A/N: Since you guys liked this so much here is the next chapter, I will warn you though since this was my NaNo it has not been edited so basically it goes from action to action to action without the down time that really should be happening inbetween (when writing 50k in a month along with you know life it really slows you down to write boring scenes) so bear with that please. I'll try and work on it as I post it but they'll come up faster the less I edit lol. Hope you enjoy it, this is already one of my favorite works.
Serenity tumbled down the stairs wondering just what was important enough to drag her from her new friend and her joyful birthday party. She rubbed her eyes and yawned, slowly and carefully making her way down the stairs cursing her two year old body.
"Serenity! Come child it is dinner time, do you not want your special birthday dinner and birthday cake?" Serenity moaned wondering how she could possibly eat when she had just been sitting at the head of a grand feast, but nevertheless she felt her stomach rumbling and found her steps toward the food quickening. The food prepared by her mother was never quite as flavorful as the ones prepared by the palace kitchens but since it was made by her mother there was something loving and special about it.
She took her place at the table and waited eagerly as her mother set a plate of chicken and macaroni before her, and her eyes eagerly looked forward to having more the cake that was left over from the earlier party. She began to eat the macaroni as her mother poured her a glass of juice that looked much like the red juice Artemis often made for her but it tasted very different, she had no idea what Artemis made his from, but her mother's was something called cranberries and Serenity found she much preferred Artemis'.
"So Serenity did you get everything you wanted for your birthday?" Ikuku asked beaming at her young daughter, hoping to get her excited and happy, it was the girl's birthday after all. It seemed though that her daughter had already become a teenager for she preferred spending the majority of her time alone in her room.
Serenity thinking of the horse and beautiful tiara that awaited her in the palace nodded eagerly and a large smile spread across her face.
"Much more than I ever wanted Mother, it was a marvelous birthday." Ikuku and Kenji smiled over the head of their daughter, each unwittingly complementing themselves for someone else's good parenting.
"Well I am very glad you had a good birthday Serenity, but remember do not stay up late playing with your new toys, you have to get up early tomorrow because your grandmother is coming to visit." Serenity turned her head at this, she had never known that her grandmother could come to this world as well, after all she had just seen her grandmother moments ago in the grand hall, sitting beside her.
"My grandmother?" Serenity asked carefully unsure of how to ask her parents how her grandmother could come visit them there, and why had she taken so long to tell her that she could come with?
"Yes dear, I know you haven't met her, but she adopted your father when he was younger and looked after him, and she has finally decided to take a vacation to come see you. I expect you to be on your best behavior because she mentioned something about bringing a late birthday present for you." Ikuku's eyes open wide with false enthusiasm as she tried her best to get her daughter excited to meet a stranger, in much the same way she had seen mothers do in the movies.
"I will try mother," Serenity said knowing it was going to be hard to once again pretend to be excited for presents that only existed in this world and never matched the beauty of anything that was given her at the palace.
"You will do more than try young lady, this woman has done a lot for me and she is coming a very long way to meet you. You will be on your best behavior young lady, and you will be severely punished if you do not make her happy." Serenity tried her best not to smile, knowing that her parents form of punishment was sending her to room, which was just where she always longed to be. The only reason she didn't constantly get in trouble was because she still wanted to make her parents proud and like her, even if they were not a part of her real world.
Serenity nodded solemnly instead not trusting herself to curb her smile if she began to speak.
"Now darling how about a piece a cake since you have finished your dinner after which you will go up to your room and get ready for bed. And your grandmother should be here when you wake up." Serenity nodded again, knowing that the person they were referring to was not her grandmother. Her grandmother had given birth to her mother and was too old and forgetful to worry about going visiting. Serenity loved her grandmother on her better days, but on others the servants asked that she not visit, and this was why Serenity was told to rule even though there was a member of the royal family living. Serenity had often thought that someone had conspired against her in order to force her into a young rule, having incapacitated both her parents and her grandmother, but she often pushed that to the side as paranoia.
"Yes mother I would love a piece of cake." Serenity mentally berated herself for getting lost in her thoughts again, her parents would be cross if she took too long to answer them.
Ikuku smiled and cleared the dishes before bustling off to the kitchen to cut pieces of cake for everyone, giving herself the smallest piece of course because she was watching her weight. Though she had taken precautions and had baked the cake with as many fat free and low fat ingredients as she could find, she still felt it was much to sinful to have much of, it was a treat for her daughter and husband, not for her.
"Here we are!" Serenity finished up her cake quickly once again feeling like she had eaten way too much for her small stomach, and she quickly excused herself and ran back up stairs hoping that Endymion had not already left her party.
Artemis was waiting by the door as always with a tired look upon his face as he greeted the child. He gave her, her long robes knowing that she was often cold once she returned.
"Did Prince Endymion leave yet? May I still see him?" Artemis gave the princess a sad smile.
"I am afraid Prince Endymion and his parents have retried for the night, but you are free to see him in the morning, they plan on spending a week with us." Serenity frowned slightly but was glad that she could see her friend in the morning, she was a bit tired after all, and she hoped that her parents would not require her to spend too much of the next day with her "grandmother" she had kingdom to run after all and a new friend to get to know.
Artemis followed her to her room and tucked her in with old folk tales of the Kingdom, many of which Artemis was disappointed in that the young princess, though mature, was not quite ready to understand the entire story. He gave her a small kiss on the cheek and then bid her farewell, he blew out the candles and smiled softly as the young girl fell immediately asleep. As he watched her sleep he realized he was falling very much in love with the little girl, and knew that his role of caretaker was becoming more like that of a father, and it was a position he realized, he would not give up for all the world.
"Goodnight sweet princess."
"Your Highness, come you are being called for." Serenity was pulled for her bed by the same messenger from the previous day and Serenity had a feeling that he should be shot for pulling her so often from her comfortable bed. But nevertheless she opened the door and stumbled down the stairs groggily realizing that she was supposed to meet some sort of "grandmother" and no doubt Prince Endymion would be wondering yet again where she had run off to.
"Serenity! Hurry down to breakfast! Your grandmother is anxious to meet you!"Serenity did not quicken her steps willingly but the hunger of her stomach did so for her. She took her usual place at the table and discovered that sitting across from her was an old lady, very wrinkled more so than even her real grandmother. Though her real grandmother was nearing 100 years old she did not have half the wrinkles of this woman, who seemed to have every bit of her discolored skin covered in them.
"Hello Usagi dear, I am your grandmother." Serenity raised an eyebrow at her parents, who nodded to show that her "grandmother" was to be treated like any other visitor to their home, therefore there would be no mention of the real world and Serenity would not be able to talk as clearly as she so often had. But as long as he was being required to act like a two year old, she might as well have some questions answered.
"Wow! You must be like 200 years old!" Serenity said with wide eyes spanning all of the old lady's wrinkles. Both of her parents gasped and she could feel her father's glare, she sighed yes act like a two year old but not like a two year old, she was tired of always pretending to be something for them. But the old woman simply laughed and at this Serenity found she liked the old woman.
"No I am not quite 200, but there are certainly days when I feel like it. I am 74 child which probably seems like 200 to you doesn't it?" The woman smiled kindly at Serenity and both Ikuku and Kenji visibly relaxed at the woman's reaction. The woman, whose name was Emily, was not from nor had she ever lived in one of the close-knit suburbian communities and had therefore never been taught that such a suggestion even coming from a child was a severe insult.
Serenity upon hearing that the woman was younger than her real grandmother and yet certainly looked at least twice as old judging by the wrinkles was of course confused by how she could look so old but knew better to keep from asking another question that would anger her parents.
"Now sweet child I believe yesterday was your birthday and therefore I have some very special gifts to give you, and then perhaps we can each have a piece of your birthday cake." Serenity smiled widely at the promise of more cake and did not seem to notice her mother's horrified expression.
"Sweets! But it is not yet noon, you cannot suggest I give Usagi cake this early!" Ikuku said in a well-mannered huff. The old woman just smiled and waved off Ikuku's protestation with one hand.
"It is a special occasion and on special occasions such rules can be overlooked for a day. After all it is my dear granddaughter's birthday and it is our first meeting I think that definitely calls for a little rule breaking don't you?" Ikuku pouted slightly but did not protest as the old woman had already taken Serenity's hand and led her to the living room where the coffee table was piled with brightly wrapped packages. Serenity plastered a smile upon her face and prepared herself to act surprised as the uninteresting gifts she was about to receive.
The pair hunched down on the carpet and Emily was almost as excited as the child as she gave the girl the smallest gift first. Serenity slowly unwrapped the tiny package and was surprised to find a small wooden box within. The box was beautifully and intricately carved for such a small box and Serenity was surprised to note the writing on it was not English but was just as familiar to her. She gasped and looked toward the old woman with surprise only to see the woman beckoning her to open the box. Inside was small pendant, thin strands of a shimmering white metal encircled a sparkling blue stone. Serenity had never seen anything of such beauty in the world of her parents and was very entranced by it's beauty.
"Serenity darling, that pendant has been in our family for generations always granting power to it's wearer, your father never had a fancy for such girlish things but I am glad to have this chance to give it to you. Perhaps you will understand it better." Serenity's eyes had not left the pendant and she hoped it would be unlike all of the other gifts that had been granted her in this world, that it would be able to come with her when she returned home.
She spent the day with her grandmother, opening more ordinary gifts but when the old woman offered to play with the toys and games with Serenity, they took on a new fascination. The gamepieces took new life as her grandmother acted out the characters of the monopoly pieces giving mournful monologues from each piece that wasn't chosen and providing endless banter between the two pieces that were. Serenity found she rarely stopped laughing and was not even spared a moment to think about her new friend Endymion that she had been so anxious to spend the day with.
But after a few hours the blue pendant began to glow and Serenity looked down at it with surprise. The old woman though simply smiled. "I think my dear you should go up to your room, I will be here when you return and do not worry about your parents I will tell them I put you down for a nap." There was a gleam in her eye and Serenity looked strangely at the woman who only indicated that she should hurry to her room. Serenity slowly turned and went up to her room.
"Serenity! Princess! You've returned at just the right time, young Prince Endymion ran off when we told him that you were not at the palace and we could not tell him where you had gone. He was frightfully worried and we have no idea where he went off to though we think he went to search for you. We have asked around the neighboring village but there are many who do not agree with the practices of the Prince Endymion's Kingdom and may not treat him kindly. We need your help to find him Serenity!" Serenity nodded slowly pushing away the thoughts of how the crystal had taken on an eerie glow when she was needed back at the palace.
Serenity allowed her worry for her new friend to take over and the guilt over not having given a thought to him the whole morning that she had been enjoying her time with her grandmother. She went to the palace balcony and looked over the palace walls to the village below and seeing no immediate signs of unrest, closed her eyes and began to focus on Endymion. She concentrated hard on his image and found herself both calmed and panicked by the image of his smile. Within moments faster than she had ever found anyone she found his image, he was cloaked in a ragged brown cloak and was riding through the streets of the village below, looking into shops that he assumed a stray two year old would venture into. She noticed also that he was eying anyone that looked remotely suspicious with a judging eye, as if they had somehow caused her to disappear.
She sighed with relief and turned away from the balcony to find not only Artemis but the King and Queen awaiting her. She gave them a small smile.
"He is safe and wandering the town in disguise none of the villagers have any idea that he is royalty from the kingdom that caused such destruction to their royal family. I will go with my guards and retrieve him." The King and Queen sighed with relief but paled at the reference to why Serenity had been absent that morning and why their son could not be told.
"Your Highness, you know that we had no control over Wise Man, we had no idea what he was planning and he has been sentenced to death. The animosity between our two Kingdoms has long since passed." Artemis paled at the words of the visiting King and had to restrain himself from taking a step back. If anything was to provoke the young princess' temper that was it.
"Long since passed? You speak as if the occurrences of two years ago have long been forgotten! Would you like to see the handiwork of your prized mystic, the one who made a deal with the devil, and who made your Kingdom the most powerful in the region. Do you honestly think you have the power to kill a man under the protection of the Devil? A man without a soul? You encouraged his evil and did not stop him when you had the chance because you were foolish enough to want the power he brought. You have learned your lesson and have since become great leaders for your people and you are bringing up your son in the ways of good instead of the evil that once polluted you. I commend you for that, but do not think that simply because our two Kingdoms are allied and I am friends with your son, that I do not know what you have done or that I forgive you so easily." The King and Queen were shocked to be spoken to so harshly but someone who seemed so young.
"Your Highness…you must believe that we had no idea where Wise Man was gaining his power…" The Queen stammered knowing that it was not exactly true.
"I am Queen and you will address me as your Majesty or an equal but do not presume to be my better simply because I am of the age to simply be a princess. Now leave me and I will bring your son back and these instances need not be spoken of between us again. Though I may never fully forgive what has been done nor will I hold a lasting grudge against people who seem to have seen the error of their ways." Serenity brushed past them and a shocked Artemis followed, though Serenity had always been mature way beyond her years, her actions just then surpassed even his own appraisal of her. He found himself smiling unable to contain how proud he was of her.
"Thank you Artemis, now prepare the horses and my guards, I will ride Spirit and if you wish to come along you may prepare your own horse."
"Thank you for what your Highness?" Artemis said having no fear in using the term that had just gained trouble for the King and Queen, for he meant the term in respect and endearment for he had long ago told Serenity that she would always been his little princess, even if she was royal.
"You are radiating so much pride I think the whole palace can feel it. I am glad to know you do not think I was too harsh on the King and Queen, for perhaps all is not their fault…" Serenity sighed and motioned Artemis off to prepare the journey after the young prince, without awaiting an answer for she knew what his answer would be.