Author's Note: I own Sailor Moon! Mmmuhahahahahahaha!!!!! *evil grin*
Opps, hold on a sec. *confers with person to immediate right* Oh, never
mind. I stand corrected. I apparently DO NOT own Sailor Moon (I could
never be so brilliant, I suppose) or anything of the like! *pouts* Oh
well, on with the story! Thanks to all of you who R&R this work. . . this
is for you guys!!!!
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Lord Tsuniko was impressed with his guests' horses; they seemed well- adapted to the snow despite their short exposure. The ride was short, and no one was showing any signs of fatigue. The stable-hands had left for the day, but Lord Tsuniko insisted that the group leave their horses in the care of his daughter, ensuring them that she would be well-able to deal with all six animals in addition to her own. Endymion eyed his horse carefully before agreeing to Lord Tsuniko's offer.
"Perhaps we can go inside the manor, then? I will have Columbia prepare us some tea. You do drink tea, don't you?" the older man laughed. "I must admit that I had a penchant for sake, myself. Perhaps I should have Columbia bring up some of that poison, instead."
"Columbia is your daughter?" Nephrite inquired.
"Yes, one of them. The other is Serenity; she is the one who will take care of our animals," the lord paused. "I suppose that you will have to return to town sometime tonight, will you not? I am guessing that Lord- Commander Gizborne was not available for you earlier?"
"They said he would be in the tavern tonight and that we could have our applications approved then," Zoicite intoned.
Lord Tsuniko laughed. "That would be Gizborne for you. He's a good man, though, when he's not a raving drunkard. At least you're guaranteed to catch him in the a good mood. He's got a talented daughter, that one. Not useless like my girls. It's kind of sad Ami can't use her knowledge, being that she's a woman and all. No offense, General Zoicite."
She merely turned her head away and looked to the manor in the distance. Kunzite stepped forward to distract attention for Zoicite's non- conformist behavior, but was interrupted by a new voice.
"I wish to speak to Endymion. I have a letter for him."
Endymion turned around to face a small man carrying a burlap sack with a red and blue crest on the flap. "I am Endymion."
"If I may speak to you in private, milord," the man spat.
Lord Tsuniko motioned for the other generals. "We will go to the manor, then. Please let yourself in, Endymion, when you are done here."
Endymion watched the group depart, his intense eyes dancing with blue ice. He turned to the shriveled man. "You have a letter for me?"
The man pulled a wax-sealed envelope from the folds in his robes and handed it to Endymion. "I suspected you know who it is from, so I leave you with only this: do not ignore her, milord. She has a foul disposition when upset."
Endymion turned the envelope over to view the wax seal. Two serpents coiled around the wax blob, biting each others tails. Their eyes were mad-- crazed--as though they knew nothing aside from delirium and lust for blood. The letter felt wrong, felt evil, but he could not sense the source of this distress. His ability to sense the auras (he knew no better word) of objects and people had remained consistent throughout his remembered life. Everyone had an emotion, a feeling, a sensation attached to them; he often depended on the connection to judge people. Jedeite said that it was a talent, a bond with the earth because he could only sense things of the planet. Had Zoicite not been wearing a small meteor rock on her neck when they first met, and later removed it, Endymion would not have known the association between his ability to sense things and the earth.
Endymion laughed as he recalled the first time he had seen her without the necklace, the first time he realized that she was female. The meteor stone possessed some magic he did not understand. Zoicite had enlisted the assistance of a sorceress during her quest to join the army. Females were not permitted to be recruited for any job, and the policy had proven impossible to lift or alter. The spirited general was not willing to accept such a limited role. The sorceress had successfully devised a magic that would allow Zoicite to pass as a male. In all outward appearances, she seemed very much a man. Consequently, when Zoicite wore the necklace, Endymion could not sense anything of her nature, but when it was removed, she was an open book--just as everyone else.
Just like the letter.
Endymion broke the wax seal and pulled paper out from the envelope.
**************************************************************************** **********
Lord Endymion,
By this time I am certain that you know that you cannot evade me as easily as you may have wished. For your sake, we will pretend that you are in the north seeking a suitable wife--which will be your goal, Endymion. Do not mistake that! There is more to your inheritance than what your first letter explained. As you may have noted, I did not bother to write you regarding such trivial affairs as inheritance in the previous letter; I left the first letter up to one of my officials. This, however, is not the same case. I did expect you to run from the very idea of nobility. The essence of your character demands it. However, Endymion, you must do as the first letter outlined by next spring. You have less than a year. I suggest you hurry. As I mentioned before, I am not easily evaded or avoided. I will find you, and should you upset me, I will deal with you in ways you will wish you had never discovered. I trust you understand my position, Endymion. There is more to this than you know.
Awaiting Your Return,
~Beryl~
**************************************************************************** **********
Endymion pushed his ebony hair away from his ice eyes and looked to the messenger. The little man had disappeared without a trace. Chills raced through his body and goosebumps prickled his flesh as he walked out onto the snow. The messenger had left no footprints. Moving towards the manor, Endymion tucked the letter in his tunic's front pocket. He didn't like the letter, and would have loved to forget the reprimanding and commanding words written. Yet he knew that he would not be able to simply leave the letter alone. Endymion sensed his fate changing. . .a fact he could do nothing about--except fight it once it arrived.
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Lord Tsuniko was impressed with his guests' horses; they seemed well- adapted to the snow despite their short exposure. The ride was short, and no one was showing any signs of fatigue. The stable-hands had left for the day, but Lord Tsuniko insisted that the group leave their horses in the care of his daughter, ensuring them that she would be well-able to deal with all six animals in addition to her own. Endymion eyed his horse carefully before agreeing to Lord Tsuniko's offer.
"Perhaps we can go inside the manor, then? I will have Columbia prepare us some tea. You do drink tea, don't you?" the older man laughed. "I must admit that I had a penchant for sake, myself. Perhaps I should have Columbia bring up some of that poison, instead."
"Columbia is your daughter?" Nephrite inquired.
"Yes, one of them. The other is Serenity; she is the one who will take care of our animals," the lord paused. "I suppose that you will have to return to town sometime tonight, will you not? I am guessing that Lord- Commander Gizborne was not available for you earlier?"
"They said he would be in the tavern tonight and that we could have our applications approved then," Zoicite intoned.
Lord Tsuniko laughed. "That would be Gizborne for you. He's a good man, though, when he's not a raving drunkard. At least you're guaranteed to catch him in the a good mood. He's got a talented daughter, that one. Not useless like my girls. It's kind of sad Ami can't use her knowledge, being that she's a woman and all. No offense, General Zoicite."
She merely turned her head away and looked to the manor in the distance. Kunzite stepped forward to distract attention for Zoicite's non- conformist behavior, but was interrupted by a new voice.
"I wish to speak to Endymion. I have a letter for him."
Endymion turned around to face a small man carrying a burlap sack with a red and blue crest on the flap. "I am Endymion."
"If I may speak to you in private, milord," the man spat.
Lord Tsuniko motioned for the other generals. "We will go to the manor, then. Please let yourself in, Endymion, when you are done here."
Endymion watched the group depart, his intense eyes dancing with blue ice. He turned to the shriveled man. "You have a letter for me?"
The man pulled a wax-sealed envelope from the folds in his robes and handed it to Endymion. "I suspected you know who it is from, so I leave you with only this: do not ignore her, milord. She has a foul disposition when upset."
Endymion turned the envelope over to view the wax seal. Two serpents coiled around the wax blob, biting each others tails. Their eyes were mad-- crazed--as though they knew nothing aside from delirium and lust for blood. The letter felt wrong, felt evil, but he could not sense the source of this distress. His ability to sense the auras (he knew no better word) of objects and people had remained consistent throughout his remembered life. Everyone had an emotion, a feeling, a sensation attached to them; he often depended on the connection to judge people. Jedeite said that it was a talent, a bond with the earth because he could only sense things of the planet. Had Zoicite not been wearing a small meteor rock on her neck when they first met, and later removed it, Endymion would not have known the association between his ability to sense things and the earth.
Endymion laughed as he recalled the first time he had seen her without the necklace, the first time he realized that she was female. The meteor stone possessed some magic he did not understand. Zoicite had enlisted the assistance of a sorceress during her quest to join the army. Females were not permitted to be recruited for any job, and the policy had proven impossible to lift or alter. The spirited general was not willing to accept such a limited role. The sorceress had successfully devised a magic that would allow Zoicite to pass as a male. In all outward appearances, she seemed very much a man. Consequently, when Zoicite wore the necklace, Endymion could not sense anything of her nature, but when it was removed, she was an open book--just as everyone else.
Just like the letter.
Endymion broke the wax seal and pulled paper out from the envelope.
**************************************************************************** **********
Lord Endymion,
By this time I am certain that you know that you cannot evade me as easily as you may have wished. For your sake, we will pretend that you are in the north seeking a suitable wife--which will be your goal, Endymion. Do not mistake that! There is more to your inheritance than what your first letter explained. As you may have noted, I did not bother to write you regarding such trivial affairs as inheritance in the previous letter; I left the first letter up to one of my officials. This, however, is not the same case. I did expect you to run from the very idea of nobility. The essence of your character demands it. However, Endymion, you must do as the first letter outlined by next spring. You have less than a year. I suggest you hurry. As I mentioned before, I am not easily evaded or avoided. I will find you, and should you upset me, I will deal with you in ways you will wish you had never discovered. I trust you understand my position, Endymion. There is more to this than you know.
Awaiting Your Return,
~Beryl~
**************************************************************************** **********
Endymion pushed his ebony hair away from his ice eyes and looked to the messenger. The little man had disappeared without a trace. Chills raced through his body and goosebumps prickled his flesh as he walked out onto the snow. The messenger had left no footprints. Moving towards the manor, Endymion tucked the letter in his tunic's front pocket. He didn't like the letter, and would have loved to forget the reprimanding and commanding words written. Yet he knew that he would not be able to simply leave the letter alone. Endymion sensed his fate changing. . .a fact he could do nothing about--except fight it once it arrived.
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