Chapter VIII. Revelations

After one of her trips to the Earth, the moon princess was returning to her quarters, trying to contain her secret happiness at having seen—and kissed—her prince, even though this trip was a rather short one. Endymion had seemed distracted by something, though he would not elaborate on what it was. The princess told herself not to worry about it, though she could not help but wonder what it was that distracted him so much.

Luna had said she was needed at the palace that night, which was the main reason for her early return, though she could not see what for. Perhaps another diplomatic visit, or a lecture about her recurring daydreams during lessons in the morning. As she approached her room, she spotted the feline's crescent symbol in the hall before she saw the dark cat herself.

"Good evening, Luna."

"Serenity," replied the cat, bowing slightly.

"What's going on?" After she asked the question, though, she saw another figure behind Luna: her mother. The queen smiled gently and motioned for her daughter to enter her room. The princess and her mother entered, with Luna following behind.

After they lit the candles in the room and seated themselves, the queen spoke. "I have been informed you seem to have a knack for becoming invisible, dear Serenity."

"I, uh, well—" As comfortable as she was about giving alibis to others, it was not the same with her own mother.

Queen Serenity seemed to understand, however, as she held up a hand to her daughter's stammering. "I have been meaning to tell you for some time that I am aware of your trips to Earth," she said calmly.

In an opposite reaction, though, Luna—who had apparently not been told of this—meowed loudly in disagreement, her fur raised on end. "What? Your Highness, you knew of this? Princess, what were you thinking? Do you know—"

"Luna," spoke the queen, still calm, "it is alright. If you wait a moment, I will explain why." The feline looked at her dumbfounded, but kept silent. The silver-haired mother now turned to her daughter, who was also in shock that her secret had been discovered, though relieved that there was no anger in the queen. "I went and followed you one evening—your last midnight rendezvous was charming, to say the least—and stayed after you left. I spoke with Endymion."

Luna turned her head in confusion, not knowing what this was about, but apparently suspicious of the man's name. The princess, however, felt embarrassed that her last –rather romantic—evening with her love had been witnessed by own her mother. "You were there? The whole time?" She cringed.

"Well, I did have the decency to look away when needed. You have to understand, dear Serenity, I have been somewhat aware of something going on, and needed to investigate it myself. A scandal it would be—the Moon Princess with the Prince of the Earth!" At this, Luna's eyes opened wide, but she continued to stay silent as the queen talked. "Until I understood the situation, I could not expect anyone else to. And I see now that it is completely harmless. On the contrary, it appears to be a favorable relationship." Luna opened to mouth to protest, but again, the queen's raised hand kept her silent. "Relations have been strained, to say the least, between the Moon and Earth, but now we have a chance to end that—that which is the only blight in our corner of the universe. I wish you had told me, daughter, but I understand your reasons, as you should understand mine."

The princess nodded, her fears alleviated by her mother's knowledge of the situation. "I apologize, Mother." She bowed her head down.

The queen leaned over and lifted Serenity's head. "It is quite alright. He is a charming young man, and I can see why you are in love with him." Another hiss of dissatisfaction from Luna accompanied this statement.

"But he did not say he met with you—"

"I told him I would speak to you about it, and asked him to stay silent. I see he is certainly a man of his word."

"What did you talk about?" inquired the young princess.

"Familiarity questions, of course. His heritage is a strong one, and I am somewhat familiar with the history of his lineage. I have asked him to come to a ball we are holding soon."

Luna was beside herself. "You invited him here?" She stood up and looked at the queen. "What if he is a spy?"

The queen shook her head. "He is no spy. In fact, it was suspected that our dear princess was a spy by a few, but thanks to her kind demeanor and manner, she has dispelled any suspicions that may be a blight on her reputation and ours."

"So they know she is from the moon?"

"Not all of them. Not many, if I was informed correctly. But there will be a time for that," replied Queen Serenity. "In fact, now that you are in the king's favor, you may reveal yourself, though I would not suggest doing it front of a crowd, for now. It is important to gain his trust first."

"Of course."

Luna wrinkled her nose and whiskers. "I do not like this, Your Majesty."

"And you do not have to, Luna. Your worries are well-noted, but unfounded. I have seen it myself—is that not enough for you?" inquired the queen sternly.

Seeing she had lost the argument, the feline frowned, but bowed in apology. "Yes madam."

The silver-haired ruler rose and sat next to her daughter. "I am very proud of how you have handled yourself thus far—like a true heir to the throne. However, from now on, no secrets are to be kept, yes?"

Her daughter smiled with tears in her eyes and hugged her. "I suppose this would be a good time to mention my senshi have been with me on most of my trips," added the princess.

Queen Serenity chuckled and withdrew from the hug. "I suspected as much. From what I understand, they have found beaus of their own."

Luna rolled her eyes and sighed heavily in disapproval.

...

"Do you believe this is a good idea?" asked the princess, as she made her way along the rose path with her prince.

"From what your mother told me, it is for the best," replied Endymion.

Serenity sighed and was silent for a few moments. "What did you think of her?" she inquired suddenly.

Prince Endymion laughed. "I knew who she was when I first met her. It was obvious you take after her. I believe I made a comment such as, 'Well, I can see where Serenity gets her looks from.'"

His blond companion gasped. "Really? And?"

"Well, I believed that diffused much discomfort. Your mother is quite wonderful, and very understanding. She knew I meant no harm, she simply came out of concern for you."

Serenity nodded, keeping her gaze straight ahead. They made their way into the castle arm in arm, and many of the nobles recognized her and greeted her. She waved back, as did the prince. For a moment, Princess Serenity saw herself with him in the future, waving to crowds as if they belonged there together. She blinked, and realized it was only an illusion. But it occurred to her that it was the first time she had pictured herself with the prince permanently. Her heart skipped a beat in excitement, and looked at Endymion. He was looking back at her, as if the same thought had occurred to him. Whether it had or not was irrelevant to her—it was the perfectness of that single moment that pleased her.

They made their way to King Edward, who was as jovial as ever and pleased to see Serenity. Remembering her mother's orders, Serenity spoke. "If it pleases your Highness, I would like to request a private audience."

The king seemed surprised at this request, but a smirk crossed his face. "Of course, my dear Serenity. Why not take a walk with me through the castle? I am sure there are some rooms that you have not visited yet."

Serenity nodded. "That would be wonderful." King Edward waved off the guards and motioned for the couple to follow him. As they made their way through the halls, there was a few minutes of awkward silence before Serenity gathered the courage to speak up. "There is something I need to tell you."

"Oh?" Despite the question, the king did not seem the least bit surprised.

"Yes. I thought it would be proper for you to know where I am from." She paused a moment before continuing. "I am from the Moon Kingdom."

The king stopped in his tracks for a moment and studied her. The couple stopped as well, but then the king continued forward through his castle. "Why wait so long to tell me?" he inquired.

"I….I did not want you to suspect me. I understand that things have been strained between our worlds."

"And yet you chose to visit." Again King Edward stopped walking. "Why?"

Serenity looked away before she spoke. "I wanted to see what this world was like. I had always been curious and wished I had lived here at times. Despite my guardian's better judgment, I snuck off and came to see what was here. That first night I met Endymion—and you, of course." The king seemed to remember this, and motioned for her to continue. "I am sorry if you suspect me of deception now, but sir, it was out of fear of retribution that I kept my heritage silent."

"I understand. And now that I have gotten to know you, I feel you bear no ill will to any of us, least of all my son." He smiled at the prince. "If anything, he is perhaps a better judge of character than I am. I am curious, though, if you knew about where she came from?"

Endymion nodded. "She told me, and expressed wishes to be treated as any normal girl. I granted that."

"A normal girl? What do you mean?"

The couple looked at each other. Serenity answered regally, "I am Princess Serenity, daughter of Queen Serenity, ruler of the Moon Kingdom."

A look of shock registered on Edward's face. "Of course! You never did look like a peasant girl, but I never would have suspected this!" He chuckled. "Why, that makes you an even better choice for Endymion!" He beamed proudly at his son.

"Father…." Endymion tried to interject.

"No, no, it is quite alright! I am glad that we have had this discussion. At least we can place you—after all, it would be hard to hold a royal ceremony without having your heritage publicly known, no?"

"R-royal ceremony?" squeaked the moon princess.

"A wedding, of course! At first, I would not have approved, but you are pure in both heritage and in spirit, and so it will be done!" He clapped his hands. "Yes, I will have my orators and planners on this at once!"

"But—" Endymion again tried to speak.

"But what? It is obvious you love each other, and she would not have revealed herself if she did not have permission from the Moon Queen. Why, this is a beautiful diplomatic compromise! Beautiful!" He kissed Serenity's hand and dashed off down the hall in excitement.

Serenity frowned. "So only because I am a princess…..that is the reason I am allowed to be with you?"

Endymion waved his father off. "It is not like that."

"It certainly appears to be." Her sharp tone barely covered over her distraught emotions. She crossed her arms.

"My father is a traditionalist. You had his approval from the very beginning, but he always said he would have preferred if you were of royal blood. He was nearly making an exception until now." The prince shrugged his broad shoulders. "Now he feels there would be nothing holding us back."

"Back from what?" demanded Serenity. "From getting married?" The thought had never occurred to her, and now she was expected to marry. "Who said anything about getting married?"

"Well, I….I have been wanting to ask you for some time," confessed the earth prince.

A silence fell between the two lovers. The princess turned away from him, allowing one tear to fall, but not allowing Endymion to see it. Wiping her face quickly, she walked quickly away. Endymion walked behind her, reaching out, but she sped up and ran off. He slowed down and stopped, never being able to call out for her.

...

"Argument with the pretty lady, eh?" remarked Zoisite. He and the other Shinnetou were gathered in the prince's quarters.

"Can you not tell? It is the misfortune of those of us who find themselves in love," said Nephrite, twisting his dark locks in his fingers.

Jadeite, who sat closest to the prince, shot them a look. They fell silent and looked at the prince, who was still in a state of despair, hunched over at the edge of his bed. "I should have told her…" He shook his head. "I should have told her I loved her. I wanted to propose properly. Now…it is ruined…"

"Was she even interested in getting married?" inquired Zoisite.

The prince looked at him. "I … I do not know. I never did ask…it just felt ….right, being with her." His friends looked him in sympathy.

Nephrite suggested, "Perhaps she will come around." The others nodded in agreement. He continued, "It is not as if this is over. She is everything to you, yes?" Endymion nodded. "Then tell her so. She will understand if you explain."

"I do not know. Maybe it is best this way..." the prince mumbled sadly.

"You cannot possibly mean that!"

Endymion responded to this comment with a look of despair. Startled by such a miserable expression on the prince's face, Nephrite ceased his argument. The other generals stayed silent, not knowing what to say. They were experts in their respective fields, yet nothing in their studies nor experience had taught them how to handle situations of the heart.

As they meditated on their thoughts, a knock sounded on the door. The men looked at each other, confused, but Kunzite rose to answer it. He opened it to find Beryl standing there, looking as regal and elegant as ever, with what appeared to be a concerned look. "Hello, is the prince here?"

"He is," answered Kunzite with a hesitation.

"I would like to see him—if he is up for visitors, anyhow." Endymion shrugged his shoulders and gestured for the new guest to enter the room. Kunzite sighed, but stepped aside to allow the sage to enter the room. "I do hope I am not interrupting anything," remarked Beryl as she came into the room, "but I understand there was something that upset you, dear Prince. I came to check on you."

"That is very kind of you, Beryl, but I think we have things under control," snapped Jadeite.

Beryl's dark red eyes narrowed. "I do believe I was addressing the prince, and not you." She suddenly softened and knelt before Endymion. "If I may be so bold to request a private audience….?" She let the suggestion hang in the air.

The Shitennou moved uncomfortably in their seats, and seemed about to speak when Endymion spoke. "It it allowed." The prince looked at his generals and nodded for them to leave the room. They rose slowly in reluctance and exited the chambers. They closed the door behind them.

Beryl smiled as they left, and she rose to sit next to the prince. She was distracted enough with the presence of her beloved that she did not notice the door edging itself slightly open. She put her hand on the Prince's own. "I do mean what I said. I can tell you have been hurt."

"One of your powers?" asked Endymion, meeting her gaze.

Her red eyes gleamed with apparent sincerity. "No, my dear Prince, I can tell—with my heart." She put her hand over her heart. She could tell his eyes followed her hand, and could not possibly miss the low cut of her favorite dress. It revealed enough to catch his attention, and hoped to keep it.

The prince, as if realizing he was staring awkwardly, shook his head and looked away. "It is difficult to understand what went wrong."

"Ah, that is because you and the Shitennou are but men. No offense to Your Majesty, but what do gentlemen understand in the affairs of ladies?"

"You know of the situation?" Endymion inquired, turning to look at Beryl again.

She shrugged offhandedly. "I heard a rumor from a servant." This was a half-truth; it was herself that heard the argument between the Earth prince and the Moon princess. After all, she was considered something of a servant as she was a part of the Magic Court.

The handsome prince sighed, his blue eyes singed with regret. "It is….regrettable."

"Yes, it is. But you have a chance—a chance to be with someone who truly cares about you, who can grant wishes you never knew you had.." Beryl cleared her throat and continued. "You can be with someone who will never give you up, never let you down, never run around and desert you—someone who will never make you cry, never say goodbye, never tell a lie and hurt you."

Endymion looked at her strangely. "Serenity has never lied to me."

"How would you know?" questioned Beryl. She raised her eyebrows.

Unable to answer this, he stayed silent. Beryl could see he was thinking, even doubting about his affair. "I think you should take a look at those who do care about you," she continued. She blew out a breath and stated boldly. "The person who cares you the most may be in front of you."

Suddenly, the prince straightened up. Beryl was startled, but pleased. Finally, she was getting through to him. "You are absolutely right." He kissed her on the check and rose to his feet. "I know she cares about me, more than anything, as I do for her." He dashed out of the room before saying another word.

Stunned by this abrupt action, it took Beryl a moment to realize what had just happened. Not only did she not seduce him, he was headed to be with—her. Enraged by this, she pounded her fists on the bed. Rising, breathing heavily, she headed to her quarters. She knew something had to be done.

…

Able to avoid others in the halls, she made it to her room without event. As soon as Beryl shut the door, she let the first tear fall. Even that anger could not possess the sage for long; it was despair of her own that now filled her. It was as if all the feelings and emotions the prince had felt had transferred to her.

Sliding down to the floor, she sobbed. It was not fair. She had finally gained the courage to reveal her feelings to Endymion—her love—and she was only met with disregard. He probably never knew. They never did. She would have to do all but hammer the idea into his head in order for him to even get a glimpse of what she was really trying to tell him.

She sighed, tears still streaming down her face. How could she think she could compete with the beautiful moon princess? Even with all her own power, Beryl could not make the prince fall in love with her.

What could she do, then? What was possibly left? She had put all of her hopes into an opportunity such as this, and it was now ruined.

She rose, rubbing her eyes with the palms of her hands. She seated herself next to the window in a small chair, gazing at the stars. Beryl could see the moon, only a sliver on this particular night, but still shining all the same. She leaned on her chin, wondering what could be done.

You despair, young one.

Beryl started; she could have sworn she heard a voice. "H-hello?" she called out uncertainly.

Hello, Beryl.

The sorceress's eyes widened with surprise. "How do you know me?"

I know those who have suffered, for I have suffered with many. Your trouble is my own.

"You—you understand me?"

Just as you understand me, replied the strange voice patiently.

"Who—who are you?" inquired Beryl, looking around her room for the source of the voice.

Look outside. She did, and could not immediately find what she sought. Her eyes began to feel drawn to the right edge of the horizon, where in the sky, she saw a gleaming fireball falling. As if reading her thoughts, the voice seemed to confirm her suspicions. Yes, here I am, my child. I am falling, as I always have, out of favor with the entire universe.

"I think I know the feeling."

Then join me. You wish to have your Prince? You can have that and more. I can guarantee this, as long as you serve me.

Beryl looked away uncertainly. This would be nothing short of betrayal. If you doubt me, think of all that you have left. The princess of the moon does not deserve him. You and I both know this—yet if you let her have her way, then they will be the ones with a happy ending, not you.

The sorceress leaned out the window. "What do I have to do?"

Make a wish.

"And?"

A dark chuckled echoed in her mind. And I will give you the tools necessary to take this world for yourself. Punish the Moon Princess. Destroy her kingdom. And collect enough energy for my true resurrection.

"Punish the Moon Princess…" This idea had never occurred to Beryl. The more she thought about it, the more it seemed to make sense. It was as if all of her judgment before had been clouded. What did that girl know about running a kingdom, or falling in love? She is only using Endymion. She smiled. Yes, and as I am the only one to see that, I am the only one who can fix it. I NEED to fix it. Possessed by a devilish glee, Beryl turned to the window again. "I know not nor care not what you are. If you are truly as powerful as you say, then grant me these powers, and I will set you free!" she declared.

Very well.

A flash of light flooded the sorceress's room.

….

A/N: Yeah, you got RickRolled. Sorry, couldn't resist :D