Silver and Gold
Alice Clark
(A/N: Hello everyone and welcome to the rewrite of Silver and Gold, I had written this story a long time ago and had never finished it. But I'm much older and smarter than I used to be, and feel like this story needs more in-depth development than before, as well as some… More mature themes as well, hehe. So please enjoy my retelling of this story, and please leave a review of what you think! Thank you and Love you!)
Chapter 1: The Moon Princess
In a large forest, there stood a white marble platform with eight large pillars, each holding the different phases of the moon on top. The platform has long since been abandoned, with ivy wrapped around each pillar and marble that had lost its initial color and luster and now was a crumbling structure.
However, on this day, the platform began to rumble. Various amounts of pebbles and dirt began to shake off each pillar. One by one, each symbol of the phases of the moon began to glow in order, and though barely visible by the dust and ivy, a giant crescent moon began to shine on the marble floor. Then suddenly, a blinding bright flash of light appeared from thin air, lighting up the entire forest, and from it emerged a princess.
She floated in the air for a brief moment, then softly, her heels touched the decayed platform,, and her silk white dress and silver hair had followed suit. Gathering her bearings in this new world, she looked around. Her face turned to one of sorrow with just a few glances; the platform she stood on was in shambles, and she was lost in a forest filled with tall trees that blocked away the sun. She went over to one of the pillars with the crescent symbol and touched its now decaying structure.
"I'm sorry." she thought as she laid a small kiss on the pillar as if it was human. She felt as if the platform's dismantled state was because of her. Then again, she had no say in the Earth's decision to ban Lunarians from Earth for over 1000 years.
She looked out into a clearing from the forest's arching tree trunks and saw an open field filled with flowers, green grass, and a bright blue sky. She regained her smile with a new eagerness to touch the grass. As she went to step off the platform, she froze; a new fear grew inside of her, worried that someone would come up to her and see the crescent mark on her head. Quickly, she covered her forehead with both hands and closed her eyes. She focused her powers on concealing the mark on her head, and once she felt the energy leave her forehead, she removed her hands to reveal that the crescent mark was gone.
Once she finished, she finally stepped off the platform and made her way out of the maze of trees and into the open field. As soon as the sunlight hit her body, she watched in amazement as her hair had turned from platinum silver to a golden blonde. "It's just as Venus said." she thought to herself.
She focused her attention back on the open field, her eyes filled with excitement, as she made it onto the grass. Without a second thought, she took off her heels and felt the grass between her toes. The Earth was completely different from the moon. The gravity was much heavier, but her body was quick to adapt. It was much warmer on Earth, and the princess loved it. For the first time, she felt sunlight touch her skin like a warm hug and a breeze that blew her hair far into the air.
As the wind picked up, she started to run farther into the open field. It was there she found a multitude of wildflowers and bugs she had never seen before. She got close to one of the flowers that had one of the many insects she had never seen before. Its wings were large and deep brown in color. The princess was a little scared of the bug but also curious. She went to touch it, but as she did a gust of wind came by, and she watched as the insect's wings opened up, ready to take flight and showing a beautiful royal blue color. Amazed at what she saw, The princess chased after it giggling as she did.
As she ran after the bug, she noticed a tall structure coming into view over a hill. She continued to chase after the insect until she was at the very top of the hill and the structure fully came into view. At the bottom of the hill stood a castle.
The castle was a beautiful white brick monument, with golden tyle on the roofs and various windows and small towers. The princess was in awe, looking at the castle. She had never seen one besides her own, and whoever this castle belonged to must be very important.
As she stared at the castle, the bug flew past her and went down the hill. Quickly looking around, she saw a staircase that led down the hill. However, it was horribly decayed, as the cracks in the concrete were now growing grass and various other plants. The princess was left with an internal debate. She could go down the staircase, possibly break something, and not have a way back home. Or she could descend the stairs and continue to chase after the butterfly, but if someone saw her and she was caught, she again wouldn't have a way home. Despite all the warning signs going off in her head, she decided to descend the staircase. She took every step with caution. Without her shoes on, she was able to fully gauge which step was sturdier than the others.
Once she finally made it down the stairs, her feet were met with a marvelous golden brick pathway. She put her heels back and looked around for the insect. She walked along the path, continuing to look around worried that the bug was gone.
Just as she thought the creature was gone, it flew past her again. She continued to chase it down the pathway until she was met with a large wall that circled around the castle and an arching gateway that led inside to what she was sure was a garden. She marveled at the structure for a short while before her attention focused on the bug, flying right inside the castle. And without thinking of the consequences, she ran after it.
The insect took many twists and turns around the tall hedges, and it was hard for the princess to keep her focus when she saw many flowers she had never seen before. Before she made her next turn to chase after the bug, she froze. She could hear voices coming from beyond the hedge, both male and female. She watched as the bug flew out of the maze and carefully she peered over the opening of the hedge and looked out to a wide-open clearing with a large silver fountain with a bushes of red flowers, that she didn't know the name of, surrounding it. Her eyes followed the creature toward the end of the fountain where she saw two people standing there looking at one another, engaged in a discussion. She was close enough to see their faces and hear their conversation. Her eyes connected to the man standing in front of the woman. She took a closer look at him; he had dark ebony hair, deep blue eyes, and a robust build. He wore plated armor on his naval and shoulders, and underneath was a black suit. Attached to him was a sword that rested at his side and a cape that billowed in the wind.
"I had a lovely time today Endymion." The woman spoke. She wore a short-sleeved light lilac gown that showed her slender legs in the front but not the back. Her hair was a dark ruby color and stood no more than a few inches underneath the man in front of her. "I hope that I will be able to meet with you again after I return home."
"We will see what happens in the coming weeks, Beryl." As the man spoke, the princess shuddered; she had never heard a man's voice quite like his before. It was deep and left goosebumps on her skin. "My schedule is a tight one, you know my father." Beryl giggled.
"That I do, your highness." She lightly placed her hand on his chest, his face remaining expressionless. "I will escort myself to the main entrance."
"Are you sure you don't want one of my guards to guide you to the main gates?" He said sternly, yet she smiled and walked past him toward another arching hedge.
"I wish to familiarize myself with this castle, seeing as how I will be spending a lot of my time here in the future." She turned her head at that last remark, giving Endymion a sultry look.
"Still, it is my duty to make sure you are kept safe, Beryl." Endymion snapped his fingers, and immediately two guards came rushing toward the prince, the princess still hiding behind the hedged wall gasped in fear and coward backward.
"Yes, your highness!" The knights spoke.
"Please escort lady Beryl to the front gates." He said.
"Right away, your highness!" The knights repeated. Beryl let out a small chuckle as the knights went to her side, ready to walk her out of the gardens.
"Oh, Endymion, there is no need for all this uproar; I am capable of walking myself." His gaze hardened onto Beryl.
"That you are, Beryl." He walked closer to her, gaze fixed on her. "But it will bring me peace of mind to know you are watched after." The princess could feel a tension between the two. What was this sudden hostility she felt?
Beryl smiled at him.
"Very well, your highness," She turned away from him. "Till we meet again." she started walking toward the exit. The prince said nothing in response to her farewell and just stood and watched as she walked away. Once Beryl was out of view, he let out a harsh sigh, pinching the bridge of his nose as he glared at the ground. The princess looked at him, concerned at what troubled him.
"You seem very unhappy, my prince." A voice suddenly rang through the garden, capturing both the attention of the princess and Endymion. Then out of the north hedge entrance appeared a man dressed in a formal white suit and cape. His eyes were a deep emerald color, and his hair a bright ivory.
"Kunzite!" The prince shouted. "How long have you been there?" Kunzite chuckled.
"Long enough to finally see you crack," The prince sighed. "I find it absolutely fascinating how, up until the last moment that you're with Beryl, you still manage to show her your dislike of her presence, it's quite amusing." He chuckled. The prince just sighed and rubbed his forehead.
"I don't know why my father insists on me accompanying Beryl when her family arrives for visits." He said. "Nor do I understand why she wishes to familiarize herself with our castle." He said in a more irritated tone. Kunzite sighed.
"Oh, Endymion, you're so dense." Endymion glared at him. "Isn't it obvious she wants you to court her?"
"Of course it's obvious, Kunzite." He said with a sigh. "However, my crystal doesn't react whenever I'm around her, it grows cold in fact." He said, gripping his chest. "So no, I won't court her, and the same goes for every maiden my father has asked me to accompany." Endymion turned away, a foul expression on his face.
"Endymion, you can't keep turning away maidens because your crystal doesn't react to them." Endymion quickly spun around to face Kunzite.
"It is written in our family history that when we meet our destined ones, the golden crystal will bond us together in a luxurious manner till our deaths," Kunzite laid his head in his hand. "Thats how it was for my father when he had met my mother, and if my crystal doesn't show any signs of reacting to the maidens my father makes me accompany, then I will not take a step further to court them. End of story!" Endymion seethed out.
"Fine," Kunzite said with defeat. "You're obviously hellbent on this "destined one," so I'll leave you to your fantasy." Kunzite made his way toward the exit of the garden. "But know this Endymion," He gave him one last glance. "Your father is very impatient. He won't wait around for you to find your destined one forever." with that, he left the garden. Endymion grit his teeth.
"To hell with my father." He spat lowly. He rubbed his temples, angry and confused, "Why doesn't it react to anyone." He thought sadly gripping his chest. He turned and looked down at the red flowers surrounding the fountain. Endymion didn't know why, but the red flowers always brought him a sense of ease. He knelt down and picked one of the flowers from the bush and gently caressed it to his face to take in its sweet scent.
The princess was enamored with him. Her heart clenched tight in her chest when she heard him talk about his destined lover. She could hear a slight pain in his voice when he had mentioned that every maiden he had met had never been able to make his crystal react. She can relate to the sentiment, as she is the bearer of her own crystal as well, and she has never been able to get hers to react in any way towards anyone she has met. A great deal of sympathy had overwhelmed her, and she wanted nothing more than to meet this prince.
But that could never be.
She gave him one last glance before she turned away. But she wasn't paying attention and stepped on a branch which let out a large cracking noise. The prince immediately reacted.
"Who's There!" Her hands flew to her mouth to keep herself from gasping aloud. Her heart thumped so hard in her chest that she thought she would pass out. The prince looked around, analyzing the area to see if he could spot anyone but saw nothing. Skeptically, he backed away toward one of the exits but quietly hid behind the hedge, waiting for something to appear. If he didn't hear footsteps, he would leave, but if he did, he would instigate.
The princess heard the prince's footsteps get farther away from her until she could no longer hear them. Her heartbeat slowed, and quickly she glanced over the exit of the hedge and saw no one there. She let out a small sigh of relief and thought this was a good time to leave; she had been so lucky today with not getting caught that something terrible was bound to happen if she didn't go now. She took another look at the fountain, her eyes glued to the red flowers the prince had held so tenderly to his face. And to bait her more, the creature she was so fawned of catching, had landed directly on one of the flowers. She bit her lip as she debated going out and investigating and possibly taking a flower for herself, just as a small memento of the day. She glanced around before quickly running out into the open and knelt down in front of one of the flowers with the insect. As she went to pick the flower, the bug had flown away.
Endymion waited patiently behind the hedge until finally, he heard footsteps make their way toward him and suddenly stop. He gripped his sword, narrowed his stance, he waited for a second, and took in a deep breath. Then swiftly, he came out into the open, unsheathing his sword and pointing it directly at his intruder.
"Stay where you!-" His words faltered. "...Are."
At that moment, Endymions eyes were met with the most beautiful creature he had ever seen.
She looked like something out of a fairytale. Her hair was a rich golden blonde and was abnormally long. Her skin was pale as snow and looked unbelievably soft, and her dress had framed the curves of her body very well. But what struck Endymion the most was her eyes. Beautiful baby blues, that had stared back at him with horror.
When he first appeared before her, her hands quickly withdrew from the bush, and she stared up at the prince with a sword directed at her throat. She met his gaze with fear, but to her surprise his eyes were not filled with hatred or malice but rather astonishment. While in the prince's shocked state the princess quickly rose to her feet and sprinted out of the garden.
"Wait!" He watched as the fleeting image of the alluring maiden ran toward the exit. The prince looked down at his sword in disgust, threw it to the side, and feverishly ran after her. "Please come back!" The princess heard his pleas but continued to run. Pure panic had arisen in her mind, her heart was beating out of her chest, and her breath had become rapid. She did her best to remain focused and follow the path back to the open field, but it was hard when each turn only led to more pathways and the prince's footsteps getting louder and louder.
"I didn't mean to scare you!" She ignored it. "Please wait!" She made her next turn and found the exit to the field and with regained hope ran a little faster.
Endymion turned the corner and saw her running toward the old decrepit staircase. He knew beyond that hill was a never-ending forest, and if she went in there, he would never see her again. His pace quickened and he was gaining on her by the second. The princess had turned her head to look at him and saw that he was no more than a few feet away. Luckily, she had made it to the staircase.
"If I make it up these stairs and into the forest, I can lose him." She thought in a panic as she ascended the stairs. However, the prince had also made it to the staircase and was now close enough to grab onto her. And in a panic of not wanting her to get away, he reached for the first thing he could grab onto, which was the bow's ribbon attached to her back. As he pulled back, he immediately felt relief that he had caught her, but also panic as he realized that when he pulled the bow, it had pulled the maiden backward on an ascending staircase, causing her to fall.
As the maiden felt the pull from behind her, her body had twisted around and came face to face with the prince once again. She stretched out her arms protect herself from falling. However, Endymion also had at that moment, stretched out his arms to catch her. As their bodies collided, Endymion felt himself loose balance on the steps, and began to fall as well, but Endymion had also felt a shock that made its way through every vien in his body. It was so jolting that in response, he wrapped his arms tight around the princess' waist while the princess had her arms wrapped tightly around his back.
And just like that, they fell to the ground.
Endymion gripped onto her tightly as he hit the brick pathway. Luckily, his body was protected by armor, but the same could not be said about his head. But the head pain subsided once he really grasped the situation he was in.
He finally caught her, quite literally, and having her in his arms gave him a new feeling. Much different than the shock he felt seconds ago.
This feeling in his chest, was like a soft gentle glow.
When the princess opened her eyes after the fall she was met with black fabric against her face, and arms wrapped tightly around her. The realization had hit her.
She was in the arms of the prince, and she was mortified.
Suddenly she felt his arms soften around her, enough for her to break free. And as quick as a bunny, she pushed off his body and went to run again. However, firm hands clasped her forearm, pulling her back down. She yet again was face to face with the prince, who was now kneeling on the ground.
"Please wait-"
"Please don't hurt me!" She cried out. "I promise I'll never come back here ever again, so please don't hurt me!" She cowardly kneeled down on all fours, shaking as tears blossomed from her eyes. Endymion was shocked and quickly released his grip on her.
"I don't want to hurt you." He said softly. "It was never my intention to hurt you." He laid a hand on top of hers. She opened her eyes and wryly looked up at him, he gave her a soft smile to help ease her anxiety. He stood up and held out his hand to help her back up to her feet. The princess was hesitant to grab it. She looked back up into his eyes and saw his facial expressions soften, almost as if he was saying, "I won't bite," without the need for words, and timidly she grabbed his hand. Once she was back on her feet, she quickly pulled her hand out of his still a little scared of him.
"If I may ask," Endymion said. "What is your name?" The princess looked down at the ground. "Do I tell him my real name or give him a fake? Should I even be talking to him, or should I run…" She thought for a moment. "Running is out of the question, he'll only catch me again if I do, so I guess there is no other way around it."
"My name…" She said softly. "My name is Serenity." Endymion smiled at her.
"What a fitting name." He thought to himself.
"My name is Endymion, prince of the Golden Kingdom." He bowed in front of Serenity, not noticing her shock at the words "Golden kingdom." He stood straight again. "Tell me, Serenity, are you also of nobility?" Serenity froze.
"Why do you ask?" She said defensively.
"Your attire is nothing like any common habitant of our country." He said, gesturing to her dress. "Your dress seems to be custom-designed for someone of royalty, and the jewels you wear look quite expensive." Serenity looked down at the bracelet attacted to her wrist, and also felt the earrings she wore. A flush of red came to her face from embarrassment as he slowly started to piece everything together.
"So, are you by any chance nobility or even royalty?" Endymion had asked with a little bit of excitement. If she was of nobility, or better yet royalty, there was a chance of him possibly courting her. And damn it, he really wanted to know more about her, especially after the sensation he felt in his chest.
Serenity however, was panicking. She didn't dare tell him that she was from the Moon. Especially now that she knew he was from the Golden Kingdom, the very capital of Earth. The Golden Kingdom is considered to be the place of all power on Earth and the same place where they had outlawed Lunarians from ever stepping on Earth 1000 years ago. So Serenity telling the Prince that she was from the Moon Kingdom was out of the question. And to make matters even worse, she didn't know anything about the continental structure of Earth, so whatever came out of her mouth next had to be convincing enough for the prince to believe her.
"I am not of royalty." She lied. "My dress was made years ago and is passed down from generation to generation in my family as well as my jewels." Endymion frowned when he heard she wasn't of royalty, so the possibility of courting her and his father's approval was out the window.
"Well then, where are you from?" He said eagerly. "If she lives close by, then maybe I can meet with her there.." he thought. Serenity looked down at the ground sadly.
"I'm sorry, Endymion," His expression faltered. "That is the one thing I wish to remain secret." Endymion sighed in defeat. "Wonderful, so she isn't royalty, and she won't tell me her place of residency." But Endymion wasn't going to give up.
"Why did you sneak into the gardens?" He asked. Serenity felt another wave of embarrassment hit her.
"I was following a creature I had never seen before," She couldn't look at him. "Without thinking, I had run into your gardens to chase after it." Endymion was a little shocked that that was her reason. It was truely quite innocent.
"I promise I had no ill intent, and I promise I will never trespass into your castle ever again." She bowed in front of him. "So please, keep our meeting a secret."
Endymion stared at the maiden. She truly was sorry for sneaking in, he could feel it in the way she spoke. But he wanted to know more about her; her likes, dislikes, family, greatest fears, everything he could imagine. But given their circumstances, there really was no way he would get approval from his father, nor would he have anyway to find her.
But then, thought had occurred to him.
"I promise." He said, grinning. Serenity lifted her head and looked at him in surprise. She straightened herself out and smiled at him.
"Thank you."
"But I have one condition." She tensed. "In return, I want you to promise me something." Her heart beated a little faster than usual. Whatever his condition was, she had no choice but to accept.
"And that is?" she said wryly.
"You have to promise me that you'll meet me here again." She paled. "It can be any day within this week, but you have to promise me that we will see each other again at this exact spot." He said confidently. "That is my condition."
The princess was panicking. Coming to Earth once had been a stretch, but to come back for a second time would be even more challenging considering the lengths it took to get here in the first place. But she direly needed to keep this meeting a secret, and the only way was to retake the risk.
"I…" She fumbled out. "I-" Just as she was about to give him an answer, she looked up at the sky and watched as blue faded into blood orange.
"What's wrong-"
"I have to go!"
"What?!-"
"Goodbye!" She cut him off and quickly went to run back up the stairs, only to be grabbed by the arm again. She turned and looked at him with pleading eyes. "Please let me go-"
"Promise me first!" He shouted desperately. "Please…" Serenity felt a heat of red fill her cheeks. Looking into his eyes, she could feel his desperation, and for a Lunarian nonetheless. With everything at stake and the moon starting to come into view, she gave him an answer.
"I promise you, Endymion," she said sincerely. "That within the coming days, we will meet again." He sighed with relief at her promise and gave her a sweet smile.
"Thank you," He softly let go of her arm and felt it drift out of the palm of his hand. "Until we meet again, Serenity." He drawled out her name in a sweet tone, catching Serenity a little off guard.
"U-until then, Endymion." She stammered, and he chuckled in response.
Already embarrassed by her blushing, she ran up the stairs as fast as possible. And Endymion watched her fleeting form make it to the top of the stairs until he could no longer see her. Once she was out of view, he smiled in victory, knowing he would see her again. In the meantime, he had to figure out what that sensation he felt was, and even contemplate the possibility of it being his crystal.
Serenity was racing against time. She needed to make it back to the Moon before her royal guard started to worry about where she was. She constantly turned her head back as she ran to see if the Prince was following her. Luckily for her, he had not followed behind.
Once she made it into the forest her hair had turned back into a platinum silver from the lack of light, and she made her way back onto the platform. She stood in the center and started to chant an ancient Lunarian spell. As she chanted, the platform began to rumble again, and each phase of the moon on the pillars started to glow, as well as the giant crescent moon below her feet. As she began to finish, her body levitated in mid-air, and the crescent mark on her forehead had reappeared from its hiding. And once she finished, the flash of light had reappeared and zapped her away.
Back to the moon.
