AN: HI EVERYONE! I hope you're ready for another exciting installment of this soap opera of mine Xd
First of all, my eternal, everlasting, until the sun stops shining, THANKS to my amazing beta/bestie for life FloraOne. She is my greatest encouragement not only when it comes to writing, but in pretty much everything else as well, and she put up with a pouty fit of mine a couple of days ago that was BEYOND ridiculous and basically she's the sweetest EVER. You're the best of the best, love 33333
And OMG the response to the first chapter BLEW ME AWAY, you guys! The reviews just kept coming, and your encouragement has meant the world to me!
I hope you enjoy this next chapter, let me know what you think, and PLEAAAASSEEE remember: this IS a UsaMamo fic! It might not seem like it, yet, but give me a couple chapters, and you'll forget you ever had any doubts :)
Now, on with the shooowwww!
oOo
"I'm so sorry, your grace!" the young seamstress cried apologetically, when she heard Princess Serenity's hiss of pain.
"You have nothing to apologize for, Laure," Queen Serenity chimed in with a softness many would never expect from a monarch of her stature. "My daughter only has herself to blame for any wounds she sustains at your hands."
The eighteen year old princess knew her mother was teasing, but she pouted and sighed dramatically in response.
Serenity was used to being asked to perform on demand. She was, after all, the heir to the entire Silver Millennium Alliance. It wasn't as if she hadn't been raised to be every bit the ruler her mother was. But none of her training, thus far, had included the hours of endless wedding dress fittings she was currently being subjected to.
And although the sitting still was tortuous at best, Serenity had to admit she loved her wedding dress. Dear Laure had truly outdone herself.
Layers upon layers of luxurious chiffon and taffeta enclosed her, making her feel every bit the princess she was. A beaded, off the shoulder bodice led to the fullest skirt Serenity had ever seen, and a cape of matching material draped from her shoulders, creating an enormous train behind her, all in a beautiful champagne gold, a nod to her newly cemented fiance's kingdom.
It had been the princess' idea to create a dress of gold, hoping it might please her future husband and be taken as a sign of goodwill to the Terrans. And Serenity had delighted at the pleased look her mother had given her at the suggestion. Practically beaming, as Queen Serenity proudly whispered into her ear, "You will make a fine queen one day, my love."
The look was the very same the elder Serenity had bestowed upon her daughter just a week prior, when the princess had taken the news of her engagement in stride. Simply asking her mother what needed to be done in order to prepare for the upcoming nuptials.
Princess Serenity had guessed her mother had been expecting any and all sort of dramatics at her news. The princess could tell in the way the queen seemed to brace herself after delicately informing her daughter that she'd be wed within a fortnight.
And while inside, Serenity had felt a nearly overwhelming sadness of the prospect of not marrying for love, she knew her mother had taken careful considerations in the match, and that her duty as the future queen far outweighed any personal desire to find and marry the love of her life.
Plus, Serenity reminded herself, perhaps Endymion would turn out to actually be the love she'd so long dreamed of having. Her mother had assured her that the High King Aethlius was a good and kind man who had raised his son well, and Serenity reasoned that she would surely be able to love the son of such a man.
The princess was beginning to get lost in daydreams of handsome princes and passionate kisses when a light knock came on the door.
"You may enter," Queen Serenity replied, never taking her eyes away from the progress of her daughter's dress.
Princess Serenity's eyes widen with joy when the leader of her guard, Venus, entered. "Venus!" she cried excitedly, nearly forgetting where she was, as she rushed to move towards her senshi, until another sharp needle entered her flesh, which was followed loudly by an, "Ow!"
Laure blushed an embarrassed red, and mumbled her apologies for what must have been the dozenth time that day, while the princess cringed, and mumbled apologies of her own.
"Serenity, you need to be careful!" Venus began with an obvious teasing in her voice. "We can't be sending you off to be married with all those holes poked in you!" she finished with a wink.
The princess responded with the rather unladylike gesture of sticking out her tongue, causing her mother to sigh and lightly roll her eyes at her daughter's antics.
"Laure, I think we've had enough for today, hm? Perhaps Venus could take Serenity for a walk in the gardens while you and I discuss the final details?" Queen Serenity suggested.
Princess Serenity squealed in delight at the news that she would finally be free from the confines of the fitting room. Hopping down off the pedestal, she hugged Laure tightly (who blushed and stuttered at such an open display of affection from her princess) thanking her profusely, before grabbing Venus' hand and dragging her behind the small screen to help her change.
Once she had shed her wedding dress, and donned her day dress with the help of Venus, the two re-entered the space the queen and Laure still occupied.
Serenity hurried over to her mother, standing on the tips of her toes to kiss her cheek, with a soft, "Thank you, mother."
The queen smiled softly at her. "Of course, dear. Just make sure you meet me on the west terrace in an hour. We need to make sure everything is place for when we depart for Earth in two days."
Serenity nodded her head vigorously, while Venus replied, "I'll have her there in plenty of time, your majesty," as the princess was already pulling them out the door.
The two companions slowly made their way through the palace's vast, marble hallways, having to stop nearly every twenty feet for Serenity to greet and speak with every servant, asking about their days, and families outside of the palace halls.
And although Serenity didn't miss Venus' carefully hidden annoyance at her, she couldn't just ignore the people who dedicated their lives to making her kingdom better.
It was one of the first things her mother had instilled in her. That every being was just as important as any other, and that their positions as royalty didn't offer them an excuse to look down upon those whose social stature was less than theirs. Instead, it was an opportunity to build up those who might not be as fortunate as they were.
Serenity also couldn't ignore the nagging feeling in her stomach that served as a reminder of the fact that she wasn't sure when she might see these lovely people again. And although she knew she and Endymion would be splitting their time between the Earth and the Moon, the vast majority of their time would be spent on Earth, at least for the foreseeable future.
Her eyes fluttered up to look at the blue planet, hanging high in the early evening sky. How many nights had she gazed at it in longing? Wishing she could simply run away to the blue oceans and lush forests forever? But now that her marriage to the planet's prince hung on the horizon, Serenity wasn't sure what to feel. She had always been a dreamer, but sacrificing everything she knew and loved to fulfill one of her dreams scared her more deeply than she was willing to admit.
But it did not do to dwell on such dark thoughts, so Serenity shook her head slightly, and lowered her gaze to the sprawling gardens in front of her.
Once the women had finally entered the gardens, Serenity breathed in the heavenly scent of flora, rushing over to a rose bush that bloomed buds of the deepest red.
It wasn't as if the moon didn't have roses, of course, but they were all pale and pastels, beautiful in their fragility. But when Serenity had heard visiting dignitaries speaking of the deep, red roses that grew on Earth, she had practically begged her mother to have one planted in their gardens.
And just two months prior, on her eighteenth birthday, Queen Serenity had lead the princess to the gardens and presented her with the bush. It was only a maze of green leaves and thorns at the time, but now. Now, it was blooming to life in the most extraordinary of fashions.
"Oh, Venus! Look!" Serenity exclaimed, taking one of the blooms into her tiny hand.
"Be careful, princess. You might get pricked by a thorn," Venus warned, knowing full well it wouldn't stop Serenity.
The princess sighed longingly. "I'll risk a few pricks for something this lovely."
Venus giggled at her charge. "Oh, Serenity. You are a romantic at heart, aren't you?"
Serenity straightened, putting obstinate hands on her hips with a frown firmly in place on her lips. "And what exactly is wrong with that?"
"Absolutely nothing, dear," Venus replied, laughing outright at the sight her princess made.
Happy with her senshi's answer, Serenity smiled brightly, and turned back towards the roses. "I suppose I'll be seeing a lot more of these soon."
A knowing smile made its way onto Venus' face. "Yes, I suppose you will," she answered. "But come now, Serenity! Don't fret! I hear Prince Endymion is mighty handy with his sword," she said, winking suggestively.
"Venus!" Serenity cried, blushing profusely. "Must you always be so crude?"
"Well, someone has to be the life of the party around here."
Serenity's face grew drawn and serious. "Venus?" she said so softly, the senshi almost believed she had imagined it.
Whipping her head towards the sound, Venus spoke. "Yes, Serenity?"
"I'm scared," the princess admitted, casting her eyes down towards the ground, as her hands wrung in front of her. "What if he never loves me?"
Venus smiled warmly in understanding. "Silly, Serenity," she said affectionately, "Find me one person who has ever not fallen completely in love with you?"
A small smile returned to the princess' lips.
"And besides," Venus continued, "The real question is not whether he will love you, but whether he will manage to prove himself worthy of you. And I, alone, will be the judge of that."
Serenity giggled at her guardian's antics. "I am so very glad you're coming with me, Venus."
"Well, of course I am!" Venus replied. "Someone has to make sure you stay out of trouble on that ungodly planet," she finished, winking at Serenity, once more. "Now, come. Since you wasted all our time inquiring about the lives of every single person that works in this palace, we need to hurry so your mother doesn't change her mind and call Uranus up from the outer reaches to go with you instead. And as much as I relish the thought of not having to spend the next five hundred years on Earth, I do so want to see you in that dress of yours."
Serenity nodded, pasting a smile on her face, trying her best to hide the uneasiness swirling inside her. With one last, longing look at her beloved rose bush, she lifted her skirts and sprinted to catch up with her already disappearing senshi.
oOo
Endymion lounged languidly on a bench in his gardens. He knew he was late in meeting his fiancé to 'show her her new home' as his father had put it. But he couldn't seem to bring himself to care.
Rolling his eyes, he took another bite out of the apple he'd managed to sneak from the kitchens earlier.
The prince was surprised how often he'd found himself in the kitchens, as of late. Beryl had always thought that particular habit of his was one he should stop. It was one thing to be kind to the palace workers. It was another entirely to fraternize with them, she'd said.
He shook his head, pounding his fist into the stone bench he sat upon, anger washing over him.
Endymion was still furious at his predicament, having only agreed to take part the day before. Not that he'd had any real choice, of course, but the prince had spent a good portion of the last few days trying to convince his father to end the engagement.
Aethlius had staunchly refused. Stubborn arse that he was. And Beryl had fled her life at court the day Endymion had been apprised of his engagement.
In short, the prince was miserable.
But as much as he ached for Beryl, he tried his best not to think of her. It only served to depress him and momentarily forget his anger. And his anger was what fueled him, now. He couldn't afford to let go of it.
Glancing over at the sundial, Endymion was pleased to see he was already half an hour late to his meeting. Perhaps it was time to grace them with his presence, he thought to himself with an arrogant smirk.
He arose from the bench, stretching lazily, and doing his best to plaster a nonchalance on his face that would convey nothing other than indifference. He had heard rumor of the god like beauty that was a trademark of Lunarian royalty. But the prince was prepared for such an occurrence, resolving to remain cold and aloof no matter what she looked like. He owed that much to himself and Beryl, and their relationship he was steadfastly set on clinging to, no matter the cost.
And once he was certain his emotions were firmly buried, Endymion made his way, slowly, to the great hall.
When he approached the small gathering of people some five minutes later, annoyance flooded his every pore.
Kunzite was there, glaring at him as if he had been the one to do something wrong. And on the other side of the general were two women. One was very obviously a member of the princess' royal guard, and the other, he found safe to assume, was his intended, Princess Serenity.
The girl was beautiful, certainly. Even he wasn't blind enough to miss that. But nothing about her particularly called to him.
She was impossibly tiny. Her head only barely reaching his chin. And her skin was so pale, it was almost translucent, accented by endless, stringy blonde hair that seemed to almost shine silver in the dim light of the hall, and a dress of the purest white.
Typical, he thought to himself. Of course the moon brat would want to make herself seem like she was above reproach.
But what annoyed him most of all, was his near certainty that this slip of a girl in front of him, would almost certainly expect him to fall in love with her beauty in an instant.
A wicked smirk graced his lips.
Good luck with that, little princess.
"Endymion," Kunzite practically hissed at him, once he'd finally reached the group. "How kind of you to join us only thirty minutes past the agreed time." Sarcasm dripped from the general's every syllable.
"I am so, very sorry, Kunzite. But as you know, my time is incredibly valuable, and obviously in high demand," he shot back, a smirk still firmly planted on his face.
"Well, seeing as you could not manage to drag yourself away from your daily sword training to greet your fiance and her mother, Queen Serenity, upon their arrival, here, I would have thought you would understand just how very important this meeting was."
Endymion's face fell slightly, anger rising in him. "Well, seeing as you will never understand the importance it holds for a future king to be constantly prepared for whatever comes his way-"
He was interrupted by a rather loud, "ahem," that came from the one he had guessed was a senshi.
Both Endymion and Kunzite whipped their heads towards the women, who had been practically forgotten in their not so discreet spat.
"Pardon my interruption, your highness. But perhaps you would like to finally meet the woman who is to be your wife in a matter of days?" the senshi asked, as she looked at Endymion with narrowed eyes so intense, he felt an involuntary shiver run through him.
Kunzite bowed low briefly in apology. "I pray you will forgive our rudeness, your highness," he said towards Serenity once he had straightened.
The white-haired general then turned towards the senshi. "Sailor Venus, I apologize for lapsing on my duties."
Ah, Endymion thought, so this is the leader of the famed senshi. Of course they'd send her along to protect the tiny thing.
He was brought back to the conversation, when he heard Kunzite speak his name.
"Prince Endymion," he began, stepping back from his place between the prince and princess. "May I present to you, Her Royal Highness, Princess Serenity of the Moon, heir to the Silver Millennium."
The princess curtsied low, lingering with her head bowed for a moment, before slowly raising herself up to look at Endymion. "It is an honor to meet you, Prince Endymion. Thank you for welcoming me to your beautiful home," she spoke, her voice sickeningly sweet to his ears.
She offered her hand to him, next, and he took it, bowing to her, but not as low as he knew he should considering her station, and never removing his eyes from hers in an obvious challenge. "Of course, princess," he replied, voice deep with insincerity. "I do so hope you will find our lowly planet to your liking."
Her eyes grew wide, and her mouth hung open in obvious shock at his comment, much to Endymion's pleasure, and the prince could practically feel holes being burned into his head by Venus.
But before he could give either woman a chance to respond, the prince had turned on his heels, and begun to walk deeper into the palace, pausing only to briefly turn back and offer, "If you'd like to see the palace, your highness, I suggest you follow along."
He smiled in victory to himself when he heard the shuffling of skirts and feet behind him.
Endymion walked briskly in long, steady strides, making the small princess take two steps for every one of his. And while they walked around his home, he didn't bother to point out anything to his company, forcing Kunzite to explain the various rooms they visited, instead.
"Perhaps the princess would like to see the gardens, now, Endymion?" the general asked after a time, and the prince had to bite back a smile at Kunzite's clenched teeth. "I hear she is rather fond of the outdoors."
But Endymion's joy at Kunzite's fury was short lived, for as soon as the sentence was out of the general's mouth, Serenity's eyes lit up with excitement.
"Oh, yes, I do love gardens, and I've heard so much about the beauty of yours, Endymion," she said, in a sugary tone, once more. "Could we see them, please?"
He let out an audible sigh.
"Fine," he replied, turning his back on them and heading out of the room, and towards the gardens.
Endymion remained silent on their brief walk, continuing his long and steady strides. But once the exited the confines of the palace, and entered into the brilliant sunshine, he couldn't help but slow his pace just slightly.
This was his place of respite, after all. His mother's gardens that he had taken it upon himself to tend to after she had died.
But he grimaced when he realized it would forever be tainted by the pure whiteness of his future wife.
Nothing would ever be truly his ever again.
"Thank you for bringing me, here, Endymion," he heard the princess say from her place beside him. "It's truly beautiful."
"Yes, it is," he replied coldly, hoping she would understand his distaste for her company.
She didn't, however.
"Sailor Jupiter tends to the Moon's gardens," she prattled on. "She was kind enough to teach me a few things, but I certainly don't have a talent for growing such beautiful flowers like she does."
Endymion made no response.
"Do you know who it is that tends these gardens? I would so love to visit with them. I find the art of horticulture so interesting!"
He pursed his lips at her question. He didn't want to tell her that he was personally responsible for the gardens, but he was a proud man, and he took more pride in this little space than almost anything else. "I tend to them," he told her with a glare.
Her eyes lit up, again, as if she had completely missed his look of disdain.
"You do? Oh, of course! I should have known since they are your gardens."
Endymion rolled his eyes behind her back when she turned to smell a large, yellow bloom.
"Your entire planet is lovely," she continued. "I can't possibly tell you how many nights I used to stare at it and wish I could visit, even if just for a few moments."
"How interesting."
Endymion heard a small, delighted gasp come from the girl. Did she have to get so excited by every little thing?
"Oh! Endymion, look at how beautiful these are! Red roses are my absolute favorite."
His only reply was a brief, "Hm."
"They're not native to the Moon, you know. I had to beg mother to allow our gardens to have them, and she finally gave into me on my birthday just a few months ago. They were just starting to bloom when I left."
"It shouldn't have taken them that long to bloom," he said, annoyed. "Perhaps they find the Moon's soil a bit...stifling."
Serenity's lapis eyes flashed briefly with hurt, and he felt a twinge of guilt for reveling in it. But the feeling was gone, when she began to chatter away, once more.
"I had the pleasure of meeting your father, today," she commented, next. "He's such a kind man!"
"Were you expecting a barbarian of some sort?" he asked with an eyebrow raised.
She giggled nervously. "Oh, no, of course not! It was just so nice to be greeted in such a way. I liked him instantly."
"Indeed."
Good, god. She's insufferable, he found himself thinking when her topics flashed from one to another in rapid succession. Horses, food, back to flowers, and finally, "Does the sun always shine so brightly, here?"
He couldn't take anymore of this. Couldn't stand to try for even a minute longer.
"As lovely as this has been, I have other important duties to attend to," he said, turning from the group without so much as a bow, muttering a quick, "good day," and completely ignoring Kunzite's furious cries of his name, as he quickly escaped back into the confines of the palace.
Once he was inside, Endymion, breathed deeply, trying to steady the emotions coursing through him, and failing miserably.
He pounded the wall in frustration, as his father's words filtered into his brain. 'You agreed to this engagement Endymion. Now, do your part.'
Yes, he had acquiesced to participating in this ridiculous situation. But he had never said anything about doing it graciously.
