And here is chapter 9, which has been released at the
exact same time as chapter 8! 10 will follow shortly,
I hope! Many thanks to those who have waited so long
and have been e-mailing me their terrific compliments
and comments on how the story has turned out so far.
The best is yet to come, complications, romance,
danger, thrills and chills...romance...romance...did
I mention, romance? As you all should have figured
out by now, something big is going to happen to hurt
both Serena and Darien. But what? I had hoped the
answer might come sooner than it looks like it will
be coming. I might post a preview scene of a MUCH
later chapter on my fan fiction web page, which you
can see at:
http://members.aol.com/jlcavazos/index.html
It's nothing big, but all of my stories will be posted
there the MOMENT they are completed! There are also
links, pictures, fun stuff, and other information.
E-mail SlrUnico@aol.com to comment!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Weaving a Romance"
CHAPTER 9: An Unsettling Invitation
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
Serena didn't even bother to try to muffle her
screams. Darien...and her...having to be with all those
people acting as if, as if, as if they had no feelings
for each other!!! It would be impossible, just the
sight of him made her feel weak at the knees...made her
heart quiver so....
"Damnit." She was not used to cursing, and was as
careful as Amy using swear words, but it made her feel
better to say something obscene. Cautiously, she let
loose another long string of vulgarity that she had heard
Lita use on several occasions. It had not worked the
same magic, but she did feel sort of, well, rebellious.
If only she could be the same about relationships....
A good move had been telling her mother that she
would take care of the inviting of Darien to the dinner.
Of course her first thought had been, why invite him?
If he didn't show up, then there would be no need to put
on an act. It would also be a lot less stressful.
But a better solution would be to extend the
invitation first and then let Darien come up with a plan.
Yes...that was what she would do... Satisfied, Serena
picked up her skirts and left the room. Her destination?
The virtu-com room.
"Darien?"
Darien turned to see Malachite at the door of his
bedroom. "Hm?"
"There's a call on the virtu-com for you."
"Know who it is?"
"Nah, I told one of the servants I would bring the
message."
"Wonder who....?"
"Well wouldn't we all like to know?" Malachite
muttered, walking back down the hall. Darien sighed and
lifted himself out of the arm chair to head down to the
room where the virtu-com was kept.
The virtu-com was a rather new invention designed by
some Mercurian several years ago. It acted as an intercom,
but could transmit both the words and the image of the
person sending the message through space and at the same
time as transmitted. The picture was as clear as could
be, and the words even clearer. Virtu-coms were only
available to the planets' palaces...the Earth had received
there's as a special gift from King Orion on Darien's
father's birthday the year before, and provided a necessary
link to the rest of the galaxy.
The moment Darien stepped into the room on Malachite's
heels, he froze. "Serena."
"Huh?" asked Malachite.
"Prince Darien," the image of Serena spoke. Her
words were icy, and businesslike, but her eyes were dancing
with happiness and hidden meanings. "I am most pleased to
speak to you again."
"It's all right, Princess," Darien said. "We can be
frank with one another, no one of great importance is in
the room...."
""
"Besides Malachite."
"Thanks."
Serena blew a whisp of hair out of her eyes and tried
to look bored. "Ya de ya de ya de ya...Mother wanted me to
invite you and your parents to a banquet tonight so you can
meet my fiancee and Estelle, er, Queen Estelle."
Darien's eyes widened, and he was glad that Malachite
was standing behind him where he could not see the expression
that this statement from Serena had drawn. "You mean, ah,
with your parents and my parents and your court and Bruce
and his mother, and...everyone?"
"Yes."
"Everyone."
"Yes."
"And Bruce."
"Yes."
Oh Christ, Darien thought. He knew immediately even
without diagramming the look in Serena's eyes that this
would mean trouble, and possibly torture. He was having a
hard enough time pretending to hate her in front of
Malachite -- it would be harder in front of that large
assembly of people. Even Bruce.
Bruce. Would Serena have to be romantic towards the
prince of Lerence? Darien was sure he wouldn't be able
to take that. Just thinking about sitting with a bunch of
people who all thought that Serena's heart really belonged
to her betrothed made him so jealous he felt ready to
explode.
Serena was now asking him something with her eyes.
They flickered back and forth, and were obviously confused.
Would he be able to accept? Should he accept? Would
they be able to pull off the act if he did? She was
waiting for an answer though, and so was Malachite.
"Just give her an answer already, Darien," the general
muttered in a barely audible voice. "It won't kill you
to spend one evening with her."
"All right, highness," Darien said in as cool a tone
as possible. "You can expect us there. I'll get the
word to Mother and Father as soon as possible."
"Wonderful," Serena answered dully. "Just peachy."
She waved good-bye as the screen went blank.
As luck would have it, Darien's parents were unable to
attend. Queen Celia did not feel well, and her husband
was called away for matters of state in the Northern
Asian provinces. A match point in Serena and Darien's
favor, it would be two less people they would have to
"perform" for. So it was Darien alone that arrived in
the private beam on the lawns of the Moon Kingdom palace
grounds.
Queen Serenity was there to meet him herself. No
sooner had he closed the doors and the driver left to
the garages in the back of the castle, then she kissed
him on both cheeks in welcome. "Prince Darien, it is so
wonderful to have you here again. I'm just sorry your
parents couldn't make it here tonight. I was so hoping
to have them meet Queen Estelle and her son, Prince Bruce."
Darien nodded and forced a smile as he bowed to her.
"Majesty, I am most honored to have been invited to this
royal function. I also make abject apologies on behalf
of my mother and father. Really though, Majesty, you
didn't have to come out to meet me, I could have found
my own way --"
"Nonsense, Darien, I wouldn't have dreamed of it."
Serenity frowned. "Actually, Serena was supposed to come
out to greet you herself, but she is, er, detained."
"I see." Serena, he thought to himself. "No doubt
still getting ready."
"She's guilty as charged. But please, the night
air is rather chilly. Let us go inside. The court is
waiting to meet you."
Thrills and chills, thought Darien sarcastically
through the winning smile on his face. "All right.
Lead the way, Majesty."
The dining room looked as lovely as it had ever been,
and the smells of food coming from the kitchen directly
off to the right were heavenly. Everything was running
smoothly. Well, as smoothly as could be expected. There
had been several minor traumas earlier. Princess Lita
had to be physically removed from the kitchen where she
made numerous attempts to help in the cooking. A delegate
had called from Venus to let the queen know that Princess
Mina would be late in arriving due to "feminine problems".
Princess Amy was nearly late coming in also, because the
airways between Mercury and the Moon were closed for
maintenance. And the flowers in the main centerpiece of
the table had to be changed four times because Queen
Estelle was allergic to the pollen.
And of course, after Serenity had another talk with
Serena about how to behave with Prince Darien, the princess
did not shrink from reminding the entire castle on separate
occasions how upset she was with the whole Earth prince
coming to dinner ordeal.
Queen Serenity had managed to get all of these wrinkles
straightened out in record time, and as she escorted Darien
into the dining room she felt confident that as long as her
daughter could act maturely, everything would be all right.
When she arrived with the prince, Amy, Lita, Raye and
Estelle and Bruce were already seated at the table. But
of course, all rose when Darien and the queen entered.
"Prince Darien," Serenity prompted, "I am very happy to
introduce to you tonight not only the members of Princess
Serena's court, but also Queen Estelle and Prince Bruce
from the planet Lerence in the Chatenier galaxy."
Darien nodded briefly. "Chatenier, I have heard of
it."
"That's ChatenIEr," corrected Estelle with a frown
as she curtsied. "And very pleased to make your acquaintance,
highness."
Serenity returned Darien's puzzled look with a tight
smile of her own. Perhaps it would be a long evening after all.
Okay, so we ended rather abruptly... Now you can proceed to
Chapter 10! Yay!
By the way, does anyone even remember Angeline? Of
Togodia? In case some of you don't remember, she made her
debut several chapters ago as the self-described REAL fiancee
of Prince Bruce. Supposedly he asked her to marry him
a while before his parents reminded him of his betrothal,
which he had either never been told of or had forgotten
in his love for Princess Angeline. Anyway, while she
was on vacation he never wrote her, then when she returned
she found a letter from him explaining the betrothal to
Princess Serena and begging her forgiveness.
Of course Angeline is not the type of person who
would take this laying down, and last we heard she was
on her way to stop the wedding.
But will she make it in time? How does she fit into
everything? The answer will come in a later chapter.
E-mail SlrUnico@aol.com to comment PLEASE! And
remember the address of my poor little old fan fiction
page: http://members.aol.com/jlcavazos/index.html
~~~Ali~~~
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