Title: The Prince of Thieves and a Moon Maiden
Author: Marie J.W.
Chapter: One
Rated: PG
Email: angellady41@hotmail.com
URL: www.geocities.com/mariejwfanfics
Disclaimers: I don't own Sailor Moon.
Thank you sooo much for the emails and reviews! I loved them! It's always
good to know you're writing something that people like. As you know I won't
be sending out the next chapter 'till I get email. I hate writing and
not getting any feed back!
Thank you!
= * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * =
The hall was decorated in light blue and pink with a touch of green
everywhere thanks to Princess Lita. The refreshments were made and the
cake was done to perfection, which made Serenity as happy as a cloud on
a sunny day.
"I can't decide!" Mina threw dress after dress on her bed.
"You can't take all day, Mina." Serenity giggled, "Besides, I think you
passed up over two dresses that would look more than perfect on you."
"Really? Which ones?"
Serenity pulled out a couple and put them in Mina's arms, "Take your pick."
Mina scowled, "I wore this dress at the Christmas ball... and this one-"
"Would look perfect on you." Serenity finished for her and pushed her
towards her dressing room.
Mina ducked out, "Are you sure?"
"Absolutely. Now hurry or we'll be late to my own party."
"Thanks, Serenity." Mina ducked back in and began pulling on the dress.
Serenity stepped in front of the full-length mirror and looked herself over.
She wore a beautiful white silk dress that ran over her curves like a
waterfall, her blonde hair was pulled up into it's traditional buns with
streams trailing out of them and a single white rose was tucked into the
left side of her hair.
Serenity giggled and wondered what men would think of her. She had to admit
she looked much older than she did a year or two ago. Would she catch
anyone's eye? She bit her lip and tried not to smile so much at the thought.
"All right, I'm ready." Mina came out with a light yellow dress on that
showed off her curves very nicely.
Serenity smiled, "Now I'm jealous."
Mina blushed, "Thanks but you look just as good or better."
"Thank you." Serenity gave a mock bow.
Mina shook her head, "Come on, we're going to be late."
Mina and Serenity joined Ray, Lita and Amy at the entrance to the ballroom.
"Where have you two been? There're about to start!" Ray scowled.
"Mina was getting ready. Is my Mother out there?" Serenity peeked into
the ballroom, "Wow we did a great job!"
"Yes, she's standing next to some King of... What was it Amy?"
"Earth."
"Right, anyway..."
"Let's go in."
"They have to announce us first." Ray held Serenity back.
Amy tapped the announcers' shoulder and told him the Princess and her court
was ready to be announced. He quickly straitened up and said loud and
clear, "Princess Serenity, daughter of Queen Serenity, Heiress to the Moon."
Serenity stepped out impatient to get the formal part over with so she
could dance.
The crowd gasped and awed at the Princess who descended the stairs with an
air of grace and tranquility. When Princess Serenity reached the bottom
Princess Mina was announced and so forth until all of, Serenity's court
arrived at the bottom of the stairs.
Serenity found her Mother and kissed her on the cheek.
"Wonderful, you're here. Serenity, I would like you to meet King Terran
of Earth. King Terran, my daughter Princess Serenity."
Serenity curtsied, "It's a pleasure to meet you, your highness."
King Terran kissed Serenity's hand, "You are as beautiful as your Mother
said you were."
Serenity blushed, "Thank you."
"Serenity, if you like you may begin the dance."
Serenity smiled and gave one last curtsy before looking around to find
someone to open the dance with. This was the hard part that she hated the
most. She hated choosing someone she wasn't sure wanted to dance with her.
Finally, she found a young man that caught her attention. He was smiling at
her and when she returned his gaze, he winked at her. She wasn't sure if
she liked the man or not but at least, she knew he liked her. She
approached him, "Will you open the dance with me, sir?"
"Of course, highness." He bowed then took her hand and led her out to
the middle of the dance floor.
After that, it was easy. Young man after young man asked her to dance
until finally it was time to cut the cake. The beautiful four-layer cake
was wheeled into the middle of the dance floor where Serenity stopped.
Dancers stepped out of the way with smiles on their faces.
Queen Serenity, who sat at her throne smiled gratefully, the cake
looked wonderful with white frosting and pink trimming with soft yellow
and blue flowers on it.
The room dimmed leaving only the soft glow of the light from the candles. Serenity licked her lips. 'What should I wish for this time?'
"Make a wish, Serenity." Mina whispered behind her.
Serenity closed her eyes. 'I wish for a fairy tale to come true and happen
to me.' She opened her eyes and blew out the candles... ALL SIXTEEN candles.
Everyone cheered.
"What did you wish for?" Mina stepped up next to her.
"Can't tell or it won't come true."
Mina pouted then smiled, "Don't worry, I'll get it out of you sooner or later."
Everyone was served cake and ice cream and the night ended with happy
smiles and laughter.
Later, Serenity would remember her sixteenth birthday ball as the best
she'd ever had!
= * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * =
Five men watched the entrance of the palace of the Moon with a cunning
eye. They waited all night for a young moon maiden to come out of those
doors and they would wait a few hours more if need be. The hour was late
but they were more the willing to stay up.
"What time is it?"
"Twelve. The ball should be over soon."
"How much longer do we have to wait?"
"Shut up and be quiet."
One of the men yawned and leaned back on his hands, "I don't know why
we're here when you're the one getting the money."
"I need help what if I get a feisty one?"
"Moon girls aren't feisty, they're weak and flowery."
"Why are we at the ball anyway, we can't kidnap a Lady."
"We're looking for a maid, stupid."
"Like a maid is going to come out at this time of night."
Just then, they heard a slight creaking sound. They all became silent and
looked towards the palace once again. They saw the door open and then
shut without seeing a soul.
"Maybe it's... the wind..." One of the men tried to explain the
occurrence.
Soft steps glided across the thick grass, making "shhh" sounds.
The men swallowed. Was it a ghost?
The door to the palace opened again but this time the light was on.
A woman stood in the doorway, looking out into the darkness. The men
heard a slight "oaf" not to far away from them before some bushes started
to rattle.
"Serenity!" The women from the doorway called.
The men sank deeper into the ground behind their thick green bush of
roses.
"Dang that girl." The women sighed and shut the door firmly behind her.
The bush next to them started to rustle and finally a young blonde girl
stepped out and brushed the leaves off her white dress. The moonlight
shone on her hair, making it look golden instead of just blonde-haired
woman.
"Grab her!"
In an instant, all five men jumped out of the bushes and covered the girl
with a large brown bag. The woman screamed and tried to fight off her
attackers but the men won quickly. One of them found a rock and hit it
over her head, knocking her out.
"This is great! I imagined it to be much harder."
"We better get something for this."
"Sure, sure, you'll get your pay." The man threw her over his shoulder,
"Let's get back to earth."
= * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * =
Prince Endymion sniffed and coughed before letting out a full-blown sneeze.
"Chicken soup, you're Highness." A servant approached the Prince with
out hesitation and set the tray of soup by his bed.
"Wha..." the Prince coughed, "What time is it?"
"Past twelve, you're Highness. You should be asleep by now."
"Being sick is the worst thing that could happen. How will I know who
she is when she arrives on earth? She could be any of the five girls."
"You'll know, sire, the Princess is said to be the most beautiful of all
the planets."
"Why..." the Prince sneezed then whipped his nose with a handkerchief,
"Why can't I pick a princess out for myself? Why must everything be done
the traditional way?"
The servant let him talk.
"I am almost twenty, I think I should have a choice in what I say and do.
What if I don't like the Princess? What if she's haughty and..." The
prince paused as a sneeze seemed to come on but it never came. The
prince sighed, "selfish. I hate selfish girls."
"Drink your soup. It will calm you, you're Highness." The servant put the
tray on the Prince's lap, "The Princess will not come for another week. You
can worry about it then."
Prince Endymion sipped his soup sniffing every once in a while, "I hope
you're right about her."
"She will be everything you've dreamed of, sire. Grace, beauty, charm, and
a good head on her shoulders, I'm sure. It's in their blood."
Prince Endymion was no longer listening he had fallen asleep.
= * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * =
Two days later:
Serenity woke with a headache and in a strange place. Bright light filled
the tent that she laid in and the smell of smoke invaded her senses.
'Where am I?' She tried to recall coming to this strange place but it
never came. 'How did I get here?' She looked around the tent and found
herself on the ground with a thin blanket under her and a thin blanket
covering her. She quickly looked herself over and gasped. Her white silk
dress was covered with dirt, splashes of mud and grass stains.
Serenity quickly threw the blanket back and stood up. She picked up the
ends of her dress with a deep frown. Mina was going to hate her for ruining
her dress.
Hearing voices from out side, Serenity dropped the end of her dress and
walked slowly to the entrance of the ugly brown tent. She peeked out and
was terrified at the scene before her. Two men in dirty clothes sat around
a campfire roasting some kind of meat. They were talking low and chuckling
every once in a while, laughing at their own jokes.
Serenity's nose wrinkled up. 'Who are these filthy people?'
'Well, you're not going to find out standing here like a dummy.' Serenity
took a deep breath but found her lungs were immediately filled with smoke.
She chocked and coughed.
The men turned around. Serenity stumbled out of the tent, gasping for
some clean air.
"By golly, the girls awake!" She heard one of them say. Serenity took a
deep breath of cool clear air before finally being able to stand up and face
the men.
"I..." She coughed one last time, "demand you tell me where I am and who
you two... are."
The men stared at her, looking over her form with no hesitation.
Serenity blushed in humiliation. Never had she seen a man dare look at her
like that! Did these men have no respect?!
"Excuse me, sir." She glared at them.
They both looked at her face then and had the dignity to blush.
"Where am I?"
"You're on earth, miss." The one on the right gave her a toothy grin,
"And you're ours to keep."
The other man nodded with bright eyes.
Serenity's eyes widened, "What?!"
"That's right."
"What?!" Serenity asked again. She couldn't believe this was happening to
her. She was on earth?! How did she get here? And then it dawned on her.
She was kidnapped. She remembered the dance and then escaping to the
gardens...
"Oh... no..." She felt her knees go weak.
= * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * =
"I'm going into town, Smith." Prince Endymion tied the strings of his
cap around his neck, "I will be back in an hour or two."
"Are you sure you're are feeling up to the ride, sire?"
"Absolutely. After staying in bed for two days I've about had it."
Endymion slipped his gloves on as he walked out the door towards the
stables.
"What should I tell your father?"
"The same as I told you." He looked at his servant; "I'm not getting
into trouble this time, Smith."
"Darien!"
Endymion looked up. His loyal guard and friend Malachite trotted over
on his gray horse.
"Darien, I heard you were going out. Mind if I join you?"
"No, actually I would prefer you coming with me. I could use someone to
talk to."
Malachite bowed his head in respect.
Prince Endymion unhooked his horse and saddled him.
"I wish you would stop calling him that, it degrades his royal name."
Smith whispered to Malachite as he petted his horse.
"The name Darien doesn't degrade anything. His mother gave him that name."
"It's his MIDDLE name."
"So?"
Smith rolled his eyes and stepped away from the horse, "Good riding to
you, sire!"
Prince Endymion climbed onto his horse and trotted over to Malachite,
"Thank you." He nodded towards his good friend before riding with Malachite
off into the forest.
"What have the men been up to?" Endymion asked.
"I haven't been to see them. I'm sure they're up to no good as usual."
Malachite moved around a tree, "I still don't understand your attachment
to them. They're a bunch of thugs waiting to take your money and your title."
"They're not that bad." Endymion chuckled, "They're more mislead then
anything else."
"Sure, that's why they stole the bag of gold rings I was delivering to
the governor of Macwash Town. I'm still missing five rings from that bunch."
"At least you've learned not to bring valuables among them."
"That I have."
A half hour later, Endymion and Malachite approached the small camp of
thieves. In the whole camp there, resided 24 men but most of them were
in the cities round about and the small towns near by.
Prince Endymion dismounted his horse and tied it to a tree near one of
the tents.
"It's quieter during the day." Malachite mused.
Endymion stopped to listen. The soft sounds of blue bird flittered through
the air along with the rushing sound of leaves brushing each other.
"Yes it-"
A high scream pierced the peaceful surroundings. A women's scream!
Prince Endymion and Malachite ran towards the sound only to come smack dead
in the way of a young girl running in their direction.
"What... the...?"
Serenity saw the men up ahead and quickly ran around them and behind them.
She grabbed onto one of the men's cape to shield her self.
Two men came around the corner of one of the tents but stopped dead when
they saw their Prince.
"Ah, sire..." The man on the right cleared his throat and visibly
looked uncomfortable, "You're back so soon?"
"May I ask what is going on here?" Endymion looked to his right where
Malachite stood with a girl attached to his back.
Malachite tried to turn to look at the girl but she held him fast.
'How odd...'
"I... well..." The one on the left stuttered, "She's a girl." He finally
let out.
"I know she's a girl! Where did she come from and why were you chasing
her?" Prince Endymion glared at the two men. They knew better then to do
their business in front of him. If they broke the law he really didn't want
to know about it yet here this girl was in plain sight.
Serenity looked between the authority man and the two quivering thieves.
She was tired of being confused and she was tired of being chased by
lustful men! She stepped out from behind the man with long white
hair (Malachite), "Excuse me but I am sick of being in the dark! I want
to go home now!"
Prince Endymion looked at her surprised. He hadn't expected her to talk,
she looked scared and vurnible before but now she looked quite irritated
and impatient. As Endymion looked over her attire she didn't look much like
a Lady, she looked more like a Duchess but not of Earth, earth didn't wear
that kind of design. Duchess or Lady, either way she looked stunning and
a perfect picture of a lost Goddess.
"Where's home, malady?"
Serenity turned to him, surprised, "Ah... the moon."
"The MOON?" Endymion turned dangerous eyes on his two thieves, "You
kidnapped someone from the Moon?!"
"It was Katt's idea!" One of the men defended, "He said he wanted a Moon
Maiden and so... we got one."
"For how much?"
"Sire?"
"How much?" The Prince asked again.
"Fifty pounds of gold."
"Where did he get that?" Endymion stopped himself, "Never mind, I don't want
to know."
"Fifty pounds?" Serenity asked, confused. She didn't know how the earth
worked with their money but fifty didn't sound like a lot.
"I'm sorry for this inconvenience, malady." Prince Endymion gave a slight
bow, "They were only misled-"
An idea accrued to Serenity, one she hadn't thought of before. If she
stayed here then maybe she would be able to wiggle out of being promised to
that prince her Mother set her up with! Yes, that would be a great idea!
"Oh, well, I forgive them. I'm sure they were just... not thinking right." Serenity glanced at then men whose eyes had widened.
"Excuse me?" Prince Endymion gave her an odd look. He figured it would be
a harder to convince her of their stupidity. She didn't seem like a dense
girl.
"In fact, they might have done me some good. You see I was planning on
escaping to earth but they just made my job easier."
"Malady," Malachite inquired, "are you saying that you want to stay here? Wouldn't you prefer to go home?"
"No!" Serenity smiled, "I would love to see this beautiful planet now that
I'm here. On the moon we hardly have any green, just where we plant it...
and that's not much." Serenity glanced around her.
"You will go to Katt?" One of the thieves asked.
"Of course not, I'm not a piece of property! I don't know who this Katt is
but I highly dislike him already." Serenity crossed her arms, "Whoever
thought of kidnapping a Pr-girl and making her their slave? It's disgusting."
Prince Endymion watched her in thought. She held herself quite well and
he could tell by the way she talked that she was brought up in a very
free-speaking society. She was no maid.
"Madame, may I ask her name?" Prince Endymion asked when the Princess
stopped lashing out at the thieves.
She turned to him but didn't speak.
"Your name?"
"Ah..." She started to panic. She couldn't tell him what her name was! What
if he found out he would either send her back or keep her for ransom and
she couldn't do that to her Mother! "Lady Serenity."
"This is my guard General Malachite and these two men are Matt and Tails."
He pointed to the two men, "And I am Prince Endymion."
"Prince?" Serenity's swallowed. Now she was in big trouble! If he found
out, she KNEW he would send her back! Then she would have to marry that prince.
Endymion nodded.
"Oh." Serenity gave a weak smile, "Nice to meet you."
= * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * =
That's it for now! Thanks for read'in!
Author: Marie J.W.
Chapter: One
Rated: PG
Email: angellady41@hotmail.com
URL: www.geocities.com/mariejwfanfics
Disclaimers: I don't own Sailor Moon.
Thank you sooo much for the emails and reviews! I loved them! It's always
good to know you're writing something that people like. As you know I won't
be sending out the next chapter 'till I get email. I hate writing and
not getting any feed back!
Thank you!
= * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * =
The hall was decorated in light blue and pink with a touch of green
everywhere thanks to Princess Lita. The refreshments were made and the
cake was done to perfection, which made Serenity as happy as a cloud on
a sunny day.
"I can't decide!" Mina threw dress after dress on her bed.
"You can't take all day, Mina." Serenity giggled, "Besides, I think you
passed up over two dresses that would look more than perfect on you."
"Really? Which ones?"
Serenity pulled out a couple and put them in Mina's arms, "Take your pick."
Mina scowled, "I wore this dress at the Christmas ball... and this one-"
"Would look perfect on you." Serenity finished for her and pushed her
towards her dressing room.
Mina ducked out, "Are you sure?"
"Absolutely. Now hurry or we'll be late to my own party."
"Thanks, Serenity." Mina ducked back in and began pulling on the dress.
Serenity stepped in front of the full-length mirror and looked herself over.
She wore a beautiful white silk dress that ran over her curves like a
waterfall, her blonde hair was pulled up into it's traditional buns with
streams trailing out of them and a single white rose was tucked into the
left side of her hair.
Serenity giggled and wondered what men would think of her. She had to admit
she looked much older than she did a year or two ago. Would she catch
anyone's eye? She bit her lip and tried not to smile so much at the thought.
"All right, I'm ready." Mina came out with a light yellow dress on that
showed off her curves very nicely.
Serenity smiled, "Now I'm jealous."
Mina blushed, "Thanks but you look just as good or better."
"Thank you." Serenity gave a mock bow.
Mina shook her head, "Come on, we're going to be late."
Mina and Serenity joined Ray, Lita and Amy at the entrance to the ballroom.
"Where have you two been? There're about to start!" Ray scowled.
"Mina was getting ready. Is my Mother out there?" Serenity peeked into
the ballroom, "Wow we did a great job!"
"Yes, she's standing next to some King of... What was it Amy?"
"Earth."
"Right, anyway..."
"Let's go in."
"They have to announce us first." Ray held Serenity back.
Amy tapped the announcers' shoulder and told him the Princess and her court
was ready to be announced. He quickly straitened up and said loud and
clear, "Princess Serenity, daughter of Queen Serenity, Heiress to the Moon."
Serenity stepped out impatient to get the formal part over with so she
could dance.
The crowd gasped and awed at the Princess who descended the stairs with an
air of grace and tranquility. When Princess Serenity reached the bottom
Princess Mina was announced and so forth until all of, Serenity's court
arrived at the bottom of the stairs.
Serenity found her Mother and kissed her on the cheek.
"Wonderful, you're here. Serenity, I would like you to meet King Terran
of Earth. King Terran, my daughter Princess Serenity."
Serenity curtsied, "It's a pleasure to meet you, your highness."
King Terran kissed Serenity's hand, "You are as beautiful as your Mother
said you were."
Serenity blushed, "Thank you."
"Serenity, if you like you may begin the dance."
Serenity smiled and gave one last curtsy before looking around to find
someone to open the dance with. This was the hard part that she hated the
most. She hated choosing someone she wasn't sure wanted to dance with her.
Finally, she found a young man that caught her attention. He was smiling at
her and when she returned his gaze, he winked at her. She wasn't sure if
she liked the man or not but at least, she knew he liked her. She
approached him, "Will you open the dance with me, sir?"
"Of course, highness." He bowed then took her hand and led her out to
the middle of the dance floor.
After that, it was easy. Young man after young man asked her to dance
until finally it was time to cut the cake. The beautiful four-layer cake
was wheeled into the middle of the dance floor where Serenity stopped.
Dancers stepped out of the way with smiles on their faces.
Queen Serenity, who sat at her throne smiled gratefully, the cake
looked wonderful with white frosting and pink trimming with soft yellow
and blue flowers on it.
The room dimmed leaving only the soft glow of the light from the candles. Serenity licked her lips. 'What should I wish for this time?'
"Make a wish, Serenity." Mina whispered behind her.
Serenity closed her eyes. 'I wish for a fairy tale to come true and happen
to me.' She opened her eyes and blew out the candles... ALL SIXTEEN candles.
Everyone cheered.
"What did you wish for?" Mina stepped up next to her.
"Can't tell or it won't come true."
Mina pouted then smiled, "Don't worry, I'll get it out of you sooner or later."
Everyone was served cake and ice cream and the night ended with happy
smiles and laughter.
Later, Serenity would remember her sixteenth birthday ball as the best
she'd ever had!
= * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * =
Five men watched the entrance of the palace of the Moon with a cunning
eye. They waited all night for a young moon maiden to come out of those
doors and they would wait a few hours more if need be. The hour was late
but they were more the willing to stay up.
"What time is it?"
"Twelve. The ball should be over soon."
"How much longer do we have to wait?"
"Shut up and be quiet."
One of the men yawned and leaned back on his hands, "I don't know why
we're here when you're the one getting the money."
"I need help what if I get a feisty one?"
"Moon girls aren't feisty, they're weak and flowery."
"Why are we at the ball anyway, we can't kidnap a Lady."
"We're looking for a maid, stupid."
"Like a maid is going to come out at this time of night."
Just then, they heard a slight creaking sound. They all became silent and
looked towards the palace once again. They saw the door open and then
shut without seeing a soul.
"Maybe it's... the wind..." One of the men tried to explain the
occurrence.
Soft steps glided across the thick grass, making "shhh" sounds.
The men swallowed. Was it a ghost?
The door to the palace opened again but this time the light was on.
A woman stood in the doorway, looking out into the darkness. The men
heard a slight "oaf" not to far away from them before some bushes started
to rattle.
"Serenity!" The women from the doorway called.
The men sank deeper into the ground behind their thick green bush of
roses.
"Dang that girl." The women sighed and shut the door firmly behind her.
The bush next to them started to rustle and finally a young blonde girl
stepped out and brushed the leaves off her white dress. The moonlight
shone on her hair, making it look golden instead of just blonde-haired
woman.
"Grab her!"
In an instant, all five men jumped out of the bushes and covered the girl
with a large brown bag. The woman screamed and tried to fight off her
attackers but the men won quickly. One of them found a rock and hit it
over her head, knocking her out.
"This is great! I imagined it to be much harder."
"We better get something for this."
"Sure, sure, you'll get your pay." The man threw her over his shoulder,
"Let's get back to earth."
= * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * =
Prince Endymion sniffed and coughed before letting out a full-blown sneeze.
"Chicken soup, you're Highness." A servant approached the Prince with
out hesitation and set the tray of soup by his bed.
"Wha..." the Prince coughed, "What time is it?"
"Past twelve, you're Highness. You should be asleep by now."
"Being sick is the worst thing that could happen. How will I know who
she is when she arrives on earth? She could be any of the five girls."
"You'll know, sire, the Princess is said to be the most beautiful of all
the planets."
"Why..." the Prince sneezed then whipped his nose with a handkerchief,
"Why can't I pick a princess out for myself? Why must everything be done
the traditional way?"
The servant let him talk.
"I am almost twenty, I think I should have a choice in what I say and do.
What if I don't like the Princess? What if she's haughty and..." The
prince paused as a sneeze seemed to come on but it never came. The
prince sighed, "selfish. I hate selfish girls."
"Drink your soup. It will calm you, you're Highness." The servant put the
tray on the Prince's lap, "The Princess will not come for another week. You
can worry about it then."
Prince Endymion sipped his soup sniffing every once in a while, "I hope
you're right about her."
"She will be everything you've dreamed of, sire. Grace, beauty, charm, and
a good head on her shoulders, I'm sure. It's in their blood."
Prince Endymion was no longer listening he had fallen asleep.
= * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * =
Two days later:
Serenity woke with a headache and in a strange place. Bright light filled
the tent that she laid in and the smell of smoke invaded her senses.
'Where am I?' She tried to recall coming to this strange place but it
never came. 'How did I get here?' She looked around the tent and found
herself on the ground with a thin blanket under her and a thin blanket
covering her. She quickly looked herself over and gasped. Her white silk
dress was covered with dirt, splashes of mud and grass stains.
Serenity quickly threw the blanket back and stood up. She picked up the
ends of her dress with a deep frown. Mina was going to hate her for ruining
her dress.
Hearing voices from out side, Serenity dropped the end of her dress and
walked slowly to the entrance of the ugly brown tent. She peeked out and
was terrified at the scene before her. Two men in dirty clothes sat around
a campfire roasting some kind of meat. They were talking low and chuckling
every once in a while, laughing at their own jokes.
Serenity's nose wrinkled up. 'Who are these filthy people?'
'Well, you're not going to find out standing here like a dummy.' Serenity
took a deep breath but found her lungs were immediately filled with smoke.
She chocked and coughed.
The men turned around. Serenity stumbled out of the tent, gasping for
some clean air.
"By golly, the girls awake!" She heard one of them say. Serenity took a
deep breath of cool clear air before finally being able to stand up and face
the men.
"I..." She coughed one last time, "demand you tell me where I am and who
you two... are."
The men stared at her, looking over her form with no hesitation.
Serenity blushed in humiliation. Never had she seen a man dare look at her
like that! Did these men have no respect?!
"Excuse me, sir." She glared at them.
They both looked at her face then and had the dignity to blush.
"Where am I?"
"You're on earth, miss." The one on the right gave her a toothy grin,
"And you're ours to keep."
The other man nodded with bright eyes.
Serenity's eyes widened, "What?!"
"That's right."
"What?!" Serenity asked again. She couldn't believe this was happening to
her. She was on earth?! How did she get here? And then it dawned on her.
She was kidnapped. She remembered the dance and then escaping to the
gardens...
"Oh... no..." She felt her knees go weak.
= * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * =
"I'm going into town, Smith." Prince Endymion tied the strings of his
cap around his neck, "I will be back in an hour or two."
"Are you sure you're are feeling up to the ride, sire?"
"Absolutely. After staying in bed for two days I've about had it."
Endymion slipped his gloves on as he walked out the door towards the
stables.
"What should I tell your father?"
"The same as I told you." He looked at his servant; "I'm not getting
into trouble this time, Smith."
"Darien!"
Endymion looked up. His loyal guard and friend Malachite trotted over
on his gray horse.
"Darien, I heard you were going out. Mind if I join you?"
"No, actually I would prefer you coming with me. I could use someone to
talk to."
Malachite bowed his head in respect.
Prince Endymion unhooked his horse and saddled him.
"I wish you would stop calling him that, it degrades his royal name."
Smith whispered to Malachite as he petted his horse.
"The name Darien doesn't degrade anything. His mother gave him that name."
"It's his MIDDLE name."
"So?"
Smith rolled his eyes and stepped away from the horse, "Good riding to
you, sire!"
Prince Endymion climbed onto his horse and trotted over to Malachite,
"Thank you." He nodded towards his good friend before riding with Malachite
off into the forest.
"What have the men been up to?" Endymion asked.
"I haven't been to see them. I'm sure they're up to no good as usual."
Malachite moved around a tree, "I still don't understand your attachment
to them. They're a bunch of thugs waiting to take your money and your title."
"They're not that bad." Endymion chuckled, "They're more mislead then
anything else."
"Sure, that's why they stole the bag of gold rings I was delivering to
the governor of Macwash Town. I'm still missing five rings from that bunch."
"At least you've learned not to bring valuables among them."
"That I have."
A half hour later, Endymion and Malachite approached the small camp of
thieves. In the whole camp there, resided 24 men but most of them were
in the cities round about and the small towns near by.
Prince Endymion dismounted his horse and tied it to a tree near one of
the tents.
"It's quieter during the day." Malachite mused.
Endymion stopped to listen. The soft sounds of blue bird flittered through
the air along with the rushing sound of leaves brushing each other.
"Yes it-"
A high scream pierced the peaceful surroundings. A women's scream!
Prince Endymion and Malachite ran towards the sound only to come smack dead
in the way of a young girl running in their direction.
"What... the...?"
Serenity saw the men up ahead and quickly ran around them and behind them.
She grabbed onto one of the men's cape to shield her self.
Two men came around the corner of one of the tents but stopped dead when
they saw their Prince.
"Ah, sire..." The man on the right cleared his throat and visibly
looked uncomfortable, "You're back so soon?"
"May I ask what is going on here?" Endymion looked to his right where
Malachite stood with a girl attached to his back.
Malachite tried to turn to look at the girl but she held him fast.
'How odd...'
"I... well..." The one on the left stuttered, "She's a girl." He finally
let out.
"I know she's a girl! Where did she come from and why were you chasing
her?" Prince Endymion glared at the two men. They knew better then to do
their business in front of him. If they broke the law he really didn't want
to know about it yet here this girl was in plain sight.
Serenity looked between the authority man and the two quivering thieves.
She was tired of being confused and she was tired of being chased by
lustful men! She stepped out from behind the man with long white
hair (Malachite), "Excuse me but I am sick of being in the dark! I want
to go home now!"
Prince Endymion looked at her surprised. He hadn't expected her to talk,
she looked scared and vurnible before but now she looked quite irritated
and impatient. As Endymion looked over her attire she didn't look much like
a Lady, she looked more like a Duchess but not of Earth, earth didn't wear
that kind of design. Duchess or Lady, either way she looked stunning and
a perfect picture of a lost Goddess.
"Where's home, malady?"
Serenity turned to him, surprised, "Ah... the moon."
"The MOON?" Endymion turned dangerous eyes on his two thieves, "You
kidnapped someone from the Moon?!"
"It was Katt's idea!" One of the men defended, "He said he wanted a Moon
Maiden and so... we got one."
"For how much?"
"Sire?"
"How much?" The Prince asked again.
"Fifty pounds of gold."
"Where did he get that?" Endymion stopped himself, "Never mind, I don't want
to know."
"Fifty pounds?" Serenity asked, confused. She didn't know how the earth
worked with their money but fifty didn't sound like a lot.
"I'm sorry for this inconvenience, malady." Prince Endymion gave a slight
bow, "They were only misled-"
An idea accrued to Serenity, one she hadn't thought of before. If she
stayed here then maybe she would be able to wiggle out of being promised to
that prince her Mother set her up with! Yes, that would be a great idea!
"Oh, well, I forgive them. I'm sure they were just... not thinking right." Serenity glanced at then men whose eyes had widened.
"Excuse me?" Prince Endymion gave her an odd look. He figured it would be
a harder to convince her of their stupidity. She didn't seem like a dense
girl.
"In fact, they might have done me some good. You see I was planning on
escaping to earth but they just made my job easier."
"Malady," Malachite inquired, "are you saying that you want to stay here? Wouldn't you prefer to go home?"
"No!" Serenity smiled, "I would love to see this beautiful planet now that
I'm here. On the moon we hardly have any green, just where we plant it...
and that's not much." Serenity glanced around her.
"You will go to Katt?" One of the thieves asked.
"Of course not, I'm not a piece of property! I don't know who this Katt is
but I highly dislike him already." Serenity crossed her arms, "Whoever
thought of kidnapping a Pr-girl and making her their slave? It's disgusting."
Prince Endymion watched her in thought. She held herself quite well and
he could tell by the way she talked that she was brought up in a very
free-speaking society. She was no maid.
"Madame, may I ask her name?" Prince Endymion asked when the Princess
stopped lashing out at the thieves.
She turned to him but didn't speak.
"Your name?"
"Ah..." She started to panic. She couldn't tell him what her name was! What
if he found out he would either send her back or keep her for ransom and
she couldn't do that to her Mother! "Lady Serenity."
"This is my guard General Malachite and these two men are Matt and Tails."
He pointed to the two men, "And I am Prince Endymion."
"Prince?" Serenity's swallowed. Now she was in big trouble! If he found
out, she KNEW he would send her back! Then she would have to marry that prince.
Endymion nodded.
"Oh." Serenity gave a weak smile, "Nice to meet you."
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That's it for now! Thanks for read'in!