Nabvan spent precious minutes attempting to awaken Alexis. Unable to do so, he guided the baby downward with his powerful hands. The little one slid its way down and struggled to emerge without its mother’s aid. A contraction sent a shockwave through Alexis's body, and the baby slipped into Nabvan's waiting hands. As his daughter cried out with powerful lungs, he passed her to Destiney. He grabbed the largest syringe and filled it with the elixir. His large hands were steady as he placed the needle over Alexis's barely beating heart. It was now or never. He plunged the needle deep into her chest and delivered the untested vaccine. Now it was a waiting game.

Destiney cleaned the tiny girl and wrapped her in pink swaddling. She laid her next to Alexis's heart, hoping the baby's presence would encourage her mother to fight harder. Nexxa began to cry and nuzzle her mother. Alexis gasped and appeared to stop breathing. Each second felt like an eternity until her heart began to beat in a normal rhythm. Her eyes popped open, and she sucked in a robust breath. The vaccine had brought her back.

Nabvan wrapped Alexis and their daughter in his arms and smothered them with kisses. Tears of relief and joy fell over his rugged face. He glanced up at Destiney and found her crying happy tears as well.

Alexis weakly shoved at Nabvan's chest, and he laid her gently back on the bed. She asked, "Is Nexxa alright?"

Nabvan laughingly replied, "Can you not hear her cries of hunger? She is very demanding already. She reminds me of you in that respect. Destiney is preparing something to sustain her until you can feed her."

"I want to see her. Please bring her to me." Alexis reached out with feeble arms to claim her daughter. She unwrapped the swaddling to gaze at the newborn. Nexxa had blonde fuzz on her head. Her skin was translucent like her father's, but she had only two arms like her mother. Alexis decided that the baby was perfect. She told Nabvan, "Thank you for being brave enough to use the vaccine. I wasn't sure it would work, but without it, I would have definitely died. Go to my students. The formula for the elixir is in a locked cabinet above the cooler. They need to mix more. It will be needed as more babies arrive."

Nabvan reluctantly left Alexis and Nexxa with Destiney. He went to fulfill Alexis's request. His shoulders slumped from exhaustion. He had not realized how tense he had remained for the last several months. With the worst over, he could once again concentrate on training the young warriors. He felt an intense sense of foreboding. The newest warriors were going to be needed soon.

Alexis regained her strength slowly. She remained in Nabvan's quarters caring for the baby. Her mind turned to the wedding. She had meant to be married before Nexxa's arrival. The illness had prevented it from happening. Alexis no longer cared about a huge wedding. She just wanted to be Nabvan's wife. She sent a guard to bring Destiney. She needed her help to gather everything for a private ceremony.

Destiney arrived with a stranger in tow. She introduced the man as a friend. She explained that Rowl had arrived on the ship that returned from the colonies. Alexis recognized the name. Nabvan had mentioned his new trainee and his stubborn, rebellious attitude. She was perplexed as to why Destiney would bring him with her. How could he have gotten to be such a close friend in so short a time?

Alexis was polite to Rowl, yet she was suspicious of his motives. He appeared to have Destiney under his spell. He showed her no honor or respect as his queen. Instead, she seemed to follow his lead, obeying his orders. His disdain for authority was apparent by his lack of consideration for Destiney's position. Nothing but trouble could come from this friendship.

Alexis put her worries aside and asked, "Are you willing to aid me in a surprise for Nabvan? I want to hold a private wedding ceremony here in our quarters. I can not fathom holding a huge wedding now that Nexxa is here. Do you think Nabvan will be disappointed?"

Destiney replied, "I honestly think he will be relieved. Most men hate pompous ceremonies, especially warriors. I can get everything together in a few hours. Just name a day."

Alexis did not want to waste any time. She answered, "I want it to be today. It is long past time. Nabvan deserves to know how much I love him."

Alexis thought she heard a sound of disgust from Rowl, yet when she turned to him, his face remained impassive. Her distrust of him grew. There was something evil behind those piercing eyes. Training had begun hours ago. Why was he there when he should have been with Nabvan?

Nabvan worked his trainees relentlessly. Rowl's rebellious attitude had rubbed off on the younger warriors. Nabvan fought to bring them back into line. He would make them practice until they remembered who the teacher was and who the student was. Respect needed to be earned. They had not earned it, and Rowl certainly had not. He was not at training and would have to be punished for his absence. If he was ill, he should have sent word by another trainee. He clearly lacked discipline and needed to be taught a lesson.

Training ended, and the young men gathered in front of Nabvan. Their shame showed in their tired expressions. Each begged forgiveness for falling short of the warrior’s code. Respect for their leaders was an important virtue in battle. If they refused to obey an order, many could die. They vowed to keep their distance from Rowl.

Nabvan entered his quarters and was shocked into silence. Alexis stood there grinning. She was resplendent in her wedding gown. The blue, shimmering fabric came to life and resembled a waterfall running down her body. In her hair were thousands of sparkling blue sapphires that perfectly matched her eyes. The room was candlelit and flowers taken from the Milisarian landscape scented the air. Nexxa wore a tiny copy of her mother's gown and gurgled happily in her crib. It too was covered in flowers.

Alexis advised, "Hurry and take a shower. We are getting married in a few minutes. The council elder will do the honors. He is bringing the necessary papers and is due here very soon. Unless you no longer want me to be your wife."

Nabvan picked up Alexis and swung her through the air. He kissed her full, red lips, and replied, "There is nothing I want more. Thank goodness you have allowed us to forego the fancy ceremony. I would have endured it for your sake, however, I truly despise being on display." He took Alexis's advice and hurried to the shower.

Nabvan dressed in his wedding attire. The blue overcoat was heavily embroidered with the symbols of the Milisarian Knights. He pulled his long red hair back and tied it at his nape. He heard voices coming from the main room. They reminded him of the need to hurry. The council elder must have already arrived.

Shock and anger slammed into his head when he saw Rowl standing with Destiney. He held on to his temper for the sake of Alexis and the joyous occasion. The sneer on Rowl's lips proved that he knew how angry Nabvan was and that he did not care in the least. The man knew no boundaries. He had skipped out on training and still had the nerve to show his face at his leader's wedding on the same day. He put an arm around Destiney's shoulders and patted Scyon on the head as if he had the right to claim them. Nabvan would make him pay dearly for his audacity.

The wedding began with Nabvan's vow, "I have chosen Alexis Fisher, a human, as my life mate. She shall now and forever be considered my wife. She will remain under my protection until I pass from this life into the next. I will treat her with honor and give my love only to her."

Alexis replied, "I have chosen Nabvan of Milisaria as my mate. He shall now and forever be considered my husband. I will remain in his protection until he passes from this life or I do. I will honor and respect him all my days and give my love only to him."

The council elder announced, "I provide the authority of Milisarian law by signing the wedding agreement. Our queen will sign as a witness to these proceedings. May your union be long and remain forever strong." Destiney and the council elder signed and the simple wedding was over.

Nabvan chose to ignore Rowl's presence and enjoy the celebration with his wife. He toasted to their happiness and their new daughter. Nexxa awoke at the sounds of happiness. She joined the party. Scyon was fascinated by the tiny baby. He kept patting her head and poking her nose. The celebration would have been perfect except for Rowl. Neither Nabvan nor Alexis wanted him in attendance.

While the women were involved with the babies, Nabvan managed to isolate Rowl. He demanded, "Why did you imagine that I would tolerate having you at my wedding when you were absent from training? Your lack of respect is going to destroy you. You are already far behind the others. You lack muscle tone and strength. You should be working harder and longer than anyone. You will find that the punishment for your absence far outweighs the joy you had today."

Rowl scoffed, "You did tolerate me being here for the wedding. I gave you no choice. You can not punish me for it was at the queen's request that I missed training. Her orders overrule yours. You would do well to remember that she holds power over you and I over her. She will not allow you to punish me. I will show up for training when I feel it is necessary. You no longer command me."

Nabvan feared for Destiney. Rowl had somehow gained not only her trust but her allegiance as well. She was leaving herself open for brainwashing. Rowl was seeking power, and with the queen's help, he could get it. King Siefer had made a terrible mistake in leaving Destiney behind. Her loneliness and naivety made her vulnerable to predators, and Rowl was an evil one.

Nabvan shared his fears and frustrations with Alexis. She felt the influence that Rowl had on Destiney was slowly changing her vision of Milisaria. She had swiftly grown attached to his arrogance and reveled in his attention. She had thrust him into their lives without permission. She fully accepted his disdain for her authority. She allowed him to control her in exchange for his company. At some point, it would cause a breakdown in her control of the planet.

Training the next day was a trying ordeal. Though Nabvan had the younger men back under control, Rowl did as he pleased. He tried to undermine Nabvan's authority by taunting the others. He pushed several to the point of fighting. Rowl was not strong enough to lift a sword, nor accurate with a knife. He was, however, lethal with his fists. His opponents were badly injured and would require days to heal. Nabvan was at a loss. He knew he could beat Rowl in a fair fight, yet he was painfully aware of the bad example it would set for his trainees. He was also quite sure that Rowl would never fight fair. Nabvan needed to punish Rowl for his misdeeds. He demanded that Rowl stay after training and continue moving rocks. The man just smirked and said, "I promised the queen I would join her for lunch. I told you, there is nothing you can do to control me. I make my own rules."