I don't own Sailor Moon or the term "sailor", but I do own any and all original characters in my story. Enjoy!
Chapter Five
Crown Princess Civis stalked delicately into the expansive kitchens of Bastet. She had never been in this room even though she had lived her whole life in the palace. She usually considered it beneath her to enter it, but destiny called. Changing into her human form mid-step, the girl confronted the head chef.
"You, yes you, who takes the food up to Her Grace?" her cold gray eyes glittered haughtily at the man.
Fearfully he gestured at a nearby girl who was hectically kneading dough. When she saw the princess approach her she almost dropped the dough for fear at the menace in her eyes. The poor maid practically fell prostrate on the ground.
"You there, get up. I have a complaint to make of you," as the terrified girl stood, Civis grinned wickedly to herself, "The Queen has been complaining that her soup has been cold these two days past. This behavior is not to be tolerated. Her Grace is in a precarious state of health and the slightest deviation of routine and we could lose her!"
A few tears forced themselves down the princess' cheeks as the horrified girl stood speechless, "I will be taking her luncheon to her from now on until a replacement can be found for you. You are to leave immediately and you will not receive this months pay."
Civis swept out of the kitchens, maroon hair flowing out behind her, with the Queen's lunch as the fired girl ran off in tears. All the kitchen staff looked at each other for a moment then returned to work.
The head chef frowned as he finished preparing the cutlets for the oven, "Elshis was the best baker we had. I wonder what came over the Princess; she'll be a bother to replace."
~~~~~~
The tense atmosphere at the jungle palace of Larynshe was broken almost to a state of panic when a large vulture flew into the courtyard. It would have been killed on sight if not for the presence of Narnen, commander the Black Fang Generals, the Queen's elite bodyguard. He shouldered roughly through the soldiers and glared imperiously down at the messenger bird.
She, although much tired from her long flight and the sudden humidity of the jungle, managed to pant out her business, "An urgent message from Her Honorable Highness Queen Jula. Are you Supremer Narnen?"
"Yes, I am."
"You are to give this message to Councilor Coros and to no one else," the bird flew off, hurriedly chasing the sun.
Narnen dismissed the soldiers and brought the message into the palace on the pretext of taking it to Coros. Instead, he made a detour to his own lush private chambers. As the door slid shut, the tiger shimmered into his human form to better inspect the important dispatch. His cold violet eyes were set into a gorgeous face and framed by long straight black hair that fell to his knees. The man lounged on his bed as he read the message.
"So, the queen is to stay in Cartooth for a week now, hmm? That throws a kink in our plans. No matter, I will have a chance to better prepare my men. Now to alert Her Smallness..." Narnen quickly dressed in the white uniform of a Moon Kingdom messenger and with a vain smile at himself in the mirror, disappeared from the room.
~~~~~~
"Lis! Where are you? Wait!"
Reshlor had plunged into the passage with Callara perched on his shoulder directly after Borealis, but the tigress seemed to have vanished. No matter how they called for her, she never answered and they stumbled in the darkness of the tunnel.
~~~~~~
After entering the mysterious door, the protests of her companions were cut off and an ethereal soft light permeated the arched room from some unseen source. She turned from the vaulted hall back the way she came to find an impassable wall that looked to be ages and ages old.
'What is going on?' she thought, 'I could've sworn I just came from there.'
With a sudden sense of foreboding, Borealis ventured further into the room to seek an exit. Though obviously ancient, the honey-golden stones still fitted seamlessly together. Immense pillars lined the walls and disappeared into the darkness of the ceiling where the strange light did not penetrate. As she neared the center of the hall, she noticed a monolith carved in the shape of a woman with a feline head. In terror, the tigress fell prostrate before the figure, the great goddess Bast.
She chanted out loud the veneration of the great goddess and would have continued for hours if she had not been stopped by a firm voice.
"Borealis, my child, rise and look me in the face."
Hesitantly, the white tiger got to her feet but kept her head bowed.
"Raise your head and look upon me."
"But I am afraid."
"What do you fear? You are safe here in the Temple of the Arrival."
"If you are indeed who I believe you to be I cannot look for I will surely die."
"And you are afraid of death? But come, who has told you this and who am I?"
"We are taught it from kittenhood and you must surely be Bast herself, come to take me to the Last Haven."
"Yes, I am she. But fear not, your time has not yet come to pass. Look at me I say and See."
At last she was able to look up and she found herself in her human form staring into the face of a beautiful woman. The goddess smiled and it reached all the way to her dark brown eyes. Her white teeth were in stark contrast to her cinnamon brown skin and ebony hair. But Borealis' gaze was again drawn to her eyes. She was pulled in and lost in the swirling mists of their depths.
~~~~~~
"Mother, I have brought your luncheon," Civis quietly set the tray on the table and went over to the bedside, "Do you wish me to fluff your pillows?"
The aged queen whose white hair still betrayed hints of the gold it used to be looked up tiredly but with a look that showed her mind was still young though her body had begun to tire. Queen Mau leaned forward as her daughter arranged the pillows and fixed the blankets of the large four-poster.
"Really Civis, you act as though I'm on my death bed, it's only a cold. Where is the sweet girl who usually brings my meals, Elshis was her name, she would tell me a story as I had my meal."
The princess shot her mother a calculating look, "Oh, she was let go, so I offered to bring you your meals."
"Let go? Whatever for?"
"Mother, I do not run the kitchens, how am I to know? Now, do you want your soup or not?"
The old woman sat back with an indignant humph and didn't see her daughter bring out a cobalt phial as the heavy curtains blocked her view. Civis wasn't sure how much to put in, so she put in the whole thing. The slightly acidic smell was at once concealed by the savory aroma of rabbit and venison. With a sneer, she wheeled the tray over so that it arched above the bed and left the room.
The queen sampled the soup and finding it good ate it with gusto. When about half of the stew was gone, the spoon fell from her hand and clattered to the floor and the Queen of Mau slumped back against the pillows in the twisted pose of death.
Slipping back into the room, Civis removed the signs of a meal and fixed the covers over her mother's body with a satisfied smile.
~~~~~~
After what seemed hours, Reshlor and Callara emerged dusty and tired into a courtyard completely surrounded by the palace. The only exits were across the massive space, or back the way they came.
"Maybe Borealis came this way," the Tolerj offered resignedly.
"I don't think so. I don't like the smell of this place and I don't think she would either. We need to make some light and go back in there."
Changing into his human form to better facilitate making a torch, Reshlor found a sturdy stick and set Callara to collect dried grass. Pulling some twine from his hunter green uniform, he wrapped the grass around the stick and added some strange lavender liquid from a flask in his bag. The torch burst into flames and the pair headed grimly into the palace.
~~~~~~
"Bast save us! She killed her own mother! Queen Mau!" Borealis collapsed on the ground in horror dirtying her silk skirt in the dust.
"So, you see, Sailor StarSeer's prediction was right. This planet will very soon become bathed in blood and Civis will stretch her fearsome reign over the entire system. She must be stopped and you will be the one to do it."
"Me? But what can I do? I am only a guardian. If only Sailor Felinae were here, she would be able to stop Mau."
Bast sadly shook her head, "Why do you think Civis feels so confident about this? She killed Felinae; I was there, inside her."
"You mean...Why didn't you stop it?"
"The senshi of Mau has the power to call on Bast to enter her body. When this happens I have limited control over myself," the goddess looked away, tears in her eyes, "When I gave your people this planet and my blessings, my power was used for good. Never has such a one inherited my protection, and I fear she will use me to kill again."
"But what of the other planets? Surely they will be enough to stand against her?"
"If she only had Mau's base powers, yes. But with my added strength, only a senshi not of this system can defeat her. Jula is the strongest state of this planet and Mau is the strongest planet. Band together the Feline senshi under your leadership and you will prevail, though much blood will be shed."
"But I have no powers! I am no senshi!"
Bast smiled and summoned forth a glowing Star Seed, "I was given this to protect long ago by a very dear friend named Serenity-"
"The Great Queen?"
"No, her great grandmother actually, this Seed had lain dormant in her care for countless years. You see, it had never chosen a host, which alone is very strange. But then, the Queen dreamed of a great catastrophe that would fall upon our two kingdoms should the Seed remain in her care. So, she gave it to me with the instructions that when the time was right to give it one who had the light of Felinae within her. So, she bestowed me with the power to create guardians for the senshi of the cosmos so that one day, a certain one would receive this unborn seed. You are that guardian, child. Take this Light and See," with that, the form of Bast disappeared and the room changed back to a narrow passage.
The Seed glowed brightly in Borealis' palm and made a musical tone, almost as if to encourage the princess. She smiled and at once it dissolved into her chest, taking its light with it. As she lost consciousness, she heard the sound of footsteps approaching and voices calling her name. A bright glow entered the room and she knew no more.
Chapter Five
Crown Princess Civis stalked delicately into the expansive kitchens of Bastet. She had never been in this room even though she had lived her whole life in the palace. She usually considered it beneath her to enter it, but destiny called. Changing into her human form mid-step, the girl confronted the head chef.
"You, yes you, who takes the food up to Her Grace?" her cold gray eyes glittered haughtily at the man.
Fearfully he gestured at a nearby girl who was hectically kneading dough. When she saw the princess approach her she almost dropped the dough for fear at the menace in her eyes. The poor maid practically fell prostrate on the ground.
"You there, get up. I have a complaint to make of you," as the terrified girl stood, Civis grinned wickedly to herself, "The Queen has been complaining that her soup has been cold these two days past. This behavior is not to be tolerated. Her Grace is in a precarious state of health and the slightest deviation of routine and we could lose her!"
A few tears forced themselves down the princess' cheeks as the horrified girl stood speechless, "I will be taking her luncheon to her from now on until a replacement can be found for you. You are to leave immediately and you will not receive this months pay."
Civis swept out of the kitchens, maroon hair flowing out behind her, with the Queen's lunch as the fired girl ran off in tears. All the kitchen staff looked at each other for a moment then returned to work.
The head chef frowned as he finished preparing the cutlets for the oven, "Elshis was the best baker we had. I wonder what came over the Princess; she'll be a bother to replace."
~~~~~~
The tense atmosphere at the jungle palace of Larynshe was broken almost to a state of panic when a large vulture flew into the courtyard. It would have been killed on sight if not for the presence of Narnen, commander the Black Fang Generals, the Queen's elite bodyguard. He shouldered roughly through the soldiers and glared imperiously down at the messenger bird.
She, although much tired from her long flight and the sudden humidity of the jungle, managed to pant out her business, "An urgent message from Her Honorable Highness Queen Jula. Are you Supremer Narnen?"
"Yes, I am."
"You are to give this message to Councilor Coros and to no one else," the bird flew off, hurriedly chasing the sun.
Narnen dismissed the soldiers and brought the message into the palace on the pretext of taking it to Coros. Instead, he made a detour to his own lush private chambers. As the door slid shut, the tiger shimmered into his human form to better inspect the important dispatch. His cold violet eyes were set into a gorgeous face and framed by long straight black hair that fell to his knees. The man lounged on his bed as he read the message.
"So, the queen is to stay in Cartooth for a week now, hmm? That throws a kink in our plans. No matter, I will have a chance to better prepare my men. Now to alert Her Smallness..." Narnen quickly dressed in the white uniform of a Moon Kingdom messenger and with a vain smile at himself in the mirror, disappeared from the room.
~~~~~~
"Lis! Where are you? Wait!"
Reshlor had plunged into the passage with Callara perched on his shoulder directly after Borealis, but the tigress seemed to have vanished. No matter how they called for her, she never answered and they stumbled in the darkness of the tunnel.
~~~~~~
After entering the mysterious door, the protests of her companions were cut off and an ethereal soft light permeated the arched room from some unseen source. She turned from the vaulted hall back the way she came to find an impassable wall that looked to be ages and ages old.
'What is going on?' she thought, 'I could've sworn I just came from there.'
With a sudden sense of foreboding, Borealis ventured further into the room to seek an exit. Though obviously ancient, the honey-golden stones still fitted seamlessly together. Immense pillars lined the walls and disappeared into the darkness of the ceiling where the strange light did not penetrate. As she neared the center of the hall, she noticed a monolith carved in the shape of a woman with a feline head. In terror, the tigress fell prostrate before the figure, the great goddess Bast.
She chanted out loud the veneration of the great goddess and would have continued for hours if she had not been stopped by a firm voice.
"Borealis, my child, rise and look me in the face."
Hesitantly, the white tiger got to her feet but kept her head bowed.
"Raise your head and look upon me."
"But I am afraid."
"What do you fear? You are safe here in the Temple of the Arrival."
"If you are indeed who I believe you to be I cannot look for I will surely die."
"And you are afraid of death? But come, who has told you this and who am I?"
"We are taught it from kittenhood and you must surely be Bast herself, come to take me to the Last Haven."
"Yes, I am she. But fear not, your time has not yet come to pass. Look at me I say and See."
At last she was able to look up and she found herself in her human form staring into the face of a beautiful woman. The goddess smiled and it reached all the way to her dark brown eyes. Her white teeth were in stark contrast to her cinnamon brown skin and ebony hair. But Borealis' gaze was again drawn to her eyes. She was pulled in and lost in the swirling mists of their depths.
~~~~~~
"Mother, I have brought your luncheon," Civis quietly set the tray on the table and went over to the bedside, "Do you wish me to fluff your pillows?"
The aged queen whose white hair still betrayed hints of the gold it used to be looked up tiredly but with a look that showed her mind was still young though her body had begun to tire. Queen Mau leaned forward as her daughter arranged the pillows and fixed the blankets of the large four-poster.
"Really Civis, you act as though I'm on my death bed, it's only a cold. Where is the sweet girl who usually brings my meals, Elshis was her name, she would tell me a story as I had my meal."
The princess shot her mother a calculating look, "Oh, she was let go, so I offered to bring you your meals."
"Let go? Whatever for?"
"Mother, I do not run the kitchens, how am I to know? Now, do you want your soup or not?"
The old woman sat back with an indignant humph and didn't see her daughter bring out a cobalt phial as the heavy curtains blocked her view. Civis wasn't sure how much to put in, so she put in the whole thing. The slightly acidic smell was at once concealed by the savory aroma of rabbit and venison. With a sneer, she wheeled the tray over so that it arched above the bed and left the room.
The queen sampled the soup and finding it good ate it with gusto. When about half of the stew was gone, the spoon fell from her hand and clattered to the floor and the Queen of Mau slumped back against the pillows in the twisted pose of death.
Slipping back into the room, Civis removed the signs of a meal and fixed the covers over her mother's body with a satisfied smile.
~~~~~~
After what seemed hours, Reshlor and Callara emerged dusty and tired into a courtyard completely surrounded by the palace. The only exits were across the massive space, or back the way they came.
"Maybe Borealis came this way," the Tolerj offered resignedly.
"I don't think so. I don't like the smell of this place and I don't think she would either. We need to make some light and go back in there."
Changing into his human form to better facilitate making a torch, Reshlor found a sturdy stick and set Callara to collect dried grass. Pulling some twine from his hunter green uniform, he wrapped the grass around the stick and added some strange lavender liquid from a flask in his bag. The torch burst into flames and the pair headed grimly into the palace.
~~~~~~
"Bast save us! She killed her own mother! Queen Mau!" Borealis collapsed on the ground in horror dirtying her silk skirt in the dust.
"So, you see, Sailor StarSeer's prediction was right. This planet will very soon become bathed in blood and Civis will stretch her fearsome reign over the entire system. She must be stopped and you will be the one to do it."
"Me? But what can I do? I am only a guardian. If only Sailor Felinae were here, she would be able to stop Mau."
Bast sadly shook her head, "Why do you think Civis feels so confident about this? She killed Felinae; I was there, inside her."
"You mean...Why didn't you stop it?"
"The senshi of Mau has the power to call on Bast to enter her body. When this happens I have limited control over myself," the goddess looked away, tears in her eyes, "When I gave your people this planet and my blessings, my power was used for good. Never has such a one inherited my protection, and I fear she will use me to kill again."
"But what of the other planets? Surely they will be enough to stand against her?"
"If she only had Mau's base powers, yes. But with my added strength, only a senshi not of this system can defeat her. Jula is the strongest state of this planet and Mau is the strongest planet. Band together the Feline senshi under your leadership and you will prevail, though much blood will be shed."
"But I have no powers! I am no senshi!"
Bast smiled and summoned forth a glowing Star Seed, "I was given this to protect long ago by a very dear friend named Serenity-"
"The Great Queen?"
"No, her great grandmother actually, this Seed had lain dormant in her care for countless years. You see, it had never chosen a host, which alone is very strange. But then, the Queen dreamed of a great catastrophe that would fall upon our two kingdoms should the Seed remain in her care. So, she gave it to me with the instructions that when the time was right to give it one who had the light of Felinae within her. So, she bestowed me with the power to create guardians for the senshi of the cosmos so that one day, a certain one would receive this unborn seed. You are that guardian, child. Take this Light and See," with that, the form of Bast disappeared and the room changed back to a narrow passage.
The Seed glowed brightly in Borealis' palm and made a musical tone, almost as if to encourage the princess. She smiled and at once it dissolved into her chest, taking its light with it. As she lost consciousness, she heard the sound of footsteps approaching and voices calling her name. A bright glow entered the room and she knew no more.