Chapter 7

Magellan Castle, Venus

Stella brushed her blonde hair from her eyes. The weight of it was nothing to her anymore. It went down to the middle of her back, but she was told it made her look gorgeous. Her bangs fell around the sides of her face and she tucked them behind her ears.

A little girl bowled her over as she left her room. The girl's blonde hair was even brighter than her own. The little girl barely managed a hasty sorry before taking off again. Stella chuckled and stood up. She couldn't wait to see her mother.

When she entered the throne room, the men around the Queen backed away. Her mother smiled; she liked flirting with the nobles and such, but her heart would always remain to her husband, who had died a year after her daughter was born.

"Stella! How good it is to see you!"

Stella jogged up to her mother and gave her a peck on the cheek. The Queen of Venus dismissed the servants and nobles and soon mother and daughter were alone.

Venus studied her mother. She looked like Aphrodite herself. Her blonde hair reached down to her feet and was in no way confined. Her sky blue eyes had small laughter lines around them. The only time Stella had ever seen her mother sad was when her father had died.

Except for the back wall, three of the throne room walls, painted a beautiful gold, were arches. Through the left arches was a pool, through the front arches was a hallway which she came through that had a red carpet running along it, and the through the right arches was a garden.

The Queen of Venus led her daughter through the right arches and into the gardens, full of yellow roses. "How have you been doing? Have you found a love yet?"

Stella blushed. "Mother, people don't talk about that kind of thing."

"So I see you have. Who is he?"

Her blush deepened. "He's a she."

"Really? Who?"

"Caden, Senshi of Neptune."

Her mother winced. "I know the Royal Neptune Family and they would not be happy to hear that."

"Are you?" she whispered.

"Am I what?"

"Are you disappointed that my soulmate is a woman and a Soldier?"

The Queen of Venus took Stella's shoulders in her hands and turned her daughter to face her. "You listen to me, Stella. Love comes in many forms. Your soulmate was born a woman. So? As long as you love the person with all your heart, it doesn't matter what gender they are. And the fact that she is a Senshi is a good thing since it means you can see her all the time."

"What about Caden's parents then?"

"Well, some people don't understand. I mean, not all of us are born on the planet of love, you know. The Royal Neptune Family is very traditional and Caden has just challenged that tradition by not only being a Soldier, but also by loving a woman and someone they did not choose for her. Eventually they will see. Eventually."

Stella looked away and they resumed walking. She remembered her earlier incident and asked her mother about it.

"What did the girl look like?"

"Well, she had very bright blonde hair, sky blue eyes, and a speed that would outclass the god Hermes."

Her mother laughed. "That's Minako, your cousin's daughter. She loves the place and can run around it all day and never get tired. She keeps all of us in shape by running after her."

"How old is she?"

"Three."

Stella whistled. "That's impressive. She would be a choice candidate for a Senshi."

"Well why don't you talk to your cousin about it? He would be glad to see you."

"What happened to Demetrius' wife?" she asked curiously. She hadn't been to Magellan in five years, when her cousin had married someone from Pluto.

"I'm sorry to say she died in childbirth. Demetrius was very upset about it, but he poured a lot of his attentions onto Minako and loves her dearly. He practically dotes on her."

Stella frowned. "She's spoiled?"

"Not in the least. He loves her to death, but also has taught discipline. With some help from the godmother," she added.

"Who is the godmother?"

"His sister."

"Good gods," she exclaimed, startled. "Aracely is as strict as a textbook! I'm surprised she isn't a proper little girl," she added dryly.

"Stella, Aracely isn't a bad person. You two just don't click. She's not really that strict with people who know her. It's just a front. Try getting to know her."

Venus rolled her eyes. She'd rather get along with Caden's parents. They would be warmer to her than Aracely. Her mother just didn't know what had happened between them. It had been her attitude, partly, that had Stella always putting off visits.

Unfortunately, on her way to see Demetrius, she ran into Aracely. They literally ran into each other as Venus turned the corner. Aracely took one look at her fuku and frowned. Her dress left a huge amount to imagination since it completely covered her body.

Stella rolled her eyes. "Hello, Aracely."

She stiffened and said politely, "Good day, Stella. Where are you going?"

"To see Demetrius."

"No you're not!" Aracely blurted out. Stella raised her eyebrow; that was hardly lady-like. She blushed and continued on more calmly, "He isn't available at the moment."

"He'll see his cousin, believe me," she replied icily. Venus attempted to brush past her, but Aracely grabbed her arm. Her eyes held a pained look.

"I'm sorry about what I said before. I truly didn't mean it."

Stella pulled her arm from her grasp and shrugged. "Hey, you have your opinion and I have mine. You may think that I'm a lesbian slut, but that doesn't mean that everyone else or I think so."

Aracely winced. "I swear I didn't mean it! I was just surprised and was having a very bad day that day. My fiancée had just broken up with me for my arch nemesis."

"I forgive you," Stella whispered. She truly did, for it really didn't mean anything to her anymore. She had heard it so often from Caden's parents that the words ceased to hurt.

"You do?" asked Aracely skeptically.

Venus quickly outlined why and Aracely looked shocked and angry. "I can't believe they said that to you!"

She shrugged again. "It doesn't matter. Look, since your godmother to Minako, I guess you should be present when I talk with Demetrius."

As they walked down the hall, Aracely attempted to find out what Stella was going to say to her cousin, but came away with nothing. She sighed. She would just have to wait.

Demetrius was playing with his daughter when his cousin approached him. With a glad cry, he jumped up and hugged her. Stella stiffened for half a second and then returned his embrace. She had been unprepared for that sort of greeting. Minako looked on, curious.

"Demetrius, we have to talk," Venus told him as he let her go. Her serious face puzzled him.

"Of course." He turned to his daughter. "Minako, could you play elsewhere for a while? I have to talk to your aunt in private."

Minako didn't say anything and she looked at her father, aunt, and godmother. Finally, she tore from the room at high speed, barely missing legs.

Stella, Aracely, and Demetrius sat down next to a desk. "What?"

She took a deep breath and described her encounter with Minako. Demetrius held up his hands. "I'm sorry about that, I'll talk to her. She won't do it again."

Venus looked confused for a moment then it cleared. "No, that isn't what I wanted to talk about. I was just describing how I met her. Why I came here is to tell you that you should seriously consider having Minako tested for being a Senshi in a couple of years. When she's eight. She is a great candidate for it. She has so many strengths that I can't even begin to describe to you."

Demetrius and Aracely exchanged glances. "Well we don't want her getting hurt."

Venus sighed. She had to make them understand, but she didn't see how. "Just think about it, okay?"

"So how long are you going to be staying this time?" asked Aracely.

"A year."

"A year!" they exclaimed.

"Why?" asked Demetrius. "You've never stayed more than three days on any visits before."

Stella quickly outlined why she was here. Exclamations of protest sounded in the room. "Venus would never pull from the alliance with the Moon!" cried out Aracely. "Every planet owes too much to the Moon to even consider pulling from it."

"Not Neptune," she whispered.

"What do you mean?" Demetrius asked quietly.

"The Royal Neptune Family did this year thing for all the Senshi to visit their families because of me. You see, Caden, the Senshi of Neptune and I are soulmates and we have chosen to be with each other till the end of time. They don't like this so they put up a fuss and the other planets went along with it."

Demetrius wrapped his arms around his cousin. "Don't worry; everything will work out in the end. Even the war."

"I hope you're right," Venus murmured.