Title: The Swan Princess
Summery: Serenity is the princess from the moon, and Endymion is the prince from Earth. The kings and queens of each kingdom desperately want the two children to marry when they grow up, so every summer Serenity is sent down to Earth to spend quality time with Endymion. They hate each other at first. But when Serenity finally grows up, Endymion sees her in a different light. Endymion's jealous, power-hungry brother, Alex, turns to the dark arts in hope that he can make Serenity become his wife so he can be king, by putting her under a spell. It's up to Endymion to find her and save her from her enchantment.
Characters:
The Moon Kingdom and Court-
King Leodegrance- King of the Moon Kingdom, born of the royal family of the Sun
Queen Serenity- Queen of the Moon Kingdom, born of the royal family of the Moon
Princess Serenity- also known as Serena to close friends, daughter of the King and Queen of the Moon Kingdom and future ruler and holder of the Imperium Silver Crystal
Princess Mina- Serenity's cousin from the planet Venus (one year older than Serenity)
Princess Amy- Serenity's friend and princess of Mercury (one year older than Serenity)
Princess Lita- Serenity's friend and princess of Jupiter (one year older than Serenity)
Princess Raye- Serenity's friend and princess of Mars and Prince Endymion's cousin (one year older than Serenity)
Earth Kingdom and Court-
King Gereint- King of Earth and High King of all the other provinces and smaller kingdoms, born from the royal family of Mars
Queen Arianna- Queen of Earth and High Queen of the other provinces and smaller kingdoms, born from the royal family of Earth
Prince Endymion- also known as Darien to close friends, son of the High King and Queen of Earth, first in line for the throne
Prince Alexander- also known as Alex to close friends, son of the High King and Queen of Earth, second in line for the throne
Princess Marietta- also known as Marie to a very exclusive branch of nobles, daughter of the High King and Queen of Earth, third in line for the throne
Malachite- head of the royal guard and friend of Prince Endymion
Zoycite- part of the royal guard and friend of Prince Endymion
Nephlite- part of the royal guard and friend of Prince Endymion
Jedite- part of the royal guard and friend of Prince Endymion
Disclaimer: I own neither Sailor Moon nor The Swan Princess.
A\N: Just thought that this might clear some things up: Darien didn't spend the WHOLE 2 months in the library, he practiced his sword fighting and other things, but he spent most of his time there, in the library.
Chapter 9: An Adventure and an Unexpected Encounter
~~~~~***~~~~~
Rose Castle Ruins - Day Break
"Everyone all right with their part?" Chirp asked as the four animals, including Serena in her swan form. Serena and Milo nodded. Acorn shook his head.
"No way am I going to be a decoy," Acorn said. He crossed his arms over his chest and shook his head. "That man will kill me."
"Please?" Serena asked, blinking her large blue swan eyes at him. Acorn almost gave in, but turned around and pouted.
"No," Acorn replied. "I will not become the prince's next meal."
"But you're so fast and cunning," Chirp stated. She motioned to Milo and Serena and they caught on.
"Yeah, you are the very best at climbing and jumping," Milo said encouragingly. He smiled at Acorn and whispered to Serena and Chirp. "Anyways, I have never heard of anyone eating a chipmunk, unless they're desperate."
"And you are the most handsome chipmunk I have ever seen," Serena whispered. Acorn's cheeks turned pink, but he turned around and smiled.
"I will do it!" Acorn shouted. "Where is that man? I will bite his ears off!"
"Hold on," Serena interrupted. "We only need a distraction to get into his room up there were he sleeps."
"All right, I will go! Wish me luck!" Acorn blew a kiss at Serena and then scurried over to the castle's entrance and went in. Serena, Chirp, and Milo watched until Acorn disappeared from view. They were standing in a clump of bushes, hidden from the outside world.
"Ready?" Serena asked Milo as she turned to him. Milo nodded and climbed on her back. He was a small otter, so he fit perfectly between Serena's wings. "Let's go up to the south tower so we can see when Acorn gets Alex out of the room."
"Ok," Chirp answered. The two birds took off and flew up to the tower roof and landed on the shingles. Serena's wings had golden feathers woven into them, and they glittered in the sunlight.
Serena, Milo and Chirp waited for a few minutes. All of a sudden, a flash of red in the other tower room's window was seen. An angry shout bellowed from the room.
"What the-?" Alex yelled. "Where did you come from, you little rodent?"
"I am a chipmunk!" came Acorn's reply. Alex couldn't understand that though. "Say it with me now - CHIPMUNK."
"Come back here! You won't escape me!" Alex ran out of the room. Chirp whistled and Serena and Milo flew over to where she was watching on the room's balcony.
"We have to hurry because he will be back any second!" Milo whispered. The animals flew into the room and began searching for a map or anything to help Serena find her way back to Darien.
The room held a large bed over against one wall. It was covered in red silks. A messy desk was on the other side of the room. A door that led to a closet was beside the desk and another door led to the stairway down to the main floor of the castle. A fireplace was against the wall adjacent to the wall with the bed. Chirp landed on the bed and hopped down to the closet and began searching there. Milo jumped up onto the table in the middle of the room and started to go through the hundreds of papers on the table top. Serena ran to the bureau and began to search through the drawers and then went on to the desk.
"Come on! We have to find something!" Serena said. "Have you found anything, Chirp?"
"Nothing but a large amount of icky clothes," Chirp replied. She pulled out a strange purple shirt with pink dots on it. "He wears this?"
"I have an idea!" Serena giggled. She remembered the time she took all of Darien's and his friends' clothes and hid them in the kitchen, so all they had to wear until they found the clothes, was a pair of unicorn and fairy boxers each, courtesy of Serena. "Help me, Chirp!"
Together, they got all the clothes out of the room and dumped them over the balcony wall, and into the lake. Serena and Chirp laughed as the clothes got soaked and sunk slowly to the bottom of the lake.
"Hey! I found a map!" Milo cried. Serena and Chirp gasped and flew over to the otter. Papers had fallen to the floor and covered the entire room. Milo held up a large piece of paper with a drawing on it. "So if we are here," he pointed to the castle on the map which said 'Rose Castle', "where is Prince Endymion's palace?"
Serena looked over the paper. The lake was surrounded by a huge forest that spanned many miles. A few rivers flowed through. The Pearl Mountains were to the North.
"There!" Serena cried. She pointed to the small palace near a big river. "That is the palace! Milo, how far is it?"
"I think you can make it if you fly really fast during the day," Milo answered and searched the map. He pointed to a river marked 'Diamond River'. "If you follow this river North, then it will lead you to a lake and from there it's only a little ways North-East."
Serena and Chirp began cheering. Behind them the door swung open, slamming into the wall. Serena, Chirp, and Milo whirled around and stared, wide-eyed at the figure in the door.
"You really shouldn't have done that," came the feminine voice. Serena gaped. She shook her head trying to stop the hallucination that she thought she saw stepping into the room in front of her in a low cut emerald dress.
"What? Marietta?" Serena gasped. Milo and Chirp turned to her.
"You know her?" Milo asked.
"Yes, she is the young princess of the Earth," Serena answered. "I can't believe it."
"Aw, Serena, are you surprised to see me?" Marietta asked. She simpered, tossing her long black hair over her shoulders. Her blue eyes flashed. "I have always hated you. Every time you came to Earth, the boys would look at you more than me. I hate that. But now with you gone, I have the spotlight. It's very nice and I don't want to give it up. So, little princess swan, stop trying to escape, because my brother and I will never let you go. Give me the map, and I won't hurt your little friends."
"What should we do?" Chirp asked nervously. Serena was still gaping at Marietta. Serena shook her head. "I don't want to be dinner."
"Follow me," she whispered. Milo jumped onto Serena's back and they went soaring out of the room through the balcony, followed by Chirp.
"No! Serenity, get back here! Alex!" Marietta shouted. Serena and Chirp continued flying with the map towards the clump of bushes where they were supposed to meet Acorn. "Alex!"
Marietta's shouting stopped. Serena and Chirp glided lower to reach the spot. Suddenly, a large burst of red light captured the map and pulled it back to the tower.
"No!" Serena shouted and almost turned around to go after it. "I don't remember how to get to the palace."
"Keep going, Serena," Milo whispered and pulled her back onto her course. "It will be ok."
Serena and Chirp landed in the clump of bushes. Dirt and pebbles went everywhere. Milo went tumbling off Serena's back and landed on Acorn as they both fell down and became covered in dirt. Serena got up quickly.
"We have to do something!" Serena shouted. She glanced towards the castle. Alex would show up any minute. Chirp hopped up.
"Come on, Serena! I will go with you to find your prince's palace! Let's go now!" Chirp yelled. She flew up in the air.
"What about Milo and Acorn?" Serena asked. She looked worriedly to the castle and then to her friends. "We can't leave them!"
"We will be fine!" Milo answered. He brushed dirt off himself. "Don't worry."
"Yes, go find your prince!" Acorn rolled over. Serena gave one last look of thanks to them and then took off into the sky with Chirp.
~~~~~***~~~~~
Earth Palace
"Darien, please?" Malachite pleaded to Darien. Darien was sitting on a bench waiting for a turn in the mock joust the squires and knights were having.
"Fine!" Darien agreed. He got up and dusted off his tunic. "But I have no time to change."
"You don't have to," Zoycite said. "Come! We already have a horse saddled for you."
"It looks like you guys knew I was going to come," Darien growled as he walked out of the training grounds with his friends. They grinned sheepishly at him. "But no horse for me. I prefer hunting on foot."
"At least you are going with us," Jedite sighed. (A\N: I don't want to describe what they are all wearing, so imagine something up that has to do with hunting and horse back riding. But Darien is wearing black and blue tunic and leggings. Don't know why really. Just is.)
"It will give me a chance to look for the kidnapper," Darien said. Nephrite patted Darien on the back.
"We really want to believe you in this matter, but it's been to long, pal," Nephrite said. He looked at Darien with sympathy. "She isn't coming back."
"She is!" Darien shouted. They had reached the stables and he grabbed a bow and some arrows. "I will find her."
"The whole kingdom and hers knows she is gone. The girls are leaving in a week because they haven't been able to find her or sense her," Jedite whispered. He and the guard jumped onto horses that had been readied for them.
"Think what you want," Darien ended the subject. The men headed out slowly to the forest to start the hunt. Darien stayed away from the topic of Serena, because he didn't want to hear about how no one believed him. They talked of animals, swords, hunting, ladies of the court, and other random things.
Eventually Zoycite and Nephrite followed a deer's prints off the path and into the woods. Malachite and Jedite left the path after a cougar's paw prints, leaving Darien to his own thoughts.
The forest was getting darker as the sun left its midday position. The trees covered most of the light and shafts of light burst through the trees branches here and there, lighting up the forest. The wind blew gently through the trees bringing the smell of something coming. No animals were to be found after the cougar's prints. Occasionally, a bird would call, but Darien kept walking and looking around, waiting until the something the wind promised arrived.
"Today is the day I find the man who took Serena," Darien whispered stalking the unknown something through the forest.
~~~~~***~~~~~
Sky
"Chirp, we have been flying for hours!" Serena cried. Her wings were drooping. "Can we rest somewhere?"
"Fine," Chirp answered. They were following the river that looked like the one on the map that they had seen that they were supposed to follow. It rippled and shone from the light of the sun. "We can't stop out in the open. Let's find a private lake or something."
"How about that little pond over there?" Serena pointed to a small blue lake tucked away in the many trees of the forest. "No one could find us there."
"All right, but only for a little while," Chirp answered. The birds flew over to the small body of water and landed gracefully on the water. Serena sighed as water droplets hit her, refreshing her. Chirp ruffled her feathers and then flew up to a tree branch muttering something about keeping watch.
"This feels so good," Serena sighed. She poked her head under the water and nibbled on some plants, relaxing in the cool water.
~~~~~***~~~~~
Somewhere Nearby the Small Lake
"I have been hunting for hours," Darien said to himself as he looked at the sun. He wiped perspiration off his forehead. "I need to find some place to cool off."
He listened to the sounds of the forest. The wind rustled. A twig snapped from the weight of a baby deer munching on some leaves. Sunlight flickered with the moving of the branches of the trees. Then he heard the sound of water moving. It was near and to the left of where he was, so he set off in that direction. (A\N: Can hunters really hear water? I know that one guy from the TV show the Tenth Kingdom could, but he was The Hunter. Oh well. Darien can.)
Darien weaved in and out of the shadows, careful not to disturb the silence of the forest. He pushed back a leafy branch. Down a little ways was a pond. Darien smiled and decided to go down and cool off for a bit before returning to the palace.
The sounds of splashing made him freeze in one spot. He looked around, searching the entire pond for the source of the sound. His eyes settled on a swan. He gasped, for it was the most beautiful swan he had ever seen.
"Getting this swan would make all other hunted animals look like ugly ducklings," Darien whispered. He slowly drew his bow out and grabbed an arrow, fitting it into the bow. The swan's golden feathers glittered in the light causing Darien to cover his eyes.
A bird squawked and the swan looked up startled. Again the bird cried and the swan looked over to Darien. Darien stopped as the swan's eyes met his. The swan paused and looked like it was going to fly over, but saw the bow and arrow in Darien's hand and took off from the pond.
"No!" Darien shouted and ran after it. A sparrow joined the swan in the sky. Darien put his arrow into place and continued after the birds, never taking his eyes off of them.
~~~~~***~~~~~
Sky
"He is going to kill us!" Chirp shouted. Serena and Chirp were panting as they flew higher into the sky. The sinking sun in the horizon blinded them partly, but they continued flying back towards their castle lake.
"It's him! It's really him!" Serena sighed. She glanced back at the forest but saw no sign of Darien. She stopped. "Where did he go?"
An arrow whistled by, almost taking Serena out. She gasped and almost fell out of the sky in surprise. Chirp latched onto her and urged her to continue flying.
"He can see us, but we can't see him," Chirp cried. "Let's go back to the lake and we can lose him there."
Serena and Chirp kept flying, occasionally dodging an arrow sent at them. Serena was gasping for breath as soon as the lake came into view. The sun had set a while ago and the Moon was just rising into the sky.
"I don't know if I can make it," Serena gasped. She faltered in the air. Chirp flew in front of her.
"Yes, you can!" Chirp yelled and encouraged her on. Another arrow whistled past Serena's left wing. She let out a cry of surprise and half fell, half glided down to the lake. Chirp followed quickly.
They landed roughly in a large tree a little ways from the lake. They watched as Darien ran to the edge of the lake. He looked all around for any sign of the birds, but found none. Yet, he continued to wait there.
"This is your chance!" Chirp whispered to Serena as she brushed leaves from them both. "Fly down there to the lake and you can become your human form!"
"And be killed?" Serena wheezed. She glanced at Darien who still had his bow cocked. "I know how good a hunter Darien is. I am not going to be killed."
"This is your only chance!" Chirp cried. Darien looked up and around searching for the source of the bird cry he heard. Serena hit Chirp over the head and put a feather to her lips. Chirp continued quietly. "Come on! Do you want to be a swan forever?"
Serena frowned and watched as Darien took a step back and looked into the sky, trying to find them. She sighed.
"It's too risky," Serena whispered. She shook her head. "I can wait."
"But the spell can't! You have to get Darien to proclaim his love for you! And Alex is due here any minute. You know how precise Alex is! You have to warn Darien!" Chirp said. She fluttered a bit. "I will be right here if anything goes wrong. Now go!"
"All right," Serena answered. She took a deep breath. "I'll do it."
Serena gently took off from her perch in the tree, and headed toward the lake water. She silently prayed that Darien would hold his arrow until she could transform.
~~~~~***~~~~~
A\N: Another cliffhanger! I am so evil! Mwahahahaha. Actually I spent all day doing this for my lovely reviewers! And now it's time for me to stop because I have been writing for the past few hours. But there will be more soon. Yay. And wasn't that a surprise to see Marietta? I have a lot more planned for her. . . . But anyways, aren't you glad that I got out another chapter so fast? Yay. And more is to come. If anything is confusing in this chapter, tell me and when I update again, I will try explaining my confusing part(s).
Next Chapter Preview:
~ Darien and Serena are reunited. ~
~ Alex has an evil plan. ~
~ Marietta plays a major role in Alex's plan. ~
~~~~~***~~~~~
Summery: Serenity is the princess from the moon, and Endymion is the prince from Earth. The kings and queens of each kingdom desperately want the two children to marry when they grow up, so every summer Serenity is sent down to Earth to spend quality time with Endymion. They hate each other at first. But when Serenity finally grows up, Endymion sees her in a different light. Endymion's jealous, power-hungry brother, Alex, turns to the dark arts in hope that he can make Serenity become his wife so he can be king, by putting her under a spell. It's up to Endymion to find her and save her from her enchantment.
Characters:
The Moon Kingdom and Court-
King Leodegrance- King of the Moon Kingdom, born of the royal family of the Sun
Queen Serenity- Queen of the Moon Kingdom, born of the royal family of the Moon
Princess Serenity- also known as Serena to close friends, daughter of the King and Queen of the Moon Kingdom and future ruler and holder of the Imperium Silver Crystal
Princess Mina- Serenity's cousin from the planet Venus (one year older than Serenity)
Princess Amy- Serenity's friend and princess of Mercury (one year older than Serenity)
Princess Lita- Serenity's friend and princess of Jupiter (one year older than Serenity)
Princess Raye- Serenity's friend and princess of Mars and Prince Endymion's cousin (one year older than Serenity)
Earth Kingdom and Court-
King Gereint- King of Earth and High King of all the other provinces and smaller kingdoms, born from the royal family of Mars
Queen Arianna- Queen of Earth and High Queen of the other provinces and smaller kingdoms, born from the royal family of Earth
Prince Endymion- also known as Darien to close friends, son of the High King and Queen of Earth, first in line for the throne
Prince Alexander- also known as Alex to close friends, son of the High King and Queen of Earth, second in line for the throne
Princess Marietta- also known as Marie to a very exclusive branch of nobles, daughter of the High King and Queen of Earth, third in line for the throne
Malachite- head of the royal guard and friend of Prince Endymion
Zoycite- part of the royal guard and friend of Prince Endymion
Nephlite- part of the royal guard and friend of Prince Endymion
Jedite- part of the royal guard and friend of Prince Endymion
Disclaimer: I own neither Sailor Moon nor The Swan Princess.
A\N: Just thought that this might clear some things up: Darien didn't spend the WHOLE 2 months in the library, he practiced his sword fighting and other things, but he spent most of his time there, in the library.
Chapter 9: An Adventure and an Unexpected Encounter
~~~~~***~~~~~
Rose Castle Ruins - Day Break
"Everyone all right with their part?" Chirp asked as the four animals, including Serena in her swan form. Serena and Milo nodded. Acorn shook his head.
"No way am I going to be a decoy," Acorn said. He crossed his arms over his chest and shook his head. "That man will kill me."
"Please?" Serena asked, blinking her large blue swan eyes at him. Acorn almost gave in, but turned around and pouted.
"No," Acorn replied. "I will not become the prince's next meal."
"But you're so fast and cunning," Chirp stated. She motioned to Milo and Serena and they caught on.
"Yeah, you are the very best at climbing and jumping," Milo said encouragingly. He smiled at Acorn and whispered to Serena and Chirp. "Anyways, I have never heard of anyone eating a chipmunk, unless they're desperate."
"And you are the most handsome chipmunk I have ever seen," Serena whispered. Acorn's cheeks turned pink, but he turned around and smiled.
"I will do it!" Acorn shouted. "Where is that man? I will bite his ears off!"
"Hold on," Serena interrupted. "We only need a distraction to get into his room up there were he sleeps."
"All right, I will go! Wish me luck!" Acorn blew a kiss at Serena and then scurried over to the castle's entrance and went in. Serena, Chirp, and Milo watched until Acorn disappeared from view. They were standing in a clump of bushes, hidden from the outside world.
"Ready?" Serena asked Milo as she turned to him. Milo nodded and climbed on her back. He was a small otter, so he fit perfectly between Serena's wings. "Let's go up to the south tower so we can see when Acorn gets Alex out of the room."
"Ok," Chirp answered. The two birds took off and flew up to the tower roof and landed on the shingles. Serena's wings had golden feathers woven into them, and they glittered in the sunlight.
Serena, Milo and Chirp waited for a few minutes. All of a sudden, a flash of red in the other tower room's window was seen. An angry shout bellowed from the room.
"What the-?" Alex yelled. "Where did you come from, you little rodent?"
"I am a chipmunk!" came Acorn's reply. Alex couldn't understand that though. "Say it with me now - CHIPMUNK."
"Come back here! You won't escape me!" Alex ran out of the room. Chirp whistled and Serena and Milo flew over to where she was watching on the room's balcony.
"We have to hurry because he will be back any second!" Milo whispered. The animals flew into the room and began searching for a map or anything to help Serena find her way back to Darien.
The room held a large bed over against one wall. It was covered in red silks. A messy desk was on the other side of the room. A door that led to a closet was beside the desk and another door led to the stairway down to the main floor of the castle. A fireplace was against the wall adjacent to the wall with the bed. Chirp landed on the bed and hopped down to the closet and began searching there. Milo jumped up onto the table in the middle of the room and started to go through the hundreds of papers on the table top. Serena ran to the bureau and began to search through the drawers and then went on to the desk.
"Come on! We have to find something!" Serena said. "Have you found anything, Chirp?"
"Nothing but a large amount of icky clothes," Chirp replied. She pulled out a strange purple shirt with pink dots on it. "He wears this?"
"I have an idea!" Serena giggled. She remembered the time she took all of Darien's and his friends' clothes and hid them in the kitchen, so all they had to wear until they found the clothes, was a pair of unicorn and fairy boxers each, courtesy of Serena. "Help me, Chirp!"
Together, they got all the clothes out of the room and dumped them over the balcony wall, and into the lake. Serena and Chirp laughed as the clothes got soaked and sunk slowly to the bottom of the lake.
"Hey! I found a map!" Milo cried. Serena and Chirp gasped and flew over to the otter. Papers had fallen to the floor and covered the entire room. Milo held up a large piece of paper with a drawing on it. "So if we are here," he pointed to the castle on the map which said 'Rose Castle', "where is Prince Endymion's palace?"
Serena looked over the paper. The lake was surrounded by a huge forest that spanned many miles. A few rivers flowed through. The Pearl Mountains were to the North.
"There!" Serena cried. She pointed to the small palace near a big river. "That is the palace! Milo, how far is it?"
"I think you can make it if you fly really fast during the day," Milo answered and searched the map. He pointed to a river marked 'Diamond River'. "If you follow this river North, then it will lead you to a lake and from there it's only a little ways North-East."
Serena and Chirp began cheering. Behind them the door swung open, slamming into the wall. Serena, Chirp, and Milo whirled around and stared, wide-eyed at the figure in the door.
"You really shouldn't have done that," came the feminine voice. Serena gaped. She shook her head trying to stop the hallucination that she thought she saw stepping into the room in front of her in a low cut emerald dress.
"What? Marietta?" Serena gasped. Milo and Chirp turned to her.
"You know her?" Milo asked.
"Yes, she is the young princess of the Earth," Serena answered. "I can't believe it."
"Aw, Serena, are you surprised to see me?" Marietta asked. She simpered, tossing her long black hair over her shoulders. Her blue eyes flashed. "I have always hated you. Every time you came to Earth, the boys would look at you more than me. I hate that. But now with you gone, I have the spotlight. It's very nice and I don't want to give it up. So, little princess swan, stop trying to escape, because my brother and I will never let you go. Give me the map, and I won't hurt your little friends."
"What should we do?" Chirp asked nervously. Serena was still gaping at Marietta. Serena shook her head. "I don't want to be dinner."
"Follow me," she whispered. Milo jumped onto Serena's back and they went soaring out of the room through the balcony, followed by Chirp.
"No! Serenity, get back here! Alex!" Marietta shouted. Serena and Chirp continued flying with the map towards the clump of bushes where they were supposed to meet Acorn. "Alex!"
Marietta's shouting stopped. Serena and Chirp glided lower to reach the spot. Suddenly, a large burst of red light captured the map and pulled it back to the tower.
"No!" Serena shouted and almost turned around to go after it. "I don't remember how to get to the palace."
"Keep going, Serena," Milo whispered and pulled her back onto her course. "It will be ok."
Serena and Chirp landed in the clump of bushes. Dirt and pebbles went everywhere. Milo went tumbling off Serena's back and landed on Acorn as they both fell down and became covered in dirt. Serena got up quickly.
"We have to do something!" Serena shouted. She glanced towards the castle. Alex would show up any minute. Chirp hopped up.
"Come on, Serena! I will go with you to find your prince's palace! Let's go now!" Chirp yelled. She flew up in the air.
"What about Milo and Acorn?" Serena asked. She looked worriedly to the castle and then to her friends. "We can't leave them!"
"We will be fine!" Milo answered. He brushed dirt off himself. "Don't worry."
"Yes, go find your prince!" Acorn rolled over. Serena gave one last look of thanks to them and then took off into the sky with Chirp.
~~~~~***~~~~~
Earth Palace
"Darien, please?" Malachite pleaded to Darien. Darien was sitting on a bench waiting for a turn in the mock joust the squires and knights were having.
"Fine!" Darien agreed. He got up and dusted off his tunic. "But I have no time to change."
"You don't have to," Zoycite said. "Come! We already have a horse saddled for you."
"It looks like you guys knew I was going to come," Darien growled as he walked out of the training grounds with his friends. They grinned sheepishly at him. "But no horse for me. I prefer hunting on foot."
"At least you are going with us," Jedite sighed. (A\N: I don't want to describe what they are all wearing, so imagine something up that has to do with hunting and horse back riding. But Darien is wearing black and blue tunic and leggings. Don't know why really. Just is.)
"It will give me a chance to look for the kidnapper," Darien said. Nephrite patted Darien on the back.
"We really want to believe you in this matter, but it's been to long, pal," Nephrite said. He looked at Darien with sympathy. "She isn't coming back."
"She is!" Darien shouted. They had reached the stables and he grabbed a bow and some arrows. "I will find her."
"The whole kingdom and hers knows she is gone. The girls are leaving in a week because they haven't been able to find her or sense her," Jedite whispered. He and the guard jumped onto horses that had been readied for them.
"Think what you want," Darien ended the subject. The men headed out slowly to the forest to start the hunt. Darien stayed away from the topic of Serena, because he didn't want to hear about how no one believed him. They talked of animals, swords, hunting, ladies of the court, and other random things.
Eventually Zoycite and Nephrite followed a deer's prints off the path and into the woods. Malachite and Jedite left the path after a cougar's paw prints, leaving Darien to his own thoughts.
The forest was getting darker as the sun left its midday position. The trees covered most of the light and shafts of light burst through the trees branches here and there, lighting up the forest. The wind blew gently through the trees bringing the smell of something coming. No animals were to be found after the cougar's prints. Occasionally, a bird would call, but Darien kept walking and looking around, waiting until the something the wind promised arrived.
"Today is the day I find the man who took Serena," Darien whispered stalking the unknown something through the forest.
~~~~~***~~~~~
Sky
"Chirp, we have been flying for hours!" Serena cried. Her wings were drooping. "Can we rest somewhere?"
"Fine," Chirp answered. They were following the river that looked like the one on the map that they had seen that they were supposed to follow. It rippled and shone from the light of the sun. "We can't stop out in the open. Let's find a private lake or something."
"How about that little pond over there?" Serena pointed to a small blue lake tucked away in the many trees of the forest. "No one could find us there."
"All right, but only for a little while," Chirp answered. The birds flew over to the small body of water and landed gracefully on the water. Serena sighed as water droplets hit her, refreshing her. Chirp ruffled her feathers and then flew up to a tree branch muttering something about keeping watch.
"This feels so good," Serena sighed. She poked her head under the water and nibbled on some plants, relaxing in the cool water.
~~~~~***~~~~~
Somewhere Nearby the Small Lake
"I have been hunting for hours," Darien said to himself as he looked at the sun. He wiped perspiration off his forehead. "I need to find some place to cool off."
He listened to the sounds of the forest. The wind rustled. A twig snapped from the weight of a baby deer munching on some leaves. Sunlight flickered with the moving of the branches of the trees. Then he heard the sound of water moving. It was near and to the left of where he was, so he set off in that direction. (A\N: Can hunters really hear water? I know that one guy from the TV show the Tenth Kingdom could, but he was The Hunter. Oh well. Darien can.)
Darien weaved in and out of the shadows, careful not to disturb the silence of the forest. He pushed back a leafy branch. Down a little ways was a pond. Darien smiled and decided to go down and cool off for a bit before returning to the palace.
The sounds of splashing made him freeze in one spot. He looked around, searching the entire pond for the source of the sound. His eyes settled on a swan. He gasped, for it was the most beautiful swan he had ever seen.
"Getting this swan would make all other hunted animals look like ugly ducklings," Darien whispered. He slowly drew his bow out and grabbed an arrow, fitting it into the bow. The swan's golden feathers glittered in the light causing Darien to cover his eyes.
A bird squawked and the swan looked up startled. Again the bird cried and the swan looked over to Darien. Darien stopped as the swan's eyes met his. The swan paused and looked like it was going to fly over, but saw the bow and arrow in Darien's hand and took off from the pond.
"No!" Darien shouted and ran after it. A sparrow joined the swan in the sky. Darien put his arrow into place and continued after the birds, never taking his eyes off of them.
~~~~~***~~~~~
Sky
"He is going to kill us!" Chirp shouted. Serena and Chirp were panting as they flew higher into the sky. The sinking sun in the horizon blinded them partly, but they continued flying back towards their castle lake.
"It's him! It's really him!" Serena sighed. She glanced back at the forest but saw no sign of Darien. She stopped. "Where did he go?"
An arrow whistled by, almost taking Serena out. She gasped and almost fell out of the sky in surprise. Chirp latched onto her and urged her to continue flying.
"He can see us, but we can't see him," Chirp cried. "Let's go back to the lake and we can lose him there."
Serena and Chirp kept flying, occasionally dodging an arrow sent at them. Serena was gasping for breath as soon as the lake came into view. The sun had set a while ago and the Moon was just rising into the sky.
"I don't know if I can make it," Serena gasped. She faltered in the air. Chirp flew in front of her.
"Yes, you can!" Chirp yelled and encouraged her on. Another arrow whistled past Serena's left wing. She let out a cry of surprise and half fell, half glided down to the lake. Chirp followed quickly.
They landed roughly in a large tree a little ways from the lake. They watched as Darien ran to the edge of the lake. He looked all around for any sign of the birds, but found none. Yet, he continued to wait there.
"This is your chance!" Chirp whispered to Serena as she brushed leaves from them both. "Fly down there to the lake and you can become your human form!"
"And be killed?" Serena wheezed. She glanced at Darien who still had his bow cocked. "I know how good a hunter Darien is. I am not going to be killed."
"This is your only chance!" Chirp cried. Darien looked up and around searching for the source of the bird cry he heard. Serena hit Chirp over the head and put a feather to her lips. Chirp continued quietly. "Come on! Do you want to be a swan forever?"
Serena frowned and watched as Darien took a step back and looked into the sky, trying to find them. She sighed.
"It's too risky," Serena whispered. She shook her head. "I can wait."
"But the spell can't! You have to get Darien to proclaim his love for you! And Alex is due here any minute. You know how precise Alex is! You have to warn Darien!" Chirp said. She fluttered a bit. "I will be right here if anything goes wrong. Now go!"
"All right," Serena answered. She took a deep breath. "I'll do it."
Serena gently took off from her perch in the tree, and headed toward the lake water. She silently prayed that Darien would hold his arrow until she could transform.
~~~~~***~~~~~
A\N: Another cliffhanger! I am so evil! Mwahahahaha. Actually I spent all day doing this for my lovely reviewers! And now it's time for me to stop because I have been writing for the past few hours. But there will be more soon. Yay. And wasn't that a surprise to see Marietta? I have a lot more planned for her. . . . But anyways, aren't you glad that I got out another chapter so fast? Yay. And more is to come. If anything is confusing in this chapter, tell me and when I update again, I will try explaining my confusing part(s).
Next Chapter Preview:
~ Darien and Serena are reunited. ~
~ Alex has an evil plan. ~
~ Marietta plays a major role in Alex's plan. ~
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