Hi everyone!!! I want to apologize to all my fans for the ridiculously long gap between my postings- you all have stuck by me through writer's block and college craziness and I really really appreciate it! The title of this story is loosely based on the song 'All Souls Night' by Loreena McKennitt (very very good stuff, I promise). Thank you for all your glowing reviews :) they are really inspirational. So keep 'em coming!
Standard disclaimer applies (duh!)
All Souls Night
Chapter 9
'You never answered my question . . ..' Endymion's husky words echoed in Serenity's ears. She vaguely heard him tell his friends that he was taking her to the gardens and grabbed on for dear life as her heart strode across the immense ballroom and whisked her out the door.
Stars twinkled merrily in the dark wash of night sky as if greeting the powerful royals. Endymion paused next to an ornately carved stone bench and gently sat, cradling the slight figure in his lap. Together they sat, silent, gazes locked in the nakedness of the night. A shimmering silver aura shyly reached out and touched a tumultuous blue and green cloud, and as the colors eased carefully around and through each other the Prince of Earth and the Princess of the Moon felt their faces moving closer and closer together.
His grip tightened around her waist and his eyes sparkled with relief, happiness . . .expectancy. Her arms wrapped around his neck and her eyes glowed blue angel fire. Softly, reverently, noses bumped and a rose petal's softness separated mouths...breathing together, hearts beating together as one. Together. Whole.
"Well?" Endymion's words broke the silence as they skimmed Serenity's mouth and the tingling in her spine drew a gasp from her lips. The second stretched tautly in silence.
Her heart glowed in triumph as Serenity broke down her emotional walls ('Goddess help me') and laid her soul bare, whispering into Endymion's mouth, "Why ask a question to which you already know the answer?"
And then she closed the hair's breath gap with her lips and crystals burst behind her eyelids as the Earth roared her approval. And then Endymion was gripping her and his lips were...well, Serenity couldn't think very much after that.
Energy crackled in the air as the wind grew stronger and whipped leaves and flower petals in possessive arcs around the lovers. The ground rumbled in disquiet as raw power rose and engulfed the oblivious couple.
'I am yours Endymion, forever.' Serenity vowed silently as silver power hit gold and two souls were made one. Together. Whole. *Complete*
* * * * * *
The red-haired noblewoman gave one last cursory glance at the duke lying sprawled on the bed before turning to leave the ornate room, a satisfied smile on her face. The duke thought her a simpering idiot who would be flattered by his attentions, and she had played the part to her fullest advantage. Now she inside knowledge of some of the key players in the Lunar-Terran trade negotiations- knowledge she was planning to use immediately.
Arriving in a sitting room undetected, Lady Beryl listened carefully as the nobles around her raved about the night's deadly turn. Snatches of "assassins entering the palace" and "attacks on the Moon Princess" danced around the room like ballerinas as the royal Terran court tried to deal with the implications.
Lady Beryl simply sat and made noncommittal remarks and sympathetic noises as she waited impatiently for news on the Moon Princess's condition. The Dowager Queen had been circling amongst the guests, trying to keep everyone calm, but the events had taken their toll and many guests had retired to their rooms in shock.
And then, Lord Kunzite, Head Guardian to the Prince entered from the hallway and stood in front of the Dowager Queen, announcing loudly, "His Royal Highness, Prince Endymion has successfully healed the Princess of the Moon!" Amid cheers of joy and pride for the Prince and relief that the Moon would not bring war on their heads for killing the Moon Princess, a pair of green eyes glittered murderously. Rage hidden perfectly behind her face a mask of composure, Lady Beryl bowed to the Queen and left the room, her mind working furiously.
'How could this have happened!" She screamed silently. Twice the moon brat had escaped her snares, always hiding behind Endymion. Beryl glowered as she entered her room, her reflection in the mirror a mask of madness. The Earth had the right to rule the universe, but that could not happen as long as the Moon Kingdom held such immense power. Serenity had to die. Only then could Earth take its rightful place as supreme ruler...only then could Endymion be hers...
Possessiveness coursed through her like a molten river. Endymion deserved someone worthy, a Terran who would help him when he became sovereign of all. And that Terran was she.
"Goodbye Princess." Beryl whispered into the deathly silence. It was time for phase two.
* * * * * *
"We really should go inside now," Serenity murmured languidly. Endymion's arms were so warm and his lips were so...hmmm, she could sit here kissing him for days. But the Sky was already turning throbbing with hues of pink and orange in anticipation of the Sun's arrival. And her Prince had duties to attend to. *sigh*
Endymion groaned teasingly and watched as the love of his life burst into giggles. He felt himself smiling foolishly in return and marveled silently. In all of his life full of indulgence of his every whim he had never expected to be granted so precious a gift as this. Overwhelming feelings of completeness flooded his soul as he held Serenity in his arms, and all the tension he had been exhibiting over the past few months was washed away with a soothing tenderness.
"Before I leave you," Endymion said to Serenity adoringly, "I must tell you that I wish for us to wed as soon as possible. I've waited so long for you, and I don't think I can wait very much longer."
Serenity stared at Endymion with wide eyes, unable to hide her emotions from him. As much as she loved Endymion, Serenity thought an immediate wedding was moving things a little too quickly. She still had important duties waiting for her on the Moon, not to mention the diplomatic protocol that would have to be followed, and what if her mother was too sick to travel to Earth for the wedding, and what if the Moon Council decided they didn't want such a strong tie to Earth after all, and-
"Serenity?" Endymion's voice brought the Moon Princess sharply back from her musings, and at the hesitant look on his face, all her practical concerns melted away in a puddle of irrelevance. Serenity knew that this man had not had the luxury of being hesitant on anything in his life, and the vulnerability he was exposing to *her* made her soul glow.
"I cannot wait either," Serenity said breathlessly and laughed as Endymion swooped her up and swung her in his arms around and around, her gown fluttering madly around her legs. The pins holding her silver hair up had long since been removed by Endymion's clever fingers, and the waves of shimmering silk fell around her like a protective cloak.
"I will start making preparations immediately!" Endymion's turbulent eyes glowed with happiness, and as he walked Serenity to a prepared room in the guest wing, his thoughts whirled with all the steps he would have to take to marry a Moon Princess.
"Sleep well, my love." Serenity gently kissed Endymion again at her door and closed it behind her as he started to walk away. And then she remembered and the remembering hit her so hard she gasped out loud in alarm. She had to tell him about the accident on the Moon! How could it have slipped her mind? The Moon Council was counting on her to prevent war between the Earth and her planet.
But for those few blissful hours she hadn't been thinking about her duties or responsibilities. She hadn't been planning an approach to informing the Terrans of the incident. And Goddess help her, she hadn't even been thinking of her mother.
The pleasure had washed all else away until all that was left was Endymion and their perfect love. So there was the danger, and Serenity did not care for the insidious wisps of foreboding that curled around her heart like a silent snake. Doubt had no place in her heart. She would do her duty and she would have her love if it killed her.
'But what if you had to choose?' The sibilant whisper invaded her consciousness and burrowed deep into her thoughts.
And try as she might, Serenity could not get that thought out of her mind.
* * * * * *
A proclamation was made to the royal court later that day announcing the betrothal between the Crown Prince Endymion and the Moon Princess Serenity. Amidst the cheers of celebration and beaming gaze of the Dowager Queen there were a few grumblings and one outright glare.
"The Moon has no business trying to take over our planet," people whispered, and one green-eyed face smiled smugly at the few pockets of murmurs in the crowd. Not everyone was pleased with the turn of events, and while doubt and mistrust could be fostered at present, the time would soon be ripe for action. But for now... Lady Beryl secured the letter hidden under a ribbon in her sleeve and quietly left the great room. One of the Prince's trusted Guardians would soon be finding the compromising letter implicating the Princess of involvement with terrorist activities against Earth. And oh, how would the Moon Princess get herself out of that one?
* * * * * *
As the Lady Beryl plotted gleefully inside the castle, a rather harried young man rode up to the main gates on a well-lathered horse. The wind had picked up, whipping the banners and flags hanging on the palace into a frenzy. The sky began to darken like ink dripping into pure water. As if the dark weather was but a harbinger for dark times to come.
Pulling up before the guards, the man fell from the horse in exhaustion and stumbled toward the nearest sentinel. Beads to sweat poured down his face and dirt and dampness covered the man's thin frame, but the guard could make out the colors of the livery of a royal messenger.
"An urgent message for his Highness," the man wheezed, handing the sentinel some papers from his satchel.
The papers were snatched and taken to a palace messenger, and the young man leaned wearily against his loudly breathing horse before straightening to take it to the royal stables.
"Is everything all right?" Called one of the guards, noting the worn and dirty messenger's grim expression. The sun cast a shadow over the man, but the guard managed to make out the bleakness leaking from his eyes as he turned around.
"Nothing will ever be all right again." The man answered huskily. "Lord Motoki is dead."
Standard disclaimer applies (duh!)
All Souls Night
Chapter 9
'You never answered my question . . ..' Endymion's husky words echoed in Serenity's ears. She vaguely heard him tell his friends that he was taking her to the gardens and grabbed on for dear life as her heart strode across the immense ballroom and whisked her out the door.
Stars twinkled merrily in the dark wash of night sky as if greeting the powerful royals. Endymion paused next to an ornately carved stone bench and gently sat, cradling the slight figure in his lap. Together they sat, silent, gazes locked in the nakedness of the night. A shimmering silver aura shyly reached out and touched a tumultuous blue and green cloud, and as the colors eased carefully around and through each other the Prince of Earth and the Princess of the Moon felt their faces moving closer and closer together.
His grip tightened around her waist and his eyes sparkled with relief, happiness . . .expectancy. Her arms wrapped around his neck and her eyes glowed blue angel fire. Softly, reverently, noses bumped and a rose petal's softness separated mouths...breathing together, hearts beating together as one. Together. Whole.
"Well?" Endymion's words broke the silence as they skimmed Serenity's mouth and the tingling in her spine drew a gasp from her lips. The second stretched tautly in silence.
Her heart glowed in triumph as Serenity broke down her emotional walls ('Goddess help me') and laid her soul bare, whispering into Endymion's mouth, "Why ask a question to which you already know the answer?"
And then she closed the hair's breath gap with her lips and crystals burst behind her eyelids as the Earth roared her approval. And then Endymion was gripping her and his lips were...well, Serenity couldn't think very much after that.
Energy crackled in the air as the wind grew stronger and whipped leaves and flower petals in possessive arcs around the lovers. The ground rumbled in disquiet as raw power rose and engulfed the oblivious couple.
'I am yours Endymion, forever.' Serenity vowed silently as silver power hit gold and two souls were made one. Together. Whole. *Complete*
* * * * * *
The red-haired noblewoman gave one last cursory glance at the duke lying sprawled on the bed before turning to leave the ornate room, a satisfied smile on her face. The duke thought her a simpering idiot who would be flattered by his attentions, and she had played the part to her fullest advantage. Now she inside knowledge of some of the key players in the Lunar-Terran trade negotiations- knowledge she was planning to use immediately.
Arriving in a sitting room undetected, Lady Beryl listened carefully as the nobles around her raved about the night's deadly turn. Snatches of "assassins entering the palace" and "attacks on the Moon Princess" danced around the room like ballerinas as the royal Terran court tried to deal with the implications.
Lady Beryl simply sat and made noncommittal remarks and sympathetic noises as she waited impatiently for news on the Moon Princess's condition. The Dowager Queen had been circling amongst the guests, trying to keep everyone calm, but the events had taken their toll and many guests had retired to their rooms in shock.
And then, Lord Kunzite, Head Guardian to the Prince entered from the hallway and stood in front of the Dowager Queen, announcing loudly, "His Royal Highness, Prince Endymion has successfully healed the Princess of the Moon!" Amid cheers of joy and pride for the Prince and relief that the Moon would not bring war on their heads for killing the Moon Princess, a pair of green eyes glittered murderously. Rage hidden perfectly behind her face a mask of composure, Lady Beryl bowed to the Queen and left the room, her mind working furiously.
'How could this have happened!" She screamed silently. Twice the moon brat had escaped her snares, always hiding behind Endymion. Beryl glowered as she entered her room, her reflection in the mirror a mask of madness. The Earth had the right to rule the universe, but that could not happen as long as the Moon Kingdom held such immense power. Serenity had to die. Only then could Earth take its rightful place as supreme ruler...only then could Endymion be hers...
Possessiveness coursed through her like a molten river. Endymion deserved someone worthy, a Terran who would help him when he became sovereign of all. And that Terran was she.
"Goodbye Princess." Beryl whispered into the deathly silence. It was time for phase two.
* * * * * *
"We really should go inside now," Serenity murmured languidly. Endymion's arms were so warm and his lips were so...hmmm, she could sit here kissing him for days. But the Sky was already turning throbbing with hues of pink and orange in anticipation of the Sun's arrival. And her Prince had duties to attend to. *sigh*
Endymion groaned teasingly and watched as the love of his life burst into giggles. He felt himself smiling foolishly in return and marveled silently. In all of his life full of indulgence of his every whim he had never expected to be granted so precious a gift as this. Overwhelming feelings of completeness flooded his soul as he held Serenity in his arms, and all the tension he had been exhibiting over the past few months was washed away with a soothing tenderness.
"Before I leave you," Endymion said to Serenity adoringly, "I must tell you that I wish for us to wed as soon as possible. I've waited so long for you, and I don't think I can wait very much longer."
Serenity stared at Endymion with wide eyes, unable to hide her emotions from him. As much as she loved Endymion, Serenity thought an immediate wedding was moving things a little too quickly. She still had important duties waiting for her on the Moon, not to mention the diplomatic protocol that would have to be followed, and what if her mother was too sick to travel to Earth for the wedding, and what if the Moon Council decided they didn't want such a strong tie to Earth after all, and-
"Serenity?" Endymion's voice brought the Moon Princess sharply back from her musings, and at the hesitant look on his face, all her practical concerns melted away in a puddle of irrelevance. Serenity knew that this man had not had the luxury of being hesitant on anything in his life, and the vulnerability he was exposing to *her* made her soul glow.
"I cannot wait either," Serenity said breathlessly and laughed as Endymion swooped her up and swung her in his arms around and around, her gown fluttering madly around her legs. The pins holding her silver hair up had long since been removed by Endymion's clever fingers, and the waves of shimmering silk fell around her like a protective cloak.
"I will start making preparations immediately!" Endymion's turbulent eyes glowed with happiness, and as he walked Serenity to a prepared room in the guest wing, his thoughts whirled with all the steps he would have to take to marry a Moon Princess.
"Sleep well, my love." Serenity gently kissed Endymion again at her door and closed it behind her as he started to walk away. And then she remembered and the remembering hit her so hard she gasped out loud in alarm. She had to tell him about the accident on the Moon! How could it have slipped her mind? The Moon Council was counting on her to prevent war between the Earth and her planet.
But for those few blissful hours she hadn't been thinking about her duties or responsibilities. She hadn't been planning an approach to informing the Terrans of the incident. And Goddess help her, she hadn't even been thinking of her mother.
The pleasure had washed all else away until all that was left was Endymion and their perfect love. So there was the danger, and Serenity did not care for the insidious wisps of foreboding that curled around her heart like a silent snake. Doubt had no place in her heart. She would do her duty and she would have her love if it killed her.
'But what if you had to choose?' The sibilant whisper invaded her consciousness and burrowed deep into her thoughts.
And try as she might, Serenity could not get that thought out of her mind.
* * * * * *
A proclamation was made to the royal court later that day announcing the betrothal between the Crown Prince Endymion and the Moon Princess Serenity. Amidst the cheers of celebration and beaming gaze of the Dowager Queen there were a few grumblings and one outright glare.
"The Moon has no business trying to take over our planet," people whispered, and one green-eyed face smiled smugly at the few pockets of murmurs in the crowd. Not everyone was pleased with the turn of events, and while doubt and mistrust could be fostered at present, the time would soon be ripe for action. But for now... Lady Beryl secured the letter hidden under a ribbon in her sleeve and quietly left the great room. One of the Prince's trusted Guardians would soon be finding the compromising letter implicating the Princess of involvement with terrorist activities against Earth. And oh, how would the Moon Princess get herself out of that one?
* * * * * *
As the Lady Beryl plotted gleefully inside the castle, a rather harried young man rode up to the main gates on a well-lathered horse. The wind had picked up, whipping the banners and flags hanging on the palace into a frenzy. The sky began to darken like ink dripping into pure water. As if the dark weather was but a harbinger for dark times to come.
Pulling up before the guards, the man fell from the horse in exhaustion and stumbled toward the nearest sentinel. Beads to sweat poured down his face and dirt and dampness covered the man's thin frame, but the guard could make out the colors of the livery of a royal messenger.
"An urgent message for his Highness," the man wheezed, handing the sentinel some papers from his satchel.
The papers were snatched and taken to a palace messenger, and the young man leaned wearily against his loudly breathing horse before straightening to take it to the royal stables.
"Is everything all right?" Called one of the guards, noting the worn and dirty messenger's grim expression. The sun cast a shadow over the man, but the guard managed to make out the bleakness leaking from his eyes as he turned around.
"Nothing will ever be all right again." The man answered huskily. "Lord Motoki is dead."
