Prologue |
Chapter One |
Chapter Two |
Chapter Three |
Chapter Four |
Chapter Five |
Chapter Six |
Chapter Seven |
Chapter Eight |
Chapter Nine |
Chapter Ten |
Chapter Eleven |
Chapter Twelve |
Chapter Thirteen |
Chapter Fourteen |
Chapter Fifteen |
Chapter Sixteen |
Epilogue
The door opened. A blast of chill wind blew in a new patron, tall and dark with the hood of his cloak pulled up to shield his face from the night's cold. For a moment, every eye rolled in the newcomer's direction, but as he lowered his hood and headed for the bar, the tavern's occupants quickly lost interest. There were no shouted greetings, no friendly invitations, no extra chair pulled up to a game of cards. There was barely a ripple in the low murmur of conversation that permeated the area. The atmosphere remained unchanged: a steady, subdued, low melancholy. That was what Endymion liked best about this place. A heavy haze of smoke hung in the air, now disturbed by the fresh swirl of wind let in by the newcomer. Most of it had not come from the large fireplace that squatted in the corner. At first, Endymion had been quite confused by several of the Earth-children's - no, the humans' - habit of inhaling the smoke produced by burning weeds in small tubes and pipes. The exiled stable hand still did not quite understand the allure of the activity; he had tried it himself once and it had choked him badly and made him quite ill for a long while afterwards. He did, however, like the smoke. It hung as heavily in the air as the despair on his heart, and made any room a perfect mirror to his inner misery. Plus, although the habit was severely looked down upon on Earth, it was completely unheard of on the Moon. At this point in his life, anything that was not Lunarian pleased Endymion. It was said that the smoke was poisonous. So much the better. The dark-haired man sat leaning back in his chair, alone at a tiny table against the wall, nursing a tankard of liquid the humans called "ale." For a while, it had left him with quite a headache the following morning, but Endymion was growing accustomed to it. He came to this tavern nearly every day after working long hours at the shipyards and stayed until the Moon was hidden behind the palace. Although plenty of time had passed since his exile, Endymion had no friends here. He did not want any. He worked only because Queen Serenity's coins would not last forever and he had to earn a living somehow. He existed, but he did not live. From time to time, the former stable hand found himself staring out over the endless swells of the ocean, unable to think of anything but how easy it would be to throw himself beneath the rolling waves. No matter how he fought it, at these moments he was stopped by the memory of Queen Serenity's face. She had said if Endymion gave up, Princess Serenity would know. Endymion tried to believe it was just a ploy, aimed at punishing him further by forcing him to live with his misery without hope of escape. Still, the expression on the Moon Queen's face refused to leave his memory. She had looked like someone who knew from experience. The thought of that chilled him. He could never give his beloved cause to wear a face like that. Serenity. Endymion ground his fists into his eyes, but not even the bursts of stars and colors that brought could drown out the images that swarmed in his mind. Princess Serenity. His Sere. Her eyes, blue as a crisp clear morning. Her lips, red as the roses in her favorite garden as they smiled. The touch of her smooth fingertips, soft against his skin. The rippling of her long white dress as she walked away. He gritted his teeth and focused on that memory, the nightmare that was his last evening on the Moon. The stable hand had loved the Princess with his whole heart and she had abandoned him to suffer the fury of her soldiers. When all was said and done, yet again she chose her kingdom over him. Again, their love was so easily tossed aside. He focused on this to avoid the despair that threatened to consume him. He focused on anger and used it to fill the hole left by the absence of Princess Serenity's love. It was a circle he traveled again and again, every evening in this silent, smoky tavern. It was not quite so silent tonight. Endymion was drawn out of his bitter musings by an unusually loud conversation being carried out at the bar. The newcomer was having a rather spirited discussion with the man next to him, or indeed, with anyone who would listen. Endymion would have tuned it out had the Moon Kingdom not been mentioned. "They've invaded the palace!" The speaker was a wild-looking man, with a mass of black hair that hung haphazardly over his ears and into his eyes. He gestured broadly with his tankard of ale as he talked, so that the hunched figures on either side of him leaned back defensively at every statement. "Oh, give over," a tired-looking woman grumbled from a corner of the bar. "They were invited. You're acting like it's a declaration of war." "Isn't it?" The enthusiastic man waved his arms again, narrowly avoiding giving a surly grunt of a man a shower. "The four most powerful soldiers in the system and their Princess, under the same roof as our King and Queen? Doesn't that worry you?" Endymion nearly choked on his ale. Had he heard correctly? Princess Serenity, here on Earth? He felt lightheaded. His heart fluttered in his chest. He had thought his beloved would always be as distant as the stars, and now she was once again a mere brief walk away. "Why should it?" an irritated voice called out from somewhere in the shadows. "It's just a visit, and I'm sure our rulers have got quite enough protection within the walls of their own fortress." "Are you?" The wild-haired man took a long swig of his ale, then slammed the tankard down on the bar to be refilled. "Drives me to drink, it does! Our ignorance! They pull one over on us, and nobody notices! Nobody cares!" "See here, you," the bartender growled, sweeping the jug away from the man and stashing it under the bar. "I think you've had enough. You're upsetting my customers." "They should be upset!" the stranger raved. He eyed the mugs of the drinkers next to him, but they were swiftly shuffled out of his reach. "My brother, now, he just come down from the palace. Works there. Big gala for those Moon creatures on." He spat the name of the celestial body as if it were poison. "Know what they're doing, right now, right this minute? Seducing the Four Generals! They're turning the heads and stealing the hearts of our strongest and highest, just like their Princess stole our Prince!" There was some grumbling at this, not all in annoyance at the speaker. Endymion didn't notice. His grip had tightened so hard on his drink that his fingers were beginning to throb. After his ordeal, he was hard-pressed to imagine the Sailor Soldiers seducing anyone, but that was not the allegation that had set his blood boiling. The exiled man glared into the liquid as if his fiery gaze could set it aflame, his breath hissing through gritted teeth. "It's a trick!" the black-haired man continued. "It's been planned this way all along! Their false goddess Queen, she says our worlds can be friends," he scoffed. "She doesn't think of us as equals. This treaty, this marriage is a sham, meant to bring the Golden Kingdom under the Moon's control!" "That's a lie! Queen Serenity is a kind and just ruler!" Endymion was amazed to discover that these words had burst from his own mouth. He was on his feet, his fists clenched at his sides, breathing heavily as if ready for a battle. All the tavern's occupants had fallen silent and were staring at him. The indignant response had been automatic. He had been raised a citizen of the Moon and some part of him still cried out against his Queen being slandered. The man at the bar looked surprised. "Such loyalty to Selene in a human?" he wondered aloud. "Why, brother? What has the Moon done for you?" More words struggled to escape Endymion's lips but he bit them back, not wanting to reveal his past to a tavern full of strangers. The Moon Kingdom had taken him in when he was lost. It had raised him and provided for him when he had no home to go back to. It had been his home and his family and his support throughout all the years he could remember. It had given him love. So, also, had it taken that love away. The Moon had cast him out, shunned and banished him. Through no fault of his own, he had fallen in love, and his world had abandoned him for it. He had given his entire life and the Moon had taken it from him. Queen Serenity's face swam within Endymion's memory, impassive and cold as she ordered his exile. This was the woman he was defending? This was the system he was upholding as trustworthy and good? After all he had given, what HAD the Moon done for him? "Nothing." The word was heavy, dull, dead, and hung like the haze of smoke in the air. Endymion sat down numbly, his gaze falling to the floor. The wild-haired stranger's triumph was short-lived. There were several believers of Selene present and they had not taken kindly to the harsh words about the Goddess. Before long, the raving patriot was banished from the tavern. The comfortable gloomy silence did not return, however. For a long while after the raver's departure, an uneasy muttering rumbled throughout the room. Not all of the tavern's patrons felt the man's words were lies. Endymion was thoroughly unsettled, and before long he stood up and walked out into the street. It was earlier than he usually left the tavern, and the Moon, symbol of all Endymion's misfortune, was still in the sky. He cringed involuntarily as he walked, as if the light burned him, but his mind was active enough to distract him from the history hanging in the sky. Princess Serenity was on Earth! The very thought was enough to make Endymion stumble, his knees weak as if the ground were crumbling away beneath him. He had thought his beloved was forever separated from him, and now she was here, so close that less than an hour's walk would bring him to her. She had followed him to the place of his exile. The possibility of seeing Serenity again lightened Endymion's step and quickened his heart far more than he could have anticipated. But was there even a possibility? The exiled man raised his eyes, and his gaze fell upon the tall and above all forbidding walls of the palace, illuminated for the night's festivities and towering over the Golden City. He couldn't just march up there and ask to see the Moon Princess. His hand came up, and his fingers traced the raised scar that cancelled out the emblem of the Lunarian royal house. In Serenity's kingdom, Endymion had been one of her servants, however remotely. Here, he was an exiled criminal. Less than nothing. Princess Serenity was as close as ever, but she might as well have been in another galaxy. With a sigh, Endymion let his feet carry him to the public gardens, an expansive green space nestled in the heart of the city. It lay just down the street from the palace, but the high walls and decorative arches and columns were enough to hide the seat of royalty from Endymion's immediate view. At first, he had avoided this place, thinking that gardens could only remind him of his lost beloved, but when he finally set foot there, he found the area strangely comforting. Even now, in the late evening, the rustling of the wind in the trees seemed to welcome Endymion. The flowers were closed, but their bending stems waved to him, their lingering scent embracing him. It was as if he could feel the very heartbeat of the Earth through the soles of his boots, as if everyone else wandering the gardens had vanished and there was only Endymion and this wide green planet. The sensation gave him strength, made it seem as if he could accomplish anything. He wondered why any Earth-child - any human - would abandon such a feeling of motherly love for a life on the Moon. "Here you are! I've been looking everywhere." Endymion turned around to discover Talma standing on the pathway behind him. She smiled, but it was an uneasy smile, and her eyes kept darting from side to side as if she were looking for someone. Still consumed by his own thoughts, the former stable hand just nodded and waited to hear what she had come to say. "I've just come down from the palace, special duty for the ball," Talma explained urgently. "Listen-" "I already know," Endymion interrupted in a weary voice. He had no desire to hear the story again and again. "She's here, at the ball. Sere." Talma blinked. "Well, yes," she said, somewhat confused. "That announcement's been all over the city for days. I assumed you were aware. That's not why I came, Endou." Now Endymion took in the woman's agitated state; the way she breathed heavily, as if she had been running, and searched the area to make sure no one was near them before she continued. "Endou, we understand each other, don't we?" Talma's voice quavered slightly, her eyes uneasy. "I took you in, helped you get on your feet here... If you were mixed up in something, something terrible, you'd tell me, wouldn't you?" "What is it?" Endymion asked, made uneasy himself by her strange behavior. "It's our Queen, Elana," the Earth woman finally explained. "The official word is that she's ill, but the rumors say the King hasn't had any healers in to see her, and...and...she's got her ladies investigating every exile sent from the Moon since her visit there." Endymion's heart leapt into his throat. Could it possibly be him that the Earth Queen was searching for? Had she found out about his romance with her son's fiance? What would she do to the man who threatened to destroy her precious treaty with the Moon Kingdom? "Don't worry, no one's said anything about you," Talma said hurriedly upon seeing his expression. "Namrin's spoken to the other guards and they've agreed to keep your arrival secret...as long as the safety of the Earth is not in jeopardy," she added pointedly. Endymion shook himself free of his concerns. "It's all right," he assured her. "I was exiled for loving the Princess, nothing more. I swear it." Talma nodded her relief. "Then you'll remain our secret," she vowed with a smile. "Love is not a crime." The next morning dawned bright and clear. At first, Princess Serenity did not remember where she was. She awoke feeling heavy and weary, as if she had spent the night pressed beneath a rock, and unusually bright light was pouring through the windows. The blankets covering her were thick and strange, and the room surrounding her was unfamiliar. It was only when she noticed the crest of the Golden Kingdom carved into the foot of the bed that she remembered she was on Earth. "Good morning, Serenity." The Moon Princess sat up. She found she could breathe a bit easier than she had yesterday; it seemed her body was beginning to adjust to the higher gravity of the planet. Sailor Mars was perched on a chair against one wall of the room, one leg crossed over the other, her bright red uniform startling against the gray stone of the palace. On a table beside the chair sat a white cat, its tail twitching against the wood. It seemed that Serenity had interrupted a conversation between the cat and the soldier. Now that she was awake, Artemis leapt down from the table and left to find a hiding place in another room of the suite. As a male, even in his feline form it would be improper for Artemis to be present when Serenity rose from her bed. For now, however, the Princess stayed where she was, pulling the blankets up around her. The fire on the hearth had gone out in the night, and there was a chill in the air this morning. How troublesome it was to be a resident of the Earth! The air seemed perpetually cold, despite its fluctuating temperature. Serenity had been told that this was early summer, but it grew so cold at night! So many nuisances were necessary to keep the people comfortably warm - heavy clothing and blankets, eternal fires that crackled and popped all night, and metal pans filled with hot coals stuck between the sheets to keep her feet from freezing. It was all very bothersome and strange to the Moon Princess. "Artemis is collecting our perceptions of the Prince's guardians," Mars explained. "Venus' study was all reports and records. Last night's ball was the first time any of us met them in person." She shifted on her chair, her eyes becoming distant. "That Jadeite... Something about him makes me uneasy." Serenity did not respond. She leaned on her knees and gave the red-suited soldier a cold stare. Thanks to her mother's orders, one of the Sailor Soldiers had to be with her at all times, but the Princess would have rather been greeted by the awe-struck complete strangers of the palace staff than Sailor Mars. "Still, the ball itself was rather nice, wasn't it?" the violet-haired soldier commented to break the silence. "A primitive setting, of course, but Earth can't be expected to meet our standards." The Moon Princess still did not speak. Her blue eyes bored into Sailor Mars, her face coldly serious. No one at the ball would have noticed anything amiss between the Princess and her guardians; the mask of royalty had served Serenity well. In private, however, there was no need for her to hide her contempt for the red-suited soldier. It was Mars who had betrayed her. It was because of Mars that she and Endymion had been separated. In the face of the Princess' silence, the soldier sighed. "Look, we really do have your best interests at heart," Mars said softly, leaning on her knees. "Think about it, Serenity. The choice should have been simple. The crown of the Silver Millennium, or..." She trailed off as the Princess' stare became a fierce glare that rivaled any fire Sailor Mars could produce. Nothing the soldier could say would have an effect now. Mars could never understand. Serenity loved Endymion, and while her duty was clear, it was not the only thing that weighed on her heart. She would see him again, and try to make amends for what had happened. Until then, everything else could wait. The soldier's expression hardened. "You are a stubborn one, aren't you?" she said quietly. "Very well." Mars got to her feet, smoothing down her red skirt as she reassumed the stance of a proper soldier. "Mark my words, Princess," she uttered in a warning tone, staring down at the woman in the bed with narrowed eyes. "There was no choice after all, nor is there now. We are under orders from Queen Serenity, who still has what's best for the Moon Kingdom in mind even if you do not. Someday you will understand that this course is the right one. Until then, you will never leave our sight. We will finish this charade of a visit and return to the Moon without incident. Now, you have a full schedule ahead of you." These words said, Mars crossed the room and pulled the rope that would summon the palace servants to attend to the Moon Princess. The following hours were what seemed the slowest morning of Serenity's life. When she made her plans to visit Earth, she had forgotten that she would be the first Lunarian to set foot on the planet in years. Not only that, but she was the Princess, daughter of a woman many Earth-children still viewed as a goddess. For the people of the Golden Kingdom, this was a momentous occasion indeed, and they were careful to take advantage of it as fully as possible without offending their visitors. There were dignitaries to be introduced, and they were numerous. It seemed everyone with a title or property to their name had pulled out all the stops to secure a meeting with Princess Serenity. They were everywhere, seizing every opportunity to make an appearance. When Serenity went to breakfast, it was served in a full-sized dining room filled with people who just happened to have spent the night as guests of the palace. When she and the Sailor Soldiers were given a tour of the grounds, not a single room was without a smiling face eager to say hello. Nephrite, their guide, soon gave up trying to explain away each meeting as a coincidence. The Princess endured the tedious introductions with forced pleasantness, all the while pondering how she might escape to look for the man she was really here to see. Throughout it all, Prince Endymion was by Serenity's side, looking as uncomfortable as ever in his formal black clothes. For the sake of appearances, he had offered her his arm and made sure to personally introduce the Moon Princess as his fiance to those of high enough rank. For the most part, however, he barely spoke to his betrothed or even looked at her as they were led from room to room, their linked arms chaining them together like the pendants around their necks. In fact, the Earth Prince's attention was entirely diverted whenever he was not speaking to someone. At first, Princess Serenity attributed this to the boredom of being stuck on a tour of places he had known well for years, but soon she noticed it was far more than that. The uneasy distraction that had consumed Prince Endymion at the ball the previous night had returned. He stepped into every room with slight hesitation, and once inside searched every corner with his eyes, as if he expected to encounter someone he did not want to face. Serenity was curious and wondered what the Prince could possibly have to be nervous about in his own home, but more than that, she clung to his behavior as a sign of hope that he might not be opposed to separating from her when she had a chance to slip away. Her opportunity finally came at the end of the tour, when Nephrite led the group to the palace gardens. At first, however, Serenity's secret mission was temporarily forgotten when the chestnut-haired general brought them around the last corner and the beauty of the gardens was spread out before them. Around the Princess, the Sailor Soldiers let out gasps of wonder that mirrored her own. Earth is...more alive. Now that she beheld the planet's natural glory, Serenity had to agree with what her fiance had said the morning after their betrothal. The first thing that struck the Princess was how green it all was. Trees taller than any she had ever seen towered over patios and pathways paved with polished stones. There was a fresh, fragrant breeze that had the entire garden in motion. Seemingly endless branches covered in lush foliage waved and danced overhead against a brilliant blue sky, filling the air with a delightful rushing sound like a river of life. Below the trees were flowers of such variety and vibrant colors that the memory of Serenity's own favorite garden paled by comparison. Her eyes widened as her gaze fell on red, purple, yellow, orange - flowers of every color and every size. She felt no matter how long she looked she would never know them all. A sweet scent joined the rustling of the leaves, tossed about on the wind along with the occasional stray petal. After the confining gray stone walls of the palace, this was a glimpse of paradise. "If it pleases you, Princess, the midday meal may be served out here on the veranda," Nephrite offered, smiling at the wide-eyed amazement on her face. "Oh, yes, that would be wonderful," Serenity breathed. The breeze chilled her bare arms, but it also felt deliciously refreshing, and she was willing to endure any amount of cold if it meant she could spend another hour in this beautiful place. Nephrite gestured toward a nearby patio beside a leaping fountain and the women filed past him, looking around at all the garden's majesty. As Sailor Jupiter crossed his path, he fell into step beside her. "Not a match for your home planet, I daresay, but I hope it pleases you." Jupiter was surprised by the unexpected personal attention, but she found herself smiling. There was something about Nephrite that pleased her, something about his eyes that made all the weight of being guardian to a rebellious Princess fade away on the midday breeze. "It is better than the Moon," Sailor Jupiter admitted, reveling in the sound of the wind in the trees. Their majesty could not rival the colossal sturdy forests she had known as a child, but it was nice to have some branches overhead and see some trees she could not topple with one punch. It seemed Nephrite had anticipated that Princess Serenity would agree to an outdoor meal; tables and chairs had already been prepared for the group and servants were busy setting out the luncheon as they arrived. Zoisite, his long blond hair again tied in a neat ponytail, was there also, supervising the arrangement of the meal. As the Lunarian visitors approached, he straightened up and bowed to them. "Good afternoon, Princess, ladies," he greeted them. "Please be seated." Serenity did so eagerly, relieved to see there were no mysterious dignitaries waiting to be introduced. For the first time all day, she was to have some time free of the hassle of new faces speaking the same tired old practiced words. Nephrite and Zoisite joined them, taking seats at a small table with Jupiter and Mercury, but the Princess had only to deal with Prince Endymion in addition to Venus and Mars. At least this was a man she had plenty of practice in enduring. The meal they were served was interesting in itself, at least to those of the party who had never before tasted Earth food. As at the previous few meals, curiosity was the order of the day as the visitors from the Moon examined the strange dishes that were set before them. First, there was fruit, slices of something red-skinned and solid that was firm and crisp when they bit into it yet pleasantly sweet. Along with this came things their Earth-born hosts called "sandwiches," thin pieces of meat and cheese pressed between slices of bread. At first, Princess Serenity poked at the food awkwardly, confused by the absence of utensils from the table. Out of the corner of her eye she watched the behavior of the only Earth-child at hand, Prince Endymion. The man eagerly distracted himself from the burden of his fiance's presence by diving into the meal, picking up his sandwich with his hands. The girls quickly followed suit before anyone could notice their hesitation. How strange it was to be eating with one's fingers! With all the majesty of the garden and the manners of the courtiers, Serenity had almost forgotten the people of Earth were said to be a backward, primitive race. While the conversation at the other table seemed equally balanced among the four diners, at Serenity's table it was dominated by herself and Sailor Venus. Prince Endymion was being his usual silent disagreeable self, his gaze still restlessly flitting about the garden between bites. After recent events, the Moon Princess was still not eager to speak to Sailor Mars more than was necessary, and for her part the soldier seemed content with that. In fact, the violet-haired soldier of Mars was distracted. She was seated facing the palace, and halfway through the meal a familiar figure appeared in the shadows of the sitting room that bordered the veranda. No lamps had been lit inside the palace, but the sunlight that filtered into the room through its windows was enough to highlight the man's short blond hair. It was Jadeite. Despite the interest he had shown in Sailor Mars the previous night at the ball, the Golden Kingdom's Far-Eastern commander made no move to join the group for luncheon. Mars was not even certain if he knew she had noticed him. He just stood there, motionless, watching the visitors from the Moon intently. The uneasy feeling Jadeite gave the Martian soldier returned in earnest. She still could not quite identify what it was about the man that unsettled her so, but it was real and stronger than ever. Just looking at him caused strange tingles to creep across her skin, and she felt cold even in the warm sunshine. An unusually loud burst of laughter from the other table brought Mars back to reality for a moment, and she glanced over at Jupiter and Mercury, who seemed to be enjoying a private joke with Nephrite and Zoisite. At least, Jupiter and Nephrite were laughing; Zoisite had folded his arms with a sullen expression and Mercury appeared to be sympathizing with him. Sailor Venus' attention had been drawn to that group as well and Mars caught a familiar look in the blonde soldier's eye. The seeds of something deeper than friendship were being planted at that table. Was it possible the soldier of Mars was falling into a similar trap? Could it be these strange feelings that came over her when she thought about Jadeite stemmed from an attraction to him? Impossible. Ridiculous. The very thought was enough to make the red-suited warrior shudder. Something drew her to the blond general, but it was certainly not love. There was a strangeness about the situation that got under her skin. Still, what was it? All she had sensed in Jadeite was fierce loyalty; what was wrong with that? Wasn't it possible that she was using suspicion to distract herself from other, more carnal feelings? Wasn't it? Now filled with a different kind of unease, Sailor Mars turned back to the palace. An empty room greeted her eyes. Jadeite had disappeared. Princess Serenity was rather distracted as well. Throughout the meal, her attention was inexplicably drawn to a large tree growing all by itself in a corner between the palace and the garden wall. It was a young tree by Earth's standards, still thin enough for a person to embrace with one arm and only as high as the palace's third-story windows, but it was still bigger than any on the Moon. Serenity could not explain it, but every time she looked at the tree she thought of her beloved Endymion. As soon as they had finished eating and the group spread out to enjoy the garden, the Moon Princess headed over to inspect the tree more closely. It seemed to draw her in as she moved closer, but once she was beneath its outermost leaves, a knee-high fence prevented her from going any further. Oddly, the tree was the only thing growing in the circle of grass within the fence, and Serenity did not see any ponds or animals or anything that would make such a barrier necessary. This tree was separate and isolated, for no apparent reason. It was silly; there was nothing about this ordinary-looking tree that should have reminded the Princess of her banished lover, but when she gazed on it, she could think of nothing but Endymion's face. All of a sudden, he rose up in her memory, and her eyes were filled with his tanned frame and his charcoal eyes and his dark hair, and her nose was filled with the scent of roses. She closed her eyes against the tears that threatened to gather there and titled her head back, indulging in the memory for a moment. When a breeze rustled the leaves of the mysterious tree, Serenity opened her eyes, watching the sunlight dancing on the swaying branches. A movement to her left caught the corner of her eye. The Princess turned her head to see a figure watching her from a second-story window of the palace. Serenity gasped, startled, and pressed a hand to her mouth, but the figure did not react. Once she had recovered from her surprise, the Moon Princess looked more closely. The stranger did not appear to be watching Serenity, but the tree instead, and somehow seemed familiar. After a moment of contemplation, the Princess gasped again, this time in wide-eyed horror. It was Queen Elana, and she seemed barely a shadow of the strong woman Serenity remembered. Even at this distance, the Lunarian could see that she had grown thin and pale, her hair undone and unkempt and her dress hanging haphazardly from her body. Her face was solemn and sad, and she stood motionless, gazing at the tree with one hand pressed against the glass. It was strange; despite the Earth Queen's deathly pallor, she stood so still and firm that she did not appear to be ill, and during the tour that morning, the visitors had been told the apartments of the royal family were on the opposite side of the palace. What was Elana doing at this window, and alone? "Princess?" Queen Elana was not the only anomaly of the afternoon. Serenity turned around at the sound of her fiance's voice, but his summons came in an oddly uneasy tone. Her eyes fell on Prince Endymion standing quite a distance away from her, well beyond the shade of the isolated tree. Behind him, Nephrite and Jupiter were watching. It was clear someone had decided it was time the Earth Prince paid some attention to his betrothed. The white-robed Lunarian cast one more glance at the upstairs window and found it empty. Had she imagined seeing Queen Elana there? Shaking her head, she turned back to the veranda and moved toward her fiance, who did not take even one step to meet her. Another mystery was raised when Serenity reached him; Prince Endymion's eyes were focused on the tree behind her and he watched it warily as if he expected something to happen. "Is there a story here?" the Princess asked hopefully, gesturing toward the tree and its enclosure. "That area is off-limits," Prince Endymion replied brusquely. He slid an arm behind his fiance's back to guide her toward the veranda, and as he started walking, Serenity had no choice but to accompany him. What was it about this tree that made her so content but the Earth Prince so uncomfortable? The Moon Princess slowed her steps as they approached the patio where their meal had been served. The air out here was so refreshing and fragrant, and she was reluctant to go back inside the palace. "I would very much like to see the gardens more fully," she protested. "Yes, you would, wouldn't you?" Prince Endymion muttered grimly, more as a statement than a question. Serenity knew he had no desire to be dragged about among the flowers on her arm, and the distracted, flighty look had returned to his face. He was once again glancing around as if looking for someone. The Princess saw her opportunity and jumped on it. "Oh, don't let me burden you," she said airily, putting on her sweetest smile. "I am quite at home in any garden; I promise I won't get lost. I am sure you have important matters to discuss with your guardians." Princess Serenity wasn't the only one who had been hoping for an escape. A light sparked to life in the Earth Prince's eyes. "Well, if you are certain," he said casually, trying not to sound too eager. "There are some matters of state to be discussed that I am sure would not interest you. Do not let me detain you, Princess." For the first time since they met, the Prince of the Earth and the Princess of the Moon shared a private and slightly mischievous smile. They separated, the Prince heading toward the table where Nephrite and Zoisite were still sitting and the Princess veering off toward the gardens. Sailor Venus and Sailor Mars were deep in conversation beside a wall covered in flowering vines, so Princess Serenity chose the path furthest from them and plunged into an enclosure of rosebushes, mustering all her willpower to keep from walking too fast. At the table, Sailor Mercury was engrossed in conversation with Zoisite and missed the Princess' swift exit, but Jupiter got to her feet. "What is your hurry?" Nephrite protested, stretching out an arm to invite her to sit down again. "I was eager to hear about the Jovian spring festival." "The Princess-" "Surely there is nothing so dangerous in our gardens that all four Sailor Soldiers are needed to protect her?" the chestnut-haired general asked with a smirk. "The five of you do separate on occasion, I trust?" By this point, Venus and Mars were heading into the gardens, following the path Serenity had taken. Sailor Jupiter looked down at Nephrite, his smile now warm and inviting, so much more attractive than chasing a headstrong Princess about the grounds. Nodding her agreement, she reclaimed her chair. It was a beautiful afternoon, by Earth standards. The hedges and walls kept out a lot of the brisk wind that was blowing, and the sun was warm on the paths and benches. The air was filled with the delightful fragrances of thousands of flowers, which all blended together into a lovely perfume. Here on the Earth were colors and scents Princess Serenity had never before seen or smelled, but at the moment she could not allow herself pause to enjoy them. Every fiber of her being was focused on escaping the palace grounds and finding Endymion. If she did not succeed now, she would never have another chance. The gardens here were as much of a maze as the ones on the Moon, and as soon as the Princess had rounded a corner, she took off as fast as her glass slippers could carry her. Muttering voices were audible in the direction of the palace, so Serenity knew she was being pursued, but the Sailor Soldiers would not dare shout openly after her and reveal to anyone who heard that they had lost their Princess. Serenity took the most twisting and unusual paths she could find through what seemed endless hedges and flower beds, hoping to lose her pursuers. Finally, when she reached a small marble pavilion surrounded by tiny purple flowers, she paused and held her breath, listening. She was surrounded by silence. The Moon Princess slipped into the pavilion and pressed herself against one of its pillars, still waiting. Had she been successful in throwing the soldiers off her trail? The pillar was cold against her bare shoulders, and the decorative string of large pearls that was wrapped around it was digging into her back, but Serenity did not dare move just yet. Off in the distance a bird was singing and somewhere a fountain was burbling. There was no other sound. The Princess breathed a sigh of relief and turned to leave the pavilion behind. "Found you!" a satisfied voice called out. "Princess!" Serenity cringed and then sagged, stopped in her tracks. The white-robed fugitive turned around slowly, her expression irritated but resigned. To her surprise, it was Sailor Venus who stood in the clearing beside the pavilion. Hers was not the voice she had heard. The Princess' eyes roamed downward and fell on a small white cat standing at the orange-suited soldier's feet, a satisfied expression on its feline face. Of course. Artemis had tracked her and brought Venus with him. "You were going to see him, weren't you?" the soldier asked. Princess Serenity looked up at Sailor Venus' face again and found, not anger or disappointment, but pity and concern. The white cat beside her, however, was not as sympathetic. "How can you not understand?" Artemis demanded, his long tail lashing back and forth in agitation. "I know you're infatuated with that man, but continuing to see him... It's dangerous, for two entire kingdoms! Don't you see that?" Princess Serenity trembled from head to toe. She had been so close, so close to escaping, so close to being able to see Endymion one more time and tell him all the things she'd been longing to. So close to his warm arms and his musky scent. So close to being able to sate the hunger that had been gnawing away inside her since his exile. At that moment, she didn't care about her responsibilities, her birthright or her kingdom. She cared only about her love for Endymion, and once again her true feelings were being ignored, and she had had enough. "It's not infatuation!" Serenity shouted. A slight blush colored her cheeks as she lashed out at those who usually advised her, but she pressed on. "Venus, Artemis... Being that you've never fallen in love, you can't understand my feelings!" In a burst of juvenile rebellion from the years before her engagement day, Princess Serenity stuck her tongue out at the blonde soldier and her feline companion. Before either of them could recover from their surprise, the crystal-haired Lunarian whirled around and dashed off through a gap in a hedge. "Princess!" Sailor Venus gritted her teeth, momentarily taking offense to Serenity's accusation. At a time like this, when she was facing daily contact with the silver-haired Middle-Eastern commander, the Moon Princess accused her of never falling in love! "Oh... I have too," muttered a soft sour voice at her feet. The soldier's gaze shot downward and her wide eyes locked on Artemis, the only voice within hearing range. Artemis, in love? When had this happened? How could Sailor Venus have missed it? Sure, the cat had been gone on a lot of missions lately and Venus had been focused on the Moon Princess' love affair, but they were partners! "Artemis!" The cat coughed, sensing the blonde's eyes on him, and shook himself briefly but did not look up. "Never mind that, let's go!" he ordered. Together they gave chase down the path Princess Serenity had taken. Although Sailor Venus' uniform included dress shoes with short heels, their flexible material and her years of experience gave her the advantage over the fleeing Princess in glass slippers. As it was, Serenity did not really expect to get away. Her best chance had been the initial breakaway from the palace. As soon as she heard Artemis' voice she knew it was over. Still, the Princess could not help but indulge in a bit more juvenile behavior, and she laughed as the soldier and the white cat chased her through one small garden after another. Sailor Venus was rather cross when she finally caught up with Serenity. "Princess!" she snapped, seizing the crystal-haired woman by the shoulder. "Enough of these games. Come on, we're going back." Serenity groaned, but submitted without complaint. She could see that Venus did not like performing this duty, but as long as Artemis was there she had no choice. "It must be tough having a Princess so full of curiosity," said a voice. Sailor Venus froze. A tingle rolled down her back and settled in her stomach. Now that she had finally heard him speak after such a long period of study from afar, she could never forget the sound of that voice. Kunzite. A blush crept over her face, but she had no choice but to turn around. Kunzite was standing beside a leaping fountain in the center of a square hedge, his long hair waving smoothly in the breeze. His silver eyes were fixed on Venus, the smirk was back at the corner of his mouth, and the long cape that hung from his shoulders swirled around him like a cloud. The blonde soldier felt her knees weaken and she could not speak. As soon as Kunzite appeared, Artemis dashed under a nearby bush. It was crucial that he not be seen, especially by the leader of the Earth's generals. The white cat crouched beneath the leaves, watching and growing increasingly frustrated. Why didn't Venus say something? His green eyes narrowed as he focused on the white-haired man in gray. There was something odd about Kunzite's stance and expression. He seemed innocently curious, but there was something else behind that demeanor, something cunning and inquisitive. Something that hungered for the truth. "Venus?" Sailor Mercury entered from another garden. "Oh, you've found her! Why didn't you contact anyone?" she asked in an irritated voice. A confused look came over the blue-suited soldier's face as she looked between the blushing blonde and the smirking Kunzite. "What's going on?" "Oh, nothing, nothing," Venus said hurriedly, turning away from the Earth-born general and shaking herself back to reality. "Yes, I found the Princess. Just another one of her little games," she added lightly, throwing in a casual laugh. However she might feel about Serenity's love affair, or Kunzite, it would be a disaster if the general discovered the Princess' secret. Mercury seemed to realize this priority as well, and played along. "Very well," she said with a smile and a nod. "Let's go and tell the others that the game's over, then." "You go on ahead, Mercury," Sailor Venus replied. "I'd like a private word with the Princess, if you please." At this, Kunzite politely turned away and took a sudden intense interest in a patch of lilies. Sailor Mercury, however, hesitated, her face becoming uncertain. After a moment, Venus heaved an irritated sigh. "What, you don't trust me now?" she grumbled in a low voice, leaning close to the blue-haired soldier so not even Princess Serenity could hear her words. "Don't think I'd do anything foolish. I'm just as worried as the rest of you. I know she has important responsibilities," Venus continued. "Watching over Earth, protecting the Silver Crystal, and one day becoming Queen... I know that's more important than anything." The blonde's eyes became distant and she glanced over at the young Princess, who was now engaged in inspecting the garden's irrigation system. "Besides," she said softly, a deep sadness spreading through her expression, "even though she's in love, she's only going to get hurt this way." "All right." Satisfied, Sailor Mercury nodded her head. "Don't be too long." After a smile and another nod to Serenity, the blue-suited soldier turned around and disappeared into another garden. "You too, Artemis," Venus said in a low voice through gritted teeth. There was a small feline sigh from beneath the bush and the Mauan slipped out from under the leaves and headed after Mercury, keeping close to the ground so Kunzite would not see him. It was to the white-haired general that the blonde soldier turned next. "Please excuse us, milord," she said with a polite bow. Kunzite responded with a slow respectful nod, the familiar smirk still hiding at the corner of his lips. Sailor Venus shivered slightly as she seized Princess Serenity by the wrist and tugged her through an opening in a hedge into a neighboring garden. The Earth-born general's expression was far too wise for Venus' peace of mind. What did he know, or think he knew? The two women were barely out of sight when Serenity found her voice. "Venus, I-" "Don't," the soldier interrupted, stopping beside a babbling fountain so the bubbling waters would further cover their voices. "We don't have much time." The Princess' eyes widened as Sailor Venus produced a short pink rod with a translucent jewel on one end. To the casual observer, it looked for all the world like an elegant pen, perhaps a gift from the Moon Queen to the leader of the Sailor Soldiers. It had indeed come from Queen Serenity, but was far from mundane. It was this object that made it possible for Venus to fulfill her role as the Princess' security double by magically disguising her as Serenity's twin. The Moon Princess knew the item on sight, having seen the blond Venusian use it on several occasions. "Venus!" she gasped, hardly daring to hope. "You can't possibly be considering..." "And why not?" the soldier replied in a near-whisper. "I don't know what your intentions are, Serenity, but it was cruel to forcefully separate you from your lover like that. At the very least, you deserve a chance to speak with him privately, to break it off on your own terms if nothing else." For the moment, the Princess ignored Sailor Venus' last few words. She was being given a chance to see Endymion again and that was all she cared about. She wanted his arms around her one more time. How the reunion ended was as unimportant at that moment as the number of stars in the sky. Overjoyed, she pulled Venus into an enthusiastic embrace and hugged her tightly. "Thank you," she whispered into the blonde's ear. "It's the least I can do," the soldier replied, smiling at Princess Serenity as they separated. "No," the other woman argued. "It's the most." Sailor Venus gave the Princess' upper arms a reassuring squeeze. Then she glanced briefly into the neighboring garden to make sure they were alone. Kunzite had vanished. Satisfied, the blonde soldier lifted the little pink wand close to her lips. "Moon Power!" she said as loudly as she dared. "By the grace of Selene, grant me the image of the Princess!" Princess Serenity cringed, shielding her eyes from the rosy light that erupted from the jewel at the tip of Venus' wand. It appeared the magic of the Moon Kingdom worked just as well on Earth. Ribbons of energy wrapped around Sailor Venus in a skintight embrace until it seemed her flesh was luminescent. For a heartbeat she was covered from head to toe in the shining glow, and then the power abruptly vanished. The Moon Princess found herself staring into her own face. This was far from the first time Serenity had witnessed her guardian using the disguise magic, but it was still, for a moment, disorienting. The Venusian's hair had lost all its color and lengthened, and was tied into twin buns to match the Princess' own, the soldier's familiar red bow having vanished. The orange and blue uniform was gone as well, replaced by a duplicate of Serenity's maiden-gown, complete with its silver accents and bows. With Sailor Venus' naturally blue eyes, there was little else that needed to be changed. Only one detail was missing. Serenity needed no prompting as the decoy Princess handed her a tube of metallic gold makeup and a tiny brush. The true Princess could barely keep her hand steady as she carefully painted a crescent moon mark in the center of Sailor Venus' forehead. This was, beyond a doubt, the most daring and dangerous thing she had ever done. Still, as Venus smiled with Serenity's own face, the Moon Princess could feel little more than excitement. To see Endymion again, she was prepared to do anything. Almost as an afterthought, Princess Serenity removed the blue pendant on its gold chain and handed it to Sailor Venus. The Lunarian opened her mouth to say something to the woman who had proven to be her truest friend, but she was interrupted by an earnest and impatient whisper from a nearby garden. "Princess? Venus?" It was Artemis' voice, from under another bush by the sound of it. The others must have been growing very impatient indeed if the Mauan was willing to risk calling out to them while in his feline form. The Moon Princess took a breath, but her false twin gestured for her to be silent. "I'm coming, Artemis," Venus said in Serenity's voice. The disguised soldier settled the engagement pendant around her neck, and then, after a final smile and a wink to her true Princess, headed through the gap in the hedge to meet Artemis and left Serenity alone. Upon seeing what appeared to be the Moon Princess emerging from the neighboring garden, the white cat poked his head out from beneath a patch of lilacs. His eyes narrowed upon seeing the woman was alone. "Where is Sailor Venus?" he asked in a low voice, his twitching tail betraying his suspicion. "She's gone for a walk with Kunzite," the disguised soldier said smoothly, having had that excuse ready in her mind. Kunzite was the solitary type, and Venus was willing to bet everything that he would not approach the Lunar visitors unless ordered to, at least for a while. Artemis looked disturbed by this news, but he seemed to accept the explanation. "Perhaps I should be keeping an eye on Venus as well," he muttered, keeping close to the hedges and leaves as he accompanied the white-robed woman on the path toward the palace. The Venusian nodded solemnly, restraining herself from playfully swishing the long skirt of the maiden-gown around her legs. This dress was so light and free compared to the uniform of a Sailor Soldier! "Perhaps you should," she said, biting back a grin. "Sailor Venus is certainly more mischievous than I." "I am under orders, Princess," Artemis reminded her. "I won't be gotten rid of so easily." "No," Sailor Venus agreed in secret triumph. "I expect you won't." Serenity was not the only one on the grounds with a secret rendezvous on her mind. Elsewhere in the gardens, the Earth Prince Endymion was taking full advantage of the temporary separation of the group. He had wandered purposefully to one of the most secluded areas, a handful of cherry trees surrounded by lilies. The person on his mind had been watching him all morning; the Prince had sensed her eyes upon him even when he could not determine which door or pillar she was hiding behind. Surely she would appear as soon as he was truly alone. "Endymion." A smile spread across his face automatically at the rich, low tones of the familiar voice. How he loved to hear her speak calmly to him, her voice soothing no matter what troubled him. No one could ever utter his name like she did. He turned around, his eyes hungering for her beauty even before they beheld it. His beloved's dark hair and rosy skin were refreshing after days spent among the pale Lunarians. He drank in the sight of her as she wove through the lilies and approached him, but his heart was not fully uplifted. He knew the despair of the task that lay before him. "Beryl." "I thought you'd never get away from them," the woman said breathlessly, running the last few steps to the Earth Prince's side and throwing her arms around him. Prince Endymion could not help but return the embrace, his fingers winding themselves into the soft wavy tresses of her hair, the familiar scent of the jasmine blossoms she wore there going straight to his head. She was warm and soft, and fit against his chest as if they were made to hold each other. The Prince never wanted to let her go. Still, although his heart ached so badly he felt it would burst, when she lifted her chin to kiss him he pulled away. "Endymion? What's wrong?" Beryl's eyes grew dark with disappointment and confusion. Deep, violet eyes, the color of evening. The last thing the Earth Prince wanted was to see those eyes grow sad. Despite this, he knew what he had to do, and no matter how much he loved Beryl, he could not let his heart turn him aside from his duty. "We can't keep doing this," Prince Endymion said heavily. The words were like poison in his mouth, but they had to be said. Even so, he could not quite bring himself to release the black-haired woman from his embrace. "We have to stop seeing each other, Beryl." "What?" the woman breathed in barely more than a whisper, her expression overrun by desperate disbelief. Her hands trembled as she gripped his clothes with her thin fingers. "Why?" Prince Endymion had to avert his gaze; the pain rising in his beloved's eyes was too agonizing. "It's becoming too dangerous," he explained, his eyes following the lilies as they swayed in the afternoon breeze. Their petals were the same snowy white as the tiny blossoms in Beryl's hair, but their scent could not be more different. No matter what his preferences were, Prince Endymion was being forced to exchange one for the other. "If we keep meeting even when Selene's people are here, someone's bound to get suspicious," he said even as his senses reveled in the long-absent fragrance of jasmine that he had missed so badly. "My guardians have been keeping a closer eye on me of late. I'm certain they disapprove of this, and if my parents find out I'm still seeing you..." "Who cares what anyone else thinks?" Beryl burst out pleadingly. "I love you!" Pulling him closer, she again stretched up to kiss him, but Prince Endymion turned his face away. He took her gently, but firmly, by the arms and held her at a less intimate distance, his blue eyes still downcast. "You know I love you, Beryl," he sighed miserably, "but we have to start facing reality. I have to be faithful to my fiance." He felt the woman stiffen in his grip as a storm whipped up in her eyes. "You're really going to marry her, aren't you?" she asked flatly, a touch of anger in her voice. "I must," the Earth Prince replied. "My parents have decreed it, for the good of the Golden Kingdom. From the day it was announced, you must have known it could not be any other way." "And that's it, is it?" Beryl demanded, her voice beginning to tremble. "All the years we've spent together, all the time we've loved each other, it all disappears like it was nothing? You promised we'd always be together, Endymion! You promised you'd make me your Queen!" Hot tears of anguish and fury welled up in the dark-haired woman's eyes and began slipping down her cheeks. The Earth Prince tried to draw Beryl close, but she wrenched herself free of his grasp and turned her back on him, her body quaking as she struggled to control her grief. "Sometimes things don't work out the way we want them to," Prince Endymion said helplessly, staring at Beryl's wavy hair as it trembled in the breeze and in her sorrow. He wished that he had either done this sooner or put it off until later; anything to not be standing in this wretched moment in time. "Did you even try?" Beryl choked out accusingly, still facing away from him. "Did you fight for me, Endymion, or did you just accept your parents' word as law?" "My parents are the King and Queen," the Earth Prince reminded her, bristling with slight irritation. "Their word IS law." "Love should be above the law!" Beryl cried out, whirling around to stare at the man in near-frantic anguish. Prince Endymion's building frustration was swept away by the pain on his beloved's face. She searched him with her eyes as if trying to find the man she loved beneath a cruel exterior, as if he had betrayed her, as if he had become a stranger in only a few minutes. He would have given anything to be able to tell her it was a lie, that they could be together, but that was the one thing he could not say. "Has she enchanted you?" Beryl asked suddenly, a desperate hope sparking to life in her eyes. "That snake Serenity, she's bewitched you to no longer love me, hasn't she? I'll defeat it, I'll break the curse-" "No, Beryl," Prince Endymion said gently. "I am not under a spell." He wished he were; it would have made it all easier. Beryl hesitated, her hands half-raised, her face pleading with him more than any words ever could, but after a moment she sagged. Beryl was one of the most skilled mages on the Earth. If there were any enchantments on the Prince, they would have been as obvious to her as a storm cloud in a clear blue sky. "Well," she whispered, hanging her head and clenching her fists at her sides, "I suppose there's nothing more to be said, then." With those words the entire situation somehow became more real. Prince Endymion was suddenly overtaken by the cold truth that he was forever losing the woman he loved. Pain and terror gripped his heart and he was overcome by the horrible thought that he might never see Beryl again. The very idea was unbearable. "Listen," he said earnestly, taking a step forward, "there's no reason why we can't still see each other socially. I'll be living on the Moon, but there are bound to be numerous occasions when the Earth and the Moon mingle. As long as you're at court..." Prince Endymion trailed off in the face of Beryl's strangled bitter laughter. "Do you really expect me to bear your presence while you hang on the arm of another woman?" she said wretchedly. "It would be worse than a thousand deaths, Endymion. If you let me go, you let me go completely." Sweeping a stray strand of ebony hair out of her face, Beryl turned to watch the cherry trees sway in the breeze. "Besides, I will not be at court much longer." Now it was the Earth Prince's turn to be shocked. "What? I have not heard of this!" "Well, you haven't exactly been around to hear, have you?" Beryl challenged with a brief glance at her companion. Seeing his expression, she softened slightly. "I am wanted back home," she explained. "The Dark Kingdom?" Named for its long winter days devoid of sunlight, that distant land was the northernmost kingdom on the planet. It was Beryl's homeland, but she had not been there since its rulers sent her to the Golden Kingdom's court. Her skill as a mage was part of the tribute the Dark Kingdom paid to the Earth's dominant realm. Beryl had always spoken as if she planned to remain in the Golden City for the rest of her days...but that was when she and Prince Endymion were together. Now she only nodded solemnly. "I've been summoned to investigate a mysterious object that fell from the sky," she told the Earth Prince. "It seemed like a normal shooting star at first, but the mages have been sensing strange signals from it and it may be connected to some odd monuments that have been appearing in the kingdom. It's all very puzzling and His Majesty wants all his experts to investigate. King Arton has given me leave to go. I was going to decline, but..." Isolated on the Moon as he was, Prince Endymion had not heard much about the strange comet that had come from the sun, but as Beryl spoke of it, a cold chill came over him. A sense of dread unlike anything he had ever felt gripped him with icy fingers, and he was afraid. "Be careful," he said almost desperately, without really knowing why. "Whatever that thing is, stay as far away from it as possible. Better yet, do not go at all!" The auburn-haired Prince reached out for Beryl, but she drew back indignantly. "Who are you to tell me what to do now?" she demanded, letting anger override the aching of her heart. "You, who chooses a life on another world as some controlling temptress' prize over your own kingdom!" Tears welled up in Beryl's eyes, but she blinked them away, glaring at her beloved with the fury only bitter anguish could bring. "What do you care what happens to me, if I am nothing to you now?" Beryl could not stand there another minute without breaking down, and she did not want Prince Endymion to see the true depth of her pain. Before the Earth Prince could say another word, the dark-haired woman turned and fled, leaving him alone in the garden with his guilt and grief and the scent of jasmine. The distraught Earth woman ran from one garden to the next, no longer fighting the hot tears as they overflowed their boundaries and dripped from her chin. She loved him so much! How could he choose another woman after everything they had shared? Soon, she was wandering blindly, caring for nothing but getting as far away from the Prince as possible and trying to muffle her sobs. The colors and landscaping of the gardens held no beauty for Beryl anymore. All she could see was Prince Endymion's face as he told her he would make the Moon Princess his wife. The betrothal had come as a shock when it was first announced months ago, but Beryl had always believed everything would work out somehow. The Prince had seized every excuse to visit Earth and meet with her despite his engagement. She had never imagined he would give up on their love. As Beryl turned a corner, a flash of white caught her attention through the blur of tears. She stopped short and scurried close to the nearest hedge, not wanting anyone to see her in her current state. Looking around, Beryl noticed she was close to the edge of the palace grounds. Why would anyone else be out here? Wiping the tears from her face, she peered around the leafy branches. There was a gardener's shed tucked into a corner against the garden wall and someone was inside, but the angle of the open door prevented Beryl from seeing the occupant. Her eyes narrowed. There was no equipment anywhere in sight, not even a watering can. It would be unusual for the gardeners to be out during daylight anyway. What would a thief want with landscaping tools? In another moment, the mysterious person emerged from the shed in another flash of white, and Beryl was so shocked she nearly collapsed. It was the Moon Princess, Serenity. What manner of trick was this? Why would the Princess be here unescorted and rooting through a gardener's shed? It seemed impossible, but there was no mistaking the long white dress and flowing colorless hair. As Beryl watched, hardly daring to breathe, Princess Serenity pulled a long rain cloak out of the shed and wrapped it around herself. By the practiced way in which the Lunarian adjusted the cloth to cover her dress, Beryl judged this was far from the first time the Moon Princess had crept about in disguise. Serenity clearly had a secret, and in that moment, with her heart aching from the pain of losing her beloved Prince Endymion to the Moon, Beryl resolved to discover what it was. If her lover would not fight for her, at least she might still have revenge. Ignorant of the burning eyes upon her, Princess Serenity raised the hood of the cloak over her hair and pulled it forward until it covered the crescent moon mark on her forehead. Satisfied, she slipped through a door in the wall and found herself on the streets of the Golden City. After a moment, Beryl followed. |
