Chapter 1: Helpless
'No…'
She gently placed each pin on her night-table, slowly unraveling the two silver buns that defined her. Lapis-Lazuli eyes gazed into the mirror as she went through with this simple task, her face flushed. As one bun collapsed, her delicate, long fingers moved to the next, reveling in the feel of her soft hair cascading down her back. Her hands shook as she worked to remove the pins from the alternate bun. Tears were threatening to spill, but she blinked quickly and firmly, determined not to show any weakness. She could not stop the trembling of her bottom lip though- She could feel the quick vibrations it always made whenever she was greatly upset.
The guard tapped his foot impatiently behind her. She noticed him check his watch several times and proceeded in taking her time. Why should she hurry up? Was it not she who was kidnapped and forced away from her home? If she were to have a choice in anything, it would be whether or not she wanted to hurry up with her hair.
"Hurry up!" The guard commanded, gruffly, his eyes narrowing at the young girl before him. This just wasn't his day. He was sent to kidnap this little spoiled rich brat and she insisted on giving him a hard time. Not only that, but his gray uniform was made of such a harsh material that it scratched at his back, causing him great discomfort.
'No…'
Selenity bit her lip as the guard took hold of her hair and, using the scissors previously lying flat on the dresser, snipped her hair off, bit by bit. She cringed as she felt her hair collapsing in large chunks on the cold, concrete floor of the tiny, unbearable room. Her face looked pained when the guard finished, flicking random silver hairs away from his figure. Her face paled when her gaze met with the mirror, seeing her once ankle-length hair now barely reach her waist, it's wavy, soft tendrils seeming to move whenever she did. Selenity had to admit that the guard didn't do a horrendous job- It was actually quite good.
Sighing rather loudly, Selenity stared icily at the guard, her lips pursed firmly. The crescent moon on her forehead glinted dangerously, as did her eyes.
"Take these." He said briskly, ignoring her completely and tossing what looked like a servant's clothes at her. "Get changed and go to bed." The guard pointed to a gray bed without covers in the far end of the room. "You'll need your rest. And don't let me catch you with that hairstyle ever again. You are a prisoner here, not royalty."
Selenity stood upright, her back rigid. "Do not speak to me in that tone." Her voice came out in a husky, daring whisper. The guard, taken aback, gazed in shock at the young woman before him. He was stunned by her defiance, her deliberate insubordination. Not only that, but he was receiving orders by someone nearly half his own size. She was a feisty one and needed more than one man to be dealt with.
"Care to pass that by me again?"
Selenity spun around, her silver curls following. Her eyebrows furrowed as she stubbornly glared up at him; her defiance apparent. "Do not presume that because I am a captive here, I will be taking orders from you or any of your men. In fact, you should be quite certain that I will not. I may have been kidnapped but I refuse to act like it." Her gaze pierced his in obstinate determination. He couldn't believe it. It was unfathomable. She was so tiny, yet she seemed to possess a great deal of power- A conclusion he came to from her stance and her unrelenting facade.
The guard stared at the girl in silent scrutiny. He could see her soften up and her eyes become kinder as they engaged in a little staring competition, challenging each other. "What's your name?" Her voice, like milk and honey, woke him from his reverie. His throat felt unusually dry all of a sudden, and it was all he could do to croak, "Kunzite."
"Kunzite." Selenity repeated, as if she were getting used to his name on her tongue. "Kunzite…"
The name seemed to hang in the air as she played with a strand of silver, glinting hair.
"My, that's an unusual name."
"You have a knack for tact, don't you?" Kunzite averted his eyes and stared at the desolate room in which they stood in. It really was no place for a princess. The so-called windows in the stone wall were so high up that it was almost impossible to peer outside. The room's furniture seemed hard and unwelcoming. The air of the room was moist and chilly, not what you would call a paradise. Kunzite's eyes returned to the little princess, curious to hear what she would say next.
"You didn't seem to mind that when you stole me from my kingdom." Selenity replied in an even voice. Her eyes fluttered downward as an awkward silence passed over them. She silently wondered what exactly was to become of her and, in a soft voice, she offered her inquiry to the general standing so close to her.
The guard tilted his head to the side, his eyes roaming over the little princess. Was she really so naïve as to ask a question like that, when the answer seemed so obvious? Princess Selenity raised her eyebrows, as if justifying his answer.
"You will become but a slave, of course. Did you honestly believe that you would come here and be treated like royalty?"
Princess Selenity glared at the general. "I did not mean that."
"Well then, what did you mean?"
Selenity wasn't quite sure of what she meant herself. She knew that she was a prisoner here but was not quite sure if they would "rid" of her or not. Like a parasite, the thought of her assassination clung to her thoughts, refusing to go away. It came as a huge relief that she was not to be put to death, but the very idea of her becoming a slave was not a tempting one either.
Selenity was suddenly filled with an inexplicable rage. Anger at this insufferable general for being taken from her own enveloped her whole. Selenity could feel her body shivering with resentment. Seething inside, she stared straight into the general's own pale blue eyes and hissed, "Set me free."
Kunzite was certainly taken aback by her command. He had no intention of setting her free and couldn't believe her temerity. He had to get away from there before he did something he would inevitably regret- Like setting her free. The King would undoubtedly be pissed and Kunzite didn't feel like losing his head. Literally.
With a wave of his large hand, Kunzite glanced past the silver-headed Moon princess and, in a nonchalant voice, said, "No. And I have no intention to either. But I admire your courage, little one." With that, Kunzite turned and sauntered out of the room, leaving a speechless, infuriated Selenity behind.
"But, what about-!" Selenity's cool, maintained façade was wiped away in an instant as her own face crumbled in distress.
The heavy metal door to the desolate room closed with a THUD, dust dispersing all over the interior of the room.
Selenity let herself collapse on the bed, her gown catching dust from the floor. She cried into the rolled up blanket left at the side of the bed, a new feeling washing over her.
For the first time, she felt…
Helpless.