Disclaimer: Sailor Moon belongs to Kodansha, Naoko Takeuchi, Toei, Cloverway, etc.
"Shadows of the Past" by Tess: Chapter 1
Sixteen-year-old Princess Serenity sat down at her desk, writing a letter to Prince Endymion. They hadn't seen each other since
they were toddlers, but had kept correspondence ever since.
"Dearest Endy," began Serenity in her loopy handwriting. "It seems as if it has been an eternity since I've heard from you. Are you well? I imagine that you're probably just very busy. Mother has certainly enjoyed keeping me busy. She says that she is 'preparing me for womanhood'. It's quite annoying, really. My lessons have become quite difficult in recent months. I abhor arithmetic, but I enjoy the study of the different languages of our universe. How are things on Earth? Everything here is fine, except for the fact that there is to be a ball this Saturday night. I cannot stand balls. I like the dressing up and dancing with friends, but I can't say I enjoy being made to waltz with men twice my age who have had a bit too much wine and whiskey. I don't know why they want to dance with me- I am but a gawky teenager! To be honest, I am not writing to talk about lessons nor balls. As of late, my mind has been preoccupied with something else. There is a man who now works at the palace collecting mail. His name is Theronious. I know this does not sound so bad, but whenever I see him, he has a horrible horrible look in his eyes and it frightens me so. I told the Princess of Mars, Rei, but she believes that I am overreacting. What do you think I should do? Please write me soon with your thoughts. Send my regards to your parents.
-Serenity."
Serenity quickly sealed and addressed the letter, her small hands working quickly over the cream-colored parchment. Contrary to what Serenity had written in her letter, she was far from being gawky. With her shapely figure, big blue eyes, and hair almost down to her feet set in the traditional style of the moon, she was stunning. A knock at the door startled her. She went to open it and a shiver ran down her spine as she came face-to-face with the cold light gray eyes of Theronious. He was about a foot and a half taller than she was, and his stringy dirty blond hair was tied back into a ponytail.
"Evening, princess," he said in a low voice.
"Good evening, Theronious," Princess Serenity answered, trying her hardest not to appear as nervous as she was.
"Have you any mail?" She handed him her letter. He read the front of the envelope and smirked. "Writing to Prince Endymion
again, are we?"
"That is none of your concern, Theronious. Now, I believe your job is only to collect the mail, not to look and see whom everyone is writing to. Good evening." With that, Serenity closed the door, not seeing the malicious smile that crept over Theronious's face.
Two nights later, Princess Serenity and her mother were enjoying dessert out on the terrace. Queen Serenity took a sip of her
coffee and then spoke, "Sweetheart, I've been saving some good news for you." The princess looked up from her cheesecake.
"What is it, mother?" Serenity asked eagerly. Queen Serenity's eyes twinkled, knowing how much joy this news would bring to her daughter.
"Well, perhaps I shouldn't tell you..."
"Oh please mother you must!"
"Very well then. Maginus, Lara, and Endymion are coming to visit us." A huge grin spread out over the princess's face.
"Oh that's wonderful news mother! Oh, I haven't seen them in years! When will they arrive?"
"That's the best part. They're coming tonight." Princess Serenity's jaw dropped. Her mother laughed. "I've known about it for some time but wanted to surprise you. They'll be here for the ball and they're staying for two weeks. Now, they should be arriving soon. Why don't you go freshen up a bit?" She winked at her daughter. "I hear Prince Endymion has grown up into quite a handsome young man." The younger Serenity rolled her eyes and laughed.
"Perhaps he has mother, but Endymion is my dearest friend and nothing more."
Serenity nervously chewed on her bottom lip. It was a few hours later, and she and her mother were standing in the throne room, awaiting the arrival of the Terran royal family. 'What will he look like?' she thought. 'Will speaking with him be awkward?' Granted, they wrote long letters to each other, but would things be different in person?
Suddenly, a blinding white light interrupted her thoughts. She shielded her eyes and turned towards the center of the room, a shiver of anticipation running down her spine. The white light faded away almost as quickly as it had come, and Serenity heard her mother speak. "Maginus! Lara! Endymion! Oh, it's been so long. Welcome to the Moon!" she exclaimed. Serenity lifted her hands from her face and looked at the visitors. King Maginus and Queen Lara had changed little since their last meeting with Serenity. The only differences were that King Maginus's sandy brown hair was now flecked with bits of gray, and Queen Lara's face was a bit more lined than it had been.
However, Serenity sucked in her breath as her eyes moved towards Prince Endymion. He was now six feet tall, with the same muscular build as his father and the same striking black hair and midnight blue eyes as his mother. "Endy!" Princess Serenity shrieked happily, running across the marble floor and tackling him in a bear hug. "Oh it's marvelous to see you again!" Endymion chuckled.
"Hello, Sere," he said. "It's good to see you, too." The princess gently pulled away, smiling, and curtsied deeply to the King and Queen.
"Welcome, your highnesses, to our home," she said.
"Child, there's no need for formalities," Queen Lara said kindly. She gently pulled Serenity up by the arm and enveloped her in a warm hug. "You are like family." Serenity smiled in gratitude and moved to King Maginus, hugging him as well. Queen Serenity cleared her throat.
"You must be famished," she said. "Come, we'll get you something to eat." With that, the five of them made their way towards the kitchens, Princess Serenity's spirits extremely high.
The next morning, Princess Serenity sat down in the room where she normally had lessons, feeling slightly glum. It seemed to her that it was a waste of time to learn about square roots and political policies and whatever else her mother felt like teaching her on a day that she could be spending catching up with Prince Endymion. She sighed. Endymion. Just the thought of him gave her butterflies in her stomach. When he had arrived in the throne room the day before, Serenity had felt a strange sensation. It was almost like-attraction? 'No,' she told herself. 'I only felt that way because it's been so long since I've seen him!'
A deep voice interrupted her thoughts and made her jump in her seat. "What are you doing, princess?" She whirled around and felt a hot blush rise in her cheeks. It was Endymion.
"Oh..h-hello, Endy," she stammered. "I'm waiting for my mother so we can start today's lessons." She made a face. "It's ridiculous, really, lessons when we have guests."
"Hmm. Well, I might be able to help you out, Sere."
"Really?" she asked eagerly. "How?"
"I just ran into your mother in the hall when I was looking for you. She told me where I could find you and she told me to tell you..."
"What? What did she say?"
"She told me to tell you that you can have the day off." A smile lit up Serenity's face. "And I've just the thing for us to do."
End Chapter 1
Hope you enjoyed that! See ya in Chapter 2!
Tess