Silence filled the room after Endymion's astonishing statement that surprised both the bandit and Selenity. She stared at him, her eyes filled with shock. His eyes peered back at her, willing her to play along but...

"Is that true?" The man asked, but her voice was trapped in her throat. To admit this would free them from the bandit's horrid intentions but... admitting this would mean her bidding towards Endymion as true husband and wife...

It was another one of the ridiculously Avarian laws that she couldn't understand. How marriage was brought about when a man and a woman both announced their union to another was beyond her comprehension, but it had been an Avarian law for since before she could remember...

"Is it true?" The bandit asked again.

Endymion's arms tightened around her.

She nodded and managed to squeak out a "Yes."

Oh how screwed up her laws were.

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Call It Destiny
by Sailor Elysia and Eternal Angel
ely_chan@yahoo.com, stargazing12@hotmail.com
Chapter 5

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The bandit raised his eyebrow at the two.

"Married..." he gave Selenity a lustful look, "What a pity." He let out a sigh, "If only I wasn't such a honorable man..."

Selenity shot him a dirty look as Endymion nudged her to stop it. She instead ignored the jabbing and asked, "Why in the world did you kidnap us?"

"Because I'm after the same thing the King of Sylathia wants... The crystal, where is it?"

Endymion tightened his grasp, as he lowered his mouth right next to her ear.

"What crystal, dear wife?"

"I don't know?" She replied back and the bandit shook his head. "No, you do know..." He then grabbed his sword from his belt and raised it to her neck. "Tell me."

"I don't know." She replied again, feeling Endymion tense up behind her.

"Put the sword down," Endymion growled fiercely and the bandit laughed.

"Oh yes, now I remember. You said you didn't care what happened to you..." The bandit moved the long sword from Selenity's neck and onto Endymion's, "As long as nothing happened to him..."

Endymion gazed into her eyes, in questioning.

"Tell me, where is the crystal?"

She closed her eyes tightly, feeling her heart beat painfully against her ribs. "I..." She took a deep breath, her hand clutched onto his own, as he stood there, tall and strong.

"Selenity..."

His voice was filled with so much warning, as if he wanted to tell her that he didn't care what happen to him, he didn't care if he was facing death... as long as nothing happened to her...

'But I would care...' she replied silently with her eyes, a tear falling. 'I would care...' For him to die was for her to die, she knew that, from the first time their eyes met in that horrid prison... glaring at her in the forest... scolding her as she ran ahead of him, and when he claimed her as his wife...

"I will." She said, silently, as the bandit smiled at that, his sword moving away from Endymion's neck.

"You two are truly husband and wife."

With that he bowed his head and walked out of the tent, whistling happily.

Selenity slumped down in relief, only to be enfolded by Endymion's arm.

"What crystal is this that he speaks of Selenity, and why in heaven's name didn't you tell me about it sooner?"

She gave him a smile.

"You know you're a hideous thing, don't you?" She rested her head against his chest. "Just hideous..."

Silence filled the space between them. Part of Endymion wanted to shake the girl so hard to get the rest of this crystal nonsense out of her. But the other half was fairly contented holding her slender frame against his.

'Now is not the time to lose yourself in these foolish frivolities...'

"Selenity." It was just one word, just her name that he spoke... but she knew exactly what he wanted. But she couldn't discuss this with him now, not when others might be listening. "Endymion... please don't force me to tell you anything... I can't think clearly after all of this. Please, I beg of you, not to ask right now."

A smile twitched at the corner of his mouth. "Never thought I'd see the day when a princess begged me for something." He then wrapped her tightly in his cloak. "Come, 'wife,'" Endymion said teasingly. "You need to rest. It's been a long day."

******

As Endymion led a dazed Selenity out of the tent, she suddenly became very aware of the warm, comforting touch of his hands upon her shoulders. Warm... like a blanket... was this was being a wife felt like? Of course, they truly weren't... but until the two of them escaped from these bandits, they had to pretend they were wedded.

That opened Selenity's eyes. Had he taken any of this into consideration? "Endymion?" she said, touching his arm ever so softly. "This is only a pretence right? When we get back to Avaria..."

Endymion nodded, "But of course, I mean, we only spoke of it because we were in a time of desperation..."

She somewhat felt her heart become upset at his words. He only said she was his wife because he couldn't think anything else to say...

She nodded. "Of course! I mean," she said, regaining her 'high and mighty princess act once again', "Me? Wife to a rude and idiotic knight who can't even save a princess in distress right? I mean, any other knight would have taken extra precaution about the bandits but NOOOO... you were careless and stupid and now look what happen! Now we're captives!"

"Hey! I wasn't the one who ran ahead and took this route!"

"But this was the route you wanted to take anyway! I told you to take the shortest one! But noooo! Mr. Safety had to take charge!" She stalked away from him in a huff.

"Selenity! Get back here! It's dangerous!" He growled, running after her. She stopped for a split second, and turned behind her to scream back, "I don't care you overgrown oaf! I can't stand being near you right now!"

It wasn't until she ran smack into one of the bandits did she finally stop. The bandit looked down at her in surprise and grabbed her arm. "Hey..."

"ENDYMION!"

******

Night came soon enough, bringing the glowing moon and the shimmer of stars upon the sky with it as Endymion glared at the tent 'door' cautiously. The head bandit requested a meeting with Selenity privately, to Endymion's utter disapproval and protest. To make sure of this privacy, the bandit had him tied up and thrown into this tent.

He frowned in frustration as the ebbing thoughts of the possibilities ran cross his mind. Especially since he had seen what he was doing earlier this morning to her...

'If he dares touches her...'

He felt his blood pounding at the thought of another's hand so intimately placed upon her or if their lips gently pressed against her smooth silky skin... A rushing jealousy poured from the core of all emotions and fanned throughout his being. 'Never... no other man could touch her but me...'

Too many throbbing emotions flooded through him, and he could not fully understand the full capacity of the drowning thoughts that brushed through his mind. 'She belongs to me...'

The curtain door opened and Selenity entered with the head bandit right next to her. They seemed to be in more friendly terms than before, Endymion noted bitterly. They walked close, too close...

"So we do have an agreement, princess?" The bandit asked her. She nodded in understanding. "We do Syphis."

He took her hand to his lips for a moment, bid farewell to her and then gave a glance towards Endymion's direction and smirked. Endymion could feel the hot anger intensify deep within him as he glared back at Syphis, who just chuckled and walked out of the tent.

"They said we will be sharing the same tent," she said while bending down to untie him. "Since we're 'married', it's supposed to be all right." She sighed then, "It was a stupid lie, our marriage, that is. Just so very stupid."

The ties around him loosened, enabling him to yank out his hands to untie his feet. He bolted up as soon as all of the rope was away from him, yanking Selenity up with him.

"Are you having regrets Selenity?" He asked in a menacing voice to her, his eyes a dark blue color. She stared at him in shock. "What...?"

"You regret this farce marriage right? Is it because announcing this marriage to Syphis means that your chance with him is dead?"

"Endymion! What are you talking about?!"

"Damnit Selenity, you know exactly what I'm talking about. I saw his eyes on you, the desire, and the want..." His faced changed so drastically then. "I will never let him have you, even if you will it."

With that, he crushed his lips against her own in a demanding wild kiss, throwing her completely off guard. The kiss was hot, sweet and passionate all at once, causing her to unconsciously moan in the sweet ecstasy of the whole mind blowing kiss.

He ended the kiss soon after, his blue eyes rimmed with the same passion as hers. "You're mine Selenity. Remember that."

With that he let her go and walked out of the tent for some much needed air and thinking.




CP: Lalalala.... Well, I hope you like... can't you just feel the heat between them? They finally kissed too! it's one of those mysterious things that don't happen every day! I mean, how many times did they almost kiss but never did kiss? (muses) I have no idea. Anyway, hoped you liked it all and email is great!

Ely: *is for once speechless* I didn't even see that coming... with class looming over my head I would have never thought that to happen at least for a couple more scenes... *grins* Like CP said, feedback, email, praise in the form of money and or bishies is always accepted!