Chapter Two: Princess Serena
The Moon Palace
Moon, Moon Kingdom
"Happy thirteenth, Princess." Darian said as he kneeled beside
Serena's bed.
Serena yawned and opened her eyes, stretching. Darian smiled as he saw
her face change from sleepy dreaminess to wide awake happiness,
"Darian!" she squeaked, "You made it!" she threw her arms around him
and hugged him tightly.
"Of course I made it, Serena." Darian said, feigning a hurt look,
"As if I'd miss YOUR birthday." He said, pulling a rose from out of
thin air, "For you." He said with a courtly bow.
Serena yawned again and climbed out of bed, taking the rose with a
graceful curtsy, "It's just that there was all that talk about war on
Earth and that Amazon Queen." She said, "It's been worrying Mama and
the Council of Nine." She said sadly, "Worse than when they had to
evacuate Planet Solar." Darian saw the flicker of sadness in her wide,
expressive eyes - as it always did when the subject of Planet Solar came
up. Serena was very much the future Queen of the Kingdom, feeling the
hurt of all her people even at such a young age. Instinctively, he
pulled her closer to him.
"Such dark memories on the happiest day of the Kingdom?" Darian
scolded softly, "I can't let that happen." He said as he started to
tickle her.
Within seconds he had Serena on the floor of the room, laughing as she
begged for mercy. Then suddenly, he stopped and picked her up wrapping
his arms around her as he kissed her forehead, "Come on, let's go plant
your thirteenth rose bush." He said softly.
Serena smiled and padded after him out of the room into the private
garden that her room led to. For as long as she could remember, Darian
Endymion had visited her at Earth-dawn on her birthday and given her a
rose bush. Not ANY sort of rose bush mind you. The most special sort.
The sort which he himself made. She called them sun-roses because they
were a bright, sun colored golden and when they bloomed they gave off a
light fragrance and glowed - in the summer, it was never completely dark
because they filled the entire garden with the remembrance of sunlight.
The moment when Darian made the sun-rose bush for her birthday was
something they shared together every year. This year, as always, Serena
stood next to him as he bent on the earth, still cold from the night.
She watched as the bushes all around them started to glow in answer to
his magic. And as he picked up a handful of earth, the brown dirt
glowed as well. The dawn highlighted the sky behind him, and to
Serena's eyes, he seemed to glow as much as the roses.
There was a humming of sound - of the energy he called. He closed his
fist and stood up, opening up his hand. The glowing dirt trailed down
in a trail of dust and it seemed to outline a rose bush, beautiful as it
fell, till the bush was there in all but solidity.
Then, as the sun came completely above the horizon, the rose bush
appeared, its blossoms opening to welcome the light.
"Pleased, Princess?" Darian asked as he stood, smiling as she hurled
herself at him, hugging him tightly.
"It's beautiful as always, Darian." Serena whispered into his ear,
"Thank you!" she kneeled in the earth to smell the first roses and
gasped in surprise, "Oh!" she looked up, "Look, Darian - they're red
inside!" she exclaimed in pleasure, "They're so beautiful."
Darian frowned then seemed to shake himself as the smile came back, "As
long as you're happy." He said, "Come on, we'd better go back inside
before you catch a cold, and if the guards find me in your rooms this
early, they'll be a lot to catch when your Mother finds out." He said.
Serena giggled, "Exactly WHAT would Mother have to be angry about,
Darian?" she asked, arching one eyebrow.
Darian growled as he picked her up - squealing - and whirled her around,
"You're getting old, Serena." He said, "But I'm still older and you
aren't finding out about THAT from me." He chuckled.
Serena sighed in disappointment. Last year, Mina, Lita and Rei had
turned sixteen and a lot of the nobles had started acting funny around
them, the same with Ami as well even though she was just fifteen. It
looked like so much fun - but Serena wasn't allowed to join in and she
couldn't figure out what was going on.
"Oh, but EVERYBODY else knows!" Serena sighed, "I just want to find
out so I can join in to!"
Darian shook his head, "You're too young yet, princess. Maybe next year
- or better yet, the year after that." he whirled her around one more
time before putting her back carefully on the ground, "Don't ever change
Serena." He said as he tucked her back into bed and walked out of the
room.
Prince Darian Endymion didn't stop walking till he entered the
Earth suite he'd been allocated at the Palace, nodding to the guards
outside. He breathed deeply as soon as he shut the door and leaned
against it.
*My god! What was that?* he demanded to himself, *God, you're such a
fool length bastard!* he thought guiltily.
Hopefully Serena would never know what had happened to him when she'd
been under him on the floor like that. *She's a CHILD - your PRINCESS.
You have NO right to feel like THAT for her!* he snapped at himself,
*Loyalty, love as vassal to sovereign, but NOT that!* he groaned softly
and slammed down into a chair, cradling his head in his hands, *Oh god.*
he shivered, staring at his reflection in the mirror across the room,
*I'm eighteen years old, she's thirteen and the heir to the Moon
Kingdom. What have I done?*
Moon Palace
Crescent Hall
Moon Kingdom
The courtiers ooed and awed loudly as Princess Serena accepted the
next gift - this one from an Ambassador of Venus. It was a beautifully
crafted coronet, made out of sparkling gold with inset patterns that
could be felt but not seen. A sparkling blue opal was set at the apex.
Out of the corner of her eyes, Serena could see a messenger enter the
hall and run over to where Darian was watching, leaning against a wall.
He'd been acting strangely all through the celebrations today. Quiet
and far away as if something was bothering him. Absently she smiled
brightly at the next ambassador with a gift as she watched his face as
he listened to the messenger.
"Serena! Concentrate!" Serenity warned in a low whisper, "Watch what
you're doing dearling unless you want to proclaim your interest to one
particular one!" she said with a slight smile.
Serena hastily brought her attention back to realize she'd just smiled
at one of the five or six suitors for her hand from the other Kingdoms.
Ignoring the fact that the suitor was acting very smug and that many of
the courtiers were looking at him with narrowed eyes, she accepted the
gift and thanked him before accepting the next gift, making sure to
smile just as brightly.
Court Ettiquette was the strangest subject her tutors taught her, and
Serena could never QUITE figure out which was more ridiculous. Having
to know when and who to smile at in a given situation, or whether
SNEEZING might insult somebody!
Still, her concentration was shot when the messenger and Darian
arrived at the dais.
"Your Majesty, Princess Serena." He said politely, bowing, "I beg to
report news from Earth." He said.
"Please do, Prince Darian." Serenity said calmly, donning the cloak
of Queenship.
"The enemy of Earth, the Amazon Queen Artaria has declared war on all
of Earth in an attempt to take control of the planet." There were gasps
at the report, the last time a person had tried to take over one of the
Nine Planets had been a millennia ago.
Serenity's face grew hard, "Go on." She said.
"They have attacked and taken control of one continent and are moving
to the next." Darian reported, "I have been commanded by the King and
Queen of Earth to report this and then return to take control of the
Armies of Earth and defeat the enemy." He said.
Serenity nodded regally, then held up one hand for silence as her voice
echoed across the suddenly very quiet room, "We have sanctioned the
Endymion Family as our vassal on the Planet Earth, as have the Eternal
Spirit of Earth decreed that the Endymion Family shall have rulership
and guidance of her children. This attempt of the Amazon Queen is in
direct disobedience to both Our wishes and that of the Spirit of Earth.
We hereby decree that the Amazon Queen Artaria and all who follow her as
enemies of the Kingdom." She said in the silence.
Darian saluted, "As you wish, my Queen." He said, bowing and nodded to
Serena before walking out - towards the Portal to return to Earth no
doubt."
*Protect him, Goddess.* Serena prayed, *He's my best friend.* she
pleaded, *And I love him.*
