Just a short note. This follows Book 1: The Forgotten Past. You
don't have to read that one first, but I suggest you do just because
it's better that way. It'll also help you get the BIG picture.
Another thing . . . Serenity's name will be Huntress whenever Hunter
is around. You'll understand better once you read the story. And
towards the end, point of views change as mentioned. That's all.
Hope you enjoy this as much as I enjoyed writing it. *^_^*
The rating is G. There's nothing here but kiddie chatter. You'll
still read my story, right? Oh! I think you should know that I will
NEVER put cuss words in any of my stories. I don't like them and
think they're unnecessary. That's all. I guess this wasn't such a
short note . . . But I digress.
MEMORIES OF THE PAST
By: Moonbunny83
6/19/01 - 6/29/01
E-mail: moonbunny83@hotmail.com
Sailor Moon created by:
Naoko Takeuchi
New characters and the Moon Gloria belong to me.
BOOK 2
THE SILVER MILLENNIUM, ON THE MOON
Five-year-old Serenity wandered in her gardens, running with
joyful cries. Today is her birthday, June 30th. She has finally
turned five and she can now start with her lessons. She cannot
wait to learn how to fight, how to defend herself and show off
to those cooty-covered boys. She suddenly stopped, a bit out
of breath, as she plucked out her most favorite flower on the
moon. It was called the Moon Gloria. It was simply exquisite
with its velvety texture and fragrant odor. The Moon Gloria
came in many colors. That is what Serenity loved about it. A
floral bouquet of the Moon Gloria would leave one breathless
with its bountiful beauty. The particular one the Princess
picked was pink with tiny lavender pistils sprouting from the
middle. She inhaled its sweet scent as she continued running
amok the gardens. Twirling the flower in hand, she abruptly
stopped as she heard a sob coming from just several feet away
from her. She quietly walked towards the muffled noise, careful
as to not step on any fallen branches. As she drew closer, she
sees a disheveled little boy, not much older than she is. His
silver hair hung in a disarray around his shaking shoulders.
'Why, it is only a servant boy,' she thought, amazed as she
realized that she has a trespasser on her dainty hands. 'I
cannot believe that he would dare enter my gardens without
my permission! I simply cannot allow this,' she nodded, her
decision well taken care of. 'Even if he is crying . . . I
must order him to leave . . . But he is so sad-looking.'
Serenity, changing her mind about having the boy leave, stepped
out of her hiding place and cheerfully greeted the boy. "Hi!"
The boy immediately ceased his crying once he became aware that
he wasn't alone any longer. He looked up, his deep brown eyes
glazed with fresh tears. Serenity's heart went to him when she
saw his tear-stricken face and swollen red nose. He looked away
quickly to hide his face and asked in a low, tear-filled voice,
"What do you want?" Serenity, shocked at the boy's lack of
decorum, stood there with her mouth agape. The boy, impatience
was his nature, asked yet again. "I said what do you want?"
He made sure to look anywhere but Serenity as he waited for an
answer. The boy sniffed and wiped his nose on his sleeve.
Finally, impatience won and he spun around to look at the
still gaping Princess. "Close your mouth before a bug decides
to use it as a home," he snapped, his voice tinged with
annoyance.
Serenity closed her mouth, not because this sad excuse of a boy
has asked her to, no, ORDERED her to, but because she hated bugs
and the idea of having one in her mouth doesn't sit well with her
stomach. At last finding her voice again, she asked with the
innocence of any five-year-olds, "Why are you crying?"
As rudely as he could without hurting her feelings, though he
has no idea why he cared about this little princess' feelings,
the boy answered, "None of your business."
Serenity throws a tantrum and stomps her foot against the
mossy ground. "It is too my business," she protested.
"You are in my garden and I'm a princess and you're not!"
The boy looked at her as if she was crazy and stood up from
the huge rock he was sitting on. "Fine. Then I'll leave you
to your precious garden, YOUR HIGHNESS." He made sure to add
emphasis on her stature and bowed to her in an attempt to mock.
Then added, "By the way, I'm a boy and not a sissy like girls
and that's why I'm not a princess!" He abruptly turned and
started walking away from Serenity. Strangely enough, Serenity
felt a sense of loss as she watched the boy leave. Her bottom
lip quivered as if to cry, which she eventually did. At the
unsuspecting noise, the boy turned back around and stared at
her incredulously. He was about to ignore her when all of a
sudden, he started to strangely feel bad about his behavior.
After all, a pampered princess like this one was most likely
unused to rough comments. He sighed in defeat and walked back
to stand directly in front of her. He simply watched, waiting
for her to cease the racket she was causing. Serenity, finally
sensing his presence, immediately stopped and looked at him with
red eyes and nose. "Are you finished?" the boy asked, making
sure he did so nicely this time. Serenity nodded her head slowly.
She stared at him. Her stare was unnerving for a sprite like her.
Unexpectedly, she burst out laughing -- laughing so hard, she had
to wrapped her arms around her stomach. Once again, the boy was
left speechless at her unusual antics. Fed up, he threw up his
hands into the air as he cried out, "What is so stinking funny?"
Serenity, holding her sides, answered between hiccups. "Hic,
you, hic, look, hic, like, hic, a, hic, clown!"
"Look who's talking!" the boy retorted back.
That caused Serenity to end her laughter right away. "Hey!
Your nose is much redder than mine!!"
"Right . . .," the boy said sarcastically. "Want a mirror?"
Serenity, her mind blank for a comeback, blurted out, "You're
a wretched boy!! I don't like you at all!"
The boy felt upset with that comment, but he wasn't about to
let her know it. "Well, I don't like you either! So there!"
Serenity's face fell and she walked to the rock the boy once
sat and plopped herself down. She started playing with her
Moon Gloria as she began to mope. He snubbed her and thus she
began the classic silent treatment. The boy turned himself
away and took the silent challenge. They stayed like that, not
saying a word to each other, for quite along time. For Serenity,
this was almost an impossible feat, but she wasn't about to let
a servant boy beat her at her own game. Long moments passed
before the boy heard the noise. He looked around, trying to find
the culprit and his eyes rested on Serenity. 'She's crying,' he
thought to himself. 'Man! This is so unfair! If there's anything
I can't stand, it's girls crying.' The proof was what he did when
Serenity first opened the floodgates many hours ago. It's getting
late and he knew how much little girls hated the dark so he decided
to let her win her stupid game. "Girls," he muttered in disgust.
He dragged himself towards Serenity reluctantly. Once directly
behind her, he said in defeat, "All right. You win." Serenity
turned around, her face bright, as she smiled up to the boy.
"Hi!" she started once again. She suddenly remembered the flower
she's been holding onto and gave it to the little boy. "My name's
Serenity. What's yours?"
The boy accepted the Moon Gloria all the while watching her glowing
face with awe and shook his head clear when he heard the question.
"Hunter," he answered straight to the point.
"That's a weird name."
"And yours, isn't? Se-re-ni-ty. That is so girly."
"Well, I am a girl! Besides, I was named after my mother, Queen
Serenity!"
"So what? I still say your name stinks."
"Like you can think of anything better!"
"As a matter of fact, I can!"
"Yeah?"
"Yeah!"
"Well, then, what's my new name?"
"Let me see . . .," Hunter stopped to think of a new name for
Serenity. "It's got to be as cool as mine." Serenity rolled
her eyes at that comment. She tried to wait patiently, she
really did.
"Think of something already!" she stated exasperatingly.
"I got it! Your new name is Huntress!" he grinned at himself
for thinking of something so clever.
"Huntress?" Serenity asked disbelievingly. "You're naming me
Huntress?"
"Sure, why not?"
"Nothing. It's just . . . Weird. But I guess it could be worse."
"Hey!" Hunter cried, taking offense.
Serenity sighed and declared, "Fine! My name's going to be
Huntress from now on."
"Wicked cool!"
"But only when we're alone."
"How come? I thought you liked it."
"I never said I liked it!" Serenity, rather, Huntress disagreed.
"I just don't think my mother would be ecstatic. Or anybody
else for that matter."
"Fine with me. After all, I did give you your new name so I
should be the only one allowed to use it," he said, arrogance
in his manner.
"Whatever," Huntress rolled her eyes yet again. It was
beginning to become a habit around this boy -- a habit that
wouldn't get an approval from her instructors or her mother.
Looking at the suddenly darken garden, she said to her new-found
friend, "We better go. It's starting to get dark."
"I knew it!" Hunter exclaimed. "You ARE afraid of the dark!"
"Am not!"
"Are too! All girls are!"
"Not this girl!!!!"
Not wanting to see her bursting into tears again, Hunter simply
stated, "We'll see, we'll see . . ."
On that very day, June 30th, Serenity's/Huntress' birthday, a
long-lasting friendship was born. Two friends formed a bond
that will become tested throughout the years. As the sun
began to set, Hunter and Huntress went on their separate ways.
One headed toward prosperity, the other toward poverty.
QUEEN SERENTIY'S CHAMBER
"Luna, have you seen the Princess?" inquired Queen Serenity, a
worried frown marring her flawless face.
Luna blinked in surprise and answered in concern, "Why, no, Your
Majesty. She is probably in her chambers right at this very
moment," she added hastily once she saw how much the Queen was
fretting.
Queen Serenity started pacing back and forth, back and forth,
back and forth, all the while wringing her hands nervously. She
started muttering under her breath about the dangers outside the
palace grounds. Exasperatedly, she sighed and left the chambers,
leaving the door wide open. Luna stayed behind in shock at the
sovereign's behavior. Finally, she, too left the room in search
of the missing Princess.
'Princess Serenity, of all days to disappear, you had to pick
this one,' Luna complained silently as she trudged along the
long corridors.
MEANWHILE . . .
"Oooh!" Princess Serenity exclaimed with happiness. "Just wait
till I tell Luna about my new best friend!" She has just
returned inside the palace and couldn't contain her excitement
about the good news. She ran up a staircase, skipped down a
hall, and opened the door to her chambers. She was about to
jump on her bed when she heard a loud meow of indignation.
Alarmed, she spun abruptly toward the noise and saw a black
cat with a crescent moon bald spot staring at her with a
disapproving glare. Serenity jumped in surprise. "Luna!,"
she cried. "You gave me a fright!" She took deep breaths to
calm her racing heart.
Luna raised her cat's eyebrow in disbelief. "I gave YOU a
fright? Well, of all the . . . Where have you been, child?
You gave your mother and I a fright."
"Oh! I'm sorry. I never meant to do that," Serenity bowed
her tiny head in shame. "I was just taking a walk in my gardens.
I didn't leave the palace grounds, I promise!"
Luna, who could never stay angry at the young Princess, purred
with forgiveness. "Just remember to tell somebody about
your whereabouts and save us some worries."
"Yes, Luna," she immediately agreed to placate the cat.
"What were you doing in the gardens anyway? What could've
taken you so long that you had to stay outside until dark?"
Serenity cried with delight. "Oooh, Luna! Have I got a lot
to tell you!"
"Is that so? Well, spit it out. I can see you can barely
keep it to yourself," Luna said, amusement apparent in her tone.
Not waiting for any more invitation, Serenity spilled everything
about the day's events -- starting with the Moon Gloria and
ending with her new name.
"Huntress?!" Luna practically screamed in disgust.
"Luna, shush. I don't want anybody to hear. Oh! I should
never have told you!" Serenity lamented with regrets.
Luna, too engrossed with the new name, missed what she said
and kept on ranting. "Just wait until I tell Queen Serenity
about this! The nerve of that boy. Giving you an inappropriate
name . . ."
"Luna! No! Don't tell Mama!" the Princess protested.
"Why ever not? The Queen has a right to know."
"She wouldn't approve of Hunter and you know it!"
"I very well understand why she wouldn't!" Luna retorted back.
"Luna, please don't!" By this time, Serenity was crying her
heart out. Tears flowed down her pixie face as she kept
insisting Luna to keep her secret.
Luna finally stopped her outburst and look at the child sadly.
"All right," she sighed in acquiescence.
Serenity gasped in pleasure, kneeled on the floor and smothered
the feline with a huge hug. "Thank you, Luna!" she sniffed.
"I knew I could count on you."
"Princess I can't breathe!!!!" Luna gasped for air.
"Sorry!" Serenity immediately let go. She stood up with a big
smile.
"Take that as a birthday present from me," Luna said, smiling
back. "It's late. Get ready for bed and I'll inform the Queen
to tuck you in," she told Serenity as she tried to get her regal
composure back, but only to lose it again right away.
"The Queen! Oh, dear. She has been running back and forth the
entire palace looking for you! She must be worried sick by now.
Oh, dear." A fussing Luna immediately left the chamber, this
time in search for her Majesty, the Queen. Then, as an
afterthought, she turned and said quietly, "Happy Birthday,
Princess."
"Thank you."
Luna then resumed with her search, regrets now settling in.
'Why do I get the feeling I'm doing the wrong thing by keeping
this to myself?' she thought worriedly. She released a sigh
and started descending the staircase.
AFTERNOON, THE NEXT DAY - PRINCESS SERENITY'S GARDENS
"Where is that boy?" Huntress wondered grouchily. "He couldn't
possibly have forgotten about our picnic." She plopped herself
down on their 'rock' and placed the picnic basket she brought
along on the grassy floor.
"Stop pouting," a voice scolded. "You're a princess and
princesses don't pout."
Huntress smiled to herself, but replaced her expression with a
frown as she faced the voice's owner. "I don't pout!" she
pouted, her bottom lip sticking out stubbornly.
Hunter sat next to her and replied with sarcasm, "Really?
Then what are you doing now?"
"Oh! Be quiet! What do you know?"
"Much more than you do!"
"You're telling a falsehood! You can't be that smart! Why,
you're only a little boy!" she said, her face smug.
"I'm only a little b-," Hunter sputtered. "I'm almost ten
years old!"
"Oh, yeah? Well, I just turned five years old yesterday!"
Hunter gave her a look that said 'Are you stupid?' "Don't you
know how to count?"
"Yes I do," she fibbed.
Hunter looked at her straight in the eye and said slowly,
"Then you do realize that I'm older than you, right?"
Huntress stared right back at him, still sulking. "That's
irrelevant," she argued.
"Irrelevant," he repeated in disbelief. "Where did you learn to
use such big words?" He looked at her as if she had two heads
connected to her neck. He added to himself, muttering,
"Irrelevant, falsehoods . . . And she's supposed to be five."
"I know such words because I'm much smarter than you."
"Do you even know what 'irrelevant' means?"
"Of course I do!" Huntress cried out indignantly.
"Well, then, enlighten me," Hunter drawled out.
"Ummm . . . Well, it means not relevant."
"Nice try, Bubble Brain."
"Don't call me that!"
"Don't call you what, Bubble Brain?" Hunter asked with a grin.
"You're mean!"
"Tell me something you haven't told me."
"You're just jealous because I'm smarter than you."
"Are we back to that? You haven't even proven that you are
smarter than me."
Huntress looked away and once again started the infamous
silent treatment.
"Oh, come on! Don't try that again! We'd be sitting here
until the sun sets! Just tell me how . . ." He stopped
immediately when Huntress looked back at him with eyes glazed
with unshed tears. "You have no idea what it means, do you?"
he asked quietly. She sniffed and shook her head no.
"I just heard my mother use it once," she explained in a small
voice. Then louder, she added, "But I'm still smarter than you!"
Hunter looked at her and finally gave in. "Fine. Whatever.
We'll see."
Neither said another word for a few minutes until Huntress said
in a reluctant tone, "Well?"
"Well what?"
"What does it mean?"
Hunter burst out laughing and answered, "I'm not telling you."
"Why not?" Huntress complained.
"You're supposed to be smarter than me. Find out yourself."
"I thought you were my friend."
"When did I say that?" he asked, mischief in his voice.
Unfortunately, Huntress missed it so she released the waterworks.
Hunter's face fell when he realized what he had done. "I was just
kidding!" he promptly clarified.
Her tears stopped as quickly as they had come. Huntress gave
him a bright smile and announced cheerfully, "Let's eat!"
"About time!" Hunter complained. "I'm starving." He watched
her remove the picnic cloth on top of the basket and heard her
let out a shriek of anger. "What is it?" he asked with alarm.
"Luna!" she said in a rejected tone.
Hunter thought to himself, 'She gave a picnic basket a name?'
As soon as he had finish his thought, he took notice of another
sound. A cat-like sound. A meowing sound.
"I'm disappointed in you!" Huntress continued.
"What's going on? Do you have a cat in there?" Right away,
a black cat with a crescent moon bald spot entered his line of
sight.
Huntress ignored him and kept on giving the cat a piece of her
mind. "You sneaky feline! You've been listening, haven't
you?" she asked accusingly.
Luna, her head bowed down in humiliation, explained, "I meant
no harm, Princess. I only wanted to make sure this new friend
of yours deserves your friendship." With that, she gave Hunter
a dark glare.
"Now wait just a second . . .," Hunter protested.
"Luna, I want you to leave," Huntress interrupted.
"Now, be reasonable, Princess. I wanted to meet your friend."
"So you sneaked inside my picnic basket?"
"I realize my actions are unacceptable, but . . ."
"Hello? I'm still here. I'm starving, Huntress.
Forget the bald cat and let's eat whatever you have in
that basket of yours," Hunter informed them with a raised
voice. He added with an evil glint in his eyes, "That
includes the cat."
"EXCUSE ME?! YOU NOT ONLY DARE CALL ME BALD, BUT YOU ALSO
DARE THREATEN TO EAT ME?!" Luna started sharpening her
claws and stared at Hunter's neck with a wicked purpose.
Huntress intervened just in time. "NOBODY is going to eat
Luna! And NOBODY is going to scratch Hunter!" She screamed.
She sighed with frustration and addressed her cat, "We'll talk
about this later, Feline." She stood up and started pacing
back and forth all the while saying, "Let's start this again,
agreed?" She gave Hunter and Luna a fierce look. Both backed
down and nodded mutely. "Well, then," she clapped her hands
together. "Hunter, I would like you to meet Luna, my mother's
royal advisor. And Luna, I would like you to meet Hunter, my
BEST FRIEND." She made sure she added an emphasis to the word
best friend so Luna would understand that she means to keep
Hunter no matter her opinion on the matter.
"Pleasure to meet you," Luna replied courteously, albeit
reluctantly.
"Likewise, but I've already heard of you," Hunter informed
both females.
"You've heard of Luna?" Huntress asked in surprise.
"Yeah. My mother told me about her."
"Who's your mother, boy?" Luna questioned Hunter.
"My mother's Myra."
"Myra?!" Huntress cried out? "My chambermaid's name is Myra."
"I know."
"Well," Luna grumbled. "Small world."
"I've heard of Hermes, too," Hunter bragged.
Huntress and Luna looked at each other in confusion. "Hermes?"
they both repeated at the same time.
"Yeah, Hermes," he said, annoyance creeping in his voice.
"You know? The other talking cat? He's bald, too. Only
difference is that his fur is white."
"Artemis!!" Luna said in understanding.
"Artemis? Who's he?"
Luna looked at the boy impatiently and explained, "His name is
Artemis, not Hermes."
"Same difference," Hunter nonchalantly said.
"Same difference . . .," Luna muttered. "Just wait until I
tell Artemis about this."
Huntress heard and objected, "You will not! You promised you'd keep
this to yourself! It was my birthday present! You can't take it
back!"
Luna said in defeat, "A promise is a promise. I'll keep it
to myself."
"Thanks, Luna!" Huntress gleefully expressed her gratitude.
"Can we eat now?" Hunter whined. "I'm starving."
"Don't you eat at home, boy?" Luna snapped.
"Stop calling me boy! I do have a name!" he snapped back.
"Luna! Be nice. He can't help being a glutton."
"Hey! I resent that!" Hunter grumbled. "Glutton . . . And
she's five years old," he said quietly to himself, remembering
Huntress' unusually broad vocabulary. He watched the mini
sandwiches being distributed. He took a slice and once again
complained, "This is suppose to satisfy my stomach?!"
"Don't eat it if you don't like it," was the only comment
Huntress gave him.
"I'm eating it, I'm eating it," he mumbled as he took a bite and
watched the smile on Huntress' face.
All three ate in silence as the afternoon quickly passed. Soon,
it was time for the friends to part.
"Princess, we better go back before your mother starts
suspecting something," Luna informed her ward.
Not wanting to go just yet, but knew how vital her decision
is to ensure the secrecy, she complied. "I'm sorry, Hunter,
but Luna's right."
"Of course I'm right," the cat sniffed with her nose in the air.
"I guess, I better go, too," Hunter agreed. "See ya later,
Huntress, Luna!" With that, he ran towards home.
"Huntress," Luna whispered in disgust, watching the Princess
wave her good byes to her friend. "Didn't even bother saying
thank you," she added under her breath.
"What was that, Luna?" Serenity asked, her eyes blinking with
innocence.
"Nothing important. Let's clean up this mess and head on home."
"All right."
FIVE YEARS LATER, EARLY IN THE MORNING
"Princess Serenity," the chambermaid Myra gleefully said in a
voice loud enough to wake the dead. She went to the window
and swiped the frilly, pink curtains open, allowing the sun to
shine through. "It's time to get up!!" Myra advanced to the
king-sized bed decorated with little bunnies prancing about.
She sat on the foot of the bed and gently shook the Princess.
"Your Highness, you really must get up," she insisted in a soft
voice this time.
Serenity whacked her hands away and said tiredly, "Go away,
Myra. Leave me alone."
"But Princess, don't you remember what today is?"
Serenity, with her eyes closed, sighed. She recalled her
mother saying that the Prince of Earth was coming for a visit.
The Queen expected her daughter to befriend the young man.
Serenity strongly refused. She would rather spend her time
with Hunter. Of course, she couldn't tell her mother that.
In the end, the Queen won, threatening to forbid Serenity to
visit her gardens. She sighed again. Today is that day.
The day she had so tried to forget has finally arrived.
Serenity tentatively opened her eyes and found Myra smiling
down at her. She tried to find any resemblance with Hunter,
but couldn't find any. She was surprisingly young. With a
fifteen-year old son, she should at least have wrinkles on her
face, but she doesn't. Unlike Hunter, his mother's hair was
soft black with purple highlights that reached down to her waist.
Her piercing hazel eyes watched her warily. 'Hunter must have
gotten his silver hair and brown eyes from his father,' she
thought sleepily. Serenity would never find out since Hunter
refused to talk about his father. He didn't like talking about
himself at all. She couldn't ask Myra about the father. She's
not even aware of the friendship the Princess bears with her son.
Serenity, finishing with her thoughts, stood up slowly, rubbing
the sleep out of her eyes.
"Are you awake now?" Myra asked amusedly.
Serenity yawned and nodded. "Is today the dreaded day?" she
asked the chambermaid begrudgingly.
"Yes," she answered, trying to mind her own business. She
couldn't understand why the Princess was so set against meeting
the Earth Prince. She wanted to ask, but remembered her station
and thus kept her musings to herself.
Serenity got out of bed and headed towards her enormous closet.
"I would like to wear something pink today," she yelled across
the room.
Myra chuckled at the un-princess-like behavior and yelled back.
"I'll have it ready for you, Your Highness!"
DOWNSTAIRS, INSIDE THE THRONE ROOM
Queen Serenity greeted her newly-arrived guests warmly. "Terra,
Endymion, it is so wonderful to see the both of you again.
I haven't seen you in sixteen years!" The Queen gave her
life-long friend a huge hug then turned and faced the tall
young man. "Endymion . . . You have grown so much! You were
only an infant last I saw you. You probably don't even remember
me." She pinched Endymion's cheeks and gathered him in her arms.
Terra, the Queen of Earth, laughed out loud. "Serenity, you
haven't changed a bit!!" Queen Serenity allowed the squirming
Prince escape her clutches and she laughed along.
Princess Serenity has been quietly watching her mother's
strange behavior. She smiled to herself as the Queen started
laughing. She looked around the room and her eyes rested upon
a dark mop of hair. As though he felt her eyes watching him,
Prince Endymion spun around and found himself staring back.
He raised an eyebrow questioningly at the Princess. He
noticed that she seemed upset about something. Almost like
she was upset upon seeing him, which was ridiculous.
Serenity looked at a pair of ocean-blue eyes with wariness.
'So he's the Prince of Earth,' she mused. 'Might as well
get this over with.' She walked gracefully across the chamber
and cleared her throat to get her mother's attention.
Queen Serenity noticed her daughter advancing toward her and
smiled. "Serenity, come," she summoned. To the Earth Queen,
she said, "Terra, this beautiful young lady is my dearest
daughter, Serenity."
Terra gave the Princess an enthusiastic embrace and looked at
her intently. "All grown up. How old are you, child?"
Serenity curtsied and answered in a strong voice, "I am ten
years old, Your Majesty."
"And my son is sixteen," she replied still smiling.
"That's . . . great, Your Majesty . . .," the Princess answered,
lacking of anything else to say.
"Daughter," Queen Serenity addressed the Princess. "This
handsome young man is Endymion," she said, looking pointedly
at the Prince. "I expect the two of you to become good
friends."
"Yes, Mother," the ten-year-old answered in a quiet voice.
The Moon Queen clapped her hands together and announced in a
loud voice, "My daughter shall show the Prince around the
palace. Why don't you take him to your gardens first,
Serenity?"
Serenity nodded, curtsied yet again and left the chamber
with Endymion close at her heels.
SERENITY'S GARDENS - Endymion's point of view
I reluctantly followed the meatball-headed Princess. I could
hardly believe it when my mother told me to get myself
acquainted with this little girl. I suppose this Moon Princess
wasn't excited about the idea either, but that doesn't excuse
the fact that she's ignoring me. She was walking too fast for
someone her age. I started keeping my pace alongside her when
something suddenly caught my eye. I stopped and stooped down.
What had made me stop was one of the most beautiful flower I
have ever seen. I've never seen anything like it on Earth. It
was so colorful. One bush consisted of so many bright colors
that I just had to have one. I chose one with red petals and
yellow pistils in the middle. I stayed there, staring at the
flower intently, and lost my train of thought.
Serenity's point of view -
I grudgingly lead the way to my gardens. I didn't want to
waste my time showing the entire palace to this ungrateful
prince. He hasn't said a single word to me which was fine.
I wasn't about to break the ice when I suddenly noticed that
I was walking by myself. I turned around and saw him standing
several feet away from me with an engrossed look carved on his
handsome face. Yes, he is handsome. I give him that and
nothing else. I sighed, blowing my bangs away from my eyes in
the process, and started tracing my steps to where he stood.
I smiled when I finally became aware of what was captivating
him. He had a Moon Gloria in his hand and he was looking at
it with so much admiration that I decided he couldn't be that
bad. I quietly approached him and exhaled a breath of defeat.
I suppose I had to break the ice.
Third person -
Serenity sighed yet again and said in a clear voice, "That's
called the Moon Gloria."
Endymion, startled, dropped the flower on the grassy floor.
"What?" he asked in confusion.
Serenity picked the fallen flower and handed it back to him.
"I said this is called the Moon Gloria," she repeated patiently.
"Moon Gloria?" Endymion, still surprised, echoed Serenity.
Serenity giggled in response. "Yes. It's called the Moon
Gloria," she said slowly this time.
Endymion smiled at her and placed the flower behind her left
ear. "Beautiful . . .," he whispered softly, taking real
notice of Serenity for the first time.
"Yes, it is a beautiful flower. Would you like to hear the
legend that goes with it?"
Endymion continued smiling and nodded. "I would love to."
Hunter's point of view -
I stayed hidden behind a huge tree some feet away from
Huntress. I frowned when I saw the Earth Prince place a Moon
Gloria behind her ear. How could she let him do that?
Doesn't she remember that the Moon Gloria is OUR flower? It
symbolizes our friendship. She gave me a pink one five years
ago that I kept with me at all times. Tears slowly fell down
my face. I wiped them away with a vengeance, all the while
thinking if perhaps Huntress is replacing me with someone
else. Then and there, I made a vow. Huntress belongs to me.
Anybody who says otherwise will die.
A WEEK LATER - SERENITY'S GARDENS
"Hunter, why are you so quiet?" Huntress asked worriedly.
"Am I? Sorry," he apologized in a monotone voice.
Persistent as always, Huntress demanded, "Tell me!"
Hunter looked at her thoughtfully and blurted out, "Are we
still friends?"
Huntress blinked in surprise and assured him softly, "Of
course! We're best friends and nothing is going to change
that!"
"Nothing and NOBODY, right?"
"What?"
"NOBODY is going to prevent us from being friends, right?"
"Of course!" Huntress stared at him, perplexed. "I thought
you knew that."
"I did," he agreed. "I just wanted to make sure you
haven't changed your mind."
Huntress gave him a stern look. "All right," she said
firmly. "What is this really about?"
Hunter looked sheepishly at her and said in an offended
tone, "Nothing!" Huntress said not a word and only waited
with an unyielding expression. After a while, Hunter hang
his head in defeat. "I just don't like you hanging around
that snobby prince."
"Endymion?!" Huntress cried out in surprise and disbelief.
"Your upset because of Endymion?"
"Even his name is snobbish . . .," he muttered.
"He isn't that bad."
"So now you're defending him?"
"He's a friend, Hunter," she explained quietly. "I'd do
the same thing to you." Hunter frowned at this and kept
silent. "So now who's pouting?" Huntress asked playfully,
remembering the day they first met. "Why are you being so
stubborn?"
"You gave him a Moon Gloria."
"So?"
"You gave him a Moon Gloria," he repeated.
Huntress stared at him then something dawned on her.
"You're jealous!!"
"I am not!" Hunter protested, his face feeling unusually
warm.
"Yes you are! Look at yourself! You're blushing!" she
laughed.
He watched her laughing her head off, his frown becoming
deeper. "Okay, okay, that's enough. You've had your fun,"
he announced, this time with a smile of his own.
Huntress stopped reluctantly and asked, trying to maintain
a serious face, "Are you finished acting foolish?"
"I still don't like that snob," he said grumpily.
"Don't say that. You don't even know him."
"I have good judgment," he declared in a superior tone.
Huntress raised an eyebrow questioningly. "Well I do!"
he insisted.
She sighed. "It's getting dark. I better return before
Mother start asking questions."
"Yeah . . . My own mother is starting to get suspicious."
"We need to be more careful," Huntress decided. "Well,
same place, same time?"
"You bet." He watched her leave then suddenly blurted out,
"Stay away from that snob!" Huntress looked back and erupted
once again in excessive laughter. "And I'm not jealous!!!"
She only laughed even more.
END BOOK 2
Sigh. This took me a while to finish. I had a mild case
of writer's block. I'm thinking of having a mini book
centering around the Moon Gloria Legend. I'm not sure, yet.
Oh, yeah! If you noticed the similarity in name with the
morning glory, I'd like you to know that I didn't notice that
myself until my brother mentioned it. I made the Moon Gloria
up. It just popped into my head without any help from other
REAL flowers, k?
Any comments you have, even flames, (yes, I decided to accept
those. They can actually help me make my stories better)
e-mail me.
Look out for Book 3: Betrayals of the Past.
don't have to read that one first, but I suggest you do just because
it's better that way. It'll also help you get the BIG picture.
Another thing . . . Serenity's name will be Huntress whenever Hunter
is around. You'll understand better once you read the story. And
towards the end, point of views change as mentioned. That's all.
Hope you enjoy this as much as I enjoyed writing it. *^_^*
The rating is G. There's nothing here but kiddie chatter. You'll
still read my story, right? Oh! I think you should know that I will
NEVER put cuss words in any of my stories. I don't like them and
think they're unnecessary. That's all. I guess this wasn't such a
short note . . . But I digress.
MEMORIES OF THE PAST
By: Moonbunny83
6/19/01 - 6/29/01
E-mail: moonbunny83@hotmail.com
Sailor Moon created by:
Naoko Takeuchi
New characters and the Moon Gloria belong to me.
BOOK 2
THE SILVER MILLENNIUM, ON THE MOON
Five-year-old Serenity wandered in her gardens, running with
joyful cries. Today is her birthday, June 30th. She has finally
turned five and she can now start with her lessons. She cannot
wait to learn how to fight, how to defend herself and show off
to those cooty-covered boys. She suddenly stopped, a bit out
of breath, as she plucked out her most favorite flower on the
moon. It was called the Moon Gloria. It was simply exquisite
with its velvety texture and fragrant odor. The Moon Gloria
came in many colors. That is what Serenity loved about it. A
floral bouquet of the Moon Gloria would leave one breathless
with its bountiful beauty. The particular one the Princess
picked was pink with tiny lavender pistils sprouting from the
middle. She inhaled its sweet scent as she continued running
amok the gardens. Twirling the flower in hand, she abruptly
stopped as she heard a sob coming from just several feet away
from her. She quietly walked towards the muffled noise, careful
as to not step on any fallen branches. As she drew closer, she
sees a disheveled little boy, not much older than she is. His
silver hair hung in a disarray around his shaking shoulders.
'Why, it is only a servant boy,' she thought, amazed as she
realized that she has a trespasser on her dainty hands. 'I
cannot believe that he would dare enter my gardens without
my permission! I simply cannot allow this,' she nodded, her
decision well taken care of. 'Even if he is crying . . . I
must order him to leave . . . But he is so sad-looking.'
Serenity, changing her mind about having the boy leave, stepped
out of her hiding place and cheerfully greeted the boy. "Hi!"
The boy immediately ceased his crying once he became aware that
he wasn't alone any longer. He looked up, his deep brown eyes
glazed with fresh tears. Serenity's heart went to him when she
saw his tear-stricken face and swollen red nose. He looked away
quickly to hide his face and asked in a low, tear-filled voice,
"What do you want?" Serenity, shocked at the boy's lack of
decorum, stood there with her mouth agape. The boy, impatience
was his nature, asked yet again. "I said what do you want?"
He made sure to look anywhere but Serenity as he waited for an
answer. The boy sniffed and wiped his nose on his sleeve.
Finally, impatience won and he spun around to look at the
still gaping Princess. "Close your mouth before a bug decides
to use it as a home," he snapped, his voice tinged with
annoyance.
Serenity closed her mouth, not because this sad excuse of a boy
has asked her to, no, ORDERED her to, but because she hated bugs
and the idea of having one in her mouth doesn't sit well with her
stomach. At last finding her voice again, she asked with the
innocence of any five-year-olds, "Why are you crying?"
As rudely as he could without hurting her feelings, though he
has no idea why he cared about this little princess' feelings,
the boy answered, "None of your business."
Serenity throws a tantrum and stomps her foot against the
mossy ground. "It is too my business," she protested.
"You are in my garden and I'm a princess and you're not!"
The boy looked at her as if she was crazy and stood up from
the huge rock he was sitting on. "Fine. Then I'll leave you
to your precious garden, YOUR HIGHNESS." He made sure to add
emphasis on her stature and bowed to her in an attempt to mock.
Then added, "By the way, I'm a boy and not a sissy like girls
and that's why I'm not a princess!" He abruptly turned and
started walking away from Serenity. Strangely enough, Serenity
felt a sense of loss as she watched the boy leave. Her bottom
lip quivered as if to cry, which she eventually did. At the
unsuspecting noise, the boy turned back around and stared at
her incredulously. He was about to ignore her when all of a
sudden, he started to strangely feel bad about his behavior.
After all, a pampered princess like this one was most likely
unused to rough comments. He sighed in defeat and walked back
to stand directly in front of her. He simply watched, waiting
for her to cease the racket she was causing. Serenity, finally
sensing his presence, immediately stopped and looked at him with
red eyes and nose. "Are you finished?" the boy asked, making
sure he did so nicely this time. Serenity nodded her head slowly.
She stared at him. Her stare was unnerving for a sprite like her.
Unexpectedly, she burst out laughing -- laughing so hard, she had
to wrapped her arms around her stomach. Once again, the boy was
left speechless at her unusual antics. Fed up, he threw up his
hands into the air as he cried out, "What is so stinking funny?"
Serenity, holding her sides, answered between hiccups. "Hic,
you, hic, look, hic, like, hic, a, hic, clown!"
"Look who's talking!" the boy retorted back.
That caused Serenity to end her laughter right away. "Hey!
Your nose is much redder than mine!!"
"Right . . .," the boy said sarcastically. "Want a mirror?"
Serenity, her mind blank for a comeback, blurted out, "You're
a wretched boy!! I don't like you at all!"
The boy felt upset with that comment, but he wasn't about to
let her know it. "Well, I don't like you either! So there!"
Serenity's face fell and she walked to the rock the boy once
sat and plopped herself down. She started playing with her
Moon Gloria as she began to mope. He snubbed her and thus she
began the classic silent treatment. The boy turned himself
away and took the silent challenge. They stayed like that, not
saying a word to each other, for quite along time. For Serenity,
this was almost an impossible feat, but she wasn't about to let
a servant boy beat her at her own game. Long moments passed
before the boy heard the noise. He looked around, trying to find
the culprit and his eyes rested on Serenity. 'She's crying,' he
thought to himself. 'Man! This is so unfair! If there's anything
I can't stand, it's girls crying.' The proof was what he did when
Serenity first opened the floodgates many hours ago. It's getting
late and he knew how much little girls hated the dark so he decided
to let her win her stupid game. "Girls," he muttered in disgust.
He dragged himself towards Serenity reluctantly. Once directly
behind her, he said in defeat, "All right. You win." Serenity
turned around, her face bright, as she smiled up to the boy.
"Hi!" she started once again. She suddenly remembered the flower
she's been holding onto and gave it to the little boy. "My name's
Serenity. What's yours?"
The boy accepted the Moon Gloria all the while watching her glowing
face with awe and shook his head clear when he heard the question.
"Hunter," he answered straight to the point.
"That's a weird name."
"And yours, isn't? Se-re-ni-ty. That is so girly."
"Well, I am a girl! Besides, I was named after my mother, Queen
Serenity!"
"So what? I still say your name stinks."
"Like you can think of anything better!"
"As a matter of fact, I can!"
"Yeah?"
"Yeah!"
"Well, then, what's my new name?"
"Let me see . . .," Hunter stopped to think of a new name for
Serenity. "It's got to be as cool as mine." Serenity rolled
her eyes at that comment. She tried to wait patiently, she
really did.
"Think of something already!" she stated exasperatingly.
"I got it! Your new name is Huntress!" he grinned at himself
for thinking of something so clever.
"Huntress?" Serenity asked disbelievingly. "You're naming me
Huntress?"
"Sure, why not?"
"Nothing. It's just . . . Weird. But I guess it could be worse."
"Hey!" Hunter cried, taking offense.
Serenity sighed and declared, "Fine! My name's going to be
Huntress from now on."
"Wicked cool!"
"But only when we're alone."
"How come? I thought you liked it."
"I never said I liked it!" Serenity, rather, Huntress disagreed.
"I just don't think my mother would be ecstatic. Or anybody
else for that matter."
"Fine with me. After all, I did give you your new name so I
should be the only one allowed to use it," he said, arrogance
in his manner.
"Whatever," Huntress rolled her eyes yet again. It was
beginning to become a habit around this boy -- a habit that
wouldn't get an approval from her instructors or her mother.
Looking at the suddenly darken garden, she said to her new-found
friend, "We better go. It's starting to get dark."
"I knew it!" Hunter exclaimed. "You ARE afraid of the dark!"
"Am not!"
"Are too! All girls are!"
"Not this girl!!!!"
Not wanting to see her bursting into tears again, Hunter simply
stated, "We'll see, we'll see . . ."
On that very day, June 30th, Serenity's/Huntress' birthday, a
long-lasting friendship was born. Two friends formed a bond
that will become tested throughout the years. As the sun
began to set, Hunter and Huntress went on their separate ways.
One headed toward prosperity, the other toward poverty.
QUEEN SERENTIY'S CHAMBER
"Luna, have you seen the Princess?" inquired Queen Serenity, a
worried frown marring her flawless face.
Luna blinked in surprise and answered in concern, "Why, no, Your
Majesty. She is probably in her chambers right at this very
moment," she added hastily once she saw how much the Queen was
fretting.
Queen Serenity started pacing back and forth, back and forth,
back and forth, all the while wringing her hands nervously. She
started muttering under her breath about the dangers outside the
palace grounds. Exasperatedly, she sighed and left the chambers,
leaving the door wide open. Luna stayed behind in shock at the
sovereign's behavior. Finally, she, too left the room in search
of the missing Princess.
'Princess Serenity, of all days to disappear, you had to pick
this one,' Luna complained silently as she trudged along the
long corridors.
MEANWHILE . . .
"Oooh!" Princess Serenity exclaimed with happiness. "Just wait
till I tell Luna about my new best friend!" She has just
returned inside the palace and couldn't contain her excitement
about the good news. She ran up a staircase, skipped down a
hall, and opened the door to her chambers. She was about to
jump on her bed when she heard a loud meow of indignation.
Alarmed, she spun abruptly toward the noise and saw a black
cat with a crescent moon bald spot staring at her with a
disapproving glare. Serenity jumped in surprise. "Luna!,"
she cried. "You gave me a fright!" She took deep breaths to
calm her racing heart.
Luna raised her cat's eyebrow in disbelief. "I gave YOU a
fright? Well, of all the . . . Where have you been, child?
You gave your mother and I a fright."
"Oh! I'm sorry. I never meant to do that," Serenity bowed
her tiny head in shame. "I was just taking a walk in my gardens.
I didn't leave the palace grounds, I promise!"
Luna, who could never stay angry at the young Princess, purred
with forgiveness. "Just remember to tell somebody about
your whereabouts and save us some worries."
"Yes, Luna," she immediately agreed to placate the cat.
"What were you doing in the gardens anyway? What could've
taken you so long that you had to stay outside until dark?"
Serenity cried with delight. "Oooh, Luna! Have I got a lot
to tell you!"
"Is that so? Well, spit it out. I can see you can barely
keep it to yourself," Luna said, amusement apparent in her tone.
Not waiting for any more invitation, Serenity spilled everything
about the day's events -- starting with the Moon Gloria and
ending with her new name.
"Huntress?!" Luna practically screamed in disgust.
"Luna, shush. I don't want anybody to hear. Oh! I should
never have told you!" Serenity lamented with regrets.
Luna, too engrossed with the new name, missed what she said
and kept on ranting. "Just wait until I tell Queen Serenity
about this! The nerve of that boy. Giving you an inappropriate
name . . ."
"Luna! No! Don't tell Mama!" the Princess protested.
"Why ever not? The Queen has a right to know."
"She wouldn't approve of Hunter and you know it!"
"I very well understand why she wouldn't!" Luna retorted back.
"Luna, please don't!" By this time, Serenity was crying her
heart out. Tears flowed down her pixie face as she kept
insisting Luna to keep her secret.
Luna finally stopped her outburst and look at the child sadly.
"All right," she sighed in acquiescence.
Serenity gasped in pleasure, kneeled on the floor and smothered
the feline with a huge hug. "Thank you, Luna!" she sniffed.
"I knew I could count on you."
"Princess I can't breathe!!!!" Luna gasped for air.
"Sorry!" Serenity immediately let go. She stood up with a big
smile.
"Take that as a birthday present from me," Luna said, smiling
back. "It's late. Get ready for bed and I'll inform the Queen
to tuck you in," she told Serenity as she tried to get her regal
composure back, but only to lose it again right away.
"The Queen! Oh, dear. She has been running back and forth the
entire palace looking for you! She must be worried sick by now.
Oh, dear." A fussing Luna immediately left the chamber, this
time in search for her Majesty, the Queen. Then, as an
afterthought, she turned and said quietly, "Happy Birthday,
Princess."
"Thank you."
Luna then resumed with her search, regrets now settling in.
'Why do I get the feeling I'm doing the wrong thing by keeping
this to myself?' she thought worriedly. She released a sigh
and started descending the staircase.
AFTERNOON, THE NEXT DAY - PRINCESS SERENITY'S GARDENS
"Where is that boy?" Huntress wondered grouchily. "He couldn't
possibly have forgotten about our picnic." She plopped herself
down on their 'rock' and placed the picnic basket she brought
along on the grassy floor.
"Stop pouting," a voice scolded. "You're a princess and
princesses don't pout."
Huntress smiled to herself, but replaced her expression with a
frown as she faced the voice's owner. "I don't pout!" she
pouted, her bottom lip sticking out stubbornly.
Hunter sat next to her and replied with sarcasm, "Really?
Then what are you doing now?"
"Oh! Be quiet! What do you know?"
"Much more than you do!"
"You're telling a falsehood! You can't be that smart! Why,
you're only a little boy!" she said, her face smug.
"I'm only a little b-," Hunter sputtered. "I'm almost ten
years old!"
"Oh, yeah? Well, I just turned five years old yesterday!"
Hunter gave her a look that said 'Are you stupid?' "Don't you
know how to count?"
"Yes I do," she fibbed.
Hunter looked at her straight in the eye and said slowly,
"Then you do realize that I'm older than you, right?"
Huntress stared right back at him, still sulking. "That's
irrelevant," she argued.
"Irrelevant," he repeated in disbelief. "Where did you learn to
use such big words?" He looked at her as if she had two heads
connected to her neck. He added to himself, muttering,
"Irrelevant, falsehoods . . . And she's supposed to be five."
"I know such words because I'm much smarter than you."
"Do you even know what 'irrelevant' means?"
"Of course I do!" Huntress cried out indignantly.
"Well, then, enlighten me," Hunter drawled out.
"Ummm . . . Well, it means not relevant."
"Nice try, Bubble Brain."
"Don't call me that!"
"Don't call you what, Bubble Brain?" Hunter asked with a grin.
"You're mean!"
"Tell me something you haven't told me."
"You're just jealous because I'm smarter than you."
"Are we back to that? You haven't even proven that you are
smarter than me."
Huntress looked away and once again started the infamous
silent treatment.
"Oh, come on! Don't try that again! We'd be sitting here
until the sun sets! Just tell me how . . ." He stopped
immediately when Huntress looked back at him with eyes glazed
with unshed tears. "You have no idea what it means, do you?"
he asked quietly. She sniffed and shook her head no.
"I just heard my mother use it once," she explained in a small
voice. Then louder, she added, "But I'm still smarter than you!"
Hunter looked at her and finally gave in. "Fine. Whatever.
We'll see."
Neither said another word for a few minutes until Huntress said
in a reluctant tone, "Well?"
"Well what?"
"What does it mean?"
Hunter burst out laughing and answered, "I'm not telling you."
"Why not?" Huntress complained.
"You're supposed to be smarter than me. Find out yourself."
"I thought you were my friend."
"When did I say that?" he asked, mischief in his voice.
Unfortunately, Huntress missed it so she released the waterworks.
Hunter's face fell when he realized what he had done. "I was just
kidding!" he promptly clarified.
Her tears stopped as quickly as they had come. Huntress gave
him a bright smile and announced cheerfully, "Let's eat!"
"About time!" Hunter complained. "I'm starving." He watched
her remove the picnic cloth on top of the basket and heard her
let out a shriek of anger. "What is it?" he asked with alarm.
"Luna!" she said in a rejected tone.
Hunter thought to himself, 'She gave a picnic basket a name?'
As soon as he had finish his thought, he took notice of another
sound. A cat-like sound. A meowing sound.
"I'm disappointed in you!" Huntress continued.
"What's going on? Do you have a cat in there?" Right away,
a black cat with a crescent moon bald spot entered his line of
sight.
Huntress ignored him and kept on giving the cat a piece of her
mind. "You sneaky feline! You've been listening, haven't
you?" she asked accusingly.
Luna, her head bowed down in humiliation, explained, "I meant
no harm, Princess. I only wanted to make sure this new friend
of yours deserves your friendship." With that, she gave Hunter
a dark glare.
"Now wait just a second . . .," Hunter protested.
"Luna, I want you to leave," Huntress interrupted.
"Now, be reasonable, Princess. I wanted to meet your friend."
"So you sneaked inside my picnic basket?"
"I realize my actions are unacceptable, but . . ."
"Hello? I'm still here. I'm starving, Huntress.
Forget the bald cat and let's eat whatever you have in
that basket of yours," Hunter informed them with a raised
voice. He added with an evil glint in his eyes, "That
includes the cat."
"EXCUSE ME?! YOU NOT ONLY DARE CALL ME BALD, BUT YOU ALSO
DARE THREATEN TO EAT ME?!" Luna started sharpening her
claws and stared at Hunter's neck with a wicked purpose.
Huntress intervened just in time. "NOBODY is going to eat
Luna! And NOBODY is going to scratch Hunter!" She screamed.
She sighed with frustration and addressed her cat, "We'll talk
about this later, Feline." She stood up and started pacing
back and forth all the while saying, "Let's start this again,
agreed?" She gave Hunter and Luna a fierce look. Both backed
down and nodded mutely. "Well, then," she clapped her hands
together. "Hunter, I would like you to meet Luna, my mother's
royal advisor. And Luna, I would like you to meet Hunter, my
BEST FRIEND." She made sure she added an emphasis to the word
best friend so Luna would understand that she means to keep
Hunter no matter her opinion on the matter.
"Pleasure to meet you," Luna replied courteously, albeit
reluctantly.
"Likewise, but I've already heard of you," Hunter informed
both females.
"You've heard of Luna?" Huntress asked in surprise.
"Yeah. My mother told me about her."
"Who's your mother, boy?" Luna questioned Hunter.
"My mother's Myra."
"Myra?!" Huntress cried out? "My chambermaid's name is Myra."
"I know."
"Well," Luna grumbled. "Small world."
"I've heard of Hermes, too," Hunter bragged.
Huntress and Luna looked at each other in confusion. "Hermes?"
they both repeated at the same time.
"Yeah, Hermes," he said, annoyance creeping in his voice.
"You know? The other talking cat? He's bald, too. Only
difference is that his fur is white."
"Artemis!!" Luna said in understanding.
"Artemis? Who's he?"
Luna looked at the boy impatiently and explained, "His name is
Artemis, not Hermes."
"Same difference," Hunter nonchalantly said.
"Same difference . . .," Luna muttered. "Just wait until I
tell Artemis about this."
Huntress heard and objected, "You will not! You promised you'd keep
this to yourself! It was my birthday present! You can't take it
back!"
Luna said in defeat, "A promise is a promise. I'll keep it
to myself."
"Thanks, Luna!" Huntress gleefully expressed her gratitude.
"Can we eat now?" Hunter whined. "I'm starving."
"Don't you eat at home, boy?" Luna snapped.
"Stop calling me boy! I do have a name!" he snapped back.
"Luna! Be nice. He can't help being a glutton."
"Hey! I resent that!" Hunter grumbled. "Glutton . . . And
she's five years old," he said quietly to himself, remembering
Huntress' unusually broad vocabulary. He watched the mini
sandwiches being distributed. He took a slice and once again
complained, "This is suppose to satisfy my stomach?!"
"Don't eat it if you don't like it," was the only comment
Huntress gave him.
"I'm eating it, I'm eating it," he mumbled as he took a bite and
watched the smile on Huntress' face.
All three ate in silence as the afternoon quickly passed. Soon,
it was time for the friends to part.
"Princess, we better go back before your mother starts
suspecting something," Luna informed her ward.
Not wanting to go just yet, but knew how vital her decision
is to ensure the secrecy, she complied. "I'm sorry, Hunter,
but Luna's right."
"Of course I'm right," the cat sniffed with her nose in the air.
"I guess, I better go, too," Hunter agreed. "See ya later,
Huntress, Luna!" With that, he ran towards home.
"Huntress," Luna whispered in disgust, watching the Princess
wave her good byes to her friend. "Didn't even bother saying
thank you," she added under her breath.
"What was that, Luna?" Serenity asked, her eyes blinking with
innocence.
"Nothing important. Let's clean up this mess and head on home."
"All right."
FIVE YEARS LATER, EARLY IN THE MORNING
"Princess Serenity," the chambermaid Myra gleefully said in a
voice loud enough to wake the dead. She went to the window
and swiped the frilly, pink curtains open, allowing the sun to
shine through. "It's time to get up!!" Myra advanced to the
king-sized bed decorated with little bunnies prancing about.
She sat on the foot of the bed and gently shook the Princess.
"Your Highness, you really must get up," she insisted in a soft
voice this time.
Serenity whacked her hands away and said tiredly, "Go away,
Myra. Leave me alone."
"But Princess, don't you remember what today is?"
Serenity, with her eyes closed, sighed. She recalled her
mother saying that the Prince of Earth was coming for a visit.
The Queen expected her daughter to befriend the young man.
Serenity strongly refused. She would rather spend her time
with Hunter. Of course, she couldn't tell her mother that.
In the end, the Queen won, threatening to forbid Serenity to
visit her gardens. She sighed again. Today is that day.
The day she had so tried to forget has finally arrived.
Serenity tentatively opened her eyes and found Myra smiling
down at her. She tried to find any resemblance with Hunter,
but couldn't find any. She was surprisingly young. With a
fifteen-year old son, she should at least have wrinkles on her
face, but she doesn't. Unlike Hunter, his mother's hair was
soft black with purple highlights that reached down to her waist.
Her piercing hazel eyes watched her warily. 'Hunter must have
gotten his silver hair and brown eyes from his father,' she
thought sleepily. Serenity would never find out since Hunter
refused to talk about his father. He didn't like talking about
himself at all. She couldn't ask Myra about the father. She's
not even aware of the friendship the Princess bears with her son.
Serenity, finishing with her thoughts, stood up slowly, rubbing
the sleep out of her eyes.
"Are you awake now?" Myra asked amusedly.
Serenity yawned and nodded. "Is today the dreaded day?" she
asked the chambermaid begrudgingly.
"Yes," she answered, trying to mind her own business. She
couldn't understand why the Princess was so set against meeting
the Earth Prince. She wanted to ask, but remembered her station
and thus kept her musings to herself.
Serenity got out of bed and headed towards her enormous closet.
"I would like to wear something pink today," she yelled across
the room.
Myra chuckled at the un-princess-like behavior and yelled back.
"I'll have it ready for you, Your Highness!"
DOWNSTAIRS, INSIDE THE THRONE ROOM
Queen Serenity greeted her newly-arrived guests warmly. "Terra,
Endymion, it is so wonderful to see the both of you again.
I haven't seen you in sixteen years!" The Queen gave her
life-long friend a huge hug then turned and faced the tall
young man. "Endymion . . . You have grown so much! You were
only an infant last I saw you. You probably don't even remember
me." She pinched Endymion's cheeks and gathered him in her arms.
Terra, the Queen of Earth, laughed out loud. "Serenity, you
haven't changed a bit!!" Queen Serenity allowed the squirming
Prince escape her clutches and she laughed along.
Princess Serenity has been quietly watching her mother's
strange behavior. She smiled to herself as the Queen started
laughing. She looked around the room and her eyes rested upon
a dark mop of hair. As though he felt her eyes watching him,
Prince Endymion spun around and found himself staring back.
He raised an eyebrow questioningly at the Princess. He
noticed that she seemed upset about something. Almost like
she was upset upon seeing him, which was ridiculous.
Serenity looked at a pair of ocean-blue eyes with wariness.
'So he's the Prince of Earth,' she mused. 'Might as well
get this over with.' She walked gracefully across the chamber
and cleared her throat to get her mother's attention.
Queen Serenity noticed her daughter advancing toward her and
smiled. "Serenity, come," she summoned. To the Earth Queen,
she said, "Terra, this beautiful young lady is my dearest
daughter, Serenity."
Terra gave the Princess an enthusiastic embrace and looked at
her intently. "All grown up. How old are you, child?"
Serenity curtsied and answered in a strong voice, "I am ten
years old, Your Majesty."
"And my son is sixteen," she replied still smiling.
"That's . . . great, Your Majesty . . .," the Princess answered,
lacking of anything else to say.
"Daughter," Queen Serenity addressed the Princess. "This
handsome young man is Endymion," she said, looking pointedly
at the Prince. "I expect the two of you to become good
friends."
"Yes, Mother," the ten-year-old answered in a quiet voice.
The Moon Queen clapped her hands together and announced in a
loud voice, "My daughter shall show the Prince around the
palace. Why don't you take him to your gardens first,
Serenity?"
Serenity nodded, curtsied yet again and left the chamber
with Endymion close at her heels.
SERENITY'S GARDENS - Endymion's point of view
I reluctantly followed the meatball-headed Princess. I could
hardly believe it when my mother told me to get myself
acquainted with this little girl. I suppose this Moon Princess
wasn't excited about the idea either, but that doesn't excuse
the fact that she's ignoring me. She was walking too fast for
someone her age. I started keeping my pace alongside her when
something suddenly caught my eye. I stopped and stooped down.
What had made me stop was one of the most beautiful flower I
have ever seen. I've never seen anything like it on Earth. It
was so colorful. One bush consisted of so many bright colors
that I just had to have one. I chose one with red petals and
yellow pistils in the middle. I stayed there, staring at the
flower intently, and lost my train of thought.
Serenity's point of view -
I grudgingly lead the way to my gardens. I didn't want to
waste my time showing the entire palace to this ungrateful
prince. He hasn't said a single word to me which was fine.
I wasn't about to break the ice when I suddenly noticed that
I was walking by myself. I turned around and saw him standing
several feet away from me with an engrossed look carved on his
handsome face. Yes, he is handsome. I give him that and
nothing else. I sighed, blowing my bangs away from my eyes in
the process, and started tracing my steps to where he stood.
I smiled when I finally became aware of what was captivating
him. He had a Moon Gloria in his hand and he was looking at
it with so much admiration that I decided he couldn't be that
bad. I quietly approached him and exhaled a breath of defeat.
I suppose I had to break the ice.
Third person -
Serenity sighed yet again and said in a clear voice, "That's
called the Moon Gloria."
Endymion, startled, dropped the flower on the grassy floor.
"What?" he asked in confusion.
Serenity picked the fallen flower and handed it back to him.
"I said this is called the Moon Gloria," she repeated patiently.
"Moon Gloria?" Endymion, still surprised, echoed Serenity.
Serenity giggled in response. "Yes. It's called the Moon
Gloria," she said slowly this time.
Endymion smiled at her and placed the flower behind her left
ear. "Beautiful . . .," he whispered softly, taking real
notice of Serenity for the first time.
"Yes, it is a beautiful flower. Would you like to hear the
legend that goes with it?"
Endymion continued smiling and nodded. "I would love to."
Hunter's point of view -
I stayed hidden behind a huge tree some feet away from
Huntress. I frowned when I saw the Earth Prince place a Moon
Gloria behind her ear. How could she let him do that?
Doesn't she remember that the Moon Gloria is OUR flower? It
symbolizes our friendship. She gave me a pink one five years
ago that I kept with me at all times. Tears slowly fell down
my face. I wiped them away with a vengeance, all the while
thinking if perhaps Huntress is replacing me with someone
else. Then and there, I made a vow. Huntress belongs to me.
Anybody who says otherwise will die.
A WEEK LATER - SERENITY'S GARDENS
"Hunter, why are you so quiet?" Huntress asked worriedly.
"Am I? Sorry," he apologized in a monotone voice.
Persistent as always, Huntress demanded, "Tell me!"
Hunter looked at her thoughtfully and blurted out, "Are we
still friends?"
Huntress blinked in surprise and assured him softly, "Of
course! We're best friends and nothing is going to change
that!"
"Nothing and NOBODY, right?"
"What?"
"NOBODY is going to prevent us from being friends, right?"
"Of course!" Huntress stared at him, perplexed. "I thought
you knew that."
"I did," he agreed. "I just wanted to make sure you
haven't changed your mind."
Huntress gave him a stern look. "All right," she said
firmly. "What is this really about?"
Hunter looked sheepishly at her and said in an offended
tone, "Nothing!" Huntress said not a word and only waited
with an unyielding expression. After a while, Hunter hang
his head in defeat. "I just don't like you hanging around
that snobby prince."
"Endymion?!" Huntress cried out in surprise and disbelief.
"Your upset because of Endymion?"
"Even his name is snobbish . . .," he muttered.
"He isn't that bad."
"So now you're defending him?"
"He's a friend, Hunter," she explained quietly. "I'd do
the same thing to you." Hunter frowned at this and kept
silent. "So now who's pouting?" Huntress asked playfully,
remembering the day they first met. "Why are you being so
stubborn?"
"You gave him a Moon Gloria."
"So?"
"You gave him a Moon Gloria," he repeated.
Huntress stared at him then something dawned on her.
"You're jealous!!"
"I am not!" Hunter protested, his face feeling unusually
warm.
"Yes you are! Look at yourself! You're blushing!" she
laughed.
He watched her laughing her head off, his frown becoming
deeper. "Okay, okay, that's enough. You've had your fun,"
he announced, this time with a smile of his own.
Huntress stopped reluctantly and asked, trying to maintain
a serious face, "Are you finished acting foolish?"
"I still don't like that snob," he said grumpily.
"Don't say that. You don't even know him."
"I have good judgment," he declared in a superior tone.
Huntress raised an eyebrow questioningly. "Well I do!"
he insisted.
She sighed. "It's getting dark. I better return before
Mother start asking questions."
"Yeah . . . My own mother is starting to get suspicious."
"We need to be more careful," Huntress decided. "Well,
same place, same time?"
"You bet." He watched her leave then suddenly blurted out,
"Stay away from that snob!" Huntress looked back and erupted
once again in excessive laughter. "And I'm not jealous!!!"
She only laughed even more.
END BOOK 2
Sigh. This took me a while to finish. I had a mild case
of writer's block. I'm thinking of having a mini book
centering around the Moon Gloria Legend. I'm not sure, yet.
Oh, yeah! If you noticed the similarity in name with the
morning glory, I'd like you to know that I didn't notice that
myself until my brother mentioned it. I made the Moon Gloria
up. It just popped into my head without any help from other
REAL flowers, k?
Any comments you have, even flames, (yes, I decided to accept
those. They can actually help me make my stories better)
e-mail me.
Look out for Book 3: Betrayals of the Past.