Title: Bonded By Love
Author: Lisa
Chapter: 8
Rating: G
Website: www.geocities.com/mystillusions
Author's Notes:
Greetings! *smiles* First off, I just want to thank *everyone* who reviewed my last chapter! ^^ Um..originally, this was going to be one *long* chapter, but I've decided to split it up into two chapters, so I can capture the emotions and put more detail into the story. ^_~ Read, enjoy, review/e-mail, and visit my co-owned website with my friend at the end *please!* And don't miss my Valentines Day special, "First Kiss," to be out soon!
Disclaimers: Sailor Moon and the others don't belong to me, but this story does.
****************
The room was dead silent. No one dared to speak as the senshi and Queen Serenity stared, in shock, at the place where the princess had stood a few seconds ago. And in an instant, she was gone, running away from the one thing she dreaded most–marrying Tranquility. Yes, the Queen had a feeling something like this would happen, though she still went on hoping and praying that her daughter would marry Tranquility. Now her worst fear had come true. She fidgeted nervously in her shimmering white dress, and managed to give a weak smile to the guests who were whispering amongst themselves now, confusion and shock clearly written across their faces. Queen Serenity sighed. 'What do I do now?' She asked herself silently, and shot a desperate look to Queen Gaia and King Endymion, who also looked very uncomfortable. Who would not be in a situation like this?
"My lords and ladies," the Queen began to say, "my daughter..." She stopped, not knowing how to continue. A deep swell of guilt washed over her entire body. Queen Serenity had seen this coming a long time ago, ever since the day Serenity and Endymion met. She had seen how strong their love was, yet still insisted on fighting it. Now this was the result. Somehow, she could not blame her daughter for doing what she did. 'I never considered her feelings, what she wanted,' the Queen contemplated, and regretted her actions immediately. Those times when
Serenity had begged her mother to break the engagement. The times when Serenity told her that she loved Endymion, and would never be happy with Tranquility. Why had she not listened to her? The Moon Queen put a hand to her chest and closed her eyes. 'My daughter's happiness...that is what is most important. And it is not too late to give it to her. I have to find her.'
Without another word, she too walked out of the room. The senshi, seeing their queen walk out of the ballroom, followed suit, leaving everything on the shoulders of Queen Gaia and King Endymion. Once outside, Rei carefully approached Queen Serenity, bowing at her presence.
"My Queen, we cannot just walk out..." she trailed off.
The Queen simply smiled and replied, "Oh, but we have." A light smile played on her lips, though it disappeared as quickly as it had come. "Until now, I have never considered my daughter's happiness. Serenity should be able to love and marry freely, and I have taken that away from her." Queen Serenity exhaled a deep breath of air before continuing. "I guess I did not want to break the engagement between Serenity and Tranquility because I though it would cause
many conflicts. Still, Serenity comes first."
Minako smiled brightly, thrilled with the Queen's decisions.
"Yes my Queen. The princess does come first."
"But the hard part is..." Makoto looked down the seemingly endless corridor.
"Finding her," Ami finished quietly.
***
The pillow was wet, soaked with the princess's salty tears. Her eyes were now red from crying as Serenity laid there on the bed, sobbing quietly. After her getaway from the ballroom, Serenity had found a deserted room and slipped inside. Once inside the room, she began to shed her tears, tears that never seemed to stop coming. Serenity knew what she had done was wrong. How would she be able to face her family, friends, anyone now? She had singlehandedly disgraced her mother, her kingdom, and most of all, herself. 'I am not a worthy heir of the Moon Kingdom,' she thought bitterly. Then she remembered how Tranquility looked at her with those cold eyes of his, and suddenly what she had done, did not seem that wrong anymore. 'Perhaps it was not wrong at all. Perhaps it was meant to happen,' she thought. 'No matter what, I refuse to marry
that man.'
It was hard to imagine that only a week had passed. It seemed longer than that to Serenity, much longer. So many events transpired the week that she had stayed here in the Earth Kingdom. For one thing, the princess had found her one true love. She had also found out what it felt to hate someone. The feeling was a dark one, and Serenity did not like it one bit. However, it was not her fault that she hated Tranquility. 'If he was to treat me nicer, like Endymion does, we would not be enemies.' Only Serenity knew that if Tranquility was nice to her, she still would not have fallen in love with him.
Her eyes had dried now, and only the redness of her eyes and the damp pillow
held evidence that she had cried. Serenity sighed, and took a seat by the
window. She wondered what her mother and friends were doing now. What was
happening at the wedding? Had everyone panicked when she made her getaway?
Was Tranquility glad that she had ran away from him as she did? So many
questions ran through Serenity's mind at that moment, to the extent that Serenity
almost expected her mind to explode. The young girl rubbed her forehead slowly and
stared out the window.
Thunder rumbled outside the palace walls and Serenity shivered. Clouds hung low in the dark sky; Serenity could tell that a storm was coming. The princess wondered what Endymion was doing right now...was he thinking about her? 'I want to be with him right now...oh Endymion...'
***
Myla sat down on Endymion's bed with a soft sigh, a light smile playing on her face. "So, this is your room," she said, more to herself than to Endymion.
He smiled back. "Yes," Endymion answered, "it is." The prince's mind was occupied with thoughts of Serenity and the wedding to fully concentrate on Myla and what she was saying.
"And I just do not know..." Myla stopped in mid-sentence when she realized Endymion was not listening to her.
"Prince Endymion, are you all right?"
Endymion seemed to snap out of his thoughts and simply nodded. "Go on," he replied. But Myla shook her head.
"I know you are thinking of Princess Serenity, are you not?" Her eyes twinkled. "She loves you, she told me when we met yesterday." Myla laid a comforting hand on Endymion's slumped shoulder. "The princess is very beautiful."
Endymion nodded once more. "Yes, Serenity is beautiful." His eyes held a faraway look to them. "Very beautiful."
Myla looked down. She could see how much Endymion loved his princess, and secretly wished that someone could love her just as much. But could a girl like her really find true love? She remembered Tranquility and how nice he was to her, and tears immediately came to her eyes. He was getting married right
now...
Taking out a handkerchief, Myla quickly dabbed at her eyes so Endymion would
not see her crying. "Why did you not attend the wedding?" She asked quickly to get her mind off
Tranquility, yet she already knew the answer the answer to her question.
"I could not stand to see her marry my brother," Endymion stated, voice clouded with emotion. "Tranquility does not love Serenity, not one bit," he added with a sad shake of his head. "And Serenity will never love him."
Myla blushed at hearing Tranquility's name. Somehow, her heartbeat increased whenever she thought of him. The young princess wondered why. 'Could it be that I am attracted to him? But what good would that do?' She wondered.
"What about you, Princess? Why did you not attend the wedding?"
"What? Oh, I..." She could not find the right words to answer his question, so her heart answered for the princess. "I did not want to see Tranquility marry..." A blush crept up to her cheeks when she found the dark-haired prince staring at her, astonishment clearly written on his handsome features.
"You are attracted...to Tranquility?" Endymion found that hard to believe.
"Perhaps I am..."
***
Makoto joined the rest of the senshi, an extremely worried look plastered on her features.
"Did you find her?" She asked quickly, and received nos for her answer. The Princess
of Jupiter swallowed. "You do not think she would run away from the palace..."
The thought scared all the senshi. Their princess had never gone off by herself before.
All the dangers that were present outside of the palace walls...they did not even want to think about it.
The tall young woman flung back her brown hair and sighed, throwing her hands up in the air.
"How can be that she is nowhere to be found? Sere..."
"We have to keep looking," Rei insisted. "We have already searched all the other parts of the palace, so she has to be somewhere around here."
The senshi split up once more, determined to find Serenity, where ever she
might be...
***
Endymion could not stand the silence that was thick in the air anymore. He stood up quickly, surprising the unsuspecting Myla. "I am sorry," Endymion apologized for startling her. "I want to take a walk in the gardens." The princess nodded.
"Then go." She brushed a strand of her hair out from her eyes, and stood up also.
"Can I go with you?"
Endymion smiled weakly, and agreed reluctantly. He really wanted to be by himself to think, but he would see that Myla did not want to be alone. They walked out of Endymion's resting chambers silently.
Yet with everything on her mind, Myla had forgotten to take one thing with her...the handkerchief.
***
Serenity ran a shaky hand through her hair. "Endymion..." Oh, Serenity wanted so badly to see him right now. But she was afraid, afraid that someone would see her. 'What to do?' She wondered. She heard footsteps outside, and carefully went over to the door. Serenity pressed her ear against the cold wood and listened to the murmurs on the other side.
"Have you checked this room?" The voice belonged to Ami; Serenity would
recognize it anywhere.
"No," another voice, Minako's answered. Serenity muffled her gasp, and rushed to hide before Ami would come inside. Being the slender princess that she was, Serenity slipped under the bed, praying that no one would think to look under there. Ami walked in not a second too soon and looked around. From her view sprawled out on the cold, dusty floor, Serenity could see Ami's blue boots, making slight clicking sounds with each step that she took. After a few
agonizing moments, the princess heard the door being closed gently, and breathed a sigh of relief. Ami was gone, and she had not been found.
After making sure the senshi were gone, Serenity slipped out of the room, closing the door as quietly as she could. The princess took each step gingerly, so that the high heels she was wearing would not make much noise. She quietly made it to Endymion's room and clutching the doorknob tightly, twisted it open, and went inside. "Endymion?" She called out, and scanned the room for the princes. The Moon Princess was disappointed to find Endymion not in his room. With a dissatisfied sigh, Serenity sat down on Endymion's bed. "Where can you be?"
Just then, her hands came across some soft; a different fabric than the materials spread on Endymion's bed. She looked down, and picked up a light pink handkerchief. The handkerchief was slightly damped by something; Serenity could not tell what though. She brought it closer to her face to examine it, and found that it had a light fragrance to it. Her heartbeat increased tenfold. Why in the world would Endymion have a handkerchief? Or maybe...it was not his...
At that point, Serenity's mind began to think of all the possibilities, both good and bad. 'Perhaps it is Endymion's mother's,' she contemplated. The thought calmed her down a bit. But what if it belonged to another woman?
"Oh Endymion...please do not let that be true."
Serenity could not begin to imagine what she would be if that were true. Endymion was the only one she could ever truly love, and if he were to find another person, it would kill her. She was sure of that.
***
The thunder rumbled loudly outside, followed by a flash of lightening. A chilly breeze blew as Endymion and Myla sat down on a worn-out bench in the rose gardens. The dark-haired prince eyed his fiancee and smiled lightly. Myla was, to him, a wonderful girl. So innocent, and she was indeed attractive. Still, no one could ever match up to his angel, Serenity. Endymion began to feel something for the young princess, though it was not attraction...more like a friendly bond. 'Myla would make a wonderful younger sister,' Endymion thought. 'If only that could be possible...'
"I love it out here," Myla's sweet voice rang in Endymion's ear.
"What? Oh, yes, I do too."
Endymion looked at the princess. "I come here very often," he stated softly.
"I came here once, with Tranquility," she admitted shyly, a light blush forming on her cheeks. "We had a wonderful time just talking."
"And was that all?"
The question caught Myla off guard, and she began to stutter, trying to come up with a logical response. "Yes, of course that was all." She looked down at her hands. "Why?"
Endymion shook his head, as if to dismiss the subject, and chuckled. "No particular reason, Princess. It just seems that you are very attracted to my older brother," was the answer.
"Oh."
They sat in silence, Myla fidgeting nervously, trying to come up with something to say. She sneaked a glance at the prince, and found that he held a faraway glint in his eyes. It took her all but a second to realize that he was thinking about Serenity. She decided not to disturb his thoughts, and instead began to marvel at the beautiful surroundings. The princess walked leaned over, and carefully picked a red rose from one of the numerous bushes growing nearby. She twirled it around a few times, then preceded to inhale its wondrous fragrance.
'Serenity is probably married now,' Endymion thought bitterly. 'Oh Serenity,
how I wish you could be here with me right now. You would be in my arms, where
you belong.' A cold breeze stirred the twosome, and a few cold droplets of rain
followed. Myla shivered, though did not move an inch. Endymion brushed a raindrop from his hand.
"Princess, we should be going back now," he whispered to her. "It is beginning to rain, and I do not want either one of us becoming ill because we didn't go back inside in time."
However, she only shook her head. "No, please do not leave yet. I want to stay here–just a little longer."
"You are thinking about Tranquility."
Receiving a nod from Myla, Endymion put a hand on the younger girl. "It will be alright, Myla," he comforted soothingly, even though he could feel tears stinging in his eyes as well.
Without warning, Myla threw herself into Endymion's arms and embraced him tightly, sobbing heartbrokenly. "I do not want for Tranquility to get married," she said between sobs. "I did not have time to really get to know him, yet I get this rush of mixed emotions whenever I think about him. Endymion...I do not know what to do..."
The prince began stroking her now damp hair, shedding a few tears himself.
"Me neither," he murmured, "Me neither..."
***
It had been half an hour since Serenity's getaway from her wedding ceremony, and Queen Gaia and King Endymion tried convincing the guests that everything was under control. Though how could they explain something when they themselves did not know what had happened? The King put one of his hands up in the air to silence the people. "I understand your disappointment," he stated after the room had grown to be completely silent again, "and I can assure you that everything is fine."
"Then where is the Princess?" a voice from the back of the room said, and the other lords and ladies nodded their agreement.
Tranquility sat down beside his mother's thrown, a smile playing on his lips. "Mother, I told you that this would not work out." Queen Gaia gave her son a stern look, putting him in his place immediately.
"Oh really? Seriously Tranquility, if you were a bit nicer to Serenity, maybe this would not have happened."
Tranquility looked down at his shoes. "That would not work," he replied silently, "because Serenity would still fall in love with Endymion."
Queen Gaia could not argue with her son on that. Perhaps it was destiny for her youngest son and Serenity to be together; that she should not mess with destiny. But everything had gone so far, could it all be taken back now? It seemed impossible. She stood up from her seat at the throne and joined her husband. The Queen cleared her throat loudly, silencing the people.
"Do not worry, this wedding will continue," she addressed everyone firmly, stressing on the word will. That seemed to satisfy the guests as no one dared to utter a word from that moment on. Instead, their eyes were glued to the double doors, hoping that the princess would walk in soon.
***
"Did you find her?" Queen Serenity asked anxiously when she met up with the senshi.
"No, my Queen," Ami answered dejectedly, and the rest nodded.
"Serenity...my daughter...where have you gone?"
***
With the handkerchief at hand, Serenity walked outside of the palace, hoping to find Endymion in the gardens. After all, this was one of his favorite places to think. She was immediately soaked by the cold rain pouring from the dark clouds overhead, though she kept going. Serenity quickened her pace, so that no one would spot her. Once she entered the gardens, a mass of bushes and flowers
of all shape and color were seen, hiding Serenity's figure almost instantly. She heard voices, and sobbing. Curious, Serenity walked deeper into the gardens, and came to the rosebushes, Endymion's favorite flower. The princess warily peeked through an opening between two rosebushes. She could hearken the voice clearly now, yet could not see anything. The only way she could will be through the entrance...
Her mind debated whether or not to take the risk of being seen. Finally, she decided to go and see, and pushed any doubts aside. What she saw hurt her...deeply...like a knife cutting through her flesh. Her worst fear had come true... Endymion, her Endymion, the one whom she loved, and said loved her back, was embracing another person...Myla! And from her view at the entrance of the rose gardens, it was a very passionate embrace. Myla had her arms wrapped around Endymion tightly, and Endymion, in turn, hugged her back with the same force. And not to mention his hand was gently stroking her hair, like Endymion once did with Serenity. The sight brought new, fresh tears to the princess's eyes. She sobbed out loud, getting the attention of the twosome.
Endymion's eyes went wide. Was he dreaming? The prince closed his eyes and opened them again. No, she was real! His Serenity, standing out there in the rain, soaked...and crying? Oh, why was she crying? Then, his mind registered the events. Here he was, hugging Myla tightly and stroking her hair, while Serenity comes up. What was she to expect? With a mental groan he quickly stood up,
eyes apologizing to Serenity. But she took a step back, which surprised and somewhat hurt Endymion.
"Serenity..." he murmured, just enough so that she could hear him. He began to walk toward her, and the princess began to back away, shaking her head, tears rolling down her pale cheeks like a waterfall.
"No," she whispered.
"Serenity..."
"No!"
In one instant, she was gone again, and Myla's handkerchief lay on the ground, soaked and coated with a layer of thick mud. Myla opened her mouth to say something, though nothing would come out.
"Endymion..I am sorry..." she finally managed to say, and reached out a hand to touch him.
Endymion was not listening. All he could think of was Serenity, and the look that she had given him...the look of betrayal and hurt clearly evident on
her face.
"Serenity, wait!" he called out, and ran after her, leaving the poor
princess Myla alone in the gardens, with the heavy rain pouring down at her...
*******************
Oh wow! *gasp* Did I really write that long of a chapter again? Another little cliff-hanger! Don't you love me for those? *evil grin* So, how was it? Okay, I hope! This was intended to be a short three-four paged chapter, but as you can see, it turned out longer than that! But that's alright with you guys, right? I'm sorry if this chapter was a bit confusing. ^^;; The next chapter will be out in a couple weeks, if you want more! And please don't forgot to *review!!!!* Please? Or e-mail. ^_^ E-mail me at LisaZUMstories@aol.com or Lisafics@sailormoon.com. Thank you so much minna! Visit my co-owned website and *sign* the guestbook so I'll know who went there, and personally that you for that!!!!
This story written January 2002, posted February 2002.
Author: Lisa
Chapter: 8
Rating: G
Website: www.geocities.com/mystillusions
Author's Notes:
Greetings! *smiles* First off, I just want to thank *everyone* who reviewed my last chapter! ^^ Um..originally, this was going to be one *long* chapter, but I've decided to split it up into two chapters, so I can capture the emotions and put more detail into the story. ^_~ Read, enjoy, review/e-mail, and visit my co-owned website with my friend at the end *please!* And don't miss my Valentines Day special, "First Kiss," to be out soon!
Disclaimers: Sailor Moon and the others don't belong to me, but this story does.
****************
The room was dead silent. No one dared to speak as the senshi and Queen Serenity stared, in shock, at the place where the princess had stood a few seconds ago. And in an instant, she was gone, running away from the one thing she dreaded most–marrying Tranquility. Yes, the Queen had a feeling something like this would happen, though she still went on hoping and praying that her daughter would marry Tranquility. Now her worst fear had come true. She fidgeted nervously in her shimmering white dress, and managed to give a weak smile to the guests who were whispering amongst themselves now, confusion and shock clearly written across their faces. Queen Serenity sighed. 'What do I do now?' She asked herself silently, and shot a desperate look to Queen Gaia and King Endymion, who also looked very uncomfortable. Who would not be in a situation like this?
"My lords and ladies," the Queen began to say, "my daughter..." She stopped, not knowing how to continue. A deep swell of guilt washed over her entire body. Queen Serenity had seen this coming a long time ago, ever since the day Serenity and Endymion met. She had seen how strong their love was, yet still insisted on fighting it. Now this was the result. Somehow, she could not blame her daughter for doing what she did. 'I never considered her feelings, what she wanted,' the Queen contemplated, and regretted her actions immediately. Those times when
Serenity had begged her mother to break the engagement. The times when Serenity told her that she loved Endymion, and would never be happy with Tranquility. Why had she not listened to her? The Moon Queen put a hand to her chest and closed her eyes. 'My daughter's happiness...that is what is most important. And it is not too late to give it to her. I have to find her.'
Without another word, she too walked out of the room. The senshi, seeing their queen walk out of the ballroom, followed suit, leaving everything on the shoulders of Queen Gaia and King Endymion. Once outside, Rei carefully approached Queen Serenity, bowing at her presence.
"My Queen, we cannot just walk out..." she trailed off.
The Queen simply smiled and replied, "Oh, but we have." A light smile played on her lips, though it disappeared as quickly as it had come. "Until now, I have never considered my daughter's happiness. Serenity should be able to love and marry freely, and I have taken that away from her." Queen Serenity exhaled a deep breath of air before continuing. "I guess I did not want to break the engagement between Serenity and Tranquility because I though it would cause
many conflicts. Still, Serenity comes first."
Minako smiled brightly, thrilled with the Queen's decisions.
"Yes my Queen. The princess does come first."
"But the hard part is..." Makoto looked down the seemingly endless corridor.
"Finding her," Ami finished quietly.
***
The pillow was wet, soaked with the princess's salty tears. Her eyes were now red from crying as Serenity laid there on the bed, sobbing quietly. After her getaway from the ballroom, Serenity had found a deserted room and slipped inside. Once inside the room, she began to shed her tears, tears that never seemed to stop coming. Serenity knew what she had done was wrong. How would she be able to face her family, friends, anyone now? She had singlehandedly disgraced her mother, her kingdom, and most of all, herself. 'I am not a worthy heir of the Moon Kingdom,' she thought bitterly. Then she remembered how Tranquility looked at her with those cold eyes of his, and suddenly what she had done, did not seem that wrong anymore. 'Perhaps it was not wrong at all. Perhaps it was meant to happen,' she thought. 'No matter what, I refuse to marry
that man.'
It was hard to imagine that only a week had passed. It seemed longer than that to Serenity, much longer. So many events transpired the week that she had stayed here in the Earth Kingdom. For one thing, the princess had found her one true love. She had also found out what it felt to hate someone. The feeling was a dark one, and Serenity did not like it one bit. However, it was not her fault that she hated Tranquility. 'If he was to treat me nicer, like Endymion does, we would not be enemies.' Only Serenity knew that if Tranquility was nice to her, she still would not have fallen in love with him.
Her eyes had dried now, and only the redness of her eyes and the damp pillow
held evidence that she had cried. Serenity sighed, and took a seat by the
window. She wondered what her mother and friends were doing now. What was
happening at the wedding? Had everyone panicked when she made her getaway?
Was Tranquility glad that she had ran away from him as she did? So many
questions ran through Serenity's mind at that moment, to the extent that Serenity
almost expected her mind to explode. The young girl rubbed her forehead slowly and
stared out the window.
Thunder rumbled outside the palace walls and Serenity shivered. Clouds hung low in the dark sky; Serenity could tell that a storm was coming. The princess wondered what Endymion was doing right now...was he thinking about her? 'I want to be with him right now...oh Endymion...'
***
Myla sat down on Endymion's bed with a soft sigh, a light smile playing on her face. "So, this is your room," she said, more to herself than to Endymion.
He smiled back. "Yes," Endymion answered, "it is." The prince's mind was occupied with thoughts of Serenity and the wedding to fully concentrate on Myla and what she was saying.
"And I just do not know..." Myla stopped in mid-sentence when she realized Endymion was not listening to her.
"Prince Endymion, are you all right?"
Endymion seemed to snap out of his thoughts and simply nodded. "Go on," he replied. But Myla shook her head.
"I know you are thinking of Princess Serenity, are you not?" Her eyes twinkled. "She loves you, she told me when we met yesterday." Myla laid a comforting hand on Endymion's slumped shoulder. "The princess is very beautiful."
Endymion nodded once more. "Yes, Serenity is beautiful." His eyes held a faraway look to them. "Very beautiful."
Myla looked down. She could see how much Endymion loved his princess, and secretly wished that someone could love her just as much. But could a girl like her really find true love? She remembered Tranquility and how nice he was to her, and tears immediately came to her eyes. He was getting married right
now...
Taking out a handkerchief, Myla quickly dabbed at her eyes so Endymion would
not see her crying. "Why did you not attend the wedding?" She asked quickly to get her mind off
Tranquility, yet she already knew the answer the answer to her question.
"I could not stand to see her marry my brother," Endymion stated, voice clouded with emotion. "Tranquility does not love Serenity, not one bit," he added with a sad shake of his head. "And Serenity will never love him."
Myla blushed at hearing Tranquility's name. Somehow, her heartbeat increased whenever she thought of him. The young princess wondered why. 'Could it be that I am attracted to him? But what good would that do?' She wondered.
"What about you, Princess? Why did you not attend the wedding?"
"What? Oh, I..." She could not find the right words to answer his question, so her heart answered for the princess. "I did not want to see Tranquility marry..." A blush crept up to her cheeks when she found the dark-haired prince staring at her, astonishment clearly written on his handsome features.
"You are attracted...to Tranquility?" Endymion found that hard to believe.
"Perhaps I am..."
***
Makoto joined the rest of the senshi, an extremely worried look plastered on her features.
"Did you find her?" She asked quickly, and received nos for her answer. The Princess
of Jupiter swallowed. "You do not think she would run away from the palace..."
The thought scared all the senshi. Their princess had never gone off by herself before.
All the dangers that were present outside of the palace walls...they did not even want to think about it.
The tall young woman flung back her brown hair and sighed, throwing her hands up in the air.
"How can be that she is nowhere to be found? Sere..."
"We have to keep looking," Rei insisted. "We have already searched all the other parts of the palace, so she has to be somewhere around here."
The senshi split up once more, determined to find Serenity, where ever she
might be...
***
Endymion could not stand the silence that was thick in the air anymore. He stood up quickly, surprising the unsuspecting Myla. "I am sorry," Endymion apologized for startling her. "I want to take a walk in the gardens." The princess nodded.
"Then go." She brushed a strand of her hair out from her eyes, and stood up also.
"Can I go with you?"
Endymion smiled weakly, and agreed reluctantly. He really wanted to be by himself to think, but he would see that Myla did not want to be alone. They walked out of Endymion's resting chambers silently.
Yet with everything on her mind, Myla had forgotten to take one thing with her...the handkerchief.
***
Serenity ran a shaky hand through her hair. "Endymion..." Oh, Serenity wanted so badly to see him right now. But she was afraid, afraid that someone would see her. 'What to do?' She wondered. She heard footsteps outside, and carefully went over to the door. Serenity pressed her ear against the cold wood and listened to the murmurs on the other side.
"Have you checked this room?" The voice belonged to Ami; Serenity would
recognize it anywhere.
"No," another voice, Minako's answered. Serenity muffled her gasp, and rushed to hide before Ami would come inside. Being the slender princess that she was, Serenity slipped under the bed, praying that no one would think to look under there. Ami walked in not a second too soon and looked around. From her view sprawled out on the cold, dusty floor, Serenity could see Ami's blue boots, making slight clicking sounds with each step that she took. After a few
agonizing moments, the princess heard the door being closed gently, and breathed a sigh of relief. Ami was gone, and she had not been found.
After making sure the senshi were gone, Serenity slipped out of the room, closing the door as quietly as she could. The princess took each step gingerly, so that the high heels she was wearing would not make much noise. She quietly made it to Endymion's room and clutching the doorknob tightly, twisted it open, and went inside. "Endymion?" She called out, and scanned the room for the princes. The Moon Princess was disappointed to find Endymion not in his room. With a dissatisfied sigh, Serenity sat down on Endymion's bed. "Where can you be?"
Just then, her hands came across some soft; a different fabric than the materials spread on Endymion's bed. She looked down, and picked up a light pink handkerchief. The handkerchief was slightly damped by something; Serenity could not tell what though. She brought it closer to her face to examine it, and found that it had a light fragrance to it. Her heartbeat increased tenfold. Why in the world would Endymion have a handkerchief? Or maybe...it was not his...
At that point, Serenity's mind began to think of all the possibilities, both good and bad. 'Perhaps it is Endymion's mother's,' she contemplated. The thought calmed her down a bit. But what if it belonged to another woman?
"Oh Endymion...please do not let that be true."
Serenity could not begin to imagine what she would be if that were true. Endymion was the only one she could ever truly love, and if he were to find another person, it would kill her. She was sure of that.
***
The thunder rumbled loudly outside, followed by a flash of lightening. A chilly breeze blew as Endymion and Myla sat down on a worn-out bench in the rose gardens. The dark-haired prince eyed his fiancee and smiled lightly. Myla was, to him, a wonderful girl. So innocent, and she was indeed attractive. Still, no one could ever match up to his angel, Serenity. Endymion began to feel something for the young princess, though it was not attraction...more like a friendly bond. 'Myla would make a wonderful younger sister,' Endymion thought. 'If only that could be possible...'
"I love it out here," Myla's sweet voice rang in Endymion's ear.
"What? Oh, yes, I do too."
Endymion looked at the princess. "I come here very often," he stated softly.
"I came here once, with Tranquility," she admitted shyly, a light blush forming on her cheeks. "We had a wonderful time just talking."
"And was that all?"
The question caught Myla off guard, and she began to stutter, trying to come up with a logical response. "Yes, of course that was all." She looked down at her hands. "Why?"
Endymion shook his head, as if to dismiss the subject, and chuckled. "No particular reason, Princess. It just seems that you are very attracted to my older brother," was the answer.
"Oh."
They sat in silence, Myla fidgeting nervously, trying to come up with something to say. She sneaked a glance at the prince, and found that he held a faraway glint in his eyes. It took her all but a second to realize that he was thinking about Serenity. She decided not to disturb his thoughts, and instead began to marvel at the beautiful surroundings. The princess walked leaned over, and carefully picked a red rose from one of the numerous bushes growing nearby. She twirled it around a few times, then preceded to inhale its wondrous fragrance.
'Serenity is probably married now,' Endymion thought bitterly. 'Oh Serenity,
how I wish you could be here with me right now. You would be in my arms, where
you belong.' A cold breeze stirred the twosome, and a few cold droplets of rain
followed. Myla shivered, though did not move an inch. Endymion brushed a raindrop from his hand.
"Princess, we should be going back now," he whispered to her. "It is beginning to rain, and I do not want either one of us becoming ill because we didn't go back inside in time."
However, she only shook her head. "No, please do not leave yet. I want to stay here–just a little longer."
"You are thinking about Tranquility."
Receiving a nod from Myla, Endymion put a hand on the younger girl. "It will be alright, Myla," he comforted soothingly, even though he could feel tears stinging in his eyes as well.
Without warning, Myla threw herself into Endymion's arms and embraced him tightly, sobbing heartbrokenly. "I do not want for Tranquility to get married," she said between sobs. "I did not have time to really get to know him, yet I get this rush of mixed emotions whenever I think about him. Endymion...I do not know what to do..."
The prince began stroking her now damp hair, shedding a few tears himself.
"Me neither," he murmured, "Me neither..."
***
It had been half an hour since Serenity's getaway from her wedding ceremony, and Queen Gaia and King Endymion tried convincing the guests that everything was under control. Though how could they explain something when they themselves did not know what had happened? The King put one of his hands up in the air to silence the people. "I understand your disappointment," he stated after the room had grown to be completely silent again, "and I can assure you that everything is fine."
"Then where is the Princess?" a voice from the back of the room said, and the other lords and ladies nodded their agreement.
Tranquility sat down beside his mother's thrown, a smile playing on his lips. "Mother, I told you that this would not work out." Queen Gaia gave her son a stern look, putting him in his place immediately.
"Oh really? Seriously Tranquility, if you were a bit nicer to Serenity, maybe this would not have happened."
Tranquility looked down at his shoes. "That would not work," he replied silently, "because Serenity would still fall in love with Endymion."
Queen Gaia could not argue with her son on that. Perhaps it was destiny for her youngest son and Serenity to be together; that she should not mess with destiny. But everything had gone so far, could it all be taken back now? It seemed impossible. She stood up from her seat at the throne and joined her husband. The Queen cleared her throat loudly, silencing the people.
"Do not worry, this wedding will continue," she addressed everyone firmly, stressing on the word will. That seemed to satisfy the guests as no one dared to utter a word from that moment on. Instead, their eyes were glued to the double doors, hoping that the princess would walk in soon.
***
"Did you find her?" Queen Serenity asked anxiously when she met up with the senshi.
"No, my Queen," Ami answered dejectedly, and the rest nodded.
"Serenity...my daughter...where have you gone?"
***
With the handkerchief at hand, Serenity walked outside of the palace, hoping to find Endymion in the gardens. After all, this was one of his favorite places to think. She was immediately soaked by the cold rain pouring from the dark clouds overhead, though she kept going. Serenity quickened her pace, so that no one would spot her. Once she entered the gardens, a mass of bushes and flowers
of all shape and color were seen, hiding Serenity's figure almost instantly. She heard voices, and sobbing. Curious, Serenity walked deeper into the gardens, and came to the rosebushes, Endymion's favorite flower. The princess warily peeked through an opening between two rosebushes. She could hearken the voice clearly now, yet could not see anything. The only way she could will be through the entrance...
Her mind debated whether or not to take the risk of being seen. Finally, she decided to go and see, and pushed any doubts aside. What she saw hurt her...deeply...like a knife cutting through her flesh. Her worst fear had come true... Endymion, her Endymion, the one whom she loved, and said loved her back, was embracing another person...Myla! And from her view at the entrance of the rose gardens, it was a very passionate embrace. Myla had her arms wrapped around Endymion tightly, and Endymion, in turn, hugged her back with the same force. And not to mention his hand was gently stroking her hair, like Endymion once did with Serenity. The sight brought new, fresh tears to the princess's eyes. She sobbed out loud, getting the attention of the twosome.
Endymion's eyes went wide. Was he dreaming? The prince closed his eyes and opened them again. No, she was real! His Serenity, standing out there in the rain, soaked...and crying? Oh, why was she crying? Then, his mind registered the events. Here he was, hugging Myla tightly and stroking her hair, while Serenity comes up. What was she to expect? With a mental groan he quickly stood up,
eyes apologizing to Serenity. But she took a step back, which surprised and somewhat hurt Endymion.
"Serenity..." he murmured, just enough so that she could hear him. He began to walk toward her, and the princess began to back away, shaking her head, tears rolling down her pale cheeks like a waterfall.
"No," she whispered.
"Serenity..."
"No!"
In one instant, she was gone again, and Myla's handkerchief lay on the ground, soaked and coated with a layer of thick mud. Myla opened her mouth to say something, though nothing would come out.
"Endymion..I am sorry..." she finally managed to say, and reached out a hand to touch him.
Endymion was not listening. All he could think of was Serenity, and the look that she had given him...the look of betrayal and hurt clearly evident on
her face.
"Serenity, wait!" he called out, and ran after her, leaving the poor
princess Myla alone in the gardens, with the heavy rain pouring down at her...
*******************
Oh wow! *gasp* Did I really write that long of a chapter again? Another little cliff-hanger! Don't you love me for those? *evil grin* So, how was it? Okay, I hope! This was intended to be a short three-four paged chapter, but as you can see, it turned out longer than that! But that's alright with you guys, right? I'm sorry if this chapter was a bit confusing. ^^;; The next chapter will be out in a couple weeks, if you want more! And please don't forgot to *review!!!!* Please? Or e-mail. ^_^ E-mail me at LisaZUMstories@aol.com or Lisafics@sailormoon.com. Thank you so much minna! Visit my co-owned website and *sign* the guestbook so I'll know who went there, and personally that you for that!!!!
This story written January 2002, posted February 2002.