Ainako: Yeah. I really don't know how to English goodly. I'm very sorry.

Serena could hear her future Ladies in waiting's unvoiced disagreement just as clear as if they were shouting it to her ears, but they kept their lips shut. They walked in a position spread to four corners in shape of a box, with Serena in the middle. Supposedly the Queen insisted her to move anywhere in this pattern. Serena had only seen the same type of human barricade by soldiers and knights, with huge bastard sword and menacing look to scare off unwanted attention. What good will this four girls do to her safety, Serena couldn't begin to guess. They are as sheltered and defenseless as she was. Perhaps assassins would be nagged to death by Raye's deadly temper.

Walking through the guest area towards where the Royal stables were was sobering. She could feel her head getting clearer, but there's still a lingering buzz at the back of her mind. It throbbed so faintly it could have been just her imaginations. Livery maids and lesser Lords and Ladies all curtsied when she walks past but whispers among themselves as soon as they were out of her sight. Gossiping as always. Sometimes she wished they would get another hobby to spend their free time with. Sure, Serena made their life easier by making more and more gossip-worthy occurrences but she should be able to do things without everyone else judging her.

The Royal stables were blessedly empty of people when she arrived. Serena stopped Mina from calling out for the young Lord.

"I'd like to speak with him alone, if you please."

They didn't like it – that's clearly shown in their eyes - but in unison, they nodded and left her on her own at the entrance. The strong smell of horse sweat and dried hay made her nose crinkled. Trying not to think of the squishy thing she just stepped on with her velvet slippers, she made her way to the stalls. One groom boy skittered and disappeared as soon as he saw her, while another still unmoving from his noon nap. She ignored them, and went straight towards a particular blonde man brushing down a dun stallion. The way he hushed to the animal was like he was singing a lullaby instead. He noticed her then, watching him. He seemed to be expecting for her presence, somehow, but his eyes was wide with surprise nonetheless. He moved to properly curtsied but she stopped him. There's no need to be all formal when nobodies' watching, especially in a smelly stable with strong smell of urine and damp hay.

"Are you singing to him?"

The young Lord Alex – though obviously a few years older than herself – smiled and turned back to the animal, patting its neck. He must have been one of those who adored horses just as one would a babe, probably even more. Curious bunch, those people.

"Shamefully, yes. This old boy had been pampered too much since he was this high." He raised his hand to his waist. "My fault, actually. He was the first colt I was entrusted to."

The way he talks was refreshingly casual that she insisted him to keep it that way when he remembered who he was talking with. Serena does not particularly adore horses as he would but she liked them. Luna, her jet black mare with a strange birthmark on her forehead in shape of a crescent moon, is her one and only horse friend. She found her during her early childhood escapades in a field of grazing wild horses. Somehow she felt connected to the mare and adopts her for her own. Serena didn't dare to bring her to the royal stables though. Despite a crescent moon being the official mark of House White Moon, there is no telling how her Lady Mother would react seeing it. Worse, she would decide only the current Queen is worthy of such a mark, or even worst she would find out about Serena's hobby of running out of the castle without her knowledge. She would have iron shackles on her ankles bolted to her Lady Mother's bed post right then and there for all eternity.

"What is his name?" She asked as she ran her fingers through the silky mane, patting them lightly. The animal gave a light grunt as if pleased.

"Violin." He said with a longing smile on his face.

"That doesn't sound like a name one would give to a horse."

"Why should it matter if it doesn't?"

"It's not common, I guess."

"I wonder who decides such an assumption in the first place. That everyone should do just as everyone else had, just to fit in."

Alex wore a tight face as he said that but quickly softened when he realized she was watching him. He breathed out an apology for speaking out of line but Serena waved it away. He has a point, though. What purpose is there to seem normal? You can try so hard to appear normal but someone will always see that one little flaw. By then, everything else about you becomes irrelevant. No matter if you're a first-born Princess of a great Queen, they will always see you as that sniveling, cowardly girl that can do nothing right. Being normal is entirely ridiculous. Feeling the knot in her brows, she shook away the frustration and let out a sigh. To the young blonde man, she smiled.

"Are you going for a ride, Lord Alex?"

"Yes, I am, Your Highness. May you join me?"

"Please, call me Serena when you're not within hearing range of my Lady Mother. And I would take that offer, of course. I need some fresh air to clear my head."

When she explained what she was doing, Raye was especially displeased, yet she said nothing. None of them said anything but she saw them saddling up their own horses as a Royal groom brought out her ride. She would have preferred Luna and with no chaperone but her Ladies in Waiting would still be tailing her no matter what she ordered them differently. Did they really thing she would run off as soon as given a chance? Perhaps the past Serena would do, but not now. The heavy crown of the Queen is already felt on her head. She would be entirely stupid to rebel now. She would not have lived with the thought of her friends' life at stake.

Alex and Serena went for a slow canter at the outskirts of the Royal reserves, a small piece of the vast thick forest that borders the White Moon kingdom's Royal city with the neighboring land under its rule. Mars, Mercury, Jupiter and Venus bordered the Royal city, also the each lands representing her future Ladies in Waiting who ride along slowly ten paces away. Far across their land were four more countries and beyond was where her heart belongs. Used to belong to, that is. Was Endymion thinking of her right this moment? Serena shook the thought away. She shouldn't be this foolish over a man. As if on cue, the weight of her duties came back on her shoulders. She would learn to disobey her heart soon or late. The future Queen of the White Moon should not be simpering over a man. Would a Queen be married to nothing but to her throne? Endymion.

"Pardon me, but were you saying something, My Lady Serena?"

Serena felt her face warmed in a furious blush. Her habit of thinking out aloud had put her in numerous troubles and humility before, but none as this. Trying to clear her throat without looking so obviously ashamed, she nudged her horse to a steady pace and left him behind. The feel of the wind brushing her face was sweet. As if for a moment, she was given freedom. Freedom to be what she wanted, to do what she wanted, and loved whoever she wanted. If she had wings, she would fly. Fly beyond the invisible yet suffocating cage of her destiny and towards the blissful life as herself. She wanted to be free.

Suddenly, her horse shrieked and stopped too quickly she toppled over and fell on the soft grassy field overlooking a large lake. Behind her, Alex and her friends came in a frantic dash. Lita jumped down from her saddle so fast and ran past Alex as he tried to offer a hand to Serena to stand up. There was steely concern painted on Lita's face as she swiftly felt her arms and neck to see if anything broken or twisted. Serena worked up a grin and a laugh telling her if anything hurts it's her Royal bottom, but the other woman did not share the amusement. She simply nodded and went back to the others, heads brought together as if sharing secrets. Alex was as dumbfounded as she was but he recovered quickly and went to offer his hand again.

"You almost had me worried I said something I'm not supposed to again, My Lady."

"I'm really sorry. I don't know what possessed me." She gave a laugh and pressed her lips together, hoping it would look as if she was smiling. Embarrassment was fire in her cheeks. Serena stood and smoothed her skirt thinking of something to change their focus. That's when her eyes found it spread across her vision. "I never noticed such a pretty place like this within the Royal grounds."

The lake was sparkling as if in a summer's shine. The trees around the lake were very large and its branches reached over the lake as if to shade it. The air was cool with a hint of mossy smell of the forest.

"Perhaps it is beyond Royal grounds." Alex said. That made a sense somehow. She knew the land well, thanks to the tireless study with her tutors regarding her family's land. She looked around but saw nothing except trees. It couldn't have been that far away from the Royal borders.

"Maybe it's not a bad idea to stop here for a while." She suggested and peered to her friends who were already busy calming down her spooked horse and talking very quietly amongst themselves. Mina heard her and only nodded in obedience. That was very not like them at all. She had expected them to argue with her as they always did in her every choice. She had expected them to disagree. Even the calm and sensible Amy didn't say anything to explain why stopping here in the middle of nowhere is bad. Annoyed of their ignorance, she turned back to Alex.

"Let's get under the shade, shall we?"

Alex undid his cloak and spread it on the grass for her to sit. It was such a crazy morning to start a day, but somehow all her worries unknot as she gazed upon the lake.

"I do that sometimes too, suddenly wanting to feel the rush, speeding up my horse and let it take me somewhere else."

"You have somewhere else to go too, Alex?"

"My father wanted a son," He took his time before continuing. "He wanted a worthy heir. He dressed me up like this and expected me to be a worthy heir. Where he points, I go. What he asked, I did. Never once I thought of opposing him. I thought this is the only thing the life of an heir really is." He smiled bitterly and showed his clear blue eyes to her. "But then I realized there was more to life than just trying to please your parents. That I can pursue whatever I want, doing whatever I want, without fear of being judged or scrutinized. I can be myself, so long I am willing to be myself."

"You made it sound too easy, Lord Alex. Myself, I have a monstrosity of a burden waiting for me. I can't afford to leave that and took the path I wanted to tread just for my own selfish reason."

"Perhaps because I don't know how it was to live as a Princess, but I think everyone have the right to choose their path. You did not live in a cage; you are in your nest fearing what unknown world lies beyond your safe sanctuary."

"And I have a giant hawk over my head that will peck me to death if I ever think of setting foot outside my nest."

"Take chances by the throat, is what I was told. Nothing would ever begin to happen if you fear what might happen badly. Who knows, it could turn out that hawk is as much as a sweet gosling as you are."

His eyes were enchanting. His words rung in her head like a brass bell tolling right beside her ear. For a moment, there was nothing around her except for Alex and his eyes. What is this sprouting emotion within my stomach? Was it similar to the emotions she felt when she first set eyes on Endymion? Endymion…

"Perhaps you could even have your Endymion if you dare to reach out of your restrictive haven." He took her hand gently and kissed the back of her palm ever so tenderly. His blue eyes never left hers. "Perhaps even you can reach to me, I would be honored to catch you and take you to my sky."

There was a loud harrumph from a few paces away and she took her hand back as if burned. Raye was never amused seeing Serena being so close to any man. From her friends' face, they were inaudibly telling her it's time to go back. Flushing, she scurried to stand up, only to be betrayed by her wobbly knees. She would have her face down on the grass if not for a strong pair of arm encircling her waist. She was an inch away from those blue eyes. Before she could open her mouth to say her gratitude, it was covered by something so delicate yet warm. It might have been just a fraction of a second, but to her it almost seemed to last a thousand years. Serena had her hands on his chest and that hand felt something a man wouldn't have. Her cheeks warmed in either her inappropriate touch or the fact that Alex was grinning so amusingly, knowing the secret is out.

"Alex…"

He didn't let her finish. He let her go and bowed so formally, bidding his goodbye as he intended to ride alone back to the palace. He left her there, along with her four formidable maids ready to chomp pebbles for dessert, looking very confused.