Title: Chronicles of the Moon: Life of the Late Queen Serenity
By: AJ Martinez
Email: Goodnight_Spoon@hotmail.com
Rated: TV PG
Started: 4:07 PM; May 11th 2002
Disclaimer: Sailor Moon is copyrighted as follows...Naoko Takeuchi, Toei
Animation, Kodansha Ltd., DiC, CWI, Pioneer, Mixx, and quite a few other
people. Any characters that you do not recognize are my inventions, and I
would prefer that you not use them, except in and under special conditions.
Today's chapter is . dum dum dum . THE RAID!!! I'm so excited. I had so much fun writing this chapter, and guess what? It's a little longer than usual. ^____^ This chapter is dedicated to Pete and Rich, the technicians who got my computer started again, without losing any of the data! Yay for them! Anyway, the usual pleas for feedback apply.
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Serenity had only just left the palace confines, and already the lights of the festival were visible and the shouts of revelers audible. Enthralled, Serenity leaned forward on the gelding and urged it into an all-out gallop. As the city loomed closer, Serenity noticed guards stationed all around the edges, and knew that she would not be able to slip into the woods on horseback; at least, not without arousing their suspicion. Stymied, Serenity decided to take the direct route to the cathedral, through the city. As they passed through the main gates, which, despite their purpose, were rarely closed, the smell of food became nearly overwhelming. The gelding was trained too well to act without Serenity's command, but his eye rolled in displeasure as Serenity passed up booth after booth of food. As the crowds became thicker and they neared the entertainment, Serenity dismounted and began leading the gelding in the general direction of the cathedral. The crowds got slightly thinner closer to her destination, but it still took the Moon Princess over thirty minutes to reach the cathedral gates, and then another five to convince to guard to admit her. Once inside, she handed the reins over to the guard, and, ignoring his scowl, instructed him to stable her "mare". "Luna." Serenity spun, and then smiled as she recognized Mea. To his direct right stood Beryl, and Kunzite next to her. Behind them stood Nicolas, David, Thomas, and three others that she remembered from the meeting a week prior. They were all clothed in identical brown homespun robes, and Thomas already had the hood pulled over so that his eyes were not visible. Ropes secured the robes around their waists. "Don this quickly," Mea instructed, and held out another brown robe. Swept up in the excitement, Serenity hurriedly pulled off her own charcoal robe, and threw on the brown one. She was still tying the rope around her waist when Mea said, sounding rather annoyed, "Something has to be done about your hair." Serenity glanced at him in surprise. "Why?" she asked. "Don't you like it?" Beryl and Kunzite glanced at each other; Nicolas snickered. "It's a hazard," Mea replied,. ignoring them. "You might trip on it; or worse, someone may recognize you for it." "Oh." Serenity was silent; she hoped that he would not require that she cut it, because that was something that she could not do under any circumstances. As if reading her thoughts, Beryl tossed in, "Let's cut it all off." Unable to suppress her gasp of horror, Serenity turned pleading eyes on Mea. While Beryl's antics would normally have amused Mea, more and more they were beginning to bother him; especially when they were at the expense of Serenity. "Tie it up tighter," he ordered, "And then we can be off." At once relieved and embarrassed that she did not think to do so first, Serenity nodded mutely and set to winding her hair tighter. It took her all of about ten minutes, but finally she had changed her two loops into two buns with ponytails. The result was increased mobility and a look that would in the future become her trademark. When she looked to Mea for confirmation, Serenity was surprised to find him staring at her with a soft look about his features that she had never before seen. But then all at once he broke out of it, nodded curtly, and turned on his heel, already heading for the main gates and tugging the hood lower over his face.
~~
They slunk through the shadows, keeping to the side of the coliseum and making as little noise as possible. When they reached the back entrance, a small, wooden door that blended neatly with the brickwork of the building, Kunzite made his way to the front of the team and knelt down beside it. Were it not for the circumstances, Serenity might have found his undignified position amusing; however, as it was, she saw nothing at all amusing about her current predicament. She had been arguing with herself for the last week over whether or not she should inform Mea of Kunzite's true person; but then, he had as much right to help those less fortunate as she, herself, did. *And he's using his real name,* Serenity rationalized. *I must assume that he only wishes to lend a hand, and not think the worst of him simply because of my own personal experiences.* Serenity tore herself away from her musings, and watched as Kunzite wriggled a piece of wire around in the keyhole. After several beats, he stood and brushed dirt off his homespun from habit. Wearing a smile that could have doubled as a smirk, he nudged the door with his foot. It swung open. Excitement shocked throughout Serenity, sending her nerves jangling and her heart into a chaotic cadence. Beyond the door was a vast, almost furry-looking dark. Serenity strained her eyes, trying to discern shapes or patterns, but the effort soon caused white lights to dance across her line of vision. Mea pulled a match out from inside his layered robes, but did not strike it. Instead, he held it loosely in his hand, as if in afterthought. Taking a step into the abyss, he swiveled his head one way and then the other. Apparently hearing and seeing nothing that would alert or unnerve him, Mea turned back to face the team. "Quietly," he said, emphasizing the word. Then he walked further inside, the darkness swallowing him. Serenity moved to fall in step behind him, but Beryl shouldered past her, glaring as she did. Shocked, Serenity let the other woman gain the upper hand, standing there for another beat before finally following. Life, thus far, growing up the Crown-Princess of the High Kingdom of the Moon, had not prepared her for disdain or any sort of hostility. *But why should she dislike me?* Serenity wondered, placing a hand on the wall as the entered the coliseum, and using it as a source of equilibrium as she walked forward in blindness. *I couldn't have said more than four words to her, ever.* Serenity continued on that line of thought. *It must be my station.* she surmised, and then frowned; if that was the cause of the titian-haired woman's unbridled disgust, then there was nothing that Serenity could do about *I can't change my position,* Serenity thought, *but, with time, I may be able to change her mind.* So lost in her thoughts was she, that when David, who was in front of her, suddenly stopped short, Serenity was too slow to do so as well, and clipped him neatly on the heels. Menaced, David spun, and then, apparently sensing rather than seeing Serenity's mortification and repentance, he turned slowly back around, although he did take an addition step ahead, despite Serenity having back-peddled a safe distance behind him by now. Still burning from her carelessness with David, Serenity turned her thoughts to their abrupt stop. *A door.* she decided, recalling the blueprints. *It must be locked.* The seconds ticked by like hours, but at last David stepped forward, and Serenity followed. *Turn right, walk straight--the hallway should curve--and there will be a door on the left. Locked?* Serenity nodded in response to her own question. *Once through it, we shall be in a large room, with three smaller rooms inside it and one to the far left corner. Each of these rooms are small...thirteen by twenty-three...and most likely are used for training. Which,* she continued, *means that the large chamber must be where the gladiators are kept. There's a door in the room leads to a hallway, that, when taken, leads to the pit, which supports the notion.* They stopped again, and this time Serenity was lucid enough to avoid trampling David again. They stood there in complete silence, the hush growing uncomfortable to the point where Serenity measured each breath to keep herself from falling asleep. Although she did not remember it, after the Crystal's attack and while she was lying in her chambers, there had been a great gathering of healers about her, and medications had been administered. Her mind had cleared during the ride from the palace to the cathedral, but every thought seemed fuzzed at the edges, as though cotton had been stuffed into her head through her ears. As her eyes adjusted to the dark, Serenity began to discern shapes in the various degrees of shadow. Along one entire wall in the chamber, there seemed to be large stalls; crates with thick iron bars connecting wooden tops and bottoms. They stood about three and a half or four feet tall, and each sat against the wall and about three inches to the side of its neighbor. *Cages,* Serenity surmised, but her vision would take her no farther. David, Beryl, Kunzite and Mea still stood in front of her, and a shoulder blocked from her view whatever might be inside the nearest cage. "There are pouches tied to all of your waist-bands," Mea's voice, although a low hum, shocked Serenity from her thoughts. "In that pouch you will find a match and a simple lock-pick. "The gladiators will most likely be fettered, and could possibly be hostile; if so, you will also find a dart in the pouch. Once stuck into any part of a body, it works as a tranquilizer of sorts." Mea paused, apparently waiting for this to set in. "Although I would advise against using it, they can most likely hear us now and will not harm us. The match, of course, is to be used only under the direst of circumstances. Remember: darkness is our only cloak." Serenity waited for Mea to say more, but instead, he began shuffling into the chamber, edging along the walls until he came to the first cage, and then dipping a hand into his pouch. That seemed to be a signal to the rest of them, for within seconds they were all headed to separate cages, fishing through their pouches for the lock-pick. Pulling hers out, Serenity examined it as she knelt before a cage. It was small, and had two throngs sticking from a plate of metal. Uncertainty crushed down on her: she had no idea how to use one, and that everyone else did was obvious; to ask would only guarantee their scorn. Resigned, Serenity reached her hand toward the cage to feel for the lock. A shiver crept up her spine as her hand felt a resistance, not unlike that of one magnet to another. She pushed her hand closer, letting it roam; the resistance grew and grew as beads of sweat gathered on her forehead and her arm began to ache. Then, as though it had simply never been, the resistance left, and her hand slammed unto a built-in lock situated between two of the bars. She gripped the lock with clammy fingers, but as she brought her hand away, the door came with her. *Open?* Serenity was shocked. *How...?* memory of her night stealing the blueprints assaulted her, and Serenity shivered. *The Crystal. But how? I'm not wearing... * Suddenly aware of another invading her personal space, Serenity looked up, and found herself staring into the blackest eyes that she had ever seen. The gladiator remained crouched and looming for a moment, and then took a shuffling step that brought him almost upon Serenity. The Moon Princess backed up, spellbound. In all her imaginings, she had never thought to picture the actual gladiators, but this one seemed more animal than human. He was massive, even as he crouched and on all fours, dwarfing Serenity by sheer mass. His shoulders were wide enough that he had to turn sideways to her out of the cage, and Serenity estimated one of his hands to be the size of her head, if not larger. Serenity backed up, and the new vantage point only seemed to make him appear larger. Now she could pick out his long, dirty hair, almost so tangled as to be in dreadlocks and a fuzziness about his jaw that might be a beard. The man stood, and Serenity jumped to her feet as he flexed and stretched his bulging muscles. All at once horrified and mystified, Serenity watched, enraptured. They stood there for a moment, slave and princess, until Nicolas came walking by. "This way," he said as he passed, and made a gesture for the gladiator to follow. Used to obeying swiftly, the gladiator turned to follow Nicolas. He was two or three steps away before he stopped, spun around and grabbed Serenity underneath the arms. She squealed, and he crushed his lips against hers. After a moment that seemed at once agonizingly slow and mind-numbingly fast, he lowered Serenity to the ground softly, and took his leave without looking back. Dazed and more than a little frightened, Serenity remained rooted in spot until Mea's voice jarred her back to reality. "Most of them aren't here." It took Serenity a few seconds to realize that he was referring to the gladiators, and then she frowned. "What do you mean?" she turned to face him, and found the hunchback directly behind her. "Where else would they be?" Mea shrugged, the gesture disturbing, what with his handicap. "Most of the trainers and owners must have taken them to personal holdings tonight, as there'll be no competitions." he shook his head, disgusted. "I should have predicted this." Unsure where this left them, Serenity was silent. Only she, Mea and two other members of the team remained in the chamber; the other six were outside with the gladiators, she supposed. "Nothing left to do here," Mea said, and his voice was disappointed and relieved at once. "Let's go." Lost in her own thoughts, Serenity trailed Mea through the hallway. They were almost to the door outside when a shout rang in the air. Mea froze for less than a second, and then sprang toward the door, reaching for his pouch as he did. Confused and frightened, Serenity ran to catch up. Lights blinded them as they came through the door, and Serenity felt the hair on her neck raise as air whistled by her head. Suddenly, she was knocked off her feet, and when she looked up, she saw the gladiator, his back to her and hands wrapped around the neck of a palace guard. The guard was choking and hacking at the gladiator's lower back with his sword, eyes unnaturally wide and dilated. The fall had knocked Serenity's hood back, and her hair poked out, static making some strands stand on end. The guard's eyes locked on her pearl-white hair, its style, and then her eyes. Recognition flared, quickly replaced by the anguish of being betrayed. Then his body gave one last spasmic jerk, his eyes rolled back, and the gladiator dropped him without ceremony. Horrified, Serenity could only stare, guilt, grief and responsibility warring for a top shelf. A scream shattered Serenity's daze, if not her turmoil, and her head snapped in the direction of the cry. A man whose name she could not recall, but who was a member of the Cause and had come along on the mission, lay on the ground, dirt soaking up a fountain of blood. Above him stood a single guard, young and frightened. Looking around, Serenity saw that he was the only guard standing. Every other had fallen prey to the poisoned darts. Without a backward glance, the guard turned and ran for the barracks, which were only a few hundred yards away. "He's getting reinforcements," Mea said. He stood a distance away from the Moon Princess, and blood was dripping from his back. "Mea!" Serenity gasped, and sprinted over to the hunchback. "You're hurt. Oh, we have to get out of here. We have to leave. What if they catch us? I..." her breathing hitched, and Serenity was racked with dizziness. "Steady yourself," Mea commanded in a tone that brooked to resistance. She strode over to where a man lay, and rolled him over with a booted toe. Serenity's hands went to her mouth. *David!* David coughed, but his eyes remained closed. There was a bleeding gash on his shoulder. "David," Mea spoke clearly, his voice smooth and unaffected by the carnage around him and the certainty of a failed mission. "David, what happened to the others? Did you see?" David coughed again. "David?" Mea prodded. "Sc..." David let out a rattling, wet cough, and when he spoke again, his voice was unnaturally high and strained. "Scattered. When the g..." he coughed. "When the guards came, most of them ran." "Which direction?" Mea asked, and Serenity watched, horrified by his blasé questioning of a man condemned to death. David coughed again, and whispered something unintelligible. "What was that?" Mea prodded. If David answered, it was drowned out beneath the shouting of guards. "This way! Hurry up, you lout. They might still be there." Serenity's' head whipped toward Mea so fast that she pulled a muscle. A keening sound escaped her throat before she could think to stop it. Mea glanced in the direction of the voices briefly, then back at Serenity. Their eyes met. "Run," Mea said. The voices were getting louder. "Mea...I..." she cleared her throat. "Not without you." "I'm a cripple. I'll never escape, and I'll only be a burden to you if you remain by my side." he paused. "No reason for you to be captured, too." "We're wasting time," Serenity said, as if he had not spoken. She grabbed his hand and turned, tugging, but he remained rooted in place. Perplexed, Serenity whirled to face him, and matched him stare for stare. "I will not leave without you, Mea." The voices got louder. Mea stared into her eyes a moment longer, and Serenity thought that she saw a flicker of something, but it was gone as quickly as it had arrived. At that moment the guards turned the corner, and despite Mea's previous doubts, survival instinct kicked in, hot and insistent. "There they are!" Serenity gasped, and, spurred by her exclamation, Mea took her hand and ran. Fear gripped Serenity, cold and alien and nearly incapacitating. Mea's handicap hindered their flight, and his injury was the final nail in their coffin. Their hands were no longer together, and Serenity was a few steps ahead of Mea when he tripped. She heard the thud and spun around. Less than a hundred yards behind them were guards, dozens of guards; all wielded bared swords. Heart pounding, Serenity rushed back to where Mea lay, unable to regain his feet as a result of his injury. Grabbing his shoulder with one hand, Serenity offered her other. Their eyes met as Mea accepted it, and in the mad rush for safety, the significance was lost on both: the significance of a Crown-Princess using a gesture long associated with the kept to help up a rogue slave, while running from palace guards that would be executed for so much as touching her. Mea's injury was worse now, having torn in his fall, and his run was more of a shuffling hop, Serenity supporting him and they hurried through the streets. The guards were gaining ground on them, and a huge building loomed ahead in the distance. With nowhere else to go, Serenity dragged Mea up the stairs and behind a thick stone pillar. A door beckoned from behind them, and, concealed by shadows, Serenity pulled Mea toward it. There was a knob on the door, and although Serenity did not know that that was what the circular object was called, she knew that it would somehow gain them access to the building's interior. Grasping it, she pulled, pushed, and then wiggled. It seemed more likely to give in the rightmost direction, so she tried again. Boot falls echoed through the streets. Mea's weight was becoming evermore cumbersome, and Serenity slipped on a wet patch on the stone. She caught her balance, but her arm had rubbed against the doorknob just enough to make it turn slightly. Elated, Serenity turned the knob roughly, and the door swung open on well-oiled hinges; its owners obviously had trusted the foreignness of the object to obliterate the need for a lock, and Serenity was glad that they had. By now, Mea was little more than dead weight, slipping in and out of consciousness. Using a hip to keep the door open, Serenity pulled Mea in and shut the door behind them. Darkness surrounded them, broken by a table of candles on the far end of the room. Three other candles burned, on what appeared to be a dais, and what Serenity mistook for a table sat in the middle of it. Benches were arranged in two neat rows, facing the raised platform. Serenity dragged Mea toward the candles, her every sound echoing and awakening fear of capture. The guards would not find them in here, of that she was sure; she was less certain of their fate, should the building's inhabitants happen upon them. Mea groaned, the sound crackling in his throat. They had reached the pulpit by now, and Serenity was having a hard time pulling him onto it, although it was less than a foot high. Mea shivered, and used his legs to push himself onto the destination, where he rolled onto his side in a fetal position. Serenity's eyes lit on his back, and fear washed over her. The homespun garb was parted in two jagged lines, and a steady trickle of blood was seeping through. Hoping to staunch some of the bleeding, Serenity reached for the cloth. As her hands closed over it, Mea jerked away. "No!" Startled, Serenity reached again, certain that he had misunderstood her intentions. "I just want to..." "Don't touch me," Mea interrupted. Then, more quietly, "Please." The sudden movement raised a wave of dizziness that Mea was helpless to combat. His eyes started to roll back in his head, but he fought it only long enough to whisper "please". Then his eyes dropped closed. Confused and more than a little frightened, Serenity moved closer to Mea and huddled, miserable. The word "time" seemed to lose meaning as Serenity sat there. Minutes or hours may have passed, for all she knew. She heard nothing, saw nothing, felt nothing, and, save for a single phrase--*What have I done?*--thought nothing. She was jolted from her deadened state when a warm hand closed over her shoulder. Wild with terror, Serenity jumped to her feet, hands going to her pouch in search of the poisoned dart. "I won't hurt you, child." The words did little to ease Serenity's shredded nerves. She let her gaze glide over the voice's owner. By the Moon's terms, where most died young of battles or feuds, he was an old man, perhaps sixty. His hair was gray with liberal sprinklings of white, and his hair was cut unfashionably short, so that it feathered just over his ears. He wore a long domestic robe in a wheat color, and over that, a brown, hooded cloak. Returning to his face, Serenity met honey- colored eyes, concern showing in their depths. "Are you in trouble?" he asked. Serenity was silent, not daring to speak for fear that her words might condemn them further. When it became obvious that she was not going to answer, the man looked over her shoulder. His gaze lit on Mea, and for the first time he realized that her companion was not asleep, but passed out. With a gasp, he rushed around Serenity and knelt by the hunchback's side, feeling for a pulse. When one came steady and strong against his fingers, the man let out a sigh of relief and sat back on his heels. "Praise the Lord," he said. "He's alive." Serenity nodded. "But he won't be for long," the man cautioned, "if you let him lay here and bleed to death." he stood. "One moment, please." Serenity watched as the man walked from the chamber, glad that he didn't seem to mean them any harm. She wandered over to where Mea lay and sat down next to him, legs tucked beneath her. *He doesn't seem to be in any pain,* Serenity thought, relieved. Without intending to, she reached out and brushed a lock of hair away from his face. *So peaceful.* Footsteps cued her that the man was returning, and Serenity stood, feeling better when facing him on her feet. "Here you are," the man held out a long strip of cloth. In his other hand he held a pitcher of water. "Cold, I'm afraid," he said as Serenity accepted it. "But better than letting that wound become infected." Serenity held the pitcher in one hand, the cloth in the other, and stared at Mea. She had never cleaned an injury before, and was frightened to do so for the first time. *What if I do something wrong and I end up harming rather than healing him?* "I'll leave you two alone for now," the man said. "I'll be back in an hour." Grateful for the privacy, Serenity said nothing and waited for him to leave. When his footfalls had faded into obscurity, she closed the distance between herself and Mea, and stood, staring down on him with dread eating at her heart. *Please,* she thought, to any deity that might be listening, *Please let this go well. He...*--she swallowed--*...he means something to me, something strong.* She waited a moment later, then dropped to her knees, placing the pitcher next to her and the cloth on her other side. Tentatively, she reached for the homespun apparel that covered Mea's back. Fleetingly, she wondered what she would find when it was taken away; she had seen Raphael unclothed, but then only briefly and not in well-lit conditions. *And Raphael's back isn't deformed,* Serenity thought, and was immediately sorry that she had. Clearing her mind, she tugged at it. It would normally be lowered over his head, but Serenity didn't have the strength to lift Mea and remove it, so she took hold of either side of a tear and jerked, ripping the fabric neatly to expose his back. There was another layer, this one was also pierced and in the more familiar wheat-color that most peasants wore. Without paying undue attention to his back, Serenity grasped these last pieces of clothing and ripped. Dread slammed down on the Moon Princess as his back was revealed, and a cold, clammy uncertainty spiraled down on her. She tore her gaze away, too confused by what she had seen, then, slowly, let it fall back upon Mea's unconscious form. A strong, straight back met her questing stare, and two stalks lay folded upon it. What appeared to be finger-like branches spanned from the stalks, with webbing connecting them. *Wha....how could he..." Serenity was horrified. *Wings?* The wings lay, drawn up and folded on his back. A light sprinkling of hair ranged across them, although it was absent from the webbing. They looked slightly shriveled, almost pruney, as if submersed for too long, and seemed as though they should be longer, given his size. A jagged tear ranged from the webbing on one wing to the top of the other, although the sword had jabbed through to Mea's back, and this was where the blood came from. As her eyes fixed on the blood, Serenity shivered. Never had she seen so much blood at once. Dipping a hand into the pitcher, she was surprised to find a rag floating in the water. Grateful for it, Serenity pulled it out, water dribbling to the floor as she brought it to Mea's back. Lifting a wing gingerly, Serenity pressed the rag to the wound, afraid to apply too much pressure. Rubbing slightly, she brought it up his back, cleaning away dried blood and wiping away the fresh. The wound had stopped bleeding for the most part, much to Serenity's relief. She finished washing him down quickly, and then had a time for wrapping the cloth around his around his upper abdomen, unsure whether she should bind his wings as well or leave them free. In the end, she decided that since they had not bled, they should not be bandaged, and hoped that she had made the right decision. The old man arrived as she finished wrapping Mea, and Serenity smiled up at him. "All finished?" he asked, and Serenity nodded. "Well, I'd offer you two a room, but moving him might not be the best idea." Serenity nodded again. "I've got duties to attend to, but that door to your right will take you to the community's chambers. Any of the Brothers there will help you, although we will have to speak at length on the morrow." "Thank you," Serenity said, her voice crackling from lack of use. The old man smiled, then turned on his heel and walked off. Serenity watched him leave, then curled up next to Mea and closed her eyes. Mere minutes had passed when a movement woke Serenity, and she opened her eyes to see Mea, eyes wide and horrified, staring at the end of his bandage. Slowly, he brought his gaze up to meet Serenity's. "What have you done?"
~~
Oooooh, a cliffhanger! My very first, methinks. Anywhoo, please participate in the ASMR RCFAs, at
My contacts.email/MSN messenger: Goodnight_Spoon@hotmaill.com ; AIM: AJluvs2Bannoying; bolt sn: LadieAJ; Livejournal.com sn: LadieAJ; ASMR sn: AJ Martinez. Hope you enjoyed this chapter. Please review/critique!
-AJ
Today's chapter is . dum dum dum . THE RAID!!! I'm so excited. I had so much fun writing this chapter, and guess what? It's a little longer than usual. ^____^ This chapter is dedicated to Pete and Rich, the technicians who got my computer started again, without losing any of the data! Yay for them! Anyway, the usual pleas for feedback apply.
--
Serenity had only just left the palace confines, and already the lights of the festival were visible and the shouts of revelers audible. Enthralled, Serenity leaned forward on the gelding and urged it into an all-out gallop. As the city loomed closer, Serenity noticed guards stationed all around the edges, and knew that she would not be able to slip into the woods on horseback; at least, not without arousing their suspicion. Stymied, Serenity decided to take the direct route to the cathedral, through the city. As they passed through the main gates, which, despite their purpose, were rarely closed, the smell of food became nearly overwhelming. The gelding was trained too well to act without Serenity's command, but his eye rolled in displeasure as Serenity passed up booth after booth of food. As the crowds became thicker and they neared the entertainment, Serenity dismounted and began leading the gelding in the general direction of the cathedral. The crowds got slightly thinner closer to her destination, but it still took the Moon Princess over thirty minutes to reach the cathedral gates, and then another five to convince to guard to admit her. Once inside, she handed the reins over to the guard, and, ignoring his scowl, instructed him to stable her "mare". "Luna." Serenity spun, and then smiled as she recognized Mea. To his direct right stood Beryl, and Kunzite next to her. Behind them stood Nicolas, David, Thomas, and three others that she remembered from the meeting a week prior. They were all clothed in identical brown homespun robes, and Thomas already had the hood pulled over so that his eyes were not visible. Ropes secured the robes around their waists. "Don this quickly," Mea instructed, and held out another brown robe. Swept up in the excitement, Serenity hurriedly pulled off her own charcoal robe, and threw on the brown one. She was still tying the rope around her waist when Mea said, sounding rather annoyed, "Something has to be done about your hair." Serenity glanced at him in surprise. "Why?" she asked. "Don't you like it?" Beryl and Kunzite glanced at each other; Nicolas snickered. "It's a hazard," Mea replied,. ignoring them. "You might trip on it; or worse, someone may recognize you for it." "Oh." Serenity was silent; she hoped that he would not require that she cut it, because that was something that she could not do under any circumstances. As if reading her thoughts, Beryl tossed in, "Let's cut it all off." Unable to suppress her gasp of horror, Serenity turned pleading eyes on Mea. While Beryl's antics would normally have amused Mea, more and more they were beginning to bother him; especially when they were at the expense of Serenity. "Tie it up tighter," he ordered, "And then we can be off." At once relieved and embarrassed that she did not think to do so first, Serenity nodded mutely and set to winding her hair tighter. It took her all of about ten minutes, but finally she had changed her two loops into two buns with ponytails. The result was increased mobility and a look that would in the future become her trademark. When she looked to Mea for confirmation, Serenity was surprised to find him staring at her with a soft look about his features that she had never before seen. But then all at once he broke out of it, nodded curtly, and turned on his heel, already heading for the main gates and tugging the hood lower over his face.
~~
They slunk through the shadows, keeping to the side of the coliseum and making as little noise as possible. When they reached the back entrance, a small, wooden door that blended neatly with the brickwork of the building, Kunzite made his way to the front of the team and knelt down beside it. Were it not for the circumstances, Serenity might have found his undignified position amusing; however, as it was, she saw nothing at all amusing about her current predicament. She had been arguing with herself for the last week over whether or not she should inform Mea of Kunzite's true person; but then, he had as much right to help those less fortunate as she, herself, did. *And he's using his real name,* Serenity rationalized. *I must assume that he only wishes to lend a hand, and not think the worst of him simply because of my own personal experiences.* Serenity tore herself away from her musings, and watched as Kunzite wriggled a piece of wire around in the keyhole. After several beats, he stood and brushed dirt off his homespun from habit. Wearing a smile that could have doubled as a smirk, he nudged the door with his foot. It swung open. Excitement shocked throughout Serenity, sending her nerves jangling and her heart into a chaotic cadence. Beyond the door was a vast, almost furry-looking dark. Serenity strained her eyes, trying to discern shapes or patterns, but the effort soon caused white lights to dance across her line of vision. Mea pulled a match out from inside his layered robes, but did not strike it. Instead, he held it loosely in his hand, as if in afterthought. Taking a step into the abyss, he swiveled his head one way and then the other. Apparently hearing and seeing nothing that would alert or unnerve him, Mea turned back to face the team. "Quietly," he said, emphasizing the word. Then he walked further inside, the darkness swallowing him. Serenity moved to fall in step behind him, but Beryl shouldered past her, glaring as she did. Shocked, Serenity let the other woman gain the upper hand, standing there for another beat before finally following. Life, thus far, growing up the Crown-Princess of the High Kingdom of the Moon, had not prepared her for disdain or any sort of hostility. *But why should she dislike me?* Serenity wondered, placing a hand on the wall as the entered the coliseum, and using it as a source of equilibrium as she walked forward in blindness. *I couldn't have said more than four words to her, ever.* Serenity continued on that line of thought. *It must be my station.* she surmised, and then frowned; if that was the cause of the titian-haired woman's unbridled disgust, then there was nothing that Serenity could do about *I can't change my position,* Serenity thought, *but, with time, I may be able to change her mind.* So lost in her thoughts was she, that when David, who was in front of her, suddenly stopped short, Serenity was too slow to do so as well, and clipped him neatly on the heels. Menaced, David spun, and then, apparently sensing rather than seeing Serenity's mortification and repentance, he turned slowly back around, although he did take an addition step ahead, despite Serenity having back-peddled a safe distance behind him by now. Still burning from her carelessness with David, Serenity turned her thoughts to their abrupt stop. *A door.* she decided, recalling the blueprints. *It must be locked.* The seconds ticked by like hours, but at last David stepped forward, and Serenity followed. *Turn right, walk straight--the hallway should curve--and there will be a door on the left. Locked?* Serenity nodded in response to her own question. *Once through it, we shall be in a large room, with three smaller rooms inside it and one to the far left corner. Each of these rooms are small...thirteen by twenty-three...and most likely are used for training. Which,* she continued, *means that the large chamber must be where the gladiators are kept. There's a door in the room leads to a hallway, that, when taken, leads to the pit, which supports the notion.* They stopped again, and this time Serenity was lucid enough to avoid trampling David again. They stood there in complete silence, the hush growing uncomfortable to the point where Serenity measured each breath to keep herself from falling asleep. Although she did not remember it, after the Crystal's attack and while she was lying in her chambers, there had been a great gathering of healers about her, and medications had been administered. Her mind had cleared during the ride from the palace to the cathedral, but every thought seemed fuzzed at the edges, as though cotton had been stuffed into her head through her ears. As her eyes adjusted to the dark, Serenity began to discern shapes in the various degrees of shadow. Along one entire wall in the chamber, there seemed to be large stalls; crates with thick iron bars connecting wooden tops and bottoms. They stood about three and a half or four feet tall, and each sat against the wall and about three inches to the side of its neighbor. *Cages,* Serenity surmised, but her vision would take her no farther. David, Beryl, Kunzite and Mea still stood in front of her, and a shoulder blocked from her view whatever might be inside the nearest cage. "There are pouches tied to all of your waist-bands," Mea's voice, although a low hum, shocked Serenity from her thoughts. "In that pouch you will find a match and a simple lock-pick. "The gladiators will most likely be fettered, and could possibly be hostile; if so, you will also find a dart in the pouch. Once stuck into any part of a body, it works as a tranquilizer of sorts." Mea paused, apparently waiting for this to set in. "Although I would advise against using it, they can most likely hear us now and will not harm us. The match, of course, is to be used only under the direst of circumstances. Remember: darkness is our only cloak." Serenity waited for Mea to say more, but instead, he began shuffling into the chamber, edging along the walls until he came to the first cage, and then dipping a hand into his pouch. That seemed to be a signal to the rest of them, for within seconds they were all headed to separate cages, fishing through their pouches for the lock-pick. Pulling hers out, Serenity examined it as she knelt before a cage. It was small, and had two throngs sticking from a plate of metal. Uncertainty crushed down on her: she had no idea how to use one, and that everyone else did was obvious; to ask would only guarantee their scorn. Resigned, Serenity reached her hand toward the cage to feel for the lock. A shiver crept up her spine as her hand felt a resistance, not unlike that of one magnet to another. She pushed her hand closer, letting it roam; the resistance grew and grew as beads of sweat gathered on her forehead and her arm began to ache. Then, as though it had simply never been, the resistance left, and her hand slammed unto a built-in lock situated between two of the bars. She gripped the lock with clammy fingers, but as she brought her hand away, the door came with her. *Open?* Serenity was shocked. *How...?* memory of her night stealing the blueprints assaulted her, and Serenity shivered. *The Crystal. But how? I'm not wearing... * Suddenly aware of another invading her personal space, Serenity looked up, and found herself staring into the blackest eyes that she had ever seen. The gladiator remained crouched and looming for a moment, and then took a shuffling step that brought him almost upon Serenity. The Moon Princess backed up, spellbound. In all her imaginings, she had never thought to picture the actual gladiators, but this one seemed more animal than human. He was massive, even as he crouched and on all fours, dwarfing Serenity by sheer mass. His shoulders were wide enough that he had to turn sideways to her out of the cage, and Serenity estimated one of his hands to be the size of her head, if not larger. Serenity backed up, and the new vantage point only seemed to make him appear larger. Now she could pick out his long, dirty hair, almost so tangled as to be in dreadlocks and a fuzziness about his jaw that might be a beard. The man stood, and Serenity jumped to her feet as he flexed and stretched his bulging muscles. All at once horrified and mystified, Serenity watched, enraptured. They stood there for a moment, slave and princess, until Nicolas came walking by. "This way," he said as he passed, and made a gesture for the gladiator to follow. Used to obeying swiftly, the gladiator turned to follow Nicolas. He was two or three steps away before he stopped, spun around and grabbed Serenity underneath the arms. She squealed, and he crushed his lips against hers. After a moment that seemed at once agonizingly slow and mind-numbingly fast, he lowered Serenity to the ground softly, and took his leave without looking back. Dazed and more than a little frightened, Serenity remained rooted in spot until Mea's voice jarred her back to reality. "Most of them aren't here." It took Serenity a few seconds to realize that he was referring to the gladiators, and then she frowned. "What do you mean?" she turned to face him, and found the hunchback directly behind her. "Where else would they be?" Mea shrugged, the gesture disturbing, what with his handicap. "Most of the trainers and owners must have taken them to personal holdings tonight, as there'll be no competitions." he shook his head, disgusted. "I should have predicted this." Unsure where this left them, Serenity was silent. Only she, Mea and two other members of the team remained in the chamber; the other six were outside with the gladiators, she supposed. "Nothing left to do here," Mea said, and his voice was disappointed and relieved at once. "Let's go." Lost in her own thoughts, Serenity trailed Mea through the hallway. They were almost to the door outside when a shout rang in the air. Mea froze for less than a second, and then sprang toward the door, reaching for his pouch as he did. Confused and frightened, Serenity ran to catch up. Lights blinded them as they came through the door, and Serenity felt the hair on her neck raise as air whistled by her head. Suddenly, she was knocked off her feet, and when she looked up, she saw the gladiator, his back to her and hands wrapped around the neck of a palace guard. The guard was choking and hacking at the gladiator's lower back with his sword, eyes unnaturally wide and dilated. The fall had knocked Serenity's hood back, and her hair poked out, static making some strands stand on end. The guard's eyes locked on her pearl-white hair, its style, and then her eyes. Recognition flared, quickly replaced by the anguish of being betrayed. Then his body gave one last spasmic jerk, his eyes rolled back, and the gladiator dropped him without ceremony. Horrified, Serenity could only stare, guilt, grief and responsibility warring for a top shelf. A scream shattered Serenity's daze, if not her turmoil, and her head snapped in the direction of the cry. A man whose name she could not recall, but who was a member of the Cause and had come along on the mission, lay on the ground, dirt soaking up a fountain of blood. Above him stood a single guard, young and frightened. Looking around, Serenity saw that he was the only guard standing. Every other had fallen prey to the poisoned darts. Without a backward glance, the guard turned and ran for the barracks, which were only a few hundred yards away. "He's getting reinforcements," Mea said. He stood a distance away from the Moon Princess, and blood was dripping from his back. "Mea!" Serenity gasped, and sprinted over to the hunchback. "You're hurt. Oh, we have to get out of here. We have to leave. What if they catch us? I..." her breathing hitched, and Serenity was racked with dizziness. "Steady yourself," Mea commanded in a tone that brooked to resistance. She strode over to where a man lay, and rolled him over with a booted toe. Serenity's hands went to her mouth. *David!* David coughed, but his eyes remained closed. There was a bleeding gash on his shoulder. "David," Mea spoke clearly, his voice smooth and unaffected by the carnage around him and the certainty of a failed mission. "David, what happened to the others? Did you see?" David coughed again. "David?" Mea prodded. "Sc..." David let out a rattling, wet cough, and when he spoke again, his voice was unnaturally high and strained. "Scattered. When the g..." he coughed. "When the guards came, most of them ran." "Which direction?" Mea asked, and Serenity watched, horrified by his blasé questioning of a man condemned to death. David coughed again, and whispered something unintelligible. "What was that?" Mea prodded. If David answered, it was drowned out beneath the shouting of guards. "This way! Hurry up, you lout. They might still be there." Serenity's' head whipped toward Mea so fast that she pulled a muscle. A keening sound escaped her throat before she could think to stop it. Mea glanced in the direction of the voices briefly, then back at Serenity. Their eyes met. "Run," Mea said. The voices were getting louder. "Mea...I..." she cleared her throat. "Not without you." "I'm a cripple. I'll never escape, and I'll only be a burden to you if you remain by my side." he paused. "No reason for you to be captured, too." "We're wasting time," Serenity said, as if he had not spoken. She grabbed his hand and turned, tugging, but he remained rooted in place. Perplexed, Serenity whirled to face him, and matched him stare for stare. "I will not leave without you, Mea." The voices got louder. Mea stared into her eyes a moment longer, and Serenity thought that she saw a flicker of something, but it was gone as quickly as it had arrived. At that moment the guards turned the corner, and despite Mea's previous doubts, survival instinct kicked in, hot and insistent. "There they are!" Serenity gasped, and, spurred by her exclamation, Mea took her hand and ran. Fear gripped Serenity, cold and alien and nearly incapacitating. Mea's handicap hindered their flight, and his injury was the final nail in their coffin. Their hands were no longer together, and Serenity was a few steps ahead of Mea when he tripped. She heard the thud and spun around. Less than a hundred yards behind them were guards, dozens of guards; all wielded bared swords. Heart pounding, Serenity rushed back to where Mea lay, unable to regain his feet as a result of his injury. Grabbing his shoulder with one hand, Serenity offered her other. Their eyes met as Mea accepted it, and in the mad rush for safety, the significance was lost on both: the significance of a Crown-Princess using a gesture long associated with the kept to help up a rogue slave, while running from palace guards that would be executed for so much as touching her. Mea's injury was worse now, having torn in his fall, and his run was more of a shuffling hop, Serenity supporting him and they hurried through the streets. The guards were gaining ground on them, and a huge building loomed ahead in the distance. With nowhere else to go, Serenity dragged Mea up the stairs and behind a thick stone pillar. A door beckoned from behind them, and, concealed by shadows, Serenity pulled Mea toward it. There was a knob on the door, and although Serenity did not know that that was what the circular object was called, she knew that it would somehow gain them access to the building's interior. Grasping it, she pulled, pushed, and then wiggled. It seemed more likely to give in the rightmost direction, so she tried again. Boot falls echoed through the streets. Mea's weight was becoming evermore cumbersome, and Serenity slipped on a wet patch on the stone. She caught her balance, but her arm had rubbed against the doorknob just enough to make it turn slightly. Elated, Serenity turned the knob roughly, and the door swung open on well-oiled hinges; its owners obviously had trusted the foreignness of the object to obliterate the need for a lock, and Serenity was glad that they had. By now, Mea was little more than dead weight, slipping in and out of consciousness. Using a hip to keep the door open, Serenity pulled Mea in and shut the door behind them. Darkness surrounded them, broken by a table of candles on the far end of the room. Three other candles burned, on what appeared to be a dais, and what Serenity mistook for a table sat in the middle of it. Benches were arranged in two neat rows, facing the raised platform. Serenity dragged Mea toward the candles, her every sound echoing and awakening fear of capture. The guards would not find them in here, of that she was sure; she was less certain of their fate, should the building's inhabitants happen upon them. Mea groaned, the sound crackling in his throat. They had reached the pulpit by now, and Serenity was having a hard time pulling him onto it, although it was less than a foot high. Mea shivered, and used his legs to push himself onto the destination, where he rolled onto his side in a fetal position. Serenity's eyes lit on his back, and fear washed over her. The homespun garb was parted in two jagged lines, and a steady trickle of blood was seeping through. Hoping to staunch some of the bleeding, Serenity reached for the cloth. As her hands closed over it, Mea jerked away. "No!" Startled, Serenity reached again, certain that he had misunderstood her intentions. "I just want to..." "Don't touch me," Mea interrupted. Then, more quietly, "Please." The sudden movement raised a wave of dizziness that Mea was helpless to combat. His eyes started to roll back in his head, but he fought it only long enough to whisper "please". Then his eyes dropped closed. Confused and more than a little frightened, Serenity moved closer to Mea and huddled, miserable. The word "time" seemed to lose meaning as Serenity sat there. Minutes or hours may have passed, for all she knew. She heard nothing, saw nothing, felt nothing, and, save for a single phrase--*What have I done?*--thought nothing. She was jolted from her deadened state when a warm hand closed over her shoulder. Wild with terror, Serenity jumped to her feet, hands going to her pouch in search of the poisoned dart. "I won't hurt you, child." The words did little to ease Serenity's shredded nerves. She let her gaze glide over the voice's owner. By the Moon's terms, where most died young of battles or feuds, he was an old man, perhaps sixty. His hair was gray with liberal sprinklings of white, and his hair was cut unfashionably short, so that it feathered just over his ears. He wore a long domestic robe in a wheat color, and over that, a brown, hooded cloak. Returning to his face, Serenity met honey- colored eyes, concern showing in their depths. "Are you in trouble?" he asked. Serenity was silent, not daring to speak for fear that her words might condemn them further. When it became obvious that she was not going to answer, the man looked over her shoulder. His gaze lit on Mea, and for the first time he realized that her companion was not asleep, but passed out. With a gasp, he rushed around Serenity and knelt by the hunchback's side, feeling for a pulse. When one came steady and strong against his fingers, the man let out a sigh of relief and sat back on his heels. "Praise the Lord," he said. "He's alive." Serenity nodded. "But he won't be for long," the man cautioned, "if you let him lay here and bleed to death." he stood. "One moment, please." Serenity watched as the man walked from the chamber, glad that he didn't seem to mean them any harm. She wandered over to where Mea lay and sat down next to him, legs tucked beneath her. *He doesn't seem to be in any pain,* Serenity thought, relieved. Without intending to, she reached out and brushed a lock of hair away from his face. *So peaceful.* Footsteps cued her that the man was returning, and Serenity stood, feeling better when facing him on her feet. "Here you are," the man held out a long strip of cloth. In his other hand he held a pitcher of water. "Cold, I'm afraid," he said as Serenity accepted it. "But better than letting that wound become infected." Serenity held the pitcher in one hand, the cloth in the other, and stared at Mea. She had never cleaned an injury before, and was frightened to do so for the first time. *What if I do something wrong and I end up harming rather than healing him?* "I'll leave you two alone for now," the man said. "I'll be back in an hour." Grateful for the privacy, Serenity said nothing and waited for him to leave. When his footfalls had faded into obscurity, she closed the distance between herself and Mea, and stood, staring down on him with dread eating at her heart. *Please,* she thought, to any deity that might be listening, *Please let this go well. He...*--she swallowed--*...he means something to me, something strong.* She waited a moment later, then dropped to her knees, placing the pitcher next to her and the cloth on her other side. Tentatively, she reached for the homespun apparel that covered Mea's back. Fleetingly, she wondered what she would find when it was taken away; she had seen Raphael unclothed, but then only briefly and not in well-lit conditions. *And Raphael's back isn't deformed,* Serenity thought, and was immediately sorry that she had. Clearing her mind, she tugged at it. It would normally be lowered over his head, but Serenity didn't have the strength to lift Mea and remove it, so she took hold of either side of a tear and jerked, ripping the fabric neatly to expose his back. There was another layer, this one was also pierced and in the more familiar wheat-color that most peasants wore. Without paying undue attention to his back, Serenity grasped these last pieces of clothing and ripped. Dread slammed down on the Moon Princess as his back was revealed, and a cold, clammy uncertainty spiraled down on her. She tore her gaze away, too confused by what she had seen, then, slowly, let it fall back upon Mea's unconscious form. A strong, straight back met her questing stare, and two stalks lay folded upon it. What appeared to be finger-like branches spanned from the stalks, with webbing connecting them. *Wha....how could he..." Serenity was horrified. *Wings?* The wings lay, drawn up and folded on his back. A light sprinkling of hair ranged across them, although it was absent from the webbing. They looked slightly shriveled, almost pruney, as if submersed for too long, and seemed as though they should be longer, given his size. A jagged tear ranged from the webbing on one wing to the top of the other, although the sword had jabbed through to Mea's back, and this was where the blood came from. As her eyes fixed on the blood, Serenity shivered. Never had she seen so much blood at once. Dipping a hand into the pitcher, she was surprised to find a rag floating in the water. Grateful for it, Serenity pulled it out, water dribbling to the floor as she brought it to Mea's back. Lifting a wing gingerly, Serenity pressed the rag to the wound, afraid to apply too much pressure. Rubbing slightly, she brought it up his back, cleaning away dried blood and wiping away the fresh. The wound had stopped bleeding for the most part, much to Serenity's relief. She finished washing him down quickly, and then had a time for wrapping the cloth around his around his upper abdomen, unsure whether she should bind his wings as well or leave them free. In the end, she decided that since they had not bled, they should not be bandaged, and hoped that she had made the right decision. The old man arrived as she finished wrapping Mea, and Serenity smiled up at him. "All finished?" he asked, and Serenity nodded. "Well, I'd offer you two a room, but moving him might not be the best idea." Serenity nodded again. "I've got duties to attend to, but that door to your right will take you to the community's chambers. Any of the Brothers there will help you, although we will have to speak at length on the morrow." "Thank you," Serenity said, her voice crackling from lack of use. The old man smiled, then turned on his heel and walked off. Serenity watched him leave, then curled up next to Mea and closed her eyes. Mere minutes had passed when a movement woke Serenity, and she opened her eyes to see Mea, eyes wide and horrified, staring at the end of his bandage. Slowly, he brought his gaze up to meet Serenity's. "What have you done?"
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Oooooh, a cliffhanger! My very first, methinks. Anywhoo, please participate in the ASMR RCFAs, at
My contacts.email/MSN messenger: Goodnight_Spoon@hotmaill.com ; AIM: AJluvs2Bannoying; bolt sn: LadieAJ; Livejournal.com sn: LadieAJ; ASMR sn: AJ Martinez. Hope you enjoyed this chapter. Please review/critique!
-AJ