-FINDING LOVE-
Hi everyone,
So, I know this chapter has been a long time coming and I apologize for the long delay and I hope that there are at least some of you that were willing to put up with me and are excited for the new chapter. I am hoping to get a few more chapters out for you guys a bit more quickly. On a side note, I have a bunch of ideas for other stories, but I'm not sure if I should start a new story without finishing Finding Love. So tell me your thoughts on that. Thank you to my wonderful BETA, Loki! Thank you to anyone who stuck with the story thus far and once again please review, reading reviews really makes my day!
insomniac4liFe96: Here's your update! I'm happy that you found that you were hooked in with 4 chapters, I hope chapter 5 reels you into the story even more.
Chapter 5: A Proposal
The setting sun played against the sky-high windows that lined the dining hall walls. The candle-lit crystal chandelier overhead lit the entire length of the long table at which they sat. The dining hall was filled with laughter and chatter as breads were torn and soups were sipped. A maid was found standing every few meters along the table, poised to bring second portions or to reheat the food as the guests deemed necessary. Two ladies dressed in gowns of brilliant green and purple, seated to Serenity's left, rambled about their suitors and their upcoming nuptials.
Serenity's spoon clanked against her bowl as she took a sip of her mushroom soup; it burned her tongue a little but she hardly flinched. She was too busy thinking.
She couldn't believe that a week had passed by since she had landed in an unknown world, set in an unknown time. Her entire world had turned upside down in an instant. She didn't know how her family was coping, or what they thought of her disappearance. Hell, they probably thought she had gotten cold feet before her wedding, and what about Seiya…What did he think about her sudden disappearance?
Her mind awash with memories, Serenity looked around the large dinner table in a daze. The generals seated near the head of the table were immersed in conversation amongst themselves. The blond haired Jadeite was reenacting a training session that had occurred earlier in the day with vivid hand gestures. The atmosphere in the room was a comfortable and lively one. Everyone talked, laughed and had animated discussions with their neighbors.
A few members of court, with whom she was unacquainted, sat at the other end of the table. They leisurely ate their food as if they had all the time in the world. Serenity was seated in the middle of the rectangular table, close enough to the generals so that she could hear their banter, or close enough for them to keep an eye on her. She suspected that was the true reason why she was given a seat in proximity to the head of the table, especially when that head despised her so much.
For what was probably the tenth time that day, Serenity's gaze drifted to the chair at the head of the table. The chair, whose owner had caused her a weeks' worth of misery. The chair that was presently empty.
That's right, the certifiable jerk-face, as she had recently named him, wasn't there! In fact, he hadn't been in the castle for the better part of the week. She had not seen or heard from the jerk-face since that morning. Not that he had any obligation to her, mind you. It wasn't as if she was dying to see him either. In fact, this worked better because she didn't have to see his arrogant, princely face, or experience those odd tingling sensations he had a tendency to induce in her. But…she needed to see him to tell him that whatever happened between them was a big mistake that should not have happened and would never happen again. She was not in her right state of mind that morning was all.
Serenity cast another look at the empty chair. She ought to stop doing that.
'Stop looking at the bloody chair,' she told herself.
Serenity ripped her eyes away to meet amused amethyst ones. Raye sat across from her at the dinner table and she was sure it was because she wanted to keep her company.
"Something bothering you? Are you missing someone?" asked Raye.
"Huh-what…No!" she shouted.
"You don't miss your family, your home?" said Raye with an innocent look.
"Oh…I thought you meant…Yes, of course I miss my family. But I think they'll be okay. They just think that I ran away from my own wedding...," she said, mumbling the last part.
"Hmm…" said Raye, her eyes smiling as she returned to her food.
In this past week, Serenity had found a true friend in Raye. An ally in a land filled with unknowns. They had talked, well mainly Serenity had talked about her life and Raye had listened attentively. Raye seemed to be fascinated with the modern world, especially when Serenity had told her about cars, computers and cell phones.
Raye hadn't said much about her life, mainly because she was too immersed in Serenity's stories. But, she had learned that Raye and Endymion lived in the palace with the generals and a host of others all part of the palace hierarchy.
Endymion was the highest authority as Prince since their father, King Dartagnan was ill. Raye had told Serenity how her father's health had started to deteriorate after the death of her mother, nearly 5 years ago. King Dartagnan was soon placed on bed rest in the castle and the all the duties that came with running a kingdom had fallen to Endymion, at the age of twenty-two.
According to Raye, Endymion had sincerely assumed all the responsibilities of a ruler, having shed his boyish ways to take care of his people. He had been in charge of the planet for five years. Serenity couldn't comprehend how Earth had managed to survive.
She had to admit however, that she felt the tiniest bit of admiration for the Prince. Not only had he owned up to the responsibilities of running a kingdom, but also an entire planet at the young age of twenty-one. She would never be able to do it, but the fact that he had done just that for the past five years was impressive. Just a little bit impressive. It still didn't give him the right to be such an arrogant, self-absorbed ass!
Other than the long talks, Raye had also shown Serenity the beautiful palace gardens. They were enormous in size, encircling the castle. Whenever Serenity didn't have Raye to talk to, or anytime she felt lonely, she would come down to the gardens. Her favorite place was the rose garden. It was located in a hidden, shaded alcove and had the most beautiful blood-red roses. In the past week, Serenity had found herself coming to the rose garden frequently to smell the beautiful flowers. The fragrance had a way of calming her nerves, making her feel safe.
"Serenity…Serenity…Hello?" Raye's voice drifted into her mind, scattering her thoughts.
She came out of her daze to find Raye waving a hand in front of her face.
"Serenity?" called Raye.
"Yes…I'm so sorry, were you saying something? I was just lost in my thoughts," the distracted blonde admitted with a sheepish smile.
Raye's face grinned back at her as she waved a nonchalant hand, "Meh, it happens to me all the time. So I was asking you if you would like to go for a walk…"
Raye didn't get to finish her sentence because right at that moment, the doors to the dining hall opened with a thud. Endymion strode into the dining hall, his riding boots thudding along the marble floor. Serenity's eyes stalked his form as he sat down at the head of the table. He took off his black velvet riding cloak and handed it to the maid at his side. His black hair in disarray, a few strands falling into his eyes. He looked haggard and tired; there were dark circles underneath his eyes and a three o' clock shadow upon his jaw line.
Endymion had barely sat down when another young maid, in a very short skirt, placed his dinner before him on the table, all the while giving him a flirtatious smile.
"Thank you," Endymion said, giving the maid a boyish grin.
The little creature giggled and sashayed out of the dining hall.
'Oh please,' Serenity scoffed mentally.
Endymion turned his attention to the now quiet dining table. His abrupt and apparently unexpected entry had silenced the lively crowd as they all watched him silently. There was a tension in the air, as if they expected to hear something that would change their fate.
"How was it, my boy –your journey?" called an elderly gentleman, whose greying hair was tied in a pony-tail, from down the table.
"The situation was handled Uncle, not to worry," Endymion answered with a warm smile. "Now please everybody, go back to your eating and discussions. I am utterly famished for a good meal."
Laughter ignited from around the table as the tension dissipated as if it were never there. Everyone seemed at ease once again, well almost everyone.
Serenity noticed that the generals hadn't gone back to their earlier conversations, in fact, they sat with rigid backs and their worried eyes were fixed on their leader.
Malachite asked Endymion something and Serenity watched as all signs of good humor disappeared from the Prince's face. She watched for a few minutes and realized that the men were having a low-key discussion amongst themselves and she couldn't hear a word of what they were saying.
Serenity's eyes flicked over to Raye, on the other side of the table, and noticed that she too was watching them with a worried look marring her usually jovial face.
What the hell was going on? Serenity had no idea where Endymion had disappeared to over the previous week. She had attempted to discreetly question Raye as to his whereabouts, and her vague answer was that he had been called out on some official business. Although Serenity had not been satisfied with the answer, she knew that asking more questions would raise unwanted questions about why she was so concerned.
But where had Endymion gone? Why was everyone so concerned, now that he was back? What was going on?
Serenity chanced another look at the Prince and his generals. They were still immersed in conversation, Endymion's eyebrows thrown together in a frown.
He hadn't looked at her once since his return. He was either ignoring her existence or he didn't even remember that she existed. Or he didn't care. None of these ideas sat right with her.
Just then, as if he sensed her eyes on him, his sapphire-blue ones caught her own. They stared at her with such intensity that she was sure that he could tell what she was thinking and that her thoughts had just turned to that morning they had shared together. Serenity abruptly broke the gaze and stared down at her plate. Looking into his eyes made something inside her twist and thump. She felt weird, nervous. She was sure he could tell exactly what she felt by looking at her face, and she did not want to expose herself to him.
As the evening came to an end, guests started vacating the table, leaving in throngs of two or more. Serenity decided it would be best for her to retire as well as she didn't want to risk a meeting with the jerk.
As she gulped down her dinner, she didn't chance any further glances in the Prince's direction. She decided that it would be best if she avoided any possible and all unnecessary contact with the Prince. Yes, that would be the best thing for her.
Serenity said her goodbyes to Raye, left the dining hall and walked down the hallway to the left wing, where her room was located.
While she walked down the long corridor, Serenity thought about the Prince. What had happened to make him leave so unexpectedly? She did not know what to make of the generals concern or Raye's worried face.
Serenity turned the corner and felt someone tug at her wrist and pull her back. Her first reaction was to scream and she did just that. While she screamed, Serenity kicked her leg back as hard as she could, and felt her heel connect with the attacker's shin.
"GOD DAMMIT, WOULD YOU SHUT UP?" was her attacker's disgruntled response.
Serenity whirled around to find the Prince hopping on one leg, while he rubbed his shin on the other. His face was contorted into a painful expression; his eyes jammed shut and his mouth clasped tightly together.
Man, her kick had sure made an impact.
"Why the hell are you following me?" shouted Serenity.
The Prince was still rubbing his tender shin as he bit out, "I was going to tell you that I needed a word with you, that is, before you went berserk on me."
"I was startled; anyone would have reacted the same way," scoffed Serenity. "Anyways, what did you want to speak to me about," she added.
His pain seemed to have subsided because he stopped rubbing his leg. "Not here. Follow me."
"I don't want -"Serenity began but stopped as she was fixed by his intent stare. Something about his gaze told her to listen to him, that this was important.
"Fine, but just this once."
Serenity followed him back the way she had come. She recognized the door Endymion stopped in front of as the one to the library.
They stepped inside the familiar room and Endymion closed the door behind them. He then paced to the other end of the library and proceeded to light the fire in the ornate fireplace.
Serenity moved closer to him but stopped at the end of a long worktable. She needed to keep a distance.
"So, now what? What did you want to say?" Serenity asked.
He still had his back to her as he knelt in front of the fireplace. The silence stretched out before them and she wasn't sure he would answer her question.
"I…I need to tell you where I was this entire week, why I left."
Serenity scoffed, "I don't particularly care were you went or what you did and-"
Endymion got up and whirled around to face Serenity. "And I don't particularly want to tell you. But it's important and it involves you, so listen."
The tension in his voice forced Serenity to listen and she grudgingly nodded.
He strode to the opposite end of the worktable and after a moment's pause continued, "The reason I was away all week was because there was a situation in the east."
"A situation? What type of situation?"
"One of our kingdoms in the east was attacked by Beryl's army, its lands ravaged, its people slaughtered, and the invaders took whatever they could get their hands on. Many were killed and families were torn apart."
Serenity didn't make a sound so Endymion continued with a sigh, "I don't know what it was she wanted. I do know that Beryl had asked Lord Augustine to join her, to supply her with soldiers and to fund her operations. But Augustine had refused her offer."
"Is-is that why she attacked his kingdom?" asked Serenity.
When Endymion answered her, his voice had an edge to it, "I don't know. I don't know if what she did was because she wanted to prove a point, to make an example out of Augustine, or if she was looking for something, or both. I don't know. All I know is that this cannot happen again."
Endymion's face held a look of such hatred and disgust; his brows were knit together and his eyes had transformed into a frosty, steel blue color.
When he spoke again, his eyes became distant, "Beryl's attacks have been increasing in frequency and intensity for the past year. She has killed hundreds of people. My people. The fear of Beryl and her army is spreading and I'm afraid people won't be able to resist her like Augustine did."
"Why is she doing this? What does she want?" probed Serenity.
"She wants the kingdom," Endymion answered. "Beryl is actually nobility. Her father was a Lord and controlled one of the kingdoms to the south. Beryl's family and my family had a s-sort of alliance many years back but the alliance was broken because my father learned of Beryl's true nature. She was very ambitious and she was willing to go to any means, no matter how unmoral, to get what she wanted. I am sure that this is Beryl's revenge for breaking the alliance and denying her what she believed was hers – my kingdom."
"What type of alliance would grant her your kingdom?" Serenity asked, puzzled.
"That's not important." Endymion dismissed the question but continued to add, "What is important is that I know Beryl. She will not stop until she gets what she wants and she doesn't care how many people she has to hurt to get it. We have to stop her."
Serenity could now see justification for their aggressive behavior when they had thought she worked for Beryl. Beryl was a threat to their entire existence. But something about this entire conversation was bothering her.
"As sorry as I am at everything, I have to ask…why are you telling me all this? You don't like or trust me so why are you divulging this information to me?"
Endymion, who had begun pacing back and forth stopped, and turned to look at her. His icy blue gaze locked with hers, "Because we need you."
"W-what? What can I do? I do not know Beryl Endymion; I don't know how many times we have to go over this."
"No-no, I believe you when you say you have nothing to do with Beryl," he answered.
"Then what do you expect me to do?"
"I'm sure that Beryl will continue killing and she is moving closer to this kingdom with every attack. We have to wage war against her and her army. We need to stop her from destroying this planet."
Endymion must have seen the confused look on Serenity's face because he added, "You're a healer. If we are going to wage a war, there will be many casualties. Many of our people will be injured and having a healer on our side would really help. It would put us at an advantage. You would be our advantage."
His gaze never wavered from hers the entire time he spoke and Serenity knew he wasn't joking.
"Are you crazy? I-I don't know anything about being a healer. I don't know what to do! How could I save people's lives, I don't know how to!" Serenity huffed. She couldn't believe what he was saying. Was he mad?
"That's why I'm going to teach you," he replied in a calm voice.
"Excuse me?" Serenity blabbered.
"I'm going to hold daily training sessions with you; you have the talent so all you need to learn is how to draw it out and bring it to the surface. You just need to concentrate, to focus on your powers. Leave it to me."
He spoke with such certainty that Serenity was tempted to believe him. But how could she? She didn't know the first thing about being a healer. Hell, she had just learned she was one last week.
"I know nothing about being a healer and even if you teach me, I'm still new at all this. Everything is so new to me. How can you expect me to be accountable for the lives of your people? I can't do it Prince, I'm sorry."
Serenity whirled around and started to walk to the door but she only got a few feet away when she felt herself unable to move. Endymion had grabbed onto her wrist and now electricity coursed up her arm.
"Please don't go. I know you're afraid because you're unsure of yourself. But all I ask is that you try. Please try," he said, now standing directly behind her.
His hand felt hot on her skin; his grip tight, desperate. Serenity turned around to face him and he let go of her arm.
His gaze bore into hers; pleading, imploring her to say yes. But it was his next words, spoken softly that truly changed her mind.
"We have to stop her. We can't let her take any more lives. You can help put an end to this terror. Please Serenity."
She knew it was irrational and stupid, but she felt a small burst of joy at the fact that he remembered her name, that he knew whom she was.
"Fine. I can't make any promises about how useful I'll be but I'll try. For your people."
"Thank you, I'll see you here tomorrow at around five in the evening," he said and his face broke into a smile.
Great, now she would have to see his face every single day. She turned to leave but was stopped for the second time that day; his hand once again on her arm.
"What?" she barked.
"I just wanted to clarify that what happened that morning, that one morning, will never happen again," Endymion said.
"Good, I won't let it," Serenity threw back.
"It's not like I'm desperate to jump you, Princess. I just lost it that one time, poor judgment on my part. I don't know, there is something about you… something that irks me, something that makes me want to…you make me act like an idiot."
His grip on her arm was distracting her, it made her feel all warm and…different. But it wasn't enough to distract her from what he said.
Serenity turned around to face him. He looked like he was in a daze, his eyes glassy and his hands still clasped around her arm.
"What? I make you act like an idiot?"
Endymion came out of his daze and blinked down at his hand on her arm. He let go abruptly as if he was finally realizing what he was doing.
"Huh…no, no… that's not what I mean. What I meant to say was that I acted like an idiot that night. It was a temporary lapse in judgment is all, and it will not happen again."
What a jerk! Serenity stomped to the door and just as she reached it, she called out, "And I don't plan on letting a jerk like you take advantage of me again."
Before he could say a word, she slammed the door behind her and strode to her room.
God, I hate that man! Why do I always end up near him? She turned the last corner and entered her room. As she shut the door behind her, Serenity looked down at the arm the jerk had clasped twice. It was still tingling. The bloody arm was still tingling.
Serenity fell down on her bed and buried her face into her pillow.
So much for avoiding him at all costs. Her life was about to get a little more complicated.
Thank you for reading and please, please review if you found the story worth your time.