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You Belong To Me

Chapter 7 – The Grave

Dear Michelle,

It has been a crazy ride but so far I have managed to land us the deal. Thanks to you and the village elders for the training and education you put me through; when with Darien I can hold myself against him. As you can guess the plan went well. He has accepted my proposal and actually turned around to propose to me. However as was expected, the king wasn't too pleased with it. However thanks to the research we did regarding the laws that govern royal marriages, I've been given the chance to prove that I have what it takes to be Darien's bride. In all honest I am very scared. Even though you gave me high level education unlike those of the woman in the UK, I am an exiled woman. Will I be able to win the support of the same people who threw me way with no regards for my feelings? One thing I do know is that I will do my best, I have to win!

Anyway, we arrived at the capital sometime late last night, I just woke up and with a moment of privacy decided to let you know what's happening. Nearly three weeks ago the king came to Darien's home with a harem of girls with the intention of forcing Darien to choose one. However, upon discovering that Darien and I were to be wed he sought to stop our marriage. I asked for a fair dual and Darien added a condition that pleased the king very much so the duel was accepted. We were to be in the capital on the very first day of May and so we have arrived. During the 3 weeks of wait, Lita (the friend I told you from my past) spent day and night educating me in cook, household chores and everything expected of a wife and of a woman in general. She is very good. Trista, a friend of Darien whom I have taken a liking to, educated me in fashion, what colors are in season and everything to do with sowing, knitting and materials. She has had a sad life so far but she seems very strong and she has an adorable daughter. Darien personally took some days off of work to educate me in areas of education that I found challenging. Like Math, Science and History of the UK and of the world just in case of any surprises.

And guess what….you remember Amara. Ok let's begin again, four years back a man and a woman came to visit our town. That had been when I was so sick that I didn't meet them. You took pictures with them and played your violin for them. The man had jet black hair and dreamy blue eyes…that man was actually Darien. He is also the Mamora character who sends the town money every month. The woman is his secretary here, Amara Ten'no. I think she is has taken a strong liking to you. You used to speak of her a lot with a soft look in your eyes; you fell for her then didn't you? Well like I've always said, if you want something step up and take it. She has a picture of you in the only clean place available in that mayhem office of hers. Come to the UK and meet her, she would really like that.

Anyway, she taught me how to be sneaky; I don't mean that in a bad way. She taught me how to be in a room and not get caught as she thinks that I will need it, how to play the games of the nobles and so on. It's rather a complicated process that I will reveal to you later when I actually use it in this coming war. She is very strong too and has been training me in self defense…Darien said that the women the king will be using will not be above having someone rape me so self defense and little tricks are essential. And a red haired name Rita who works for Darien gave me tips on how to seduce men AND women…It's all pretty crazy but after nights and days of no studying, we have finally arrived at the capital. Today will be the beginning of the testing; the king had already informed the whole kingdom. He's probably bribed them too.

I will keep you updated as the battle progress, until then say hello to everyone for me. Tell them I am giving it my all and I won't back down. Also I will attach a check of 1K for you….I have sent a man with surgical skills to the town to operate on those with the plaque, the 1k must be use for medical assistance…there will be bottles of water and food arrival. Please take care of our families and friends until I return.

With all my love,

Serena

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After writing the letter, Serena sealed it in a mailing envelope with the check and placed it in her purse; she will give it to Lita to mail for her today. She got out of bed and refreshed herself before dressing in a warm yellow dress that held her breast but attached no other part of her figure. She wore black short healed sandals and picked up her black purse. The battle would start at noon, until then she wanted to go somewhere. It was rather early in the morning, 7 am to be exact but the castle was buzzing with activities and the air sizzled with a sort of suppressed hope, apprehension, and excitement. This was going to be an amusing battle. Wanting to have no encounter this early morning, the skills to blend in with her surroundings taught to her by Amara came in handy. From one shadow to another she concealed herself and finally out of the confines of the palace walked toward her destination. Her hair was piled up on her head and set in a net of small jewels so she wouldn't stand out much. As she walked down the street of London, she was assaulted by memories and smells so familiar as if she had always been there. The smell of horses, the noisy air filled with chit chat and gossips, the greetings from one person to another, it all came down on her with a rush. She avoided eye contact and kept on moving, it was rather bold for a maiden to walk unescorted and so she received many stares. She wanted to win the competition but she was not going to go by their rules that restricted any act of freedom, however if she were to win she needed to practice their traditions.

How can I blend their traditions to that of my independence and freedom as a person? She asked herself. Somehow she suspected that a lot of the people, women to be exact, wanted the freedom she was openingly displaying. However the men wouldn't want their women suddenly becoming independent of them. She needed to work out a system that would catch both their interest.

30 minutes later without her conscious mind directing her path, she found her self at the gate of her old house. She looked up and blinked.

"Shit!" she cursed and hid, hoping no one had seen her. How the hell did I end up back here?!

"Serena?" she turned around sharply and came face to face with Darien and her brother Andrew.

"Morning. I heard that you might be visiting my parents to tell them about our engagement so I decided to come find you." she lied hoping that Darien would buy it. He narrowed his eyes; he didn't buy it a bit.

"I was just about to leave, care to take a stroll with me?" he asked as he came closer to her and kissed her on the forehead.

"Yes." She said and Darien turned back to her brother who had a sad look on his face.

"Thank you Andrew for receiving me today on such short notice." Darien said.

"My pleasure."

"A good day to you then." Darien wound his hand around her waist and they turned, walking away from the house that held so many nightmares for her.

"Serenity!" Andrew called after her and though her spine tingled, she did not stop. She no longer went by that name.

"Aren't you going to respond?" Darien whispered to her.

"Do you see Serenity around?" she asked in reply and kept going.

"Serena!" Andrew tried again and this time she stopped and turned to face her brother. Personally she had nothing against her brother, he hadn't been a b**** like the rest of he family, what he had failed to do however, was protecting his sister from the abuse of the family. Worse than having someone hate you was having them ignore you, pretend you didn't exist. In other words unconcern, he had been unconcerned of her. She looked up at him with empty eyes.

"I…I will be cheering for you!" he said quickly and darted back in the house. Serena blinked and turned back to Darien with a raised brow. He chuckled and opened his arms to which she entered happily.

"He missed you and has always regretted what he had never done for you." he whispered to her. Was that true? Did he care about her at all? Or when he saw that she had become a swan from the ugly Betty she had been that his heart changed? Serena looked up in Darien's eyes; she wanted some sort of reassurance. She had thought she had gotten over the need to be accepted by her family, so why did the little knowledge that her brother might care for her send her heart racing? Seeing the battle waging in her eyes, her tilted her face up higher and gently pressed their lips together. She immediately wrapped her arms around his neck and he held her tightly against him by wrapping his large arms around her, his big frame embracing her full body, warming her in all places. They weren't at all aware of the large eyes that watched them as the people on the street stopped to watch.

"Young people these days have no decency!" a bitter old woman sneered and brought the couple out of their passionate embrace. They turned to look at the audience they had gain through their little public display of affections. If she hadn't been raised in America and if Darien hadn't gone to the US for higher education, the two would have blushed to the root of their hair, but they had learned from the environment they had been at in the US that there was no crime in publicly showing love. Wasn't love a beautiful thing? Why were there so many romance books then? Why live love only in the privacy of you own house? If love wasn't important why were most people's fantasy created with them being in the arms of those they loved and cherished. These people need to understand that they cannot say I love you to someone when they fear showing it for others to see.

"Decency My Lady? What was so indecent about kissing my own fiancé when I'm in doubt? Tell me; was there never a time in you life when you wish that you would marry for love? Did you ever do that?" Serena asked the old woman.

"I was raised in knowing that I would marry to a partner chosen by my parents!" the woman said haughtily.

"Is that the case, so you have no idea what love is?"

"I did love my husband!"

"Then tell me what it felt like to love your husband." Serena challenged.

"We had a decent love. He was sweet and he loved me."

"Tell me, is love something that is easily covered? How can you say he loved me and in the same breath say we had decent love? What is your definition of decent? Doing the dirty in your room and coming out pretending you were a virgin?" Serena shot at the woman and she said not a word.

"You are so blinded by the strict codes of society that you fear a display of affections towards your partner in public. Why should I marry a man whom can only love me when no one is watching? Since when did love have rules? Do you understand what it means to love, to need someone so bad that it doesn't matter where you are as long as you are with him? Do you know the thrill of knowing that your man is not afraid to love you, hold you and kiss you in front of others because he adores you that much? Love is not something to be buried in the darkness," she said softly, "It is something to let shine so it grows and flourishes like flowers in the spring. Why should flowers conceal their sweet aroma? If they never opened up their petals, would we know the beautiful scent the produce? That is how love is, to open its petals so all could see the light in its center, so all could embrace its warm fragrance." This she said with a soft smile and shinning eyes. That little speech stabbed into their hearts, bringing fort fantasies that had been decidedly crushed under the weight of society's demands.

"Let's go." Darien whispered in her ears, his eyes shinning proudly at the woman by his side that was not afraid to share her view. Whether the people would take her words into consideration or forget it as soon as they returned to the confines of their home was up to them but these newly engaged couple would never hide the fact that they loved each other in and out of the public.

The walked for about an hour, passing the castle and entering into a familiar woods they hadn't seen for years. The giant trees with swaying with green leaves, the flower trees were displaying their beautiful merchandise and as they walked deeper into the serenity of the woods, they heard the harmonious songs of the birds. Darien felt so nostalgic, the feelings of safety he felt in the wood where he had lived with his beautiful and caring mother overwhelmed his sense, and for a minute he thought he was back to being a little boy again and his mother was alive and well and just waiting just around the bend to give him and big hug and a warm kiss. But as the rounded the bend, he came back to reality as he saw a single grace stone sitting in the center of flowers where once a cottage had stood proudly. He sighed, tears clouding his eyes with the keen disappointment that had suddenly hit him like bricks.

Your mom is gone get use to it! He chided himself but the tears continued to fill his eyes, threatening to spill. When he had been a little boy before he was exiled, he had only briefly seen his mother's grave. After so long he could properly pay her the respect she truly deserved. At his side, Serena felt his pains though hers was not as cutting as his. She gently put her hand around his waist and moved it up before tilting his head to rest on her shoulders.

"It's ok. Go ahead and cry." She whispered.

"No I can't!..." but as he said this the flood gates opened and the tears slipped pass like waterfall. He slipped to his knees and she moved to stand before him and pressed his head into her stomach. His arms came around her and he cried, finally cried for all he had lost when he was nothing but ten years old. Seeing this strong but gentle man cry undid her own tears, Serena cried with him, for him and for the woman who had saved her when she was a child fleeing the greedy hands of her father. She had known Lady Gaia for a total of six hours but in the brief time, she had finally tasted the warmth of a mother.

Together the two cried and Lita who had walked up to the scene backed up a little to give them some privacy. She sat beneath a tree and thought about the woman who had loved her like her own daughter, who had sheltered, fed and clothed her. Lita had always been good at cooking but her cooking really took of flying when she had met Darien's mother who had encouraged her and taught her how to make other dishes too.

"How I miss you Lady Gaia." She sighed.

"We all do." Nephrite's said as he stopped by her side. His face was tilted up to the sun with a look of sadness; he really was a handsome devil.

"What are you here?" Lita asked curiously.

"I thought I might find you or Darien here."

"And so you did." She said and leaned her back against the bunk of the tree and closed her eyes, her hair that had been let loose down to her waist swishing around her in the breezy morning. Nephrite looked down at her, from her long chestnut hair, her closed eyes with the long lashes, her tan skin to her exposed neck and over her rounded breast all the way down to her feet. She was still the same girl he had loved so much when they were little and yet she had no idea of the burning passion he held for her. it had taken all his will to not touch her the last time they had gone to Darien's house to visit but seeing her lying there so serene and defenseless thinking she was safe with him made him want to do something ungentlemanly to her so she would realize that she was unsafe with him as much as any other man.

"Lita…"

"Kiss me." she said with still closed eyes.

"What!?" he screamed in surprise. She opened one eye to stare at him.

"You want me don't you? So why don't you kiss me?" she said saucily and he gritted his teeth.

"Stop messing around!" he said and turned on his heels and walked away. When he was no longer visible, she sighed and turned her stinging eyes to the side. She hadn't been joking; when she was around him the erotic things that went through her mind drove her body into a needed release. She placed a hand gently on her lips and sighed. Had she been wrong in thinking that he wanted her? Were her own feelings making her make false judgments?

"What must I do Lady Gaia to get him to notice me?" she asked softly as she looked up to the blue sky, hoping that the woman's face would appear and tell her what to do.

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Nephrite speedily returned to the castle and into his room. The all consuming arousing of his erection needed to be taken cared of. Ringing his bell poll, a servant girl specifically assigned to him came to him. Seeing her master holding his member, she knew what service she was to perform, she had always been the toy when he needed someone to release his seeds into but she didn't mind. She wanted him just as much as he wanted her when he needed to be satisfied, it just sucked that she was unable to have children or she would have trapped him with a child and got herself hooked with a cousin of the princes of the UK. It didn't matter that their feelings of love weren't mutual, as long as he kept her close and used her in every sexual way possible she was ok with it.

She sauntered closer to him and pulled his pants down. She would enjoy his body later but now she needed to relieve the ach in his groin. He lay on the bed and she bent between his legs and began licking his erection. She was good when it came to pleasing a man in bed. She had known from when she was little that she could not have a child and the thought of it had pained her so much. When at the age of sixteen the man she was supposed to marry left her for someone else because he learned of her infertility, she had began selling her body to men whom wanted a night stand and not a commitment. She found herself enjoying the job, pleasing herself and the men and making big bucks all at once. There was no greater joy than that. But then one night, Nephrite had come to the brothel she worked at. He was so handsome with the silky looking hair and when she learned from her employee that he was one of the cousins of Prince Jadeite and that he was the head general of the western military division, she had requested that she be given the honor of entertaining him. Of course the other prostitutes had been angry but when she had threatened to leave and start her own business, the brothel manager had given her full permission to Nephrite as if he had no choice in this. It did also help that she did late night shifts on the manager himself. After she had pleasured Nephrite over and over that night and herself of course, she had never before felt such a deep pleasure in her bones. He had been so good, she became addicted to him. And he became addicted to her. He returned night after night and finally asked her to become his personal prostitute though she would work as his servant too. At the time she had thought he loved her, but she had later learned where his affections lied. With some girl name Lita who had been exiled with the bastard prince.

As long as she is out of the way I can always have him. She had thought and had used all the skills of pleasure she had learn in her years of service on him. Sometimes they would go at it for the whole night. And in her heart she knew she was addicted to him, she wanted him to love her as much as she loved him. She was obsessed with him, every thought of him would make her wet with her cream.

But now…

She stopped.

"Alana what's wrong?" Nephrite asked.

"She's back isn't she?" she asked softly.

"She who?" he asked in confusion.

"You're lover."

"My lover?"

"Lita isn't it!" she snapped!

"How do you know about her?" he asked with wide eyes.

"How should I not know?! What has the bitch done for you that I haven't!?" Nephrite smacked her across the face sent her stumbling to the floor. She looked up in shock. He had…hit her? Her? The gentle man everyone knew Nephrite as had hit her?!

"Get out and stay out. Don't you ever speak of Lita like that again! Your service is terminated as of today!" he yelled at her and she whimpered pathetically before rushing back to him.

"Please no. it doesn't matter, just please don't' throw me aside!" she begged, tears streaming down her face.

"Get out before I call the guards!"

"No!"

"No? We'll see." He pulled the bell rope three times, a summon for a guard and within few minutes, Alana was thrown out of the palace. Nephrite had once given bought her a small house, it was her last gift from him.

Nephrite sat on his bed, empty and scared. He had used her and now that the person he most wanted was back he had thrown away. But what bothered him the most is what Lita would think when she learned of it all. She would hate him and he would rightly deserve her scorn.

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After their prayers at the grave, the silent couples returned to the palace for breakfast. Lita followed soon after, however Nephrite didn't show up. After the morning fast found Serena and her supporters of six, Darien, Trista, Amara, Lita, Hotaru and Rita in her room. They had decided to go over their lessons just to be better prepared.

"Now remember, you must never lower your head when in confrontation with your enemy. Always wear a smile even in absolute pain never let your emotions show." Trista was saying.

"Never find yourself in a compromising position where you are alone with a man out of the public's eyes. Even though we will believe that you are innocent, it is not our support you need but the people. And these people are rather conservative and are still guided by laws and customs of the ancients." Lita advised.

"Never walk alone like you did this morning!" Amara growled at her.

"I'm sorry. I was heading to the cottage of Darien's mother but I found myself in my old house instead." She said apologetically.

"That's ok but next time, don't be so reckless. There is no way in hell the king will play fair in this contest so at every corner you will be in trouble. One thing that will most disqualify you is if you end p sleeping with another even if it was rape. That is our main concern." Darien said, the idea drawing a sickening feeling in him.

"How many wives does the king have?"

"20"

"How many times had he married?"

"30"

"Who was the 1st queen and her history?"

"Queen Leona, a beautiful woman who married the king on his first year of rein, bore him one son who died at childbirth and afterwards the queen was replaced and disappeared with no warning."

"Who presently holds the title of queen?"

"Queen Annabel, she was the second wife of the king with the king's oldest son Diamond and third son Prince Sapphire."

"Who holds the title of first lady aside from the queen?"

"Lady Maribel, second sister of the queen and the king's third wife with the king's second son prince Chad and several unimportant daughters."

"Who are Prince Seiya and Prince Jadeite's mothers?"

"Prince Seiya's mother is Lady Beatrice with fiery red hair and Prince Jadeite's mother is Lady Camilla."

"How many mistresses does the king have?"

"You mean concubines." Serena smeared the last part of her sentence, a memory of the king's condition filling her head.

"Well yes but don't use that term in their presence."

"30 Concubines. I wonder how he keeps all of them entertained plus his wives." Serena said with disgust.

"You will be surprise." Prince Diamond said as he appeared at the door. They all turned to him. "My apologies, I did knock but you were too busy playing questions."

"Hey Diamond." Darien greeted his brother.

"I'm I disturbing?"

"Not at all, come in."

"I see you are doing quizzes. That's good. If I were to reveal what the king put the ladies of his choice for the contest through, you might run away." He said as he sat at the foot of the bed to look at Serena. He liked the girl, that night at Darien's house he had gotten time to talk to her and he had fallen for her so easily. He realized why his brother wanted her as his bride but although he liked her, he had no intention of taking her away for his younger brother.

"I bet." Serena mumbled to his statement.

"I suppose I will give you heads up on some of the king's plans."

"How do you know the king's plans?" Amara asked with narrowed eyes. She didn't trust the guy, especially how he had looked at Serena with hunger back at Darien's house. Serena was Darien's and no one was going to have her, prince or king!

"Let's just say for Darien we go all lengths." This was said by Seiya standing at the door. He entered and the rest of his brother's followed along. Nephrite entered too but avoided Lita's gaze and though inside she was sad, she hardened her resolve and returned her gaze back to Serena, she didn't want a man who could not be honest with himself. Serena noticed this and filled it for later investigation, or in her case intrusion of their privacy.

"It seems your brothers care quite a lot for Darien." Trista noted.

"Someone has to. Lady Gaia was a mother to us all." Jadeite said.

"Besides, the sixe of us, plus Nephrite, Zoicite, Kunzite, and our two sisters are the only family he has. We have to look after each other don't we?" Diamond said with a smile.

"Darien has more family than you know!" Amara said insulted. Who did they think SHE was?

"I do?"

"He does?" the brothers asked with surprise.

"Yes he does." Lita said with a smile and Serena shared her smile.

"Yes, he has us too." Serena and her supporters smiled and nodded to affirm that they were indeed Darien's family. The man in question hid his face in embarrassment. He did in deed have a family and a lot who cared for him.

"Yeah well we are BLOOD brothers." Jadeite said haughtily.

"I need to wipe you face to the floor to teach you some manners don't I?" Amara said and they all chuckled as Jadeite looked at her with horror.

"You have some strange family don't you Darien?" Jadeite asked as he backed a little away from Amara. Back at Darien's house the girl had proven to have some nightmarish strength when they had played arm wrestling.

"Well what is the king planning for me?" Serena interrupted before the ready to kill Amara could get a hold of Jadeite.

"Well I did hear what Darien said before, rape. He has posted several people around the palace and in town to do the job when they can so never under any circumstances must you be alone with a man. We only know five of the men but the others we have no clue. Don't think that a person that look nice and sound nice is not working for the king. Of course he also plans to tackle the reason why you were banished. From what we know it has something to do with your looks which in any case makes absolutely no sense and he knows that bringing that up would win no favor for him so…" Diamond stop to take a breath.

"So he is going to make up a whole bunch of lies."

"He's in league with your family on that one." Darien said.

"How do you know?"

"Andrew told me. He requested that I see him last night as secretly as I could and I went to see him today and he told me what was up."

"So any ideas the lies concocted by them?" Serena asked.

"Sleeping pills." Darien said.

"Sleeping pills?" Serena was confused.

"Well yeah, I heard I little of the plot about pills too." Zoicite said as he entered the room with a bluish black haired girl.

"Good morning, I am Amy, one of the daughters of the unwanted king." She said with twinkling eyes.

"Pleased to meet you Princess Amy."

"No Princess, after all we will be sisters soon." She said

"That is if I win."

"Have you no confidence in yourself? If you don't then you might as well turn around and go home. You are up against a pack of wolves." Another girl said as she entered. She had long blond hair with halfway of it turned reddish orange.

"Ah, Galaxia. How are you?" Darien asked as he got up to hug Amy and the other woman. She was extremely beautiful with blazing golden eyes and a killing figure. Serena had finally met her match.

"It will be foolish to have blind confidence without giving credits to my competitors. Remember, the king has much to gain if he wins and much to loose if otherwise so I'm sure he will choose the bests of the best." Serena said.

"Oh yes, he has chosen the bests alright. The best sluts and bitches, forgive me for my language, in the whole kingdom. Those not afraid to show their breasts to the public if it will gain them a little attention!" she said with disgust!

"Laxia!" Amy yelled in embarrassment for her sister.

"What? It's the truth!"

"Well even so but I don't think they are all that bad. I mean Serena's sisters Lady Rei, Minako and Nehelania are in the competition too." Amy said and Serena groaned. This was just great!

"Well it's not as if Lady Rei and Minako aren't part of the slut and Bitch category, it is Nehelania we should be worried about. She has no tint to her name, beautiful with as the men say, mesmerizing eyes, loved by all and favorite of the crowd. She is perhaps your worst opponent. Not to mention she is damn smart and a fashion genius! Lets face it; it will take everything you've got if you are to beat her down." Galaxia said and cast a gloom in the room. Serena had never really given a thought to her sister Nehelania, but one thing she knew was that she had been a good cook though she did not like to do so. She had never screamed at Serena as Rei and Mina had but she had also worked her to the bone. She was a silent person, giving nothing away and she was master of concealing her expression. Galaxia was right; her biggest rival was her own sister!

After that they began discussing the weaknesses and strengths of her opponents, revealing in their past scandalous and triumphs. As they spent the whole morning fetching through facts and opinions, Serena again became aware of what she was dealing with but with each passing minute she grew more apprehensive as she learned nothing of her sister Nehelania. What kind of person had she grown up to be? Who were her friends? What were her desires in life? And most importantly, why wasn't she married by this time?

However no matter who her opponents would be, she had no choice but to win, there were so many hopes riding on her shoulders to let them down!

I will win at all cost!

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Read and Review~

Thank you so much Artistia for the proofreading!^^