Chapter 5

A Helper Comes Forth

I glanced around the room, surveying the crowd. Things were going smoothly, which pleased me greatly. Endymion and Serenity were standing next to the King and Queen, welcoming each person who came in. Endymion glanced up at me and caught my eye, and the glare he sent me said how-many-more-people-are-coming-and-how-can-I-make-you-suffer-for-this-huge-crowd? I shuddered and gave him a quick smile before turning around and finding refuge from the royal glare. I hadn't thought he would be displeased with the number of people, since I made sure only those who had to be invited were present.

There was nothing I could do now though, so instead of fretting I started to walk around, making sure that everything was going well. I would suffer through an interrogation and torture session later. I stopped at the back of one of the crowds and surveyed the scene.

"Motoki, there you are!" a cheerful voice said beside me. I turned and found myself watching a happy Naru coming towards me. I flashed her a smile. "Have you seen Anne and Alan?" My smile dropped. Of course she was looking for Anne, or more specifically, Alan.

"No, I haven't'," I told her truthfully. Of course she was looking for Alan.

"Oh, that's too bad," she replied, her smile faltering. "I guess I'll have to keep looking for them." Of course she would continue looking for Alan.

With the music playing and the crowds dancing, I couldn't pass up my opportunity. "Would you like to dance?" I asked her before she had the chance to escape.

A new smile lit her face. "That would be wonderful," she chirped and allowed me to lead her to the dance floor. Now at least she wasn't looking for Alan!

I couldn't help but glance at Endymion and Serenity every so often, hoping to find Endymion in more--cheerful-- disposition.

"Is the Princess all right now?" Naru asked, bringing my attention back to her.

"She seems to be."

"I feel so bad for her, and for the Prince too. That must be hard on a man, having a woman he loves and not being able to express that love for her."

You have no idea, I though. "Yes," I said out loud. "It is difficult for him. He's managing though."

Naru sighed. "I wish there was some way I could help."

I smiled at her honest desire to be of some assistance. "You could just try being friendly with the Princess. She doesn't know anyone here and I'm sure she would be happy to have some company."

"I could do that," Naru replied enthusiastically.

Naru...she was a lively creature, and I was happy to spend some time with her, even if she was thinking about how to find Alan. Of course she wanted to find Alan. She was infatuated with the man. I knew that, half the court knew that, he knew that. He did not respond to her advances though. I was always looking for Naru. Of course, she didn't know that, the court didn't know that, I almost didn't know that. She was a creature beyond my grasp, but I was happy to at least have her friendship.

The music ended and we stopped dancing, pausing to applauded the orchestra. "Well, I'm going to try and find Anne," Naru told me with a grin. "I'll see you later, Motoki."

With a swish of her gown, she was gone. I stared at the spot where she had been standing and allowed myself the luxury of a moments thought about how tiny her waist had been beneath my hand and how her perfume had wafted around me, the smell intoxicating and sweet. The moment was gone though when I shook my head and turned to walk over to Endymion, who was now sitting with Serenity by the thrones which were occupied by the King and Queen. Around them were a few more chairs, one of which I claimed after giving the royal family a bow.

I sat down beside Endymion. "How many people did you invite?" he muttered under his breath so only I could hear.

I shrugged my shoulders. "Not many," I said. "The hall is much emptier than most balls you have to admit."

"Yes, it's emptier, but it's still full," he replied in an agitated tone.

I chuckled. "I had to make it at least a little challenging for you, didn't I?"

"If you wanted to challenge me, you should have gotten me to ride on a crazed horse with no saddle in a thunderstorm through a field of hares while carrying all the crown jewels in my arms with the order not to drop a single one. That, my friend, would be a challenge, but this..." he paused and sighed. "This is just cruel torture."

"It's not that bad," I whispered. "At least this section is restricted." I watched Endymion sigh as he glanced at Serenity, who had a bored look on her face. I realized this was going to be a long night for her.

I turned to speak with Serenity, but from the corner of my eye I noticed a figure approaching us. I turned my head at the same time as Endymion, and both of us were surprised to see Anne and Alan. Alan bowed and Anne curtsied before they approached. I glanced at Serenity and saw that she had visibly tensed.

"Lord Alan, Lady Anne," I heard Endymion say, "it is a pleasure to see you here."

"The honor is ours, your highness. We thank you for inviting us," Alan said with another slight bow. I noticed that his eyes kept straying to Serenity, who was fidgeting more and more.

"I trust that you are enjoying yourselves," Endymion said, but I could hear in the tone of his voice that he wasn't really interested in starting up a lengthy conversation with the young lord.

"Yes, your Highness," Alan replied, then looked directly at Serenity. "I came here to apologize, if I may."

Serenity finally looked at him. "Apologize, my lord?" she asked, although it was clear to every one that she knew what he was talking about.

"Yes. I wish to apologize for yesterday, for what happened in the gardens. I had not meant to ... startle you so, and I hope that you can forgive my brashness. I do not wish to have my Princess angered with me after meeting me only once." He looked at her with an almost pleading look in his eyes.

For some reason, I didn't like the way he had said 'my Princess.'

"I thank you for your apology my Lord," Serenity said quietly. Alan bowed, obviously wanting to hear more, but Serenity said nothing else. Instead, she looked to Anne. "Lady Anne, would you care to join me here for a while? I would like another woman to talk to for a little while." Anne curtsied once again and came to sit beside Serenity. Alan stood there, a little awkwardly, not sure if he had been dismissed or if he was to stay. It was clear that Serenity was being cold towards him, something which I don't think displeased Endymion or myself. Alan was all too well known for his explicit liaisons with the ladies of court, and it was all too pleasant watching him be given the cold shoulder. However, I still didn't like the tension in the air.

Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed Naru slowly wandering over towards us. Cursing myself, I smiled at Alan. "I believe that the Lady Naru was searching for you earlier. I think she was looking for a dance partner." As I spoke, I nodded my head in Naru's direction. Alan looked over, visibly relieved I had offered him an escape route.

"Thank you. I must not allow her to be disappointed." With those words and a bow he left. I hated throwing him at Naru. but I knew he was not interested in her, for whatever odd reason, and so I knew she would not be taken advantage of. I was just glad I was able to get him away from Serenity.

The night was long and dreary. Endymion refused to dance as did Serenity. Anne and Naru came by every so often and sat with Serenity. Other lords and ladies came up to pay their respects to Serenity and Endymion, as well as the king and queen. Whenever they weren't there, Serenity would have a conversation with Endymion and me. I found her to be quite enchanting and sweet, and I could understand why Endymion had taken such a liking to her.

The hours wore on. Ladies in colorful gowns danced around the floor with elegant men, and I could see the longing on Serenity's face. Still, I knew better than to ask her for a dance, even though I knew Endymion would not have minded if I had. It wasn't until about ten, though, that she stifled a yawn and said she would be retiring. Endymion and I stood with her and after she had bid the King and Queen goodnight, we escorted her to her room.

"Thank you for keeping me entertained all evening," she said to us once we reached her door. "I'm sorry I couldn't do the same for you."

"You were a pleasure to converse with," Endymion said, "I wasn't bored at all."

"I was quite entertained as well," I added in truthfully.

Serenity smiled and reached for her door handle. "Well thank you anyway," she murmured. "Good night, Motoki, good night, Endy."

"Rest yourself, Usagi," Endymion replied.

"Sleep well, Princess," I said. She nodded her head and slipped into her room. Endymion gave a low sigh and then started to walk to his room. I followed, holding my breath. He opened the door, we entered, he closed the door, and I was still holding my breath. He walked to the balcony doors, opened them, turned to look at me, and I was still holding my breath.

"Are you all right?" he asked me, arching his eyebrow.

I couldn't hold it in any longer. I let my breath out in a whoosh, squeaking out only one word in the process. "Endy?"

Endymion eyebrow fell and a smile lit his face. "Is there a problem with that?" he asked as I started to laugh. He gestured for me to join him on the balcony. We sat down in the chairs that were out there.

"So are you going to tell me where 'Endy' came from?" I inquired, still chuckling.

"We were playing chess last nigh," he began, "and when she was leaving I called her Usagi. She felt the need to give me a nickname too and called me Endy. That's about all there is to it."

I smiled. "So now you have nicknames for each other?" I asked teasingly.

"Not one word, Motoki," Endy --I mean-- Endymion warned playfully.

We both chuckled but said nothing more on the subject. Deciding to turn to a slightly more serious subject, I decided to bring up Lord Alan. "Did you notice how Serenity tensed up when Alan came along tonight?"

Endymion turned serious right away too. "Yes, of course I did. I didn't like it."

"I honestly don't blame her," I stated. Endymion knew my feelings about Alan, and he shared them for the most part.

"I don't either. I could feel her discomfort with him even before he touched her the day before through our link. I suppose that might have been due to the fact that she didn't know him and he was standing too close, but even so, she just didn't like him."

"Again, I don't blame her."

I watched as he raked his fingers through his hair. "I just wish that both he and Anne would go for a nice, long vacation somewhere. She's been everywhere the past couple of days, I feel like I can't escape her. She's always staring at me with this hurt, betrayed look in her eyes, even though there was nothing going on between us, ever."

I nodded. "She'll get over it eventually. I can see her getting friendly with Serenity though. She and Naru will become close companions to her I think."

"Yes. Serenity seems to have taken a liking to them both. I'm happy to see that."

A knock on the door stopped our conversation. Endymion looked to the door, hope and excitement flashing through his eyes. It took everything I had in me to keep from laughing. We both stood and walked into the room, with him going to the door. He opened it to see who the unexpected visitor was, and I think both of us were rather shocked to see Luna standing there.

"Luna, what brings you here?" Endymion asked, stepping aside and motioning for her to enter.

She stepped in hesitantly. "I wanted to speak to your highness about Serenity," she said. I motioned for her to follow me outside where I held out a chair for her. She sat down and then we did too. It was a warm night and the glow of the stars and moon gave us all the illumination we needed.

Once we were all seated, Endymion turned his attention to Luna. "What do you wish to talk to me about? Is Serenity all right?"

Luna nodded. "She's fine. I am worried about her, about the whole situation, but with respect to her health she is fine. She was feeling tired and went to sleep right after she came back to her room. She seemed sad though."

"Sad?" Endymion asked.

"Yes, sad. Serenity was a very lively, outgoing girl back on the Moon. Now I fear she feels restricted in doing many things since there are so many men around here. I don't want her to feel isolated and trapped for the rest of her life, so I came here to ask what you are planning to do."

I smirked at Endymion surprised expression. Luna had reminded him, albeit kindly, of his responsibility to Serenity. He had to keep her happy. I sobered up right away when I considered the seriousness of the situation.

Endymion regained his composure and sighed. "I do have a plan on how to start getting through to her, but I'm going to need time, and possibly some help, if you are willing to aid me, Lady Luna."

Luna smiled. "Of course I'll help in any way that I can. I didn't come here with Serenity only out of sense of duty, but because she is almost like a daughter to me. I will do anything I can to help you help her. However, I would like to know what your plans are so that I know how to help you and, if you will allow me, advise you."

"Believe me, Luna, any advice you are willing to give me I will gladly accept." I could hear the eagerness in his voice. "Please, do not ever be formal with me, call me Endymion, and whenever you have something to tell me or chastise me about, then don't hesitate to do so."

Luna blushed at the sudden informality she was presented with. "Don't worry," I said, "Our dear Endy--oh pardon me--Endymion, is not at all tyrannical and prudent." I gave him a cheeky grin when I let my tongue slip with his name and he simply rolled his eyes. Luna's eyebrows rose with curiosity, but she didn't say anything. I shook my head then looked at Endymion. "You said you had a plan..." I let my sentence trail hoping he would fill in the blanks.

Luna and I watched as he picked up a glass of water that was on the table from earlier. He swirled the transparent liquid, allowing it to glitter in the moonbeams. "Picture a man working hard on something, so intensely that he doesn't have a sense of time, hunger, or thirst. You've been like that before, right?" He asked. Luna nodded as did I. "If you come along though with a glass of water and give him a sip, he suddenly realizes just how thirsty he is, and he starts to desire that water. Correct?" He paused as he studied the glass. "Soon that desire turns into a craving, and that craving into a burning need. He knows if he doesn't get that water, he will perish. So you give him a little more, and he desire the liquid even more. He needs to satisfy his thirst." He paused again and looked at us.

"I don't think I'm following you," Luna said.

Endymion chuckled. "If you forced water down that mans throat he would vomit and develop a loathing for water for some time. You can give it to him, but in little sips." He paused again. Both Luna and I were giving him puzzled looks, so he continued. "Finally, once he is satisfied, he will go back to what he was doing. Now what do you suppose will happen if he sees you thirsty and in need of water and he has a glass with him?"

He stared at us. I glanced at Luna and she at me; our eyes locked. Slowly they wheels in my head started to turn and I could see her trying to decipher the riddle as well.

Then it clicked.

I looked at him. "I think I see what you're getting at now, sort of. How is it going to work though?"

"Serenity is not easily fooled," Luna cautioned. "You won't be able to trick her."

"I have no intentions of tricking her," Endymion replied smoothly as he set the glass down on the table. "Perhaps I should explain the whole plan though." Luna and I listened intensely as Endymion outlined his entire plan beneath the glow of the stars. The way he explained it made it seem so logical, so manageable, so possible...

It had to work.

Luna picked up the glass. "So," she began, "when will first sip be given?"

Endymion grinned. "Tomorrow night, I think."

I chuckled. "Let the game begin. We are your pawns, my Lord. Go get your Queen."

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A/N: And the suspense begins...

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--Disclaimer--

I do not own the rights to Sailormoon or any of the characters. That honor belongs to Naoko Takeuchi, and I am simply a lowly author who can use her characters for my plots.