The idea for this ficlet popped into my head when I realized that Serenity is an actual royal style that was used in Russia once upon a time. So, I thought, what if Serenity wasn't the actual name of the queen and princess at all, but merely their style? What if their name is kept secret for whatever reason?
Thank you to antigone2 for chatting about this idea and giving me a few more nuggets to run with.
Serenity…
Her pale finger traced his strong jaw, rough with the stubble that had tickled her face, belly, and thighs earlier in the evening. But now their passion was spent, and she was nestled in his embrace, her hair spread like a cloak of gold across the bed beneath them.
"I love you."
Serenity…
He grabbed her wandering hand as it tickled his sweaty neck, brought it to his lips for a fierce kiss, then placed it on his breast, trapping it with is own hand. She smiled as she felt his heart below her palm, still slightly quickened from their lovemaking.
"And I you. More deeply than I thought possible."
Serenity, my daughter, your true name...
She kissed his jaw, nuzzling into his neck.
My daughter, your true name is sacred.
"How I wish we could stay like this all night."
"How I wish we could stay like this forever."
Your true name is imbued with ancient, deep magic, as old as the crystal we rule.
He brought her hand again to his lips, kissing her knuckles, her palm, her fingertips.
"My Serenity…" he sighed.
Serenity… To utter your true name risks ruin.
He turned, his eyes locking on hers in the moonlight. "I don't know how, but one day, we will be together."
"Every ounce of my being hopes that you are right."
"There can be no other outcome," he said, caressing her cheek. "Each time you leave me, you take a part of me with you. Somehow, I will find a way to be by your side, Serenity."
To share your true name bares your very soul.
"Endymion… " she began, then lost her nerve, breaking eye contact to reach out and sweep the errant hair from his face.
"What is it, my love?"
Her hand dropped as she snuggled into his neck once more.
It must only be told to those to whom you would give a piece of yourself; to whom you would bind yourself forever.
"It's nothing."
"Nothing, Serenity?"
Serenity…
At that, she pulled back slightly to face him, searching his eyes with hers. He stared at her in silence, then kissed her gently.
"What is it, Serenity?"
Serenity… Your true name is sacred.
"Endymion, I want to tell you something."
"Alright."
She swallowed. "I… want to tell you my name."
He laughed. "Your name, Serenity?" He leaned forward to kiss her again. "That is something I know well."
She shook her head. "Serenity is no more my name than Majesty is yours."
"What do you mean?" he asked with a confused smile.
Serenity…
"Serenity is merely the royal style of the rulers of Silver Millennium. 'Serenity,' 'Serene Highness,' 'Your Sereneness,'… it's all the same. It is merely a placeholder."
"I… I don't understand."
The wisest course is to never say your true name at all.
"My mother and I… our names are fiercely protected. Endymion, this piece of myself… I've never shared with anyone. But more than anything in the entire world, I want to give you all of me, every bit that I have to share. And this... I want you to be the one I share this with."
He kissed her, caressing her cheek with his calloused hand. "I would be honored, my love."
"You must understand, Endymion, that this is for you alone to know. No one else can know."
…you would give a piece of yourself…
"I understand."
She snuggled into him and his arms wrapped around her, reflexively pulling her closer. He was startled to feel her heart racing wildly as her chest pressed against his own.
To share your true name bares your very soul. To utter your true name risks ruin.
Leaning up, she brought her lips to his ear, so close that he could hear her soft breaths as she prepared to tell him her most closely guarded secret.
Then, in the darkness of the Terran prince's room, the Moon princess whispered a name, a name that touched his very being, which he reverently repeated in equally hushed tones, binding himself to her.
My daughter, your true name is sacred.
And in that precious moment, neither of the lovers noticed the shadow that had been lurking below his open window fleeing into the night.