Chapter Five: Warrior Prince
Earth
Terra Home
Moon Kingdom
Darian, Prince of Earth, First General of Earth's Armies, Chosen
Guardian of the Earth-Stone and second in line to the throne of Earth,
stared out of the same window he'd looked out of sixteen years ago.
Only this time, he watched the Moon rise. The crisp wind blew at his
hair, and suddenly he didn't want anything restricting him - nothing
stopping him from being free.
Free from the constraints of leadership, the responsibility of other
lives, the rigidness of the armies - everything.
The wind blew harder and impatiently, he reached behind him and pulled
out the thong holding back his hair; it was longer than he usually had
it. Between commanding the troops out, supporting the mages against the
magical attacks and trying to stay alive out in the battle sectors, he'd
never gotten around to having it cut. Usually, he'd just tied it back
with a leather thong, but this night he didn't want anything holding
him.
*I should get it cut soon.* he thought, letting it fall around his
shoulders, *Right now, I probably don't look very civilized.*
But then, none of them did. He and the Guardians - the elite force of
warriors that formed the core of the Earth Armies - had been fighting
for so long. Sometimes, it had felt as if there had never been anything
OTHER than the fighting and the deaths. In the past three years, there
had been very little time for pleasant civilizities like making sure
your hair was the same lenght as fashion dictated.
Darian sighed as he ran a hand through his hair, wishing his heart
didn't feel as heavy as it did. Far away from Terra Home's glowing,
healty gardens, he knew the armies were still at work. The last of the
Amazon Queen's armies were being healed - they'd finally discovered why
the Amazon Queen had so many followers, her Talent at coercion and
illusion was almost as powerful as those she held over the elements. He
wondered at how many bodies would be found in the morning - dead because
they hadn't been found in time to be healed, or already half dust, burnt
to death by the wild lightning that had nearly destroyed both armies
when the Queen had been killed.
*I've got to stop thinking of all this.* Darian thought, gritting his
teeth. After all, *THAT* was why Jadeite, Nephrite, Zoisite and
Malachite had forced him away from the last battle. He KNEW his energy
reserves were nearly depleated. *I just need several days of rest.
Just to catch up with my sleep.* he thought, breathing deeply, *Just to
get use to not breathing in the dust of dead bodies, blood and gore.*
*Just to remember what it was like to be alive and innocent.*
Maybe then he wouldn't dream of fighting through those nightmare black
armored Warriors. Wouldn't keep reliving the moment when his sword
sliced through armour and hit flesh. Wouldn't keep hearing the last
screams of a hundred souls as they died.
Darian closed his eyes, swallowing. When he opened his eyes, he
could see the Moon. Full, bright and shining purely in the clear, cool
night sky. In his mind's eye, he saw a laughing girl-child on the verge
of becoming a woman. Like a rabbit quivering in the shadows, deciding
whether to dart across the empty field or stay where it was.
*How are you, little Rabbit?* he asked, *Are you still laughing? Are
you still happy? Do you still laugh freely?*
He didn't know how many times through the fighting, when the vision of
his tiny Princess's face had brought him back from the edge of insanity.
When the blood and gore had seemed too much to handle, Serena's sweet
laugh had called him back from depression and spurred him to stop the
Amazon Queen before she destroyed Earth and went on to defile the rest
of the Nine Planets.
*Little one.* he stared up at the moon, and closed his eyes, seeing
Serena as he last saw her, her eyes filled with laughter and innocence.
*Have you changed at all in the past three years?* he asked, *Sweet
sixteen this year. I wonder if you've fallen in love yet. Have you let
him - whoever he is - kiss you?* he felt a quick surge of jealousy at
the unknown courtier who might or might not have won Serena's love. *I
give my oath, I'll do anything in my power to make sure that you never
have to see what I saw. That you stay as young as you can for as long
as you can, little rabbit.* he swore.
As the future Queen of the Moon Kingdom, it was impossible for Serena to
stay innocent forever, but for as long as he could, without putting her
in jeopardy or hurting her or her future, he would keep her safe.
Tiredly, Darian rubbed his eyes and moved back into the room. He'd
come to Terra Home straight from the last battle, the energy he'd used
to destroy the Queen and the last of her Warriors still making him light
headed and dizzy. He felt older than his twenty one years tonight. Too
old and scarred to see Serena. Too scared that the dirt embedded so
deep inside him that it could't be washed away, might contaminate her
pureness.
But, in those quiet seconds in his room, he wanted to see Serena. If
only for a little while. If he kept a strict control on what he said
and a rigid hold on the emotions he showed, maybe he could get away with
just talking to his little rabbit. Just for a while. . .
Feeling guilty but at the same time anticipation, Darian slipped a cloak
over his clothes, pulling the hood up so it hid his face. Silently, he
slipped out of his room, past the exausted, sleeping guards and towards
the Portal Room. Equally quietly, he typed in the co-ordinates for
Serena's private garden.
*Will she be happy to see me? Will she hug me, or tell me off for
missing her birthday celebration? Or will she be stiff and an upright
princess?* Darian wondered as he stood in the centre of the Portal,
*No, Serena could never be stiff and upright.* he decided.
Smiling, he watched the shifting colors as the Portal sent him towards
the Moon.
The pale warm glow emminating from the sun-rose bushes reminded
Darian that he hadn't been able to send the five sun-roses he'd sent
every year he'd been unable to come to Serena's birthday celebrations.
*One more thing to feel guilty of.* Darian thought sadly. He stared up
at the sky where Earth hung, full and glowing. *Maybe she'll accept
them still a day late.* he thought hopefully.
Closing his eyes he reached through the link he had as the Guardian
of the Earth-Stone and through the Stone, the streaming, pure brown
energy of his Earth. He could feel the warmth - so much warmer than the
heat of the sun in the centre of the desert and yet as soothing and warm
as a hearth-fire - that surrounded him as he asked for the energy and
was given freely. He spun the power into the familiar patterns, pouring
everything he felt for Serena into them.
How much he wanted to protect her, wanted to care for her - everything.
He opened his eyes. In his hands were five, just opened sun-roses. He
frowned slightly at the dark red at the centre - it was the only sign of
the way he felt for Serena, *And hopefully she'll never connect the way
I feel with these roses.* Darian thought as he made his way through the
garden.
The balcony doors were half opened, the translucent curtains
drifting slightly in the breeze. Eagerly, Darian quickened his step and
walked through the drifting mist like curtains into the dark room.
He'd surprise her like he had the last time and she'd laugh and be happy
to see him and -
"Hold it." A voice snapped, "One false move and you're dead."
Instincts built from living in danger for more two long, terrible years,
Darian dropped to a fighting crouch, his hand reaching down to where his
sword -
Wasn't hanging.
Silently cursing himself for forgetting what training had drummed into
him for seven hundred and thirty days and nights, Darian drew the sun-
roses tightly up against his chest, if he could pin point where this
unknown attacker was, he might be able to throw the roses into his - *Or
is it a her?* - eyes and make enough of a commotion to draw the guards.
"Jupiter!" the same voice commanded.
"Jupiter Light!" a new voice commanded.
Lightning flared - bright enough to blind and Darian flinched even
through his reflexes.
"Prince Darian Endymion." A familiar voice this time - Queen
Serenity's. She sounded surprised.
"Carrying some more of those sun-roses." He could see who had spoken
first now - Sailor Sensei Saturn, "Came to finish the job when your
demon-spirit failed?" she demanded angrily, "Saturn Energy!" she
snarled, holding her hands out claw like. A flickering ball of energy
formed between them, stray bolts of pure energy crackling around her
fingers.
"Hold, Saturn." Serenity said, walking from where she'd been sitting
next to Serena's bed, "What are you doing here, Darian?" she asked, her
voice hard, "Tell me this isn't true."
Darian stared at all of them - there was only five of the Queen's Inner
Court and Queen Serenity herself standing there.
"What's going on?" he asked, frowning, "Why are you in Serena's
bedroom? Where is Serena?" he asked, looking around.
"As if you didn't know, bastard!" Saturn spat, "She and Mercury,
Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune are all good as dead!"
she looked ready to kill him, but Darian didn't even notice that.
His heart had jumped at those words. "Dead?" Those words that he'd
been forced to write down so many times to families waiting behind the
peace-lines - those ones he wanted to forget so badly. "Dead? Serena?
Ami and Mina? Rei, Lita and Alexander? Heather and Michelle?" he
whispered. It couldn't be true. They were so far from the fighting.
Surely it couldn't be true - surely the dirt and destruction hadn't
soiled them -
"He wasn't the sender of the energy drainer, Saturn." Sensei Mars
spoke from the shadows.
Saturn relaxed, the energy between her hands vanishing, "But he
comes with those blasted sun-roses." She said, pointing.
Darian stared down at his hand, struggling to keep a hold on babbling as
confusion caught hold of him. "What is going on?" he managed.
Serenity took pity on him then.
"This day, Serena received five of those sun-roses - exactly like
those you carry. Except they were black within." She added, gesturing.
He felt two hands on his shoulders, and forced his reflexes to relax.
*Queen Serenity is my sovereign ruler. By tradition AND law, she has
every right to kill me should she wish.* he reminded himself - it
didn't do any good, he clenched his jaw, forcing himself not to twist
under Sensei Jupiter and Uranus's hold. Mars took the roses from his
grasp and stared at them.
For several tense seconds there was only silence then Mars sighed and
shook her head.
"These are made by pure Earth energy. There are many emotions, but
nothing else." She looked at Darian, *Mother-Earth, I hope that Serena
doesn't have the same talent Sensei Mars has in emotions and spirits.*
Darian thought fearfully, *She KNOWS.* he stared at the sensei,
silently begging her not to tell what she knew.
"He won't harm Serena - or her Inner Court." Mars said, turning
away, "Those roses are the same as the bushes he created for her three
years ago."
Saturn stared at Darian for an instant then nodded, "One question
though, Prince of Earth. Did you send your sun-roses to Princess Serena
this year?"
Darian frowned, "No. The Ports were all closed. I didn't dare open
even one Port in case the Amazon Queen managed to escape." He said,
staring down at the ground - before these older women, feeling like an
erring boy again, "The Portals just reopened this night - I reopened the
one at Terra Home. The Amazon Queen was defeated late morning." he
said softly.
Serenity stared at Darian for several seconds before she nodded, "I
believe you and Sensei Mars." She said finally as she turned away.
Darian relaxed as he felt Sensei Jupiter and Uranus's hands fall away.
The six elders turned from him, going back to where they must have been
standing before.
Darian stood there, confused, "Please - where is Serena?" he asked
softly, his voice loud in the silence.
Serenity looked up, then glanced to Mars before gesturing for Darian to
come forward, "She hasn't changed for the past couple of hours." She
added as she moved so Darian could take her place by her daughter's
side.
Darian stared down at his princess's body for the first time in three
years. She was no longer a child - that was a sure fact. The potential
that had been there when he last saw her had come true. She was
beautiful - she had been a beautiful child, *But she is no longer a
child.* he didn't realize that he'd fallen to his knees and taken her
lifeless hand into his own, "Serena - goddess." He murmered.
Serenity stared at the dark haired young man. She had watched
Darian Endymion grow from the silent, sensative boy who had watched
Serena like his own sister, to the laughing nineteen year old boy who
had left the Moon Court to save his people from an enemy. Now, it was
three years later, and he had grown. *He's no more a boy than Serena is
a child.* she thought, realizing for the first time that Serena wasn't
the tiny girl who she had played tag with in the Royal Gardens, *And if
my eyes don't deceive me, and I doubt my heart does either, he is truly
in love with my Serena.* she turned away from Serena's bed.
*I can leave her now, he will come to me if Serena is in danger.*
Serenity thought, pulling up shields against the grief and terror that
rose every time she thought of Serena in danger. *I have to be the
Queen of the Moon Kingdom. I have to find out who this unknown enemy
is, and WHY it has attacked US so unprovoked.* she turned unhappily to
the door.
"Guard her well, Darian." She murmered as she left the room.
The Sensei looked up in surprise at her words, but Darian didn't seem to
hear. They stared at her and silently she told them to stay here, and
watch out for more unknown and unseen enemies, and then, the mantle of
rulership fell over her shoulders once more.
