Uninvited
Her long and elegant gown swayed drastically down the corridor, it's hem completely filthy since her anger was too fierce to make her even bother lifting it up. Usagi's beautiful face was betrayed by her flaring nostrils, giving out unpleasant breaths, and her tear soaked face. Her eyes never left her destination, the two large oak double doors, leading to her mother's room. Outside stood Maiestas, grinning with hunger for more trouble. His smile vanished as he skillfully bowed and led the Lunar Princess towards the Royal room which was unsurprisingly open and where two familiar voices were already engaged in discussion.
"I have already decided this! Law is now dependent of myself and others in the Lunar throne! The Princess has not even been asked! What will...Oh!" - Serenity suddenly stopped her angry cries when she noticed her daughter had entered - "Usagi-chan! Enter properly and please wipe your face" she said calmly before subtly turning her head towards Saeko.
The Princess did so and bowed, noticing her mother had turned and was also cleansing her face from crying. "Mother, please! I beg Makoto-chan be released! She hasn't broken a single law! This is outrageous!" the pig-tailed blonde cried urgently, her calmness had gone as quickly as it had come.
"I do not agree on the fashion of these claims but I do agree the intention. The Jovian girl must be treated with justice! Her incarceration is barbaric!" Saeko announced before giving Usagi a small smile.
The double doors creaked and everyone, much to their dislike, noticed Maiestas had entered. "It is simple protocol my ladies. Whether common or not, a traitor or murderer must be sent immediately to proper contention. The poisoned garment was sent by no other than the Jovian Princess. We have no knowledge of her intentions and as such we, for our protection in such times, must take precaution" the old man said as he hung deep in the dark of the candle lit room.
Nails almost cutting into her palm, Usagi approached the man and quivered over him "As QUEEN" - she emphasized to announce - "I demand the release of Makoto-chan!, Now!" she cried into the man's face, her finger shaking towards the two guards hiding under the dark on the other side of the room.
A sudden shock in the room caused all the torches and unlit candles to light, everyone jumped from the excitement. Serenity's presence was made clear as she strolled very strictly towards her daughter "You are not queen yet young girl. Don't you dare ever presume you are until I am good and dead. Most of us appreciate your stance and protection for Makoto-chan but never, in this life, on this planet, call yourself queen if I live and breathe. Do you understand?" she commanded as she gripped her daughter's shoulder tightly, her eyes burned against the flame of the closest candle.
The room was silent, all piercing the still and dominant frame of the Queen. Usagi nodded stiffly, tears falling like water through a broken glass. Thankfully, or not, the double doors burst open and pushed both Maiestas and the Princess aside into a hard cabinet, even Serenity was frightened back.
"She didn't do it! She didn't do it! Makoto-chan is innocent! I can prove it!" a shrieking voice cried. Ami entered freely, both excited and frightened, unaware of her disturbance. She stood heaving and holding a piece of parchment. Her mother's gaze made her take a step back where she stumbled into Usagi who was removing herself from the door and a panicking Maiestas.
"Leave now! I find it incredible how often you embarrass us! Has this become a trend?" Saeko was forced to announce. She tried to find agreement by looking around but the air was still tense. Only the old mercurian, who had barely freed himself from under blocking bodies, seemed to agree with his Queen, his eyes locked on the parchment in Ami's hand.
"It's true. Makoto-chan could not have done this" - Serenity said quickly before anyone could continue - "Her ship was meant for Ceres, in the case of an invasion. It was either her bravery or stupidity that led her to the Moon...and almost dying. The Jovian's are considered an Outer people but they are loyal and they have been since the beginning, much more than the other...beings. There is no reason to keep her incarcerated, especially since she is wounded and displaced" Serenity said calmly causing a slight nervousness in the room.
Maiestas launched himself further into the room causing the two soldiers to sound their swords. The wicked man, filled with sweat, continued "I understand but the law...we are bound by it. The evidence is clear against the Jovian girl. They have never considered us...equal... perhaps they too have fallen into the Evil's trap. Innocence must not destroy us!" he screamed much to desperately.
"How dare you speak your mind so freely! We are to decide, not you! I do not think highly of Jovians but I would never condemn one to this treatment! You are to be asked, not to decide!" Saeko said furiously as she approached the smaller man.
Maiestas gave a little giggle "You are not my queen. I answer to a King. He is not dead, is he? He lives, I know. As long is that is true I will never take orders from you, I don't have to until it is true. Unless you've already killed him and you haven't told me..." he slithered before throwing himself at Saeko. The two guards were quick to grab him before he choked the Mercurian Queen.
Ami and Usagi sprung away, both shocked and scared. They both turned expectantly towards Serenity who was nodding elegantly towards Saeko.
Huffing and drenched with tears, the blue haired queen signaled the guards to take him to the dungeons "Release the Jovian Princess..." she almost whispered before sobbing uncontrollably, Serenity waved her hand in command before hugging her friend.
The old man was pulled away but was able to scream the last frightening words: "I'm still the Martian Princess's guardian! You can't kill me! I'm not the enemy! I'm not" his cries were heard until the main doors were closed.
Saeko, fighting her tears, cringed "The Martian soldier who signed has died, am I right? she asked lazily, the answer much too obvious for a stronger tone.
Serenity hugged her friend closer "He has. Poisoned, no doubt" she answered sternly.
000
Makoto always wanted to be a warrior, especially like her parents had been. Her father taught her to be brave, very brave and to fight for her beliefs and her family. Her mother had also been strong, physically and mentally. It was always difficult to separate what she liked and what she had to be. Jovian's, even women, were warriors but she felt a certain hope towards being like those women on Venus where they were "romantic". Makoto gave away her gowns for books about the subject, pieces which were rarely found unless brought by people visiting Jupiter. She was obsessed with love, how ever it came, but love was her inspiration.
But then the pain returned. Locked in that disgusting cell, the pain everywhere made her forget her dreams. She winced and held her side, hoping not to groan too loud since the guards would usually mock her and poke her wounds. When the door opened, Makoto, in defense, grabbed two small stones she had found and lodged herself onto the farthest wall as she saw the light from the gate open, this always indicated a beating which she always made worse by fighting back. Her defense was weak by now when she threw the first stone only through the bars.
"Queen Serenity has announced your release! We have been sent to assure your safety in the Palace and into your room! If you are loyal to the Lunar Queen, you will follow us calmly!" a soldier cried with a shaky tone. The Jovian laughed inwardly before nodding her head and limping out of the now opened cell. With a tranquil grin she was escorted through the dungeons and out towards the outer gates.
"Are you going to kill me?" the jovian asked much too casually and calmly.
The soldier holding her, since she could barely walk, almost laughed "Of course not, my Lady. We are escorting you to the Royal rooms. Is that not where you belong?" he finished slyly.
Trying to hold a pained breath she laughed "Yes, yes. I didn't...think they were so...strict..." she chuckled before suddenly stopping. As they all approached the main gates of the Palace they were opened. Four guards were escorting a grinning Maiestas out into the outer court. They let them past, obviously letting the bigger threat go first. Makoto frowned angrily at the older man while he, very smugly, winked. She tried to double over and give him a smack but the soldier holding her came first.
"Come on! I've been ordered to take you to your bed! Let's go!" - he laughed kindly before carefully tugging the jovian along - "We should spar one day, it must be fun!" he added with a smile before they entered the Palace. Despite Makoto's stubbornness, she was exhausted and confused. The soldier taking her was much too familiar but she didn't mind, she felt like at home with a tall and strong escort to take her. Feeling almost drunk with so little strength, the brunette was led into her room, where everyone was waiting for her.
"Is this is how you treat your patients?" Saeko cried before grabbing Makoto from the ground and heaving her, with the help of Ami, onto the bed.
"I did not make this decision, you did, my friend. That man who will be in two days time the Martian Princesses' guardian, for the time being, will." Serenity answered delicately.
"Unless you wish to kill him, illegally, I cannot. You can, under these "new" laws. The Jovian girl, I believe is innocent. But she must be tried and taken again, care of. You treat your prisoners like criminals!" Saeko demanded much too pedantically.
Ami, biting her lip and rubbing both her hands, half smiled "She's very loyal and a good person. I agree with my mother, we mustn't treat anyone like a prisoner, especially if she's a Guardian to the Princess. I'd like to take care of her" - she looked quickly at her mother's frown - "to become a greater healer!" she answered quickly.
Saeko laughed and shook her head "No, that would be inappropriate! I will care for her!" she declared a little too desperately.
Makoto began to grown, her pain was immediate and known. Serenity was quick to intermediate "I think, as Ami-chan would be the healer of our...guardian's she should intervene in such a matter. Let her practice since, as I see, she'll do well." the woman said before ushering everyone out. Saeko hesitated but left with a piercing eye as the door closed.
Ami was paralyzed for a moment, her healer hand's inching towards a body she knew, liked but never really felt. She remembered her silly kiss with Rei but it felt...bland. It made her mad to think of Minako, just because she was much more open than she was, it seemed to appeal to EVERYONE. The distasteful thoughts in her mind were some how enlightened by the closeness with the Jovian, which she had not been able to get out of her mind since last she saw her. She could fathom as to why her thoughts were wavering between her new found friends and the odd sensations they produced.
Her contemplation was ruined by the brunette's sudden but weak protective hand. Makoto was wheezing but she still sat up and tried defending herself. "Ami-chan?...Princess...?" she mumbled sarcastically. Her eyes, filled with a piercing cold, attacked Ami's sad blue one's.
The genius, hurt but determined, smiled "You're a Princess too. But unlike you, I'm a healer" she said before lifting Makoto's shirt and tracing her hand along her strong stomach up the wound on her side. It made the brunette breath deeply in nervousness and in pain. Ami ,as taught, trailed her fingers along the ribcage until she felt the heart; it pounded so intensely she almost doubled-over.
"I don't doubt you are a healer...Princess of Mercury but I must ask for another. Such delicate hands should not be exposed to laborious duties" Makoto said as she gently pulled Ami's hand from under her shirt. She immediately felt the blue haired girl's scarred hand, now drenched in her own blood, and held it against her own callous palm. The two looked at each other frightfully, as if they both realized a deep and dark secret. The brunette could not stop from straightening herself up and inching her way closer to the smaller girl, their eyes never leaving each others.
"I'm quite positive your mother would not approve of this" Maeistas's voice slithered into the room as he did as well. The two girls jumped and immediately separated themselves, only inches away from kissing. The man grinned as he approached them wickedly.
Ami was first to protest as she quickly placed herself between him and the bed "You! What are you doing? You should be in the dungeons! Guards! Guards!" she cried urgently towards the door, her wary eyes darting between the man and Makoto who began to get up in pain. Ami motioned her to stay down as she desperately cried for protection again.
Maiestas held his crippled hands high in defeat "Princess...please. I have come apologize for my snide remarks. I was not myself. Besides, the dungeons is no place for the guardian of Princess Rei-chan" - he slowly reached into his pocket, which made Ami flinch, and held out a crystal necklace- "a token for my insolence, your father left it to me for safe keeping to give to you" he said slightly bowing as the gift was taken.
The genius inspected the item, noticing the misty symbol of Mercury floating in each crystal bead of the necklace "Why did you wait this long to give it to me? Well? Were you planning on keeping it?" she accused furiously.
The old man laughed innocently "Of course not! I would never posses such a magnificent heirloom! I am loyal to the King, he simply instructed I give it to you when the appropriate time came" he said bowing again.
"You mean, when she became a Guardian?" Makoto suddenly intruded, more curiously than defensively. From her spot she tried getting a look at the precious jewelry only to be blocked by Ami's protective hold on it.
Maiestas frowned at the brunette "No. It was to be given to her when she would be proposed to, tomorrow evening" he said devishly. Both girls reactions made him almost weep from glee.
"Proposed? You mean...marry?" Makoto again interfered, her voice both shocked and disappointed. It was not surprising when Ami sat defeatedly on the end of the bed, her eyes glistening as she twirled the heirloom in her shaking hands.
"I will spare you the details since they are none of your concern but yes, General Zoisite of Earth will come tomorrow to propose to the princess. It is a long awaited courtship the now deceased King of Mercury wished for. His death will be celebrated with the blossoming of a new Prince to one day inherit the throne. I suspect Jovian's operate the same way?"
"We choose who we marry" the brunette answered a little too harshly. Her eyes never leaving Ami's still form.
"That's all very well for you but we like to keep things much more clean and simple. No time for love when it comes to politics. Anyway, your mother has already arranged the set of gowns you'll be wearing for the funeral and ball. And I..." - Maiestas said proudly as he turned to leave - "must confer with the Princess of Mars as to what she'll be wearing. I have it on good authority that she too has suitor interested in...such affairs " he added with an airy hand gesture before slowly striding towards the door.
"Wait! Please wait..." - Ami cried as she quickly stood up. She swiftly and as gracefully as she could wiped tears from her face - "I cannot stay. I have matters to attend to. Please Maiestas, take care of Princess Makoto-chan's wounds. I'll send a guard in immediately" she stated before running past the old man and out the room, Makoto didn't even have time to protest. Just outside a very tall, auburn haired guard was waiting. Between tears, the blue haired girl instructed him to watch and protect the Jovian princess to which he happily obliged and went in.
"She must be excited. I sure would be if a handsome general from Earth were to propose. Royal youth should not be wasted on trivial things such as love" Maeistas said slyly as he approached the bed. Makoto recoiled and tried to keep away, despite the pain holding her down. She was relieved to see the guard enter the room until she noticed he locked the door and cocked his sword from his thigh.
"You're a Jovian, aren't you?" the brunette asked aggressively.
"I thought it would be more appropriate, given the nature of your kind. But not to worry, Proditor here has served the Moon Kingdom for a very long time, he hails no threat, only protection to the walls of the Palace" - the old man said giving his new abettor a wink - "Now if you please princess, allow me to heal those dreadful wounds that trouble me so" he added as he sat down on the bed and began soaking a cloth with a powerful smelling liquid. Makoto finally gave in and allowed the man to gingerly wipe her bleeding head, the stench of his mouth was a difficult dose to handle.
"What is it?" the tall girl asked as she felt the freezing medicine have a tightening effect on her wound, she could feel the gash almost knit itself closed.
Maiestas, his terrible breath flowing like fog, sneered "You wouldn't understand. It's a Mercurian secret. It helps prevent scars though, as you might guess, we hardly use it. I believe I have the only batch in the Kingdom. Consider it an offering of good terms, between us" he said mysteriously.
Makoto looked over at the guard who seemed very interested in her "I have enough scars as it is, I don't mind. Perhaps you should use it on Ami-ch...I mean on the Mercurian princess's wound, the scar on her hand" she whispered feeling very uncomfortable due to the soldier's intrusive staring.
"If I had had access to the girl when the wound was fresh than yes, I could have used it but I was not called for" - the man said bitterly but quickly composed himself into a fake smile - "She'll have to use gloves tomorrow at the ball, we wouldn't want General Zoisite to lose his appetite for our young princess. You on the other hand...I have it on good faith the gash on your head will heal nicely by tomorrow and perhaps you too will find a new heir to the throne of Jupiter" - he said with the usual air of ambition before lifting Makoto's shirt and studying the damage on her side - "I'm afraid this scar will be a shocking surprise on the wedding night" he added sarcastic and maliciously.
Makoto quickly pulled her garment down "I don't care! Get him to turn away!" she demanded flushed in the face and signaling towards the lustful guard who had no qualms in continuing to stare. A quick wave from the healer made him sulk and turn his back towards them, his head anxiously but carefully turning to get a good look. With the brunette more worried about the pervert than the gross man, the guard was asked to leave the room. Since she could not fathom that Maeistas had any sexual intentions towards absolutely anything, Makoto allowed him to tend to her bare torso.
"You know, I truly am sorry for my past actions towards you, they were unjust. I was simply following my Queen's requests and that of her daughter's. They have taken a dislike for you since you arrived dear Lady. Textbook nonsense about Jupiter has forced such ideas into their heads, unlike their King who was a true artist of experience. But, I am now a mere pawn in their diplomatic games" Maiestas said with pity as he began sealing the brunette's wound.
"The Princess of Mercury has been very kind to me, whatever her mother's inklings are I doubt she shares them" Makoto stated confidently.
"By all means! My princess is a kind and generous girl, very curious as well. But because I too have been victim to her temporary interest I would feel for you if she chose to abandon your friendship over whatever else fancies her interest. Naturally once she is wed, the circumstances will change either way. Which is why..." the sickening man whispered as he pulled some stray hairs from the brunette's face with a perverse air - "you should also look lovely tomorrow. Zoisite is not the only terran general attending tomorrow's ball and I have it on good authority that they are very good looking" he said gently, the evil grin on his face was lost as night had already drifted in.
"I suppose...the events of the evening could unfold to my advantage..." Makoto said slowly, feeling the cold liquid on her head begin to make her sleepy and clumsy.
"That's good, it's best to keep high spirits especially in times like these" - Maiestas slithered as he covered the girl up and lit a candle next to the bed - "I promise...tomorrow will be a very exciting night" he added before closing the drapes and limping his way out the door. He met with a very angry looking Proditor.
"Oh, stop looking at me like that you drunk fool. She'll not take likely to you following me around after the scene you made" the old man hissed, exasperated.
The soldier abandoned his erect posture as he walked lazily behind his master "You promised! I'll be damned if I've been swindled by you! I'm tired of being locked up in that cold, damp tower alone eh! You promised!" he badgered.
"You've had all the drink and food you've wanted! Don't you threaten me now!"
"Right but you also promised me something else, eh? Makes me miss the lovely maid down in the dungeons I tell you! What say you, eh?" Proditor continued to push.
Maiestas quickly turned his heel and looked up at the dumbfounded guard "What would you have had me do? Let you have your way with the virgin Princess of Jupiter? Brawn over brains is an understatement with you!" he retaliated brutally.
Continuing their walk down the silent corridor, the soldier was still confused by what was said "I didn't mean like that! I just wanted a good look - see, wouldn't do nothing of the sort to the princess. I were just following up on your promise, I've been good to you, no?" he said gently but nervously.
"I'll send a girl up tonight, if that will calm your mindless ache" - Maiestas said calmly before stopping on the spot - "But, take notice. Once you're done with her, she must be put down. No one must know you're up there, understood?" he said seriously before retaking his path.
Proditor flinched "Well that's a bit strong, isn't it?".
"Martian Princess, would you please step inside and close the window. I'm very cold and in my state I shouldn't be exposed to this weather" Minako nagged from her bed where she still laid. Her condition had improved wonderfully but her mood was yet to go unchanged after she heard what Rei had done to Makoto.
A grunt and a loud clicking of the balcony doors introduced the annoyed miko back into the blonde's warm room. Without even a glance, she strode swiftly across the room and into a chair in the corner. "Would you please stop calling me that, it's very rude and distasteful" she complained as she stared dumbly at a flickering flame from one of the candles.
"It would be rude and distasteful if I did otherwise, besides, you should be grateful I'm even speaking to you, the way you acted" Minako retaliated.
An indistinguishable bickering from the corridor went unnoticed as Rei got up and as calmly as she could walked over to the bed. Her face looked tired and almost about to burst as she explained again her actions. "The gift came from her. You wore it and almost died! It wasn't her I doubted it was whatever evil I feel lingering in the palace! I couldn't take a chance, I couldn't let...it happen again. Minako-chan, there is a burning sensation in me that I can't let go of. Something awful is going happen and very soon. I wish I could say what but I just can't channel it. Please, you have to believe me. I would never do such a malicious thing unless I was...crazed" she said, already she now sitting on the bed next to the infirm girl.
"And what about me? Did it make you angry it was me who almost died?" the blonde asked solemnly.
"Yes. I was not myself when you fell ill. I fear the worst when I am not myself...especially since it makes me fear you" Rei whispered before mechanically holding Minako's hand in her own; it was the oddest thing she had ever done which made it the most liberating.
"My parents always said that fear is the opposite of love. Don't you think that might be true?" Minako said warmly before cradling the miko's cheek with her other hand. The gesture was met with a gentle kiss to her palm from the Martian. The blonde leaned forward but stopped when she saw the alarm in Rei's eyes.
The burning sensation rose into a storm in the miko's mind, that small flame she had felt was now a blaze as she could only see and hear a chaos taunting her powerful vision. The Palace ballroom danced with fire at the tune of hundreds of screams shattering the glass and crystal of the elegant room. Dark and uneven shadows terrorized the event which transpired; Minako, dressed in a sparkling yellow gown, cried out to her in the midst of an unforeseen battle. Her hand burned but with pleasure, the climax of something inside her was about to unfold as she looked into desperate blue eyes...
"REI! REI!" Minako's cries and the fact that she was being turbulently shaken brought the miko back to the cosy room where she sat on the bed next to a hysterical blonde. She looked at her companion with a confused expression before an incoming headache drove her to quickly stand up.
"Rei-chan? Rei-chan? Are you alright? Sit back down! I'll go get Ami-chan!" the blonde urged as she quickly got out of bed and tried to sit the black haired girl back down.
Barely able to hear, the miko shook her head incessantly and shoved Minako back on the bed "No! No! You stay here, I have to go" she said backing away.
"But why? What's happening? Don't go! Tell me what's wrong!" the blonde insisted as she began to shed tears, she began to stand again but stopped when Rei's hand made a forceful gesture for her to stay in her place.
Rei, also beginning to cry from heartache and the pain hammering in her head, continued to back away towards the door "I'm so sorry Minako-chan...I have a prior engagement to General Jadeite of Earth. I intend to keep a promise to my father. Goodbye" she said hurriedly before leaving a sobbing Minako in the lonely room.
As she slid along the corridor walls, the headache too strong to handle, Rei's blurry mind could still wonder why she had said that to the blonde princess. She made it to her room, which was next door, and quickly cupped her hands over a lit candle in one of corners. An old trick she had learned from her sensei enabled her to calm the mind without burning her hands. As the flame grew strong, the numbing headache was reduced to a slight throb in her temples. The miko looked over at her bed and for the first time in days actually found it appealing, also, the fact that Maiestas was not peering into her room as usual was a blessing. But despite her tired state and the cosy surroundings, she could not ease the pain in her heart from having hurt Minako so unjustly.
"Why did I say that to her?" the miko asked herself as she threw herself onto the bed, ignoring that she still wore her daily outfit. She began to think of her father and that one silly, at least in her mind, conversation they had once had when she was a child. The hope that the inner system would one day unite with the Earth as it's core. An empire woven by families joining other families, harvesting goodnatured relations forever. Peace made by blood and marriage, treaties and laws provided by those who knew but not those who must oblige by them. Rei laughed when she remembered her father's next words; `This young fellow Jadeite may be good and honorable and if he is to your liking and love comes naturally, then, when the times comes, you will wish nothing more than to marry him. But, if your heart does not flutter like the wings of a hummingbird at the mere thought of him then this kingdom is a much more peaceful one without him'.
Rei now had her face buried into her pillow, trying to drown out the wailing of sorrow as she cried. There was no longer a kingdom to maintain peaceful and she no longer had a father to disappoint.
A few hours passed since Ami had bolted into her room and sat at the edge of her bed staring at the flames roaring in the fireplace. Her lap was drenched in tears, as they dried a new set would begin to fall and continuously ruin her silk gown. She didn't care. The fine heirloom sent from her dead father had long ago been tossed to the ground, draping the floor with shattered beads and glimmering crystal adorning the darkened room. She had read about this, more often than not. The shadowy yet exciting epoch of lust, love and anger. She was sixteen, a fine age to flourish in such aspects yet...she was not allowed to. Old stories of forbidden love and fantasy had filled her anxious heart under the covers when she was young but in the day...her mother had always contained such wild ideas with obedience and learning. Yet, Saeko had always taught her she could be great, extraordinary, even brilliant but never beyond the consistency of her own upbringing.
'Matters of love are of the brain, you know this very well Ami-chan. Our bodies have taught us to react to a suitable mate. One who will care for us and protect us. Love for knowledge is all you need and a patient heart to maintain the Mercurian legacy. The act of love is to continue the path to enlightenment, progress is the only virtue you'll ever need. Love with another is simply fear of loneliness but when you challenge yourself, and only yourself, you will never be alone'
Remembering the passage only made the genius angrier. She was well accustomed to loneliness, how could she ever fear it? A painful thought made her shed more tears and double over as the pain in her heart ached in her throat, swelling her stomach with a tightness she had never felt. Sharing a bed with anyone other than Makoto seemed like the most endurable torture she could imagine. Her mind told her it was idiotic and crazed like, but her mind could not denounce itself to her body which ached so much. Ami looked at her scarred hand, remembering her fingers feeling the drum of a heartbeat under callous yet warm skin, the moist blood from the taller girl's frightening yet entrancing wound. Her mind escaped to the dream of her and Makoto...
"Your father gave me that necklace when he proposed" Saeko's voice eased itself into the room. Ami had indeed noticed when she had entered but found it better to ignore her wicked mother. The woman slowly made her way to her daughter and sat next to her on the bed, awaiting to be spoken to.
The blue haired girl reacted and looked the other way, towards two gowns perched on the dresser next to the balcony windows. "I simply thought that if the purpose of the marriage is false then why use it. I might as well wear a maid's uniform since I have no choice in the matter" she said despondently.
"You do have a say in the matter! It is I who does not! There was no war when I was your age! Everything was politics and a downpour on planets like Mercury! Had I not married your father we would be a Jovian colony. Our recent importance in the system would never had existed had it been for those barbarians! You can change the fate of Mercury once and for all, a united system with you as Queen and Zoisite as your second!" the Queen whispered urgently, her eyes welting in tears.
The sight of her mother so fragile and weak make Ami shed even more tears, if possible. "There is no more Kingdom of Mercury! Earth is barely breathing. There is no point in me marrying this man! Please, I have no loyalty to him and neither do you! We are safe and free here, please do me this kindness!" she pleaded as she held her mother's cold hands.
"We will win this war and you shall be Queen of Mercury alongside Zoisite. Kindness is a fine but disappointing virtue and I will not allow my only child to fall into the hands of temptation they call love. We do not have the luxury of such weakening feelings. You mistake kindness for charity in this palace and I will not allow you to fall as I have. When the general proposes tomorrow evening, the both of you will stay in one of the villas closest to earth where you will depart as soon as it is advisable" Saeko said as she carefully displaced her hand from her daughter's and got up as if nothing had transpired.
"You've been bewitched by him, haven't you? Mother! MOTHER!" - Ami cried as she fell to her knees, too distraught to pursue Saeko as she easily walked out of the room - "You would never do this to me..." she sobbed tilting onto the floor and shaking from anger and hurt. Her nerves erupted and in an instant Ami tore down the gowns and shred them to pieces until every line of fabric was thrust angrily into the fire and burnt into a gold and silver flame.
Too much? It's all good and fun. Anyway, hope you enjoyed and don't forget to comment! Sorry for the really late update!