Hello there! I'm baaaack.
I am sorry so much time has passed since I last posted. October was a busy month, and I had few opportunities to write. This chapter was also a challenge for me to piece together; it just did not want to flow well! I hope I've ironed out all of the rough spots.
Disclaimer: Okay, why do I feel obligated to write this out every single time? Do I think Naoko Takeuchi even feels slightly threatened by my measly little Sailor Moon fanfiction? Hmmm. Well, in case she does, I'll disclaim away: I don't own Sailor Moon. If Naoko still wants to send to Tuxedo Mask to my apartment to, uh, scare me, I wouldn't mind. Hee hee.
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In the last chapter, Sailor Mercury and Sailor Jupiter had an encounter with Orleana and Beryl. The two elder senshi were caught by surprise and barely escaped from Orleana's clutches alive. Sailor Mercury also made a couple of revelations about Prince Endymion and the Golden Crystal.
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Light of Love: Red Moon
Chapter 19: Will of the Dead, Desire of the Living
"One moment!" the innkeeper shouted at the closed door. He grasped his cane in his left hand and shuffled slowly across the room. He peered through the yellowed lace curtain covering the side window and stared at the group of figures standing on his front porch. Before he proceeded further, the innkeeper paused and twisted to shout over his shoulder.
"Delia!" he cried to his wife, "Put on the kettle. We have quite a few this time!"
The clatter of pots and pans from the nearby kitchen greeted the innkeeper's request. His wife appeared in the doorway and shook a dented water kettle at her husband.
"Tell them we're full and send them away!" she commanded before retreating back into the kitchen.
"They could just want supper," the innkeeper offered.
"Tell them to go away!" his wife's voice bellowed.
The old man grunted and waved his left hand dismissively toward the kitchen before he turned to approach the front door.
For the first time in a very long time, the inn was crammed with lodgers. A group of travelers had arrived earlier in the afternoon and had rented all of the rooms. Still, the innkeeper wasn't against taking in more people, if they didn't mind sleeping in the attic. He silently tallied how much he could charge for a night's lodging in the attic on the arthritic fingers of his right hand while he opened the door with his left.
The old man blinked with surprise when his eyes settled on the tall young man with the dark black hair who had taken a room the night before. The innkeeper was shocked that he recognized the boy; the youngster's face was spattered with dried blood and his hair was matted and dirty. The innkeeper glanced at the young man's clothes. The night before, the boy's dress had only been rumpled and soiled; presently, the young man's tunic and trousers were stained dark—presumably with blood, the innkeeper silently assessed. The old man looked over the boy's shoulder to the two men who stood behind him. Their faces were also spattered and smeared with dry blood.
Under normal circumstances, the innkeeper would have slammed the door in the face of such suspicious travelers. However, while he stared at the three young strangers, the elderly man remembered the story from town that had reached his inn earlier that day. The innkeeper typically dismissed rumors, but this particular tale had involved the young man and the blonde-headed girl—the child the boy had claimed to be his sister—who had slept under his very roof the night before. Apparently, the pair had stopped at the Stuffed Pig after they checked out of their room and a fight had nearly broken out between the young man and one of the locals. It wasn't unusual to hear of a brawl in the tavern, but it was unusual for a fight participant to be the Terran prince, Endymion.
The innkeeper peered skeptically at the young man with black hair and midnight eyes. The old man's right eyebrow arched while he scrutinized the boy's appearance. Funny, innkeeper thought to himself. Up close, the young boy didn't look regal. He looked like any other young man who lived in the village.
"What?" the innkeeper finally grunted. Silently, he hoped the young man did not come seeking lodging. He couldn't exactly expect the prince of the Earth to sleep in the attic, could he? The innkeeper dreaded the thought of moving his other lodgers to accommodate the prince and his men. His current tenants might not be royalty, but they had paid him handsomely for their rooms. He doubted the Terran prince would be so generous.
Endymion cleared his throat and fidgeted nervously, shifting his weight from foot-to-foot. His face and the tips of his ears felt hot. He never thought, when he and Serenity rode off on Moonshadow that morning, he would ever again see any of the townspeople of Alendoor. Judging from the surprise that registered on the innkeeper's face when he first opened the door and rested his eyes on Endymion, the old man hadn't expected to see the prince again, either.
The last place Endymion wanted to be was in Alendoor again, but both Zoicite and Jedite insisted on returning to the village. The guardians had a difficult time persuading their prince to come back to the town. Alendoor, they argued, was the closest village and, therefore, the safest place for them to go.
"At the very least, we must get out of these damp, bloodied clothes and clean ourselves up," Zoicite said impatiently. He was eager to leave the site of their battle with the Solarian mud men; the guardian would have said anything to urge the prince into vacating this area. "Ideally, we stay one night in Alendoor and have a good square meal. You look like you could stand a decent supper, En—der, Mamoru."
The red-headed guardian shifted his watchful gaze to the blonde-headed girl wrapped in the prince's protective arms. Zoicite's nut-brown eyes narrowed as he stared at the top of Serenity's bowed head. Moments before, Endymion had introduced his guardians to the young girl. Serenity, distracted by the recent encounter with the mud man who had nearly killed her, quietly nodded at both Jedite and Zoicite before she dropped her attention on the snow-covered ground. Zoicite wanted to rip the girl out of Endymion's arms and confront her about what the mud man had told her earlier. Instead, the guardian focused his attention back to the prince. They needed to vacate the woods. They must return to Alendoor, regroup, and begin their journey to the Terran Castle. Zoicite still planned to kill Serenity, but first he had to make sure Endymion was out of immediate danger.
"Aren't there any other towns we could go to instead?" Endymion questioned.
"None close enough to arrive to by nightfall," Jedite soberly replied. His grey eyes dropped to stare at the princess. She leaned against the prince; Endymion practically held her up.
Jedite frowned. What Zoicite said earlier about Serenity made sense: she could very well be a Solarian spy, but he wondered whether Zoicite's observations were wrong. Serenity seemed so delicate and fragile; she looked like she would break if Endymion let go of her. A strange feeling swarmed in Jedite's stomach while he watched her. He wanted to stand in Endymion's place and hold Serenity; he felt an overwhelming urge to protect her. Desire warmed his insides. He longed for the princess to look at him the way she looked at the prince.
Jedite closed his eyes. His cheeks were hot. The blonde-haired guardian swallowed hard and shook his head. There was no way he would betray his prince for a girl. Still, he couldn't help but wonder if he looked as transparent as he felt. He glanced to Endymion and Zoicite; both men were still arguing about whether they should travel to Alendoor.
Zoicite crossed his arms over his chest and stated, "We all require rest, food, a bath." He spotted Serenity tremble out of the corner of his eye. Zoicite cared little about whether the princess was comfortable or not, but Endymion obviously did; if Zoicite and Jedite could not persuade the prince, perhaps she could. The red-head pointed at her. "Look there, the girl is shivering. We need to get her indoors."
The prince, now more acute to Serenity's needs than ever before, shifted his midnight gaze away from his guardians to focus on the girl nestled in his arms. Indeed, Zoicite was correct; she did shake uncontrollably. Endymion had been too busy arguing with his two guardians to detect her discomfort. Unable to prevent his own curiosity, Endymion tapped into their bond to check her emotional state. He frowned. He couldn't sense her feelings; she had done something to close her emotions off. He eyed her skeptically.
"Usa, are you okay?"
The princess nodded. Through chattering teeth, she whispered, "I think the blood on my clothes froze. I'm cold."
The prince's gaze softened. He glanced from her grimy, blood-spattered face to her red cloak. The crimson color of the fabric had hidden the bloodstain. Endymion frowned. He opened his mouth to further interrogate Serenity when he was interrupted by Jedite.
"We need to go!" the blonde announced.
Endymion shot the guardian a dirty look. He parted his lips to speak, but this time Serenity interrupted him. She tugged on his arm. The prince dropped his eyes to look at the princess. She stared up at him with fearful, pleading blue eyes. Just that look was enough to melt Endymion's conviction.
"He's right," she said softly. Her voice was only loud enough for the prince to hear. "We must avoid a run-in with more of the cavern dwellers and..."
The princess paused. She had almost said 'Queen Metallia.' Serenity cleared her throat and continued. "And they won't be happy that you killed their comrades."
The prince nodded thoughtfully at Serenity's statement. She was correct; they were not safe in the woods. His main reason for avoiding Alendoor was because of his earlier encounter at the Stuffed Pig with the unruly drunkard, where he had, inadvertently, revealed his identity as the Terran Prince. He originally thought they would be in more danger because he was no longer a stranger passing through the town, but perhaps the citizens of Alendoor would take greater pains to protect their prince than they would a common traveler.
"Well, let's go, then," Endymion finally announced. He unhitched Moonshadow's reins from a low-hung tree branch. The prince turned, stared at his guardians, and frowned as he asked, "Did you ride here?"
Jedite rolled his eyes. "Of course! We left our horses near the road."
Once Jedite and Zoicite recovered their horses, the prince, his guardians, and the Moon princess mounted the animals and focused their attention on the ride back to Alendoor. For all of her earlier objection to horseback riding, Serenity put up no protest when Endymion lifted her into Moonshadow's saddle; she was too stunned during the journey to do anything except dig her fingers into the horse's thick mane and stare at the road in front of her. The prince frowned at her lack of spiritedness. He had only known the princess for a day, but his bond to her was strong. Even without feeling the surge of emotion he shared with Serenity, Endymion knew that something terrible had happened to her. His concern was so deep that he dismissed his own worry regarding the battle, when his energy unexpectedly drained from his body. He was grateful that his guardians failed to broach the subject with him.
For the most part, no one spoke.
Endymion stared down at the girl seated in front of him. He wanted to ask Serenity about the Solarian mud people they had bested; the princess called the creatures "cavern dwellers." He wondered how she would know who they were or where they came from. He had never heard reports of Solarians tribes living on the planet, but perhaps the mud people were a part of some Northern folklore. Endymion leaned forward to make an inquiry, but the prince caught a sudden movement out of the corner of his left eye. Endymion straightened in the saddle. Serenity felt his movement; she shifted in front of him and twisted her head. Zoicite rode up alongside them. He stared expectantly at the exhausted princess. He peered at her with scrutinizing brown eyes. Serenity bristled under his gaze.
"So, Mamoru said that you were from up north," the red-headed guardian flatly stated. His tone was not conversational or pleasant.
Serenity, presently too tired to continue her charade as a Terran, shrugged her shoulders. Her thoughts were consumed by what the cavern dweller had said about her cousin's demise.
"I am," she said flatly.
Zoicite nodded thoughtfully and stared forward. He rubbed his chin with his right forefinger; he kept a tight hold of his horse's reins with his other hand. The plodding of horse hooves on the frozen, trampled ground filled the atmosphere with rhythmic, clomping noise.
The guardian was silent for several more moments before he continued his interrogation of the princess. The tenor of his next comment implied that he did not believe or trust her.
"I've heard that the communities of the north are small and close," Zoicite mentioned. He twisted his face to stare directly at the princess before saying, "Is that true?"
Serenity shrugged. She did not like where his line of questioning may lead. Smiling, she muttered, "I thought all Terrans were close and friendly with each other. I didn't realize it was a trait only seen in the northern communities."
Endymion smothered his smile by digging his chin into his shoulder. Jedite giggled behind them.
Zoicite's face wrinkled with annoyance. Maybe Jedite and Endymion didn't mind sharing company with a Solarian spy, but Zoicite did not. He especially did not like being made a laughingstock by such a girl.
"Then you must know my friend," he snapped peevishly.
"Perhaps..." Serenity's voice trailed off. She hoped this friend of Zoicite's was just an acquaintance of his; she didn't know how effectively she could lie about knowing a complete stranger. The princess swallowed her worry and attempted to look unfazed. She licked her dry lips and questioned, "What is his name?"
"He's a great general in King Demetrious' army," Zoicite announced. He looked at Serenity triumphantly and said, "His name is Kunzite."
Apprehension filtered from Serenity's face. She stared dumbly at the red-headed guardian before whispering, "Did you say 'Kunzite'?"
Zoicite, thinking that her facial expression was a clear sign that she was an imposter, nodded triumphantly and said, "Indeed, he's called Kunzite!"
"Kunzite is a friend of yours?" Serenity asked hopefully.
"Kunzite is a friend of all of ours," Endymion said behind her.
Serenity nearly leapt off of the horse; fortunately, the Terran prince had a strong hold on her and kept her from tumbling out of the saddle.
"Careful!" he chastised.
"You are all friends of Kunzite's?" the princess eagerly demanded.
"You...know him?" Jedite said. He had ridden up along the right side of Moonshadow during Zoicite's interrogation.
"Yes! I've known him my whole life!" Serenity squealed. "He's my, um, father's best friend!"
"A friend of your father's, you say?" Jedite inquired, smiling broadly. If Serenity's father knew Kunzite, then the princess couldn't possibly be a spy, which meant that Zoicite was wrong. Jedite looked past Serenity and Endymion and cast a look of triumph at Zoicite; the red-head glared back him.
Hope welled in Serenity's chest, loosening the constriction caused by the earlier news of Linnaus' death. What she had confessed to Endymion and his friends was true: she had known Kunzite for all of her life. The silver-haired man was sent to the Moon to serve as Kyrena's guardian and protector when the Terran princess began to train as Sailor Earth. Princess Kyrena's father, suspect of women training to become warriors, had insisted that his best soldier accompany his daughter to the strange planet. Consequently, Kunzite's lifespan, like all else who lived under the protected umbrella of the Ginzuishou's power, had been extended.
Serenity had not seen Kunzite since he had returned to the Earth, following Kyrena's announced engagement. The princess revoked her duties as Sailor Earth and married the crowned Terran King Demetrious. Everyone on the Moon cried the day Kunzite left with Kyrena. Minako was the most distraught; the senshi apprentice had developed a crush on the rugged Terran soldier. Serenity frowned as she tallied how long it had been since she last seen Kunzite: eighteen years.
The princess, remembering Linnaus and Queen Metallia, spoke again. Her tone was filled with hope and desperation, but she didn't care. Kunzite was the only person who would understand her plight.
"Do you know where he Kunzite is? Does he still help protect Queen Kyrena? Could you take me to him?"
"Whoa!" Endymion chuckled behind her. "I thought you were looking for your dad."
"Well, Kunzite may know where my father is," the princess lied. Her round cheeks reddened with shame. She lowered her gaze to stare at the ridge of Moonshadow's mane. She hated to lie, especially to Endymion.
"We'll take you to the Terran Castle," Jedite eagerly offered. "That's where Kunzite lives."
Serenity shifted her cobalt eyes to look at the blonde. She smiled graciously. The guardian puffed his chest like a proud peacock and grinned. He turned his head to avoid making eye contact with Zoicite.
"But first, we must go back to Alendoor," Endymion glumly added. The prince shifted his attention to the stretch of road in front them. Dread filled Endymion's stomach, making him ill with unwanted anticipation. The sensation did not go away, but intensified when the prince, his guardians, and Serenity finally rode into town. Endymion argued—unsuccessfully—that his guardians should speak to the innkeeper about rooms.
"Someone else should talk to him," the prince announced as they approached the familiar two-story dilapidated structure he and Serenity had slept in the night before.
"They probably didn't even hear about the thing at the Stuffed Pig," Jedite said casually.
"Don't be such a child!" Zoicite chastised, shoving the prince in front. Endymion stumbled forward on the porch of the inn. He stared wearily at the large front door; Zoicite leaned forward to knock. Yells were heard inside the house. The prince ran a nervous hand through his tangled black hair and attempted to smile.
Serenity lollygagged behind the prince and his two guardians. She stood at the bottom of the steps and leaned back to stare the top floor of the inn. Her eyes scanned each window for the room she and Endymion had slept in the night before. The flutter curtains in one window distracted her search. Serenity held her right hand to her brow and peered at the pane of glass. The hazy winter sunlight cast a reflection in the window, which made it impossible for the princess to see though. A cold feeling crept into her skin. Someone was watching her from that window. Serenity immediately thought of Queen Metallia. Her pulse quickened. Fear flowed through her, but the princess hardened her gaze.
"Please sir."
Endymion's kind voice broke Serenity's tense moment. The princess cast her attention to the porch, where the prince and his guardians stood.
Serenity sighed and pivoted away from the inn's façade. She was being silly, she silently reasoned. She was simply upset by what the cavern dweller had told her.
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The prince swallowed. His throat felt like it was stuffed with cotton. Endymion straightened the front of his bloodied tunic. He sucked in a cold breath of resolve and said in a cracked, dry voice, "We are in need of rooms, hot baths, and clean clothes."
The innkeeper leaned forward and strained his ear to determine whether the prince spoke like a member of the royal family. He again peered at Endymion's soiled clothes. He thought of the girl who had been with the prince the night before. The old man frowned and pinched his lips together.
"Where's yer sister?" he asked, more out of curiosity than concern.
The prince twisted and looked at Jedite inquisitively. The blonde turned around and spotted the princess. Serenity stood at the foot of the steps, her back to them. The hood of her cloak had fallen to her shoulders, revealing a mass of hair that still shimmered like gold in the muted sunlight of the lackluster winter day. Jedite's grey eyes softened. He twisted back to face the prince; Endymion's expression was lined with concern.
"She's back here," the blonde-headed guardian said quietly.
Endymion's face relaxed.
"She's here," he assured the innkeeper.
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Serenity sat on the middle of the three steps leading to the front porch of the inn. She rested her feet on the lowest step and hugged her knees close to her chest. The red wool of her cloak and skirt were stiff from the crusted, frozen blood of the cavern dweller. The princess shivered involuntarily, but the tremors were more from weary shock than from the cold. She stared vacantly forward with tired glassy eyes, not really focusing the trodden road or the thicket of bare trees in front of her. The conversation between Endymion and the innkeeper filled her ears, but she ignored what they said.
She tried to forget her encounter with the cavern dweller; she shook her head to loosen the recent memory. The action seemed to make the conversation echo in her mind. No matter how hard she tried, Serenity could not forget what he had told her: Linnaus was dead. The statement was so simple, yet the concept of death was beyond her comprehension.
Serenity leaned forward and propped her chin on top of her knees. She sighed. Her tear ducts were dry; her eyes stung. She clamped her lids shut. Serenity rubbed her temples before burying her face in her hands.
Serenity never knew her real father; he died when she was a baby. Linnaus doted on the princess like a loving father. He knew her strengths and weaknesses, her fears and joys; he knew Serenity better than she knew herself. The princess couldn't accept that such an important person in her life was gone forever. She hadn't traveled such a far distance to seek out a corpse. She wasn't prepared to mourn for him.
In the back of Serenity's mind lingered the rest of what the cavern dweller said: Queen Metallia was on the Earth. He mentioned something about a mythical stone. The princess shuddered when she realized what he could have meant. Was Metallia after the Ginzuishou? Was that why the Solarians had attacked the Moon? The princess remembered her encounter with Orleana outside of the prayer room. Serenity's body tingled; a cold awareness caused her skin to prickle. It was no coincidence that the Solarian Princess was on the Moon moments prior to the meteor attack; Orleana was sent to the Moon to retrieve the Ginzuishou for her mother.
The thought of Orleana's betrayal made Serenity ill. The Princess of the Sun had always distanced herself from the other apprentices, but Serenity had always thought that the girl was just shy. The Moon princess always regarded Orleana as a friend. She trusted the Solarian, like she did all of her future Senshi warriors, with her life.
Serenity silently acknowledged that this nugget of information was more important right now than her cousin's demise, but she wanted to block the awareness of her friend's betrayal from her mind. Her mother and the Senshi would want to know that Metallia had aligned herself with the cavern dwellers and was now on the Earth; the Queen should be told about the Ginzuishou. Serenity hardened her resolve. She didn't want to return to the Moon to tell them. She had not traveled to the Earth simply to turn and go home so quickly.
Serenity's lids snapped open. She stared at her booted feet.
The princess did not understand why she wanted so desperately to stay on the Terran planet. Was it because she still wanted to find Linnaus?
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Endymion stared expectantly at the elderly man. The innkeeper rubbed his jaw and nodded thoughtfully.
"Well, we're plumb full tonight," he muttered, shrugging his shoulders. "All our regular rooms are taken. All's I got left is the attic. Can't imagine it's none too comfortable, but it's dry."
A gasp of disbelief escaped from Zoicite's lips. There was no way the future king of the Earth and his trusted guardians would sleep in an attic! The red-headed man stepped forward and opened his mouth to speak. Endymion raised his hand to silence his guardian.
"Oh no you don't!" the innkeeper's wife cried from the doorway of the kitchen. She had a habit of eavesdropping on all of her husband's conversations when she was supposed to be preparing meals, but only rarely did she interrupt or make her presence known during business transactions. On this occasion, she was prepared to make an exception. More tenants meant more meals for her to prepare and more messes for her to clean up later; she refused to tidy her attic for a few measly silver coins.
The innkeeper's wife barreled toward the front door and pushed her husband aside.
"We're full up!" she hissed at the innkeeper. She made no attempt to hide her disdain. "I told you to send them away!"
The woman twisted around to face Endymion. The innkeeper's wife breathed heavily; her large bosom shook as she spoke.
"Sorry for you, but you'll have to..." her voice trailed off as she stared at the young man. She had only seen him briefly earlier that morning, when he and the strange blonde-haired girl had checked out of their room, but she knew it was him. Like the innkeeper, she, too, had heard the rumors that this boy was the Terran prince.
The old woman suddenly dropped to her knees. She pulled the innkeeper's sleeve to urge him into a kneeling position, too. The elderly man awkwardly bowed and slowly knelt into the floor.
"I am so sorry for our impertinence, your highness!" the innkeeper's wife said in a tone far more kind than before. "Please forgive us."
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A chill sliced through Serenity's spine when she thought of her cousin's body. The cavern dweller told her that Linnaus' remains were discarded somewhere on the Earth. Serenity recalled her earlier conversation with Sailor Pluto, when the Guardian of Time told her that Linnaus' soul had not yet crossed over to the other side.
The princess was well aware of the Moon's burial rites and traditions. She knew that only a few Lunarians, called "Laudatorites"—people said to have been selected at birth by the Goddess Selene herself—were allowed to deliver final rites to the dead. The process was said to release the soul from its lifeless body so that it could pass over to the realm of the departed.
Each time they unleashed a soul, the Laudatorites absorbed a part or all of the deceased's experiences, which they harnessed into a charm formed from the energy of the ritual itself. This trinket was given to someone selected by the dead during the ritual. According to Serenity's books, the Laudatorites, after unleashing the soul, conversed with the deceased one last time to confirm their final wishes.
Thanks to the power of the Ginzuishou, Lunarians lived for a long time, and the skills of the Laudatorites were hardly ever utilized. Serenity had never witnessed the ritual herself. Minako, the princess of Venus, was present for one burial and had relayed some of the details to Serenity and the other senshi apprentices. She hadn't actually known the person who had died; the woman had been an old friend of Sailor Venus and, as Sailor Venus' apprentice, Minako was expected to also attend the last rites ritual. The young blonde was eager to retell the strange ceremony she witnessed, and her friends were eager to listen.
"The body was placed at the front of the temple," Minako told Ami, Makoto, Rei, and Serenity. "The Laudatorite entered the room and he was already in a weird trance. His eyes were all cloudy and the moon symbol on his forehead glowed like it was on fire. He crossed the temple, dropped to his knees beside the body, and placed one hand over the face and the other one over the person's chest. He pulled his hands up, and the body lifted, like it was fighting to keep the soul. But the power of the Laudatorite is stronger than the will of the dead, and the soul wanted to be released, so after a bit of struggle, the body let go and dropped to the floor again. The Laudatorite closed his eyes and spoke some strange language I'd never heard before. He cupped his hands together while he talked, and a ball of light formed between them. The Laudatorite finished talking and the light faded from his hands. He opened his eyes and addressed the people in the temple. He said, 'Agario has spoken, and she has selected the Senshi of Venus to experience her experiences.'"
"And what did Sailor Venus do?" Makoto demanded, once it was clear that Minako had finished telling her story.
Minako shrugged dismissively and said, "She walked to the front of the temple and took a silver charm from the Laudatorite. I don't know what she did with it, but she was moved by the gesture. It's a great honor to receive the last wishes, you know."
Serenity shuddered. She could not presume to be a Laudatorite and collect Linnaus' soul. She was already in enough trouble for using the Ginzuishou. The princess expected that she would be in even more trouble for teleporting to the Earth. Her mother would be furious if she desecrated the rituals of the dead, too.
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Endymion rolled his midnight eyes. He could feel his cheeks burn with embarrassment. He was glad that Serenity was behind Zoicite and Jedite and did not see how foolishly the innkeeper and his wife behaved. He heard his two guardians quietly chuckle behind him. The prince pinched the bridge of his nose with his thumb and forefinger. He sighed.
"Yeah, forget it," he muttered. He grew impatient when the innkeeper and his wife did not stand to their feet. "Uh, you may rise," he said in a commanding voice. He motioned with his right hand for the elderly couple to stand.
"Your highness, I do apologize," the innkeeper's wife said once she had struggled up from her knees. "But, as my husband said before, our rooms are all occupied. All we have is the attic. Of course, for you, we could move some of our other lodgers from their rooms..."
"It won't be necessary," Endymion interrupted. He smiled as he said, "We're more than happy to take the attic."
"Are you certain, your highness?" the innkeeper asked. Inwardly, the old man was relieved.
"More than certain," the prince sternly replied.
"Take our room!" blurted the innkeeper's wife. She clasped her hands in front of her bosom. Her underarms wobbled while she spoke. "Please, it would be an honor for the future king to sleep in our bed!"
"Delia!" the innkeeper gasped.
Endymion's face flushed. He again heard Zoicite and Jedite snicker over his shoulder.
"No!" he responded. In a calmer tone, the prince muttered, "Uh, that's very generous of you, but we would be more than happy to take the attic. How much would a night's lodging, plus baths and a washing of our clothes cost?"
"Of course we would not charge you, your highness!" the innkeeper's wife responded.
"Delia!" the innkeeper muttered beneath his breath. Certainly, the wealthy Terran prince could pay for his room!
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Serenity exhaled. She watched the cloud of air disperse into the atmosphere in front of her.
A cold gust of wind chilled her cheeks and nose. She pressed her forehead against her knees to block her face from the chilly burst.
"Serenity," a man's voice whispered faintly in the breeze.
The princess' chest constricted when she heard her name.
Linnaus.
She had longed to hear his voice again. It couldn't be him, she silently reasoned. He was dead. The cavern dweller had said so. Panic caused her stomach to quiver. Why did she hear her dead cousin's voice?
"Serenity," he called again.
The wind carried his voice like a faint whisper. The princess lifted her head. Her blue eyes scanned the brush on the opposite side of the road. She thought she might see Linnaus—or his ghost—standing on the edge of the forest, but she saw nothing. The bare tree boughs swayed slightly in another gust of wind.
"Come to me, Serenity," he beckoned.
Linnaus' voice intoxicated her. Her head swam. Her body tingled. Her limbs felt weighted like heavy sacks of flour. Her vision blurred. Her eyelids drooped. The center of her forehead burned; her moon symbol started to materialize.
Serenity felt her awareness slip slowly away from her. She was exhausted; she wanted to succumb to Linnaus' soothing voice and sleep. She wanted to forget about being on the Earth. She no longer cared about the cavern people, Queen Metallia, or Orleana. She wanted to forget that Linnaus was dead.
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Endymion, busy bargaining with the innkeeper and his wife over a night's lodging, did not notice that the wind had picked up. He did not hear Linnaus' whispers to the princess. Instead, he rubbed the bridge of his nose wearily and exhaled impatiently.
"Don't be ridiculous," he announced. "We will pay you for lodging in the attic." He twisted his head over his right shoulder to face Jedite. "Give me your purse."
The blonde guardian's grey eyes widened with disbelief. "Why my purse?" he demanded.
The prince sighed with impatience. He leaned forward so that only Zoicite and Jedite could hear him.
"Because I left mine at Jade Castle and I already used all of Usa's money," he muttered.
He held out his gloved left hand. Jedite grumbled something beneath his breath. The blonde reluctantly placed his purse in the prince's expectant palm.
"You better pay me back," Jedite muttered.
Endymion stared with disbelief at his guardian before twisting around to face the innkeeper and his wife. The prince unknotted the leather tie on Jedite's purse and shook the coins into his open hand. He frowned at the small collection of silver that dropped from the pouch.
"Uh, I hope this will be enough," Endymion said as he offered the entire collection of coins to the innkeeper. He ignored Jedite's incredulous gasp.
The innkeeper's wife leaned forward to take the money. She smiled widely and said, "More than enough. Your highness is very generous. I'd be more than happy—nay, I'd be proud—to wash all of you and your men's clothing myself!"
The prince forced himself to smile graciously, though it was difficult.
The innkeeper, eager for his wife to return to her place in the kitchen, cleared his throat. "Uh, Delia," he said, "Perhaps you should check on that kettle. I'm sure the prince and his men would like a hot cup of tea after their..." He raised an eyebrow as he glanced at Endymion's blood-spattered clothes. "...ah, battle today."
"The kettle!" screeched the innkeeper's wife. She threw her hands over her head and frantically scurried back to the kitchen.
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The loud, squelching voice of the innkeeper's wife penetrated the spell Serenity had fallen under. The princess winced at the woman's loud, intrusive tone. Feeling crept into Serenity's joints; her vision sharpened its focus on the street in front of her. Her blue eyes darted to the motionless trees on the opposite side of the road. She frowned and stared at the vacant sky above.
The wind was gone.
Serenity rubbed her eyes before wrapping her arms around her legs and hugging her knees to her chest. She buried her face in her lap and tried to calm her frazzled nerves.
Linnaus had called to her. His body must be close by. His soul was trapped, and he sought out the only Lunarian who was near enough to release him: the princess. The soul simply longed to be at peace, but in doing so, it also wanted the princess to act against Lunarian ritual and overstep her bounds as a princess of the Moon. She was not a Laudatorite; she was not allowed to release Linnaus' spirit.
The girl was now aware of why her cousin called her name. She slapped the palm of her hand between her eyebrows and willed her moon symbol to fade. She sprung to her feet and swung her arms back and forth at her sides to shake away the temptation to drift under its spell again.
Another gust of wind rustled in the trees. The girl froze.
"Serenity, I wait for you," Linnaus' soul whispered.
The princess glared at the thicket on the opposite side of the road. She was not a Laudatorite; she was not supposed to hear the cry of Linnaus' soul! Was she, the princess of the Moon, powerful enough to override the trance? If she was strong enough, she could retain her awareness while under the soul's spell. She would find Linnaus' body.
"Come to me..."
Serenity clenched her jaw and straightened her posture. She held her hands to her sides. After sucking in a deep breath, the princess took one step forward.
Again, warmth enveloped her body. Her limbs relaxed; her muscles melted. Her vision began to haze; her mind began to wander. She took another step forward. The wind hugged her body and urged her to walk to the edge of the woods.
"This way, Serenity."
Her forehead began to burn.
A hand roughly grabbed her by the left shoulder.
"And just where do you think you're going?" a male voice said behind the princess.
The breeze suddenly faded. Serenity felt her awareness again creep back into her skin. The princess blinked her blue eyes to focus. Her cheeks crimsoned. The moon symbol faded from the center of her forehead.
She silently chastised herself for being so foolish. She thought she was strong enough to overpower the trance of the dead, but it had again taken a hold of her body.
The princess slowly twisted her head around to face the owner of the hand and the voice. Zoicite's critical gaze met hers. The man stared at her suspiciously.
The princess attempted to smile.
"I thought I saw a deer in the woods," she lied.
Zoicite's brown eyes narrowed as he frowned. He dug his fingers into Serenity's shoulder.
"You shouldn't wander off," he stated. The right corner of his mouth curled into a lascivious smile as he whispered, "You could be killed so easily by wild animals."
Serenity stared at the guardian incredulously. Her blue eyes wandered down the man's torso and rested on the hilt of the dagger sheathed in the leather belt at his waist. Zoicite's right arm swayed casually at his side, but his free hand hung just inches from the blade.
"Usa!" Endymion shouted, bounding down the front steps of the inn. He had finally heard the voice. He was inspecting the attic when he noticed it. The voice was the same as the one that had interrupted his sleep and placed Serenity in a trance the night before.
The prince, relieved to see that Serenity was safe with Zoicite, stopped in front of them and grasped the princess' hand. Zoicite released his grasp on Serenity's shoulder.
"Are you okay?" Endymion gently asked.
Serenity smiled. Zoicite had definitely frightened her, but she decided not to tell Endymion. He had no control over his friend's strange behavior, and she didn't want to cause a rift between the two. She nodded.
"I'm fine, thank you Mamo," she told him.
The prince beamed. "Good," he whispered. He pulled Serenity toward him wrapped his arm around her shoulders. He led her toward the inn. "We have a room. It's the attic, but it's dry and warm. The innkeeper's wife is drawing a bath for you. I've also instructed her to wash your clothes. Supper will be in an hour or so..."
Serenity allowed Endymion to lead her up the steps. In the doorway, she twisted and glanced back at Zoicite. Serenity couldn't help but feel uneasy as she looked at him. The red-headed guardian remained in the center of the road, his hands crossed over his chest. Absolute contempt smoldered in the look he exchanged with the princess. A glint from his waist brought Serenity's attention to the dagger in his belt. The princess eyed the weapon with trepidation.
Endymion, noticing Serenity pause in the doorway, stopped and looked down at the top of her head. Her attention was focused on something outside. Endymion wondered if the voice had spoken again. The prince twisted around to look at the woods. He detected no movement of the tree boughs. Endymion sighed with relief. He shifted to lead the princess back inside, but a pang of energy—Serenity's emotion—sparked his skin and jolted his senses. The prince closed his eyes and accepted the power. He frowned. Serenity was afraid.
Endymion glanced at her again; this time, he followed her gaze to see what she saw that frightened her. His midnight eyes rested on Zoicite, who still stood in the middle of the street; the guardian stared Serenity with a contemptuous glare. Zoicite's intense gaze did not go unnoticed by the prince. His eyebrows furrowed with concern; he had only seen Zoicite stare with such malcontent at enemies during battle. Why would his trusted guardian look at Serenity in such a threatening way?
Serenity shivered. Endymion squeezed his arm around her shoulders. The princess broke her eye contact with Zoicite and turned to look at the prince. Endymion smiled. He felt her tense frame relax a little.
"Come on," he said with a wink. Serenity nodded and walked inside the inn. Endymion turned to close the front door. He stared at Zoicite, who still had not moved. The prince glared at his guardian with hardened, warning eyes. His pupils were dark with rage.
"I'll send Jedite out," he said to Zoicite. His tone was stern and resolute. "You two can take the horses to the stable."
"I'll wait here for him," Zoicite responded.
The prince nodded.
Don't you dare hurt her, Endymion thought somberly as he shut door between them.
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The man with the melted face stepped away from the curtain. He faced the woman in the room, who peered at him with watchful, scrutinizing yellow eyes. She had been resting on the bed, but the noise outside of the inn had interrupted any promise of sleep.
"What were you staring at, Orxix?" she asked the servant.
Orxix glanced at the window again with his good eye. He looked for the blonde Terran girl he had spotted earlier, but she had already walked into the inn.
He found the child to be very attractive. Her features were not marred like his; her delicate alabaster skin glowed with perfection. At one point, it almost seemed like the girl stared right at him through the pane of glass. Her sharp blue eyes bore into him. She was covered what looked like blood, but that simply excited Orxix. He thought he may seek out her room late at night, when everyone else slept. Orxix's groin ached at the thought of spending the evening with her.
"Well, Orxix?" the woman hissed, interrupting his reverie.
Orxix wiped the sweat from his brow and shifted his eye to look at her.
"Nothing, just more lodgers outside," he stated.
The woman hissed with displeasure. She sat up on the bed and fidgeted impatiently.
"I will have supper in my room, then. Make the arrangements," she commanded.
Orxix bowed.
"Of course, Metallia," he answered before standing and crossing the room.
The deposed queen of the Sun lounged back on the bed once Orxix left the room and shut the door behind him. She clamped her eyes shut and smiled to herself. She stretched her arms and legs out and yawned, allowing her body to sink into the bed. The mattress was not nearly as comfortable as what she had slept on in the Solar castle, but it was much softer than the hard stone cavern floors she had slept on for the last few months. After Metallia's harrowing journey from the Sun—she and her followers had stowed themselves in the cargo area of a Solar ship on its way to the Earth—this dingy room with its lone window and hard bed was a welcome reprieve from her recent miseries. The boards in the ceiling squeaked and shook as someone walked around in the attic above. Muffled voices were heard.
Metallia opened her eyes and glared at the ceiling. Tired of waiting for her daughter to deliver the Ginzuishou, Metallia had decided to take matters into her own hands. She remembered that Queen Serenity was not the only person who held a sacred stone; another crystal, said to be just as powerful as the Ginzuishou, was possessed by the Terran rulers. The Golden Crystal was not as heavily protected as its lunar counterpart, which would make it easier for Metallia to steal. Already, she had dispatched her cavern dwellers to seek out the stone. There was no telling how long it would take for the Golden Crystal to be found; it could be anywhere.
The former Solarian Queen sighed with impatience. She crossed her arms over her large bosom.
Why couldn't the Golden Crystal fall within her grasp?
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End of Chapter 19
Whew! wipes forehead I'm glad that chapter's finished!
I hope the shifting back and forth between Endymion and Serenity's points of view made sense when they arrived at the inn; I had a heck of a time trying to make it flow well and still make sense. Also, I'd like to know if the flashback from the inn to the post-battle scene in the woods transitioned okay. I don't always write in a linear fashion; I hope I don't confuse readers by doing that.
Thanks to the following who reviewed the last chapter: Kunihwoarang, omystrs, sakura161, and Moonmoore, as well as those who reviewed chapter 17: Emeraldsong, Courtenay, Jacquie, FushigiYugiFan80, kristel, susan, and Veronica. Your feedback really helps me, I really appreciate knowing your thoughts about the story.
That said, please review!
Hollie