Innocent Eyes
Rated PG13
Genre: Angst/Comedy (Don't ask)
Moon Faery
crystalmilleniu@bolt.com
http://www.faerysgarden.asianqure.com
There's no Senshi or anybody else in this. Just straight Serena, with a
few cameo appearances. It was originally a school thing and I didn't feel
like adjusting the storyline too much.
*****************************************************************************
"So it's war?" a male voice asked sadly.
"I'm afraid so, Kevin," a soft, cultured female voice answered. "They
simply refuse to negotiate a treaty." The woman sighed heavily.
"Your Majesty?" Kevin asked gently. "How will she take it?"
"Serenity?" the woman asked. "She won't have to, if I have my say so."
The conversation descended into small talk, so Princess Serenity took
her ear way from the wall, quickly exiting the room directly beside her
mother's study. No one knew that she had access to his room, or that the
walls were so thin. She intended to keep it that way. Serenity hurried to her
room, locking the door behind.
A thousand worries flew through her mind, thousands of emotions
trailing after them to confuse the whole mess even more. The top most of
these emotions was hurt, confusion and anger. After pacing for several
minutes, she finally fell onto the bed, exhausted by the late her and her
worries. But sleep refused to come.
'War? With Lord Vormencrief? Why? What could he want that would bring
us to this? Why would he do this?'
A gentle knock on the door drew her attention. "Yes?"
"Serenity, I think we need to talk," her mother's voice came through
the door.
Serenity perked up, wiping stray tears out of her eyes. "Yes, of course
Mother. Please come in."
The Queen peeked through the cracked door, blue eyes taking in the
rumpled rug where Serenity had been pacing, and the untouched dinner tray.
"Sere, are you all right?"
Serenity tried to look happy. "Yes, I'm fine, Mother. Why would you
think otherwise?"
The Queen narrowed her perceptive blue eyes, examining her daughter's
face closely. Serenity smiled brightly, hiding the maelstrom of pain behind
her usual mask of cheerful innocence. Finally, she admitted, "Yes. Yes,
you're fine. It must have been the lighting." She twisted her hands in her
lap, deep red velvet dress making the Imperial Queen look paler than usual.
"Mother?" Serenity probed. "I something wrong?"
Queen Alysa smiled at her daughter. "No, love. Nothing's wrong. I just
came to tell you that you'll be leaving for France within a week."
Serenity sat upright. "What? NO! I won't go!" Her hands clenched around
the silken sheets. "Why would I go to France?" Serenity privately panicked.
'NO! This must have something to do with the war! Why? I need to stay here,
to protect my kingdom, my PEOPLE! MY MOTHER! I WON'T GO!' "Is Aunt Celia in
trouble of some sort?"
"Aunt Celia? Oh, no, she's perfectly fine. Bt I thought you might wish
to see her and your cousins."
Serenity blinked, trying to think of a way out of this. "Yes, Mother,"
she finally sighed. "As you wish."
Queen Alysa stood, smoothing out her skirt as she smiled. "Thank you,
dear. You'll be leaving next Wednesday." With that, she walked out of the
room.
Serenity stared at the door her mother had just closed. Then, on silent
feet, rose out of the bed and lifted the mattress. Pulling out a leather
bound book, she flipped to a page marked by a blue ribbon and read the poetry
loud.
"Dry the innocent eyes; save them for when thy people die. When
thou'rt dreaming in a night so cold, and whispered dreams come from old.
Hidden life is in the darkness bright, so ne'er run the eternal fight. Thy
royal duty rises 'bove all, come life and death; rise to fall." It was her
favorite passage; constantly reminding her of the duty she owed her people.
"I will protect my people," Serenity whispered as she closed the book.
"Come life or death; rise or fall."
"Branson, I want you to scout around in town for me," Serenity
explained to her guardsman. "I need to know why my mother is sending me to
France."
Branson hesitated slightly before answering. "Your Highness, her
Majesty explained it as a simple visit to family." His dark brown eyes looked
faintly worried. "I'm sure that's all there is to it."
"Horse rubbish!" Serenity snapped. "Something's in the air, I know it.
Something that Mother wants me out of town for. Well I'm NOT going to take
this laying down!" she slammed the flat of her hand into the arm of her
chair. "It's my life and safety, and I will not allow anyone to herd me like
a shepherd does his flock. You WILL gather this information, and bring it to
me." Branson got a crafty look in his eyes, but Serenity headed him off. "And
you will NOT take any of this to my mother or anyone else. I am the only
other person who will know about this, or else. Are we clear?" Serenity
raised a single eyebrow, using all of her royal aura to intimidate the Guard
into doing as she wished.
"Yes, your Highness," Branson gave in, bowing deeply in her direction.
"Good, now get out there. I want this information by tomorrow at noon."
Branson widened his eyes. Due by Friday. That wasn't even a day to
collect everything! But the look on Serenity's face convinced him to ignore
the matter. She was never like this unless it was important.
Serenity was deeply loved by all in the kingdom, servants right to
nobility. But she never seemed to know it, always going out if her way to be
nice to anyone. That was what endeared her to the hearts and minds of the
people of England. She treated every person she met like they were a king or
queen. She was the People's Princess, and Heavens help any who thought of
harming her.
"Right away, milady." The Guardsman turned to go.
"Branson?"
He turned back to the slender form on the throne-like chair. "Yes, your
Highness?"
"Don't let anyone see you come back in, please." Her sapphire eyes
begged him to understand.
"Of course, your Highness." Branson walked out of the conference,
deeply troubled by the Princess's demeanor.
Branson bumbled around in the dark, cursing quietly. 'The things I do
for her...' He had just come back from gathering the information the Princess
wanted, and was currently sneaking into the Palace as per Princess Serenity's
orders.
'If she weren't like m'own daughter, I'd take 'er straight to the
Queen,' he thought, mumbling about maids and their likely fathers as he
stubbed his toe on a table that had not been moved back where it belonged
after cleaning.
Eventually, he made his way to the Princess's study, where he was to
leave his report. The light was on inside, and the sound of mumbling came
through the door. His knock brought a mumbled reply to come right in and that
she was expecting him.
Branson opened the door, only to find his Princess covered in dust, and
surrounded by several old tomes of politics and history on the floor,
ignoring the comfortable chair available to her.
"Hello, Branson," she said absently. "What do you have for me?" She
brushed a golden hair out of her weary eyes.
"Milady, I have discovered that Lord Vormencrief is behind-"
"Yes, I already know that. What I want to know is what he thinks to
gain by it?"
Branson hesitated. "You, milady."
Serenity's golden head snapped up, here blue eyes disbelieving. "What?
Uncle Alexi? Why would he want me?" she looked ready to cry. "He's going to
kill thousands of people in a senseless war just to get to ME? WHY?"
"Your Highness, I have it on good authority that he thinks you are his
path to the throne." Serenity paled more with every word.
"No. There must be another reason," she mumbled. "Vormencrief's always
been like an uncle to me... he would never do something like this... just for
my hand..." Her wide eyes were staring blankly at the wall. "I need to think
on this new development. You're free to go, Branson. Thank you."
Branson nodded crisply and left the room, wondering just what the
Princess was up to now. He was too far away to hear her mutter, "Time. I just
need more time..."
The next morning, no one noticed the cloaked figure slipping through
the shadowy alleys of London in the cool dawn air. No one noticed that her
cape bore the insignia of the Crown Princess. And certainly no one noticed
that she moved with a knowledge and certainty that a Princess shouldn't have
in that particular part of town.
When Serenity came to the appointed meeting place, she paused, looking
carefully around. Her determined gaze settled on a pile of trash in the very
back of the alley.
"You can come out," she told it. "I've seen you there, and I won't tell
the guards."
The heap rustled before a scrawny old man covered in rags emerged from
it. "What'dya want?" he demanded sourly, spitting out of the side of his
mouth into the dirt below. "Place like dis ain't no place for purtty ladies
like yerself." He spit again. His voice was high and scratchy, almost to the
point of being impossible to hear clearly.
Serenity smiled contemptuously. "You can cut the act, Endymion. It
doesn't do any good around me anyway."
The old man smiled a toothless smile. "Now, who'n said 'twas an act?"
he asked humorously. Serenity merely raised an eyebrow.
"Who said it wasn't?" she asked rhetorically.
The old man grinned wider, wiping his teeth until they all shown pearly
white, without a single one broken or missing. "I never can fool you, can
I?" he asked in a deep, young voice. He stood up straight, no longer the
wizened old vagabond. "Just give me a moment."
After dusting off his hair, removing the rags that hid his real
clothing and throwing off a few pieces of garbage, Endymion stood there clean
and a very different person. His hair was the blackest of ebony, and his
clothing made of rich silk. He now stood six feet tall, with several inches
to spare. Good humor glinted in deep blue eyes as he regarded the Princess
with a friendly humor.
"Now, how can this poor merchant serve you, your Highness?" He bowed
charmingly.
Serenity sniffed. "If I were here for spices, I'd have met you in your
shop." She grinned suddenly, the air of royalty cast aside for a few precious
moments. "I need some supplies that I can't get from a normal merchant, and
you're the only person I trust to give them to me without watering it down."
Endymion leaned back against the wall, ignoring the slime and debris
that clung to it. "What kind of... supplies?" he asked suspiciously.
Serenity sighed, recognizing when he was going to be obstinate.
"Endy," she sighed, looking at him tiredly. "You know that I won't turn you
in, and I won't in anyway double cross you." She looked him straight in the
eye, hoping to ram her message in swiftly. "We've been friends for years, you
can trust me."
"It's not that I don't trust you, Sere," he answered slowly. "But a
Princess only has so many uses for poison, and none of them good." He eyed
her. "Before I can tell you what you need, I'll need to know why you need it.
And I won't sell to you if I think it's best that I don't."
Serenity nodded. "And if you don't sell, neither will anyone else in
the city," she acknowledged.
Endymion grinned again. "There are advantages to being a guild
master." He gave her a bawdy wink that set Serenity into peal of hastily
muffled laughter. But even through the hands clapped over her mouth,
Serenity's frantic giggles echoed down the street like silver bells.
He leaned back against the wall further, this time more relaxed. "So,
whaddya need this time?"
Saturday night, Serenity rose silently and dressed in her a pair of
breeches and a tunic, both loose enough to his the fact that she was a woman.
After carefully winding her hair into a crown, she pulled a dark, layered
cloak over her shoulders and pulled up the hood. Inspecting the effect in the
moonlight, she smiled grimly. Not even her own mother would recognize her as
long as the hood stayed in place and covered her hair. After carefully hiding
several weapons and small bottles on her person, she uncoiled a rope, tied it
to the bedpost and slid out of the window. A mere five minutes later, only a
folded paper on the nightstand left any clue as to where she had gone.
Serenity jogged down the deserted streets, keeping to shadows and
watching carefully for any movement. A she passed a dark alley, a set of
grimy hands shot out and wrapped themselves over her mouth and torso, pinning
her arms to her side. She kicked, but was quickly dragged in to the corridor.
"Sere, it's me!" a voice hissed in her ear. She automatically bit at
the hand over her mouth. "OUCH! Stop it!"
Serenity paused, recognizing the voice.
"Now, I'm going to let you go. Promise you won't scream until you
identify me?" She nodded against the restricting hands. "Good." She jumped
away from her assailant as she was released.
Serenity studied the man before her. He was dressed all in black, as
was she, so it made him extraordinarily difficult to see in the dim
moonlight. But the way he held himself, the arrogant way his hand rested on
the hilt of his dagger, and the glint in his eyes were all too familiar.
"Endy!" she hissed. "What are you doing here?"
Endymion grinned unrepentantly, white teeth flashing against the
blackness of the alleyway. "Making sure you manage to get home safely."
"Endy, I already told you what I'm going to do," she whispered harshly.
"There's no risk to me, so you can just turn around and go home!"
Endymion leaned back against the stonewall. "Do you honestly think that
I believed that story?" he snorted. "I'm going to 'pretend to kill myself,'"
he imitated her, voice rising to a falsetto squeak. "'The poison on the
cloths will make it realistic when they find them in the river.' I certainly
hope you didn't expect me to buy it!"
"I was telling you the truth!" Serenity thanked the Gods that the
darkness hid her growing blush. "Why would you think that I'm lying?"
Endymion shook his head in annoyance. "I know you better thank that,
Sere. In a situation like this, you won't leave anything to chance. And
that..." he laughed, "plan, leaves everything to chance." Serenity blushed a
deeper red color. "No, you are much more likely to..." He trailed off,
looking at her. "Run off to your Uncle Alexi's castle to try and make him
change his mind. When he won't, you'll marry him, make him sign an agreement
with your mother that he'll never rise against the crown again, then swallow
that lovely, expensive and painless poison I sold you." He studied her
slender silhouette in the moonlight. "Tell me how close I am."
Serenity's shoulders slumped. "Closer than I want to admit."
"So, you see, it's my job to make sure to don't manage to kill yourself
with my wares." Endymion smirked. "So you can let me follow you, or I can get
those poisons off of you and make you go home. It truly is your decision."
"And how would you take the poisons from me?" Sere asked, lifting her
chin.
Endymion smiled. "Why, I'm sure I can think of something, my dear." He
eyed her from head to toe.
"You wouldn't!" Serenity hissed, taken aback. "It's treason to lay
hands upon the Crown Princess!"
"Sere," Endymion cocked an eyebrow at her. "I already sell illegal
poisons. They can only hang me once."
Serenity glared at him again, but the defiance was out of it. He had
beaten her, and she knew it. "You may come."
"Why me?" she asked again, trudging down the dirt road. "Out of all the
people in the world to buy poison from, I had to choose you!" She glared at
Endymion. "If it weren't for you, I'd be in much better condition right now!"
Endymion smiled charmingly as she tried to pull the twigs out of her
hair, which now resembled a bird's nest much more than a crown. "Sere, if it
weren't for me, you would have been caught by those guards several times over
by now," he reminded her.
"But why do you always have to choose under brush to hide in?" she
whined. "Just once, can't we just hide behind a tree?"
"Yes, we could, if you're willing to be caught and face your mother."
Once again, she received a charismatic smile that could have melted stone.
Fortunately, Serenity was feeling much more like breaking his teeth than
melting at the moment.
"I never should have involved you," she grumbled, glaring.
"What was that, dear?" Endymion asked.
"Nothing."
Roughly an hour later, the mismatched duo hid in the forest surrounding
Vormencrief Castle as the moon begin to set. The gentle hush surrounding the
fortress deafened the ears, so that every small noise echoed like the shrill
scream of a banshee into the night.
"What was that?" Serenity asked sharply as something moved off behind
the trees. She tried not to clutch at Endymion's arm, but was failing
miserably. The midnight clad wilderness was nothing like the brightly lit
palace walls that she had grown up in.
"Probably just an animal," Endymion soothed the frightened Princess,
eyeing the castle. He knew that, if they were going to do anything that would
be effective, the two of them would have to sneak in. That knowledge made the
hairs on the back of his neck stand up. The penalty for selling poison was
hanging, but being caught in a Lord's house with poison was drawing and
quartering. Neither was a fate he wished, but if made to choose, Endymion
would pick hanging every time.
But he didn't have a choice this time. If he didn't risk his life,
Serenity would risk hers, and that was unacceptable.
"But..." Sere began.
"Halt!" came the shout from all around them. "Surrender and you will
not be harmed!" There was a clatter as armored men arose around them. The
guards held crossbows on the two captives. "Put down your weapons and kick
them over here," one of them ordered.
Endymion stared one of them in the eye as he pulled a dagger from its
sheath and dropped it. No one noticed him palming a small object as he did
so. Serenity dropped her weapons as well.
"Now, come here," what appeared to be the Captain ordered, pointing to
a circle of armed men who held ropes ready to bind the Princess and Guild
Master. They moved to the circle of the guards silently, when suddenly
Endymion picked Serenity up and shoved the item that he had in is hand into
her pocket. Heaving, he vaulted her over the heads of the guards.
Automatically, she rolled and rose to her feet, staring at Endymion from
outside the ring of steel. The guards didn't move, startled.
"Run, Sere!" Endymion yelled, tackling the man nearest him. The other
warriors turned on him, and only a few turned to catch the Princess. Serenity
wasted no time in fleeing, the guards hot on her heels. She was lighter,
however, and quickly out ran them. The sounds of fighting faded into the
night.
Once she had lost her pursuers, Serenity leaned against a tree and
pulled the object out of her pocket. It was a small bottle, labeled only with
the symbols that marked immediate death. Grimly, she smiled.
Endymion didn't bother to look up as the door to his cell opened. The
battle against the guards had gone as he had expected, and Endymion had woken
up painfully in a small cell made of cold stone. He could only hope that
Serenity knew what to do. That he would die was not in question, only how
much help the necessity of his death would be to his Princess.
"So, you're awake, are you?" a young, cruel voice asked lightly. "Good,
it so much more fun when they can scream." A humorless chuckle echoed off of
the walls. "Look at me." Endymion didn't move. "Look at me, damn it!" A hard
hand slapped Endymion's face, making him fall to the stone floor weakly, but
still he didn't look. "Look!" A heavy boot caught Endymion in the stomach,
and a loud snapping noise was heard as yet another of his ribs was broken.
'Good luck, my Princess,' was Endymion's last thought before the boot
struck his temple, and the blackness swallowed him.
Queen Alysa looked at her general, eye red from crying. Her hands were
wrapped around a piece of parchment that had been found in her daughter's
room, and was the cause of her grief.
"Master Kevin, you and your men will march immediately to Vormencrief
Castle," she ordered, face locked into an icy stare.
"May I be permitted to ask why, you Majesty?" Kevin asked, having some
idea of what was coming.
"To retrieve my daughter, and turn the castle to rubble if they refuse
to return her peaceably," Alysa answered, eyes flickering for a moment with
grief.
Kevin paused, looking at his feet. All of the courtiers in the room
gasped in shock. Finally, Kevin looked up, straight into the Queen's eyes.
"Then it's war?" he asked, so softly that it carried no further than the
throne before him.
"Let us pray not," Alysa answered grimly.
The lookout for Vormencrief Castle yawned, and then kicked himself for
it. As the guard of the servants' entrance to the castle, he couldn't afford
to fall asleep. It was too dangerous. The young Lord would have his head if
he was found asleep on duty.
In the darkness by the walls, a slightly smaller shadow moved
stealthily. It crept closer to the sleepy guard, cloak hanging loosely form
it's shoulders. There was a flash of a small dagger slicing, and then a muted
gurgle from the sentry as the blood poured from his slit throat.
Serenity stopped to look at the corpse for just a second before grabbing the
guards feet and dragging him behind a hay wagon. She grabbed some fresh hay
and covered the blood before slipping through the door, silent tears
glittering on her cheeks.
Once in the building, Serenity paused, unsure of where to go. Then,
with a determined face, moved silently towards where her childhood memories
said that the laundry room was.
Minutes later, a new servant moved through the house, the hood of her
cloak hiding her eyes. In her hands was a damp basket of clothing, but she
moved away from the laundry, and towards the basement.
Serenity shifted the weight of the basket slightly, trudging down the
hall like a good little drudge.
'Some must be lost, to save others,' she thought, fingering the hilt of
the dagger hidden in the basket. Heavy steps coming down the corridor made
her head jerk up sharply. Swiftly, she moved to the side and slumped her
shoulders, praying that she wouldn't be noticed.
A pair of soldiers came down the hallway, their boots thudding on the
stone floor. They didn't pause in their conversation as they passed.
"Were you one of the ones who brought in the new one yesterday?" the
blonde one asked his companion. Serenity's ears perked up, and she sat her
load down, pretending to fiddle with it so as to hear more of their
conversation.
'Please let Endy be safe,' she pled.
"Yeah, I was the one who knocked him out," the darker man boasted,
sticking a thumb in his chest. "The man sure put up a great fight though."
"What's happened to him?" the blonde guard questioned.
"They took his body out earlier. Looks like Lord Vormencrief had a lot
of fun with him, the boy was so bloody," he laughed. "Poor Vormencrief, he
must not have gotten what he wanted, from the look on his face this morning."
"Don't call him that," the other guard snapped as they turned a corner
and were out of view.
Serenity looked up, her fists clenched so tightly that the knuckles had
turned white.
'He's dead he's dead he's dead,' her mind repeated numbly. 'He died for
me. And I never even got to tell him... That bastard!' Rage at Vormencrief
flooded her veins, and she brushed the tears from her eyes hastily. Endymion
had been one of her few true friends, and now he was gone. She had never even
told him that she loved him, and now it was too late. 'He'll pay for this.'
She picked up her basket and turned around. 'Life or death, rise or fall.'
She turned up a set of stairs. There was only one place Vormencrief would be,
right now.
Kevin paused to look at the sun. There was three hours yet to noon, and
his army was going to arrive a few minutes after.
'Let us not be too late.' Back in the Royal Palace, Queen Alysa hoped
the same thing.
The knock on Vormencrief's door was gentle, obviously that of a maid.
He rolled over in his bed, exhausted by torturing that man most of the night,
and well into the morning. He grinned slightly, the screams still echoing in
his ears. "Come," he called, head buried under down filled pillows. The door
creaked open.
It was a shame that he had had to depose his father, but the man never
would have willing to fight a war over the hand of Princess Serenity. His
father simply hadn't seen his grand design, and therefore had had to be
eliminated. The old man had been so weak; it had been almost too easy to make
it look like he had died in his sleep.
Suddenly, the steps of the servant silenced, right near the head of his
bed. He flipped the pillow off of his head.
"Well, what is..." he paused momentarily, staring at the woman before
him... the one with a dagger poised to strike. Then, with a yell, he rolled
out of bed and grabbed his sword from where it sat.
The maid jumped back, her blue eyes icy cold and frozen with hatred.
Something thumped against the door, and with a quick glance, the young Lord
noticed that she had blocked the entryway. The he looked at the tiny,
insignificant dagger that she held ready.
"So you're the one behind all of this," she mused. "I should have known
Uncle Alexi wouldn't have done anything like this."
"Who are you?" Damian Vormencrief demanded, holding his sword at the
ready. "What do you want?"
"I suppose that you have the right to know me," she answered coldly.
"I'm the woman that you intended to marry." His eyes widened in recognition.
"And it's obvious what I want."
The banging on the door grew harder, and more desperate. "For me to
render my ultimatum void?" Damian laughed. "I don't think so."
"No. I want your blood," Serenity snarled, dodging forward to nick
Damian's arm with her dagger.
On instinct, Damian raised his sword, running the princess through just
as the blade sliced through his skin.
Serenity coughed, her hands coming up to her mouth as a reflex. They
came away bloody. But, even as she collapsed against a wall, a smile graced
the dying princess' lips.
"I'll see you there," she choked, still smiling softly. She died even
as the door burst open in a rain of wooden splinters. The guards burst in to
see their lord looking at the cut on his arm, then glance at the small knife
still clutched in Serenity's hands. The green tinge on the blade glinted.
Damian stared in horror before stabs of pain made him clutch his chest.
He knelt down, eyes bulging. Then, silently, he fell to the floor, his heart
stopped from the poisoned dagger. The guards raced to help their Lord, but it
was too late.
Queen Alysa looked at the man who had just told her the fate of her
daughter. With a nod, she dismissed him. The livery clad messenger sighed in
relief as he left the throne room.
Alysa looked down at the note in her hand, the only thing she had left,
and she had kept it with her since she had found it. Opening the letter
again, she read the poem again, for the final time.
"Dry the innocent eyes; save them for when thy people die. When thou'rt
dreaming in a night so cold, and whispered dreams come from old. Hidden life
is in the darkness bright, so ne'er run the eternal fight. Thy royal duty
rises 'bove all, come life and death; rise to fall." Alysa smiled sadly at
the paper, and a single tear worked it's way down her cheek to smear the ink
of the page.
Rated PG13
Genre: Angst/Comedy (Don't ask)
Moon Faery
crystalmilleniu@bolt.com
http://www.faerysgarden.asianqure.com
There's no Senshi or anybody else in this. Just straight Serena, with a
few cameo appearances. It was originally a school thing and I didn't feel
like adjusting the storyline too much.
*****************************************************************************
"So it's war?" a male voice asked sadly.
"I'm afraid so, Kevin," a soft, cultured female voice answered. "They
simply refuse to negotiate a treaty." The woman sighed heavily.
"Your Majesty?" Kevin asked gently. "How will she take it?"
"Serenity?" the woman asked. "She won't have to, if I have my say so."
The conversation descended into small talk, so Princess Serenity took
her ear way from the wall, quickly exiting the room directly beside her
mother's study. No one knew that she had access to his room, or that the
walls were so thin. She intended to keep it that way. Serenity hurried to her
room, locking the door behind.
A thousand worries flew through her mind, thousands of emotions
trailing after them to confuse the whole mess even more. The top most of
these emotions was hurt, confusion and anger. After pacing for several
minutes, she finally fell onto the bed, exhausted by the late her and her
worries. But sleep refused to come.
'War? With Lord Vormencrief? Why? What could he want that would bring
us to this? Why would he do this?'
A gentle knock on the door drew her attention. "Yes?"
"Serenity, I think we need to talk," her mother's voice came through
the door.
Serenity perked up, wiping stray tears out of her eyes. "Yes, of course
Mother. Please come in."
The Queen peeked through the cracked door, blue eyes taking in the
rumpled rug where Serenity had been pacing, and the untouched dinner tray.
"Sere, are you all right?"
Serenity tried to look happy. "Yes, I'm fine, Mother. Why would you
think otherwise?"
The Queen narrowed her perceptive blue eyes, examining her daughter's
face closely. Serenity smiled brightly, hiding the maelstrom of pain behind
her usual mask of cheerful innocence. Finally, she admitted, "Yes. Yes,
you're fine. It must have been the lighting." She twisted her hands in her
lap, deep red velvet dress making the Imperial Queen look paler than usual.
"Mother?" Serenity probed. "I something wrong?"
Queen Alysa smiled at her daughter. "No, love. Nothing's wrong. I just
came to tell you that you'll be leaving for France within a week."
Serenity sat upright. "What? NO! I won't go!" Her hands clenched around
the silken sheets. "Why would I go to France?" Serenity privately panicked.
'NO! This must have something to do with the war! Why? I need to stay here,
to protect my kingdom, my PEOPLE! MY MOTHER! I WON'T GO!' "Is Aunt Celia in
trouble of some sort?"
"Aunt Celia? Oh, no, she's perfectly fine. Bt I thought you might wish
to see her and your cousins."
Serenity blinked, trying to think of a way out of this. "Yes, Mother,"
she finally sighed. "As you wish."
Queen Alysa stood, smoothing out her skirt as she smiled. "Thank you,
dear. You'll be leaving next Wednesday." With that, she walked out of the
room.
Serenity stared at the door her mother had just closed. Then, on silent
feet, rose out of the bed and lifted the mattress. Pulling out a leather
bound book, she flipped to a page marked by a blue ribbon and read the poetry
loud.
"Dry the innocent eyes; save them for when thy people die. When
thou'rt dreaming in a night so cold, and whispered dreams come from old.
Hidden life is in the darkness bright, so ne'er run the eternal fight. Thy
royal duty rises 'bove all, come life and death; rise to fall." It was her
favorite passage; constantly reminding her of the duty she owed her people.
"I will protect my people," Serenity whispered as she closed the book.
"Come life or death; rise or fall."
"Branson, I want you to scout around in town for me," Serenity
explained to her guardsman. "I need to know why my mother is sending me to
France."
Branson hesitated slightly before answering. "Your Highness, her
Majesty explained it as a simple visit to family." His dark brown eyes looked
faintly worried. "I'm sure that's all there is to it."
"Horse rubbish!" Serenity snapped. "Something's in the air, I know it.
Something that Mother wants me out of town for. Well I'm NOT going to take
this laying down!" she slammed the flat of her hand into the arm of her
chair. "It's my life and safety, and I will not allow anyone to herd me like
a shepherd does his flock. You WILL gather this information, and bring it to
me." Branson got a crafty look in his eyes, but Serenity headed him off. "And
you will NOT take any of this to my mother or anyone else. I am the only
other person who will know about this, or else. Are we clear?" Serenity
raised a single eyebrow, using all of her royal aura to intimidate the Guard
into doing as she wished.
"Yes, your Highness," Branson gave in, bowing deeply in her direction.
"Good, now get out there. I want this information by tomorrow at noon."
Branson widened his eyes. Due by Friday. That wasn't even a day to
collect everything! But the look on Serenity's face convinced him to ignore
the matter. She was never like this unless it was important.
Serenity was deeply loved by all in the kingdom, servants right to
nobility. But she never seemed to know it, always going out if her way to be
nice to anyone. That was what endeared her to the hearts and minds of the
people of England. She treated every person she met like they were a king or
queen. She was the People's Princess, and Heavens help any who thought of
harming her.
"Right away, milady." The Guardsman turned to go.
"Branson?"
He turned back to the slender form on the throne-like chair. "Yes, your
Highness?"
"Don't let anyone see you come back in, please." Her sapphire eyes
begged him to understand.
"Of course, your Highness." Branson walked out of the conference,
deeply troubled by the Princess's demeanor.
Branson bumbled around in the dark, cursing quietly. 'The things I do
for her...' He had just come back from gathering the information the Princess
wanted, and was currently sneaking into the Palace as per Princess Serenity's
orders.
'If she weren't like m'own daughter, I'd take 'er straight to the
Queen,' he thought, mumbling about maids and their likely fathers as he
stubbed his toe on a table that had not been moved back where it belonged
after cleaning.
Eventually, he made his way to the Princess's study, where he was to
leave his report. The light was on inside, and the sound of mumbling came
through the door. His knock brought a mumbled reply to come right in and that
she was expecting him.
Branson opened the door, only to find his Princess covered in dust, and
surrounded by several old tomes of politics and history on the floor,
ignoring the comfortable chair available to her.
"Hello, Branson," she said absently. "What do you have for me?" She
brushed a golden hair out of her weary eyes.
"Milady, I have discovered that Lord Vormencrief is behind-"
"Yes, I already know that. What I want to know is what he thinks to
gain by it?"
Branson hesitated. "You, milady."
Serenity's golden head snapped up, here blue eyes disbelieving. "What?
Uncle Alexi? Why would he want me?" she looked ready to cry. "He's going to
kill thousands of people in a senseless war just to get to ME? WHY?"
"Your Highness, I have it on good authority that he thinks you are his
path to the throne." Serenity paled more with every word.
"No. There must be another reason," she mumbled. "Vormencrief's always
been like an uncle to me... he would never do something like this... just for
my hand..." Her wide eyes were staring blankly at the wall. "I need to think
on this new development. You're free to go, Branson. Thank you."
Branson nodded crisply and left the room, wondering just what the
Princess was up to now. He was too far away to hear her mutter, "Time. I just
need more time..."
The next morning, no one noticed the cloaked figure slipping through
the shadowy alleys of London in the cool dawn air. No one noticed that her
cape bore the insignia of the Crown Princess. And certainly no one noticed
that she moved with a knowledge and certainty that a Princess shouldn't have
in that particular part of town.
When Serenity came to the appointed meeting place, she paused, looking
carefully around. Her determined gaze settled on a pile of trash in the very
back of the alley.
"You can come out," she told it. "I've seen you there, and I won't tell
the guards."
The heap rustled before a scrawny old man covered in rags emerged from
it. "What'dya want?" he demanded sourly, spitting out of the side of his
mouth into the dirt below. "Place like dis ain't no place for purtty ladies
like yerself." He spit again. His voice was high and scratchy, almost to the
point of being impossible to hear clearly.
Serenity smiled contemptuously. "You can cut the act, Endymion. It
doesn't do any good around me anyway."
The old man smiled a toothless smile. "Now, who'n said 'twas an act?"
he asked humorously. Serenity merely raised an eyebrow.
"Who said it wasn't?" she asked rhetorically.
The old man grinned wider, wiping his teeth until they all shown pearly
white, without a single one broken or missing. "I never can fool you, can
I?" he asked in a deep, young voice. He stood up straight, no longer the
wizened old vagabond. "Just give me a moment."
After dusting off his hair, removing the rags that hid his real
clothing and throwing off a few pieces of garbage, Endymion stood there clean
and a very different person. His hair was the blackest of ebony, and his
clothing made of rich silk. He now stood six feet tall, with several inches
to spare. Good humor glinted in deep blue eyes as he regarded the Princess
with a friendly humor.
"Now, how can this poor merchant serve you, your Highness?" He bowed
charmingly.
Serenity sniffed. "If I were here for spices, I'd have met you in your
shop." She grinned suddenly, the air of royalty cast aside for a few precious
moments. "I need some supplies that I can't get from a normal merchant, and
you're the only person I trust to give them to me without watering it down."
Endymion leaned back against the wall, ignoring the slime and debris
that clung to it. "What kind of... supplies?" he asked suspiciously.
Serenity sighed, recognizing when he was going to be obstinate.
"Endy," she sighed, looking at him tiredly. "You know that I won't turn you
in, and I won't in anyway double cross you." She looked him straight in the
eye, hoping to ram her message in swiftly. "We've been friends for years, you
can trust me."
"It's not that I don't trust you, Sere," he answered slowly. "But a
Princess only has so many uses for poison, and none of them good." He eyed
her. "Before I can tell you what you need, I'll need to know why you need it.
And I won't sell to you if I think it's best that I don't."
Serenity nodded. "And if you don't sell, neither will anyone else in
the city," she acknowledged.
Endymion grinned again. "There are advantages to being a guild
master." He gave her a bawdy wink that set Serenity into peal of hastily
muffled laughter. But even through the hands clapped over her mouth,
Serenity's frantic giggles echoed down the street like silver bells.
He leaned back against the wall further, this time more relaxed. "So,
whaddya need this time?"
Saturday night, Serenity rose silently and dressed in her a pair of
breeches and a tunic, both loose enough to his the fact that she was a woman.
After carefully winding her hair into a crown, she pulled a dark, layered
cloak over her shoulders and pulled up the hood. Inspecting the effect in the
moonlight, she smiled grimly. Not even her own mother would recognize her as
long as the hood stayed in place and covered her hair. After carefully hiding
several weapons and small bottles on her person, she uncoiled a rope, tied it
to the bedpost and slid out of the window. A mere five minutes later, only a
folded paper on the nightstand left any clue as to where she had gone.
Serenity jogged down the deserted streets, keeping to shadows and
watching carefully for any movement. A she passed a dark alley, a set of
grimy hands shot out and wrapped themselves over her mouth and torso, pinning
her arms to her side. She kicked, but was quickly dragged in to the corridor.
"Sere, it's me!" a voice hissed in her ear. She automatically bit at
the hand over her mouth. "OUCH! Stop it!"
Serenity paused, recognizing the voice.
"Now, I'm going to let you go. Promise you won't scream until you
identify me?" She nodded against the restricting hands. "Good." She jumped
away from her assailant as she was released.
Serenity studied the man before her. He was dressed all in black, as
was she, so it made him extraordinarily difficult to see in the dim
moonlight. But the way he held himself, the arrogant way his hand rested on
the hilt of his dagger, and the glint in his eyes were all too familiar.
"Endy!" she hissed. "What are you doing here?"
Endymion grinned unrepentantly, white teeth flashing against the
blackness of the alleyway. "Making sure you manage to get home safely."
"Endy, I already told you what I'm going to do," she whispered harshly.
"There's no risk to me, so you can just turn around and go home!"
Endymion leaned back against the stonewall. "Do you honestly think that
I believed that story?" he snorted. "I'm going to 'pretend to kill myself,'"
he imitated her, voice rising to a falsetto squeak. "'The poison on the
cloths will make it realistic when they find them in the river.' I certainly
hope you didn't expect me to buy it!"
"I was telling you the truth!" Serenity thanked the Gods that the
darkness hid her growing blush. "Why would you think that I'm lying?"
Endymion shook his head in annoyance. "I know you better thank that,
Sere. In a situation like this, you won't leave anything to chance. And
that..." he laughed, "plan, leaves everything to chance." Serenity blushed a
deeper red color. "No, you are much more likely to..." He trailed off,
looking at her. "Run off to your Uncle Alexi's castle to try and make him
change his mind. When he won't, you'll marry him, make him sign an agreement
with your mother that he'll never rise against the crown again, then swallow
that lovely, expensive and painless poison I sold you." He studied her
slender silhouette in the moonlight. "Tell me how close I am."
Serenity's shoulders slumped. "Closer than I want to admit."
"So, you see, it's my job to make sure to don't manage to kill yourself
with my wares." Endymion smirked. "So you can let me follow you, or I can get
those poisons off of you and make you go home. It truly is your decision."
"And how would you take the poisons from me?" Sere asked, lifting her
chin.
Endymion smiled. "Why, I'm sure I can think of something, my dear." He
eyed her from head to toe.
"You wouldn't!" Serenity hissed, taken aback. "It's treason to lay
hands upon the Crown Princess!"
"Sere," Endymion cocked an eyebrow at her. "I already sell illegal
poisons. They can only hang me once."
Serenity glared at him again, but the defiance was out of it. He had
beaten her, and she knew it. "You may come."
"Why me?" she asked again, trudging down the dirt road. "Out of all the
people in the world to buy poison from, I had to choose you!" She glared at
Endymion. "If it weren't for you, I'd be in much better condition right now!"
Endymion smiled charmingly as she tried to pull the twigs out of her
hair, which now resembled a bird's nest much more than a crown. "Sere, if it
weren't for me, you would have been caught by those guards several times over
by now," he reminded her.
"But why do you always have to choose under brush to hide in?" she
whined. "Just once, can't we just hide behind a tree?"
"Yes, we could, if you're willing to be caught and face your mother."
Once again, she received a charismatic smile that could have melted stone.
Fortunately, Serenity was feeling much more like breaking his teeth than
melting at the moment.
"I never should have involved you," she grumbled, glaring.
"What was that, dear?" Endymion asked.
"Nothing."
Roughly an hour later, the mismatched duo hid in the forest surrounding
Vormencrief Castle as the moon begin to set. The gentle hush surrounding the
fortress deafened the ears, so that every small noise echoed like the shrill
scream of a banshee into the night.
"What was that?" Serenity asked sharply as something moved off behind
the trees. She tried not to clutch at Endymion's arm, but was failing
miserably. The midnight clad wilderness was nothing like the brightly lit
palace walls that she had grown up in.
"Probably just an animal," Endymion soothed the frightened Princess,
eyeing the castle. He knew that, if they were going to do anything that would
be effective, the two of them would have to sneak in. That knowledge made the
hairs on the back of his neck stand up. The penalty for selling poison was
hanging, but being caught in a Lord's house with poison was drawing and
quartering. Neither was a fate he wished, but if made to choose, Endymion
would pick hanging every time.
But he didn't have a choice this time. If he didn't risk his life,
Serenity would risk hers, and that was unacceptable.
"But..." Sere began.
"Halt!" came the shout from all around them. "Surrender and you will
not be harmed!" There was a clatter as armored men arose around them. The
guards held crossbows on the two captives. "Put down your weapons and kick
them over here," one of them ordered.
Endymion stared one of them in the eye as he pulled a dagger from its
sheath and dropped it. No one noticed him palming a small object as he did
so. Serenity dropped her weapons as well.
"Now, come here," what appeared to be the Captain ordered, pointing to
a circle of armed men who held ropes ready to bind the Princess and Guild
Master. They moved to the circle of the guards silently, when suddenly
Endymion picked Serenity up and shoved the item that he had in is hand into
her pocket. Heaving, he vaulted her over the heads of the guards.
Automatically, she rolled and rose to her feet, staring at Endymion from
outside the ring of steel. The guards didn't move, startled.
"Run, Sere!" Endymion yelled, tackling the man nearest him. The other
warriors turned on him, and only a few turned to catch the Princess. Serenity
wasted no time in fleeing, the guards hot on her heels. She was lighter,
however, and quickly out ran them. The sounds of fighting faded into the
night.
Once she had lost her pursuers, Serenity leaned against a tree and
pulled the object out of her pocket. It was a small bottle, labeled only with
the symbols that marked immediate death. Grimly, she smiled.
Endymion didn't bother to look up as the door to his cell opened. The
battle against the guards had gone as he had expected, and Endymion had woken
up painfully in a small cell made of cold stone. He could only hope that
Serenity knew what to do. That he would die was not in question, only how
much help the necessity of his death would be to his Princess.
"So, you're awake, are you?" a young, cruel voice asked lightly. "Good,
it so much more fun when they can scream." A humorless chuckle echoed off of
the walls. "Look at me." Endymion didn't move. "Look at me, damn it!" A hard
hand slapped Endymion's face, making him fall to the stone floor weakly, but
still he didn't look. "Look!" A heavy boot caught Endymion in the stomach,
and a loud snapping noise was heard as yet another of his ribs was broken.
'Good luck, my Princess,' was Endymion's last thought before the boot
struck his temple, and the blackness swallowed him.
Queen Alysa looked at her general, eye red from crying. Her hands were
wrapped around a piece of parchment that had been found in her daughter's
room, and was the cause of her grief.
"Master Kevin, you and your men will march immediately to Vormencrief
Castle," she ordered, face locked into an icy stare.
"May I be permitted to ask why, you Majesty?" Kevin asked, having some
idea of what was coming.
"To retrieve my daughter, and turn the castle to rubble if they refuse
to return her peaceably," Alysa answered, eyes flickering for a moment with
grief.
Kevin paused, looking at his feet. All of the courtiers in the room
gasped in shock. Finally, Kevin looked up, straight into the Queen's eyes.
"Then it's war?" he asked, so softly that it carried no further than the
throne before him.
"Let us pray not," Alysa answered grimly.
The lookout for Vormencrief Castle yawned, and then kicked himself for
it. As the guard of the servants' entrance to the castle, he couldn't afford
to fall asleep. It was too dangerous. The young Lord would have his head if
he was found asleep on duty.
In the darkness by the walls, a slightly smaller shadow moved
stealthily. It crept closer to the sleepy guard, cloak hanging loosely form
it's shoulders. There was a flash of a small dagger slicing, and then a muted
gurgle from the sentry as the blood poured from his slit throat.
Serenity stopped to look at the corpse for just a second before grabbing the
guards feet and dragging him behind a hay wagon. She grabbed some fresh hay
and covered the blood before slipping through the door, silent tears
glittering on her cheeks.
Once in the building, Serenity paused, unsure of where to go. Then,
with a determined face, moved silently towards where her childhood memories
said that the laundry room was.
Minutes later, a new servant moved through the house, the hood of her
cloak hiding her eyes. In her hands was a damp basket of clothing, but she
moved away from the laundry, and towards the basement.
Serenity shifted the weight of the basket slightly, trudging down the
hall like a good little drudge.
'Some must be lost, to save others,' she thought, fingering the hilt of
the dagger hidden in the basket. Heavy steps coming down the corridor made
her head jerk up sharply. Swiftly, she moved to the side and slumped her
shoulders, praying that she wouldn't be noticed.
A pair of soldiers came down the hallway, their boots thudding on the
stone floor. They didn't pause in their conversation as they passed.
"Were you one of the ones who brought in the new one yesterday?" the
blonde one asked his companion. Serenity's ears perked up, and she sat her
load down, pretending to fiddle with it so as to hear more of their
conversation.
'Please let Endy be safe,' she pled.
"Yeah, I was the one who knocked him out," the darker man boasted,
sticking a thumb in his chest. "The man sure put up a great fight though."
"What's happened to him?" the blonde guard questioned.
"They took his body out earlier. Looks like Lord Vormencrief had a lot
of fun with him, the boy was so bloody," he laughed. "Poor Vormencrief, he
must not have gotten what he wanted, from the look on his face this morning."
"Don't call him that," the other guard snapped as they turned a corner
and were out of view.
Serenity looked up, her fists clenched so tightly that the knuckles had
turned white.
'He's dead he's dead he's dead,' her mind repeated numbly. 'He died for
me. And I never even got to tell him... That bastard!' Rage at Vormencrief
flooded her veins, and she brushed the tears from her eyes hastily. Endymion
had been one of her few true friends, and now he was gone. She had never even
told him that she loved him, and now it was too late. 'He'll pay for this.'
She picked up her basket and turned around. 'Life or death, rise or fall.'
She turned up a set of stairs. There was only one place Vormencrief would be,
right now.
Kevin paused to look at the sun. There was three hours yet to noon, and
his army was going to arrive a few minutes after.
'Let us not be too late.' Back in the Royal Palace, Queen Alysa hoped
the same thing.
The knock on Vormencrief's door was gentle, obviously that of a maid.
He rolled over in his bed, exhausted by torturing that man most of the night,
and well into the morning. He grinned slightly, the screams still echoing in
his ears. "Come," he called, head buried under down filled pillows. The door
creaked open.
It was a shame that he had had to depose his father, but the man never
would have willing to fight a war over the hand of Princess Serenity. His
father simply hadn't seen his grand design, and therefore had had to be
eliminated. The old man had been so weak; it had been almost too easy to make
it look like he had died in his sleep.
Suddenly, the steps of the servant silenced, right near the head of his
bed. He flipped the pillow off of his head.
"Well, what is..." he paused momentarily, staring at the woman before
him... the one with a dagger poised to strike. Then, with a yell, he rolled
out of bed and grabbed his sword from where it sat.
The maid jumped back, her blue eyes icy cold and frozen with hatred.
Something thumped against the door, and with a quick glance, the young Lord
noticed that she had blocked the entryway. The he looked at the tiny,
insignificant dagger that she held ready.
"So you're the one behind all of this," she mused. "I should have known
Uncle Alexi wouldn't have done anything like this."
"Who are you?" Damian Vormencrief demanded, holding his sword at the
ready. "What do you want?"
"I suppose that you have the right to know me," she answered coldly.
"I'm the woman that you intended to marry." His eyes widened in recognition.
"And it's obvious what I want."
The banging on the door grew harder, and more desperate. "For me to
render my ultimatum void?" Damian laughed. "I don't think so."
"No. I want your blood," Serenity snarled, dodging forward to nick
Damian's arm with her dagger.
On instinct, Damian raised his sword, running the princess through just
as the blade sliced through his skin.
Serenity coughed, her hands coming up to her mouth as a reflex. They
came away bloody. But, even as she collapsed against a wall, a smile graced
the dying princess' lips.
"I'll see you there," she choked, still smiling softly. She died even
as the door burst open in a rain of wooden splinters. The guards burst in to
see their lord looking at the cut on his arm, then glance at the small knife
still clutched in Serenity's hands. The green tinge on the blade glinted.
Damian stared in horror before stabs of pain made him clutch his chest.
He knelt down, eyes bulging. Then, silently, he fell to the floor, his heart
stopped from the poisoned dagger. The guards raced to help their Lord, but it
was too late.
Queen Alysa looked at the man who had just told her the fate of her
daughter. With a nod, she dismissed him. The livery clad messenger sighed in
relief as he left the throne room.
Alysa looked down at the note in her hand, the only thing she had left,
and she had kept it with her since she had found it. Opening the letter
again, she read the poem again, for the final time.
"Dry the innocent eyes; save them for when thy people die. When thou'rt
dreaming in a night so cold, and whispered dreams come from old. Hidden life
is in the darkness bright, so ne'er run the eternal fight. Thy royal duty
rises 'bove all, come life and death; rise to fall." Alysa smiled sadly at
the paper, and a single tear worked it's way down her cheek to smear the ink
of the page.