Title: Bonded By Love
Author: Lisa
Chapter: 9
Rating: G
Website: www.geocities.com/mystillusions
Author's Notes:
Hi minna! Lisa's back, bring you another chapter of "Bonded By Love!" *smiles* I hope you'll like it. So enjoy, review, and don't forget to visit my co-owned website! ^_^ Thank you to the following people for reviewing my last chapter: Sailor MariMisty, Raeburn, MoonWriter, Miaka, fabnikki, Chibi Xo, RL, Alyee the Dragon, Fox, Jennifer, Usagi Usako Chiba, Neo-Serenity, Solona, Miyakano, and malicious bunnie! Also, up to chapter two for this story has been *completely* edited, so read that! Please help me reach my 150 review goal by reviewing!!^_~ Enjoy!
Disclaimers: Sailor Moon and the others don't belong to me, but this story does.
****************
She ran through the bushes blindly. The wind blew fiercely, and the rain poured down mercilessly. Choking back a sob, Serenity stumbled through the gardens not knowing what to do. One thing was for sure though–she had to get away from here, away from Endymion. "Serenity!" The faint call, nearly inaudible over the harshness of the beating rain, reached the princess's ears. She gasped, one hand coming up to cover her mouth, while another wiped rain from her face. "Serenity!" This time, his voice sounded nearer, a clear sign that Endymion was getting closer to where Serenity was. It was strange, however, because Serenity herself did not know where she was. Shivering uncontrollably, the soaked princess kept going, desperately trying to find her way out through the mangle of bushes and flowers growing in a seemingly endless garden...
Endymion wiped drops of rainwater from his face, and rubbed his eyes to clear them. The rain made it hard to see where he was going, but he kept on, determined to find his beloved. The prince called out to her again. "Serenity!" No response reached his ears. 'I really messed up this time,' he thought with a sigh. Endymion's shoulders slumped at the very thought of him hurting Serenity. The looking she had on her face, that look of undeniable betrayal, was forever branded into his mind. Endymion pulled his soaked cape around his body to get some warmth, yet it did not help much. Water ran down his armor and into his clothing under the heavy metal, soaking them.'What was I thinking, hugging Myla like that?' he asked himself mentally, wanting so badly to take back his actions. Endymion's eyes suddenly widened. Myla! He had left her in the rose gardens! Shaking his head, Endymion rationalized that Myla would be fine, for finding Serenity and making sure she was all right was his number one priority right now. The dark-haired prince brushed wet hair that was matted to his forehead out of his stormy eyes, and pushed aside the leaves of a big bush that was blocking his view.
A flash of lightening abruptly brightened the pitch black sky for a brief second, aiding Endymion in seeing a streak of white run by in front of him. His heart skipped a beat; it was Serenity! Thunder rumbled overhead as Endymion wasted no time in catching up to her.
Having slipped on the slippery, wet ground, Serenity now laid flat on her stomach, a thick layer of mind soiling her wedding dress. Tears, mixed with rain and dirt, slid down her pale cheeks. The Moon Princess looked down at what used to be her beautiful dress. Branches had left numerous scratches and tears in the soft silk fabric. It was then that she realized several cuts and scrapes on her body; she had felt no pain from them before. Drops of her red blood now mixed in with the already dirtied dress, and Serenity began to feel the pain from her cuts. Clutching onto a slightly larger cut inflicted on her right arm, she shivered, feeling the large drops of rain splash down on her. She covered her face with another hand, feeling a stray tear roll down her cheeks. "Endymion..." The word came out only a whisper, and was immediately drowned out by the storm. Serenity then lost whatever control she had over her emotions and began to sob uncontrollably. She had lost her one and only for good, or so it seemed. 'I am not good enough for him,' she thought bitterly. The princess laid her head against her knees. And her hair, having come out from their former buns, was a tangled mess. But it cascaded around her entire body, sheltering her from the rain, and giving her some warmth. Serenity sneezed and hiccuped as she continued to cry, wishing that this was all a nightmare...
Thankfully, the rain gradually began to slow a bit as Endymion made his way quietly toward the crying princess, the tears in his eyes threatening to flow. He had witnessed how utterly heartbroken Serenity was–all because of him. Oh, how he longed to have everything be as they used to...Endymion could only hope that everything would work out, however it did not seem like a possibility at the moment.
"Serenity.." No more was needed to be said as Endymion watched Serenity slowly lift up her head, eyes searching fearfully for the origin of the voice. "I–" At that moment, the prince found that he could not speak, instead gawk at the, though soaked and dirty, still stunningly beautiful princess before him. A million thoughts raced through his mind. 'Apologize to her, you idiot,' was one thought, while another said, 'Go..hold her and tell her that you love her.' Endymion's mouth was open, but nothing came out. "I–"
"Go away," she simply stated, or rather commanded, in an ice cold tone, "and leave me alone. We have nothing to say to each other."
Endymion was taken back by her words and harsh tone. They hurt him deeply, like a knife cutting into his flesh. That only made him feel all the more guilty for doing this to his princess. "No, Serenity," he began to say, "I will not leave you alone. I love you."
A dry laugh was heard emitting from her throat at his honest statement as Serenity stood up and turned to Endymion, eyes harboring no emotion in them whatsoever. The prince drew in a deep breath, and awaited her response. "You...love me?" Her eyes narrowed. "Then why did you betray me, Endymion? Can you answer me that?" Serenity's eyes were now filled with pain, and Endymion would see that she was clearly hurting.
"I did not betray you," he replied simply.
The princess shook her head accusingly. "How can I believe you? I...cannot trust in you anymore." Tears began sliding down her face once more, and Endymion instantly went to wipe them away, however she turned away before his fingers could touch her skin. "Do not touch me."
"Serenity, do not do this..."
"You gave me everything, Endymion," she admitted, "you were my everything. I loved you deeply, with all my heart and soul. I foolishly believed that you loved me the same way. How could you? When you said that you loved me yesterday and just now, I know you did not mean it. Not when you are in love with Myla." Another stream of tears ran down her face, falling to the wet ground below. The rain slowed to a small shower now, and the dark clouds began to drift away as if they never came. From behind the clouds, the smallest streak of afternoon sunlight could be seen. Serenity's shoulders slumped. Seeing no objection from Endymion when she said that he was in love with Myla, the princess came to a conclusion that he was indeed in love with her. A part of her heart and soul died right there and then. Her eyes darkened from their regular bright blue, and became cold. There was only one thing to do now... It was a hard decision for Serenity to make, perhaps the toughest decision ever, but somehow, it was made.
"Endymion...we are...over!" Oh, how hard it was for her to say such things!
Serenity saw the hurt in his eyes when she said that. Her heart screamed for her to not do this, to run into his arms and never leave them. 'Endymion could be telling the truth, perhaps he does still love me,' she contemplated with her back turned to him and eyes closed. Serenity's eyes opened, and she exhaled a breath of air, trying to grasp on any hope still left in her to believe that Endymion still loved her. Sadly, there was not much hope left as doubts began creeping into her mind, and she remembered clearly how tightly Endymion had hugged Myla, as if never wanting to let her go. 'Endymion never hugged me like that.' That was true, for Endymion was always careful not to hurt Serenity like his brother did. 'He does not want me anymore...'
"Goodbye, Prince," she stated, and began to leave.
Endymion's hands grasped onto her small wrist gently, and Serenity turned around reluctantly to find herself staring into his deep blue eyes. Her bottom lip quivered and she bit it nervously. 'Endymion, why must you make it harder for both of us?' she mentally shouted. "Let me go," she whispered pleadingly, "it is over."
"No...no! Serenity, I will not let that happen to us!" Serenity stopped struggling with him for a second.
"Let me go, there is no us anymore!" she repeated, this time, louder. Finding the prince still holding onto her wrist, without warning, she slapped him hard on the face, surprising the prince so much that he let the grasp on her wrist go. In an instant, Serenity's figure was gone, and Endymion just stood there dazedly, hand rubbing his red cheek...
The princess had never intended to do such a thing, to slap him, and as soon as she realized what she had done, regretted it immediately. She wanted to go back and apologize for hitting him. 'He lied to me, so I guess he deserved that.' However, it did not feel right to slap him; it was done though, so Serenity could not take it back.
She remembered that sad and hurtful look the prince had plastered on his face when she said that it was over. Why did he look so melancholy? Did not she give him what he wanted–to be with Myla? Letting Endymion go was something she had to do, was it not? Her heart beat quickly, and she stopped and put a hand over her chest. "Why do I feel like what I did was wrong?" she asked out loud, and only the sweet song of a bird overhead answered. The air was damp and had a musky smell to it as the rain stopped completely. "Endymion will be happy with Myla..." She shivered in her shreds of clothing and put a hand to her head. It felt hot to her touch. Swallowing to relieve her sore and aching throat, Serenity wondered what she was going to do now...
It was true that she still loved Endymion very much, with all her heart and soul, even though she had given him the impression that she hated him. Serenity looked down at her feet and stepped out of the gardens, her shoes clicking in the paved cement walkway. Serenity remembered Endymion's words to her before, that someday, they would be together, as long as they believed in it. 'How could he have said those words, but still betray me like that, and claim that he loves me? Serenity was thoroughly confused at Endymion's actions. 'Perhaps he loved me until Myla came into his life...' The thought seemed to answer her question perfectly, and made Serenity feel worse, if at all possible.
She felt faint all of a sudden, and a rack of sneezes shook her small, fragile frame. Her dress, or what remained of it, clung to her body like a second skin, and her cuts stung. The poor princess did not know where to go or what to do next. She sat down on the entrance steps to the kingdom sullenly, and ran a hand through the tangled mess of blonde hair. 'Should I go back to Endymion and tell him that I still love him?' That seemed like a good idea, and her heart began pounding at the thought of seeing him again. "No," she said out loud to herself, "I cannot continue to love someone who gives his love to another and then lies about it." Still, she wanted so badly to be near his presence, and for him to whisper comforting words into her ear like he once did...and Endymion did say he loved her...
"No!" she suddenly shouted, standing up quickly, "I cannot think about him anymore!" Her hands clenched into fists; Serenity struggled with her internal emotions, whether or not to believe what he stated. "I said so myself; we are over." Somehow, her heart just did not want to believe that.
Endymion felt a tear trickle down his cheek, and hastily wiped it away. "Sere...why must it be this way?" he asked quietly, and looked up at the now cloudless orange sun, illuminated by the sun's golden rays. A bittersweet smile formed on his face; this was exactly how the sky looked the day when the prince laid eyes on Serenity one week ago. That fated day when she stole his heart...
He felt a gentle hand touch his shoulder, and turned around. "Myla..." was all he stated. The princess was somewhat dry, having taken shelter under a particularly large bush during the storm. Her face was sad, and showed a great deal of concern toward Endymion.
"Prince," she acknowledged, "I am sorry..." Myla looked down at her feet, feeling guilty because she was the cause of this. Endymion shook his head, and looked into her dark eyes.
"No, it was not your fault..."
"I feel that if we would not have embraced, this would not happen..."
The dark-haired prince had to agree with that. However, he loosely embraced the young princess to show that he was not angry with her. "It is all right, everything will be worked out," he replied with a small smile, although doubtful of his words. Myla was so much like Serenity...beautiful and possessed that special something. Myla would never be anything more to him than a friend; it only he could convince Serenity of that...
Serenity viewed her surroundings with blank eyes, unseeing and unfeeling. She had lost her other half when she broke up with Endymion. The princess sighed. Life did not seem worth living anymore without love...without Endymion. She kept reminding herself that Myla was much better than she was at everything, from her beauty to manner, and that she would make the perfect wife to Endymion, but that did not help any. There was only one thing to do...she had to somehow stop loving him. 'But how can I stop loving Endymion? How can I forget him?' she asked herself bitterly. 'He is my other half...'
Then, an idea came. At first, it scared the wits out of the princess, though once giving the thought careful consideration, she concluded that it was the best thing to do. Her prince, the one who was her other half, has fallen for another, and Serenity's life was all just a big mess. She would never be happy again, so why not give up on everything? There was only a simple solution to all this, she realized. Endymion could live happily with Myla, and she could be the princess and queen everyone wanted her to be. Not to mention this would forever forbid her from ever regarding Endymion as her soul mate...she could then forget about what once took place between them in time. Serenity was keen to remember that once doing this, Endymion would become her brother. All the Moon Princess had to do was accept her destiny and marry Tranquility... (AN: Yes, I know you're thinking Lisa's crazy! ^^;; But Serenity's depressed!!)
She stood up and clenched her teeth as a wave of dizziness hit her. Her vision grew blurry for a brief period of time before becoming clear again. 'What is happening to me?' Serenity shook away the effects of her still spinning head, and went up the steps leading to her future... She realized that her appearance was not attractive, although she was not the least bit concerned. 'Do not do this,' her heart said, 'you will regret this decision for the rest of your life!' "No," she whispered back, "I do not care what happens to me now."
Queen Serenity's eyes went wide and gasped as Serenity walked up to her, her blue orbs baring no emotion in then whatsoever. The Queen's immediate reaction was to embrace her daughter, tears of relief and happiness streaming down her face. "Thank goodness you are all right, daughter," she said quietly, stoking Serenity's damp hair. Serenity managed to smile at her mother, and hugged back.
"But what happened to you?" She gestured to the torn dress, and the cuts Serenity had on her arms.
"Nothing," Serenity answered calmly, "I am going to marry Tranquility now."
For a second there, the Queen thought that her ears had deceived her. "What?"
"I am going to marry Tranquility," she repeated smoothly, "like you always wanted me to."
Mouth open in shock, the Moon Queen was speechless. What had brought such a drastic change to her? Why, if Queen Serenity recalled correctly, her daughter dreaded marrying that 'horrid' man just that morning!
"Serenity...are you sure?" was all she could say to her daughter, and received an immediate nod as the answer.
"Yes, Mother."
"But what about Endymion..." The Queen stopped when she saw the painful look the princess had on her face. Tears gathered in her already red eyes, but she looked away.
"I do not want to talk about that now."
Serenity brushed by her mother, who reached out a hand to stop her from doing something the Queen knew she would regret, but stopped in midair. 'It is her choice,' she reminded herself gently, though the overwhelming urge to call her daughter back was strong. "I just want you to be happy, and whoever will bring you that happiness–is the one I will agree for you to marry."
Those words stopped Serenity dead in her tracks. Did her mother just agree for Endymion and her to marry? Then realizing that she had to stop loving Endymion, Serenity began walking again.'Even if that was the case,' she sighed, 'he loves another now...' With that thought in mind, Serenity pushed open the doors leading to the ballroom.
All eyes turned to her, and everyone grew silent. Serenity shivered, not out of coldness, but of how she was the center of attention; she hated to be that. Regaining her composure and trying to look as dignified as possible in her rags of clothing, Serenity made her way slowly down the red-carpeted floor for the third time. The first was the practice wedding, then the real one which she had ran from, and now this time, when she was going to marry the man she despised the most. She did not regret this decision though, and firmly believed that spending an eternity with Tranquility would be worse than dying.
Tranquility's eyes widened, then narrowed. His hopes were high that she would not show up again, but there she was, walking down the aisle in her wedding dress, which, he mentally noted, was all torn and soiled. The prince did not care why, nor did he see how Serenity was clearly suffering. No, all he was concerned about was that his plan to marry Myla, the only one he had really shown the gentlemanly side of him to, had failed. He let out a sigh, and nervously ran a hand through his strands of dark hair. 'Stupid Serenity,' he mentally shouted as she neared him, 'why did you not go with Endymion while you had the opportunity?!' The expression on his face remained unreadable as the Moon Princess joined him at the end of the red carpet, and the priest, though somewhat tired, was relieved that the wedding could continue.
The smooth wedding music began playing again, and brightened the tense atmosphere. Queen Gaia smiled at her husband, and gave him a look that said, 'I told you everything was going to work out.' Yet, once seeing how miserable Serenity looked, the smile on her face disappeared. 'Why, the girl looks like she is attending a funeral!' She shook her head, and wondered why Serenity did not run off with her son. But even though the Queen felt sorry for Serenity, she was relieved that Serenity was back. A few coughs were heard from the lords and ladies as they witnessed the couple exchange their vows, seemingly unwillingly. They had been waiting more than an hour for this...
Endymion and Myla stepped out of the gardens, and onto the walkway leading to the entrance of the palace. "I have to find her, to explain everything," he said, and Myla nodded her agreement.
Just then, the cheerful music reached their ears, surprising both of them.
"What is that?"
"Wedding music," was his reply.
"But..why would they play wedding music unless..." Myla covered her mouth with a hand to stifle her gasp.
"Serenity!" Endymion could hardly believe it; why in the world would Serenity go and marry Tranquility, the man she dreaded? The answer came to him in due time. 'Serenity is going to marry Tranquility...to give up her happiness...and end our chance of ever being together!'
"No!" he shouted, "I will not let that happen!"
Myla touched his shoulder, smiling, "Go for it Endymion," she simply stated, "go to your love."
Without another second wasted, Endymion ran as fast as he could...
"Do you, Prince Tranquility of the Earth Kingdom, take Princess Serenity to be your wife?"
There was a pause on Tranquility's part before he answered a quiet and emotionless, "Yes."
"Why do you think Serenity is doing this?" Minako asked Rei, who only shot a concerned look to their princess.
"I wish I knew," she responded in a whisper.
After having met with Queen Serenity who told them Serenity's whereabouts, the senshi and their queen went to the ballroom through another entrance in the back, and took their places beside the King and Queen.
"Do you, Princess Serenity of the Moon Kingdom, take Prince Tranquility to be your husband?"
Now, everyone waited her answer with bated breath. The princess felt dizzy again, but kept still to not attract attention. The dizziness went away after a short while. She began to feel scared. 'Why am I feeling dizzy?' Realizing that everyone was deathly silent, and eyes on her as if awaiting an answer, she realized that the priest had just asked if she wanted to marry Tranquility. No, she really did not, but Serenity looked around at all the people in the room, then at her mother. She had to do this, live up to her destiny. Taking a deep breath, she began to give her answer.
"I d–"
"Wait!"
Just before the last word was spoken, a soaked Endymion burst in the room...
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Okay, I know, you're like, "Is this story EVER going to end?," right? Yes, it will. ^_^ I know this is *really* confusing, but Serenity has *given up* on happiness and love, which is why she goes to marry Tranquility! If you don't agree with me, hey, you don't have to, but this is MY story! ^^ No flames for that, please! So...do you like it or not? *Please* tell me so! Please review, or send me an e-mail at LisaZUMstories@aol.com or Lisafics@sailormoon.com,and visit my co-owned website! I have a question (or two, actually)...is anyone reading this at all? If you are, please tell me so! And what story would you like me to work on? I can do another chapter to this, "Shipwrecked," "To Call You Mine," or whatever story you want! Be sure to tell me, but *also* comment on this story *first!* Thanks! Sorry for the long author's notes. ^^;; Bye!
This story written and posted March, 2002.
Author: Lisa
Chapter: 9
Rating: G
Website: www.geocities.com/mystillusions
Author's Notes:
Hi minna! Lisa's back, bring you another chapter of "Bonded By Love!" *smiles* I hope you'll like it. So enjoy, review, and don't forget to visit my co-owned website! ^_^ Thank you to the following people for reviewing my last chapter: Sailor MariMisty, Raeburn, MoonWriter, Miaka, fabnikki, Chibi Xo, RL, Alyee the Dragon, Fox, Jennifer, Usagi Usako Chiba, Neo-Serenity, Solona, Miyakano, and malicious bunnie! Also, up to chapter two for this story has been *completely* edited, so read that! Please help me reach my 150 review goal by reviewing!!^_~ Enjoy!
Disclaimers: Sailor Moon and the others don't belong to me, but this story does.
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She ran through the bushes blindly. The wind blew fiercely, and the rain poured down mercilessly. Choking back a sob, Serenity stumbled through the gardens not knowing what to do. One thing was for sure though–she had to get away from here, away from Endymion. "Serenity!" The faint call, nearly inaudible over the harshness of the beating rain, reached the princess's ears. She gasped, one hand coming up to cover her mouth, while another wiped rain from her face. "Serenity!" This time, his voice sounded nearer, a clear sign that Endymion was getting closer to where Serenity was. It was strange, however, because Serenity herself did not know where she was. Shivering uncontrollably, the soaked princess kept going, desperately trying to find her way out through the mangle of bushes and flowers growing in a seemingly endless garden...
Endymion wiped drops of rainwater from his face, and rubbed his eyes to clear them. The rain made it hard to see where he was going, but he kept on, determined to find his beloved. The prince called out to her again. "Serenity!" No response reached his ears. 'I really messed up this time,' he thought with a sigh. Endymion's shoulders slumped at the very thought of him hurting Serenity. The looking she had on her face, that look of undeniable betrayal, was forever branded into his mind. Endymion pulled his soaked cape around his body to get some warmth, yet it did not help much. Water ran down his armor and into his clothing under the heavy metal, soaking them.'What was I thinking, hugging Myla like that?' he asked himself mentally, wanting so badly to take back his actions. Endymion's eyes suddenly widened. Myla! He had left her in the rose gardens! Shaking his head, Endymion rationalized that Myla would be fine, for finding Serenity and making sure she was all right was his number one priority right now. The dark-haired prince brushed wet hair that was matted to his forehead out of his stormy eyes, and pushed aside the leaves of a big bush that was blocking his view.
A flash of lightening abruptly brightened the pitch black sky for a brief second, aiding Endymion in seeing a streak of white run by in front of him. His heart skipped a beat; it was Serenity! Thunder rumbled overhead as Endymion wasted no time in catching up to her.
Having slipped on the slippery, wet ground, Serenity now laid flat on her stomach, a thick layer of mind soiling her wedding dress. Tears, mixed with rain and dirt, slid down her pale cheeks. The Moon Princess looked down at what used to be her beautiful dress. Branches had left numerous scratches and tears in the soft silk fabric. It was then that she realized several cuts and scrapes on her body; she had felt no pain from them before. Drops of her red blood now mixed in with the already dirtied dress, and Serenity began to feel the pain from her cuts. Clutching onto a slightly larger cut inflicted on her right arm, she shivered, feeling the large drops of rain splash down on her. She covered her face with another hand, feeling a stray tear roll down her cheeks. "Endymion..." The word came out only a whisper, and was immediately drowned out by the storm. Serenity then lost whatever control she had over her emotions and began to sob uncontrollably. She had lost her one and only for good, or so it seemed. 'I am not good enough for him,' she thought bitterly. The princess laid her head against her knees. And her hair, having come out from their former buns, was a tangled mess. But it cascaded around her entire body, sheltering her from the rain, and giving her some warmth. Serenity sneezed and hiccuped as she continued to cry, wishing that this was all a nightmare...
Thankfully, the rain gradually began to slow a bit as Endymion made his way quietly toward the crying princess, the tears in his eyes threatening to flow. He had witnessed how utterly heartbroken Serenity was–all because of him. Oh, how he longed to have everything be as they used to...Endymion could only hope that everything would work out, however it did not seem like a possibility at the moment.
"Serenity.." No more was needed to be said as Endymion watched Serenity slowly lift up her head, eyes searching fearfully for the origin of the voice. "I–" At that moment, the prince found that he could not speak, instead gawk at the, though soaked and dirty, still stunningly beautiful princess before him. A million thoughts raced through his mind. 'Apologize to her, you idiot,' was one thought, while another said, 'Go..hold her and tell her that you love her.' Endymion's mouth was open, but nothing came out. "I–"
"Go away," she simply stated, or rather commanded, in an ice cold tone, "and leave me alone. We have nothing to say to each other."
Endymion was taken back by her words and harsh tone. They hurt him deeply, like a knife cutting into his flesh. That only made him feel all the more guilty for doing this to his princess. "No, Serenity," he began to say, "I will not leave you alone. I love you."
A dry laugh was heard emitting from her throat at his honest statement as Serenity stood up and turned to Endymion, eyes harboring no emotion in them whatsoever. The prince drew in a deep breath, and awaited her response. "You...love me?" Her eyes narrowed. "Then why did you betray me, Endymion? Can you answer me that?" Serenity's eyes were now filled with pain, and Endymion would see that she was clearly hurting.
"I did not betray you," he replied simply.
The princess shook her head accusingly. "How can I believe you? I...cannot trust in you anymore." Tears began sliding down her face once more, and Endymion instantly went to wipe them away, however she turned away before his fingers could touch her skin. "Do not touch me."
"Serenity, do not do this..."
"You gave me everything, Endymion," she admitted, "you were my everything. I loved you deeply, with all my heart and soul. I foolishly believed that you loved me the same way. How could you? When you said that you loved me yesterday and just now, I know you did not mean it. Not when you are in love with Myla." Another stream of tears ran down her face, falling to the wet ground below. The rain slowed to a small shower now, and the dark clouds began to drift away as if they never came. From behind the clouds, the smallest streak of afternoon sunlight could be seen. Serenity's shoulders slumped. Seeing no objection from Endymion when she said that he was in love with Myla, the princess came to a conclusion that he was indeed in love with her. A part of her heart and soul died right there and then. Her eyes darkened from their regular bright blue, and became cold. There was only one thing to do now... It was a hard decision for Serenity to make, perhaps the toughest decision ever, but somehow, it was made.
"Endymion...we are...over!" Oh, how hard it was for her to say such things!
Serenity saw the hurt in his eyes when she said that. Her heart screamed for her to not do this, to run into his arms and never leave them. 'Endymion could be telling the truth, perhaps he does still love me,' she contemplated with her back turned to him and eyes closed. Serenity's eyes opened, and she exhaled a breath of air, trying to grasp on any hope still left in her to believe that Endymion still loved her. Sadly, there was not much hope left as doubts began creeping into her mind, and she remembered clearly how tightly Endymion had hugged Myla, as if never wanting to let her go. 'Endymion never hugged me like that.' That was true, for Endymion was always careful not to hurt Serenity like his brother did. 'He does not want me anymore...'
"Goodbye, Prince," she stated, and began to leave.
Endymion's hands grasped onto her small wrist gently, and Serenity turned around reluctantly to find herself staring into his deep blue eyes. Her bottom lip quivered and she bit it nervously. 'Endymion, why must you make it harder for both of us?' she mentally shouted. "Let me go," she whispered pleadingly, "it is over."
"No...no! Serenity, I will not let that happen to us!" Serenity stopped struggling with him for a second.
"Let me go, there is no us anymore!" she repeated, this time, louder. Finding the prince still holding onto her wrist, without warning, she slapped him hard on the face, surprising the prince so much that he let the grasp on her wrist go. In an instant, Serenity's figure was gone, and Endymion just stood there dazedly, hand rubbing his red cheek...
The princess had never intended to do such a thing, to slap him, and as soon as she realized what she had done, regretted it immediately. She wanted to go back and apologize for hitting him. 'He lied to me, so I guess he deserved that.' However, it did not feel right to slap him; it was done though, so Serenity could not take it back.
She remembered that sad and hurtful look the prince had plastered on his face when she said that it was over. Why did he look so melancholy? Did not she give him what he wanted–to be with Myla? Letting Endymion go was something she had to do, was it not? Her heart beat quickly, and she stopped and put a hand over her chest. "Why do I feel like what I did was wrong?" she asked out loud, and only the sweet song of a bird overhead answered. The air was damp and had a musky smell to it as the rain stopped completely. "Endymion will be happy with Myla..." She shivered in her shreds of clothing and put a hand to her head. It felt hot to her touch. Swallowing to relieve her sore and aching throat, Serenity wondered what she was going to do now...
It was true that she still loved Endymion very much, with all her heart and soul, even though she had given him the impression that she hated him. Serenity looked down at her feet and stepped out of the gardens, her shoes clicking in the paved cement walkway. Serenity remembered Endymion's words to her before, that someday, they would be together, as long as they believed in it. 'How could he have said those words, but still betray me like that, and claim that he loves me? Serenity was thoroughly confused at Endymion's actions. 'Perhaps he loved me until Myla came into his life...' The thought seemed to answer her question perfectly, and made Serenity feel worse, if at all possible.
She felt faint all of a sudden, and a rack of sneezes shook her small, fragile frame. Her dress, or what remained of it, clung to her body like a second skin, and her cuts stung. The poor princess did not know where to go or what to do next. She sat down on the entrance steps to the kingdom sullenly, and ran a hand through the tangled mess of blonde hair. 'Should I go back to Endymion and tell him that I still love him?' That seemed like a good idea, and her heart began pounding at the thought of seeing him again. "No," she said out loud to herself, "I cannot continue to love someone who gives his love to another and then lies about it." Still, she wanted so badly to be near his presence, and for him to whisper comforting words into her ear like he once did...and Endymion did say he loved her...
"No!" she suddenly shouted, standing up quickly, "I cannot think about him anymore!" Her hands clenched into fists; Serenity struggled with her internal emotions, whether or not to believe what he stated. "I said so myself; we are over." Somehow, her heart just did not want to believe that.
Endymion felt a tear trickle down his cheek, and hastily wiped it away. "Sere...why must it be this way?" he asked quietly, and looked up at the now cloudless orange sun, illuminated by the sun's golden rays. A bittersweet smile formed on his face; this was exactly how the sky looked the day when the prince laid eyes on Serenity one week ago. That fated day when she stole his heart...
He felt a gentle hand touch his shoulder, and turned around. "Myla..." was all he stated. The princess was somewhat dry, having taken shelter under a particularly large bush during the storm. Her face was sad, and showed a great deal of concern toward Endymion.
"Prince," she acknowledged, "I am sorry..." Myla looked down at her feet, feeling guilty because she was the cause of this. Endymion shook his head, and looked into her dark eyes.
"No, it was not your fault..."
"I feel that if we would not have embraced, this would not happen..."
The dark-haired prince had to agree with that. However, he loosely embraced the young princess to show that he was not angry with her. "It is all right, everything will be worked out," he replied with a small smile, although doubtful of his words. Myla was so much like Serenity...beautiful and possessed that special something. Myla would never be anything more to him than a friend; it only he could convince Serenity of that...
Serenity viewed her surroundings with blank eyes, unseeing and unfeeling. She had lost her other half when she broke up with Endymion. The princess sighed. Life did not seem worth living anymore without love...without Endymion. She kept reminding herself that Myla was much better than she was at everything, from her beauty to manner, and that she would make the perfect wife to Endymion, but that did not help any. There was only one thing to do...she had to somehow stop loving him. 'But how can I stop loving Endymion? How can I forget him?' she asked herself bitterly. 'He is my other half...'
Then, an idea came. At first, it scared the wits out of the princess, though once giving the thought careful consideration, she concluded that it was the best thing to do. Her prince, the one who was her other half, has fallen for another, and Serenity's life was all just a big mess. She would never be happy again, so why not give up on everything? There was only a simple solution to all this, she realized. Endymion could live happily with Myla, and she could be the princess and queen everyone wanted her to be. Not to mention this would forever forbid her from ever regarding Endymion as her soul mate...she could then forget about what once took place between them in time. Serenity was keen to remember that once doing this, Endymion would become her brother. All the Moon Princess had to do was accept her destiny and marry Tranquility... (AN: Yes, I know you're thinking Lisa's crazy! ^^;; But Serenity's depressed!!)
She stood up and clenched her teeth as a wave of dizziness hit her. Her vision grew blurry for a brief period of time before becoming clear again. 'What is happening to me?' Serenity shook away the effects of her still spinning head, and went up the steps leading to her future... She realized that her appearance was not attractive, although she was not the least bit concerned. 'Do not do this,' her heart said, 'you will regret this decision for the rest of your life!' "No," she whispered back, "I do not care what happens to me now."
Queen Serenity's eyes went wide and gasped as Serenity walked up to her, her blue orbs baring no emotion in then whatsoever. The Queen's immediate reaction was to embrace her daughter, tears of relief and happiness streaming down her face. "Thank goodness you are all right, daughter," she said quietly, stoking Serenity's damp hair. Serenity managed to smile at her mother, and hugged back.
"But what happened to you?" She gestured to the torn dress, and the cuts Serenity had on her arms.
"Nothing," Serenity answered calmly, "I am going to marry Tranquility now."
For a second there, the Queen thought that her ears had deceived her. "What?"
"I am going to marry Tranquility," she repeated smoothly, "like you always wanted me to."
Mouth open in shock, the Moon Queen was speechless. What had brought such a drastic change to her? Why, if Queen Serenity recalled correctly, her daughter dreaded marrying that 'horrid' man just that morning!
"Serenity...are you sure?" was all she could say to her daughter, and received an immediate nod as the answer.
"Yes, Mother."
"But what about Endymion..." The Queen stopped when she saw the painful look the princess had on her face. Tears gathered in her already red eyes, but she looked away.
"I do not want to talk about that now."
Serenity brushed by her mother, who reached out a hand to stop her from doing something the Queen knew she would regret, but stopped in midair. 'It is her choice,' she reminded herself gently, though the overwhelming urge to call her daughter back was strong. "I just want you to be happy, and whoever will bring you that happiness–is the one I will agree for you to marry."
Those words stopped Serenity dead in her tracks. Did her mother just agree for Endymion and her to marry? Then realizing that she had to stop loving Endymion, Serenity began walking again.'Even if that was the case,' she sighed, 'he loves another now...' With that thought in mind, Serenity pushed open the doors leading to the ballroom.
All eyes turned to her, and everyone grew silent. Serenity shivered, not out of coldness, but of how she was the center of attention; she hated to be that. Regaining her composure and trying to look as dignified as possible in her rags of clothing, Serenity made her way slowly down the red-carpeted floor for the third time. The first was the practice wedding, then the real one which she had ran from, and now this time, when she was going to marry the man she despised the most. She did not regret this decision though, and firmly believed that spending an eternity with Tranquility would be worse than dying.
Tranquility's eyes widened, then narrowed. His hopes were high that she would not show up again, but there she was, walking down the aisle in her wedding dress, which, he mentally noted, was all torn and soiled. The prince did not care why, nor did he see how Serenity was clearly suffering. No, all he was concerned about was that his plan to marry Myla, the only one he had really shown the gentlemanly side of him to, had failed. He let out a sigh, and nervously ran a hand through his strands of dark hair. 'Stupid Serenity,' he mentally shouted as she neared him, 'why did you not go with Endymion while you had the opportunity?!' The expression on his face remained unreadable as the Moon Princess joined him at the end of the red carpet, and the priest, though somewhat tired, was relieved that the wedding could continue.
The smooth wedding music began playing again, and brightened the tense atmosphere. Queen Gaia smiled at her husband, and gave him a look that said, 'I told you everything was going to work out.' Yet, once seeing how miserable Serenity looked, the smile on her face disappeared. 'Why, the girl looks like she is attending a funeral!' She shook her head, and wondered why Serenity did not run off with her son. But even though the Queen felt sorry for Serenity, she was relieved that Serenity was back. A few coughs were heard from the lords and ladies as they witnessed the couple exchange their vows, seemingly unwillingly. They had been waiting more than an hour for this...
Endymion and Myla stepped out of the gardens, and onto the walkway leading to the entrance of the palace. "I have to find her, to explain everything," he said, and Myla nodded her agreement.
Just then, the cheerful music reached their ears, surprising both of them.
"What is that?"
"Wedding music," was his reply.
"But..why would they play wedding music unless..." Myla covered her mouth with a hand to stifle her gasp.
"Serenity!" Endymion could hardly believe it; why in the world would Serenity go and marry Tranquility, the man she dreaded? The answer came to him in due time. 'Serenity is going to marry Tranquility...to give up her happiness...and end our chance of ever being together!'
"No!" he shouted, "I will not let that happen!"
Myla touched his shoulder, smiling, "Go for it Endymion," she simply stated, "go to your love."
Without another second wasted, Endymion ran as fast as he could...
"Do you, Prince Tranquility of the Earth Kingdom, take Princess Serenity to be your wife?"
There was a pause on Tranquility's part before he answered a quiet and emotionless, "Yes."
"Why do you think Serenity is doing this?" Minako asked Rei, who only shot a concerned look to their princess.
"I wish I knew," she responded in a whisper.
After having met with Queen Serenity who told them Serenity's whereabouts, the senshi and their queen went to the ballroom through another entrance in the back, and took their places beside the King and Queen.
"Do you, Princess Serenity of the Moon Kingdom, take Prince Tranquility to be your husband?"
Now, everyone waited her answer with bated breath. The princess felt dizzy again, but kept still to not attract attention. The dizziness went away after a short while. She began to feel scared. 'Why am I feeling dizzy?' Realizing that everyone was deathly silent, and eyes on her as if awaiting an answer, she realized that the priest had just asked if she wanted to marry Tranquility. No, she really did not, but Serenity looked around at all the people in the room, then at her mother. She had to do this, live up to her destiny. Taking a deep breath, she began to give her answer.
"I d–"
"Wait!"
Just before the last word was spoken, a soaked Endymion burst in the room...
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Okay, I know, you're like, "Is this story EVER going to end?," right? Yes, it will. ^_^ I know this is *really* confusing, but Serenity has *given up* on happiness and love, which is why she goes to marry Tranquility! If you don't agree with me, hey, you don't have to, but this is MY story! ^^ No flames for that, please! So...do you like it or not? *Please* tell me so! Please review, or send me an e-mail at LisaZUMstories@aol.com or Lisafics@sailormoon.com,and visit my co-owned website! I have a question (or two, actually)...is anyone reading this at all? If you are, please tell me so! And what story would you like me to work on? I can do another chapter to this, "Shipwrecked," "To Call You Mine," or whatever story you want! Be sure to tell me, but *also* comment on this story *first!* Thanks! Sorry for the long author's notes. ^^;; Bye!
This story written and posted March, 2002.