Hello readers!! As someone pointed out to me, I haven't
given my name yet in any of the chapters of this series,
so for those of you who were wondering, it's Ali. Also
to clear something up, my pen name was supposed to be
Sailor Unico, but after awhile some web page owners
decided Ali was better so in some places it's Ali and
others it's Sailor Unico. For those that asked, I have
another fic series that I posted all at once rather
than little bits at a time. It's located at too many
places to list here, but if you want a link to the most
current revision e-mail me at slrunico@aol.com and I'll
send it! The series is called "The End of the Sailor
Soldiers" and it focuses on the Inners' graduation from
highschool and breaking up for college.
This is, I think, one of the most dramatic chapters.
Herein you will find Serenity and Serena's talk about
the betrothal, the Inners' reactions, and more importantly,
Darien's reaction. I hope you like it, the scene where
Darien finds out probably could have been written better...
what do you think? I need e-mails from you out there
to let me know how I am doing!! Thanks!!!!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Weaving a Romance"
CHAPTER 4: No Turning Back
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Someone was shaking her. "Serena, Serena, wake up!"
the owner of the hands said.
But she didn't want to. Sleep was better. She
knew that if she woke up something...something...would
hurt her, and it was just safer to stay immobile and in
peacefulness until she could figure out what could hurt
her and then try to get back to consciousness.
"Why didn't you tell her before we came like we
planned?" asked another voice.
"I told you," the first one said crossly. "There
was no time, I was waiting for the right moment. You
don't just spring marriage on a girl, especially Serena.
But unfortunately that's just what happened. I can't
believe it."
The other person snorted. "Come now, Serenity, we
both know that if you had told her and raised her on
the knowledge she has already been spoken for, this
wouldn't have happened! Why in the world did you
decide to keep it from her for so long?"
"I wanted her to have fun before she was tied down
to the responsible married life. Living with the
'knowledge' that she has been promised to someone and
that her life has already been laid down for her in
stone is not the way to spend a childhood. I was
planning to sit her down and calmly explain AFTER you
and Bruce arrived. Little did I know things would get
out of hand like that."
The second person sighed. "Well, what's done is
done, and I suppose you aren't at fault. I'm sorry for
causing a scene back there, the day hasn't been divine
for Bruce and I."
Serena had heard quite enough. Married? she
thought, maintaining her fainted state. I can't be
married, I'm only 16 years old! This just isn't
happening. It's got to be some sort of a nightmare.
Soon I'll wake up...married! I don't believe it...sure,
I'm fond of Bruce, he's a nice person and a dear friend...
well, a dear friend I haven't seen in years, anyway.
Why didn't anyone ever tell me about this little
arrangement?? All those boys I dated...and -
Suddenly someone's image flashed through her mind
and it startled her so much she opened her eyes,
gasped, and rose to a sitting position. Darien!
Whatever is he doing there at a time like this? Lord,
the man somehow manages to get to me when he isn't even
here, and when he has absolutely NO business in this
matter!
The clear picture faded away softly until Darien's
cocky and arrogant face was nothing more than a blur of
color stained and blended together with tears. In a
way she was almost sorry to see him go.
Almost.
She turned to her mother and Estelle, neither of
which had noticed her recovery as they were talking in
hushed voices in a tight cluster. The three of them
were inside a small conservatory right off of the main
council room. Bruce was no where in sight. "Ahem,"
Serena cleared her throat.
Both queens turned to her. "Serena," said her
mother. "Are you all right?"
Serena nodded. "I still don't understand," she
ventured in a hesitant voice. "What's going on?"
Serenity and Estelle exchanged glances. "Well..."
Serenity began. "As I said, you and Bruce are to be
married, in less than two weeks."
"MARRIGE??" exploded Serena, jumping to her feet.
"Me?? And Bruce??" Not that there was anything
*wrong* with Bruce, it was just that they were simply
childhood friends, and nothing more. They couldn't
marry, they weren't in love. What gave the two queens
the idea that they ought to butt around in Serena's
life?
The princess has read about betrothals in fairy
stories, but never had even considered the notion that
she might have been betrothed at birth - and certainly
not to a boy she'd been in diapers with! She had
assumed that people in her day and time didn't do
arranged marriages anymore. Serena glared at her
mother and Queen Estelle. Evidently she had assumed
wrong this time.
Serenity cleared her throat, obviously uncomfortable.
"Estelle, maybe you should leave me and Serena alone
right now, so I can explain things..."
Estelle nodded firmly, glancing at Serena once
before hurrying out the door.
The queen of the Moon and the princess of the
Moon appraised each other silently. Neither spoke.
Serena still did not understand what was happening,
and she didn't want to even begin to comprehend. But
alas, Serenity began to explain.
"Serena, darling, I know this comes as a shock to
you, and I know that Estelle was probably right, that I
should have told you before she and Bruce arrived about
the plans. Really, I meant to, but things just got so
out of hand back there, that I wasn't sure anymore of
anything."
"It's true then," asked Serena in a near whisper,
as if saying the words too loudly would make them more
real.
A tight nod from her mother affirmed her greatest fear.
"But I can't!" Serena cried. "Not me, not Bruce,
we're not in love!"
"I know, I know," Serenity soothed her. "Not now,
but soon you will learn to love him. You've been
friends since you were just little children, so it's
not like you're marrying a total stranger!"
Serena sniffled, willing herself not to cry...to
hold in those horrid, cruel tears until they could fall
in the privacy of her room onto her lace comforter.
Holding back the flood gates, she stared her mother
straight in the eye. "Were you betrothed to Daddy??"
That question caught Serenity off guard, Serena
noted, for what was one of the few times in her life.
"No," the queen answered in a short and curt tone. "No,
I married by choice."
The look on her mother's face was pure torture, of
dreams and kisses that had been locked away in her
heart forever, coming to surface at the mention of her
late husband. Serena instantly felt sorry for even
bringing up the subject, seeing how it hurt the woman
most dear to her. She stepped back, bracing herself
for the harsh reprimand that might follow as a result
of her insolence.
Instead Serenity turned her back to her daughter.
Her voice was cold and stern but strangely soft.
"Serena, this discussion is closed...you will marry
Prince Bruce and that is final. Now go to your room."
"Yes Mother..." Serena said meekly. Willing to
give up the subject, she left the conservatory the
back way so that she could avoid Bruce and Estelle
until she was ready to face them again...leaving her
mother to stew in memories that should have stayed
where they were...buried.
"Married??" asked Raye in disbelief.
"To BRUCE?" exclaimed Lita.
"Nuts," muttered Mina. "There goes my chances with him."
"Mina!" gasped Amy, astonished. "How can you
think of yourself at a time like this!?"
"Easy...I just...do."
Serena had retreated to her room and was flopped
over on her bed in the middle of relating the whole
sordid story of her betrothal to her friends. She
hadn't even gotten past the words, "I'm going to be
married to Prince Bruce by the end of the month"!
They were as much in shock as she was...and SHE was the
one getting married to a man she had not seen since
forever!
Lita looked at Serena in admiration. "You must
really be gone for that guy, huh Serena?"
Serena blinked with incomprehension. "What?"
"How much do you like him?" Mina prompted.
Don't they understand a word I'm telling them,
Serena thought, very disturbed. Here I am, I just
found out I have been secretly engaged to a man for my
entire existence...to a man I feel only for as a friend,
and they think I'm in LOVE with him??
On the way back to her room, Serena had tried to
consciously reach into her soul and extract any sort of
feelings she might have that might maybe one day become
love and emotion for the prince of Lerence. But she
had found nothing of the sort...just a distant friendship
that would most likely evolve into nothing else.
And oh, how she had wanted to find love for Bruce.
It would make things so much easier. She could get
married in a fairy tale wedding just like in all of her
old picture books, and have a storybook romantic life
with him...raise lots of children, etc. etc. Why,
there would not have been any cause for worry at all.
If she had found love it would have been easier because
she could have accepted it and maybe even have cheered
the idea...no, if she had found love she would have
demanded that the wedding be moved to the very next
morning!!
But alas, life is never easy when we want it to be,
and the times when it is the hardest seem like the
bleakest and most hopeless of all. Bleak. Hopeless.
That was how Serena felt as she looked at her friends'
faces, silently begging her to let them in on all the
feelings she felt for her very own wonderful Prince
Charming.
"Well??" Raye asked, breaking into Serena's mind
with a mental ice pick. "How did he propose??"
"I guess I forgot to mention," she responded
softly. "He never exactly proposed..."
"Did he bend on one knee?" interrupted Mina.
"That's the way it is always done. And then he slips
it on your finger and asks for your hand in marriage.
That," she added for emphasis in case the Moon Princess
had not gotton the point, "is the way it is done."
"No," argued Amy. "Traditionally he asks the
parental figure for his love's hand first, since it is
always done that way if he is proper. Normally he
would ask the father, but Serena, since your father...
well, you know, he must have asked your mother first."
"Oh Amy," scoffed Lita with stars in her eyes.
"You're so old fashioned. NO ONE does it that way
anymore. Talk about a tradition from our PARENTS' era!"
"Hey!!!" barked Serena. "Didn't you guys hear
me?? He didn't propose to me today!!"
"See??" said Amy in a sing song, I-told-you-so
voice. "He asked the QUEEN today. Tomorrow he will
ask Serena formally...the way it is always done."
"I guess you were right, Amy," Raye acknowledged.
"Come to think of it," remembered Lita, "I do
recall reading in the current edition of 'Royal
Edicate' that that particular tradition is being
followed by more of the elite and modern couples of
this time and day, to follow propriety in asking the
parent first for their daughter's hand."
"So Serena," asked Mina. "Will you let us hide
behind something and watch when Bruce proposes, or do
you intend to just let us wait in agony until you're
'ready' to tell everyone the whole...hey..." she noted.
"Serena's not here."
"Hmmm..." the other girls agreed. They looked
around the room, but during their conversation Serena
had left her place on the bed and had gone out the door.
"I'll bet our conversation got her in the mood to
sneak into Bruce's guest room and share a few," Mina
giggled, "MOMENTS with him!!"
The four erupted into united laughter, and gave
Serena not another thought as they threw themselves
into idle gossip from around the kingdom..mixing into
the bittersweet afternoon air.
Serena didn't understand. She was sitting in the royal
palace rose garden, toying with one of the leaves on the
vine near by. Weren't friends supposed to listen and
understand you when you most needed them to? Some help
they were, she thought bitterly. Instead of helping me
with this problem they totally ignored everything I said
right after I announced I was getting married. It's like
I suddenly just ceased to exist!
"Anyway," she said aloud, "I guess it's not really
their problem. It's mine. But what can I do about it?
Absolutely one hundred percent nothing." Would have
been nice, she silently commented, if Mother had asked
my opinion about all of this before she made that
agreement.
But I was, like, barely a month old supposedly.
Bruce would have been...let's see...just about the same
age. Bruce. I wonder what he thinks of all of this.
Serena sighed. She knew what he thought. To boys
nothing was more important than their home planets, and
the safekeeping of that planet. Her mother had something
that the planet Lerence and its galaxy needed...the
Silver Crystal. And Lerence had an outstanding military...
one of the best armies in the entire universe. It would
be a good match if they were somehow caught up in a war.
But quite frankly, Serena couldn't see THAT happening in
a million years. There was no trouble anywhere that she
knew of. "If someone wages battle on us," she muttered,
"sometime before I'm eighty five, I'll eat my hat...well,
I would if I *had* a hat."
Serena bit her lip. Well, there had been Raye's
stories of that woman on Earth, named Beryl. But she
never took anything her friend from Mars said seriously.
Raye's father was bent on the subject of war and whatever
he said to her, which was probably a bunch of whacked up
rumors about this Beryl person, she would believe. But
Serena had no worries, and she hadn't seen her mother
the least bit concerned. As long as Serenity remained
calm, Serena knew there was no danger.
Lightning hit and she was seething with anger.
Darien's image had suddenly swept back into her mind,
as if wanting to know exactly what was going on and why
no one had told him anything. "I am so sick and tired
of you just invading my privacy like this!" Serena
shouted, leaping off of the marble bench she was seated
on...head tilted toward the sky. "You have NO say or
matter in this, I don't even think I WANT to invite you
to the wedding!!! So just stop making me think of you!!"
"Serena!!"
"WHAT??" She spun around and saw that Lita was there,
a look of concern on her face. "Oh, I mean, hi Lita."
Lita took a step forward, then took it back.
"Ummm...who are you talking to...?"
Serena remembered how the princesses had not cared
what she had to say and how she felt about the wedding,
and was mad all over again. "No one," she muttered,
side-stepping Lita out of the garden. "No one at all."
Serena steadily marched herself back into her room and
stayed there...staring into space. A few times she
sniffled. Other times she felt a slight tear come to
her eye, only to find itself brushed aside in annoyance.
What does a girl do, she thought, when she finds that
she is to be married to a man she's not in love with?
She was new to the part, and had no clue how it should
be played. The role of the arranged fiancee was not
one she had planned on. She didn't even WANT it.
In a matter of weeks, she...Serena...would be a
married woman, living off on some foreign planet, without
her friends or mother for solace. She supposed it could
be worse, she could be betrothed to someone totally
awful. Bruce was all right, except, she was not in love
with him. "And poor, misguided me," she said sarcastically,
"the little naive princess actually was holding onto the
concept that marriage was for those who were in LOVE
with each other. How innocent and sheltered is THAT??"
Her voice cracked at the end, and she remained
silent for a long, long time. Her eyes stared ahead at
her vanity across from the bed, filling with tears,
then blinking them away.
Finally there was a knock on the door. "Serena,"
came a muffled voice. It was Mina, from what she could
tell. "Serena, come on! Your mother and Prince Bruce
and his mother are all requesting your presence for
lunch!! Hop to it!"
Then there was silence, and a long sigh as Mina
realized Serena was not going to answer. The Moon
princess waited until she heard the flouncing away
footsteps of her friend, and then got ready for the
lunch date.
Bruce rose up as Serena entered the dining room. He
bowed and then helped her into her seat. Serena blushed.
She was used to this kind of treatment, but there had
not been many men around the palace lately besides Prince
Obnoxious from Earth. "Thank you, Bruce," she replied,
sitting down next to him.
He nodded at her and gave her that same smile she
knew so well. Any other day she would have laughed and
enjoyed his presence. But now, things were different.
Serenity smiled at Queen Estelle knowingly, and
seeing this, Serena gritted her teeth. She couldn't
stand the way her mother was acting!! Couldn't she
understand how upset she was?? Any other good mother
would have called off the wedding at once had she seen
her daughter's distress. Any other mother would never
have arranged for such a terrible thing in the first
place. But noooo, not HER mother. Queen Serenity was
too worried about keeping up good relations between the
two galaxies to even worry about her daughter's unhapiness.
Why, Serena realized with a start, Mother didn't even
bother to come in and talk things over with me after
the announcement!!
"Where are Mina and the others?" asked the princess,
looking around the dining hall expectantly.
"Princess Amy had to go home to be fitted for a
gown for her birthday gala next month," replied her
mother, "and Princesses Mina and Lita went back together
with Princess Raye to Mars."
Princess Raye, mimicked Serena in her mind. Princess
Mina, Princess Amy, Princess Lita. Why the sudden
formalities, Mother dear? "Great," she muttered. "Now
my FRIENDS are forgetting all about me too." The least
they could have done was stayed around to offer her pity.
Estelle looked down her long, pointy nose at Serena.
"So, Princess, I trust you are feeling better now that
you have had a little rest. I know that that sudden
announcement of your engagement to Bruce must have been
startling."
Serena looked at the queen of Lerence blankly.
What is she talking about?, she thought, rapidly trying
to come up with why the queen was asking about her
welfare. Ohhhh...the fainting thing, she recalled,
managing a tight smile. "Thank you, your majesty, I am
feeling much better. You're right, the...ah, betrothal
was unexpected but, um...I know things will turn out for
the best." Whew! Good save, Serena!
Bruce smiled at his mother and Serena realized that
he had not said a word yet. "Mother," he addressed
Estelle, "you don't know Serena that well! Of course
she is better. See? The announcement didn't take
anything out of her. Serena's a trooper, by jove."
By jove???, Serena thought in panic. Heavens, is
that what they talk like on Lerence?? Oh eww....
"Serena?"
The princess snapped out of her thoughts and looked
around the table for the source of the voice. It was
her mother. "Serena, we really need to hurry about
these wedding arrangements," Serenity continued once
she was sure she had her daughter's undivided attention.
"You know that the wedding will be held in the chapel
here at the palace, but who all would you like to
invite? If we hurry, we might be able to give just
enough notice to the people in --"
"Wait a minute, Mother!" Serena cried out. "What
do you mean, we need to hurry!? We have all the time
in the world, don't we?? Or is there something ELSE
about this I don't know?"
Serenity cringed, but Estelle took matters into
her own hands. "Serena," she said in an icy tone. "I
do hope that's not the tone you are accustomed to using
when speaking to your mother, the queen of the Moon
Kingdom. Really! I have never seen such disrespect!
The matter of the wedding is none of your concern unless
your mother asks your opinion on something. WHEN it is
held is up to me and Queen Serenity."
"Just WHEN was I voted out of this wedding??"
exclaimed Serena. She was sick of having to pussy foot
around Estelle's remarks, as she had been doing since
childhood. The queen of Lerence was so cold sometimes,
so prim and proper it was sickening! Imagine, poor
Bruce had to live with her every day. She gulped. And
SHE would have to live with her too! After the marriage
she would move to Lerence! Oh, this wedding business
was getting worse by the minute!!!
Queen Estelle gasped and Serenity found her wits.
"Serena!" her mother said sternly, standing. "You will
apologize to Prince Bruce and Queen Estelle this minute!!"
Serena bristled. Wouldn't Darien love to see this,
she thought as she stood up. "I'll apologize, Mother,"
she said. "But not until her majesty Queen Estelle
apologizes to me for her remarks about my place in the
wedding! I found them most uncalled for. It is my
wedding, and I have been thrown into it, and if I have
to go on with the whole deal then I want to be able to
make some of the decisions."
Estelle was flabbergasted, and Bruce's mouth was
hanging open. Serenity sank back into her seat wearily,
as if she was much too weak for this type of burden.
"Mother," said Bruce in a weak voice, "maybe you
ought to apologize to Serena..."
Estelle opened her mouth, then closed it, then
opened it again. Serena waited, patiently, for the
queen of Lerence to regain her composure and remember
just who she was talking to. Serena knew that held
more importance and esteem in her pinky than Queen
Estelle did. She was the daughter of the ruler of the
entire galaxy, the future holder of the Silver Imperium
Crystal, the number one source of power in the universe!!
"...am sorry, Princess Serena."
Serena turned back to Estelle and realized she had
missed half of the queen's apology. "I guess this
wedding has us all on our nerves," Estelle continued
with a weak smile.
"And I apologize, your majesty," said Serena,
forcing herself to bring tears to her eyes. If she
wanted to get out of a punishment from her mother, some
pretty good acting was called for. She made her voice
small and pitiful. "You're right, I was very disrespectful,
I...I...just, this is all too much at once to take in,
I am not myself."
Everyone nodded with relief, and Bruce helped
Serena back down into her chair. The meal resumed and
all four were on their best behavior.
And it wasn't until later that night that Serena
realized her tears were more real than she had planned.
Serenity had another long talk with her daughter the
following morning in the throne room. "Today," she
said, "the royal papers all over the galaxy are printing
word of the engagement. The reporters will be everywhere
outside of the palace walls, so I am urging you to stay
on the grounds all day."
Serena meant to whine and complain that Mina had
invited her to Venus for a picnic and that she couldn't
miss it, but instead these words came out: "Will the
Earth papers print the news too?"
Serenity looked a little confused, but nodded. "I
don't know if it matters, but yes."
A brief image of something passed through Serena's
mind, and she had to chase it down to see who it was.
"Darien!!" she said aloud. Something hit her heart --
hard -- and she felt sick and tired all of a sudden.
It was a picture of Darien, smiling at her cockily.
But all at once his expression became stricken with
grief, and that made her heart hurt even worse.
The queen did not hear her daughter's outburst.
Instead she was insisting for the second time that Serena
stay on the grounds of the palace all day, and not to
breath a word to anyone of her argument with Queen
Estelle.
Serena heard herself saying something like, "Oh
why would I mention that?" while her mind was still
whirring with the question of why she was thinking of
Darien so much now that this engagement had come about.
Serenity snapped her back to attention. "Dear,"
she said, suddenly very firm. "I think it's best if
you leave the wedding arrangements up to Estelle and I."
Serena gasped. Maybe she didn't want to have this
wedding, but the least her mother could do was let her
take charge! It WAS the only one she would have in
her lifetime! And now Serenity and Estelle were bent
on taking it away from her, too! "No way!" she
exclaimed. "I should have a say in everything that
goes on, Mother, you KNOW that's only fair!!"
The queen shook her head. "Dearest, you know
nothing about these types of things, and you're much
too upset as it is. Just leave everything to me and
Estelle on this one and --"
"NO!"
"Serena!" Serenity was angry now, and Serena took
a step back. "Serena, this insolence is shameful! I
was appalled at your treatment of Queen Estelle
yesterday at lunch, and so embarrassed! What Bruce
and his mother think about this I can hardly stand to
imagine! I don't know what has gotten into you lately,
Serena, I just don't know! From now on you are to be
of the sweetest nature around the royals of Lerence.
Is that understood??"
Serena was struck with a helplessness the likes of
which she had never known before. There was nothing
she could do to stop the wedding -- it would go on
with or without her consent.
Her mother was now quiet, and she sunk back into
the chair. "The least you could do," she said softly,
"is go through with this if not for me, for the sake of
your kingdom, Serena. I won't be here forever, and you
will be the future leader of the Moon. You and Bruce will
bring Lerence and the Moon together and rule over both --"
"Is that what you want, Mother?" asked Serena.
"To see the Moon swallowed up by Lerence??"
"What I want is not for us to discuss at this
time, daughter. You owe this to your kingdom, to get
married. This betrothal was made a very long time ago,
and if you were to break it...." The queen trailed off,
leaving the unsaid end of her sentence for Serena's
imagination to fill in.
"And...oh, Serena..." Her mother was speaking
again, this time in a somehow frightened voice. "I...I
need you away from here."
"What do you mean?"
"I cannot tell you right now. But daughter, I
need you to be gone from here as soon as possible. I
need you to go where you will be safe."
"Mother, if this is about the forces of Beryl --"
Serena broke off, waiting for her mother to stop her
and to tell her she was not scared about the happenings
on Earth. Because if the queen was scared, then the
problems Serena had heard about had to be much worse
than she had thought. Sure, she knew about the woman
from Earth, Beryl, and how she was stirring a revolt.
Raye was her source of gossip on the topic, because her
father, King Phillip, was one of the ones rooting for
war. He had been advising Serenity and the monarchs of
Earth to stamp out things while the still could. But
Serenity especially was determined to keep peace.
Her mother was silent, as if she had not heard her
daughter's remark, though Serena knew she had.
Serena hung her head. Oh, it was no use. "Yes,
Mother," she said in a quiet voice, leaving the throne
room and going back down the hall. I think she's being
silly about Beryl, so that aside, I do owe it to Mother,
and to my kingdom. If this is what makes her happy, and
everyone else happy, I shouldn't be selfish about it.
No, I won't argue with her again."
Darien took a soft bite of his roll, savoring the
flavor. Breakfast was refreshing to him, it renewed
his strength after a night's sleep. However the past
few nights he had not been sleeping well at all.
Even before the ball he had been dreaming of the
blond haired vixen known as the princess of the Moon
Kingdom. Serena had filled his thoughts, or, more to
the point, his dreams. In different situations,
yelling at him, tripping over the stone, or...or....
He blushed, and then recovered when he remembered
the last part of the last night's dream. She had been
crying...crying in her sleep. She might have said his
name, he thought she had, but that might have been
wishful thinking on his part. But what had gotten to
the prince was her sorrowful sobbing. It hit his heart
and he had no idea why. It made him want to run to her
side and stop every tear. It was one thing for him to
make fun of her...but anyone else...no way.
Darien had dreamed of other girls before, lusted
after them. He'd been with other girls before, well,
other women. But never before had he felt this way
about any of them, the way he felt about Serena. It
was more than odd, it was mysterious. It must be a
phase, he told himself. A phase I will eventually get
out of. Albeit, she's a real looker, but other than
that -- well, it's not possible. I'll get out of it.
But deep in his soul he knew it was more than a
phase -- much more -- and that it was not something
that he would be able to get of.
At that moment Jedite entered the room, looking
polished and groomed as always. Neflite and Malachite,
who looked nothing less than dead tired, followed
drowsily.
"Morning," said Darien, greeting his friends.
"Where's Zoi?"
"Where else?" said a grumpy Malachite as he went
into the kitchen. "Preening in the mirror."
Neflite, stony faced with glazed eyes lumbered
after Mal, mumbling incohearants about mornings. That
left Jedite and Darien. The blonde general took a seat
at the table next to the prince and helped himself to a
roll. "Any plans for the day?"
"Nah, nothing really."
Jedite buttered one of the pastries and
nonchalantly began to babble. "Well, I was just
looking at the news screen for the day's hot topics
around the galaxy. Not much interesting, there was
some type of a festival on Jupiter, and some dude on
Uranus uncovered ancient scrolls from eons ago. I
don't know about that...sounds like a bunch of old geezers'
work that has nothing to do with out life today. Anyway,
that Moon Princess Serena, well, she's getting married
finally to some guy she was betro...Darien, hey, what's
wrong? You're like...white."
Darien was indeed very pale, from the second he
heard the word "married" in connection with Serena. It
was not possible. His heart stopped and he suddenly
did not know what the words meant. Because if
he did remember what they were, it couldn't...COULDN'T
be true!
Slowly, the prince of the Earth turned to face
Jedite, staring directly into his face, making the
general very uncomfortable. "Uhhhh...Dar...listen, I
don't like the look your shooting me...did I say
something?"
"What_did_you_say_about_her?" Darien's words were
even and paced out, sounding as if he was on the verge
of stepping over that very thin and dangerous red line
of control and calm.
Jedite was scared. Petrified. The gaze in Darien's
eyes was frightening, like he was on fire, but not
screaming. Don't people yell when they experience
pain? His brow furrowed. "You mean about the
Princess?" After receiving a firm nod from the prince
he continued, fumbling his words. "Oh, well, ummm...
gosh, I guess you would be pretty shocked about it, I
guess you didn't expect her to get married, right?
Uhhh...see, she's, like, getting married, yeah, ummm...
getting married to this dude from one of those planets,
errr...in one of those solor systems, like, near here,
and uhhh...well, it's...." Jedite wasn't sure what
exactly Darien wanted him to say, and more to the
point, what Darien was angry about in the first place.
Darien kept his eyes on the general. "I want to
know when, where, why, and who. NOW."
"Next weekend, on the Moon, because she's
betrothed to him since she was born, Prince Bruce of
the planet Lerence." Jedite rattled off the answers to
Darien's one word questions as fast as he could,
relying on the ever present good memory he had been
blessed with, which had stored the information from the
headline post.
The general thanked his stars when Darien finally
closed his eyes...the gaze had been shut off, but
Jedite could not relax anymore than he could before...
because the force of his friend's unexpressed emotions
were filling the room.
Meanwhile Darien was experiencing all of those
feelings ten fold. Hurt, denial, anger, grief,
frustration, suspense, shock, sadness, confusion, pain,
pain, and more pain, mainly in his heart, all were
weaving through his veins, pounding through his skull
mercilessly. The onslaught of emotion was so great he
had never felt anything like it in his entire life.
Why am I so affected by this, he asked himself in
between the curse words flitting around the anger.
It's not like I love her...she's not a girlfriend...
what is going on??? How could she, how could she, why
didn't she say something...Serena, no, Serena, it can't
be, I won't let it happen, but I can't stop it. Serena,
please God don't let it be true. It's a lie, everyone's
been lying. Jedite, the news bulletin, Serena, and
me...me...I've been lying, but I don't know what about....
no...no...Serena...Serena...Serena.... Trembling, Darien
let out a mighty and loud roar, that shocked Jedite and
brought Neflite and Malachite, fully awake, running in.
"What the heck happened?" exclaimed Neflite, his
arms balancing two plates of pancakes, a bowl of cereal
and a mug of hot cocoa.
Darien, his face full of the same feeling his eyes
had been tormented with, did not answer. Jedite took
it upon himself to do the job in his place. "I told
him about the princess Serena getting married, and, he,
well, just look!" He pointed at the disheveled Darien.
Malachite, similarly weighed down with his breakfast,
teetered in unbalance. "What's wrong, Dar?"
The prince did not answer. Instead he got up from
his seat, kicked the chair across the room, and put on
his cloak. Then he turned to the generals. "I'm going
to the Moon," he said in the same errie voice. "Tell
Mother and Father I have business to attend to. As soon
as I pack I'm out of here." With that said Darien
ran out of the room, his stride sure, but pained.
The three generals stared after him, in utter
shock. "We missed something," Mal confirmed.
Neflite nodded. "I don't understand, what would
make him so uptight like that?"
Jedite shrugged. "I was just telling him the news
bulletin and he got that way right after I said the
princess of the Moon was getting married." Suddenly
recognition dimmed in his eyes. "You don't think...he's
fallen for her?"
"Impossible," scoffed Malachite. "From what I've
heard the whole galaxy knows they dispise each other,
especially after that scene at the ball. And she's an
innocent little girl! Compared to the women Darien's
always dating, she doesn't measure up there in that
category."
"But did you see that look on his face?" asked
Neflite. "It was so intense! Something about this
whole thing really teed him off. Maybe he does feel
for her."
The appropriate and normal answer for that would
have been what Malachite had said. But all had seen
the shock and grief and emotion in Darien, and they
were at a loss. Only one person had the answer, and
from the look of it as he ran through the dining hall,
he did not know himself.
Serena walked with all of the grace she could muster
down the hall, and out onto the lawn. She forced a
smile on her face, knowing she must look happy at all
costs. "I owe it to my kingdom, and my mother, but not
to myself," she said sadly between her grinning lips.
It was her new motto...her new battle cry. She had
been repeating it to herself every moment of the day.
Finally it looked like she was out of the way of
anyone seeing her, she dropped the smile and let her
tears flow freely down her cheeks. The princess ran
and ran, thankful to be in her white slippers which
were easy to run in. Finally she reached her
destination, the rose garden. She had left word
through the intercom with the cook and her mother that
she did not feel well and would not be joining them for
meals or for any other activities after breakfast and
had stayed in her room until finally she had to get out
outside for air. Now she was safe.
When she was in her room she had searched again
deep inside of her for feelings for Bruce. Oh, how
badly she wanted to love him! She wanted to, she
wanted to more than anyone could ever know. Because if
she did then everything else would be okay, she could
marry him happily.
But she had found nothing, not through her hours
of soul-searching that day or the day before. When she
realized that, THEN she had needed the air.
Hidden from the outside world by the hedges,
Serena dropped onto a bench and wept bitterly. "I
can't marry him," she sobbed. "I can't, I can't!" But
what else was there to do? Her mother was concerned
about her safety, and they had been betrothed since
they were kids, she and Bruce. "But it's not there!"
she cried. "I searched and searched, but it wasn't
there, the feeling, the love!"
For several minutes Serena cried, feeling as if
she was very alone in the world. No one was on her
side, even the Inner Princesses couldn't understand.
No one could.
The private black transportation beam whizzed onto the
surface of the Moon with a rushed landing. It's owner,
Darien, dressed in the same clothes he had been in
since breakfast pushed the door open, and, leaving his
bag inside, slammed it again and started off down the
path. He had parked in the rear of the Palace, and in
his haste he was unsure where he was.
The prince had tried to leave after breakfast, but
had been delayed an hour or so because of the air ways
being jammed. He would have had to have waited even
longer until he simply left, taking another route he
had discovered years ago.
Then he heard crying...sorrowful and grief filled,
coming from somewhere. One thought was in his mind.
Did Serena love her betrothed? Over and over again,
with every heartbeat, Darien asked himself that
question, willing it by the grace of God that it was
not so, that she didn't want to marry. But he had
heard of this Prince, he was blonde, dashing, a skilled
horseman, handsome, and charming. What woman could
stand to resist such a man?
The crying became louder with each step, and the
faint smell of roses met his nose. He wasn't that near
the garden, but the scent was with him, as if some
invisible force was helping him along the way with
little clues as to where the princess was.
"Of course," he muttered. "The rose garden, she's
there, I can feel it." His feet ran in that direction,
hopping over stones and his feet hardly touching the
grass. After awhile he finally could see the garden...
the beginning of the hedge maze, filled with those
beautiful red roses. "Serena..." he whispered, and
approached the area.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Well?? How was it?? What did you all think of Darien's
reaction? It was one of the first scenes written, like,
during the summer before the story even had a form or a
shape recognizable. Of course I had to revise it
recently, so it should be okay. It's one of the only
scenes I was worried about since it's vital to the plot
about his feelings.
Coming up in chapter 5!!: chapter pretty much
solely dedicated to Serena and Darien. They'll talk
about the betrothal and then...then...well, I won't
spoil things for you!! It includes some of my favorite
scenes!! And it should be out soon. Thanks, and keep
reading!! ~~~Ali~~~
(
geocities.com/tokyo/courtyard) (
geocities.com/tokyo)