Chapter 2: First Love Hurts the Most.
"It's good to be back, don't you think, Endymion?" Jadeite asked as the
five young men walked through the hallways of the Lunar Palace.
"Yes." Fourteen-year-old Endymion agreed, looking around to see what
changes had been made since his family's last visit to the Moon. Everything
seemed to be the same in the elegant Royal Lunar Palace. The bizarre, but
beautiful paintings still hung on the walls and the eerily beautiful carvings
still adorned the massive stone hallways showcasing the culture and talents
of Lunarian artists.
"So, what is the celebration we've come back for, about?" asked
Zoicite.
"I don't know yet. Father has been keeping secrets from me lately."
Endymion replied.
"Have you asked the King directly?" Jadeite asked turning to look
at his prince.
"Yes, and he told me that I would find out at the celebration, which is
being held tonight." His handsome young face was void of emotions
though he was unconcerned about the entire matter.
"Molirue! Help!" cried Serenity as she dashed into her suite.
"What is it, child?" asked the maid who had been with her since she was
born.
"What will I wear tonight?"
"Now child, it's not like you to be thinking of clothes. What's wrong?"
Molirue asked as she walked to the princess' closet and took out
several gowns to lay on the bed.
"I just want to look good for tonight," Serenity replied.
"Is that so? Is that why you can't meet my eyes when you're talking to
me? And is that why your little cheeks are colored so prettily?" Molirue
teased her princess.
"I'm just excited about tonight, Molirue." Serenity replied softly as
her cheeks flushed even redder.
"Ah, I think I heard about a young man with black hair and sea-blue
eyes who is coming to the ball tonight." Molirue said conversationally as she
motioned for her young charge to sit down on the chair at her dressing
table.
"Which young man?" Serenity asked feigning innocence.
"Why the man you've been talking and dreaming about for the past two
years!" She said as she brushed out the princess' long honey-gold tresses.
"Molirue! What are you talking about? I haven't been dreaming about
him!" Serenity protested, turning around to look at her maid.
"I might be old, child, but I ain't dead yet. You might say that you
haven't been dreaming about him, but the blush in your cheeks and the glint in
your eyes tells me everything I need to know. Besides I have more concrete
evidence too." She said as she turned Serenity's face towards the
mirror again.
"What evidence?"
"Those paintings you've been very busy working on lately and those
letters with his name written on them."
"But-How?" Serenity spluttered as her maid laughed, but before she
could reply, a knock came from the door. Molirue answered it and announced,
"Lady Beryl is here to see you, Your Highness. Shall I let her in?"
"Yes, let her in." She said calmly as she continued with what Molirue
had been doing to her hair.
"Good evening, Your Highness." Lady Beryl said, curtsying.
"Good evening, Lady Beryl." Serenity greeted her with a small smile as
motioned for Molirue to leave them. "What can I do for you?"
"I am here to help you dress, Princess."
"Dress? What for? I have Molirue to help me." Serenity stopped combing
her hair and looked at Beryl in the mirror.
"But I insist. It is my way of apologizing to you for the terrible
things I said and did when we were younger." Serenity was silent for a moment
and Beryl took this as a signal to continue. "I know a lot about gowns and
which ones will make you pretty. Did you know that blue is Prince Endymion's
favorite color?" Serenity's ears perked up as Endymion's name was
mentioned.
"Really?" She asked turning around to face Beryl.
"Yes, and if you wear a gown in that color, I'm sure he will
immediately notice you."
"I have lots of gown in that color. You must help me choose the best
one." Serenity happily stated as she turned towards the gowns on her bed.
"It would be my pleasure, Your Highness." Lady Beryl said smiling,
although her eyes gleamed with malice.
"This must be one of the fanciest balls I have ever been to." Nephrite
said as he took a sip of his drink. The five young men were standing in a
corner that overlooked the whole room.
"And one of the best too. The women here flaunt more skin than the
women of Earth." Jadeite whistled appreciatively.
"Jadeite! Do not speak so carelessly. You may offend these people, and
we are here as their guests." Kunzite said severely.
"Yeah, yeah. Hey, Endymion, here comes your girl." Jadeite said as Lady
Beryl came towards them.
"Endymion, I've been looking every where for you." Lady Beryl said
sweetly.
"What for?" Endymion asked bluntly.
"Come, let's dance." She said, tugging at Endymion's hand.
"Maybe later, Beryl." He said and Beryl pouted playfully. Kunzite and
the others rolled their eyes knowing too well about Lady Beryl's
personality.
"It is good to see you again, Endymion." Came a soft young voice.
Endymion and the other could only stare as the girl with honey-gold odangos,
curtsied. But Beryl's eyes held a far more gleeful expression. Zoicite
nudged Endymion with his elbow, and subtly motioned for him to address
the newcomer.
"You must be mistaken, milady."
"You are Prince Endymion, are you not?" asked Serenity.
"Yes." He said blankly as his mind told him that the girl with the odd
hairstyle and even odder dress should seem very familiar.
"Don't you remember me? We met two years past near the Terran rose
gardens." Endymion's eyebrows furrowed a little, thinking about what the girl had said.
"You are Serenity! How have you been?" He asked as he took Serenity's
hand and kissed it.
"I am very well, thank you," she said, blushing.
"Would you care to dance?"
"But Endymion! I thought---"
"Would you care to dance, Lady Beryl?" Kunzite abruptly interrupted,
helping his liege deal with Beryl. Without giving her a chance to answer,
Kunzite took Lady Beryl's hand and led her to the dance floor. The two couples
danced to the beautiful music of the Lunarians.
"I'm sorry! ... Oops! ... I'm sorry! I'm afraid I'm not a good dancer."
Serenity embarrassedly stated as she stepped on Endymion's foot, again.
'That's an understatement.' Endymion thought as he winced in pain.
"That's okay. I'll make sure to keep my foot away." He said gallantly,
regaining his balance. His feet were beginning to hurt. He had tried several times to keep away from her feet, but to no avail,she still managed to continually tread on his toes.
"You have grown into quite the young lady, Serenity." He said, trying
to direct his attention away from his aching feet.
"Have I?" She asked breathlessly turning the shade of a cherry.
"I like the color of your dress."
"You do?" She cried happily, "Do you like my dress then?"
"Uhh... Ye-yes. I think you look... Ummm... noticeable in it."
Indeed she did. Jadeite and the others were watching their friends
dance from the same corner of the ballroom.
"Poor Endymion. What was he thinking, asking that girl for a dance?
Just look at her, especially in that dress." Jadeite said with a shudder.
"She's a Lunarian, Jadeite. We cannot take risk the chance of offending
these people. We already have troubles enough communicating with them."
Zoicite said.
"I know I know, yeesh! You sounded like Kunzite."
"But I can't say I disagree with him, Zoi. She looks awful." Nephrite
said as he watched the girl danced in Endymion's arms.
"Awful? She looks hideous in that monstrous dress of hers." Jadeite
said.
Serenity's dress was a navy blue gown that hugged her body too tightly, which revealed her fat belly and emphasized the other bulges that strained to
be released from their tight confines. Short sleeves fell loosely from the
puffy sleeves and there were two large flowers attached to her shoulder
and the skirt of the gown. The whole effect made it seem as though gigantic
flowers were attacking her heavy body.
Serenity joyously ran through the hallways as her beautiful laughter
echoed behind her. Her mother had summoned her to the Throne Room after the
ball to talked about something important. Serenity had been too happy to think
about anything but the fact that Endymion had danced and accompanied her
throughout the night. Now even that paled against the news that her
mother had just told her. She continued her search for a certain raven-haired
prince, with flushed cheeks and a joyous gleam in her brilliant blue
eyes as she thought about that meeting, and her laughter still chimed behind
her.
"Serenity, you must listen to me. This is very important. The Terran
King and I have come up with an agreement to strengthen the relationship
between the Moon and the Earth. This will greatly affect both your future and
that of the Silver Millennium." Queen Serenity said to her daughter.
"Yes, Mama." Princess Serenity replied confusedly.
"From this day on, you will be betrothed to the Crown Prince of Earth."
The Queen said, closely watching the reaction of her only child.
"Betrothed to the Crown Prince?" Young Serenity asked, still confused.
"Yes. You are to wed Prince Endymion once you turn eighteen."
"Endymion?"
"Yes."
'I'm going to marry Endymion... marry Endymion...' Serenity dreamily
thought over and over again. She rounded the corner in the Guest's Wing
and stopped when she heard slightly familiar sounding voices raised in
anger. Stealthily, she approached a slightly ajar door. She could clearly hear
the voices at her position outside the room and peeked through the
opening. Serenity's eyes widened when she recognized Endymion's angry voice.
"What are you saying?" Prince Endymion shouted at his father.
"It has been settled, Endymion. You will marry the Crown Princess
Serenity when she turns eighteen." The Terran King replied angrily.
"Why are you doing this to me? I-."
"I am doing nothing TO you! I am doing this FOR the good of our planet!
This marriage is the only way to salvage our relationship with the Silver
Millennium. The members of the Silver Millennium are very powerful. We
cannot risk losing their support when they can help us so greatly." The
King roared at his son.
"But Father, have you even looked at the girl? She's a disaster! I've
been courteously enduring her presence throughout the party, because I know
how much we need to be in their good graces! She kept stepping on my foot
while we were dancing and I had to try not to show my pain. She eats too
much, she's very clumsy, she dresses like an old lady, and on top of that she
fairly looks like one! I will not marry her!" Endymion cried.
"EHOUGH!" The King thundered. "You WILL marry Serenity! This discussion
is over."
Outside the room, tears flowed down Serenity's face. Her heart had been
broken not by Endymion's rejection, but by his hurtful words.
'He lied.' She thought painfully. 'Just like everyone else.'
"You think I'm pretty?"
"... Umm... Yeah..."
'Liar!'
"I like your dress."
'Liar!'
'Lies, all lies.' She thought as she ran down the hall without a
thought of where she was headed. She had thought that he was nice. She had
thought he cared for her, but he was just like everyone else. A liar and a
snob.
She wanted to disappear from this place, away from the people who kept
hurting, laughing, and taunting her. People who had always criticized her
appearance. Everywhere she went they always pointed out her flaws and faults.
"Don't eat so much. You're fat as it is."
'No...' Serenity though.
"You're so fat."
'Stop!'
"A fake princess!"
'That's not true!'
"You're so ugly."
'Please stop!' she pleaded with her memories; the tears kept falling
down her already wet face.
"I can't believe you're related to the beautiful princess of Venus."
'No more...'
"Serenity! Can't you do anything right?"
'Please...'
"She dresses like an old lady."
'Please, no more...'
"She's very clumsy."
'Stop...'
"Have you looked at her? She's a disaster!"
"STOP!" She screamed, covering her ears in attempt to block all of
the voices pounding through her ears.
"I can't take it anymore!" Dropping to her knees, she wept silently.
"I'll not cry anymore... I'll show them who the real Crown Princess
Serenity is!" She whispered, tears no longer coming to her eyes and had been
replaced by a deep light of determination.