As the days passed and no word came from King Siefer, Destiney regretted more and more the way they had spent their last night together. She upheld her duties and grew closer to the citizens of Milisaria. They found her to be more reasonable and understanding in her judgments than the king had recently been. Her kindness bolstered their spirits, and an air of freedom filled Milisaria.

Scyon enjoyed being a part of the court. He was beloved by all who met him. The citizens were there to see him learn to crawl, which made them feel as if they were closer to the ruling class. Without King Siefer, the city was a more pleasant place to be.

The monitor in the king's quarters came to life. Destiney excitedly answered the call. She was sure it would be the king's ship. It was a spaceship, but not the king's. An unfamiliar face graced the screen. He was far older than most of the warriors, and his face was hardened. He spoke with an odd accent and announced, "We are the contingent returning from the colonies. We have finished our ten-year term of living on the conquered planets. We seek your permission to rejoin our home world. A new contingent must be chosen to take our place. King Siefer has left that choice up to you and Nabvan. Will our new queen allow us to return?"

Destiney was surprised. She had not known that there were Milisarian citizens forced to live on the conquered planets. The environments of some of those planets were extremely harsh and incompatible with a Milisarian's wellbeing. No wonder the warrior on her screen looked old and hardened. It also explained the odd accent. He had been living in worlds of strange beings who spoke different languages. She answered, "Your queen welcomes you home with open arms and a joyous heart. Thank you for your service to Milisaria. I am honored to be the one who greets your ship. I wish to hear all about the colonies and would welcome your insight in choosing the new contingent."

Destiney hurried to gather the citizens of Milisaria to welcome their warriors home. Those men had left mothers, fathers, and siblings behind to serve many years on foreign worlds. Some of their family members had passed away while they were far from home. Those that were left, Destiney afforded the privilege of joining her in entering the spaceship to greet their loved ones.

The spaceship landed slowly among the waiting crowd. It was rusted and rattled loudly. It had been among one of the first ships built for extended travel. It lacked many of the newer amenities that the king's ship boasted. Destiney vowed to have it repaired and fitted with the latest technology before sending the new contingents on their way. She also felt a ten-year assignment was far too harsh. She hoped that King Siefer would realize that as well and make the stay shorter for the next group. It would be difficult to find volunteers to leave their home for such a long time, especially after hearing the experiences of those that had returned.

The doors groaned as they opened, exposing a group of weary travelers. Their clothing was worn and faded, mixed with that of the foreign worlds. Their skin showed damage from the environments that were incompatible with translucent skin. Destiney would look among the medications for something to protect the delicate nature of their skin in future voyages. She felt saddened by the appearance of the crew. She doubted that they were as old as they looked.

As her eyes adjusted to the darkness of the ship, Destiney realized there were females from other worlds aboard. Children who were clearly a mix of Milisarian and other species stared forlornly at her from behind the warriors. It would seem that the lonely men had found mates and made families during their banishment.

The warrior she had spoken to on the monitor asked, "Will you allow us to bring our families to Milisaria? We know they are quite different, but it would seem that the king's wife is also from a different world. We beseech you to welcome them as you were once welcomed."

Destiney smiled at the man and said, "Of course your families are welcome. The Milisarians have changed in many ways while you were away. They are more tolerant of the differences among the worlds. My son is a mix of human and Milisarian, and he is loved and honored by all. I have brought your loved ones to greet you. Please introduce them to their new family members."

Destiney watched as the warriors were reunited with their relatives. Tears ran down her cheeks as the Milisarians welcomed their grandchildren and accepted their odd looks and behaviors. The warriors clung to those they had not seen in years.

Destiney led the contingent into the open air. The warriors stopped to breath in the moist sea atmosphere. Their bodies soaked in the dampness and their skin plumped before her eyes. They sighed in relief and happiness. They were met with cheers and offers of help to find new lodging for their families.

Destiney had arranged a feast to be served in honor of those returning. She hoped that the new species that came with the contingent were able to eat something on the menu. Surely the warriors had thought to bring foods from the other worlds that could be incorporated into the Milisarian diet.

As groups of citizens settled at tables to eat, Destiney noticed a younger man that appeared to have no family to greet him. He stood alone, searching for a place to sit. She made her way through the crowd and asked, "Are you looking for someone? If not, then you are welcome to join me at the king's table. My son will be brought to me shortly, and some adult company would be quite nice. I would love to hear about your travels."

The younger man replied, "I am Rowl. I have no family here nor did I bring one with me. Thank you for your kindness, Queen Destiney. I will gladly join you and your son."

Destiney realized that Rowl must have been quite young when he left Milisaria. He was by far the youngest of the warriors. He would have had a lonely life away from home, and yet there was no one here for him either. He must have volunteered for the assignment because he was alone. He was tall and lean, without the huge musculature of most Milisarians. She guessed that was due to leaving the planet at an early age, before warrior training. Lifting the heavy swords and trudging through swamps built muscles quickly. His long hair was a lighter shade than most, perhaps due to more light on the other worlds. He seemed to have less adverse effects from the journey than the older men.

Curious, Destiney asked, "How old were you when you left this world? The others seem to be far older than you."

Rowl laughed somewhat bitterly and replied, "I had just reached the age of training. I was fifteen when last I stood on my birth world."

Destiney was not shocked by the answer. She had suspected as much. She continued, "How did you manage to get your parents to allow you to leave at such a young age? I could never allow Scyon to leave here for so long if he was only fifteen."

"My parents were already dead. A Milisarian is considered a man at fifteen. If your son chooses to leave at that time, you can not stop him. I doubt he would make that choice. He has a mother who loves him. I had only a brother who hated me. He was glad to see me go." Rowl stopped talking as a woman approached with Scyon.

Destiney took her son and began to feed him as she watched Rowl refill his empty platter. She again questioned him, "Your brother did not greet you. Is that due to the animosity between you?"

Rowl growled, "Animosity is too mild a word for our relationship. It was definitely hatred. He is not on this planet at the moment. I hope he stays away for a very long time. I have no desire to see him. I would have stayed away forever, but it is not allowed. The new king insisted we come home. As you see, many had made homes on the other worlds. Their mates were forced to leave their home worlds behind forever. This relocation was not of their choosing."

"I am sorry that they were not given a choice. We will make their transition as easy as we can. There are things on this planet that will give them a much better life than on the ones left behind. We have more food, cleaner water, and many comforts not found elsewhere. Even the villages on this planet have not yet gained the technologies we enjoy in the city." Destiney turned her attention to Scyon. "I want you to meet my son, Scyon. Wave hello to Rowl, son. Let him know he is no longer alone in this world. The king's own family welcomes him home."

Rowl held in his smile. This was perfect. The queen herself was falling prey to his plan. Before long, he would begin turning Milisaria into a hostile environment for the king to return to. He despised King Siefer and all the ruling classes. He had seen far too many sickening sights on the other worlds. His memory of this one was almost as bad. The citizens of all worlds deserved better. Rowl wanted each colony to make its own laws and everyone have an equal share in all resources. He did not trust the ruling class to make such a thing happen. He planned to start a rebellion among the Milisarians. It would prove to be much simpler with the queen on his side. He prayed that no one remembered that he was King Siefer's brother.

Destiney was sorry for Rowl's loneliness. She was lonely as well. She wondered why he did not appear to have friends among his shipmates. She decided it was due to the difference in age and the fact that the others had families. It never entered her mind that Rowl was distrusted and disliked among the crew. She was too naive to think badly of someone she did not know well. It would prove to be the biggest mistake of her life.

Families were shown to new quarters and given all the comforts that abounded in Milisaria. Rowl was given a space among Nabvan's trainees. He would be taught to wield a sword and knife along with the younger men. He had missed out on his training by leaving the planet.

Rowl wanted the training badly. He would have need of it during the rebellion. He knew that at some point, King Siefer would come after him. He could not hide away forever. In the interim, he would learn a warrior's swordplay, build muscle, and poison the minds of the Milisarians against the ruling class. He would start with the sweet and beautiful queen. If he could take her from his brother, it would be a lethal blow. The new king still believed in the antiquated idea of mating for life. Rowl had admired the former king's philosophy of mating. He had concubines to fulfill any desire. Rowl had left women on every planet. He had made sure there were no mutant children from the unions. He thought of such mixtures as an abomination, although, the queen's son was a handsome child. He might welcome a child from her loins.