Envoy
The Princess of the Moon sleeps, but she dreams not, rather, she lives an alternate reality, one in which darkness sweeps across the Lunarian landscape as the power of Ravensong and her new emergent protégé, Dark Serenity grow evermore powerful with each passing moment and every moonquake.
Into My Parlor
Beryl preened herself in the mirror, unable to contain her glee at the brilliance of her plan. She had sent for the Prince of Atlantari on Terra, Endymion. She had an intimate evening planned that would, after broaching the subject of Princess Serenity’s condition and her subsequent betrayal of her mother, her people and of the Terrans and the Silver Alliance, she would prove the voice of reason. After all, she was Lady Beryl Ravensong, of noble blood, the conciliator, the wise sage, the misunderstood sovereign of the dark side of the Lunarian sphere.
She would pour cold water on the ridiculous legends concerning her part in the so-called curse of the White Moon. She would simply shrug it off, putting it all down to ancient rivalries between the Dark and White Moon that ought to be forgotten and laid to rest. She would insist that for Serenity’s sake, she should be trusted to lend a hand to resolve the situation brought upon the Moon by a new nemesis using folklore to insinuate itself into the alliance and destroy it from within.
Beryl, desperate to save the prince for herself and pin the blame on Queen Serenity’s imprisonment on the sweet insufferable little princess, whom even as she schemed to deceive Endymion was beginning to shift towards the darker side. She smirked, for this fact only served to make her case appear more convincing. In truth, it would be Ravensong’s Obsidian Planet Seed sucking the Ginzuishou dry. As a result, Beryl Ravensong was becoming more powerful, and now Queen Serenity was her prisoner, an honored guest within the priestess’s quarters of the Moon Temple under twenty-four hour guard by her best Shadow Warriors. But the queen was in a weakened state and couldn’t use the Ginzuishou against her and Ravensong planned to keep it that way.
Serenity’s little darling princess was, Ravensong knew, fighting with her friends. The Senshi and their charge weren’t on speaking terms. The only thing Ravensong feared was the Lunarian Guardians, Lord Artemis, Lady Luna, Serenity’s sister, and the one known as Diana, all Mauan. She had scant knowledge of the cat people from outside the Silver Alliance. But she wouldn’t allow them to stop her taking the Moon.
After killing the power of the Ginzuishou within the princess, then her mother, Queen Serenity would die and then she and Dark Serenity would do battle as was prophesied. but she was uncertain of the outcome of their battle as the Rosetta codec was damaged in a long ago conflict and the legend remained unresolved and so she felt an alliance with a dark emissary, Lord Chaos would secure for her the Moon, the Terran world and the Silver Alliance. For Ravensong, it was a win-win situation and a risk worth taking to align herself with the overwhelming power of Lord Chaos.
He was a ruler of a large portion of the galaxy, his reach extending far across the stars. His territories so vast and alien to Beryl, she got a migraine just thinking about it and sighed as she plopped down upon the sofa on her private balcony and drank a draft of Lunarian wine. There she sat, a woman of comely beauty, soft claret red fabric caressing her skin.
Beryl admired her image in the handheld silver mirror, once Serenity's and laughed, "Stupid woman. Your realm, your daughter and her prince and this world will soon be under my will and at my disposal!" she announced to the silence of the Lunarian night.
Running her hands over the soft fabric of her bodice and its luxuriant skirts felt so good. Feeling beneath her palms the contours of full breasts, slim waist and the texture of velvet flowing over her hips and thighs -- the sensation as her hand slid over the garment making her feel so feminine and seductive -- she imagined Endymion in her arms, skin on skin and felt light headed at the thought of intimacy with the Terran Prince. She smiled at her reflection once more, the looped low-cut neckline tastefully exposing much of her delicate alabaster shoulders, and upper chest.
She was beautiful, her youthful and pretty face only tarnished by her malevolence and dark magic as it pulsed throughout her lithe body. Endymion would succumb to her beauty and sensuality yet, and she had the power of magic to beguile him if required.
If she won him to her bed, she would take the White Moon right from under Serenity’s nose. With the power of the Kinzuishou in her keeping, she would complete the seizure of the Lunarian home world, the alliance would fall right into her lap, and all would be hers to reign with the black prince by her side.
(Endymion would make a most fitting shadow King!) She thought, licking her lips at the prospect.
Meanwhile, a short distance away, invisible to the woman now brushing her long sumptuous red locks, stood the disembodied presence of Princess Serenity. She could hear the woman speaking her thoughts in her mind, (But how?) she mused, scowling at the contemptuous siren plotting to take all she loved from her and ultimately, her life.
Atlantari City: Terran Home World
The girl bowed and handed the crystal to Endymion, “My lord, the queen, Lady Serenity, is under house arrest within the Moon Temple. The Moon is lost and my retinue and I seek asylum, please grant it my lord, as we will surely die if we go back. Your princess is succumbing to the darkness of the curse and has shed the traditional white robes for the gauche robes of black, my lord.”
“Thank you for bringing us up to date, as bleak as your tidings might be. Of course, you can stay,” he said, his tone vague as he contemplated her words, only partially hearing her speak.
The pretty dark haired girl smiled and curtseyed in a flurry of sumptuous chestnut curls and lavender skirts. The men bowed and the women in her party also curtseyed, looking much relieved to have been granted refuge from Ravensong, each in their turn thanking him for Terra's generosity as they filed out of the chamber. He raised a hand in acknowledgement, dismissing them as he slid the crystal pod into a cradle as the room fell silent and he found himself alone at last.
Endymion watched the images and listened carefully to Beryl’s invitation, aware of her alluring countenance as he listened to each lie, each syrupy excuse and cringed at her overtures of ‘good will’ and sighed as he replayed the message several times before going to his father.
~*~
“The sheer gall of that woman!” Endymion shouted as his father nodded his agreement. “She expects me to believe she is a victim of a mere folkloric tale, a contrived myth created to estrange relations between her family on the dark side of the Moon Kingdom from that of the white? What kind of fool does she take me for, Elysian’s High Priests are not predisposed to giving credence to simple faery tales nor is the Lady Setsuna, no, Beryl, you’ll have to do far better than that I’m afraid. You are, whatever the hell you are, no victim of political expediency and rhetoric!” he ranted as his father waited for his son’s rage to subside.
“She is desperate my son, and she holds a few cards close to her chest. I feel its connected to Serenity, she, and her mother are in great danger and we need to do something fast!”
“Don’t you think I know that father?” he spat, immediately feeling guilty for raising his voice in anger and checked himself. He spun around to face the King, his armor clinking with the motion. “I’m sorry father, that’s why I sent the Shitennou to the White Moon in the first place. I blame myself for sending them to their deaths. I have no way of knowing if they’re dead or alive and its eating me up inside. Father, how can I live with myself if they don’t’ come back home? I sent them on a possible one-way mission -- a harebrained quest that may prove ultimately unattainable. I warned them this might be dangerous and I’ve not heard a thing since they made contact with Mau, that is, Sailor Mau otherwise known to the Lunarian Resistance as ‘Lady Moon Cat.’ I am growing concerned with the lack of contact, and that’s why I must, needs go to Serenity City. I may have to accept her invitation whether I like it or no, to find out first off, what is going on with my Shitennou. I also need to find out how goes the Lunarian rebellion under Mau’s leadership. Then, I must assess on site if I can spirit Serenity away, that is, if she is not yet under Ravensong’s influence and I fear she might be and I may have already lost her.”
“Ah it is a bad situation indeed, my son. But I will not stop you, and of course, you know your mother is terribly worried about the situation on the White Moon. Helios has informed me of a strange phenomenon occurring close to the sun within the corona sphere. We are keeping an eye on things, but cannot be sure what it is. Rumors of Lord Chaos’s being involved in this situation are rife in the celestial temples of fire, water, air and earth, also, the Alliance planets have picked up unmarked ships darting in and out of range of all planetary kingdoms and territories. Scouts no doubt, on a recon mission; Endy, we might be in for far heavier weather before the month is out, I can only say, may the Kamis protect you on your journey!”
(No, you can’t go, no Endy, you’ll be killed!) Serenity cried, reaching for the man she loved, and she flung herself at him, wrapping her etheric arms around his waist, crying while holding onto him. In that moment, Endymion stopped his pacing, feeling a soft warmth enveloping him and that familiar love he knew so well, it was as if she were with him now in his hour of need, lending him strength.
“Wish me luck father, I will consult with Helios on Elysian before I go to the moon!”
(No, my love, please -- don’t go!) Her plea as with her ghostly silhouette went unseen and unheeded by the two men as Endymion pressed the crystal touchpad on a nearby console and his warship was called to pick him up and soon he would travel through dimensional space to Elysian and then the Lunarian capital.
~*~
She stood there looking at him, a look he couldn’t quite assess, leaving him feeling a little uncomfortable, but not in any unpleasant way. Lady Setsuna was indeed easy on the eye, her comely form in her black fuku, her bronzed limbs and long cloak with its garnet stars and her glistening emerald locks falling to the backs of her long legs, she was stunning, powerful and beautiful to behold. In her hand, she held the garnet rod indicating her station as Guardian of Time. She smiled and he returned the smile as she passed her talisman to a younger girl of around twelve years of age. She stepped forward to greet him and he took her bronzed hands in his own, and welcomed the Princess of Pluto.
“My lord, it is indeed good to see you once again!” she gushed, a slight reddish glow rising to her cheeks.
“Likewise lady, shall we go to the bridge, there is much we need to discuss,” he said, and the elegant princess of time nodded and led the way. “I trust you have news, Setsuna? He ventured as they walked onto the bridge.
It didn’t quite feel the same without his loyal Shitennou waiting at their stations for him, but Setsuna was a welcome distraction and he needed that while he struggled to stop himself worrying about Serenity.
I have been in touch with Sailor Mau, you need not worry for your Shitennou, they are alive and well, though the news is a week old, they are safe and out of Ravensong’s reach, training the Lunarians and planning an assault on the capital.
Serenity City
Endymion strapped on his crystal sword and made his way to the courtyard below alone.
“If I am not back by mid-morning on the morrow, you are to raise the shields and get the hell out of here and not look back. I will either be dead, or imprisoned here and you don’t have the firepower to mount a rescue, nor fight off Ravensong’s allies.”
“But Endy! We can’t-“ Setsuna protested, a tear forming despite herself in her eye.
“No, you might all be killed and I want you to declare war on the moon on behalf of the Silver Alliance if I don’t come back. I feel it is the only way our world will be protected from this enemy we all face. Make no mistake,” he said, approaching Setsuna and patting her shoulder, “I plan to come back, with Sere and with my Shitennou and the Mauan Queen. Kamis know what we’re really up against, but this is our only shot at rescuing our friends and loved ones, and I will do my best and I want nothing to happen to you especially given the importance of your station and place in the alliance, Setsuna. So, be strong for me, will you?” he said, pleadingly and he offered a warm smile and grasped her hand and squeezed it reassuringly.
“I will do my best. Be careful Endy!” she was about to say something and she hugged him. She felt stupid for the display of affection, but she might never see him again and she held back a sob. Endymion felt it too, and shuddered with the power of her affection and concern for him. He had always admired her and though he loved Serenity, he would have chosen Setsuna as his mate if his Serenity was spoken for and this made saying good-bye more difficult for them both.
“Wish me luck!” he shouted as she blinked away tears.
“Good luck my prince, and may the Kamis bring you and the others back to us safely!”
In that moment, as his shadow disappeared, she felt her heart falling into a deep pit of despair at his departure. She held back her tears no more, as she moved quickly out of view to be alone. She cried for him and those feelings she kept secretly for a man destined for another.
Serenity, having followed the distraught young woman into the crystalline alcove, not meaning to intrude upon the Senshi of time’s private emotions, but this concerned her in so much as it involved the man she loved. But she was torn, between her own need to know if she had Endy’s heart, or if this woman meant something to him. She didn’t like herself in that moment, as she stood stunned on the threshold staring in disbelief at the sobbing girl.
(She loves him!) She lamented and sat in a nearby leather seat despondent, watching the crystalline display registering the status of the Star Drive engines and life support to distract herself from feelings of guilt and jealousy.
Dreams ebbing and flowing
Serenity coughed violently, momentarily waking from her deeper sleep. Luna sat with her legs crossed studying a crystal text and looked up, brushing the hair out of her eyes.
“I hope you know we’re all here for you, even me, your stubborn sister. I love you, Sere. I apologize for my ever doubting you and making life difficult. Besides, I don’t know when I will get the chance to tell you all this, so forgive my rambling.”
Serenity looked at Luna and offered a weak smile, “I forgive you, and love you heaps, and you know that, as if I have to tell you that! But the visions, and they’re so real. I saw her, my other self, a cruel woman with hatred firing her heart, and a horrific clash between the witch Beryl Ravensong and my dark self imminent as part of a legend, Endy, he spoke of it, is he here?” she asked.
Luna nodded, “He was with you all day and most of this night. He sleeps this hour. It is a shame you hadn’t woken earlier. He loves you very much, you know.”
Serenity remembered the scene in her visions of the weeping Setsuna and felt a little unsure, but repressed the feelings of doubt and insecurity and smiled at her sister and struggled to keep her eyes open, she knew she would soon drift into that twilight state again at any moment.
“Tell him I love him, and I want you and the girls and mother to leave the city and the moon if I start acting weird, and don black low-cut dresses and start locking people up, promise you’ll leave with mother and the Senshi if this happens?”
“I promise, sister, but have you seen this in your dreams?”
“Yes, and they’re not dreams, I am a disembodied witness to an alternate reality that may be our future, I am being guided, warned somehow and I must pass on what I can, so please tell mother, Endy and the guardians and the Senshi, they need to know this!”
“I will, don’t worry!”
Serenity was proud of her Mauan heritage, especially as she was beginning to understand how much it would have taken for Luna to open up to her like this, and rarely had her sister expressed her love for her this way. She smiled at the thought and knew it was Artemis’s influence no doubt. Though she couldn’t assume the feline guise herself, she loved it whenever her sister became a cat.
Serenity remembered when they were children, carrying Luna whenever she took on her cat form, cradling her in her apron.
(I loved how mother would laugh as she watched Luna peeking over the edge of my skirts, as Luna and I giggled uncontrollably. I loved those days!)
The memories Serenity found the only source of comfort as the darkness began to insinuate itself into every cell of her body once more as she lost consciousness.
Mirror Universe
She found herself standing in the palace grounds as a disembodied presence. She felt on some soul level the pain and lamentations of her star seed, her planet seed, one in the same after their kind. But what could she do, especially as she was only a passive observer, condemned to bear witness to the destruction of all she loved.
She could see lattices of shimmering crystal running off in all directions. But the once startlingly bright colors of the Crystal Nexus were fading fast, the Ginzuishou now dull as the cancerous poison continued to attack the core of her being. The festering obsidian planet crystal of Beryl Ravensong expanding rapidly, draining the White Moon’s Planet Seed , leaving the Ginzuishou a dull, almost lifeless rock, its silvery beauty retreating with every passing moment. But what could she do, she was powerless to act, the toxin, having dragged Serenity into a void where she suffered more of the frightening and intense visions, these living nightmares were all too real.
She could see the palace, the moon city and its peoples, but she could not touch them and they couldn’t see her. Was she dreaming? She wasn’t sure anymore, as time seemed to move normally here, wherever here really was, she knew it wasn’t the moon, at least as she knew it.
Serenity City: The Palace
“Endymion, so good to see you, I am glad you could come. Please sit,” Ravensong chirruped.
“Where are Serenity and her mother, Ravensong?” he asked, in a cautious tone.
“In time, in time Endymion, now, please…sit. Kuaka, wine for us both!” she commanded and the girl nodded and scurried off.
Soon, Endymion was drinking the wine and he decided to bide his time, he had to find out as much as he could and fast. “Where is the princess, Beryl?” he asked evenly, determined not to provoke this woman unnecessarily.
“She will be here soon, but I must warn you, you may not recognize her. She had changed so much since your betrothal. Time changes people, does it not, Endy? Serenity, let’s just say, is not the girl she used to be, I assure you, its Chaos, his influence over her.”
“What have you done to her?” he asked accusingly.
“As I have already said, I’ve done nothing. You really ought to ask that of the dark lord, he has penetrated this world and I and others are doing all we can to stop him. I think you will see she is healthy, confident, but shall we say, a touch on the darker side of life,” she smirked.
Endymion was a little scared for her love and anxious. (What the hell was Ravensong planning?)
He didn’t accept her explanation of Chaos being responsible. She was lying and they both knew it, so why the pretence? He did not know, but he had to see Serenity at all costs.
“All right, don’t believe me? Well, you will get to see her after the evening meal, I want you to settle in before you learn of her situation,” she said, cryptically.
~*~
He suffered her small talk and as she smiled and set down the goblet, he followed her lead. They stood and walked towards the Moon Temple, the sounds of screams, and crying met their ears, stopping for a second, tilting his head slightly, he thought it sounded like a woman’s cries, but was it his serenity?
As Ravensong nodded gravely, they continued and as they entered the Moon Temple, the sight that met his eyes horrified him.
Serenity, his beloved, had indeed changed. She was wearing a black dress, its low cut accentuating her generous cleavage and the blazing eyes were filled not with a light of love and compassion, no, the eyes looking back at him were filled with hatred and something else, evil, her hair no longer its usual golden luster was now jet black. She stood there with a whip in hand, the queen, Serenity, her mother, semi-naked, the strips of her gown hanging off her back. Serenity’s wrists strapped to a pillar, and her bare back covered in welts, her hair disheveled as her mother’s head hung low, in shame and defeat, her silvery tresses spilling over her shapely body.
“What the hell are you doing Serenity!” he found himself shouting.
She dropped the whip and stood staring at him, unable to speak. Then her shocked azure eyes flew to her mother and she gasped as her hands went to her mouth and gave her reply, “Oh, by the Kamis, I don’t know, mother?” she whimpered rushing to her semi-conscious mother, glaring at Ravensong and in shock at her daring attire and the whip on the floor behind her than back at Endymion.
“Child, you ought to be more careful of that temper of yours, you shouldn’t torture your mother like this. Now come, Endy has come to see you. Clean up and I will se the palace physicians tend your mother’s wounds and she spends time in the clinic recovering, you wicked child!”
Endymion just stared. He couldn’t believe the evidence of his eyes. She had definitely changed. But the Serenity he loved had returned, for how much longer, he didn’t know. But time was running out fast. But what could he do to save her? He pondered this and other questions of the location of his Shitennou as he and Beryl assisted Queen Serenity to the clinic having wrapped his cloak over her partially naked body.
