Disclaimer: I own nothing
Hello everyone, I hope this was worth the long wait.
My Knight In Shining Armor
Explosions
Chapter 17 - Part II
"As the floods move in and your body starts to sink, I was the last thing on your mind; I know you better than you think. 'Cause it's simple darling, I gave you warning now everything you own is falling from the sky in pieces, so watch them fall with you in slow motion. I pray that you'll find peace of mind and I'll find you another time; I'll love you, another time." Explosions, Ellie Goulding
Serenity walked into the castle, her face full of fear as she tried to calm herself and think of what to do to save the love of her life.
She ignored people's stares as she heard whispers around her, many trying to figure out what the ruckus happening in the castle was at that time. Others knowing what happened and only slandering her. Condemning her.
She retreated to her room, closing the door and leaning against it, sliding down as she brought her knees to her chest.
"Serenity..." Luna approached her, searching for words of comfort.
"Just...just say it already, get it over with..." Serenity spoke between tears as her forehead rested on her knees.
"Say what?" Luna asked.
"'I told you so', 'Nothing good would come out of this', 'You should've been prepared for this to happen...'"
Luna said nothing, moving closer and getting in her lap for comfort.
Serenity allowed herself to cry as she held onto her cat, trying to calm herself, and she lay down on the floor in front of her door, her tears blurring her vision.
"Breathe... It's okay, all will work out the way it should," Luna spoke, trying to calm Serenity, not knowing the correct words to say.
"I can't…I can't do this…"
"You can't do what, Serenity?" Luna looked up at her, her concern growing.
"Not be with him. I can't be royal. I cannot do any of it! I don't want to!" She curled up on the ground, a part of her giving up on ever finding happiness.
"Oh Serenity…you are in a great deal of pain right now but I promise you, all will be well." Luna said, wanting to help her.
"No…it won't." Serenity replied, slowly falling asleep soon after on the floor.
Serenity awoke, the sky through her window still dark. She turned and saw her cat beside her, fast asleep.
She rubbed her face before standing shakily, breathing deeply as she opened the door to her room, exiting only to see two guards by her door in confusion.
"Your grace, is everything alright?" One of them spoke, both bowing as she walked out.
"W-What are you doing?" She asked as she looked between them.
The guards glanced at each other before looking back at her. Eyeing her exhausted and emotional state, they spoke carefully.
"The King wants you to have protection at this time." The other spoke.
"No, he wants to make sure I stay where he wants me..." Serenity thought.
"Do not follow me." Serenity stated, hoping they would listen.
"The king would not allow that, your grace."
"Of course not…" She muttered as she wrapped her arms around herself, walking down the hall with one of the guards following her.
Despite the unwanted companion, the Princess headed for her destination. Serenity knew where she was going and knew that she of all people would not be allowed.
She walked to the underground dungeons, on the other side of the palace.
"Please be alive…" She thought.
Serenity approached the guards watching the entrance. They bowed as she neared.
"Your grace, you should not be here, especially at this hour," One of the guards said.
"Let me in." She spoke, not interested in arguing. She was determined to be successful in getting what she wanted.
"Your father would not approve."
"See, I am far passed doing what my father would or would not approve of, now let me in."
"I cannot do that, your grace. My apologies." He bowed to her once more.
Serenity looked at the doors, her mind conjuring the worst thoughts as to what could be happening in there.
She nodded once before walking away, intending to return to her room once again.
"What are they doing to him?" Serenity asked the guard who followed her.
"I cannot discuss that, your grace."
Serenity sighed, her eyes watering as they walked for a few more minutes before finally reaching her room.
"Where did you go?" Luna asked as Serenity went to her bed.
"They…They're going to kill him…aren't they?" Serenity asked as her eyes glazed over.
"Serenity...I...He-He technically broke the law. Your father has the right to execute him."
Serenity gasped lightly, trying to catch her breath as she heard Luna say the words she so desperately wanted to avoid.
"Execute...Execute him? But he…he didn't do anything wrong…He didn't hurt me, he only loved me and he has to die for that?" Tears fell from her eyes as she spoke.
"Your father might decide on something else, Serenity. He could choose to grant him mercy."
"We both know he won't. My father would do anything to protect the monarchy and he sees
Endymion as a threat to that. I mean, if I marry Endymion, that is one of his heirs marrying someone not of noble blood. That affects my legitimacy of inheriting the throne." She wiped her eyes before moving her fingers through her hair.
Luna gazed at Serenity with remorse.
"He warned me. He told me. At the beginning. He clearly said we shouldn't. But...I convinced both of us that all would be well. And look where we are..." She lay down on her bed.
"Serenity, Endymion knew what would happen. He knew of his fate. As a knight, he knew the laws and the consequences they hold if broken. He knew your father would eventually find out. But he chose his fate because he wanted to be with you. I don't think he would change that if given the chance to go back in time." Luna explained.
"But why? D-Does he not know what his death would do to me?! How it would…it would break me? I could never love again. It would destroy me!" Serenity said, anger growing toward Endymion. "Why would he knowingly sentence himself to death…?"
"Because he loves you...Would you not do the same for him?"
Serenity looked at Luna, knowing that she would do anything to be with Endymion.
"I would…"
Serenity woke up the next morning with her head pounding. She opened her eyes, groggily, and pulled her blanket over her head. Memories of the previous night came rushing back into her mind.
She refused to get out of bed, not wanting her worst nightmare to be confirmed.
She ruminated on the possibilities of who told her secret affair if it was not Diamond. Very few people knew of it, and the people she told, she was sure she could trust.
Her mother, the Queen, would never deceive Serenity in such a way like that. The Queen was fair and gentle and would never want to see Serenity hurt.
Her friends knew of the secret, yet they were just as loyal as the Queen. They were there for Serenity and only wanted her success and happiness.
Beryl knew, but why would she be the one to reveal the secret? With her pregnancy and relationship with Diamond, it would be highly hypocritical of her to tell the King. It would also be unwise as Serenity could easily ruin Beryl by telling the truth of her pregnancy.
Caliban would never tell their father. Caliban and the King did not have the best relationship and he would never hurt his little sister like that. Caliban knew firsthand what it was like to feel the wrath of the King, and would not want his sister to endure the same pain.
Then there was Larissa. Her sister. But would she? She seemed to be the only one, other than Diamond, who truly opposed her relationship with Endymion. From the moment Serenity first mentioned Endymion to her, Larissa warned her to stay away from him. Larissa continued to tell her that any type of relationship with her knight would put the kingdom at jeopardy, and would hurt Serenity. But why would Larissa do such a thing as to telling their father? They were sisters, after all.
Suddenly, her door opened – pulling Serenity from her thoughts - to reveal Diamond with a sadistic smile on his face.
"Good morning, Princess. Lovely day isn't it?" he said, chipper as he took a seat on the bench at the end of her bed.
Serenity sat up, glaring at him, silent; she had nothing to say.
"What's the matter? Afraid to face the consequences of your actions?"
"Get out."
"No need to be so rude, love. I did nothing other than what the king asked of me," Diamond defended.
"What?" Serenity asked, confused.
"He obviously wanted to catch the two of you, but he had no idea where you both could be. Then I remembered that place you took me to when we first met," he responded as he began leisurely pacing around her room.
Regret immediately washed over her as she put the pieces together.
"Be careful who you tell your secrets to." Diamond laughed.
"The only reason I did that was to maybe have you see things from my point of view. I wanted to fall for you, but there is no way that is going to happen now." Serenity retorted.
Diamond took a seat at the edge of her bed. "Well see, it doesn't really matter if you like me or not. Your affair is over, and your father is going to force you to marry me. I won, Serenity. Just like I always do." He began to lean closer, his piercing eyes boring into Serenity's own.
Serenity did not reply, because she knew it was true, and she clenched her jaw in annoyance.
"Leave." She hissed, bringing her knees to her chest.
"Very well then. Your father wants to speak to you in his office." With his final words, Diamond left the room.
Serenity took a deep breath, not wanting to leave her bed but knowing she had to. She walked into the bathroom and splashed water onto her face. In a haze, the young princess readied herself, her thoughts only on Endymion.
She stared at herself in the mirror, feeling disappointed with and upset at herself. All of her efforts to protect Endymion were pointless. She opened the drawer by her sink to reveal the engagement ring on a chain. She cracked a small smile at the good memories that it held as tears fell from her eyes.
"Why did this happen…" She muttered to herself as she sank to the floor.
Her future was laid out in front of her from this point. She would marry Diamond and become queen. There was no changing it. However, what would Endymion's future be? Would he even have one? The thought made Serenity shudder.
"Father can't be that upset," she thought.
She pulled the necklace around her neck and left it visible to anyone who would look. There was no use in hiding it now. Her relationship was known throughout the palace, she would wear her engagement ring from the man she loved with pride.
She walked out of her room and headed to her father's quarters. She walked slowly, dreading what he was going to say to her.
Serenity felt the stares of servants and heard their whispers as she walked.
"She slept with him, didn't you hear?"
"They were planning to run away to Earth together."
"I heard that he killed a man in the village that was trying to help her…"
"I heard that he was adulterous with his previous lover."
That made Serenity stop. She marched over to the servant, radiating fury.
"You speak of what you do not know and your words should cease if you know what's best for you. Return to your duties at once." She gave them a serious, threatening look before turning, and continuing on.
Annoyance washed over her; she was in no mood for any of that today. She expected there to be those who judged her. For some, they believed she put Endymion above the good of the kingdom. They thought her to be selfish. Others thought her to be young and naive, unable to rule as her heart seemed fickle. The rest believed she was a harlot who allowed a knight to get the best of her. Serenity knew in her heart the truth of what happened and refused to let the gossip of others get to her, for it was the last thing she needed.
She quickened her pace. Once she arrived, she stood in front of the door for a few moments, gathering her courage and whatever dignity she had left. She took a deep breath, knocked, and opened the door.
The king, who was seated at his desk filled with maps and markings, looked at her and gestured for her to sit. Serenity did as she was told, shutting the door and taking a seat across from him.
He wasn't her father today, he was the King.
The King was silent, watching his daughter before standing and pacing his office slowly.
Serenity looked at her father, feeling herself grow more nervous with every passing second.
Finally he turned, staring at his daughter before speaking:
"You realize what you have done, correct?"
"If you mean fall in love, then yes, I am fully aware," Serenity said, maintaining eye contact, trying to appear tough.
"Let me rephrase that question. You realize the severe consequences of what you have done?
What he has done?"
"He's done the same as I have: fall in love."
"No…no. See, what he did was break the law. He 'fell in love' with the heir to the Moon Kingdom. He threatened a noble. H-"
"He what?"
"Diamond told me about their exchange before Larissa's wedding. I know what Endymion said to him and that is a threat."
"No, that's a LIE! Diamond lied to you! How do you not see this?! Diamond is a liar! HE has lied to you since the very beginning. He is not the perfect suitor you think he is! Please just...just listen to me and look deeply into what you think you know!"
"I'm sorry, but at this point you cannot expect me to believe you, Serenity. You have lied time and time again to get what you want." The king admonished, looking down at Serenity.
"But don't you realize why I had to? I had to try to stop this from happening! You would have never let me anywhere near him if you knew the truth!"
"No, I would not have. He is a peasant and you are the heir to the throne. That is not how things are done, Serenity." The king maintained a calm stature as he spoke - calm, but firm.
"It's not fair! You let Caliban go! I don't want to be Queen if I can't have Endymion! Just let me be happy, Father…"
"You'll have to find happiness other places. As future Queen, there are some things you have to give up."
"But love shouldn't be one of them! No one should have to give up the one they truly love!"
"Serenity, nothing you say will make me change my mind about this, so you might as well stop. I just called you in here to make things clear." He sat back down behind his desk, leaning back in the chair.
Serenity regarded her Father silently, shocked by how he wouldn't listen to her.
"You will marry Diamond within a month. Your…engagement…with the boy is nonexistent. You will never, and I mean never, see Endymion again." The king said sternly.
"W-What are you going to do to him?" Serenity's voice was shaky as she spoke.
"Things that a princess should not know about."
Fear washed over Serenity. Judging by the look in his eyes, she knew he had said his piece, and she was dismissed.
His final words lingered in her mind as she walked down the empty corridors, her head spinning with her thoughts.
Endymion was in danger. All her life, the one thing Serenity had been completely shielded from as princess was the punishment procedure for criminals and prisoners. Her father was a ruthless, merciless man who would not bow down to any. Her heart plummeted for Endymion, her brain unable to imagine what horrible things could be done to the man she loved.
She had to save him.
Endymion POV:
Endymion sat in the cold, damp dungeon, his head pounding from the events mere hours before. He had been completely stripped of his sword and anything else he could use to defend himself, chains shackled his wrists to ensure he could not escape. He leaned back against the cold brick wall, replaying the night's events in his mind.
~ Flashback ~
"Who do you think you are!? Being with the princess in such a manner is forbidden, you of all people should know of this!" The king yelled, keeping the sword dangerously close to him.
"Father, no! Please, calm down, put the sword down!" Serenity begged from behind the guards holding her back.
Endymion watched her, his heart clenching at the sight of his beloved in such a state. Even with the threat of death lingering before him, his only focus was Serenity.
"Why should I? I have every right to end his life right now!" The king pressed the sword into Endymion's neck, making his threat a promise as he began to draw blood.
"No!" Serenity's eyes widened as she watched, feeling helpless.
Endymion winced slightly from the sword at his neck as he continued to watch Serenity, she being the only thing keeping the fear from running through his body.
The king turned towards his daughter and the guards.
"Get her out of here..." He spoke in a deathly quiet tone as he gripped the sword tighter.
"N-No, please, Father! It wasn't just him, it was me as well! You can't punish him!" Serenity
spoke any words that could save him, trying to calm her father.
"Serenity there is NOTHING that you could say to stop him from meeting his fate! He knew exactly what would happen to him by being with you, yet he lacked the self-control and decency to stop himself. He deserves everything he is going to get." The King explained before nodding to the guards to take Serenity back to the palace.
The guards guided Serenity to a carriage before it took the route back to the palace.
With Serenity gone, the fear that Endymion tried so hard to hold back took over as he looked down, not wanting to upset the king.
"Do you not have ANYTHING to say for yourself, boy?!"
Endymion finally brought his eyes to the king, thinking about a safe response to at least keep himself alive for a bit longer.
"Not at the moment, no."
The king released a menacing laugh before speaking.
"You have a lot of nerve. First, you lie to me. You have lied to me this entire time only to get to my daughter. You used your status to get closer to her, and for what? For her to fall for you? For you to take her away from her family and her true path in life?"
"The only thing that I am truly guilty of is lying to you, however, falling in love with your daughter should not be a crime."
"It is a crime and you know it is a crime. But thankfully, Diamond told me to get rid of you before you could really do any damage. Diamond is a man whom I can trust, unlike you."
Endymion laughed at the irony of the King's words.
"Oh? Share what you find funny. Please."
"If only you listened to your daughter, you could answer that yourself." Endymion replied, knowing he was skating on thin ice but no longer cared. His fate was sealed either way.
The king narrowed his eyes at Endymion's words as he gripped the sword tighter, his knuckles
turning a ghostly white as anger flowed through him.
"Who are you to talk to me in such a way?! You are NOTHING and I wish I figured that out sooner!"
"That might be true but I love Serenity. She is an amazing woman who I plan to spend the rest of my life with."
"The rest of your life might come sooner than you think."
"Even still, I am lucky that I got the chance to know and love her. A chance that you are so easily passing up because you do not pay attention to her as a person. Rather you treat her like a chess piece in your game."
The King said no more, nodding to a guard who jammed the blunt end of his sword into the back of Endymion's head, causing him to fall unconscious.
~ End flashback ~
Endymion had been in the dungeons plenty of times, helping the guards with prisoners who were threats to the Royal family. However, he had never been in the position of a prisoner himself.
He knew how this worked; he knew he would be tortured until he said what they wanted to hear.
He knew he would be in this position from the moment he accepted his feelings for Serenity; he accepted his fate as well.
He also knew that no matter what happened, his love for Serenity would never falter and he would never wish to go back to change his future.
He heard a door open before looking and seeing the King enter with guards.
"I see you've awoken. Hopefully you thought about your words and how easily I can harm you." The King said as he stayed a fair distance away, ordering the guards to go closer.
Endymion said nothing as he watched the king, awaiting for what he knew to be coming.
"You thought this was your only punishment? Sitting in a dungeon?"
"Of course not, that would be far too kind of you…"
The king smirked before he nodding to the guards and walking out.
As the door clanged shut, the two guards sneered at Endymion. One, his brown hair cut short with a sinister glint in his eye, pulled out a dagger from his belt. "Not so high and mighty now are you, scum?"
Endymion creased his lips into a line, silent. He would not give these braggarts the satisfaction of knowing their taunts affected him.
"A peasant and the Princess. What a load of garbage." The guard twirled the dagger between his fingers and he sauntered towards the disgraced knight. He bent down, locking eyes with Endymion, and tapped him on the nose with the blade of the dagger. Endymion tensed. "Do you think you're better than us? Because you won the Princess' love?"
Still, Endymion did not respond. He knew better than to antagonize his torturer.
"Got nothing to say, eh?" The guard grumbled and rose. Slowly he turned away, then snapped back, slicing at Endymion's cheek.
Endymion hissed in pain, but maintained his silence. The cut was not deep, but broke the skin. Droplets of blood dripped out of the injury. The man winced, knowing more was to come.
"I wonder what she was like, the Princess. How was she in bed?" The guard jeered.
Endymion stilled. The mention of his beloved in this man's foul mouth caused his blood to boil. "Don't you dare talk about her."
"Oh, ho! So the pretty man has a voice!" The guard elbowed the other. "I wonder, how does she like to be touched?"
It was too much. Seeing red, Endymion pulled at his chains. He wanted to punch this man, hurt him with every fiber of his being. But the restraints held fast against the wall, banging against the ground. He strained against them, but to no avail.
"I don't know what she sees in you. You're nothing but a filthy animal." The other guard said, speaking for the first time. His hair was blonde, his eyes ice-blue, deadened.
"You could never understand what the Princess and I feel for each other." Endymion grunted. "Her love transcends all."
"And yet, you deceived her into believing the love you have for her is real, sinner." The blond man stepped towards him, eyes focused on Endymion like a predator.
"I love her."
"You won't by the time we're done with you."
The blonde punched Endymion in eye, and he doubled over, seeing stars. It had begun.
Serenity POV:
Serenity was shaking as she walked to her sister's door. What if the answer was yes? What could she do? Why would Larissa do something as drastic as this?
Serenity tapped on the door quickly and waited for her sister to answer.
Larissa opened the door and gazed at her sister with remorse on her face, knowing full well what was about to happen.
"Can we talk?" Serenity asked in a calm voice.
"Sure," Larissa let out a breath and stood back so Serenity could enter.
Serenity walked in with her arms around her body, as if she were holding herself together. At this rate, she probably was. It was a miracle that the young princess hadn't completely fallen to pieces by now. She didn't know how to start this conversation. She wasn't in the right state of mind to do this; she hadn't been for the past twenty four hours, but she felt that she had to know.
"Apparently, Diamond didn't tell father about Endymion." Serenity stated, staring at a painting on the wall.
Larissa nodded slightly.
"Neither did Caliban, and why would he? That would be slightly hypocritical of him to do so.
And mother didn't tell him either, she was on my side. That only leaves you," Serenity stated looking at her sister.
The two shared a short stare down before Larissa relented.
"I am so sorry, Serenity…" was all Larissa could get out.
Serenity looked over at her sister in shock, not knowing how to act. She was certain it was Larissa but to have this fact confirmed still had her taken back. Tears glistened her eyes but she refused to cry anymore.
"Why?" Serenity simply stated.
"I was worried about you," Larissa responded.
"Worried? What could you have possibly had to worry about? You have your own life, your own husband, your own happily ever after. What could you possibly have to do with my life and my decisions?"
"You are destined for so much greatness; you have so much ahead of you. I couldn't just stand there and watch you throw all of that away just for a man. I couldn't do anything to stop Caliban from making this decision, but I refuse to let you end up the same."
"It's not your responsibility to dictate how I live my life, Larissa! Why doesn't anyone understand that I don't want any of the 'greatness' that you're talking about? I don't want to be Queen - I don't want any part of this if I can't be with the one I love. There is so much more to life than what we have here. I know it doesn't seem like, it but there is, and I wouldn't have known about it if I didn't leave to figure it out on my own. I found true love and happiness but that's being taken away, along with everything else, and it's your fault!" Serenity said, her voice rising .
"Serenity, you don't k-"
"No! I trusted you! I told you thinking that I could trust you and that you could help me when all you've truly done is ruin everything! I didn't know what I was getting myself into so I told you, my sister, the person I trusted with my life, only to be betrayed. And here I was thinking Diamond was the one I couldn't trust - HA!" Serenity yelled at Larissa, slowly on the brink of becoming hysterical as her face warmed and her heart pounded in her chest. "Telling Father was the worst thing you could've done. I know you don't approve of the relationship and Endymion, and I understand that, but now his life is in danger and I feel completely useless in helping to stop this..." Serenity said, tears falling from her eyes. "If he is executed…his blood is on your hands, Larissa." Fuming, Serenity spun and opened the door to Larissa's room, stopping once she was halfway out. She looked back, eyes full of fire, and spat, "You'll make a great Queen."
She stepped out of the room, slamming the door shut in frustration. Tears streamed down her face as she stormed down the hall, uncaring of servants seeing or the whispers that would surely result from the commotion.
"Serenity!" Larissa called out to her. "Serenity, I'm sorry!"
Serenity ignored her, continuing on, wanting nothing more than to leave the palace.
She entered, closing the door behind her and standing for a few moments. She paced slowly over to her vanity, breathing heavily as she let what happened simmer in her mind. Suddenly, she pushed the contents off of the vanity with a loud scream. She became hysterical in tears as she threw a bottle of perfume across the room and into a wall, the liquid splashing about.
"Serenity!" Lita yelled as she hurried to her, wrapping her arms around her in an attempt to comfort her.
She looked up seeing her best friends enter her room.
"Get out!" Serenity yelled, fighting against Lita, her face wet from the tears.
"Serenity, no don't do this! Don't come to this, you are stronger than this! I know it, everyone knows it!" Mina spoke, pained.
"No I…I'm not…" She stopped fighting against Lita, knowing she wasn't stronger.
Lita guided Serenity to lie down on her bed before Amy exited the bathroom, pressing a cold towel to her forehead.
"We understand that you're upset, but do you really think Endymion would want you crying, feeling sorry for him?" Amy spoke.
"What else am I supposed to do? I-I can't save him, my father won't listen to me… I have no power to do anything. I couldn't even get into the dungeon on request to see him… I don't know if he…if he is even alive or not, if he's injured…I don't know…"
"You could do a number of things but sitting around, crying, is not one of those. Grow up and accept what you've done and do your best to fix it," Raye said from her desk.
"But what can I do?!" She sat up, annoyed. "There is nothing that I can do! I might be the future Queen but I have no say in what happens from now. My father won't listen. He is in the process of planning my wedding to Diamond and Endymion's… execution. All of this is my fault for being selfish and doing whatever I wanted…"
"Your father won't execute him," Raye said.
"And how do you know?" Serenity responded.
"Endymion was the best knight. He was the strongest, fastest, and the smartest. It is why he was chosen to protect you. You think your father would choose to just kill him off?"
"That is far too kind of a punishment, your father is enraged. He wants him alive and to suffer," Amy added.
Serenity looked between her friends as she thought.
"That- I know that is supposed to be encouraging and kind words but that does not help. Now he'll be suffering for the rest of his life? What kind of a life is that to live?" Serenity asks.
"It is a start. He won't be dead but it will give you time to figure out how to save him from such a fate." Lita answered.
"What can I do to save him..." She questioned, feeling helpless.
"The damage has already been done and it won't stop." Mina spoke.
"What?" Serenity responded.
"Like Amy said, your father is furious. Endymion is being tortured as we speak."
Serenity felt her heart clench as she breathed fast, nerves rising within her. She felt her stomach do flips, feeling sick as she struggled to stay together.
"I can't see him, they won't let me in…" Serenity thought aloud to herself, wiping her eyes.
"But what could you do, Serenity?" Raye asked, quoting her as she leans forward, putting her head in her hands.
"I-I really do not need this right now, Raye." Serenity glared at her.
"Yes, you do. You think you can't do anything but you can. You don't realize how much power you truly hold. If you really tried instead of moping around you could save him of this fate!"
Serenity looked at her before running her fingers through her hair.
"There...is a way you can see him." Mina said, standing and walking out of her room.
Serenity furrowed her brows before moving from the bed and following
"What? How? The guards…They won't let me in."
"They rotate guards, you know."
"Yes, but what does that have to do with anything?"
"I will get you in, Serenity." Mina gave her friend a comforting smile as they walked to the dungeon.
Confused, Serenity followed to the entrance as Mina walked ahead.
"Your grace, you should not be down here." A guard spoke.
"She needs to go in, only for a bit," Mina replied, seeming as though she's waiting for something.
"I do not have the authority to let her i-"
"But I do." A new voice said from behind.
Serenity turned, seeing Malachite.
Malachite winked at her before approaching the guard.
"The key, please." He held his hand out.
The guard looked between Serenity and Malachite before handing over the key.
Malachite opened the door, holding it for her so she could walk in before entering behind her.
"You should not be down here for long, the King would not allow it." Malachite spoke softly.
She nodded as they walked through the halls of the dungeon, letting her eyes take in the sights
she'd been kept from her entire life.
She made eye contact with multiple prisoners, thieves and murderers alike, and that only upset her even more. She knew Endymion did not belong here, how out of place he was.
"I just want to see him."
She swallowed, searching for the love of her life in the dungeon cells. Her heart raced in her chest as she walked quickly, wanting nothing more than to be in his arms.
She hurried before pausing, catching Endymion's eyes as her eyes immediately started to water.
Malachite opened the cell door for her.
"I'll let you have your time alone." He spoke before walking down the hall, looking out for anyone who could catch them.
Serenity looked over her beloved; seeing the chains on his wrists made her heart sink into her stomach. She could tell he was in a great deal of pain and that broke her as she walked to him, pulling him into her arms.
"E-Endymion…" She whispered, wishing with all of her heart he would wake for her. "Please…please open your eyes for me."
He stirred in her arms, looking up at her.
"Sere…what are you-" He was cut off as he tried to sit up, pain shooting across his body as he cringed, his hand moving to his side as he fell back into her arms, unable to do much.
Serenity's brows furrowed together she moved his hand, seeing blood as she gasped lightly, her eyes watering for what must've been the hundredth time that day.
"What…What did they do to you…?" She asked, her voice breaking as she tried to stay strong for him.
"It's…It's nothing. Just a small wound. I'll be fine…" He tried to force himself to sit up but struggling as hs body rejected every movement he made.
Serenity's eyes watered as she moved her arms around him tightly, not wanting to let him go.
"N-No, don't move…" She said, allowing him to rest in his lap.
Endymion relaxed in her arms, not wanting to move anymore as his breaths were ragged from the amount of pain that was inflicted on him.
"I am...sorry…" She spoke as she buried her face into his neck, trying her best to hold back her emotions.
"Do not apologize and do not worry about me. None of this was your fault." He spoke, only wanting to comfort her and take her pain away, finding that he was failing to do that.
And that feeling was worse than any pain the king could inflict upon him.
"But it is…If you had never met me, none of this would be happening to you…"
"If I had never met you, I would be unhappy. I would be lost. You are worth everything, Serenity. Just as I told you before, I still mean that. I would go to the ends of the universe for you." He looked into her eyes sincerely as he lifted his hand to cup her cheek lovingly.
"I know you would," she held onto his hand as she leaned into his touch. "Just as I will do for you. I will fix this, I promise. You won't be here much longer." Serenity promised her beloved, speaking truthfully.
"Do not fret, my love, all will be well." Endymion smiled faintly.
Serenity felt the tears cascade down her cheek before pressing her lips against his, kissing him with everything that she had.
"I love you...So much…" She said as she touched her forehead against his.
"I love you too, Sere. I know you may be worried, but don't be. Be happy, be the cheerful woman
I know that you are. Please…don't worry." He said, practically begging her to be happy as he only wanted the best for her.
"I will…I will try," She nodded lightly.
"That is all I can ask you to do. And once I-"
Endymion was cut off by the sound of footsteps, once again.
It was silent for a few moments before Serenity spoke up.
"I should go." She spoke sadly before kissing him once more.
Endymion nodded, keeping his smile on his face as he looked at her as a way to show her that he will be alright.
"I will come back soon," Serenity said as she rose, exiting the cell and looking at Endymion once more before walking to the exit where Malachite waited, wiping her tears as she did, wanting to keep her promise to Endymion.
"Thank you." Serenity said as she exited.
Malachite nodded as he watched the princess walk away with Mina toward her bedroom.
"I know this is the last question to ask but…are you alright?" Mina asked.
"No…I wish I was but I am not. And I will not be until he is safe and out of harm's way…" Serenity said.
"Perhaps your father will be lenient with his sentence for Endymion. Perhaps he wi-"
"No, I cannot wait, nor can I depend on that. I must save him. He has to leave and I will ensure he does." Serenity said as she sunk deep in thought, thinking of a plan to escape with Endymion as the two friends returned to Serenity's bed chambers.
Thank you so much for staying with me for so long! The story is far from over, I hope you enjoyed this chapter!
xx Morgan xx