Disclaimer: I don't own Sailor Moon, nor any characters therein.
A/N: Just started writing this for fun ^_^ I'd be grateful for any suggestions or comments, rants or raves!
Summary: The Princess Minako is a gentle soul, who must take on the heavy duties of her sister. A mysterious rogue with no ties to his past must help a prince fulfill his destiny. Two lives are about to be changed forever; their greatest challenge will be to love each other.
Prologue
****
The fever wasn't breaking.
For six days the eldest daughter of the King of Venus had struggled for her life.
And she was loosing.
But no one dared say it.
The King had been by his daughter's side every night, his wrinkled hands encasing her smooth, pale ones.
He'd sung to her, his voice dry and gruff as he tried to keep the tears at bay. Just a little longer. She would surely awaken soon. And when she did, he would be beside her.
"Sire ...?"
The King felt a soothing presence behind him. He didn't move from his position, which was knelt on the floor by his daughter's bedside. His hands were clasped in silent prayer.
He didn't respond. He didn't trust his own voice. He felt such anger and despair, it convinced him that if he were to open his mouth he might scream with it.
He didn't want anyone to see him this way.
"Forgive me, Sire. But the priests are here."
The King stared blankly at his daughter. She lay so peacefully, her hands folded across her stomach. As if she were merely asleep. In a way, he supposed she was.
A sheer veil hid her features, but the outline of her brow, nose and lips were visible; like a mask. The creamy bed sheets were smooth and unwrinkled. She adored anything silk. He'd made sure that her sheets were nothing but the finest, imported from the Moon itself. Maybe he truly was mad.
"Shall I tell the priests that they are not needed today-?"
"No."
The King turned his head in the direction of his oldest friend. His voice softened.
"It would be disrespectful to send them away, after they have traveled so far. Send them in, Artemis."
"At once, Sire." The soothing voice replied gently.
Artemis hesitated - still watching the King. His shoulders were slumped, and his head was bowed. Artemis placed his hand on the older King's shoulder. It felt bony and fragile.
For a moment, he could feel the distress that flowed like an unstoppable current through the King. His pale eyes flickered to where the princess lay in a heated sleep, and not for the first time his heart sank with the deepness of his sorrow.
A rough coolness touched his skin, and Artemis glanced at the worn hand which was now gripping his like a vice. The fingers were cragged and calloused, and were the color of earth.
It was the hand of a King.
It was a hand that had fought many battles, some won and some lost. It had been stained with blood, sweat and dirt. It was strong, and had secured stability for a Kingdom that known nothing but war. For all the years Artemis had been by King Ardor's side as a confidant, companion and trusted friend he had never once seen that hand waver.
Yet it could not stop the life from seeping from his daughter, no matter how hard he held onto her.
Artemis felt both his and the King's grip loosen. Silently, he slipped from the chamber and in a hushed voice that held both tears and reverence, he asked the priests to enter.
****
Her feet flew across the warm stones, her breaths heavy and deafening to her own ears.
She prayed that she wasn't too late.
Ahead she could see shadows moving from the hall and into a chamber. They wore familiar robes, their faces completely hidden behind red veils.
Her feet pounded silently, racing to meet them. Her heart raced, but she pushed her fears aside. One thought threatened to overwhelm her.
Aisu is dying. My sister is dying.
Slipping past the rows of candles that lined the narrow corridor, she barely contained a startled gasp as a firm hand closed around her upper arm. She slid to a halt, barely three feet from the chamber door.
It was now closed, the robed figures inside. Whirling around on her heel, she met with a solid wall - that was her guardian.
"Artemis!!" she whispered, feeling the blood drain from her face.
He gripped her arm gently but tightly, as he guided her away from the door and into the darkness where the candles' soft light couldn't reach.
"Princess, I assume you have good reason for disobeying your father's instructions. And mine." His voice was a whisper, but severe.
"I want to see my sister," she answered heatedly, determined not to become intimidated.
"So to hell with your instructions!! You lied to me! And I'm not leaving until I see my sister."
The words poured from her like an angry stream. Never in her life had she spoken to her mentor this way.
She watched as Artemis's mouth smoothed from it's usual frown into a gentler line. A mixture of affection and pride shone from his eyes briefly, but soon faded to be replaced by unyielding
resolve.
"The King does not wish to be disturbed."
Anger rang in her ears. Her father was keeping her from Aisu.
How dare he.
He wasn't the only one who wanted to help. He was being selfish, and stubborn. She bit back tears.
It was happening again.
Someone she loved more than life itself was dying, and she was forbidden to comfort them. To see them. The ground spun beneath her feet, and she felt slightly sick.
She hated him.
Her hands balled into fists, her vision blurry. She didn't realize Artemis had let go of her arm until both his hands grasped her tightly by the shoulders.
"It is for you own sake!" He shook her gently, trying convince her. But in the back of his mind, he knew she was right.
"No!!"
That same voice. That same strength. Artemis knew it so well.
She was shaking her fair head. Her eyes locked with his, wet and burning with a fury he'd only ever glimpsed within her.
"It is for his sake. And I shall not believe anything you tell me. Not ever again!"
Her throat burned, but she would not cry. Stepping back from him, she met no resistance as his arms fell to his sides. He looked deeply wounded. It broke her heart to see his mask of formality crumble, and pain surface clearly within the lines of his face. She couldn't meet that gaze anymore.
Too angry and riddled with panic, she raced for the chamber door. It was unlocked. Pushing it open, she was not prepared for what greeted her on the other side.
The heady scent of incense filled her nostrils, and burned in her chest until she thought she would choke. A soft vibration floated through the air, barely audible. In the dim light, she saw the robed figures hover like ghosts around a bed.
She recognized them immediately. They were priests. She had stepped into the room when she realized that the vibrations leaving goose bumps on her skin were their voices.
Their faces were still curtained off, and their hands moved in slow circles over a still form that lay on the bed. The four priests shifted then, allowing her an unobstructed view. She didn't see her sister's soft face. The air grew too thick to breathe. The delicate form on the bed was wrapped in red linen. Her face was gone. Buried beneath the ceremonial silks.
But this wasn't right. Where was her sister? She looked at the still form on the bed as if it were not there.
Aisu?
A hand closed on her shoulder.
The priests' chanting became muted. Her ears rang unnaturally. Yet somehow, she heard her father call her name. She looked at him numbly. This was a dream. She would wake to the sound of her sister's soft voice.
"Minako .. Minako .. wake up ..."
The ground suddenly became solid again. It was like a jolt. The hand on her shoulder became two hands, then two arms. They held her tightly, turning her from the sight of her sister's lifeless body.
Minako squeezed her eyes shut, and the feel of another's warmth seemed to release all the emotions that had been numbed only seconds before.
Her sister was dead.
She had been too late. For the second time in her life, she had not gotten the chance to say goodbye.
King Ardor felt the tears brim in his aching eyes, as he watched his daughter hold onto Artemis frantically.
He couldn't bare it.
One daughter lay not three feet from him, but she was gone. He couldn't reach her.
Yet he knew somehow that his younger daughter was even farther from his reach.
A/N: To be continued!! Kunzite will be making an appearance, in chapter three ! ^_^