Feel free to e-mail me your constructive criticism and praise. I appreciate your suggestions on how to better my writing.

This story is a revised version of "Princess Serenity's Revenge" and will hopefully be much better. This is a fan fiction about Serenity/Usagi and Endymion/Mamoru.

* Thank you, Margie-chan, for your help!

Disclaimer: Sailor Moon is copyright (c) 1992 Naoko Takeuchi/Kodansha, TOEI Animation. English Language Adaptation copyright (c) 1995 DiC Entertainment.


The Beginning of Forever: Chapter 8
Charlyne
charlyne_o@hotmail.com
Chapter Rating: PG


Serenity did not speak to her mother for nearly two weeks after she had confessed the truth about her pregnancy. She could not stand to talk to the woman who had separated her from her love.

Queen Serenity had nearly fallen over with shock from the news. The Queen had then turned her wrath on the young lovers and she had blamed Endymion of the vile crime of rape. Serena had protested loudly against the unfair accusation.

In the end, Endymion was once again banished from the Moon. He had turned and smiled at his love, then winked, and leapt over the edge of the balcony. He had then disappeared into the shadows of the night.

Shouting at her mother, Serena had sobbed at the unfairness and slammed her door in her mother's face. In the months since the incident, she continued to ask herself why her mother could not understand. Did her mother not feel such love for her father? Did they think she was too young to feel such strong emotions?

The scene was burned into Serena's mind and she could not stop herself from reliving those moments at night in her dreams. Dreams that seemed much more like nightmares. Her stomach was now expanding and she could feel her child moving within her. The Senshi were excited, yet reserved at the same time. They did not know what would come of this.

"Are you ready?" Amy asked, looking at Serenity closely. The princess's eyes were unfocused and she seemed lost in thought. Amy frowned in worry. Serena's pregnancy had been progressing perfectly; there had been no complications. Serenity's stomach, at eight months, seemed so large on the small princess that many feared she would tip over.

Serenity blinked and the worried blue eyes of the Mercurian princess came into focus. "Yes, of course, Amy." Serena smiled reassuringly. "Where are we going?"

"It's a surprise, I'm not allowed to tell," Amy replied.

Serenity sighed, but let herself be led along. Her thoughts drifted, once again, to the last time she had seen Endymion. Her mind filled with the image of his face, his unruly hair falling into his deep blue eyes; his lopsided grin that always made her knees weak. Tears pricked at the backs of her eyes, but she held them in.

Amy led Serenity through a maze of hallways before stopping in front of a small, inconspicuous wooden door. "Here we are," she announced. Serena's brows drew together in confusion. They were in her parents' private wing of the palace and as long as she had lived there--all her life--she had never been through this door.

Amy knocked softly on the door to let all within know that she and the princess had arrived, then slowly pushed open the door. Serenity's eyes widened in surprise when she saw her friends standing around a pile of gifts.

"Surprise!" they all shouted, then converged on her with smiles and hugs.

"It's a baby shower," Mina bubbled, hugging her friend tightly.

"We know you've been having a tough time, what with your parents and all, so we thought we'd throw you a party. I made all the food," Lita said, grinning.

Serena found her first real smile in months, and even managed a small laugh. "I'm fat enough already, Lita!" she exclaimed, rubbing her distended abdomen.

"You're about as big as the palace and you waddle like a duck," Raye teased with a smile. Serenity gasped in mock outrage and swatted at her friend's arm.

"I can't believe you guys," Serena said with a small smile. "How did you convince mother and father to let you use one of their private sitting rooms?"

When the three girls pointed to Amy, the Mercurian princess blushed lightly and shrugged her shoulders. "When I told your mother we wanted to throw you a party, she said she would not attend but that we could use this room," she explained.

"Hmmm," Serena muttered. It was not like her mother to do such a thing, especially when she was angry. Mother must be up to something, she decided.


"The child must be striped of its powers," Queen Serenity announced. "No true heir can be born illegitimate. We have managed to hide the princess's folly from the rest of the Alliance thus far, but what would they think if they knew?"

The three men and two women sitting around the square table made some noncommittal sounds. Their pristine white robes were trimmed in silver and their cone-shaped headdresses proclaimed them as the King and Queen's personal advisors.

"They would wonder how a woman could rule over so many planets when she cannot even keep her daughter in line," the queen continued. "My and my husband's qualifications would be questioned at every turn. The Silver Millennium itself could topple because of my daughter's rash actions, leaving the Alliance vulnerable to outside attack!"

"Think you this was a plan devised by the Earthlings to bring down the Alliance?" one advisor questioned, his bushy eyebrows drawn so low one could barely see his eyes.

"I think not," one woman commented. "They are not our enemies. The fact that they are not a part of the Alliance is not significant, for they have asked to be admitted several times. We are at fault there, not them. We are the ones being hostile to our neighbors while the other planets embrace peace."

"Advisor Callene is correct," another man announced, nodding toward the woman who had spoken. "We are at fault for the hostilities between the Earthlings and the Lunarians."

"We digress," Queen Serenity interrupted, effectively stopping the discussion. "This meeting was supposed to be about striping the child of its powers, not about an alliance with the Earthlings. I would like to know your thoughts on the holding of the official ceremony to do such."

"But if the Earthlings joined the Alliance, it would solve the problem of having an illegitimate heir," Advisor Callene insisted. "If Endymion and Serenity were to marry, there would be no need for the ceremony."

"Have you forgotten Prince Seiya?" Queen Serenity questioned, her voice hard with anger. She loved her daughter dearly, but knew that the young princess could not handle a child at her age. The meeting was not going as she had planned. "The princess is already betrothed. Would you alienate Seiya and possibly lose an alliance with Cygni because of Serenity's folly?"

"We will not vote on this issue until Princess Serenity is told," the third man said. The other four advisors nodded. "The ceremony you speak of is a very serious undertaking and will cause great pain to both mother and child. You will be striping the child of its birthright. Its powers will be taken and its royal sigil will be removed. You must think long and hard on this, Your Majesty."

"I have," Queen Serenity said. "If you vote against me, I will overrule you. The child will be striped of its birthright and taken to a family on the other side of the Moon." The queen's voice rang with finality.

"We will summon the princess, Your Majesty," Luna announced, speaking from her spot in the corner with Artemis.

"Tell her nothing of this, just fetch her to this room," the queen replied, her voice weary now. She dreaded the meeting yet to come.


The party had been just like old times--before the tension between Serena and her parents. Mina was, as always, the life of the party; Lita was making sure everyone ate enough; Rei teased Serena but was always making sure that she was feeling alright; and everyone was dragging Amy into the festivities whether she wanted to or not. Serenity knew that this was a happy memory that she would never forget.

When Serenity returned to her chamber, Luna was there waiting for her. The black cat's brown eyes were worried and her tail twitched in agitation.

"What's wrong, Luna?" Serenity asked the guardian.

"You've received a summons from Queen Serenity and are to meet with her in her private meeting room, Princess. You're to come right away."

"A summons? To mother's meeting room?" Serena asked, partly in disbelief. This could not be good. She had heard of people being summoned to the queen's private meeting room, and they always got bad news. Amy had been called there when her mother had died.

Luna nodded and hopped from her place on Serenity's bed. She tried to hide the worry and sympathy in her gaze, but knew that the young princess suspected something was wrong. As Luna led Serena down the many corridors of the palace, they were joined by the other guardian, Artemis. The white cat brushed against Serenity's leg in a comforting manner and purred softly.

"Be brave," Artemis told her, his blue eyes shining with emotion.

"Brave?" Serenity questioned, her brows drawing together sharply. "Why must I be brave?"

"The meeting with your mother will be difficult," Luna told her.

Serena sighed, but knew she would not get a full answer from the two guardians. She would have to wait until she spoke with her mother. Rubbing her stomach, Serena could not escape the feeling that the meeting had something to do with her child.

But what could mother possibly do? What's done is done. The next heir will be born in only four weeks. Mother and father will have to live with this. It will be their first grandchild. Who could not love their grandchild? Serenity reassured herself.

Luna and Artemis stopped in front of a large wooden door and looked up at Serenity expectantly. Serena blinked, banishing her thoughts, and took a deep, fortifying breath. Steeling herself as best she could for the confrontation to come, Serenity knocked on the door.