Chapter 19
A Million Tears to Shed
The reigning princess was already preparing to retire by the time her mother ended her meeting with Chronos. Serenity tucked her daughter into bed, kissed her goodnight, and took to her own chambers for the night. Once there, however, she did not sleep. Her conversation with Chronos was entirely too fresh in her mind. Even after letting her hair down and exchanging her gowns for a soft nightdress, the High Queen could not bring herself to lie upon her bed. Sighing heavily, Serenity covered herself with a filmy white robe, and stole from her chambers to wander the darkened halls, hoping that if she exhausted her body, she might quiet her spirit.
With soft amusement, Serenity dwelled briefly upon the notion that she must have looked quite like a lost spirit as she glided gracefully through the palace, dressed all in white with her silver mane flowing behind her. As if to emphasize the idea, Serenity came across a young servant woman by the name of Lysa, dawdling on her way to the servant's quarters, who upon seeing the High Queen, let out a cry of fright. Suddenly, the Queen was bathed in the light of the servant woman's candle.
"Your Majesty!" Lysa exclaimed. "Merciful gods, I might have sworn you were the ghost of your own mother!" Serenity smiled tightly.
"I doubt that you are old enough to remember what my mother looked like, my good woman," she said dryly. "What are you doing away from your bed?"
"The same could be asked of you, my Queen," the woman answered boldly. Serenity chuckled, knowing that Lysa had meant no disrespect.
"You are right," she admitted. "I am restless, and eager to quiet my spirit. And what of you, Lysa? Are you agitated as I am, or were you simply taking your time in getting to your bed?" Lysa smiled coyly and patted her belly.
"It was not I who was agitated, Your Majesty," she explained, "but rather, my little one. I declare I must be bruised within from tiny feet!" The servant woman's words seemed to wash the smile from Serenity's lips. Her troubled eyes dropped to Lysa's belly, which was swollen with child. Like Lady Saturn's, she thought, even though she knew that Lady Saturn's pregnancy would not be so apparent this early in her term.
Lysa stared at the Queen with wide eyes, alarmed by the deep sadness upon her face.
"I am sorry, Majesty," she said timidly, "but have I upset you somehow?" Serenity shook herself from her trance, and forced herself to smile.
"No, Lysa. No, you have not. I am simply distressed by…something else." For a moment, she lapsed back into a daze, and then cleared her throat. "Think nothing of it. If your child has settled within your womb, I would advise you to return to your bed."
"It has settled, Majesty. I will take to my bed, as you advised. But are you certain that you will be alright?"
"I am." Serenity assured her. The two women parted then, Lysa going to her bed as she had promised, and the Queen to wherever her heart lured her.
As she wandered aimlessly through the Silver Palace, Serenity's thoughts inevitably turned to Lady Saturn. It had not been long since her child had been conceived. She yet had time to live, if only a matter of months. A matter of months, Serenity thought. A matter of months until Lady Saturn, once a great light goddess, dies as a mortal, leaving her orphaned child behind to die slowly of starvation and neglect.
Queen Serenity felt no sympathy for Lady Saturn. The punishment the goddess would receive was no more than exactly what she deserved. But her heart ached for the child. Lady Saturn's soul would be brought before Lady Pluto for judgment, just as all mortal souls were. According to Chronos, it was quite possible—actually, it was to be expected—that the goddess of the afterlife would not favor her soul; instead of being set free, it would be eternally imprisoned in the realm of the dark god of death Urien, where she would suffer undying torment. What would become of the child's soul? Surely, Lady Pluto would not punish a soul that had not had time enough to live. Surely, the child's soul would be freed…
Serenity shook her head. She could not dwell on such thoughts. The important thing was not where the child's soul would go. It simply was not right for her to die so young, without ever having known love of any kind. It is not right, Serenity thought. It is cruel. Not even the gods should treat the girl so callously. After all, she will be Princess Setsuna's half- sister, even if Setsuna never learns of her existence… Serenity's thoughts left her there, and gradually drifted back to her meeting with Chronos.
"A blessing unto this Kingdom." That was what Chronos had called the child's demise. "She will inherit planetary magic from both her mother and her father," he had told her, "and it will be corrupted because she was conceived in sin. Should it awaken, it would take complete control of the child. The result would be a darkness that could possibly destroy your Kingdom if its host is allowed to live."
Somehow, behind the fear that clouded her mind at his, Serenity had touched upon the fact that Chronos had referred to Lady Saturn's unborn child as "she." How did he know that the child would be a girl? Well, truly it did not matter how he knew. The fact was that if the babe were indeed female, it would make her an even greater threat to the White Moon Kingdom, for as was well known, the firstborn daughter of a planetary goddess or one of her descendants was endowed with unimaginable amounts of planetary magic. Furthermore, Lord Hades was one of Lady Pluto's chosen men. As Chronos had said, he too had power to be passed to his bastard daughter. With the powers of silence from her mother, and the life beyond from her father, Serenity could not bear to think what the consequences could be if the child's corrupted power were ever brought from there dormant state. Still, it did not seem right that she should have to die just because she was born with such powers. One would not kill a baby snake, simply because its mother and father had been venomous. Of course, the girl's situation was a bit different, but that hardly seemed to matter to the Queen.
She is only an innocent child, Serenity thought mournfully. She should not have to suffer because of her parents' sins. Even as she thought this, though, the Queen felt her insides quivering with a bizarre kind of warning. Yet, if that be the will of the gods…
All at once, Serenity had an overwhelming desire to go to the Crystal Tower, and be with her celestial mother, Selene, by whose curse Lady Saturn would die. The Queen swallowed, fighting to quell the sense of dread that had built up inside her. It would be foolish to pretend that she did not know why she wished to visit the goddess' shrine. If the death of Lady Saturn's child is the will of the gods, I would be questioning them to wish it were otherwise. Serenity ground her teeth, and took off for the Crystal Tower as quickly as her feet could take her. She did not stop until she had reached the room at the top of the stairs.
Once within, Serenity flung herself to her knees before Selene's shrine, breathless from her uncustomary excursions. Unexpectedly, the Queen felt tears begin to fall. They flowed unchecked from her eyes, streaming down her cheeks in twin rivers.
"Why?" she rasped, flinging the question at the goddess' shrine. "Why? Why hath Lady Saturn betrayed thee? Oh, my celestial mother, why?" Of course, there was no reply. Selene was with her brothers and sisters in the Realm of Gods, and Serenity was certain not one of them had the answer she sought. The only one who truly knew was Lady Saturn herself, and Serenity certainly could not speak to her. Or could she? Would it truly be so difficult to go to Saturn and ask its doomed Queen why she had betrayed her promise? Fool, Serenity thought. You know it would be. And so the High Queen knelt before Selene's shrine, and wept.
She wept for Selene. She wept for Setsuna, for Hades, for Moira, and for her Kingdom. She even wept for Lady Saturn. But above all, Queen Serenity wept for the child. She was the most innocent victim in the entire affair, and she was the one who would suffer the most. Serenity could not let that happen. She simply could not! As suddenly as her tears had started, they stopped as Serenity reached a decision. A moment later, the Silver Crystal was in her hand, shimmering softly with a divine light.
"Merciful gods," she whispered, "please let my choice be the right one." Then, as her power surged through it, the sparkling crystal began to glow…
"Setsuna dear…" Lord Hades grimaced as his father's voice broke into his conversation. His daughter glanced up expectantly, focusing over Hades' shoulder. Hades did not look at his father. He could not. Although he had long ago realized that Setsuna's destiny was not Chronos' fault, it still hurt him deeply that he should never see his daughter again. The way his father was involved in the whole affair only made it seem worse.
"Yes, Grandfather?" Setsuna prompted, her garnet eyes wide and eager. Gods, Hades thought with a bit of disgust. She is a woman now, perfectly capable of making up her own mind, yet when Father calls her, she snaps to attention like a well-trained dog, only too ready to cater to his every order.
"We must return to the Gates of Time now, dear one." Chronos told his granddaughter gently. Setsuna's eager expression was instantly replaced by one of disappointment. Still, I could be wrong, Hades thought, amending his earlier perception.
"Alright, Grandfather." Setsuna sighed. "Goodbye, Mother. Goodbye, Father." With that, Setsuna kissed her parents goodbye and rose from her chair. Hades' gaze followed his daughter as she joined her grandfather, and inevitably, it crashed into Chronos. He saw the Time God glaring at him, and his jaw nearly hit the floor. The look in his father's eyes was hostile enough to make his blood curdle! Hades blinked in shock, but by that time, Chronos and Setsuna were already gone.
"Hades, my love, whatever is the matter?" Moira asked. "You look as if you have seen a ghost!" Hades closed his mouth and frowned. Had he imagined it? Somehow, that did not seem likely. Hades certainly did not think himself creative enough to imagine such antagonism as he had seen in his father's eyes.
"I am one of Lady Pluto's chosen," he reminded his wife. "A ghost should not surprise me in the least. What I have just seen most certainly did."
"Truly?" Moira asked, intrigued. "Tell me, my husband, what was it?" Hades hesitated. In spite of having an utter lack of confidence in his imagination, he could not very well believe that his kind-hearted father should stare at him with such raw hatred, unless, of course, it had not been his father. Hades' pulse quickened. Had it been an imposter? Had his daughter just been kidnapped before his eyes? Hades quickly searched his brain, trying to think if the Plutonian royalty had any enemies who could successfully imitate the god of time, but he came up empty handed. I shall speak with the Voices later, he decided. Mother ought to know if that was Father or an imposter.
To Moira, he said, "It was nothing, my love. I do not believe what I saw anyway."
The moment they arrived at the Gates of Time, Setsuna fixed Chronos with a questioning stare.
"Grandfather," she asked hesitantly, "are…are you alright?" Chronos glared at his granddaughter.
"Of course, child!" he snapped. "Why should you think I am not?" Surprisingly, his harsh manner only made Setsuna bolder.
"Well, for one thing, your tone as you spoke to me just now. Secondly, back at the palace, you looked upon Father with such malice I feared you would strike him down where he stood. Are you angry with him?" Chronos glanced away, not wanting Setsuna to see the truth in his eyes.
"No," he replied, a lie although he knew that his son's situation was not truly his fault. "It is not your father who troubles me."
"Then what is the matter?" Setsuna asked, curious.
"Darkness." Chronos spat the word. "There is far too much darkness intent on destroying Serenity and her Kingdom." Setsuna's heart twisted.
"What?" she exclaimed. "What sort of darkness?" Chronos slipped her a sidelong glance.
"That is not your concern, child," he replied with finality, but Setsuna refused to let him dismiss her that way.
"Look upon me, Grandfather," she ordered gently. Chronos diffidently obeyed, turning to look Setsuna in the eye.
"What is it?"
"Perhaps it is no longer my destiny to protect this Kingdom…"
"It never was." Chronos interrupted curtly.
"…but in my heart, I am still a Sailor Soldier." Setsuna went on, ignoring the interruption. "If there is a force threatening the Kingdom I called home, I should like to know about it." Chronos regarded the young woman with grudging respect.
"So you say you are still a Sailor Soldier in your heart, eh?" he repeated dryly. "Is that why you insist upon wearing that ridiculous uniform, and carry that silly little thing atop your Time Staff?" Setsuna smoothed the skirt of her Sailor Soldier's uniform, and absently twirled the white, key- shaped Time Staff, atop which gleamed the Garnet Orb.
"It is not a 'silly little thing', Grandfather," she chided mildly. "It is the divine token left by Lady Pluto. And yes, I suppose that is why I insist upon carrying it, and wearing my uniform."
"Some day, you shall have to give them up to your niece." Chronos reminded her. Setsuna shrugged.
"When that day comes, then I shall," she said breezily. "Until then, I shall wear them myself. Now tell me what darkness threatens Serenity."
"Lady Saturn has taken a lover." Chronos told her. "She is with child." For a long moment, all was silent.
"I see…" Setsuna said at last. "Tell me everything." Of course, Chronos could not tell her everything. That would mean telling her the name of Lady Saturn's lover, and he simply could not do that to her. He told her as much as he could about all the rest, though, including Serenity's plans for dealing with the crisis.
"That traitor Lady Saturn deserves whatever Serenity and the gods have in store for her. " Setsuna declared callously when he had finished. "A shame that the child must die, though."
"Setsuna, my dear," Chronos said slowly. "There is something I must tell you about that child." Hearing the deadly seriousness in his voice, Setsuna was immediately alert.
"Yes, Grandfather?"
"You know perfectly well that the Guardian of Time should never relay too much of the future to any mortal, but this is something I feel it is necessary for you to know."
"I am listening…" Setsuna said warily.
"I have seen the future, and it has told me that there will be a time when you will again be called upon to play the role of Sailor Pluto, and fight along side the soldiers of the sea and sky." Here he paused, looking over Setsuna to see how she was digesting this morsel of news.
"Go on…" she prompted him, steeled to hear what he had to say.
"Setsuna, Lady Saturn's child is the very heart of darkness. She can bring only destruction to this Kingdom. If the power she harbors is allowed to awaken, it could even tear Serenity from her throne, and put an end to Selene's bloodline forever. And yet I fear Serenity will not let the gods have that child."
"Why not?" Setsuna demanded alarmed by what she was hearing. "If that child has the power to destroy her, why would Serenity not allow her to die as she should?"
"The High Queen is compassionate to a fault, dear one." Chronos replied, shaking his head sadly. "I am afraid she will not be able to see the danger the child poses. She can only see her as the innocent victim of her parents' sins."
"Then you must warn her!" Setsuna cried. "Warn her of what harm may come to her if the baby lives!"
"I have, Setsuna! I can warn her no further. The choice is in her hands now! The most I can do for her is tell you of what danger could await her, and make certain that you warn Uranus and Neptune to remain alert as well." Chronos let his words sink in. Setsuna slowly nodded.
"Yes, Grandfather. I shall tell them."
And so the plans made were carried out. Setsuna warned her friends of the potential threat, and both promised to keep a careful watch over the kingdom, and call her when danger struck. Serenity used the Silver Crystal to banish the memories of Lady Saturn from Hades' head, and put the people of Saturn into a long slumber. The lesser Queens were informed of Lady Saturn's shame, and agreed that Saturn would no longer be a part of their Kingdom.
And, as always, time passed.
A Million Tears to Shed
The reigning princess was already preparing to retire by the time her mother ended her meeting with Chronos. Serenity tucked her daughter into bed, kissed her goodnight, and took to her own chambers for the night. Once there, however, she did not sleep. Her conversation with Chronos was entirely too fresh in her mind. Even after letting her hair down and exchanging her gowns for a soft nightdress, the High Queen could not bring herself to lie upon her bed. Sighing heavily, Serenity covered herself with a filmy white robe, and stole from her chambers to wander the darkened halls, hoping that if she exhausted her body, she might quiet her spirit.
With soft amusement, Serenity dwelled briefly upon the notion that she must have looked quite like a lost spirit as she glided gracefully through the palace, dressed all in white with her silver mane flowing behind her. As if to emphasize the idea, Serenity came across a young servant woman by the name of Lysa, dawdling on her way to the servant's quarters, who upon seeing the High Queen, let out a cry of fright. Suddenly, the Queen was bathed in the light of the servant woman's candle.
"Your Majesty!" Lysa exclaimed. "Merciful gods, I might have sworn you were the ghost of your own mother!" Serenity smiled tightly.
"I doubt that you are old enough to remember what my mother looked like, my good woman," she said dryly. "What are you doing away from your bed?"
"The same could be asked of you, my Queen," the woman answered boldly. Serenity chuckled, knowing that Lysa had meant no disrespect.
"You are right," she admitted. "I am restless, and eager to quiet my spirit. And what of you, Lysa? Are you agitated as I am, or were you simply taking your time in getting to your bed?" Lysa smiled coyly and patted her belly.
"It was not I who was agitated, Your Majesty," she explained, "but rather, my little one. I declare I must be bruised within from tiny feet!" The servant woman's words seemed to wash the smile from Serenity's lips. Her troubled eyes dropped to Lysa's belly, which was swollen with child. Like Lady Saturn's, she thought, even though she knew that Lady Saturn's pregnancy would not be so apparent this early in her term.
Lysa stared at the Queen with wide eyes, alarmed by the deep sadness upon her face.
"I am sorry, Majesty," she said timidly, "but have I upset you somehow?" Serenity shook herself from her trance, and forced herself to smile.
"No, Lysa. No, you have not. I am simply distressed by…something else." For a moment, she lapsed back into a daze, and then cleared her throat. "Think nothing of it. If your child has settled within your womb, I would advise you to return to your bed."
"It has settled, Majesty. I will take to my bed, as you advised. But are you certain that you will be alright?"
"I am." Serenity assured her. The two women parted then, Lysa going to her bed as she had promised, and the Queen to wherever her heart lured her.
As she wandered aimlessly through the Silver Palace, Serenity's thoughts inevitably turned to Lady Saturn. It had not been long since her child had been conceived. She yet had time to live, if only a matter of months. A matter of months, Serenity thought. A matter of months until Lady Saturn, once a great light goddess, dies as a mortal, leaving her orphaned child behind to die slowly of starvation and neglect.
Queen Serenity felt no sympathy for Lady Saturn. The punishment the goddess would receive was no more than exactly what she deserved. But her heart ached for the child. Lady Saturn's soul would be brought before Lady Pluto for judgment, just as all mortal souls were. According to Chronos, it was quite possible—actually, it was to be expected—that the goddess of the afterlife would not favor her soul; instead of being set free, it would be eternally imprisoned in the realm of the dark god of death Urien, where she would suffer undying torment. What would become of the child's soul? Surely, Lady Pluto would not punish a soul that had not had time enough to live. Surely, the child's soul would be freed…
Serenity shook her head. She could not dwell on such thoughts. The important thing was not where the child's soul would go. It simply was not right for her to die so young, without ever having known love of any kind. It is not right, Serenity thought. It is cruel. Not even the gods should treat the girl so callously. After all, she will be Princess Setsuna's half- sister, even if Setsuna never learns of her existence… Serenity's thoughts left her there, and gradually drifted back to her meeting with Chronos.
"A blessing unto this Kingdom." That was what Chronos had called the child's demise. "She will inherit planetary magic from both her mother and her father," he had told her, "and it will be corrupted because she was conceived in sin. Should it awaken, it would take complete control of the child. The result would be a darkness that could possibly destroy your Kingdom if its host is allowed to live."
Somehow, behind the fear that clouded her mind at his, Serenity had touched upon the fact that Chronos had referred to Lady Saturn's unborn child as "she." How did he know that the child would be a girl? Well, truly it did not matter how he knew. The fact was that if the babe were indeed female, it would make her an even greater threat to the White Moon Kingdom, for as was well known, the firstborn daughter of a planetary goddess or one of her descendants was endowed with unimaginable amounts of planetary magic. Furthermore, Lord Hades was one of Lady Pluto's chosen men. As Chronos had said, he too had power to be passed to his bastard daughter. With the powers of silence from her mother, and the life beyond from her father, Serenity could not bear to think what the consequences could be if the child's corrupted power were ever brought from there dormant state. Still, it did not seem right that she should have to die just because she was born with such powers. One would not kill a baby snake, simply because its mother and father had been venomous. Of course, the girl's situation was a bit different, but that hardly seemed to matter to the Queen.
She is only an innocent child, Serenity thought mournfully. She should not have to suffer because of her parents' sins. Even as she thought this, though, the Queen felt her insides quivering with a bizarre kind of warning. Yet, if that be the will of the gods…
All at once, Serenity had an overwhelming desire to go to the Crystal Tower, and be with her celestial mother, Selene, by whose curse Lady Saturn would die. The Queen swallowed, fighting to quell the sense of dread that had built up inside her. It would be foolish to pretend that she did not know why she wished to visit the goddess' shrine. If the death of Lady Saturn's child is the will of the gods, I would be questioning them to wish it were otherwise. Serenity ground her teeth, and took off for the Crystal Tower as quickly as her feet could take her. She did not stop until she had reached the room at the top of the stairs.
Once within, Serenity flung herself to her knees before Selene's shrine, breathless from her uncustomary excursions. Unexpectedly, the Queen felt tears begin to fall. They flowed unchecked from her eyes, streaming down her cheeks in twin rivers.
"Why?" she rasped, flinging the question at the goddess' shrine. "Why? Why hath Lady Saturn betrayed thee? Oh, my celestial mother, why?" Of course, there was no reply. Selene was with her brothers and sisters in the Realm of Gods, and Serenity was certain not one of them had the answer she sought. The only one who truly knew was Lady Saturn herself, and Serenity certainly could not speak to her. Or could she? Would it truly be so difficult to go to Saturn and ask its doomed Queen why she had betrayed her promise? Fool, Serenity thought. You know it would be. And so the High Queen knelt before Selene's shrine, and wept.
She wept for Selene. She wept for Setsuna, for Hades, for Moira, and for her Kingdom. She even wept for Lady Saturn. But above all, Queen Serenity wept for the child. She was the most innocent victim in the entire affair, and she was the one who would suffer the most. Serenity could not let that happen. She simply could not! As suddenly as her tears had started, they stopped as Serenity reached a decision. A moment later, the Silver Crystal was in her hand, shimmering softly with a divine light.
"Merciful gods," she whispered, "please let my choice be the right one." Then, as her power surged through it, the sparkling crystal began to glow…
"Setsuna dear…" Lord Hades grimaced as his father's voice broke into his conversation. His daughter glanced up expectantly, focusing over Hades' shoulder. Hades did not look at his father. He could not. Although he had long ago realized that Setsuna's destiny was not Chronos' fault, it still hurt him deeply that he should never see his daughter again. The way his father was involved in the whole affair only made it seem worse.
"Yes, Grandfather?" Setsuna prompted, her garnet eyes wide and eager. Gods, Hades thought with a bit of disgust. She is a woman now, perfectly capable of making up her own mind, yet when Father calls her, she snaps to attention like a well-trained dog, only too ready to cater to his every order.
"We must return to the Gates of Time now, dear one." Chronos told his granddaughter gently. Setsuna's eager expression was instantly replaced by one of disappointment. Still, I could be wrong, Hades thought, amending his earlier perception.
"Alright, Grandfather." Setsuna sighed. "Goodbye, Mother. Goodbye, Father." With that, Setsuna kissed her parents goodbye and rose from her chair. Hades' gaze followed his daughter as she joined her grandfather, and inevitably, it crashed into Chronos. He saw the Time God glaring at him, and his jaw nearly hit the floor. The look in his father's eyes was hostile enough to make his blood curdle! Hades blinked in shock, but by that time, Chronos and Setsuna were already gone.
"Hades, my love, whatever is the matter?" Moira asked. "You look as if you have seen a ghost!" Hades closed his mouth and frowned. Had he imagined it? Somehow, that did not seem likely. Hades certainly did not think himself creative enough to imagine such antagonism as he had seen in his father's eyes.
"I am one of Lady Pluto's chosen," he reminded his wife. "A ghost should not surprise me in the least. What I have just seen most certainly did."
"Truly?" Moira asked, intrigued. "Tell me, my husband, what was it?" Hades hesitated. In spite of having an utter lack of confidence in his imagination, he could not very well believe that his kind-hearted father should stare at him with such raw hatred, unless, of course, it had not been his father. Hades' pulse quickened. Had it been an imposter? Had his daughter just been kidnapped before his eyes? Hades quickly searched his brain, trying to think if the Plutonian royalty had any enemies who could successfully imitate the god of time, but he came up empty handed. I shall speak with the Voices later, he decided. Mother ought to know if that was Father or an imposter.
To Moira, he said, "It was nothing, my love. I do not believe what I saw anyway."
The moment they arrived at the Gates of Time, Setsuna fixed Chronos with a questioning stare.
"Grandfather," she asked hesitantly, "are…are you alright?" Chronos glared at his granddaughter.
"Of course, child!" he snapped. "Why should you think I am not?" Surprisingly, his harsh manner only made Setsuna bolder.
"Well, for one thing, your tone as you spoke to me just now. Secondly, back at the palace, you looked upon Father with such malice I feared you would strike him down where he stood. Are you angry with him?" Chronos glanced away, not wanting Setsuna to see the truth in his eyes.
"No," he replied, a lie although he knew that his son's situation was not truly his fault. "It is not your father who troubles me."
"Then what is the matter?" Setsuna asked, curious.
"Darkness." Chronos spat the word. "There is far too much darkness intent on destroying Serenity and her Kingdom." Setsuna's heart twisted.
"What?" she exclaimed. "What sort of darkness?" Chronos slipped her a sidelong glance.
"That is not your concern, child," he replied with finality, but Setsuna refused to let him dismiss her that way.
"Look upon me, Grandfather," she ordered gently. Chronos diffidently obeyed, turning to look Setsuna in the eye.
"What is it?"
"Perhaps it is no longer my destiny to protect this Kingdom…"
"It never was." Chronos interrupted curtly.
"…but in my heart, I am still a Sailor Soldier." Setsuna went on, ignoring the interruption. "If there is a force threatening the Kingdom I called home, I should like to know about it." Chronos regarded the young woman with grudging respect.
"So you say you are still a Sailor Soldier in your heart, eh?" he repeated dryly. "Is that why you insist upon wearing that ridiculous uniform, and carry that silly little thing atop your Time Staff?" Setsuna smoothed the skirt of her Sailor Soldier's uniform, and absently twirled the white, key- shaped Time Staff, atop which gleamed the Garnet Orb.
"It is not a 'silly little thing', Grandfather," she chided mildly. "It is the divine token left by Lady Pluto. And yes, I suppose that is why I insist upon carrying it, and wearing my uniform."
"Some day, you shall have to give them up to your niece." Chronos reminded her. Setsuna shrugged.
"When that day comes, then I shall," she said breezily. "Until then, I shall wear them myself. Now tell me what darkness threatens Serenity."
"Lady Saturn has taken a lover." Chronos told her. "She is with child." For a long moment, all was silent.
"I see…" Setsuna said at last. "Tell me everything." Of course, Chronos could not tell her everything. That would mean telling her the name of Lady Saturn's lover, and he simply could not do that to her. He told her as much as he could about all the rest, though, including Serenity's plans for dealing with the crisis.
"That traitor Lady Saturn deserves whatever Serenity and the gods have in store for her. " Setsuna declared callously when he had finished. "A shame that the child must die, though."
"Setsuna, my dear," Chronos said slowly. "There is something I must tell you about that child." Hearing the deadly seriousness in his voice, Setsuna was immediately alert.
"Yes, Grandfather?"
"You know perfectly well that the Guardian of Time should never relay too much of the future to any mortal, but this is something I feel it is necessary for you to know."
"I am listening…" Setsuna said warily.
"I have seen the future, and it has told me that there will be a time when you will again be called upon to play the role of Sailor Pluto, and fight along side the soldiers of the sea and sky." Here he paused, looking over Setsuna to see how she was digesting this morsel of news.
"Go on…" she prompted him, steeled to hear what he had to say.
"Setsuna, Lady Saturn's child is the very heart of darkness. She can bring only destruction to this Kingdom. If the power she harbors is allowed to awaken, it could even tear Serenity from her throne, and put an end to Selene's bloodline forever. And yet I fear Serenity will not let the gods have that child."
"Why not?" Setsuna demanded alarmed by what she was hearing. "If that child has the power to destroy her, why would Serenity not allow her to die as she should?"
"The High Queen is compassionate to a fault, dear one." Chronos replied, shaking his head sadly. "I am afraid she will not be able to see the danger the child poses. She can only see her as the innocent victim of her parents' sins."
"Then you must warn her!" Setsuna cried. "Warn her of what harm may come to her if the baby lives!"
"I have, Setsuna! I can warn her no further. The choice is in her hands now! The most I can do for her is tell you of what danger could await her, and make certain that you warn Uranus and Neptune to remain alert as well." Chronos let his words sink in. Setsuna slowly nodded.
"Yes, Grandfather. I shall tell them."
And so the plans made were carried out. Setsuna warned her friends of the potential threat, and both promised to keep a careful watch over the kingdom, and call her when danger struck. Serenity used the Silver Crystal to banish the memories of Lady Saturn from Hades' head, and put the people of Saturn into a long slumber. The lesser Queens were informed of Lady Saturn's shame, and agreed that Saturn would no longer be a part of their Kingdom.
And, as always, time passed.