Chapter 6
Io Castle, Jupiter
Tiaret ran through the streets, exhilarated that she was home again, even though she should be and wanted to be back on the Moon. She was not heading in any particular direction, but she soon found herself in front of the palace.
She stopped and realized it had been instinct to run here. Instinct she had thought she had suppressed. She smiled. Wait until her family saw her! All they thought was she was spending a lot of time on the Moon.
Suddenly Jupiter lost her smile. They might not be so thrilled since their last meeting, eight years ago. She had slipped away in the middle of the night, leaving with her 'lover' because her parents didn't like him. She had been in her rebellious years and had simply, like all teenagers, assumed that they wanted to quench her individuality.
Shrugging, Tiaret entered her palace. She found no one there. No guards, no servants, no family. She started to walk down the corridor, but still found or heard no one. Breaking into a run, she went in search of her family.
At the other end of the castle she finally found someone. A teenage maid was cleaning the walls. She gave Jupiter a surprised look. "Why are you running?"
"Where is everyone? The Royal Jupiter Family?" she gasped out.
The girl gave her a strange look, as if she was crazy. "They're in their quarters. The Lady Queen Jupiter is giving birth to another child."
"What do you mean?"
"Well after the crown princess ran away, the Royal Family was devastated. They tried to call the Soldier of Jupiter, but were informed she had been killed. Well, the Princess Jupiter had always gone to the Moon a lot so they assumed whatever had killed the Soldier had killed the princess as well. They tried to have another child for years and the Lady Queen Jupiter finally conceived. Everyone was ordered from the palace except for a few handfuls of servants who were needed. We're waiting for the news."
Tiaret thanked the girl and ran to her parent's room. Without so much as a knock, she barged in. Everyone but the Queen stared at her, for the Queen was asleep, having successfully given birth to a son.
The midwife attempted to get rid of her. "Go! How dare you barge into the room?"
An advisor grabbed her arm. "Don't you realize who that is?"
Tiaret held her breath, hoping they recognized her.
"That's the Soldier of Jupiter!"
Her breath let out in a disappointed sigh.
"But we were told you were killed!" the King exclaimed.
Jupiter hung her head for a second then raised it high with pride. "The Soldier you speak of is dead. I am the current Senshi of Jupiter, Princess Tiaret."
There was silence in the small room until the King roared for everyone to leave. His voice woke the Queen and she looked around fuzzily. "What's going on, dear?"
Tiaret and the King didn't answer at first. It was only the Royal Family, their missing daughter, and the newborn baby in that room and it was silent for some time.
"What's going on?" she repeated, getting her strong voice back and sitting up.
"You are not."
Tiaret's head dropped a little and she didn't answer.
"Are not what?" the Queen demanded.
Jupiter touched her tiara and her fuku disappeared with a flash of green light. Tiaret stood, wearing a dark green dress that had a low neckline and was decorated with lightning bolts.
"Tiaret," the Queen whispered.
The King sat down weakly. "I don't believe it."
"I am the Senshi for Jupiter, father, mother. I'm sorry I ran away eight years ago. When I got on the Moon, they were having the trials for the new Senshi. I was chosen for Jupiter."
"And what of your lover?" the King demanded harshly. "You left your kingdom and family for him, what of him?"
Tiaret winced and looked away. "I am no longer associated with him. I'm so sorry, but I will not get on my knees to beg for your forgiveness. I am a Soldier."
"So what my sister was always telling me was true. You were the Soldier of Jupiter," the Queen muttered.
"Am," Tiaret corrected. "Not was. I am the Soldier of Jupiter. But I don't understand why you sent for me if you didn't think I was alive."
"They didn't, I did," said a voice behind her.
In instinct, Tiaret whirled around, her henshin wand in her hand in a second. The woman smiled. She was shorter than most Jovians. Her brown hair was cut around her ears and her green eyes sparkled.
"Aunt Asney," she said.
The woman nodded her head. "I sent for you so you and your parents could talk. I think eight years is long enough for emotions to cool."
The King stood up abruptly. "I cannot believe you, Tiaret. You abandon your kingdom for eight years for a man unworthy of you and then do not stay with him and come back expecting a warm welcome."
Tiaret held up her henshin wand and cried, "Jupiter Lightning Power, Make-up!" With a flash, lightning crashed around her in a tepee shape. Her fuku materialized in another flash.
Jupiter turned angrily to her father. "I didn't come expecting anything! I only came here because if I didn't, you would pull your alliance from the Moon! With the coming year, for everyone to survive, we will need the alliances."
"What are you talking about?" he demanded.
Asney explained. "You see, all the Senshi have been called to their homes for a year. The Royalty of Neptune said that the Moon had been holding their children, keeping them from visiting by giving them unreasonable training sessions. Anyone who has half a brain will know that isn't true, but most parents really wanted to see their children and didn't know about how to get them back without going with the Royalty of Neptune to threaten to pull the alliance the planets have with the Moon. I knew we would never pull the alliance, but I cooperated with the ruse to get Tiaret here."
Her mother stood up and hugged her. "I missed you so much. I'm glad your home." She pulled away and looked expectantly at her husband.
The King did not move. Jupiter walked past her aunt and into the corridor. She was there for a year and she didn't think even a hundred years would help her father's feelings for her. He hated what she had done and there would be no changing of his position.
She headed for her bedroom. It was dark and silent, but well kept. Obviously her aunt and mother had not given up on her as her father had. She switched on the lights and saw the room sparkle. Her eyes widened. All along the walls were stars and lightning carved into the dark green stone with small emeralds.
Tiaret found a note on her desk. It was from her aunt, saying this was how she wished her a happy return home. Thunder sounded outside the room and she looked out the window. The sky was almost black. Storms on her planet were violent and she loved them. Lightning lit the sky and the rain fell harder, almost sounding like hail.
Only this time, she did not love the storm. Her sad eyes stared at her reflection in the mirror. She was heavily tanned from the sun in her younger years, but even for her she looked pale. Tears formed in her brown eyes and she pulled her hair from its ponytail and it fell to her the bottom of her ears. She switched off the lights, not wanting to see anything about the room, and walked back to the window, standing in front of it. In the dark of the room, her hair looked black, but she knew it to be truly dark blood red. Her pale face was sad and scared looking. She knew the war was coming, but she didn't want to face it. She knew she had to, because if she didn't, many innocent people would die.
The door behind her opened, but she didn't turn around. Her aunt laid a hand on her shoulder and Tiaret looked down at her. Asney just barely cleared her shoulder.
"Why do you have the lights off? Don't you like the way I fixed your room?" she whispered.
"I love it, but I just wanted to watch the storm in darkness." She turned back to the window.
"What did you mean with the coming years that we would need the alliances?"
"Aunt Asney, when the year ends there will be a war. Unless we have the alliances, everyone is dead."
"How do you know?"
"The Soldier of Mars, Taila, has an ability to see things in fire. The future, sometimes. She said two years ago that there was to be a war in three years. We upped our training, but in the most crucial year we were called to stay home. When we go back to the Moon, we will be in the year that the war is to be held. I have a bad feeling for Serene. I don't know what will happen to her. With this last year before the war, anything could happen."
Her aunt didn't say anything and they watched the rain together in silence. It did not let up. Asney knew she had to talk to her sister and brother-in-law. They had to know what Tiaret had told her.
"You know your father loves you."
"No, I don't. He made it perfectly clear that he does not approve of me any longer," Jupiter said tightly.
Asney chuckled and said softly, "Do you know who he reminds me of?" Tiaret shook her head. "He reminds me of you."
She turned to her aunt in surprise. Asney nodded. "He has your attitude. Everything about him reminds me of you. You are so much the same that you clash. Don't worry, he will come around."
Tiaret shrugged, acting as if she didn't care. She did care, but she didn't think he would ever come around to her presence again. His opinion meant everything to her, which was why his gruff and unforgiving attitude had hurt her so much. She loved her father and had connected with him much more than with her mother. Her mother was a lady and she was anything but.
She could remember going out with her father and they would come back to the palace covered in scratches and dirt. They would constantly practice fight. They were always roughhousing and her father had never scolded her for running through the halls.
He'll never come around. I've disappointed him too greatly for him to ever accept me again. I've disappointed myself as well. I hadn't thought I would ever ruin my life with my family for a man. Tiaret felt like crying. Why would she have thought her father would welcome her with open arms? It was him that she had looked forward to seeing again the most.
But her wishing was for naught. He had not welcomed her with open arms. She felt her aunt remove her hand and the door open and close. She knew she was alone again. Knowing no one would see, the mighty Soldier of Jupiter let her forehead rest against the glass of the window and cried, her hair falling around her face. Lightning flashed in the background and thunder echoed in her ears. The storm continued.