Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Hello Everyone! I think I'm becoming a tad bit better at updating in timely fashion! Thank you once again for reading and I hope you all enjoy this chapter!

My Knight In Shining Armor

Chapter 11 - Philanthropy

"Don't let them in, don't let them see, be the good girl you always have to be. Conceal, don't feel, put on a show. Make one wrong move and everyone will know." - Frozen, For The First Time In Forever

Serenity smiled into the kiss. She felt a surge of happiness wash over her. Everything was almost how she wanted it.

"We have to be careful," she whispered, after pulling away slightly.

"I know, we will be. Everything will be fine," Endymion replied, tightening his hold on her.

Serenity spotted Luna on her bed, staring at the pair. Reality set back in, and Serenity suddenly became nervous.

"You should go," Serenity said sadly, looking up at him.

"I don't have to go . . ." He said, not wanting to leave her.

Serenity giggled at his boyish behavior.

"That's a lovely sound, you should do it more," Endymion said teasingly, poking her gently in the ribs.

Serenity giggled again, wrapping her arms around herself. "I'll try; it should happen more with you," she said, gazing up at him. It didn't take long for her to become lost in his gaze. It was the sound of Luna clearing her voice that snapped the lovesick Princess out of her trance.

"Okay really, you have to go now," Serenity said, gently pushing him towards her door.

"I'll see you tomorrow, I promise," he said, kissing her once more. "I love you."

"I love you too," she whispered. He smiled before retreating down the dark corridor.

Serenity went inside her room and closed the door.

"Would you like to explain what just happened?!" Luna said.

"You basically saw it all. . . " Serenity said as she flopped on her bed in pure bliss.

"You realize what you're doing; what you're risking?" Luna asked her.

"Yes, but we can get through it. I know we can."

Luna looked at Serenity and realized that her charge was finally happy.

"I knew you liked him. . ." Luna remarked.

Serenity smiled at her cat. "Luna, tonight was amazing. E-Except what happened with father . . ." She remembered her fathers words.

"He was just upset and worried about you. Don't worry; everything will be fine. However, I strongly suggest that you refrain from sneaking out again."

"I will keep that in mind. I just want to prove to him that I can be Queen."

"Just be more prompt. Be more interested in what he wants you to be interested in. Go to meetings with him, observe more, be more philanthropic. You can change his opinion if you try hard enough."

"Hopefully I will," Serenity said. She went to bed that night happy and content, determined to make tomorrow better.

Serenity woke up at least an hour before she had to be at breakfast. Luna saw that she was awake and was shocked.

"Good morning, Serenity. . . Why are you up right now?" Luna asked.

"I have to make sure Father knows I'm ready to be Queen. And if I'm late to something such as breakfast, then that's not a very good start," Serenity said, as she went into her bathroom.

She got her bath ready and got in. She thought to herself as she started to wash all of the grime from yesterday off of her:

"I can do this. Just be the good girl you always have to be. Act like a real princess,"she thought.

She got out of her tub and started to dry off. She continued her morning process before throwing on a dress and flats. She was drying off her hair as she walked out of her bathroom to see Beryl.

"Good morning, your highness," Beryl said, shocked to see that she was up before breakfast.

"Good morning," Serenity replied as she sat down at her vanity.

"Today, you have to go into the village, and your father wants to make sure you know about Diamond's return tonight," Beryl said.

Serenity's heart fell at the reminder of Diamond presence coming back to the palace.

"Thank you for telling me," Serenity said, as she pulled her hair into the two meatballs.

"You're welcome, is there anything that you need?" Beryl asked.

"No, I'm fine."

Beryl curtsied before she walked out.

Serenity sank into her vanity chair.

"I can't believe he's back already, he's supposed to be gone longer," Serenity said in dismay.

"Well, he can't stay gone forever like you want him to," Luna said. "I know you probably already know this, but you have to marry Diamond. You have to be with Diamond, not Endymion."

"I know that, but I've decided to figure that out later," Serenity said, not wanting to talk about that now. She walked out of her room and went downstairs to an empty dining room. She was early for breakfast.

Servants walked past Serenity and were shocked that she was there. One of them brought food out to her. Her mouth watered at the sight of food and she immediately started to eat. She was about to take a bite of a piece of her pancake when her brother walked in.

"Well, you're down here early. Is there a reason for that?" He took the seat beside her and a servant placed a plate full of food in front of him.

"I have to show father that I can be Queen, and I have to make up for yesterday," she said.

"Oh yes, I heard about that. Are you alright?" he asked her.

"I suppose, just what he said made me think, a lot."

"About what?"

"Maybe...I'm not ready to be Queen." Serenity looked down at her plate in shame.

"Of course you aren't," he said, as if it was obvious.

Serenity looked at him, shocked by his words.

"Well, why should you be ready? You're only 17. You have many years before you become Queen, so of course you're not ready. You still have a lot of growing up to do. You're still a teenager, you have other things to worry about," Caliban said.

Serenity was glad that her brother was back. He was so easy to talk to.

"I'm glad that you understand that. Where's Alexia and Cressida?" Serenity wondered, after she noticed her brother's family hadn't appeared.

"Alexia prefers to have her breakfast in the room with Cressida."

"Because of father..." Serenity concluded. That upset her immensely. Her brother's wife was more comfortable alone than with her brother's family.

"Yes, because of father..."

"Doesn't that upset you? That his very presence and his temper make someone want to stay away from him? That's not how the king should be."

"It does upset me. But what can either of us do? He is the King, and our father. We always have to love him. But because he is King, he can have things however he wants, and he can control everything."

"It shouldn't be that way. It's not f-"

"Serenity, what are you doing awake so early?" the very man they were talking about walked in, with his wife behind him.

"Well, I was already awake, so I thought I should get an early start on the day. What are we doing today?" Serenity asked, trying to sound intrigued in her father's political life.

"Your mother and I were going to go to the village and see how things were. Would you want to come? I don't know if you had interest in accompanying us since you were there all day yesterday," Aegean said, sitting down at the head of the table.

"Yes, of course I want to go," Serenity said, ignoring his jab at her.

"Caliban, would you like to join us?" Queen Serenity asked her son.

"No thank you, I was going to show Alexia and Cressida around. But I hope you all have fun," Caliban said.

Serenity shared a look with Caliban, in which he was wishing her luck. She smiled in reply.

"Serenity, could I talk to you for a moment?" the Queen asked.

Serenity nodded and got up to follow her mother.

"Your father told me what happened last night," her mother said, as they walked toward the gardens.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean for you to be worried or anything, I ju-"

"Don't worry, it's alright. You're safe now and that's all that matters. Your father however . . . well you know how he feels."

"I do. I-I know you probably think I can't be Queen, but yesterday was just a minor indiscretion. I can do this. I just need more time and may-"

"I know you can do this. You don't think I didn't make mistakes when I was a young princess, do you? I know what it's like; it'll just take some time for your father to understand. Don't fret over what he's told you. He was worried about you, but he should lighten up soon. He loves you, and just wants the best for you."

"I know. I'm sorry for leaving," Serenity said.

"It's alright, my love." Queen Serenity pulled her daughter into her arms and held her tightly.

Serenity loved her mother. She seemed to understand what she was going through. She didn't reprimand her like her father constantly did; she wasn't as controlling.

"We should go now, we have a long day ahead of us," the Queen said.

Just as the words left her mouth, the King walked out of the palace.
"We should be going now," he said curtly.

"He can't stay mad at me forever," Serenity thought.

The family got inside the carriage and headed towards the village.

An awkward silence hung in the air, and Serenity hated every moment of it. Her father refused to even look in her direction. She decided she had to break the silence somehow.

"Father, why are we going today? Has anything happened in the village?" Serenity tried to make conversation and sound interested.

"Why don't you know Serenity? You've been here multiple times," her father stated, as a way to remind her of her sneaking out.

Serenity decided to ignore that. She had to get back on her father's good side. She stared out the window, praying that today went well.

The rest of the ride was in complete silence. They arrived, and the carriage came to a stop. The King got out, and Queen Serenity was about to follow.

"He'll come around," she said to her daughter, who looked disappointed. The Queen got out, and Serenity stayed back for a moment.

"I can do this, just be a princess and don't upset Father anymore," Serenity thought to herself.

She got out of the carriage and looked around. It was very different than when she came by herself. People made sure to stop and stare at her. She didn't know why she wasn't used to it by now. She kept her eyes forward and went towards her parents.

They started to walk around the area. Serenity kept quiet as her parents talked to the commoners. She watched how her father acted with them. He was a good king, no doubt. But when someone tried to mess with how things were done, that's when he changed into a completely different person. He was all about tradition; he clung onto the old ways. Hence why he believed marrying someone for their status instead of love is correct.

Serenity shook that thought out of her head before it took a turn for the worst.

Normally when she came with her parents, she just stayed back and let them do everything. This time, she wanted to be more involved. However, she had no idea how. She walked silently behind them until she figured out what she could do.

She looked to the right of her and saw many children playing around. They looked like they didn't have much, but were enjoying themselves. She saw two plump, middle-aged women watching over them. She decided to walk over to them. Guards started to follow her, but she gestured for them to stay behind, because she thought they might frighten the children.

She had no idea what she was about to do, but something told her to go over there.

The two women looked up and saw her, and were shocked.

"H-Hello your highness," the one with dark hair bowed to her, and the other one followed.

"Oh, no need for that. How are you both doing today?" Serenity asked, as she smiled brightly.

"Fine, your majesty." This time, the one with the lighter hair spoke up.

"What are your names?" Serenity asked, trying to break down the barrier. They were obviously very intimidated by her.

"I'm Lydia ,and this is Jane," the dark haired one introduced them both.

"It's very nice to meet you both, who are these children?" Serenity asked.

"They're orphans. We care for them, but it's gotten quite difficult," Jane said.

Serenity glanced at the children playing without a care in the world.

"Do they have a home?" Serenity said.

"Some of them fit in our home, but most of them can't, so they come and go as they please. At night time, they find somewhere else," Lydia said.

Serenity felt a twinge of guilt. Here she was, living in a huge palace with servants when these children barely had anything. She noticed one sitting alone, who looked to be around the age of ten. Serenity walked over to her and knelt down, smiling kindly.

"Hello," Serenity said softly.

"Hi, Princess," the little girl said, in a shy tone.

"What's your name?"

"Sarah."

"Why are you sitting all alone? You don't want to play with your friends?" Serenity asked.

"I don't have friends, they all make fun of me," Sarah told her.

"I'll be your friend; I'm sure the other kids are just jealous of you. But do you want to come with me for a while?" Serenity asked.

Sarah nodded silently.

"Great, we'll have a wonderful time!" Serenity said. She stood up and grabbed Sarah's hand. Sarah held onto her tightly.

The pair walked up to Jane and Lydia.

"She'll only be gone for a moment, is that alright?" Serenity asked.

"Of course, your highness," Jane said, grinning widely.

Serenity walked away and Sarah followed, both of them earning stares as they went.

"What do you want to do today?" Serenity asked Sarah.

Sarah shrugged her shoulders and continued to look around her.

Serenity looked around and found a vendor that was selling flower tiaras. With a smile, she led Sarah over to it, and the two girls began to get a closer look.

"Would you like one?" Serenity asked, kneeling down. Sarah nodded, a bright smile spreading across her face.

"What's your favorite color?" Serenity asked, smiling back.

"Purple," Sarah replied.

"Can I have the purple one please?" Serenity asked, pulling out money to give to the vendor. They exchanged the tiara and the money.

Serenity kneeled down and placed the tiara on Sarah's head.

"I crown you Princess for the day," Serenity said happily.

"Really?" Sarah said, her voice just below a squeal.

"Of course! You are a princess either way, even if the other kids don't talk to you. You have to make the best out of everything," Serenity said.

Sarah threw her arms around the princess in a tight hug. Serenity smiled and hugged her back.

The girls got sandwiches from another vendor and decided to have a picnic. They walked to an empty field and sat down on the ground. Sarah immediately started eating.

"She must be hungry. . . " Serenity concluded. "If they don't have a stable home for them how can they have enough food?"

Serenity dwelled on the fact that so many children were going hungry in her village, and no one was doing anything to help. As Princess, she felt that it was her duty to fix that. These children deserved more.

"Do you like your sandwich?" Serenity asked.

Sarah nodded, because her mouth was full.

"Here, take mine. I'm not hungry," Serenity slid her sandwich in Sarah's direction.

"You're really nice and pretty," Sarah said.

"Thank you! You're quite adorable yourself," Serenity smiled.

"You're the only one who wants to be my friend," Sarah said sadly.

"No I'm not! Just talk to the other kids, I'm sure you can make friends in no time. Just be yourself."

"Do you have friends?"

"Four best friends. You don't need a lot of friends; just enough to make you happy."

"Since you're the princess, have you fallen in love with your Prince Charming? Like in fairytales?"

Serenity laughed and felt her cheeks burn. "I suppose you could say I have," Serenity said, thinking of Endymion.

"Is he handsome? Is he nice?"

"Yes, he is both of those things, and much more."

"Have you kissed yet?"

"You ask a lot of questions, but yes we have."

"I wanna marry a prince one day."

"Titles don't matter, little one. Any man can be a prince in the eyes of a woman. Love is love, and when you find that special someone, that man will be the only prince in the world."

Sarah continued to eat her second sandwich. A little bit after she was done, Serenity spoke up:

"I should be getting you back now." The princess stood and held out her hand for Sarah to take.

They walked back blissfully toward where they first met. The other children saw Sarah and immediately ran to her. Sarah seemed shocked by all of the attention, but happy with it nonetheless.

"Bye, princess!" Sarah said as she ran off with her new friends.

Serenity smiled as she waved back.

"It takes a lot for Sarah to open up like that. You must be wonderful with children!" Lydia said.

"She's a sweetheart. I have to get going, but it was wonderful to meet you both. I hope to see you again!" Serenity said, curtsying slightly. The two women smiled and curtsied back, waving as Serenity walked away.

Serenity was proud of her accomplishment, and hoped her father would be as well. She would talk to him about getting the orphanage built for the children, and everything would be fine. She saw her parents walking towards the carriage and approached them.
"Where have you been?" Her father asked, looking upset.

"I saw a group of children playing - orphans - and walked over. I took one, and we walked around the village together. But Father, I have an idea. I was talking to the two women who were watching over them and the-"

"Are you only helping them to get on my good side again?" Aegean interrupted.

Serenity looked up at him in shock.

"What? No - well at first yes - but then I started talking to Sarah and-"

"Sarah?"

"The little girl I was with. Anyway, I was talking to the two women at first and they said there's no room for them to keep the children in their home. And then I was with Sarah, and the poor girl seemed starved. So I really want to build them an orphanage. Complete with people to help take care of them," Serenity finished.

"Serenity, that's a wonderful idea! Of course we'll do that for them!" Queen Serenity said.

"Yes, we'll get that started right away," the King said blankly. He walked to the carriage and let his daughter and wife get in before getting in himself.

The carriage ride back was still silent and awkward. Serenity didn't know what else to do. Her father refused to even try and talk to her. She wanted everything to go back to normal, but she knew it wouldn't.

She gazed out the window until she fell asleep.

She awoke 20 minutes later to rumbling of the carriage over the cobblestone in the palace courtyard. With a yawn, Serenity stretched before getting out of the carriage. She lazily walked over to the gardens, wanting to be away from everyone. Aimlessly, she approached the edge of the gardens. Out of nowhere, comforting arms wrapped around her waist, spinning her around. A smile spread across her face as she her eyes met Endymion's.

"What are you doing?" Serenity said, smiling.

"I had to see you," Endymion stated, as if it was the most simple thing in the world. He pressed his lips to hers, trapping her in a passionate embrace.

Serenity kissed him back, immediately forgetting about everything that happened with her father. Willingly, she allowed her mind to give in to Endymion.

He pulled away and looked down at her, a twinkle in his deep blue eyes.

"I can't stay for long, but I had to see you, even if for a few minutes," he said.

"I'm glad you did, so glad," Serenity replied.

He sat down beside a tree and Serenity followed, leaning her head against his shoulder. Endymion planted a kiss on the top of her head.

"How is everything with your father?" he asked.

Serenity sighed. "He still won't talk to me . . . no matter how hard I try, he refuses to even look at me," she said sadly.

"He'll come around. It's not like he can just ignore you forever."

"He can if he wants to. . . he's the king. He can do whatever he wants."

"He might be the king, but he's also your father. He won't ignore his daughter."
"Hopefully you're right." Serenity closed her eyes until a thought popped into her head: Diamond returns tonight.

"What's wrong?" Endymion asked, sensing something amiss in his princess.

"Diamond comes back tonight," Serenity said quietly. She could feel Endymion tense at the sound of Diamond's name.

"Lovely," Endymion said, his voice dripping with sarcasm. There was a few moments of silence before he said, "Has he ever tried to hurt you?"

"No, not yet anyway . . ." Serenity said, her thoughts going back to the nightmare she had the day before.

"What do you mean by th-"

"Nothing. He's never tried to hurt me," Serenity practically snapped.

"You'd tell me if he did?"

Yes, of course,"

Endymion studied her for a moment until he decided to drop the subject.

"What do y-"

"Serenity!" Beryl called.

Serenity looked around the tree to see Beryl looking around the grounds. She quickly stood up revealing herself beside the tree.

"Yes?" She asked, thanking the heavens there was a tree to block Endymion from being seen.

"You're needed in the throne room," Beryl said.

"Okay, I'll be there soon," Serenity replied, as she waited for Beryl to retreat into the castle.

Endymion stood up.

"I don't think I like her very much," he concluded.

"I know for a fact that I don't like her," Serenity said.

She reached up on her tippy toes to kiss Endymion again, and he gladly kissed her back.

"I'll see you soon," she said, as he kissed her hand.

"I love you," Endymion whispered, gazing into her eyes.

Serenity felt her face grow hot as she smiled. "I love you too," she whispered back.

"What took you so long?" Beryl asked, as Serenity entered the palace.

Serenity jumped in surprise, not expecting to see Beryl waiting for her.

"Will you please stop doing that?!" Serenity said, clutching her chest.

"My apologies," Beryl said.

"I decided to walk slower than normal, is that alright with you?" Serenity snapped.

Beryl nodded, shocked at the attitude the Princess was giving her.

"Why am I needed in the throne room?" Serenity said, rubbing her temples.

"I don't know, you're father just told me to come and get you," Beryl shrugged.

Serenity started to walk to the throne room with Beryl close behind her. She walked in and saw Diamond. Her heart sank.

"Serenity! I've missed you, it's wonderful to see you again," Diamond said, taking Serenity in his arms. "Nice to see you as well, Beryl," he added.

Beryl was blushing under his gaze.

"You as well, your grace," Beryl replied.

"You can leave now," Serenity said to Beryl.

Beryl bowed to the pair and walked out, closing the door behind her.

"How have you been, my love?" Diamond asked her.

"Great," Serenity said curtly, trying to get out of his grasp. It was proving to be a difficult task.

"Have you kept your promise?" he asked, leaning down so that his face was directly in front of hers.

"What promise?"

"That you would remain loyal to me, and only me."

"Yes I have. You are the only man in my life," Serenity lied.

"That's comforting to know," Diamond said. Something in his eyes told Serenity he wasn't fully convinced.

"You must be tired after your travels. We can talk more after dinner, you should rest for now," Serenity said.

"I just got back, and you're already trying to get rid of me," Diamond said, laughing.

"No, I just think that you should rest," Serenity defended.

"Well lucky for you, I am rather tired. I'll see you after dinner," Diamond said, walking out of the throne room.

Serenity started to walk to her room. She opened the door to see her friends lounging about.

"Serenity! Luna told us everything!" Mina squealed.

"How could you wait so long to tell us?" Lita said, crossing her arms over her chest.

Serenity glared at Luna as she sat down at the foot of her bed.

"I was going to tell you when I had the chance," Serenity said.

"Well, start from the beginning!" Mina said.

Serenity started at the day before, when Endymion saved her from the bandits, and ended to the present day, when he surprised her in the gardens.

"Wow, how romantic," Mina said, in a daze.

"You do know you have to be careful, right? You can't get caught with this. You're taking a big risk," Amy said.

"I know, but we're both being careful. We both want this more than anything," Serenity said, smiling as her thoughts drifted to Endymion's sweet words.

"You really love him?" Amy asked.

"I love him with all my heart."

I know this chapter doesn't have a high amount of Endy/Sere but decided to write it anyway. I hope you still enjoyed it though, I'm kinda nervous about the reactions but this chapter had to happen! You'll all be getting a high amount of Endy/Sere soon so don't worry! I'm curious though, where do you guys think I'm taking the story? You should tell me your thoughts! I can't thank you all enough for sticking with me this far! You're all wonderful people! And Happy Easter to you all!

Have an AMAZING day/night

xx Morgan xx