*skiangel_sv@lycos.com*
(This is a not-so-subtle hit that my inbox is suffering from
malnutrition. Mail me, peoples! I want answers to my question
from the end of Part 1...)

Bonjour, minna! Part 2 is here! Huzzah! All right typical thank yous
and notes, and then off we go.

As always, thank you Mary Annie and Corie for your never-ending support
and encouragement. Sailor Moon lives forever! Charisse and Jill- thank
you for the laughs and for your ever positive outlook on life, not to
mention your sense of humor. Hermie and Jess- you are the greatest,
even if Sailor Moon is not your forte. Thanks for reading anyway. And
a special thank you to all the peole who read the first part of my
fic and mailed me asking for more! You guys (chrissy, Andrea, and
Galaxia16, Michelle, Niya and Tiff to name a few) are the greatest!

Notes: I lied, folks. This story has assumed a life of it's own and
has become (despite my best laid plans), a three part story. I was
sitting at my computer and realized that I had too much to say to
fit into two parts, especially when I found a perfect ending point
for this part.

Also, my characters may seem appallingly modern, and I did that
on purpose. To my way of thinking, the characters we know and love
probably wouldn't change much in their different lifetimes. Therefore,
they would have the same quirks, flaws and personalities in the past,
present and future. Also, Serena has little conversations with herself.
Sorry if that's confusing.

Disclaimer: Ebay is the coolest! I got these awesome Sailor Moon posters
(manga style) and the prettiest Fushigi Yugi poster! Sorry, where was I?
Ah, yes. Much as I wish it were otherwise, I do not own Sailor Moon.
Naoko Taketchi does, though Dic, Bandai and Pioneer have bragging rights.

Wish Upon a Faerie Ring, Part 2
Rated PG-13(sexual reference)


The moment Annette shut the door, Serena turned around warily, keeping
her eyes on the spot where she had last seen Darien. When her eyes
didn't find him there, Serena began peering around her room.
"Darien?" she called softly.
A muffled grunt came from under the bed. Curious, Serena laid flat
on her stomach, bending at the waist and leaning over the edge of the
bed. Her silver hair fell to the floor as crystal blue eyes looked
into the gloom underneath the bed.
"Darien? What in the Moon's name are you doing under the bed?"
A disgruntled prince turned his dark head to look at the
too-innocent face of the Imperial Moon Princess.
"Thinking about all the painful ways there are to kill your maid."
"Well," Serena stated practically, still hanging over the edge
of the bed, "you can hardly blame her. After all, how pleased would
you be if a strange man had snuck into my room in the dead of night?"
Darien's eyes narrowed to thin chips of sapphire ice.

'Oops. I think I've made him mad.'
'Isn't that what you wanted to do?'
'No...'
'Then why are you taunting him? He won't stay under the bed
forever.'
'Too bad. He looks so cute under there. Wait, no he doesn't...
Darien is arrogant, annoying and cold.'
'Then why is your heart beating so fast?'
'Not another word out of you.'
'Just telling it like it is.'
'When I want your help I'll ask for it!'
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Darien watched with extreme interest as Serena fell silent.
She looked positively adorable hanging over the bed, silver hair
framing her face. She was also desirable. That thought brought back
the purpose of his nocturnal visit, and Darien began looking for a
way to get out from under the bed. While he was struggling, Serena
rolled onto her back and pulled herself onto the bed. Darien felt
her absence keenly and those feelings only increased his determination
to get out from under the bed as quickly as possible. Unfortunately, the
bed was not high enough off the ground to permit him to do this easily.
It had not been easy getting under the bed, but he had managed to do it.
Now all he had to do was recreate the process. Just a little twist and...
he was free. Lying on his stomach, the Crown Prince of Earth began
dragging himself across the cold marble floor toward the light of the
full moon. When his upper torso, arms and head were free, Darien flipped
onto his back and grabbed the covers on top of the bed. Swinging his
legs around, Darien came onto his knees beside the bed and beheld
rumpled sheets.

"Well, that's very interesting."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Serena had realized about two milliseconds after righting herself
that she was still wearing what Annette had provided for her at the
beginning of the evening. Ordinarily that wouldn't have bothered her,
but the nightgown Annette had provided for her tonight was little more
that wispy white silk and bits of lace. Even THAT wouldn't have bothered
her, but she didn't ordinarily have a person of the male persuasion in
her room in the early morning hours.

Acting swiftly but silently, Serena stole into the adjoining
dressing room and shut the door. A swift search of the door-jam
revealed that there was no lock on the door. Banishing a surge of
panic, Serena groped for a light. Before her hand encountered one
of the glass lamps she knew were in the room, she heard Darien murmur
something from the bedroom. She froze, listening intently. She heard
a rustle of silk, and then the deliberate steps of a man on a mission.
She heard the footsteps pause in front of the closed dressing room
door, and then heard a hand fall gently on the doorknob.

The door knob twisted and the lock gave way with a slight click.
The full moon was so bright the bedchamber was sufficiently lit for
Serena to see the heartstopping outline of Darien's body. She gasped
slightly, then bit her lip to keep silent. Darien turned his head
toward the sound and took a step in her direction. He put out a hand,
searching for a light, and Serena felt a surge of triumph when his
hand connected with a shelf instead.

"By all the Gods...come out, Serena. Aren't we a little old for
hide-and-seek?"

Serena thought fast. Another idea came to her in an instant.
'Well, the element of surprise I suppose...' she thought, and lept.
Serena felt herself flying, felt her arms connect with solid muscle,
and braced herself for impact as both she and Darien fell toward the
floor.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Darien was surprised, though not unpleased, by Serena's 'attack'.
He forced his muscles to relax before they hit the marble floor,
relieving some of the pain. But the pain was forgotten the moment
he looked up at the bundle of silk, lace, and princess that he held
in his arms. He forced himself not to laugh as he looked at the top
of her head. Suddenly, Serena's body tensed as she realized where
she was. Defiently she met his eyes, and Darien watched as the anger
and panic slowly gave way to a mounting desire. He smiled and rolled
over. Serena didn't seem surprised to find herself on the floor, and
Darien smiled at her. Shyly she smiled back as Darien lowered his lips
onto hers.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

'Uh-oh.'
'What now?'
'Do you think he's mad?'
'Well, if you had just been attacked and knocked to the ground,
wouldn't you be a little upset?'
'I didn't...oh, wow.'
'What?'
'He's smiling.'
'Has it escaped your notice that you are lying currently
on a cold marble floor?'
'Now that you mention it...'
'What are you smiling about? This is a BAD situation.'
'But it feels so RIGHT.'
'Why aren't you...'

At that moment, Darien lowered his mouth onto hers, and
Serena lost her train of thought momentarily. Her inner voice
continued to think logically, but Serena was past the point of
rational thought.

'HAVE YOU GONE MAD?!?!?!'
'Shh. I'm busy.'

Darien's kiss was soft and meltingly sweet. Serena wrapped her
arms around his neck and pulled him closer, moulding her body to his.
His lips cleved to hers, a warm siege. The kiss became more intense,
sending shivers up and down nerve endings Serena hadn't known she had.
The kiss slowly gained momentum as its participants began exploring
each other. Serena whimpered and Darien caressed her cheek with his
free hand. Serena moved her hands from neck to shoulder blades in a
caressing motion, and Darien voiced his approval by arching slightly
into her hands. Serena was so lost in the moment that she didn't hear
the door open.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The Senshi were worried. It had taken time to hear Annette's
story and now they were concerned for the safety of the princess.
There wasn't much that Serena couldn't handle on her own, and,
while thunderstorms frightened her terribly, not much else made
her twitch. If Serena was as nervous as Annette had reported,
there was a good reason for it. Reaching the door of Serena's
bedchamber, the Senshi nodded and were prepared to enter the room
when a faint tapping made them turn.

Malachite, accompanied by the other three generals, had just
rounded the corner. Malachite stopped when he saw them, and the
others did as well.

"What are all of you doing here?" Mina asked.
"We might ask you the same question," Nephelite deadpanned.
"Annette found Serena in a state of upset when she checked on
her earlier and became concerned. We are simply ensuring that there
is no danger to the princess," Amy stated, her large vocabulary and
intelligence coming to the fore.
"So, now that you know why we're here, what are you doing in
this wing?" Lita directed the question at Nephelite, but it was
Malachite who replied.
"His higness was supposed to join us for drinks and cards
tonight, but he never arrived. We've been looking and this is the
only wing left."
This declaration brought raised eyebrows from all of the girls.
Zoicyte rolled his eyes, but grinned at when Malachite glared at him.
"Shall we?" Jaedite inquired, his eyes on the door. Nodding,
all eight stepped forward. Mina reached for the handle, her hand
closing around the cool metal. Quietly Mina pressed down on the
handle and felt the latch give. Quitely, the four Senshi stuck their
heads through the opening.

It took a moment for their eyes to adjust to the moonlight
flooding in to the room through the open balcony doors. When the eight
stopped blinking, the began looking around the room. Raye was the first
to notice the two shadowed figures entwined on the floor.
She bit back a gasp and elbowed Lita without ever taking her
eyes off of the lovers. Lita glared at Raye, then followed Raye's
pointing finger. She smiled broadly, tugging on Amy's sleeve. Amy
turned, looked, and her eyes widened. Mina had already noticed that
her princess and the prince were involved in a rather passionate
embrace. She looked at the other Senshi and raised her eyebrows. They
all nodded, smiling broadly. Without making a sound, each solider
grabbed a general, ushering them back outside. Lita pulled the door
shut quietly.

"What are you doing? We haven't found them yet," Jaedite said,
crossing his arms over his chest. The other three nodded, waiting for
the Senshi's explaination.
"I think it is safe to say that the Prince and Princess are
in NO danger at the present time," Mina stated.
"In fact, they probably won't be in danger for a long
while," Amy concurred.
"The princess would have called us herself if there was
any danger," Raye commented, trying to look thoughtful. "I'm sure
she'll notify us if she feels unsafe."
"I'd feel pretty safe right now if I were her. Not to mention
blissful, elated..omph. Amy, that hurt."
Amy blushed, having just stepped on Lita's foot. She smiled
brilliantly when Zoisyte cast her a questioning glare.
"We are satisfied that there is no intruder in the princess's
chamber," Amy said, her brilliant smile never dimming.
"Well, there is, but i don't think she wants him gone...ouch!
Amy, stop that!" Lita said
"The princess is in no danger," Amy finished.
"You assume she would notice...don't even think about it," Lita
warned, seeing that Amy had raised her foot again.

Malachite finally took the hint. He smiled and bowed to the Senshi,
and the other three followed suit.
"We shall take your word on the matter. Goodnight, ladies,"
Malachite said, a genuine smile on his face. He turned to go, Nephlite,
Zoysite and Jaedite accompanying him. The moment they were out of sight,
the Senshi burst into giggles and ran down the hall.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Serena may not have heard the door open, and she certainly was
not aware that her friends had observed the passionate embrace she was
currently sharing with Darien, but her languid mind registered voices
outside. Voices meant people, and people meant...oh, NO.

'Told you so.'
'Who asked you?'
'I'm your inner voice. The RATIONAL part of you. You don't call
me, I'm always here.'
'Comforting. What do I DO?'
'Might I suggest getting off the floor and back into bed?'

Easier said than done. Darien was keeping her firmly pressed
against the floor, his arms wrapped tightly around her. So Serena did
the only thing she could think to do. She rolled. Darien was more than
willing to roll with her, so the end result was virtually what she
wanted. Now to get his arms unwrapped. She tried pulling away, but
Darien just tightened his hold and brought her back down. She was lying
flush against him, her hands pressed against his bare chest. Serena
realized that pulling only made things worse...so would relaxing
make him let go? It couldn't hurt to try. So Serena relaxed, allowing
her face to fall into the curve of Darien's neck. Cheek to cheek, Serena
felt her breathing even out. She was so warm and comfortable.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Darien had been more than willing to roll over, but the pulling
away buisness was NOT on the agenda. So Darien did the only thing he could.
He tightened his hold. And much to his surprise, it worked. Serena just
relaxed in his arms, letting her face fall into the curve of his neck.
Darien smiled slightly as he heard her breathing become deep and relaxed.
"Do you know, Serena, I think I could fall in love with you very
easily."
Darien turned his head to gauge her reaction to this statement. He
smiled again when he looked at her face. His little Moon princess was
fast asleep. He shook his head with tolerant amusment, and pulled himself
upright. Cradling the Moon Princess in his arms, Prince Endymion carried
her to her rumpled bed and laid her down. He placed a silk coverlet over
her and headed for the balcony. As he climbed down the trellis, he
smiled. All in all, a satisfying evening.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The next morning...

Serena woke feeling calm and safe. It took a few moments for the
blurry objects in the room to snap into focus, but as they came, so did
the memories of the previous night. Serena buried her head in her hands.
This was trouble. She knew it, but she couldn't bring herself to feel
ashamed. She flopped back onto the pillows with a sigh and a very
feminine smile. Pulling the coverlet to her chin, her eyes sparkled as
she thought of the day to come.

"My lady? Are you awake?" Annette whispered from the doorway.
When Serena sat up, Annette hurried into the main chamber, her arms
laden down with rich multicolored fabrics. She placed the pile over a
chair and held up the gown one at a time for Serena's inspection, but
turned toward Serena with a concerned expression on her face.

"What happened last night?" Annette asked.
"Straight to the point," Serena muttered.
"What?"
"Nothing, nothing..."

Serena was thinking fast.

'What do I SAY!?!?! I can't tell her the truth!'
'Oh, so NOW you choose to talk to me.'
'What is THAT supposed to mean?'
'You ignored me last night.'
'Well, you were in the way! And I was having a smashing good time,
thank you very much.'
'Then get yourself out of this mess.'

"My lady?"

Serena blushed furiously, and started to talk. She talked for half
an hour. By the time she was finished, Annette was practically on the
floor with laughter.

"You fell asleep? Oh gods...you had a gorgeous man underneath you
and you...FELL ASLEEP?"

Serena was not amused. Yes, she had fallen asleep. Well, by the
gods, she had been tired! It HAD been three o'clock in the morning. But
all excuses aside, this was terribly humiliating. Serena groaned and
buried her head in her hands. She heard Annette's laughter intensify,
and reached behind her for a pillow. The pillow found its mark, but
Annette didn't seem to notice. The laughter continued, though it was
slightly muffled. Serena swung her legs over the side of her bed and
headed for the water pitcher on the endtable, making a concentrated
effort to ignore the shaking pile of linen that currently occupied
a place of honor on her marble floor.

Serena had washed her face and begun combing her hair before
Annette's laughter abated. Giggles still shook her body as Annette
rose to her feet and came toward Serena's night table. She managed to
control herself for a few moments, taking the brush from Serena and
beginning to work on the tangles. But five minutes later, Annette
glamced back at the bed and collapsed into laughter again.

"And...he hid...the Prince of Earth was...under the bed!"

Serena reached for the brush again, and continued with the
rythmic brushing of her hair. It was ten minutes before Annette
rose from the ground again, a huge smile on her face.

"It isn't that funny," Serena growled.
"Oh, yes, it is, my princess. Yes it is," Annette stated
as she moved toward the pile of fabric on the back of the armchair.

Annette held up the gowns one by one for Serena's inspection. It
seemed that while Serena had been enjoying herself, every one of the royal
seamstresses had put aside their current projects to sew a new wardrobe
for the Imperial Princess. And they had done a fine job. The two women
giggled together as Serena stood, deliberatly picking up every single
one to inspect it with exagerated care. Serena finally selected a lapis
lazuli blue that would bring out her eyes and highlight her silver gilt
hair. Annette helped Serena to bathe and to dress. Together the two swept
out of the room, walking slowly toward the gallery where the Senshi
normally broke their fast.

"Oh, princess? I forgot to mention something."
"I don't like the way you said that."
"Well, after I checked on you, I was worried, so I went and got
the Senshi, and they..."
"I didn't see them."
'Not that you would have noticed them, even if they HAD come in.'
'Shut up!'

"What time did you run for them?"
"Just after I checked on you, which would have been about 3:45."

Serena thought quickly. Assuming that Annette was correct in her
assesment of the time (and she probably was) then the Senshi would have
been alerted at around 3:50. And if it took five minutes to run from
the Senshi's chambers to hers, the Senshi would have seen...her and
Darien lost in a passionate embrace. Serena stopped dead in her tracks,
blushing furiously. Annette turned back and started to laugh again.

"Ah, so they may very well have seen the passionate kiss?"

Serena blushed harder, and Annette laughed more merrily. The
Moon Princess was hard to embarrass, and even harder to bully into
doing something she didn't want to do. Meaning that, deep down inside,
Serena must have WANTED Darien to kiss her. Who could blame her? Annette
resisted the urge to clap her hands in glee. This incident would make
perfect blackmail material.

They had arrived at the door to the gallery, and Serena was
obviously fighting the urge to turn tail and run. Annette placed a
comforting hand on her shoulder.

"Don't worry. I doubt they saw anything. Just act like nothing
happened and they will too."

Serena smiled at her maid and pushed open the door. Four pairs
of eyes turned toward her. Serena watched in horror as those eyes filled
with mischief. Serena started to back up.

"Nothing happened...I swearrrrrrrrrrrrr!"

Eight hands grabbed the Imperial Moon Princess and pulled her into
the room. The door swung shut, and remained closed. Annette shook her
head.

'Poor Serena. I would hate to be her right now.'
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"How could you not TELL us? We would have helped!" Raye was raging
at Serena. When the princess meekly reached for a slice of bread, Raye
slapped her hand. "And how can you think of food at a time like this?"

"Because," Serena responded "it is mid afternoon and I have not
yet eaten. I am starving. Kindly move out of my way."

Raye moved, but she didn't look happy about it. The Senshi had
been grilling Serena for an hour, and she had given quite a few
details about her miraculous transformation. But if she was eating,
then she couldn't tell them any more about the previous night.

Upon learning that the Senshi had witnessed the steamy kiss
on the marble floor, Serena had blushed and tried to mumble a
denial. But the Senshi were having none of that.

"So, he broke into your room," Amy began
"And you tried to kill him!" Lita exclaimed.
"Ah dwint" Serena began, then paused and swallowed her mouthful
of strawberry jam on fresh baked bread. "I didn't know it was him; there
was a strange person in my room, in my bed, and I wasn't about to
stop and introduce myself!"

Raye shook her head in disgust, as Lita laughed.

"So then you got out of bed, put the table between the two of you
and started arguing?"
"Not exactly..."
"That's right, it was out and out fighting..."

"Then Annette came in, and Darien dove under the bed and got
stuck, and when he got out you hid in the closet and then tackled
him and wound up on the floor is a steamy kiss!" The last sentance
was delivered in a flourish by Amy, who blushed as the other Senshi
studied her with interest.

Mina, for her part, was silent. She was studying Serena with
exagerated care. As the Senshi of Love, Mina could sense the vibrations
around the people around her, especially when they were in love. And
Serena's vibrations had changed since last night. She seemed more mellow,
and there was a glow around her, a special glow that very few people in
this world would ever experience. But Mina held her tounge. Anouther half
hour passed, and one by one the other three Senshi drifted out of the
room. Serena looked at Mina with a mix of frustration and apprehension.

"Do you love him?" Mina asked, her voice quite and subdued.

Serena looked startled, then terrified, and finally happy.

"Do you know, I rather think I do."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"WHAT?!" Beryl, Prince Endymion's longtime mistress, shrieked.
"He can't be in love! Especially with that little Moon twit!"

Beryl twitched the skirts of her green silky dress as she stalked
to the mirror. Slapping her palms on the green jade surface, Beryl glared
at her reflection. That Moon brat had NOTHING on her! Beryl forced her
brows back to their normal position.

'Frowns cause wrinkles. Frowns cause wrinkles.'

With apparent calm, Beryl resumed to admiring herself. She carried
herself with the air of a woman who knows she is beautiful. After all, men
had told her that all her life. Every man she had ever known had fallen
prey to her physical charms. Every man except Prince Endymion. Beryl
turned sideways, looking at her body in profile. High, firm breasts that
moulded to the green silk material, slim waist, long wavy red hair. Green
eyes grew more and more furious.

'I am beautiful, dammit! Why can't he see that?!'

Beryl tossed her hair back in fury. Prince Endymion had been cold
to her from the beginning. His visits had been swift and to the point.
And while he had never been cruel to her, His Highness had never given
her any indication that he was interested in her for more than sex.
Beryl stormed over to an armchair and sat down huffily. She would
never admit to another soul, but part of Endymion's appeal was his
aloof attitude. Beryl's mouth turned down at the thought of Endymion
in love with someone who was not her.

Last night had been a disaster. Beryl enjoyed some social status
as Endymion's mistress, but not nearly the kind of status she would like.
If the Prince danced even ONCE with her, her status shot upwards. But
last night the Prince had completely ignored her. And worse, he hadn't
taken his eyes off the transformed Moon Princess, who even Beryl was
forced to admit was a beautiful woman.

Beryl resisted the urge to scream the palace down. Pitiful little
Princess Serena may have been beautiful, but she was still the tomboy
she had always been. You colud take the citizen off the Earth... And
now Beryl was hearing rather disturbing rumors that the Prince had not
returned to his rooms until early this morning (and since he hadn't been
with her...), and that he had been in a jubilant mood all day!

Beryl was jealous, and her jealousy was beginning to poison her
mind. Beryl lived in constant fear that Endymion would cast her off,
and now it seemed that her fears were about to be realized. In the
moment of panic an idea occured to her. Up until the night before, Serena
had been a hoyden, and Endymion had despised her. So all Beryl had to
do was force Sernea to revert to her former self. Beryl smiled. A public
brawl might just do the trick.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Darien was in a splendid mood. He had woken early, and the
memories of the previous night had come back to greet him. The
thought of Serena's expression when he had kissed her the night
before brought a smile to his face, and the smile had stayed there
ever since. He had smiled to the servants, assisted a maid with her
load of heavy laundry (he had been delighted that she hadn't fainted
when he offered to assist her, although the lack of color in her
face had indicated she might do just that) and now he was on his way to
apologize to his father. After all, when his father was right, his
father was right. After that, Darien was considering seeking out
Serena. He wondered if she might enjoy a brisk ride.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Serena was in a wonderful mood. Mina hadn't asked any more
questions, but had simply risen and thrown her arms around her. After
a few more minutes of excited chatter, Mina had excused herself and
left the bewildered princess alone with her thoughts.

'Do I love Darien?'
'Of course. You've known him most of your life; I'd think
it was odd if you didn't love him.'
'I don't mean that kind of love. Am I IN love with him?'
'Probably.'
'Thank you for that stunning analysis.'
'Any time.'

Serena had given up on her inner voice. It (she?) was annoying.
Serena had left the breakfast room in a dazed state. She didn't notice
the admiring glances and approving nods that followed her down the
corridor. She didn't notice the servants dodging her. And she didn't
notice the red haired woman walking towards her until they collided.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Beryl was very put out with the Moon Princess. Beryl had
been traipsing all over the palace for the last hour and a half,
looking for the little twit. And now that Beryl had located her,
the jelousy inside Beryl was rapidly turning to hatred. Serenity
looked pure, innocent, and graceful. Beryl's eyes smouldered
as she recognized that the steel core of this girl had not been
thrown away like her dirty clothing. Serenity was a force to be
reckoned with, and Beryl knew it. Her lips twisting into a grim
parody of a smile, Beryl prepared to cause a scene.

Twitching her skirts, Beryl stepped out from behind the
pillar where she had been standing and began walking straight
toward Serenity. Beryl bit her lip to keep from smiling as she
collided with the princess and both of them were knocked backward.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Oh, dear, I'm terribly sorry. It was all my fault," Serena
murmured, still preoccupied. The sharp retort of the other woman
brought her back to her senses.
"Of course it is! Why don't you watch where you're going?"
"I'm sorry," Serena said, drawing herself up to her full height.
She looked down at the woman in surprise. Green silk swirled around
a reed thin body and green eyes glared from under an odd headress
which held back a riotous mass of wavy red locks. Serena was surprised
to note that the woman's eyes were a dangerously bright green, not
unlike the shade of poison ivy. Serena was pulled away from her
examination by the woman's shrill voice.
"Well, you should be, your HIGHNESS," the woman drawled, her tone
coldly sarcastic. "I thought princess's were supposed to be graceful."
"Before you continue insulting me, may I ask your name?" Serena
drawled, stung by the woman's comments but unwilling to show it.
"Oh, I've forgotten my manners," the woman exclaimed, fluttering
her hands to accentuate her generous bosom.
"That much is obvious," Serena drawled, her dry wit flaring at
the call to arms. "Do you always insult your betters?"

The woman's mouth pulled down and her eyes slitted at the insult.
gathering herself together, she made an elaboratly deep curtsy. "I am the
Countess of Rainier Beryl Schlanza... Prince Endymion's mistress."

Serena was unprepared for that, and the woman's words sent her
reeling. However, years of training kept her face expressionless and
her tone neutral as the woman rose from the curtsy and smiled at her.
Serena noticed that the smile did not quite reach her eyes. Pasting
an ambassadors bland look on her face, Serena prepared to annihalate
her foe.

"Are you really? Well, do tell Darien hello when you see him
next. Has he given you permission to call him Darien? No? Too bad.
He only gives that priviledge to the one's he cares for."

Serena watched as her insult found it's mark. Beryl began to
flush a deep red, and Beryl's fists were clenching and unclenching
rapidly. Serena watched disspassionatly as Beryl attempted to gain
control of her emotions. When she did, Serena inclined her head.

"I'll be leaving now. Enjoy your day," Serena said as she turned
to continue down the hall.

"Do you know where Darien spent the night?"

Serena stopped briefly, then continued on.

'Aren't you even a little interested in what she has to say?'
'Of course! but I can't let HER know that!'

Serena listened carefully as Beryl followed her down the hall.
Eventually they came to the Crossroads, a marble courtyard with a
bubbling fountain in the center, where the four wings of the palace
merged. Servants were bustling too and fro, but the slowed, and stopped
all together, as Beryl fired her next missile.

"With me. We spent a great deal of time laughing at you, at your
*transformation*. Do you honestly think you can compete with me? That
your feeble charms can compare with mine?"

Serena closed her eyes in pain and humiliation. Beryl had struck
on Serena's oneinsecurity, and Serena felt the tears threatening to fall.
Resolutly she blinked them back, determined not to let this titan haired
trollop get under her skin. Besides, people were watching, and she had
a reputation to maintain.

"There is *nothing* you can do to keep him away from me. You
will spend your wedding night *alone*! He will come to me. He will
always choose me over a well dressed, bad tempered, mannerless Moon
heathen."

Serena felt her mouth quivering and pressed her lips together.
She knew it was true. A pretty dress didn't change who she was...
but that wasn't a bad thing...was it?

"You little bitch, you have no claim on Prince Endymion. HE IS
MINE!"
And now the woman was claiming DARIEN!?!?!

'Stay calm. Don't rise to the bait. Don't rise to it. She
wants you upset and you can't THINK when you're upset...'

"You'll turn out to be a whore, just like your mother!"

Serena's eyes flew open. She heard the servants gasp and begin
to whisper. Adults whispered to children to run find the Prince Endymion.
Serena gritted her teeth in fury. How DARE that woman insult her
mother!

'All right, THAT'S IT! Now it's personal'
'And it wasn't before?'
'Darien isn't mine yet. He can do what he wants. But I draw
the line at insulting my mother!'
'Admit it; you're jealous because she's slept with Darien.'
'That deserves a cruel retort, nothing more.'
'All right, I see there's no stopping you. Be careful.
Try not to rip the dress.'

Serena turned around. Beryl was shocked to see cold fury overpowering
the tears that threatened to fall from crystal blue eyes. Beryl forced
herself to stand still, arms akimbo with a smirk on her face as Serena
approached her.

"The truth hurts, doesn't it? Endymion is mine, and there is
absolutely nothing you can do about it, you little slut," Beryl sneered.

Serena looked around at the servants. Their faces were masks
of outrage. She knew they would take her side, and would support her
in whatever she chose to do next. But the servants had had enough.

"Ow dare ye call 'er 'ighness a slut. Ye be the one whose
sleepin' with the entire castle!"

"Prince ain't gonna be 'appy when 'e 'ears about this mess."

Serena saw alarm flare in Beryl's eyes, but it was gone nearly
as quickly as it had arrived. beryl turned her sneering look on Serena
once more.

"So, now you need servants to fight your battles for you,
*princess*?"

Serena didn't reply. She clasped her hands in front of her and
walked closer to the countess, a sweet smile on her lips. The palace
servants, who had been watching the entire spectical avidly, ran for
more reinforcements just as Imperial Princess Serenity of the Moon Kingdom
pulled back her fist and punched the Countess of Rainir Beryl Schlanza
in the nose.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Kay, guys! That's it, Part 2. Cliff hangers are so much fun!
For me anyway!

Now let's play find-the-movie-line-that-Lyra-loved-so-much-she-
just-had-to-use-it-in-her-story! Give up? When Darien says
'That's very interesting,' he is mimicking Anthony Hopkins
a.k.a. Hannibal Lecter in the movie 'Hannibal'. I LOVE that
film. I love all movies, actually. Here's my Top Ten list of
movies and, in my humble opinion, the best lines from them.

10. To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything, Julie Newmar
(I got more legs than a bucket a chicken!)

9. Hannibal
(Okey-dokey)

8. The Rocky Horror Picture Show
(I'm just a sweet transvestite from transexual Transylvania)

7. The Three Musketeers
(Come, D'Artagnan, we're saving the king!)

6. The Empire Strikes Back
(Luke, I am your father.)

5. Dirty Dancing
(Nobody puts Baby in a corner.)

4. Tremors
(Broke into the wrong damn rec room, didn't you?)

3. The Mummy
(You came back from the desert with the new friend, didn't you?)

2. Schindler's List
(If a single bullet made in this factory works, I shall be very
disappointed.)

1. Jurassic Park
(After careful consideration, I have decided not to endorse your
park.)

Others that are dear to my heart are Silence of the Lambs, Interview
with a Vampire, Blade. The above aren't in any particular order, just so
everyone knows! See you for Part Three, the finale! (I promise...)Mail me
and lemme know what you thought of my fic!

skiangel_sv@lycos.com