I ask that you read this and review it, if only so that I know I'm not
writing this only for myself. I'm positive some of you fellow writers out
there know exactly how utterly depressing that feeling is and how
unpleasant.
So, now that I am through pleading, etc, here is the first chapter of
this fic.
Note: I work all the Senshi into this. (Yay for the Outers!) And,
disclaimer: Sailor Moon is not mine.
The Rose Prince
Chapter One
An ocean of black stretched out above her, sprinkled with bursts of silvery light. All the stars seemed to be lit by that same celestial aura that seemed untouchable by way of mortal hands, a visual gift of the gods that humans were destined never to hold, only to see.
To be able to clasp such a serenity, even a small one such as the stars at such a great distance seemed to offer, would have been too much. Still, their loveliness was enough to please the young girl who sat beneath them in a garden. Her platinum blond hair seemed to covet the moon's luminous beams that made it appear to be a silvery white, letting it shine down upon her, causing her hair to look like shimmering waves of moonlight. She was a veritable fairy, sitting there, her knees bent beneath her and a pale white skirt laying softly over them, covered in flower petals of all different colors.
They were lavender, yellow, white, peach, and pink, but mostly, they were red. This was not the garish red like that of an almost orange ruby, but instead a deep crimson, more akin to the depth one might find in a garnet's facets. Cupping one in her small, moonlit hands, the girl was careful not to prick her fingers, lest she bloody the white dress she wore; her mother not be amused if she did.
Lifting her entire face to the moon's soft light, her face basked in it, making her eyes seem the color of earth's blue waters and her skin the ivory white of its clouds. Perhaps she wasn't fairy. Maybe instead, she was an angel fallen from the stars, having lost her way to her palace in the heavens.
But no. She was neither fairy, nor angel. Still, she was exquisite to look upon, even for a child of less than eight years. If she sat there, poised as she was and did not move, a passerby would have thought her to be some master artist's greatest work, a statue of immaculate etherealness. A slight sigh escaped her small mouth as she stood and gently let the petals fall from her skirts, the sound carried away by the silence and the flowers taken away by a sudden breeze of warm spring air. It was definitely past her bed time and if her mother found her gone she would make her do something absolutely awful, like embroidery; she winced at the thought and shrugged-well, never mind about that because the point in the young girl leaving the garden at that moment was to avoid the entire thing. Turning from the large and many brambles of thorns and colored petals, the beautiful child who was neither fairy nor angel slipped quietly back to her home.
Quietly shutting her bedroom door, she jumped lightly into her feather bed and pulled the finely made and beautifully colored blanket over her, up to her small chin and smiled. Whenever she came back anything within a yard of her smelled like those roses she so loved. Even the immense room with the gilded mirror and tall ceilings and finery that would normally have smelt of a rustic dusty aroma, was filled with the flowery scent. And, as the child drifted to sleep, she failed to notice a single crimson petal that had stubbornly stuck in her mane of hair.
The room smelled of roses.
Sunlight warmed its way in personified coils of soft yellow beams through the child's tall French doors, and whispered their longing to do the same through her tall and curtain bound windows. Lifting one of her delicate hands, which on closer inspection in the morning's aurora revealed her skin to be a pale cream, not ivory white, she yawned. Its sound fluctuated in the large room and bounced off at her from different pieces of furniture but the girl ignored the echo until it simply could not bounce its sound any longer and faded away. She shifted her slight figure to the edge of her bed, which one could now see was enclosed in translucent silver curtains, a sleeping place fit for a princess.
As the small flats of her feet touched the thickly carpeted floor, she raised her arms in a full stretch and then quickly made her way to the first window to the left of the French doors. Easily drawing the long opaque curtains of lavender back, she bound each side of them with the soft silver cord that hung docilely at each end. After doing the same for the equally sizeable window on the right of the French doors, the child placed both hands on the knobs and opened them. Stepping out joyfully onto the alabaster balcony, she rejoiced in the way a child tends to do for the simple happiness of being alive.
The kind warmth of dawn permeated her skin to the depths of her physically small and spiritually boundless heart as she skipped to the edge of the balcony, leaning on the ledge and looking over it into the gardens below. Surely the gardens were brighter today than any other day. To her young eyes the reds were redder, the blues bluer, and every other color was more so its own as well. Raising her head to the skies, the child noted the soft swirls of the clouds that painted themselves on the canvas of cerulean blue.
She knew it must be a perfect day. A frown quickly made its way onto her flawless face as the inevitable thought occurred to her: but a perfect day for what? Something fuzzy rubbed gently against her skirts that she still wore from the night before; the girl smiled as her gaze turned downwards and she saw a back of black fur. This was Luna, the kitten she had received not long ago as a present from some visiting duke from some distant planet (both facts, which the young girl found no particular interest in, or not more than the more important reality of a new playmate.)
Ah, that was it. It was a perfect day to go riding. Since she was only a child, her ride was small, but it was no less beautiful than the finest of full-grown stallions or mares. This filly suited the child, with its coat of butter-cream yellow and white mane and tail. A definite fairy-tale horse befitting of a fairy-like girl, but she would have to do that later. She knew first things came first and to her chagrin, lessons came first. Turning away from the sunlight, the girl re-entered her bedroom, the cat at her heels. Flopping ungracefully back onto her bed, she pouted. Today was Vendredi, the day of Venus. That meant her lessons today consisted of the easiest, most menial, and utterly brainless of all: dancing-which it might be noted she could do, but did not enjoy-lessons, etiquette-which she could also gracefully pull off, the corners of her mouth turning down only when others were not looking-lessons, and worst of all, embroidery-which she could not do.
Phooey. It was too beautiful a morning to waste on classes in her opinion. And, since she had no human companions, hers was the only opinion to consider, or so she came to the conclusion that it was in a familiarly childlike fashion. Her mother might have found it endearing if her daughter didn't come to the same conclusion every morning that didn't bear rolling clouds of gray and rain that threatened to break the windows of their home. Having woken up to the same beautiful dawn, the queen knew exactly what the heart of her heart was thinking and made her way to her chambers as quickly as possible, still dressed in her nightgown and robe, both of which were white.
The resemblance between daughter and mother were as clear as the sky that day; like the angelic child, the mother had pale creamy flesh that held no blemishes and hair that was platinum blonde but appeared to be a silvery white in the moonlight. Like the child promised to be, she was tall and slender, her jaw line smooth, regal. With a graceful neck and finely sculpted face one would have to bend to her unearthly beauty. However, the crowning glory of this walking force of benevolence was the set of crystalline eyes that appeared even bigger than they really were, surrounded by her pale skin. They were somewhat lighter than her daughter's- which mind you, made neither one less or more stunning-and together, had their splendor renowned throughout the lands of all places.
So, in this white robe and long gown for sleeping in, one could not help but still notice her penetrating attractiveness, nor the presence of power that came with her as she stood, poised outside of her daughter's bedroom door. A smile tugged at the corners of her pale rose lips as the door creaked open a moment; she flattened herself against the wall beside it. Sure enough, a small head of familiar platinum blonde hair poked outside the door cautiously. She surveyed the area as best she could for passing servants or guards, but most importantly, the lady hidden behind her door that, unfortunately for the child, she could not see.
Letting escape a small sigh, the girl stepped out of the room and shut the door. She began to walk quickly away, the tall corridor making even her tiny footsteps audible, like whispers. Then suddenly her footsteps were not the only sounds there.
"Princess Serenity," her mother called to her, her imperious voice echoing into her daughter's ears; if her voice had not been so warm, it would have been eerie, the effect that the voice made throughout the hall. Serenity turned to face her mother slowly, raising her head finally with her chin lifted a bit higher than normal. The queen smiled; her daughter was strong, even as a youngling.
"Yes mama?" Her voice returned the echoes in the tenor voice tone of her years.
"Where are you headed Serenity? The breakfast room is this way." The queen gestured smoothly behind her in the opposite direction of that which little Serenity had been going. Shifting lightly from foot to foot, her white skirts brushing against her legs, the princess shrugged helplessly. There was apparently no means of escape today; and it was only now that she realized she had failed to change from her bedclothes too and that they had small traces of dirt from the gardens.
"Nowhere mama," she replied quietly and made her way back into her room to change. As the door clicked shut, Queen Serenity smiled kindly in her daughter's direction. She would have loved to give her child anything she wished for, and take away anything that so displeased her. And yet, as a princess she knew Serenity would be expected to know these somewhat frivolous things like embroidery, as well as the more in depth task of being a monarch of kindness that had been born within her, just as her mother had. So, she suffered the lessons through, knowing how much her daughter detested them, how much she would prefer the horse stables to her stuffy but elegant classrooms, how she cherished her childhood freedom, for the Queen had felt the same way.
She could only hope Serenity would keep her childish whims that made her so endearing and love that gave her sweet courage through anything-even embroidery, the Queen thought with a tentative smile. After all, what made her so pure was her encompassing adoration of life and her easy acceptance.
Brushing a section of her long hair behind her shoulder, Queen Serenity left the entrance of her daughter's chambers and went to get some more suitable attire for the day; the Queen in her night clothes was not exactly an appropriate thing for the breakfast table in any case.
Soon after breakfast, Serenity's dreaded lessons began. At least today there would be another girl there. Normally it was left alone to little Serenity and her rubber band teacher. Actually, her teacher's real name was Lady Oron but to Serenity she had been and always would be Rubber Band. Her reasoning was that the lady had the appearance of one who looked stretched out, by the skin. It was more or less the result of many wrinkles in the woman's respectable age, but Serenity was convinced that the lady was made of rubber and so, she called her that.
Step to the right, and right, and right and full turn, and right, and right, and right, and step forward and half turn and.
It continued like this, the young servant boy chosen to be her partner whirling easily through the motions, having done them many, many times under the strict eyes of Lady Oron in order to be a perfect partner. Regardless of the fact that the little princess knew the pattern inside and outside and backwards and sideways, she stepped on the poor boy's feet more than once, mostly out of frustration.
The lessons had begun so quickly she had not been able to meet this other girl who danced with another boy, not but a yard apart from her and her partner. Serenity was perhaps stepping on this servant boy's feet also as a result of trying to look past him and attempting to get a clear glimpse of the girl, ignoring the listen greatly, if not entirely. Then, as they did another rotation Serenity got her wish. She caught her breath; the princess was beautiful.
Now, it had not occurred to Serenity that she was beautiful too, perhaps even more beautiful than this other girl because that was not the way she thought. If her hair was the way her mother wanted it and if she was as clean as her mother wanted her to be, and if her poise was perfect in order to please her mother, that was what she saw: the need to please her mother and success. A child seldom thinks of their own beauty or lack thereof because it is out of character for them. Seldom do they care if their clothes have specks of dirt or their hair is messy and tangled, so long as they are happy and the people around them are too.
Noticing someone else's beauty was an entirely different thing however. And Serenity was indeed correct, for the girl was nothing short of lovely. It was a unique look, her short dark hair framing her face of fair skin and ocean blue eyes. Still, it was entrancing, magical, and it reminded the princess strongly of the stories she had read about faeries and nymphs. After one final blow to the servant boy's foot, Serenity's dance lesson was over for that day and she wasted no time, heading straight over to the girl. She tapped her on the shoulder and the girl faced her, smiling kindly. Serenity smiled back and curtsied flawlessly in greeting.
"Hi. My name's Sere. What's yours?" she asked boldly, using her nickname instead of the too formal princess title. She had to look slightly up, because as she had found on nearing this girl, she was slightly shorter than her. The princess found this somewhat disgruntling, but waved it out of her mind as she waited for the girl's response.
"Nice to meet you Sere. My name is Ami," the girl replied, curtsying in return and still smiling. Serenity, or rather, Sere, shuffled her feet for a moment, suddenly unsure of whether or not this girl would actually want to be her friend. After a moment's thought, she gave an internal shrug and inhaled deeply. If she didn't make an attempt now, she might never have a human friend, and be closed off to only a feline companion-this was in no particular offense to Luna who she adored dearly.
"Um, I was thinking, these lessons mama has for me are so boring. Do you want to skip the next class with me? I know the best place to go," Sere leaned in close, her voice excited and jubilant, and the light in her eyes shining merrily. Ami for her part was slightly taken aback at the idea of missing a class, though she could see the lack of importance in them. But old habits are hard to break and Ami bit her lip; what would her parents think if they found out? And surely they would find out. It was only a matter of time. Then she looked slightly down at the princess who had turned her head down and calmly folded her pale hands in front of her, the fingers wringing one another in anxiety. Forgetting any and all pretense or sincerity of fear of her parents thoughts of her missing two silly classes, which surely they knew they were, she held out her hand to Sere.
Sere blinked and looked up; she had been trying to hold back small tears when she had seen Ami's indecisive expression and actions, convinced that she had appeared as an annoyance. Seeing the smile that made Ami's eyes look all the bluer and brighter, she smiled as she heard her sweet voice accept the invitation and in seconds Sere was leading Ami through the corridors of the palace, which was her home. Silently they made their way through various passages, making many turns and numerous stops to avoid being seen.
Ami had to admit to herself that for the first time in her young life, she felt like she was having fun with this sunny girl, who's nature seemed to embody happiness. As Sere led her through one last door, light shone down upon her and she momentarily shielded her eyes; it was so bright! She uncovered her eyes to see Sere twirling in the entrance to the magnificent gardens that her kingdom was famed for. Sere had her arms widespread and her head uplifted; it was very picturesque with her long platinum hair whirling behind her and the skies above enhancing the green in the garden itself.
Suddenly Sere stopped and offered yet another of her unreserved smiles to her newfound friend as she once again took her hand and led her into the depths of the garden. It was a matter of minutes that took them into the middle of the hedge maze of a garden. An alabaster fountain with five levels held sparkling pools of trickling water in their basins, overflowing in soft rivulets down the edges.
"This is one of my favorite places," Sere said before wading into the fountain. Ami was surprised and her face showed it, her eyes widening. Sere only continued to splash in the fountain. She turned to Ami and beckoned for her to join her.
"Mama says I shouldn't do this, but she never tells me why. I think it's fun," Sere said, up a bit past her waist in the fountain.
"Fun?" Ami tested the word out.
"Yep. It's nice and clean too. Besides, you like water don't you?" asked Sere. Ami nodded silently and sat on the edge of the pool, kicking her feet in it. It was clean and nice. Neither warm, nor cold, it was a good temperature- Water splashed her in the face and as she blinked it away and found a grinning Sere standing in the water not a yard away, she retaliated with an equally happy expression and burst of water.
Laughter rang through the garden until the hours of their classes were well past. Both girls were resting their backs against the side of the fountain, still giggling. The sun had nearly dried their clothes out and it was a comforting warmth to be in. Sere was so peaceful that when her mother came walking into view she barely noticed, so quiet was her entrance. Ami noticed though and promptly stood and curtsied. Sere followed suit as she realized who it was and quickly moved in front of her friend.
"It was my fault mama. I asked her to come with me," she said quietly, but boldly as was her nature and Queen Serenity was hard pressed not to smile at her daughter's protectiveness.
"Is this true Ami?" the Queen asked. Ami shook her head.
"I went with her because I wanted to, your highness," she responded quietly.
"And did you have fun?" asked the Queen. Both girls nodded sullenly.
"Then this will be our little secret. I'll see to it that your teachers are informed of your absence." Sere's happiness made her positively glow from head to foot, beaming at her mother. Ami likewise was both pleased and surprised.
"But Serenity," her mother paused and Sere froze; her mother used her full name, and that might not bode so well for her.
"Um, yes mama?" her voice was smaller than normal.
"Don't miss any more classes tomorrow."
"Yes mama."
Sere was relatively okay with that. While classes following today were also boring, they were better than the ones she had conveniently missed. They were certainly worth the new friend she had made: Princess Ami. Her small face frowned that night though as she could not get to sleep. The moon seemed too bright and the wind too loud. So she crept out to her beloved rose garden and sat there, spreading petals over her nightgown as she had done in previous nights and rubbed her soft fingers against the velvety petals. Their scent was beautiful and calming to the little girl who, though she was a princess, until she had met Ami, was lonely. There were few people a princess was allowed to consort with, and so her friends had been none until the intelligent princess Ami had come to share the dancing lesson with her. It was a nice thought to her young mind and loving heart, a friend.
So absorbed in her own thoughts, the child was infinitely startled when she heard a twig snap behind her. She turned her head and thought she saw a retreating form in the darkness. Standing quickly, she took off after the shadow, as fast as she could go. She ended up at the fountain. Her eyes darted around but she could find no one. Thoroughly confused, she went back to her room and fell into her bed and closed the curtains around it, not bothering to close the window curtains. She puzzled over the mysterious figure who she was sure was real and fell asleep in the light of the moon, shining down through her silver curtains.
End part 1.
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Have a nice evening.
The Rose Prince
Chapter One
An ocean of black stretched out above her, sprinkled with bursts of silvery light. All the stars seemed to be lit by that same celestial aura that seemed untouchable by way of mortal hands, a visual gift of the gods that humans were destined never to hold, only to see.
To be able to clasp such a serenity, even a small one such as the stars at such a great distance seemed to offer, would have been too much. Still, their loveliness was enough to please the young girl who sat beneath them in a garden. Her platinum blond hair seemed to covet the moon's luminous beams that made it appear to be a silvery white, letting it shine down upon her, causing her hair to look like shimmering waves of moonlight. She was a veritable fairy, sitting there, her knees bent beneath her and a pale white skirt laying softly over them, covered in flower petals of all different colors.
They were lavender, yellow, white, peach, and pink, but mostly, they were red. This was not the garish red like that of an almost orange ruby, but instead a deep crimson, more akin to the depth one might find in a garnet's facets. Cupping one in her small, moonlit hands, the girl was careful not to prick her fingers, lest she bloody the white dress she wore; her mother not be amused if she did.
Lifting her entire face to the moon's soft light, her face basked in it, making her eyes seem the color of earth's blue waters and her skin the ivory white of its clouds. Perhaps she wasn't fairy. Maybe instead, she was an angel fallen from the stars, having lost her way to her palace in the heavens.
But no. She was neither fairy, nor angel. Still, she was exquisite to look upon, even for a child of less than eight years. If she sat there, poised as she was and did not move, a passerby would have thought her to be some master artist's greatest work, a statue of immaculate etherealness. A slight sigh escaped her small mouth as she stood and gently let the petals fall from her skirts, the sound carried away by the silence and the flowers taken away by a sudden breeze of warm spring air. It was definitely past her bed time and if her mother found her gone she would make her do something absolutely awful, like embroidery; she winced at the thought and shrugged-well, never mind about that because the point in the young girl leaving the garden at that moment was to avoid the entire thing. Turning from the large and many brambles of thorns and colored petals, the beautiful child who was neither fairy nor angel slipped quietly back to her home.
Quietly shutting her bedroom door, she jumped lightly into her feather bed and pulled the finely made and beautifully colored blanket over her, up to her small chin and smiled. Whenever she came back anything within a yard of her smelled like those roses she so loved. Even the immense room with the gilded mirror and tall ceilings and finery that would normally have smelt of a rustic dusty aroma, was filled with the flowery scent. And, as the child drifted to sleep, she failed to notice a single crimson petal that had stubbornly stuck in her mane of hair.
The room smelled of roses.
Sunlight warmed its way in personified coils of soft yellow beams through the child's tall French doors, and whispered their longing to do the same through her tall and curtain bound windows. Lifting one of her delicate hands, which on closer inspection in the morning's aurora revealed her skin to be a pale cream, not ivory white, she yawned. Its sound fluctuated in the large room and bounced off at her from different pieces of furniture but the girl ignored the echo until it simply could not bounce its sound any longer and faded away. She shifted her slight figure to the edge of her bed, which one could now see was enclosed in translucent silver curtains, a sleeping place fit for a princess.
As the small flats of her feet touched the thickly carpeted floor, she raised her arms in a full stretch and then quickly made her way to the first window to the left of the French doors. Easily drawing the long opaque curtains of lavender back, she bound each side of them with the soft silver cord that hung docilely at each end. After doing the same for the equally sizeable window on the right of the French doors, the child placed both hands on the knobs and opened them. Stepping out joyfully onto the alabaster balcony, she rejoiced in the way a child tends to do for the simple happiness of being alive.
The kind warmth of dawn permeated her skin to the depths of her physically small and spiritually boundless heart as she skipped to the edge of the balcony, leaning on the ledge and looking over it into the gardens below. Surely the gardens were brighter today than any other day. To her young eyes the reds were redder, the blues bluer, and every other color was more so its own as well. Raising her head to the skies, the child noted the soft swirls of the clouds that painted themselves on the canvas of cerulean blue.
She knew it must be a perfect day. A frown quickly made its way onto her flawless face as the inevitable thought occurred to her: but a perfect day for what? Something fuzzy rubbed gently against her skirts that she still wore from the night before; the girl smiled as her gaze turned downwards and she saw a back of black fur. This was Luna, the kitten she had received not long ago as a present from some visiting duke from some distant planet (both facts, which the young girl found no particular interest in, or not more than the more important reality of a new playmate.)
Ah, that was it. It was a perfect day to go riding. Since she was only a child, her ride was small, but it was no less beautiful than the finest of full-grown stallions or mares. This filly suited the child, with its coat of butter-cream yellow and white mane and tail. A definite fairy-tale horse befitting of a fairy-like girl, but she would have to do that later. She knew first things came first and to her chagrin, lessons came first. Turning away from the sunlight, the girl re-entered her bedroom, the cat at her heels. Flopping ungracefully back onto her bed, she pouted. Today was Vendredi, the day of Venus. That meant her lessons today consisted of the easiest, most menial, and utterly brainless of all: dancing-which it might be noted she could do, but did not enjoy-lessons, etiquette-which she could also gracefully pull off, the corners of her mouth turning down only when others were not looking-lessons, and worst of all, embroidery-which she could not do.
Phooey. It was too beautiful a morning to waste on classes in her opinion. And, since she had no human companions, hers was the only opinion to consider, or so she came to the conclusion that it was in a familiarly childlike fashion. Her mother might have found it endearing if her daughter didn't come to the same conclusion every morning that didn't bear rolling clouds of gray and rain that threatened to break the windows of their home. Having woken up to the same beautiful dawn, the queen knew exactly what the heart of her heart was thinking and made her way to her chambers as quickly as possible, still dressed in her nightgown and robe, both of which were white.
The resemblance between daughter and mother were as clear as the sky that day; like the angelic child, the mother had pale creamy flesh that held no blemishes and hair that was platinum blonde but appeared to be a silvery white in the moonlight. Like the child promised to be, she was tall and slender, her jaw line smooth, regal. With a graceful neck and finely sculpted face one would have to bend to her unearthly beauty. However, the crowning glory of this walking force of benevolence was the set of crystalline eyes that appeared even bigger than they really were, surrounded by her pale skin. They were somewhat lighter than her daughter's- which mind you, made neither one less or more stunning-and together, had their splendor renowned throughout the lands of all places.
So, in this white robe and long gown for sleeping in, one could not help but still notice her penetrating attractiveness, nor the presence of power that came with her as she stood, poised outside of her daughter's bedroom door. A smile tugged at the corners of her pale rose lips as the door creaked open a moment; she flattened herself against the wall beside it. Sure enough, a small head of familiar platinum blonde hair poked outside the door cautiously. She surveyed the area as best she could for passing servants or guards, but most importantly, the lady hidden behind her door that, unfortunately for the child, she could not see.
Letting escape a small sigh, the girl stepped out of the room and shut the door. She began to walk quickly away, the tall corridor making even her tiny footsteps audible, like whispers. Then suddenly her footsteps were not the only sounds there.
"Princess Serenity," her mother called to her, her imperious voice echoing into her daughter's ears; if her voice had not been so warm, it would have been eerie, the effect that the voice made throughout the hall. Serenity turned to face her mother slowly, raising her head finally with her chin lifted a bit higher than normal. The queen smiled; her daughter was strong, even as a youngling.
"Yes mama?" Her voice returned the echoes in the tenor voice tone of her years.
"Where are you headed Serenity? The breakfast room is this way." The queen gestured smoothly behind her in the opposite direction of that which little Serenity had been going. Shifting lightly from foot to foot, her white skirts brushing against her legs, the princess shrugged helplessly. There was apparently no means of escape today; and it was only now that she realized she had failed to change from her bedclothes too and that they had small traces of dirt from the gardens.
"Nowhere mama," she replied quietly and made her way back into her room to change. As the door clicked shut, Queen Serenity smiled kindly in her daughter's direction. She would have loved to give her child anything she wished for, and take away anything that so displeased her. And yet, as a princess she knew Serenity would be expected to know these somewhat frivolous things like embroidery, as well as the more in depth task of being a monarch of kindness that had been born within her, just as her mother had. So, she suffered the lessons through, knowing how much her daughter detested them, how much she would prefer the horse stables to her stuffy but elegant classrooms, how she cherished her childhood freedom, for the Queen had felt the same way.
She could only hope Serenity would keep her childish whims that made her so endearing and love that gave her sweet courage through anything-even embroidery, the Queen thought with a tentative smile. After all, what made her so pure was her encompassing adoration of life and her easy acceptance.
Brushing a section of her long hair behind her shoulder, Queen Serenity left the entrance of her daughter's chambers and went to get some more suitable attire for the day; the Queen in her night clothes was not exactly an appropriate thing for the breakfast table in any case.
Soon after breakfast, Serenity's dreaded lessons began. At least today there would be another girl there. Normally it was left alone to little Serenity and her rubber band teacher. Actually, her teacher's real name was Lady Oron but to Serenity she had been and always would be Rubber Band. Her reasoning was that the lady had the appearance of one who looked stretched out, by the skin. It was more or less the result of many wrinkles in the woman's respectable age, but Serenity was convinced that the lady was made of rubber and so, she called her that.
Step to the right, and right, and right and full turn, and right, and right, and right, and step forward and half turn and.
It continued like this, the young servant boy chosen to be her partner whirling easily through the motions, having done them many, many times under the strict eyes of Lady Oron in order to be a perfect partner. Regardless of the fact that the little princess knew the pattern inside and outside and backwards and sideways, she stepped on the poor boy's feet more than once, mostly out of frustration.
The lessons had begun so quickly she had not been able to meet this other girl who danced with another boy, not but a yard apart from her and her partner. Serenity was perhaps stepping on this servant boy's feet also as a result of trying to look past him and attempting to get a clear glimpse of the girl, ignoring the listen greatly, if not entirely. Then, as they did another rotation Serenity got her wish. She caught her breath; the princess was beautiful.
Now, it had not occurred to Serenity that she was beautiful too, perhaps even more beautiful than this other girl because that was not the way she thought. If her hair was the way her mother wanted it and if she was as clean as her mother wanted her to be, and if her poise was perfect in order to please her mother, that was what she saw: the need to please her mother and success. A child seldom thinks of their own beauty or lack thereof because it is out of character for them. Seldom do they care if their clothes have specks of dirt or their hair is messy and tangled, so long as they are happy and the people around them are too.
Noticing someone else's beauty was an entirely different thing however. And Serenity was indeed correct, for the girl was nothing short of lovely. It was a unique look, her short dark hair framing her face of fair skin and ocean blue eyes. Still, it was entrancing, magical, and it reminded the princess strongly of the stories she had read about faeries and nymphs. After one final blow to the servant boy's foot, Serenity's dance lesson was over for that day and she wasted no time, heading straight over to the girl. She tapped her on the shoulder and the girl faced her, smiling kindly. Serenity smiled back and curtsied flawlessly in greeting.
"Hi. My name's Sere. What's yours?" she asked boldly, using her nickname instead of the too formal princess title. She had to look slightly up, because as she had found on nearing this girl, she was slightly shorter than her. The princess found this somewhat disgruntling, but waved it out of her mind as she waited for the girl's response.
"Nice to meet you Sere. My name is Ami," the girl replied, curtsying in return and still smiling. Serenity, or rather, Sere, shuffled her feet for a moment, suddenly unsure of whether or not this girl would actually want to be her friend. After a moment's thought, she gave an internal shrug and inhaled deeply. If she didn't make an attempt now, she might never have a human friend, and be closed off to only a feline companion-this was in no particular offense to Luna who she adored dearly.
"Um, I was thinking, these lessons mama has for me are so boring. Do you want to skip the next class with me? I know the best place to go," Sere leaned in close, her voice excited and jubilant, and the light in her eyes shining merrily. Ami for her part was slightly taken aback at the idea of missing a class, though she could see the lack of importance in them. But old habits are hard to break and Ami bit her lip; what would her parents think if they found out? And surely they would find out. It was only a matter of time. Then she looked slightly down at the princess who had turned her head down and calmly folded her pale hands in front of her, the fingers wringing one another in anxiety. Forgetting any and all pretense or sincerity of fear of her parents thoughts of her missing two silly classes, which surely they knew they were, she held out her hand to Sere.
Sere blinked and looked up; she had been trying to hold back small tears when she had seen Ami's indecisive expression and actions, convinced that she had appeared as an annoyance. Seeing the smile that made Ami's eyes look all the bluer and brighter, she smiled as she heard her sweet voice accept the invitation and in seconds Sere was leading Ami through the corridors of the palace, which was her home. Silently they made their way through various passages, making many turns and numerous stops to avoid being seen.
Ami had to admit to herself that for the first time in her young life, she felt like she was having fun with this sunny girl, who's nature seemed to embody happiness. As Sere led her through one last door, light shone down upon her and she momentarily shielded her eyes; it was so bright! She uncovered her eyes to see Sere twirling in the entrance to the magnificent gardens that her kingdom was famed for. Sere had her arms widespread and her head uplifted; it was very picturesque with her long platinum hair whirling behind her and the skies above enhancing the green in the garden itself.
Suddenly Sere stopped and offered yet another of her unreserved smiles to her newfound friend as she once again took her hand and led her into the depths of the garden. It was a matter of minutes that took them into the middle of the hedge maze of a garden. An alabaster fountain with five levels held sparkling pools of trickling water in their basins, overflowing in soft rivulets down the edges.
"This is one of my favorite places," Sere said before wading into the fountain. Ami was surprised and her face showed it, her eyes widening. Sere only continued to splash in the fountain. She turned to Ami and beckoned for her to join her.
"Mama says I shouldn't do this, but she never tells me why. I think it's fun," Sere said, up a bit past her waist in the fountain.
"Fun?" Ami tested the word out.
"Yep. It's nice and clean too. Besides, you like water don't you?" asked Sere. Ami nodded silently and sat on the edge of the pool, kicking her feet in it. It was clean and nice. Neither warm, nor cold, it was a good temperature- Water splashed her in the face and as she blinked it away and found a grinning Sere standing in the water not a yard away, she retaliated with an equally happy expression and burst of water.
Laughter rang through the garden until the hours of their classes were well past. Both girls were resting their backs against the side of the fountain, still giggling. The sun had nearly dried their clothes out and it was a comforting warmth to be in. Sere was so peaceful that when her mother came walking into view she barely noticed, so quiet was her entrance. Ami noticed though and promptly stood and curtsied. Sere followed suit as she realized who it was and quickly moved in front of her friend.
"It was my fault mama. I asked her to come with me," she said quietly, but boldly as was her nature and Queen Serenity was hard pressed not to smile at her daughter's protectiveness.
"Is this true Ami?" the Queen asked. Ami shook her head.
"I went with her because I wanted to, your highness," she responded quietly.
"And did you have fun?" asked the Queen. Both girls nodded sullenly.
"Then this will be our little secret. I'll see to it that your teachers are informed of your absence." Sere's happiness made her positively glow from head to foot, beaming at her mother. Ami likewise was both pleased and surprised.
"But Serenity," her mother paused and Sere froze; her mother used her full name, and that might not bode so well for her.
"Um, yes mama?" her voice was smaller than normal.
"Don't miss any more classes tomorrow."
"Yes mama."
Sere was relatively okay with that. While classes following today were also boring, they were better than the ones she had conveniently missed. They were certainly worth the new friend she had made: Princess Ami. Her small face frowned that night though as she could not get to sleep. The moon seemed too bright and the wind too loud. So she crept out to her beloved rose garden and sat there, spreading petals over her nightgown as she had done in previous nights and rubbed her soft fingers against the velvety petals. Their scent was beautiful and calming to the little girl who, though she was a princess, until she had met Ami, was lonely. There were few people a princess was allowed to consort with, and so her friends had been none until the intelligent princess Ami had come to share the dancing lesson with her. It was a nice thought to her young mind and loving heart, a friend.
So absorbed in her own thoughts, the child was infinitely startled when she heard a twig snap behind her. She turned her head and thought she saw a retreating form in the darkness. Standing quickly, she took off after the shadow, as fast as she could go. She ended up at the fountain. Her eyes darted around but she could find no one. Thoroughly confused, she went back to her room and fell into her bed and closed the curtains around it, not bothering to close the window curtains. She puzzled over the mysterious figure who she was sure was real and fell asleep in the light of the moon, shining down through her silver curtains.
End part 1.
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