Disclaimer: I don't own it.

Once Upon a Dream

I didn't feel like returning home right away, so I flew around a bit, trying to figure out what was going on in my brain. When the palace finally came into view, it was dusk. I entered and found that my mother was watching her butterflies being settled for the night.

"Mother," I bowed. She waved me up and gestured for me to follow her.

"Hello, my son. How did the search for the leprechaun go?" she asked me.

"I didn't actually find him, but I did run into the most interesting character while I was searching for him," I said.

"Mmm, well, before you start into that, we have been invited, both of us, to a banquet being held by Queen Ana and her daughter, Princess Serenity. Are you interested in going at all? I will be going either way, but I figured since both of us were invited, I'd ask you, as well. It would seem that Serenity has forgiven you for teasing her," my mother said, with a smile.

"Oh, yes, I am quite interested in it. In fact, the character whom I ran into was Princess Serenity," I smiled back, just as much pleased as my mother was. She had let me in on the little secret that Usagi and I had been betrothed for a number of years. Since we had no interest in one another as youngsters, the decision had been made that we would be kept separated until we were older, and if we still showed no interest in the other one, then the betrothal would be broken and we would be left to find our own spouses (A/N: fairies have no problem marrying with fairies of lower status). However, if interest was shown in the other, then she would not be told, and I would court her as normal, so that no pressure was laid upon her, and she would feel as if she married for love.

My father had been Ana's nearest male relative: a second cousin of considerable wealth. The same had happened in reverse for Usagi's father. There were not many male fairies of nobility born, so when I had been born, it was a grand surprise. All of the magical creatures had been to my christening. Mine and Usagi's betrothal was decided upon right before both my father and hers had both been killed. They had led the fairy armies into war against the hobgoblins, and had both been killed in battle. This was a very sad time for the fairy people. A great many males had been slaughtered in cold blood, but more hobgoblins were killed, and they gave up after just half a year.

After the wars, there were no celebrations for two years. The fairy community was in a period of mourning. However, after that, Ana took charge and began to rebuild the spirit of her people. She began holding banquets and inviting everybody from the eight corners of her kingdom. You see, Ana is queen of all the fairies and there are also the empresses of the North, Northeast, East, Southeast, South, Southwest, West, and Northwest. Usagi's best friends were the princesses from N, NE, E, S, SW, and NW. North was Ami, Northeast was Rei, East was Makoto, South was Minako, Southwest was Michiru, and Northwest was Haruka. West was the realm of Mab and Mamoru.

(A/N: I swear, back to the story!)

"She was running away for the day," I laughed to my mother. "I took her to Auntie Befana's place, and we had tea."

"Oh, you naughty boy," my mother pretended to be cross and playfully hit my arm. I laughed. My mother had always been a teaser. "The banquet is in two days," my mother said as we reached the door to her chambers. "I will see you tomorrow, my son," she said, kissing my cheeks. I bowed to her as she left me, and then wandered down the hall to my own chambers. Once there, I fell onto my bed and stared at the ceiling, wondering if Usagi really was interested in me, or if she knew who I was and was just playing along. She had seemed generally surprised to find out who I was. Tucking my hands behind my head, I frowned. Usagi was making a mess of me already, and I had only been with her for a couple of hours this afternoon.

I didn't know what was wrong with me. I just couldn't get her out of my head! Her laugh, her smile, her eyes, her hair... She was one of the most beautiful creatures that I had ever met in my life. I knew she was going to be even more beautiful at the banquet. I sat up suddenly. An idea had come to me, and I knew what I was going to do to win her over. I was going to take her dance card and dance every dance with her. I laid back down with a contented grin on my face, and proceeded to fall asleep.

I was flying through a forest, dressed in royal attire. I came upon a tower, made of gold and precious stones. There wasn't a door in the base, and the only way in was by a terrace on the outside. I landed and entered through a door covered in flowing linens. The room was all gold and beautiful. There were windows all around, with the sun shining in and bouncing off of everything. The pillars were mirrors inlaid with gold. There was a canopied bed in the middle of the room, covered in silver fabric. On the other side of the room was another terrace, which I didn't remember seeing on the way up. Standing there, with her back to me, was a woman. Her wings were gold and silver. Her dress was white and covered in rhinestones. Her beautiful gold hair was pulled up. I stared at her back in astonishment, and then started towards her. She turned towards me and her face was obscured by the sunlight in my eyes. All I could see were her eyes; beautiful pools of light blue, surrounded by diamonds...

I sat up with a start and looked around at my now dark room.

"What was that… were was I?" I asked no one but the shadows in the corners. I rubbed my head, thinking that I must have hit it, but I felt no lumps. "I'm just overtired, that's all," I said, once again, to the shadows. I got up and changed out of my every day clothes and into my silken sleeping boxers. I went to sleep again with the notion in my mind that it was 3 AM, and the morning of the banquet.

A/N: well, I updated… I don't think I've been this excited about a story in a while! AND, I actually know where this story is going! Ha! Anyways, leave me comments so that I know what you think about it, and let me know if there's anything I can change, or questions that you have, or, whatever! I just love comments 