Chapter VII. Beryl

Luna paced around the princess's quarters. She had been searching the entire afternoon for the princess and her senshi, but they were nowhere to be found. Not wanting to cause alarm, she only notified Artemis of her worries, and he promised to search for the girls. It would not have bothered her on a normal basis, but there were rumors among the moon's scientists and astronomers about a distant object coming into their solar system. The feline could not describe it, but she felt it held ill will for those who would come across its path. It was still a significant distance away, but officials were going to make an announcement tonight about the news.

She finally sat down, thinking she would only wear herself out if kept up her exercise. There was no sense in worrying, she always told the princess. Yet she could not help herself from doing it now.

Her ears perked up, hearing faint footsteps down the halls. As they came closer, Luna could hear the princess's voice and the giggles of the other girls. Sighing, she went to the door.

The princess seemed to be surprised as she opened the door and found Luna standing there expectantly. "Luna," she said, "what are you doing here?"

"I have been looking all over for you girls. What makes you think you can disappear without notifying someone of your whereabouts?" Her guardian's voice rose in anger.

Princess Serenity gave a short bow of apology. "I am sorry, Luna, but I was safe. There was no need to worry." She turned her head. "You know we are perfectly safe on the moon. Why were you worried?"

The guardian cat sighed and looked away. "It—it is nothing." She looked back at the princess and her friends. "Listen, the astronomers are giving some big news this evening, and the queen will likely request your presence. You know it is your responsibility—"

"—To be present at every formal occasion, in order to distinguish myself as a future ruler of the moon," finished the princess, rolling her eyes. "I understand, Luna. I really do."

Luna doubted it, but did not press the issue further. "I will expect you and the others to be dressed tonight properly for dinner."

"We will," they chorused, and Luna walked past them into the hallway to find Artemis. Her anger at the absence of the princess had ceased, but as she continued on her way, she remembered she forgot to ask where they really had been. She shook her head at the though. Surely they would not do something as irresponsible as going to Earth. They probably took a long walk to the gardens.

….

Endymion was in a dream-like state when he faintly heard a knock on his door. "Come in," he said, standing up and straightening his vestments.

Jadeite poked his head into the prince's quarters. "Your Majesty, I believe you have a guest."

"A guest?" After the appearance of the moon princess, he had not expected any other visitors. "Who is it?" he inquired.

"Come see for yourself," replied his general, with a gleam in his eye.

Endymion followed Jadeite down the hall into the courtyard. He noticed the soldiers were at attention, and a large number of people had gathered along the walls. His father was seated as usual at his throne. Upon noticing his son's entrance, he rose to greet him and motioned to him a young woman who stood in front of them.

At first glance, she almost passed for a peasant, but upon further inspection, she had all the appearances of royalty. She wore a velvet black dress with a white drape around the waist and fine jewelry that sparkled as if enchanted. Her hair was a dark auburn, and her eyes were matched in color. The detail that seemed to stand out the most, however, was her figure. She was proportional in the way that most men would stare—as some in the court did—and her dress fit tightly around her curves, as if accentuating them. She curtsied to the prince, and he nodded in acknowledgement.

"Endymion, this is the great sage Beryl. She will be joining us for some time. I would like for you to introduce her to the rest of our sages and the Magic Court," said the king.

"As you wish, Father," replied his son. He walked to the newcomer and offered her his arm. She took it with a grateful smile.

As they walked to the Enchanter's Tower—which is what the sages of the time resided in and performed their experiments—Endymion gave her some background information on the Magic Court. Some years ago, when alchemists and magic were rampant among the people, false sorcerers often tricked people into giving up their money or worse, tricked kings and thus, entire kingdoms into complete ruin. In order to prevent this from occurring in their kingdom, the king of the time had, in his great wisdom, established a proper foundation for sages of his time to combat any threats that may threaten the kingdom. Not only did they experiment with logical science, but they dabbled in alchemy, prophecies, and other magical categories. Jadeite himself was known for visions in fires and in the stars, and so often participated in the Magic Court when he was not busy with his royal duties.

Beryl listened to this with great patience, though a kind of longing seemed to echo from her eyes. As they stopped outside the winding stairs that led to the tiered tower, Endymion asked if she had any questions.

"I believe you explained everything quite perfectly. I believe I am going to like it here."

"You do not mind if I ask a few questions of my own?"

She gestured politely. "Be my guest."

"Where exactly do you come from?" What little introduction his father had given had piqued his curiosity.

"I am from a castle to the north of here. We study in a similar fashion to your court. You may even go so far to call it a school, though there is little in the way of what you would call a formal education," replied the sage.

Endymion nodded. "Well, then you should feel quite welcome here. We are always happy to have those of talent enter our Court."

Beryl smiled and put her hands in his. "I do feel welcome. Perhaps it is your presence that calms my anxiety."

The prince felt a little uncomfortable with this remark, though he could not pinpoint the source of his worry. "Well, I will leave to you Master Chesn. He is a remarkable tutor, and if you are as advanced as you say, then he will be quite pleased." At this, the young woman appeared disappointed at something. Feeling guilty, he added, "I will also hope you will join us for dinner tonight."

"That would be wonderful! You are too kind, Prince Endymion," gushed the newcomer, overcome with excitement.

"I will see you then," replied Endymion, releasing himself from the beautiful woman's grip. He bowed and excused himself to his quarters again. Something about the sage made him feel uncomfortable. It was not that he was taken by her beauty—in fact, her attempts in getting his attention felt false somehow.

"Prince?" a voice called out.

The prince stopped in his musings and his footsteps, turning to see a blond general approach him. "Hello again, Jadeite."

"You do not sound excited to see me. Perhaps your thoughts are upon that beautiful woman? Ah, but which one," his general teased.

Endymion shook his head and continued to his quarters, with his friend falling in step with him. "I do not see her that way."

"Hmm, well I cannot say I blame you. For all of her womanly attributes, I cannot get past this feeling of ice when I approach her. Something feels off."

"Well, you do tend to judge others too quickly. Look at how you treated Serenity when she first came to visit."

Jadeite bowed his head. "You are right, my liege. Perhaps it is my paranoia, though you have to remember it is my duty to protect you and this kingdom."

"Time will tell if she is a friend or foe. She seems harmless enough, just a young sage in need of guidance. Perhaps you can assist in her training or her work," suggested the young prince.

"I will do so. It would not hurt to be a little friendly to her, in order to get to know her better."

Endymion laughed. "You, actually suggesting such a thing? You would think you have become soft."

"Quite the contrary. The best way to get to know a person's intentions is to let them think you have let your guard down."

"Always the cynic," remarked the prince with a sigh.

His companion raised an eyebrow. "Is that not why you chose me, your Highness?"

Prince Endymion scowled, knowing Jadeite was only trying to aggravate him. "You of all people know why I chose you. You alone have seen what is to come, and what has been. While your visions are sparse, I have them to thank for saving my life once before."

Jadeite softened, his dark eyes shining in the darkening halls. "It is you who believed in me, and brought me from my humble beginnings. Still, there is a reason for everything, and while this day may seem insignificant now, it will matter later."

"But of course."

….

The dinner that night turned to be quite exhausting for the prince. Even though Beryl was kept busy in conversation with many of her new admirers, it appeared she only had eyes for the prince. The king, being aware of this, nudged his son in amusement. Taking Jadeite's advice into consideration, though, the Earth prince did make attempts to make Beryl feel welcome, which seemed to feed her excitement all the more.

Lying in his chamber that night, he thought back to those moments and how they compared to his encounters with the moon princess. In his opinion, there seemed to be no comparison. While Beryl was lovely, Serenity was radiant. Where Beryl was enthusiastic, Serenity was sincere. He turned his head to the window and saw the moon, glowing as it did every night. Never before the princess's appearance did he even consider the moon as a kingdom of its own, a world unknown to him. He had usually looked at it without a second glance. On nights like this, though, he would wonder where the young girl who had stolen his heart was and what she would be doing. He wondered if her royal life was as ordinary as his…

….

Little did the prince of the Earth know, his beloved was looking in his direction as well. Her evening had been spent keeping up appearances and feigning interest in the discussions of the scientists. The only thing she had in common was that her thoughts were also in space—but in another direction. The comet seemed to be of little worry, as it was slow moving, but it was still quite a commotion for those who were interested in what would come from beyond their solar system. Some people seemed to be worried for one reason or another, though many saw this as only an astrological discovery of little consequence.

She sighed, twisting her blond hair out of her bun-like pigtails and straightening her hair. Serenity was glad Luna had not inquired as to her and her senshi's disappearances, though she knew the clever feline would not let it pass for long. She would have to be more careful in the future.

…..

And careful she was. Leaving elaborate alibis, from one person to another, traveling from one place and saying she would be somewhere else was a difficult task, but in Princess Serenity's mind, it was well worth the prize.

It seemed like only days since she had first met her prince, but soon weeks flew by. It felt like a whirlwind of emotion that seized her. Every time she visited, she learned something new about the mysterious planet that her world orbited. Every time she came, he was waiting with open arms. And every time her friends came, they seemed to be just as at peace as their counterparts.

Princess Serenity had almost become a regular guest at the Earth king's castle. Everyone knew her by name, though no one other than the prince and the Shinnetou knew of her true heritage. She was beloved and held in high regard for a girl with "a regular background." She even seemed to have the favor of the king.

Every time she visited, however, her presence seemed to be darkened by one thing: the animosity of the sage named Beryl, who had a reputation for extraordinary sorcery. She had tried to be nice to the woman, and for a while, it had appeared they were going to be friends. When Serenity joined Endymion-as she always did, as they were almost attached at the hip—she earned the wrathful looks of Beryl. She felt somewhat intimidated by the sorceress, though the prince assured her she had nothing to worry about. Despite his words, however, her instinct told her to be careful. Even Rei shared in her suspicions.

"I believe she may be in love with the prince," the senshi of Mars had remarked.

Serenity felt as if someone had punched a hole in her heart. "Then what will I do? Does Endymion love her too?"

"Do not be ridiculous. It is obvious to all—especially to Beryl—that he only has eyes for you. Think about it, dear princess, if the person you were in love with was attracted to someone else."

"I think I just did," replied the blond princess. "I can sympathize with her."

"Which is all the more reason you should understand her. Just continue to be your normal, friendly self and she will come around. If nothing else, she can gain a friend, which can be more valuable than a one-sided crush."

After considering this, Serenity tried all the more to make the sorceress her friend. It seemed at times she succeeded, though she was unsure of her progress. Time would only tell, she supposed.