Chapter 4
The Arrival
-The Royal Palace on Earth-
"King Endymion? We have just been told that the Princess and her guards are on their way. They should be here in roughly one hour." Said the tall general with long, pale-blue hair. He had been one of Endymion's closest friends in their childhood, as were the other generals. They had each supported him through his father's death and had supported his decision about the treaty with the Moon.
"I know Malachite. When they get here, send word. Lead them to their chambers and bid them a good night. Tell them that I will meet them all in the morning." Said Endymion. He had been exhausted. He had woken up before dawn and had been thinking of his damned dream all day. How could a woman haunt him so? He was tormented by her, and was feeling guilty that he thought of another woman while his soon-to-be wife was almost there. He had a few relationships as a young man, but they had never turned out to be truly serious. He was intimidating as well, over six feet tall, with dark hair that seemed almost blue, and deep, mysterious eyes. He was extremely pleasant to the eye and charming to talk to. He was the very epitome of a royal prince.
"Yes your majesty," and Malachite gracefully bowed and walked out of the room.
Endymion had seriously been thinking about his dream all day. He also wished to have one LONG night's sleep in an attempt to continue the dream. He sighed. "What dreams ever come true? You might as well forget about it before it drives you crazy. Your bride is almost here and the wedding is in four days. Say goodbye to bachelorhood my friend."
As well as thinking about his dream, he had also been strategizing with his generals about the first place to attack on the Moon. They had come up with several choices but had finally picked one. According to the schedule, he was to leave the day after the wedding.
He started to think. "The day after the wedding? That's a little harsh. She doesn't even know me and I'm gonna have to leave right after the honeymoon. Oh crap. The honeymoon." He hadn't even thought about that. It had been quite a while since his last romantic rendezvous. And that had been merely for the fun of it. This time, it was going to be for the political advantages he was getting. He almost felt sorry for the girl. They were both in a similar situation. He didn't know her and she didn't know him. He also wondered if he could possibly grow to love in such a relationship. "Hmm." This one simple thought was enough to pulverize the remains of his "good" day.
Earlier, Endymion had gotten five rooms prepared for his guests. They were all very close to each other, but were on the opposite side of the entire palace from his room. He was sure that she wouldn't feel very comfortable near his room quite yet, so he had arranged this in an attempt to make the Princess feel more secure. Her guards would have the rooms surrounding hers and therefore, she would feel safer. Her room was special in that it had a balcony directly over the palace rose garden. Quite a view if he could say so himself. His father had made sure that the palace had at least one spectacular attribute. The fountains were not enough by themselves so plenty of beautiful roses could help that. Damn. The roses reminded him of his dream. So much for that. He sighed once more. "Damn it Endymion, this is not your day."
"Ahem.your majesty? The Princess and her um.guards are here." Announced Malachite once more.
"Okay then. You know what to do," stated Endymion.
"Yes sir, I will continue." Answered Malachite. He left the room abruptly and went to greet their guests.
Malachite was the first person to greet them. He was surprised when they arrived in a blur of light instead of the usual carriage. He was even more surprised when he saw that the Princess's guards were.well.women. Beautiful women. He hadn't known that guards could be so damned attractive, especially the one with blonde hair. He felt something stir in his chest when his eyes met hers. They surrounded their Princess at his presence, unsure of his intentions. They did this so quickly, he barely even noticed the Princess was there.
He gulped. "Welcome to Earth your highness. I hope you had a pleasant journey. Since you all must be tired, I will show you to your rooms. His majesty, the king, will see you all in the morning."
He led them up the stairs, showing them the elaborate five rooms set up for them in the west wing. They each had a door that led them to the central chamber, the princess' room. He quickly bid them all a good night and told a servant to bring their things up.
Wow. That girl was sure something. He had accidentally let his eyes wander during his little "tour" and had chuckled to himself when he saw aggravation in the eyes of the blonde. She knew that he had been staring.more like drooling when his eyes rested upon the slim body of the beautiful woman. By chance, he had also been eavesdropping on their conversations. He heard her laugh often and wished he could see her smile. He had no idea what her name was or anything else about her, but he would volunteer to find out more. He quickly left them alone in their rooms and went to sleep, hoping to dream about a certain girl with long blonde hair and an easy laugh.
Endymion had once again grown restless. He had tried to sleep but it was futile. He would never see the girl of his dreams again. He decided to take a midnight stroll through the palace gardens. He dressed quickly, and headed outside. As he traversed the grounds, he realized that he had never really taken advantage of the beauty of the palace. The moonlight intensified the feeling of peace and quiet, making everything feel as if in a dream. But of course, he wasn't sleepwalking. He noticed the sound of gushing water, and remembered that the fountains were located towards the front of the palace. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Serenity was tired and nervous all at once. She couldn't remember ever being as nervous as she was at that moment. She and her friends had teleported to the entrance chamber of the Royal Palace. In awe of the splendid décor, she looked around nervously for her betrothed. She immediately saw a tall man with long, light-blue hair. "Could it be?" she thought. He was handsome, but she soon realized that he was not the king. He had greeted them and said that the actual king would be meeting them in the morning. She thought this a tiny bit rude but then realized that it was well after midnight, far too late to be entertaining any guests. After being showed to their rooms and being left alone, the group had a discussion.
"Mina, he was TOTALLY staring at you!" claimed Lita.
"He was NOT staring at me Lita." said Mina, the slightest bit annoyed. She had noticed the man's stare but was not about to admit it. She had blushed when she had first seen him do this, but she soon became angry. She DID NOT like being gawked at like she was some kind of freak show. She remembered that he had introduced himself as Malachite and was almost surprised when she remembered the exact expression on his face when she had first seen him. She thought he was gorgeous. He was polite and charming. He had taken her breath away those first three seconds. But the staring.that HAD to go.
After arguing about other annoying male habits, they all decided it was time to sleep. They would have to be up early in the morning to meet the king, so they all said good night. However, Serena couldn't sleep. Her mind kept wondering about her fiancée and what he might be like. She decided to do a little exploring. She wandered out of the palace and looked up at the stars and the Moon, her home. She was homesick. She stood quietly for a few moments to reflect, and suddenly walked towards a far bench to sit. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Endymion had walked towards the fountains and found himself in a familiar place. There was a bench in an area surrounded by rosebushes overlooking the fountains. "DUH." This was the place from his dream. Except the lake was the moonlight reflecting off the surface of the fountains. He couldn't believe his own stupidity. He had lived there his entire life and had never seen this area of the garden. He looked over the rosebushes and noticed a perfect red rose. "Well, I've got a bench, a beautiful night, a rose, but no girl." He murmured. Suddenly, he heard the sound of footsteps heading towards him. "Okay, this won't be good if one of my subjects sees me holding a rose like this." He thought. He definitely did NOT want to appear as a feminine king. Leaving the rose on the bench, he headed towards the bushes as fast as he could. Serenity had finally gotten to the bench after what seemed like miles. Her feet already ached from the day's journeys and she had already been "exploring" for an hour. She plopped down on the bench and was amazed to see the most perfect red rose she had ever seen. She picked it up gently and wondered who would have left such a treasure alone on a bench. She had always loved roses, since they never grew on the Moon. She looked around her and noticed hundreds of other roses, but the one in her hand stood out to her for some odd reason.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
After carefully sneaking away, he had gotten to the other side of the fountain. He was sure that if someone was still there, he could see whoever it was from this spot. He crept slowly around the fountain, careful enough not to make a sound. Peering out from over the low wall, he saw something familiar.it was the strange light from his dream. Of course, he remembered what the light was in his dream and got an idea. Knowing exactly which path to take and what might lie at the end of it, he headed back towards the bench.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Serenity had been studying the rose for quite some time now. Its petals were bright red and stood out against her pale surroundings. She carefully held its stem, trying not to get pricked by a thorn. She felt at peace, as if no one could find her if she didn't want them to. She was wearing her nightgown, made of a silvery light fabric that felt like silk but wasn't, for silk was rarely used on the Moon. Its neckline was modest, even for her, but was still beautiful. Suddenly, she heard a loud crack and looked behind her with terror. What or who she saw scared her but at the same time made her heart stop. He was the most beautiful man she had ever seen. His hair was the color of night, his eyes.his eyes.she felt mesmerized. But, at the same time, she was terrified because she was alone and vulnerable and then did the only thing she could. At the blink of an eye she was back in her room at the palace, with the rose still in her hand. "WHEW.that was close." She sighed. She didn't know who the beautiful man was, but she knew some people would be willing to kidnap her for a ransom. Now that she was the future queen of Earth, she would now be in more danger than ever. At the back of her mind, she had wanted to stay and confront him, but she knew that could have ended disastrously. She knew she had done the right thing. Quietly, without waking up her friends, she crept back into bed and fell asleep, thinking of the mysterious man in the garden.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * *
"DAMN IT.DAMN IT ALL TO HELL!" cursed Endymion under his breath. He had dreamt it would happen but he still couldn't avoid stepping on the stupid twig now lying broken under his boot. She had vanished, as she had in the dream, but now, he didn't wake up. This made him a slight bit happier than he had been the entire day, since now, he knew that it was possible that his dream girl was real. He started walking back to the palace, angry at first, but he could not stop the smile that was spreading across his face.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Endymion ventured back into his castle and into his chambers. She could be real, or he could be going insane. Maybe it was all the tension and pressure he was now under. He was a mere twenty-four years of age, young for a king, but he had all the responsibilities of his father. Maybe the throne was slowly cracking at his sanity. Or, maybe this girl was a figment of his imagination. Either way, he knew he had to get some sleep. He decided that he HAD to forget about her, because he was meeting his future wife in the morning. No matter how many women he could have, in his heart he knew that only one would do. He could not do that no matter how arrogant he became. His uncle had done the same treacherous act to his aunt, who died heartbroken. In his youth, she had been carefree and loved her husband with all her heart. In the end, he mourned her early death, as did his father. This was one of the many reasons he hated his uncle, another was for motivating his own cousin to betray him.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * *
"Enough." He thought. He had done enough thinking that day. In the morning he would meet his queen and that would be the end of his dream. At least he hoped. He settled into his bed and stared up at the ceiling until his eyes closed. His last thoughts were of the beautiful maiden who vanished with a perfect rose.
Hahahaha.I told you no one would get hurt.:D.stay tuned for the next chapter..like it or not.I accept flames, although not as nicely as I do compliments!.If you're really nice, I might get enough motivation to write a seriously good next chapter huh?
-Tina
-The Royal Palace on Earth-
"King Endymion? We have just been told that the Princess and her guards are on their way. They should be here in roughly one hour." Said the tall general with long, pale-blue hair. He had been one of Endymion's closest friends in their childhood, as were the other generals. They had each supported him through his father's death and had supported his decision about the treaty with the Moon.
"I know Malachite. When they get here, send word. Lead them to their chambers and bid them a good night. Tell them that I will meet them all in the morning." Said Endymion. He had been exhausted. He had woken up before dawn and had been thinking of his damned dream all day. How could a woman haunt him so? He was tormented by her, and was feeling guilty that he thought of another woman while his soon-to-be wife was almost there. He had a few relationships as a young man, but they had never turned out to be truly serious. He was intimidating as well, over six feet tall, with dark hair that seemed almost blue, and deep, mysterious eyes. He was extremely pleasant to the eye and charming to talk to. He was the very epitome of a royal prince.
"Yes your majesty," and Malachite gracefully bowed and walked out of the room.
Endymion had seriously been thinking about his dream all day. He also wished to have one LONG night's sleep in an attempt to continue the dream. He sighed. "What dreams ever come true? You might as well forget about it before it drives you crazy. Your bride is almost here and the wedding is in four days. Say goodbye to bachelorhood my friend."
As well as thinking about his dream, he had also been strategizing with his generals about the first place to attack on the Moon. They had come up with several choices but had finally picked one. According to the schedule, he was to leave the day after the wedding.
He started to think. "The day after the wedding? That's a little harsh. She doesn't even know me and I'm gonna have to leave right after the honeymoon. Oh crap. The honeymoon." He hadn't even thought about that. It had been quite a while since his last romantic rendezvous. And that had been merely for the fun of it. This time, it was going to be for the political advantages he was getting. He almost felt sorry for the girl. They were both in a similar situation. He didn't know her and she didn't know him. He also wondered if he could possibly grow to love in such a relationship. "Hmm." This one simple thought was enough to pulverize the remains of his "good" day.
Earlier, Endymion had gotten five rooms prepared for his guests. They were all very close to each other, but were on the opposite side of the entire palace from his room. He was sure that she wouldn't feel very comfortable near his room quite yet, so he had arranged this in an attempt to make the Princess feel more secure. Her guards would have the rooms surrounding hers and therefore, she would feel safer. Her room was special in that it had a balcony directly over the palace rose garden. Quite a view if he could say so himself. His father had made sure that the palace had at least one spectacular attribute. The fountains were not enough by themselves so plenty of beautiful roses could help that. Damn. The roses reminded him of his dream. So much for that. He sighed once more. "Damn it Endymion, this is not your day."
"Ahem.your majesty? The Princess and her um.guards are here." Announced Malachite once more.
"Okay then. You know what to do," stated Endymion.
"Yes sir, I will continue." Answered Malachite. He left the room abruptly and went to greet their guests.
Malachite was the first person to greet them. He was surprised when they arrived in a blur of light instead of the usual carriage. He was even more surprised when he saw that the Princess's guards were.well.women. Beautiful women. He hadn't known that guards could be so damned attractive, especially the one with blonde hair. He felt something stir in his chest when his eyes met hers. They surrounded their Princess at his presence, unsure of his intentions. They did this so quickly, he barely even noticed the Princess was there.
He gulped. "Welcome to Earth your highness. I hope you had a pleasant journey. Since you all must be tired, I will show you to your rooms. His majesty, the king, will see you all in the morning."
He led them up the stairs, showing them the elaborate five rooms set up for them in the west wing. They each had a door that led them to the central chamber, the princess' room. He quickly bid them all a good night and told a servant to bring their things up.
Wow. That girl was sure something. He had accidentally let his eyes wander during his little "tour" and had chuckled to himself when he saw aggravation in the eyes of the blonde. She knew that he had been staring.more like drooling when his eyes rested upon the slim body of the beautiful woman. By chance, he had also been eavesdropping on their conversations. He heard her laugh often and wished he could see her smile. He had no idea what her name was or anything else about her, but he would volunteer to find out more. He quickly left them alone in their rooms and went to sleep, hoping to dream about a certain girl with long blonde hair and an easy laugh.
Endymion had once again grown restless. He had tried to sleep but it was futile. He would never see the girl of his dreams again. He decided to take a midnight stroll through the palace gardens. He dressed quickly, and headed outside. As he traversed the grounds, he realized that he had never really taken advantage of the beauty of the palace. The moonlight intensified the feeling of peace and quiet, making everything feel as if in a dream. But of course, he wasn't sleepwalking. He noticed the sound of gushing water, and remembered that the fountains were located towards the front of the palace. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Serenity was tired and nervous all at once. She couldn't remember ever being as nervous as she was at that moment. She and her friends had teleported to the entrance chamber of the Royal Palace. In awe of the splendid décor, she looked around nervously for her betrothed. She immediately saw a tall man with long, light-blue hair. "Could it be?" she thought. He was handsome, but she soon realized that he was not the king. He had greeted them and said that the actual king would be meeting them in the morning. She thought this a tiny bit rude but then realized that it was well after midnight, far too late to be entertaining any guests. After being showed to their rooms and being left alone, the group had a discussion.
"Mina, he was TOTALLY staring at you!" claimed Lita.
"He was NOT staring at me Lita." said Mina, the slightest bit annoyed. She had noticed the man's stare but was not about to admit it. She had blushed when she had first seen him do this, but she soon became angry. She DID NOT like being gawked at like she was some kind of freak show. She remembered that he had introduced himself as Malachite and was almost surprised when she remembered the exact expression on his face when she had first seen him. She thought he was gorgeous. He was polite and charming. He had taken her breath away those first three seconds. But the staring.that HAD to go.
After arguing about other annoying male habits, they all decided it was time to sleep. They would have to be up early in the morning to meet the king, so they all said good night. However, Serena couldn't sleep. Her mind kept wondering about her fiancée and what he might be like. She decided to do a little exploring. She wandered out of the palace and looked up at the stars and the Moon, her home. She was homesick. She stood quietly for a few moments to reflect, and suddenly walked towards a far bench to sit. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Endymion had walked towards the fountains and found himself in a familiar place. There was a bench in an area surrounded by rosebushes overlooking the fountains. "DUH." This was the place from his dream. Except the lake was the moonlight reflecting off the surface of the fountains. He couldn't believe his own stupidity. He had lived there his entire life and had never seen this area of the garden. He looked over the rosebushes and noticed a perfect red rose. "Well, I've got a bench, a beautiful night, a rose, but no girl." He murmured. Suddenly, he heard the sound of footsteps heading towards him. "Okay, this won't be good if one of my subjects sees me holding a rose like this." He thought. He definitely did NOT want to appear as a feminine king. Leaving the rose on the bench, he headed towards the bushes as fast as he could. Serenity had finally gotten to the bench after what seemed like miles. Her feet already ached from the day's journeys and she had already been "exploring" for an hour. She plopped down on the bench and was amazed to see the most perfect red rose she had ever seen. She picked it up gently and wondered who would have left such a treasure alone on a bench. She had always loved roses, since they never grew on the Moon. She looked around her and noticed hundreds of other roses, but the one in her hand stood out to her for some odd reason.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
After carefully sneaking away, he had gotten to the other side of the fountain. He was sure that if someone was still there, he could see whoever it was from this spot. He crept slowly around the fountain, careful enough not to make a sound. Peering out from over the low wall, he saw something familiar.it was the strange light from his dream. Of course, he remembered what the light was in his dream and got an idea. Knowing exactly which path to take and what might lie at the end of it, he headed back towards the bench.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Serenity had been studying the rose for quite some time now. Its petals were bright red and stood out against her pale surroundings. She carefully held its stem, trying not to get pricked by a thorn. She felt at peace, as if no one could find her if she didn't want them to. She was wearing her nightgown, made of a silvery light fabric that felt like silk but wasn't, for silk was rarely used on the Moon. Its neckline was modest, even for her, but was still beautiful. Suddenly, she heard a loud crack and looked behind her with terror. What or who she saw scared her but at the same time made her heart stop. He was the most beautiful man she had ever seen. His hair was the color of night, his eyes.his eyes.she felt mesmerized. But, at the same time, she was terrified because she was alone and vulnerable and then did the only thing she could. At the blink of an eye she was back in her room at the palace, with the rose still in her hand. "WHEW.that was close." She sighed. She didn't know who the beautiful man was, but she knew some people would be willing to kidnap her for a ransom. Now that she was the future queen of Earth, she would now be in more danger than ever. At the back of her mind, she had wanted to stay and confront him, but she knew that could have ended disastrously. She knew she had done the right thing. Quietly, without waking up her friends, she crept back into bed and fell asleep, thinking of the mysterious man in the garden.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * *
"DAMN IT.DAMN IT ALL TO HELL!" cursed Endymion under his breath. He had dreamt it would happen but he still couldn't avoid stepping on the stupid twig now lying broken under his boot. She had vanished, as she had in the dream, but now, he didn't wake up. This made him a slight bit happier than he had been the entire day, since now, he knew that it was possible that his dream girl was real. He started walking back to the palace, angry at first, but he could not stop the smile that was spreading across his face.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Endymion ventured back into his castle and into his chambers. She could be real, or he could be going insane. Maybe it was all the tension and pressure he was now under. He was a mere twenty-four years of age, young for a king, but he had all the responsibilities of his father. Maybe the throne was slowly cracking at his sanity. Or, maybe this girl was a figment of his imagination. Either way, he knew he had to get some sleep. He decided that he HAD to forget about her, because he was meeting his future wife in the morning. No matter how many women he could have, in his heart he knew that only one would do. He could not do that no matter how arrogant he became. His uncle had done the same treacherous act to his aunt, who died heartbroken. In his youth, she had been carefree and loved her husband with all her heart. In the end, he mourned her early death, as did his father. This was one of the many reasons he hated his uncle, another was for motivating his own cousin to betray him.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * *
"Enough." He thought. He had done enough thinking that day. In the morning he would meet his queen and that would be the end of his dream. At least he hoped. He settled into his bed and stared up at the ceiling until his eyes closed. His last thoughts were of the beautiful maiden who vanished with a perfect rose.
Hahahaha.I told you no one would get hurt.:D.stay tuned for the next chapter..like it or not.I accept flames, although not as nicely as I do compliments!.If you're really nice, I might get enough motivation to write a seriously good next chapter huh?
-Tina