Shadows at the Dawn - Part 1
Story rated Teen for language, violence, and implied adult encounters
Obligatory "No, I do not own the characters or world of Sailor Moon, and I will not be making any profit from this little work of fiction here"
Original characters and such things like that are mine, and all mine. I don't share...cept to let people read about them.
And without further ramblings from me, on with the story
"There are no shadows on the sun, my love."
Those words, so very long ago uttered as something to brighten a dark day - have stayed with me through this long dark emptiness I put myself in. They've been my only comfort, what little there is to be had out here.
I am the last of my family. We, who have sacrificed everything to keep the greatest treasure in the system safe - only to find it in ruins in the end. The enemy we hadn't seen, hadn't noticed lurking on the edge of the brightness. It took it from us, that bright shining jewel we gave our lives for. Yet, there was still a faint glimmer of hope. They had not been taken from us completely. So, we took what little strength from the ashes there was, and kept to our duties. From them we keep a greater danger.
But in my selfishness, out here alone like I am, that is not the loss that tears me apart the most. Gone were the lips that had smiled at me and uttered the words floating through my tired mind. Never again would I be able to lose myself in a pair of warm amber eyes. My heart, my soul, are as empty as the void surrounding me.
You're confused now though. You don't know me - you've never even heard of my family. And that is how it should be, how it's supposed to be. That is how the Queen wanted it kept, and it fit our purpose as well. But with that time gone, having been left this lonely task of mine for the past few thousand years, I feel it is time to end the silence - end the secrecy.
This is our story. Guardians from the outside, separate but allied to the shining jewel that once reigned over all that was wondrous and good. I am Zeeda, daughter of Clan Centurious, and I keep the darkness at bay.
"Zeeda!"
A man's voice boomed through the halls of the main house of the Centurious stronghold on the heels of a young girl trying desperately to find a decent place to hide. She had no desire to be present to meet yet another clan hoping to arrange a marriage with hers. She was only twelve, and more interested in her arms training and helping teach her younger brothers - all three of them, with another expected soon.
She sighed as she squeezed herself into the space under the stairs. Soon, she would be too big to get into the little cubbyhole, but for today, she would cram herself inside and refuse to come out. Daddy could not stay mad at her forever, could he? She hoped not at least.
"Zeeda, come back here."
Kalah stopped at the top of the stairs and sighed. He was not happy about the vultures circling his house hoping to arrange a marriage to his only daughter. And chances were good that the baby soon to join them would be another son. Had one of her brothers been born first, this whole marriage thing wouldn't be an issue. It was an antiquated law among their people, one he had tried to challenge even before he had been married himself. No woman could be head of her clan without a husband. He scowled at the utter lunacy of the whole thing. Many of the women, hell - just about all of the ones he had ever met, were more than capable of running their clan strongholds, as well as commanding on the battlefield. Many even more capable than most of the men he had been forced to deal with.
"Da!"
His thoughts were interrupted by the youngest of the household, three year old Marshant, calling to him from the bottom step.
"Da, Zee hiding." the boy pointed at the stairs.
Kalah smiled in spite of it all, his son not knowing the full measure of his actions. Coming down the stairs, he scooped the boy up and set the giggling bundle over his shoulder. Making his way around to the back of the stairs, he knelt down in front of the cubbyhole his daughter had stuffed herself into.
"Zeeda, please come out."
"Zee! Zee!" Marshant added
"Oh, hush up you little traitor." she muttered as she squeezed herself back out of the cubbyhole.
Kalah set his son down, trying not to look too stern as he gazed down at his now disheveled and dirty daughter. Marshant tottered over to grab one of her hands.
"Zee..not mad?"
"I can never stay mad at you, little imp." she smiled and ruffled his hair.
"Da, not mad?" Marshant looked back at his father.
"No son, I'm not mad. But I am a tad disappointed."
Zeeda looked down at the floor, holding fast to the little hand in hers.
"Oh Zee, you know I don't like this much either. And you know I've tried to change things - tried for a long time. If we could afford to be a renegade clan and tell the council exactly what they could do with their law..."
Kalah couldn not finish. Going renegade would mean his sons would have no prospects for the future either. Zeeda already had so much to bear on her young shoulders, he had no desire to further add to that burden.
"I'm sorry daddy."
He knelt down and gathered them both in a firm hug.
"I know it's not easy. But this is the last meeting for a while, so I need you to be the strong girl I know you are. Clan Torpel isn't so bad, and their son is the same age as you."
"I don't want to wear a dress." Zeeda pouted into his shoulder.
"Is that why you ran away?" The chuckle could not quite be contained. "Well, come my little flame, we don't have much time to get you ready again."
Zeeda sat with her mother, waiting in the main receiving hall. The only feature they shared was their wild fiery hair, but that was enough. Zornah still could not get over just how much her daughter resembled her husband. She had his steel gray eyes, though they were noticing Zeeda's had the tendency to change shades depending on her moods. His slender angular jaw, and sharply defined nose gave the girl's face a quiet strength. Neither of them however could agree on exactly where the little fireball had gotten her very well developed stubborn streak from.
"So, you didn't like the dress your aunt sent special for the occasion?" Zornah teased.
"Mom!"
They shared a giggle, Zornah knowing full well her daughter's intense dislike for anything "girly". Like mother, like daughter - something Zornah's sisters had never understood. They meant well though, and the fabric from the dress could possibly be put to other uses.
They composed themselves again as the doors opened to admit Kalah and the visiting members of Clan Torpel. Zeeda stood, keeping a firm grip on her mother's hand. Kalah escorted Lord Tulowe, his wife Lady Dreenal, and their son Lienta to the front of the hall. Zornah began the proceedings, hoping this would be the last one - at least for a little while.
"My lord, who do you bring before us?"
"My lady, may I present to you Lord Tulowe and Lady Dreenal of Clan Torpel, and their eldest son, Lienta."
"Be welcome to our halls, Clan Torpel. I present to you Zeeda, daughter of Clan Centurious."
"We are honored to be guests among you, and may the stars smile upon us all." Lady Dreenal supplied the closing formalities.
"Come friends," Zornah smiled warmly. "Let us retire to more comfortable surroundings. I'm afraid I cannot stand sitting in this chair long in my present condition."
Lady Dreenal laughed, a soft musical sound.
"Yes, and let old friends welcome each other without all these stiff formalities." She stepped forward to embrace Zornah, or at least as much as one could with the pregnant woman.
"It is good to see you again Dreenal." Zornah turned to her daughter. "Zeeda, perhaps you would like to show Lienta the gardens?"
Holding back a sigh, Zeeda stepped down from the platform towards the boy, finding she was a few inches taller than him. He had pale skin like his mother, with dark pewter colored hair and amber eyes. It felt strangely empowering for her to be taller - all the others who had come before had been older, taller - and of course unbearable to be around.
"Well, they're this way." Zeeda said as politely as she could manage.
She turned on her little booted heel and marched out of the room, not looking back to see if he followed.
"You're a disagreeable sort, aren't you?" Lienta said as he caught up to her outside.
"And how agreeable would you be if you were paraded around before sods like you. You're the tenth boy I've been forced upon this month!" She spun on her heel, glaring down at him. "Here are the gardens, look around in you want."
"Hey, you're not he first girl I've had to put up with recently either. Course, none of them were mean pouty things like you." Lienta bravely stood his ground before her. "Not like it's always fun for us 'sods' ya know."
"Yeah right. You don't have to get married to take over your clan. You..."
They were interrupted by a loud splash not too far away, followed by yelps for help.
"Marshant!" Zeeda shrieked and tore across the garden towards the pool in the center.
"Zee!" the little voice answered as she jumped in after him. "Zee, need help."
"I'm coming. Stop trashing so much or you'll hit me."
"Do you want me to go get help?" Lienta called from the edge of the pool.
"No. Stay there to help pull us out when I get back." Zeeda panted. While she was not the best of swimmers, she knew Marshant could not swim at all yet.
"How did you get all the way out in the middle?"
"I falled in! Not my fault!"
"Right. Now, arms around my neck and hang on."
"Zee, save me!"
"Yes, Zee is saving you. Try not to push me under."
Zeeda slowly paddled her way back to where Lienta was waiting, trying to keep both their heads above the water. Reaching the side of the pool, she clung to it tiredly while he hefted Marshant from the pool before slowly dragging herself out.
"Zee, who dat?"
"This is Lienta. He's visiting with his parents."
"Cold Zee." Marshant's little teeth were beginning to chatter.
"That's cause you just had to go swimming." she replied, trying to still her own shivers. "L-Lienta? Do you think you could help c-carry him inside? I'm s-shaking too much."
"Come Marshant, we need to get you both inside before you catch cold." Lienta picked the boy up and started swiftly towards the house.
Zeeda followed behind them as quickly as her shivering form would allow. Zornah had taken a moment from their conversation to glance out the window and caught the strange little troop making their way back towards the house.
"Why are my children coming back soaked to the bone?" She muttered, starting to rise from her chair.
Kalah followed her troubled eyes to the scene outside and nearly overturned his chair in his haste to leave the room. He met them at the door, relieving Lienta of his dripping burden and ushering them all inside the study to sit by the fire.
"What happened?" he asked them.
Marshant was too tired to talk, and Zeeda tried, but her chattering teeth got in the way.
"We had just gotten outside sir when there was a splash. Zeeda got there first and jumped in after him." Lienta replied.
"Lee and Zee save me." Marshant muttered into his father's shoulder.
A very harried looking young maid then burst into the room, and collapsed nearly in tears by Zornah's chair. The poor thing did not want to face her lady's anger at loosing track of one of the children.
"My lady, I've lost Marshant! Kullah had knocked over a shelf in the nursery and while I was straightening up, the babe slipped away." the girl could only look at the floor.
"Dear girl, my little trouble maker is fine and found. Though he and his sister are in dire need of warm dry clothing."
Zornah placed a comforting hand on the trembling girl's shoulder. She knew all too well what it took to keep up with her children. She would also be discovering who exactly had left the force-cover to the pool turned off.
"Oh!"
The nursemaid jumped up to take Marshant from his father.
"Don't scare me like that, my little lord." She murmured into his wet hair. "Looks like you got our guest wet as well. Come with me children and we'll get you all warm and dry."
She herded the children out of the room and they made their way upstairs to the warmth and comfort of the nursery.
"Zeeda dear, go change. Then we'll bundle you up by the fire and I'll make some warm cocoa for everyone." The maid looked down at Lienta. "Hmmm, he should fit one of your shirts dear. Bring one out after you've changed."
Lienta kept his thoughts about wearing a girls shirt to himself. This, at least, was more fun than the last few such visits his parents had dragged him too.
"Here." A shirt was thrust roughly in his face. "And it's not really a girl's shirt."
"You don't like girl clothes?"
"You ever tried to run and fight in a dress?"
"No."
"All that fabric gets bunched up and in the way."
Zeeda made a sour face at the memory of the last time someone had insisted she wear one. Lienta could help but laugh. The maid came up behind them.
"Okay young lady, over here by the fire. I know it's not all that cold out today - of all days for the environmental shield to not be keeping things warm - but a soaking makes it worse."
She wrapped Zeeda's hair in a towel, and bundled the rest of her up in a heap of blankets, plopping her down in front of the fire.
"Kara, how am I supposed to use my hands?" the girl inquired.
"I guess I did get a bit carried away with the bundling up part." she said, loosening the cocoon of blankets around Zeeda.
"Is Marshant going to be okay?" Zeeda asked her.
"I have him changed and bundled up in his crib, with Maven standing guard if he tries to leave again. Now, you two just sit there and get warm and I'll be back with the cocoa."
"Is it always like this around here?" Lienta asked the face poking out of the pile of blankets and towels.
"This? This was nothing. Things are usually much more exciting." Zeeda replied with a grin.
AN:
Well, welcome to one of my Sailor Moon stories. If you're wondering where our usual cast of characters are...they come in a little later. First, you get some background chapters on the original characters I came up with and shoved into the Sailor Moon universe.
I actually invented Zeeda quite a few years ago for a rather poor sequel to someone else's fanfic....neither of which can be found anymore. The other cause that site is gone...and mine because I have no idea what happened to that file. But it was time for a face lift for one of my favorite creations.
You can find some artwork and other things that go along with this story at my website:
So, hope you enjoy. And if not...well, it's not like I'm holding a gun to your head making you read any of this. ^_~