Title: To Brave the Darkness
Disclaimer: I don't own anything about Sailor Moon
Author's Notes: Alright everyone. Here's the next chapter! I did have one review I wanted to comment on. It was pointed out that Raye has sort of had a 180. First I had her resigned to the fact that Endymion was a scoundrel and talking about his conquests, and now she's standing up for him saying he loved Serenity all along. I meant the transition to be more along the lines of she found out the truth recently, and is now convinced of his devotion. I'm sorry if that wasn't clear. When I have some time, I'll go back and make a small adjustment so that makes more sense. Thanks for the comments!
It was hours later, and Serenity was already dressed for the night. She was sitting up in her bed, reading a book she had borrowed from the King's library. It was late, and Endymion had not yet come to see her.
It was possible that he had not gotten the King's message and was not in the palace at all. His movements were so sporadic through the kingdom that he might be hard to find. She had given up hope when Raye had yawned and said it was time to get some sleep, but Serenity couldn't sleep. She kept the light on in her room, letting the warm late summer air drift through her open window.
The palace felt strangely empty to her. She had always assumed that the King had numerous guests around him and the palace was full. But she had learned today that he only admitted visitors in the morning, performed his duties the rest of the day, and preferred being by himself in the evening. That meant that there was almost nobody staying in the palace. She felt honored that he had so casually asked her to stay.
She was starting to feel like she might be able to finally sleep, when there was a soft knock at her door.
She hurried up, padding bare foot over the floor to the door, and opened it a crack.
Endymion leaned against the frame, looking tired.
Serenity felt her heart tug painfully in her chest, seeing him again. It was strange, now that she knew he loved her. He never would have told the King as much if it weren't true.
"Hello," he said in his smooth, low voice.
She felt nervous, like she had never been this close or alone with him before. "Hello," she whispered back.
His smiled was slow and his gaze was light. "I'm sorry it's so late."
She shook her head, hugging the door to her side. "I was still up."
"Having trouble sleeping?"
"I can't stop myself from thinking when it's this quiet," she looked behind her, wondering how improper it would be to ask him in. Of course, she was already completely improper. So she stepped out of the way, not saying anything, and he moved smoothly into the room.
The door clicked as she closed it, and she could only turn around and looked at him, pushing her back against the door. She felt nervous and fluttery and she had no idea how to start this.
He didn't move too far away, only a few steps. His posture was casual and he didn't seem uncomfortable at all in her room. But of course he had been in many different ladies' rooms before.
"The King listened to your story?" He asked.
She nodded. "Did you speak to him tonight?"
"I did," he answered, sighing. "He's always been a better man than me."
She wanted to argue that, but really she couldn't. Endymion didn't have the best reputation, but that didn't make him a bad person. In fact, he was proving that he cared more about the people around him than almost anyone she knew.
"After yesterday, I wasn't sure if you wanted me to…"
"You told the King you loved me?" She asked, cutting him off.
He paused for a moment, considering her intently. Then, slowly, he nodded.
"Why?" She was almost afraid for the answer, afraid that he had just used it as a ploy. Maybe he truly wanted to help her and didn't care what happened to his reputation anymore.
"Because I do," he said softly, keeping his gaze steady.
Serenity felt tears well up in her eyes, but she didn't move.
He took a step towards her, but stopped before touching her. He reached up a hand to brush her hair from her face. His eyes clouded with concern at how upset she looked.
"Serenity, I never meant to hurt you," he said in such an honest voice. "I don't know how to do this properly. I've never loved anyone like this before. I've never regretted my actions because I was never really losing anything. If I could go back and change all of it just to make things better between us, I would."
She struggled for a moment, trying to stay composed.
"If you changed your past, you never would have met me."
He nodded slowly. "That's true."
"Would that be better?" She asked.
He didn't even hesitated. "No," he said with such conviction. "No life without you, no matter how pure and happy, would ever be worth it."
She breathed out, losing her control. Her tears started to fall silently on her cheeks, and her throat was tensing up. "I want to give in," she practically sobbed. "I want to just allow myself to love you and trust you. But I'm afraid," she said as he stepped forward to envelope her in his arms.
He held her to him tightly, letting her cry into his chest. His warm embrace completely encircled her, and he kissed her hair.
"Let me prove it to you," he whispered. "Let me prove that I can be faithful to only you. I don't want anything you're not willing to give Serenity, but if you could ever love me openly, I promise I'll never let you down."
She clung to him, almost desperately. Being in his arms made everything just seem to be too much. She couldn't hold in to the stress or the hurt. She couldn't hold in the fear anymore. She just seemed to collapse, and he continued to hold her, not letting her go.
"I love you," he said softly, making her sob harder, "and I'll spend the rest of my life proving that to you."
In that moment, she knew she couldn't fight it anymore. She just wanted him. She wanted to believe that they could make it work—so she did. She would trust him because he had never given her any personal reason not to.
She pushed away from him, just enough to look up and kiss him.
He responded immediately, breathing in and adjusting his hold so he was pressing her to him, kissing her longingly. It was so unlike the first time he had kissed her. Then it had been a seductive kiss, bringing her into his lust. This time it was filled with passion and desire, and love.
Serenity felt like she was finally quenching the most excruciating thirst. Her whole body tingled with her want, and she knew she needed more. She ran her hands up his chest, moaning slightly as she pressed her body into his. All at once the rest of the world dropped away, and she was completely absorbed with him. His kisses turned almost hungry, and Serenity felt the smoldering fire build within her. Memories of their first time together swirled within her, and her breathing became ragged as he kissed down her neck.
But to her surprise, he stopped then, pulling back just far enough to lean his forehead against hers and smile softly down at her.
"I'm doing this right this time," he said in a ragged voice.
She looked at him confused, trying to focus on what he was saying when she wanted nothing more than for him to continue what he had been doing. "I thought we did okay the first time," she breathed out, moving as close to him as she could, trying to lure him back to her.
His look now was very suggestive. "Trust me, we did it exquisitely the first time. But that's not what I mean. I want to be with you, not just because I want to have sex with you, but also because I want to be near you. I'm content like this, just being here."
She was touched. "You don't want to have sex?"
"Oh trust me, I do," he said honestly. "But first I'm going to prove you can trust me, then I'm going to wait until you're sure, and then I'm going to ask you to marry me."
Her eyes opened wide in surprise. "Marry you?"
He caressed her cheek, wiping off the few remaining tears with his thumb. "Yes," he said softly. "And if you will have me, then we'll get married and go on our honeymoon." His eyes teased her now. "Trust me when I say that our wedding night will be something to remember."
She blushed under his gaze, feeling sort of giddy all of a sudden. "What if I don't say yes for three years?"
"Then I'll wait three years."
"What if I don't say yes for five years?"
"Then I'll wait four and a half years before sneaking into your room and having my way with you."
She laughed, knowing he was kidding.
"You're the only one I want," he said more seriously. "I'll wait as long as I have to."
"I think I can trust you," she said honestly. "You've never given me any reason to doubt you."
"Wait," he said shaking his head. "Wait until you're perfectly sure. There's no hurry."
"Will you stay with me tonight?" She asked.
"I'm not sure that's entirely proper," he said in an amused voice.
"I don't care," she said. "I just don't want you to go."
"Then I'll stay."
Serenity realized that she had never truly known what happiness was until that moment. All the progress she had made in her life, getting away from her stepfather and meeting all her wonderful friends, was nothing compared to this moment. She lay in her bed, lying in his arms, shivering in pleasure whenever his soft caresses moved down her back. They could be anywhere right now, and she wouldn't care. The world could be burning outside, and she wouldn't care.
They talked softly to one another, taking time to simply get to know one another in a way they had never bothered doing before. He told her about growing up and being friends with the King. He told her about the time he'd first met Raye. He told her about his mother and how kind she had been despite his father's treatment of her. She in turn told her everything she could remember about when her mother had been alive and she'd been happy.
The midnight hours dragged on slowly, and yet too quickly. The gray of the morning had started to glimmer into existence before Serenity found her eyes drooping and her mind going hazy. She remembered his warm lips, gently kissing her forehead, as she drifted off into a happy sleep.
When Serenity awoke in the morning, Endymion was gone. For a moment there was panic, but she shook it away even before she saw the rose resting on the pillow beside her, deep red and beautiful.
She smiled, picking it up and smelling its beautiful fragrance. Then she picked up the letter beneath it.
You have a way of making it almost impossible to leave despite knowing I'll see you again soon. I did not want any ammunition to be gained against you by us being found together before the King has proclaimed you innocent.
I will be always yours, Endymion.
Serenity lay back in bed, feeling ready to explode she was so happy.
But slowly, ever so slowly, the reality of life started to settle back down on her. She was still at the palace, and the King still had to find his evidence to prove her innocent. And even if he did, she might not escape going back to live with her stepfather.
She sighed, rolling off the bed and quickly starting the long process of getting washed and dressed.
The day went by with relative ease. Serenity and Raye busied themselves as best they could, trying to keep their minds off the anxiety they felt about the upcoming events.
Thankfully, there was something Raye simply couldn't let go of.
"I can't believe he asked you to marry him," she gushed happily. "Can you imagine, Endymion married."
Serenity blushed. "He didn't exactly ask me. He said he's going to ask me when he's sure I trust him again."
"But you trust him now so that could be any time."
"I'm pretty sure I trust him now, but he's right, I have to be without-a-doubt positive."
"So what's that going to take?"
"Time," she said honestly. "We talked for a long time last night, and he said the same as you. Other than Lady Anne, he hasn't been with anyone since I came around. That's a big achievement, especially for him. If he can really wait for me, then I'll know."
"How long will you make him wait?"
"As long as it takes," she said, and then smiled. "I can't see it taking that long."
Raye laughed. "I give it a week."
Serenity sighed. "As long as I don't have to go back to living with my stepfather."
"I don't think the King will allow that," Raye said with a shrug. "He seems reasonable enough, and Endymion trusts him. He spoke to us yesterday, but I'd bet you he already has men throughout the entire kingdom looking into this matter. We'll only be here a short time."
"And what's the best case scenario?" Serenity asked. "If he finds that I'm telling the truth, I may be forgiven. But will it be an option to allow me to live by myself, without a guardian? Surely my stepfather will be scolded, told he's not allowed to marry me, and then given my charge again. Until I'm married or have a fortune of my own, I don't have any rights."
Raye looked worried. "Maybe if you tell the King you intend to marry Endymion."
"Even if that is the case, which I wouldn't want to use as leverage, I would still need a guardian until that wedding took place."
"Let's talk about something else," Raye said. "We've done all we can do and there's no point dwelling on it. I like our conversation about Endymion finally getting married and falling in love much better. It's much more ridiculous."
Serenity laughed. "I suppose your right."
The waiting was almost excruciating. Serenity and Raye spend two days worrying themselves about what might happen in the future. They forced each other to pretend nothing in particular was wrong, but it was hard when you were living in the King's palace.
They never really saw the King again. He stayed in his wing of the palace, or out in the kingdom, working harder every day. He didn't have time for even dining with them. Serenity wasn't upset about this, but it made it harder to gauge how things were progressing in the investigation.
The only thing, besides Raye's continual companionship, that got her through the day, was Endymion's letters.
I'm staying with Andrew and his family while this is going on. The King has asked that I be available for questioning the day everything is decided. Regardless of that, I wanted to stay close to you. I wish I could come and see you, but you're under the King's protection and nobody is allowed in at all. He has written me a note inviting me to resume our previous friendship, which I intend to accept, but it will not take place before your hearing.
Thinking of you always, your Endymion.
Serenity could almost hear his voice when she read his letters. They were always signed that he was hers, and he always managed to sound so sweet without going on and on about how much his feelings for her had grown. She knew that he loved her, and he knew that she loved him, and that seemed to be more than enough.
Raye always rolled her eyes whenever Serenity would emotionally read them, and then clutch them to her chest as she closed her eyes.
"You're like a love sick puppy."
"I've never understood that saying," Serenity said. "Do puppy's really get love sick?"
Raye laughed. "We'll have to get one and find out."
"Is it usual for a situation such as mine to get a trial?"
"Yes and no," Raye said honestly. "I have heard cases of infidelity going to trial, but never involving the King. It is a very big matter, him taking an interest. I don't think he'd be bothered at all if Endymion weren't the one in question. They really were very close when they were young."
"Should I be concerned?"
"The whole kingdom will be listening. I bet they already have taken a keen interest in the matter. Once they've heard, it might make it easier for you to stay away from your stepfather. There will be many people willing to help."
It felt so extreme. Her simple case of wanting a life away from her stepfather had escalated into a trial observed by the King himself. How had that even happened? She had never heard of such a thing.
Two more days passed before they heard a single word from the King, but once they did, Serenity immediately wished they could step back into waiting anxiously. This was so much worse.
The King had called her and Raye to his royal courtroom to finalize the situation. It was very clear. Today was her hearing. Today she would find out her fate.
End of chapter twelve! Please review!
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