Princess Serena was sitting at the table in the royal dining room. She was beginning to get antsy, for Prince Endymion hadn't arrived yet. The longer she had to wait, the more frightened she became. She stood up and looked out the window, into the gardens. Serena caught a glance of the Earth as it was floating by. Although she had always dreamed of seeing the world they orbited around, she had never been permitted to go there. Perhaps she could run away and go to the Earth. She would become a gypsy fortuneteller, and she would marry for love. Her unknown husband and herself would be blissfully happy, and have two little carbon copies of themselves running about. Serenity closed her eyes and sighed. She let those whimsical fantasies disappear. She was Princess of the Moon. She was a Moonchild, and with that royal name came responsibilities. Right now, though, those responsibilities were overwhelming her. The thought of having no choice in who she married chilled her to the bone and brought tears to her eyes. What if Prince Endymion was a cold, callous, insensitive man who demanded his women to be coy, demure, soft-spoken, and everything else that cliches demanded women to be? What if Prince Endymion was a stupid man who cared only of hunting, or some other mundane sport? She could not bear to be left to cross-stitch or knit as her husband drank snifters of brandy and smoked cigars, with both parties stuck in a loveless marriage. She could not bare the thought! Princess Serena knew these thoughts were irrational deep down, but they shook her to the core. She fled from the dining room and into the halls of the great palace. She ran out the side doors of the palace, into the garden. The garden always seemed to give her peace. Princess Serena walked up to the fountain that dominated most of her view of the garden from where she was standing. She sat down on the white edge of the fountain and looked at her reflection in the water. Her eyes were red and puffy from the crying she had done on her way to the gardens. She clicked her tongue lightly, scolding herself silently, and cupped her hands in the water to collect some of the frigid, refreshing liquid. She splashed her face lightly, and the cool crispness of it took the swelling and redness away. Princess Serena looked at the crescent moon on her forehead and cursed it softly. Tonight, she would not be Princess Serena, she decided. She would be a normal person, without all the burdens of keeping the planets at peace. She took her hair down and let it cascade down her back in golden waves. She gathered up a section of her freely flowing hair and began braiding it. After plaited, Princess Serena pulled the braid up and made it encircle her forehead, covering the telltale sign of her royalty. She braided the rest of her hair, and tucked it up underneath itself. It looked like the hairdo of someone who might be royalty, but not as far up as Princess of the Moon. She smiled satisfactorily and stood up. Well now, what should she do under this new persona? Princess Serena knew immediately what she would do. She would go to the Earth and explore it as much as she could! Giddy with the thought of that, Serena began skipping down the trail that was in the garden. She was so happy that she was not looking where she was going, and she collided into someone. Who, she could not tell. The collision left her dazed, and she felt herself falling to the ground, but the mystery man caught her just in time. "Whoa, there. Are you okay?"
Princess Serena felt herself blush immensely, and she straitened out her gown. "Thank you, sir." She looked up at the young man for the first time, and her breath was taken away. He had hair as dark as a raven's wing. His eyes were so blue, and they seemed to gaze right into the very core of her being. This young man's smile was kind and gentle, but there was an animal magnetism in him, and she was acutely aware that under his boyish demeanor laid a man of great strength. She felt herself blush even deeper, and she looked away from him.
She didn't see it, but she could feel the man smile at her. "So, um, can I ask your name?"
She looked at him and nodded, smiling in a shy manner. "My name is Pr… Pricilla."
"Pricilla? That's a lovely name."
"Thank you. May I ask what your name is?"
The young man smiled at her. "My name is Darien Endymion."
She gasped audibly. "You mean Prince Darien Endymion?"
"The one and only." Darien Endymoin looked at Pricilla, taking in her features. She looked as if she was either fourteen or fifteen. Her eyes were as blue as the bluest skies on Earth, and her hair was as golden as the wheat fields that rolled gently on the plains of the central continent, although her hairdo was not flattering. It would be better to let it flow freely down her back, so everyone could see the true luster and beauty of it. Pricilla was a petite girl, and her skin was as fair as the snow in the far northern reaches of his home planet.
There was a look in her eyes that he could only distinguish as shock. In a few moments, though, that wore off. "Prince Darien Endymion, hmm? Aren't you supposed to meet the princess tonight?"
Darien winced inwardly when the princess was mentioned. "Yes, but I haven't been able to bring myself to go into the dining room yet."
"Why is that? You know it's bad manners to be late for the meeting of your future wife." She smiled playfully at him.
"I know… it's just…well…I'm scared." Why was he admitting this to a total stranger? He had not even told his dear sister, Melanie, that he was frightened.
"Scared of Princess Serena? Why, she is no more threatening than a fly on a wall."
Was she teasing him? This Pricilla was certainly high-spirited. "I'm not scared of her. I'm more scared of the thought of marrying a complete stranger. What if she isn't what I want in a wife?"
He feels exactly the same way I do. Maybe I should tell him who I am. But… if I do, then it would ruin everything. "What do you mean, Prince Endymion?"
"Please, call me Darien."
"Very well. What do you mean, Darien?"
"Well, I have heard that she possesses unparalleled beauty, and that she is absolutely charming, and that's all well and good, but those things aren't important to me. To me, a woman who isn't beautiful on the inside isn't beautiful at all. The plainest person can be lovely, if you truly care for them. I could never care for a person who only cares about throwing tea parties and balls, or how her hair looked…" Darien stopped short and blushed. "But I know the princess isn't that way, mind you. It's just, I have a way in my mind how I want my future wife's personality to be, and what if she doesn't live up to the personality traits that…" He stopped completely when he noticed her face. It was in complete mocking, an amused smirk on her face. Darien felt himself blush, which was odd for him. "You think I'm being silly."
"Can I speak frankly to you?"
"Of course, Pricilla."
"You have some irrational fears." Of course, who am I to talk?
Darien smiled at her and breathed a sigh of relief. "I thought you were going to say I was being totally stupid or macho or self-centered or something like that." Serena was beginning to see that underneath Prince Darien Endymion's somewhat hard exterior laid the heart of a person unsure of himself, which was true of most teenagers, she supposed.
She looked at his hand and noticed for the first time that there were roses in them. They were Serena's favorite type of flower. "Are those for the princess?" She motioned to the flowers.
Darien looked at the flowers and blushed, he then nodded. "I don't know why I brought her flowers. She'd probably much prefer jewelry or another valuable trinket of some sort."
"I don't know about that. Most girls enjoy receiving flowers, especially roses."
"Have you ever received a rose, Pricilla?"
"Me? Well, no. Why?"
"Here you go," Darien plucked one of the roses from the bouquet and handed it to her, smiling. "I hope you enjoy it."
Serena took the rose and sniffed the soft, delicate petals and smiled. "It's lovely, Darien. Thank you." She was truly grateful for the rose. Darien seemed to be a sweet young man.
"The Princess is probably waiting for me…" He looked towards the palace and sighed, a somewhat displeased look on his face.
"You don't wish to meet her?" Serena looked at him curiously.
"No, it isn't that. I know I'm going to have to meet her sometime…it's just…well…I enjoy your company so much."
"I enjoy your company, too, Darien."
Darien looked thoughtful for a few moments, and then looked at Serena. "Where were you going before we bumped into each other, anyway?"
"Well, I was going to go to the Earth. I've never been there, and I wish to see it ever so badly."
"The Earth? Why, you can't go there without a proper escort, my lady."
"Oh, and why is that?" A flash of anger went through Serena. How dare he tell her what she can and cannot do?
"Now, don't get cross with me. What I mean is, you won't know what to go see without someone who knows what's good there. Why don't I take you there, give you the grand tour?"
"What about your date with the princess? It will leave a bad impression if you don't make an appearance."
Darien smiled at her and took her hand. "Let me worry about the princess. Right now, my thoughts are on you, Pricilla."
They walked/ran to the transporters, dodging the guards by ducking into the shadows and behind corners, stifling laughter the whole way. Serena hadn't had such fun since…well…. Since before she could remember. They got to the closest transporter, and Darien punched in the coordinates for Planet Earth. "Well, here we go." He gave her a mischievous smile, and they disappeared, on their way to Darien's home planet.