19
Usagi looked up. This was the moment that she was waiting for. The anger in her eyes was enough to show her thoughts. "I trust him," she sternly announced.
"What was that?" Beryl asked.
"I trust him!" she yelled out. There were tears starting to gather in her eyes, but she wasn't about to let Queen Beryl see that. As she clenched her fists, she slowly turned back to him. "I can, right?" she asked. Her gaze was soft and innocent, a look that broke his heart. He nodded to her as he smiled reassuringly. She returned the nod and then faced Beryl. She picked her sword up.
"Hold on there, I have an army remember? You must first beat them. I'll be fair. I'll only send one for each, that way everything can be watched," she said. Beryl then stretched her hand out to the side. Two girls that look exactly like Rei and Minako joined her at her side. "These are my soldiers. These girls can do the same thing that yours can. Clever huh?" she asked.
Usagi just stared in disbelief at the sight before her. It was hard for her to even understand how that could occur. The most that she could do at the moment was to matter out a small, "How?"
"Do you seriously think that I am about to tell you?" Queen Beryl asked.
Rei came running out to see what was going on and found Queen Beryl standing there with the two look a likes that they had already fought before. Before she could join every one, the girl standing beside Queen Beryl put her hands together and created a fire ball and threw it at her.
"Rei!" both Mina and Usagi yelled as they turned and ran to her. Mamoru looked down with concern and then went to join them.
"I'm okay. Really," Rei weakly assured.
Usagi just stared with sorrow at her injured friend. This was it for her. She had known that something was going to happen, but now this was all going too far for her. Every one had been hurt or injured but her and she was tired of it. She changed her attention over to Mina. "You stay here with Rei, I'll go take care of Beryl," she said.
"But Usagi, my job is to protect the queen and that is what I am going to do," Mina argued.
"I'm the queen and I NEED you to stay here," she ordered.
Mina looked over at Rei who was no sitting up. "Usagi," Rei tried to reason with her. "It may be your destiny to be queen, but it is OUR destiny to protect you. You do have the right to give us orders now, but can't just dismiss what we were meant to do," Rei explained.
Usagi sighed as she looked down and thought about what she had just said. There was nothing to say to that. She was right, it was their duty, but she couldn't live with herself if anything were to happen to them. "It's not an order, but could you two please, stay out of it until I say that I need you? I already have two of my friends gone because I did something stupid, I don't need four gone because of it," she said.
They both exchanged looks and thought it through. "Only if you promise that we can stay right here and that you'll call out if you need us. No faking anything," Rei said.
"We need you to. Besides, if the queen dies then every one's doomed," Mina said.
"Promise," Usagi said and then stood up. She walked over and stood before Queen Beryl with her sword in her hand and anger in her eyes.
"Where are your two little friends?" she asked.
"I'm alone," she announced.
"Very well, " she said and then pulled out her own sword. Usagi held up her own sword in defense. "Where's that little wand that you used?" she asked. "This was given to me," she said.
Beryl smirked and then swiped the sword across Usagi's chest from shoulder to shoulder. "And so was that," she said as Usagi closed her eyes to keep from yelling out or crying. Mamoru looked up with regret and started to get up. As hard as it was for any of them, Rei put her hand on his shoulder to keep him down.
Usagi lifted her sword and went for Beryl's stomach but was blocked. She tried multiple times but kept getting blocked and blocked a few from Queen Beryl. Each time that would block she would move back. She kept moving back to the point where she was back against the corner of the fence. Beryl smugly smirked and then gave her final try. Usagi tried to block, but wasn't quick enough, the sword pierced through her side and made her fall down to her knees.
"I guess maybe there was nothing to have prepared for after all," she said. Usagi sat there for a minute as she listened to the laugh and ridicule her. All she could think about was the story that Luna had told her about her dad and how he had went to her side. And how her family and friends were all sitting and waiting to be freed. She was the one that could set every one free. With all her strength, she used her own sword to help her stand up and then gripped on the one that was stuck in her and pulled it out. "You may have gotten me down for a minute, and I may not be the strongest one around, but I will not be taken by you," she said and then forced the blade into Beryl's stomach.
Beryl screamed and then started to back up. Usagi, getting weak, forced herself over to her and then picked up her sword. "That was for every one that you have over at your kingdom," she said and then held the sword up over her head having it ready to strike her. "And this is for my parents whose lives were ruined by you," she said and then stuck the sword into her chest causing her to fall back onto her elbows. "Maybe that'll teach you to come back after you've been defeated," she said.
"Don't you ever think that I'll give up that easily," she said and then rolled over to her side and lifted herself up.
Usagi just watched as she got to her feet. "What are you going to fight with? You're obviously weak and now your weapons are jammed in you. If you pull them out you'll bleed to death," Usagi said.
Beryl looked up. There was defeat in her eyes, but she was more stubborn than that. "The worst thing that can happen would be for me to go down and let you live. It may cost me my life, but as long as you go down with me, I can die happy," she said. Beryl gripped on the sword in her stomach and darted for the queen in front of her.
Usagi slowly stepped back and watched as the sword slid past her side and hit the ground. Since Beryl fell with the sword. She lay on the ground beside Usagi. She was now nothing more than just a lifeless body as the blood formed a small puddle. Usagi watched as her body disappeared and then fell to the ground. Mamoru saw her and then ran towards her and allowed her to lay in his arms.
"I did it," she weakly announced while she rested her head on his shoulder.
"Have you already forgotten about us?"
They both looked up at the two look a likes. "There's nothing left for you to fight for, your queen is dead," Mamoru said.
"That doesn't mean that we won't come back," they announced. Once that was said, they both left. After they were gone, Mina and Rei rushed over to see how Usagi was.
"Don't worry about me," Usagi said as she smiled at them, "I'm just happy that you two kept your promise and didn't come out here," she said.
"We were about to when you were cornered," Minako said.
Usagi sighed as she began to stare off into the distance. "Now we just have to go back and get everyone," she said deep in thought.
"Maybe we should go by ourselves. There's nothing for us to worry about now, and you need your rest," Rei said.
Usagi sighed and then attempted to stand up. Once she struggled to her feet, Mamoru stood up and helped her to remain standing with the little strength she had left in her. "No, this is my fault, so I should go and help, it's the least that I can do," she said.
"The least you can do!? You just won this kingdom! You saved everyone from being under her rule! Not only that but you kept others from getting seriously hurt!" Mina said. "Now you're hurt and tired and you are in no condition to be traveling," she said.
Usagi just looked off towards the side. This was more than just a simple desire to go, deep down she felt that she needed to go. That she needed to be there in person to free them and apologize. To tell them that if it weren't for her own stupidity that they wouldn't have been in there in the first place.
"You have to stay here. We'll bring them directly to you once we get back, I promise," Rei said. Even when Usagi became queen, she was still getting ordered around by Rei. It was evident that the two were set on going by themselves. Usagi found their concern touching, but still wanted to protect them and keep every one in her sight.
"Come on, you know that everything will be alright," Mina said.
Usagi looked up and sighed. "Alright, just be careful. I know there's nothing to be afraid of now, but that doesn't mean that things can't go wrong. I mean, one of you could fall or get sick or lost or something," she started to explain.
"Trust me, that has more of a chance of happening with you beside us," Rei said.
Usagi weakly smiled. "Now is that any way to talk to your queen?" she asked.
"I'm just saying that we'll be okay," Rei said.
Usagi nodded and then laid her head back down on his shoulder. Rei and Mina smiled down at her and then went off to go get the others.
Usagi stayed there in Mamoru's arms. It was the one comforting place that she had longed to be for so long. He smiled down at her and stroked her hair. "We need to get you to your bed and get those wounds taken care of," he said.
"Please, I don't want to go anywhere right now," she said.
Mamoru slightly began to laugh. "But a minute ago you were willing to go and get every one," he said.
"I know, but I also felt it my duty, this isn't," she argued.
"Alright then," he said. Mamoru stood up and lifted her in his arms. "I know you can't possibly have the strength to make it inside let alone your room," he said. With that, Usagi smiled as he carried her inside the palace.