Hey people! Here is the sixth chapter. I know I know. It's been weeks since I have written but just be happy that I'm back, okay? Anyway, thanks to all of you who have been sending me your reviews. I really appreciate it and please re-read the ending for chapter five...PLEASE RE-READ THE ENDING FOR CHAPTER FIVE. AND THE NAME MENTRAOS IS NOW JOSEPH. THE NAME GARETH IS NOW KENNETH. INSTEAD OF RACHEL TALKING AT THE END, IT IS NOW HELENA......THANK YOU FOR READING.
That's all I need to say. And I'm going to try very hard next time not to change names and such after the chapter's been published. And MERRY LATE CHRISTMAS AND HAVE A HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!
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He walked casually down the Bellgio Hall, tilting his head whenever someone passed by. They, in turn, gave a gracious bow or curtsy and headed away.
'That little wench,' he thought, Serena floating in his mind. 'dressing so immorally. She will be taught a lesson. She should never mess with Darien.'
He spotted Queen Serenity talking to one of the servants and glided towards her direction. He overheard her saying, "Matilde, please be careful with the glass next time. That was one of my favorites."
"Your Majesty, please forgive, " the old woman begged, "My eyesight ain't so sharp these days and my husband can't work."
Queen Serenity sighed and placed a comforting hand on Matilde's shoulder. "My dear, I'm not going to kick you out. Just be careful next time, hmmm?"
Matilde kissed the lady's hand, murmured more apologies and hurried on her way. Serenity watched her leave and then said, "What do you think of me Darien?"
Darien was duly impressed. He wasn't even in her eyesight and she managed to hear or feel him. "Now I see why they all respect you. They must actually fear you for your ears, Your Majesty." He gave a short bow.
Serenity laughed and turned to give Darien a well-practiced curtsy. "Oh do call me Serenity. No formalities, I beg you." She spread her arms and said, "We will, after all, become family."
"I think of you as sharp, conniving, but also considerate." At his words, Serenity remembered her painful threat of using the crystal. Conniving, yes, that was what she was. She winced but returned the smile to Darien. "I hope I could say the same of you."
After a lengthy, comfortable silence, Darien remarked casually, "I've a few answers in my head, and I was wondering if you would be so kind to clear them up, Serenity."
"Of course. This way." She lead him into her study and walked behind her desk, her skirts fluttering around her ankles. After she locked the door, Serenity turned to walk behind her desk. Darien decided to seat himself.
After getting comfortable, "Well, Darien? What would you like to know?"
Darien looked straight into the Queen's eyes and said, "There are rumors floating around, questioning if your daughter is of the purest quality."
Serenity maintained her smile. "This is easy to clear up. Serena is the purest of quality. Have no more doubts about her."
Darien raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure I shouldn't. After all, she is dragging you honor and pride in the mud."
Serenity cleared her throat and said, accenting each word, "She isn't doing anything that will disrupt your honor or anyone else's. She never has done anything major and like any other child, she wants to enjoy her life. Do not contaminate her innocence."
Darien gave a bark of laughter. "Innocence? Her? Madame, the way she dresses and acts, surely even you would doubt her." He saw Serenity grind her teeth and gave a slight grin. "Where you not aware what your daughter has been trying to do the past few days? She pretends to want to marry me but thinks that I would be scared by her pushing her body onto me-"
"She does no such thing!" Serenity erupted. Her calm mien was destroyed, leaving an angered mother behind.
Darien continued, as if there was no interruption. "She doesn't know that I'm the depiction of a gentleman and that I will hold myself until after marriage. But I wonder, is this how you raised her?"
Her heavy breathing amused him, as far as she could tell. She tried her best to compose herself and spit out, "A gentleman your are not, Darien. Talking of such things in front of me. And I know that all you are telling me is a lie, a hell of a lie."
"There is a rumor that Serena tries to scare suitors away."
"Well, that is true. But even she wouldn't go that far. Let us drop this conversation."
Darien flicked off an imaginary piece of lint from his suit. "She is parading around the halls like a slut."
His head suddenly flew back from the force of the slap. Again, he was impressed. For a delicate figure, she certainly had hidden strength. Her face leveled with his. "Don't you dare-ever- to call my daughter that again."
She then straightened and commanded icily, "The door is that way. Please forgive my rudeness if I don't open the door for you. And do try to remember your limits. You may be the future King but I'm the Imperial Queen right now." Her message was clear to him. As he walked past the door, he said carelessly, "You know you can't break this alliance between our planets. My marriage to your daughter is essential to the future and you know it. Especially with the Dark Forces pressing upon us all." With that, he closed the door behind him. Serenity reeled back in shock. How did he know? What did he know?
~~~~~~~~~~~~
He grabbed the necklace and threw it behind to his companions. He pressed the knife into her throat until a trickle of blood leaked down.
"Please, "She whimpered." I beg you. Please, leave me alone." The scullery maid pressed herself against the wall, trying to escape the small stiletto but the man didn't give in. He licked his lips and leered at her. He said, rasping, "Johnnie, we won't leave until we have everything, isn't that right? I mean everything."
His hand reached down to her skirt. She tried to yell again but another man came forward and stuffed her mouth with a dripping cloth. The odors were unbearable and in a matter of seconds, she passed out. The last words she heard were, "Leave that girl alone, you bastards. In the name of justice....."
It was a girl's voice. How weird. She didn't see any girl walk by. Oh, please save her! Oh please!
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She blinked as the sun entered through her eyelids. She tried to lift her hand to evade the brilliant rays, but she was too weak.
'Where am I,' she thought. Then, she heard whispering. She remembered. The men. The knife. What did they do to her. She Flung herself into an upright position, and suddenly stopped to stare. These weren't men. They were....women?
The one with the long black hair turned from the fire and grinned to see her awake. "Hey, Annie, she's awake, the lass is." Her violet eyes shone with relief and concern. She stood up and walked over the make-shift bed. The girl, wide- eyed, tried to scoot away and whispered, "What do you want from me? Please leave me alone, please." Tears formed at her eyes but another girl walked up and laughed gently. Her brown hair shook in the wind. "Please, don't be afraid of us. We just are here to see the you are okay. After all, those crummy bastards made a piece out of you."
The girl gave a sharp cry. "Did they-I mean-They didn't, Did they?" Her anxiety was tangible. The brown haired girl rushed to comfort her. "Oh no! No! Of course not, they were stopped before they could. Lass, don't be scared."
Again, the girl scooted away but was stopped by the brick wall behind her. 'Where- where am I?"
Mina looked pitifully at the poor girl. Her face was covered with the late evening dust and although the blood was clotted up, it was still evident on her old garment and throat. "Lass, you ask too many questions for someone who just had a shock. Well, We'll answer them once you had your soup. It's not much, I say, but it will be warming you up." Mina sincerely hoped the soot on their faces and the old, torn dresses fooled the girl. "By the by, my name is Allie. This girl here is my pal Kristin," she said pointing to Rei and then pointing to Lita, "and this brown haired girl is Meghan. What will your name be?"
"I'm Molly," she said as she accepted the warm liquid. Then she noticed two other girls tending to the fire and the canteen of soup above it. "Who are they?" she asked and then blushed. Her face was reviving the glow, observed Lita happily. "Oh, those two? Well, the one of the right with the blond hair is Sally and the girl next to her is Annie."
After a comfortable silence, Molly asked, "Were you the ones who saved me?"
"Oh, heavens no, lass. We were just passing by and we saw the strangest thing. There were girls in short skirts (can you imagine that?) and they were pulling out some cloth from your mouth. They saw us and said 'take care of her. She is weak and needs help.' And then they just vanished (can you imagine that?). So we being the souls we are, brought you into this barn here and tended you until you woke. You had some bad scrapes but no more than that. Now you're awake (can you imagine that?)."
Serena came forward from the fire, with Ami behind her. Both looked kindly on the girl. Ami said gently, "how are you feeling now, lass?"
Molly gave a shy smile and said, "A whole lot better, thanks to ye all. Thank you for saving me-yes- I know you didn't kill those dumbasses but you took me in and I thank ye for that."
Rei told her she was welcome and soon after that, they left on the premise that they needed to return to their homes far away. Molly turned to ask one last question but they weren't there anymore. She hugged the soup bowl and stared into the empty space where they once stood. The girl with blue hair- oh yes, Annie- she was curious. Blue hair? She heard something about blue hair from somewhere. They were a nice lot but there was just something about them that she couldn't place.
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Rei hummed as she flicked at the flame on top of her finger. Then she aimed and shot it through the fiery loop in the middle of her room. 'These street challenges are just not good enough anymore.' She sighed. All the girls needed a bigger challenge. Something that would test their real strength. She sat up and got up from her bed and walked to the door. Today was too restless. For some reason, the parents had been advising their children more than usual. Don't go outside when not necessary. Don't train too much. Do you want a real trainer? Get a good night's sleep. As Rei reached out for the door, it burst open, knocking Rei to the floor.
"Ahhh!" Rei yelled.
"AHHHH!"
"AHHHHHH!"
"Ahhhhhh!"
"Guys, that's enough now. For Heaven's sake! Geesh." Ami shook her head. Lita shrugged and grinned. "You've got to admit Ami. It is a tradition."
Rei rubbed her forehead. "You dumb asses. This time, you could at least open the door slower."
Mina gave a hopeless smile. "we were just trying to escape our Nazi parents over there." She shut the door and hopped to Rei's bed, beginning careful to hop over Rei. Lita and Serena did the same. Ami helped the annoyed Rei up. "Oh thanks guys. Really, I mean it. I appreciate you helping me up," said Rei, her sarcasm kicking in. Serena waved her hand. "Oh please, don't flatter us. And could you turn that flame off? It could hurt someone."
Rei sighed again and snapped at the small ring. In a matter of seconds, the silver rings disappeared along with the flames surrounding it. All of the princesses sat comfortably onto Rei's bed. Lita raised the question, "What are we going to do?"
"About what?" Mina asked, distracted by the piece of fluff which had escaped from the pillow. She placed it on her hand and blew on it. The white fluff flew up for a grand second and then slowly descended down. Mina blew on it again. It flew again. It landed again. She blew. It flew. It landed. She blew. It flew. It landed. She blew. It flew. It landed. She blew-
"Mina! Will you cut that out!" Rei yanked the fluff from her hand and threw it onto the floor. Mina whimpered but the rest ignored her. Lita continued," About everything that is happening to us right now. About Serena's future groom, about our now-boring pastime, about our parents, about the fact that they will not let us out of our rooms or their surveillance. Well?"
Serena blew of the stray hair from her face. "I've been thinking about that. I think that son of a gun told my mother about my 'inexcusable attire', as my mom puts it. It's time to change tactics. Soon it will be a frontal attack. I really don't want to be married." She pounded Rei's bed. Rei reached out to stop her. "Whatever Serena. Just don't do anything so dramatic anymore. I'm just happy that today you're wearing normal clothes like a princess" She received a glare but Rei ignored it. Apparently, Serena's ice blue, silk gown wasn't to her liking.
Ami joined in, "Serena, what do you mean by a frontal attack?"
Serena's eyes lit up as she described her plan. "No more shall I be delicate and fluttery. I shall now do what I was dying to do in the first place. I shall challenge him. If he wins the duel, he shall marry me. If I win, he needs to make an excuse and leave the Moon immediately. Very, very simple. Especially with my magic powers." Serena ended in triumph, basking in her own glory. Mina, on the other hand, burst out, "Are you crazy? He has more skill than anyone of us have. With or without magic powers, he will beat you!" Everyone nodded in agreement.
Serena frowned. "How do you know?" Mina tipped her head towards Ami. Serena still waved of the warning. "I will win, "she said breezily. "I mean how hard can it be?"
"don't say we didn't warn you.." Lita remarked, with a warning tone. Serena just bit into an apple from the fruit tray. "I won't."
"Serena how can you be so childish? First you put up some act which might have dragged your family name into the dirt to those who don't know what you're doing and now you are going to challenge a Mastermind of War? Serena, he was praised by the High Sage himself! Stop it Serena and face the facts. Grow up!" With that, Rei sat back down on the bed and bit ferociously into a pear.
Serena growled. "You don't understand Rei. I want to rule alone, okay? My mother can do it and so can I! Why need a husband on the side, dictating your every move, your every word. I'll do fine alone, and you can't help but respect my decisions."
"Don't be such a stubborn mule, Serena. You are going to marry that man no matter what and you can't do anything about it!"
"Rei, I think-"
"Stay out of it Mina!" yelled Serena. "I can defend myself. Rei, this isn't even your decision, okay? You are just a friend, nothing more and nothing less! I don't have to listen to what you are saying!"
"You are right Serena. He shouldn't marry you. After all, who could live with a whining child like you? Even dirt would make a more suitable bride. You don't deserve him."
"You shouldn't be talking. You are the meanest person I know, Rei, but I guess you can't help it!" Now Serena was screaming but the three girls witnessing this scene didn't dare stop the fighting. Anyway, they never could stop it before.
Mina tried once more. "Gu-uys-"
"Stay out of it," both of them yelled and Mina cowered back. Ami and Lita shook their heads in disappointment.
"Pig!"
"Ass!"
"Jack- ass!"
"Butt -ass!"
"Freak!"
"Bitc-"
Then suddenly, Serena stopped and the whole room fell into silence. Ami, Lita, and Mina kept on staring at the two, not able to believe what Serena was about to say.
Rei just stared and Serena broke down. She whispered, "I'm scared all right?....I'm scared."
Ami blinked and suddenly al of them hit realization. Serena wasn't being brazen, she was truly scared all this time.
The black-haired girl gave a small smile of triumph but went to comfort her friend never the less. "Serena, every will have to marry sometime (except those saints but they don't matter) and we will always be there to help you through life. That's what friends are for."
"Serena, you know, if you were scared all this time, you can tell us," said Mina.
"Yeah. We'll always be there for you. We're united, remember?" grinned Lita, wiping of a tear from Serena's cheek. Ami said, "You are that glue which holds us all together Serena. We love you dearly."
Lita joined in for the hug and so did Mina and Ami. Serena, although suffocating in the middle of the group, she felt as if the world was suddenly hers and her heart was warm all over. She closed her eyes and gave a watery smile. Now, she can deal with this, now that her fear was lifted of her chest. Lita, gave a laugh after seeing Serena's relieved face and then, slightly abashed for bringing it up at the moment, she said, "What about the parents?"
She received frowns all around and she put up her hands. "All right, All right. Bad time to ask. Don't kill me."
Everyone laughed and plummeted pillows at her. Serena laughed, knowing now that she had support. She had never told them for fear of annoyed comments but now...she was happy. They were true friends.
"Rei, I never meant those things I called you," Serena told her.
Rei grinned. "And I the same -except that 'pig' part." Serena eyed Rei's challenge, grabbed a pillow and all of them soon ended in a pillow fight.
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The next day, early morning , while the servant were still asleep, Rei decided to take a stroll down to the gardens - without her parents. Along the way, she passed through a hall with huge marble pillars on either side. There were no wall so that the viewer could see the gardens below. Then as Rei was walking, she heard whispering. That's weird, she thought. None of them should be up yet. For no reason, she quieted her footsteps and walked closer. But when Rei realized who was talking, she was curious. Why were Queen Serenity and Queen Helena up at this hour. Rei crept behind a pillar, trying to catch parts of the conversation. She felt guilty but she was a curious princess.
"should we tell them.....danger....hurt themselves?"
"no, not at any cost.......too late.....I believe you....sorry."
"Someone else knows other than us." Rei heard Queen Serenity's voice grow panicked.
"Helena......Prince.......dangerous......Serena.......why?"
Rei definitely heard enough. She turned to creep out the same way she had come in. Serena was in danger. And she was marrying it in another five days. And it was too late. The pre-nuptials were already given yesterday evening. What could she do?
