Sailor Moon Fan Fiction ❯ When They Met ❯ When They Met Chapter 2 ( Chapter 2 )

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

CHAPTER 2!!!! hehe! ^^ i'm actually going to finish in chapter 3! it will be up tommorow! k? enjoy!




"Run faster!," he urged under his breath as he watched the fleeing Serenity. Soon, her bright blue eyes and bobbing, golden odangos were out of sight; headed towards safety. Endymion took in a struggled breath as his breathing became labored by the nagging pain in his arm and the sadness eating away at his heart. He cursed the Negaverse, and bit down in pain as unconsciousness suddenly swirled in his head, threatening to overtake him. Shaking it off, he stiffly rose, gripping his sword arm with his left hand as he tried to maintain his balance. Dizziness caused him to pause and take a few more breaths before he struggled to stand erect.
"I've got to make it," he quietly said to himself, "for her..." Another round of blasts shook the ground in the direction Serenity ran in. Suddenly, something clicked in Endymion's brain. With renewed strength, he started towards the Moon Palace, determined to see his fiancee again. "Hang on Serenity," he thought, "I won't let them hurt you, ever." His oath to protect the princess only caused his determination to increase and he picked up his pace, careful not to brush his wounded arm against anything. As he approached, he saw Serenity banging at the palace entrance, begging to be let in. "Impossible," he thought, "Why won't they let her in? Certainly Queen Serenity must know that her daughter is in grave danger." Something was wrong, he just couldn't figure out what. His vision began to swim again and his attempt at driving back unconsciousness ended up in failure.
***
As she banged on the doors with her cries unanswered, Serenity knew something was amiss. "Why won't they let me reach sanctuary?," she asked herself. A groan came from behind her and she turned around just in time to see her beloved fall to the ground. "No!," she cried as she rushed to his side. "Damn you!," she screamed as his motionless body, "Why did you have to be so brave? Why did you risk your life to keep me covered from the blasts? Don't you dare leave me!," she screamed through her tears, "Don't you leave me like my father did! Stay with me!" With her last words, she banged on his arm, causing him to jolt into consciousness.
He groaned in pain from the hit to his arm, to be awakened to a blonde woman in a white dress with gold trim. "Are you an angel?," he asked, drowning in the depths of her startling blue eyes. Serenity just smiled and hugged him, not answering his drowsy question. The soft spheres of hair brushed against Endymion's face. "Ah, so it is you my Odango Atama," he grinned." She smiled, cherishing his words. "Don't worry, everything's going to be all right," she soothed, not knowing if she was trying to calm Endymion, or herself. Putting on a false smile to show things were fine, she watched him drift away again, his chest residing into deep and even breaths.
Pulling him underneath the shelter of the balcony above them, Serenity returned to the main doors. "Help us! Open the doors!," she yelled. Finally, her prayers were answered and her mother came to the door, accompanied by Queen Geia and a half dozen guards. Princess Serenity went to hug her mother, but the Moon Queen brushed her off in disgust. "Beryl, how dare you even think to take on the form of my daughter!," she said angrily. She turned to her left, to see the still body of Endymion. Geia followed her gaze and gasped, tears welling up in her eyes as she ran to her son.
"Guards," Queen Serenity said as she motioned towards the girl, "take her to the dungeon, she will be reckoned with later." Two of the six guards reached out for the princess. "No!," she cried, "Mother, it's me, Serenity! How can you forget your own daughter?!" The queen replied with a gaze of stone, "My daughter is safe with me, although I can't say the same for you, Nega- Witch. Your trial will be soon enough; until then, you will be treated like the peace shatterer you are."
After a brief struggle, the girl submitted and allowed the guards to escort her to her imprisonment. Endymion was meanwhile carried by the other four guards to where his wounds could be properly treated. Her eyes welled up with tears, how could her mother say she was safe and sound in the palace? It was then she saw her, a mirror image of herself, minus the ripped section of her gown, the dirt and the loosened odangos. She gasped, "How can this be?," as she was dragged off by the guards.
The Serenity in the main hall in the palace smiled, as the real princess was dragged downstairs. Soon, Endymion will be at MY side as I rule the Moon...and then the universe. Queen Serenity is smart, Beryl IS the imposter; but not smart enough... she picked the wrong princess. Grinning viciously, the disguised Beryl turned to meet up with Queen Serenity and Queen Geia, as they rushed to the wounded Endymion's aid.
***
The true Princess of the Moon was quickly shoved into a barred cell, resting about one hundred feet below the Moon's surface. Serenity could tell if not by history, than by the layers of dust that the dungeon hadn't been used in many years. In fact, not since her father's killer was sentenced. Holding back the tears that continued to blur her vision, Serenity fought to maintain her posture as she sunk down into the flattened and dirty mattress, surrounded by cold, dead straw and silent walls.
"What am I going to do?," she thought, "That girl, she looked just like me...but how can it be?" Her thoughts suddenly made her blood run cold. "Beryl," she silently said. Of course, that's why her mother thought she was the evil Queen of the Negaverse! She sighed, knowing there was no way to convince her mother, or anyone for that matter that she was in fact the real Moon Princess.
***
"Endymion should be fine," said Queen Serenity as she healed the last of the Earth prince's wounds. "Thank you," said Queen Geia, overjoyed that her son would soon be well. "We should let him get some rest," continued Serenity, "In the mean time, we can deal with Beryl." Terra wondered if she was emotionally ready for this confrontation. Solemnly, she nodded and followed Serenity downstairs to where the kingdom's first prisoner in over a decade was being held.
"Beryl," Queen Serenity called sternly as she approached the sleeping figure. With a quick motion of her hand, the guards briefly bowed their heads and turned towards the captive. The older guard, with a graying beard poked the sleeping girl with the dull end of his spear. After rolling over a few times, Serenity finally awakened, still a bit incoherent momentarily. Once she saw the look on her mother's face, all drowsiness left her fragile form.
"Mother!," said a startled princess, "Why are you doing this to me? Queen Beryl has infiltrated the palace and has taken on my form; please, you must believe me! I am your daughter!" "Do you have any proof that you are truly my child?," asked the Queen. Thinking quickly, Serenity nodded. "Yes, you nicknamed me Serena when I was younger." "Although few knew of this, Beryl could have found that out easily. Do you have any physical proof?," In embarrassment, the girl looked down to the floor, only to notice her torn gown.
"My gown," she said, "I tore off some of it to wrap up the wound on Endymion's arm." "It could have been a simple ploy," said Queen Geia, "Apparently, you have no proof of not being Queen Beryl and there's much evidence against you. Therefore," she looked at the Moon Queen who gave her a quick nod, "We unanimously agree that you are, in fact, Beryl and you will be put on trial in one day's time. I suggest you use what time you have left wisely, for I wish your penalty to be that of death; for treachery, disruption of peace, murder of millions, and the attack on my son, as well as on the Moon Palace.
With a final penetrating glare from each of them, the two queens filed out of the lonely dungeon, leaving Princess Serenity to dwell in her misery. Not knowing what else to do, the traumatized princess let loose the tears that she had fought so hard to hold back. The uncontrollable sobs untying what was left of her untidy odangos and throwing her body into waves of shudders. Only the two guards remained, neither of them speaking, nor looking at the tear ridden prisoner.
The older guard, a man of fifty years listened to the captive's sounds carefully, since he knew he'd be asked to testify in front of the Royal Court the next day. The sobs seemed genuine, or perhaps they were part of a carefully organized plot from the great mind of the evil queen. He wouldn't put it past her, but he felt compelled to comfort the crying form, a strange feeling he would have to make a note of, perhaps spell induced. Eventually, the girl cried herself to sleep, and the changing of the guard commenced.
***
The next morning, Queen Serenity walked into her daughter's chambers to awaken her in time for the hearing scheduled for later that day. Surprisingly, Serenity was already awake and dressed, standing outside on the balcony. "Serena," she called, "Hurry, we can't be late for the trial!" "Coming mother," replied a sweet and innocent sounding voice. The queen laughed, "Up so early? My, my, what has gotten into you today?" Not wanting to blow her cover, the faux princess turned and said, "I couldn't sleep much last night mother, it's strange having someone walking around in your exact image." Serenity nodded, "I understand your apprehension."
Outside in the hall, another voice called out to the queen. "I'm in here Geia," said Serenity. Queen Geia entered the princess' chambers dressed in a velvet emerald green gown studded with earth-colored jewels and gold trim. Quite extravagant next to the Moon Queen's simple, flowing creme colored dress with a golden hem. The princess approached the Queen of Earth in her satin blue gown and gracefully curtsied. Giea returned the curtsy with a similar, but far less graceful one of her own.
"Come," said Queen Serenity, "Endymion is already settled and we should meet him in court in only a few minutes." The other two royal parties nodded and followed her down the cool white marble steps and into the large banquet hall, serving as a court house for the day. Most of the Moon's royal staff were seated on either side of the two thrones that were set out for each of the queens and a smaller, but exquisite chair for Princess Serenity that sat beside her mother. The witnesses were held in a separate room, only a few doors down from the Banquet Hall. Endymion was among the witnesses and was scheduled to offer his testimony last. Both the Queen of Earth and the Queen of the Moon would serve as judge and jury, a unanimous decision was necessary for the prisoner to be set free, or sentenced to death. Although the punishment seemed a bit crude, the princess herself had suggested it and Geia was quick to second the recommendation. With the banging of the two gavels, the meeting came to order.
***
The supposed Queen Beryl was brought out of her lonely solitude in the dungeon below, so that she could defend herself in a court which was intent on sentencing her to death. Keeping her regal posture and walking in stride with the four guards surrounding her, the girl carefully hid her true feelings of abandonment and betrayal under a hard shell of silent superiority. She sat secluded from the others, facing both queens, onlookers and any one offering testimony.
As the first witness was about to be called, she stiffened, now fully realizing how alone she truly was. Princess Serenity had gone from having almost everything, to having worse than nothing. A death wish arose as one of the entrance guards described her clawing at the doors begging to be allowed in. Person after person followed, each story identical to the last and soon, only one witness remained. The only one who could save her life, Endymion.
He walked in casually, as if he was out in the garden instead of coming into a crowded room, full of hatred. But the young princess could easily see through his facade, he was almost as nervous as she was, if that was at all possible. He quietly bowed to his mother and Queen Serenity before sitting down in the witness chair. Sadly, he looked at the hollow shell of the girl he loved, her face, dirty from the escape in the gardens, or her cell; perhaps both. Her dress was still torn at the hem and he winced, remembering the pain he felt as they outran the shooting energy bolts. Self-consciously, he rubbed the spot where the burn had been only a few hours before, healed fully by the powers of Queen Serenity and the Ginzuishou.
He took in a long breath of air and began telling how the two of them met in the garden; how he raced back to reach her only to find them under fire. He explained how she tried to help him by tearing off the fringe of her gown and how she refused to leave him when he was wounded. In the end, besides what bits and pieces he could remember from the groggy encounter, he had no evidence proving that the young woman before him was, or wasn't Princess Serenity.
After Endymion left to join the rest of the crowd, hopeful that his tale would tip the scales and save the melancholy form that sat before him, the two queens went outside to converse about their decision. They returned quickly, and once again sat down, facing the haggard defendant. Then, Geia called the meeting to order again by banging her gavel and turned to Serenity, signaling for her to make the announcement of their decision.