up at Zan and pleaded. "You have to help him, Zan. You can heal him, please!"
"Why would I? He's been helping Khivar take over my throne!" Zan said.
Enola was about to argue more when she felt the sudden emptiness inside her, it was caused by Ardeth's death. Her eyes filled with tears as she ripped herself away from Zan and rushed to his side. She could see the damage done by the guard's blasts, a large hole was in the middle of his chest and when she looked away and up to his face she was met by the sight of empty eyes. Her tears fell then as she cried for her friend. But soon her grief turned to anger as she turned towards Zan, "He was a good man, all he wanted was to live a life with Vilandra and be happy."
"He was a conspirator and a traitor. And a traitor deserves to die a traitor's death." He spat out.
Enola felt the anger in Zan but ignored it. Her anger was far stronger with in her and took over. "Who are you to sit in judgement on him?"
"I am the king!" He roared.
"You won't be if I have anything to do about it." She said defiantly. Then before Zan could grab her again, she took off in the opposite direction. She ran as fast as she could trying to get back to safety. But his longer legs allowed him to catch up with her quicker than she would have liked. He grabbed her leg and she felt herself falling forward. As she did her head hit a large rock and she was stunned. Her head began to throb and she felt disoriented as she felt Zan roll her over.
"Enola, I never wanted this to happen I didn't come here to hurt you." Zan said but she tried pull away from him, but he would let her out from under him.,
"All you've done is hurt me today! You just let my best friend die in front of me when you could have helped him." She cried. She tried to move but he had her effectively pinned underneath him. Even if she did get away she didn't think she would get far, the small movement she had made had caused her extreme dizziness. The blood from the big gash on her head was now streaming down her face. "You wonder why I say I could never love you! You're a heartless spoiled little boy!"
She knew she had gone to far when she felt his anger come back at her like a punch to her chest. But it was nothing compared to the blow to her face and he hit her. "A little boy am I? At least I'm not a whore!"
"How dare you?!" Enola screamed.
"Don't act all virtuous. I know that you are not as innocent as you pretend to be. I'm sure you gave yourself to Khivar very quickly." Zan said angrily. "But he will not have you ever again! If you won't love me, than you shall be with no one."
Enola felt his fists come up to strike her again but he didn't stop with one. She brought her arms up to defend herself and she tried to fight back but he was bigger and stronger than her and his anger was fueling him, making him even stronger. He hit her over and over again, she felt bones brake, and the lashes bleed so much so that she felt it half covering her body. With the last ounce of strength in her body she yelled as loudly as possible. "KHIVAR!"
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