Earth: 1011 A.D.

The Eartharian king gazed out into the palace rose gardens through the window, his weary eyes tired and bloodshot from another fevered, sleepless night. He knew now that it was only a matter of time till he drew his last breath. It was strange, he thought, how only when he was faced with imminent death did he take the time to reflect back on his life. In his youth, he'd been proud, courageous and pioneering, but above all he'd been a fool.

He remembered the time that he had first heard his father, the former king of the earth, speak of the people of the moon. He remembered being mesmerized by the motivational power of his father's voice, how he radiated authority when he spoke of the Lunarian's heresy and sinfulness. Only on his deathbed did he finally realize the fallacy of the former king's propaganda. In all reality, the charges were nothing more than an attempt to hide the true reason for the ongoing war with the Moon Kingdom.

It started almost sixty years ago when his father, eager to make a name for himself, chose to wage a campaign to conquer the moon and its people. In the end it was nothing more than a land grab, an effort to expand the earth's territories past that of its own planet. And much to his everlasting regret, he had supported it, even continued the campaign long after his father's death. He, like many of the Eartharians, had been sucked in by the rhetoric, believing so strongly that it almost made it real.

It was only after hundreds of thousands of both Eartharians and Lunarians had lost their lives that he began to realize the grave mistake he had made. Hatred emanated from both sides as things spun wildly out of control. Peace, it seemed, was an impossibility, but something the king still desperately longed for.

"Your majesty?"

He was broken out of his reverie by one of his closest generals, Malachite. He could tell by the downtrodden look on the man's face that he bore unpleasant news.

"How many?" he asked with a sigh.

Malachite looked up, obviously surprised that the king had already guessed what the news related to. Closing his eyes, he said, "We've lost roughly 24,000 this month, slightly up from the previous month…Sir, if I may…it is my belief that we will ultimately lose this war. The Lunarians are more organized and united than us. Moral is now at an all time low as well. Many of our men are starting to desert."

The king closed his eyes, his head beginning to throb. They needed peace and they needed it now. If only there was a way…

"The princess," he said with sudden inspiration. "Malachite, doesn't the Lunarian queen have a daughter?"

"Yes, your majesty," Malachite replied, unsure of where this was going.

"How old is she?"

Malachite put his hand to his chin in thought. He remembered that she had been born only a few years after the king's eldest son, Endymion, was born. "She must be about fourteen or fifteen by now.

"Perfect!" the king exclaimed before being overcome by a brutal bout of coughing. His shoulders shook as the coughs racked his frail body and blood spewed forth from his mouth.

As the coughs subsided, the king took out a handkerchief to wipe the remaining blood off of his mouth, swallowing a few times before he attempted to speak again.

"My doctors tell me I will die from this," the king said, feeling the need to explain to Malachite the gravity of the situation. "I have made grave mistakes in the past and will pay for it dearly in the next life, but the last thing I want is to leave my son a broken down, war ridden kingdom. I will not have him pay for my mistakes. I will achieve peace at all costs."

"My idea is to marry one of my sons to the daughter of the Lunarian queen. The alliance would ensure peace between our kingdoms. I know the Lunarians are just as tired of this war as we are," the king explained.

"But will the people be open to having a Lunarian for their queen?" Malachite asked.

"No," the king sighed, "but that's why it wouldn't be Endymion to marry her. I'll marry her to Diamond instead. After all, Diamond is not set to inherit the Eartharian throne."

"There will be opposition, especially from Lord Morganite," Malachite reasoned. "He has grown in power since the beginning of the war. He has many followers that, should he need it, would form an army to rival your own."

"And rumor has it that he has his sights set on your crown. He has a daughter that aspires to be our future queen. Beryl I believe is her name," Malachite crooned.

"I'm well aware of her," the king replied. "I had hoped to marry Endymion off to someone more worthy, but Lord Morganite poses a serious threat to that. We must tread carefully. With a little luck the senate will be open to my proposition and grant my request."

"Endymion?"

"Hmm."

"Endymion!"

"What?" Endymion asked, finally looking up from his book. Diamond gave his brother a languid smile as he put his hands behind his head and laid back onto the soft grass. It was a beautiful, sunny day on earth, and Diamond chose to spend it outdoors, basking in the sunlight as his brother read a book beneath a nearby oak tree.

"So what was the meeting with father about this morning? You were there for an awfully long time," Diamond droned.

"There is to be a senate meeting later today," Endymion said, closing his book. "They are going to discuss the possibility of a peace treaty with the moon."

"Really?" Diamond asked, sitting up abruptly, "a peace treaty? How is that possible with Lord Morganite on the senate? This war has made him a very wealthy and powerful man. I doubt he would let it end without a fight."

"It will be difficult. There's no doubt about it, but there's a growing number of the population that are disillusioned with the war. They're ready for it to end," Endymion reasoned.

"So what's included in this peace treaty?" Diamond asked.

At this Endymion looked up, smiling mischievously. "Wouldn't you like to know?" he crooned.

Diamond furrowed his brows, obviously not in on the joke.

"You'll find out at the meeting. Don't be late like you were last time," Endymion said, picking up his book and leaving his brother to ponder his words.

The soft rumble of voices carried through the senate hall as everyone waited for the meeting to begin. Endymion looked around, noting those who were and were not in attendance. Nearly everyone had shown for this meeting, but the king himself. His father was still bedridden since earlier in the day, and he was doubtful that the king would be well enough to attend, in which case it would be up to him to propose their idea to the senate.

His eyes carried over to rest on Lord Morganite. The man had to now be in his fifties at least, but to look at him you would never know it. The aristocrat still bore all the signs of his station. He was well kept, wore the most expensive attire his money and influence could buy, and held himself with the confidence and pompousness befitting a senator. He also didn't have an ounce of patience.

"Where is the king? It's time to begin," Lord Morganite drawled, eying the empty throne that sat between the two princes.

"I apologize, Lord Morganite," Endymion began, "but my father is in poor health and is unable to attend this afternoon."

"Are you prepared to present in your father's stead then?" Morganite asked.

"Yes," Endymion responded, rising from his seat to address the senate.

"Since a time before my father's reign, the earth has been involved in a disastrous campaign against the Lunarian people. It has proven costly, both in money and in lives lost. In the last ten years we have lost over 200,000 brave soldiers in an attempt to claim lunar lands as our own."

"Senators, the time has come to accept our failures and move on. Stop this campaign and instead bring both the Eartharians and Lunarians to everlasting peace."

"My father has proposed a pathway to peace, a marriage to the Lunarian Princess Serenity to one of our own Eartharian princes."

At this proclamation the senators erupted into chaos, many of them standing, shouting their dissent.

"Quiet! Quiet!" Lord Morganite roared, waiting until the shouting subsided before speaking again. "Prince Endymion, you must realize that we will not accept a Lunarian as our queen."

"Yes, of course," Endymion conceded, "but our proposition is to the marriage of the Princess Serenity to Prince Diamond, who is not set to inherit the throne. She would never be a queen, but instead remain a princess. The Lunarians are devoted to their royal family. They would never attack us knowing that possible harm could come to one of their own."

Before Endymion was even finished, the senate erupted into chaos. Their hatred for the Lunarians was deep rooted from years of war and propaganda. Endymion sighed; this wasn't about objections to having a Lunarian as queen. This was about having a Lunarian at all connected to the Eartharians.

"Senators!" Endymion yelled over the commotion. "You have let your prejudices blind you!" He could feel his anger bubbling to the surface as he paced the senate floor, his long cape rustling behind him.

"How many of you have lost someone dear to them in this war?" Endymion inquired, passion emanating from his voice. "How many cousins, nephews, uncles, brothers, fathers, and sons have we lost due to our hatred of the Lunarians? There isn't a single family within these walls that hasn't suffered the loss of a loved one."

"Please hear me out gentlemen, I am not here to force your hand, to radically change a long-held belief set overnight. All I ask is that you consider our offer, knowing that it has come from the king himself. There is to be no vote tonight. We shall all be given an opportunity to meet the princess first. Then, and only then will an offer be made to the Moon Kingdom, assuming of course that the offer is acceptable to the majority of the Senate."

Endymion's eyes went back to Lord Morganite. He chuckled softly to himself. He could see the tiny seeds of change written on the eyes of the other senators. They had quieted after his speech, their dissent still prominent, but not nearly as consuming as it had been before. Convincing them would not prove as difficult as what Endymion had first estimated, but that was not the case with Lord Morganite. The man emanated hatred, his eyes cold and dark as he gazed back at Endymion. There was both a threat and a challenge in his eyes. His influence could prove poisonous to the king's efforts at peace.