Hello! I am back with another chapter. Finally! Trust me-it has been a
struggle for me to get this chapter posted. Every computer I have is
outdated, and the computer I was using purged my word program for no reason
at all! I have just discovered that the spell check isn't working! Argh!
So, please accept my sincerest apologies for any blatant, mis-spelled
words. I hope it doesn't take away from the story.
Disclaimer: I don't own Sailor Moon. Never have, never will.
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In chapter 6, Endymion was given a new toy: the Golden Crystal. The prince and his two guardians travelled to Duke Bartleby's Jade Castle. Endymion met King Demetrious of the Sun and instantly did not like him.
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Light of Love: Red Moon Chapter 7: The Thief in our Midst
Infiltrating the Moon Castle was easy. Far too easy, Princess Orleana smugly thought to herself.
Her pendant had not deposited her on the deck in the Teleportation Room as she had expected. Instead, she found herself in a hallway.
The princess' eyes, accustomed to the black hallways and bleak chambers of the Solar Castle, squinted against the bright Lunar Palace walls. The light came from every direction of the passageway; even the tapestry at the end of the corridor glowed.
Orleana scowled and held a gloved hand up to shield her eyes from the light.
As her gaze ajusted to the piercing glow, Orleana recalled how, when she first arrived to train as a Senshi, the Moon Castle had appeared so grand and mythical. Never before had the princess of the Sun seen the beauty she witnessed on the Moon. Orleana remembered how the excitement swelled inside of her during the first few weeks; she thought she might burst from joy. Each new door she opened-each new room she discovered-was a promise of a new adventure. Now, after spending a few months back on the Sun, Orleana's heart had hardened, much like the black obsidian walls of her own castle.
Once her eyes grew accustomed to the irritating bright light of the hallway, Orleana dropped her hand from her brow and attempted to calculate her location in the Moon Castle. She spun around to face the door behind her. All of the doors in the cooridoor appeared to be similar; different shapes, representing each of the planets of the solar system, were carved into the front of each door. A circle with eight prongs was carved into the door facing Orleana. The door led to her former bedroom. The Solar Princess smiled to herself. She ran her gloved hand over the grooves of the sun shape. The princess considered turning the massive silver knob and stepping inside. How many times had she longed for this nightmare to be over? If she stepped into her chamber, climbed into her soft bed, drew the filmy netting of the canopy around her and slept, would she eventually wake up from this horrible dream?
A sound echoed in the hallway and rattled the Solar Princess from her contemplation. Orleana spun away from the door. She peered over her left shoulder; the portion of the hallway she faced led to the center of the Moon Castle. The princess heard no footsteps, but she heard two audible voices approaching.
Orleana held her breath in as she reached for the silver door knob of her chamber door. The large knob would not turn. She tried to twist the stubborn metal with both of her hands. The door did not open. Panic washed over the princess.
The Solarian's heart practically jumped into her throat. Her old room was close to the end of the hallway; she had no place to hide. She considered standing behind the tapestry on the end of the corridor, but the heavy fabric was not long enough to hide the bottom of her dress and cloak. Orleana silently cursed her gown. Of all the times to wear her mother's clothes, this moment, while traversing through the pearl-white Moon Castle, was not one of them. She stood out like a black pebble on a white beach.
Orleana clenched her teeth as she hugged her back against the door. She hoped that the pair of voices she heard would not come any nearer. If they did-well, Orleana thought-she must fight them. She had dressed for a possible fight; her sailor fuku was hidden beneath her mother's cloak and dress.
The voices grew louder.
The princess readied herself for a surprise attack. She cupped her right hand; a small ball of white hot energy began to form in her palm.
The voices were now close enough that Orleana heard their conversation.
"Really, Artemis!" a female voice hissed. The Solar princess instantly realized that the voice belonged to Luna, Queen Serenity's authoritative feline advisor. "Now is not the time nor the place for foolery such as this."
"What are you talking about?" the male voice replied. Indeed, Orleana recognized the deep, kind tenor of Artemis, another of the Queen's advisors. "Isn't this the best time to talk about this? When no one is around?"
"I have more important things to attend to," Luna snapped. Orleana winced at her pensive tone. "Where are those girls? How are they supposed to become warriors if they aren't even practicing!"
The princess held her breath in. Judging from Luna's loud voice, Orleana knew that the two cats were close. She wound her arm back, ready to throw her energy ball at either Adviso-as soon as one was in view.
"Wait, Luna!" Artemis shouted desperately.
Orleana's heart felt as if it stopped beating in her chest. How did Artemis know that she was right around that last bend in the corridor, prepared to attack anyone who crossed her path?
A tired sigh escaped from Luna as she snarled, "What?"
Orleana breathed her own silent sigh of relief. Luna's voice faded slightly-an indication that she had walked back to her companion and away from the Solar Princess' hiding place.
"Will you not even consider my proposal?" Artemis asked a little more quietly.
"Oh Artemis!" Luna cried. "Why must you be so foolish? We have so many responsibilities to the Queen. And to the princess. I just don't have time..."
The cat's voice trailed off. Orleana thought that Luna sounded flustered.
"We aren't getting any younger, Luna," replied Artemis.
"By the light of the Ginzuishou, we aren't getting any older, either," Luna sarcastically laughed. There was a pause. Orleana strained her head forward to listen. Quietly, Luna whispered, "I'll think about it, Artemis."
This time, Orleana heard Artemis sigh with relief as he uttered, "Good."
A bright flash of light burst through a window in the hallway. Orleana, from her position in the doorframe, was unable to see what had happened.
"Oh dear," she heard Luna say. "I am happy to see the girls practicing. But do they have to do it so close to the castle? They're bound to break a window..."
Luna's voice faded down the hall. Orleana paused. Once she was certain that the cats had returned to the center of the Moon Castle, Orleana crept quietly down the coridoor. The Solar Princess hugged her form against the wall. Orleana shivered. Now that Luna and Artemis had left this wing of the palace, the cooridoor was eerily quiet. She could not remember another time when the Moon Castle was so silent. Laughter and music always seemed to drift throughout the halls. Servants constantly wandered down the corridors to straighten and clean.
The princess frowned. Every person on the Moon-including the hired help- seemed to be happier than her. Perhaps her life would have been different for Orleana if she had been born with a crescent on her forehead instead of the Sun symbol.
The Solarian shook her head and continued her journey to the center of the palace. She must focus all of her energy into stealing the Ginzuishou. With each step Orleana took, the closer she came to the mytical stone that would solve all of her troubles.
Orleana easily avoided the few guards that occupied the hallways in the center of the palace. She soon found herself at the castle's front entrance. Before she ventured any further, Orleana paused to observe her surroundings. She stood in the mouth of the east wing; the massive front doors were across the foyer on her left. Two grand staircases-each leading to the ballroom above-wrapped around each side of the large foyer. A wide flight of stairs-leading to the lower level of the castle-was positioned between the two grand staircases. Orleana remembered that the Prayer Room was located down below. The Solar Princess had never been allowed inside of the sacred room, but from her studies, she knew that the Legendary Stone Sword of the Moon and, more importantly, the Ginzuishou were stored inside of this chamber.
"Here goes nothing," Orleana whispered beneath her breath. She stepped forward.
The large front doors opened. The solar princess sunk back into the east hall. Orleana cursed her bad luck and again powered up a small ball of energy in the palm of her right hand. While she waited to see who her possible adversary was, Orleana's imagination skipped through several scenarios. If she was lucky, it would just be some lone guard making his rounds or those small furball advisors, Luna and Artemis. Orleana knew that she could overpower the felines or a castle guard. The Solar Princess then considered that it may be her former classmates, returning after a long afternoon of training. Ami, Minako, Makoto, and Rei may still be apprentices, but as a former sparring partner, Orleana knew better than to underestimate their abilities. Still, running into the foursome would be favorable to an encounter with one of the actual Senshi of Mercury, Venus, Jupiter or Mars.
A small figure in stood in the doorway. Orleana breathed a sigh of relief as she recognized the petite form of Princess Serenity. The small girl hesitantly entered the grand foyer and quickly crossed the room. The delicate satin slippers on Serenity's feet created very little noise; Orleana's breathing made more of a racket than Serenity's steps. The Moon Princess paused once she was standing in the center of the foyer. She turned her blonde head from left to right-nervously, Orleana thought. The Solar Princess prayed that Serenity would not notice her dark form standing in the east wing. The Moon Princess had no reason to enter the east wing of the castle; Serenity's chambers were located in the western corridor.
Serenity stepped forward. Orleana noticed that the girl held an object in her right hand. The Moon Princess appeared to be hiding the item in the folds of her filmy white dress, but Orleana was still able to catch a glimpse of a pink stick. The top of the object, mostly shielded by Serenity's thumb, glowed tempestuously against her side. Orleana's orange eyes widened. Did the Moon Princess posess a henshin stick?
Instead of walking toward her chambers in the west wing as Orleana had anticipated, Serenity drifted toward the marble steps that led to the lower level of the palace. The Princess of the Moon quickly descended the staircase. The streamers of Serenity's blonde pigtails disappeared from Orleana's site.
The princess of the Sun crossed the large foyer to follow Serenity. She cringed as her black slippers clicked in the hollow room; the noise bounced off of the pale walls. Instead of possessing an ounce of Serenity's grace, Orleana thundered through the castle like a buffalo. The Solarian Princess slowed her pace as she descended down the marble staircase.
The steps led to a landing, which in turn split into two smaller staircases that wrapped around the curved wall. Orleana paused on the landing. She spotted Serenity, at the bottom of the stairs, walking toward large double doors. Orleana smiled and took a couple of extra steps down the stairs.
Serenity, completely oblivious to the dark-haired girl trailing behind her, grasped the large silver doorknob of the left door with her free hand. The golden crecent symbol on her forehead glowed and blew her blonde bangs away from her face. The large Moon cycle motif at the top of the doors lit up with white light. Instead of opening, the doors melted away, revealing the brightly-lit interior of the Prayer Room. Serenity stepped inside. The two doors reappeared behind the Moon Princess and sealed her in the chamber.
Serenity edged her way around the large crystal prayer column that protruded from the floor at the center of the room. Without the Ginzuishou present, the room was illuminated by dull grey hues. On the opposite side of the Prayer Room, hanging on the wall, was the Legendary Stone Sword of the Moon. Created to protect the rulers of the Moon, the sword was made of the same mythical rock as the Ginzuishou. Linnaus once told Princess Serenity tales of when the sword had been used in the past and of the great power it possessed. As Serenity neared the object, she shook her head. From its place on the wall, the grey stone blade appeared to be worthless- aside from its size, the sword was far less intimidating than the sharp metal blades carried by the Moon Guards.
The Lunar Pen was stored in the cherry wood box located beneath the stone sword. Serenity shook her head as she approached the open box. Minako must have been in a hurry when she had taken the pen, the princess mused. Serenity knealt down and placed the pink stick in the folds of silver fabric. The Lunar Pen sunk into the box. Serenity shut the lid, twisted the clasp, and stood.
She been silly earlier, she thought to herself as she turned around. Her premonitions of a demon or of some other dark creature lurking in the castle had proven to be false. As she basked in the protection of the Prayer Room, Serenity let out sigh of relief.
Her calm was quickly interrupted. Another slice of panic tore through the princess. A light behind her pulsated and illuminated the room. She twisted her head. Her bright blue eyes widened as she noticed how the Stone Sword had begun to glow. A noise distracted the princess from the blade. Serenity twirled around. The door leading to the Prayer Room had hardened and sealed shut when she had entered, but Serenity could see the silhouette of a form attempting to open the doors. The doors were turning away an intruder; the entrance transformed into a curtain of hot molten orange. Someone who was not allowed within the sanctuary of the Prayer Room was attempting to get inside.
Serenity silently considered her position. She had left her friends-who were apprenticing to be Senshi-in the Moon gardens. Her mother's Senshi were not present on the Moon, much less in the castle. The palace guards were upstairs, protecting the exterior of the castle from outsiders. Serenity did not know how an intruder had managed to infiltrate the palace. What she did know was that she, the Princess of the Moon, was the only obstacle standing between the intruder and the Prayer Room.
Swallowing the lump of fear growing in her throat, Princess Serenity turned and grasped the hilt of the Stone Sword. With the exception of a few tricks her friends were willing to teach her, Serenity had learned very little about combat-and even less about how to wield a sword. She anticipated that the sword would be heavy, but as she lifted the stone object from its place on the wall, the blade seemed light in her hands. The energy pulsating through the sword flowed into her body, filling her with confidence.
"Selene protect us," Serenity whispered. The princess trembled slightly. The blade of the sword quivered. It seemed to sense Serenity's nervousness. The princess thought briefly about Linnaus and the mysterious man in her dreams. With their strength, she could not fail. Her fear washed away. Conviction flickered across her face. For their sakes, she would be strong.
The Prayer Column in the center of the room also seemed akin to the power growing inside of the princess. The crystal protrusion flashed with amazing silver light. Energy electrified the room. Serenity's dress furrowed about her legs. The honey blonde streamers of her hair danced around her form as the determined princess approached the orange, glowing doors of the Prayer Room.
The tip of the Stone Sword pierced through the molten curtain. Like the waves created by a stone dropped into a still pool of water, the sword created a clear wave in the doorway and melted the glowing orange energy.
Serenity sucked her breath in. On the other side of the door, standing just outside of the Prayer Room, stood a woman in a dark black cloak with white satin gloves. The woman's honey complexion glowed; her lips were bloody red. As the woman noticed the sharp glowing blade of the Stone Sword, her orange eyes widened with surprise. Serenity's stomach clenched as she gazed upon the woman's face. Somehow, this stranger seemed familiar to her.
The magic in the sword reverberated across the marble door panels; the hot fire that encompassed the doors turned them to vapor. The Moon Princess, with the magical Stone Sword still poised in front of her, walked through the open door. The doors sealed behind her, essentially trapping princess of the Moon in the hall with this strange woman.
Orleana stood before Serenity, feeling oddly uncomfortable. Of course, it wasn't normal for Orleana to be staring at a glowing sword which was positioned mere inches from tearing her abdomen apart. Nor was the princess of the Sun accustomed to seeing Serenity, the simpering Moon brat, with such a vacant look of sheer conviction in her eyes. Orleana was used to seeing Serenity whimpering or laughing. Never, in her wildest dreams, had Orleana considered Serenity to be a formidable opponent.
"By Selene, you are trespassing," Serenity simply uttered. The crecent symbol between her eyebrows flickered. Orleana's eyes raised as she realized that the sword also flickered. The blade seemed connected to Serenity somehow.
For the short duration of a moment, Orleana thought she could overpower the weak princess. After training so hard as a Senshi, the princess of the Sun was not about to let Serenity frighten her away from her goal. Orleana's orange eyes slanted with deceit as she powered up. Placing her right hand behind her back, Orleana willed a small ball of fire to dance and grow in her hidden palm.
The moment ended as the jewels on the hilt and tip of the sword flickered with light, setting off a force within Serenity. The connection Orleana had sensed before was stronger. The vacant, primal look in Serenity's crystal blue eyes caused the Solar Princess to shudder. Orleana's eyes widened with fright as the Moon princess' own gaze slanted. With the dexterity of a trained swordsman, the Moon princess swung the stone blade over her right shoulder. As the blade hummed with energy, Orleana had no doubt that the princess, in her current state, would not hesitate and slice Orleana in two halves.
Allowing the power in her hand to disperse, Orleana quickly came up with another plan. She would have to think of another way to steal the Ginzuishou. In the mean time, she would have to save herself. Licking her dry lips, Orleana attempted to smile. She held her arms up in the air in front of her.
"Please don't hurt me, Serenity!" she cried. Removing the cloak from her head, Orleana added, "It's me!"
The vacant look in Serenity's eyes clouded. As the Moon princess blinked her blue eyes, the sword in her hands slackened slightly in her arms. A sigh of relief escaped from Orleana's lips as Serenity whispered, "Orleana?" Princess Serenity seemed confused as she peered more closely at the darkly-clothed girl in front of her.
Orleana smiled more casually. Glad that the sword had already slackened from its previous position, Orleana nodded while saying, "Yes, it's me."
"You scared the death out of me!" Serenity gasped. "I thought the castle was being invaded."
"No," Orleana hastily replied. "It was just me."
"What are you doing here?" Serenity demanded. "I thought you went back to the Sun."
"Yes, well," Orleana's voice trailed off as she thought of a reason for her return to the Moon. Carefully, she said, "My mother is very ill, and my father expects me to take up some of her duties."
Serenity glanced at Orleana's costume suspiciously. Her eyes narrowed as she noticed the satin white gloves. That, coupled with a strange aura surrounding Orleana, made Serenity uneasy.
"Why are you dressed as a Senshi?" The Moon Princess questioned. Her heart began beating nervously against her chest. The stone sword, attune to Serenity's emotion, began to flicker and glow.
"I thought it would be more appropriate to visit as Sailor Sun," Orleana stated in a matter-of-fact tone. Her darkly lined right eyebrow arched as she spun more lies. "But father has forbidden me to dress as a Senshi and so I had to come in disguise."
"Oh," Serenity uttered, the sword sagging in her grip toward the floor. She seemed digest Orleana's words slowly, as though silently verifying their truthfulness. Her blue eyes snapped up to meet Orleana's gaze. "That doesn't explain why you are here."
"Yes, of course it doesn't," Orleana's cheery facade was cracking, her voice lowering as she muttered out her next string of falsehoods. "Since father won't permit me to continue training as a Senshi, I thought I would sneak away and say good-bye to your mother. She was always so kind to me..."
"Mother's not here," replied Serenity.
"I see," Orleana's mind was running frantic. With the Queen gone, she could easily take the Ginzuishou. That was, of course, if the Ginzuishou had been left behind. Her orange eyes narrowed as she carefully said, "I'm surprised there aren't more guards present, protecting the Ginzuishou..."
"There is no need for extra guards," Serenity mumbled. "Mother took the stone with her, of course."
"Of course," Orleana dumbly echoed, her smile fading. She had taken the risk of coming back to the Moon. And for what? A chit-chat with the annoying princess! A moan escaped from Orleana's lips. She wanted to pull her hair out in frustration. Her thoughts were interrupted by Serenity's next question.
"How is Linnaus?" the petite blonde asked.
Orleana turned a hateful glare toward the small Moon princess. Serenity's eyes were wide, crystal blue waters brimming with hope. Her rapt smile, not aware of the shadow being cast upon her by Orleana's taller form, made Serenity appear more like an innocent cherub and not the Princess of the Moon. How Orleana would have loved to smash the side of Serenity's face in! Now was not the right time, though. Destroying Serenity could be done later, when the princess was not in possession of that huge stone sword.
Orleana shrugged. Cynically, she muttered, "How would I know?"
Confusion filtered through Serenity's face as she digested Orleana's words. "Isn't he on the sun?" Orleana shook her head. Frantically, Serenity yelped. "Where is he?"
"You really don't know what happened, do you?" Orleana whispered, a smirk spreading across her lips. She relished the pleading look in Serenity's eyes. Should she tell the sniveling princess the truth?
"Is Linnaus hurt? Where is he?" pleaded Serenity. Her owlish eyes glazed over with tears of worry.
Orleana tossed her black hair over her shoulder. "I haven't seen Linnaus since I returned to the Sun," she responded. "He is on the Earth."
"The Earth?" echoed Serenity. She turned her face to stare at the floor. Shaking her head in disbelief, she pondered, "But why would he go to the Earth? Did he say why he was going there?"
Orleana shrugged. "I really don't know," Orleana paused, visions of a battle between the Sun and the Moon flashing before her eyes. It would be best for everyone if Princess Serenity did not tell anyone about Linnaus. Slowly, Orleana added quietly, "but I do know that he went there in secret. He said that he didn't want to worry your mother."
Serenity nodded dumbly. Her mind was racing. Linnaus was on the Earth?
A noise from up above snapped both girls to attention.
"If your mother is not here," Orleana said cooly, knowing that she had already overstayed her welcome, "Then I must be going."
Her gloved hand took hold of the crescent pendant dangling on the chain around her neck.
"Wait!" Serenity wailed, holding up her left hand to stop Orleana.
The princess of the Sun's eyes clouded with irritation. She really hated the sniveling Moon Princess. If Serenity asked her another stupid question...
"You can't use the pendant to go back to the Sun," Serenity said factually. "It can only be used to bring you back here."
Orleana's temper flared as she demanded, "How am I supposed to return to the Sun, then?" She doubted that anyone else in the Moon Castle would be as gullible as Serenity. Panic pulsed through her; she must not be caught.
"You will have to teleport back." the Moon princess replied. Noting the worry in Orleana's face, Serenity smiled graciously. "Don't worry, Orleana. I won't spoil your surprise visit. Stay here, okay?"
Serenity swirled around toward the Prayer Room. Again, the door melted to her touch. The Moon Princess dragged the tip of the once light sword against the ground. When Serenity was on the opposite end of the room, she used all of her strength to hoist the heavy stone relic to its resting place on the wall. The golden moon symbol at the center of the princess' forehead flickered as Serenity grunted and placed the sword in place.
She returned to Orleana moments later.
"Come on!" Serenity urged, grabbing the taller girl by the wrist and leading her up the stairs. On the landing above, the Moon Princess carefully surveyed the room and then led the still confused Orleana up the second flight of stairs. At the top of the staircase was another landing. Directly in front of the girls was the ballroom. Serenity tugged Orleana's wrist, leading them both to left. As the pair rounded one last corner, Orleana realized where Serenity was dragging her.
"The Teleportation Room," Orleana whispered, halting at the ominous door leading to her escape. As Serenity opened the huge door, Orleana stepped in and surveyed her surroundings.
Her last visit to this room seemed to have been a decade ago. Like everything else in the palace, the Teleportation Room remained steadfast and unchanged; however, the Solar Princess marveled at how different this chamber was from the rest of the Moon Castle. Most of the palace was constructed of light marble and quartz, but this room was encased in steel. The floor was a shining dark obsidian--reminiscent of the Solar Castle, Orleana observed. The rounded walls were covered with flat panels of shining steel, stretching up to a rounded stained glass window at the top of the domed ceiling. At the center of the circular room, directly underneath the window was a round platform. The blue and white swirled surface of the platform appeared to be solid; Orleana recalled how surprised she had been when she had stepped on the platform for the first time. Her boots had wobbled on the wavering, tempestuous surface. Against one wall was a console, littered with a collection of knobs and colored buttons.
Orleana remembered, during her last departure, Sailor Mercury standing at the console, pressing the right collection of buttons that would send her to the Sun. Dread ate at Orleana's insides as Princess Serenity stepped into that position. The Moon Princess bit her lower lip as she pushed the first button. A loud clanging noise echoed throughout the room, causing Orleana to shudder.
"You do know what you're doing, right?" Orleana questioned suspiciously.
Serenity pressed a bright blue button and turned to smile at Orleana. "Certainly," she said confidently. "The teleporter is just warming up. When the sides of the platform turn to a purple glow, you'll want to step on top of it."
Orleana nodded slowly. Serenity turned a couple of knobs. Glancing up, Serenity noticed the skeptical expression worn by the Solar princess.
"How do you know how to do this?" Orleana demanded.
Serenity smiled as she replied, "I've watched Sailor Mercury. I also read a very large book on how to operate the Teleporter."
"Have you ever done this before?" inquired the Solar Princess.
"Not really," Serenity confessed. Smiling, she added, "But does it matter?"
Orleana wanted to scream at the Moon Princess, but a humming noise, coupled with the bright lavender glow of the platform, interrupted her response. Turning, the girl with dark hair stepped wearily on the platform. As the Teleporter transformed into a sea of wavering blues, greens, and purples, Orleana raised her orange eyes to the blonde standing a few steps away at the console. Her gaze narrowed as she watched Serenity. In many ways, Orleana should be grateful to Serenity. After all, the younger girl had concealed her presence at the palace and was even assisting in her escape. Instead of gratitude, Orleana was filled with contempt. Once she had the Ginzuishou in her hands, Orleana would wipe that innocent, gullible smile from Serenity's face. All on the Moon would suffer.
Serenity pressed a red button and then glanced up at Orleana. A pink and white funnel swirled around the shaft of colored light encasing the Solar Princess. A small glean of silver at Orleana's throat caught Serenity's eye. The moon pendant sparkled, triggering an idea in Serenity's head. The wide smile on the Moon Princess' face faded as she considered her thought. A curtain of red was slowly bleeding up from the bottom of the platform. After the crimson had washed out the pink and white funnel, Serenity must press the one last button that would send Princess Orleana to the Sun.
Excitement fluttered in Serenity's stomach as she stepped away from the console. She approached the tempest of light and color, her blue eyes sparkling. Orleana stared at her skeptically. Smiling widely, Serenity reached out and grasped the Moon Pendant. Without hesitation, the princess of the moon snapped the delicate silver chain from the Orleana's neck. The Solar Princess' orange eyes widened with shock.
"Next time, come through the front door," Serenity said cheerfully, holding up the crescent pendant, "Announced."
Orleana let out a low growl of anger. She reached forward to grab the silver necklace from the Moon Princess. The red curtain of light, now almost stretching to the top of the domed room, prevented the Solar Princess from reaching beyond its borders. Orleana began to shout at Serenity, who had pivoted on her left foot and dashed over to the console. With the press of one button, Orleana disappeared from Serenity's site. The light faded. Serenity stood at the console, staring at the silver pendant she had ripped from Orleana's neck just moments before. She turned the glittering object in her hands.
"I'll find you, Linnaus," Serenity whispered, turning back to the console. Again, she began to press buttons. This time, however, she adjusted the coordinates to the Earth. She turned to step on the glowing console when a voice from the doorway interrupted her.
"What in the name of Selene are you doing in here?"
The princess flinched at Luna's familiar voice. Pausing, Serenity pocketed the pendant in the folds of her dress. The Moon Princess smiled innocently as she turned to meet Luna's suspicious gaze. Shrugging, Serenity said cheerfully, "I was reading about how to operate the teleporter and I thought I would test it out."
"Test it out?" Luna repeated incredulously. Her blue eyes slanted. Her whiskers bunched into a frown.
Serenity nodded. "Really, Luna, I didn't mean-"
"Turn it off!" the black cat interrupted. Serenity winced at the feline's stern tone. Her head lowered, the Moon Princess turned to the console and pressed the buttons that would turn the machine off. The light surrounding the platform faded. The whirring noises of the teleporter quieted.
"Honestly, Serenity, I don't know what to do with you sometimes!" Luna huffed. "You will be the death of me, I know it."
"I'm sorry," the Moon princess said quietly. She raised her crystal blue eyes to meet Luna's gaze. Tears threatened to fall from Serenity's eyes. Luna's look softened..
In a kinder voice, Luna whispered, "Why don't you go to your room for a little while? Your mother should be returning this evening. "
Serenity smiled a little and nodded mutely. As she left the teleportation room, she reached a hand into her pocket. Nimbly caressing the smooth crescent pendant in her palm, the Moon Princess resolved that she would soon journey to the Earth and find Linnaus.
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Princess Orleana could not believe her bad luck. Thanks to Princess Serenity, Orleana's first attempt to obtain the Ginzuishou would probably be her last. Without the crecent pendant, Orleana had no chance of infiltrating the Moon Castle undetected.
In a flash, Orleana was back on the Sun. Serenity's coordinates placed the Solarian Princess exactly where she had started from: Metallia's dressing chamber.
At first, the Solarian Princess stood, frozen with disbelief. She blinked her orange eyes. They focused on the familiar surroundings of her mother's dark room. The fire warmed her already hot cheeks. The princess glanced to the floor. At her feet was a dress. Earlier, she had hastily cast it aside in favor of one of her mother's fine gowns. Orleana looked away from her discarded dress and focused her attention to the gown hugging her figure. She staggered on shaking legs to the giant looking glass positioned above her mother's vanity table.
She hardly recognized herself. Black circles surrounded her vacant orange eyes. Her tangled hair had fallen from its pins.
Orleana swallowed back a sob. Had so much changed that she could not return to the girl she once was? Surely, the real Orleana was buried somewhere beneath the layers of fabric and face paint.
The princess unfastened the black cloak from her shoulders and pulled off the elbow-length gloves from each hand. She wiped the back of her right hand across her face. The shadow on her eyes smeared into the rouge on her cheeks. Orleana rubbed the red paint from her lips with the palm of her hand, leaving her mouth with a pink stain. She clawed at the throat of the dress she wore. The fabric grew taut as she pulled. The material strained against its fastenings. The buttons popped from collar of her dress. A sigh escaped from Orleana's lips.
She peeled the costume from her body, revealing her Sailor Fuku. The uniform stood in blatant contrast to the room; the light fabric practically glowed in the dark chamber.
She sucked in a breath and stared at her reflection. A shiver ran up her spine.
Was that girl in the fuku who she was supposed to be? Was Orleana destined to be a Sailor Senshi?
As she thought back to her last moments on the Moon, specifically to Serenity's tiny fingers grasping the precious necklace that had dangled from her throat, Orleana began to tremble. The Solarian Princess recalled the small smile on Serenity's lips as she ripped the chain from Orleana's throat. Serenity's last words echoed in her ears.
"Next time, come through the front door," the Moon Princess said. "Announced."
Orleana collapsed to her knees as a cry strangled her voice.
"Next time," Orleana hissed out loud, "I will scratch out those pathetic eyes before I watch you drown in your own pool of blood!"
Orleana slammed her fists into the fur of the rug beneath her. Hot tears spilled from her eyes.
"I hate you!" Orleana screamed. She covered her face with her hands and sobbed.
Someone knocked on the door.
"Go away!" cried the Princess. She wiped her cheeks with her fingers. She picked up her dress from the floor and stood. The last thing Orleana needed was for a servant to see her dressed as Sailor Sun.
"Your highness?" a woman said.
Orleana recognized Samella's voice. She had instructed her newest servant to wait for her to return from the Moon. Orxix also anticipated Orleana's arrival; the princess had planned to travel with the pair of surface dwellers to Queen Metallia's cave after she stole the Ginzuishou.
But she did not have the Ginzuishou. The princess dreaded her mother's rage when Orleana arrived at the cave empy-handed.
She opened her mouth to instruct Samella to return later, but before a sound escaped from her throat, the door to the dressing chamber flew open. The bandaged servant stood in the doorway for a moment. Her mouth hung open, revealing yellowed, rotted teeth.
"Thank the gods you are safe!" Samella cried. She crossed the room and hugged the confused princess. "I have feared the very worst since news came of the terrible things!"
Orleana frowned.
"Terrible things?" she parroted.
"On the Moon!" Samella said. "It just happened. An attack. The servants talked about it."
"Who attacked the Moon?" questioned Orleana. The princess knew the answer, but could not help but to ask.
"Your father!" Samella stated. "Just a few minutes ago. He shot meteors at the Moon-directly at the Moon Castle! Worse than any fire storm, I imagine. I was so worried about you, princess! But Orxix said that if anyone could survive such an attack, you could!"
Orleana stifled a giggle. She could not believe that Orxix, her worst critic, said such positive things about her.
"He did!" Samella assured the skeptical princess. The Surface Dweller frowned as she noticed the make-up smeared over Orleana's face. She reached for a hankercheif-the one with the "L" embroidered in lower corner- and motioned with her empty hand to the stool with the faded embroidered cushion.
Orleana complied to Samella's silent instruction and sat.
Samella wiped the smeared face paint from Orleana's cheeks. The princess closed her eyes and allowed the deformed woman to wipe the black liner from her lids.
"Better," concluded Samella when she finished. She reached for a hairbrush. She smoothed the tangles from Orleana's hair.
"I didn't get the Ginzuishou," Orleana finally confessed. She sighed-both with regret and relief. She eyed her Samella's response in the looking glass.
Samella did not turn her gaze from her mistress' hair. She simply nodded.
"That's not important," she told the princess. "Your father sent for you, right after you left for the Moon. He wants you to come to the Earth, immediately."
The Princess of the Sun groaned.
"I've already packed up your clothes," Samella continued. "I'll send Orxix to your mother's cave."
Orleana smiled and stood. In the very least, a trip to the Earth meant that she would not have to face the wrath of Metallia. At least, not today.
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End of Chapter 7
As always, I LOVE reviews! Please take a moment to tell me what you think!
Hollie
Okay, the next chapter is typed and edited (minus spell-checker), but I have no idea of what to title it. Rest assured, chapter 8 will be titled.something. ^_^ (and will be posted soon!)
Disclaimer: I don't own Sailor Moon. Never have, never will.
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In chapter 6, Endymion was given a new toy: the Golden Crystal. The prince and his two guardians travelled to Duke Bartleby's Jade Castle. Endymion met King Demetrious of the Sun and instantly did not like him.
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Light of Love: Red Moon Chapter 7: The Thief in our Midst
Infiltrating the Moon Castle was easy. Far too easy, Princess Orleana smugly thought to herself.
Her pendant had not deposited her on the deck in the Teleportation Room as she had expected. Instead, she found herself in a hallway.
The princess' eyes, accustomed to the black hallways and bleak chambers of the Solar Castle, squinted against the bright Lunar Palace walls. The light came from every direction of the passageway; even the tapestry at the end of the corridor glowed.
Orleana scowled and held a gloved hand up to shield her eyes from the light.
As her gaze ajusted to the piercing glow, Orleana recalled how, when she first arrived to train as a Senshi, the Moon Castle had appeared so grand and mythical. Never before had the princess of the Sun seen the beauty she witnessed on the Moon. Orleana remembered how the excitement swelled inside of her during the first few weeks; she thought she might burst from joy. Each new door she opened-each new room she discovered-was a promise of a new adventure. Now, after spending a few months back on the Sun, Orleana's heart had hardened, much like the black obsidian walls of her own castle.
Once her eyes grew accustomed to the irritating bright light of the hallway, Orleana dropped her hand from her brow and attempted to calculate her location in the Moon Castle. She spun around to face the door behind her. All of the doors in the cooridoor appeared to be similar; different shapes, representing each of the planets of the solar system, were carved into the front of each door. A circle with eight prongs was carved into the door facing Orleana. The door led to her former bedroom. The Solar Princess smiled to herself. She ran her gloved hand over the grooves of the sun shape. The princess considered turning the massive silver knob and stepping inside. How many times had she longed for this nightmare to be over? If she stepped into her chamber, climbed into her soft bed, drew the filmy netting of the canopy around her and slept, would she eventually wake up from this horrible dream?
A sound echoed in the hallway and rattled the Solar Princess from her contemplation. Orleana spun away from the door. She peered over her left shoulder; the portion of the hallway she faced led to the center of the Moon Castle. The princess heard no footsteps, but she heard two audible voices approaching.
Orleana held her breath in as she reached for the silver door knob of her chamber door. The large knob would not turn. She tried to twist the stubborn metal with both of her hands. The door did not open. Panic washed over the princess.
The Solarian's heart practically jumped into her throat. Her old room was close to the end of the hallway; she had no place to hide. She considered standing behind the tapestry on the end of the corridor, but the heavy fabric was not long enough to hide the bottom of her dress and cloak. Orleana silently cursed her gown. Of all the times to wear her mother's clothes, this moment, while traversing through the pearl-white Moon Castle, was not one of them. She stood out like a black pebble on a white beach.
Orleana clenched her teeth as she hugged her back against the door. She hoped that the pair of voices she heard would not come any nearer. If they did-well, Orleana thought-she must fight them. She had dressed for a possible fight; her sailor fuku was hidden beneath her mother's cloak and dress.
The voices grew louder.
The princess readied herself for a surprise attack. She cupped her right hand; a small ball of white hot energy began to form in her palm.
The voices were now close enough that Orleana heard their conversation.
"Really, Artemis!" a female voice hissed. The Solar princess instantly realized that the voice belonged to Luna, Queen Serenity's authoritative feline advisor. "Now is not the time nor the place for foolery such as this."
"What are you talking about?" the male voice replied. Indeed, Orleana recognized the deep, kind tenor of Artemis, another of the Queen's advisors. "Isn't this the best time to talk about this? When no one is around?"
"I have more important things to attend to," Luna snapped. Orleana winced at her pensive tone. "Where are those girls? How are they supposed to become warriors if they aren't even practicing!"
The princess held her breath in. Judging from Luna's loud voice, Orleana knew that the two cats were close. She wound her arm back, ready to throw her energy ball at either Adviso-as soon as one was in view.
"Wait, Luna!" Artemis shouted desperately.
Orleana's heart felt as if it stopped beating in her chest. How did Artemis know that she was right around that last bend in the corridor, prepared to attack anyone who crossed her path?
A tired sigh escaped from Luna as she snarled, "What?"
Orleana breathed her own silent sigh of relief. Luna's voice faded slightly-an indication that she had walked back to her companion and away from the Solar Princess' hiding place.
"Will you not even consider my proposal?" Artemis asked a little more quietly.
"Oh Artemis!" Luna cried. "Why must you be so foolish? We have so many responsibilities to the Queen. And to the princess. I just don't have time..."
The cat's voice trailed off. Orleana thought that Luna sounded flustered.
"We aren't getting any younger, Luna," replied Artemis.
"By the light of the Ginzuishou, we aren't getting any older, either," Luna sarcastically laughed. There was a pause. Orleana strained her head forward to listen. Quietly, Luna whispered, "I'll think about it, Artemis."
This time, Orleana heard Artemis sigh with relief as he uttered, "Good."
A bright flash of light burst through a window in the hallway. Orleana, from her position in the doorframe, was unable to see what had happened.
"Oh dear," she heard Luna say. "I am happy to see the girls practicing. But do they have to do it so close to the castle? They're bound to break a window..."
Luna's voice faded down the hall. Orleana paused. Once she was certain that the cats had returned to the center of the Moon Castle, Orleana crept quietly down the coridoor. The Solar Princess hugged her form against the wall. Orleana shivered. Now that Luna and Artemis had left this wing of the palace, the cooridoor was eerily quiet. She could not remember another time when the Moon Castle was so silent. Laughter and music always seemed to drift throughout the halls. Servants constantly wandered down the corridors to straighten and clean.
The princess frowned. Every person on the Moon-including the hired help- seemed to be happier than her. Perhaps her life would have been different for Orleana if she had been born with a crescent on her forehead instead of the Sun symbol.
The Solarian shook her head and continued her journey to the center of the palace. She must focus all of her energy into stealing the Ginzuishou. With each step Orleana took, the closer she came to the mytical stone that would solve all of her troubles.
Orleana easily avoided the few guards that occupied the hallways in the center of the palace. She soon found herself at the castle's front entrance. Before she ventured any further, Orleana paused to observe her surroundings. She stood in the mouth of the east wing; the massive front doors were across the foyer on her left. Two grand staircases-each leading to the ballroom above-wrapped around each side of the large foyer. A wide flight of stairs-leading to the lower level of the castle-was positioned between the two grand staircases. Orleana remembered that the Prayer Room was located down below. The Solar Princess had never been allowed inside of the sacred room, but from her studies, she knew that the Legendary Stone Sword of the Moon and, more importantly, the Ginzuishou were stored inside of this chamber.
"Here goes nothing," Orleana whispered beneath her breath. She stepped forward.
The large front doors opened. The solar princess sunk back into the east hall. Orleana cursed her bad luck and again powered up a small ball of energy in the palm of her right hand. While she waited to see who her possible adversary was, Orleana's imagination skipped through several scenarios. If she was lucky, it would just be some lone guard making his rounds or those small furball advisors, Luna and Artemis. Orleana knew that she could overpower the felines or a castle guard. The Solar Princess then considered that it may be her former classmates, returning after a long afternoon of training. Ami, Minako, Makoto, and Rei may still be apprentices, but as a former sparring partner, Orleana knew better than to underestimate their abilities. Still, running into the foursome would be favorable to an encounter with one of the actual Senshi of Mercury, Venus, Jupiter or Mars.
A small figure in stood in the doorway. Orleana breathed a sigh of relief as she recognized the petite form of Princess Serenity. The small girl hesitantly entered the grand foyer and quickly crossed the room. The delicate satin slippers on Serenity's feet created very little noise; Orleana's breathing made more of a racket than Serenity's steps. The Moon Princess paused once she was standing in the center of the foyer. She turned her blonde head from left to right-nervously, Orleana thought. The Solar Princess prayed that Serenity would not notice her dark form standing in the east wing. The Moon Princess had no reason to enter the east wing of the castle; Serenity's chambers were located in the western corridor.
Serenity stepped forward. Orleana noticed that the girl held an object in her right hand. The Moon Princess appeared to be hiding the item in the folds of her filmy white dress, but Orleana was still able to catch a glimpse of a pink stick. The top of the object, mostly shielded by Serenity's thumb, glowed tempestuously against her side. Orleana's orange eyes widened. Did the Moon Princess posess a henshin stick?
Instead of walking toward her chambers in the west wing as Orleana had anticipated, Serenity drifted toward the marble steps that led to the lower level of the palace. The Princess of the Moon quickly descended the staircase. The streamers of Serenity's blonde pigtails disappeared from Orleana's site.
The princess of the Sun crossed the large foyer to follow Serenity. She cringed as her black slippers clicked in the hollow room; the noise bounced off of the pale walls. Instead of possessing an ounce of Serenity's grace, Orleana thundered through the castle like a buffalo. The Solarian Princess slowed her pace as she descended down the marble staircase.
The steps led to a landing, which in turn split into two smaller staircases that wrapped around the curved wall. Orleana paused on the landing. She spotted Serenity, at the bottom of the stairs, walking toward large double doors. Orleana smiled and took a couple of extra steps down the stairs.
Serenity, completely oblivious to the dark-haired girl trailing behind her, grasped the large silver doorknob of the left door with her free hand. The golden crecent symbol on her forehead glowed and blew her blonde bangs away from her face. The large Moon cycle motif at the top of the doors lit up with white light. Instead of opening, the doors melted away, revealing the brightly-lit interior of the Prayer Room. Serenity stepped inside. The two doors reappeared behind the Moon Princess and sealed her in the chamber.
Serenity edged her way around the large crystal prayer column that protruded from the floor at the center of the room. Without the Ginzuishou present, the room was illuminated by dull grey hues. On the opposite side of the Prayer Room, hanging on the wall, was the Legendary Stone Sword of the Moon. Created to protect the rulers of the Moon, the sword was made of the same mythical rock as the Ginzuishou. Linnaus once told Princess Serenity tales of when the sword had been used in the past and of the great power it possessed. As Serenity neared the object, she shook her head. From its place on the wall, the grey stone blade appeared to be worthless- aside from its size, the sword was far less intimidating than the sharp metal blades carried by the Moon Guards.
The Lunar Pen was stored in the cherry wood box located beneath the stone sword. Serenity shook her head as she approached the open box. Minako must have been in a hurry when she had taken the pen, the princess mused. Serenity knealt down and placed the pink stick in the folds of silver fabric. The Lunar Pen sunk into the box. Serenity shut the lid, twisted the clasp, and stood.
She been silly earlier, she thought to herself as she turned around. Her premonitions of a demon or of some other dark creature lurking in the castle had proven to be false. As she basked in the protection of the Prayer Room, Serenity let out sigh of relief.
Her calm was quickly interrupted. Another slice of panic tore through the princess. A light behind her pulsated and illuminated the room. She twisted her head. Her bright blue eyes widened as she noticed how the Stone Sword had begun to glow. A noise distracted the princess from the blade. Serenity twirled around. The door leading to the Prayer Room had hardened and sealed shut when she had entered, but Serenity could see the silhouette of a form attempting to open the doors. The doors were turning away an intruder; the entrance transformed into a curtain of hot molten orange. Someone who was not allowed within the sanctuary of the Prayer Room was attempting to get inside.
Serenity silently considered her position. She had left her friends-who were apprenticing to be Senshi-in the Moon gardens. Her mother's Senshi were not present on the Moon, much less in the castle. The palace guards were upstairs, protecting the exterior of the castle from outsiders. Serenity did not know how an intruder had managed to infiltrate the palace. What she did know was that she, the Princess of the Moon, was the only obstacle standing between the intruder and the Prayer Room.
Swallowing the lump of fear growing in her throat, Princess Serenity turned and grasped the hilt of the Stone Sword. With the exception of a few tricks her friends were willing to teach her, Serenity had learned very little about combat-and even less about how to wield a sword. She anticipated that the sword would be heavy, but as she lifted the stone object from its place on the wall, the blade seemed light in her hands. The energy pulsating through the sword flowed into her body, filling her with confidence.
"Selene protect us," Serenity whispered. The princess trembled slightly. The blade of the sword quivered. It seemed to sense Serenity's nervousness. The princess thought briefly about Linnaus and the mysterious man in her dreams. With their strength, she could not fail. Her fear washed away. Conviction flickered across her face. For their sakes, she would be strong.
The Prayer Column in the center of the room also seemed akin to the power growing inside of the princess. The crystal protrusion flashed with amazing silver light. Energy electrified the room. Serenity's dress furrowed about her legs. The honey blonde streamers of her hair danced around her form as the determined princess approached the orange, glowing doors of the Prayer Room.
The tip of the Stone Sword pierced through the molten curtain. Like the waves created by a stone dropped into a still pool of water, the sword created a clear wave in the doorway and melted the glowing orange energy.
Serenity sucked her breath in. On the other side of the door, standing just outside of the Prayer Room, stood a woman in a dark black cloak with white satin gloves. The woman's honey complexion glowed; her lips were bloody red. As the woman noticed the sharp glowing blade of the Stone Sword, her orange eyes widened with surprise. Serenity's stomach clenched as she gazed upon the woman's face. Somehow, this stranger seemed familiar to her.
The magic in the sword reverberated across the marble door panels; the hot fire that encompassed the doors turned them to vapor. The Moon Princess, with the magical Stone Sword still poised in front of her, walked through the open door. The doors sealed behind her, essentially trapping princess of the Moon in the hall with this strange woman.
Orleana stood before Serenity, feeling oddly uncomfortable. Of course, it wasn't normal for Orleana to be staring at a glowing sword which was positioned mere inches from tearing her abdomen apart. Nor was the princess of the Sun accustomed to seeing Serenity, the simpering Moon brat, with such a vacant look of sheer conviction in her eyes. Orleana was used to seeing Serenity whimpering or laughing. Never, in her wildest dreams, had Orleana considered Serenity to be a formidable opponent.
"By Selene, you are trespassing," Serenity simply uttered. The crecent symbol between her eyebrows flickered. Orleana's eyes raised as she realized that the sword also flickered. The blade seemed connected to Serenity somehow.
For the short duration of a moment, Orleana thought she could overpower the weak princess. After training so hard as a Senshi, the princess of the Sun was not about to let Serenity frighten her away from her goal. Orleana's orange eyes slanted with deceit as she powered up. Placing her right hand behind her back, Orleana willed a small ball of fire to dance and grow in her hidden palm.
The moment ended as the jewels on the hilt and tip of the sword flickered with light, setting off a force within Serenity. The connection Orleana had sensed before was stronger. The vacant, primal look in Serenity's crystal blue eyes caused the Solar Princess to shudder. Orleana's eyes widened with fright as the Moon princess' own gaze slanted. With the dexterity of a trained swordsman, the Moon princess swung the stone blade over her right shoulder. As the blade hummed with energy, Orleana had no doubt that the princess, in her current state, would not hesitate and slice Orleana in two halves.
Allowing the power in her hand to disperse, Orleana quickly came up with another plan. She would have to think of another way to steal the Ginzuishou. In the mean time, she would have to save herself. Licking her dry lips, Orleana attempted to smile. She held her arms up in the air in front of her.
"Please don't hurt me, Serenity!" she cried. Removing the cloak from her head, Orleana added, "It's me!"
The vacant look in Serenity's eyes clouded. As the Moon princess blinked her blue eyes, the sword in her hands slackened slightly in her arms. A sigh of relief escaped from Orleana's lips as Serenity whispered, "Orleana?" Princess Serenity seemed confused as she peered more closely at the darkly-clothed girl in front of her.
Orleana smiled more casually. Glad that the sword had already slackened from its previous position, Orleana nodded while saying, "Yes, it's me."
"You scared the death out of me!" Serenity gasped. "I thought the castle was being invaded."
"No," Orleana hastily replied. "It was just me."
"What are you doing here?" Serenity demanded. "I thought you went back to the Sun."
"Yes, well," Orleana's voice trailed off as she thought of a reason for her return to the Moon. Carefully, she said, "My mother is very ill, and my father expects me to take up some of her duties."
Serenity glanced at Orleana's costume suspiciously. Her eyes narrowed as she noticed the satin white gloves. That, coupled with a strange aura surrounding Orleana, made Serenity uneasy.
"Why are you dressed as a Senshi?" The Moon Princess questioned. Her heart began beating nervously against her chest. The stone sword, attune to Serenity's emotion, began to flicker and glow.
"I thought it would be more appropriate to visit as Sailor Sun," Orleana stated in a matter-of-fact tone. Her darkly lined right eyebrow arched as she spun more lies. "But father has forbidden me to dress as a Senshi and so I had to come in disguise."
"Oh," Serenity uttered, the sword sagging in her grip toward the floor. She seemed digest Orleana's words slowly, as though silently verifying their truthfulness. Her blue eyes snapped up to meet Orleana's gaze. "That doesn't explain why you are here."
"Yes, of course it doesn't," Orleana's cheery facade was cracking, her voice lowering as she muttered out her next string of falsehoods. "Since father won't permit me to continue training as a Senshi, I thought I would sneak away and say good-bye to your mother. She was always so kind to me..."
"Mother's not here," replied Serenity.
"I see," Orleana's mind was running frantic. With the Queen gone, she could easily take the Ginzuishou. That was, of course, if the Ginzuishou had been left behind. Her orange eyes narrowed as she carefully said, "I'm surprised there aren't more guards present, protecting the Ginzuishou..."
"There is no need for extra guards," Serenity mumbled. "Mother took the stone with her, of course."
"Of course," Orleana dumbly echoed, her smile fading. She had taken the risk of coming back to the Moon. And for what? A chit-chat with the annoying princess! A moan escaped from Orleana's lips. She wanted to pull her hair out in frustration. Her thoughts were interrupted by Serenity's next question.
"How is Linnaus?" the petite blonde asked.
Orleana turned a hateful glare toward the small Moon princess. Serenity's eyes were wide, crystal blue waters brimming with hope. Her rapt smile, not aware of the shadow being cast upon her by Orleana's taller form, made Serenity appear more like an innocent cherub and not the Princess of the Moon. How Orleana would have loved to smash the side of Serenity's face in! Now was not the right time, though. Destroying Serenity could be done later, when the princess was not in possession of that huge stone sword.
Orleana shrugged. Cynically, she muttered, "How would I know?"
Confusion filtered through Serenity's face as she digested Orleana's words. "Isn't he on the sun?" Orleana shook her head. Frantically, Serenity yelped. "Where is he?"
"You really don't know what happened, do you?" Orleana whispered, a smirk spreading across her lips. She relished the pleading look in Serenity's eyes. Should she tell the sniveling princess the truth?
"Is Linnaus hurt? Where is he?" pleaded Serenity. Her owlish eyes glazed over with tears of worry.
Orleana tossed her black hair over her shoulder. "I haven't seen Linnaus since I returned to the Sun," she responded. "He is on the Earth."
"The Earth?" echoed Serenity. She turned her face to stare at the floor. Shaking her head in disbelief, she pondered, "But why would he go to the Earth? Did he say why he was going there?"
Orleana shrugged. "I really don't know," Orleana paused, visions of a battle between the Sun and the Moon flashing before her eyes. It would be best for everyone if Princess Serenity did not tell anyone about Linnaus. Slowly, Orleana added quietly, "but I do know that he went there in secret. He said that he didn't want to worry your mother."
Serenity nodded dumbly. Her mind was racing. Linnaus was on the Earth?
A noise from up above snapped both girls to attention.
"If your mother is not here," Orleana said cooly, knowing that she had already overstayed her welcome, "Then I must be going."
Her gloved hand took hold of the crescent pendant dangling on the chain around her neck.
"Wait!" Serenity wailed, holding up her left hand to stop Orleana.
The princess of the Sun's eyes clouded with irritation. She really hated the sniveling Moon Princess. If Serenity asked her another stupid question...
"You can't use the pendant to go back to the Sun," Serenity said factually. "It can only be used to bring you back here."
Orleana's temper flared as she demanded, "How am I supposed to return to the Sun, then?" She doubted that anyone else in the Moon Castle would be as gullible as Serenity. Panic pulsed through her; she must not be caught.
"You will have to teleport back." the Moon princess replied. Noting the worry in Orleana's face, Serenity smiled graciously. "Don't worry, Orleana. I won't spoil your surprise visit. Stay here, okay?"
Serenity swirled around toward the Prayer Room. Again, the door melted to her touch. The Moon Princess dragged the tip of the once light sword against the ground. When Serenity was on the opposite end of the room, she used all of her strength to hoist the heavy stone relic to its resting place on the wall. The golden moon symbol at the center of the princess' forehead flickered as Serenity grunted and placed the sword in place.
She returned to Orleana moments later.
"Come on!" Serenity urged, grabbing the taller girl by the wrist and leading her up the stairs. On the landing above, the Moon Princess carefully surveyed the room and then led the still confused Orleana up the second flight of stairs. At the top of the staircase was another landing. Directly in front of the girls was the ballroom. Serenity tugged Orleana's wrist, leading them both to left. As the pair rounded one last corner, Orleana realized where Serenity was dragging her.
"The Teleportation Room," Orleana whispered, halting at the ominous door leading to her escape. As Serenity opened the huge door, Orleana stepped in and surveyed her surroundings.
Her last visit to this room seemed to have been a decade ago. Like everything else in the palace, the Teleportation Room remained steadfast and unchanged; however, the Solar Princess marveled at how different this chamber was from the rest of the Moon Castle. Most of the palace was constructed of light marble and quartz, but this room was encased in steel. The floor was a shining dark obsidian--reminiscent of the Solar Castle, Orleana observed. The rounded walls were covered with flat panels of shining steel, stretching up to a rounded stained glass window at the top of the domed ceiling. At the center of the circular room, directly underneath the window was a round platform. The blue and white swirled surface of the platform appeared to be solid; Orleana recalled how surprised she had been when she had stepped on the platform for the first time. Her boots had wobbled on the wavering, tempestuous surface. Against one wall was a console, littered with a collection of knobs and colored buttons.
Orleana remembered, during her last departure, Sailor Mercury standing at the console, pressing the right collection of buttons that would send her to the Sun. Dread ate at Orleana's insides as Princess Serenity stepped into that position. The Moon Princess bit her lower lip as she pushed the first button. A loud clanging noise echoed throughout the room, causing Orleana to shudder.
"You do know what you're doing, right?" Orleana questioned suspiciously.
Serenity pressed a bright blue button and turned to smile at Orleana. "Certainly," she said confidently. "The teleporter is just warming up. When the sides of the platform turn to a purple glow, you'll want to step on top of it."
Orleana nodded slowly. Serenity turned a couple of knobs. Glancing up, Serenity noticed the skeptical expression worn by the Solar princess.
"How do you know how to do this?" Orleana demanded.
Serenity smiled as she replied, "I've watched Sailor Mercury. I also read a very large book on how to operate the Teleporter."
"Have you ever done this before?" inquired the Solar Princess.
"Not really," Serenity confessed. Smiling, she added, "But does it matter?"
Orleana wanted to scream at the Moon Princess, but a humming noise, coupled with the bright lavender glow of the platform, interrupted her response. Turning, the girl with dark hair stepped wearily on the platform. As the Teleporter transformed into a sea of wavering blues, greens, and purples, Orleana raised her orange eyes to the blonde standing a few steps away at the console. Her gaze narrowed as she watched Serenity. In many ways, Orleana should be grateful to Serenity. After all, the younger girl had concealed her presence at the palace and was even assisting in her escape. Instead of gratitude, Orleana was filled with contempt. Once she had the Ginzuishou in her hands, Orleana would wipe that innocent, gullible smile from Serenity's face. All on the Moon would suffer.
Serenity pressed a red button and then glanced up at Orleana. A pink and white funnel swirled around the shaft of colored light encasing the Solar Princess. A small glean of silver at Orleana's throat caught Serenity's eye. The moon pendant sparkled, triggering an idea in Serenity's head. The wide smile on the Moon Princess' face faded as she considered her thought. A curtain of red was slowly bleeding up from the bottom of the platform. After the crimson had washed out the pink and white funnel, Serenity must press the one last button that would send Princess Orleana to the Sun.
Excitement fluttered in Serenity's stomach as she stepped away from the console. She approached the tempest of light and color, her blue eyes sparkling. Orleana stared at her skeptically. Smiling widely, Serenity reached out and grasped the Moon Pendant. Without hesitation, the princess of the moon snapped the delicate silver chain from the Orleana's neck. The Solar Princess' orange eyes widened with shock.
"Next time, come through the front door," Serenity said cheerfully, holding up the crescent pendant, "Announced."
Orleana let out a low growl of anger. She reached forward to grab the silver necklace from the Moon Princess. The red curtain of light, now almost stretching to the top of the domed room, prevented the Solar Princess from reaching beyond its borders. Orleana began to shout at Serenity, who had pivoted on her left foot and dashed over to the console. With the press of one button, Orleana disappeared from Serenity's site. The light faded. Serenity stood at the console, staring at the silver pendant she had ripped from Orleana's neck just moments before. She turned the glittering object in her hands.
"I'll find you, Linnaus," Serenity whispered, turning back to the console. Again, she began to press buttons. This time, however, she adjusted the coordinates to the Earth. She turned to step on the glowing console when a voice from the doorway interrupted her.
"What in the name of Selene are you doing in here?"
The princess flinched at Luna's familiar voice. Pausing, Serenity pocketed the pendant in the folds of her dress. The Moon Princess smiled innocently as she turned to meet Luna's suspicious gaze. Shrugging, Serenity said cheerfully, "I was reading about how to operate the teleporter and I thought I would test it out."
"Test it out?" Luna repeated incredulously. Her blue eyes slanted. Her whiskers bunched into a frown.
Serenity nodded. "Really, Luna, I didn't mean-"
"Turn it off!" the black cat interrupted. Serenity winced at the feline's stern tone. Her head lowered, the Moon Princess turned to the console and pressed the buttons that would turn the machine off. The light surrounding the platform faded. The whirring noises of the teleporter quieted.
"Honestly, Serenity, I don't know what to do with you sometimes!" Luna huffed. "You will be the death of me, I know it."
"I'm sorry," the Moon princess said quietly. She raised her crystal blue eyes to meet Luna's gaze. Tears threatened to fall from Serenity's eyes. Luna's look softened..
In a kinder voice, Luna whispered, "Why don't you go to your room for a little while? Your mother should be returning this evening. "
Serenity smiled a little and nodded mutely. As she left the teleportation room, she reached a hand into her pocket. Nimbly caressing the smooth crescent pendant in her palm, the Moon Princess resolved that she would soon journey to the Earth and find Linnaus.
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Princess Orleana could not believe her bad luck. Thanks to Princess Serenity, Orleana's first attempt to obtain the Ginzuishou would probably be her last. Without the crecent pendant, Orleana had no chance of infiltrating the Moon Castle undetected.
In a flash, Orleana was back on the Sun. Serenity's coordinates placed the Solarian Princess exactly where she had started from: Metallia's dressing chamber.
At first, the Solarian Princess stood, frozen with disbelief. She blinked her orange eyes. They focused on the familiar surroundings of her mother's dark room. The fire warmed her already hot cheeks. The princess glanced to the floor. At her feet was a dress. Earlier, she had hastily cast it aside in favor of one of her mother's fine gowns. Orleana looked away from her discarded dress and focused her attention to the gown hugging her figure. She staggered on shaking legs to the giant looking glass positioned above her mother's vanity table.
She hardly recognized herself. Black circles surrounded her vacant orange eyes. Her tangled hair had fallen from its pins.
Orleana swallowed back a sob. Had so much changed that she could not return to the girl she once was? Surely, the real Orleana was buried somewhere beneath the layers of fabric and face paint.
The princess unfastened the black cloak from her shoulders and pulled off the elbow-length gloves from each hand. She wiped the back of her right hand across her face. The shadow on her eyes smeared into the rouge on her cheeks. Orleana rubbed the red paint from her lips with the palm of her hand, leaving her mouth with a pink stain. She clawed at the throat of the dress she wore. The fabric grew taut as she pulled. The material strained against its fastenings. The buttons popped from collar of her dress. A sigh escaped from Orleana's lips.
She peeled the costume from her body, revealing her Sailor Fuku. The uniform stood in blatant contrast to the room; the light fabric practically glowed in the dark chamber.
She sucked in a breath and stared at her reflection. A shiver ran up her spine.
Was that girl in the fuku who she was supposed to be? Was Orleana destined to be a Sailor Senshi?
As she thought back to her last moments on the Moon, specifically to Serenity's tiny fingers grasping the precious necklace that had dangled from her throat, Orleana began to tremble. The Solarian Princess recalled the small smile on Serenity's lips as she ripped the chain from Orleana's throat. Serenity's last words echoed in her ears.
"Next time, come through the front door," the Moon Princess said. "Announced."
Orleana collapsed to her knees as a cry strangled her voice.
"Next time," Orleana hissed out loud, "I will scratch out those pathetic eyes before I watch you drown in your own pool of blood!"
Orleana slammed her fists into the fur of the rug beneath her. Hot tears spilled from her eyes.
"I hate you!" Orleana screamed. She covered her face with her hands and sobbed.
Someone knocked on the door.
"Go away!" cried the Princess. She wiped her cheeks with her fingers. She picked up her dress from the floor and stood. The last thing Orleana needed was for a servant to see her dressed as Sailor Sun.
"Your highness?" a woman said.
Orleana recognized Samella's voice. She had instructed her newest servant to wait for her to return from the Moon. Orxix also anticipated Orleana's arrival; the princess had planned to travel with the pair of surface dwellers to Queen Metallia's cave after she stole the Ginzuishou.
But she did not have the Ginzuishou. The princess dreaded her mother's rage when Orleana arrived at the cave empy-handed.
She opened her mouth to instruct Samella to return later, but before a sound escaped from her throat, the door to the dressing chamber flew open. The bandaged servant stood in the doorway for a moment. Her mouth hung open, revealing yellowed, rotted teeth.
"Thank the gods you are safe!" Samella cried. She crossed the room and hugged the confused princess. "I have feared the very worst since news came of the terrible things!"
Orleana frowned.
"Terrible things?" she parroted.
"On the Moon!" Samella said. "It just happened. An attack. The servants talked about it."
"Who attacked the Moon?" questioned Orleana. The princess knew the answer, but could not help but to ask.
"Your father!" Samella stated. "Just a few minutes ago. He shot meteors at the Moon-directly at the Moon Castle! Worse than any fire storm, I imagine. I was so worried about you, princess! But Orxix said that if anyone could survive such an attack, you could!"
Orleana stifled a giggle. She could not believe that Orxix, her worst critic, said such positive things about her.
"He did!" Samella assured the skeptical princess. The Surface Dweller frowned as she noticed the make-up smeared over Orleana's face. She reached for a hankercheif-the one with the "L" embroidered in lower corner- and motioned with her empty hand to the stool with the faded embroidered cushion.
Orleana complied to Samella's silent instruction and sat.
Samella wiped the smeared face paint from Orleana's cheeks. The princess closed her eyes and allowed the deformed woman to wipe the black liner from her lids.
"Better," concluded Samella when she finished. She reached for a hairbrush. She smoothed the tangles from Orleana's hair.
"I didn't get the Ginzuishou," Orleana finally confessed. She sighed-both with regret and relief. She eyed her Samella's response in the looking glass.
Samella did not turn her gaze from her mistress' hair. She simply nodded.
"That's not important," she told the princess. "Your father sent for you, right after you left for the Moon. He wants you to come to the Earth, immediately."
The Princess of the Sun groaned.
"I've already packed up your clothes," Samella continued. "I'll send Orxix to your mother's cave."
Orleana smiled and stood. In the very least, a trip to the Earth meant that she would not have to face the wrath of Metallia. At least, not today.
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End of Chapter 7
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Hollie
Okay, the next chapter is typed and edited (minus spell-checker), but I have no idea of what to title it. Rest assured, chapter 8 will be titled.something. ^_^ (and will be posted soon!)