Wings and a Prayer
by Antigone
Chapter 3
Endymion slept better the few nights than he ever had before in his life.
It was strange, he reflected one morning, half-lidded eyes blearily greeting
the early sunlight streaming through the decorative glass squares in the wooden
window frames. The incident with a creature, who, a week ago, he would have
insisted was not real, did not leave him all that uneasy. Instead, for the
first time in a long time, he felt a strange sort of peace settle deep in his
chest where only anxiety had dwelt before.
Shutting his eyes against the peculiar well of deep longing that would
appear along with any thought of the elusive angel, the prince pondered instead
on the unusual events that had plagued his kingdom lately.
In addition the ‘accident’ with the sword, his generals had been acting
quite unlike themselves at times. These bursts of hidden darkness in his
friends’ personalities came at unpredictable times, and always disappeared
within a short enough span of time that no one else but Endymion could get
suspicious. When the abnormal bouts of temper and conflicted behavior were
over, the general in question would always apologize, looking confused, and if
possible, even a little frightened. It was unnerving.
Also, reports were coming in from all corners of his domain, reporting
bizarre and foreboding events. A farmer’s crops apparently dripped human blood
when harvested, several villagers claimed fervently that one part of the sky
always stayed dark with a cloud that never moved, people were claiming hearing
footsteps and screams when all alone. Still others swore good water had turned
sour and salty as if with tears, and that children would fall off tall trees
without a scrape, only to cry out and die in their sleep.
Less ominous but still concerning, were the reports of chance happenings:
marbles falling out of a basket and rolling into geometric shapes without
outside help, lightening repeatedly making the exact same pattern across a
stormy sky, three or more identical children born at the same time to families
across the village from each other... the list went on and on.
Endymion knew more than ninety percent of these claims never happened,
and simple stories could grow and evolve into epics of impending destruction
before word ever reached the throne. Yet, it was the remaining ten percent
that had him worried, even with the warmth in his chest and tingling on his
lips that had lingered since an angel had last stolen a kiss in the rain.
Endymion might have been convinced that he was being watched and protected from
above, but apparently problems were still building up all around him. He
couldn’t help feeling he had no control over the outcome.
It was beginning.
And although he had been dreading It since he was a child, he never had
any idea just what It was.
Only that it would be horrifying beyond belief.
~~
“Is she even breathing?” Wondered a voice that could have been called
snide if it were any less rich and melodious.
A soft giggle escaped even serious Mercury for a moment, before answering
Mars’ question for the benefit of all the senshi gathered around the princess’s
bed. “It would seem so, although the physical activity of in-taking oxygen and
the pumping of blood seems about all our dear little Serenity is bothering
herself with.”
“So, in laymen’s terms, she’s been staring at the ceiling like that for
the past *two days*,” Jupiter stressed the last two words with exasperation,
“and we have no idea why?”
“You know,” the Princess’s voice was heavy with lethargy but it still
held a hint of irritation at her friend’s gentle teasing, “I can still hear.”
“Jupiter’s observations are not quite correct, anyway,” Venus said from
her perch on the edge of Serenity’s bed, “she went downstairs a few times for
meals, and I’ve noticed her taking some casual glances into the Communications
Room on more than one occasion.”
The mild snickering was nearly drowned out by Serenity’s groan, as the
graceful heir to the kingdom covered her head with her arms and preceded to
whine in rather unladylike, but very typical fashion. “Mi—inna, please leave
me alone! I’m not in a good mood.”
Cool fingers pushed damp hair back from Serenity’s feverish forehead,
“Really,” Venus said dryly, “We hadn’t noticed.”
“Perhaps if you could just tell us what’s wrong,” Jupiter uncrossed her
arms and walked over to the bed near Venus, “we would stop incessantly bugging
you about it.”
A small half-smile curled Serenity’s lips at Jupiter’s jest but
disappeared as infinite sadness again settled over her features.
Venus just shook her head slightly, not willing to let the foreboding in
her chest match up with the visions of the Princess’s strange behavior and
Endymion’s peculiar mood changes lately. But it was almost as if reason
finally broke through, and two and two come together to make a number the
senshi leader did not like one bit.
“Serenity, does this have something to do with Endymion?” she asked,
feeling the girl stiffen.
“Leave me alone,” she pleaded, her voice straining as if with unshed
tears.
“Sereni—“ her friends started, but she cut them off, more force in her
voice this time.
“By Royal Command! Leave me be!”
The hollow echo of her voice floated back to the girls in their shocked
silence.
Never, ever had the Princess held her position above them in any way,
never had she separated herself from her senshi in such a blatant display.
Serenity shut her eyes against her misery, wishing she could take the words
back but knowing that, like many of the things she had done lately, it could
not be erased from the past. Afraid to open her eyes to her friend’s hurt and
angry stares, Serenity tried to force herself to try to sleep as the sounds of
footsteps retreating in an uncomfortable mass assaulted her ears.
“As you wish, your majesty.” Venus whispered quietly, sending knifes
into Serenity’s chest as Venus brought the two ornate doors together to latch
quickly behind her.
Covering her face with her hands, Serenity whimpered into the comforting
feel of her pillows beneath her face, and the moon air murmuring slowly from
the balcony. It hurt. All over, her longing, her desperation. Never had she
thought such an innocent thing as a quick kiss could open the flood gates
inside her heart. Far from helping her forget him, or cope with the distance,
the closeness she had captured and coveted like a jewel since that night only
burned in her chest and pounded her head. Watching him through the monitors
ceased to be enough for her anymore, not after she had watched the rain catch
in his eyelashes, not after she had felt his silky hair beneath her finger
tips. After watching his blue eyes, which always had seemed so sad, darken and
widen in awe, in longing...for *her*... connection... finally...
Each cold, empty mile between them made Serenity’s heart ache and freeze
with fear that she might never see him again. What she did that one time was
forbidden, it was taboo, it was... wrong. Wrong, so wrong... so why did it
feel so right?
And how long before she lost her will to stay away?
Slitting open watery gray eyes, she sat up slowly, dizzily and walked
carefully out on the balcony. The Earth floated like a lapis lazuli jewel
among diamond stars, black of space lightened around the orb, white-gold clouds
drifted along its surface.
“Mother,” she whispered, eyes darkening with shame, “minna,” hands
twisting together and clasping in front of her, shaking and cold, “my
kingdom... Endymion,” She lowered her head, sparkling strands of hair drifting
out from the royal style in the light breeze, the earth sending soft blue light
to dance across her dress in shadow. “Forgive me. I am unworthy, I am weak.”
‘I have fallen in love.’
~~
Endymion held the paper so tightly in crumbled in his hand, his eyes were
dark with some mix that could have been fear or fury. Anyone who knew him well
would avoid the prince when he was in such a state of intense concentration and
agitation. Even his friends tended to step on the proverbial eggshells when
the Prince of Earth read through the weekly scribed reports of happenings
throughout his kingdom. Everyone knew that the events were growing in number,
growing in the amount of terror spread through the people. With his uncanny
connection to the Earth, Endymion felt that most of the horrors were still not
true, yet why where the rumors growing so?
General Zoicite had come upon and interesting theory hidden deep in the
royal library, something about the enemy placing ‘planters’ deep within a
society it plans to attack. The planters weren’t spies, per se, but they
weakened the infrastructure of the government in the countries they were hired
to break, by spreading fear and doubt throughout the very basis of the kingdom
itself: the common people. Fueled by anxiety, they would demand more of their
Crown, while the royals could not stop things that never actually took place:
the rumors the ‘planters’ would spread. Distrust would run rampant and when
the enemy finally did attack, most had already turned to its side.
Endymion went decidedly pale when Zoicite, trembling a little himself,
made this information known to the prince. However, Jedite calmly stated that
the Prince in fact had no enemy kingdom, as most of the Earth was already under
his domain, ruled by faithful vassals such as the Generals themselves. Kunzite
was staring out at the moon, the cold white light seeming unearthly and
frightening when reflected in his ice-colored eyes. The words he had uttered
in response to Jedite’s flippant observation still echoed in Endymion’s ears as
the Prince held the report in his hands.
‘The most formidable enemy is always the one unseen.’
The irrational feeling again built up in Endymion’s chest as he looked
back on Kunzite’s words and face that night. It wasn’t fear... more like
dread. It was coming... but when and who...
“Endymion-sama?” Beryl’s voice seemed almost timid, unlike her. Without
the usual seductive lilt she put on around him, he hardly recognized it was
her.
Turning, he prepared himself to dismiss her, until he saw the look in her
beautiful green eyes.
“Endymion-sama... I am sorry... to disturb you. I know you are in one
of your moods,” she blanched when she realized what she said, and put one pale
hand into her disheveled red curls.
Mouth opening a little, the dark-haired prince blinked in surprise. A
Beryl whose words were not as carefully scripted as a play, meant to tease and
flirt? Something was seriously wrong.
“Beryl,” he began softly, sympathy drowning out his usual annoyance at
the girl in front of him, “what is wrong?”
Before she could stop herself, the girl stepped closer, closing the
fabric of his shirt in tight fists. Looking into the deep blue eyes she had
grown to adore so, so much... how could she tell him? Tell him of the
nightmares, the whispers in the darkness... and the terrible joy tugging at her
chest when evil dared laugh its way into her very dreams...
“I’m,” she shut her eyes against tears, even in the arms of the man she
desired so much, she didn’t feel safe, “I’m so very scared.” Her voice
cracked. She didn’t think she’d ever feel safe again.
If possible, Endymion’s eyes opened even wider, surprise etched on to his
face. It was not the first time Beryl had somehow conned herself into his
arms, at least until he could push her away, but it was first time she had been
so sincerely concerned.
“Lady Beryl, believe me,” he started, “I will do all in my power to
protect you and my people.”
“No, you don’t understa--,” she started to say, but he was already
tenderly, gently removing her arms from around him.
Endymion’s blue eyes turned a rare, warm color for a moment as he
regarded the horror-stricken woman before him. “I promise, Beryl,” he said,
“for you, and every one of my subjects. I will do the right thing.” He kissed
her cheek, the first time he had ever voluntarily touched her in any way.
Gasping, Beryl watched his retreating back, her hand flitting lightly on
the tingling place his lips had touched. For once, the evil tugging at her by
all sides was ebbed by something else, something she hadn’t felt in a long
time: Hope.
‘The right thing,’ Endymion thought as he walked down the grandiose
hallway of the palace, ‘Angel, help me.’
~~
The communications room was not exactly what one could call a hub of
activity in the wee hours of the morning. The monitors’ constant humming
always seemed much louder in the nearly empty room, the few sleepy-eyed
attendants nursed cups of sweet tea, and tried to pry their eyes open, to watch
the few views Endymion’s kingdom they had at night. Empty and silent, the
Earth slept. A silvery sound of bells drifted quietly into the hall, alerting
to the change of shift. As the staff awoke out of their stupor, going to wake
up the people meant to take over for them, a cloaked figure slipped in
unnoticed.
It was not the first time Princess Serenity had spent her nighttime hours
in the communications room, pleading information off the attendants, running
elegant fingers over the crystal buttons, adjusting the screens to explore the
magic of the royal gardens by moonlight. Yet it was rare to find her here at
such a late hour, disguised under a lovely blue mantle, almost as if she was
hiding wings underneath it.
A half-lidded attendant sat before a monitor nearest to the princess, and
she silently padded along to stand directly behind him. Smiling benevolently
at him, she lightly placed her hands on his shoulders and kissed the top of his
head. A light sprinkling of snow-like lights sparkled the air for just a
moment, and the man shut his eyes and let his head fall onto his arm.
Rationalizing that the poor man probably needed a healing sleep, Serenity
couldn’t help a feeling of victory over-take her. “I knew that power would
come in handy,” she allowed herself to breathe, as pale fingers stretched over
the control pad, searching out the correct buttons.
One, two, three... the monitors shifted slowly to moon-kissed tree tops,
and shimmering lakes, far from the Earth Palace where her true love slept. And
the angel prepared to leave.
~~
The balcony was lovely, pillared and carved. In dark marble figures
seemed to flicker in the moonlit shadows, almost as if they were seconds away
from coming alive and dancing on the soft, damp grass under the blue light from
the moon hung in the sky. A willowy figure in white darted suddenly from
behind one pillar up to a ledge near a window. For a second, she seemed
unreal, an apparition, a ghost... or an angel. Wings alighted her back,
shimmering hair cascaded down her back, and one hand rested on her chest in
panic.
Leaning against one pillar and shutting her eyes, Serenity commanded her
palpating heart to slow, and took a few deep breaths of the unfamiliar,
fragrant Earth air. The moon was breathtakingly beautiful, hung like an opal
in the velvet sky, paling the stars and showering its comforting, heavenly
light on to the gardens, the stairs, and the pillars.
Slowly panic and awe wore off, and Serenity shifted her eyes carefully,
realizing where she stood. If her calculations were correct, then that meant
that Endymion slept in the room through the heavy glass doors to her left.
Marveling at how much nerve sheer desperation could give a person, she
pressed one soft hand on the cold glass, and let her other fingers fall lightly
around the golden latch, wondering if the electric pulses Jupiter taught her
how to manipulate could truly unlock the balcony door.
Gasping at her good luck, and the lack of true security measures (since
most assumed no one would try to enter a balcony three stories from the marble
walkway), Serenity turned the latch easily and collected herself for a moment
before pushing open the heavy door.
Shadows and moonlight fell slightly and frozen across the dark room’s
floor, and only sounds the much too loud scraping of the door opening, and
Endymion’s breathing as he slept.
As was habit since he was child, the prince had moved to the edge of bed
so he could sleep in the beam of moonlight floating across his room. The
white-blue light fell across his face, softening the hard lines usually visible
across his features. His hair shimmered almost as silver as Serenity’s in some
places, as the light alighted peacefully over the strands, embracing him as if
it loved him as much as Serenity did.
A small part of the Princess’s mind scolded her for trembling, but most
all of the radiant angel’s thoughts were focused on the man before her. He
seemed so vulnerable, she had a dizzy memory of watching a young boy fall
asleep in the royal gardens when she was very little, held up to the monitor by
Venus to get a glimpse of the prince all the adults had talked of so excitedly.
The beautiful little boy...
Unable to resist, she had to touch him, running soft fingers across his
forehead. Suddenly, a warm hand grabbed hers in a vice-like grip and she felt
him start awake violently.
Sitting up in panic, Endymion faced his intruder with catlike instincts,
weary and ready to attack. Stifling a surprised scream at this unexpected turn
of events Serenity stumbled back, and would have fallen if not for Endymion’s
grasp on her hand.
They stared at each for a few moments, dark blue eyes into light blue
ones, light dancing between them in a haunting waltz heard by no one.
It was Endymion’s amazed whisper that broke the silence, “Tenshi.” She
smiled tenderly, and he thought he might live a hundred years and never again
see anything so heartbreakingly beautiful. “I’ve dreamed of you.”
“And I you,” she confided, the first time he heard her speak, her voice
seemed to wrap around him, and through him, a shimmering silver blanket.
He did not let go of her hand, instead shifting his fingers to weave
through hers, the pleading in his dark eyes nearly broke Serenity’s heart.
“Are you real?” he whispered, a little boy, frightened by his own feelings.
Nodding gently, the small smile never leaving her lips, she tightened her
fingers around his. “My name is Serenity,” she murmured, in the soft, sweet
voice the strong-willed princess saved only for her loved ones.
Surprised he was still able to speak through the haziness of his mind, he
answered, “I’m Endymion.”
If it was possible, her eyes grew even lighter. “I know.”
Silence descended again, only the sounds of breathing audible in the
room, although both of them were sure the other could hear the pounding of
their hearts.
“Are you an angel?” he finally asked, more composed, a business-like
expression on his face... although his eyes were still slightly glazed.
“Hai,” she answered, “do you now believe?”
Hesitantly, as if he expected her to flinch or run away, he sat up more,
and brought his hand toward her face. She shut her eyes as he pressed his palm
to her smooth face, spreading his fingers through soft hair. “Yes,” with a
sudden flash of boldness he ran his thumb over her lips, remembering them from
the last rainstorm, shaking his soul moreso then the thunder. “I believe.”
~~
She woke up screaming. It was there, it was always there, but at night
it seemed to gain power and pull at her soul with more force then she had to
resist it. It offered her everything she ever wanted: money, power, to see
others cowering before her. It offered her the object of her desires, the
young prince of Earth, bowing before her and her slave in more than one way.
It pulled at her mind, but this night she tried harder than ever to resist it.
For Endymion, she pushed the evil away from her mind. Rising slowly,
Beryl shunned the thought of sleep, and wrapped herself in a sheer robe of dark
red. Stumbling from her chambers in the west wing of the palace, she walked in
a daze through marble walkways and lovely verandas.
The moon mocked her from the dark sky, as she traced the steps to the
ground beneath Endymion’s balcony.
~~
They had just met, but she had known him forever, it seemed. Hand in
hand with her before the glass doors of the balcony, Serenity seemed less
mystical to Endymion. Instead of an untouchable, unearthly being radiating
beauty and light, she was a princess of the light, warm hand resting in his,
her heart beating and lungs breathing as his did. She was Real. And he felt
in true danger of losing his heart to her, if it did not already belong to the
angel before him.
“So you really do... watch us constantly?” He asked, feeling a slight
tightening in his chest. ‘The unseen enemy,’ something whispered, and
suspicion filled him, even as Serenity held his hand tightly.
Turning blue eyes to him, she answered, “Well, how else are we supposed
to protect you?”
Her voice drove the whispering darkness away, and at that instant, it
lost all power to return to haunt Endymion. It was that moment, precious dusky
blue eyes looking so trustingly into his, her sparkling warmth so close, heart
pounding in time with his, that his heart filled so completely with her and
only her, he wondered if he would explode.
“Serenity,” his voice was timid, even as he encircled her waist with his
arm, pulling her closer, lowering his head to brush against her face.
She looked up into his eyes, and he smiled a little. She was everything
he had secretly hoped for, refused to surrender to, refused to believe in. But
now... how could she have him acting this way? All Endymion could tell her was
the truth. “Permit me, Princess, but after you stole a kiss in the rain, there
are times when I pleaded on every star in the sky to be able to reclaim it.”
At the mention of the last time she had seen him, her face flushed a dark
rose-color beneath her translucent skin, but before she could retort, he
finished his speech and lowered his lips to hers.
This wasn’t right. It was against every law and every rule and every
value the moon kingdom preached to Serenity from an early age. Why did she
start this? What had she done? But she couldn’t pull away. Not from this.
Not from him. Finally.
Endymion was lost in the waves of belong and desire, wrapping his arms
tighter around her waist, wondering if he would wake any moment to face cold
reality and find this was all a dream. It was nearly too much for Serenity, to
believe that he returned the feelings she had kept hidden for so long.
Tears filled the princess’s eyes behind her closed lids, they sparkled in
the moonlight as they caught on her dark eyelashes. She couldn’t ask for
forgiveness, because she had no regrets to offer. For as long as she could
remember she had loved this man from afar, and to be finally held in his arms,
feel his lips respond to her touch... “I love you,” she admitted to him, as he
pulled away slightly to look into her eyes, “it’s wrong, but,” her eyes were
damp, quivering, but strong, “I’ve always loved you.”
Almost unable to believe that such a perfect creature could claim to love
to a flawed human as himself, Endymion couldn’t answer her. The shocked look
in his eyes disappeared, however, as he saw his reflection deep in her gray
eyes. “Serenity,” he pulled her close again, leaning his head on her shoulder,
burying his face into waves of silver hair, “You are the answer to my prayers.”
The moonlight encircled them, as if claiming allegiance to the side of
true love as well.
~~
EMAIL ME!! PLEASE!! Antigone@lunap.com...
(
geocities.com/element_sprite)