Disclaimer: Sailor Moon belongs to Kodansha, Naoko Takeuchi,
Toei, Cloverway, etc.
"Shadows of the Past" by Tess: Chapter 8
Posted: 4/24/05
Princess Serenity trudged through the snow in the forest, her body numb from the cold. Shivering, she wrapped her arms around herself and looked out in front of her. She didn't even know if she was going the right way. The urge to just collapse into the snow overwhelmed her. Her body was so weak. She hadn't eaten anything since the night of the ball, and the emotional effects of the ordeal she had been through were beginning to take their toll. Tears threatened to spring up behind her eyes, but she swallowed them back.
'I can't give up now,' she told herself.
Suddenly, she was struck by a fit of coughs. Coughing violently, she fell to her knees. A wave of nausea overtook her, and she broke into a cold sweat. Suddenly, she felt two rough hands enclose themselves around her wrists. Still coughing, she gasped fearfully as she looked up, her vision swimming in front of her, at Theronious' furious face.
"Hello, Princess," he hissed. Then, everything went black.
"Serenity!" Prince Endymion screamed, leading a brown and white horse down a narrow path. Suddenly, an excruciating pain ripped through his body. Doubling over, Endymion moaned. Then, as quickly as it had come, the pain was gone. Endymion's heart beat furiously. What was causing her so much pain? Endymion closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Somehow, he knew that if he concentrated, he would be able to find out where Serenity was. After a few minutes, his eyes shot open. Cracking the reins, Endymion continued straight down the path, his eyes narrowed in concentration.
Serenity woke with a jolt as she felt her body slamming against a hard wooden floor. Opening her eyes, she saw that she was back in Hematite's study, Theronious standing above her, his face filled with fury. Roughly, he grabbed her wrist and jerked her upwards. "What exactly were you thinking, Princess?" he snarled. Serenity tried not to cower underneath his height.
"I was trying to get away from you!" she shouted. "Let go of me!" Theronious laughed.
"Not a chance, Princess. You know, this sort of behavior will never do when we're married."
"We're not going to be married!" Serenity wrenched her wrist from his grasp and glared at him. "You're despicable!"
"Why you little..." Theronious began. Serenity cried out in pain as he struck her across the face. "I think it's time to teach you a little lesson." Tears sprang to Serenity's eyes as he struck her again, knocking her to the ground. The impact of Theronious' strength blurred her vision and sent waves of nausea coursing through her stomach. Serenity braced herself as she saw Theronious lift his foot to kick her. Before he had the chance, Hematite's voice came from the doorway.
"Theronious!" he said furiously, taking the man by surprise. Theronious whirled around. Serenity tried to lift her head as best she could. "What do you think you are doing?" Serenity furrowed her brow. Why would Hematite be angry? He was just as evil as Theronious was!
"Forgive me, your highness," Theronious said, his voice smooth and velvety. "Your daughter needed punishing, and I did not want to disturb you, so I took the matter into my own hands." Hematite's eyes narrowed and he folded his arms across his chest.
"Theronious, you seem to forget that I am the one in charge here. She is not yet your responsibility. We'll discuss this further later. Now, leave us."
"Yes, sire," Theronious replied lowly. Hematite failed to notice the resentful glare filling Theronious' features as he exited the room. After closing the door, Hematite approached Serenity, who was sprawled out on the floor, barely conscious. Without thinking, Hematite gently picked Serenity up. She groaned as he lay her on the chaise lounge near the fire. A strange emotion gripped his heart as he studied her pallid face. The bottom of her dress was soaked from the snow, and her breathing was shallow and unsteady. Anger filled him as he noticed the fresh red mark on her cheek and the crimson blood staining the corner of her lip. Hematite got up and left the room, returning about fifteen minutes later with a tarnished goblet and bowl, a jug of water, a plate of bread and cheese, and a heavy blanket and rag tucked under his shoulder. Kneeling down next to Serenity, he poured some water into the bowl, wet the rag, and gently began to wipe the blood from Serenity's cheek.
'What's gotten into you?' a voice inside of his head hissed. Hematite's eyes widened.
"She's hurt," he whispered.
'So? Doesn't she deserve the revenge for all the pain you've been through? So what if she's hurt?' Hematite's eyes narrowed, and he began to pull the rag away, but a sigh from Serenity stopped him.
"So she's my daughter!" he hissed lowly. A strange feeling of triumph filled him as he finished cleansing the wound. Hematite watched Serenity until her breathing steadied, a sign that she had fallen asleep. Leaving the tray, jug, and goblet on the table, Hematite silently exited the room, deep in thought.
"Sire?" Theronious' voice echoed down the hallway as Hematite closed the door to his study. Hematite's eyes hardened angrily as Theronious reached him.
"I'm not pleased with you, Theronious," he growled. Theronious gave a slight bow.
"Forgive me for angering you. However, I would like to inform you that your daughter tried to escape from our custody, which would have thrown off our entire plan. Punishment was in order."
"It was not your decision to make."
"My mistake, sire. However, I'm slightly concerned that you are letting sentimental feelings interfere with our mission." Hematite's head shot up.
"Sentimental feelings?" he echoed angrily. Theronious nodded.
"You seem to be letting your guard down around the Princess because she reminds of your wife!" For a moment, Hematite's cold demeanor disappeared and he was left defenseless, like a child. "Remember what she did to you! Remember how much you loved her, and then how she betrayed you!" Painful memories swirled through Hematite's mind. "We have been planning revenge for so long now, sire. It would be weak to not pursue that now."
"Weak?" Hematite whispered. Images of his wife and best friend overpowered his mind. His eyes narrowed as the feelings of rejection again hit him full-force. He smiled cruelly, any hint of kindness gone from his expression. "No, I must not be weak! Thank you for bringing this to my attention, Theronious." Nodding curtly, Hematite turned and continued down the hallway, his expression frozen in fury. As Hematite's footsteps echoed down the hall, Theronious leaned against the stone wall and laughed.
"You're so naive, your highness," he sneered, sarcastically emphasizing the title. "It's almost too easy for me to toy with your mind."
Prince Endymion slowed his horse to a trot as he came up on an immense stone manor. The way his heart was beating wildly in his ears told him that Serenity was near. Stealthily leading the mare around the manor, Endymion searched for a possible way to infiltrate the building. Suddenly, Endymion spotted something brown peeking out of the pure white snow. Shivering in the icy wind, Endymion brought the horse to a halt and jumped off. He brushed some snow away to reveal a set of worn brown basement doors chained shut with a heavy metal padlock. Taking a deep breath, Endymion drew his sword and began pounding away at the padlock, hoping against hope that he was somehow getting closer to rescuing Princess Serenity.
End Chapter 8
I hope you enjoyed it! Thanks for everyone who's given me feedback so far. Please keep letting me know what you think!
Tess