A Lost Princess

Chapter 5

Disclaimer: I don't own anything about Sailor Moon

Authors Comments: Just to be clear, I have no idea about any kind

of sun kingdom. I don't remember ever really hearing about

who Serena's father really is. If you know for real, i would

like to find out.

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The next day came with a bright sun, such as the moon had not

seen for many years. There had been sunny days, but never of this

warmth and emotion. It was like the sun had regained its heart, and

it wanted to share it with the world.

Unknown to most people, the princess Serenity would have

complete control of the sun kingdom in her later years, for she was

the daughter of the now dead sun king who had married the Moon Queen

many years ago. He had died in battle, only days after the birth of

his little daughter. The sun kingdom lay in silent isolation, waiting

for the return of the royal line. It was not in ruin, but dormant as

if for the winter. It would be a great nation once again, the people

who lived there were sure of it.

Serena felt awful that morning however, and she could finally

feel the effects of the two week journey and the last few days of icy

rain suddenly wash over her. She could hardly get out of bed, she

felt so drained and weak.

The Queen ordered her to stay in bed, and the four princesses

of the inner planets took turns watching over her and bringing her

broth and water. She was grateful for their help, but found herself

sleeping most of the days away. Her sickness lasted a week, and she

was forced to stay in bed for that whole week.

When the week finally came to an end, a feeling of isolation

came over her and she felt the need for exercise. She implored the

stable master to allow her to use her horse, and then Sterling had

been saddled with the best gear in the stables.

Serena and Sterling had quickly become reunited and set out at

once across the great expanse of land that was owned by the castle.

She enjoyed every moment of the champion speed of her noble stead.

They all watched her from the castle, standing on a balcony

jutting out from the Queens room.

"She is an excellent rider," Lita said after a moment.

"And that is a very hard horse to ride," Amy said. "I wonder

how she tamed it."

"It is a question that we should ask her," Mina said.

"She really is extraordinary, isn't she?" The Queen said

happily.

"She is, and she's everything I ever thought she might be. I

used to dream of her, what she might have been like had she grown up,

and she is what I dreamed," Raye said. "There is no doubt of who she

is?" She asked.

"No doubt at all," Amy said confidently.

Darien held back from the conversation and simply watched the

beautiful girl riding at breakneck speed over the land. She was a

skilled rider, and he could tell her level of confidence through it,

and it was high enough to match all of theirs.

"What are we going to do though?" Lita asked.

"Surely we cannot tell her who we think she is," Mina said.

"We will tell her nothing," Darien said, causing all of them

to look at him. "She said that she recognised me, which I have to

admit caused me great joy." They all smiled at him. "If she can

remember on her own, then maybe it would be for the best. She would

discover herself who she is, and that is what she needs right now. I

sense that she is confused, and no manner of description from us might

spark a memory in her mind."

"You're right; we should say nothing to her," The Queen said.

"So we are to act as if we are new acquaintances?" Amy said,

and then she nodded. "That can be done," She said leaning on the

railing. "Yes it can."

The snow came early, only a day after Serena had taken Sterling

out for a run. They had been out almost all day, and Sterling was feeling

well enough to rest for a little while. Serena left him in the care of

the stable boy, who she liked automatically.

A week after that, more people came into the castle, but in a

much different way that she had. Serena was walking by herself

through the castle, having not been able to sleep. It was nearly

midnight, and everyone else she suspected to be asleep.

But loud voices in the front hall caught her attention and she

curiously wandered towards them.

Darien was there, as she had now gotten used to calling them all

by their first names, and he was joyfully greeting four men that had

just arrived. She could hear them talking now.

"You must been tired, what took you so long? I've been

waiting for you almost half the night," Darien said to them.

"We were stuck on Jupiter for another night while something

went wrong with the repairs on our ship. They never did tell us what

had gone wrong," one of the men with long almost white hair said,

although he could only be the age of Darien and not older.

"Maybe they were just trying to find an excuse for us to

stay," a man with short black hair said laughing.

"Justin, you were always one for the ladies," another man

rolled his eyes. "They could not stop following him around, it was

like a heard of little puppies." This man had blonde hair, and I was

only slightly longer than Dariens.

"You're just jealous Ken," the man named Justin punched him

playfully.

"But how did it go?" Darien asked eagerly. "What did they

say?"

"They said that their loyalty holds firmly, and they would

never dare to even think of betraying," the long haired one said.

"Oh Nathan, that is very good news," Darien said to

him, placing a name with the face. "That means that the only planet

left to go to is Pluto, which happens to be the farthest one away,"

he said as an afterthought.

"That one you're going to have to go to Darien. You know that

they would not look kindly upon us, for they might not even like you,"

the last of the four guys said.

"I know Zach, and that is why I left them till last. They are

the only planet that had pledged allegiance to only the princess, and

not to the moon. I still don't understand that, but I'm not going to

fight them about it." Darien seemed somewhat apprehensive of the

thought of going to the far away planet.

Serena realised suddenly that she had been spotted, by the

one named Ken. He had stopped dead in his tracks and was starring at

her with wide eyes. Darien followed his gaze, and smiled kindly at

her and walked over to her.

"Why are you still up, the others were in bed long before this

time?" He asked her easily.

"I couldn't sleep," she said stepping fully out into the

open, and looking past Darien to see that the other three men had

stopped and were looking at her in the same way as Ken. It was the

look that said they had seen a ghost.

"Guys, this is Serena Striker from somewhere east of here,"

he said, looking at them sternly. They all seemed to snap out of

their trance and elbow one another into calming themselves down.

"Serena, theses are my personal guards and friends," he said pointing

at them. "This is Nathan, Ken, Justin and Zach."

The all bowed to her one by one when their names were called.

They smiled, but Serena could still see the surprised on their faces.

Darien took her hand lightly and she turned with him back

towards the hallway, and the guys followed.

"What is this about not being able to sleep?" He asked.

Serena was for some reason a little irregular at the moment,

for she had the strangest feeling that she knew these men, and the

feeling of Dariens hand on hers was sending all sorts of emotions

through her body.

"I've been having these awful nightmares lately, and they've

been keeping me from sleep now in fear of having them," she explained

easily.

"What are they about?" Darien asked seemingly concerned.

"I don't know, it's more like a blur of images and actions

than anything else, and there is always screaming and breaking glass.

I can really work out what it is," she confessed to him, looking

behind her at the four men again.

Darien didn't say anything for a moment, but he looked like he

was thinking. "Could they be memories?" He asked finally.

Serena stopped dead in her tracks and looked at him. She had

felt for awhile now that he was hiding something from her. She looked

back at the guys who had stopped a few feet behind her, sternly this

time, then back to face Darien who looked at her worried.

"You know, I can't help feeling that you're not telling me

something," she said to him seriously. "It was strange to me that

the Queen asked me to stay, but seeing she was going to give me what I

came for I didn't press the matter. But since I came, all of you have

treated me, a simple farmer, like I was royalty or something. There

are many people who might revel in this, but I am not one of them. If

you will not tell me what is going on, then I am afraid that I am

going to have to insist on leaving," she said, challenging him with

her eyes.

Darien was slightly taken back. "I had no idea that you felt

so uncomfortable with this situation," he said.

Serene looked at the four generals again, then back to Darien.

She sighed. "It's not that I'm uncomfortable with it, and I don't

mean to say I don't appreciate the kindness that had been bestowed

upon me, but since I've come here all kinds of weird feelings have

made a centre in me and I can't help but feel that I've seen some of

you before. I know that I have seen them," she said pointing her finger

at the four generals, who looked at one another in surprised. "I have

this dread within me, that I might have been here before. The dread

does not come from the place, but of the fear that is within it.

I can't explain to you what it is that this place feels like, but

it's like I can feel it tearing at me, asking me for help that I can't

ever give it." Serena found herself becoming slightly more emotional

that she had intended.

Darien took her in his arms and held her, which again sent

shock waves through Serena. She could again see the flash, the

scream, the eyes, and the monster. She quickly pushed Darien away as

the vision assaulted her eyes. But this time they didn't stop, and

she found he head hurting violently with a pressure that was pushing

against her skull. She nearly cried out.

"Serenity, what's wrong?" Darien asked worried.

Again Serena stopped dead in her tracks and looked up to the

man standing in front of her. The visions gone from her mind for the

moment and she looked at him in obvious shocked. Her hands started to

shake, and her arms wrapped instinctively around her.

"I'm not Serenity," she nearly whispered to him. "That isn't

my name," she said just as quietly.

Darien saw his mistake instantly, and cringed at it. He looked

at her, knowing there was no way to fix his mistake. He looked at her

calmly, knowing that she knew his eyes and was locked within them.

"Then what is your name?" He asked her.

Serena looked around nervously, up at the painted ceiling.

She knew what he meant by the question, and she knew he knew that she

couldn't answer it truthfully. It bothered her, more than anything

else had bothered her before. The most painful part was that she

believed it.

With that, she turned and ran from the room.

Darien swore under his breath and bolted for her, his confused

guards and friends following him as fast as they could.

Serena was fast, but Darien was faster. He was gaining on

her, and Serena could hear it. She threw herself out of the hallway

and into the first room. She took almost ten long strides before

stopping dead in her tracks.

Dariens shadow cast itself from the door as he reached it, and

realising what room she was in, he stopped where he was and looked at

the shaking girl that was standing not ten feet away from him in the

dark room.

Serena looked around, knowing what she would see every time

she looked another way. Every window, every marble stone in the

floor, and every marble pillar vaulting towards the ceiling was

forever sealed in her memory. She watched, in the darkness, as the

room changed in her mind. She saw it in the day, full of people

smiling and laughed at her. She saw herself as a child, and then

Darien standing at the end of the long line of people, smiling at her.

There were the girls, all small like her and smiling at her along

with everyone else. The Queen was there, walking with her and holding

her hand lightly in hers.

Then it all changed the room exploded and the glass and rock

flew everywhere. Her mother, along with almost everyone else ran

towards the attack, and she knew that the only thing she could do to

help was hide herself and stay out of the way. She ran, but didn't

get very far. The monster loomed before her snarling at her with

obvious intent. She tried to scream as it reached for her, but it had

her before she could even move.

Darien was there then, reaching for her as the Monster carried

her out of the hole in the ceiling and up into the night. Then

something happened, and everything went black.

Serena breathed heavily as she saw this, tears running down

her face as her whole body shook in shock. She couldn't move,

couldn't force herself to ignore the images racing through her mind.

When Darien touched her arm lightly, it was like an electric shock was

sent through her whole body, and she jerked away from him. Behind him

were the four guards, along with the four girls and the Queen, her

real mother.

Serena stared at them all, obvious fear shown on her face. Her

eyes shone with tears, but they were haunted and she was pale from the

shock. They all looked eagerly at her, but not in an excited way, more

of a dread hanging over the whole room. Serena silently collected

herself, and then walked towards them with the only though of getting

by them.

When the Queen reached out for her, Serena jerked back from

her reach. "Don't touch me," she said more forcefully than she

meant. "I'm going home," she said without looking at them and

walking swiftly past them and into the hallway again. She started out

walking steadily, head held high, but within a few feet she had

started running and was now sprinting down the long hallway that lead

out of the palace. She left them all behind, her heart broken and her

mind in complete turmoil.

The people left all cried at her retreating back, and Darien

fell to his knees on the floor in anger and frustration. He knew that

something like this was going to happen; he just wished he hadn't been

stupid enough to let it happen now. She was gone again, and this time

it really was his fault.

Serena, now knowing that she was Serenity, had nowhere to go.

She had packed and changed quickly and set out on Sterling away from

the castle. But where could she go? She couldn't go home, for it

wasn't her home as much as she loved her parents. She couldn't go

back to the castle, she couldn't be there. There was only one choice

in the falling snow, and that was to disappear. And that's what she

did.

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End of Chapter 5

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