Jaxon stalked down the corridor to the throne room, his back straight, his expression blank. He was determined to show no fear.

He had not seen his parents in two years - not since the day they had sent assasins to murder him in his bed. He had barely escaped with his life. If it had not been for Tarsus...he would have surely perished.

Jaxon wondered if Mirana and Tristandor would be there as well. The thought of seeing them was disturbing. Once his closest companions, their betrayal had hurt even more than that of his parents.

He hoped that they were not there. He did not know if he would be able to keep his composure if he saw his twin sister. Mirana had been his confidante and strength while he had grown into his leadership role after their father's death. Their father had been gone only a few short months after their emergence from their pods. They had only ever had each other and their mother. While they had loved their stepfather Hamor when their mother had married him, he had still been an outsider, one who had taken their mother from their little circle. They had become even closer then.

It had been the marriage to Tristandor that had been the turning point in their relationship. Tristandor had come to the Citadel with professions of friendship and loyalty...but, in the end, he had convinced Jaxon's parents and sister to turn on him.

Liz had spoken of them. She had told him that Mirana, or Isabel as Liz called her, was Liz's best friend...that she was working to bring him "home." She had told him that Tristandor - Michael - was HIS best friend.

It was these lies that had convinced Jaxon that Liz was not who she claimed to be. She was working for his parents - there was no question.

He could not trust her. She was a figment of his imagination, or an illusion created to trick him.

Jaxon's thoughts were interuppted when one of his guards grabbed him roughly by the elbow, forcing him to stop walking.

"You will bow to the Queen Dowager when you enter." The guard instructed.

Jaxon narrowed his eyes at the guard. "I am her king." He replied evenly. "I bow to no one."

"You are a traitor." The guard replied, his fury evident in his eyes. "And you will bow - or I will make you sorry you did not."

Jaxon stared at him, refused to look away first. He knew that he was ragged and dirty, but he was still this man's king.

The other man's gaze faltered first. Jaxon saw him swallow convulsively. Jaxon wondered if he was frightened.

Fright was an unacceptable emotion on Illyria. The guard would do his best to hide it if he was afraid.

Jaxon knew that his parents' people had not yet undergone the cleansing. While they had accepted the danger of emotions to progress, they had not the courage to do away with them entirely.

Not like Tarsus and his followers - Jaxon's true subjects.

The guard was motioning to the page standing near the great doors. Jaxon could see that the page was gazing at him in awe. He scowled at him. The page quickly looked away, threw the doors wide.

Jaxon swallowed, shook the guard's hand off his arm. He strode forward, his head high.

The doors closed quietly behind him. Jaxon realized belatedly that his guard had not followed him.

The great room was empty save for the two figures at the far end who were staring at him wide-eyed.

"Jaxon." One of them spoke, moved forward.

He clenched his fists, set his jaw.

It was his mother.

Milena Falconer was as lovely as ever, her hair still golden blonde despite her advancing years, although Jaxon knew that she had been very young when she had borne he and Mirana. She was gazing at him with dark eyes that were the exact shade of his own, but her delicate features had been inherited by his sister.

Jaxon's father, or rather step-father, although he was the only father Jaxon had ever known, stayed where he was, watching his wife closely.

He was clearly as uncomfortable as Jaxon himself.

"Mother." Jaxon replied evenly. He saw her face light up. She had always been hopeless at controlling her emotions. She had also been against the cleansing of the people from the very beginning. Jaxon knew that it was unlikely that she would ever go through the process herself.

"My son." She was breathing deeply, was now standing directly in front of him. He met her gaze steadily. Her eyes shadowed slightly. "They have not treated you kindly." She commented quietly, taking in the bruises on his face. She looked angry for a moment. "But then they do not understand." Her eyes seemed to be devouring his face. It was making him supremely uncomfortable. She was acting as though she had not seen him in decades, not simply the year or so it had been. "It has been so long." She finally said, her voice shaking.

"Not long enough." He snapped back. Her face remained serene, but her eyes flashed with hurt. "Where are the other betrayers? Where are my sister and her cursed husband?"

His mother blinked at him. "Mirana and Tristandor have been gone for a long time my son."

"Dead?" He demanded. He knew that he should be pleased, but his heart pounded in dread instead, waiting for her reply.

"No." Milena replied. "They are alive, but they are not well. They miss you."

Jaxon pressed his lips together. "They betrayed me." Milena's eyes glistened. She blinked quickly. Any evidence that she had been on the verge of tears quickly disapeared.

"My son, you have been greatly deceived." She replied finally. "Your sister did not betray you. She is even now searching for you." She paused clearly weighing what to tell him. "We are going to help you return to her...to many who love you, to many whom you love. The fate of our people depends on it..."

"I love no one." He interrupted. "It is weak..." Jaxon was cut off when the doors behind him were thrown open. His mother's gaze snapped beyond him in annoyance.

"We are not to be disturbed." Her face settled into lines of affection at the sight that greeted her, however. "You should not be here Jennetta." Jaxon turned and watched as a small girl bounded into the room, her light brown hair bouncing across her shoulders.

She screeched to an abrupt halt at the sight of him. "Is it Jaxon? Has he come?" She asked excitedly. "I heard the servants talking Mama."

Jaxon turned back to his mother perplexed. "Who is this child?" He included his step-father in the question. Hamor had been quietly observing up until this point. Now he spoke.

"Your mother and I were blessed by the stars Jaxon. It has been almost two years since Jennetta was conceived. She emerged from her birthing pod nine months ago." He paused briefly, exchanged a loaded glance with Jaxon's mother. "She is your sister."

He did not know what to say. He wondered why he had not been informed. Tarsus' agents should have uncovered this information months ago. It was vital news.

There was another heir to the throne.

Jennetta was eyeing him, clearly unsure what was transpiring. "You do not know of me?" She finally asked, her childish voice sounding highly insulted.

Jaxon did not know what to say to her. He did not want to include an innocent child in the battle with his parents - but she was a threat to him. "I did not." He finally admitted. "But I am most pleased to learn of you now."

Jennetta's face lit up. "Now we must simply find Tristandor and Mirana and Sabrya and our family will be complete. Well, and of course Liz and Maria and..."

Liz. Jaxon felt his heart stop.

Milena had grabbed Jennetta, had placed a hand over her mouth. "That's quite enough my darling. Where did you pick up such nonsense?"

Jaxon could see Jennetta's eyes darkening as she prepared to try and escape his mother's grasp, but it was not really registering.

The name Liz kept repeating itself over and over in his mind.

"Who are these people...who is this Liz?" Jaxon finally managed to force the words out. He had not believed that it would turn out to be quite so easy to confront his mother about having sent Liz to torment him, but the opening was too convenient to ignore.

Right Jaxon, a small voice in the back of his mind said sarcastically. That's why you want to know about her.

He suppressed the voice.

"She's to be your wife." Jennetta had managed to wiggle out of Milena's grasp. She was across the room where her mother could not easily grab her.

Jaxon turned back to stare at his mother. Milena's eyes were closed in annoyance.

"Jennetta, who has been spreading such falsehoods?" Hamor demanded urgently.

"Lucianus told me." Jennetta replied, sticking her nose in the air. If Jaxon did not currently feel like he had just had the air kicked out of his lungs by her last announcement, he might have laughed at the expression of glee on her face. She was clearly thrilled that she had the knowledge that all the rest of them wanted.

She reminded him of someone actually...for a brief moment a mischievious glint in her eye brought to mind another face - one he could not place.

Hamor was shaking his head in irritation. "Lucianus is mad my darling. You know better than to listen to him."

Jennetta's face became mutinous. "Lucianus is not mad papa. He would never lie to me."

"Be that as it may, you know better than to comment on affairs you know nothing about. You may leave." Jaxon could see that Milena was upset.

Jennetta briefly looked as though she was going to argue, but one glance at the stern expression on Hamor's face seemed to change her mind. "Goodbye Jaxon. I will see you again soon." She tossed her hair and flounced out of the room.

Jaxon watched her go. He had absolutely no idea what to say.

Liz was to be his wife. The idea was strangely appealing, although he KNEW that she worked for THEM.

"Jaxon?" Milena was gazing up at him in concern.

"Mother, please, I just need to know what is going on here." Jaxon felt like he was drowning - as though everything he knew to be true was suddenly in question. "I need to know everything." Milena glanced at Hamor again. His stepfather shrugged, nodded.

"We would like to help you Jaxon, but it is difficult to know where to start."

Jaxon knew that they were going to lie to him, but for some reason he wanted to hear the lies...to hear the story from them and not Tarsus. He needed to hear it so that he could make a final judgement on his own...

And he knew just where to start.

"Mother, this might seem like a strange question." Jaxon finally began. "But I need to hear the answer. How long has it been since we last saw each other?"

Milena bit her lip, glanced again at Hamor. "My darling, this might be difficult for you to understand - or accept..." Jaxon held his breath. Somehow he knew what was coming, but he needed to hear it.