Right, so it took me a few more months to spruce up Chapter 4. I'll admit, I'm guilty for forgetting where I was going with this. It's kind of funny, that it was ALL OF YOU that helped jog my memory. Your reviews. I went back to read them and, man, I just had to get the ball back for, you guessed it, YOU. THANK YOU, OH, SO MUCH for reading. It gives my life some semblance of meaning for delivering to YOU. -MW


Chapter 4: Endymion's Master Plan Part I

It had been a rough first night in Johara for Endymion. He almost had to share a room with his older brother since he had donated his room to the damsel he had rescued from the clutches of the villain. Thankfully, right after dinner Endymion had met up with his older brother outside the dining hall. Jadeite revealed his plans to meet up with his wife who happened to be passing by town on an errand and was staying at another inn. His brother had barely finished putting on a clean shirt while he was already heading out the door of his room.

"You are absolutely indecent," Endymion observed with distaste when the blonde-haired person bumped into his shoulder whilst he was buttoning up his collar.

"I have been depraved of my woman for days, Baby Brother. Is it too much to ask for a little sympathy and forgiveness from you?" Jadeite flipped him his room key and waved good-bye.

Endymion had the luxury of a room to himself as intended and yet he had barely closed his eyes when dawn showed up at the front of his window. He was going to be in a foul mood for the rest of the day because of this lack of sleep. He had Max make him the strongest tea in the house to help him last the rest of the day. "You woke up on the wrong side of the bed and you still manage to impeccably groom yourself. Is there something special you must attend to today?" His conniving older brother teased as he walked right into Endymion's private room without performing the proper conduct of knocking on the door.

Endymion glowered. "As a matter of fact I do have a meeting with the counsel that is long overdue."

Jadeite's face became serious. He touched his chin thoughtfully. "Yes, I wonder what excuse you'll make for them. You have a reputation for timeliness, you see, and I can't think of a reason why you might have delayed your meeting with them. It's not timely to rouse suspicion when Diamond is turning the land over looking for his dear little cousin. These are not rumors, Endymion. I don't think Serenity is safe staying here even if she's with you. Any genius plan right about now might be good."

Endymion grunted angrily at him, "Actually, I do have one."

Just as Jadeite opened his mouth to ask Endymion about this plan, another man came in with news. Max was still panting as he wheezed the news to the two lords, "There's a Counsel Member Collin downstairs, who wants to speak with you."

Endymion spun around in alarm. "How did he know I was staying here?"

"Word gets around, Endymion." Jadeite muttered, "I feared this might happen. Max, go make sure Serenity stays in her room until either Endymion or I comes to get her."

"Yes, My Lord." Max jumped to the balls of his feet and made a salute before he dashed down the hallway again.

"Follow my lead," Endymion ordered his brother, while they left to meet the counsel member in the lobby.

Collin politely greeted Endymion and Jadeite. "It is a pleasure to see that you have arrived safely to Johara. It is good to see you, too, Lord Jadeite. I didn't expect to see both Rowley sons to be staying at the same inn at Johara."

"Actually, I'm here with my wife on vacation," Jadeite said. "It is just coincidence that Endymion had business here as well. Aren't you here by the King's wishes, Endymion?"

Endymion nodded in agreement with his brother. "I am sorry Counsel Member Collin. I didn't mean to be rude, but by the time I arrived in Johara, it was very late. I only traveled with my page and when we reached here, it was too late to hire a courier to deliver a note to the keep to update all of you on my arrival. I thought I would come this morning to meet Lord Diamond and his cousin Lady Serenity. I was just about to see you in hopes that you might still assemble the counsel for a meeting with Lord Diamond and my intended."

"So you do have plans to marry our Lady Serenity before you've even met her," Collin supplied, snootily. His nose turned disdainfully to one side.

"Yes, after seeing this crumbling land and its citizens in the same condition, I have decided that I want to be the one to change these conditions. I'm sure Lord Diamond will be pleased to hear of my plans for a better Johara."

Collin nodded. "I will assemble a meeting and call on Lord Diamond. I'm afraid Lady Serenity may be absent today."

"Why is that? You do understand I wish to speak to her before I marry her," Endymion said with a gentle frown marring his features. "Perhaps, I should send her an impromptu engagement gift that may please her enough to see me."

"You may send the gift, but she still won't see you," Collin stated bluntly, ready to take his leave. "Please come by at noon, so we can discuss such matters of marriage and your lordship. Good morning, My Lord Endymion."

Endymion gave a quick nod at the same time Collin turned his back on him. Jadeite followed the man out and Endymion could hear the carriage pull away. When Jadeite returned, Serenity came out of hiding and stood before Endymion.

"Serenity, you're supposed to be in your room," Endymion admonished gently. Jadeite agreed.

"Wait, the both of you must know something important about that fellow. I came, so I could be of some assistance." Her eyes suddenly became wet with tears as she replayed the vision in her memory again.

Endymion's hard expression immediately softened. "What did you see, My Lady?"

"That man killed the guard that had helped me escape yesterday. When he discovered he was their culprit, th-that man speared him with a sword and dumped his body in the river. You must not meet with him and the others, Endymion. They are capable of anything that Diamond demands of them. You have to go home and forget about Johara until I send you word."

"Serenity, you're sputtering nonsense. They can't touch me if I come by the King's rule! Besides I must go or I might look suspicious," Endymion cried with passion that came from the deep pit of his chest where his emotions resided.

...

Serenity could have paced a hole into the floor if Endymion took any longer than three hours at that meeting. She was nervous that she could not see anything that was in store for Endymion even if she touched him. She could never see anything with him and that was what she feared. Not knowing and not seeing the harm that she could bring to her savior's life. Once again, she was inadvertently putting her own welfare above his. Serenity had been desperate to get away, so she sought the man from her vision in the tower without considering the life she might ruin. She didn't try hard enough to keep him away from the counsel and from her cousin. The man who seemed to want her alive was he; integrity, bravery, and fairness. Endymion was the whole package and her father would have been proud to know that Lord Endymion would succeed him. Her father would have died in content knowing that his land and people were in safe hands.

"You should have something to eat, Serenity," Jadeite interrupted her thoughts.

"No, I think I shall pray again for Lord Endymion's safe return," Serenity kneeled in front of the window again. Her knees were beginning to bruise. She felt it every time she pressed her knees into the wooden panels.

"Serenity, my brother will return. He never goes to war without being two or ten steps ahead of the enemy."

Just as Serenity began her prayer, she heard the door open. Endymion had returned from the meeting looking the same as he had left.

"Endymion!"

Endymion sent her a breathtaking smile. "Serenity, may I have a moment with my brother?"

Endymion relayed his plan to his older brother once Serenity left them. Jadeite was glad to be of service even if it was of important and dangerous service. Yet, even as Jadeite left to prepare, he had doubts that Endymion could succeed in the major part of the operation. He could not leave Endymion without speaking his mind. "That's your genius plan? You remember what happened with Lita and Nephrite. You can't force her to do as you wish, Endymion. There was a lot of pain between those two and I think they are still trying to recover from it."

"I won't have to use force. I will listen to her unlike Nephrite. If she refuses, then I have to accept that I didn't try hard enough."

"I think she has you wrapped around her little finger. I just hope you can wrap her around yours. Good luck and I'll meet you in an hour."

Serenity sat serenely in bed when Endymion came to her door and knocked. Serenity immediately jumped to open the door for him. She whirled around for the tea set as Endymion closed the door gently behind him.

He watched her fussing over him with a pleasant smile plastered on his face. "I saw Collin and the rest of the counsel. Your cousin wasn't there to meet with me. They told me that he was out looking for you. On my way back, I was listening to the rumors in town that you had run away. I think the rumors are an excellent source of ideas."

"I do plan to run away," Serenity assured him.

"Not without me, you don't," Endymion paused to take a deep breath.

"I can travel far."

"Where, Serenity? Surely, you can't return to the convent."

"Of course not, but as soon as Diamond gets far enough away and the unrest settles, I will take off into the night. No one will recognize me if I am well disguised."

Endymion gave her a reprimanding scowl. "Serenity, you don't think I'm going to just leave you here with nothing and no one to fend for you. This is not a hiding ground like the convent. People coming and going will notice you. They will report you. That's why I have come to a solution. I will send you away to my brother in Aisles tonight."

"No, I don't want to burden your family."

"Listen to me, Serenity," Endymion said, taking her hands. "I intend to make you a part of my family. If you are with me, then you will not be a burden to anyone related to me or related to us. Do you understand? We must marry before I send you away to my brother's kingdom. This is the only way to protect you from Diamond."

She shook her head. "No, I refuse."

Endymion looked crestfallen for a moment until she spoke to reassure him that the problem was not his character. "I've received enough luck and charity from you and your brother in the past twenty-four hours than in the past twenty years that I have lived. I told you I want to make you the Lord of Johara. Then, you have the freedom to marry whomever you want and rule this once peaceful land. I've been measuring you, Lord Endymion." Serenity's eyes flooded with pride and joy. "A lord with all the virtues of a leader is deserving of the people's trust and the land's prosperity. Do you understand?" She squeezed his hands to assure him of what she saw in him.

"You are a silly woman. Do you think your word can make me the lord of your land if the King doesn't even know you personally? He doesn't know your competence and ability, My Lady."

"I'll write him a letter."

"You would have to meet the King in person. How am I going to smuggle you out when your cousin is acting so desperately? You are always worrying about my brothers and me. What about you? Serenity, I have no guarantee you might be safe if I leave you to your own obstacles. Marriage is a bond neither blood relations nor the King can sever. I have already sent word to the king, to my brothers, and to my parents about this union. Once the message reaches them they will believe that we are already man and wife."

Serenity stood with her flaring temper giving her rise. "Why would you do that without speaking to me first? Halt your men at once!"

For a moment, Endymion panicked. The anger in her eyes made him remember Nephrite and Lita's marital problems. He did not want the same misunderstandings hanging over their heads once Serenity and he wedded.

However, Serenity alleviated all his worries again when her angry protest came out. "Why do you continue dooming yourself by following me when I'm trying to keep you away? I will only bring you and your family a new enemy—one who is venomous, meticulous, influential and physically very strong. Use your common sense and think of your future. I don't see it, but if you insist on following me, you might as well dig your own grave!"

Endymion steadied her trembling hands and gently forced her to concentrate on him again. "Serenity, I think you owe me a favor for saving your life," he murmured.

"You can't make this a debt paid," she grumbled. Her wide, angry eyes bore into him testily.

Endymion sighed, "I don't want to, but if I have to… Then, yes, your debt to me is due right now."

The tears finally fell. Serenity led his fisted hands to her forehead. "It would be an honor to take you as my husband even though I don't want to," she whispered back.

Endymion pulled his hand away from her temple and replaced the pressure with his lips.