Blueeyeddevil06 thank you for being my beta!
One week later, Lita finally agreed to spar with Nephrite again. She still managed to beat him by knocking the sword out of his hands this time. He looked absolutely stunned at his empty hand, "What the hell just happened? I wasn't holding back." He looked stricken.
"I'm just better than you. That's what happened." she announced.
Mina smirked and Kunzite gave her a gold piece.
"You're betting?!" Endymion asked in horror.
Serenity nodded and held out her hand. Kunzite flicked a coin at her that she caught. "We are. Are you upset that we didn't include you? I figured it would be embarrassing enough to have your general lose to Lita. Did you need to lose money too?"
Before Darien could answer her, Nephrite growled, wrapped his arm around Lita and kissed her. He pulled back quickly and braced for a slap. Lita leaned in and kissed him instead. When they parted he said, "You're an amazing woman."
She blushed and said, "And you aren't so bad yourself." She leaned in and kissed him again.
Raye punched Jadeite hard in the arm. He asked, "What was that for?!"
"You didn't kiss me like that!"
He swept her up in his arms and said, "I can do better than that." He bent her over and kissed her.
Endymion continued to ride next to Serenity. He tried to joke and laugh with her. He treasured the times that she looked completely relaxed. He knew she was very aware that they were going to war to take back her kingdom.
One night, he noticed her walk away from the campfire. Mina got ready to follow her, and he motioned for her to sit back down. He followed Serenity into the woods that surrounded them.
"What do you want?" She asked him.
He sighed. It was obvious she didn't want him there. "It isn't safe for us to wander off by ourselves. I can stay back and just keep an eye on you. Pretend like I'm not here."
"I'm sorry." she paused and looked at him. "I appreciate your thoughtfulness. I'm sure you had to keep Mina from following me." He nodded. "I'm just struggling with the fact that my mother left me."
"She must have loved your father very much. You aren't easy to let go."
"Really?"
"I followed you, didn't I?"
The next day, Mina reigned her horse to a stop and looked at Serenity. "We'll arrive tomorrow at the camp that was set up." She looked her Queen in the eye and said, "You must tell Endymion the truth of your background. He needs to know before we go into battle."
Everyone halted their horses in response.
Serenity shook her head, "You know the rules. There are very few exceptions to them. I can't tell."
Mina lowered her head, and looked pensive, "I tell you that you won't be breaking them."
"That means…" Serenity gasped and put her hand to her chest over her racing heart. "You can't be serious."
Mina nodded and replied, "It means his generals can know too. They are our equals in loyalty."
Serenity looked at the generals and Endymion. They all looked incredibly curious. She realized they weren't demanding an explanation, probably because it looked like Mina was winning the discussion.
Her immediate response to Mina was to tell everyone to dismount and tie up the horses. The cryptic explanation of, "Our horses are used to this, but yours will probably get spooked," only increased the guys' confusion.
They found a clearing in the woods off the path. Serenity took a questioning look at Mina and her response to her Queen was, "Yes, I'm sure."
Endymion felt compelled to speak up for himself and his men. He was absolutely clueless as to what she was about to say. What he did know is that she was having trouble trusting that she should tell her secret. He said, "Please. Believe that we are not the type of men who would betray you."
Serenity gave him a sweet smile and said, "It isn't you I don't trust. It is just a shock to me that I will be able to tell you about my background without breaking any rules."
"What are the rules?" Endymion asked, confused.
Mina chuckled and said, "That, I don't advise her to tell you. Be content with what you are finding out today. It requires a lot of trust. None of you may speak of what you are about to hear. If you do, I will kill you personally. I'm the one advising her to tell you after all. I will handle the consequences of betrayal."
Endymion insisted, "I will not betray her!"
"I know, or else I wouldn't advise her to tell you." was her reply to that statement.
Everyone's focus turned to Serenity and she said, "My mother was incredibly beautiful and kind. During the time she was the Crowned Princess, she met a man she believed to be a warrior. He was fierce, strong and handsome. He met my mother and fell deeply in love with her."
"They say that he had a quick temper and could deliver a killing blow without much effort at all. It was while he was falling in love with her that she tempered him. They say she could soothe his anger with just a smile. Don't get me wrong. He was fiercely protective of her. Over time, she fell in love with him too."
"They married and my mother became pregnant. My grandmother was thrilled that she had a son-in-law that would protect her and their child with all of his considerable power."
"What only my mother knew at the time was that her husband, and my father, was not a mere man, nor just a warrior. His true name is Heliollo." She paused, knowing there would be comments.
Kunzite asked, "For clarification, your father is named after the god Heliollo?"
"He is the god Heliollo."
Kunzite sat on the forest floor. "I feel I need to be sitting down for the rest of this. I also know it doesn't end well for your father." The other guys joined him on the ground.
Endymion then asked, "So, you are a demi-goddess?" He tried to work out in his brain what that would mean. It would mean he fell in love with the only child of one of the main gods.
She nodded and continued her story, "My grandfather, who has never met me, discovered that my father was married to the most beautiful woman ever seen. He grew incredibly jealous and planned to murder my mother while she was pregnant with me. My father discovered that and asked his sister to protect my mother from their father. She agreed to and was successful. My grandfather grew angry and tricked my father. In a false sign of peace, he invited him to Mount Talhourn and seized him. He locked him in bindings that can even hold a god and tossed him down into the cavern of death."
"There, he has waited for my mother all this time. And now, as sad and heartbroken as I am, they are together again."
She closed her eyes and began to glow with a silvery light. When it faded, she stood in front of everyone dressed for battle with a sword by her side and huge white wings.
"I was born in peace and a true daughter of my mother's. I was also born as the daughter of the god of fire and battle."
"But, your mother sent you away from the battle. Why?" Zoisite asked.
"Because she was afraid the truth would come out. She knew I would fight in my demi-goddess form if I needed to."
Raye spoke up, "Serenity, is it important that you stay hidden now? Your mother can no longer be discovered if you are the recognized daughter of Heliollo. She is safe in the cavern of death. Even your grandfather doesn't go there."
She scrunched her brow together in thought, "You're right. I can no longer give my mother away for who she is. It makes sense to keep the secret for now though. I don't want Diamond finding out."
Jadeite asked, "Wait, by 'grandfather' do you mean Zeubis? The king of the gods?"
Mina smirked, "Who else would she mean?"
"Oh. Yea…. okay." he paled. "I uh… I guess that most of us aren't that well connected."
Endymion's mind was racing. He was in love with this woman who was already Queen and was a demi-goddess. She was stunning.
Nephrite asked, "We established there is no longer the need for the rules in hiding her identity. The thing is, I'm really curious what the rules were. Endymion obviously met them before you realized they weren't needed. I know you said you wouldn't say, but what could be a bigger secret than that?" He pointed at Queen Serenity with her wings unfurled.
Mina raised an eyebrow at him and said, "Wouldn't you like to know?"
Serenity released her transformation, and Endymion was stunned when he realized she didn't lose any of her ethereal beauty. He had to admit that he always found her stunning though.