Nabvan picked up his sword to show the young trainees the best stance to defend themselves against a much shorter challenger. The warriors on some planets were small enough to get underneath a Milisarian Knight's arms and rip his stomach open. The Knight's had to learn to fight enemies of all shapes and sizes. On one of the conquered planets, the inhabitants had looked like gigantic slugs. The Knight's had laughed when confronted by them, however, the laughter had stopped when their swords melted upon coming in contact with the skin of the creature and many warriors died from burns in hand to hand combat.

King Siefer watched as the trainees took turns blocking Nabvan's sword. The trainees were only successful fifty percent of the time. Nabvan was an excellent swordsman. He would be quite difficult to beat, but the king felt that the trainees were not trying hard enough. He stopped the training and brought the trainees in for a talk. Instead of the encouragement they were usually given, King Siefer yelled, "I find that all of you are showing signs of laziness! None of you are working hard enough. A small child would do better at defending itself. You make me ashamed to call you warriors. I refuse to stand beside such inept men in battle. If you truly want to be named a Milisarian Knight, you must work three times harder. I order the trainees to practice from dawn to dusk rather than half the day. You will stay here until you drop."

Nabvan tried to reason with him. “These trainees are the youngest. They have only been in training for two months. Some of them are the ones from the villages. They had never touched a sword until they arrived in the city. Their progress is nothing short of amazing. They should not be punished for their lack of prowess. If we work them to death, they will be useless."

King Siefer turned his wrath on Nabvan. "You have become too soft! You treat our future warriors as if they are children in need of coddling. Mayhap you are afraid they will soon best you. Come! Let me remind you of how a real Milisarian Knight fights back." He pulled his sword and challenged Nabvan.

Shocked, Nabvan raised his sword to deflect the first swing of the king's sword. If he had been any slower, the sword would have cut his throat. King Siefer was fighting for real. There was anger and an overwhelming frustration behind each thrust. Nabvan fended off each one and refused to retaliate in kind. He had no desire to harm his friend. The battle raged until darkness fell. The warriors were spent and fell to the ground. The king's guards helped him rise from the marsh. They saluted Nabvan in respect for his restraint. Nabvan slowly rose and watched as the king limped away. He hoped that the fight had alleviated some of the king's anger. He longed to have his friend back.

Nabvan dismissed the trainees and made his way to the public showers. He did not want Alexis to see him covered in mud and bleeding from the small gashes King Siefer had managed to inflict. He knew that she would be upset enough by his looks after he was clean. He dreaded telling her that it had been the king who caused this damage. She was already furious with King Siefer for closing the lab. She had managed to have one of her students sneak out some of her paperwork before the lab was locked. She spent many hours poring over her findings in search of clues. She had told Nabvan that she was sure there was something she was missing.

Alexis was in the shower when Nabvan returned. She did not hear him enter until it was too late to cover herself. He gasped when he saw the bruises on her belly. "Why did you not tell me how bad it had gotten? You are black and blue. You have grown thinner and your plate is sitting on the table still full of food. How may I help?"

Alexis covered her body. She tried desperately to hide the changes from his gaze. "I never wanted you to see me like this. I knew it would cause you to worry. I am fine. I promise. I eat, just not a lot. The baby is growing quicker than a human one. It takes more of the nutrition too. I need to force myself to eat more. I am still looking for a way to make myself and the baby more compatible, but I need the lab." She finally took a good look at Nabvan. "What happened to you? You are covered in cuts. They are still bleeding! Who did this?" She did not wait for the answer. Instead, she found bandages and medicines to care for the wounds.

Nabvan sat in silence as she tended the cuts. She kissed each one as she applied the bandages. Her gentle fingers ran over every inch of skin in search of more injuries. When she finished, she sat directly in front of him and demanded, "I have waited long enough. Answer my questions please."

Nabvan reluctantly answered, "The wounds were inflicted during training. King Siefer believes I am being too easy on the trainees. He challenged me to a fight. He chose to make it a true battle and these cuts are the result. He is unharmed. I chose only to defend myself in hopes of soothing his animosity."

Alexis rose and began to pace. "Has he lost his mind? Is the pressure of ruling this world too much for him to handle? I have tried to be understanding and have even defended his actions to Destiney, but the fact that he would attack you in such a way is too much to forgive. He was not only wrong to intentionally cause you harm, but also for doing it in front of the trainees. How can they learn to trust those fighting beside them when their elders fight among themselves?"

Nabvan had no answers. He did not know where the king's anger had come from, or why he would wish to hurt his best friend. If this was what having great power meant, then he was glad he had chosen not to be king. He pulled Alexis into his lap and made her eat some of her leftover meal. For tonight, they would concentrate on her health. Tomorrow was soon enough to deal with the king. Nabvan would have to ask for permission to open the lab and allow Alexis to continue her work. He feared that he would lose that battle.

King Siefer made Nabvan wait many hours for a chance to ask him about the lab. He allowed others that had come later than Nabvan into his chambers but left Nabvan until last.

The guards finally called him into the king's chambers. The king was preoccupied with papers and maps. He refused to look up as Nabvan began, "I am here to implore you to open the lab. Alexis is getting sicker. She has some ideas for a medication that may help. She can not test it without the equipment in the lab."

"That matter has already been covered. I closed the lab, and it shall stay that way. Unless you have another issue to bring forth, you must leave." King Siefer motioned for the guards to take Nabvan out.

Nabvan shook his head at the guards, and they stepped away. "Alexis only asks for a few hours each week. She will do the research from our quarters, but the tests must be done in the lab. If Destiney was the one who was sick and in pain, would you allow a cure to be found? You are our friend. We are the guardians of your son. I ask nothing for myself. Alexis deserves a chance to live, as do the other humans. We stole them from their destination. You helped us fight for their freedom. Let us now fight for their survival."

King Siefer looked up from his papers. "Do not try to use friendship for special treatment. Never hold your place in my son's life over my head. The privileges I give can easily be taken away. We have done all that we can to save the humans. If your blood is intolerable to your female, that is not something that can be changed. It means there is a flaw in her. My wife and others are not incompatible. Stop wasting my time. The lab stays closed."

Nabvan allowed the guards to escort him out. There was no way to reason with an arrogant fool. King Siefer could someday find himself regretting his decision. Destiney had survived the first pregnancy without too many problems; however, without knowing why the others had gotten sick, there was always a chance that another pregnancy could kill her. Nabvan would bide his time until King Siefer left for the colonies and then he would break down the lab door if necessary.

Nabvan joined the trainees who had been on the practice field since daybreak. They were sick and dehydrated. He called a halt to their fighting and ordered them to rest and drink. If the king came out to argue against the resting time, Nabvan was more than willing to fight. These young men were his responsibility, and he refused to torture them.

The room containing food supplies was left unlocked. Nabvan searched for something different that might appeal to Alexis. She needed to eat, but the heavy foods that were served at mealtime made her sick. He desired to present her with something cool and inviting. He knew she missed the fruits on Earth. There had to be something similar from one of the colonies. He found a large oval object that smelled delicious. He tried it and discovered it was cool and sweet. There were also some small purple orbs that popped when squeezed. They were sweet as well. He gathered as many of each as he could carry.

Alexis accepted the gift of food with a smile. The smell was enticing. She tried the larger one and ate a few bites before it made her stomach ache. The small purple ones proved to be soothing, and she ate her fill. Nabvan grinned in approval. He had done well in his choices. He would make sure to bring many more of the purple ones that Alexis called berries.

As they snuggled into bed, the baby kicked, surprising them both. Nabvan held his palm to the spot where a tiny foot continued to kick. He could feel Alexis wincing in pain with each assault from within her. She kept smiling anyway. She cared more for the baby than for herself. She now knew that asking King Siefer to open the lab was futile. Nabvan had told her about his audience with the king. She was sad and resigned to dying. She had told Nabvan that since she knew the baby could survive, she had no regrets. He did not agree. If Alexis died, he would find a way to punish the king. Until then, he would do everything in his power to lessen her suffering.

Alexis woke to an empty bed. The little one was kicking once again. The pain was excruciating, but it also meant the baby was healthy. She longed to hold it in her arms and kiss its cheeks. It was a part of Nabvan, and she loved it as she did him. The idea of never watching it grow up was too much to bear. There had to be a way to make its blood compatible with hers. On Earth, there was a vaccine that was given to women whose babies had a different factor in their blood that could not mix with their mother's. It was referred to as the RH factor. Could it be that simple? She needed to find out.