Sailor Moon Fan Fiction ❯ The Embers of a Flame ❯ To the Moon kingdom ( Chapter 2 )
[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]
By: himitsu-no-hi 
Anime/Manga: Sailor Moon Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Romance / Drama / Angst | Type: Other | Uploaded On: 10.11.2002 | Pages: 2 | Words: 3.0K | Visits: 222 | Status: Work In Progress
Anime/Manga: Sailor Moon Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Romance / Drama / Angst | Type: Other | Uploaded On: 10.11.2002 | Pages: 2 | Words: 3.0K | Visits: 222 | Status: Work In Progress
The Embers of a Flame - Chapter 2
By Himitsu no Hi
"And so grandma Harmony was proclaimed Queen of Mars, protectress of the Moon, guarded by this fiery planet,"
"And she married grandpa Cadmus and they lived happily ever after?"
Rei looked at her mother's reflection in the mirror in front of which they sat. The story of the Great War had been fascinating; it had taken Eris a good deal longer to tell it than she had expected because of her daughters continuous questioning about why the Sun kingdom would do such a horrible thing and if the Queen of the Moon was pretty. Eris smiled, although there was a touch of melancholy in her gaze,
"Something like that fire bird."
Rei glanced down at the pretty crimson dress she now wore as Eris stroked the brush once more through her daughter's raven hair,
"Mama, if grandma Harmony was the queen of Mars and a protectress of the Moon, since you're the queen of Mars now does that make you a protectress of the Moon too?"
Eris nodded, laying the brush aside she pulled the princess onto her lap,
"Yes fire bird, as well as watching over Mars, I and the queens of the other planets, are guardians of Queen Serenity. When I was about your age, your grandma took me to visit the Moon during one of the celebrations of peace and on that day I made a promise always to protect the Queen and her Kingdom. A year after that the queen gave birth to a little girl and it became the duty of all of the senshi from Mercury to Jupiter to watch over her. That little girl grew up and became the present day queen of the Moon; but I still care for her, just like I'll always love and protect you."
Eris lovingly embraced her daughter,
"Now come, let me look at my angel."
Rei smiled and slipping from her mother's knee she stood smartly, straitening out her dress she twirled for inspection before curtseying gracefully.
"Beautiful!" Eris laughed softly at her daughter's antics. Rei grinned and ran back to her mother, wrapping her arms over her knees,
"Mama, are you taking me to the Moon today so that I can promise to protect the Queen too?" hopeful purple orbs gazed upwards excitedly, Eris nodded,
"Lets go shall we? We don't want to be late for the ceremony."
Rei jumped up; taking hold of Eris' hand she began pulling the queen from the room. Laughter and excitement rang through the corridor as mother and daughter headed to the teleportation room.
Rei broke free from her mother's hand and ran ahead of her along the hallway. She felt so proud that she would be able to protect the special light of the Moon, which had saved everyone in the Great War and that she would also get to be a sailor senshi just like mama that she was about ready to burst. The excited princess came to a stop outside of her father's study, desperate to tell someone else her good news, she peered inside. The King sat slumped at his desk gazing at various maps and reports, a solemn expression spread over his stern face.
"Papa!" Rei cried moving into the dimly lit room, "I'm going to be a senshi just like mama! And I..."
Rei's news came to an abrupt stop as Ares fixed his sharp gaze on his daughter, his cold grey eyes almost freezing her to the spot. Slowly he stood from his seat and moved around the large oak desk towards her. Rei smiled weakly, a little unsure as Ares knelt down before her. Roughly he took her small face into his hand, strong fingers curled tightly around her delicate chin, she whimpered quietly at the sudden use of force.
"Look at me," he began in a harsh tone barely above a whisper, her eyes slowly glanced up to face him,
"You're just like her aren't you? Insolent fire brat...you think that you're so much better than everyone else because of your fire but we'll see," the pressure of his grasp on Rei increased as his face moved closer to hers, the faint smell of alcohol laced his breath. Rei's small body shook with fear, why was papa so angry? She hadn't done anything wrong, why was he hurting her?
"Rei hime? Where did you get to fire bird?" Eris called lightly from the hallway.
Ares glanced towards the door,
"Get out of my sight." he spat, forcefully pushing Rei backwards, almost knocking her over. He stood up as Eris walked into the room. The queen stopped abruptly as she took in the scene, a mixture of concern and anger crossed her features as Rei backed up towards her. A deathly silence hung in the air as King and Queen glared icily at one another,
"You are a cruel man Ares," Eris hissed, her lilac eyes narrowed in anger,
"But you will not blame her, kami help me you will not."
Eris took hold of Rei's shoulder and ushered her out of the room, slamming the door behind them. A loud crash echoed from within the study as Eris took her daughter's hand and pulled her away from that room.
They came to a stop outside a large ruby entranceway, guarded over by two armed soldiers. Eris nodded silently at them as they parted to let the queen and princess pass. The doors opening effortlessly as Eris led Rei inside. Once behind the safety of closed doors Eris slid down to her knees her pretence of strength and confidence dissolved, unshed tears glistened in her eyes as her hands gently caressed her daughters cheeks,
"Are you okay Sweet heart-" Rei nodded, expressionless, still slightly stunned from her experience,
"You're okay, you're okay," Eris muttered gently reassuring as she wrapped her arms around her daughter.
"Mama, why is papa so angry?" Rei's asked in a small voice. Eris pulled back slowly; she seemed almost shocked at the sudden question, but Rei's wide eyes remained focused on hers,
"Pay it no heed Rei Hime, he is but a bitter man full of regrets and jealousies." Her voice had been strong and unwavering as she answered, but the worry in her eyes was proof enough of the pain in her heart. Slowly Eris stood and moved towards another door to the left of the room. Rei gazed around in awe as she took in her surroundings for the first time. The circular room was bordered on all sides by various entranceways, ten in all, including the one she and her mother had just come in through. Eris turned to see her daughter's wonderment and smiled weakly,
"Rei hime, this is a very special place, called a teleportation room, it allows us to travel very quickly from Mars to any of the planets in the solar system, we can also use the grey door there to travel to Harmonia."
Rei nodded in comprehension of her mother's explanation,
"So this is how Yuuichirou comes to visit?"
Eris grinned and nodded,
"Yes, Lord and Lady Thebes bring Yuuichirou through here when they visit, but today, we get to go through this door." Eris pointed to a beautiful ivory marble door, supported by columns at either side with a large crescent Moon decorating the pediment.
"To the Moon Kingdom..."
A loud trumpeting sounded as Eris and Rei stepped through the grand doors into the Moon kingdom. In an instant all worries and confusion drifted away from Rei's thoughts as she took in the magnificence of the Moon realm. The shimmering palace stood before them, set in complete harmony with its surroundings it seemed to shine with a light of its own. Awe struck Rei gazed around at the lush gardens, silver ponds and beautiful architecture as her mother gently tugged her forwards.
"Announcing the arrival of her Royal Highness and Honoured warrior of Mars, Queen Eris and her daughter Princess Rei." A voice of silk called from grand marble doors of the palace.
A beautiful lady dressed in yellow stepped forward to welcome them, her pale skin contrasted by her ebony locks which were tied up in an odd bun shape upon her head reminded Rei somewhat of a cats ears,
"Your highness" she greeted bowing respectfully,
"It is good to see you again Luna, I trust you are well."
The lady nodded smiling brightly,
"Yourself and the others have been missed greatly Eris. Come the Queen wishes to speak with you immediately," Eris nodded and followed Luna inside as Rei trailed quietly behind. The entrance hall of the palace was just as impressive as the exterior, beautiful marble sculptures decorated the bright room, indeed everything around them seemed to be made of marble or silver.
"Everyone is preparing in the grand hall," Luna continued, she glanced down to Rei before adding, "I'm sure the princess would enjoy exploring the grounds while everything is being finalised..."
Rei frowned slightly at been so subtly told to loose herself while the old friends reunited. She crossed her arms and pouting angrily, looked up at Eris. The queen returned her daughter's glare with a 'do as you're told' expression; huffing silently to herself Rei curtsied to the lady her mother called Luna,
"A pleasure meeting you Luna, if you will excuse me I wish to explore the palace grounds before the ceremony begins."
Luna looked at the fire princess blankly for a moment before her face cracked into a smile and she stifled a giggle,
"Oh Eris she sounds just like you!"
Eris grinned and bent down to face her daughter,
"Thank you fire bird, I'll come get you when its time."
Rei smiled wryly, now even more infuriated by the fact Luna found her so amusing she turned and marched off down the nearest corridor.
'Unbelievable!' she thought as she stomped loudly down the marble hallway, 'I'm a princess, soon to be guardian of the Moon and I'm simply abandoned in this, this place!'
Glancing around as if to emphasis the point of her tirade, Rei soon realised that she was lost. She stamped her foot noisily on the floor and then sighed dejectedly. Rei walked a little more slowly down the remainder of the hallway consoling herself with the idea that the princesses of Venus, Mercury and Jupiter must also have been left to wander around while their mothers 'prepared.' She stopped as she reached a colonnaded walkway, which led out onto a beautiful rose garden and gazed out into the sun lit paradise,
"Maybe I can find the other princesses out here, it'd be better than wandering around by myself' she mumbled. A gentle breeze swept through her hair as she walked quietly through the gardens, a sense of tranquillity seemed to wrap itself around her as she moved ridding her completely of her sour mood, until she found that she was quite enjoying herself. Rei stopped for a moment as an odd looking flower caught her eye; shaped like a rose its petals shimmered with a silvery haze that seemed to reflect all possible colours of the rainbow. Her hand gently reached out to touch it,
"Pretty aren't they?"
Rei's hand jerked backwards as the voice sounded behind her. She turned to see who had disturbed her, only to be encased in a mass of orange dress and blonde hair. Muffled screams and giggling echoed through the gardens as Rei desperately tried to break free from the exuberant blonde embrace. Finally her attacker relented. Rei remained sprawled out on the ground eyes jammed shut. Slowly she opened one eye and glanced up to see a girl of her age with long blonde hair tied back with an orange red ribbon chuckling gleefully. Rei glared angrily back at her,
"Baka! Are you trying to kill me?!" she cried moving away from the hyperactive bundle,
"Don't be so upset! I was only saying hello" the girl grinned, "You must be Princess Rei from Mars" she continued, moving so that her face was inches from Rei's, her bright blue eyes staring expectantly into the angry and confused violet eyes of the fire princess.
"What do you think you're doing?" Rei managed to mutter after the few moments it took for her to regain her composure. The girl stood back and curtsied clumsily
"I am Princess Minako of Venus, it is a pleasure to make your appointment."
Rei simply stared back at her blinking occasionally-she was a princess this ball of hyperactive blonde bounciness was a princess? Rei suddenly wished that her mother had warned her about princesses from other planets. The girl's face crumpled up into a confused expression,
"What? Did I say something wrong? -Wait I said ahum and ... pleased to make your-oh! Acquaintance!" She grinned again and pulled Rei to her feet.
"I've been looking for the princesses for ages, I'm so glad I found you! Mommy is always going on about Mars and how beautiful it is and how lovely Queen Eris is and how well they get along, isn't it lucky we got to meet before the ceremony!"
"Yeah, great" Rei muttered trying to un-wedge herself from the vice like grip the Venusian princess had on her arm, with that idea clearly failing Rei gave in and submitted to the torture. The blonde princess, seemingly oblivious to her companion's discomfort grinned again and began dragging her back towards the palace,
"Where are we going?" Rei cried exasperated. Minako smiled and winked knowingly,
"There is something I want to show you. Some place I think you'll like, I found it when I was exploring the palace before I found you."
Minako pulled Rei around countless corners and through various identical marble corridors until they came to a stop before a large and elaborately carved wooden door.
"In there?" Rei asked, curiosity now taking over annoyance. Minako nodded happily her blue eyes looking more excited than before (if that is possible). The raven-haired princess reached forward slowly pushing on the handle until the doors clicked open. A blast of gentle heat swam out to meet them as the Venusian and Martian princesses peaked through the door. Inside a towering fire flickered giving the room a hazy glow, shadows danced along gold and ruby walls, the crackle of the wood echoing around the otherwise silent and mystically serene room.
"Mommy told me that each of the planets has a special room of dedication on the Moon, the plaque over there said that this one belongs to Mars." Minako said barely above a whisper. Rei gazed in awe at the splendour of this Martian shrine. Quietly she moved over to the far wall, which was decorated with ancient scrolls, glancing at the first section she recognised it immediately,
"The story of the Great War and how the Silver Millennium came to be..."
Minako remained in a reflective silence behind her as Rei began reading as best as she could the beginning of the story word for word as Eris had told it to her earlier that day.
"Minako! Minako!"
Minako and Rei both turned to face the door as the sound of approaching footsteps echoing down the corridor outside and the gentle voice disturbed the retelling of the tale,
"That's my mommy, it must be time for the ceremony!" Minako cried excitedly, taking a firm hold of Rei's arm once again as she began tugging her out of the fire room. Rei suddenly pulled back on her arm causing her to stop; Minako looked at her with confused eyes,
"Thank you Minako Hime." Rei smiled. Her face burst into a smile once again,
"Your welcome Rei chan," she called pulling her new friend into another hug.
"Oh Eris! See I told you, I told you they'd be friends, see just like we are. How cute! Oh my Rei how you've grown, you look just like your mother, Eris you must be so proud!" a voice like the sound of gentle bells cried out, seconds before Rei was once again smothered by a haze of orange and blonde. Finally released she moved quickly backwards to avoid another attack, only to look up and see the smiling face of her mother,
"You wont remember your Aunt will you fire bird? This is the Queen of Venus..."
"Oh hush Eris! So formal! Always the same you Martians-just call me Aunt Aphrodite, Rei chan!" the exuberant Queen interrupted. Eris glanced at her, and suddenly elbowed the un-expecting blonde in the side, who then retaliated by blowing a raspberry in her direction.
Minako flounced over and curtsied once again (a little better this time), and introduced herself to the Martian queen,
"Lovely to see you again Minako Hime, you've grown into quite the beautiful young lady." Eris nodded with a smile, a slight twinkle in her eyes, it was clear that all of the unhappiness that had clouded over her before had vanished.
"Mommy is it time for the ceremony now?" Minako asked almost jumping up and down, Aphrodite glanced to Eris, who nodded,
"It certainly is, are you both ready?"
Rei and Minako nodded excitedly, (Minako's happiness perhaps contagious). The queens smiled and ushering Minako and Rei in front the quartet set off to the grand hall for the ceremony.
"Minako?"
"Yes Rei chan?"
"What exactly is the ceremony?"
Story Notes:
Harmonia: I know that in modern times Mars has two moons, but in my version of the Silver Millennium, it only has one which is called Harmonia after Rei's grandmother Harmony - the reason for this will be revealed later on^. -
Japanese words used and their meanings:
Baka: idiot
Hime: princess.
Authors Notes:
That chapter was a pain to write^. ^ I'm not too great at thinking like a 5year old... I've only read over this once too, so if there are loads of mistakes I apologise!
Oh well, I hope you're enjoying it so far!!
See ya soon!
H.n.H
By Himitsu no Hi
"And so grandma Harmony was proclaimed Queen of Mars, protectress of the Moon, guarded by this fiery planet,"
"And she married grandpa Cadmus and they lived happily ever after?"
Rei looked at her mother's reflection in the mirror in front of which they sat. The story of the Great War had been fascinating; it had taken Eris a good deal longer to tell it than she had expected because of her daughters continuous questioning about why the Sun kingdom would do such a horrible thing and if the Queen of the Moon was pretty. Eris smiled, although there was a touch of melancholy in her gaze,
"Something like that fire bird."
Rei glanced down at the pretty crimson dress she now wore as Eris stroked the brush once more through her daughter's raven hair,
"Mama, if grandma Harmony was the queen of Mars and a protectress of the Moon, since you're the queen of Mars now does that make you a protectress of the Moon too?"
Eris nodded, laying the brush aside she pulled the princess onto her lap,
"Yes fire bird, as well as watching over Mars, I and the queens of the other planets, are guardians of Queen Serenity. When I was about your age, your grandma took me to visit the Moon during one of the celebrations of peace and on that day I made a promise always to protect the Queen and her Kingdom. A year after that the queen gave birth to a little girl and it became the duty of all of the senshi from Mercury to Jupiter to watch over her. That little girl grew up and became the present day queen of the Moon; but I still care for her, just like I'll always love and protect you."
Eris lovingly embraced her daughter,
"Now come, let me look at my angel."
Rei smiled and slipping from her mother's knee she stood smartly, straitening out her dress she twirled for inspection before curtseying gracefully.
"Beautiful!" Eris laughed softly at her daughter's antics. Rei grinned and ran back to her mother, wrapping her arms over her knees,
"Mama, are you taking me to the Moon today so that I can promise to protect the Queen too?" hopeful purple orbs gazed upwards excitedly, Eris nodded,
"Lets go shall we? We don't want to be late for the ceremony."
Rei jumped up; taking hold of Eris' hand she began pulling the queen from the room. Laughter and excitement rang through the corridor as mother and daughter headed to the teleportation room.
Rei broke free from her mother's hand and ran ahead of her along the hallway. She felt so proud that she would be able to protect the special light of the Moon, which had saved everyone in the Great War and that she would also get to be a sailor senshi just like mama that she was about ready to burst. The excited princess came to a stop outside of her father's study, desperate to tell someone else her good news, she peered inside. The King sat slumped at his desk gazing at various maps and reports, a solemn expression spread over his stern face.
"Papa!" Rei cried moving into the dimly lit room, "I'm going to be a senshi just like mama! And I..."
Rei's news came to an abrupt stop as Ares fixed his sharp gaze on his daughter, his cold grey eyes almost freezing her to the spot. Slowly he stood from his seat and moved around the large oak desk towards her. Rei smiled weakly, a little unsure as Ares knelt down before her. Roughly he took her small face into his hand, strong fingers curled tightly around her delicate chin, she whimpered quietly at the sudden use of force.
"Look at me," he began in a harsh tone barely above a whisper, her eyes slowly glanced up to face him,
"You're just like her aren't you? Insolent fire brat...you think that you're so much better than everyone else because of your fire but we'll see," the pressure of his grasp on Rei increased as his face moved closer to hers, the faint smell of alcohol laced his breath. Rei's small body shook with fear, why was papa so angry? She hadn't done anything wrong, why was he hurting her?
"Rei hime? Where did you get to fire bird?" Eris called lightly from the hallway.
Ares glanced towards the door,
"Get out of my sight." he spat, forcefully pushing Rei backwards, almost knocking her over. He stood up as Eris walked into the room. The queen stopped abruptly as she took in the scene, a mixture of concern and anger crossed her features as Rei backed up towards her. A deathly silence hung in the air as King and Queen glared icily at one another,
"You are a cruel man Ares," Eris hissed, her lilac eyes narrowed in anger,
"But you will not blame her, kami help me you will not."
Eris took hold of Rei's shoulder and ushered her out of the room, slamming the door behind them. A loud crash echoed from within the study as Eris took her daughter's hand and pulled her away from that room.
They came to a stop outside a large ruby entranceway, guarded over by two armed soldiers. Eris nodded silently at them as they parted to let the queen and princess pass. The doors opening effortlessly as Eris led Rei inside. Once behind the safety of closed doors Eris slid down to her knees her pretence of strength and confidence dissolved, unshed tears glistened in her eyes as her hands gently caressed her daughters cheeks,
"Are you okay Sweet heart-" Rei nodded, expressionless, still slightly stunned from her experience,
"You're okay, you're okay," Eris muttered gently reassuring as she wrapped her arms around her daughter.
"Mama, why is papa so angry?" Rei's asked in a small voice. Eris pulled back slowly; she seemed almost shocked at the sudden question, but Rei's wide eyes remained focused on hers,
"Pay it no heed Rei Hime, he is but a bitter man full of regrets and jealousies." Her voice had been strong and unwavering as she answered, but the worry in her eyes was proof enough of the pain in her heart. Slowly Eris stood and moved towards another door to the left of the room. Rei gazed around in awe as she took in her surroundings for the first time. The circular room was bordered on all sides by various entranceways, ten in all, including the one she and her mother had just come in through. Eris turned to see her daughter's wonderment and smiled weakly,
"Rei hime, this is a very special place, called a teleportation room, it allows us to travel very quickly from Mars to any of the planets in the solar system, we can also use the grey door there to travel to Harmonia."
Rei nodded in comprehension of her mother's explanation,
"So this is how Yuuichirou comes to visit?"
Eris grinned and nodded,
"Yes, Lord and Lady Thebes bring Yuuichirou through here when they visit, but today, we get to go through this door." Eris pointed to a beautiful ivory marble door, supported by columns at either side with a large crescent Moon decorating the pediment.
"To the Moon Kingdom..."
A loud trumpeting sounded as Eris and Rei stepped through the grand doors into the Moon kingdom. In an instant all worries and confusion drifted away from Rei's thoughts as she took in the magnificence of the Moon realm. The shimmering palace stood before them, set in complete harmony with its surroundings it seemed to shine with a light of its own. Awe struck Rei gazed around at the lush gardens, silver ponds and beautiful architecture as her mother gently tugged her forwards.
"Announcing the arrival of her Royal Highness and Honoured warrior of Mars, Queen Eris and her daughter Princess Rei." A voice of silk called from grand marble doors of the palace.
A beautiful lady dressed in yellow stepped forward to welcome them, her pale skin contrasted by her ebony locks which were tied up in an odd bun shape upon her head reminded Rei somewhat of a cats ears,
"Your highness" she greeted bowing respectfully,
"It is good to see you again Luna, I trust you are well."
The lady nodded smiling brightly,
"Yourself and the others have been missed greatly Eris. Come the Queen wishes to speak with you immediately," Eris nodded and followed Luna inside as Rei trailed quietly behind. The entrance hall of the palace was just as impressive as the exterior, beautiful marble sculptures decorated the bright room, indeed everything around them seemed to be made of marble or silver.
"Everyone is preparing in the grand hall," Luna continued, she glanced down to Rei before adding, "I'm sure the princess would enjoy exploring the grounds while everything is being finalised..."
Rei frowned slightly at been so subtly told to loose herself while the old friends reunited. She crossed her arms and pouting angrily, looked up at Eris. The queen returned her daughter's glare with a 'do as you're told' expression; huffing silently to herself Rei curtsied to the lady her mother called Luna,
"A pleasure meeting you Luna, if you will excuse me I wish to explore the palace grounds before the ceremony begins."
Luna looked at the fire princess blankly for a moment before her face cracked into a smile and she stifled a giggle,
"Oh Eris she sounds just like you!"
Eris grinned and bent down to face her daughter,
"Thank you fire bird, I'll come get you when its time."
Rei smiled wryly, now even more infuriated by the fact Luna found her so amusing she turned and marched off down the nearest corridor.
'Unbelievable!' she thought as she stomped loudly down the marble hallway, 'I'm a princess, soon to be guardian of the Moon and I'm simply abandoned in this, this place!'
Glancing around as if to emphasis the point of her tirade, Rei soon realised that she was lost. She stamped her foot noisily on the floor and then sighed dejectedly. Rei walked a little more slowly down the remainder of the hallway consoling herself with the idea that the princesses of Venus, Mercury and Jupiter must also have been left to wander around while their mothers 'prepared.' She stopped as she reached a colonnaded walkway, which led out onto a beautiful rose garden and gazed out into the sun lit paradise,
"Maybe I can find the other princesses out here, it'd be better than wandering around by myself' she mumbled. A gentle breeze swept through her hair as she walked quietly through the gardens, a sense of tranquillity seemed to wrap itself around her as she moved ridding her completely of her sour mood, until she found that she was quite enjoying herself. Rei stopped for a moment as an odd looking flower caught her eye; shaped like a rose its petals shimmered with a silvery haze that seemed to reflect all possible colours of the rainbow. Her hand gently reached out to touch it,
"Pretty aren't they?"
Rei's hand jerked backwards as the voice sounded behind her. She turned to see who had disturbed her, only to be encased in a mass of orange dress and blonde hair. Muffled screams and giggling echoed through the gardens as Rei desperately tried to break free from the exuberant blonde embrace. Finally her attacker relented. Rei remained sprawled out on the ground eyes jammed shut. Slowly she opened one eye and glanced up to see a girl of her age with long blonde hair tied back with an orange red ribbon chuckling gleefully. Rei glared angrily back at her,
"Baka! Are you trying to kill me?!" she cried moving away from the hyperactive bundle,
"Don't be so upset! I was only saying hello" the girl grinned, "You must be Princess Rei from Mars" she continued, moving so that her face was inches from Rei's, her bright blue eyes staring expectantly into the angry and confused violet eyes of the fire princess.
"What do you think you're doing?" Rei managed to mutter after the few moments it took for her to regain her composure. The girl stood back and curtsied clumsily
"I am Princess Minako of Venus, it is a pleasure to make your appointment."
Rei simply stared back at her blinking occasionally-she was a princess this ball of hyperactive blonde bounciness was a princess? Rei suddenly wished that her mother had warned her about princesses from other planets. The girl's face crumpled up into a confused expression,
"What? Did I say something wrong? -Wait I said ahum and ... pleased to make your-oh! Acquaintance!" She grinned again and pulled Rei to her feet.
"I've been looking for the princesses for ages, I'm so glad I found you! Mommy is always going on about Mars and how beautiful it is and how lovely Queen Eris is and how well they get along, isn't it lucky we got to meet before the ceremony!"
"Yeah, great" Rei muttered trying to un-wedge herself from the vice like grip the Venusian princess had on her arm, with that idea clearly failing Rei gave in and submitted to the torture. The blonde princess, seemingly oblivious to her companion's discomfort grinned again and began dragging her back towards the palace,
"Where are we going?" Rei cried exasperated. Minako smiled and winked knowingly,
"There is something I want to show you. Some place I think you'll like, I found it when I was exploring the palace before I found you."
Minako pulled Rei around countless corners and through various identical marble corridors until they came to a stop before a large and elaborately carved wooden door.
"In there?" Rei asked, curiosity now taking over annoyance. Minako nodded happily her blue eyes looking more excited than before (if that is possible). The raven-haired princess reached forward slowly pushing on the handle until the doors clicked open. A blast of gentle heat swam out to meet them as the Venusian and Martian princesses peaked through the door. Inside a towering fire flickered giving the room a hazy glow, shadows danced along gold and ruby walls, the crackle of the wood echoing around the otherwise silent and mystically serene room.
"Mommy told me that each of the planets has a special room of dedication on the Moon, the plaque over there said that this one belongs to Mars." Minako said barely above a whisper. Rei gazed in awe at the splendour of this Martian shrine. Quietly she moved over to the far wall, which was decorated with ancient scrolls, glancing at the first section she recognised it immediately,
"The story of the Great War and how the Silver Millennium came to be..."
Minako remained in a reflective silence behind her as Rei began reading as best as she could the beginning of the story word for word as Eris had told it to her earlier that day.
"Minako! Minako!"
Minako and Rei both turned to face the door as the sound of approaching footsteps echoing down the corridor outside and the gentle voice disturbed the retelling of the tale,
"That's my mommy, it must be time for the ceremony!" Minako cried excitedly, taking a firm hold of Rei's arm once again as she began tugging her out of the fire room. Rei suddenly pulled back on her arm causing her to stop; Minako looked at her with confused eyes,
"Thank you Minako Hime." Rei smiled. Her face burst into a smile once again,
"Your welcome Rei chan," she called pulling her new friend into another hug.
"Oh Eris! See I told you, I told you they'd be friends, see just like we are. How cute! Oh my Rei how you've grown, you look just like your mother, Eris you must be so proud!" a voice like the sound of gentle bells cried out, seconds before Rei was once again smothered by a haze of orange and blonde. Finally released she moved quickly backwards to avoid another attack, only to look up and see the smiling face of her mother,
"You wont remember your Aunt will you fire bird? This is the Queen of Venus..."
"Oh hush Eris! So formal! Always the same you Martians-just call me Aunt Aphrodite, Rei chan!" the exuberant Queen interrupted. Eris glanced at her, and suddenly elbowed the un-expecting blonde in the side, who then retaliated by blowing a raspberry in her direction.
Minako flounced over and curtsied once again (a little better this time), and introduced herself to the Martian queen,
"Lovely to see you again Minako Hime, you've grown into quite the beautiful young lady." Eris nodded with a smile, a slight twinkle in her eyes, it was clear that all of the unhappiness that had clouded over her before had vanished.
"Mommy is it time for the ceremony now?" Minako asked almost jumping up and down, Aphrodite glanced to Eris, who nodded,
"It certainly is, are you both ready?"
Rei and Minako nodded excitedly, (Minako's happiness perhaps contagious). The queens smiled and ushering Minako and Rei in front the quartet set off to the grand hall for the ceremony.
"Minako?"
"Yes Rei chan?"
"What exactly is the ceremony?"
Story Notes:
Harmonia: I know that in modern times Mars has two moons, but in my version of the Silver Millennium, it only has one which is called Harmonia after Rei's grandmother Harmony - the reason for this will be revealed later on^. -
Japanese words used and their meanings:
Baka: idiot
Hime: princess.
Authors Notes:
That chapter was a pain to write^. ^ I'm not too great at thinking like a 5year old... I've only read over this once too, so if there are loads of mistakes I apologise!
Oh well, I hope you're enjoying it so far!!
See ya soon!
H.n.H