Falling away
MarshAngel
Rated: R (for future chapters)
The first chapter starts very slowly and nothing happens really, just
necessary background information, but I promise it gets better. It's a long
story to tell so I'm pacing myself.
This is a Silver Millenium setting. Serenity and Endymion have made a decision
that will change everything for everyone, especially themselves and with every
step they take they make certain a future that cannot be changed.
Please Review but don't give away the plot and keep the guessing down to a minimum. Also please, if you like it, don't add repeating reviews that say nothing but 'update' or 'more'. Only genuine reviews bad or good please.
Chapter 1
It had been another unremarkable day. It had begun and ended the same as the day before it and a dozen days before that. The events changed but somehow each day seemed colored with the same insipid gray hue that made her feel like a trapped animal desperate to escape. One day ran into the next and she felt she was fading away into monotony.
Serenity VI sat down at her vanity staring at her reflection in the gilded mirror. She wanted to be alone, to brush her own hair and relax in solitude, but she hesitated to insult her new maid Marila by telling her to go before she had completed her duties. She yearned for more privacy these days but for all her power as royalty that was one wish that was rarely ever granted.
She stared into the mirror at the image looking back at her with a vague sense of dissatisfaction. She looked like her mother, without her elegance of bone structure. Perhaps it would come with the years. Undoubtedly it would; her mother resembled her mother and so on with minimal variations in their appearance throughout the generations of Queens; a remarkable genetic heritage but hardly one of any intrigue or importance. Over her shoulder Marila was working through the ends of her wavy blonde hair. It would undoubtedly be a while before she was done given the considerable length of it. She sighed quietly, impatient to have it all done.
It was oddly ironic that with all the wealth, power, and luxuries she had, she still had nothing she truly wanted. At the moment all she wanted was to be alone with her thoughts more so than ever before. The urge to be alone recently was overwhelming. She no longer wanted to be surrounded by laughing friends or adoring subjects. The social events she attended, where people laughed and danced gaily made her want to recede into the walls. The people had all begun to look alike and sound alike. She knew what they would say before they said it and she didn't need to draw on her abilities to do so. It was repetitive, stagnant.
The things that ran through her mind these days made her uncomfortable being around others; particularly those gifted with mental talents. She fantasized about going places she'd only heard others speak of and doing things she'd only read in books and heard people whisper about. Being alone with her thoughts and dreams was a rare opportunity. There were too many public duties to be attended to, too many people to meet with, and too many people following her around all day. The few moments of solitude she had were the fast fading few before she closed her eyes and surrendered to sleep.
"Marila where is my mother?" she questioned the maid who seemed a bit startled at the question, having devoted herself entirely to the task of brushing her hair.
"When I passed Na-tan in the hall he said she was still speaking with Prince Mikhail." she replied.
Serenity sighed quietly. Their discussion would no doubt continue late into the night followed by meetings with the Council of the Serene Alliance in the morning. For the first time, despite numerous lectures, she was actually taking an interest in the politics of the kingdom she would some day rule and the situation worried her. Perhaps it was only because she could sense her mother was worried, not the usual concern for her people but a deep worry that she was trying to hide but Serenity could still feel.
Her mother was a tower of unfailing strength in her mind. When she'd been younger she'd thought there was nothing her mother couldn't do and somewhere deep inside she still believed that. For the first time, it seemed her mother questioned herself and that scared Serenity.
In her eyes nothing had changed. The situation currently between Earth and the Serene Alliance had been tense since the end of the rule of Endymion I for a variety of reasons that included the endless cycle of violence on Earth and their lust for knowledge that they simply weren't ready for. The current King, Endymion II, his son, and the King's brother Prince Mikhail believed wholeheartedly in their ancestor's cause. They strove ambitiously towards a greater, more powerful Earth and saw the Serene Alliance as an intrusive annoyance always looking over their shoulder.
Earth didn't want to be a part of the alliance, though perhaps that was a recent development due more to their recent technological advances and the last three hundred years of centralized government.
From a diplomatic standpoint the relationship with Earth had been stable for a long while. But over the last few years there had been the subtle implication, from her representatives, that Earth, particularly considering their recent development, believed itself worthy of the Moon's position as the leader of the solar system.
Of course they would have called it national pride. If matters hadn't been so serious, Serenity would have been amused by that. After all pride in one's country had little to do with the superiority complex Earth seemed to be developing out of the belief that as the origin of life in the system it should be the center of things and yet it had been wrongfully eclipsed by its moon.
They enjoyed the fact that the Serene royal family paid homage yearly at the temple of Selene on Earth. It was a small thing but the people of Earth considered it evidence of their importance. The ancient temple of Selene that Serenity had visited only a few months ago was also located on Earth and it represented the power and the right of the line of Serenity to rule the system. It was shrouded in mysterious origins. It was rumored to be the birthplace of one of the Universe's most powerful weapons, the Silver Crystal.
Serenity had spent much time thinking about Earth lately, if only because it was the subject on the tongue of everyone in the palace and the kingdom. For the first time Earth was being offered the opportunity to be a member of the alliance. Why her mother had chosen this period in time she really didn't understand.
What she did understand however, was that Earth was hesitant. The Terrans seemed to think that joining the alliance meant ceding power to the moon and equating themselves with all the other planets, which in their minds, was less than they believed they deserved considering their ancient history. She had to agree with the moon's position however, not only out of patriotic duty but personal opinion. If Earth wished to continue trading with the rest of the planets in the alliance, they would have to conform to at least some of the alliances requests and that would involve restructuring their government.
Earth's government, though now centralized consisted of local princes and nobles all under King Endymion. Many of the nobles and princes were enemies and were seemingly always involved in a war or some smaller but no less violent altercation. It was dangerous to trade with such an unstable and violent planet and currently, the alliance continued to risk it only because of its vast resources.
"That's enough Marila," Serenity announced to her maid with a bit more stiffness than she intended. The poor girl looked a bit offended.
"I'm tired. You've done a wonderful job." She forced a smile. "It's enough for tonight. It's getting late; why don't you go?
"Do you wish me to get you ready for bed your highness?"
"No. Thank you, I'll be fine. "
Serenity watched as Marila curtsied, bobbed her curly blonde head, and walked across the wide expanse of white veined gold marble floor, the heels of her slippers clicking loudly all the way to the carved cedar double doors brought from Earth hundreds of years previously, and let herself out of the room.
Serenity sighed with relief when she was finally alone. She sank down unto the soft pale blue chaise lounge looking across the expanse of her room towards the balcony. Sheer white drapes covered the diamond paned glass doors and soft earthlight filtered through them. She wasn't tired, that is, she didn't want to sleep, although she knew she probably should.
As unremarkable as this day had been, there was a bonus. Had this been any other day she knew her personal assistant Aahe would undoubtedly be here right now announcing her schedule for tomorrow, filling in every available half hour with some duty that 'must' be done and asking what she wanted for breakfast, lunch, and dinner and informing her whom she would be having each meal with.
After having her princess snap at her in annoyance the previous night however, it seemed Aahe had finally noticed Serenity's annoyance and spoken to her mother. They had decided that the stress and tedium of having her entire life scheduled days ahead of time by someone else and having no time to sit and think had gotten to her and she deserved a break.
Having been already committed to the day's schedule she'd had to attend all her appointments, which had included awarding the winner of the Royal Fencing Tournament, visiting the children's ward in the hospital and reading to them, and having lunch with the visiting ambassador of a planet whose name she could neither pronounce nor recall at the moment. Throughout all she had been surrounded by two royal guards, her personal assistant, and her mother's friend and advisor Luna.
She should have been tired after such a full day but her mind was stimulated. There were a dozen dreams running through her head of what she would do if she weren't here in this palace, on this moon. They dreams ran the gamut from ordinary to the near impossible. She wanted to swim in an ocean, not the steaming lake beyond the palace. She wanted… Her face flushed. It was best to keep some of those thoughts from the forefront of her imagination.
It wasn't all bad after all. Being a princess wasn't exactly torture; it had its moments and she supposed she should be grateful. Life was, if not exciting, then tolerable. She was quite used to the formalities that came with her title, years of practice had ingrained all the information necessary to perform her duties without thought. She occasionally daydreamed through entire ceremonies, automatically saying the required words. It was mindless, lifeless, and utterly boring.
She rightfully felt guilty for her feelings but she wanted the same excitement and joy she witnessed in some of her own people. Visiting Venus, she'd seen what she dreamed of; people were so open and happy, contented. They never seemed to get weighed down by their own thoughts or desire that their lives should be any other way. Perhaps it was simply a case of the grass being greener on the other side. After all, what girl didn't dream of being a princess?
She stared across the length of the wide bedchamber to the white on white pristine high bed. On the delicate silver leafed table sat a colorful picture that broke the monotony of the immaculate room. It was a picture of her friends, her senshi. They were all laughing and carefree, the sun glinting behind them as it set brightly on the horizon of the sparkling lake. That carefree time was gone now. They were each so busy, she with her ceremonial duties and they with their training and the obligations of their own titles.
She missed the days when she was younger and free to do as she liked for the most part, enjoying the company of her friends. She had yearned to dance at balls and go out with her mother as a child but now she looked back and wondered why, when childhood had been so much simpler. Balls were little more than a social gathering for the politically minded. All the seeming fun and romance of dancing the night away was washed away when one chose partners based on their political beliefs and affiliations.
She'd attended her first ball when she had turned fifteen and the time came to put into practice all the things she'd been learning and put away her childish indulgences. She took on many of the ceremonial duties her mother had once attended to. Now more than two years later, those duties had become mindless obligations. She wanted more.
She launched herself from her couch and did a graceful twirl across the marble floors reveling in a momentary sense of freedom. Her long skirts made a swooshing sound as they swirled around her legs. Tomorrow would be hers to do with as she wished. Such a simple thing, a day; but with no one to organize it into an excessively coordinated and well-timed series of duties, it was a precious gift.
She walked over to the balcony doors, drew the curtains aside, pushed them open, and slipped outside. It was a beautiful night, warm and clear. She inhaled the sweet scent of flowers, gardenias that hung in pots from her balcony and a variety of other flowers in full bloom down in the garden below. She looked up at the night sky in wonder and was amazed that she never got tired of seeing the beautiful blue and green earth hanging there in the sky. It was like a watchful presence that gave her a sense of security. She wondered if people on Earth ever looked up and thought the same of the moon. Probably not; no doubt they were too busy fighting their wars to be bothered with the beauty of a night sky.
She became aware after a few moments that she wasn't the only one admiring the night. She peered across the garden that her balcony overlooked towards the apartments directly across from her own. Being blessed with the same keen eyesight as her mother she could make out a man lounging casually at the corner of the carved balcony rails
He leaned against the wall, his dark shirt open to the waist, and a silver goblet in his hand. The light reflected off it as he turned it casually in his hands. A wisp of fragrant smoke curled around him, originating from a tiny incense pot resting on the stone ledge. His pose seemed relaxed, but she sensed a tension in his posture that implied that at any moment he could move with a quickness that would betray his current languor. The image was seductive.
It took a moment to realize she was staring but she soon recognized him. It was Endymion, the Earth's Prince. He was visiting the moon on behalf of his father along with his uncle, Prince Mikhail to continue talks with the Serene Alliance. She'd been introduced upon his arrival but she had just barely been paying attention to the formalities of the occasion. She'd been daydreaming about rare black berries from Mars.
Realizing she'd been staring intently, she hurriedly looked away from him and back up to the Earth, hanging lopsided in the sky as if held by a pair of careless, invisible hands. He was intriguing, she supposed, even from this distance, posed in a fashion that was decidedly romantic. Of course that was dependent on the description of what was considered romantic that she'd discovered from reading one too many silly novels Mina had brought with her from Venus.
Mina had a bounty of such books. Venusians weren't nearly as literary minded as their neighbors Luna and Mercury. They actually wrote and read books for enjoyment rather than single-minded goal of attaining knowledge and self-realization. She secretly enjoyed them far more than she should since they were the furthest things from literature considered appropriate for a future queen.
She glanced back to see if he'd noticed her assessment. If the smile, a satisfied smirk really, on his face was any indication, he had. She flushed, embarrassed to have been caught staring. She really hadn't intended to but his face simply drew the eyes in even from this distance. She forced her eyes away.
He didn't seem to share either her concern for discretion or any of her embarrassment because he kept his attention focused on her. She could feel his eyes and sense the heat of his much more thorough appraisal as if he were standing right before her. She flushed even hotter, feeling the heat travel up her neck to her face. She snorted indelicately at his rudeness, turned her back, and returned to her rooms, closing the door and drawing the curtains violently.
Her curiosity was aroused however, and after warring with herself over whether being caught looking at him was worth it; she drew back her curtains slightly and peeked out. He was still there. He was no longer alone however.
A woman with long, straight, dark hair, dressed in a scandalously revealing dress had joined him, her arms wrapped around his neck kissing him passionately. Why she continued to watch she couldn't say, but her curiosity was cured when the dress began to slip down one shoulder followed quickly by the other half. Endymion's arms encircled her nude body, holding her against him, just barely keeping the dress from falling to the ground. Serenity hurriedly pushed the curtain back in place, appalled at what she'd seen.
She warred with the desire to look out once again. She pulled the curtains back slightly to let only one eye see out. Endymion had the woman in his arms, and she could almost hear her giggle as he pulled her with him and left the balcony and returned to his room.
She pulled away from the balcony curtains and walked back to the center of her room. Men! Terrans! Couldn't he have attempted to control himself? They were to be here for only a few days and this being, the third day he had already found a woman to satisfy his lust. It was moments like this that made her grateful the moon had a matriarchal rule. Creatures so lacking in principles and easily manipulated by their sexual desires should never be allowed rule of anything so important as a country let alone an entire planet.
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