Sailor Moon Fan Fiction ❯ Crystal Slipper ❯ Chapter 5
[ P - Pre-Teen ]
By: Crystal Rose 
Anime/Manga: Sailor Moon Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Horror / Mystery / Romance | Type: Alternate Universe | Uploaded On: 08.31.2001 | Pages: 5 | Words: 4.6K | Visits: 434 | Status: Completed
Anime/Manga: Sailor Moon Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Horror / Mystery / Romance | Type: Alternate Universe | Uploaded On: 08.31.2001 | Pages: 5 | Words: 4.6K | Visits: 434 | Status: Completed
Disclaimer: No! Sailor Moon doesn't belong to me!!
Crystal Slipper by Crystal Rose
Part ~ 5 ~
As Serena once again struggled back to consciousness, she felt a warm presence near her. Groaning slightly, she twisted and turned uncomfortably in what she saw to be her bed in the dim moonlight, only to feel the touch of two gentle and soothing hands upon her. Her eyes snapped open in surprise as a gasp escaped her lips. Just as she was about to jump up in bed, a deep voice spoke.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you." he cautioned.
"Oh . . ." she breathed in awe as she finally met face to face with her savior, "I-It's you."
The prince looked confused for a second or so before understanding finally dawned upon him.
"Well, yes. I am the one you met earlier, before you fainted. Do you remember now?"
"Oh yes," she stammered with embarrassment, "Of course, your highness."
'I guess he wasn't the young man that I saw last night.' she realized, 'How stupid of me to think that the prince could possibly be the savior of my dreams.'
"You had us all quite worried, you know, fainting like that."
"Oh, please forgive me for my rudeness. I . . ."
"No, no. It's quite alright. There's no need to apologize, really."
Serena looked down and blushed once more at her foolishness. She then remembered that she ought to have been home long before and that her stepmother, Beryl, would give her a good belting for sure. Her eyes widened with the realization that she had completely missed uncle Wiseman's dinner and disobeyed Beryl.
"OH! What time is it?!" she suddenly burst out.
"Why what's the matter?" the prince asked.
"Oh, no!" she wailed, "I was supposed to be home hours and hours ago. Stepmother will think I ran away and . . . oh no! I completely missed uncle Wiseman's visit and now I'll be roasted for certain! She'll have me skinned!! Oh, I must go home at once! Please . . ."
"Whoa! Hold it right there." the prince said, placing a hand upon her own, "you're not going anywhere with a wound like that." He gestured to her injury.
"But . . ."
"No buts, Serena. You will be staying here until you are fully recovered and if your ward has a problem with that, she can take it up with me." the prince said, determined.
"Well, alright." she replied meekly, "If you put it that way, then I guess I'll stay."
Hearing this, his highness's face instantly broke out into a dazzling smile.
"Good," the prince said, "I'm glad you see it my way."
As he rose from his position upon the ground, his gaze fell upon the glittering locks of gold that spilled across the covers, the moonlight giving it an eerie silver glow. He felt a pair of eyes upon him just then and looked up into the small wan face of an angel. Her eyes shining with innocence, she looked upon his form with curiosity, her lips pouting adorably as her head tilted to
the side slightly.
"My prince, is there something the matter?" Serena's voice conveniently snaps him out of his daze. He suddenly realizes what a fool he has made of himself and turns a slight shade of red.
"Lucky its dark out," the prince thought, embarrassed.
He cleared his throat, AOf course not. Now, I think you should get some rest. We'll talk tomorrow," he stated with finality. He turned away swiftly to avoid any further embarrassment when he heard a small voice.
"Good night, my prince," Serena whispered, laying down in bed as she pulled the covers up. She was already half asleep and just barely caught what he said.
"Good night, Serena . . . sweet angel." The prince walked out of the room and gently closed the door.
Outside of her bedroom window, a goddess stood unnoticed, floating in the sky with her silver hair glimmering in the moonlight as it streamed from two spheres of hair upon her head to fall around her. She looked down upon the young girl and a crystalline tear slid down her cheek.
"It has begun," she whispered sadly. The crescent moon upon her forehead began to glow, and with a flash of light, she disappeared.
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"Ugh!!"
The prince had been up for hours and could not get a single wink of sleep. He was utterly frustrated with himself by now. His inability to push the girl out of his mind only served to drive him completely insane!
"Argh!!" The prince was become increasingly irritated. His thoughts kept turning to a young girl whose blue eyes had shined beneath the light of the moon, her golden hair glittering. He remembered clearly how he had stood in the shadows, hidden to her as he took his leave. Over and over again, he heard the words spoken by the lovely angel.
"Goodnight, my prince . . . my prince"
"Oh, Jesus. What's wrong with me?!"
Sitting up in his large bed, he looked up at the clock adorning his wall.
"Midnight"
He slumped back into bed with a groan. Closing his eyes, he could hear the clock ticking, the grasshoppers chirping outside his window. Just as fatigue began to overtake him, the sound of soft weeping drifted towards him.
'Serena,' he gasped.
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Explosions bombarding the land resounded in Serena=s ears as she ran through a palace of great beauty and wealth. The corridor she ran down had chandeliers of the purest crystal falling from the ceiling above to crash into the marble floor as she fled the crumbling structure. Chaos reined and Serena, not paying any attention to where she was going, tripped and fell upon the floor. Tears flooded her sight as pieces of shattered crystal dug deep into her flesh, staining the royal white dress she now wore a dark crimson. A shadow fell upon her and as she rose her head to look upon who stood before her, she let out a gasp and her eyes widened in immense shock. Her bloodied hand rose to her lips to stifle the sound, all the while trembling with unspoken fear. Her blood seemed to drain to her feet as she became incredibly pale.
The woman that stood before her wore a long maroon dress, her auburn hair flying wildly about her face. She smiled and as her blood red lips parted, the sight of two sharp fangs came into view. Her smile turned into a smirk and her shocking red eyes bore into the young girl sprawled before her.
"My, my, little princess, look what you=ve done. They shall never forgive you now," she sneered. Stepping closer to the already petrified Serena, she proceeded in looking down upon her with great disgust and loathing.
"Just look around and see what damage you have caused your poor mother." she taunted sarcastically, "Oh that's right! I almost forgot about poor mommy. Because of you, your mother is now dead! How does that make you feel, huh?! To know that you murdered your own mother?!! HA HA HA HA HA!!!" She began to laugh maniacally.
"No . . ." Serena whispered. Then with more force, "No. . . NO! . . . NOOOOOOO!!!!!!!" She shrieked as she clutched her head in an attempt to drown out the terrible laughing of the woman. She was suddenly being shaken roughly by the arms and she shrieked as the woman's face loomed up, "BERYL!!"
She shot up in bed only to find herself face to face with . . . Prince Darien?! His features conveyed his worry as she began to break down and cry hysterically.
"Hey . . . shhhhhhh. Its alright. You're safe now." The prince's soothing voice cooed.
After a good twenty minutes of crying, she found herself buried into his warm embrace where she now lay against him, sobbing softly, his arms wrapped about her as she began to calm down. Her head lay gently on his shoulder as she looked up at him with her large blue eyes, which were haunted by the memories of her horrible experience.
"Thank you," she barely whispered into his ear as she laid her head back onto his shoulder and snuggled deeper into his embrace. He, in turn, tightened his hold on the delicate girl, careful to avoid her injury. He rocked back and forth as she slowly drifted off to sleep in the safety of his arms, exhausted.
"There now, little one. Sleep well." The prince gently put her under the covers of her bed and pulled the blankets securely up to her chin. His eyes softened at the sight of her innocent face as she now slept soundly. He then remembered the state that she had been in when he first found her; his features darkened.
"Don't worry, my angel. I'll help you fight your demons. No one shall ever hurt you again."
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Morning came, and with it, a new day. Serena stretched luxuriously in bed after the wonderful sleep she had experienced.
'Look at what you've done . . . They will never forgive you now . . .' the words echoed in her head.
"Ugh!! No, Serena! You will not think of such unpleasant things," she lectured herself, "Then again, the prince coming to comfort me wasn't so unpleasant . . ." her thoughts wandered and she almost slapped herself at the direction they were taking.
She sighed, AIn your dreams, Serena. In your dreams."
She yawned as she turned over onto her stomach to sleep once more, her body sprawled out on her bed lazily. She giggled slightly and then almost inaudibly whispered, "Maybe I'll dream of the prince." She sighed once again, but it was a sigh of contentment. As the sun began its ascent, the dark recesses of the room brightened to reveal a man hidden by the shadows, watching her intently.
"Hmm . . . maybe I should let her have her beauty sleep," the prince thought.
He had awoken at the first light of dawn and proceeded to enter Serena=s room. Standing in the darkness, he awaited her awakening, all the while tempted to wake her himself. He sighed resolutely.
"Sleep on sweet angel, sleep on."
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Meanwhile, Serena had been having the most wonderful dream. Surrounded by riches and candies alike, she pranced about without a care in the world. There were peppermints growing on trees and sculptures of chocolate everywhere. She was in heaven and then . . . and then she heard the prince's voice.
"Wake up princess," he sneered sarcastically and then boomed, "WAKE UP!!"
"Ahhhhhhhhhhh!!!" she screamed and bolted upright in bed to see a furious woman staring at her. The woman=s face had turned an unpleasant shade of red, looking as if it would explode any minute, and it did.
"Now get dressed and hurry up! The prince has requested you be down for dinner, though I haven't the slightest idea why, but you best do as he says and hop to it!!"
"Y-yes ma'am," she replied shaking.
"Here," the woman said, throwing a towel at her, "Go to the bathroom and get yourself cleaned up. Anything you need will be in there and your dress will be on the bed when you come out."
"Thank you ma'am," she replied in a small voice.
"That's Mrs. Butterworth!"
She flinched, "Thank you Mrs. Butterworth," she corrected herself and quickly rushed into the bathroom. She could still hear her voice as she closed the door.
"You have thirty minutes!"
She bent down to remove the dress, but pain instantly overtook her body and she grasped at her wound with a sharp intake of breath. Collapsing to the floor, she let out a whimper and curled into a fetal position upon the floor. Tears escaped her eyes and rolled down her face to drip on the floor as the pain continued to assault her. When the sensation had faded some, she somehow managed to undress herself and fill the tub. Luckily she had made sure not to fill it too full as the water would have been most painful to her wound. Taking the utmost care to avoid her wound, she washed herself and when that was done, began undoing her hair.
It felt wonderful to be able to cleanse herself again and she was glad that the woman waiting outside had not decided to help her. She would have been in such pain if she had not been as gentle as possible, which she was sure the woman, who must be her 'maid', would not have been. Rinsing out her hair, she sighed as she prepared to remove the bandage on her wound. Thankfully, it was caked with much blood, preventing any real sight of the wound. She bit her lip
and carefully dabbed at it, trying to ignore the stinging sensation. Standing up in the tub, she reached for the white towel and dried her body and wound. She saw new bandages sitting on the sink and wrapped them around her waist, careful to tuck in the bandage so that it would not unravel. When that was taken care of, she fervently began to dry her hair as best she could.
After about ten minutes of just trying to dry her hair with her towel, she noticed a brush upon the sink and quickly reached for it to help aid her in her task. After having been brushed out, her hair quickly dried, and for that she was thankful, for she would have been incredibly late otherwise. She carefully put her hair back into their respective 'meatballs' and nodded her head in approval after looking in the mirror that hung upon the wall. Wrapping the towel about her body, she creaked open the door to peek out into the room. No one there. She sighed with relief.
True to her word, though, a beautiful white dress lay on her bed. She stared for a moment before looking up at the clock that hung above her bed. Her eyes widened. She was already five minutes late! She quickly donned the dress and made sure that she wore it properly. Without really looking at her appearance she quickly made a dash for the door, when she remembered she
Hadn't any shoes. That dilemma was quickly solved, however, as a pair of white shoes lay by the door. She put those on too and opened her door cautiously. She wondered where the dining room was. Luckily she just happened to hear laughter to her left and carefully followed the sound. When she was closer, she could distinctly hear the sound of voices, one of which she recognized as the prince's. She soon came upon a door with two guards standing post. The one on the right stopped her.
"Who are you and what are you doing here, miss?"
"M-my name is Serena. They told me that the prince wanted to see me for breakfast," She whispered looking down. The guard scowled, then turned to look at the other guard standing beside him with a raised eyebrow, questioningly. The other guard, in turn, opened the door and walked right in. Leaving the door open he paused and turned back to face her slightly.
"Wait here," the guard commanded, however much more gently than the first.
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Prince Darien sat beside his father at the dining table, occasionally looking towards the door for a certain young lady. She was once again driving him insane with her absence.
"Where is she?!" The prince fidgeted restlessly in his seat, taking a bite of food every once and a while, not really hungry. His appetite had dwindled as the minutes ticked by and he had a mind to jump out of his seat and rush out of the dining room doors to search for her himself! He took this moment to look towards the door again for what must have been the hundredth time. He
perked up a little in interest as he saw one of the guards open the door and enter, quietly waiting to be noticed. The prince decided he would take the matter into his own hands and alert his father to the guard's presence.
"Father, I do believe we have company," he jerked his head toward the guard. The king immediately nodded, calling him forward. The guard did so and kneeled on the ground.
"You may rise," the king's voice boomed, "Now, why is it you are here, lad?"
"There is a young lady standing outside that says she was requested for breakfast by the prince, your majesty."
"Ah, yes. The young damsel. Selena, wasn't it Darien?" The king turned to give his son a questioning look.
"Serena," the prince corrected.
"Yes, well send her on in. I'm sure she must have some reason for being late at showing up at the prince=s request.@ The king stated jovially.
"Yes, your majesty." The guard bowed and made his way back to the door.
Seconds later, an angel emerged, dressed in a long, white, flowing dress. She stepped hesitantly into the room, taking the smallest of steps. Taking a closer look, you could see the delicate pattern of moons and stars upon her dress, the material loosely floating about her legs while hugging her waist loosely. The top of the dress covered her shapely bust nicely, seeming to
fit perfectly on her body with out anything to cover her bare shoulders, but her beautiful golden hair that lay in the same streamers as before, two balls of hair placed adoringly atop of her head. She slowly raised her head to look about and, spotting the king and queen, curtsied immediately, her head bowed once more. The silence, however, was soon broken.
"Rise, my young child." The king had a spark of amusement in his eye.
She rose to look at him and spoke. "Please, your majesty, forgive me for being so late. I..."
"Nonsense, child. It's quite alright. After spending over twenty years with a woman, I have learned how to cope with their tardy ways." The king winked at her warmly.
"Yes, and besides, we have only just begun," the queen interjected,
"Please, join us."
"Thank you, your majesty." She quickly made her way to the prince=s side and glanced at him slightly to see the dazed look upon his face before sitting down.
"So, Darien. How is it that you know this fine young lady?" The king exclaimed.
Serena looked up startled a bit by the question and looked slightly frantically at the prince, wondering what he would say.
"Well actually, I met her at the ball," the prince informed him casually.
"Really? Is that true?" The king gazed at the young girl who loooked down slightly, her facetinting slightly red.
"Yes, your highness," Serena replied politely.
"That's strange. I don't remember seeing you there," The queen mused, "What is your last name?"
"Phillips," she replied in a small and quiet voice.
The queen's eyes widened a bit, "You mean as in Beryl Phillips?!"
She winced slightly, "Yes, she's my stepmother."
An instant look of understanding and compassion formed on the queen=s face as she looked at the child, for she now understood the young girl=s situation. She knew Beryl Phillips well and she was not the most pleasant woman. Just by the fact that she had not met Serena at the ball, she could deduct that Beryl had mistreated her and favored her own daughters instead. She was most likely more of a maid to Beryl and her daughters, than a part of the family. Yes, the poor girl had suffered more than enough, the queen thought.
"It's alright, dear. We needn=t talk about it if you don't wish to."
"Thank you," Serena whispered, grateful.
The rest of the meal went on smoothly as they talked while slowly clearing their plates. Near the end of the meal, the prince finally decided to speak.
"Serena, just why were you late, anyway. I'm curious." The prince looked up as if realizing something.
"Oh, well it took quite a while to bathe myself with the injury and all . . ." she colored at the mention such a personal action, " . . . and I had to wash my hair," she finished.
"You bathed yourself?" the prince asked confused. He'd thought he had instructed that she be completely taken care of.
"Well, yes. Mrs. Butterworth insisted I get cleaned up and was nice enough to give me what I needed and show me where the bathroom was," she replied, "Why? Is it odd that I bathe myself?" She was utterly confused.
"N-no!" The prince stammered before regaining control, "It's just that you are being taken care of here and while you are, you should be completely at rest."
"Oh, it's quite alright. I know how much of a burden I already am. You don't need to do this," she exclaimed, wide-eyed.
"Of course, I do. I'm a prince with a prince's sense of honor," he stated.
"Right! Well put, my son," The king laughed.
"Oh, Darien?" The queen asked her son sweetly, "Perhaps you can show Serena around the palace. I'm sure she=d love to see the gardens." She smiled when she saw Serena's face brighten, then added, "Of course, that's all up to you, dear."
"Your majesty, that sounds lovely." Serena couldn't wait to see the gardens. She had a great passion for flowers.
"Darien, are you up to it?" The queen asked her son.
The prince smiled, "Of course I'll show her around."
"Well, then. Now that that's been settled, you two go ahead and run along," the queen gestured.
The two youngsters quickly left the table where the king and queen still sat, the king looking more than slightly confused while the queen held a secretive smile.
"What? What is it?!" The king asked exasperated.
"Oh, darling. Don't you see it?" The queen asked him.
"What? What do you see?!" He was utterly confused at why his wife was acting as she was.
"The attraction between those two. The caring personality our son has towards her and her obvious embarrassment of how he fawns over her and the fact that she enjoys it. Can't you see it, Fredrick? The love between them?" The queen smiled dreamily.
The king shook his head at his wife=s behavior and mumbled under his breath.
"Yes, yes. Whatever you say, my dear."
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Outside in the palace gardens, Prince Darien watched as Serena took in the lovely sight of roses everywhere, fascinated with the beauty of her surroundings, while he, in turn, stared at the beauty before him: Serena. The place brought back memories for both of them, and they remembered how they had first met as they walked to the exact same spot, arm in arm.
She looked at him and realized that he was staring at her. Their gazes met and locked onto the other's. They seemed to stare into each other's eyes like that for hours. When the spell had finally been broken, they found themselves inches apart, his arms around her and resting on her waist, while her hands rested upon his chest. They hastily pulled apart and Serena blushed deeply.
"How in the world did I get in his arms?! You have to be more careful, Serena," she reprimanded herself.
Meanwhile the prince was relieved, "Whew. You almost kissed her there, Darien, my boy. God, it was bad enough falling for her like you did, but now you can't keep your hands off her. You're a prince! Have some self-control!!" He seemed to lecture himself.
"So, what were you doing out here on that fateful night that we met, your highness?"
"Me? I guess I was sick of all the girls throwing themselves at me," he replied sarcastically, then he sighed, AI was just getting a breath of fresh air."
"Is being a prince that horrible?" Serena looked surprised.
"What?" Darien was confused. What did she mean?
"Well, you make being royalty sound terrible," she replied, innocently.
"Oh, I see. No, being a prince has its ups and downs, same as anyone else. What about you. What were you doing out here? I never got a chance to find out before you ran off," he chuckled, but stopped when he noticed the sad look upon her face. Before he could stop himself, he had reached out and gently caressed her cheek before holding her chin and lifting her face to meet his.
"What's wrong, Serena? Why can't you tell me?" he asked, a pained look in his eyes.
"I . . ." Serena began to shake as her sobs overcame her.
Seeing this, Darien immediately acted and Serena was once again in his arms.
"So much for self-control," thought Darien.
"Shhh. Hush, it's alright. You'll be ok, Serena. I understand if you still can't trust me enough to tell me. I won't push you . . ." he paused, but decided to continue, A I was just curious as to why and how such an angel had decided to grace me with her presence."
With that, Serena stopped and gazed up at the prince in wonder, his words having a profound effect on her. She looked back down again before speaking.
"It isn't that, my prince. It just makes me so sad to think of the reason that you found me here."
"Tell me, Serena. Let me share your pain and sadness. Let me comfort you like no other has. Please."
She chuckled slightly, trying to lighten the atmosphere, "How can I say no to that?" She smiled slightly. He returned the smile and motioned for her to go on.
"That night you saw me, I had snuck into the palace gates." She looked down, ashamed, A You see, the day before, my stepmother had forbid me to go and I was stuck home doing chores. I had never seen a real ball before and in my heart, I knew it was what I longed for, even though I pretended not to care. I peeked in through one of the windows and saw you in there speaking to my stepmother and stepsisters. I couldn=t stand it anymore, so I walked off into the gardens and . . ." she trailed off.
" . . . and you came upon my special rose garden," Darien finished for her. She only nodded, too ashamed to look him in the face any longer. He smiled at her tenderly.
"Serena. Look at me," he commanded, A I understand now, there's nothing to be ashamed of. The only one who should be ashamed is your stepmother. It was wrong of her to do that to you. You only acted as you did to fulfill your needs, your desires." He brushed her bangs back lovingly.
"But . . ." Serena stuttered.
"No buts, Serena. Everybody has needs, including you. If you want to blame anyone, blame your stepmother, for depriving you of those needs," the prince interrupted.
"Your parents . . ." she whispered.
"My parents would feel the same way," he assured her.
At hearing this, she was so relieved that she collapsed against him and he held her close, sensing her weakness. One hand held her head against his chest while the other hand supported her back, his arm resting around her waist while her small arms lay trapped between them, her hands flat against his chest.
"Thank you," she breathed.
"For what?"
"For believing in me."
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Opinio ns! Comments! Flames too! I want 'em all!!!!
Email me at crystal_rose@senshi-mail.zzn.com
Crystal Rose ^_~
Crystal Slipper by Crystal Rose
Part ~ 5 ~
As Serena once again struggled back to consciousness, she felt a warm presence near her. Groaning slightly, she twisted and turned uncomfortably in what she saw to be her bed in the dim moonlight, only to feel the touch of two gentle and soothing hands upon her. Her eyes snapped open in surprise as a gasp escaped her lips. Just as she was about to jump up in bed, a deep voice spoke.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you." he cautioned.
"Oh . . ." she breathed in awe as she finally met face to face with her savior, "I-It's you."
The prince looked confused for a second or so before understanding finally dawned upon him.
"Well, yes. I am the one you met earlier, before you fainted. Do you remember now?"
"Oh yes," she stammered with embarrassment, "Of course, your highness."
'I guess he wasn't the young man that I saw last night.' she realized, 'How stupid of me to think that the prince could possibly be the savior of my dreams.'
"You had us all quite worried, you know, fainting like that."
"Oh, please forgive me for my rudeness. I . . ."
"No, no. It's quite alright. There's no need to apologize, really."
Serena looked down and blushed once more at her foolishness. She then remembered that she ought to have been home long before and that her stepmother, Beryl, would give her a good belting for sure. Her eyes widened with the realization that she had completely missed uncle Wiseman's dinner and disobeyed Beryl.
"OH! What time is it?!" she suddenly burst out.
"Why what's the matter?" the prince asked.
"Oh, no!" she wailed, "I was supposed to be home hours and hours ago. Stepmother will think I ran away and . . . oh no! I completely missed uncle Wiseman's visit and now I'll be roasted for certain! She'll have me skinned!! Oh, I must go home at once! Please . . ."
"Whoa! Hold it right there." the prince said, placing a hand upon her own, "you're not going anywhere with a wound like that." He gestured to her injury.
"But . . ."
"No buts, Serena. You will be staying here until you are fully recovered and if your ward has a problem with that, she can take it up with me." the prince said, determined.
"Well, alright." she replied meekly, "If you put it that way, then I guess I'll stay."
Hearing this, his highness's face instantly broke out into a dazzling smile.
"Good," the prince said, "I'm glad you see it my way."
As he rose from his position upon the ground, his gaze fell upon the glittering locks of gold that spilled across the covers, the moonlight giving it an eerie silver glow. He felt a pair of eyes upon him just then and looked up into the small wan face of an angel. Her eyes shining with innocence, she looked upon his form with curiosity, her lips pouting adorably as her head tilted to
the side slightly.
"My prince, is there something the matter?" Serena's voice conveniently snaps him out of his daze. He suddenly realizes what a fool he has made of himself and turns a slight shade of red.
"Lucky its dark out," the prince thought, embarrassed.
He cleared his throat, AOf course not. Now, I think you should get some rest. We'll talk tomorrow," he stated with finality. He turned away swiftly to avoid any further embarrassment when he heard a small voice.
"Good night, my prince," Serena whispered, laying down in bed as she pulled the covers up. She was already half asleep and just barely caught what he said.
"Good night, Serena . . . sweet angel." The prince walked out of the room and gently closed the door.
Outside of her bedroom window, a goddess stood unnoticed, floating in the sky with her silver hair glimmering in the moonlight as it streamed from two spheres of hair upon her head to fall around her. She looked down upon the young girl and a crystalline tear slid down her cheek.
"It has begun," she whispered sadly. The crescent moon upon her forehead began to glow, and with a flash of light, she disappeared.
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"Ugh!!"
The prince had been up for hours and could not get a single wink of sleep. He was utterly frustrated with himself by now. His inability to push the girl out of his mind only served to drive him completely insane!
"Argh!!" The prince was become increasingly irritated. His thoughts kept turning to a young girl whose blue eyes had shined beneath the light of the moon, her golden hair glittering. He remembered clearly how he had stood in the shadows, hidden to her as he took his leave. Over and over again, he heard the words spoken by the lovely angel.
"Goodnight, my prince . . . my prince"
"Oh, Jesus. What's wrong with me?!"
Sitting up in his large bed, he looked up at the clock adorning his wall.
"Midnight"
He slumped back into bed with a groan. Closing his eyes, he could hear the clock ticking, the grasshoppers chirping outside his window. Just as fatigue began to overtake him, the sound of soft weeping drifted towards him.
'Serena,' he gasped.
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Explosions bombarding the land resounded in Serena=s ears as she ran through a palace of great beauty and wealth. The corridor she ran down had chandeliers of the purest crystal falling from the ceiling above to crash into the marble floor as she fled the crumbling structure. Chaos reined and Serena, not paying any attention to where she was going, tripped and fell upon the floor. Tears flooded her sight as pieces of shattered crystal dug deep into her flesh, staining the royal white dress she now wore a dark crimson. A shadow fell upon her and as she rose her head to look upon who stood before her, she let out a gasp and her eyes widened in immense shock. Her bloodied hand rose to her lips to stifle the sound, all the while trembling with unspoken fear. Her blood seemed to drain to her feet as she became incredibly pale.
The woman that stood before her wore a long maroon dress, her auburn hair flying wildly about her face. She smiled and as her blood red lips parted, the sight of two sharp fangs came into view. Her smile turned into a smirk and her shocking red eyes bore into the young girl sprawled before her.
"My, my, little princess, look what you=ve done. They shall never forgive you now," she sneered. Stepping closer to the already petrified Serena, she proceeded in looking down upon her with great disgust and loathing.
"Just look around and see what damage you have caused your poor mother." she taunted sarcastically, "Oh that's right! I almost forgot about poor mommy. Because of you, your mother is now dead! How does that make you feel, huh?! To know that you murdered your own mother?!! HA HA HA HA HA!!!" She began to laugh maniacally.
"No . . ." Serena whispered. Then with more force, "No. . . NO! . . . NOOOOOOO!!!!!!!" She shrieked as she clutched her head in an attempt to drown out the terrible laughing of the woman. She was suddenly being shaken roughly by the arms and she shrieked as the woman's face loomed up, "BERYL!!"
She shot up in bed only to find herself face to face with . . . Prince Darien?! His features conveyed his worry as she began to break down and cry hysterically.
"Hey . . . shhhhhhh. Its alright. You're safe now." The prince's soothing voice cooed.
After a good twenty minutes of crying, she found herself buried into his warm embrace where she now lay against him, sobbing softly, his arms wrapped about her as she began to calm down. Her head lay gently on his shoulder as she looked up at him with her large blue eyes, which were haunted by the memories of her horrible experience.
"Thank you," she barely whispered into his ear as she laid her head back onto his shoulder and snuggled deeper into his embrace. He, in turn, tightened his hold on the delicate girl, careful to avoid her injury. He rocked back and forth as she slowly drifted off to sleep in the safety of his arms, exhausted.
"There now, little one. Sleep well." The prince gently put her under the covers of her bed and pulled the blankets securely up to her chin. His eyes softened at the sight of her innocent face as she now slept soundly. He then remembered the state that she had been in when he first found her; his features darkened.
"Don't worry, my angel. I'll help you fight your demons. No one shall ever hurt you again."
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Morning came, and with it, a new day. Serena stretched luxuriously in bed after the wonderful sleep she had experienced.
'Look at what you've done . . . They will never forgive you now . . .' the words echoed in her head.
"Ugh!! No, Serena! You will not think of such unpleasant things," she lectured herself, "Then again, the prince coming to comfort me wasn't so unpleasant . . ." her thoughts wandered and she almost slapped herself at the direction they were taking.
She sighed, AIn your dreams, Serena. In your dreams."
She yawned as she turned over onto her stomach to sleep once more, her body sprawled out on her bed lazily. She giggled slightly and then almost inaudibly whispered, "Maybe I'll dream of the prince." She sighed once again, but it was a sigh of contentment. As the sun began its ascent, the dark recesses of the room brightened to reveal a man hidden by the shadows, watching her intently.
"Hmm . . . maybe I should let her have her beauty sleep," the prince thought.
He had awoken at the first light of dawn and proceeded to enter Serena=s room. Standing in the darkness, he awaited her awakening, all the while tempted to wake her himself. He sighed resolutely.
"Sleep on sweet angel, sleep on."
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Meanwhile, Serena had been having the most wonderful dream. Surrounded by riches and candies alike, she pranced about without a care in the world. There were peppermints growing on trees and sculptures of chocolate everywhere. She was in heaven and then . . . and then she heard the prince's voice.
"Wake up princess," he sneered sarcastically and then boomed, "WAKE UP!!"
"Ahhhhhhhhhhh!!!" she screamed and bolted upright in bed to see a furious woman staring at her. The woman=s face had turned an unpleasant shade of red, looking as if it would explode any minute, and it did.
"Now get dressed and hurry up! The prince has requested you be down for dinner, though I haven't the slightest idea why, but you best do as he says and hop to it!!"
"Y-yes ma'am," she replied shaking.
"Here," the woman said, throwing a towel at her, "Go to the bathroom and get yourself cleaned up. Anything you need will be in there and your dress will be on the bed when you come out."
"Thank you ma'am," she replied in a small voice.
"That's Mrs. Butterworth!"
She flinched, "Thank you Mrs. Butterworth," she corrected herself and quickly rushed into the bathroom. She could still hear her voice as she closed the door.
"You have thirty minutes!"
She bent down to remove the dress, but pain instantly overtook her body and she grasped at her wound with a sharp intake of breath. Collapsing to the floor, she let out a whimper and curled into a fetal position upon the floor. Tears escaped her eyes and rolled down her face to drip on the floor as the pain continued to assault her. When the sensation had faded some, she somehow managed to undress herself and fill the tub. Luckily she had made sure not to fill it too full as the water would have been most painful to her wound. Taking the utmost care to avoid her wound, she washed herself and when that was done, began undoing her hair.
It felt wonderful to be able to cleanse herself again and she was glad that the woman waiting outside had not decided to help her. She would have been in such pain if she had not been as gentle as possible, which she was sure the woman, who must be her 'maid', would not have been. Rinsing out her hair, she sighed as she prepared to remove the bandage on her wound. Thankfully, it was caked with much blood, preventing any real sight of the wound. She bit her lip
and carefully dabbed at it, trying to ignore the stinging sensation. Standing up in the tub, she reached for the white towel and dried her body and wound. She saw new bandages sitting on the sink and wrapped them around her waist, careful to tuck in the bandage so that it would not unravel. When that was taken care of, she fervently began to dry her hair as best she could.
After about ten minutes of just trying to dry her hair with her towel, she noticed a brush upon the sink and quickly reached for it to help aid her in her task. After having been brushed out, her hair quickly dried, and for that she was thankful, for she would have been incredibly late otherwise. She carefully put her hair back into their respective 'meatballs' and nodded her head in approval after looking in the mirror that hung upon the wall. Wrapping the towel about her body, she creaked open the door to peek out into the room. No one there. She sighed with relief.
True to her word, though, a beautiful white dress lay on her bed. She stared for a moment before looking up at the clock that hung above her bed. Her eyes widened. She was already five minutes late! She quickly donned the dress and made sure that she wore it properly. Without really looking at her appearance she quickly made a dash for the door, when she remembered she
Hadn't any shoes. That dilemma was quickly solved, however, as a pair of white shoes lay by the door. She put those on too and opened her door cautiously. She wondered where the dining room was. Luckily she just happened to hear laughter to her left and carefully followed the sound. When she was closer, she could distinctly hear the sound of voices, one of which she recognized as the prince's. She soon came upon a door with two guards standing post. The one on the right stopped her.
"Who are you and what are you doing here, miss?"
"M-my name is Serena. They told me that the prince wanted to see me for breakfast," She whispered looking down. The guard scowled, then turned to look at the other guard standing beside him with a raised eyebrow, questioningly. The other guard, in turn, opened the door and walked right in. Leaving the door open he paused and turned back to face her slightly.
"Wait here," the guard commanded, however much more gently than the first.
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Prince Darien sat beside his father at the dining table, occasionally looking towards the door for a certain young lady. She was once again driving him insane with her absence.
"Where is she?!" The prince fidgeted restlessly in his seat, taking a bite of food every once and a while, not really hungry. His appetite had dwindled as the minutes ticked by and he had a mind to jump out of his seat and rush out of the dining room doors to search for her himself! He took this moment to look towards the door again for what must have been the hundredth time. He
perked up a little in interest as he saw one of the guards open the door and enter, quietly waiting to be noticed. The prince decided he would take the matter into his own hands and alert his father to the guard's presence.
"Father, I do believe we have company," he jerked his head toward the guard. The king immediately nodded, calling him forward. The guard did so and kneeled on the ground.
"You may rise," the king's voice boomed, "Now, why is it you are here, lad?"
"There is a young lady standing outside that says she was requested for breakfast by the prince, your majesty."
"Ah, yes. The young damsel. Selena, wasn't it Darien?" The king turned to give his son a questioning look.
"Serena," the prince corrected.
"Yes, well send her on in. I'm sure she must have some reason for being late at showing up at the prince=s request.@ The king stated jovially.
"Yes, your majesty." The guard bowed and made his way back to the door.
Seconds later, an angel emerged, dressed in a long, white, flowing dress. She stepped hesitantly into the room, taking the smallest of steps. Taking a closer look, you could see the delicate pattern of moons and stars upon her dress, the material loosely floating about her legs while hugging her waist loosely. The top of the dress covered her shapely bust nicely, seeming to
fit perfectly on her body with out anything to cover her bare shoulders, but her beautiful golden hair that lay in the same streamers as before, two balls of hair placed adoringly atop of her head. She slowly raised her head to look about and, spotting the king and queen, curtsied immediately, her head bowed once more. The silence, however, was soon broken.
"Rise, my young child." The king had a spark of amusement in his eye.
She rose to look at him and spoke. "Please, your majesty, forgive me for being so late. I..."
"Nonsense, child. It's quite alright. After spending over twenty years with a woman, I have learned how to cope with their tardy ways." The king winked at her warmly.
"Yes, and besides, we have only just begun," the queen interjected,
"Please, join us."
"Thank you, your majesty." She quickly made her way to the prince=s side and glanced at him slightly to see the dazed look upon his face before sitting down.
"So, Darien. How is it that you know this fine young lady?" The king exclaimed.
Serena looked up startled a bit by the question and looked slightly frantically at the prince, wondering what he would say.
"Well actually, I met her at the ball," the prince informed him casually.
"Really? Is that true?" The king gazed at the young girl who loooked down slightly, her facetinting slightly red.
"Yes, your highness," Serena replied politely.
"That's strange. I don't remember seeing you there," The queen mused, "What is your last name?"
"Phillips," she replied in a small and quiet voice.
The queen's eyes widened a bit, "You mean as in Beryl Phillips?!"
She winced slightly, "Yes, she's my stepmother."
An instant look of understanding and compassion formed on the queen=s face as she looked at the child, for she now understood the young girl=s situation. She knew Beryl Phillips well and she was not the most pleasant woman. Just by the fact that she had not met Serena at the ball, she could deduct that Beryl had mistreated her and favored her own daughters instead. She was most likely more of a maid to Beryl and her daughters, than a part of the family. Yes, the poor girl had suffered more than enough, the queen thought.
"It's alright, dear. We needn=t talk about it if you don't wish to."
"Thank you," Serena whispered, grateful.
The rest of the meal went on smoothly as they talked while slowly clearing their plates. Near the end of the meal, the prince finally decided to speak.
"Serena, just why were you late, anyway. I'm curious." The prince looked up as if realizing something.
"Oh, well it took quite a while to bathe myself with the injury and all . . ." she colored at the mention such a personal action, " . . . and I had to wash my hair," she finished.
"You bathed yourself?" the prince asked confused. He'd thought he had instructed that she be completely taken care of.
"Well, yes. Mrs. Butterworth insisted I get cleaned up and was nice enough to give me what I needed and show me where the bathroom was," she replied, "Why? Is it odd that I bathe myself?" She was utterly confused.
"N-no!" The prince stammered before regaining control, "It's just that you are being taken care of here and while you are, you should be completely at rest."
"Oh, it's quite alright. I know how much of a burden I already am. You don't need to do this," she exclaimed, wide-eyed.
"Of course, I do. I'm a prince with a prince's sense of honor," he stated.
"Right! Well put, my son," The king laughed.
"Oh, Darien?" The queen asked her son sweetly, "Perhaps you can show Serena around the palace. I'm sure she=d love to see the gardens." She smiled when she saw Serena's face brighten, then added, "Of course, that's all up to you, dear."
"Your majesty, that sounds lovely." Serena couldn't wait to see the gardens. She had a great passion for flowers.
"Darien, are you up to it?" The queen asked her son.
The prince smiled, "Of course I'll show her around."
"Well, then. Now that that's been settled, you two go ahead and run along," the queen gestured.
The two youngsters quickly left the table where the king and queen still sat, the king looking more than slightly confused while the queen held a secretive smile.
"What? What is it?!" The king asked exasperated.
"Oh, darling. Don't you see it?" The queen asked him.
"What? What do you see?!" He was utterly confused at why his wife was acting as she was.
"The attraction between those two. The caring personality our son has towards her and her obvious embarrassment of how he fawns over her and the fact that she enjoys it. Can't you see it, Fredrick? The love between them?" The queen smiled dreamily.
The king shook his head at his wife=s behavior and mumbled under his breath.
"Yes, yes. Whatever you say, my dear."
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Outside in the palace gardens, Prince Darien watched as Serena took in the lovely sight of roses everywhere, fascinated with the beauty of her surroundings, while he, in turn, stared at the beauty before him: Serena. The place brought back memories for both of them, and they remembered how they had first met as they walked to the exact same spot, arm in arm.
She looked at him and realized that he was staring at her. Their gazes met and locked onto the other's. They seemed to stare into each other's eyes like that for hours. When the spell had finally been broken, they found themselves inches apart, his arms around her and resting on her waist, while her hands rested upon his chest. They hastily pulled apart and Serena blushed deeply.
"How in the world did I get in his arms?! You have to be more careful, Serena," she reprimanded herself.
Meanwhile the prince was relieved, "Whew. You almost kissed her there, Darien, my boy. God, it was bad enough falling for her like you did, but now you can't keep your hands off her. You're a prince! Have some self-control!!" He seemed to lecture himself.
"So, what were you doing out here on that fateful night that we met, your highness?"
"Me? I guess I was sick of all the girls throwing themselves at me," he replied sarcastically, then he sighed, AI was just getting a breath of fresh air."
"Is being a prince that horrible?" Serena looked surprised.
"What?" Darien was confused. What did she mean?
"Well, you make being royalty sound terrible," she replied, innocently.
"Oh, I see. No, being a prince has its ups and downs, same as anyone else. What about you. What were you doing out here? I never got a chance to find out before you ran off," he chuckled, but stopped when he noticed the sad look upon her face. Before he could stop himself, he had reached out and gently caressed her cheek before holding her chin and lifting her face to meet his.
"What's wrong, Serena? Why can't you tell me?" he asked, a pained look in his eyes.
"I . . ." Serena began to shake as her sobs overcame her.
Seeing this, Darien immediately acted and Serena was once again in his arms.
"So much for self-control," thought Darien.
"Shhh. Hush, it's alright. You'll be ok, Serena. I understand if you still can't trust me enough to tell me. I won't push you . . ." he paused, but decided to continue, A I was just curious as to why and how such an angel had decided to grace me with her presence."
With that, Serena stopped and gazed up at the prince in wonder, his words having a profound effect on her. She looked back down again before speaking.
"It isn't that, my prince. It just makes me so sad to think of the reason that you found me here."
"Tell me, Serena. Let me share your pain and sadness. Let me comfort you like no other has. Please."
She chuckled slightly, trying to lighten the atmosphere, "How can I say no to that?" She smiled slightly. He returned the smile and motioned for her to go on.
"That night you saw me, I had snuck into the palace gates." She looked down, ashamed, A You see, the day before, my stepmother had forbid me to go and I was stuck home doing chores. I had never seen a real ball before and in my heart, I knew it was what I longed for, even though I pretended not to care. I peeked in through one of the windows and saw you in there speaking to my stepmother and stepsisters. I couldn=t stand it anymore, so I walked off into the gardens and . . ." she trailed off.
" . . . and you came upon my special rose garden," Darien finished for her. She only nodded, too ashamed to look him in the face any longer. He smiled at her tenderly.
"Serena. Look at me," he commanded, A I understand now, there's nothing to be ashamed of. The only one who should be ashamed is your stepmother. It was wrong of her to do that to you. You only acted as you did to fulfill your needs, your desires." He brushed her bangs back lovingly.
"But . . ." Serena stuttered.
"No buts, Serena. Everybody has needs, including you. If you want to blame anyone, blame your stepmother, for depriving you of those needs," the prince interrupted.
"Your parents . . ." she whispered.
"My parents would feel the same way," he assured her.
At hearing this, she was so relieved that she collapsed against him and he held her close, sensing her weakness. One hand held her head against his chest while the other hand supported her back, his arm resting around her waist while her small arms lay trapped between them, her hands flat against his chest.
"Thank you," she breathed.
"For what?"
"For believing in me."
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