CLASH OF THE TITANS
A SAILOR MOON PREQUAL
BY JZK
Sailor Moon is based on original KODANSHA comic book
by Naoko Takeuchi
Sailor Moon is copyright to
TOEI ANIMATION CO., ltd. 1992
Sailor Moon, Sailor Moon characters, their respective names and likenesses are trademarks of TOEI Animation Co.
Author's note: I made some changes shortly before I loaded this story. Please let me know if you see any discrepancies. Thank you. Enjoy!
PROLOGUE:
THE SILVER MILLENIUM
Hundreds of years ago there was a time where the Earth and the moon lived in a time of prosperity and peace called The Silver Millennium. The Earth was guarded by a kingdom on the Moon known to the people of the Earth as the Moon Kingdom. The society of the citizens of Earth was composed of different kingdoms from different cultures throughout the world. It too, however, had one kingdom to which all the smaller kingdoms showed their allegiance.
The kingdom of Triode, under the wisdom and leadership of King Endymion ruled the Earth. He had several sons but his eldest, by the name of Prince Endymion II, was to succeed him. He was the crown prince and the most high ranking knight of the court, guarded by the most elite of his soldiers who swore their life to fight along side him and protect him and their world. They were also his truest friends, raised together since they were but mere Pages.
King Endymion was proud that his son had eagerly embraced his duties of the royal court but at the same time never forgetting that the people always came first and foremost before his duties. "You must love the Earth and therefore love all its people. Remember, son, people want to be led, not ruled. You must understand this difference." So, the young prince grew providing the Kingdom's protection to the other states, while his father guided them in the diplomatic matters.
Now that all the planet's kingdoms had united, felt there was no need for a strong military disposition. They had pulled out of areas heavily guarded to show those countries their goal was to gain an alliance through discussion and diplomacy, not through militaristic methods. Many kingdoms were established since the early age of man, and had suffered the wrath of wars from the ancient times. This new age would finally allow all their people to live without the threat of more wars and suffering. They were a legion; together the Earth was strong and united.
The Moon kingdom too was led in much the same manner but by a Queen called Serenity, descended from Selene, the Goddess of the Moon. Queen Serenity guarded over the Moon and over the Earth at night through her peace and harmony. Her duties were to solely protect the Earth from darkness with the powers of the light in her crystal and the prayers in her heart. She was never allowed to visit the Earth physically, but travel over it at night during the full moon, bathing the Earth in a heavenly glow. She too had a child, a teenage girl by the name of Princess Serena. The young princess was just as fair and beautiful as her mother and often gazed down at the Earth yearning to explore its many wonders. But the only place she was ever allowed to explore the Earth was through her studies and stories her mother would educated her in. Someday, the princess too would have to bear the duty to guard over the Earth.
"You must be strong for the Earth." Her mother would say, " The true powers lie not within the Imperial Silver crystal, but within your heart. But be careful, because just as love inside your heart can protect the Earth, doubt and fear can cause it to become unstable and unprotected from outside forces who would want to take advantage of Earth's many powers. It can weaken our kingdom and its position among the other planets. The crystal will feed on your life force and use it to fight off any impediments you might be feeling at the time. This crystal is very powerful. So powerful that it can save an entire planet, or destroy it completely. Only your heart can decide."
So, in this manner, the queen would pass along the knowledge given to her by her own mother through many centuries. Until one day, the queen loved the princess so much that she had decided to give her daughter a special present. She would take Serena on her travels over the Earth as a lesson in her many duties that would await her. It would be a day that would change the life of the young princess, and all of mankind, for all eternity.
CHAPTER ONE
THE NIGHT AND THE MOON
On her very first trip over the Earth, the princess swayed from her mother's path. A garden bathed in the moon's night attracted her eye and so she traveled over to the greenery where something caught her eye. It was a young handsome soldier sleeping under a tree deep within the beautiful garden guarded inside the royal kingdom. He looked as if he'd been watching the moon for quite some time as he lay on his back on this still and starlit sky, and fallen asleep. It was the glow of his handsome features as the moon shone on him that attracted her. He seemed so peaceful, like a little child sleeping. She didn't know whether she'd ever get to see the handsome prince ever again, so she stepped onto the earth and walked over to where the prince lay against the bark. She picked a flower as she knelt down beside him. Gently she leaned down and placed a kiss upon his cheek. The princess then left leaving the rose she had plucked on the prince's chest.
While Princess Serena ascended back to her home on the moon, somewhere on a far-away planet a girl in a red flowing floor length dress and long black hair gasped as her eyes flew open all of a sudden to the fire before her. "There is a disturbance upon the sun's surface." She spoke as she redirected her attention to the dark sky above her. "A dark shadow lingers." Her violet eyes stared wide eyed, "These dark shadows are bigger, than anything I've ever known." She panicked, "This is not good."
Back on the moon, when princess Serena finally met up with Queen Serenity again, she was faced with a disappointing and harsh lecture. But still, Queen Serenity was not angry with Princess Serena because she knew her daughter loved the Earth more than anything. This encounter only exited the innocent princess even more.
But her daughter's love for the Earth only cause her free and reckless spirit to be magnified that much more. This, the queen understood. She also understood some of the dark truths of the world below. Therefore, Queen Serenity had long before ordered that the princesses of the other neighboring planets had been prepared well enough to become an elite group of warriors. But these warriors would not be just any ordinary group of soldiers. They had a duty greater to that of their own kingdoms, or their own lives.
Passed down to them from the ancient ones. Their assignment would be to guard over the princess of the moon and her heart with their own lives if they had to, and from outside forces that would want to take over the Earth and the Moon. That was the destiny and fate of these young princesses.
Princess Serena was glowing with joy and wanted more than anything to share her news of the handsome prince she came across her travels with her mother. It was a good thing she no longer would have to wait till social gatherings or special occasions to visit with her friends when she was little, that now they would always be by her side.
But Minako, the princess of the planet Venus was given the responsibility as leader of this elite team of soldiers. "We have been and always will be your friends, princess. However, there may be time when I will not be your friend but Sailor Venus, the commander of the Sailor Soldiers. I took an oath on my own blood to protect you from harm, and that is what I shall do first and foremost, because you are my friend and I love you. The gods strictly forbid communications between the Earth and the Moon. I'm sorry Princess Serena, but you can never see this prince ever again." The guardians of the princess saw to it that the princess had a soldier outside her chambers at all times.
This only saddened the princess, so she took it upon herself to see to it that she could see her prince once again and whenever she wanted to. So she turned to the only other person that had been a constant in her life. A young lady that had waited on her every morning, night, and whenever the princess's needs would call on her. This young woman, by the name of Winter, had been by Serena's side since they were girls. Serena would share her dreams and love of the Earth to Winter and how she'd hoped that someday she'd find a handsome prince to be by her side and Winter a gallant knight. Their many conversations would be spent discussing things only girls shared in secret. It was Winter who Princess Serena first confessed of the handsome soldier she discovered on her first travel to the earth and how she wanted to see him again. The young princess felt at ease that confiding to her things like these that she felt had prevented her from confessing to her guardian friends due to their positions and duties to protect her.
Winter was raised as the kingdom's royal maiden to the young princess and was not tied to the duties that of a warrior. The Queen had taken the dark-haired child in when her parents were killed in a tragedy. The Queen had felt sorry for the child and had taken her in under the protection of the Moon Kingdom and raised her along side Serena and the princesses from the other planets.
But Winter did not share the same beliefs as the other girls. When Serena confessed the young prince to her, she saw a new light spark in the princess. Since then, seeing her friend so sad whenever she looked at the Earth, knowing the young princess could never truly explore her burning desire, had caused Winter to disagree in many of the laws that governed the Moon Kingdom and the planets. It made her angry. It was a sad fate that the princess could never love the prince on the same blue earth she loved so much due to her duties. The earth held so many hopes and possibilities, the princess would tell Winter. But because Winter was only a maiden to the princess, she felt powerless to change the laws. However, if the princess truly loved this prince, love would find a way, she'd reason.
The commander then had approached Winter upon learning that she'd been speaking to the princess about her prince. "I know it is wrong to keep love apart, but, the laws forbid it. Her presence on the Earth may cause unease among the people. No one must see the princess on Earth. Besides, there are people on earth who aren't kind toward pretty young girls. It's a dangerous world down there. Her heart must guard over this planet someday. We must protect her heart from all of humanity's darkness. I love her too Winter and I want her to have this love just as much as you do. But we cannot endanger the lives of the people of the Earth and the Moon because of one girl's desire!"
"Begging your pardon commander. But, her heart is her strength. We must not underestimate her power. She will find a way with or without you or me." Winter peered up into Venus' eyes demanding a response.
"I am well aware of the power of her majesty's heart and that of the silver imperial crystal," Venus fumed as she continued, " as well as her tendency to disagree with any order she does not approved of. But, the consequences for breaking the sacred laws will be our doom! We cannot allow for history to repeat itself again." A silent moment passed between the two girls and they glared at each other. Then, Venus broke the silence and ordered Winter to ensure the princess did not falter from her path and travel to the Earth alone to see the prince, since Winter was the one always by her side. "There will be a soldier outside her chambers at all times. Failure to fulfill your duty as I instructed will result in grave punishment and you will be banned from the Moon Kingdom, do you understand?" Venus sternly commanded.
"Yes, commander. As you wish." Winter replied and knelt down in acceptance. Deep down, Winter knew what she had to do, but her mind would fight against it. Many times when the princess looked down upon the Earth, Winter could see the pain in her eyes and feel it in her heart.
But Winter loved her friend, so much so that one day she could bare no longer to see her friend in so much sorrow. Winter had repeated in her mind what Venus had said, "We must protect her heart from all of humanity's darkness." "Yes commander" Winter had said to herself, "I will follow your orders, just as you instructed."