By Sailor Nena

"Not you." Darien answered in surprise. He looked at the blond girl. She was wearing a pair of black boot cut jeans with a matching black top. Above that, she had a white shirt and her father’s leather jacket. She had a black leather book back hanging over her right shoulder and black boots. The spaceport’s air conditioning system was usually bellow room temperature.

"Hey, hold on! You two run faster than the road runner!" Princess Venus reached the group. "You better board, or you’ll miss your flight." She turn to hug her friend.

"Wait a minute! You mean that she is coming along?!" Marcos asked in surprise. He slowly turned to Darien and in a whisper he asked, "Who is the babe?"

"That’s the first time I here anyone describe a member of the Inner Circle as a babe." Venus giggled. Marcus turned a vibrant shade of red.

"I commend you on your hearing Venus, and yes I am coming along." the girl answered.

"Serena you can’t be serious." Darien began. "Your presence is not necessary; we can handle it on our own." Darien complained.

"I believe you, but my parents want to show support for your kingdom, and when they get an idea, no one can change their minds. If we don’t hurry, we are going to miss the flight."

"Then, lets go." Darien moved aside to let her passed in front of them. She took a basket from Jedite’s hands and kissed him good bye. Then she hugged Mina fare well, again. Darien changing his mind took her hand and led her into the plane. There, they went to the first class section.

This section was the largest of the special diplomatic plane. In the front, it had a large conference table equipped with the basic necessities like pens, legal paper, and laptops. The oak table had twelve chairs around it and it was nailed to the floor. Behind the table were six rows of sofa chairs with ten chairs in each row. There was a total of sixteen windows on each side of the section, and they were larger than normal. They were the only people in this section for this flight.

Serena sat by the window and placed the basket on the seat beside her and the book bag on the floor by her feet. Darien sat on the next available seat followed by his brother, who seemed to be more and more uncomfortable by the second. Serena caught eye of this, but reasoned it thinking that Marcus might not like to fly. Darien, who knew his brother’s dare devil personality, worried about what the true situation at home might be. Darien did not want anyone to notice how worried he was; it would not help the negotiations if any of his rivals noticed he was insecure. He turned to Serena and joked,

"So your parents decided to let you fly alone with two guys, meatball head. Did they have a fever?"

"Who said I was traveling alone? Oh, if you call me that again, you will eat your words."

"I don’t see anyone here." Marcos informed.

"You forget, Nena is not always visible...."

"Nena is here?" Darien asked uneasy.

"Or on Earth already. She can transport to her destination in seconds. She might have decided that the plane ride would be too tiring, but the one person that I can truly speak for is Luna."

"Who?" Marcos asked.

"Her guardian cat." Darien informed. "What about Luna."

"I’m chaperoning." Luna came out of the basket and sat on Serena’s lap. "We wouldn’t want the Princess to get too home sick." She coddled up warmingly in her lap and tried to begin her nap.

"How long are you staying?" Marcus asked curiously.

"Until the problem is resolved or two weeks, which ever comes first." Serena answered. "I need to be back for the new statue presentation, the dedication of the new fountain, the opening of the new national park, and for my parent’s mid-July parties."

"That seems reasonable enough." Marcos sighed in relief.

"So, could one of you two fill me in on the details? I’m not sure I have all the information straight."

"Well, it all started when Duke Idiot...I mean Ignoramus..."

"Close enough." Serena interrupted Marcos.

"Well, he decided to claim the rights of Prince, which his father gave up in the Tokyo Agreement."

"That was the agreement that united Earth." Darien interrupted.

"Yes, I know, but wasn’t it also stipulated in that agreement that all future generations had no right to complain."

"Yes, but Ignoramus is part of the generation that signed the agreement. His argument is that he was too young to complain." Marcos informed.

"But, I always thought his mother did not go into labor until the agreement had been signed. That would mean that he couldn’t complain." Serena interrupted once more.

"Apparently not. Other wise he wouldn’t be doing what he is doing. The other idiot is Duke Leon of Europa."

"Leo is involved in this? But this isn’t his type of mess!" Serena protested.

"You...know him?" Darien asked.

"If you can call it that. We went to the Lunar Academy together; I remember he was more busy with his blue prints than making friends. He dated a friend of mine for a while during the time that he came out with the design for the engine that all spaceships use now. If it wasn’t for him, this trip would take two to three days, instead of four hours. After his girlfriend died of cancer, he became so much more with drawn. He eventually returned to Earth to work in solitude. He hated the responsibility of rule and power. He use to say, ‘For me it is better to let someone else lead with my decisions.’ He was a very reasonably gentleman, a caring friend, and an incredible boyfriend."

"How would you know?" Darien asked jealously.

"That’s for me to know and you to find out." she flirted. "Who else is involved?"

"The other four Princes are along for the ride." Marcus answered.

"Anything else I should know?"

"Ignoramus is a male chauvinist that thinks every women created is his property."

"Just like his father." Darien added.

"Sounds like fun." Serena smiled with her tongue in cheek.

Serena had been sleeping for an hour. Darien was placing another blanket on her; Marcos thought it was safe to make a call home. He went to the conference table and opened a video link to the Tokyo Palace. "Dad, Darien and I are on a plane home, but we have a problem." Marcus whispered.

"What’s wrong son?" King Altruest whispered back. "Why are we whispering?"

"That’s the problem. The Lunar Royals wanted to express so much their support for our Kingdom that they have sent an ambassador with us."

"And that’s bad?"

"The ambassador is the PRINCESS!" Marcos harshly whispered.

"What?!"

"That’s right! The same person you sent me to separate from Darien has never been closer to him. The worst part is that if she realizes the move, then our foreign relations with the Moon are destroyed."

"We will have to make sure she doesn’t.’

"Who doesn’t what?" Darien interrupted the two.

"Darien? Um....I just called dad to make sure that we had a room set up for the Princess and...and..."

"What do you have to make sure of?!" Darien asked annoyed.

"That she doesn’t feel homesick!" the Queen reprimanded from the video screen. Darien walked around the table so he could see his mother.

"Mom, how have you been? Has the barbarian of my brother given you a hard time?"

"No dear. Have you achieved anything?"

"Yeah, my name on the King’s top ten list of ‘Men to Kill Before Breakfast.’"

"And, with her?"

"A stabbing, I’ll explain latter."

"And then you say I am bad with women." Marcus joked. Serena suddenly woke up. She was breathing very hard, and her trembling hands were covering her face. She laid back and tried to calm down.

"I’ll talk to you to latter." Darien got up and ran to her side. Her back was turned and she was shaking. "Want to talk about it?" Serena jumped at the sound of his voice.

"You startled me! Talk about what?!" she asked nervously

"What ever is bothering you?"

"Nothing is bothering me!" her voice was shaky and insecure. It was a mere shadow of the voice Darien had grown to love.

"Then why are you shaking?"

"I’m cold."

"Why are you as pale as snow?"

"Your imagination."

"Why are you afraid?"

"I’m not."

"So, was this bad dream related to yesterday’s incident?" Darien sat next to her and putting a blanket around her, he pulled her closer.

"I DID NOT HAVE A BAD DREAM!" Serena was ready to throw all her frustration on Darien.

"So, why did this GOOD DREAM bother you?"

"NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS!"

"Did it involve your parents?"

"Darien..." she began to whine, but he silenced her with his finger. "yes."

"Did it involve your friends?"

"Yes."

"Did it involve me?"

"I...I’m not sure. I think I saw you, but very briefly. I don’t know?"

"What was it about?"

"It’s a repeating dream. I have had it since I was four. Sometimes, it comes once every night for a while, and others, it doesn’t come for months at a time, but it has never been this intense!" She had stopped shaking. Her eyes became heavy with sleep. Silently, her head fell against Darien’s arm. Their eyes closed in simultaneous sleep.

The wedding bells rung with excitement. The Court was all present at the Church, and a white carriage brought the Lunar Royal Family there. The Queen and King came out followed by their daughter dressed in white. Serena’s eyes fell on Darien, who was by the entrance. There eyes seem to be searching for each other. Queen Serenity stole Serena’s attention by fixing some of the flowers in her bouquet. When she looked back, he was gone. The procession began. The Bride’s Maids Entered dress in red long elegant silk dresses. They had a bouquet of red roses with a white rose in the center. They Entered in the following order, Ray, Mina, Lita, Aims, and Zoisite. The gentlemen that entered with them were Chad, Jedite, Nephrite, Greg, and Malachite. The men were in their military uniforms. The Queen was followed by two Royals, who Serena did not recognized. Ray and Mina had reached the alter and gone behind it.

The "Wedding March" began to play. King Guile lowered the veil on his daughter’s face. "I want you to know," he began, "that I have never been prouder of you." They marched down the isle hearing the whispers of what a beautiful bride she was. The old stone building was decorated with roses of all colors. The stain glass windows became Serena’s spot light. She took the hand of a Prince that was waiting for her at the alter; she could not see his face through the veil.

"Our friends," Mina began, "We are here to unite this couple in bonds of love made visible."

"By the power of the Sacred Flame," Ray continued, "we will unite the two in the Holiest of Matrimony. Will you please take each other’s hand." The couple did as they were told. The words and actions in the ceremony became a blur for Serena. She could do nothing but stare at her future husband and wonder who he was.

"By the power of Love, the ultimate fire, we declare you married! You may kissed the bride!" The girls chanted in perfect unity. Serena smiled as she saw her veil lift. She saw his white gloves and a bit of his chin.

"No!" Serena woke in shock. She was as disoriented as before. Darien held her from behind and tried to soothe her, though he needed soothing himself. He had been having the most pleasant of dreams, and he did not appreciate her waking him before the best part was done. "Twice in one night? This has never happened before." She took a deep breath and tried to relax. She let herself fall against him; his arms caressed her. Her eyes began to close again when she remembered where she was. "Darien, what time is it?"

"Ten forty-five."

"We should be landing in fifteen minutes then."

"Yes, so what’s your point?"

"I shouldn’t fall asleep again." She tried to get up, but his arms held her tight. "Do you beg to differ?"

"Yes, I do. I am too comfortable and do not wish to move."

"Won’t you be more comfortable, if I wasn’t on you?"

"But you are like a big teddy bear....with meatballs on her head." he teased. Serena hit him in the ribs with her right elbow. "Ouch! That hurt!"

"Then let go of me!"

"No!"

"Why?"

" ‘Cause I said so!"

"Marcos, did I ever tell you how annoying your brother is?!"

"No." Marcus left the table were he had been playing solitaire for the last hour or so. "How annoying is he?"

"So annoying, I rather listen to one of Prince Ugine’s Form stories than spend a minute with him!"

"Ouch! That hurt even more!" Darien whined. "Why are you so mean meatball head?!"

"I warned you about calling me MEATBALL HEAD!"

"Whatcha going to do about it...MEATBALL HEAD?!"

"Like I said," Serena began calmly, "I’m, going to make you eat your words!"

"Five minutes before landing, please return to your seats." a female voice announced through the loudspeaker. Serena pulled herself free and left moving towards the bathroom.

"Where are you going? The captain said to return to our seats." Marcos warned.

"I’ll return in a minute!" Serena went into the bathroom, and with the cold water she washed her face. She took a small brush from her pocket and tried to fix her meatballs, but her hair was too messy. She let her hair down and brushed it back. She did not have enough time to redo her meatballs, so she wetted the brush and brushed her hair from her face. Her hair fell below her kneecaps and kissed her ankles. "It seems time for a trim." Serena thought. She quickly retouched her make-up, and return to her seat.

"It took you three minutes, not one!" Darien complained.

"So? I made it back before the plane began to land."

"You could’ve gotten hurt meatba...hey, what happened to your meatballs?!" Darien teased.

"They were too messy to fix in three minutes. I didn’t want to worry you too much!" Serena answered sarcastically.

"You don’t have to have an attitude!" he whined.

"Look who’s talking!"

"Don’t be a baby!"

"Takes one to know one!"

"Children please, behave yourselves!" Marcos joked. He loved the opportunity to tease Darien. "Now Mr. Empty Pants, learn to behave, and kiddo, I have to ask you to refrain from insulting Mr. Empty Pants. He is very fragile." Serena burst out laughing.

"I like you, but I must ask you not to call me kiddo. I hate the word. Should I ask why you call Spaghetti Brains Empty Pants?"

"No." Marcos answered. "Why do you call him Spaghetti Brains?"

"Because he has to have spaghetti for brains to see meatballs on my head."

"OK, that’s enough! You are not allowed to use me as the target of your insults anymore!"

"Please remain seated until the spaceplane comes to a complete stop." the voice interrupted.

"Is that understood?" Darien finished.

"Why not?" the two asked together.

"Because, Marcos is my brother and owes me some respect!"

"That works both ways."

"But I’m cuter."

"I beg to differ." Serena interrupted as she got up and picked up her bag and the basket with Luna in it.

"Excuse me?!" Darien asked indignant and very jealous.

"Marcos may not be as tall or mature looking as you yet, but he has dark, enchanting, MYSTERIOUS eyes. Yours are blue and transparent. I like a good mystery better." Marcos began to giggle.

"And you owe me some respect for that stabbing." Darien got up to remind her who was stronger.

"Excuse me! What stabbing?" Marcos asked worriedly.

"I have thanked you more than once for that, but I have trouble respecting a person who does not respect me."

"Thanked for what?" Marcos interrupted again.

"I have so little respect for you that I saved your life!" Darien felt indignant now.

"How did you safe her life...Why did her life need saving?" Marcos was very frustrated.

"May I remind you that I disrespected you in the same way."

"Huh? Did Darien need saving too? From what?"

"I guess we are even, but let me remind you that I saved you from a knife not a thorn."

"Who’s knife...What Knife?"

"Let me remind you that I saved you from a poison that would have burnt your insides in a matter of hours making your death slow and painful!"

"Who tried to poison my brother?"

"Himself!" Serena answered.

"Huh?" Marcos was completely lost.

"I warned him not to touch the roses, but he did not listen. He was bitten by a poisonous rose."

"But you gave him the antidote."

"Yes, and she was attacked by an assassin."

"But you took the blade for her."

"I guess you can say that."

"Good, now don’t tell mom or dad about this. They have enough to worry about like where we are. Shall we go?"

Serena had been received very warmly by Darien’s family. They tried to follow the rules of etiquette, but they soon became informal and loving. Serena preferred this because it allowed her to become close friends with Darien’s sister immediately. She was fourteen and named Celeste. Her long brown hair caressed her waist while her blue eyes brighten any room. Celeste was very pretty with pale skin, Darien’s smile and her mother’s looks. Like Serena, she enjoyed a good time and hated the formalities of the court. Together, the girls were dynamite.

Serena was in her new room, which was next door to Darien’s. Lying in bed, she could hear him breathing through the wall. She placed against the wall and tried to search for his mind. She found him looking for hers. She pulled away as soon as she felt a serge of energy pass through her. She felt her body go on fire for a second; then the sensation passed. She placed her hand on the wall again and said good night as if that was what she had intended from the beginning.

Serena rose from her bed and approached the computer that was in the corner of the room. Like she suspected, it was linked to the Internet. She logged on with her private home name and began to search. She entered legally Earth’s Archives of Royals and Nobles. She typed in Prince Ignoramus. It was not a surprise to her that it was password protected. She tried to override using her Lunar Code (the Moon Kingdom was one of the seven kingdoms that ruled the universe, and the Earth was under its wings). It did not work; she had one more time before she was locked out and a virus infected the computer. She then left the archive and went into the Lunar Directory of Blue-Bloods. She searched for Ignoramus once again. The basic information was provided. "Perfect." Serena whispered. She looked for his birthday; again, it was password protected. This time her password was accepted; a massage asked her if she wanted to be sent to the Earth’s Directory for a more accurate date. She agreed. This time no password was necessary to see his file. A wry smile crept to Serena’s lips as his birth certificate came on screen. She hit the print button and waited for the results. "It looks like I’m going home sooner than I thought.

"What is going on here?!" Darien was in at the door of his room with his pajama pants and a matching robe. "Princess Antoinette? Prince Jacques? What are you doing here?"

"Well, when we heard of your predicament, my sister and I decided to come and show our support." Jacques answered.

"What’s all the fuss about?" Serena suddenly appeared at her door with a while silk robe covering her night gown. She was still half asleep.

"And there is the reason we are here." Antoinette smiled. "If it wasn’t for her, then we would have never realized that something was wrong."

"How did I do that?"

"Simple," Jacques began, "you never showed up to have tea with me. I started asking questions and eventually found out that Marcos had come to fetch his brother and that the Princess had decided to tag along."

"Darien, I am sorry." Serena said softly. He approached her from behind and kissed her cheek.

"Don’t be. Go back to sleep; I’ll take care of this." Serena went back into her room and locked the door. "Dad, would you like to explain why Serena came with us?" King Altruest came into the hallway.

"No, but I would like someone to explain what is going on here!" Darien quickly filled him in. With Antoinette’s nagging, they were not able to keep their situation a secrete. They installed the Royals in two adjacent guest rooms. They had no excuse to send them to the guest wing with Serena in the family wing.

Serena slept as gentle as a baby when Tuxedo Masked entered the room through a secrete passage. It was four in the morning and he wanted to make sure the room was perfect before he woke her. On the side facing him was, from right to left, a computer on an antique ebony computer desk that had a matching chair. Then was a similar ebony desk with matching chair exclusively for writing; a hand carved fireplace broke the office chain of the room. It had a painting of two lovers under the moon hanging over it, and on the mantel piece it had small crystal animal figurines. A straw chair with a large porcelain doll dressed in an old-fashioned pink princess dress, sat next to it. The blue eyes were hidden behind a wild set of raven black curls. Her hair had a matching bow. She gave the old room a juvenile sense to it.

To his right was a wall to wall closet . The old ebony doors gave the sense of elegance to the room. The closet was interrupted in the middle by her bureau and vanity mirror. Her brush, two perfumes, a few lipsticks and other accessories were already organized on it. This arrangement made the room look more ample. Darien approached one of the closet doors that was left half opened. Three simple but elegant dresses hung inside. "I guess she only takes the necessary when she travels." he thought as he closed the door.

To his left were the windows. Two large bay windows were separated by a bit of wall that was packed from floor to ceiling with shelves six inches apart. On each shelf, a fairy tale porcelain doll sat smiling. The first bay window led to a small balcony overlooking the Inner Gardens. In the center of these gardens was a golden fountain breathing water four feet into the air. Serena had left the silk dawn-tinted curtains drawn, so the stars and the moon shown in the room with all their glory.

Behind him was the bed with silk dawn-tinted sheets and a sleeping Princess. There was a night stand on each side of the bed. Each with an abstract lamp and a hand made three inched crystal Princesses. The closest to him was Serenidad, the one from the locket story. The second was the Princess from the rose story. Darien smiled as he remembered lying about not knowing the stories. Above the bed was an oil portrait of Darien in a tuxedo with a red rose in his hand and his sister in a long rose-colored dress with a white rose in her hand. Next to the night stand that was closest to him was the wall that served as the entrance of the secrete passage. Next to it was the door to the room. In the center of the room, Luna slept peacefully on a round Persian rug.

Darien walked quietly across the mahogany floor to the bed. He sat by her side and watched her head turn to him. Her eyes slowly opened, and a luscious smile grew on her face. "Did you get my note?"

"What note?"

"I left a note explaining where I went in my room in case you came."

"I didn’t go to your room because I saw you leave, so I returned to Earth as fast as I could."

"Why?"

"I am not going to let you get away without me proving that love exists first."

"Good luck."

"No, I have something better; I have a plan."

"What are you up to?"

"Simple, I am going to help you find someone to love."

"Huh?"

"Earth is very different from the Moon. There aren’t as many money hungry Princes around, so finding one that will show you his love won’t be hard."

"I am NOT interested in one that will show me love! I am NOT interested in ANY."

"Lets see, Jacques arrived today, but he has been on the Moon too long. I am not sure I trust him."

"I said I was NOT interested!" Serena harshly whispered. Tuxedo Mask started to count with his fingers.

"Marcos is too into puberty. James is engage to Jennifer Marie, Darien’s younger sister. She is nineteen. Juan Carlos is engage to Jessica Marie, Jennifer’s twin sister. Armando, Darien’s youngest brother, is only ten. That only leaves Darien."

"You are crazy!"

"Why?"

"Because not only am I not interested, but neither is he!"

"A man like him not interested in a pretty rose like you, now that IS crazy."

"He calls me meatball head!"

"A term of endearment."

"Maybe for a cook, but not a prince."

"He calls his brother, Marcos, chicken legs."

"There, that proves that if he has any amiable feelings towards me, they are sibling in origin."

"Then why did he try to kiss you twice?"

"What are you talking about?" Serena asked nervously.

"In the Placid Gardens and in the Wild Gardens, you two nearly kissed. He loves you."

"Your imagining things. Love doesn’t exist."

"You want to know what I think?"

"What?"

"I think you love him to, but you are afraid of getting hurt."

"What?!" Serena shrieked. "You have never been more wrong! I’m not scared of anything!"

"So you do love him." he said triumphantly.

"Where do you get that?"

"You challenged the part about being afraid, not about being in love."

"Because I did that before....Stop putting words in my mouth!!!!!!!"

"Why won’t you just let him in."

"In where?"

"Your heart, your soul!"

"Because he is already in there...as a friend."

"Let him be in there as your only love. You are already in there as his." he pleaded.

"You better cut down on the caffeine because you are seeing things again." He got up and took a deep breath.

"Why must you be so stubborn?" he asked "Serena?" He turn to see her asleep. It had been a long and tiring day for her. He kneeled on the bed and kissed her crescent moon. He stood up and was about to leave when desire won over common sense. He took of his jacket, mask, top hat, and bow tie; as the sun broke into the room, he softly pressed his lips against her virgin ones. She opened her eyes, but could not see who it was. Confused and not realizing what had happened, she reluctantly closed her eyes again. He could not resist taking another kiss from her, so his trembling lips repeated the action one more time. This time she only smiled. "Next time Serena, I will not need you asleep, and the kiss will be much more personal." He left the room before Luna woke up. Serena was left in a warm sea of emotions and confusion.

"Did you sleep well?" Celeste asked as Serena came down for breakfast.

"I guess so. I had a weird dream. Where is everybody?"

"Antoinette and Jacques had their breakfast in bed. My parents and brothers ate earlier. My sisters don’t eat breakfast, and me, well, I hate rising with the sun. So what was your dream about?"

"So do I. What time is it? It was weird...like if someone was telling me a fairy tale."

"Eight. What do you mean Fairy tale?"

"My mom would kill me if she found out that I slept in pass six thirty. Well in my dream a prince was kissing a princess; it’s just that he gives her a warning about his love. It made no sense."

"Those are my favorite because they stick with you. Mmmm, before I forget, you will be leaving for the rebel camp around nine. It’s going to be a long hike so dress comfortably and pack lightly. It’s going to be a one day affair, and you are not taking more than necessary servants. So, when you are done with your breakfast, you have to come with me so we can tell the cook what to pack for you and what you would like for dinner."

"Well," she looked down at her plate. She had eaten two of the three eggs, the toasts, and most of the bacon. She had been hungry, and she had managed to eat and talk at the same time. "I am full, so we can go now."

"Good idea because it is already half after." The girls quickly sprung to the feet and went to the kitchen. It was the size of three football fields filled with people. Serena watched amazed at their ballet. Everyone making sure that their part was done right without tripping over the next person. The girls carefully joined the dance until they were pulled back to reality by a warm voice.

"You two look lost."

"Crystal, this is Princess Serena. Serena this Crystal, our main chef’s assistant." Celeste introduced. The fifteen year old girl did her quick bow.

"How may I help you girls today?" Crystal asked cheerfully.

"Serena is going hiking with the rest, today..."

"What would you like for lunch?" Crystal cut in. She knew there was something more to the hike, but she did not want Celeste telling her something that private.

"Well, I don’t have a specific craving today. Do you have any recommendations?"

"Well, I would go with a sandwich, but I can make anything you desire." Crystal quickly added. She scolded herself for forgetting that she was talking to a Royal. Most of them would be insulted at the offer of a sandwich.

"What kind do you have?"

"All kinds...."

"Ham and cheese?"

"Yes?" Crystal was a little confuse at the request.

"Cool, then I think two sandwiches and several bottles of water should do it. Don’t you think?"

"Quite practical." Crystal smiled pleasantly at the refreshing sight of a princess who was normal. "What do you wish for dinner?"

"Isn’t everybody having the same thing?" Serena asked confused.

"Well, today the family enjoys the same meal as most of the subjects. You see, the Royal family has all its subjects tell them what their favorite foods are, and then the family eats them. Today, the family is having spaghetti and meatballs...."

"I’ll have that then. Is Darien having that too?"

"Yes."

"Could I ask a favor?"

"If it is in my reached?"

"Well....." Serena whispered something to the two girls before they broke out laughing.

"I think I may be able to work something out......" Crystal giggled.

"Antoinette, may be it’d be best if you stayed behind." Darien pleaded as he saw her in an excessively lavish ballroom dress and high heels. Her brother was dressed to match in his military uniform. "It is not necessary for either of you two to come. Really, why don’t you both stay and enjoy the beauty of the palace while we take care of business?" Marcus hoped they would take the hint. Serena had not come down yet, and it made no difference. In his opinion, princesses were not meant for this type of work. He looked at Antoinette. Dressed the way she was, she would not last a second in the semi-jungle atmosphere of the Devil’s Forest.

"Listen to my brother." Marcus continued, "There is no need for all of us to waste our day in the hot, humid, wild jungle."

"Well," Jacques began. He looked for Serena. If she was not coming, then neither was him. "I suppose you..."

"I’m ready." They turned to the figure that was coming down the stares. She was wearing a pair of Kaki shorts and a sleeveless white cotton blouse. Her brown hiking books matched her light suede backpack perfectly. "Sorry I’m late, but I’m still running on Lunar time. Did I miss anything?"

"No, Serena. I was just telling Darien how we are all here to support him. Shall we go?" Jacques smoothed over. Darien knew there was no way of convincing those two of staying. He noticed Serena taking note of Antoinette’s attire and decided to fill her in.

"Antoinette is under the impression that she can survive in Devil’s Forest dressed like a proper lady, and her brother believes that proper military attire, even if it is the wrong season’s, is necessary." Serena looked at Darien and Marcos. They were both in long Kaki pants, but Marcos had a white tee-shirt, and Darien had a hunter green one. She suspected that they would put on a shirt when they reached the camp. Both men had military boots.

"I’m glad I’m not the only one with a brain here." She whispered to herself.

"Shall we go." Darien led the way to the jeeps. The four servant mounted the second jeep while the Royals mounted the first. Darien took the driver’s seat, Marcos took shot gun, Antoinette and her dress took half the back seat leaving room for one more. A quick thought of being able to take Serena on his lap crossed Jaques’s mind. He was about to propose it when Darien found another solution. "Serena, why don’t you ride between Marcos and me. It will be a little tight, and lacking a seat belt, but al least you’ll fit." Serena did not even think about what he was saying. She jumped over the seat and took his offer. She was happy of not only leaving the back seat, but of annoying Antoinette with an unlady-like move.

Darien drove off quite content. Before the other two royals arrived, Darien had planned to let a servant drive and share the back seat with her. Having her this close was good enough. After ten minutes of beautiful forests, the terrain became a little more like a jungle. They reached a fork in the road, and Darien stopped. They left the jeeps and picked up their material. Antoinette and Jacques had the servants carry theirs. "OK, were going to travel the left road to the trail. On the trail, be very careful not to get separated. Remember, it is usually only traveled by rebels once every three years." Darien informed. Serena was not surprised at this. She figured they would take the most difficult and unexpected road to be safer. They followed the road into a thickly wooden area. The humidity had to be at least 95%, and the temperature felt like 102^o F. Sweat and water were pouring down there faces. The occasional cool breeze kept them alive. They made sure to drink plenty of water.

After ten minutes of walking, Antoinette began to complain. With in five more minutes she was being carried by the servants on a primitive stretcher. Each servant held one end of the poles and she sat on the sheet in the middle. This helped them speed up a bit. After an hour, Serena was exhausted; Jacques had lost his uniform, and the only one who seemed healthy was Antoinette. The day was getting warmer. Serena was tired of wiping the sweat from her eyes; she hated seeing the boys suffering under Antoinette, but she had no choice. Finally she stopped, turned around, and went to the smallest servant. She took his backpack and told him she would carry it for him. It was twice as heavier than hers, but she placed it on her back and hers covering the front of her body. Both Darien and Marcos felt embarrassed. Why had they not thought of this sooner. It was too hot to think. They just followed her example. In the end, Jacques ended up carrying a bag himself.

They walked for two more hours. The heat reached it’s peak. Serena was seeing double. The terrain had become much harder to walk. It seemed like a thick jungle instead of a forest. Her legs that had been trained to endure countless obstacles could barely sustain her, but she did not let anyone know. The mosquitoes began to buzz louder. Serena took a miss step on the ground twisting her ankle. Darien caught her before she reached the ground. "I’m fine." she said when he motioned to pick her up. He ignored her and sat her on a near by log. He untied her shoelaces against her will, and when he was satisfied with the diagnostic, he let her know.

"You’ll live." he teased.

"I could have told you that." She took the bandages from her bag, and before she could mend her foot, he had taken over. "I’m not disabled, you know. I can take care of myself."

"But, I want to do it." he whined. She couldn’t help but laugh. The servants were watching them closely, trying to pick up every single move of Darien’s. The youngest even took notes. "I think it’s time for lunch. Let’s eat." They unpacked their food, which was in their backpacks. Antoinette and Jacques seemed to have ordered with dinner in mind. They both had soup with a French dish. Marcos had a huge salad with a nutrition drink. Serena unwrapped her sandwich to find that Darien had another. He laughed at the coincidence. He sat next to her and asked, "What do you have?"

"Ham and cheese, want half?"

"Pepperoni, only if you take half of mine." She agreed. Serena found that with the water Crystal had added a cold chocolate shake. It was just what the doctor ordered. She felt like a new person. Serena noticed some movement behind the trees.

"How far away are we from the camp?" She asked.

"Not far." Darien answered.

"Ten." Marcos added.

"No twelve in all." Darien replayed.

"You’re both wrong. Eight in front, seven in back, four on either sides...."

"What are you three talking about?" Antoinette interrupted.

"You are all wrong." a male voice came from the bushes. Before they realized it, they were surrounded by armed soldiers. "Eight back and front and four on either sides...."

"No...ten...fifteen...there are twenty-three men, including yourself, here." Serena corrected. The young man looked around.

"Where is Johnson?"

"He took ill, sir." a solider answered. The man approached Serena and lifted her face with his hand.

"It looks like I still can’t get you to make a mistake." He said before he lowered his head and kissed her cheek. Darien was red with jealousy.

"How dare he?!" Darien screamed to himself.

"Does that mean you are going to stop?" Serena asked with a sly smile.

"Never, my love." he lowered his head one more time to kiss her lips but she moved her head so he would kiss her other cheek instead. Some of his men laughed, others whistled. One even said,

"You still can’t ‘et her." Darien on the other hand was furious. She was under his protection, and he could do nothing to help.

"Is that true?" the young man asked.

"For now and for ever...."

"’til death do us part." he finished. "It is good to see you again, love. What is a pretty little thing like yourself doing in a forest like this?" His hands slipped around her waist.

"It is good to see you too, Leo. Don’t call me love. I’m not little or a thing, and" she pushed his arms away, "getting you out of trouble."

"I wasn’t aware I was in trouble."

"You threaten to destroy the Unified Kingdom of Earth, and you think that you are not in any trouble?" Darien cut in. He had enough. He was jealous and angry.

"A friend asked for a favor."

"Since when do you consider Duke Ignoramus a friend? Last I check, you were still calling him Idiotsville." Serena interrupted.

"He got you here."

"But not under the best of circumstances."

"But you still brought me a pressy."

"How did you know?" Serena opened her backpack and took out a yellow envelope. He took it from her hands and studied the contents.

"I guess I am getting myself into trouble." He smiled. "Shall we finish this in camp?"

"Duke Ignoramus, a pact was made, signed and sealed! The Earth is a unified planet! I am not going to destroy that because some spoiled brat has a new craving!" Darien argued. He was inside the main tent with his brother, Ignoramus and four other Dukes. Leon had taken Serena, Jaques, and Antoinette on a tour of the camp. They had been arguing for hours and had not been able to reach an agreement. Ignoramus seemed to be sure of himself.

"Perhaps Darien, you should see a small spec of my army. May be, then you will see that I am no spoiled brat." The men stood up and exited. They went outside were they found the men in a large circle surrounding Serena and Leon. When Darien broke through the human barrier, he saw the two engaged in an intense arm wrestling match. They seemed to have a stalemate in their hands.

"TIME!" Serena screamed, "Double everybody’s bet against me!"

A cheer in approval came from the men. She slammed his hand through the table. A large groan came from the men. "We should have know better." one complained.

"She never lost before, why would she lose now?" another stated.

"What is the meaning of this?!" Ignoramus growled.

"Well, you see, arm wrestling has been use for a long time as a good gambling tool and a way to prove your strength......"

"I mean with the Princess!" Ignoramus interrupted his first lieutenant.

"Oh, they have an on going rivalry since his Moon days. Don’t worry, they aren’t half as bad as when they went out." the lieutenant informed.

"Went out?!" Serena’s royal companion’s screamed in unison.

"Oh, did I forget to mention it?" Serena asked innocently.

"You said you knew him, but....."

"I said you would find out how I knew he was a good boyfriend." she interrupted Darien.

"Don’t be so hard on her." Leon chipped in. "It was a mere title."

"How mere?" Darien asked.

"None of your business." Serena answered.

"Weren’t we suppose to be talking about the Earth today?" Leon interrupted.

"Yes," Ignoramus interrupted, "as you can see, we are capable of giving you a headache."

"Not really." Serena corrected.’

"EXCUSE ME?!" Ignoramus was not about to take this type of comments from anybody, specially a woman.

"I went to school with each solider here. I beat them all up for a graduation present." Serena smiled.

"Serena, do NOT underestimate. I am sure, he has a good army." Leon corrected.

"And the rest of yours is fabulous." Ignoramus added.

"Don’t count with my army. We have a thing about helping liars."

"What are you talking about?!"

"You said that you had say in the Tokyo agreement. I found out that you were born after."

"That must be some kind of mistake..."

"No, I found the information personally." Serena stated as she took out a copy of his birth certificate from the folder. "See?"

"I guess that ends the talks." Marcus stated.

"Darien, let me tell you something." Leon and Darien were alone. The problem had been resolved and the Dukes had returned home. "Serena and I......well, we didn’t even kiss. She was only with me to comfort me. My true love had died; she felt guilty because she had introduced us with the hope of us falling in love. The reason I am telling you this is because I know that you love her. I loved her once, so I can tell you this, do not let her get away without telling her. She is afraid of loving, but not of being loved. I can tell that what you feel, weather you know it or not, is the real M’Coy. Don’t let her get away. You won’t be as lucky as me." He walked out of the tent and left Darien with his thoughts. She would be gone tomorrow. How can he stop her?

"You have a beautiful planet, Darien. I regret having to leave it so soon." Serena sighed.

"Then don’t." Darien whispered in her ear. They were walking in the Inner Gardens under the full moon.

"Like it is my choice."

"Make it yours." He took a deep breath and began to follow Leon’s advise, "No one here wants you to leave. I..."

"So that’s where you’ve been hiding." Antoinette and Jaques came into the gardens. "It’s dinner time." Antoinette finished as she took Darien’s arm and led him away; Jaques took Serena with him. She did not enjoy Antoinette taking Darien the way she did. Even an idiot could see that they were enjoying each others company, but then again, an idiot is smarter than Antoinette.

Perceptimine had set her table with prudent care. Her husband was at one end and Darien at the other. She was at her husband’s right while Marcos was at his left. She was followed by all her daughters except Celeste and they had their future husbands sitting in front of them. After them was Antoinette sitting in front of her brother. Next to Antoinette, she bribed her youngest son, Armando, to sit; then she told Antoinette that it was due to a crush he had developed. In front of him was his closest playmate. Then came Serena at Darien’s right, and his sister at his left. She had succeeded in alienating the unwanted Royals and placed an unaware Serena in Darien’s grasp.

Dinner was served promptly. When Darien removed the silver cover from his dish, he had to pretend to cough into his napkin to hide his laughter. On his plate was a large meatball with two smaller meatballs on the top and spaghetti strands coming from the smaller ones. It looked like a mouse with hair, but Darien understood what it meant. "You won’t win, Princess." he laughed.

"I said I would make you eat your words, and I meant it." Serena answered with a seductive devil of a smile.

"Who is going to make me?"

"Marcos and I will. After all, if you offend Crystal by not eating her food, and the planet by dishonoring a favorite dish of the people, you must be punished." Celeste smiled. Darien picked up his fork and said,

"I’m only doing this because I am out numbered. I’ll get you for this, Princess." He pointed with his fork at Serena. "I will get you back AND with interest."

Serena was sitting on the fountain in the Inner Gardens looking at the moon when Darien sat by her side. "By this time tomorrow I will be looking down at you from above."

"I rather look at you here." Darien flirted. Serena smiled; it was the first time she felt comfortable alone with a man that was openly flirting with her. Even with Leon she felt bad; she felt guilty. Now, she felt tired. He slipped his arm around her shoulder, and she leaned her head softly on his shoulder. "Serena,"

"Hmmm?"

"Don’t fall asleep."

"But you are so warm, comfortable, and protective......like a big Teddy Bear." she whined. "I’m too tired."

"If you fall asleep, you have to sleep so long that you miss your flight tomorrow." This comment made her laughed softly into the starry night.

"If only I could." She sat up strait. "Thank you."

"For what?"

"For showing me a sweeter prison....For showing me why the Caged Bird sings."

"Any time." He placed his hand under her chin and gently coax her head towards his. He leaned forward, and she followed his lead. She turned and kissed his cheek.

"I better get to bed, or I will really miss my flight tomorrow." Serena stood up and stretched. "It was nice talking to you." Serena left Darien begging for a little more of her and continued down the hall when she bumped into Celeste. "Going to bed?"

"Not really, I’m a night person. You?"

"Have to, if I’m getting on that plane tomorrow."

"I wish your stay could be longer."

"So do I."

"Hey, I know what we can do....."

"Don’t over work yourself. You know that if I stay so will those two."

"Not if we work it the right way."

"Celeste you are a girl after my own heart." The girls conjured up a plan which they would put into action the very next morning.