A/N: Enjoy!

Disclaimer: All rights are reserved to Naoko. I do not own Sailor Moon, but the story is all my creation.

Summery: It had all happened by chance, me discovering Elf City. It had all happened by chance, me falling for the Lord. It had all happened by chance, me being human and unable to be in a world I want to be in most... Or did it?

Elf Dawned Book 1: By Chance...

Chapter 9:

I coughed as dust entered my nose after I shut an old, ancient book to a close. When the dust finally settled, I looked up at Nephrite curiously. "So you're saying that they have absolutely no record of Beryl being born here, no indication or proof of her being an actual elf?"

He nodded and shrugged his shoulders, looking at the wall. I pursed my lips and gave him the Elven Records book back, sitting down again.

"Why so interested about it all of a sudden, though?"

"Well," I said, "I was just curious. Mostly because she acts nothing like an elf..."

"And how do elves act, exactly, in your opinion?"

"Well... she's just a bit too... I don't know... I feel disturbed when I'm around her."

He lifted an eyebrow, finally turning to face me directly. "That's not really an argument against her. It's just a feeling."

I nodded. "That, and I'm pretty sure they don't have multiple amounts of power."

"Multiple amounts?" his voice shook with amused laughter, "Her? With multiple amounts of power? Right."

"But I'm being serious! The girls think that she might have him under control, and I'm pretty sure that she has something to do with this thing that speaks to me in my head-"

"Are you sure that it's not just you being insane or crazy?"

I scowled at him. "Are you with or against me on this?"

Nephrite sighed and rubbed his head. "I am with you on this. It's just that your logic is... not very... logical."

Shrugging, I took the book from him again and carefully began to flip its warn pages. "From what I can tell, she can do more than read a few dark secrets here and there. I talked to Mina, and she told me that Endymion has not been himself. She also mentioned something about his heart... something about it being stoned or what-not..."

"When the heart is stoned, it does not feel; when the heart is blocked, its emotions aren't clear?"

I nodded. "It sounded like some cheesy fairy tale line, sorta lame, too, and it confused me more-"

"She can't talk about a person's heart, Serenity, or the emotions its experiencing... at least, not directly. She can give you clues, though, in riddle form."

I looked up at Nephrite and tilted my head. "So, what was she telling me?"

He looked up in thought. "It's a line that has been used many times by the elves with the power to read the heart. It goes back many years, and very few have trouble interpreting it nowadays. It can mean two things: Either he's dead inside or heartbroken, or something - or possibly someone - is tempering with his emotions and confusing him or his heart."

I bit my bottom lip and took back the ancient book, flipping through the B-er section again, just to be sure.

So, it wasn't as much of mind control as it was heart control that has Endymion so edgy and... irritable? Is that what Mina meant?

Once I got to the page where Beryl's name should be, I began to look through the tiny letters, squinting at them. Halfway through the first column, though, I got a headache and paused to look back up at Nephrite.

"Can't you do something to my subconsciousness to help me put a few pieces together? Anything?"

He twirled a strand of his long, brown hair in his fingers in thought. Finally, after some time of pondering, he nodded. "I can try to put you into a slumber. I'll let you see what has been going on since twelve last night until the moment you've been put to sleep, and I can allow you to go back and see the parts most elves missed that were important in the battle with the Blood Hounds - the stars don't miss anything, but they're not descriptive. I can also trigger a memory for you that has to do with this whole mess. However, I can only show you what the stars have seen. I can't show you people's thoughts, or let you remember things that happened in your own mind but not in the real life, so you'll have to put the pieces together by yourself on that account."

I nodded, and began to scan the list again. When I couldn't find it still, I closed the book gently and gave it to him, sighing. "What if they missed her name?"

"The elves don't miss names."

It was quiet in the cell for a while as I thought over his offer. There was both a good side and a bad side to it. The good side: I might find something useful to help myself escape, and to make sure the plan goes well. I might also see something that might assist Amy with her surgery on me. The bad side: It will take too much time to go through the whole process and I might be carried out in the morning and tied down. I might even miss my own death, and that's not going to help the plan. Also, there will be a problem if I can't find anything useful. What a waste of time that would be.

"I can wake you up if something drastic will happen that will need your attention," he said, guessing my thoughts.

I was tempted; although I didn't trust him on a life-basis, Lita did, and I trusted her. I was sure that she would not allow him to keep me asleep and vulnerable.

At least, I hoped that was the case.

"Alright, I'll try it. But what if I want to wake up and I can't?"

"You're quarter human, three quarters Blood Hound; my powers have their limits."

I nodded in understanding, but one thing pegged weird in his sentence.

"Quarter human?"

"Someone in your family tree took chances with a human. Not your parents, but someone from one of their families."

"Oh I see... Hey, Nephrite, can I ask you for a favor?"

"Anything."

He had agreed to my plan with some hesitation, and then lifted his hand and waited for my permission to put me into a slumber. I bit my lip and nodded, knowing that I couldn't sit here doing nothing while everyone else was trying to help.

Silently, his hand came down, and, just as silently, so did my eyelids....

--

Night had finally fallen, and the warmth left with the sun, leaving a chilly atmosphere in the humble city of the elves. Tonight was the kind of night that only half of the elven population took the long trip to party, while others were more content with sitting in front of a fire with loved ones, and maybe even reading a few books.

In the royal castle, the young Lord sits in his private study and watches the quiet whispers of the flames, the book he was intent on reading lying untouched on his lap. His knuckles are white from clutching the armrest, and his breathing is slightly uneven. He worries for someone... and seems confused about whether he should worry or not.

All the while, down the hallway, a woman with fiery red hair stumbles over her own two feet trying to get to the music that has had her shaking for the past couple of hours. As she passes the room with the thrones, the King and Queen send anxious glances at her form.

"I don't trust that Beryl," the woman whispers to her beloved husband. "She's changed Endymion. God knows what made him listen to her in the first place."

"I agree, but if we try to approach him now, he will do something we all would regret."

"Poor Serenity. She doesn't seem all that bad. Perhaps Blood Hounds aren't evil creatures... just uncontrolled."

The man takes the Elf Queen's hand, and rubs the back of it with his thumb. "Or maybe she has been trying to deceive us all this time."

"But what about her presence? It's not evil at all!"

The King sighed sorrowfully, looking along the wall. "Maybe... maybe she is innocent. And if we could get Endymion to listen, perhaps we might even be able to be at peace with the Blood Hounds one day...."

"Remember the couple that came?" she asked suddenly, turning to him, "Two years ago? They asked if we could all be in an alliance."

"They also asked if Endymion could be married to their daughter to bind the two worlds."

"Yes... I feel bad for declining their invitation now.."

"Endymion deserves his freedom. He's found a lady friend-"

"He's going to burn her, Derus!"

He sighed. "I never said love wasn't complicated."

The two later retired, their conversation weighing heavily on their minds.

Two hallways down, a girl sits by the fire, praying for all to turn out well. She sits there all night, being distracted by nothing - not even her loved one, who eventually ventures into the Fire Reading room and sits down next to her, watching the fire play and listening to her soft voice whisper into the night...

The next morning, the air is filled with anticipation. Five friends met up and began their journey into the dining room, trying to lighten up the cloudy mood.

"That was some night, wasn't it?" Amy asked, looking straight ahead. Everyone mumbled their agreements, all except the icy figurine sitting on Mina's shoulder.

"It was perfect, actually."

"Well," Lita said, reaching out for the handle to the dining room, "you would think so, wouldn't you?"

Ray looking up at Lita, elbowing her. "You'd think so, too, if you were made of ice and bearing through heated temperatures."

"Speaking of heated," Mina interjected, "I saw you and Jadeite in the Fire Room last night. Kept cozy, I presume?"

Ray blushed and huffed, tilting her head up in ignorance. "He simply joined me while I was praying. No big deal."

"Right-"

"Excuse me, Lady Ray?"

Ray looked up at the guard who had walked up to her dutifully, waiting for him to continue.

"Lord Endymion wishes that I inform you that your head is too high for a proper lady."

There was a long and quiet pause in the room. Then, at the same time, Mina and Lita jumped at Ray and grabbed her by the elbows, trying to restrain her from strangling the guard, Amy covered her face in distress, and Ray began to shriek.

"He wants you to inform me about WHAT?! First he freaks out about a Blood Hound being around, and now he's freaking about minor things like how high I hold my head? As far as I'm concerned, it's none of his business! That guy is asking for me to come up to him and burn his behind into stake!" she struggled in Lita's and Mina's grasps for a little longer before finally she fell stiff. "Let go of me or I'll burn you two, too!"

"Ray, calm down," Mina instructed in a hushed voice. "It's no big deal. Endymion doesn't really mind about how high you hold your head, Beryl asked him to-"

"Beryl? That witch is hanging on a loose thread that is her life, and I'm about ready to grab some scissors and cut it!"

Lita sighed and began to tow her towards their table, Mina helping, while Ray continued to rant.

---

"I'll visit Serenity later on with some food," Mina said half-way into breakfast, interrupting the sullen silence.

Amy looked up from her half-eaten bowl of grapes and blueberries and nodded. "That sounds about right.... I'm just ashamed that I'm not too good with feigning predicaments or creating mindless distractions..."

Lita smiled gently at her and shook her head. "It's alright, Ames. You just gotta think of the positive. Without you, she wouldn't have a chance at a normal life. You'll be able to give her that... speaking of which, how's that mind-geek-computer-info-thing going?"

Everyone looked up expectantly at Amy, and she straightened in her chair, releasing an aura of authority. "Yes, I have gotten my hands on a computer that enables me to look exactly 1.6 inches below the skin to see if I can track anything moving about in there. And, like I stated before, I don't believe that the Blood Hound bug is too far under. This will help me make a cut precisely on the mark. If it's deeper than my presumption, I will have to cut blindly and install the device between the cut. I'm afraid she would have a scar there, though...."

Frost stood up from her plate, which contained the remains of an ice cube, and walked over to Amy slowly. "Where'd you get that machine from, anyway?"

"Oh," she blushed, "my father had created it a while ago. I just asked him for it and he gave it willingly."

There was a tingling sound, a spoon banging against glass, which caused everyone to turn to Endymion who was now standing.

Ray turned red-faced and Lita patted her hand. "It's ok, let it go," she whispered.

"I would like to excuse myself and start preparations for tomorrow. Zoisite, Jadeite, Nephrite, Kunzite, I would like you to finish up and meet me up front within ten minutes. Oh, and one of you call for the messenger to start his job... that would be all." Endymion then stood up, Beryl doing likewise, and stalked out of the room.

"Wow," Frost breathed. "Now I know what it looks like when someone says 'she hangs off his shoulder'... interesting, I suppose, but not very pleasant to look at, is it?"

Mina chuckled and picked Frost up, placing her on her shoulder, and got up. She bowed and murmured an 'excuse me', and then rushed off after Endymion. Lita, Amy, and Ray looked at each other for a moment, then shot out of their seats and muttered their excuses, following after their leader.

Mina caught up with Endymion easily, placing herself on the other side of him since Beryl wouldn't move. "Lord Endymion!"

"Lady Mina," he said, nodding his head curtly.

"I couldn't help noticing that Lady Beryl looked awfully tired today. Perhaps she should retire and I could help you with the planning."

He shot her an incredulous look, then turned to Beryl. "She does seem tired, doesn't she?"

"I'm not tired!" Beryl snapped. Upon realizing that everyone had stopped to stare, she laughed nervously and tried again. "What I meant to say, my Lady Mina and Lord Endymion, is that I do not wish to retire as of yet. I took an oath to help this city, and help it I shall. Your concern is unneeded."

"Really?" Mina asked slyly, "Well, than, why do you have bags under your eyes? And your hair is a bit ruffled to the side there."

"Lady Mina, I assure you, I'm fine."

Mina smiled cheekily at her.

"Endy!"

"Oh, Frost," he said, surprised that she was even there. His eyes glazed over with a new emotion and he set his hand down to Mina's shoulder so Frost could jump up. "I haven't seen you around lately. How have you been?"

"I've been fine. Why are you burning Serena? I thought you loved her."

"I d-" he paused and sighed, frustration entering his next words, "did, Frost, I truly did. She has been beseeching me all along, however."

"How do you know? Did she do something bad?"

"You wouldn't understand."

"Oh," she murmured quite calmly, "I think I understand far more than you do. Are you ok?"

Endymion grunted and handed Frost back to Mina. "I'm alright, don't worry about me." He then turned to some maids and barked out an order for more guards to be sent to the front of the castle where the gathering was to be.

"Um... Endymion? How about I go and find you some guards, hmm?"

He looked at Mina and shrugged. "I'll need as many men as this castle can afford, otherwise we wont be done by tomorrow."

"It is a lot of work..." she said, shaking her head.. She could already feel the blisters on her heels from the fast pace they were going at, and wondered idly if the nurse was free. "How about you move it until... oh, I don't know... after tomorrow? Or maybe a week from now! Yeah... then you can definitely get this thing perfect!"

He laughed but said nothing. Mina stopped in her tracks and huffed, than turned around and opened her mouth, only to realize that Amy was the only one there. "What happened to Lita and Ray?"

"Oh..." Amy panted, her face slightly flushed from her mad dash, "Um... Lita... stopped... to help one of the... maids who... dropped some glass... and Ray saw Jadeite and... wanted to ask him to... keep an eye on Endymion." She nodded her head triumphantly, finally catching her breath. "I ended up being to only one chasing you, Endymion, and Lady Beryl all over the castle halls."

Mina pursed her lips in surprise. "Well, let's go find them, they must be around here somewhere."

Amy nodded and dropped to her knees, laughing weakly. "Sure, yeah."

The two girls then headed towards the kitchen to finish off their breakfast and find Ray and Lita.

Outside, the sun was blazing down, almost blinding to the eyes. Endymion could already feel the sweat on his brow forming, and let go of Beryl's heated hand. His long-sleeved sweater and jeans were probably the worst thing to wear on a day like today, but he pointedly ignored it and began to walk up to a few men who were just finishing up with the bottom of the stage.

"It's looking good."

"Thanks, sir," one of them said, getting up and wiping his forehead. "We're almost done here. We need the floor people to just finish up," he shot a look at another group who were still only halfway done, "so we can attach it."

"I better go remind them to leave a small opening for the stick to go into," Beryl murmured.

Endymion looked at her quizzically. "Stick? What stick?"

The one that will stick out of the stage that we can tie Serenity up with, silly," she cooed, and kissed his cheek. "I'll be right back, hun!"

When she turned, Endymion shuddered. Her lips were ice cold on his scorching cheek, even in this heat. It just wasn't pleasant.

Wiping the lipstick that had gotten on his cheek, he turned to the men. "Well, then, I'll leave you to your duties. I shall go and seek some people to move the thrones somewhere close to here."

...

The rest of the day was spent listening to sawing, hammering, and yelling as the work for tonight continued. The day had began to cool up, but was still damp from the storm that had come some time ago. It had made the finished stage wet and soggy, and that had slowed down the progress.

"It's just odd," he heard one of his men murmur as he bent over the stage, "it didn't look like a storm at all today. Then, out of no where, poof!"

"Well," another man said, "weather has never exactly been... uh... cooperative, has it?"

"I suppose not."

"Which remind me, Lady Mina has been limping all day. I wonder what happened to her?"

Endymion furred his brow and turned his head to look at Mina, who was at the moment standing with Lita and Ray, whispering in hushed tones. Frost and Amy weren't with them. He watched as they all nodded to each other, and then Ray slipped out quietly. Then Lita turned her gaze from Mina, whispering something. Mina nodded and sighed, then turned and, sure enough, began to limp towards the doors. He frowned and jogged to catch up with her.

"Lady Mina."

Mina yelped, freezing in her spot. Then, she turned and looked at Endymion, startled. "Lord, what a-a surprise!"

He grinned. "Did I startle you?"

She smiled uneasily. "Made my heart stop, is all. But then again, you make every woman's heart skip a beat," the last part seemed to come out bitter, but he took no notice.

"I just wanted to make sure you were alright."

"Oh, yes," she said, nodding her head. "I have been running about all day in these heels. Scraped some skin off the heel of my foot is all..."

"You should have that looked at. How about I take you to the nurse?"

"Nonsense," she said, laughing forcefully. "I was going there myself. Just now. Alone."

He lifted an eyebrow. "No, I insist."

Before she could say anything, he had lifted her easily into his arms and began walking to the nurses office.

They passed white walls and numerous paintings, up a floor, and around the corner. Mina looked around, startled. They were heading towards the Healing Womb.

"You know, Endymion, I think I can walk the rest of the way, thank-you."

"But-"

"You better go and see to it that Baryl hasn't ruined anything."

"But Lady-"

"No, no, it's ok. Go!"

She jumped out of his arms and pushed him along.

"But Mina-"

She could hear the door in the Healing Womb opening, and then closing, and then a soft, almost inaudible cling that must have been Frost.

"No. I'm good with doing things myself."

"Lady Mina, this is nonsense, now come on." He waited for her to start walking before he, too, followed her. When they reached the door, Mina put her hand on the handle, praying that no one was in there, and opened it.

Everything looked normal. There were no signs of disturbance in the room, except maybe that first aid kit that was open.

Endymion frowned and ordered her to sit, and then walked over to it. He grabbed a bottle of some type of medicine and a bandage, before going to sit by her.

"Put your foot on my leg."

"What?!" she said, her face flushing. "But, Lord Endymion, it's not proper-"

"Just do it."

She complied, wishing slightly that Amy would arrive majestically and offer to finish off here. But no such luck. She would have to seek her out and inform her that it was fine to go back in.

She sucked in a breath when a damp cloth made contact with her heel, and frowned as it began to sting. Then, after some time, the pain subsided and Endymion began to clean off the blood around her leg.

"This could have gotten infected."

"Yes. I suppose so. Say, Endymion?"

"Hmm?"

"Do you believe in love at first sight?"

"Well, I know you, don't I? After all that nagging you did to me whenever I brought a girl along the castle, I pretty much learned a thing or two."

"So, then," she said, "what would you suppose it would feel like?"

He paused. The room fell quiet except for the drip, drip of the water in the sink, and Mina waited patiently. When he began to continue cleaning out her foot, but said nothing, she reached for his mind with hers and paused, then shook her head.

"Maybe," he finally said, "it would feel like the world stopped."

"Maybe," she agreed. "So, then, did you feel that with Beryl?"

He shifted in his seat and then sighed. "No, but-"

"Then why are you marrying her?"

Another silence fell over the room, and she could feel him lifting her foot and bandaging her leg up.

"Because. I love her."

"But have you ever felt your world stop?"

"Yes," he whispered, almost inaudibly.

"Oh, did you? With whom, may I ask, dear Lord?"

"I... don't remember..."

And just like that, the scene melted away. And I was left with the darkness...

TBC

A/N: Any feedback is greatly appreciated! REVIEW PLEASE!(Is this story getting dull..? Well, I promise, next chapter will have some action! And I'm keeping that promise, as I have already typed it up. :p Anyhow...)