Chapter Fifteen
Old Wounds Reopened
- Charon? -
Charon stopped speaking to Mars abruptly as the thought she had been just about to voice froze away at the very edge of her lips and her entire body stiffened as though she were listening very carefully for something.
Charon could feel her mind becoming clearer as she waited feeling disbelief as she thought of whose voice that had sounded like. Was that really Mother's voice that I just heard? She wondered with widened eyes. Or am I simply wishing...?
More likely it had merely been her own wishful mind playing tricks on her...
- Charon my love...can you hear me? -
-Yes! - Charon thought ecstatically as her doubts fled and her inner voice rang with emotion as her eyes began to fill with pure joy as she realised that this was indeed the loved voice of her mother which was whispering softly to her in her mind.
A warm and loving chuckle echoed in her mind.
- I feel that you are happy my darling daughter. I can sense it in your thoughts -
- I am mother. But please tell me...how is it that I can hear your voice so clearly? I thought that you were back home on Charon... -
- Oh no. I am somewhere very close to you indeed... -
Charon furrowed her brow in puzzlement...
Meanwhile Mars was gazing at the green-haired princess feeling more and more confused all the while. Whatever was happening? Charon seemed to be listening extremely carefully to something which was coming from a long long way away and which only she could hear...
- Somewhere near...where? - Charon asked silently.
Her mother's voice laughed warmly in delight as she decided to tell her daughter at last. - I am here Charon. We all are. Your father, your brother and myself -
The shocked amazement that registered in Charon's eyes caused Mars' mouth to fall open in surprise.
As Charon's breath left her in that moment of stunning revelation she gasped in one long sharp rush of air. - You're...here in the palace? - Charon could hardly believe it.
- Oh but of course my dear. You did not really think that I would miss the anniversary celebrations of my dear friend Serenity's coronation now did you? -
Charon did not need to see the expression on her mother's face at that moment to know that she was smiling merrily in the knowledge that she had caused her great astonishment. - Where? - Charon's question was very simple but her inner voice was urgent as it reached her mother's mind.
- Why with Serenity of course. So is your father and Char will be joining us in a moment or two. Won't you come and see us Charon? -
Charon's eyes were astounded by this ridiculous question.
Then she turned abruptly away from Mars who was still gaping blankly at her and began to run away across the dance floor holding the skirt of her dress in both hands to avoid stepping on it in her haste. There was no need for her to respond to her mother's question as both of them knew and so Charon simply ran to find her family who she suddenly had a terrific urge to see again.
Left behind the startled Mars could only blink after her rapidly retreating friend the Charonian princess. "Charon! Where do you think you're going?!" she spluttered even though her friend was now long since out of hearing. "Charon!" she exclaimed raising her voice in vain. "It's no use...she can't hear me..." she murmured to herself as the other five princesses approached her having all heard her crying out Charon's name and realised that something was happening.
"Hey sir I'm really sorry to run along so soon but it looks like something's come up." Universe said apologetically to Jujuka who was gazing over at the spot Charon had just fled from with a look of surprise on his face as she and Mercury prepared to go and find out what had gotten the Charonian so excited. "Can we talk again later some time?" there was a light of urgency in her eyes as she gazed hopefully at him.
The merchant looked again at the princesses who were about to leave and smiled as he waved them both away. "Oh but of course your highness." he told Universe and again both Universe and Mercury noticed how long his gaze lingered on her face with that same serious expression that had been on his face when he had quizzed Universe earlier about her song. "I will be in the Moon Kingdom on business for the rest of the week. Do come and find me for a talk your highness for you will both be more than welcome. After all - there is much for us to talk about Princess Universe."
"Oh yeah?" Universe raised an eyebrow.
Jujuka seemed to realise what he had just said and smiled again. "Of course - many things go on in this vast universe we live in." he joked.
Universe's eyes were mild but thoughtful as she gazed at the merchant and considered his words to her that night - and the looks he had given her through those sparkling grey eyes of his. Why was Jujuka so interested in her song? Fair enough, it was a very rare one from what he had told them and it might not have been sung for several centuries except by her but so what?
Jujuka had naturally assumed that she had read about the song and chosen to sing it especially for tonight. Now that she thought about it though hadn't it been when she had told him that she had known the song all her life that he had become so shocked?
"I have had a grand evening speaking with the pair of you my Princesses." Jujuka concluded sincerely, bidding them both farewell in the very same ways he had greeted them in the first place, kissing Mercury's hand and shaking Universe's - just as firmly as before. "Thank you both for doing an honest merchant a great honour your highnesses. Make sure you continue to sing Universe and you to think so deeply Mercury for tonight I saw your talents shine with grace and elegance."
Mercury blushed proudly as she smiled. "Thank you sir Jujuka." she smiled gratefully.
"Do not thank me your reverence for it is you have both given me such pleasure and joy this night." Jujuka's eyes glittered seriously as he looked at one of them and the other. Then he gave them his warm and genuine smile once more which only served to make him look all the more handsome than before. "Good evening to you both my princesses. - and good luck."
"See ya later Jujuka." Universe grinned pleasantly.
"Until we meet again my lord." Mercury curtsied one last time.
Jujuka's eyes glittered at Mercury and then Universe and he smiled oddly at her. "On the planet I once dwelt Universe we do not say 'farewell'." he said softly. "Instead we prefer to say 'until fate reunites us'."
With a grin Universe turned away with Mercury by her side and made across the dance floor towards Mars to find out from her where Charon had run off to in such a state of excitement - it was only a week later that Universe realised that she had not asked Jujuka which planet he had originally lived on.
For the time being the merchant from Reimo went out of her life just as mysteriously as he had entered it. But as Universe and Mercury joined Mars along with Jupiter, Venus and the Moon Princess the merchant never ceased to gaze at the purple haired princess. The expression on his face was enigmatic as he looked thoughtfully at her and in his memories he once more heard her lovely voice singing a song which he believed to have died several centuries ago - until tonight.
"Hey Mars - where'd Charon just go?" Universe asked as she and the other princesses stood behind Mars. Mars was frowning and feeling puzzled over Charon's actions as she turned around to face them. "I have no idea! We were talking when she just stopped suddenly in the middle of her sente..."
- Mars...my parents are here! They're here! We're with Queen Serenity so please bring the others and come and see my family! -
Mars' eyes were surprised as the others all gazed at her and wondered what she was thinking about. Then Mars' surprise passed and gladly she sent back her response to Charon's inner voice. - Oh Charon of course I will! I'm so happy for you! We'll all be when I tell them! We'll come to you right now! -
With that she turned to meet the gazes of the others who were waiting expectantly. "Well...?" Universe prompted her.
"Charon just told me that her family has come here!" Mars exclaimed smiling as she remembered how happy Charon's voice had sounded. "She wants us to come and meet them properly this time - not just for a little while like we did the last time they were here."
"Well I didn't get to see em last time since I wasn't even here back then!" Universe complained as she noted once again that Charon had told Mars something without speaking.
"Well then it's time for you to be introduced to Princess Charon's parents!" Venus laughed. "Shall we go now!" With that Mars, Universe, Mercury, Jupiter, Venus and the Moon Princess all headed in the direction Charon had so eagerly disappeared into - to meet the parents and brother of the Charonian Princess, for Universe the very first time.
~*~*~
"There! I have told Mars that I want her to come right now and to fetch everyone else too!" Charon said as her face glowed with happiness as she sat at her mother's side with a peaceful and contended smile on her flushed face. "I am sure that they will be here in a short while."
Chara was stroking the side of her daughter's face while she sat and simply looked at her and smiled as she tucked her dark green strands of hair carefully behind her ear one after the other and took as much time as she could to do so. The Outer-Moon Queen was certain that her daughter must have grown such a lot since the last time she had been able to sit with her by her side like this and to have the opportunity to take her time as she looked carefully at her face. Charon certainly now seemed to be far more mature and older than she had been the last time Chara had seen her even though that had been a mere few months ago on the day she had been discovered here after in the Moon Kingdom after running away from home to be with her friends.
However Chara realised wryly that though she was positive that her daughter was a lot different than she had been such a short time it was more probable that this idea was really only her maternal instincts trying to convince her that her daughter had gone through great changes because she had not been with her mother for so long.
The Queen of Charon smiled more at herself than her daughter as she rebuked herself and dismissed these unreasonable thoughts from her mind. She knew that Charon was happy here living amongst her friends in the Moon Kingdom - for after all that had been the reason that she and her husband had decided to give her their blessing to remain here so that she could always be in the company of the friends she had made here. So Chara knew in her heart that if Charon had changed at all while she had been here then it had been for the better - the Queen of the Moon of Pluto only wished wistfully that she could have been here for it.
"I'm sure that they will." Chara smiled wistfully although her daughter did not notice the tiny tinge of sadness that stood beneath the love she saw in her mother's smile. "But what of you Charon? Tell me what you have been doing here since I saw you last."
King Char stood a short way off and watched as his beloved and his daughter shared their special moment of reunion and affection and there was a smile on his face.
Serenity was also thankful to see Charon so content and happy tonight.
"I see that she has settled in well here." King Char remarked softly to the Queen of the Moon without taking his eyes away from the reunion of his wife and daughter as both he and Serenity stood watching while Charon began to tell her mother about the wonderful days she had spent with her friends and all the things she had enjoyed doing with them.
Serenity looked at the king and smiled as she nodded her milk white head. "Yes. But you have missed her have you not?"
King Char allowed himself a small smile of personal sadness that was so because he did not want his daughter to see it and the night to be spoiled for her in even the slightest way. "From the very moment we returned home and left her here." he murmured while he gazed upon his beloved daughter who was the brightest spot in the entire great hall. "But if she is happy...then I do not mind."
Serenity watched King Char's face as it hovered between the sadness he felt that he rarely saw his daughter any longer and gladness for her that she was content and complete here in the Moon Kingdom. The Queen made no reply for none was needed and she and King Char never exchanged another word on the subject ever again.
At that moment the Queen noticed the other princesses approaching them and she beamed. "I'm glad to see all of you here." she greeted them pleasantly as they gathered before herself, Charon and the princess' parents. "As I believe that Charon told you Mars a moment ago she would like you to meet her parents again since on the last occasion they were with us things were rather too erratic for all of you to be formally introduced to them." she added smiling widely at the memory of that day.
Chara gave a chuckle as she remembered how she and her husband had come here frantically hoping to find her daughter who had run away from home in order to be with her friends again - it had been that incident which had led to her being allowed to live here for as long as she liked.
Meanwhile Universe was standing right at the back of the group as far away from Charon's mother and father as she could. Even though her face remained just as it had been when she and the others had come looking for Charon a faintly nervous light had now begun to flicker in her eyes as she stood in the presence of Queen Chara and King Char. Universe's mind had already returned to that awful day so long ago on Charon, the last day she had ever been there and the last thing she had ever done on the moon of Pluto had been to make herself the vow that she would never set foot on it again.
Her darkest hour - fleeing from Charon feeling weighed down with the terrible guilt of what she knew had happened because of her.
Of course she had known way back then about the ties the Charonian Royal Family shared with the Lyanore of the Ayadi plains and that thought alone sent an inward trembling off inside her. The guilt she had always carried around with her after Charon was still deeply cut into her heart and as she stood in the presence of the King and Queen of Charon her old wound was freshly reopened once again. It seemed that no matter where she went and how far she travelled it would never change a thing - the world would always find a way to remind her of what she had caused and torment her with the knowledge that it could have been different...
Universe's face remained perfectly calm but in her eyes there was an anxious light as she stood completely still behind the others dreading the eyes of Charon's parents falling on her...
"Charon's older brother Prince Char is also with us tonight." Serenity informed the princesses, completely unaware of Universe's turmoil as she cast a long sweeping glance around the Ball Room in vain as she tried to pick out Char. "However he does not seem to have been able to find us yet - but never mind. I am sure that he will arrive in a little while."
Queen Chara did not let the concern she felt show on her face as she rose to her feet along with her daughter ready to be introduced to the princesses of Serenity's royal court. But although none of them could see the worry she skilfully concealed from them it was still very much present as she remembered how anxious she had been for her son ever since his return from the war several months ago. Ever since Char had returned home after the war had been brought to an end, he had startled everybody who knew him by his startlingly different attitude towards everything in his life - Chara thought about how grim her son had been ever since he had returned home. It was now so hard to tell what he was feeling, indeed if he felt anything at times that Queen Chara often felt that she barely knew her son anymore.
Char had said very little about what had happened to him during the time he had been separated from them during the war and he had not spoken at all of his final battle with the Emperor of Palazea which had concluded with his slaying of that terrible warmonger and finally brought an end to the senseless strife that had raged between Pluto and Palazea for so long. Whenever he had spoken of his experiences during those dark days Char's accounts had been briefly spoken and in very little detail - also whenever he told them of what he had been through Chara could not help but think that there seemed to be gaps in several places in his account. It was as though there was some secret he was keeping from them, something that he was keeping back.
The only real way Chara could think of to describe her son was that he had become dark. Char seemed to have returned from the ordeals of the war as an entirely different person than the son she had known - a stranger whose heart was closed to her and whose thoughts she could no more see into than the shadows of the night time sky...
That thought frightened the Outer-Moon Queen but her youth had taught her that wishing that things were the way that they had been before would not change a thing as she knew. All that she could do was to hope that tonight he might be able to relax and enjoy himself - forget for a while his grief and pain. "Well Serenity my dear let's not delay our long overdue introductions!" Queen Chara cried as she decided to bury her anxiety for one night at least. "Please introduce me to each and every one of these splendid young women who are the future of our galaxy!"
Still trying to keep out of the Charonian Queen's sight Universe allowed herself a tiny fleeting smile. Even though being in Queen Chara's presence had her in a turmoil of regret and fear, Chara's warm hearted humour was very infectious all the same and Universe could not help liking her even though she would rather have been with anybody else in the world other than her.
Queen Serenity laughed, a light and trickling sound which rolled from her lips like the clear bubbling of a fresh mountain stream. "Why I thought that you'd ever ask!" she exclaimed as she looked at her daughter and beckoned for her to come closer. "Let me start first with my daughter. Come here my darling and meet Charon's mother - Chara the Queen of the Outer Moon."
At once her daughter straightened her back in a very dignified manner that was truly befitting of a princess and walked elegantly over to the side of her mother who placed her hands on her shoulders as she presented her to Queen Chara.
Chara carefully looked the Moon Princess up and down and then she took a very long look at her face and deeply studied her eyes - this was the first real chance she had had to have a real inspection of the daughter of her oldest friend and not one that she took lightly. The Queen of Charon felt a certain satisfaction as she noted the similarity the girls features bore to those of her mother. As she gazed into the princess's eyes Chara saw for an instant those of Serenity gazing back at her. Chara smiled warmly at the Moon Princess who could not help but return the smile which also reminded Chara immediately of the girl's mother.
Indeed the only thing that distinguished the princess from her mother was her hair which even though it was tied in the same style as Serenity's was blonde in contrast to her mother's white, snowy tresses. "Chara I would like you to meet my daughter." Serenity's face was glowing with pleasure and pride as she presented her daughter to her friend. "I have wished for a long time that you would be able to finally meet her. Indeed I have longed for this moment since the day she was born and now that my desire is fulfilled I know that it was nothing to be wished for lightly."
Without a word Chara leant forward and kissed the Moon Princess on the forehead and then leaned back and gazed closely at her face once more. Eventually she smiled just as warmly as before as she finally spoke once more. "And I am deeply thankful to be able to look upon her my friend. Do you remember the first time I ever saw her a few months ago? On that day I told you that she was beautiful. However now that I have the pleasure of being able to take my time in gazing at her face I would say more that she is as beautiful as you Serenity."
A smile touched Serenity's already upturned lips and she glowed inside.
Now Chara addressed the Moon Princess herself. "My dear I am very happy to be able to meet you again." she said fondly. "I suppose that you know of the friendship I have shared with your mother for so many years now?"
Knowing that it was now time for her to speak the Princess of the Moon Kingdom spoke in a clear and courteous voice which was also warm as she finally met the friend whom her mother had often spoken of with such warmth. "I do your majesty. My mother is never happier than when she speaks of the times you shared with her."
"Our time together is a very special memory for both of us." Chara responded and her eyes were already loving as she smiled at Serenity's daughter who was so like her mother in many ways. "And although I was not able to see you the day you were born my dear, I now realise that I already knew even then."
The Moon Princess felt surprised by Queen Chara's words. "You did?" she inquired as she looked puzzled.
"I did." Chara assured her as she nodded her head and her eyes twinkled with fondness.
"But how?"
"Because I know your mother." the Queen of Charon explained as she smiled approvingly at the princess of the Moon.
After a single startled blink the smile the Moon Princess made was brilliant as she felt the full meaning of Queen Chara's words wash over her.
After the Moon Princess had been introduced to King Char it was Mercury's turn to be presented to Queen Chara.
Chara watched without saying anything as the blue-haired Princess of Mercury walked forward shyly and then came to a stop and curtsied respectfully to her as her cheeks began to bloom a light sunset pink. So then this was Princess Mercury - Queen Chara had heard of the renowned shyness and the quiet demeanour of the Mercurian Princess but try as she had often done she had found herself quite unable to imagine such an easily awed girl. However now that she had the chance to see Mercury for herself Chara looked carefully at her just as she had done with the Moon Princess.
As the Queen of Charon inspected her face very carefully Mercury blushed to the tips of her ears and Chara realised that what she had heard had been quite true - however as she looked into Mercury's wavering blue eyes she then saw something else in her eyes which was quite clear to her - that the soul of the princess was touched with an early midsummer evening sky's blue of grace.
Queen Chara felt an immediate warmth to this girl - it was impossible not to like the modest and quiet Princess of Mercury whose manners were quite perfect. "Good evening Mercury." Chara spoke to the shy princess with an already warm affectionate voice - she already liked the good-natured Mercurian. "I have heard about you very often and I am delighted to be able to meet you at last."
Mercury clasped her hands together behind her as she tried to prevent them from trembling but as Chara spoke to her so warmly the blue haired princess unexpectedly felt a little more confident - somehow she simply could not feel shy when talking to Charon's mother. Chara's voice and eyes were so warm and friendly that she could not help but feel comfortable around her for the way the Charonian Queen spoke and looked at her made her feel just as if they had been friends for years.
Chara smiled as she sensed that Mercury's tenseness was falling slowly away. "I heard your poem earlier Mercury - I thought that it was beautiful. You certainly are as intelligent as I have been told." Mercury was feeling so comfortable that she was able to manage a smile. and Chara thought that the Mercurian looked rather sweet when she smiled. "Thank you." she replied in a very clear voice.
"Don't mention it - but please don't be so nervous around me Mercury. I'm not going to eat you!" Chara laughed and Mercury could not help but smile even wider than before. "You are very sweet but you know you should really try and be braver and confident more often. You were very brave when you recited your poem in front of everybody - that took a lot of courage so it's clear that you are quite brave."
Chara realised that it would be best if she let Mercury go and now with a fond smile she gave her a nod and then the princess was introduced to her husband before returning to the others.
Next the Queen of Charon was introduced to Princess Mars – Mars's posture and face were both very dignified and her bearing was well mannered as she stood before her best friend's mother.
The first thing that Chara realised as she looked in the raven-haired Princess's dark eyes was just how deeply solemn and serious they were – it was very clear from the grave spark in the Martian girls eyes that here was a girl who took life very seriously. What a peculiar contrast to her daughter who had always been so happy-go-lucky and cheerfully spirited!
Or perhaps it was actually because of their differences that the friendship between her daughter and this deep and upright girl was so close, Chara considered as she smiled at the mystical Princess.
One thing was certain to the Queen's mind and this was that if Charon thought so highly of her than Mars must certainly be the best kind of friend for her daughter. "Well met Princess Mars – Charon had told me all about you during the brief time she spent with us after returning home after the conclusion of our war with Palazea." Chara greeted the raven-haired Princess pleasantly.
Mars's eyes became slightly apprehensive now though her face remained just as composed as it had before she'd heard this. "Oh…did she your Majesty?" she asked just a touch nervously as she resisted the temptation to look over at Charon and wondered what she had said about her.
"Yes – and she spoke very highly of you indeed." Chara's smile made Mars feel such a rush of relief that she could not help but smile back at her. "You have been a true friend to her since she has been here Mars and you should feel proud of that. I feel deeply thankful that my daughter has such a dedicated and loyal friend. You are everything that Charon told me…" the Queen of Charon allowed herself a secret smile as she leaned across and took Mars's hand in her own and gave it an affectionate squeeze. "…and more." She added quietly as her eyes twinkled.
Mars gazed at Chara speechlessly – the Queen's praise had touched her heart and secretly she looked at Charon who stood by her mother's side and met the Martian's eyes at once – both of them blushed warmly and smiled at each other.
Chara saw their exchange and her eyes shone as she saw her daughter so happy…
Next it was Princess Venus's turn to meet Chara – Venus's face which was always bright was positively glowing with eagerness as she hurried up and curtsied enthusiastically – which meant very low and very quickly for Queen Chara smiling in excitement all the while.
Queen Chara could not possibly hold back the amused laugh that bubbled up inside her as she craned her head so that she could follow Venus as the blonde Princess curtsied – she saw no need to. "Oh my…you ARE energetic aren't you?" she laughed as Venus stopped and grinned excitedly.
Venus blinked several time and felt a little taken aback by this remark. "Do you really think so?" she stammered as she felt a little nervous about being laughed at by the Queen.
"Oh yes! You're so vibrant and full of life!" Chara remarked as she grinned at the blonde Princess in lovely humour. "I would like to thank you Venus for being the first to welcome my daughter so warmly when she arrived here. You have been a good friend to her and I am happy for that.
Venus grinned back shyly. "It was nothing really…" she replied modestly.
Chara's face became very serious as she gazed at the Venusian Princess. "You're wrong Venus." She rebuked her with a fond smile and her garnet eyes showed the depth of her gratitude. "What you did for her was a wonderful thing and I will always be grateful to you for your friendship to Charon."
Venus blushed as she accepted Chara's hand and squeezed it just as the Queen did to her own. "No really your Majesty…it was nothing! You're daughter is the nicest girl I've ever met so…"
Chara laughed, delighted by Venus's pure honesty. "No nicer than yourself Venus." she replied.
Queen Chara's face expressed a great deal of surprise as she was next introduced to Princess Jupiter – Chara harboured no firmly set opinion on how tall a Princess ought to be strictly speaking but she felt quite taken by surprise as she looked at the girl who towered over the other girls who stood in a row in front of her.
Chara looked at Jupiter in interest as she took the brown-haired Princess's hand in her own and thought that despite her boyish build she was just as pretty as the others – the most striking aspect of her face was her emerald eyes which were quite beautiful and sparkled like a pair of stars.
"I am pleased to meet you Jupiter." Chara greeted the brown-haired Princess and smiled just a tiny bit awkwardly as her hand was shaken by Jupiter's somewhat unsurprisingly strong hold. "I can see that should the need ever arise you will be one of the Moon Kingdon's strongest defenders."
It was the best thing that she could possibly have said – Jupiter grinned as she felt deeply flattered by the compliment. "Thanks." She replied not really knowing what else to say.
Realising that Jupiter was not a great speaker Chara kindly released her hand since she didn't want to force her to say any more than she felt that she could manage. "Not at all." The green-haired Queen assured Jupiter with genuine admiration in her eyes.
Universe stood as still as a rock and though her face remained cool and calm she felt an icy shiver run through her spin. The moment that she'd been dreading since the beginning of the introductions was now at hand and as she realised that it was now her own turn to meet Charon's mother Queen Chara and father King Char she felt ill. Up to now she'd been standing at the very back of the group and tried her best not to be seen but now that she had spoken with the others Chara's eyes now sought for her.
As the green-haired Queen's gaze fell upon her at last Universe felt the ice that had covered her spine flow into her stomach and her heart beat like the wings of a caged bird as she was instantly frozen to the spot. Chara's look was curious as she gazed at the purple-haired Princess – ever since her sister had told her about Universe she had been very interested to know more about this extremely strong spirited and not to say least stubborn girl who had kept Pluto's hands so full when they had encountered.
Pluto's story about their struggle had made Chara laugh heartily and now that she had the chance to find out if this girl really was just as her sister had said she did not plan to waste it. "Good evening Universe." The Charonian Queen smiled warmly at Universe – she was surprised to observe the nervous look on the face of this reportedly fiery girl who seemed quite shy at the moment. "I'm happy that we have this chance to meet at last. My sister Princess Pluto told me all about you Universe."
Universe eyed her warily. "Did she?" she muttered apprehensively.
Now why didn't she find that at all assuring…?
Chara chuckled at the worry she saw in Universe's eyes. "Oh yes! I've been wanting to meet you ever since she told me about the time she met you."
"…have you?" Universe asked warily as she braced herself for the worst which she utterly expected to come next.
"Of course I have! Ever since Pluto described you to me I've been dying to meet you!"
Universe's face was perfectly composed even now but inside she felt like she was going to be sick any minute now and desperately wished that she was a thousand miles away from Charon's mom. The Nether Regions would have been a far more attractive place to be right now… "Well…" Universe stammered through her dismay as she realised that she'd have to speak to the Queen even though she was the one person she would least like to be in the presence of. "…here I am."
"Yes." Chara agreed with a warm smile. "Here you are. And I'm happy to see you. Actually I was lucky enough to hear your song earlier this evening – I enjoyed it so much!"
"…you did?" Universe replied hesitantly.
"On indeed – your singing voice is so lovely Universe!" Chara earnestly complimented the purple-haired girl – she noticed that she was still eyeing her as if she were a wild beast about to pounce and tear her to pieces and she felt anxious to make her smile. "Will you be singing again tonight?"
Universe coloured as her heart began beating unpleasantly quickly – shyness and dread weren't a pleasant combination of emotions. "I…don't think so." she replied quietly.
Serenity was watching her in surprise as she caught the nervous, almost frightened note in Universe' voice – only ten minutes ago Universe had been enjoying herself immensely but now her high spirits seemed to have frozen into fear as she spoke with the Queen of the Outer Moon.
Chara raised her eyebrows at Universe's response. "That's a pity! You sang so wonderfully that I was sorry when you finished. Oh and by the way, what is your song called?"
Universe did not respond for a minute or two but this time her hesitation to speak was not completely down to nervousness – she'd never known the answer to that question herself and also now that Chara had asked it she thought about what Jujuka had said to her earlier about it. "I…don't know." She eventually replied.
"Well then where did you first hear it Universe?"
Again Universe wished that she wasn't having this conversation. "I don't know." She said in a very small voice.
Chara gazed at her in surprise – she simply couldn't understand why this girl seemed so miserably uncomfortable in her company. What could she possibly have done or said to make Universe so anxious and untalkative? A fresh determination to make Universe relax awoke in her – she felt interested in this mysterious and altogether peculiar girl who she had heard so much about. "So…you only came to live in the Moon Kingdom recently?" she asked interestedly. "Have you settled in well Universe?"
"Yeah, pretty much." Universe said and felt slightly calmer now as the topic was driven away from her singing. "It's…okay I guess."
"I'm glad that you feel so at home here." Chara went on as she sensed that Universe was now beginning to relax around her. "I too loved this Kingdom very much from the first time I came to visit." then she reached out with her hand and offered it to Universe – there was now a peculiar twinkling in her eyes as she gazed attentively at Universe's face.
The Plutonian Queen had decided to use her great telepathic power to read the purple-haired Princess's mind. Chara liked to know things about people and this girl particularly fascinated her – since Universe was clearly feeling too awkward to open up to her she had made her mind up to get to know her the easier way. "But please – let me take your hand." Chara requested Universe pleasantly as she extended her hand for the girl to take.
All that she needed in order to be able to delve into Universe's thoughts and memories was the slightest contact – the touching of their hands would be enough for her to establish a telepathic link between herself and the Princess. Universe had frozen all over again at the sight of her hand but since she knew that everybody was watching her she held herself together and smoothly accepted Chara's hand.
Queen Chara smiled approvingly as she held Universe's gloved hand firmly yet gently in her own. The Plutonian had prepared herself to read the girls mind and now that the moment had arrived she was ready and with the utmost concentration and discipline she focused her mind and tried to enter Universe' memories.
However she was in for a surprise – even as she pushed her flow of consciousness out towards Universe' she found that her thoughts seemed to meet with some kind of barrier at the precise moment that she tried to enter those belonging to the Princess. Chara's surprise was immense for instead of immersing herself in Universe' thoughts, past, feelings and desires her mind stayed right where it was. Despite her shock Chara took a deep and relaxing breath – which none of her companions noticed – and then made another attempt to read Universe' mind.
Try as she might however the green-haired Queen again found herself unable to read the purple-haired girls mind. Chara's eyes were slightly startled as she gazed closely at Universe whose mind was completely blocked against any kind of attempt to telepathically read her thoughts. This surely meant that Universe also possessed some degree of psychic ability! It had to be true because as talented as she was Chara could only read the thoughts of non-psychics…
Her curiosity was now at its peak as she looked intently at Universe' face – who WAS this girl? The Queen of Charon had never heard of there being a Princess of the Universe before she had received word about her coming to live in the Moon Kingdom – however what struck her with the most surprise was the nervous and practically fearful look in Universe' eyes as she gazed cautiously at her.
Universe' gloved hand suddenly felt stiff as Chara held it in her own and the Queen could feel that her fingers were now as rigid as brittle sticks that were about to crack. "My dear…are you feeling unwell?" Chara spoke up in concern feeling that she could no longer ignore this – she suddenly noticed that the bottom of the girls lip was trembling slightly. "You look quite pale to me."
Queen Serenity looked anxiously at Universe as she bit her lip in a vain effort to keep it still – it was true, her face was now as white as sheet as her lower lip struggled with her teeth as it quivered uncontrollably.
"Universe…are you all right?" Serenity exclaimed and took an instinctive step towards her charge.
Universe shook her head jerkily – she couldn't take it a second longer. "I…I'm gonna be sick!" she exclaimed shrilly lying as she snatched her hand away from Chara.
Without another word Universe turned on her heel and ran towards the pair of doors that led out of the Ballroom and to freedom. Her outburst had startled everybody so much that they were all too shocked to try to stop her as she ran.
Serenity was just for a brief moment open-mouthed as she watched the shaken Princess haul the double-doors open and disappear through them.
The way that Universe had simply snapped and ran away like that had shocked her – Serenity had never seen such pure nervousness in Universes eyes and now that she had she felt worried…
Shaking her head in silence Serenity decided to put her own concern on hold for a while and turning back to the others she smiled wryly. "Please forgive her – I suppose that this evening has simply been too much for Universe. Her nervousness about singing must have finally caught up with her." she remarked even though she knew that the cause of Universes panic attack had to be something far more serious than a bout of simple nausea. "I'm sure that she will rejoin us once she feels better."
However confidently the Lunarian Queen said this she felt almost certain that none of them would see Universe again for the rest of the night…
Chara was gazing in the direction that Universe had ran off into and her face was clouded with a troubled look – her hand was still held out in the same position it had been while she had held the Princess's hand and as she lowered her eyes to look at her palm she remembered the that Universe had dragged her hand out of her fingers…
Now however she looked up and smiled a little embarrassedly. "Well I suppose that it was better that she felt the effects of her nervousness AFTER she was due to sing!" Her joke broke the tension and everybody laughed – however Chara still felt deeply concerned about the way that Universe had behaved around her, Why had the purple-haired girl looked at her as though her very presence had filled her heart with fear…?
"Mother?" Chara broke out of her troubled reverie as her daughter spoke to her hesitantly.
Charon was gazing at her with a look of hesitation in her pale eyes and she seemed to be almost desperate to ask her a question that had been preying on her mind for a while. At the same time she looked a little despondent and sad since she already knew what the answer was going to be. Chara smiled at her daughter, wondering what was on her mind. "Yes darling?" she prompted gently.
"Is Aunt Pluto..?" Charon's voice faltered but her eyes remained hopeful as she gazed at her mother, her meaning obvious. Chara understood and shook her head sadly.
"I'm afraid that she could not come with us tonight my dear." she said gently as she saw the disappointment slowly filtering into Charon's eyes though she did her best to hide it. "I too wish that she could be here with us so that we could all be together but you know that her duty to protect the Gates is important. Please don't feel sad Charon, you know that she would not want that." Charon's eyes were sorrowful as she longed for the presence of her aunt so that just for one night she could be with her whole family, but she knew that her mother was right - Pluto's duty was her life and she was bound to defend the eternal gateway of time even if it cost her her very life. Charon had known in her heart that her aunt had not come even before she had asked her mother but still she had hoped that her common sense could have been wrong for just one night. The realisation that Pluto had not come with her family did not make her disappointment any less saddening but still she decided that she wouldn't let her chagrin spoil her happiness. After all her mother, father and elder brother were all here with her so she was content enough.
"I'm so happy that you're all here!" she cried with startling joy as she suddenly hugged her surprised mother and then her father with all the warmth of love. "I've missed you both so much!" Chara's eyes were almost glowing with warmth and love as she held her daughter tightly in her arms and kissed her tenderly on the forehead.
"And we you Charon. Always." Charon's eyes sparkled hopefully as she gazed into her mother's.
"Will you stay here for a little while?" she exclaimed earnestly. "Oh please say that you will!" Chara's face was surprised for a moment or two and then she smiled and glanced briefly at her husband, raising her eyebrows questioningly.
With a smile King Char inclined his head slightly to one side in a permissive.
Serenity's eyes were shining as Chara's gaze met her own and both of them smiled beautifully at the same moment as the moment their eyes met it was settled.
Chara's face was glad as she returned her eyes to her daughter. "Of course we will Charon." she assured her as she lovingly stroked the back of her head with her fingers. "Of course we will." As she leant her head onto her mother's shoulder Charon smiled - the Princess of the Outer Moon felt happier than she could ever remember now that she was with both her friends and her family at the same time.
~*~*~
The double-doors were flung open and Universe stumbled across to the edge of the balcony before they even crashed against the walls. Her gloved hands grabbed the rails and she leaned over it taking deep and unsteady gulps of air as she shook uncontrollably from head to toe.
The expression on Universe's face was one of utter misery and grief as she closed to her eyes and slowly slumped to her knees, still clutching the railing. That meeting with Queen Chara had been like a nightmare to her and she felt like she could die from the shame she felt at the way she had turned and ran like a mouse. The worst thing about the whole ordeal was that it was all her own fault...for the last year Universe had felt like scum every waking minute of her life and sometimes even her dreams had given her no peace from her biting guilt. And the whole bitterness was that it was absolutely fair. The purple-haired girl could not even find it in her heart to blame Charon's parents for how terrible she felt around them and felt just as bitterly to this moment. Universe knew that she deserved this awful guilt that had eaten away at her every day of the last two years.
It wasn't their fault...it was her own.
Universe's face was a mask of desperate anguish as she began to breath shallowly as she thought of the terrible thing that she had been responsible for. The purple-haired girl tried to choke back her sob but her effort was so weak that the anguished sound escaped from her throat and to the surface. Why? Why was it that whenever she found any real happiness no matter how small, her past always found a way to return and force her to face it as it taunted her. The enchantment that the night had worked on her was broken and now the gap where the peaceful contentment had been was now filled by a terrible misery that ached in her heart. Nausea now trembled in her stomach and now she just didn't care enough to fight it.
Having pretended to be feeling ill as an excuse to get away earlier Universe now found that she actually felt sick...As her body trembled like a bird in a cage Universe curled up as she wept even though her tears were all gone and she had no time to make more. The final bitter thought that crossed her mind was that things were only going to get worse...and that there was nothing she could do about it.
Old Wounds Reopened
- Charon? -
Charon stopped speaking to Mars abruptly as the thought she had been just about to voice froze away at the very edge of her lips and her entire body stiffened as though she were listening very carefully for something.
Charon could feel her mind becoming clearer as she waited feeling disbelief as she thought of whose voice that had sounded like. Was that really Mother's voice that I just heard? She wondered with widened eyes. Or am I simply wishing...?
More likely it had merely been her own wishful mind playing tricks on her...
- Charon my love...can you hear me? -
-Yes! - Charon thought ecstatically as her doubts fled and her inner voice rang with emotion as her eyes began to fill with pure joy as she realised that this was indeed the loved voice of her mother which was whispering softly to her in her mind.
A warm and loving chuckle echoed in her mind.
- I feel that you are happy my darling daughter. I can sense it in your thoughts -
- I am mother. But please tell me...how is it that I can hear your voice so clearly? I thought that you were back home on Charon... -
- Oh no. I am somewhere very close to you indeed... -
Charon furrowed her brow in puzzlement...
Meanwhile Mars was gazing at the green-haired princess feeling more and more confused all the while. Whatever was happening? Charon seemed to be listening extremely carefully to something which was coming from a long long way away and which only she could hear...
- Somewhere near...where? - Charon asked silently.
Her mother's voice laughed warmly in delight as she decided to tell her daughter at last. - I am here Charon. We all are. Your father, your brother and myself -
The shocked amazement that registered in Charon's eyes caused Mars' mouth to fall open in surprise.
As Charon's breath left her in that moment of stunning revelation she gasped in one long sharp rush of air. - You're...here in the palace? - Charon could hardly believe it.
- Oh but of course my dear. You did not really think that I would miss the anniversary celebrations of my dear friend Serenity's coronation now did you? -
Charon did not need to see the expression on her mother's face at that moment to know that she was smiling merrily in the knowledge that she had caused her great astonishment. - Where? - Charon's question was very simple but her inner voice was urgent as it reached her mother's mind.
- Why with Serenity of course. So is your father and Char will be joining us in a moment or two. Won't you come and see us Charon? -
Charon's eyes were astounded by this ridiculous question.
Then she turned abruptly away from Mars who was still gaping blankly at her and began to run away across the dance floor holding the skirt of her dress in both hands to avoid stepping on it in her haste. There was no need for her to respond to her mother's question as both of them knew and so Charon simply ran to find her family who she suddenly had a terrific urge to see again.
Left behind the startled Mars could only blink after her rapidly retreating friend the Charonian princess. "Charon! Where do you think you're going?!" she spluttered even though her friend was now long since out of hearing. "Charon!" she exclaimed raising her voice in vain. "It's no use...she can't hear me..." she murmured to herself as the other five princesses approached her having all heard her crying out Charon's name and realised that something was happening.
"Hey sir I'm really sorry to run along so soon but it looks like something's come up." Universe said apologetically to Jujuka who was gazing over at the spot Charon had just fled from with a look of surprise on his face as she and Mercury prepared to go and find out what had gotten the Charonian so excited. "Can we talk again later some time?" there was a light of urgency in her eyes as she gazed hopefully at him.
The merchant looked again at the princesses who were about to leave and smiled as he waved them both away. "Oh but of course your highness." he told Universe and again both Universe and Mercury noticed how long his gaze lingered on her face with that same serious expression that had been on his face when he had quizzed Universe earlier about her song. "I will be in the Moon Kingdom on business for the rest of the week. Do come and find me for a talk your highness for you will both be more than welcome. After all - there is much for us to talk about Princess Universe."
"Oh yeah?" Universe raised an eyebrow.
Jujuka seemed to realise what he had just said and smiled again. "Of course - many things go on in this vast universe we live in." he joked.
Universe's eyes were mild but thoughtful as she gazed at the merchant and considered his words to her that night - and the looks he had given her through those sparkling grey eyes of his. Why was Jujuka so interested in her song? Fair enough, it was a very rare one from what he had told them and it might not have been sung for several centuries except by her but so what?
Jujuka had naturally assumed that she had read about the song and chosen to sing it especially for tonight. Now that she thought about it though hadn't it been when she had told him that she had known the song all her life that he had become so shocked?
"I have had a grand evening speaking with the pair of you my Princesses." Jujuka concluded sincerely, bidding them both farewell in the very same ways he had greeted them in the first place, kissing Mercury's hand and shaking Universe's - just as firmly as before. "Thank you both for doing an honest merchant a great honour your highnesses. Make sure you continue to sing Universe and you to think so deeply Mercury for tonight I saw your talents shine with grace and elegance."
Mercury blushed proudly as she smiled. "Thank you sir Jujuka." she smiled gratefully.
"Do not thank me your reverence for it is you have both given me such pleasure and joy this night." Jujuka's eyes glittered seriously as he looked at one of them and the other. Then he gave them his warm and genuine smile once more which only served to make him look all the more handsome than before. "Good evening to you both my princesses. - and good luck."
"See ya later Jujuka." Universe grinned pleasantly.
"Until we meet again my lord." Mercury curtsied one last time.
Jujuka's eyes glittered at Mercury and then Universe and he smiled oddly at her. "On the planet I once dwelt Universe we do not say 'farewell'." he said softly. "Instead we prefer to say 'until fate reunites us'."
With a grin Universe turned away with Mercury by her side and made across the dance floor towards Mars to find out from her where Charon had run off to in such a state of excitement - it was only a week later that Universe realised that she had not asked Jujuka which planet he had originally lived on.
For the time being the merchant from Reimo went out of her life just as mysteriously as he had entered it. But as Universe and Mercury joined Mars along with Jupiter, Venus and the Moon Princess the merchant never ceased to gaze at the purple haired princess. The expression on his face was enigmatic as he looked thoughtfully at her and in his memories he once more heard her lovely voice singing a song which he believed to have died several centuries ago - until tonight.
"Hey Mars - where'd Charon just go?" Universe asked as she and the other princesses stood behind Mars. Mars was frowning and feeling puzzled over Charon's actions as she turned around to face them. "I have no idea! We were talking when she just stopped suddenly in the middle of her sente..."
- Mars...my parents are here! They're here! We're with Queen Serenity so please bring the others and come and see my family! -
Mars' eyes were surprised as the others all gazed at her and wondered what she was thinking about. Then Mars' surprise passed and gladly she sent back her response to Charon's inner voice. - Oh Charon of course I will! I'm so happy for you! We'll all be when I tell them! We'll come to you right now! -
With that she turned to meet the gazes of the others who were waiting expectantly. "Well...?" Universe prompted her.
"Charon just told me that her family has come here!" Mars exclaimed smiling as she remembered how happy Charon's voice had sounded. "She wants us to come and meet them properly this time - not just for a little while like we did the last time they were here."
"Well I didn't get to see em last time since I wasn't even here back then!" Universe complained as she noted once again that Charon had told Mars something without speaking.
"Well then it's time for you to be introduced to Princess Charon's parents!" Venus laughed. "Shall we go now!" With that Mars, Universe, Mercury, Jupiter, Venus and the Moon Princess all headed in the direction Charon had so eagerly disappeared into - to meet the parents and brother of the Charonian Princess, for Universe the very first time.
~*~*~
"There! I have told Mars that I want her to come right now and to fetch everyone else too!" Charon said as her face glowed with happiness as she sat at her mother's side with a peaceful and contended smile on her flushed face. "I am sure that they will be here in a short while."
Chara was stroking the side of her daughter's face while she sat and simply looked at her and smiled as she tucked her dark green strands of hair carefully behind her ear one after the other and took as much time as she could to do so. The Outer-Moon Queen was certain that her daughter must have grown such a lot since the last time she had been able to sit with her by her side like this and to have the opportunity to take her time as she looked carefully at her face. Charon certainly now seemed to be far more mature and older than she had been the last time Chara had seen her even though that had been a mere few months ago on the day she had been discovered here after in the Moon Kingdom after running away from home to be with her friends.
However Chara realised wryly that though she was positive that her daughter was a lot different than she had been such a short time it was more probable that this idea was really only her maternal instincts trying to convince her that her daughter had gone through great changes because she had not been with her mother for so long.
The Queen of Charon smiled more at herself than her daughter as she rebuked herself and dismissed these unreasonable thoughts from her mind. She knew that Charon was happy here living amongst her friends in the Moon Kingdom - for after all that had been the reason that she and her husband had decided to give her their blessing to remain here so that she could always be in the company of the friends she had made here. So Chara knew in her heart that if Charon had changed at all while she had been here then it had been for the better - the Queen of the Moon of Pluto only wished wistfully that she could have been here for it.
"I'm sure that they will." Chara smiled wistfully although her daughter did not notice the tiny tinge of sadness that stood beneath the love she saw in her mother's smile. "But what of you Charon? Tell me what you have been doing here since I saw you last."
King Char stood a short way off and watched as his beloved and his daughter shared their special moment of reunion and affection and there was a smile on his face.
Serenity was also thankful to see Charon so content and happy tonight.
"I see that she has settled in well here." King Char remarked softly to the Queen of the Moon without taking his eyes away from the reunion of his wife and daughter as both he and Serenity stood watching while Charon began to tell her mother about the wonderful days she had spent with her friends and all the things she had enjoyed doing with them.
Serenity looked at the king and smiled as she nodded her milk white head. "Yes. But you have missed her have you not?"
King Char allowed himself a small smile of personal sadness that was so because he did not want his daughter to see it and the night to be spoiled for her in even the slightest way. "From the very moment we returned home and left her here." he murmured while he gazed upon his beloved daughter who was the brightest spot in the entire great hall. "But if she is happy...then I do not mind."
Serenity watched King Char's face as it hovered between the sadness he felt that he rarely saw his daughter any longer and gladness for her that she was content and complete here in the Moon Kingdom. The Queen made no reply for none was needed and she and King Char never exchanged another word on the subject ever again.
At that moment the Queen noticed the other princesses approaching them and she beamed. "I'm glad to see all of you here." she greeted them pleasantly as they gathered before herself, Charon and the princess' parents. "As I believe that Charon told you Mars a moment ago she would like you to meet her parents again since on the last occasion they were with us things were rather too erratic for all of you to be formally introduced to them." she added smiling widely at the memory of that day.
Chara gave a chuckle as she remembered how she and her husband had come here frantically hoping to find her daughter who had run away from home in order to be with her friends again - it had been that incident which had led to her being allowed to live here for as long as she liked.
Meanwhile Universe was standing right at the back of the group as far away from Charon's mother and father as she could. Even though her face remained just as it had been when she and the others had come looking for Charon a faintly nervous light had now begun to flicker in her eyes as she stood in the presence of Queen Chara and King Char. Universe's mind had already returned to that awful day so long ago on Charon, the last day she had ever been there and the last thing she had ever done on the moon of Pluto had been to make herself the vow that she would never set foot on it again.
Her darkest hour - fleeing from Charon feeling weighed down with the terrible guilt of what she knew had happened because of her.
Of course she had known way back then about the ties the Charonian Royal Family shared with the Lyanore of the Ayadi plains and that thought alone sent an inward trembling off inside her. The guilt she had always carried around with her after Charon was still deeply cut into her heart and as she stood in the presence of the King and Queen of Charon her old wound was freshly reopened once again. It seemed that no matter where she went and how far she travelled it would never change a thing - the world would always find a way to remind her of what she had caused and torment her with the knowledge that it could have been different...
Universe's face remained perfectly calm but in her eyes there was an anxious light as she stood completely still behind the others dreading the eyes of Charon's parents falling on her...
"Charon's older brother Prince Char is also with us tonight." Serenity informed the princesses, completely unaware of Universe's turmoil as she cast a long sweeping glance around the Ball Room in vain as she tried to pick out Char. "However he does not seem to have been able to find us yet - but never mind. I am sure that he will arrive in a little while."
Queen Chara did not let the concern she felt show on her face as she rose to her feet along with her daughter ready to be introduced to the princesses of Serenity's royal court. But although none of them could see the worry she skilfully concealed from them it was still very much present as she remembered how anxious she had been for her son ever since his return from the war several months ago. Ever since Char had returned home after the war had been brought to an end, he had startled everybody who knew him by his startlingly different attitude towards everything in his life - Chara thought about how grim her son had been ever since he had returned home. It was now so hard to tell what he was feeling, indeed if he felt anything at times that Queen Chara often felt that she barely knew her son anymore.
Char had said very little about what had happened to him during the time he had been separated from them during the war and he had not spoken at all of his final battle with the Emperor of Palazea which had concluded with his slaying of that terrible warmonger and finally brought an end to the senseless strife that had raged between Pluto and Palazea for so long. Whenever he had spoken of his experiences during those dark days Char's accounts had been briefly spoken and in very little detail - also whenever he told them of what he had been through Chara could not help but think that there seemed to be gaps in several places in his account. It was as though there was some secret he was keeping from them, something that he was keeping back.
The only real way Chara could think of to describe her son was that he had become dark. Char seemed to have returned from the ordeals of the war as an entirely different person than the son she had known - a stranger whose heart was closed to her and whose thoughts she could no more see into than the shadows of the night time sky...
That thought frightened the Outer-Moon Queen but her youth had taught her that wishing that things were the way that they had been before would not change a thing as she knew. All that she could do was to hope that tonight he might be able to relax and enjoy himself - forget for a while his grief and pain. "Well Serenity my dear let's not delay our long overdue introductions!" Queen Chara cried as she decided to bury her anxiety for one night at least. "Please introduce me to each and every one of these splendid young women who are the future of our galaxy!"
Still trying to keep out of the Charonian Queen's sight Universe allowed herself a tiny fleeting smile. Even though being in Queen Chara's presence had her in a turmoil of regret and fear, Chara's warm hearted humour was very infectious all the same and Universe could not help liking her even though she would rather have been with anybody else in the world other than her.
Queen Serenity laughed, a light and trickling sound which rolled from her lips like the clear bubbling of a fresh mountain stream. "Why I thought that you'd ever ask!" she exclaimed as she looked at her daughter and beckoned for her to come closer. "Let me start first with my daughter. Come here my darling and meet Charon's mother - Chara the Queen of the Outer Moon."
At once her daughter straightened her back in a very dignified manner that was truly befitting of a princess and walked elegantly over to the side of her mother who placed her hands on her shoulders as she presented her to Queen Chara.
Chara carefully looked the Moon Princess up and down and then she took a very long look at her face and deeply studied her eyes - this was the first real chance she had had to have a real inspection of the daughter of her oldest friend and not one that she took lightly. The Queen of Charon felt a certain satisfaction as she noted the similarity the girls features bore to those of her mother. As she gazed into the princess's eyes Chara saw for an instant those of Serenity gazing back at her. Chara smiled warmly at the Moon Princess who could not help but return the smile which also reminded Chara immediately of the girl's mother.
Indeed the only thing that distinguished the princess from her mother was her hair which even though it was tied in the same style as Serenity's was blonde in contrast to her mother's white, snowy tresses. "Chara I would like you to meet my daughter." Serenity's face was glowing with pleasure and pride as she presented her daughter to her friend. "I have wished for a long time that you would be able to finally meet her. Indeed I have longed for this moment since the day she was born and now that my desire is fulfilled I know that it was nothing to be wished for lightly."
Without a word Chara leant forward and kissed the Moon Princess on the forehead and then leaned back and gazed closely at her face once more. Eventually she smiled just as warmly as before as she finally spoke once more. "And I am deeply thankful to be able to look upon her my friend. Do you remember the first time I ever saw her a few months ago? On that day I told you that she was beautiful. However now that I have the pleasure of being able to take my time in gazing at her face I would say more that she is as beautiful as you Serenity."
A smile touched Serenity's already upturned lips and she glowed inside.
Now Chara addressed the Moon Princess herself. "My dear I am very happy to be able to meet you again." she said fondly. "I suppose that you know of the friendship I have shared with your mother for so many years now?"
Knowing that it was now time for her to speak the Princess of the Moon Kingdom spoke in a clear and courteous voice which was also warm as she finally met the friend whom her mother had often spoken of with such warmth. "I do your majesty. My mother is never happier than when she speaks of the times you shared with her."
"Our time together is a very special memory for both of us." Chara responded and her eyes were already loving as she smiled at Serenity's daughter who was so like her mother in many ways. "And although I was not able to see you the day you were born my dear, I now realise that I already knew even then."
The Moon Princess felt surprised by Queen Chara's words. "You did?" she inquired as she looked puzzled.
"I did." Chara assured her as she nodded her head and her eyes twinkled with fondness.
"But how?"
"Because I know your mother." the Queen of Charon explained as she smiled approvingly at the princess of the Moon.
After a single startled blink the smile the Moon Princess made was brilliant as she felt the full meaning of Queen Chara's words wash over her.
After the Moon Princess had been introduced to King Char it was Mercury's turn to be presented to Queen Chara.
Chara watched without saying anything as the blue-haired Princess of Mercury walked forward shyly and then came to a stop and curtsied respectfully to her as her cheeks began to bloom a light sunset pink. So then this was Princess Mercury - Queen Chara had heard of the renowned shyness and the quiet demeanour of the Mercurian Princess but try as she had often done she had found herself quite unable to imagine such an easily awed girl. However now that she had the chance to see Mercury for herself Chara looked carefully at her just as she had done with the Moon Princess.
As the Queen of Charon inspected her face very carefully Mercury blushed to the tips of her ears and Chara realised that what she had heard had been quite true - however as she looked into Mercury's wavering blue eyes she then saw something else in her eyes which was quite clear to her - that the soul of the princess was touched with an early midsummer evening sky's blue of grace.
Queen Chara felt an immediate warmth to this girl - it was impossible not to like the modest and quiet Princess of Mercury whose manners were quite perfect. "Good evening Mercury." Chara spoke to the shy princess with an already warm affectionate voice - she already liked the good-natured Mercurian. "I have heard about you very often and I am delighted to be able to meet you at last."
Mercury clasped her hands together behind her as she tried to prevent them from trembling but as Chara spoke to her so warmly the blue haired princess unexpectedly felt a little more confident - somehow she simply could not feel shy when talking to Charon's mother. Chara's voice and eyes were so warm and friendly that she could not help but feel comfortable around her for the way the Charonian Queen spoke and looked at her made her feel just as if they had been friends for years.
Chara smiled as she sensed that Mercury's tenseness was falling slowly away. "I heard your poem earlier Mercury - I thought that it was beautiful. You certainly are as intelligent as I have been told." Mercury was feeling so comfortable that she was able to manage a smile. and Chara thought that the Mercurian looked rather sweet when she smiled. "Thank you." she replied in a very clear voice.
"Don't mention it - but please don't be so nervous around me Mercury. I'm not going to eat you!" Chara laughed and Mercury could not help but smile even wider than before. "You are very sweet but you know you should really try and be braver and confident more often. You were very brave when you recited your poem in front of everybody - that took a lot of courage so it's clear that you are quite brave."
Chara realised that it would be best if she let Mercury go and now with a fond smile she gave her a nod and then the princess was introduced to her husband before returning to the others.
Next the Queen of Charon was introduced to Princess Mars – Mars's posture and face were both very dignified and her bearing was well mannered as she stood before her best friend's mother.
The first thing that Chara realised as she looked in the raven-haired Princess's dark eyes was just how deeply solemn and serious they were – it was very clear from the grave spark in the Martian girls eyes that here was a girl who took life very seriously. What a peculiar contrast to her daughter who had always been so happy-go-lucky and cheerfully spirited!
Or perhaps it was actually because of their differences that the friendship between her daughter and this deep and upright girl was so close, Chara considered as she smiled at the mystical Princess.
One thing was certain to the Queen's mind and this was that if Charon thought so highly of her than Mars must certainly be the best kind of friend for her daughter. "Well met Princess Mars – Charon had told me all about you during the brief time she spent with us after returning home after the conclusion of our war with Palazea." Chara greeted the raven-haired Princess pleasantly.
Mars's eyes became slightly apprehensive now though her face remained just as composed as it had before she'd heard this. "Oh…did she your Majesty?" she asked just a touch nervously as she resisted the temptation to look over at Charon and wondered what she had said about her.
"Yes – and she spoke very highly of you indeed." Chara's smile made Mars feel such a rush of relief that she could not help but smile back at her. "You have been a true friend to her since she has been here Mars and you should feel proud of that. I feel deeply thankful that my daughter has such a dedicated and loyal friend. You are everything that Charon told me…" the Queen of Charon allowed herself a secret smile as she leaned across and took Mars's hand in her own and gave it an affectionate squeeze. "…and more." She added quietly as her eyes twinkled.
Mars gazed at Chara speechlessly – the Queen's praise had touched her heart and secretly she looked at Charon who stood by her mother's side and met the Martian's eyes at once – both of them blushed warmly and smiled at each other.
Chara saw their exchange and her eyes shone as she saw her daughter so happy…
Next it was Princess Venus's turn to meet Chara – Venus's face which was always bright was positively glowing with eagerness as she hurried up and curtsied enthusiastically – which meant very low and very quickly for Queen Chara smiling in excitement all the while.
Queen Chara could not possibly hold back the amused laugh that bubbled up inside her as she craned her head so that she could follow Venus as the blonde Princess curtsied – she saw no need to. "Oh my…you ARE energetic aren't you?" she laughed as Venus stopped and grinned excitedly.
Venus blinked several time and felt a little taken aback by this remark. "Do you really think so?" she stammered as she felt a little nervous about being laughed at by the Queen.
"Oh yes! You're so vibrant and full of life!" Chara remarked as she grinned at the blonde Princess in lovely humour. "I would like to thank you Venus for being the first to welcome my daughter so warmly when she arrived here. You have been a good friend to her and I am happy for that.
Venus grinned back shyly. "It was nothing really…" she replied modestly.
Chara's face became very serious as she gazed at the Venusian Princess. "You're wrong Venus." She rebuked her with a fond smile and her garnet eyes showed the depth of her gratitude. "What you did for her was a wonderful thing and I will always be grateful to you for your friendship to Charon."
Venus blushed as she accepted Chara's hand and squeezed it just as the Queen did to her own. "No really your Majesty…it was nothing! You're daughter is the nicest girl I've ever met so…"
Chara laughed, delighted by Venus's pure honesty. "No nicer than yourself Venus." she replied.
Queen Chara's face expressed a great deal of surprise as she was next introduced to Princess Jupiter – Chara harboured no firmly set opinion on how tall a Princess ought to be strictly speaking but she felt quite taken by surprise as she looked at the girl who towered over the other girls who stood in a row in front of her.
Chara looked at Jupiter in interest as she took the brown-haired Princess's hand in her own and thought that despite her boyish build she was just as pretty as the others – the most striking aspect of her face was her emerald eyes which were quite beautiful and sparkled like a pair of stars.
"I am pleased to meet you Jupiter." Chara greeted the brown-haired Princess and smiled just a tiny bit awkwardly as her hand was shaken by Jupiter's somewhat unsurprisingly strong hold. "I can see that should the need ever arise you will be one of the Moon Kingdon's strongest defenders."
It was the best thing that she could possibly have said – Jupiter grinned as she felt deeply flattered by the compliment. "Thanks." She replied not really knowing what else to say.
Realising that Jupiter was not a great speaker Chara kindly released her hand since she didn't want to force her to say any more than she felt that she could manage. "Not at all." The green-haired Queen assured Jupiter with genuine admiration in her eyes.
Universe stood as still as a rock and though her face remained cool and calm she felt an icy shiver run through her spin. The moment that she'd been dreading since the beginning of the introductions was now at hand and as she realised that it was now her own turn to meet Charon's mother Queen Chara and father King Char she felt ill. Up to now she'd been standing at the very back of the group and tried her best not to be seen but now that she had spoken with the others Chara's eyes now sought for her.
As the green-haired Queen's gaze fell upon her at last Universe felt the ice that had covered her spine flow into her stomach and her heart beat like the wings of a caged bird as she was instantly frozen to the spot. Chara's look was curious as she gazed at the purple-haired Princess – ever since her sister had told her about Universe she had been very interested to know more about this extremely strong spirited and not to say least stubborn girl who had kept Pluto's hands so full when they had encountered.
Pluto's story about their struggle had made Chara laugh heartily and now that she had the chance to find out if this girl really was just as her sister had said she did not plan to waste it. "Good evening Universe." The Charonian Queen smiled warmly at Universe – she was surprised to observe the nervous look on the face of this reportedly fiery girl who seemed quite shy at the moment. "I'm happy that we have this chance to meet at last. My sister Princess Pluto told me all about you Universe."
Universe eyed her warily. "Did she?" she muttered apprehensively.
Now why didn't she find that at all assuring…?
Chara chuckled at the worry she saw in Universe's eyes. "Oh yes! I've been wanting to meet you ever since she told me about the time she met you."
"…have you?" Universe asked warily as she braced herself for the worst which she utterly expected to come next.
"Of course I have! Ever since Pluto described you to me I've been dying to meet you!"
Universe's face was perfectly composed even now but inside she felt like she was going to be sick any minute now and desperately wished that she was a thousand miles away from Charon's mom. The Nether Regions would have been a far more attractive place to be right now… "Well…" Universe stammered through her dismay as she realised that she'd have to speak to the Queen even though she was the one person she would least like to be in the presence of. "…here I am."
"Yes." Chara agreed with a warm smile. "Here you are. And I'm happy to see you. Actually I was lucky enough to hear your song earlier this evening – I enjoyed it so much!"
"…you did?" Universe replied hesitantly.
"On indeed – your singing voice is so lovely Universe!" Chara earnestly complimented the purple-haired girl – she noticed that she was still eyeing her as if she were a wild beast about to pounce and tear her to pieces and she felt anxious to make her smile. "Will you be singing again tonight?"
Universe coloured as her heart began beating unpleasantly quickly – shyness and dread weren't a pleasant combination of emotions. "I…don't think so." she replied quietly.
Serenity was watching her in surprise as she caught the nervous, almost frightened note in Universe' voice – only ten minutes ago Universe had been enjoying herself immensely but now her high spirits seemed to have frozen into fear as she spoke with the Queen of the Outer Moon.
Chara raised her eyebrows at Universe's response. "That's a pity! You sang so wonderfully that I was sorry when you finished. Oh and by the way, what is your song called?"
Universe did not respond for a minute or two but this time her hesitation to speak was not completely down to nervousness – she'd never known the answer to that question herself and also now that Chara had asked it she thought about what Jujuka had said to her earlier about it. "I…don't know." She eventually replied.
"Well then where did you first hear it Universe?"
Again Universe wished that she wasn't having this conversation. "I don't know." She said in a very small voice.
Chara gazed at her in surprise – she simply couldn't understand why this girl seemed so miserably uncomfortable in her company. What could she possibly have done or said to make Universe so anxious and untalkative? A fresh determination to make Universe relax awoke in her – she felt interested in this mysterious and altogether peculiar girl who she had heard so much about. "So…you only came to live in the Moon Kingdom recently?" she asked interestedly. "Have you settled in well Universe?"
"Yeah, pretty much." Universe said and felt slightly calmer now as the topic was driven away from her singing. "It's…okay I guess."
"I'm glad that you feel so at home here." Chara went on as she sensed that Universe was now beginning to relax around her. "I too loved this Kingdom very much from the first time I came to visit." then she reached out with her hand and offered it to Universe – there was now a peculiar twinkling in her eyes as she gazed attentively at Universe's face.
The Plutonian Queen had decided to use her great telepathic power to read the purple-haired Princess's mind. Chara liked to know things about people and this girl particularly fascinated her – since Universe was clearly feeling too awkward to open up to her she had made her mind up to get to know her the easier way. "But please – let me take your hand." Chara requested Universe pleasantly as she extended her hand for the girl to take.
All that she needed in order to be able to delve into Universe's thoughts and memories was the slightest contact – the touching of their hands would be enough for her to establish a telepathic link between herself and the Princess. Universe had frozen all over again at the sight of her hand but since she knew that everybody was watching her she held herself together and smoothly accepted Chara's hand.
Queen Chara smiled approvingly as she held Universe's gloved hand firmly yet gently in her own. The Plutonian had prepared herself to read the girls mind and now that the moment had arrived she was ready and with the utmost concentration and discipline she focused her mind and tried to enter Universe' memories.
However she was in for a surprise – even as she pushed her flow of consciousness out towards Universe' she found that her thoughts seemed to meet with some kind of barrier at the precise moment that she tried to enter those belonging to the Princess. Chara's surprise was immense for instead of immersing herself in Universe' thoughts, past, feelings and desires her mind stayed right where it was. Despite her shock Chara took a deep and relaxing breath – which none of her companions noticed – and then made another attempt to read Universe' mind.
Try as she might however the green-haired Queen again found herself unable to read the purple-haired girls mind. Chara's eyes were slightly startled as she gazed closely at Universe whose mind was completely blocked against any kind of attempt to telepathically read her thoughts. This surely meant that Universe also possessed some degree of psychic ability! It had to be true because as talented as she was Chara could only read the thoughts of non-psychics…
Her curiosity was now at its peak as she looked intently at Universe' face – who WAS this girl? The Queen of Charon had never heard of there being a Princess of the Universe before she had received word about her coming to live in the Moon Kingdom – however what struck her with the most surprise was the nervous and practically fearful look in Universe' eyes as she gazed cautiously at her.
Universe' gloved hand suddenly felt stiff as Chara held it in her own and the Queen could feel that her fingers were now as rigid as brittle sticks that were about to crack. "My dear…are you feeling unwell?" Chara spoke up in concern feeling that she could no longer ignore this – she suddenly noticed that the bottom of the girls lip was trembling slightly. "You look quite pale to me."
Queen Serenity looked anxiously at Universe as she bit her lip in a vain effort to keep it still – it was true, her face was now as white as sheet as her lower lip struggled with her teeth as it quivered uncontrollably.
"Universe…are you all right?" Serenity exclaimed and took an instinctive step towards her charge.
Universe shook her head jerkily – she couldn't take it a second longer. "I…I'm gonna be sick!" she exclaimed shrilly lying as she snatched her hand away from Chara.
Without another word Universe turned on her heel and ran towards the pair of doors that led out of the Ballroom and to freedom. Her outburst had startled everybody so much that they were all too shocked to try to stop her as she ran.
Serenity was just for a brief moment open-mouthed as she watched the shaken Princess haul the double-doors open and disappear through them.
The way that Universe had simply snapped and ran away like that had shocked her – Serenity had never seen such pure nervousness in Universes eyes and now that she had she felt worried…
Shaking her head in silence Serenity decided to put her own concern on hold for a while and turning back to the others she smiled wryly. "Please forgive her – I suppose that this evening has simply been too much for Universe. Her nervousness about singing must have finally caught up with her." she remarked even though she knew that the cause of Universes panic attack had to be something far more serious than a bout of simple nausea. "I'm sure that she will rejoin us once she feels better."
However confidently the Lunarian Queen said this she felt almost certain that none of them would see Universe again for the rest of the night…
Chara was gazing in the direction that Universe had ran off into and her face was clouded with a troubled look – her hand was still held out in the same position it had been while she had held the Princess's hand and as she lowered her eyes to look at her palm she remembered the that Universe had dragged her hand out of her fingers…
Now however she looked up and smiled a little embarrassedly. "Well I suppose that it was better that she felt the effects of her nervousness AFTER she was due to sing!" Her joke broke the tension and everybody laughed – however Chara still felt deeply concerned about the way that Universe had behaved around her, Why had the purple-haired girl looked at her as though her very presence had filled her heart with fear…?
"Mother?" Chara broke out of her troubled reverie as her daughter spoke to her hesitantly.
Charon was gazing at her with a look of hesitation in her pale eyes and she seemed to be almost desperate to ask her a question that had been preying on her mind for a while. At the same time she looked a little despondent and sad since she already knew what the answer was going to be. Chara smiled at her daughter, wondering what was on her mind. "Yes darling?" she prompted gently.
"Is Aunt Pluto..?" Charon's voice faltered but her eyes remained hopeful as she gazed at her mother, her meaning obvious. Chara understood and shook her head sadly.
"I'm afraid that she could not come with us tonight my dear." she said gently as she saw the disappointment slowly filtering into Charon's eyes though she did her best to hide it. "I too wish that she could be here with us so that we could all be together but you know that her duty to protect the Gates is important. Please don't feel sad Charon, you know that she would not want that." Charon's eyes were sorrowful as she longed for the presence of her aunt so that just for one night she could be with her whole family, but she knew that her mother was right - Pluto's duty was her life and she was bound to defend the eternal gateway of time even if it cost her her very life. Charon had known in her heart that her aunt had not come even before she had asked her mother but still she had hoped that her common sense could have been wrong for just one night. The realisation that Pluto had not come with her family did not make her disappointment any less saddening but still she decided that she wouldn't let her chagrin spoil her happiness. After all her mother, father and elder brother were all here with her so she was content enough.
"I'm so happy that you're all here!" she cried with startling joy as she suddenly hugged her surprised mother and then her father with all the warmth of love. "I've missed you both so much!" Chara's eyes were almost glowing with warmth and love as she held her daughter tightly in her arms and kissed her tenderly on the forehead.
"And we you Charon. Always." Charon's eyes sparkled hopefully as she gazed into her mother's.
"Will you stay here for a little while?" she exclaimed earnestly. "Oh please say that you will!" Chara's face was surprised for a moment or two and then she smiled and glanced briefly at her husband, raising her eyebrows questioningly.
With a smile King Char inclined his head slightly to one side in a permissive.
Serenity's eyes were shining as Chara's gaze met her own and both of them smiled beautifully at the same moment as the moment their eyes met it was settled.
Chara's face was glad as she returned her eyes to her daughter. "Of course we will Charon." she assured her as she lovingly stroked the back of her head with her fingers. "Of course we will." As she leant her head onto her mother's shoulder Charon smiled - the Princess of the Outer Moon felt happier than she could ever remember now that she was with both her friends and her family at the same time.
~*~*~
The double-doors were flung open and Universe stumbled across to the edge of the balcony before they even crashed against the walls. Her gloved hands grabbed the rails and she leaned over it taking deep and unsteady gulps of air as she shook uncontrollably from head to toe.
The expression on Universe's face was one of utter misery and grief as she closed to her eyes and slowly slumped to her knees, still clutching the railing. That meeting with Queen Chara had been like a nightmare to her and she felt like she could die from the shame she felt at the way she had turned and ran like a mouse. The worst thing about the whole ordeal was that it was all her own fault...for the last year Universe had felt like scum every waking minute of her life and sometimes even her dreams had given her no peace from her biting guilt. And the whole bitterness was that it was absolutely fair. The purple-haired girl could not even find it in her heart to blame Charon's parents for how terrible she felt around them and felt just as bitterly to this moment. Universe knew that she deserved this awful guilt that had eaten away at her every day of the last two years.
It wasn't their fault...it was her own.
Universe's face was a mask of desperate anguish as she began to breath shallowly as she thought of the terrible thing that she had been responsible for. The purple-haired girl tried to choke back her sob but her effort was so weak that the anguished sound escaped from her throat and to the surface. Why? Why was it that whenever she found any real happiness no matter how small, her past always found a way to return and force her to face it as it taunted her. The enchantment that the night had worked on her was broken and now the gap where the peaceful contentment had been was now filled by a terrible misery that ached in her heart. Nausea now trembled in her stomach and now she just didn't care enough to fight it.
Having pretended to be feeling ill as an excuse to get away earlier Universe now found that she actually felt sick...As her body trembled like a bird in a cage Universe curled up as she wept even though her tears were all gone and she had no time to make more. The final bitter thought that crossed her mind was that things were only going to get worse...and that there was nothing she could do about it.