The Rose and the Diamond

Chapter 1: Coming of Age

1,000 years ago, in the Moon Kingdom…

It was the last invitation that was sent out for the Moon Princess's hand, and with one touch of the monitor, he pulled up the given profile of the royal family of Umbriel and the crown Prince Oberon.

"No, no…" he thought to himself, "Too gaunt in the face, she'd never like him." King Yukito gave a glance around the dining hall, his blue eyes sharp on looking out for the kitchen servants gossiping around the corner. It wasn't a secret that he was finally wading through the complicated procedures of marrying off his only daughter. He gave a drawn out sigh, rubbing the back of his sore neck. A tinkling of glass nearly out of earshot made him sit up; his right hand swiped away the hologram of suitors, leaving a screen of white. A soft voice, female, spoke out in a genteel chide and his wife appeared from behind a column, her silken pink shawl floating behind her, complimenting the floor length white gown she loved to wear. Yukito relaxed, or at least tried to make himself do so.

"Dear, it's well after dark. Aren't you coming to bed?" Queen Selene inquired, standing behind him. Without prompt, she began massaging his shoulders, knowing that he had once again let himself get too tense from his work.

"Of course, love. Just finishing up here." Selene smiled hopefully as she worked at the muscles in his neck.

"Show me. I'd like to see a potential son-in-law or two." Yukito groaned, but only from her ministrations. He gave the hologram a swipe and up popped several detailed profiles, with pictures and information of each suitor. Most seemed to be from the Solar system, which would make things a bit easier. Selene pointed at a photo of a man with dark green hair and umber skin, wearing a velvet black suit with golden fringe.

"Ohh, I like this one. Prince Flauron of Io… very well dressed, knows sixteen galactical languages, five-time winner of the satellite-regional Starship Tournament!" she read aloud.

"They're all well-dressed. And… and any fool with a brain can learn a language. And besides, I've already rejected him," Yukito answered. Before she could protest, he switched to the next profile. A man with delicate features was pictured, powder blue hair and high cheek bones made Selene 'ooh' into her husband's ear.

"Now give this one a chance. Let's see," she said, reading aloud again, "The Duke of Hyperion, Tethys. An accomplished sculptor and painter… he owns 28% of the available land mass of the four surrounding moons. He is also the acting ambassador for foreign trade and business. He sounds absolutely-!"

"Awful," Yukito interjected, and elaborated, "Its child's play to only have a quarter of the area with his status, especially considering the outer ring. Plus he only gets that much business because of that overly-girlish face of his. Rejected! Ow!" Selene dug her thumbs into his shoulder blades as protest, causing him to yelp.

"Really now, you're being too harsh on them. You haven't even spoken to them yet, have you? And besides, they aren't marrying you," she reminded him. Yukito laughed cynically and reached behind him, pulling her into his lap.

"Only because you got to me first," he growled. He pushed back her evening shawl, kissing her bare neck. Selene smiled, her long fingers threading through his black hair.

"Come now, we can deal with this in the morning. There are still a couple weeks until her birthday, after all," the Queen said softly, pulling herself away. Yukito nodded and gave a tremendous yawn.

"I'll be right up, dear," and as soon as she disappeared around the marble pillars, he turned back to the hologram. With a flick of his wrist, he flipped through the profiles by the dozen. Surely there was one he overlooked. Surely there was someone worthy of his kingdom, of his only daughter. As the pictures flitted across, his mind turned to her. Princess Serenity, the purest light in the entire universe, at least in his eyes, was 17 and still very naïve to the ways of the world. She took after her mother in looks, with clear blue eyes, paraffin skin, and long silver tresses kept up in preferred twin tails. However, her stubbornness and determination came from him.

He remembered fondly when she was only eleven years old and wanted to learn how to ice skate. However, the Crystal Palace didn't have any frozen lakes nearby, so early one morning, she went out to the garden, stuffed the fountain spouts with aprons she had nicked from the kitchens, and caused the fountain display to burst open while it was still cold out. She ended up tripping over her hair somehow and sprained her ankle by slipping on the very ice she had made. The lecture he gave her that day didn't quite put any fear inside her, but rather she just looked for new ways to do the things she wanted to do, even if it was through a few tears from falling down.

Yukito found himself smiling at the memory and noticed that he had stopped on a particular profile. There didn't seem to be anything too remarkable about this one, but as he tried to swipe to the next one, he found that he had reached the end of the list. A man with white hair, piercing eyes, and glittering gems on his collar, stared back at him.

"Prince Diamond?" he whispered to himself. Strange… he didn't recall sending him an invitation. Yukito shook his head. Perhaps the signals got crossed somewhere along the way. Regardless, maybe he should be heeding his wife's advice after all and give one of them a chance. He made a few motions with his hand and marked the profile for consideration. A gentle 'ding' sounded and Yukito shut off the monitor for the night, joining his wife for sleep.

The next morning brought a small bit of comfort from his new pillows imported from Venus' southern hemisphere. A cheerful maid servant delivered freshly pressed laundry, leaving a set of clothes for him to wear, while another servant brought him a wet hand towel to scrub his face. Selene had already left for breakfast, so he made haste to come down, hoping to look at the remaining wedding invitations. The table that stretched nearly the length of the room's width was covered in a silver laced runner, and the centerpiece was a crystal decanter that glowed the faintest blue. Selene was already seated at the right side near the head and Yukito took a moment to gather himself. As soon as he approached, his wife gave a gentle smile, pushing a plate of toast and marmalade towards him.

"Sleep well?" he asked.

"Only when I'm with you, darling," she said coyly. "Is Serenity awake yet?"

"No sign of anything broken on my way down," was his answer. Selene gave him a 'tsk tsk', shaking her regal head. Just as she was about to scold him, he had opened the console and pulled up the screen.

"Dear, not at breakfast," she ended up scolding him anyway, but to no avail. As soon as he logged in, a short chime rang out. Yukito opened the new message and pointed the screen towards Selene after reading it.

"Who is it? Nemesis…?" she thought out loud, looking at the extravagant reply, "I'm afraid I don't know much about them."

"All the more reason to invite him over to meet us, and Serenity of course. Building allies, uniting the royal families in the Sol System? That is what this is about, right?" he asked excitedly. Selene watched curiously as he started listing all the credentials, the worth of the kingdom, and how well-dressed the prince was. She couldn't deny that it all seemed very impressive for such a tiny planet. Besides, Yukito hadn't shown this much enthusiasm over any of the candidates thus far.

"Alright, send a correspondence. I'll arrange the party and tell Serenity that we've found a match." The king pressed a few buttons and sent a screening acceptance. He finished his toast, barely able to contain a grin, his eyes flicking back and forth between the console and his wife. Finally she returned the smile, waving a hand in the air. A servant was by her side in an instant, taking the kitchenware away silently. Another pair of footsteps padded daintily from behind. Yukito turned the system off just in time.

"Mama! Have you seen a blue—Aah!" The tray of dishes came crashing down and a familiar squeal of pain echoed in the dining hall. Princess Serenity was already rubbing her sore abdomen, freshly jabbed with heavy plates.

"Y-your majesty, forgive me!" the young girl cried, kneeling down to gather the mess in her apron. Two passing servants rushed over and helped, shooing the princess away from the broken glass.

"No, it's my fault, Yuka," she replied, then straightened herself as she caught her mother and father's gaze, a mix between worry and amusement. Serenity tiptoed around and seated herself next to Selene, watching the three servants whisk away to the kitchens, tutting quietly amongst themselves.

"Good morning, sweetheart. Not hurt are you?" she asked. Her daughter shook her head, her silver pigtails waving back and forth like ribbons.

"I'm fine, Mama. Anyway, I was asking you, do you know where my blue book is? The one about…" she trailed off as Yukito gave a long cough, making her whisper the rest, "you-know-what?"

"Ahh," Selene gave a knowing reply, "I believe Luna found it in the washroom and returned it back to the upstairs library. Best to not let books get wet, after all."

"Right, of course. Well that's all I really wanted. Oh and I'm not wanting breakfast this morning so…" She stood up to leave.

"Actually, Serenity, we need to talk," Yukito said, gesturing for her to sit back down. She looked at him with furrowed brows, slowly sinking down again.

"Don't worry, it's nothing too… well, it is important. We're not quite sure how to say – "

"Your mother and I are arranging a marriage party. For you." The king said it as if declaring a new law. Selene inhaled sharply.

"Yukito!" the queen said, hoping he would have been more diplomatic in his delivery.

"Wh- why? I mean, I know why, but to whom?" Serenity asked, a sore lump forming in her throat. Wasn't it too soon? Her slender fingers twisted around themselves in her lap as she looked to her mother for answers.

"His name is Prince Diamond. Now listen, nothing is set in stone, this is just simply to meet him and for him to get to know us all. There's no need to be afraid." The doubt in Selene's voice almost had sentience.

"I'm not afraid. Just nervous. I'm expected to be with a husband all my life, right?"

"It's not a death sentence," Yukito chuckled, "Just give the prince a chance. You may even fall in love with him."

"Yes, like your father and I did." Selene smiled reassuringly, squeezing her husband's hand on the table. Serenity tried to smile too, but her throat felt dry.

"Can I at least see what he looks like?"

"Of course, dear!" Selene gave Yukito a meaningful look and he caught on, hastily activating the screen again. But before he could pull up the profile, another message appeared.

"It's a reply from- my, but he is certainly punctual!" Selene exclaimed as she read over her husband's shoulder. "He says that he can arrive as soon as this evening. That doesn't leave much time…"

"Wonderful! The sooner the better," the king added jovially, clapping his hands together. Serenity exhaled from her nose as she smiled back, her nails digging into her lap. There was a dull pounding in her ears.

"Mama, does it have to be tonight? Luna and I were going out to the shops," she said nonchalantly, hoping that a bored tone would throw them off. Selene gave a knowing nod, kneeling down next to her.

"Sweetheart, we've all known that this time in your life would be coming. This is only the first step, and there are other nobles you can choose. And you know Luna can come with you to the party."

"Really?" Serenity hated to admit that made her feel more at ease, but Luna had always been able to calm her in the past.

"Yes, but on the condition that you don't go ignoring the prince or running off outside. Make a good impression and the night will pass much quicker than you think, alright?" The princess nodded, smoothing out her dress as her nerves fortified against her uncertainty.

"Go on then," Yukito said, signaling her leave, "We'll make preparations, so all you'll need to do is make yourself presentable. Same goes for Luna." Serenity excused herself and left the dining hall. As soon as she was out of sight, she gathered up her skirts and dashed up the stairs to the right wing. She managed to dodge a couple of maids carrying wreaths of powder blue and silver poinsettias, and they gave exasperated sighs at the near-miss encounter.

"Luna!" she called out, pushing open the door to her friend's bedchamber. In the windowsill, curled into a velvet black ball and her smooth tail twitching every now and then, was a sleeping cat. "Wake up, Luna," she whispered loudly and tiptoed closer, kneeling down to her eye level. The feline slowly opened her eyes and gave a wide yawn.

"Hmm? What's the matter?" she drawled sleepily, arching her back and legs.

"Mama and Papa have already gone through with it. I thought they were going to wait a bit longer!" she groaned.

"You mean the marriage planning? It's just a party; nothing's going to come of it," she answered, giving another great yawn and shaking her head rapidly. "Besides, you like parties."

"Not ones where I have to meet some stuffy, self-centered prince from across the galaxy. This is serious!" As her voice rose, Luna meowed balefully and leapt off the sill to her full-size, four-poster bed. She licked her paws one by one for a quick preen and straightened herself gracefully. Serenity joined her, flopping down on the feathery bedding.

"Here's what you'll do. Go to the party, humor this prince for a little while, laugh at his jokes or something, eat a few hors d'oeuvres, pretend to be sick, and then excuse yourself for the rest of the night until he has to leave, and then come back and say your goodbyes and that'll be the end of it. It's dead simple, and I know you've done it before, so don't give me that look," she said, breaking into laughter as Serenity stuck out her tongue.

"Sadly I don't think that's going to work this time. Papa will probably be watching me the entire time. He doesn't want me to make a bad impression. It's like I embarrass him or something!"

"I think it's more because he's remembering all those times you used to burst into his meetings without warning. You'd wear his cloaks and have his belts doubled around you like a sash, and you'd make me follow you around, dragging his scepter in case you needed to declare galactical peace on his behalf. That thing was so heavy!"

"Hey, you thought it was fun too! And once I got everyone's attention," she paused to laugh, mimicking her high-pitched voice from years past, "'I say we all go to Earth for a vacation!' and that always made the governors laugh." As she recalled the memory, she could nearly feel the weight of her father's black and cerulean cape as it swallowed her tiny form.

"He was pretty mad at you for that," her friend snickered, whiskers twitching as she laughed.

"I was only nine, you know."

"Well into the age of awareness," Luna insisted.

Just then, a series of knocks came from behind, and they turned around simultaneously.

"Come in!" they both called out. The door swung open and a tall, slender man with sweeping white hair poked his head inside the threshold.

"Ah, you're both here. Good," he sounded relieved. Luna bounded into Serenity's lap, her paw covering her nose as he approached the two of them.

"Artemis, you could at least warn a girl when you show up like that! I-I'm a little dressed down," she sputtered, pressing herself against Serenity's stomach to hide.

"Luna your claws are digging-! Ow!" she complained, hissing through her teeth.

"Sorry, I didn't know. Hang on a moment," and Artemis began to glow a bright white. His towering form instantly shrank down in a decidedly smaller feline shape. As a powder white cat, he jumped onto the coverings and gave Luna's ear a nuzzle. She was still blushing slightly as she sat next to him. Serenity felt tense and stood up to give them some space.

"Better then? Anyway, Princess, I've been told to advise you to be ready for the party tonight at dusk. The king suggested wearing your gown he gave you for your 16th birthday. The gold one."

Serenity made a face of disgust. Of course he would want her to wear that one- it was the gaudiest, heaviest, most expensive ball gown she had. When she received it nearly two years ago, it took four maidservants to carry it in, and one nearly tripped on its jewel-encrusted train.

"I… already have a dress in mind. One that's not so… um, dense. I'm sure Papa will understand," she answered. "And besides, gold doesn't look very good on me."

"Ooh, then can I wear it instead?" Luna piped up, her tail waving excitedly. Serenity raised an eyebrow. "You haven't worn it but once, and it's a shame to let it hang in the back of your wardrobe."

"Have at it then. Just keep in mind that I don't envy how your back will feel. The train doesn't detach," she reminded her. Regardless of her warning, Luna purred happily and padded off to Serenity's room to fetch it. Artemis chuckled at their exchange.

"Are you going to the party too, Art?" she asked him, sitting back down on the bed.

"Not exactly. I'll be on ground duty. Your father's orders, you understand." It wasn't a question, but Serenity nodded anyway. The silence stretched between them.

"This whole thing feels wrong, don't you think?" she mused, half to herself, "My parents pick my husband, the next possible King of the Lunarians, and what say do I have? Eventually I have to say yes to somebody, right? Is it so wrong that I don't want to do this right now?" She absently petted the white cat next to her as she spoke out loud.

"It's only a screening. You can't get cold feet until the day of the wedding, remember?" There was a cheerful tone in his voice, but it only made her stomach drop into her feet.

"That's not helping me," she replied shortly, giving his nape a pinch. His tail swayed back and forth in long arcs as he gave it some thought. His ears then pointed up as the idea struck him.

"I've got just the thing," he said, and jumped down to the marble floor. In a brilliant flash, he transformed back into his human self, straightening his clothes before holding out his right hand. She took it, and he led her to the center of the room. "We'll do basics, like when you attended finishing school. Introductions and such should be a piece of cake." Serenity bit her lip, resisting the urge to sigh. Etiquette was not one of the finer points of her acting skills. But she at least decided to humor him, so she unclenched her fists, crossing them delicately in front of her. She rolled her shoulders back, making her spine ramrod straight. Artemis situated himself to sit in her high-backed reading chair, playing the part of the prince.

"Very good, now curtsy," he said, and she did so, bowing slightly with her left hand at her midsection, and her right hand holding her skirts outward, her right toes pointed back before returning to a standing position.

"Lovely, and now sit on my right side. Most likely he may do most of the talking, or he might be a quiet type. You'll be able to tell after the introductions." Serenity made a mental note, but the outcome of either type was the same in her mind. Though perhaps if she were to find out what kind of person he was, she could end up displeasing him to much that he would revoke the proposal. Artemis took her hand in his, bringing her knuckles to his lips.

"H-hey!" she cried, snatching her hand away. Her heart began to race with an odd sensation.

"The prince may do the same thing. Don't make a fuss." He repeated the action, and she did not waver.

"Sorry. I wasn't prepared," she said quietly, settling her hands back to her lap.

"That is why you practice," he replied warmly, "Now, let's do a few steps to loosen the nerves." He stood up and beckoned her to follow.

"You know I can't dance though!" she protested, though she still followed him. He placed her arm at his shoulder and took her waist.

"Slowly then. Maybe he enjoys a good waltz," Artemis predicted, and he gently led her into a simple side-step, giving her time to count under her breath. A few counts later and she had successfully avoided stepping on his toes.

"Very well done, princess!" he complimented, giving her a twirl to celebrate.

"Really?" she said breathlessly, and then she felt her heel land squarely on his foot. His cornflower blue eyes widened from the sudden pain and Serenity flitted back and forth apologetically, at least thankful that she wasn't wearing shoes at the time. After he sat down to recover, she gave a defeated sigh.

"Maybe I'll find a way to skip the dancing," she mused, leaning against the cool marble wall behind him. Before he could answer, there was a rapping at the door and Luna sauntered in. The golden gown was more audacious than Serenity remembered, but Luna beamed happily as she swished inside.

"What do you think?" she asked, giving a full circle as she spun around. The bodice had sheer, metallic lace at the neck, with creamy pearls sewn along the tapering waist. The skirt was full, with each layer split in the front to allow more lace to peep out. And sure enough, the floor length train was completely glittering with yellow topaz and golden embroidery.

"It's lovely- I mean, you're lovely," Artemis managed to choke out, unable to look away from her. Luna smiled, noticing the tips of his ears turning pink.

"It looks much better on you, that's for certain," Serenity said. "You can wear it whenever you like."

"Ooh thank you! Well now it's your turn. You can't attend the party in that dingy dress." She pulled Serenity to the door, ignoring her defenses of her favorite outfit.

"Bye Art! See you tonight!" The two girls disappeared and all he could do was give a weak wave. Dear Luna, she knew exactly how to get to him. He exited the room, wishing that he were attending the party as well, if only to see her dance.

A few hours later and Princess Serenity was thoroughly bathed, her hair washed and set to dry, and Luna had found a proper gown for her to wear. It was decidedly less cumbersome than the gold one she was wearing, as it was white satin. The half-sleeves were comfortable, fitted poofs of material that sat off the shoulder and the bodice was silver with intricate swirls of embroidery. The skirt hung straight and thin, a double layer of solid white with sheer silver paraffin that seemed to nearly float with every movement, giving her the illusion of gliding as she walked. As Luna tied the front of the bodice, Serenity was curling the damp ends of her silver tresses with a hot crystal, hoping it would set in time to last the whole evening.

"So do you know what he looks like?" Luna asked, cutting to the heart of the matter as she threaded the silver lacing through the bodice.

"No. I only know that he responded to Papa's invitation very quickly, less than a day. He must really be interested to come here so soon. Oh, and his name is- you aren't going to believe this- Prince Diamond!"

"Diamond?" Luna snorted, "He can't really be named that. It has to be an alias or something, right?" Serenity shrugged, rolling another section of hair as she pictured him in her mind. A snobbish, pompous looking man popped up in her mind, one that seemed the kind to touch nothing without a handkerchief or the kind who spends all day organizing his overly-expensive wardrobe. The kind of man who blinked too much, or scoffed at everyone who dared to look his way.

"I hope so. But at least it's not a hard name to remember," she offered, reaching into her vanity drawer for some pearl barrettes. Luna gave one final tug and tied a bow to signal that she was all finished. After her hair was curled, she swept it up in her usual twin tails and then moved to stand in front of her full-length mirror. Satisfied with the outcome, she gave a gentle spin. Perhaps, she thought, it would be a waste of Luna's help to not at least enjoy the party itself. And perhaps this prince, on a very small chance, might not be so bad after all.

Artemis was standing at the Inner Gate and his starched uniform was making his skin itch. Until the new recruits were approved, King Yukito insisted that he stand in as much as possible. It took all this willpower to keep from scratching his leg.

"No need to be antsy there," the shorter guard next to him said, his voice low and gravelly. "It's just the princess' wedding, right?"

"It's not her wedding. Just pretense," he answered curtly.

"That's a little much, don't you think? I say just be over and done with it in one go."

"This is the Lunarian tradition, Souji."

"Not where I'm from. For instance, the Princess of Neptune never got to meet her husband until the moment of the actual ceremony. And by then, there wasn't much chance of backing out."

"Who did she marry?" Artemis asked, if only out of curiosity. Souji smirked at him.

"She married into the Kingdom of Uranus…" He paused, then gave a not-so-subtle lick of his lips. Artemis winced, and then it dawned on him.

"The Princess of Neptune married a-!"

"Absolutely, she did. And I hear they're still together to this day." Artemis finally gave in and quickly swiped the itch on his leg, returning to position just in time for the wind to pick up. It gusted strong, and Souji sent an uneasy glance around the courtyard before looking back to Artemis.

A solid, violet light shot up vertically from the lower courtyard, lighting up the dim sky. The wind buffeted sideways and finally settled as a figure in white approached the gate. The guard Souji raised his crystal-tipped staff as a precaution, but his partner signaled him to halt.

"State your name and business!" he commanded. The figure was a man dressed in all white. Violet twinkles glimmered from his cuffs and waistcoat. His shoulder length hair was stark white as well, seeming to shimmer by itself. The cloak he wore was a heavy silk, a white outer layer with a rich purple lining.

"I've been invited by the noble King Yukito for the Princess Serenity's hand in marriage. I am Prince Diamond," he introduced himself, giving a whirling flourish as he bowed. Artemis did his best to hide his expression when the prince stood back to eye level. So this was him?

"Of course. This way." As he escorted the prince through the main hall into the ball room, other attendees turned to stare, their eyes drawn to the glittering twinkles of his clothing. The prince gave a wave of his hand and winked at three comely ladies, who immediately hid their coy laughter with their fans. Artemis held off a groan. The guard at the main door was one of the new recruits and his mouth dropped open at the sight of the prince.

"Please inform His Majesty that Prince Diamond has arrived."

"Y-yes, right away!" the younger man stammered, giving a salute and turning around to slip inside. More nobles and other guests passed by and Prince Diamond gave a nod to each one that acknowledged him. Artemis couldn't help but notice that he smiled at the women that passed by. He even winked at some of them, and caused the guard to suck in his breath with impatience. Finally the greenhorn returned and gave the go-ahead. They both entered the semi-crowded ballroom and Artemis led him through the parting sea of nobles to the raised platform in which two marble thrones were centered. The King was fidgeting with his collar as he watched the prince approach. Queen Selene was relaxed and smiled at Artemis.

"Your Majesties, may I present Prince Diamond for the Princess Serenity's marriage party." He quickly stepped out of the way to let them fully see each other.

"Thank you Artemis," King Yukito said, and Artemis bowed his leave. "It is a pleasure to finally meet you." Prince Diamond gave another flourishing bow.

"The pleasure is all mine," he replied, "and may I say that this is the finest palace I have ever been inside. You both have wonderful tastes." King Yukito chortled, waving his hand back and forth.

"I trust you didn't have any trouble traveling to get here," Selene asked, holding out her hand in customary fashion. Prince Diamond took it and kissed her fingers.

"No trouble at all. Forgive me, Majesty, but I never imagined that your beauty would be as strong as your regality." Selene gave a light, fluttering laugh and as she withdrew her hand, a crystalline butterfly appeared in her palm. Prince Diamond gave a flick of his finger and it flapped its wings and took flight.

"How beautiful! You can do such magic?" she asked, seeming delighted at the display.

"Of course, my queen. But, only if I'm so inspired by one such as yourself." As she smiled again, watching the tiny figure flutter upwards, Yukito's expression seemed to diminish. Regardless, he clapped his hands and summoned a hand servant to produce a chair on the right of the pedestal, one step lower on the dais, for Prince Diamond to sit. As soon as he did so, he turned to them.

"Forgive my rudeness, but will the princess be along shortly? I admit my eagerness to finally see her in person is a great burden."

"Any moment now. She'll be thrilled to see you, of course," he added, and he called for refreshments, if only to distract them from Serenity's absence. He took a tall, thin glass of spiced honey rum, and offered another to the prince.

"Thank you graciously, your Majesty," and Diamond tilted the glass to his lips. A pair of glowing figures appeared from among the milling crowd, one gold and one white, eclipsing the nobles in their bright presence. Diamond studied them, unblinking, as they walked closer to the platform, his thoughts calculating. Two young women approached and he locked his gaze on the one in white. Yukito stood up and called attention to the entire room, announcing their welcome. Selene shifted in her seat, all too aware of what her husband was doing.

Serenity clung to Luna nervously, not knowing what to do with her hands. She had managed to make eye contact with her possibly to-be husband, and found that she couldn't keep it. They seemed to burn into hers uncomfortably. He wasn't anything like she pictured.

"Psst! Serenity, go!" Luna said through a clenched smile, pushing gently on her back. The princess stepped forward, her silver curls bouncing around her waist. She stood in front of her parents and gave the most graceful bow she could muster. Although her mother smiled warmly at her, it went unnoticed. Her bow to the prince was longer, and she thought of being back in her chamber with Artemis only hours ago when he was trying to help calm her down. She could feel his eyes, trying to pull her to look at him. Instead, she turned and gave a last curtsy to the gathered crowd, which began applauding. It wasn't often that they saw such an exchange.

"He's not old. Or ugly, for that matter," she thought silently. She couldn't stretch the pretense any longer and took her seat beside him. As she settled on the embroidered cushion, she wanted to meet her mother's gaze. But to do that would mean looking at the prince first. King Yukito was giving some kind of speech on their behalf, his voice echoing to the high ceiling. Many of the nobles and servants had expressions of joy and hopefulness, some oohing and ahhing. A few tried to applaud after every pause her father gave to draw breath. Luna had blended back into the crowd, but Serenity could spot her thanks to her audacious gown. She was grinning and bouncing, almost as if trying to get Serenity to emulate her feelings. A smile crept onto the princess's mouth and she instinctively looked to her left. Violet cufflinks glittered from Diamond's sleeve and he had a gaze to match. Her stomach overturned and she looked down into her lap.

"He's definitely not ugly," she thought again, her heart pounding in her ears. She heard a breath of air and a tiny crystal in the shape of a dancing girl floated into her lap. Barely two inches tall, it moved autonomously through the air, twirling in lazy circles and her tiny, shimmering dress flowing like liquid glass around her translucent form. Serenity's mouth formed an 'O' as she watched breathlessly. Finally she looked up and Prince Diamond smiled at her.

"Do you like it?" he mouthed silently. Through a blush, she nodded and took the figurine into her palms. It crouched down and bowed daintily.

"Thank you," she mouthed back, unable to not show at least some gratitude. She had never seen anything like it. He waved two of his fingers and the crystal dancer dissolved into a fine dust. Surprised, she turned back to him, only to see him whisper, "I can make more."

The crowd was reacting to something with thunderous cheers and Serenity focused back on her father's words.

"And so we welcome with honored hearts, Prince Diamond of Nemesis, to the celebration of Princess Serenity's coming-of-age. In exchange for his generous and timely presence, we reward him with warm respect and kindness in return." King Yukito raised his glass for a toast, and the excited crowd mimicked him. From the balcony came music from the orchestra, a spirited melody that encouraged many to begin dancing. Serenity felt her stomach in her throat at the thought of dancing again. Her dress felt very tight on her all of a sudden.

As soon as the king sat down, half a dozen kitchen servants came bearing platters of refreshments. Yuka was among them, carrying a silver tray of powdered desserts drizzled with mint chocolate. Serenity took one and popped it into her mouth whole, hoping that some substance on her stomach would calm her nerves. Unfortunately, it caked itself to the roof of her mouth and she covered her discomfort with one of her hands. The white-haired prince handed her a glass half-filled with amber liquid and she took it from him, gulping it down a little too quickly. Her eyes watered from the cloying taste. She managed to drink it down, dabbing her mouth with a napkin.

"Princess," Prince Diamond spoke, "Would you care for a dance?"

"Oh, well I-I'm not…" she began, and looked at him again. He held out his hand and motioned for her to give hers as well. However, he breathed a puff of air into her palm and the crystalline dancer returned. This time, it was an exact replica of herself, down to the tiny pearlescent beads that decorated her hair.

"It's beautiful," she whispered in awe. She wanted to touch it, to see if it would perhaps respond to her, but was too afraid to break the tiny girl. A smile settled on her face when he blew again and there was another figure. It was his form, looking decidedly sharper and more confident in his translucent, white cloak. The Crystal-Diamond took Crystal-Serenity's hand and they spun into broad dance within the palm of her hand, inexplicably in time with the orchestra's music. As the tune reached a swelling crescendo, his figure leaned in to kiss her and Serenity dropped her hands to her lap. She looked up at him in surprise to find him smiling at her reaction.

"Something wrong, Princess?" he asked, reaching for her hand. Serenity shook her head and stood up so quickly she nearly knocked her chair to its side. Her heart was going to burst out of her chest.

"I'll be right back," she stammered quickly, picking up her skirts and stepping down the dais to the floor, dodging the dancing couples. Prince Diamond watched intently, but with as much patience as he could muster.

"Luna… Luna…!" she mouthed to herself as her eyes darted back and forth against the sea of guests and court members. Most of them parted to allow her to pass easily. Sure enough, she spotted her friend by the refreshment wall.

"Oh Serenity," she said, setting down her plate of drizzled chocolates. "Your face is so red, what's the matter?"

"Nothing… well, it's something, but maybe I'm just…" Serenity couldn't seem to find the words to describe the fluttering in her stomach. Luna shook her head, then pointed to Serenity's dress.

"Here, your bodice is trying to come loose. I'll fix it for you outside." Serenity nodded and followed Luna to the private balcony. Luckily it was still early enough in the evening that nobody had taken residence there yet. Luna shut the heavy silken curtain and set to work, undoing the satin threads to reset them. The princess had barely begun to feel relieved, when Luna began talking excitedly.

"So…? What's he like? Did the two of you dance yet? He's much more handsome than I thought he would be!" she gushed, giving a swift tug to the laces while Serenity braced herself on the banister.

"Ow! He's… well, I can't really put my finger on it," she didn't bother to hide her grimacing face, since nobody could see her except her friend. Her hands automatically checked her jewelry and hairpins, making sure they were still firmly in place. "But I do get the sense that Father is much happier with him than I could ever be…"

"True," Luna chuckled, working her way up Serenity's front to the top, finally tucking in the excess laces. "You know how he gets when he thinks he's making progress with something. There, how does that feel?" As Serenity double checked things, Luna straightened her own dress, finally giving a smile to her.

"Come on, let's go back inside. I'll stay close by in case you need me." Luna motioned for her to follow and Serenity complied. Upon re-entry, the music from the orchestra was livelier than ever, and everyone was whirling as they followed the rhythm. Servants expertly ducked in and out to reach those who still wanted refreshments or towels. Luna gave a burst of a squeal before rushing off to the center of the room, joining in with the group dance. Serenity was half tempted to follow, since the dance was rather easy to perform even for her, but her eye was drawn to the exit.

"Only for a minute…" she whispered to herself, then she gathered her skirts and went to sneak out.

To be continued