Chapter 8
"Mother?"
"SERENITY!" The cry, loud and shrill with terror, sliced through the still, afternoon air in the Lunarian royal gardens. Princess Serenity, startled by the cry, shrieked and ran from her mother's side, tearing through the gardens, traveling further and further from the palace. The Queen, of course, took off after her daughter, calling for her, urging her to return. As she ran, the trees and bushes stretched their branches toward her as if to hold her back. They slapped at the Queen as she pushed forward, tearing at her face, her hair, her clothes, but she ignored them, intent on her child.
"Wait, my daughter!" Serenity cried. "My love, wait!" But the princess did not wait, and she did not reply. She simply kept running. Her mother kept after her, but as the plants grew rapidly across her path, the distance between them grew as well. A thick, fat vine coiled itself around Serenity's ankle and pulled her leg out from under her, spilling her to the ground and knocking the breath from her body more vines shot out to wrap around her other ankle, her wrists, waist, and throat. Tightening their hold, they dragged her backwards, away from her daughter.
"No!" Serenity cried weakly. "Wait! My child!" The princess' voice floated to her from somewhere far off.
"Go, Mother! It is you our celestial mother called for!" Before Serenity could process what she had just heard, a crash of thunder cut into her thoughts. Raising her eyes to the sky, she saw bruised and angry clouds rolling ominously in from the west-the direction in which Princess Serenity had disappeared. Bright white lightning arced across the blackened sky, tearing the clouds open and unleashing a torrent of rain. Serenity drew in her breath sharply and threw back her head, struggling violently against the rapidly rising waters around her and the vines that kept her from rising to avoid them. Raindrops stabbed her face like a thousand icy needles, filling her mouth and nose, choking her, getting into her lungs when she tried to swallow. Around her, the flood waters rose higher and higher until finally, the broken surface of the water came together over the Queen's silver head, creating a smooth, pristine wall to seal her within her flowing, deadly prison. Her salt tears blending with the waves pulsing around her, Serenity opened her mouth to release a desperate scream.
Her cry sounded feeble to her own ears, but it was enough to snap the vines, and wash away the flood waters. Freed from the nightmare, Serenity sat up in her bed and greedily gulped air. When the pain in her lungs had eased, the Queen placed a trembling hand over her breast, feeling her racing heart pulse against her palm with the awe of a child. How frightened she felt! How she shook with worry! It had been just a nightmare. That much was clear. But how real it had seemed! It seemed so real that even now she could not calm herself.
No, she realized with a start. It is not the nightmare that troubles me. Something is wrong. Here and now, something is terribly wrong! It was then that she heard the quiet sobbing within her mind. Although it lacked the sheer volume and wailing quality she had become accustomed to, Serenity knew, beyond a shadow of a doubt, to whom the cry belonged. By all the gods! Hotaru! Launching herself from her bed, Serenity tore through the palace, and then, flew across the fields towards the Crystal Tower. She did not even pause to acknowledge the guards, but threw herself against the door and barreled up the Crystal Stair. It was no ordinary worry that had Hotaru crying this time. This was not a cry of discomfort or hunger. There was fear, pain, and despair in this cry. Please, gods! Serenity thought desperately. Please let Hotaru be all right.
Serenity pushed open the door to the room at the top of the Crystal Stair, swung behind the shrine, and gasped, gaping in horror at the sight that met her eyes.
Hotaru was gone. Her cradle had been smashed to pieces, and her garments lie in tatters around it. Huddled on the cold, hard floor, surrounded by the pieces of Hotaru's broken cradle and torn clothing, was a small, dark- haired girl child, naked as the day she was born. The shivering child rocked back and forth as she sobbed quietly, her face buried in her tiny hands, with her short, chubby legs drawn up to her chest. She barely looked five years of age. Serenity wanted to scream at the child, to take her by the shoulders, shake her, and demand to know where Hotaru was, but she controlled herself. She fairly certain it was not the girl who was responsible for Hotaru's disappearance. Besides, it would never do to have the child too frightened to say what she knew. Swallowing her anger and fear, Serenity marched up to the child, and knelt beside her.
"Little one," she called softly, brushing sweat-soaked hairs off the girl's pale forehead. "Little one, are you alright?" From that naked, quivering pile of girl-child, there came a weak little whimper, no louder than the cry of a newborn kitten.
"I am afraid," the girl whispered. "I am pathetic. They hurt me. They hurt me to make me not be pathetic." Serenity felt her stomach turn to stone. Someone had hurt this child? Had she come to the Crystal Tower seeking refuge, only to be met with more violence from whoever had taken Hotaru? Serenity quickly glanced over the child. Sure enough, large, angry bruises were forming on her back-most like the token of someone's rough hand. Gently, Serenity smoothed the girl's hair.
"Shhh," she whispered soothingly. "Fear not, little one. You are safe here. I will not let anyone hurt you." A sob died in the child's throat. Timidly, she opened her pudgy fingers to peer up at Serenity through the spaces between them. Her large, violet eyes grew even larger as they took in the High Queen.
"Mother?" she whimpered, sounding awed. Serenity stifled a scream, for she knew in her heart that she was staring into the violet eyes of Hotaru of Saturn. Hotaru, crying out in joy and wild relief, threw herself into Serenity's arms, wrapping her arms around the Queen's neck.
"Mother!" she wailed into Serenity's shoulder. "Mother, you are here!" Serenity awkwardly returned the child's embrace, too astonished to speak. It was not being called Mother that surprised her. After all, she had been caring for Hotaru since her birth. She supposed it was only natural that the girl should come to think of Serenity as her mother. Rather, it was the fact that it seemed Hotaru had aged five years over mere hours!
"Sweet Selene, child, what happened to you?" Serenity whispered, feeling Hotaru stiffen at the mention of the goddess. Snuggling closer to the Queen, Hotaru pressed her dark head to her breast and screwed her eyes shut.
"They.they said I was pathetic. They hurt me to make me not be pathetic anymore. They.said you were.dead."
"Who?" Serenity asked. "Who said I was dead?" Hotaru's tear-stained face scrunched up as she concentrated, trying to remember who had proclaimed the Queen was lost.
"I.I don't remember," she whimpered at last, sounding on the verge of tears. "Oh, Mother, I am so afraid!" Serenity held the child close, rocking her gently to calm her.
"Do not be afraid, little firefly," she said reassuringly, even as her own heart thundered with dread. "No one will hurt you. I will not let them."
"Do you promise?" Hotaru sniffled.
"Of course, I promise, little one," Serenity answered, and kissed the crown of the girl's dark head. "Now, though, we must find you something to wear." Hotaru looked down at herself, a startled expression upon her little face, as if she had just realized that she was naked.
"Oh!" she exclaimed, touching her lips. "You are right!" A ghost of a smile touched Serenity's lips as she released Hotaru, and draped the blanket from the ruined cradle about her bare shoulders. Hotaru pulled the blanket tightly around herself, waiting patiently as Serenity stole into the corner to collect the disguise she had used so many months ago when she had gone to rescue Hotaru from facing her mother's fate; she had never taken it from the tower. As best she could, she dressed Hotaru in the drab garment, tying knots in the cloth at choice locations so that the outfit would not fall off the girl's tiny body. Hotaru sat patiently throughout the entire process, never once complaining about the size or coarseness of the garment. After several minutes of tying and adjusting, Serenity raised the garment's hood over the child's black hair, and sat back on her heels to study her handiwork.
"I know it is far too large for you, Firefly," she said apologetically. "I promise that I'll find something more suited for you as soon as I can."
"This is fine, Mother," Hotaru said cheerfully, grinning up at the Queen from underneath her hood. Serenity smiled back. I will look through my daughter's old clothes tonight. I am sure I will find something.Suddenly, thinking of her daughter, staring into Hotaru's young face, fear arose within Serenity, so full and strong that she had to bite her lip to keep from screaming. Obviously, something very unnatural had occurred tonight. Something-or someone-had hurt Hotaru, and caused her to age rapidly. Looking into a face that appeared almost five years of age before it was a year old, Serenity could not help but think, darkness. And that, inevitably lead her to think of the nightmares that had been haunting her. Hotaru was older in those dreams. She wore a Sailor Soldier's uniform. She carried a bloody glaive. She was called the Promise Child. She was allied with the dark gods.
She killed Princess Serenity.
You may have to choose between your daughter and Hotaru. Forcing herself to smile, Serenity took Hotaru by the shoulders, looking her in the eye.
"Hotaru, dear, I must go for now, but I shall be back soon. If you need me for anything, you need only call, alright?" Hotaru nodded her understanding, and Serenity bolted from the Crystal Tower, tearing across the fields towards the Silver Palace.
She did not stop running until her daughter's chamber door was in sight. Once there, however, she slowed down. Although she longed to fling the door open, longed to know that the princess was safely asleep behind it, she forced herself to move slowly, so as not to wake her daughter. It would not help her situation any to have Princess Serenity alerted to the fact that her mother was hiding something.
The sliver of light coming from underneath the princess' door encouraged her mother. She did not doubt that the girl was within her chambers. Perhaps she could not sleep, and had put light to her lamp in order that she might read, or play with her treasures. Perhaps one of the Sailor Guardians was with her. Perhaps they were dressing one another's hair, or putting paint on their faces to make themselves pretty. Serenity smiled, remembering her own girlhood, when she had done such things with her own guardians when they could not sleep. Gently, she turned the knob, and opened the door, just enough to see inside.
"My darling, I." Serenity trailed off. There was a single lamp lit upon her child's bedside table, but the princess was nowhere to be seen. Her unmade bed was empty. With a cry, Serenity surrendered to her earlier desires, flinging open the door and throwing herself into the room. Her blue-violet eyes scanned the chamber frantically, searching for her child and not finding her. Trembling violently, Serenity lowered herself onto the bed, forcing herself to keep breathing. Stay calm, she told herself. She is probably wandering about somewhere. Simply find her presence and call for her. Retreating within her mind, Serenity probed the depths of her subconscious, searching for the soft silver glow of her daughter's life energy. Her soul's searching fingers brushed Martian fire and Mercurian ice. They dipped into a salty Neptunian wave, and felt the cool caress of an Uraniun breeze. But there was no silver glow. Princess Serenity had closed herself off to her mother.
A piercing scream of terror echoed through the palace, yanking all who heard it from their slumber. Lamps were lit upon several bedside tables. The Sailor Guardians, each fully transformed, leapt from their bedchambers into the hallway, ready to fight for their Queen and princess. Four pairs of eyes darted about, searching for the threat, and came to rest on Queen Serenity racing down the hallway towards them.
"Majesty!" Sailor Venus called, hurrying to meet the Queen. "Majesty, what's the matter?"
"My daughter!" Serenity wailed. "My daughter is gone!" Frightened glances and murmurs of alarm passed between the Sailor Soldiers.
"Stay calm, my Queen," Mars said. "We will find Sere. We need only." she trailed off, her horrified expression matching those of her three comrades, and Serenity knew they had discovered what she already knew.
"She has closed herself off to us," Mercury said needlessly. Serenity nodded tearfully.
"She has. Either that or she is." The Queen's voice cracked with emotion. She pressed her knuckle to her mouth, unable to finish her sentence. Jupiter shook her head fiercely.
"Do not think such things, Majesty. If Sere were dead, we would have felt it long before now."
"Jupiter is correct," Venus agreed. "I am certain Sere is about. We will find her. Come. Mars, you search the western wings. Mercury, you head towards the southern wings. Jupiter, you take the northern quarters, I shall cover the eastern." The other three soldiers nodded their consent.
"I shall search the gardens," Serenity declared, prompting a nod from Venus.
"Very well," she agreed, and turned to the other soldiers. "If anyone encounters Artemis, or Luna, or anyone else, make certain to tell them what is happening. I am sure they will be only too willing to help search for our princess." There were murmurs of agreement, and the Sailor Soldiers were off on the hunt. Serenity hastened to the gardens. Along the way, she encountered her feline advisors, and several other servants. All of them agreed to help look for the reigning princess with worried expressions upon their faces. The princess was as well-loved as her mother, and her disappearance was surely a cause for alarm.
The Queen tried to maintain a spirit of optimism as she hurried along the empty paths in the royal gardens. But as the minutes drained away, and her search still yielded no results, Serenity began to despair. Sinking wearily onto a bench, she buried her face in her hands, and wept bitterly, frustrated questions tumbling through her mind. Where, oh where was her child? Why had she closed herself off to her mother and friends? What if she was hurt? Or worse? What if her nightmares truly had been warning her that caring for Hotaru would lead to her daughter's death? Had she just killed her own, beloved child? The thought was more than Serenity could bear.
No. Princess Serenity was not dead. She could not be dead. Jupiter was right. If the princess had been killed, the loss of her presence would have been sudden and painful. No matter how slow and peaceful the death was, even in her deepest slumber, Serenity would have awakened, and known instantly that she was feeling her daughter's soul leave her body. That she had not noticed the princess' presence fade from her mind was a sure sign that the girl was alive. And if that were so.
Serenity gasped aloud. When one closed herself off to another whom her soul was joined with, it prevented that other from feeling her presence, or hearing her speak through her mind. It kept an enemy from tracing either party through the other. But although the other party would not be able to hear the first speak, that did not mean that she could not be heard herself. If the princess had closed herself off to the Queen, it meant that the Queen would not be able to feel the princess' presence, or hear her speak. But the Queen could still speak to her. If the princess were truly alive, she would be able to hear her mother's call. The Queen shut her eyes tightly and drew in a deep breath.
SERENITY! She cried, throwing all her power into the call. SERENITY! Several tense moments crawled by. Serenity did not move. She stayed within her mind, intently searching for her daughter's silver glow.
Please, she begged. Please, my daughter. Please return to me. Silence answered her. The Queen's shoulders sagged in despair. Then, suddenly, a silvery light flared within her mind. Serenity's heart leapt to her throat.
Majesty! Mars' voice was jubilant within her mind. Majesty! She is here! Sere is here!
Where? Serenity demanded.
In my chambers, my mother, was the princess' quiet reply. Leaping up from the bench, Serenity gathered up her skirts and raced towards the palace, although she barely had the breath for such exertion. Although her daughter's return was certainly felicitous, it was just as certainly marred by the circumstances surrounding her disappearance, and Serenity refused to
be satisfied until she knew where the princess had gone to, and saw that she was unharmed. Princess Serenity was indeed within her chambers. Mars and the other Sailor Guardians were with her, hugging and scolding and expressing their deepest relief. They fell silent upon their Queen's approach. Serenity paused for a moment in the doorway to take in the sight of her child, sitting stiffly upon her bed, staring blankly into her lap, where her hands lay neatly folded. Her face betrayed no emotion, and there was certainly nothing upon it to indicate where she had been. Thankfully, there also did not seem to be any evidence that she had been hurt at all. Choking on a sob, Serenity rushed forward to take the girl in her arms. Princess Serenity's willowy arms slid around her mother, returning her embrace.
"Oh, my daughter!" Serenity breathed. "Are you all right? Where were you?"
"I am fine, Mother," Young Serenity assured her. "I went to the skating pond." Startled, Serenity pulled back to look her daughter in the eye.
"The skating pond?" she exclaimed. "By all the gods, what were you doing there?"
"Skating," the princess replied. "I could not sleep."
"And why did you not come to me? Or go to one of the Sailor Guardians, or Lysa?"
"I did not wish to disturb you. It appears I was not quite successful." She smiled timidly, but her mother fixed a stern eye upon her, and the smile faded from her lips.
"I, too, happened to be restless, daughter," the Queen said grimly. "I passed by your chambers, and decided to look in on you. Can you imagine my distress when I found that you were not here? And can you think how much more frightened I was when I discovered that you had closed yourself to me? What in the cosmos possessed you to sever your link to me and the Guardians?"
"I.I thought that it might wake you when I teleported," Young Serenity said lamely. The look in her eyes made it clear that she knew how feeble her argument sounded. Serenity rolled her eyes, sighing.
"My love, I mind not if you go down to the skating pond if you are unable to sleep. But should I awaken and find that you are not in your bed, my bond with you is the only thing I have to let me know that you are safe. If, Selene forbid, you were to be kidnapped, the link you share with the Sailor Guardians and me is the only method we have of finding you! You know better than to close yourself to us, except under extreme circumstances!" Young Serenity hung her golden head guiltily.
"I know, Mother," she whispered. "I am sorry." Serenity sighed again, and tenderly brushed stray hairs off her daughter's beautiful face.
"I know you are. I am not angry. Just promise me this will be the last time you pull such a stunt." The princess nodded.
"I promise," she agreed as her mother pulled her into a tight embrace.
"Oh, my precious one, I love you so," the Queen said softly. "You are the only child I will ever have. The thought of losing you is more than I can bear."
"I love you, too, Mother," Young Serenity answered. The Queen felt her fear melting away. Her daughter was safe in her arms, and Hotaru was safe within the Crystal Tower. There had been no death, no fatal choice. On the other hand, the fact remained that Hotaru's body and mind had aged five years that night. Could she still be forced to choose? Could the princess' momentary disappearance have been another warning? No. No, it could not be. The princess had been restless. She had gone to the skating pond. And why had she closed herself off to them? Could Serenity believe that the girl had done something so dangerous purely out of consideration for the slumber of her mother and friends? Serenity held her daughter closer. She had to believe it. She would lose her mind if she believed anything else.
Had the Queen been less distracted, she might have noticed the furtive glance her daughter took at her skates, lying in the corner. As much as the princess loved her skates, she hated caring for them. When she returned from a trip to the skating pond, she would leave her skates in the corner, where melting snow and ice left a dirty puddle on the princess' floor. Not now, though. The skates, and the floor beneath them, were perfectly dry.
**************************************************************************** **
Ha! See, I told you I'd be quicker with this chap!
"SERENITY!" The cry, loud and shrill with terror, sliced through the still, afternoon air in the Lunarian royal gardens. Princess Serenity, startled by the cry, shrieked and ran from her mother's side, tearing through the gardens, traveling further and further from the palace. The Queen, of course, took off after her daughter, calling for her, urging her to return. As she ran, the trees and bushes stretched their branches toward her as if to hold her back. They slapped at the Queen as she pushed forward, tearing at her face, her hair, her clothes, but she ignored them, intent on her child.
"Wait, my daughter!" Serenity cried. "My love, wait!" But the princess did not wait, and she did not reply. She simply kept running. Her mother kept after her, but as the plants grew rapidly across her path, the distance between them grew as well. A thick, fat vine coiled itself around Serenity's ankle and pulled her leg out from under her, spilling her to the ground and knocking the breath from her body more vines shot out to wrap around her other ankle, her wrists, waist, and throat. Tightening their hold, they dragged her backwards, away from her daughter.
"No!" Serenity cried weakly. "Wait! My child!" The princess' voice floated to her from somewhere far off.
"Go, Mother! It is you our celestial mother called for!" Before Serenity could process what she had just heard, a crash of thunder cut into her thoughts. Raising her eyes to the sky, she saw bruised and angry clouds rolling ominously in from the west-the direction in which Princess Serenity had disappeared. Bright white lightning arced across the blackened sky, tearing the clouds open and unleashing a torrent of rain. Serenity drew in her breath sharply and threw back her head, struggling violently against the rapidly rising waters around her and the vines that kept her from rising to avoid them. Raindrops stabbed her face like a thousand icy needles, filling her mouth and nose, choking her, getting into her lungs when she tried to swallow. Around her, the flood waters rose higher and higher until finally, the broken surface of the water came together over the Queen's silver head, creating a smooth, pristine wall to seal her within her flowing, deadly prison. Her salt tears blending with the waves pulsing around her, Serenity opened her mouth to release a desperate scream.
Her cry sounded feeble to her own ears, but it was enough to snap the vines, and wash away the flood waters. Freed from the nightmare, Serenity sat up in her bed and greedily gulped air. When the pain in her lungs had eased, the Queen placed a trembling hand over her breast, feeling her racing heart pulse against her palm with the awe of a child. How frightened she felt! How she shook with worry! It had been just a nightmare. That much was clear. But how real it had seemed! It seemed so real that even now she could not calm herself.
No, she realized with a start. It is not the nightmare that troubles me. Something is wrong. Here and now, something is terribly wrong! It was then that she heard the quiet sobbing within her mind. Although it lacked the sheer volume and wailing quality she had become accustomed to, Serenity knew, beyond a shadow of a doubt, to whom the cry belonged. By all the gods! Hotaru! Launching herself from her bed, Serenity tore through the palace, and then, flew across the fields towards the Crystal Tower. She did not even pause to acknowledge the guards, but threw herself against the door and barreled up the Crystal Stair. It was no ordinary worry that had Hotaru crying this time. This was not a cry of discomfort or hunger. There was fear, pain, and despair in this cry. Please, gods! Serenity thought desperately. Please let Hotaru be all right.
Serenity pushed open the door to the room at the top of the Crystal Stair, swung behind the shrine, and gasped, gaping in horror at the sight that met her eyes.
Hotaru was gone. Her cradle had been smashed to pieces, and her garments lie in tatters around it. Huddled on the cold, hard floor, surrounded by the pieces of Hotaru's broken cradle and torn clothing, was a small, dark- haired girl child, naked as the day she was born. The shivering child rocked back and forth as she sobbed quietly, her face buried in her tiny hands, with her short, chubby legs drawn up to her chest. She barely looked five years of age. Serenity wanted to scream at the child, to take her by the shoulders, shake her, and demand to know where Hotaru was, but she controlled herself. She fairly certain it was not the girl who was responsible for Hotaru's disappearance. Besides, it would never do to have the child too frightened to say what she knew. Swallowing her anger and fear, Serenity marched up to the child, and knelt beside her.
"Little one," she called softly, brushing sweat-soaked hairs off the girl's pale forehead. "Little one, are you alright?" From that naked, quivering pile of girl-child, there came a weak little whimper, no louder than the cry of a newborn kitten.
"I am afraid," the girl whispered. "I am pathetic. They hurt me. They hurt me to make me not be pathetic." Serenity felt her stomach turn to stone. Someone had hurt this child? Had she come to the Crystal Tower seeking refuge, only to be met with more violence from whoever had taken Hotaru? Serenity quickly glanced over the child. Sure enough, large, angry bruises were forming on her back-most like the token of someone's rough hand. Gently, Serenity smoothed the girl's hair.
"Shhh," she whispered soothingly. "Fear not, little one. You are safe here. I will not let anyone hurt you." A sob died in the child's throat. Timidly, she opened her pudgy fingers to peer up at Serenity through the spaces between them. Her large, violet eyes grew even larger as they took in the High Queen.
"Mother?" she whimpered, sounding awed. Serenity stifled a scream, for she knew in her heart that she was staring into the violet eyes of Hotaru of Saturn. Hotaru, crying out in joy and wild relief, threw herself into Serenity's arms, wrapping her arms around the Queen's neck.
"Mother!" she wailed into Serenity's shoulder. "Mother, you are here!" Serenity awkwardly returned the child's embrace, too astonished to speak. It was not being called Mother that surprised her. After all, she had been caring for Hotaru since her birth. She supposed it was only natural that the girl should come to think of Serenity as her mother. Rather, it was the fact that it seemed Hotaru had aged five years over mere hours!
"Sweet Selene, child, what happened to you?" Serenity whispered, feeling Hotaru stiffen at the mention of the goddess. Snuggling closer to the Queen, Hotaru pressed her dark head to her breast and screwed her eyes shut.
"They.they said I was pathetic. They hurt me to make me not be pathetic anymore. They.said you were.dead."
"Who?" Serenity asked. "Who said I was dead?" Hotaru's tear-stained face scrunched up as she concentrated, trying to remember who had proclaimed the Queen was lost.
"I.I don't remember," she whimpered at last, sounding on the verge of tears. "Oh, Mother, I am so afraid!" Serenity held the child close, rocking her gently to calm her.
"Do not be afraid, little firefly," she said reassuringly, even as her own heart thundered with dread. "No one will hurt you. I will not let them."
"Do you promise?" Hotaru sniffled.
"Of course, I promise, little one," Serenity answered, and kissed the crown of the girl's dark head. "Now, though, we must find you something to wear." Hotaru looked down at herself, a startled expression upon her little face, as if she had just realized that she was naked.
"Oh!" she exclaimed, touching her lips. "You are right!" A ghost of a smile touched Serenity's lips as she released Hotaru, and draped the blanket from the ruined cradle about her bare shoulders. Hotaru pulled the blanket tightly around herself, waiting patiently as Serenity stole into the corner to collect the disguise she had used so many months ago when she had gone to rescue Hotaru from facing her mother's fate; she had never taken it from the tower. As best she could, she dressed Hotaru in the drab garment, tying knots in the cloth at choice locations so that the outfit would not fall off the girl's tiny body. Hotaru sat patiently throughout the entire process, never once complaining about the size or coarseness of the garment. After several minutes of tying and adjusting, Serenity raised the garment's hood over the child's black hair, and sat back on her heels to study her handiwork.
"I know it is far too large for you, Firefly," she said apologetically. "I promise that I'll find something more suited for you as soon as I can."
"This is fine, Mother," Hotaru said cheerfully, grinning up at the Queen from underneath her hood. Serenity smiled back. I will look through my daughter's old clothes tonight. I am sure I will find something.Suddenly, thinking of her daughter, staring into Hotaru's young face, fear arose within Serenity, so full and strong that she had to bite her lip to keep from screaming. Obviously, something very unnatural had occurred tonight. Something-or someone-had hurt Hotaru, and caused her to age rapidly. Looking into a face that appeared almost five years of age before it was a year old, Serenity could not help but think, darkness. And that, inevitably lead her to think of the nightmares that had been haunting her. Hotaru was older in those dreams. She wore a Sailor Soldier's uniform. She carried a bloody glaive. She was called the Promise Child. She was allied with the dark gods.
She killed Princess Serenity.
You may have to choose between your daughter and Hotaru. Forcing herself to smile, Serenity took Hotaru by the shoulders, looking her in the eye.
"Hotaru, dear, I must go for now, but I shall be back soon. If you need me for anything, you need only call, alright?" Hotaru nodded her understanding, and Serenity bolted from the Crystal Tower, tearing across the fields towards the Silver Palace.
She did not stop running until her daughter's chamber door was in sight. Once there, however, she slowed down. Although she longed to fling the door open, longed to know that the princess was safely asleep behind it, she forced herself to move slowly, so as not to wake her daughter. It would not help her situation any to have Princess Serenity alerted to the fact that her mother was hiding something.
The sliver of light coming from underneath the princess' door encouraged her mother. She did not doubt that the girl was within her chambers. Perhaps she could not sleep, and had put light to her lamp in order that she might read, or play with her treasures. Perhaps one of the Sailor Guardians was with her. Perhaps they were dressing one another's hair, or putting paint on their faces to make themselves pretty. Serenity smiled, remembering her own girlhood, when she had done such things with her own guardians when they could not sleep. Gently, she turned the knob, and opened the door, just enough to see inside.
"My darling, I." Serenity trailed off. There was a single lamp lit upon her child's bedside table, but the princess was nowhere to be seen. Her unmade bed was empty. With a cry, Serenity surrendered to her earlier desires, flinging open the door and throwing herself into the room. Her blue-violet eyes scanned the chamber frantically, searching for her child and not finding her. Trembling violently, Serenity lowered herself onto the bed, forcing herself to keep breathing. Stay calm, she told herself. She is probably wandering about somewhere. Simply find her presence and call for her. Retreating within her mind, Serenity probed the depths of her subconscious, searching for the soft silver glow of her daughter's life energy. Her soul's searching fingers brushed Martian fire and Mercurian ice. They dipped into a salty Neptunian wave, and felt the cool caress of an Uraniun breeze. But there was no silver glow. Princess Serenity had closed herself off to her mother.
A piercing scream of terror echoed through the palace, yanking all who heard it from their slumber. Lamps were lit upon several bedside tables. The Sailor Guardians, each fully transformed, leapt from their bedchambers into the hallway, ready to fight for their Queen and princess. Four pairs of eyes darted about, searching for the threat, and came to rest on Queen Serenity racing down the hallway towards them.
"Majesty!" Sailor Venus called, hurrying to meet the Queen. "Majesty, what's the matter?"
"My daughter!" Serenity wailed. "My daughter is gone!" Frightened glances and murmurs of alarm passed between the Sailor Soldiers.
"Stay calm, my Queen," Mars said. "We will find Sere. We need only." she trailed off, her horrified expression matching those of her three comrades, and Serenity knew they had discovered what she already knew.
"She has closed herself off to us," Mercury said needlessly. Serenity nodded tearfully.
"She has. Either that or she is." The Queen's voice cracked with emotion. She pressed her knuckle to her mouth, unable to finish her sentence. Jupiter shook her head fiercely.
"Do not think such things, Majesty. If Sere were dead, we would have felt it long before now."
"Jupiter is correct," Venus agreed. "I am certain Sere is about. We will find her. Come. Mars, you search the western wings. Mercury, you head towards the southern wings. Jupiter, you take the northern quarters, I shall cover the eastern." The other three soldiers nodded their consent.
"I shall search the gardens," Serenity declared, prompting a nod from Venus.
"Very well," she agreed, and turned to the other soldiers. "If anyone encounters Artemis, or Luna, or anyone else, make certain to tell them what is happening. I am sure they will be only too willing to help search for our princess." There were murmurs of agreement, and the Sailor Soldiers were off on the hunt. Serenity hastened to the gardens. Along the way, she encountered her feline advisors, and several other servants. All of them agreed to help look for the reigning princess with worried expressions upon their faces. The princess was as well-loved as her mother, and her disappearance was surely a cause for alarm.
The Queen tried to maintain a spirit of optimism as she hurried along the empty paths in the royal gardens. But as the minutes drained away, and her search still yielded no results, Serenity began to despair. Sinking wearily onto a bench, she buried her face in her hands, and wept bitterly, frustrated questions tumbling through her mind. Where, oh where was her child? Why had she closed herself off to her mother and friends? What if she was hurt? Or worse? What if her nightmares truly had been warning her that caring for Hotaru would lead to her daughter's death? Had she just killed her own, beloved child? The thought was more than Serenity could bear.
No. Princess Serenity was not dead. She could not be dead. Jupiter was right. If the princess had been killed, the loss of her presence would have been sudden and painful. No matter how slow and peaceful the death was, even in her deepest slumber, Serenity would have awakened, and known instantly that she was feeling her daughter's soul leave her body. That she had not noticed the princess' presence fade from her mind was a sure sign that the girl was alive. And if that were so.
Serenity gasped aloud. When one closed herself off to another whom her soul was joined with, it prevented that other from feeling her presence, or hearing her speak through her mind. It kept an enemy from tracing either party through the other. But although the other party would not be able to hear the first speak, that did not mean that she could not be heard herself. If the princess had closed herself off to the Queen, it meant that the Queen would not be able to feel the princess' presence, or hear her speak. But the Queen could still speak to her. If the princess were truly alive, she would be able to hear her mother's call. The Queen shut her eyes tightly and drew in a deep breath.
SERENITY! She cried, throwing all her power into the call. SERENITY! Several tense moments crawled by. Serenity did not move. She stayed within her mind, intently searching for her daughter's silver glow.
Please, she begged. Please, my daughter. Please return to me. Silence answered her. The Queen's shoulders sagged in despair. Then, suddenly, a silvery light flared within her mind. Serenity's heart leapt to her throat.
Majesty! Mars' voice was jubilant within her mind. Majesty! She is here! Sere is here!
Where? Serenity demanded.
In my chambers, my mother, was the princess' quiet reply. Leaping up from the bench, Serenity gathered up her skirts and raced towards the palace, although she barely had the breath for such exertion. Although her daughter's return was certainly felicitous, it was just as certainly marred by the circumstances surrounding her disappearance, and Serenity refused to
be satisfied until she knew where the princess had gone to, and saw that she was unharmed. Princess Serenity was indeed within her chambers. Mars and the other Sailor Guardians were with her, hugging and scolding and expressing their deepest relief. They fell silent upon their Queen's approach. Serenity paused for a moment in the doorway to take in the sight of her child, sitting stiffly upon her bed, staring blankly into her lap, where her hands lay neatly folded. Her face betrayed no emotion, and there was certainly nothing upon it to indicate where she had been. Thankfully, there also did not seem to be any evidence that she had been hurt at all. Choking on a sob, Serenity rushed forward to take the girl in her arms. Princess Serenity's willowy arms slid around her mother, returning her embrace.
"Oh, my daughter!" Serenity breathed. "Are you all right? Where were you?"
"I am fine, Mother," Young Serenity assured her. "I went to the skating pond." Startled, Serenity pulled back to look her daughter in the eye.
"The skating pond?" she exclaimed. "By all the gods, what were you doing there?"
"Skating," the princess replied. "I could not sleep."
"And why did you not come to me? Or go to one of the Sailor Guardians, or Lysa?"
"I did not wish to disturb you. It appears I was not quite successful." She smiled timidly, but her mother fixed a stern eye upon her, and the smile faded from her lips.
"I, too, happened to be restless, daughter," the Queen said grimly. "I passed by your chambers, and decided to look in on you. Can you imagine my distress when I found that you were not here? And can you think how much more frightened I was when I discovered that you had closed yourself to me? What in the cosmos possessed you to sever your link to me and the Guardians?"
"I.I thought that it might wake you when I teleported," Young Serenity said lamely. The look in her eyes made it clear that she knew how feeble her argument sounded. Serenity rolled her eyes, sighing.
"My love, I mind not if you go down to the skating pond if you are unable to sleep. But should I awaken and find that you are not in your bed, my bond with you is the only thing I have to let me know that you are safe. If, Selene forbid, you were to be kidnapped, the link you share with the Sailor Guardians and me is the only method we have of finding you! You know better than to close yourself to us, except under extreme circumstances!" Young Serenity hung her golden head guiltily.
"I know, Mother," she whispered. "I am sorry." Serenity sighed again, and tenderly brushed stray hairs off her daughter's beautiful face.
"I know you are. I am not angry. Just promise me this will be the last time you pull such a stunt." The princess nodded.
"I promise," she agreed as her mother pulled her into a tight embrace.
"Oh, my precious one, I love you so," the Queen said softly. "You are the only child I will ever have. The thought of losing you is more than I can bear."
"I love you, too, Mother," Young Serenity answered. The Queen felt her fear melting away. Her daughter was safe in her arms, and Hotaru was safe within the Crystal Tower. There had been no death, no fatal choice. On the other hand, the fact remained that Hotaru's body and mind had aged five years that night. Could she still be forced to choose? Could the princess' momentary disappearance have been another warning? No. No, it could not be. The princess had been restless. She had gone to the skating pond. And why had she closed herself off to them? Could Serenity believe that the girl had done something so dangerous purely out of consideration for the slumber of her mother and friends? Serenity held her daughter closer. She had to believe it. She would lose her mind if she believed anything else.
Had the Queen been less distracted, she might have noticed the furtive glance her daughter took at her skates, lying in the corner. As much as the princess loved her skates, she hated caring for them. When she returned from a trip to the skating pond, she would leave her skates in the corner, where melting snow and ice left a dirty puddle on the princess' floor. Not now, though. The skates, and the floor beneath them, were perfectly dry.
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Ha! See, I told you I'd be quicker with this chap!