Those Who Guard
Chapter 2
By Lady Saffir
Big thanks to Kali, Moon, and Saffir for the support
that they have given.
DISCLAIMER: I never have nor ever will own any
character in the Sailor Moon universe.
**********************************************************
Malachite frowned to himself when he saw the
look on his
Queen's face. He could swear that she almost appeared
to be...gleeful.
"Uh oh," he heard Jadeite mutter behind him. "Yes,
my Queen? You requested our presence?" Malachite
allowed the
note of inquiry to enter his voice. Aeris smiled at
him again.
"Yes. I thought you and the other general's
would like to
know that Queen Serenity is coming to spend some time
here, and
is bringing the Princess and her Court." Aeris watched
for
Malachite's face to change. When nothing happened she
silently
cursed. /Drats! Why can't he show some emotions
sometime?/
She wondered.
"The other general's and I shall prepare for
their arrival.
When are they scheduled to be here?" At this Aeris
allowed herself
a small grin. "I believe that they are arriving even
as we speak."
That did it. Aeris saw Malachite's eyes widen
at the
unexpected news. Looking at the other generals she
quickly
realized that they didn't know of Malachite's Royal
connections.
"If you would escort me to greet our guests..."
Aeris
allowed her voice to trail off. Sensing the other
general's
starting to fall in behind Malachite and herself, she
surprised
everyone by linking arms with Jadeite.
"If you would, Lord Jadeite. I believe
Malachite will have
some other diplomatic functions to perform." Jadeite
looked down
at her quizzically, then answered. "Of course, my
Queen."
Aeris and her entourage swept through the
hallways
and out into the courtyard. With a smile of
anticipation
she looked around her to note the men's reactions when
they
saw Princess Serenity's Court.
She wasn't disappointed. Beside her she felt
Jadeite
draw in his breath sharply. Nephryte's eyes were
slightly
unfocused, while Zoicite kept blinking.
Malachite
was the only one who didn't outwardly react, but she
knew
exactly which Princess held his attention.
They had yet to cross the busy courtyard, which
at this
time of day held many servants, stable hands, and
various
personnel swarming through it. Aeris heard a shout rise
up,
and saw the tiny figure of the four year old princess
racing
across the open space. One of her guardians yelled
after her,
and realizing what she had done, Princess Serenity
stopped to
apologize. However, she had stopped in the middle of a
path.
Turning back to apologize to her Court, she
didn't see
the horse barreling towards her. One of the princesses,
Jupiter,
she believed, shouted for her to get out of the way.
The young
princess turned to see the war horse coming at her, and
with
a shriek covered her head with her arms.
Aeris saw Queen Serenity prepare to use the
Silver Crystal,
but before she could, Malachite had all ready sprinted
forward
and flung himself at the princess. Grabbing her he
rolled out of
the way, to land in a pile of mud.
Aeris hurried over, the others following
behind her. Malachite
was calmly sitting
in the mud, hugging the frightened princess and
whispering
reassuring words to her. "Here, let me take her."
He looked
up to see a young woman in a flowing green dress
holding her arms
out to receive her princess.
Malachite made to hand Princess Serenity over,
but she howled
in protest. "NO! NO Uncle 'Kite! NO!" Everyone except
for Aeris,
Serenity, and her two advisors froze at that.
"Uncle 'Kite?" Jadeite asked incredulously.
"No way!" A woman
in a red dress exclaimed. Jadeite sneered. "What,
he's not
good enough to be related to Royalty?" He asked
mockingly. The two
began to argue until Queen Serenity stopped them.
"Mars! Jadeite!
I will not have fighting amongst the guardians of the
planets - do
you understand me?" She asked. "Yes," both sullenly
replied.
Aeris stepped in. "Jadeite...?" The open
question was obvious
to the young general. "I'm sorry, Princess of Mars. I
shouldn't
have taken your statement as an insult." The princess
in question
hmph'ed, then stopped at a look from her leader. "I'm
sorry also,"
she said shortly.
That solved, both Queens turned to Malachite.
He had finally
stood up, and both Aeris and Serenity had to muffle
their laughter.
His cape was covered with mud, leaving the back of his
uniform
clean. His entire front was covered in
mud, and
globs of mud clung to his hair.
Ignoring them he looked down at the child in
his arms.
"Serenity, are you all right?" He asked her quietly.
She shook
her head no and Malachite felt alarm climb up his spine.
"What's
wrong then? Did I hurt you when I grabbed you?" The
tiny princess
shook her head no again, and this time Malachite felt
himself growing
exasperated. "What's wrong then?"
She looked up at him, large blue eyes swimming
with tears.
"I got my dress dirty," she sniffled out. Malachite
couldn't help
himself, he had to laugh. His laughter startled
Serenity, who then laughed
up at him in return. "That is easily fixed," he
assured her.
Upon hearing her daughter's laughter Queen
Serenity came over.
"Honey, are you all right?" She asked softly. Looking
up to
Malachite, the princess thought for a moment, then
shook her head
yes. "Good. Why don't you let Jupiter or Mercury take
you to your
rooms and get you cleaned up?"
"No. I want Uncle Kite to go with me!" She
declared. "How
about Malachite take you to your room - would that be
ok?" Serenity
asked gently. Her daughter nodded, flashing her mother
one of
her winning smiles. "Don't you think you need to ask
Malachite first?"
Queen Serenity prompted.
"Uncle..." At a sound from her mother the small
princess looked
up. "Malachite, would you escort me to my rooms?"
Princess Serenity
remembered her court manners her mother had taught her.
"I would be
honored Princess," he replied.
"Good!"
As the group re-entered the castle, Princess
Serenity took Malachite's hand, causing her court to
smile fondly, and leavig the other generals baffled. Why
did this kid keep calling Malachite Uncle?
Malachite was trying to have dinner in peace,
having run the other generals out of the room. He wasn't
in the mood to answer any questions, at least not yet.
He had to get used to the idea of people knowing his
royal bloodlines.
The door suddenly burst open, a small body
hurtling across the room. "Malachite! Where were you?
I waited in the training yard for you but you never
came! And then these girls came in and said they were
going to practice, and I told them that was silly, why
did they need to practice outside for, when they spent
all day inside, and this girl in an orange outfit asked
if I knew where you were, and if you and the other
generals wanted to train with them, and I thought that
was pretty silly, but I decided to come ask you anyways.
Who are they?" Endymion took in a deep breath after
his long speech.
Malachite groaned. "Endymion, did you actually
tell them that they should be inside?" At the affirmative
nod he sighed. "Come along. Let's go see if we can't
fix what you did."
They were almost to the training yard when
Malachite spotted Queen Serenity and her daughter.
Endymion tugged on his sleeve and pointed at the pair.
"Malachite, who is that?" "That is Queen
Serenity of the Moon, and her daughter Princess Serenity.
Why?" Endymion took off running, Malachite giving
chase. "Endymion, where are you going?!" He shouted.
"I gotta introduce myself!" Came the reply.
Queen Serenity stopped when a small body planted
itself in her way. "Hello," she said, smiling at the
young boy staring up at her. "Hi," he said softly.
"Endymion!" Malachite hurried up, bowing to
Queen Serenity. "Forgive me, my Queen. Endymion should
have known better than to interupt you."
"It's quite all right Malachite. I was just
walking about, looking for either you or the senshi."
"I believe..." Malachite started.
"They're in the training yard!" Endymion
declared, cutting Malachite off. While Malachite
reprimanded his Prince, Queen Serenity stiffled a smile,
thinking how alike this young man and her daughter were.
At the thought of younger Serenity all humor vanished.
Somehow Princess Serenity had snuck away from
her mother to where Malachite and Endymion were having a
discussion. Serenity groaned quietly. This would lead
to disaster, she was sure.
"But, Malachite, I knew where they were! And
she wanted to know!" Endymion smiled up at his general,
trying to get him to relent. Malachite only frowned at
him.
"That's not the point, Endymion!" A small giggle
interupted both of them. "You're silly!" A small girl
said, pointing to Endymion and laughing again.
"Am not!" Endymion declared. "Are too!" "Am
not!" "Are to!" "You're a silly boy!" Serenity
giggled again, peeking up at Malachite to see what he
would say.
"Well, you're a silly Meatball Head!" Endymion
declared hotly. Princess Serenity stopped laughing,
her mouth starting to tremble slightly. "Uncle Kite?"
she whimpered, holding her arms up so he could lift her
into his embrace.
"Don't cry Sere. He didn't mean it, did you
Endymion?" Malachite asked as he knelt down to the
four-year old's level. "Sure I did!" Endymion responded
cheerfully. "That's exactly what her hair looks like."
Princess Serenity started to cry in earnest,
clutching at the fabric of Malachite's uniform. Queen
Serenity hurried over, sensing trouble. When she got
there, the princess was crying on her uncle's jacket,
the prince tugging at his general's sleeve and demanding
to know what was wrong, and poor Malachite trying to
keep from screaming.
"Malachite, perhaps I should take the princess?"
Queen Serenity suggested lightly. With a sigh of
relief he handed the still crying Serenity over, and
was about to turn to Endymion when a small voice
piped up.
"You're a baka head!" Princess Serenity
declared loudly, staring at Prince Endymion. With that
she giggled again, tugging on her mother's hair to see
if she thought it was funny. She didn't.
"Serenity, who taught you that?" She asked.
"Mars called Venus a baka. She made a funny face!"
The princess giggled again, turning to look at her
uncle for his approval. She knew he had a sense of
humor.
Queen Serenity sighed, and began to talk to her
daughter as she walked towards the training yards. She
needed to have a little talk with her daughter's
guardians about being polite to each other around
Serenity. "Honey, you shouldn't go around..."
Endymion turned to Malachite as the Queen's
voice died away. "Malachite, what does baka mean?" He
asked. Rather than start another fight, Malachite
decided now would be a good time to stretch the truth -
a lot.
"It means you're a nice person. However, it
shouldn't be used lightly, as it is an honor to be
called that. So I don't want to hear about you calling
someone that, all right?" Malachite hoped Endymion
would buy the story. Endymion nodded seriously, then
took off running.
"Endymion, where are you going?" Malachite
called after him. "The rose gardens!" Floated back
to him.
*********************
Aeris and Serenity were watching from behind a
large bush as Malachite played with his little niece.
So far they had played "princess" (though Malachite
was the princess, much to both women's amusement) and
were now starting on hide and go seek. Both could see
that Serenity had hidden herself in a flower bush, and
Malachite could see that perfectly well. However, he
had played along, lifting up rocks and calling out
the princess' name.
"Silly!" Serenity cried, throwing herself into
her uncle's arms when he admitted defeat. "I was right
there!" She declared, pointing to the large bush.
"Then you must have used magic to make yourself
invisible," Malachite replied gravely. Serenity giggled
again, pulling on his long hair. "Mommy does that - not
me!"
Malachite was about to reply when Endymion
burst into view. Spying his intended targets he ran
over, tripping in the process. Righting himself, he
went to the princess' side.
Shyly scuffing his toe in the dirt he looked up
through his lashes, peeking first at Serenity then
Malachite. "Here," he said, thrusting a rose at
Serenity, "this is for you."
The young princess took the rose, too shocked
to say anything. Gathering his courage he leaned in and
kissed her on the cheek, then took off running. He
stopped after a few seconds, then turned around and
bowed to Serenity. "See you later, baka!" He
shouted, then resumed his running. Malachite simply
sighed and ran a hand through his hair. He would
definately have a talk with Endymion.
Princess Serenity turned to Malachite, walking
over and tapping his shoulder. When he looked up she
thrust the rose in his face. "What's this?"
"A rose, Sere. It's a valuable flower on
Earth," he responded. Her eyes widened, and she once
more flung herself into his arms. "Can we go find
Mommy so I can show her?" She begged. Malachite
nodded, and standing, they walked hand in hand towards
the palace, the princess skipping along as her uncle
watched her fondly.
*************************
Aeris and Serenity looked at each other when
Endymion gave the princess a rose. "Perhaps..." Aeris
said, raising an eyebrow. Serenity gave a small nod.
"We shall encourage this. Their personalities complement
the other's." Serenity said, beginning to walk away.
"Where are you going?" Aeris called out.
"To find Endymion. I should like to know him better."
Came the reply.
**************************
"Ceras, come forth. I command you to destroy
Prince Endymion and Princess Serenity." The loud voice
echoed across the vast chamber, the tone causing chills
to creep down the spine of the henchwoman. "I will,"
she promised before disappearing into the mist.
**************************
Aeris was spending time with the visiting
princess almost everyday now, just as Serenity spent
time with Endymion. The Queen found the little girl to
be adorable, possessing a knack for scrunching her face
up to resemble a kitten when she wanted something.
"Sere, what would you like to do today?" Aeris
asked as she entered the room. Several days ago Serenity
had asked that she be called Sere. Aeris was happy to
ablige.
"I wanna go to the rose gardens!" Sere exclaimed
cheerfully, bouncing up out of her seat. "Again?"
"Again!" Came the cheerful reply.
Walking in the garden, Aeris spied her son and
Serenity sitting by a rose bush, having a conversation.
From the look on her friend's face, her son had yet
again mis-used a word. Aeris sighed. She would have
to talk to his tutors about his vocabulary.
Endymion saw his mother enter the garden along
with Sere. They were now on a nick-name basis, calling
each other Sere and Endy. Endymion never knew that a
girl could be so much fun. He had said as much to
Jadeite one day, only to have the blonde haired general
say, "It only gets better." For some reason Malachite
had gotten upset over that.
There was a small flash of light, drawing
Endymion's attention back to his companion. Earlier
he and the Queen had been talking about magic and
monsters, and now the Serenity was showing him some of
the stuff her Silver Crystal could do.
Looking down he saw that she had turned a rose
into crystal. The morning sunlight reflected off each
petal, throwing soft red tints onto Serenity's dress.
"Neat," Endymion said softly, looking at it in
amazement. "It is yours to keep," Serenity said, offering
him the rose. "Thank you!"
"Be careful," she warned. "The tip of the stem is
very sharp." Holding the gift gently, Endymion stood
up, heading for his mother. "I gotta show mom!" he
said, looking over his shoulder to see that Serenity
was following him.
Reaching Aeris and younger Serenity, Endymion
held up the rose proudly. "Look Mom! See what Queen
Serenity did to one of my roses! Isn't it neat? Can
I learn magic like that?" he asked rapidly.
"I see, it is very beautiful, and you may when you're older."
The peaceful tranquility was suddenly broken
when the ground began to shake. Aeris glanced about
wearily, remembering five years ago what an earthquake
had been prelude to.
Hearing a soft laughter, both Serenity and Aeris
looked around, to finally spy an oddly proportioned
woman standing several feet away.
"Good morning my Queens. I come to wish you
long life, a peaceful kingdom, AND A LIFE WITHOUT YOUR
CHILDREN!" With that, the woman sent a torrent of
water shooting at the two women, knocking them backwards
as they were caught unprepared.
The water turned into a sticky substance,
holding the two women down and preventing Serenity from
reaching for her crystal. However, it didn't stop her
from summoning the senshi.
Laughing to herself, the woman walked towards
Endymion and Serenity, stopping short and bowing.
"Hello, young ones. I am called Ceras, and
I truly regret having to take your
lives, but I am only following my orders."
"You lie!" Endymion shouted, placing himself
before the princess. "Let my mom go!" he demanded,
trying to remember everything Malachite had said about
sounding dignified.
Laughing once more, Ceras stalked towards the
children. "Oh, I will release her. After I kill you
two."
Reaching for the princess, Ceras pushed Endymion
out of the way, picking the struggling princess up.
"I really am sorry. You are such an adorable little
girl!" she exclaimed.
"Let her go!" Endymion screamed, throwing the
crystal rose at the woman with all his strength. Watching
it speed towards its target, Endymion focused on the
point on her back where he wanted it to hit. A pain
lanced through his brain, causing him to cry out.
Falling to his knees, he thought he saw a blue streak
overtake the rose, then lead it to the evil woman.
Ceras was still smiling when she felt pain
flair up her spine into her brain. Dropping Serenity
she turned to see Endymion kneeling there, glaring at
her furiously. "You'll pay," she hissed.
"No he won't!" A voice rang out. Turning to
look Ceras saw four men and women standing there,
facing her bravely.
"Generals, get the children out of here, and
try and free the Queen's," Venus commanded. As they
moved into action she called forth her attack.
"Crescent Beam...SMASH!" Dodging the
blast of energy Ceras failed to see the charge of
lightening heading towards her, combined with the powers
of Mercury and Mars. With a scream she disintegrated,
the rose, still plunged into her back, falling to land
in the pile of dust.
Malachite and Zoicite had grabbed Endymion and
Serenity while Jadeite and Nephryte tried to free the
Queens. With their master gone the bonds suddenly
dissolved, causing the two generals to fly backwards.
Malachite was consoling Serenity, patting her
back as she cried on his shoulder. Endymion came over,
checking to make sure he hadn't hit his new-found
friend.
"Sere, are you ok?" he asked hesitantly,
touching her shoulder. At his touch Serenity flung
herself at him, wrapping her arms around him and
holding on tightly.
"Aww...it's ok Sere. We got her." Endymion
said awkwardly. Looking to his mother for help he
saw her pantomime a hug, so he gave her one.
Trying to walk forward he found he couldn't,
so he sat down where he was in the dirt. The senshi
walked over to where the generals stood, each placing
themself beside their new friend.
"Isn't it cute?" Venus whispered to Malachite.
"I wanna have kids like that,"
she said wistfully, looking up to see what Malachite
would say. He made a non-commital sound before turning
to Aeris.
"My Queen, are you all right?" Aeris smiled
at him. "Yes, I'm fine. However, we should get the
childen inside. They've both fallen asleep."
Everyone turned to look, and saw that it was
true. Serenity was curled up in Endymion's lap, and
his cheek was resting against the top of her head.
Walking forward Malachite picked up Serenity,
handing her over to Venus before turning back and
getting Endymion. Motioning for the others to follow
their leader, Serenity waited until they were alone
before speaking.
"Aeris, we must step up Endymion's training.
When he threw that rose he guided it with his mind,
not his arm. Something has happened. We must meet
with the other planets to decide a course of action."
Aeris nodded, glancing towards the castle
sadly. "The prophecy is true then, isn't it?" she
asked quietly.
"Yes. I must confer with Pluto, but I feel that
Endymion is the Ebony, and my daughter is the Silver."
Serenity walked to the pile of dust, then bent down
and picked up Endymion's forgotten rose. "He will need
this," she said mysteriously, turning to walk to the
castle. There were many plans to be made.
*******************************
The rulers of the planets were sitting at a
round table, discussing what was to be done. Also in
attendence were the senshi of each planet. The outer
planets were ruled by kings, while the inners were
ruled by queens. The king of Uranus stood.
"I say we should track these monsters down and
destroy them! That's the only way we'll know they're
taken care of!" he declared hotly, pounding his fist
on the table.
"I disagree. We should study our enemy, learn
of any weakness they might have. We should also first
learn who is behind the attacks." Queen Erynos of
Mercury said, speaking softly.
The debate over who could be causing the attacks
escalated, each sure that they alone knew how to solve
the problem. Queen Serenity finally spoke.
"It does not matter in the end who has done
what; the only matter is that it be righted. Sailor
Pluto, I ask of you - tell us, is this meant to happen?"
The Guardian of Time looked down, trying to
find the words to tell her closest friend no.
Serenity raised a hand, stalling her. "I ask
you not old friend to tell us the future. I only ask
to know if there is any other course for our children."
Sailor Pluto finally looked up. "No," she said
softly, "there is not. What is to happen will happen,
as it has been decided since the beginning of time.
Nothing shall change what the fates have decreed."
Queen Serenity nodded. "So be it. I ask of
you to be wary in all you do. Perhaps yet we
can change the future."
As the rulers filed out of the meeting room,
Serenity turned to Aeris. "When his powers reveal
themselves again, I shall come for him." Aeris nodded
her head, praying silently that the next time wouldn't
happen for several years to come.
*************************
Queen Serenity was preparing to retire for the
night when a flash of light heralded her visitor.
"I knew you would come, old friend," she said,
continuing to brush her silver hair.
Sailor Pluto sat down beside her, waiting for
her to finish. When she did, Pluto finally spoke.
"It cannot be changed, Serenity. It is as I
said, the events to follow have been planned since
the beginning of time. Lives shall be lost, kingdoms
destroyed, lovers seperated..." Pluto trailed off.
"I know. I have glimpsed the future." Serenity
turned her head to the side to see the shocked expression
flit across her companion's face. "How?" she questioned.
"When I created the rose you see there," at that
she gestured to the crystallized rose on a stand, "I
saw Serenity and Endymion embracing, crying over a loss.
I saw them torn from each other, floating in the air.
I saw them die, inches from each other. I saw my
kingdom destroyed, my life lost. I know," she whispered,
shedding a tear.
Pluto said nothing, what could she say? Somehow
the Queen had managed to see the near future. A thought
came to her, making her pause. It wouldn't hurt, she
knew. In fact, it had to be spoken.
"The crystal holds the power of rebirth, Serenity.
Remember that," she whispered, then disappeared.
****************************
Well, tell me what you think. E-mail me at Rinoah7@cs.com
And I'm serious! mail mail mail mail! Don't think that someone else will, because if everybody thinks that, then nobody mails and my poor in box gets sad and depressed. And let me tell you, prozac for in boxes is very expensive these days! So write!