Author's Note: Very sorry for my long delay! I actually finished an original manuscript and am now in the process of trying to get it published 3 While it's very exciting, the revision process took me away from fanfic for a while. But I'm back, baby! Appreciate everyone's patience :)
Elysion, Silver Millennium
Endymion was greeted with the familiar dream, the one of water and drowning and death.
It didn't even bother him that much anymore. Every night that this dream found him, he somehow got stronger against it, peacefully sinking into the dark abyss instead of fighting. Sometimes, he even found it peaceful. But this was the first night that something entirely new happened, the first time a hand crashed down into the water right at the center of the glowing light.
The skin was nearly translucent. An ethereal, angelic creature was coming to free him from this prison. He reached up, grabbed the hand and was pulled out, and the instant air hit his lungs, he let out a feral cry. He looked around the surface of the water and it was completely flat, an endless horizon of glassy sea.
There was no person waiting, only stars sparkling like glitter, the black of night blending together where the sky met the water.
The fireflies were out tonight in spades. In the sticky summer air was the scent of honeysuckle and grass, and Endymion only used the light of the moon to guide his feet. Where he was going, he wasn't sure. It wasn't like he was going to find Serenity in these gardens tonight. She and the rest of the Moon Kingdom were already long gone, and there was no way after Venus' discovery that any of her guards would let her near the portal ever again.
As he passed a rose bush, Endymion stopped. Roses. They were so beautiful and delicate, and yet, if touched by an uncareful hand, their thorns cut deep.
A rustling from up ahead startled him, and one of the thorns caught on the palm of his hand. He winced. A single bead of blood formed and trickled down. Endymion quickly wiped it on his dark pants and glued his eyes to the pathway that curved into the darker parts of the garden. The light of a lantern swung back and forth like a pendulum, and Endymion desperately wished he had grabbed a sword before departing from his room.
"Who's there?" He said sternly, careful not to raise his voice too much. Surely his father wouldn't love hearing his son meandered the gardens at night without a chaperone, leaving him exposed to possible threats. The light swung and got closer, but Endymion could not hear a voice.
"Who's there?" He repeated, a little louder this time. Soft, delicate footsteps beat against the stone. Whoever was coming was small, Endymion guessed, and hopefully wouldn't create too much of a challenge.
From around a shrub stepped Beryl, her face bathed in the yellow and orange glow burning from the lantern. Her eyes were glassy, as if she had been crying. At the sight of her, Endymion's heart dropped. Before the negotiations, he had entertained wild thoughts of desire for her. He had planned on visiting with her again at the hot spring, only this time there wouldn't be any interruptions.
But he had forgotten about her almost entirely. The thought alone made him feel pity for her.
"Beryl?" He stepped toward her. She blinked, her face frozen in abject embarrassment before she quickly turned back down the path. He gave chase, and after a few long strides, he caught her elbow in his hand. "Are you alright?"
"Yes," she sniffed. Clearly, it was a lie. "Just couldn't sleep."
"You know, someone wise once gave me a potion for the same exact thing." A warm smile formed across his lips, something he hoped would comfort her. Her eyes only curved in more agony.
"I…" Heavy tears lined her lids. Her lips were pressed into a thin line, and she bit down as she held something back. Tears streamed down her face and instinctively, Endymion caressed her forearm and took the lantern from her hand, placing it gently at her feet.
If this had happened just a few nights ago–before kissing Serenity–this might've been an apt opportunity for the young price. Alone in the darkness with a beautiful woman, the overwhelming desire to comfort and hold her, but unfortunately for her his mind was clouded with images of Serenity and Serenity only.
"What's wrong?" He said softly, letting his thumb drag across her skin.
She shook her head. "It's nothing…"
"Please, tell me." He stared at her with a burning intensity. "Please."
Beryl, for her part, was trying to contain herself. Foolishly, she had gone to the hot spring every night for the past two weeks, praying that Endymion would join her. After that night they shared together, he was all she thought about. Day after day she awoke with this aching, this feeling of complete and utter dread that Endymion did not occupy a space in her bed.
So she made the journey through the garden each night, sitting in the hot spring and soaking in its heat. Each night he did not come looking for her drove a stake deeper through her heart. Tonight was the final night of such silliness, she told herself. If he didn't come tonight, she would never come back–not even if he begged her, not even if he got on his knees.
At least, that's what she wanted to believe. She wanted to harden herself against the Prince's illustrious lure, but now that she was staring into those deep, blue eyes, she found her resolve weakening.
"I was having bad dreams," she lied once more. "So I thought maybe I might need a walk or a soak in the hot spring." Her gaze went up to his, assessing whether the prospect of being half naked in the water with her was alluring to him. He was unreadable.
He nodded his head. "I was having bad dreams, too."
She took a deep breath and summoned all the bravery inside her. Sure, he did not come to see her for a while, but she figured he was busy. After the Moon Kingdom left, everyone was racing to figure out how to deal with the ramifications of no peace agreement. He was probably stressed, inundated with his princely duties, consumed by the horror of impending war.
This was her opportunity. He was standing here now right in front of her. His skin was on hers. They both struggled under the weight of the nightmares. He was looking for comfort and she was willing to provide it.
She reached out and grabbed his lapel. Slowly, she dragged her fingers down, letting them hover suggestively over where the buttons of his coat latched. "You know," her voice was low and sultry. "There is a cure for nightmares. I could…I could help you, you know."
Endymion cocked his head. "Like the lavender?"
Her face turned red and heat bloomed across her skin. She was going to have to be a little more direct. "No," she smiled. "I mean, there are ways I can help you feel better. Ways to take your mind off things."
One of her hands slid under his jacket, pressing onto the thin cotton undershirt he was wearing. At the feel of her touch, Endymion visibly winced. He clasped her hands and shoved them toward her, stepping back to create distance between them. Immediately, her heart slammed into her chest, and the overwhelming realization that he was rejecting her made her head spin.
"Beryl." His voice was indignant. "What are you implying?"
"Nothing, my prince." She quivered. How had she miscalculated this so poorly?
"I'm sorry." His expression curved, was it disgust? "I cannot…I cannot engage in something like that with you."
She clasped her hands in front of her in an act of contrition. "I'm sorry, I–"
"I am in love with someone, Beryl." His words slapped her across the face. "And I am to remain chaste for her. Do you understand?"
He was in love with someone. Just days ago, he had touched her in the hot spring, let his eyes graze across her body, hungrily watching as the silhouette of her naked form clung to her wet clothes. She had not imagined that. That was precisely why she had waited for him, in hopes he would come back and rip off her clothes and devour her. How had he fallen in love in a matter of days?
"Who?" She knew it was rude to ask and to speak to a prince in such a way, but she couldn't help herself.
"I am in love with Serenity."
Serenity. The woman who held the Earth Kingdom in the palm of her hand. The woman whose family threatened to upend everything on this planet, whose mere presence at this castle had sent so many into a downward spiral. He loved her?
"Oh." She blinked. "I see."
"I know it's strange," he said. "I know it doesn't make sense but–"
"No, I…I understand." Beryl swallowed hard. "Does your father know?"
"No," Endymion said sternly. "And you can't tell him."
A secret love affair with the Moon Princess. It was a slap in the face to everything his father had built. He had beautiful women all crawling at his feet down here on Earth, and yet it was a golden haired vixen on the Moon that caught his eye. She could hardly believe it.
"I won't." She did nothing to hide the dissatisfaction in her voice. He took notice. "I must leave you now. Goodbye."
She grabbed the lantern from her feet and ran, rushing past a slurry of hedges and flowers. Insects buzzed and a crow let out one long, mournful death knell, the soundtrack of her heart shattering into tiny pieces. It was one thing to be rejected by Endymion, it was another to lose out to the one woman dangling the fate of Earth's future in her hands.
–
Beryl did not know where she had gone.
She ran until it hurt to suck anymore air into her lungs. She ran until her delicate shoes were caked in mud, the sole of one coming loose and slapping against her foot like a metronome. She didn't even fully notice that she was far beyond the castle gardens and deep into the woods. All around her, giant tree trunks jutted into the sky, creating an impenetrable blanket of darkness.
Her foot caught on a rock and she tumbled forward. As she hit the ground, her knee slammed into the hard limestone and she was overcome by the distinct pain of ripping skin. A scream escaped her lips and she came to a stop, a horrific ache in her wrists where they had broken her fall. Every muscle was shaking.
She sat up and examined herself. She reached over for her lantern, which had miraculously not broken, and held it over her legs. A trickle of blood seeped out from a large gash on her knee.
Her chest rose and fell rapidly as her eyes scanned the surroundings. She was out in the middle of the forest, all alone and exposed to the elements. Fear gripped her entire body and she went rigid.
It all hurt so much deeper than she was willing to admit. Since coming to court a few months ago, she expected the politics of it all to be brutal. After all she had done to gain her place there, that seemed easy. She was the illegitimate child of a churlish and unloved king, one whose only reputation was how repugnant he was. She expected the side-eye looks, the sneers of judgment slogged her way, and the constant fight to be in good favor with the higher echelon of the kingdom.
What she did not expect was a friendship with her prince, one that made her burn with need. And she certainly didn't expect that that flame would be extinguished under the ice cold confession that he loved someone trying to destroy everything. It was all so unfair.
As the blood continued to pour, she pictured it being not hers, but Serenity's. It scared her a bit at how much she wished it was Serenity's blood, how easy the thought had come to her and how little remorse she felt for thinking it. If only she could wrap her fingers around Serenity's throat, she thought, squeeze until the life behind her eyes faded into nothing…
All of the hairs on the back of her neck stood straight and she felt the powerful force of someone watching her from behind. Shaking, she turned, extending her arm so the meager light was stretched toward whatever was stalking from the shadows. She stood up and inched closer and closer, and each step she took, she channeled all of her senses into her eardrums.
Just then, a brilliant beam of light shot up into the sky. It was pure white and coiled in blue, and it shot straight into the trees. Branches rustled against it and Beryl felt a powerful wind hit. Nearly knocked off her feet, she shielded her face from the strange power floating all around her. Whatever it was, it was unnatural, unlike any light she had ever seen. She braced herself for another gust of wind, but it never came, instead a low rumble of laughter rang out all around her.
"Why hello there, Beryl." A voice echoed. Beryl went completely still. "How lovely of you to find me out here all alone."
"Who are you?!" She shouted. The glowing light still shot up into the sky, now oddly pulsating against the blackness of night.
"Don't you know me?" It was a woman's voice. A deep, deep voice, but definitely a woman's. Beryl tried to place it.
"No," she shook her head. "I don't know you."
"But you must."
But she didn't know the voice. If she did, she at least couldn't place it. Not once had she ever recalled hearing someone that sounded so dark and sinister.
"I'm sorry," she said, still shaking in fear. "I don't know you. Or, at least if I do, I can't remember you."
"Think, my child." The light ebbed, growing and receding incrementally. "Look deep into yourself and hear my voice. Do you not recognize it? Do you not hear yourself?"
Beryl froze. What did this strange being mean?
"The blood you wish was hers," the voice continued. Beryl stifled a gasp. "That feeling of pure hatred. It is not…foreign to you, is it? The desire to hurt? The insatiable hunger to maim?"
Was it reading her mind? Had she possibly said out loud that she wished to kill Serenity, or was this mysterious being playing a trick on her?
"I do not know what you mean," Beryl said sharply. No one could know the types of devious thoughts she harbored for Serenity, especially if the prince claimed to love her.
"You love him, do you not?" The voice responded, a hint of delight dancing in the tone. "You love him and you want him, but he wants someone else. Someone who can–and will–destroy this world if given the chance."
Beryl stifled a gasp. Did this mysterious being know of the Moon Kingdom's plans? "Are you one of them?" She braced herself for a fight. If she had to, she would use the dark magic–the magic she swore to her mother she would never, ever use. Not even in circumstances like this, because the moment you let the darkness in, she warned…
"I can help you," the voice beckoned. "I can show him that you are his true love. I can help you defeat her and all she stands for, you just have to let me in."
"Let you in?" Beryl shivered. Despite wanting it so badly, she knew whatever this mysterious being was offering her was surely dark magic. Love spells and death–these things are only performed by those who understand the black arts. Her mother's voice rang in her ears.
"Yes," the voice said, and Beryl swore she saw a smile form. "If you give me your devotion, I can promise you all of the things you have so longed for."
"And what do you get in return?" Beryl stared into the light, transfixed by the face that slowly carved out of it.
"Why, my child, this is merely my altruistic desires at play." Two menacing eyes appeared. They looked like flame and starlight. "I merely want to help the people of Earth prosper and grow. I want to see you on the throne next to your prince. All I need is energy to do that–energy the Moon Kingdom is stealing from me, energy they are hoarding for themselves. We can all agree how selfish they are."
Beryl understood. The Moon Kingdom was selfish. Look at what they had done to the poor people of Earth, making them worry that the onslaught of war was always mere seconds away. It made sense that there were others in this universe–mythical creatures such as this–who had faced their scorn. Still, she knew it was wrong. She knew it was a trap. Everything in her was screaming to run the other way, to pretend she had never come across this strange being in the woods, but something else in her stirred.
All her life she had been shrouded in the shadows of shame. Now she was on the precipice of being the Earth's new queen. That is what she wanted. That is what she deserved.
"You have the capacity, you know," the voice cooed. "Inside of you, your heart has darkness. I know what you did to your father, Beryl. I know how you escaped his oppressive thumb. And I know what you can do against the Moon Kingdom."
Heat bled over her cheeks but her veins felt icy. Shallow breaths escaped her lips and her chin quivered–in fear and in anticipation.
"Trust in me and I will show you the way." The voice's face now fully formed, jagged eyes with no iris or pupil, a curved mouth with a hint of fangs. Beryl was transfixed by the sight. "Trust in me and I will give you everything you want."
Long ago–long before she had come to the Earth Kingdom–Beryl was good. She was pure of heart and cared deeply for others. But being cast away as illegitimate and being forced to endure the hardships of poverty and hunger, she learned how to harden her skin, and in turn she hardened her heart. Somewhere deep down inside, she knew taking this offer was wrong and that doing so would only lead her to ruin, but she did not care. She had a taste of life with a silver spoon and she wanted more.
"Tell me," Beryl said softly. "What is your name?"
The light grew and a breeze thrashed against the trees, sending the folds of Beryl's dress up into the air. The voice boomed out a laugh and another jolt of power reverberated off, this one so strong Beryl felt it in her bones. There was no turning back now, she thought.
"Why my name is Metalia," the voice said sweetly. "How lovely it is to meet you."