All right minna, I know it's been awhile and I am sooo sorry (eek). It's been a crazy summer what with finding work and all, but I've figured out how to manage my time *again* Please, please let me know what you think 'cause I LOVE reading reviews. Without you guys there would be no story so thanks ever so much for your support! Standard disclaimer yadda yadda yadda applies (:
Chapter 5
Figures of cornstalk bend in the shadows
Held up tall as the flames leap high
The Green Knight holds the holly bush
To mark where the old year passes by
"Noooooooo!"
Villagers passing by clucked their tongues sympathetically as they watched the silver-haired girl wail and then collapse to the ground and cradle her wounded lover.
Anguish ripped through Serenity's soul as the only man she would ever love lay dying in her arms. Seeing his lifeblood drain from the wound on his chest made something snap within her and she wracked her mind wildly for a way to make the pain stop. Her pain, his pain, they were so intertwined she couldn't tell the difference.
Forcing herself not to think of the consequences of her actions, a pale-faced Serenity thrust her hand inside her dress and grabbed the crystal on the end of the silver chain. Closing her eyes, she could feel the power start to unfurl within her and channel itself through her body and into the crystal, awakening the gem's own potent power.
With no time for finesse, Serenity encased the surrounding people in a hazy fog of forgetfulness. No doubt they would start to panic if they saw what she was about to do, and she needed total concentration. Not to mention what would happen if word got back to the Moon Council regarding what she was about to do . . .
Wrapped in a haze, blocked from prying and concerned eyes by the crystal's enchanting power, Serenity placed her hands on Mamoru's bloody chest. Silver light eerily engulfed the slim fingers as the healing power of the Moon Princess flowed into Mamoru's body.
The connection between them intensified as Serenity completely let her mind guard down and linked her mind to his weakened one.
She could feel the automatic resistance, but she squashed the twinge of guilt at taking advantage of his weakened state to search his psyche. He would heal faster if their minds were linked, and if she couldn't help if she saw something about his past, could she?
Flashes of memory flickered around Serenity like a candle in a dark room. She saw a young dark-haired boy playing at warrior with his best friends when they were supposed to be studying Latin. Scenes from battle were soon followed by a whirlwind of colors, perhaps of people dancing. The tinkling of ladies' laughter invaded Serenity's mind along with the outlines of four men, fuzzy at first . . .
And then Serenity felt the strength of the bond that Mamoru had with these four special men. Stronger than blood, they were a part of him just as he was a part of each of them. She saw a grim face with long brown hair supporting Mamoru after a battle. She saw a smiling face with long reddish-blondish hair next to a laughing face with short blonde hair singing lustily one night in a dark tavern.
And then she saw a stern silver-eyed face cloaked by long silver hair cry out "Endymion" and turn to face her. The pain and anger in his face made Serenity cringe and she could feel the red waves of accusation dash over her.
Serenity retreated instantly and broke the mind link. Had she been sensed by the man with eyes of silver flame or was she just being fanciful? She shivered and forced herself to relax her tense frame and focus on Mamoru, no *Endymion*
As the Gingzhouso's silver light Endymion's body, bruises faded, tissue and bone knit, and skin smoothed. His weak shallow breathing changed into deeper, less painful breaths with each passing second.
However, Serenity's breathing grew labored as she sensed the seeping of her own energy. The Gingzhouso was as any aspect of life- a medium of both good and bad. It had the power to heal and to hurt. To give and to take. For the privilege of tapping into its awesome power the crystal extracted a heavy price. If one went to far, the price could ultimately be death.
As the color returned to Endymion's cheeks, Serenity's own face began to pale. As strength and health returned to his broken body, so was strength and energy seeping from his savior's own thin frame.
With a weak sigh Serenity removed her hands from Endymion's chest and let them hang limply at her side. Her prince slept soundly, his head cushioned in her lap, his hand coming up to lie comfortingly on her thigh. The rising sun caught the vibrant blue-black highlights in his hair.
Gingerly massaging her hands, Serenity stared down at the worn face of the man she had plucked from Death's Doorstep.
But not just any man. Oh no, she just had to go and fall in love with the Crown Prince of Earth.
'Now you've really done it Sere,' she whispered tiredly. How was she going to explain her actions to the Moon Council? She could just hear herself now- "By the way Prime Minister, I used the special power of the Gingzhouso to heal the Earth Prince. Oh, and I fell in love with him too."
The Prime Minister would probably have a stroke. Serenity laughed softly, but her smile faded when she sat back and really thought about what she had just done. Endymion was one of the most controversial figures in the galaxy. His super liberal policies on unions and public services had made him many enemies in the galaxy. Sometime ally sometime enemy of the Moon Kingdom, Endymion was responsible for working with her, through their respective diplomats, to ratify the recent trade agreement between Earth and the Moon. An agreement that had sparked dissent on both sides before the ink had dried.
'If they find out what I am done, they'll say I'm not fit to rule. Using the Moon's precious power on someone not even from the Moon. Without permission.' Serenity realized. An angry tear rolled down Serenity's cheek. It wasn't fair. There had been no other choice. If she hadn't used the crystal, Endymion would have *died*
So which was worse, having your love's death on your conscience or illegally harnessing a power to save him? She knew what her Council would say. She knew what her mother would say. Was she being selfish? Or selfless?
Looking down, Serenity absently touched two fingers to Endymion's cheek. She wished she could regret her decision to come to the hills, but she would be lying to herself.
'I know everything about him,' she thought strangely, 'and yet I know nothing about him.' She knew about his best friends, his four Guardians. She knew his worries about rebellions in the South, his courage, his recklessness, his loneliness. She knew about his dreams. But she didn't know what made him laugh. Or why he embraced his role as Prince one day and rejected it the next. And she didn't know why he had paid any attention to an awkward girl like her.
Goddess, had this awkward girl gotten herself into a whole lot of trouble. Serenity could have sat there holding Endymion until the end of eternity, but the practical side drilled into her since birth knew that he would awaken soon. And ask lots of difficult and dangerous questions. Tension was high between the people of their planets, despite the treaty, and she needed to return to the castle before people started thinking she had shirked her duty and run off. Or worse, before Endymion's friends came looking for him. And come they would, especially after her little debacle with tapping into their mind ties.
The crystal had seeped a lot of her strength, but Serenity considered it a fair trade. The fog of forgetfulness would be lifting in a few minutes and Serenity wanted to be remembered as a figment of everyone's imagination. Including Endymion's.
Goddess, could she do it? Could she bear remembering when he would not? Leaning over, she lay her thumb tenderly on his cheek and pressed her lips lightly to his. She would be a hazy outline, just some vague recollection of a village girl, no more, no less.
But she had to have something to remember him by. Leaning over, she picked up his harp and ran her fingers over the worn and polished wood. It was his, and she would treasure it forever.
"Goodbye Endymion . . . my love," Serenity whispered, her breath feathering over Endymion's eyelids and cheeks. She stood and forced her body to walk away, one painful step at a time. A feeling of uneasiness slithered over her skin as she left her sleeping prince.
Turning around she saw Endymion still lying peacefully, but something wasn't right. In her gut, Serenity knew Endymion was not out of danger yet. Someone had wanted to kill him, and they would find out soon enough that their attack had failed. Torn between action and passiveness, Serenity hurried along toward the castle. She needed to talk to Mina and the girls, quickly.
* * * * * * *
Endymion's eyelashes fluttered as he slowly opened his eyes. A smile curved his lips as he heard her tender proclamation, "Goodbye Endymion . . . my love," repeated over and over by the wind as though relishing the sound.
As his mind slid into full awakening, the lingering thought disappeared to be replaced by confusion. Why was he lying on hardy stony ground? Struggling to sit up, he glanced around and noticed the charcoal blackness of bonfire embers and the lingering remains of trash. Last night returned to him in flickers and flashes.
He remembered music and dancing. And singing. But when he looked around he couldn't find his harp anywhere. But he had brought it, hadn't he? He couldn't seem to remember anything too clearly. Just lots of shapes and colors. And getting hit by an arrow in the chest.
"Goddess!" Endymion jolted and touched his chest anxiously. Where there should have been a gaping hole and an arrow, there was nothing but smooth skin and stickiness from dried blood. What in the Goddess's name had happened? The last thing he remembered was getting hit and the vague memory of someone crying, but . . .But there was no one on Earth, save himself, his mother, and his Guardians who possessed even a tenth of the power required for such a massive healing. And he was all alone.
Something or someone . . . definitely someone had plucked him from Death's door and dropped him back into the land of the living. He could make out a soft voice whispering something, but he couldn't remember her face . . .
"Agh!" Endymion gritted his teeth in frustration. Why couldn't he remember? It was damnably annoying. Not to mention suspicious.
He *had* to find her . . . Her? If he told her how much he loved her, how he wanted to marry her, then maybe . . .
'Where was this coming from?' Endymion shook his head in confusion and tried to make sense of the swirling emotions overwhelming his thoughts. He must have hit his head when he fell down. Attempting to stand, Endymion suddenly felt a tugging at his mind.
Relief, confusion, and anger poured into his mind like water bursting through a crack in a dam. Following close on the heels of the emotions, four men came riding up a path. Dust swirled as the men urged their mounts toward the lone man on the hillside.
"Endy!" Nephrite leaped from his mount and leaned over to grip Endymion's shoulders. The other three immediately encircled their Crown Prince, worry and relief evident on their faces.
"We all sensed a disturbance in Earth's auras after you left, my Prince," Kunzite stated grimly, "And I felt when the arrow entered your chest."
His Guardians looked at him curiously, for while his shirt was covered in blood his skin was as smooth as a newborn baby.
"What happened?" Zoiciste asked angrily as Jadeite reached down and helped Endymion stand. He had to lean heavily on his Guardian's shoulder, but he gave his friends, who were closer than brothers, a cheeky grin.
"Before or after the shooting?" Endymion asked wryly. "Before I can tell you everything, even the names of all the village lasses I danced with. After . . .I remember nothing."
"Nothing? You don't know why no one stayed to help you? Or who eventually healed you?" Nephrite and Zoicite barraged Endymion with questions as to his whereabouts immediately before the assassination attempt. Jadeite smiled slyly and asked Endymion about all the beautiful village lasses. However, amidst the jokings and questions was a hint of fear and worry. Someone wanted Endymion dead very badly.
Kunzite stood slightly separated from the group, his expression grim as he gazed down thoughtfully at the scattering of villages in the valley. As he had prepared his horse to ride up the steep hills, he had felt someone probing the mind-link between he and his Prince. Someone powerful. Someone not from Earth.
With rebellions breaking out every few months in other regions of Earth, Kunzite had long grown wary of coincidences. A powerful off-worlder is with the Prince at the exact moment he is shot. Kunzite deduced that this same foreigner had probably healed Endymion. But for what purpose? Had he or she been hired by one of the rebel groups to kill the Endymion? But then why heal him? Was Endymion even the intended target?
"Endymion," he broke in abruptly, his silver eyes flashing, "I need a step by step account of everything you did, everyone you talked to at the celebration last night." At the curious looks from the other Guardians, Kunzite ran his hand through his hair, the only evidence of agitation.
Would he reveal his suspicions? It was too soon to know anything.
"When you were shot Endy, I sensed a power with you. The same person who healed you, most likely." Kunzite never raised his voice, but it was terrifying in its softness.
The others stared at him in amazement and Zoicite asked incredulously, "You think he or she was involved in the assassination attempt? Or the actual assassin?"
"Perhaps," Kunizte replied stonily, "but there are too many what ifs. He or she must be found immediately and brought in for questioning."
"She." Endymion said softly.
"What?" Jadeite turned toward his Prince. "What did you say Endy?"
"Not he, she," Endymion repeated, certainty threaded in his voice, "It was a woman. I can see her hair, silver as moonbeams . . .that's all I can remember."
"That's something to go on anyway. Jadeite and Nephrite, I want you to go the three villages immediately surrounding the Royal Palace and start inquiries. Zoicite, discreetly make a list of all visiting royalty and diplomats, especially the women."
At their brisk nods in the affirmative, Kunzite turned to Endymion motioned toward a white horse. "Endymion, use my horse to return to the Palace. I will walk down later after I have looked around a bit."
With the sun burning his face and the wind pushing rudely at his back, Endymion glanced at his most trusted friends, masking his anger and confusion. Oh, he'd go back to the Palace, but not to rest. No, there was more to this shooting than met the eye. Goddess, but he hated the not remembering. Something important had happened last night, and Endymion had the gut feeling that this girl was at the center of everything. HE had to find her, and quickly.
Meanwhile, in the nearby castle of a minor baron, a young silver-haired girl quaked from tension and highly-strung nerves. She quickly and quietly climbed a set of servants' steps to escape prying eyes.
Entering her room unseen, she was halted in her tracks by the hauntingly cruel rustle of sound entering her guestroom window. Was it the wind, or . . . Serenity shivered as a feeling of icy coldness overtook her slim frame. Whatever it was, it was biting, ruthless, and angry. Goddess protect her from that anger, an anger that she subconsciously knew was directed at her.
Serenity flipped silver strands over her shoulder and reached inside her shirt to grasp warmth and comfort from her crystal that carried the essence of the Moon in its very stillness. But her hands touched only skin.
A cry of sorrow burst from the Moon Princess's room, and in the distance the Crown Prince of Earth noticed a twinkling near his boot and reached to the hard ground. Grasping the necklace with the large crystal, a hint of gloating replaced the initial puzzlement.
"Gotcha," Endymion whispered, a promise burning in his sapphire eyes.
The hunt was on.
* * * * *
Chapter 5
Figures of cornstalk bend in the shadows
Held up tall as the flames leap high
The Green Knight holds the holly bush
To mark where the old year passes by
"Noooooooo!"
Villagers passing by clucked their tongues sympathetically as they watched the silver-haired girl wail and then collapse to the ground and cradle her wounded lover.
Anguish ripped through Serenity's soul as the only man she would ever love lay dying in her arms. Seeing his lifeblood drain from the wound on his chest made something snap within her and she wracked her mind wildly for a way to make the pain stop. Her pain, his pain, they were so intertwined she couldn't tell the difference.
Forcing herself not to think of the consequences of her actions, a pale-faced Serenity thrust her hand inside her dress and grabbed the crystal on the end of the silver chain. Closing her eyes, she could feel the power start to unfurl within her and channel itself through her body and into the crystal, awakening the gem's own potent power.
With no time for finesse, Serenity encased the surrounding people in a hazy fog of forgetfulness. No doubt they would start to panic if they saw what she was about to do, and she needed total concentration. Not to mention what would happen if word got back to the Moon Council regarding what she was about to do . . .
Wrapped in a haze, blocked from prying and concerned eyes by the crystal's enchanting power, Serenity placed her hands on Mamoru's bloody chest. Silver light eerily engulfed the slim fingers as the healing power of the Moon Princess flowed into Mamoru's body.
The connection between them intensified as Serenity completely let her mind guard down and linked her mind to his weakened one.
She could feel the automatic resistance, but she squashed the twinge of guilt at taking advantage of his weakened state to search his psyche. He would heal faster if their minds were linked, and if she couldn't help if she saw something about his past, could she?
Flashes of memory flickered around Serenity like a candle in a dark room. She saw a young dark-haired boy playing at warrior with his best friends when they were supposed to be studying Latin. Scenes from battle were soon followed by a whirlwind of colors, perhaps of people dancing. The tinkling of ladies' laughter invaded Serenity's mind along with the outlines of four men, fuzzy at first . . .
And then Serenity felt the strength of the bond that Mamoru had with these four special men. Stronger than blood, they were a part of him just as he was a part of each of them. She saw a grim face with long brown hair supporting Mamoru after a battle. She saw a smiling face with long reddish-blondish hair next to a laughing face with short blonde hair singing lustily one night in a dark tavern.
And then she saw a stern silver-eyed face cloaked by long silver hair cry out "Endymion" and turn to face her. The pain and anger in his face made Serenity cringe and she could feel the red waves of accusation dash over her.
Serenity retreated instantly and broke the mind link. Had she been sensed by the man with eyes of silver flame or was she just being fanciful? She shivered and forced herself to relax her tense frame and focus on Mamoru, no *Endymion*
As the Gingzhouso's silver light Endymion's body, bruises faded, tissue and bone knit, and skin smoothed. His weak shallow breathing changed into deeper, less painful breaths with each passing second.
However, Serenity's breathing grew labored as she sensed the seeping of her own energy. The Gingzhouso was as any aspect of life- a medium of both good and bad. It had the power to heal and to hurt. To give and to take. For the privilege of tapping into its awesome power the crystal extracted a heavy price. If one went to far, the price could ultimately be death.
As the color returned to Endymion's cheeks, Serenity's own face began to pale. As strength and health returned to his broken body, so was strength and energy seeping from his savior's own thin frame.
With a weak sigh Serenity removed her hands from Endymion's chest and let them hang limply at her side. Her prince slept soundly, his head cushioned in her lap, his hand coming up to lie comfortingly on her thigh. The rising sun caught the vibrant blue-black highlights in his hair.
Gingerly massaging her hands, Serenity stared down at the worn face of the man she had plucked from Death's Doorstep.
But not just any man. Oh no, she just had to go and fall in love with the Crown Prince of Earth.
'Now you've really done it Sere,' she whispered tiredly. How was she going to explain her actions to the Moon Council? She could just hear herself now- "By the way Prime Minister, I used the special power of the Gingzhouso to heal the Earth Prince. Oh, and I fell in love with him too."
The Prime Minister would probably have a stroke. Serenity laughed softly, but her smile faded when she sat back and really thought about what she had just done. Endymion was one of the most controversial figures in the galaxy. His super liberal policies on unions and public services had made him many enemies in the galaxy. Sometime ally sometime enemy of the Moon Kingdom, Endymion was responsible for working with her, through their respective diplomats, to ratify the recent trade agreement between Earth and the Moon. An agreement that had sparked dissent on both sides before the ink had dried.
'If they find out what I am done, they'll say I'm not fit to rule. Using the Moon's precious power on someone not even from the Moon. Without permission.' Serenity realized. An angry tear rolled down Serenity's cheek. It wasn't fair. There had been no other choice. If she hadn't used the crystal, Endymion would have *died*
So which was worse, having your love's death on your conscience or illegally harnessing a power to save him? She knew what her Council would say. She knew what her mother would say. Was she being selfish? Or selfless?
Looking down, Serenity absently touched two fingers to Endymion's cheek. She wished she could regret her decision to come to the hills, but she would be lying to herself.
'I know everything about him,' she thought strangely, 'and yet I know nothing about him.' She knew about his best friends, his four Guardians. She knew his worries about rebellions in the South, his courage, his recklessness, his loneliness. She knew about his dreams. But she didn't know what made him laugh. Or why he embraced his role as Prince one day and rejected it the next. And she didn't know why he had paid any attention to an awkward girl like her.
Goddess, had this awkward girl gotten herself into a whole lot of trouble. Serenity could have sat there holding Endymion until the end of eternity, but the practical side drilled into her since birth knew that he would awaken soon. And ask lots of difficult and dangerous questions. Tension was high between the people of their planets, despite the treaty, and she needed to return to the castle before people started thinking she had shirked her duty and run off. Or worse, before Endymion's friends came looking for him. And come they would, especially after her little debacle with tapping into their mind ties.
The crystal had seeped a lot of her strength, but Serenity considered it a fair trade. The fog of forgetfulness would be lifting in a few minutes and Serenity wanted to be remembered as a figment of everyone's imagination. Including Endymion's.
Goddess, could she do it? Could she bear remembering when he would not? Leaning over, she lay her thumb tenderly on his cheek and pressed her lips lightly to his. She would be a hazy outline, just some vague recollection of a village girl, no more, no less.
But she had to have something to remember him by. Leaning over, she picked up his harp and ran her fingers over the worn and polished wood. It was his, and she would treasure it forever.
"Goodbye Endymion . . . my love," Serenity whispered, her breath feathering over Endymion's eyelids and cheeks. She stood and forced her body to walk away, one painful step at a time. A feeling of uneasiness slithered over her skin as she left her sleeping prince.
Turning around she saw Endymion still lying peacefully, but something wasn't right. In her gut, Serenity knew Endymion was not out of danger yet. Someone had wanted to kill him, and they would find out soon enough that their attack had failed. Torn between action and passiveness, Serenity hurried along toward the castle. She needed to talk to Mina and the girls, quickly.
* * * * * * *
Endymion's eyelashes fluttered as he slowly opened his eyes. A smile curved his lips as he heard her tender proclamation, "Goodbye Endymion . . . my love," repeated over and over by the wind as though relishing the sound.
As his mind slid into full awakening, the lingering thought disappeared to be replaced by confusion. Why was he lying on hardy stony ground? Struggling to sit up, he glanced around and noticed the charcoal blackness of bonfire embers and the lingering remains of trash. Last night returned to him in flickers and flashes.
He remembered music and dancing. And singing. But when he looked around he couldn't find his harp anywhere. But he had brought it, hadn't he? He couldn't seem to remember anything too clearly. Just lots of shapes and colors. And getting hit by an arrow in the chest.
"Goddess!" Endymion jolted and touched his chest anxiously. Where there should have been a gaping hole and an arrow, there was nothing but smooth skin and stickiness from dried blood. What in the Goddess's name had happened? The last thing he remembered was getting hit and the vague memory of someone crying, but . . .But there was no one on Earth, save himself, his mother, and his Guardians who possessed even a tenth of the power required for such a massive healing. And he was all alone.
Something or someone . . . definitely someone had plucked him from Death's door and dropped him back into the land of the living. He could make out a soft voice whispering something, but he couldn't remember her face . . .
"Agh!" Endymion gritted his teeth in frustration. Why couldn't he remember? It was damnably annoying. Not to mention suspicious.
He *had* to find her . . . Her? If he told her how much he loved her, how he wanted to marry her, then maybe . . .
'Where was this coming from?' Endymion shook his head in confusion and tried to make sense of the swirling emotions overwhelming his thoughts. He must have hit his head when he fell down. Attempting to stand, Endymion suddenly felt a tugging at his mind.
Relief, confusion, and anger poured into his mind like water bursting through a crack in a dam. Following close on the heels of the emotions, four men came riding up a path. Dust swirled as the men urged their mounts toward the lone man on the hillside.
"Endy!" Nephrite leaped from his mount and leaned over to grip Endymion's shoulders. The other three immediately encircled their Crown Prince, worry and relief evident on their faces.
"We all sensed a disturbance in Earth's auras after you left, my Prince," Kunzite stated grimly, "And I felt when the arrow entered your chest."
His Guardians looked at him curiously, for while his shirt was covered in blood his skin was as smooth as a newborn baby.
"What happened?" Zoiciste asked angrily as Jadeite reached down and helped Endymion stand. He had to lean heavily on his Guardian's shoulder, but he gave his friends, who were closer than brothers, a cheeky grin.
"Before or after the shooting?" Endymion asked wryly. "Before I can tell you everything, even the names of all the village lasses I danced with. After . . .I remember nothing."
"Nothing? You don't know why no one stayed to help you? Or who eventually healed you?" Nephrite and Zoicite barraged Endymion with questions as to his whereabouts immediately before the assassination attempt. Jadeite smiled slyly and asked Endymion about all the beautiful village lasses. However, amidst the jokings and questions was a hint of fear and worry. Someone wanted Endymion dead very badly.
Kunzite stood slightly separated from the group, his expression grim as he gazed down thoughtfully at the scattering of villages in the valley. As he had prepared his horse to ride up the steep hills, he had felt someone probing the mind-link between he and his Prince. Someone powerful. Someone not from Earth.
With rebellions breaking out every few months in other regions of Earth, Kunzite had long grown wary of coincidences. A powerful off-worlder is with the Prince at the exact moment he is shot. Kunzite deduced that this same foreigner had probably healed Endymion. But for what purpose? Had he or she been hired by one of the rebel groups to kill the Endymion? But then why heal him? Was Endymion even the intended target?
"Endymion," he broke in abruptly, his silver eyes flashing, "I need a step by step account of everything you did, everyone you talked to at the celebration last night." At the curious looks from the other Guardians, Kunzite ran his hand through his hair, the only evidence of agitation.
Would he reveal his suspicions? It was too soon to know anything.
"When you were shot Endy, I sensed a power with you. The same person who healed you, most likely." Kunzite never raised his voice, but it was terrifying in its softness.
The others stared at him in amazement and Zoicite asked incredulously, "You think he or she was involved in the assassination attempt? Or the actual assassin?"
"Perhaps," Kunizte replied stonily, "but there are too many what ifs. He or she must be found immediately and brought in for questioning."
"She." Endymion said softly.
"What?" Jadeite turned toward his Prince. "What did you say Endy?"
"Not he, she," Endymion repeated, certainty threaded in his voice, "It was a woman. I can see her hair, silver as moonbeams . . .that's all I can remember."
"That's something to go on anyway. Jadeite and Nephrite, I want you to go the three villages immediately surrounding the Royal Palace and start inquiries. Zoicite, discreetly make a list of all visiting royalty and diplomats, especially the women."
At their brisk nods in the affirmative, Kunzite turned to Endymion motioned toward a white horse. "Endymion, use my horse to return to the Palace. I will walk down later after I have looked around a bit."
With the sun burning his face and the wind pushing rudely at his back, Endymion glanced at his most trusted friends, masking his anger and confusion. Oh, he'd go back to the Palace, but not to rest. No, there was more to this shooting than met the eye. Goddess, but he hated the not remembering. Something important had happened last night, and Endymion had the gut feeling that this girl was at the center of everything. HE had to find her, and quickly.
Meanwhile, in the nearby castle of a minor baron, a young silver-haired girl quaked from tension and highly-strung nerves. She quickly and quietly climbed a set of servants' steps to escape prying eyes.
Entering her room unseen, she was halted in her tracks by the hauntingly cruel rustle of sound entering her guestroom window. Was it the wind, or . . . Serenity shivered as a feeling of icy coldness overtook her slim frame. Whatever it was, it was biting, ruthless, and angry. Goddess protect her from that anger, an anger that she subconsciously knew was directed at her.
Serenity flipped silver strands over her shoulder and reached inside her shirt to grasp warmth and comfort from her crystal that carried the essence of the Moon in its very stillness. But her hands touched only skin.
A cry of sorrow burst from the Moon Princess's room, and in the distance the Crown Prince of Earth noticed a twinkling near his boot and reached to the hard ground. Grasping the necklace with the large crystal, a hint of gloating replaced the initial puzzlement.
"Gotcha," Endymion whispered, a promise burning in his sapphire eyes.
The hunt was on.
* * * * *
