Chapter Twenty-Nine
Nine weeks later and the young lunar princess had finally recovered. She had just finished dancing around the rain as Luna had gently scolded her as she had just recovered fully and now was endangering her strength again by dancing around in the rain and might catch another fever. However, the princess had never been happier than at this moment and this time, she knew it was true happiness as she placed under no illusions and as she wandered back up to her quarters, she passed by the servants' quarters. She wanted to grab a towel from the quarters in order to try and dry herself. So, she entered through the door and looked around the large room. It was empty and quite cold and as the princess entered the room, she wished that she had kept her cloak or at least got another dry one. However, she placed her arms around herself to try and warm her body, unsuccessfully, when a young serving girl entered the room. She was carrying a large amount of wood that were meant for the fireplaces that were situated around the palace and when the young girl noticed that Serena was in the room, she dropped the logs and quickly fell to the ground. She bowed to the heiress of her planet and Serena shrieked in surprise too, when the young maid had dropped the logs.
There was a long silence between Serena and the maid, in which Serena just looked at the maid with her eyes full of concern and then a live image flashed before her eyes. It was the vision she had had before in which it was the destruction of her planet, the Scouts, her mother, then her clutching the frightened little boy and then the man who had protected them. The vision faded then as quickly as it had come and then Serena gazed into the bright red eyes that the young maid held and then the realisation struck the princess. She gasped suddenly and without a further second, she ran from the quarters as her sodden gown flowed behind her. Meanwhile, the maid who had dropped the logs watched intently as the princess dashed away from her and once she was certain that the princess was out of sight and earshot, she quickly pulled out a small silver cube from within her dress. She pressed a small button on the side of the cube, and static emitted from the small silver cube. The girl waited for a few brief seconds and then spoke into the side of the cube.
"Master, the girl has realised, we need to enable the operation as soon as possible."
"You sure, Lori?" came the reply from the cube.
"As sure as anything, master. I just saw the girl and she must have realised because she held a strange but knowing look upon her face and then dashed off quickly."
"Are quite sure now, Lori?"
"When have I ever lied to you, master?"
There was a long pause in which Lori just looked at the small cube and waited for an answer of some sort.
"The operation will commence shortly, Lori and do what needs to be done so this operation is successful."
"Of course, master," Lori replied obediently, "I shall not fail you."
"See that you do not."
"Of course, master."
And with that Lori replaced the small cube into the bosom of her dress and walked off to carry out the operation set out by her master.
Serena ran and ran throughout the palace searching desperately for her mother and wondering at where she could be presently. She ran round and down the halls and corridors that were so familiar to her and she called out in mind to try and gain contact with her mother. The crescent moon symbol upon Serena's forehead began to glow a bright golden colour as the princess began to use her physic abilities in trying to gain a connection with her mother. However, as much as Serena screamed for her mother, she could not gain contact with her mother and no-one else either. She screamed for her mother, Luna, Artemis, the Scouts, anyone. She needed to tell someone, anyone, what she had seen and what was going to happen. Her dress was still sodden as she ran quickly around the palace, called and yelling for someone to hear her.
"Mother, can you hear me? Answer me please," screamed the distraught princess as she screamed physically for her mother.
"Artemis, Luna, can you hear me please, someone answer."
"Princess, what's the matter?"
"Artemis, is that you?" asked the princess a little relieved that she had actually reached someone.
"It is, princess. Now, what's the matter?"
"I need to see my mother now, its urgent, Artemis. Do you know where she is?"
"I'm sorry, princess but your urgent matter must wait. Your mother is currently meditating with the crystal."
"But Artemis, something is going to happen to the kingdom, I must speak with her at once," the princess pleaded as tears began to run from her glistening blue eyes, "please tell me where she is?"
"She's in the sacred room but she cannot be interrupted."
"She shall have to be interrupted for this Artemis. It is almost a matter of life or death for the people and my mother needs to hear this."
"Princess, please, calm yourself."
"I shall not be calm, Artemis, until I've spoken to my mother."
And with that the young blonde princess, broke contact with the white cat advisor and began heading in the direction of the sacred room, where the crystal was kept. Her dress flew behind her as Serena quietly asked the goddess Selene to give her strength and speed and as Serena turned the corner, she collided with Artemis.
"Princess," Artemis cried out as he rushed his hands out to catch her before she fell to the ground.
"Artemis, I must see my mother immediately," the princess commanded as Artemis kept a firm grip upon the lovely Moon Princess.
"Princess, she is busy and must not be disturbed."
"I don't care Artemis; my mother needs to hear this."
"But princess…."
"No buts Artemis, and this is a royal command, so allow me to see my mother or something very bad is going to happen to the kingdom," Serena commanded full of passion and dedication.
Artemis watched Serena with a shocked expression upon his facial features. The princess had never been this passionate or commanding about anything before in her life and here she was now, giving out orders to her servants and attendants like the regal Moon ruler she would one day become. Artemis saw the passion that was whelming through the princess' eyes and then he bowed to the loosely-attired royal.
"Princess, I shall escort you immediately, but first tell me, what has happened to encourage you to hold so much passion all of a sudden?"
The princess looked at the white-haired man who bowed before her and she asked him to close his eyes, which Artemis obeyed. She raised her finger and placed it softly on the crescent symbol that he too had upon his forehead. It began to glow brightly as the eternal princess' touched it and then an overwhelming power engulfed both Artemis and the princess. Artemis was quite scared for a second as he had never seen the princess display this much power before and then, Serena commanded Artemis to open his eyes. Artemis did as he was commanded and when he did, the sight that met his eyes frightened him. He saw the Moon Kingdom, destroyed and left in ruins. His queen was lying dead on the ground, as was Luna and the Scouts. He saw an image then of a future Princess Serenity, running wildly, whist clutching a frightened child within her terrified grasp. He saw large shadows that he assumed were the enemy, who had inflicted this carnage and then the man who took the hit for Serena and the child. He saw strange beings consuming everything that he held dear and then all was black. Artemis and the princess returned from the vision then and Artemis' eyes burst suddenly open as he tried to make sense of the vision that he had just experienced.
"Artemis, I was in the servants' quarters, and as I walked in, I came across a girl. She was carrying a load of firewood and once she noticed my presence, she dropped her load in surprise. She rushed to the ground and then stayed there for the remainder of my duration there. I was about to tell her to stand, when I looked into her eyes. Her bright red eyes and saw something that shocked me. The vision that you just witnessed Artemis was a vision that I saw quite recently and when I looked deeper at the girl, I saw something that no-one else had seen on this planet before. She held a symbol Artemis, upon her forehead, like you and me own but it was not one of the Moon Kingdom but one of Neptune. They have come for me Artemis, they have come to get their revenge and if I don't see my mother as soon as, I fear that the kingdom will suffer for some stupid error that I have committed."
Artemis watched in awe as the princess spoke her suspicions and fears for her kingdom and he marvelled at her sudden show of maturity. He rose then as he watched fresh tears fall from the princess' eyes and gazed straight into them.
"Princess, let's visit your mother."
Serena smiled then as Artemis grabbed her hand and rushed as quickly as he could to the sacred room in which the Silver Crystal was kept. They reached there in next to no time and once they reached the doors, Artemis stopped.
"Artemis, why have you stopped?" asked the princess curiously.
"Princess, I am not of royal moon blood, so I cannot enter the sacred chamber but you can. Tell your mother your fears and see what she suggests."
Serena nodded her head at Artemis and he returned it. However, Serena rushed through the pure white doors that allowed entry into the most sacred place within the Moon Kingdom and when Serena did, she instantly saw her mother. She was kneeling down before an alter in which the crystal sat silently wearing a pure white gown and her shimmering silver hair in its usual bun and ponytail style. The queen did not move at the sound of the doors to the sacred room opening and then the quick sound of her daughter's footsteps but instead remained in her kneeling position and waited for her daughter to reach her. Once, Serena had reached the eternal queen of the moon, she gazed deeply at her mother and then knelt beside her.
"Oh great goddess Selene, forgive my invasion but I must speak to my mother as a matter of urgency."
Serena had lowered her head before the alter and crystal and then she rose a few seconds later.
"My daughter, I wondered when you would come."
"Mother, did you see the vision too?"
"I did Serena and as soon as I had witnessed it, I decided to consult the goddess herself."
"Are they coming, mother? Are they coming due to my stupidity?" Serena asked suddenly feeling very frightened and confused.
"My darling," the queen began as she took her shaking daughter into her loving embrace, "the act that you carried out recently was not stupid. I admit it was somewhat reckless but because of that act the princesses of Mars, Jupiter, Venus and Mercury were able to survive. You saved them and for that they will always be thankful but in answer to your first question, yes, the Neptunians are launching an assault, but we are ready, my daughter, so do not worry."
"The Moon Kingdom is ready?"
"Yes Serena, I have known about the impending attack for quite some time and have been preparing vigorously for when they would."
"But mother, it is my fault that the Neptunians are going to attack our kingdom, my fault that our people could die; it is me, my fault, my doing, what have I done mother?"
The princess began to weep softly then as the queen continued to comfort her daughter.
"Darling, they are attacking soon, in approximately two hours and our forces are ready. Only the army knew of the attack and Captain Leon promised me as did his troops, that the attack should remain a secret as to not worry our subjects. So, darling, prepare yourself now for in half an hour, you and the Scouts are to leave the palace and retreat to a safe base, in which you all must stay until the Neptunians have been defeated."
"But mother…."
"No buts, darling, you will follow that order and it is a royal command of the highest ranking."
"But mother, there is something really important I have to tell you…."
"It shall have to wait, Serena. The girls are waiting for you in your chambers. Now go," ordered the queen as she released her hold upon her daughter and begun to run at a quick pace.
She ran straight out of the sacred room and towards her own chambers as her mother watched her daughter go. She was so proud of her, she really was maturing fast and would one day be a great ruler of the Moon. But now her duty was to her kingdom and to protect and without a second thought she picked up the crystal. She held it tightly within her strong grip and then walked out of the room serenely as she prepared herself mentally for the future attack.