Chapter 16 -

Queen Serenity had offered to give her four visitors a tour of her palace and answer any questions they might have about the Moon Kingdom. There were many interesting objects throughout the palace, and at one point, the group continued on and hadn't noticed Endymion was left behind still studying a painting.

When Endymion realized he was alone, he wasn't in any particular hurry to catch up. Much of the discussion had bored him. The prince turned to walk down a hall and realized he was near a garden entrance. Nobody else seemed to be around so Endymion stepped through the open doorway onto the winding, plant-carpeted path.

Following the walkway, Endymion spotted an interesting looking tree. As he neared it, he could hear someone quietly humming. Curious, Endymion turned down a side path and followed the sound to a small, hedge-encircled patch of meadow flowers. The multihued plants weren't what caught his attention though. A young woman sat on the ground surrounded by the flowers. She was humming to herself and methodically linking flower stems to create a ring of blooms. A black cat with a golden crescent on its head lay dozing beside her. The entire scene reflected the tranquility and contentment Endymion saw in the girl's expression. She was beautiful! Her long, golden hair was pulled up in the same two-bun style Queen Serenity wore and the length of it pooled over the white skirt of her dress. Her eyes were crystal-clear blue and her quiet laughter, when she gently placed the finished wreath on top of the sleeping cat's head, was so melodious and sweet that Endymion felt the urge to do something, anything to hear it again. He could sense the aura of her strong but untrained power and knew she had to be royalty.

Endymion was rooted to the spot by the emotions bombarding him. Had this petite goddess requested it, he would conquer the highest mountain or slay the fiercest monster. His life would be complete if all he ever did was sit before this delicate and ethereal beauty to serve and protect her.

Suddenly, for the first time ever, Endymion wasn't sure of himself. Would he measure up? Would she think him uncouth and primitive? Would she be frightened or repelled by him? He didn't think he could bear it if she didn't approve of him and that thought made him hesitate.

Endymion watched as the cat stood and stretched, letting the wreath on its head fall to the ground. The girl smiled at her cat, and her expression reflected so much kindness, sweetness of spirit and gentle humor that it made Endymion's breath catch. Gracefully, the goddess stood and followed her cat out of the garden. That was when Endymion realized he had missed his opportunity to meet her. Rushing down the path she had taken, he stepped through the doorway and looked up and down the hall, but she was gone.

By this time, the group had realized Endymion wasn't with them and backtracked. When they turned a corner, they were surprised to see Endymion standing by the garden entrance.

His father said his name, and Endymion looked up, startled. "Did you see her?" he blurted.

"See who?" Artemis asked.

"A girl," Endymion answered distractedly. "She was in the garden…then I lost her."

The queen smiled at the obviously bemused young man. "What did she look like?"

"Long, golden hair styled like yours. A white dress…"

"Oh," Queen Serenity responded with surprise. "That was my daughter, Princess Serenity." She turned to Artemis with a puzzled expression. "I thought you said she had a previous engagement today."

"Yes, um. I did say that." Artemis acknowledged. He quickly added, "Maybe she finished early."

"Good," the queen responded. "Please go get her so she can meet our guests." Prince Endymion's face lit up hopefully and Artemis hesitated.

King Stanton quickly interrupted. "We need to return to Earth so I can talk with the rest of my council about the things we've discussed."

The queen nodded. "I understand. We are having a Venusian performance group entertain here next week. If you and your families are available, we'd be honored to have you as our guests for dinner and the performance." Queen Serenity smiled at Endymion as she added, "and you can meet my daughter then."

As Endymion followed, the group headed for the room with the medallion. By rote he joined in with the necessary thank you and good-bye but his thoughts were still on the young woman he had seen in the garden.

[Princess Serenity… He rolled her name around in his mind and thought it fit her perfectly. Never before had Endymion seen someone like her. Purity, inner peace and kindness had radiated from her spirit. She was perfect and so very opposite from Beryl in almost every way possible.

[Beryl... Endymion sighed, having suddenly been reminded of the fact that he was unavailable, engaged. Endymion wished somehow he could turn back time and make it so he had never slept with Beryl in the first place, or at least not been so stupid as to get caught in bed with her by her father. It didn't seem fair that because of one idiotic mistake, he was being forced into a marriage he didn't really want.

As they materialized on the Earth, Endymion realized it was pointless to keep thinking about the Moon's Princess. The more he attempted to put her out of his mind and forget her though, the more he couldn't help but think that in one brief glance, he had felt more for her than he ever had for his fiancée.

[Is this love? Endymion wondered as he followed his father through the palace. He didn't know, but by the time they reached his father's office, one thing had become crystal clear - he didn't love Beryl and it would be a mistake to marry her. He didn't care what his father or Beryl's family thought. If he went through with the marriage, Endymion knew he would be miserable for the rest of his life.

"What the hell do you think you were doing? Did you forget you're engaged?!" King Stanton shook his head with exasperation as he sat down behind his desk and began gathering papers for the imminent council meeting.

Startled from his thoughts, Endymion agitatedly ran the fingers of both hands through his hair. "Yeah…About that. I now know I don't love Beryl…"

His father looked up, astonished. "Now? Don't you think it's a little late to be thinking of that?"

Endymion resolutely shook his head. "I'm not married yet. I'm going to break the engagement."

Endymion's father's face flushed with anger. Slamming his hands down on his desk, he stood up and bellowed, "It doesn't matter if you love her or not now! You've made your decision and like it or not, you have to live with it!" Endymion was surprised by his father's violent response. Wide eyed, he step back.

Seeing his son's reaction made the king realize that more than just this issue was rattling him. He took a deep breath in an attempt to calm down. Again sitting, he continued more quietly, "We don't have time for this. You've made a commitment and can't just change your mind because another pretty face turned your head."

Endymion opened his mouth to tell his father Princess Serenity had been much more than that but the king, hurrying to finish gathering what he needed for the meeting, dismissed him, saying, "Put these ideas out of your head. They're totally ridiculous!"

Many hours later, the council, King Stanton and Endymion exited the meeting room. Grim faces reflected the fact that things were not going well. They had decided to take a break and reconvene in an hour. Hopefully, all would calm down and be more agreeable after a time to eat and reflect.

Endymion stood in the hallway and ran his fingers through his hair. Rubbing his neck, he remembered his father saying his council didn't always get along. Endymion now knew first hand that his father had spoken the truth.

"Endymion!" To Endymion's shock, Beryl threw herself into his arms and snuggled close. "I missed you!" She then leaned back and admonished, "How could you leave the planet without telling me?"

Sighing, Endymion realized he wasn't going to get a break before having to deal with this difficult issue too. "Beryl, we need to talk." Gently taking her by the shoulders, he added, "Let's walk in the garden."

Endymion headed for the glass doors a few steps down the hall and Beryl linked arms with him as they entered the garden. Endymion knew there was no easy way to say this so before he could chicken out, he blurted, "I'm breaking the engagement."

Beryl stopped in her tracks and incredulously whispered, "What?"

She looked so stunned, and Endymion felt guilt stab him. They had been friends since childhood and he did still care for her. He didn't want to hurt her, but he now knew caring wasn't enough. Endymion repeated, "I'm breaking the engagement. I don't want to get married and the honest truth is, I care about you but I don't love you. We'd both be miserable if we married."

The words, 'I don't love you,' echoed in Beryl's shocked mind, chasing every other thought away. Each repetition seared her heart until she lashed out shrilly to make it stop. "How could you do this to me?! What happened?! Did you meet someone else?!"

Shaking his head, Endymion tried to explain. "I didn't meet anyone. I just finally started to think clearly and realized that the two of us getting married would be a big mistake..."

"You can't do this to me! How dare you! I won't let you!" Beryl interrupted. Her anger quickly raised her power aura, and it threateningly pulsed around her.

Endymion raised his eyebrow. "Won't 'let' me?" He expected her to be upset and maybe cry, but instead he was facing one of her temper tantrums. Annoyed, he shot back, "Face it, Beryl, we're done. I don't want to marry you. Keep the ring or give it back. I really don't care." He realized this definitely wasn't going well. When Beryl looked like that there was no reasoning with her.

Turning, Endymion walked away, hoping to end it before things got any worse. With a scream of frustration, Beryl threw a large burst of energy towards his back. Just as quickly, Endymion turned, throwing a volley of roses to deflect it. With an explosive flash, the power hit a tree, turning it into a pile of smoldering ash.

Shaking his head at the still seething woman, Endymion sighed. Her temper was just one of the reasons why he didn't want to marry her. "Please, Beryl, don't be like this. We were a bad idea from the beginning."

Before she could respond or retaliate, the palace guards and many of the royals, including Beryl and Endymion's parents, came running. Once the soldiers realized this was an internal conflict, they tactfully left. The royals, blatantly curious, watched as Beryl ran sobbing to her father.

After a moment of whispered communication, King Fredrick looked up at Endymion. His expression was thunderous and everyone backed away as he started to pull his sword.

Deciding that things were now worse, Endymion swallowed nervously but put a hand to his sword, ready to accept the challenge.

King Stanton shot his son a quick, angry glare then stepped forward. "Fredrick, for what reason do you call my son out?"

Fredrick kept his eyes on Endymion as he growled, "Your son has broken their engagement and dishonored my daughter for the last time!"

Fredrick's statement was followed by a collective gasp from the royals that surrounded them. As murmurs of sympathy and speculation grew, King Savaric took pity on the two stressed families. Loudly and pointedly he announced, "This is obviously a family issue and doesn't need spectators." Smiling sympathetically at Stanton's grateful glance, he followed the last of the group out the garden.

As Savaric shut the door behind him, he noticed Endymion's guards. All four were nonchalantly loiter in the hall, but anxious expressions and frequent glances at the garden door belied their casual stances. Savaric realized they were planning to return to the garden. Their interference though well meant, would be unwelcome and possibly make the situation even more volatile. Knowing it was unlikely he could convince them to leave, he commanded, "The four of you, guard this door. Let no one in until someone comes out."

All four expressions flashed startled dismay but each silently moved to take a position by the door. They recognized Nephrite's father's statement as the military command it was and knew better than to disobey him.

Kunzite, Zoisite, Nephrite and Jadeite avoided looking at each other as they silently waited. There wasn't anything they could do. If King Fredrick followed through with calling Endymion out, despite the prince's skill with sword and magic, they all knew he'd be no match for the stronger and seasoned warrior. When Beryl's family suddenly burst through the door, silent and obviously still angry, the four friends rushed back into the garden.

Finally, after everyone else had gone there was only the six of them left in the garden, and of course, Jumel. Roselynn tried to soothe the silent tension. "This must be a lover's quarrel. If we give the two of them a little time, I'm certain they'll work it out."

Beryl looked up and to Roselynn's dismay, she bitterly exclaimed, "I will never forgive him for the hateful things he said to me!" She then turned to Endymion and pulling the ring from her finger, spat, "As for this, I choose to give it back!" She threw it at him, he dodged, and it disappeared into the bushes.

Moving forward, Fredrick finished drawing his sword. Stanton stepped between Fredrick and Endymion and tried one last time. "Please, Fredrick, be reasonable. Give us time to talk some sense into him."

Fredrick angrily barked, "It's obvious your son has no respect for my daughter or our family! Get out of my way, Stanton! I've put up with too much already and demand the satisfaction of teaching him his error!"

Grim and determined, King Stanton too drew his sword. "I cannot allow that, Fredrick."

The two men glared at each other for a moment. Finally, Fredrick sheathed his sword with a grunt of disgust. "He's no man if he still needs you to fight his battles." Looking up, he formally concluded, "King Stanton, not only in regards to this, but also in your dealings with the Silver Alliance threat, you've clearly shown where I, my family and my kingdom stand with you. You do not have our best interest at heart and from this day forward I dissolve our association."

King Stanton worriedly sighed as he watched Fredrick, Lydia, Beryl and Jumel leave. He then angrily sheathed his sword and spun around to face his son. He whispered, "I can't believe you! I told you not to do this!" In two quick strides he approached Endymion, and for the first time ever, struck his son. Roselynn cried out in shock as she watched Endymion hit the ground then she burst into tears.

For a moment Stanton stared at Endymion, just as shocked as they were by what he'd done. Endymion reached up to wipe his mouth then numbly stared at the blood and dirt smeared across his hand. Stanton looked at his weeping wife and weary regret and sorrow crossed his features. Stanton walked to Roselynn and put his arms around her as their son slowly stood to his feet.

Finally, Stanton spoke. "Endymion, do you realize what you've done? Now, more than ever, we need solidarity between the kingdoms and you've just shattered it, possibly beyond repair! I can't believe you are willing to jeopardize our world just for your own selfish ends!"

Endymion couldn't take it anymore. "I never wanted to propose to her in the first place! You forced me into it!"

"If you hadn't bedded her then I wouldn't have needed to force you!" Stanton could feel his temper rising again, and he could feel his wife cringe and become more distraught in response to it. With a sigh, he concluded, "Endymion, I'm done arguing with you. It's obvious you refuse to consider what you did was wrong. I want you out of here. You will go to our vacation home. That will keep you from causing any more trouble while I try to repair this. Stay there and don't come back until you've come to your senses." Stanton then turned his back on his stunned son and silently led his still weeping wife from the garden.

Endymion's four guards had rushed back into the garden just as King Stanton struck his son. Shocked to a stand still, they had silently listened to the rest of the argument.

As his parents walked away, Endymion turned around and saw his friends' unguarded reactions. Confusion filled Jadeite's expression, Nephrite's held shock, and exasperation was in Kunzite's eyes. Zoisite's expression showed angry betrayal and disappointment.

The trip back to the Donavan palace was pure torture for Beryl. There wasn't any place she could run to or hide to get away from her father's brooding scowl, her mother's caustic lecturing and Jumel's smirking, feigned disinterest.

Beryl's father may have publicly blamed Endymion for what had happened, but her mother made it clear she thought this was all Beryl fault. As she had put it, "If Beryl hadn't been so 'loose' then maybe Prince Endymion would have had more respect for her." Lydia made sure Beryl knew she had shamed herself and her family. She even went so far as to insinuate that since they now had Jumel in the family, they didn't need such a troublesome daughter around.

Beryl was still in shock. How had this happened? Everyone was so angry and everything was such a mess and it was all Endymion's fault! Beryl felt completely overwhelmed and badgered and she couldn't even think straight enough to know what to do or say. If only she could be alone!

Then, to make matters worse, Beryl had to interrupt their journey three times to vomit. Fortunately, she could blame her illness on the recent conflict and stress. Getting sick had also reminded Beryl of what she hadn't told Endymion before her rage had gotten the better of her. After what had happened though, she'd rather cut her tongue out than tell him now. There was no way she'd go crawling back to him with this. She was better than that. She wasn't sure what she would do but she'd figure that out eventually.

About a week after they had returned home, Beryl was quickly walking down a back hall of the palace with the hope of avoiding her mother. Instead, she ran into Jumel. He stopped in front of her. "How's my dear adoptive sister feeling today?"

Beryl tried to brush him off with a quick, "Fine," but he again stepped in front of her to block her way. "What do you want, Jumel?!"

"We need to talk," was his cryptic answer. She asked why and he conspiratorially leaned close. "I overheard the servants speculating about the unusually foul contents of their princess' chamber pot each morning." Jumel moved closer to Beryl and reached out to lightly caress her abdomen. "Is it possible, dear 'sister', that when Prince Endymion dumped you, he put you in a somewhat difficult situation?"

Beryl paled but didn't answer as she stepped back against the wall, trying to get away from his touch. Jumel followed her. He murmured, "Perhaps we could be of mutual assistance to each other."

Beryl refused to be baited into admitting anything. Instead, she lifted her chin and defiantly met his gaze. "Jumel, what problem could you possibly have that I could help you with?" She bitterly added, "You already have my land and inheritance."

Chuckling quietly, Jumel suddenly pressed his body tight against Beryl, pinning her to the wall. He ground his groin against her and suggestively whispered, "Oh, but Beryl, my problem is much more personal than land issues - and so very un-brother-like in nature."

Horrified and revolted, Beryl struggled to push Jumel away. He had her firmly pinned and Beryl's power aura began to rise. Before she could do anything, however, Jumel grabbed her shoulders and hit her with a quick, well-controlled jolt of power.

Beryl's body reacted to the attack with a violent jerk that made the back of her head hit hard against the wall. Looking down, she bit her lip to refuse him the satisfaction of hearing her cry out. Her head throbbed painfully and she couldn't stop the two tears that trickled down her face.

Lifting Beryl's chin, Jumel forced her to look up into his malicious gaze. His thumb caressed her cheek, erasing the track of a tear. He whispered, "I liked that. Would you want to do it again?"

For the first time in her life, Beryl feared a man. It clearly showed in her eyes as she whimpered, "N-no…P-please, no!"

Jumel continued to caress Beryl's jaw with his thumb. He chucked, "Don't worry, Beryl. I won't take you by force - I don't have to. You need me and you know where to find me when you're ready to admit it." He abruptly released her and walked away.

Sagging against the wall, Beryl fought down the rising panic that clutched at her throat, threatening to make her gag. She had to think - and fast. If the servants were talking about her enough that Jumel had overheard then it wouldn't be long before her parents did too. That would be a disaster! She had already shamed them twice - first by sleeping with Endymion, then by being rejected by him. If they found out she was pregnant, it would be the final straw. Beryl had to do something about this and she had to do it now.

Continued...

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