E- mail: sailor_dafne@hotmail.com
Rating: PG
By: Dafne
Disclaimer: Do I really have to repeat this?! Don't you see my heart
breaks every time I say it? I don't own these characters *sniff*,
they belong to Naoko Takeuchi, so please don't sue me.
Unlike the revised version of chapter 1 this one does have several
improvements to it. If you have already read this you can go
directly to the part where Queen Serenity talks with the goddess
Selene. I hope you enjoy it!
A real princess
Chapter six: The prophecy
Moon Palace's throne room
"What's this flood of energy I'm feeling?" wondered Queen Serenity
"It's strange, I only perceive this kind of power when..." a bright
light coming from the royal gardens caught Serenity by surprise and
made her stop in mid - sentence, her eyes widened and realization
hit her "Oh my God!" she exclaimed and then ran to her balcony. The
Queen arrived just in time to see her daughter disappear in a
sphere of dazzling whiteness.
She sighed and then shook her head "That naughty girl will never
learn" she said. The Queen headed back to the throne room and stood
in front of a big mirror.
Its frame was made of pure gold with diamonds and pearls embedded
all over it. A silver crescent moon decorated the top, and as
Serenity made a movement with her hand it shone brightly.
When the gleam subsided the mirror no longer revealed the Queen's
reflection, but the Princess standing in the middle of an
unfamiliar place surrounded by tall trees.
The Queen watched as her daughter used her powers to transform into
a country woman and noticed that a handsome young man was doing so
too. She recognized the look on his eyes as one of love at first
sight, he seemed captivated by her daughter's exquisite and
innocent beauty.
With her mirror's help she witnessed everything that happened
between the young couple down on Earth. As she stared at them
kissing her eyes almost went out of its sockets, her mouth went
wide - open, and she nearly fainted. *Oh my God!!!! She's NEVER
kissed ANYONE before, besides, she has just met him. God dammit,
what is she thinking about?! He's nothing more than an ordinary
HUMAN for God's sake!!!!* thought Serenity, even though she was
exasperated she never lost her coolness. *If breaking the rules by
going to Earth without MY permission wasn't enough, now she has
made a lot worse fault by having a close relationship with an
earthling before the arrangement is completed...* the Queen sighed in
defeat and then turned around as she walked over to her throne. She
sat down and then added: "Oh well, I should be used to it, she
never obeys the rules. However, I never thought she could do such a
thing"
All of a sudden the Queen remembered a dream she had had when she
was expecting Usagi, 17 years ago...
***Flashback***
Serenity was standing in the middle of a large temple. The floor was
made of the finest white marble and tall columns of the same
material supported a colossal crystal dome. The Queen lifted her
gaze and was mesmerized by the beauty displayed before her: stars,
planets, and comets exhibited its almighty magnificence.
Serenity was admiring her surroundings in amazement when suddenly
the whole room was brightened by a dazzling white light. As soon as
it subsided a beautiful young woman was revealed.
She was the Moon goddess, Selene. She was wearing a white robe that
fell from her right shoulder to the floor. It was embedded all over
with silver thread and a golden crescent moon insignia fastened the
silken fabric at her left side.
She had pale ivory skin and her face was framed with long white hair
pinned up in the traditional meatball style.
Just by looking at her marvelous gray eyes you could tell she
possessed an extraordinary wisdom, due to her immortal nature.
"Why am I here?" asked Serenity "What do you want from me?"
"My dear child," said Selene "you already know that our lineage has
never had an ever lasting love, the Gods prohibited us that
privilege so we could look after Earth and all the planets
belonging to the Silver Alliance without any kind of distraction.
They only allow a short relationship in order to preserve our race.
That's the big price we must pay for being the rulers of the Solar
System."
At the goddess' words, Serenity's eyes filled up with tears. She
remembered her mother telling her how her father was killed by a
strange disease just after she knew she was pregnant, it had been
the same disease that took her husband's life a month ago. Serenity
was still mourning for her beloved and she couldn't stand the idea
that her daughter and future son-in-law were going to suffer the
same destiny.
"But that's going to change from now on," as soon as Selene said
that, Serenity's eyes lightened up with a renewed hope "because I'm
here to inform you that your daughter's soul-mate was born 3 years
ago, and he just happens to be the heir to the Earth Kingdom's
throne. You see, for millions of years the Gods have been waiting
for a prophecy to come true, you probably don't know what this is
all about, so I'll explain it to you. You must know that when the
Earth and Moon are together they can create the most powerful
energy in the Universe, when it is used in the right way it brings
eternal harmony and peace. However, if there's no one to control
it, this power may be able to destroy everything that crosses its
path, that's why it's been impossible to have an alliance between
the Earth and Moon Kingdom's. The prophecy says that if the Earth
Kingdom's Prince and the Moon Kingdom's Princess are soul - bounded
the union of the two kingdoms can be made, because soul-mates that
belong to the royal families are the only ones that can manage this
mighty force. So, as you have probably figured it out, your
daughter and the next king of Earth are the ones that will fulfill
the prophecy."
The Queen was speechless because she never thought her daughter
would be the next Queen of the Cosmos, but she was also happy that
she wouldn't have to suffer her family's curse.
"Nevertheless," continued the Moon goddess "you have to make sure
she doesn't fall in love with someone other than the Prince of
Earth, because since it's her duty and fate to be the ruler of the
Universe, it would be a pity to force her into a marriage without
love."
Queen Serenity was bewildered by the goddess's warning "But you said
my daughter was the prince's soul-mate, so how come she can love
someone else?" she finally asked.
"You have all the right to be confused Queen Serenity, but there is
something you haven't considered..." said Selene.
"And that would be..."
"You have probably heard that soul-mates are meant to be together
for all eternity, and that is true; however most people believe
that they cannot fall in love with someone else, and that is not
true." Selene saw that Serenity wanted to say something so she
lifted her right hand to indicate she hadn't finished with her
explanation yet "I know this may be hard for you to understand, but
you must believe in me. Are you going to listen carefully?" the
goddess asked kindly. Since Queen Serenity was speechless she just
nodded her head. "Well then... you most likely know that soul-mates
are one of the strangest mysteries of Life. However, everyone in
this galaxy has his or her own, and that includes you Serenity..."
Selene said softly. The Queen gasped, not bothering to hide her
amazement at this revelation. The goddess merely smiled kindly at
her while nodding her head in understanding. Then, she went on
"...but they're not always born on the same time and space, and
sometimes even if they are they never have the chance to meet each
other. Since Life is eternal, everyone will sooner or later find
their own soul-mate, then again this usually takes hundreds of
lifetimes. Can you imagine how cruel it would be if you could not
fall in love with someone unless he was your soul-mate? Most people
would be deprived of the privilege of knowing what real love is for
thousands of years. No my dear, Nature is not this ruthless.
Believe it or not, two people can experience true love even if
they're not meant to be together."
Serenity was utterly confused by Selene's words. "But if we can fall
in love with whomever we want, what makes soul-mates so special?
The way I see it, it doesn't make any difference"
In spite of herself, the goddess began to laugh. The Queen stared at
her in bewilderment; her raised eyebrows clearly showed that she
was waiting for an explanation, and a good one at that. "Ah my
child" Selene began, still trying to catch her breath from her
previous outburst. She then stated matter-of-factly with a smirk
plastered on her face "I knew you were going to ask me that".
"Well?" Serenity prompted eagerly.
"Didn't I tell you that soul-mates were meant to be together for all
eternity once they found each other?"
"Well yes, but if you said you can find true love in the arms of
someone else, what is the purpose of falling in love with the same
person over and over again for the rest of your lifetimes? It
doesn't make any sense"
The goddess tried her best not to express her amusement at the
Queen's puzzlement, even so she couldn't hold back in time her
faint giggling. "I understand perfectly well the turmoil you're
having within your heart and mind, dear Serenity, but it shall not
last. There are certain things about the issue you know not; it'll
be my pleasure to make them clear to you." Selene straightened up
and after taking a deep breath she fixed her eyes on Serenity's;
her face had immediately become solemn. "When two soul-mates meet
for the first time their hearts, minds, and souls merge. This is
what allows them to get together over and over again throughout
eternity: they beckon each other unconsciously for they need their
other half to survive. However, what really makes them unique is
that the love they share never stops growing, it gets stronger and
stronger as time goes by. It is indeed true that two people who do
not have a connection between them can make their love flourish,
but how can you compare it to the strength of a passion that has
been woven during centuries?"
Serenity became quiet for she was trying to assimilate what she had
just heard. After a while of meditating she finally said "But
there's one thing I still don't understand" The goddess tilted her
head to the side as if encouraging her to continue "Everything
you've said sounds perfectly logical, but you're not taking into
account that my daughter IS going to meet her soul-mate, there's no
doubt about it, and if by any chance she falls in love with someone
else, wouldn't she just change her opinion once she meets him?
Didn't you just say that when two soul-mates encounter their
bodies, souls, and hearts become one?"
"You're quite right about that, but you're forgetting something:
love is blind my dear child. If by the time the Prince and Princess
see each other for the first time your daughter already loves
someone else, even after the bond between them is made she will not
be able to feel it for part of her heart is with someone else.
Since she won't be allowed to be with her original lover her love
for him will only become deeper and it'll be more difficult to let
her realize who her real soul-mate is. I'm not sure what would
happen then, but I sense she could go as far as to commit
infidelity, and we certainly do not want that, now do we?" Serenity
could only shook her head pensively, she had never thought about
this. Seeing the Queen's faraway look, Selene sighed "Anyway, I'm
certain that sooner or later she will find out the truth, but if we
can spare her all this pain, why not do it?"
The Queen turned her back to the goddess so as to think things over
by herself. She stood like that for a while and then murmured in a
soft voice. "Now I understand. Don't worry Selene, I'll make sure
that my daughter never suffers from a broken heart as long as I
live" Serenity's eyes were brimmed with tears, nonetheless she was
smiling brightly at the thought that her daughter wouldn't need to
suffer what she had, if she had anything to do about it; her little
bunny would be able to love and be loved for the rest of eternity,
a chance she hadn't had... or at least not yet.
"That's good. Now, talking about the alliance, when your daughter
reaches the age of 17 you have to take her to Earth to meet the
Prince, but before that you have to introduce yourself to his
mother in order to discuss all the necessary arrangements that have
to be done for the betrothal. Don't worry about explaining
everything to her though. Gea [AN: she's the goddess of Earth] has
already done that for you."
"Why do I have to take her until she is 17? Can't I introduce her to
the Prince earlier? That way they will probably become good friends
and it'll be easier to keep her from falling in love with someone
else. Don't you think?"
"NO!" the goddess practically yelled, startling Serenity. Noting
this, Selene lowered and softened her tone of voice "No, we can't
do that. It'd be catastrophic"
"Why?" asked Serenity, now more confused than ever.
"Because if the link between them is made before her 17th birthday
they won't be able to control the energy that will be released from
both, the Moon and the Earth. It'd be the end." This last statement
was said with such gravity that the Queen couldn't help but feel
somewhat scared. After a long silence, Selene finally recovered her
usual cheerfulness and gentleness "Anyhow, the wedding will take
place a year later and with it the connection of the two kingdoms'
energy will be done... successfully."
The goddess' figure was starting to fade... "Don't forget what I told
you tonight" she whispered and disappeared entirely, leaving behind
her a mist of silver dust and a young Queen deep in thought.
"I won't" Serenity declared determinedly before she woke up.
***End of Flashback***
"I never told Usagi about this, and now she's fallen in love. How is
she going to react when I tell her that she can't marry that man
because she has had an arranged marriage since before she was born?
It will break her heart, that's for sure. Oh Gods, why do you
punish her that way? She doesn't deserve so much pain, she's so
sweet and caring, what has she done to you?!" the Queen yelled to
no one in particular and then burst into tears "Oh, Selene!, how
wrong you were, our ancestors' misfortune is not going to end that
easily." She said in between sobs.
Serenity stood up from her throne and headed back to the magical
mirror where she saw her daughter running away from the young man
"What's going on?"
To be continued...
AUTHOR'S NOTES: So, what did ya think? I added quite a bit and let
me tell you I'm proud of myself ^_~ Anyhow, e-mail me your
comments.
BTW, have I told you that chapter 9 is going to be out within the
week? Stay tuned for it.
Saturday April 22nd, 2000. 12:55 AM.
Visit my webpage at http://www.geocities.com/sailor_dafne
Rating: PG
By: Dafne
Disclaimer: Do I really have to repeat this?! Don't you see my heart
breaks every time I say it? I don't own these characters *sniff*,
they belong to Naoko Takeuchi, so please don't sue me.
Unlike the revised version of chapter 1 this one does have several
improvements to it. If you have already read this you can go
directly to the part where Queen Serenity talks with the goddess
Selene. I hope you enjoy it!
A real princess
Chapter six: The prophecy
Moon Palace's throne room
"What's this flood of energy I'm feeling?" wondered Queen Serenity
"It's strange, I only perceive this kind of power when..." a bright
light coming from the royal gardens caught Serenity by surprise and
made her stop in mid - sentence, her eyes widened and realization
hit her "Oh my God!" she exclaimed and then ran to her balcony. The
Queen arrived just in time to see her daughter disappear in a
sphere of dazzling whiteness.
She sighed and then shook her head "That naughty girl will never
learn" she said. The Queen headed back to the throne room and stood
in front of a big mirror.
Its frame was made of pure gold with diamonds and pearls embedded
all over it. A silver crescent moon decorated the top, and as
Serenity made a movement with her hand it shone brightly.
When the gleam subsided the mirror no longer revealed the Queen's
reflection, but the Princess standing in the middle of an
unfamiliar place surrounded by tall trees.
The Queen watched as her daughter used her powers to transform into
a country woman and noticed that a handsome young man was doing so
too. She recognized the look on his eyes as one of love at first
sight, he seemed captivated by her daughter's exquisite and
innocent beauty.
With her mirror's help she witnessed everything that happened
between the young couple down on Earth. As she stared at them
kissing her eyes almost went out of its sockets, her mouth went
wide - open, and she nearly fainted. *Oh my God!!!! She's NEVER
kissed ANYONE before, besides, she has just met him. God dammit,
what is she thinking about?! He's nothing more than an ordinary
HUMAN for God's sake!!!!* thought Serenity, even though she was
exasperated she never lost her coolness. *If breaking the rules by
going to Earth without MY permission wasn't enough, now she has
made a lot worse fault by having a close relationship with an
earthling before the arrangement is completed...* the Queen sighed in
defeat and then turned around as she walked over to her throne. She
sat down and then added: "Oh well, I should be used to it, she
never obeys the rules. However, I never thought she could do such a
thing"
All of a sudden the Queen remembered a dream she had had when she
was expecting Usagi, 17 years ago...
***Flashback***
Serenity was standing in the middle of a large temple. The floor was
made of the finest white marble and tall columns of the same
material supported a colossal crystal dome. The Queen lifted her
gaze and was mesmerized by the beauty displayed before her: stars,
planets, and comets exhibited its almighty magnificence.
Serenity was admiring her surroundings in amazement when suddenly
the whole room was brightened by a dazzling white light. As soon as
it subsided a beautiful young woman was revealed.
She was the Moon goddess, Selene. She was wearing a white robe that
fell from her right shoulder to the floor. It was embedded all over
with silver thread and a golden crescent moon insignia fastened the
silken fabric at her left side.
She had pale ivory skin and her face was framed with long white hair
pinned up in the traditional meatball style.
Just by looking at her marvelous gray eyes you could tell she
possessed an extraordinary wisdom, due to her immortal nature.
"Why am I here?" asked Serenity "What do you want from me?"
"My dear child," said Selene "you already know that our lineage has
never had an ever lasting love, the Gods prohibited us that
privilege so we could look after Earth and all the planets
belonging to the Silver Alliance without any kind of distraction.
They only allow a short relationship in order to preserve our race.
That's the big price we must pay for being the rulers of the Solar
System."
At the goddess' words, Serenity's eyes filled up with tears. She
remembered her mother telling her how her father was killed by a
strange disease just after she knew she was pregnant, it had been
the same disease that took her husband's life a month ago. Serenity
was still mourning for her beloved and she couldn't stand the idea
that her daughter and future son-in-law were going to suffer the
same destiny.
"But that's going to change from now on," as soon as Selene said
that, Serenity's eyes lightened up with a renewed hope "because I'm
here to inform you that your daughter's soul-mate was born 3 years
ago, and he just happens to be the heir to the Earth Kingdom's
throne. You see, for millions of years the Gods have been waiting
for a prophecy to come true, you probably don't know what this is
all about, so I'll explain it to you. You must know that when the
Earth and Moon are together they can create the most powerful
energy in the Universe, when it is used in the right way it brings
eternal harmony and peace. However, if there's no one to control
it, this power may be able to destroy everything that crosses its
path, that's why it's been impossible to have an alliance between
the Earth and Moon Kingdom's. The prophecy says that if the Earth
Kingdom's Prince and the Moon Kingdom's Princess are soul - bounded
the union of the two kingdoms can be made, because soul-mates that
belong to the royal families are the only ones that can manage this
mighty force. So, as you have probably figured it out, your
daughter and the next king of Earth are the ones that will fulfill
the prophecy."
The Queen was speechless because she never thought her daughter
would be the next Queen of the Cosmos, but she was also happy that
she wouldn't have to suffer her family's curse.
"Nevertheless," continued the Moon goddess "you have to make sure
she doesn't fall in love with someone other than the Prince of
Earth, because since it's her duty and fate to be the ruler of the
Universe, it would be a pity to force her into a marriage without
love."
Queen Serenity was bewildered by the goddess's warning "But you said
my daughter was the prince's soul-mate, so how come she can love
someone else?" she finally asked.
"You have all the right to be confused Queen Serenity, but there is
something you haven't considered..." said Selene.
"And that would be..."
"You have probably heard that soul-mates are meant to be together
for all eternity, and that is true; however most people believe
that they cannot fall in love with someone else, and that is not
true." Selene saw that Serenity wanted to say something so she
lifted her right hand to indicate she hadn't finished with her
explanation yet "I know this may be hard for you to understand, but
you must believe in me. Are you going to listen carefully?" the
goddess asked kindly. Since Queen Serenity was speechless she just
nodded her head. "Well then... you most likely know that soul-mates
are one of the strangest mysteries of Life. However, everyone in
this galaxy has his or her own, and that includes you Serenity..."
Selene said softly. The Queen gasped, not bothering to hide her
amazement at this revelation. The goddess merely smiled kindly at
her while nodding her head in understanding. Then, she went on
"...but they're not always born on the same time and space, and
sometimes even if they are they never have the chance to meet each
other. Since Life is eternal, everyone will sooner or later find
their own soul-mate, then again this usually takes hundreds of
lifetimes. Can you imagine how cruel it would be if you could not
fall in love with someone unless he was your soul-mate? Most people
would be deprived of the privilege of knowing what real love is for
thousands of years. No my dear, Nature is not this ruthless.
Believe it or not, two people can experience true love even if
they're not meant to be together."
Serenity was utterly confused by Selene's words. "But if we can fall
in love with whomever we want, what makes soul-mates so special?
The way I see it, it doesn't make any difference"
In spite of herself, the goddess began to laugh. The Queen stared at
her in bewilderment; her raised eyebrows clearly showed that she
was waiting for an explanation, and a good one at that. "Ah my
child" Selene began, still trying to catch her breath from her
previous outburst. She then stated matter-of-factly with a smirk
plastered on her face "I knew you were going to ask me that".
"Well?" Serenity prompted eagerly.
"Didn't I tell you that soul-mates were meant to be together for all
eternity once they found each other?"
"Well yes, but if you said you can find true love in the arms of
someone else, what is the purpose of falling in love with the same
person over and over again for the rest of your lifetimes? It
doesn't make any sense"
The goddess tried her best not to express her amusement at the
Queen's puzzlement, even so she couldn't hold back in time her
faint giggling. "I understand perfectly well the turmoil you're
having within your heart and mind, dear Serenity, but it shall not
last. There are certain things about the issue you know not; it'll
be my pleasure to make them clear to you." Selene straightened up
and after taking a deep breath she fixed her eyes on Serenity's;
her face had immediately become solemn. "When two soul-mates meet
for the first time their hearts, minds, and souls merge. This is
what allows them to get together over and over again throughout
eternity: they beckon each other unconsciously for they need their
other half to survive. However, what really makes them unique is
that the love they share never stops growing, it gets stronger and
stronger as time goes by. It is indeed true that two people who do
not have a connection between them can make their love flourish,
but how can you compare it to the strength of a passion that has
been woven during centuries?"
Serenity became quiet for she was trying to assimilate what she had
just heard. After a while of meditating she finally said "But
there's one thing I still don't understand" The goddess tilted her
head to the side as if encouraging her to continue "Everything
you've said sounds perfectly logical, but you're not taking into
account that my daughter IS going to meet her soul-mate, there's no
doubt about it, and if by any chance she falls in love with someone
else, wouldn't she just change her opinion once she meets him?
Didn't you just say that when two soul-mates encounter their
bodies, souls, and hearts become one?"
"You're quite right about that, but you're forgetting something:
love is blind my dear child. If by the time the Prince and Princess
see each other for the first time your daughter already loves
someone else, even after the bond between them is made she will not
be able to feel it for part of her heart is with someone else.
Since she won't be allowed to be with her original lover her love
for him will only become deeper and it'll be more difficult to let
her realize who her real soul-mate is. I'm not sure what would
happen then, but I sense she could go as far as to commit
infidelity, and we certainly do not want that, now do we?" Serenity
could only shook her head pensively, she had never thought about
this. Seeing the Queen's faraway look, Selene sighed "Anyway, I'm
certain that sooner or later she will find out the truth, but if we
can spare her all this pain, why not do it?"
The Queen turned her back to the goddess so as to think things over
by herself. She stood like that for a while and then murmured in a
soft voice. "Now I understand. Don't worry Selene, I'll make sure
that my daughter never suffers from a broken heart as long as I
live" Serenity's eyes were brimmed with tears, nonetheless she was
smiling brightly at the thought that her daughter wouldn't need to
suffer what she had, if she had anything to do about it; her little
bunny would be able to love and be loved for the rest of eternity,
a chance she hadn't had... or at least not yet.
"That's good. Now, talking about the alliance, when your daughter
reaches the age of 17 you have to take her to Earth to meet the
Prince, but before that you have to introduce yourself to his
mother in order to discuss all the necessary arrangements that have
to be done for the betrothal. Don't worry about explaining
everything to her though. Gea [AN: she's the goddess of Earth] has
already done that for you."
"Why do I have to take her until she is 17? Can't I introduce her to
the Prince earlier? That way they will probably become good friends
and it'll be easier to keep her from falling in love with someone
else. Don't you think?"
"NO!" the goddess practically yelled, startling Serenity. Noting
this, Selene lowered and softened her tone of voice "No, we can't
do that. It'd be catastrophic"
"Why?" asked Serenity, now more confused than ever.
"Because if the link between them is made before her 17th birthday
they won't be able to control the energy that will be released from
both, the Moon and the Earth. It'd be the end." This last statement
was said with such gravity that the Queen couldn't help but feel
somewhat scared. After a long silence, Selene finally recovered her
usual cheerfulness and gentleness "Anyhow, the wedding will take
place a year later and with it the connection of the two kingdoms'
energy will be done... successfully."
The goddess' figure was starting to fade... "Don't forget what I told
you tonight" she whispered and disappeared entirely, leaving behind
her a mist of silver dust and a young Queen deep in thought.
"I won't" Serenity declared determinedly before she woke up.
***End of Flashback***
"I never told Usagi about this, and now she's fallen in love. How is
she going to react when I tell her that she can't marry that man
because she has had an arranged marriage since before she was born?
It will break her heart, that's for sure. Oh Gods, why do you
punish her that way? She doesn't deserve so much pain, she's so
sweet and caring, what has she done to you?!" the Queen yelled to
no one in particular and then burst into tears "Oh, Selene!, how
wrong you were, our ancestors' misfortune is not going to end that
easily." She said in between sobs.
Serenity stood up from her throne and headed back to the magical
mirror where she saw her daughter running away from the young man
"What's going on?"
To be continued...
AUTHOR'S NOTES: So, what did ya think? I added quite a bit and let
me tell you I'm proud of myself ^_~ Anyhow, e-mail me your
comments.
BTW, have I told you that chapter 9 is going to be out within the
week? Stay tuned for it.
Saturday April 22nd, 2000. 12:55 AM.
Visit my webpage at http://www.geocities.com/sailor_dafne