Uranus was sitting in the library staring at the princess of Mercury.
"It's simple, your planet and the planet Neptune have always been allies in protecting the solar system. The bound was no longer needed centuries ago as we were under no threat, but this will change. All planets call upon Uranus and Neptune to unite again, we need your power" the woman explained calmly.
"Look, Mercury, it's not that I don't want a bond, but in order for an alliance I need the Space Sword. And as you know it disappeared years ago, it was stolen away from my castle. I searched for it as did my predecessor, but it was in vein. Without it the bond between Neptune and Uranus is just on paper".
"Yes…but…" Mercury grinned shortly. "I have found your sword. Better said, I know where it is and who has it. I am not saying it will be simple to get it back, but it's possible".
"You found it? How? Where?" the blonde woman said interested, crossing her arms before her chin.
"You certainly recall the revolution on Neptune; when the ruler had been blamed for being a black witch and has been imprisoned by her sister in the ice castle on one of Neptune's satellites to be doomed there forever. Her sister then took over the ruling of the planet".
"Truth be told, I wonder why she didn't kill her".
"Yes, well…the former princess Neptune, by her name Michiru, is told to be much too strong to be killed. That is why she was sent there, in a prison of ice and mirrors where she is supposed to lose her mind. Well…Michiru has your sword. She is the one to have stolen it from you".
"And how can you know that?"
"It was a well-kept secret by Nixie. She says she has found proof in her sister's belongings that she has taken the sword in order to increase her power".
"I am surprised she hasn't told me anything about it. Shouldn't I the ally of the princess of Neptune? She definitely always stated it ".
"She wasn't sure, she wanted to discuss it with me, before alarming you in vein. But, after some research, I am absolutely sure, Michiru took your sword".
"Your plan?"
"You will have to release Michiru from her prison. And make her give you the sword. But be warned, I fear her mind isn't what is used to be. You will have to find a way." Mercury sighted.
"Well, let Nixie tell me how I can release her".
"She never intended to release her sister, so she doesn't know. But we both trust you can, as the sword reacts to the ruler of Uranus".
Uranus leaned back to her chair and looked at the intelligent woman.
"From what I recall, you used to be fond of Michiru. I never knew her, it all happened after I was named ruler, but you knew her".
"Yes, I did. She is a very intelligent woman".
"And how come…you never suspected she was a witch?"
"Sometimes even the greatest minds are wrong" she said with a bitter smile. "I wish you luck" she stood up.
The Second Satellite of Neptune was a gathering of snow, ice and cold. Uranus had come alone, dealing with an insane mind shouldn't be that hard. The woman pressed her lips together, and pulled up the collar of her military uniform, looking around. She found the so called castle pretty soon, but it looked more like a fallen building. Uranus searched for the entrance and found a small whole, leading up to a maze of stones. But she soon found herself in a tall hallway, surrounded by mirrors, on an icy floor.
"Is someone here?" Uranus called out. But it was only her and her multiplied reflection. She looked into the mirrors and approached one, stroking the blank surface with her finger. It was cold and wet, but her breathe didn't fog up the glass. She looked long at herself and at some point tried recalling why she was there. The sword, right. The mirrors started playing with her mind and she wished to hurry…but Uranus felt a sword on the skin of her neck. She looked down: a regular sword, maybe a lighter color than usual, but not the Space Sword.
"Your presence here was a mistake, captain of Uranus" a crystal clear voice said slowly, filling up the empty room. Uranus looked into the mirror, but could see only a shadow.
"How long?" Uranus asked.
"Centuries".
"Wrong, it hasn't been so long" she said grabbing the woman's hand, succeeding in pushing her to the reflection wall. She took out her sword placing it on the woman's neck. She looked at her; she looked at the former princess of Neptune, into her turquoise eyes, at her perfect features and felt her blood freezing. She was beautiful, as was her sister, but her grace and elegance where the ones of a god. Still, she was cold, her skin felt like marble, her eyes icy.
Only her lips were red as blood, full and inviting.
"Wrong again" Uranus smirked. "Attacking a captain of the army".
"Why are you here?"
"For my sword".
"You came to the wrong place. The only you will find here is cold and a reflection of yourself".
"I am offering a bargain, I will release you if you hand me my sword".
"Captain, I don't have your sword. It's not with me, but yes I took it somewhere".
"Where?"
"I can't recall. Too much time has passed" her eyes sparkled even icier.
"Maybe the sharp blade of my sword will help you recall".
"Captain, you can't kill me in my own dungeon. But I can, ice isn't your friend here".
"If you do so, you will not be able to escape. I don't see anyone else coming to release you".
"And how…how do you plan in releasing me, when neither I know how to leave my own solitude?"
Uranus looked long at the woman realizing she had no answer for her question. In fact she couldn't even tell why she was holding a sword against the throat of a woman so beautiful, which lips seemed to beg for an avid kiss. She felt Michiru's fingers stroke her chin and the cold, strange touch made her come to herself.
"First I am going to get you out of here, all these mirrors and you start blurring my mind".
Both pulled their swords away. Uranus observed the woman fully, her simple pale blue dress falling on the curvy, yet slender body, the white skin, the statue like figure. She grabbed Michiru's wrist and pulled her through the mazes of stone, ice and mirrors, where she recalled she had come in and soon left the broken castle.
"This was easy…much too easy" Uranus said suspicious.
"I couldn't have found the exit by myself, I was locked in that maze of mirrors".
"I released you, now I want my sword".
"Won't happen, captain" she grinned shortly. "You have to take me back to your kingdom and I will try recalling there".
"For an insane person you look very sane to me".
"Isn't your soul frozen here?" Michiru approached her, looking deep in her eyes. "It gets lonely when you are alone…" she said sweetly, but Uranus felt the woman's hand on her sword.
"You are trying to trick me, but it won't work" she said slowly, trying to believe her own words.
"Trick you?" her lips smiled sweetly.
"Enough, I have to leave this place. You're killing my mind, witch!" she clutched Michiru's wrists tying them together. Uranus grabbed the woman's waist and looked up at the skies, leaving the satellite and traveling through space landing in no time back on her home planet.
"So now, I am your prisoner?" Michiru asked looking at her wrists.
"Yes, because you have taken me for a fool. And your beauty, even if breathtaking won't help you".
"Who said anything about fooling? You confuse me, I am just a lonely soul, who craves for a touch" she rose her head, offering her lips again.
Michiru was so close to her, that the woman scent filled her and she found herself desiring those lips more than anything in the world. She bent her head, craving to taste the red, but then stopped. The woman's beauty was perfect, yet her lips had something strange about them. They didn't fit the pale beauty of the former ruler.
"No, because your lips are poisonous. One taste and I fear they will kill them" Uranus said pulling back.
And then she saw a change on Michiru's face. Her features softened, she closed her eyes, with a relieved expression. Her lips started losing the red, turning pale pink, matching her face perfectly.
"Thank you, captain" she bowed her head. "My curse was to attempt to kill anyone who would have tried releasing me from there. My sword was poisonous and so were my lips. You broke the curse and I am in your depth".
Uranus blinked a little confused.
"Princess, welcome" Mercury came out from the castle.
"Didn't you leave?" Uranus asked her.
"I have changed my mind. I remained to help you find the Space Sword".
"You haven't found it, yet?" Michiru asked.
"What do you mean…you said you took it, you have to recall where it is" Uranus said, frowning.
"Yes, I was…" she sighted rubbing her forehead. "Look, I…can't recall right now what I said to you back in my dungeon, it wasn't my mind speaking. But I know where the sword is, the place is in my mind. You will have to give me…" she rubbed her eyes "a little bit of time to gather my thoughts".
"Of course, you need to rest, you need to come to yourself" Mercury said taking the woman by her shoulders. "Let me take you to your room".
She took the woman inside under the curious eyes of Uranus.
"I can see you still respect her, I would even say cherish her?" Uranus asked Mercury as she sat at the dinner table in the evening.
"I never said I didn't. Look, Michiru is a very intelligent woman and we have all respected her deeply. Especially between wise minds and that won't change even if she is called a witch now. Isn't she dining with us? Don't tell me you locked her into her room".
"No, actually I didn't".
"Well, that surprised even me" Mercury smiled content.
"For some unknown reason, I don't really fear her. Even if she wanted to burn down her whole planet" Uranus smiled sarcastically.
"Do you really believe that?" Mercury turned to her, smiling slightly. "I mean you are not exactly the kind to trust history or anything else without questioning it".
"I question my own history not the one of other planets. I cannot get involved in that".
"Uranus, you haven't really found the best person in me to lie. You're a people lover, even if you try to hide it. The faith of every human being in this solar system concerns you, might it be Uranus, the Moon or Neptune".
"I don't understand where you are going with this…" Uranus said, but then she saw Michiru enter the dining room, followed by the guard from her door. The man pointed her to the official table and Michiru approached a little unwillingly.
"Are you sure I should sit here?" she asked pulling on a chair.
"Yes, of course" Mercury replied.
"I am no royalty, not any high grade in the army".
"You are a princess no matter what, so your place is here. Right, Uranus?"
The blonde woman made a sign with her head for Michiru to sit.
"I am curious to know how you survived all these years in that icy dungeon. And why do you look like you have been sent there, yesterday? I mean, even your dress is perfect".
"My curse wasn't about the material world, I didn't need food, nor sleep, nor water. It was in my mind, it should have made me go insane".
"And how come you didn't?"
"I never said I didn't. But after all it's not that easy to kill a witch, right commander?" her voice sounded icy.
"Michiru, don't say that" Mercury sighted.
"I called you that, haven't I?" Uranus teased.
"I wonder why you didn't lock me in a dungeon".
"I should know best that witches escape dungeons pretty easy. So I decided to give you liberty" Uranus winked.
"Please…"Mercury sighted again.
"Don't worry, the captain is just mocking me. I would even laugh, would I have any possible feelings remaining in me".
"You…"
"Those years took me away the power to feel. It actually helped me stay sane. But…I don't feel cold, heat, I lost my taste" she said playing with her fork in her food. "I don't have any desire, any wish".
"It's just temporary it will all come back" Mercury explained. "And you can train it. For example when you eat something you know, you have to try and remember the taste. Your brain knows it".
Michiru looked down at the cheese in her plate. She lifted it with her fork and slowly chewed on it.
"In time" Mercury tried smiling comforting.
"If you two have done playing taste the food, I was wondering if you recalled where you hid my sword" Uranus asked nervously.
"I will take you there tomorrow. It's here in Uranus, up in the mountains. Protected, of course".
"What?" Mercury asked.
"You mean…the Space Sword was all this time on my planet?"
"Yes, captain, of course it was here" Michiru sighted slightly annoyed, but still neutral. "I am surprised that you have never searched it".
"So you found the perfect place to hide it. Right under my nose".
The right corner of Michiru's lip went up.
"I left it here on Uranus so you could find it. You know…that sword has a way of calling you if you truly need it. Which isn't the case now, of course, as you and my sister should only be prepared for a possible danger".
Uranus looked long at the beautiful woman.
"And you expect me to believe that you wanted me to have the sword? Then why did you take it in the first place?"
"To protect it, Uranus. Because, believe it or not, I am not the evil witch here" she said and felt all the eyes from the table look at her. She sighted. "Bottom line, you will have your sword back, tomorrow. Excuse me please" she said leaving the dinner table.
"Now you explain me that!" Uranus turned to Mercury.
The woman shook her head.
"Emotions are involved here and I don't speak about those. I am sorry, but it's getting personal for me, as you want a very personal opinion. And I might be wrong or right, but I won't influence you by it."
Uranus sighted and supported her head on her palm.
"Join me for a drink later?"
"You must confuse me with Jupiter or Mars" Mercury winked.
Michiru couldn't sleep so she decided to walk through the garden under the clear sky. From here she could see her mother planet and even if small and slightly shining in the sky it made her let out an almost silent moan which she didn't observe. She walked a little further and to her big surprise, found an inn at the end of the garden. She entered, finding only military men and women of Uranus' army. But none looked at her surprised, so she concluded that it was a place for them to enjoy themselves and forget about the regular. She ordered a glass of wine and sat down. The whole evening, Michiru resumed staring at her glass.
That is until Uranus entered. The aqua beauty didn't observe the woman, until she sat down in front of her with a bottle of whiskey and two glasses.
Chapter 2 just a click away :). Thanks for reading!