Triangle: The Sweet, Untold Story

Written By: LoveeDucky

Given Rating: PG-13

Disclaimer: Rei, Jadeite, Endymion, and other Sailor Moon fixtures do not belong to me. Some elements of this story are not my own creation either. Enjoy!

Endymion Chapter 10: Bird in Flight

The clash of metal resonated through the corridors and bedrooms of the castle. The knights and apprentices in the kingdom busied themselves with jousting and sword fighting practice. Many a young man attempted to hone his skills with sparring partners. Some had inflicted wounds upon the other. Tiny splotches of blood adorned the dirt floor of the castle square.

One knight in particular, Sir Jadeite, was focused and determined to sharpen his skills at sword fighting. He had previously dominated the arena in jousting practice, constantly knocking his opponents off their horses. The actual jousting aspect of the sport required a keen amount of concentration to perform accurately, and Jadeite had mastered the steps to knocking someone down. He would aim his lance squarely at his opponent's chest, lock it into position with one hand and arm, and run his horse forward. Even during the jarring smack of the opponent's lance into his armor, the strength of his own weapon would cause the other man to falter. All of these actions occurred within seconds of the knights confronting one another.

Jadeite's limitation was in his sword technique. It was a recent weakness, as he could not fully concentrate on his sparring partner for very long. His foot positioning was fine when standing guard and he would hold his sword in a prime position to strike, but at the exact moment of execution his mind would flood with thoughts of her. His arm would relax as his heart agonized over not seeing her. While his defenses were down, his partner would thrust at him with his weapon. As a result, a number of the blood spots on the ground belonged to the young knight.

It was during one of these practice spars that Jadeite's sparring mate, Sir Nephrite, had accidentally punctured him in the shoulder. Upon impact, Nephrite retracted his sword quickly and rushed to his friend's side.

"Jadeite- is the wound deep?" he asked, unsure of his own strength.

The tear in Jadeite's flesh immediately gushed with a river of blood. The wounded knight used his free arm to rip part of his sleeve as an aid to stop the bleeding. He pushed the wad of cloth to the puncture and pressed hard, clenching his teeth in the process.

"No, it's not bad," replied Jadeite with as much confidence as he could muster.

The brown-haired knight examined his friend carefully. The wound was not deep, but it did need some careful treatment to prevent infection. Nephrite looked into his friend's eyes to read any signs of deeper pain. Jadeite's wavy mop of hair was weighed down with sweat, and the strands that fell down onto his forehead were stuck to his skin with the perspiration. His tunic was soaked in sweat. Nephrite peered into his friend's eyes, and noticed that his eyelids were heavy and somewhat swollen.

"Besides the wound, are you feeling alright?"

Jadeite continued putting pressure on his wound and drew in deep breaths. With his hair now falling in front of his eyes, he shook his head to throw the strands back in line. With his blue eyes defiantly peering into his friend's, he flashed him a cocky grin.

"Nothing bothers me, my friend," he said and returned his attention to his wound.

Though unconvinced, Nephrite shrugged off Jadeite's nonchalant attitude and took over tending his wound, uncovering it for a moment to assess the damage. The bleeding had stopped rushing through the slit in Jadeite's skin, but it needed to be cauterized soon.

As the pair contemplated making their way to their way to the infirmary (Jadeite continuously protested medical aid), a young woman gazed at their situation from atop the castle roof. She sighed to herself, resting her chin against the palm of her hand.

Lady Lita was growing quite tired of Sir Jadeite's games. Sometimes he would be quite gentle and attentive with her, and they would talk for hours. At other times, especially within the past few days, he was distant and cold. She did feel concern for his welfare, and hoped that the knights would figure out the best way to take care of Jadeite's wound.

Then, she saw Jadeite's eyes stop darting back and forth between his wound and Nephrite's brotherly mannerisms. His eyes focused towards her. Lita felt her cheeks flush red at his steady gaze. Not three seconds later, Queen Rei and her maid sashayed past her. Lita turned to look at the queen, envious of her elegance and beauty. When she turned her attention back towards the handsome blond knight, his eyes were planted on his wound.

The jealousy within her flowed from her heart, the center of her emotions, all the way to her extremities. She felt sparks of electricity on her fingertips, and she thought she could even feel it in her toes. As her eyebrows furrowed in anger and frustration, she clenched her fists together. As if on instinct, she threw her hands out to her sides to be parallel to the ground.

A thunderous roar rang out across the castle grounds, followed by a flash of light that originated out of the ground. The flash was a bolt of lightening, and the startled castle-dwellers all looked in the direction of a barren green field. The lightning had only singed the grass around it. No fires had been started.

"What was that?" Nephrite shouted, his eyes wide with amazement and fright.

Jadeite merely shook his head and gazed up at the sky. There was not one cloud above or around the castle.

Lita, frightened by the thunder and lightning, had slumped down to sit against the stone wall immediately after the scene had passed. She curled her arms around her knees and tucked her face into her dress. She had an inkling of what had just occurred and why it had occurred, but she was too scared to confront the reality of it. So, she was content to sit and hide from her feelings and from the people around her.

The Next Day

Rei walked through the main hallway. Her destination was the dining hall, and each deep rumble of her stomach reminded her why she headed that way. Her feet moved swiftly against the hard wood floor and she had almost made it to the dining entryway when her left side bumped into a solid object.

"Ouch!" a male voice cried, and Rei immediately stopped moving.

"Oh! I apologize," was her reply, and she reached her arms out to the person she had collided with.

The person had their back to the queen and was dressed in a full tunic that covered the head. She could determine within a few seconds that the individual was male from his broad shoulders and upper torso. Presently, the gentleman had one arm caressing his opposite shoulder. Rei gently touched his back in an attempt to console the injured man.

"You really should watch where you're going, Your Majesty," was the reply. Rei recognized the voice and placed her arms back at her sides.

The man pivoted around smoothly, sporting a wide grin. Despite the head covering, some brown curls escaped from the cloth and framed his handsome face.

"Sir Nephrite," Rei started with a smile. "You're such a baby."

"But you could really kill someone, barreling into them like that! I consider myself a very lucky man for surviving a collision with you."

The raven-haired queen folded her arms in front of her chest. She tapped her heel slightly, playfully acting irritated. She formed her face into the best playful scowl she could make.

"Really, Nephrite, I'm surprised that you don't have women flocking around you at this moment. You definitely know how to impress the opposite sex."

Nephrite smirked bashfully with Rei's sarcasm. He shifted his weight to his one hip and gave her an exaggerated half bow.

"I am skilled in the ways of romance," he said with a laugh.

Rei motioned for him to take a seat upon a nearby divan and she joined him on the chair.

"How goes everything with you?" she inquired with interest.

"Everything is going very well. Everyone is very excited about the upcoming festival, and all the knights are practicing non-stop."

Mentioning the practices made Nephrite think of his friend, Sir Jadeite. They had rushed to the medical center after the freak thunder and lightning incident, and Jadeite was in good condition.

"Actually, Sir Jadeite got himself quite a wound the other day," Nephrite said softly, purposely emitting the fact that he had been the one to stab his friend.

Rei's felt her face get hot at the sound of Jadeite's name, and she turned her gaze towards the floor. She was very concerned for his health, however, and calmly inquired about his current status.

"Oh, he's fine," Nephrite answered. "It wasn't a deep wound. He'll be as good as new in a day or two."

The queen exhaled a sigh of relief.

"I assume he is being attended to by Lady Lita," she added, her tone sharp.

Nephrite shrugged his shoulders.

"I am not certain if she is by his side. In fact, I haven't yet met her. I have heard she is quite beautiful-"

"Yes, yes," Rei interrupted, noting the hint of pink in Sir Nephrite's cheeks as he spoke of her. Apparently Lita could enchant men without even meeting them. That idea made the queen quite infuriated.

Like a blur, King Endymion ran past the two of them, clutching something in his hand. Rei's eyes followed her husband, and she excused herself from Sir Nephrite's company. He nodded his acceptance of her departure, and she stood up to catch up to Endymion.

She had been rushing down the hallway for a minute or two, her long gown swishing against the hard floor, before she caught a glance of the king.

"Endy!" she called after him, her feet struggling to match his quick pace in her high heel shoes.

When she had finally caught up to him (a feat she had only accomplished by ditching her heels and running barefoot), she called after him again. She heard him mutter something about "saving it" before accelerating down the corridor. Rei continued following him with concern. She heard additional noises behind her, and discovered a servant close on her heels.

"Your Majesty," she shouted towards Endymion, "Whatever is the matter?"

Endymion pushed past the door to their bedchamber, eyeing his surroundings frantically as his servant came up behind him. She followed him in, taking a few seconds to catch her breath.

He pointed hurriedly to the dresser surface as the servant placed the pillow down on a dresser. Rei fought to get a glimpse of what was in his hand, but did not have to wait very long, as Endy placed a fragile, small baby bird onto the pillow. Its eyes were still closed and it barely had any down on its tiny frame. She immediately recognized what species the little bird was.

"You saved...a raven?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

"I noticed how you looked when you saw them above you during our ride the other day. You had a look of longing. When I saw this helpless thing below a tree, I couldn't wait for the cruel test of nature to play upon it. I knew that you would be the perfect nurturer for it."

Rei looked at him, her eyes dewy with small puddles of tears. He had observed something about her that silently told him something about her personality. She nodded quietly, and then glanced down at the bird.

With a wide smile, King Endymion wrapped his arms around his wife and lingered for a moment. He pulled away from her, placing a kiss on her forehead, and left her in the room with her little bird.

Remembering the servant in the bedchamber, she spoke some instructions to him as to what he needed to bring to feed the bird. After the attendant left, she sat down on her stool and began singing a song to the little bird. The tiny feathered creature stopped its chirping and settled itself into the warm pillow.

Rei gently stroked its body as she sang, admiring its small form. She assumed it was now asleep. As she continued her song so softly and sweetly, she didn't notice that her own eyelids were drifting closed.

Hours later, the young queen pulled her head up from between her arms. She had fallen asleep upon the desk. Her face had suffered despite her peaceful reverie, as the cheek she had rested on felt tender and a little numb. She rubbed her face gently and her ears quickly became alerted to the sound of a baby bird's peeps. The handsome Endymion sat beside her on his own stool, feeding the bird with a small liquid dropper. The small animal bounced up and down in synchronization with its eager chirps. Rei smiled as her husband patiently presented food to the bird.

"I feel at home with the ravens," she said softly, "because they have always seemed to feel at home with me."

Endymion turned his attention to her while still feeding the little bird. Rei stared at their animal friend and continued her story.

"Once when I was a little girl I became really angry and I stomped into the forest without a guardian. I had never dared to do such a thing before. As I walked further into the forest, it got darker and darker.

"I was afraid. Every little noise would frighten me. I tried to turn around and walk home, but I had gone in too deep- I was lost. In a moment of panic, I just sat down and started crying."

The young queen's eyes glistened with a single tear as she remembered how frightened she had been, and how hopeless she had felt. Then, Endymion recognized a small smile form on her face.

"It wasn't a minute later that the first raven I had ever seen flew down beside me," she said. "It stood there quietly, its glassy eye staring at me. It screeched to me, a sound that sometimes unnerves people. But it was the most beautiful sound I had ever heard. It was like a voice— and not soon after, several other ravens landed with their friend.

"My cries turned to laughter as they chattered around me. My new friends had given me confidence. I stood up quickly, and started walking north. The ravens rose and flew around my body, stopping me from my destination. Instead, they guided me the right direction home."

Endymion, entranced by her story, stroked her hair gently and placed a quick kiss on her cheek. He used his arm to pull her body towards his shoulders and continued stroking her hair.

"Now, you'll help this little one find its home."

The pair of them stared at the little bird and smiled.

Author's Note:

As I decided to do some further research for the story, I was looking up info on the Sailor Senshi. In this search, I realized that Rei's pet birds in the manga were not ravens, but crows. Because of this mistake (and several others, I'm sure), I ask all the die-hard Sailor Moon fans to please be kind.

In actuality, though, I did some pretty extensive research on ravens too (before my search on Sailor Mars), and the raven is now my favorite bird.

Anyway, enjoy. And also, please review! I really do love hearing reader commentary, and I'm a little sad that I haven't received any yet. :P

- LoveeDucky