Disclaimer: Sailor Moon belongs to Kodansha, Naoko Takeuchi, Toei, Cloverway, etc.
"Shadows of the Past" by Tess: Chapter 2
"Absolutely not," Princess Serenity refused. It was a short while later, and she and Prince Endymion were standing in the royal stables in front of a snowy white horse.
"C'mon, Sere," Endymion eagerly pleaded. "It's the fastest way to get there, not to mention the most fun."
"Endy, horses frighten me!"
"There's nothing to be afraid of," Endymion said gently, lacing his fingers with Serenity's. A shiver of excitement ran through her at his touch. He led her to the side of the horse and placed her hand on it. He then began to move it in a gentle stroking motion. The horse turned its head towards them and whinnied gratefully. "See? They're beautiful creatures, Sere, in need of love and affection just like anyone else." As he said this, Serenity felt his intense gaze boring into her.
'Love,' she thought. 'If only I could fall in love and be loved.'
"Now, Princess, are you ready to get on that horse?" Endymion asked, breaking her thoughts. Serenity hesitated, glancing nervously at the animal. "Sere," he said, removing his hand from hers and placing his hands on her shoulders. "Do you trust me?" She looked up into his clear blue eyes, and without hesitation, replied,
"With my life." A sweet smile spread over his face and he ran a hand over her cheek.
"Good. Now, let me get you on that horse." He gently picked Serenity up and placed her on the animal, swiftly jumped on himself, then led the horse out of the stables. Once outside, he turned to her. "You're going to have to hold on to me tightly." Serenity scooted closer to Endymion and wrapped her arms around him.
"I'm ready," she said. Endymion smiled and shook the reins, sending the horse charging across an immense silver pasture dotted with pastel wildflowers. He glanced behind him at the Princess, her head resting on his back, her eyes tightly closed. Removing one of his hands from the reins, he found Serenity's hand and gently stroked it, calming her down. She opened her eyes and simply smiled at him. She moved closer to him and closed her eyes again, but this time, instead of being squeezed shut, they were just barely closed, as if she were dreaming a peaceful dream. Endymion turned back to the endless pasture. Zooming across the countryside, engulfed in each other's warmth, the two felt as if the world belonged to them and only them.
About an hour later, the two arrived at their destination. Serenity sucked in her breath at the sight. It was an light blue lake surrounded by immense trees silver trees. Sunlight sprinkled in through the trees, making the lake glitter like a precious gem. Endymion turned to Serenity. "Do you like it?" he whispered.
"Endy, it's beautiful," she breathed. Endymion dismounted the horse.
"I read about it years ago," he said. "It reminds me of home in the wintertime." He took Serenity's hand and made to help her dismount the horse.
"I can see-oh!" Serenity stumbled in her dismount. She closed her eyes, bracing herself for the fall, but it never came. Her eyes opened and she found herself in Endymion's strong arms, him looking at her worriedly.
"Are you ok?" he asked. She felt her cheeks redden.
"Yes, thank you. I mean, not 'yes, thank you' yes I'm ok, thank you for, um, catching me," Serenity stuttered. Endymion laughed.
"Of course. Now, shall we have lunch?"
"That was delicious, Endy," Serenity complimented him. They had finished their lunch of turkey sandwiches and iced tea, and were now sitting on the edge of the lake, their feet in the water. "Do you do this often?" He gave her a sideways glance.
"What, spend time with beautiful girls?" Serenity turned a deep shade of purple, but let the comment go because she was unsure of what to say.
"No, I mean, do you picnic often?"
"I haven't in years, but when I was a little boy, it was my favorite thing to do. My parents and I would go have a picnic in the countryside once every month. Just us. My mother would make sandwiches and tea-I learned how from watching her. We would go out into a beautiful meadow-there was never anyone else there. Then we would sit and talk about everything-everything except politics. I wish we still did that sometimes," he finished wistfully.
"Why don't you?" Serenity asked gently.
"Well, you know how it is. When I began to get older, I started to think that it was stupid and I had better things to do than spend time with my parents," he explained. "I know I hurt their feelings. I must have been thirteen when I told them I didn't wantto do it anymore, and now, five years later, they're probably still hurting. I'm sorry...I shouldn't be talking about this. You must think I'm just a spoiled brat, arguing with my parents, when your father is..." his voice trailed off. "I'm sorry..."
"No, no, you are anything but a spoiled brat. Besides, my father died right after my birth. I remember nothing of him."
"But you often wish you did," Endymion said, more a statement than a question. Serenity looked up at him and nodded, her eyes filling with sadness.
"Every day," she whispered. Prince Endymion protectively wrapped his arm around Serenity's small frame.
"I'm sorry," Endymion said. "For bringing it up."
"No, don't be. I would rather confide in you than in anyone else." Prince Endymion then pulled the Moon Princess closer to him, and they sat there in peaceful silence for a long, long time.
End Chapter 2
Yay! Another chapter down...stay tuned for Chapter 3 :)
Tess