Part 16 - Once Upon a Time on Antar

"How do you start stories here? Of course. Once upon a time, Zandar and Vilandra were born to the king of Antar and his teela-mei. I personally knew the royal children their whole lives. I was your tutor. You were the pride of our people. Zandar was smart, strong, and compassionate. Vilandra was the most beautiful being ever born on Antar, and she charmed the entire court. You were devoted to each other, caring more for each other than for yourselves or for anyone else.

"Our people had reached a golden age of art and science. We had achieved travel through space and were starting to colonize the nearby moons."

"There were six of them," Isabel broke in.

"Five little ones, and then the big one," Michael added.

"The largest shone gold in the sky," Max said.

Maria fought a shiver. There was something a bit creepy about having this evidence that the aliens were remembering their past lives. She noticed that Tess was just sitting there, quietly listening.

"Yes. There were two factions on our planets, and unfortunately the two groups fought more often than we got along. One group, ours, Zandar and Vilandra, was the rulers. The other group was what you call the Skins. In general, the ruling class was stronger physically, while the Skins were more talented in mental powers. There were exceptions to this, of course. There are always exceptions. Tymrath was second only to Zandar in strength in battle. I always suspected that Tymrath could have defeated Zandar if not for the fact that his loyalty prevented him from ever usurping his king's honor. And Vilandra was very strong telepathically. Which ultimately proved to be her undoing."

As Dagmar paused, Isabel reached out for Alex's hand. Hearing about Vilandra tore her up inside. She was terrified of what she might learn about herself, but having Alex with her made it slightly easier to face.

"Solon Zamaran Eith," Michael whispered. Maria turned around to look at him, but he didn't even notice. He was looking at Dagmar with a frightened look on his face.

Dagmar smiled at him. "Yes. You remember."

"What does it mean?" Liz asked.

"Michael knows, don't you?" he answered.

Michael nodded slowly. "I think, yes, it means 'The king's honor first.' "

"Exactly. It was the oath sworn by the king's seconds and guards. Most didn't really mean it. You did." Dagmar's smile faded and he looked sad again. "You meant every word," he repeated in a quieter voice.

Maria looked at Michael again. She saw the scared look on his face. She hadn't seen him look this scared since the night he came to her after running away from Hank. She reached up and took his hand again. He blinked and looked at her. Then he smiled gently and returned his attention to Dagmar. He didn't let go of her hand, though.

Liz noticed the hand-holding going on all around her. She looked over at Max. He was still watching Dagmar, just as intently as Michael was. "Go on," he demanded.

"One day, before he reached his Awakening, Zandar was out touring the great city with his father. As he watched, his father was assassinated by a Skin rebel." Max closed his eyes. He could almost see the scene as it replayed in his mind, the screams of the crowd, himself kneeling by his father's body, paying no attention to anything around him but the fact that his father was leaving him. Dagmar went on. "Zandar would have been killed as well, but a stranger threw himself in the way of the blast meant to kill the prince. A young Skin who had seen the assassination, and felt sympathy for the prince who had lost his father that day. A Skin who was also alone, without family, but who found a family that day as he injured himself to save Zandar." Max opened his eyes and looked over at Michael. Michael returned the look. "Zandar had lost his father, but he had gained a friend for life, one whom he loved as a brother. Tymrath became the new king's second."

Max nodded slowly. It made sense. He had always felt incomplete without Michael near. He remembered those first years, when he and Isabel had both known there was someone else out there, that they weren't complete yet. He remember Tymrath's spirit. He had always felt stronger with him standing by his side, ready and willing to do whatever he wanted, but giving him advice too. He started to smile for the first time since meeting Dagmar. Things hadn't really changed that much. No matter what, he knew he could trust Michael. But Michael certainly didn't hesitate to tell him what was on his mind.

Michael saw the smile on Max's face and relaxed a little. He remembered how the emptiness had filled up when he met Zandar. There was someone who needed him and accepted him as he was. He would have done anything for him. The same was true of his feelings in this life. That day in the schoolyard, when he had looked over and seen the two strange children staring at him, Michael had known that he was home. They were his family.

"Things don't change, do they?" Michael asked.

"Not the fundamentals, no," answered Dagmar. "You can change some things, but deep down, you are who you always were."

Michael's good mood went plummeting and he turned back angrily to Dagmar, letting go of Maria's hand as he did so. "What exactly is that supposed to mean?"

"Exactly what I said, Michael. And I was referring to all of you, not just you."

Maria sensed there was a confrontation brewing, and moved quickly to stop it. "Maybe you should just go on with the story."

"Very well. The Royal Three, Zandar, Vilandra, and Tymrath, quickly became legends on our world. Together, they fought many fights against the Skins and encouraged beauty and art. Never did anyone have cause to accuse Tymrath of disloyalty to his king. He had found himself a cause and never looked back at the life he had before. And the people on our word started to come together - to look beyond their houses and factions and work together to make Antar a better place. Zandar was a good king - honest and fair. However, he was guarded and cold. The only ones he loved were Vilandra and Tymrath. While nobody suffered unfairly, Zandar kept his emotions closely protected. I don't think you ever truly got over the death of your father."

"I didn't." Max's words seemed pained, as if he was forcing himself to say them. "I hated them for killing him. But I had to deal with them, didn't I? Killing them all wasn't exactly a workable option." He gave a small laugh and looked at Michael again. "Although I bet you would have done it for me if I'd asked, wouldn't you?"

Michael closed his eyes as he whispered, "What did you ask of me? I can't remember that yet, but there's something, isn't there?"

Max looked confused. Before he could say anything, Dagmar rushed on. "Tymrath and Vilandra were unbeatable. No one could stand against Tymrath in battle, and Vilandra was always there helping him plan and prepare. Together, they could figure out a way to accomplish any of Zandar's plans. They worked behind the scenes as Zandar struggled to unify Antar. They went through their Awakenings together and selected each other for their teela-meis. Zandar was thrilled with their bethrothal. They continued to deal with the growing Skin dissension and rebellion while planning for their wedding."

Michael had opened his eyes again, and was looking at Isabel, who returned his look of curiosity. He smiled at her suddenly. Isabel blushed a little, but then returned his smile. She could remember a little of those days. It had been so exciting. Everyday was a challenge, and she knew they could do anything as long as the three of them were together. It was amazing how much of that feeling had survived into this life.

Maria couldn't stand watching them, not after hearing Dagmar talk about their life and love for each other. She started to get up and leave, but the instant she moved, Michael's attention returned to her. He leaned over and pushed her gently back down. "Stay," he whispered, and she nodded.

"It sounds like everything was fine and dandy," Alex commented.

"Yes," answered Dagmar. "But then Zandar went through his Awakening and met Aveen." He looked at Tess for a moment, then at the others. "Then things got really bad, really fast."

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