Suspicion

"Is everything alright your highness? I thought you'd be happy your father is letting you attend the millennium ball?" asked Nephrite

"Hmm? what?" asked the prince as he was staring out over at the waves, The Royal barge was making it's voyage towards the Lunarian kingdom, the Millennium ball is in two days' time and the prince was on edge.

"What is wrong?" asked Nephrite again looking out over the sea.

"I don't know, I have this feeling" said the prince.

"What kind of feeling?" asked his friend concern written all over his face, Nephrite looked out to the sea the prince had been on edge for weeks, the visit from the Lunarian queen and her beautiful young daughter had left an impression on him for sure, for days he had seen a smile on the prince's face that he hasn't seen since before his mother died.

There was a lightness to him that seemed to bring fourth the young boy from their childhood, carefree, joyous. Even after the Lunarian envoy had left their shores the prince for the first time in years seemed genuinely happy, but a few days earlier that the frown was back on his face and he had become more distant and sullen than before. He'd locked himself in his chambers for hours on end, what was wrong with him? Nephrite wondered.

"Darien" said Nephrite; the use of his name brought the prince back to reality. There was no one else in the whole of the kingdom that used his given name except for Nephrite; it was always your highness or my lord. "Nephrite, my friend I have a bad feeling in the pit of my stomach" said the prince finally looking away from the waves and into his face. "Ever since the princess I've had this feeling like something is going to happen, the end of the world is imminent, and I feel like I can't stop it"

"I don't understand" said Nephrite.

"Look around you Nephrite, haven't you noticed that there is something strange going on with the others Malachite, Jadeite, Zoisite there is something wrong with them" said Darien looking around that the royal guard scattered around the ship. Malachite was standing at the wheel with the captain; when he sensed the prince's eyes on him Malachite gave him a bright cheery smile, too bright in the prince's opinion.

"Maybe your imagining things" said Nephrite

"No, I'm not," said the price "It's not just that; I've been having dreams lately, well more like nightmares really"

"What is it?" asked Nephrite

"I'm at the Lunarian ball I'm dancing with the princess and we're happy and laughing and suddenly there is a flash of light and everything around us is in ruins, I hear the princess calling to me but when I try to reach her there is another flash of light and then she is gone, and there is nothing left" Nephrite looked at his friend with concern again.

"It's just a dream Darien, everything is fine"

"I'm not too sure" said the prince.

"Come on smile, we're on our way to Lunaris you know what that means right? The princess" Darien managed to smile a wistful smile but his mind kept going back the nightmare for the first time in years he was afraid of thing to come. The princess, Serena what if something happened to her and for the first time in the weeks since he met her the prince finally admitted what he was afraid to admit, he was in love with her and if something happened to her, "no" he stopped his thoughts from going into dangerous territory and instead tried to think of more pleasant things "Nephrite!" called the familiar voice of Malachite from the upper deck, Nephrite turned and left the prince at Malachite's gesture. The prince stared at his friend as he retreated and joined Malachite and the others. Something was wrong he could feel it.

Below Decks…

Beryl stared at the mirror she took the brush from the washstand and started to brush when a dark figure emerged from the shadows.

"Have you ever heard of knocking?" asked Beryl without turning around, she looked at the cloaked figure from the mirror; it said, "Everything is in place my lady"

"Good" responded Beryl "and what of our soldiers?" she asked

"They are ready to strike at your command" said the dark figure. Beryl smiled "and what of our loyal guard?" asked Beryl

"All under our command, all except the prince's friend he is the only one we haven't been able to sway, so to speak"

"And what is taking so long?" asked Beryl

"We haven't been able to get him alone until now Malachite is bringing him down as we speak my lady"

"Good" Beryl said once again this time she did turn around and looked at the figure "Why are you still here? Get to work!" she raised her voice and the figure faded back into the darkness. She hummed a jaunting tune that ran through her mind and smiled. She imagined what the ball would be like, the fall of the moon kingdom and the death of that bitch princess Serena.

Malachite lead Nephrite back into the hold "is everything all right Malachite?" he asked with a little concern on his face, he was starting to get bad feeling; just like the prince was saying there was something off about the other guards especially Malachite.

"Everything is fine; Why do you ask?" he responded to his friend's concern.

"It's nothing really it's just something the prince was saying"

"That's what I wanted to talk to you in private about" said Malachite as they approached a door to a small cabin, Malachite lead him inside and closed the door,

"Please sit down" he directed Nephrite of a chair sitting in front a small desk. Nephrite took his seat, Malachite made his way across the desk and sat in a larger chair across from Nephrite and gave a small smile.

Nephrite took in the small space there was a small bunk bed in the corner to his right hand with a row of small windows just above the bed that moved all the way across to behind where Malachite was sitting. There was a small row of bookshelves sitting on his left side with books and charts and strange looking black sphere sitting in one of the shelves. Nephrite had never seen anything like it before and it gave him an uneasy feeling. What if the prince was right and there was something wrong with all of his friend's people that he grew up with and fought with, his brothers at arms, Malachite cleared his throat bringing Nephrite back from his reverie.

"Can I offer you a drink Nephrite?" asked Malachite

"No, thank you" said Nephrite wary of the prince's suspicions. Malachite started to speak

"I have noticed the prince seems distracted lately, do you know anything of what is going on with him?" he asked, Nephrite looked at Malachite then and his smile reached his eyes and Nephrite felt a shiver run up his spine at the sight and as their eyes met Nephrite lied to his commanding officer

"No, nothing to serious just girl trouble, you know how it is" he told Malachite and at that his smile faltered

"Your lying" he said and suddenly, a dark orb appeared in the back of the room with two black clad soldiers stepping out from it and into the room. Nephrite stood knocking over the chair her was sitting in to the floor he reached for his sword and felt as Malachite laid his hand over his right arm stalling his movements.

"Don't fight my friend there is a new world order now" Malachite whispered in Nephrite's ears. Malachite took his friends sword as the two black knights each took him by the arm, when suddenly, the door to the cabin opened and a small slender figure stepped inside the cabin.

"Lord Nephrite so nice of you to join us" said the Lady Beryl as she smiled or at least he thought it looked like the lady Beryl.

Her features had changed her normally pretty greens eyes were glowing and unnatural yellow/green and her once soft features had sharpened, she looked a skeleton of her former self twisted but still beautiful. Nephrite struggled to get free but the more he struggled the tighter the knights held and the wider the twisted smile on Beryl's face grew. "Don't fight it my dear little Lord, it will hurt less if you do" she said.

"What happened to you?" he asked with surprise in his voice

"Who did this to you? why are you doing this?" at that last questions Beryl laughed,

"Why?!, why?!, you should know better than anyone; why?" Nephrite looked back at Malachite.

"My friend I don't know what she has done to you but you need to fight this, help me" he pleaded with his commanding officer

"I will help you" Malachite said and for a moment Nephrite smiled before his smiled faded into fear.

"I'll help" he repeated "To see the truth Nephrite let go of your fear and come with us" he said and then the door opened as the other guards came into the cabin.

"Zoisite, Jadeite, you're in on it too aren't you" said Nephrite.

"She showed us the truth" said Zoisite "she can show you too" this time it was Jadeite who spoke and for a moment the knights were distracted enough that Nephrite got free of their hold.

Nephrite lunged for the swords only to be met by a fist in his face the knight was about to hit him again when he ducked and got the other knight who was trying to grab him from behind instead, Nephrite dodged their attempts to restrain him, one, two he hit Zoisite square in the jaw and was just about the reach the door knob when everything went black Malachite was holding the black sphere in his hand. There was blood on the sphere and Malachite looked over at the Lady Beryl asking

"What now?" Beryl was sitting on the bunk looking over at the scuffle that had taken place in the last several seconds "Take him back to Metaria, she'll deal with him properly" Beryl got up from her perch and walked over to the unconscious Nephrite.

"Welcome to the Black Moon Clan Nephrite" and with that she opened the door to the cabin and walked off down the corridor unaware of the tall lingering shadow standing on the other side of the cabin door.

A Few minutes earlier…

The Prince headed down below and saw Beryl waking down the corridor to the lower decks. "What could she possible be going to the lower decks for" the prince wondered and so he decided to follow her, he saw her enter Malachite's private cabin the prince narrowed his eyes at the sight, the bad feeling was back again the prince decided to investigate but just as he was about to open the door when he heard the voices coming from inside and one particular voice stood out to him, it was Nephrite, he sounded surprised frightened even but only slightly.

"Lord Nephrite so nice of you to join us" he heard the voice of Lady Beryl "Don't fight it my dear little Lord, it will hurt less if you do" the prince heard her say, then heard Nephrite struggling against something, the prince presses his ear to the door to hear what was happening he was just about to open the door and rescue his friend when all of a sudden the saw Zoisite and Jadeite coming towards him the prince rounded the corner and made his way down the stairs when he was sure the coast was clear the prince headed back towards the door and presses his ear to it and heard Jadeite's and Zoisite's voices coming though.

"She showed us the truth" "she can show you too" and then there was a scuffle Darien opened the door slightly and saw Nephrite struggling to reach the door and for a single moment their eyes met and then he saw Malachite hit Nephrite over the head with a dark sphere. He couldn't move the prince was frozen in place he saw Beryl sitting on the bunk smirking and telling two unfamiliar black clad knight to take him to Metaria. When the prince saw, that Beryl was coming back out he hid in the shadows next to the door.

Beryl didn't seem to notice the prince's presence she just left the prince followed her back to her cabin and once again presses his hear to the door. "Nothing" he thought he stayed there for several minutes and then he heard them there was a voice coming from the room and it was talking to Beryl he could hear everything but it was clear from what he did hear there was going to be an attack on Lunaris.

The prince had to warn somebody he made his way up on deck and to the wheel deck he was just about to talk to the captain when suddenly, a hand was on his shoulder it was Malachite.

"Is there something you need my lord?" he asked with a bright smile, the prince looked at the captain he gave him the same bright smile that Malachite had given him and it was then that the prince realized he was trapped he didn't know who to trust

"Where is Nephrite?" the prince asked.

"He has a touch of seasickness I told him to lie down, don't worry Jadeite is with him, is there something I can help you with your highness?" asked Malachite

"No, thank you" said the prince he was trapped "How many of them are in on it he wondered" he had to get away, but how? He had to find a way his life not to mention the life of the princess depended on it he would have to wait, they will reach Lunaris within the hour and then he could get way and warn the queen he had too or else the thing he loved most would fall.

The prince stared out over the waves and made his way back to his cabin it was spacious a large four poster bed stood in the middle of the room a window sat across from him behind his desk the prince sat in the large chair and pulled out a piece of paper and a quill. Prince Darien wrote of his suspicions in a letter to the queen once they landed he would find a way to get the letter to the queen maybe he could give it to one of the guardians when they landed.

"I'll save you" the prince thought of the princess and he would find a way to save her.