Serenity woke up and wondered where she was when she saw a rocky ceiling. Then she remembered: the betrayal, her flight, the vampires and the mountain they had taken refuge in.
"Good evening, Serenity-hime," said Hotaru who was already awake and sitting up on her hammock with little Usagi on her lap. "We slept a long time."
"Indeed you girls did," said Cassiera as she entered the room. "It's not surprising considering you three traveled from Tokyo to here in a short span of time."
"How did you-?"
"Know that you three traveled such a far distance? I have a unique ability to sense the approach of a traveler and if they bring evil or good intentions. I'm the only one in the world with this gift, so in a way I'm the main freak in the vampire clan."
"You are not a freak!" Serenity was surprised how casual their new friend sounded at calling herself a freak of nature. "You are blessed, gifted! How can you call yourself a freak?"
"I think Hotaru would be the best at explaining that later," Cassiera's tone closed the topic for now. "Come, I'm sure you three will want to visit a few places before we are summoned to the Council."
The young vampire lead them to the water closet (or the mountain's equivalent of a toilet room), then the cold shower area, then to the clothes storage where they found more appropriate attire to wear except for Usagi, and lastly to the 'dining hall'. Serenity knew it would take a long time for her to remember where everything was should she and her companions stay for a while. Cassiera was considerate enough to find them an empty table to sit at, but some of the vampires were still staring at their strange guests.
"You know it is rude to stare," said Cassiera in a warning tone to the curious vampires. Said vampires went back to their previous conversations or continued eating their meal after Cassiera's warning.
"Barely new to the clan and already you command the respect of many vampires," said a long, blond haired vampire with three scars on his cheek.
"Good evening, Kurda," the younger vampire greeted the apparently young man. "I guess you're here to meet the guests? This is Serenity, Hotaru, and Usagi." She indicated to each girl as she said their names. "Girls, this is Kurda Smahlt, the soon-to-be-Vampire-Prince."
"Ah, so you are the three ladies I've been hearing about. It is a pleasure to finally meet you." The vampire smiled warmly to them. "It is rather unheard of to have outsiders as guests, forbidden in fact without permission from the Princes."
"All will be explained at Council, Kurda, but I will tell you that they sought a place to hide and Paris granted them asylum." Again Cassiera used the tone that said don't ask any more questions until later. "However, the timing of this couldn't be any worse. What is this I've been hearing about the vampeneze on vampire territory?"
"Vampeneze?" asked little Usagi.
"Our purple skinned cousins," Cassiera answered. "They are like us, but their laws are stricter than ours and they kill the prey they drink blood from every time they feed. Vampires only take small amounts of blood from their prey; rarely do we need it in large quantities like our wayward cousins."
"They sound scary," Usagi looked pale after her explanation and Cassiera felt bad for making her scared.
"Don't worry," she smiled reassuringly to the child, "my mentor, Prince Arrow, hates the vampeneze with a passion, more so than any other vampire in this mountain. If anything purple skinned sets foot in this mountain will get a very unwelcome reception."
"I guess it's a good thing I chose an all black outfit then," said Hotaru in good humor. "My favorite color is a dark purple."
"Hey, I have nothing against purple clothes, just purple skin," said the giant prince from behind the three girls. Arrow laughed when they jumped, startled from not knowing the giant vampire was right behind them. "Cassiera, Council will start within an hour. We will expect you and…" He looked into Serenity's direction, not having been introduced to the woman properly.
"Serenity," she said.
"We expect you and Serenity in the Hall of Princes during Council. Don't be late." Arrow walked away, probably tending to whatever business that needed to be done before the Council assembled.
"I'm coming too," Hotaru said immediately.
"No," said Cassiera. "There might be a reason why he specifically wanted Serenity to come by herself. If the princes want to know why you girls were on the run, they will want to hear one account at a time—"
"And I have the second half of the story behind our flight," the young girl argued. "It is only right that we give your clan a full account of what happened and who's after us."
Cassiera pinched the bridge of her nose and Kurda said, "She's got you there."
"Alright, you win, Hotaru, but Usagi cannot come to Council for certain. We're pushing out luck as it is; not many outsiders are allowed to come near or enter the Hall of Princes unless circumstances dictate otherwise."
"Then, who will look after her?" Serenity asked already in protective-mother-mode. "She can't be left alone in a mountain full of vampires."
Cassiera replied by planting her face onto the table and sigh in frustration. Then the answer to their problem made itself known from one of the least likely vampires she knew.
"So cute!" a female voice nearly squealed and Cassiera shot up with an expression that clearly said What the hell?
"Arra?" said the young vampire greatly shocked to see the Arra Sails hugging little Usagi.
"When did you develop a soft spot for children?" asked an equally shocked Kurda.
"Only for very young and cute ones," replied the normally tough woman vampire. "I wish I could look after her; the princes have called every general in the mountain for this meeting. Have you asked Seba if he could look after her?"
"Arra, with us just now discussing this, do you think we've had the time to ask him for help?" Cassiera pointed out. "He's also a busy vampire being Quarter Master; he might not be able to."
"True, but you never know until you try."
As it turned out, Seba was more than glad to look after Usagi. With the young child under the care of the elder vampire, the group of two generals, two not-humans, and half-vampire made their way to the centermost part Vampire Mountain, to the Hall of Princes.
"Why did we have to take off our shoes?" asked Serenity after they passed the check point.
"It's more or less tradition, and it's also not allowed to bring weapons into the Hall of Princes," said Arra.
"Personally, I think it's to prevent a recap of Julius Caesar," commented Cassiera. The two generals and Serenity smiled at her reference.
"I don't think I'd ever see Prince Arrow saying etu Brute," Hotaru added to the humor and they all shared a chuckle.
Soon they entered a huge domed cavern with a glowing dome in the center. Serenity and Hotaru both stared in awe at the outside of the Hall of Princes while continuing to walk with the group. The inside was filled with rows of seats and in the center was a raised platform with four thrones and a blood red stone behind them.
"Look well, Serenity, Hotaru, for you are the first outsiders to ever enter the Hall of Princes," said Cassiera as she led them to the front row seats while Arra and Kurda sat farther back. "Arrow usually doesn't allow me to attend the meetings, but if I have to then I automatically get the closest seats to the thrones."
"Why?" asked Hotaru.
"Because I am Prince Arrow's apprentice; sometimes apprentices—or assistants as some vampires call the ones they blood—can follow in their mentor's footsteps and become a prince. The generals and other vampires are already trying to get onto my good side, and some are asking if I'll aim to be the first princess of the clan."
Silence fell over the entire hall before any more questions could be asked. The three princes in attendance to the Council made their way to their thrones and sat in accordance to their age with the oldest in the middle.
"To our right if Prince Mika ver Leth, the youngest of the princes," Cassiera told the two with her. "In the middle is Prince Paris Skyle, the oldest vampire and a living legend. You two met him the first night you came here. Lastly is my mentor, Prince Arrow, the vampire at the forefront of anti-vampaneze sentiment. They are the strongest and the most cunning vampires in our clan."
"Where's the king?" asked Serenity.
"There are only the princes; we have no need of a king."
"Cassiera, Serenity, to the front!"
"That's us. Let's go." Cassiera led Serenity and Hotaru to the front of the platform and they knelt before the princes.
"It is good to see you again, Serenity and Hotaru," said Paris, "but why are you here, Hotaru?"
"Sire Paris," said Cassiera, "there is more to their story than we first anticipated. There are apparently two parts to this: one side being Serenity's, and the other by Hotaru."
"Hmm. Serenity, you said you and your companions were betrayed, and with the power that brought you here to our lands, I worry for the safety of the vampire clan." The generals of the clan murmured silently at this. "If we are to shelter you from traitors we must know everything and if we should be on guard. Please, tell us everything."
Serenity looked to Cassiera, whom nodded in encouragement, and she stood. "Sires, I am Princess Serenity of the Moon Kingdom. A thousand years ago, my kingdom was part of a planetary alliance called the Silver Alliance, and my mother was the leader of this Alliance. My court consisted of the four princesses of the planets Mercury, Venus, Mars, and Jupiter. There was also Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto, but they guarded the outskirts of the Alliance. Earth was not part of the Alliance, but I had been engaged to it's prince, Endymion. However, an evil soon destroyed the Alliance, and my mother sent me, my court, and Endymion to this era to be reborn. We regained our memories, defeated the evil and numerous enemies after it, but along the way we broke a taboo. We saw our most likely future. It was then that my friendship with a majority of my court became strained and fake. After we defeated our most powerful enemy, I had married Endymion and bore a daughter, Usagi. Five years later they showed their true colors, including Endymion. They were plotting to kill me and steal my most powerful artifact, but I heard them and fled with Usagi before meeting up with Hotaru. From there we teleported away from them and we ended up outside your mountain."
Hotaru stood and said, "Sires, I am the Princess of Saturn, Guardian of Destruction and Rebirth, Hotaru. I am the youngest of Serenity's court and the outcast because of my power to destroy planets. I lived among the Outer Guardians in this era and learned that theirs and the Inner's loyalties were not with Serenity. I also learned that Endymion only wanted Serenity for her power. They ignored me for the most part, not knowing that I was listening in on their plans to rid of Serenity once the throne of Earth was secured and Usagi had been born. I know not why they would betray their princess, but they are not the comrades I remember."
The hairs on the back of Cassiera's neck began to stand and she knew she only had seconds before something happened. She grabbed both girls and jumped before an explosion engulfed where they once stood. They landed on the platform and the dust cleared rapidly revealing a woman wearing a sailor suit with cropped, blond hair smirking evilly at them.
"Miss me, buns?"