17

Usagi was only about five years old. Even at that age, she was considered royalty. She happily cheered as she sat at the front of the main ballroom. Wearing her small tiara, she tried her hardest to sit up straight and look serious. "Look mommy! Just like you! Just like you!" the young girl squealed.

Queen Serenity turned and laughed. She had always loved to see the way that her daughter would act. She walked over and took her crown off. "Here, try this one," she said placing the crown onto her daughter's head.

Usagi clapped her hands as she laughed with joy. Then once the crown was on, it slipped down in front of her eyes. "Huh?" she asked as she took her small hands and felt the front of her face.

Queen Serenity laughed and took the crown back, revealing the confused look on the little girl in front of her.

Suddenly, Usagi looked up and saw tears starting to form in her mother's eyes. "Mommy? Sad?" she asked.

"No, of course not," she said as she picked the small child up.

Usagi woke up. She had always had small dreams about her former life as the princess, but she had never known what they had meant, and this was the first one that she had had in a long while. Curious, she looked around the room. Spotting Luna, she stopped and then began to call out for her. "Luna! Luna, could you help me out with some thing," she said.

Luna woke up and looked over at her. She had heard what she had said earlier and decided that it had to be something urgent. She was actually happy to see that she had not left yet. "What is it?" Luna asked as she jumped up on the bed and joined her.

Usagi sighed, she didn't quiet know what to ask or how to ask it. "Luna, did something happen here when I was really young?" she asked.

Luna just looked up at her. "Like what?" she asked.

That was what told Usagi that she knew everything. "Something that would have upset my mother. Something bad," Usagi said.

Luna looked down and then looked back up and saw her eager face. She knew that Usagi wanted to know, she just didn't want to be the one to tell her.

"Well?" Usagi asked trying to urge her. She was anxious and felt that for some reason, that it might be important. That it might actually some how help her with something now.

"I know that you don't remember, but you were very young when you're father left the kingdom," she started.

Usagi was about five years old, as she sat around the corner of her parent's bedroom. She knew something was wrong, just didn't know what. She peeked in and saw Queen Serenity crying as her husband stood before her.

"How could you?" her mom asked staring him straight in the eyes.

"I did what I wanted for once. All you do is what the people want! You don't even know half of them, yet you'd do anything for them. Queen Beryl thinks about herself. She knows what happiness and is willing to let me feel the same way. Unlike you who just wants to give everything up for strangers. I mean, I guess I don't mind so much if you do that, but don't drag me down with you," he said.

"What are you trying to do to me? First you sacrifice my daughter and then tell me that you're leaving me for my enemy?" she asked.

"He then left her and of course, ten years later, Queen Beryl made her attack," Luna said.

Usagi just blankly stared at her. There were so many parts of that story that had confused her. "Sacrifice my daughter? I'm still here," Usagi said.

"Well, you weren't the first born. See, your father and Queen Beryl go back a long ways. The first Princess Serenity was killed when she was about ten, you were born a few years later," Luna said.

Usagi looked off to the side. This was all a bit much for one day, but she was the one that had asked. She had never thought that she had ever had a big sister. It was all very confusing. She looked down and folded her hands. There was so much that she didn't know, and now she was trying to fight it. For all she knew, she could be fighting her own father. "If he was like that, then why did my mother marry him?" Usagi asked.

Luna could easily tell that she was still some what shocked. Going against her instincts, she decided to answer her question. "Quite honestly, she was forced to. She really loved this other man, I barely even remember what his name was, but she knew that it would only cause destruction if she had gotten married to him," Luna explained.

"But there was destruction from my father. How did marrying him make things better?" Usagi asked.

"I don't know," Luna said.

Usagi sat there and stared off into the distance. It was all very hard for her to understand. The more she thought about it, the less sense it made to her. Then, something struck her. "Luna? Am I being selfish for wanting to be with Mamoru?" she asked.

Luna looked up. She could tell by the look on her face that she was completely serious about what she had just asked. "No," Luna answered. "You want true love, and according to mother's story, true love can run a kingdom much better than a love that was set up," she explained hoping that it would help her.

"I guess that makes sense," she said and then got out of bed.

"What are you doing?" Luna asked.

"I'm going out, and I want to be alone," she said.

Luna sat there and sighed as she watched her close the door behind her. She knew that she was going to do something stupid, but now she couldn't stop her.

Usagi stood in the artic, she wasn't quiet sure exactly where she was, but she knew where she was going. She had waited until every one was a sleep back at the palace before she left, she didn't want to take the chance of having some one following her and getting hurt. Especially after what had happened with her family. There was no reason that any of that should have happened, but she let it happen and now she had to go back and fix things.

She was still dressed in her gown. It was cold, but she wanted to stick out to Queen Beryl, she might get captured, but she would definitely get to the kingdom a lot quicker.

She was scared, and cold, and tired, but now this was all more than just ruining her birthday, more than taking her future husband, this was about the destroyed lives around her. Queen Serenity, her sister, her present family, her friends.

Usagi sighed as she got to what she thought might be the kingdom. It was a small cave out in the middle of no where. She figured that there was probably something underground or that it was just a portal or something. She was about to enter it, but she heard a scream that made her stop. Turning to look, she saw Mamoru jump down. She was pushed down to the ground. In, shock, she just stared up at him as he kneeled over her. It was hard to believe that that was the same guy who had just helped her through everything, then again, it wasn't. This was something that Queen Beryl had put together. He raised his sword above her. "Mamo-chan?" she asked as tears formed in her eyes. She wanted to react, but couldn't. She was still in shock. With both hands tightly gripping the handle, he quickly lunged the sword down causing Usagi to scream.