Journey to Beryl's Citadel

As soon as Neo Queen Serenity realized what she had done to her Endymion her mind came undone. She felt just as much pain and shame that Eve had felt after being seduced by the snake into eating the forbidden fruit. She knew one and all were livid and enraged with her. Nevertheless she didn't have time to feel self-pity. If she was to save Endymion from Beryl's clutches she had to get moving.

Therefore she raced into the nearby forest and dashed as swiftly as she could. Not caring if her snow white dress was being worn to shreds, blood-spattered, or filthy. She didn't even care that her beautiful golden mane was just as much as a mess. The odangos had come completely undone and her long hair was flying every which way. She didn't care at all. Every single one her thoughts were on her dearly loved Endymion.

As she ran swiftly through the woods she called out again and again Endymion's name, desperately looking for some sign of her beloved. It started to rain very hard and soon she was being sucked down into the mud. She tried franticly to pull herself out of the mud, but it wouldn't yield to her efforts. The rain was getting heavier and she was stuck in the middle of a riverbed. The water in the river was rising fast and if she didn't get unstuck quickly she would surely drown.

Just when it looked all lost she felt someone behind her and yanked her free. She passed out before she could see who had saved her life. All she remembered before losing conciseness was someone saying, "It's alright now. You're safe now."

How long was she out she had no idea. The sound of laughter awoke her from her slumber. As she little by little opened her sky blue eyes she found herself at a small cottage with a crackling fire burning brightly nearby. Still not fully awake she rolled right out of the bed and onto the stone floor.

"Oww! That smarts!" she moaned as she rubbed her sore bottom. Taking a good look around she found the cottage was exceptionally cozy and yet it appeared to be vacant. As she looked around the cottage she realized she no-longer could perceive sound the rainwater. Looking outside she saw that the rain had stopped. Peering out of the dusty trapezoid transom she could make out a glimmer of sunlight glistening through the treetops. "Where am I? What is this place?" she wondered aloud.

She then looked down at herself and saw she was in a simple white tunic. Blushing she reached back to the bed and pulled on a white silk bathrobe. As she tied the belt she could perceive sound the same children's laughter. Slowly she approached the door and opened it up. What she saw took her breath away. Outside was a small but beautiful garden with a shallow fish pond. An old woman in pale magenta dress was tending to the garden while three little girls were playing tag.

For some unknown reason the girls and this woman felt familiar. She noticed that all the girls' hair was in the same style. Like her hairstyle. But each of their odangos was different. The eldest girl looked like rabbit ears, the second oldest had two triangle odangos on each side of her head and the youngest was in two heart shaped odangos. She was very surprise to see them. She couldn't put her finger out it but she felt at peace and calm with them.

The oldest girl stopped dead in her tracks when she noticed Neo Queen Serenity standing in the doorway. She turned and smiled and called to her sisters. "Enough merriment, my sisters. Looks like our guest is awake! Grandma, look she awake!" called the pinked hair youth.

The woman looked up from her gardening and dusted off her dress. She smiled warmly at the young queen and bowed. "I'm most pleased that you are awake. We feared you would die from being in that cold river for so long. Come warm yourself by the fire and we shall fix you some food."

"I'm afraid, kind lady that I cannot stay. I'm looking for my husband King Endymion. Did he come by here? It's really important that I find him," she said as she wiped her silver tears from her eyes.

"What's the matter, Lady? Why must you find him?" asked the youngest girl in a puzzled tone. She held out a blossom to the queen who gingerly took it from her. It smelled divinely and she felt better. This little girl was sure a cutie.

"Thank you, little girl, for the flower," sighing. She hugged the child tightly and smiled. "Well I must find him for he's in terrible danger. You see I broke a promise I made him. And now if I can't save him he'll be force to marry an evil witch. So as you can see I can't stay very long. I must be going."

"You can't leave! Not yet! You won't be able to save him if you look like that!" exclaimed the lavender haired girl. "First let's get you some new clothes!" And the girl reached into her pocket and pulled out a pair of scissors.

Neo Queen Serenity watched in silent amazement as beautiful garments materialized with each snip of the scissors. Almost immediately a gorgeous outfit had been made. The lavender haired girl handed the completed outfit to the young queen and smiled.

"Oh! Thank you! It's beautiful! Thank you!" She dashed back into the cottage and in ten minutes she was dressed in her new outfit. It wasn't as attractive as her princess gown or her queen gown. But it was just her size and she loved the soft green and pink color of it. As she came back out she noticed that the other two girls had laid out a golden embroidery table cloth.

The young queen stared puzzling at the cloth. She walked slowly on the vibrant green grass as she redid her hair. The old woman smiled kindly at Serenity. "You look so much better. See the powers of a nice hot bath? Now if you are to catch up to Endymion you must eat. I'm sure you're very hungry."

"Yes, I'm exceedingly famished. Although I notice you didn't have any food in the cottage. So what are we to eat?"

The young girls smiled slyly at the bemused queen and clapped their hands three times. And in blink of an eye the tastiest food ever cooked magically appeared on the table cloth.

"Wow! I've never seen such wonderful food before!" she exclaimed elatedly as she took a drumstick and began to gnaw at it like a ravenous hound. The little family just laughed gaily at the young sovereign enthusiasm.

Despite the fact that she longed to devour more she knew she had to keep moving. She quickly wiped her face off and was about to leave when the youngest girl stopped her. "Please don't go yet, Lady. If you are to help Endymion you'll need one more thing."

"And what is that child?"

The bubbly young girl just skipped back into the cottage and then came out a moment later with two boots. They looked perfectly ordinary to Neo Queen Serenity. But she knew if something as unadorned as a pair of scissors or a tablecloth could hold such delightful wonders, then these boots were unquestionably more then they appeared to be.

"Take these! They will help you scale the mountain where Beryl's citadel stands," the tiny child said as she gave Neo Queen Serenity the boots.

"Thank you all for your kindness. I won't forget it. You've really helped me," Neo Queen Serenity praised as she put on the boots.

The other two children rolled up the tablecloth and scissors and handed them to the queen as well. "You'll need these too, if you want to save Endymion," the pink haired one informed her kindly as she curtsy. She was such a little lady that much was for sure.

"Thank you. Is there anything else I should know before I tempt such a daring feat?" she asked to the old lady. She just became aware of at that moment that she had ocean blue eyes. So like Endymion. Why did this family feel so familiar to her? She just couldn't put her finger on it.

"Yes, the boots must stay dry at all times. When you get to the top of the citadel there will be someone to be of assistance to you. Be brave, child. And don't ever doubt your love, not even for a moment. And before you go we have one more gift for you. One that should keep up your spirit on your quest," the kindly old woman said as she pulled a beautiful red rose.

Neo Queen Serenity reached out with a trembling hand and took the rose. She hugged the flower close to her bosom and cried. It was after all the symbol of everlasting love. If what her mother had said before was any proof of this flower power it was this. That true love was like a red rose blooming in winter's snow. It was so strong not even the cold could kill it. She had to remember that if she hoped to rescue Endymion from Beryl.

"Thank you! For everything! Well I wish you all the best. Thank you again!" and without further ado she ran as swiftly as a deer through the forest as she went to scale the mountain where Beryl's home sat.