THE FOUR LOVERS: DEEP IN THE HEART
Ninx
CHAPTER TWO
THE GARDEN
Serenity stared at her reflection in the mirror. She looked
so much like Venus with her hair down that it always seemed to
her like they should be twins, and at that thought
absentmindly ran a brush through her hair again.
she thought in time to the
strokes of the brush. It never
dawned on her that the order could be reversed; very rarely
was a son born to the Moon Family. The last one had been many
years ago, long before her grandmother was a thought; the
King's name had been Reynard. Though most of the time she'd
barely managed to keep awake during those long, boring
"History of the Moon" lectures given by her mother's advisors,
she'd always thought well of that name. She smiled at her
reflection.
She let out an abrupt sigh that startled Luna, royal advisor
turned cat, from her position on the chair. Blearily she
rubbed her eyes, still retaining that human trait, and blinked
a few times. It seemed to her that Serenity was reaching, in
slow motion, for something...oh, it was that rose again.
Serenity held the rose like one hold's a precious jewel, or a
tiny child, or an eggshell. She nearly cradled it, a strange
expression forming in her eyes and an odd feeling swirling in
her heart. The rose was from Saturn, and it was a strawberry-
crimson shade of red, a kiss in flower form. The color then
swirled in, lightening nearly imperceptibly to the inner veil
of rose hued petals. When whisked away, the inside was a bone
white, the color of uncolored wax; strangely, the tip of these
petals of a black color, a thin line of the dark color that
seemed to pass through red, back to white, and then red again
at the very bottom of these petals. It had been Endymion's
engagement gift for her, though before it'd worn a blue ribbon
and been given to her behind her back. She stopped thinking
when she held it, or merely got caught in the swirl of its
petals--or at least, thinking rationally. Instead, she was
plunged into memories of their short time together, of the
talks they'd had while walking the grounds, or feel of his
arms the times he'd held her, or that look of hopelessness
contrasted with the look of happiness she'd seen in his eyes.
If the Princess knew that Endymion at that very moment was
transfixed on his own gift, the blue to black Saturn rose, she
would've thought it mere coincidence. There had been many
such coincidences between the two of them. He wouldn't touch
his own, though, for fear it would shatter under his fingers,
but he would stare at it during some 'moods' and try to
understand himself. Why he felt for Serenity what he thought
he felt for her. Could he even be sure? Like the less
ancient Romeo, had he ever loved before?
Kunzite watched his Prince from a shadowed corner. His liege
knew he was there, examining his blades, cleaning and
polishing them. He'd been there since receiving the news from
Venus that they would NOT accompany the Princess into a
marriage ceremony to those pitiful fools of the Sea. That
particular issue had struck fear into the hearts of every
General, though no one could place a bet on who was most
terrified. Rage had been another sweeping emotion; he
remembered the ice in Zoicite's eyes, and the bile that had
risen in his own throat. Nephrite had seemed to freeze for an
instant; strangely, Jaedite had been completely calm, though
at some moments he could see worry shadowed in his eyes. But
now...now, it was all settled. The Senshi were needed here as
the Court Guard, and Priam had assured that his Guard was well
suited for the task; after all, peace was on Earth! The Prince
had taken the news with a sly smile, and smoothly asked what
he planned to do when he wed Venus--commute? Then, he'd
excused himself and attended to some more buisness, stopping
now to stare at the rose. he thought
quietly.
"I'm going out to the Gardens, Kunzite," came his reply, and
he started from his shadows. Endymion stood looking at him
with placid eyes. "I should be back soon."
Serenity broke her gaze from the rose, her thoughts in a
jumble. She looked hopelessly at her bed, feeling keyed up
and dismayed at the same time. How could she sleep now?
Didn't she want to treasure her last night NOT sharing a bed?
The conflict inside her was vigorous, and it was fueled by her
wonderment at these thoughts of Endymion. "Luna, would you
accompany me to the Gardens?" she asked in a soft voice.
"Now? The Senshi will be in bed!"
"No, just you and me," she replied smoothly. "I need
sometime to think."
The cat stared at her boldly, trying to pierce the veil over
her eyes. she thought. "All right, Princess," she
said.
Serenity gave her slight smile, and looked back to the
mirror. She started to pull her hair up into its usual style,
but instead, placed the clips in her pocket. Slipping on a
long robe over her flimsy dress, she headed outdoors.
* * * *
Luna thought.
thought Serenity. The warmth of
her robe kept the chill out, she'd remembered to pad the
bench, and there was this eeirely beautiful mist that shrouded
everything without making it hard to see. Most of all, the
damp air seemed to suck the scent right from the roses she sat
among, letting it waft deliciously under her nostrils.
She'd also been doing a lot of thinking, and had come to a
realization about Endymion.
she wondered to herself.
That was her realization: that she cared deeply for Endymion,
as a wonderful and amazing friend. Perhaps if the scent of
the roses had been lighter, or the mist absent, she would've
realized that this 'caring' extended farther then she knew.
How many brides, though, carefully examine their hearts and
their souls on the night before their wedding?
Sometimes, though, our parts get frustrated with the sum of
us, and decide to rebel. Which is why she wanted to stay out
here, at peace, then go back to her bed, where it was too dry
and quiet. She sat in this reverie for quite some time, until
Luna suddenly yawned.
"Go to bed, Luna," she murmured.
"You cannot be left alone," Luna replied, sleep lacing her
voice. "Besides, you should be in bed yourself."
"I'll follow you shortly. I just want to have some time
alone," she replied quietly, voice nothing but a rustle on the
breeze. "You go along."
Luna didn't protest, and she stood and leapt from the bench
and paced back toward the palace. She did not see the Prince.
Endymion had stood watching from a few yards away, shaded by
a tree. When he'd first stepped out here and seen the person
on the bench, he'd only come close enough to smell the damp
scent of the roses. He'd only thought it some noble's wife,
or maybe even Venus, until he'd heard her murmur a few words
to Luna. His heart had caught, and he realized that it truly
was Serenity he was looking at, white-blond hair let go from
its meatball hold, cascading in a shimmering fall down her
back.
He wanted to step forward and speak with her about her
wedding. And though it was inconsiderate, rude, and improper,
he wanted to let her know that she was in his heart, always.
As a side to that, his 'door' was always open to her if she
ever, ever, was mistreated by Priam, though he doubted that
she'd know what he meant. After all, only royalty was privy
to the wonderful tales of Sea sexuality. He wondered what
Serenity would think if she knew about Priam's twins, a son
and daughter by the names of Manga (short for Manganese) and
Beryl.
he razed himself calmly.
The mental outburst caught on the edge of a sudden headache
that slammed into his forehead, causing him to slump against
the tree. A sudden, intangible feeling seized him, a feeling
of...danger, of...death, of...Serenity?
/sprawled on the ground was one piece of her/
/her hair was gone, blackened/
/none left, none left/
The headache faded as soon as it had struck, leaving him only
with a residue of intense fear for her life. He looked up,
and she was gone.
Serenity had walked aimlessly outward, more toward the lunar
plain than back to her room. She danced lightly in the fog,
yet there was something heavy on her heart. She stopped and
asked herself outloud, "What is wrong with you, Serenity?"
"Why?"
"Maybe its the chill."
"That's silly."
"Then what?"
"SERENITY!!"
She whirled around to see him run at her, armor on, cape and
sword flapping around him. She took a few steps toward him
herself, a puzzled expression on her face.
The palace rocked as the explosion went off. Everyone awoke,
even the heavy sleeping nobles. Selenity, in her room, felt a
chill hand grip her heart, and she threw off the covers and
threw on some clothes, calling to her servants to go, check on
the Princess and the Princes. She had a feeling something
terrible had just happened to one of them.
Priam came before her, looking more rough around the edges
then she'd ever seen him. "What's this about, Queen
Selenity?" he asked, a touch of brusqueness in her voice.
"Wait, wait. Patience, Prince," she said smoothly, ignoring
what she heard.
It was then that the Senshi clattered in, the Generals not
far behind them, all dressed in regular uniforms. A quick
bow, and then Mars asked, "What happened, Queen?"
"It felt like an earthquake," Mercury said.
"A large one," Zoicite added.
"How is the Prince?" Venus asked.
"Ruffled, but fine," replied Priam.
"Not you," muttered Nephrite, but Jupiter shushed him.
"And the Princess?" Kunzite asked.
"We shall see.."
"Selenity, Selenity!"
Two messangers tumbled into the room, drawing with them two
others, easily recognized by their royal blue and flame red
clothing as the Seers. "The Princess and Prince are gone!"
said one of the messangers.
"Gone?" Selenity asked, and nine sets of eyes fell to the
Seers.
"Yes, queen," said the blue.
"It was an explosion," said the red.
"A WHAT!?" exploded Venus.
"An explosion. I will not be able to tell from what until I
see the site, but that much I do know," red replied.
"And the Prince...the Princess..."
Luna, who'd skittered in with Artemis, shrieked, "OH NO! I
left Selenity in the Gardens!"
"Endymion had gone to the Gardens as well, your Majesty,"
Kunzite added, face suddenly the color of his hair.
"Are they all right?" Selenity asked.
The blue and the red looked to each other, and suddenly the
room's tone shifted. Each Senshi had a tear in their eye,
along with the Queen; the Generals felt sorrow shoot through
their bones. Only Priam seemed unaffected, face a mask of no
emotion, though who knew what was happening behind his thickly
violet eyes? It was he who asked, "Well?"
"They are alive," said the blue. "Beyond that, though, we
cannot tell."
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