Disclaimer: The "Sailor Moon" setting, the Shitennou, and Endymion belong to Naoko Takeuchi, Kodansha, Toei, &c. I'm just borrowing them briefly, please don't sue. :P
Author's Note: The Shitennou of this story are a little anime, a little manga, a little PGSM, and a little my own invention. So if they do something that strikes you as non-canonical, just...assume that they were different during the era of the Silver Millennium. Or something.
To Whom We Are Bound: Introduction
Long had the king and queen been childless, much to the consternation of those who wished to see the continuation of their peaceful reign. When the queen was finally with child, the people rejoiced, and when she finally brought forth a male heir, the entire kingdom burst forth into celebration. The royal priests and mages, however, after the obligatory nod at joy, took it as a signal to get to work. The auguries were cast and the stars read, and dark was the oracle's countenance when he brought the results to the king. Great danger lay in store for the infant prince, but fate was not unhelpful; four others there were, somewhere in the kingdom, born with the power and destiny to become his protectors.
The king nodded gravely and gave the expected orders, and thus began the long years of searching. The kingdom was vast, its people varied; many claimed to have found one of the destined children, seeking their own fortunes by selling their own children, but the mages only shook their heads and sent the attention-seekers away. Finally, almost at the end of the prince's fourth year, what was clouded abruptly became clear, and the oracles identified the ones they sought.
The first was found amidst the upper nobility, a boy of ten whose blood was nearly as blue as the prince's. The boy, whose hair was pure silver-white despite his youth, insisted that his true calling was the sword, but destiny could not be denied. He had the gifts, and would use them in the service of his kingdom, and therefore he was brought to the palace – not sulking, for sulking would be beneath his dignity, but in a less than pleasant mood.
The second was found in the family of a wealthy merchant, one who had the wealth of the nobles but none of the dignity. His parents despaired of what to do with their child, for his gifts had come upon him early, and he lived in a waking dream, more fascinated with his visions than with mundane matters such as chores and lessons. They had intended to apprentice him to the mages on his tenth birthday, as soon as he was old enough, and were delighted to be rid of him three-quarters of a year early. And so the scarlet-haired boy was brought to the palace, though he scarcely seemed to notice the change of venue.
The third was a pampered and cosseted only child of the widow of a minor landowner, herself thought to be distinctly eccentric, if not outright mad. Though only seven, the boy aped the manners of an adult courtier, and accepted the calling with aplomb, seeing the benefits for both himself and his mother's status. His mother pouted and pleaded, but the delicate-seeming blond calmly bowed and took his leave of her, accompanying the mages back to the palace to join the older two.
The fourth had barely reached his sixth year, but already had the reputation of a minor terror in his village. His dimpled face still bore traces of infant chubbiness, his mop of tousled golden curls lending him a cherubic appearance that was belied by the slimy toad he managed to slip into one mage's tea and the "alterations" to a chair which sent another one crashing to the ground when he tried to sit. His six older sisters kissed him goodbye, but secretly thanked their luck that they would no longer have to shake out their shoes whenever putting them on. And so the youngest was brought to the palace, eyes gleaming with the chance for new mischief.
All four were confirmed to be those destined to become the guardians of the prince, and were given preliminary testing and rigorous training to prepare for the ceremony to take place on his fifth birthday. As expected, they proved quite capable, with potential to become quite powerful; had they not been chosen for this role, they would all have been quite welcome in the ranks of the mages, and would likely have risen to the top ranks.
The day finally came, and the four were presented before the open court. They stood in front of the royal dais in their gleaming white uniforms with scratchy gold braid, attempting not to look uncomfortable (an effort at which only the eldest succeeded).
The trumpets sounded and, as they had been taught, they turned and knelt before the dais. The high priest of Elysion stepped up to them and began to weave his magics before their upturned faces. "The four of you I bind forever," he declared, in his sonorous voice, undimmed by his advanced age. "Bound in heart and soul as one, as brothers closer than blood kin, united in purpose and power. Destiny claims you as its own, the four chosen warriors, with reign over the north, the west, the south, the east. Let your former names be forgotten as the temporary things they were, and be newly-christened. Kunzite. Nephrite. Zoisite. Jadeite." As he spoke, he traced writing in the secret language of the priests, inscribing it with white fire over the boys from eldest to youngest. With a flick of his wrist he finished and the words seemed to expand, encasing them all in a single globe; though it was initially bright enough that the watching courtiers were forced to shield their eyes, it slowly contracted and shaped itself to form around the four boys, its fire dimming slightly as it became a linked chain binding them together.
Then the king and queen emerged onto the dais, the young prince between them, and the four boys respectfully bowed their heads in unison. The king moved forward, extending a hand toward the kneeling youths, and the glow surrounding them took on a momentary hint of gold. "On this day, now, swear your fealty to prince and kingdom. Guide him, guard him, obey him. Let the power you bear keep him safe, and bring honor and peace to our land."
Again in unison, the boys slowly lifted their faces to behold their new master, then carefully drew the gleaming new swords they had been given and set them point-down against the floor. "To you, Prince Endymion, we pledge our loyalty," they recited, the words having been drilled into them until they could have repeated them in their sleep. "Our bodies, minds, and hearts are now and forever in your service, to your defense and the defense of the kingdom. To this oath we are sworn, until death or our master releases us, or the world ends."
The black-haired boy walked forward to the edge of the dais, looking at each of the four in turn, then abruptly smiled and replied, dignity in his young voice, "I accept."
With that the bindings abruptly contracted, disappearing within the hearts of the four fledgling Shitennou. The four slowly rose, sheathing their swords once more, and turned to face the courtiers as cheers filled the chamber to bursting.