A guard was summoned to transport the pair to the council chambers. Neither Urim nor Josephine said a word as they made the long walk. Their hearts were filled with anxiety and fear. Alexis followed behind at a slower pace.

The councilmen had left for the day, so the group had to wait while they reconvened. Urim whispered to Josephine, "Having to return for this will make them angry. I hope they will not let it influence their decision." She turned tear-filled eyes to him but remained mute. He took her hand in his and held it tight.

King Siefer called the meeting to order and spoke directly to the accused. "You were given a command to stay apart until Josephine was fully cleared as a refugee. The punishment for disobedience was to be exiled. Both of you were aware of the consequences of your actions, yet you chose to defy our command. Do you deny the charges?"

Urim replied, "We cannot deny them. You are the one who found us together. It would be useless to pretend otherwise. I would like to point out that Josephine is not guilty. She did not invite me to her chamber or seek me out at any time. I snuck into her room and surprised her. She told me to leave immediately. I refused to do as she asked."

The confused councilmen asked, "How were you aware of which chamber she was given and the code to get in? The room was just assigned today. Josephine must have supplied you with the information."

"No, she did not,” Urim began. "I bribed some children to follow her and seek out which chamber she was given. They were also to watch the code being put in and report back to me."

Alexis's eyebrows rose. She was willing to bet the culprits were her daughter, Nexxa, and the queen's son, Scyon. She had seen them playing with the kite and wondered where it had come from. She would deal with the little spies later.

The king asked, "Why did you go against the command? Was there an emergency situation or some message that could not be relayed?" King Siefer was doing his best to give them a way out of the mess without his needing to exile them. He was tenderhearted under his gruff exterior.

Urim rubbed his big hands over his chiseled face and admitted, "The only emergency was my desire to see Josephine for myself. She was gravely wounded while in my care. I saw to her needs on the way to Milisaria, but she was still in danger when we arrived. I had to follow through and make sure she had recovered."

"That is not an excuse,” the council replied. "You have been given daily reports on her health. We did not hold back anything from you. Are you ready to be her sole caretaker on one of the colonies? That is what you are now facing for your lack of patience."

To everyone's shock, Alexis came forward asked, "May I speak in their defense before a sentence is passed?"

The king frowned at her and asked, "What do you know of this matter? Did you help them?"

Alexis smiled and replied, "It is a matter of love on which I would like to speak. I know how difficult it is to stay away from someone who means everything to you. You do as well, King Siefer. Nabvan and I once defied a king. Our transgressions were far greater than Urim's. He was my guard, and I was the king's future wife. We fell in love but fought our feelings for a long time. There came a point when we could no longer hold our love in check. The king himself caught us together and had Nabvan beaten. He was to be executed for treason. There was an uprising on the ship by the captured human females that King Shene had been so cruel to. Nabvan killed the king and claimed me for his own. King Siefer, you were there. All was forgiven by the council at that time. You even wanted Nabvan as king. If you can forgive all of that, then you could surely forgive one moment of weakness brought about by love. Josephine and Urim were not plotting against the council or the king. Josephine has always shown her loyalty toward Milisaria. Urim just needed to be with the woman he loved. They have both followed your command until today. I ask that you be lenient with them. Give Josephine refugee status and allow them to be together."

King Siefer answered, "I agree with Alexis on most of her points. Josephine still needs to prove her worth by contributing to our capital and Urim must finish out his term of punishment. However, I see no reason for them to be kept apart. As Alexis said, they are not plotting against Milisaria. I cannot make this ruling on my own. The council must decide."

Josephine, Urim, and Alexis were sent from the room. The council wanted to discuss their odd situation in depth. It seemed that human females made life on Milisaria more complex for all concerned. The knights were willing to give up everything to be with the beautiful women.

The king brought them the verdict. "Josephine must continue her supervised work for a year, and then she will be declared a full citizen of Milisaria. Urim's punishment of no leadership assignments for a year remains in effect. The ban from speaking to one another has been lifted. Alexis's speech gave the council reason to absolve you of wrongdoing. My wife would like to invite both of you to dinner tomorrow. It seems she had faith that all would be forgiven. She too believes in the power of love."

Josephine hugged Alexis and then surprised the king by giving him a hug as well. "Thank you both for saving us from exile and understanding our predicament." She turned to Urim and said, "I believe you owe me a picnic under the four moons and a walk beside the green sea. I haven't seen either one yet. I have been locked away in the lab."

Urim grinned widely and replied, "I seem to remember making that promise. Give me about fifteen minutes to get a basket ready, and I will meet you back at the capital entrance."

Josephine hurried to her chamber and dug through the stack of clothes Alexis had brought. She found the filmy dress of her dreams at the center of the pile. She slipped out of the formfitting bodysuit and allowed the blue dress to flow over her bare skin. It swished around her shapely legs with each step she took, making her feel more feminine than she had in months. She left her long red hair loose to be ruffled by the sea breeze. Her feet remained bare to feel the sand between her toes.

Urim met her at the capital entrance carrying a huge basket of goodies. His admiring gaze made her blush. He smiled and said, "There is the look I have been longing for. Your skin changed colors once more, just for me."

He held out a hand, and she entwined her small fingers with his large ones. He guided Josephine over a hill filled with lovely flowers and down a sandy path. A flat, circular spot between two tall grass-covered hills was his destination. In the private space created by those hills, he sat out a large cloth for them to sit on and began setting out the feast.

Josephine's mouth fell open in surprise when he produced a bowl of ripe, red strawberries and another of fresh whipped cream. Urim saw the look and explained, "Both Queen Destiney and Alexis love strawberries. Their mates made sure to trade for the plants on a trading trip to Earth. There is now a garden filled with them and other delicacies behind the capital building. Valeri makes the whipped cream in the lab. She keeps the cooks supplied with it. It is a great hit with all Milisarians." He dipped a strawberry into the whipped cream and fed it to her. The sweet topping smeared across her upper lip and he leaned forward to lick it off.

Josephine groaned as his hot tongue swept over her full lips. His eyes darkened with desire, and he kissed her properly. She flung herself into his waiting arms and knocked him backward onto the cloth. Her body flattened over his length. Softness melted into hardness wherever their bodies touched. One kiss became a thousand. Their wait was at an end. They could finally indulge their desires.

Urim's hands stroked over the filmy dress, finding each curve and savoring it. Josephine nipped at his muscular chest. The love bites made his manhood stand firmly at attention. She grinned and wriggled her hips where they lay atop his hardness. He growled, grabbed her rounded backside with two hands and squeezed gently. Josephine let out a joyous giggle.

Urim quickly rose into a sitting position with Josephine's legs wrapped around his waist. He lowered the thin straps of her loose dress and drew a taut, pink nipple into his mouth. Her head fell back in ecstasy as he suckled at one plump breast, then gave his full attention to the other. Her center became wet with passion, and she writhed on his lap, trying to appease the ache in her loins.

Urim reached down and ran his long fingers through the slick wetness. He parted the nether lips, touching a sensitive spot that sent her into spasms. She screamed his name and begged for mercy. In answer, one long finger entered her tightness and she was sent over the top. He felt her pulsing as her core squeezed his finger.

Wanting to replace the finger with his rock-hard member, he rolled her over so that he was on top. The basket of goodies went flying across the sand. He shoved the soft dress up to her tiny waist, uncovering the treasure he sought. Her small hand wrapped his hardness and guided its length into the hot, wet center of her womanhood. Her legs spread wide as she welcomed him home. She was stretched to the hilt when he embedded his length deep inside her. He set a slow rhythm to bring her close to orgasm once more. Josephine drew her knees up, inviting him deeper. He obliged and began to move at a faster pace. She raised her hips and met each thrust with one of her own. Her soft skin slapped against his sweaty translucence in a rhythm as old as time. Her scream of release was joined by Urim's loud roar of completion. The world slowly came back into focus. Above their heads, the four moons of Milisaria bathed the entwined couple in their soft light.

"I am sorry that I ruined our picnic supper. It is scattered to the winds," Urim breathed against her ear.

Josephine buried her face in his neck and replied, "I got everything I wanted. You're much better than strawberries and whipped cream."

He made her laugh by saying, "But, there was chocolate in there as well!" He brought her hand to his mouth and kissed every finger. "I have another promise to fulfill. You must be dressed for it, or the guards will get an eyeful of your sexy body."

"I'm not sure I care what they see. I like being next to you wearing nothing at all."

Urim replied, "I do care. I refuse to share you with anyone. Your body is meant for my eyes only."

Josephine liked this jealous streak. She rose, shook the sand from her dress and stuck her arms back into the straps. "Where are we going?"

"It is time for our walk along the sea under the moonlight." He took her hand and tugged her forward. They meandered through the hills and came out beside the sea. It sparkled where its green waves struck against the rocks. Josephine stood in awe. She had never seen such beauty. The four white moons hung in a deep blue sky over the foaming green sea. In the moonlight, she could see hillsides covered in flowers of every color and fields of vegetation ready to be harvested. The lights of the capital gave the appearance of flickering fireflies. This exquisite planet was to be her home. She would miss Earth, but she felt like she belonged here now and always had.

Hand in hand they strode in the cold, shallow water as it met the beach. Josephine came to a sudden stop. An oddly shaped rock stood at right angles to the second moon. She began to tremble. Sensing her problem, Urim wrapped her in his warm embrace. She laid her head gently on his chest over his rapidly beating heart. Her whispered words were pulled from a dream, "You could have stopped this."

Against the top of her head, he quietly replied, "Never in a million years."

"You were there?" she questioned.

"Every time," was his answer.

They turned in unison and gasped as three small sets of phantom footprints appeared in the sand behind them. The imprints of their future children shone in the light of the four moons beside the green sea of their shared dream.