Fairytales Volume I

Funnycoat

A Sailormoon Fanfiction by Nishikaze

Author's note: For those of you who have read my previous chapters before I reposted the story, you may want to go back and re-read chapters 2, 3 and 5 as new scenes have been added to all three. (Although I highly recommend re-reading the entire story as I have tweaked a good bit of the prose…)

For those of you new to the story, please ignore this message and enjoy the chapter.

And without further ado… The continuation of the story.

Chapter 9: Hiding in Shadows

Funnycoat could barely believe that she would be so busy. Not just her, but every member of the royal court and the staff of the prince's castle. There was, in fact, so much work that the castle steward had hired a good many people from a nearby village to help with the preparations. News of the prince's impending wedding had spread far and fast and not only did ever inch of the castle need to be cleaned but Lords and Ladies of every rank arrived daily from every corner of the prince's kingdom to pay their respects at the upcoming ceremony. These nobles needed food, lodging and entertainment, and, as a result, tripled the work for the castle staff.

Funnycoat, for her part, kept to herself. Continuing her service to the prince, she scrubbed the floors of the lower levels as if nothing had changed and generally stayed out of the way.

She was however, never left alone.


She watched as the filthy creature draw water from well in the kitchen gardens with distain. It's hard to believe that this dirty little servant could possibly be the princess of the moon kingdom. No wonder she had evaded the notice of her spies for so long.

She had her suspicions; that first ball when the little chit entered, looking so surreal and beautiful, enchanting everyone but leaving as quickly as she came. She disappeared, as if into thin air, leaving no trace that she had ever even been there.

The second ball she had been better prepared. It was obvious the girl hoped to enchant the prince… her prince. Endymion belonged to her and no princess from a foreign kingdom was going to steal him from her. She longed to get rid of the chit but her spies were once again unable to locate her. Once again she had disappeared.

She made her arrangements. She convinced the prince that she was the best bride for him and an alliance between their kingdoms would be in both their best interests. She convinced the prince to propose marriage to her, but one person still stood in her way.

She demanded that the prince break the girl's heart, hoping that, distracted and emotional, the moon princess would slip up and her spies would be able to track her down.

She had been right. But it hadn't been until the servant in the funny coat of many furs had been brought to the prince that Beryl knew. The princess had been hiding right under her nose.

And now she watched the retch and waited for her opportunity. The moon princess had a fiancée waiting for her and with her out of the way the Earth would be Beryl's to concur, one kingdom at a time. Her lips twisted into a self-satisfied smile.

Movement from the shadows across the garden distracted her, drawing her attention away from the girl.

Her eyes narrowed as she recognized the profile of one of the prince's own personal guards. She searched her memory for the man's name. Her lips twisted into a perverted smile. Did the prince send him to guard her? What was he doing here? Perhaps she could use the man, gain information from him. She waited until the girl had entered the lower levels of the castle before confronting him.

"Hello," She greeted as she left her hiding place and sashayed up to the man, "Jadeite is your name, isn't it?" She came closer drawing his gaze. Beryl was a beautiful woman, her body shapely and her face comely. She was adept at using her looks to gain a man's favor and she new that young Jadeite was not immune to her charms. "What brings you here, sir? Are you here for me?"

Jadeite was startled by the woman's brashness. He had witnessed her, watching the princess. She was a very attractive woman, but Jadeite's guard was up. He had been ordered to watch the princess and ensure her safety. Beryl's attentions sent warning bells off in his head.

"I am not fair lady. I came here merely to enjoy the fresh air and solitude of the garden. Now if you will excuse me…" He had started toward the door, when Beryl's hands rapped around his arms.

"Oh but stay… Please. Keep me company for a little while." She pressed her ample bosom against his arm as she gazed up at him invitingly. "Surely you could spare me a little of your time…" Beryl gathered her energy, her innate powers and wove a spell around the young man.

Jadeite felt a wave of energy course through his body as he looked into her eyes. He felt himself falter, the temptations she posed him too great. He moved closer to her full red lips his eyes closing. "Yes… please. I have so much to give you." She whispered seductively, drawing him into her charm spell, "When I am Queen, I will need a man like you…"

'When I am Queen…' He felt as if he was punched in the gut. He pulled away from her clinging embrace violently, breaking her spell. He felt sick. She was betrothed to his prince… his friend! Without a word Jadeite turned away and fled back into the castle.

His breathing was strained as he made his was through the castle, he felt as if he was fighting for air. What did she do to me? The further he ran from the seductive Beryl the more his thoughts began to clear. She did that on purpose but why? His mind went over every moment of their encounter, searching for a reason for her bizarre behavior. Why would she risk accusations of adultery before her marriage to the prince? Could she be more than she seemed? He turned toward the prince's chambers. He wasn't sure what to think… But his friend needed to be told the truth of his fiancée. It was the least he could do.


No one in the castle suspected a thing.

So many messengers left the council of the prince everyday that it seemed as if all prince's time was spent in correspondence. The staff and the nobles in the castle both remarked upon this strange behavior but no one paid it much mind. After all, the prince was getting married and many dignitaries all over the planet needed to be informed. Not so strange then, considering.

Not so strange at all.


The princess found herself scrubbing the floors once again. She smiled at the irony. Here she was, the princess of a mighty kingdom scrubbing the floors of a castle that was not even her own. The Gods must be looking down at her in amusement.

She chuckled. She didn't feel sorry for herself. Not even a little bit. She knew it was necessary to keep up appearances. She had… deep down inside, thought her situation would change with her revelation and it hadn't.

Well not entirely. She allowed herself a secret smile.

She was so intent on her thoughts that she never noticed the shadows approaching her from all angles. By the time she felt their approach they were upon her.


Kunzite's shift was almost up when he saw something out of the corner of his eye. He was even more determined to protect the princess now that it was suspected that her identity had been compromised. He saw a shadow out of the corner of his eye. As he turned, Kunzite saw them just before they grabbed the princess. Four men, dressed all in black. He pulled out his sword and struck out at the closest one before he reached the princess. So fast was Kunzite's attack that the first man was not even able to react. He stuck the intruder down easily.

But the element of surprise was gone. Two of the assailants turned from the princess as the third grabbed her, pulling her down the hall and around the corner. Kunzite was an impressive fighter and soldier. He had trained many of the commander's of the prince's army himself, but even he was hard pressed to fight off two skilled assassins.

Kunzite cursed as he backed off the approaching assassins. He backed himself up, putting the wall of the hallway at his back to prevent the two from flanking him. He parried the closest sword while concentrating on his inner being, knowing he would only have one shot. He drew upon his inherent powers to call forth five crystal shards from thin air, firing at the enemy further back. His intended target was quick, deflecting three shards easily. The fourth was aimed for his thigh, he brought his sword down to deflect it but wasn't quite fast enough. It pierced his leg, breaking his rhythm. The assailant wasn't able to bring his sword back up for the fifth, aimed for his heart, it pierced his chest unchallenged. He was dead before he hit the floor.

As soon as he fired the crystals off Kunzite concentrated on the man he was fighting, parrying his sword with ease. He started off defensively, parrying the assassin's blows, looking for a hole in his defence. As soon as he discerned his foe's rhythm he broke it, taking the offensive. Desperate for time, he flew at the man furiously. Every moment he wasted was deadly for the princess. He backed the man up against the wall, swinging his sword high. As his enemy parried, Kunzite brought his knee up and into his groin. As the man fell to his knees he smashed his nose with a hammer blow to the face using the hilt of his weapon. The assassin fell to the floor, unconscious, but Kunzite was already running down the hall after the princess, determined to catch the fourth assassin before he left the castle with his hostage. The scene he witnessed around the corner stopped him dead in his tracks. There was Nephrite, holding a badly shaken princess with one arm and a bloody sword in the other. The assassin lay dead at his feet.

Kunzite smiled, "You're late,"

Nephrite returned the grin, "On the contrary, it appears I am right on time." A commotion coming down the hall drew both their attentions, as the castle guard, led by Zoicite rounded the corner. "Now they are late."

"Zoicite take the princess to her chambers. Take three guards with you and stay with her," Kunzite ordered. He then ordered the rest of the guard to escort the unconscious assassin to the dungeon for questioning. "Nephrite, see if you can identify the origin of these men and who might have hired them." Nephrite however was already kneeling examining the body of the man he killed.

Nephrite examined all the bodies carefully as Zoicite escorted the shaken princess back to her cell. A glint of silver caught his eye. At his grunt of surprise, Kunzite knelt down next to him. "You found something?"

"Yes… I believe so," Nephrite answered. He opened the front of the dead assassin's shirt and pulled out a silver medallion. The picture on it was of a curvatious woman rapped in the thorny branches of a rose. He paled, recognizing the herald. He handed the piece to Kunzite.

Kunzite turned the necklace over in his hand and raised his head, looking Nephrite in the eyes. He too had recognized the standard and the possibilities sent a shiver down his spine.

They had run out of time.


Escorted by guards, Beryl was brought before the prince. Prince Endymion sat regally holding council in the throne room, his face blank and showing no emotion as he gazed down at her. He was surrounded by his four generals, two on either side and all four men said nothing as the nervous Beryl was escorted across the room.

A shiver of fear had run down her spine when the soldiers had come for her. She had been waiting for news of the princess's capture when they had arrived claiming the prince wished to speak with her. Still she held her head up as she made her way to him, determined to give nothing away. He couldn't possibly know of her involvement… or could he?

Yet another shudder ran threw her. It was all she could do to hide the fear in her eyes as she glanced up at the prince. "My lord prince… Might I ask why you have summoned me in such a fashion? If you wished to speak of our wedding there would have been better and more private places to do so." A wave of her hand indicated the grandiose and public nature of the throne room, "There is no need to be so formal with me."

He said nothing as he reached into his pocket and drew forth the medallion of the assassin, the medallion branded with the herald of her kingdom. He tossed it down at her feet.

She knew without looking what it was, "What is the meaning of this?"

Rage flashed in his blue eyes as he answered her in a low, controlled voice, "That, lady, was my question."

Bile rose in her throat as the panic began to set in. "I don't understand."

Endymion's hands clenched the arms of his throne as his eyes narrowed in anger, "What is there to understand? You have been discovered Lady Beryl. As we speak the lone survivor of the assassin party is being interrogated, and he has much to say about his employer I am told."

Beryl's face paled and her knees weakened as the reality of her situation set in. "What… What are you going to do with me?"

Endymion's eyes grew cold as he relaxed his grip, "Unfortunately nothing… I can not act against you at this time without starting a war with your kingdom." A brief spark of hope lit her features for a moment until his next words erased it. "However you will be escorted to the borders of my kingdom and released. If you ever cross into my kingdom again your life will be forfeit, act of war or not."

Beryl hung her head, seemingly in defeat but a look of hope crossed her features, hidden but the fall of her long, red locks. Until he reached into his other pocket and drew forth her crystal ball, the orb she used to communicate with her accomplices. A cold, sly smile crossed his face. "Besides, I doubt your allies will appreciate your failure to capture the moon princess."

Cold fear wiped the smile from her face and stabbed her like an icicle through the heart. With a long gesture of his arm he motioned for the guards. "Take her away."

The guards turned her defeated form around and began to escourt her out of the throne room when he called to her, making her turn back to him. "Beryl… One more thing." He waved his arm and a figure standing behind him, hidden by the shadows of the curtains that hung behind his throne stepped forward.

She was dressed in the silver gown of moonlight and her hair glistened gold, done up in the royal hairstyle of her kingdom, flowing down the sides of her head in two long streamers. Her eyes were a pale blue so bright that they reflected the light of the chandelier, making them almost glow like mirrors in the sun. He figure was petite, but well formed and she stood proud and straight as she placed her hand on the prince's shoulder. "I want you to meet my bride and future queen. I believe you know her… Princess Serenity, daughter of Queen Serenity, crowned regent of the Silver Millennium."

Endymion reached up and took Serenity's hand as Beryl was taken out of the room. When the doors had closed behind her Kunzite turned to the prince. "Now what do we do my lord? The princess's identity has been compromised, there will only been more attempts to take her now… that is if they don't just declare war on us."

Endymion stood and looked down at his bride but his words were for all four of his generals as well as for her. "I am well aware of that," He said softly, "That it why we are going to declare war on them first."

"It is time to go back to the moon."


Yeah, I know it was a bit long but I had a lot to cover in this chapter. I'm sorry it took so long but I hope it was worth it. There's only one more chapter to go people and the story will be finished! So bear with me.

(A little action the time… happy?)

Next time: Confrontation on the moon and the conclusion of the story.