All There Could Be Was Silence
There was an order sent from the Moon Kingdom that reached all the majestic castles of the Sol System. It was a call to pronounce fealty. The heir, Princess Serenity, had been introduced to the kingdom and all the important figures years ago when she was born, but now, she was approaching a milestone, where she was expected to finally interact with the rest of the system, being groomed for the day she would be queen. Her mother, Queen Serenity, still had some centuries left in her, but she wanted all her subjects to have a relationship with her only daughter so that the inevitable transition of leaders would go without complications. Earth was called, who sent their Prince Endymion, decorated in luxurious blue armor, and one of their highest ranking commanders, Beryl, in similar garb for a lower ranking officer. Every other planet sent their princesses, donned in gowns and tunics made from the fibers and threads of their home planets.
It was a marvelous spectacle, to see so much power in one room. To see so much power bow to a fourteen year old girl. Endymion, in the midst of his own teen years, was flustered, taking himself to his knees gracefully, but a little too eagerly. Beryl, a sunset haired woman, closed her eyes like one does when they're trying to keep their mouth closed of words that should not be spoken, and kneeled on one knee, as customary. They pledged the loyalty of humankind, and the powers that could be offered from Elysion.
Princess Mercury, enamored by the socially-inexperienced Princess Serenity, kneeled happily, accepting her oath of fealty with conditions of protecting Serenity with her very life, and to offer every ounce of knowledge she could share with the soft girl.
Princess Mars, ever the most fervent of senshi, pledged her loyalty as well, by swearing her chastity to the princess, and adding not only her protection, but her prodigal divination, should it ever be needed.
Princess Jupiter bent the knee just as readily, offering her arms for battle, for nothing could surpass the thunderous strength of the Jovians.
Princess Venus swore fealty with splendor, promising every drop of her blood to be shed in service to protecting Serenity, declaring to take lead and cut down any foe with the Holy Blade.
Princess Uranus offered her mighty saber as well, holding her Space Sword out for all to behold.
Princess Neptune offered a similar gift as Mars, her skills in intuition and insight, swearing to relay all intel she harnessed from her mystical seas.
Princess Pluto offered her powerful grip on time, swearing to protect any and all outlets of time from invasion. That was how she would protect the Serenity Dynasty.
Princess Saturn, however, stood tall, Glaive in hand for ceremonial presentation, and spoke words that echoed in the crowded halls of the castle:
"I cannot offer fealty to you, Princess Serenity," the senshi of destruction spoke, her face and tone of voice neutral, yet her eyes were as ominously dark as the remaining mysteries of the galaxy. "The Queen Mother should know this…"
Queen Serenity said nothing, and the crowd watched, knowing this was the Queen seeing how her heir would assert herself. The princess held her own hands, trying not to wring them in agitation.
"Why is this?" Princess Serenity asked, succeeding in keeping her voice from faltering.
Saturn tilted her head, making the room uneasy. "My power is too great to be commanded by any monarch outside of the rings of Saturn. It is entrusted to me to keep it out of the hands of those who may seek to prevent or incite destruction."
"I do not wish to use your glaive on any foe," Serenity continued in earnest. "Princess Saturn, you have my word."
"You would not use it on a foe, I believe that," Saturn nodded, "but you would prevent nature from running its course. If it is a planet's time, I must do my part to maintain balance in the universe, and if a threat is too great, I must do what needs to be done to save the rest of the galaxy. Being under your reign, or your mother's reign, will put the galaxy at risk for corruption spreading…"
Serenity was at a loss for words, not prepared at all for rejection, her eyes turning just the slightest shade of pink as she fought back emotion, terrified of the empty gaze from the senshi of silence. "We would not let anything spread. All the senshi present today shall work together to stop threats. There would be no need to destroy a planet, no matter how great the enemy. If we all fight together, we shall succeed."
The royal court murmured at this, agreeing with their future queen. This gave Serenity some confidence, as her posture seemed to stand taller than before, but her eyes were still wary as she anticipated more words from the goddess of the void.
Saturn took two steps forward, and in the corner of an eye she could see royal guards grip their spears tighter, waiting for the command to restrain her. It made sense to Saturn why they would be on guard: she hadn't sworn fealty, and not swearing could mean a potential enemy to any guard smart enough. But Saturn wasn't here to fight, she wasn't here to be rebellious or to cause a scene, she just wanted to do what was right, and that was to make sure no one commanded the powers of Silence.
"Princess Serenity," Saturn began, gracing everyone in sight with a haunting smile, "I do not bend the knee today not to soil relations between my home planet and the Moon Kingdom. Please understand that I did not come here to present myself as a threat. I still wish us to peacefully coexist."
"Of course," Serenity nodded her head just once, to show understanding.
Saturn returned the gesture and announced her departure, the court spreading in half to let her pass. Everyone was perplexed, not waiting to disperse to share questions of submission. Queen Serenity did not draw attention to it, but professionally changed the tone of the event, calling in the great alliances continued for a new generation, millennia of loyalty to come! Music was struck to commence, and a ball began. The tension felt from Saturn's declaration was soon forgotten for the night, as now all anyone could gossip about was how many dances Earth's Prince Endymion had with Princess Serenity.
Princess Saturn did what was known for the Goddess of Death and Destruction. There were reports of her scouting planets, dwarf planets, and moons, seen for no more than an hour or so per sighting and then would be undetectable for days in between. It made people anxious. They knew what she was doing, seeing if they were still fit to exist, seeing if their time was here. Her refusal to pledge fealty made things worse. Saturn surveyed the solar system all the time normally, but now it made people uneasy because her reputation changed to being fearless. She feared no queen, no law, feared no god. And if Queen Serenity couldn't bring her to heel, how safe was the galaxy with this powerful senshi having free reign throughout the system? However, she wouldn't be for long.
Months after the summoning, two women set out on two different missions. One woman was Beryl, and the other was Saturn. Beryl made it to the castle first and requested a private audience with Queen Serenity. She told the silver-haired matriarch what she had truly seen on Earth- Princess Saturn had been to Earth, and there were records of at least thirty sightings in one week. With most Saturian visits lasting no more than one incident at a time, the humans of Earth were feeling very concerned and targeted. Beryl claimed that they needed Queen Serenity to protect them from a potential reaping. Something had to be done!
Now Queen Serenity had been invested in aiding the Earth's evolution, and protecting the human's chances to grow was a main concern for her. She knew she couldn't prevent Saturn from swinging her Glaive on Earth, but maybe she could talk to the senshi, and figure out what it took to be deemed worthy in her eyes. But Beryl whispered more and more in the Queen's ear, and the only reason why it worked was because everything she said was true. The humans were antsy, terrified, ready to take matters into their own hands if need be. Queen Serenity would have to prevent them from destroying themselves too, if they decided to somehow take on Saturn.
So, Queen Serenity made a decision and summoned Uranus, Pluto, and Neptune to her council room, assuring Beryl to stay in the castle at her leisure for the time being. Serenity knew her decision was a hard one to make, and it could possibly strain relations with Saturn, but if it worked, no one would have to worry about her unmatchable power. After all, Beryl was not only known for her military reputation, but also for her prowess in magic- she told the Queen everything she would need to know about binding spells…
By now, Saturn had arrived in the castle. She had urgent news to tell the queen. Passing through the halls with purpose, her intuition piqued when she caught sight of Beryl down the way, who smiled at her mischievously. "The Queen is waiting for you in the council chambers," was all the Earthling said, as they passed each other.
Saturn immediately felt a sense of urgency. She had to reach the queen. Her news regarded Beryl after all, and her instincts were telling her she was too late. Pushing the fifteen feet high doors of the council chamber open, her Saturnian heartbeat became irregular with the startling sight of her fellow outer senshi standing in silence with the queen.
"Queen Serenity," Saturn began, acknowledging the queen first, "Uranus, Neptune, Pluto…" her eyes dropped to the sight of their hands, which held their well-known talismans. "I have grave news about Earth… I sense a dark energy in that world, but I have not been able to find its exact location. We must pinpoint the source and remove it before it is too late…"
But Saturn stopped speaking. Something wasn't right…
"I'm so sorry, Saturn," the Queen said with sympathy, her eyes speaking of it. "But I can't let you continue what you have been doing. You will disturb the peace of the galaxy."
"… Your Majesty?"
And then the Queen brought up the Silver Crystal, and the senshi raised their talismans. An incantation was shouted, but Saturn couldn't hear it, she was deafened by the wind and blinded by the bright light caused by magic and power, and soon all that became hot white light, finally dimmed… into her castle at Titan.
The castle, with is sheen black marble floors, was full of her countrymen, Saturnians puzzled by her frazzled and agitated look.
"Goddess?" one of her subjects asked her cautiously, reaching out to help her balance herself. But the senshi shut her eyes tight, willing herself to teleport back to the moon… but she couldn't. She tried thinking of Mars… no movement. Earth? Still stagnant. Her heart beat wildly, her chest heaving rapidly.
"Messiah?" questioned another.
Saturn shouted in frustration, her growl emanating the pain of betrayal, the volume striking the hearts of all who filled Titan's halls.
Not much time had passed after the sealing of Saturn that Earth began to endure many conflicts. Politics, economics, military corruption- the planet was suffering. Now the Queen did anticipate this, Saturn had begun speaking of it after all, but believed that it could be resolved with enough time and effort. The humans of Earth were still a young species in comparison to the denizens of the moon and the remaining planets of the Sol System. But when she had heard that Beryl had lead a coup against Endymion, she no longer felt prepared. She had heard rumors that the woman was in love with the Earth Prince, and was rejected, but could not believe the credit of them. Rumors didn't matter, only the truth, and that was that a civil war was tearing apart the world she dreamed of seeing flourish. Many efforts were made by the other planets under her command to aid Endymion's side, and even Venusians appeared in arms. While the inner senshi did what they could to focus on the conflict within earth, the outer senshi were given strict instructions to not leave their posts on their home worlds, so that they may continue protecting the outer rim of the system.
Saturn, leisurely reclining on her black and white marbled throne, breathed in deeply, letting the surrounding clouds of incense smoke soothe her, its burning perfume bringing a welcomed comfort to her soul. Her subjects were doing what they could to appease their goddess, knowing just how tender her heart was after being betrayed the way she was. Sealed by magic! Shunned away to spend who knows how many centuries besides the glorious rings! Exile… they took it just as personally as she did. They performed music for her, twanging sitars, whistling clarinets, and tapping light bells and other percussions, the melodies of Saturnian culture. They wanted her to forget the rest of the galaxy and focus on the splendor of her home and the feeling of being with her people. To bring her pride and healing. It worked for a little while, until a scout ran into her grand hall, his footsteps throwing off the tempo of the musicians.
Saturn opened her eyes languidly, watching him briskly make his way to the steps of her throne.
"Oh, regal goddess, my Princess Saturn," he began, speaking out of breath. He took to a knee and hung his head in respect. "I bring grave news." The music had stopped, and all chatter of her followers and subjects paid attention to what was happening in the foreground.
"Speak," she granted, her relaxed tone shivering the scout's spine.
"The Moon Kingdom is under attack," he looked up from his kneeling stance, his blue eyes searching her black ones as if imploring her to not strike him for delivering bad news. "By the humans of Earth. Led by Beryl."
Saturn wasted no time in launching herself off her throne, the scout stumbling out of the way to let her pass. She was making her way to her surveillances, her only window outside her planet.
"Show me the Moon Kingdom," she demanded to the consoles. Everyone present huddled by the door, watching their Princess pace restlessly, as the feed made its way to her screen.
Complete chaos and pandemonium. The castle was in ruins, large Doric columns collapsing with voluminous thuds, shaking the foundations of nearby segments, the vibrations causing tremors within itself, collapsing in return. There were multiple clashes of battle peppered amongst the ruins, those brandishing the colors of Endymion, those of the Moon, and those of Beryl. Swords splitting bones and hacking flesh, blood of many soaking into the moon dust, seeping down into the roots of the plants, and painting walls. Cries of agony and death filled the air- Saturn shivered, an instinct for bloodlust rousing inside of her. She wished to put an end to this. She was starved for battle, and her muscles twitched to be in the middle of it all.
Rapidly cycling through many focal points of the castle, she found a sight that sent her into survival instincts- the sight of Beryl charging with her army of traitors, and a mass of dark energy rapidly growing in size behind her. It was what she had sensed on earth! Beryl must have used her magic to hide it well when Saturn was able to survey Earth. She knew something was wrong- knew there was evil on the planet but could not see it. She thought back on that day where she was banished, and how Beryl was there. Saturn was smart enough to put it together: the rebellion was being planned even then. Beryl needed to get rid of her to start her coup, she knew she wouldn't get fair if Saturn was still free. Well played. But any miniscule sliver of respect Saturn could have for her foe's use of strategy was quickly forgotten, her heart plummeting to her feet as she saw the beautiful Princess Serenity on the floor of her chambers, her long blonde hair, held up in the typical Moon Kingdom bun fashion, spread about the sheen floors. She was motionless, and the Prince Endymion was lying beside her, a burgundy pool of blood spreading out from underneath them.
The Inner senshi were falling, but not before Venus plunged her Holy Blade threw the evil witch Beryl, who started this all. Saturn couldn't watch the rest. She stormed out of the room, her subjects daring not to follow her this time, as they saw the Glaive spawn into her hand. She paced back and forth and cursed at the sky repeatedly. How could she break the spell? How could she get herself to leave Titan? Was there something she hadn't thought of? Anything? She didn't know how much time had passed, but instantly she was blinded by the same piercing white light that sent her to be imprisoned in Titan. A faint hue of lilac complimented the beam, and she felt herself traveling through time and space, even though she could not see the worlds passing around her.
A voice came into her mind as she traveled, speaking "Saturn, I am so sorry for what I have done. I should have never wronged you. I should have never let my interest in helping Earth grow blind me to the point that I lost all sense of logic. Please, for what it's worth, forgive me." The voice of Queen Serenity was easy to distinguish, and Saturn could sense the pain of loss and defeat in her words. "You know what you must do, but please, I beg of you to aid me in one last effort of rebirth- for the whole system- the power of my Silver Crystal and your gift combined…"
When all stopped moving and the light disappeared, she knew where she was. Solemnly, she gazed upon the three senshi who had aided the queen in sealing her away, their own faces dejected and cautious. No one spoke a word to each other, there was no need. Now was not the time, and now there never would be. All there could be was silence. No arguments, no demands for explanations. The worlds had come to an end. All of them.
She knew why she had been summoned, she felt it in her bones- her instincts crying out to stretch. Her senses could tell many lay dead, and that the battle was all but finished, a torn and destroyed kingdom in the wake of her vision. Pluto, Uranus, and Neptune watched, hearing nothing but Saturn's heel click against the marble floor as she took a step forward.
She raised her glaive, and had it cut the air, a distinct sound of it being so sharp and fast there was a noticeable whistle. She could see her comrades open their mouths in silent horror, realizing what was to come. She paid no heed, it would all be over soon, and they would wake up an eternity later in what felt like a span of a second. She had nothing to say to them. Her glaive set off a vibrant lilac glow, and the sounds of rushing wind began to surround all, and her glaive swung sharply and quickly, towards the ground, cutting into the moon. She felt her powers corrode her own body, watched the flesh sink into and burn off of the forms of the other senshi, and her mind filled with the hope that everyone would be reborn. Everyone, even in the far reaches of Saturn, her people would see life again. She extended her power, pressing hope into giving everyone a chance again, and then gave in, ceasing to exist, as she surrendered to the blissful death of her own hand.