"Princess?"
Pause.
"Princess?!"
I've made them worry for me again...Footsteps echo through my room, away from the balcony, and the door slams shut. Sorry, Venus.
Of course, now that my bed has been discovered empty the whole palace is going to be on high alert. It's going to be difficult to get back in undetected, but if I'm fast then getting out should still be easy.
Clinging to the cool marble wall I continue my descent along the wall, much easier once I realise that kicking off my heels would greatly improve my ability to climb.
The scent of fresh grass and sweet flowers flood my sense and my feet are firmly on the ground again. There's no time to waste putting my shoes on, much faster to pick them up and just run; quieter, too.
And it's there now, so close to my reach without detection, the gate that should bring me to my desired place...
Happiness swells in my chest, so much so that I pay no heed to the lamps I pass by emitting their calming, blue glow across the expanse of water either side of this platform. A marble runway, leading straight to the doors of my grand palace. Surrounded on both sides by shallow pools of water stretching miles and cut apart by strips of marble adorned by pots of white shrubbery. No matter how long I may have lived here I have never grown used to the beauty or the grandeur...I suppose today is different, I have no interest in stopping to admire.
Today is only about reaching that world which I have so longed for.
And travel there I do, pausing only at the loading pod to fix my hair and toss my shoes aside. All of my sense must be alight, to feel every kind of sensation it might have to offer. Grass beneath my feet, water along my body, air within my lungs...
And as I am engulfed in the warm light, excited for once by the flurry it brings to my stomach, I spy my four guardians. Loyal as ever, and as they see me within this warmth I think it must all have come clear to them.
'Just this once' Mercury would be whisper
'We should allow her a happiness' would spill from Jupiter's traitorous heart
'That she might never experience again' Mars' passion would allow
'Because she is our Princess, but most importantly our friend...It is our duty to protect her, but we all must live in the light of our hearts' an admittance that Venus might never make again.
As the world around me focuses I find myself stood amidst the gentle waters of a cool lake, only shallow at this point and barely covering my ankles. Though I hold a portion of my dress aloft the ends are splayed around in the waters, entangling with these floating flowers and distorting the reflection of the moon. The moon..!
From Earth...is this how my home looks? It casts a peaceful light, and lights everything in a cold silver glow. Loving yet ever distant...
No, I didn't come here to admire my own home. I came to admire the one I must never know; I came to know it. Most primarily...I came to know him.
Endymion...
Prince of Earth, and oblivious to my existence or my nature, only following the Moon's guidance to allow his kingdom to evolve and grow strong.
Although it comes to my attention that perhaps visiting in the dark hours of night wouldn't afford me the opportunity to see him this was the only time that I could manage.
Moving along, through the sweet scented gardens and feeling the polished stone beneath my feet I know that this might not be as grand as my own home...but to me it is so much more beautiful here. Running my hands through the various petals I discover a few to pluck from the soft Earth, a pure flower with wide petals thinning to the end and drooping over, a cluster of blue and white flowers dangling from stems like hoods and a single red flower. Full and vibrant, as if impersonating the parted mouth of a Lady, though it brings me a sense of romance and a warmth within my chest like which I've never really known. Though as I pluck it from the Earth to add to my souvenir collection it pricks me, like the pinpoint of a tiny knife, and I drop my bundle to squeeze my fingertip. Watching the few drops of blood descend I suppose I didn't notice the guards crowding in on me until one grasps my shoulder firmly and begins to tug me away from my bundle. Another, I watch, sweeps the few flowers up and grips them firmly within his hands.
"Let go! Take your hands off of me this very moment! Do you have no idea who you dare to grip so crudely?!"
Silence, and a few 'shut up does quieten my struggle and my cries. Though I may be set to inherit the throne nobody has ever known me as a strong Princess; the mere situation has me break down into floods of tears and the blood still dripping from my finger stains my dress in various spots. Finally, almost mercifully, my knees meet with the cool stone I was mere moments ago relishing the feeling of upon my feet. Now, though, it hits with a sharp reality.
Do they view me...as a criminal?
"For what purpose, exactly, did you wake me so late at night? This girl.."
A voice, like warm embers, lessens my tears only slightly, and though the water still drips from my face I manage to raise my head.