Chapter 10

He had no idea how much time had passed, but when Endymion began to think that the wedding would soon begin, he started to go insane. His skin crawled and he felt helpless locked in while Serena was being thrown to the wolves. His stomach turned to the point of sickness. It was safe to say that he was too caught up in his thoughts that he was not aware of the woman who had entered the room.

The figure was cloaked in a robe that covered her face, and when she called to the prisoner he was thrown because she had blended into the shadows. "Endymion, what are you doing just sitting here?" Endymion stood trying to get another look at the stranger. "Who are you?" he asked the shadow, and instead of answering the soft voice continued. "This is not where you should be." to make a point Endymion began to shake the bars in front of him but instead of resistance he felt the door gave way. "He looked at the open space. He looked back at his prison. "How did you…" but when he looked back the figure was gone replaced by a sword…a familiar sword…his sword.

When he lifted the weapon it felt like a glove, but instead of asking questions about this figure he began to run up the stairs towards the wedding.

The horns blared across the terrace, adorned by giant lilies, the event was just a giant white glob to Serena's eyes and it burned her retinas every time she opened her yes, which was a horrible addition to the full body pain that had overcome her as soon as the quartet had begun here comes the bride. Serena felt her feet become blocks of stone halfway through the march, and after the two hours it took to get to the alter she stood there as still and unemotional as a statue, but the storm raged inside of her. The words were said and the people watched but she kept her eyes focused on the night beyond the terrace, and the same question came to her head over and over again. "How am I going to survive here?" and the same face popped into her mind and his blue eyes never left her mind.

Suddenly the world became silent, and when she looked around she found they had been waiting for her to say those two words, but when she tried to reach for those words her voice caught every time,. Out of the corner of her eye she saw that the queen was staring at her and instead of hiding her disdain she let it out for all to see. As her heart began to pound she tried to remember why she was doing this, but she could only think of how safe she felt in Endymion's arms.

"If you don't say yes, he won't survive the night," Diamond's was cold and instead of convincing her, it just twisted her insides because it seemed that two choices she had now had almost become as equally heart breaking, almost. "I…I…" "Don't do it!" The voice hit her like a brick she jerked her head down to the other end of the aisle and there Endymion stood sword in hand. She thought that he would die she felt herself jerk towards him hoping to protect him but Diamond held her back.

"I would have interrupted you when he said 'Anyone think they shouldn't get married' but I think I was late." Endymion's voice echoed through the silent crowd, but the spectacle was not over. "don't worry they skipped it," the voice came from above on a balcony that hung over the crowd where nine cloaked figured revealed themselves to be the nine planetary soldiers. The sight of Serena's friends made her heart fly and her head spin, this feeling propelled her forward, escaping Diamond's grasp, but before she could get ten feet away she was swept away in a giant cloud of crimson fabric and taken away by a strong body she couldn't recognize.

In the few seconds that the battle started Serena seemed to disappear into the crowd, but with luck and focus Endymion caught her giant white dress running into a hallway on the far right of the terrace. "Follow her, we've got this," Sailor Mercury assured him and he ran off dodging all the guards that came at him until he finally reached the hallway he had seen Serena run into.

The hallway was dark and the twists in it made him feel as if he were in a dream. "Serena!" he called to her hoping to hear her voice call back, but the silence welcomed him into even darker hallways. After ten minutes he began to hear light footsteps and then the sound of someone being dragged. It must have been Serena slowing her down. He took a moment hoping she could be strong enough and then continued on his way navigating through every tightening tunnels underneath the castle.

The footsteps become louder until finally He heard them stop , and he could see a light pouring out of a doorway near by. He crept up to it and looked in. There stood Serena held back by the queen. Serena's face pleaded with him, he stepped in further demanding the queen to let her go. He raised his sword to her, but before he could reach her, Serena screamed, "Behind you!" Diamond swung at him with his sword, but with luck Endymion ducked down to avoid the blow.

With his sword Endymion ran forward pushing Diamond back into the hallway. The fight seemed to be equal but underneath Endymion felt his body become exhausted, but he refused to let that effect him while he swung his sword at his opponent.

Having had a long history with Diamond Endymion understood his weaknesses. "You know I always win Diamond." Endymion began to take the mind game approach hoping that this would make up for his lack of energy. "I win at sword fighting, sports, I even won the girl." He felt Diamond trip up because of this, when Diamond should have gone right he went left which left a hole for Endymion to stab at his right shoulder.

Now bleeding Diamond seethed in anger rushing towards Endymion but Endymion dodged him and turned around quick enough to catch Diamond's next hit. "But it's not your fault, the only woman who seems able to love you is your mother, and we all know she is insane." Endymion laughed at him and with his anger he gave Endymion the ability to knock his sword out of his hand. He had won over Diamond, his sword now at his opponent's neck.

"You deserve to have every piece of this sword shoved into your neck, you have tried to harm the one I love and I will never forgive," as he said this Diamond stared straight on, trying to hide the fear in his eyes. "But…" at the word Endymion could see that Diamond was trying to figure out what was going to come next: his death or his redemption. "I want you to live in your shame, and you will never, I mean never see any of us again." Diamond allowed himself to breathe for he knew he was going to live. "But if I ever see you again I will not hesitate in killing you." Diamond nodded and Endymion relieved his sword from the loser's neck and raised his sword ready to know him out, but before he could…"Aghhh!" Serena's scream of pain shredded through his body and moved him to turn and run towards, which was a fatal error for the hero.

The sound of metal tearing through his torso caught him off guard and when the pain hit he fell to his knees. Endymion looked down to see Diamond's sword sticking out of his stomach. Diamond pulled his weapon from Endymion's abdomen, and with that Endymion's sight went dark.

When Endymion left the room with his opponent, the queen turned Serena around, gripping hard onto her wrists she had lost all of her composition, her gray hair frayed and spilling out of her once tight bun. The queen looked at her with such disdain as said, "Now give me the crystal." When Serena looked at her in confusion, she let Serena go and slapped her hard across the face causing Serena's frail body to break and fall to the floor. "If you don't plan to tell me I will just have to pull it out of you." The queen removed both of her gloves and gripped hard around Serena's bare arms.

The pain of the Queen's hatred ran through Serena's veins and she cried out in agony. Serena had never felt such fire that she thought she might have exploded. "Please Stop!" Serena screamed at the top of her lungs causing her throat to give out. All there was left for Serena was to feel such pain and no where to put it. "Where is it you brat?" With this question the Queen squeezed harder almost breaking Serena's wrists. Serena gave out a screeching sound. Trying to escape such pain Serena tried to turn her body away from the Queen, she tried to rip her arms out of the queen's grasp, but at that very moment, Serena caught something in her eyes that caused her more pain than any of the Queen's thought.

Endymion had fallen, he was not moving and as she watched in pain as a pool of blood surrounded his body she felt the pain become to much. With this she felt her body explode in pain, her back bent back and she let out a cry of anguish. Quickly followed by a silence accompanied by some kind of numbed calmness.

From Serena's body came a blinding light, the Queen quickly hid her eyes, letting go of her arms. When the light had faded and the queen could see the sight in front of her it made her heart rise. Serena was encased in light all of her clothes had gone to be replaced with a silver aura, the crystal of the queen's dreams placed in the middle.

The queen rose and with out thinking reached out to grab the treasure, but before she could touch it a beam of light shot from the crystal pinning the Queen to the wall. "How dare you?" the voice came from the creature that hovered before the queen. It had the body and face of Serena but it's eyes remained closed as if in some kind of trance and when she spoke it was as if it was the wind itself speaking to hear, cursing her.

"I will give you your wish, you will fill the power of the crystal." With this the Queen was encased in a white light, not giving her enough time to scream. When the beam of light seized there was nothing left of the queen but a pile of dust on the floor.

When the job was done Serena opened her eyes, and with a new lightness, she walked over to the body of her fallen love. Serena took Endymion's head into her lap, pushing his hair back from his face. His eyes opened with the feeling of her touch but she knew he was not going to hold on for much longer. "Serena," his voice was weak. "Shhh," she soothed him and smiled down at him. "I'm so sorry Serena, I tried…" Serena's eyes became flooded with tears but only let one tear slip onto her cheek. "You did save me, I'm free because of you…" She felt his thoughts get weaker as the light in his eyes faded. Soon Endymion seemed completely unresponsive. His eyes were empty of the brightness she had so missed, and the sight made Serena go cold. She doubled over in pain over her lover's body. She cried so hard that she was sure that she would never stop. Her body grew weaker and weaker the more she cried and soon she felt herself become dizzy from weakness. "Oh Endymion," she cried. "Serena?" she sat up, and he had awoken from death.

Before she could truly realize what had happened she fell over, the power of the crystal had sucked out her life force, and when she had sat up she had used the last of her energy.

She fell silent, and still, but with the smallest smile on her face. She was free.

"Serena?" he inspected his body for the wound that had just taken his life a few moments before. "It's gone, Serena, it's…" he looked over to where she used to be, but what he saw made his heart stop. She lay there on there floor bare and she wasn't moving. "Serena!" he yelled hoping she would respond, but she lay still as fallen feather. He leaned over her hoping to hear her breathing but he couldn't hear anything.

He quickly lifted her frail naked body and began to run to somewhere he though may be able to help her.

It seemed to take an eternity before he was able to see the light of the outside. When he reached the scouts, it seemed they had won, but it meant nothing when Serena laid still in his arms. "Help her!" his voice carried to their ears by the wind. They turned to him and seeing Serena in his arms ran to her.

"What happened?" questioned Sailor Mercury, as all nine of the scouts surrounded her hoping that their presence would wake her but Serena still refused to move. "Serena!" Sailor Mars began to shake her, but Pluto was quick to stop her, reassuring her that that would not help their fallen princess.

"Give her to me," the voice was familiar to Endymion, and when he turned he saw the figure who had helped him earlier in his cell. "Who are you?" With out answering his question the figure removed her cloak and wrapped it around the still body of Serena. There stood the queen Serenity, her face still with pain at seeing her daughter so still.

"Oh my poor Serena," the queen spoke and then stood walking over to Endymion. "Do you remember what happened before she fell?" Endymion was stunned by her presence, but the queen was not ready to be patient, when her daughter's life hanged in the balance. "Endymion, you have to remember." He quickly snapped and began to tell her the story of his death and the mysterious white light that came to him. "Where were hurt?" He looked confused by the question but he still indicated towards the hole in his shirt.

The Queen Serenity pointed to it confirming, and he nodded. All she said was "This is going to hurt," before she placed her hands above what used to be a large hole. The pain that came next was unexpected, and his body gave way to it falling to his knees.

To the scouts it seemed that the queen was pulling out an invisible sword from the prince's abdomen, as he gasped in pain. Then out of his abdomen came a beautiful crystal in cased in light and as it released itself from his body he fell to the ground, weak from having the stone pulled from his body.

Four of the sailors, that were not currently hovering over Serena helped him lay down, making sure he was still breathing, as the queen walked over to Serena with the stone in hand. With out a word Queen Serenity placed the crystal over Serena's heart and placed her hand over the stone. With her eyes closed she pushed on the stone and out came this light that began to incase Serena's body. In the first ten seconds the scouts witnessed Serena's open with such force that they may pop out of her head. Her mouth opened and she took a large gasp for breathe and thanks to the crystal she was able to capture it.

The queen quickly pulled the crystal from her daughter's chest and stored it away deep into the clothe of dress. Serena began to look around and when she laid her eyes on all of her friends her heart began too race, but the sight of her mother proved to be too much for her and she quickly lost consciousness. The queen looked up and with a smile said, "Let's go home."