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Hello everyone! I hope you all had a wonderful holiday season and a happy new year! I hope you enjoy this next chapter as well!

My Knight In Shining Armor

Chapter 15 - Comfort

"I give a damn for anything that gave me more than hell and there ain't much on this whole world that I do very well. I'm sure I have a purpose but my mind is drawn a blank, it's a shame to think you'd give me one more single day. So breathe me in and let me stay; save my soul, don't make me wait."
- Breath Me In, Jared & The Mill

Serenity walked over to her window and sat down in the window seat, hugging her knees to her chest. She gazed out the window at the kingdom beyond, searching her mind for a plan. Her mind felt empty, as if the thoughts and ideas had been completely hidden from her. She felt . . . lost. Now that she was trapped in the palace and being forced to marry Diamond, Serenity had an overwhelming burst of hopeless emotions. Not getting to see Endymion only made matters worse.

The last part hurt the most. She wanted Endymion - only Endymion. And still, she couldn't have him. They were so happy not too long ago. They were finally together, only to be torn apart yet again. What would he think when he found out about her marriage that was just around the corner? She had to talk to him before he thought the worst. Despite her desperate need to speak with her true fiancé, Serenity prayed he didn't come to her. Diamond knew about their relationship, and there was no doubt in Serenity's mind that the lord would be even more ruthless if he saw them together. Being with Endymion and getting caught would only make Serenity's life more of a living hell.

Marrying Diamond was a death sentence in itself; she would rather die than to spend the rest of her life with him. Never in her life had she hated someone as much as she hated Diamond, Duke of Grimaldi. He was heartless, cold, and selfish - how could she ever spend her life with a man so revolting?

"Serenity?" Luna walked up to the princess slowly, snapping her out of her thoughts.

Serenity turned her head toward her cat, her eyes puffy and red from the tears.

"I know, it h-"

"You were right," Serenity said, cutting Luna off, barely bringing her voice above a whisper.

"What?" Luna said, dumbfounded.

"I was living in a fantasy world. There's no way I would ever be able to be with Endymion without him getting hurt. I'd rather stay apart from him than to have any harm come to him. And that's what will happen if my father catches us together." Serenity looked at her engagement ring as more tears fell.

Luna was shocked by the words coming out of her princess's mouth. It was not like Serenity to give up so easily.

"I should have listened to you. You warned me not to get in too deep but I didn't listen and look where it's gotten me. I should have listened to Larissa when she warned me that it was only going to end badly. It's not fair, Caliban was supposed to be King but instead he got to marry who he wants leaving me marrying the worst man in the solar system. But Caliban would be unhappy as well if he wasn't with Alexia. I just want Endymion." Serenity suddenly fell to her knees, burying her face in her hands as sobs went through her body.

"Serenity," Luna said as she walked over to the distraught princess, "I know I warned you about all of those things. I know that I'm right. But I also know that you never give up. It hurts me to see you like this. Endymion makes you happy, we will figure out a way for you two to be together."

A knock on her door interrupted them both.

"Leave," Serenity simply stated. She wanted to be left alone.

The door opened anyway, revealing Caliban.

'Does no one respect boundaries anymore?!' Serenity thought.

Caliban wasn't her favorite person at the moment either. It was his fault that she was in this mess. If he had just become King like he was supposed to, Serenity would have a better chance of marrying Endymion.

"What?" Serenity said, trying not to show that she was upset with him.

"I heard about your engagement," Caliban said carefully.

Serenity looked confused, until she realized he was talking about Diamond.

"Oh. Yes, it's quite unfortunate,"

"Are you alright? How are you handling it?"

"I have no choice but to handle it," Serenity said, turning her attention to the window once more.

Caliban was confused. He understood that Serenity was upset about this, but she was normally more open with him.

"Do you want to talk?"

"No."

"Well, it sounds like we need to. What's wrong?" Caliban went and sat across from Serenity on the window seat.

Serenity looked at her bother, trying to hold back all of her emotions. She had no right to be mad at him. He gave up the throne to be with the one that he loved. She would gladly do the same thing if she wasn't the only heir left.

"Nothing. I have nothing to talk about," she responded sadly.

"I know when there is something wrong. And . . . I know that you don't love Diamond."

"Well that was plenty obvious. I made that blatantly clear. But I have no choice but to marry him. Larissa is married to the Prince of Venus; you left to marry who you want, causing you to give up the throne, so now I have to carry the weight that was meant to be yours."

"That's what this is about," Caliban said, finally figuring out the source behind his sister's anger. "Serenity...I know it's not fair. If Father would let me, I would take the throne to get this burden away from you, but I'm afraid he is just too stubborn," Caliban said, feeling guilty for being the cause of his sister's sadness.

"So that just leaves me to be forced into a marriage to become queen, while you're happy with your beloved."

"No, I won't let you marry him. We'll figure something out; you won't have to go through with it." Caliban said.

"And what exactly do you think we can do? Father will make me do this, he's the king, he can do whatever he wants, just as you said."

"I'll figure something out. I'll make sure you get your happy ending, I promise."

"Thank you." Serenity smiled, but his words did little to encourage her. "I'm tired, can we talk tomorrow?"

"Of course, good night." Caliban stood to leave, but paused and pulled his sister into a comforting hug. After kissing the top of her head, the young man left the room.

Serenity realized that she really was exhausted. With a sigh, she got into bed and stared at her ceiling, suddenly not wanting to be alone.

"Are you alright for now?" Luna asked, curling into her.

"As alright as I'll ever be," Serenity said, giving a fake smile.

Luna slowly dozed off next to her.

Serenity was exhausted but couldn't fall asleep. She just couldn't stop thinking of possible ways she could escape the fate she knew was hers in three months' time. Despite her hours of endless dwelling, not a single plausible idea came to mind. She was stuck with the future her father chose for her. Tears ran down her face once more, and finally, the princess fell asleep.

Serenity woke up feeling groggy. She hadn't gotten much sleep, obviously, and her appearance showed it. Luna was still asleep beside her. Moaning, Serenity sat up to see light rays of sunlight pouring through her window. Her stomach growled, and that's when she realized that she didn't eat much the previous day. After adjusting her hair buns and splashing cold water on her face, Serenity opened the door to leave her room, surprised to find Beryl standing there with her fist raised. It seemed as if she was about to knock when Serenity opened the door.

"Yes?" Serenity asked.

"Your father wants you at breakfast, you're late." Beryl said curtly. Without another word, the lady-in-waiting left.

Serenity glared at her before walking to the dining room. Her parents and Diamond were almost done eating. She went to sit down and food was placed before her.

There was an awkward silence as Serenity ate. She didn't want to say anything. The silence persisted until the king spoke up.

"I don't think that you're in need of a knight anymore," Aegean said suddenly.

Serenity stopped eating and looked from Diamond to her father.

"What?" she asked, not sure if she heard him right.

"Well, you aren't leaving the castle without me or Diamond, and we do have many guards here to watch over you. You no longer need a knight. He wasn't there when you left Larissa's wedding, therefore having him here is obviously not making much of a difference."

"But that wasn-"

"Don't argue with me, Serenity. It's already been done, there is no use," the king looked at his daughter sternly before returning to his meal.

Serenity sank in her chair. There was no way she was going to see Endymion now. Everything was falling apart, one after another.

"We're going into the village today, be ready to leave shortly after breakfast," the king said before excusing himself to his office. The queen followed, leaving Diamond and Serenity at the table.

"It's a shame to hear the news about your knight, Serenity," Diamond said, trying to keep the smirk off of his face.

"What did you do?" Serenity hissed.

"I simply implied that maybe it wasn't working out with him, I've done nothing wrong," Diamond said.

"You said that you wouldn't d-"

"I said that I wouldn't tell your father what you've truly been up to. I've kept my side of the agreement," the duke responded.

Serenity looked at him in shock. She knew Diamond was ruthless, but this?

"If he wants to play dirty then so can I," she thought, hatred brewing in her mind.

She got up and left the dining room. She was walking toward her room when she saw Raye in the gardens. She started to walk that way.

"Serenity? Are you okay?" Raye asked when she saw Serenity walking toward her.

"No I'm not, I'm furious, I hate Diamond. I hate him so much!" She said, trying to take deep breaths to calm down. Tears were springing to her eyes ready to fall.

"What happened?" Raye asked, bringing Serenity to a bench so they could sit.

"He got Endymion fired! It's his entire fault, I don't know what to do, and he's ruining everything!" the princess cried.

Raye felt herself getting upset as well. She had had enough of Diamond. She wanted him out, immediately.

"We'll take care of it. Don't worry, Serenity. He won't get away with it," the senshi of passion said, a plan coming to her mind.

"How?"

"Just trust me. Now you have to get back in there and act like nothing is wrong, alright? Be strong, don't show him that your upset," Raye said, handing her a handkerchief.

Serenity wiped her eyes and pulled herself together.

She took a deep breath before standing.

"Okay, I can do this," She told herself to give her confidence. She returned to the dining room to see her father waiting for her.

"Your mother and Diamond are already in the carriage. You and I should talk," he said.

Serenity frowned at her father's words.

"At least act like you're in love with Diamond. You want to be a part of political affairs then you have to marry Diamond. And the people want to see you happy; therefore you both have to look like a loving couple."

Serenity had a look of disgust on her face. She couldn't even pretend to be in love with a sadistic monster like him. However, she didn't feel like arguing with her father and simply nodded.

"Good." Aegean was surprised that his daughter agreed so easily. "Now we should go."

The village was crowded, as usual. Serenity frowned. She didn't want to be in this situation at all. She didn't want to pretend to be in love with Diamond but she knew that she had to. The last thing she wanted was to upset her father even more.

Her mother and father got out of the carriage, leaving Diamond and Serenity.

"Don't mess this up," Diamond said, practically glaring at her.

"What?" Serenity said, meeting his glare with her own.

"We have to be in love with each other but that's not happening, so at least act like you're in love with me. Don't even think about messing this up, or so help me I will -"

"Or you'll what?" Serenity challenged. Was he really audacious enough to threaten her?!

Diamond looked out of the window with an evil look on his face.

"You had better hope that you don't find out," he said, opening the door and getting out. Plastering a loving smile on his face, Diamond extended his hand for Serenity to take.

Serenity simply sat there in shock. Taking a deep breath, she tried to compose herself before putting her hand in Diamond's and stepping out of the carriage.

His icy touch made her cringe. She had never felt hatred so intense. Looping her arm through his, Serenity forced a smile to form on her lips.

She didn't feel like being social - all of her energy was being put into being in love with Diamond.

She followed him around while he charmed all of the people of the kingdom. The princess laughed inwardly; they had no idea what this man was really like.

After finally having had enough of this, she decided to think of a reason to get away from him.

"I'm going to find something to drink," Serenity said, wanting to get away from this pompous man.

"I'll go with you," Diamond piped in.

"No," she said quickly, earning strange looks from her father and Diamond. "I have to use the ladies' room."

She started to walk away and noticed two guards behind her. She sighed in annoyance. She could never get alone time anymore.

As she was walking, Serenity was looking around her for a drink when she spotted him.

Her breathing stopped when they made eye contact. It felt as if she hadn't seen Endymion for years. He gestured for her to go to the alley that wasn't too far from where she was. She nodded and immediately thought of a plan.

She turned to both of the guards behind her.

"I have to use the ladies room. It's in there," she said, pointing towards a nearby shop. "I'll be back in a few moments."

She walked into the shop with her face covered, not wanting to be seen as the guards stayed outside. She rushed through, praying that there was a back door because that was her only escape. Luckily there was, and Serenity rushed out.

She walked down the alley, searching for Endymion. She was lightly pulled into someone's arms, and it didn't take long for her to figure out who they belonged to.

"Endy . . ." she breathed, wrapping her arms around him tightly. She wished with all her heart that she could stop time at that moment

He looked down at her and cupped her face. "I love you so much," Endymion said, meeting her lips with his as he pulled her into a passionate kiss.

Serenity melted into the kiss. This was what she wanted, what she was longing for. She pulled away and looked at him.

"I don't have much time," she said in a whisper. "But I needed to see you; I need to tell you something..."

"What's wrong? Are you okay?" Endymion asked, concern in his eyes.

"I-I'm fine, it's just - Father wants me to marry Diamond. In three months." She braced herself for his reaction.

Endymion knew this was going to happen eventually, just not so soon. He couldn't give her up though. He took a deep breath before speaking.

"You aren't going to marry him, you are mine," he said, caressing her cheek. "We'll figure something out, I promise."

Serenity's eyes filled with tears. She felt like she had been hearing those words over and over again, but had anything been done? No. Strangely, though, she found comfort in Endymion's promise.

"I can't leave or go anywhere without protection. My father won't let me go; he has me watched like a hawk."

"We'll figure it out," Endymion repeated, kissing her forehead.

"I missed you so much, Endymion."

"I missed you as well; it feels like it's been years." Endymion pulled Serenity closer, bringing her back into his warm embrace.

"I don't want to marry Diamond..."

"You won't, don't worry Sere. I'll fight for you, I won't give you up."

"Don't," Serenity pleaded, pulling back and looking into Endymion's eyes.

"What?"

"Don't fight for me. Because if you do my father will know, and that's bad. I couldn't bear it if something happened to you because of me."

"I'll be fine, don't worry about me."

"I'm not worth your life, Endymion."

Endymion studied her. He knew Serenity didn't have the best self-confidence and he hated that. He hated how she couldn't see herself as the amazing woman that he did.

"You are my life. You're worth everything, Serenity. I love you more than life itself. I'll do anything I can to have you. You don't realize how happy you make me; you bring sunshine into my life. Just seeing you makes my day a thousand times better."

Serenity couldn't say she was shocked by his words, she just didn't understand them. She never saw herself as someone worth fighting for. She had a smile at her lips.

"And you make me happy, which is why you have to be careful. Please," she begged.

"I will be. Like I said, don't worry about me. You should go, they'll look for you soon," He said, not wanting her to leave.

Serenity nodded and stood on her tip toes to kiss him once more. She pulled away and went inside the shop, looking back at her beloved one last time.

She walked through and saw her mother looking at some things by the counter.

"Mother?" Serenity said, surprised.

"Serenity, the guards told me you were in here. Come, I have something I want to show you," the queen said, walking out.

Queen Serenity's Point Of View
A Few Minutes Before

The Queen decided to show her daughter that Aegean really did have a heart. Determined, she went after her daughter, telling the guards to leave them be so that they may talk in private.

She noticed Serenity's guards standing outside of the shop.

"Where did Serenity go?" Queen Serenity asked.

"She went to the ladies room, your highness," one said.

The queen instantly knew that that was not where her daughter was.

She went inside and went to where the ladies room was. Knowing that there would be no response, the queen knocked on the door and shook her head when there was no response.

Spotting the back door, Queen Serenity exited through it and listened for any voices.

"I missed you so much..."

The queen saw her daughter speaking to a man, but she couldn't see his face. She noticed how they acted with one another.

"This is who she's keeping from me..." Queen Serenity thought.

She watched how her daughter blushed and smiled at his words. They were holding each other close and looked deeply in love.

A smile played on the queen's lips. Her daughter was in love.

In that moment, Queen Serenity made a silent vow to herself to ensure her daughters happiness. She would fight for her daughters chance to love.

She got up and quietly went back into the store, looking as though she had been there for a while. Moments later she heard her daughter's voice.

"Mother?" Serenity said.

"Serenity, the guards told me you were in here. Come, I think we should talk."

Serenity's Point Of View

Nervously, Serenity followed her mother out of the shop. Her mother called off the guards so that it was just the two of them. They were walking away from the village towards the more nature-oriented part of the kingdom.

"Serenity, I know you think your father is ruthless and doesn't understand love, but he does. I want you to understand that," the queen said.

"He hasn't really shown me otherwise..." Serenity responded.

"Your father and I were in an arranged marriage. You could say it was kind of how you feel about Diamond; I was not fond of him at all. But things changed, I got to know him and I fell in love. I don't expect you to do the same, but just know that there is a reason behind your father's madness."

"Does he expect me to fall in love?"

"He wants you to be happy but he also wants to ensure the survival of the kingdom. He knows how you feel towards Diamond, but he wants you to fight through that. He knows how strong you are."

"I'm not strong enough to give up love, Mother. I can't marry Diamond..."

"I know, darling. Everything will fall into place."

Serenity thought of something. She suddenly felt closer to her mother than ever.

"Can I show you something?" the princess asked.

"Of course," the curious queen said.

"It's this way," Serenity said, leading her mother to her favorite place on the moon.

After a few moments of walking, they were finally there.

"This is Eternia," Serenity said to her mother, waiting for her reaction.

"This is where you disappear to all of the time?" Queen Serenity asked.

Serenity nodded, hoping that her mother didn't get upset.

"I can see why, it's beautiful," the queen said, sitting in the grass and taking in the view.

Serenity breathed a sigh of relief and went to sit by her mother.

"Nothing bad can happen here," Serenity said with a smile.

Queen Serenity studied her daughter. She wanted her to trust her.

"You know you can tell me anything, right?" the older woman said.

"I know," Serenity looked into the distance, deep in thought.

Could she trust her mother with her secret? Deep down she knew that she could, but it was still a big risk.

She looked down and started to pull grass from the ground, feeling the nerves arise in her. It would be nice to get it off of her chest and tell her mother. She trusted her, and maybe she could be of help.

Queen Serenity noticed her daughter was going through in internal battle. She didn't want Serenity to think that she had to tell her, she just wanted her to know that if she did tell her, she would be nothing but supportive.

"I want to tell you something but I don't want you to get upset..." Serenity said timidly, shocked that she was about to do this.

"It depends, what do you want to tell me?"

Serenity took a deep breath, knowing there was no turning back from this decision.

"The reason, or part of the reason, that I'm so against marrying Diamond, is because there is someone else," Serenity looked down, not wanting to look at her mother as she made this confession.

"Who is it?"

"Endymion . . ." Serenity braced herself for her mother's reaction.

The Queen knew who Endymion was, the man who protected - or used to - protect her daughter. And she couldn't say she was shocked. She didn't know him well, but from watching them earlier, she knew they loved each other.

"I know, darling. I've known for a while that there was someone else. You've been happier, that only comes from being in love," Queen Serenity said, a knowing smile on her face.

Serenity looked at her mother in shock.

"You aren't upset?" she asked, surprised.

"How could I be upset with you for falling in love? You can't control who you fall in love with."

Serenity felt like a barrier had been broken between her and her mother. She now knew she wouldn't regret her decision.

"He asked me to marry him, and I said yes. But then I realized how unlikely it would be for a marriage between us to actually happen," Serenity said sadly.

Queen Serenity looked at her daughter, trying to come up with a way to comfort her.

"Sadly, that is true. I'm on your side, Serenity. I only want you to be happy."

"Father wouldn't approve. I can't tell him or convince him, he's too set on me marrying Diamond. And I don't want him to find out, who knows what he'll do..." Images of her father's reaction plagued Serenity's mind.

"Your secret is safe with me, I will do everything I can to convince him otherwise."

Serenity smiled at her mother as she wrapped her arms around her.

"Thank you," Serenity said with a smile on her face.

"You're welcome, my love. I will always be on your side," she said, holding her daughter.

After a few moments, Queen Serenity stood up.

"We should be going; your father will be looking for us."

Serenity got up and followed her mother back to the village. She was happy they got to talk, and relieved that her mother was on her side.

They quickly walked back to the village to reunite with the king.

"Where did you two run off to?" the king boomed.

"We went to go talk to other villagers, sorry it took so long," Queen Serenity said, smiling at her husband.

The king raised an eyebrow, but let it pass.

"We should be going now. Serenity, have you seen Diamond?" Aegean asked, looking over the heads of passing villagers to search for the white-haired duke.

Serenity started to shake her head, pausing when her eyes landed on Diamond's white form in a nearby bookstore.

"Yes, I'll go get him," Serenity said, sighing as she marched over to her "fiancé."

She groaned in annoyance when she saw him talking, or rather flirting, to a redhead that surprisingly wasn't Beryl.

'He can't keep his hands to himself for a couple of hours?!' the young princess thought to herself. Rolling her eyes, she cleared her throat to bring Diamond's attention to her.

Diamond turned away from the woman and looked at Serenity, a twinge of annoyance showing in his expression.

"Honestly, you can't even pretend to be loyal for a couple of hours?" Serenity said, crossing her arms in front of her chest.

He turned back to his new toy, said his goodbyes and walked over to Serenity.

"You must have a thing for redheads," Serenity remarked, turning and walking back to her parents.

"Blondes are nice as well," Diamond replied, smirking while taking a lock of Serenity's hair and twirling it between his fingers.

Serenity paused before slapping his hand away and shooting him a look of disgust.

The princess took a deep breath, forcing herself not to say anything rude. "We have to go now," she managed to say.

Diamond caught up to her and held his arm out for her to take. Cringing inwardly, Serenity put her arm through his and together they walked in silence.

When they arrived back home, Serenity didn't feel like staying to listen to her father and Diamond and quickly hopped out of the carriage. She walked with great pace inside of the palace until she was out of sight. On the way to her room, Serenity noticed Beryl on one of the many balconies in the palace.

After getting a closer look, the blonde teenager realized that there was something different about her lady-in-waiting. She had a quick debate over whether or not she should say something to the red haired woman, but eventually she decided that it may be beneficial to see what was going on. Hesitantly, Serenity walked over to the balcony and opened the glass doors. Beryl turned around, revealing her flushed face and red, puffy eyes.

The situation immediately got very awkward.

"Are you okay?" Serenity asked, trying not to make eye contact.

"It's nothing, your highness, now if you'll excuse me," Beryl said before hurriedly walking away.

"Wait," Serenity said, catching up and grabbing Beryl's arm. Even though she wasn't her favorite person, the young princess couldn't help but feel little bad for her. After all, she had been raised to be compassionate and caring towards all of her subjects. "You can talk to me, Beryl. What's wrong?"

Beryl broke down once more. Serenity was shocked at the spectacle in front of her. She'd never seen Beryl show any kind of emotion. After a brief moment of shock and staring, Serenity pulled Beryl into a hug and let her cry. They stood there like that for quite some time until Beryl finally pulled away and spoke:

"I'm with child."

Serenity froze.

What?

It took a while for words to form in her mind.

"Who...is the father?" she managed to say.

Beryl hesitated, looking at the ceiling and biting her lip as more tears fell from her eyes. Finally, she spoke the last word Serenity wanted to hear. "Diamond," Beryl whispered.

Again, the two women stood in silence. Serenity's mind was whirling with a billion thoughts and worries. "Does he know?" she eventually asked.

"No, and he can never know. A man of his position would never accept a child from someone like me. I-I don't know what to do," Beryl cried. Her hands were trembling and her body was wracking with sobs. Serenity had never felt more sympathetic for another person.

'Come with me," Serenity said softly, taking Beryl's hand and leading her to her room.

After Serenity shut the door behind them, Beryl took a seat on the bench at the end of her bed and broke down once more.

Serenity went and sat beside her, handing her a handkerchief. "You're going to have to tell him sometime," she said, rubbing Beryl's arm soothingly.

Beryl shook her head. "I can't."

"Well, you're going to start to show after a while. Rumors will be spread; questions will arise as to who the father is. Diamond will figure out that it's him. It would be better for you to tell him yourself than for him to find out on his own, don't you think?"

Beryl put her head in her hands. "I have to leave, that's my only option."

Serenity's eyes widened in alarm. Quickly, she said, "I don't think that's the best option. You never know - Diamond might not be upset about this. You should let him know before you do anything rash."

"I only have about four months until I start to show, I could act as if nothing is wrong," Beryl responded, clearly thinking of a plan.

"He has a right to know, Beryl."

"Why are you being so nice to me? I haven't been so gracious towards you," Beryl asked, her voice wavering.

'Why am I being nice to her?'Serenity thought.

"I know what it's like to feel like you have no options. I'll help you, Beryl," Serenity replied, after a moment of thinking.

"I'm so afraid," Beryl whimpered. Again, she began to cry into her princess's shoulder.

"Everything will be alright, don't fret too much."

After a few moments of hearing nothing but Beryl's cries, Serenity spoke up again:

"You should get yourself together, you can use my bathroom."

Beryl nodded and disappeared into the bathroom.

Serenity stood in the middle of her room, staring off into the sunset in shock about what was happening.

Suddenly, her door opened and in burst Amy, Raye, Mina, and Lita with enthusiastic faces.

"Serenity! We have the best idea!" Lita exclaimed.

"It won't exactly get rid of Diamond, but it'll totally annoy him! We're going t-"

"Shhhh!" Serenity said. The four girls suddenly had a serious look.

"What's wrong?" Amy asked.

"Beryl, she's in my bathroom," Serenity whispered. "I'll explain after she leaves,"

"She's here?! Why?" Mina hissed.

"I'll ex-"

Suddenly the bathroom door opened and all eyes were on Beryl.

"Thank you, for your help. I must be going now," Beryl said, returning to her normal self as she walked out of the room.

Raye went to go close the door.

"Explain now!" Raye said.

Serenity took a deep breath.

"Beryl is with child. Diamond's child," she said, waiting for her senshi's reactions.

As expected, all four girls had looks of pure shock on their faces.

"That's perfect! We can use that to our advantage! We co-"

"Wait," Serenity said, interrupting Ami, "I don't want Beryl to be hurt."

Although she didn't want anything bad to happen, Serenity understood Ami's enthusiasm. Ever since Diamond's advance on her, she had been determined to take him down.

"Why not?" Lita asked her.

"Because she doesn't deserve that. She might not be the nicest person ever, but she doesn't deserve it. No one does," Serenity answered, the tone in her voice definitely getting her point across.

"Okay, fine," Amy said, sounding defeated.

"Our idea is that we could spread rumors about him, not Beryl, in the village. Slowly tarnish his reputation so that you don't have to marry him," Mina explained.

"That's perfect! It could work, yes that's great!" Serenity said, her mood lifting.

"Also, your father wants you for dinner, he told us to tell you that on our way here," Raye said.

Serenity groaned in annoyance before she went to the dining room, waving good-bye to her friends.

The moon princess sat at her chair and instantly caught on to the conversation. Her mother was having a masquerade ball tomorrow and this was the first Serenity had heard of it.

"It'll be a good time for you and I to introduce our couple status to the moon, wouldn't it?" Diamond said.

"It's a masquerade. Hopefully no one sees me with you," Serenity snapped back and continued to eat her food.

Diamond looked at her, but dropped the subject.

Immediately after dinner, Serenity walked back to her room, her mind reeling from the day's events. She was getting ready for bed when all of a sudden her balcony door opened. She turned in shock to see Endymion standing there.

"What are you doing here? How'd you get up here?" Serenity said, shocked as she rushed towards him.

"Climbing a wall is easier than it looks," he said simply, happily taking his beloved into his embrace.

Serenity laughed at his words and pressed her lips against his, happy to be with him once more.

She pulled away and went over to her door to lock it; she didn't want anyone to walk in when Endymion was there.

"You shouldn't be here, you could get ca-"

"I had to see you somehow," he told her.

Serenity blushed deeply as she took a seat in her window seat and he sat across from her. They were happy being in each other's presence. That's when she remembered all of the things she wanted to tell him.

"Beryl is with Diamond's child," she blurted, her eyes meeting his.

His eyebrows raised in surprise.

"And she told you?"

"Yes. She was terrified and needed someone to talk to."

"What are you going to do?"

"Keep her secret, of course. She needs a friend right now and I'm the only person she's told."

Endymion looked at her with pure love and adoration. He was always amazed by Serenity's ability to forgive others, despite how they wronged her in the past.

"And mother wants to have a masquerade ball tomorrow," she growled, dread in her voice.

"Why do you hate balls so much?" Endymion asked, tilting his head slightly.

"They're so boring. All it is is noble people trying to show off to each other and win my parents' favor."

Endymion laughed at the truthfulness of her words before kissing her hand.

"I love you," he suddenly said.

"I love you too," Serenity responded, smiling.

They continued talking about anything and everything well into the early morning hours. The night was filled with tender touches, warm smiles, and loving words as the two shared stories and just enjoyed each other's company.

Despite her enjoyment and excitement at getting to be with her beloved, it was only a matter of times until Serenity drifted off to sleep in his warm embrace. The dawn was almost breaking when Endymion gently stirred beneath Serenity's weight, causing her to open her eyes.

"I should go before the sun comes up," he said softly, causing her to moan.

With a sigh, she pulled herself up and turned, looking into Endymion's eyes before kissing him softly. She was still tired and groggy, but knowing he was about to leave her was enough to keep her awake.

Endymion pulled away from the kiss, placing his lips on Serenity's forehead before standing and heading out the window again. Before jumping, he turned back and smiled. "Don't be upset, my princess. I will see you soon - I promise."

Serenity smiled at his promise. If there was one thing she knew about Endymion, it was that he never let her down.

Serenity was awakened to the sound of fists beating against her door. She realized she had locked it earlier in the night when Endymion was there and quickly jumped out of bed. She put on a robe and went to the door to see her father.

"Yes?" she said breathlessly.

"Why was your door locked?" the king asked her.

"I was painting something that I didn't want anyone to see for Larissa, as an apology for leaving the wedding," she said.

'Wow, I'm good at this,' she thought.

The king dropped the subject and looked at her appearance.

"Have you been sleeping?"

"Yes, I just didn't sleep much last night. I was working on the painting."

"Get dressed; I want to show you something before the ball." Aegean left before Serenity could respond, and out of curiosity the young princess quickly got dressed and fixed her hair.

'What could he want to show me?' she thought to herself as she left her room.

"That was fast," Aegean said, seeing Serenity approaching. "Let's go. I think you're going to like this."

Serenity followed her father through the palace corridors until they ended up outside. A carriage had been pulled up, and Aegean beckoned for his daughter to get in. Confused, Serenity did as she was told, followed by her father.

They were getting closer to the village, and finally Serenity spoke up.

"Where are we going?" she asked, her curiosity getting the best of her.

"Remember how you wanted an orphanage for the little girl that you met?"

"Yes, why?"

"Well . . ." Aegean pulled back the curtain concealing the carriage window, and Serenity peered out. A gasp escaped her lips at seeing a large, beautiful building before her.

A smile played on Serenity's lips as the carriage stopped. "An orphanage," she whispered, mostly to herself. "Father, I can't believe you did this," she said, throwing her arms around the man.

"You did all of this, Serenity. I'm proud of you for being involved," Aegean said, happy that his daughter was finally hugging him for something instead of yelling.

Serenity looked shocked; for the first time in a long time, her father said he was proud of her. She felt her heart warm at his words, and the smile on her face only grew.

"I just wanted to show you what your efforts have amounted to. Unfortunately, we can't stay because we have to get ready for the ball, but I wanted you to see that it was built," the king said.

"Thank you, father," Serenity said.

"You're welcome, Serenity."

Upon returning to the palace, Serenity went up to her room to start getting ready for the ball.

She opened the door to see Beryl sitting on the bench with her head in her hands.

"Beryl? What's w-"

Beryl looked up, revealing a nasty bruise on the side of her face.

With a gasp, Serenity immediately went into the bathroom and got a towel with cold water on it. She sat next to Beryl and gently dabbed at the bruise.

"Please tell me Diamond didn't do this . . ." Serenity said quietly.

"He didn't mean to, he was upset. But he calmed down and told me that we'll figure it out, but he was so mad... he scared me," Beryl whimpered.

"Beryl, I know you think he loves you but h-"

There was a knock on the door that interrupted her.

"Go to the bathroom," Serenity said, not wanting Beryl to get caught.

Once Beryl was out of sight, Serenity yelled, "Come in!"

Diamond walked in, looking obviously upset and discombobulated. Serenity looked at him with disgust.

"What is it? I would prefer it if you leave - I am trying to get ready," Serenity said curtly, not wanting to start any sort of conversation. Diamond merely stood there for a moment, his face a mixture of emotions. It was a complete shock to Serenity when he finally spoke:

"Serenity, will you marry me?"

I hoped you enjoyed this chapter! Tell me your thoughts, I love to hear from you all!

Have and AMAZING day/night

xx Morgan xx