The Runaway Princess

By: MoonFee

Chapter 6

Rating: PG13

Disclaimer: I do not own Sailor Moon.

A/N: I love you readers! I had to laugh at some of the reviews. Thank you so much for your support of my story. It really means a lot to me. I got a head start on this chapter with an ice day from school. (In other words, school got cancelled because it was icy out.) I had an evil thought about putting this chapter up where Usagi dies from the cold and Daeva wins. And then, a week later posting the real chapter, but I'm not mean like that. I just think like that. I am sorry about the ranting from the last chapter. I got a nasty e-mail about plagiarism. I just wanted to clear some things up. I know you are sick and tired of me babbling, but I do have a few more things to say.

Oh and you will come across thoughts with a large space in them.Like that space. It signifies different 'voices.' You'll get it.

And just to let you know, I emailed Sapphire Midnight, author of Untouchable and we resolved the issue of my story being similar to hers. She gave her permission for me to continue on with the story and for her fans who yelled at me she thanked you for standing up for her. She was happy that I emailed her, although I should have done it before I put my story on fanfiction, and that is my fault. And if you don't believe me, email me and I will send you the email. So please don't bother me about the issue. Now on with the story.

Recap:

He put his coat around her cold body and carried her off to shore, where he saw a peasant's barn. He took her inside of it where he undressed both her and himself. He wrapped the both of them up in his coat and lay down. He fell asleep with her in his arms.

The Next Morning:

Usagi woke up to an extremely warm and comfortable feeling. What she couldn't figure out was where all that warmth and comfort was coming from until she fought with herself. Wait a minute! I went under the ice! Oh Selene! Am I dead? You're such an idiot Serena! You're not dead. Then where is that warmth coming from? I'm not sure, but I bet the arm that is wrapped around your body has something to with it. It probably does. Wait! What arm wrapped around my body! That one! "Ahh!" screamed Usagi while jumping up. When she realized she was naked, she grabbed the coat that was around her and Endymion and wrapped herself in it. When she looked at him, she didn't know who she would rather have the coat wrapped about them because he, like her, was naked.

"What's all that racket?" mumbled Endymion as he woke up. He looked to see Usagi staring at him is disbelief with an extremely flushed face. He looked down at himself and saw what she was staring at. He just smirked up at her. "Is something wrong?"

"You! You! What did you do to me? Why was I lying naked next to you!" Usagi started to blush more.

"Don't you remember? You fell in the water."

"That doesn't explain why I was in your arms naked! And would you please cover yourself up!" yelled Usagi while turning an even darker shade of red.

"Why? Do I bother you?"

"W-w-well yes! You better start explaining yourself!"

"Ah. Since when do I have to take orders from you?"

"You are such a pompous jerk!"

"Okay! It's not a big deal. You fell in the water. I pulled you out, and you were unconscious and blue. I didn't want to have you dying on me, so I used my body heat to warm you up. You act like you've never been close to a man before!"

"Actually, I haven't. And, when I am for the first time, I will be sure to tell you." Said Usagi hoping he would catch her insult. Although, why I want him to notice me, I don't know.

"Are you calling me a boy?"

"What if I am?"

"I didn't know I needed to prove that I was a man to you, but if I must, you're welcome to come right on over here and I will." He said with a devilish smile. For once, Usagi did not know how to respond. "Tongue tied are we?" asked Endymion as he tossed Usagi her damp clothes and started to put his on.

"No! I. I. What time is it?" I give up!

"Judging from the sun, it is around 7:00am. Shit!" I can't believe it! We've been gone for twelve hours. I am surprised that the royal guard is not out looking for me. I really need to get her back. I will never hear the end of it. I can picture the scolding now. 'How dare you skip all of those introductions? I raised you better than that. Do you know how many kingdoms you just pissed off by ignoring their princesses?' "Usagi, we should get back before someone notices that we went missing. Here, take my coat. Your clothes are still damp. We don't want you catching a cold."

"It's a little late for that. I guarantee you that Mina is already thinking of what she is going to say to me after she finds out that I am safe. She is probably worried to death. I wouldn't be surprised if she is out looking for me." Said Usagi as they set off for the castle.

"Wow. She must really care about you."

"We are sisters you know." Well, basically. We grew up together, so it's not a lie.

"I know, but every pair of sisters I have ever seen normally hate each other because their parents favor the prettiest of the two because she normally gets the biggest dowry."

"Our parents loved us both the same. We did everything together. Nothing can separate us." Mother did treat us the same. She often referred to Mina as her second daughter.

"It's nice to hear that not all of the subkingdoms are barbaric. That is the one thing that I like about the planetary kingdoms. They let their children pick their own spouses as long as they are of noble blood. They refuse to force them into marriage. Are you okay?" asked Endymion when he noticed that her complexion turned extremely pale.

"Uh... yeah. Have you received any news from the planetary kingdoms?"

"No. They don't like us and we don't like them. We only contact each other when it is dire that we talk. The last time we talked was when the Moon Kingdom wanted us to join the alliance. Our ambassadors said we would only join if the Moon would not require us to bow down to them. They said the only way that would happen is when the two kingdoms were joined by marriage. I have never seen anyone as angry as Queen Selenity was when our ambassadors suggested the marriage between her daughter and me. She said she would never force her daughter into marriage because she loved her too much and wanted her to be happy. She said her daughter was not some piece of property that she could just go and trade. She kicked us off the Moon telling us to come back when we knew how to treat people. One thing is for sure, and that is that she knew how to treat people. Because of that I kind of liked her. I can't wait to become King so I can change things." There will be a lot of things I change. First I will outlaw this nonsense about women being less than men. Look at Mina. She can beat Malachite at archery, a man's sport. It is terrible that women get traded like property. Second, I don't see why servants must be forced to call me 'Your Highness.' I would rather have them call me Darien. I practically grew up with some of them.

Usagi turned away from Endymion as they were walking so he would not see the tears that streamed down her face. I always wondered why she did not care if they had Earth in the alliance. I miss her so much. Why do people have to screw up other people's lives? Why do people have to turn out different than you expected them to be? He is so sweet. He truly cares about his people. I just wish he cared about me like I am starting to care about him. The castle was coming into view. They walked in silence until they reached it.

"Well, I would love to walk you up to your room, but I have a lot of explaining to do to my parents. I suggest you go and stop your sister from worrying." "Okay. Hey! Do you think that stranger had anything to do with the ice?"

"I'm not sure." But I will find out. If it was Beryl, so help me God. "Have a good day Usagi."

"You too, Endy. For the record, I had a good time."

"I'm glad to hear that." Said Endymion as he walked away smiling on the inside. She had a good time. I think… never mind. Usagi went in the opposite direction towards Mina's room.

Mina's Room:

"Serena! Oh Selene! I was so worried! Where were you? Iwentaroundthepalaceaskingaboutyouandtheprince…"

"Slow down Mina."

Okay. I went around the palace asking about you and the prince, but no one seemed to know where you went. I bumped into General Malachite who spent all night trying to comfort me by saying that Da-the prince wouldn't let anything happen to you. I was so worried! What if something happened to you? Serena, the universe needs you to protect it from Daeva. I need you! You are my princess and best friend. If I lose you, I have nothing! Don't scare me like that ever again!" ranted Mina as she threw her arms around Serena and realized that Serena wasn't listening to a single word she said. "What is wrong with you!" asked Mina while taking a step back to look at her.

"Me, oh nothing. I just had an excellent time. What do you mean by General Malachite spent the whole night trying to comfort you? And stop calling me Serena and speaking about Daeva! What if someone were to hear you?"

"Don't you dare scold me. I am not telling you anything until you tell me about what happened. But first, I suggest you take a bath. You look like you've been sleeping with the horses! And, you smell really bad."

"Thank you Mina. I feel so much better now. I think I will go and drown myself now. Have a good life." Usagi laughed and went to take her bath and came out smelling like strawberries. She had a simple light blue sundress and put a housecoat over it. She picked up the rose that Endymion had given her earlier and started to recall her night for Mina. She left out the naked part of the incident. Mina won't notice that if I were not of royal Lunar blood I would have died without his body heat.

"You like him don't you S-Usagi?" I don't care if she denies it. I am not stupid. She likes him. In this time of chaos, he may be good for her.

"No! Well, maybe a little." She received a sharp glare from Mina that said 'You're lying.' "Okay, maybe a lot. There! You got me to admit it! Now spill about General Malachite!"

"Okay okay! I was running around in hysteria, worrying about you, and I ran into him. He prevented me from falling, pulling me close to his amazing godly body. He asked me what was wrong and I told him that you went with the prince and should have been back two hours ago. He picked me up and carried me to my room while I was crying because I can't lose you. He sat on my bed and held me, telling me that the prince would never let anything happen to the people he is with, especially when they are the person that his best friend cares about's sister. (A/N: And that makes sense? Why not.) At that point, I broke down crying even more. He said he cared about me Usagi! I asked him if he was trying to trick me into not entering the archery contest and he said never in a million years. He said he couldn't wait for the contest because then he could put me in my place. I guaranteed him that would be impossible to do. I then hugged him and fell asleep in his arms. You should have been there Usagi! He was so sweet to me." I am so happy he cares about me. Maybe I should let him win the contest to make him feel special. Nah! I think I will beat him anyway.

"It sounds like you had a good time without me. I am really tired, so I am going to sleep. When lunch time arrives, can you have them bring my food up to me?"

"Sure, I am going to be at the food hall, so don't worry when I'm not here. Oh, and by the way another letter came for us. It's over there on the dresser."

"Thanks Mina. I'll read it later. Goodnight." Usagi went and lay down on Mina's bed and fell asleep.

During Usagi's Nap:

Endymion took his time getting to his parents' chamber. He wanted to delay the yelling as much as he could, but when reached their chamber, it was already in process, although it was not about him. He knocked on the door. "Is everything alright." Here goes nothing.

"What do you mean 'is everything alright?' No. Everything is not all right. You were gone all night last night. You missed seven introductions Darien. Seven!" started King Dareios.

"Dareios stop that yelling! There are bigger things on hand. Darien, darling, you know our current situation with the Moon Kingdom, yes?" said Queen Gaia.

"Yes, Mother. Of course I know. I was there when we were told to come back when we knew how to treat people, remember?"

"There is a problem you see. The…"

"We lost contact with them around the beginning of the ball. We sent several ambassadors to go and find out why, but they found the kingdom torn to shreds, and they found the queen's dead body. Someone completely annihilated everything. There was not a single living soul anywhere. We need you to pick a wife, and soon. If something can destroy a kingdom that powerful, we need to be prepared. Today is your last day of your introductions. Tomorrow is the competitions. And, the next day you will announce your engagement at the end of the ball. That is my final word. We need to be prepared for a battle, for it is surely coming." Explained Dareios.

"Destroyed? What could do that?"

"We don't know darling. We don't know. You see why it is crucial that you pick a wife?"

"Yes. I think I already know who I will pick."

"Delightful. Now go and make sure she is your pick. Whoever she is, she must know how to handle things when they get tough. Remember that."

"Yes Mother. What did you do with queen's body?

"We had it brought back here and are preserving it until someone from the other planets claims it so they can give it a proper burial. If by the time the ball is done and no one comes for it, we will bury it. She deserves that at the least."

"I agree. She deserves that at the least. I must get going to lunch before the princesses start getting uneasy."

"Go Darien, and tell the generals I need to see them."

"Yes Father."

In Space:

"Queen Daeva?" asked a fearful servant.

"What do you want?"

"I have a message from your daughter."

"Go ahead. What does that brat want?"

"She said she has managed to get about 1/5 of the princesses to go home. She said she is close to securing the prince. She also said that that Princess Usagi and Mina are getting on her nerves. She tried to have Usagi drowned by weakening the ice that she was skating on. I guess the prince pulled her out of the water and she was awake and moving this morning. Princess Beryl said she suspects something of those two. According to her servant, they keep asking a lot of questions that they should know the answers to."

"Really?"

"Yes, your majesty."

"Go and send for the girls. Tell them I have a mission."

"Yes, your majesty."

Lunch:

Usagi woke up to the knocking on her door. "Oomph. hoo iz eh?" Usagi grumbled and cleared her throat. "Who is it?"

"It is Molly with your lunch."

"Come in." Usagi rolled herself out of bed and went over to the dresser to look at the note that Mina told her about.

Dear Princess Usagi and Princess Mina,

I hope that your introductions went well. I would like to inform you of some upcoming events. Tomorrow will be a day of various competitions. Everyone is free to enter any of them. Prince Endymion and his generals will be entering some of them. The winner of each competition gets a bag of treasure of their choice. The most popular competitions are as follows: Archery, ice-skating, dancing, equestrian races, and fencing. A full list of all the competitions can be found in the sheet of paper that accompanied this letter. If you would like to join any of them, please let Molly know so she can make sure the preparations are made. I highly recommend that you join one of the competitions. The prince has to personally give the prize to the winner. It would be beneficial to gaining his attention, not that you need it.

Have a nice day, Aspasia, Royal Welcomer

"Hey Molly? What can you tell me about these competitions?"

"Well. They are held annually, and everyone is allowed to join. I know the people of lower classes like these competitions because it gets them recognized and a chance to move their family up a class. The prince and his generals always enter the same competitions. They are always the ones with the most people because it would be a huge feat to beat them. The three most common ones are archery, fencing, and ice-skating. General Malachite has never lost to anyone in the archery contest and Prince Endymion has never lost in the fencing or ice-skating, although General Jedite normally ties with Prince Endymion in the ice skating competition. I also know that General Zoicite has never lost at swimming. And, General Nephlite was only beaten once in hunting, and that was by my father. You see the trick is to not kill the game. You lose points if you do. I remember when I was little Father entered in the hunting competition and beat General Nephlite. He got first pick of all the treasures and chose a bag full of gold. He used that money to start up his jewelry shop and Mother's clothing shop. Because he was known for beating General Nephlite, people bought from us. Because of that competition, my family was able to get out of poverty and gain the title of Madame and Monsieur. They are really great."

"So, Prince Endymion has never lost at ice-skating or fencing, huh?"

"Never."

"I think I may need to change that. Molly, can you sign me up…" and Usagi started her scheming. A few minutes later Mina came in.

"Whacha doing?"

"Having Molly sign me up for a competition."

"Oh good, she's here. Hey Molly could you put me in the archery contest?"

"Sure thing Princess Mina. Well, I must get going to work on my chores. Have a good afternoon your highnesses."

"Thank you. You too Molly!" yelled Usagi as Molly left. "So how was your lunch?" asked Usagi as she sat down to eat hers.

"Well, I was hoping to see Malachite, but no luck. Actually, none of the generals were at lunch. Endymion said something about the king needing them. I am a little concerned. Why would the king need them?"

"He probably just wants to make sure they're up to speed on their battle tactics. I know Mother often would do that randomly. You know, when going through long periods of peace, you need to make sure the protectors of your nation are not losing strength from being bereft of battle."

"I'm sure it hasn't been that long since they were in a battle. You are always talking about how they are always at war."

"Well, I over exaggerated a little. I am starting to disbelieve all of the stories I was told about when I was little."

"Really? Somehow I am too. I think it is because they are wrong!" said Mina with a little emphasis on wrong, actually a lot of emphasis.

"Oh, blow it out your ass. I've already admitted defeat to you about my feelings. There is no way that I am going to feel defeated for believing what I was told as a child from the advisors of the Moon."

"I didn't ask you to."

"Good, because I was not going to."

"Well, I know two things for sure. One is that I am going to beat Malachite at the archery contest and the other is that you are going to beat Endymion at the ice-skating contest. I can't wait for tomorrow."

"Me either." Said Usagi. If you only knew. "Hey Mina, I need to practice for the contest, so I am going to be gone for the rest of the evening until dinner, so don't be worried."

"Okay. I'll be out and about, so if I am not here don't worry. Besides, I know that you'll be at the ice rink. So, I'll be seeing you later." Maybe I should go and practice, too.

"Sure." I hope she doesn't come looking for me.

The two girls separated and went their own ways.

After their parting:

Mina left the room with intentions of going outside to practice, but ran into an unexpected figure that looked extremely pissed. "Where is your sister?" demanded the red head.

"It is none of your business, so just go away."

"So, she came back?"

"What do you mean 'she came back?' Wait. It was you!"

"I don't know what you are talking about."

"Sure you don't. And if you must really know, she is off practicing for the competition tomorrow that she will enter and beat Darien at."

"How dare you call him Darien! Only his friends are allowed!"

"Well, he asked me to, unlike other people I know."

"And what are you implying?"

"You know perfectly well what I am implying. Now go away. You're bugging me." Mina turned around to continue in the direction she was going, but got pulled face to face with the angry red head.

"I'll tell you this once more. It would be very beneficial for your life to stay away from Darien. He is mine, and people don't mess with what is mine. You'd think that from the incident with your sister, you would learn something. Although, I don't get how she healed so fast. Most people would be in a coma state for a week." Wait a minute! Mother have I got something to tell you. With that thought Beryl started grinning.

"What are you grinning about?"

"Nothing. Excuse me, I have some business to attend to."

"What the hell?" What was that about? She knows something that she is not sharing. It doesn't matter. I have other business to attend to. I wonder if he is at the stables. I think I will check.

Mina continued her journey and went to the stables. What she saw there surprised her. Instead of the normal few people crowd, there was a huge load of people. Not your everyday people, but soldiers were there. What is going on? It looks like they're getting ready for war. But with who? There's Mally. "General Malachite?"

The white haired man looked down from his horse to see his angel. "Hello Princess Mina. I am quite busy at the moment, but what can I do for you?" I wonder what she is doing here? What a stupid question to ask, you idiot. Well, I'm not stupid. Why am I arguing with myself? Because you are stupid. Shut up. It's not that weird if she is here. She probably was looking for some time to practice, since she needs it so much. No she doesn't. Have you ever heard of sarcasm? Oh. Sorry. I wonder what she wants. I don't know. Let's find out.

"What is going on? It looks like you are going to war of something."

"Ummm… nothing. I-i-it's just a routine check up on the soldiers to make sure that they are ready at all times for whatever may come our way."

"Uh huh. I have a wager for the competition."

"Really? What" This should be good.

"Since you are obviously lying to me, if I win you tell me the truth while we are at the dinner that you will also take me to if we win."

"What if I win?" You little minx. You think that you are going to win? Ha! I know.

"What do you want?"

"Hmm… what do I want? How about a kiss, and don't just mean a little peck. And who knows, maybe a little more than that."

Mina responded without the slightest blush or any signification of what she was feeling inside. "Consider it done." Oh… My… Gosh! He wants me.

"Let's shake on it, then I have to get back to checking the riding Calvary."

"Alright." They shook hands and Mina headed back to her room having what she wanted, but before she got out of hearing distance, she shouted at him. "Be prepared for dinner tomorrow! It had better be the best restaurant you know of!" He just chuckled at her and went back to what he was doing.

At Mina's Room:

By the time that Mina had gotten back to her room, she had an hour and a half before dinner. She figured that Usagi was out practicing her skating form and went to take a nice long hot bath. She picked out a simple peach halter top gown with a translucent peach scarf to match. When she got out of the bath she found Usagi sitting on her bed in a light pink silk dress with a low v-line neck. (A/N: Imagine Hollywood.) "Are you ready to go?" asked Usagi impatiently.

"In a hurry are we? How did practice go?" asked Mina with a quirked eyebrow.

"It went fine. I will win for sure tomorrow. I can't wait to see the look on his face when I win. Now, lets go to dinner so that he can see the lady I am. It will increase his shock tomorrow."

Sort of understood what Usagi was talking about, but not as much as she would like. How would being a lady shock him that she can ice skate? I guess I will just have to find out tomorrow. "Alright. I'm starving to the point that I think I might eat like you do."

"What are you saying? I have manners!"

"Oh course you do. Let's go."

At Dinner:

The girls went to dinner to find that neither Endymion nor his generals were there. Instead the Queen herself was there. "Hello ladies. I am sorry that my son could not attend dinner tonight. We have been extremely busy as of late. I hope that you signed up for the competitions that will take place tomorrow. There are fabulous jewels and fabrics and all sorts of valuables that you can win. I, myself, have been known to enter a few of them. Then, as you know, the following day is the ball. I do hope that you ladies have enjoyed yourselves while here. I know that Endymion has enjoyed spending time with you. Please enjoy your dinner. I have things to attend to." The Queen gave a slight bow and went to do whatever she had to do and left the girls to gossip among themselves.

"I wonder what's going on. I've seen a lot of action from the armed forces." Started one princess.

"I know what you mean. When Father sent me a letter to check on how things are going with the prince, he mentioned that the King had ordered that he make sure our armies are up to date on their training."

"Yeah, my parents said something about that, too. Does anyone know what's going on? It seems like we are getting ready for war, but with who?"

"Oh dear God! The Moon is finally going to try and force us to submit to them! Heaven save us!"

"Please! That is the most absurd thing I have ever heard! The Moon Kingdom? Honestly. What is wrong with you! Have they ever tried to harm you? No! Have they ever tried to force you into doing anything that you don't want to do? No! They let you walk off of the moon without joining the Alliance. Why would they try to force you when they don't need you!" yelled out an exasperated Usagi as she thought of her mother doing something like this. It is the most absurd thing I have ever heard of! We would never do that.

"Since you seem to know so much, who are we going to war against?"

"I don't know."

"I do." Began the infamous red head known as Beryl. "No one. The King and Queen want to make sure that the armies of Earth are prepared for anything. You never know when something will happen." Thank God that is all it is. I am so happy that they know nothing about our plans.

"And how do you know this Beryl!" snapped one of the princesses.

"Because when my father was having lunch with King Dareios, the King told him so. But then, you wouldn't understand seeing as how your parents don't have meals with King Dareios and Queen Gaia." The princess that Beryl was referring to blushed and dismissed herself. The rest of the princesses decided not to comment anymore on the subject and returned to their dinners.

Usagi and Mina both decided that they had enough of the conversation too and left, but before they got out the door Beryl called to them. "Usagi, how would you know what the moon would do? For all you know it might not even exist anymore. I mean, your father's kingdom is so small, I can't imagine that he would be high enough to know information like that." Beryl knew that she struck a nerve and was extremely happy with it. I knew it. This will be much easier than we thought.

"I probably know more about the Moon Kingdom than you do all of Earth. I have my resources. Now if you will excuse me, I am feeling a little dirty. I can't believe I was actually talking to you. I need to make sure to clean my eyes of your sight and ears of your voice. I think I am going to throw up." With that as a final note, Usagi and Mina exited the room and went up to their rooms, leaving an extremely pissed off Beryl.

Usagi's Room:

"That was excellent Usagi! The look on her face when we left, it was excellent."

"Thank you Mina. Do you have any idea with what is going on? Ever since I got back this morning I haven't had time to talk to Endymion."

"Well actually, I talked to Malachite this afternoon. He said the same horse crap that Beryl did, but he said he would tell me the truth later." Well, he will after I beat him. Thought Mina with a smirk.

Usagi decided not to comment on that smirk and excused herself to go to bed saying she had practiced vigorously this afternoon and after dinner all she needed was a bit of rest. Mina complied and went to her room figuring she could use the sleep, too.

Yay for another finished chapter! I know it took me a little bit longer than I normally take, but I was busy all week last week. I had this major essay to write on the play "Antigone." Then, for band, I had district solo and ensemble on Saturday. (If you don't know what that is, it is where you go and play and piece of music in front of a judge and they give you a score from, I think, 4 to 1. One is the best, and if you get a 1 you get to go to states.) I was busy practicing all week for my flute solo, a duet with a clarinet, and a flute trio. I am proud to say that I got a one all three of my pieces. As always, look out for the next chapter in 1 to 2 weeks.

MoonFee