Chapter II

Jupiter had offered to accompany her, but Serenity felt as if this was one experience she wanted for herself—her first trip to Earth. Perhaps it would be her only trip. She did not know what this reckless feeling in her heart was—was it fate? Was it destiny? Was it rebellion? All she wanted was a small glimpse of the world she saw from afar.

She crash-landed in the middle of a grassy field during her teleport, not far from where Makoto had said the glorious gardens were. Unfortunately, landing had not been one of her greater strengths. Her pure white dress was stained in the back with a tinge of green. Serenity bent over and inspected the ground. "This must be the grass that Makoto spoke of," she said to herself. The brown dust on the ground..it vaguely resembled the dirt that Jupiter also mentioned. Princess Serenity stood herself up, gazing around her. Large plants (Makoto called them trees) stood not far off in the distance. A large castle, similar to her own Moon Castle, stood to her south. It was a grand building, with many turrets and stairs. Flags hung from every corner, and stained-glass windows decorated the sides of it. Serenity hoped that no one would see her from that distance.

She wandered over to the fabled gardens that the thunder senshi had spoken of. There was many plants that were alien to her, and a few that she recognized from the gardens on the Moon. Makoto must have made several trips just for the seeds…

Serenity noticed the large red blooms, the "roses", as Makoto had called them. Serenity felt herself drawn to their beauty. Dew had settled upon the tips of the flowers, like diamond jewels upon red velvet. She was so interested in the flowers that she failed to notice a person coming towards her, until he was directly behind her. Seeing a shadow upon the ground next to her, Serenity gasped and turned around. Her cerulean eyes met a set of dark blue ones. The man before her was dressed in black, elegant armor. His golden sword was attached to his side. His dark hair wavered in the wind. Despite all the men and suitors that had approached her on the Moon, this one was different than the rest. She somehow knew, looking into his trusting eyes, that this was a special meeting, a special someone she could relate to.

Smiling, the handsome stranger said, "And just who might you be, pretty rose lady?"

"I…um…" Serenity cleared her throat. "My name is Serenity."

"Serenity…such a beautiful name, for a beautiful maiden. You truly look like a goddess," the man said motioning towards her body. Her white dress wrapped tightly around her small figure. Layers of the dress rippled in the wind. Serenity blushed at the compliment. The man continued, "I am Prince Endymion, heir to the throne of Earth."

Of all people to run into, Serenity thought, I ran into the prince of Earth! Surely I can tell him who I am, since he was so honest.

Before she could say anything more, however, Endymion asked her, "Where do you come from?"

Serenity looked up. Her beloved moon was a simple white circle. It was so strange—that little sphere was where she lived. "I am from the Moon."

"Ah, that certainly explains a bit. Such beauty is rare here on Earth, much less anywhere else in the universe."

Serenity blushed again. This stranger certainly had a lot of charm. She wondered what was drawing her to him so much. Was this the fate she wondered about? Was this meeting destined? What did Pluto—the ancient senshi of time and space—think, watching from her time gate? Surely she was not alarmed, or else she would have rescued Serenity then and there. Gathering her courage, she responded, "I was told about your rose gardens and wanted to see them myself."

"So that is what we owe this special visit to? Well, Serenity, I am certainly pleased you came all this way just to see my current hobby. You see, I myself help plant these gardens—the roses are my specialty," said Endymion, gesturing towards the plants.

"Really? They are rather wonderful. A friend of mine on the Moon plants these herself…she gathers leftover seeds from here."

"Strange, I have not seen her. I do not mind, however. She is welcome anytime, as you are. Would you like to come to my castle?" asked the prince, gesturing towards the tall building behind her.

"Please take no offense, but I perhaps had better not. The feud…"

"The feud is nothing but history. It does not concern us…you are certainly no threat to me, and I wish no threats upon you," said the prince graciously.

Serenity shook her head. "You do not understand. My mother is the Queen of the Moon."

Shock registered upon the prince's face. "That makes you a princess." He bowed very low. "I apologize, Your Highness, I did not know."

"Please," Serenity whispered. She touched his hands. "I would like to be a normal person, for just one day." His hands felt rather smooth and warm, she noted.

Endymion nodded. "I understand. Such pressures we face as royalty…I am sure it is as difficult for you as it is for me. There are some days when I wish to escape this world and travel to another…perhaps one day I can visit you. In secret, if you prefer…" He bent down to kiss her hand.

"I would like that," Serenity said shyly, blushing as the kiss landed upon her palm. She found herself wishing those lips would meet hers. She blushed again, very glad that the Prince could not read her mind.

And thus a series of meetings began, sparking the greatest love that had ever been known to the universe.