Glossary:
Ofuda: Japanese charms, wards, or scriptures said to bear good luck and are sold in Shinto shrines or temples. It is safe to assume that the ofuda referenced bear the symbols for Mars' "Akuryo Taisan" ("Evil Spirit, Disperse!") attack.
(Source: Sailor Moon Wiki)
XII
The attack started with everything around her shaking: the ground below her heels suddenly becoming unsteady; the chandeliers above her head tinkling violently, dangerously. From the other side of the grand ballroom's entryway, she had turned behind her in panic to bear witness to the ceiling collapsing.
A gust of wind pushed against her face and dress; the sound it made echoed through the hallway.
The dust settled, and the princess saw the blood splattered against the walls and across the floor…and the broken bodies of the elders and noblemen, the guardsmen along the perimeter, and even the servers and handmaidens crushed underneath the rubble. There came no sound from the inside, no movement she could detect from where she stood in paralyzed shock.
Her eyes looked heavenward to the hole in the ceiling and saw streaks of unnatural purple color amongst the stars themselves. A chill went through her bones as the color pulsated, as if some horrible, living thing lay in wait just for her.
Her senshi's entreaties filled her ears, but she could not move. It was Endymion who finally, urgently guided her away.
Her heartbeat thundered in her ears during the panicked run through the hallways. Her senshi pushed through the swarm of royal guardsmen that moved from their posts along the corridors and suites to defend the castle and kingdom, and Endymion, his hand tight around hers, followed behind them. They ran further into the palace for her safety and found their means of shelter: a small, windowless room in the northeastern wing.
Serenity watched as her protectors moved through their confusion and dismay. Mars stood before its entrance, ofudas in hand, murmuring a continuous line of prayer. She was joined by Jupiter, who had stopped impatiently pacing the carpet long enough to help her fellow soldier place the scriptures against the door for protection. Mercury and Venus sat in a far-off corner of the room, the former's fingers pressing against her earpiece, and the latter straining to listen with furrowed brow and fingers clenched tightly around the rubies of her rope chain.
Time passed and sweat poured down their temples in the rising heat of the room.
The castle continued to shake, and Serenity trembled each time. Every tear that fell from her eyes spoke of the guilt that already ate at her: she had not been able to stop the deaths inside the palace from happening; worse was surely taking place on the mainland where her people lived. Everyone in the kingdom suffered for her helplessness and her weakness. Those thoughts turned in her head over and over and over, but she did not venture to speak them aloud: she did not want to be comforted and told otherwise, she had no wish to be absolved from blame.
"Hello?! …Hello?" Mercury suddenly stood, moments after another crash. Her ocean-blue eyes met with their panicked, serious faces before landing on Venus' in particular. "I have lost communication with the commander of the eastern defense. It is likely that," she hesitated to say the words, "they have fallen in battle." She drew in a shaky breath. "…It will not be long before the enemy crosses the bridge and reaches the palace."
Venus stood in silence and stillness for only a moment before freeing her chain from around her waist. "…We will go to the front of the palace and join the defenses gathered there."
The others nodded in compliance.
Serenity looked at them all in disbelief. "No. No! No, you ca—"
"The city has fallen. We do not know if a distress signal was sent off the Moon, and if so, where it went and when it will be answered." Her eyes were solemn as they looked at Serenity. "The palace is the only remaining stronghold, and we," she gestured to the other three, "may truly be the only chance of retaliation left. We need stop our enemies' entry.
"…You will be safe here."
Serenity froze at her words. "Venus—"
"I have thought about this since we came in this room: you are the only surviving member of the royal family, and your protection is paramount now. It is our duty as your soldiers and warriors to protect you. And the crystal…its safety is tied to your life. We must act."
"You cannot go out there!"
The Venetian took a shaky breath. "Serenity… This is our duty; it is why we are here."
"Stop saying that! You are not here just to protect me, so stop saying that!"
"I…!" The look Venus gave her was almost angry. "I cannot stop saying it just because you do not want to hear it! I…am a Sailor Senshi; your life is my responsibility! I am bound to defend you and to protect your life! I cannot run from it or ignore it! And…" Her voice cracked and a tear fell from her eye. "And the Moon is my home. I want it to be safe; I want you to be safe and happy." The hand that wiped her face clean rested over her heart, and she bowed so deeply that her knee touched the floor. "And if my stopping those people who want to hurt you ensures that, then I will do everything to make it so."
The others, who and stood and witnessed the exchange, followed suite and bowed as well.
Tears welled in her eyes.
Endymion stepped from beside her. "If I may…the Moon has become home for me as well. And Serenity is the most important person to me. I, like you, cannot stand by and watch everything crumble, nor allow harm to come to her.
"I will come with you."
Serenity felt a lump grow in her throat.
The leader of the senshi stood. "…You have neither sword nor shield, Prince Endymion," she said by way of response.
"I will gain one from our fallen comrades."
It was Jupiter who broke the silence once more: "…If you possess the proficiency to use any sword you gain on the battlefield, then I will not mind fighting alongside you."
He nodded towards her. "I would be honored."
"Endymion, please..." the princess' voice was hoarse, "please do not go." Her hand clasped his, "You cannot go—think of, think of the things we said earlier. What we told the elders and everyone in the ballroom before…" the words died on her lips.
She felt the touch of his hand against her cheek. "I meant every word that I said: I will defend your home, your kingdom. And I will help you rebuild everything. We will bring life to the Moon once more. Your people and the very Solar System will see you as queen; never again will they have reason to question your strength.
"And we will be married."
Determination shined within those eyes of his, and Serenity knew that nothing she could say would convince him—any of them.
They had all made their decision, and it had all been made for her sake.
Her Sailor Senshi hugged her tightly, whispering words of their bond and enduring friendship. "My charms will ensure your safety while we are away. No harm shall come to you." Mars said, the last to give her parting words. And one by one, they turned away from her, wiping their eyes of tears.
Endymion held her in his arms and kissed her. Her hands clung to him, love and sadness welling inside her. "I love you. Please wait here for my return."
His words buzzed in Serenity's ears as she watched them all leave her behind…
Endymion's eyes opened as the sound of palace bells ended their chiming.
He sat up, anxiousness weighing on his psyche, and his bruises smarting. There was no doubt that those bells had rung for Aglecta, but had time truly passed so quickly for the elder's funeral procession to already be taking place?
Silence grew and then the other sound, the altogether different ringing that reverberated and blended over and over again inside his head, began once more. Wordlessly, its airy echo soothed him of his fears.
"There is still time," he whispered to himself in the darkness once more. "There is still time…"
Diamond had ensured that none would ever believe him about the fate that had truly befallen Aglecta. He would never be able to explain the existence of the third eye or the power it had held over him. The prince, stripped of the use of his limbs, had been made to fall to his knees and crawl like an infant towards Aglecta's dead body. He had watched his hands reach out and wrap themselves around the elder's broken neck. And his fate was sealed in the moments the eye hid itself from plain sight once more as the guards in the room, brought out of their dull-eyed stupor, looked upon the scene and brought him down, striking him and subduing him.
More guards came, and they had carried his bruised and bleeding body across the palace grounds in the afternoon sun where the other royals could see his humiliation. Those pale noblemen and noblewomen, with delicate, pale hands lifted to their mouths, speculated about his crime aloud. Their words were a stain to his person, to his character. The prince was led to the underground dungeons adjacent to the guards' front post, and placed behind the door of a cell that had no light.
Time moved on its own accord in the darkness. Hours passed, and the prince's mind reeled with more repressed memories surrounding the day of the attack. The part of his mind he had regained seemed more intent on showing him the clear picture of the things he had forgotten: the sudden, then-inexplicable deaths of the Sailor Senshi at each other's hand, their anguished and tormented cries for forgiveness ending as they fell lifelessly to the ground…clarity of his own death, and then the sensation of warmth piercing into his chest and pouring into his heart to spread life anew: breath filling his lungs; blades of grass tickling his jawline; and the smells of blood and smoke and battle that hung in the air…
And Diamond's voice…
"This is the work of the Silver Millennium Crystal?"
…And the voice of another. A voice that carried an infinite echo… "Yes. Can you not feel its power, the light that lingers long after its absence?"
"I do. …It is as you said."
"Yes, truly you now understand. Make no mistake: it is the crystal's existence that led to the deaths of the people of the Moon. Their faith in a falsehood led to their slaughter, and their punishment was fitting. It was natural and deserved, within in the design of people born to live and die. And yet—" The voice became malicious, "and yet, the crystal's response was to reverse the very death it is responsible for before fleeing its own destruction…"
"…And what of the senshi?" Diamond asked. "Their lives ended by way of the gift you bestowed upon me, but I do not see their bodies among the others."
The voice paused, as if it were considering his question. "…I no longer can feel their energies here on the Moon…or in the far reaches of this universe… It seems the crystal has sought their protection as well—Wait!" The voice paused in its monologue. "Go there."
The sound of footsteps across the grass ended mere inches from him. "Prince Endymion." He could hear Diamond's voice above him.
"Does he yet breathe?!" The voice had neared as well. The sound of its voice was louder, much more infinite than before.
"Yes," he felt the edge of the Moon royal's foot dig into his side. "And the color returns to his skin."
The voice let out a gleeful peal of laughter. "The crystal, the protector of the Moon and its people, has brought life back into the Prince of Earth! …And the light within him shines brighter than the rest!"
The expression of glee seemed to agitate the royal. Endymion heard the sound of unsheathed metal. "I shall not suffer him a moment longer."
"Drop your sword, and cease your foolishness."
"He lies at my feet; the one who took what was meant for me: Death is only fitting for him and I shall return his soul to Charon's feet once more."
"Who are you to ignore my command, prince?" The voice spat. "Did you not hear me?! Drop your sword!" The voice now screamed. "Drop your sword!"
The metal fell to the ground.
"…Your feelings of hatred cloud your judgment. Do you fail to understand? He is proof of the princess' return. And with the princess' soul will come the crystal."
Endymion felt his body lift from off the ground. "Yes…proof indeed. For the crystal, in spite its power, follows the childish whims of its foolish protector. The whims to protect a man of skin and bone.
"They will return, and we must prepare until that time. But first—awaken, prince!"
His eyes opened. And there, standing before him in silver armor was Diamond, his expression malevolent and loathing. But behind him, or around him, was a strange dark shadow with the intangible figure of a man, with two purple orbs for eyes.
"Yes…you will be useful, indeed…"
The memory ended with those eyes glowing brighter and brighter. He remembered the effect of their gaze so well—even when his eyes had closed, he found they had been burned behind his eyelids.
And when he had truly woken once more to learn of what became of the woman he loved, Diamond had indeed chosen a use for him: "My friend…"
Endymion fell unto his back. His temples pounded. It was usually in this moment when the prince's memories and thoughts turned to Serena. In the brief period of time he had been placed under arrest, his mind had conjured an image of her. She stood at the docks, dressed as he had last seen her. The expanse of the infinite blue water was behind her; her dress and golden hair fluttered in the wind. And her hand reached for him.
He let himself imagine acting on the desire to run to her and be next to her.
He held her hand in his, and his chest glowed as it had when he had first seen her, and the mark of the crescent moon on her forehead glowed brightly as well…
The sound in his ears reached its crescendo, and his heart responded, beating with his purpose to be with Serena.
"It is not too late…" the sound seemed to say.
"It is not too late," he uttered the words and felt its truth—
Something pulled him out of his thoughts…the sounds of fighting: yelling and banging…heavy thuds against the metal doors.
And then it all ended abruptly.
The sound of a hand rapping against the metal surfaces of doors began. "Prince Endymion! …Prince Endymion!"
He knew this voice.
He pulled himself to his knees as he heard the noise at the cell on his right. "Here!" He swallowed the bit of spit he could gather and spoke once more. "I'm here! I'm here!"
There came an exhalation of relief and the hurried, musical jingle of keys as their handler tested them in the door lock. Again and again and again, until the right one finally opened the latch.
Light poured into the darkness of the cell, and Artemis stood in its doorway. "Your Highness." The white-haired man did not waste a moment to pull him to his feet and bring him outside into the dungeon's hallway.
He was made to lean against Artemis' frame and match his stride as their path led to the outside of the dungeons. "How are you here?"
There was a sheen of sweat on the man's brow. "Luna bribed the handmaiden assigned to serve meals to you and the guards. The proceedings for the funeral has just begun and the majority of the royal guard is there." There was a serious look in the man's green eyes. "This is our only opportunity to save you.
"We must hurry."
The guards that held sentry, three in all, lay in a heap as the two men reached the stairway. "It seems my daily visits to this post created a rapport with the guards; they hesitated in striking me."
Artemis grunted with exertion at every step up; Endymion cringed with lingering pain. "Serena. Is she safe? How much…time has passed since my…arrest? What…what has become of her?"
"It has been two days. Our ship was boarded the moment it entered the docks, and Luna and I were detained in the vessel for questioning; Serena was escorted elsewhere. When we were finally freed hours later, we learned that she was betrothed to Diamond." Artemis looked at the prince to gauge if there were any signs of surprise, but found none. "We have not been allowed near her since. Both Luna and I are worked like dogs with the other servers in preparation for the funeral and the wedding."
They reached the stairway's opening, a door with a small window for viewing. Artemis' fist banged a cadence on the door, and Luna appeared. She opened the door a crack and helped her husband squeeze the prince through. He saw the gold candleholder in the woman's hand, and a guard that had been pushed underneath the post's desk.
Luna placed him in a chair. "Drink this."
"Luna," Artemis pushed the desk against the stairway door, "we do not have time!"
Anger flashed in her chocolate-brown eyes. "Do you not see the sweat on his brow, his injuries?! He needs to drink something, if only for a minute!"
Cold water had never tasted so glorious. He let the liquid pass his lips without pause for air until it was finished. "…Diamond is behind Aglecta's death," he said to the couple. "He possesses…something I cannot describe."
"You would not have the time to do so. Artemis is right. Time is short and…there is somewhere else you must be if you are to be with Serena."
"…How do you know that?"
Her hand touched her heart and Artemis' did the same. "Something started calling out to us without ceasing the night of our detainment… We have heard it for days now; I close my eyes and hear and feel golden light. Serena needs you, and you need her…and that we are to help you wait for her.
"Serena is important and precious, and she is to be queen. It is our responsibility to help her; it has always been—"
The sound of banging stopped her. He looked towards the stairway's door to see the guards recovered and forcing entry.
Artemis began pushing the desk into the door again. "Luna…!"
In a flurry of yellow, the woman stood beside her husband and did the same. "Prince Endymion! We will stay here and buy time for you! You know where to go—and you must go now!"
Mustering the bit of strength he had gained, the prince heeded her words. There was no time to enjoy freedom. He ran across the grounds in the early morning sun, cutting through the tended grass and walkways. Light and warmth were in his chest. His feet did know where to go; and his chosen path was empty of passerby. He believed himself able to hear Aglecta's mourners in the distance, their cries and wails seeming to carry in the wind.
All sounds hushed as he reached a familiar brick pathway.
He had been here before. With Serena. And it was hard to believe that so much had changed from that night he watched her levitate before his eyes.
The prince stepped into the corridor and felt the current of power swirl around him. Only this time, no force stood against him or rendered him unable to move; if anything, he felt a push forward and the guiding of his hand over the doors' carved, wooden surface.
The latch gave at the slightest pressure, and the power led his steps inside. He turned and watch them close behind him.
The power that graced the walls of the corridor had felt like a river washing over him, but here, that same power now felt like an ocean. The light of morning came through the skylight on the roof; a piece of the wall glowed in the sunlight and the paintings of animals and angels seemed to dance across its surface.
…Serena was not here…
His eyes drank in the statue of a woman in a golden dress with her hands cupped towards him. He…he yearned to step towards the image—but found he could not move.
Something was weighing him down, rooting him to the spot…
"Endymion…"
He looked down to see his chest glowing with a silvery light. Something solid, like glass, encased his feet and calves. His fist bashed against it, hoping to free himself.
"Endymion—" the voice called out to him, "be still. You answered my call, and you are here now. Exactly where you are meant to be…"
He stopped. The encasement grew over his knees and thighs and hips. His hand pressed against it now, and he came to realize that what he felt was not glass, but something else.
Is this…?
The encasement grew over his arms and hips and torso and chest.
"Endymion…You and I will wait here until she comes for you."
"Serena…" He did not grow alarmed as it went over his temples.
"Yes. Serena…"
His eyes closed as he felt the encasement cover his face.
A/N: Nothing is better than a chapter coming together. Life finally slowed down for me to finish this draft and type it up.
My original intention was to have a chapter solely for the attack on the Moon, and then another for the fallout of Aglecta's death, one that would include the Elders forcing Serena's hand and making her agree to marriage with Diamond. And while part of me wanted it to happen, I felt the pacing for this was so slow and dialogue-heavy that it didn't work. Speaking honestly, I think not having Serena appear is kinda cool.
I've wanted Luna and Artemis to do that jailbreak since chapter "IV."
Finally revealed the reason why the Sailor Senshi do not appear in the present—at least, not on the Moon... And also gave them some time to shine in the flashback all of the feels—edited and revised every night for a week.
R&R