Sailor Moon Fan Fiction ❯ A Siren's Song ❯ The Brewing Storm ( Chapter 1 )

[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]

A Siren's Song
Part One: The Brewing Storm
2/30
by Kihin Ranno
goddess_branwen@hotmail.com
http://www.geocities.com/kihin_ra nno/starlithorizon.html
R

~~Revision Begun: July 13, 2002~~
~~Revision Completed: July 14, 2002~~

The first revisions only go by quickly because I'm merely adding on to
what I already have written. --; It won't go so quickly later on... Oh
well... As I said, if it takes me a decade, I will finish this story,
so help me God...

Here's the name chart for you...

Name Chart:

Usagi- Selenity
Minako- Aphrodite
Rei- Ares
Makoto- Hera
Ami- Minerva
Mamoru- Endymion
Kunzite- same
Jadeite- same
Nephrite- same
Zoicite- same
Motoki- Andrew
Reika- Rita
Beryl- Hades
Queen Serenity- Selene
King Hyperion is a created character... he ain't based off of anyone.

Sailor Moon is not mine... Neither are sirens. However, all of the
stuff that I fabricate and BS and weave into this very long tale, are
mine. I can't sue you of course, but just remember, if you plagiarize,
and if I advertise it, you'll be ruined. ^_^ Just a little warning...

That being said, read on and I hope you enjoy this...

~********************************************************* ************~

A woman dressed completely in red with eyes and hair of the same shade,
was lounging about on a rock in front of a makeshift cave. The boulder
was right on the water's edge, and sometimes the waves of the restless
waters would threaten to engulf her. Each time she merely held up her
hand and the wave stopped in its spot and fell back into the water.
She did allow the mist to settle on her, for she saw no reason to stop
that fro comforting her... Besides, she had little power over the sea,
and did not wish to expend her energy on controlling it when she was
not gifted in it.

She sighed and rolled over onto her back, staring up at the clouded
sky. She grew tired of waiting and was beginning to become worried.
Suddenly, she sat up as she heard a familiar laugh coming towards her.
her face broke into a wide grin and floated off the rock she was upon
using her blood colored wings. She stretched out her legs which were
slightly cramped from lack of use and spun gracefully in the air,
meeting her friend's pair of light, silver eyes. She smiled at the
girl's face and said, "I trust your first time out alone was a success,
Selenity?"

Selenity took in a sharp breath as if to refute that, but then let out
with a giggle and did a flip in the air, much to the red siren's
delight, "Oh Ares it was wonderful! I don't think it could have gone
much better for a first time out,"

A bright, happy giggle sounded out and a woman all in gold flew to
Selenity, wrapping her arms around her, "Oh, Selenity I am so happy for
you! I am glad your first time out on your own was a success! I trust
you had no difficulty?"

Selenity frowned a little, "Actually Aphrodite, I am sad to say that
the captain presented a bit of a problem..." Selenity's voice grew
disdainful, sounding more like a woman angry for being cheated on than
anything else, "His wife was on board,"

Ares and Aphrodite both blanched slightly and said in the same breath,
"What?"

Selenity nodded and said, "He was difficult enough to snare... He had
a stronger will then the other men. But she presented a very large
problem... I eventually got him to leap to his death, but I did not
enjoy the delay..."

Aphrodite hissed in annoyance and then waved her hand at Selenity, as
if dismissing her anger, "Fear not Selenity... That occurrence was a
rarity and I doubt you shall ever have to face it again. What matters
is you did manage to bewitch him with his wife there. That is quite
an accomplishment and you should rejoice over that and not weep over
last year's storm,"

"Quite right, Aphrodite," a woman of emerald spoke up as she flew
towards the group. Her hair was bound up atop her head, using a band
of kelp to hold it together. However, it barely stood out amongst her
green tresses, "I am glad that you were successful in your first lone
bewitchery Selenity. And I whole heartedly agree with Aphrodite. Do
not fret over what might have been, only what was,"

Selenity smiled happily, feeling much more serene and at peace. She
flew around them, warranting giggles to erupt from all of the group as
she said, "Thank you all so much," then she suddenly stopped and said,
"But what truly haunts me is the woman... The captain called her Rita
or something of that nature... And I do not understand her mannerisms
at all..."

"Perhaps I can be of assistance Selenity," said a quiet, steady voice
from behind them, "I heard all of what you said, and I am knowledgeable
in the ways of mortal men and women."

Selenity turned and looked at the woman with short blue hair, "You are
wise in all things Minerva... So perhaps you will know why she acted
the way she did,"

Minerva blushed a little at the praise, but calmly said, "Speak, and we
shall see if it is so,"

Selenity nodded and said, "After the man leapt to his death among the
sea, she seemed to cry out like an injured harpy... As if she was in
pain... Then when I went to investigate, she screamed at me. Called
me wicked and damned me, among other things... When I tried to explain
to her that what I did was good, she continued to scream... then at
last she fell to the floor and the very ocean seemed to fall from her
eyes... What is that?"

Minerva recoiled slightly and said, "Do you speak the truth, Selenity?"

Ares stared at Selenity in shock and amazement and breathed, "The very
sea leaked from her eyes? What does that mean?"

"How is it possible, you mean," Aphrodite breathed, "Are you sure you
were not mistaken Selenity?"

"I was as close to this woman Rita as I am to you four now... There is
no way I could be mistaken. And I have not the imagination to weave
such a tale if it were not so," Selenity said, a little hurt by the
implied distrust of her tale.

The three bent their heads slightly in guilt and asked for reprieve,
which they were quickly granted. Then Hera's face contorted into a
slightly disdainful frown and she spoke, "Why were you this close to
her to begin with? You know better then to speak to a mortal... The
fact it was female saves you from Her wrath, but even so, it was not
advisable,"

Selenity blushed at Hera's words and looked down, a little guilty that
she had been caught. She cleared her throat and said, "I know... But I
just wanted to make her understand why I did what I did. And that it
was as much for her good as it was for mine."

Hera's hardened expression soon softened and she said, "Oh well, its
no matter... You did what you had to do, and you broke no law... But
do not speak to a mortal again. You know it is a taboo,"

Selenity nodded slightly and said, "Yes of course, Hera. I'll not act
so rashly next time out... That is, if you shall let me out on my own
again?" she looked up at the four hopefully and awaited their judgment.
Her outing had been successful, but she had had her difficulties. Ares
would see that if she probed a bit into Selenity's mind... And that
might dissuade them from allowing her to lure men to their deaths on
the waves without a supervisor or assistance.

The four sirens exchanged a quick glance, a silent thought passing
between them. The all nodded at the same moment, and then turned back
to the white siren, their faces betraying nothing. They stood there
for but a moment, staring at her and not saying a word. The corners of
their mouths did not even twitch in either direction which may have
given Selenity an inkling of what they had decided before her.

Suddenly Aphrodite broke out into a fierce grin as she said,
"Difficulties or no, we think you are ready... But of course this does
mean that we must intensify your magic training,"

Selenity had been elated at her first words, but the moment the second
sentence fell from the yellow siren's tongue, Selenity gave her a look
that could make a crone weep. She shook her head and said, "Aphrodite,
you know that... That I..." she looked down again, ashamed at herself
for not being all that they expected.

Aphrodite lifted her face to see them once more, and they all gave her
various looks of encouragement, pity completely absent from their eyes.
The fair haired girl smiled even wider as she said, "You can do it
Selenity... The power is there. You need only grasp for it. When you
do that, perhaps you'll even be more powerful than Hades herself..."
the blonde looked skyward and said, "Then maybe we can overthrow Hades
at last,"

All others cringed and shuddered at the very mention of the name Hades,
and the woman who seemed to be born from the light was quickly silenced
before she led them to their deaths. Ares flew over to her and got up
close to her person, separating Aphrodite from Selenity, "Hush! Do you
want her to hear you, fool?" Ares said angrily, "I care not for how
true the words may be or what is in our hearts, but in order to do as
you ask we must be silent! We cannot let Her know of our intentions,
lest we be struck down by her power!"

Aphrodite straightened her back so that she looked more official and
almost regal than she had a moment before. Where she had once been an
unimposing figure filled with mirth and joy, but had not a care in the
world, she was now very frightening and commanded respect. The other
sirens, save Ares, all backed a way a bit, never liking it when
Aphrodite became this figure. She paid the three no mind, for she
was focusing on Ares. She spoke to the woman in red, her voice deadly
calm, but her shoulders were drawn up into tight, almost vice-like
tension, "I know that Ares... And I will thank you to remember your
place,"

Ares scoffed a little at Aphrodite's show... She was very used to
Aphrodite's power trips, and was not about to let the woman intimidate
her. She tossed a few red locks over her shoulder and scoffed at her,
"If you know what you should not do, then why do you do it?"

Aphrodite flew closer to Ares, which was no small feat considering how
close in proximity they were already. It was now her turn to get up
in the red siren's face, seething, "How dare you! You are in no
position to--"

Minerva had been watching the two for some time now. She was very used
to this sort of thing happening daily, and knew exactly when she should
step in and when she should let it be. By the guilty look on
Selenity's face, she knew that it was time to step in. She flew in
between the feuding sirens and sighed, "Please you two... Not this
again... You're upsetting Selenity."

Hera had been trying to offer some small comfort to Selenity, for it
was obvious that she had been upset by Ares' and Aphrodite's squabble.
Hera would even go so far as to say she felt guilty for starting it;
which she hadn't... the other two sirens were able to start an
argument without her assistance, and they had done so, "Yes. This is
getting rather tiresome. I thought you would have been over this
rivalry or whatever it is eons ago... And you know how upsetting it is
to us all,"

Ares and Aphrodite stared at the other three for a moment, and then
realized they were acting childish. They flew away from each other,
putting distance between them. They each gave the other a withering
look, but soon dropped they gaze to watch the water below them as if it
were terribly interesting... And after many centuries of watching it,
the ocean was far from interesting.

There seemed to be an eternally uncomfortable silence between the five
and soon they all began watching the ocean swirl and rise up. They all
were tired of it quickly, but no one wanted to be the one to speak and
possibly spark more animosity between them. Finally, Selenity became
as exasperated as she had ever been, but hid it under optimism. She
smiled reassuringly, breaking the tension that had settled in, "Well
since I completed a successful mission, we are all safe."

"For now..." Minerva said quietly. The siren's cobalt eyes saddened a
little and she shifted her gaze to the horizon... Selenity and
Aphrodite were the optimists in their band... Ares and Hera were ever
hopeful, but they did not always see the cloud's silver lining...
Minerva had always only seen clouds and the darkness they caused. She
had never been able to rejoice at much for long... She was in fact,
sullen as falling rain.

The other sirens, even those that were optimistic, nodded sadly as the
wind about them picked up once more. Thunder rumbled above their heads
and a crack of lightning lit up the sky. The clouds had been there,
but they had not been storm clouds... Now they were and a storm was
beginning to brew...

Selenity let out a small outcry and became white with fear. She looked
about frantically and soon found it in their gave. She flew swiftly
into it, knowing it would hide her well. It was concealed from the
mortal world by way of magic and protected from all other forces aside
from those with immortal blood by the same means. It was the only
place Selenity would go to during a storm. It was the only place she
would allow herself to remember that which was lost...

The other sirens stared after her sadly and shook their heads. Ares
was the first to speak, "Poor girl... She always took it hard, didn't
she?"

"We all did..." Hera said somberly, "Especially when you consider that
Selene would be in power had it never occur--"

"Silence!" Aphrodite warned, "I have already caused a slip of the
tongue which may very well have brought about this storm! Don't make
it worse... You never know when she is listening..."

Hera instantly covered her mouth in shock and guilt and looked around
as if to make sure they were alone. Then she stopped as she realized
if Hades were watching them, she would not allow herself to be seen.
She stopped scanning the area and instead looked skyward, to the
heavens... And to watch the raging storm.

Another, louder roll of thunder came and lightning struck a tree by the
shore. The sirens all moved away from the shore, and were once again
almost struck by another bolt. Aphrodite forgot herself and shrieked,
which brought another piece of forked lightning down. This one nearly
struck them all, had the not flown about and separated quickly.

"Get inside. Quickly," Minerva said authoritatively. It was not a
trait she took on often, but with her safety and the safety of her
brethren at stake, she assumed it with ease. The other sirens did not
hesitate and flew into the cave at top speed.

While the other sirens flew deep into the cave to seek out Selenity and
offer her some comfort, Ares remained in the opening of the cave. She
cast out her senses and looked out at the raging storm. Her crimson
eyes were narrowed suspiciously as the clouds above had changed from
feathery white ones, to dark gray storm clouds far too quickly, 'Storms
never brew with that speed...' she thought.

"We are far too valuable for you to destroy yet... You know that..."
Ares whispered. To the untrained eye, you would think that Ares were
mad, speaking only to herself. But to those who knew what she was
truly doing, you would have known she did speak to another party... The
fact that they could not answer was irrelevant to her.

There was another loud rumble of thunder almost in defiance. Ares just
narrowed her eyes again and continued, "You cannot shake us Hades... We
will continue to do our duties as sirens because we must teach those
mortals a lesson... And because we know what we do it right. But we do
not continue on for you. If we do not do our duty, then I cannot say I
could fault you... but you cannot kill us when we already do so much to
help our cause... Because even if we hate each other, we do want the
same thing... Death to the mortal men who dared refuse us so long ago,"

There was another low rumble of thunder. Ares waited a moment, and
then smiled mockingly as a bit of sunlight peeked through the clouds,
"I am glad you see it my way," then Ares retreated farther into the
cave to aid the others.

Meanwhile, another siren flew over the dark storm clouds, watching the
five in the cove with coal black eyes, filled with her own god-like
hatred. Her eyes flashed with the lightning each time the crimson
witch below her spoke and her growl was one with the thunder as it
rolled. She was an ominous figure, her beauty striking, yet very
intimidating. She was frighteningly imposing and commanded respect and
fear by her posture alone, much like Aphrodite when angered, but hers
was constant and ten thousand times as terrifying. Her body was
ridiculously voluptuous, the curves being so drastic it seemed almost
unbelievable had you not been looking at her at that moment. She was
adorned completely in black and skin that was more like lavender than
anything else. She was beautiful, but deadly so.

She hated having to keep those five sirens alive. She despised them.
They had been Selene's preference, and the siren in black, known only
as Hades, knew that all too well. She hated them not because they were
loved by the former ruler of the sirens, but because that because they
were favored, they held onto her memory... And they hated too hated
Hades for taking the place of Selene.

Hades had not expected Selenity to complete the task correctly. It had
been her first time out alone, and she was not fully prepared. Yet she
had managed to take them all, and overcome obstacles most experienced
sirens would have crumbled at. She had done better than anyone could
have expected... And done it without the correct amount of training
needed.

And this incensed the black siren.

She hated not being as good as a mere slip of a girl like that. She
now realized why Selene had set Selenity all above the rest. She was
deserving of Selene's praise, Hades would grant the girl that. But
that was all.

'Ares is a fool to think I care about anything more than my own agenda
now... but if I destroy them without cause, the others will rise up...
And so they must be kept alive and do their duty...' Hades growled
again and the thunder rolled in time with it once more.

'I will see MY mission fulfilled... And no one... not a siren and not
a mortal can stop me from completing it! I will complete my plan at
last!' Hades thought with malice, 'One slip up, and I will crush
them... No siren is perfect, and these can be especially incompetent...
I will not have to wait long for the old leader's dear ones to perish
at last!'

Hades smiled, her face contorted in malice. She stretched out her arms
and hissed, "I will find my Endymion... Or rather you will find him
for me. He'll resist you, and you shall fail... And then I will have
him and I won't have reason to keep you alive..."

******************************************************** ***************

Three weeks later, across the wide sea, far away from the siren's cove,
stood a stone castle. The castle was a lonely place. It was built
near the border of another kingdom, making it susceptible to attack.
And it had occurred. It was now turning into a desolate ruin. The
stone walls that surrounded it were starting to crumble. There had
been more than one death caused by a falling cobblestone. A dark cloud
always seemed to surround it now, and there was almost always a storm
brewing. Crops did not grow and babies did not live past the age of
three days... The people were quickly dying and loosing faith in their
ruler even faster.

The two kingdoms that were now at war had been quite friendly at one
time. That friendliness had seemed to last forever, so they had not
worried over what might happen. Only a few years before there had been
a terrible dispute over the prince and the princess of those kingdoms.
Ironically, the feud had been instigated by forces beyond their
control, yet each kingdom blamed the other.

No one ever commented on the absurdity of it all.

The king, prince, and the prince's guardians were in the throne room,
discussing the neighboring kingdom's latest actions. The king was
highly irritated and the prince struggled to maintain his composure
as well. The generals kept their mouths silent, yet their thoughts
ran wild in their heads.

Suddenly, the door to the throne room burst open and a disheveled and
hysterical woman ran in, a guard hot on her heels. Her hair was
dismantled and her clothes were ragged and torn. Her face was
streaked with dirt and tears. She looked emotionally and physically
exhausted and was easily mistaken for a beggar. Despite all of this,
everyone in the room recognized her on the instant.

"Rita!" the prince shouted worriedly and ran to her. The guard
obviously believe that this woman was trespassing or some such, for he
did not recognize her as the others did. The prince explained that he
knew her well and dismissed him quickly. His four guardians moved
closer to the two in worry. The king, however, was already rather
emotional after the talks of war, and this carried over into the
interrogation which he began from afar.

"Rita, what is it? Where is your husband?! And what of the rest
of the crew?!" he demanded.

Rita looked at him fearfully, taken aback by his harsh tones. When she
had left, he had been kind and gentle towards her, but now he raved at
her for reasons that did not involve her at all... yet she did not know
this and spoke softly, her voice trembling, "They... they are gone..."

"What?!" the king gasped, his anger slowly fading into shock as he came
to realize why the woman shook, "What do you mean the crew of "The Sea
Witch" is gone! It could not have just disappear!" he stepped towards
her and asked, "Did the ship sink? Were there pirates? What in God's
name could have happened to them, and how did you survive?"

The brunette woman struggled to hide her oncoming tears, but to no
avail. She was quivering with emotion, her face paler than moonlight.
She was not well, and the king continued to put even more strain on her
nerves. Finally she managed to get a few words out, "The cause... was
the name of the ship..." she said shakily.

The king looked at her in disbelief, exchanging a quick glance with his
son. Now he was very worried, as well as angered once more. He did
not want to believe her, but he knew Rita to be an honest woman. He
once again lashed out at her, when she had nothing to do with his rage,
"What?! The sirens..." he shook his head and said, "No it can't be..."

"This is an honest woman father. She would not do anything but speak
the truth to you about the fate of "the Sea Witch." Please keep that
in mind," the prince growled out angrily, interrupting his father. He
was not one to speak to his father as he had just done or show him
disrespect in any manner at all, but Rita was close to him. He was not
about to see the woman fall apart before him because his father was
having a bad day, "Rita... Andrew... is he...?"

Rita trembled harder and let out a strangled sob. She sank to her
knees in hysteria, her shoulders bobbing up and down frantically as she
struggled to breathe properly. She could not get the words out, and
only made noises that bore a resemblance to the beginnings of them, but
got no farther than that. She could also not bring herself to look the
prince in the eyes.

That was answer enough for Endymion.

He let out a scream of frustration and anguish and walked away from
her. Rita shrank back at his cry and whimpered quietly, now fearing
both the king and his heir. The general with short, blond hair and
bright azure eyes bent down to try and console the woman a little. His
eyes were almost always laughing, but now they had lost their luster.
He gathered the woman up in a friendly hug, not caring for protocol or
the look that his superior was giving him. He let the desperate woman
cling to him and sob into his chest, and watched his prince rant.

Rita finally calmed down to the point where she was able to speak and
think clearly. She did not distance herself from Jadeite and could not
speak above a whisper. However, the room they were in had become
silent as a tomb and they all heard her words clearly, "She was all in
white... There was no color in her at all... Her wings... her hair...
her dress... all white... The only color in her at all was her eyes...
The palest shade of silver you have ever seen in your life... She was
beautiful...

"She seemed to appear out of nothingness... She was just there,
floating over the waves. At first I thought she was a ghost... or
perhaps even an angel... But then I saw my husband reaching for her, as
if a man possessed... And I saw the rest of the crew in the water...
And I knew. I knew she was a siren...

"She floated over the waves with no effort... It was as if she rode on
the wind itself... And her song... God it was so beautiful...
mesmerizing..."

Tears filled Rita's bright green eyes again as she continued on,
"Andrew... He was so brave... He fought to the end... She had to try
for some time before... before finally he succumbed...

"I was there... I held onto him with all my strength and begged him
to fight her... I pleaded with him not to listen to her song... He
heard me. I know he did, but... But I wasn't strong enough... She
began calling to him and... And at last, jumped to his death as well!"
then Rita broke free from her friend's grasp and 0sprang to her feet.
She let out yet another strangle sob and ran out of the room as she had
entered. She had not finished her tale, but it was all that she dared
to tell... It was all she could bare to say at that moment.

The six men in the room stared after her in absolute shock. They
could not comprehend it. They could not, or perhaps would not, believe
that one of the best captain's in their navy, not to mention one of the
best men they had ever known, was dead. And that even with his wife
begging for him to live, he had chosen to die...

Whoever had taken him was a very powerful siren indeed.

While each man in the room was in shock, saddened, and angered over
what had happened, one surpassed them all. The prince was especially
livid about the death of Andrew. The man had been the brother he had
never had, and thus Rita had become a sister... He was sure to be
deeply affected by this. The four guardians watched him with morbid
interest, expecting him to blow at any moment.

They were not disappointed.

"DAMN THEM!" he shouted with a vengeance, "Damn them and all of their
foul, accursed lot!"

The king sighed, regretting his attitude towards Rita because it had
now caused so much trouble. He tried to appease for his mistake by
calming down his son, "Endymion, calm yourself. You can do nothing
productive in a state of anger..."

"Calm down?!" shouted Endymion, deep blue eyes flaring, "Calm DOWN?!
How am I supposed to do such a ludicrous act! My best friend and over
50 other esteemed members of our navy have just perished at the sea.
Once again, it is thanks to those good for nothing sirens! We have
done nothing to them, yet they continue to lure honest, sea faring men
to their death. Seducing them and then laughing as they drown! It is
not human... Nor is it God fearing! Merely satanic contempt for our
race! And for what? For what I ask you?! Do you know? Does anyone
know! Of course not! These sirens kill for sport! They sing their
incantations and notes and steal the souls of these poor men without
mercy! The men have loves... They have families... they have lives...
Do these sirens give that a second thought? NO!! Even when Rita stood
in front of this white siren and begged for his life, she did nothing.
And I will not stand for this injustice any longer! I cannot allow
this to continue for one more moment!!

"I will find this white siren... She may have the beauty of an angel
and move like a ghost... She may have magic on her side... She may have
Satan himself on her side... But I have my God and my anger!! And I
will NOT be taken in as easily as she may think!!" then the prince
stormed out of the throne room leaving the four high generals and the
king to themselves.

The king sighed sadly and looked down at the floor, "My poor son...
Now you will suffer for my foolhardiness..."

The silver haired general stepped forward and said, "Do not blame
yourself my king... Endymion would have lost his head with or without
your angered words. And I am quite sure if you speak to Rita later on,
she will be understanding of what you did,"

The king smiled, but there was no mirth in his gaze, "Ah the ever
sensible Kunzite speaks... I sometimes wonder if you ever get mad or
are insulted,"

"Only by me," the man with the messy blond hair from before chagrined,
"Your majesty, if you would be so kind as to excuse me, I would like to
end to Rita. No doubt she's too distraught to let her ladies take care
of her,"

"And of course you must go and protect them..." said the other blonde
who had frizzy, curly blond hair traveling down to his waist. His
tone was a bit snide, but it was also said quietly, as if not meant for
the other to have heard him.

The king ignored the latter's comment, pretending that he had not heard
it for Zoicite did not wish to be heard. He turned to the former and
said, "yes Jadeite... Just see that no rumors arise from your concern
and that they are no true,"

Jadeite nodded in understanding, turning a light shade of red and said,
"Of course your majesty," then bowed although the king was no longer
looking at him and backed out of the room

Then the final general with chocolate colored hair that fell loose
about him spoke up, saying, "I'd like to see if there's anything I can
to quiet Endymion down... No sense in his terrifying all the staff we
have managed to keep with this war on... Do I have permission to leave,
your highness?"

"Go right ahead Nephrite. And at the very least keep Endymion from
handing down death sentences..." Nephrite too bowed and left the room.
Before the other two generals could speak, the king said, "Both of you
see to arrangements for a funeral of some kind for the lives lost at
see... the cannot be given a Christian burial, but perhaps a service
will do something to heal us all..." the two generals left bowed
wordlessly and left the room to attend to their duties.

The king then sighed, and turned to the window. While his kingdom lay
right on the edge of another, it also lay on the edge of the sea. It
was once a bitter reminder of what once was, but now it was comforting
in a way... And the only thing he could stare at for insurmountable
lengths of time. He sighed and watched the tide go out with the rising
moon. He shook his head and muttered, "I lost my head again... This
damn war has me so angry, the devil himself would cringe should I
direct it at him..."

The king ran a hand through his hair and inhaled the scent of the
ocean. He looked out at the waters which shared the color of his son's
eyes and the eyes of the mother his son would never know. The king
shook his head and said, "You warned me this would happen love... Had
I only listened to you then, I might have been able to prevent this
from occurring..."

The great king then bent his head, and did something very
uncharacteristic for men of his position... He cried. He did not even
try to halt his tears or disguise the fact that he was crying in case
a random servant or guard saw him... Instead he wept for what he had
lost... And for what he was sure to lose... And for what might have
been...

"Forgive me Selene... Forgive me..."

~********************************************************** ***********~

And there is the new and improved first installment of A Siren's Song.
The differences are more in the conversations of each group than of
their actions, so if you do not have a good memory, you'll not see
much of a difference. ^^;

I shall be on vacation from the 16th-24th but I am going to attempt to
write out some fiction by hand and then transfer it in when I return.
So you may just hear from me again by the 25th. ^-^ Hope you all are
having a great summer and I hope to hear from you on my progress thus
far. Jaa!

Coming Soon: Part Two: Rehearsal for Destruction