Serenity's
Choice
Chapter
4
The Ball
By
Philosophical Sphinx
Disclaimer: The Same disclaimer as the other chapters applies here.
Two months Later...
The Prince was alone with his father in the Kings' chambers. There was nothing in site that he could throw or kick without pain.
" Huh, what do you mean I'm getting married in a week!" Prince Jareth screamed. " I have been gone on an expedition for the past year for the purpose of killing that blasted Pharaoh 90 only to be summoned home to marry!" He snapped at his father. "The enemy is still on the loose... WHY?"
" It was the only thing I could think of to bring us to peace with the Moon Kingdom, young Jareth," his father sighed. "You do realize that I have found no use to the rivalry we have had with the Silver Millennium, I do not even know why we have been at war with them for centuries anyway and Besides Pharaoh 90 is also their enemy not just ours, who knows he may be planning an attack there soon and so we could help the Moon Kingdom for a change..."
" I suppose, but what have I got to do with it?" Prince Jareth asked in an annoyed tone.
" The Kingdom has a princess that turns 18 in a week. Her Birthday Ball is tonight. Her name is Serenity and she is highly considered the most beautiful princess in the universe..."
" Father!." Jareth complained. " I do not have time for such foolish things..."
The king watched his son, knowing how much he really did not want to deal with such things. He purposefully told him in a room that could not be destroyed in the Prince's anger.
" For the sake of peace I am forcing you to do this... This girl you should easily fall for. You will know her when you see her tonight, and the arrangement will be announced." King Alexander looked down at his son. " You are only 20 years old Jareth. Gees, I confess not all marriages are done for love, but look you have got to do this, for peace..."
" I still am not very keen on the Idea..." Prince Jareth sighed in deep thought.
" I married your mother at 18, the time has come for you to go and settle down." The King snapped.
" Dad," Jareth began.
" Jareth, it's your turn. Since your mother was killed by Pharaoh 90, five years ago, I have not felt up to doing anything anymore." His father continued. "I do not know much longer I can last as king."
" Dad, do not say that." Jareth pleaded in an upset tone.
" Son, go get ready for that ball." King Alexander ordered. " I know that though you may not like the Idea now, you will change your mind tonight, hey I have a feeling that it will be love at first sight." he laughed trying to cheer up his son.
" Very well," Jareth sighed, realizing he could not argue with his father.' Ah man, only a few short hours of freedom' He thought as he vanished from the room.
" Are you okay Serenity?" Ami asked when she saw the depression on her friend's face.
" I do not know!" Serenity sighed. "These past few month's have been nothing but torture," she complained while Minako brushed her hair.
" Things might get better," Minako said without thinking, "Since tonight you have to pick a suitor, why don't you pick that hottie of an Earth Prince."
Everyone in the room looked at Her in shook. "Minako!" they yelled in unison.
" Minako, the Queen said we should be supportive not suggestive..." Rei scolded.
" Oh You, Rei your just saying that because you want Endymion for yourself." Minako countered.
Rei blushed deeply.
Serenity shook her head. " Minako, Rei is right, mother wants you all to support me as my brain is now in overload. Besides I have my reasons as to why I must not chose to marry Endymion, reasons in which I can not tell you now."
" Why?" Makoto asked curious to find out.
" I am afraid that you all must wait until the ball to find out." Serenity said in a tone that ordered case closed.
" Ohhh," The other girls sighed in unison.
" Serenity, did you decide on a dress?" Michiru asked changing the subject as she glanced over at the heaping pile of gowns sprawled over Serenity's bed.
"Yep," Serenity smiled. She walked over to her bed and picked up a brand new long silver gown made of the purest silk and covered in a beautiful design of diamonds.
" Beautiful," the whole room whistled.
Some Two Thousand Years In the Future:
" Come on Duo, cheer up already..." Quatre said in a cheery tone.
" Can somebody explain whose wise-aleck idea it was to move us and the gundams to this Earth base!" Wu Fei grumbled.
" What is with the somber mode." Heero said as he entered the room.
" What are we supposed to do." Wu Fei snapped, " The colonies are at peace, what use do we have for our gundams."
" Come on everyone, cheer up," Quatre continued. " We are still training we may be needed again."
" If Relina can help in then we will not have anymore war." Heero concluded.
" What will we do now anyway that last battle had wrecked half of the gundams and they should not be completely fixed for a while." Duo sighed.
" Hey cheer up, don't make me take drastic measures." Quatre said again.
" Drastic measures, shut up, Quatre." Trowa groaned.
" That's it, I will be back momentarily." Quatre snapped annoyed, stalking from the room.
" Gees what is his problem!" Duo said in a surprised tone.
" Who knows, who cares..." Heero finished.
" He does not know what to do at our little gatherings..." Trowa said rolling his eyes.
" We don't even know what to do anymore..." Wu Fei broke in.
" True..." Duo sighed.
" Hey, Duo, what in the world has been on your mind lately Heero noted. " I do not remember you ever being this secluded."
Duo who was sitting in a corner of the room, by himself, just shrugged his shoulders. ' Something has been missing but I don't know what.'
" Yeah Duo, what has been with you lately?" Trowa asked. Though he knew he would not get an answer.
" Here is something that should cheer you up." Called a voice entering the room. Everyone looked up to see Quatre return to the room holding what looked like a few cases of...
" Beer! Beer?... What the hell were you thinking Quatre?" Trowa sighed at the sight.
" Hey come on you might feel better..." Quatre defended. " Here Duo." He called tossing a can across to his friend.
Duo caught it and nodded.
Quatre passed cans around the room until everyone else had one before grabbing a can for himself. " Come on you guys partying should cheer anyone up.
After about five to six beers each the group finally hit party mode.
" Ya know buddy I was wrong about you..." Trowa sighed grabbing still another beer.
Quatre looked smug "See I told yaw."
Heero looked over to see Duo was still in his depressed mode. " Hey buddy what's wrong with you?"
Duo continued to keep to himself.
" Duo probably needs to get laid." Trowa said out of nowhere.
The room burst into laughter.
Duo only rolled his eyes.
" Hey I found something else that we can work with..." Quatre said as he dashed from the room again. Moments later he came back with a battered old box.
" What the hell is in there?" Heero said a little confused.
" It is called a Ouija board." Quatre said pulling the board from the box.
" I found it in an old storeroom.
" I have heard of those..." Trowa said with interest. " I thought they were all destroyed centuries ago."
" Well, I found this one so there may be a few still around." Quatre said happily.
" How do you play with it?" Heero asked.
" The instructions say to place both hands on this piece here and keep it steady over the board as you ask a question, then the piece should move over the board on it's own to spell the answer." Quatre said holding a triangular object he took from the box.
" I do not believe in such pathetic garbage," Wu Fei said in disgust.
" Well who asked you opinion!" Quatre countered.
" Let's see how it works..." Trowa said out of curiosity.
Quatre laid out the board. "Here try it." he said getting out of the way so Trowa had access to the board.
" What will you ask it?" Heero questioned.
Trowa took the triangle and held it steady over the board. " Will the gundams see another war?" He asked. The piece did not move. It's broken, maybe I should fool them He moved the piece to an N then an O. " Oh darn he said letting go of the triangle.
" Did you move it or did it move itself?" Wu Fei said.
" Uhhhmm" Trowa started to say then gasped. The piece had started to move on it's own.
" Holy..." Quatre started as the saw the triangle begin to spell the words WITHIN A WEEK.
The whole room went silent.
" Yeah I spelled NO but as you can see I did not do this message." Trowa confessed.
" We must really be drunk" Heero said bewildered.
Wu Fei was at a loss for words.
" I guess we should start training again." Heero said again.
The others nodded.
" Wow it really does work..." Quatre announced. " Very cool does anyone else have a question?" He looked around the room.
Trowa looked over to see Duo continue his somber mode. " You know Duo really needs to get laid."
Heero looked over at Duo and nodded. " Anything to get him out of this weird mood."
Trowa looked at the board touching the Triangle and asked. " Will Duo find a dream girl to work dirty with?" He carefully chose his words smiling the whole time.
Duo looked over at him "Please do not involve me in this he said as he looked from Trowa to the board.
The Triangle moved again this time spelling LOOK FOR THE SILVER HAIRED GIRL IN THE SILVER DRESS.
Duo read the message. " What the?" he was in shock.
" Wow that must mean the answer is yes, way to go Duo buddy..." Heero said patting his back.
" I still do not believe in such nonsense." Wu Fei grunted.
" Come on anything that can do that must be real..." Quatre said defensively though he was also in shock from the last message.
" Well Duo, what do you think?" Heero asked.
Duo just sat there in shock.
Back in the Past:
" Serenity remember what I told you." The Queen sighed, looking over at her daughter. They were seated at their Thrones watching the Ball begin.
" Announcing, King Theodore and Prince Endymion of Earth."
" Shit," Serenity sighed under her breath. " I do not need to deal with his Stupidity today." Serenity gripped her facemask so tightly it could have crumbled in her hand.
Prince Endymion walked over to Princess Serenity, not even bothering to bow. " My Lady, may I ask..." He began to say.
Princess Serenity did not even bother to look at him.
" Announcing King Alexander and Prince Jareth of the Goblin Nebula Kingdom"
Princess Serenity began to swear under her breath, keeping her eyes on the floor as she held the mask to her face.
King Alexander and his son walked over to Princess Serenity and her mother.
Jareth just looked at the floor as he held onto his own mask.
' Why in the world am I here, I don't want to be here?' He felt his father grab his arm and push him down making him kneel next to his father who was already bowing to the queen.
" My Lady, I thank you for allowing us to come to such a special occasion." He said in respect knowing that he could not reveal to the whole court what the intentions that he and the queen really had.
' Well I guess I will have to pretend I am having fun. For dad's sake anyway...' Jareth thought to himself.
Serenity nodded her acknowledgment and the two men before her rose to their feet. She continued to keep her eyes on the floor. She knew that he too would be wearing a mask, for it was a Masquerade Ball, but she did not want to do anything but stare at the floor.
" Princess may I have this dance?" Jareth forced himself to ask, as he felt his father punch him in the ribs...' Ouch' he thought as he held out his free hand.
Not to be rude Serenity nodded and held out her hand. She continued to stare at the floor.
Prince Endymion leaned against a pillar, staring angrily over to Jareth. He knew that his father was doing the same.
" Damn it what are they doing here, they are enemies to the court of the silver millennium..." King Theodore snapped in a tone so that only his son could here. " I have been trying to find ways of getting rid of that stupid prince for over a year"
" You killed his mother..." Endymion groaned in the same tone.
" She was one of my best spies, back in the day, when she disappeared and stopped contact I thought her to be dead. When I found her five years ago I learned she became a traitor marrying that stupid king. The punishment for traitors is death, not my fault..." Theodore snapped.
" Fine don't take it out on me! My mind is a little preoccupied."
Endymion pointed to the area where Serenity and Jareth were dancing.
" If we are going to take over the kingdom you have to be with her..." Theodore sighed in anger.
" I know." Endymion answered equal anger in his voice. ' Who the fuck does that asshole think he is, dancing with my love. That is so pathetic. I should be dancing with her right now. Heck, I should be sleeping with her now as well...' Prince Endymion continued to stare with a scowl on his face.
" You are an excellent dancer," Jareth breathed without thinking, as they danced across the floor. He then realized that she seemed to dance in her sleep. She had her mind wandering and did not seem to even notice that he was dancing with her. " Are you okay, Princess?"
She did not answer him.
" Princess?" he asked again.
She suddenly shook her head. " What?. Oh I am sorry." She said trying to hide her depressed tone. " I am sorry, I need to go get some air." She sighed.
Jareth nodded glad for the break.
Serenity excused herself and ran out of the room to an outside balcony. The truth was that she needed a break for the whole day, from her whole life. She could not stand living her life anymore. Without even thinking as she leaned over the railing gasping for breath she summoned the timekeeper. " Princess Setsuna of Pluto," She began, " Guardian of the Gates of Time, Grace me with your presence." Serenity ordered.
" Is something wrong?" came a voice, as Setsuna fainted into view before her. " I am your servant, Princess Serenity," she said bowing down in respect.
" My life is what the problem is..." Serenity sighed still not thinking straight. " I am not ready to marry a total stranger, and I am really getting tired of being followed by a lovesick ding bat."
" Wow," Setsuna sighed hugging her. " Is there something that I can do?"
" Send me away from here," Serenity demanded suddenly not thinking. " Send me away to another time... another place, another life..." She continued close to tears.
" Huh!.", Setsuna asked. " But, Serenity, the arrangement, the wedding... the throne!"
" I do not care for such things right now..." Serenity snapped, " I do not want this life..."
" Serenity," Setsuna pleaded.
" You can not stop me Pluto," Serenity said in a determined tone. " I order you to send me away, destroy my memory, and give me freedom!"
Setsuna knew that orders from The Moon family were orders that she had to obey. 'Maybe She will learn her lesson and ask for me to send her back. This will screw up so much...' Setsuna looked over at Serenity and sadly nodded. " Very well Princess." She motioned with a gloved hand and her Scepter of Time appeared. " To the Future," she said softly, her staff beginning to glow. She pointed it to Serenity who immediately disappeared. ' I hope you know what you have gotten yourself into...' she sighed, looking over to where Princess Serenity had just been standing.
To Be Continued.
Authors Note: Hey there everyone how is it the excitement is building huh...
If you can't already tell the best is yet to come. The goods will start in the next several of chapters...
Come on I know I have you hooked... just go and review and see the next Chapter.
Until next Time...
Sphinx
