*Ten*
"What's done, cannot be undone."
-- Macbeth by William Shakespeare
The music was soft and caressing, floating through the air like a lullaby. All around, people were laughing, talking, conversing about the party. No one noticed that the guest of honor had left; the Moon Princess was nowhere to be found.
Princess Serenity stood at the balcony, letting the cool night air flow around her. Today was her birthday celebration, a day to be remembered, but yet it seemed that nothing was going right. She had wanted this night to be special, but it had turned into a disaster. She stared up into the night sky, her eyes fixed onto one of the planets floating the void of space. Earth. She closed her eyes; Darien hadn't come. He had promised that he would be here for her birthday celebration, but despite how hard she looked, he had not come. Her fingers closed gently around the locket in her hand. It was held a beautiful golden glow, shimmering under the pale light. It was shaped into a five-pointed star; a small golden dome glittered in the center. She carefully flicked the dome open and a slow tinkering tune began to play. She let herself be lost in the rhythm of the slow melody.
"Serena, Moon Princess!" Someone was calling her name. She closed the locket, opening her eyes. Below the balcony, stood a familiar figure. It was a young man, his hair was jet black but his eyes were a crystal blue. He wore intricately layered armor, designed only for royalty, that was colored different shades of blue, black, and silver. From his shoulders, flowed a long, dark cape that was lined with crimson red velvet. It was Prince Darien Endymoin of Earth, "Princess, I must speak with you."
Serena wanted to jump down from the balcony, to join her prince. Her heart skipped a beat; he had come after all. "Darien…I thought that you had not come." She said, slightly surprised.
"How could I miss your birthday celebration, my princess?" He asked, his expression breaking into a small grin, "Especially one so important as your coming of age, eighteen."
The princess smiled, "Oh, Darien, I'm so glad that you're here."
"I can not stay long," He frowned, "Beryl has attacked Earth and the Silver Millennium no longer trusts anyone from my planet. I must leave soon, but I wanted to see you again, and give you your present."
Serena smiled, "Nothing could be a better gift than what you have already given me, Darien. Just by being here, you've made me happy."
"Meet me at the rose garden, princess. I have much to tell you." He said, his eyes locked with hers.
"I will." She replied, blowing him a quick kiss before turning to run down the stairs. She passed by the music and the dancing, through the halls of the palace and towards her private gardens. She soon made her way to her largest, and most favorite, collection, the rose garden. Inside, roses of different colors, sizes, and shapes bloomed with life. Already waiting for her there, Prince Endymoin extended his arms towards her. She ran into him, hugging him tightly.
"I've missed you, Darien." She said, breathing in his familiar scent.
"As I have you, Princess." He said smiling. He produced a crimson rose out of thin air, handing it to her. She took it quickly, breathing in the sweet aroma. Again, he reached into the air, this time, he produced a gem. It was completely black in color, but it glittered under the light.
"What is it?" She asked, examining it.
"This is my present to you, my princess." He replied, "This is the Jet Stone." At this, she drew back a little, her eyes locked in the jewel. He continued to speak, "It contains power beyond imagination and it has always been in the possession of the Endymoin family."
Serena looked up quickly, "I can't take this from you, Darien. The Jet Stone is the second most powerful tool in the universe next to the Silver Crystal. Its power is too great, it is too much."
"No." He replied, placing it into her hand, "You must take this. It is only half of the actual Stone." He took out another completely identical stone, "I will keep one, the other is yours. This will connect us forever. Whenever you need help, you need only to grasp the Stone and speak my name and I will hear you."
She looked at the stone in her hand. She blinked, trying to assess the actual color of the crystal. Though at first glance, it had appeared black, she soon realized that it contained a multitude of color. Each shade was different, as it blended with the others. It seemed almost alive in her fingers; all the colors swam together, constantly moving. She finally looked back up at Darien. "Thank you…" was all she could say.
He smiled, leaning down slowly and kissing her gently on the lips.
"The castle is under attack!" The cry rang into their ears, jerking them from their reverie. They both looked up, surprised.
"All personnel report to the ballroom, the castle is under attack!" The cry came again, this time closer.
Serena clutched at Darien's arm for safety, her expression turning worried. "What's happening?"
He held her closer, looking up at the sky as it began to turn black, "Come on, we must get back to the palace." The two ran, past the bushes of roses and into the building. They made their way down a myriad of hallways and corridors, finally arriving at the ballroom. There were people all over, all dressed in their finest attire. At the head of the room, on a dais, stood Queen Serenity.
"Mother!"
Serena cried out, running towards the woman with Darien behind her, "What shall
we do."
"Serena," The queen looked
down at her daughter from the platform. Her gaze wandered towards the man
standing next to her, "Prince Endymoin, the castle is under attack, we must
gather our forces."
Darien nodded, "Earth has already suffered much damage, my father sent me here to help the Moon. Earth is on your side, your Majesty."
"I thank you, Prince Endymoin, for your planet's support as well as for protecting my daughter." The queen replied, "The Dark Forces are descending quickly onto the moon, we must send our finest warriors to take the front before they arrive."
"I will
go." He said without hesitation, "I have fought against them before."
"And so will I…" Another voice
joined in. The three turned to see who had spoken. Before them stood a young
man, he was tall; his hair was a dark shade of chestnut brown. His eyes,
likewise, were brown, almost caramel colored. He wore silver armor, his sword
already drawn. He looked about the same age as Darien, twenty-one.
"Prince Galaxia," Queen Serenity acknowledged him, "Are you willing to risk your life defending our kingdom."
"Yes." He replied, his eyes determined.
"No…" Only then did the others noticed that Princess Azure had made her way into the group, "Andre, you can't go."
The man turned to looked at her, his arm pulling her nearer, "I must, Azure." He replied, "The Negaverse must be stopped, I must help defend the Silver Millennium."
"I can't lose you, Andre," She cried, brushing the blue hair from her eyes as she stared at him, "Please… Andre…"
"We will not let him be harmed, Princess." The captain of the palace guard stepped forward, "I serve the queen as I serve you, princess. Prince Galaxia will be safe with us."
Azure looked at him, unsure, before reluctantly looking back at Andre. She didn't say anything as she tried to stop the tears from flowing.
"Don't worry, Azure." Darien finally said. He looked over at Andre, his friend for many years, "I promise you, no one will be able to harm Andre without going through me first."
Azure sighed closing her eyes. "I trust you, Darien…"
"See?" Andre asked, gently pulling her into a hug, "Everything will be all right. I promise, my love, I will return to you."
She kissed him on the cheek, "I'll miss you."
"I know,
I'll miss you too." He replied, giving her another kiss. Finally he turned back
to the others, "When do we have to leave?"
"In a short while," Serenity
replied, "You have a few minutes before the troops will be deployed."
With that the group began to break up, each person going off to collect their belongings or to say good-bye to their loved ones. Andre pulled Azure off to the side, talking gently with her. Serena watched as Darien talked with her mother. She sighed closing her eyes and turning around. She made her way back to the balcony. Darien was leaving, leaving to fight. She tried to push the thought out of her mind that he wouldn't return. She tried to breath in the air to calm herself, but nothing could stop the racing of her heart.
"Princess…" His voice was close to her as she felt his arms around her waist. She let herself lean back into him.
"Darien…" She said, "I'm so scared."
"Don't worry, Serena." He turned her around so that he could see her face, "Everything will be all right." He held up his half of the Jet Stone, "If you ever need me, remember, just use the Stone."
She nodded, her eyes intent on his face. Finally, she drew her star locket out again. She held it out to him, "Take this." She said, "Remember me whenever you play it."
He took it, opening it. The familiar tune began to play again. He looked at her, cupping her face with his hand, "I'll treasure it always."
She
smiled, blushing, "I love you, Darien."
"I love you too, Princess." He
kissed her, pulling her into him. Finally, he drew away slowly, "I must join
the others now." With that, he jumped from the balcony, taking flight into the
night air.
* * *
Azure sat, dejected, at the gate. The air smelled of sulfur, and the sky was black with smoke. Destruction was everywhere, but the princess' eyes remained intent on one point in the distance. There were flashes of light, color, and billowing smoke emitted from that point, it was the location of the battlegrounds. Her fingers caressed the pendant hanging from her neck, the only souvenir of Andre that she had. She had waited, waited for four long days, for news, for a sign, for anything that would tell her that he was all right. But none had come. There was only the constant flashing of explosions and the thundering of fighting that told her that the battle was still raging. Everyday, she would wait at the palace gate, to greet the envoy of soldiers from the field. These would always be the injured, the weak, and sometimes, a messenger. This time, for the fourth day in the row, she sat patiently, waiting for that envoy to arrive. The winds were beginning to pick up, and she knew a storm was coming, but she didn't care. Finally, the silvery gleam of a ship approached. She got up from her seat, fidgeting still with the pendant. Finally, the door of the shuttle opened and the guards quickly began to come in with their stretchers, to help the injured. Azure watched, her eyes searching for a familiar figure, but she saw none. The warriors kept filing out, finally she spotted someone…
"Darien!" She called out, quickly running towards him.
The young man looked up, his face worn and bruised. He clutched at his right side with pain, but when he saw her, he began to walk towards her slowly.
"Darien," She raced towards him, finally reaching him, "What news…?"
He looked down at her, his eyes searching hers. He began to say something, but then stopped. "Azure…" Was all he said.
"What?" she asked, "What is it? Please, just tell me."
"Azure…" He began again, no turning away, "I… I'm sorry, Azure."
"What do you mean, 'I'm sorry'?" She asked, her voice turning shrill. Her arms were now on his shoulders, shaking him back and forth. He winced slightly as he clutched again at his right side, "What happened, where's Andre!?" She asked.
"He…" Darien sighed, "I don't know, Azure. No one knows… We were in the middle of the battlefield, the enemy was pouring in from all sides. Andre lunged forward to take on the opposition… There was a flash of bright light and I looked away, the next thing I know, he was gone… he just… disappeared."
"No!" The scream was choked into her throat by tears that were fast flowing down her cheeks, "No… you said you'd protect him. You said that he'd be all right… you promised… he promised…he said he'd return to me!"
Darien watched her, saying nothing. He let her hit him and punch him. Her fists pounded uselessly against his chest. He didn't do anything; he just let her continue ranting.
"He promised…" Her voice was becoming weak from screaming as she trailed off. Her legs felt weak and she found herself sinking slowly to the ground. His arms quickly caught her around the waist, holding her up.
"I'm sorry, Azure. I truly am."
"No…" She pushed him away violently. She turned, around, her legs carrying her far away. She ran away, away from the injured, from the warriors who had returned, from Darien. She raced into the palace, past people and servants alike. She let the tears stream down her face, not caring to wipe them away. Her hand absently clutched at the pendant still hanging from her neck. She found the stairs and began to bound up them, two or three at a time.
"Azure!" Someone was calling her name. She didn't want to stop, but that voice struck a cord in her memory and she had to look up.
"Azure, cousin, what's going on?" Princess Serenity was walking slowly down the stairs, her eyes worried as she looked at her cousin.
The other princess clenched her fist, suddenly becoming angry. Her voice was cold, her eyes hard as she glared at Serena, "Darien is back from the battlefield." She said, trying to sound sweet, but failing miserably.
The Moon Princess almost began to rush down the stairs at this news, but she stopped. "What's wrong, Azure?" She asked, sensing that the mood had changed.
Azure stared icily at her cousin, "Darien has returned, but Andre is dead. He's dead, Serena, do you hear that!? Your precious prince still lives, but mine is dead!"
Serena looked taken aback, her hand flew to her mouth, "I'm so sorry, Azure."
Azure laughed bitterly, "Sorry? No… you aren't sorry, Serena. You can't be sorry, not until you know what I'm feeling. Not until you feel my pain!" Somehow, her voice had turned shrill again, but Azure didn't care.
"Azure…" Serena walked towards her, extending a hand, "I know that nothing can ever bring him back, but please, you can't be angry like this."
Azure drew back, away from Serena's touch. She clenched her fists, tempted to strike Serena. "You don't understand, cousin… you'll never know." She glared at her, "Go." She finally ordered, practically screaming, "Go ahead… go to your prince, you know you want to." With that she bound up the last remaining stairs and rounded the corner. She fled to her room, locking herself inside, letting her pain and anger out as she collapsed into a sobbing heap on the floor.
