Sailor Moon Origins
Book 1 Chapter 1: The Princess of Water, Princess Mercury
I never once really felt like a princess. Sure, I was the princess of Planet Mercury, but, I thought princesses were supposed to be beautiful. I thought they were supposed to act a certain way, grace people a certain way. Being born into royalty was never something I wanted, nor did I really care for that kind of lifestyle. I guess in a way, when the Moon Kingdom was taken down, it was almost a blessing in disguise. For once I could do something that interests me more than being a Princess. I could be a friend. I know I was never beautiful, and maybe failed as a Princess, but I also know that true friendship lies not what one thinks on the surface but what goes deeper than that: the soul. Caring for the Moon Princess was more of a calling for me than being something that was beyond my capability. That is why I am proud to be called Sailor Mercury!
- Former Princess Mercury, Ami Mizuno
In my room, I stare out in the starry sky. The sound the water makes as it flows from the fountain in front of The Water Palace is soothing as it hits the different parts of the fountain. The noise gives the atmosphere an ethereal calm. As I look at the stars, I realize how much I yearn to be out there.
Living as a princess definitely isn't easy, especially when all you do all day is listen to what your parents expect of you, attend meetings at a high end restaurant where people from all over the galaxy come to form treaties as you eat a meal with them, hoping sometimes that they don't shoot you right then and there, and trying to put on a perfect public image can be less than satisfying. I never wanted to be a princess, no far from it. I've always had dreams of becoming a scientist of some sort, or a doctor too. I've always had a curious nature, and I've always wanted to explore outside of my own planet. Sometimes I get the chance, but if I do, I'm not at the other planet for very long. Usually I go to another planet because there's a situation between said planet and the planet I inhabit, Mercury.
But all the freetime I have is spent here at the Water Palace. It has become, more or less, a prison of sorts. One thing that is kind of cool is my ability to control water. Sometimes I'll play a joke on some of the palace's guards by using the fountain water to get on their gear, while I silently laugh. My powers, however, give our planet a unique advantage when it comes to war. It's been a while since the planet has seen a war at all, but when we did have wars, none of our men would get killed. All we did was get the men that were supposedly dead and with my power of controlling water, all I have to do is utter a few words, pour the water on the wound, and the wound would heal, bringing the soldier back to life. That's one thing about Mercury, our army is a strong one, able to withstand any attack.
As I lay on my bed looking out through my window, with all of those thoughts rushing through my head, I turn around and I hear a knock on my door. I then rush to put on some pajama's really quick and I answer my door. My assistant, Aqua, looks at me with much excitement and says "Princess Mercury, I'm so glad I caught you at a good time!" I yawn, look at the clock and I say "Aqua, it's Full Moon O' Clock, what could you want at this late of hour?" Aqua said "Princess Mercury, it's time! The child of the Moon Kingdom is finally being born! And you are invited as a special guest!" I look at her oddly and reply "But what does this have to do with me at all? I thought I was only allowed to leave the castle if there was a pressing matter that needed some sort of resolution. Why this?" Aqua replied with "I honestly don't know, all it says in the invitation-" Aqua pulled out the invitation and said "Dearest Princess Mercury, you are invited as a special guest to attend the birth Princess Serenity. Queen Selene apologizes for the last minute invite. It is imperative that you come and present yourself before the newborn princess, as there are certain matters to discuss." I then replied with a somewhat urgent "I see…tell Captain Ocean to ready my cruise liner post haste. I will be down at the docks at precisely Quarter Moon O' Clock." Aqua bowed and said "Will do Princess."
As I stumbled to get dressed, a million thoughts raced through my head. I didn't know what to think. What could the Moon Kingdom possibly want with the Princess of Mercury? Is it possible another war was on its way? Could that be the reason why Selene needed me? Or was it something worse? All I could think of were bad reasons, probably because it's in the middle of the night when all of this was happening.
I then got on board the S.S. Ravine, and we then left dock and flew through the stars. The people on board were Me, my assistant Aqua, Captain Ocean, and 2 bodyguards named Amir and Rayne.
Floating along space is so beautiful. It's one of my favorite things to do, at least, when I get to do it. Space is just so beautiful when night hits. A sea of beautiful stars, waiting to greet you with their brightness and warmth. It's nights like these where I wish I was no longer a Princess. There were even times when I would see a shooting star outside my window, and every time I got to see that star, I would wish upon it. Of course, my wish never came true, but how I longed to be a commoner. Then I would have the ability to explore the Universe. Of course, that would never happen.
As we began our descent onto The Moon, I noticed other modes of transportation began their descent as well. I realized that the other princesses of the other planets arrived here as well. Apparently, whatever was going on must be serious, to have all of us gathered in this sacred place. The only 4 we never see are the 4 outer planets. I never understood why, but maybe it was for the best.
As we all descended, one by one, each of us got off of our respective vehicles, we all looked at each other and smiled and hugged. The one thing I did enjoy about being a Princess is meeting the other Princesses. Each of them were my true friends.
I had 3 friends at the time. Princess Mars, a princess who could control fire, read fortunes, and was born with extra-sensory abilities to sense bad omens. Princess Jupiter, a princess with the power of nature. Princess Jupiter was unique, cause her powers span more than just summoning flower petals, or trees, she was able to control all things related to nature including the weather. And lastly, Princess Venus, the Princess of Love and Beauty. Princess Venus has a unique power, the power of love and light combined. She can bend light, but with her light comes love, and anyone that's hit by it ultimately feels the overpowering sensation of love. She has also become a very good friend of the Moon Royal Family.
As we all hugged, we all decided we would go in together. As we were walking towards the beautiful crystal doors of the Moon Palace, I asked Venus "So…, do you know why we're here." Venus smiled and said "Didn't you read the invitation? The new Princess has arrived!" I then said "Yeah, but it's a bit unusual that the Princesses of the different Planets were invited." Venus then nodded her head and said "Yeah…you're right. To be honest, I know just as much as you know. I might be the Moon Family's best friend, but even I don't know everything." We then opened the crystal doors, and as we did, there was a huge line that was making their way to see the baby Serenity. As we started to get in line, a Palace guard said "Are you 4 the 4 Princesses that were invited?" All four of us said "Yes." The Palace guard said "You 4 are to be escorted to a special room. Follow me."
As all of us followed the guard, I was always in awe of the Moon Palace. It was the most beautiful palace of all the planets. Probably because it housed the Royal Family's treasure, The Millenium Silver Crystal, the key to eternal life and complete control of the Universe. The Royal Family has made it a duty to guard the crystal well, and they have been, through every century successfully.
We then were led to a somewhat small room. In it was a table filled with all sorts of foods. From gourmet chicken, to mashed potatoes, to fruits and vegetables, and even to desserts, it was the most beautiful potpurri of food I've ever seen in my life. There was a small library in the corner and a chair with a lamp beside it, as a small sitting area where you can read in peace. And lastly, there were 2 couches with some houseplants surrounding the room. Everything in the room, with the exception of the dining chairs, the chair next to the library, and the 2 sofa's, were made of pure crystal. Everything in the palace was always kept clean so you could really see the purity the palace showcased. The guard then said "Queen Selene has instructed me to inform you that you are to wait here until further instruction. Please help yourself to any food and beverages sat out on the dining room, and make your way to anything else you wanna do in this room. You'll be in here for quite a while till Selene gets done attending to her guests. I bid you all a goodnight." The guard then closed the crystal door, and Jupiter said "Awesome! Palace food ROCKS!" Jupiter went towards the food first and started chowing down.
I went towards the library and picked up a book called "The History of the Universe." Mars and Venus just sat on the couch talking with each other. I
To be honest, I wasn't really paying too much attention to the others. I just wanted to keep to myself really. I wasn't even reading from the book. You see, I was born with a very analytical mind. My people are very wise and very smart. Our very planet prides itself on smarts. So, instead of me wasting time, I was trying to figure out why Queen Selene would invite all of us at the same time. There's got to be a reason, because normally all 4 of us Princesses never meet all at once like this. We see each other now and again, but this must be something big. I didn't really like where any of this was going. At one point, I think Mars said "I have a funny feeling about this." All I could do was stay strong, protecting myself for what might come.
After what seemed like hours, suddenly the door to the room opened. Queen Selene came in, and she was so beautiful. I always thought she was so radiant….kind of like that of the very Moon she lived on. She wore a long white dress with butterfly wings on the back, and she always wore a bun-head type hairstyle. She also held in her hand a long pink stick, with a half-moon shaped top and there was a gem of some sort inside of the half-moon.
All of us stopped what we did, we got in a single line, and every single one of us curtseyed in front of the Queen.
Queen Selene started while she shut the door to the room. She started "Hello everyone. It's so nice to see everyone again. I've gathered you all here tonight for a very important reason. You all may sit, because this is quite a lengthy explanation."
We all sat on one of the couches.
Selene continued "As you all know, tonight was the birth of my beautiful daughter Serenity. And, you will all be able to see her soon. I brought all of you here tonight out of deep concern for my daughter's well-being. You see, I have seen things in the future that disturb me. In my dreams lately, I have been seeing a solar eclipse. In other dreams I see our moon, as red as blood. My dreams are very symbolic in nature. I have been asking the Millenium Silver Crystal about these very dreams. These are signs of things to come, and although my dreams haven't been completely violent, there's an evil at work, an evil not even I understand. And, this is the reason why I have brought you all here tonight. After countless audiences with your respective planets Kings and Queens, I have made a negotiation with all of them. I have kept the negotiations secret until now, because I believed that only till my daughter was given birth would I reveal my plans for the future of my daughter. What I ask of everyone here is very simple, I need all of you to become Sailor Guardians to help with the protection of my daughter."
I then said "Queen Selene…how do you propose we do this? We're Princesses in our own respected Planets. We can't just abandon our Planets without heirs to the throne."
Queen Selene laughed and said "You won't need to worry about such a thing. You all are still Princesses, but everyday, at ¾ Moon O'Clock sharp, you are all supposed to show up at the Moon Palace for training to be Sailor Guardians. You all must be able to use your powers to their fullest extent in case something should happen to my beloved daughter Princess Serenity." Princess Mars piped up and said "Oh, so this is about us huh? Where are the other 4 Princesses? You know, Uranus, Neptune, Pluto, and Saturn? What about them?" Queen Selene said "I did not invite them, because, all of them do not share a similar agenda like we do." Princess Mars then said "I think it's awfully funny how we all know each other compared to those 4. All of us are pretty close, but whenever a situation becomes dire, you never see those 4 march into battle. It's always us." Queen Selene said "Their goals are different. Right now they are searching for something to prevent something else from happening. I am not at liberty to expose what those plans are. I have to think about my kingdom right now. I know this upsets you Mars, but right now, the very fate of quite possibly the entire Universe rests on our shoulders. Let's not forget, the most powerful item in the entire Universe is in our possession. I think we should make this a priority right now then the other 4 not being here. Now, that's all I needed to talk to you 4 about. You 4 are to meet here at the same time, everyday, for one whole phase of the moon to train. You will be training against yourselves. I will let you know what happens regarding what will befall my kingdom. Until then, just train the best way you can. Once you train enough, you will become Sailor Guardians to my dear Serenity. Which brings me to my next question, do you promise to guard Serenity with your heart and soul as long as you live?"
All of us said we do. Selene then said "Good…now, let's go to the throne room to meet my daughter!" All of them were brought back to the throne room and I got to glimpse at the beautiful Serenity. She looked very much like her Mom.
It was at this very moment where I knew my life would be going through a lot of changes. For once I won't just be known as Princess Mercury, but as Sailor Guardian Mercury. My life from there on would never be the same…