Disclaimer: Not Mine
Chapter one
A sleek dark grey ship glided towards the moon landing port. Its landing lights flashing warning those below that it intended to land and not bypass them and head for Earth.
"Please identify yourself…" A calm male voice came over her communications system.
"This is The Hiryo Hiko requesting permission to dock for repairs." A young woman's voice replied. She was calmly leaning back in her chair, her fingers typing on the controls in front of her keeping her ship on a slow steady course, waiting for permission to land before coming any closer.
"Roger that Hiryo Hiko, you are clear to land at docking bay nine four three… Next time please have your symbol displayed on the side of your ship." The male voice replied after fading for a moment to check the records.
"Didn't want to be recognised coming in." She replied with a small smile on her face, knowing that not displaying the Earth symbol on the side of the ship as she should as a diplomat tended to annoy the docking yard.
"Understood." The male sighed. "The path is clear; a repair crew is waiting for your list of repairs."
"My thanks." She typed in the co-ordinates for the docking bay and increased her speed. She stood up slowly, stretching her muscles that were slightly stiff from sitting for the last six hours and pulled her knee length raven black hair in to a braid, tying off the end she picked up a small carry bag that carried everything that she needed, a change of clothes, a few data crystals, her ID, a few books for when she got bored and a small amount of money for places that still used that as trade. Everything else that she needed was supplied by the rooms that she had on Earth and the moon.
She glanced down at the modest loose fitting pale blue dress she had donned a few hours ago when she realised that she would have to dock at the moon before she could head home. She knew that there was no way that her ship would make it to Earth after the beating she had taken from the Saturn flyers who had taken offence at her passing through their space.
She paced the small passageway the lead from the cockpit to the sleeping quarters and dinning lounge waiting for her ship to dock and open the door so she could have a bath.
With a faint thump her ship docked and the door opened with a hiss. She hurried down the ramp as soon as it was extended out with a data crystal in her hand.
"Hey Charlie!" She smiled at the man at the head of the repair team.
"My Lady Shaya," He bowed to her before he grinned at her. "Looks like you took quite a beating." He commented as he eyed the hull of the ship, noting the black scorch marks on the other wise perfectly clean hull.
"Saturn flyers." She shrugged; she knew that he would understand as the Flyers had taken to shooting at anyone in their space these days. "Here is the damage report that the ship gave me a few hours ago. If you could have her ready to go in a day or two I would appreciate it." She added as she handed over the crystal, waved and left the docking bay and into the palace itself, recalling from memory the way to her quarters, that were in the diplomat wing and smiled as she found her rooms with out a problem. Considering that she had only actually used them once in the last year and that was when the Prince had come up from Earth for a visit.
"My Lady Shaya?" She turned at the sound of her name and saw a page standing behind her with a small smile on his lips, but he seemed a little nervous. "Prince Endymion would like a word with you once you have settled in."
"Prince Endymion is here?" She raised an eyebrow in surprise, according to the reports that she had gotten a few months ago he wasn't due back on the moon for another good four months.
"He arrived three days ago, My Lady."
"And how exactly does he know that I am here?" She sighed, giving up any hope that no one know that she was here 'officially'.
"I believe that Lord Nathan told him, he saw you docking."
"So much for my R&R" She sighed again and opened her door. "Please tell the Prince that I will be to see him with in the hour." The page nodded and hurried down the hall. She closed her door once she was in side and headed straight for the bath room, now that she knew that some one knew that she was here she wasn't surprised that a bath had already been drawn for her. She quickly washed her self and her hair, and then spent a few moments choosing a gown to wear, as much as she wanted to wear her guard uniform of dark grey, she had a feeling that no one here knew that she was a member of Endymion's guard. She finally chose a dark sapphire blue gown that matched her eyes, it was slightly tight around the bodice and waist but flared out at the hips, but the skirt wasn't so bulky that it would prevent her from fighting and place her hair in a braid once again, grabbed two of the data crystals from her bag and left her rooms.
She walked calmly down the corridor, turned left went down fifteen doors and knocked.
A man in a dark grey uniform with a red stripe along the lining, short blonde hair and blue eyes opened the door and smiled when he saw her.
"Lady Shaya." He opened the door a little wider to allow her to enter and closed it behind her.
"Lord Justin." She nodded her head in reply, but couldn't keep the warmth out of her voice. She hadn't seen any of them in nearly six months and had missed them all. She walked up to a man in grey and green lining and a mane of auburn hair and blue eyes; he smiled as she approached him. She smacked him upside the head lightly. "Loud mouth." She growled at him.
"Now, Lady Shaya." A warm deep voice chided her. "He was only following orders." She turned to see a young man two years younger then her walk into the room, his short black hair slightly wind swept, and his sapphire eyes bright, he was dressed in black clothing that nearly looked liked his battle armour. "We got a report that you had already left Saturn and of the flyers attack on you, so I knew that you would dock here to make repairs, I just told him to keep an eye out."
"My Prince." She bowed formally to him as he glared at her; she knew that he hate formality with friends. She smiled at him and gave him a quick hug as he held out his arms to her.
"Now greet your brother properly." He pushed her towards the auburn haired man.
"Spoil sport." She sighed before she leapt at the startled man and gave him a hug that she didn't quiet want to end. "My apologise Nathan, but I did so want to be here unofficially and just rest until my ship is repaired." She added as she went to release him and squealed slightly as he hugged her back and lifted her up of the ground and spun her a little, just as he had when they were younger before he placed her back on her feet and let go.
"This is why we weren't waiting at the docking bay for you." Nathan grinned at her.
"Since you have been on call for the last few months, my father has given me permission to give you leave for three weeks unless something comes up." Endymion spoke up as he took a seat at a desk, looking over a few reports that he had gotten and then looked up at her. "Do you have the reports for me?"
"I do." She nodded and handed over the two data crystals. "Everything is current up to last week when I left." She added trying not to wince as her bruises and scrapes began to throb from the greeting that her brother had given her. It was the one reason she had chosen the blue gown over the dark green one that had caught her eye, was that it was long sleeved and covered her neck, in doing so it covered all the bruises and cuts that she had gotten over the last few months in getting some intelligence on what was happening on Saturn during their civil war.
"While I may have given you leave, you will still be expected to show up for the ball tonight that is being thrown in our honour…" He looked at her, studying her face for a few moments. "I know that you do not like balls all that much but the things we have to do for duty." He grinned at her.
"I'm sure." She didn't give in to the urge to sigh as being ordered to show, even if it wasn't a direct order. It was still an order. "At what time does the ball start?"
"In about three hours." Nathan replied when he saw that their prince had gotten absorbed by the reports that Shaya had given him. "It should give you a little while to relax before the fun begins."
"In that case, I'll get going there are a few things that I would like to see to before I get tossed to the wolves once again." She bowed in Endymion's direction and left before her brother could ask about her strange comment.
She didn't go directly to her room as she knew that the others would expect her too, but instead went to the small temple that was run by a healer and his three apprentices. She slipped in quietly and was drawn directly to a large set of candles on the right side of the temple. She always came here when she was on the moon; she found it comforting to feel the warmth that the candles were giving off.
"Can I help you, my Lady?" a soft comforting male voice asked softly.
She smiled as she turned to the white haired man, dressed in a comfortable white robe that he could either get dirty, healing some one or do his gardening in.
"What did I tell you about formality, Parias?" She asked shaking her head slightly.
"That you detest it." He smiled, when he recognised her. "What brings you to this place? Or was it just a need for peace?"
"I need you help, it seems that I am to attend the ball tonight and I need to get rid of some marks in case some one notices them." She replied clasping her hands in front of her, she knew as a rule that Parias didn't heal unless the wounds were life threatening or they were bad enough. "I would prefer it that no one knew of them."
"Some one has harmed you Lady?" He frowned at how she seemed to be avoiding mentioning how she had gotten hurt.
"I was sent to Saturn for six months, Parias." She sighed as she followed him to the back of the temple and to his private chambers where he did most of his healing. "It wasn't exactly a holiday run."
"They caught you then?" He asked as he gestured for her to take a seat.
"Not for the reasons that I was there for, but I was taken in for questioning a few times about other matters, just a matter of being in the wrong place at the wrong time." She spoke softly as he moved behind her and unclasped the back of her dress. She winced as his hand knocked a large bruise that was across her spine.
"Questioning Shaya? It looks like you were tortured." He hissed as he looked over the extent of her injuries.
"It's all the same on Saturn." She whispered as she felt his healing gift reach out for her and let her self slip into a slight trance as he worked. Trying not to think how any of the guard or Endymion would react if they knew how badly she had been injured on that mission that the King had given her.
"You're lucky that you came here when you did, Shaya. If you had waited until after the ball you wouldn't have made it through the first dance." He sighed as he removed his hands from her back and reclasped the dress. "Do you want to know just how many broken bones and fractures that you had?"
"No thank you, I felt them as they happened." She shook her head slightly, sighing in relief when no pain registered.
"You are going to have to rest for a few days, only light training for three days… is there anyway that you can miss the ball?"
"No, I was indirectly ordered to attend." She shook her head as Parias moved to sit in front of her.
"By whom?"
"By Endymion, one of the people I do not want to know about this." She looked directly into his eyes, to make sure that he understood.
"I manage to fade most of the bruises for you, but the muscles will still be tender for another few hours." He reached out and touched her right cheek, apologising softly as she flinched and faded the bruise on her cheek that was covered with make up. "I suggest you eat something and rest until the ball." He studied her for a moment. "Save a dance for me? I'll take that as repayment for not saying anything as I should do."
"I always save a dance for you Parias." She smiled softly at him as she stood and left the temple. "Even though I know that your heart belongs to another." She whispered softly to herself as she walked down the corridor to her quarters and entered, quickly removing her shoes, thinking that she could do with another longer soak in hot water.
"How bad was it really on Saturn?" She spun around at the sound of Endymion's voice in her room.
"It was all in my report, Endymion." She replied softly as she began to clip her hair so it would not get wet in the bath.
"Yes, but your capture was not." He replied, his voice void of emotion. She turned to look at him as he stepped out of the shadows so she could see him. "You weren't the only contact that we had on Saturn, as you well know. They reported in when you missed a meeting."
"It was just a retinue gather up and question capture, which they do to everyone, Endymion." She evaded the question that he had asked and sat down in front of the mirror to finish clipping her hair in place.
"I saw you wince when Nathan greeted you; I felt the bruises on you when I hugged you." He walked up to stand behind her. "Of which I see you have gotten healed, smart idea to remove them before Nathan saw them."
"Endy, please…" She shook her head looking down at her hands in her lap. "Just don't ask, I escaped in one piece shouldn't that be enough?" She stood and entered the bathroom, but not closing the door and slipped off the gown and into the new bath that had been drawn for her until only her head was above the water. "It's bad enough that I was caught, even if it wasn't for the reason that I was there… Just give me time and maybe in time I will be able to give a report."
"I'm not asking for details, Shaya." He exclaimed as he walked into the room, he was horrified that she would think that he was so heartless.
"I dare not…" She shook her head holding back tears by shear will. "It was bad enough… leave it at that."
"You know that if we could have sent some one else we would have." He said softly, not able to look at her as she just stared into the water and the reflections of the candles in the water.
"I know that. I knew that it was a dangerous mission. I knew what was involved. I would have been hurt if you thought that I couldn't have done it." She looked up at him and gave him a watery smile. "So how does it feel to be seventeen? And in love I hear it." She asked, changing the subject and hoping that he would for once let it drop.
"Princess Serenity is a rare rose, Shaya." She hid a smile as his face lit up and his eyes almost as bright as the sun. "She is not like the other women at home that only seem to want to get my attention. She truly cares about other people just like I do."
"Then it sounds like a good match…your father has approved?"
"Not in so many words no," He shook his head sadly. "He won't commit to anything until I am eighteen."
"So you have another eight months to go before you can propose… not so bad. It will give her another few months to age, after all she is only sixteen, seventeen in a month, and she will be eighteen by the time you marry. Good all the way around." She smiled at him as he flushed. "Tell me, has any of the guard found ladies?"
"Your brother has, the Lady Jupiter. Justin is smitten with Lady Rei but I'm not so sure that Markie and Liam are looking for women." He looked at her from the corner of his eye. "I'm sure that you have heard the rumours that they are lovers?"
"Once they were." Shaya nodded, showing that she had known. "But that has been over for some time, Liam's father found out and threatened to disown him if he did not break it off and Markie is the sole heir, he must marry to have an heir of his own." She filled him in on what he had missed being so high up in the chain of royalty no one bar his guard would relate rumours to him. She tilted her head when she heard some one knocking.
"Shall I see who it is?" He offered.
"And what about palace gossip?" She raised an eye brow at him. "The Prince of Earth answering the door in a Ladies chamber while she is in the bath?"
"It does not mean that I saw you." He winked at her and moved to answer the door. "Nathan, what brings you here?"
"I need to speak to Shaya for a moment…privately."
"Of course… she is in the bath…"
"I see that." She heard a few whispered words before Nathan walked up the open door.
"I'm covered if you wish to speak to me face to face." She said just loud enough so he could hear her.
"Father has chosen, Shaya." He said quietly.
She went still in the bath, she closed her eyes for a moment, sighed and stepped out of the bath and wrapped herself in a think robe that hung with in reach and exited the bathroom so she was facing him.
"Who does he wish me to marry?"
"You're not getting a choice in this Shaya. I know that he said he would try and give you one but…" He shook his head.
"Who?" she demanded as she made her way to her bed room and quickly changed into a gown of fiery red and walked out again heading for her dressing table, knowing that the ball would start in under an hour… she hadn't quiet realised that she had spent so much time with Parias getting healed until she had returned to her rooms.
"Lord Marcus."
"Markie?" She spun to face him, her face going pale. "Father wants me to marry one of my fellow guards?"
"There was no other choice for you, Shaya. He tried for a few others, but because he left it so late, no other father wanted you as an in-law because you are over marriage age."
"I'm nineteen…nearly twenty!"
"Exactly, they would have been willing to sign a contract when you turned eighteen but he turned them down because you were still in training and wanted you to have a chance of doing something that you wanted." Nathan pointed out to her as he began to pace the floor.
"Does Markie know?" She asked quietly.
"He is being told now." Nathan nodded. "This is going to need to be worked out between you and fast, Shaya. Father is getting Queen Serenity to announce it at the ball."
"So soon?" She stood up in horror.
"Father wanted the contract signed before Markie's father changed his mind." Nathan nodded, feeling sorry for her. "I tried arguing for you but he said that it had been signed two weeks ago."
"And they are only now just telling us?" She exclaimed. She stared at the door as some one knocked. Nathan didn't wait for her to say anything but opened the door to let Markie in and closed the door. She faintly noted that they too had already gotten ready for the ball.
"This was not the way I thought things would go." Markie said quietly before he ran his hand through his backside length white hair, she could tell that he was as shocked as she was at the announcement that their parents had just landed on them.
"You and me both." She sunk back down to her chair. "Did they say when the wedding would be carried out?"
"With in the month." Markie sighed and took a seat as Shaya gestured for him to sit.
"So little time to work things out." She shook her head. "Let alone enough time for us to sort out our own personal lives." She saw the looked that Nathan and Markie shared before they both watched her for a moment. "What?"
"Would you be willing to charade?" Nathan asked hesitantly. "I realise that they are going to expect an heir with in the year…"
Shaya smiled at Markie. "So you and Liam are still seeing each other"
"Very carefully and quietly." Markie nodded slowly. "I've already talked to him and he has agreed to go along with this… for as long as it takes for you to get with child."
"I can work that." She nodded in agreement. "I just wish we had more time."
"So do us all." He sighed. "You are going to have to tell any lover that you have of this agreement."
"I don't have a current one in my life." She shrugged. "We decided it was best to end it when I left for Saturn." They all looked up as Endymion and Liam walked into the room, all dress and ready to go.
"I had a word with Father and he informed me that the marriage contract was signed last year." He glanced at Markie and Liam. "When Liam's father threatened to disinherit him."
"And they only now told us?" She blinked; she could see anger in Markie's face and Liam's.
"Yes, they didn't want any one to know in case…well you disagreed." He shook his head. "But as it has been in place for a full year no one can do anything not even father."
"Not even because of the fact that we weren't told?" Markie asked softly.
"Not even because of that." He nodded. "Its done now we just have to figure out a way to make sure everyone gets what they want."
"One heir…male or female father doesn't care." Markie looked at Shaya.
"Agreed, once conception is confirmed I will not hold you to the contract…but we are still going to have to play along." She looked at Liam. "This isn't what I wanted."
"What did you want?" Liam asked softly.
"I wanted some one else." She sighed. "But he loves some one else who is in love with some one else." She shrugged showing that she wasn't the only fool. "Can you part with Markie for one night a week?"
"You think you can fall pregnant fast with only one night?" Endymion raised an eyebrow.
"If we choice the right week." She nodded in confirmation.
"When would that be?" Markie asked with a sigh. "I'm betting it will before the wedding."
"It depends on when they do it. But the perfect time is in a month." She winked at Liam. "This needs more work, now that we all know we won't be surprised when the Queen announces it which is a good thing. We can work out the rest after the ball…" She sighed. "It's a shame that you two can't dance together." She stopped to listen to the bells. "We have half an hour to get ready… I'll meet you in a few moments at Endymion's quarters…" She watched as they began to leave. "Liam…stay a moment…please." She quickly began to put on her jewellery. "I know this isn't what we wanted but it would help to hide what is going on…I know you hate sharing…there may be away for me to do this with out having to sleep with him."
"How?" He asked confused.
"Leave the details to me…I need to find out if it can be done yet… if it can't then I will find a way to make it work." She sighed. "I never wanted to step on any one's toes. Not like this. Jokes and pranks yes…but not this." She stood up and looked at him, taking up his hands. "Markie is my friend Liam, I love him like a brother nothing more and I will find a way to make this work…to your advantage"
"You may pull pranks but you never lie…I remember when you found out about us…I never thought that you would accept it, that you would expose us but you didn't." He smiled at her, faintly and she saw the hurt fade from his eyes. "Instead you found ways for us to spend more time together, and for that I thank you… for that I will try and get over any jealousy that I have…"
"We will talk after the ball." She kissed his cheek and let him escort her to Endymion's quarters and from there they headed off to the ball, each one preparing for the worst.