Chapter 1: Childhood Love.
"May I play with you?" A seven-year-old Serenity shyly asked the group of children.
"We don't need anyone else. Besides, don't you have 'Princess Lessons' to go to? Oh wait, you're not really a princess." Lady Beryl said sarcastically.
"But I am a real princess!" Serenity protested as the rest of the children started laughing.
"If you're a real princess then how come you're so ugly, and not pretty like the Moon Queen?" Beryl taunted.
"I am a real princess," little Serenity repeated. "Mama said I'm not ugly and I will grow into a beautiful lady!" Beryl and the children only laughed more at her reply.
"Don't you know that a real princess must be beautiful? Look at you, you're fat, short, and you can't even see clearly without those hideous glasses of yours. I can't believe you're related to the beautiful princess of Venus." Beryl said snottily as the other children nodded their heads in agreement. Tears began to form in Serenity's blue eyes.
"See? You're doing it again! You're such a cry-baby! A real princess would know how to control herself, but you're crying just because we told you the truth." Beryl continued.
"I am not crying," Serenity whispered, sniffing and trying to hold back her sobs, but the tears spilled down to her rosy cheeks.
"Aww-- The fake little princess is crying. The fake little princess is crying," chanted one boy and the rest joined in. Serenity couldn't hold back her tears any longer and burst out weeping at the cruel taunting.
"I am not a fake princess," she whispered. "I am a real princess!" The children continued to laugh and mocked her repeatedly.
'Please stop.' Serenity silently pleaded with herself. 'Please stop... No more.' Sniffing.
"Stop it!" Yelled a new voice.
"Prince Endymion!" Beryl called out sweetly. The young boy walked towards them and protectively placed himself in front of Serenity.
"What do you think you're doing Beryl?" he asked tightly.
"Why nothing, Your Highness. We're just playing." Beryl replied nonchalantly.
Endymion narrowed his eyes at her, "Does your game include making someone cry?"
"We're not making her cry. She just tripped like she usually does," Beryl replied slanting the other children a malicious glance that resulted in many voices of assent.
"Is this true?" Endymion asked Serenity and she shook her head in objection. Endymion sighed and returned his attention once again to Beryl and the other children.
"It seems you are lying, Beryl." The young prince stated.
"But, Your Highness, how can you say that?" Beryl protested.
"I have seen and heard all the proof needed. I could hear you and your friends teasing this little girl before I interrupted you. I suggest you apologize to this girl and never tease her again."
"Apologize to that halfwit? Not in this lifetime!" Beryl spat and left, her followers trailing behind her.
Once they were alone Endymion turned to Serenity, gently took her hand and led her at the opposite direction. Serenity tried to ask him where they were going, but her words were stifled by the sobs in her throat. They finally stopped in front of a stone bench in the rose gardens and Endymion motioned for her to sit down beside him.
"You shouldn't listen to what they say about you."
"But-- but what they say is true. I AM ugly," she sobbed.
"That's not true. You're not ugly."
"You don't think I'm ugly? Then am I pretty?" Serenity asked hopefully.
"Um... Uhh... Yeah," he replied, smiling nervously.
"Thank you. You're the only person, other than my Mama, who thinks I am pretty." Serenity's tears had finally stopped and a smile started to form on her chubby face.
After this initial awkwardness, the two young children began to speak like old friends, despite having met a scant hour before.
"I need to go." Endymion stated after checking the sun's position. "It was nice meeting you--?"
"Serenity."
"Serenity," he repeated. He took her hand and gently kissed the back of it, causing Serenity to blush deeply.
"I hope I shall get the chance to see you again." Endymion smiled down at her one last time and left.
"Serenity! Serenity! Come down from there this instant!" Queen Serenity said when she saw her daughter climbing her dresser drawers.
"Mama..." The younger Serenity protested.
"What do you think you're doing? You might hurt yourself!"
"I was just playing, Mama." Serenity answered.
"I do not like the game you are playing! Come down from there this instant! Why don't you go outside and play with the other children instead?"
"They hate me." Serenity stated as she climbed down from the dresser.
"Nonsense, love. How can they hate you when they don't even know you? Please play somewhere else Serenity, I still have many things to do today."
"Okay, Mama." Serenity sighed. Young Serenity exited her mother's suite and was look for something to do, when she heard laughter. Glancing across the courtyard, she saw the same group of Terran children playing a new game.
'I wanna play with them, but they don't like me.' she thought sadly. She was about to leave when she saw another familiar face in the crowd of children.
'It's Endymion!" she thought joyously, and she ran towards the children as fast as her chubby legs could take her.
"Hello. What are you playing?" Serenity asked.
"Oh great, the ugly princess is back." Beryl said rolling her eyes.
"We are playing tag. Do you want to join us?" Endymion glaring at Beryl to keep her quiet.
"Endymion don't ask her. I don't think she can run fast with that..." Beryl looked Serenity up and down "...weight of hers," she smirked.
"Beryl." Endymion said threateningly.
"Okay, but what is tag?" Serenity asked, ignoring Beryl's mocking words for the chance to spend more time with her savior.
"Tag is where a person who is 'It' chases the others around trying to catch up to them. If they can touch another person, he or she becomes the new 'It'. " he explained.
"Oh, I understand! So, who is 'It'?"
"Since you're the new player, you're 'It'!" Said Beryl.
"Okay." She had spent ten minutes chasing the others and still hadn't managedto catch anyone else.
"Would you hurry up? We've been running around for a while now and you still haven't caught any of us. You're boring me." Beryl complained as she faked a yawn. At this, Serenity tried harder to catch Beryl, but accidentally stepped on her skirt and tripped facedown.
"Aaaaaaah!" She cried as she fell and the children laughed at her, except for Endymion who only shook his head, a small smile on his face.
"You are hopeless, Serenity. Why can't you accept the fact that your weight slows you down? Better lose that extra baggage, before you play this game with us or better yet, don't play with us at all." Beryl jeered cruelly.
"That's enough, Beryl. Give her a break. It's not her fault for looking like this." Endymion said in her defense as he helped Serenity onto her feet.
"Prince Endymion, how can you say that it isn't her fault? If she would only stop eating so much she wouldn't be so FAT." Beryl spat the last word. Serenity, who stood beside Endymion, had her head bowed down and was now silently crying. Her shoulders shook with her sobs and her face was flushed and wet from the tears that rolled down her pudgy cheeks.
"I said THAT'S ENOUGH! You've already been told to stop; you should know better than to keep picking at her flaws in front of everyone. I will not tolerate this childish behavior from you any longer." Endymion's voice was hard and angry.
"But Prince Endymion..." Beryl began; she stopped at the look on the prince's face, and quickly fled.
"Thank you for defending me again." Serenity stated, trying to stifle her sobs
"You need to learn how to defend yourself when you are being treated so poorly." He replied, cupping under her chin and lifting her head to wipe the tears on her cheeks.
"I don't think I could ever do what you just did," she whispered, blushing again at Endymion's action. He sighed.
"I promise that I will protect you as long you are with me, but you need to be able to stand up for yourself as well, okay?"
"Oh thank you, Endymion," Serenity said gratefully and hugged Endymion.