Fairytales Volume I
Funnycoat
A Sailormoon fanfiction by Nishikaze
Chapter 2: Strange Animals (revised version)
"Ouch, that hurt!" Mumbled the lump of fur as it landed on the forest floor. "I never was any good at landings." The creature with the patchy fur coat turned its gaze up at the full moon above in wonder. "So that is what it looks like! So beautiful!" It turned its eyes from the moon and began to inspect the forest around it.
The creature had fallen into a rather attractive glen, and it could see much of it in the silver light of the moon. It sat down on the grass below it and looked back up at the moon. It's so funny! I spent so much of my time on the moon looking at the earth and wondering what it would look like up close, but when I finally get here all I can see is the moon.
The creature sat for quite some time before it heard the branches of the trees above it rustle. Odd, there is no wind. It was then that it saw them. The enchanted spirits of the forest, the dryads come out from their tree homes to converge upon the glen. They were so beautiful the funny lump of fur gasped in awe.
One of the dryads heard its sound and turned to it in shock, "What's this? Who goes there? Go away beast; go to your den and sleep."
"But I have no den to sleep in," Answered the 'beast'.
"What's this? This beast talks!" Another dryad approached out of curiosity. Several of the dryads stopped their play to look at the funny beast that had invaded their glen.
"I wonder… Might it be a man, disguised as a beast?" Said another.
"No this one is not a man; it's a female or a child. The voice is too pretty." Another dryad said in a sing-song voice.
The first spoke up again. "But it has the skin of an animal… funny, patchy skin."
"Not the skin, fur. Besides, humans often wear the skins and fur of animals," Said another in disgust.
"But this one doesn't smell of blood, and humans kill the animals whose skins they wear." Said another sadly.
"So," Spoke up the one with the sing-song voice, "It is a funny, intelligent she-beast!" She began to dance around the beast, pleased with herself for coming up with an answer to their question.
The she-beast watched the dryads discuss her nature, they were all so beautiful and so strange to her, but their discussion was funny so she laughed.
The first turned back to her, "Why do you laugh she-beast?" She asked.
"Because you are all so beautiful and so funny! I like to hear you talk." Replied the she-beast.
The 'beautiful' comment flattered the vain dryads who told her again, nicely this time, to go home to her den and rest.
"But I can't. I am strange to this land and I have no place to rest."
"Well then," Said the first dryad, who had returned to her tree. "I shall make you one." With that, the dryad opened up the base of her tree, creating a snug little den for the she-beast to sleep in. She entered grateful and fell instantly asleep, for the trip had exhausted her and dawn was coming.
The prince's anger was palatable. He raged at the queen of the moon, threatening her, threatening war with her kingdom, but still the queen would not waver.
"I do not know where she is Diamond, she agreed to the match and I was going to allow it. I gain nothing in hiding her from you or reneging on our betrothal agreement. It would be more logical for you to have kidnapped her to encourage war with our two kingdoms, or ransom her for our surrender, than for me to hide her away on the eve of her wedding." The queen's face was pinched with worry, her eyes filled with her own rage. The once statuesque and beautiful queen now looked drawn and haggard. She stood in front of her throne by willpower alone, facing down the upstart prince and his entourage, surrounded by her court. All of the princesses were there as well as the two guardian cats. None, except the elusive Pluto, was left unaccounted for.
"Are you saying that I kidnapped the princess to force you into war with us?" The prince's eyes filled with a venomous hatred.
"Are you saying I would deliberately encourage a war that I have previously done everything in my power to prevent?" The queen challenged.
The prince was unable to answer her, but a cloaked figure, a vizier to the prince, answered her, "The situation is curious in extreme Your Majesty, surely you can understand our concern. Perhaps you hid her in order to buy time necessary to raise a military force?" His voice was smooth and compelling and though his face was eternally in shadow, his presence exuded great power.
"How dare you!" The princess of Jupiter screamed as she had to be physically restrained by Mars and Uranus to keep her from attacking the vizier. The smallest princess Saturn stepped forward her gaze dark and deadly as she leveled it at the prince. "As you can see, the entirety of the Moon Kingdom's court is here."
"All but Pluto… Where might she be?" His eyes though hidden searched the court. "It is rather odd that she not be present at such a critical time."
"Would you deliberately incite a battle with continued talk of treachery?" Her hand tightened around her glaive.
"You misunderstand my intention," His voice soothed, "I merely wished to point out our concerns to your queen."
"So noted," The vizier turned back to the queen as she spoke, "However, be assured that we had nothing to do with the princess's disappearance, and we are just as concerned as you are. We have launched a full-scale investigation as to her disappearance and as soon as we know something we will let you know. Until then I suggest and humbly request that you take advantage of our hospitality and stay here as our guests.
"As for Pluto I suggest you forget her. It is well known that she answers only to herself and to me only as a courtesy. To confront her in her domain is certain death, even for me, and if she knows anything, she can not say. She may only watch. She can not interfere. The rules that govern the princess of time are strict and absolute.
"Now leave me. My servants will attend you. I vow that no harm will come to you or yours while you are in my kingdom."
"We will talk again of this Queen Serenity; I will be compensated for my loss." The prince's voice once again challenged.
"Yes… I'm afraid you must be." The queen answered.
It was a lovely morning, if a little chilly and the young prince, soon to be king was basking in the glory of it. He was outside of the castle for the first time in months and was thankful for the opportunity to get away from the sometimes overwhelming responsibility that came with becoming king, if only for a short time. His friends, Jadeite, Nephrite, and Zoicite, had suggested the outing and it was his closest friend and confidant Kunzite who insisted upon the hunting trip they were now on. Hunting had long been a necessary sport for the nobility. Yes, the noblemen took pleasure in the sport, but the meat they brought back would feed not only their own families but their retainers as well. The prince, though skilled at archery and falconry, did little of the actual hunting himself, preferring the ride to the actual hunt. He was happy enough just watching his friends and enjoying the beauty of the forest around him. At that moment, Kunzite's dogs had cornered a particularly obstinate beast in it tree-trunk den. It took awhile but the man was able to drag out the beast. He raised his sword to kill it when the largish creature stood on its hind paws and cried out.
"Please, have pity on me!" The beast dropped backed down to its knees in humility and cried out again, "Let me live! Have pity on me and I will be your servant."
Kunzite stepped back in shock and the young prince road up to the strange beast that could speak. Its fur was unlike any he had ever seen before, but it was obvious that it was not a beast that spoke, but a human, and a small one at that. The prince had seen children taller than the creature before him. Its heart-felt plea for mercy touched his heart.
"Servants I have plenty of, go back to your den beast, your life has been spared." The she-beast turned toward the man who had spoken and her breath caught. He was the one she had seen in the mirror and he was even more handsome in person: black hair, tall, with an athletic build and the most beautiful blue eyes, the same color blue as the Earth on a clear day. He also had the air of a great warrior in the making, one that could save her kingdom.
The she-beast would not, could not relent, for if this was the man who could save her people, she had to gain his trust. "Please sir, you have been kind to me, allow me the honor of serving you, even if it be in the smallest way." She bowed low.
A smile graced the prince's lips, but her eyes were on the ground so she did not see it, "Again I say to you, I have plenty of servants in my house I do not need another. Go to your den and live out your life in freedom."
The beast stood as tall as she was able and look straight at the prince, "I know to you I am nothing but a humble beast, but I do have honor. You have spared my life and now my life belongs to you. Please allow me this: give me three days. If I do not prove myself to be a loyal and worthwhile servant to you in three days I will leave and never return, but if I do prove myself, you will take me into your household to continue my service as you see fit."
The prince and his men were struck by the beast's intelligence and its sense of honor so he replied, "I can see I will not be rid of you easily so I will agree to this. However, I have no horse to give you and I am not returning to my castle until we have enough meat to feed my household. You will have to find your own way to keep up."
The she-beast's heart skipped a beat, "Thank you sir, you will not be disappointed."
"We shall see."
And so for three days the king and his party hunted, and all day they would not see the funny beast, but come nightfall she would be at their camp, waiting with a bounty of vegetables, foraged from the forest for the prince's supper. Every night, the beast would ask if the prince was satisfied and every night he would say yes, and because he never dismissed her, she remained in his service.
Stay tuned for Chapter 3. Feel free to review, I love reviews. (hint, hint) Thank you to all the people who have reviewed this story so far. They are all appreciated.
I do not own Sailormoon or the fairytale. I'm just borrowing them both.
