A/N: I just realized that I was making Serenity like a sixteen year old, so I'm just gonna zoom into the future a few years...
Serenity sat placidly at the edge of a fountain in the gardens. It had been six years, all of which were spent far away from the palace.
Her first day back, and Serenity wante dto see her gardens, the most beautiful place on the Moon.
Serenity's long pink hair, streaked with pale silver, fell like a waterfall down her back. The pale silver dress she wore clung to her curves, and her pale slender hand dipped into the clear blue water.
"Excuse me, but I heard the Princess was coming back today..."
Serenity looked up, right into the blue eyes of a handsome man. His hair hung like dull gold around his chiselled face, and muscles were obvious even though he wore the fine clothes of a gentleman.
"You have heard correctly, sir. I am Princess Serenity..."
The man's eyes widened and a smirk appeared on his face.
"You look different from when I last saw you...plucking petals from roses and singing to yourself."
Serenity stood up and looked curiously at the man. She didn't remember him from anywhere, or at least she thought she didn't.
He laughed to himself and smiled.
"Perhaps you would recognize me better in peasant's clothes, handling a shovel."
Serenity's mind clicked. She remembered him.
"You! You're that gardener who used to pester me all the time when I came to the gardens!"
The man laughed again and Serenity found herself blushing.
"All these years and you remembered the lowly gardener, who isn't a gardener anymore. Allow me to introduce myself..." The man bowed down to her and Serenity blushed again. "...as Count Alexander Frederick of Natingal."
Serenity curtsied back at him, to the amusement of a few nearby gardeners.
"Greetings, Count Frederick. I am sure you've already been welcomed by my royal mother?"
"Cut the royalty act, princess. You know that even if your are blue blooded, you're still a human." He smiled and bowed again before he walked off.
Serenity frowned after him and turned on her heel to go to the palace. She had to get ready for the ball that night.
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Serenity stood in the midst of a crowd of admirers, all wanting to dance with her. She forced a polite smile and moved towards the balcony.
"Thank you...but I would prefer to be alone right now..."
She emerged onto the balcony, the crisp night air hitting her bare skin and making her spine tingle. She ran her hands along the cool banister, looking up at the Earth with a slight smile on her face. Her mother glanced out at her from the ballroom.
"She's withdrawn, and I don't like it...how can I have a daughter who doesn't wish to get married?"
Serenity certainly didn't look like she didn't want to get a man. She wore a sleek, tight straplesssilver dress that reached down to the floor and had certain sheen to it. Their were strings of diamonds around her neck, and diamonds sewn into the fabric of the dress.
"You might slip on the pieces of the hearts you just broke if you aren't careful, your majesty..."
Serenity already knew who it was. Alexander leaned on the balcony, a glass of champagne in one hand, and looked up at the Earth.
"It's simply beautiful isn't it?"
Serenity nodded in agreement. She loved watching the swirling planet above her, and wondered if anybody looked up at the moon and loved the cold, pale surface of it. She doubted it.
"When I was a boy I used to think that if I reached high enough I could take it, and put it in my pocket..." Alexander laughed to himself and looked over at her. "But I guess I know better now."
Serenity smiled despite herself. She had thought the same thing when she was younger, but refused to admit that.
"I seem to have cracked the infamous shell of Princess Serenity..."
Serenity frowned again and spun on her heel. She left the balcony and the crowd of ever present admirers before she found herself in her precious garden.
She sat at the bench she had sat upon six years ago and plucked a blood red rose from the bush, her pale, slender figners not touching any thorns. She held it delicately, staring at the droplets of water on the delicate petals, still left from the watering earlier.
Alexander stood at the end of the path, watching her silently. She seemed completely absorbed in that one rose, as though nothing else mattered at the time. He felt something stir deep within him as she smiled softly and closed her eyes, bringing the flower to her face and sniffing it delicately.
She was beautiful...but he didn't know how to tell her that.
Serenity felt a hand on her shoulder and looked away from it, ashamed.
"Why don't you ever just...leave?"
Alexander pulled his hand away. He hadn't meant to intrude on her in a bad moment, but he wanted to tell her so badly.
"I never leave your, majesty...not if I know something troubles you..."
Serenity closed her eyes. Why did he have to do that? Be so sensitive when she needed it, not like her mother was.
"What if something troubles me? Why would you care..." Serenity refused to look at him, for she was afraid he would see the tears in her eyes.
Alexander put his hand on her shoulder again. He felt her tense up, but didn't remove his hand.
"Because...I've known you for as long as I can rememebr and you've always come to the garden to let out your feelings. This visit isn't very different from all of the others...I can tell..."
Serenity wiped away a tear, trying her best not to sniffle. She looked up at Alexander and saw he wasn't trying to mock her, just trying to be there.
Alexander wiped away another tear with the back of his finger and Serenity completely lost control. She began sobbing, after holding everything in the whole day. Alexander put a comforting arm around her shoulders and just sat like that until Serenity could control herself again.
"My mother came onto me right away, as soon as I returned to my room, telling me I was a failure as a princess unless I got married! And when I told her I didn't want to get married she went completely mad and threatened to disown me if I didn't marry by my twenty-seventh birthday!" Serenity swallowed more sobs before they could escape and continued. "I'm already twenty-four, and I have less than three years to find myself a husband and king!"
Alexander's heart lifted in hope for a moment: she was in desperate need of a man, which he was! But then sank again: he would never take advantage of a woman like that. It just wasn't right.
Serenity looked up at him again, her stormy blue eyes still dewy from her tears.
"Please...help me Alexander..."
Serenity lifted her hand to Alexander's cheek and he put his own hand over her's.
"Your majesty..."
Serenity put her finger over his lips and leaned in closer.
"Call me Serenity..."
Alexander leaned closer to her, aching to close that gap, but then he heard footsteps down the path. With only seconds to spare, Alexander pressed his lips against Serenity's and hurried down another path.
Serenity sat silently, her fingers on her lips delicately.
She felt as though she could fly, if it weren't for those terrible shackles keeping her on the ground...
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Serenity sat placidly at the edge of a fountain in the gardens. It had been six years, all of which were spent far away from the palace.
Her first day back, and Serenity wante dto see her gardens, the most beautiful place on the Moon.
Serenity's long pink hair, streaked with pale silver, fell like a waterfall down her back. The pale silver dress she wore clung to her curves, and her pale slender hand dipped into the clear blue water.
"Excuse me, but I heard the Princess was coming back today..."
Serenity looked up, right into the blue eyes of a handsome man. His hair hung like dull gold around his chiselled face, and muscles were obvious even though he wore the fine clothes of a gentleman.
"You have heard correctly, sir. I am Princess Serenity..."
The man's eyes widened and a smirk appeared on his face.
"You look different from when I last saw you...plucking petals from roses and singing to yourself."
Serenity stood up and looked curiously at the man. She didn't remember him from anywhere, or at least she thought she didn't.
He laughed to himself and smiled.
"Perhaps you would recognize me better in peasant's clothes, handling a shovel."
Serenity's mind clicked. She remembered him.
"You! You're that gardener who used to pester me all the time when I came to the gardens!"
The man laughed again and Serenity found herself blushing.
"All these years and you remembered the lowly gardener, who isn't a gardener anymore. Allow me to introduce myself..." The man bowed down to her and Serenity blushed again. "...as Count Alexander Frederick of Natingal."
Serenity curtsied back at him, to the amusement of a few nearby gardeners.
"Greetings, Count Frederick. I am sure you've already been welcomed by my royal mother?"
"Cut the royalty act, princess. You know that even if your are blue blooded, you're still a human." He smiled and bowed again before he walked off.
Serenity frowned after him and turned on her heel to go to the palace. She had to get ready for the ball that night.
~^*^~^*^~^*^~^*^~^*^~^*^~^*^~^*^~^*^~^*^~^*^~^*^~^*^~^*^~^*^~^*^~^*^~^*^~^*^~^*^~^*^~^*^~^*^~
Serenity stood in the midst of a crowd of admirers, all wanting to dance with her. She forced a polite smile and moved towards the balcony.
"Thank you...but I would prefer to be alone right now..."
She emerged onto the balcony, the crisp night air hitting her bare skin and making her spine tingle. She ran her hands along the cool banister, looking up at the Earth with a slight smile on her face. Her mother glanced out at her from the ballroom.
"She's withdrawn, and I don't like it...how can I have a daughter who doesn't wish to get married?"
Serenity certainly didn't look like she didn't want to get a man. She wore a sleek, tight straplesssilver dress that reached down to the floor and had certain sheen to it. Their were strings of diamonds around her neck, and diamonds sewn into the fabric of the dress.
"You might slip on the pieces of the hearts you just broke if you aren't careful, your majesty..."
Serenity already knew who it was. Alexander leaned on the balcony, a glass of champagne in one hand, and looked up at the Earth.
"It's simply beautiful isn't it?"
Serenity nodded in agreement. She loved watching the swirling planet above her, and wondered if anybody looked up at the moon and loved the cold, pale surface of it. She doubted it.
"When I was a boy I used to think that if I reached high enough I could take it, and put it in my pocket..." Alexander laughed to himself and looked over at her. "But I guess I know better now."
Serenity smiled despite herself. She had thought the same thing when she was younger, but refused to admit that.
"I seem to have cracked the infamous shell of Princess Serenity..."
Serenity frowned again and spun on her heel. She left the balcony and the crowd of ever present admirers before she found herself in her precious garden.
She sat at the bench she had sat upon six years ago and plucked a blood red rose from the bush, her pale, slender figners not touching any thorns. She held it delicately, staring at the droplets of water on the delicate petals, still left from the watering earlier.
Alexander stood at the end of the path, watching her silently. She seemed completely absorbed in that one rose, as though nothing else mattered at the time. He felt something stir deep within him as she smiled softly and closed her eyes, bringing the flower to her face and sniffing it delicately.
She was beautiful...but he didn't know how to tell her that.
Serenity felt a hand on her shoulder and looked away from it, ashamed.
"Why don't you ever just...leave?"
Alexander pulled his hand away. He hadn't meant to intrude on her in a bad moment, but he wanted to tell her so badly.
"I never leave your, majesty...not if I know something troubles you..."
Serenity closed her eyes. Why did he have to do that? Be so sensitive when she needed it, not like her mother was.
"What if something troubles me? Why would you care..." Serenity refused to look at him, for she was afraid he would see the tears in her eyes.
Alexander put his hand on her shoulder again. He felt her tense up, but didn't remove his hand.
"Because...I've known you for as long as I can rememebr and you've always come to the garden to let out your feelings. This visit isn't very different from all of the others...I can tell..."
Serenity wiped away a tear, trying her best not to sniffle. She looked up at Alexander and saw he wasn't trying to mock her, just trying to be there.
Alexander wiped away another tear with the back of his finger and Serenity completely lost control. She began sobbing, after holding everything in the whole day. Alexander put a comforting arm around her shoulders and just sat like that until Serenity could control herself again.
"My mother came onto me right away, as soon as I returned to my room, telling me I was a failure as a princess unless I got married! And when I told her I didn't want to get married she went completely mad and threatened to disown me if I didn't marry by my twenty-seventh birthday!" Serenity swallowed more sobs before they could escape and continued. "I'm already twenty-four, and I have less than three years to find myself a husband and king!"
Alexander's heart lifted in hope for a moment: she was in desperate need of a man, which he was! But then sank again: he would never take advantage of a woman like that. It just wasn't right.
Serenity looked up at him again, her stormy blue eyes still dewy from her tears.
"Please...help me Alexander..."
Serenity lifted her hand to Alexander's cheek and he put his own hand over her's.
"Your majesty..."
Serenity put her finger over his lips and leaned in closer.
"Call me Serenity..."
Alexander leaned closer to her, aching to close that gap, but then he heard footsteps down the path. With only seconds to spare, Alexander pressed his lips against Serenity's and hurried down another path.
Serenity sat silently, her fingers on her lips delicately.
She felt as though she could fly, if it weren't for those terrible shackles keeping her on the ground...
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