Title: The Prince of Thieves and a Moon Maiden
Author: Marie J.W.
Chapter: Thirteen
Rated: PG
Email: mariejwchan@yahoo.com
Sorry, sorry, triple sorry that it took me so long to get this out!
As I said before, I had some of this done but then my sister thought
I should make it a bit longer. So, it's taken me a while. Plus I've been
going to collage this first term and that has taken a lot of my time.
But here it is! Ja ne and don't forget to review. The guiltier you make
me feel the more likely I'll feel inclined to write… just a tip.
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Prince Endymion was going to be sick to his stomach. It was his job
to protect his future fiancé, which ended up being the Moon Princess
herself, the lovely so called Moon Maiden that Katt had his men kidnap.
What kind of leader was he when he couldn't even control his own kingdom?
He should have known somehow. Was Katt really that much in control? When
had this happened? When had he lost control of the thieves? He tried to
think back to a time when something might have given him a hint but nothing
came close to that. They feared him, didn't they? They respected him or
at least, he thought they did. Obviously not. Had he been led along?
Had they just been playing along and then doing things behind his back?
'Enough questions! I'm going to get some answers and I know just
who's going to give them to me,' Endymion finally ran into the thieves'
forest, 'I've had enough of this.'
As soon as he was spotted, the thieves ran about, getting out of his
way and ducking into their tents.
Endymion furrowed his brow, 'What is the heck is going on?' They didn't
usually respond this way. Sometimes they were distant and sometimes they
were a little nervous around him but not so much as to run off… Knowing
where to get his answers, the Prince headed towards the main tent, his second
in command… Katt.
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'This isn't so bad,' Serenity stepped back then forward, slashing the
man's arm on her way around him, 'An arm for an arm!'
The man cursed and glared at her but he never flinched.
Frowning in disappointment, Serenity kept her eyes firmly on the man in front
of her. He bounced around her slashing the air, trying to get close to her
and evade her long sword at the same time.
Sweat dropped down in between her eyes, making her blink rapidly.
They had been out in the hot sun for quite some time. The sun and the
obvious work out was making her hands slippery and body uncomfortably hot
under her arms. The sweat mingled with her bloody arm, making it sting but
she kept her hiss to herself. After all the training, after all that she
went through since her first kidnapping, she had to prove herself. She's
wanted to prove to herself that she could take care of herself, be
independent… however, underneath it all, she wanted to prove to herself
and to her people that she could defend her planet. She didn't want to be
weak.
The bandit and Serenity's swords finally hit, making it rattle
Serenity's nerves. It made her arm feel oddly detached and she nearly
dropped her sword. Quickly gripping her sword with her other hand,
fixed that problem. It was harder to fight using her left hand but she
managed to evade him. When an opening came, she switched hands once
again, putting it back in her right hand.
Suddenly someone bumped into her, making her skid to the side.
She braced herself and quickly spun out of her opponents reach. Glancing
to her side, Serenity was surprised to see Dark fighting another man beside
her. That meant that Tephan and Stephan were there as well.
'When did they get here?'
"Ack!" Serenity ducked as another sword came towards her from behind.
She barely had enough time to move as she saw it coming towards her from
the corner of her eye. The man grunted and lunged for her again.
'What? NOW there are TWO of them?' Serenity began to panic. Two, she
didn't know if she could handle two. Jarick had only trained her with
one opponent. She could do this; she quickly decided, she had to.
Keeping one eye on one man and another on the other man was hard to say
the least, but she kept it up. She evaded one man only to be attacked by
the other. Her muscles were tense and felt stretched to the limit. She
was starting to falter. The sweat combined with her burning muscles was
wearing her thin, she felt tired and her breathing became ragged.
'This is worse than Jarick's training.'
Then just when she thought she could handle two, another man stepped
in, 'Where do all these guys come from?' There seemed to be double what
there were before. Now she had three men to deal with and only two eyes.
She switched between the three, trying to avoid being slashed but that
was impossible. While she focused on first two men, the third slashed her
back, making her cry out in pain and swirl around. The other two were then
given the chance to have at her, only this time Serenity was quick enough
to block them by turning around lifting her sword then kicking the other
man behind her with her left leg. The man behind her was thrown into
some bushes.
Grinning, Serenity fought off the two men but then the worst happened.
The man behind her got up and easily grabbed her around the neck from
behind, holding a knife against her neck. The two men backed down but
their swords still pointed dangerously towards her.
Serenity looked wildly about, 'Where are the other guys?' Out of the
corner of her eye, she could see Matthew and Tephan held in a death grip.
Dark and Stephan were still out of seeing range but she had a sneaking
suspicion that they were held as well considering there was almost a
deathly silence.
"Now," A man stepped out from behind a large tree, "we can get down to
real business." The man was taller than the other men surrounding them
and tanner too. On the left side of his eye, a long thick scar trailed down
the side of his face. That man gave Serenity the chills. There was
something about him that made her fear him for some reason.
The men chuckled and joked at their expense.
"My men asked you for gold, nay?" The leader stepped up to Serenity,
"And 'you' have the guts to deny them that pleasure?"
Serenity glared at the man and tried to get out of the tight grip
that she was in. If only she could lift her sword…
The leader of the group looked down at her thick sword, "A little
heavy for such a small girl, ain't it?" He sneered at her. Serenity
wanted to have at him; she'd show him what this small girl could do!
Matthew grunted. Serenity glanced at him to see him shaking his head
at her, telling her to simmer down. Serenity sighed and tried to cool her
blood. If she couldn't even defend herself, how would she defend
others? Suddenly feeling small and weak, Serenity gave in and slumped
against the form behind her, giving up.
"What shall we do with them, Master?" One of the men from the group
asked, "Can we cut them to shreds?"
'Master' sighed and shook his head, "They're not worth it. Clean out
their pockets and throw them into the river. That should cool off their
pride."
"River? River…" Serenity looked from Matthew to the leader of the
group, 'What was a river? Wait a minute… is that water? Are they going
to drown us?'
The leader of the group turned and started towards the trees, planning
to leave his men to do the dirty work, like always. The men started to
go through Matthew, Dark, Stephan and Tephan's pockets and bags. The men
beside Serenity leered at her.
"Do ya think we should look in ya shirt or ya pants first?" The dirtiest
of the men surrounding her asked. Serenity's eyes widened before she
turned livid. There was no way that these men were going to undress her!
"Shirt!" Another one replied.
The man grinned and started for her. Serenity struggled and when the man
got close enough she lifted her unrestricted leg and kicked him in the
groin. The man doubled over.
"Serves you right, you… you hoodlum! You have no right to touch me!"
Serenity tried to kick the slouched man in the face but the man holding
her pulled her back just in time. The men laughed at their injured
companion.
Suddenly everyone became aware of the thundering sound of horse
hooves hitting the ground. The men looked down the curved road, wondering
who would stumble upon their band of men. Serenity watched and waited,
hopping against hope that it wasn't some defenseless young boy or even a
woman. To her, as well as the men's, surprise a Royal Guard appeared around
the corner, his royal symbol shinning from the glare of the sun.
The band of men immediately turned into a pack of scared quivering
babies. Most of them ran for their lives while the others looked
around, debating weather to run with their companions or stay and fight
the Royal Guard. Serenity watched with awe as the men finally abandoned
them and raced into the forest, completely disappearing before the Royal
Guard could even come with in three yards of them.
The Royal Guard appeared before them panting for breath,
"Are you alright?" He asked Serenity and he leaned over his horse.
Serenity looked up at the auburn haired man, he was so extremely tall
on that horse, so tall that she realized she had to bend her neck all
the way back to look at him. That was odd… either he was really tall
or his horse was… or she was really-
Blushing, Serenity quickly looked down at her bent knees. She had
crumpled to the ground as soon as the men let go of her. Trying to push
down her blush, she scrambled to her feet.
"We're fine," Serenity cleared her throat, "thank you for… ah…
showing up."
The guard smiled charmingly at her before looking off into the forest,
"It looks like they don't like royalty. I wonder why that is…" He
ended sarcastically.
Matthew approached the guard, "We owe you our lives."
Dark snorted, "We could have handled it…" He crossed his arms and looked
off towards the forest, not willing to give the guard his attention or
his gratitude.
Serenity glared at Dark, sighed then turned back to the guard,
"I'm sorry if we hindered your way, although we are very grateful to you.
May we ask for you name, general?"
'Spoken like a true princess…' Nephrite smiled, "My name is
General Nephrite, Prince Endymion's guard and you weren't hindering
my way. I heard of your trouble and came to rescue you."
Now Serenity looked confused, "You heard from whom?"
"Ah… some boys in the street. Princess Lita and I were looking for-"
Serenity went white, "Lita?" She squeaked out.
Nephrite smiled, "Yes, your guardian. She has been worried for your life
as well as your other guardians. We've been looking for you for days,
Princess."
'They knew!'
"Princess?!" Suddenly Dark whirled around, "Are you saying that she's
a princess?" He turned suspicious eyes on Serenity.
Serenity wasn't sure she should be hurt, worried or relieved.
However, at the moment all that she could think of was that Lita
was near by…
"Where is she?"
"Who? Princess Lita?"
"Yes! Where is she?"
"In town a few miles back. I told her to wai-"
"Take me to her," Serenity looked up at the general with a command
in her eyes.
Nephrite smiled, "Of course, I'll see that you're… ah… friends here get
taken care of as well," He helped Serenity up onto his horse and situated
her behind him. Serenity looked back at her friends as the horse turned,
"I'll see you soon. I have to do this."
Matthew was visibly confused as well as the rest of the men but they
didn't object. Who knew that their injured companion would turn out to
be a princess? Besides, they were too shocked to move anyhow.
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Princess Lita sat a top her horse with regret. She should have
followed Nephrite anyway. Idiot. Why couldn't she do anything right?
The sun was hot at noonday and the lack of trees didn't help the situation.
Lita shifted uncomfortably in her seat. What would she give to be in the
nice cool castle… That would be bliss but of course; she would have to take
a nice bath to get rid of this smelly sweat though. She was usually a tomboy
but at heart, she really was just as much a girl as the rest of the group.
Lita began to worry, 'What if Nephrite doesn't get there in time? What
if he needed help? What if Serenity in injured? What if I could have
done something?' Lita looked down the road, 'They should be back by now!
Where are they? Maybe something went wrong?'
"Lita!"
Spinning her upper body around on her horse, Lita turned to find her
raven-haired friend approaching with a blonde general. Lita smiled and
waved them over.
Ray stopped in front of Lita, "Where did General Nephrite go?" the
dark haired princess looked around.
Lita smiled, "We found Serenity!"
"What?" Ray looked left then right, "Where?"
"I think she got caught up in a fight a few miles from town. Nephrite
went looking for her but he should have been back by now."
General Jadeite nodded, "I should probably go see what I can do.
Which direction did he go?"
"North. He went down-"Just as Lita turned her head to point in the
direction, Nephrites large horse came into view with a girl sitting
behind him. Lita was sure it was Serenity by the long blonde wisps of
hair that escaped her low ponytail.
Serenity peeked her head from behind the General and gasped at what she
saw, "Let me down! Let me down!" Nephrite stopped and Serenity quickly slid
off the horse and ran towards her friends.
Lita beamed and despite her weak ankle, slid off her own horse, holding
onto the saddle for support. Ray smiled brightly, jumped off her own horse,
and ran towards Serenity. They the blonde and raven-haired girl clashed and
hung to each other tightly in a hug. Serenity quickly moved with Ray to
include Lita in their group hug. The three girls couldn't help it, they
cried into each other's hair and faces.
"You Meatball head!" Ray cried and laughed at the same time, "I'm gonna
kill you for the things you put me through!"
Serenity pulled back a little to look at her friend and guardian,
"Kill me later, Ray, I still have to hug Mina and Amy first."
Lita's lip quivered, "Don't EVER do that again, Serenity," Then after
a pause the girl continued, "We really missed you," before bursting out
crying once again.
Serenity wrapped both arms around Lita for a little bit, trying to
calm her warrior friend. It was times like these when they knew for certain
that Lita was just as human and just as much a woman then the rest of them.
After some time Lita pulled away and smiled watery at Serenity.
She laughed and wiped her eyes, "Gosh, I look like a wreak!"
Ray rolled her eyes, "You always do!"
"Hey!" Both Serenity and Lita snapped.
Someone cleared their throat. The girls turned to Nephrite.
"I think once you're friends show up we need to head out. The Prince
will be wanting to finally meet you… Princess."
Serenity frowned. 'Oh yeah, almost forgot about him.'
"And Princess Lita...?" He looked down at her ankle, "Shouldn't you be
on your horse?"
Lita scowled at him, "I'm perfectly fine, General."
"What happened to your ankle?" Serenity looked worriedly at her friend.
Lita blushed and looked away mumbling something.
Ray laughed at her friend, "She fell off the bed and landed wrong on it."
"Do you have to shout it to the whole town?" Lita glared at Ray.
Ray shrugged and pulled on a string of her black hair, twirling it around
her figure, "So now what? Who are we waiting for again?"
Serenity smiled, "Some friends of mine. They've been helping me and let
me travel with them."
As soon as Serenity finished the men appeared around the corner, looking
for their Princess. They immediately found her with two Generals and two
other regal looking women.
"Serenity!" Tephan shouted and jogged up ahead of his travel companions
to join the group.
Ray looked at the dust and sweat covered man with red hair with curiosity
and some confusion before her eyes widened, "Hey, you're one of the guys
from the arena!"
Tephan looked the Raven-haired beauty up and down before smiling at her
and nodded.
Ray frowned and turned to Serenity, "These are your friends?"
She waved towards the other men that were steadily approaching.
Serenity nodded, "Don't be mad, Ray. They saved my life."
"Well! If they didn't run off with you, you'd be safe with us. We were
there, you idiot!"
"What?" Serenity stared at her friend, "Are you serious?"
Lita punched Serenity in the arm lightly, "Sure thing! You kicked butt
out there!"
Serenity blushed and smiled at the compliment.
"Alright, enough chit-chat, we must be off. The sun will be setting soon
and if we don't hurry, we'll be traveling in the dark," General Nephrite
looked down at the girls from his horse.
Serenity sighed and turned to Tephan, Stephan, Dark and Matthew, wishing
she could stay with them, "You could come with us. I'm sure the Prince
will honor you for your bravery and let you stay with us."
Matthew smiled, "Naw, the men and I been talk'in, it about time you go
back. We have more arenas to fight in, mi'lady." He winked at her.
Biting her lip, Serenity frowned, "Are you sure?" She looked at
Tephan, Stephan then Dark. Dark looked at her with blank eyes and
folded arms. He almost looked cold.
Shivering, Serenity nodded, "Alright. It's been wonderful to meet you!
All of you!" She felt tears come. Since she had been with these men, she
had grown to respect them and even love them dearly. 'I'm gonna miss
Matthews talks and Tephan and Stephan and there arguments and even
Dark's sarcasm' Sighing, Serenity nodded in finality and turned to
General Nephrite, "Alright, we can go."
Nephrite helped Serenity onto the horse, situating her in front of him
instead of behind. Lita put her good foot in the horse strip and swung
herself up onto the horse again and Ray soon followed so they were all
mounted once again.
General Jadeite, who had watched the whole scene take place in silence,
took the lead, 'Boy, is Darien going to be surprised! Not only did we
find the Princess but we found her with her so called kidnappers.'
Serenity watched her friends as far as she could until they became little
dots in the town. Finally, the Princess turned around and watched the
blonde General before them and Ray ride almost side by side.
"Relax, your Highness, we have a long way to go," Nephrite said in her ear.
Lita rolled her shoulders back, trying to get the kinks out of her back,
"I'm gonna be soooo glad to be back and with a nice bucket of ice on
this ankle."
Serenity smiled in sympathy before adding, "And to think I was supposed to
be the klutz of the group."
Lita frowned at Serenity before laughing, "Quite right!"
"I'm sorry I messed you up guys," Serenity frowned as she looked at
the horse's mane, "I should have come home when I had the chance."
'I shouldn't have been so selfish. They have been looking for me and
I never even… I should have gone home. All this time I have been thinking
only of myself and how well I was going to do in the tournament. If I had
any heart I would have been more concerned about my friends… and my
Mother. That's how this all started in the first place. Because I was too
self centered, I was thinking how the engagement would effect my life and
me. Was I even thinking of my mother or even my people? No. I was thinking
how I needed to be free, to experience life differently, to be free of
my responsibilities. If I had gone home I would have been married to some
prince by now and would be supporting and taking care of my people.
I'm such a child!'
She couldn't help but reprimand herself, she felt she deserved every
harsh word she put into her mind. Yes, it wasn't her fault that she
was kidnapped but it was her fault for not taking the opportunity that was
given to her and not going home. She had a choice then and there and she
chose the wrong road.
'If Jarick knew how I had shunned my responsibilities from my people, he
would look down on me. That is one thing about Jarick. His men's lives
are important to him, that's part of being a leader, leading with wise
judgment and a sense of devotion. I've done none of those.'
Lita watched Serenity silently. She heard Serenity's apology and was about
to ground into her friend how much heartache she put them through but the
look on Serenity's face held her silent. The girl was obviously being
hard enough on herself for the both of them. Sighing, Lita looked on ahead.
The road was dusty and the heat that billowed onto them with almost
unbearable. 'This is definitely the last time I visit earth! Jupiter
and the Moon are sooo much better! Cool breezes, clean peaceful air…
hmmm… so nice.'
Sighing, General Nephrite watched Jadeite and Princess Ray carry on a
quite conversation ahead of them. He glanced at Princess Lita, wondering
if he should broach a topic. From just one look, he could tell Lita was in
no mood to talk lightly on any subject. Nephrite looked down at the princess
of the moon and frowned, 'What an odd girl. I can't believe we found her
with those same kidnappers from before. What would a young woman like her
be doing with those men? She didn't seem to be held against her will.
In fact, I'd say she almost loved those guys.' Shaking his head in disbelief,
he wondered what the prince would say when he learned of her whereabouts,
'Oh, he is not going to be happy!' He knew that for certain, 'I just hope
I'm not there to hear his raving.'
"Shut up, General!" Ray suddenly yelled and rode a little closer to
Jadeite, knocking him over the side of the head before riding out of
touching distance. Nephrite winced as his friend rubbed his head and
glared daggers at Ray.
"For a princess, you hit hard! What was that for?" Jadeite didn't hold back
the heat in his voice.
Ray stuck up her nose, "What man in his right mind would think I was fat!"
General Nephrite lifted an eyebrow and glanced at Lita who was watching
the spectacle in front of them with interest as well.
"I didn't say you were fat! I said you could eat a little less, that's
all. It's not like we have a lot of food to cover the trip back home!"
"Home! HA!"
Lita sighed and shook her head, "Ray give him a break!" She quickly shouted.
Ray turned and glared at Lita, "Stay out of this!"
Lita rolled her eyes.
"You know, I think they like each other," Serenity suddenly voiced.
"Huh?" General Nephrite laughed, "How'd you figure that?"
Serenity giggled but didn't voice any explanation.
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Prince Endymion wiped the sweat off his forehead with a dark blue
bandana as he surveyed the brown dead landscape below. He had been out
here for hours and still he saw no sign of the princess or any of his
generals. He was starting to wonder if he should just head back for the
night.
Suddenly he spotted two specks of black coming down a trail a couple
miles off, 'Finally! Humans!' A desert rodent scurried passed the horse's
hooves and down the valley.
"Come on; let's go see who goes there, eh?"
His horse neighed and snorted in response.
Sighing, he turned his horse and pushed both of them down a slope
towards the two figures approaching.
To Be Continued…
AN: Sorry! I know you were expecting some romantic fireworks but I decided
I'd keep that for the next chapter. Also, there is going to be a lot
of conversation as far as where Serenity was and what her friends have
been doing as well so there is no confusion in the next chapter.
And I do promise, the next chapter Serenity and Endymion will meet and
some secrets and misunderstandings will be revealed. It's gonna be good!
Hehehe…
Review!
Author: Marie J.W.
Chapter: Thirteen
Rated: PG
Email: mariejwchan@yahoo.com
Sorry, sorry, triple sorry that it took me so long to get this out!
As I said before, I had some of this done but then my sister thought
I should make it a bit longer. So, it's taken me a while. Plus I've been
going to collage this first term and that has taken a lot of my time.
But here it is! Ja ne and don't forget to review. The guiltier you make
me feel the more likely I'll feel inclined to write… just a tip.
= * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * =
Prince Endymion was going to be sick to his stomach. It was his job
to protect his future fiancé, which ended up being the Moon Princess
herself, the lovely so called Moon Maiden that Katt had his men kidnap.
What kind of leader was he when he couldn't even control his own kingdom?
He should have known somehow. Was Katt really that much in control? When
had this happened? When had he lost control of the thieves? He tried to
think back to a time when something might have given him a hint but nothing
came close to that. They feared him, didn't they? They respected him or
at least, he thought they did. Obviously not. Had he been led along?
Had they just been playing along and then doing things behind his back?
'Enough questions! I'm going to get some answers and I know just
who's going to give them to me,' Endymion finally ran into the thieves'
forest, 'I've had enough of this.'
As soon as he was spotted, the thieves ran about, getting out of his
way and ducking into their tents.
Endymion furrowed his brow, 'What is the heck is going on?' They didn't
usually respond this way. Sometimes they were distant and sometimes they
were a little nervous around him but not so much as to run off… Knowing
where to get his answers, the Prince headed towards the main tent, his second
in command… Katt.
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'This isn't so bad,' Serenity stepped back then forward, slashing the
man's arm on her way around him, 'An arm for an arm!'
The man cursed and glared at her but he never flinched.
Frowning in disappointment, Serenity kept her eyes firmly on the man in front
of her. He bounced around her slashing the air, trying to get close to her
and evade her long sword at the same time.
Sweat dropped down in between her eyes, making her blink rapidly.
They had been out in the hot sun for quite some time. The sun and the
obvious work out was making her hands slippery and body uncomfortably hot
under her arms. The sweat mingled with her bloody arm, making it sting but
she kept her hiss to herself. After all the training, after all that she
went through since her first kidnapping, she had to prove herself. She's
wanted to prove to herself that she could take care of herself, be
independent… however, underneath it all, she wanted to prove to herself
and to her people that she could defend her planet. She didn't want to be
weak.
The bandit and Serenity's swords finally hit, making it rattle
Serenity's nerves. It made her arm feel oddly detached and she nearly
dropped her sword. Quickly gripping her sword with her other hand,
fixed that problem. It was harder to fight using her left hand but she
managed to evade him. When an opening came, she switched hands once
again, putting it back in her right hand.
Suddenly someone bumped into her, making her skid to the side.
She braced herself and quickly spun out of her opponents reach. Glancing
to her side, Serenity was surprised to see Dark fighting another man beside
her. That meant that Tephan and Stephan were there as well.
'When did they get here?'
"Ack!" Serenity ducked as another sword came towards her from behind.
She barely had enough time to move as she saw it coming towards her from
the corner of her eye. The man grunted and lunged for her again.
'What? NOW there are TWO of them?' Serenity began to panic. Two, she
didn't know if she could handle two. Jarick had only trained her with
one opponent. She could do this; she quickly decided, she had to.
Keeping one eye on one man and another on the other man was hard to say
the least, but she kept it up. She evaded one man only to be attacked by
the other. Her muscles were tense and felt stretched to the limit. She
was starting to falter. The sweat combined with her burning muscles was
wearing her thin, she felt tired and her breathing became ragged.
'This is worse than Jarick's training.'
Then just when she thought she could handle two, another man stepped
in, 'Where do all these guys come from?' There seemed to be double what
there were before. Now she had three men to deal with and only two eyes.
She switched between the three, trying to avoid being slashed but that
was impossible. While she focused on first two men, the third slashed her
back, making her cry out in pain and swirl around. The other two were then
given the chance to have at her, only this time Serenity was quick enough
to block them by turning around lifting her sword then kicking the other
man behind her with her left leg. The man behind her was thrown into
some bushes.
Grinning, Serenity fought off the two men but then the worst happened.
The man behind her got up and easily grabbed her around the neck from
behind, holding a knife against her neck. The two men backed down but
their swords still pointed dangerously towards her.
Serenity looked wildly about, 'Where are the other guys?' Out of the
corner of her eye, she could see Matthew and Tephan held in a death grip.
Dark and Stephan were still out of seeing range but she had a sneaking
suspicion that they were held as well considering there was almost a
deathly silence.
"Now," A man stepped out from behind a large tree, "we can get down to
real business." The man was taller than the other men surrounding them
and tanner too. On the left side of his eye, a long thick scar trailed down
the side of his face. That man gave Serenity the chills. There was
something about him that made her fear him for some reason.
The men chuckled and joked at their expense.
"My men asked you for gold, nay?" The leader stepped up to Serenity,
"And 'you' have the guts to deny them that pleasure?"
Serenity glared at the man and tried to get out of the tight grip
that she was in. If only she could lift her sword…
The leader of the group looked down at her thick sword, "A little
heavy for such a small girl, ain't it?" He sneered at her. Serenity
wanted to have at him; she'd show him what this small girl could do!
Matthew grunted. Serenity glanced at him to see him shaking his head
at her, telling her to simmer down. Serenity sighed and tried to cool her
blood. If she couldn't even defend herself, how would she defend
others? Suddenly feeling small and weak, Serenity gave in and slumped
against the form behind her, giving up.
"What shall we do with them, Master?" One of the men from the group
asked, "Can we cut them to shreds?"
'Master' sighed and shook his head, "They're not worth it. Clean out
their pockets and throw them into the river. That should cool off their
pride."
"River? River…" Serenity looked from Matthew to the leader of the
group, 'What was a river? Wait a minute… is that water? Are they going
to drown us?'
The leader of the group turned and started towards the trees, planning
to leave his men to do the dirty work, like always. The men started to
go through Matthew, Dark, Stephan and Tephan's pockets and bags. The men
beside Serenity leered at her.
"Do ya think we should look in ya shirt or ya pants first?" The dirtiest
of the men surrounding her asked. Serenity's eyes widened before she
turned livid. There was no way that these men were going to undress her!
"Shirt!" Another one replied.
The man grinned and started for her. Serenity struggled and when the man
got close enough she lifted her unrestricted leg and kicked him in the
groin. The man doubled over.
"Serves you right, you… you hoodlum! You have no right to touch me!"
Serenity tried to kick the slouched man in the face but the man holding
her pulled her back just in time. The men laughed at their injured
companion.
Suddenly everyone became aware of the thundering sound of horse
hooves hitting the ground. The men looked down the curved road, wondering
who would stumble upon their band of men. Serenity watched and waited,
hopping against hope that it wasn't some defenseless young boy or even a
woman. To her, as well as the men's, surprise a Royal Guard appeared around
the corner, his royal symbol shinning from the glare of the sun.
The band of men immediately turned into a pack of scared quivering
babies. Most of them ran for their lives while the others looked
around, debating weather to run with their companions or stay and fight
the Royal Guard. Serenity watched with awe as the men finally abandoned
them and raced into the forest, completely disappearing before the Royal
Guard could even come with in three yards of them.
The Royal Guard appeared before them panting for breath,
"Are you alright?" He asked Serenity and he leaned over his horse.
Serenity looked up at the auburn haired man, he was so extremely tall
on that horse, so tall that she realized she had to bend her neck all
the way back to look at him. That was odd… either he was really tall
or his horse was… or she was really-
Blushing, Serenity quickly looked down at her bent knees. She had
crumpled to the ground as soon as the men let go of her. Trying to push
down her blush, she scrambled to her feet.
"We're fine," Serenity cleared her throat, "thank you for… ah…
showing up."
The guard smiled charmingly at her before looking off into the forest,
"It looks like they don't like royalty. I wonder why that is…" He
ended sarcastically.
Matthew approached the guard, "We owe you our lives."
Dark snorted, "We could have handled it…" He crossed his arms and looked
off towards the forest, not willing to give the guard his attention or
his gratitude.
Serenity glared at Dark, sighed then turned back to the guard,
"I'm sorry if we hindered your way, although we are very grateful to you.
May we ask for you name, general?"
'Spoken like a true princess…' Nephrite smiled, "My name is
General Nephrite, Prince Endymion's guard and you weren't hindering
my way. I heard of your trouble and came to rescue you."
Now Serenity looked confused, "You heard from whom?"
"Ah… some boys in the street. Princess Lita and I were looking for-"
Serenity went white, "Lita?" She squeaked out.
Nephrite smiled, "Yes, your guardian. She has been worried for your life
as well as your other guardians. We've been looking for you for days,
Princess."
'They knew!'
"Princess?!" Suddenly Dark whirled around, "Are you saying that she's
a princess?" He turned suspicious eyes on Serenity.
Serenity wasn't sure she should be hurt, worried or relieved.
However, at the moment all that she could think of was that Lita
was near by…
"Where is she?"
"Who? Princess Lita?"
"Yes! Where is she?"
"In town a few miles back. I told her to wai-"
"Take me to her," Serenity looked up at the general with a command
in her eyes.
Nephrite smiled, "Of course, I'll see that you're… ah… friends here get
taken care of as well," He helped Serenity up onto his horse and situated
her behind him. Serenity looked back at her friends as the horse turned,
"I'll see you soon. I have to do this."
Matthew was visibly confused as well as the rest of the men but they
didn't object. Who knew that their injured companion would turn out to
be a princess? Besides, they were too shocked to move anyhow.
= * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * =
Princess Lita sat a top her horse with regret. She should have
followed Nephrite anyway. Idiot. Why couldn't she do anything right?
The sun was hot at noonday and the lack of trees didn't help the situation.
Lita shifted uncomfortably in her seat. What would she give to be in the
nice cool castle… That would be bliss but of course; she would have to take
a nice bath to get rid of this smelly sweat though. She was usually a tomboy
but at heart, she really was just as much a girl as the rest of the group.
Lita began to worry, 'What if Nephrite doesn't get there in time? What
if he needed help? What if Serenity in injured? What if I could have
done something?' Lita looked down the road, 'They should be back by now!
Where are they? Maybe something went wrong?'
"Lita!"
Spinning her upper body around on her horse, Lita turned to find her
raven-haired friend approaching with a blonde general. Lita smiled and
waved them over.
Ray stopped in front of Lita, "Where did General Nephrite go?" the
dark haired princess looked around.
Lita smiled, "We found Serenity!"
"What?" Ray looked left then right, "Where?"
"I think she got caught up in a fight a few miles from town. Nephrite
went looking for her but he should have been back by now."
General Jadeite nodded, "I should probably go see what I can do.
Which direction did he go?"
"North. He went down-"Just as Lita turned her head to point in the
direction, Nephrites large horse came into view with a girl sitting
behind him. Lita was sure it was Serenity by the long blonde wisps of
hair that escaped her low ponytail.
Serenity peeked her head from behind the General and gasped at what she
saw, "Let me down! Let me down!" Nephrite stopped and Serenity quickly slid
off the horse and ran towards her friends.
Lita beamed and despite her weak ankle, slid off her own horse, holding
onto the saddle for support. Ray smiled brightly, jumped off her own horse,
and ran towards Serenity. They the blonde and raven-haired girl clashed and
hung to each other tightly in a hug. Serenity quickly moved with Ray to
include Lita in their group hug. The three girls couldn't help it, they
cried into each other's hair and faces.
"You Meatball head!" Ray cried and laughed at the same time, "I'm gonna
kill you for the things you put me through!"
Serenity pulled back a little to look at her friend and guardian,
"Kill me later, Ray, I still have to hug Mina and Amy first."
Lita's lip quivered, "Don't EVER do that again, Serenity," Then after
a pause the girl continued, "We really missed you," before bursting out
crying once again.
Serenity wrapped both arms around Lita for a little bit, trying to
calm her warrior friend. It was times like these when they knew for certain
that Lita was just as human and just as much a woman then the rest of them.
After some time Lita pulled away and smiled watery at Serenity.
She laughed and wiped her eyes, "Gosh, I look like a wreak!"
Ray rolled her eyes, "You always do!"
"Hey!" Both Serenity and Lita snapped.
Someone cleared their throat. The girls turned to Nephrite.
"I think once you're friends show up we need to head out. The Prince
will be wanting to finally meet you… Princess."
Serenity frowned. 'Oh yeah, almost forgot about him.'
"And Princess Lita...?" He looked down at her ankle, "Shouldn't you be
on your horse?"
Lita scowled at him, "I'm perfectly fine, General."
"What happened to your ankle?" Serenity looked worriedly at her friend.
Lita blushed and looked away mumbling something.
Ray laughed at her friend, "She fell off the bed and landed wrong on it."
"Do you have to shout it to the whole town?" Lita glared at Ray.
Ray shrugged and pulled on a string of her black hair, twirling it around
her figure, "So now what? Who are we waiting for again?"
Serenity smiled, "Some friends of mine. They've been helping me and let
me travel with them."
As soon as Serenity finished the men appeared around the corner, looking
for their Princess. They immediately found her with two Generals and two
other regal looking women.
"Serenity!" Tephan shouted and jogged up ahead of his travel companions
to join the group.
Ray looked at the dust and sweat covered man with red hair with curiosity
and some confusion before her eyes widened, "Hey, you're one of the guys
from the arena!"
Tephan looked the Raven-haired beauty up and down before smiling at her
and nodded.
Ray frowned and turned to Serenity, "These are your friends?"
She waved towards the other men that were steadily approaching.
Serenity nodded, "Don't be mad, Ray. They saved my life."
"Well! If they didn't run off with you, you'd be safe with us. We were
there, you idiot!"
"What?" Serenity stared at her friend, "Are you serious?"
Lita punched Serenity in the arm lightly, "Sure thing! You kicked butt
out there!"
Serenity blushed and smiled at the compliment.
"Alright, enough chit-chat, we must be off. The sun will be setting soon
and if we don't hurry, we'll be traveling in the dark," General Nephrite
looked down at the girls from his horse.
Serenity sighed and turned to Tephan, Stephan, Dark and Matthew, wishing
she could stay with them, "You could come with us. I'm sure the Prince
will honor you for your bravery and let you stay with us."
Matthew smiled, "Naw, the men and I been talk'in, it about time you go
back. We have more arenas to fight in, mi'lady." He winked at her.
Biting her lip, Serenity frowned, "Are you sure?" She looked at
Tephan, Stephan then Dark. Dark looked at her with blank eyes and
folded arms. He almost looked cold.
Shivering, Serenity nodded, "Alright. It's been wonderful to meet you!
All of you!" She felt tears come. Since she had been with these men, she
had grown to respect them and even love them dearly. 'I'm gonna miss
Matthews talks and Tephan and Stephan and there arguments and even
Dark's sarcasm' Sighing, Serenity nodded in finality and turned to
General Nephrite, "Alright, we can go."
Nephrite helped Serenity onto the horse, situating her in front of him
instead of behind. Lita put her good foot in the horse strip and swung
herself up onto the horse again and Ray soon followed so they were all
mounted once again.
General Jadeite, who had watched the whole scene take place in silence,
took the lead, 'Boy, is Darien going to be surprised! Not only did we
find the Princess but we found her with her so called kidnappers.'
Serenity watched her friends as far as she could until they became little
dots in the town. Finally, the Princess turned around and watched the
blonde General before them and Ray ride almost side by side.
"Relax, your Highness, we have a long way to go," Nephrite said in her ear.
Lita rolled her shoulders back, trying to get the kinks out of her back,
"I'm gonna be soooo glad to be back and with a nice bucket of ice on
this ankle."
Serenity smiled in sympathy before adding, "And to think I was supposed to
be the klutz of the group."
Lita frowned at Serenity before laughing, "Quite right!"
"I'm sorry I messed you up guys," Serenity frowned as she looked at
the horse's mane, "I should have come home when I had the chance."
'I shouldn't have been so selfish. They have been looking for me and
I never even… I should have gone home. All this time I have been thinking
only of myself and how well I was going to do in the tournament. If I had
any heart I would have been more concerned about my friends… and my
Mother. That's how this all started in the first place. Because I was too
self centered, I was thinking how the engagement would effect my life and
me. Was I even thinking of my mother or even my people? No. I was thinking
how I needed to be free, to experience life differently, to be free of
my responsibilities. If I had gone home I would have been married to some
prince by now and would be supporting and taking care of my people.
I'm such a child!'
She couldn't help but reprimand herself, she felt she deserved every
harsh word she put into her mind. Yes, it wasn't her fault that she
was kidnapped but it was her fault for not taking the opportunity that was
given to her and not going home. She had a choice then and there and she
chose the wrong road.
'If Jarick knew how I had shunned my responsibilities from my people, he
would look down on me. That is one thing about Jarick. His men's lives
are important to him, that's part of being a leader, leading with wise
judgment and a sense of devotion. I've done none of those.'
Lita watched Serenity silently. She heard Serenity's apology and was about
to ground into her friend how much heartache she put them through but the
look on Serenity's face held her silent. The girl was obviously being
hard enough on herself for the both of them. Sighing, Lita looked on ahead.
The road was dusty and the heat that billowed onto them with almost
unbearable. 'This is definitely the last time I visit earth! Jupiter
and the Moon are sooo much better! Cool breezes, clean peaceful air…
hmmm… so nice.'
Sighing, General Nephrite watched Jadeite and Princess Ray carry on a
quite conversation ahead of them. He glanced at Princess Lita, wondering
if he should broach a topic. From just one look, he could tell Lita was in
no mood to talk lightly on any subject. Nephrite looked down at the princess
of the moon and frowned, 'What an odd girl. I can't believe we found her
with those same kidnappers from before. What would a young woman like her
be doing with those men? She didn't seem to be held against her will.
In fact, I'd say she almost loved those guys.' Shaking his head in disbelief,
he wondered what the prince would say when he learned of her whereabouts,
'Oh, he is not going to be happy!' He knew that for certain, 'I just hope
I'm not there to hear his raving.'
"Shut up, General!" Ray suddenly yelled and rode a little closer to
Jadeite, knocking him over the side of the head before riding out of
touching distance. Nephrite winced as his friend rubbed his head and
glared daggers at Ray.
"For a princess, you hit hard! What was that for?" Jadeite didn't hold back
the heat in his voice.
Ray stuck up her nose, "What man in his right mind would think I was fat!"
General Nephrite lifted an eyebrow and glanced at Lita who was watching
the spectacle in front of them with interest as well.
"I didn't say you were fat! I said you could eat a little less, that's
all. It's not like we have a lot of food to cover the trip back home!"
"Home! HA!"
Lita sighed and shook her head, "Ray give him a break!" She quickly shouted.
Ray turned and glared at Lita, "Stay out of this!"
Lita rolled her eyes.
"You know, I think they like each other," Serenity suddenly voiced.
"Huh?" General Nephrite laughed, "How'd you figure that?"
Serenity giggled but didn't voice any explanation.
= * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * =
Prince Endymion wiped the sweat off his forehead with a dark blue
bandana as he surveyed the brown dead landscape below. He had been out
here for hours and still he saw no sign of the princess or any of his
generals. He was starting to wonder if he should just head back for the
night.
Suddenly he spotted two specks of black coming down a trail a couple
miles off, 'Finally! Humans!' A desert rodent scurried passed the horse's
hooves and down the valley.
"Come on; let's go see who goes there, eh?"
His horse neighed and snorted in response.
Sighing, he turned his horse and pushed both of them down a slope
towards the two figures approaching.
To Be Continued…
AN: Sorry! I know you were expecting some romantic fireworks but I decided
I'd keep that for the next chapter. Also, there is going to be a lot
of conversation as far as where Serenity was and what her friends have
been doing as well so there is no confusion in the next chapter.
And I do promise, the next chapter Serenity and Endymion will meet and
some secrets and misunderstandings will be revealed. It's gonna be good!
Hehehe…
Review!