Disclaimer: Don't own nothin', no point suin'…

The song for Serenity and Endymion I chose is Loreena McKennit's "The Dark Night of the Soul"

…And by a lantern bright…

…I fled my house while all in quiet rest…

The door creaked open ominously. Serenity lay on her side, breathing deeply, her fine silver lashes flickering once or twice. The soft blanket came all the way up to her chin, and she snuggled deeper into its warmth as if a draft from the door disturbed her. All her glorious hair scattered around her head on the equally pale pillows.

A sigh of relief came from the door, then it quietly closed.

Serenity held her breath, listening as Mars' footsteps withdrew to her own room. The other girls had taken her all too seriously in her desire to see Earth, and so took turns each night to make certain she was, in fact, in bed. She had been patient for one whole week, and finally her guardians relaxed their vigilance.

Blue eyes wide and eager, she flipped her blankets off. Underneath she wore a simple white gown. A black cloak, stolen from Mars' closet that afternoon, went over top. It took her only a moment to spin her hair up into the Royal Lunarian coiffure, and tuck it under the hood. Her simplest slippers followed, and she rushed to the door.

Very carefully, she inched it open. Not once did the hinges squeak. An impish smile appeared, and she moved into the corridor. No maids, no guards, no one chanced into her path, and she crept down the great staircase with growing confidence. A quick flight brought her around to the side hall, to the maids' quarters. At the end of these was a door.

The Princess hurried through, and found herself in the gardens. Overhead, twice as beautiful for all its temptations, the Earth beckoned her.

Pale, delicate hands emerged from within the depths of the black cloak. She raised them up, towards that which her heart yearned for most. Eyes closed, breathing growing ever more rapid, she reached out with her own special powers.

Take me there, she begged silently of the Silver Imperium Crystal, locked far away in her mother's room. Take me to my heart's greatest desire. Take me!

It started in her feet, a feeling of growing ever lighter. Up it crept, swirling through her legs, into her stomach, her chest, and then her head. She felt giddy, weightless, and so very free.

To Earth! To what I've dreamt of for so long!

Mercury always said, "When we teleport like this, Serenity, we move with the speed of light. But since nothing solid can travel at the speed of light, we must become light. That takes great concentration and strength of will. Now please, pay attention!"

All the science Mercury knew could not begin to describe the feeling of teleporting, of becoming light. For the eternity it took for a flash of silver light to travel from the Moon to the surface of the Earth, Serenity feared nothing, worried over nothing, cried for nothing. Wrapped in the sweetness of light, she felt only warm, safe, and loved.

Then, too soon, always too soon, she felt solid ground under her feet. The light faded. She was solid, whole, and alone. And she was cold.

Immediately Serenity wrapped Mars' cloak tighter around herself. She had not realized the Earth would be so cold! Under her feet she saw not the beautiful green she knew from her hours of longing gazes, but the thick, hard snow banks of a tundra. Her soft slippers began to sink into the snow, and she found herself stumbling forward, pushed by a freezing wind. She fell to her knees, the cold rising up on all sides to hold her captive.

What is this? Tears stung her eyes, freezing before they could even fall. A ragged sob ended in nothing but a burst of mist from her throat. She tried to push herself up, only to find her hands already numb from the cold.

This is not what I wanted! she raged inside her head. This is not where I asked to go! How did this happen?

Her arms, quickly becoming as frozen as her hands, trashed through the snow in a last, desperate attempt to rise. She became tangled in Mars' long black cloak, now as inflexible as the armor of the Palace Guards. Fright quickly growing to full blown panic, she wrapped her arms around her body and shook.

I…I have to teleport back! I have to get back home! Oh, why did I come here? A sudden, horrible thought stilled her. Is this a punishment, from the Silver Crystal? Is this my sentence for breaking the taboo?

Lost in her thoughts, Serenity did not notice the sound coming her way. She did not see the shape growing ever clearer through the billowing curtains of snow. Only at the last minute did she see the horse bearing down on her.

A scream ripped free from her throat, and she tried to scramble out of the way. Someone shouted a curse, and the horse reared up over her. She threw her useless arms over her head, and waited for the crushing blow of those huge hooves.

There came the sound of thunder, and the ground under her shook. After a moment of terror, she realized she was whole and unharmed. She lowered her arms, and looked slowly to her right.

Two very large, very powerful looking hooves danced on the snow less than an inch from her head. She heard the horse snort in something like annoyance, and a man's angry voice. Then, through the horse's legs, she saw two black boots appear. They started towards her with a sharp, purposeful stride.

The snow obscured the figure. Serenity strained to see the one approaching her, her heart hammering. Did those boots hide cloven hooves? Were those locks of hair, tussled by the wind, or horns? What had she been thinking?

"What are you doing here?"

He swooped down on her, and she gave a strangled shriek, managing to push herself back on her elbows. Her foot caught on the edge of the cloak, and she slipped, falling completely prone on her back.

"Don't hurt me!" she wailed. "Please, don't hurt me!"

The figure paused, regarding her with eyes she could not see. His voice sounded strange.

"Hurt you?"

"Please! I didn't mean to…I'm so sorry!"

"Blessed Sol, girl! I'm trying to help you!"

Serenity felt her jaw drop in shock. No one had ever, ever called her "girl." Always it had been "Princess" or "Your Highness." She had never before met someone who did not recognize her on sight.

He moved quicker this time, and in her surprise, Serenity did not react until it was too late. Suddenly he had her, trapped in his embrace, holding her with only one arm as he swung easily back onto his mount. Then they were moving, the horse at a full gallop, and all she could see was the lower part of his jaw.

No beard, or mane, she noted distantly. But just who does he think he is? Calling me girl! Picking me up without even a please, or an excuse me! How dare he?

"Let me go!" she commanded regally.

"No."

She gasped in rage. "What did you say to me?"

"I thought I spoke fairly clearly. No, I will not let you go."

Serenity struggled to sit up. "You will, this instant! I command you!"

A laugh rumbled through his chest and into her body. "You command me? Do you know who I am, girl?"

"No, and I do not care! Release me, this instant! And don't call me girl!"

"And what will you do, little girl? Fall into another snow bank and freeze to death?"

"I told you not to call me girl!"

"I didn't. I called you little girl."

"Argh!"

Without thinking, she punched him in the chest. At least, she tried to. Only her fist connected not with flesh or muscle, but with hard metal.

"Ah!"

"Stop screaming!"

"That hurt!"

"Of course it did! You punched me in my armor!"

"Why are you wearing armor in the snow?"

"What does the snow have to do with wearing armor?"

"No one wears armor in the snow!"

"Well, that's just silly," he informed her calmly. "Terra's army always wears armor, and it's always snowing here. Now stop screaming! We're here."

Serenity craned her neck to look around. She saw a huge arch overhead as they passed under. Then came the sound of doors opening, and a blast of warm hair struck her through her thin gown. The doors made a resounding boom as they closed, severing any hope of escape.

"We're where?"

"The Palace, of course."

"My lord!"

The man's shout masked Serenity's sudden silence, and her rescuer/captor did not notice how rigid she became. His head turned towards the voice as though he had forgotten her. His free arm rose in greeting.

"Kunzite!"

"A fruitful hunting trip, I see!"

Again, that deep laugh sent shivers through Serenity. She found herself sliding deeper and deeper into her cloak, hoping this newcomer would not see her.

A hunting trip? What do the people of Earth hunt?

"A sad disappointment, actually. I found not a thing worth bringing home, just a chit too foolish to get out of the snow."

"A girl, my lord? Out in the snow?" another voice called. "Sweet Terra, who is she?"

"Probably one of the maids," a third, bored voice announced. "We should lock them into their chambers. They're like kittens, either underfoot or wandering where they are not allowed."

"Oh!"

These words roused Serenity back to life. She began to kick and squirm, making "my lord" shout in alarm. He leaned down towards her, but she planted her hand on his face and pushed him roughly away. While he growled vague threats, she caught the pommel of his saddle and swung herself to the ground.

"Just who— Blessed Lady of the Moon!" Serenity spun back around, untangling her cloak and skirt from the stirrup of the now laughing man. "You shut up, this instant!"

His head fell back in mirth, completely ignoring her. She glared, straightened her gown, and spun back around in all the haughty glory of the Heiress of the Moon Kingdom. One small finger rose to point in terrible judgment on the young, golden haired man leaning in the doorway, grinning at her.

"Just who do you think you are?" Serenity demanded, advancing on him. "Lock up your maids, will you? What kind of a man are you? How dare you speak of ladies in such terms?"

Her victim only smiled more widely. "You are mistaken, my dear. I speak of the maids, not ladies."

"My mother has always said that maids are as much ladies as princesses! They take care of you! They deserve your gratitude and your respect! They deserve your thanks more than some frivolous lady throwing roses to catch some handsome idiot like you! And stand up straight when I talk to you!"

The last came out with such regal rage that Serenity had the joy of seeing the strange young man snap up into a more erect stance, his shoulders thrust back and hands at his sides like a soldier. She stood before him with an expression as cold and distant as her mother when truly displeased. Then her head tilted a little to one side, and her nose wrinkled like a child's.

"You don't have horns!"

"What!"

A burst of laughter and whoops filled the air. She turned to see three men now gathered around the black horse, the rider still astride, but tipping precariously to the side. All four men seemed completely overcome by hilarity, the one with the long dark curls wiping tears from his cheeks. Looking back, she found the fifth man chuckling, his stance a bit more relaxed.

"Well said, my lady," he murmured, closing the last few feet between them. "But who on Earth told you I had horns!'

"Oh, no!" Her hands flew up to her mouth, and she stared at him guiltily. "I didn't mean…I am so terribly sorry! Of course you do not have horns. You are very handsome, truly you are!"

A strange look flashed through his eyes, a sort of dangerous mischief she knew from the Princess of Uranus. She watched him with the same interest she showed the older Princess. His smile took on a new, inviting quality, and he leaned closer.

"Handsome? Truly?"

"Jadeite!"

The sharp command from the black horse's rider made the blond man sigh, and step back.

"Yes, my liege?"

"Enough of your games. Let the girl be."

Girl?

"I told you not to call me—!"

Serenity spun around to confront her captor, white gown and black cloak flaring out behind her dramatically, and almost fell over.

While she spoke with Jadeite, somehow his liege had silently moved up behind her. It was not his proximity which nearly toppled her. It was the startling shade of azure she found herself gazing into.

Brighter than Mercury's. Deeper than Venus'. Just the same color as the seas of Earth. I would never have guessed he had…blue eyes.

"Don't let Jadeite get too close to you," he urged in a soft voice, a smile curling half his mouth. "Horns or no horns, he is not to be trusted around young women."

"I…I would not…I'm sorry."

The smile turned to a frown. "Are you alright?"

"I just…" She turned away quickly, her hands going to her face. They burned with the reawakening of her nerves, but she hardly noticed.

"What is it?"

He reached out, pulling her hands away from her face. His fingers felt soft as they held hers, and he gave her a look of wretched guilt.

"Here we have been making jokes, and you are half frozen. It is we who should apologize. Now please, don't cry!"
Serenity shook her head. She could not tell this beautiful stranger the tears came not from pain in her hands, but a terrible throbbing in her heart. She felt confused, frightened, lost, all at once. One moment she had her feet under her, shouting at his brutish friend, and the next he knocked her off balance with nothing more than two amazing blue eyes.

What is this? What's happening?

"I want to go home," she whispered. "Please, let me go home."

"We will take you," the tall man with silver hair and platinum eyes promised. "Where are you from?"

"Not from here." This was a slender youth pushing back a long tale of burnished gold. "I do not recognize her."

"Nor I," Jadeite admitted. "Nephrite?"

"No. And I think I would remember."

"It does not matter," their lord informed them. "Before you go anywhere, you must warm up! What were you doing out there in nothing but a cloak?"

"I didn't know it would be so cold," she murmured faintly. "But please, my mother will be so worried! And my friends! Oh, they will yell at me so! They told me not to go! I have been so bad."

"No, no," Jadeite murmured, voice now consoling. "That is a simple thing to get around! They cannot scold you if they do not know you've come! We will simply sneak you right back to where you came from!"

"After we get you warmed up," his master declared. "What would your mother think if we returned you looking like an ice maiden?"

"Now!" Serenity insisted. "Now, please!"

Even as she spoke, she turned on her heel and ran for the double doors. The men shouted in alarm as she managed to slide past each of them, and flung herself against the massive wooden structures. Neither budged.

"Let me out!" she cried, beginning to pound on the carved wood. "Let me out!"

"Endymion! Stop her, before she hurts herself!"

Two strong hands caught her wrists, and forced her to turn away from the doors. Those blue eyes held her more captive than his grip on her body. She shrunk back against the door, but did not try to pull away.

"Endymion?" she repeated slowly. "You are Prince Endymion?"

His eyebrows rose. "You honestly didn't know?"

Slowly, Serenity shook her head.

"A proper blow to your confidence, my lord," Kunzite murmured, moving carefully up beside him. "Now, my dear lady, please try and calm yourself."

"Is it the room?" the blonde youth added. "Endymion, take her outside to the rose gardens! She can breathe there."

"Wise choice, Zoisite," Jadeite said.

"You don't have to sound surprised."

Endymion released one hand, but kept the other within his own. "Yes. Come with me to the rose gardens."

Serenity hesitated. "Will it be cold?"

"No. I promise."

She followed him as though in a dream. Her feet seemed light, like she floated instead of walked. She wondered briefly if she might be teleporting, it all felt so strange. A glance down, however, showed her body was still solid.

What is this? I have never felt like this before.

"Here we are, my lady."

Serenity looked up, surprised. Had she taken more than five steps? It did not feel possible, yet, suddenly, she stood surrounded by the sweet smell of roses. Garnet blooms hung from emerald leaves, the barest trace of dew like diamonds on the petals.

"How lovely," she whispered, turning her head slightly to gaze around. "So warm, too. This is what I imagined all those years. This is what I have been yearning for. And now it seems…"

"What?"

She turned to look up into Endymion's beautiful eyes.

"Perfect."

He smiled, a full, complete smile without mockery or teasing. She realized he still held one of her hands. She did not want to ever pull it away.

"What is your name?"

She shook her head. "I can't tell you."

"It doesn't matter. I already know who you are."

Strange, but that did not frighten her as it should. "You do?"

He reached for her other hand. She gave it without question.

"Yes. I don't know your name, or where you come from, but I know you. I just don't know from where. Maybe…a dream?"

Serenity laughed. "That is impossible."

"How do you know?" he murmured, drawing her closer.

"Because then I would know you, too."

"Don't you?"

Endymion was so close she could see every star reflected, perfectly, in the blue sky of his eyes.

"Perhaps…"

He smiled again.

"Perhaps?" He raised one hand to his lips, kissing her fingers lightly. "Tell me your name, lovely lady."

"Seren—"

Forbidden.

Like the tolling of dread bells, the word rang through her head. It marched before her eyes, scarlet as the roses. It seemed to cling to the air in the sickening sweet perfume of the flowers. It sent ice through her veins, and left the taste of bile in the back of her throat.

"No!"

Her hands loosed themselves, and she ran. The bushes took a sudden turn, and briefly she was tangled amongst the thorns. She yanked free of the black cloak, discarding it without a care. Down another row of roses, another turn, and she found herself under a great marble arch. High above, the silver Moon glowed invitingly.

Home! Take me home! Now!

The sound of Endymion's footstep followed her into the light of the teleport. A flash of silver light, and she was running through familiar white roses. She flung open the door to the maids' quarters, racing through the halls of the palace. Up the stairs, down the corridors, past Mercury's bedroom, Jupiter's bedroom, Mars' bedroom, Venus' bedroom, all the way to her own chamber she fled. She tore across the room, only to collapse on the bed.

Blessed Selenity! What have I done?