Disclaimer: Ha! Yo, minna! I got away again! They'll never catch me now! Welcome ta my new fic, Rose & Blade! Since this's only the prologue, the description will come in chapter one. Now, as always, Sailor Moon belongs to me! Only me, & nobody else! They think they can make me say it belongs to some girl named Takeuchi Naoko by shootin me up with crazy stuff, but they're wrong! I'll never abandon my moon!
(Yelling in the distance)
Orderlies: "There she goes! Don't let her get away!"
BloodRose: "Ah, crap, they found me! Well, enjoy the story!"
(Makes a break for it)
Doctor: "Release the dogs! She can't out run them!"
(Barking in the distance, growing louder by the second)
BloodRose: "Goddammit! Get away from me, ya stupid mutts!"
(Growling gets louder, then loud howls echo through the garden)
Orderly: "Oh, my god! She bit the dogs!"
BloodRose: "Ahhh hahaha ha ha ha! You'll never take me alive!"
(Makes a break for the wall, promptly gets hit with a tranquilizer dart)
BloodRose: "Dammit..."
(Orderlies appear & drag body away)
Doctor: "Damned girl! That's it! That's the last time! This time, she gets the gas!
(Notices audience) M-my! Visitors! H-h-how n-nice of you to visit Rose! Well, as you can see, she needs her, ah, rest at the moment. So why don't you come back another time? Now why did I... Oh, yes! Disclaimer, disclaimer... Sailor Moon belongs to Takeuchi Naoko, Kodansha & Toei Animation Ltd., not the nut job who keeps trying to escape! All rights reserved. Now please, enjoy the prologue."
(Bows politely & dons a gas mask before turning away)
(From inside the hospital)
BloodRose: "Hey! This isn't my room! And what's with the glass wall? Hey, what's that funny smell...?"
A BloodRose Creation@}-;-
Rose & Blade
Prologue: Blood Rose Awakening
Serenity packed her rucksack quickly & quietly, constantly glancing over her shoulder at the large bay window in case one of the Senshi should give the signal. If so, then she would have to abandon the rest of her necessities in order to escape the palace with her life. If the signal was given, then that meant the guards were coming, & she was with them.
It meant Beryl was on her way.
Stuffing the last of her training clothes into her sack, Serenity quickly turned to her large wardrobe & began removing her leathers & armour. She was no fool; if Beryl knew she had survived, then that meant she would have to fight every day, or die. Because as Crowned Princess of Silver Millennium, in two years Serenity would be of age, meaning she would be the undisputed Queen. Serenity was a threat, & Beryl knew it. As Serenity stuffed the last of her armour into her bag, she glanced quickly around the room to make sure there was nothing she had missed. On her final sweep, something on her vanity caught her eye. Her azure eyes softened as she walked to her vanity & took the silver & pearl tiara in her delicate hands. She ran her fingers lightly over the perfect pearls expertly inlaid in the pure silver, in which the crest of her family was intricately engraved, & tears came to her eyes. As she held the crown, she noticed what had been lying on the vanity beside it. Serenity carefully picked up the moon-faced pocket watch she had received from Prince Endymion of Integra on her seventh birthday, half her life ago, & her eyes darkened with hatred.
Flashback: Four Hours Ago
The crowds in the Palace courtyard were silent as the two guards emerged from the Great Doors of the Millennium Palace. Between them was a figure of pure Majesty; dressed in an empire gown of the purest white silk that trailed behind her in a magnificent train & pooled around her feet, giving the impression that she did not walk from the palace, but glide. Her ivory skin was flawless as a summer sky, her full pink lips set into a gentle line. Her midnight blue eyes were closed to the public, her long, shimmering alabaster hair, set into twin buns at the top of her head & trailing into long, flowing pigtails that cascaded down her exposed back to trail behind her on the white marble of the Great Steps of the palace, stood Selene, Queen of the kingdom of Silver Millennium. Her thick bangs just brushed her delicate eyebrows, parted in the middle to show the proof of her blood line. A golden crescent moon sigil in the middle of her high forehead. The mark of Silver Millennium. Her hands were bound behind her, & she wore no crown to signify her rank. It was supposed to humiliate her, but only made her all the more the beloved Queen. Even without her jewels & crown, it was simple to see. Selene was a Goddess.
The guards moved to take her arms as she took a step forwards, but with just one look from Selene, they quickly withdrew their hands. Head held high, Selene strode purposefully forwards, the guards flanking her, though a few steps behind. Traitors or no, they knew their rightful Queen, & no amount of bewitchment could change that. Her still-loyal subjects met her eyes as she strode slowly toward the platform which had been raised just recently in the middle of the large courtyard. Something which Beryl had ordered to be built not sixteen hours ago. A gallows.
Selene slowly ascended the steps & stepped directly up to Beryl, glaring down into her flat red eyes. She had long, wavy dark auburn hair. It was loose & blowing in the slight breeze. Though it was meant to give her an air of majesty, it only made her look all the more the part of the whore play-acting the part of a Mage. Her hair was thin & limp, & the way it fell haphazardly around her scantily clad, deathly pale body gave her the air of an animated corpse. Though Beryl was actually quite tall, Selene was taller still, standing at a full six foot six, & glared down her nose at Beryl, her expression cold enough to freeze fire. She was a Queen, Beryl nothing more than a whore playing at being a Black Mage, even if she did wear the Queen's crown. Even looking down on her was more than she deserved.
Beryl, however, thought this funny, as she stepped back from Selene, her smile sick & crooked, & used the sword in her hand to raise the noose toward her own neck.
"What do you think, your Majesty," she said the word with an air of mocking contempt, her 'smile' twisting into a sneer. "Dose it suite me?"
Selene said nothing, merely glared stoically down into her dead eyes. Beryl lost her smile & dropped the noose. The sword flashed in the light, its crystal blade shining with the light of all the stars in the heavens. The crest on the blade caught Selene's eye briefly, but she didn't let her horror & sorrow show. That was the King's sword. Her husband's sword. Beryl's flat reptilian eyes narrowed to bloody slits as she stood on her toes, trying in vain to meet the Queen's gaze.
"No, Highness, I think it suites you much better." She hissed. Taking a step back, she motioned to the two guards flanking the Queen, & they gently took her arms. Selene frowned slightly, but said nothing. They led her to the trap door at the center of the platform & pressed her gently against the gallows itself. They unbound her hands & backed slowly away, their heads bowed in respect for their former Queen. The crowd began to murmur, but Beryl's guards quickly silenced them, swords raised menacingly. Their eyes filled with incredulity & sorrow, they watched on, a sense of morbid duty overtaking them. Selene smiled gently at her subjects, a love so profound in that smile, the warmth of the emotion radiated toward the crowd, giving them courage.
Beryl could take no more of this. Her eyes growing wide in rage, she ripped the noose free & used it to secure Selene's arms to the gallows above her head by the wrists. Smiling up at her, Beryl raised the sword & rested it casually on her shoulder. Selene's eyes followed it, a flash of uncharacteristic rage flashing briefly in the sapphire depths. Seeing this, Beryl's maniac smile widened.
"Ah, so you noticed my new toy. Doesn't it suite me so well, though? Eternity gave it to me last night, after we finished up in bed. That man is an animal when he sets his mind to it!"
Selene's eyes narrowed slightly, not fooled in the slightest. Beryl bared her fangs (yes, fangs) in what can barely be described as a triumphant grin.
"You'd be surprised what a man will do when faced with death. He was a good ride all the way to the end, when he screamed my name." She hissed gleefully. Selene closed her eyes & let out a breath she didn't realize she'd been holding. It was, of course, nothing more than a vulgar lie. Last night, while she had been in a cell in the dungeons, she had, quite clearly, felt Eternity die. She smiled slightly, her tense shoulder muscles relaxing. Even under the threat of death, Eternity would never betray her, especially with a horrid creature such as this. So she wasn't in the least bothered by what Beryl had said. There was only one way she could ever have gotten her vile hands on Eternity's sword. She had killed him & taken it from his dead hands. Selene's smile widened slightly.
'Wait for me, beloved. I'll be with you soon.'
At Selene's smile, Beryl's rage grew to new heights, & she slapped Selene across the face. She expected her eyes to fly open, an expression of pure outrage crossing her angelic features, but her rage grew yet again as Selene slowly opened her eyes, that same stoic coldness joining the slight smile to create a frightful team. A chill ran down Beryl's spine as she stared into Selene's sapphire gems & saw something that should never be seen in one who was facing death, what she had seen in Eternity's own eyes as his own sword cut into his throat: undying hope.
Beryl roared incoherently & shoved her sneering face (or tried to) into Selene's, whose expression never faltered. To Beryl's growing horror, Selene did the unthinkable. She laughed. As her sweet voice tinkled out across the courtyard like the chiming of silver bells, her subjects' hearts filled to the brim with sorrow. They knew this was the last time they would ever hear their beloved Queen's laughter.
"Beryl, you are by far the greatest fool I have ever met. You may wear my crown, but you know nothing what it means to be Queen. How could you? After all, you are nothing more than a scared little whore who needs to bewitch a man in order to ever have someone look your way. You will never be loved."
Selene's voice was like a dagger made of ice, & it sliced through Beryl with an ease that horrified her. Her eyes grew to the size of dinner plates as her rage reached its peak. Selene, feeling the coming of her death, turned her eyes to the highest window of the palace & smiled her most love filled smile. With all the strength of her heart she thought;
'I love you, Serenity. May you grow to be a great Queen, & triumph over the evil I could not. And remember; a Rose blooms with the Light of Love, not the Blood of Hatred. Always keep that light in your heart. Goodbye, my beloved daughter.'
Though the tears were standing in her eyes, Selene would not let them fall, for that was not a satisfaction she would allow Beryl before her death. As Beryl raised the King's sword, Selene smiled & stared into her flat eyes.
"It will never be over."
Beryl sneered in contempt & hate, the sword ready at hip height.
"It already is!"
As she thrust the sword into Selene's abdomen, four words echoed throughout the courtyard & within all the loyal people of Silver Millennium's hearts, bringing unbridled hope.
"My daughter lives on..."
Her body limp, head hanging to one side, blood rushing from the deep wound in her stomach, Selene's eyes closed, & a million hearts cried out in unspeakable anguish across the land.
Selene, Queen of Silver Millennium, was dead.
At the highest window of the Millennium Palace, Serenity, Crowned Princess & heir to the throne of Silver Millennium, stood, tears streaming down her face, in horrified silence. Her eyes blank, she stared down into the courtyard as Beryl spoke.
Licking the blood from the blade of the crystal sword with an abnormally long & scaly tongue, Beryl, loyal vizier of the House of Integra, turned to the crowd of horrified people.
"Your beloved Queen is dead! Now begins the age of Beryl!"
The people did not speak, did not move. Instead, they stared at the body of their beloved Queen, her final words echoing in their hearts, their eyes shining with a mixture of hope & sorrow, & prayed.
Serenity's eyes saw nothing as she stared down at the creature in the courtyard of her home, but the scene played over & over before her eyes. Her mother's stoic smile, her unblinking gaze, & her final words as she died. Suddenly, the door behind her was thrown roughly open & rough hands grasped her shoulders, turning her around. Familiar violet eyes, red with crying & filled with tears, gazed into her own, & an urgent voice filled her ears.
"Princess, we must hurry! The guards will come looking for you any moment now! You must hide!"
Serenity stared blankly back at her long time friend & protector, confused.
"But mother... she... they... mother!"
The raven hared girl's already sorrow-filled eyes overflowed with agony as she tried to suppress her tears. There would be time for that later. What was important now was those who still lived.
"I know, Princess, but if we don't go now, you will be seeing her far too soon. Now come!"
With the last two words, the large firedim set into the silver choker around her neck flashed, & the flame dancing in it filled Serenity's eyes. She blinked, then shook her head slightly, her alabaster pigtails shimmering with the sunlight filtering in through the window behind her. She nodded curtly & followed the Senshi out the door, never looking back.
* @}-;- *
'
That had been at midday. Now it was just before sunset as Serenity took the watch & tiara to her bed & placed the tiara on the waist of her empire gown. Carefully, she wrapped the tiara in her royal gown & placed it in her rucksack. With one last hate filled glance at the watch, she placed it in the inside pocket of her white leather vest & removed the pins from her hair. With a strong shake of her head, her alabaster curls fell free of the twin buns & pigtails she wore regularly, just like her mother, & fell in shimmering tresses down her back to mid-calf. Taking a blood red ribbon from her vanity, she doubled her hair & tied it at mid-back. Picking up her helmet, she slipped it over her abundant hair, & placed her twin kodachi in the loops of the swordbelts she wore crisscrossed low on her hips. She checked the daggers she had placed in her knee high black leather boots, then turned to the window. The sun had sunk low into the west, washing the room & the girl the color of fresh blood. Serenity's eyes shone with a cold, hard light as she stepped onto the windowsill, rucksack on her back, preparing to climb down the wall & leave the Millennium Palace, her home, for not even Fate knew how long. The bloody light dancing on her skin, Serenity's small mouth set into a hard line & fire danced in her eyes.
The blood feud was initiated. The Blood Rose had awakened.
Rose & Blade Prologue: End
@}-;-Notes from the Rose Garden-;-{@
BloodRose: "Wasn't that just captivating? Don't you wanna read more? Isn't the world pretty? Oh, look! A butterfly! Come back little butterfly...
Doctor: "Ahem. Well, please excuse Rose. She woke up with a, um, headache, so we just gave her her ... medicine. (Evil grin) Since she's in no condition to do so, I suppose I will have to do the customary rambling. More to come, blah blah blah... hope you enjoyed it, blah blah blah... yeah, that otta do it.
All questions, comments, whatever can be sent to nasty311@netzero.net
Once again, all e-mails will be sent to Rose, not the hospital, & she will answer all mails. That's about it. Thank you for coming & please visit our hospital again soon. (Bows politely & turns to leave. Jumps when he sees BloodRose pressed against the glass of the observation room)
BloodRose: "You didn't say it!" (Tears in her eyes)
Doctor: (Sweatdrop) "W-what?"
BloodRose: "All flames will be used to roast the marshmallows!" (Cheerfully)
Buh-bye everbody! See you in chapter one!"
Started & Created February 27, 2003
