Here's a summary on the layout of this story. Each chapter will typically cover one to two events; a fancy dinner party, various public relations events, or a private outing for the girls. Ergo, the chapters will not be very long (except maybe towards the end). I don't plan for this story to go above twenty chapters.

I decided to post the first chapter to show how serious I am about completing AoE, because who wants to read a story that just has a prologue? No one. Enjoy!

(PS Still don't own Sailor Moon. What's a girl have to do?)

Chapter 1

"It's time," Selenity announced one day at dinner. Princess Serenity looked up at her mother at the head of the table. A piece of chicken was poised to enter her mouth. Artemis sat across from Serenity while the Sailor Scouts took the next two seats on either side of the table. Serenity's Aunt Daphne, Mina's mother, sat at the head of the table opposite the Queen. "We should rebuild, physical, diplomatic ties with Earth once more."

"Mother?" Serenity questioned. It had been six years since an Earthling or a Lunadian had stepped foot on the other planet. After the assassination of her father, brother, and the Earthen King, all traffic was deemed high risk and put to a halt once all refugees had been recollected. Princess Serenity had been declared heir presumptive and Prince Endymion had been crowned King, while his mother became Queen Dowager. "Are you sure it's a good idea?"

"We won't be leaving tomorrow dear, but we'll begin preparations. Maybe after your twenty-second birthday we'll go there on the maiden voyage, stay for a little while."

"Maiden voyage? Are you sure that's safe?"

"Artemis?" the Queen turned to her chief advisor.

"Princess, we will have the Sailor Scouts follow you in fighter ships along with a battalion of the Lunar Space Force. We won't announce the exact date of the trip to the public and media outlets will be strictly prohibited until you have landed safely on Earth. King Endymion will establish a safe port for you to land in and will greet you on the other side."

"Why wasn't I told about this sooner?" the princess questioned.

"Dear, only Artemis and I have been working out the plans with Mercury, who took a vow of silence."

"Mercury!" Mars exclaimed, punching her in the arm.

"I shall never disobey an order from my Queen," Mercury quoted one of her vows, rubbing her arm. "Don't worry, I put your fighter at the head of the procession, Jupiter in the rear and Venus and I flanking the royal ship."

"Sounds like a decent plan…" Venus trailed off. "We're gonna have to brush up on our piloting skills. I was starting to get a little bored there."

"And hand to hand combat. Who will guard their majesties while we are there?"

"Daphne and Artemis have agreed to be my consorts while there, the four of you will be with the princess."

"Mother, shouldn't we even the forces?"

"Daphne and Artemis are plenty for me dear. And besides, I will spend most of my time inside the royal grounds. You'll be going on public relation events around the planet."

"Why me? You're the Queen!"

"And you're the future Queen, even more important. Eat; we can discuss more tomorrow. Have the night to think on it." The group finished their meal in silence; digesting not only their food but also the information they had just been given. Serenity excused herself first and began the walk to her room. She took a detour however and headed for the balcony that held the prettiest view of Earth. She glided out onto it and put her elbows on the railing, staring up at the beautiful blue orb. Six years, six years since she had last been there! Six years since she had even spoken to anyone from Earth. Jupiter had been given that specific duty.

"Sere," a soft voice called out. She turned to see a young man around her age in the gardens beneath the balcony. "What's wrong?" He immediately ran for the steps that led up to the porch and to her side. She let herself be held within his wispy form and buried her head in his chest.

"Asanuma, I'm going to Earth."

"When? Why?" he asked, backing a step away from her but still holding her within his arms.

"Diplomatic business, my mother just told me today."

"Don't be scared, everything's going to be just fine! Whoever was responsible for the assassination has kept quiet."

"Silently planning their next attack!"

"Well if it makes you so uncomfortable, why don't you just ask your mother to postpone the trip?"

"No, we have to do this with Earth and coordinate our forces once more. We can't live in fear," she informed him. "But I can't help but feel it." He placed a kiss atop her head and rested his cheek on it.

"Will I get to see you in school tomorrow?" he asked.

"Yes, but what are you doing here tonight?" she questioned.

"I was going to surprise you, but you surprised me!"

"How did you get on the palace grounds?"
"My parents were meeting with your mother earlier today. I've been hanging around since."

"Ah," Serenity nodded. They stayed like that a little longer. They were in an unspoken relationship of sorts and had been for a couple months now. They attended the Lunadian University together, along with the Scouts and other future diplomats.

"Serenity!" a voice called out. She quickly backed away from Asanuma. Relationships was strictly forbidden by her mother, since Asanuma was not a major diplomat nor guaranteed to be one. He had to be elected and any connection with her was unfair. Serenity turned to see Lita, dressed as Sailor Jupiter, walking towards them. "What's he doing here?"

"We were just talking!" Serenity informed her.

"That didn't look like just talking, what if your mother had seen you out here? Or worse, the media?"

"I'm sorry, it was my fault. I saw that she was upset-."

"Upset? Sere what's going on? Come on, we can talk inside over dessert." Jupiter turned to Asanuma next. "You should make yourself scarce. If I ever see you within the palace again, you will be sorry." He nodded and jogged away from the porch and was out of sight before Serenity could say good bye.

"Why did you have to do that!" Serenity asked, her cheeks growing red with anger.

"It's not safe! Who knows what Asanuma's motives are? Granted he is very cute, smart, and a complete gentleman at the University, but he is hardly your equal."

"Who is my equal? I'm going to be Queen!"

"I don't know who is…but I know Asanuma is not. How could you grow to respect him?" Serenity hung her head in shame. "Not only that, but you two could never be intimate or close, the media would have a field day!"

"I know," Serenity squeaked out.

"Come on Sere, let's go get some cookies. They'll be plenty of time for boys when we graduate from University. Every man in the galaxy will be seeking your hand in marriage."

"What about you?"

"Race you to the altar?" Serenity chased Lita back into the palace.

"Serenity, pay attention!" her mother shouted. Serenity instantly shot up from her prone position over the table. The scouts in civilian dress were also at the table, staring at her amusedly. This was the fourth time Serenity had fallen asleep during their current lesson on diplomatic relations. "We're getting to the Earthen Royal family now, if you didn't absorb any of the past information, so be it. But this you need to know." Selenity brought up a picture of the Earthen family with her own family from ten years ago. Serenity was just twelve, her brother 19, and her parents were standing in back of them. Next to them was the Earthen Royal family, the former King Terra, Queen Hestia, and Prince Endymion. "Obviously this is not a recent photo but it contains all parties involved,"

"King Terra was the fourth generation of his family to inherit the throne after the Senate approved his appointment and crowned him King. He married Queen Hestia a day after his coronation. They had been dating for a couple of years by that point."

"Earthen royalty gets to date!" Serenity pointed out.

"We're not debating this right now. Queen Hestia came from a powerful shipbuilding magnate who Prince Terra had met with while giving out government contracts. Prince Endymion, now King Endymion, was born three years after their marriage and is the only issue of either,"

"King Terra died on June 29th, Earthen Planetary Year 3064, after a fission bomb exploded the ship he was on, heading towards the Moon." Selenity stalled at this moment, letting out a ragged breath before continuing. "King Endymion was crowned not long after and began his reign." Her mother paused to display another picture on the screen of a dark haired man kneeling and receiving a crown from a boy in white robes. Selenity pressed a button and another picture appeared of King Endymion dressed in a navy tuxedo, looking devilishly at the camera with a striking woman on his arm. "Since his coronation, Endymion has made sweeping domestic reform, including switching back to the gold standard, reviving the Earthen galleon and expanding public transportation networks. This is his long time girlfriend, Princess Trista von Eyckn of Pluto. She is third in line to inherit the throne of Pluto and has lived on Earth for the past five years, becoming the primary diplomat from Pluto stationed there."

"That's one way to become a diplomat," Mina remarked, which caused all the others to snicker. Even the Queen broke a smile.

"Why aren't they married?" Serenity asked all of a sudden. The Queen shrugged her shoulders. "Are they engaged?"

"The Dowager Queen tells me there are no such plans at the present."

"What! He gets to date a girl for years and not marry her while I have to blush in the shadows?" Serenity remarked.

"Blush in the shadows…how poetic," Raye remarked.

"Serenity, there will be no more discussion on this! You are not to see that Asanuma boy again! And King Endymion is the leader of his nation; however you are not. Besides that, he's six years your senior, not a young boy with delusions of love." Serenity slumped back in her chair with her arms crossed.

"He's gorgeous," Lita remarked. "Didn't you used to go on play dates with him Sere?"

"More like his mother forced him to take me to the rose gardens whenever I visited. On our last trip there I never even saw him! He and Apollo were always off with his guards chasing after girls, driving hover cars around, or shooting guns."

"Someone sounds a little jealous…" Amy accused.

"Yeah right, jealous? Of that pompous asshole?"

"Serenity!"

"I'll tell you one thing about this Earth trip, I'm glad my mother has to deal with him and not me. I get to gallivant around with you guys and take pictures with people and go shopping. Much better than dealing with his conceited highness!"

"Serenity, you will speak to him in a cordial manner and dance with him at the anniversary ball," her mother informed her.

"Ball? For what?"

"The sixth anniversary of his coronation! We're arriving a few weeks before."

"A ball!" Mina and Lita both perked up.

"We'll have to go shopping!" Serenity squealed, clapping her hands. "Tomorrow, maybe? And this will totally make up for my small, in-house birthday get together."

"You have training tomorrow, you can go later in the week," her mother told her.

"I call orange, no one else can wear orange!"

"Who would want to wear such a loud color other than you, Mina?"

"Raye! You'll probably just go with lousy black!"

"Purple, I want purple!"

"Endymion, come back to bed," a sultry voice called out. He sat nude in his chair, staring over documents recently given to him.

"Not now, I have work to do."

"But I want to have you again. I'm going back to Pluto tomorrow you know, for a couple weeks. We won't see each other."

"I know, but while you're gone I will be entertaining the Lunar family." Trista slithered out of the bed, her tan skin separating itself from the black sheets. She was also nude as she walked up to him and slung her arms over the back of his chair, stroking his stomach. "The Queen hasn't changed much."

"They age slowly darling. They die beautiful." Endymion ignored the ministrations of her hands. He was in no mood to deal with her this evening. Although incredibly intelligent and beautiful, Trista had one very bad habit, her constant need for control. He had known this was the reason she dated the most powerful ruler in the Roman Solar System. She herself had very few equals.

He paged through the report, reading about legislation put in order by the moon royalty since the assassination. The majority of it was the control of natural resources, education, and healthcare. He finally turned to the page he was looking for, a short dossier on the moon royalty itself. The Queen had been particularly involved in charity work and had taken no other King. He was not surprised; his mother had done the same. Her most trusted advisors were her sister-in-law, Princess Daphne of Venus and her chief cabinet member, Artemis Neko.

The next page held his interest, the heir apparent Princess Serenity. It contained the most recent picture of her taken at University. She was wearing a flowery skirt with a loose shirt on top, her arms covered by a blazer. Her hair was pinned atop her head in an elegant coif with a few stray hairs whipped every which way. "She's very beautiful, much like her mother," Trista commented. He noted that Serenity was finishing out her university education and was avidly involved in lowering her kingdom's tax on fruits and vegetables. Except carrots, Endymion noted, he remembered her hating carrots as a girl.

"She was my first kiss, you know that?"

"What? Endymion, she's six years younger than you are."

"It was a long time ago; I must have been eleven at the time? It was during the annual Lunar family visit. She always wanted to go to the rose garden whenever she came, and I was always assigned to take her. We were playing with the goldfish and she was giggling. I was used to her kissing me on the cheek. She got me on the mouth one day, missed my cheek. I thought I was going to get moon cooties." Trista came to stand at his side and observe the paper better.

"Has a personal guard of four princesses from Jupiter, Mars, Venus, and Mercury respectively. How did the Queen manage that one?" Endymion shrugged.

"She's the one I have to worry about, the princess. The Queen is going to hand over her reign soon, or at least those are the reports. Then I'll have to deal with Meatball Head."

"Meatball Head?"

"For that ridiculous hairstyle female royalty wear."

"I shouldn't be afraid, should I?" Trista asked. Endymion looked up at her with a smirk and wrapped his arm around her waist, pulling her onto his lap.

"Now why would I want a little girl when I have you?" Trista smiled, getting off his lap to kneel before him. "Now what was this about you going away tomorrow? Because then we have no time to waste."