The brunette appears again from behind the curtain with an apologetic smile on her face, tugging a blonde women extensively chained to a roll-about chair. " Sorry that it took so long for this chapter to come out. I think we.. Well I might have a life. One that doesn't revolve around facing a keyboard 24/7. This one here however.." The brunette said, pointing at the crazy eyed blonde. "This sad excuse for a fifteen year old fan dominion has only a life within her own sad and twisted fantasies" The blonde hearing this, nodded repeatedly. "Anyway..Here's the next chapter…Have fun!"
Standard disclaimers apply…for now…HAHAHAHAHAHA! *grinning evilly from her chair the blond mouths a few words to you. 'Hope none of you care about the creator or sailor moon to much…'* Story takes off after Lady knight.
Chapter two
"Life is the hardest thing I've gone through yet"
********************* TURNING GRAY*****************
George Cooper, Baron of Pirates Swoop was NOT having a good day. The pesky villagers were on his case again, filing complaint after compliant about how the neighboring Griffins were out to eat them…AGAIN! Having conveniently forgotten that the wild mage had formed an alliance between man and immortal several years before. Apparently, for the last couple of days, they had been crowing periodically and swooping over the roads as if waiting for something or someone to come.
Having finished writing replies to each and every 120 villagers that had written in a complaint, he was on his way to the stables to ride out his frustrations. It was times like these that he wished his wife; Sir Alanna of Pirates Swoop and Olau were home to carry some of the burden. But fated as he was to marry an independent woman and knight of the realm of Tortall, She was out saving damsels and slaying Scanran bandit's left over from the war that ended earlier that year, soon after the killing machines had disappeared.
George halted his thoughts when he found himself facing the stables and slowly opened the two wooden doors, only stopping to stare open mouthed at two indecently dressed girls holding each other on the stable floor. His hands flew to his arm sheaths pulling out two finely sharpened daggers. Slowly he walked up to the two sleeping girls sprawled across the floor. Nudging them with his foot he called to the street urchin he had picked up in Corus who was working his stables. Ready to please the boy jumped down from the loft facing away from the two girls.
"Ye' called sir?" grinning slightly he waited for the order to hitch up George's mount.
"When did these girls get here?" George asked pointing with his knife. Surprised the stable hand swirled around gapped at the still sleeping figures.
" Don' know sir. Didn' hear them come in… the horses haven' been actin' strange." Bewildered the boy backed away slightly fearing George's disapproving glare.
"Well don't just stand there like a dolt." Jolting his head to the side George kept his eyes on the figures. "Go get the guards." Nodding he hurried out of the barn.
Suspiciously George circled the girls waiting for the guards. One appeared to be an incredibly longhaired blond, possibly a Scanra the other a short almost black haired, pale skinned Yamani Islander. Both where wearing short dresses, the blondes was white while the others was black. Staring at the girls George suddenly became mesmerized by the impossibly beautiful and childish joy on their sleeping faces. His thoughts where interrupted by the clanking armor of the guards. Motioning for them to surround the figures in question he said "Take them to one of the lower rooms and keep a guard by the door. Notify me when they wake up." The guards nodded and gently picked up the beautiful cargo and left the stables. George then turned to the stable hand that followed the guards back. "Send a messenger for Numair Salmalin, tell him I need him here to question our unexpected guests." The boy nodded and left the stables at a run.
George watched him disappear behind the gates of the Swoop, heading towards the black mage's tower in the distance. He sincerely hoped that when the maidens awoke that he could find out they got into the carefully guarded fortress. The thought that someone could slip one past him was… unnerving. Even in his old age the Ex-King of Rouges Prided himself with a cunning wit and skill in choosing and training his guardsmen. Again his thoughts were interrupted when a cough racked through his tall frame. After catching his breath, George went to "question" his guards on how two slips of a girl had entered his imperturbable fortress.
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Slowly opening up her eyes Hotaru felt a slip of something in her mind escaping and then there was nothing. Nothing except, Serena! Turning over she found herself inside her sleeping companion's embrace. How she knew her name Serena, she didn't know, she wasn't even sure how she knew her own name. Struggling lightly not to wake Serena but escape her death grip Hotaru slipped out, onto the cold stone floor getting her fist glance of her surroundings.
Hotaru became slightly alarmed to find that though she couldn't remember learning the knowledge that she KNEW the floor was a gray stone, KNEW the things surrounding her where walls. That what Serena slept on was a bed, that the sound she had just made was commonly referred to as a thump, but she couldn't, for the life of her, remember how she knew this.
Hotaru whipped her head up as she heard barely audible footsteps coming closer to the door. Scrambling to her feet she tried to wake up her only friend who was still sleeping on the bed. "Serena…" shaking her slightly she turned around in time to see the door swing open and two figures enter the small room.
Upon closer examination Hotaru realized that both figures were male, though the one that was standing closest to her was taller than the other with broad shoulders, black hair and to all appearances was as graceful as a cat. The other man was slightly shorter but was just as broad shouldered with dirty blonde hair, hazel eyes, and a malicious smirk. The dirty blonde haired man walked toward Hotaru stopping just short of touching her.
"Now tell me one thing." He said looking deep into her light purple eyes. "How did you pass my guards?" She looked at him confused, frightened, and ran to Serena's side. Shaking her friend desperately as the shorter, hazel-eyed man followed behind her.
"Wake up Serena… please wake up" she said, then turned as the man pursued her to the bed. Hotaru was to busy trying to evade the man and didn't notice that her friend had started to wake, but the two men did. It was only when her captors stopped their movements and looked towards the bed that she saw her friend stir. With a gasp, Hotaru ran towards the awaking girl and hid behind her back.
Confused, Serena looked at Hotaru then at her surroundings, noticing the two unknown men, she smiled asking calmingly and sweetly. "Hello, who are you? Where am I?" the blonde haired man was stopped from saying anything by the taller man beside him. With a gracious bow to the girls the taller man introduced himself and his companion.
"Hello lady my name is Numair Salmalin and this man beside me is George Cooper of Pirates Swoop. Who may I ask are you?" Serena smiled kindly at him and with Hotaru cowering behind her said.
" My name is Serena and this girl behind me is Hotaru" motioning to the girl behind her. " Can I ask you a question?" At the man's nod she said. "What is Pirates Swoop?"
Almost smiling at her innocence Numair answered her patiently. "It is a land in Tortall where the lady knight and her husband live."
Looking at nothing in particular the blue-eyed blond answered, strangely. "Alanna… lady knight… that sounds familiar…" trailing off she looked up smiling at the men. "What is Tortall?"
Taken aback George looked to Numair to see if she was telling the truth and was taken over by a fit of coughs. Numair nodded to the Baron with a look of concern crossing his face. In the next minute, taken up by George's racking cough Hotaru stood, unnoticed and shyly walked toward the hunched over man. Laying her hand on his shoulder, now at her much smaller height, she closed her eyes concentrating.
Looking up at the short haired girl George became almost frightened when her eyelids snapped open to reveal misted over irises. 'What kind of sorcery is this?' he thought to himself as the coughs slowly subsided. Standing up straight he noticed Numair's confused expression and motioned for him to meet him in the hall.
"Excuse us for a minute ladies." Smiling kindly Numair covered his confusion. "We'll be right back with some food, promise." Smiling brightly the blonde nodded helping her swaying friend to the bed. Hotaru watched the two men leave, closing the door behind them.
"Your black robe must be worth something Numair, what was that back there?" Confused, but not angry or frightened, George questioned the mage.
" I don't know. She doesn't have the Gift but she seemed to be healing you." Pacing the floor he shock his head.
"Was it another kind of wild magic, she was doing something Numair."
"No, it wasn't anything I've ever seen or heard of in any world. I think we should alert the King. He might have something in one of his libraries that could help us." Nodding the old thief smiled wickedly.
"It's nice to know something in this world can surprised two old men like us." Becoming solemn again George continued; " I'll send for the Alanna or the King's own right away to escort them to Corus. Will you be going as well?"
"Yes I think I will, this could an excellent chance to study a whole new kind of magic. And Daine's there too, she may be able to tell something about them." Smiling the graceful mage imagined his just pregnant wife. "I can't wait to see her…" grinning George remembered when Alanna had been pregnant with Thom, the twins and Rispath.
"You have a lot to learn, I hope your mage training has prepared you for the great mystery of life called pregnancy." Patting his friend on the shoulder he turned to contact his wife and to send servant to get food for the girls." What should we do with them till it comes time to leave?" Numair looked towards the door in concentration.
"I don't believe that they are any danger, they seem to sincerely not remember anything and they only look about sixteen years old so I don't see any harm in letting them walk around freely." George contemplated it for a moment then nodded.
" My 'Sight' tells me that I could trust them so I guess you're right. We should move then to one of the rooms upstairs…so much to do, so little time to do it in. We better get a move on!" With that said the men nodded and went their separate ways to do their chores.
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A couple hours later Serena and Hotaru found them selves dizzy with confusion after they had been moved to their new room and explanations had been given. Apparently they both had unique thing called a 'Gift' and were supposed to go meet a 'King ' person called Jonathan, there were to many things that were going on and had no idea what it all meant. After the first couple of questions about what things were what and how they worked, George became frustrated, he could accept their amnesia but then how could they have snuck into Pirate's Swoop, or who would have put them there? These were questions that he knew would have to wait for a later day to be answered. Though he had to admit, they seemed surprisingly well informed on the general history of the world, and the gods. But didn't seem to have any knowledge of how everyday objects worked.
Suddenly a knock at her doorway disturbed Hotaru's thoughts. A short, thin framed, light red haired girl popped through. She appeared to be about ten and was pulling a laughing Serena behind her.
"Hotaru, this is George's daughter, Rispath, she wants to show us around." Hotaru smiled slightly to herself as the young girl eagerly nodded. Following them outside Hotaru realized that the younger girl was more comfortable and willing to explain the functions of things around them. The two easily found friendship in the child's hands and where introduced to cooks, guards and even the stable hand that found them with George. Though the girl spoke most about her mother's many adventures.
" Mommy is one of only two Lady Knights in the realm, but she was the first. Its because of her I have red hair; someday I'm going to be a knight too. Next year I'm going to court. My sisters Hadie and Marcie are already there, though their looking for husbands." Sticking her tongue out at the idea Rispath drew a giggle from both of the older girls.
Watching them from the corner George smiled at his youngest daughter's antics. If these two could make the usually solemn and shy girl so happy maybe they deserved more trust then George originally gave them. Unwillingly George felt drawn to the girls almost protective over them…
"What's that over there?" pointing west toward the ocean Serena felt transfixed by the moving tides.
"That's the harbor that gives Pirate's Swoop its name." Said George coming out of the shadow. "We can take you and Hotaru down to it tomorrow if you want. Its to fogy today, might be dangerous."
When Serena smiled at him happily George believed he understood where she got her name. "Yes, we would love to see it. Thank you."
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The next day found the Baron of Pirates Swoop, his youngest daughter and the two mystery girls on the beach of a deep blue ocean. Rispath immediately ran to play in the waves with Serena close behind while Hotaru and George stayed back and watched. Following Rispath's example Serena took off her leather slippers and rolled up her breaches but as soon as her feet touched the icy water her vision went blank. She could hear in the distance screams of pain and anguish, a foul smell of burning..Something swept over her. As Serena turned around she came upon a vision that would haunt her for years. Thousands upon thousands of mutilated and rotting bodies covered all land in sight. Piles of dead flesh were as large as mountains and burned bright colors of red and orange. Trying to get the vision out of her mind, Serena closed her eyes and fell to her knees while putting her hands over her ears. Suddenly the vision vanished and she was left alone in an endless void when a calm and loving voice came upon her wrapping around her
" Even someday when we disappear …and new Sailor Senshis are born… Sailor Moon, you will always be invincible. The most beautiful shining star." Confused Serena yelled out to the darkness.
"Who are you? What are you talking about? What was it that I just saw?" But no voice answered her back and not soon enough did the bright hazel eyes of George Cooper replace the darkness.
"Serena..Do you hear me? Are you ok?" She couldn't give any answer to his questions besides a quick mumble before she fell unconscious again.
"The Darkness has taken hold…and no force of light alone can banish it from the Universe."
END
(For now)
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Hiya, please review with helpful advice! And give any ideas of couples that you want! Hopefully the next chapter will come out soon!