"I have finally devised a fourth task for you to complete, Serenity," Queen Beryl announced, as she arrived in a sooty swirl of dust.
Serenity's face rose to regard the dark queen. Her eyes were dark and sleepy; she had deep circles under them, and her figure was wan. Beryl smiled. Her beauty is waning by the minute, she thought gleefully.
"What is it?" she asked, with all the energy she could muster.
Beryl waved her hand, and in her palm appeared a small mirrored box. "This is a vanity box," she told the queen, holding it towards her. "Under the ground, in the darkest reaches of the earth, lies a realm called the Underworld. There dwells a soul called the Golden One. She possesses great beauty, as well as the power to bestow it in a small charm. Your task is to journey into the underworld and obtain a beauty charm from this young soul."
Serenity sprang to her feet. This seemed like the easiest task of all!
"Don't be so cocky, young princess," Beryl said, sneering as she held the box out to Serenity. "This task is not as easy as it seems."
"How am I to get to the Underworld?" Serenity asked, taking the box. It was so very pretty, jeweled on the sides and held closed with a mother-of-pearl clasp.
"Now, if I was to tell you that, it would be an easy task!" Beryl crowed, clapping her hands. "All I will tell you is that there is a large dark hole in the ground, to the south, you must find. That is the beginning of your journey. After that, you must find the way on your own."
"Wait! How am I—"
But she was gone.
Serenity stared down at the small box in her hands. Fighting the urge to sink to the ground and sob, she strode purposefully towards the south.
Serenity stared ominously at the large black hole in the Earth, not sure she wanted to enter. It was steep and craggy, and there were plenty of places for maids to slip, even in thin, sensitive slippers like her own.
She heaved a sigh and pulled the mirrored box closer into her reach. To see her beloved husband, she would do anything...even venture into the depths of the Underworld.
Serenity climbed further down. The box reflected tiny shards of light from the sun as she descended into the darkness, but as she moved farther away from the light above, the darker the hole got, until finally she was shrouded in pitch blackness.
Then she felt her foot make a false step, and her hand slipped away from a craggy mass, and she felt herself falling, falling into the dark pit.
She couldn't scream; she was too frightened to scream. There was no telling where she would fall, how much longer she had to fall, what she would fall on or in. She closed her eyes tight and prayed to the gods to protect her.
Seconds later – but after what felt like an eternity to Serenity – she hit the ground, in hard thump that rendered her whole body numb. Her back took the brunt of the fall.
Then her head hit the ground and she blacked out.
There is always that funny sense, when someone is staring, of an intense itching at the spot on which the eyes bore.
Serenity began to come around to consciousness with that distinct feeling. She did not remember where she was, or what had transpired, or how long she had been in her position – only that someone was intensely staring at her.
She looked up. Above her stood a young woman – not much more than a girl – rather tall in appearance, with short black hair and luminous violet eyes. She was holding a lantern in one hand, the other braced firmly on the ground, and was peering over Serenity solicitously.
"You're awake now," she murmured in a sibilant voice, those violet eyes blinking. "In a few moments, you're going to feel the pain."
Serenity frowed, her brow wrinkled, but her eyes widened when she felt a shockwave of pain shoot up her spine.
The fall – yes, the fall.
The girl laid a white-gloved hand on Serenity's body and closed her violet eyes. A warm sensation spread over the queen, and the pain subsided in gentle waves, lessening until there was none left.
The girl opened her eyes.
"You may stand now," she said, again in that low, musical voice.
Serenity tested her arms against the ground, pushing tentatively. Yes, the pain was gone. She slowly pulled herself into a standing position and looked at the girl, who had also pulled herself to a standing position and now stood at about the same height as Serenity. This girl was clad in garb unseeming of a young woman – a tight white bodice with a violet sailor collar and a matching pleated skirt that swished around her thighs. Tall violet boots laced up to her knees. The lantern dangled from one white-gloved hand, and in the other rested a tall black pole, wickedly topped with a glinting silver scythe.
Serenity shuddered.
"Who are you?" she asked in a whisper.
"I am the Death Soldier," she said.
Serenity's eyes widened. "So I...am in the...the Underworld?"
The Death Soldier nodded solemnly, and held the lantern up.
They were in a large, dank cavern. Craggy black masses erupted from the weirdly twisted walls, and stalactites and stalagmites created an eerie, dragon's-mouth feel to the grotto. The Death Soldier turned a bit, and held the lantern towards the north. There a dark river flowed, fast and angry, crashing over rocks. There seemed to be no opposite bank to the wide river.
"My task," the Death Soldier intoned, "is to row the souls across this river – the Acheron – to the other side.
"Why might you be in the Underworld?" the Death Soldier asked, casting a glance at Serenity. The golden hair, bright blue eyes, and long white gown were so incongruous with her current surroundings.
"I am running an errand...for Queen Beryl," Serenity said, and the Death Soldier's face contorted. It was almost imperceptible, but Serenity saw it. However, she let it pass without comment. Inwardly, she was afraid of this creature. "I must retrieve a beauty charm from the one called the Golden One."
This time, the Death Soldier really did smile, albeit a small one. "The Golden One," she said. "One of the few happinesses in this accursed place."
Serenity looked uncomfortable. "How...how may I reach this Golden One?"
The Death Soldier gestured towards her ferry. "I could ferry you across the river," she said. "Once you get across, you will have to go to the gates of the Dark Palace. That is where Hades resides...and where he keeps the Golden One." She frowned. "But...you must pay me a penny."
Serenity raised an eyebrow. "A...penny?"
"It is the mandate of the gods. And of Beryl."
Beryl? She really must have more power than I could have imagined, Serenity thought, and felt foolish for thinking she could match the powerful queen. She reached into the folds of her tattered gown and pulled out a shining gold coin. The four maidservants at the palace had folded it into her dress. "Will this do?"
The Death Soldier took the coin and nodded. The top of her ghastly stave glowed momentarily, and she winced slightly, bending forwards, but she quickly straightened.
The coin was no longer in her hands.
"Follow me," she said.
Serenity started after her, then stopped, clapping her hands over her cheeks. "The vanity box!" she exclaimed. "I must have dropped it during my...fall."
Then she felt something in her hands. The Death Soldier was pushing the vanity box into her arms.
She could have cried with gratitude.
"Follow me," the Death Soldier repeated, and began her stride to the ferry.
She climbed in with ease, and took Serenity's hand and pulled the girl in after her. Then the soldier lifted her scythe, and Serenity squeezed her eyes shut, terrified. But the girl merely used the tip to push off the bank, and they were swiftly sailing across the water.
The Death Soldier squeezed her own eyes shut then, and dipped the tip of her scythe in the water to direct the ferry's trajectory. An excruciating screeching rose...from the waters.
Serenity clapped her hands over her ears. "What is that?" she shrieked.
"The souls," the Death Soldier yelled over the clamor.
"What souls?" Serenity asked, looking around, willing the painful noise to stop.
The Death Soldier pointed into the churning waters, and Serenity looked down. A wispy figure slid through the water, and another, and another...there were hundreds, thousands of them.
Fish? In that cold water?
But inwardly, Serenity knew they were not fish.
Staring longer she saw the faces appear, the hollow eyes filled with pain, the mouths contorted in screams. She watched as the scythe cut through a soul, then another, then another. They were screaming in terror, in pain, of the dreadful blade that severed their "bodies".
She wanted to tell the Death Soldier to stop, but it was the only way to advance over the river, so she inserted her fingers in her ears and shut her eyes tightly, waiting for the horrific ride to end.
"Queen Serenity...we have arrived."
Serenity opened her eyes and looked about. The ferry rested on the opposite bank. The Death Soldier was standing on the shore, scythe in hand.
It was still dripping, wet with souls.
Serenity shook her head, as if to clear it, and stepped from the ferry onto the shore. She stared at the Death Soldier in apprehension, and nodded at her.
"Thank you," she said shakily, and started away, towards the dark hollows of the Underworld.
A hand grabbed her, and she whirled, barely suppressing a scream. But it was only the Death Soldier, her violet eyes determined.
"Continue in that direction," she said, pointing slightly east of the direction Serenity was headed, "and take this." She handed the queen the lantern. "Take it – I've plenty more, plus my eyes have grown accustomed to this dark work.
"Continue in that direction. You will come across a tall gate of doors. Standing at the gate will be the Time Guardian. She guards the gates of the Dark Palace. Here." She pressed a small object into Serenity's hand.
Serenity opened her hand and stared at it. It was a small silver key.
"You will need that to get past her, to enter into the Dark Palace. It separates...separates the damned from the others." At the word damned, she glanced at the Acheron. "They will never enter the Dark Palace. The more fortunate service Hades." There was bitterness in more fortunate.
Her grip tightened on Serenity's arm. "But ultimately, they are in servitude to Beryl," she said, her eyes deepening to a stormy indigo. "She took their souls long ago. The only ones who escaped were the Golden One, the Time Guardian, and me, the Death Soldier...somehow our souls remain intact. The Time Guardian says we have some special power, but that can only be unlocked by one whom we do not yet know.
"Meanwhile Beryl has us imprisoned here. Beryl goes crazy with rage, not being able to steal our power fully. But she steals it in small increments...by making me perform this horrific job, by stationing the Time Guardian before the door for centuries, and by sending poor souls to claim the Golden One's in charms she constantly creates, to keep Beryl beautiful." The Death soldier smiled cruelly. "Without them, she would be an ugly old hag...once she was naturally beautiful, but the power that she takes from the souls she steals ages her horribly. She uses the Golden One to remain so.
"Free her, Serenity. And all of us. You have been sent on a grand mission – the Time Guardian speaks of you. And Tereisias. When you get to the Dark Palace, and have finished your mission, find him and have him tell you. You believe this is simple, that Beryl is a simple ambitious queen; but it is so much more than that. She has power beyond your imagination. But so...so do you.
"This is the beginning of a grand prophecy to save this Earth. But if you let her, she will take your soul, and we will have no hope left.
"Do not take our hope away, dear Queen Serenity."
Serenity stepped heavily, her mind on all that the Death Soldier had said.
Grand prophecy? Stolen souls? What did it all mean? This power Beryl was claiming...who did she get it from? Where?
She frowned, but pushed the thoughts from her mind. She would find Tereisias – whoever he was – and request the information she sought.
Serenity rose the lantern higher, and looked forwards. The air was thicker here, thick with a swirl of gaseous clouds, but she could see the hazy design of a gate in the distance and advanced towards it. The air grew thicker.
Finally, when the air was its thickest, the clouds swirling around her at dizzying speed, Serenity slowly losing alertness, a voice called out...seemingly from a distance.
"Halt! Who goes there?"
"Queen Serenity," Serenity gasped, collapsing to the floor.
The rush of boots was faintly heard.
"Queen Serenity?" A voice was heard above. "But you're no Queen Serenity." A gasp. "Or...are you?"
Serenity felt herself yanked to her feet.
"Tell me the fate of the Moon Queen Serenity!"
"Can't...breathe..." Serenity's head lolled to one side, her blue eyes dull.
The figure thrust a hand forward, rounding it about Serenity's throat.
Suddenly, air! A vacuum of air was sucked through Serenity's windpipe. Slowly the young queen's vision began returning to her.
"Tell me the fate of the Moon Queen Serenity," the voice demanded again.
"She is still...alive...as far as...I know," Serenity said, gulping newfound air. "I am...her daughter...the Moon Princess...and queen of Elysian."
The figure released her, giving her a small push away, and Serenity raised her eyes. She was tall, darker-skinned, with emerald-green hair and eyes of garnet. She wore an outfit similar to the Death Soldier's, except that her collar and skirt were black, and her boots were slightly different, pointed at the knees with a white strip.
She also held a different staff – hers resembled a giant silver key, with a large garnet-colored sphere positioned in the center of the intricately designed top.
"The Time Guardian," Serenity whispered.
The Time Guardian regarded Serenity wearily, and nodded slowly at hearing her appellation.
"You are not dead," she said pointedly. "You retain the glow of life. How on Earth did you end up in the Underworld?"
"I am on a mission for Queen Beryl," Serenity responded.
The Time Guardian's face twisted in a paradox of disgust and despair. "Has she taken you?" she asked bitterly. "Or do you serve her willingly?"
"Neither," Serenity responded. "I...I was not aware of the magnitude of her power...before the Death Soldier, The Death Soldier, told me about it. Or a little about it. I am to collect a beauty charm from the Golden One."
The Time Guardian eyed her suspiciously. "Did she ask you to do any other tasks?"
"Yes...she asked me to sort a pile of seeds, collect the golden fleece, and collect water from the River Styx."
The Time Guardian shook her head. "She's searching," she said pitifully. "By God, she's searching."
"What are you saying?" Serenity asked.
"No time. I cannot tell you, she will know. Quickly, now. You say you are the daughter of Queen Serenity?" The Time Guardian studied her. "You look just like her. You must be..." Her eyes widened. "Born of the crystal."
"I...what?"
"You...are her!" She advanced towards Serenity exuberently, but just as quickly her temperament changed. "But I cannot. Beryl will know. She probes, you know. But that doesn't mean anything to you. Here. Did The Death Soldier give you a key?"
Serenity produced the small silver key, which she had held tightly in her hand since The Death Soldier placed it there.
"Good," she said, and took the key from Serenity. She held it in the air, and the garnet orb in her staff began glowing, resonating with the key. The Time Guardian's body took on a garnet glow, and she winced, more perceptibly than the Death Soldier, with a slight moan. The key disappeared, and she slowly straightened.
With effort, she pointed towards the great doors into the Dark Palace. They were slowly opening, reacting from the power of the key and the Guardian's staff.
"Enter the Dark Palace," she said. "When you do, close your eyes. If you search within yourself, you will feel the power of the Golden One resonating inside you. Follow that power until you find her. She will be happy to help you.
"When she has given you what you need, find Tereisias, the blind prophet. He will tell you much as well...much that you must know. Now go! And quickly, Princess Serenity. Time is of the essence."
Serenity walked through the tall obsidian doors of the Dark Palace and looked around. The air was considerably lighter here. Figures like people moved through the halls, but their "skin" was devoid of the 'glow of life' of which the Time Guardian had spoken.
Taking a deep breath, Serenity closed her eyes and searched.
Nothing seemed to happen, at first. But the determined young queen squeezed her eyes shut so hard it hurt, urging her subconscious to continue to search, to find the power of this Golden One that had been so highly spoken of by the two warriors of the Underworld.
And suddenly, deep inside herself, something was touched.
She didn't know how, but she sensed it – a tentative poking of something that was inside her. A dormant, quiet, weak power that quivered inside herself, by the seat of her heart.
It was familiar. She recognized it.
It wasn't what she was looking for.
Serenity was puzzled – what was this inside of her? – but ambitious, she reached past it, and past another and another that were like it, yet different.
Finally she found the one she was looking for. It was weak, but it was not dormant – it was alive, in use. It was warm and bright and covered her entirely, enveloped her with...
...love?
Serenity followed her intuition and began to walk, straight, following that brilliance.
Within minutes she bumped into something soft – a person. Opening her eyes, Serenity came face-to-face with the most beautiful person she'd ever seen –
-- herself.
It wasn't herself. This young woman was not her, no, but she could have been. A replica – a near clone – a lost twin. Her long blond hair was a little shorter than Serenity's, but it was glossy and bright, the same color. Her blue eyes were only slightly paler than Serenity's – a fact that would have gone unnoticed by all but the very closest to the young queen. She was about an inch taller than Serenity, but that too was negligible.
Everything else was the same...right down to the faint crescent moon marking on her forehead.
The woman herself looked startled. She reached out a hand and gingerly touched Serenity on the arm.
"Not a mirror," she said, wonderingly.
"No mirror," Serenity whispered. "Are you the Golden One?"
The young lady smiled – the kind of smile one gives when one has not smiled in a long, long time. "They call me that...but my name is Minako."
"Minako," Serenity whispered. "Queen Beryl sent me. I am to retrieve a beauty charm from you."
Minako cringed, then nodded. She held her hand up, preparing to weave her magic, but Serenity took it in her own.
"But first," she said, smiling, "would you tell me how you came to be down here, if you don't mind?"
Minako stared at Serenity with wide eyes, but her expression softened and she nodded. She gestured to an empty corner of the palace, where the souls in the Underworld did not wander. She and Serenity settled into the spot, and then she began her story.