AN: I know a month isn't really a quick update, but at least it's better than before! I'll try and manage my 3 fanfics I'm writing better, so I can update this more frequently than once a month.

Anyways, thanks a billion to nickybluejess, Moonprincess998, and LoveInTheBattlefield. I know 3 reviews is what I ask for, and I did abandon this for several months, so I'm not really complaining, but there was awhile back there when I was getting 5-6 reviews per chapter, which was quite nice. So... please review! :)

Also, it will probably be obvious, but just to make sure, italics symbolize writing.


Princess Serenity sat in the royal library, several thick books spread out in front of her. She rubbed her eyes tiredly, and sat back. It was the same book she'd been trying to translate for a little while now.

The problem was, Ancient Lunarian was a complex language, and as it wasn't spoken, and only used for literary purposes, very few people knew it and Serenity wasn't very good at it. Normally she would have just given up, but something about this book made her feel like she had to know its contents. A voice behind her startled Serenity out of her thoughts, and she turned around.

"Princess…" it was Kaiya, Serenity's lady's maid. "Mistress Hamako is waiting for you at her shop. Your final fitting for your wedding dress was supposed to happen about 10 minutes ago."

"Oh!" Serenity said. "I completely forgot. Thank you, Kaiya."

"Would you like me to accompany you there, Princess?" Kaiya asked.

"No, thank you," Serenity sad. "I'll be fine."

"Of course," Kaiya curtsied and left.

With one last look at the book she'd been trying to translate, Serenity left.


Serenity arrived at the Royal Seamstress' shop a few moments later.

"I'm so sorry I'm late," Serenity said. "I was in the library and lost track of time."

"Don't worry about it, Princess," Hamako said, smiling at her. "I'm sure with your wedding coming up you have lots on your mind."

"Yes…" Serenity said, trying to smile. She had much more on her mind than anyone could possibly imagine.

"Now, let's see how you look," Hamako said, bringing out a mannequin with the wedding dress on it. "Here, I'll help you dress."

Serenity slipped out of her current dress, leaving her standing there in her undergarments. Hamako carefully took the dress off the dummy, and helped Serenity into it.

"Now, turn around and see how you look," Hamako said.

Serenity looked at her reflection in the mirror. It was true, the dress fit perfectly, and it was exquisitely beautiful. Since her last fitting, Hamako had added some more pearls and some extra lace, making the dress even more elaborate than before.

Hamako picked up the tiara and attached veil, and placed it on Serenity's head. The tiara was pure silver with delicate diamonds set into it, and the veil was carefully arranged over Serenity's face.

"It's beautiful, Hamako," Serenity said. "It was before, but it's truly magnificent."

"Well, it's not every day the Crown Princess of the Moon Kingdom gets married," Hamako said. "I must say, it has been such a pleasure watching you grow from a small little toddler fascinated by my colorful fabrics to the beautiful young lady you are now. I know it is a lot to take on, ascending the throne shortly and all, and especially since Queen Serenity has been such a great ruler. But I have confidence you will be equally great."

"Thank you," Serenity said. "Is there anything else you needed, or may I go? There are some things I must get done before the wedding."

"Of course," Hamako said. "I'll help you undress, and then you're free to leave."


Somewhere far, far away, a young woman was scheming. She had had enough of being treated like some commoner, of nobody respecting her. The Prince of Earth had rejected her merely because she wasn't of noble birth.

She knew she was beautiful, countless men had lusted after her. And she was educated, unlike most of the common scum in the village she lived in. And yet, because she'd hadn't been born to privilege and instead had needed to work if she wanted anything, she wasn't good enough.

She had tried everything to win him over, everything! She had stolen a handful of gold coins from her previous employer, and pretended that the Prince had dropped them so she could win him over. She had tried to charm him, to impress him with her knowledge. And yet, he wouldn't have it.

She looked up into the sky, at where the moon was, even though it wasn't visible at the moment. It was all because of that stupid Moon Princess that the Prince had rejected her. She had never trusted the Moon anyways, they always acted like they were better than everyone, and there were tales that the Lunarian women were witches, luring men in and trapping them.

Yes, Beryl thought to herself, it was because of the Moon Princess that she was not sitting in the Terran Palace, planning her wedding to Endymion. She would get revenge, if it was the last thing she did. And she would make herself queen, even if Endymion wouldn't be her king.


Endymion sat in his quarters in the Terran Palace, his head buried in his hands. Serenity had visited him earlier, tearfully explaining that she had almost called off her wedding, but she just couldn't do it. And now, the wedding was tomorrow.

"Endymion."

Endymion looked up and saw Kunzite standing in his doorway. He sighed. "What is it?"

"You need to let her go," Kunzite said, knowing what Endymion had been thinking about. "She's getting married tomorrow."

"I know, I know," Endymion said. "But what am I supposed to do? How can I just let her go? I love her, Kunzite. Am I supposed to just sit back and let her get married to a man she doesn't love?"

"Yes," Kunzite said. "I know it's hard, but the Princess has made it clear to you that she can't call off this marriage for political reasons. You have to let her go."

"Would you do that if it were Lady Venus?" Endymion asked.

"Pardon?" Kunzite asked, taken aback.

"I've seen the way you look at her," Endymion said. "I know you have feelings for her. If she were getting married to a man she didn't love would you just do nothing?"

"I don't know," Kunzite admitted. "But what do you expect to accomplish if you do try and stop the wedding? Like I said, the Princess has made it clear she intends to go through with it. If you crashed the wedding, all that would happen is you'd cause her pain and you'd be arrested. Terrans aren't even allowed on the Moon right now, you know that."

Endymion sighed. "I guess you're right… I just… I just wish there was something I could do."

"I know," Kunzite said. "But I don't think there is."


Aphrodite stood outside the Palace, near the Lake of Serenity. Her eyes were closed as she breathed in the scent of flowers, and a light breeze blew her hair around her face.

"Lady Venus," a voice said from behind her.

Without even opening her eyes, Aphrodite smiled, knowing exactly who it was. "Lord Shitennou," she said, turning around. "Thank you for coming."

"How is the Princess doing?" Kunzite asked.

"Not so well," Aphrodite said. "She's miserable. She's lived her whole life according to her status as Crown Princess; everything she's ever done has been with the benefit of the kingdom in mind. But now she has to choose between the good of the kingdom and following her own heart, and it's tearing her up inside. I just wish I could help her."

"This is something she has to decide on her own," he said.

"I know," she said, sighing. "How is Earth?"

"Well, Endymion is a royal pain to be around," Kunzite said. "He's miserable as well. But I know you wanted news about the political relations, which unfortunately I cannot help much with. Things seem to have quieted down, but… something about it just feels wrong. I don't know. But I have a bad feeling this is just the calm before the storm."

"That's what I've been gathering as well," Aphrodite said. "I just wish I knew what to do. I don't know how to help Serenity, I don't know what's going on with Earth, I don't know anything! I just feel so useless."

"You are not useless," Kunzite said. "I know you, and I know you want to fix everything, but some things are beyond even your control." He wrapped his arms around her, and Aphrodite sighed, nestling her head against his chest. They stood there, locked in an embrace, looking out at the sun setting over the Lake of Serenity, Aphrodite's eyes full of worry and concern.


Serenity sat in her chambers, trying to enjoy the few moments of solitude she had. All day various last-minute wedding preparations had been going on, and Serenity had hardly had any time to think.

There had been the meeting with the florist, the final wedding dress fitting, the meeting with the royal caterers… she had barely had time to escape to the library briefly. A knock at the door interrupted Serenity's thoughts, and she sighed, going over to open it.

"Serenity," the Queen said.

"Mother," Serenity said, dipping into a brief curtsy.

"Come, walk with me for a bit," the Queen said.

She didn't really want to, but she knew she had to. When the Queen asked you to walk with her, you obeyed her. Besides, Serenity thought, perhaps it wouldn't be so bad. She hadn't had a chance to talk with her mother recently, and maybe it would offer her some comfort.

"How are you doing?" Queen Serenity asked. "I know that this has been hard for you, rushing into marriage, and becoming queen so soon. But I want you to know how proud I am of you, Serenity. I know it isn't easy, ascending the throne, nor is marrying at such a young age to a man you hardly know. But Prince Tatsuhiro is a good man; you have handled this with such grace and maturity, always putting the future of our kingdom first. That is why I know you will make such an excellent queen."

Serenity bit back tears. She had been hoping to perhaps confide in her mother that she didn't love Tatsuhiro, and that she knew she had a duty to her kingdom, but what about her own happiness? But now… she knew she couldn't say anything.

The look in her mother's eyes spoke of how much she meant every word she said, and how truly proud she was of her daughter. Serenity didn't think she could stand to look her mother in the eye ever again if she betrayed her trust like that. She knew Queen Serenity would never look at her with such pride again if she confided that the thought of marrying Tatsuhiro made her sick.

"I am doing well," Serenity said instead. "It is a bit… overwhelming at times, but I feel confident that everything will go well."

"I am glad," the Queen said. "Now, I'm afraid I must leave soon, as there are still some urgent matters with Earth which must be taken care of, but I would love to see you in your wedding dress."

"Of course," Serenity said.

The Queen smiled. "Excellent. I do believe Hamako is free all day."

They walked towards the royal seamstress' quarters, and arrived there shortly.

"Your Majesty!" Hamako said, curtsying deeply. "What brings you here?"

"Since I have regrettably not been able to attend Serenity's other dress fittings, I would love to see her in her dress before the wedding."

"Of course," Hamako said. "Comes, Your Highness, the dress is in the back room."

Serenity followed the seamstress into her back room, and methodically slipped off her dress and let Hamako help her into her wedding dress. Several moments later, once the gown, shoes and tiara with the veil were all on and in place, Serenity stepped out.

"Oh, Serenity," the Queen smiled at her daughter. "You look beautiful. Hamako, you have truly outdone yourself."

"It's nothing," Hamako waved away the compliment, but she was smiling. "It's easy when you have such a beautiful model as the Princess."

"I must be going now," the Queen said. "There's a council meeting soon. But thank you, it was lovely to see how the finished product looks."

"Of course, Your Majesty," Hamako said, and then she turned to Serenity. "There's just one last adjustment I need to make to your dress, it should only take a minute."

"Certainly," Serenity said. She let her mind wander as Hamako made a few small adjustments to her dress. Her mind kept on drifting back to that book. What was it about? It was really bothering her that she couldn't translate it, but she didn't know what to do.

Unless… suddenly an idea came to her. She had been trying to translate it the way her tutors had taught her—using scholarly books as reference, going over it slowly. But it just hadn't been matching up, and she hadn't understood why. Perhaps she had been going about it all wrong.

"I'm sorry," Serenity said, not even conscious of the words spilling out of her mouth. "I have to go. It's urgent."

"But… Princess!" Hamako cried as Serenity ran out the door, still wearing her wedding dress.

Serenity ran down the corridors to the library, thankful that there weren't many people milling about. She arrived at the library several minutes later, out of breath. She knew she was acting foolish, but she felt like this couldn't wait.

She scanned the shelves anxiously, looking for the book. She found it, and pulled it off the shelf. She all but tore it open, trying to be gentle with the book as it was fragile with age. She scanned the pages quickly, and had to stop herself from crying out with delight. She was right. She hadn't been able to translate it because it wasn't traditional Ancient Lunarian. It appeared to be written in some sort of code.

She wasn't sure how, but Serenity felt like something just clicked in her brain, and suddenly she could understand it. She read the book anxiously, her eyes widening as she finally understood what it was about.

It was about the Goddess Selene, the first Queen of the Moon Kingdom. It was her diary. And more importantly, it was about suffering from an arranged marriage. The diary told the story of the young Selene, long before she was thought of as a Goddess, or a Queen, and before the Moon Kingdom was anything more than a small settlement filled with chaos and disputes among the inhabitants.

Selene had come from a rich family, and as such, her parents had arranged for her to marry a man of equal status, but she had fallen in love with a poor stable boy.

Kenji came to visit me again today. Oh, how I despise that man! He seems pleasant enough, but I hate his leering smile, and I hate how he looks at me, as if I am some prize he covets. I have expressed my distaste to my parents, and yet they insist that he is a suitable match for me, and I must marry him. I do not see why I cannot marry Itsuki. I have plenty of money for the both of us, and we are in love. And yet, my parents forbid it. I do not understand why.

I am the youngest, and a girl anyways. I know my parents are hoping that Daitaro might be the one to finally unite the Moon and create a kingdom out of it. For then, mama and papa would be both rich and powerful, which is all they ever wanted in life. And yet, I know they have no hopes for me, as papa always tells me that I am useless being the youngest of five, and a girl. He loves pointing out how I am too much of a dreamer to ever accomplish anything. But that is okay. Let me marry Itsuki, and I will be happy being the wife of a stable boy.

Serenity stared at the book, her hands shaking. So, the Goddess Selene was never expected to unite the people of the Moon, and yet obviously Serenity knew she did. She flipped ahead to a later entry to read what happened.

I worry about Daitaro sometimes. He has proved himself to be an excellent warrior, but I fear he doesn't have the brains or the patience to unite the Moon and become King. It seems every attempt he makes is met with discontent and even violence. There was an uprising in the village today, and it became frighteningly violent. I have no desire to be Queen, but I do wish to see my planet and my people happy and united. Oh, why can Daitaro not see that he is going about it all wrong? He is the only boy in our family, so if he fails, our parents will not be happy.

But as much as I worry about my brother, I worry about myself. I talked with Kenji today, or at least I tried to. He seems incapable of carrying on conversation, and sometimes I wonder if he has any brains in his head at all. I miss the times when I could sneak off with Itsuki and we would lie under the stars and just talk, or when he would kiss me so sweetly in our secret grove. I know it is improper for a lady to kiss someone she is not married to, but I cannot help it. What am I to do if I cannot marry Itsuki?

Serenity knew she didn't have time to read all of it, so she flipped ahead to an entry several months later.

I… I am at a loss for words. Daitaro is dead. He was executed by the opposition, and now the leader of the opposition is trying to instate himself as king, and rule over everyone. But we will not have it. He is a horrid, violent man who was behind the death of my brother.

My parents are grieving, but it angers me, because I fear they are grieving not because they lost a son but because they lost a chance to be royalty. They are trying to push Inari, who is the most sensible of my sisters, to get her husband to take over where Daitaro failed. But she will have none of it. She has only recently been married, and all she wants is to start a family. I cannot blame her. I wish I could start a family with Itsuki, and yet I know what I must do. I know fifteen is terribly young, not to mention that I'm a girl, and I may be a useless dreamer who will never accomplish anything, as papa loves to point out, but I cannot let the man who executed my brother win. I will fight for a united, peaceful Moon.

So that was how Selene became Queen… as fascinated as Serenity was, she mainly wanted to read about what happened with Selene and her arranged marriage. She skimmed through the entries about how Selene taught herself how to fight, and using her natural affinity towards politics, managed to unite the people of the Moon against all odds. Serenity came upon one of the last journal entries, written shortly after she had been crowned Queen of the Moon.

It is hard to believe that I have succeeded. I don't think anyone ever believed in me, except for Itsuki. He is the one who gave me the confidence to fight for what I believed in. Now that I am Queen, everyone is pressuring me to marry. I do not know if it is because they want heirs to the throne to ensure that this peace lasts, or if it is because they still do not believe a woman can rule the Moon, and they want a man to do it for me. But I will not become some bystander in my own kingdom; I will not sit by and let my husband take over while I become some ornament for people to look at. I am the one who managed to unite the people of the Moon, and I will not let anyone take it from me.

During the war I nearly forgot that I was engaged to Kenji. It is hard to believe that a year has passed since I dreamed of being the wife of a stable boy, and living quietly with Itsuki. Since I am technically betrothed, everyone is going ahead with wedding preparations, despite the fact that I do not wish to marry Kenji. But what can I do? Now that I am Queen, I cannot marry a stable boy like Itsuki. I must marry someone of status, and that means someone who comes from money. It is my duty to my kingdom, and yet my heart is breaking, for I shall never be able to marry my dear Itsuki.

Serenity impatiently flipped to the very last diary entry, written a few weeks after the one she had just read.

It is done. I cannot believe I did it, but I did. My wedding to Kenji was supposed to happen a week ago, and yet it did not happen. Somehow I found the courage to stop it, and to call off the engagement. My parents are furious, and my papa has threatened many times that he will take the crown from me, and he will rule, as I am just a useless little girl who does not know anything. But I am bigger than papa now, and I do not fear him anymore. I am Queen, and he cannot change that. I pity him that he has so craved power it has corrupted him and he would turn against his own daughter if it meant his success.

But this is not a day for sadness, for I cannot hold back my joy. After calling off my engagement, I rushed to Itsuki, and told him of what happened. He said he had never given up on me, despite thinking that now that I was Queen I had surely forgotten about him. He professed his love for me, and said that even though he is but a poor stable boy, he will always love me.

We were married yesterday in a small but beautiful ceremony. My parents are not the only angry ones; many people in the kingdom do not like having some commoner rule over them as King. There have been threats of violence and protests, but somehow I know it will be okay. The kingdom may be brand new, but I feel confident that with my beloved Itsuki by my side as King, I can conquer any challenge and keep my kingdom united as one.

Serenity put the book down, and wandered out of the library in a daze. The Goddess Selene had once been an ordinary girl, like anyone else, but she had the brains and the courage to unite a planet under her rule. And even when she broke off her engagement to the man she was supposed to marry, and married her forbidden love, she still succeeded. It might have nearly destroyed the new kingdom, but the important thing was that it didn't. History proved that Selene had a long, peaceful rule, overcoming everyone's doubts about her.

She was the one who had started the tradition that the women of the Moon ruled as Queens, holding most of the power, while the Kings stood back. And she had managed to do it with the man she loved by her side. Serenity had lived her whole life thinking of the Goddess Selene has some otherworldly creature who had sacrificed everything for the sake of her kingdom. And yet, this diary showed that she had once been in a situation very similar to Serenity's.

Serenity stopped for a moment, and looked around. She had wandered into the church. More specifically, she was right outside the Cloister of Serenity, the chamber of the faith. She knew it was magically sealed to all but the rightful Queen of the Moon Kingdom, but legend had it that it would open to the heir to the throne before her wedding night, before her coronation, or in times of great distress. The door was slightly ajar now. Of course, it was the night before her wedding, and she was also in great distress.

Serenity slowly stepped inside, and the door close behind her. The room was small and circular, with a large column in the center. On the column the names of all the Queens of the Moon Kingdom were carefully engraved. There were many throw pillows, and an altar to the Goddess Selene in the back. The walls were covered in ornate paintings, depicting the Goddess. Serenity walked to the altar, and lit some incense. Bowing her head, Serenity murmured a quick prayer to the Goddess. There was a small basin of holy water next to the incense, and Serenity dipped her finger in it, touching her forehead and her lips.

She walked back over to the column in the center of the room and placed her palm on it. She could almost feel the presence of her ancestors emanating from the column, each one warmly greeting her as the next Queen. There was a small stylus on a pedestal next to the column and Serenity picked it up, knowing it was her turn to carve her name into the pedestal. There were many names Serenity recognized, and many she did not.

There was Queen Luna, who had been the great-great grandmother of Queen Serenity. Queen Mizuki, one of the most ancient queens, and believed to be the daughter of Selene. Queen Yue, Serenity's grandmother. And many others Serenity didn't know. Parvani. Levana. Artemis. Natuski. Tsukiko. Selina. There were several Serenity's and Selene's or Selina's, as those were all inspired by the Goddess Selene.

Carefully, Serenity carved her own name into the column. Serenity Serensdotter. Her last name was hardly ever used, as royalty did not in general use a last name. And yet last names were used to differentiate between different Queens with the same first name. And so, princesses of the Moon took the name of their mother, or an abbreviation of it, and 'dotter' as their name. Serenity saw her own mother's name, written out in her elegant script. Serenity Yuesdotter.

With that down, Serenity sank down to her knees, her elaborate wedding dress spilling out behind her. She knew she was supposed to pray for healthy children, or the continued peace of the Moon Kingdom, but all she could think about was Endymion.

"O, Goddess, give me strength," Serenity prayed, bowing her head to the floor. "Give me the strength to make the right decision."

She stayed that way, bowed in front of her ancestors, the incense burning at the altar of Serenity, he lips moving in silent prayer.


The next day, early in the morning, Serenity exited the Cloister of Serenity, where she had stayed all night. She had prayed and prayed and prayed, and she had found the answer to what she had to do. She only hoped she had the strength to do it. She walked back to her quarters, knowing her maids would be waiting for her.

"Princess!" Kaiya said as soon as she walked through the door. "There you are. Come; let's get you ready for your wedding. There's a bath all ready for you."

Serenity let Kaiya and her other lady's maids help her out of her dress, and she stepped behind a screen, removing her undergarments and sinking into the hot bath. There were fresh rose petals floating around in it, as well as handmade rose oil, which had clearly been poured in the bath. It smelled heavenly. Kaiya helped Serenity clean and wash her hair, and after a long soak, she emerged from the bath, smelling like roses.

Two other lady's maids had been carefully freshening up Serenity's wedding dress, and smoothing out any wrinkles. She was helped into it, while Kaiya placed the tiara on Serenity's head and carefully arranged the veil so it covered her face. Finally, she put on her slippers.

Kaiya carefully took out Serenity's collection of makeup, which she kept stored in seashells. There was some rouge for her lips and cheeks, and kohl for her eyelashes.

"There we go," Kaiya said, as she finished with Serenity's makeup. "You look truly majestic, Princess."

"Thank you," Serenity tried to smile, but she was too nervous.

"Come now, you need to get to the church!" Ayame, one of Serenity's other maids, said. As if on cue, there was a knock on the door.

"I am here to escort the Princess to the chapel," a royal guard said.

Serenity took his arm, and left her chamber, walking down the path towards the chapel. It was a short walk, and yet it felt like it went on for miles and miles, as Serenity's was so nervous. They eventually arrived at the doors to the chapel, which were shut. Queen Serenity stood there, waiting for her daughter.

"Mother," Serenity curtsied.

"You look beautiful, Serenity," the Queen said. "Now, chin up. I know you're nervous, but it will be okay."

As the women of the Moon Kingdom had always held the power, it was tradition the Queen was to walk her daughter down the aisle and give her away. The guards opened the doors to the chapel, and Serenity heard the organ music start to play, and everyone stood up as a sign of respect.

Slowly, Serenity walked down the aisle with her mother, trying to calm her fast beating heart. She could see the Senshi in their uniforms, and Prince Tatsuhiro in his military uniform. Finally, they reached the altar, and the Queen turned and sat with King Ryo of Mars.

Serenity could see the preacher's lips moving and yet she heard nothing. This was it. This was the moment of truth.

"I do," Prince Tatsuhiro said solemnly.

The preacher said a few last words and turned to Serenity, waiting for her to say that yes, she vowed to love and honor this man and to serve the kingdom well.

"I…" Serenity's voice caught in her throat and her mouth felt dry. She took a deep breath to calm herself, squeezed her eyes shut for one second, and then let the breath out, opening her eyes. Suddenly, everything seemed calmer. She could see that everyone in the chapel was waiting for her response, her confirmation. And yet in her head she could hear the voices of her ancestors, urging her to follow her heart, telling her that the women of the Moon Kingdom were strong and independent, and that they should never settle for a man they did not love.

"I'm sorry," Serenity said, her voice clear and calm, carrying all the way to the back of the chapel. "But I cannot. I cannot vow to love and honor this man, for I do not love him, and I cannot lie to my people. I cannot betray my own heart solely for political reasons. And for that, I am sincerely sorry. But I cannot marry this man, and so the answer is no."

Serenity heard the gasps of shock all around her, but she turn and fled out the back of the chapel, tears running down her face. But this time they were tears of joy, for she knew she had made the right choice. A life without love was not a life she wanted to live. And politics be damned.

She had faith now that things could work out. Selene was hailed as the greatest Queen of all time, and yet she had started her reign by breaking off her engagement and marrying a stable boy. But she had persevered, and her kingdom had flourished. Serenity ran into the teleport room, and without a second though, stepped into the one designated for Earth.


AN: Please review! :)