know why you stayed.”
Ping looked Tess in the eye, “I love your sister.”
Dean jerked his head back and Dahlia said, “Hey! I’ve had more than a year to make a good decision. Yell at me when you take that much time to be sure.”
Dean blew out a breath, “I guess my comment about you never being in love wasn’t called for.”
“Actually, it was. Seeing you and Victoria together broke most of the barriers I was keeping in place to stop me from loving Ping. I revealed my deception because of it. I’ve committed myself to him.”
Tess looked Dahlia in the eye, “Is this true?”
Dahlia’s smile was a thing of beauty. Tess and Dean had not seen it since the Black Ships invaded, “It is and I know we can trust him. He made the decision and it was us he chose.”
Tess started slowly nodding, “I’ve read the history of your Realm. I believe that first Queen said that love conquers all.”
“She did, but she’s forgotten the lesson.”
“Dahlia, are you sure about this? You’re only twenty years old and inexperienced. Perhaps you should give this some time.” Dahlia stared at Tess in silence and Tess sighed. “Welcome to our family, Ping.”
“Thanks, Tess.”
Tess looked at Dean, “Get the engineers down to the Searcher and see if we can duplicate its beams. I suspect fitting them will be an issue.”
“I’ll get it rolling.” Dean jumped up and ran out of the room.
Tess and Dahlia watched him go. Tess shook her head, “He’s really hurting.”
Ping stared at Dean as he left and said, “You don’t know the woman that loves him. She will find a way to come to him.” Dahlia looked at Ping with her eyebrows raised. Ping looked up at the ceiling, “She already told us.”
“When?”
Ping lowered his gaze, “She told her father that if he wouldn’t allow her to come back with us…”
Dahlia smiled, “She would resign her title.”
“She meant it! I imagine things are a bit uncomfortable for the Gardners at this particular moment.” Dahlia laughed out loud.
• • •
Scott looked at Victoria and held his hands up in front of him, “Will you please stop shouting. I don’t know why the portal closed. Someone activated the emergency alarms causing it to be evacuated. A few minutes later the hill collapsed on it.”
“YOU DID THIS TO PREVENT ME FROM BEING WITH DEAN!! WHY DON’T YOU ADMIT IT!!!”
Scott took Victoria’s hands and forced her to look at him, “I give you my word that I had nothing to do with that portal’s closing.”
Victoria stared at her father and knew he was telling the truth. It was not in his nature to lie. She sat down on the throne next to his and started crying, “I have to go to him.”
“Victoria, it’s just too dangerous.”
Victoria looked up at her father with her tears falling, “Do you remember Nicole when Ping rejected her initially?” Scott took a deep breath, and after a moment, nodded. “That is going to be what I’m damned to endure if I can’t be with him. There has to be a way for me to go there.”
“You’d give up your crown?”
“It would be meaningless without him.”
Scott released her hands and after a minute, he walked to his throne. He pressed a button and Admiral Kosiev appeared on his screen, “Admiral, Is there a way for me to send a ship to the other Creation if I deemed it necessary?”
Lex nodded, “I understand Prince Kendel was on the other side of the portal when it collapsed. We can temporally open a portal and send a ship through to get him.”
Scott said, “I want you to…”
Suddenly, two people appeared in the throne room and the intruder alarms went off at full blast, “YOUR MAJESTY, YOU MUST NOT DO THAT!!” Guards rushed in with their armor activated and blasters raised.
“Hold your fire!” Scott stared at the two and thought they looked familiar. He stared at them and raised his view slightly and saw a huge picture of them on the wall directly above them. He fell back on his throne
Ping looked Tess in the eye, “I love your sister.”
Dean jerked his head back and Dahlia said, “Hey! I’ve had more than a year to make a good decision. Yell at me when you take that much time to be sure.”
Dean blew out a breath, “I guess my comment about you never being in love wasn’t called for.”
“Actually, it was. Seeing you and Victoria together broke most of the barriers I was keeping in place to stop me from loving Ping. I revealed my deception because of it. I’ve committed myself to him.”
Tess looked Dahlia in the eye, “Is this true?”
Dahlia’s smile was a thing of beauty. Tess and Dean had not seen it since the Black Ships invaded, “It is and I know we can trust him. He made the decision and it was us he chose.”
Tess started slowly nodding, “I’ve read the history of your Realm. I believe that first Queen said that love conquers all.”
“She did, but she’s forgotten the lesson.”
“Dahlia, are you sure about this? You’re only twenty years old and inexperienced. Perhaps you should give this some time.” Dahlia stared at Tess in silence and Tess sighed. “Welcome to our family, Ping.”
“Thanks, Tess.”
Tess looked at Dean, “Get the engineers down to the Searcher and see if we can duplicate its beams. I suspect fitting them will be an issue.”
“I’ll get it rolling.” Dean jumped up and ran out of the room.
Tess and Dahlia watched him go. Tess shook her head, “He’s really hurting.”
Ping stared at Dean as he left and said, “You don’t know the woman that loves him. She will find a way to come to him.” Dahlia looked at Ping with her eyebrows raised. Ping looked up at the ceiling, “She already told us.”
“When?”
Ping lowered his gaze, “She told her father that if he wouldn’t allow her to come back with us…”
Dahlia smiled, “She would resign her title.”
“She meant it! I imagine things are a bit uncomfortable for the Gardners at this particular moment.” Dahlia laughed out loud.
• • •
Scott looked at Victoria and held his hands up in front of him, “Will you please stop shouting. I don’t know why the portal closed. Someone activated the emergency alarms causing it to be evacuated. A few minutes later the hill collapsed on it.”
“YOU DID THIS TO PREVENT ME FROM BEING WITH DEAN!! WHY DON’T YOU ADMIT IT!!!”
Scott took Victoria’s hands and forced her to look at him, “I give you my word that I had nothing to do with that portal’s closing.”
Victoria stared at her father and knew he was telling the truth. It was not in his nature to lie. She sat down on the throne next to his and started crying, “I have to go to him.”
“Victoria, it’s just too dangerous.”
Victoria looked up at her father with her tears falling, “Do you remember Nicole when Ping rejected her initially?” Scott took a deep breath, and after a moment, nodded. “That is going to be what I’m damned to endure if I can’t be with him. There has to be a way for me to go there.”
“You’d give up your crown?”
“It would be meaningless without him.”
Scott released her hands and after a minute, he walked to his throne. He pressed a button and Admiral Kosiev appeared on his screen, “Admiral, Is there a way for me to send a ship to the other Creation if I deemed it necessary?”
Lex nodded, “I understand Prince Kendel was on the other side of the portal when it collapsed. We can temporally open a portal and send a ship through to get him.”
Scott said, “I want you to…”
Suddenly, two people appeared in the throne room and the intruder alarms went off at full blast, “YOUR MAJESTY, YOU MUST NOT DO THAT!!” Guards rushed in with their armor activated and blasters raised.
“Hold your fire!” Scott stared at the two and thought they looked familiar. He stared at them and raised his view slightly and saw a huge picture of them on the wall directly above them. He fell back on his throne
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