Serenity was nervous, not that anybody could really tell. After all, if nobody was around to see her nervous, was she really nervous? She had been locked in her room for about a week now, only leaving in the middle of the night, such that it was, to wander around the gardens.
The reason for her anxiety? Her son, Demetrius, was returning to Lunaria for the first time in over two decades. Her precious child, whom she had released to the Solar Military Academy, had recently taken over his father's place as head of the kingdom. Serenity, in her eagerness to see her beloved torch, had made for a grand ball for the entire system.
Ordinarily, Earth hosted the Coronation Ball, as it was neither too close, nor too far away from the sun for the guests to feel uncomfortable in its climate. Also, its planetary size made for pleasant dancing, as very few people were from smaller planets. However, there were circumstances that allowed for Lunaria to host. Firstly, Serenity was his mother, and the lunarians longed to see their prince. Secondly, and more importantly, although kept secret from most: there were revolts and uprisings on the third planet.
Endymion had confided in Serenity his fear: that his kingdom would not continue long enough for his son to take power and make reforms. Serenity knew what the lord of earth spoke of. She herself had changed her government to a branched system, with the royal line acting as the executive, and a newly formed legislature making the laws. She had found that she was too out of touch with the people to continue to rule in good conscience, and switched as soon as feasible.
All of the inner planets under Serenity had changed over. Jupiter was in the process of moving to a regional branched government, with subdivided sectors. The rest of the planets, who were more under the rule of Sol than Luna, were reluctant to do so. The regents of Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto, felt that their societies were quite satisfied with how they were run, and had decided against changing their government, as it would create unease.
But that was not her responsibility. Right now she needed to make it through the night, and what a night it would be. All the guests had arrived previous, entourages from all the planets were present, and milling about in the ballroom. Serenity's new husband, a former head of the legislature, was busy greeting people. Her daughter, Demetrius' half-sister, the Crowned-Princess Serenity II, was out in the gardens, relaxing with the other daughters of the planets.
As it is, Serenity II was her biggest reason to worry. Demetrius didn't know about Armunn, or Serenity, and she was terrified as to what he would do. Or so she thought. The by-laws of the solar academy meant that he could not contact his parents, but siblings were perfectly acceptable, as long as they were not a means of communication to or from the parents. And so, after receiving an announcement of her birth, by means of a newspaper, he waited a few years, and then began sending her letters in secret.
Their correspondence was in secret, and irregular, as not many messengers came to or from Sol. Serenity II was really rather anxious to meet her brother who was nearly a decade-and-a-half her senior. In short and long, instead of worrying about what Demetrius would think of her, Serenity should be worried about weather or not her daughter would maintain a modicum of decorum when meeting her brother for the first time.
Out in the gardens, the Daughters of the lunar court, Mercury, Venus, Mars, and Jupiter, were attempting to discuss the same thing with the hyperactive moon princess. Attempting was the operative word.
"Serenity, you can't simply pounce the man. He's the most powerful person in the system, even the Queens have to respect his wishes." The princess, Raya, of Mars, a planet known for respecting traditions, if not more for their fiery tempers, said.
"I know, but I just want to see him so bad!" Serenity II almost wailed.
"That's: badly. Please remember your speech lessons princess," said Amy, the reserved princess from Mercury.
Turning so quickly that she could've given herself whiplash, Serenity leaned over towards the blue haired girl. "Please, tell me again what he's like. I know he's spent time on Mercury, you've told me so!"
"Well, I haven't had much time with him. Whenever he comes to Mercury, it's because he's on holiday from his duties. The only reason he stays on Mercury is because of its proximity to Sol. He seems to be a very pleasant person, enjoying the simpler facets of life. For the most part, he's a recluse on Mercury, only coming to crowded areas for food."
"I've noticed that too," Lila, the daughter of Jupiter said.
"Eh?" came from all the other girls.
"You've never mentioned meeting the king before," Mia, the blonde princess of Venus said, seemingly put off.
Staring down at her hands and very red in the face, Lila said, "Well, he usually stops on Jupiter on his way out to the further planets. He spends his time actually in the castle, unless he's in meetings with mother. Actually, last time on his way back to Sol he spent three straight days with mother. He seemed very agitated."
Mia, remembering something asked while gesturing wildly with her hands, "Is he about yea tall, big shoulders, bleached hair…" she trailed off seeing that Lila and Amy were both nodding vigorously. Folding her arms and carrying a very sour look on her face, "I don't see how anyone that cute could be him," she said vehemently. "His manners were atrocious. He didn't even announce himself; he just waltzed on into the throne room. Momma and Daddy didn't come out until the next day, and they were very tired then. And then, then he just left as quickly as he had come. If that's your brother Serenity, I wouldn't be excited to see him."
"At least you've met him. I was on Mercury when he visited Mars."
"I was wondering how you and gotten that tan," Serenity said with envy. From there, the conversation deteriorated into who looked better, whose make up was more expensive, and other subjects like hair, outfits, etc…
In the midst of the squabbling, a grand ship covered in white, yellows, reds, and oranges arrived on the front drive. Queen Serenity was alerted, and made her way to the top of the steps. As she waited regally, the other queens and their respective kings, including her own husband stepped forth to welcome the young ruler. As quickly as possible, pageboys were dispatched to find the princesses and bring them to the front lawns.
The pages weren't necessary though. The girls had seen the ship out front, and noticed how everything seemed quiet in anticipation. The girls knew that if they were not present for his entrance, they would be severely disciplined, though not until they left for their homes. Panting for breath, the girls arrived and tried with futility to straighten their dresses and hair not seconds before the pomp and circumstance began.
Trumpets blaring, the hatch opened. A long procession of servants, advisors, and council members later, the King himself stepped out. Queen Serenity noticed, with a barely concealed smirk, that her son still didn't like the big fanfare. Underneath the crown, she caught the fact that his eyes were no longer black, but hazel, and that his smile was slightly strained.
Demetrius stood at a nearly perfect military attention, the years of the academy being a hard habit to break. His stature was nothing to sneeze at, being almost a whole head taller than those around him, although they were quite short to begin with. Almost six feet tall, his skin was a deep brown tan, contrasting nicely with the vanilla white garments. Gold fastenings held the coat shut, and a cape over his shoulders. After waiting a moment for the sight to set in, he moved toward the palace and up the steps. The cape fluttered and now hung off his back instead of over his shoulders, revealing the golden underside, and the golden gloves. His left hand had a tight grip on something, a sword, Serenity noticed.
She remembered Nyustam drilling into him that he didn't get to wear anything, especially weaponry, until he had learned it and earned it. Now it seemed that he had learned proper swordplay technique. Even though the children were forbidden direct contact, the academy would still send periodic reports of the child's activities, and he had made quite a stir when he had shown up to multiple inspections and parades not wearing his sabre.
Nyustam's laugh could be heard whenever Serenity received these reports, always saying how proud he was that the boy would "stand by what he was taught, doing the proper thing." She remembered that Nyustam was not present today, because of an incident that led to his passing. She noticed Demetrius' eyes darting around, presumably looking for his old mentor. He did not make any show of not finding what he was looking for, however, and started up the long entrance stair.
That stair had long plagued the king when he was younger, he always thought it was too long. When young, he would run as fast as he could down the steps, and usually ended up hurting himself when he would trip, sending himself sprawling. Serenity remembered fondly how he would cling to her leg when the doctor would finish patching him up.
It seemed that Demetrius remembered the stairs also, because he started to jog, jumping over the stairs from landing to landing, stopping just a couple steps below his mother. The first words out of his mouth were, "You know, I really don't see the point in having over one hundred seventy steps," following up with a kiss on both of his mother's cheeks.
"Hello to you too Demetrius. You still have that distaste for ceremony I see."
"Yes, Mother, I love you too. Now, isn't this supposed to be a party?"
"It is, but I have someone for you to meet first." Seeing the movement of her mother's hand, the younger Serenity came beside her mother. "Demetrius, this is your half-sister, Serenity, the Crowned Princess."
"Ah, I wondered when I would meet you. Don't worry mother, I've known about her since her birth. Actually, I have a gift four my young hostess." A servant, who had taken careful time coming up the long stair, opened the case he was carrying. Demetrius lifted out of the box a pendant on a fine chain. As he knelt in front of the young girl he said, "This is a special metal that only can be found and worked in Sol. It's incredibly durable, but as you can already tell, very lightweight."
Indeed it was lightweight, as a piece of gold that size would have felt very heavy. The only reason that the young Serenity could tell that she was wearing it was the warmth that spread through her as it lay on her chest, almost like the sun itself. A simplistic design, it was a ring, with six protrusions from the outer ring towards the center. Three of them reached the center, while the other three ended just inside the ring. The queen thought it was oddly familiar, but ended up just waving it off.
"Now that that's settled, let's join in the festivities, yes?" with that Serenity guided all the families to the ballroom, where they were announced. Starting with the furthest planets, inward, Pluto, Saturn, and Earth were not announced, as there were not present. Serenity II was announced, followed by her mother, and lastly Demetrius, as he was the guest of honor.
As per tradition, a folk-dance song of Sol was played first to start off the evening. The only other person who knew a solar dance was Serenity, so with another slight breach in tradition, he danced first with the host. Following quickly after, were the songs of the different planets. Mercury through Jupiter, he danced with the Queens, as the daughters were too young to dance properly with him. The fathers and daughters had a grand time sharing the main dance floor though, trying desperately to keep their laughter in as they would trip over each others' feet. The King did, though, dance with the princesses of Uranus and Neptune, as they were tall enough for the dance to not be awkward.
That was, in fact, the entire point of dancing with each of the royals present: to prove that he was knowledgeable enough to understand the different kingdoms that were under his care, and all of their differences and eccentricities. However, when it came to dance with the host, they found themselves in a quandary. The new regent was not permitted to dance a second time with anyone, until the procession was complete. Having already danced with the queen, he knew what he must do, no matter how awkward.
Queen Serenity had already seen this coming, and had quickly summoned her advisor, Luna. She was too late however, and the younger Serenity was already standing before her brother. As the orchestra began to play however, it was obvious that something in the young girl had changed. She seemed to stand a little taller, and to quote a neptunian, "She flowed with such grace that even the water was envious." Considering the source, there was not much higher praise to be had.
The queen looked on as her daughter came into her own on the dance floor. It was no longer the king dancing with the different dominions, but the princess dancing, and Demetrius was simply a means for her to do so. She watched happily, proud that her daughter had taken some interest in her studies, but she kept a watchful eye out for anything out of the ordinary; as watchful an eye as can be had while she danced with her husband. Too soon though, the song was over, and now was the time for the new regent to make a short speech.
As Demetrius took the floor, the room hushed, almost as if there was no one present. "I'd like to welcome everyone to my Coronation Ball. If you would please, let's give a round of applause for our hosts." As the clapping subsided, he continued, "Now, I know that dinner is served as soon as I finish, so I won't be long, especially as King Aries has challenged me to a duel of honor, over a plate of spicy meatballs, cooked Mars style - winner gets a second plate, and a few antacid tabs." There were some soft chuckles part-way through; the Martian king's love of the traditional peasant dish was well known, but there was no denying the laughter when his heart-burn was poked at.
"After dinner the dance floor will still be open, however, I will not be participating. After eight straight dances, with eight very talented dance partners, I find myself in desperate need of respite. I beg your forgiveness ladies, but one can only do so much, even if one is King. Now, without further adieu, I believe, dinner is served."
There were many sighs when he said that he wouldn't be dancing the later part of the evening, but they understood. The planetary dances were either vigorous, fast paced dances, or moderately paced, with a greater demand for precision and control through the steps. Either way, a single dance would place most of the persons who normally danced them out of commission for about a dance or two, but he had performed all eight of the dances, one flowing right into the next.
And so it was, when everyone was seated at their respective tables, Queen Serenity gave the command for the plates to be brought out so that all could enjoy the cuisine of every culture. Also, in the middle of the commotion, a small circular table, and two chairs were brought out. Instead of going directly for the food, everyone stayed seated, watching in wonder and awe at someone who would dare to challenge the Martian at eating spicy foods.
Artemis stepped forward, and four servants came out. Two carried each a dish of the meatballs, and the other two, a glass of milk and a glass of water each. Knowing that it was time, the two respective kings came and sat. "Gentlemen," Artemis spake imperiously, "you have each been given a bowl of thirty meatballs, a glass of water and a glass of milk. You may drink freely from either glass during the competition. The contest will begin when either of you places the first meatball in his mouth. The contest will be over when all of the meatballs are finished, and you declare yourself, 'Finished.' You will be disqualified should regurgitation, rushing from the table, requiring more drink, or drinking after declaring ones' self 'Finished.' These, my sirs, are the rules. You may begin when ready." At that, Artemis returned to wait by his queen's side.
Serenity was curious as to what brought this on. With a happy face she thought that it was simply a friendly challenge. Little did she know that her firstborn was playing politics with a tricky opponent. Demetrius was going to stomach this so that he could prove to the others that he was no pushover, and determined. This was no mean feat for just anyone to undertake, the spices on these meatballs had actually claimed lives before, and for one to attempt this before such a well-seasoned palette, it was almost madness.
As a test to the young ruler, Aries pushed his drinks away from his plate. Not to be outdone, Demetrius drank down both of his drinks, taunting Aries on multiple levels. To the untrained eye, one would have seen that Demetrius was not giving himself the option to drink later. But to the trained one, they saw that he was taking up more room in his stomach, and that he was ready for the burn that surely came as soon as the hell-hot sauce hit the water.
Demetrius also knew of the king's distaste for water, both as a fire user, and as a simple drink. "Such insolence!" Aries thought to himself. "And I would've done the same. This will be most, intriguing." With only one option, Aries downed the drinks himself, while watching as Demetrius placed a meatball in his mouth and just let it sit there, chewing very slowly as the sauce got into every nook and cranny of his mouth.
Hastening to do the same, a drop of the sauce landed on the linen tablecloth, which started to eat its way through, and then beginning to smoke when it reached the marble table. Aries watched in fascination as a scorch mark was left on the polished rock surface. With his mouth open to eat, and the meatball still on his fork, he barely listened to Demetrius when he said, "Sir, I have not been completely honest with you. I am more familiar with this dish than I have let on. For instance I know what the secret ingredient is. I also know that the Death Pepper is grown on Sol. My cooks also tell me that these meatballs are so potent, because the peppers used are always fresh picked, and squeezed over the dish directly before it is served.
"My lord, this is a very special dish, not only because it was made with Sol-grown peppers, but because I ordered my cooks to soak this meat for a full day in the pepper juice. Yes, I know that that is not possible, because the juice is potent enough to eat through the iron cookware. My cooks do not use iron though, instead they used solite, the same material that the Solar military uses for its armor and weapons."
When Demetrius was finished, Aries was slightly pale, but had a very determined glint in his eye. Guests moved about, slowly, to get some food, but as the two began to eat, they gathered a crowd. There was a gap between the crowd and the table, more than an arm's length, as the sauce was too potent for people to be closer without sweating, crying, or having their eyes become bloodshot.
The entire process of them eating lasted the better part of an hour, as the two repressed the burning sensation, and discussed the differences in the actual flavor by the slightly different process in cooking. There was also talk of which wine or champagne would best fit with the meal. Somewhere in the middle, Raya, and the young Serenity (who Demetrius now called Serena) came and asked to try the meatballs.
By this time, the heat from the food had begun to affect their head, and so they freely allowed the young teens to taste half of a meatball. Raya, who had never liked many spicy foods, had dared Serena that she would try a meatball if Serena did. Raya had hoped that her previous encounters with her father's meals would help her in this, but it was not to be.
While able to somewhat stomach the spice of her home-world, this was a whole new level of hot, that it even took her a full second for her brain to tell her how hot it was. As she rushed from the room, Serena, watching in wonder, and asked for another.
Demetrius' laughter boomed throughout the dining hall. His eyes filled with mirth, he pulled Serena into his lap, where he whispered in her ear. "Serena, that one-half of a meatball you ate should've thrown off your appetite for about a week. It seems though that the amulet I gave you protected you. I had it specially made to protect you from the heat of the sun, so that you can come and visit me. It appears that you are protected from more than just the heat of the sun itself though. Now, run along and make it seem like this is no big deal."
At that, Serena was off his lap, and rushing back to her friends, who had gone to assist the Martian princess. Aries sat flabbergasted at what he had just seen. Deciding to enlighten the man, Demetrius said, "The powers that be have intervened on her behalf, even if they did no unknowingly."
"Indeed, I believe we were about to have number seventeen?"
"My good sir, you are a man after my own heart, but you must tell me what the sweetness is in this recipe. My cooks refuse to tell me anything, saying that it is not my place to know culinary perfection."
The two continued to eat, enjoying the flavors that came to them as their heads swam from the heat of the sauce. Elsewhere though, Raya was swishing champagne and spitting over a running sink, attempting to use the effervescent beverage to rid her mouth of the numbing burn. Mia was dabbing the distraught girls' eyes with a handkerchief, in a futile attempt to keep the tears from ruining the makeup. Lila gently rubbed her back as she sobbed gently.
Amy just sat on a pouf in the powder room, watching in disinterest, instead trying to reason out why their friend was able to eat the food with such ease, when even her brother appeared to have some difficulty at first. Her father, Hermes had warned her that something big was going to happen during the coronation celebration, and that the young princesses would do well to keep out of trouble, and away from the adults. Just as she had reached the state where she might've been able to piece together what might be going on, Serena waltzed in, grinning widely, until she saw the looks pointed at her.