A/N Yes, it's another story. I don't know how frequently I'll update since I have so many others that need my attention, but if you guys like this one, I'll try to update soon!

Betrayal

Part One: Beryl's descent into madness

To say I was in love with Endymion…that would be an understatement. Before I met him, I felt my life had no meaning. The day I came to the palace, everything changed. Until that day, everyone around me barely noticed I was alive…except for him.

Prince Endymion was loved and respected by everyone around him, and he deserved every bit of that affection. He was kind, he was selfless, and he was beautiful in every sense of the word. He made me feel like I belonged somewhere, and I liked that. I always pictured the two of us spending our lives together, but somewhere in the back of my mind, I knew that could not happen. He was a prince, and I was nothing more than a lowly sorceress. Technically speaking, I wasn't even allowed to get close to him, but I tried. The first time we spoke was something I will never forget. I was walking through the rose garden, lost in thought. I remember plucking one of the flowers off a bush and tucking it behind my ear before continuing on my walk to wherever I was going.

As I walked through the garden, a breeze picked up and blew the rose out of my hair without me knowing. I continued to walk, stopping suddenly when someone spoke behind me.

"Excuse me, Miss, I think you dropped this." I turned to find out what it was, suddenly finding myself face to face with none other than the prince himself. After realizing I had been staring, I subtly regained my composure, brushing some of my thick auburn hair behind my ear. I lowered my eyes to the ground, blushing slightly, and he chuckled. "What's the matter? Cat got your tongue?"

"N-No, your highness…I just wasn't expecting to see you out here." He chuckled again, and the sound was music to my ears.

"You don't have to be so formal. I promise I won't bite. I just wanted to return this to you" he said, holding the rose out to me. Before I could take it from him, he gently tucked it behind my ear. I can still feel the blush on my cheeks when I think about it…

"Thank you…Endymion" I murmured, feeling a little odd about addressing him like that. He smiled, signaling to me that it was okay.

"You're welcome, Miss…I don't believe we've met. I've never seen you around here."

"B-Beryl" I said shyly, unable to stop my voice from shaking. "My name is Beryl. I'm a sorceress at the palace." Endymion furrowed his brow as I spoke, endearing him to me so much more.

"You're at the palace? Then it's really strange that I haven't seen you before."

"I was told it was frowned upon for someone like me to associate with someone like you" I explained. "I almost feel guilty for being here…maybe I should…" I was interrupted by Endymion pressing his lips to my forehead. He pulled back and smiled, instantly making my fear melt away.

"Don't worry about it. I have to be going, but I really hope we'll run into one another again, Beryl." All I could do was nod in response, and I watched as he walked back to the palace, his cape flowing in the breeze. I stood in the middle of the garden, stunned over the encounter we had just had. He was everything I thought he would be, and the fact that he viewed me as being no different than he was made him even more special. I knew he would be an amazing ruler, and I could hardly wait to work alongside him, though I would never be seen by anyone but him. I stayed in the garden a while longer to think, letting the possibility of him holding my heart consume me. I heard footsteps behind me, and secretly hoped it was him again, but the voices that followed told me otherwise.

"This must be the trespasser."

"Yes, I think so." I turned, finding the prince's four knights standing behind me.

"What exactly are you talking about?" I asked, looking at the four of them. It suddenly dawned on me that anyone who saw me on the palace grounds would think I was snooping around, since very few people actually knew me around there. Before any of the men could speak, I quickly began to explain. "I'm not trespassing…I live here."

"We've never seen you" the tallest of the men challenged, brushing a strand of long silver hair behind his ear.

"I'm not allowed to be seen…as a sorceress, I'm not necessarily regarded as being important…" The men instantly relaxed and each bowed his head apologetically.

"Forgive us for the misunderstanding. As guardians of the prince, it's our duty to ensure that he is safe."

"I understand. It must be nice for him to have so many loyal friends…"

"You do too, don't you?" one of the men asked. I shook my head and sighed, not expecting to reveal this part of myself so soon.

"I don't, really. I've kept to myself quite a bit, until recently."

"You don't have to anymore" one of the younger men assured me. The others nodded in agreement, and for the first time in a long time, I felt like I belonged. I was happy.

As the days went on, I began to feel more comfortable. I found myself outside a lot more, and people actually began to notice me. I had found friends in not only the prince, but his guardians Jadeite, Nephrite, Zoicite and Kunzite. When I watched them with Endymion, it made me happy, and admittedly, a little bit jealous. All of us had become friends over time, but I always sort of felt like the odd one out. Still, I felt things couldn't be better, and I wouldn't change them for anything.

One night, I found myself plagued with nightmares in disguise. As I watched the dreams play out, I could see that there was nothing ominous about them, but I would wake up every morning feeling like a cloud was looming over my head. My friends quickly took notice, but I would always brush it off.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Nephrite would always ask, and I would always give him the same answer.

"Yes, I'm fine. I think I'm just coming down with something." I knew the lie could only last so long before they would figure it out. The nightmares continued to haunt me, and I would wake up the next morning feeling less and less like myself. The nightmares were always the same; Prince Endymion would be with me, then he would start to disappear, and I would see him in the arms of another woman. I know, it's silly to consider that a nightmare, especially since he wasn't even mine, but the thought of him being with someone else destroyed me.

In the days that followed, things became considerably worse. I began to see less and less of Endymion, and I didn't know why. When I did see him, he seemed…different. He seemed happy, and I knew it wasn't because of me. Finally, I found out the reason for his newfound happiness, and it changed me.

The next time I saw Endymion, he was not alone as he usually was. There was someone with him, and he seemed to be completely enamored by her. She was beautiful, with long blonde hair tied up into buns, while the rest of it flowed in the wind behind her as she walked. I could never get close enough to see her eyes, but I knew they had to be beautiful by the way Endymion stared into them. Something seemed familiar about this girl, but I couldn't put my finger on it. Finally, when I was close enough to hear them, he spoke her name, and it made my blood boil for some reason.

"Serenity…" She was the Moon Princess! How on earth could someone like her steal the heart of my beloved Endymion?

After I saw the two of them, my dreams changed considerably, and it terrified me. My nights here plagued with constant dreams of war, destruction, death…and I was the reason behind all of it. In all my life, I never once dreamed of hurting anyone, so where was this coming from? As I laid awake in my bed one night, I heard a voice whisper my name.

Beryl…The voice sent a shiver coursing through my body.

"Who's there?!" I sat up, shaking, but still tried to keep my fear under control.

Poor Beryl…alone again.

"I said, who's there? Show yourself!" The room filled with a blinding light, and a dark energy unlike anything I had ever felt before.

No one cares about you anymore…the prince and his generals don't even know who you are now. They're all too busy falling in love. Don't worry, I haven't forgotten you. I have been watching you, and I can use you…

"What are you talking about? Of course they still care…and what do you mean you can use me?" A mixture of emotions began to stir in me, and I didn't know how I was supposed to feel. I wanted to believe that Endymion and his men still cared for me, but maybe this voice was right. Maybe they didn't need me anymore. The light in my room began to take a different form, one that looked like me. It reached out to me, and I found myself mirroring its movement. Just before we joined, I was shaken awake. I turned to find Kunzite at my bedside.

"What's going on? What are you doing here?"

"I heard you talking in your sleep, and I came to check on you. It sounded like you were having a nightmare. Are you alright now?" I sat up and looked around, nodding slightly.

"I think so…" Kunzite nodded and left the room, leaving me alone with nothing but my thoughts. "It was only a dream…wasn't it?" I could still hear the mysterious voice in my head, and it still sent a shiver down my spine. I quickly shook it off and got out of bed, changing into my favorite dress before exiting the room. My eyes began to search for Endymion and the others, but they were nowhere to be found. Maybe the voice was right…no, it couldn't be. I quietly made my way to the kitchen, preparing a cup of tea to calm my nerves. As I sipped it, I stared out the window, taunted by the sight of Endymion and his lover. I was torn between wanting to be happy for them, and wanting to see them torn apart, and I hated every second of it.

"Are you okay, Beryl?" I turned to find Jadeite watching me, his blue-grey eyes filled with concern.

"I guess. I've been having strange dreams lately."

"Hmm, interesting. I'm not too good at dream interpretation, but Nephrite might be able to help with that. Want to go find him?" I nodded, mentally telling myself that the voice was wrong. Jadeite and I soon found Nephrite, and I explained everything to him.

"Be careful…if sounds to me like something is trying to take control of you. If that happens, it could be dangerous." I sat up slightly, looking at him. it made sense…why else would this entity be lying to me like it was? If it showed up again, I'd be ready.

"Thank you both… I appreciate the help. I think I'm going to take a nap." The two men nodded, and I headed back to my room. As soon as I settled back into my bed and closed my eyes, the voice returned.

I need you, Beryl…only you can help me.

"I know what you're after, and I have no interest in helping you" I muttered, trying to block out the voice so I could sleep in peace.

Very well. If you have no interest in helping me, I may be able to help you.

"I don't need anything from you!" I screamed, bolting up in my bed.

Oh, but you do. I can sense you have a lot of negative feelings inside you, I can help you release them.

"NO!" I screamed again, covering my ears in an attempt to block out the voice. My bedroom door burst open and in that instant, the darkness cleared out, and I found myself surrounded by the four generals. I shakily explained to them what had happened, and the four of them nodded.

"You need to fight it" Nephrite pleaded. He was right. It seemed every time I tried to sleep, it would come back to taunt me.

"You're right…I'll try. The only way to make it stop would be to stop sleeping, but…"

"That would be dangerous" Zoicite said softly.

"Right…so what can I do?"

"Maybe Serenity can help somehow." I cringed at the mention of her name, surprised by my reaction. It almost felt like it hadn't even been me.

"No. Not her." When the words escaped my mouth, I was shocked. It became clear that this wasn't me at all. The generals noticed, but chose not to say anything about it. I quickly recovered and managed a smile.

"Sorry…I didn't mean that. I guess my sleep deprivation is getting to me."

"Don't worry about it" Jadeite said calmly. "Why don't you try to sleep again, and we'll stay here in case anything happens?" I didn't protest, as I was too tired, and laid back down. Like clockwork, the voice was back.

You have so much potential, Beryl…no one ever takes notice. But, I did. I can help you make everyone regret shoving you aside. This time, I was unable to resist the voice. I let its presence consume me, and after the first peaceful sleep I had in days, I awoke, acting completely normal. Little did I know, I was anything but that. The four men smiled at me, taking notice of the change I wanted them to see.

"You seem like you're feeling better" Kunzite said. I nodded and got up to go to the kitchen and get a bite to eat, and also to figure out what had happened to me just then. I felt different…and it scared me. What had I done? If the others found out, they'd be so disappointed. Once again, I found myself watching my beloved and Serenity together. My mind filled with thoughts of ways to tear them apart, and to my chagrin, I loved every single one. I couldn't wait to get back at the prince for hurting me…because that's exactly what he had done.

.