Golden Kingdom: Epilogue of Last Days
My first Sailor Moon fic, so please be kind! And sorry if the title sucks, I am very bad at coming up with those. :(
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The Earthian Prince, Endymion, was gone. It was that news that broke his father down, more so than the fact that the Moon Kingdom was destroyed and the Earth ones in various stages of civil war.
"Your Majesty," Zuyza said nervously, chewing her bottom lip, changing the natural pale pink to white as her teeth exerted pressure. The king did not respond, and she shifted nervously as the racket outside the stone walls continued. The brief movement caused her sandy blonde hair to give up its grasp and fall out of her up-do, arranged so carefully earlier. She moved tapered fingers up to fix it...and then let them drop again.
'What does it matter? We will not be attending Session today.'
She raised her pale eyes, and tried again. "You Majesty," she began again in a stronger voice, "you must do something." She flinched. "Not that I command you..." The flickering torch light did not hide his face, and she watched it anxiously.
No response but a faint, habitual lowering of his brows. His dark eyes remained distant, and his normally proud form was hunched over in his white-marble throne, black cloak enshrouding him.
"The enemy is at our door..."
"The enemy is within," King Aythyos spoke finally. His words were in a slow, measured tone, heavy with the aging he had experienced within the last twenty-three hours.
'His hair...' Zuyza noticed suddenly, daring to study him closely, as he did not lift his head. 'His hair is flecked so heavily with white, when only a day ago it was solidly and youthfully black!'
"Nysathros has betrayed us," Aythyos spoke to the white granite floor. "With my son, I would lead an offense against my brother. But my son is dead." He let out his breath, eyes closing briefly. He surprised Zuysa by rising, albeit slowly and painfully. "I have no heir, my queen is dead. My brother is second-born, but a strong warrior. He inflicted so many casualties against the Moon kingdom..." he mused, raising his hand to touch his beard in a gesture so familiar to her she caught her breath.
He let his hand drop, looking away, unaware of her reaction. His head was turned to the far wall, but his focus was inward. "My people think I am weak for trying to achieve peace with Queen Serenity."
"No, Your-"
"I sent them my son!" Aythyos thundered, his body clenched with rage welling up so suddenly she might drown in it.
She dropped her eyes as his words echoed in the empty room. The small, hidden chamber had excellent acoustics.
He came to her at last, wrenching one hand free of the tight clasp held before her lap. Jerking her forward, demanding her attention, as was his way. "Tell me! If I had not done this, would things not be different?"
"You blame me," she managed, eyes glistening as tears formed, fell over.
He let her go abruptly, turning away, and she rubbed her hand with the other. She huffed out her breath, swallowed hard. "So many have died in this battle against the Moon. Your brother is mad to end more lives warring against you. I never dreamed..."
"No one saw this coming," he agreed with a short, unamused laugh, "except those who sided against me. While my son attended a peace-ball, with our blessing, my brother planned my death. And when word came of my son's, he sprung his own attack. Now we may well both die on the same day."
"That may not be so!" she protested, breaking free of her constrained, polite posture and going to his side, taking hold of his arm. "We can escape! We can-"
When he brought his gaze to hers, she fell silent, pale and ashamed. 'A Warrior King does not abandon his people. Even if they have abandoned him.'
"You would have me shame myself."
Warm, salty tears stung her pale cheeks. "Never," she denied, shaking her head, and her hair came loose entirely, falling about her shoulders in unevenly grouped bunches, half-curled from being up.
'Yes, I would have you live.'
His voice softened, above her head. "The United Earth Kingdoms have fallen away, afraid. They answered to no one, now. Our planet is doomed to civil war, just as my own kingdom is. Perhaps..." he moved away. "Perhaps we too will be a distant memory, as were those who came before us, brought down by yet more war." His voice grew softer as he walked down the length of the room. "Hardly the glorious dynasty I had in mind and heart when we ended the monstrous alliance of the Crystal-Prince and his slave-kings."
A shhhnk-sound, as of a weapon leaving its place on the wall...her head snapped up, eyes widening.
Aythyos held the broad ebony-black sword with one hand easily, pointing its tip towards the ceiling. As he flexed his wrist, absently running through basic movements as one might twirl a paintbrush when awaiting inspiration, the gold in the hilt flashed in dim light. Beside it were five empty spaces, the first being the absent prince's spot. And the other four...
"The Shitenno," she murmured hatefully, throat closing with anger so thick it could choke her if she were not careful. That tense knot in her stomach returned. 'The Prince's Guardians...the first to defect!'
Aythyos paused in his movements, and she looked into his narrowed eyes. Once, so full of life, they were black with promise as he slid the sword into its sheath at his side. "They will suffer more at the dark queen's hands than they ever could at mine; Beryl is a relentless creature, given to fits of blood-lust and pursuit of petty vengeance." He nodded, then dismissed the matter. He returned to her, put his broad, strong hands on her thin shoulders.
"You have been at my side ever since you came here with your half-sister, Himeko. I do not care to see you hurt needlessly."
She stiffened. "What do you mean to do?"
A small smile touched his lips, but did not touch his sad eyes. "I will keep you safe." Her heartbeat jumped, thrumming in her ears, but no words came as he leaned forward and touched his lips to her forehead in the ceremonial farewell for long-journeys. "She would have wanted that," he whispered.
"I-"
"You will not make it out of here alive," he interrupted, letting her go and becoming serious again, all tenderness fading from his tone. "And without a crystal to capture your form, I cannot hold your body to await re-awakening. So I will place your spirit in Elysion."
She tried to turn away, to run. He grabbed her again, yanked her about to face him. "Do not fight this!"
"I wish to die when you die!" she cried, struggling futilely, succeeding only in forcing him to tear the thin, sheer-ivory gauzy material at her sleeves. "Do not send me away from you!"
He froze, shocked, but his fingers even then were iron-bars from which she could not escape. She gave up, sobbing, dropping her head to his chest, thumping against the thin black armor he wore always under a matching black tunic. "Please..." she gasped, feeling herself hyperventilating in panic, "let me die by your side. I don't want you to die alone!"
"...We are always united, Zuyza. We are family by marriage," he said finally, as the barrage outside the door began to increase in volume again. She went still, though, at his words. "It pleases me that you feel so strongly about your duty to your king, and your family," his fingers tightened on her once more. "But I cannot allow you to suffer a painful death on my account, when I may not even be at your side to protect you."
He let her go, but she did not raise her head again, breathing gone shallow and quiet.
"Helios," he called softly. A faint shine twinkled, and she heard the young boy's voice.
"Your Majesty?" he answered uncertainly.
"You are the Guardian of my people's spirits, and dreams," Aythyos said formally. "You see into their nightly visions. You know what takes place here." There was silence, and she did not know if the humanoid spirit was making any sort of expression at all. "You see into mine," Aythyos said against this discouraging response. "You know what I have call you here for."
"...It is not her time, Majesty."
Aythyos's voice hardened. "You are my servant," he reminded the boy harshly. "If you were older, I would demand you take your place in protecting this land...! But you are not. So you will do your duty in protecting its few truly innocent people. You will take her spirit, keep it with you for rest. I shall surely join you shortly of my own accord," he said sarcastically.
"...Yes, Your Majesty."
The king's heavy boots scrapped the floor as he turned heavily to her. "And perhaps we shall have my son's company soon."
"His Highness the prince, he..."
A pause in the walking. "Speak!" Aythyos said into the silence.
"The prince's spirit is in some sort of stasis. I cannot reach him. Perhaps...he was been encased in crystal?" When the king did not answer, Helios continued tentatively. "I do not know his physical state; en-crystallized, I cannot reach his mind. But he is not dead."
"And yet...he may return to this chaos?" Aythyos said raggedly, his voice gone thick with emotion. The edge of his cape twirled as he paced before her, flowing in her peripheral vision. "And may not return at all."
She knew his pain; he had no heirs, not even a Betrothed Daughter to whom to pass on the promise of a kingdom, for Endymion had chosen no one yet. There was so little to carry on with even should he and his few loyal men survive the onslaught of poison, elemental magic, and simple metal-and-mineral swords.
"Only Serenity knows his location...and she is undoubtedly dead." He gave a sudden bark of laughter as his composure cracked under pressure. "I cannot think if she has done me a favor or not!"
"Your Majesty..." Helios said uneasily. The king calmed.
"News given too late," he said. "Helios, take her for safe-keeping. I, and perhaps my son, will join you as destiny will have it. Spirits know there is no longer any safe haven on Earth for royal family," he muttered. "Not until my brother has wasted himself on war."
She closed her eyes as life began to engulf her, knowing Aythyos would not speak to her again; the Earth-Monarch was not given to showy displays. Instead, she allowed herself to drift to sleep.
Hopefully, she would dream of better times.
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A/N: Because the anime and manga differed on some aspects, here is a list of facts I went with: Serena and Darien's love was forbidden because the two kingdoms were at war (anime); the Shitenno were originally the Earth-prince's guardians before being led astray by Beryl (manga); Helios, Guardian of Elysion, sacred land of Earth that protects the Earth from within and where the Golden Kingdom (Endymion's kingdom) used to be based at (manga).
A/N: In my fic, Helios (whom I can't remember having much point aside from guarding dreams) can also house the spirits of earth-people, specifically those he is commanded to by the Earth-King, and deceased royalty that had not tainted their souls with dishonor (for example, the king's back-stabbing brother will not be joining them).
A/N: Though I don't remember Beryl's minions using weapons, as Endymion's protectors they would've had weapons other than their inherent powers, imo. Whatever they did with said weapons...well, it's not necessary to go wandering off on that thread-path right now, so I won't.
A/N: The names used are mixed because I wanted the names of the Royal Family to match Endymion's, but gave his "foreign" mother a Japanese name so that it would match the title given to his Guardians. According to a couple of websites, Enydmion's land was the Golden Kingdom, hence the title. Forgive me if I have info incorrect; though I adored Sailor Moon, it's been a long time since I've read/watched it. This plot-bunny just randomly jumped into my head, so I had to get it out.