*DISCLAIMER*
I DO NOT OWN ANY OF THE SAILOR MOON CHARACTERS.
ALL LIKENESSES TO OTHER STORIES ARE COICIDENCE.
READ AND REVIEW
~THANKS~

"....." = Talking, duh!
*.......* = Thinking, duh!
~Flashback~
*~* Action *~*
(--------) = Author Notes

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Betrothed To a Jerk -- Chapter 3

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Endymion jumped out of the bed with a start. *How DARE she lock me out of any room in
my wing of this castle!* Endymion silently fumed. Then, a realization hit Endymion
with a start. He smacked his head. *How could I have been so stupid!?* He reached down
into his tunic and pulled out a silver chain. At the end of the chain was a silver
key. With a wide grin on his face, he ran over to his door, opened it, and ran out
into the hall. He hit the door with a thud. "Oof!" He cursed the servants under his
breath. *Figures they polish the floor today...* In his haste to remove the chain from
around his neck, Endymion broke it. Cursing again as he bent over, he picked it up.
After picking up the key and slipped it into the lock, he leaned his head on the door
as he listened for that faint noise.

*~* CLICK *~*

*Yes!* He marveled at his own stroke of genius as he peered through the cracked door.
Serenity was rolling around restlessly on the bed. Before he could shut the door,
Serenity saw him as she turned over though.

Angrily she sat up, her eyes flashed menacingly. "GET OUT OF MY ROOM!" She yelled.

Chuckling, Endymion leaned up against the door. "Excuse me? Do you even know what part
of this castle you are in?"

Serenity bit her lip. She didn't know. "No. Why would I know anything about this pitiful
planet?"

"...Because you're going to be the Queen of it one day?"

"Not if I have anything to do with it!" She told him. She walked over and patted him
on the shoulder. "Don't feel too bad. It isn't you. It's me." She stated with a
certain hint of sarcasm AND condescension.

*What a ditz!* Endymion silently complained. "Whatever. Well, we had better head to
the banquet hall." He gestured for her to walk through the door first.

Serenity had her eyes squeezed shut in what looked to be concentration. When she
opened them, she saw his stare. "No, we are to go to the North Balcony."

"..Um..And how do you even know we have a North Balcony?" He asked in confusion.

"My mother just told me." Serenity told him like he was stupid or something.

Endymion looked around for her mother. *I don't see her mother...*

Seeing him looking around, that sent Serenity into a fit of giggles.

"What?!"

"What are you looking for?"

"Your mother? I mean, how could she have told you we were to go there if you haven't

seen her for like an hour?"

Serenity raised her eyebrows. "You didn't know me and my mother had a telepathic
link?"

"Oh...No, I wasn't aware of that." He ran his hand through his hair in embarrassment.

"Sorry about that. Well, can you at least show me the way? She said we have things to discuss."

"Of course," Once again, he gestured to the open doorway. "Ladies first." He mocked.
Serenity eyed him through the corner of her eye as she walked through the doorway. But
of course, she didn't make it all the way through the doorway before a foot somehow
snaked out in front of her, making her trip. This time, however, no one stopped her from falling. Wincing in pain, Serenity propped herself up on her elbows on the stone floor. *I'm not going to act like anything is wrong...* But, you see, something was wrong. Serenity twisted her ankle when she fell, the same ankle Serenity had tried to keep healed for a few months now. *Oh great!*

Endymion didn't even apologize this time. He just began walking down the corridor,
obviously telling her surreptitiously to follow her.

Serenity practically had to pry herself off the floor. She let out a weak groan as she
got up. *I swear, I'm going to kill him.* She thought with vengeance. Doing her best,
she hurriedly limped after him.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw her catching up to him and started to walk
faster. *She's got another thing coming if she thinks I'm done with her. The fun is
just beginning.*

Serenity moaned again, her ankle was throbbing , and her face was pale.

This time, Endymion heard her and spun around. "Did. You say something?"

Immediately, Serenity stopped trying to walk and muttered a quick no. She looked at
the floor until she thought he had started walking again and then looked up. When she
looked up, she was lost helplessly in the depth of his dark blue eyes. She couldn't
have pryed herself away from those eyes even if she wanted to. But, she did sense him
walking closer.

"Serenity, your moon is silver." He told her as he touched her forehead.

"Oh, shit.." she muttered. She brushed his hand away and broke the gaze. "I'm fine."

"Are you sure?" He asked again.

"Yes." She replied with her face set.

Endymion didn't even reply. He just set off. *It's not my fault if the stupid girl is
going to be stupid enough not to just tell me she's hurt or whatever is wrong with
her...Oh..Well, she probably doesn't know about our healing powers....Well! That's not
my problem.

Serenity limped after him because walking regularly hurt too much. Her face growing
paler and paler. Her ankle throbbing more and more.

Endymion stopped right in front of a doorway and motioned for her to go inside.

Taking a deep breath, Serenity walked, normally, into the room. The only thing
noticeable of her discomfort was her pale face and the fact that her cresent moon was
silver, instead of gold.

When she entered the room, the King rose from his chair at the table. The Queen of
Earth and Serenity's mother were talking idly, until they saw him stand. The Queen of
Earth was taken back by the girl's face, so it seems, was Queen Serenity.

"Is your daughter , alright?" The Queen of Earth asked tenderly.

"I..I don't know." Queen Serenity got up and met Serenity half way across the room.

Serenity stopped in front of her mother. Before Serenity could assure her mother
nothing was wrong, the Queen put her index finger up to Serenity's forehead.

The pain Serenity was experiencing was passed to her mother. When her mother sensed
her full pain, she staggered back a few steps. "Goodness, Serenity, why must you
always be so stubborn?" She grabbed her by the wrist and pulled her over to the table.
Now, Serenity's limp was very distinguishable.

"Muh-Ther!" Serenity hissed accenting the syllables of the phrase.

"Hush! Now sit down!" She pointed to a chair sitting beside the place where Serenity
was standing.

Endymion followed the two in utter confusion and took his seat by his father and
mother, who looked to be just as perplexed as he was.

Queen Serenity bent down by Serenity's feet and lifted up her skirt few inches.
Serenity's ankle was swollen and blue. "Curse it! You've twisted it again! That's the
third time this month! I told you that you shouldn't be training! You should have left
it to your guardians. A Princess has no place training like you do." She scolded.

At those comment, Serenity face blushed red. "What I do with my own personal time is
my business alone. --" She was about to continue but she remembered there were other
people present. "But now is not the time to discuss that." She added feeling
embarrassment showing on her cheeks.

"Oh, Serenity, please. There people are going to be family. You might as well get used
to letting them know some things about you." Her mother said exasperatingly.

Serenity rolled her eyes. The color was back to her face and her moon was now
somewhere in-between gold and silver. She stood up ,but as soon as she stood up, she
winced in pain and all the color left her face. "Ugh.." And sat back down.

The King timidly asked, "Is she okay?"

Queen Serenity sighed and stood up. Glaring at her daughter, she replied. "Oh, yes,
she will just need a few days of bed rest again...Twisted that ankle again."

The King brightened up at this. "Oh really? Well, Endymion could mend it for her. It
would only take a few seconds. He really is quite -- "

Serenity threw her arms up. "Ohh no! He is not TOUCHING me! If he touches me, I swear
I will --"

The look Queen Serenity sent to her daughter silenced her. "Serenity would be most
grateful."

Endymion smiled kindly at the Queen. "I'd be honored." He did feel a little guilty. I
mean, he was insinuating it was his fault she was hurt. When Endymion got up, the
Queen came and sat in his seat when the Queen of Earth told her to.

Endymion knelt down by Serenity's feet and lifted up her skirt to her knees, revealing her smooth creamy ivory skin...*Whoa, what am I thinking?* AND only a pair of slippers on her feet.

As soon as her mother wasn't looking, Serenity bent over in the chair and hissed,"You
may be fooling everyone else, but not me. Do not this you've had the last of this
because you don't know what I am capa--"

She was cut off by Endymion's gentle touch on her ankle. At first it throbbed, then it
tingled, and then it was glowing slightly. When his touch left her ankle, all the
pain, color, and tingling was gone. She was flabbergasted.

Endymion grinned at her. "My dear Princess, I look forward to your 'retaliation'. But
I do warn you, don't get in over your head."

Serenity sniffed. "I wouldn't worry about me, if I were you. I'd worry about myself."
"And so you should." He assured her as he stood up. He felt her sending an icy cold
yet sizzling glare his way and turned his head, his father was talking to all of them
now.

"Now, on to pressing matters. There will be a Masque Ball tomorrow night. BOTH of you
shall attend. As usual, it will start in the late afternoon ,and end at the midnight
bell. At midnight you shall remove you mask, whoever you were dancing with is the one
you shall spend the rest of the evening with. Providing you stay in some public part
of the castle. Any questions?"

All four of the Royals expected Serenity to burst out with complains, but oddly she
held her tongue and had a weird grin on her face. She laughed at the looks she was
getting.

"Now, Endy, please take Serenity back to her chambers, and inform the Head Servant
that you two will be dining on Miss Serenity's balcony. She is to have nothing but bed
rest until then, so you had better leave her there, and come back in a little while.
IS that alright with you, dears?" The Queen of Earth asked, sending Serenity a kind
smile.

"Of course!" They both said at the same time, surprising everyone almost as much as
they had surprised themselves.

Serenity felt very awkward. "Goodnight then, I suppose. I shall see you in the
morning." She went to stand up, but as soon as her feet touched the floor, Endymion
swept her off her feet into his arms.

"Now, Now, Princess, you mustn't put too much pressure on that foot directly,
otherwise, I shall have to heal it again. You must give it time to mend." Endymion
chided as he walked out of the room.

Queen Serenity leaned over towards the Queen of Earth. "I bet you Serenity will have
Endymion in shreds after tonight. I have seen that smile on her before, it means
nothing but trouble."

Surprisingly, the Queen smiled slyly, "Don't be so sure, your Serenity is the only one
with something up her sleeve. Endymion likes a good challenge, and I do believe
Serenity is going to be prove to be more than just a challenge. The outcome should be
interesting."

"Hmm..I suppose," The King of Earth added, to both women's surprise. "But the true
question is: Is she really as good of a fighter as they say?"

Queen Serenity's eyes twinkled. "Of course. She's very good, although don't tell her I
said so, otherwise, she would stop trying to impress me. Adversity brings out the
best...or ...worst in her. This should be interesting."

The King and Queen both nodded. "Indeed it shall." He agreed.

_MEANWHILE_

Endymion carried Serenity down the hall back to her room.

"Please can you put me down?" She begged.

Once again, Endymion felt drawn to the fact that she didn't want to be in this
position. "No, it wouldn't be a good idea for your ankle."

Serenity pursed her lips and crossed her arms. "Whatever."

Upon reaching her chambers, Endymion took one step in the doorway and asked again.
"You want me to put you down?"

Before Serenity realize what he meant, she eagerly answered. "Of course!"
*Oh great!* She thought as his arms gave way out from underneath her and down she
went. "SHIT!" She exclaimed as her but landed on the elaborate blue rug, even though
there was a rug there, she still felt the cold stone through her gown.

"Well, I'll be back in about an hour or so for dinner." Endymion told her, trying to
hide the smile on his face.

"Asshole..." She muttered. As she watched Endymion's mouth open at her statement, she
pursed her lips and swung her left leg (the one not injured) deftly at Endymion's
ankle, causing him to fall, right on his chest on the stone floor.

"Oof!" He landed with a thud, and he could hear Serenity laughing.

"This isn't over." He told her as he got up and clung to the doorframe.

Her eyes sparkled. "Don't worry, I don't expect it to be." She grinned and got up and
got in bed under the covers. Not taking a second thought about Endymion, she willed
sleep to come. And come it did. Only her dreams were now filled of a dark haired man
with eyes like the ocean on a stormy night.

Endymion cursed as he rubbed his chest and walked down the hall. *This is not over,

and I refuse to lose to..to a...to a GIRL, especially that one!!* With a shake of his head at today's events of meeting his future wife, he went to find the Head Servant.

To Be Continued...

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Thanks to ALL who reviewed. Might have next chapted out by Friday night, but no promises! I want 2 more reviews :)
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PrincessScribe of Lorim
(name is copyrighted)

Email me! PrincessScribe@hotmail.com
Need Editors and Beta readers since this will be a very long time before completed!