Disclaimer: I do not own Sailor Moon or associated characters.
Chapter 5: A Birthday Parade…
Endy's stomach rumbled, growling in protest of neglect. Sadly, for him, nothing seemed to appeal to him. Pushing thoughts of hunger aside, he turned his mind to things of more importance then his personal comfort. Or rather to the matter clinging to his arm. He stopped walking, suddenly, causing Serenity to stop as well. The lighting in the corridor had him admiring her in the riding dress a moment before he spoke.
"Serenity, I can't have you hanging on my arm like this, it isn't proper. Here, like this," Endy said as he untangled his arm from her grasp, then placed her arm upon his. She seemed rather upset about the separation. "Does it matter so much? I'm still here beside you."
"I… um… I'm a…" Her sentence ended in a soft whisper.
"I didn't hear you, what was that?" Endy asked, getting slightly annoyed with her excessive shyness.
"I'm afraid," she said, looking away.
"Of what?" he asked. He now faced her, holding her shoulders so she couldn't turn away. He needed to get to the bottom of the issue before it became a problem.
"Of so many people," her chin trembled a little as she looked up into his eyes.
"Have you never been around a lot of people before?" His annoyance with her was melting a bit. I can't be angry with her for something that wasn't in her control, can I?
She shook her pretty little head in answer. A very pretty head…
Why is it so hard to concentrate around her? He gave his own head a little shake to clear away the mental haze that was developing.
"Well, I'm sure none of them want to hurt you. There isn't anything you should be scared of," he tried to reason.
"I'm not scared of being hurt. It's just… I can't explain very well. My chest gets tight, my breathing is short, and I'm so scared I start to panic. So I hide. There really isn't a reason… See? It's stupid, that's why I don't speak too much…" her last words came out a whisper again, but Endy heard them anyway.
He pulled her into a light embrace, rubbing her back gently. A couple wash women passed by, bowing to him with secret smiles that they thought they hid well. He nodded in acceptance and watched them retreat down the hall. Serenity was getting comfortable in his arms, making small, content sounds. Endy suddenly pushed her back a step by her shoulders.
"An unexplainable fear. Everyone has them. The problems with those are that they are very hard to overcome. And don't think yourself stupid just because you speak your feelings, it helps me understand you more. In fact, I encourage you to speak more," he said as he pushed a few stray hairs behind her ear. So pretty…
A sudden wave of dizziness made him stumble into Serenity, bringing his face within inches of hers. He couldn't understand how that little frame managed to catch his weight to keep him from falling. What was more of an interest to him, at the moment, was his intense desire to kiss her. One desire he was more than willing to fulfill. Her eyes were wide and filled with concern from his little stagger, then turned into surprise and delight at realizing what he was intending next.
"Prince Endymion!"
"Damn it! Interrupted again?" Endy muttered. He decided to ignore the summons and finish what he started.
"Prince! You're going to be late!" the Royal Steward rushed up to them before their lips met.
Serenity giggled, then backed away before Endy could take what he wanted.
"Wonderful timing, Takai," Endy mumbled, shaking his head into his hand, then looking up.
"Pardon, my Prince? Oh, my! Are you feeling okay?" Royal Steward Takai asked. Serenity's hand was on his forehead a moment later.
"You're hot," She whispered to him. Takai didn't seem to hear her.
He didn't feel hot, but her cool hand seemed to banish any traces of the dizziness that had assaulted him.
"I'm fine," Endy said to him in a stronger voice. Serenity seemed to notice what she was doing and removed her hand, slightly embarrassed at her actions. Endy flashed her a wink and a small smile. "What am I going to be late for?"
"But you've lost all color to your face. Do you wish me to call Azumi?" Takai asked, referring to the palace's resident healer.
"No, I have no need of her loathsome potions. I am perfectly fine," he replied. Another wave of dizziness washed over him, this one was laced with pain. He clenched his teeth and ignored it, but used Serenity's shoulder to steady himself. "What am I going to be late for?"
"The parade! You are really going to be late now! Come, quickly. Your father, the king, will be waiting in the courtyard for you! He'll be livid if he thinks you're avoiding your own parade," without another word, Takai took off down the corridor towards the royal stables.
Endy tried to take a step after him, but found that his foot didn't follow his command. A worried sound emitted from his throat. "Go ahead, Serenity. I'll catch up in a moment."
"No," she stated, simply.
He gave her a queer look, then gently pushed off of her and regained his balance.
"It was just a dizzy spell, I'll be fine. Come on, we're already late," he told her. He hadn't lied exactly, but it was all he could do to keep standing straight with the pain.
Her concern stayed in her expression as she nodded, then hooked his arm in a slightly modified escort position, supporting him as they slowly followed Takai.
***
Royal Steward Takai was waiting for them at the courtyard doors, wringing his hands. The worried expression on his face told woes of waiting for hours and not the few minutes it took them to catch up.
"There you are! Come, come. Hurry!" he said as he turned and pushed the doors open.
Blight sunlight blinded Endy and Serenity. As his vision adjusted, he was surprised when she didn't cling to him or bury herself into him. Instead, she just stepped closer.
What greeted him was over a thousand men, in their dress uniforms, stretched out through the gates to the city proper. His father was over by the stables speaking with the stable master. The king swung around as a cheer went up from a few men who spotted Endymion, causing a chain reaction until all thousand men were shouting their approval.
Serenity lost it at that point, grabbing his arm with both of her hands then burying her face into his coat. Endy just touched the bridge of his nose, looked up to the heavens and beseeched the gods for divine guidance. Another painful wave of dizziness assaulted him. Worse than the last one, this wave caused him to cry out softly. Once again, he was amazed at how Serenity's little body could hold him up.
"Endymion! Stop harassing your little lady and get over here. You're holding up the parade!" the king yelled at him.
Endy took another moment to steady himself and walked over to the stable hand who was holding his horse, completely ignoring his father.
How am I going to get up there with being dizzy and sick? He thought to himself as he eyed the saddle.
Serenity followed closely behind him, trying her best to be small and unnoticed. I can't have that happen! Endy thought to himself with an evil grin, despite his condition.
"Shingo, do you have a horse ready for Serenity?" he asked, knowing that no such thing had been ordered prepared. He got the desired reaction, though. Her head snapped up with a horrified look.
"I don't know how to ride!" she wailed. Looking up to Endy's smirk, she gave an angry grunt. Turning her face away from him, she whined, "You're teasing me!"
A little better than hiding behind me. Maybe I can work her out of her shell after all. The faint traces of dizziness left him, and he took the opportunity to mount his horse. The violent movement brought on a strong urge to vomit in exchange. Endy fought that urge heroically, due to the fact that the recipients of whatever came up would be Shingo, and Serenity. I definitely wouldn't be their favorite person after that! He laughed at himself in his mind, enjoying his own humor.
"May I help you up, my lady?" Shingo made a loop with his hands to boost Serenity up, bypassing Endy's earlier question.
She glanced up to Endy, gave him a sniff, then used the stableman's hands as intended. That was the only thing about her mounting that went as intended. All the scrambling and chaos that ensued nearly pulled Endy off the horse. He calmly attributed her mounting to the lack of experience she had with horses. Or so Endy hoped.
She hadn't seemed this clumsy at any other time.
The horse had whinnied and danced a bit while the awkward passenger was being loaded. A quick cluck and a soothing pat brought him under control.
"You're lucky this saddle doesn't have a horn, or you'd be… injured," he remarked to her.
"I'm sure," she replied, then proceeded to give him the cold shoulder. He chuckled at her response, then received a elbow for his mirth.
"Ouch! Don't be so violent," he whispered into her ear, then gave her earlobe a quick kiss. A rosy red color blossomed across her cheeks as she leaned her side against him. She was sitting side-saddle across his lap, which he could hardly tell, due to her weighing so little. It was also easier for him to get to the reins which gave the side benefit of wrapping his arms around her.
His father came up to them with a deep belly laugh. "Aren't you two just priceless? Keep that up during the parade and our people will know the future of our nation is guaranteed! What do you say, Serenity, are you the one to give Endymion an heir?"
"I… ah…" she stuttered. Her cheeks were changing from red to pink.
"Father! I've only known the girl for a day! Please don't say things like that," he admonished the king, "You'll just embarrass her."
The king just laughed again, waving away Endy's retort. He turned away and started back for the palace, laughing to himself the entire way.
"He's too pleased with himself," Endy muttered.
"Was he ordering me to do that? Am.. I.. to give you a child?" she stuttered. Her eyes were forward and her body was tense.
"No, he wouldn't order you to do that. But, I'm sure it would make him happy. He wants grandchildren before he dies, not to mention I'm getting a little old not to be married," he answered.
Endy didn't think Serenity's cheeks could've turned a darker pink, but was surprised as they did. "Is… are women like me allowed to marry a prince like you?" she asked.
"What do you mean, women like you?" he queried.
"A sla… companion. I've been told princes only marry princesses," she answered, looking up to him. Her wide, cerulean eyes made his breath catch.
So beautiful…
"Uhh, well. Usually that's true," he saw her eyes turn a little sad, "but, my father believes in freedom and told me to marry whom I desire." He watched her mull over what he had said for a moment.
Shingo came up to the side of the horse. He looked down and started to shuffle his feet, looking like he had a question.
"What is it, Shingo?" he asked, not unkindly.
"Sir, everyone is ready and waiting. Shall I lead your horse?" A spark of independence flared in his head, but his captains came riding out of the stables at that exact moment. At each of their horse's heads, was a groomsman leading them by the reins. Then he noticed that Shingo had on his best attire.
If that's how it is, then that's how it will go.
He nodded his assent and flipped him the reins. He was relieved at his decision as another wave of pain and dizziness attacked his head. Serenity was already tense from all the soldiers around and leaning against him, so he used her as an anchor, leaning back against her as to not fall off his horse. The sickness wasn't leaving as it had before, and he had to fight not to cry out. Every step the horse took, every sway brought on terrible agony.
His stomach gave a sharp twist, which caused him to take a short, quick breath. Serenity jerked her head up to see what brought on the noise he made. She took in his expression of masked pain and reached up with both hands, cupping each side of his face.
"What's wrong? Are you sick?" she whispered to him.
"A little. I'll make it through the parade, though. Then I'll go see Azumi," he whispered back, "Really, I'll be fine."
As before, her hands seemed to push the pain and disorientation out of his head. He was too relieved to realize that she may have something to do with the sudden disappearance of his condition. His stomach was still in pain, but was easier to ignore with a clear mind.
They had made it to the front of the procession and making them aware of that fact was Kunzite.
"You two really shouldn't be playing kissy face in front of your soldiers," he offhandedly remarked, as his horse was lead up beside theirs.
Serenity quickly dropped her hands from Endy's face and the pink color came back into her cheeks. Endy opened his mouth to retort angrily, but closed it after thinking of how he had teased Serenity not too long ago.
Best not to be a hypocrite.
"Don't worry, captain. I bet you'll find a nice girl to play kissy face with you when you grow into a man," Endy replied with a smirk.
A few of the soldiers who heard the prince's words laughed at Kunzite. Kunzite sighed in defeat and had his stable hand guide his horse to his place in front of the laughing men.
Endy looked over his shoulder to see the ordered ranks of his men. All the soldiers were afoot, four abreast. His captains, just now lining up, were mounted and each leading a column of men. The first soldier on the right was bearing his standard and the one on the left bore the company's standard. He nodded to himself in approval at how crisp and disciplined his men looked. A burgeoning sense of pride for his soldiers started in his chest.
Some of the looks the soldiers gave him brought sharp memories of a month past to the forepart of his thoughts. The tangy taste of blood and the clash of sword against sword ran through his mind. The deep respect their eyes held for him also brought up something his father told him once.
'Leadership is a two way street. If a leader cannot trust or respect his followers, how can they trust or respect him? If you believe in your men and let them know it, then you can accomplish great things!'
Endy never really understood what the king meant by that until he led his soldiers into battle. The few changes he had made before the clash had started a bond between the soldiers and himself. Fighting his captains for the chance to actually lead his men into the fight brought on the respect he saw in their eyes now.
"Captain Kunzite. Order the company; At a Half Pace, Forward March!" he gave the order, crisply.
"Prince Endymion's 1st, AT A HALF PACE, FORWARD MARCH," Kunzite bellowed.
After giving Kunzite the order, Endy motioned Shingo to start off, creating a few paces distance between him and his captains. His captains had already put some distance between themselves and the soldiers when they had formed up.
He pictured the procession in his mind as they started out on the main road. Pictured them as the common people would see; neat ordered ranks, clean uniforms, and strong leadership from the front.
He didn't need his father to tell him what this whole farce was for, he knew that the parade was really a projection of power. Endy never had a birthday 'parade' before and wasn't really upset that this was just a shrewd political move. In fact, he understood the need for such events. The more the populace saw the results of what the king did to protect them, the stronger loyalty he would receive.
He didn't need to manipulate me, though. I would've done this for him without the deception. Birthday parade, my ass.
His father's penchant for using and maneuvering people as he saw fit, was as much as part of him as the nose on his face. With the evidence of the king's latest ploy sitting in Endy's lap at that moment. He took a mental step back, and tried to understand what his father's plan was this time. He sigh in frustration as nothing came to mind.
Serenity, after adjusting to the movement of the horse, was now gawking at the manors that lined the street they were on. Most were three stories, with balconies and hanging gardens. Each sat on a plot of land the size of small ranches. She turned her head up to him with wonder in her eyes.
"Do many people live in these castles?" she asked. He chuckled at her misconception, but pointed back the way they came before he received another elbow in the gut.
"No, beautiful. That, is a castle," his own eyes followed where she looked and tried to see it as she did, finding the practice fruitful.
The palace was huge, taking up the space of two large farms, then there was the wall surrounding it. The whole palace was made of white stone, including the wall with guard posts intermittently spaced. There were five towers that soared up towards the sky from the main structure, four of the towers made the corners of a square, while the tallest sat in the middle. All the towers, including the short guard post towers on the wall, were roofed with bright orange-red tiles. On the peak of each tower were flagpoles from which his father's standard flew. It's my standard as well, I suppose.
"These are just summer manors for my father's dukes, Earls, and Counts. They should be empty right now, but spring is almost here and there will be parties almost every night. You're going to need some ball room dresses," he looked down to see her reaction.
Her eyes lit up at the mention of dresses, but then took on a decidedly worried look when she understood where she would be wearing them.
"Do not fret. We still have some time before they get here. Plenty of time to get you used to crowds," he reassured her. "Do you know how to dance?"
She nodded her head. "Any poetry?" Another nod. "And sewing, cooking, hawking?"
"All of those. Although, whenever I cook, it doesn't turn out right," she replied. He laughed, loudly. Her little pink tongue stuck out from between her lips for a few seconds and went back in. She started to give him the cold shoulder again when his laughter was renewed by her childish act.
If she is truthful, then she has the upbringing of a lady. Very peculiar for a slave…
Shingo was leading them on the first turn to circle part of the city and he saw both sides of the avenue packed with commoners and merchants alike. When they appeared, people started cheering. Men thrusts their fist in the air, women waved handkerchiefs or little pieces of cloth, and children were thrown up into the air and caught just so they could say that they saw the prince. A true celebration was in progress, people were rejoicing in the safe return of their beloved monarch.
Serenity turned back towards him and burrowed herself against his chest. She used her hands to cover her ears, showing signs of full blown panic.
Oh, no. This is really bad.
"Serenity, hey," he said to her. She still cowered against him, giving no sign she heard him.
Stupid.
He grabbed one of her hands away from her ear. "Serenity! Listen to me!" She looked up at him with tears streaming down her face. "Hey, it's not that bad. Come on, don't think about how many people there are. Think about how much they care. They're excited to see us," he yelled at her, trying to be heard above the din.
She shook her head, then tried to cover her ear again.
Damn.
"A princess wouldn't hide her face from her subjects…" he said just loud enough for her to hear. Her head snapped up and she had a slightly interested look on her face. "A princess would smile and wave to them."
She sat considering what was said to her, battling the panic that was consuming her. Endy gave her a wink and a smile for encouragement. The he followed his own advice, waving and smiling at the crowd. People started to point and stare at Serenity. As more and more people became aware of her, the cheering died out.
Now the crowd stood there expectantly, unsure of what they felt about this girl on their prince's lap.
"They're waiting for you," he whispered to her, now that the noise was gone. "They don't know you, so make a good impression. Let them know how you feel about being here through your actions." Endy felt weird about telling her stuff that he had figured out for himself recently, but she needed all the help she could get.
Serenity put a finger to her mouth, thinking while looking at the saddle. She was still fighting the paralyzing fear. Forcing her eyes up, she looked into the faces of the crowd, seeing individuals and not a mob. Their expressions were open, no fear, hate, or anger. A lot of them showed interest, some concern. She thought of the position she was in, sitting on their prince yet unknown to them. Making up her mind, she forced a tentative smile and a little wave, still clinging to Endy with her other hand.
The multitude broke out into wild cheers again which sent Serenity flat up against Endy's chest once more. To Endy's surprise, she kept up her little wave, although he couldn't see her face to tell whether or not she was still smiling.
Sweat was starting to form on his brow, despite the cool weather. He had an uneasy feeling building up, a sort of dread.
A violent coughing fit shook his body, abruptly. When the episode passed, he felt extremely weak, barely able to hold on to Serenity to keep himself upright. Any moment, he felt as if he would fall off his horse.
As sudden as the attack came upon him, it left. There was no trace of the sickness. In fact, he felt amazing. Even his stomach wasn't giving him any trouble. A big smile of relief stretched his lips and he threw up a hand to wave again, ignoring Serenity's concerned look she gave him.
He felt more like his normal self, even if a bit hungry. Everything started to take on more meaning for him. Colors took on a brighter hue, smells became sharper, and sounds crisper.
It was a beautiful winter day. The only clouds in sight were soft, fluffy white ones. Snow was only visible in the darkest shadows. Spring seemed to be getting a head start.
As the next avenue approached, he began to turn towards his captains, to see how they fared.
He never found out. As his head was turning, he felt a blunt explosion against his chest.
For a moment, all he could see was swirling colors. A buzzing was the only sound that reached his ears. Fighting his way past the chaos, he broke through, bringing the world into focus. He instantly regretted that, squeezing his eyes shut, as all the pain from his sickness came back with a vengeance. It felt as if nails were being pounded into his temples and a white hot poker was being stabbed into his stomach. He wanted to vomit, but his body was violently shaking in a fit of coughing.
A few minutes of torture passed without any respite. Suddenly, a warm sensation started to flow from his chest, expanding all over his body. Everywhere the warmth touched, his body relaxed. As soon as the pain faded, he opened his eyes again.
The first thing he saw was the sky, which was directly in front of him. Then hovering faces came into focus. Kunzite and Nephrite were there to the right, a few guardsmen on top, an old woman down below, and Serenity was off to his left. Everyone seemed to be in a panic, mouths moving like they were shouting but no sounds reached his ears. Serenity was sobbing and gently pushing his hair out of his eyes. Why is everyone acting so strange? Is it a big joke on me?
"Don't cry, Princess. Be strong for your people," he said. No one seemed to hear him, not even Serenity. He tried to move his arm so he could brush her tears away, but his arm just kind of flopped. Was she a princess? He couldn't remember. Someone as beautiful as her had to be a princess, though. Concentrating was too hard, so he let his thoughts float as they would.
"He just fell! Nothing hit him," Nephrite explained to the old woman, that being the first sound he heard.
"Get a litter, or something! We need to get him to the palace at once!" Kunzite was yelling at some soldiers.
"Please, please no. Oh Gods, please let him be alright," Serenity was sobbing over him.
She must be a suitor his father found. Good ol'dad, never stops trying. She seemed quite smitten by him, although he really didn't remember meeting her. A memory came to mind of the throne room, of a line of pretty women… but no, it faded away before he could make sense of it.
He was rather taking a fancy to her, despite all the tears. Maybe things would work out with this one. He was getting too tired to think anymore, his strength seemed to leak out in streams.
"He's awake! Prince Endymion!" a guardsman yelped.
I'm a prince? Endymion! He laughed, mentally. What a funny name… He thought as weariness dragged in down to oblivion.
AN: Evil me! Ha ha. Such a long break, then a cliffhanger like this. Well, that's life. Sort of what happened to me for the last month or so. Anyhow, no excuses. I had this chap done for almost a week, but sent it to my beta, J, but haven't heard back yet. Just too excited to let my fans read it. I'll repost the edited one once J gets back to me. Half way done with the next chap, so you won't have to wait as long for that. Until next time!