You Belong To Me

CHAPTER 8 - The Shocking Truth

Noon arrived all too soon Serena and her supporters. Gathered in the thrown room were the elders and king councilors. They sat right before the throne room, the king sat on his throne with his many wives and children around him and on his right sat those who he had picked for this challenge. There were a total of nine women and across from them sat Serena and her group. Boldly, Princes Galaxia sat behind her, a testament to whom she supported!

"My Lords and Ladies, today we have gathered here to discuss a matter that had not happened in this country since 200 hundred years ago when Prince Lazarus, against his father's orders fought to marry a girl of his choice who had the status of a servant. But unlike that particular event, this woman however in the case of my soon who wishes to battle me for his right to marry a woman of his choice, is without social status and in fact is an exiled society lady." The prince said and the elders shook their head in disapproval. Serena raised her hand.

"Yes my dear?" the king said sweetly.

"I would like to correct one missing factor if you don't mind. Elders, my family exiled me on the excuse of my physical appearance. I was not born with the beauty of my mother and so I was a disgrace to my family. I had committed no act that should require my exile so I ask you elders; physical appearance enough of a reason to exiled one's family member?" She asked them. They stared at her, how would such a lovely thing have been born as anything but an angel?!

"Oh my dear, lies don't become of you. I have been in formed of your wicked deeds."

"Wicked deeds you say, then please go ahead, expose these wicked deeds I have been accused of committing!" she challenged the, Darien shook his head, Serena wasn't helping herself. She was letting her emotions get the best of her.

"From your own parents lips they spoke of a night in the absence of your mother where you drugged your father in other to have your wicked ways with him. you were caught in the act by your very own sister Rei who had gone to your parents room to request a story of your father because your mother had been gone visiting her family. Do you deny this?" the king asked.

"With every breath in my body I deny and call whoever told you such wicked lies about me a liar. How could I, a child of five years do something so outrageous?!" she demanded and the elders were torn in believing who spoke the truth.

"I will have your sister speak for herself." The king said easily and on cue Rei stood up.

"Elders I swear to you and on the holy bible that the words that leaves my lips are nothing but the absolute truth!" she said and they gasped, to swear on the holy bible is an oath that wasn't taken lightly.

"It was a mid winter's night 15 years ago. It was not so late, just about midnight. I had been unable to sleep so because in the night my mother normally reads to us before she went of to bed. But that day as she had traveled, I had had no bedtime story so sleeping was a problem for me. Haven woken up, I decided to chance my father to see if he could tell me a bedtime story. As I approached the door of my parent's bedroom I heard strange and funny noises, I do not know how to describe it but as a child I was naturally curious. I opened the door and notch and peeked in. what I saw made me gasp in shock. My father seemed to be asleep with his shirt opened at the top. His pants were pulled down to his ankles and crouching around his legs was my sister, Serenity trying to push down his boxes. At the time, another servant girl we knew as Lita was close to my sister was there with her telling her to hurry up so she could have her turn before someone came. I didn't fully understand what was going on then but the stillness of my father's body worried me so I stepped into the room, surprising them with my cry of disapproval. When they saw me, they tried to silence me and I was smacked down to the floor by the servant girls whose strength far supposed mine. However, where I had been pushed to was closer to the bell rope so I pulled on it and two servants came to my parent's room to witness what was happening. They quickly called a doctor and after his diagnoses said that father was drugged with sleeping pills and was in a state of sleep and that the drugged would wore off in a few hours time. The two people responsible for that were kept at watch but somehow they managed to run away, their whereabouts unknown until now. This is what I witnessed with my own eyes." Rei said but Darien noted with interest that she avoided Serena's eyes throughout her story. Tears flooded down Serena's cheeks. How was it possible for someone to stand in front of a person and accused the person of such unbelievable tales of wickedness? With tears trailing down her cheeks she turned back to the elders.

"I swear on my grandparent's grave and of the Holy bible that there is not an ounce of truth in the tale she has spun. I have no way in defending myself against such accusation since she is in a plot with my parents but I will say this much, the Lord Almighty is my shepherd, I shall not want. Let God have mercy on her even though my heart cries for vengeance. If she speaks the truth by the end of this challenge you will know with not an ounce of doubt but if she lies which in the deepest of my heart I know she does, God strike her with a disease that will serve as a punishment and warning for all whose tongues speaks wickedly of others and spins stories of falsehood! However if it is I who tells falsehood, then let the same punishment be done to me!" Serena said and they all gasped in shock. Rei's eyes widened in horror, Serena had just made a curse and as superstitious as they were, they believed the curse would come true.

This the king did not suspect for who would wish a curse on themselves if they spoke lies? Serena sat down, her shoulders shaking with sobs and Lita placed her hand around her shoulders in comfort.

"Child, do you know what you have done?" one of the elders stood up with visible shaking limbs.

"Yes Elder for I know I speak not but the truth. If she believes herself to speak truthfully, then she has nothing to fear doesn't she?" Serena answered after composing herself.

A sigh of apprehension left all their throats.

"Well then lets proceed on." The king said.

"Wait, one more information that my dear king, you are forgetting."

"Oh."

"I was exiled by my parents; meaning disinherited but there is and was never an exiled of me from this country. So though I may no longer be a part of my family, this country I am a part of. I was never a servant girl either; my birth was of nobility…can a royal born prince serve as a servant even when he is exiled as you did your son? Aren't you trying to get him to rule after you, then in that case the same principal applies to me as well. I may not have been in this country for near 15 years, but I still hold the position of high society born lady! I think that in and of itself should qualify me as a good choice to your son status wise don't you think?"

Darien and the others gasped! She was right; there was not even a need for this battle to be fought! She may not have any inheritance but the inheritance of nobility was of birth and that no one could ever take away! The king who was unprepared for this sat dumbfounded. How was he to fight against this on such short terms?

"You are right Lady Serenity."

"Serena."

"Pardon me?"

"My name is Serena now. After the exile, I adopted the name of the family that adopted me. So now I am known as Serena Evalyne Calypso." She informed.

"I see. Then my lady Serena Evalyne Calypso, you are right on your statement. You were in deed exiled by your parents but you were never stripped off your position so yes, Status wise, you are in deed a most prime candidate for Prince Darien." The eldest of the elders said. He was a man of long white beard and hair and his eyes were shaded into the think eyebrows of his. The wrinkle around his face was a testimony to his great age.

"An Exiled Prince at that." Darien put in and the Elder nodded. From his bearing no one knew it but he was starting to like Darien and Serena. He smirked inside knowing these two kids were going to teach that bastard king a lesson!

"Yes, an exile prince at that." he agreed.

"So in that case, what law keeps him and I apart?" Serena asked.

"None, my lady except the approval of the man in question's parents which in this case happens to be the king. He has the authority to stop the marriage." Another elder stood up and said.

"Then elders I beseech you, does a king makes decision based on personal desires or for the benefit of his country? Let me tell you something, this king of yours wants me on his bed, as his concubine. Now tell me, is that a reason enough to stop a marriage from taking place? Secondly, Darien is a grown man. He has lived under different laws since age ten, now under the laws he has lived…he has every right to marry whomever he chose once he reaches the age of 18. Now what man among you will want to give up such freedom to come and live in a country which forces you to bare the burdens of its people, take away the desires of your own heart in other to satisfy others and still not let you choose whom you want to spend your life with?" she qu3estioned them. Everyone knew the king was loosing, this girl had come prepared and ready to battle. Her words were her sword; her actions would be her shield!

"Wait a minute!" the king roared angrily.

"Wait for what king? Is there anything wrong in what MY fiancé have said? It is true, I have lived in the United States of America since you exiled me out of this country under the false justice dealt to my mother, how dare you presume I will want to have any part of you, your throne or your country?!" Darien demanded.

"They are right father; this is a rather delicate matter that must be dealt with outmost care." Diamond said from the side.

"Oh will you shut up! You filthy wretch!" the king screamed at him.

"King!" the Eldest of the elders stood up. "These two speaks truth and your son Diamond speaks wisely. Do not do anything that will bring disgrace to this country."

Silence dominated the room. The Eldest had just signed his death contract by saying something so bold against the king!

"Lords, Ladies, Princes, Princess and King, I am a person who like to fight fair and with justice. Here is a letter from 15 years ago given to me by Lady Gaia. For all this years, I have kept it for a time such as this. She said that when the time was right I would know. I have never opened this parcel so before your eyes I will let you open it and you justify whatever its contents have." Serena said and picked up a purse she had discarded by her chair. Darien's eyes opened wide.

"You have a letter from my mother?" he asked.

"Yes."

"Why the hell didn't you show it to me!?" he demanded.

"Calm yourself. I was under no orders to give the letter to you. If the letter is not yours why should it be given to you? Because it was written by your mother?!" she demanded. Lita sighed, this was not good…if they fought before the elders, they would loose this battle. Darien caught Lita's eyes and sighed, realizing the precautions position they were in.

"I'm sorry. Go ahead and show It to the elders." He said and unexpectedly, taking Serena by surprise. She stood on her toes and kissed his cheeks, dissolving every anger in him.

She took the parcel to Eldest and when he opened the small music box, he found a scroll in it. He took out the scroll and unfolded it. He read through the scroll and sighed with relief.

"My Lord, this is a confirmation of Lady Gaia's blessings on the woman to whom her son would choose willingly as his life partner." The Elder said.

"You fool! Read the letter!" the king thundered.

"Very well." He said and gave it to the woman Elder by his side. She stood up and opened the scroll.

In the year 1994 this letter was written.

To whom it may concern.

This is a letter of farewell in other to ensure that my son's future is decided by himself. I was a servant who served under the king. He found favor in me and lay with me with promises that he would make me his wife. At the time, I was a foolish young girl of the tender age of 16 and the king was a man I looked up to. He sang sweet songs of love and affections to me and as child in love I did not see the truths behind the smiles. The king kept me as his secret affair for nearly year but when I told him I was pregnant with his child, he became enraged. Wanting to keep the child silent, he asked for the child to be aborted and took me to a private healer with orders that at all cost the child must be rid off even if it meant my life. But I ask you, how could any mother do such a cruel thing to an unborn child? I loved this baby in my womb because he was the fruit of me and the king's passion. He was the testimony that in deed the king had fathered him with a servant girl. So I packed my things and run away. For three years I hid in Romania in the home of my mother's friend. But she and her husband passed away so I returned the United Kingdom. I was even more beautiful than I had been at age 16 and when the king saw me, he wanted to rekindle our dead romance. Of course knowing better now, I turned him down. This enraged him to the point that he had every man in whom I showed a tiniest interest to be killed. I made to leave the country but he had guards block my every move and so for the years until my on coming death I would forever remain here. There were times he would force himself on me, I was a woman with little physical strength against him but still I hoped with all my heart that someday a savior would rescue me. In the mean time I kept the knowledge of my son hidden in fear of what he would do to him. However it was soon discovered and news of it spilled into the country like wild fire. The queen and ladies of the king were upset and plotted to have me killed. However there was one among them that knew of my troubles and warned me ahead of time. With this I begged the king to allow me out of the country but he refused and instead trapped me and my son in the cottage behind the palace. No one was allowed into that forest so there I and my son would be safe. But how long would we be kept prisoners there? I knew what people said about my son so for his sake I bade him to never leave the cottage and as a good child, he listened to my words. This was my 3 year back in the country; my son was five years old then.

And so in the cottage I educated my son and lived with him. One time the king summoned me and when I refused to go, he came to the cottage in before my son he raped me repeatedly and brutally. I can still see the tears, pain and horror in my boy's eyes and it broke my heart. From then I went with his every summon. Of course this created conflict between me and the King's ladies as they didn't have much of the king to themselves with my presence. Fortunately or unfortunately, the birth of Darien had rendered me barren so I never conceived again. When my child was 8 I was forced to marry the king so i became his wife against my will but for m son I would do anything as he was using my son then against me.

As I write, my child is ten years old. I am on death roll. A week ago, I went to visit a friend who was sick. As manners dictated, she served food and I ate with her. But the food was educed with sleeping pills and as was expected of them, I slept. I woke up beside another male friend of mine naked and in his arms. Standing at the door was a fuming king. Three days later I learned of the plot of the King's ladies. They had conducted this whole fiasco and gotten me to the point where the people called for my head and blood. Today I was on my way from visiting my parents grave when I met a little girl who went by the name Serenity Lavender Nightingale, the youngest daughter to the noble family of the nightingales. She w as battered and coated in her own blood with haunted eyes. I offered to return home but she shrinked away from me then and I knew the wounds on her were caused of her parents. I took her home and introduced her to my son. They got along well and I was happy about it. A few hours later I knew I would be facing the court of this country with not a single ally, but seeing the sight the two made, it restored my heart from the hopelessness it had fallen. I laughed and played with them and when my son told me that he liked her I had high hopes for the two in the future. At the time, another child I took care off, Lita had gone to the market for food and so we waited for her. but as the day wore on, someone quickly rushed to me and told me the worst news of my life.

I would be killed along side my son. Why, what justice was there in this world? I was innocent of the accusation yet I accepted my fate but why must my son be killed? Apparently the king was convinced that Darien, my son, was not his. With impending fear in my heart I gathered a little food and packed it in two small bags for my sons and now with this letter I will placed it, and a family heirloom in the pack of Serenity and give my most treasured sapphire necklace to my son.

I sincerely believe my son and Serenity will survive but I also know that someday he will face challenges I cannot predict now save just one. Should the issue of his bride comes in question, this letter is a testimony that as his mother, I give my absolute blessings to the woman he chooses willing as his life partner. Most importantly, if that person happens to be Serenity or Lita, then with over flowing gladness in my heart I bless my child over and over, that he live in love, happiness and free. My son chose well and love whom you chose for life is worthless otherwise. Let not anyone chose for you the woman to help and be by your side. Know that I love you with my entire being and my life was lived for you always. My son I love you greatly, Serenity I love you and Lita too. Prince Diamond, Sapphire, Seiya, Chad, Jadeite and Fiore, Princess Galaxia and Amy, Nephrite, zoisite and Kunzite with my last breath I tell you all this, I love you all. Please protect my son for me, help him and make sure he chooses the right woman and that no one forces him to choose.

With my last breath I repeat, I LOVE YOU ALL WITH ALL MY HEART.

MY SON, MY LOVE FOR YOU CAN NEVER BE MEASURED OR MATCH BY ANYONE or ANYTHING BUT I HOPE THE WOMAN WHO BECOMES YOUR BRIDE WILL LOVE YOU JUST AS STRONGLY AS I DO.

I LOVE YOU.

Gaia.

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

After the female Elder finished reading the letter a heavy silence fell in the room. Many cried but none so than Darien whose shoulders shook with painful heart breaking sobs. Serena rushed to his side and pulled him into her arms, her own shoulders shaking with her own sobs.

The king was visibly shaken too, his eyes were vacant and he seemed to stare into nothing.

"Your majesty?" the queen by his side called him, drawing all attention to the silent king. He held the sides of his throne chair and stood up but his legs could not hold up his weight. His eyes rolled back in on the floor the king dropped.

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

Please read and review^^

ok...i don't have internet access...thanks to a friend i am able to update today...so please forgive my slow progress...i will update whenever the opportunity allows me to do so.

thank you!^^

enjyo!