By Ariela Titan

I do not own Sailor Moon or any of the anime I will use in order to tell this wonderful fairytale. The Original storyboard for The Wild Swans/Six Swan Brothers belongs to Toei Animation Company—but I'm doing a remake with many wonderful additions of my own. Credit is given to the anime characters and Toei, though for inspiring the scenes and stories you shall read in this first selected story of 'Classical Fairytales of the Firefly' series. I hope you all enjoy it as much as I did in the writing! 

(((Last Time)))

'Most stories begin with the intricate start such as once upon a time, or long, long ago. But mine, it doesn't start with me, it doesn't have a true beginning just an ending that went horribly wrong and brought me to where I am…I am Hotaru, and this work I write before I begin my perilous journey—so that if I should die, someone will know the truth….'

(((Now)))

Cobalt and blue clashed as the two brothers, kneeling in the dingy cave while its former female occupant was chained and harassed even tighter, her frail diligent hands continuing a constant pattern none had seen her go one day without.

Book: Chapter 1: My Ending

The end that marked the start of this journey happened well within the last decade, as I am only a child of 10 writing now. My readers and even perhaps myself will laugh at the language I hold in my script—but I blame my dear father for my well brought up nature…I blame him for many things actually. This is truly his fault—all of it. I….I cannot tell this story as one normally would—so I shall tell it in another version.

The Family of Seven Children

In the royal house of Saturn there once existed a fair and just King Mamoru, loved by all of his subjects, his dutiful and faithful wife the Queen Kikyou and then his seven—yes, seven children who were as unique and different as the stars in the skies.

The first born was the crown prince, a boy with eyes the color of onyx and hair a jagged black-brown mix that is normal admits the family of Saturn. His name, among the family, was Touya. A skilled magician like his mother, Touya was almost the perfect son from birth. His only true fault will always be his teasing of his younger siblings.

The second child born was also a son. His hair, however, glistened as one of his late grandmothers, a dark mix of black and green. His eyes were the cool brown that gleamed from like his mother's but burned with the passion of his father. He was the fighter, a crude speaker who was more likely to punch someone than run away, even under pressure of enemies. The only weakness in his honor was the love he held for his family.

Third came another son, Chan. A boy born with onyx eyes like Touya, but baring the simple black head that his mother bore, often shinning in it's tight ponytail so that he could study all without messing it up. He was the most studious of the children, a scholar through and through and the pride of his father and mother. However, this was dulled only by his sense of justice—and more often then not, his stubborn opinions landed him in terrible trouble with his older brothers. For his nature, he was given a nickname after his great uncle, Wufei.

The fourth and fifth sons of the royal family appeared next with simplicity in mind. Two boys of identical looks and often identical grins they couldn't be any more different than night and day. Hao, the elder of the brothers kept his black hair long, much longer than any of the other brothers—Wufei included. It went to his knees and was well managed by Yoh, the younger. Both bore onyx eyes that made them look more and more like their mother. Hao was strong spiritually, like his mother. Although he lacked any grace with healing, his skills in fighting parallel his brothers early on and he joined quickly as a sorcerer of sorts in the army. He trained long and hard to protect his family and, of course, defend his innocent twin, Yoh. While this occurred, Yoh was the likely ditcher and lazy twin with an innocent view of the world. He wanted to change things, and like Hao possessed strong spiritual powers—but his lax manner and peaceful way often clashed him against Hao.

The last of the sons of the royal family was Mokuba. He was the youngest and seventh child born. A gentle soul with a love for all around him, Mokuba was the only boy born in the family with the ability to heal other's wounds. He was physically the weakest and most easily startled, but his calm nature and reading of his siblings made him the classic favorite. Next to Hao, his hair grew the longest but was far more ragged and harder to tame. However, unlike Hao, he bore eyes that were seen in only one other of his family.

That family member was the sixth child born unto the kingdom. She was by no means healthy or skilled like her many brothers and her one good talent was healing. Her hair was darker than her parents and glowed with more night sky style while her eyes made her father question her parentage. Her eyes, were, as her brothers would say, the most unique in the world. They glowed a dark purple violet that not even her youngest sibling could match. A hidden power was held within them, a power to unite or destroy. This pale little one was none other than Princess Hotaru, the first princess born in to the Saturn royal house for a century. A tiny child, her birth waned heavily upon her mother's strength and by the time Mokuba, the youngest was born, Queen Kikyou was sure that her end was at hand.

Queen Kikyou forced her children to depart from the security of the palace and the anger she knew would run from her husband. She sent them to Genkai, a wise teacher in the far northern forest of the Kingdom. An enchanted temple protected from evil forces, it was there she sent her children. All of them under the age of 9 none understood what death was. That was until the King arrived upon the edge of the giant stairway, gazing up at his little ones almost 3 years later. He gazed upon his children with his ice hardened eyes and then, with little more than a few steps, took his smallest four into his arms and hugged them tightly, trying to share the loss with them.

And so, the children grew up in the mystical temple, training and learning all from Genkai and then, later, the tutors she would fetch for other subjects. Each learned what it meant to be a prince or princess, and more often than not, half the siblings would go missing for Genkai to hunt down. Things were peaceful with occasional visits from their father and the love of the people around them. And then, the cloud of evil descended full force unto the Kingdom of Saturn. The first of these dark and despicable clouds was named Kaori and the second was her witch of a mother, Beryl.

End First Chapter

TBC…

Hope you all are liking it!

Ciao!