CHAPTER ONE ~ MOON
Spring had come for the Moon Kingdom. The people were changing with the times, babies being brought unto the world; life was flourishing for all around. In the Royal Palace, joy mixed with hectic bustled around the halls. The news of Princess Serenity of the Moon being engaged to another prince living on the moon was to be proclaimed, creating a buzz of joy in the air… for most at least. A ball was to be held for the wondrous occasion, royalty from all the planets were to come and celebrate. The Moon was in jubilance once again!
Queen of the Moon, Queen Serenity, had planned out the festival at an attempt to unite all the planets. Through laborious discussion, all the royalties had joined together to bring forth the Silver Millennium… all but one… the planet Earth. A Queen from a neighboring star, Queen Beryl, had joined alliances with the Earth in "an effort for peace." Her ideas for the Silver Millennium and the rules for all the stars in the galaxy were quite different from the rest of the rulers. Queen Serenity, being her kind-hearted self, still intended to invite the royalties from Earth to try to reason with their ways.
*~* *~*
Princess Serenity stared at herself in front of the silver vanity mirror. Her cornsilk blond hair, as shiny as the sun's rays, was placed into the traditional updo of two buns with the rest flowing down. "It represents our legacy as daughters of the moon," her mother had told her. She grimaced at the hairstyle she was forced to wear every single day… and was forced to wear on one of the "happiest days of her life!" Yes, that's what her mother also told. Curse of the stars, wasn't she supposed to be royalty and have MORE advantages than commoners?! Instead, she was restricted to being wed off to an arrogant pig-headed prince of the lower courts. "For peace," Queen Serenity had explained. "If the majesties of Earth see how we plan to flourish our Moon heritage, than maybe they will reconsider joining the rest of the planet rulers in Millennium peace." Of course, she had pleaded with waiting for love and being only sixteen, but to no avail. She previously had an arrangement with her fiancé, Zech, who had said she would grow to love him. It wasn't as if he was that bad looking, with his platinum blond hair pulled back in a simple long ponytail, his eyes an intense green. Being the teenage girl that she was, she considered him pretty nice-looking. It was the idea of sleeping in the same bead with him, his greedy, money-oriented self, being pushed to have his children and live with him for the rest of her life that caused her to shudder.
Serenity sighed. Why did she have to do this? Why did her destiny have to be planned out for her? As of any girl, she dreamed to fall in love. Her crystalline blue eyes shimmered dreamily at the thought. To be whisked away from her pre-planned future, to not know what would happen next, to take the road that no one hath traveled before…
The image of Zech's naked back facing her in bed every night clouded her vision.
She let out an irritated breath, grabbing her hairbrush and combing it through her golden locks in one swift motion. Damn it, being a princess sure had its bad points. Suddenly there was a soft knock on the door.
She slammed down her brush, her eyes flickering with impatience. Great, here come the maids ready to dress me up for the ball.
"Come in," she replied in a fake, syrupy-sweet voice. She usually wasn't this irritable, being the sensitive Cancer that she was. The long line of Serenitys had been born under the caring and nurturing Cancers, warm-hearted to almost everyone. However, the Queen's of the Moon get their mood swings…
A stout elderly woman poked her head around the heavy French door shyly. Nell had been taking care of Princess Serenity since she was first born, the one who delivered her. Living with the Moon Daughters for 20 years helped her develop a knack of telling what kind of mood they were in. Seeing Serenity's expression soften, she entered the room fully, closing the door tightly behind her. Nell's gray streaked auburn hair was pulled tightly into bun with a knitted shawl placed around her head. Her warm hazel eyes were always welcoming and kind to Serenity. She was basically a second mom to the princess.
"Merry meet to you, M'lady, on this fine afternoon," came a light and a polite welcoming as she took a quick bow.
Serenity smiled at the woman before returning her position in front of the mirror. "Must I wear my hair like this every day? Even before a ball planned for me?"
Nell quickly stepped over to the pale wooded bureau, deftly flipping through the many dresses for the ball gown. "I'm sorry, love, we've been through this before. You know your muther doesn't improve of you wearing your hair any other way."
Serenity slumped in her chair, frowning at her reflection. "Nell?"
Finally finding the right gown, she delicately removed it from the chest. "Hmm?"
"Do you want me to be engaged to Zech?"
With this the maid stopped running the invisible wrinkles out of the gown and looked sadly over at the princess. "I believe… your muther… she knows what she is doing. Though I may not agree with this issue…" She placed the dress on the canopy bed and knelt down beside the distressed girl. "Love, there is no other choice. Your muther has done all she could to save you a blessed future. Marrying a prince of our Moon is the only way. The Queen is a good woman, true and strong." She cupped the young woman's chin in her hand, giving it an affectionate squeeze. "Let's not talk about this now, sweet. You've got a ball to prepare for, and time is running out! You don't want to be late!"
Princess Serenity grinned at Nell, walking up to view gown. Usually, she would wear what she dressed in normally: her Moon Kingdom dress, complete with puffy sleeves and a gold trim around the white dress. Today, she luckily had a different gown for this "special occasion." This dress was a low-cut halter, revealing her entire back. The shining, silver satin material clung to her curves in all the right places, giving her a more mature look than what she normally looked like. At her feet, the dressed flew just a little bit out to cover up her spiky heels that Nell had let her slide wearing. A sheer silver shawl hung loosely over her bare forearms. To finish off the look, a silver ivy tiara with a crescent moon in the center was placed on her head.
"So, what do you think?" Serenity asked Nell while twirling in front of the antique long-mirror. "Pretty different, huh?"
"You look ravishing, darling!" The woman's rosy apple cheeks rose up in an adoring smile, clasping her hands together. "Now, you go knock 'em dead, m'lady! Shoo, shoo, you're already late as it is!"
Laughing, Serenity placed a quick kiss on her maid's cheek and hurried out the door to make her entrance at the ball.
Spring had come for the Moon Kingdom. The people were changing with the times, babies being brought unto the world; life was flourishing for all around. In the Royal Palace, joy mixed with hectic bustled around the halls. The news of Princess Serenity of the Moon being engaged to another prince living on the moon was to be proclaimed, creating a buzz of joy in the air… for most at least. A ball was to be held for the wondrous occasion, royalty from all the planets were to come and celebrate. The Moon was in jubilance once again!
Queen of the Moon, Queen Serenity, had planned out the festival at an attempt to unite all the planets. Through laborious discussion, all the royalties had joined together to bring forth the Silver Millennium… all but one… the planet Earth. A Queen from a neighboring star, Queen Beryl, had joined alliances with the Earth in "an effort for peace." Her ideas for the Silver Millennium and the rules for all the stars in the galaxy were quite different from the rest of the rulers. Queen Serenity, being her kind-hearted self, still intended to invite the royalties from Earth to try to reason with their ways.
*~* *~*
Princess Serenity stared at herself in front of the silver vanity mirror. Her cornsilk blond hair, as shiny as the sun's rays, was placed into the traditional updo of two buns with the rest flowing down. "It represents our legacy as daughters of the moon," her mother had told her. She grimaced at the hairstyle she was forced to wear every single day… and was forced to wear on one of the "happiest days of her life!" Yes, that's what her mother also told. Curse of the stars, wasn't she supposed to be royalty and have MORE advantages than commoners?! Instead, she was restricted to being wed off to an arrogant pig-headed prince of the lower courts. "For peace," Queen Serenity had explained. "If the majesties of Earth see how we plan to flourish our Moon heritage, than maybe they will reconsider joining the rest of the planet rulers in Millennium peace." Of course, she had pleaded with waiting for love and being only sixteen, but to no avail. She previously had an arrangement with her fiancé, Zech, who had said she would grow to love him. It wasn't as if he was that bad looking, with his platinum blond hair pulled back in a simple long ponytail, his eyes an intense green. Being the teenage girl that she was, she considered him pretty nice-looking. It was the idea of sleeping in the same bead with him, his greedy, money-oriented self, being pushed to have his children and live with him for the rest of her life that caused her to shudder.
Serenity sighed. Why did she have to do this? Why did her destiny have to be planned out for her? As of any girl, she dreamed to fall in love. Her crystalline blue eyes shimmered dreamily at the thought. To be whisked away from her pre-planned future, to not know what would happen next, to take the road that no one hath traveled before…
The image of Zech's naked back facing her in bed every night clouded her vision.
She let out an irritated breath, grabbing her hairbrush and combing it through her golden locks in one swift motion. Damn it, being a princess sure had its bad points. Suddenly there was a soft knock on the door.
She slammed down her brush, her eyes flickering with impatience. Great, here come the maids ready to dress me up for the ball.
"Come in," she replied in a fake, syrupy-sweet voice. She usually wasn't this irritable, being the sensitive Cancer that she was. The long line of Serenitys had been born under the caring and nurturing Cancers, warm-hearted to almost everyone. However, the Queen's of the Moon get their mood swings…
A stout elderly woman poked her head around the heavy French door shyly. Nell had been taking care of Princess Serenity since she was first born, the one who delivered her. Living with the Moon Daughters for 20 years helped her develop a knack of telling what kind of mood they were in. Seeing Serenity's expression soften, she entered the room fully, closing the door tightly behind her. Nell's gray streaked auburn hair was pulled tightly into bun with a knitted shawl placed around her head. Her warm hazel eyes were always welcoming and kind to Serenity. She was basically a second mom to the princess.
"Merry meet to you, M'lady, on this fine afternoon," came a light and a polite welcoming as she took a quick bow.
Serenity smiled at the woman before returning her position in front of the mirror. "Must I wear my hair like this every day? Even before a ball planned for me?"
Nell quickly stepped over to the pale wooded bureau, deftly flipping through the many dresses for the ball gown. "I'm sorry, love, we've been through this before. You know your muther doesn't improve of you wearing your hair any other way."
Serenity slumped in her chair, frowning at her reflection. "Nell?"
Finally finding the right gown, she delicately removed it from the chest. "Hmm?"
"Do you want me to be engaged to Zech?"
With this the maid stopped running the invisible wrinkles out of the gown and looked sadly over at the princess. "I believe… your muther… she knows what she is doing. Though I may not agree with this issue…" She placed the dress on the canopy bed and knelt down beside the distressed girl. "Love, there is no other choice. Your muther has done all she could to save you a blessed future. Marrying a prince of our Moon is the only way. The Queen is a good woman, true and strong." She cupped the young woman's chin in her hand, giving it an affectionate squeeze. "Let's not talk about this now, sweet. You've got a ball to prepare for, and time is running out! You don't want to be late!"
Princess Serenity grinned at Nell, walking up to view gown. Usually, she would wear what she dressed in normally: her Moon Kingdom dress, complete with puffy sleeves and a gold trim around the white dress. Today, she luckily had a different gown for this "special occasion." This dress was a low-cut halter, revealing her entire back. The shining, silver satin material clung to her curves in all the right places, giving her a more mature look than what she normally looked like. At her feet, the dressed flew just a little bit out to cover up her spiky heels that Nell had let her slide wearing. A sheer silver shawl hung loosely over her bare forearms. To finish off the look, a silver ivy tiara with a crescent moon in the center was placed on her head.
"So, what do you think?" Serenity asked Nell while twirling in front of the antique long-mirror. "Pretty different, huh?"
"You look ravishing, darling!" The woman's rosy apple cheeks rose up in an adoring smile, clasping her hands together. "Now, you go knock 'em dead, m'lady! Shoo, shoo, you're already late as it is!"
Laughing, Serenity placed a quick kiss on her maid's cheek and hurried out the door to make her entrance at the ball.