THE FOUR LOVERS: STRANDED
epilogue, Epilogue, EPILOGUE!
Pomp and circumstance, a Royal characteristic in all the Sol
kingdom ceremonies, was suprisingly absent that day. The
ceremony wasn't even held in the Hall of Thrones, as it
usually was, but in a smaller, less ancient room in the New
Wing of the palace. The guest list was relatively small as
well--Two monarchs, one lacking a significant other, two
Princes, a handful of Princesses, some Generals and some
other, more minor guards. The most significant person to make
the assemblage was the Princess of Pluto, who had stopped in
mysteriously two days before. Even then, the shock wasn't
around her, but the man she traveled with; he had no name to
those who asked, and he wore no symbol of his planet or his
rank, though there was obvious nobility in his blood. The
connection between the Princess and her companion was even
more shrouded, since no one seemed to observe them apart, yet
no one ever saw them in a tell tale embrace.
However, what this tale concerns is not Pluto's mysterious
guest, but the most overt overture of royal hospitality
between the Moon and the Earth in years, as well as the
Engagement between the two kingdoms.
Queen Selenity, present in her usual glory, stood on the
platform with King Pontus of the Sea and his Queen,
Amphitrite. Along with them was the Princess of the Moon,
Serenity--looking much better without her bandages--and her
guard, the Princesses of Mercury, Venus, Mars and Jupiter.
Nearby her stood Prince Priam of the Sea Kingdom; strangely,
at this time, Prince Endymion of the Earth Kingdom was absent
from the stage. His Honor guard stood near him as well, the
finest warriors of the Sea community, eyeing the other guard
with caution written on their faces. In the audience were the
Generals of Earth, Kunzite, Jaedite, Nephrite and Zoicite,
along with Princess Pluto and her consort, and Princess Uranus
and her consort, the esteemed Black Knight of the Moon. The
other Outer Princesses had been called away to their homes,
and could not be present at the ceremony.
A flute announced the start of the ceremony, and along with a
horn played bits of the themes from all three kingdoms.
Selenity then came forward.
"It is a happy day," she said, "when I can celebrate among
the peoples of Earth as friends, not enemies. It is a joyous
occasion to announce that I am able to award them for their
acts of courage. Prince Endymion of the Earth, will you come
forward."
The glory shy Prince of Earth appeared from the crowd and
ascended to the platform, looking darkly handsome in his
traditional armor. Once near the Queen, he bowed to one knee,
a surprisingly gesture from a man of his family, and waited
until she greeted him to rise.
"This man," she pronounced, "has saved my young daughter's
life. In the wilderness, he protected her and kept her in
comfort, not once forsaking her to follow his own path. He
also was able to kill the beast that had wounded her through
it was no fault of his own, and managed to keep her alive
until the others arrived. For this, you have my personal
gratitude."
It was now that Serenity came forward, holding a blue ribbon
in her hand, from which dangled a black medal, spidery,
silvery handwriting scrawled across it. "The honor of the
kingdom is with you, Prince of Earth. It is my honor, though,
to bestow upon you our highest award. For bravery beyond the
call of an Earth Prince," and here was a chuckle from everyone
in the audience, "I grant you the Silver Medallion. You are
now free to go anywhere you wish without being questioned as
long as you wear this--observing the rules of protocal, of
course." The last words were said with the barest hint of a
lingering smile, and it seemed that his eyes contorted to
smile back at her.
"I am truly, truly, without words, Princess Serenity," he
replied softly, and again it seemed that they spoke without
words as he lowered his head to receive the medal. Again, a
soft hint of a smile for him, and before he could step down,
the Queen entreated him to stay up on the platform.
"General Kunzite, come forth," Serenity called.
A low murmur went through the thin crowd, but the General,
his manners perfect, didn't show a flicker of surprise.
Instead, he dutifully ascended the steps and came to her,
extending the same low bow his liege had.
"Rise, General Kunzite," she said. "For you are the
representative and leader for your Generals, the leaders of
the Earth army and protectors of Prince Endymion. It is upon
you that I bestow the award fit for all of you. Though the
differences between these two Kingdoms have been great, you
and your Generals served well in aiding the Senshi in finding
the Prince and I. It was also your General Nephrite that
helped to devise a means of healing this body and escaping the
planet; your General Zoicite also was helpful in contributing
to my medical care. Though it is a gory detail, General
Jaedite must be honored for the scars he now carries,
protecting the Princess Mars. For these acts, we present to
you this gift: when you seek rest or sanctuary, or would like
to observe the acts of our protectors, you are welcome here.
Rooms of this palace have already been set aside for your
Generals and the Prince, should you chose to visit."
"Princess Serenity, I speak for my Generals as well as
represent them, and I must say we are deeply grateful for your
kind gift. It will be treasured deep within our hearts,
always."
She motioned him to stand next to his Prince before her
mother once again took the center stage.
"It is also on this happy night," she began, "that I formally
announce the engagement of Princess Serenity of the Moon to,"
she paused as her daughter came forward, "to Prince Priam of
the Sea Kingdom." He joined her, taking her hand and giving
her a lovely, Sea Prince smile. "It is our hope that their
marriage will help to promote friendly relations between our
kingdoms, and one day bring an established peace between our
lands."
Everyone applauded happily, even the remote General and his
deep Prince. The two clapped in what we would call "golf"
claps, and used their position at the back of the stage to
quietly speak.
Kunzite: A profitable marriage for the Moon Kingdom. The
ruler of the Earth's son, the future king, and the future
Queen of the Moon. A match made in heaven.
Endymion: Truly, it benefits both sides.
Kunzite: Then you approve?
Endymion: *sigh* I have never approved of anything my cousin
did. I feel an ulterior motive to this marriage.
Kunzite: Power?
Endymion: You confuse Princes, my friend. He doesn't want
power, he wants a gems in his crown.
Kunzite: And the Princess will make a fine diamond, my
Prince. A beautiful bride, too.
Endymion: Surely so, Kunzite. She outshines most every noble
in the room, even Pluto--well, almost.
Kunzite: My liege, still pursueing that old hat?
Endymion: Why, Kunzite, of course not. We are just friends,
and have always been. My goal was to unravel her mysterious
ways, not unbutton her dress.
Kunzite: Always the honorable man. Why, if you'd really
wanted to, you could've taken advantage of the Princesses'
precarious marriage position...
Endymion: To forward my own? Would I do such a thing?
Kunzite: You have too much honor, my liege.
Endymion: Unfortunate, isn't it?
Kunzite: *pause* I believe so, my liege.
Endymion: That's a definite 'yes'.
Kunzite: Yes, then.
Endymion: *sigh*quietly* Did you deliver the gift, my friend?
Kunzite: Yes, my liege. One Saturn rose, tied in blue--just
as you asked. *pause* What meaning does that have, my liege?
Endymion: One which you will never know, Kunzite, for it is
secreted deep in the heart of this man, never to be revealed.
Never.
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