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You Belong To Me

Chapter 4 – The Princes

Serena woke up when the sun slanted through the part of the blinds that was opened. She groggily opened hers and shifted to sit up only then remembering that she had been in the arms of Darien. She turned around quickly when she became conscious that his hands no longer held her but all she found was an empty space. A frown smeared her face before she shook her head. It would be a big mistake to allow herself to totally fall for Darien, considering the fact that she had known too many men whom have proven to be untrustworthy. As she made to stand, she noticed her surrounding for the first time, she wasn't in the sick room and definitely wasn't in Darien's golden room either.

Where am I? She wondered with raised brows. Looking around she gasped at the beauty of the room. It was so richly furnished, so appealingly cozy and magnificent. The ceiling of the room was decked with clouds and angels fly, souring, and playing instruments. Of course the ceiling was very high and at it center was a silver chandelier with a fan which was currently spinning. The walls of the room with the exception of the back which was made entirely out of glass was painted in the designs of the ocean. Dolphins jumped in the air, starfishes cluttered to the ground, the upper parts of the wall was painted in a yellowish brown color that did justice in depicting the sand at the beaches. A beautiful silky lace curtain shaded most of the sun where the glass wall was and high up she notices several stained glass windows of roses and the crescent moon. The bed she was on was a queen size canopy bed beautifully covered with sheets of gold, silver and a fragment of crimson hue. The billowy overlapping panels of mosquito netting draped gracefully and sophisticatedly over the bed, giving it a touch of classic romance, elegance, mystery and exotic sexiness that would evoke thoughts of old time Hollywood romance. The over all creation was an image and fantasy of a pleasing night spent under the warm sky in the arms of one who meant the world to you.

Serena's breath caught in her throat at the view. And she had slept in this room?

Darien sure likes to indulge himself in such riches. She thought amusedly, before proceeding to the restroom to refresh herself. 45 minutes later found her out of the restroom which was just as beautifully and artfully decorated as the bedroom to find a yellow sundress on her bed with shoot heeled sandals. Though it was not yet fully summer, the days were warm enough to dress in summer garments. Without hesitation, she dressed and sat before the vanity table near the polished silver dressers. She pulled her mass of curly golden hair into an up do bun and let to trails of it down her back to reach her ankle. Serena hated make-ups since she believed that it actually concealed ones real beauty so she just applied a clear lip gloss on her already glossy pink lips. She checked herself for any flaws and not finding any noticeable one, she left the room. Closing the door she noticed she was in the golden sitting room that housed the door to Darien's own chamber and as if to confirm it she saw Darien's door just a few paces to her right. The night before when she had sneaked into Darien's room, she had not had time to look where she was going. She could have easily gone to the room she exited and slept there the whole time waiting for Darien who would not have showed up.

"Thank God for small miracles." She said out loud and walked around the furnitures and out the door of the sitting room. Down the hall as she walked, she finally took closer notice of all the paintings done by famous artist. But one thing all those expensive and expressive paintings had in common was that each of it had a representation in mythology. Darien's obsession with myth was obvious to all who cared to find out. Taking the elevator, she arrived down in the fire and headed to the direction where a familiar tone was humming a long forgotten song. When she rounded the corner to the kitchen, she saw Lita sitting on the kitchen table knitting. The nostalgicness that overcame her from the song startled her so much so that she had to grab a hold of the wall. Such an old haunting song that contained all her fears, pain and hope in her past. She had buried it along with all her past memories but hearing it again, she saw again the misery of her past and the tearless smile she put on in pretending she was strong.

"Oh God." She said as she stumbled to the floor, tears pulling at her eyes. Come on Serena, pull yourself together! But even her pep talk could not pull her out of her memories that held her bound like a rope. She saw again that night what had really happened that had made her run away.

Flashback

Serena was standing in front of her parent's door in nervous hesitation. She had been summoned and normally that meant she had done something (imaginary) wrong and would be scolded for it. Taking a last breath, she knocked.

"Enter." her father's voice had answered the door. Gingerly she opened the double door and she pretended a gasp of shock at what she saw.

"Serena!"

End of Flashback

Lita's voice penetrated the barrier the past held on her, releasing her mind to her current surroundings. She blinked and noticed that her cheeks was wet with tears. She looked up into the concern face of her childhood friend.

"Are you alright?" Lita asked as she placed her warm hands on both cheeks of Serena's.

"Yes, my apologies. I just felt a bit sick in the stomach." Serena lied smoothly as she pulled her face away.

"Do you need to see the doctor?"

"Oh no it's fine. Sometimes it happens but I am famished if you can offer me something to feast on." Serena said as he walked into the kitchen.

"Yes, your breakfast is cold now but your afternoon meal is just warming up."

"It's about midday then?"

"Yes, half gone actually."

Serena nodded as she took a seat at the little dinning table in the kitchen. Lita placed a steaming cup of herbal tea before her and she inhaled it wondrously.

"You still make the best tea ever!" Serena said with a smile.

"Why thank you. You always used to enjoy my brews."

"That's because they were so good. Even they couldn't resist." Serena smiled as she delicately lifted the mug of tea to her lips. Of course Lita knew who 'they' were.

"I suppose." They sat down as Serena drank. Lita watched Serena with a bit of wonder and suspicion. The Serena before her was a totally different person than back then. This one was poised, assured and indifferent unlike the open hearted little girl she had been. Where had she learn to become a lady and did it mean she was just as stuck up like her family had been? Lita sighed at the changes in the woman before her, where did their friendship stand now?

***************

When Serena had gone missing, she had searched until she had almost gone mad. Through night and day for two weeks she wondered through the endless street of London, capital of the United Kingdom but found nothing of her missing friend. At the end of the two weeks she had ended up somewhere she did not recognize with a massive fever and that was when her life changed. Lady Angelina Gaia had found her and tended to her high fever. After three days she was well again and Lita had informed the lady of her life and her missing friend. Of course she had been introduced to Darien to whom she took an instant liking to not on the romantic scale but as friends.

"Lita, do you want to live with me?" Lady Angelina had asked and Lita eyes had opened in wonder. There was someone who wanted to live with her? A commoner like herself? And that someone was a lady?! She was shocked to say the least and she vigorously nodded her head with a big smile on her face. But then her smile had turned to a frown.

"But wat abut ma fuend?" she had asked quietly.

"I will see what I can do." Lady Gaia said and she had gone to the Nightingale residence and taken Lita out of their hands. Of course they hadn't cared that their daughter had gone missing, what they did care was that the girl who could make the mouth watering delicacies was going away. Lita left without a backwards glance.

She had spent an enjoyable time with Darien and her mother in the cottage that was so tidy and beautiful in the middle of the woods a mile away from the castle. During that time, she realized that Darien couldn't go out of the woods or he would be assassinated. Later she learned the reason why but at the time, she had been upset that he had to be kept in the house. She had also wanted to continue her search for Serena but leaving Darien who seemed to have fun for the first time in his life was hard for her. So against his protesting, she had dragged him to town. When he had been recognized as the king's bastard son, people made fun of him, calling him all kinds of names. That day they had quickly returned home and Darien had locked himself in his room. When Lady Gaia returned, Lita guilty told her what had happened but the lady had not been upset, instead she had given Lita a tired and sad smile. In that smile Lita understood that for as long as Darien lived, he would continue to suffer scorn and rejection. It was then that Lita's resolve had formed; she would not allow Darien to live in isolation no matter the cost, which meant she couldn't leave Darien to search for Serena. It had hurt her but she felt this would be a decision Serena would be proud of so she had stayed with Darien. But Darien after that experience didn't want to go out anymore. Even when Lita went out to the market to buy bread or things, he would cot accompany her no matter how much she begged. Of course when she met up with people who teased her for being friends with an unwanted prince, she talked bad about them and set them straight. About a week of mercilessly insulting their egos, the kids began to stop though they wouldn't have anything to do with Darien. One day she had been returning home when she was met with eight boys. Thinking they were there to pick a fight, she sat her basket of goods on a piled of leaves and took a defensive stunt.

"Wat du want" she asked in her native common tongue which took them all by surprise.

"Oh please calm down. We mean you no harm. We just want to ask how Darien is doing and you know, learn a bit about him." the silver shoulder length haired boy who seemed to be the leader of the boys said. Lita looked at them suspiciously.

"If ua want to kno hy not go cee em" she answered. She didn't understand why they wouldn't just go see Darien instead of asking her about him.

"Because we are not allowed to associate with him." a bluish black haired boy standing nest to the first boy had said.

"Ell hy not?" she asked.

"It's complicated." A long messy brown haired boy offered unhelpfully.

"Ell dhen I can't help ua."

"Just tell us if he is ok and what he does for fun." A temperamental curly blond haired boy snapped.

"Don be snapping a me!" she snapped back and the two glared at each other. "ua kno, I don need dis, if ua wanna kno abut Darien go talk to em!" she grabbed her basket of groceries and stuck her nose in the air and walked off with the boys gaping at her back.

A boy with long curly brown hair whistled. "She's got to stand up to us like that." he said.

"Only cause she has no idea who we are." The angry blond haired boy said.

"Maybe but I don't think that would have made a difference." A waist long silver haired boy added.

From then they continued to bother her about Darien but as the first time, she said not a word about him two weeks later they finally gave up.

She had been returning home like normal but this time the men didn't come. She sighed in relief and a little bit of disappointment.

"They didn't bother you again?" Darien had asked, the disappointment hidden from his voice but heavy in his dark ocean eyes.

"No dhey didn't. If dhey ar good people dhey will come ere." She answered.

"Repeat that again." Darien said.

"No dhey…"

"No, it's not dhey but they. Now repeat it again."

"They. If they ar…"

"are"

"are good people they will come ere"

"here, he…say here not ere."

"he…here."

"Much better." Darien said with a happy smile. He had taken it upon himself to correct her common way of talking and so far she had soaked it up like a sponge but it was hard to kill an old habit.

"Well done Lita." The melodious voice of Lady Gaia startled them and they turned around to find her standing at the door with the men but this time they were nine instead of eight.

"So ua came aferall."

"So you came after all." the long curly browned haired boy said with a smile. He wasn't looking down on her and because of that she didn't go on attack mode.

"And you can't even speak proper English." The blond said with a heavy sigh.

"Say tat again and I'll…"

"Say that not tat." He said.

"Shut up!" she marched up to him and slapped him.

"Hey what the hell."

"You deserved it!" she said and walked again.

"You're not going to get away with this!" he said and moved toward Lita who watched him calmly. Darien knew that Lita was a lot stronger than she looked blocked the boy's path, out of fear for him and not her.

"Please stop. Lita is my good friend." He said.

"I can't believe a prince is friends with a commoner."

"I am the unwanted prince. I am not governed by the terms you are under." Darien snapped with flashing eyes. He hated discrimination of all kinds, especially ones against commoners.

"Jadeite that's enough." The short silver haired boy said and the blond called Jadeite quieted down. "My apologies brother, he is rather insensitive in some areas. Please to meet you, my name is Diamond."

"Oh yeah. Nice to meet you too, my name is Darien."

"We know." Jadeite said with a roll of his eyes.

"Forget him, my name is Nephrite." The long brown curly haired boy said with a wink to Lita who raised her brow.

"Pleased to finally meet you Darien, my name is Zoicite." A long curly haired boy who looked more like a girl said with a smile.

"Please, call me Kunzite." The long straight silver haired boy introduced himself.

"And my name is Seiya, we are the same age." a boy with hair almost as dark as Darien's with a bit trailing at the base of his head said with a wink.

"And I'm chad!" this said by the long messy brown haired boy.

"My name is Sapphire. It's a pleasure." The bluish black haired boy introduced himself.

"Well they call me Jadeite" the rude blond haired one said.

"No one wants to know." Lita mumbled.

"What did you say servant girl!?" he demanded.

"What, are you death too?" she shot back and they began their glaring contest. Everyone just sighed.

"And I am Fiore, it's good to finally meet you big brother." This boy was the weirdest of them all. He had really long baby blue hair with tints of pink. Later Darien and Lita found that it was died by his eccentric mother and that his real hair was indeed long but brown.

"Big brother?" this was asked by Lita.

"Yes, I am one year younger than Darien." Fiore answered and moved to stand in front of Darien for inspection.

"Yeah but brother?" she asked again.

"Yes, we are a few of the children of the king. Well not all eight of us. Nephrite, Zoicite and Kunzite are our cousins." Diamond answered.

"Oh."

"Finally going to give us some respect aren't you commoner."

"Sorry but I give respect to those who earn it." Lita said.

"What did I ever do to you?"

"ure rude!"

"So are you."

"Now you two, calm down. We are standing outside the door, which is not a good idea. Please let's step inside." Lady Gaia said and they quickly did so.

"Why is it not a good idea for us to be seen outside mother?" Darien asked.

"Because we are under command to pay no visit to you." Sapphire answered.

"dhen hy ua ere?"

"Then why are you here." Darien said, looking at Lita.

"Yeah what he said."

"Because we want to know you. you are our brother, they have no right to keep us apart just because you mother and our father were never married when they conceived you or afterwards." Diamond said.

"But this can get you in a lot of trouble." Darien said worriedly.

"Yes but it's worth getting to know you." Fiore said as he rested his head on Darien's lap.

"I hope that's the case." Lady Gaia mumbled to herself. Since then the princes and cousins would sneak back to the cottage in all hours of the day and night. They built a strong bond and even Jadeite and Lita stopped fighting. But a month after that all of that disappeared. Lita had gone to the market to buy food, she returned to find the cottage in flames and no sign of Darien or his mother. In fear she had ran to the maze in the royal court where she and Darien would secretly meet the others. There she found Jadeite waiting for her and crying.

"What happened? Where is Darien and Lady Gaia?" she asked in a panic.

"She…she was killed." He hiccuped, obviously he had been crying for a long time. Lita swallowed at the news, her own eyes filling with tears.

"What about Darien?" she chocked out.

"He's in the dungeon. They want to kill him too."

"Who are they?"

"The royal court, mostly the wives of the king and he doesn't seem to care much for Darien anyway."

"We've got to get him out of here!" Lita said, banishing the chocking tears back inside her. This was not time for crying, they will have time much later.

"We are trying but we won't be able to get him out of the city or even country before they find us. At the moment, the others are arguing with father to save Darien. That's the only hope we have for him. I came here to meet you but I have to go back. Listen to what I have to say. Take the hidden underground routes to my room and hide there. When it's over I will come and let you know what happened. If we can save Darien we will plan on what we can do for him but if at all cost they want him dead, we will get him out of here. Pray for us." He said and they embraced before he returned back to the throne room to join his brothers. Lita did as was told except she made a bypass to the dungeon.

"Darien?" she called out when she wasn't sure what cell held him.

"Lita?" Darien's course, broken and empty voice reached her sensitive ears. It broke her heart. She hurried to the cell he was at, reaching through the bars to try and grab a hold of his hand. When she did she gasped at how icy cold it was.

"Oh Darien." She cried.

"It's alright. Get away from here so they won't find you." he said urgently.

"I'm not leaving you behind!" she said as she tightened her hold on him.

"Listen to me. The guys are going to try and help me though there is very slim chance of them succeeding. If they don't succeed we can't both be killed! Hide, I'm sure the guys will find a place of refuge for you."

"Don't e silly; we are getting out of this alive no matter what! I've already lost too many important people, I can't loose you too." She began crying.

"Oh Lita." Darien said as he patted her hand gently. Suddenly noises could be heard coming down the dungeon.

"Go, hide!" Darien said harshly.

"No, I'm not running. Where you go I will go, no matter what they won't separate us!" She said seriously and together they waited with baited breath for the door of the dungeon to open. Nephrite ran to them ahead of the guards.

"Say nothing and just agree to whatever they want. We managed to save Darien's life but the only way he can live is if he is banished from this country. I'm sorry Darien but we tried everything we could." He said as he took a hold of both Darien and Lita's hand.

"It's ok. Thank you so much for trying. It won't be so bad to go away just tell me where they buried my mother."

"She has yet to be buried but they are working on it. For the moment Lita you will become my personal servant and Darien is to stay in the dungeon until your mother's funeral. That is in three days, it will also be the day of your banishment. We will chatter a passage for you to the US as it is the safest place you can go away from father ok?"

"Yes, I understand. Thank you."

"You do know I'm going with Darien right?" Lita asked.

"Yes, I figured that might be the case." He said.

**************

"Lita?" Serena interrupted her thoughts.

"Oh, sorry I kind of spaced out. Did you need something?"

"Yeah, I was asking after Amara and Darien." Serena said as she gave her oldest friend a worried look.

"They both returned to work today."

"But.."

"It's alright. Amara was fully recovered." Lita assured her.

"Oh"

"That was amazing how you took cared of her. How did you learn ways to heal the sick?" Lita asked.

"Picked up things here and there. If you don't mind can I take Darien's afternoon meal to him at work?" She asked doggedly and Lita sensing a sensitive topic did not broach it.

"Darien doesn't eat in the afternoons." Lita answered.

"Exactly why I must take food to him. He has to eat, it is unhealthy otherwise."

"Well how about you help me prepare something scrumptious for him so he can resist?" Lita offered as she stood up and headed to the closet where kitchen wears were kept to get an apron.

"Yes!" Serena said and followed Lita's example and tied her apron on too. Together the two women began baking and cooking, making a mouth watery dish that Darien won't be able to resist or so they hoped.

When the meal had been prepared amidst laughter and recollection of folk lore heard at night during their past, Serena returned to her room to dress in order to visit her future husband.

"That wardrobe has several dresses you can wear." Lita said as she pointed out the silver wardrobe with golden handles.

"But are they my size?" Serena asked.

"Oh yes, Darien went to the store this morning to pick it out for you. Since the one you are wearing is your size then the others are too."

"How did he know my size?"

"He has the ability to measure with just the eyes." Lita answered.

So Serena changed into a white halter top dress hanging freely down to her knees and wore white tights and white sandals.

"Darien sure likes to match." She said aloud as she looked at herself. She smiled wickedly as she thought of how the people of the United Kingdom would react seeing her in an outfit so improper. They were so stuck in the past that they still wore petticoats and chemise and the cage crinoline. Seeing nothing out of other in her dressing thanks to the fashion introduced to her earlier in her life, she exited the to find Lita waiting for her with the basket of the meals prepared.

"Now, since Darien doesn't know you are coming, I will have to call him and let him know."

"No, don't tell him. I want to surprise him." Serena said with a smile.

"That is if the secretary will let you through to see him."

"She will." Serena said confidently. Lita narrowed her eyes at her and sighed.

"Be safe Serena."

"Thanks Lita." She took the beautiful basket of food and with Lita by her side walked out to the open sky to find a limousine waiting for her.

"Can't I use something less so…attracting?" Serena asked.

"I guess you can. Robinson!" Lita called the chauffeur.

"Yes mam?" the driver came.

"Please use a car less noticeable for Lady Serena."

"Yes madam."

"Oh and Robinson?"

"Yes Madam?"

"It's Lita."

"Very good madam." And he was gone and Lita sighed.

"I guess I should give up the idea of making him call me just Serena."

"I've been trying to get him to call me Lita for nearly five years."

"It's a hopeless case."

"Don't I know it." Serena took the time to enjoy the beautiful statues and garden in the sunlight, inhaling the sweet aroma of the flowers, feasting her eyes on the magnificent structures and enjoying the harmony of that surrounded her. Soon the chauffeur came and Serena boarded the automobile and with a last wave to Lita, she headed in the direction of her fiancé.

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