Hello, moonies!
This story is for you all, so enjoy it!
Sailor Moon and all the stuff involving it was created by the great
Naoko-sama, not me! But, in the other hand, the story and some
characters like Arda, Etlio, Calice and Hyperion are mine, not their
names cause I'm borrowing them from Greek mythology and
Tolkien's universe. I know that there are like 1000 Hyperions, but
I'm not taking that name from any fic, so, don't blame me.
Well, if you want to say anything about the story, or just need
something,
e-mail me to:
susyte@hotmail.com
Thank you to my readers! I love you all!
Sincerely,
Lady Susyte
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Rising of a Silver Utopia
By
Lady Susyte
Part I: Never say Never...
Chapter XIV
Everything became black for Serena as she felt dizzy still lying on the cold
surface.
Every memory of what had happened in the room seemed to fade as she let
herself into
an involuntary sleep.
Time passed, and ignoring how many second, minutes or hours had elapsed,
Serena
regained conscience of her situation. Now everything seemed cleared than the
last
time she had woke up, and even when she had her eyes closed, she could feel
a warm
light surrounding her. The sweet smell of fresh roses and orange blossoms
was
everywhere around her, and a soft breeze blew caressing her bared skin like
flying
silk. A warm sensation filled her, and a feeling of knowledge called her own
attention.
-I could swear I've been here before -thought Serena as she opened her eyes
slowly,
harmed by the light. She rubbed them softly and suddenly, everything became
clearer.
A big blue sky only covered by a few white clouds and the majestic cherry
trees. The
princess got hardly into a sitting position as she continued examining the
surroundings. First, she discovered she was at a garden, and a very
beautiful one.
She smiled, and sighing with relief, she said to herself:
-At least, I'm not death, now, where am I? I could swear I've been here
before. This
smell...remind of something...or someone.
She closed her eyes and breathed deeply, then opened her eyes and rose her
gaze to
the sky catching the sight of a little nail shaped object.
-The moon... -said Serena- this means I'm...I'm on Earth!
The princess unconsciously let a little scream left her throat as, with an
angry look
she thought aloud:
-Why can't I be death? From all the places in the universe I had to land
*here*! Ohh!
Why me?
While she talked missing the fact she was talking too loud, the sound of
footsteps
getting closer quickly filled the clearing making Serena to froze
frightened.
-I must get out of here -thought the princess trying unsuccessfully to get
into her
feet falling to the ground again as a deep, strong voice called out loud:
-Who's there?
Before she could do anything, a big group of guards holding halberds
surrounded her
leaving no way to escape.
-She's from the Moon -exclaimed one of the guards-. Maybe she's a spy!
One of the guards intended to lift her hardly from her arm and took her to
the
palace, but moving away, Serena said stuttering:
-No...I'm not spy, I...don't even meant to...what I'm trying to say...
-What she's trying to say is that I invited her to come here -interrupted an
other
strong male voice.
-But my lord... -argued one of the guards- she's a sp...
-Quiet! You won't take her anywhere. She's under my custody now. I will take
care of
her, you can go back to work -said the tall man standing behind Serena in a
commanding
tone.
The princess turned her head to look at her savior, and with a soft voice,
she said:
-Thank you, you saved my life.
-You're welcome, my lady -answered the man helping Serena to her feet, then,
with a
smile, he continued-. We meet again; the fortune goddess must be smiling for
me today.
-Maybe for you, but not for me -said Serena coldly-. How did you know I was
here,
Mordreon?
-Well, I saw a ray of light hitting the garden, and then all the guards
became crazy
thinking it was an attack, and ever since I'm in charge, I thought it was my
duty to
go and see what or who was attacking us, and well, you know the rest of the
story.
-I guess I do -said Serena and she cleaned the dust from her long silk
skirt-. Well,
I guess I must get going now.
She took of her key disposed to use it, but when she called upon it's power,
nothing
happened, so she tried again saying the words slow and clearly, but yet, not
even a
spark left the jewel.
-Oh, great! The key's out of energy -said the princess softly-. I'll have to
stay
here until it regains its power.
-If you want you can come to the palace and have tea with me -said Mordreon
politely.
-It's better than remaining here -sighed Serena-. Okay, I will have tea with
you.
Lord Mordreon smiled and bowed deeply as he offered the princess his arm,
but she
refused it as she started walking toward the palace with a sad expression
covering
her sweet features.
Inside, the palace was filled by the rays of the warm summer sun, and in a
little
terrace facing the rose gardens, a table for two was set. The breeze blew
playfully
making the flower petals dance all over the garden, and the smell of nards
filled the
afternoon atmosphere.
Serena stepped into the balcony followed by Mordreon, dressed in a dark red
suit and
a long burgundy cape flying behind his back. In a gentlemanly gesture, the
tall man
moved the chair aside so the princess could sit, then he walked to the other
side of
the table and sat on his own chair as he looked at the angel in front of him
with the
same eyes as the first time they had met. A few seconds latter, two maids
dressed in
dark blue suits entered the terrace serving two cups of boiling mint tea and
putting
on the table a tray filled by cakes and all sorts of exquisite earthling
food. As
soon as the two ladies left, bowing deeply, Mordreon moved his gaze against
the
princess, and with a sweet, yet strong voice, he said:
-Go ahead, my princess, eat as much as you want, after all, you're my guest.
-Thank you -murmured the princess with her glancing at the tablecloth, as a
deep
silence covered the place.
-Well -Mordreon cleared his throat- I must say I'm delighted with your
presence, but
I was wondering, what was the reason for such a, how can I call it, suitable
surprise.
-I... -said the princess feeling a tad uncomfortable- kinda had a big fight
with my
mother. It's so unfair; I guess in my home nobody has noticed I'm not a girl
anymore,
and that I'm old enough to take care of myself and my kingdom.
-Absolutely -said the man nodding convincely-, I can't understand why they
think that
way: I must confess I was really impressed by the way you handled the
treaty, and
being an statesman, I can say you're more than ready to take over the
running of the
moon kingdom.
-Do you really think so? -asked Serena after drinking a zip of her tea.
-I certainly do -said Mordreon smiling.
Serena's face brightened with the commentary, but soon, that happiness faded
as she,
sighing deeply, said:
-If only my father was still alive, I know he would understand and my mother
wouldn't
be so angry with me all the time. I wish I had gotten to know my father.
An other silence fell over the two people, but soon Mordreon, after being
watching
quietly the gardens, turned to look at the princess and spreading his hand
to reach
hers, he said:
-Don't be sad, my princess, I'm sure wherever your father is, and I'm sure
that place
is heaven, he's very proud of his daughter, because she's a wonderful
person, and will
be an astonish queen.
Serena's cheeks turned into a deeps crimson as she moved away her hand as
fast as she
could reaching for one of the cakes lying on the try, then, after eating the
whole
biscuit at once, she started laughing nervously, and drinking a zip of the
content of
the cup, she said with a smile:
-Yeah, sometimes I forget I will be queen someday, and when that day comes,
I'll make
sure that my kingdom will celebrate more festivals, and that the people can
think by
themselves, and mostly, I will love my children and teach them the important
things
about being a ruler, and when the time comes, I'll know when to give up the
throne to
the best of my children.
-So, you're thinking about children already -said the man in a tone between
question
and affirmation-. May I suppose you already have a possible father.
Mordreon started laughing with his own joke as Serena blushed into a deeper
crimson
this time as the memory of Endymion filled her mind, then, hiding her shame
behind
her cup of tea, she answered trying to look confident:
-Actually no, I don't have anyone right now.
A smile of satisfaction and hope was painted on Mordreon's face as he
finished his
own food silently. Feeling embarrassed with the whole situation, Serena
looked down
at her watch to see that it was near six thirty now, so clearing her throat,
she
stood up saying:
-If you excuse, I shall leave now. It's getting late.
The princess bowed deeply and started walking toward the door, but before
she could
enter the palace, the sky became cloudy, and a parade of raindrops started
to fall
from the blues. Mordreon also stood up, and heading to the door to protect
himself
from the rain, he said to Serena:
-How bad! It's raining, that means you'll have to stay for a while, so I
think the
most gentlemanly thing I can do is ask you to stay and have dinner here with
me.
Noticing there was no way to escape from this situation, the princess agreed
nodding
silently.
-Well, we still have some time before dinner is served, what do you say if
we sit an
share a good cup of cognac and a play of chess -suggested Mordreon feeling
satisfied.
-I usually don't drink -said the princess seriously-, but I guess I can play
chess
with you.
Serena followed Mordreon into a big, cozy sitting room, with a great
fireplace and
between two stuffed armchairs, a chess set with big ivory* and onyx pieces
and a
marvel chessboard lying on a carved mahogany base.
Serena took her seat in front of the white pieces, as Mordreon took his in
front of
the black ones, then, breaking the soft sound of the falling rain, he said:
-Ladies goes first, please, make your move.
Serena moved one of her pieces, and while she waited for Mordreon to do his
move,
she said softly:
-Tell me more about my father.
Mordreon made his move, and looking into Serena's eyes, he said simply:
-What can say, you look exactly like him.
-So you met him, right? -said Serena not caring about the game anymore.
-Yes, I did, but not as much as I would like -answered the man lifting his
glass and
drinking a zip of the liquor in it-. I must say he's one of the nicest
people I've
ever known, and it's a shame he had to die so young.
-"Had"? What do you mean? How did he die? -asked Serena confused.
-I, well, it was something so sad I don't want to think about it -said him
avoiding
the question.
-Why can't anyone tell me how my father died? -exclaimed Serena angrily.
-It's not that we can't -said Mordreon- it's just that those are very bitter
memories
and I don't want to stain such a beautiful face with sadness.
-Well, I'm the owner of this face and I don't mind if it gets stained with
sadness or
not -said Serena seriously-. Tell me, please, how did my father died?
-But princess...
-I wont accept any more excuses! I must know! -said Serena angrily standing
up.
-Well, I'm sorry, but you'll have to accept one more. I'm not going to tell
you, so
you better get used to it -said Mordreon starting to get despair-. We'll
leave the
match for latter, it's dinner time.
-I'm not hungry -said the princess-. It's still raining so I can't go home,
so I
guess I rather go to my room.
Serena left the room heading to the quarters she used to stay at when the
treaty
meeting was getting place, and happily, she found that it was just as she
remembered
it. Everything was in the same place, and there were fresh pink roses in a
vase as if
someone knew she was going to come. Tiredly, she sat on a couch next to the
fireplace
looking how the rain kept falling hitting the crystal as they made their own
particular melody.
The seconds seemed like hours there, but suddenly, a light knock on the door
broke
the princess pondering.
-Come in -called Serena from inside the room.
A young servant entered the room bowing deeply, carrying a tray with both
hand which
she put on a table as she said softly:
-Excuse me, your highness, Lord Mordreon was worried about you going to bed
without
eating anything, so he asked me to bring you some food.
-Thank you -answered Serena with a smile.
The servant bowed again, but before she could leave, Serena stood from the
couch, and
walking toward the entry, said calling the maid's attention:
-Wait! I need to ask you something.
-Yes Highness? -said the servant stopping and turning to face the princess.
-Why is this room all tidy, and why are there fresh flowers in that vase?
-asked
Serena.
-Well, I know is somehow confusing, princess, but his Highness, prince
Endymion, told
me to make myself sure to keep this room cleaned and organized always, and
also told
me to put fresh roses everyday, in his own words "just in case this special
someone
comes here and takes this room".
-Thank you, this make things much clear now -said Serena sweetly-. Now, you
may leave.
As soon as the princess were alone, she sat on the bed taking one of the
roses in her
hands as she smelled it.
-Endymion -she murmured- I should have known you were behind all this.
Then, she lied on the bed falling asleep still holding, the beautiful, thorn
less pink
rose.
***
The lonely clearing became even lonelier when Endymion left looking after
his beloved,
as the solemn and quiet Setsuna remained as a marble statue looking at the
crystal
lake. The enormous shadows of the trees became longer showing the princess
that the
sun, slowly, were falling down the west as a soft, afternoon breeze played
with
Setsuna's long, silky, green hair. As a rock disturbing the calm waters of
the clear
fountain, a bad feeling filled Setsuna making her shiver from head to toe.
-Someone or something -she murmured to herself as she took a look around the
clearing- has opened the space-time gate. I must return and see what's going
on.
-Return where? -interrupted a distant voice as an other shadow was projected
on the
forest's floor.
-Majesty -exclaimed Setsuna turning to face a serious queen Serenity
standing behind
her- I must go back to the Time Gate. I have a feeling that something is not
quite
right.
-I guess you couldn't pick a worst time lo leave the Moon -sighed the queen
worriedly- I've received a message from the Plutonian Royalty and they
request an
audience with both, you and me.
-When, your majesty? -asked the princess concerned?
-By sunset -answered Serenity-. I fear they're still by the fact of giving
Serena the
Crystal Key.
-You must understand, my queen -said Setsuna-, that keeping the Time Gate is
a great
responsibility for us plutonians, and lending the most powerful key besides
the
Garnet Orb to a teenage princess is a big risk for us to run, besides, that
key was
a wedding present from my people to the Moon, and giving it to an other
person can
be taken as a deep offence.
-I know all that, Setsuna -said the queen softly-, but I thought Serena was
old
enough to know how and when to use the key. Maybe trusting her such a
powerful object
was my mistake in the first place, but now there's nothing we can do but
face the
consequences.
As the two ladies talked, the shadows continued becoming larger, and soon,
the sky
was turning into all shades of orange as pink, as the sun became a big red
stain
falling behind the tall trees hiding the mountains. As soon as the last red
sunray
touched the clear surface of the lake, the queen, rising her gaze at the
sky, said
solemnly:
-It's time.
The Communications Room was a great hall with tall, marble columns, and a
great
crystal screen covering one of the walls. Around, big crystal windows
decorated the
hall with the sight of the gardens, and the big, vaulted ceiling evocated a
clear
night sky with shinning star shaped crystals over the infinite indigo. In
the middle
of the room, on a marble pillar, a blue velvet water lily lied surrounded by
four
smaller pillars.
Serenity entered the room followed by Setsuna closing the big mahogany doors
behind
them. Then, the queen stood in front of the main pillar placing her hand
over the
velvet lily as a blinding silver light appeared revealing the marvelous gem:
the
Imperial Silver Crystal. As the stone touched the lily, an image appeared on
the
screen: A tall man with long black hair and dark green eyes, dressed in an
elegant
dark grape suit and a long black cape, stood solemnly looking serious.
-Serenity, Setsuna, what a pleasure -said the man with a sarcastic smile.
-Hades, you know we're not here to fake a protocol -said Serenity solemnly.
-You're right, and by the way, I see you've received me message and decided
to attend
my request.
-You know I would do anything for peace -answered the Queen.
-Really? Then why didn't you think about that before giving the Crystal Key
to your
daughter? -said Hades not being able to hide his anger any more.
-Father, please... -said Setsuna trying to calm down the man.
-And you, Setsuna, as time keeper isn't your duty to KEEP the Time Gate?
-interrupted
the king looking harshly at his daughter.
-Excuse me, Hades, but I thought we'd reached an agreement the last time we
talked:
Serena would keep the key, but she could not use it without my permission
-said Serena
with a strong voice.
-Yes, I know, but I fear someone has broken that agreement and I'm not
talking about
me -said Hades calmly but seriously.
-What do you mean? -asked the queen concerned.
-Go ahead, Setsuna -said the king looking at his daughter- tell Serenity
what kind of
energy were the one that opened the gate while ago.
-It was the energy of the Silver Crystal -said Setsuna softly lowering her
head.
-That can't be possible -smiled the queen nervously-. Serena hasn't left the
palace.
I would have noticed.
-Are you sure? So, if your daughter is in the moon, go and call her -said
the king
confidently.
-I guess we can't do that -mumbled Setsuna.
-Why? What's wrong? Where's Serena? -asked Serenity worriedly.
-Well, she kinda ran away -answered Setsuna laughing nervously.
-I don't find that funny at all! -exclaimed the queen- Can you explain me
what
happened that made my daughter ran away?
-You see, Serena and Endymion had a fight, so she got really upset and ran
away -said
Setsuna stuttering.
-Well, I do find this funny -smiled the king sarcastically- your daughter is
using
the key to run away from her house because she had a kiddy fight with her
puppy love.
Isn't that adorable?
-I had no idea that Serena had used the key -said Serenity looking now at
the king.
-That's the point -exclaimed Hades-. She has proved she's not mature enough
to use
the key, so to prevent our kingdoms from war, I suggest you take that key
from Serena
as soon as she arrives to the moon.
-I can't do that -said Serenity-. It was her birthday present.
-Yes you can, just call her, and take the key. You see? In just two steps
your
kingdom and mine will be free from an other bloody and useless war. What do
you say,
Serenity? Will you do it or not? -asked the king looking expectant.
-All right, I will, but just for peace -sighed the queen.
-Wise decision, Serenity -said Hades solemnly-, and you, young lady, I want
you back
here tonight.
-But father! I can't leave! -argued Setsuna.
-No buts. I will waiting for you here, before midnight -said the king in a
commanding
tone-. I knew it wasn't a good idea letting you go to that silly festival in
the first
place.
With this, the screen became blank again, the same as Serenity's white face.
Setsuna
remained there, looking at the queen as she understood the gravity of what
Serena had
done. Trying to take the impassive queen from her thoughtful trance, the
princess
stepped forwards, and cleared her throat.
-Yes Setsuna, you may leave -said the queen softly still looking out the
window.
-But...what about the banquet? -asked the young lady.
-There won't be any banquet tonight -sighed the queen heavily-. There's
nothing to
celebrate.
***
Even when the Prince of Earth was known for having the best logic in the
whole solar
system, this time, the time was running faster than his mind. The afternoon
started
to get colder as the sun hid behind the clouds, and yet, he had no idea of
where his
princess could be. For him, she was a big maze, and now, he was in the
middle of it,
totally lost, and a hundred meters away from the exit. He knew it was
getting late,
but after thinking for several minutes where Serena could be, he finished
sitting on
a bench in the middle of the rose gardens feeling defeated and totally
stupid.
-If I were a spoiled princess, where I would hide from my boyfriend...?
-thought the
prince aloud as he looked at the white floor ignoring that someone was
approaching.
Suddenly, the delicate silhouette of a young woman was painted on the
shinning marble
as Endymion turned around being on the defensive.
-Who's there? -exclaimed the prince as his gaze met the lady's.
-Excuse me for bothering you, your highness, but I couldn't notice you're
worried,
so I was wondering if I could help you in some way -said a young lady with
long,
curly dark red hair and purple eyes standing just next to him holding a fan
with both
hands.
-I'm not sure if you can help me -said Endymion-, but how did you know that
something
was bothering me, Miss...
-Methedra...Lady Methedra -said the woman bowing deeply.
-Nice to meet you -said the prince politely-, anyway you didn't answer my
question.
-It wasn't that hard at all, your highness -said Methedra opening her big
feather
fan- actually, I have the gift of being able to read the emotions on the
people's
eyes, and you, especially, have the most enigmatic pair of indigo ones.
-Yeah...you too -said the prince feeling uncomfortable, and doing his best
to get
away from the situation-. If you excuse, a must keep looking.
-Looking for what? -asked the lady.
-Actually I'm looking for a who -said the prince standing from the bench.
-Then, who are you looking for? -asked Methedra stepping closer to the
prince.
-Princess Serena, I was wondering if you've seen her -said Endymion turning
to face
the lady.
-Yes, I saw her a while ago -said Methedra looking thoughtful-, I was
sitting with
some of my friends, and she was looking disappeared, so we tried to comfort
her but
she was rude at us, so she left.
-And...do you know where did she go? -asked the prince anxiously.
-I thing she took that path -said Methedra pointing the gardens on the
opposite side
of the palace-. I'm sure she has to be somewhere in the gardens.
-Thank you, now, I must leave -said the prince waking quickly toward the
gardens
Methedra had pointed.
As soon as the prince left, Methedra sat on the bench and playing with her
fan, she
started laughing as she said to herself:
-What a fool! What a handsome fool! The Master will be very pleased.
Then, she closed the fan in a beat and stood as she walked towards the
palace with a
wicked smile on her white face.
After following the marble paths of the garden for a long while, the prince
found
himself in front of Lita's greenhouse surrounded by lilies and irises. He
stopped
by a tree to catch his breath before continuing walking toward the fighting
arena
just in front of him. The tall windows were totally covered by heavy
curtains and
the door was closed, showing the young prince that someone was inside the
room.
Without hesitation, Endymion opened the door not even knocking to find
himself in
front of an unbelievable scene: A dark atmosphere filled the room as a big
power
bubble surrounded a young lady dressed in dark purple, protecting herself
from an
older lady dressed in dark blue handling a sword as a big wave of power and
light
hit the shield.
Worried about the younger lady's life, the prince threw himself toward the
woman
with sand hair as the sword fell to the ground with a little explosion as
the
power atmosphere broke with a movement of the glaive the girl dressed in
purple
was carrying. Soon, the room went back to normally, but it wont last longer.
The
prince lied now in the floor over the young female warrior, but with a
violent
movement, she threw the prince away from her side as she exclaimed really
upset:
-What the heck do you think you're doing? Trying to kill me?!
-I was just trying to help Princess Hotaru! -said the prince in his defense
as he
got into a sitting positing still shocked.
-Are you insane or just that stupid? You harmed us more than you helped us
-said
Haruka angrily.
-But you two were fighting! I couldn't remain there and watch! -answered
Endymion
standing up.
-Don't be silly! We're just practicing! Now, my sword is ruined and who
knows if
I'll get it fixed -said Haruka lifting her weapon now in two pieces.
-It's no big deal! Just get an other sword -said the prince looking cool.
-Get an other sword? Get an other sword?! -laughed Haruka looking at the
young man.
-What's so funny? I mean, it's just a sword! -asked Endymion rising an
eyebrow
confused.
-Just a sword? Well Mr. Girl Savior, this isn't "just a sword". If you
haven't
noticed, this weapon is one of the three talismans, a powerful magic sword
passed
throw generations in my family, and it's the symbol of the magnificence of
my planet,
and now you're telling me to change it for a cheap sword? Yeah right! -said
the
princess smiling sarcastically.
-Okay, I'm sorry, I didn't know -said the prince upset.
-So, you didn't know? I'm impressed, for being the prince and the future
king of
Earth you're such dumb -said Haruka leaving her sword on one of the benches
surrounding the room-. To be honest, I don't know what Serena sees in you.
-Excuse me? Are you insulting me? Prince Endymion of Earth?! -exclaimed the
prince
walking toward the princess.
-Ding Ding Ding! We have winner! And your prize will be a guide to using
your little
brain -said Haruka in a sarcastic way.
-Stop it! I don't deserve to be treated like that! I was just trying to
help! -said
Endymion angrily.
-The next time we need help, we'll let you now, before that, just limit
yourself to
breath, okay? -said Uranus sending Endymion a killer gaze.
-I won't stay here to hear your insults. I'm leaving -said the prince
walking toward
the door that connected the room with the palace.
-Hey! Where do you think you're going? No one gave you permission to leave
-said
Haruka running to the door and standing in front of it so the prince
couldn't open
it-. You will remain here until I say the opposite, capish?
-Why do you want me to stay, anyway? I thought you too wanted to kill
yourselves in
private -said Endymion sarcastically.
-Well, ever since you're little Serena's presumed boyfriend, we thought we
should
make you a few questions.
-I really don't have time for that! I'm the middle of a really important
thing -said
Endymion trying unsuccessfully to move Haruka aside.
A wicked smiled was drawn on Haruka's face as young Lady Hotaru started
walking
toward the two doors holding a little key with her delicate hands. With a
quick
movement, she closed one, then the other, and then, the key faded in a
little ring
of smoke. With all his straight, Endymion freed himself from Haruka's arms
and ran
toward the door on the other side of the room trying to open it, finding
that it was
locked, and that the only key had disappeared just in front of his eyes.
-This has gone to far! I need to leave now! I don't have time for silly
games
-exclaimed the prince angrily.
-Slow down, Highness -said Haruka with her wicked smile-, we said we were
going to
make you a few questions and that's exactly what we're going to do...
With that, Haruka snapped as Hotaru pointed her glaive at Endymion as a dark
colored
energy hit him throwing him toward the wall as a pair of magical shackles
entangled
around his feet so he couldn't move.
-Hey! Are you planning to torture me or something? -asked the prince trying
to free
himself from the magic chains.
-More or less -answered Haruka laughing as she took a pair of chairs and put
them in
front of the prince as she and Hotaru took their sits-. Well, now that we're
all
comfortable, we can start with our little friendly conversation.
-"Comfortable"? "Friendly conversation"? -asked the prince rising an
eyebrow-. This
is more like an interrogatory to a war prisoner!
-Okay, let's go on -princess Uranus cleared her throat-. Tell us, what are
you're
intensions with Serena?
-Why should I answer *that* to *you*? -said the prince seriously.
-We're the ones making the questions, not you! -said Haruka harshly- Now,
answer!
-She's my girlfriend, I love her, what's the big deal about it? -answered
the prince.
-So, are you planning to be her boyfriend forever? -asked Hotaru this time
rising an
eyebrow.
-Well, I don't know -said the prince doubtfully- it's a bit early to be
talking about
*that*...
-What do you mean by *that*? -asked Haruka enjoying the shame look on the
prince's
face.
-You know...*that* -said Endymion-, getting married and that stuff.
-So, you're thinking about marring Serena? -exclaimed Hotaru.
-I said it! I don't know! I'm not even sure if she's still my girlfriend
-said
Endymion turning into a deep crimson.
-Then, you're her boyfriend but she's not your girlfriend, right? -said
Haruka a tad
confused. -Sorta -sighed Endymion-, I mean, we had a fight and now she's
really angry
with me.
-Go on... -said Haruka getting at last the information she was looking for.
-So, I didn't wanted to tell her that I've talked to her mother, but yet,
she kept
asking me what was bothering me, so I finally got despaired and I kinda
yelled at
her, so she said she didn't care about me anymore, and from that moment on,
I've been
trying to find her to apologize.
-Wait a second: what did you think you're doing talking to the Queen? -asked
Sailor
Uranus more preoccupied than amused this time.
-I was worried about the way they had been fighting all week, so I was just
trying to
help -said the Prince calmly-. What is wrong about trying to make things
better
between them?
-Usually, nothing, but we're talking about the Moon Queen -said Hotaru
looking pale.
-What's wrong with everybody? Serenity isn't any sorta witch planning to
cast a curse
over her daughter's boyfriend -said Endymion laughing as Haruka and Hotaru
remained
silent-. What's going on here?
-No...nothing -muttered Haruka-, so, talking about Serena, where is she now?
-That's what I was trying to find out before you captured me -said Endymion
seriously.
-Whatever -said Haruka seriously and blushing a little- now that we know
what are
your intentions with Serena, would you tell us what are Jadeite intentions
with
Princess Michiru?
-I really don't know, I guess they are friends -said the prince puzzled.
-And I guess "friends" go around holding each others hand, and hugging, and
kissing,
right? -asked Uranus angrily.
-I said it! I don't know! Maybe they're not just friends, but I'm sure
they're not
lovers or something like that -said Endymion trying to calm the young woman
down.
-Anyway, I would like you to go and talk to that guy and ask him exactly
what he's
doing to her! -exclaimed Haruka as Hotaru and Endymion stared at her amazed.
-I would, if I could -said the prince gazing at the shackles.
-Okay, Hotaru! -said Haruka making the other princess release the young man.
As the chains faded the same as the key, the prince started walking toward
the door,
but before he could reach it, Haruka's strong clear voice filled the room
and she
said:
-Not so fast! You interrupted my practice, so you wont be able to leave
until you
defeat me in a fight.
-I have no time for that -said Endymion-, besides I'm not the kind of guy
that fights
with young princesses.
-This is not an invitation you can refuse -said Haruka walking toward the
prince-.
You can have a fight with me, or have a fight with me, now, make your
choice.
-I guess I will fight -said the prince rising as eyebrow-. But I'll give you
the
rules: no magic swords or moon magic or anything like that, just a clean
hand to hand
fight. Hotaru will be the judge here and the as soon as one of us surrender,
the
fight will be over, what do you think?
-It's okay with me -said Haruka smiling- now, may the fight get started!
With this, the princess started running toward the prince to hit him as he
avoided
every punch by moving as fast as the princess, waiting for his chance to hit
her back
getting the same result as she. The time seemed to fly around them as the
two moved
quickly and gracefully following a long tradition of martial arts as young
Hotaru
tried almost unsuccessfully to keep track of what the two princes where
doing. After
a while, the battle started to get monotone as, after a few hits, the two
fighters
keep moving away from each other, and now getting tired, remained one in
front of
the other waiting for the opponent to move so then, they would be able to
give the
coup de grace. With their cold gazes and tensed bodies, the two warriors
looked alert
as hungry panthers staring at their soon-to-be lunch. After a long fight of
quick
movements and war sounds, the time seemed to froze and a heavy silent
covered the
room with a fear atmosphere...
-I know she's waiting for me to move to take advantage and win the fight
-thought the
prince breathing heavily glancing at Haruka's dark and deep eyes- but I
won't...I
don't care if I stay here forever, I wont give her any chance.
-He's very strong -thought Haruka on the other side of the room feeling the
sweat
running slowly down her face- more than I thought, and I'm not sure if I
have enough
straight to defeat him, but I can't surrender...I can't let him ruin my
pride...
-There must be a way -thought the prince- to finish this without risking my
victory...I've used all my techniques with her and it's useless...maybe, if
I make
her think I will surrender, and then give her the dead blow...
-Maybe, I should just release him and keep my pride intact, but then, he
will think
I gave him an easy victory -said Haruka to herself- I will just wait until
he does
something...
-I can't take it anymore, she's not the kind of person that gives up her
victory but
Serena... -sighed Endymion- Serena needs me. I can't stay here knowing that
she could
be in terrible danger. I guess I will just surrender...but then...Haruka
wont let me
leave...but if I talk to Hotaru...
-I can't take it anymore! -exclaimed the two of them at the same time- you
win!
With this, the silence fell between them once again which Hotaru broke by
saying
softly:
-I guess the fight is over: Non of you win.
-Well, I guess I can go now -said the prince-, you said you would release me
as soon
as I defeated you, and ever since you didn't win, we can take it as a
defeat.
-But you didn't win either -said Haruka- but you're a good opponent, I can't
deny
that, so, I will let you go. I guess Jadeite was at the opera house the last
time I
saw him: go there and talk to him.
-But what are you saying? I'm not supposed the find Jadeite, I'm supposed to
find
Serena! -said the prince sitting on a bench.
-Hey! I'm the one giving the orders here: you will go and talk to Jadeite,
or you
wont go -said Haruka letting herself on a chair tiredly.
-Okay, okay, I'll go, only because I'm too tired to contradict you -said the
prince
standing-, now, would you open the door for me?
-Sure...Hotaru...please... -said Haruka doing a little sign with her hand as
Hotaru
appeared the little key again opening both doors again. Before leaving,
Endymion
stood in front of Haruka, and bowing deeply, he said:
-Good fight! I hope we can repeat it someday, and I'll be sure to bring my
sword.
Then, he started walking toward the door as Haruka stared at him blushing a
little.
-I know you like him... -murmured Hotaru as soon as the prince left the
room.
-Of course not! -said Haruka a bit upset- But I can't deny he's a real
warrior and
will be a great king someday, he just need to grow up.
***
After leaving the room, Endymion took a long minute to catch his breath
trying to
find the funny part about being captured, tortured and forced to confess his
feelings
just before fighting the strongest woman he had ever met. Yeah, it was funny
after
thinking about it again and again and again...anyway, his mind was still
focused on
the fact he needed to find Serena, but trying his best to avoid Haruka's
rage he
decided to follow her instructions and walk toward the opera house, after
all, he
couldn't deny the possibility of finding Serena there.
This was the first time he entered the theater, and the second time he saw
it, being
the first time the tour Serena made for him the day he arrived to the moon.
He
remembered the building as an old and desert construction hidden in the
middle of
the gardens, but now that it was lighten up and full of music, it seemed to
have new
life inside of it. The prince didn't bother to look at the "actors only"
signal over
the little side door, he just let his heart guide him inside finding himself
next to
scenery where a handsome young man was guiding a group of other men as they
moved one
big wall from one side to the other.
-No...no! A little bit more to the right...no! Too much! Now move it to the
left...just a few inches...hmmm...no...it looked better on the right...
-said the
man thoughtfully as he stared concentrated at the inert wall as if it were
listing
to him.
-Excuse me... -interrupted the prince stepping forward as the man turned to
look at
him.
-What are you doing here? No one is allowed here without my permission -said
the
young director.
-Sorry, I wont stay here long, I was just wondering if you've seen one of my
generals, Lord Jadeite -said Endymion- he's tall, thin and has blond hair
and blue
eyes. -Mmmm...let me see, I think I saw a man like that with Lady Michiru a
while ago
-said Lord Amadeus thoughtfully-. I guess Lady Rei was really upset at
him...
-Yes! It's him! Do you know where is he? -asked the prince.
-No...the last time I saw him, he left with Michiru after Lady Rei left with
a young
blond princess...
-A blond princess...? Did she had blue eyes, long blond hair and was about
Rei's age?
-exclaimed Endymion excitedly.
-I think so, and she seemed to be a very good friend of Rei -said Amadeus
trying to
remember the girl.
-Serena... -said the prince softly- Do you know where this blond girl went?
-I guess they went to the palace, to Rei's chambers to be more exact -said
the
director a bit puzzled.
-Thank you! -said the prince happily- I gotta go now! And if you ever need
anything,
don't doubt in asking me!
-He's weird -thought Amadeus looking at the young prince running happily
toward the
door- he would be a good actor.
***
Forgetting how tired he was from the fight, the prince ran through the
gardens and
toward the palace as he felt his heart beating wildly. Now he knew where his
princess
was and he wont lose that chance: he wont lose her. Avoiding every courtesan
in his
way, the prince took the shortest path to the west wing of the palace where
the
princess' room was placed, just a few doors away from his. The place looked
somehow
desert, but trusting Amadeus' advice, Endymion decided to go to Rei's room
and
apologize to Serena. Before knocking, the prince moved the lock to see if
the door
was opened, as looking that it was, he opened it as silently as he could
expecting
to give his beloved a nice surprise, but after all, he was the one getting
the
surprise: he hasn't opened the door widely when he discovered that the young
princess
with blond hair and blue eyes wasn't Serena but her almost exact cousin
Mina. Before
anyone could notice his presence, he closed the door and sighed heavily.
-I thought I had you -said the prince to himself-. Why Serena? Why?
-Who are you talking to? -asked a familiar voice calling Endymion attention.
-No one particularly -answered Endymion rising his gaze-. What are you doing
here,
anyway?
-I was thinking about visiting Rei but Michiru said it wasn't a good idea,
so I
thought about checking on you -said the young blond mind seriously.
-Why, Jadeite? Why are you doing this to Rei? Don't you know she's suffering
-said
the prince looking at his friend.
-Doing what to her? -asked the general confused.
-You know what I'm talking about. Everyone can see Princess Michiru is not
just your
friend -said Endymion seriously.
-And they're right: she isn't -added Jadeite calmly.
-But why? I know you since we were kids and you were always so loyal and
faithful,
but now, I find this hard to believe -said the prince ignoring Jadeite's
words as he
walked from side to side.
-What? I can't understand why everyone has been acting like that around me?
I have no
idea of what I've done! -exclaimed Jadeite puzzled.
-An now you're denying it! -said the prince worriedly-. What's wrong with
you, man?
-I ask the same question: what's wrong with you? -exclaimed the general-.
First, the
scouts, then Rei, now you! My best friend! What's going on? Why can't anyone
tell my
what I've done in terms I can understand?
-No offend, Jad, you must be really crazy or clueless to be cheating on
someone and
not noticing -said Endymion rising an eyebrow.
-Did you say cheating? Me? Cheating on who? -asked Jadeite confused.
-On Rei? Who else?! -exclaimed Endymion- I mean, I know Michiru's hot, but,
Rei,
well, the poor girl is suffering for you dud!
-Wait a second to see if I understood: are you telling me that I'm cheating
on Rei
with Michiru? -interrupted Jadeite- Are you nuts? Where the heck did you get
that
idea?
-Come on, I may be stupid but I'm not blind -said the prince-: people's saw
you,
I've saw you! Holding hands...hugging now and then...come on! Those are
boyfriend-girlfriend stuff!
-Maybe couples do that, but doing that stuff with Michiru doesn't mean she's
my
girlfriend -said the general seriously.
-Then what? -exclaimed Endymion- What is Michiru? She's not your
friend...she's not
your girlfriend...then what? Your wife?
-Of course not! -said Jadeite blushing- Michiru part of my family! She's my
cousin!
For a minute, Endymion remained quiet trying to think about something to say
after
his incredible stupid acting in front of his best friend, so breathing
deeply, he
said softly:
-If that's true, why didn't you say that to Rei? She's really upset with you
right
now.
-Rei doesn't want to talk to me -protested the blond man-. Everyone's saying
I'm
the one treating her awfully, but I guess she's not that innocent at all!.
-The only reason why she's treating you like that is because she's hurt!
-said the
prince-. Don't blame all this on Rei: she wouldn't be this if you weren't
with
Michiru all day, everyday.
-Okay Mr. Perfect, I'm tired of everyone telling me what to do! -exclaimed
the
general- If you're such a good boyfriend, tell me where's Serena right now?
The commentary hit Endymion as a poisoned arrow just in the middle of his
heart as
he tried his best to remain calm and emotionless with the question his
friend had
thrown on him while he invented the best lie he could:
-Don't look at me like that, if you hasn't noticed, she's with her mother.
I'm just
going to get her. They had something really important to talk about,
besides, I can't
take all of her time, she's going to be the next Queen of the Moon: she does
have
work to do.
-Go ahead, tell yourself that -said Jadeite solemnly- I can see in your face
something's really wrong.
Feeling even worst than before, Endymion looked coldly at his general and
started
walking again down the corridor trying to fake he hasn't heard Jadeite's
words. To
the prince, the aisle seemed to be eternal, specially because he ignored he
was
walking toward one of the main towers of the palace, a place were certainly
he wont
find any courtesan or soldier, being this one if those places reserved for
the queen
and her close family. This didn't matter to Endymion who kept walking with
his gazed
locked in the dark burgundy of the carpet, listening to the sound of his own
steps,
until the sound of a door opening interrupted his deep pondering. Suddenly,
the
silhouette of a tall woman with two buns and long pigtails appeared on the
wall. The
prince gave himself a second to see if that woman was Serena, but instead,
he found
himself with the royal presence of Queen Serenity. Not even thinking, the
prince hid
behind one of the tall, marble columns as the queen passed not even
bothering to
look. When she was far enough, Endymion left his hiding place as he continue
walking
until an other familiar presence stopped him.
-Endy, what are you doing here? -asked the young lady in front of him as she
left the
same room as the queen.
-Oh, it's you Setsuna -said the prince rising his gaze.
-Please, tell you already found Serena -said princess Pluto with a look of
worry on
her face.
-Unfortunately, no -answered Endymion softly-. I've looked everywhere but
it's
useless.
-Are you sure you searched everywhere? -asked the lady- The Gardens, the
library,
the opera, her room...?
-Almost everywhere -answered the young man-: I haven't visited her room yet.
-We have no time to lose! -said Setsuna- We must go there *now*!
The palace itself was a big maze of corridors leading to other corridors
making a
complex as intricate as a spider web, but with all the elegance and luxury
the moon
royalty could ask. The palace was huge, certainly, but this fact didn't
stopped the
plutonian princess and the earthling prince to go to Serena's room after any
sight
of her royal self.
All the royal chambers were located in the east wing of the palace, making
it private
and almost forbidden; this fact had become a tradition passed through
generations of
Moon Kings and Queens since the mighty Queen Selene built the palace several
centuries
ago.
The princess' room was, without any doubt, the most beautiful of all rooms.
Maybe it
wasn't was as big as Serenity's chambers, but the atmosphere it held was
almost
magical. The old legends said that Selene herself had left intentionally a
piece of
the Imperial Silver Crystal hid in that room, and it also said that the one
who find
it would change forever the history of the Kingdom. True or false, the room
was a
precious jewel inside the treasure the Moon palace was, and now, Setsuna and
Endymion
were there.
The prince stood in front of the familiar mahogany door before deciding to
see if it
was open or not. Taking a deep breath, he put his hand on the shinning lock,
but when
he intended to turn it around, he discovered it didn't wanted to move at
all, and it
wouldn't.
-What's wrong? -asked Setsuna from behind his back.
-It's locked -said the prince seriously- Serena must be in there: I came a
while ago
and the door was open.
-Maybe she came and left -said Setsuna leaning to put her ear against the
door- I
can't hear anything inside.
-Well, there's just one way to find out -said Endymion as he stepped back
and started
running quickly toward the door.
-What do you think you're doing -exclaimed the princess stepping in front of
the door
as the prince stopped abruptly.
-I think it's obvious -said the prince somehow upset- I'm trying to open the
door.
-I see that clearly enough -said Setsuna- but you can't do that! This is a
really
antique and expensive door, besides, the Queen will notice and will think
Serena was
kidnapped.
-Maybe she was, that's why I'm trying to find her -said the prince
preoccupied.
-Then do it, but please, in a less destructive way -said the princess.
Endymion remained there for a second, staring the door looking thoughtful,
then, he
smiled with mischief and said as he started to run toward the stairs:
-Stay here, I'll be back in a minute!
Setsuna didn't know what the prince had in mind, so she followed his order
and
remained where she was in the long corridor covered but paintings, most of
them of
other moon princesses that lived before Serena.
-This place is scaring -thought Setsuna looking at the faces of all the now
death
maidens- I hope Endymion won't take too long.
It was getting late now and the sunlight had faded completely. The corridor
quickly
became dark being the only light the soft glow of the Earth passing through
the
windows and reflecting on the paintings' golden frames.
-What's wrong with the people in this palace -exclaimed Setsuna as she
walked from
one side to the other looking repeatedly at the stairs- they where supposed
to turn
on the light a long while ago -she stopped and sighed as she leaned on the
mahogany
door- why Endymion had to leave me here with all this freaky death
princesses looking
at me.
Setsuna closed her eyes to rest them a second, but suddenly, the door became
open
making her to lose all balance falling heavily on her back hitting the
floor. A few
seconds after the impact, the princess opened her eyes slowly seeing that a
pair of
bright eyes were looking at her.
-AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!! -she screamed frightfully as she moved
aside and
got to her feet as she prepared her attack.
-Calm down -said the owner of the eyes as he turned the light on-. It's just
me,
Endymion.
-What the heck where you trying to do? -exclaimed Setsuna as the magic ball
between
her hands faded- scare me to death?!
-No, I just didn't want to call the people attention, that's why I hadn't
turned on
the lights -said the prince ashamed- besides, I didn't know you where
leaning on that
door.
-It's okay, but next time you leave me alone in a dark corridor, at least
knock -said
the princess a bit upset-. By the way, how did you get in here?
-It's simple -said the prince folding his arms in front of him as he smiled
proudly-
this afternoon, before going to talk to Serenity, I came here to check on
Serena, and
looking she wasn't there, I decided to leave the balcony door open, just in
case she
needed something.
-Are you sure? -asked Setsuna rising an eyebrow skeptically
-Okay, well, not exactly... -said the prince not as proud as before- maybe I
didn't
thought about that in that certain moment.
-Really? -said the princess still looking skeptical.
-Fine, you win! -exclaimed Endymion- I went out the balcony to see the great
view and
I forgot to close the door! Happy now?
-Great job, you are my hero -said Setsuna teasingly in a sarcastic way- and
I suppose
you got to the balcony flying, right Super Prince?
-Stop it! Maybe I exaggerate a little -said the prince upset.
-A little? -laughed Setsuna.
-Okay, I exaggerate a lot, but well, the thing is I opened the door, that's
what
really matters -said the prince hurt in his pride.
-I know, I just like to tease you -said Setsuna smiling.
-Changing the subject -said Endymion starting to feel uncomfortable- Serena
isn't
here, or in her bedroom or bathroom...what are we going to do now?
-First of all tell me: do you know where Serena keeps her jewels? -asked
Setsuna
seriously.
-Why do you want to know? -asked the prince- Don't tell me you wanna rob
Serena!
-Of course not! -exclaimed Setsuna- I just need to see if the Crystal Key is
there.
-The key -thought Endymion as he remembered opening the music box a while
ago, and
the night the two of them had left to the festival: Serena used that key to
opened
every gate connecting the secret passages maze, and finally, to leave the
palace...
-Oh! my gosh! -exclaimed the prince as everything became clearer- Now I
understand!
If the key isn't in the box, that means that...that Serena can be anywhere
in the
moon!
-In the moon?! In the universe! -corrected Setsuna-. I'm not supposed to
tell you
this but, the key Serena owns gives her the power to travel through time and
space,
that's why I'm so worried: lately, I felt something disturbing the time and
space
gate, and I'm starting to fear she has used the key to run away. -What?!
-exclaimed
the prince worriedly and surprised- are you trying to tell me Serena can be
anywhere
in the universe?
-Sadly, yes -said the princess- my only hope is to find the key, then at
least I'll
be sure that Serena is in the Moon.
-Then, come with me, I know where she keeps it -said Endymion walking
quickly toward
Serena's bedroom as he headed to the vanity where the little jewelry box
lied. He
carefully opened it as the melody filled the room, but the surprise wasn't
as sweet
as the music.
-The key isn't here -said the prince angrily- The key's missing! Why? Why
she had to
do this to me? Why?
-Calm down -said Setsuna putting a hand on Endymion's shoulder- I'm sure she
didn't
know what she was doing, after all, she's heartbroken.
-You are the Time and Space Gate guardian! You *must* bring her back!
-exclaimed the
prince commandingly.
-I wish I could -sighed Setsuna- but no one has the power to do it.
-But you have the Garnet Orb! -exclaimed the prince.
-Yes, I do, but that isn't enough -said the princess-. You'll see, that key
uses the
power of the Silver Crystal which mysteriously repeals the power from my
orb, in
other words, it's like a shield that makes all my powers useless. Believe
me, I want
to help you but there's nothing I can do.
-But, what are we going to do now? Serena can be in danger! I know she needs
me!
-said the prince worriedly-. I need her...
-I know you does, but really, there's nothing else to do but wait -said
Setsuna
turning around to face the door-. I better go now. -You can't leave me like
this!
-complained Endymion.
-I must -sighed Setsuna- there's some serious trouble in my planet; they're
really
upset about Serena using the key, and my father requested me to be there
before
midnight.
-But, what am I going to do? -said the prince.
-Go and eat something, and then, have some rest: you look tired -said
Setsuna
calmly-, just try to act as if nothing ever happen and whatever you do,
don't tell
the Queen or anyone that Serena used the key: it will only make things
worse, now,
farewell Endymion, it was so good to see you again.
-Farewell dear Setsuna -said the prince as he hugged his old friend before
the
princess left leaving nothing but preoccupation in the prince's heart.
***
Ignoring Setsuna's advice, the prince kept denying the fact that Serena were
missing,
and decided to keep looking for her inside the palace. It was almost
dinnertime now
and all the guest were at their rooms, what made the palace look deserted.
Most of
the crystal chandeliers weren't lighted up, and the soft blue rays touched
the fine
carpet drawing the windows' silhouettes on it. The prince couldn't deny it:
it was
late now and he was starting to get hungry, so feeling defeated, he went to
the Blue
Hall expecting at least to spend some time with his friends. He took some
while in
front of the mirror to practice a confident calm look so the generals wont
notice the
truth about Serena missing, and then, he took his was among the long
corridor
connecting the main Hall of the palace with the dinning room. His gaze was
locked in
the carpet under him, but he felt that someone passed running quickly as
gentle
female sobs where heard. Being unable to ignore this fact, he rose his gaze
as it met
Rei's who stopped abruptly as she saw the prince staring at her worried. As
soon as
the prince saw her stopping, started walking slowly in her direction
remaining
silent. For a few seconds the two of them just stared at each other, but
finally,
Endymion spoke:
-What's wrong Rei? You look devastated. -Leave me alone -said the princess
turning
her back against Endymion- I don't want you to see me crying.
-Then I won't look -said the prince turning around- now, we can talk.
Princess Rei blushed at the sweet gesture and using her handkerchief to
clean her
tears, she said:
-I guess you already know what's wrong: Jadeite doesn't love me anymore.
-Did he tell you that? -said the prince turning to face the princess.
-No, he didn't -sobbed the princess- but the way he has been treating me
talk by
itself.
-He do loves you Rei -said Endymion stepping closer to the maiden- I know he
does.
-Why are you so sure -asked the princess skeptically.
-I just know -said the prince trying his best to reveal the truth.
-You don't seem to confident after all -said Rei rising an eye brow.
-I am, I really am -said Endymion- is just that...
-What? -asked Rei curious, then she look at the Hall's door looking Jadeite
leave-.
Ohhh, I understand what this is all about -said Rei folding her arms-. He
planned all
this, right?
-What are you talking about? -asked the prince confused.
-Jadeite sent you to talk to me to distract me and leave with Michiru!
-exclaimed Rei
as she proudly exposed her teary.
-What?! No! -exclaimed the prince surprised.
-Come on! I know you all men are liars! -said Rei winking an eye at the
prince-, you
don't have to fake with me!
-Rei, have you drank? -asked the prince rising an eyebrow.
-A little -said the princess laughing.
-I should had noticed -thought the prince as the princess kept laughing for
no
particular reason-. She's completely drunk!
-Okay, now let's do this: you help me taking revenge and I won't tell Serena
you've
spent the whole day with Setsuna -said Rei with mischief.
-What are you talking about? Setsuna's just on of my childhood friends -said
Endymion-
and Serena knows it!
-Yeah, whatever -said Rei wicked smile- anyway, you'll help me!
Before the prince could do anything, Rei threw herself into the prince's
arms and
hugging him tightly, she kissed him passionately. Endymion took a few
seconds to
react, but as soon as Rei finished asphyxiating him, he took her by her
shoulders and
pushed her back, the prince upset exclaimed:
-What the heck do you think you're doing?!! What would the people think! Are
you out
of your mind?
-Hey, don't worry, I don't even like you: I just did it to make Jadeite
jealous -said
Rei calmly.
-Rei, go and have some sleep until you've come back to your senses -said
Endymion a
bit concerned-. I guess you drank way too much...
-Are you telling me I'm drunk? -asked the princess angrily- Because I'm not.
-Well, maybe not but yet you should have some rest -said the prince doing
his best not
to make her angry.
-Okay! I will! -said Rei as she started laughing again.
-What's so funny? -asked Endymion confused.
-I don't know! -exclaimed Rei between laughing, then she calmed herself down
and said:
-I better get going! If you need me, you know where my room is: just next to
yours!
With this, Rei left going toward the main stairs. Endymion noticed that just
a few
second after laughing her lungs away, she started crying again.
-I hope she's okay -thought the prince-. Tomorrow's the opera and I don't
singing
in front of a great audience with the spotlights on your face is the best
for a
hangover.
A second later, Mina, Amy and Lita come out of the Blue Hall running toward
the
prince. Princess Jupiter took a second to caught her breath, and then asked:
-Where is she?
-Who? -asked Endymion confused.
-Rei! She escaped from us -exclaimed Mina angrily.
-She was with me just a second ago: I told her to go and have some rest, so
I guess
she's in her room -answered the young man still puzzled.
-Well done, at least she listened to you -said Amy with relief.
-Why? What happened? -asked Endymion concerned.
-After the chamberlain announced that the Queen wasn't showing, Rei got a
little, how
can I say it, to excited with the wine -said Lita laughing nervously- so she
started
saying some stupid stuff about taking revenge from Jadeite, and next second,
she got
out of the room crying.
-At least the Queen wasn't there -said the prince-, otherwise, she would be
in
terrible trouble.
-Yeah, you're right, that's why we need to find her: to prevent her from
doing an
other scene -said Mina winking and eye-. Well, thanks for your help!
-Your welcome, by the way, have you girls seen Serena? -asked Endymion
before they
left.
-No, we thought she was with you -said Lita concerned- Why? What's wrong?
-We had a fight and haven't seen her since lunchtime -said Endymion softly.
-You mean Serena's lost -exclaimed Amy worriedly.
-No, no! -said the prince trying to calm the girls- I don't think she's
lost,
I'm sure she's here...somewhere.
-Then, we will tell you if we see her -said the Lita as her and her friend
walked
toward the stairs-. After all, you helped us finding Rei!
***
After the announcement that Queen Serenity wasn't coming to dinner, all the
scouts
left to have dinner at their chambers, and so did Jadeite. He waited until
Rei left
the room, expecting not to make things worse, so a few minutes after the
door closed
behind her back, the general kissed Michiru goodnight and stood heading to
the tall
door on the other side of the room. He opened it carefully and stepped out
seeing
there were two people standing on the corridor. A column covered them almost
completely, so he couldn't see who they where, so having a bad feeling, the
general
decided to step closer, using that same column to hid himself. His eyes
became wide
as the people and what they where doing became clear: Prince Endymion and
Princess
Rei where staring at each other just before they hugged. A deep angriness
was painted
on the general's face as he murmured:
-You bastard! What do you think you're doing with my girlfriend?
Then, he turned around taking the opposite corridor and the image of his
best friend
holding his beloved remained alive inside his mind.
***
The fire inside the fireplace had disappeared almost completely when Serena
woke up
from her slumber still holding the pink rose in her hand. She took a second
to realize
where she was, but when she did, instead of freaking out, she smiled. The
princess
got to a sitting position and then stood from the bed walking toward the
window: it
was dark now and at last, the rain had stopped leaving a clear sky painted
with stars.
Serena made herself sure to have the key with her, and then, she stepped out
to the
balcony holding the rose in one hand and the key in the other one. She rose
her gaze
at the sky and looked at it one last time before calling upon the power of
the key
and gentle, yet powerful energy surrounded her leaving the blue planet she
had started
to love.
The indigo of the Moon sky turned into a dark purple as a ray of pink energy
fell
from the blue sphere hanging on it and landing on one of the gardens. Queen
Serenity
started at the phenomena from her private office's balcony with a serious
look on her
face. The energy reflected on her sad eyes making them look almost red as
she folded
her arms in front of her.
-She's back -she murmured to herself, and then, turned around heading to the
open door
behind her.
Serena landed gracefully floating in the pink energy as she opened her eyes
looking
at her surroundings. She made sure she hadn't mistaken her destination, and
sighing
with relief, she said as her eyes captured the beautiful building in the
distance:
-The palace...that means I'm home.
She took the chain where the key was hanging and put it around her neck,
then, she
smelled the rose between her delicate hands and said:
-I must find Endymion to apologize about this afternoon.
With this, she started running toward the palace as it, with each step she
took,
became bigger and closer.
Before letting anyone see her, the princess made sure no guards where
around, and
trying to be as careful as possible, she took the door on the north wing of
palace
knowing no one would look for her there: that wing was reserved to all the
diplomatic
matters concerning the Queen, and also her mother's private study was
located there.
All the lights there remained off ever since no diplomatic meeting was
taking place,
so she took the darkness as her ally. The princess took off her shoes so no
one would
hear her footsteps, and slowly, she started walking on tiptoes down the
aisle.
Before she could took one steps, all the chandeliers lighted as a tall
silhouette
appeared in front of her.
-Where do you think you're going, young lady -said the tall woman staring at
the
frightened princess.
-Mother -mumbled Serena- I thought you where at the banquet.
-There won't be any banquet tonight -said the queen seriously.
-Why? What happened? -asked Serena concerned.
-I'm expecting you to answer that -said Serenity- what happened? Where were
you?
-I...I was out, at the gardens, picking up some flowers -said the princess
showing
her mother the rose she held.
-Don't dare to lie to your mother! -exclaimed the Queen angrily-. I know
what you
did.
-I don't understand you -said the princess trying to remain calm as she
faked nothing
happened.
-Princess Serenity! You used the key! -said the queen turning her back at
her
daughter.
Serena got really scared when she heard her mother calling her by her
official name:
she only called her that way when something was really, really wrong.
-I had my reasons for using it -said the princess softly.
-You disobey me! Do you even know what the phrase "use it wisely" means?
-said the
queen angrily with tears forming from her violet eyes-. You could have died!
-It's the same -said the princess- I don't think you would care if I die.
-You're going to be the next Queen of the Moon! -exclaimed Serenity-. You
can't risk
your kingdom so stupidly!
-That's all you care about? The kingdom? -asked Serena as a pair of tears
left her
eyes.
-You put us in risk of war using that key without MY permission -said the
queen
turning to face the princess.
-And since when I need your permission to live my life? -exclaimed Serena
angrily-.
You don't even care for me.
-It is my responsibility to give this kingdom a heir, a living one -said the
queen
darkly-, if you die, who's going to rule after me?
-So for you, I'm just the prolongation of your power? -asked Serena- I never
asked to
be queen!
-But you will, so you better get used to it and act like one -added the
queen
seriously.
-And what do you mean by "acting like one"? I always do what you tell me and
you'll
never happy -exclaimed the princess- why do you have hate me? It's not my
fault my
father and you never had a son.
Full of rage, the Queen slapped the young princess as she fell weakly on her
knees.
-Don't dare to say that again -said Serenity angrily as the young princess
stared at
her with wide, misty eyes- now, give me that key!
-No! It's mine! -exclaimed the princess protecting the key with her hands.
-Not anymore! -said the queen as she pulled the key out from Serena neck
breaking the
fine chain.
-Why are you doing this? -requested the princess sobbing- You've never acted
like
this before!
-Serena, I'm doing this for your own good -said the queen seriously.
-How can this be for me own good? -murmured the princess.
-Someday you'll understand and you'll thank me -said the Queen leaving.
As soon as her mother left, Serena got to her feet and lifted the pink rose
lying
next to her with one hand, and with the other, she gently rubbed her red
check. She
turned to look at her reflection on one of the mirrors hanging on the
corridor's
walls as she cleaned her tears with the back of her hand.
-I must find Endymion now -said the princess to herself trying to forget
everything
that happened in that corridor as she started running down the aisle holding
her long
skirt. She knew he would be having dinner, so she decided to go to his room
and wait
for him there. The princess climbed the stairs to the west wing of the
palace and
followed the long corridor to the prince's chambers. She knocked the door
lightly
once, and finding no answer, she opened it finding the room was empty. After
closing
the door, the princess started walking towards one stuffed couch as she left
the rose
on the coffee table resting her head on a cushion as she felt asleep.
After talking to Rei and the other scouts, the prince felt tired and decided
the best
thing to do was follow Setsuna's advice and have some rest. He went up the
stairway
and to the east wing as he yawned tiredly. It had been a long day for him
and the rest
of the group, and remaining awake and worrying wasn't exactly a solution to
his
problem. Endymion finally reached the end of the long corridor and found
himself in
front of his room. Carefully, he opened the door revealing the dark bedroom.
He
stepped inside and turned on the light breaking the darkness.
-AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHh!!! -the two princess screamed at the same time
as they
saw each other.
-What are you doing here? You almost scared me to death! -exclaimed the
prince
angrily looking at the young lady lying on the couch-. I've been looking for
you all
over the palace!
-I'm sorry, I didn't intended to scare you -said the princess softly-. I was
just
waiting for you so we could talk, but I see you're not in the mood to
listen.
-Listening? You almost freaked me out! At least you could wait for me
outside instead
of scaring me finding you in my room without my permission! -said the prince
coldly
and still upset- Who cares now, anyway, what did you want to say?
-Who do you think you are talking to me like that? -exclaimed Serena
angrily-. This
is MY palace and you're just a guest here! I can stay here whenever I want,
as long
as I want!
-What kind of host you think you are? -asked the prince.
-A really angry one! -answered the princess. -Anyway, you didn't answered my
question:
what did you wanted to tell me? -said the prince coldly.
-That I miss you, but in this state I don't think I do -said Serena softly.
-Don't start with one of your scenes. I know you're just doing this to make
me feel
guilty -said the prince folding his arms in front of him.
-I never intended to do that -said the princess standing and walking to the
door-. I
better leave you alone until you have come back to your senses. Goodnight,
Endymion.
The princess left the prince's chambers as Endymion saw her leave. He moaned
and took
a sit on an armchair next to the fire place looking how the flame slowly
consumed the
wood feeding it. A soft smell of roses and smoke filled the room as the
prince lean
on the chair in a deep pondering.
-Maybe I was a bit harsh on Serena -thought the prince- but she shouldn't
scare me
like that, but well, actually she did nothing, she was sleeping on my couch,
waiting
for me. I guess I shouldn't treated her like that, not after everything I've
passed
trying to find her
He turned his head to look at the coffee table finding the fragile pink rose
lying on
it. He carefully lifted it and looking at it, he said:
-This rose...is from my planet. I wonder how it got here -then, he figured
out and
smile- She was in Earth all this time.
Not giving himself a chance to regret, the prince stood up and taking the
rose with
him, left the room doing what he was meant to do since the beginning.
***
Serena took the way back to her chambers after leaving Endymion's room. She
felt her
heart broken with every step she gave. She really wanted to make things up
with the
prince, but apparently, he didn't think the same way.
-Well done, Serena -said the princess to herself- now you are officially
alone. She
lowered her head and kept walking until she got to her room, her thoughts
about
Endymion distracted by the pain she felt on her cheek. When she got to her
room,
Serena strangely found the door unlocked, so she entered cautiously to see
if someone
was in there, but the room was empty. She turned on the lights and went
directly to
her wardrobe where she took her night gown and put it on as she hanged the
dress she
had wore that day with all the other dresses. Then, she walked toward her
vanity and
put her hair down as she brushed it a few times, but not being able to
resist her
image on the mirror, she stood up and walked toward her bed finding a
beautiful
bouquet of twelve red roses. She smelled them and immediately recognized the
fragrance.
-They're from Earth -smiled the princess-. Endymion must had left them here.
Carefully, she untied the pink ribbon around the flowers, and put them in a
crystal
vase filled with water as she put them next to her bed, then she took the
locket in
her hands, and pulling it close to her heart, she murmured:
-My sweet Endymion, I wish you get back to your senses before the festival
is over.
Then, she leaned on the mattress and let herself to a deep sleep after a
long
journey.
Once again that day, the prince got to his beloved's chambers, and stepping
in front
of the same mahogany door, he opened it silently as he walked on tiptoes
inside the
dark room. He took a deep breath and expecting not to scare Serena (too
much), he
entered her bedroom finding her deeply asleep in her bed and the roses lying
on the
table next to her bed. Being careful not to wake her up, the prince left the
pink
rose on Serena's pillow and planted a tender kiss on her check just before
leaving
the princess' room.
-I better let her sleep -thought the prince remembering her sweet
expression-. I'll
come to talk to her first thing in the morning.
The prince took his way back to his bedroom and once he was there, the put
on his
nightgown, and after feeding the fire with a few trunks, he got in his bed
looking up
at the ceiling. Even when he was really tired, he couldn't get to sleep,
every time
he closed his eyes, his mind got filled with thoughts, most of them
concerning
Serena.
-And what if she had died? -he thought- what if she had died thinking I hate
her? I
was near to lose my chance to tell her how much I love her one more time.
Tomorrow
I'll tell her that -the prince closed his eyes turning to the other side as
an other
thought disturbed his slumber- and what if tomorrow is to late?
After several attempts to have some quiet sleep, the prince surrender and
got out of
his bed as he said:
-Maybe I'll go to take a walk, at least, I'll clear my mind.
Even when the palace was completely dark, the prince wasn't afraid. All of
his life
he had enjoyed walking in the dark, being guided by the soft starlight. He
walked
all over the west wing, and then, he went down to the first floor. Looking
at the
distant Earth moved something inside Endymion's soul, and made him think
about the
day he would be king and rule that beautiful blue sphere.
Hypnotized by his planet in the distance, the prince lose any attention on
the path
he was taking, something he would regret...
CRAAAAAAAAAAAAASHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!
A big disaster of cookies, milk and royalty formed in the main aisle as the
young
princess, carrying her midnight snack, crashed with the distracted and
sleepy
Endymion falling to the floor. Princess Serena rose her gaze to apologize to
the
stranger she had washed with her warm milk, but instead of finding an angry
guard,
she find her prince with little pieces of chocolate chips cookies on his
ebony hair.
Blushing, the princess couldn't help but laugh at the situation as the
prince in
front of her got spread with her sweet laughter. The prince got to his feet,
and
offering the princess his hand, he said:
-Are you all right?
-Yeah, I think so, but my cookies and milk got ruined -said the princess
giggling.
-Sorry, it was my fault: I should have watch my step -said Endymion a bit
ashamed.
-No, I'm the one who must be sorry for spilling the milk on you -said Serena
shaking
her head.
-It's okay -said the prince softly- anyway, what were you doing out of bed
so late?
-I thought I heard a noise outside and I got scared, then, I couldn't got
back to
sleep -said Serena blushing a little- What about you?
-Couldn't sleep either -answered Endymion smiling- I was afraid too, but not
because
of noises outside my room, I think they were more like noises inside my head
telling
me how stupid I was.
-What do you mean by that? -asked the princess curiously.
-I was afraid of losing you so stupidly -answered Endymion taking the lady's
hand.
-I was afraid too -murmured Serena- I thought I've lost you.
-You can't lose me -said the prince getting closer to her- I will always be
by your
side.
Endymion lift his hand to caress Serena's cheek and noticing it was red, he
asked
concerned:
-What happened to your cheek?
-I just got sunburn -lied the princess covering her cheek with her hand.
-Let me see... -said the prince moving Serena's hand away as he saw some
weak finger
marks-.This doesn't look like you got burnt. Tell me truth, what happened?
-I... -mumbled Serena nervously- got discovered by my mother. She found out
I had ran
away.
-Did she slapped you? -asked the prince worriedly.
Serena nodded softly as she started to cry. Endymion put his arms around
Serena
hugging her protectively as he said:
-How dared she? I can't believe she did something like that after what we
talked.
-What did you say? -asked Serena looking up at the prince- You talked to
her?
-Well, yes, I did -said the prince after unintentionally revealing his
secret-. But
I just did it because I thought it could help...
-I can't believe you did that! -exclaimed Serena.
-I know...I'm sorry I...
-That's the sweetest thing anyone has done for me -interrupted Serena
hugging the
prince tightly.
-So, you're not upset? -asked the prince surprised.
-Of course not! -said the young lady as she shook her head.
-I didn't want to tell you because I thought you would get upset as everyone
else
-said Endymion more to himself than to the princess as he smiled with
relief.
-You mean that was the big secret you didn't want to tell me? -asked the
princess
softly.
-Yes, and I regret not telling you before -said Endymion sadly caressing
softly
Serena's cheek-. If I had told you, nothing of this would happened...
-Shh...don't blame yourself -said the princess putting one finger on the
prince's
lips-. I shouldn't use that stupid key in the first place, but the important
thing
now is that the two of us are safe and together again.
Endymion smiled warmly at his princess a leaning, he kissed her tenderly on
her lips
as she returned the kiss.
-I love you -murmured the prince looking into Serena's blue eyes- never
forget it
-then he breath deeply-. I was so afraid I wouldn't be able to say it to you
again.
Never leave me again like you did today...
-Anyway, I can't do that anymore -sighed Serena sadly as she rested her head
on the
prince's chest- my mother took the key from me, so I better forget about
going to
Earth to be with you.
-Don't be sad -said Endymion sweetly- I'll invent a new treaty every week if
it's
necessary to have you by my side, and if that doesn't work, I can always
learn how
to use my father's stupid teleporter to come and visit you every night.
-Wouldn't that be dangerous? -asked Serena with a little smile.
-Yes, but I don't care risking my life for one of your smiles -said the
prince
smiling at her-. You look so pretty when you smile.
Serena blushed and grinned in response, then, she cuddled close to her
boyfriend,
as she closed her eyes yawning.
-Come on, I'll take you to your room -said Endymion lifting the princess in
his
arms.
-You don't have to do this -said Serena placing her arms gently around the
prince's
neck.
-But I want to -said Endymion sweetly looking into her eyes, then he started
walking
toward the stairs in the center of the Main Hall. For Serena, the way to her
room
never seemed shorter, but yet, when she was in Endymion's arms the time
seemed to
stop, and the only thing she could think about was being with him. The
simple thought
of having him by her side filled her with an indescribable peace that she
had never
felt before. Feeling his warm respiration so close to her gave the princess
new life
to her heart, and when she heard his heartbeat, it was like both their
hearts became
just one moved only by the love they felt by each other. During the walk,
the
princess occasionally gazed at the prince's dark blue eyes as he returned
the look
smiling warmly.
-This has to be dream -thought Serena as she closed her eyes-. This is too
perfect to
be truth...
-Okay, we're here -said the prince helping Serena back to her feet as she
opened her
eyes.
-Thank you for bringing me here -said the princess softly.
-You're welcome -said Endymion, then he stepped back-. I better go now,
goodnight,
Sery.
-Wait! -exclaimed Serena taking the prince's arm as he stopped.
-What's wrong? -he asked concerned.
-Please, stay with me until I fall sleep -said Serena blushing a little.
At first, the prince didn't answered anything, but then, he smiled sweetly
at her and
nodded as she entered the room escorted by her beloved. She took of her
sleepers and
night robe as she got in her bed. The prince on the other side, sat on the
bed next
to her as he played with the princess' blond hair. Sharing one last gaze
with
Endymion, Serena closed her eyes as he looked at her lovingly. Soon, Serena
was
deeply asleep, so the prince leaned and kissed her forehead wishing her
sweet dreams,
then, he stood, and giving her an other tender smile, he left toward his
room waiting
the next morning to see his angel again.
***
It only lacked a few hours before down and now the Earth had faded behind
the
mountains leaving no light but the one the distant stars gave. Everything
was
dark and quiet and even the guards seemed to had disappeared, giving the
palace a
quiet, lonely atmosphere: the perfect scenery for bad things to happen.
All the paintings in the main tower of the palace seemed to guard the lonely
corridors staring cautiously at the night visitors that used the shadows as
their
hiding places.
A lonely silhouette of a woman moved slowly down the main corridor, using a
long
black cloak to hid her identity. The only guard there were the tall marble
columns
standing on both sides of the aisle as the lady kept moving secretly toward
the last
and biggest door of them all. Searching inside her long cape, the woman took
out a
hair clip opening the door easily, then, she look at both sides before
entering the
chambers: it was the Communications Room. The dark person entered the hall
closing
the door silently as she walked slowly toward the main pillar where the
water lily
lied. Pulling the cape back to freed her arms, the woman put her hands over
the lily
as a dark stone of a purplish shade appeared between them making the big
screen on
the wall became lighted just before the image of man sitting on a throne hid
by
shadows appeared on it. Immediately, the lady pulled the hood back as her
long, red
hair fell down, and then, she kneeled in one knee.
-You're here just in time -said the man on the screen playing with the glass
he held
in his hand-. Is everything going according to our plan?
-Yes my Master -answered the woman with red hair, her violet eyes sparkling.
-Excellent! -exclaimed the dark man- as soon as our plan completed, you'll
be well
rewarded.
-Thanks, Master, I'm honored to help you in your mission -said the woman,
the shadows
hiding her blushed cheeks. -Now, my dear, remember what I said: you can play
as much
as you want with our little moon bunny, but I want her alive -said the man
drinking a
zip of the cognac in the glass-, about the prince, do anything you want with
him.
With this, the image in the screen faded, as the lady put her hand around
the stone
making it disappeared in a cloud of burgundy smoke.
-No! No! -Serena screamed in her sleep as she moved from one side to the
other, sweat
running down her forehead. The princess was locked inside the nightmare
hunting her
since she could remember, but this time, things where different: now, she
was the
victim.
To be continued...
*No elephants were killed during this chapter. All the ivory used in this
story is
vegetal or synthetic! Hehehehe, I just wanted to make myself sure you wont
think I
enjoy cruelty with animals (just with people! Hehehe, no, just kidding)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Hello everyone! It's me again!
Geez, I never thought I would get this chapter finished! Hehehe, well, I
hope you
enjoyed this part! By the way, I know what you must be thinking about
Methedra but
I will just say this: remember what I said in the intro about this not going
to be a
Beryl story so...sorry...! False alarm!
Next chapter, the opera! Sounds boring but you're going to laugh your lungs
out with
what's going to happen, and as always, expect romance, drama, and that
spicy, hot
Susyte's touch!
Thank for reading!
Till next time!
Sincerely,
-Lady Susyte
PS: don't forget to send e-mail!
This story is for you all, so enjoy it!
Sailor Moon and all the stuff involving it was created by the great
Naoko-sama, not me! But, in the other hand, the story and some
characters like Arda, Etlio, Calice and Hyperion are mine, not their
names cause I'm borrowing them from Greek mythology and
Tolkien's universe. I know that there are like 1000 Hyperions, but
I'm not taking that name from any fic, so, don't blame me.
Well, if you want to say anything about the story, or just need
something,
e-mail me to:
susyte@hotmail.com
Thank you to my readers! I love you all!
Sincerely,
Lady Susyte
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Rising of a Silver Utopia
By
Lady Susyte
Part I: Never say Never...
Chapter XIV
Everything became black for Serena as she felt dizzy still lying on the cold
surface.
Every memory of what had happened in the room seemed to fade as she let
herself into
an involuntary sleep.
Time passed, and ignoring how many second, minutes or hours had elapsed,
Serena
regained conscience of her situation. Now everything seemed cleared than the
last
time she had woke up, and even when she had her eyes closed, she could feel
a warm
light surrounding her. The sweet smell of fresh roses and orange blossoms
was
everywhere around her, and a soft breeze blew caressing her bared skin like
flying
silk. A warm sensation filled her, and a feeling of knowledge called her own
attention.
-I could swear I've been here before -thought Serena as she opened her eyes
slowly,
harmed by the light. She rubbed them softly and suddenly, everything became
clearer.
A big blue sky only covered by a few white clouds and the majestic cherry
trees. The
princess got hardly into a sitting position as she continued examining the
surroundings. First, she discovered she was at a garden, and a very
beautiful one.
She smiled, and sighing with relief, she said to herself:
-At least, I'm not death, now, where am I? I could swear I've been here
before. This
smell...remind of something...or someone.
She closed her eyes and breathed deeply, then opened her eyes and rose her
gaze to
the sky catching the sight of a little nail shaped object.
-The moon... -said Serena- this means I'm...I'm on Earth!
The princess unconsciously let a little scream left her throat as, with an
angry look
she thought aloud:
-Why can't I be death? From all the places in the universe I had to land
*here*! Ohh!
Why me?
While she talked missing the fact she was talking too loud, the sound of
footsteps
getting closer quickly filled the clearing making Serena to froze
frightened.
-I must get out of here -thought the princess trying unsuccessfully to get
into her
feet falling to the ground again as a deep, strong voice called out loud:
-Who's there?
Before she could do anything, a big group of guards holding halberds
surrounded her
leaving no way to escape.
-She's from the Moon -exclaimed one of the guards-. Maybe she's a spy!
One of the guards intended to lift her hardly from her arm and took her to
the
palace, but moving away, Serena said stuttering:
-No...I'm not spy, I...don't even meant to...what I'm trying to say...
-What she's trying to say is that I invited her to come here -interrupted an
other
strong male voice.
-But my lord... -argued one of the guards- she's a sp...
-Quiet! You won't take her anywhere. She's under my custody now. I will take
care of
her, you can go back to work -said the tall man standing behind Serena in a
commanding
tone.
The princess turned her head to look at her savior, and with a soft voice,
she said:
-Thank you, you saved my life.
-You're welcome, my lady -answered the man helping Serena to her feet, then,
with a
smile, he continued-. We meet again; the fortune goddess must be smiling for
me today.
-Maybe for you, but not for me -said Serena coldly-. How did you know I was
here,
Mordreon?
-Well, I saw a ray of light hitting the garden, and then all the guards
became crazy
thinking it was an attack, and ever since I'm in charge, I thought it was my
duty to
go and see what or who was attacking us, and well, you know the rest of the
story.
-I guess I do -said Serena and she cleaned the dust from her long silk
skirt-. Well,
I guess I must get going now.
She took of her key disposed to use it, but when she called upon it's power,
nothing
happened, so she tried again saying the words slow and clearly, but yet, not
even a
spark left the jewel.
-Oh, great! The key's out of energy -said the princess softly-. I'll have to
stay
here until it regains its power.
-If you want you can come to the palace and have tea with me -said Mordreon
politely.
-It's better than remaining here -sighed Serena-. Okay, I will have tea with
you.
Lord Mordreon smiled and bowed deeply as he offered the princess his arm,
but she
refused it as she started walking toward the palace with a sad expression
covering
her sweet features.
Inside, the palace was filled by the rays of the warm summer sun, and in a
little
terrace facing the rose gardens, a table for two was set. The breeze blew
playfully
making the flower petals dance all over the garden, and the smell of nards
filled the
afternoon atmosphere.
Serena stepped into the balcony followed by Mordreon, dressed in a dark red
suit and
a long burgundy cape flying behind his back. In a gentlemanly gesture, the
tall man
moved the chair aside so the princess could sit, then he walked to the other
side of
the table and sat on his own chair as he looked at the angel in front of him
with the
same eyes as the first time they had met. A few seconds latter, two maids
dressed in
dark blue suits entered the terrace serving two cups of boiling mint tea and
putting
on the table a tray filled by cakes and all sorts of exquisite earthling
food. As
soon as the two ladies left, bowing deeply, Mordreon moved his gaze against
the
princess, and with a sweet, yet strong voice, he said:
-Go ahead, my princess, eat as much as you want, after all, you're my guest.
-Thank you -murmured the princess with her glancing at the tablecloth, as a
deep
silence covered the place.
-Well -Mordreon cleared his throat- I must say I'm delighted with your
presence, but
I was wondering, what was the reason for such a, how can I call it, suitable
surprise.
-I... -said the princess feeling a tad uncomfortable- kinda had a big fight
with my
mother. It's so unfair; I guess in my home nobody has noticed I'm not a girl
anymore,
and that I'm old enough to take care of myself and my kingdom.
-Absolutely -said the man nodding convincely-, I can't understand why they
think that
way: I must confess I was really impressed by the way you handled the
treaty, and
being an statesman, I can say you're more than ready to take over the
running of the
moon kingdom.
-Do you really think so? -asked Serena after drinking a zip of her tea.
-I certainly do -said Mordreon smiling.
Serena's face brightened with the commentary, but soon, that happiness faded
as she,
sighing deeply, said:
-If only my father was still alive, I know he would understand and my mother
wouldn't
be so angry with me all the time. I wish I had gotten to know my father.
An other silence fell over the two people, but soon Mordreon, after being
watching
quietly the gardens, turned to look at the princess and spreading his hand
to reach
hers, he said:
-Don't be sad, my princess, I'm sure wherever your father is, and I'm sure
that place
is heaven, he's very proud of his daughter, because she's a wonderful
person, and will
be an astonish queen.
Serena's cheeks turned into a deeps crimson as she moved away her hand as
fast as she
could reaching for one of the cakes lying on the try, then, after eating the
whole
biscuit at once, she started laughing nervously, and drinking a zip of the
content of
the cup, she said with a smile:
-Yeah, sometimes I forget I will be queen someday, and when that day comes,
I'll make
sure that my kingdom will celebrate more festivals, and that the people can
think by
themselves, and mostly, I will love my children and teach them the important
things
about being a ruler, and when the time comes, I'll know when to give up the
throne to
the best of my children.
-So, you're thinking about children already -said the man in a tone between
question
and affirmation-. May I suppose you already have a possible father.
Mordreon started laughing with his own joke as Serena blushed into a deeper
crimson
this time as the memory of Endymion filled her mind, then, hiding her shame
behind
her cup of tea, she answered trying to look confident:
-Actually no, I don't have anyone right now.
A smile of satisfaction and hope was painted on Mordreon's face as he
finished his
own food silently. Feeling embarrassed with the whole situation, Serena
looked down
at her watch to see that it was near six thirty now, so clearing her throat,
she
stood up saying:
-If you excuse, I shall leave now. It's getting late.
The princess bowed deeply and started walking toward the door, but before
she could
enter the palace, the sky became cloudy, and a parade of raindrops started
to fall
from the blues. Mordreon also stood up, and heading to the door to protect
himself
from the rain, he said to Serena:
-How bad! It's raining, that means you'll have to stay for a while, so I
think the
most gentlemanly thing I can do is ask you to stay and have dinner here with
me.
Noticing there was no way to escape from this situation, the princess agreed
nodding
silently.
-Well, we still have some time before dinner is served, what do you say if
we sit an
share a good cup of cognac and a play of chess -suggested Mordreon feeling
satisfied.
-I usually don't drink -said the princess seriously-, but I guess I can play
chess
with you.
Serena followed Mordreon into a big, cozy sitting room, with a great
fireplace and
between two stuffed armchairs, a chess set with big ivory* and onyx pieces
and a
marvel chessboard lying on a carved mahogany base.
Serena took her seat in front of the white pieces, as Mordreon took his in
front of
the black ones, then, breaking the soft sound of the falling rain, he said:
-Ladies goes first, please, make your move.
Serena moved one of her pieces, and while she waited for Mordreon to do his
move,
she said softly:
-Tell me more about my father.
Mordreon made his move, and looking into Serena's eyes, he said simply:
-What can say, you look exactly like him.
-So you met him, right? -said Serena not caring about the game anymore.
-Yes, I did, but not as much as I would like -answered the man lifting his
glass and
drinking a zip of the liquor in it-. I must say he's one of the nicest
people I've
ever known, and it's a shame he had to die so young.
-"Had"? What do you mean? How did he die? -asked Serena confused.
-I, well, it was something so sad I don't want to think about it -said him
avoiding
the question.
-Why can't anyone tell me how my father died? -exclaimed Serena angrily.
-It's not that we can't -said Mordreon- it's just that those are very bitter
memories
and I don't want to stain such a beautiful face with sadness.
-Well, I'm the owner of this face and I don't mind if it gets stained with
sadness or
not -said Serena seriously-. Tell me, please, how did my father died?
-But princess...
-I wont accept any more excuses! I must know! -said Serena angrily standing
up.
-Well, I'm sorry, but you'll have to accept one more. I'm not going to tell
you, so
you better get used to it -said Mordreon starting to get despair-. We'll
leave the
match for latter, it's dinner time.
-I'm not hungry -said the princess-. It's still raining so I can't go home,
so I
guess I rather go to my room.
Serena left the room heading to the quarters she used to stay at when the
treaty
meeting was getting place, and happily, she found that it was just as she
remembered
it. Everything was in the same place, and there were fresh pink roses in a
vase as if
someone knew she was going to come. Tiredly, she sat on a couch next to the
fireplace
looking how the rain kept falling hitting the crystal as they made their own
particular melody.
The seconds seemed like hours there, but suddenly, a light knock on the door
broke
the princess pondering.
-Come in -called Serena from inside the room.
A young servant entered the room bowing deeply, carrying a tray with both
hand which
she put on a table as she said softly:
-Excuse me, your highness, Lord Mordreon was worried about you going to bed
without
eating anything, so he asked me to bring you some food.
-Thank you -answered Serena with a smile.
The servant bowed again, but before she could leave, Serena stood from the
couch, and
walking toward the entry, said calling the maid's attention:
-Wait! I need to ask you something.
-Yes Highness? -said the servant stopping and turning to face the princess.
-Why is this room all tidy, and why are there fresh flowers in that vase?
-asked
Serena.
-Well, I know is somehow confusing, princess, but his Highness, prince
Endymion, told
me to make myself sure to keep this room cleaned and organized always, and
also told
me to put fresh roses everyday, in his own words "just in case this special
someone
comes here and takes this room".
-Thank you, this make things much clear now -said Serena sweetly-. Now, you
may leave.
As soon as the princess were alone, she sat on the bed taking one of the
roses in her
hands as she smelled it.
-Endymion -she murmured- I should have known you were behind all this.
Then, she lied on the bed falling asleep still holding, the beautiful, thorn
less pink
rose.
***
The lonely clearing became even lonelier when Endymion left looking after
his beloved,
as the solemn and quiet Setsuna remained as a marble statue looking at the
crystal
lake. The enormous shadows of the trees became longer showing the princess
that the
sun, slowly, were falling down the west as a soft, afternoon breeze played
with
Setsuna's long, silky, green hair. As a rock disturbing the calm waters of
the clear
fountain, a bad feeling filled Setsuna making her shiver from head to toe.
-Someone or something -she murmured to herself as she took a look around the
clearing- has opened the space-time gate. I must return and see what's going
on.
-Return where? -interrupted a distant voice as an other shadow was projected
on the
forest's floor.
-Majesty -exclaimed Setsuna turning to face a serious queen Serenity
standing behind
her- I must go back to the Time Gate. I have a feeling that something is not
quite
right.
-I guess you couldn't pick a worst time lo leave the Moon -sighed the queen
worriedly- I've received a message from the Plutonian Royalty and they
request an
audience with both, you and me.
-When, your majesty? -asked the princess concerned?
-By sunset -answered Serenity-. I fear they're still by the fact of giving
Serena the
Crystal Key.
-You must understand, my queen -said Setsuna-, that keeping the Time Gate is
a great
responsibility for us plutonians, and lending the most powerful key besides
the
Garnet Orb to a teenage princess is a big risk for us to run, besides, that
key was
a wedding present from my people to the Moon, and giving it to an other
person can
be taken as a deep offence.
-I know all that, Setsuna -said the queen softly-, but I thought Serena was
old
enough to know how and when to use the key. Maybe trusting her such a
powerful object
was my mistake in the first place, but now there's nothing we can do but
face the
consequences.
As the two ladies talked, the shadows continued becoming larger, and soon,
the sky
was turning into all shades of orange as pink, as the sun became a big red
stain
falling behind the tall trees hiding the mountains. As soon as the last red
sunray
touched the clear surface of the lake, the queen, rising her gaze at the
sky, said
solemnly:
-It's time.
The Communications Room was a great hall with tall, marble columns, and a
great
crystal screen covering one of the walls. Around, big crystal windows
decorated the
hall with the sight of the gardens, and the big, vaulted ceiling evocated a
clear
night sky with shinning star shaped crystals over the infinite indigo. In
the middle
of the room, on a marble pillar, a blue velvet water lily lied surrounded by
four
smaller pillars.
Serenity entered the room followed by Setsuna closing the big mahogany doors
behind
them. Then, the queen stood in front of the main pillar placing her hand
over the
velvet lily as a blinding silver light appeared revealing the marvelous gem:
the
Imperial Silver Crystal. As the stone touched the lily, an image appeared on
the
screen: A tall man with long black hair and dark green eyes, dressed in an
elegant
dark grape suit and a long black cape, stood solemnly looking serious.
-Serenity, Setsuna, what a pleasure -said the man with a sarcastic smile.
-Hades, you know we're not here to fake a protocol -said Serenity solemnly.
-You're right, and by the way, I see you've received me message and decided
to attend
my request.
-You know I would do anything for peace -answered the Queen.
-Really? Then why didn't you think about that before giving the Crystal Key
to your
daughter? -said Hades not being able to hide his anger any more.
-Father, please... -said Setsuna trying to calm down the man.
-And you, Setsuna, as time keeper isn't your duty to KEEP the Time Gate?
-interrupted
the king looking harshly at his daughter.
-Excuse me, Hades, but I thought we'd reached an agreement the last time we
talked:
Serena would keep the key, but she could not use it without my permission
-said Serena
with a strong voice.
-Yes, I know, but I fear someone has broken that agreement and I'm not
talking about
me -said Hades calmly but seriously.
-What do you mean? -asked the queen concerned.
-Go ahead, Setsuna -said the king looking at his daughter- tell Serenity
what kind of
energy were the one that opened the gate while ago.
-It was the energy of the Silver Crystal -said Setsuna softly lowering her
head.
-That can't be possible -smiled the queen nervously-. Serena hasn't left the
palace.
I would have noticed.
-Are you sure? So, if your daughter is in the moon, go and call her -said
the king
confidently.
-I guess we can't do that -mumbled Setsuna.
-Why? What's wrong? Where's Serena? -asked Serenity worriedly.
-Well, she kinda ran away -answered Setsuna laughing nervously.
-I don't find that funny at all! -exclaimed the queen- Can you explain me
what
happened that made my daughter ran away?
-You see, Serena and Endymion had a fight, so she got really upset and ran
away -said
Setsuna stuttering.
-Well, I do find this funny -smiled the king sarcastically- your daughter is
using
the key to run away from her house because she had a kiddy fight with her
puppy love.
Isn't that adorable?
-I had no idea that Serena had used the key -said Serenity looking now at
the king.
-That's the point -exclaimed Hades-. She has proved she's not mature enough
to use
the key, so to prevent our kingdoms from war, I suggest you take that key
from Serena
as soon as she arrives to the moon.
-I can't do that -said Serenity-. It was her birthday present.
-Yes you can, just call her, and take the key. You see? In just two steps
your
kingdom and mine will be free from an other bloody and useless war. What do
you say,
Serenity? Will you do it or not? -asked the king looking expectant.
-All right, I will, but just for peace -sighed the queen.
-Wise decision, Serenity -said Hades solemnly-, and you, young lady, I want
you back
here tonight.
-But father! I can't leave! -argued Setsuna.
-No buts. I will waiting for you here, before midnight -said the king in a
commanding
tone-. I knew it wasn't a good idea letting you go to that silly festival in
the first
place.
With this, the screen became blank again, the same as Serenity's white face.
Setsuna
remained there, looking at the queen as she understood the gravity of what
Serena had
done. Trying to take the impassive queen from her thoughtful trance, the
princess
stepped forwards, and cleared her throat.
-Yes Setsuna, you may leave -said the queen softly still looking out the
window.
-But...what about the banquet? -asked the young lady.
-There won't be any banquet tonight -sighed the queen heavily-. There's
nothing to
celebrate.
***
Even when the Prince of Earth was known for having the best logic in the
whole solar
system, this time, the time was running faster than his mind. The afternoon
started
to get colder as the sun hid behind the clouds, and yet, he had no idea of
where his
princess could be. For him, she was a big maze, and now, he was in the
middle of it,
totally lost, and a hundred meters away from the exit. He knew it was
getting late,
but after thinking for several minutes where Serena could be, he finished
sitting on
a bench in the middle of the rose gardens feeling defeated and totally
stupid.
-If I were a spoiled princess, where I would hide from my boyfriend...?
-thought the
prince aloud as he looked at the white floor ignoring that someone was
approaching.
Suddenly, the delicate silhouette of a young woman was painted on the
shinning marble
as Endymion turned around being on the defensive.
-Who's there? -exclaimed the prince as his gaze met the lady's.
-Excuse me for bothering you, your highness, but I couldn't notice you're
worried,
so I was wondering if I could help you in some way -said a young lady with
long,
curly dark red hair and purple eyes standing just next to him holding a fan
with both
hands.
-I'm not sure if you can help me -said Endymion-, but how did you know that
something
was bothering me, Miss...
-Methedra...Lady Methedra -said the woman bowing deeply.
-Nice to meet you -said the prince politely-, anyway you didn't answer my
question.
-It wasn't that hard at all, your highness -said Methedra opening her big
feather
fan- actually, I have the gift of being able to read the emotions on the
people's
eyes, and you, especially, have the most enigmatic pair of indigo ones.
-Yeah...you too -said the prince feeling uncomfortable, and doing his best
to get
away from the situation-. If you excuse, a must keep looking.
-Looking for what? -asked the lady.
-Actually I'm looking for a who -said the prince standing from the bench.
-Then, who are you looking for? -asked Methedra stepping closer to the
prince.
-Princess Serena, I was wondering if you've seen her -said Endymion turning
to face
the lady.
-Yes, I saw her a while ago -said Methedra looking thoughtful-, I was
sitting with
some of my friends, and she was looking disappeared, so we tried to comfort
her but
she was rude at us, so she left.
-And...do you know where did she go? -asked the prince anxiously.
-I thing she took that path -said Methedra pointing the gardens on the
opposite side
of the palace-. I'm sure she has to be somewhere in the gardens.
-Thank you, now, I must leave -said the prince waking quickly toward the
gardens
Methedra had pointed.
As soon as the prince left, Methedra sat on the bench and playing with her
fan, she
started laughing as she said to herself:
-What a fool! What a handsome fool! The Master will be very pleased.
Then, she closed the fan in a beat and stood as she walked towards the
palace with a
wicked smile on her white face.
After following the marble paths of the garden for a long while, the prince
found
himself in front of Lita's greenhouse surrounded by lilies and irises. He
stopped
by a tree to catch his breath before continuing walking toward the fighting
arena
just in front of him. The tall windows were totally covered by heavy
curtains and
the door was closed, showing the young prince that someone was inside the
room.
Without hesitation, Endymion opened the door not even knocking to find
himself in
front of an unbelievable scene: A dark atmosphere filled the room as a big
power
bubble surrounded a young lady dressed in dark purple, protecting herself
from an
older lady dressed in dark blue handling a sword as a big wave of power and
light
hit the shield.
Worried about the younger lady's life, the prince threw himself toward the
woman
with sand hair as the sword fell to the ground with a little explosion as
the
power atmosphere broke with a movement of the glaive the girl dressed in
purple
was carrying. Soon, the room went back to normally, but it wont last longer.
The
prince lied now in the floor over the young female warrior, but with a
violent
movement, she threw the prince away from her side as she exclaimed really
upset:
-What the heck do you think you're doing? Trying to kill me?!
-I was just trying to help Princess Hotaru! -said the prince in his defense
as he
got into a sitting positing still shocked.
-Are you insane or just that stupid? You harmed us more than you helped us
-said
Haruka angrily.
-But you two were fighting! I couldn't remain there and watch! -answered
Endymion
standing up.
-Don't be silly! We're just practicing! Now, my sword is ruined and who
knows if
I'll get it fixed -said Haruka lifting her weapon now in two pieces.
-It's no big deal! Just get an other sword -said the prince looking cool.
-Get an other sword? Get an other sword?! -laughed Haruka looking at the
young man.
-What's so funny? I mean, it's just a sword! -asked Endymion rising an
eyebrow
confused.
-Just a sword? Well Mr. Girl Savior, this isn't "just a sword". If you
haven't
noticed, this weapon is one of the three talismans, a powerful magic sword
passed
throw generations in my family, and it's the symbol of the magnificence of
my planet,
and now you're telling me to change it for a cheap sword? Yeah right! -said
the
princess smiling sarcastically.
-Okay, I'm sorry, I didn't know -said the prince upset.
-So, you didn't know? I'm impressed, for being the prince and the future
king of
Earth you're such dumb -said Haruka leaving her sword on one of the benches
surrounding the room-. To be honest, I don't know what Serena sees in you.
-Excuse me? Are you insulting me? Prince Endymion of Earth?! -exclaimed the
prince
walking toward the princess.
-Ding Ding Ding! We have winner! And your prize will be a guide to using
your little
brain -said Haruka in a sarcastic way.
-Stop it! I don't deserve to be treated like that! I was just trying to
help! -said
Endymion angrily.
-The next time we need help, we'll let you now, before that, just limit
yourself to
breath, okay? -said Uranus sending Endymion a killer gaze.
-I won't stay here to hear your insults. I'm leaving -said the prince
walking toward
the door that connected the room with the palace.
-Hey! Where do you think you're going? No one gave you permission to leave
-said
Haruka running to the door and standing in front of it so the prince
couldn't open
it-. You will remain here until I say the opposite, capish?
-Why do you want me to stay, anyway? I thought you too wanted to kill
yourselves in
private -said Endymion sarcastically.
-Well, ever since you're little Serena's presumed boyfriend, we thought we
should
make you a few questions.
-I really don't have time for that! I'm the middle of a really important
thing -said
Endymion trying unsuccessfully to move Haruka aside.
A wicked smiled was drawn on Haruka's face as young Lady Hotaru started
walking
toward the two doors holding a little key with her delicate hands. With a
quick
movement, she closed one, then the other, and then, the key faded in a
little ring
of smoke. With all his straight, Endymion freed himself from Haruka's arms
and ran
toward the door on the other side of the room trying to open it, finding
that it was
locked, and that the only key had disappeared just in front of his eyes.
-This has gone to far! I need to leave now! I don't have time for silly
games
-exclaimed the prince angrily.
-Slow down, Highness -said Haruka with her wicked smile-, we said we were
going to
make you a few questions and that's exactly what we're going to do...
With that, Haruka snapped as Hotaru pointed her glaive at Endymion as a dark
colored
energy hit him throwing him toward the wall as a pair of magical shackles
entangled
around his feet so he couldn't move.
-Hey! Are you planning to torture me or something? -asked the prince trying
to free
himself from the magic chains.
-More or less -answered Haruka laughing as she took a pair of chairs and put
them in
front of the prince as she and Hotaru took their sits-. Well, now that we're
all
comfortable, we can start with our little friendly conversation.
-"Comfortable"? "Friendly conversation"? -asked the prince rising an
eyebrow-. This
is more like an interrogatory to a war prisoner!
-Okay, let's go on -princess Uranus cleared her throat-. Tell us, what are
you're
intensions with Serena?
-Why should I answer *that* to *you*? -said the prince seriously.
-We're the ones making the questions, not you! -said Haruka harshly- Now,
answer!
-She's my girlfriend, I love her, what's the big deal about it? -answered
the prince.
-So, are you planning to be her boyfriend forever? -asked Hotaru this time
rising an
eyebrow.
-Well, I don't know -said the prince doubtfully- it's a bit early to be
talking about
*that*...
-What do you mean by *that*? -asked Haruka enjoying the shame look on the
prince's
face.
-You know...*that* -said Endymion-, getting married and that stuff.
-So, you're thinking about marring Serena? -exclaimed Hotaru.
-I said it! I don't know! I'm not even sure if she's still my girlfriend
-said
Endymion turning into a deep crimson.
-Then, you're her boyfriend but she's not your girlfriend, right? -said
Haruka a tad
confused. -Sorta -sighed Endymion-, I mean, we had a fight and now she's
really angry
with me.
-Go on... -said Haruka getting at last the information she was looking for.
-So, I didn't wanted to tell her that I've talked to her mother, but yet,
she kept
asking me what was bothering me, so I finally got despaired and I kinda
yelled at
her, so she said she didn't care about me anymore, and from that moment on,
I've been
trying to find her to apologize.
-Wait a second: what did you think you're doing talking to the Queen? -asked
Sailor
Uranus more preoccupied than amused this time.
-I was worried about the way they had been fighting all week, so I was just
trying to
help -said the Prince calmly-. What is wrong about trying to make things
better
between them?
-Usually, nothing, but we're talking about the Moon Queen -said Hotaru
looking pale.
-What's wrong with everybody? Serenity isn't any sorta witch planning to
cast a curse
over her daughter's boyfriend -said Endymion laughing as Haruka and Hotaru
remained
silent-. What's going on here?
-No...nothing -muttered Haruka-, so, talking about Serena, where is she now?
-That's what I was trying to find out before you captured me -said Endymion
seriously.
-Whatever -said Haruka seriously and blushing a little- now that we know
what are
your intentions with Serena, would you tell us what are Jadeite intentions
with
Princess Michiru?
-I really don't know, I guess they are friends -said the prince puzzled.
-And I guess "friends" go around holding each others hand, and hugging, and
kissing,
right? -asked Uranus angrily.
-I said it! I don't know! Maybe they're not just friends, but I'm sure
they're not
lovers or something like that -said Endymion trying to calm the young woman
down.
-Anyway, I would like you to go and talk to that guy and ask him exactly
what he's
doing to her! -exclaimed Haruka as Hotaru and Endymion stared at her amazed.
-I would, if I could -said the prince gazing at the shackles.
-Okay, Hotaru! -said Haruka making the other princess release the young man.
As the chains faded the same as the key, the prince started walking toward
the door,
but before he could reach it, Haruka's strong clear voice filled the room
and she
said:
-Not so fast! You interrupted my practice, so you wont be able to leave
until you
defeat me in a fight.
-I have no time for that -said Endymion-, besides I'm not the kind of guy
that fights
with young princesses.
-This is not an invitation you can refuse -said Haruka walking toward the
prince-.
You can have a fight with me, or have a fight with me, now, make your
choice.
-I guess I will fight -said the prince rising as eyebrow-. But I'll give you
the
rules: no magic swords or moon magic or anything like that, just a clean
hand to hand
fight. Hotaru will be the judge here and the as soon as one of us surrender,
the
fight will be over, what do you think?
-It's okay with me -said Haruka smiling- now, may the fight get started!
With this, the princess started running toward the prince to hit him as he
avoided
every punch by moving as fast as the princess, waiting for his chance to hit
her back
getting the same result as she. The time seemed to fly around them as the
two moved
quickly and gracefully following a long tradition of martial arts as young
Hotaru
tried almost unsuccessfully to keep track of what the two princes where
doing. After
a while, the battle started to get monotone as, after a few hits, the two
fighters
keep moving away from each other, and now getting tired, remained one in
front of
the other waiting for the opponent to move so then, they would be able to
give the
coup de grace. With their cold gazes and tensed bodies, the two warriors
looked alert
as hungry panthers staring at their soon-to-be lunch. After a long fight of
quick
movements and war sounds, the time seemed to froze and a heavy silent
covered the
room with a fear atmosphere...
-I know she's waiting for me to move to take advantage and win the fight
-thought the
prince breathing heavily glancing at Haruka's dark and deep eyes- but I
won't...I
don't care if I stay here forever, I wont give her any chance.
-He's very strong -thought Haruka on the other side of the room feeling the
sweat
running slowly down her face- more than I thought, and I'm not sure if I
have enough
straight to defeat him, but I can't surrender...I can't let him ruin my
pride...
-There must be a way -thought the prince- to finish this without risking my
victory...I've used all my techniques with her and it's useless...maybe, if
I make
her think I will surrender, and then give her the dead blow...
-Maybe, I should just release him and keep my pride intact, but then, he
will think
I gave him an easy victory -said Haruka to herself- I will just wait until
he does
something...
-I can't take it anymore, she's not the kind of person that gives up her
victory but
Serena... -sighed Endymion- Serena needs me. I can't stay here knowing that
she could
be in terrible danger. I guess I will just surrender...but then...Haruka
wont let me
leave...but if I talk to Hotaru...
-I can't take it anymore! -exclaimed the two of them at the same time- you
win!
With this, the silence fell between them once again which Hotaru broke by
saying
softly:
-I guess the fight is over: Non of you win.
-Well, I guess I can go now -said the prince-, you said you would release me
as soon
as I defeated you, and ever since you didn't win, we can take it as a
defeat.
-But you didn't win either -said Haruka- but you're a good opponent, I can't
deny
that, so, I will let you go. I guess Jadeite was at the opera house the last
time I
saw him: go there and talk to him.
-But what are you saying? I'm not supposed the find Jadeite, I'm supposed to
find
Serena! -said the prince sitting on a bench.
-Hey! I'm the one giving the orders here: you will go and talk to Jadeite,
or you
wont go -said Haruka letting herself on a chair tiredly.
-Okay, okay, I'll go, only because I'm too tired to contradict you -said the
prince
standing-, now, would you open the door for me?
-Sure...Hotaru...please... -said Haruka doing a little sign with her hand as
Hotaru
appeared the little key again opening both doors again. Before leaving,
Endymion
stood in front of Haruka, and bowing deeply, he said:
-Good fight! I hope we can repeat it someday, and I'll be sure to bring my
sword.
Then, he started walking toward the door as Haruka stared at him blushing a
little.
-I know you like him... -murmured Hotaru as soon as the prince left the
room.
-Of course not! -said Haruka a bit upset- But I can't deny he's a real
warrior and
will be a great king someday, he just need to grow up.
***
After leaving the room, Endymion took a long minute to catch his breath
trying to
find the funny part about being captured, tortured and forced to confess his
feelings
just before fighting the strongest woman he had ever met. Yeah, it was funny
after
thinking about it again and again and again...anyway, his mind was still
focused on
the fact he needed to find Serena, but trying his best to avoid Haruka's
rage he
decided to follow her instructions and walk toward the opera house, after
all, he
couldn't deny the possibility of finding Serena there.
This was the first time he entered the theater, and the second time he saw
it, being
the first time the tour Serena made for him the day he arrived to the moon.
He
remembered the building as an old and desert construction hidden in the
middle of
the gardens, but now that it was lighten up and full of music, it seemed to
have new
life inside of it. The prince didn't bother to look at the "actors only"
signal over
the little side door, he just let his heart guide him inside finding himself
next to
scenery where a handsome young man was guiding a group of other men as they
moved one
big wall from one side to the other.
-No...no! A little bit more to the right...no! Too much! Now move it to the
left...just a few inches...hmmm...no...it looked better on the right...
-said the
man thoughtfully as he stared concentrated at the inert wall as if it were
listing
to him.
-Excuse me... -interrupted the prince stepping forward as the man turned to
look at
him.
-What are you doing here? No one is allowed here without my permission -said
the
young director.
-Sorry, I wont stay here long, I was just wondering if you've seen one of my
generals, Lord Jadeite -said Endymion- he's tall, thin and has blond hair
and blue
eyes. -Mmmm...let me see, I think I saw a man like that with Lady Michiru a
while ago
-said Lord Amadeus thoughtfully-. I guess Lady Rei was really upset at
him...
-Yes! It's him! Do you know where is he? -asked the prince.
-No...the last time I saw him, he left with Michiru after Lady Rei left with
a young
blond princess...
-A blond princess...? Did she had blue eyes, long blond hair and was about
Rei's age?
-exclaimed Endymion excitedly.
-I think so, and she seemed to be a very good friend of Rei -said Amadeus
trying to
remember the girl.
-Serena... -said the prince softly- Do you know where this blond girl went?
-I guess they went to the palace, to Rei's chambers to be more exact -said
the
director a bit puzzled.
-Thank you! -said the prince happily- I gotta go now! And if you ever need
anything,
don't doubt in asking me!
-He's weird -thought Amadeus looking at the young prince running happily
toward the
door- he would be a good actor.
***
Forgetting how tired he was from the fight, the prince ran through the
gardens and
toward the palace as he felt his heart beating wildly. Now he knew where his
princess
was and he wont lose that chance: he wont lose her. Avoiding every courtesan
in his
way, the prince took the shortest path to the west wing of the palace where
the
princess' room was placed, just a few doors away from his. The place looked
somehow
desert, but trusting Amadeus' advice, Endymion decided to go to Rei's room
and
apologize to Serena. Before knocking, the prince moved the lock to see if
the door
was opened, as looking that it was, he opened it as silently as he could
expecting
to give his beloved a nice surprise, but after all, he was the one getting
the
surprise: he hasn't opened the door widely when he discovered that the young
princess
with blond hair and blue eyes wasn't Serena but her almost exact cousin
Mina. Before
anyone could notice his presence, he closed the door and sighed heavily.
-I thought I had you -said the prince to himself-. Why Serena? Why?
-Who are you talking to? -asked a familiar voice calling Endymion attention.
-No one particularly -answered Endymion rising his gaze-. What are you doing
here,
anyway?
-I was thinking about visiting Rei but Michiru said it wasn't a good idea,
so I
thought about checking on you -said the young blond mind seriously.
-Why, Jadeite? Why are you doing this to Rei? Don't you know she's suffering
-said
the prince looking at his friend.
-Doing what to her? -asked the general confused.
-You know what I'm talking about. Everyone can see Princess Michiru is not
just your
friend -said Endymion seriously.
-And they're right: she isn't -added Jadeite calmly.
-But why? I know you since we were kids and you were always so loyal and
faithful,
but now, I find this hard to believe -said the prince ignoring Jadeite's
words as he
walked from side to side.
-What? I can't understand why everyone has been acting like that around me?
I have no
idea of what I've done! -exclaimed Jadeite puzzled.
-An now you're denying it! -said the prince worriedly-. What's wrong with
you, man?
-I ask the same question: what's wrong with you? -exclaimed the general-.
First, the
scouts, then Rei, now you! My best friend! What's going on? Why can't anyone
tell my
what I've done in terms I can understand?
-No offend, Jad, you must be really crazy or clueless to be cheating on
someone and
not noticing -said Endymion rising an eyebrow.
-Did you say cheating? Me? Cheating on who? -asked Jadeite confused.
-On Rei? Who else?! -exclaimed Endymion- I mean, I know Michiru's hot, but,
Rei,
well, the poor girl is suffering for you dud!
-Wait a second to see if I understood: are you telling me that I'm cheating
on Rei
with Michiru? -interrupted Jadeite- Are you nuts? Where the heck did you get
that
idea?
-Come on, I may be stupid but I'm not blind -said the prince-: people's saw
you,
I've saw you! Holding hands...hugging now and then...come on! Those are
boyfriend-girlfriend stuff!
-Maybe couples do that, but doing that stuff with Michiru doesn't mean she's
my
girlfriend -said the general seriously.
-Then what? -exclaimed Endymion- What is Michiru? She's not your
friend...she's not
your girlfriend...then what? Your wife?
-Of course not! -said Jadeite blushing- Michiru part of my family! She's my
cousin!
For a minute, Endymion remained quiet trying to think about something to say
after
his incredible stupid acting in front of his best friend, so breathing
deeply, he
said softly:
-If that's true, why didn't you say that to Rei? She's really upset with you
right
now.
-Rei doesn't want to talk to me -protested the blond man-. Everyone's saying
I'm
the one treating her awfully, but I guess she's not that innocent at all!.
-The only reason why she's treating you like that is because she's hurt!
-said the
prince-. Don't blame all this on Rei: she wouldn't be this if you weren't
with
Michiru all day, everyday.
-Okay Mr. Perfect, I'm tired of everyone telling me what to do! -exclaimed
the
general- If you're such a good boyfriend, tell me where's Serena right now?
The commentary hit Endymion as a poisoned arrow just in the middle of his
heart as
he tried his best to remain calm and emotionless with the question his
friend had
thrown on him while he invented the best lie he could:
-Don't look at me like that, if you hasn't noticed, she's with her mother.
I'm just
going to get her. They had something really important to talk about,
besides, I can't
take all of her time, she's going to be the next Queen of the Moon: she does
have
work to do.
-Go ahead, tell yourself that -said Jadeite solemnly- I can see in your face
something's really wrong.
Feeling even worst than before, Endymion looked coldly at his general and
started
walking again down the corridor trying to fake he hasn't heard Jadeite's
words. To
the prince, the aisle seemed to be eternal, specially because he ignored he
was
walking toward one of the main towers of the palace, a place were certainly
he wont
find any courtesan or soldier, being this one if those places reserved for
the queen
and her close family. This didn't matter to Endymion who kept walking with
his gazed
locked in the dark burgundy of the carpet, listening to the sound of his own
steps,
until the sound of a door opening interrupted his deep pondering. Suddenly,
the
silhouette of a tall woman with two buns and long pigtails appeared on the
wall. The
prince gave himself a second to see if that woman was Serena, but instead,
he found
himself with the royal presence of Queen Serenity. Not even thinking, the
prince hid
behind one of the tall, marble columns as the queen passed not even
bothering to
look. When she was far enough, Endymion left his hiding place as he continue
walking
until an other familiar presence stopped him.
-Endy, what are you doing here? -asked the young lady in front of him as she
left the
same room as the queen.
-Oh, it's you Setsuna -said the prince rising his gaze.
-Please, tell you already found Serena -said princess Pluto with a look of
worry on
her face.
-Unfortunately, no -answered Endymion softly-. I've looked everywhere but
it's
useless.
-Are you sure you searched everywhere? -asked the lady- The Gardens, the
library,
the opera, her room...?
-Almost everywhere -answered the young man-: I haven't visited her room yet.
-We have no time to lose! -said Setsuna- We must go there *now*!
The palace itself was a big maze of corridors leading to other corridors
making a
complex as intricate as a spider web, but with all the elegance and luxury
the moon
royalty could ask. The palace was huge, certainly, but this fact didn't
stopped the
plutonian princess and the earthling prince to go to Serena's room after any
sight
of her royal self.
All the royal chambers were located in the east wing of the palace, making
it private
and almost forbidden; this fact had become a tradition passed through
generations of
Moon Kings and Queens since the mighty Queen Selene built the palace several
centuries
ago.
The princess' room was, without any doubt, the most beautiful of all rooms.
Maybe it
wasn't was as big as Serenity's chambers, but the atmosphere it held was
almost
magical. The old legends said that Selene herself had left intentionally a
piece of
the Imperial Silver Crystal hid in that room, and it also said that the one
who find
it would change forever the history of the Kingdom. True or false, the room
was a
precious jewel inside the treasure the Moon palace was, and now, Setsuna and
Endymion
were there.
The prince stood in front of the familiar mahogany door before deciding to
see if it
was open or not. Taking a deep breath, he put his hand on the shinning lock,
but when
he intended to turn it around, he discovered it didn't wanted to move at
all, and it
wouldn't.
-What's wrong? -asked Setsuna from behind his back.
-It's locked -said the prince seriously- Serena must be in there: I came a
while ago
and the door was open.
-Maybe she came and left -said Setsuna leaning to put her ear against the
door- I
can't hear anything inside.
-Well, there's just one way to find out -said Endymion as he stepped back
and started
running quickly toward the door.
-What do you think you're doing -exclaimed the princess stepping in front of
the door
as the prince stopped abruptly.
-I think it's obvious -said the prince somehow upset- I'm trying to open the
door.
-I see that clearly enough -said Setsuna- but you can't do that! This is a
really
antique and expensive door, besides, the Queen will notice and will think
Serena was
kidnapped.
-Maybe she was, that's why I'm trying to find her -said the prince
preoccupied.
-Then do it, but please, in a less destructive way -said the princess.
Endymion remained there for a second, staring the door looking thoughtful,
then, he
smiled with mischief and said as he started to run toward the stairs:
-Stay here, I'll be back in a minute!
Setsuna didn't know what the prince had in mind, so she followed his order
and
remained where she was in the long corridor covered but paintings, most of
them of
other moon princesses that lived before Serena.
-This place is scaring -thought Setsuna looking at the faces of all the now
death
maidens- I hope Endymion won't take too long.
It was getting late now and the sunlight had faded completely. The corridor
quickly
became dark being the only light the soft glow of the Earth passing through
the
windows and reflecting on the paintings' golden frames.
-What's wrong with the people in this palace -exclaimed Setsuna as she
walked from
one side to the other looking repeatedly at the stairs- they where supposed
to turn
on the light a long while ago -she stopped and sighed as she leaned on the
mahogany
door- why Endymion had to leave me here with all this freaky death
princesses looking
at me.
Setsuna closed her eyes to rest them a second, but suddenly, the door became
open
making her to lose all balance falling heavily on her back hitting the
floor. A few
seconds after the impact, the princess opened her eyes slowly seeing that a
pair of
bright eyes were looking at her.
-AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!! -she screamed frightfully as she moved
aside and
got to her feet as she prepared her attack.
-Calm down -said the owner of the eyes as he turned the light on-. It's just
me,
Endymion.
-What the heck where you trying to do? -exclaimed Setsuna as the magic ball
between
her hands faded- scare me to death?!
-No, I just didn't want to call the people attention, that's why I hadn't
turned on
the lights -said the prince ashamed- besides, I didn't know you where
leaning on that
door.
-It's okay, but next time you leave me alone in a dark corridor, at least
knock -said
the princess a bit upset-. By the way, how did you get in here?
-It's simple -said the prince folding his arms in front of him as he smiled
proudly-
this afternoon, before going to talk to Serenity, I came here to check on
Serena, and
looking she wasn't there, I decided to leave the balcony door open, just in
case she
needed something.
-Are you sure? -asked Setsuna rising an eyebrow skeptically
-Okay, well, not exactly... -said the prince not as proud as before- maybe I
didn't
thought about that in that certain moment.
-Really? -said the princess still looking skeptical.
-Fine, you win! -exclaimed Endymion- I went out the balcony to see the great
view and
I forgot to close the door! Happy now?
-Great job, you are my hero -said Setsuna teasingly in a sarcastic way- and
I suppose
you got to the balcony flying, right Super Prince?
-Stop it! Maybe I exaggerate a little -said the prince upset.
-A little? -laughed Setsuna.
-Okay, I exaggerate a lot, but well, the thing is I opened the door, that's
what
really matters -said the prince hurt in his pride.
-I know, I just like to tease you -said Setsuna smiling.
-Changing the subject -said Endymion starting to feel uncomfortable- Serena
isn't
here, or in her bedroom or bathroom...what are we going to do now?
-First of all tell me: do you know where Serena keeps her jewels? -asked
Setsuna
seriously.
-Why do you want to know? -asked the prince- Don't tell me you wanna rob
Serena!
-Of course not! -exclaimed Setsuna- I just need to see if the Crystal Key is
there.
-The key -thought Endymion as he remembered opening the music box a while
ago, and
the night the two of them had left to the festival: Serena used that key to
opened
every gate connecting the secret passages maze, and finally, to leave the
palace...
-Oh! my gosh! -exclaimed the prince as everything became clearer- Now I
understand!
If the key isn't in the box, that means that...that Serena can be anywhere
in the
moon!
-In the moon?! In the universe! -corrected Setsuna-. I'm not supposed to
tell you
this but, the key Serena owns gives her the power to travel through time and
space,
that's why I'm so worried: lately, I felt something disturbing the time and
space
gate, and I'm starting to fear she has used the key to run away. -What?!
-exclaimed
the prince worriedly and surprised- are you trying to tell me Serena can be
anywhere
in the universe?
-Sadly, yes -said the princess- my only hope is to find the key, then at
least I'll
be sure that Serena is in the Moon.
-Then, come with me, I know where she keeps it -said Endymion walking
quickly toward
Serena's bedroom as he headed to the vanity where the little jewelry box
lied. He
carefully opened it as the melody filled the room, but the surprise wasn't
as sweet
as the music.
-The key isn't here -said the prince angrily- The key's missing! Why? Why
she had to
do this to me? Why?
-Calm down -said Setsuna putting a hand on Endymion's shoulder- I'm sure she
didn't
know what she was doing, after all, she's heartbroken.
-You are the Time and Space Gate guardian! You *must* bring her back!
-exclaimed the
prince commandingly.
-I wish I could -sighed Setsuna- but no one has the power to do it.
-But you have the Garnet Orb! -exclaimed the prince.
-Yes, I do, but that isn't enough -said the princess-. You'll see, that key
uses the
power of the Silver Crystal which mysteriously repeals the power from my
orb, in
other words, it's like a shield that makes all my powers useless. Believe
me, I want
to help you but there's nothing I can do.
-But, what are we going to do now? Serena can be in danger! I know she needs
me!
-said the prince worriedly-. I need her...
-I know you does, but really, there's nothing else to do but wait -said
Setsuna
turning around to face the door-. I better go now. -You can't leave me like
this!
-complained Endymion.
-I must -sighed Setsuna- there's some serious trouble in my planet; they're
really
upset about Serena using the key, and my father requested me to be there
before
midnight.
-But, what am I going to do? -said the prince.
-Go and eat something, and then, have some rest: you look tired -said
Setsuna
calmly-, just try to act as if nothing ever happen and whatever you do,
don't tell
the Queen or anyone that Serena used the key: it will only make things
worse, now,
farewell Endymion, it was so good to see you again.
-Farewell dear Setsuna -said the prince as he hugged his old friend before
the
princess left leaving nothing but preoccupation in the prince's heart.
***
Ignoring Setsuna's advice, the prince kept denying the fact that Serena were
missing,
and decided to keep looking for her inside the palace. It was almost
dinnertime now
and all the guest were at their rooms, what made the palace look deserted.
Most of
the crystal chandeliers weren't lighted up, and the soft blue rays touched
the fine
carpet drawing the windows' silhouettes on it. The prince couldn't deny it:
it was
late now and he was starting to get hungry, so feeling defeated, he went to
the Blue
Hall expecting at least to spend some time with his friends. He took some
while in
front of the mirror to practice a confident calm look so the generals wont
notice the
truth about Serena missing, and then, he took his was among the long
corridor
connecting the main Hall of the palace with the dinning room. His gaze was
locked in
the carpet under him, but he felt that someone passed running quickly as
gentle
female sobs where heard. Being unable to ignore this fact, he rose his gaze
as it met
Rei's who stopped abruptly as she saw the prince staring at her worried. As
soon as
the prince saw her stopping, started walking slowly in her direction
remaining
silent. For a few seconds the two of them just stared at each other, but
finally,
Endymion spoke:
-What's wrong Rei? You look devastated. -Leave me alone -said the princess
turning
her back against Endymion- I don't want you to see me crying.
-Then I won't look -said the prince turning around- now, we can talk.
Princess Rei blushed at the sweet gesture and using her handkerchief to
clean her
tears, she said:
-I guess you already know what's wrong: Jadeite doesn't love me anymore.
-Did he tell you that? -said the prince turning to face the princess.
-No, he didn't -sobbed the princess- but the way he has been treating me
talk by
itself.
-He do loves you Rei -said Endymion stepping closer to the maiden- I know he
does.
-Why are you so sure -asked the princess skeptically.
-I just know -said the prince trying his best to reveal the truth.
-You don't seem to confident after all -said Rei rising an eye brow.
-I am, I really am -said Endymion- is just that...
-What? -asked Rei curious, then she look at the Hall's door looking Jadeite
leave-.
Ohhh, I understand what this is all about -said Rei folding her arms-. He
planned all
this, right?
-What are you talking about? -asked the prince confused.
-Jadeite sent you to talk to me to distract me and leave with Michiru!
-exclaimed Rei
as she proudly exposed her teary.
-What?! No! -exclaimed the prince surprised.
-Come on! I know you all men are liars! -said Rei winking an eye at the
prince-, you
don't have to fake with me!
-Rei, have you drank? -asked the prince rising an eyebrow.
-A little -said the princess laughing.
-I should had noticed -thought the prince as the princess kept laughing for
no
particular reason-. She's completely drunk!
-Okay, now let's do this: you help me taking revenge and I won't tell Serena
you've
spent the whole day with Setsuna -said Rei with mischief.
-What are you talking about? Setsuna's just on of my childhood friends -said
Endymion-
and Serena knows it!
-Yeah, whatever -said Rei wicked smile- anyway, you'll help me!
Before the prince could do anything, Rei threw herself into the prince's
arms and
hugging him tightly, she kissed him passionately. Endymion took a few
seconds to
react, but as soon as Rei finished asphyxiating him, he took her by her
shoulders and
pushed her back, the prince upset exclaimed:
-What the heck do you think you're doing?!! What would the people think! Are
you out
of your mind?
-Hey, don't worry, I don't even like you: I just did it to make Jadeite
jealous -said
Rei calmly.
-Rei, go and have some sleep until you've come back to your senses -said
Endymion a
bit concerned-. I guess you drank way too much...
-Are you telling me I'm drunk? -asked the princess angrily- Because I'm not.
-Well, maybe not but yet you should have some rest -said the prince doing
his best not
to make her angry.
-Okay! I will! -said Rei as she started laughing again.
-What's so funny? -asked Endymion confused.
-I don't know! -exclaimed Rei between laughing, then she calmed herself down
and said:
-I better get going! If you need me, you know where my room is: just next to
yours!
With this, Rei left going toward the main stairs. Endymion noticed that just
a few
second after laughing her lungs away, she started crying again.
-I hope she's okay -thought the prince-. Tomorrow's the opera and I don't
singing
in front of a great audience with the spotlights on your face is the best
for a
hangover.
A second later, Mina, Amy and Lita come out of the Blue Hall running toward
the
prince. Princess Jupiter took a second to caught her breath, and then asked:
-Where is she?
-Who? -asked Endymion confused.
-Rei! She escaped from us -exclaimed Mina angrily.
-She was with me just a second ago: I told her to go and have some rest, so
I guess
she's in her room -answered the young man still puzzled.
-Well done, at least she listened to you -said Amy with relief.
-Why? What happened? -asked Endymion concerned.
-After the chamberlain announced that the Queen wasn't showing, Rei got a
little, how
can I say it, to excited with the wine -said Lita laughing nervously- so she
started
saying some stupid stuff about taking revenge from Jadeite, and next second,
she got
out of the room crying.
-At least the Queen wasn't there -said the prince-, otherwise, she would be
in
terrible trouble.
-Yeah, you're right, that's why we need to find her: to prevent her from
doing an
other scene -said Mina winking and eye-. Well, thanks for your help!
-Your welcome, by the way, have you girls seen Serena? -asked Endymion
before they
left.
-No, we thought she was with you -said Lita concerned- Why? What's wrong?
-We had a fight and haven't seen her since lunchtime -said Endymion softly.
-You mean Serena's lost -exclaimed Amy worriedly.
-No, no! -said the prince trying to calm the girls- I don't think she's
lost,
I'm sure she's here...somewhere.
-Then, we will tell you if we see her -said the Lita as her and her friend
walked
toward the stairs-. After all, you helped us finding Rei!
***
After the announcement that Queen Serenity wasn't coming to dinner, all the
scouts
left to have dinner at their chambers, and so did Jadeite. He waited until
Rei left
the room, expecting not to make things worse, so a few minutes after the
door closed
behind her back, the general kissed Michiru goodnight and stood heading to
the tall
door on the other side of the room. He opened it carefully and stepped out
seeing
there were two people standing on the corridor. A column covered them almost
completely, so he couldn't see who they where, so having a bad feeling, the
general
decided to step closer, using that same column to hid himself. His eyes
became wide
as the people and what they where doing became clear: Prince Endymion and
Princess
Rei where staring at each other just before they hugged. A deep angriness
was painted
on the general's face as he murmured:
-You bastard! What do you think you're doing with my girlfriend?
Then, he turned around taking the opposite corridor and the image of his
best friend
holding his beloved remained alive inside his mind.
***
The fire inside the fireplace had disappeared almost completely when Serena
woke up
from her slumber still holding the pink rose in her hand. She took a second
to realize
where she was, but when she did, instead of freaking out, she smiled. The
princess
got to a sitting position and then stood from the bed walking toward the
window: it
was dark now and at last, the rain had stopped leaving a clear sky painted
with stars.
Serena made herself sure to have the key with her, and then, she stepped out
to the
balcony holding the rose in one hand and the key in the other one. She rose
her gaze
at the sky and looked at it one last time before calling upon the power of
the key
and gentle, yet powerful energy surrounded her leaving the blue planet she
had started
to love.
The indigo of the Moon sky turned into a dark purple as a ray of pink energy
fell
from the blue sphere hanging on it and landing on one of the gardens. Queen
Serenity
started at the phenomena from her private office's balcony with a serious
look on her
face. The energy reflected on her sad eyes making them look almost red as
she folded
her arms in front of her.
-She's back -she murmured to herself, and then, turned around heading to the
open door
behind her.
Serena landed gracefully floating in the pink energy as she opened her eyes
looking
at her surroundings. She made sure she hadn't mistaken her destination, and
sighing
with relief, she said as her eyes captured the beautiful building in the
distance:
-The palace...that means I'm home.
She took the chain where the key was hanging and put it around her neck,
then, she
smelled the rose between her delicate hands and said:
-I must find Endymion to apologize about this afternoon.
With this, she started running toward the palace as it, with each step she
took,
became bigger and closer.
Before letting anyone see her, the princess made sure no guards where
around, and
trying to be as careful as possible, she took the door on the north wing of
palace
knowing no one would look for her there: that wing was reserved to all the
diplomatic
matters concerning the Queen, and also her mother's private study was
located there.
All the lights there remained off ever since no diplomatic meeting was
taking place,
so she took the darkness as her ally. The princess took off her shoes so no
one would
hear her footsteps, and slowly, she started walking on tiptoes down the
aisle.
Before she could took one steps, all the chandeliers lighted as a tall
silhouette
appeared in front of her.
-Where do you think you're going, young lady -said the tall woman staring at
the
frightened princess.
-Mother -mumbled Serena- I thought you where at the banquet.
-There won't be any banquet tonight -said the queen seriously.
-Why? What happened? -asked Serena concerned.
-I'm expecting you to answer that -said Serenity- what happened? Where were
you?
-I...I was out, at the gardens, picking up some flowers -said the princess
showing
her mother the rose she held.
-Don't dare to lie to your mother! -exclaimed the Queen angrily-. I know
what you
did.
-I don't understand you -said the princess trying to remain calm as she
faked nothing
happened.
-Princess Serenity! You used the key! -said the queen turning her back at
her
daughter.
Serena got really scared when she heard her mother calling her by her
official name:
she only called her that way when something was really, really wrong.
-I had my reasons for using it -said the princess softly.
-You disobey me! Do you even know what the phrase "use it wisely" means?
-said the
queen angrily with tears forming from her violet eyes-. You could have died!
-It's the same -said the princess- I don't think you would care if I die.
-You're going to be the next Queen of the Moon! -exclaimed Serenity-. You
can't risk
your kingdom so stupidly!
-That's all you care about? The kingdom? -asked Serena as a pair of tears
left her
eyes.
-You put us in risk of war using that key without MY permission -said the
queen
turning to face the princess.
-And since when I need your permission to live my life? -exclaimed Serena
angrily-.
You don't even care for me.
-It is my responsibility to give this kingdom a heir, a living one -said the
queen
darkly-, if you die, who's going to rule after me?
-So for you, I'm just the prolongation of your power? -asked Serena- I never
asked to
be queen!
-But you will, so you better get used to it and act like one -added the
queen
seriously.
-And what do you mean by "acting like one"? I always do what you tell me and
you'll
never happy -exclaimed the princess- why do you have hate me? It's not my
fault my
father and you never had a son.
Full of rage, the Queen slapped the young princess as she fell weakly on her
knees.
-Don't dare to say that again -said Serenity angrily as the young princess
stared at
her with wide, misty eyes- now, give me that key!
-No! It's mine! -exclaimed the princess protecting the key with her hands.
-Not anymore! -said the queen as she pulled the key out from Serena neck
breaking the
fine chain.
-Why are you doing this? -requested the princess sobbing- You've never acted
like
this before!
-Serena, I'm doing this for your own good -said the queen seriously.
-How can this be for me own good? -murmured the princess.
-Someday you'll understand and you'll thank me -said the Queen leaving.
As soon as her mother left, Serena got to her feet and lifted the pink rose
lying
next to her with one hand, and with the other, she gently rubbed her red
check. She
turned to look at her reflection on one of the mirrors hanging on the
corridor's
walls as she cleaned her tears with the back of her hand.
-I must find Endymion now -said the princess to herself trying to forget
everything
that happened in that corridor as she started running down the aisle holding
her long
skirt. She knew he would be having dinner, so she decided to go to his room
and wait
for him there. The princess climbed the stairs to the west wing of the
palace and
followed the long corridor to the prince's chambers. She knocked the door
lightly
once, and finding no answer, she opened it finding the room was empty. After
closing
the door, the princess started walking towards one stuffed couch as she left
the rose
on the coffee table resting her head on a cushion as she felt asleep.
After talking to Rei and the other scouts, the prince felt tired and decided
the best
thing to do was follow Setsuna's advice and have some rest. He went up the
stairway
and to the east wing as he yawned tiredly. It had been a long day for him
and the rest
of the group, and remaining awake and worrying wasn't exactly a solution to
his
problem. Endymion finally reached the end of the long corridor and found
himself in
front of his room. Carefully, he opened the door revealing the dark bedroom.
He
stepped inside and turned on the light breaking the darkness.
-AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHh!!! -the two princess screamed at the same time
as they
saw each other.
-What are you doing here? You almost scared me to death! -exclaimed the
prince
angrily looking at the young lady lying on the couch-. I've been looking for
you all
over the palace!
-I'm sorry, I didn't intended to scare you -said the princess softly-. I was
just
waiting for you so we could talk, but I see you're not in the mood to
listen.
-Listening? You almost freaked me out! At least you could wait for me
outside instead
of scaring me finding you in my room without my permission! -said the prince
coldly
and still upset- Who cares now, anyway, what did you want to say?
-Who do you think you are talking to me like that? -exclaimed Serena
angrily-. This
is MY palace and you're just a guest here! I can stay here whenever I want,
as long
as I want!
-What kind of host you think you are? -asked the prince.
-A really angry one! -answered the princess. -Anyway, you didn't answered my
question:
what did you wanted to tell me? -said the prince coldly.
-That I miss you, but in this state I don't think I do -said Serena softly.
-Don't start with one of your scenes. I know you're just doing this to make
me feel
guilty -said the prince folding his arms in front of him.
-I never intended to do that -said the princess standing and walking to the
door-. I
better leave you alone until you have come back to your senses. Goodnight,
Endymion.
The princess left the prince's chambers as Endymion saw her leave. He moaned
and took
a sit on an armchair next to the fire place looking how the flame slowly
consumed the
wood feeding it. A soft smell of roses and smoke filled the room as the
prince lean
on the chair in a deep pondering.
-Maybe I was a bit harsh on Serena -thought the prince- but she shouldn't
scare me
like that, but well, actually she did nothing, she was sleeping on my couch,
waiting
for me. I guess I shouldn't treated her like that, not after everything I've
passed
trying to find her
He turned his head to look at the coffee table finding the fragile pink rose
lying on
it. He carefully lifted it and looking at it, he said:
-This rose...is from my planet. I wonder how it got here -then, he figured
out and
smile- She was in Earth all this time.
Not giving himself a chance to regret, the prince stood up and taking the
rose with
him, left the room doing what he was meant to do since the beginning.
***
Serena took the way back to her chambers after leaving Endymion's room. She
felt her
heart broken with every step she gave. She really wanted to make things up
with the
prince, but apparently, he didn't think the same way.
-Well done, Serena -said the princess to herself- now you are officially
alone. She
lowered her head and kept walking until she got to her room, her thoughts
about
Endymion distracted by the pain she felt on her cheek. When she got to her
room,
Serena strangely found the door unlocked, so she entered cautiously to see
if someone
was in there, but the room was empty. She turned on the lights and went
directly to
her wardrobe where she took her night gown and put it on as she hanged the
dress she
had wore that day with all the other dresses. Then, she walked toward her
vanity and
put her hair down as she brushed it a few times, but not being able to
resist her
image on the mirror, she stood up and walked toward her bed finding a
beautiful
bouquet of twelve red roses. She smelled them and immediately recognized the
fragrance.
-They're from Earth -smiled the princess-. Endymion must had left them here.
Carefully, she untied the pink ribbon around the flowers, and put them in a
crystal
vase filled with water as she put them next to her bed, then she took the
locket in
her hands, and pulling it close to her heart, she murmured:
-My sweet Endymion, I wish you get back to your senses before the festival
is over.
Then, she leaned on the mattress and let herself to a deep sleep after a
long
journey.
Once again that day, the prince got to his beloved's chambers, and stepping
in front
of the same mahogany door, he opened it silently as he walked on tiptoes
inside the
dark room. He took a deep breath and expecting not to scare Serena (too
much), he
entered her bedroom finding her deeply asleep in her bed and the roses lying
on the
table next to her bed. Being careful not to wake her up, the prince left the
pink
rose on Serena's pillow and planted a tender kiss on her check just before
leaving
the princess' room.
-I better let her sleep -thought the prince remembering her sweet
expression-. I'll
come to talk to her first thing in the morning.
The prince took his way back to his bedroom and once he was there, the put
on his
nightgown, and after feeding the fire with a few trunks, he got in his bed
looking up
at the ceiling. Even when he was really tired, he couldn't get to sleep,
every time
he closed his eyes, his mind got filled with thoughts, most of them
concerning
Serena.
-And what if she had died? -he thought- what if she had died thinking I hate
her? I
was near to lose my chance to tell her how much I love her one more time.
Tomorrow
I'll tell her that -the prince closed his eyes turning to the other side as
an other
thought disturbed his slumber- and what if tomorrow is to late?
After several attempts to have some quiet sleep, the prince surrender and
got out of
his bed as he said:
-Maybe I'll go to take a walk, at least, I'll clear my mind.
Even when the palace was completely dark, the prince wasn't afraid. All of
his life
he had enjoyed walking in the dark, being guided by the soft starlight. He
walked
all over the west wing, and then, he went down to the first floor. Looking
at the
distant Earth moved something inside Endymion's soul, and made him think
about the
day he would be king and rule that beautiful blue sphere.
Hypnotized by his planet in the distance, the prince lose any attention on
the path
he was taking, something he would regret...
CRAAAAAAAAAAAAASHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!
A big disaster of cookies, milk and royalty formed in the main aisle as the
young
princess, carrying her midnight snack, crashed with the distracted and
sleepy
Endymion falling to the floor. Princess Serena rose her gaze to apologize to
the
stranger she had washed with her warm milk, but instead of finding an angry
guard,
she find her prince with little pieces of chocolate chips cookies on his
ebony hair.
Blushing, the princess couldn't help but laugh at the situation as the
prince in
front of her got spread with her sweet laughter. The prince got to his feet,
and
offering the princess his hand, he said:
-Are you all right?
-Yeah, I think so, but my cookies and milk got ruined -said the princess
giggling.
-Sorry, it was my fault: I should have watch my step -said Endymion a bit
ashamed.
-No, I'm the one who must be sorry for spilling the milk on you -said Serena
shaking
her head.
-It's okay -said the prince softly- anyway, what were you doing out of bed
so late?
-I thought I heard a noise outside and I got scared, then, I couldn't got
back to
sleep -said Serena blushing a little- What about you?
-Couldn't sleep either -answered Endymion smiling- I was afraid too, but not
because
of noises outside my room, I think they were more like noises inside my head
telling
me how stupid I was.
-What do you mean by that? -asked the princess curiously.
-I was afraid of losing you so stupidly -answered Endymion taking the lady's
hand.
-I was afraid too -murmured Serena- I thought I've lost you.
-You can't lose me -said the prince getting closer to her- I will always be
by your
side.
Endymion lift his hand to caress Serena's cheek and noticing it was red, he
asked
concerned:
-What happened to your cheek?
-I just got sunburn -lied the princess covering her cheek with her hand.
-Let me see... -said the prince moving Serena's hand away as he saw some
weak finger
marks-.This doesn't look like you got burnt. Tell me truth, what happened?
-I... -mumbled Serena nervously- got discovered by my mother. She found out
I had ran
away.
-Did she slapped you? -asked the prince worriedly.
Serena nodded softly as she started to cry. Endymion put his arms around
Serena
hugging her protectively as he said:
-How dared she? I can't believe she did something like that after what we
talked.
-What did you say? -asked Serena looking up at the prince- You talked to
her?
-Well, yes, I did -said the prince after unintentionally revealing his
secret-. But
I just did it because I thought it could help...
-I can't believe you did that! -exclaimed Serena.
-I know...I'm sorry I...
-That's the sweetest thing anyone has done for me -interrupted Serena
hugging the
prince tightly.
-So, you're not upset? -asked the prince surprised.
-Of course not! -said the young lady as she shook her head.
-I didn't want to tell you because I thought you would get upset as everyone
else
-said Endymion more to himself than to the princess as he smiled with
relief.
-You mean that was the big secret you didn't want to tell me? -asked the
princess
softly.
-Yes, and I regret not telling you before -said Endymion sadly caressing
softly
Serena's cheek-. If I had told you, nothing of this would happened...
-Shh...don't blame yourself -said the princess putting one finger on the
prince's
lips-. I shouldn't use that stupid key in the first place, but the important
thing
now is that the two of us are safe and together again.
Endymion smiled warmly at his princess a leaning, he kissed her tenderly on
her lips
as she returned the kiss.
-I love you -murmured the prince looking into Serena's blue eyes- never
forget it
-then he breath deeply-. I was so afraid I wouldn't be able to say it to you
again.
Never leave me again like you did today...
-Anyway, I can't do that anymore -sighed Serena sadly as she rested her head
on the
prince's chest- my mother took the key from me, so I better forget about
going to
Earth to be with you.
-Don't be sad -said Endymion sweetly- I'll invent a new treaty every week if
it's
necessary to have you by my side, and if that doesn't work, I can always
learn how
to use my father's stupid teleporter to come and visit you every night.
-Wouldn't that be dangerous? -asked Serena with a little smile.
-Yes, but I don't care risking my life for one of your smiles -said the
prince
smiling at her-. You look so pretty when you smile.
Serena blushed and grinned in response, then, she cuddled close to her
boyfriend,
as she closed her eyes yawning.
-Come on, I'll take you to your room -said Endymion lifting the princess in
his
arms.
-You don't have to do this -said Serena placing her arms gently around the
prince's
neck.
-But I want to -said Endymion sweetly looking into her eyes, then he started
walking
toward the stairs in the center of the Main Hall. For Serena, the way to her
room
never seemed shorter, but yet, when she was in Endymion's arms the time
seemed to
stop, and the only thing she could think about was being with him. The
simple thought
of having him by her side filled her with an indescribable peace that she
had never
felt before. Feeling his warm respiration so close to her gave the princess
new life
to her heart, and when she heard his heartbeat, it was like both their
hearts became
just one moved only by the love they felt by each other. During the walk,
the
princess occasionally gazed at the prince's dark blue eyes as he returned
the look
smiling warmly.
-This has to be dream -thought Serena as she closed her eyes-. This is too
perfect to
be truth...
-Okay, we're here -said the prince helping Serena back to her feet as she
opened her
eyes.
-Thank you for bringing me here -said the princess softly.
-You're welcome -said Endymion, then he stepped back-. I better go now,
goodnight,
Sery.
-Wait! -exclaimed Serena taking the prince's arm as he stopped.
-What's wrong? -he asked concerned.
-Please, stay with me until I fall sleep -said Serena blushing a little.
At first, the prince didn't answered anything, but then, he smiled sweetly
at her and
nodded as she entered the room escorted by her beloved. She took of her
sleepers and
night robe as she got in her bed. The prince on the other side, sat on the
bed next
to her as he played with the princess' blond hair. Sharing one last gaze
with
Endymion, Serena closed her eyes as he looked at her lovingly. Soon, Serena
was
deeply asleep, so the prince leaned and kissed her forehead wishing her
sweet dreams,
then, he stood, and giving her an other tender smile, he left toward his
room waiting
the next morning to see his angel again.
***
It only lacked a few hours before down and now the Earth had faded behind
the
mountains leaving no light but the one the distant stars gave. Everything
was
dark and quiet and even the guards seemed to had disappeared, giving the
palace a
quiet, lonely atmosphere: the perfect scenery for bad things to happen.
All the paintings in the main tower of the palace seemed to guard the lonely
corridors staring cautiously at the night visitors that used the shadows as
their
hiding places.
A lonely silhouette of a woman moved slowly down the main corridor, using a
long
black cloak to hid her identity. The only guard there were the tall marble
columns
standing on both sides of the aisle as the lady kept moving secretly toward
the last
and biggest door of them all. Searching inside her long cape, the woman took
out a
hair clip opening the door easily, then, she look at both sides before
entering the
chambers: it was the Communications Room. The dark person entered the hall
closing
the door silently as she walked slowly toward the main pillar where the
water lily
lied. Pulling the cape back to freed her arms, the woman put her hands over
the lily
as a dark stone of a purplish shade appeared between them making the big
screen on
the wall became lighted just before the image of man sitting on a throne hid
by
shadows appeared on it. Immediately, the lady pulled the hood back as her
long, red
hair fell down, and then, she kneeled in one knee.
-You're here just in time -said the man on the screen playing with the glass
he held
in his hand-. Is everything going according to our plan?
-Yes my Master -answered the woman with red hair, her violet eyes sparkling.
-Excellent! -exclaimed the dark man- as soon as our plan completed, you'll
be well
rewarded.
-Thanks, Master, I'm honored to help you in your mission -said the woman,
the shadows
hiding her blushed cheeks. -Now, my dear, remember what I said: you can play
as much
as you want with our little moon bunny, but I want her alive -said the man
drinking a
zip of the cognac in the glass-, about the prince, do anything you want with
him.
With this, the image in the screen faded, as the lady put her hand around
the stone
making it disappeared in a cloud of burgundy smoke.
-No! No! -Serena screamed in her sleep as she moved from one side to the
other, sweat
running down her forehead. The princess was locked inside the nightmare
hunting her
since she could remember, but this time, things where different: now, she
was the
victim.
To be continued...
*No elephants were killed during this chapter. All the ivory used in this
story is
vegetal or synthetic! Hehehehe, I just wanted to make myself sure you wont
think I
enjoy cruelty with animals (just with people! Hehehe, no, just kidding)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Hello everyone! It's me again!
Geez, I never thought I would get this chapter finished! Hehehe, well, I
hope you
enjoyed this part! By the way, I know what you must be thinking about
Methedra but
I will just say this: remember what I said in the intro about this not going
to be a
Beryl story so...sorry...! False alarm!
Next chapter, the opera! Sounds boring but you're going to laugh your lungs
out with
what's going to happen, and as always, expect romance, drama, and that
spicy, hot
Susyte's touch!
Thank for reading!
Till next time!
Sincerely,
-Lady Susyte
PS: don't forget to send e-mail!
