Elysian, Silver Millennium

The dreams were always the same: Deep, cold water. Dribbling bubbles of air escaping from his lips. Darkness so black that if he didn't know any better, he would think his eyes were closed.

As his body contorted, pulling against the current rippling from every direction, his eyes searched. His lungs contracted, sending icy gulps of sea down his throat. How had he gotten here? His heart slapped against his chest as he beat his legs against the water. In the distance, a single beam of light broke through.

His hands went first. He whipped them furiously out, all but begging his body to go toward it. From underneath a stream of bubbles floated up and he felt the ominous presence of being stalked. Faster he swam, not caring that he was wasting precious air and strength by his careless flailing, instead following the bubbles and praying for a surface. Bit by bit he inched closer to the light and tilted his body up, extending his hand even further.

Something wrapped around his leg and pulled him back down. He tried to fight it, but it was just too strong. A scream escaped his lips, a desperate, feral thing. Underwater, though, it was silent.

There was nothing in the darkness. Only water. Only him. Suspended. Drowning. Dying.

–

Prince Endymion awoke in a cold sweat. For the past several nights, these dreams had come to him. It wasn't the first time he had been plagued with nightmares. Like his mother, his mind's eye was open to these types of things, but never had he experienced a dream so real, so vivid that it was not a dream at all. It was a memory from some deep, cavernous part of his soul. Endymion knew it was part of something different.

Below him, the sheets were soaked in salty sweat. Slowly, he sat up and surveyed the room under the blurry haze of sleeplessness. In the corner sat a familiar face.

"Sleep well, my prince?" Jadeite leaned into the hand propping his head up. Tendrils of blonde curly hair swept over his steely eyes as he watched the prince slowly hoist himself up out of bed. He wasn't much older than Endymion and had been part of his guard–the Shitennou–since he was a boy. Unlike other servants in the palace, Jadeite stood as more of a brother to Endymion, a fact that both delighted and bothered the other royals.

"Not particularly." Endymion ran a hand through his jet black hair before swinging his legs over to the ground. Cold stone brushed his feet and brought him back to the depths of that unnatural ocean. As hard as he tried, a ripple of pain spread across his face.

"Do you want me to be sympathetic or would you rather me ignore it?" Jadeite had a genuine look of concern. To be frank, Endymion was grateful for his candidness. Not everyone would even bother to ask. Most would flitter about, offering him herbal tea, warm towels and a hot meal. They would preen and prod at him until they thought he looked satiated–regardless if he was or not–and would watch him like a hawk until they were satisfied in his behavior. Being babied didn't take away the sting of a restless night. Sometimes it was just better to move along.

"No need," Endymion said softly. Jadeite nodded and let his gaze drift out the window as Endymion dressed himself. "I assume there's a reason you're in my room so early."

"Ah, yes," Jadeite said. "I nearly forgot. Your father is expecting you soon. I doubt this escaped your mind but today is the day of the Moon Kingdom's ball."

Actually, it had escaped his mind. Images of the black sea churning against his body gripped him in sleep. And during his waking hours, he was equally as consumed with the thought the Earth Kingdom and the Moon Kingdom might go to war. As peaceful as they had become these past few hundred years, something in the air was souring.

Splinter cells of Earthlings were becoming jealous of life on the Moon. Under Queen Serenity and her magic crystal, life was prosperous. That's not to say that they were suffering under King Endymion. Quite the opposite: Earth had never been more beautiful as it was at that very moment.

Jealousy, though, is a green-eyed monster. There are always those thirsty for more, and if their hearts are dark enough to covet when they want for nothing, they are selfish enough to go after what they think they deserve. Queen Serenity was wise to this. Even amongst her own people she had to quell greed, and now rumors swirled that people on Earth wanted a piece of her perfect utopia.

Naturally, she stepped back and assessed. That's what any good ruler would do. But to King Endymion, her hesitation sent a ripple that made him question just how strong his own footing was. If she was willing to take a critical eye to his people, what assurances did he have that Earth would be protected from the Moon? If his wife were still alive, she would've chastised him for being so foolish. Instead he was flanked by his inexperienced teenage son and a set of generals who hadn't seen action in years.

The desire for prosperity is human nature, the king thought, but so is fear. And fear can make even the sanest of men do unspeakable things.

–

The Moon Kingdom was beautiful. Brilliantly white, the castle glowed against the black of space. Spindles of glittering neon dust floated above, swimming in and out of the speckle of stars. Behind was the tiny blue pebble of Earth, and as Endymion walked toward the domed main entrance to the Queen's expansive estate, he realized that despite Earth being impossibly large to him, it was quite small on the Moon.

Guards in silvery white greeted them, leading them through two giant marble pillars. All of the windows in the breezeway were brilliant stained glass and told the history of the Moon Kingdom, including that fateful battle centuries ago where the two great kingdoms found an armistice. Cut from the marble walls were faces of rulers long past, entombed forever in these hallowed grounds.

At the end of the room were two giant white doors flanked by two guards in powdered wigs. As they opened the doors, a cacophony of sounds poured out. The ball was already underway by the time Endymion and his father had arrived. Gowns of every color swished along the white marble floor. Candelabras illuminated the room in a soft yellow glow. On the walls, beautiful tapestries hung alongside pure white stone pillars, and at the back was a dais adorned by a bone white throne.

Endymion had been to many balls before, but none on the Moon. The move was meant to instill a sense of camaraderie between the two kingdoms, to dismiss the ill feelings both were too polite to address head on. Maybe if they had things would've turned out a little differently.

A sea of eyes fell upon the two as they walked in, and the string quartet plucking away in the corner stilled as soon as the hush fell over the crowd. From the dais, Queen Serenity stood and gracefully made her way over to the dignitaries.

Everything about her was elegant. Not a single hair on her head was out of place. Just like the glow of her castle, it was pearl grey and luminescent, flowing down in two long ponytails around her simple, satin dress. Her beauty was indescribable.

"King Endymion." She smiled. "I'm happy you could make it."

"We are pleased to be here." He grabbed her hands and gave her a genuine smile. For two kingdoms rearing for a fight, they were awfully congenial, Endymion thought. Whispers spread through the crowd but the king and queen did not notice.

"Please, enjoy yourself." She motioned to a banquet table filled to the brim with colorful confections and food. "We can discuss business a bit later."

With the flick of her hand, the party regained its momentum. Soon, the music was back and bodies began crowding the dance floor, forcing Endymion to stand along the side. Usually, on Earth, bachelorettes would hoist themselves upon him. Here, though, tensions remained too high. Occasionally, he caught the odd stare followed by a quick turn, but other than that he was left to his own devices.

While his father chatted away with strangers whose faces Endymion did not know, he stood there positively alone. Why waste a perfectly good evening being a wallflower? He slipped along the wall and headed toward the back archway when he noticed two double doors leading to a loggia.

Each archway was cut from brilliant stone and held engravings that showed the history of the universe: The Great Galactic War, the first Moon Queen, the peace treaty with Earth. Gracing these halls meant standing in a tapestry of rich history, one many often took for granted. So much of the Moon Kingdom was draped in the stories of those now gone, almost as if the literal walls were a reminder of the battles won and lost, a warning to think before acting.

He averted his eyes and instead focused on the brilliant blue orb of Earth floating in the distance. A light breeze rolled through and Endymion inhaled deeply.

Outside the castle was a pristine lake, the surface so still it looked almost like glass. The thought of taking a rock and skipping it across the surface was enticing. Why destroy something so peaceful and beautiful? Or, on the other hand, why deny a bit of fun? His common sense told him better, that being a guest in this place bound him to proper manners, but the itch was one he couldn't fight.

As he came closer, he saw a perfect skipping pebble and took it in his hand. Its smooth surface made it ideal. In one quick throw, the rock slapped the top of the water, skipped several times before dunking underneath the surface. Endymion was right–it was satisfying.

"Why did you do that?"

Endymion turned around. Whatever kind of trouble he might've gotten himself into, he was sure his father could get him out of it. He opened his mouth to explain that he was just having a bit of fun, but stopped the moment he saw her. Her hair was spun like gold, her pale face like the finest of porcelain. And above it all were her blue eyes so big and round they gleamed like rare sapphires being shone under the sun.

"I'm sorry," he stammered. In the moonlight, she looked almost angelic. "I…"

"You could've disturbed the swans, you know."

He was at a loss for words. He nodded his head politely before shoving his hands in his pockets in a strange act of contrition, and took a deep breath. "That wasn't my intention."

"I know it wasn't."

This girl was so sure of herself. Did she know who she was talking to?

"Well, I wasn't. No harm no foul." He waited a beat. "Pun intended."

She cracked a smile, and as she did, he felt the blood from every inch of his body rush to his face.

"Good, I didn't think you were that cruel." She walked over to the water, which was fortified by a raised stone wall. She sat down, patted the seat next to her and invited Endymion to join. "So, do you always walk around gardens unaccompanied at night?"

"I could say the same for you."

"Well," a feline grin crawled across her face. "See, I love balls and all, but I'm no good at dancing."

Endymion shrugged. "Dancing is fine enough, I guess."

"I suppose I just don't have the right partner." Endymion felt her gaze on him, tracing the lines of his face. "Maybe you might want to ask me?"

A deep belly laugh escaped Endymion's lips. He never knew a girl to be so forward. Not only was she positively beautiful, she was quite funny, too.

"Well, see, I would," he leaned in closer to her, so close their shoulders now touched. "But I don't like to dance."

"That explains why you're out here harassing my birds."

"That would explain it, yes."

A long pause passed between them. Even though he could not feel her skin through the fabric of his jacket, the thought of her being this close made everything within him burn. Of all the beautiful young ladies he had met on Earth, none had set his heart aflame so quickly as she. A lump formed in his throat and he tried to find the words to speak, but he couldn't.

"I didn't even really want to be here anyway," she continued, using her words to crush the awkward silence. "This is basically a party for the Earth king. Everyone thinks he is going to go to war with us, but I'm not so sure."

Endymion blinked. She didn't realize who he was. Selfishly, he wanted to keep talking, but talking to her about the Earth Kingdom hardly felt fair when she didn't realize he was an integral part of it.

"What makes you think that?" He asked, guilt panging the inside of his stomach.

"The Earth Kingdom isn't after us even if some of their people are." She looked up into the sky. "I don't know the King but I have to imagine if he is a king he is probably fair and good. And if he's those things I have to believe he wouldn't break a promise he vowed to keep."

"That's very optimistic of you." Endymion smiled. She blushed.

"Yeah, well, I'm an optimistic person."

Inner turmoil gripped Endymion. He only had so much longer to tell her. He had to find a way because after too long she might start to wonder…

"So, are you going to tell me who you are?" She asked Endymion. His spine straightened.

Could he lie to her? Tell her he was from the Moon? It wasn't a good idea for several reasons, the most glaring being that he knew almost nothing about it. But if he told the truth she might run away and having her this close was equal parts exhilarating as it was comforting.

"I…" Every bone in his body begged him to lie, to buy one more minute alone with her. "I'm…"

Her blue eyes dug into his soul. A lie would feel good for a moment, but the truth would always sting.

"Endymion!" A voice rang out from behind. Her eyes went wide in shock. He knew this was going to happen. A pair of footsteps hurried alongside the marble floor, slapping against it with a pace that signaled a calm panic. The voice belonged to Kunzite, the eldest of the Shitennou. "I've been looking for you everywhere, I–"

Kunzite stopped himself the moment he saw her. The alarm in her face was as palpable as his. Clearly, there was something Endymion was missing.

"You're Prince Endymion?" The girl's blue eyes doubled in size.

"Princess Serenity." Kunzite bowed to the girl and Endymion's heart dropped to the bottom of his stomach. This entire time he had been chatting with the princess of the Moon Kingdom, a member of the very family his father came there to sway.

Flustered, Serenity stood up, gathered her skirts and bowed her head politely to Kunzite and Endymion. "Please, excuse me." Her eyes averted his. "Thank you for the lovely conversation."

She hurried away without look back. As soon as she was out of earshot, Kunzite grabbed Endymion gently by the arm and pulled him in close, afraid that someone might hear his warning to the young prince.

"Sire," he began, his voice low. "I know she might be a pretty girl, but be wise when dealing with the royal family here. We don't know how much we can trust them."

Endymion spent the rest of the night scanning the ballroom for her, but she never appeared. Kunzite's words rang in his head. The Moon Kingdom and the Earth Kingdom were allies in many ways, but he was right: Queen Serenity held much more power than all the other kingdoms of the universe. And while she seemed benevolent, it was discomforting to know if she chose to follow a different path, it might signal the end. The King had a right to be cautious. Trickery and espionage knew no bounds.

And yet, he knew that she was genuine. He wanted her to be genuine. He needed her to be genuine.

So he watched as everyone else danced and ate. He sat back even when his father urged him to join in the merriment, and all night he could only think of how wonderful it would've been to run his fingers through her golden hair just once.