Chapter Twenty-Six

Metallia's laughter rang throughout the palace. She sat upon the throne, watching as the Earthlings fought among themselves. It was so simple to take over the kingdom, killing his highness, King Ouranus. He didn't put up much of a fight, now that she thought about it. He merely begged her to spare his son's life, but the Earth prince was no where to be found. And he needed to be found, by all means. Soon, I will have both the Golden Crystal and the Silver Crystal. With those two crystals in my hands, then I shall truly be queen! Raising her head, she saw Beryl walking through the crowd, her red hair a bright contrast to the darkness in the palace of gold. "Have you found him?" she asked as the girl walked the three steps up to the throne.

Beryl lowered her head, her hair hiding her eyes from Metallia; however this gesture was answer enough. Rising from the throne, Metallia raised a hand. Everyone in the room disappeared, leaving only Beryl and herself. She stepped closer to the young girl, the naïve girl walking circles around her as she spoke. Her voice was calm, collected, and dangerous. "I give you a simple task to do. Find Endymion. Easy. Simple," she said as she brushed past Beryl, the darkness of her long hair mixing in with the redness of Beryl's. It was when she was finally face to face with the young girl, lavender eyes staring into dark blue ones, that Beryl felt her soul shiver. "However, it seems that you cannot even do this one simple little thing. I even sent the generals with you, to assist you."

"I'm sorry, Mistress. I was unable to find his highness," Beryl said in a small voice. Her head lowered once more. "And I do not think I will be able to kill him if I were to find him."

Metallia stared at her, eyes wide. "I see," she said, more to herself than to Beryl. Stepping back from her, she continued to stare at the girl before she raised a hand and slapped the girl so hard across the face she sent her flying across the room.

Beryl lay where she'd fallen, her cheek stinging and she could taste blood inside her mouth. It took her a few minutes to stand, first going to her knees then slowly getting to her feet. Holding on to the cheek that Metallia had hit, she stood straight up and blinked back the tears that threaten to fall. It would not do good to show her tears to the witch that stood a few feet from her.

Metallia covered the distance between them in a matter of seconds, her feet never touching the ground as she stood over the girl, looking down at her. Beryl felt her soul go cold and shuddered. "Listen to me, girl," Metallia said, her voice harsh and uncaring. She felt no remorse for hitting the girl. "Without me, you'd be nothing. Just another scrubbing maid who would spread her legs to any willing man with a coin. I made you, I can destroy you. Understand?"

Beryl nodded, but knew the witch wanted words. "Yes, Mistress," she answered softly, fear showing throughout her entire body.

Metallia smiled, her lips peeling back to form an ugly grin. "Good. Now, find the Earth Prince and bring me his crystal!"


It was in the garden when they were first attacked. Mokusei had been given the task of reporting the news to Serenity and Endymion. She hated to do it, but he needed to be told and soon, and while she would have preferred to not be the one to tell him, Tenousei and Kaiousei both had to go back to their planets.

Heaving a deep sigh, she changed into her princess gown and slowly walked out to the rose garden, where the two royals could be seen. Her long green gown flowed about her legs, the green roses holding the material up so it wouldn't fall as she hurried down the path. They heard her coming, both heads turning as she finished her walk and bowed before them.

"Mokusei," Serenity said as she stood, her hand still in Endymion's. Cerulean eyes met emerald ones. "You've returned."

Mokusei straighten, the green of her hair mixing in with the greenery of the garden. "Aye, princess," she said.

Endymion stood, his arm going around Serenity's shoulders. She looked up at him, watched as the line in jaw tensed up. He was scared, she could tell. Eyes going back to Mokusei, both Endymion and Serenity waited. Endymion was the first to speak. "Mokusei, how is my father? How is the kingdom?" He was anxious to know, his heart was beating quickly in his chest.

Mokusei was hesitated to speak. Lowering her gaze, she closed her eyes and shook her head. She heard Serenity's gasp, but it was Endymion who spoke, his voice soft.

"Are you positive?" he asked.

"Aye, we saw his body among the many that lay in the throne room," she said. "Your kingdom is no more, as well. Metallia rules over all of Earth, infecting the minds of your people with lies about our kingdom. They are after the silver crystal."

"Among many things," a voice sounded behind her. Mokusei turned her head to see Zoisite and Nephrite standing among the roses, smiles upon their faces.

Endymion went to stand in front of Serenity, protecting her as he drew his sword and held it in front of him. Serenity peeked out from behind him, her cerulean eyes wide with fear. The thunder princess took a step back, tears coming to her eyes at the sight of her dead lover. In her mind, she knew it wasn't her Nephrite; but her heart was slow to come to grasp with this news.

"You are not to be here." Mokusei heard from behind her. She turned her head to see Endymion protecting her princess, the very thing she was suppose to be doing. At the very sight of the Earth prince doing her job, she felt her courage come back to her and her heart closed off towards the image of her dead lover standing before her.

Turning her head back around, she gather the power from within her into her hand and threw the ball of lightning at the two men standing a few feet away from her, crying out "Supreme Thunder!" as she did so. It hit Zoisite on the chest, but missed Nephrite by a quarter of an inch. She knew it was because her heart was suffering.

However, she had given Nephrite the perfect moment to attack. He came at her, his sword slashing down to come into contact with skin, blood soaking the material of the clothing. She heard Serenity cry out, heard her own breath suck in and the tears fall as Mokusei herself cried out.

"Endymion!" Mokusei cried out as the prince dropped to his knees, his sword falling to the ground as his hand came up to try and stop the bleeding, blood soaking through.

"Give us the Golden Crystal, Prince Endymion," Nephrite said, his hand outstretch towards Endymion.

"Never," he said as his head came up and grimacing, stared at the two men before him. Nephrite just grinned down at him, the look one of pure evil. Zoisite stood behind him, his sword drawn as if he was planning on attacking. But no attack followed, for just then, off in the distance a command could be heard and then there was nothing but fire and ice.

Kasei and Suisei came running up to them, their gowns flowing as they went to stand next to Mokusei and helped Endymion to his feet. Holding one arm under the prince, Suisei narrowed her eyes at Zoisite, before she gave a softer look towards Endymion.

"Come, highness," she said. He nodded, and turning his head slightly (for it hurt to do much else), he looked back at Serenity.

She stood, her hands covering her mouth as tears poured down from her wide eyes, staring at them. Seeing him stand, she let loose the breath she'd been holding and ran towards him. She threw herself at him, nearly knocking him down in the process as he once more grimaced. Serenity then moved back, and mimicking Suisei, put an arm around Endymion and together they helped him into the palace. Leaving Mokusei and Kasei to deal with the intruders.

Kasei sent out her Burning Mandala, a circle of fire surrounding them as Nephrite tried to dodge out of the way; but it was too late. The attack took him down, if only for an instant. He vanished in a thin poof of smoke. Zoisite stood poised, his sword still in hand and eyes wide as he stared at the fire princess. But it wasn't Kasei he should have concerned himself with.

"Jupiter Coconut Cyclone!" was called out as the wind picked up and lightning energy could be felt as it zapped the dark lord. Zoisite did the same as Nephrite, and vanished in a thin poof of smoke. The sting of lighting could still be felt in the air, but Mokusei did nothing to take down the energy. She merely looked over to the fire princess, a smile on her lips. "I think that took care of them, don't you?" she asked her friend.

Kasei could only smile back.


Endymion laid in Serenity's bed, blood soaking the white sheets as Suisei tried to stop the bleeding and bandaged his shoulder. He sucked in air when she slide the needle through his skin, tightening it to keep close. She shifted her eyes from her work to look at him, before once more going about her task. She didn't speak, just kept stitching him up until the job at hand was done. Once she was done with that, she began to wrap gauze around his shoulder, all the while soaking up the blood with a wet cloth. Her sapphire eyes were dry, the tears from seeing her love long gone; but she could feel the need to weep coming upon her. Not for Zoisite, no, never for him again for he was long dead and the shell that housed his frame was unknown to her; but for Endymion. He had lost everyone he'd ever loved or cared about and now he was king to a warring county, she knew it had to weigh heavily upon his heart.

"You should be fine now, but take it easy. I could only do so much," she said to him.

He nodded his head. "Thank you, Suisei," he said. She didn't acknowledge him, just stood to leave, the folds of her blue gown stained red from all the blood he'd lost while she tended to him. Bending down, she picked up the bowl of red water, and the white cloth stained red floating in it, up and headed towards the door.

It was when she reached the door, that she turned back to look at him, her sapphire eyes and dark blue hair shinning in the sunlight. "I am very sorry for all you have had to endure, but please do not lose hope. For when you do, then all is truly lost." She then opened the door and stepped through it, closing it softly behind her.

Raising her head, she came face to face with Serenity and the others. The princess of light was pacing, her gown red from where she'd helped Suisei carry Endymion into her bedroom and onto her bed. It was Suisei, who'd made her leave; telling her to wait out in the hall as she tended to the prince. Serenity knew she wouldn't be of any help, so she followed the ice princess's orders, and after kissing Endymion gently on the lips, left the room. But her nerves were getting the best of her, and it seemed pacing was the only way to keep from bursting into the room to see how everything was going, though it had been only a few minutes since she'd left. Now, with Suisei walking out of the room, she raised hopeful eyes at the blue princess. "Well?" she asked. "How is he?"

Suisei sighed. How do you think he is? she wanted to ask; but kept her thoughts to herself. She knew better. "His wound will heal in a few days. You need to keep the area clean as well as dry. I did all I could, princess, now the rest is up to him," she said looking back at the door she'd just walked out of. "He was cut deep, very deep. Tis a miracle it didn't go right through him."

Serenity held her breath. She took in all the words Suisei was saying, however the reassurance that her love was going to be fine did not stop the tears from falling. Wiping her face, she asked, "May I see him?"

"I'm afraid not."

"But you said…."

"I said his wound will heal, but it will take some time for the damage to his heart to heal. He has lost his entire family, Serenity. He needs time to adjust to becoming king now."

Serenity was going to protest, saying she was now his family; but she never got the chance. Feeling someone lay a hand on her shoulder, she turned her head to see Kinsei, her golden hair blowing softly. Her topaz eyes were sad, full of despair. "Let him be, Serenity," she said removing her hand from the princess's shoulder. "We need to go and see the queen."


Endymion listened to them speak outside the door, his mind heavy with sadness. Throwing back the covers, he stood and walked to stand in front of the large mirror that sat in the room. Wincing slightly as he pulled off the bandage, he stared at the wound. She did a good job, he thought as he looked at Suisei's work. Well, I guess it's my turn. Putting his hand on his shoulder, over the stitches, Endymion closed his eyes and concentrated. He felt the heat touch his skin as his power went through his body, a light softly glowing from under his hand. The light began to grow brighter as the heat got hotter, and then it was all gone. The pain from the wound, the light, and the heat. Endymion moved his hand and smiled as he looked at his now perfect skin, the thread in which Suisei had used to stitch his shoulder gone as well.

"Guess that'll have to do for now," he said, looking in the mirror before him. He stared at his reflection before groaning and shaking his head, a hand running through his hair. Turning around, he lowered his hand and looked around. It was then that he realized they'd taken him to Serenity's room. Having never been in her room before, he analyzed his surroundings.

The walls were white, as was everything else, from the covers on the bed to the curtains hanging on the windows. It looked so serene, so pure; Endymion wondered briefly if this was the reason why she loved Earth so much, because it had so much color where the moon didn't. However, the room wasn't what you'd call clean, or even neat for that matter. Books, clothes, papers, little pieces of clothes lay everywhere, on the floor, scattered on the dressing table and other pieces of furniture. A marble desk sat in the north side of the room, a plush white chair in front of it; however, the desk itself was so messy that even the sunlight that came filing through the window couldn't cut through the mess to hit the white beneath it. A closet, oak and maple sat in the south corner of the room, doors handing open as clothes came falling out.

Photos were everywhere; on the walls, on the messy desk, on the nightstand that sat beside her bed. He looked at those, a smile coming to his lips as he picked up one of the photos. She was standing in a semi-circle, her friends on either side of her, all smiling. She looked young in the picture, and Endymion figured they had to be no more than 4 or 5 years old at the time the picture was taken.

Placing the photo frame back on the table, he sat down on the bed and sighed. "She's not a very neat person, is she?" he asked the wall, his voice filling the silence. "Got a personality all her own, which is one of the reason why I fell in love with her."

"Yes," a voice said from behind him. Endymion turned his head, standing. "She is the very light in which this kingdom shines from."

Staring at the woman who stood behind him, Endymion could only whisper her name into the air. "Meiousei."

She bowed before him, her long green hair falling forward. She stood in her senshi uniform, the black fuku barely reaching her thighs. Garnet eyes stared at out him from under dark bangs as the ruby tiara glittered on her forehead. She held the Key Staff in her hand as if her life depended upon it. In a way, it did.

It was the first time Endymion had ever met the time princess. It was rumored that she was older than time itself, coming only to deliver grave news to her subjects. She knew all, had seen all, including the past, present and future, and still did not let the secrets of time speak. It was her job, her duty to keep the time line straight.

"How shall I address you, now that you are no longer a prince but king," she said as she stepped into the room. Her boots clicked against the marble floor. She stared at him, garnet eyes on cobalt ones. "Shall I call you King Endymion, then?"

"You can call me Endymion," he replied. "I am no king, for my planet has decided to start war for no reason." She heard the anger and sadness in his voice, but said nothing about it. "What do you want with me?"

"Her majesty, Queen Serenity wishes to see you in her chambers."

"I see. Let me find a shirt," he said as he looked around. Realizing that he had no extra shirt, he looked back at the time keeper and sighed. "Well, I guess I'll be seeing her majesty like this. I have no other shirt, Princess Suisei ripped this one off of me in order to get to my shoulder quick." He held up what remained of his shirt, the fabric ripped in half.


"Majesty, what are we to do?" Mokusei asked as she and the others stood in the queen's chambers. Serenity stood next to her mother, crystal tears silently falling down her cheeks. "It was thanks to the goddesses Selene and Gaia that we arrived back safely when we went to get his highness, but now.. Now they are after the silver crystal. What if they come here to the moon?"

The queen sighed as she held her daughter, listening to the others speak. She knew they spoke the truth, knew that the Golden Kingdom was now ruled over by evil and that creature. Her heart wept for the fallen king, her friend; but she also knew she had her own kingdom to worry bout.

"Majesty, we must get you and the princess to safety immediately!" Kinsei said, her golden hair wrapping around her. She stood next to Kasei, who nodded in agreement.

"No," Queen Serenity said, determination in her voice. Her gentle fingers ran over the princess's snow white hair, as she gave comfort to her only daughter. "No, I will not abandon my kingdom nor my planet. If it comes down to it, I will fight to save what is mine. Metallia will not rule this universe."

"Nor will she rule over the Golden Kingdom," Endymion said from the doorway. He stepped into the room, walking towards the small group of women.

"Endymion!" Serenity cried out as she ran from her mother's embrace and into his. He engulfed her in his strong arms, kissing her crescent moon on her forehead.

"Serenity," he whispered into her hair as she snuggled her head into his chest.

"I see Momentary Dark found you. How are you feeling?" Queen Serenity asked.

Endymion raised his head, his dark eyes going to the older woman. "You have a good healer, your highness. Princess Suisei did an excellent job at bandaging my shoulder. However, I finished the job my self; as you can see."

"Yes," she said, folding her hands in front of her now that her daughter stood with her lover. "I see." Turning to the four senshi that stood in the room as well, she smiled at them. "Wood Sprit, Love Child, Water Beauty, and Fire Spirit." The four girls turned their heads, bowing slightly as their names were being called. "Could you perhaps leave us? I have need to speak to my daughter and the young kind alone."

"Yes, majesty," the four girls spoke, before turning around and leaving the room.

She waited until the doors closed behind Kinsei, then looked to the two embracing each other and smiled. Walking to where Endymion and Serenity stood, she gave embraced them in a hug all her own before standing back and staring at them. "I am, as I have been for the last hundred years, queen of this castle. I had hoped to pass my legacy down to Serenity; but I fear the fates have different plans," she said, her voice sad. Tears came to her eyes, but she blinked them back; her pride getting the better of her. Looking at her daughter, she smiled before she turned her gaze to Endymion. "I am so very sorry for all the hardships you've have had to endure this past year, Endymion. However, I have noticed that because of them, you are a better person than you were. You take time to smell the roses as it were," she explained when he gave her a confused look.

"I like to think I'm a better person because of your daughter, majesty," Endymion replied, his gaze going down to look at the young girl in his arms. Serenity smiled back up at him.

"Hmmm…" Queen Serenity mused. She walked over to where a picture of her husband, child and herself stood in the bright sunlight. Her hair was white then, shades of lavender and silver coming in, while eyes of dark lavender stared up at eyes of sapphire, smiling. How young she'd been back then, how innocent and naïve. She believed whole heartily that her world would always be like it had been back then, her husband would be with her, her child would grow into a beautiful young queen and fall in love. She never knew the horrors of war, never knew the horrors of losing someone she cared so much for, never knew the pain of heartbreak. "You know, I was about the same age as you, Serenity, when I met and married your father," she said as she turned back to look at them.

Endymion and Serenity looked at each other, before their gazes went to the queen's. "Mother?" the young princess questioned.

"I heard rumor that you wished to marry my daughter, but King Ouranus disapproved. Is this true?" Queen Serenity asked the young king.

Endymion looked down at Serenity. "Yes."

"And do you still wish to marry her?"

"If she'll have me."

"Well, Serenity?"

Queen Serenity's gaze went to her daughter, watching as the princess's eyes grew wide with understand. "Do you wish to wed Endymion?" she asked, knowing full well what the girl's answer would be.

Excitement, happiness and joy overcame Serenity, all at once. Tears springing to her eyes, she gasps before covering her mouth with her hands. She turned her head, white locks flying with the movement, to look up at Endymion and could see him smiling as well. It was as if her happiness was contagious. Turning her happy gaze back to the queen, she nodded her head before she could speak. "Yes! Oh yes, Mother!" Serenity cried out.

"Very well, then. You have my permission and my blessing," Queen Serenity said, the tears filling her lavender eyes.

No longer being able to contain her excitement, Serenity let the tears fall down her cheeks as she ran to her mother, hugging her. Queen Serenity hugged her daughter back, looking down. "If this is what you truly desire, then who am I to keep you from your happiness. We will hold a ball tomorrow night, in celebration of the upcoming wedding," she said, her gaze lifting up to look at Endymion. "You are welcome to stay here for as long as you need, Endymion."

"Yes, thank you," he said.

She bowed her head towards him. Pulling out of her daughter's embrace, she smiled at the bright sapphire eyes before handing her back to Endymion. "You may leave now, for I see you wish to spend some time alone," Queen Serenity said. "I shall speak with you tomorrow. Good night, my dears."

Serenity and Endymion bowed, before they ran from the room, holding hands. A smile came the queen's lips as she watched them disappear through the doors of her chambers. Once the doors were closed, she breathed a sigh of relief and sat down on her bed. Leaning her head back, the tears began to fall and she could not stop the sobs that came with the crystal drops. "Please, I beg of you… Please let this love between the Earth and Moon gain us peace."