Disclaimer for all chapters: I don't own any of these characters.
A.N.
This is the "R" version of my other fic: 'Beauty and the Beast'. The first two chapters might be the same, however the rest of the fic will be different. Promise.
I hope that you give it a go, who knows, you might be moderately entertained for a little while. ^_~
Thanks for reading, and on with the story.
xxx Destiny xxx . . . . . . . .
In the cold shadows of the night, a caped man silently awaited a messenger. In the sky above him there was a full moon, it had long since lost is magical silvery glow, and had now been replaced by an eerie red colour. The blood of its people had stained its surface. He smiled as its crimson glow fell coldly upon his face.
"Your Highness." A raspy voice came from out of the darkness.
The man in the cape turned around. "Show yourself!" He demanded, and drew his steel blade. The sword came out swiftly and glistened under the scarlet moonlight.
"I mean you no harm, your Highness. It is I, your faithful messenger, loyal to you always." The messenger sounded sick, sick in the mind more then his body.
"Speak." The man demanded, sheathing his blade.
"The queen. The queen, she is expecting an attack tomorrow night. There was a spy, a spy told her." The messenger stuttered, trying to get the words out.
"A spy!" He bellowed. "Who! Who dares to undermine me?"
"I do not know, your Highness, your grace. I am just your faithful messenger. I know nothing, nothing like you do, your magnificence. But I know that she will come to you, tomorrow. She sends word from her land, her voice travels along the air, it calls in the night, master. A call from the white kingdom, she wants to stop the bloodshed." The messenger looked up, his beady eyes shone in the bloody light. "She will come for you at noon, to make a treaty."
"No!" The man yelled, a string of angry spit flew out of his mouth. "Go to her now, and tell her to give me what I want. Tell her that she will meet my demands, or her world will be destroyed!"
"What are your demands? Master, oh highness, your wonderfu..."
"Shut your trap!" He demanded and swung his sword at the grovelling messenger. Its icy blade stopped at his neck, the cold steel pressed against his skin. "It is not your concern, she knows my demands. She has known them for well over half a decade! Now go!" He released to blade and watched the messenger scurry away.
"Tomorrow," he whispered to the moonlight. "By tomorrow evening, I will get what I have been craving for all of these long and lonely years. Else tomorrow evening, everything you love will be destroyed."
` ` ` ` ` Meanwhile: In the White Moon Palace. ` ` ` A beautiful queen sat on her throne. Her silvery hair fell around her face, almost looking scruffy. She looked out the window, daydreaming with her big blue eyes. They were eyes that had seen too much pain, too much suffering. Eyes that reflected the sadness in her heart. The war had lasted over five years. She had watched the fall of her people, fighting for something that they didn't know. Now, only few survivors were left and the next attack would see the end of her kingdom. Her once peaceful moon had been stained with the blood of her people, its eerie glow reflected her defeat. And now the Prince of the Earth was about to finish off what he started many moons ago.
A cool breeze blew in from the window, blowing a silvery tear off of her china face. A girl walked into the room, blonde hair, blue eyes, as beautiful as the first dawn.
"Mother." The girl spoke in an angelic voice. "Mother, you are dreaming again."
Queen Serenity snapped out of her trance. "Sorry my dear. I have just a lot on my mind these days." The girl walked up to her mother and put her hand on her face.
"You have been crying," She wiped away the silver trails. "Do not worry, Mother. Never forget that we are the good in this war. You have done what is best for us all. No matter what happens, you must never forget that."
Serenity looked at her daughter, love shining through her weary eyes. "Oh Serena, war is never best for anyone."
"But if you didn't, he would have taken your throne and destroyed you. The people love you, they would rather die in battle then to be servants to a tyrant like him."
A lump rose in Serenity's throat, she could feel more tears coming on, but for the sake of her daughter she held them back.
For a moment, they embraced each other before a loud shout was heard from outside. "Queen Serenity!" A guard called from the corridor. "The dark Prince sends word. A messenger."
The two royals snapped out of their moment. They both looked up at the guard, who was dragging a messenger in by his rags.
"Speak." Queen Serenity said with authority. "What does he have to say?"
The messenger drew back his hood, exposing a pair of beady black eyes. "The most wise and honourable master sais for you to meet his demands, else you will all be destroyed." He squawked. His mannerisms were like that of a vulture, his head bobbing from side to side. He eyed the two beautiful ladies, thinking only sinful things, given his chance he would try to take them both, if there were no guards in the room. "His demands will be met!"
"Demands!" The blonde angel snarled, looking very out of character. Years of hatred and of living in fear had turned her once innocent heart to stone. She was beautiful on the outside, but broken on the inside. "You can tell that ugly bully that he will never have my mothers crown! Never!"
A foul laughter came rushing in from outside, black smoke swirled about and formed the shape of a man. Although the smoke could not define his features properly, his loud voice still bellowed through. Serenity knew that voice all too well. "Ugly! Am I?" The smoke raged. "How do you know that I am ugly, when you have never even seen me!" The guards in the room charged towards the smoke, slashing at the blackness in the room. All of their efforts were fruitless, the blade slashed through the air and out the other side, no harm was done.
"I don't have to see you to know that you are ugly. You heart is vile and twisted. Only something as foul as you could pollute our lands like you have." The blonde girl stopped momentarily for a breath, but she wasn't going to end her onslaughts there, she had been waiting years to tell him what she though of him, and now that she had her chance she was not going to miss it. "You are the most disgusting thing that I have ever known." She spat at him, the stream of her saliva went straight through him and splashed on the floor behind. "We will never meet your demands. You will never have my mothers crown!"
The smoke howled a wicked laugh. "Is that what you think this war was about? Your stupid kingdom!" The smoke floated up next to the young angel and circled beside her. "No, my dear. I am after a prize far greater then any kingdom." The smoke lifted up her hand and pressed it to where his lips would have been. "My angel, this war is about you."
In an instant, she snatched her hand away. With her big blue eyes she looked up at the queen. "Mother? What is he talking about?"
Queen Serenity looked down at her feet. "I didn't want you to know, I thought that it would be best for everyone."
"Know what? Mother, what is he talking about?" The queen was speechless.
The smoke placed a hand around the blonde girls waist and whispered softly into her ear. "My beautiful angel, I never wanted your kingdom. All I want, is you." ` ` ` ` ` ` A cold shiver ran down her spine. She looked at her mother, hurt and anger shooting out from her eyes. "Is this true?" She ran over to her mother and knelt down at her feet. "Mother, is that true?"
Queen Serenity just sat there, staring at the smoke. A silver tear ran down her cheek and splashed onto her daughter's forehead. For a moment, her sad eyes displayed a flicker of anger, but it soon faded away leaving her with just an empty expression.
"Mother!" The blonde angel shook her hard, trying to make the queen snap out of her trance. "Mother, please tell me he is lying!"
The smoke laughed again. "Believe me, my sweet girl. I am not lying, all this war, all this suffering, all this death, all of it, is for you." She could feel the smile upon his face.
"Shut up!" She screamed at him. "Mother! Answer me."
Queen Serenity looked away from her daughter and gazed back outside at the crimson night. "Yes, my child. He is speaking the truth."
For a moment the young princess was stunned, stunned that what she believed she was fighting for, was all a lie. She had grown up watching the suffering of her people, she said goodbye to the soldiers and wished them luck before they went into battle. None of them to return and it was all because of her. Her heart felt heavy, as though her blood were lead. "Did they know?" She asked her mother, she felt revolted and it showed in her voice. She didn't hate her mother, she never could, but now she felt something worse then hatred, she felt betrayed. The one person that she trusted most had lied her to.
"No." The queen answered in a soft voice. "They did not know the true reason, but even if they did, they still would have fought for you." She reached out for her daughter's hand, only for the girl to snatch it away coldly.
"You lied to us all?"
"I did it for you. I would never see any harm done to you. Never!" She cried out the words. In her mind, Serenity knew that she had done wrong. Her heart, however, told her otherwise. "I just wanted to protect you. Keep you safe."
The young girl dropped to her knees and frantically started wiping her hands clean on her dress. "Blood" She cried, her tears falling on her hands. "Their blood is on me. Mother, how could you do this too me?"
"No daughter, this was not your doing." Serenity cried and knelt down next to her only child. "Their blood was spilt by me. You had no part in this massacre. Do you hear me? It was my doing."
She looked up at her mother; her beautiful eyes were red from tears. They were about to embrace each other, when a wicked voice cut through the moment.
"It does not matter whose fault it is. Soon, there will be no-one left to remember what the war was even about."
"You Bastard!" The beautiful princess cried, shooting daggers at him through her eyes. "You will surely rot in hell for all you have done!"
"Me?" He laughed innocently. "I didn't start this war, your mother did. She could have ended it any time. And now, it is me that is here prepared to make a treaty, to save your kingdom. Yet, still she refuses. The blood is on that wench." He snarled, pointing to the distraught Queen who was crying on the palace floor.
"So you will end this war?" The young princess stood up bravely. Somewhere, deep down inside of her, her heart still mourned greatly for the deaths of her countrymen. But with a graceful flick of her golden locks, she ignored the pain inside, like any good leader would do. She was not going to have any more blood spilled in her name.
"Yes. Give me what I want, and this war will be over."
"Never!" The queen shouted, his words ending her tears. The water disappeared from her eyes and was replaced by an angry glow. "You will never have my daughter! You hear me. You will have to kill me first."
The black smoke raged, growing twice as large in size. "By tomorrow night, I will have what I want anyway, whether you are alive or not. Do you understand me? Deny me, and you and your kingdom will be destroyed forever, and she." He floated over to the beautiful princess. "You my dear, you will be mine."
"Get away from her!" Queen Serenity yelled and charged towards the smoke. She leapt in the air to tackle him, but instead she fell straight onto the floor behind him. The young princess ran to her mothers' side and helped her up off the floor.
"Is that all it will take to stop this war?" She spat at him, still having trouble believing that so much death could be carried out for her. "And this war will be stopped? You will leave our kingdom alone?"
"Darling, no! You mustn't!" The queen begged on her knees. She looked up at her daughter and stared into her familiar blue eyes. In them, she saw the same determination that she used to have many years ago, her heart sank as she realised that she would not be able to change her daughters mind.
The smoke bowed politely, his voice turned smooth and seductive. "Yes, you have my word. You come with me, and this war will stop. As long as we are together your kingdom will be safe, your mother will be safe."
"No!" The Queen still pleaded. "Daughter, his vast armies are growing weak. We can defeat him. This time tomorrow night, our brave warriors will have tasted victory!"
The princess drooped down to her knees and met her mother eye to eye. "Look around you mother!" She said sternly. "Our brave warriors are simply children with shovels and rakes. Our kingdom is nearly destroyed, one more battle will end it."
"If we all."
"No! Listen to me, please!" She begged, both shedding tears that fell freely to the floor. "Mother, women and children cannot fight this battle. No more blood will be on my hands."
"But if we."
She kissed her mother's head to quieten her and then looked at the cloud of black smoke. "What assurances do I have that you will end this madness?" She asked with her misty blue eyes.
"You have my word. As long as you are with me, no more harm will come to your kingdom." The smoke paused for a moment. "I do not need an answer now. Come to me by sunset tomorrow, else I will come and claim more of your peoples blood." And with his last vicious words, the smoke disappeared, leaving the two royals to huddle together, grief-stricken in a puddle of their tears.
A.N.
This is the "R" version of my other fic: 'Beauty and the Beast'. The first two chapters might be the same, however the rest of the fic will be different. Promise.
I hope that you give it a go, who knows, you might be moderately entertained for a little while. ^_~
Thanks for reading, and on with the story.
xxx Destiny xxx . . . . . . . .
In the cold shadows of the night, a caped man silently awaited a messenger. In the sky above him there was a full moon, it had long since lost is magical silvery glow, and had now been replaced by an eerie red colour. The blood of its people had stained its surface. He smiled as its crimson glow fell coldly upon his face.
"Your Highness." A raspy voice came from out of the darkness.
The man in the cape turned around. "Show yourself!" He demanded, and drew his steel blade. The sword came out swiftly and glistened under the scarlet moonlight.
"I mean you no harm, your Highness. It is I, your faithful messenger, loyal to you always." The messenger sounded sick, sick in the mind more then his body.
"Speak." The man demanded, sheathing his blade.
"The queen. The queen, she is expecting an attack tomorrow night. There was a spy, a spy told her." The messenger stuttered, trying to get the words out.
"A spy!" He bellowed. "Who! Who dares to undermine me?"
"I do not know, your Highness, your grace. I am just your faithful messenger. I know nothing, nothing like you do, your magnificence. But I know that she will come to you, tomorrow. She sends word from her land, her voice travels along the air, it calls in the night, master. A call from the white kingdom, she wants to stop the bloodshed." The messenger looked up, his beady eyes shone in the bloody light. "She will come for you at noon, to make a treaty."
"No!" The man yelled, a string of angry spit flew out of his mouth. "Go to her now, and tell her to give me what I want. Tell her that she will meet my demands, or her world will be destroyed!"
"What are your demands? Master, oh highness, your wonderfu..."
"Shut your trap!" He demanded and swung his sword at the grovelling messenger. Its icy blade stopped at his neck, the cold steel pressed against his skin. "It is not your concern, she knows my demands. She has known them for well over half a decade! Now go!" He released to blade and watched the messenger scurry away.
"Tomorrow," he whispered to the moonlight. "By tomorrow evening, I will get what I have been craving for all of these long and lonely years. Else tomorrow evening, everything you love will be destroyed."
` ` ` ` ` Meanwhile: In the White Moon Palace. ` ` ` A beautiful queen sat on her throne. Her silvery hair fell around her face, almost looking scruffy. She looked out the window, daydreaming with her big blue eyes. They were eyes that had seen too much pain, too much suffering. Eyes that reflected the sadness in her heart. The war had lasted over five years. She had watched the fall of her people, fighting for something that they didn't know. Now, only few survivors were left and the next attack would see the end of her kingdom. Her once peaceful moon had been stained with the blood of her people, its eerie glow reflected her defeat. And now the Prince of the Earth was about to finish off what he started many moons ago.
A cool breeze blew in from the window, blowing a silvery tear off of her china face. A girl walked into the room, blonde hair, blue eyes, as beautiful as the first dawn.
"Mother." The girl spoke in an angelic voice. "Mother, you are dreaming again."
Queen Serenity snapped out of her trance. "Sorry my dear. I have just a lot on my mind these days." The girl walked up to her mother and put her hand on her face.
"You have been crying," She wiped away the silver trails. "Do not worry, Mother. Never forget that we are the good in this war. You have done what is best for us all. No matter what happens, you must never forget that."
Serenity looked at her daughter, love shining through her weary eyes. "Oh Serena, war is never best for anyone."
"But if you didn't, he would have taken your throne and destroyed you. The people love you, they would rather die in battle then to be servants to a tyrant like him."
A lump rose in Serenity's throat, she could feel more tears coming on, but for the sake of her daughter she held them back.
For a moment, they embraced each other before a loud shout was heard from outside. "Queen Serenity!" A guard called from the corridor. "The dark Prince sends word. A messenger."
The two royals snapped out of their moment. They both looked up at the guard, who was dragging a messenger in by his rags.
"Speak." Queen Serenity said with authority. "What does he have to say?"
The messenger drew back his hood, exposing a pair of beady black eyes. "The most wise and honourable master sais for you to meet his demands, else you will all be destroyed." He squawked. His mannerisms were like that of a vulture, his head bobbing from side to side. He eyed the two beautiful ladies, thinking only sinful things, given his chance he would try to take them both, if there were no guards in the room. "His demands will be met!"
"Demands!" The blonde angel snarled, looking very out of character. Years of hatred and of living in fear had turned her once innocent heart to stone. She was beautiful on the outside, but broken on the inside. "You can tell that ugly bully that he will never have my mothers crown! Never!"
A foul laughter came rushing in from outside, black smoke swirled about and formed the shape of a man. Although the smoke could not define his features properly, his loud voice still bellowed through. Serenity knew that voice all too well. "Ugly! Am I?" The smoke raged. "How do you know that I am ugly, when you have never even seen me!" The guards in the room charged towards the smoke, slashing at the blackness in the room. All of their efforts were fruitless, the blade slashed through the air and out the other side, no harm was done.
"I don't have to see you to know that you are ugly. You heart is vile and twisted. Only something as foul as you could pollute our lands like you have." The blonde girl stopped momentarily for a breath, but she wasn't going to end her onslaughts there, she had been waiting years to tell him what she though of him, and now that she had her chance she was not going to miss it. "You are the most disgusting thing that I have ever known." She spat at him, the stream of her saliva went straight through him and splashed on the floor behind. "We will never meet your demands. You will never have my mothers crown!"
The smoke howled a wicked laugh. "Is that what you think this war was about? Your stupid kingdom!" The smoke floated up next to the young angel and circled beside her. "No, my dear. I am after a prize far greater then any kingdom." The smoke lifted up her hand and pressed it to where his lips would have been. "My angel, this war is about you."
In an instant, she snatched her hand away. With her big blue eyes she looked up at the queen. "Mother? What is he talking about?"
Queen Serenity looked down at her feet. "I didn't want you to know, I thought that it would be best for everyone."
"Know what? Mother, what is he talking about?" The queen was speechless.
The smoke placed a hand around the blonde girls waist and whispered softly into her ear. "My beautiful angel, I never wanted your kingdom. All I want, is you." ` ` ` ` ` ` A cold shiver ran down her spine. She looked at her mother, hurt and anger shooting out from her eyes. "Is this true?" She ran over to her mother and knelt down at her feet. "Mother, is that true?"
Queen Serenity just sat there, staring at the smoke. A silver tear ran down her cheek and splashed onto her daughter's forehead. For a moment, her sad eyes displayed a flicker of anger, but it soon faded away leaving her with just an empty expression.
"Mother!" The blonde angel shook her hard, trying to make the queen snap out of her trance. "Mother, please tell me he is lying!"
The smoke laughed again. "Believe me, my sweet girl. I am not lying, all this war, all this suffering, all this death, all of it, is for you." She could feel the smile upon his face.
"Shut up!" She screamed at him. "Mother! Answer me."
Queen Serenity looked away from her daughter and gazed back outside at the crimson night. "Yes, my child. He is speaking the truth."
For a moment the young princess was stunned, stunned that what she believed she was fighting for, was all a lie. She had grown up watching the suffering of her people, she said goodbye to the soldiers and wished them luck before they went into battle. None of them to return and it was all because of her. Her heart felt heavy, as though her blood were lead. "Did they know?" She asked her mother, she felt revolted and it showed in her voice. She didn't hate her mother, she never could, but now she felt something worse then hatred, she felt betrayed. The one person that she trusted most had lied her to.
"No." The queen answered in a soft voice. "They did not know the true reason, but even if they did, they still would have fought for you." She reached out for her daughter's hand, only for the girl to snatch it away coldly.
"You lied to us all?"
"I did it for you. I would never see any harm done to you. Never!" She cried out the words. In her mind, Serenity knew that she had done wrong. Her heart, however, told her otherwise. "I just wanted to protect you. Keep you safe."
The young girl dropped to her knees and frantically started wiping her hands clean on her dress. "Blood" She cried, her tears falling on her hands. "Their blood is on me. Mother, how could you do this too me?"
"No daughter, this was not your doing." Serenity cried and knelt down next to her only child. "Their blood was spilt by me. You had no part in this massacre. Do you hear me? It was my doing."
She looked up at her mother; her beautiful eyes were red from tears. They were about to embrace each other, when a wicked voice cut through the moment.
"It does not matter whose fault it is. Soon, there will be no-one left to remember what the war was even about."
"You Bastard!" The beautiful princess cried, shooting daggers at him through her eyes. "You will surely rot in hell for all you have done!"
"Me?" He laughed innocently. "I didn't start this war, your mother did. She could have ended it any time. And now, it is me that is here prepared to make a treaty, to save your kingdom. Yet, still she refuses. The blood is on that wench." He snarled, pointing to the distraught Queen who was crying on the palace floor.
"So you will end this war?" The young princess stood up bravely. Somewhere, deep down inside of her, her heart still mourned greatly for the deaths of her countrymen. But with a graceful flick of her golden locks, she ignored the pain inside, like any good leader would do. She was not going to have any more blood spilled in her name.
"Yes. Give me what I want, and this war will be over."
"Never!" The queen shouted, his words ending her tears. The water disappeared from her eyes and was replaced by an angry glow. "You will never have my daughter! You hear me. You will have to kill me first."
The black smoke raged, growing twice as large in size. "By tomorrow night, I will have what I want anyway, whether you are alive or not. Do you understand me? Deny me, and you and your kingdom will be destroyed forever, and she." He floated over to the beautiful princess. "You my dear, you will be mine."
"Get away from her!" Queen Serenity yelled and charged towards the smoke. She leapt in the air to tackle him, but instead she fell straight onto the floor behind him. The young princess ran to her mothers' side and helped her up off the floor.
"Is that all it will take to stop this war?" She spat at him, still having trouble believing that so much death could be carried out for her. "And this war will be stopped? You will leave our kingdom alone?"
"Darling, no! You mustn't!" The queen begged on her knees. She looked up at her daughter and stared into her familiar blue eyes. In them, she saw the same determination that she used to have many years ago, her heart sank as she realised that she would not be able to change her daughters mind.
The smoke bowed politely, his voice turned smooth and seductive. "Yes, you have my word. You come with me, and this war will stop. As long as we are together your kingdom will be safe, your mother will be safe."
"No!" The Queen still pleaded. "Daughter, his vast armies are growing weak. We can defeat him. This time tomorrow night, our brave warriors will have tasted victory!"
The princess drooped down to her knees and met her mother eye to eye. "Look around you mother!" She said sternly. "Our brave warriors are simply children with shovels and rakes. Our kingdom is nearly destroyed, one more battle will end it."
"If we all."
"No! Listen to me, please!" She begged, both shedding tears that fell freely to the floor. "Mother, women and children cannot fight this battle. No more blood will be on my hands."
"But if we."
She kissed her mother's head to quieten her and then looked at the cloud of black smoke. "What assurances do I have that you will end this madness?" She asked with her misty blue eyes.
"You have my word. As long as you are with me, no more harm will come to your kingdom." The smoke paused for a moment. "I do not need an answer now. Come to me by sunset tomorrow, else I will come and claim more of your peoples blood." And with his last vicious words, the smoke disappeared, leaving the two royals to huddle together, grief-stricken in a puddle of their tears.