Alright, as I promised the next chapter of Hidden Princess. Have fun reading.
Disclaimer: Sailor Moon and the characters belong to their rightful author Naoko Takeuchi.
Signs:
"speaking"
' thinking'
[telepathic]
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Hidden Princess
Eliame
Chapter 0.5
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Molly and Melvin followed the healer and the prince mutely when they passed them by. Moonlight lead them to the town hall where a couple of farmers already waited for their future ruler to arrive. During the whole walk from the fields to the town hall Endymion noted that the mysterious young woman he had met, acted quite like royalty not only in the way she spoke or acknowledge a presence in her surroundings but also how she held herself. She walked casually and always held her hands clasped in front of her so not to offended anybody she approached. Her pace also seemed light beside the ones of the farmer children.

While noting the difference in the healers nature the prince asked himself if she maybe was the daughter of a lord and had been shunned and driven away. Suddenly feeling protective of her he knew that he would have to approach that matter carefully. Endymion looked up into the face of a farmer who had addressed him when they had reached the door leading into the towns hall. Looking back at the woman who had helped him two times already that day he saw her smiling encouragingly and he quickly entered with the man who had addressed him before. He waited for her to follow but she remained where she was smiling at him. Endymion shrugged and walked into the hall and out of the sunlight. Still he couldn't deny that he felt a bit disappointed.
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The young healer sighed as the prince stepped into the shadows of the entrance to the town hall. She had just met him but already felt that she would miss him greatly when he would part from the village later that day. ' I wished I could go with him to the palace.', she thought wishingly. 'Get off it, Moon. You have a duty here. The people need you. What would they do without a healer? And besides it doesn't help to daydream. Face it, he is a prince and you are but a mere commoner. Search your happiness elsewhere.', Moonlight immediately set herself in place but couldn't help to think that it wouldn't be easy to forget him. Sadly she sighed again.

Molly looked at her friend concerned. She had never seen her in such a dreamy state. Moonlight had always been logical and it was seldom to catch her zoned out and then most of the time only for a second. But today she had been daydreaming since she had arrived at the fields with the prince in tow. The farmer's daughter just hoped that her friend wouldn't fall for the charming young man as it would only hurt her. He was a prince after all. She was just a healer and the people in town needed her. ' She also doesn't deserve more despair.', Molly thought and smiled sadly. She was afraid that she couldn't change her best friend's feelings and that she was already too late. The brown haired woman looked up as somebody took her hand and was met by the face of Melvin who looked just as concerned.

Moonlight was about to turn to her friends after she had told herself once again that a relationship with Endymion wouldn't never work, when she heard her name being called. She turned to look down the street to see a girl not more than 11 years old run up to them, yelling her name, a horse following her. The healer waited for her to come to a halt and catch her breath before she asked what had happened. "My... Mother is... sick. Daddy told me... to get you.", the girl explained between big gasps of air. Moonlight's face grew alarmed and she nodded swiftly. "My friends, would you do me the favour of taking care of her? I shall look to the woman immediately.", the healer said quickly before whistling two times. "You are Farmer Drest's daughter, aren't you?", the young woman asked as Silverfly galloped up to her and the girl nodded.

With a short nod Moonlight got onto the horse back and looked at her friend with a kind smile. " Molly, I have to ask you for one more favour.", she said quickly. " Tell me.", was the short answer and the woman on the horse smiled. " Tell the prince that I am sorry for not seeing him off, but an emergency has made it impossible for me to do so. I apologise for the disrespect. May his journey be safe.", Moonlight told her friend before she was off with a quick "I shall se you in the evening. " over her shoulder, hoping that she would reach the farm of the Drests in time.' I think I'm already too late to save her from hurt.', it shot through Molly's head and she smiled sadly once again, waving after her friend.

After the healer was out of their sight she brought the girl, whose name was Amelia, to the fountain in the middle of the town place infront of the hall. There the two and Melvin waited for the prince to finish his business. Molly sighed as she set down on the edge of the fountain and the farmer's son walked up to her, telling the young woman that it would be alright. But the only reply he got was another sigh and a " I do hope so. I really do.".
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Endymion wasn't really comfortable with all the politeness in the room and grew bored of the farmers talking after a while, his thought turning to a certain mysterious young woman he had met that day. He mentally shook himself as he couldn't get her out of his head. ' Snap out of it, Endymion. She is a common healer and you're the prince of Earth, your parents would never approve. Woah... where did that come from? You can't already consider marrying her. I don't even know her. I mean she is certainly nicer and kinder then Princess Ber...Cut it. Focus on the conversation.', the prince ordered himself but his thoughts continued wandering.

It took an hour until the farmers had finally put everything onto the horses that would accompany him to the palace and the young man was happy as they finally told him that they were finished. At least the healer of the village would certainly see him off and wish him a good journey. His spirits lifted as his thoughts once again shifted to the mysterious but beautiful woman he had met in the forest that day seeing him off. He sighed as he stepped out of the stuffy hall. As he lifted his eyes he was surprised and disappointed when he didn't see Moonlight but only Molly and Melvin with a girl waiting at the fountain. The sun had already begun to set and the prince slowly walked to the healer's friends who approached him.

" Moonlight has asked me to tell, Your Highness, that she is sorry to not be able to see you off but an emergency has made it impossible to her. She apologises for the disrespect and wishes you a safe journey.", the farmer's daughter told him bowing slightly. Endymion smiled at her in understanding. "Give her my thanks and may she be safe in the future as well.", he told her and Molly nodded in understanding before stepping back. The prince felt at peace at hearing the message of her being safe as he mounted his horse and rode out of the village the horses with the supplies following him swiftly, still he looked back at the village sadly after a while. 'I hope I will see her again. Even if I will only be able to thank her for helping me.', the prince thought before finally turning his back to the village.

He reached the palace at sunset and the guards took the horses and Midnight while he walked into the palace, telling a maid to inform his mother of his return. As he reached his own quarters, he changed while informing the generals mentally that he was back. Ten minutes later there was a knock at his door and the generals stepped in looking happy. "How was your day?", Jedeite asked straight forward while sitting down in one of the chairs. "I got all the supplies and the farmers worshipped the ground I walked on.", he told them wryly and the generals laughed. They knew that their prince didn't like formalities. "Anything special?", asked Kunzite and Endymion told them about his new acquaintance and her different behaviour toward him before he skilfully turned the conversation on the subject of the Senshi.

The Generals shrugged it off and told him that they had quite an enjoyable afternoon. They had searched for new clues of the princess and even if they hadn't found anything important it had been quite interesting. The prince just smirked at them. "You think this healer could have a connection to the princess?", suddenly came Zoisite's voice startling Endymion. "I really don't know.", he said sighing as the conversation turned back to the topic he had tried to avoid. "I mean she is called Moonlight. But that is not her real name. And we are searching for the MOON-princess. Then there is also her royal appearance as you told us.", Zoisite reasoned but the prince only sighed and told them that they should head for dinner. It wasn't as though that thought hadn't crossed his mind as well. It would make some things sure easier but he didn't want to rise his hopes. He would have to ask for a image of the princess before they would start their tour through the kingdom tomorrow. Maybe then he could find resembles with the healer or at least a clue if there was a connection between the two or not.
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When Moonlight returned to the hut she was exhausted and only gave Molly a half smile as she told her what the prince had said. Many people would have missed it but Molly saw the spark of sadness flash across her eyes before it vanished immediately. Without another word the healer fell onto her bed and was asleep forgetting about dinner, her last thought being on seeing the prince again one day. Molly looked at her friend concern shining in her eyes before drawing the covers over her. The prince had sure swept Moonlight of her feet. She wished her friend good luck before she made dinner for herself.
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The rest of the evening and in the next morning Endymion and the generals surprisingly didn't get the chance to speak with the Senshi alone as the four princesses either seemed to have vanished or were in company of the queen. Also were so many questions about the upcoming tour asked that the five young man needed quite some time to sort everything out. Finally the carriage was ready to depart and the royalty just ate a quick breakfast before they got on and their track left the palace's gates after the queen had informed them that Lord Castal would await them in two days. They would take the fastest but still the most interesting path to the lord's castle at the foot of the mountains.
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She was playing with her friends and having great fun. It was just sad that her best friends hadn't been able to join her in the village as they had to fulfil a task at the palace. Still the young princess would let that bring down her high spirits as the twelve-year-olds of the village where quite good company and the people congratulated and talked to her as they did always. They didn't make her feel different but treated her as if she was one of them. That was one of the things that the young princess liked when she came to the village to escape the palace life. The people in town treated her like everyone else living their while the princess did the same.

But today it was a special day to them and the whole village celebrated for the princess had turned twelve that day. The children played all kinds of games while the adults watched them laughing merrily. There were even horses they could ride and as the sun set the children who could ride began to chase each other over the fields surrounding the party. The young princess whizzed over the fields on her horse, a boy on a brown stallion on her tracks. She giggled delightfully before she left the fields and dashed into the near forest wanting to reach the clearing she loved to ride to when she needed time alone. Five other kids followed her laughing.

They split up and told each other that they would meet at the clearing. Racing past the trees the princess let the wind play with her silky and golden hair pinned up into two meatballs on her head and two long ponytails flowing from them. The same hairstyle as her mother the queen used to wear. Suddenly she heard somebody following and giggled assuming that it was one of her friends. But as she looked back she screamed. Behind her were several riders on strong stallions, their faces covered by black cloaks. The princess screamed again in fright as they drew nearer and big dogs suddenly dashed forward. The horse she rode suddenly tripped as one of the dogs bit it and the princess was thrown off, her head colliding with a tree. The last thing she heard before her world when black and her memory vanished was: "It will be a pleasure to bring her to Lord Se..."

Moonlight shot up from her bed her breathing rugged. What had that dream been. It seemed so familiar. Could it be a memory? She didn't know. Getting up and swaying for a minute, the shock leaving her system slowly, she found a note for her on the table. Already sensing that Molly wasn't in the hut anymore she picked it up. Looking out the single window in the hut the healer saw the sun already up in the sky indicating midday. ' No wonder that Molly is already up.', she thought to herself before she returned her attention to the note.
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Well that's it for Chapter 5. Chapter 6 in four days.
Eliame
[ Neo Queen Serenity ]- Thank you for reviewing again. And that you could put up with the wait. I hope you enjoyed the chapter.
[ Ryoko ]- I'm glad I can write on.
[ Rebel Dreamer ]- Thank you very much for the compliment and I will continue swiftly as Madame orders. * hihi *
[ Larissa ]- Thank you. I'm trying my best. I do hope you like the following chapters as well.
[ Princess Shinrah ]- Oh my, I will hurry. But don't get too addicted. Alright? Promise?