Chapter One: Partita
Princess Serenity sat before her vanity, staring at her reflection. Another night, another ball. Another night of men vying for her attention and affection. Another night of endless pleasantries and endless small talk. Another night of two-faced courtiers looking out only for themselves and their fortunes. An endless round of etiquette, girlish laughter, being a trophy on some man's arm.
She sighed. Honestly, she could never understand the compulsion.
Serenity knew that she was believed to be beautiful, and in a way she believed and knew it too. With her long, silver-blonde hair and large, jewel-blue eyes and fair porcelain skin she was a slight and ethereal creature. Her eyes always seemed to laugh, her cheeks tinted faintly pink, fair and slim and petite. Many called her an angel.
Only a very few realised that there was another, darker side to the beautiful, bright, naïve princess of the White Moon. Her mother knew, and that was why her guard and court lived most of their time on the Moon in the palace with her, and they knew as well. But they could not help, and so they mostly let her be.
She blew bangs from her eyes and sighed again. Tonight was going to be so boring, even if it was her sixteenth birthday.
A tap at her door. "Princess, are you ready?" it opened to reveal a blonde dressed in orange velvets and silks and gauzy yellow satins, all imported from her home world, which was famous for its art and clothing. The young woman was the Venusian Princess, the leader of the Inner Senshi, Serenity's personal court. Her name was Aramina de Calista. "We have been asked to escort you down tonight."
"Yes, I am ready." Serenity rose from her seat and twirled a little in the middle of her spacious bedchamber so that the light garments of her skirt floated around her.
"You look beautiful Princess, as always." Venus smiled and curtsied.
Serenity returned the smile and nodded. Everyone always told her that. "Shall we go?" the two girls walked out of the Moon Princess's chambers.
Lady Mercury waited for them in the hall outside. "Lady Mars and Lady Jupiter are waiting by the entrance." she explained in her demure voice.
Venus, nodded, accepting it even if it went against her orders a little. No doubt the two were surveying those already in attendance, working out who they would have to bodily throw out when Serenity arrived.
Lady Mercury was the Mercurian Princess, Amelie le Lanthe, the daughter of King Hermes and Queen Peitho. She was as petite as her sovereign princess, and as fair of skin, with eyes several shades darker that resembled sapphires and hair of the same colour. She wore a long gown of blue silk with a paler colour trailing behind her. Like Lady Venus she wore a ribbon of her colour around her throat as well as a delicate gold chain with a tear-drop sapphire lying against her fair skin.
Lady Venus' ribbon was orange-gold, the jewel on the chain amber. Both girls wore delicate gold chains around their wrists with small beads set at intervals; ambers for Venus and light sapphires for Mercury. Serenity wore a similar pendent and bracelet set, only hers were pearl. Three pearls were in her hair on either side of her head as well.
The three girls walked down together, Serenity in lead, chatting to them amiably, the other two following behind and replying when it was polite to do so. The court of the Moon Princess were among those counted as close friends to Serenity, but rarely were they so friendly while in the company of others, reverting instead to the expected and more proper relationship of Princess and guards.
Lady Mars had just returned to the curtained entrance to the grand ballroom when they arrived. Raechal de Aine had long dark violet hair fell in a shimmering curtain to her hips, a stark contrast against her fair skin and the scarlet and pale red gown. In her hair was a beautiful red flower, Serenity decided it was most likely Martian in its origin, and her pendent and bracelet were set with glittering rubies from Mars' finest mines.
"Jupiter is on the dance floor somewhere." she said bluntly. "Some noble whisked her away as we headed back here."
Serenity giggled and shared a conspiratorial wink with Venus.
Lady Jupiter had a fierce reputation as a warrior and was intimidating to most everyone by first appearance, but she wasn't as tough as she led everyone to believe. The others knew of her softer, more romantic side, which had come as a small surprise. As well as this soft, gooey interior, as Serenity seemed so fond of calling it however wrong it sounded – she was convinced Rosalita Donar-Sierra was like a chocolate brownie – Lady Jupiter was one of the finest dancers in the Silver Alliance, second only to her sovereign princess, as well as an outstanding athlete. Not to mention that, despite what the Jovian herself believed, she was actually rather pretty.
"Then let us go in, perhaps we can save her from certain boredom." Lady Venus winked and she and the other two left Serenity at the curtain to make her entrance.
Serenity took several deep breaths before she nodded to the announcer who was peering at her through the curtain, waiting for her cue. He nodded in return and stood straight and looked out over the sea of people gathered in the cavernous ballroom as Serenity made her silent and unnoticed appearance on his side of the veil.
"Announcing her royal highness, sovereign princess of the Silver Alliance and daughter of her gracious majesty the sovereign Queen Selenity, Princess Serenity of the White Moon Kingdom!"
Heads turned and murmurs drifted lazily through the air as Serenity began her slow, graceful descent down the sweeping staircase. She could see standing near the bottom of the stair her court of four, Venus, Mercury and Mars having retrieved Lady Jupiter from whatever aristocrat had caught her.
When she reached the bottom of the stair the people bowed to her, and she curtsied in return, though her dip was shallower, before making her way through the parting sea of guests to her seat at her mother's side. Queen Selenity wasn't much taller than her daughter, and her hair, while silvery, had a lilac tone to it, her eyes more grey, with a glow much like Serenity's delicate luminescence. She was the one woman whom Serenity thought of as truly beautiful.
Once the Moon Princess was seated beside her, Selenity stood and addressed the guests. "As you all know, today is my daughter's sixteenth birthday, and a special day for any young lady. But tonight, it is all the more important, for starting tonight is when my daughter Serenity and myself shall begin to choose a suitor for her hand."
There were more murmurings and the Inner Senshi discreetly made their way closer to their princess.
"Please, let the celebration continue." Selenity sat down again as the music struck up once more. She turned to her daughter, knowing her guards would hear, and spoke again when no aristocrats were listening in. "The Outer Senshi shall be attending tonight's celebration, we shall go out shortly to meet them off the Teleport."
Serenity nodded and continued to watch the dancers, her lovely face serene.
The Inner Senshi watched the celebrations for now also, rather than joining in. They were required to stay near the Princess until she allowed them to go.
"Jupiter." the tall Jovian looked at her commander. "The Queen has informed me that she requires us to escort her and the Princess to the Teleport of the palace. The Outer Senshi shall be attending the festivities tonight."
Jupiter nodded, her green eyes betraying what her face wouldn't show; curiosity.
The two Senshi teams of the Silver System were rarely together, the last time had been during a festival, when Jupiter and Mercury had almost literally run into Lady Uranus and Lady Neptune. The resulting race had exhausted the two more athletic members of the Silver Guard almost to the extreme. Both had been confined to bed rest for the remainder of the week, but, being Senshi, they had recovered rapidly. The race had ended in a tie.
When Selenity rose and gestured for her daughter to follow her the Inner Senshi followed them both. They walked silently through empty halls until they reached the teleportation pad in an inner courtyard. It was glowing, meaning that there was an incoming party. Queen Selenity and Princess Serenity stood together several metres from the pad, before the entrance to the lunar palace. The Inner Senshi stood off to one side, not too close but near enough in case something went wrong.
The teleportation pad was not the only method of transport between the nine planetary kingdoms, though it was considered the fastest and usually the safest. The pad was a circular raised platform of a strange plasma-like substance on a metal alloy base; the plasma glowed a dull white and formed a solid surface when pressure was exerted upon it. It was operated by a co-ordinate base that stood a few feet from the pad itself, upon which where the controls to operate the system. This one linked only with a few locations, the Senshi Castles among them; the one in the main courtyard linked to more. Mercury knew how it worked, partly because the device had been invented on her home world, but the operating system largely confused the other three.
The humming of the pad increased and the glow brightened a little as several shapes began to materialise on the surface of the platform. Three women.
"The Outer Planetary Senshi." Whispered Venus to the others as they watched the three step from the platform, approach the Queen and the Princess and curtsy. Or bow, as in the case of Uranus. Venus pointed to each in turn, in case her comrades did not already know who each was. "Sailors Uranus, Neptune and Pluto."
"What about Saturn?" Asked Mars, tossing deep violet hair back over her shoulder. "Why is she not present?"
"Do you not know?" Mercury's voice was soft and demure, but at the same time cold, as always. "Sailor Saturn is considered too powerful and dangerous to take her place in the Outer Senshi team. She is feared by many for the strength she wields. Although she does have a place in the Outer Planetary System, she is kept in slumber within her castle until she is needed. Her power is viewed as only a last resort for the Silver Alliance."
Mars now looked over to the three young women barely much older than themselves. "Why? What's so dangerous about her?"
Venus answered, her deep blue eyes, tinted with lilac at the centre, serious and grave. "Sailor Saturn can destroy worlds."
Jupiter wasn't entirely listening to their talk, but rather was watching the older women talk briefly with the Queen. More specifically she watched Lady Uranus, the blonde. There was something about her that Jupiter recognised but couldn't place. Green-gold eyes narrowed in concentration, but the memory just wouldn't surface.
As though she sensed she was being watched, Princess Amara turned to meet Jupiter's gaze directly. The brunette didn't flinch, although that feeling of recognition increased somewhat irritatingly. The other three gasped a little at the mild staring contest, Queen Selenity and Princess Trista looked merely amused, Princess Serenity looked confused while Princess Michelle looked simply a little impatient.
The silver-blue eyes widened a little as though in recognition, but almost immediately returned to their cat-lazy state as though the surprise in them had never existed. She smirked and followed her sovereign Queen and Princess inside, followed by her two comrades.
"Jupiter, what was that about?" hissed Venus. The amazon merely shrugged and, giving up for the moment, Venus led her team inside again.
They re-joined the party in time to see their Princess swept away by a young nobleman for a dance. Venus soon followed, partly because she couldn't resist the young man who approached her and partly to keep an eye on the young heir to the White Moon throne.
Soon enough another young man approached Mercury, in the hopes of dancing with her, but the blue-haired young woman, famous for being an ice princess in almost literal terms, ignored him until he turned instead to Lady Mars, who allowed him to lead her along.
"I forget sometimes how much you hate crowds." Jupiter said, her tone revealed she was amused.
Mercury turned cold blue eyes to her and then back again, to where she could see Venus' blonde head spinning through the throng. "It is not that I hate this sort of situation, Lady Jupiter, merely that I am uncomfortable."
"Doesn't it mean the same?" a smirk played with the Jovian's lips. When the Mercurian merely gave her an irritated glance she chuckled. "I'm not that into parties either. I used to sneak off as a kid."
"And what did you do?" Jupiter didn't often talk about her childhood, mostly because, as she had once admitted to them, she couldn't remember half of it. Jupiter was the eldest of the Inner Senshi, followed by Mars then Venus. Mercury was youngest, although Serenity was even younger.
The pattern fit all the Silver Alliance Crown Princesses. The closer to the sun, the younger the girl. Serenity was the exception to the rule.
Jupiter chuckled again. "Trained with the soldiers." she moved away then, and Mercury followed the auburn head until it became lost in the sea of guests.
The Lady Jupiter was something of a puzzle to Mercury. Whereas Amelie, like all from her planet, tended to follow cold logic rather than heated emotion, Rosalita survived almost purely on instinct. The taller woman had openly admitted that she wasn't anywhere near as smart as the renowned Ice Princess of Serenity's court, and that sometimes technology confused her, especially some of the things that Amelie used in everyday life. She preferred to live by her instincts and emotions, sometimes openly mocking Amelie for her heavy reliance on complex computer systems and cold hard data. The retort was always something about Jupiter's apparent barbarism and adherence to older ways of life, the idea of living and dying in constant battle, something that Rosalita would alternately react to with an indifferent shrug, a smile or just plain anger.
The problem with the latter was that she was very strong for a young woman. But then, she was a Senshi.
In the same way Amelie was a puzzle to Rosalita; the Jovian had no idea how someone could live and act solely on the reliance of technology and data, reacting only to simulations, coming to a decision based solely on long, complicated analysis that often took days to reach a conclusion. She believed that the planet Mercury was cutting itself off from the real world by enveloping itself in technology, simulations and virtual analysis and found it a weakness belonging to the race that Amelie represented.
The Mercurian was just pondering this when something caught her eye; a young man with long, wavy, honey-blond hair up in a ponytail wearing a dark tunic and trousers, carefully embroidered with shimmering threads, that was standing nearby.
Now normally this wouldn't attract her attention; she had better things to do with her time than collect boys like Lady Venus did. However something about this young man in particular drew her gaze away from the colourful dancers. It wasn't his dark clothes; many of the young men here wore dark colours, it was the fashion. Nor was it the fact that he wore a dark, glittering mask; everybody here wore masks, it was part of the theme for the Princess's birthday ball, only Queen Selenity, Princess Serenity, Venus, Mars, Mercury and Jupiter weren't wearing masks yet. No, Amelie got the feeling that he didn't want to be seen.
Watching him now she realised he seemed to be looking for someone, or rather was watching a particular person. She tried to follow his gaze but thought she was mistaken; it seemed to lead her to the Princess and that couldn't be right. Then she realised that he wasn't watching her Princess, but rather the young man who was moving towards her ready to engage her in a dance.
That would explain it; he was a guard for some visiting dignitary. Mercury tried to put him from her mind.
Except that there were no out-of-system dignitaries in attendance that she knew of.
Her gaze moved to him once more, sharply this time rather than slowly. Who was he? So far as she could tell there was no insignia on his forehead that would identify him to her. Then again the mask would cover it up. And she didn't get the sense from him that he was Venusian, which his hair seemed to identify him as, nor as Uranian or Lunarian. Jupiter, Mars, Mercury, Saturn and Pluto all had darker hair as more common, Neptune was somewhere in the middle, but there was usually a greenish tone.
Of course, there was Terra; its people had many different colours of hair and skin, many races on one world. But no, that was impossible surely, after all contact with Terra was forbidden and had been non-existent for centuries. Besides, how in the universe would a Terran get up onto the Moon? The idea was laughable; Terra was a rural planet that was far behind in technology, far inferior to its neighbours.
No, he couldn't be Terran. Amelie laughed at herself for even thinking it.
She looked to the crowds again. The young man had reached her Princess, intercepting her when her partner twirled her around by catching her hand and leading her away. Serenity seemed surprised but not uncomfortable. In fact, Amelie thought her face looked a little pinker.
Amelie reached a delicate hand up to her right ear and tapped her earring – a small tear-shaped Mercurian sapphire – lightly once with her middle finger. Her visor flashed into place across her eyes. Looking through the transparent light blue screen, which served both as eye protection and as a read out for her miniature hand-held computer, she was instantly presented with a stream of data on whatever she focused on.
She could clearly see that Serenity's core body temperature had risen by a slight fraction of a degree, which indicated that she was either embarrassed or flustered. She suspected it was the latter. Now she turned attention to the mystery-man she had seen earlier, but he had vanished. Mouth hanging slightly open, Amelie tapped the earring once more to make the visor vanish and moved to the spot where he had stood.
And discovered that she now had a clear line of vision to her Princess and the man she danced with. The crowd had stopped to look at them but for a few people; Lady Mars and her companion still danced, as did Lady Jupiter who danced with a Jovian aristocrat. She could no longer see Lady Venus.
Mars looked more annoyed by the second, her companion more amused. Amelie could only surmise that he was taunting her and that soon her fiery comrade's temper would flare. She got a similar vibe from him, a blond similar to Venus' hair, as she had from the man who had first caught her attention.
Jupiter was trying to not lose sight of the Princess and her partner, for she looked at them and turned her head to follow them. She looked impressed, for her eyebrow was arched and a grim, appreciative smile had made its way to the corner of her mouth.
Princess Serenity was being twirled and lead expertly around the floor, her long silvery hair flowing like ribbons of pure moonlight and the skirt of her dress floating and swirling with her light movements. Her eyes had attained an odd shine as she either stared serenely if a little mistily at her audience when the young man twirled her or up at him.
Amelie sorely wished she could see his face, but it was hidden by a white mask, a contrast to his dark clothing.
Princess Raechal of Mars, however, was currently trying her hardest not to simply toast the insufferable idiot she had landed as a dance partner. She was proud to think that so far she had succeeded; how much longer that success would hold out for, however, she simply didn't know.
"You are looking very irritated, my lady." He flashed her a smile that was all amusement.
She nearly huffed, but settled instead for scowling up at him. "Do I? I can't imagine why that would be so."
Her sarcasm was ignored, turned aside by another smile. "Do you know what I think?"
"No, but I dare say you are going to tell me whether I want to know or not."
He winced with mock-hurt. "You wound me, my lady." Then he smiled again, "But you are right. What I think, is that you need to relax a little."
"I am relaxed." She snapped. Why did this man vex her so?
"Are you? You feel a little tense to me." He spun her out and brought her back to him. "I think you should relax a little, let your guard down." He smiled a little more as though this should mean something then added: "You are very pretty, but you could be beautiful, if only you would smile."
Despite her anger Raechal could feel the faint blush that heated her cheeks. The anger melted to be replaced by something altogether more awkward and demure.
"Where are you from?" she asked instead of trying to form any kind of reply. Her sixth sense was confusing her about this strange young man.
He gave her an enigmatic smile, his green-blue eyes glinting mischievously behind his mask. "From nowhere you would know, my dark and lovely lady."
There was a commotion by the balcony and a man looked around a pillar and beckoned to him. Serenity's partner looked to him as well before glancing at Raechal's dance partner. He kissed Serenity's hand, murmured something – he had been murmuring to her almost since he took her hand – and began to weave through the crowd.
"You must forgive my abrupt departure, my lady." The blond kissed her hand and winked. "Perhaps Fate would be kind to me and send your presence my way again in the future." He followed the other.
Raechal stared after him, as bemused for once as Serenity looked.
"Mars?" it was Jupiter. "Is everything ok? Who was he?"
Palace guards entered the room, scanned the bewildered crowds, and then left again.
"I don't know." Mars murmured. "He took my hand shortly after that one took Serenity's. He was constantly teasing me. I don't even know where he was from."
Shouts outside. Jupiter looked towards the balcony and then at Venus, who was talking with Serenity.
"You didn't get his name, his planet of origin, anything?"
"No." a sigh. "Oh Venus he was so . . ."
The Venusian looked at Jupiter and Mars and shrugged, as clueless as they were.
o.O.o
It was several hours later, after the ball had finished. The palace was quiet and peaceful, the night aglow with the light cast from the Moon's closest neighbour, Terra. Serenity stood on her balcony in a long, filmy nightgown, gazing up at the planet of blue and green.
That world was always in sight, night and day, but it was less visible during the sunlight hours, appearing as a phantom in the sky to the Lunerians who gazed upon it. It had fascinated her since she had been very small, but Terra was a forbidden world, off limits to the Silver Alliance due to some quarrel between an ancestor of hers and one of Terra's past royals. Perhaps that was why it fascinated her so.
She knew that her mother was disappointed that she hadn't found a suitor at the ball, but it didn't matter much. There would be other times for that. Right now her thoughts were full of Terra, as they always were at night when she gazed up at the planet, but also of the young man who had danced with her and run off when the guards had arrived.
"I am here on behalf of another kingdom, one which you know not even though you see it every day . . . . And what would your ideals be, Princess Serenity, for when you take the throne of your kingdom? . . . . Why? Because I wish to know if I have an ally for the future or whether my world's state of ignorance should continue."
He had been . . . strange, she supposed. But his eyes . . . Serenity had never seen eyes like his, eyes like the midnight sky that were as deep as any ocean, intense, sad and hopeful all at once. She fancied that if she had run her fingers through his hair then it would be soft and silky, black silk. He had been strong, she had seen the muscles beneath the rich dark blue clothing, but with her he'd been nothing but gentle. Tender, even.
"If you had the means to save your kingdom but not the power and needed the help, would you not seek an ally? . . . . Ah but your beauty belies your mind, Princess. You look as delicate as a butterfly, but I'd wager that you are as sharp as a knife, sharper than some may give you credit for. You are no fool."
Serenity sighed and rested her chin in her hand.
A knock on her door. "Princess, is everything alright?" the voice was soft, the tone it used had an air of usually being of ice rather than the slight warmth it displayed now. The door to her bedchamber opened slowly and the Moon Princess made out short dark hair and pale skin. "You locked yourself away when you came back here." Mercury explained quietly, now dressed in short pale blue tunic and gold sandals.
Serenity offered her a warm smile. "I'm alright. I just felt like being alone for a while." She re-entered her own room and sat on the edge of her bed. "Mercury . . ." she stopped, looking at the floor and trying to think. She shook her head. "No, never mind. Don't worry about it."
Mercury watched her silently with eyes that right then were a little concerned. "What is it, Princess?" Her charge was dreamy, yes, and yes she could be a little naïve, but usually she had a heart of gold. Although she had an unnerving habit of manipulating people and sometimes Mercury didn't think Serenity realised she was doing it.
Serenity looked up, her blue eyes seeming to glow in the earthlight. Overall Serenity looked as sweet and innocent as an angel.
The Mercurian decided that now was probably one of those times when Serenity didn't realise she was being manipulative.
"Could you do something for me?" Serenity asked, slowly, as though choosing and weighing her words carefully. "Without telling Venus or the others?"
The blue haired young woman went a little stiff. Venus was her commander and the thought of disobeying orders, regardless of what she sometimes thought of the Venusian, didn't sit well with her. Neither did telling an outright lie to anybody, which she sensed she would probably have to do.
As though she sensed her guard's desire to object Serenity hastily added, "I promise, it's nothing illegal, nothing dangerous. It's a simple task, but I want it finished quickly and you are the best person I can think of to do it."
Shaking her head – it was one of those times after all – Mercury replied "If it so simple and harmless why can I not tell anybody about it?"
"Because nobody would probably approve of it even though it is simple and harmless." Serenity smiled. "It's just a little fact-finding mission. Nothing enormous." She paused. "Well, mother might, perhaps, but I don't want to get her hopes up. Besides, using my intelligence officer to find out about this? They would say it was a waste of resources!" she gave a girlish laugh, silvery, feather-light.
Wary, Mercury watched her princess for several long and silent minutes. Serenity stared right on back, willing her guard to listen to her and do as she asked. Sapphire blue stared into crystal blue, and it was the sapphire orbs that looked away in the end.
"Alright, I'll do it. But I am not happy about your willing me to secrecy." She took a deep breath. "What do want me to uncover?"
The Moon Princess's smile lit up the room. "Thank you, Mercury, you have no idea how much this means to me. I knew I could count on you for this." When Mercury just stared at her coldly Serenity sat up straighter, and her tone changed from warm and friendly to cool and commanding. "The man I was dancing with tonight, the one who ran away when the guards arrived. I want you to find out who he is and where he is from."
Mercury ignored the sudden chill that shivered up her spine like some premonition. But that was absurd. Mars and Jupiter dealt with that sort of thing; she only dealt with hard facts. Pushing away the ominous feeling and the thoughts of two more young men like the one her Princess had in mind, she bowed from the waist, one hand flat over her heart while the other fluttered out to the side. "As you wish, Princess." She turned to leave. "Goodnight."
Serenity watched her leave and when the door had closed behind Mercury with a quiet click, she rose and went out onto her balcony once more.
o.O.o
In her own rooms, Lady Mars knelt before the fire in the reception room of her suit, gazing into the flame that was both her blessing and her curse. Her pale brow was furrowed and her eyes narrowed, looking like twin storm clouds in an otherwise delicate face; fierce and observant.
Raechal no longer wore the gown she had worn at the ball; now she wore a short tunic belted at her waist with a gold band with an intricate engraving of flames, a short cloak flowed from her shoulders, clasped over her breast by a broach of gold set with a large oval ruby, around her throat a choker and on her feet sandals of gold. The cloth of tunic and cloak were pale red, almost pink, the choker was slightly darker in colour. Around each wrist a wide band of gold.
On Mars she was a Princess, but she was also a Priestess of the Flame by royal tradition. Only a few alive today had seen the fiery heart of Mars inside Mount Hephaestus, the path to the heart of the planet that one day she would have to tread. Only two others beside Raechal. Her father Ares and his cousin, Lady Keahi.
Since arriving on the White Moon several years ago at the age of fifteen Terran (and Lunarian) years she had only used her gift for fire scrying a few times. Each time had been rewarded with success.
But those times had been for her Princess's safety, and while now she could argue that she was concerned for her charge's safety, she also knew that it was her own curiosity. If she found anything out of vital importance she would inform Mercury, and let her deal with the facts. Raechal dealt mostly with impressions. The flickering flames gave her images, sensations and feelings.
A planet with a pure heart that was being consumed by darkness.
Pain. A lot of pain. Both physical and mental, perhaps even emotional.
Greed, or was it envy she could feel? It could have been both.
Hatred and love. No, love was too pure, this was more like . . . lust. She shuddered.
Tragedy and betrayal.
A moon eclipsed.
The strength of love. Sacred promises. Light battling darkness. Blue-green eyes, blond hair. Now the eyes became midnight blue, the hair black. Then steel and silver. Green and honey. Brown on brown. Red, yellow, blue, green and white.
All this and more that she couldn't cope with by herself flashed before her eyes, playing again and again in her mind like a distorted tape, flickering images.
Ice. The cold steel of a sword. Fire. Lightning. Too late . . . something about it being too late. Wheels already in motion. The darkness reaching skyward, extending tendrils of shadow to the moon, overpowering and eclipsing the light. Terra . . . something about Ter-
Raechal let out a scream as the images drowned her. She collapsed.
The fire died down a little, not much more than embers now.
The door to her chambers burst open and Venus and Jupiter rushed in, Jupiter held a ball of electrical energy in one hand, a short sword in the other, and looked around to ensure that no intruder was present while Venus reached for her Martian comrade. The young woman's brow was beaded with sweat. With a gesture of her blonde head Venus asked Jupiter to pick her up and carry her to her bed. The Jovian complied, looking worried.
Venus let out a sigh and cast a quick, brief glance to the flame as though to ward off a chill before going out to fetch Mercury, wherever she was. If she had stayed and gazed into the fire's depths a little longer she would have seen a tongue of flame twist, tiredly forming one last image for any to see.
A single rose in bloom that wilted and died, only to bloom again.