Author's Note: This is part 1 of 3! I took forever to write it and I hope you guys at least don't completely hate it. c: Reviews please? I have the rest written out, but posting it all at once would be way too much (believe. me.).


He dreamt of her every night for days at a time. They said that her beautiful blue eyes were the only pair in the world that rivaled his, though such opinions were rarely uttered aloud. She was creative, and told stories as elaborate as those that only dreams themselves could come up with. He had a side to himself that few ever saw, careless and silly only in the rare moments when prying eyes were not on him. More importantly, he loved her. But it didn't matter. The universe does not find itself concerned with lovers and, as such, does not have a need to assure that they can be together.

"Oh, Endymion-sama. Isn't our wedding going to be positively gorgeous!?" Her high-pitched voice interrupted his thoughts.

"Yes, of course. Everyone will love it." His answer left something to be desired, especially to her.

"Are you listening to me?" Princess Beryl's face turned as red as her hair, angry that his mind was wandering yet again. "Endymion-sama. The wedding is only a few fortnights away! Why can't you actually put forth your opinions? I want it to be perfect."

"And it will be!" He put his hand on top of hers and offered the kindest smile, "I'm sorry, love. I'm just nervous about it, is all."

She accepted the answer with a sigh, "Fine, fine. Are you hungry? I could go for some bread and cheese." She began to search for a servant and snapped her fingers upon spotting one, "You! Bring us out a plate of bread and cheese and two glasses of water. And try not to take so long this time."

The young blonde servant girl bowed and scurried off to go fulfill Beryl's command when Endymion shook his head at her. "Just because they work for us does not give you permission to treat them like animals, Beryl. It's unkind."

She gave a shrill laugh, "Endymion-sama! They're servants, for gods' sake. You're a royal. You can treat them however you damn well please."

The girl came back from the kitchen with a silver tray in her hands. She placed the plates and glasses in front of them and bowed. Endymion bowed back from his seat, "Thank you, Serena."

The girl smiled at him and parted to her duties. Beryl scowled, "That servant, she's beautiful. Such a shame she's so low, it's possible we could've been friends."

He decided not to argue with her; she cared not for the lower classes, and it was one of the reasons he was against the arranged marriage, but it wasn't something he could help. His father needed them to marry to forge a treaty between their countries before war broke out. It was pure politics, and there was nothing that he could do.

They were sitting in the garden under a maple tree, the metal table was cool to the touch and the sun's rays barely penetrated the tree's thick leaves. "Oh, it's so beautiful out today. Won't you take me for a carriage ride, Endymion-sama?"

He pulled his hand away from hers and rested it on his knee, "I cannot today, Beryl. I have royal duties to attend to. You understand, don't you?"

The princess's smile quickly faded into a frown, "Yes, I understand. I may just go on one on my own anyway. Although loneliness has never suited me..."

Unfortunately for her, Endymion knew all about her endless desperate attempts to spend all the time she could with him while she was in the country. "I do not doubt you will enjoy yourself either way." He kissed the back of her hand softly and left to speak with his father, leaving Beryl in seething frustration. It hardly sated her enough that they would be married and he would be hers forever – she wanted every bit of him, to have, love, and control.


The day was busy and so it passed quickly, and that evening found a young Serena in the servants' chambers. Barely 14, she was often in her mother's arms most nights to help her sleep. "Mama, will you tell me a story?" She asked in a soft voice.

Her mother tightened her grip around her daughter and smiled, "Of course, dear." Serenity, blonde-haired and just at the age of thirty-two, launched into one of her many stories. "...The princess of the Moon was a beautiful girl by the name of Serena, and she was enamored with the beautiful view of earth she could see from her gardens. And this young princess fell in love with the handsome prince of Earth, who loved her just as much. Their love created a treaty between their two planets, and it outlasted anything the world could throw at them. But one day, an evil woman on Earth attacked the people of the moon for stealing the prince away from her..."

Long after her mother went to her own bed, Serena lay awake and stared at the ceiling. Sleep usually came easily, but something tonight kept her from it. She deduced that warm milk would help, and that a few hours of sleep is better than none at all. She lifted out of the straw bed as quietly as she could manage and crept out the door. Servants weren't supposed to be in the castle kitchen after hours, for the quarters did have its own kitchen, but Serena much preferred using the stove in the main kitchen. She lit a candle that sat outside the door of her room and used it to guide her through the darkness of the castle, the halls lit by only by the dimmest candle light.

When she reached the kitchen, she slowed her breathing as to not alert anyone who may be near by and began to tip toe to the stove, lighting a small fire in one of the four compartments in order to warm up the milk, and slowly crept to the ice box, pulling out a small bottle of cow milk. She carefully poured half a cup into the kettle she sat on top of the heating compartment and put the milk back into the ice box. As she moved to grab a glass, she heard a voice.

"Serena?" She nearly dropped the candle when she turned around. She'd recognized the voice immediately, but wanted to assure that her ears had not betrayed her. She put the candle on the counter and dropped to her knees in a bow.

"Prince Endymion-sama, I am so sorry. I know I am not permitted to use the castle kitchen after hours. I hope you can find it in your heart to forgive me, I won't do it again." She braced herself for the verbal assault she was sure to receive when he instead hopped off of the counter he had been sitting on, unreachable by the candle light.

"What are you doing? Stand up." He reached down and gingerly took her arm and helped her to her feet. "It's not a big deal, I promise."

She pulled from his grip and backed up against the counter opposite him, "I'm sorry, I couldn't sleep and thought warm milk would help. I know I broke the rules, but I-"

"I said it wasn't a big deal, Serena." His voice was unwavering in its kindness. "And you can just call me Endymion. I don't need the title to know you're addressing me."

She began to speak again when she heard the milk begin to boil. She cursed herself for letting it get so hot so she would not be able to drink it immediately and put out the fire, pouring the milk into her cup and sighing, "I guess I won't be getting to sleep just yet."

"It's too hot, huh? That's okay. We can talk while it cools down!" The sixteen-year-old prince hopped effortlessly onto the counter and looked at her, "So tell me about yourself, Serena. Why the hell would you want to work as a servant of the royal family?"

Serena wondered if he had any idea how pretentious he sounded, but shoved it off anyway. "My father died in the war a few years ago, so my mother sought out employment in the castle so we would at least have a guaranteed roof over our heads, and when I turned thirteen, I was able to begin working as well."

"Your mother," he repeated, as if he was trying to remember who that was. "Serenity, right? You look just like her. Nice woman, though I must say that I am sorry for your father, but he died a noble death." He readjusted himself on the counter, "Now, what about you? What kinds of things do you like?"

Serena had to admit to herself that she was uncomfortable, staring at her glass and willing the milk to cool down quicker, and being in the presence of the beautiful prince wavered her confidence. "I enjoy the comics in the town library, though I rarely get a chance to read them. And I like to sleep, but that's often stifled by duty. I tell the other servants stories sometimes, like the ones my mom tells me, and I'm trying to learn how to sew. I hope to one day conquer the mountain that is cooking." She let out a small, sad chuckle. "The life of a servant is boring, isn't it?"

He shook his head, "Not really, no. Being a prince isn't all it's cracked up to be, you know?"

She had to laugh at that. "Oh yes, it must be difficult to be rich and run a country and have a lot of respect. That must be awful!" She finished her sentence and realized what it was she'd said. Her free hand flew to her mouth, "I'm sorry, Prince Endymion-sama. I lost my mind for a moment there."

He waved it off noncommittally, "Nah, you're right. I'm making my life out to be worse than it is. And what did I tell you about calling me prince?"

"Sorry, Prince Endymion-sama." Serena groaned and rolled her eyes at herself. "Endymion-sama, my apologies. Anyway, I know that life can be hard no matter where you fall on the socioeconomic scale, so try not to feel like too much of a jerk." She took a testing sip of milk and nodded, "Well, it's acceptable now, so I should head to bed."

"Hey, but I like talking to you. You're down to earth and you're not out to tell me how to live my life or to... marry and control me..." His voice trailed off and he dropped his head sadly, "This marriage... it'll unify two empires, but I don't know if I want it. And I can't do anything about it."

Why was he suddenly telling her this? Serena cocked her head to the side, "Being a royal really isn't all it's cracked up to be, huh? I'm sorry you're unhappy, Endymion-sama, but I'm sure you'll make it work. You seem like a strong man, physically and emotionally."

His laugh was short and forced, "I wish I could tell you that you were right, but I can't." He looked at her over the top of his thin-rimmed glasses, "Say, you don't have your rabbit hairstyle tonight. Your hair looks nice down."

The girl giggled, "Rabbit hairstyle?"

Endymion lifted one shoulder in a lazy shrug, "You look like a rabbit with your hair up. Don't get me wrong, it's cute. But sometimes I almost accidentally refer to you as Usagi."

"You even gave me a new name." She was more impressed than shocked with this. "I'm your servant, you're permitted to call me whatever you wish! And I always take my hair down for bed. I forgot to one night and woke up with a headache. Although I can't remember if that was because I knew Princess Beryl-sama was coming in that day..." She tapped her chin wonderfully and then waved her hand, "That was very inappropriate for a servant to say, I need to remember to mind myself."

Endymion smirked, and she caught a flash of his white teeth in the candle light. "She gives me headaches, too, but that's just between you and me." He winked at her and slid off the counter. "You should get to bed now, it's getting late and I don't want to be the reason you're so tired tomorrow. Wouldn't want to give Beryl even more reason to yell at you. Come on, I'll walk you."

There was a warmth about the prince that radiated out of his every pore. It wasn't a physical warmth, but more of something his personality expelled. Serena discovered this as they walked together through the near-darkness, a grin playing with her lips but not quite touching the surface. They reached the door and she stopped, turning to him. "Thanks for the walk and conversation, Endymion-sama. I'll cherish it." She bowed to him.

He bowed back, "It was an honor, Serena. I'll see you in the morning." He walked away, leaving Serena to her thoughts.

It was only later, when she was on the very edge of sleep when she remembered something he had said and her eyes flew open. The prince called me cute? After that, sleep was hard to come by, and she hated herself for it.

Back in his chambers, Endymion settled down into his feather bed and stared at the ceiling. There was something about the servant girl that he couldn't get out of his head. She was far different than Beryl, in every positive way he could imagine. But she was only a servant, and for them to be friends, or anything further, was strictly forbidden by the emperor. Especially since his marriage to Beryl was the only thing keeping their countries from an all-out war. He turned over on his side and curled into a ball. Talking to Serena was a mistake, that much he was sure of.

Beryl had a candle lit at her bedside, scribbling down plans on her parchment paper, the ink bottle and paper both running low. Most of it, most, consisted of plans for the wedding, who she wanted and didn't want invited, who definitely couldn't come and who absolutely must. She was very particular about the details. But the rest of the parchment paper contained very different plans and motives. What to do if anyone got in her way and how she would avoid blame for their rather untimely deaths. She was the daughter of an emperor anyway, wasn't she? Indeed, she wanted what she wanted and no one would ever take that away from her. She was a dangerously strong-willed princess, and it was one of her bigger points of pride.


"Serena, Serena wake up." Serenity gently shook her daughter. "Princess Beryl-sama is parting this evening and we must make this the best day in the country for her. Come on."

Serena groaned and slowly lifted herself out of bed, "I'm up, mama." She silently celebrated Beryl's last day as she brushed her hair, trying to forget all of the conversation of the previous night, still in denial that it had happened. There's no logical way it happened, she thought to herself. That's preposterous. It was but a dream. Her mother helped her with her hair in order to cut down on time and they quickly dressed in their servant clothes.

"Lots of work to do today," Serenity muttered to herself as she lead Serena to the castle kitchen.

They reported to the head of servantry and she assigned them all duties for the day. Serena, being closest in age to the prince and princess, was assigned to serve them all day. Serena felt like she would throw up. Not because she would be near the prince, no, but because Beryl loathed her. She would surely make her day a living hell; a literal one if she could get away with it. Alas, duty is duty, and she set off to find Endymion, certain that he was with Beryl already.

To her surprise, she found him alone in his chambers. "Prince Endymion-sama," she said as strongly as she could to get his attention. "I was assigned to you and Princess Beryl-sama for the day." She held her hands behind her back and looked down at the ground – the proper way to speak with those above you.

He smiled and rose from the desk chair he had been sitting at. His fingers were covered in ink, which he wiped away with a damp rag. "Good morning, Serena. It's comforting to know I will not be spending my last day with Beryl alone."

Serena couldn't tell exactly how he was feeling, but she knew somewhere inside that he was grateful to not suffer alone. To this realization, she grinned, "Ah, so you're happy that someone will be sharing your suffering, I see."

He shook his head, "Nope, it isn't like that at all. It's nice to have a friendly face around."

She almost started to laugh when she felt a dark presence behind her. Serena turned and immediately bowed before the girl. "Princess Beryl-sama, we were just about to set out in search of you."

The princess, donning a gorgeous, form-fitting scarlet dress, glared at the pitiful servant. "Sure you were." She looked up at the prince, who had stood up at this point, and she faked a smile the best she could, "Endymion-sama, let's go, shall we?"

"We shall," he began to walk towards her. "But Serena has been assigned to us for the day, since it is your last in the empire until the wedding."

Beryl looked down at the girl again and smiled, a hint of mischief behind it, "Wonderful."

Serena walked behind them and she could tell that Beryl felt... threatened? By the pathetic servant? It felt more impossible than the very idea that Endymion would ever spend more than a moment speaking with her in a friendly manner.

They were taking a carriage ride around the town, as Beryl loved the sights and was intent on getting to know them before becoming the Empress of Japan, so Serena sat across from them in the carriage, her hands on her lap and her head turned to the window. She wanted to avoid any and all eye contact with the couple.

Of course, Beryl resented that and did everything in her power to make Serena very uncomfortable. She hung all over Endymion the entire time, making sure that the servant knew her place. Serena ignored it the best she could, taking in the sights of a town she rarely got to see. The castle was at the center of it, and half a mile outside of the castle walls, there were merchant shops lining the blocks. They sold fish, mostly, scarce amounts of other meats, fruits and vegetables, spices, and medicines. There was a small schoolhouse just off the main road, and a flurry of small and quaint homes beyond that. The homes were built of stone and wood, many chimneys billowing smoke from the wood-burning stoves. It was peaceful in the villages, to say the least.

They rode about ten miles out from the castle and went back around, Endymion continuously trying to get Beryl to pay attention to the town rather than him. He knew, of course, her intentions, but he resented that she was being so petty. "Won't you pay attention to the scenery?" He asked her, so clearly frustrated.

"Endymion-sama," Beryl sounded almost desperate with how she said it, "It's my last day in the empire. Won't you miss me while we're apart? I want every moment with you!"

"I will miss you as well, love," He was lying, "But we are not alone and therefore should not act as if we were."

Beryl gritted her teeth, "She's just a servant. She doesn't care." She gave Serena a look. "Or, at least, she shouldn't. She's not supposed to. She isn't allowed to care."

Serena glanced nervously between the couple before looking back out the window. She knew she wasn't supposed to care; that was stupid of her to even consider. But something inside of her, and she didn't know what, started to make her feel jealous, and the new emotion bubbled inside of her. She suppressed the emotion with a series of deep breaths and hoped neither of the two noticed. I cannot feel a thing for him, she reminded herself, He is a prince and I am a servant. That is as far as our relationship shall go.

She dropped her eyes to the floor and frowned, trying to keep her thoughts in check. Only she would be unlucky enough to deal with Beryl all day. She took the time to go over her years at the castle. She had grown up with the prince, indirectly. He was only two years her senior, their birthdays but a month apart. She had only been working for a year, before then she attended school in the village until she was old enough. It was only then that she was actually exposed to the prince. She admired him from afar. He was strong-willed, and he treated those under him like human beings rather than dirt, as Beryl did. He would surely make a wonderful king, but not with her at his side.

At the end of the carriage ride, it was time for a grand lunch before Beryl was to part. Because Endymion's country was an island, Beryl would board a boat to head back to her country, known as Korea. Serena was sent to the servant's quarters and was to return at the end of the meal to accompany the couple to the country border, a seven hour trip by carriage. That trip meant seven hours alone with Endymion, including a stop overnight to rest the horses, and that was enough to set Serena on edge.

Endymion himself was not looking forward to the trip to the border. Beryl would undoubtedly whine the whole time about how lonely she would be in Korea until she'd be able to return once again. That would be frustrating enough on its own.

They were outside waiting for Serena and the carriages to be prepped for the trip when Beryl made an unnecessarily loud sigh. "I just don't see why she has to come with us," the princess's voice was full of hatred. "I think your guards are good enough as it is, why do you need a servant girl with you as well? For your own 'entertainment'?" She feigned tears and turned away from him.

Endymion only rolled his eyes, "Beryl, please. My father requested it, and since he's been wanting me to get a personal servant, I've been considering Serena. She's a nice girl and she's our age. Besides, she's only a servant anyway, right?"

"That's true, but you don't understand. She's beautiful, and I know you know it, too. You'd be lying to yourself to say anything less." Beryl covered her face with her hands.

He reached up and grabbed her wrists, pulling her hands away from her face and placed them on his waist before placing his own on either cheek, "No one is more beautiful than you, my love." Beryl accepted that as answer enough.

Serena was nibbling on a sandwich when a guard poked his head into the servant's quarter's kitchen. "Serena Tsukino, the meal has ended and you are required to meet the Prince and Princess at the eastern exit of the castle."

She bid farewell to all of the other servants and her mother hugged her goodbye. "Be safe," Serenity whispered in her daughter's ear, "don't let Beryl-sama push you around too much."

The young girl kissed her mother on the cheek and then headed toward the east side of the castle, a relatively short walk from the servant's quarters.

Everything was set up when she arrived outside, and the got into the rather spacious carriage. Serena sat across from the two once again, keeping her hands on top of one another and staring out the window. This carriage was slightly larger than the one they had traveled to the town in, and for that she was thankful. The more space between her and the couple, the better.

Half of the trip was spent with Beryl going over and over and over the wedding plans, every single excruciating detail explained to Endymion with overwhelming excitement.

"You want a purple wedding dress?" His question was noncommittal, and Serena knew that he didn't much care.

"Purple is the color of royals, Endymion-sama. Of course I want it. My wedding will be as regal as I am."

"Of course," he said with a loving, albeit forced, smile. "I cannot wait to be your husband."

It was all so fake. So fake! How could Beryl not know? Serena wanted to vomit. She almost pitied the princess. As cold-hearted and vile as she was, all she wanted was to be loved anyway, and even that was denied her. It made Serena sad, to think of the empty love and empty life that Beryl would live from her wedding day and on. Nothing about it was fair.

By the fifth hour, both the prince and princess had dozed off. Beryl was the first to go, her head resting softly against Endymion's shoulder. When he fell asleep, his temple found its way to the top of her head. Looking at them that way, you could almost believe that they were truly in love. Serena's pity for Beryl increased, but at the same time, she couldn't help but wish that it was her head on the prince's shoulder, and his on top of hers. No, she thought firmly, That's inappropriate, Serena. But she couldn't shake the desire.

After a while, the progression stopped and a yell rang out to signify that they had arrived at their destination. The moon and stars were out, and she predicted that it was well past 2200. Serena reluctantly reached over to Beryl's shoulder, shaking her awake. "Prince, Princess, we're at the shipyard."

Beryl's head snapped up, shocking Endymion awake. "How dare you touch me without my permission!"

Serena recoiled back into her side of the carriage, and braced for an assault as Beryl raised her hand to strike. Endymion grabbed her wrist, "Beryl! That's unnecessary. She was only trying to wake us. What's gotten into you?"

Beryl snatched her hand away and then faked a smile at Serena. "I don't know. Girl, I have to use the restroom. I want you to come with me and I will apologize along the way."

The servant girl gave Endymion a horrified "help me" look and they left the carriage, Beryl explaining to them that she'd like to make that particular stop on ground instead of on the boat. She walked along, Serena following and shaking behind her. It took them the entire trip to a private area for Beryl to speak. "Serena, do you know why I wanted you to come?"

"You told Endymion-sama that it was to apologize," Serena said respectfully and with her head down, "But I have a feeling you have more to say?"

Beryl took a few steps toward the younger girl, two years her junior, and grabbed the collar of her servant uniform, pushing her against a large crate that was being stored in the shipyard until it could be sent to its location, bits of wood poking Serena's back through her clothes. "First off, you must address him as Prince. He is much higher than you, and you musn't disrespect his rank by leaving it out! Second, stay away from him. When you get back to the royal city, do not so much as look at him, do you hear me?"

Serena pressed the back of her head against the crate and nodded.

"I will end you, Serena. I have no problem with it either." She shoved Serena and then walked away, back towards the ship that was ready to set sail towards Korea.

Serena regained her footing and followed behind her, trying to stay slow so that she would never match pace with Beryl, or end up walking side-by-side.

The couple's goodbye was very touchy-feely and extremely forced on Endymion's side. He hoped often that no one noticed how fake he was with her. He knew it was wrong, he understood that, but he couldn't bring himself to love a woman so vile. He was stuck with her, surely, and he could not even love her. He was doomed to a loveless life.