Disclaimer: IDOSM
White Lies
Chapter 4
It had almost been a week since Serena's incident and she was getting very impatient with the mysterious Prince. It seemed to her that the mask he wears was glued to his face. She has never seen him without it. Also, she wanted to get back to Darien. She was almost certain that he was worried over her sudden disappearance.
Lucky for the Prince, it seemed that Serena didn't remember about seeing Darien before passing out. He too, was wondering how to explain to her if she ever finds out his secret.
"Serena?" Endymion knocked on her door.
"Yes?"
"Are you ready?"
"Yes. I'll be out in a moment." She replied.
"I'll be waiting at the front gates."
"I'll be there!"
Endymion sighed and walked towards the palace gates. It had been so long since he has taken off his mask. He had been wearing it almost 24/7, since Serena was always there, he had to keep his policy of 'No showing his true look before common villagers.' Besides, he wasn't sure how to get Darien to be there the same time as Prince Endymion. He sighed again. This was getting preposterous.
Serena plopped down on the big, soft bed provided. She missed her Mother, her protectors, everything about home. 'I mean, I like Darien and the Earth, but it's not the same… Oh well! I'm going home today anyway.' She thought. She shook her head to clear her thoughts.
"What am I doing? Endymion is waiting for me at the gates!" She scolded herself. Standing up, she smoothed down her white dress that she was wearing the first day. She was thinking of sneaking into the palace unsuspected and to avoid her Mother and the Senshi at all costs. 'Wonder how I'm going to escape Endymion ad Darien…" She frowned at the thought. She let out a breath. 'Here goes nothing!' She stepped out into the hallways.
~
"Um… Amy? Where exactly are we? Heh…heh…"
"We are precisely 12, 978 miles away from destination." The Mercurian Princess reported.
Mina looked at her quizzically. "How far is that?"
"It should take about half an hour or so to get there." Amy couldn't help but crack a smile at the bubbly Venusian Princess.
"Great! So we get there, grab Sere, and drag her back. Right?" Lita plopped down on the soft, sinkable couch.
"Uh-uh-uh." Raye wagged a finger at the Jovian Princess. "You forgot one thing! We have to FIND Meatball Head first."
"You Martians never forget a thing, do you?" Lita grinned.
"Nope! It's our speciality." Raye flipped her dark hair over her shoulder.
Mina giggled and Amy looked up from a book.
"What's so funny?" She piped.
"Nothing!" Mina giggled.
Raye rolled her eyes and Lita conked her head in desperation. Amy raised an eyebrow.
"Interesting behavior." She muttered and lowered her head back in to her Calculus book.
~
"Can you ride, Serena?" Endymion asked her.
"No."
"I suppose you wouldn't mind sharing a horse then?" He smiled at her.
Serena blushed. "Of course," She whispered.
Endymion adjusted his mask and helped Serena on the stallion. He then climbed up behind her and grabbed the reins, using the side of both arms to steady her if she should fall. When they started into a slow trot, Serena tried to sit up straight and not crash into the Prince. That idea was diminished when they kicked into a gallop and she was roughly thrown against the Prince's chest. Then, she felt the Prince's arm wind itself around her waist and she immediately stiffened. Her cheeks grew hot and she quickly shook her head to try to collect herself together. No use. She felt she was melting in his strong arms.
Endymion felt the young girl's lithe body thrown against himself and quickly encircled one arm around her waist to support her, while using the other arm to maneuver the horse. Taking his eyes off the road for a moment to see how she's doing, only to see her red-hot face. He chuckled inwardly and shook his head. It's strange, really, that if he did this to any other girl, they are probably all in the process of fainting by now. This girl, by far, was the only one who has remained in her position, only with a slight tint of red on her cheeks.
Looking up, he saw that they had nearly reached the place where he found Serena. Slowing the horse down to a steady trot, he led them into the clearing of flowers. "This is it, right?" He asked.
"Yes." Serena quickly shot up and jumped down the horse, not caring if she almost sprained her ankle. "Thank you for taking care of me." She said politely.
He nodded in reply. "Take care of yourself, and be careful next time." Quickly he turned and galloped away until he reached a small shrubbery. Securing the horse next to a tree, he jumped down and grabbed the sack of clothes that he had attached beside the saddle. He changed into the common clothes and took off the mask. Flinging the armour into the sack, he re-fastened it onto the saddle and brushed a hand through his hair. Cutting straight through the bushes and flowers, he reached the little cottage right before Serena did. Unlocking the back door quietly, he slipped in and plopped onto the little couch and quickly prepared a cup of tea. Went into the bathroom and messed up his hair, un-straightened his shirt, and laid down on the small couch with his feet propped up on the other end, trying his best to look worried and tired.
A little while later, he heard a knock on the front door and shot up from the couch. 'My god she's fast!' He thought.
Making sure he looked his worst, he sauntered over to the door and pulled it open. Pretending to be shocked, he stood as still as possible. Serena, who was really shocked at his appearance, jumped right on him and hugged him tight.
"S-serena?"
Serena could only nod. She couldn't believe that only a few days away, Darien had managed to make himself look so… bedraggled. "Dear Selene, you look horrible! What the hell happened to your hair?" She muttered and pulled him over to the bathroom. Poor Darien, he had forgotten that women always treasure the hair. Grabbing the wooden comb on the counter, she ran it through his hair profusely. "What happened to you?" She shook her head.
"What happened to YOU?" Darien pretended to be upset. "I looked everywhere and couldn't find you. I was so worried that you left without telling me or if you were hurt or something."
"I-I'm sorry. I was um… there was an emergency back home and I had to go for a while." She lied. Serena decided not to tell Darien about the Prince of Earth and her small incident, but unknown to her, Darien was a bit unhappy about her lie.
'Why is she lying? What's wrong with meeting me?' He frowned inwardly but was quickly interrupted but the painful tug in his hair. "Owwwwww!!!! That hurt!" He yelled. 'I guess I messed up my hair to much…'
"Well, your hair looked like it hadn't be brushed for months!" Serena scolded. "There! That's done." She stood back and admired her handiwork. Realizing what she just did, she blushed and turned away. "Why don't we go out into the garden and you can tell me what you've been doing." She said and walked out of the bathroom and towards the front door. Darien followed her, amused by her actions.
Serena pulled the door open and walked silently towards the garden, closely followed by Darien. Straightening his shirt, he increased his pace until he caught up with the blonde and slowed down beside her.
"Darien?"
"Yes?"
"Are you mad at me?"
"No."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes."
"Have you met the Prince of Earth before?"
This question startled him and he paused, thinking about the possible answers. "Yes."
Serena frowned. "How?" She asked.
"Everyone's seen him. He inspects the streets and makes sure the villagers are doing well. He doesn't rely on some of the guards. They can be pigs." He grinned to himself.
"What's so funny?" Serena asked, noticing the smile on his face.
"Nothing."
"Well, have you seen him without his mask?"
Darien stopped. "No."
"I see." Serena sighed inwardly.
"Why?"
"No reason." And that ended the conversation.
~
"Amy!" Mina whined. "My feet hurt."
"Oh Mina, hang in there." Lita smiled pitifully at her.
"Oh leave her! You're waaaay to soft on her!" Raye said.
"Raaaaaaye!!! You're soooooo meeean!" Mina moaned.
"Why don't we rest here for awhile?" Amy smiled at Mina and sat down on the soft, grassy ground.
"Yay! You're the best Amy!" Mina stuck her tongue out at Raye.
"If Sere were here, I bet you'll be teasing her, Raye." Lita said.
"Yup! Mina is my second candidate." She grinned at Lita.
"Do you guys hear that?" Amy closed her book and took off her reading glasses.
"Hear what?"
"Listen!"
Close-by, they heard soft voice, as if discussing an important business matter.
"Over here!" Lita waved the other over to the small bush the separated them from the voices. Silently parting the bushes, four faces peeked out from the green wall. Four gasps were heard. Fours pairs of eyes grew big. Four blurs of different colors flew out from their hiding place and towards the young girl and young man talking. They had stopped now, and were walking in silence. Hearing the gasps, they looked up. Serena's eyes grew large and she took a step back.
"NOOOO! DON'T! PLEASE!" She yelled but it was too late.
Four voices chanted together. "Greetings, Princess Serenity. We have come to escort your Royal Highness back to the Moon."
The sentence hung in the cold autumn air as all things froze.
There! I promised, and it's out! I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I know it's still not as long as the first one, but it's the best I could do in one week. I am mostly feeling better now, and the next chapter will be out in about two weeks or so… depending on the reviews. * hint * * hint *
