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**A Soul Reclaimed**
By Brickgirl
Brickgirl@hotmail.com
http://www.geocities.com/tokyo/palace/7112
Rated: PG
Disclaimer: Sailor Moon and friends do not belong to me.
Adonis, Thalia, and this story do.
**Part 3: Something Wicked This Way Comes**
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“MARRIAGE!!!!!” Princess Serenity exclaimed. She sat on her bed
hugging her knees. Next to her sat a very pale Thalia. “Are you going
to do it?”
“I . . . I don’t know,” said Thalia hesitantly. “I have to meet
him first. He might be a jerk.”
“Or he may be wonderful!” the princess stated, always optimistic.
“Oh Thalia, this is so exciting!”
“I don’t know. It’s so sudden. I mean, when ever I looked at my
life, my future, I never saw marriage in the picture.”
Serenity was curious. “Why not?”
Thalia shifted uncomfortably. “Well, I mean, my duty is to you,
to protect you. I’m a warrior, not a wife!”
“So you mean to say, that even if you met someone that you loved
with all your heart, you wouldn’t marry him because of your duty to me?”
the princess asked, somewhat shocked.
“Well, I never looked at it that way, but something like that.”
Serenity looked her foster sister in the eye. “I don’t want you
to sacrifice your chance at happiness for me.” Thalia started to
object, but the princess cut her off. “Don’t give me another one of
your ‘duty’ speeches. I don’t want you to ever look back at your life,
and regret anything because of me. Just because you have a duty to me
doesn’t mean that you need to sacrifice your own happiness.”
“I’m scared,” Thalia said quietly.
“What?” the princess asked, startled.
“I . . . I’ve never done anything like this before. I don’t know
what to do. It’s not like it’s something that I can fight. I could
handle that. But this . . .” she shrugged helplessly “this is beyond my
experience.”
Serenity smiled. “Don’t worry. If you want, I’ll ask mother if
the other senshi and I can come with you. If you don’t want to face
this alone.”
“Thank you,” whispered Thalia. The two girls embraced.
__________
“OWWWWWWWWWWW!!!” Thalia screeched as Minako pulled the brush
through her hair. “NOT SO HARD!!!!”
“You want to look your best for the Prince, don’t you?” the blond
girl retorted. She gave the brush a viscous yank, ignoring Thalia’s
wince. “And if you brushed it more often, it wouldn’t be so snarled.”
“I’m sorry, some of us have better things to do then primp and
preen all day,” Thalia replied, her voice dripping with sarcasm.
“Will you two stop it?” a harsh voice said from across the room.
Rei sat up tiredly from the cot on which she was sprawled. “I’m
exhausted from the teleport, and would like to get SOME rest before the
royal introductions this evening.”
The Senshi, the Princess, and the Queen had all teleported to
earth several hours earlier. They were currently preparing to meet the
royal family of Queen Calandria.
There was a gentle knock at the door, and Queen Serenity entered,
followed by her daughter. The Princess carried a gown of copper-colored
silk.
“Thalia, we brought you your dress,” Princess Serenity said,
holding out the garment.
“Are you sure I can’t just wear my senshi fuku?” Thalia asked the
Queen pleadingly.
Certainly not,” she replied sternly. “You are being presented to
royalty, as royalty. You are a princess, remember. And it also
wouldn’t do to show your legs before the whole Royal Court.
“Fine,” muttered Thalia. She stood to get the dress, not
realizing that Minako was still attempting to untangle the brush from
her hair.
Her scream was heard throughout the castle, if not the kingdom as
well.
__________
The Grand Hall of the Earthen castle was very different from the
one on the Moon, Thalia thought, but certainly no less elegant. The
ebony walls were inlaid with gold and mother-of-pearl in swirling
designs, almost like precious vines growing around the room. The room
was lit by a warm glow by huge wooden chandeliers that hung from the
ceiling. The thrones at the head of the room were massive things,
intricately carved of mahogany, inlaid with gold and silver crown
emblems. Queen Calandria and King Phiston sat there, dressed in their
royal blue finery. The King’s face was softened by the years, his blue
eyes full of kindness and wisdom. The Queen was beautiful, only the
silver streaks in her long black hair revealing her age.
“Step forward, my dear,” Queen Calandria’s voice rang out across
the room. It took Thalia a moment to realize that the woman was
speaking to HER. She swallowed, stepped forward, and curtsied deeply,
just as Queen Serenity had taught her just a few hours ago.
“I give you greetings Queen Calandria, and thank you for your
hospitality while we stay in your Kingdom,” Thalia said formally. She
looked into the Queen’s eyes as she rose. They were warm and full of
barely restrained mirth. Thalia smiled inwardly. Here was a Queen who
did not take ceremony so serious.
“I give welcome to you Princess Thalia. And those who have
accompanied you.” She smiled at Queen Serenity who nodded calmly in
response. She turned back to Thalia, her eyes sparkling. “So I assume
you would like to meet my son now.”
“I . . . I mean . . . well, I guess,” Thalia stammered, feeling
her face flush. She heard Rei sinker softly behind her, and made a
mental note to repay her during their next training session.
“Prince Endymion, step forward,” Queen Calandria said, her voice
once more regal and proud. A young man stepped forward. Her was
dressed in navy trimmed with silver. A cape hung over his shoulders, a
sword at his side. But it was his face that held Thalia’s attention.
Perfectly sculpted, framed by a shock of dark hair, two eyes gleaming
out with such strength and power . . . and warmth and kindness. He
stepped up to Thalia. taking her hand and kissing it as if it were a
fragile flower.
“My Princess,” he said, his voice a rich tenor.
Thalia was in love.
__________
And a week later, she wasn’t sure how she felt.
“But I thought you loved him,” said the Princess Serenity. The
two girls were walking alongside a river, one that roared over rocks,
thrashing its fury along the banks. The river fascinated Thalia. All
the streams on the Moon were very small and calm.
“Well I do, or I did. I . . . I just don’t know.” Thalia
shrugged her shoulders. “I mean, we get along fine and everything, but
we don’t really seem to have that much in common. I mean, you saw how
quickly the Senshi got together with the Prince’s Guardians.” Serenity
nodded, hiding a smile behind her hand. She had already heard that in
the past week, Ami, Rei, Makoto, and Minako had gotten VERY close with
Endymions’s four generals, Zoisite, Jadeite, Nephrite, and Kunzite.
“They all seemed to just . . . click together, like two pieces in
one of Ami’s infernal puzzles. Like they were meant to go together.
They are all warriors, as am I. But Endymion’s different. He’s a
warrior too, but beyond that, he is royalty. Someday, he’ll be a king,
and if I marry him, I’ll be a queen. But that’s not who I am.”
“You could be,” protested Serenity, but Thalia shook her head.
“No. I was never meant to hold a throne, even if I am a princess
by birth. Endymion and I are from different worlds. He reminds me of
you.”
“Me?”
Thalia smiled. “The way he talks about his Guardians, it’s the
same way that you talk about your Senshi. And I feel so lost, because I
can’t understand what he means. That’s why I don’t know about marriage.
I don’t see it lasting for a lifetime. We’re too different. It
wouldn’t work.”
“But you love him anyway,” Serenity said.
“Yes. That’s the problem. I’m not even sure how real this love
is. I mean he’s handsome, and kind, and smart, but . . .” she sighed.
“. . . it feels more like a crush or something, not something that is
permanent.” She coughed, then quickly tried to change the subject. “So
how did your travels with your mother go. What exactly was she trying
to do again?”
Serenity knew that her friend knew the answer to the question
already, but tried to humor her.
“Since her duties keep her from coming to Earth very often, she
traveled around to many of the different kingdoms to find out exactly
how bad the political situation is on Earth.” She swallowed. “It’s
worse then she believed. Not only are many of the groups against Queen
Calandria taking the Counsel Seat, some wish to cut off all connections
with the other Planets, especially the Moon. There were very few who
were pleased to see her. Some even threatened her . . . us.” Thalia
was shocked. She couldn’t imagine anyone being so cruel to the kind
Queen. “They told us to go back to the Moon where we belong.”
“You should have listened to them,” a cold voice snarled.
Thalia whipped around, her henshin stick already in her hand. A
scruffy-looking man leaned against a tree, smirking. Her wore the
clothes of an Earth commoner, but held a sword in his hand like a
practiced warrior.
“Step out of the way girl,” the man spoke to Thalia. “this
doesn’t concern you. I just want her.” He gestured towards the
frightened Princess.
“Like hell,” spat Thalia. She raised her hand in the air, crying
“Earth Planet Power Make-Up!” With a swirl of light and energy, Sailor
Earth stood before the princess. Putting a hand to her chest, she
whispered, “Crystal Transform”, turning her cerulean crystal into a
large broadsword. She smiled recklessly at the stranger. “Do you
really think you can take me alone?”
The man laughed loudly. “Alone?” he smirked.
The air behind him shimmered. With a flash, a portal opened up.
Another man, dressed similarly and also armed stepped out. And another.
And another. And another. A veritable army poured through the portal,
death in their eyes.
Thalia’s smile fell.
__________
“You don’t seem to have very many friends among your fellow
rulers,” Queen Serenity said to Calandria. The two Queens, along with
King Phiston, sat in one of the royal family’s small chamber rooms. A
servant entered, bringing them three cups of tea. He bowed to the
Queens and King before leaving.
“I already knew that, my friend,” Calandria smiled as she sipped
her tea. “On the Moon, as the singular ruler, you don’t have to worry
about political factions fighting over the supreme ruler. On Earth, I
am quite used to it.”
“If only I could find the group who was responsible for the death
of Thetis, None of these problems would exist!”
“Did you ever learn any information about them?” King Phiston
asked calmly. He was a quiet man, speaking rarely, allowing his wife to
be the voice for the two of them.
Serenity sighed. “I only found out their name, through Adonis’s
spy network. They appear to be called the Cult of Apollo. No one knows
how many are in the group, who any of the members are, or who leads
them. They seem to not even exist anymore.” She suddenly slammed her
fist on the table, nearly upsetting her untouched cup of tea. “I just
feel some damn helpless! My own people are responsible for the murder
of a Counsel Member, and I haven’t been able to do anything about it for
almost a decade!” She suddenly stopped, realizing how childish her
outburst must seem. “I’m sorry. I . . . I just don’t know what to do
sometimes.” She sighed and picked up her cup of tea.
“Don’t!” hissed a ragged voice.
Serenity looked up, startled. Calandria sat rigid in her chair,
her pale face locked in a grimace of pain. “The tea,” she whispered
unsteadily. “Something wrong . . .don’t drink . . . I . . . I think . .
.poison.” She slumped forward onto the table, her cup falling from her
now limp fingers to shatter on the floor.
King Phiston stared at his wife in shock. His hand trembling, he
set down his cup. “I . . . I better go get someone to . . . to . .”
Without finishing his thought, he stood and swiftly left the room.
Serenity reached over and grabbed Calandria’s hand. Already, it
had lost most of its warmth.
“Not again,” whispered Serenity, bowing her head.
__________
“CRYSTALLINE ENERGY FURY!!!!” The energy blast took out an
advancing row of swordsmen, the crystal shards tearing them to shreds.
Thalia shuddered. She had always love to fight, but killing was
different. So far, she had killed over thirty men, but more kept
coming. She didn’t know how much longer she could keep this up.
But she wasn’t important.
Only the Princess mattered.
“Thalia!” cried Princess Serenity. Thalia whirled to see a man
running at her with a lance. She transformed her crystal into a sword,
ducked his thrust, and ran him through. She turned and unleashed her
attack once more into the heart of the advancing group. More men were
sliced open by the flying crystals or disintegrated by the accompanying
energy.
Thalia spared a glance back at the Princess. She was huddle by a
tree on the river bank, none of the soldiers seemed to betaking notice
of her, thankfully.
Light reflected off metal, blinding her. She shielded her eyes
and to her horror, saw an archer take aim at the Princess.
*FLASH*
The ceremony . . . Mommy so proud . . . then screams . . . fighting
sounds . . . so scared . . . arrow flying . . . Mommy lying on floor . .
. blood everywhere . . . so much blood . . .
*FLASH*
“NOOOOOO!!!” screamed Thalia. She ran for the Princess, as fast
as she could.
And the arrow flew.
She HEARD it scream through the air.
Much as her mother had screamed.
Before she died.
Thalia reached Serenity, pushing her out of the way.
There was no pain at first. This confused Thalia, especially when
she looked down and saw an arrow sticking out of her chest. But the
pain came, waves of it, forcing her to her knees. She gasped, feeling
blood trickle out of her mouth.
It was at that moment that she realized she was dying.
Thalia looked up into the eyes of her princess. They were full of
tears. She smiled weakly.
“Sorry Serenity,” she choked, spitting out more blood. “I . . . I
didn’t mean to . . . fail you.” Her vision blurred, and she felt
herself falling backwards. She felt a sudden shock of cold, and
movement. A small part of her mind realized that she must have fallen
into the river. She saw the sky rush by, and then there was nothing.
__________
Princess Serenity stared in shock as Thalia tumbled backwards into
the river. She lunged for her friend, but the current was faster,
dragging the body away in the blink of an eye.
She felt tears run down her face. She turned back to the men who
had attacked. They stood silent, various expressions on their faces,
from relief to shock to total lack of concern. Serenity felt the first
clawings of anger.
“What have you done?” she whispered, rising to her feet. She felt
a strange warmth on her forehead. The men looked surprised.
“You killed her,” she said, her voice shaking. She stepped
forward, fists clenched. Her forehead grew hot, accompanied by a
strange but not unpleasant tingling. Several of the warriors began to
step away, looks of fear on their face.
“YOU KILLED MY SISTER!!!!!” Serenity screamed. A MASSIVE energy
burst emanated from the crescent moon on her forehead, striking the
group of men. Those closest to Serenity were instantly vaporized, while
the men farther back were less lucky, burning for several moments before
dying. One man, falling to the ground, could have sworn he saw the
silhouette of a Sailor Senshi, but died before he could further
contemplate the thought.
Six men who had been on the very outskirts of the group survived
the blast. One vanished mysteriously, while the other five sat stunned
from the attack. One of those men saw the Princess fall to her knees,
obviously greatly weakened from the amount of energy she had used. They
started down the hill towards her.
Serenity saw the men approaching. She desperately tried to regain
her feet, but her body wouldn’t cooperate. She watched them advance
helplessly.
Then a sudden figure appeared, a silhouette against the sun, sword
in hand. The weakened men didn’t stand a chance. Before Serenity could
intake a breath, the five men had been cut down. The figure walked
swiftly towards her as she collapsed onto the ground.
She felt gentle hands holding her head and a soft voice whisper
her name. With her last bit of energy, she looked up. The last thing
she saw before she passed out were the worried blue eyes of Prince
Endymion.
__________
The last of the assassins reappeared in a darkened chamber. He
collapsed to his knees, hacking. He slowly crawled to the throne-like
chair in the center of the room, where a robed figure sat waiting in the
shadows.
“The plan has been completed,” the man rasped. “Lady Thalia,
Senshi of Earth is dead, as are the foolish Terrans whom we hired to
kill her.
“She managed to take them all out before she died? How
impressive,” the shadow said, his voice coldly smooth.
“No, actually, it was the Princess Serenity. She somehow created
a blast of energy that incinerated most of the men. There were only a
few left.”
“I thought you said they were all killed,” the shadow said, a note
of irritation in his voice. The huddled man froze.
“Master, I meant most of them. The ones left . . . were so badly
injured that I didn’t think it necessary to . . .” The man’s excuses
were cut off as a gloved hand grabbed him by the throat.
“You thought wrong,” said the shadow harshly. The man thrashed
helplessly and gurgled. “None who knew of our involvement were supposed
to live. You are a disgrace to the Cult of Apollo and all we stand
for.” He squeezed his hand, crushing the man’s neck with no more then a
thought. He tossed the body aside like a broken toy, and leaned back to
think. This power that the Princess possessed, this was most
unexpected. His plans would require . . . further contemplating.
__________
Deep within the Earth, a dark entity felt a spark of power, unlike
anything she had felt in five centuries, since she had been locked below
the surface. Gathering her essence, she moved upwards in a flash,
reappearing in cave by a large subterranean lake.
Caught between two rocks was the battered body of a young girl.
She was covered with blood, river mud and tatters of fabric, and
appeared to have many broken bones. Yet the black cloud could still
feel a stubborn trace of life within the girl, as well as great power.
“AT LASSST,” hissed the demon, red eyes glinting. The girl rose
into the air, surrounded by dark tentacles and was enveloped within the
black cloud. Ever so slowly, her injuries began to heal, and her faint
breathing grew slightly stronger.
The demon began reaching into the girl’s unconscious mind, but was
forcefully repelled. She had expected that that would happen, and had a
plan in reserve, one that would have to wait until the girl could
awaken. The healing would take a long time, the demon’s powers as
limited as they currently were, but the results would be well worth the
wait. Finally, the end of her imprisonment was in sight.
Metallia began to laugh.
__________
Up on the surface of the Earth, a beautiful red rose suddenly
withered and died.
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Sorry this part was so long in coming out, but between the holidays and
finals fast approaching, my time has been limited. Hope it was worth
the wait. I’ll try to get Part Four out faster.
Thanks to everyone who has sent me mail, which unfortunately has not
been that many people. PLEEEEEEEEEEASE write me!!! Thanks to Mara for
mentioning my in her fic. For crossover wackiness, read her ”The Great
Sailor Moon/X-Men Crossover” And read Caleyndar’s “The Name Endymion”
as well. The first four parts look great!
Well, until next time!!
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