Ainako: I know I shouldn't be using semi colon if I'm not sure of how to use them without looking like idiots but I never listened to myself. A word of warning, this had yet been proof read. Proceed with caution. Oh. The real pairings at the end of this story would of course be Serenity and Darien but I'll introduce you with my personal favorite pairing of the series in the next chapter. I promise.
I really don't speak English but I love reading and writing in that language.
From the early hours of dawn, there had been news of a few of the guests invited for the Queen's crowning anniversary had already come in. No one's important or influential yet, Serena guessed as no one ushered her back to her chambers from her morning walk to dress up prettily. It was late afternoon when the summons for her presence came, and her four loyal maids were already giggling on which dress to put her in and which man to keep an eye to. Serena let them have their fun and only pretended to laugh along with them. There's nothing in her heart to want to be in tonight's dinner. If she had her way, she'll slither out of the palace and onto her trusted black mare she named Luna she kept outskirt of the city, to speed her off to where Darien would be waiting.
"I see the Princess is already fantasizing the night she'll have today. She's blushing! Thinking of something indecent, Serena?"
Mina poked her warm cheeks and gave a grin. Serena shook her head to chase away the stray thoughts of being in Darien's arms and lied she was thinking nothing of such. But she had been in Mina's care for far too long to fool her. From the reflections of the large vanity mirror in front of her, she saw Mina pressed her lips and exhaled deeply. Her hands had not stopped for a moment from combing Serena's long locks of hair and tied it into two balls on top of her head – a style copying her Lady Mother's, and some say every female in the Royal family had sported this style for as long as one can remember.
"Soon or late you have to forget about him, Serena, and I think you well know why."
Serena studied her hands on her lap and said nothing. She knew why – her love can never be – but her heart ache from being apart from Darien. Most of the time she wondered how can a man so easily make her brain turned into water just by professing their love to you. Most of the time, she wondered how could she easily turned into jelly for a man and she could only blame on one thing; love. She's madly in love with him and that will be the end of her.
"Remember that time when I climbed a tree in the gardens just because I want to prove to you that I can, Mina?"
"Oh yes. You were six, if I'm not mistaken. You stepped on a rotten branch and fell head-first onto the grass. I remembered being so hysterical seeing your leg bent to a different angle than it should be."
"I woke up the next morning without any of you at my side and Mother only said you were off to somewhere to do something for a whole month – I don't quite understand at the time – but that's not what happened, was it?"
The golden haired maiden halted her combing and slowly crouched beside Serena's chair, her hands placed gently on the Princess' knees. Her clear blue eyes were almost at the same shade as hers, and they were sad. Or was it guilt? Serena couldn't tell.
"That was a long time ago, Serena, and whatever happened then, we knew we deserved it. You shouldn't worry about it."
There was a touch of fear in Mina's voice that it made her lips quiver. Whatever happened back then, it left an impressive impact on her friends. Even the hands that were holding hers grew cold and trembling. Instantly, Serena remembered the terrible dream she had last night. They were punished, of course. Her Lady Mother would not stutter for a beat to sentence anyone to a punishment fit for their crime, but that was no crime.
"Mother flogged you for it, did she? But it was my own fault, Mina. I remembered it just as it was yesterday that it was me that was so mule headed wanted to climb the tree no matter what you warned me."
"And it was still our fault for not stopping you from trying, and that all that mattered. The Queen was very afraid if something to happen to her only daughter. All mothers would do what she did."
When she felt Mina's fingers on Serena's face that she realized she had cried. The thought of her actions result in her friends' demise was heavy. Anything Serena does will be at the total responsibility of her maids. Would she risk their well being for the sake of her own selfish needs to be with a man? Serena knew she and Darien will not be together without putting her friends' life in jeopardy and she will not be with Darien if she couldn't make the sacrifice. Turning her head to glance towards Lita, Raye and Amy, all still busy choosing which dress Serena should be wearing, she asked herself again; would she have the heart to risk them? Risk their families and their friends, for the sake of her impossible love?
"I… will try to forget about Darien. I promise I will try."
Mina smiled so proudly at that and hugged her tightly; no doubt she had been worrying if Serena would still insist on running to the borders again. No doubt her Lady Mother had made it very clearly what will fall to them if the Princess broke the rules under their care again. Mina let her go and continued putting on various powders and scent oils, not to mention colored creams to different areas of her face and neck. An hour later, she stood in front of a much larger mirror that was brought into her chambers and look directly into her own eyes in the reflection. Here, she stood, perfectly presentable in a beautiful silvery long dress, looking every inch the Princess of the Moon Kingdom. Silently, out of earshot of her maids, she whispered a vow to the person in the mirror.
"I am the Daughter Heir of the Moon Kingdom, and I chose my duty before my heart. Let it be the duty heavier than a mountain and my heart will be crushed under its weight, I will live for my duty… because innocent lives balanced on my judgment. Let the Gods smite me if I ever changed my mind."
The woman wearing her face in the mirror nodded in utter determination. Serena unclenched the fist she didn't remember holding and walked gracefully in full regal aura. Walking towards the throne room to join the Queen, she was trailed by curtsies deeper than she had ever been curtsied before. They all knew the Princess they saw then was not just the Princess, but their future Queen. She will be the their Queen.