B1 Chapter 3: Friend or Foe?

When you're royalty, sometimes you don't know who to trust. From the surface, it seems like everyone loves you and adores you, but the inside can be just as thorny then on the outside. With every choice comes consequences, be they good or bad. Just recently, my Planet has been having trouble with negotiations regarding Planet Earth. Apparently, Planet Earth, of all Planets, has become unsteady. Political uneasiness and religious corruption is plaguing the minds of its citizens. The other Planets in the Solar System haven't had a war with Earth just yet, in a matter of fact, it would seem Earth is attacking its own people. The people on my Planet don't quite understand why one would attack their own. I myself don't understand it as well, but what I have come to know as a leader is one simple truth, and that is: if you loose the morale of the people, you loose your life.

But what happens when someone you regarded as a possible friend has a possible change of heart? Do you hide? Do you confront them? Time can only tell…

I woke up, and I got dressed in a dark blue gown, with a blue flower pinned up to my left shoulder. I then came down to the throne room and noticed, for once, my Father sat on his throne. I then said "To what do I owe this odd circumstance?" My Father then said "I was just waiting on you. I need for you to come and take a walk with me."

Taking a walk with my Father usually mean't one of 2 things. Either something serious was about to go down, or there's something important I needed to know. Regardless of what it was, it was never anything good.

As we took a stroll in the Courtyard of the Palace, the Sun shown so beautifully amidst the blue/white architecture of the pillars that made a rectangular shape all around the Courtyard. There were plenty of small landscaped streams running along, with the Fountain of course placed in the dead center.

I could tell as we took our stroll that Father was extremely uncomfortable. Whatever he had to tell me must be a hard pill to swallow, considering he never gets antsy too often.

He started "Nice day out today." I replied with "Yes…very much so." My Father then continued "Um…my dear daughter, you've been chosen to be a representative of our Solar System." I stopped dead in my tracks and said "What are you talking about?" My Father sighed and said "You were chosen to represent all of the Planets. You see, Earth is in dire need of help. All of the Planet's are worried. Earth seems to be in a state of unrest. There was a meeting I had with every Planet's King and Queen. The purpose of the meeting was to try to stop the wars from continuing. So, by a majority of votes, our Planet was chosen to represent all of us Planets, and you were chosen." My mind was racing. I knew a little bit about the unrest of Planet Earth, but never in a Millenia did I think I would have to go to that Planet to negotiate a peace treaty. It was times like these where my desire that longed for exploration and normality increased tenfold.

I then said "Father…you knew what that Planet was going through. Why did you agree to this?!" My Father said "I know sweetheart, but you have to understand. Out of all the Planets, our Planet is highly regarded when it comes to being smart and wise. It was the best decision we could make given the circumstances." I then stopped walking again and looked my Father in the eye and said "You know Dad, it would've been nice to run this by me first, instead of volunteering me into this. Congratulations Father, you have an extremely upset daughter." I ran away back towards the palace in tears. My Father just had his head down and slowly walked back towards the Palace.

As I got ready to put on a different dress, since my departure for Planet Earth wasn't far, I heard a knock on my door. I said "If this is my Father, you are NOT welcome to come in." I then heard "It's not your Father, it's your assistant, Aqua." I said in an annoyed tone "Come in." My assistant came in and said "I just wanted to come in and say that you have about 10 minutes till we set sail for Earth…and…is there anything I can do for you?" I looked at my assistant and I said "Aqua…I don't think I'm cut out to be some ambassador. I fail as a Princess anyways, why does my Father think I can be some peace ambassador?" Aqua then smiled and said "Because our people know what true peace is and we are all wise beyond our years. It would only make sense that our Planet was chosen to be the voice of reason behind these wars." I then replied "Well what about Earth's King? Can't he do anything about this? This is, after all, on his own turf!" Aqua replied "Well, from what I understand, Earth's King has been trying to make all the progress in the world. He's been traveling country to country, trying to negotiate some sort of peace between the opposing countries, but no one seems to buy it, meanwhile, the heir to Earth's thrown, Prince Endymion was born not too long ago, so Earth's Queen has been busy trying to raise her child during this horrible time. There's too much going on, and the hope is, if we were to bring someone that represented The Solar System to Earth, it is the hope that someone with powers such as yours can heal not only the countless lives that have fallen, but the war in general. We're Mercurians, you'll figure it out. Remember, you're on in 10." Aqua then left, and as I put on a black and blue striped dress, all I could think about was the possibility of being killed on this expedition.

As we sailed, I leaned on the edge of the ship as we pass the stars and the different Planets. Sometimes it's a blessing and a curse being stuck with your own thoughts. One things for certain, it's only when you're stuck with your own thoughts is when your perception changes. Only this time, when I'm stuck with my own thoughts, the only thing I can think about is being led to a slaughter.

As we were entering into Earth's atmosphere, the smell of sulfur, while faint, could be smelt more than 80 miles away. I could see in the distance big fires, bombs dropping from the sky, and the sound of people dieing. Where we were landing seemed safe though. At least this'll ease my mind temporarily.

We then docked near a coastal region. I got out, and I was immediately greeted by a guard of some sort. The guard then said "Follow me." I started to follow the guard, and while we were walking the guard striked a conversation. He said "We've been awaiting your arrival." I said "Let's get this over with." As we approached the Earth's Palace, it was kind of interesting looking. I think it was the first time I've ever set foot in the Earth's Palace, due to the wars of course. No one would dare come to Earth, much less visit their Palace. As I went in, it was beautiful. It was the equivalent of what Earth considered a Castle to look like, an Earth Castle more or less. I was being taken to a room where above the door it said "Guest." The guard then said "Please wait here. The Queen will be arriving shortly to meet with you." I then said "Thank you."

As I went inside the room, I noticed it had a small window in it. I pulled back the curtains in the room and I saw different patches of smoke in the distance. I saw flying apparatuses dropping bombs here and there. I was just glad that I was very far from everything that was going on around here.

After about 10 or so minutes, the Queen came in, curtseyed and said "Hello Princess Mercury, we have been expecting your arrival. Please follow me to the dining hall and we'll discuss things over dinner." I followed the Queen down this hall. She said "So, I guess this is your first time on Earth hmm?" I said "Yes. Indeed it is." The Queen said "You have no idea how much this means to my husband and I. To have a representative from the neighboring Planets mean so much to us. I know this is hard on such a young woman such as yourself, but Earth needs a leader besides us." Before I said what I was about to say, to me it would come out as word vomit, but I also know that when times are tough, one must have a steady tongue. I then said "Well…anything to help lessen the wars."

As we made our way into the Dining Hall, I saw a little boy in a tux playing with toys. I said "Is that your son?" The Queen turned around and said "Why yes. Our Prince, Prince Endymion. He looks a lot like his Father." I said "Well his Father must be one handsome man." The Queen smiled and said "Very much so." She then started pouring me some tea and her some tea. She ordered two of her waitresses to get food going and we started talking during tea.

I started "So, maybe it would help if I knew how this war actually started." The Queen sipped some tea and said "That makes 2 of us. To be honest, not even I know. All I hear are rumors, but that's all I really know." I then said "Well…that's ok. Better to hear something then nothing." The Queen said "Well…some say it's the beginning of another world war. Other's say it was a simple conflict of interest between countries. The best rumor I've heard was this all started because of a woman's lust for power, but that rumor can't be it. I think of it as more of a tall tale." I then said "Well, it might seem like a tall tale, but we can't dismiss anything unless we have enough proof to back it up." The Queen said "Well, basically, the rumor says that deeply hidden within the Earth's surface dwells a very ancient evil. An evil sorceress whose plan is to destroy Earth and its inhabitants. To me, it sounds like a story you would tell your child."

Suddenly there was a knock on the door. The Queen got up to answer it. It was a soldier with a child sleeping on his shoulder. The Queen says "What seems to be the problem soldier?" The soldier says "We found this little one in the middle of the battlefield. I was able to retrieve her before she was killed. I asked her what her name was. All she said was her first name, 'Beryl.' We then asked her where her parents were. She said she didn't know. We thought since your Palace was the only real Safe Haven here on Earth, that you would raise her as you would if you were to have a daughter." The Queen then nodded her head and said "I'll take care of her, thank you soldier." The soldier handed over the sleeping toddler to the Queen, and she closed the door. The Queen then said "I'll be right back, I need to get this one to a bed." As I waited for the Queen to come back, I sat there sipping on my tea while hearing the distant noises of gun shots, bombs, and people dieing.

But nothing prepared me as to what was about to happen next. I was back at my Palace, signing some forms and giving my stamp of approval for certain projects, it became time for me to head to the Moon Palace to continue my training.

As I descended and went into the Training Hall, we were interrupted by a guard. The guard whispered in Selene's ear and Selene said "Everyone, stop what you're doing! I need to hide you all!" I said "What's happening?" Selene said "Something you don't need to know about." Mars, without missing a beat, said "Um, if we're going to guard your little kid in the future, I think it'd be best if we knew what was going on." Selene said "Not this time, you don't. These people have been known to be unpredictable." She opened the door and all of us went inside. Selene then said "Stay in here, and when I'm done talking to these people, your training will commence." The Queen then shut the door.

Everyone started talking about what was going on. Mars then said "HEY! Be quiet! Look, obviously something's up, and the more you guys babble, the more we get found out. Obviously the Queen is hiding us to protect us." I then said "Well I for one am tired of going with the flow of things. Especially after today. I'm going to find out who's here." I quickly got out my goggles and my computer and I zoomed in on the throne room to the Moon Palace. I saw Queen Selene there. She sat down on her chair and said "Guards, open the doors!" The guards opened the doors and in came 2 people. One woman with teal hair came in wearing a sailor outfit. The other one came in, I couldn't tell if this one was a man or woman, but I assumed was a woman since they were wearing a sailor outfit too.

Princess Mars said "What's going on Mercury?" I said "There's 2 people who look like they're sailor scouts. One of them could possible be a man." Princess Mars said "Oh my gosh….it can't be…could it?" I shrugged and said "I dunno, at least not yet."

Queen Selene looked at the two and said "Well if it isn't Sailor Neptune and Sailor Uranus. To whom do I owe this pleasure?" Neptune and Uranus quickly went into their stances before they performed their attack and Uranus said "You have a lot of explaining to do!" Selene smiled at them both and she said "And what makes you think you can possibly harm me. Let me remind you that on this staff I hold the most powerful item in the entire Universe." Neptune said "You forgot about an ally of ours." Neptune then dug into her pockets and got out a small little key. Selene said "Where did you get that?" Neptune said "Where do you think? Sailor Pluto gave us this special key. She said if we ever needed help to just call on Chronos and Pluto would appear, and we both know her special power. All it would take would be for her to stop time and we could annihilate you." Selene then said "What do you want?" Uranus got out of her fighting stance and said "Some answers." Neptune got out of her fighting stance as well. Selene said "I'm listening."

Neptune started "Lately the waves have been disturbed, but not how it's been in the past." Selene said "What do you mean?" Neptune said "What I'm saying is, the Moon has been messing with the waters lately, and not in its normal fashion." Selene said "You're saying there's something wrong with my kingdom? Come on Neptune, do you really believe that?" Neptune said "The waters are never wrong. It's like a storm is in the works, and that this is just the beginning of something big." Selene said "Well, I can assure you, my kingdom has nothing to do with your agenda." Uranus replied "Neptune's intuition is pretty spot on. Do you not remember what our mission is?" Selene said "I remember clearly what your mission is, to search for The Messiah, the one who will break The Silence." Uranus said "Yes…and what if there's someone in your kingdom who starts The Silence? Our goal is to find the Holy Grail and the Messiah to save the Universe from complete devastation. You remember what your husband said on his deathbed. His last words." Selene said "How could I forget? His words were 'There will be a Harbinger of Death. Only with the combined forces of the Talismans and the Holy Grail can the true Messiah come to fruition.' So lemme get this straight, you truly believe that someone in my Kingdom is this Harbinger of Death?" Uranus said "Unfortunately, we can't rule anything completely out till we know of such things." Neptune said "It's true. Why else would my predictions lead us to your kingdom?" Selene said "Well, the only thing I can say about that is, maybe you're trusting your instincts too much. I've been having reservations about my kingdom as well. I've been dreaming about horrible things happening to my kingdom, and the dreams become more vivid every night and more clearer. I don't think, however, there's a traitor among my people. The Millenium Silver Crystal would've told me by now." Neptune said "Hmmm…maybe we were wrong after all." Uranus said "Maybe that's what we've been seeing, bad omens towards the downfall of your kingdom." Neptune said "Well…let's hope that's what it is." Selene then said "Look, I thought we agreed that you would find your Messiah and I would look after the heir to the Crystal." Neptune said "Yes, I remember that. But, know this: If we have to use brute force to find the Talismans, we will not hesitate to bring down this Palace if we need to. There's a reason we don't help you…we need to be on alert at all times. If we don't prevent The Silence from happening, you can forget about your kingdom and all the other kingdoms in the Solar System. Uranus, let's go." Selene, while she watched them leave, said "I do have one question before you leave here completely." Uranus and Neptune turned around. Selene said "Where's Sailor Saturn?" Uranus said "On her home planet, with a protective barrier around her. She's in a deep sleep, and hopefully will remain so." Selene said "Good…keep her sleeping for a while. Let no one awaken her. We can't risk the enemy knowing her location." Uranus and Neptune nodded their heads and went away.

I quickly took the goggles off and put my computer away. I gave everyone a brief rundown of what just happened. Mars said "Funny, I had a feeling something bad was happening in that room."

After training, Mars decided to stay behind with the baby.

Interesting, that Sailor Mars. Hard on the outside, soft on the inside. She makes sure to show everyone that she's a force to be reckoned with, when really on the inside, she's just trying to protect everyone. She loves people, but has a hard time expressing it. Could be her upbringing, but I'm sure just like the rest of us, she has her reasons.

How could Sailor Uranus and Neptune be this way? Why would they go through the trouble of getting to the Moon Palace only to threaten Queen Selene? What did they mean though about a Messiah? What did they mean by "The Silence?" Who would be the Harbinger of Death? And what did this talk of Talismans and the Holy Grail mean? Is the reason why Queen Selene tried to stay a distance away from them be because they pose a threat to us? Or is there some more underlying reason, one that we haven't found out about yet? After everything I've been through today, I wonder what has happened around here? Something is going on behind the scenes, and I intend to find out. As I said before, I have a curious mind, and I won't be completely satisfied till I find out the truth.

For my devotion to Serenity is strong. Don't worry Serenity, you'll be just fine!