A Pain Filled Life, The Story of Serenity Lunaria

Chapter Three-Run

"Mommy, I'm tired! Why can't we stop and rest?"

Serenity didn't answer her child, but lightly smacked her arm, she could get them found out. And if that happened, then there would be hell pay.

Yet, Rini persisted in whining and fidgeting, wanting attention from her Mommy. She didn't understand what was happening, being only seven, but she still got on Serenity's nerves even so.

Just as Serenity thought she would let lose and slap her, she took at closer look at her young daughter. She was no longer as dirty, but recent scratches had made their mark upon her small, thin, frail body. Her hair also seemed limper, and not as bouncy as usual. Like it reflected her emotions, damp and dreary. She may not have completely understood what was going on, but she knew that her home would never be the same, and that all her friends and family were dead. She was dealing with it quite surprisingly for a child so young. So much that it worried Serenity...What if her child was in denial, or even worse, shock.

Serenity shuddered and decided not to think about that right now, it wasn't the time for such thoughts anyway. The two were being followed, and had been ever since the first night they had left Selene's castle. It had to have been her crystal, or her magic aura. Well, whatever it was, it wasn't doing them any good in the least.

Suddenly, Serenity's head snapped up, and she stopped dead in her tracks. She could hear footsteps, close footsteps. It could only be the Tortallan soldiers that had been following them.

"Shit! Come on Rini, run!" she spoke softly, but harshly. Rini obeyed her mother instantly, and they both ran as far away as they could afford, until they got far enough away so that they could hide and not be easily tracked.

Seeing a big group of shrubs up ahead, the two Lunarians ran behind them, and sank to the ground, gasping. They were drained with fear rather than physical drainage. Both of them knew that if they were caught, the Moon Queen's Silver Imperium Crystal would be stolen, and both of them would most likely be put to death. It was a thing that neither of them wanted to think of.

"What are we going to do Mommy? The bad people are gonna find us, and...and kill us! I'm scared, what's gonna happen to us?" Rini looked up to her mother, her savior, the person she looked to, to solve any problem, and the one who had all the answers. Just like her daddy. Though this time, Serenity didn't have any answers, and she was scared witless.

The young mother looked at her only child and smiled, though it was a forced smile, it was a smile nonetheless. Her answer was sad, filled with hopelessness, "I don't know Little One, I don't know. All we can do now is wait, and run when the time comes."

The answer didn't fully satisfy the little girl, but it would have to do for now, as they could both hear those footsteps again. Knowing that running wouldn't work this time, they were too close to lose on foot, Serenity unwillingly turned to her magic. It was because of her magic, that her kingdom had come to an end, and she had began to hate it with every fiber in her being. But she would not put her child in danger, not when there was something she could do, that was something she would never be able to forgive herself for.

Calling upon her Lunarian Levetio, or magical powers, Serenity used what was left of her strength to transport herself and her daughter somewhere far away from where they were now. She never even gave thought to where they would end up, so long as they got away.

The only thing the Tortallan soldiers saw was a bright flash of silver light, as they arrived at the last spot their mages had sensed the strange new power, the one their King Jonathan called a Silver Crystal. They now had no choice but to go back to their camps, and tell their Commanding Officers that they had failed. No one looked forward to it.

Port New Hope

Keladry of Mindelin paced back and forth, her face creased with worry. Ever since she had been informed that the one now known as Moon was on the loose in Tortall she had been worried for her country, her family, her friends, and her friends of New Hope. The war with Scanra had just ended a little over a month ago, but Tortall was not out of danger yet. King Jonathan had sent every knight, squire, soldier, and able male body, that wasn't maning a fort, through the mysterious portal that had suddenly appeared one day and unleashed a great energy blast of power. The energy blast had destroyed almost all of Port Cayann, and it was though to be a signal from a new, and unknown, enemy. King Jonathan, not being one to just sit by and watch as his kingdom was destroyed, sent an entire army in retaliation. No one knew what went on at the Battle of the Moon, as people were now calling it. The battle had taken a place on a moon in, supposedly, a whole new alternate universe. It was ludicrous, the whole lot of it, in Keladry's mind. All she knew was that there was a new enemy on the loose in Tortall, and enemy of one! And people were getting all excited and upset by it.

She was brought out of her thoughts and pacing, when Neal, who was still in a bad mood because he had to leave his Yuki again, came over to see what was wrong with her.

"Kel! You're gonna run a whole in the ground, I swear! What are you so worried and uptight about?" he asked not very kindly, he really missed Yuki.

She looked at him as if her were stupid, which he probably was, and answered, " Neal, we are at war again, we have just lost almost an entire army, and you sit here and call me uptight!"

Neal rolled his eyes and said mockingly, "Sorry Mother, I didn't mean to get on your oh so delicate nerves!"

"How can you just joke around like this, when our country is in trouble!? If Duke Baird were here, I believe he would beat you himself!"

Neal looked at her for a second, and saw that she was really upset and decided to be serious. "Kel, think about it, according to what the survivors of the Battle of the Moon, only two people survived! Both women!" at that she gave him a glare that could melt paint, "Sorry! You know what I meant! We can handle two people Kel, if can't then Mithros help us!"

"But what if we didn't get all of them? What if they had more people hidden? What if we get ambushed, and all our people are killed? What if-" she was cut off as Neal interrupted her.

"Kel, you can "what if" yourself to death, but I am going to see to my duties as a healer, and I wish you would do the same as Commander of New Hope!"

With that said, Neal turned around and walked back up to the Infirmarary, where he had people coming in all the time with broken fingers, pulled muscles, and such.

Kel sighed and looked at his retreating back. "Thanks Neal" she said softly to herself, "you always know what to say to make me feel better. Even if you don't know it."

Sighing she turned and headed towards HQ, where doubtlessly there would be more people with problems for her to solve. It was scrub work, she knew, but she wouldn't have it any other way."

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"Rini move!" yelled Serenity to her daughter, as she dodged arrows and magic blasts. She didn't know where she had transported herself and Rini, she just knew she had picked the wrong place. She didn't know how, or if they had been expecting her, their king had soldiers waiting for her. Yes, she could always blow them away with her Levetio, or the crystal, but then that would leave her daughter unprotected for those precious few seconds. Those few seconds would be all the soldiers needed to kidnap her, or kill her then and there. Serenity wasn't about to take that risk with the only person she loved, that she had left.

She ran to where Rini was crouched behind a tree, her magic a pink aura surrounding her, because she was so scared. It wouldn't do the enemy any damage, except for maybe stun them, or possibly kill the weak and un-magical ones. Still, she feared deeply for her daughter's life. Neither one of them were very experience with physical fighting, it had always been about the magic. Magic that wouldn't do a thing to help her now, or her child. Damn it all, things didn't look good.

Serenity felt so frustrated that she could scream, but that would be about the same as jumping out in the open and screaming, "Take me, I'm just dying to be shot!"

Rini looked up at her mommy, scared out of her wits, whether she would admit it or not. She missed her daddy, her friends, and her mother's scouts terribly. She didn't know quite why, but she knew she would never see them again, not in this life at least. She looked up at her mommy, who had been her hero for as long as she could remember, the same hero that was as scared as she was right now. "Mommy, what are we gonna do? If they catch us, won't they kill us? Is that what they are trying to do?" she asked in a whisper. She knew when to be quite, she was her father's child after all.

The older woman looked down at her child and sighed, she was tired already of living without her soul mate, it hurt so much. But she couldn't join him, and leave her child to die, for she loved almost no one as she loved her child. Even in the past she had loved the little pink haired spore, bratty, snotty, boyfriend stealing and all. Not that her past self would ever tell Rini that, of course.

"I don't know Sweetie, I just don't know. If I use the crystal to kill all of them, I could die, because the crystal's power comes from my own life energy source. And I couldn't leave you here all alone, and you are too young and untrained to handle giving power to the Silver Crystal."

Rini sank down on the ground against the tree, she felt so helpless! Even for a seven year old, she wished that there was something she could do. But alas, she was just a child who couldn't even begin to understand the world, so what could she do to possibly help.

"Well then what are we gonna do? We can't just stay sitting here like duckies! They will find us, and kidnap us, or kill us!" Rini whispered to her mother, getting more, and more scared as the silent, uneasy minutes passed, "What are we gonna do?!" she whispered again, more to herself than to anyone else.

Serenity looked at her child, partly with pride, and partly with a deep sadness. She was immensely proud of her daughter, for being so bold and brave-faced, in the face of danger, but she was sad because she knew that Rini would never get to experience a "normal" childhood, like she herself never got to experience. Life was so cruel already, and now this.

I know! I know! This was a short chapter, but it took me so long to get it out, and I am happy because I just finished my science project that is due tomorrow, (not it is 3:09am) and I am high on caffeine! Now, lets get down to the next order of business....

1- I am sad to say that only a few people have responded to my poll, but then again there aren't that many people reading this story, so, oh well! Here is the voting poll........

Serenity/Joren - 2 votes

Serenity/Neal - 0 votes

Serenity/Roald - 0 votes

2- Here is my list of thank yous', to the three people that reviewed......

Celestial Moon- I love you name! LOL, I'm sorry that you are not familiar with Tamora Pierce, but it's ok, you can still follow the story!

The Blind Assassin- Hmm...lets see, I'm guessing that you want this to be a Serenity/Joren fic, huh? I'll see what I can do, if no one else votes.....update soon!!!!!!!

SILveR*fEy*ShAdoW- Thanks for voting for Joren!! And are correct, I cannot give the answer to you question right now, or it would ruin my plot! LOL, you will just have to keep reading! I don't know what Joren is going to be like yet, haven't gotten that far! Thanks for reviewing!

3- Reviews are ALWAYS welcome!!!!! Bye!!!!