From the Darkness

Serena and Darien took their place back in the tavern "Another drink Rini?" the prince asked before sitting down at the table.

"Sure" the princess responded looking around the tavern for the first time seeing it for what it was, a small place covered in vines a stone staircase leading to the top where more tables sat, she noticed and empty table next to the window at the top, she wanted to go there to be able to overlook the square and the people and lights everything. Darien had gone to bar behind her to place their order, she looked back at him and again to the top, she stood up from the table and made her way to the staircase she sat down looking out from the window to the people down below smiling and laughing. Darien made his way back to their table only to find she was gone, he panicked thinking that the beautiful girl had just left him there.

Not again he thought, he craned his head back in exasperation and he saw her sitting in the top level of tavern looking out of the window. He sighed a sigh of relief, she didn't leave him she was there and waiting for him. He told the bartender to bring his order to the top level and he ascended the stairs to where his raven-haired beauty was sitting. "You moved" he said to her from behind, this time she was ready for him, she didn't look at him just kept staring out the stone opening to the crowd "this table had a better view; don't you agree?" she said. "Yes, it does" he responded but he wasn't looking out at the crowd he was looking at her, just her.

The Solarian Castle…

"What?" demanded the Queen. Pluto addressed the queen first "your majesty it seems that the princess has gone missing" the Queens eyes widened "missing, what do you mean missing, where is she!?" the queens raised her voice but not loud enough to draw attention to herself or the others, "we think she is here in Solaris" said Pluto, the Queen pinched the bridge of her nose in frustration "don't worry your majesty both Mars and Jupiter are already searching the Market town, discretely of course" said Saturn.

"Bring her back to the ship, I'll deal with her after the party is done" Queen Serenity told her guardians. Pluto bowed to the Queen and walked away disappearing in a cloud of smoke, one of the perks being the master of time was that you were not bound by its laws.

"What am I going to do with that girl" the Queen questioned to herself as she went back into the ballroom, the people hardly seemed to notice she was gone.

Back at the Tavern…

"What are you thinking?" Darien asked the raven-haired girl sitting across from him. "Nothing" she answered, she looked out the window at the people out in the square, "it's something" he said.

"I was just looking out at the people, thinking how lucky they are" she said. He followed her line of sight nodding in agreement "yeah, they are lucky aren't they" Serena and Darien continued to stare out the window, when the music broken them free of their thoughts Darien looked down at the lower level of the tavern and he noticed how band struck up a lively tune and the people got up to dance, he looked over to Rini who was still staring out the window,

"Care to dance?" he asked her, she looked over at him and smiled "You think you can keep up?" she quipped, he smiled back "well there is only way to find out" he said to her as he extended his hand to her, she took it as she allowed him to drag her back down to the lower level and out into the middle of the room.

It was different from the music played at the palace, while everyone the palace was more reserved and strict, the people in the town were alive in their dance steps a chaotic mess of limbs flying in the air and laughter erupting from all corners of the room. Darien placed a hand on the small of her back, he looked into her eyes and saw that her eyes are not gray but silver… they joined in the merriment and danced, listening to the music and the cries and howls of the patrons around them when suddenly, the band struck up a slower ballad.

Darien took her into his arms and they swayed to the music, looking into each other's eyes Darien felt his breath hitch, time stood still and for a moment everything was quite around them. The music stopped and they went back to their table next it the window, she took her place and stared back out again, the prince wondered what she could possibly be thinking.

"what's going through your mind right now?" he asked her, she turned to him and smiled. "just thinking how happy I am right now" he smiled back at her "good" was all he said to her and they both turned to look out the window again.

Back at the ball…

"Ah there you are my lady, I'd like to introduce you to Baron Heliodor; Baron this is Queen Serenity of Lunaris" introduced the king. King Hyperion and Queen Serenity spent the rest of the ball socializing with the other nobility, Serenity looked out the window to the clock tower it was two in the morning and still no sign that they had found her.

"Something wrong my lady?" the King asked Queen Serenity looking puzzled "Everything is fine my good king just tired is all, I think it's time I retire for the night" she told him frustration and worry making her feel nothing but exhaustion. "Well of course I'll have one of the maids make up a room for our honored guest" the king told her.

"It won't be necessary my lord" she smiled "I feel better being near the seas" she told him, she bid him a good night and made her way up the grand staircase, once she was out sight she looked up at the moon, she prayed to the goddess that they'd find her soon. Queen Serenity heard the beating off hooves closing in "the carriage my Queen" said Saturn, Serenity opened her eyes and stepped inside the carriage "to the ship" Saturn told the driver, she heard the horse's neigh as they took off for the docks.

"Don't worry your majesty we'll find her and bring her back" said Saturn to the Queen seeing the worry lines crinkling her forehead "I have no doubt you will, thank you Hotaru for all your years of loyal service" she told her bodyguard. Saturn just stared at her, no doubt she was worried about Mars' prophecy, a darkness was indeed coming and not even the guardians had the power to stop it or even see it coming.

They laughed, they drank, they had a good time, that is until a drunkard tried to flirt with the princess, the prince came to her rescue not that Serena needed to be rescued but still she smiled at the heroic gesture, they left the tavern and walked the streets talking and telling stories but Serena's smile soon faded. She looked out into the crowd and saw them, they'd ditched their formal armor in favor of plain street clothes and they were staring at her… damn it she thought, "what's wrong?" asked Darien noticing the change in demeanor "nothing" she said to him avoiding eye contact "I have to go" she turned and ran in the opposite direction, Darien called out after her but it was too late she had disappeared and this time he couldn't find her not like before.

She hid in the shadows of the night but it was no use, they'd find her they always did, she rounded the corner of a building into the woods when all of a sudden she stopped dead in her tracks, "hold it your highness" said a female voice from shadows of the trees "you know what happens next" she told the princess as she stepped out into the moonlight, it was Lita guardian of thunder she was dressed in all green her signature color "your mother is waiting for you back at the ship" said Lita, "of course she is" she sighs as Lita leads her back towards the harbor.

Back in the town market…

She was gone, he felt an emptiness inside, it was back that hollow feeling he felt since his father promised him to another against his will, suddenly, he felt a hand on his shoulder, he hoped beyond hope it was her again, when he turned it was him Nephrite. "Come to take me back to the real world, huh?" he asked his friend. "yeah afraid so Darien" Nephrite pointed towards the horses waiting for them, they mounted up and rode back to the palace, but not before Darien took one last glance behind him hoping that she would appear but she didn't, she was gone and all there was left for him was an empty feeling.

The Lunarian Ship…

Serena walked the gangplank back to the ship Lita lead her to the royal chambers where her mother sat waiting for her.

"I supposed you angry with me" said the princess to her mother

"You suppose right young lady, what the hell did you think you were doing? I told you expressly that you were to stay home, do you have any idea what danger you put yourself in?" yelled the Queen

"What danger, I was just walking around, no one even knew it who I was, beside I think I can handle myself if anything happens mother" yelled the princess right back at her.

"Serena, you have no idea of the dangers that are lurking out there, I'm just trying to keep you safe" said the Queen in a desperate tone

"I don't feel safe, I feel trapped, and I can't live like that not anymore" Serena whispered the words where her mother could barely hear "it's a burden all that power and responsibly that being a royal entail but we can't think of ourselves we have to put the people first Serena, I'm sorry, you'll understand one day when your queen"

"How can you expect me to be queen, when you won't let me go out and be with the people I'm supposed to rule, yet you don't let me experience life" she said almost crying. The Queen looked at her daughter you have no idea what is coming my little star she thought.

"You have a fair point my dear" said the queen "fine you can stay until we leave in tomorrow evening, once we get back home we need to have a serious talk" Serena smiled at her mother's change of heart

"But! One of the guardians must be with you at all times, those are my terms take them or leave them" said the Queen

"I'll take them" said the princess smiling as she hugged her mother. "Now go and get some sleep, tomorrow were having breakfast with the king and his son"

"They know that I'm here?" asked Serena

"They will once I send a messenger to inform the King" both women laughed enjoy these days my darling, enjoy them thought the queen. Indeed, she would, little did Serena know the surprise that waited for her the next morning at breakfast, but for right now she just smiled and embraced her mother.

The Next Morning…

Darien walked into the dining hall that morning in a haze, he hadn't slept well the previous night, his mind was haunted with visions of her, the silver eyed girl he met in the town, he saw his father already sitting at the table talking animatedly with a fair-haired woman the Lady Beryl sitting across from them listening intently to the conversation. The King looked up from his place

"Ah… Darien nice of you to join us this morning" said the King.

Darien simply smiled and walked over to his father side, his arm extended to him in half embrace,

"Good morning to you too father" said Darien, he looked over to the Lady Beryl and gave a small nod in her direction

"Good morning my lady" he said to her, she smiled at him, a wide grin that in his mind was no match for the small smile given to him from the raven-haired girl from last night.

"Darien" called the King "may I introduce her majesty Queen Serenity of Lunaris"

Darien turned to the Queen and bowed "a pleasure your majesty" he said before taking his place at the table next to the Lady Beryl. His father gave him a knowing look, he was in trouble for failing to greet the Queen the night before but it didn't matter, he met her and to him it was all worth it, too bad he'd never see her again.

"I understand that your daughter arrived this morning your majesty, will she be joining for breakfast?" asked the King.

"Yes" said the Queen "my guard is down by the dock with her now, they should be here soon" she told the king, she had agreed to let Serena stay for the duration of her journey in Solaris, the Queen figured she'd be safer if she could keep an eye on her daughter herself, "Well I sure am glad to finally meet her, Darien I'm sure that while the princess is here you will show her a good time" the King turned to his son at that moment but he didn't seem to be listening his gaze was somewhere else entirely "Darien…Darien…Darien!" the King shouted at his son breaking him free of his thoughts.

"I'm sorry; what?" asked the prince

The King laughed, "you must forgive him your majesty he is easily distracted" he told Queen Serenity. "I said, that while the princess is here you would make sure she has a good time" the King laughed again.

Great now I had to babysit yet another girl I have no interest in spending time with he thought. The door to the dining hall opened Zoisite walked in stopping at the foot of the table and bowed, King Hyperion gestured for him to come forward, Zoisite made his way to the king's side "Your majesties the princess has arrived" he told King Hyperion and Queen Serenity "Ah Wonderful send her right in we don't want to keep the princess waiting" said the King.

"Great" was all the prince could manage to say in a low sarcastic tone, Zoisite left the dining hall at that moment only to return a few minutes later with two women in tow, one a slender figure wrapped in armor carrying a staff and the other…

Serena walked into the dining hall in a light blue-gray dress she looked to her mother and then the king and then she saw him, their eyes locked immediately, Darien's eyes went wide in surprise.

No was the only thought running through Serena's mind at the moment.

After a few minutes, Serena's shock wore off replaced by another feeling…Anger. She tore her gaze from the prince and stared at her mother, who was glaring at her daughter while King Hyperion stared in confusion, "good morning mother" she said walking down the aisle taking her place next to the Queen. Queen Serenity and King Hyperion stood "King Hyperion, may I introduce my daughter Serena" King Hyperion gave a small bow of the head "A pleasure princess, I see you have inherited your mother's great beauty" the King smiled "and may I introduce my son and his fiancée" King Hyperion gestured to his son and the girl beside him "Darien and the Lady Beryl" Darien and Beryl bowed to the princess.

"Please sit dear, you must be famished" the King waved to the servant girl, at his command the girl brought a plate for the princess, Serena just glared at Darien from her seat while her mother and the King continued the conversation. Serena and Darien ate their meal in relative silence while their parents talked, when the meal was done Serena excused herself from the table and stalked down the stone corridor, mentally scolding herself, Serena broke into a run, she ran faster down the hall through the doors and out into the castle gardens. How could I be so stupid she thought to herself then the thought ran through her mind; the tavern, the girl looked at him like she knew him, because she did know him, she continued to scold herself when she heard him, she was broken from her reverie when she heard him clear his throat from behind her, just like he did the night before.

"Let me explain!" he cried out before she could say anything, she just stared into golden eyes, pleading for her to listen. "look there is an easy explanation for all of this" he said.

"I'm sure there is but; I really don't want to hear it" she got out as she started to walk away from him, "hey I'm not completely to blame here, RINI!" he shouted after her, she stopped dead in her tracks and turned to face him "and what is that supposed to mean?" she asked him trying to keep her temper under control and failing.

"I mean, you didn't exactly tell me the truth about you either, princess" he enunciated the last word, she rolled her eyes at him and continued to walk away.

"HEY!" he continued to shout after her Seriously why does she keep doing that he thought as he ran after her, "Come on! Let me explain alright" he said after he finally caught up with her, she tuned once again to face him "fine" she told him.

"Thank you" is all he could manage to say at the moment, they walked through the garden as prince Darien tried to explain himself to the princess and the more he told her the more Serena's anger was sated and the more she found herself understanding where he was coming from. "So, there you have it, I'm just a poor prince who is tired of his life, who doesn't want to get married, and wishes he could run away from it all"

Serena just smiled "I know how you feel" she simply said to him, "what about you? Why didn't you tell me who you were? Why did you lie?" he asked, "I never lied" she said, "oh you didn't" he said laughing "No I didn't, I may have lead you to believe certain things but I never actually lied to you"

"Oh, so you want to worm your way out of this on a technicality" the prince laughed again and this time she laughed with him

"Okay fine" she said looking out into the river, when she realized they've been walking for most of the argument "Wow; we've been talking for a long time" she said to him "time flies when you're having a good time" he smiled at her "you know you still haven't told me why you hid the truth from me" he said again trying to find the truth about the silver eyed princess.

"I don't know" she sighed "I guess I didn't want to scare you off with the truth, plus I kind of stowed away on my mother's ship so no one knew I was here and I couldn't risk alerting anyone to my presence, they'd tell my mother and then my few minutes of freedom would be done" she told him as she sat by the riverbed he sat beside her staring out into the clear blue waters.