A/N: I'm so sorry for the absence everyone, I broke my leg and was out of sorts for a while. However, I'm back and going to be doing the wedding in the next couple of chapters! For your patience I will be making the next few chapters longer to make up for my absence. Thank you everyone for the rates and reviews, they mean so much to me!
Chapter 9: Together Again
All the women from the four kingdoms arrived within 3 days of each other. Each time one of them arrived, they were greeted by warm embraces from the Empress and the other women, with many words of how missed they were. This was an important time for all of them, not just because of the wedding, but because it had been several years since all of them were together.
Serenity made sure that all of her friends had the best accommodations the Spirit Kingdom could provide. They all had interconnecting chambers so they could meet up without having to walk across the palace as well as the best maids the palace had. A few days before the arrival of the Emperor and his Kings, the women were all seated in Serenity's chambers, a warm fire crackling merrily before them. Makoto, Rei, Minako, Ami and Serenity all had several cups of wine too many and they were sprawled around lazily in chairs and on the floor. As the fourth jug of wine was finished off, the topic of the wedding came up. Rei fell into a stony silence, Ami blushed deeply and hid her face, Makoto got misty eyed and Minako giggled.
"Honestly, I'm excited for this Serenity." Minako started, "This is what I've always wanted but was afraid I would never find a man to truly love me in my kingdom. I just hope that my husband is as handsome and gallivant as they say." Rei scoffed loudly and thrusted out of her chair to pace the room like a caged animal. "What's the matter Rei?" Minako seemed utterly confused.
"How in the hell can you be content marrying a man that you've never met? What if he's an absolute monster and you're stuck with him until you die or he does? Men are useless pigs!" Rei's face turned an interesting shade of crimson as her anger rose. "It's a foolish, girlish fantasy that you live in and I hope you get an awakening before the wedding! Think with your head for once Minako."
Ami cleared her throat quietly. "Rei, please try to see her side. It's our duty to do as our Empress commands, whether we like it or not. We owe her at least that much for keeping our Kingdoms safe from harm. Don't judge Minako so harshly." Rei let out a growl and drained her wine. Just as she started to open her mouth, Makoto spoke.
"I see your point Ami but I have to agree with Rei. We have no clue what we are getting into. It's not like we were asked to do this, we were commanded with no regard to our feelings. What if some of us already had a life mate in mind? How is that fair to us?!" Makoto's eyes ran over with tears and she hurriedly wiped them away. Serenity stood up suddenly, startling all of them.
"The Emperor and his Kings will be here in a few days and once they do, the wedding will be two days after that. I'm sorry that I had to ask this of you but my husband requested it of me to keep peace in his Kingdom. As much as I appreciated everyone's feelings, please understand my situation. No longer do I have the responsibility of one Kingdom, now I have two to think about. Understand that I did what I though was best, I'm sorry if you feel like I stepped on you." Serenity rose from her chair in one swift movement. "I love you all, you're my oldest friends. Which is why I have to call this a night and discontinue this conversation. All of us have had too much to drink and emotions are high. So I bid you all a good night and will see you in the morning. You're dismissed."
Serenity's chamber cleared quickly, each woman that left having differing degrees of emotion on their faces. Once they all had left Serenity sat down heavily and drained her wine. I really hope they all understand, she thought, this is not what I wanted for my oldest friends. Serenity sighed outwardly and poured herself another glass of wine. Now to wait for the Kings to get here with my Endymion and pray to the gods that they aren't as bad as rumors say. Serenity continued to stare into the fire until it had burned down to embers and she started to shiver slightly. Only then did she put down her glass and go to bed, tossing and turning through the night uneasily.
