Hello all! I'm so sorry that it's been such a long time since I've updated. The chapter I was working on, which is now a later chapter, has proven difficult to write. I've also been very busy these past few months. This chapter's fairly short, at least for me. I hope you still like it.

Disclaimer: I don't own Sailor Moon

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Previously, Serenity and Endymion found themselves in a showdown with Orleana and then Queen Metallia. Just when it looked like all was lost, the senshis-in-training arrived at the battle scene. The prince and princess, while teleporting back to the moon, declared their love for each other…sort of.

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Light of Love: Red Moon

Chapter 27: Sleeping Giant

In the darkness of the cave, the firelight of the torch illuminated like the sun. Funny, Beryl thought to herself, that the others in her group, all from the sun, scattered and hissed at the brightness as if it burned their skin.

The buxom redhead, amused by the pain she inflicted on her new companions, pretended not to notice the shirking forms of the cavern dwellers as she shifted the light from one side of entrance to the other. The creatures coiled and retreated to the furthest corners of the cozy cave. They piled on each other to hide from the light. Beryl preferred when they remained as far away from her as physically possible in the cramped quarters.

"Extinguish that confounded thing at once," hissed a woman's voice from the opposite end of the hollow stone room.

The smirk on Beryl's face faded when her eyes locked with the contemptuous yellow gaze of Queen Metallia. The Terran girl rolled her eyes before stubbing the torch on the damp ground near the cave's tunneled entrance. She stumbled into the nearly-darkened crevice. She blinked to adjust her eyes. The only source of light—a small single flame near Metallia's stone perch—only cast faint shadows against the cave's walls. She saw the cavern dwellers emerge from their respective corners.

"They won't hurt you," Metallia's amused voice announced from the opposite side of the room.

Beryl rolled her eyes at the Solarian's statement. The queen had ordered her followers not to kill the Terran girl, but Beryl couldn't help but wince when she sensed the muddy men creep around her. In the dark, she could feel their orange eyes staring at her.

"I brought provisions," Beryl announced, throwing a burlap bag filled with raw scraps of meat and rotten vegetables into the center of the room. She heard the cavern dwellers scamper to the sack before her eyes spotted their moving bodies. Per the usual routine, one of their numbers selected the nicest portion of meat and the best of the vegetables to give to Queen Metallia. Beryl kept a carrot and apple concealed in the pocket of her dress. She learned, after the first day, that the cavern dwellers had been instructed to let her live, but they cared little if she starved to death. She'd eat later. After her long, arduous nighttime walk, Beryl only craved sleep.

Metallia took a small bite from a turnip and spat it out. "These are spoiled!" the Queen complained.

"It's getting harder to find food," Beryl replied.

"Don't make excuses!" hissed Metallia.

"I'm not making excuses," answered the redhead. "It's a fact. I told you there weren't many farms in this area, but you insisted on this cave…"

"Don't argue with me," interrupted the Solarian. "I told you I would let you live so long as you fetched food for my men. If you are no longer able to provide that service, then I may as well feed you to them."

Beryl clenched her teeth together to stop from saying something she might regret later. She hated to admit it, but she needed Metallia just as much as Metallia and her cave-dwelling followers needed her.

That night in the meadow, after Serenity and Endymion disappeared in front of her, all Beryl cared about was bolting from the clearing. When she later encountered Metallia in the woods, Beryl thought the two might travel together just long enough to escape the immediate area. She couldn't believe that, four days later, she was still holed up in a cave with a small band of homicidal Solarians and their power-hungry queen.

The first evening Metallia sent Beryl out to fetch food, the girl planned to escape. She ran to the only place she knew—Jade Castle—for assistance. When she arrived, Beryl found her world turned upside-down. Not surprisingly, King Demetrious had left and Duke Bartleby had been imprisoned. Fortunately, the duke's son had been spared immediate punishment. Beryl managed, with the help of one of the other servants, to sneak into Algernon's chambers. The young man was less than thrilled to see her. In fact, his face turned crimson and he appeared visibly flustered.

"You can't be here," he whispered to her. "The king's men are looking for you! What did you do?"

"Only what you ordered me to do," Beryl answered indignantly.

"You must go," the duke's son said, wringing his hands and pacing the room. "I can't be seen with you."

"Where do you expect me go?"

"I don't know and frankly I don't care," was Algernon's sharp reply.

She couldn't believe his words. Algernon had always been fond of her. Beryl blinked her eyes to keep her tears in check. "I'll leave in the morning," she announced.

Algernon's responded loudly. "No!" In a hushed tone, he said, "You can't stay here!"

"Why not? It's the least you owe me after sending me on a suicide mission with that Solarian princess."

"I'll tell you why not." Algernon's face was so red it looked like a ripened tomato. "Have you ever heard of a man named Nephrite?" Beryl didn't answer. Algernon, assuming her silence was out of ignorance, elaborated. "He's a member of the royal family's personal guard. He was sent by the king to bring you to justice. And he's staying here, in this castle, tonight. Once he wakes up in the morning, he'll mount his horse and hunt you down like a dog."

Beryl began to tremble. Her mouth was dry. "I could sleep in the attic," she suggested.

Algernon shook his head. "I'm in enough trouble as it is without harboring a known enemy of the crown. Kunzite nearly dragged me out of here when he arrested my father this morning."

The redhead sniffled and rubbed her weary eyes. She always knew that Algernon was selfish; she'd just never realized that his selfishness overrode any affection he had for her.

"You're a swine!" Beryl finally said. Her own voice, hard and bitter, sounded foreign in her ears.

Algernon paused in his paces. His back was to her. When he rounded to face Beryl, his expression was unlike any the girl had ever seen. Algernon breathed loudly out of his nose, which made his nostrils twice their normal size. The lines created by his severe scowl made white trenches in his otherwise ruddy face. His eyes were dark and dilated. His hands were at his sides, clenched into very tight fists.

Beryl's green eyes widened with surprise. She'd never seen him so angry before. Under normal circumstances, this rush of fury would have been titillating; however, the girl knew better than to assume that Algernon would not still throw her into the cold winter night.

"If I were a swine," the duke's son muttered while he approached her, "then I would have called Nephrite here to capture you right now."

He made a good point, Beryl silently thought to herself. It was something she'd not considered.

Algernon's face softened. He gathered up Beryl's hands in his own. "You know how I care for you, Beryl. I wish I could help you, but I can't."

The redhead's eyes trailed from their tangled fingers to the young man's face. His expression was kinder than before. She knew he still cared for her, but he possessed no honor or sense of duty. Beryl wanted to think that Algernon was brave enough to protect her despite any consequences. Such desires were foolish.

She now knew that she was completely alone. No one would help her. This awareness made her insides tremble with fear. A single tear slipped from her eye and slid down her right cheek. She nodded and pulled her hands away from his. "This is the only home I've ever known," she sniffled.

"Perhaps you can return," Algernon suggested. "After all of the excitement has passed…"

Beryl wiped the tears from her eyes with her fingers. She silently agreed with a nod of her head. Both of them knew that such a thing was impossible. Not with the current king in power. Not after all that had happened.

A thought suddenly gripped Beryl's curiosity. "What happened to the prince? Did he…"

"Live?"

Beryl bowed her head to conceal her blush.

"I assume so," Algernon snorted. "Nephrite talked about it a little during supper. It seems that my damned cousin is lucky to be alive. He escaped what would have killed most men."

"I see," the redhead said. Even after everything that had transpired between them, she was glad that Endymion was okay.

"Though he must be badly off," continued Algernon, "This morning, when he first arrived, Kunzite told my uncle something in private that sent him into a rage. He told my father that he was lucky to still have his head. He said he would most likely lose it if the prince doesn't make a full recovery."

Beryl, realizing that she could not prolong her visit, soon left Algernon's chamber. Before she left Jade Castle entirely, she raided the cellars. Now that she was a fugitive, she had no choice but to return to Metallia's sanctuary. She couldn't go back to the cave empty-handed. The Solarian Queen would know she was up to no good.

Four days had passed, and Beryl, not knowing what else she could do to survive, remained with the sun people, only venturing out of hiding each night to retrieve food for her companions.

"What news do you have today?"

The redhead sat on the hard stone floor on the opposite end of the cave as Metallia, near the only entrance, and shrugged. "It's pretty much the same as yesterday," Beryl said with a tired sigh. "Nephrite and his men are still looking for us."

"What about Prince Endymion? What of Princess Serenity?" Metallia demanded.

"Rumors, mostly," answered the girl, yawning. "The prince is still dangerously ill, but no one knows from what. The princess isn't really mentioned. Like I told you before, Terrans don't really know much about Moon people…oh, I did hear that Queen Kyrena is taking an extended trip."

Metallia, who had been only half listening to Beryl's report, sat up and shifted to the edge of the boulder that served as her makeshift throne. "Where is the queen going?"

"No one knows for sure. Some think she's going to a warmer climate. Others think she's going further away…"

A noise outside of the cave, in an adjoining antechamber, echoed in the hollow room where Beryl, Metallia, and the cavern dwellers were hidden. The Solarians, who were voraciously feasting on the rotten scraps at the center of the room, dropped their food and slithered silently to the edges of the cave. Unlike when Beryl approached each morning and they coiled away from her torchlight, the cavern dwellers positioned themselves on each side of the entrance, poised for an ambush.

Beryl scooted as far from the mouth of the room as she could and crouched against the jagged edges of one wall. Her heart beat loudly against her ribs. She glanced across the room and observed that Metallia had not retreated like the others. Instead, she leaned back on her stone chair and laced her fingers together. Her yellow eyes sparkled dangerously in the near-dark cavern. Beryl marveled over the Sun Queen's regal calm.

"There's nothing here," a man's voice shouted from the antechamber. A flicker of light lit the room for a moment, presumably as the man in the neighboring room shifted his torch to inspect the cavern. "Wait…"

The light returned, casting ominous shadows in the room that concealed Beryl and the others. The Terran girl noticed that the cavern dwellers, despite the brightness caused by the man's approaching torch, did not shirk or hide like they had for her.

"Nephrite!" the man hollered. The mention of the soldier's name made Beryl's skin prickle. "There's another room back here!" The man's voice was so close now that it echoed loudly in the hidden chamber. His approaching footsteps clicked against the hard stone floor.

Once the man was within arm's reach, he was grabbed by the awaiting cavern dwellers. Their movements were fluid and deliberate. The man yelped as he was yanked from the cave's entrance and pulled into the darkness of the room. His torch fell to the floor, bathing the cave in warm firelight. Beryl winced as she witnessed the cavern dwellers pull the still-alive soldier apart with their bare hands. She dashed across the room and extinguished the torch with trembling hands. Beryl flinched when she heard the man's final struggles for life. She hurried back to the corner. Her eyes wandered across the room to Metallia's throne. The queen remained seated, just as before.

Beryl's attention again focused on the stone entryway when she heard another pair of footsteps approaching. The light of a second torch spilled into the room, illuminating the cavern dwellers crowded around the dismembered, bloodied body of the first man. A second man entered the room, but unlike the first, the Solarians remained in the center of the cave and feasted on the fresh remains of their kill. The creatures only glanced up and hissed at the source of the light, baring their jagged, blood-coated teeth.

"Oh…gods," the second man muttered as he took in the scene. His chocolate eyes widened with horror. Suddenly remembering himself, the man drew his sword and pointed it at the group in the center of the room.

Metallia cackled and rose from her stone seat. The cavern dwellers, aware of their queen's movement, stopped their feasting and bowed their heads.

"There's no need for your sword," she said, waving her right hand dismissively in the air. His hand mechanically released his weapon. The metal blade clattered against the hard ground. Metallia crossed the room, careful not to get too close to the bloodbath in its center. Beryl watched as the cavern dwellers, their heads still bowed, shifted as their queen moved so they were always facing her.

The man motioned to move, but another flick of Metallia's hand immobilized him. He muscles seized. Beryl assumed the man must be in a lot of pain, but all he could do was whimper like a kicked dog.

"I love how easy Terrans are to control," the queen commented out loud, waving her arm casually. The man yelped and his head sagged. Metallia pulled the man's long, curly brown mane of hair at the nape of his neck, forcing his face upward. "I assume you are Nephrite?"

The man grunted. The queen blinked her yellow eyes. She released his hair and stepped back. "Pardon?"

The man, able to control himself from the neck up, cleared his throat and nodded. "Yes, I'm Nephrite."

The queen clapped her hands together gleefully. "Goodie. This will be fun. Painful, but fun…" She lunged toward him.

Beryl sprung out of the dark corner and shrieked, "You can't kill him!" The cavern dwellers lifted their heads and scowled and hissed at her. Queen Metallia, gripping Nephrite's lapel, twisted to face the girl. She appeared less than thrilled over the redhead's interruption. Beryl swallowed the lump that had sprung into her throat. Her stomach churned with nervousness. "He's one of the King's guards," she reasoned, "If he's murdered or missing, then they'll know we're still in the countryside and they'll find us!"

"She's absolutely right," Nephrite agreed. "I'm more than just a random soldier…"

He was silenced when Metallia's mouth covered his own, muffling his words. Nephrite flinched and struggled against the advances of the hideous queen. Her kiss, at first sour and revolting, suddenly tasted like sweet nectar, sending Nephrite into a state of utter euphoria. His limbs felt light and numb. When Metallia broke away, the Terran man smiled dreamily.

"More," he pleaded.

Beryl, confused by Metallia's actions and the man's subsequent response, frowned. "What did you do to him?"

Metallia waived an arm in the air, thus releasing Nephrite's muscles from their invisible bindings. He stumbled to the floor. Instead of picking himself up, Nephrite hugged the bottom hem of Metallia's soiled dress and looked up at her like a begging child. She kicked him away and crossed back to her throne.

"Men are easy to control," she said, settling on her hard seat. Nephrite crawled across the floor behind her. The cavern dwellers hissed and lunged at him, but the man didn't seem to notice or care what danger he was in. Metallia said something in Solarian which caused her men to return to feasting on the other man. Eyeing her newest slave, she shook her head incredulously, "I thought Lunarian men were the weakest, but I stand corrected."

Beryl knew she should keep her mouth shut. She knew she should turn away and pretend none of this had happened. Fear propelled her to speak again. "Are you going to kill him?"

Metallia laughed at the suggestion. "I'm not stupid, Beryl. I've made mistakes," she touched the melted skin of her face thoughtfully before continuing, "but you don't survive as long as I have by being outwardly foolish." Her yellow eyes trailed to the blubbering man who was now lying at her feet. "I was going to torture him a little before ensnaring him in my spell," she admitted. "We don't have time for that. It would be nice to consummate this…" Metallia motioned to Nephrite and sighed wistfully, "but I suppose we don't have time for that right now, either."

"What are you going to do to him?" Beryl questioned.

"It's not really a question of what I intend to do to him," the Solarian queen laughed. "But what he will do for us. Since we are left to hide in this confounded cave, he will become our eyes and ears. If he is as close to the royal family as he claims, then he will be quite useful. Especially now that he is wholly devoted to me."

Beryl, still shaking from the morning's turn of events, managed to smile. Still, a hint of doubt lingered in her mind. "If he's a blubbering fool, they'll know for sure he's been compromised."

"That's the beauty of it," Metallia simpered amusedly. "Once he leaves this cave, he will have no knowledge of encountering us. He'll be my sleeping giant. I can awaken him when I want."

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End of Chapter 27

Thanks to everyone who has reviewed! I plan to have chapter 28 posted soon. It's nearly finished.

Hollie