I in no way own Sailor Moon, just the plot and an occasional OC.
Built on Shifting Ground
Chapter Two: In the Lion's Den
"Minako. Where are you from girl? And who owned you?" The man asked cooly.
"I don't remember where I was from originally. I have been serving others for as long as I can remember. In a lord's house, in the mountains of Tandid. But it was not long ago that these men took me as payment for debts from this war, since they worked as mercenaries for my lord. I do not know who they were beyond that." She answered submissively, picking the region of the earth she had studied in the event of capture.
"Well then what was the family name of your old master? And did you know where they were taking you?"
"I never knew my lord's family name. Tandid does not allow slaves to use the name of the family they serve - just the position of the person. Like High Master or lady third wife." The man sighed to himself, of course Tandid had to have that ridiculous rule saying names give power, so underlings may not know them.
"And where were these men were taking you?"
"They never told me, and were careful not to talk about it where I could hear. All I heard was the number four. I'm not familiar with this area, so that is all I can tell you. Please, don't be angry with me, my new master. Please, I am obedient."
He winced internally at the implication that he would beat a wounded prisoner, and a woman at that. Then again, looking at her marked skin, he understood why. Yet another reason he served Endymion, a respect for human life. He crouched back down, balancing with feline grace.
"I won't hurt you. We are not like those men. I work for the house of Verdre. We do not condone senseless violence."
Minako smiled slightly at the man while he stood. That remained to be seen. They were less than friendly to strangers and the camp was well armed. This scouting mission of hers had taught her that much. But this might be the best chance of all to see if Earth, and especially this new ruling family, Verdre, had its eyes set on peace and progress or on conquest.
"Who are you, then, my new master? And what is this place?" She asked, looking anxious. He pondered her for a moment, face unreadable.
"I am called Kunzite, the King of the Middle Eastern Division, and General of High King Endymion's armies. What I am not, is your new master. My King has forbidden slavery in his lands. And you are outside of my kingdom's capital, Thhelba Sakhr, the golden rock. Also known, in the old days, as four cities."
She looked up at him hoping to look awe-struck, and scrambled to her knees to bow to him, biting back the pain. He reached for her arm to pull her up, objecting to an injured person trying to bow, and got a shock. The jolt shook him to his core. That sort of shock implied magic. What was this girl? He gripped her arm tighter without thinking. His thoughts were interrupted when Minako shrieked. He looked down at his hand which was covered in blood where a wound had reopened under the pressure from his grip. Instantly, he healed her, letting the silver magic flow into her flesh and seal the wound. Minako stared at him, gaping at the spot on her arm where his hand was, which was suddenly as perfect as if she'd seen a healer about it. No one, to her knowledge, except those trained on the moon could do that. For a moment, Kunzite's eyes showed horror and then, nothing. He pulled himself up straighter.
"A healer will attend to you. Then you will be fed and given a place to sleep. We do not mistreat our prisoners, as I have told you. But we will speak again, Minako of Tandid. Be assured of it." He said walking to the front of the tent, not looking at her, and pulled open the tent for two guards to collect her with his good hand. She looked back over her shoulder before the tent closed. She watched him wipe her blood off his hand.
She let herself be taken to a nearby tent, green in color, where the others were blue and white. Inside, a woman sat reading a book, nibbling a date distractedly. Her long brown hair was braided back in a single long plait, and she wore deep blue robes that suited her bronzed skin. She was beautiful, with high cheek bones and a full mouth, but struck Minako as odd for some reason. She jumped to her feet when she noticed the intruders in what was clearly her domain. Huffing, she directed the men to lay the girl down on the second bed and to fetch food and water. She mumbled to herself about knocking and tents before she turned great gray eyes to Minako and spoke with warmth in a voice that lilted.
"Hello there my poor creature. No worries, we'll have you perfect by morning and just as pretty as ever. No scars." She smiled, pointing to her own back. "I've treated worse lash marks!" she laughed merrily to herself and bustled about humming and filling a large glass bowl with various colored liquids from a wall of decanters. A cool, clean smell filled the room. Like what hung around Ami on the days she trained with the healers. It was soothing in its familiarity. The healer picked up the bowl and set it down on the table beside the bed, pulling up a stool. She gently pulled back the clothing on her torso and coated Minako's skin in the dark green liquid, massaging it into the skin. It felt like ice being poured into her veins and Minako pulled back from the woman.
"Don't worry, darling. It is just a powerful numbing agent. Otherwise this would burn mercilessly all night." She resumed tapped her foot, humming the same bubbly little tune. Minako began to feel in the touch of the healer the unmistakable comfort of magic. She looked at the woman, eyes narrowed.
"Yes, dear. I'm using magic on you. I know you can sense it. But, then, we are both not what we appear to be." The woman mused.
"I don't understand you." Minako replied carefully.
"Truly, Venusian, such a front. Now stay put," She said, pushing Minako back down as she prepared to flee. " Calm down now. You can't have a scent like yours and not be a Venusian. And since you have it, you must be a Venusian. Simple. So of course I'm not surprised that you know what magic feels like, although I cannot sense any in you. Must have suppressed itself as a defense mechanism. I've seen that a few times. Well, don't worry about me. I won't be hurting you and I won't be telling anyone who could."
"Why should I trust you?" Minako countered.
"Didn't I say we're both not what we appear to be?" She paused, looking into Minako's eyes which widened a fraction, but whose face showed no other sign of surprise, "Oh, come on girl. You know as well as I do that true healers are only trained on the moon. You know this, so guess, what kind of magic does this feel like?"
She returned to ministering to a wound on Minako's temple, who waited, trying to confirm her suspicions. And then the caress of magic washed over her, as familiar as her mother's hand.
"Lunarian! You are a Lunarian." The woman smiled.
"And you are not just some Venusian if you can recognize that easily that I was not simply an Earthling trained on the moon but was an actual Lunarian. But an average Venusian would never have enough contact with people from another planet to know one kind of magic from any other. No, only Royalty engage regularly. You're a long way from home, little princess." Minako's breath caught in her throat at how easily she had slipped. She moved to recover the error.
"By that extension of the argument, since you who can recognize more than one type of magic, you must be royalty, but you are not." Minako challenge boldly.
"Very good extension, but wrong. Two flaws in your response. One, I did not know you by your magic, since I cannot sense it, but by your scent. And two, you just told me I was not royalty. Which means you must know who is, and what they look like. No normal Venusian would know that. Which confirms to me that you must be the Sailor Venus, the only Venusian who dwells with the Lunarian royal family. But good try." Minako deflated, realizing she had no choice in her weakened state but to trust this woman who was also so far from home. After a few moments, she perked up again.
"May I ask, how old are you? " The woman's eyes sparkled.
"190 or so, my love" Replied the flawlessly beautiful woman.
"Of course." Minako muttered, the initial oddness she had sensed explained: an old woman's mannerisms in a twenty-year-old's body. Of course. But something still tugged at her, and not having anything better to do, she pressed the issue.
"You don't have the looks of a Lunarian," Minako probed, thinking of her half Lunarian, half Venusian Princess whose blond hair set her apart from the rest of her people. "You have the eyes, but otherwise..."
"Father - a trader. I think. From god knows where. Gave me his looks, enough to fit in here in the deserts of Earth. A gift, the only one, from the father I never met." She said pleasantly.
"So if you were raised on the moon, and learned you craft there, how did you come to practice for an Earthling militia?"
"A fair question. I fell in love. Quite a while ago now, long before the civil wars, when Earth was at peace. A man from the house of Estell came with a diplomatic party to the moon, on behalf of my King's father, Theseus. I was attending her high majesty then, yes Queen Serenity. I was still so young, only 160 then. Still so inexperienced, and then this man of unparalleled character and beauty enters my life. So, naturally, I fell for him. Any girl would have. And he fell for me too. Goddess knows why, perhaps it is the Earthlings say 'Opposites attract'. In any case, I gave up everything to join him here and be his wife. In a few years, I had a child. But the climate on Earth was growing tense even then. It all went wrong when the Queen died and he took on the other wives. Yes, before my child was of age, all the seeds of a revolution were planted. The king had five sons, with four different mothers, the living three all positioning to get their sons on the throne. And so war came, naturally, two years ago. Yes, when earth cut contact with the other planet's. And I'm sure you're interested princess, so don't give me that innocent expression. Why else would you be sulking about in disguise. Am I right?" Minako chewed at her lower lip, but said nothing.
"Thought so. As I was saying, since it is no secret down here, it all changed two years ago when the old king died and, let's just say, the heir became...unclear. It instantly set off civil war. The brothers pitted against one another, and the youngest was only 8! His mother, that woman, Goddess, what a woman! Not worthy to share the same title as the first queen, may her memory always live on always. And the others no better. I can only say, the king was not thinking straight. Anyways, his subjects and advisers and lords quickly took sides. My husband among them. Myself too."
"Who did you pick?" Minako asked, entranced.
"I picked the Verdre standard."she took a deep breath, "My husband chose Metali."
Minako saw, for the first time, sorrow cloud the gray eyes.
"Why?" Minako asked before she could stop herself. She winced as the woman stiffened.
"Because he was seduced by that creature, that poor excuse for a woman. Fool! So taken in that he cannot see who would be the best king. Anyone with a mind should know that our boy is every inch the king. Brilliant, devoted to his people, powerful, kind but not afraid of the sword. Worthy. Endymion of Verdre is the rightful king." He voice was low now with the intensity of tested, challenged belief, "And I loved my husband once. And I could forgive him for betraying me with he. But not the betrayal of our prince."
They sat quiet for a moment. Then the woman stood calmly, with a smile.
"Well, you're all done. " Minako looked down to notice that the healer had finished her work without the patient even noticing. A true healer. the woman reached for another decanter and poured the blue stuff into a low glass. "Here, now take this. You'll sleep better." Minako complied without question, her doubts about this woman assuaged by the story and sincerity. As sleep started to soften her grasp on the waking world, a final question occurred to her. Drowsily, she asked,
"What about your child, what happened to your child?"
"They survived to adulthood, and choose sides in this world, just like the rest of us."
"Mhm, but which side?" Her eyelids were heavy and the image of the woman slipped in and out before her.
"That, little girl, and this is the only area of my life this is true of, is a private matter,"
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