"For Serenity's Sake"
By: Isis @}->--
isis@moonkingdom.com
Rated: G
Disclaimers:  Please do not copy.
AN:  The emergence of a problem?  That's the thing with these 
love stories; something always has to go wrong first.  Dedicated to 
any philosophy lovers.  (Including Dr. Schimoler, he would be so 
proud of me!! ;)


Chapter 5
@}->--


Honeymoon.  The word was created from the tradition of 
celebrating a family marriage for the whole of the Moon's 
spherical rotation.  A month of formality was enough to deteriorate 
even the most well ironed of nerves, and considering that Serenity 
was not even that well-suited to the pressures of a constant 
spotlight, she more than welcomed the Moon's release and 
embraced Earth even more tightly than it did her.

Endymion was again over thankful for the reprieve.  The 
beginnings of the army's training season was close at hand and the 
prince had been spirited back to Earth several days, in order to 
fulfill the duties assigned to him by his position, before returning 
to her side for each step in their schedule.

He amazed her on all accounts and she had become fascinated, 
nearly mesmerized, by his nature.  The powerful figure 
commanded attention, demanded the confidence and support of 
those around him, yet there was never a threat to his presence.  
Contrary to the image displayed, he was a pure intellectual, 
devoted to problem solving and inflamed with debate.  There was 
elegance to his manner and tender gentleness in his touch.

Yet with every amazing quality in him, the wonder that controlled 
her most was over the honest commitment with which he 
approached every situation that faced his mind's eye.  He was 
desperately in love with solutions, and problems became simply 
another path to reach them.  He was a natural leader and Serenity 
was beginning to see why she was married off to him so early in 
life.  Yet… she wanted deeply to emulate, more than rely, upon 
him.

And in order to do that, she had eagerly accepted the chance to 
accompany him to Earth again.

Though the planet had not accepted her as a child of her making, 
Serenity found a beauty and excitement like nothing she had 
known before.  Earth, one of the very few planets in the System 
that could survive on its own without help from the ancient crystals 
that powered human existence.  Though no one knew of the origins 
of these powers or of the history of life, beliefs were high that 
Earth had been the birthplace of creation.

To some this became a romantic vision to dream of, or the legends 
that created poetry.  Still others saw a chance to reclaim the roots 
of civilization.  Yet it was the opinion of some, too shallow and 
self-serving to admit their own insecurities, who believed this only 
to show the utmost contempt for something outdated and 
barbarous.  The remainder simply gave up the conversation once 
they received headaches.

It still greatly confused her that the rivalry and standoffishness 
should be manifest, and nearly confined to, neighbors.  How could 
two so close have so little to do with each other?

The princess had found no reason to base such opinions on and she 
was truly enthralled by the excitement that claimed her on entering 
onto the soil of Endymion's home.  The beauty and natural 
splendor of the lush planet played out perfectly from the castle's 
sidewall.  The huge original square of the Earth's Imperial Palace 
had long since been added onto as time wore away the need for a 
lone, solitary structure.  Positioned high, the castle perched itself 
tall amid humbly rolling hills.  The fortress that it had once been 
now became the central point to a metropolis capital city.

Standing along the Northern wall of the palace proper Serenity 
could see the expanse of fields and grazing lands surrounding 
them.  The hills were smooth and supple, making travel easy but 
well observed.  Trees lined heavily along small streams that wound 
through the flatter expanses.  Yet few clumps, aside from these 
trails of colored leaves, could be seen.

The remainder of them shook in the swirling wind and leaves 
twirled about, loosed from their branches.  The harvested fields 
held a golden huge to the great squares mixed with ones of black 
tilled soil and the vivid green of the pasture lands.

Looking back into the great square gardens that lay inside the walls 
of the palace she could see the mirror reflection of the colors 
without.  Small trees were also colored brilliantly and shedding, 
some bushes and flowers were also dropping their coverings while 
others remained blooming readily.

The five sets of steps that she had mounted to reach this 
observation deck from the surface of the domesticated wilderness 
stared back at her, mockingly.  It had taken every curious energy 
that she could rally to continue her climb, forgetting that she would 
have to return down them again.

She knew she would either have to become stronger to battle 
gravity, or simply strive to be more lazy.

Yet she thoroughly enjoyed the time alone, to just absorb 
everything she could.  Though surely enough she heard quiet 
footsteps approaching up the stone steps and with turning she 
caught Endymion smiling up at her.

"I shall have to charge you with teaching my soldiers the art of 
disappearing, half the castle is looking for you," he mumbled 
joining her at the top of the palace wall.

"Oh dear," she sighed, "I left the girls in the rose garden."  Her 
guardians hated to be left behind by their charge, and they would 
be more than furious with her now.

The prince chuckled and eyed out to the surrounding land as well.  
"I had the feeling your curiosity had gotten the better of your sense 
once more."

The mild rebuke was enough to sufficiently chastise a blush from 
her.  "I had thought I was safe enough within the garden walls."  
There was no response from him and her shoulders slumped a bit 
lower.  "I will try to be more considerate."

"I am only telling you this for your own protection, Serenity."  
Endymion gently raised her chin and met her eyes.  "Only until 
you are fully familiar with the grounds, humor me with this?"

She nodded sincerely and he smiled at her again, sternness was not 
especially one of his better ploys.  "Well then, my dear, what did 
you find up here anyway that has kept your attention so long?"

She giggled a bit and turned again to regard the gardens below.  
"More steps going back the way I have come."

He laughed at her joke as well and she turned once more to the 
land and sky as the heavy wind blew her long trails of hair.  "Yet I 
have found everything to be of interest to me," she said quietly, 
rebuilding the awe inside her that she had felt before.  "Everything 
is simply so amazing to me."

"Yes, I know," he mumbled beside her.  Poor Endymion had heard 
her recounts of the "wonderfulness of the Earth" so many times yet 
she kept forgetting that there was no need to relate these things to 
someone born here.  Yet she felt so overwhelmed sometimes that 
she needed someone to just listen to her babble endlessly, and 
without much sense, of the whole matter.

He was being so understanding of her, especially since she had 
been free to roam about for two days without much concern, 
except that she remain with her guardians since Endymion and his 
generals needed the time to catch up with the season's schedule.  
He would be bombarded with questions and information of the 
day's highlights upon his return to her side at the day's end and he 
would calmly explain anything to her.

He treated her more as a father than a husband, very watchful and 
protective, but she did not mind in the least.  She was indebted to 
him for his patience.

"I do believe they are still searching for us, Princess," he 
murmured into her ear as the wind's constant gust nearly blew 
away his words.  She nodded silently and let him guild her back to 
the step's decent.  Stopping only a fleeting moment she looked 
back out at the perfect expanse of land about them as the sun began 
its own decent.

Slowly they made their way back to the gardens and Endymion 
lent her the use of his arm for support, although he soon wrapped it 
around her and threatened to carry her down the steps if she were 
to stumble one more time.  Unfortunately she was flame red by this 
time and wished heartily for the fierce wind that had been blowing 
her hair across her face atop the wall.

For his part, Endymion ignored her defeated expression and 
continued to chuckle about the whole situation.  In all truth, she 
was quite ready to smack him if he made one more "graceful 
royalty" joke.

At the first story landing he stopped them and pulled her fully into 
his arms hugging her lightly and brushing her wind-blown bangs 
aside and waiting for her to catch her breath again.  It was a sweet 
gesture and she appreciated it greatly.  She hugged him back a 
moment and nodded that she was ready to begin again.  He instead 
led her into the door back of the balcony and into the castle once 
more.  He respectfully took her arm once more, rather than the 
more intimate display of having his arm around her, and proceeded 
to lead her towards the dinning hall.

Serenity hung close to his side for fear of the berating that her 
guardians would give her once they cornered her alone.


The night was windy but peaceful.  No storm had threatened the 
country for most of the month since their wedding, still Endymion 
found himself pacing before the large sitting-window as though he 
were waiting for some disaster.  Sensing that his efforts were only 
causing his mind to wonder to worse thoughts he returned back to 
the lamplight sat down in the over stuffed chair next to the small 
table that held two mugs of steaming liquid.

Serenity entered from her sleeping chamber dressed in a thin white 
robe that she always wore before bed.  Already the newly weds 
had fallen into a ritual.  They would return to their quarters, baring 
any social function that they were required to attend, and merely sit 
and talk or read or anything else that should happen on their way.  
His bride would usually change first into something less 
presentable than her formal dresses of state and slump into the 
couch cushions, unless of course she had had an especially exciting 
day to tell him of.

Though tonight she seemed more exhausted than normal and 
fatigue had quieted her lips a bit.  She smiled warmly at him and 
took a seat on the black clad couch, lounging at the end nearest to 
him and the table between them and placing her bare feet under 
her.  "You seem troubled tonight, Endymion.  Did your meeting 
not go well?"

Looking across at her he wondered how she had picked up on that, 
he had been careful not to raise her suspicions…  Of course this 
was a child that would notice such things.

"No, nothing for you to worry over.  I simply have a few things on 
my mind.  I did not mean for you to notice to say the truth."

She giggled lightly and picked up the book that she had been 
reading on.  "You tend to get a distanced look to your eyes when 
you have difficult thoughts."

He smiled at the small comment.  He had not thought that they had 
known each other long enough to find and remember such 
intrigues about the other, yet he was proven wrong again.  He was 
beginning to become use to being the one always wrong in this 
relationship…

"Do I?  I shall have to try to stay closer in the future then."

She smiled again at him and picked up one of the cups set beside 
them.  Sniffing she crinkled up her nose before sighing and 
gathering herself again to take a sip.  She swallowed with a cough 
and frowned down at the liquid.  "Is this truly necessary?" she 
asked more of the mug than of him.

Chuckling he watched her movements and only nodded when she 
looked at him for an answer.  For the nights Minerva would bring 
her herbal tea made of something green and that must have a 
stench even when it is fresh to smell so terrible cooked, but it 
seemed to be the only thing that allowed her sound sleep while she 
remained unaccustomed to the pressures of Earth.  During her first 
stay the maid had pleaded with her to try it and she had become 
use to it as the days wore on.  But Endymion would sit up and talk 
with her until her eyelids drooped too heavily for her to pull them 
open any longer and made sure that she was well tucked into her 
bed before entering his own sleeping chamber.

"Fine then," she mumbled opening her book, "I shall leave you to 
your thoughts for a time."

It was an odd response since she was normally not the type to think 
too heavily of her books or place them over a conversation.  Yet, 
she must truly know that something weighted him, and was 
prepared to offer any help if he should ask for it during this time 
they spent together.  The complexities of her concern touched him.

Gazing at her, motionlessly seated and outlined by black she 
seemed an omnipresent spirit watchful of him, yet unaware of 
herself.  He traced down the golden length of her hair as it 
cascaded from its entwined ball, around her shoulder and draped 
itself over the arm of the cushions that she was perched upon.  
Ending in a curled ringlet, it caught the firelight perfectly, as a ray 
of sun would cross a polished surface.

…Much as he remembered it did upon the surface of the drawing 
room's stone and wooden table only this afternoon.

"Prince Endymion?"  Kunzite's interruption was a warning sign 
that this meeting had quickly dissolved.  His four guardians were 
assembled around him and he felt the weight of their thoughts turn 
to him once again.

"Forgive me, I was trying to think," he said instead to those 
assembled.

"Did you come up with anything?"

"Yes," he muttered, glancing sideways at Jadeite, "a headache."

"Even the High Council is reeling with this news.  No one has a 
single idea of how to handle an attack like this."  Nephrite's 
usually calm manor was ruffled a bit as he gazed out at the birds 
perched on the spiral room's windowsills.  The vaulted windows 
let the light enter but the gloom of its patrons was too much to 
brighten.

"The State will disavow anyone speaking of these things outside of 
their guarded doors.  They will never relate this to the Moon unless 
it becomes blatantly apparent.  Fear is running rampant within all 
of the upper officials."  Zoicite stood also in front of his seat, arms 
folded and eyes closed.

"What can we do to quiet the leaders?" Endymion asked of him.

He shook his head slowly but did not open his eyes from thought.  
"With higher position comes high emotions.  They will accept 
nothing less than a full end to this trouble as quickly and quietly as 
possible."

"Then we have to start at the bottom," was Jadeite's only 
comment.  He sat, slid down in his chair and with one boot against 
the table's top.

Glancing at him Endymion finally rose to his feet.  "How did this 
start?  What madness would grip fear inside of common people 
when none was presented to them?"

"That may not be an easy thing to say," Nephrite answered.  "The 
normal response of an individual is to fear what they do not know.  
And for the common people, they do not know the Moon.  They 
relate it only to power and possibly oppression, which has been 
filled into their heads from years of star-struck bards and wide-
eyed idiots that play their parts too well."

"He is right."  Jadeite looked up to his prince, "The people have 
been conditioned to have a natural fear for any with power that is 
held over them at such a lofty height.  They tend to be afraid of it 
falling on them.  With the Moon's presence secured to the greatest 
powers of their home they find themselves trapped with 
unwelcome guests."

"This is nonsense.  What fear could people possess with being so 
closely allied with the most powerful of worlds in the System.  
Would not most people wish to be tied to something that could 
protect them?"  Zoicite's swift manor picked up again on the very 
problem that they were facing.  "Why not trust in this decision?"

"They fear oppression by someone much stronger than 
themselves." Nephrite answered to a still room.

"Or they see a mutilation of the ruling order remaining here," 
Zoicite added, watching carefully the other members around the 
room.

"They fear far removed rule without sympathy?"  Kunzite 
questioned turning from the window he was gazing out of.

There was a heavy silence as Endymion himself caught his eyes 
searching the sky outside for a path to walk.  Quickly he cast his 
eyes down to the center of the ringed table.  A swirled pattern of 
wood and stone shot out from the center and became rays around 
the central impression of the Earth crest.  "They fear the removal 
of their rule."

The four other men turned to him, though he did not notice their 
eyes.  He stared down at the crest and at the light patterns that 
reflected the sinking sun.  "With my marriage the heir to the 
Earth's thrown is open and being sought for.  If I remain the named 
successor then they will fear that the Moon and even Serenity's 
influence will sway my intensions from them."

"So then, we must name their fears and show them they are 
unfounded," Kunzite answered.  "If they fear what they do not 
know then we should show them."

The other three generals nodded, but Jadeite stopped to pause a 
moment, "What?"

"Kunzite is right, we can do nothing to quiet the fears of the people 
completely until the successor has been named.  Until then, we 
have to show them that the Moon is not their enemy and shut down 
these biases completely."  Nephrite walked back to the center of 
the room and placed his hands on the table, looked fully at his 
prince not looking at him.  "The best way to do that is through the 
princess."

There was silence, yet Endymion did not remove his eyes from the 
light's reflection.  "By parading her before people whom have 
taken to the streets of towns to denounce her home and people."  
The deathly quiet of his voice was enough to hush even the birds 
beyond the windows' glass.

"Serenity is a natural lover of people," Nephrite slowly and quietly 
interjected.  "She is a charming figure that could easily unite those 
that flock to her.  We should not fear that they would turn away 
from her.  The princess' true power is that of her own nature."

"There is a second reason," Kunzite continued.  "The princess is 
guarded by none other than a member of all habitable planets, 
except for us.  The mix in which she keeps herself is also an 
important factor as to how others will view her.  She must seem 
sympathetic to all of the System, and then in particular to the 
people here."

"Then in order to be partial, I believe we should call Styx to her 
duty," Zoicite added.

"Styx?"

"Yes, Jadeite," he nodded.  "Styx will be the symbol of obedience 
to the Moon and its sovereign.  She possesses the confidence of the 
people already, it should be an awakening for some that our 
destiny has not been given as a bridal gift."

"I agree," Kunzite nodded.  "She would be an excellent help and 
indeed, she would also be an added guardian for the princess."

Again four pairs of eyes focused on the prince, as he remained 
stationary in the center of them.  A moment passed before he 
mutely he nodded and continued to gaze at the golden stripe down 
the center of the planetary crest.  A golden light…

The shimmer before his eyes slipped away from his unblinking 
sight as Endymion once again found himself seated in his own 
quarters.  Serenity's hair fell from its curled position atop the 
couch's side and drooped as its owner slowly appeared to be 
loosing her battle to sleep.

The prince cautiously watched her a moment, her knees drawn up 
and feet tucked into the cushions, her golden clad head resting on 
her hand, which was mounted by her elbow on the couch's arm.  
Her perfect blue eyes were closed and the book that had been 
forgotten by them was in danger of falling to the floor.

He smiled warmly at this angelic child and rose to find himself 
stiff.  Had he been reminiscing all that time?

Carefully he took the book from her hands, marking her page and 
setting it on the table.  Gently he nudged her shoulder to wake her 
and did so three more times before her eyelids slowly opened.  He 
laughed when she finally recognized him and helped her to her feet 
and into her sleeping chamber, the tea making her more drowsy by 
the minute.

He helped her under the covers within the dark room and waited to 
tuck her in as she discarded the cover-robe.  Only a pale reflection 
of white could be seen as she tossed it to the other side of the bed 
and reclined fully.  Endymion snuggled the covers around her and 
brushed her bangs back from her face.  "Evening Princess," he 
mumbled before turning from the room.

Dimly he could hear her murmur an answer as she let the herbs 
take their power over her.  He stood beside her curtained bed for a 
few moments, watching her through memory only in the dark 
chamber.

How could the people of Earth be rebelling against the oracles and 
leaders of the world out of fear of such a child as this?


Serenity sat at the very edge of her seat and kept both hands 
clutched over the windowsill's polished wood.  She peered out and 
around her in constant awe.  Only now and then would she move 
her gaze from the window in order to look back to coach's other 
side window, one that was not being occupied nearly as much.

Endymion was calmly reading through some papers and not paying 
much of any attention to his surroundings.  The coach was steadily 
advancing towards the next point in his schedule and he had no 
reason to be so taken by the fall scenery, as he had seen it many 
times before.  Though he would slip careful, and humored, glances 
at the young princess and her supposed infatuation with the land, 
sky and planet around her.

It was at such a time when he found that she was stilly intoxicated 
with the nature passing by her personal window.  He smiled at her 
as she did not notice his eyes and simply found himself amazed by 
her amazement.

Through his generals' strategy his normal ventures around the 
military training posts within a few days journey around the High 
Palace's town of Valhalla made for an opportune time to display 
his new bride a bit.  The men were spread through five different 
bases and they were carted in from all over the world in order to 
train directly under the supervision of Endymion's select groups of 
trainers, generals and officers.  He would himself dictate one of the 
installations once this round of "meet and greet" was ended.  Of 
course, that was the one just outside of Valhalla and it was the one 
that they had ventured to first.

Serenity was not accustomed, in any way, to being paraded in front 
of military types; the lead guard and generals always took care of 
that on the Moon.  She had had no formal training in dealing with 
the force of arms, yet she was reminded by Minerva before the 
maid would release her to go on this voyage, that the men she 
would meet were first and foremost, men.  They were not born 
soldiers nor were they blood thirsty or cruel, more than any man 
would be.  And in truth she had found the woman's comments very 
respectable.

The first institution that they visited she pulled every grace and 
charm she could.  Endymion greeted the men for their introduction 
to this type of life-style.  Some of the younger men would become 
standing soldiers; others were simply there for the sake of 
planetary safety and reserves in time of crisis.  The mix was wide 
and varied, yet they were all addressed in their own respect by 
their prince, though she was secured outside of the main base for 
most of the introductions and comments.

It was at the end of the day when she was called to the hall proper 
and Endymion took the liberty of introducing her to the assembly.  
She had never seen that many men standing before in her life and 
she found it quite disconcerting to be the only woman before them.  
After all, her own guardians were strategically placed outside of 
the hall for the time.

Endymion had waved her down from the small stage set up in front 
of the crowd and took her hand as she dismounted the steps.  
"Your new princess" was the most formal title that he used with 
this audience and she felt a bit more at home aside him and within 
closer distance to them.  She had smiled enthusiastically at them 
and had spoken only simple sentences.  "I am pleased to meet with 
all of you and to thank you personally for the support that you are 
showing to this beautiful and wonderful planet.  I am also proud to 
know some of the men that have had a hand in the training of the 
Moon's forces as I know that your influence on them is most 
honorable and respected."  She clasped her hands together in front 
of her and bowed slightly to the assembly still with a genuine smile 
on her face.

She was surprised when she looked up to see a few of the officers 
in the front line bowing to one knee before her.  The shock must 
have been apparent as there were murmurs heard around the room 
as men followed suit.  It was not long before every knee in the 
room was bent and she found herself standing before a sea of 
bowed heads and mute whispers.  For reason unknown she found 
herself giggling merrily at the display, her at the front of a captive 
army, it was unthought of!

She turned to look at the prince and found him gazing down at her 
with eyes of pride and a smile of humor as well.  She smiled 
openly and giggled again as the attendance began to rise once 
more.  "I am honored that such a quantity of men would be so 
taken by me.  Dreadful that I am already a married woman," she 
chuckled.

Endymion silently took her hand and kissed it warmly, eyeing her 
evilly for the comment.  Though the rest of the assembled seemed 
to find it a bit more amusing.  There were even catcalls heard from 
the back and a few claps brought by the less disciplined recruits.

The experience had been wonderful.  Both to the still brimming 
princess whose thoughts strayed constantly to the amount of 
people that she would be meeting with and the added perspective 
that she was multiplying her already full repertoire, and to the 
more severe prince who's ideas and planning had taken root and 
blossomed so soon after their inception.  Happily they rode on and 
in silence thanked each other for this day's events.

If only for a single day.


The greeting room was anything but bright at this hour of the 
night, but it was sufficient enough to receive one guest from the 
sparkling cascade of purple as a young woman materialized in the 
center of the chamber.

A light lavender dress draped her frame and fell to the floor in 
straight folds.  Her arms were covered once with a snug under-
layer of white an then again with a long, loose fold of the slit-arm 
of the gown.  A long V-neckline rose to curve around her 
shoulders, revealing the square line of the white beneath.

Her face appeared pale in the dim light yet her hair, reaching well 
past her knees, shimmered black.  Slowly she opened her eyes and 
quickly took in the five men gathered to greet her, and then back 
again to the central figure.  "Greetings, Prince Endymion."  
Sweeping her gaze around the others she nodded once more, 
"Generals."

"Thank you for coming so quickly, Styx."

"Of course.  I understand the dilemma we are facing."

"Then I suggest we begin," he commented turning to the door.  
The young woman quickly caught up to his steps, leaving his 
generals in their trail.  "What has happened so far?"

"There have been uprisings in fifteen major seats and many, many 
more among the outlaying villages and towns.  The oracles find 
themselves at the brunt of all of it and they are demanding to hear 
from the palace as to what shall be done for the people of Earth."  
The monotone was quiet and hurried as the party advanced the 
stairs to the circular room at the tip of the Northeastern turret 
tower.  His generals' private meeting room was the only place 
within the castle that he felt should be appropriate for these 
discussions.

"So then the numbers have increased since I first heard of these 
incidences."  She followed in silence as her slippers made the least 
of noise among them upon mounting the stone steps.  They entered 
into the high room and Kunzite was the one to find the lamp by 
memory through the darkness.  He placed it in the center of the 
combination table and Styx resignedly seated herself.  "What have 
you come to as a solution?"

Endymion stared out at the dark world without.  "We have none."

The pure emotionless comment took all of the room by surprise as 
they looked to their leader and simply waited for him to 
continue… he did not.

Kunzite was the first to clear his throat and begin.  "We had taken 
the decision to promote Serenity and to show her about in order to 
gain the trust of the people, but with the increase in only the last 
few days we have been forced to rethink our take on all of this.  At 
the pace at which this is spreading it will reach not only the Moon, 
but the rest of the System if something more drastic is not done."

"I see," she commented.  "I understand your former thinking.  The 
oracles themselves can not understand the recent developments any 
more than we can.  They have been taken in by the presence of this 
princess.  Yet, they know more of her than the common people."

"With your influence, do you believe this could still work?"  
Nephrite leaned gently over the table to face her more fully in the 
wavering light.

She looked at him long and hard before speaking.  "As the High 
Oracle, Kallisto would know more than I, yet I do believe that they 
would help in any way possible to first calm the people and second 
to endear the princess to them."

"Yet we still have to deal with the possibility of the other world 
leaders if they should hear of this.  So far we have managed to 
keep this from the princess and her court, but that will not last long 
enough."

"Why can we not just tell the people out right?" Jadeite 
interrupted.  As the youngest among them, he was also the most 
action oriented.  Though that course of action rarely settled much, 
Endymion enjoyed having this view brought up.  And right now, 
he was open to any avenue.

"Could that work?"

Styx placed her hands in her lap and closed her eyes a moment 
before regarding the prince.  "I do not know for sure.  Though, I 
must admit that these seem to be the only two choices that I can 
come up with."

"I do not like the idea," Zoicite interrupted.  "The past has always 
seen that what someone says can easily be reinterpreted and 
'adjusted' according to what is needed for the moment."

Styx nodded once again.  "He is correct.  Time has a way of 
changing everything except itself."

"And as we are finite we must find another way to deal with these 
unfounded fears," Endymion finished.

"The question becomes how?"

There was an uneasy silence that filtered through the room.  The 
prince kept his station at the graying window.  Dawn would be 
close, yet their decision was not yet decided on.  Or was it?  "There 
is one other suggestion that I have not brought forth yet."

"What is it, Endymion?"  Kunzite knew very well that anything 
that his prince did not lay directly out on the table before a 
discussion was something that he did not wish to have known until 
all other lines of hope were closed.

"The Queen has made the suggestion that we follow through with 
the idea of confronting the people with Serenity, only on a larger 
scale."

"How much larger?"

"Much," he said, turning fully to the group.  "She proposes that the 
whole of the System being introduced rightly to the princess, here 
on Earth, would be a more appropriate step."

Jadeite stood from his slumped posture, "What would that 
influence?"

"I see what she means," Styx commented quietly.  "The Queen is 
saying that the people of Earth fear that the Moon will become this 
all powerful force over them.  Therefore, if they see the Princess of 
the Moon present here on Earth before the whole of the System's 
representatives, that would imply that she has no barriers against 
embracing the Earth as her second home.  Therefore she would not 
impose any harsh treatment upon it.  …It makes for a sense of 
pride and loyalty."

"Is there not a danger though, that this could go wrong?" Jadeite 
asked, clearly not take with the idea.

"There is always a danger.  Though, I would say that the princess 
is in more danger now if we do nothing."  Endymion was out of his 
element in such an uneasy state that this worry was putting him in.  
Every alternative seemed worthless now that they lay out in the 
open.  He had come to only one option that could possibly help.  
…And he was bound to make it work.


"Ah, such is always the case."  The dim outline of a figure began 
to materialize before a peaked window in the uppermost position 
of a turret tower on the Earth's High Palace.  The miniscule ripple 
that the figure made in the backdrop of the barely dawning night 
created only a wisp of an image.  "They look at me, yet through 
me, all at once."

The wisp seemed to settle in a seated position as her shape 
materialized a bit more in the brightening sky.  She placed an 
elbow against an imaginary armchair and rested her chin upon her 
hand, gazing stilly back at the young prince of Earth who remained 
at the window, gazing out.

"Yet can I blame him?" she cooed to herself.  "After all, he has 
many other troubles on his mind."

She waved another outlined hand in front of her, one that seemed 
to trail the figment of cloth which never ended as it simply bled 
back into the still darkness.  A bubble of light appeared before her 
as images played out.  "Take a good look, Prince Endymion.  Your 
people are afraid and fighting.  Their love of you makes them more 
and more untrusting of those that would take your love."

There was a snicker that carried a note of humor with it.  
"Planetary jealousy, priceless is it not?"  She waved the figment of 
the hand that she had been lounging on vaguely in his direction, 
"Now the women, I suppose I could see, after all they have lost 
you even in their imaginations.  A married man indeed," she 
sniffed.  "So married that his quarters now consists of two bed 
chambers.  I find that quaint," she sighed, placing her hands around 
what was presumably the knee of a crossed leg.

She turned to look at her magical pet and then again to the 
window-framed prince.  "Misguided love, I tell you truthfully, the 
purest of all evils."  The scenes played out within the confines of 
the ball of light.  Scenes of screaming voices, fights in streets 
already bloodied, an oracle locking herself within the confines of 
her home amid the pounding of fists, and other things, on her 
chamber door.  They were the visions of a world turning ever so 
slowly upside down.

"It is the reversal of the poles, dear prince," she murmured 
uncontentedly.  "All they once trusted have now become targets of 
those that want answers, those that want knowledge, those that 
want hope, and those that simply want to break something."  To 
prove her point there was a vision of a chair being thrown across a 
room to crash and break against the opposite wall.  "These are 
people that have lost knowledge and are loosing faith."  She shifted 
back to see, from the corner of a ghostly eye, that the man was still 
there.

"Intellect, correctly applied, will always confirm faith… yet faith 
must come first.  You see, the leap of faith is needed before 
anything else can be built upon it.  The will must be sacrificed for 
a short time in order to step off the ledge of despair and find, no 
matter how roughly, solid ground again.  It is then that the 
knowledge gained by even the most tortured of experiences can be 
put to use."  She looked back from her reverie to her unhearing, 
unseeing, audience.  "Once you loose faith, you loose direction, 
and if direction is lost, the maze has won."

She paused as the light of dawn was agonizingly slowly creeping 
into the sky.  The sphere was still recounting events, images, the 
mood of the planet.  "They are becoming sheep, and sheep need a 
shepherd, Endymion."

The prince closed his eyes slowly and turned partially from the 
pane as though he had heard her words.  The wisp of an image 
vanished from the ever-brightening sky, yet emerged standing next 
to the window that Endymion was seen through.  She appeared to 
swish a hand through her hair, which again showed no end to it, as 
though her figure was merely an assimilated ripple in the darkness.

"Tell me," she seemed to move one arm to waist height so that she 
could place her elbow against it and her chin on her hand once 
more, "do you think that you are that man?"  With the breeze she 
seemed to float up to look directly at the man who had just 
reopened his eyes to continue his vigil.  "…I wonder."

@}->--_____________
"Fear is the prison of the heart." – Anonymous

"There's nothing in the middle of the road but a yellow stripe and 
dead armadillos." - Jim Hightower, Texas Agricultural 
Commissioner