Lethal Whispers | (Roswell Fanfiction) | √

Chapter 49

Maria

"You were the beloved Royal Four of Antar."

Maria felt Michael's hands tightened around her middle, across where their baby rested, as Melissa started talking.

It had become night and they had shut themselves into the van, the sporadic and somewhat spooky lights of three flashlights positioned on the metal flooring casting off shadows on the listeners and the teller. Maria looked around the group: at Max who had laid his jacket around Liz's shaking body and had positioned an arm around her shoulder while she rested her head tiredly against his shoulder: at Isabel who was hugging her knees to her chest, her face dirty and weary as she rested her head on the top of her knees: at Tess, who was seated the furthest away from them, as if she felt the great divide between her and the rest of the group since Max had found out about her betrayal. Tess hadn't spoken a word since Max had confronted her. At least not to the group. Maybe she had said something to Isabel when they were together in the mall earlier.

The newest addition to the group was sitting in the center, cross-legged, with the attention of three aliens and two humans. Her hair was curly and, with her ordinary clothes, she looked like a regular twenty-something girl. But the words coming out of her mouth were everything but regular.

"You, Zan," Melissa nodded towards Max and Maria looked at her best friend wearily as Melissa continued, directing her gaze towards Isabel, "and you, Vilandra, were the children of our great king, Demarcus. He was a very beloved man and the majority of the Antarians were loyal to him. He had a younger brother called Khivar, who was quite the opposite of his brother. His political views were controversial and he wasn't afraid to share them. But as long as Demarcus was alive, Khivar would never have the chance to rule Antar."

Melissa took a deep breath before continuing, "Our king grew sick with an Antarian disease similar to the bubonic plague on Earth and there was no cure. This fueled the hopes of the opposition that Khivar might be able to take to the throne. The only problem was Demarcus' son. If a prince had reached adulthood - which in human translation meant around 17-18 years of age - upon the death of the king, the throne would be passed onto him. If not, the throne would be passed onto the next alternate adult relative."

"Khivar," Isabel mumbled.

Melissa nodded. "Right."

"I think I've seen this movie," Michael muttered into Maria's hair.

"But Ma- Zan reached adulthood before...?" Maria guessed.

Melissa nodded again. "He did. He was on the throne for a mere two days before there was an attempt at his life - the first one. He survived, thanks to proficient guards, but it made everyone aware of the possible threat posed against the new rulers of Antar. It made a lot of citizens wary and a general unease was spreading through the population. The royal advisors came up with a plan of strengthening the throne by having Zan marry a noble girl from a well-respected family."

"Tess," Max said quietly and Maria noted how Liz stiffened next to Max.

"Her name was Ava," Melissa said softly and smiled encouragingly at Tess in the background of the group. Maria didn't turn her head to look at Tess. It was too uncomfortable at the moment.

"Ava was young, only 15 or so," Melissa continued, "and didn't really have a choice about the marriage. Neither did Zan. It was rumored that Zan had already given his heart to someone else: A farmer girl. There were even rumors that this girl was pregnant with Zan's child, but none of the rumors were ever confirmed. Well, at least not until that last battle... But I'll get to that."

"What happened?" Isabel whispered as Melissa paused.

Melissa brushed a red curl off her forehead and wet her lips before continuing, "The nation was feeling increasingly uncertain about the new king. They all loved Zan, had watched him grow from a toddler to a young prince to a respected adolescent, who was now set to rule their world. But due to the increasing threat from the opposition, Zan was kept mostly hidden from the public. His announcements were aired from a secret position in the castle and he made no public appearances. With the rise of the opposition being so real amongst the people, the former King's loyal followers were either changing sides or growing increasingly quieter, afraid of being persecuted by the opposition."