A/N: I don't own it, so don't sue:)
A Kingdom Shattered
Chapter Five
Gracie had left Lita to spend time with Stephen before the ball. Meanwhile, Princess Raye from Mars had come to Jupiter so that she could go to the ball with her friends. Her parents were not going to be able to make it with all the trouble on Earth and she didn't want to go by herself.
Lita and Raye made it down to the drawing room at 7 o'clock sharp. The two walked in talking away. Suddenly, Raye stopped short.
"Raye, what is it?" Lita asked concerned.
"Jedite, when did you get here!" Raye exclaimed.
Jedite crossed the room and bowed before the Princess. "Your father sent me to protect you on the journey," he said.
Raye could barely contain her happiness and Lita could barely contain her smirk. Looks like the princesses were all destined to fall in love with a man from Earth.
The King and Queen exchanged knowing glances, then led the way to dinner. Jedite followed suit, quickly offering his arm to Raye. Lita looked at Nephlyte and grinned. He, too, offered his arm to escort Lita, but before they joined the others he stole a quick kiss. "Princess, will you meet me in the gardens after dinner?"
Lita's whole face lit up. "Yes."
"Good. Meet me at 10 o'clock." So saying, the two headed toward the dining hall.
Dinner was a trial to get through. Both girls couldn't wait to be alone with their generals. And judging from the looks the males were sending, they were just as anxious. The King and Queen both found this amusing, and so were not offended when they were the only ones talking at dinner.
After dinner both couples made their excuses to leave the table. The King and Queen both grinned. "My dear, it seems that we are alone. Love is in the air."
"That it does, husband. Don't you remember when we were like that?"
"Since when did that become past tense?" the King grinned at his wife. The Queen actually blushed.
"Come, let's enjoy having the place to ourselves."
Lita went upstairs to finish packing. They'd have to leave soon. She wondered where Raye and Jedite had taken off to. It really was a nice surprise to find him here. Hopefully the two of them would make it back in time to leave.
Lita noticed that it was 5 minutes to 10 o'clock. She had been checking every two minutes for the past hour. Unable to wait a second longer, she raced toward the garden. She found Nephlyte staring at the sky.
"Nephlyte, what are you looking at?"
"The stars. The universe is controlled by the movement of them."
"And what do you see?" Lita asked curiously.
"Chaos. Something is not quite right." Nephlyte turned toward Lita. "But enough of worrying for now. That's not why I asked you to come here." He reached for her and pulled her back into his chest. She felt secure and leaned back into his strength. "I've been waiting for you," he whispered into her ear. Then he did something she didn't expect. He kissed her ear. And her jawline. And her throat. Butterflies had grown in Lita's stomach as her emotions raced out of control, each one fighting for her attention. But all she cared about was how this kiss felt. She tilted her head to allow him great access. God, it felt wonderful! Soon she couldn't stand not seeing his eyes anymore and slowly turned toward him. The light from the stars lit up his eyes and Lita felt herself getting lost in their depths once again.
Slowly, she leaned toward him. She softly whispered," What are you doing to me?" She barely finished the question before their lips met. While their first kiss had been a soft embrace, this kiss had none of its hesitancy. Nephlyte wasn't worried about frightening her this time.
Lita drifted back down to the planet, looking at him with wonder.
"I don't want to do too much too fast. But realize that you're mine. When you dance with other guys at the ball, just remember me kissing you. You are mine."
She should have been insulted. Instead, she felt cherished. So she reached up and cupped his jaw. "Yes, Nephlyte. I am yours. But you are mine as well."
"Yes, Princess."
The Imperial Palace was always a beautiful site. The moon Kingdom showed off its splendor normally, but decorated now for the ball it was a sight to behold. Of course, Lita and Raye had been there often. They knew the Moon Kingdom almost as well as their own. The two girls reached the steps and their friends Princesses Mina, Ami, and Serena greeted them.
"What took you guys so long?" Mina asked.
"We got caught up doing other things," Lita said with a slight blush. Mina was intrigued, but knew she would be told in time.
"Well, it's been awhile since we've all been together," Ami said.
"It's nice to see you all. But first thing's first. We need to take care of business," Raye stated.
"Oh, why do we have to ruin such a perfect day with work?" Serena complained.
"Because we don't know what's out there. We need to be ready at any moment. You know that," Raye lectured.
"Alright, alright. Let's get it over with. Then we can get to the fun stuff."
The girls all walked into the Ceremony Room. Lita started a fire and everyone gathered in a circle, concentrating on the flames.
"I sense an evil presence nearby. We had better keep on the lookout," Raye warned.
"So what else is new?" Serena commented. "When have we ever had one of these and you have not sensed something evil?"
"I'm serious Serena. Scouts, we need to pay attention."
All 5 girls agreed.
Meanwhile, Nephlyte and Jedite had joined Darien, Malachite and Zoicite for a briefing as well.
"Whatever it is, the enemy is close. I can feel it. It's not contained on Earth. Keep an eye out, and be careful. Most importantly, keep the princesses safe. They had no idea what danger they may be facing," Darien said gravely. Everyone nodded.
The girls left the room laughing. Each had been relating tales of the things going on within their kingdoms. Serena, of course, spent the whole time talking about food. She never changed.
Just as they were making their way down the hall, they met up with the soldiers from Earth. Apparently everyone really had paired up.
Lita leaned over and whispered the coincidence to Raye. Raye grinned and whispered back, "I guess it just means that the men from Earth are irresistible!" Both girls smiled.
Darien was the first to take advance of the situation. He walked up to Serna and bowed. "Princess, may I have the pleasure of your company for a walk through the gardens?
"Why yes, my Prince," she said as she took his arm. The two walked away. The other four couples followed suit, each going to a different spot in the gardens so as to offer each other privacy.
"I didn't thick that I'd see you until tonight at the ball," Lita said as the two walked hand in hand down the path.
"Me either. Are you complaining?" Nephlyte teased.
"Me sir? Why, not at all," she replied with a grin. The two continued to relax and walk slowly through the gardens. Lita had never experienced such peace and happiness before. If she could pause time, she would suspend the moment forever, entrapping the two together.
Soon, it was time for the couples to part. Slowly, each couple made their way back to the castle. Nephlyte kissed Lita's hand. "Until tonight, Princess." He bowed, and then walked away.
"Wow, looks like the two of you really hit it off," Mina commented behind her.
"Yeah, we did," she said with a blush.
"You two are almost as attached as Serena and Darien," Ami commented.
Serena, just realizing what the topic of conversation was, spoke up. "What, you and Nephlyte are together?"
"Of course, Serena" Raye replied as she rolled her eyes. "Didn't you just see the two of them together?"
"Oh, why am I always the last one to know all the gossip?" Serena complained.
"Probably because you're too involved in your own world to notice," Raye said under her breath.
"Hey!" Serena exclaimed as she and Raye stated into a match of sticking their tongues out at one another.
"Things haven't changed much," observed Ami as the two continued quarreling.
Stargazer102006 - Sorry that I can't keep up with you! Just no more time! Hope that you enjoy the new chapter. :)
Elara - Yay for soldiers. :) Glad that I'm not the only one who sees that they just have...a way with things. Hope you like the next chapter--this story will be a couple more chapters and then it's finally finished!