Hey Everybody! TheMadClicker here!
Sadly no new chapter yet, I took it down to do some serious editing. Once again, in the end this is an Usagi x Mamoru story. Princess Cosma is just going to help them along the way. The first chapter here is just a general introduction to two of our characters and a preview of another at the end.
Thanks so much for reading!
~TheMadClicker
Fires erupted from great buildings that had been brought to their knees. Rubble fell from them every few minutes. A once great city was now nothing but ashes, stone, and dead memories. The building that had the brunt of the damage was the grand palace of the Earth. It lay destroyed and its entire royal family dead. The castle was half collapsed in on itself, banners of the various nobility aflame, stones smashing parapets and columns that had kept the palace standing for many a century. A precious relic lay in a lone corridor with ripped tapestries and fallen stone. A portrait of a once happy couple that hung from its broken frame, flames climbing up the wall to vie for a taste of the happy couple painted on the canvas. A black haired man in armor smiled down at a laughing silver-blonde haired woman in a crème dress. She had an eight pointed star upon her brow, marking her as a princess of the galaxy.
The two were none other than Prince Endymion and his fiancée, Princess Cosma. More friends than lovers, the two made the most of their time together, before he met Princess Serenity. The portrait clearly portrayed that, but what is a princess without a fairy tale story to go along with her?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Flashback~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
On a quiet day in the grand palace on Earth, Prince Endymion entered the grand sitting room of his betrothed Princess Cosma's rooms. The princess was visiting for about six months before she would be sent back home to her mother. Something about the engaged couple getting to know each other. Endymion didn't really care for the reason why Cosma was here, he simply enjoyed her easy company. Quiet in nature, the princess preferred to sit and read rather than go outside or sew. One of the only times she would be seen outside of her rooms would be when her brother and friends had training with the Prince. He had been let in by one of her various ladies in waiting who bowed. This one had green hair with flowing robes that matched. It had to be Lady Gemini. All of Cosma's ladies in waiting were linked to the signs of the stars directly.
"Good afternoon your highness. Her highness is reading in her bedroom, shall I go announce you to her?" She asked him, head still bowed in respect. Endymion shook his head.
"No need, but thank you Lady Gemini. How is she today?" The prince smiled kindly before looking at the open bedroom door.
"She is well, thank you for your concern." The lady replied. "She sent Lady Aries out earlier for more books." Gemini smiled slightly, remembering how excited Cosma had been for new books that morning.
"Aha. The reason she hasn't been seen today." He laughed. "I'll go introduce myself." Cape sweeping behind him, Endymion walked to the door frame and saw Cosma sitting by her open window, completely sucked in to a book. She wouldn't have heard him if he shouted.
Princess Cosma was a small woman of a slight build; the daughter of the Sun King and Cosmic Queen themselves, with gold eyes brighter than any polished gold, porcelain skin that was peach colored in the sun, and silver blonde hair that shone like starlight. A grand beauty by some standards-the best beauty in her mother's eyes, a pale and thin nothing to others. Not even the women, no the princess, no! Not even the Queen of Venus could compare to Cosma ,as her mother liked to think. The stuck up, vengeful, vain woman known to all as the Queen of the Cosmos only wanted status for her daughter, so she could boast being the mother of the Queen of Earth and Heiress to the Sun and the Cosmos, which would be Cosma's title after her and Endymion's eventual wedding. It all led back to some fight between the Queens of the Cosmos and the Moon, eons ago when their daughters were born. It was also the reason for Cosma's rather unimaginative name. While her mother and grandmother were Andromeda and Galatea, Cosma's name was unoriginal and practically her title. Thankfully, Cosma was the polar opposite of her mother. She was a kind hearted, gentle soul, who would stop to talk to any person who came to talk to her. She would do it with a smile too, which endeared her to the common people as much as the royal family.
As if she could feel Endymion's eyes on her, Cosma looked up from her book and smiled. "Hello there! You should have said something. How long were you waiting for me to stop reading?" She asked as she placed a silver filigree bookmark in her book and stood from the chair. She fixed her simple green dress Endymion laughed at her, waving for Cosma to sit.
"Like you would've heard me." He teased as he walked over to her. Cosma blushed and giggled, looking down at the floor.
"I like reading. Mother never really lets me read at home." Endymion's face fell for a moment before he recovered his smile. Cosma was only just beginning to open up and be herself.
"Well once you live here, you can read the entire library if you want!" He said jovially His smile brightened when her blush faded and her smile became a real one, not the shy one she had been giving since her arrival a few weeks beforehand.
Cosma smiled and made eye contact with Endymion, giggling at his boyish way of making her feel right at home. "I just might do that while I visit, especially if we do this every year, like your mother was talking about." Cosma and Endymion were young; Cosma being only sixteen and Endymion two years older than her at eighteen, so Queen Tierra wanted to give them time before being wed to get to know each other despite the other queen's demands. Endymion laughed again and offered his arm to Cosma.
"Speaking of mother, she wanted us to join her for tea. I hope you don't mind." Cosma shook her head, silver blonde hair whipping around lightly.
"No no, I don't mind at all!" She said excitedly. "Your mother is very nice and I can't wait to get to know her more, I just need to get changed." She said looking down at the simple green dress she wore. It only had light embroidery of leaves and ivy on it and Cosma never would've gotten away with wearing something her mother called a rag to teatime.
"You look fine! Mother will think you're a breath of fresh air in this place" Endymion said, taking her arm as he led her out of the bedroom.
"Are you sure?" Cosma asked, looking up at him with those sunshine gold eyes.
"I'm sure." He assured as they walked.
"Lady Virgo!" Cosma called out, approaching the tall noirette that led her army of ladies in waiting. "Lady Virgo, Queen Tierra has invited me to tea. I'm not sure when I'll be back, so all of you please enjoy the rest of the afternoon."
Bowing, Virgo nodded. "Of course, My Lady Princess. Please enjoy your day with the Queen." She said, leading the couple over to the door. She cared greatly for the princess and rejoiced inside that they were out of the Cosmic palace and among the kind people of Earth. It did wonders for the obviously worn down and abused Cosma.
"I will!" Cosma replied, looking back to wave at the other woman as they left the rooms. Virgo smiled and then went back into the room. While the other ladies would have their fun, she would relax. Maybe even take a leaf out of Comsa's book and read one.
The couple walked to the gardens where Queen Tierra waited at a small table that had two unoccupied chairs. "Ah, Cosma. I see my son finally found you." She teased them as she stood. Cosma blushed as they bowed to the Earthean Queen.
"Forgive me Your Majesty. I got caught up in a book again." Cosma apologized, bowing for a few moments longer than Endymion did. "I promise, I'll arrive on time next time."
Tierra waved her hand. "It's quite alright dear. I understand the pull of a good book." Motioning to the two empty chairs, Tierra sat back down in her chair. "Come. Join me for a cup of tea and tell me all about the book that's keeping you in your room so much."
"Yes Your Majesty." She said, sitting down gracefully in the chair Endymion pulled out for her. "But before I do that, how is my brother?" Cosma's older brother was under the tutelage of the head of the Heavenly Kings and trained hard to take his place among them one day soon.
Endymion laughed as he sat down. "He's doing fine Cosma. He can handle himself." He assured. "You could've asked him yourself. I know he visits every morning."
Cosma pouted. "He never tells me the truth! He always says "Stop worrying Cossie, I'm fine" but he never tells me anything!" She slumped back in her chair before laughing. "I guess I'll just have to nag him more." She joked.
The three fell into comfortable conversation, Tierra overjoyed at the rapidly improving relationship between her son and his betrothed. It was all she could have ever wanted.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~End Flashback~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
As more of the castle fell into ruin and the fire grew closer and closer to the precious painting, a woman all in black, from her hair to her eyes to her gown, ran down the hall from the opposite direction of the fire. "I found it!" The woman exclaimed as she grabbed the broken frame and picture from the wall. "She'll want it back when we see her again." The mysterious woman rolled the painting up, finishing just as an ominous crack was heard behind her. She looked up with a fearful look only to see the one pillar falling towards her. With a scream, she teleported away to her home, leaving the castle to burn.
To Be Continued...