Can you believe it? I updated… this soon! Two chapter this close together! Oh my god! Yes. So on to writing…
A soft cool breeze blew across Serenity's bare arms, waking her from her peaceful sleep. What a strange dream… She blinked a moment as the bright sun rays of the morning filled the bedroom, birds could be heard in the trees below. Though the walls and floors were dark with black stone the room was filled with warm light.
She sighed to herself in contentment. Had she slept on the floor all night? She cuddled into the black soft fabric she had used as a pillow. So soft… The pillow moved… then groaned softly. Serenity jolted up from where she had been laying to see the dark Totark demon sleeping next to her. She slid herself as quickly as she could across the floor, away from the Diolon, and examined him with uncertainty. Memories of what had happened the night before filled her mind. The attack by Nephile, the Sunsire Diolon saving her from a frightful ravishing… and that kiss… The Mahal Diolan pressed her fingers to her lips.
The Totark Sunsire Diolon moved again making Serenity back up even farther. She slid herself against a wall, wrapping her arms around her knees. The breeze blew in through the window for a second time, blowing the curtains gracefully and making the Diolan shiver.
Time passed as Serenity sat quietly in silence. Occasionally she would let her eyes fall on the Diolon, but most of her time had been spent day dreaming of home until the Sunsire Diolon began to move from where he slept.
Endymion opened his eyes then closed them again quickly. So much light… He groaned as his head ached and pounded. It felt like it was going to collapse on itself. Had he not made it to his bed the night before? He pushed himself up off the floor and squinted his eyes helplessly. He let his eyes adjust then looked around the room until he spotted the Mahal Diolan huddled against the wall. What had he done last night? He was thrown into a state of panic. Had he hurt her?
"Diolan…" He whispered for his head could not take any more volume than that. He didn't know what else to say. He didn't even remember what he had done last night that had resulted in him laying on the floor of the Mahal Diolan's room.
Endymion sat up and held his head lightly in his hands. He breathed in a couple of times as he tried to get his wits about him. Without looking at the beautiful woman in front of him he addressed her. "Did I hurt you last night?"
Serenity sat confused. Did he not remember what had happened. She sat in silence, not answering him, too confounded to give him an answer.
"Diolan, did I hurt you last night?" He asked again, this time a little more harshly. He was never ignored, and not getting an answer from the woman was making him frustrated.
"No…" Her answer was as soft. She looked at him questioningly, "Do you not remember?" Serenity hugged her legs closer to her as she thought of the monster of a man, Nephile, and what he had tried to do, steal her innocence.
"What happened?" Endymion rubbed his eyes, which only made them hurt even more. He hissed in pain. "Why am I in here?" He looked up to see the silver siren still cuddled up against the wall. A sudden urge to kiss her surfaced in his mind. His lips tingled slightly.
Serenity sat in silence again, not surrendering an answer to the Sunsire Diolon. Nephile had threatened to hurt her… to make her pay if she said anything. If the Diolon didn't remember that would only be better for her.
"Diolan, I demand an answer." He stood and staggered a moment as he regained his balance. His head nearly imploded with the sudden movement. As his head began to clear, flashes of bright light blinded him. Flashes of memory of the night before resurfaced. "Nephile…" He saw his General attacking the Mahal Diolan then the kiss… He touched his fingertips to his lips, feeling the same tingling sensation that he had felt a few moments before.
He had promised that she would not be touched again, and yet only a few days had passed before she had been touched… he had already broken that promise. He gripped his hands into fists at his side; his fingernails dug into his palms. The Sunsire Diolon's rage fumed. "Nephile…"
Without even giving the Mahal Diolan another glance he headed for the door. If the door had been heavy no one would have known it, for the Sunsire Diolon slammed the open with so much force that it almost tore it from its hinges, nearly running poor Makotin into the ground on his way out.
"Diolon…?" Makotin watched as the furious Endymion made his way down the hall, fury in his stride.
As Endymion arrived at his destination he ran his shaking fingers through his coal colored hair and squinted his midnight eyes in rage. He opened the black doors in front of him, revealing the same meeting room he had grown to know. The Sunsire Diolon scoped the room for his victim.
Trying to keep himself calm he walked to Nephile who had been discussing, what seemed to be important matters, with Jedine. There meeting had been waiting on the arrival of the Sunsire Diolon. Endymion place firm hand on Nephile's shoulder and yanked the General to face him. The furious Diolon did not waste any time landing a punch square in the General's face. "You!" Endymion struck Nephile again, this time on the other side, which was already swollen from the blow the night before.
"Endymion! What are you doing?" Jedine stood in complete shock. He could hardly move he was so caught in confusion. "Endymion! Stop!"
"You disobeyed my direct orders!" Endymion struck Nephile again.
Nephile put his arms up to defend himself from the Sunsire's punches, but it was no use. All he could do was fight back. "You're bewitched by that damned Mahal woman!" The General put his fists up and threw one of his own punches at the Diolon.
The doors opened for a second time with poor Zoimish on the other side of them. "What in the name of Totar is going on?" He asked completely baffled.
When Jedine finally got his wits about him again he tried to force himself between the two feuding men, only to get hit in the face himself. He hissed in pain and covered his eye with his hand. "Stop!"
"If you weren't so blind with lust you would be able to see what we all see! You're under that whore's spell!" Nephile was shouting at the top of his lungs. He ached, but was so filled with adrenaline that he could not show it.
"I will kill you, Nephile!" Endymion grabbed for a sword laying on the table and swung at the weaponless General, luckily the man was able to get out of the way in time. "If I do not kill you now you will suffer a worse punishment, you have my word on that!" Endymion swung at him again, his sword landing on another sword, Jedine's sword.
"This will stop now. No one is going to die today." Jedine said sternly. He had never seen their proud and righteous leader this irrational. Surprisingly, he was able to push the Diolon back, for his strength had proven to be nothing compared to Endymion's in battle.
"Endymion is not fit to be our Sunsire nor our Diolon! He is shaded by the passion for a woman that is nothing but a savage beast!" Nephile spat. His mouth was filled with blood, his face was swollen and ripped apart.
"Savage or not, she is still a woman, Nephile! I am not the one with clouded judgment! I have not tried to deflower the girl!" Endymion took a step forward but was only met with Jedine blocking his way. "Out of my way, Jedine, let me finish the rat."
"No, Endymion, you are a better man than this. You've known Nephile your entire life. Does that mean nothing to you now?" Jedine's eyes were earnest. What exactly had happened that had made these two friends, almost brothers, nearly tear each other apart just now?
"Nephile is not the man I grew up with. He is not the honest man I made my General." Endymion looked past his second-in-command to the beast he saw before him. "Our friend here has taken it upon himself to ravish out prisoner. I found him in the Mahal Diolan's room last night attacking her, tearing her from her bed, and attempting to strip the woman of her innocence." This time he addressed Nephile. "I am not the one blinded by the siren, Nephile. You are obsessed. I ordered you to stay away from her and yet you disobeyed me for a second time!"
Zoimish looked to the Sunsire Diolon and General in astonishment. Was what he was hearing with his own two ears true? "Nephile…? Why?"
To this Nephile had no answer. He hung his head in disgrace as his face throbbed with pain. "Kill me, if you must," The General said in disgust.
Endymion pondered this for a moment. Killing him would not bring him peace. Killing him would only bring more pain. "No…" Endymion threw his sword down on the ground and looked directly into Nephile's eyes. "I will not kill you, Nephile. However, you are here by stripped of your title and rank, and you are banished from Totark—"
"Banished?" Zoimish gasped at the sentence. "For all of time?"
Endymion stood in silence again for a few moments. He glared at the ex-General and shook his head. "No… one hundred suns." He turned and ran his hand through his hair again. "But if I see your face in this city within those one hundred suns I will not hesitate to kill you, is that clear, Nephile?"
"Yes, sire."
"Now gather what you need and get out. You will be exiled from Totark at sundown. There will be no one to see you off. I will see to that. You have acted dishonorably, and now you will leave with dishonor," Endymion spat harshly. "Leave my sight."
Nephile recovered himself with as much grace as he could muster. Blood had ran down his uniform and his face had become even more swollen than it had been from the night before. Without saying another word he silently left the room, an air of embarrassment surrounding him.
"Endymion…" Jedine tried to put a hand on the Diolon's back, but he was quickly shaken off.
"This meeting is adjourned." Endymion glared at Jedine for a moment then marched out of the room. Leaving his two and only Generals staring in awe.
"My lord, what a tale this is turning out to be." The elderly gentleman gripped his tea cup in anticipation. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes as if he were taking in the entire story all at once. "Endymion… what a strong and skillful leader… and Serenity so innocent…"
"I have no finished reading the book yet, sir. There still is quite a lot to read." Ms. Muneson smiled, stood up, and walked back to the kitchen to put the tea pot back on the stove. "More Tea?"
"Oh, yes, please." The man smiled kindly then fixed his old withering eyes out the window. "Looks like it has started to rain. The clouds are quite dark."
"I hope the mail gets here safely." Ms. Muneson stood on her tip toes to pier out the window above the sink. "The post man hasn't been here yet today." The moment the words came out of the young woman's lips the door bell rang. "Hmm," She smiled as if it were a joke. "That must be him."
The old man sat in confusion. What a coincidence. The moment she had brought up the mail it had arrived. He crossed his arms, sighing in thought, than quickly gave up.
"Thank you," Ms. Muneson took the mail into her hand and closed the door behind her. She leafed through what looked like junk mail and bills until she came upon what she seemed to be what she had been looking for. "Ah, this is it!" She tore open the envelope. "My husband is to be coming back from his trip soon, he was supposed to write me with the date of his return." She read the letter silently.
"Your husband? You're married, ma'am?" He asked in astonishment. But she is so young…
"Oh, yes… for quite some time now." She looked up and laughed at the elderly man's response. "I told you I was older than I looked, didn't I? Hmm, he says he'll be home later tonight! I can't believe so early… well spring has come earlier this year, I suppose."
"Spring?" He asked, interested.
"He leaves at the end of Autumn for work every year." The idea did not even phase her as she continued to read her husband's letter. "I'm so happy he's coming." Her smile made her look even younger than she already did. "I would like to finish the book before he arrives, do you mind if I start again?"
"Oh no! Of course not. I want to know what happens in this story more than anything in the world at the moment."
"Hmm." She smiled and sat back down at the table where the old book lay. "Suns had passed since the general's departure…"
Yes, yes, I know it's short, but this is where I wanted this chapter to end. I promise more is to come, and that includes more Endymion/Serenity drama. Until then, please keep a look out for a new story that I will be writing, "Painted Ladies." I'm still working out the kinks in the storyline/plot. Yes, it's Sailormoon fanfiction, but that's all I will say about it for now. Until the next chapter, Yay!