Elysion, Silver Millennium
On the horizon, dark, stormy clouds rolled.
King Endymion always liked storms. There was nothing more satisfying or more calming than a summer rain. On days like this, the king and his wife, Calyce, would sit on the covered terrace attached to their room, ignoring responsibilities of the day and instead enjoying the company of one another. Of all the things in this world he loved, he had loved Calyce the most.
There was a storm like this on the day she died. King Endymion liked to believe it was taking her soul with it. The lulling sound of rain was a funeral march and the roaring boom of thunder was the king's heart breaking as she slipped away into eternal sleep.
He wished she was here now. If Calyce was still alive, this issue with the Moon Kingdom would've been long solved. The king was a fine ruler–fair and strong–but his wife was the true politician. She had a way of reaching people inside their soul, talking to them in such a way where they felt seen. No problem was too complicated or contrived for Calyce.
Any minute now, the delegation from the Moon Kingdom would arrive, and while sunlight might make the negotiations a little less dreary, King Endymion was glad for the rain.
The king sat at the head of the table, watching as Queen Serenity watched him.
He had known the queen for a very long time and empathized with her endlessly. A widow herself, she knew the pain of losing one's most important partner while still maintaining the façade of a strong leader. Some kingdoms in the universe undercut her because of her progressive view on gender politics, but not Endymion. The strongest woman he knew was Calyce and in his kingdom, women were some of the most revered.
But he had also seen her at her most cunning. When a rogue armada of intergalactic bandits attempted to start a coup in the Moon Kingdom, stoking fears over a particularly brutal harvest that forced rationing, she executed them. After they were dead and buried, she worked with the farmers to get more resources, making good on her promise that anarchy was not to be tolerated when her subjects had a ruler who was benevolent.
What was the song and dance she was doing now? And how was the king to know she would hold her word?
"King Endymion, I'm afraid we're at a standstill." She folded her hands on the table and tried to hide her disappointment. "What you're asking is far too great a risk, especially with the state of affairs here on Earth."
"I won't deny there are rebel factions here, Serenity," the king said. "But the reality is, they are no threat."
"There is darkness here and you and I know it. If I am to promise to only use the Silver Millennium Crystal for good, what will happen if the discontent becomes more than just whispers at the local pub?"
King Endymion shook his head. "You more than anyone should know that whispers are just whispers."
"That is what they said about those from the Tau Nebula," Queen Serenity said coolly. "And now those explorers are dead."
"Write it in the treaty, then," King Endymion threw his hands up in the air. "Do whatever you want! But with you as the sole owner of the crystal, I won't make concessions until I have your word that you will protect us. That we will be allies."
"King Endymion, you know better than most that the responsibility I shoulder to the crystal is not one I chose, it is one I was born with," she said calmly. "And by that responsibility, it requires me to be agnostic."
"Agnostic against us," King Endymion scoffed. "While you reap the benefits of the crystal."
"I reap the benefits of the crystal because I am sworn to protect it." Queen Serenity's anger was starting to show through. "I cannot help that that was my charge."
"So only the Moon Kingdom should prosper?" The king's tone became sharp. "Only the Moon Kingdom should have powerful magic?"
"Our peaceful agreement to end war is one thing, but an oath to stand by you is another, especially as darkness bleeds through your people. It puts me in a tough position, my friend. Pledge allegiance to you only to turn around and possibly break my own treaty once darkness takes hold, opening myself up to an attack in retaliation? It's too risky. You must trust that I am keeping my word when I say the crystal is only to be used for good."
The king wanted to trust, but trust is earned. If she was not willing to bend–even if for just a moment–neither was he. The rest of their conversation went on much like that but in the end, there was no resolution. All that was left was a lingering hope one wouldn't betray the other, because if they did it, it was clear to both that they didn't mind a fight.
Steam swirled into the black sky. A blanket of stars hung overhead, but the night was devoid of the moon. In the distance, leaves danced in the wind, and the cool breeze nipped at the back of the prince's exposed neck.
Prince Endymion retreated to the hot springs shortly after his father emerged from negotiations. It was clear things didn't go well when Queen Serenity declined an invitation to dinner, followed by the Sailor Scouts clamoring around her and diligently guarding the guest wing, as if they thought someone was going to attack.
Things had started off so well. They greeted Endymion and his father with a bouquet of beautiful roses and an assortment of gifts from their kingdom. They all seemed so happy to be there. And then the fates turned. Maybe it was all a ploy, the crimson red petals a warning that blood would fall upon both lands. Prince Endymion shuddered at the thought.
By nightfall, Endymion was so worked up still, he decided a soak would do him good. Submerged in the warm water, his mind escaped the political drama playing out in his home. He was free to trace lines from star to star, looking for any sort of pattern, wondering what Serenity was doing.
Footsteps came down the stone path–light, short steps moving at a slow pace–and he cautiously perked up. Water lapped against the rock as he turned.
"Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't realize anyone was–"
Beryl was standing at the edge of the pool. Her long hair was tied up in a bun and overtop her bathing clothes was a purple silk robe. Endymion sat up straight. The hot springs were a known destination for those at court, but rarely did anyone come this late at night. The prince shifted slightly, suddenly very self aware.
"I can go." Beryl pressed her robe tighter to her body.
"No," Endymion said before he could stop himself. "Stay."
How funny it was that only moments ago he was thinking of Serenity and was now inviting another woman to join him, half naked and all alone. Interactions like this were not exactly proper, but rules of decorum were not highly enforced in Elysion's court. Yes, young men and women were encouraged to conduct themselves in a chaste manner–and Endymion himself had hardly done more than kiss a girl before–but it wasn't frowned upon to fraternize with someone of the opposite sex.
And yet, this seemed inappropriate. Almost as if this interaction was charged with something else.
Reluctantly, she slipped off her robe. The dress at the state dinner did nothing to hide her figure, but in her swimming clothes she was even more shapely. Small cotton shorts hugged her hips and a loose chemise hung from her shoulders. She dipped her foot into the water, letting her legs follow before she took a seat on a rock a few feet across from the prince.
"I heard there was a hot spring here from some of the other ladies," she said, letting her shoulders dip below the water.
"Yes," Endymion said as he watched her. "It's quite nice."
It had been a long time since he saw Beryl at the state dinner. He figured she had returned back to her kingdom. Either she had come back for some reason or she had stayed this entire time, perhaps living at one of the many court residences that surrounded the main castle. If that was the case, why had she not come to see him before this?
"Where have you been?" He asked with an eagerness he tried to hide. She smiled.
"I just returned a few days ago to deal with some matters for my father." She rubbed her neck, splashing water on it. "I thought about coming to see you and seeing if my sleeping elixir helped you but thought it might be best to leave you alone while the Moon Kingdom's delegation was here."
"I see." All of this was so confusing. What was this feeling brewing between them? "They leave in a few days."
"That's what they told me at court," she said before pausing. "So, how have you been sleeping?"
"Whatever you gave me has soothed my nightmares," he said softly. "Thank you."
"Don't mention it. Where I come from they're a dime a dozen."
"Tell me about it–where you come from."
For being the prince, he wasn't exactly well traveled. There were so many places on Earth that he had never seen, so many kingdoms that his father hadn't even visited. As the ultimate rulers of Earth, everyone always came to see them. When he was a boy, his mother would sometimes take him to the sea in the south where the family had a second home. Once, right after his mother died, his father agreed to take him there, but just before they planned to go, the king stayed home and sent Endymion with his governess. He hadn't been back since.
Now, he was desperately curious to see his kingdom. He wanted to know where the Beryls of the world laid their heads to sleep.
"It's cold," she laughed. "And desolate. But at certain points in the winter–especially the coldest parts–the ice turns this brilliant blue that reflects the midday sky. And it surrounds the city like some sort of gate."
He pictured the spinning turrets of ice glistening like diamonds in the sun. He pictured Beryl in a fur cloak, her cheeks pink from the cold.
"And the castle?"
Beryl hesitated. "I…I grew up in the village just outside the castle."
"Why not the castle?" Endymion asked. If she was a daughter of Heliodor, why did she not live with him?
"My mother was a commoner who worked in the palace, and though she never talked about it, I suspect Heliodor was not exactly nice to her, if you understand my meaning." She looked down at the water sheepishly. "When the queen died and he never remarried, he had no offspring, so he took in my mother and I. That was when I was 13. He needed an heir and while I was illegitimate, I was the best he had."
There was something very sad about Beryl's story. Imagine being a girl with no father, only to realize he was a powerful man of means who forced himself on a poor servant. His mind flashed back to their first meeting.
"I didn't realize he had a daughter."
"Neither did he."
He watched as she shuffled awkwardly in the water, her eyes grazing the sky as if to avoid his sympathetic stare.
"Anyway," she sighed. "If you're out here this late, I must imagine you're having trouble sleeping again."
Trouble sleeping was just the tip of the iceberg. As if his dreams weren't haunting enough, the ongoing tension brewing between the two kingdoms was worse than any nightmare. If things didn't get better soon, he feared the worst. Beryl was a stranger to him, but her soft demeanor and kind eyes made her so easy to talk to.
"I fear the Moon Kingdom won't meet us halfway," he said somberly. "And if they won't meet us halfway, I worry my father won't be able to contain himself."
"War, then?" Beryl eased back onto the rocks. "Would it be so bad?"
"War?" Endymion was stunned. "Of course it would."
"The Moon Kingdom has a monopoly on a power that could help us all. They sit in a gilded castle while the rest of us are left to fend for ourselves." She examined Endymion before standing, the water now waist deep. The fabric of her chemise clung to her skin and he could make out the lines of her body. "Queen Serenity and her daughter want everyone to bend to them because they're elitists."
She was within striking distance of him and Endymion fought the urge to reach out and touch her. Everything about her was so beautiful, and as the steam rippled against her glistening skin, he felt a wild inclination to give into temptation.
"I was once on the outside looking in Endymion, waiting at the hands of a cruel master." Her tone was alarmingly serious. "They don't change unless you make them. Megalomaniacs take, only throwing their followers scraps when they deign them worthy. And when they do finally relent, they want everyone to act as if they've done them a huge favor when in reality all mankind deserves fairness and kindness, not just those fortunate enough to be born with a silver spoon in their mouth."
Her hand reached out and grabbed his chin, drops of warm water falling from her fingers onto his skin. With her thumb, she grazed his bottom lip. What was this spell she was casting on him?
"I don't think they're like that," Endymion sputtered, his stomach pulling tight.
"Cruelty knows no bounds, Endymion," she said softly. "Don't let a pretty face fool you."
Just then, something rustled up the path. Beryl dropped her hand and quickly stepped back. From the path emerged Jadeite, wearing his swimming clothes and holding a bottle of wine.
"Endym–" He started before seeing Beryl standing there, soaking wet and so, so close to the prince. "Oh, I'm sorry, I can g–"
"No, excuse me," Beryl hustled toward the side of the pool, stepping up onto the rocks and grabbing her discarded robe. "It's getting late."
She didn't turn to look as she hurried out of sight, leaving Endymion's head spinning. A sly grin formed across Jadeite's face as he kicked off his shoes and came down into the spring.
"Well, well, well," he teased. "If I had known you weren't here alone, I would've never come."
Endymion tried to think of something to say. Instead he fought against all of the emotions flooding through him: The want, the intrigue, but mostly the uncertainty. Beryl was beautiful but she elicited a dangerous reaction in him, one that beckoned him into a sensuous flame. A prince without control was bound to become a licentious ruler.
Even as Jadeite continued to prod him with questions of Beryl, Mamoru couldn't help but to think: If he had to choose between her and Serenity, which one would bring him down first?