Title: To Brave the Darkness

Disclaimer: I don't own anything about Sailor Moon

Authors Notes: I received an anonymous review on my last chapter from someone who obviously didn't like this story. That's totally fine. Not everyone can like everything I write, and I respect your opinions. I will, of course, consider your points while writing my next story.

For the rest of you, this is it! This is the last chapter. Hope you enjoyed it! My next story will be coming out soon!

"It is very beautiful here," Amy said quietly, smiling up into the sunlight.

Serenity nodded. "It truly is. I am lucky indeed to find a husband with such exquisite taste."

Molly laughed at that. "How is he today?"

"Better," Serenity said happily. "The doctor is to be here this afternoon, and I am sure he will be allowed out of bed."

"It is strange to stay in a person's home without ever meeting him," Molly said shyly. "In a passed time, I would be worried about being in so close a proximity to him."

"Hopefully you will meet him tonight," Serenity said.

"How about you meet me now?"

Serenity spun around startled, along with her friends.

Endymion stood there, smiling in the sunshine, with obvious mischief in his eyes.

Her friends immediately stood up, but Serenity got up slowly, making sure her gaze showed more annoyance than happiness.

"You are not supposed to be out of bed," she said very smoothly.

"It is a pleasure to see you again Amy," he said with a slight bow. Amy curtsied back, smiling happily. "And you must be Lady Molly," he said taking her hand and kissing it gently. Molly blushed.

"I am," she said softly. "Thank you for letting me stay in your home."

"It is my honor to have you here," he said calmly. And then he turned back to Serenity. "My dear wife, I believe you are not happy to see me at all," he teased playfully.

Serenity looked away from him as he slid an arm around her waist, pulling her against him and smiling boyishly at her. Serenity found it hard to keep a straight face. He was in trouble. He wasn't supposed to be out of bed. But it was hard to be angry with him when he was so close. And she was overjoyed at seeing him up and about.

"My beautiful Serenity," he said softly to her. "I could not stay in that room knowing that you were out here. The very thought of you in the sunshine was more than I can handle."

She smiled, but refused to look at him.

"It is worth whatever injury I might sustain just to be near you," he said, kissing her forehead tenderly.

She looked at him, shaking her head. "You and your flattery."

"It would not work half so well if you weren't completely in love with me," he teased.

Molly laughed at that, and Serenity remembered her guests. She blushed again, and looked at them apologetically.

"I am sure the doctor will give him a clean bill of health," Amy said calmly. "There is not reason he shouldn't be allowed fresh air."

"See," Endymion said smiling. "Amy agrees that I am fine."

"Then I will blame her if you fall and break your neck."

He laughed. "Then I will make sure to save her from your wrath. Come, the King is on his way. I received a letter from him this morning."

Serenity smiled in happiness. She hadn't seen him in days. "He's coming today?"

"He'll be here already if we are lucky."

Serenity looked at her two friends excitedly. Molly looked nervous and excited, fixing her brilliant red hair and blushing at the idea of meeting such a man.

But Amy looked pale.

Serenity immediately went serious. "Amy, are you alright?"

Amy nodded, forcing a smile. "I just did not realize we were to see him?"

Endymion seemed almost apologetic. "I am sorry. I should have given you more warning."

"No," Amy said. "I should like to see him again."

"Again?" Serenity asked confused. "I didn't realize you knew him."

It confused her even more when Amy blushed. But Endymion didn't give her a chance to ask any more questions. He pulled her gently behind him towards the house where a servant was already on his way out to inform them of the arrival of the King.

Serenity was suddenly very flustered. So much so, that her usual immediate excitement in seeing him lagged.

The King looked at her strangely, gently kissing her on the cheek.

"Serenity, you look confused. I assume you do remember me."

"Yes," she said shaking her head. "I'm sorry. I'm pleased to see you. To what do we owe this pleasure?"

Serenity was confused again when the King didn't answer. He was looking past her, almost as if he'd seen a ghost. She glanced back to see that Amy was in his line of sight, looking shy and nervous.

The whole room was silent, watching them. Endymion took her hand, pulling against him again and kissing her temple.

Molly watched with wide eyes.

The King seemed to finally gather himself. He cleared his throat and bowed to her, looking a little flustered. "It is an honor to see you again my lady," he said calmly.

Amy curtsied back gracefully. "You as well, your Majesty."

Serenity looked at Endymion in confusion. She had no idea they had met before. None of the other girls had ever said anything, and Serenity hadn't spent enough time with the quiet girl to really get to know her. The past few days of her staying here had been wonderful, and she knew she would love her like a sister, but she was left in the dark.

"I hope you are well," the King said.

"I am," Amy said immediately. "I have been spending time with my aunt in the west. She has a beautiful orchard nearly against the wall."

It seemed to click suddenly with Serenity when the Kind smiled softly, looking strangely shy himself. He was in love with her. She had thought she would never know the woman who had captured his heart. The few times Amy had been around, the King was absent. It made sense that he wouldn't really be aware of exactly who Serenity's friend were. But still, she found herself watching the two with more than the usual amount of attention.

"We had hoped you might stay for dinner," Endymion said smiling.

The King seemed slightly startled that there were other people in the room. He looked back at them, and nodded. "I was hoping to stay a few nights."

"Excellent," Endymion said. "Serenity has been here only a short time, and already she is filling our home up with welcomed guests. Lady Molly and Lady Amy are also staying here with us for a time."

The King looked at Amy again, who blushed.

"I would not wish to intrude," he said softly to her.

"There is no intrusion," Amy said shyly. "It would be wonderful to be able to speak with you again."

The moment they shared then was so tender. It was so obvious that they loved one another.

Endymion just held her. She could feel his smile against her and his obvious present peace. She wondered if he had done this on purpose. The King coming would have been an easy coincidence for him to use.

"Shall we all go back into the garden?" Molly asked hopefully.

Endymion nodded. "It would be a shame to spend a day like this indoors."

Serenity watched the King hold his hand out to Amy.

"If you would allow me to escort you," he said softly.

Amy smiled, nodding as she allowed him to take her hand.

Serenity was all turned around. She was both confused and happy, and not sure what she was supposed to do.

Endymion just smiled at her, taking her hand and pulling her with him back outside. His eyes were clear and blue, and sparkling with some sort of amusement and mischief. No matter what happened to him, he would never lose that sparkle.

"I can't believe you didn't tell me," Serenity said to him later that night while they were getting into bed. "I had no idea that Amy was the woman he had told me about. How did you even know?"

"We spoke of it," Endymion said, kissing her neck softly.

Serenity looked up at him. She was lying on her back across the bed, playing with his hair as he nuzzled and kissed her.

"I just can't believe it. Amy. She's so kind and sweet. How could he ever think she would love him only for his title?"

"Her father is a kind man, but somewhat power hungry. The King was afraid he would force her to marry him."

He moved up to kiss her, trying to steal her attention.

"But why did they never tell me? Amy is my friend. I would have…"

"Serenity, you are making this very difficult."

She looked at him again. "Difficult?"

"The King is a very personal man. Amy is a very shy girl. It is a wonder that they were ever to meet again at all. Now leave their confusion in the back of your mind, and focus on me."

She smiled at him. "So selfish."

"Yes, I am," he said teasing. "And selfishly, I want your full attention. This afternoon the doctor said I am healed enough to start engaging in some activities."

"He said gentle activities."

Endymion grinned his cocky grin. "I can be extremely gentle." He kissed her passionately, making her immediately forget her swirling thoughts about the King and Amy. She responded to him eagerly, moving her body against his.

He started kissing her more passionately, touching her.

She broke away. "That's not gentle," she gasped.

He groaned, pinning her arms above her head with one hand. He kissed down her neck, using his other hand to pull up her nightgown. His hands slid firmly along her skin making her body heat up.

Serenity forgot everything. She forgot what she had been obsessing over and the fact that they had guests in their home. She forgot everything that had happened to her in the last year. She forgot any bad feeling she had ever had. As Endymion touched her, her mind and body could only respond to him.

It was almost frantic. He all but ripped her nightgown off, and she struggled against his hold on her to free her arms. As soon as she did, she reached down to undo his pants.

They kissed so passionately it was almost harsh. Serenity gripped his hips with her knees and arched her back into him.

The moment he was free he drove into her, making her cry out in pleasure.

Serenity was already smoldering as he started. He barely needed to touch her at all to bring her close to her climax. But his hard thrusts nearly made her ready to explode.

Her hands dug into his back as her whole body tensed. Waves of pleasure rolled over her, making her gasp. She throbbed around him as he continued to thrust into her, hard and fast.

His own climax thundered through him. She felt his muscles spasm and his groan was filled with pleasure and release.

Endymion fell on the bed beside her, breathing hard. Their bodies were hot and sticky with sweat.

Serenity felt almost dizzy. She was breathing in short gasps, listening to her heart racing in her chest. Slowly, she started to calm. She felt oddly numb in a very pleasing sort of way, and her legs shook slightly.

Endymion rolled back towards her, smiling softly as he nuzzled himself close to her. He breathed out, content.

Serenity giggled as his breath tickled her skin. She felt so relaxed next to him.

"What happened to gentle?" she asked softly.

"We can go gentle in a minute," he said with a yawn. "Just give me a moment to recover."

She turned to look at him, reaching up to run her hands through his beautiful hair. His eyes were so light and clear. He kissed her nose softly, and held her in his arms.

"You are so beautiful," he said softly.

She blushed softly at his gaze. "Are we really going to go again tonight?" She asked. She wanted to, but she was still coming down from the last time. It had been so long since they had been together and she had been yearning for it for so long.

He grinned his cocky grin. "I haven't been allowed to touch you for nearly a year. There's nothing that can stop me now." He kissed her gently, lovingly.

They rested their foreheads together, smiling contentedly.

"I love you," Endymion said softly. "More than I knew was possible."

She smiled. "I'm relatively fond of you."

He laughed at that. "You do realize that now that you're my wife, I am allowed to use whatever means necessary to make you say what I want you to say."

"And as your wife, I am able to use whatever coercion techniques I want to make you do what I want you to do."

He smiled in amusement. "Then I challenge you. You will tell me you love me before you can get me to give in to you again tonight."

She smiled at him deviously. "And the winner gets?"

"A whole day of complete servitude."

"A week," she amended.

"You seem pretty confident."

"You don't seem to understand the flaw in your plan," she said, wrapping her legs around him and pressing her stomach to his. "As I understand it, the one thing you desire most is me."

His gaze darkened as he looked at her. He breathed in deeply. "So you're saying you're not going to fight fair."

She shook her head. "Not even a little bit."

The next morning, Endymion awoke uncommonly early. The light was just starting to come out, changing the world outside from black to a light gray. The air was slightly chilled by the early morning, and the birds were waking.

He kissed Serenity softly, being careful not to wake her as he gently slid out of bed.

He was sore. His healing body may not have been ready for the activities of the previous night. He smiled to himself as he remembered it. It was worth whatever pain he had today.

He got dressed quickly, making sure to stay silent.

When he was about to leave, he looked back at her.

She was so beautiful. Her smooth skin was barely covered by the thin sheet. Her river of blond hair sprawled out on the bed behind her. She had rolled into the warmth he left, and was using his pillow.

In truth, he didn't want to leave her there now. He enjoyed being able to wake up next to her. Seeing her every morning made everything in this world seem so much better.

But today he had to go.

He walked out of his room, closing the door quietly. One of his men was waiting for him just a few steps away.

"What shall I tell her ladyship when she awakens?"

Endymion sighed as they walked together towards the front of the house. "Tell her that I will be back before dinner. I will spend the rest of my life making this up to her."

His man nodded, handing him his coat.

The King came around the corner, fully dressed as well and looking grave.

"Are you capable Endymion?"

"Yes," he answered seriously. "I have to make sure. If I am sore for a full week because of this, it will be worth it."

The King nodded, not saying anything more.

The two men left together, getting on their horses and traveling quickly away from the manor.

It was a long way, but they travelled fast. Endymion felt every step of his horse jar through his body, but he grit his teeth and continued on. The King's guards rode around them, unwilling to let their leader go anywhere unguarded. But nobody would think about hurting him today.

They travelled through the morning until the sun was high in the sky. Neither one wanted to stop for nourishment.

When finally they reached their destination, a crowd had formed.

The tall, menacing-looking gates that were the only way into the city were open as they almost never were. The heat of the desert wasteland was drifting through, smelling dead and dry. Guards were everywhere, making sure nobody tried to get back into the city. It was impossible to get back into the city. Guards patrolled the entire wall, and repairs were made constantly. The gates were the only way in or out.

They walked together through the parting crowd to the front, where Serenity's stepfather stood, looking bruised and haggard and angrier than any man could think of being.

"You are banished from my kingdom forever," the King said slowly. He stood tall and proud, looking strong in the beating sun. "Have you anything to say before you are sent to the wastelands?"

Endymion stood unmoving when Serenity's stepfather glared evilly at him. It was clear that this man hated him as much as hate was possible in one person. But Endymion didn't care. He would brave this man's wrath a million times over to keep Serenity safe and happy.

"Very well," the King said after a few moments of silence. "Guards, take him out."

Endymion watched as they pulled the man through the gates. They walked with him a short ways, and then dumped him on the ground. He stood up as the guards came back into the safety of the kingdom. He stood and glared at them all.

"Close the gates," the King commanded.

The gates groaned as the gears were turned, and then they heavily swung closed in a slow, agonizing motion. Everyone gathered watched them with breath held.

With a thundering sound, the gates closed.

It was over.

The King nodded to himself, and then turned to look at Endymion. "You can be sure she's safe now."

"I will be sure of that when I have found every one of his men."

The King sighed, nodding again. "I understand your fear."

"She is mine to protect," Endymion said seriously, looking at his friend. "I will not fail her again. While I still breathe, she will be safe."

THE END! Please let me know what you think!

And find me on facebook to get updated on the progress of my next story! Jordan Frost (my profile pic is a girl with a violin)