Prologue

Lux walked toward the throne room, her heels making a clicking sound with each step that she took. Her face had a calm expression, in contrast to the rage of emotions going on inside her.

She had failed as the leader of the protectors of the Lunarian Kingdom.

Delegating Fierra to the Elyson mission had been her first mistake. She should not have made the call without informing the Queen. She had relied on the Martian princess's natural distrustfulness to people, believing that it would have been enough to make her stay true to the mission. She had not bargained that her sister would end up falling in love with one of those mortals and then forgetting about her duty and her responsibility. She did not blame her for falling in love, although she more than surprised that Fierra, the one who seemed most dedicated in playing her role as one of the Princess's guardians, could simply abandon her path for a mere mortal. The fiery princess's attempt to return to Elyson just when she was rescued constituted as treason, and Lux was forced to send her to exile back to her home planet to cool her heels, giving her strict instructions not to leave Mars until she has been given leave to do so. The worst thing about the entire incident was the fact that Fierra just seemed to accept the sentence without argument, as though while she knew that she had made a mistake, she would still be doing the same thing given another chance.

And then there was Astra. Lux stopped herself from shivering in time, yet chills still ran down her spine when she recalled how she saw her Jovian sister's unconscious form materializing at the steps leading up to the Lunarian Palace. Agua's examination showed that Astra's body was badly injured, and it would take at least several weeks before she would be able to heal completely, an ominous reading considering that the senshi have always been blessed with rapid healing. As it were, she was thankful that her younger sister was alive, albeit unconscious. Lux, however, was forced to admit to herself that she was not looking forward to the day that Astra would regain consciousness, if only because that would mean that she had to be interviewed about what caused her injuries. Agua's reading showed that Astra had recently teleported from somewhere else, which would partially account for her weakness, but the auburn-haired woman was not authorized to teleport, at least, not without being given permission by Lux and Queen Selenity. Lux might have a reputation for toughness, but she was not looking forward to that interview, primarily because she felt that she would be estranged from another one of her sisters at the end of it.

She finally managed to reach the doors leading to the throne room. She took a deep breath before she pushed the doors open, and then curtsied to the throne.

"Rise, Lux," came the soft voice. The blond young woman rose to her feet, and then stared at the Queen of the Lunar Kingdom, the one who had practically served as her foster mother in the past years. "How is Astra?" the silver-haired monarch asked, her tone kind.

"Stable, My Queen, although still unconscious," Lux responded. "Agua believes that she will be able to recover, however."

"We are lucky that we have Agua and the healers of Mercury here," said the queen, in that same calm, gentle voice. "I shudder to think what would have happened to Astra had she not been a senshi." She straightened in her throne then. "Do you have any reports about what you have recently discovered?"

Lux noted the care in the queen's wording. Obviously, the return of Chaos was not something that the Queen intended to announce to the kingdom, at least, not anytime soon. It was a practical move, Lux noted, as premature announcements would have spread panic in the kingdom and would threaten the already fragile Alliance between the Moon and the planets. Still, Lux thought to herself, it would be wiser if at least some people were informed of this so we can prepare for battle. She knew the consequences of not providing enough information to those who need to know. "Agua confirmed what Fierra told us before… Before her exile." Lux said, struggling a little when she talked about Fierra. It was still a scandal for both the Palace and the Alliance that the Princess of Mars, one of the strongest supporters of the Lunarian Kingdom, could be sent into exile, more so because of the rumors floating around about the cause for her banishment. "The threat has now made its way to Elyson. It's only a matter of time before it would be able to accomplish what we believe are its ultimate plans." Lux hoped that the Queen would be able to understand the meaning behind her cryptic response.

She did. Queen Selenity nodded. "Then I believe it's time for us to push through with our own plans," she said softly.

Lux looked at her in surprise. The only plan that they were able to come up with bordered on the desperate, and it put a lot of individuals, including the Princess, at risk. "Are you sure about that, My Queen?" she asked. "If we push through with that, there will be no senshi on the Moon, not unless we manage to get in contact with the Outers."

Whispers filled the court at the mention of the Outers, the guardians of the planets that have tenuous links to the Alliance. "No," Queen Selenity answered her voice firm. "The Outers have their own responsibilities, as do you. We will proceed as planned."

Lux curtsied again. "As you wish, My Queen."

xxx

Aaand here's the continuation of "Ashes and Secrets" and "Woods and Whispers". At this point, I'm thinking of merging the stories of Ami/Zoicite, Minako/Kunzite, and Usagi/Mamoru in one story since I still can't seem to separate their stories in my head, but it might change depending on where the story takes me. Thanks for reading (especially for those who have been following the previous stories). Reviews are always welcome.