Epilogue One - Moon
“Mother, why must I do this?” I whined as she stood
behind me, putting fresh picked flowers in my pigtails. Or,
meatballs. Whatever you would call them. I knew this day
would come, but I hoped it would be later, rather than
sooner.
“Darling, how do you expect to get to know him? He’s
only here for a week, and I want you to have as much time
as possible to spend with him.” My mother said, sighing,
and sitting down next to me.
“I’m already gonna be spending the rest of my life
with him, isn’t that enough?” I asked, folding my arms. I
had always loved being a Princess. And being the Moon
Princess was even better. But I wasn’t too sold on these
“arrangements” that were made before I was born. I was
having much to fun a time ogling over the boys now. I’m
too young to be tied down, let alone with someone 6 years
older than me.
“Oh Serena. You know you have to do this. Besides,
I’m told he’s quite handsome.” She said, getting up with a
sly smile. She smoothed out the material on her dress, and
left the room, closing the door quietly behind her.
“I don’t care.” I said, scowling. I slouched in the thin
wire chair in front of my Vanity. I heard the monstrous
clock in the hall chime. Seven O’clock, I thought. Time to
go meet the guests.
I scurried down the steps, grasping at the railing after
losing my balance. I recomposed myself, and bolted down
the steps. My mother was already at the entrance,
welcoming the early guests. I peered through the crowd,
looking for any of my friends. After not seeing any of them,
I walked gracefully the rest of the way down. I paused for a
moment, gazing on my mother. She was so beautiful. I
wanted so much to be like her. She was graceful, smart and
extremely beautiful. A lot of people said that I was a lot
like her. I figured they were just sucking up to the ruler of
the most powerful Kingdom in the Galaxy.
“Mother.” I said, bowing before her.
“You look wonderful, darling.” She said, smiling. I
wore my princess gown, and had the pearls arranged in my
hair. I hoped I looked a lot more mature than I felt.
“When are they suppose to arrive?” I asked anxiously.
“Excited?” She said, raising a suspicious eyebrow.
“No!” I answered quickly, frowning. I crossed my
arms, and scowled. “I just wanted to know, that’s all.”
“Soon, I suspect. King Enydmion didn’t say exactly.”
She answered, keeping her eyes up, and smiling at the
oncoming guests. I felt a tug at the bottom of my gown, and
looked down, to see Luna peering up at me with anxious
eyes.
“Are they here yet?” She asked. I kneeled down to her
level, and opened my mouth, when an ear shattering pierce
rang threw the air.
“SERENA!!!!” Mina screeched. She ran towards me,
grasping at chunks of cloth on her peach gown to keep from
tripping on it. Her hair trailed after her, whipping the
passing people in the face.
“Aren’t you excited? You get to meet your future
Husband!” She said, her eyes shining.
“I guess.” I said, shrugging. She glared at me with a
quizzical look. She appeared about to say something, when
Artemis walked by, giving her the evil eye.
“I better go. I’ll see you when you’re done here.” She
said, over her shoulder. I watched her as she veered through
the throngs of guests, until she was swallowed up by the
crowd. I sighed. I envied her. She was allowed to marry
anyone her heart wanted. Her mother was very lenient, and
let her participate in any activity she desired. I was hardly
allowed out of the Moon Palace.
“Serena, I’d like you to meet someone.” I heard my
mother say. I whirled around, right smack dab into the vest
of a tuxedo. I gazed upwards towards his face.
“Serena, this is Prince Darien.” She said, pausing
dramatically, “Your fiance.” I stepped back, to get a good
look at him. My hand flew to my chest, and I must have
stopped breathing. He was so amazingly good looking. He
had dark jet hair, and a strong face, with a square chin. His
chest seemed to be heaved out, filling out his Tuxedo
extremely well. I stared at his face for what seemed like
forever. Our eyes locked, and I held my breath. If he was
half as nice as he was good looking....
“Pleased to meet you.” He said, taking my hand in his,
and kissing it lightly. My face grew warm, and I moved to
cover it.
“The pleasure is mine.” I said quietly.
“We’ll be back as soon I’ve introduced my son
around. Wonderful to have met you, Princess.” King
Edymion said, bowing to us.
“Yes, wonderful to have met you.” Darien answered
back, not taking his eyes off me. I watched as he walked
through the crowd, sighing. He glanced back, and my heart
skipped a beat. I tilted my head to the side, letting out a
little sigh of bliss escape my lips.
“He’s good looking, isn’t he?” My mother whispered
to me.
I blushed and smiled. “Yeah, I guess.” I answered
quietly.
“I’m almost done here. Why don’t you go find your
friends?” She asked me, waving me with her hand. I left
towards the ballroom, and into the sea of people.
Debutantes, royalty, and well-to-do people surrounded me,
most of them, I had no clue who they where. I glanced each
way, scanning the outskirts of the crowd, hoping to catch a
glimpse of one of my four friends. I peered around one
corner, searching the room carefully, when I felt a gloved
hand on my bare shoulder. I let out a little yelp and whirled
around. I, again, bumped into the same crisp tuxedo vest.
“I’m s..sorry.” I stuttered, looking down, not wanting
to get lost in his gaze like before. I did, however, look up,
and felt the same overwhelming sensation run through my
body. He grasped my hand, and looked into my eyes,
causing me to feel faint.
“May I have this dance, Princess?” He asked, his eyes
never leaving mine.
“I’d love to.” I said, plucking my gown up from off the
floor. As I left, I finally caught a glimpse of my friends,
sitting on a bench, not far from me. I saw Lita point, and
they all turned to look at me. Ami giggled and waved. I
pretended not to notice I was on the arm of the most
handsome man in the room, but I couldn’t conceal the
giddiness I felt as he wrapped his arm tightly around my
waist, and held my hand in his. We swayed gently to the
music, and as we danced, I tried to make conversation, but I
wasn’t sure I was succeeding very well.
“What’s it like on Earth?” I asked, my forehead
wrinkling.
“It’s not much different, actually. Except you see the
Moon at night, instead of Earth.” He said, chuckling
slightly. “There are a lot more populated areas, too. But
other than that, they are basically the same.”
“Is it...nice?” I asked, struggling to find the right word.
I knew that once we were married, I would find myself
there many times, and I wanted to know what I was getting
myself into.
“Very. Much like the Palace here. They are similar in
the landscaping.” He answered gazing around. I’m losing
his interest, I thought frantically. What kind of a wife will I
be if I can’t hold his attention for longer than two minutes?
I started breathing hard, and my palms got clammy.
“Are you OK?” He asked, looking down at me, his
face full of concern. His hand went up to my face, stroking
it gently, only causing me to become even more nervous.
“I’m OK. Just a little scared.” I said, my face flushing.
I must have sounded extremely immature! I wanted to slap
myself for saying that such a thing.
“I understand. I feel the same way.” He said, smiling
kindly. “Meeting your future fiancé for the first time is
hard. I didn’t know what to expect.” He whispered sweetly.
My heart fluttered, and I knew in my heart he really did
understand. “But you shouldn’t be afraid.” He smiled
sheepishly, and began again, “When I first....” He was cut
short by his father, tapping him on the shoulder.
“I need a word with you, Darien. Please excuse us,
Princess.” He said, bowing.
“I’ll be back shortly, Princess. Please don’t go far.”
Prince Darien said, brushing my cheek with a tender kiss.
My eyes opened wide, and I was glad his back was turned. I
could feel my face flame up, and I scurried through the
dance floor to a small room just off the main entrance. I
closed the velvet curtains, and sat on the gilded bench,
taking long, gasping breaths. I put my hands to my face,
feeling the warmth that radiated off my skin. Then, the
curtain flew open, and I gasped. Four figures stood in the
light, their silhouette cutting the harshness off the light.
“Serena! Is that him?” I heard Lita asked anxiously.
“Yes...” I answered shortly.
“Oh, you lucky girl you! He is so gorgeous! Wow, you
get all the good ones!” Mina said shrilly, sitting quickly
down besides me. She turned to me excitedly, bursting with
questions, I could tell. I waited for her to explode with
them, keeping my mouth shut until then. She sat there, her
eyes wide, waiting for me to say something. Finally she
couldn’t take it anymore, and shot out the questions.
“How old is he? Is he nice? Does he have a brother?”
Mina asked excitedly. She leaned in closer to me with each
question. I sighed. She would ask if he had a brother. She
was aloud do marry whomever she chose. I used to envy
her, but now....
“He’s 20, I believe, yes he is, and I don’t know.
Maybe.” I shrugged, very nonchalantly. Lita blinked at me,
obviously surprised at my unenthusiastic reaction. She
gazed at me, waiting for a different reaction. Unable to hold
it in any longer, I burst out.
“I’M IN LOVE!” I shrieked. Lita laughed, more
satisfied with my outburst. “He is sooo handsome....” I
swooned, leaning back. A little too far, though. I fell rather
ungracefully to the ground, my feet sticking just above the
bench I was perched on. I pulled myself up, and sat back on
the bench, trying to pretend it never happened. Raye was
smirking, her mouth tightly closed, and I could tell she was
trying to hold her laughter in. I ignored her, and continued
with my story.
“I can’t wait till the wedding.” I sighed happily. Raye
let out a little laugh. “You just met him, don’t you think
that’s a little premature?” She asked, smirking.
“No, we’re arranged. Whether he likes it or not, we’re
getting married.” I answered, my friends laughing at my
response. I realized what I had just said, and blushed. “Of
course, he does like it. I can tell.” I said quickly.
“Well, I hope my husbands’ as wonderful as yours is,
Serena.” Ami said. She smoothed her dress out, and stood
up straight.
“Who are you betrothed to, Ami?” Lita asked.
“The eldest son from Pluto.” She answered, blushing.
“Oooh, my mother said they have handsome kids.”
Mina said. Raye rolled her eyes.
“You would know something like that, Mina.” She
said.
“My mother was good friends with they’re father.”
She said, defensively. Raye just smiled. I wondered why
Raye could be so mean sometimes.
“Who’s you’re fiancé, Raye?” Lita asked.
“My mother had originally arranged me to someone
from Neptune, but she told me I didn’t have to.” She
shrugged. Raye wasn’t much for romance. At least, that’s
how she acted. I had a feeling she was more of a romantic
than she let on. “It’s not like I’ve met him or anything, so
maybe I will end up marrying him.” She added. I opened
my mouth to say something, but I noticed something
outside the room.
“Who’s that talking to your man, Serena?” Raye
asked. My eyes flashed, and I jumped up to look. I saw a
pretty woman standing close to Prince Darien, and my eyes
flashed. “Who does that hussy think she is?” I asked to no
one particular.
“I don’t know, but she seems to have Dariens
complete attention.” Lita noticed. I felt tears come to my
eyes, and I started to wail.
“She can’t have him! He’s mine!” I sobbed, sitting
down on the floor. Lita ran over and covered my mouth.
“SSSH! People are starting to look over here!” She
whispered harshly. I sniffled and got up, and straightened
my dress. I headed out to the dance floor, and walked
directly towards the two of them. As I approached, Dariens
eyes brightened, and he smiled sweetly. He turned his back
on the woman, and put his arm out for me take. He turned
towards her again, and introduced us.
“Serena, this is Princess Setsuna, from Pluto.” He
said, nodding towards her. “Setsuna, this my fiancé,
Serena.” Her face fell, and she glanced from me to him.
She plastered a smile on her face and excused herself, her
face red from embarrassment. “I was looking for you.
Where’d you run of to?” He asked as soon as she was out
of sight.
“I went to find my friends. I didn’t know I was gone so
long.” I answered, happy that she had finally left. I glanced
at the large brass clock that stood above the gilded entrance
way. My eyes widened. Already five to 12? I looked around
and noticed for the first time, most of the guest had left.
He’ll be leaving soon, I thought. My eyes widened. He
assured my last thought as he spoke.
“I hate to do this, but my father is telling me it is time
we leave.” He said, looking over to his father, who was
pointing at a pocket watch, indicating it was time to go.
“But we hardly got a chance to get to know each
other!” I exclaimed sadly. My eyes began to water, and I
hoped to God he didn’t notice.
“I’m satisfied with all I know already.” He said
quietly. I blushed and looked down.
“Thank you.” I said. I looked up, and he put his hand
to my chin, and tipped my face upward, bringing my face
close to his. I closed my eyes as my lips met his, and for a
few blissful seconds the rest of the room disappeared. We
were met with a wonderful silence, meant for just the two
of us, until the sounds of the clock struck 12. We broke
apart, and he bowed to me before he left.
“I will return in a few days. Until then, goodbye, my
Princess.” He said, and then turned to leave, walking
towards his father. My heart was beating three times the
normal rate, and I stood there after he left, remembering
how it felt to kiss him, to have his arms around me, to be
near him. I slowly walked towards the entrance, leaving the
last few guests to themselves, and walked to the staircase. I
practically flew up the steps, and down the hall to my room.
I opened the door and entered, closing it behind me. I flung
myself on my bed, smiling broadly. I lay on my back,
reviewing the events of the night. I couldn’t believe a few
hours ago, I didn’t even want to meet him! I sighed happily
as I dressed for bed. I finally climbed in my bed, still
relishing the feeling of having his lips on mine. I suddenly
knew what it felt like to be in love. To give your heart so
completely to another. To have unconditional feelings for
someone else. I sighed happily as I closed my eyes. This
new emotion that I was over come with, I thought, it was
wonderful.
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