Sailor Moon Fan Fiction ❯ All's Fair in Love and War ❯ Time Passes ( Chapter 40 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

"My Lord, it is a pleasure to see you once again on the Moon," Selenity said smoothly. Paris had arrived and now there was a welcoming ceremony. Selenity was pleased that everyone had been able to arrive on time, even Mercury and Jupiter. They had also been eager to have complete peace again, so they wanted to act as mediators if the need arose.

Paris bowed. "You are looking well, my Lady." General Malachite stood behind him and bowed as well, but Selenity was disturbed by the fact that she did not see Helen anywhere.


"I hope that your journey went well. There is a lunch planned at one, and until then you may rest from your journey if you wish or we can begin our meeting," she said, giving him the opportunity to choose when their debate would begin.

"The journey was relaxing and boring, so I would not mind if we went strait to our meeting," Paris replied. Selenity nodded and led everyone to a large library where everyone settled down around a large table. Tea was served, and once the servants had cleared from the room, Selenity turned her attention to Paris.

"Helen is not with you?" she asked, her curiosity winning over her patience.

"She stayed on the Earth since she was not feeling well. She is with child again, and did not feel up for the trip," Paris replied, the briefest of smiles touching his lips.

"Congratulations!" Venus exclaimed. "It's taken you two long enough."

Paris smiled at her. "We're both very excited. Helen wants a girl since she's the only one that doesn't have a daughter. But more about that later. We have serious things to discuss right now."

The mood turned serious and sober as everyone turned to the matter at hand. "I am very glad that you accepted my invitation, Paris."

He nodded. "I do wish to see the progress that has been made, and try and persuade you about a few things."

"Shall be bring the princess in then?" Jupiter asked. Selenity nodded and glanced at Artemis, who bowed and left the room.

"I think you will be pleased. The princess has shown no signs of the dark powers, that previously claimed her, for over half a year now. I am still maintaining a purification routine with her and I wish to do so for a while longer yet." Selenity glanced from Paris to Malachite, back to Paris, hoping to see some approval. She found none.

"My Lady," Malachite began, speaking for the first time since his arrival. "I fear that although it may seem that the Princess is purified, she is still within the constraints of the Negaverse. Even though it may seem that she is free from taint, the powers will return to her eventually, once the opportunity is right or simply once enough time has passed. It is impossible to help her."

"How can you be so sure?" Mercury asked.

"It's hard to explain," Malachite replied. "The details on the subject are hazy. Once a person has accepted the dark powers as their own and lets him or her self be filled with them, then they will forever have their mark. It's just not something that can be removed. Sometimes they can go years without any sign of relapse, but it only takes on situation to open up the gateway again, and then they are once again lost, only then they come back with a vengeance. Beryl is a danger for the rest of her life."

"Is it no possible for her to stay here then, and allow me to purify her on a regular basis so that she cannot be claimed by the Negaverse again?"

Malachite was about to reply, but was interrupted when the doors to the library opened, permitting Artemis to enter. "My Lords and Ladies, may I present the Princess Beryl." All the men stood from the table, for although they were suspicious of the girl, she was still a princess and had been allowed to keep that status. Thus, they had to show her respect.

Beryl stepped in front of Artemis and smiled at everyone. "Good morning. It is an honour to see everyone here."

Paris and Malachite looked stunned. The young lady standing before them bore little resemblance to the girl they had seen two year before, so full of hate, malice, and a desire to kill. Now she stood before them, her appearance bright and cheerful, though quiet and demure. Her eyes were no longer a raging storm, but were serene and calm, as though she had lived on the Moon her whole life and never know the world her mother had raised her in.

It was a pity that they knew she could not be saved.

Paris glanced at Selenity. "Do you mind if we pose a few questions to the Princess?" he asked.

"Ask her yourself. She is not my prisoner."

Paris turned to Beryl, who smiled at him. "You may ask me anything you like, my Lord." Paris looked at Malachite who gestured to an empty chair. Beryl took the seat and all the men sat as well.

"Have you enjoyed your stay here on the Moon?" Malachite asked casually.

"Yes, very much. Queen Selenity has been very kind to me. All the people are very kind, and the planet itself is beautiful. Everything is very tranquil," the Princess replied softly.

"It is good to see you once again," Paris remarked, "and looking much better than you did last time."

Beryl looked at him curiously. "I was but a child when we met last, my Lord. Much can change over so many years."

Paris nodded. "Yes, but you look much more full of life and peace than you did on the planet Mars, although I can understand why you were so devastated back then."

"Yes, much has changed since then though," Beryl replied.

"Im sure that you appreciate all that Queen Selenity has done for you. The power you had before must be nothing compared to the soundness of mind you now enjoy," Malachite said.

Beryl frowned ever so slightly. "I am happy now. I no longer have a cloud over my mind."

"That is good to hear. So much power is not good for one person. It doesn't give allowance for clear thinking. You could control the universe, with all that power, but without the ability to think strait, what good would it be to you, correct?"

"Yes," Beryl replied, her frown deepening. "It wouldn't be good."

"Of course you wouldn't want to rule the whole universe, such a delicate creature such as yourself."

Beryl glanced down at her folded hands and then quickly brought her gaze back up to look at Malachite, a spark flashing through her eyes. "Of course not, my Lord."

"That is good to hear," the silver haired general said, speaking slowly. He then turned to look at Selenity, who was watching the conversation. "I am satisfied, my Lady. If the Princess is tired, I have no further questions for her."

Selenity smiled. "Very well. Beryl, if you like, Artemis can take you back to your room. I'm sure you would be bored here."

Beryl nodded and stood from her seat, causing Paris, Malachite, Mercury, Mars, and Jupiter to stand as well. "It was a pleasure," she said softly, the stepped away from her chair and followed Artemis to the door. Once she had gone out, all the men sat again.

"If you did a check on her now with the crystal," Malachite said quietly, "you would already see the dark powers returning to her."

"What? How could that be?" Selenity exclaimed.

"You weren't looking at her eyes, were you?" Paris asked. "The spark of evil went through them when she started thinking about he power she could have with the help of the Negaverse. Later today I suggest you do another purification of her before the darkness spreads too much."

"Are you sure?" Mercury asked. "Couldn't it have been some mistake?"

"I'm afraid not," Malachite said. "As we have already said, there is no way to help the girl. She is forever tainted, and she poses a very read danger to everyone."

Jupiter rubbed his chin. "Selenity, as much as I hate to say this, you may have to consider the option of putting a permanent stop to the Dark Princess, if she really is as dangerous as Paris and Malachite say."

Selenity looked around the room helplessly. "Is that really what you think? That we should just give up on her and take her life away? Do we really have the right to do that?"

"We do if it means saving the lives of many innocent people whom she could hurt if she escaped and returned to the Negaverse," Paris shot back.

Mars looked at Selenity sadly. "If it means protecting our planets, we may have to take drastic measures."

Selenity looked close to tears, and Venus couldn't help but feel pity for her. "Would it be possible to simply keep her under constant watch and allow her to live here on the Moon?" she asked, hoping that there would be some way to meet in the middle.

Paris sighed. "I wish it were so easy Venus. There is the danger of her escaping though, and even with Selenity's daily purifications, Beryl has a strong chance of being overpowered by the Negaverse again when it deems it an opportune time. She is simply not safe." He ran his hand through his hair then looked over to Selenity. "I do not want war any more than you do. Since you were the one to take the first step, I wish to express my desire to form a truce for the time being until we settle this issue. No more fighting, but…" he let the sentence trail off.

Selenity nodded. "I understand. No more fighting, but no peace either." She sighed. "Very well, I accept that for now. We must discuss this further though and-" she was cut off when the door burst open and Artemis ran in, gasping for air, followed by two guards. Everyone jumped in their seats.

"The Princess," Artemis managed to get out, "sh-she-(gasp) has escaped."

There was a stony silence in the room for a full thirty seconds before everyone jumped from their seats.

They never found the Dark Princess and thus the relationship between the Earth and Moon came to a stand still. For years there was to be no peace. Mars was the first to suggest that the Order of the Senshi was to be resurrected to protect Princess Serenity, since everyone remembered the threat Beryl had made against the young child. He gave Rei over to Selenity for training, and soon his example was followed by Venus, Jupiter, and Mercury. The girls were to become Serenity's companions, but more importantly her protectors and guardians. They still spent time on their home planets, but the bulk of their time was spent on the Moon.

Their relationship grew, and the girls became like sisters. Shingo, the only young male in the group, often sought refuge in the training areas where Master of the Sword took him and Serenity under his wings, almost like a second father. Serenity joined the other girls in training, since Selenity wanted her daughter to be able to protect herself if the need arose.

Jupiter, Mercury, Venus, and Mars continued in their efforts to reconcile the two planets. They did not like to see their friends torn apart, but all of their efforts seemed in vain. They did deliver news from one planet to the other every so often, mainly between Helen and Selentiy. Paris' heart remained hardened, and he did not believe that Selenity wished to protect the Earth and Moon. No one could convince him otherwise, not Helen, not General Malachite, not any one else.

All the children grew, and soon the girls became young women. That was when Selenity started to search for a suitable match for her daughter. She refused to choose one for her and force her into a marriage. She made it clear very early on that Serenity would be allowed to choose her own husband. This did not, however, stop Selenity from introducing Serenity to the various suitors the universe had to offer. However, time and time again, the young princess scorned the attentions of the young men.

Selenity grew exasperated, not so much by the fact that Serenity had not found someone, but more by the fact that she refused to treat any man with proper respect. Instead of simply saying no, Serenity developed a love for practical jokes, something the Queen of the Moon chastised her daughter about time and time again. However, she refused to force Serenity into anything. She wanted her daughter to find love, no matter how long it took.

Then, one day, an old friend arrived on the Moon.

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