Title: Dangerous Beauty
Disclaimer: I don't own anything about Sailor Moon
Authors Notes: Hey everyone! Here's another chapter. I'm really glad so many of you are liking this story. Please remember to review. I'm working away at this story as much as possible. It's looking to be longer than my usual ones, which I'm sure all of you will be excited about. Anyway, here you go!
The king was so instantly aware of her that it made Serenity stumble slightly on her long gown. His emotions were so powerful and direct it was like a jolt of cold water splashed over her face in the morning.
Endymion was quick to take her arm, allowing her to use him to steady herself as they continued to make their way into the dining hall.
"It's fine," she said breathlessly at his worried look. "I just need to concentrate."
The king smiled a truly disturbing smile as he watched her enter.
"I am glad you could join us my lady," he said standing up to offer her the chair next to his. She was sure that, had she been anyone else, the king's action would be considered absurd. No monarch every helped anyone into their chairs. But all eyes were on her, and the emotion in the room was simply lust and desire.
She focused, trying to calm it.
It was almost too easy. She was sure she was doing something wrong. The levels dimmed, and the nobles all sat calmly in their chairs, eager to speak to the king's new pet.
Endymion sat beside her even though his usual seat was at the other end of the table. He had casually asked a young man to move. The man had flared in anger and almost refused, but Serenity calmed his emotions quickly so he felt eager about the request. He left quickly.
She smiled at Endymion as he sat down.
"So, my lady," the king said as he lounged almost lethargically in his chair. "What brings you out of hiding?"
"Your son was cruel enough to force me from my home," she said, hoping Endymion would not take offense. It was clear that any slight against the son would please the father. She wished she had thought to tell him that before this conversation.
The king laughed. "He does some things right I suppose."
She heard Endymion shift beside her, but didn't turn to look at him.
"I hope that, now you are here, you will find it pleasurable."
Serenity hesitated only a moment. This was what she needed to do. She could feel how many different ways the king wanted her, and she needed to appeal to him on all those levels, including the one she was least comfortable with.
She smiled demurely at him, and tilted her head. "I hope very much that I will find a great deal of pleasure while I'm here."
The king's eyes seemed to smolder now, and she felt like she would choke on how overpowering his emotions became. She reached into them and held them tightly, molding them in the way she wanted. She had to be careful. This man would understand very quickly that something was wrong if she simply took away his desires. She had to hold his attention so he couldn't see anything else.
It was a dangerous edge she would walk. She could see how easily she might tip him. His desire was so strong that if she forgot him, even for a moment, he might try and find a way to force her. But if she pushed too hard, his passionate desire would become passionate anger, and he would probably kill both her and Endymion.
She looked around the room. Every single set of eyes was on her. She had the attention of everyone. They all watched her with varying degrees of wonder and desire.
It was becoming clear that she might never be able to sit in a room and be treated like just anyone else.
That thought saddened her, and she looked at her plate.
"You seem upset my dear," the king said.
She snapped her attention back to him. "Not at all your majesty. I was just contemplating my place here. Your son didn't seem eager to tell me what I was supposed to do."
"You are our guest," The king said. "Our honored guest."
She smiled. "That is very kind of you. But surely something is expected of me."
"You are expected to grace us with your presence."
She wanted to sigh in frustration. He was impossible.
"I would like to be given a goal," she tried again. "I do not wish to be idle."
"You do not consider pleasing your king a goal worthy of your attention?"
"Of course I do," she said carefully. She saw the opening, and took it. She pouted her lips a little, and gazed at him through her eyelashes. "But then what might I do when you decide to go back to your war? You will leave me behind and I will have nothing to keep me occupied."
The room seemed to tense, maybe because of the mention of war, but the king didn't notice.
He just smiled. "We have at least until the ball before that becomes an issue at all my dear."
"I did hear you were throwing a ball. I am very honored."
He seemed pleased at her pleasure.
"But what then will happen afterward?"
"You must know this instant?"
"I would like to be prepared."
He shook his head. "Right now, the only thing of importance is what is happening now. Let us focus on the ball, and creating for you a permanent spot here in the palace."
She acted surprised. "You wish me to stay permanently?"
"Yes," he said without hesitation. "My son has brought you here to me, and I intend to keep you."
If Serenity were acting as herself, she would have reacted angrily to a comment like that. He looked at her as if she were property, and it made her stomach ache in disgust. He had no idea that she was actually a person. Every person in this room had no idea that she had desires and opinions of her own.
"Perhaps we might ask her to stay instead of commanding it father," Endymion said seriously.
She looked at him. His blue eyes were solemn and compassionate. It warmed her heart that he would look after her so.
The king waved his hand in dismissal. "She's not leaving."
Endymion glared at his father. "She is free to have the choice."
"I will remind you of your place my son," the king said darkly.
Serenity was so surprised by the overpowering surge of hate she got from the king when he was speaking to his son that she nearly forgot to breath. How could a father feel so harshly towards his own son? How could anyone hate a member of their family so purely?
Endymion seethed with anger. "I know my place," he hissed at his father. "And you forget that I brought her here. She is under my protection."
"She has been given as a gift to your king," the king said standing up in anger.
"You assume too much."
"I assume nothing!" The king shouted as he slammed his hand down on the table, making Serenity jump. "Your king has asked you for his favor, and you will make sure he is pleased."
Serenity could see very clearly that Endymion was about to argue. In front of all these people, he would defy the king.
One glance at his guards, looking a little frantic across the room, made it clear that that would not be a good thing.
So she stood up, directly between the two men.
She quickly smiled at the king, a dazzling smile, and was pleased how easily he re-focused on her.
Then she turned to Endymion, frightened of his anger.
"I am sure that once the king and I have time to speak calmly of my place here, he will not feel the need to force me to stay. Do not make yourself angry on my account."
She didn't try to manipulate him at all. She just pleaded with her eyes for him to let it go. This was part of their plan. Endymion shouldn't stop her from getting closer to the king. He was the target, it only made sense that she allow him to feel in control.
Endymion seemed so tense, but he nodded stiffly anyway and sat back down.
She breathed out, lowering herself back into her chair. This was going to be way more stressful than she thought it would be. Keeping the king close to her might be easy, but Endymion was his one flaw. The king hated his son so strongly that anything Endymion did to anger the king caused his temper to flare up and overcome his his desire for her. She would have to speak with Endymion about that, and ask him to hold his tongue for awhile.
But there was now a stronger emotion in the king as he gazed back at her. It was desire all right, but it wasn't necessarily a carnal desire for her. He didn't want to have her sexually as much as control her. She could see that in his mind: he saw her as a sort of tool to achieve what he truly wanted.
What that was, she couldn't guess. She didn't want to guess. She had to focus on him, and keep him looking at her while Endymion did what he needed to do to save the kingdom.
Endymion realized too late how much he wished he had found another way to handle what was happening to them. Serenity did not deserve to be put in this sort of situation. Part of his mind argued that if she were to be sacrificed, it would be one to save thousands. But the other part of his mind rebelled at the very thought of her coming to any harm.
He was frustrated now. He had really not thought of who she was before bringing her here. When he'd heard she existed, he had thought they would need to force her to help, and then she would stab them in the back somewhere along the line and he would have to think quickly to make sure everything worked.
But she had so easily agreed and was trying so hard to help, despite the danger she was in now.
He could see it so clearly. The way they all looked at her. It was a dangerous desire. If she wasn't careful, she could so easily be killed, or worse, raped. Despite her immense power, she had very little physical strength.
And then there was her confession to him, about how she was able to hide her emotions. For some reason, he was not as angry as he should have been about her using him. In fact, he was glad for it.
"Is it possible to empty the palace?" Kunzite asked.
His men were sitting together in Endymion's new sitting room. He had quickly moved all his things to the room beside Serenity's so she might be able to continue hiding herself. She was there now, only a wall apart, probably sleeping away her exhaustion.
She was beautiful when she slept. It was a strange admission, for she was beautiful at all times, but especially so when she slept. She was more peaceful and serene, without the constant worry that seemed to create tension in her beautiful blue eyes. He had noticed it first when they were traveling. It seemed to occupy the time, watching her sleep as the darkness stretched on. He could gaze at her for hours.
"Not before the ball," Zoicite said logically. "The servants will need to be doubled, and guests will start pouring in. It is a very good thing she was given this wing for her rooms. No one else would be allowed to stay here, no matter what the occasion."
"But it also has secret passages leading to the king's chamber," Nephrite said.
"Jadeite has seen to them," Kunzite answered the concern quickly.
Jadeite was the only one, as always, absent. Endymion wondered if he was at his post outside her door, or still within. She had asked him to escort her into the room, and Endymion couldn't help but stare as she had closed the door behind them. If he found out Jadeite was in any way taking advantage of her, he would skin him alive.
"The nobles that are already here will not leave now," Zoicite said. "Anyone who has seen her is already entranced. She is doing a good job of controlling them."
"She said they're easy," Endymion said. "Apparently nobles don't watch their emotions because they feel the right to them. She said it would be harder if they were not so rich."
Nephrite laughed at that. "Why doesn't it surprise me that such is the case?"
"Because we all know what simpering fools the king surrounds himself with," Kunzite said.
Endymion sighed, moving to stand by the window again, looking out to the garden where guards were stationed under her balcony. His mother's balcony.
It was a strange feeling, knowing that after all this time the king had so easily placed someone in his mother's rooms. For years they had stayed untouched, and forbidden. But he was not angry that Serenity should be there.
"She will tell us when she's in a situation she can't control," Endymion said. "I believe she gets stronger the longer she's here. Hopefully, by the ball, she will be able to handle so large a crowd."
His men looked at him, nodding.
"Kunzite, I hope you don't mind if I ask Mina to be a companion to her," Endymion said.
Kunzite bristled a little, but sighed in obvious defeat. "She has already informed me that she intends to be her friend. I have little choice in the matter."
Nephrite laughed.
"Is she safe?" Zoicite asked.
"Mina says so," Kunzite said. "I am inclined to trust her."
"You mean you have no choice but to trust her," Nephrite teased, "or she would deprive you of her company."
"She is stubborn," Kunzite admitted.
"That's putting it mildly," Nephrite said.
"Is she with her now?" Endymion asked, trying to hide her curiosity.
Kunzite nodded. "Mina felt it best that someone be with her at all times, to keep her company."
He was shocked at how relieved that made him. Jadeite wasn't in there with her alone. He felt some of the tension in his shoulders relax a little at the thought.
He shook his head. It was impossible to know if he cared about her, or if he was just as attracted as everyone else. He had learned to shield himself from her power, but not her appearance. There was not one part of him that could deny her dangerous beauty. Did it bother him that someone else might get close to this woman he was attracted too?
Somehow, that didn't sound right to him. But the alternative was even more confusing. He had never bothered to form attachments to anyone in the past, mainly because any day he might not return. He would not put someone through that pain. Was it even possible that he could have formed an attachment to her in so short a time?
He had traveled with her for three weeks, and grown a little more comfortable around her. She was so different than he had expected. She was soft, and kind, and more than a little compassionate. She felt pain like he did, and worried as he did. The first stretch of their journey he had felt everything she had felt. She was not manipulative, and not evil. She had felt pure and innocent. Almost too innocent for a place like this.
Maybe that knowledge was coloring his intentions. He felt guilty for using her the way he was.
But the kingdom would fall without her sacrifice.
"He has that dark look about him again," Nephrite said, cutting through his thoughts.
Endymion looked at his men who were staring at him with levels of amusement and worry. He had obviously missed something in his pondering, but he did not admit it. Instead, he opened his mouth to give an order for the night to start, when a commotion outside their door alerted them to trouble.
On instinct, the four men stood and grabbed their always-ready swords from the table, rushing to the hallway.
Endymion was momentarily stunned by what he saw.
"Father?"
The king spun around to glare at his son. "I heard that you moved your rooms here, your treacherous leech."
Endymion glanced at Jadeite, who was refusing to step away from Serenity's door.
"The lady Serenity asked for my protection," Endymion said seriously. "I am only doing my duty in fulfilling that promise to her."
"You will leave at once," the king ordered. He wavered where he stood, and Endymion realized with a shot of frustration that the king was drunk. It was the only reason he would go anywhere without his guards. He was foolish, and stubborn, and there was almost no way to get him to go away without physical force.
This was going to cause a problem.
Endymion had needed to remove the king from causing a scene before, and it almost always caused his life to be truly frustrating for days after. The king hated his interference.
"Father, I…"
Before he could finish, Jadeite seemed to jerk out of the way strangely, as if fighting against an impulse, and then the door opened behind him.
Serenity stepped out, with her hair down around her and a white silk bathrobe wrapped tightly around her. She looked so pure, and uncommonly beautiful, that even Endymion couldn't look away.
But her emotion was clear on her face. She was angry.
"Good evening your majesty," she said curtly.
Endymion watched his father all but fall to his knees in front of her. He looked instantly horrified at his actions, which Endymion had never seen in his life. The king did what he wanted, and he never apologized for it. His guards also watched with confusion, having just come around the corner to find him.
"I am surprised to see you here your majesty," Serenity said. "Surely you understand it is not proper to force a lady from her bedchambers."
"I apologize my lady. I had thought…I could not stop myself from…"
"I understand," she said in a very cold voice. "You thought that because your lust for me was so extreme, I would allow you to quench it. You are very mistaken if you think I would so easily let you to my bed. I am not here for your amusement. If this is what you wish of me, I will leave."
Endymion wanted to argue. Wasn't this exactly what the king should think, that he had a chance with her. Of course he didn't want her to actually have to suffer that humiliation, but she had very eagerly flirted with him at dinner.
But one look at his father made it clear that what she was doing wasn't refusing him, she was challenging him.
Endymion smiled slightly, admitting that this woman he had thought he might be coming to know was much stronger than he had given her credit for, and much more in control. She had him, locked in her grasp. In one day, she had managed to place the king exactly where they wanted him, obsessed with her.
"I will return to my room," she said softly. "I hope that you now see the reason I asked your son to protect me."
"Yes, I understand my lady."
The king had never shown such obvious submission before. It was as if he would crawl on the ground beneath her.
"Of course I understand what allure I can have," Serenity said, "so I will give you another chance. Do not let this happen again."
"It will not happen again," the king promised.
Serenity looked up at Endymion then, her eyes losing their anger and looking softer.
He wished he could say something to her, but in the presence of the king, he could not. So he nodded, a short, curt nod, hoping she would not think him unfeeling towards her.
She turned and went back into her bedroom, where Jadeite followed.
Endymion clenched his jaw together, forcing himself not to scowl.
The king looked at him angrily. "If I ever find out you're manipulating her, I will not hesitate to punish you."
Endymion just stared at him calmly, used to his threats. "You're concerned that I might be manipulating her? That's laughable father, seeing what she is."
"She will be mine, and you know what I think about sharing."
Endymion felt his anger slowly build, but he kept his exterior stone like. "If she chooses to be yours, then so be it," Endymion said. "But I will protect her from anyone trying to force her. Even you."
"You forget who you are speaking with," the king growled.
"I could never forget," Endymion hissed. "I will also never forget that she asked me to protect her. That means that if I go, she goes with me."
"Get out of my sight, bastard child."
Endymion would have lashed out to hit him then, if Jadeite hadn't chosen that moment to step back out of the room. The sight of him, away from Serenity, seemed to instantly take away some of his rage.
Just enough for him to not hit the king.
"You are in front of my rooms," Endymion said. "It is for you to leave."
The king growled at him, almost as if he were some sort of wild animal, and then stormed off through the palace.
For a long moment, Endymion didn't move. He stood there, watching his father's retreating form, with his words ringing in his ears. 'Bastard Child.' He knew what that meant. He knew, without a doubt. Others could only guess at it.
"At least we know it's working," Zoicite said softly.
"Take turns on guard," Endymion said seriously. "Make sure there is not any way into her room but the front door. Nobody is allowed in unless she specifically invites them."
They nodded.
Endymion looked at Jadeite again, and then quickly turned away.
End of Chapter eight!
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