Prince Endymion stood quietly waiting for the queen's response. Standing in that vast room, a room so grand that it made even royalty seem insignificant, made the prince tense, yet no less eager to receive the queen's decision for his proposal. Such waiting was to be expected for contemplating a proposition of this proportion. It is a wonder she should consider it at all, the prince thought, and it truly was a wonder considering the following circumstances.
Some time before, Prince Endymion happened upon a fair princess named Serenity. Instantly she danced away with his heart. With all of his existence he loved her, and he knew she felt the same. It seemed logical that the two should become married and live together in happiness. If of a lower class and citizens of the same village this senario would have worked out beautifully, but such was not the case.
One problem stood in their way, a problem as big and as difficult as a wall of ice that stood between them: Prince Endymion was an Earthling, and Princess Serenity was a Lunar. All contact between the two races had been forbidden. The lovers were separated by two kingdoms who had never and should never converse. Who knew what kind of uprising would result of this joining? To ask for her hand in marriage was certainly a bold thing to do.
That is why the prince felt uneasy watching intently as the Lunar queen considered his proposal. His eyes followed as the silver queen took idle steps closer to the window gazing out over the vast domain her family had ruled for millennia past.
Queen Selenity stared out at the palace gardens, a thoughtful glitter in her eye. She was not surprised at the prince's request to marry her daughter. It was easily seen that the love they shared could not be separated forever, even if for past eternities it had. I should have guessed. It was only a matter of time before the confines of this realm would test her curiosity, the queen thought, smiling.
Selenity was, however, carefully thinking over the idea he had just proposed to unite the two worlds and how it would affect their kingdoms. For long, the Moon was only to admire the Earth from a distance, to look after its welfare and keep harm from scorching its beauty. She knew that the rulers of the past Moon would not approve of this joining together, but this was a new age. The Moon is in it's prime, the Silver Millennium... Surely nothing wicked could come out of something that seemed fated by the stars. A small smile fell over the queen's face. She slowly turned, her decision made.
"Prince Endymion, I understand your eagerness to tie our realms. Your reasons for an alliance do appeal to me, and I think both of our kingdoms will benefit from this tie. I would, however, like you to know more of the other planetary kingdoms. They are as much a part of this ordeal as the Moon Kingdom, almost more so. Serenity's guardians are very important to this kingdom, and I think you should know more of them. I would also like to know of your allies as well, before we establish a permanent tie."
"Your Highness, I would greatly enjoy meeting the other planets' leaders. I understand that knowing all of what this joining will accomplish is most important, and I am willing to take the time to be prepared. As for your second request, the Earth has been an independent planet for centuries, only being looked over by your fine land. If it pleases her Highness, I have four guardians whom I believe would appeal to your curiosity. They are the commanders of the Earth's army and my personal guardians, such as the Planetary Princesses are Princess Serenity's protectors. I suppose you could call them my allies."
"Excellent! We shall arrange an event so that you may become accustomed to the other planets of the solar system, and that we may announce your intention to betroth the princess."
"Your Highness, I must return home to announce the news to my kingdom. I will need a week to arrange things with my family and I shall return with my guardians."
"Very well. I shall need some time, too, to announce what will happen. You will report back to me in seven days, at which point we will discuss your proposal."
"Thank you, Your Highness." Prince Endymion bowed in resignation to the queen, then rose and walked swiftly out of the room, looking to tell Princess Serenity the good news.
-----
"Mars! Come quick! Jupiter! Venus! Mercury! Hurry!"
A tornado of fine white silk and silver ribbons made a mad dash down the corridor. Two flowing white-blonde pigtails blew rapidly out from the mess of skirts. Servants carrying out daily chores stopped briefly to watch the princess canter away, leaving many with puzzled faces.
"Venus! Venus, Mercury! Everyone, hurry! Mars! Mars!"
Running from a room at the end of the hallway, a flustered group of princesses came one by one, first red, then gold, then blue, then green. All shared the same look of worry dashing out, but when their gazes fell upon Princess Serenity, their expressions changed from worry to puzzlement: worry because of the frantic yelps, puzzlement because of the smile that played upon Serenity's lips. Blankly, the four guardians stared as the silver mass composed herself back into a princess, a little flustered, but no less the beauty that she was.
"Serenity?" Venus ventured, coming around and placing a hand on the Princess's shoulder. "What, um, is something wrong? Are you all right?"
At that Princess Serenity began to giggle, putting the guardians into even more of a perplexity. "Oh, I'm wonderful, Minako-chan. Oh! I'm so excited I don't know where to begin!" Still panting, the princess placed a hand on her chest and reached with her other arm to Venus's shoulder.
"Well, the beginning would be a good place to start." Mars crossed her arms over her stomach and gave Serenity a teasingly quizzical look.
"First, let's bring you inside. It's a little odd to carry on a conversation in a corridor," Mercury said. She quickly and gracefully swept around and held open the marble door. A broad smile spanned her face, as if she were welcoming Serenity into her own home. Princess Serenity gratefully accepted Mercury's offer and, with Venus leading her, stepped through the door and into a lovely sitting room. Serenity giggled uncontrollably. Mars sat on the edge of a chair, but the others were too anxious to sit down.
"Well?" Jupiter asked excitedly. "What's the good news?"
Serenity threw her arms around Jupiter's neck began crying joyfully. "She said yes! She gave us her blessing and said yes!"
"Who said yes to what?" Mars queried, standing now.
"The queen, my mother, she agreed with Endymion's proposal!"
"Oh, Serenity! Congratulations!" Venus squealed. She attacked both Serenity and Princess Jupiter with a warm embrace.
Mars, Mercury, and Jupiter shared mixed feelings of joy and doubt. Nevertheless they wore stunning countenances and only congratulated their mistress. They laughed and chatted with the princess until a servant appeared and announced that Queen Selenity had called for her daughter.
Venus still rang with joy after Serenity departed. "This is going to be so wonderful! Oh, I've got to go tell Artemis!" With that, the princess from Venus shot past the others and out the door. It had not occurred to her that Artemis, being one of the queen's chief advisors, had known of the news long before she had.
The remaining three princesses stood silently for several moments. Then, with few words of parting, each left the room with troubled hearts.
-----
Silence had decided to grace the room with her serene presence. The young king sat alone reading a book. Oh, how he loved moments such as these, lost within the worn pages of a leather-bound book. Usually the young man delighted in reading his homeland's rich history, or a study of politics, or a report on various sciences. Today, though, Zoisite had chosen a book of poems, a secret that he fiercely guarded. Always trying to look like the intellect of the group, it would cause him deep embarrassment if the others learned of his weakness for poetry. They would never give him rest if they learned of his secret love for poetry. He could just imagine them. 'What's this, buttercup? Poetry? What would the military do to learn that their commander is daisy?' Jadeite, of course, would be the first to humiliate him. Such was his delight.
The team of kings was a perfect blend. Kunzite was the strong and silent guardian, much of a father figure, but he did know how to join in on the fun that they shared. Jadeite portrayed a young boy, so full of life and energy. He delighted in teasing his comrades, especially in making them feel old--he was the second youngest one and thought of this as a great advantage. Nephrite was, as Jadeite often put it, a "softie." He cared deeply for the people he loved and the things he believed in. He was fun-loving and enjoyed taking part in Jadeite's schemes to tease and poke fun at the other generals. Endymion was their prince, the one that the four kings' lives revolved around. Aside from Jadeite, Endymion was the most mischievous and schemeful of the five. He saw the others as brothers more than as guardians. This sometimes annoyed Kunzite, especially when he was trying to instruct the young prince.
Zoisite turned a page and continued the epic set before him. It was then that he heard footsteps outside his door. Quickly Zoisite jumped up and ran into his bedroom. He carefully tucked the book under his mattress and smoothed out the blue sheets. He hadn't been fast enough.
"Zoisite? What are you doing?" A familiar voice called. Kunzite threw his cloak over a hook by the door and gracefully flopped onto the sofa. The calm light of late afternoon played upon Kunzite's silver hair. Shadows fell around him, cast by the black trunks and twisted arms of trees that looked down upon the patio that the large French doors opened upon. The doors sat open now, and the tired king looked out into the orange portrait dotted with black trees and shrubs. He sat in a high-ceilinged room with four quarters leading out from it. Those were the four kings' rooms, each different, each reflecting that man's interests--one a cool grey, one a warm red, one a pale green, and one a thoughtful blue. The prince's quarters were in a separate room across the hall.
Zoisite calmly smoothed out the wrinkles in his white jacket, took a deep breath, and tried to scramble a story to tell Kunzite.
"Oh, hello, Kunzite-san." Zoisite walked across the room and situated himself on a seat diagonal from his friend. "I was just startled to hear footsteps..."
Smooth, Zoisite, very smooth, he told himself silently.
"In a palace filled with numerous people, you were startled to hear footsteps?" Kunzite raised his brow quizzically. "And not only startled, but surprised enough to run from one room into another?"
Damn, Zoisite thought. "Well..."
Just then, the door from the hall flew open and a third general stood in its place.
"Hello, Jadeite," Zoisite exclaimed, perhaps a little too relieved.
"Konnichiwa! Zoi-san, Kunzite-san." He gave a small bow of his head to each of the two men as he greeted them. "Come, we're needed in the throne room." He made a gesture with his hand signaling that they must hurry.
"The throne room?"
"Yes, quickly."
Jadeite seemed too excited for it to be a serious matter they were engaging themselves in, but as to what it was, the two young men were baffled. Nothing with the king and queen, Zoisite thought. The prince was their responsibility, so the matter would have to center on Endymion. He had just returned from a journey to the Moon. Perhaps...
The two men rose from their comfortable positions and followed their friend down the granite hallway and into a new future.