The Black Rose Curse
By Princess Serena
Chapter 7
Hey! First of all, I'd like to thank Reene30, Usagi Usako Chiba, courtjansluvr87, Super Sailor Usagi, and CuziMaGrl for reviewing my story on fanfiction.net. ^_^ Thanks so much, guys! I'd also like to thank Stefanie and Nielluin for e-mailing me and complimenting me on my story. Thank you! You guys are what keep this story alive! Also, thank you to Dream for putting my story on your site. You're the first site my story was ever on! And JBunny, who is my editor. Somehow, I've been managing while you're on vacation. *sob, sob* But thank you for being a loyal reader and editor! And last, but not least, I thank all of you who have not reviewed my story, but still read it. I know there's some out there! Thank you so much, all of you!
Oh! By the way, the song I used in the last chapter is not mine. It belongs to its rightful owner. *nods, agreeing with herself*
Disclaimer: I do not have power, but Naoko Takeuchi does. She is the true owner of Sailor Moon.
***
Serena stepped up onto a wooden stool and looked up at herself in the full length mirror. She could finally see the whole dress on herself. The fabric of the dress hugged her stomache, along with the ribbon that wrapped around her tiny waist. She tilted back and forth, loving the swishy feeling of the material against her legs.
She smiled, pleased with her appearance. Her hand reached up to her neck and played with the small chain that lay elegantly on her chest. Her smile widened as she thought about the prince.
Serena soon brushed that thought aside and went back to making sure she looked ok. She, of course, wore her hair in the same to ponytails as she always had. She likes it, though, and she thought it looked good with the dress.
Then she stared down at the bottom of the dress. She lifted the thick layers of fabric up to reveal two brown, leather shoes. She frowned. She couldn't really wear these things with her dress, could she? Well, she didn't have a choice, anyway, not having any other shoes to wear.
Being satisfied with her appearance, she dropped the skirt of her dress and hopped of the stool. She stole one last glance of herself before walking to the living room/kitchen and out the door toward the gardens. The prince had said to meet her there before the ball.
She picked the front of her skirt up and walked along the path of the gardens. She admired the beautiful flowers: lilacs, pansies, tulips, and others she couldn't name.
She approached the middle of the garden and saw a man standing next to the big fountain with his back turned toward her. The fountain was a man and a woman. The woman was beautiful, no doubt, with long hair that swept around the gorgeous dress she was wearing. The man was very handsome, with strands of hair falling into his eyes as he held both the lady's hands. The couple stared lovingly into each others' eyes without a care in the world.
Serena hadn't noticed that she had stopped and stood there staring at the fountain's statue. She let out a dreamy sigh and she stared at the ceramic couple.
Just then, she noticed the prince had approached her with an amused look on his face. "Enjoying the gardens?"
Serena blushed lightly. "I was just admiring the statue. It's very.." She couldn't think of a suitable word, but finally decided on, "beautiful." She gave him a half smile.
Darien returned the smile, then looked her up and down. "YOU look very beautiful."
Serena's blush turned dark red, and she managed to squeak out a thanks.
Darien laughed at Serena's reaction, then handed her a single white rose. Serena, in turn, accepted it and admired it. It was perfect. No petal was wilting and nothing was out of place. She smiled and said, "Thank you."
Darien's smile widened and he took the rose out of her petite hand. He took a step closer to her, then rearranged the rose in her right bun.
Serena shivered slightly. There was some static electricity that she could feel between them, but it wasn't bad. She liked the feeling. Once he was done fixing the rose, he didn't step back. She felt his gaze on her, but she didn't mind like she thought she would.
Darien cleared his throat and held out his arm to her. "Shall we?"
Serena smiled up at him and linked her arm through his. "We shall," she replied gleefully.
Serena and the prince walked up to two very big doors. They were opened by two men dressed in black tuxedos, and at this moment, Serena realized how handsome the prince looked, even more than he usually did. His raven-colored hair fell into his deep blue eyes which made it very hard to resist him. Yet, somehow, she had. He had on a black tuxedo, different from a tunic that he wore most often to these kinds of balls, but this one was different. It was more formal, and that is why everyone was wearing black tuxes and gorgeous ball gowns.
Serena's eyes turned into two blue orbs when the bug, French doors were opened. The room was even more marvelous than she remembered. The whole room seemed to sparkle. It was magnificent! The floor looked as if it were just gold sparkles, and the chandeliers where draped in gold ribbon. Instead of one big dining table, like that had last time, there were tons of tiny, round tables covered in sparkling, gold table cloths.
Serena was so in awe of the room that she had not heard the prince speaking to her. She snapped out of her trance and looked up at him asking, "Sorry, what was that?"
Darien laughed, throwing his head back to get the hair out of his eyes. "I told you that my mother said she wanted to see you when we got here." He glanced down at her neck and smiled. "You're wearing it."
Serena smiled brightly. "Of course! You think I wouldn't?"
Darien shrugged, still grinning. "I don't know. I'm just happy to see it on you. It looks really good on you."
Serena blushed again, but only lightly. "Thank you." Then she cleared her throat. "We'd better go find your mother."
Darien nodded and led her around he ballroom. Serena clung to Darien's arm and did her best to keep up with him. He had longer legs and walked somewhat faster than her, but she managed. She watched as the prince expertly greeted other nobles. She sighed, wishing she could be as sophisticated as him.
Serena was soon swept off her feet as Darien started walking again. She stumbled slightly, but continued to hurry. Finally, they reached the queen who smiled joyfully.
"Ah! Serena!" the queen said happily. "You splendid, and I am very happy to see that you found a dress for the occasion."
Serena let go of the prince's arm and curtsied, keeping her head bowed. "Thank you, your majesty."
The queen clapped her hands together once while smiling. "I'm so glad you decided to take my offer for singing. Of course, you will be paid. We will discuss that later," she said, nodding. "By the way, I found more musicians to accompany you. And, of course, they have the music to the song. You will sing after the dinner and some dancing. You will be announced when it is time." She pointed to a small platform in the middle of the musicians playing their music. "That is where you will be standing when you sing." She clapped her hands together again, her smile widening. "I am so looking forward to seeing you perform. So is the king, aren't you Bryan?" she asked a little louder than normal and nudged the king who seemed to be in a trance by the doors.
He cleared his throat and stood up taller, straitening his tuxedo jacket. "Oh, yes," he agreed, nodding. "We are very looking forward to seeing you." The queen beamed at her husband's comment.
Serena giggled slightly under her breath. "I thank you, your highness, your majesty," she said respectfully. Then she felt Darien make her stand up instead of bowing her head, yet her eyes still stared at the ground.
"Mother, Father, if you will excuse us," the prince said and started to drive Serena away from them.
"Oh, Darien!" the queen called after him. Serena looked up as the queen addressed Darien. The prince turned around and looked at his mother. "Lady Beryl is coming tonight," the queen continued. "I want you to talk to her."
Darien sighed exasperatedly. "Yes, Mother." With that, he pulled on Serena's arm and led her to the other side of the ballroom.
"Lady Beryl? Who's she?" Serena asked once they had stopped walking.
"Just another girl my mother wants me to court." He rolled his eyes. "I don't like her one bit though. She's so cold."
"Oh," Serena replied, her blue eyes looking down again. "I see."
Darien smirked. "She's nothing compared to you, though."
Serena's cheeks stained red and she looked up at the prince smiling. "Thank you.. Darien," she said, though the name felt funny on her tongue!
"Ah! You said my name!" Darien laughed. "Took you long enough."
Serena smiled and giggled. "Well, I'm sorry, but I'm not used to calling royalty by their first names."
Darien rolled his eyes again. "I hate being royalty. It is just a mere title for a person who happens to have power of a stupid country or planet."
"Yes, but without that person, what would the planet be? I'll tell you what it'd be. It would be a planet with no government or sense of order. Then everything would be chaos, and we wouldn't want that, now would we?" Serena raised an eyebrow.
Darien sighed. She had won this battle. "You have one this match of wits," he said in a deeper voice than normal. "But we will meet again."
Serena laughed. "Yes, we might meet again, and I'll win again," she teased.
"I highly doubt that." The prince smirked the lunged at her and started tickling her. "You may have the wits, but I have the strength."
Serena laughed uncontrollably and tried to get out of his grasp. "Dar.." Laughing, "rien.." Laughing, "Come on." Laughing, "Let.." Laughing, "Me.." Laughing, "Go." Laughing. She squealed and laughed. "I.." Laughing, "Give.." Laughing, "UP!!"
Darien finally decided to let her go. He was laughing himself at Serena. She looked so funny while struggling to get away from him, yet at the same time so beautiful.
Serena gasped for air. "Yes," she started breathlessly. "It is known to man kind that the male is stronger than the woman, but a woman is so much smarted then a man," she replied curtly, while still gasping for air.
Darien laughed again. "Whatever you say, Serena."
The blonde smiled at him. "Yep, you know I'm right." She held her head up triumphantly.
"Yeah, ok." Darien shook his head smiling.
Serena's smiled grew as she studied the prince. He was so handsome. His features somewhat matched his dad's, but, of course, Darien looked much better. She'd never admit that, though. And his eyes.. they were like the sea after a storm. They were so beautiful and full of passion and love. If only that love was for her, she'd been happy.
She made up her mind there. Yes, she did have a crush on the prince. But she sighed inwardly, knowing that she could never have him. Yet, there was still something in his eyes as she stared into them. She was lost, but she hoped she'd never leave those two amazing pools of blue.
She hadn't noticed it, but the prince was pretty close to her. She wanted to back away, but she couldn't urge her feet to move. She swallowed as she stared into his eyes. The world around her seemed to disappear, and all she could think about was how she could feel the prince edging toward her, and his breath on her face..
"Hey Darien, Serena!"
The prince and the servant snapped out of their trance, both blushing fiercely.
Serena looked up to see Andrew coming towards them. A girl with brown hair was on his arm and was smiling delightfully. At that moment, she felt ashamed for being so close to the prince. She made a vow in her mind never to be that close to the prince again. What if something happened? And if it did happen, then the prince would have surely hated her and demanded her out of his sight. Then where would she be? Nowhere, that's where.
Darien forced a smile on his face, slightly angry that Andrew had ruined that moment for him. "Hey, Andrew." His eyes wandered to the girl on his arm. "So, you must be Jessica, the girl Andrew is ALWAYS talking about."
Jessica giggled and replied, "Yes, I guess."
Andrew flashed a 'you say one more word and I'll tell them everything you say about Serena' smile, then looked at Jessica. "Jessica, this is Serena. Serena, Jessica."
Both the girl curtsied and greeted each other with a, "Pleased to meet you."
The Jessica curtsied to Darien. "Please to meet you, my prince."
Darien then told the girls, "Andrew and I are going to go talk. You two girls can get to know each other."
Andrew nodded, then the two nobles stalked off.
"So," Jessica started. "You like the prince?"
Serena snapped out of her trance. "Huh? Oh, yeah. He's nice."
Jessica rolled her eyes. "I don't mean as a friend, I mean MORE."
"What? No, of course not." She stopped, knowing she couldn't get out of this one as she watched Jessica eye her. "Ok, fine. Yeah, I do."
Jessica smirked. "I can tell."
Serena countered Jessica with a smirk of her own. "You like Andrew?"
Jessica nodded, not hesitating for a second. "Yep. He's so sweet."
Serena nodded. "Yeah, he is." She watched Jessica give her an evil look. "No, no! Don't get the wrong idea here. I mean, I don't like him the way I like Darien-"
"You call him by his first name?" Jessica cut in.
"Yeah, he lets me."
"Heh, I think he might like you, too. He NEVER lets anyone call him by his first name. That is, except for his mother and father, and Andrew, of course."
"You really think so?" Serena asked hopefully.
Jessica shrugged. "I don't know, I'm just guessing. Either that or he really thinks you're a good friend."
Serena nodded thoughtfully. Did the prince like her? But why would he, a prince, like her, a servant girl? A mere servant girl who happened to bump into him one day, and who he lets call him by his first name? Ok, yeah, that was one point, but like Jessica said, it could be just because he thinks she's a good friend. That's probably it. Why get her hopes up, thinking that he likes her when it is a pretty slim chance that he doesn't?
***
Serena and the prince sat at a table with Andrew and Jessica. Dinner was over, which consisted of a soup, chicken, and a large selection of sweets for desert. Serena had never eaten so much food in her life! She felt as if she ate too much and was now the size of an overweight hog. She looked down at her stomach to find a slim waist. She let out a sigh of relief. Even though she felt the size of a pig, she was glad that she didn't look it.
The bloated blonde ((AN: Hah hah. Doesn't it sound funny??? LOL. Ok, I'll get on with the story.)) glanced up at the big clock with the huge chimes at the front the dining hall. She bit chewed on her lip. It was 8:35, and it was after dinner, and people were dancing. She gulped. She would have to sing soon. She wiped her sweaty hands on the skirt of her dress and took big breaths trying to calm herself. What if she got up there and forgot the words? What if the prince heard her and thought he made a terrible mistake of picking her to sing at this ball, and didn't want to talk to her again? She gulped. She hoped that wouldn't happen. If it did, she wouldn't be able to live with herself.
"Serena? Hello? Earth to Serena!"
Serena blinked and looked back at everyone staring at her. She laughed nervously. "Sorry."
Darien laughed. "No problem. You're just.. spacey today. Anyway, are you ready? I told Andrew and Jessica about your singing." He winked.
"Heh, heh, heh. I hope I'm ready," the blonde replied while wringing her hands under the table.
"You'll be fine! Don't worry," Andrew encouraged her.
Jessica nodded in agreement. "Yeah, I'm sure they wouldn't have picked you if you were bad."
Serena nodded, staring at her shaking hands. She kept going over the words to the song in her head when she felt a large hand over top of her two small ones. She raised her head and met two big pools of blue.. again.
Darien gave her a warm, encouraging smile. "Don't worry. You'll be alright. I promise. I'll give you a standing ovation."
Serena's hands stopped shaking after she felt his warm hand on hers. She nodded, smiling lightly. She looked up at the platform and saw a man walking over to it. He climbed on top of it and cleared his throat. "Ladies and gentlemen," the man roared. The crowd quieted down and the musicians stopped playing. The man continued, "We have a very special treat tonight. A young lady will be gracing up with her singing!" The crowed broke into applause, but it died down again quickly. "This lady, Serena, will be singing 'Cloud Shadows,' a personal favorite of the queen's."
Serena gulped. She watched as the crowed exchanged words over the music and, possibly, her. She looked back up at the man.
"So, without further ado, I'd like to welcome Lady Serena!" The crowed broke into applause, most of them returning to their tables as well.
Serena stood up, gave Darien a shaky smile, then walked up to the platform, dreading every step that she took. She, once again, rubbed her sweaty palms on her dress, then raised her skirts and stepped up on the platform. She swallowed clearing her throat, then glanced at the musicians and nodded, letting them know that she was ready.
She took one more breath and looked at the prince, Andrew, and Jessica, who all gave her a reassuring smile. The corners of her mouth tugged up the slightest bit, and then the music started. She closed her eyes, waiting for her entrance, took a big breath and started:
'I wish I could ride on the shadows of clouds
That drift across the hill;
Over the meadow and out of sight
They sweep so smooth and still.
Over the daisy field they passed,
And not a daisy stirred;
They moved like chariots grand and slow,
But never a sound was heard.
I wish I could ride on the shadows of clouds,
Could ride till the journey done,
I'd find myself at the end of the world,
Where the earth and the sky are one.'
Serena took a big gulp of air as she listened to the ending of the music. It faded out and all was quiet. Then the hall erupted in applause and cheers. She thought she heard a few whistle, but it could've just been her imagination. Her lips curved into a big smile. It was over, and the people like her. She looked over at Darien who was standing up along with Andrew and Jessica. She didn't think her smile could've gotten bigger, but it did.
Serena stood on the platform, smiling happily as the people in the dining hall cheered for her. She didn't care, though. She was staring at the prince, who was clapping loudly and cheering for her. His bright blue eyes were full of emotion and his smile showed pure happiness.
She was smiling along with him, staring at how wonderful in every way he was. She didn't care if he was a prince anymore, because something struck her. It hit her almost as if she wasn't expecting it, but she knew it was coming. She didn't want to admit it, but her heart already had. And she knew it. She was in love with the prince of Earth.
***
Yes, I know. I'm sorry. It's short. But I thought that was a good way to end it!! *whimpers* I'm sorry. I know, it's only 12 pages, and the last one was, what, 27? Yeah, sorry about that. I'll try to make the next chapter longer. Forgive me? Please?
Ok. That song is called 'Cloud Shadows' and it is not mine! It belongs to its rightful owner! It doesn't really say the owner on the music. It says two names, and at the bottom which company copyrighted it, but I dunno who owns it. But it is NOT owned by me! I did not write it! Just wanted to make that clear.
Anyway, thank you all who have continued to read my story and have gotten this far! I thank you so much! This may be the fan fic I finish! Yay! LOL. I've started so mant, but never finished them. Anyway, thank you all for reading. I love you all!
xoxo Sere
Hey! First of all, I'd like to thank Reene30, Usagi Usako Chiba, courtjansluvr87, Super Sailor Usagi, and CuziMaGrl for reviewing my story on fanfiction.net. ^_^ Thanks so much, guys! I'd also like to thank Stefanie and Nielluin for e-mailing me and complimenting me on my story. Thank you! You guys are what keep this story alive! Also, thank you to Dream for putting my story on your site. You're the first site my story was ever on! And JBunny, who is my editor. Somehow, I've been managing while you're on vacation. *sob, sob* But thank you for being a loyal reader and editor! And last, but not least, I thank all of you who have not reviewed my story, but still read it. I know there's some out there! Thank you so much, all of you!
Oh! By the way, the song I used in the last chapter is not mine. It belongs to its rightful owner. *nods, agreeing with herself*
Disclaimer: I do not have power, but Naoko Takeuchi does. She is the true owner of Sailor Moon.
***
Serena stepped up onto a wooden stool and looked up at herself in the full length mirror. She could finally see the whole dress on herself. The fabric of the dress hugged her stomache, along with the ribbon that wrapped around her tiny waist. She tilted back and forth, loving the swishy feeling of the material against her legs.
She smiled, pleased with her appearance. Her hand reached up to her neck and played with the small chain that lay elegantly on her chest. Her smile widened as she thought about the prince.
Serena soon brushed that thought aside and went back to making sure she looked ok. She, of course, wore her hair in the same to ponytails as she always had. She likes it, though, and she thought it looked good with the dress.
Then she stared down at the bottom of the dress. She lifted the thick layers of fabric up to reveal two brown, leather shoes. She frowned. She couldn't really wear these things with her dress, could she? Well, she didn't have a choice, anyway, not having any other shoes to wear.
Being satisfied with her appearance, she dropped the skirt of her dress and hopped of the stool. She stole one last glance of herself before walking to the living room/kitchen and out the door toward the gardens. The prince had said to meet her there before the ball.
She picked the front of her skirt up and walked along the path of the gardens. She admired the beautiful flowers: lilacs, pansies, tulips, and others she couldn't name.
She approached the middle of the garden and saw a man standing next to the big fountain with his back turned toward her. The fountain was a man and a woman. The woman was beautiful, no doubt, with long hair that swept around the gorgeous dress she was wearing. The man was very handsome, with strands of hair falling into his eyes as he held both the lady's hands. The couple stared lovingly into each others' eyes without a care in the world.
Serena hadn't noticed that she had stopped and stood there staring at the fountain's statue. She let out a dreamy sigh and she stared at the ceramic couple.
Just then, she noticed the prince had approached her with an amused look on his face. "Enjoying the gardens?"
Serena blushed lightly. "I was just admiring the statue. It's very.." She couldn't think of a suitable word, but finally decided on, "beautiful." She gave him a half smile.
Darien returned the smile, then looked her up and down. "YOU look very beautiful."
Serena's blush turned dark red, and she managed to squeak out a thanks.
Darien laughed at Serena's reaction, then handed her a single white rose. Serena, in turn, accepted it and admired it. It was perfect. No petal was wilting and nothing was out of place. She smiled and said, "Thank you."
Darien's smile widened and he took the rose out of her petite hand. He took a step closer to her, then rearranged the rose in her right bun.
Serena shivered slightly. There was some static electricity that she could feel between them, but it wasn't bad. She liked the feeling. Once he was done fixing the rose, he didn't step back. She felt his gaze on her, but she didn't mind like she thought she would.
Darien cleared his throat and held out his arm to her. "Shall we?"
Serena smiled up at him and linked her arm through his. "We shall," she replied gleefully.
Serena and the prince walked up to two very big doors. They were opened by two men dressed in black tuxedos, and at this moment, Serena realized how handsome the prince looked, even more than he usually did. His raven-colored hair fell into his deep blue eyes which made it very hard to resist him. Yet, somehow, she had. He had on a black tuxedo, different from a tunic that he wore most often to these kinds of balls, but this one was different. It was more formal, and that is why everyone was wearing black tuxes and gorgeous ball gowns.
Serena's eyes turned into two blue orbs when the bug, French doors were opened. The room was even more marvelous than she remembered. The whole room seemed to sparkle. It was magnificent! The floor looked as if it were just gold sparkles, and the chandeliers where draped in gold ribbon. Instead of one big dining table, like that had last time, there were tons of tiny, round tables covered in sparkling, gold table cloths.
Serena was so in awe of the room that she had not heard the prince speaking to her. She snapped out of her trance and looked up at him asking, "Sorry, what was that?"
Darien laughed, throwing his head back to get the hair out of his eyes. "I told you that my mother said she wanted to see you when we got here." He glanced down at her neck and smiled. "You're wearing it."
Serena smiled brightly. "Of course! You think I wouldn't?"
Darien shrugged, still grinning. "I don't know. I'm just happy to see it on you. It looks really good on you."
Serena blushed again, but only lightly. "Thank you." Then she cleared her throat. "We'd better go find your mother."
Darien nodded and led her around he ballroom. Serena clung to Darien's arm and did her best to keep up with him. He had longer legs and walked somewhat faster than her, but she managed. She watched as the prince expertly greeted other nobles. She sighed, wishing she could be as sophisticated as him.
Serena was soon swept off her feet as Darien started walking again. She stumbled slightly, but continued to hurry. Finally, they reached the queen who smiled joyfully.
"Ah! Serena!" the queen said happily. "You splendid, and I am very happy to see that you found a dress for the occasion."
Serena let go of the prince's arm and curtsied, keeping her head bowed. "Thank you, your majesty."
The queen clapped her hands together once while smiling. "I'm so glad you decided to take my offer for singing. Of course, you will be paid. We will discuss that later," she said, nodding. "By the way, I found more musicians to accompany you. And, of course, they have the music to the song. You will sing after the dinner and some dancing. You will be announced when it is time." She pointed to a small platform in the middle of the musicians playing their music. "That is where you will be standing when you sing." She clapped her hands together again, her smile widening. "I am so looking forward to seeing you perform. So is the king, aren't you Bryan?" she asked a little louder than normal and nudged the king who seemed to be in a trance by the doors.
He cleared his throat and stood up taller, straitening his tuxedo jacket. "Oh, yes," he agreed, nodding. "We are very looking forward to seeing you." The queen beamed at her husband's comment.
Serena giggled slightly under her breath. "I thank you, your highness, your majesty," she said respectfully. Then she felt Darien make her stand up instead of bowing her head, yet her eyes still stared at the ground.
"Mother, Father, if you will excuse us," the prince said and started to drive Serena away from them.
"Oh, Darien!" the queen called after him. Serena looked up as the queen addressed Darien. The prince turned around and looked at his mother. "Lady Beryl is coming tonight," the queen continued. "I want you to talk to her."
Darien sighed exasperatedly. "Yes, Mother." With that, he pulled on Serena's arm and led her to the other side of the ballroom.
"Lady Beryl? Who's she?" Serena asked once they had stopped walking.
"Just another girl my mother wants me to court." He rolled his eyes. "I don't like her one bit though. She's so cold."
"Oh," Serena replied, her blue eyes looking down again. "I see."
Darien smirked. "She's nothing compared to you, though."
Serena's cheeks stained red and she looked up at the prince smiling. "Thank you.. Darien," she said, though the name felt funny on her tongue!
"Ah! You said my name!" Darien laughed. "Took you long enough."
Serena smiled and giggled. "Well, I'm sorry, but I'm not used to calling royalty by their first names."
Darien rolled his eyes again. "I hate being royalty. It is just a mere title for a person who happens to have power of a stupid country or planet."
"Yes, but without that person, what would the planet be? I'll tell you what it'd be. It would be a planet with no government or sense of order. Then everything would be chaos, and we wouldn't want that, now would we?" Serena raised an eyebrow.
Darien sighed. She had won this battle. "You have one this match of wits," he said in a deeper voice than normal. "But we will meet again."
Serena laughed. "Yes, we might meet again, and I'll win again," she teased.
"I highly doubt that." The prince smirked the lunged at her and started tickling her. "You may have the wits, but I have the strength."
Serena laughed uncontrollably and tried to get out of his grasp. "Dar.." Laughing, "rien.." Laughing, "Come on." Laughing, "Let.." Laughing, "Me.." Laughing, "Go." Laughing. She squealed and laughed. "I.." Laughing, "Give.." Laughing, "UP!!"
Darien finally decided to let her go. He was laughing himself at Serena. She looked so funny while struggling to get away from him, yet at the same time so beautiful.
Serena gasped for air. "Yes," she started breathlessly. "It is known to man kind that the male is stronger than the woman, but a woman is so much smarted then a man," she replied curtly, while still gasping for air.
Darien laughed again. "Whatever you say, Serena."
The blonde smiled at him. "Yep, you know I'm right." She held her head up triumphantly.
"Yeah, ok." Darien shook his head smiling.
Serena's smiled grew as she studied the prince. He was so handsome. His features somewhat matched his dad's, but, of course, Darien looked much better. She'd never admit that, though. And his eyes.. they were like the sea after a storm. They were so beautiful and full of passion and love. If only that love was for her, she'd been happy.
She made up her mind there. Yes, she did have a crush on the prince. But she sighed inwardly, knowing that she could never have him. Yet, there was still something in his eyes as she stared into them. She was lost, but she hoped she'd never leave those two amazing pools of blue.
She hadn't noticed it, but the prince was pretty close to her. She wanted to back away, but she couldn't urge her feet to move. She swallowed as she stared into his eyes. The world around her seemed to disappear, and all she could think about was how she could feel the prince edging toward her, and his breath on her face..
"Hey Darien, Serena!"
The prince and the servant snapped out of their trance, both blushing fiercely.
Serena looked up to see Andrew coming towards them. A girl with brown hair was on his arm and was smiling delightfully. At that moment, she felt ashamed for being so close to the prince. She made a vow in her mind never to be that close to the prince again. What if something happened? And if it did happen, then the prince would have surely hated her and demanded her out of his sight. Then where would she be? Nowhere, that's where.
Darien forced a smile on his face, slightly angry that Andrew had ruined that moment for him. "Hey, Andrew." His eyes wandered to the girl on his arm. "So, you must be Jessica, the girl Andrew is ALWAYS talking about."
Jessica giggled and replied, "Yes, I guess."
Andrew flashed a 'you say one more word and I'll tell them everything you say about Serena' smile, then looked at Jessica. "Jessica, this is Serena. Serena, Jessica."
Both the girl curtsied and greeted each other with a, "Pleased to meet you."
The Jessica curtsied to Darien. "Please to meet you, my prince."
Darien then told the girls, "Andrew and I are going to go talk. You two girls can get to know each other."
Andrew nodded, then the two nobles stalked off.
"So," Jessica started. "You like the prince?"
Serena snapped out of her trance. "Huh? Oh, yeah. He's nice."
Jessica rolled her eyes. "I don't mean as a friend, I mean MORE."
"What? No, of course not." She stopped, knowing she couldn't get out of this one as she watched Jessica eye her. "Ok, fine. Yeah, I do."
Jessica smirked. "I can tell."
Serena countered Jessica with a smirk of her own. "You like Andrew?"
Jessica nodded, not hesitating for a second. "Yep. He's so sweet."
Serena nodded. "Yeah, he is." She watched Jessica give her an evil look. "No, no! Don't get the wrong idea here. I mean, I don't like him the way I like Darien-"
"You call him by his first name?" Jessica cut in.
"Yeah, he lets me."
"Heh, I think he might like you, too. He NEVER lets anyone call him by his first name. That is, except for his mother and father, and Andrew, of course."
"You really think so?" Serena asked hopefully.
Jessica shrugged. "I don't know, I'm just guessing. Either that or he really thinks you're a good friend."
Serena nodded thoughtfully. Did the prince like her? But why would he, a prince, like her, a servant girl? A mere servant girl who happened to bump into him one day, and who he lets call him by his first name? Ok, yeah, that was one point, but like Jessica said, it could be just because he thinks she's a good friend. That's probably it. Why get her hopes up, thinking that he likes her when it is a pretty slim chance that he doesn't?
***
Serena and the prince sat at a table with Andrew and Jessica. Dinner was over, which consisted of a soup, chicken, and a large selection of sweets for desert. Serena had never eaten so much food in her life! She felt as if she ate too much and was now the size of an overweight hog. She looked down at her stomach to find a slim waist. She let out a sigh of relief. Even though she felt the size of a pig, she was glad that she didn't look it.
The bloated blonde ((AN: Hah hah. Doesn't it sound funny??? LOL. Ok, I'll get on with the story.)) glanced up at the big clock with the huge chimes at the front the dining hall. She bit chewed on her lip. It was 8:35, and it was after dinner, and people were dancing. She gulped. She would have to sing soon. She wiped her sweaty hands on the skirt of her dress and took big breaths trying to calm herself. What if she got up there and forgot the words? What if the prince heard her and thought he made a terrible mistake of picking her to sing at this ball, and didn't want to talk to her again? She gulped. She hoped that wouldn't happen. If it did, she wouldn't be able to live with herself.
"Serena? Hello? Earth to Serena!"
Serena blinked and looked back at everyone staring at her. She laughed nervously. "Sorry."
Darien laughed. "No problem. You're just.. spacey today. Anyway, are you ready? I told Andrew and Jessica about your singing." He winked.
"Heh, heh, heh. I hope I'm ready," the blonde replied while wringing her hands under the table.
"You'll be fine! Don't worry," Andrew encouraged her.
Jessica nodded in agreement. "Yeah, I'm sure they wouldn't have picked you if you were bad."
Serena nodded, staring at her shaking hands. She kept going over the words to the song in her head when she felt a large hand over top of her two small ones. She raised her head and met two big pools of blue.. again.
Darien gave her a warm, encouraging smile. "Don't worry. You'll be alright. I promise. I'll give you a standing ovation."
Serena's hands stopped shaking after she felt his warm hand on hers. She nodded, smiling lightly. She looked up at the platform and saw a man walking over to it. He climbed on top of it and cleared his throat. "Ladies and gentlemen," the man roared. The crowd quieted down and the musicians stopped playing. The man continued, "We have a very special treat tonight. A young lady will be gracing up with her singing!" The crowed broke into applause, but it died down again quickly. "This lady, Serena, will be singing 'Cloud Shadows,' a personal favorite of the queen's."
Serena gulped. She watched as the crowed exchanged words over the music and, possibly, her. She looked back up at the man.
"So, without further ado, I'd like to welcome Lady Serena!" The crowed broke into applause, most of them returning to their tables as well.
Serena stood up, gave Darien a shaky smile, then walked up to the platform, dreading every step that she took. She, once again, rubbed her sweaty palms on her dress, then raised her skirts and stepped up on the platform. She swallowed clearing her throat, then glanced at the musicians and nodded, letting them know that she was ready.
She took one more breath and looked at the prince, Andrew, and Jessica, who all gave her a reassuring smile. The corners of her mouth tugged up the slightest bit, and then the music started. She closed her eyes, waiting for her entrance, took a big breath and started:
'I wish I could ride on the shadows of clouds
That drift across the hill;
Over the meadow and out of sight
They sweep so smooth and still.
Over the daisy field they passed,
And not a daisy stirred;
They moved like chariots grand and slow,
But never a sound was heard.
I wish I could ride on the shadows of clouds,
Could ride till the journey done,
I'd find myself at the end of the world,
Where the earth and the sky are one.'
Serena took a big gulp of air as she listened to the ending of the music. It faded out and all was quiet. Then the hall erupted in applause and cheers. She thought she heard a few whistle, but it could've just been her imagination. Her lips curved into a big smile. It was over, and the people like her. She looked over at Darien who was standing up along with Andrew and Jessica. She didn't think her smile could've gotten bigger, but it did.
Serena stood on the platform, smiling happily as the people in the dining hall cheered for her. She didn't care, though. She was staring at the prince, who was clapping loudly and cheering for her. His bright blue eyes were full of emotion and his smile showed pure happiness.
She was smiling along with him, staring at how wonderful in every way he was. She didn't care if he was a prince anymore, because something struck her. It hit her almost as if she wasn't expecting it, but she knew it was coming. She didn't want to admit it, but her heart already had. And she knew it. She was in love with the prince of Earth.
***
Yes, I know. I'm sorry. It's short. But I thought that was a good way to end it!! *whimpers* I'm sorry. I know, it's only 12 pages, and the last one was, what, 27? Yeah, sorry about that. I'll try to make the next chapter longer. Forgive me? Please?
Ok. That song is called 'Cloud Shadows' and it is not mine! It belongs to its rightful owner! It doesn't really say the owner on the music. It says two names, and at the bottom which company copyrighted it, but I dunno who owns it. But it is NOT owned by me! I did not write it! Just wanted to make that clear.
Anyway, thank you all who have continued to read my story and have gotten this far! I thank you so much! This may be the fan fic I finish! Yay! LOL. I've started so mant, but never finished them. Anyway, thank you all for reading. I love you all!
xoxo Sere
