Greetings and salutations!
I am hesitant to post another chapter, considering the paltry response my last two received. This story is long, so I wonder if people have made it this far. Please throw me some type of bone, people! I plan to do this whole writing thing for a living, and it would help me to know if anyone is out there at this point.
That being said, I'm posting this chapter for Veronica and Bebe1984. Thank you for both for reviewing!
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In Chapter 22, Serenity discovered that Endymion is, uh, Endymion. Endymion discovered that they were sharing the same roof with Metallia and her minions. Before he and the gang could split, an entranced Serenity made a hasty retreat to the woods. Endymion, the prince that he is, followed after her.
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Light of Love: Red Moon
Chapter 23: Fire and Roses
Release me, Serenity!
The words tickled the princess' ears and awakened her consciousness. The haze that had fogged her mind suddenly lifted, freeing her senses. She staggered forward as she regained control of her motor functions.
Awareness filtered into every muscle with a bite of pain. Serenity groaned. Her head throbbed and her muscles ached. She shivered from cold. She leaned forward and clutched her forehead in her hands. Slowly, she opened her eyes. Her gaze was focused on the ground; all she saw at her feet was a slate of grey.
Reluctantly, the princess raised her blue eyes. She twisted her head and turned in a circle. She spied nothing around her but a wash of thick white mist and a slick grey floor that stretched on forever. Her only reference point for such a place void of atmosphere was the Time Gate, but, unlike Sailor Pluto's sanctuary riddled with stars, this present area was completely empty of anything. Simply standing in this place filled the princess with hollowness.
Panic flooded her insides, filling her stomach with sick trepidation and her throat with bile. She swallowed back the bitterness. Tears pricked the corners of her eyes.
Was she dead?
The princess shook her head. No, she couldn't be. Such an answer in a place like this was far too simple.
Serenity sighed and rubbed her temples. She searched her mind, attempting to remember how she could have possibly come to exist in this empty place. Images from the recent past flashed in her head. She recalled Endymion, the inn, and Linnaus' beckoning voice. She remembered the blackness of the forest and the slip of pale moon in the Terran sky. She shivered, again experiencing the sensation of feeling cold.
A glean of gold on the near horizon distracted the princess from her disoriented confusion. Serenity squinted and peered at the distant shimmer. She silently considered investigating the sparkle; she doubted if this place provided much else for her to see. She took a shaky step toward the light. She sucked her breath in and willed herself to be brave.
The mist parted in the wake of Serenity's steps, clearing the fogginess from the void. The princess peered at the golden glimmer. After only a small number of steps, she discerned the solid figure of a man laying, face up, on the bare grey floor. When she neared, Serenity realized with horror that the shape splayed on the ground was actually a corpse. The sparkle of gold that had caught her eye pulsated from the upturned moon symbol at the center of the dead man's forehead.
A cry of grief choked in Serenity's throat.
She had finally found Linnaus.
The body of her cousin was barely recognizable from the strong Lunarian that Serenity recalled in her memories. His usually pristine white robe—a gift from Serenity's mother in honor of Linnaus' ambassadorship to the Sun—was now stained with dried blood and spattered with grime. A shredded strip of the robe still skirted his waist; the remaining fabric appeared to have been ripped from most of his body, revealing almost all of his flesh. His bare chest and abdomen were slashed with open sores. Hash marks of blistered, blackened skin indicated that he had been branded. His legs were covered with cuts and bruises. His feet were twisted in the most unnatural way, indicating that bones had been broken. Bruised, red rings from blood spilled long ago encircled his legs and ankles. His arms—once strong enough to lift the princess with little effort—were a patchwork of varying colors of bruises and gashes.
Initially, the princess avoided looking above his shoulders. Her heart ached with grief when she finally rested her eyes on Linnaus' face.
Once, the battered, bloodied, and broken man who lay before her had been the most handsome and desirable Lunarian in all of the Moon Kingdom. His boyish good looks had enticed princesses and, in some instances, princes, into falling in love with him. The distinctive, perfectly straight nose he had—one that Serenity had also inherited—now bent abnormally to the left. The skin stretched over his chiseled cheekbones was hollow, and his square jaw loped to one side. His lips were swollen and split. His blonde hair pressed in dirty, sticky masses against his bashed-in head. Serenity gently lifted the matted strands from one side of his head and replaced it with a gasp of horror; his ear had been cut off. The princess was thankful that his lids were closed; she couldn't bear seeing his green eyes, lifeless in their sockets.
Staring at his marred face, Serenity searched her memories for the Lunarian she knew. If not for the still glowing crescent on Linnaus' forehead, the princess might have doubted that the body belonged to her beloved cousin.
"What did they do to you?" the princess finally wailed. Her voice sounded broken in own her ears.
She dropped to her knees beside Linnaus' lifeless form. She took in every abuse with her eyes. She ran her fingers gently along his mutilated corpse. His skin was stiff and cold against her fingers; the princess shuddered over what she touched, but she was determined to memorize each offense on her cousin's once-pristine flesh. Her hand paused at a particularly large puncture hole in his chest. Her body trembled; she had found the wound that had ended his life.
Serenity wept. She could barely see what she was doing through her veil of tears. She had anticipated a body, but she had not imagined the torture that he must have endured during the last hours of his life.
The princess inhaled a deep breath, silently telling herself to remain calm. Her job was only half complete; she still had to release Linnaus' soul. At the back of her mind, a voice whispered for her to stop; it told her that she had no right to deliver final rites to the dead, that only Laudatorites could perform such services. The princess trembled. She knew that Laudatorites were doomed to relive the lives of the souls they released. Just looking at her cousin's exterior wounds, Serenity didn't doubt the level of horror awaiting her.
Reluctantly, the girl shut her eyes. She didn't know what she must do to release Linnaus' soul. She had hoped—somewhat naively, upon reflection—that her instincts would lead her through the ceremony, but she was at a loss over what to do. Adding to her self-doubt was the teensy fact that the princess had never actually watched a Laudatorite at work.
She opened her blue eyes with a whimper of frustration. Tears flowed down her soft pink cheeks.
"What am I supposed to do?" she whispered desperately. She rubbed the tears away from her cheeks with the cuffs of her oversized shirt. She bit her bottom lip and concentrated.
Serenity recalled the story that Minako had related to her and the others about the burial she had witnessed. The princess pinched her face together, attempting to bring forth every single detail Minako had described.
"He crossed the temple, dropped to his knees beside the body…"
Serenity observed that already she kneeled alongside Linnaus' corpse.
"…and placed one hand over the face and the other one over the person's chest."
The princess gently placed her right palm over her cousin's battered face and her left hand over the puncture of his pierced chest. Her fingers tingled when they touched his skin.
"He pulled his hands up…"
Serenity tried to lift her hands, but they stuck to Linnaus' body like a strong magnet to a sheet of metal. The princess grunted and again tried to raise her hands. Her heartbeat quickened. She struggled with an amazingly strong, invisible force.
"…and the body lifted…"
Linnaus' stiff form suddenly rose from the ground, much like a puppet on strings. A very heavy puppet, Serenity silently amended. She clenched her teeth. Her muscles stiffened from exertion.
"…like it was fighting to keep the soul."
The light at the center of Linnaus' forehead began to pulsate. Serenity felt the burn of her own moon symbol flickering. She squeezed her eyelids together and wished for the struggle to end.
"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."
At that particular moment of the process, Serenity doubted how desperately Linnaus' soul wanted to be released from his body. She felt like she was attempting to pry something very large and misshapen from an extremely small hole with only the power of her mind. The process was painful and tiring; the princess had used all of her strength to complete the ceremony, and the soul still seemed trapped in her cousin's corpse. She tried to concentrate on what had happened next, when Minako had witnessed the process.
"The Laudatorite closed his eyes and spoke some strange language I'd never heard before."
Serenity dismissed this specific segment of the ceremony as unnecessary flourish.
"He cupped his hands together while he talked, and a ball of light formed between them."
"By Selene, how am I going to do that when my hands are still stuck to his body?" the princess muttered desperately. She tried to lift her palms, grunting from the exertion. The corpse shook. Suddenly, Serenity's hold gave, releasing the man's body from her hands. Linnaus' remains fell gracelessly on the hard grey slate floor front of her. The jolt caused the gold moon symbol at the center of the man's head to flicker and fade. The light of Serenity's own silver crescent also diminished. Several moments passed before Serenity dared to move. She delicately placed her hands in her lap.
The earlier energy she felt pulsating from his corpse was gone.
"Was that it?" she said through heavy breaths. The princess leaned over and skeptically peered at her cousin's body. Upon close inspection, she noticed a tiny trickle of blue smoke filtering from the corner of his mouth. The billow reminded the princess of incense burning. She reached her right hand out to touch the small blue pillar.
"No, Usa!"
The princess' head snapped up. She turned her attention away from her cousin's corpse to search out the voice that cried her nickname.
The mist parted, revealing Endymion sprinting toward her. His cape flowed behind him. His right hand grasped the hilt of his sword. His face was lined with determination.
Serenity opened her mouth to protest his interruption, but before she had a chance to speak, the world erupted in an intense explosion. Fire warmed her face. The odor of burnt brush filled her nostrils. Endymion's charging form disappeared into the blast before her eyes.
"Mamo!" The princess screamed. Light blinded her. She squinted against the brightness. Her eyes stung when she stared at the destructive force before her; she ignored the pain to search for Endymion's figure in the fire, but all she saw was light.
The explosion, though quite strong and powerful, fell just short of Serenity's position; however, the devastation did succeed in breaking through the void that the princess had earlier occupied, revealing her true location at the center of a small meadow blanketed with snow. The intense heat from the blast had melted the hard-packed snow and singed the hibernating plants below; the burn line revealed just how close it had come to reaching the princess and her cousin's body. Residual fire, sparked by the now-dissipating explosion, consumed the bare branches of trees on opposing sides of the clearing. The light was so intense in the meadow that Serenity was surprised to look at the sky above and see that it was still night.
A movement on one edge of the meadow caught Serenity's eye. The princess lowered her gaze, peering at the approaching figure. She immediately thought of Endymion. Her blue eyes shined with hope. She frowned suddenly.
The silhouette was of a woman. She walked past a cluster of fire-engulfed trees, which illuminated her figure. She wore a senshi uniform trimmed in red and gold. Her loose black hair blew around her face in a tempest of her own creation. Her fire-orange gaze was focused on Serenity's solitary position at the center of the meadow. Between her hands, the senshi held a small ball of fire and light.
Serenity's heart pounded against her ribcage as she recognized Orleana.
The Solarian's lips moved, but the Moon princess was too far away to hear the girl's words. The light between Orleana's hands pulsated and expanded. Serenity hadn't heard the shout of Orleana's offensive, but the Lunarian had witnessed enough of her friend's senshi attacks to know what the Solarian was about to do. The Moon princess quickly looked around her; at the center of the meadow with no protruding boulders or tree trunks to dodge behind, she was completely vulnerable to Orleana's attack.
A man's arms gripped Serenity's shoulders and wrapped around her, enveloping the princess in a protective embrace. She inhaled deeply and smelled roses and sandalwood.
"I've got you," Endymion whispered into her hair. His breathing was heavy; the laborious gasps were the result of his sprint to reach her. Serenity felt his chest quickly rise and fall against her body. His cape surrounded her.
Bright light consumed them again. Serenity clamped her eyes shut. She reached her arms around Endymion's middle and ducked her head into his broad chest. He tightened his embrace around her. He closed his eyes. He rested his chin on the top of Serenity's head and braced himself for the impending, scalding heat of the Senshi's attack.
"Flower Hurricane!"
The prince's midnight eyes shot open. He glanced wearily to his left, where the girl with the long black hair and the extremely short skirt had launched her attack. The fireball had not reached them, but the intense brightness of the disintegrating fire caused his eyes to water. He squinted. He couldn't be certain, but he thought he saw two more short-skirted women in the foreground. Dread washed over him. Surely, the three women, in their identical uniforms, worked together.
"We can't hold her off for very long," Endymion heard one of the women shout. "We have to get the princess out of here!"
Cold air caught in the prince's throat. Were the two women staving off the first girl's attack?
Sailor Jupiter's flower hurricane cry had crackled in Serenity's ears. She felt Endymion's back stiffen as he removed his chin from the top of her head. The princess popped her eyes open and shifted her body away from the prince to see the source of the senshi's call.
Sailor Jupiter had positioned herself between Orleana and the prince and princess. Her attack was far weaker than the Solarian's consuming ball of fire, but she still managed to blow Orleana's offensive to one side of the meadow with her hurricane attack. A flurry of stray pink cherry blossom petals swirled through the clearing.
A new source of light, closer than Orleana's flames, flickered in the corner of Serenity's sight. The princess narrowed her eyes. She twisted her head to her right. She focused her gaze on Linnaus' frozen corpse; the origin of this new light emerged from her dead cousin's forehead.
Princess Serenity's blue gaze widened. Her heart beat wildly in her chest. The warmth from the light flushed her cheeks.
Endymion detected a spike in Serenity's anxiety. He turned his head and shifted himself away from the battle between the three women. He focused on the princess. His dark cobalt eyes widened. He had been distracted enough by the short skirted-girl's attack and the subsequent counter-attack by the two others that he hadn't noticed Serenity break contact with him. Her attention was completely focused on a ground-level light source in front of them. Endymion craned his head around Serenity to see where the power came from. His face registered slight surprise when his eyes settled on what had captured the princess' attention.
Splayed in front of Endymion and Serenity was a mutilated corpse half-buried in the snow. Judging from the grey color of the man's skin, Endymion quickly assessed that his death had not occurred recently. The light flowed from the center of the body's forehead, filling the cold sky with a brilliant glow. Unlike the menacing, hot light pulsating from the short-skirted girl's fireball attack, the power released from the abused corpse felt comforting. Fringes of the energy flow swirled around the prince and princess, capturing the pair in a warm embrace.
The prince stared at the body for several moments, wondering how he had failed to notice the corpse until now. He had only spotted Serenity kneeling in the meadow moments before he detected the power-up of the first fireball attack. At that time, all other objects in the meadow and surrounding wood were distractions from his primary focus: protecting the princess. While he eyed the body, a frown formed on his lips. Endymion had a feeling he had encountered this individual sometime in the recent past; however, the face of the man was battered beyond positive recognition.
Serenity leaned forward. She reached her right hand out to touch the stream of light pouring from the corpse. Endymion motioned to stop her. He leaned into her and placed his own hand on the girl's wrist. He ignored the spark of power caused by touching her. The energy flowing from the body may seem comforting, but Endymion was suspicious of trusting anything pertaining to the dead.
The princess, transfixed by the light flowing from her cousin's moon symbol, resisted the boy's intervention. She tugged her wrist away from the prince and struggled to place her hand in the stream of Linnaus' power. Minako, in her account of the Laudatorite providing last rites, had never mentioned anything about light exploding from the body's head, but the princess somehow knew that this was an integral part of the ritual. Her lids pinched together to protect her sensitive blue eyes from the brightness; inwardly, Serenity pondered how Minako could have overlooked such a crucial detail as power erupting from the forehead.
Serenity felt Endymion's weight shift behind her. He would try to stop her again. The princess commandingly held her left hand out to prevent further interruption from the prince. From the corner of her eye, she observed that he hesitated. His posture reminded her of Luna or Artemis, poised to pounce on a mouse. She noted that his midnight gaze was fixed on her, which caused the princess to involuntarily shudder. She could not see the prince's anxiety in his expression, but she acutely felt his concern. The sensation alarmed her. Serenity elected to ignore this odd connection. She had to finish freeing her cousin's trapped soul.
Endymion again gestured to move; the princess again held up her left hand.
"Don't. I know what I'm doing, Mamo," she calmly told him.
When Endymion showed no more sign of intervening, Serenity sighed heavily and sucked in a deep, cold breath of courage. She suddenly thrust both of her hands into the stream of light. The power emanating from Linnaus' forehead gripped her arms and pulled her forward. Panicked, Serenity tried to yank her limbs out of the current. The force tightened around her arms, forcibly pulling her off balance. She wobbled in her stooped position and attempted to anchor herself by digging the toes of her boots into the snow blanketing meadow floor beneath her. Her upper body was now engulfed in the stream. She squinted and tucked her chin into her chest to block her eyes from the blinding quality of the light.
She felt arms grasp her around the waist. The scent of roses drowned the aroma of snow and burnt brush from her nostrils.
"Perhaps this was a bad idea," she heard Endymion grunt behind her while he pulled her torso away from the stream of light. He managed to remove her upper body from the flow of energy; only her arms remained engulfed by the bright power.
Serenity pinched her lips together and puffed out her cheeks. Though relieved that Endymion had pulled her back from the light, she detected a hint of mockery in his comment. For a moment, Serenity forgot that her arms were still stuck in Linnaus' light stream and instead fumed over Endymion's flippant remark. She heaved in a deep breath and twisted her head around to make a snappy retort. The prince was directly behind her; she could barely see Endymion out of the corner of her eye. Serenity glowered in the boy's general direction and sputtered, "Perhaps this has nothing to do with you!"
She shuddered at her lame retort and was instantly shamed by her quick temper. She hesitated to say something else, but before anything came to mind, she felt Linnaus' light intensify. Her shoulders jerked. She slipped off balance. The princess turned her head away from Endymion and attempted to regain her hold. Instead, she fell completely forward; her upper body was again engulfed in the power stream. Her eyes widened with horror at the anticipation of landing on her cousin's mutilated corpse. She braced herself for the landing, but her body continued falling. Serenity's stomach tickled from the drop. She clamped her eyes closed. She screamed.
"Usa!" Endymion's cry echoed in her ears as she tumbled downward.
Her descent slowed. The princess opened her eyes and saw images flash around her. She blinked. Familiar places, like the Moon castle, the gardens, and the Sea of Selenity commingled with faces and events the princess could not recall from her personal experiences. She searched the spectrum of moments for something she recognized. Serenity spied a girl with blonde hair tied in two buns running past the hedges of the garden; the blonde was running from five other girls dressed in sailor fukus. The princess smiled when she recognized the familiar sight, but suddenly frowned when the girl with blonde buns turned around. The image Serenity witnessed was not hers; the blonde in the vision was her mother as a girl. These were Linnaus' memories.
More flashes of past moments whirred past her as she descended. Each day of Linnaus' life flew by. Many days—common, ordinary ones—soared past in a blur, while more significant moments in her cousin's life stood out like fat rungs on a long ladder, leaving a more lasting impression in Serenity's mind. Somehow, she was reliving every part of Linnaus' life. Too many memories existed for Serenity to take in with her eyes; however, each moment she passed flashed into her mind's eye and imprinted itself in her own memories. The princess felt like an intruder rummaging through her cousin's most precious experiences.
The descent into Linnaus' life began happily enough, but each moment that Serenity passed became darker. Using Linnaus' memories, the princess witnessed her grandmother's death and her mother's coronation. She experienced her cousin's elation at the princess' own birth and the sorrow he felt when the King of the Moon died. She felt the anxiety of his first trip as ambassador to the Earth; she even witnessed the places he had visited.
One section of Linnaus' life was enshrouded with both extreme happiness and overwhelming bitterness; Serenity's own heart ached while she passed through this area of her cousin's memories. The princess had always suspected Linnaus' love for Sailor Earth, but she had assumed that his feelings for Kyrena were unrequited. Passing through her cousin's unguarded, private moments with the Terran Senshi, Serenity observed that the pair had been madly in love. Linnaus had courted Kyrena until Queen Serenity found out about it. Like all of Linnaus' memories, the princess relived a particularly hostile encounter between her mother and cousin that had taken place one night in the empty throne room of the Moon palace. Princess Serenity felt the same anxiousness in her gut as her cousin had experienced during the original exchange.
"May I ask what your intentions are toward her?" the Queen inquired. The princess, recognizing her mother's business-like and pensive tone, knew that the Queen was not asking a casual question. Her mother was angry.
"I love her," Linnaus simply confessed.
"Love her?"
"Yes."
"Linnaus, you cannot love her!" the Queen hissed.
"I do, Sere," the man sincerely declared. The princess felt her own heart beat rapidly in her chest, just as Linnaus' had during the heated exchange. He never displeased Queen Serenity, but this time, he would stand up to her.
The Queen heaved an exasperated sigh and shook her head.
"You, of all people, should know better than to associate yourself so closely with a Terran."
"Kyrena is your best friend!" Linnaus snapped. More contentiously, he added, "Do you think I'm not good enough for her?"
"She's not good enough for you, dear cousin," the Queen stated. "She's a Terran."
"I know what she is. She is of noble birth, just like you and me."
"She is Terran!"
"Don't keep saying that!" shouted Linnaus. "I never thought you to be such an elitist, Sere."
"Oh please, Linnaus. If only it were that simple. Have you so easily forgotten your childhood lessons? No Terran can bond with a Lunarian."
Linnaus sighed. He hadn't forgotten.
"Sere, I remember the Prophesy. But I don't care. I love Kyrena. And she loves me." He clenched his jaw and hissed defiantly, "We will marry."
"No, you won't. I forbid it."
"Well, I don't care," Linnaus announced. In his life, he had never defied Queen Serenity's wishes, but he was prepared to do anything for Kyrena. The surprised look on queen's face indicated that she had expected him to back down. Linnaus, gaining confidence, crossed his arms over his chest and stated, "We are getting married and there is nothing you can do about it!"
He pivoted on his right foot and crossed the room. His hand was on the crystal knob of the throne room doors when the Queen finally spoke.
"If you do marry Kyrena," she called out, "You will never see little Serenity again. I won't allow it."
The princess felt her chest tighten. She closed her eyes, wishing for another, happier of Linnaus' memories to flash before her. Even with shut eyes, Serenity could still see what her cousin had seen; she acutely felt what he had felt.
Linnaus hesitated. His heart throbbed and ached like it had been pierced; he placed his right hand protectively over his chest. His shoulders sagged in defeat.
When he turned to face the Queen, tears glistened in his green eyes.
"You are a cruel woman, Sere. Very, very cruel."
Serenity hated that her mother had won, especially since her victory had been gained by using the princess as leverage. She wished, more than anything, that she could insert herself in Linnaus' memories and speak her mind.
Worse moments followed, when Linnaus actually distanced himself from Kyrena without providing any explanation, and worse yet when Queen Serenity convinced him to assist in persuading his beloved to marry the newly crowned King of Earth, Demetrious. The union, the queen explained, would help end warring between the various Terran clans vying for the crown.
"Why Kyrena?" Linnaus demanded, even though he already knew the answer.
"She is the last of the ancient Terran royalty," the Queen responded. "Her brother was the last great, unchallenged king. By marrying Demetrious, she will save countless lives. The union will solidify Demetrious' chances of keeping his crown."
Linnaus did the Queen's bidding like a faithful servant. His heart ached when he told Kyrena that she must marry another man. His sorrow was greater still when his beloved confessed that she had already thought of marrying Demetrious on her own.
"You're actually considering it?" Linnaus yelped desperately before he could restrain himself.
"Well, you thought of it," Kyrena countered.
Linnaus, intent on not betraying the queen by revealing that it was actually her idea, remained silent.
"Look, I don't like it," confessed Kyrena with a sigh. "But Demetrious is a good man, and he holds a lot of promise, something which has been lacking for many centuries on my planet. I've consulted Helios, and he agreed that a union would be…favorable."
The two were silent. Princess Serenity again wished that she was not simply a witness; she wanted to intervene and tell Kyrena not to leave.
"But it's just an idea," Kyrena finally stated, breaking the silence. "I won't actually do it. I don't know what I did to lose your favor, but I'm not going to leave. I still love you."
Linnaus closed his eyes and cradled his forehead in his hands. He had longed for so long to hear her again say those words. He wanted more than anything to hold her in his arms. Instead, his duty would push her further away. He lifted his head and turned to face her. When he gazed into her shining midnight eyes, his resolve disintegrated.
"I love you, too," he confessed. His voice was so quiet that he wondered at first if he had actually uttered it out loud. Kyrena's face shifted from hopeful sadness to shocked joy. She launched herself into his arms before Linnaus could do anything but return her embrace. He squeezed her tightly, relishing the moment, pleased to finally have her so close to him again.
"I thought you didn't," Kyrena whispered.
"I'll always love you," Linnaus said earnestly.
They remained intertwined in each other's arms for a long time, each afraid to let go for fear of what was to come next. When they finally did part, Linnaus was the one who broke the silence.
"I am bound by my duties to remain here," he stated, his tone terse. "And you are bound by your ancestry to return to the Earth and marry King Demetrious."
The sadness on Kyrena's face filled Linnaus with guilt. Her blue eyes watered. Eventually, Kyrena mutely nodded to indicate that she understood. The single tear that slipped down her right cheek did not go unnoticed by Linnaus' watchful eye.
Once Kyrena had left, Linnaus was never the same. His spirit, along with his heart, was broken. He did the queen's bidding, serving as a peace negotiator on the Earth as well as an ambassador to the other planets. No longer did he perform such tasks because he enjoyed it; he did what the queen commanded, just as any other servant would do. If Queen Serenity was aware of the rift she had created between herself and Linnaus, she never indicated it to him. The only outward sign that she could possibly know of his ill regard for her was when she sent him on missions; she no longer casually asked him if he would like to go on her behalf. Instead, she commanded him in the full presence of the Moon court. She treated him like a servant instead of a beloved relative.
The only respites from Linnaus' miseries were the moments he spent with the princess. Serenity was happy that he had relished their play times as much as she had.
Reliving Linnaus' moments helped the princess see the progression her cousin made from Queen Serenity's confidante to Queen Metallia's puppet. His departure to the Sun effectively sealed his fate. The princess, horrified, witnessed Linnaus' ultimate defeat; he became Metallia's lover.
Never before in Linnaus' life would he have considered bedding such a vile woman as Metallia; however, up until recently, he had never been filled with such emptiness and indifference. Not surprisingly, Linnaus accepted Metallia's advances with little resistance. He almost liked having sex with her; the hollowness in his heart was replaced with self-loathing. Linnaus knew he was trapped in Metallia's manipulation, but he didn't care that she used him. He began to wonder why he had waited so many years after Kyrena's departure to sleep with another woman. In his current dreary surroundings—the Sun was hot, uncomfortable, and depressing—his duties to the Moon no longer mattered. To gain approval from his lover, Linnaus openly mocked Queen Serenity in front of Metallia.
He knew what he did was wrong, but he lacked the self-respect to stop himself. He drunk heavily each night, enjoying how dull and numb his head felt before he eventually spun into unconsciousness. He hoped that all that had happened was a terrible nightmare, and that soon he would wake up and find himself in his bedchamber at the Moon Castle, Kyrena sleeping soundly next to him.
Serenity anticipated that the end of Linnaus' life was close; having relived her cousin's downward spiral, the princess did not wish to see what happened next. Even with closed eyes, Serenity witnessed his final days. He was captured by Solarian guards while he lay unconscious in Metallia's bed. He was severely beaten and tortured by King Nefar. The princess watched her cousin transform from the beautiful man she recalled from her own memories to the mutilated corpse she had discovered in the meadow. She viewed how each wound that she had touched earlier on his body had occurred. She felt her cousin's pain.
Linnaus' final moments were bittersweet. Serenity watched with horror at all of the onlookers in the Solarian court. She observed how visibly distraught Metallia, splayed on the floor in front of the throne, pleaded through her sobs for her own skin to be spared while Linnaus' life had been nearly whipped and cut out of him.
Her cousin's last face-off with Nefar caused the princess to smile sadly. She was pleased by his final defiance, when he finally found the strength and self-worth that had eluded him for so long. Linnaus, after enduring so much physical and emotional pain, hovered at the mouth of his own madness; the princess was relieved to see that, in his last living moments, he experienced a moment of peace and clarity. Serenity was elated that a vision of her mother was the source of his transcendence. He was so distracted by it that he failed to notice when Nefar's sword fatally pierced his chest.
Serenity let out a choke of pain. She had relived every part of Linnaus' life, including his death. Unlike her delirious cousin, she felt the metal of Nefar's sword slice through her skin. She clutched the area over her heart with both hands and wept.
"It didn't hurt."
Serenity's crystal eyes widened when she heard the familiar voice behind her. Unlike before, when it had whispered menacingly in the wind, Linnaus' voice now sounded strong and confident.
The princess realized that she was no longer falling. At some point, the floor had appeared beneath her; she was kneeling, as she had been before, in the vast area of mist. Her gaze rested on a form sprawled on the grey slate beside her. She anticipated that the body was Linnaus'; horror registered in her expression when her eyes rested on Endymion's face. The princess reached her hand out to touch his cheek. A sparkle of energy assured her that he was alive. He was unconscious. She placed her hand on his shoulder and gently shook him.
"Mamo, wake up," Serenity whispered.
"Leave him," Linnaus ordered.
Serenity twisted to face her cousin's spirit. She was startled by how solid he appeared. Linnaus looked just as he had on the day he departed for the Sun. His skin was void of the bruises and cuts he had been given during his last days of life. The princess blinked her eyes several times, hardly believing that the pristine-looking figure in front of her had endured so much. If she had not witnessed it all first-hand, Serenity would have gladly dismissed it all as the horrible nightmare Linnaus had once longed for it to be.
"What is wrong with him?" asked the princess, gesturing to Endymion's unconscious form.
"He is fine," her cousin's spirit assured her. "He's not supposed to be here, but his connection to you is strong."
He finished his last statement with a knowing smile. Serenity did not notice the grin on his lips. Instead, her eyes were focused on the prince. She watched his chest rise and fall. She exhaled a sigh of relief. He seemed to be okay.
"Did he…" Serenity hesitated. She recalled the vivid images of Linnaus' life. She remembered the details regarding her cousin's love for Kyrena. The princess clamped her eyes shut and attempted to sift the memories from her mind. "Did he see it all, too?"
She opened her eyes. Linnaus nodded. Serenity bit her lower lip and anxiously gazed at Endymion. He was still asleep.
"He's Kyrena's son," she uttered, shifting her focus to her cousin's spirit.
"I know," Linnaus pointedly responded. He smiled wistfully. "He looks like her son."
Serenity smiled half-heartedly. "How can you be sure? I mean, that he saw it all, too?"
Linnaus knelt down across from Serenity and shrugged. "I've never heard of two people experiencing the last rites, but, then again, I've never been through this myself, so I don't really know what to expect."
The princess flinched at the slightly amused tone in her cousin's statement. The off-color comment was something Linnaus would have said in his life. Serenity did not understand how he could make a joke over his own death. She blinked furiously, fighting back her tears.
"Serenity, I didn't mean to upset you," Linnaus said, this time in a more somber tone.
"I can't…" the princess choked, her tears now streaming freely down her cheeks, "I can't do this! I'm not a Laudatorite. I'm not supposed to be here!"
"Ah, you are wrong, little princess," stated Linnaus.
He grasped her hand. Serenity was startled by his touch. He felt as solid as he appeared.
"I will admit, though, that I was expecting your mother," the Lunarian said with a wink. The princess smiled sorrowfully. "But, you must realize that only a true Laudatorite would have heard my cries." His green eyes sparkled with regret. "I'm just so sorry that you had to see all of that."
She knew when Linnaus referred to "all of that," he spoke of his increased ambivalence for her mother. Serenity, through Linnaus' memories, had seen a facet of his personality she otherwise would have never known about. In the back of her mind, she realized that she had also seen another side of her mother, too. The princess, not wanting to cause Linnaus any more guilt—he had already suffered enough, after all—opted to misinterpret the meaning of her cousin's last statement.
"I thought you died well," she said, not really knowing if a spirit needed compliments about such matters. "I mean, your last moments were…really compelling."
She cried. Linnaus leaned forward. He wiped a tear from her cheek with his right hand. On other occasions, he would have pulled the princess into his lap and cradled her until her sobs subsided. Both he and Serenity seemed aware that such a gesture was impossible. Linnaus may appear and even feel solid, but he lacked the strength of a living man. His green eyes sparkled with regret. The princess rubbed her nose with the back of her free hand and sniffled.
"I'm glad to know what happened to you," she whispered calmly. "I just wish…"
"Shhh, little princess," Linnaus interrupted. He held his finger to her mouth. "We have no time for wishes. A part of my spirit will always be with you. Please tell your mother I am sorry. I never intended to betray her."
"You didn't betray her!" Serenity gasped. "You were…confused, that's all."
"I was a fool, but none of that matters now." The Lunarian grinned; a hint of sorrow lined his face. "I only regret that I will not see you grow into young woman, little Usagi."
The air caught in the back princess' throat at the mention of her nickname. She reached forward and wrapped her arms around Linnaus. She was relieved that she could hug him; she clutched him for several moments, sobbing into his chest. Linnaus embraced her tightly. Serenity inhaled; she was relieved to breathe in his familiar, clean scent of citrus and moss. She clamped her eyes shut. She wanted this moment to last forever.
"You will be a wonderful queen someday," Linnaus whispered in her ear. He had told her the same thing countless times. "You will be an even better ruler than your mother."
Serenity shook her head. She knew that these words marked the end of their encounter. She tightened her grip around him. He responded by hugging her harder. He finally tapped her shoulder gently, silently urging her to release him.
"Serenity, you must let go," he said calmly. He turned his head. "Oh, good, you're awake."
The princess opened her eyes. She spied Endymion, now awake and standing nearby. His hand rested on the hilt of his still-sheathed sword. He suspiciously stared at Linnaus with piercing midnight eyes. The princess released her cousin. She rose to her feet and stood between the prince and Linnaus.
"Don't hurt him," the princess pleaded with Endymion, "He's my cousin."
"We've met before," the prince dryly replied. He finally remembered where he had seen Linnaus: in his gruesome vision of the prison cell with Nefar.
"I am sorry about that," Linnaus admitted, knowing full well what the prince referred to. He rose up and stood next to the princess. He bowed his head and cleared his throat. "I wanted to warn you about Nefar's threat, but as a trapped spirit, my resources were limited. Fortunately, as the Earth's true heir, you are connected to the planet, so I used it to contact you. Of course, I could only haunt you with visions."
"Damn realistic visions," Endymion muttered. With a hint of question in his voice, he stated, "You're dead."
"Indeed, it is that simple," the Lunarian whispered with a nod. He leveled his eyes to lock with Endymion's. "I do apologize for endowing you with my life's experiences. They were only intended for little Usagi. I anticipate, though, that you will undoubtedly put all that you have seen to good use."
The prince stared at the man. He blinked. A confusing, knotted collection of the Lunarian's memories now inhabited Endymion's mind. He clutched his forehead and shook his head. Linnaus' visions were as vivid as Endymion's own personal experiences. They overlapped. He suspected that Linnaus' negotiating abilities would come in handy some day.
"I will do my best with them," the prince finally said.
Linnaus smiled. His expression dulled as he shifted the topic of conversation.
"How is your mother?" he inquired.
Serenity sucked in a deep breath. Endymion eyed the Lunarian's spirit, considering whether he should tell him the truth. He knew, from experiencing Linnaus' life, his mother, though content, was not nearly as happy with his father as she had been with the Lunarian.
"She is good," he admitted. "My father treats her well, but he is a busy man. She spends a lot of time alone."
Linnaus nodded contemplatively. He pinched his lips together. He looked at Endymion with hope in his eyes.
"Can you please tell her that I never stopped loving her?"
Endymion nodded silently. "Of course I will."
Linnaus smiled, relieved to have unburdened his unrequited love from his heavy heart. His green eyes shifted to focus on the princess. Serenity, her tears remounting at her cousin's mention of Endymion's mother, sniffled and smeared the tears from her cheeks with the sleeve of her oversized shirt. She looked up from the grey slate beneath her and into Linnaus' face. Though brimming with sorrow, her cousin's expression was also filled with hope. He grasped her hands in his. He squeezed her fingers tightly.
"Please give my experiences to your mother, little princess," he whispered.
Serenity's chest heaved with grief. She gasped to breathe between her racking sobs. Her focus dropped to her feet. Linnaus captured her chin in his right hand and pulled her face up to meet his. Her blue eyes rested on his green, sparkling orbs. Linnaus again gripped her left hand with his right.
"Be strong. The queen will depend on you even more, now that I am gone."
Serenity shook her head. Tears flowed freely down her cheeks. Her face was red from crying. Her eyes were puffy and swollen.
"Please don't go, Innie," she sobbed. She wanted to again hug him, but she lacked the strength to show such initiative. She felt his fingers dissolve in her hands. She watched as Linnaus' body faded from her sight. His piercing green eyes were last part of him to disappear. She clamped her lids shut and cried harder. "Don't leave. Please."
She felt a strong pair of arms wrap around her shoulders. She was pulled against a broad, flat chest. The grip stabilized her. She returned the embrace. She exhaled with relief.
When she breathed in again, she did not smell moss and citrus as she had anticipated. Instead, her head felt light with the scent of roses and sandalwood.
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End of Chapter 23
This chapter was mapped out one way and ended up completely different by the time I finished it. I originally did not intend to include such vivid recall of Linnaus' life (the chapter was SO much shorter before I went back and revised it). It's important foreshadowing, though; anyone who is familiar with the Sailor Moon series should know what I am hinting at…I hope.
What did you think? I know a lot of stuff happened, and I left Jupiter and Mercury in a battle with Orleana, which could be considered a cliffhanger. Sorry about that. I feel the story coming to a close soon, but that could mean another 5 or so chapters, so don't hold it against me if I am wrong and it's longer.
Oh, and I think I may have used proper nouns when I shouldn't have. I tried to catch them when I was editing, but I probably missed some of 'em. Sorry about that. I hope the grammarians aren't too miffed by my abuse of the English language. I tried real hard, I swear.
If you've spent this much time reading and made it this far, please take a second and review. If you have questions, please feel free to ask. Thanks!
Hollie