Dear all! And here is another chapter ready! I hope you will all like it! It has a lot of Helios in it some secrets and some explanations! Please please let me know what you think! Reading reviews always makes me want to write more!
CharmedSerenity3: He is isn't he? (:
SerentiyMoonGodness, nickybluejess, sabina21, Godschildtweety, loveinthebattlefield, skittlezzify : Thank you! and here comes the next chapter!
Jenbunny : I have to tell you, I love how Helios character turned out (:
midnight blue08 : hihi I was tricky? ;) But then again he might show up later. But I can promise his character will be waaaay different
Deadly Aura : aw thank you so much! I try to keep the quality the same or even better!
Sarinea : Thank you so much for your kind words! I am playing with idea of rewriting Destiny, adding some missed parts, correct the mistakes and so on but now I am way too busy with this story (: You are Mine! will be continued! I promise! (: My favorite topic is Silver Millennium too. I hope you will like this story too!
TropicalRemix : Beryl might have bad intentions ;) and well you will see in this chapter more about the whole Helios Issue
Chapter 9
Serenity gulped nervously as her blue eyes ran around her surroundings. This was a bad idea; this was a VERY bad idea. The camp now was empty, just like Helios had said before when she asked for the thousandth time if it would be safe to go in the middle of the day into a camp filled with soldiers. It was amazing how patient Helios was. She had asked hundreds of questions, mostly repeating the same question over and over, but the silver haired man answered calmly and assuringly every single time. And he was right about everything. Looking around, Serenity stared, surprised how empty the camp was. And there could have been only one reason for that. Most likely everyone was outside at battle. This fact made Serenity press her lips together nervously, but she bit back the most nagging question in her mind.
Following Helios and hurrying through the camp, she only saw a few guards. This far they had gotten inside the camp easily and unnoticed. Looking around she could see a lot of tents everywhere meaning there was a lot of soldiers here... all men... all from Earth. Although she had learned the people on Earth weren't barbaric at all, the ages of hearing all those horrible stories about men on Earth made her nervous. But for now, the camp was almost empty... they were fighting... with Endymion. She was worried for the young prince, even if Helios said she didn't have to be. All in all, the Priest seemed oddly calm. He didn't seem to give much thought about her worries for Endymion, or the fact that she disappeared from the Palace without a word. She could only imagine how worried the Queen and the King would be once they couldn't find her anywhere. Well, there will be definitely someone who would be happy about the fact she mysteriously disappeared. Serenity made a face thinking about the arrogant red-head in the Palace.
"This way, Your Highness." Helios said, interrupting her thoughts and nodding toward a bigger tent. Ah, that must be Endymion's tent. Serenity thought as they neared the tent at the center of the camp. They were only a few feet away from it when suddenly a soldier appeared in front of them. 'Out of nowhere.' Serenity thought, jumping back a bit at his sudden appearance. Well, it was sudden for her, but not for Helios it seemed. At the exact same time the soldier had appeared in front of them, Helios already stood in front of her. Why it was needed was a mystery for Serenity. She was wearing a black cloak, which covered her from head to foot with a huge hood hiding her hair and face. It was impossible to recognize her, so it was no need for Helios to hide her. However in the short time she got to know the young silver haired man, Serenity had already learned not to question his acts or words. There surely was a reason for him to-
"Hold on!" The soldier said, his sword already out, its tip dangerously close to Helios' throat. Not that the priest was bothered by it at all. He looked calm, not even bothering to glance down at the sharp sword pointed at his throat. Serenity frowned, she would have definitely cried out already. Oh, and of course her feminine shriek would have given away, maybe not her identity, but her sex for sure. Helios was incredibly clever, she had to give him that much.
"Let us go." Helios said, looking into the eyes of the soldier. The guy stared back into his golden eyes unbelieving, his eyes widening only for a moment before he tightened his grip on the sword. His intelligent black eyes hardened on them.
"What kind of trick are you trying to play... wizard?" He said, narrowing his eyes, his hands firmly holding the edge of the sword against Helios's throat. He stared unblinking at them, not wanting to miss any of their movements.
"I am not a wizard." Helios said his voice and posture calm, as if they were talking about the weather. Serenity eyed the men, gulping nervously.
"You are for no one has golden eyes on this planet." The solder said, but if you watched closely, you could see a slight confusion in his eyes. Helios did not answer, obviously waiting for the young soldier to realize something. Serenity blinked confusedly, not daring to breathe, let alone move.
"Who are you wizard?" The soldier asked again, his voice confident and again pushing the sword directly again Helios' throat. Serenity trembled in fear, but bit back her shriek. Helios was already risking his life to keep her identity a secret. She couldn't mess it up now.
"You know who I am." Helios answered suddenly. Serenity frowned, realizing now that the Priest was giving very short answers. Either because he thought his short answers was enough hint for who he was or he felt uneasy about the conversation. There was silence for a moment. The soldier seemed utterly confused, his eyes narrowed with disbelief. He looked Helios up and down carefully. "Show me your clothes." He said finally, his voice seemed less sharp and more uncertain now, but his hands were still firmly holding the sword. It was obvious he was ready to fight if needed.
Helios pushed back the gray hood of the cloak he was wearing, revealing the edge of the white shirt of his priest uniform. The soldier gasped, shaking slightly and taking a large step away from them, as if he had been burned by fire. His whole body froze in utter shock. Glancing at his right hand holding the sword, his eyes widened even more like he had just realized what he had done a few minutes ago. Who he had threatened. He let go of the sword like it was on fire. The sword dropped on the ground with a thud as he kneeled down in front of them, bowing his head.
"Forgive me Priest! I didn't know-" He stuttered. His voice trembled with fear.
"Be at peace, you had no way to know it. Let us go to the Prince's tent and do not tell about our presence here to anyone." Helios said, putting his hood back on.
"Of course! But..." The soldier glanced up, nervously looking at the mysterious figure behind Helios. The black cloak the person was wearing made it impossible to guess who it was. "I am not allowed to let anyone enter the Prince's tent. The Priest is, of course, an exception, but your guest..." The soldier obviously felt uncomfortable saying no to Helios, the Highest Priest, the one none talked to except the King of Elysion, Prince Endymion, but... the Prince's order was higher then anyone else's, even if this anyone was the Priest.
"Do not fear. The Prince would want to have HIS guest in his tent." Helios said, dismissing the soldier easily. "Don't tell anyone about this meeting." He added. He waited until the soldier nodded, before he guided Serenity into the tent. There was no farther interruption.
"That wasn't easy." Serenity said, sighing once they were safely inside the somewhat bigger tent. Looking around, Serenity saw only one small bed and a desk with a map on it. There were a few glasses around the table as well as four chairs. It was obvious that the tent worked as the strategy planning "room" as well. Serenity could easily guess that Endymion spent most of his time examining the map on the desk while he and his Generals made plans for battle. The only other furniture in the tent was a small cabinet next to a smaller desk where a bowl full with water and some herbs sat. She sighed again, wishing the young dark haired Prince was all right and began to take off her black cloak.
"Please don't take it off yet, your Highness. The entrance into the tent of the Prince is forbidden however we can't ever be a hundred percent sure." Helios said and Serenity stopped immediately.
"Oh... I am sorry." She said, quickly replacing the hood of the cloak, blushing. She felt useless and like a huge burden. Helios was risking so much to get her into the camp and she was constantly making mistakes. Well, she would be if Helios hadn't continued to stop her. She still did not completely understand Helios' role, or what exactly Elysion was. But she already saw that the Priest was very high ranked. The soldier who had stopped them just moments ago seemed in shock seeing Helios, and he talked to him with such awe and respect that Serenity started to wonder if she was being highly inappropriate with the Priest. She had a feeling the young silver haired man was just below Endymion's rank. He seemed to talk only a few necessary words with everyone but her. And he showed a great deal of respect for her too. It was confusing and she wished she could ask Helios about it, but she was somehow sure the priest would not answer her questions.
They were in silence for a long time. Serenity, after a while, decided to sit down on one of the chairs in the tent, while Helios stood like a statue, unmoving. A few days ago, Serenity would have been completely fine with the silence, she was taught not to talk unless she was asked, but since she had met Endymion, everything had changed. And she was also very worried about the young Prince... she desperately needed distraction.
"That soldier almost caught us." She said, finally breaking the silence.
"I am surprised the other guards did not catch us sooner." Helios said, giving a small assuring smile to her, like reading her mind and knowing exactly why she wanted to start an empty conversation. Serenity nodded and they went back into silence again for one long hour.
Serenity was playing with her grown, growing more and more anxious with every second and wondering about her new found feelings when, suddenly, there were noises outside. A lot of noise. Serenity's eyes widened in fear and anticipation.
"His Highness, the Prince, is back." Helios said, turning toward the entrance. "Please your Highness, take off your hood now." That was all he said before he himself took his cloak off and kneeled down a few feet in front of Serenity, his bowed head was facing the entrance of the tent. Serenity didn't completely understand everything, but did as she was told. She barely had time to untie and push the hood back before Endymion appeared in the entrance. The air froze the moment the young man's eyes landed on the kneeling man, and finally, at the familiar face of his fiancée.
-0-0-0-0-
Endymion felt every muscle in his body ache. The battle wasn't as easy as he or his father had expected. And it wasn't over yet. The surprise attack was a success, but the rebels were more prepared then he thought. However, if they were lucky and they could recover fast enough, one more battle and they could put an end to this. He quickly ordered his soldiers to help the injured, bury the dead, and then rest. He asked his Generals to come to his tent as soon as they made sure the soldiers did their jobs so they could talk about the next - and hopefully final - battle against the rebels.
Finally, he entered his tent to go over the map again before the Generals joined him, but the moment he stepped in, he froze.
"Tell me it is only my imagination." He said, as his midnight blue eyes met the familiar light blue ones across from him at the other side of the table. He stared at her for what felt like hours, or maybe they were just minutes, he couldn't tell. There stood the young woman who was going to be his wife, the one whose blue eyes and full lips kept hunting his dreams these last two days. Blinking furiously, he wished the tempting hallucination to go away. He quickly considered contacting Zoisite and asking him to examine him. Maybe the blow to his arms caused him to lose more blood then he thought he had and now he was seeing things.
"Your Highness, excuse our unannounced arrival." Helios said, his voice even and respectful. Endymion turned toward the voice, his eyebrow lifting before he frowned again. He looked from Helios to Serenity and back again, slowly realizing this was not a dream or a hallucination. With that realization, anger overtook him as well. His eyes narrowed dangerously at the priest kneeling in front of him in silence. Seeing the sudden anger in his eyes, anger Serenity had never seen from him before, made her gulp in worry.
"What the hell you were thinking Helios?" Endymion burst out angrily, staring at the kneeling Priest, making Serenity shrink even though his anger was not focused on her. Helios seemed calm, he didn't even flinch.
"I am sorry your Highness. There were certain issues that made me ask the Princess to come here. She was not safe in the Palace anymore." Helios answered, his voice calm and even, his head still bowed.
"She was not safe there? She was NOT safe there? Are you trying to tell me she is safer here in the CAMP, in the middle of a BATTLE, where men are on duty, men who did not see or touch a woman for months?" Endymion's anger was obvious in his voice and eyes. The dark blue eyes were burning with frozen anger.
Serenity gulped, taking a step back. She had never ever seen Endymion this furious before. He was always calm and collected, cold and neutral sometimes, and even mischievous and passionate the last time they met. She would have blushed if the situation would have been different as the memory quickly replayed in her mind. But now was certainly not the time to be embarrassed. She was positively impressed that the light haired priest was still kneeling, unmoving, in front of the prince.
"Yes, Your Highness. She is safer here with you then she would be in the Palace now." Helios answered, seemingly unaffected by Endymion's outburst.
"You are thinking too highly about my abilities to protect her" Endymion said bitterly. His voice was somewhat calmer, but the anger was still obvious in his eyes. Serenity bit down on her lower lips in worry. Endymion had not turned to look at her since he started this "conversation" with Helios.
"That is not true Your Highness. She needs protection that the Palace cannot give her. I know this is not the perfect solution, but for now, that is the best option we have. The other - probably safer option is, as of yet, unavailable." Helios said, glancing up at the Prince for the first time, his eyes staring into his midnight blue ones knowingly.
Neither of them spoke for a while. Serenity watched the exchange in silence. It looked as though the two men were having a conversation without speaking. They left her out of the conversation, not even looking at her, like she was not in the tent at all. Serenity wondered shortly about the "other option" that was not possible yet, but she dismissed the thought quickly. She understood too little about Elysion to find out the answer anyway. The only thing she could do was to wait for the men to move or say something. She didn't dare speak yet, afraid to awaken Endymion's anger again.
Someone cleared his throat from the entrance of the tent, breaking the silence. There stood Kunzite obviously uncomfortable as he scratched his head nervously.
"I.. eh... wanted to come and help you with the planning but... I... I will come back later and won't let anyone enter the tent until you are done." He said, glancing at Serenity and the kneeling Helios, his eyes confused and troubled. He cleared his throat one more time before leaving the tent quickly.
"What happened?" Endymion asked, finally his temper under control. His shoulders were still tensed as he massaged his temples tiredly.
"Dark intentions in the Palace, your Highness." Helios answered shortly and mysteriously.
"Dark intentions? That's all?" Endymion glared at the priest, his anger awaking again surprisingly fast. "There are ALWAYS dark intentions in the Palace! There are always someone not agreeing with the Royal Family." He continued, his anger rising with every word.
"I'm sorry, your Highness. I swear to you upon Elysion that these intentions are different from what you think." Helios explained.
"Of course, because you know exactly what I'm thinking, right?" Endymion snapped back in anger. Helios ignored the Prince's outburst and continued.
"The Princess needs to be either here or..." he trailed off not finishing the sentence.
Endymion sighed, closing his eyes. He felt so very tired at the moment. After a few moments, he opened his eyes again. His midnight blue orbs were now much calmer, the anger slowly disappearing from them. "I know. Besides my Generals, you have my full trust. If you say it is safer for her here, then, no matter how hard it is to believe it, I believe you." Endymion said, nodding his eyes, which were focused on the Priest and never looking up at the blue eyes he could feel were fixed on him.
"You honor me, your Highness Prince." Helios said, waiting patiently. His unmoving form made Endymion lift his eyebrow in wonder.
"Is there anything else I should know and that you can let me know?" Endymion asked. Helios smiled under his nose, making sure none could see. He knew his Prince too well. Ever since he was a small child, he tried to find out pieces of the future from him when he was in Elysion. The Big Water showed the Priest of Elysion parts of the future, but he was not allowed to share it with anyone. Not even the Prince of Elysion himself. Endymion was always very clever about making questions about it, even when he was small child. But rules were rules. All he could do was give pieces of hints about the future the Great Water let him see. And what he saw was changing constantly anyway, depending on the choices its participants made in their life. There was always only one constant thing in his Prince's future, and that was already here. What changed all the time was if this certain someone helped him to be one of the greatest king of the Galaxy or caused his failure.
"Nothing ,Your Highness." Helios answered finally. Endymion sighed tiredly.
"You can leave if you have to, Helios." The Prince said. He could feel the beginning of a headache. Helios nodded and finally lifted his head. Standing up, he turned toward Serenity and bowed deeply.
"It was a pleasure to finally meet you, Your Highness. I hope to see you again soon." He said, earning a somewhat worried frown from Endymion.
"Helios?" He asked the word "soon" leaving an uneasy feeling in his mind, his eyes narrowed as he watched the Priest's every move carefully. He was clearly reflecting at Helios' last sentence, and he knew the Priest knew it as well but the young silver haired man only shook his head.
"There is nothing else I am allowed to tell you for now, Your Highness." Helios bowed deeply and, putting on his grey cloak, turned to leave.
"One more thing, Your Highness..." Helios said, stopping for a second before stepping out of the tent.
"What?" Endymion barked out. His nerves were honestly on the edge and he found it hard to control his wildly running emotions.
"Work on your guard system. We got through them easily." Helios said with an odd smile on his face. Endymion was so surprised, seeing the always serious priest actually smiling, that he openly gaped at him. By the time he woke up from his surprise, Helios had already disappeared through the entrance of the tent. Taking a deep breath, he slowly turned around to face the young woman in the room. Blue met blue in a pregnant silence.
-0-0-0-0-0
Kunzite snapped to attention when the Priest in gray cloak walked out of the tent. He was guarding the entrance all the while he was inside talking with the Prince, while wild thoughts in his mind were chasing each other. What could have been the matter? Why was the Princess here? Why was Helios here? When the Priest left the tent, Kunzite did not ask anything. He was the Priest of Elysion after all, he was not allowed to ask questions of him. He followed him silently outside the camp towards the small lake nearby. When they stood at the coast, Helios, a good few feet in front of him, turned around.
"Thank you for your protection. I can teleport to Elysion safe now from here." Helios said, nodding to Kunzite.
Kunzite stood there, biting on his lower lip for stopping himself from asking the questions which were constantly running through his mind.
Helios smiled... the fourth time that day. The fact he was smiling so easily surprised even him. He did not smile. It seemed the young blonde lady in the Prince's tent had a bigger impact on his life then he had first thought. And he knew quite a few things about the future.
"What is in your heart, General?" He asked, finally ending Kunzite's misery.
"I would have... a few questions... if I may?" Kunzite asked, slowly and carefully. He was not that used to formal speaking. Endymion did not want that from him, as he looked at him as a friend, not as his General. He fought hard to find the right words now. How he wished he had the rhetoric ability of Zoisite now!
"Ask your questions, General. I will answer you if I can, as my thanks for guarding me while I arrived here." Helios said calmly.
There was a silence for a while. "Why have you walked to this lake?" Kunzite felt like kicking himself in the next moment... who cared really why they walked to the lake….what was going on with him? Asking silly questions like this when he could have asked so many other IMPORTANT thing... Was Jedite having such a bad effect on him?
"I can teleport between Elysion and Earth only where there is water." Helios answered, fighting down yet another smile. He could see on the General's face how he wished he asked something else.
"What was the other option you were talking about in the tent? The safer but impossible one?" Kunzite asked quickly, before the Priest changed his mind about questions. There was a long silence following his question.
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to ask something you can't tell me." Kunzite added quickly. The last thing he needed was make the Priest of Elysion angry with him. Helios said nothing for a long while and when Kunzite thought he won't ever speak again, the Priest finally talked.
"The safest option for her Highness Princess would have been Elyos." Helios said finally.
"Elyos?" Kunzite asked stunned. "I thought only Endymion could enter that place."
"Only the Ruler of Elysion can enter the High Church and only the soul of the ruler can enter Elysion" Helios explained, waiting for the impact of what he said.
"Soul?" Kunzite asked, becoming more and more confused with every second.
"We are talking soul mates." Helios said, suddenly getting an urge to roll his eyes. Something he had never done before. "Let's say the little Princess in the tent of His Highness is his soul mate. And Endymion would bond with her in a way soul mates bond, accepting her as his other half and... making her his own... " Helios started to explain as easily as he could.
Kunzite's eyes widened, nodding fiercely, finally understanding what Helios meant.
"We both know neither of these steps was made between these two. It is a question of if it ever would. There might be a possibility for them to bond as soul mates and now I am not saying they are. But even then the bonding itself is not that easy. Without that, it is impossible for the Princess to enter Elysion." Helios said finally. "And now I have to go General." He said turning around. He already said more then he was supposed to, but for the sake of future, it was necessary for Kunzite to know this.
"Wait!" Kunzite said despairingly. He winced in the next moment. He was a moron. It was very rude to talk with the Priest like this. It wouldn't be a wonder if he would poof to Elysion after his harsh addressing, but when Helios did not move he quickly continued. "Could you... say something the Great Water might show you? About-"
"I know what bothers you the most General." Helios interrupted him suddenly. "All I can say the young Princess will have a large impact on the lives of everyone in the Royal Family and in Elysion. What you wish for and what you think is impossible for you will happen sooner then you would imagine." Helios said.
Kunzite wondered if the Priest was really reflecting on what he hoped and faired the most. "What is she going to be like?" He asked breathlessly.
Helios was already half disappearing in fog when he answered. "That I can't tell you General. But your color is going to be orange." With that, the Priest disappeared completely.
Kunzite stood there for a long time, thoughts chasing each other in his head. Orange? Orange what? Hair color couldn't be, eye color couldn't be, then what?
That was it for chapter 9! I hope you guys enjoyed it and I promise you in the next chapter will be a LOT of Endy and Sere! I have to admit I am absolutely in love with this story and I have a lot of ideas what to do with it, so I am afraid this will be a long long story. I hope you don't mind! (: And let me know please what you think about this chapter or the guesses about the next ones! I dearly enjoy reading your comments (: