Disclaimer: I do not own Sailor Moon or any of the canon characters. Miyako, Cleo, Lia, Harper, and Owen, as well as a few others, are only figments that have escaped from my imagination.

Chapter Thirteen: The Princess of Nemesis

It wasn't all that long ago, maybe thirty-five years, at most. Nemesis was peaceful, prosperous. King Obsidian of Nemesis was fairly young when he assumed the throne. His father had been quite elderly when he was born, you see. But that didn't make him a poor king. He was intelligent and open-minded. Most of the time, anyway.

Forseti was the king's chief advisor, descended from a refugee from Coronis. Like his kin, Forseti was able to assume the form of a crow, should he need to. But he didn't do so, often. He had grown up, with the king viewing him as an older brother, much beloved and a close confidante. So, when King Obsidian had to choose the members of his personal guard, the five Points of Nemesis, he was eager to take Forseti's advice.

Obsidian selected a pair of twin witches from the farthest reaches of Nemesis, Topaz and Citrine. Topaz had magical abilities that leaned more towards fighting and striking out at enemies, while Citrine, despite being the more outspoken of the two, was more drawn to shielding spells and protection. A good balance. Carnelian was pulled from the elite knights who trained to protect all of Nemesis. Not surprising, he was drawn to fiery spells. To stand and balance out his powers, Lazulite was selected, a woman not trained to fight at all. Her powers were drawn from water and a caring heart. All four met both criteria needed to be a Point of Nemesis, powers of their own and a connection to the Black Crystal, even before they were chosen.

But, when it came to the fifth point, Obsidian rejected the advice of Forseti. The man Forseti suggested, a man who would balance out Obsidian's own powers, was a man Obsidian hated. The two of them had feuded for years, since they had been small children. This man had refused to accept that Obsidian was always right, simply because he was royalty. He challenged Obsidian on everything, whether he truly disagreed or not. That was part of the reason Forseti had recommended him. He knew this man would force Obsidian to look at all angles before making a decision. But that hadn't been all of it. Both men had courted Lady Opal, one of the greatest beauties of the court of Nemesis. Despite the fact that Lady Opal had chosen to marry Obsidian, he refused to trust his long-time rival. Instead, he turned to his oldest and dearest friend, next to Forseti. He named Iolite, despite the fact that Iolite had no connection to the Black Crystal. He had magic, it was true, but Iolite was not born on Nemesis, and his soul did not call out to the Crystal as the others did.

But, Obsidian disregarded this and bestowed upon Iolite the power of the first Point, his right hand in all matters. The man who had been Forseti's choice withdrew from the court and hid himself in the recesses of his own lands, far from the capitol.

For several years, all was assumed to be well, despite Iolite's disconnection to the Crystal. After all, peace reigned on the planet and there were no threats from the world outside. Obsidian and Opal were the perfect royal couple, and their first born daughter was well beloved. Princess Jet was the planet's darling. The queen doted on her, night and day, spoiling her. The child wanted for nothing and was quick to throw a fit if she didn't get what she wanted. In view of the public, she was sweet and precious, but behind closed doors, she was a terror. Forseti, Lazulite, and Carnelian began to worry for the kingdom if she were to assume the crown. It was hoped she would grow out of it before that day came.

Iolite married, as well. Lapis was a strange woman. No one knew much at all about her. Her family was from beyond the edges of the kingdom, in the wild lands of Nemesis. But she was graceful, gentle, and always smiling. After a while, it was easy to forget she wasn't from the capitol city, itself. Fears were forgotten. Their first son was born when Princess Jet was just shy of turning six, and their second son came along just over a year later.

It was only a few short months later, when Princess Jet was seven, that her younger sister was born. Unlike Jet, most weren't even aware there was a second princess. She was her father's darling, however. When he went to the Black Crystal every morning, he made sure to take his younger daughter with him. Usually Iolite accompanied him down, with Citrine or Topaz. But, one day, it was Lazulite and Carnelian that descended down to the sacred chamber with him. The second princess was almost three and eager to explore as much as she could.

Obsidian set her down, the moment they entered the chamber. She ran straight for the Crystal, her hands outstretched. As she drew closer, the crystal, itself, glowed stronger. At first, Lazulite and Carnelian believed the strength of the glow was because of the king. But the power seemed to wrap itself around the younger princess, embracing her. Looking towards the king, they knew he felt it, as well.

"Sire, what does this mean?" Carnelian had asked.

Obsidian gave a smile. "It means the crown will not pass to Jet. The Crystal has chosen Sardonyx to be the next queen. I have brought Jet down here, and the Crystal withdraws. The very first day, the day she was born, I brought her here, as is the custom. Not even a day old, and the Crystal was already rejecting Jet as the next queen. Within moments of my bringing Sardonyx here, the Crystal had already welcomed her and bestowed her with part of its power."

"Does the queen know this?" Lazulite asked, hesitantly. "Surely she must know."

"No, I have not informed Opal. I have watched her, these past few years. She is not the woman I thought she was. She cares more for the finery and prestige of being queen. She never loved the man who wears the crown, only the crown itself. Let her believe her chosen one is to be the next queen. It should keep my precious princess and the future of our world from her. So long as she doesn't know, she won't try to mold Sardonyx. My little one will be free to become her own person and the queen she is meant to be. Only the two of you are aware of this. Not even Iolite knows that it is Sardonyx who will inherit the crown."

There wasn't even a hint of a rumor. On the very day of Princess Jet's tenth birthday, while all the kingdom was celebrating, it happened. Iolite revealed himself to be a traitor. Lapis brought her 'grandfather' from the wild lands, a man simply called "Wiseman." An entire army emerged from hiding, slaughtering any who stood against them.

Queen Opal pushed herself between the invading army and Princess Jet, giving her life for her daughter, ordering Topaz and Citrine to protect the future queen. The two immediately grabbed Jet and ran from the hall. Upon hearing the queen's dying request, however, Lazulite and Carnelian fled up to the royal quarters. But Princess Sardonyx was nowhere to be found. It was only at a tugging command from the king that they arrived in the burning corridor to find the king holding his daughter. Passing her to Lazulite, he ordered them to flee. Iolite was his to deal with.

Princess Jet, Topaz, and Citrine never made it out of the capitol. Enemy troops converged on them, as they attempted to use a secret passage to escape, a passage Iolite was well aware of. Lazulite, Carnelian and Princess Sardonyx disappeared in the confusion of a collapsing tunnel. As far as Iolite and the others knew, the second princess was also gone, as were the last two points of Nemesis.

In reality, only Carnelian didn't make it out of that tunnel. He was the one who had collapsed the tunnel, after making sure that Lazulite and Sardonyx were safely out of the way. He gave his life to ensure their safety. The next morning, before the assembled people of the capitol, Iolite executed Obsidian and took the throne, a puppet king at the beck and call of Wiseman. Only one other escaped from the capitol. Forseti's daughter, the chosen guardian for the next ruler of Nemesis, by taking wing, escaped the carnage. She flew long and hard to find Lazulite and the younger princess. She swore to protect and guard the princess to the best of her ability.

Knowing it would not be long before someone might discover the truth, Lazulite fled to the one place no one would look for Obsidian's precious daughter. She fled to his greatest rival. There, amid his vast estate, she was sure the two of them would be safe. Once Obsidian's greatest rival, he welcomed them both with open arms. After only a few years, he married Lazulite, and the two of them raised both guardian and princess.

Azurite looked up as she finished explaining. "That sole surviving Point was me. After escaping with Sardonyx, I changed my name to Azurite, changed my hairstyle, in case Iolite sent anyone up to speak to Tyrolite. Since Forseti's daughter wasn't well know, it was safe to continue to use Adrestia. But, well, it wasn't long before that was shortened to Addy."

The raven-haired girl nodded, touching the gold locket around her throat. "All I have left of my father is the locket he gave me, only a few weeks before it all happened. That, and my memories."

"Sarah is the princess." It wasn't a question. Usagi knew it was fact. "You've protected her, all these years. She's the rightful wielder of the Black Crystal."

"But she doesn't believe she's worthy," added Tyrolite, solemnly. "We haven't told her about the Crystal's reaction to her. She won't let us. Just a couple of years ago, after she turned fourteen, we sat her down and told her about her parents and her sister. We hadn't spoken a word about them since we came out here. She was barely three. She doesn't remember much of what happened back then. Just nightmares, on occasion. She's been terrified of fire since that night, though."

Azurite nodded. "We had to protect her. But, when we tried to explain about the throne going to her, she refused to listen. She's determined the throne was Jet's, and she can never be worthy of it."

"That scar on her face, it's from that night?" Miyako frowned, thinking of her own scar, across her back from the car accident that took Darien's and her parents. "That's why she's always covering it with her hair."

The two older people nodded.

Addy continued, "When we told her, we began with telling her she had to become Sailor Nemesis, to right the wrongs and reclaim Nemesis for its rightful owner. Unfortunately, she refused to become Sailor Nemesis. Instead, she created Sailor Sardonyx. She believes we created the power, but it was all her."

"But, you always called her Chalcey?" Petz frowned. She hadn't known this about her dearest friend.

"From chalcedony, which is very similar to sardonyx. We couldn't use her real name, so we used something more common. At least until she was old enough to protect herself. We hoped she'd still reclaim the Crystal, but…" Azurite trailed off, fiddling with the pendant around her neck.

Andrew shook his head. "It's probably fortunate she didn't become Sailor Nemesis. As Sardonyx, I'm sure it was easier for Wiseman to dismiss her, for others to consider her less of a threat. If she'd become Nemesis, it would have told Wiseman exactly who she is, and he would have made sure to destroy her before she could destroy him. No, as Sardonyx she was able to do what Nemesis couldn't."

"Andrew's right," agreed Darien. "I have a feeling the same is going to be true when it comes to Beryl. She's expecting Sailor Moon. So, if we give her Sailor Serene Star, instead, we'll stand a better chance."

Usagi nodded. Darien reached over and squeezed her hand. They would get through this. Wiseman wasn't going to know what hit him.

So, now we know what happened to Sarah and how Wiseman took over Nemesis. My little twist, here. Let me know what you think, like always! I'm interested to know how you like this part of it. I'm sure it wasn't a surprise to learn that Sarah/Chalcey is the rightful heir of Nemesis. But, I kind-of liked the idea of her being the one in the background. As far as most were concerned, she was the spare, after all. And, yes, I know, another back story chapter before the big finale fight. I hope you liked it, though.

Next chapter, we battle Sapphire, Diamond, and Wiseman! Or, at least, Sapphire and Diamond. Of course I had to go write another fight scene. (Bangs head against wall again). The speed of that update, however, will depend on you, my readers. I'll have you know this chapter was almost done when I posted the last one. But, without reviews, I waited to post it. Maybe a few reviews will get the next chapter up to you, sooner? No reviews at all for chapter twelve. Again...

I will take questions, you know. Suggestions. Anything. Was something confusing? Let me know, please! I don't know how well you like it if you don't tell me, remember? Just even drop one line asking me to update soon! I'll even take that! Offers to become Beta are also being considered at this time. Just a reminder...

Until next time,

Bookworm0913