Miles ran through the crowd, up the stairs to Amos huffing and out of breath. He held his sword in one hand while catching his breath, he couldn’t hold back the excitement of winning the war. “Sir! Sir it worked! All we needed was to turn the tide and our commander did just that. Single handedly! She damn near took out a quarter of those bastards all by herself. Then when the commander took out their leader, they all began to fear her. Fear us! Running like a bunch of chickens! She always knows what to do… We are blessed to have a commander such as her.” Miles stopped talking and looked down at Amos as he leaned against the wall. He was hurt bad from his wounds and couldn’t move either further. Miles crouched down with Amos extending his arm out to help him slowly sit down. “Amos you alright?”

“Just tired… I can’t go any further.” Amos sat back as far as he could then rested his head against the wall. He stared through the wooden rail looking afar at the war carriers burning. Thick gray smoke filled the sky once more. Amos exhaled deeply; he was in disbelief all this happened. “Miles, we have to make sure all of those ugly fucking bastards are dead. They all need to die by today. Leave no prisoner, have no mercy… And get those damn war carriers out of our ocean!”

“It’s already being taken care of. We’ve been chasing them down all afternoon. After they witnessed how powerful Iya was, they went running. Which reminds me, where is our commander? She left so quickly after taking out a few waves. She disappeared on us again…”

“Our commander did her job and now she trusts us to finish it… She with her family right now, where she’s suppose to be.” Amos reached out and touched Miles’ arm. His hand stained with Barbarian blood shook as he gripped his soldier. “Listen to me Miles, Sage lost it’s First born prince last night. Prince Jaron died saving innocents from our enemy.” Miles dropped his head as he listened. “You know the tradition we have three days to gather our dead once this is all over. Three days to help the lost souls find their way home to our ancestors.”

Miles placed his hand on top of Amos’s and said, “With all due respect sir, we’re going to need more then three days. We lost half of our continent last night… It’s going to take us a while to gather all our dead.”

Amos slightly turned his head slow and stiff. He was well aware of how many lives were lost, “We have three days…”

**

Iya wept on her arm resting on the side of Kal’s bed as she held his hand tight. She watched as he breathed slow but steady. After all they had been through this can be their ending, she thought. The head nurse mentioned Kal was healing great and his vitals were reading good. Even she couldn’t even why Kal’s was in a deep coma. Surra creek open the door and slide inside the room quietly. She walked over to her commander and placed a hand on her shoulder, “Iya, it’s time.” Surra waited as Iya wiped her wet face. She held Kal’s hand to her face kissing the back before gently putting it down on his chest.

“I’m coming…” Without noticing it, a white light flew through Kal’s body. It was just for a second, not enough to for the naked eye to catch. As Iya got up and walked out of the room following Surra, Kal’s hand began to move. His body started twitching softly…

Iya and her family gathered around Prince Jaron as he laid lifeless in the medic bed. The queen wept on her husband’s shoulder as everyone stood around him. They extended their hands to one another making a circle as they looked over the First-born prince’s body. Patrisha handed her baby to a nearby nurse as she took Surra’s hand and Jayce’s with the other. Her baby cooed and cried for his mother as the nurse walked away. Patrisha kept her attention on his big brother as stream of tears flowed from her eyes with sadness. Patrisha and Jaron were very close. All they had were one another for sometime before Jayce and Iya came into the family picture. They had many memories together and at times were inseparable. It took everything within Patrisha not to burst out in agony of losing her big brother and true best friend.

King Jaron walked over to his son and placed two gold coins over Jaron Jr. eyes. He slowly caressed his son’s eyebrows as he reached down to kiss him on the forehead. The king tried his hardest to hold back his anger and fury as he stayed focus on the traditions of burying a royal member. The process was familiar from him as he had to the do the same to his baby brother years ago. King Jaron never let his wife’s hand go for she was an emotional wreck. Queen Shakiya held back nothing nor any emotions of losing her son. Rightfully so, the queen wanted to scream and holler from the pain and agony. She wanted her revenge just as bad as her king. When it was her turn, Queen Shakiya hugged Jaron’s face and body as tight as she could. She began to weep harder as she didn’t want to let his body go. King Jaron and Jayce unfortunately had to pull her from him. Her screams shook the Medic Quarters as everyone heard her pain.

The royal family had to move the fallen prince to a private room as the Medic Quarters quickly filled with the wounded after reopening their doors. Many nurses felt relieved they were able to open up and start saving those who were in need of help. People poured in looking for medical attention. The nurses had to separate the patients who were critically injured versus those who can manage. Majority of those who poured in were carrying their loved ones seeking assistance for them.

When Iya came around she leaned down and kissed her brother three times on the forehead and said, “We almost all made it out… we almost all survived this horrific attack on our people and home. Jaron died a hero and his death will not be in vain.”

“No, it will not!” King Jaron finished wiping his tears from his cheeks. “We will hunt down those fucking traitors and I am hang them personally myself.”

Iya turned and looked at Surra, “Hunt them down?”

Surra tapped her fingers together as she explained, “In the midst of everything I forgot to tell you. There were only two Barbarians guarding the prison doors. I didn’t see any the Sagens Council members. They must have escaped after they realized Cashius failed. I’m sorry Iya, I…”

Iya huffed and exhaled deeply with anger for she thought the threat was over. “It’s not your fault Surra… this will not be over until the last traitor is dead.” Iya’s father banged his fists on a nearby counter. The surgery tools bounced and shook as some dropped to the floor. He stormed out of the private room looking in all the rooms for Artemis.

The king found him sitting next to his son Kal, hoping he wouldn’t meet the same fate as the prince. Jaron bursted into the room, “Come Artemis! We still have work to do…”

Artemis looked confused as he stood up. He looked down at his son then up at his king. “My king… what about my son?”

“I have will the best medical team to watch over him. I need you by my side…” replied the desperate king. Artemis did not want to leave Kal’s side. He didn’t notice his son’s small movements either as he walked slowly towards the door. He had just got to the room moments before King Jaron came bursting through calling him for duty.

Iya and the others were not aware of the King Jaron’s plans. As soon as he left the Medic Quarters, the king demanded all the fallen Sagens to be gathered immediately. It was Sagen law and tradition to have funerals within three days after death. Most of the time it was the responsibility of the army to gather the dead. This time, it had to be all hands on deck. People believed the king was eager the bury the dead to honor tradition. At the moment, that wasn’t his main focus…

Surra walked behind Iya as the entered back into Kal’s room. She bumped into her back as Iya stopped in her tracks. Kal was sitting up in his bed rubbing his face… An immediately warm wave of relief went over Iya as she stared at her awoken captain. “Kal…” she whispered. She walked over and embraced him with a strong firm hug.

Kal returned the embraced closing his eyes with relief. “You did it… I knew you would. I knew it was always about you. That fuck face Cashius is dead right?” He grabbed Iya face with both hands as he kissed her softly on her lips. “Please tell me it’s all over…”

Before Iya could get a word out her mother entered the room. The queen walked in staring at her daughter and the captain. Both of them couldn’t help but stare back. “So what Cashius was saying was true about you two… He went on and on about how Kalvanius poisoned Iya’s mind. I wasn’t sure why he was telling us these things after he threatened to kill us. It was like he was obsessed with it… Your father and I just looked at him like the crazy that he was. At the time your love affair with Kal was the least of our problems. Now however, your father is having a hard time letting your brother go… He wants those traitors; he wants his revenge. Finding out the rumors are true about his daughter is not what he needs right now.”

Iya let Kal go and turned to face her mother. “Is it really that serious? Considering all we just went through and what I had to sacrifice to end this war. I love Kal and I’m done hiding it… We’ve lost too much within the past two days. This is the least of our problems. Ma, come on…”

“I agree.” The queen nodded her head up and down, “I think the law was just to prevent conflict of interests. After that one commander, well the law became easier to make. I don’t see that being the issue with you two. Love strengthens everything and if it’s pure, it becomes an unstoppable force… Your father is in pain and he has surrendered to it. I’m afraid of what he’ll do to find the Council members.” The queen was genuinely concerned about her husband. She was afraid of what he is capable of now that everything has come to light.

“Me too!” Artemis stormed back into Kal’s room. He wasn’t expected to see his son’s room so full. He stopped in his tracks seeing Kal standing to his feet. “Kal, my boy, you’re ok!” Artemis ran up and embraced his son with a firm hug. When he let Kal go, he also turned around to face everyone. “Iya your mother is right, unfortunately. Your father went over the edge and we have to stop before he does something he’ll regret.”

Iya was baffled and shocked at the words coming out of their mouths, “What are you two saying? This is the King of Sage you’re talking about. If he wants to go after those bastards then let him! He has every right and the power to track them down bring them to justice. My father would not hurt innocent people to accomplish that… I don’t understand.”

The queen softly walked up to her daughter and placed her hand on Iya’s shoulder, “I know this is hard for you but if we don’t stop your father, he will become the very thing we send your army to stop. I just got word the rest of the Star Council are on their way here. The last thing we need is to show them all the leadership has either lost their minds or died.”

“What would you have me do? Kill my father? And what makes him think he’ll find the traitors there?” The medic room went quiet as Artemis stepped up to the plate. Everyone looked around to one another for there was a lot to cope with from the events that just occurred. Iya’s frustration began to build inside her. The last thing she needed was her own father to become her enemy. She was never a quitter but moments like this Iya wished she wasn’t the leader everyone turned to.

“No… Your father is a broken man just like the rest of us… This happened to him after your uncle Jaycen was murdered by your other uncle Gerok. Sorry my queen.” Shakiya shrugged it off, agreeing with Artemis. “Your father wants his revenge and will stop at nothing to get it. He’s always had his eyes on the Saijerian colonies because of the Sagen Councilmen. For the last couple of years, there had been more and more rumors surfacing about the Councilmen having side families in the Colonies. That was a way for Proctor and his followers to undermine the king and everything Sage stood for. They knew as Sagens they were not allowed to bare children with anyone outside of Sagen blood. Proctor made a point to disobey that rule when he created a family with the leader of the Saijerians Isabel.”

The Sagen Commander and now the Guardian of the Stars had a difficult choice to make. She placed her hands in the face and shook her head. Her mother gently wrapped her arms around her daughter, “Iya, you’re the only one who can stop him. The Stars above appointed you, trusted you to carry the Star Lord’s powers. They could have passed it along to any of the other Star Children but they didn’t. I asked the Star Council to come. What happened here and on the other planets cannot happen again… We must make this right and find a way to rebuild Sage from the ashes. There is a lot to be learned on how it led to this point as well as an opportunity for growth. If we don’t change for the better, this will keep happening.”

Iya once more tightened the clips on the side of her armor and bent down to the same to her boots. As she stood to her feet Amos burst through the door. “Commander, I found you!” He looked around and the queen, Surra and Kal who was getting dressed putting his shirt on. “Captain, it’s about time sir” Amos winked at Kal happy to see him. “Commander, you father…”

“We know…” Iya interrupted.

“There’s more you should know, the king’s gather about one hundred of the soldiers and is about to leave for the Colonies.”

There were several gasps in the room. Iya was the most shocked, “Right now?! We haven’t finished gathering up our dead and he left? We have two and half days left before the ceremony. His fury is important than his honor…”

Kal walked over standing beside his love and said, “You’re not in this alone, Iya. I’m here with you…”

“Yes!” Surra cut in, “You’re not Commander, we can do this together. I know you can talk some sense to your father. This will be all over soon…”

“And I’ll go with you as well.” Artemis stood beside Kal, “I’ll help you with your father…”

The Commander looked around the room filled with her loved ones. She smiled and felt a boost from all of the support. “You’re right Surra, this will all be over so we can finally be at peace. It’s settled we resolved this before the end of the third day. The Colonies here we come..."