2/15/01
Legend of the Dark Moon - Book 1 - Prologue by Sailor Heartache
The room was loud, each occupant trying to get a word in. It was a
common occurrence, for the day was the first of the month, calling for the
monthly council meeting. A round table sat in the middle of the room, each
of the Knights of Vesper sat arguing over the latest problem. Vesper was a
large planet, its size larger than our own sun. Known for it's unmentionable
power, Vesper was the capital of the Star Kingdoms.
There were nine knights in all: Logan, Prince of Astrum; Matthew, Prince
of Stella; Alexander, Prince of Sidus; Luke, Prince of Caelum; Drake,
Prince of Otium; Scott, Prince of Lucis; Thomas, Prince of Hora; Leslie,
Princess of Vesper; and Ryan, Prince of Vesper. Each knight was the first
born of his/her kingdom, the exception being the two knights from Vesper.
Leslie and Ryan were twins, born less than two minutes apart. They
unbearably close, and sometimes even their parents wondered how they
remained so close to each other. Ryan himself was supposed to be the
future King of Vesper, but when he became engaged, he gave way to his
sister. The Knights of Vesper themselves would one day rule their own
stars.
A loud bang silenced everyone in the room, all except Amor, the king of
Vesper. "Enough. It's time to get to the bottom of this. Drake, what exactly
does the prophecy state?"
In a voice full of fear and hope he read the prophecy aloud.
In a time of freedom,
A new age shall be born,
Triplets of the stars shall be born,
Uniting the Earth and Heavens,
Immortal;
The children shall never grow old,
Nor shall they have children,
Forever in their shadow shall be peace,
Yet only when their soul mates appear shall it triumph.
"That's all? How are we to judge by this?" Logan asked.
Leslie looked up from where she had been listening, "We aren't, we can
only try to decode the message." Pausing she thought, "It says 'triplets of
the stars'. That means that they shall be born in one of the star kingdoms."
Ryan looked at his sister nodding in agreement, "True, but may I ask why
we are so worried about this anyway? There is absolutely nothing we can
do to
change it."
This time Alexander answered, "There is nothing we can do, but that does
not mean we can not be prepared for the inevitable."
"Your highness, I beg to agree with Prince Ryan. There is no reason to
worry over such a prophecy. It gives no date, or even close. We shall not
even know when it shall occur." Scott said.
"You're right as always, Scott. Only what happens if it does occur?" Amor
responded.
Drake looked up from the scroll he was reading, "Your highness, it does
seem as if there's more." As the King motioned for him to read it he began:
The greatest powers in the universe,
The triplets shall triumph over the ultimate evil.
The oldest with the power of light and love,
The middle with the power of time, space, and the stars,
The youngest with the power of all living things and death itself,
Together they are unbeatable.
"Thank you, Drake, but I still do not see how this shall help us."
"Don't you see? The power of the moon? Ryan himself is marrying Queen
Serenity of the Moon Kingdom! Who is to say the children shall not be his
own?"
"Drake is right, my lord. What are the odds of this not being the match? If
not it could take maybe years for the prophecy to be fulfilled." Luke added.
"Then it is coming! The time of eternal peace." Ryan said, "He is right
father, it truly is time for the revolution."
"Ryan! You've forgotten that we don't know what comes before the peace!
We could be wiped off this star without another thought! You can't just
think that peace will come on its own, first you must defeat evil!" Amor
exclaimed.
"Yes, but it has not been foretold of any war in the future." Leslie added.
Amor sighed at his children's stubbornness. He had seen many wars, most
of
which he had even fought in, and the one thing he had learned was that
peace
would never come without a fight. "Let us drop this subject. There is
nothing to be done till the triplets are born anyway."
Drake nodded, and moved towards the next subject. "It seems as if a small
civil war has broken out on the small planet of Earth. They have sent us a
plea for help."
"How small is this war?"
"It seems as if the planet is not equipped with any protectors. In fact it
seems as if their bodies can't hold magic. It's quite odd, never before have I
seen this." Scott said.
Leslie looked at Scott thoughtfully, never had she heard him say something
like that. Scott was the genius of the bunch, he had traveled to almost
every star and planet, with the exception of the Milky Way Galaxy. They
had not yet formed an alliance with them, but if Ryan's marriage to Queen
Serenity went through then they would be able to. "What's so different
about them?"
"Well, it's as if they don't want their powers." Pausing thoughtfully he
continued, "There are only a few who could even control it, but they don't
seem to know or want to."
Luke interrupted, "Guys, now's not the time for you to discuss Earth's
potential powers. We need to decide whether or not to help their people."
"He's right for once," ignoring the glare he received Alexander, he
continued, "What do we know about this war?
"Not much. It seems that the current rulers aren't treating their citizens
well, so they've decided to rebel. They've even picked the next ruler, that is
who wrote us for help." Drake shuffled through some papers, "His name is
Stephan, and he has a son Endymion."
Logan looked up, "Well, do we know how bad the circumstances are?"
"Unfortunately we do. The citizens have been trying for years to improve
their government. The King and Queen ignored all their pleas, I'm
surprised they
didn't rebel earlier," Drake answered.
Amor sighed, "How bad are their odds of winning?"
"Not good. Earth's forces are split, the few who do know how to control
magic have joined the King's side. The only chance they have is if we help
them."
"Ok, we'll have to send the Knights, since it's peaceful, we shouldn't have
any problem with your absence. Are there any objections?" Amor asked.
None were spoken. "Then travel to Earth and resolve this problem."
Each Knight nodded, leaving the room to prepare for their journey.
~~~~~~~
A small breeze blew across the desolate atmosphere, a small tumbleweed
blew by unnoticed by anyone. There were no noises, no sounds, nothing at
all that was living. The only things that could be seen were dead bodies
everywhere, some missing arms and legs, others not so lucky.
A loud sound was heard in the distance, it moved closer and closer. Finally
two men emerged from a small thicket of thorns. They seemed to be
looking for someone or something, each looked anxiously in different
directions.
The older of the two men spoke up, "The transmission said they would
meet
us here. Right?"
The second nodded in agreement still looking for the group of people they
were to meet. "Yes, Stephan said that they would be arriving here shortly
after
sunrise."
All of the sudden a new voice joined the other two, "My guess is that you
would be looking for us."
The two men turned the sight they saw was not what they had expected.
Standing about a hundred yards away, was not the army they expected,
instead a
group of twelve each dressed in royal armor.
"Don't be so rude Ryan! Let me introduce myself, I am Leslie Princess of
Vesper. My father has sent us to help you."
The men looked at the group critically, trying to find out what it was that
they could do to help.
Alexander looked at the taller of the two men, "Don't judge us by our
looks, we are the most powerful Knights in the Star Kingdoms."
The younger of the two men looked the girl over, "What do you mean? She
is a girl for Gaia's sake. Girl's can't be knights."
Leslie looked the young man over, "What's your name boy?"
"Michael."
"Well, Michael, as my friend has said never judge a person by the looks."
Pausing she glanced at the sun, "I would challenge you, but time is
pressing we
must see Stephan."
The older of the two smiled, "Sure, I'm Jason."
With that he led them silently over a few hills, and into a small wooded
area. The group was quiet the whole way no one said a word, yet their
thoughts said enough. Eventually, a small camp came into view.
"The eagle of the sun clashes with the dove of the moon." Jason said as
they reached the edge of the camp.
The new comers looked on wondering if maybe the man in front of them
was crazy. As they continued to watch a hundred or more soldiers moved
away
from where they had been hidden.
"Stephan, we've brought the recruits from the Star Kingdoms."
A tall man nodded and stepped out of the crowd, "Welcome, I thank you
for coming on such short notice."
Luke looked at him curiously, "When do you ever have anything other than
short notice? This is a war."
Stephan chuckled deeply, "That is true my friend."
Stepping forward Ryan smiled, "It's quite ok. Let me introduce myself. I'm
Prince Ryan of Vesper, the current leader of the Knights of Vesper."
"Don't let him get to you, he just likes people to know that he's got power."
Smiling Leslie stepped forward, "I'm Princess Leslie."
One by one each of the Knights introduced themselves.
"It is a pleasure to meet you all, but I must say when your father agreed to
send help, I did think that he would send an army."
Logan looked him over thoughtfully before answering, "Stephan, is it true
that earthlings do not believe in magic?"
"Of course not! Magic is just a legend!"
Logan smiled, and held is hand above his head. "Astrum Star Strike!"
Moving his hand in a circular motion, a flaming ball of light formed. With
precise accuracy he shot it at a group of trees, leaving nothing but an
empty hole.
The group of soldiers looked on in awe. None had ever seen a sight like
that, in fact none had even believed it possible.
The Knights smiled, and waited calmly for the soldiers to exit their stupor.
"Do you think Logan went overboard?"
Smiling Leslie turned to him, "No, I think if he had of just levitated
something they would have blamed it on the wind."
"You're probably right, but how long do you think they'll stay like that?"
Alexander asked motioning to the group of soldiers who were staring
silently at the new clearing.
Stephan shook his head. His son had once done something like that, but at
the time they had no idea what it was. "May I ask how you did that?"
Scott stepped forward, "It's really very hard to explain. Every planet or star
has it's own protectors, even Earth. Most of the time it's the royal family
that holds the power, but in Earth's case it's not. For some reason your
planet's power has been given to someone unknown to even the royal
family."
"My son," Stephan replied, "Has been able to pull roses out of nowhere
since he was one, and once when he his mother was killed he released a
power beam from his head. Could he possibly be the one?"
The knights looked each other over wondering if it was possible. Leslie
finally nodded, "It most likely is."
"I'm truly am sorry, but we really must get to the business at hand." Ryan
said guiltily, "We must return to the Star Kingdoms soon."
Stephan nodded in understanding, "Of course."
He headed for his tent motioning for the others to follow, leaving the still
stunned soldiers in their wake.
"We started this war about two months ago. At that time we had over four
thousand men signed into our army, but the King's forces were too strong.
After the first few battles we realized that there was no way to defeat them
without help. So we wrote to you and the Silver Millennium for help.
Queen Serenity sent us the Sailor Senshi, which have left to scan the King's
forces."
Ryan nodded, he knew that Serenity had helped them. "Do you know when
they will return?"
"We're right here, your highness." Sailor Venus said from the doorway.
Each of the planetary senshi was there, Venus, Mercury, Jupiter, Mars,
Neptune, Uranus, Saturn, and even the legendary Pluto.
"Mercury! Why in the world did Serenity send you? You're pregnant for
Vesper's sake!"
"I promised that I wouldn't use my magic, and she allowed it." Mercury
answered ignoring the shout of protest from Stephan when she said magic.
"Really your highness, you know that Mercury is the most level headed of
us." Jupiter added.
Sighing he let the matter drop, and sat down with Venus to make plans for
the final attack on the Earth's Palace.
^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^
The attack went smoothly, there was nothing to stop the Knights, except
for mere soldiers who could not understand how they seemed to be able to
control an unknown force. Approximately two hours after the battle began
it was over. And if the queen had not been so stubborn it would have been
only an hour.
The senshi themselves did not stay long after the battle, but instead
returned to their queen. Venus had told them before they left that Mercury
was beginning to have contractions, each knight prayed for the safety of
their friend.
The knights stayed for three weeks, helping the new monarch build and
repair the broken government. It seemed as if Endymion was the protector
of
Earth, and before the Knights left, each taught him a lesson of magic.
Logan taught him to control large amounts of power in one attack, Luke
taught him to focus on something hard enough for it to come true, Ryan
taught him to be patient while learning a task, Leslie taught him never to
underestimate an opponent, Alexander taught him to be brave and never
fear an enemy. Mathew taught him to be elusive and stealthy, Thomas
taught him to be quiet and listened to the sounds around him, and Drake
taught him that no matter what never attack an enemy before they had
proven themselves an enemy.
Before long the time the knights spent in Earth was over, and each said
long good byes to their new friends before returning home. Each promised
to look out for the earth.
^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^
2 Years Later- Moon Kingdom
"My lord, what is to be done about lady Beryl? She has proven herself as a
powerful and decisive enemy. If we do not do something then she will
become too powerful for us to handle!" exclaimed the King Paul of Venus.
"Paul, my friend, there is not much we can do! She has yet to break any of
the laws of the Silver Alliance, and unless she does we cannot arrest her or
take any punishment upon her. The only thing she has committed is being
powerful, and she is still not as powerful as my sister or her guards. If we
must we will send for them." King Ryan of the Moon Kingdom replied.
It was a solemn meeting, the kings of each of the planets in the Silver
Alliance had met to discuss the latest threat. The only problem was that the
threat had yet to prove threatening.
"Ryan, we must do something! If we do not then we may leave it up to our
children! Think of your unborn child! What will happen to her if we do not
stop
Beryl!" Shouted the King of Mercury.
Ryan sighed and took a sip of his wine. "You know I would love to do
something, but it is written in our own laws! We cannot prosecute
someone for
something they have yet to commit! "
"But what about Earth? Several of their lords and ladies have been killed,
those who survived say that Lady Beryl is to blame!" Argued Titan of
Neptune.
"Yes, but Earth is not within the Silver Alliance! We can't punish her for
something that was not committed inside of our kingdom! Earth laws must
punish
her!" He rebutted.
Kevin of Mars stroked his mustache, "But Earth does not have adequate
facilities for taking away a persons magical abilities! If they do punish her
she will most likely either disappear or wait out her sentence growing even
stronger."
"Let us look at the facts, Beryl has not fled Earth for a reason. She does not
wish to be punished under our laws so she stands at her own planet waiting
to become stronger so that she can attack us." The King of Mercury
paused, "If that is the true reason she remains on Earth, then we must stay
prepared for her arrival."
"But if that is so, then what if she is too strong for our defenses? They are
not at their best, and haven't been since the last war." Kevin asked.
Ryan looked out the window, "That is true." Turning to the young courier
standing by the door. "Go to the General, tell him that I have issued a
decree
stating that all armies shall be in full training until further notice."
The courier nodded and did as he was told.
"What about the senshi, Your Highness?" Luther of Uranus asked.
"What about them?"
He looked at the King with curiosity, "Don't you think that the senshi
should begin full training also? Maybe even the younger senshi should
begin when they turn of age."
"But Luther, the Elder Senshi are all pregnant! We cannot ask them to
begin training until they have given birth!" Ryan argued.
This time it was Lance of Pluto who spoke, "That is not true, your
highness. Each of the outer senshi gave birth last week. The inners are all
expecting some time this week." Pausing he looked as if he was thinking of
something, when he seemed to have come to an agreement with himself he
continued. "It will take a while for the outers to get back into shape, and in
a few years we shall need to train the younger senshi. I think it would be
wise to start them into training as soon as possible."
The King of the Moon nodded, "Yes, I think you're right, Lance. Each of
you tell your wives that as soon as the children are independent enough for
them to begin training they shall meet on the Moon. I will have Leslie
come down to train them. Are there any more arguments?"
The Kings all looked at each other, no one spoke. Then a loud crash was
heard and the doors to the large room were pushed open. A small boy of
about
nine years entered the room.
"My kings, I bring news for King Ryan." Turning to the highest king he
said, "My lord your wife is in labor, it seems as if she is to give birth at any
moment!"
The king nodded politely at each of the members of the Silver Alliance
before quickly taking his leave and heading for his birthing wife.
^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^
The queen of the moon had her baby, in fact she had three of them.
Triplets the cutest little things in the world all three were girls. The first
was perfect in every way on her head shone the bright symbol of the Moon
they named her Serenity. The second was completely different from her
older sister, Serenity had blond hair and a fair complexion like her mother,
this daughter had a medium complexion and light brown hair they named
her Alexandra. Alexandra was born with the symbol of the stars on her
forehead. The third was looked most like Alexandra, her dark brown hair
was a complete clash with her mother and her dark complexion was a
perfect match with her father. This child was different she had an air of
complete power about her, she was by far more powerful than either of her
sisters. This daughter was born with the two symbols interlocked, the
crescent moon hung from the star that burned brightly upon her forehead,
she was named Charity.
>From the beginning each baby began showing extraordinary power,
Serenity would heal any animal or person brought to her, Alexandra began
to show
true loyalty and protected her two sisters with powerful energy beams, but
Charity was different. Charity's power seemed to draw from something
larger then her two sisters, and she seemed to have a power that was
unmatched in the universe.
When the triplets turned six it was decided that since their power seemed
to be greater then any of the royals before them, they should train with the
sailor senshi. Serenity became Sailor Moon, protector of anything
innocent. Alexandra became the first sailor senshi of Vesper, Sailor
Vesper, protector of the stars. Charity's powers seemed to have no source,
and without one she could not become a senshi, but unable to let her sisters
fight without her she became Dark Moon. It wasn't that Charity was evil,
but her power was so raw that it appeared black to anyone who saw it, but
her power was different from the others.
The senshi all had to have focus to concentrate their powers, Dark Moon's
powers came from everything around her animals, space, time, light,
darkness, and even the very neutrons that surrounded her. It was of her
power that each of the silver senshi were born. Taking a bit of each of the
planets power she combined them with her own life force giving each
senshi a crystal that was more powerful then any power stick. For Princess
Ami of Mercury was the Ice Crystal, for Makoto of Jupiter was the Storm
Crystal, for Rei of Mars the Fire Crystal, for Minako of Venus the Soul
Crystal, for Haruka of Uranus the Heaven Crystal, for Michiru of Neptune
the Ocean Crystal, for Setsuna of Pluto the Time Crystal, for Alexandra the
Star Crystal, and for Serenity the Silver Crystal.
Over the years something became realized, Charity was not a normal
senshi
nor was she a normal Princess. There was something about her, something
that fate had tried to tell her, but no one not even herself could find out
what it was. Dark Moon became leader of the Moon's army, but one could
never imagine it so. Charity was a quiet girl shy and loyal, but when she
fought you could never tell for her temper was legendary. If you touched
one of her friends it would be wise to go ahead and make a death wish.
Dark Moon's powers were grander then anything in the universe, greater
then the entire force of senshi that resided within the Silver Alliance.
Soon she began to take on more important roles, since she was a Princess
with out a crown, she could be used as a high diplomat. From the time she
was 15
she was trained to become an ambassador, and one her 16 birthday she was
sent
on her first mission to the Celestial Kingdom, one of the kingdoms of the
stars, to make a treaty with the high Princess Innocence.
Serenity became a powerful warrior not near as powerful as her youngest
sister, but still very powerful. She was known through out the Silver
Alliance for her fair beauty and marvelous fighting skills.
Alexandra became the leader of the sailor senshi, she had a warrior's heart
that competed even with the legendary Uranus. She became the crown
Princess of Vesper when Queen Leslie died during a rebellion of one of the
smaller stars.
Each sister felt that they should protect Charity, for even they could see
that something was waiting for her.
Over the years the prophecy was forgotten, and would be for many years
to come.
^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^
16 Years, 4 Months, & 5 days After the triplets birth-Moon
Kingdom
Uranus struggled against Dark Moon, sweat poured down her face, but she
did not give up she continued to search for an opening. Dark Moon didn't
move
and her face showed little emotion, a thing she had learned from Pluto, and
she
continued to block the series of punches and kicks that were intended to hit
her.
Uranus's mind was running fast, she was trying to think of anything that
she had yet to throw at her opponent, but it was no use she had used
everything she had. With a frustrated sigh she stepped back and bowed,
symbolizing the end of the match.
Dark Moon smiled, a very small smile, "Come on, Uranus. You know
you'll
beat me some day, you'll just have to wait for that day to come."
"I know, but sometimes I just get frustrated!"
Charity smiled softly, "Yes, I guess it would get rather annoying."
Uranus smiled at her princess, "Yes, Charity, but we had better get a move
on. Alex called a training session."
"Why? I just got back from Vesper and she's already bombarding me with
practice sessions!" The young girl grumbled.
Uranus just smiled and followed the girl to the training grounds to meet the
other senshi.
"Charity, when are you off again? Did your mother tell you?"
Charity smiled over her shoulder as she continued to jog, she had little
time with her friends, but when she did she made sure to make the best of
it. In her normal soft voice she answered, "No, but I'm sure it's going to be
soon. Someone has to get a treaty formally signed with earth. After I do
that I'm off to Mercury to find out what's been bothering the royal family."
"When do you get a break? We haven't seen you in forever!" Venus said
entering the small group.
Charity's smile grew wider, true she was very shy, but not around her
friends. "Maybe, after I get through on Mercury I shall be able to return
home for the Winter Festival."
"SENSHI GET IN POSITION! WE HAVE TO GET A MOVE ON!"
The three smiled and went to take their places.
^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*
"My lord, Beryl has reached her full power level. Her body was never
meant
to hold magic, so unless she becomes immortal she will not be able to
withstand
the pressure that will be put on her body." Kevin said.
Ryan looked over at his friends, "Yes, but she has yet to commit any
serious crime! I know she is not stupid, she has to be waiting for the right
time. Sometime when all of our defenses will be down."
"Your highness, what about Winter Festival? The senshi will all be
attending and the castle will not be protected." Titan suggested.
"Yes, that's quite true, but if so there is nothing we can do about it.
Ordering the senshi to remain within the palace would make the public
become aware of our situation. I would rather if that was not to happen. Do
we have any other options?"
Luther looked up, "We could deploy Dark Moon. She could hold off Beryl
easily, and she should return from her travels by then."
Ryan looked up. He hated putting Charity in so much danger. No matter
how much he tried to deny it, she was his favorite child. "Are we sure that
there are no other possibilities."
Paul smiled grimly, "Quite, it's either Dark Moon or the Kingdom in
chaos."
Ryan nodded, "So be it, but let no word of this leave this room. The
kingdom mustn't know that Dark Moon is in service, to them she will still
be on a diplomatic mission."
The kings all nodded. Paul spoke, "Before we leave we have one last thing
to discuss."
Ryan nodded for him to continue.
"We have determined that Beryl is being used as a human focus by a
greater force. We need to find out what this force is, without knowing
there is no way for us to stop it."
Titan nodded in agreement, "I had the same thought, at one time we
thought it was Metallia, but she has been accounted for. She still resides in
the lands of darkness."
Kevin added, "We should have someone look into it. What are the Elder
Senshi doing?"
"They've been dispatched to the Celestial Kingdom to help end some
disputes with them, it's part of our alliance with them." Answered Paul.
"Then we will just have to send the Knights of Vesper, I'll have Alexandra
summon them. Are there any other matters to speak of?" No one spoke.
"Then
you're all dismissed."
^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^
Queen Serenity moved around her room with the grace of a cat, but her
eyes betrayed a look of sadness. She was about to send her youngest
daughter on
yet another diplomatic mission. Charity seemed to enjoy the work, but still
a mother never likes to send her youngest so far away.
Charity was always traveling, being the strongest warrior of the Silver
Alliance and a Supreme Princess she made a perfect diplomat.
Unfortunately, her
mother hated putting her in as much danger as a diplomat had to go
through.
She hated the fact that she allowed all of her children to fight with the
senshi, for the Supreme Princesses were never supposed to be used to
defend their own kingdom. Serenity each day did more and more
dangerous things, Alexandra led the senshi into battle every time that there
was a war, but each of her children seemed to have their own independent
stride about them. Charity was different though, she seemed as though she
needed someone to depend upon.
Sometimes Serenity felt as if Charity was more like Hotaru the then she
was
her own sisters. Somehow though she knew there was somebody out there
who
would help her stand on her own two feet, but until that time came she
would
make sure her baby had enough people to depend on.
A loud knock on her door spooked Serenity out of her revere. Shouting for
her daughter to come in she sat down on the bed.
Entering the room Charity looked at her mother, "Is it already time,
mother? Must I leave so soon?"
Charity gave a mental sigh, she loved being a diplomat, but the time away
from her friends and family took a toll on her.
"If I had a choice you know I wouldn't send you off so soon, but if you
want to be back in time for Winter Festival." Serenity replied.
Charity nodded. Winter Festival was a tradition, each year at the beginning
of winter the royal family joins the peasants to celebrate the successful
harvesting of crops. "Okay, just give me a few minutes to get ready."
Turning to the door she rang a small bell, and a courier appeared in front
of her. "Ready the Midnight."
The courier nodded. "Yes, your majesty."
The courier disappeared and Serenity smiled, "Charity, beware Earth can
be
strange at first, and when you get to Mercury tell Elizabeth that I said good
luck with the new baby. I've never seen a royal family so large!" Both
Serenity and Charity giggled, "Oh, one more thing, your father wanted to
talk to you before you left."
Exchanging a quick good bye Charity headed to talk with her father.
^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^
Alexandra and Serenity sat silently in Serenity's bedroom, both were
worried about Charity, she had been doing so much lately that she had
began to become even shyer then she was.
"Maybe we're worrying over nothing." Alexandra voiced.
Serenity shook her head, "No, something's getting to her, and whatever it is
she doesn't want us to know about. She's afraid about something. Can't you
feel it?"
Alexandra nodded, all night she had felt something, but she wasn't used to
feeling her sisters thoughts. That was more Serenity's talent then hers.
"What can we do? She's leaving for Earth any minute now! There's no way
we can talk to her before she leaves!"
Nodding Serenity answered, "Yes, but what ever it is she'll tell us when she
thinks she's ready. We're missing something, I don't know what it is."
Alexandra frowned. She hated when her sister was down. Charity was a
rock they could lean on. Even if she was the youngest of all the senshi, she
was the most dependable. If you needed someone to talk to you normally
went to Serenity, but when she was gone they all went to Charity. She was
as kind a listener as her sister, and was willing to listen to anyone. "She'll
tell us. She'll tell us." She repeated as if reassuring herself.
Serena smiled, "Don't worry, I'm sure it's not to bad." Then continuing to
herself she thought 'I hope.'
^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^
Ryan of Vesper and the Moon looked over his balcony. The capital was so
peaceful, a complete illusion from the monarch. If only he didn't have to
send his children into battle. He finally realized how his father must of felt
when he sent the Knights of Vesper on a mission.
"Daddy?"
"Come on in, sweetie." Ryan answered.
Charity smiled and entered his room, she had always been a daddy's girl.
"Hi daddy. Mom said you needed to see me."
Ryan looked up at her, she was wearing a black cat suit with silver
lightning streaks all over it, her shoulder length hair pulled up in a
ponytail: it was the outfit of Dark Moon. "Leaving already? I thought you
would have at least gotten half a day off."
Dark Moon smiled, "Me too, but mother says if I plan to be back by Winter
Festival I should get going."
"Yes, and Serenity is always right." He paused for a second collecting his
thoughts. "Charity, hunny, I have a favor I need to ask of you."
"Sure, dad, anything."
Ryan sighed and wished he didn't have a commitment to his kingdom.
"Charity, I know you had plans for Winter Festival, but I need you to do
something important for me." He paused for a second then continued, "The
council of Kings thinks that Beryl will attack during Winter Festival, I
need to keep the calm front for the kingdom. Just in case she doesn't
attack, but I can't risk losing the castle. I need you to stay here and protect
your mother and the castle."
Dark Moon gave a mental cry, Winter Festival was the only time she had
left, she was just like any normal person. She needed free time, and she
wasn't
being given any, but she couldn't turn down her father. Trying to hide the
pain from her voice she answered, "I'll do it dad. If I'm the only one who
can, I will."
He forced a smile, he had heard the pain, and he was wishing there was
something he could do so she could have fun at Winter Festival. Hugging
her he
said, "You better get going. Your mother already made sure that Earth was
expecting you."
She nodded, she could use the time the trip would take to think. "I'll see
you when I get back daddy."
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