Moonlight Dark Knight
By: Sandreline
Hello everyone! Thank you all so much for your kind words and praise in your reviews! It means so much to me. So here is a brand new chapter on this beautiful Friday afternoon! I hope you all enjoy! Thank you for your continued support. Have a great weekend everyone!
Chapter 6: History in the Making Part 2
Princess Serenity of the Moon kingdom continued to wear her bright smile as she journeyed through the halls of the palace of Saturn, maneuvering her way to the grand staircase where should would make her entrance and be introduced. Hotaru was there waiting for her, the younger Princess adorning a magnificent silk gown of light purple, with a sheer lace of dark purple layer over the light one.
"You look radiant, Firefly." Serenity purred, giving the younger girl a hug.
Now that she was not adorned in her Senshi garb, the youngest Princess of the planets was able to act a bit more like the young girl she was. She returned her princess' hug with a warm smile. "Thank you. You look beautiful Sere-mama."
Serenity gave a soft laugh. "Then we should make our grand entrance and win over ever male in attendance."
The Princess of Saturn gave a giggle as she looped her arm with the older woman's and they turned to the doors. The two footmen gave them each a deep bow before opening both doors, signifying to those inside they were about to introduce visiting royalty.
The chamberlain tapped his staff at the top stair as the two princesses took a few steps forward into the light to be viewed by those in the grand room. "Her most royal highness, Princess Serenity of the Moon kingdom. Her highness Princess Hotaru of Saturn."
Soft clapping was heard as the two made their way down the marble steps of the staircase and approached the King and Queen at their thrones. Upon reaching their destination, both gave curtsies in greeting that were responded with nods from the monarchs of Saturn. King Hades stood. "We welcome you, dear Princess, to our kingdom. It is our hope that you will enjoy your visit among our people, and that our alliance shall continue to prosper."
It was the traditional speech given, and she would give back the traditional answer. Oh, the political dances of being a ruler. "I am deeply honored, your Majesties, for your vast hospitality. I am sure that I shall enjoy my stay, and agree that our alliance shall prosper." She finished it with a warm smile; just because they were required to say such folly did not mean it was not true. In the entire system, only Earth was on rocky ground. All the planets under her mother's rule were very close with each other.
The King smiled, and with a wave of his hand the orchestra started up once more. Hotaru remained by the side of her friend and Princess, for the moment the music began again the surrounding crowd began their assault. All came forward to speak with the future ruler of the Moon, whether it is to test if her political standpoint was the same as her Mother's or to flatter her in hopes of being granted favors.
Serenity was glad Firefly remained with her, for she was unsure if she could handle such a swarm. Since Saturn has so many moons, this would be the largest gathering of political figures that she would see. She was taken a bit aback by the sheer numbers of fussing ladies and flattering lords.
However, after twenty minutes of this attention Serenity felt herself with a strong, dire need to break away for a moment.
"May I have this dance?" Came a deep voice as a hand was extended to the Moon princess through the throng of nobles.
"Yes!" Serenity smiled gratefully while attempting to keep the relief out of her voice as she accepted the strong hand. Her own slender one was engulfed by the calloused male's, and she was gently pulled from the crowd and to a more open place on the dance floor. Her silvery blue eyes looked up into the dark blue eyes of the Lord of Titan as his wrapped a muscled arm around her waist to pull her closer to him as the other held her hand as he led them in the fast paced waltz.
"Do you always have an affinity with saving Princess' while they are in need of rescuing?" She asked with a raised eyebrow. The feeling of being pressed close to his body was having a strange affect on her stomach. Perhaps she could eat something to help it settle...
"Only in your case, Princess." He answered with a slight purr in his tone.
"I would watch your flattery, Lord of Titan. I do not fall for such charms as other Ladies of the Court might." She warned. She may have had a small smile on her face, but her voice had hardened in warning; she spoke the truth, and the Lord knew it.
"I never would assume such actions would work on you, Princess. This is actually out of the norm for me, but I find your presence causing clouding in my judgment." The ebony haired man leaned forward more to whisper in her ear. His flirtatious tone was gone, and instead a dark voice hardened by pain filtered through. It was the voice of a soldier, a man bound to duty. His voice was only audible to her ear, and his warm breath caused a shiver down her spine. "There is a man here that works for Beryl of Earth. His mission is to kill you, Princess. Do not leave the sight of myself or Sailor Saturn."
Her eyes widened and her body tensed, but before she could inquire further, she was spun into the arms of another dance partner.
"Princess Serenity, it is an honor to meet you." The red head stated.
It took a blink of an eye for her to regain her composure. "I would say the same to you, however I do not know of your identity."
"My apologies, Princess. I have been planning what I would say to you all night, that when I finally took in your beauty before me I became at a loss for words. I am Baron Rector Flamma no Terra."
"Master Flame of Earth." The Princess translated. It was a good name, considering his looks. But if he was from Earth, he was most likely the one that the Lord of Titan had warned her about. After all, Beryl was from Earth, and Hotaru had warned her about how dangerous the planet was. "If you are from Earth, how did you come to be in attendance here on Saturn?"
"I invest my wealth in trade, highness. Business brought me here, and upon hearing that your honored presence would be here tonight I could not bring myself to leave without meeting you first. I could not let the opportunity pass me by." He told her with an arrogant smile.
Serenity did not like the feel of this man. "I am flattered, Baron Rector." She answered with a smile, forcing it upon her lips. "I am unsure what to say to such praise."
"Perhaps you shall honor me with a drink later, on the terrace?" He asked, realizing that it was also most time in the dance to switch partners once more.
"Perhaps." She answered before being spun into the arms of another partner, this time the Lord of Lapetus. Lapetus was the third largest of Saturn's moons.
"Welcome to Saturn, Princess. I am Lord Galindo of Lapetus. We met last week, but I understand that you may be overwhelmed from all the introductions." The elder man spoke. He had long white hair and dark purple eyes that twinkled with a grandfatherly glint.
Serenity smiled warmly at her current dance partner. "I must admit that you are correct. Saturn has the most population of moons and therefore the most nobles. I can only hope that I shall not offend when I ask for their names several times."
"I doubt any shall feel offence from you, your highness." Lord Galindo stated. "You seem like you could use a refreshment. Would you do this old man the honor of escorting you to the tables?" He asked, holding out his arm.
The Princess smiled warmly and placed her hand upon his offered arm with a smile. "Thank you, Lord Galindo." She told him, allowing him to lead her away to the side of the room. As she was led away, she dared to cast a glance over her shoulder to the Baron from Earth. When she found his eyes had been trained on her, she refrained from shivering and returned her attention to her destination.
A long line of tables had been set up, supporting a magnificent feast of the finest food and beverages that Saturn had to offer. The closer the Moon Princess came to the table, the stronger the tantalizing smells from the food filled her nose and she found herself quickening her pace slightly. When they reached the first table she began to slowly raise a slender hand to reach for a glass of punch.
However, she found herself suddenly spun out onto a nearby terrace, one hand clamped over her mouth and another holding a very sharp knife to her neck. Her wide silvery-blue eyes stared into the face of Lord Galindo of Lapetus, whose face was just inches from her own. She watched as he dark purple eyes shifted to a fiery red. Her heartbeat sped up a little in panic.
"Queen Beryl shall reward me greatly for your head." He spoke, his 's' stretching out as if he was a reptile. He said no more as he began to press the blade harder into the pale flesh of her neck.
The golden crescent moon on her brow blazed, and her power sent the offender flying back. Serenity prepared to run, only to find a black tail wrapping itself around her body, squeezing around her to suffocate the air from her lungs. She could not scream.
She was able to make out the sound of whistling before several blade blades cut through the appendage wrapped around her, granting her freedom as the painful scream from her attacker filled the air. She was caught by the strong arms of the Lord of Titan, who did not look happy in the slightest.
"I thought I told you to stay in sight of me or Lady Saturn!" He growled at her.
Princess Serenity did not respond, for the snake-like Youma that belonged to Beryl attacked. The Lord of Titan wrapped his arm around the Princess and leapt out of the way, using his free arm to toss several silver marbles at the creature. She realized that they were not marbles as they made impact with Galindo's body and exploded, painful hissing following as the smoke dispersed.
Sailor Saturn appeared in a flash before the youma, the blade of her glaive poised at Galindo's throat. Her icy purple eyes dared him to even breath. "Are you alright, Princess?" Hotaru called out. King Hades and several knights in the armor of the Palace Guard swarmed out to the terrace as Queen Persephone rushed to Serenity to heal the cut on her neck.
"I'm alright." She answered, using all her will power to not raise her hands to her throat out of protective instinct. The Queen was already holding glowing purple hands above the wound; quickly sealing as even the blood was reabsorbed into the Princess' body.
"Who are you, and what is your purpose here?" King Hades asked.
The youma just hissed, and Saturn moved her glaive forward just an inch, the tip of the deadly blade glowing purple as it cut into the flesh of the creature that dared to try and hurt her friend and Princess.
"No need, I have everything." The Lord of Titan moved to the Princess, and she watched with surprised eyes as he removed a small, black device the size of her thumbnail from the back of her dress. "I planted this on Princess Serenity while we were dancing."
The King of Saturn nodded, his eyes on the younger Lord. "Well done as always, Lord Bruce. We shall let Sailor Saturn handle it from here."
"No offence, King Hades, but I have been conducting this investigation for a year now under the order of Queen Selenity. It falls under the jurisdiction of my involvement in investigating Queen Beryl and putting a stop to her plot against the Alliance. This is my prisoner to interrogate." The Lord of Titan spoke with a cold voice.
"It has attacked Princess Serenity, and therefore falls under the jurisdiction of the Sailor Senshi." Sailor Saturn spoke without taking her eyes off of the youma.
King Hades looked between the most feared investigator of the Solar System and his daughter. "The two of you shall work together. Sailor Saturn, escort the youma into the holding cells. Lord Bruce, please escort Princess Serenity to her chambers and remain with her until Princess Hotaru joins you, and then go to question the real Lord Galindo. He was found unconscious in his suite." He turned to the whispering crowd of onlookers. "It would appear that we shall adjourn early this night, everyone. Thank you all for coming."
Queen Persephone placed a motherly hand on Serenity's cheek. "We shall check on you in the morning, Serenity. The guard around your quarters shall be doubled. I am afraid I shall have to inform your mother about this..." She stated.
Princess Serenity nodded, too overwhelmed by the fast-paced events that had just occurred. She had even failed to noticed the Lord Bruce of Titan still had an arm wrapped securely around her waist until he began to push her towards the halls and her quarters.
"I told you not to leave my sight." He told her as they walked.
Serenity found her voice. "I was taken out there against my will. Besides, I had thought it was the Baron from Earth that was the threat." She admitted.
"While that is a good assumption, you still disobeyed my command." The Lord told her.
Princess Serenity stopped in her walk to glare up at the taller man. "You hold no authority over my being, Lord Titan. I am in your debt for saving my life; however, do not presume that to mean you may command me."
The Lord of Titan's eyes flashed in anger, before his face completely changed. One minute the Moon Princess was at the receiving end of a scowl, and the next his eyes had softened as she was viewing a rather attractive smirk. "You have fire in you, Princess."
Serenity was a bit taken a back. "What did you expect from me? You stated yourself just a few hours ago that my childhood rebellions were known across our Alliance."
The Lord of Titan leaned forward, positioning his face just inches from her own. "I expected to see a more demur woman, more like the ladies of the noble houses that speak only when spoken to."
Serenity's eyes darkened in fury. "I will never submit to any man. My Mother rules the most powerful Alliance in the Universe without male domination, and I shall do the same. Even when I do marry someday, I shall bow to no man."
Bruce took a small step forward, bringing his body close to the smaller being's enough to feel the body heat between the two of them. "I would never suggest otherwise. I like strong women."
Serenity held her breath as the Lord pulled away from her, placing a hand on her lower back to continue to lead her to her quarters. Her anger had dissipated as if it had never been there, and instead she felt heat rising in her cheeks. "By the way," He continued. "For future reference, the next time I tell you to do something; it would be in your best interest to listen."
Serenity felt her temper rise once again. What had she just finished telling him?! Though... in line of what happened...
The had reached the large door the led to her chambers. "Wait here." The imposing man stated, and before she could argue he slipped inside. The Moon Princess waited, figuring that he was inspecting her rooms to ensure no further threats awaited inside. Even in her own suite on the Moon, one of her Senshi performed this task each night after the dinner meal.
A minute later and the door was opened, allowing the Lord of Titan to pull her inside. The door was closed behind her and locked. Princess Serenity moved to the couch, sitting down to wait for Hotaru to join her.
"You were watching over me, in the garden." Serenity stated calmly after a few moments.
Bruce turned to look at her, and this caused Serenity to get a good profile view of his muscular chest. "Yes." He stated calmly.
The future monarch felt her heart drop slightly. She had enjoyed his company and banter, but it would seem that it was all part of his job. "What is it exactly, that my Mother has commissioned you to do, Lord Bruce?" She asked while fiddling with the bracelet on her left arm.
"Gather information on Beryl's plot against the Silver Alliance and protect you at all costs. She trusts me to fulfill my duties. My reputation is perfect." He answered, glancing out the balcony doors every once in awhile to make sure no one or nothing would come through.
"And what reputation would that be, Lord Bruce?" The Moon Princess asked with a raised eyebrow.
"To be the interrogator that criminals would rather admit their crimes to than be interviewed by me. To be one with shadows as I infiltrate enemy locations. To gather information by blending with the criminal populace and for them to be none the wiser." He had once again stated with a militaristic reply.
Princess Serenity had opened her mouth to further voice her opinions when Sailor Saturn entered the suite. She had a gloved hand firmly holding her glaive as she leveled her amethyst eyes with Bruce's own royal blue. "You are relieved, Lord of Titan." She stated. "I shall watch over my Princess from here."
Bruce seemed to float towards the youngest but deadliest Senshi of Serenity's court, his black cloak rapped around him. "Considering you were not even aware of a threat to her in the first place, let's see how well you do now." He stated before swarming out.
Princess Serenity watched with amused eyes as the young Princess of Saturn became to fume as she glared at the door while muttering Saturnine obscenities.
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The Lord of Titan waited outside the riches inn in the Capital city of Saturn, just outside the palace walls. Once the light for the specified room he had been watching turned on, he made his move. With a running start he leapt across the small distance to the balcony of his destination. It was shrouded with potted plants to make it more comfortable, and Bruce slid behind one. Without making a noise, he slid inside the suite of the inn to face the back of the red-headed man that had danced with the Princess at the ball.
"Endymion."
The red-head turned around, a deadly rose in his hand with lowered eyes. When they landed on the dark purple and black covered Lord of Titan, he relaxed. "I had thought this disguise would fool even you, Lord Bruce." The Prince of Earth stated while shedding the red wig from his head.
"Your ignorance is what continues to astound me." The Lord bit out. "What are you doing here?" He growled.
"The same as you, I would imagine." The Terran royal stated while moving to sit on the couch of his rented room. "I followed the youma from Earth to hear. It is a lieutenant in Beryl's army. I had hoped to take care of the matter myself without drawing attention to anyone of my presence."
"And yet you cause the Moon Princess you believe that you work for Beryl, and then almost be killed by the real youma." Bruce snapped.
"I did not mean for such an occurrence to happen to the lovely Princess. I had wished to protect her as well." Endymion stated. "However, this war with Metallia started on my planet, and I wish to end it there before Beryl's power spreads to the Moon and other planets."
"Fantastic job you are doing." Bruce stated with a glare.
"Her beauty is even more radiant than rumors state, isn't it, Lord Titan?" Prince Endymion asked. "Even if she was wary that I could have been a spy for Beryl, I could still tell she has a loving heart." He paused and looked to Bruce. "Did you know that there are peace talks concerning our marriage taking place with our parents?"
The Lord of Titan's face hardened. He took several intimidating steps towards the couch the Earth Princes resided on, and did not stop till he was leaning over the Prince's form with one of his most powerful gazes. "Leave the matter Beryl's minions to me, as Queen Selenity mandated. While you are at it, leave the Moon Princess to her Senshi." He turned with a flurry of his cloak to leave the same way he had come.
"And you?" The Earth Prince asked, even though he was confident he had just signed his death warrant with the most feared investigator in the Alliance.
The Lord of Titan did not stop as he took his exit, blending with the shadows with the gift his reputation spoke of.
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Well, there is part 2! I hope you all enjoyed it! ^_~
For those of you asking about how the Senshi would react, here you go. They feel that he steps on their toes, so to speak. For those of you wondering about Wonder Woman, as I stated before in my other SM/JL crossover that as much as I love the BM/WW pairing, this is better! But perhaps now you can see why Bruce was attracted to Diana - she had Serenity's beliefs that she shall bow to no man.
Thank you all so much for the wonderful reviews! I cannot express my gratitude to you all for your kind words and praise - I have the best readers!
See you soon!
~Sandreline