Title: The Prince of Thieves and a Moon Maiden
Author: Marie J.W.
Chapter: Three
Rated: PG
Email: angellady41@hotmail.com
URL: www.geocities.com/mariejwfanfics
Disclaimers: I don't own Sailor Moon.
I'm loving writing this story so far so you can expect a couple more
chapters in the next two weeks.
And for thoughs that have emailed me... THANK YOU SOOO MUCH! I love getting
email and it lets me know who is reading my stories and what they like about
it. It's really nice to have support! Thank you and keep it up. I don't think
I could finish this story without you guys!
= * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * =
What was she going to do without any money? This adventure thing almost
lost its excitement at the pressing problem. Any world was run by money of
some sort. Working for her money didn't sound like fun so what could she do?
No, stealing wouldn't be good. She was a princess after all. So what?
Serenity stood by a carriage, watching the people pass on the dirt road.
Some children across the street played with a small puppy, teasing it with
bits of food. Serenity didn't feel too sorry for the puppy for the little
thing was fat and well fed. The children's mother came out of the shop with
a basket and scolded the little kids.
I wonder what my children will be like... She mused to herself. The idea
of having kids brought a smile to her face but then she remembered the 'ooh
so important prince' she was supposed to marry and frowned.
A loud "whoopee" and the sounds of hooves pounding against the ground made
her look towards the west side of town. A group of riders galloped into
the middle of the street with swords and arrows tied to their backs. Some
even wore daggers at their boots.
Serenity stared in wonder. She had never seen such men before. They were
tall, well built and dirty from their dusty ride into town. Where had they
come from? They sure didn't look civilized...
"We came for bread an' fresh milk!" A man who sat on the most beautiful
horse Serenity had ever seen shouted. He seemed to be the leader of the
bunch.
Women held their children close to them while the men of the town had
their hands on the hilt of their swords, ready to draw if need be.
"If you refuse our order," Another man who rode next to the leader
continued, "we will be forced to take other... provisions." At the last
word, he stared at some pretty maidens.
How dare they think such a thing?! Women were not "things"! They are
human beings!
When no one moved the men started to gallop around, circling closer to
the towns people.
"Get out of here!" a man who held his sword up to the rider yelled out
to them, "We'll give you nothing."
Just by looking at him, Serenity could see that he didn't know how to use
such a sword. He held it with both hands and it seemed to take all his
strength just to hold it up.
The leader of the bunch laughed at the man, "Will ya now? Then we'll just
have to take of our own accord, won't we boys?" He glanced back at his
group. They all cheered in response.
"Leave us alone!" The same man shouted again but this time with some
pleading in his voice.
The leader had no mercy, "If you will not support our men then we'll
support ourselves." The leader looked around the town. The maidens hid
behind their mothers or brothers, none of them wanted to be taken by the
ruff men.
Finally, the Leader's attention fell on Serenity. Serenity looked to her
left then right before looking behind her. Was he looking at her?!
The Leader galloped up to her and in one sweep, before she could even blink
she had been hauled over the saddle in front of the man on her stomach.
Serenity cried out in fear. Where was he taking her?!
"Put me down!" Serenity beat on the man's leg, "Let me go! I refuse to
be treated like this!"
"Let's go, men!" The leader turned, "We'll be back next month. Be ready!"
The man galloped off with Serenity in tow.
The ride was long and treacherous. Serenity's stomach, chest and legs
ached from the way she was carried on the horse and her mouth was painfully
dry. Long ago, she had stopped yelling and had simply used her energy to
keep awake. She was starting to feel nauseated and sick inside and out.
Finally, around nightfall they entered the camp that stood between two
large mountains.
"See what kind of grub we have left over." The leader commanded as he
descended from his horse. Serenity coughed out some dirt that stuck in
her mouth.
The Leader pulled her down none too gently and placed her on the ground. Serenity grabbed onto the horse to keep from falling. How could men treat
her in such a manor?
The Leader left her there, joined his group of men around the fire, and
started talking in low voices.
Serenity stared at him with disgust and hate. He was treating her like
a dog. She weakly made it over to the men and stood behind the Leader,
"I-" She choked on her words, "I... demand some respect, sir."
The Leader slowly turned around and looked up at her. Serenity's face was
half shadowed by the darkness while the other half was lit up by the
firelight. Either way, the Leader could plainly see the determination on
the woman's face.
"Sit down, maiden." He made one of his men scoot over, "Eat. You'll need it."
The men laughed and shoved each other.
Serenity stood stiff in her place, "I will not eat with such low men such
as your selves. I am no MAIDEN, sir."
"Then what ar' ya?"
"A Lady."
"Lady, huh?" He looked her over before feeling the fabric of her dress. Serenity remained in her spot with her hands at her sides.
"Jesh, ya ar' lady, ar'nt ya." He smiled, "Sit, then lady."
Serenity still stood. Why were they making light of it? Didn't they
understand that she deserved some respect?
The Leader turned back to the campfire, totally ignoring her.
Defeated and way too tired to make much sense of her situation she finally
sat down next to the man. He shoved a tin plate of beans in her face, "Eat."
She looked at the man then the plate before taking it from him. He acted like
a regular cave man.
She took a small bite from the beans and found that they were slightly
burnt but at the moment, she really didn't care. She felt like she hadn't
eaten in three days. So, she shoveled the food into her mouth until it was
gone.
Eventually the Leader handed her a jug of water, which she drank thirstily.
By the time everyone had eaten and the fire had died down Serenity was
feeling much better although very tired. She had no idea what time it was
but it was dark and the stars were out.
The men were talking about food and the seriousness of their lot. They
seemed to think that they were good men who just needed a little help from
the locals. Didn't they know how to garden and milk cows? Serenity quickly decided that they didn't.
Resting her head on her lap, Serenity watched and listened to the
mountain men's conversation.
The Leader of the group's, she quickly found, name was Jarick and his
sidekick or the one that seemed closest to him was called Marsh-tello.
Both men were tall, well built and lean. Although Marsh-tello was smaller
then Jarick she could tell he had almost as much or equal strength.
Jarick finally noticed her. He stared at her a second with Serenity
staring right back before indicating towards a tent by the fire, "You can
sleep in there."
Serenity lifted her head and looked at the tent then looked back at him.
Did she dare?
"Ya won't be bothered." He supplied for her, "Now get before I leave ya
out here."
Serenity stood and walked over to the tent. She was vaguely away of the
men watching her every move.
"I know what ya think' in and you better not try it." She heard Jarick
gruffly order his men. Once again, the camp got loud with talk and laughter.
Serenity clasped onto a pile of blankets not caring if they were dirty or
not. She was tired and there was no way she was going to move. Her body
ached with every move and her neck felt like a stick stuck to her head.
No, she was defiantly not moving anywhere.
Late in the morning, she woke to the sounds of deep voices. They were
talking about their mother's cooking and how they missed it. Serenity
blinked her eyes open and looked around the dirty tent. There was
dirt everywhere.
She lifted her head and winced when her neck protested to such a move.
She laid her head back down, wishing the pain in her body would go away.
She heard more noise outside and then the smell of food. Her stomach
grumbled.
Serenity struggled to get to her knees. She was going to get up. She
couldn't stay in bed all day. She stepped out of the tent, walked over
to the fire, and sat down on a thick log. It was not until she looked at
the men did she realize they were staring at her.
"What?" She snapped.
The men went back to shoveling their food in their mouths.
Serenity smoothed down her hair, aware that it was sticking out in the
oddest places and in tangles.
"So ya'r up." Jarick sat down by her, "Ready to eat? We have a long day
ahead of us."
Serenity stared at him, "We do?"
"Yeah..." He looked over the camp, "Since ya'r a girl and all then you'd
be cleaning up the camp while we men work."
Serenity's mouth dropped open. She had never cleaned anything in her life!
"We'll be up there." He pointed, "So if ya need anything holler."
"I can't clean!" The words fell out of her mouth, "I've never cleaned
anything in my life!"
Jarick stared at her with a raised eyebrow.
"I can't!" Serenity continued to protest.
"Then I guess you'll be learn'in." With that, he stood up and fixed
his breakfast.
Serenity stared around the campground with growing despair. Maybe she
WOULD have been better going home after all but of course, now that was
too late. She was up in the mountains with no knowledge of how to get back
down to the small town that she came from.
After breakfast, the men did leave except for a few older men who would
stay and look after the camp. One of the men gave her instruction to clean
up the camp fire area first then start by working around it. The man called
Pete gave her rags to clean things with and soap.
It took her all day to pick up and clean the area of the campfire. She
washed the tin dishes, picked up papers, sticks, and boots that were
littered everywhere. After she completed that Pete, put her in charge of
doing the men's laundry.
"I can't do that!" Serenity once again protested.
The old man stared at her with a small smile, "If ya want to live you
better. Jarick doesn't keep no slackers."
"He wouldn't kill me." She crossed her arms.
Pete lifted an eyebrow, "He won't, huh?"
"He kills people?" She felt a lump rise in her throat.
"Sure. Any mountain man's got to if he's going to survive."
Serenity stared then sighed, "What do I do?"
At the end of the day, she was exhausted and starving but the day wasn't
quite over yet. Pete wanted her to cook dinner for the men when they returned
in a short while.
"But-"
"I know what ya go'in to say, girl, but you have to learn sometime. Here
take this."
Serenity shoulders slumped and she followed the older man's instructions.
She watched the beans with an eagle eye. She wasn't about to let this batch
of beans burn. She hated the after taste in her mouth and she doubted she
would ever get used to it.
When the men came back, it was dark once again and Serenity looked even
worse then she did that morning but the campfire area was clean, their
clothes were drying and food was ready to eat.
They sat down and gobbled up the food without so much of a 'thank you'
from any of them.
Serenity ate quietly but inside she was thinking of ways to escape or beat
some sense into these men. She wasn't about to be treated like a regular
slave. If she was going to be here, she wanted some excitement.
Feeling someone staring at her, Serenity turned her head. She found one
of the men staring at her with hungry eyes. Feeling revolted at the thoughts
she was sure that man was having she grew ignite. Why that... that...
HOW DARE HE!!!
Serenity put her empty plate down in front of her and stood up, "May I
ask what you're looking at?"
The man seemed surprised at her bold question but in the end he smiled,
"You, Lady."
"I ask that you don't. I refuse to be looked at like a piece of meat."
The man's smile grew crooked, "Really?"
Serenity glared at him, "Yes. And if you so much as lay a hand on me, I
will not be held responsible for my actions. And that goes for the rest
of you." She looked around the now quiet group of men. They were all
staring at her with amusement or curiosity.
"Sit down, Lady, no ones going to hurt you." Jarick chuckled.
"Ooooh..." Serenity finally lost it. She could only take so much from
these self-absorbed men! She pushed Jarick over with all her strength
and whirled around, leaving the men there to laugh at her retreating form.
The next day was much the same but with more things to do. She started
cleaning out each of the men's tents by beating out rugs, blankets and the
tents themselves. Pete was always there keeping an eye on her and making
sure she did what she was supposed to be doing. By the end of the day, she
was warped and tired. Pete didn't have mercy on her though and made her
fix dinner again.
It wasn't until her third day there that Serenity earned some respect among
the men. After a good days work, Serenity sat down and ate her dinner with
the group of mountain men. She listened to their conversation and
quickly learned that they were practicing sword fighting up in the upper
ledge. She found it exciting as well as amazing. She knew they had swords
but she didn't know how well they could use them. The conversation went
from swords to fighting to hand wrestling.
Jarick and a guy named Stephan challenged each other and ended up laying
across from each other on the dusty ground with their right hands locked.
They put muscle to muscle and soon Jarick was pressing Stephan's hand hard
and closer to the ground. Serenity watched with excitement. Now THIS she
knew how to do!
Ray and her self were always challenging each other to this game and
usually Ray won but in the last year Serenity had been working, to beat
Ray and just three weeks ago she had actually beaten the young fiery Princess.
Jarick won and the men yelled out his victory.
"Who's next?" Jarick asked with a large smile as he flexed his hand.
Serenity licked her lips in anticipation before standing up, "I will."
The whole group went silent.
Jarick lifted an eyebrow.
"I will." Serenity put on her game face.
"Ya'r just a girl, Lady."
"So?" She gave him a look for look.
Jarick laughed, "Alright then, Lady, if ya won't to get whipped its
ya'r thing."
Serenity got down on the ground in front of Jarick, making sure her dress
was down flat and lifted her hand to meet his. He gripped her hand and
waited for one of the men to say "Go".
"Ready?" Pete sat down next to them.
"Ready." They both replied.
"Go."
Serenity pushed and he pushed back. The men let out surprised sounds
and comments that such a girl could actually hold her weight.
Serenity wasn't done yet and that's what bothered Jarick. Most girls with
one push would have lost but she was pretty strong. He pushed hard and
she pushed harder.
Sweat was starting to form at Serenity's forehead as she concentrated on
using as much muscle as she dared. Her arm was starting to hurt but she
wouldn't give up. She had to win this one!
Jarick was pushing her hand down but Serenity quickly fixed that little
problem and once again, their hands were up strait.
Jarick grunted his disapproval.
Most of the men by now were yelling Jarick's name or encouraging him to beat
the "little girl". However, Pete was sitting by her and whispering
encouraging words and giving her support. She could easily say that he was
the only one on her side at the moment.
With sweat pouring down her forehead and dripping in her eyes, her
muscles feeling pushed as far as they could go she finally gave one last
push and that's what did it. Jarick's hand touched the ground and her
hand didn't.
Pete smiled beside her, "I knew ya could do it."
The rest of the group went silent as Jarick stared at his hand. Serenity
watched him. Was he mad that he lost to a girl? Maybe she should have let
him win.
Jarick looked up at her with a smile, "Ya are a girl but ya'r a tough one."
He got to his feet then extended his left hand for her to take. She took
it gratefully and stood up.
"Good game, lass." He then looked at her carefully, "Where did ya get so
much strength?"
Serenity smiled, "I used to play that game with a friend of mine. I had a
lot of practice."
He nodded.
The group broke up a little disappointed that their Leader lost against a
girl. But in the end, it did give them some gossip to talk about.
The next morning Serenity wasn't woken up by the sun, instead it was
Pete shaking her, "Get up, Lady."
"Hmm?" She asked moaning tiredly and opening one eye, "The sun's not up yet."
"I know. Jarick wants you up. Ya'r going up to the mountain, Lady."
Serenity sat up strait, "What?"
"He says get up."
Serenity imediately got up and ran out of the tent. The men were putting
their swords into their belts and pulling on their boots.
"There ya are." He smiled, "Ya coming up with us?"
"I don't understand." Serenity looked around at the men. None of them would
look at her.
"Ya have a good arm. I think it's about time ya learned how to use such
a thing."
"Sword fighting?" The idea excited her. She'd always wanted to learn and
now he was going to teach her!
He nodded.
"I... Are you sure? I mean, I am a girl."
"If ya can beat me in a game then you can do whatever ya like."
Serenity wanted to jump around but she refrained. It wouldn't look good at all.
"Thank you."
= * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * =
Queen Serenity stood on her balcony looking over the shimmering capital city
of the Moon. The wind blew lightly, shifting her silver hair around her
neck.
"Where are you, Serenity?" A lone tear slid down the Queen's face, "I
can't loose both of you. Not now, not when I need you so much..."
Princess Ray bit her lip as she watched their Queen sound so heart broken
and alone. She missed Serenity as well but she knew her fear of loosing
Serenity couldn't equal the Queen's pain in a million years. Serenity was
all Queen Serenity had.
We have to get Serenity back somehow, Ray looked down in thought, if only
I knew how.
No, she knew how but it would put Queen Serenity in further pain. But in
the end, if they got Serenity back, things would be back to normal. Ray
looked up at the Queen's back.
In the end it would be all worth it... In the end.
To Be Continued...
= * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * =
So, it ends again. ::Sigh:: Kind of sad, huh? Well, make sure to email me
or you won't get the next chapter! JA ne for now!
Thank's for read'in!
Author: Marie J.W.
Chapter: Three
Rated: PG
Email: angellady41@hotmail.com
URL: www.geocities.com/mariejwfanfics
Disclaimers: I don't own Sailor Moon.
I'm loving writing this story so far so you can expect a couple more
chapters in the next two weeks.
And for thoughs that have emailed me... THANK YOU SOOO MUCH! I love getting
email and it lets me know who is reading my stories and what they like about
it. It's really nice to have support! Thank you and keep it up. I don't think
I could finish this story without you guys!
= * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * =
What was she going to do without any money? This adventure thing almost
lost its excitement at the pressing problem. Any world was run by money of
some sort. Working for her money didn't sound like fun so what could she do?
No, stealing wouldn't be good. She was a princess after all. So what?
Serenity stood by a carriage, watching the people pass on the dirt road.
Some children across the street played with a small puppy, teasing it with
bits of food. Serenity didn't feel too sorry for the puppy for the little
thing was fat and well fed. The children's mother came out of the shop with
a basket and scolded the little kids.
I wonder what my children will be like... She mused to herself. The idea
of having kids brought a smile to her face but then she remembered the 'ooh
so important prince' she was supposed to marry and frowned.
A loud "whoopee" and the sounds of hooves pounding against the ground made
her look towards the west side of town. A group of riders galloped into
the middle of the street with swords and arrows tied to their backs. Some
even wore daggers at their boots.
Serenity stared in wonder. She had never seen such men before. They were
tall, well built and dirty from their dusty ride into town. Where had they
come from? They sure didn't look civilized...
"We came for bread an' fresh milk!" A man who sat on the most beautiful
horse Serenity had ever seen shouted. He seemed to be the leader of the
bunch.
Women held their children close to them while the men of the town had
their hands on the hilt of their swords, ready to draw if need be.
"If you refuse our order," Another man who rode next to the leader
continued, "we will be forced to take other... provisions." At the last
word, he stared at some pretty maidens.
How dare they think such a thing?! Women were not "things"! They are
human beings!
When no one moved the men started to gallop around, circling closer to
the towns people.
"Get out of here!" a man who held his sword up to the rider yelled out
to them, "We'll give you nothing."
Just by looking at him, Serenity could see that he didn't know how to use
such a sword. He held it with both hands and it seemed to take all his
strength just to hold it up.
The leader of the bunch laughed at the man, "Will ya now? Then we'll just
have to take of our own accord, won't we boys?" He glanced back at his
group. They all cheered in response.
"Leave us alone!" The same man shouted again but this time with some
pleading in his voice.
The leader had no mercy, "If you will not support our men then we'll
support ourselves." The leader looked around the town. The maidens hid
behind their mothers or brothers, none of them wanted to be taken by the
ruff men.
Finally, the Leader's attention fell on Serenity. Serenity looked to her
left then right before looking behind her. Was he looking at her?!
The Leader galloped up to her and in one sweep, before she could even blink
she had been hauled over the saddle in front of the man on her stomach.
Serenity cried out in fear. Where was he taking her?!
"Put me down!" Serenity beat on the man's leg, "Let me go! I refuse to
be treated like this!"
"Let's go, men!" The leader turned, "We'll be back next month. Be ready!"
The man galloped off with Serenity in tow.
The ride was long and treacherous. Serenity's stomach, chest and legs
ached from the way she was carried on the horse and her mouth was painfully
dry. Long ago, she had stopped yelling and had simply used her energy to
keep awake. She was starting to feel nauseated and sick inside and out.
Finally, around nightfall they entered the camp that stood between two
large mountains.
"See what kind of grub we have left over." The leader commanded as he
descended from his horse. Serenity coughed out some dirt that stuck in
her mouth.
The Leader pulled her down none too gently and placed her on the ground. Serenity grabbed onto the horse to keep from falling. How could men treat
her in such a manor?
The Leader left her there, joined his group of men around the fire, and
started talking in low voices.
Serenity stared at him with disgust and hate. He was treating her like
a dog. She weakly made it over to the men and stood behind the Leader,
"I-" She choked on her words, "I... demand some respect, sir."
The Leader slowly turned around and looked up at her. Serenity's face was
half shadowed by the darkness while the other half was lit up by the
firelight. Either way, the Leader could plainly see the determination on
the woman's face.
"Sit down, maiden." He made one of his men scoot over, "Eat. You'll need it."
The men laughed and shoved each other.
Serenity stood stiff in her place, "I will not eat with such low men such
as your selves. I am no MAIDEN, sir."
"Then what ar' ya?"
"A Lady."
"Lady, huh?" He looked her over before feeling the fabric of her dress. Serenity remained in her spot with her hands at her sides.
"Jesh, ya ar' lady, ar'nt ya." He smiled, "Sit, then lady."
Serenity still stood. Why were they making light of it? Didn't they
understand that she deserved some respect?
The Leader turned back to the campfire, totally ignoring her.
Defeated and way too tired to make much sense of her situation she finally
sat down next to the man. He shoved a tin plate of beans in her face, "Eat."
She looked at the man then the plate before taking it from him. He acted like
a regular cave man.
She took a small bite from the beans and found that they were slightly
burnt but at the moment, she really didn't care. She felt like she hadn't
eaten in three days. So, she shoveled the food into her mouth until it was
gone.
Eventually the Leader handed her a jug of water, which she drank thirstily.
By the time everyone had eaten and the fire had died down Serenity was
feeling much better although very tired. She had no idea what time it was
but it was dark and the stars were out.
The men were talking about food and the seriousness of their lot. They
seemed to think that they were good men who just needed a little help from
the locals. Didn't they know how to garden and milk cows? Serenity quickly decided that they didn't.
Resting her head on her lap, Serenity watched and listened to the
mountain men's conversation.
The Leader of the group's, she quickly found, name was Jarick and his
sidekick or the one that seemed closest to him was called Marsh-tello.
Both men were tall, well built and lean. Although Marsh-tello was smaller
then Jarick she could tell he had almost as much or equal strength.
Jarick finally noticed her. He stared at her a second with Serenity
staring right back before indicating towards a tent by the fire, "You can
sleep in there."
Serenity lifted her head and looked at the tent then looked back at him.
Did she dare?
"Ya won't be bothered." He supplied for her, "Now get before I leave ya
out here."
Serenity stood and walked over to the tent. She was vaguely away of the
men watching her every move.
"I know what ya think' in and you better not try it." She heard Jarick
gruffly order his men. Once again, the camp got loud with talk and laughter.
Serenity clasped onto a pile of blankets not caring if they were dirty or
not. She was tired and there was no way she was going to move. Her body
ached with every move and her neck felt like a stick stuck to her head.
No, she was defiantly not moving anywhere.
Late in the morning, she woke to the sounds of deep voices. They were
talking about their mother's cooking and how they missed it. Serenity
blinked her eyes open and looked around the dirty tent. There was
dirt everywhere.
She lifted her head and winced when her neck protested to such a move.
She laid her head back down, wishing the pain in her body would go away.
She heard more noise outside and then the smell of food. Her stomach
grumbled.
Serenity struggled to get to her knees. She was going to get up. She
couldn't stay in bed all day. She stepped out of the tent, walked over
to the fire, and sat down on a thick log. It was not until she looked at
the men did she realize they were staring at her.
"What?" She snapped.
The men went back to shoveling their food in their mouths.
Serenity smoothed down her hair, aware that it was sticking out in the
oddest places and in tangles.
"So ya'r up." Jarick sat down by her, "Ready to eat? We have a long day
ahead of us."
Serenity stared at him, "We do?"
"Yeah..." He looked over the camp, "Since ya'r a girl and all then you'd
be cleaning up the camp while we men work."
Serenity's mouth dropped open. She had never cleaned anything in her life!
"We'll be up there." He pointed, "So if ya need anything holler."
"I can't clean!" The words fell out of her mouth, "I've never cleaned
anything in my life!"
Jarick stared at her with a raised eyebrow.
"I can't!" Serenity continued to protest.
"Then I guess you'll be learn'in." With that, he stood up and fixed
his breakfast.
Serenity stared around the campground with growing despair. Maybe she
WOULD have been better going home after all but of course, now that was
too late. She was up in the mountains with no knowledge of how to get back
down to the small town that she came from.
After breakfast, the men did leave except for a few older men who would
stay and look after the camp. One of the men gave her instruction to clean
up the camp fire area first then start by working around it. The man called
Pete gave her rags to clean things with and soap.
It took her all day to pick up and clean the area of the campfire. She
washed the tin dishes, picked up papers, sticks, and boots that were
littered everywhere. After she completed that Pete, put her in charge of
doing the men's laundry.
"I can't do that!" Serenity once again protested.
The old man stared at her with a small smile, "If ya want to live you
better. Jarick doesn't keep no slackers."
"He wouldn't kill me." She crossed her arms.
Pete lifted an eyebrow, "He won't, huh?"
"He kills people?" She felt a lump rise in her throat.
"Sure. Any mountain man's got to if he's going to survive."
Serenity stared then sighed, "What do I do?"
At the end of the day, she was exhausted and starving but the day wasn't
quite over yet. Pete wanted her to cook dinner for the men when they returned
in a short while.
"But-"
"I know what ya go'in to say, girl, but you have to learn sometime. Here
take this."
Serenity shoulders slumped and she followed the older man's instructions.
She watched the beans with an eagle eye. She wasn't about to let this batch
of beans burn. She hated the after taste in her mouth and she doubted she
would ever get used to it.
When the men came back, it was dark once again and Serenity looked even
worse then she did that morning but the campfire area was clean, their
clothes were drying and food was ready to eat.
They sat down and gobbled up the food without so much of a 'thank you'
from any of them.
Serenity ate quietly but inside she was thinking of ways to escape or beat
some sense into these men. She wasn't about to be treated like a regular
slave. If she was going to be here, she wanted some excitement.
Feeling someone staring at her, Serenity turned her head. She found one
of the men staring at her with hungry eyes. Feeling revolted at the thoughts
she was sure that man was having she grew ignite. Why that... that...
HOW DARE HE!!!
Serenity put her empty plate down in front of her and stood up, "May I
ask what you're looking at?"
The man seemed surprised at her bold question but in the end he smiled,
"You, Lady."
"I ask that you don't. I refuse to be looked at like a piece of meat."
The man's smile grew crooked, "Really?"
Serenity glared at him, "Yes. And if you so much as lay a hand on me, I
will not be held responsible for my actions. And that goes for the rest
of you." She looked around the now quiet group of men. They were all
staring at her with amusement or curiosity.
"Sit down, Lady, no ones going to hurt you." Jarick chuckled.
"Ooooh..." Serenity finally lost it. She could only take so much from
these self-absorbed men! She pushed Jarick over with all her strength
and whirled around, leaving the men there to laugh at her retreating form.
The next day was much the same but with more things to do. She started
cleaning out each of the men's tents by beating out rugs, blankets and the
tents themselves. Pete was always there keeping an eye on her and making
sure she did what she was supposed to be doing. By the end of the day, she
was warped and tired. Pete didn't have mercy on her though and made her
fix dinner again.
It wasn't until her third day there that Serenity earned some respect among
the men. After a good days work, Serenity sat down and ate her dinner with
the group of mountain men. She listened to their conversation and
quickly learned that they were practicing sword fighting up in the upper
ledge. She found it exciting as well as amazing. She knew they had swords
but she didn't know how well they could use them. The conversation went
from swords to fighting to hand wrestling.
Jarick and a guy named Stephan challenged each other and ended up laying
across from each other on the dusty ground with their right hands locked.
They put muscle to muscle and soon Jarick was pressing Stephan's hand hard
and closer to the ground. Serenity watched with excitement. Now THIS she
knew how to do!
Ray and her self were always challenging each other to this game and
usually Ray won but in the last year Serenity had been working, to beat
Ray and just three weeks ago she had actually beaten the young fiery Princess.
Jarick won and the men yelled out his victory.
"Who's next?" Jarick asked with a large smile as he flexed his hand.
Serenity licked her lips in anticipation before standing up, "I will."
The whole group went silent.
Jarick lifted an eyebrow.
"I will." Serenity put on her game face.
"Ya'r just a girl, Lady."
"So?" She gave him a look for look.
Jarick laughed, "Alright then, Lady, if ya won't to get whipped its
ya'r thing."
Serenity got down on the ground in front of Jarick, making sure her dress
was down flat and lifted her hand to meet his. He gripped her hand and
waited for one of the men to say "Go".
"Ready?" Pete sat down next to them.
"Ready." They both replied.
"Go."
Serenity pushed and he pushed back. The men let out surprised sounds
and comments that such a girl could actually hold her weight.
Serenity wasn't done yet and that's what bothered Jarick. Most girls with
one push would have lost but she was pretty strong. He pushed hard and
she pushed harder.
Sweat was starting to form at Serenity's forehead as she concentrated on
using as much muscle as she dared. Her arm was starting to hurt but she
wouldn't give up. She had to win this one!
Jarick was pushing her hand down but Serenity quickly fixed that little
problem and once again, their hands were up strait.
Jarick grunted his disapproval.
Most of the men by now were yelling Jarick's name or encouraging him to beat
the "little girl". However, Pete was sitting by her and whispering
encouraging words and giving her support. She could easily say that he was
the only one on her side at the moment.
With sweat pouring down her forehead and dripping in her eyes, her
muscles feeling pushed as far as they could go she finally gave one last
push and that's what did it. Jarick's hand touched the ground and her
hand didn't.
Pete smiled beside her, "I knew ya could do it."
The rest of the group went silent as Jarick stared at his hand. Serenity
watched him. Was he mad that he lost to a girl? Maybe she should have let
him win.
Jarick looked up at her with a smile, "Ya are a girl but ya'r a tough one."
He got to his feet then extended his left hand for her to take. She took
it gratefully and stood up.
"Good game, lass." He then looked at her carefully, "Where did ya get so
much strength?"
Serenity smiled, "I used to play that game with a friend of mine. I had a
lot of practice."
He nodded.
The group broke up a little disappointed that their Leader lost against a
girl. But in the end, it did give them some gossip to talk about.
The next morning Serenity wasn't woken up by the sun, instead it was
Pete shaking her, "Get up, Lady."
"Hmm?" She asked moaning tiredly and opening one eye, "The sun's not up yet."
"I know. Jarick wants you up. Ya'r going up to the mountain, Lady."
Serenity sat up strait, "What?"
"He says get up."
Serenity imediately got up and ran out of the tent. The men were putting
their swords into their belts and pulling on their boots.
"There ya are." He smiled, "Ya coming up with us?"
"I don't understand." Serenity looked around at the men. None of them would
look at her.
"Ya have a good arm. I think it's about time ya learned how to use such
a thing."
"Sword fighting?" The idea excited her. She'd always wanted to learn and
now he was going to teach her!
He nodded.
"I... Are you sure? I mean, I am a girl."
"If ya can beat me in a game then you can do whatever ya like."
Serenity wanted to jump around but she refrained. It wouldn't look good at all.
"Thank you."
= * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * =
Queen Serenity stood on her balcony looking over the shimmering capital city
of the Moon. The wind blew lightly, shifting her silver hair around her
neck.
"Where are you, Serenity?" A lone tear slid down the Queen's face, "I
can't loose both of you. Not now, not when I need you so much..."
Princess Ray bit her lip as she watched their Queen sound so heart broken
and alone. She missed Serenity as well but she knew her fear of loosing
Serenity couldn't equal the Queen's pain in a million years. Serenity was
all Queen Serenity had.
We have to get Serenity back somehow, Ray looked down in thought, if only
I knew how.
No, she knew how but it would put Queen Serenity in further pain. But in
the end, if they got Serenity back, things would be back to normal. Ray
looked up at the Queen's back.
In the end it would be all worth it... In the end.
To Be Continued...
= * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * =
So, it ends again. ::Sigh:: Kind of sad, huh? Well, make sure to email me
or you won't get the next chapter! JA ne for now!
Thank's for read'in!