Chapter Nine
This starts out in the past, about where the last chapter ended. Happy reading!
Two days pass before I am fully recovered from my feigned demise. Jarreid had insisted on going to my mother by himself, and left that very afternoon. He had not returned. It made so much sense then, that the mourning fiancé should go to the distraught mother. Although now, I wish I had made him wait. I walk cautiously outside. The house is in the middle of the woods, close to the earthen palace gate to Elysion, Darien's kingdom. Beryl had been one of the shrine maidens. She had fallen in love with Darien and could not forgive Serena, or any living person, for his rebuttal of her affections. In that alone did I have sympathy for her. It was reputed that she had fallen in with a creature of some power from another universe, a supposed "negaverse," aptly named for the evil it produced. The air is cold, as if the wind has changed to reflect the times. I move with celerity to reach the palace gates, though I know not what I would hope to accomplish. One thought pulses through me, something is wrong. Hiding has lost all import.
The gate is under attack! A thousand gruesome aberrations move undaunted through it. Wait, they have already won. Darien was away; I may have inadvertently caused the defeat of the earth. His parents are bound to the gate, dead. Tears blear my vision, just as I am about to turn away from the horrific and unfathomable sight, a new terror fills me. Two of the creatures come forth from the gate bearing Jarreid, unconscious, maybe even dead. Without thinking, I scream and rush forward, knocking aside the startled beasts. I pummel the ones holding Jarreid with my fists until my hands bleed. They laugh at my futility, dropping Jarreid to the ground. He is dead. A large hole through his chest, eyes showing the pain of the injury he must of felt just before breathing his last. I feel numb, hardly caring what happens now. They take me through the gate. Elysion lies in ruins; they made a small effort to repair the primary receiving chamber. Beryl sits victorious, her generals stand about her strategizing the next attack. They intend to strike during Serena's party, while all high ranking officials will be in one place and off guard. I thought I could not possibly cry any harder, but this news redoubles my grief. Sobs rack me uncontrollably to the point where I am having trouble breathing. Beryl hears this noise, joyful to her ears, and grants me sight of her pernicious smile. I try to hold myself together so she will not have the pleasure of seeing me completely shattered. I simply cannot, all of this hurts too much. Her smile widens.
"Ah, I see that you have come at last. It's a shame really," She sighs dramatically, "I needn't have wasted the time on that spell. You see, my army easily conquered the earth, and the Moon Kingdom will be no different. Or, perhaps it was not entirely a waste after all, seeing as how you have gotten the Prince, Princess, and captains of both palace guards out of the way for me. Now you have the honor of seeing me subjugate the solar system." She gestures slightly with her hand, as if swatting a fly out of the way. The creatures laugh again as they drag me away, careful to be certain I meet with every sharp protrusion of the ground. I find myself back in that same cell where this nightmare first began. Ironically, it is only a hundred feet from the main palace of Elysion, though being subterranean must have aided in concealing its close proximity. Still, that she would have the audacity to build her base almost on palace grounds and that the base went undiscovered by the guard is even more unsettling.
Days pass, if one can call them that, I have lost track of time. No one comes. There is not even a guard bearing food or water. At first, I am immensely pleased by this; thinking that I can starve to death and, in that death, be reunited with my love. However, as time passes, I cease to be hungry, as if there is a certain point at which I am no longer allowed to need such things as water and nourishment, or light. I believe that point is death. Serena's ball should be soon, or maybe it has already passed and everyone is dead. I force myself to stand up and look around for the first time in what is probably days. There is no way out. I slump to the floor, drawing my arms about my knees and letting my head drop. Not for the first time, I wonder if it could truly be my fault that this should happen. I remember Beryl's words, "You have gotten the Prince, Princess, and captains of both palace guards out of the way for me." Serena must have been devastated, then, and I already knew Darien had gone to her, leaving his kingdom that much less defended. Of course, my father, captain of the Moon Guard, would have been more than a little upset. And Jarreid is…I hear a sound in the distance, like that of horses' hooves. Light reaches me, blinds me. I bolt up, turning in a complete circle stunned by my surroundings. The cell has disappeared. Tall trees with leaves far above me shade the glade, but to my eyes, which have seen nothing but darkness, it is overwhelming…
I pull myself out of the memory with almost painful effort. The cell had disappeared then only to haunt me a thousand years later. A thousand years…I have wandered this planet for a thousand years! It is a wonder that all of those years have never seemed so incredibly long as they do at this moment. Then, I hear the terrible and familiar sound of heels striking stone, and at this moment, Beryl stands before me, in the flesh. I should be taken aback, after all, the Senshi defeated her already, so she should be gone. I am not surprised in the least. The one who brought about the end of the Moon Kingdom would not be so easily overcome. More over, if she dies, I die, and I am fairly certain I am not dead yet.
"You're not crying now, oh what a disappointment," she says bitingly. I can feel hatred burning through me, but I am in control. I ignore the comment.
"What is the diabolical plan this time?" I ask sarcastically mocking her, "I think we've already played this scene." She just gives her usual fang-filled smirk. "Oops, wait I forgot, this time we've even. If I die, you die. You must have been so pleased when I learned that little spell." I smile sweetly, batting my eyes in feigned innocence. My words have gotten to her, Beryl's countenance changes as she loses the upper hand. My only regret, and greatest relief, is that The Book is not with me. I would not want her to get hold of it. Fortunately, or unfortunately depending on one's point of view, I have had a lot of time to memorize spells. I use my favorite: controlling energy.
In one clean motion, I slice through the bars and move to face Beryl, holding a veritable energy sword. Her smile returns.
"You won't kill me, you wouldn't want to die now, would you?" I take a menacing step forward, taking the stance my father had shown me long ago. She continues, "Not now that you've found the princess." I waver for a moment, but take another step. She leans back a bit, but is unwilling to yield. "Not now that you have friends." The fact that Beryl has been spying on me just incites me to take action all the more. She sees this and changes tactics, "You can't hurt me anyway, you've never been strong enough and you would never lower yourself to that level." I laugh mirthlessly at this, but stop advancing and change my grip.
"If that's true, then I guess there is only one way." I hold the blade over my own heart. A heart that ensured the beating of another, Beryl. I was her ambrosia, I ensured her immortality just as she ensured mine. There is nothing Beryl can do stop me from thrusting the blade into that heart of ambrosia. I watch her sink to her knees as I fall to mine. In perfect synchronization, we drop forward, faces striking the floor where this first began, lives coming full circle to end in darkness. I'm sorry…
Ha ha ha…this is the off ramp for people with short attention spans. She's dead. You can leave it at that, or I can tell you that the tale is infinite. After all, this is only the doom tree series, and I haven't begun to touch on her past. PLEASE REVIEW!!! Flame me, whatever. Again, this is the station for anyone who is bored to tears. The train will soon depart. If you want to read on, then look for Heart of Ambrosia II. There are other reasons why I give it that title…
