Makoto

The fact that Azorth was being so adamant about having this talk right now didn’t make Makoto feel at all comforted. She saw the look of worry on Small Lady’s face, too, and immediately felt the urge to grab the princess and kidnap her as far away as possible from this troublesome prince. It took every inch of willpower in her for Mako to stay put.

And when the princess asked her to leave, she also forced herself to nod and turn her back on the pair. Walking away from them was difficult, but Makoto didn’t go far. Instead of continuing to walk after exiting the room, she made a sharp turn into a hidden alcove just outside. She intended to stay and listen on the conversation in case something went wrong. She didn’t trust the prince, and Small Lady shouldn’t either. Unfortunately it was clear she was falling so hard for him. Makoto sighed. Love really could blind anyone.

Now alone, Azorth walked over to the window and looked out at the dreary weather that poured down over the gardens. The storm was a perfect description of his mood, it was as if mother nature was mocking him. He put his head down, and without looking at Small Lady began speaking.

"I need to tell you why I am here, the true reason. My father forced me into this engagement, as a way to take revenge on the Kingdom of Moon. He wants me to overthrow your kingdom, and give full royal rights back to the Kingdom of Dark. I came here with all intentions to do that, but now, now...." Azorth buckled down to his knees and began to tremble. "Your family, has shown me so much love, you have showed me how to love." Azorth looked up at Small Lady when he said "you". "I don't wish to be my father's tool anymore. I want to make you happy, I want to be your husband and rule by your side.... to be your future."

Admin Bump! We are so close to first place in the RP Contest!

Princess Small Lady Serenity

When Azorth began explaining himself, Small Lady felt her blood run cold and the hairs stand up on the back of her neck. The dread she felt for the safety of her family and her people overwhelmed her. His confession continued, and she could only stare blankly at his figure. Her mind felt as though she could no longer process anything happening around her.

And then his tone changed. The sparkle of light returned to her eyes, her attention focused again. Now he was repentant...supplicant.

When he looked into her eyes and said the word "you," her ruby eyes filled with tears, overcome with the emotions filling her heart and very being. This honesty in his expression was the way she had always dreamed he would glance over at her--with love. Evident love.

The princess fell to her knees alongside him, wrapping her arms around his shoulders and pressing her head against his body as the tears spilled down her cheeks. For a few moments she could barely speak, unable to articulate herself in the midst of this strange rush of joy.

"I... I want you by my side, as my future," she sniffled, finally breaking the odd silence. "I was so scared that you didn't like me. I thought you wouldn't want to be with me; that the engagement was abhorrent to you--that I was irreparably flawed in your eyes."

She looked up at her prince, radiating the hope and warmth from her soul. It was that of the unfailing love he had come to know in this strange place.

"Whatever we can do to resist your father's plan, we will. I believe in you."

Azorth


Azorth could't hold back his tears. Hearing this fragile women say that she was afraid she was irreparably flawed, broke his heart. He wrapped his arms around her tiny body and hugged her close. Hearing her words confidence, knowing she wasn't angry or mad felt like a thousand pound weight had been lifted from his chest. This was what true love was, being there for your significant other in the good times and the bad.


"We need to tell your parents and the rest of the royal guard. My father is expecting to speak with me tonight, and when I tell him I no longer will be his puppet , he will attack as the coward he is. We need the Kingdom of Moon to be ready. I fear that this is the only solution left, knowing my father."

Princess Small Lady Serenity

Small Lady clasped her hands around his and nodded in agreement. When the princess looked up into his face, he could see the determination and empathy reflected in her expression. When she had opened her heart to someone, Small Lady would gladly fight alongside that person without hesitation.

"My mother couldn't have traveled far from the solarium yet, and Makoto was already with her. We should catch up to them and then gather the others. I agree that they need to know about your father's plans. Perhaps they can come up with a strategy..."

The princess smiled at Azorth. It might have seemed out of place with this sudden revelation of danger, but she felt a lightness in her heart that could not be ignored. Her fears were discounted and swept away by a gentle breeze of reciprocated love. She would support him and stand beside him, secure in the faithful knowledge that he would do the same for her. Love was a strange feeling, but she wouldn't have exchanged it for the greatest riches in the world.

The queen was in the throne room. Her advisor Luna was going over a few things around the kingdom. It was boring work but it had to be done, despite the fact she had several ideas that she would rather be pursing. 

Luna wasn't sure that the queen was focused on the task at hand so she started making random things up to see what could get her attention. "And the Geese people demand that we hand over all the cheese in the kingdom or they will invade. The mice require at least 5 more hours to make up for scaring the cats last week and the dogs wont guard the pig again." She said hoping to grab the queen's wandering mind. With a sigh Luna threw her hands into the air. "Majesty I am sorry to say that you can no longer have sweets, they seem to have rotted your mind away!" 

A blonde head turned fast as a whip. "Now how can that be true?" she said with a sly smile."I've heard every word you've said, and the mice have have their hours, the dogs need not worry about the pigs and I'm afraid we'll just have to go to war with the geese, since we so do like our cheese." She laughed with her advisor then and wondered what else the day would hold.

"Lets go." Azorth said while hugging Small Lady close to him. "It is now or never."

Azorth lead his soon to be wife down the hallway, straight to the Queens corridors. He didn't event knock, but barged in without a care. This was the moment he was waiting for. He couldn't turn back now. He looked at Small Lady in the eyes and walked over to the Queen and knelt before her. 

"I need to be honest with you, my majesty. My existence here was not initially to marry your daughter, but that of a traitor. My father, the King of the Kingdom of Dark, sent me here on his command to marry and to takeover the Kingdom of Moon. Your daughter and your Kingdom has shown me the light that was missing in my heart, and no longer wish to betray you. I love your daughter for lighting the candle that was out in my soul, and now that I have come clean, my father will sense my betrayal and will send an army to attack."

Azorth didn't dare look at the Queen or the little cat that sat next to her. He felt a cold shiver run down his spine and he was sure his face was as white as a ghost.

The Queen sat there for a moment, trying not to let shock register on her face or the fact that the dark prince's words both shook the queen to the core and warmed her heart. Love was a powerful and strange thing, she knew that first hand. Taking a calming deep breath, she kept her eyes fixed on the couple before her, they would have to fight for their love and their union and if the queen could help she would.

"Then we must ready our armies." She said with as steady a voice as she could. She had hoped her daughter's marriage would have brought unity to the kingdoms, but she had been wrong and she would never have seen it coming.

"Tell me Azroth." The queen said standing. "What will we be against?" She asked walking down the few steps to the couples level. "Will you work with our armies? Will you help prepare us for the battle your father will bring to our door? And all for love." She mused the last more to herself than the prince, all for love.

"Luna gather the others in the war room, looks as if we have a fight ahead of us." The small black cat nodded, jumped to the floor and took off like a black streak out the door of the throne room to gather the others.

"Come along then." The queen said, "They'll be expecting us there too." She said to the princess and prince and started off towards rooms she hadn't used in years, in fact after the wedding she was going to allow the young couple to have the converted to their own apartment, but they were needed once again to plan defense for the Moon kingdom. With a sigh the queen pushed open the doors and started laying out maps and other scrolls they might need in preparation for the meeting.

Princess Small Lady Serenity

Small Lady never left Azorth's side. Now that he had professed his love for her, her own feelings of attachment had multiplied. When he stepped away from her to kneel and confess to her mother, she hovered nearby, trying to stay strong and steady. She believed in the Queen and her ability to overcome enemies and fear, but still the princess did not know what to expect. She was thankful beyond words to hear her mother's fair and calm reply.

The war room was a place Small Lady hadn't seen open in years, and it chilled her to think that their kingdom would be threatened once more. She remembered sneaking into it as a child, wondering at the maps and plans and massive tomes shelved along the walls. At the time, it had seemed like a magical place of secrets. Now, as an adult, it felt slightly oppressive. How many of their subjects would be injured or killed in the oncoming war? Would they be able to stop the forces of Azorth's father's kingdom?

Azorth sat on the leather chair that was directly across from the Queen. He looked down the long table, and slowly made eye contact with everyone else who sat at the table with him. He took Small Lady's hand in his, and began speaking. Azorth was looking directly at Makoto, the head of the King of Moon's guard.

"My father has a very small army, no more than 100 men and women, but don't let this number fool you. His army does not fight with weapons, but rather magic. My kingdom..." Azorth looked at the Queen before finishing his words. "....my home does not use weapons like normal wars would. Instead, children are taught dark magic since birth, and continue to learn and enhance their dark magic abilities throughout school. Luckily, many do not advance beyond the simple tricks that they learn in school. These unadvanced make up 95 members of my fathers army."

Azorth took in a deep breath and squeezed Small Lady's fingers. "The remaining 5 are called the Devastating Penta. The Devastating Penta are the strongest dark magic users in my father's kingdom. Each has mastered a different type of Magic; Water, Electric, Fire, Dark, and Curse."

The queen listened to what the prince had to say about his father's army and their skills. She sat in silent thought for a moment before she answered. Magic users would cause a problem there were only a few if any in her kingdom, and she would not call them to war unless they wished to fight. "So Azroth, how do you propose we defeat your father's army?" She asked bring her hands together at the fingertips. "We must find a way to bring as little damage as possible to the civilians of this kingdom." She then turned to Mako,"Mako I expect you to work with our young prince to ensure that what needs to be done is done." She then turned back to the prince. She looked at him in study again. She hoped he was honest in his actions and true of his word, the queen hoped for it more than anything, but she still held back some of her trust in case he wasn't knowingly or otherwise completely in control of himself.

Princess Small Lady Serenity

Small Lady was unsure of what to do, but she stayed silent and still, listening carefully to the conversation. She would support her kingdom and her beloved in whatever action they deemed necessary, but she also doubted her own ability to be useful. The princess had never known war or participated in a battle. She feared what this upcoming conflict might mean for those she loved.

The thought of her mother's death, or the death of her mother's advisors, or her father... the blood drained from the princess's face. All of those people had always been a part of her life. She couldn't imagine what it would be without them. She slowly looked at each person present, tracing their faces in her mind. If those people were gone, and only her memories remained... how awful!

Small Lady turned towards Azorth. She was so happy to finally learn that he truly cared for her, and that he looked forward to their future life together. What would that life be like without him? She could feel tears stinging her eyes, called up just by that thought. If he fought in the war and did not return, how empty her life would be... And she knew, in this moment, that her feelings for him ran deep and even.

Hopefully they would have a moment soon to speak together. An elaborate wedding ceremony had been planned for months, with the date still in the distant future, but if it was to be war... Small Lady would rather enter the battle alongside him as husband and wife than fiancé and fiancée. She glanced up at his determined profile, and wondered if he would agree. It took concentration to avoid blurting out such a thing in the middle of the battle plans, but the princess took a deep breath and vowed to discuss it with Prince Azorth as soon as possible.

  Ami  

Ami listened as the Queen ordered Makoto to work with the young Prince to find a strategy to defeat the young man father's army. She hoped her friend was able to come up with something that would defeat them quickly. She quietly approached the queen, standing behind her and to her left. She paused for a moment before she spoke.

"Your majesty," she began, "The Kingdom simply cannot afford to have a war at the moment, at least not a prolonged one. We simply do not have the funds in the treasury and in order to increase those funds, we would have to severely increase the taxes on the citizens and I'm worried that wold further demoralize them. War is always demoralizing, but further taxation, making it harder for them to meet basic needs would be even worse." She hoped that the Queen would listen to her and work on a strategy for peace or at least a quick end to the war.

"We need to fight, or at least a counter measure." Azorth directed the statement towards Makoto. " But, no one in the kingdom is proficient enough with magic to defeat the main magic users of my father. If only we had more time, perhaps I could teach your army a few techniques.... but that is obviously out of the question. If only there was something..." Azorth sighed and looked down at Small Lady. She was obviously deep in thought. He squeezed her hand harder, and could swear she was holding back tears.

The Queen sat back and listened to the conversations around her. She knew that something had to be done. But what? She thought to herself, there was something she could hardly remember from her childhood, something her mother had told her would protect the kingdom in times of great need. What was it?

"That's it!" The queen exclaimed standing quickly and exiting the room. She started towards the old throne room, the one used for ceremonial reasons or special occasions like coronations. She knew that in that old room they would find the answers they needed so badly to defend the kingdom for the looming attack by the Black Moon.

Princess Small Lady Serenity

Her mother's sudden exclamation startled Small Lady, although she was not entirely unaccustomed to bursts of excitement from the queen. There was something in her mother's tone that seemed odd just now, something that indicated a more serious nature to her mother's thoughts than was commonly associated with these moments of revelation. Following the blonde woman as she rushed from the room was an automatic reaction for the princess. She kept close behind her mother, wondering why they were suddenly in the old throne room and what mysteries it could contain.

Azorth was surprised by the Queen's sudden mood change. She was obviously thinking about something, and hopefully it was the key to help their kingdom defeat his own. Small Lady followed her mother, and out of reaction, Azorth followed his future bride. The room that the Queen lead them was obviously one that hadn't been used in ages.

Was there something in this room that was hiding a secret? Something that change everything?

The Queen searched the wall behind the thrones she knew it had to be there. She pushed at stones, she pulled at torch scones on the walls, she tried everything she could think of, and after a while she gave up only for a moment to think.

"What did mother say?" She thought back wondering if there was some spell or something she needed.

Behind the thrones of Love and Light,
a way to break darkness' might,
beyond the realms of fantasy
lies the power that you seek.

Remember princess,
to call upon thy friends and family.
their strength will guide you
through the darkest of nights.

"Beyond the realms of fantasy?" she paused and looked around. There was a tapersty on the wall one that had hung there since she was a child. It depicted a forest world with elves, unicorns and Fantasy! With a cry of excitement she shot forward and moved the heavy cloth aside. Behind it she found an indentation that would just accept her pendant that all queen's wore. Removing it from her neck, she placed the crest of her family in the indent and gasped as the stone slid back with a puff of dust and slide aside.

Grabbing a troch, she smiled over her shoulder. "Come on Princess, lets find a way to defend our kingdom." She held out her hand for her daughters. This was something they had to do alone, it only seemed right that the Queen and future queen were the ones to find their way to fight.

Princess Small Lady Serenity

Small Lady responded immediately to her mother's request. She slipped her hand into her mother's outstretched one and stepped forward into the darkness illuminated only by the Queen's torch.

Ami

When her Queen cried out “That’s it!” and ran off, Ami was left standing in the throne room in shock. She stood there for several seconds before racing down the hall after the wayward Queen. She had a bad feeling about this.

“Your highness, what are you doing?” Ami asked when she finally caught up with the other woman, who had been joined by her daughter.

The queen smiled at her daughter as she took her hand. When Ami asked what she was doing she turned to look over her shoulder. "Finding the answer to our problems. Wait here. We will be in no danger." She said her voice still and calm. With a smile to her daughter again she led them into the darkness, light only by her torch.

"I remember my mother telling me of something deep inside the castle, kept hidden from all eyes, only to be brought to light when things were the most dire." She explained to Small Lady. "There was a story or poem with it." She smiled and recited the poem to her daughter as best she could her memory of it fuzzy.

"If I understand it either one or both of us will be needed to gather our only hope." She smiled again. She felt a stillness, like a calm well before a storm, in her heart. She had no fear for her kingdom or her daughter's safety now. "With these," She said rounding the corner to a mid size room, "We should be able to defeat the darkness that will come."

In the middle of the room on a dials was a chest, large enough to hold the Queen's traveling clothes, but it was bright gold and inlaid with precious stones. "Let us open it together." She said, a feeling deep in her heart that the current and future queens would be needed for this task.

Ami

There was no way that Ami could ever forgive herself if she remained behind if the Queen and her heir went into some unknown part of the castle without her. Who knew what would happen? She couldn't let them go in there alone, nor could she risk leaving to get some of the guards to accompany them. Seeing no other choice, Ami quietly followed to Royal pair.

She listened as the Queen recited a poem from her memory that her mother had told her as a child. She couldn't help but wonder what ancient treasure would be able to help them in their time of need. Part of her wanted to take the time to examine it, to find out how old it was. Ami wondered if there were any books in the Royal library that references it, anything that could perhaps help them. She made a mental note to look into that.

Princess Small Lady Serenity

Small Lady listened in awe to her mother's words and the accompanying poem. Just moments ago things had seemed so dire, but now the atmosphere had changed. Clearly whatever lay hidden in the castle, whatever this thing was that they would soon uncover, possessed a power strong enough to truly challenge and possibly defeat the forces of Azorth's father. Her mother looked so sure and confident, radiant with this revelation. Small Lady wondered if she would ever look as beautiful and noble as the queen.

The ornate chest on the dais before them was dazzling. The princess felt drawn to it, her eyes flitting across the multi-coloured jewels set into the brilliant gold. It had not tarnished nor did it seem dirty, despite how many years it must have lain here untouched. She nodded in response to her mother's comment, and placed a small hand on the decorated lid, ready to open it in unison with the queen.

Azorth hated leaving his future bride, but he trusted the Queen, her mother. He squeezed Small Lady's hand before allowing her to venture with the Queen into a hidden passage that lead deep beneath the castle. He leaned against the stoney wall and waited, nearly being knocked over by the blue haired girl called Ami who followed the two, going against the Queen's wishes.

With a small nod to her daughter they lifted the lid in unison. The glow that emitted from inside could have been blinding if royal women had not shielded their eyes. In side the chest resting in soft pink velvet were 6 stones all varying in color from the brightest white to the deepest green, red, yellow,blue and the palest of pinks. Each seemed to radiate power.

The awe in the Queen's voice was like a child in wonder. "With any luck, my daughter, these will be our saving graces." She smiled at the princess. "My mother told me that these stone posses power that will help if we can find their rightful users." The queen had no doubt that they would find the users of the stones.

Princess Small Lady Serenity

The princess stared down at the stones, amazement glittering in the reflected brilliance of those gems in her luminous eyes.

"What have you heard of these, Mother?" she asked, breathless and reverent. This was not a tale she was familiar with, but clearly it was essential that she now become its most devoted scholar.

Azorth grunted to himself, his patients growing thin. His love and soon to be mother-in-law were taking an awful long time. Fear filled him, what if something had gone wrong? He trusted the Queen, but what if she didn't trust him and was planning something against him? He paniced, and began his journey down the passage, soon stepping behind the blue haired girl, who was also spying on them. His nerves calmed, realizing that he had been foolish with his thoughts.