What Lies Beneath
A Sailor Moon oneshot
by mew-tsubaki
Note: The Sailor Moon characters belong to Takeuchi Naoko-sensei, not to me. And now for smthg a bit diff from my usual fair. :3c Read, review, and enjoy! *Note: Done for the "moon cave" writing prompt on pillowfort. XD
- ^-^3
She found her east of the central gardens again, as the queen suspected. Her daughter was terribly transparent, waiting amongst the silver roses for the one who would bring her a single red bloom. At least she had not snuck down to Earth today.
"You're dodging your lessons again," Queen Serenity said to announce herself as she entered the tiny clearing in the garden. She paused to admire the blooms, too, but her smile melted into a frown when she faced her daughter.
At the very least, Princess Serenity reddened and ducked her eyes. Ah, so she knew not to lie to her mother by now.
The queen studied the way her daughter sat on the carved stone bench, anticipating Prince Endymion's arrival: legs tucked demurely to one side, her long hair carefully pushed back over her shoulders, her hands currently still but likely to twist and twiddle when she had no audience. Queen Serenity knew this body language well; her daughter seemed to forget or didn't want to imagine that even her parents might've once also been youths in love.
Well, no matter. When Princess Serenity tripped up, there were others specifically meant to assist her in getting back up and in line.
The queen held her head high and announced, "I would like to speak with you." Barely a beat passed before she tacked on in a stronger, clearer voice, "All of you." She turned her head, waited for them to emerge.
Princess Serenity's cheeks reddened further as Sailors Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Mercury came forward from their stations around the other entry points to this part of the gardens. Jupiter and Mercury wore their humility with averted eyes and shuffling steps that left them trailing the other two. Mars wasn't far behind Venus, but the headstrong girl furrowed her dark brow, unusually unsure of herself; she looked to Venus for guidance. But Venus…even at this young age, her leadership qualities were showing. She was the only one to meet Queen Serenity's gaze, and Venus' expression was even, bordering on calm, as if reminding the queen that Princess Serenity had run around enough with Earth's prince by now, that Venus and the others knew their games and could look after them without worry.
Queen Serenity didn't worry about the guardians protecting her daughter—of course not, she wouldn't've entrusted her to them otherwise. Still…they needed to see the bigger picture. "Follow me," she insisted, and the queen turned towards the main pathway of the central gardens, walking past the guardians, knowing the girls would help Princess Serenity up and catch up.
This was for the best, really. Scolding her daughter over matters of the heart, reprimanding the guardians for not pulling the princess away more often—these tools weren't effective much anymore. But showing them…yes, showing them, explaining things—that would drive the point home.
The main path was dotted here and there with other branches to turn (northwest to visit the night blooms, southwest to appreciate the succulents and their friends, and so on), but Queen Serenity took them all the way to the end, where they reached the groundskeeper's station. The glass-paned workshop was framed by magnolias…and vacant, but the queen didn't need his permission to walk around back.
"He's really let the ivy get out of hand back here," Sailor Venus muttered when the group faced the back of the workshop and the magnolias faded into a curtain of deep green vines.
Queen Serenity glimpsed Mercury's puzzled expression. "No…something's off, because his space is much too small—"
The queen reached forward and swept back the carefully draped ivy cloak to reveal the stone underneath. With her staff in her other hand, Queen Serenity drew on the Silver Crystal's power by a hair, and the magical seal on the door there released, revealing the inornate door at the same time as stone and dirt tumbled to the ground. A cool, damp breeze escaped the opening the longer they lingered outside.
All five girls glanced from the dark, gaping maw before them to the queen. Those wide eyes said it all.
But Queen Serenity gave them a gentle smile and tapped her staff on the ground. The Silver Crystal lit up, a shining beacon that grew impossibly brighter as she led the way inside. "Come now, Serenity, everyone."
Darkness did not scare the queen—there were beings much scarier than the dark—but she kept quiet, understanding their trepidation, certainly as their steps became a slow descent into nothingness. Still, the quiet would do nothing for their nerves, so Queen Serenity glanced behind her, seeking out her daughter and finding her nestled safely in the middle of her group of friends as they made this trek. The queen faced forward again and began, "I know I brought up your lessons earlier, and I hope you're learning, Serenity. Not only about what is out there but about us, our people." She paused. "…our people do not live forever, though our lifespans are very long. Sometimes it seems as long as the universe itself," she added with a small, sad smile. "But we can and do pass."
They were almost to the inner chamber, but her words made Mercury gasp—one always could count on that bright girl to piece things together before others. The cerulean-suited guardian stepped forward to confirm: "This cave: It's actually a crypt, isn't it?" She turned in a circle, looking at depressions in the walls with fresh, morbid curiosity. "Remains of old inhabitants of the Silver Millennium…"
It wasn't that simple when one was born of stars and returned to the stars at the end…but Queen Serenity planned to give the Star Seed lecture when they were all older. "In a way, yes," she agreed. "These are graves of our friends and family…but do not be scared. This is a place in memoriam." Here, she faced her daughter and implored, "Serenity, consider our legacy as well as our future. I want you to be happy, my Serenity…" She gripped her staff with both hands and fought not to frown. "…but I also want to see you make choices that are wise for you and our kingdom, for we…we are enduring."
There, amongst crescent arches that echoed the palace above and surrounded by empty coffins that nevertheless weighed on the queen's mind, the six of them stood, quiet save for the occasional pebble sent skipping as the princess shifted from one foot to the other. Princess Serenity twisted her lips around and fiddled with her left earring, mulling over her mother's words but the meaning going over her head entirely.
The same couldn't be said for her guardians. Mars and Jupiter grimaced, and Mercury and Venus were quite apprehensive with those sharp eyes and raised hackles. …ah, well. If the princess didn't understand right now, the queen surmised that perhaps her friends would find the right words and the right time to explain it better. Princess Serenity would understand, in due time.
And, for now, Queen Serenity decided as she escorted the girls back out and faced the crypt to put the seal back in place, this cave could just be another long-forgotten memory, until it was needed again.
- ^-^3
Done for the 5, 10, 20, 50, 70, 100 Fandoms Challenge in the HPFC forum on FFN, as well as the prompt of "moon cave" on pillowfort, since we're all having great fun with the IRL discovery of an actual cave on the Moon. XD I've not written for BSSM in about a decade and I'm still working on a long af Reinako that I thought woulda been out last yr but is just…taking forever. X'D But then this prompt on pfio came along, and my head immediately went to BSSM and the Silver Millennium. Granted, with everything we know of the Galaxy Cauldron and rebirth and stuff, one wonders how the living treat/honor their dead…hence writing this! The queen rly just wishes the princess would take things more srsly, but oof, they were all just kids, rly. ;w; Last thoughts: Magnolias in the language of flowers stand for nobility and perseverance, which I felt fitting for the entrance to the crypt. The canon of does-the-princess-have-a-dad-or-not…eh, it feels murky to me, but I like the queen's passing thoughts in relating to her daughter here. Also, also—can you imagine exploring that cave centuries later and it rly is a crypt on the dang Moon? YIKES. X-X
Thanks for reading, and please review! Check out my other fics if you enjoyed this~ And show your support via tumblr and pillowfort with a reblog~
-mew-tsubaki :O