Then she swore love is never done
So easily
Then we went over again, my head abounds
Oh the feeling
-Interpol, "All The Rage Back Home"

The ruffle of feathers and the slight caw alerted her to another presence, as if the door opening and closing wouldn't have done so. The pleasing scent, though barely noticeable of some sort of flower she hadn't yet identified was just as much of an announcement as everything else. Even if she hadn't said anything, by now she knew exactly who it was.

She didn't turn to look at her, instead adding another log to the fire that was sputtering along towards life in the hearth. After the two advisors of the Queen had left they had all seemingly lifelessly dispersed. Having something to do, even if it was consulting the flames, or trying to, was enough for her. It was perfect enough, perhaps not exactly what she wanted to do, but it was at least something to do. With too many unanswered questions playing in mind, an opportunity to wade through them and clear them from existence was almost too good to pass up.

"I'm sorry."

That wasn't at all what she was expecting to hear, confusion reigning across her features as she turned to look at the blonde who stood by the doorway, her hand occupied by Phobos who was intently engaging the woman in a staring contest. Almost of their own violation, her hand let go of the log, ignoring the soft sound of wood against stone. She had changed once she was back in her room, opting instead for her robes, her clothes of Mars than the uniform that she had endured outside of the ball. It ruffled, sounding her realization that what was once familiar and comfortable was now foreign and making her self conscious.

"Wizards … wizards were things of legend. You simply don't find many people that still follow that path, that still embrace sorcery. After technology took off, things like that fell to some esoteric nonsense, something that a lesser child born to a royal family would undertake just to add on perceived glory for that family. It still exists in some form, Saturn supposedly is full of mystics but even with how common space travel is, few people have even met someone from that planet. Jupiter still follows its druidism roots; there's a reason why Makoto is often out among the flowers and plants. The best gardeners on the Moon can't compare to her, and the Lunarians can be fun to watch as they trip over their own racism to ask her for help."

Minako continued on, finally looking at her as Phobos flew off to perch by Deimos who currently slept. She knew though that he was still awake, listening in the way that only a raven could despite his eyes being closed.

"I had never seen a wizard before. I knew what they were capable of, but…" She trailed off for a moment, looking almost at a loss for words before she resumed. "The man … he had an accomplice. I ran into her when I … uhm, found myself in the Palace. Just … just don't ask how I got there, I'm still kind of ashamed and pretty damn embarrassed about it. She was … she wasn't a wizard but she had the skill to do some degree of magic. She was the one behind the Fires being corrupted, and after a nice discussion about who I was … couldn't really let her get away with it and all. I killed her, hoping that whatever she had done to the Fires would be undone. It's said only the greatest of sorcerers could have their spells last even beyond their death. I doubted she was that skillful, and … well. She was in my way."

"You should sit down." It seemed so lackluster to say but there she was, telling her things that she hadn't known about completely. And just standing there. It was such a change to how it all started out, a sort of epiphany hitting her to be immediately ignored.

The blonde merely shook her head, apparently not ready. "I came upon the wizard and ... him … and you. Something was wrong with me though, something had happened. My blood felt like it was on fire, like I was being consumed from the inside out, burning away like that." Her hand gestured absently at the growing fire that hungered for additional fuel. "I knew I wasn't at my best, and that I needed to level the playing field anyway possible. I had seen what the wizard had done and … and I hoped that by killing the wizard, the spell might not have fully taken effect yet, that it would reverse. I … I was wrong about that. And I'm sorry. I know that … they were your friends."

"It wasn't your fault," she heard herself say. "They aren't dead; they are just well, different now. But they are alive, I am alive, and none of us would have been unless you were there."

It brought that half sort of smile that she learned by now meant that Minako didn't really believe a word she just heard but wasn't going to argue with her. The blonde at last decided to take a seat, on the floor of all things, leaning back against the wall. It made her look tired, defeated … hardly a look that she really liked to see.

"Why does everyone hate Terra so much?" Well, hardly the best thing she could say to try and offer whatever it was that Minako needed but the question came out anyway.

It was a bit of time before she received her answer. The half sort of smile was joined by that exhale of breath she did, that caused her shoulders to raise as though she was laughing internally about something but wouldn't share what it was. That was followed by another cycle of breathing, a show of eyes closing and opening, fixing on her. "Everyone probably has their own reasons for it. Most though, don't have a personal reason, rather they are caught up in the flow, going along with the masses because everyone else is doing it."

"But you don't. You have a reason."

If the blonde was surprised by that or not, it was impossible to tell. It was just a shrug of her shoulders. "I suppose. First though, it would probably be wise that you knew the history. Granted you've sat through and read a lot of the things that the rest of us have, how Earth was advanced but their inner fighting kept resetting any sort of progress they could make. It was only by the Alliance that they stabilized to the point that peace has existed there for more than a time span counted in months."

"They established a government. Trade began and the rest of the planets involved provided training to help them succeed."

"Sounds like Lunarian education." Laughing Minako spoke, holding up a hand to fend off any rebuttal. "No no, I am not laughing at you but that is exactly what it is. Here, the Moon will only talk about all the good that came of the Alliance and why would it be any different? They were the ultimate creators of it, naturally they will want to tell the system and beyond of their glory. They managed to "single handedly" bring a wayward, rebellious planet into line, established inner-system trade, and a whole host of other accomplishments. That's the Lunarian belief, it lends to their overall bigotry towards other planets. You've seen the looks, you've heard the whispers, and you've had the barbs levied at you; don't pretend you haven't. We're here because of the Alliance; we had a choice of sorts but it was not truly a choice."

"If Earth is so bad then why all the animosity towards it? It's a weak planet. Why is it worth everyone's time?" Logs were added to the fire, even though there was little chance she would get in her meditation anytime soon, the fire brought a warmth that everything else lacked. It was a comfort she could feel comfortable with; admitting to Minako that she felt the same in her presence just wasn't going to happen.

"The Queen has a great interest in it. She has visited there more than any other planet in the system, even before the Alliance came to be. If she wasn't there, sometimes she was entertaining ambassadors from other planets, but most of the time the emissaries came from Earth. It is difficult for most Lunarians to understand, more so with their self entitled sense of superiority. Why would their Queen be so interested in such a "backwater" civilization? What could have been simple curiosity for them turned instead into animosity."

"So they hate Terra because their leader shows so much interest in it?"

"That's most of the reason yes. The other planets mostly do not care. Ami was quite right though, any time a trading ship arrives to Earth, there is always a standard regime of soldiers with it. On rare occasions, someone from Earth has received a free transport to the originating planet. From there, there has been accounts of general disruption, sometimes piracy, sometimes murder."

There it was, the sign that told her she was right. "What happened?"

A long inhale came, an even slower exhale before the blonde finally spoke, drawing her legs up to curl her arms around. "There is a region on Earth, known for it's animals. Surprisingly, despite the conflict that existed there and the war torn nature, there were still pockets of beauty preserved. A mountain range completed it, nothing really spectacular but it is a geographical feature. The region is called Erymanthian, named after its mountain of Erymanthos. Almost two decades ago, a trading ship from Venus arrived there, trading primarily luxuries. Furs and pelts for wines and perfumes. Don't get me wrong; everyone knows what Venusians are known for after all. The socially acceptable things that could be traded in relation for that often were."

She didn't say anything, another feeling of sorts telling her that this wasn't something Minako talked about often, if ever.

"A man stowed away, despite how the ship was searched prior to lift off. Venusian cruisers are not as fast as a Mercurian speeder, for instance, but they are still a pretty fast ship all things considering. It took a week from Earth to Venus, the stowaway making themselves unknown the entire time. Upon landing, the ship was quarantined for another week, rather standard practice for any ship returning from Earth. Had it been sent to Mercury or Jupiter, there would not have been one, or perhaps not quite as long. The stowaway snuck off board during that time and infiltrated the palace." Her voice turned softer, the woman before her almost looking small. That bothered her even more, more than anything else. It was almost on par with how she never took a break, always staying busy. Was this the reason? Twenty years though; she didn't want to connect it.

"The Venusian army is perhaps, not as prestigious as a Martian one. We're skilled in arms but mostly do not go out seeking conflicts. If one was brought to our doorstep, then yes we would react. Most in military service only do so for a handful of years, those in longer are there because they either like the position or it helps their family. Often, it's a tradition for a family to send at least one of their children through the ranks but few actually sign up on their own. That is the army however, our soldiers. Learning martial skills like sword fighting can be … difficult … if you're royalty. It's not … commonplace and instead is just … a bit for show."

The blonde stayed silent for a few moments, unconsciously shifting herself as though she had her falchion with her. Phobos and Deimos did so on occasion, when they were still human. It was only through exposure that she understood that they did so when they missed it, the security it brought. Maybe in this case though, it was the memories associated. Minako was a Princess after all; sometimes forgetting that, likely her parents had an issue with the skills she learned.

"Anyway. The man infiltrated the palace, killing five guards to get in, arming himself beyond the crude blade he had used to commit the murders with Venusian steel but was wounded in the process. It was later discovered that some of the guards that died did not right away, perishing instead hours later in agony as something worked through their system, burning them alive from the inside." Her eyes rose, meeting her own, locking their gazes. "Much like what afflicted me on Mars, the guards however were not so lucky to be saved. No one knew how to treat it, and the one that was found after, that could still coherently talk, only spoke of the fire burning within him before perishing. The man was not after guards however, instead he broke into the royal quarters."

She found she had nothing she could say, clicking the pieces together.

"The man struck Adonis with his crude blade, ignoring that he carried Venusian steel in his hand. In turn, the wounding that the guards had done on him was compounded, struck repeatedly with a small statue before Adonis simply was too weak to do much else, falling to his knees. By the time we could reach someone on Mercury, the same disease was already consuming him that had killed the guards. He couldn't say anything though but his skin … it twisted and bubbled, like his flesh was boiling away while something crawled under it. It was … like it was amplified somehow, doing far more than what it had done to anyone else. It … it wasn't pretty, to say the least. The man from Erymanthian was captured, dying before he could truly be interrogated but we found out where he was from, at least. It was thanks to Mercurian scholars that we found out where the region even was, and therefore the planet it belonged to."

"Adonis was your …?"

The blonde's eyes closed, doing nothing to stop the two lines of tears that fell from them. When they opened anew they were still welled with tears but did not fall. "My father. Like my mother, he was favored by my Goddess and rather devout. He was saying his goodnight to me when … it happened."

"Was … I … how..." She shook her head, unable to go on, the words were there but she just couldn't produce them in an order that would make any sense towards what she was asking.

"No, it's alright. You don't need to say anything. I ran out of the room and got my mother, only able to say that father was hurt badly. From there, it is mostly a blur of what followed. I do remember talking to her much later, when I was older and able to have a better understanding, about where the man came from. Thanks to our own alliance with Mercury, we were able to learn much. The Erymanthian region had been suffering from poverty for years, most of the occupants being conscripted away to fight in whatever conflict it was. As the able bodied were gone, everything suffered in return. The man, though he was dead, still provided clues as to what happened. Simple piracy could have perhaps been understood; mayhaps he just got lost while stowed away and went for the large prize instead of something safer." Minako sighed, shaking her head as well.

"My father was not the assassin's target; he was merely in the way by protecting me. When … I found that out I asked her why, what had we done to warrant such an act? My father had never left Venus, for that matter neither had my mother. We traded with Earth, perhaps cautiously but we didn't shun them openly. My mother did not have the answer, relating to me that it was the Queen, the same one that perished not that long ago, that sent the man on behest of the Chancellor."

She let it sink in before finishing. "The same one that is rather anxious to meet us and will be here shortly enough."

I've forgotten how to do line breaks without the blank line between them. If someone can drop me a PM and remind me how to, I'd really appreciate it.

Couple of responses:

Gozita2003 - Thank you for the review, really do appreciate it.

NDourado - Thanks! Gotta say I'm a fan of it myself, which probably helps to keep writing it.

xXBooBooKittyFuckXx - Yeah I hear you, I imagine it is pretty sparse. I haven't gone looking as of late, but hey, gotta keep working away on this. Way too much to finish telling, way too many curveballs to throw. I need some more PMs and/or reviews going "zomg!" after all (that isn't some flame about how dare people not act like how they are supposed to).

Hookedonreading - Thanks and welcome to the madness! You're on chapter one when I wrote this and in for quite a ride, so hopefully you find it a rollercoaster. Let's see, and now you're wrapping up with chapter 10. Ahh, don't want to spoil you, just keep reading and you'll start getting some answers pretty soon that you're looking for.