Disclaimer: I do not own Sailor Moon or the song Love Story by T Swift. Trigger warnings for character deaths and suicide. On that happy note, enjoy!
Update: Originally this story had the lyrics from Taylor Swift's song Love Story but I've had to take them down due to the fact that it's against the rules. If you wanted to look up the lyrics while you're reading this story though go ahead. Also a note for any authors thinking about doing songfics, just because there are a ton of people who publish songfics with lyrics doesn't mean that every single one doesn't get told they can't do that. I thought I was fine doing the lyrics because I've read dozens of stories that do it, but after receiving a review that warned about reporting me I did a bit more research and looked at the reviews of a bunch of songfics and they all received the same warning. So just don't do it. Make your life easier.
"Her Royal Highness, Princess Serenity of the Moon!"
Serenity held her head high and kept a smile plastered on her face as she walked down the staircase to the waiting crowd. She looked regal, confident, and joyous, exactly as a princess should. On the inside she was feeling a little different though. 'Please, please, please don't let me klutz out now and trip down the stairs in front of all these people!' was all she could think to herself. However she safely made it and greeted her parents at the bottom.
"Happy birthday darling!" her mother said enveloping her in a tight hug.
"My little princess can't be fourteen already, Pluto did something to the time stream," her father joked gruffly while wrapping his arms around his two favourite women. He had to make a joke of it because the only other option was to cry, and the King of the Moon most certainly did not cry.
Serenity just laughed. "Thank-you mama, thank-you papa! This ball is wonderful! And don't worry Daddy, I'm not growing up that fast."
"Excuse me your highness?"
Serenity turned to see a pale young man with shoulder length white hair. "My name is Prince Dimande. I was hoping to ask you for this dance?" he asked bowing slightly and holding out his hand. Serenity bit her lip and turned to her parents, her mother just grinned slightly and nodded once.
Turning back to Dimande she placed her hand in his and said, "Of course Prince Dimande." He beamed as he led her out to the dance floor and the twirling couples.
The King walked away grumbling, "… too fast… talk to Pluto…"
Queen Serenity smirked at her husband's antics before getting pulled into a conversation with some nobles from Mercury.
A little while later however, Princess Serenity was not having as much fun as she had been. While originally charmed by Prince Dimande, she was growing wary of him. Though he showered her with compliments, his smile had changed from handsome to leering, and he refused to let her go or let her dance with anyone else. She had already danced 4 dances with the man! When the music changed a fifth time she put her foot down.
"Prince Dimande, while you are charming company I really must see my other guests," she said pulling away from him.
"But Princess-"
"Have a lovely evening Prince Dimande," she said quickly and scurried away into the crowd behind her. After several minutes of weaving through the ball gowns she finally lost him. She sighed in relief while thinking, 'What a relief! Where are the Senshi when I need them anyway?' Looking around she saw her guardians, the Inner Sailor Senshi, Sailors Mercury, Venus, Mars, and Jupiter all busy flirting with various men. New nobles Serenity assumed since she had not seen them before. Leaving them to their dates, she walked out to the balcony to enjoy her favourite pastime, staring at the Earth.
'It's so beautiful,' she thought. 'I wish we could've invited the Earthian royalty. I just know all Earthlings can't be as bad as their reputation.'
She suddenly felt eyes on her and turned only to lock eyes with the most handsome man she'd ever seen. Even across the ballroom she could see how silky the midnight hair that fell in his ocean blue eyes was, and feel his dominating presence. She watched him start to walk across the room to her and felt her heartbeat increase with every step.
Finally he stopped in front of her. 'He's so tall,' was all she could think as she looked up at him.
The man chuckled, a deep laugh that gave her shivers. "Well, thank-you for noticing your highness, but I think part of my height comes from how petite you are," he teased.
Princess Serenity blushed in embarrassment and indignation, both for not realizing she had spoken aloud and from his teasing. "Five one is not that short," she sniffed, "It's not my fault you're freakishly tall."
The man just chuckled again, "Perhaps you are right Princess. Regardless, I was wondering why you could possibly stand out here in the cold, isn't there a birthday ball happening in the room behind us in your honour?"
Serenity smiled dreamily. "I was just admiring the beauty of the Earth. I would so love to visit and see its beauty from the surface," she replied, leaning against the railing and propping her chin on her hand.
The man frowned in confusion at this, "But Princess have you not heard the rumours? They say the Earth is dangerous, that the Earthlings are violent, blood thirsty, and vicious."
He raised an eyebrow when the princess just snorted. When she turned and saw his look she explained, "Rumours mean nothing, they're just words. Words don't define people, actions do. I refuse to believe that Earthlings are all the terrible people everyone makes them out to be. They have never attacked any of the other planets or violated any treaty laws. I believe they should be given a chance. Besides," she said turning back to look at the Earth, "How could anything so beautiful be that bad?"
The man silently studied the young woman for a moment. "You are wise beyond your years Princess," he finally said. She turned and smiled at him and he smirked back, "But I think Earth's beauty pales in comparison to the beauty in front of me."
Serenity blushed from the compliment and the intensity in his gaze. "Please call me Serenity," she said. "Princess is far too formal for my liking."
He took her hand and stepped back bowing low to her, "A pleasure to meet you… Serenity," he said as he kissed the back of her hand making her blush harder and her heart beat faster. But before she could ask his name in return there was a shout from the balcony doors.
"Serenity!" Prince Dimande yelled as he stalked over to the pair seething. "You promised me you'd dance with me," he said.
Serenity turned to him with her hands on her hips. "And I gave you one Prince Dimande. In fact I gave you several. You can't monopolize my time Prince," she said coolly.
"And yet you let HIM do just that!" Dimande hissed pointing at the man she'd been talking with on the balcony.
Avoiding that comment, she simply said, "I won't be dancing with you again tonight Dimande. I'm sorry but that's my final word." She turned back to the mystery man to continue their conversation but Dimande grabbed her arm and spun her back towards him making Serenity gasp in pain. Before he could say a word though a fist slammed into his nose making him let go of Serenity and sending him sprawling to the floor.
The ebony haired man towered over him holding Serenity tightly, eyes blazing with fury, "How dare you harm the princess! When a lady says no, it means no, to force a woman into anything is the highest treachery."
Dimande scowled, scrambling up holding his bleeding nose. "Don't think this is over," he hissed before he ran from the balcony and out of the ballroom.
The man turned to Serenity, fury changing to gentle concern in a heartbeat. "Are you alright?" he asked.
She looked up at him with shocked eyes. "Y-yes. I'm fine. I think. Just give me a moment." She took several deep breaths calming down. The man just stroked her hair when she buried her face in his chest. After a few moments she took a small step back and smiled at him and he grinned back down at the woman in his arms.
"You know," she said, "I never did get your name."
At this he surprised her by stepping back from her completely and grimacing. "My name really isn't that important."
Serenity was shocked. "Of course it's important! It would be rude of me to not know the name of my saviour and the man who stole my-" She cut herself off abruptly and clapped her hands over her mouth.
His eyes darkened and he stepped closer to her again. "What did I steal Serenity?"
She fell into his eyes and felt her hands fall away from her mouth. "My heart," she whispered. "I don't know how you did it when I haven't even known you for a day but you did. I think the red string of Fate tied us together a long time ago."
He smirked. "Funny. I was thinking the same thing." And then their lips crashed together.
He tore himself away from her after only a moment though and clenched his fists breathing deeply. "Endymion," he whispered in anguish.
Serenity blinked. "What?" was her eloquent response.
He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "My name. My name is Endymion. You have the right to know."
Her eyes widened. "Endymion? As in Prince Endymion of the Earth?" His silence was answer enough. "Endymion?" she said softly. No answer. Serenity put a hand on his shoulder. "Endymion, look at me." He slowly turned to face her, his face blank, preparing for a rejection. Serenity reached up and cupped his face in her hands smiling gently. "Did I not just tell you that I don't listen to the rumours about Earth? Did I not just say that I believe there is good in the people of Earth? And did I not just say actions mean more to me than words? You broke the nose of a man who merely grabbed me to protect me, that means far more to me than any rumour could."
He searched her eyes for a moment, but saw only truthfulness. "Serenity you are truly incredible. Your inner beauty somehow shines even brighter than your outer one," he said reverently as he leaned down to kiss her again.
Before their lips could touch though there was an almighty roar that shook the ballroom.
"EARTHLING!" The King raged running towards them with his sword drawn. "GET AWAY FROM MY DAUGHTER!"
"Papa no!" Serenity screamed stepping in front of Endymion trying to shield him from view.
"Serenity," Endymion said urgently spinning her around. "I'll be ok, don't worry. Good-bye my love." He crushed his lips to hers once more before throwing himself over the balcony railing and disappearing into the garden, his black and red cape whipping around the corner and out of sight.
Serenity stood frozen for a moment before moving to jump over the railing too but she was stopped by Jupiter throwing her arms around her and preventing her. Serenity thrashed against Jupiter screaming, "No! Endymion, don't leave me!" But then there was a golden beam of light from the garden showing the Prince had teleported back to Earth.
The King was seething for months of course. That the Earth prince had gotten past security, that he had seduced his princess. However, the King and the Queen forgot their worry and anger as the months and years went by and Princess Serenity returned to normal. Of course they had no idea that Endymion and Serenity were meeting in secret constantly in the Moon palaces' gardens or the Earth's forests. They trusted the Senshi to protect the Princess. The Senshi who had fallen in love with the men they flirted with the night of Serenity's fourteenth birthday. Who happened be the guardians and generals of Prince Endymion, the Shitennou. So they kind of let the Princess get away with her secret meetings.
The night before her eighteenth birthday was the night of one such meetings. Serenity and Endymion lay side by side on the grass staring up at the Earth and the stars.
Serenity rolled on her side to look at him, "Endymion?"
He too rolled on his side, "Yes love?"
"You know I love you right?"
He grinned and pulled her to him. "And I you."
They sat in the silence for a moment listening to the other's heart. "What do you think would happen if we ran away?" Serenity asked.
"Your father would hunt us to the ends of the universe, skin me, and lock you in a tower," he replied holding her just a little bit tighter.
Serenity hit his chest, which didn't really do anything except hurt her hand because of the armour he always wore, "Pretend he didn't find us. Pretend we could go anywhere, be anyone, not be kept apart because I'm from the Moon Kingdom and you from the Earth."
He sighed into her hair. "Well I suppose we would live content together. Get married, have kids, grow old. But I don't think you would be happy abandoning your parents, your friends, or your people."
Now it was her turn to sigh. "I know. But it's nice to pretend. Even just for a little while. That I could love you without having to keep it a secret."
Endymion said nothing, he just held her rubbing her back.
"You know, Papa might be ok with it now. He might've just been upset that you were three years older than me, but I'm not fourteen anymore," Serenity said hopefully.
Endymion chuckled at her antics, "I think we both know that's not why he was upset Sere."
"Yeah, well a girl can hope," Serenity said deflating.
"Of course you can my love. Never give up your hope, it's what makes you so special," Endymion said kissing the top of her head.
Neither of them noticed the feline that had wandered into the garden, or that said feline overheard the whole conversation and sprinted back to the palace to fetch the King and Queen.
Serenity and Endymion again sat in silence until they suddenly heard pounding feet and shouting. They leapt up holding each other close just as the Moon King and Queen, the cat advisors Luna and Artemis, and most of the royal court burst into the garden. The King choked seeing the couple together again after all these years. Serenity used his distraction to push against Endymion and urgently say, "Go!" He nodded once sharply, squeezing her hand tightly before stepping away and letting the golden light beam teleport her away. She caught one last glimpse of his blue eyes full of love before he was gone. She then slowly turned to face the rest of the people in the garden.
The King's eyes were ice. "Explain. Now."
They locked her away in her room. Her birthday celebration was cancelled. The Senshi were sent to their home planets to fight a growing darkness that either brainwashed people to hate the Moon Kingdom or flat out killed them. People would visit her every day, but none of them were her Senshi or Endymion. None of them supported her love. They told her she was tricked. That she didn't really love him, nor he her. They told her she didn't know what love is. After the first year they even made her spend time with Prince Dimande. That stopped after she broke his nose a second time.
Through it all Serenity held onto her hope desperately though. He told her to never let it go so she wouldn't. She knew what she felt, knew her love wasn't fake or an illusion and that her prince would return, she just had to be patient. But even the legendary hope and faith of Princess Serenity was tested.
By the eve of Serenity's twentieth birthday her hope was in tatters, hanging on by the slimmest of threads. Her Senshi had returned a month ago and tried to convince her to keep faith in her Prince, but even she doubted if he would survive to see her again. They were losing the war against the darkness, which they now knew as the Dark Kingdom, led by Queen Metalia. Days after the Senshi had seemingly vanquished the darkness on their home planets and returned to the Moon the Dark Kingdom had attacked tenfold, led by the newly brainwashed Dark Kingdom generals, Prince Endymion's Shitennou and the former loves of the Senshi. All the planets of the solar system with the exception of Earth and the Moon had been turned to dust, Sailors Uranus, Neptune, and Saturn with them. Pluto only survived because she was untouchable in the Time Gate.
Consequently, though the Senshi tried, their comforts didn't really help Serenity much as teary as they were.
The Earth was no more the sparkling blue and green planet it once was. It was covered by a hazy purple and black cloud and the people of the Moon knew most of the Earthlings were controlled by Metalia and her subordinate Beryl.
The King was frequently seen walking around the castle looking defeated as of late. Queen Serenity held onto her composure in public, but wept in fear for her daughter and her friends when she was alone. Princess Serenity did nothing. She was a shell. A shell that clung to the little bit of faith her heart still had, fading as it was.
But on the eve of her twentieth birthday, as she sat in the gardens a miraculous thing happened.
Serenity's head snapped up as a golden beam of light suddenly appeared in front of her. She stared at him for but a moment before launching into his arms sobbing incoherently. "Endymion… Endymion… my Endy… I- I… are you even here? Are you just a vision my mind created to protect my heart? Oh gods Endymion, two years! Two years you never came back! I've been all alone!" She collapsed back into her sobs.
Endymion felt his heart shatter seeing how broken his love was. "Serenity, Sere, I promise it's really me, look at me I love you!" He kissed her hard, and each of them melted into it feeling the other's desperation, loneliness, and most importantly love, which was stronger than ever. When they finally broke apart Endymion said, "Sere there's something I need to ask you."
Endymion fell to one knee before her adoration and love in his eyes as he looked into her crystal blue ones. Serenity gasped as he pulled a beautiful, pink, heart shaped ring out from under his now dented and scratched armour.
"Marry me Serenity, you'll never be alone, I love you and that's all I really know. I talked to your father, and he gave us his belssing, all you have to say is yes," Endymion pleaded.
Serenity stared for a moment before launching at him again crying, "Yes! Yes! Oh gods yes!"
Though it made her father slump in defeat and her mother cry tears of worry, they were more scared of what the Dark Kingdom had in store for their daughter, and they knew that Endymion would protect Serenity to his dying breath, any idiot could see how much the boy loved her. Whether he was from Earth or not didn't matter anymore, the world was ending anyway, all they could do was pray for their daughter's safety.
Their prayers went unanswered. The stories tell of the fall of the Moon Kingdom. The tragic love of Serenity and Endymion on that fateful day.
Not even a full twenty four hours after Endymion proposed did Beryl find out and spiral into a jealous rage. She took all the brainwashed Earthlings to the Moon and attacked. The Moon's army defended it bravely, but in the end they stood no chance. The King fell first. Then Sailor Mercury at her lover, Zoicite's hands. Sailor Jupiter then killed Zoicite, but in her pain and rage missed the attack from her fiancé Nephrite. Mars fried him with a fireball before Jupiter hit the Earth. Too filled with anguish though, she didn't lift a finger to defend herself when Jadeite ran her through, content to remember when his eyes looked at her with love. Venus avenged her. Sailor Venus, senshi of love, and leader of the Sailor Senshi then turned to the leader of the Shitennou, Kunzite, with tears and love in her eyes. Husband and wife died by each other's swords at the same time.
Serenity cried in anguish at the carnage around her, but continued to fight to protect herself and her Prince with what little magic she had inherited from the Moon's Legendary Silver Crystal, while the prince did the same with his sword and the magic of the Earth's Golden Crystal.
But Beryl eventually found them exhausted and battered. "Why do you fight to protect the Moon brat?" Beryl cried to Endymion. "She has brainwashed you! I'm the one you love! Join me in the Dark Kingdom!"
"Never!" Endymion shouted. "Serenity is my one true love Beryl! Serenity is my soulmate! I would never love evil like you!"
Beryl screamed in rage and lunged to attack Serenity. She closed her eyes and waited for the final blow to strike. But it never came. When she opened her eyes she found Endymion curled protectively around her, his back facing Beryl and his eyes open with love… and pain. He collapsed to the ground in Serenity's arms, ocean blue eyes unseeing.
"No," Serenity whispered. "NO! Nononononono…" she rocked holding his head in her lap repeating her chant, feeling her heart shatter.
"You have lost Princess. Everyone you love is dead. Now you will know the power of the Dark Kingdom and the pain you gave me when you stole Endymion from me!" Beryl hissed.
Serenity stared around. The palace was in ruins. Everyone in sight, the entire Moon Kingdom, was dead except her mother who was wielding the full power of the Legendary Silver crystal in the distance against the remains of the Dark Kingdom's army. Her father, her Senshi, her people, her kingdom, the Shitennou… Endymion. They were all gone. Her mind made up she grasped the hilt of Endymion's sword tightly.
"Do you mean to fight me Princess? With that!" Beryl cackled evil, dark energy radiating around her.
Ignoring her Serenity raised the sword.
Queen Serenity who had just defeated the people she was fighting, turned to see her only child commit suicide and fall on her love's chest dead. "NO!" she screamed. Beryl didn't even have time to think before the brilliant pulse of energy from the Silver Crystal blinded her, then she knew no more.
The Queen stared around the moon, she was the only survivor of the Silver Millennium. Luna and Artemis crawled out of some debris, battered and bruised but alive. That raised the grand total of survivors to three.
The Queen leaned against a broken pillar and explained her plan to Luna and Artemis before putting it into action. She put them to sleep before sending everyone from the Silver Millennium to the future, a hopefully peaceful future, on Earth where they would be reborn, live new lives, find their loves again, and hopefully this time be happy. The Queen then closed her eyes, and the Silver Millennium ended.
Usagi threw her crumpled, thirty percent test paper over her head deciding not to show it to her mother. It was her fourteenth birthday! She could do what she wanted! But before she walked away, a voice said behind her, "You know thirty percent isn't that great, you should try studying harder Odango Atama."
Usagi saw red. "My hair is in buns you baka! They aren't odangos! And that's none of your business!" she screamed snatching the test away and shoving it in her bag, not looking at the man. "Who do you think you are anyway?!"
"I think I'm the man you hit with your test paper, and I think my name is Mamoru, not baka," the man replied calmly.
"Well guess what Mamoru-baka-" Usagi abruptly cut off and they both froze as their eyes locked for the first time. After what felt like an eternity Usagi finally managed to say, "I-I have to go."
Mamoru watched her walk down the street and around the corner, while the both wondered why their hearts were beating so fast.
'Cause we were both young when I first saw you.