Serenity listened as Jupiter spoke. She loved the idea of forming a treaty of peace with Endymion. Maybe it would help to improve the relations between the people of the moon and Earth.  At least these stories were interesting, so it made learning easier…even fun. Serenity smiled at Jupiter’s words, that is until she mentioned when she would have to take over for her mother.

Serenity felt a clench in her chest. She had never really thought of a day where her mother would not be around. Just the thought of the Queen being gone struck a hint of fear into Serenity’s heart. She felt a hint of panic as she spoke, “you don’t think that is going to happen any time soon do you?” She asked Jupiter as she felt tears coming to her eyes.


“I can’t imagine a world without mama, I would be so lost without her,” Serenity said as she hoped she would not have to worry about a world without her mother for a very very long time.

Beryl listened as Kunzite spoke up. He had a pretty solid strategy for this war with the Moon Kingdom. She had no doubt that while he was there previously he had staked out the Kingdom and its possible defenses just to make sure things would be safe for Prince Endymion while there, in case something had gone wrong. His plan was a really truly good one. "Kunzite," Beryl started, "That is a fantastic strategy. I think you're right and it should work very well." Beryl smiled, the plan was going well and she was certain that the war would end in their favor. "How well prepared would you four Shittennou be to go up against the Sailor Senshi?" Beryl knew that bringing those four up would lead to a problem, but it needed to be addressed and she could strengthen their mind control while at it.

Seeing Princess Serenity in distress always yanked at Mercury's emotions. She loved the Princess too dearly to sit by idly if the girl was in even the slightest distress. That was how she had gotten into this mess, after all. The heir to the Moon Kingdom was certainly the sailor soldier of water and wisdom's greatest weakness. She tried to give the blonde a reassuring smile.

"Don't cry, Princess. Queen Serenity is incredibly powerful," Sailor Mercury commented. "I don't think you will have to think of ruling the Moon on your own for a very long time. And even then, she will always be a part of your life and your heart."

Most of this was conjecture, as Queen Serenity was the only Moon Kingdom ruler that Sailor Mercury had ever known. But her kingdom was vast and her reign was long, and she cared for her daughter too much to leave heavy responsibility for the sweet and innocent Princess before her time.

Venus smirked at Artemis’ question. “We just told her that her beloved prince would love to learn more things from her and that basically learning will improve their relationship. Seemed to do the trick,” she explained with a grin. She knew Artemis hadn’t called her just for a regular chitchat, but she figured she would humor him.

She waited as he inevitably transitioned into a more serious topic. Tensing slightly when she heard Kunzite’s name coming from his lips, Venus found herself starting to fidget when normally she wouldn’t. Talking about the generals with the other girls was one thing, but Artemis… although he understood why they were doing what they were doing, Venus still felt embarrassed about it sometimes. He was supposed to be her guide and teacher, and she knew he expected better from her. She couldn’t help but feel guilty about letting this whole thing get so out of hand.

But she forced herself to focus on his question. Earth? Her brows furrowed as she tried to figure out what he was saying. “We haven’t spoken in a while, but last time… he did mention minor unrest among the people. It seemed like nothing beyond the ordinary skirmishes that usually happens every once in a while though. So…” she paused, narrowing her eyes. If he was asking her this, was there reason to worry?

He immediately claimed that there wasn’t, but Venus wasn’t so sure. “Why are you asking? Have you heard something?” she prompted, curious. Her heart beat uncomfortably fast thinking that some kind of danger had come to him.

His plea had failed, and his hopes of being questioned before imprisoned were ill-placed. As the five guards led him, manacled, into areas of the castle without windowed views, he struggled against them - he recognized the parallels between this castle and his own and so knew where he was inevitably headed, but there was no time to wait! "Please!" he entreated, digging his heels in to slow them as they approached a hallway with a barred entrance; all palace finery was gone from here - no murals, tapestries, or even furniture; the entrance to what must be their dungeons was completely barren. "I need to see Queen Serenity! I have to warn her!" 

Could he just tell them? Or would it incite panic? Would they even believe him?!

The barred door was opened by another set of guards and he was passed through, despite his pleas and his resistance. Before long he was down a set of stairs and tossed unceremoniously into a cell after a struggle; by the time he rightened himself and had thrown himself against the door, it was fully locked.

"You have to listen to me!" he yelled as the men receded up the staircase. "I am Prince Endymion of Earth! The Moon Kingdom is in danger!" He continued to yell as they moved from his sight, desperate for at least one of them to hear him, if not to let him free than to spread the rumor and put the castle on high alert - "Queen Serenity has to be warned! The Earth is planning an attack!"

"The Moon Kingdom is in danger!" he repeated again, as the barred door down the hall at the top of the stairs was closed with a metallic clang, and the footsteps echoed away. "You must tell Queen Serenity!"

He shook the bars in frustration - or attempted to, in any case; the metal held firm despite his attempts. He turned away from the empty stairs, hoping to find a guard stationed somewhere, else an inmate that might have ideas - criminals always had a way out of things, or a network they could contact - but again he had no luck. The six cells were vacant, and there was no guard station in sight. 

It was just him, alone in an empty prison made of polished stone and metal bars, lit by strange blue lights he had no interest in. "The Moon will be attacked!" he yelled, then yelled it again. And again, his throat growing raw with the added power to his normal projections. Holding the bars in front of him, he rested his forehead against them and continued to cry out, hoping that somebody would hear and react, or at least come down and tell him to be quiet. Maybe he could convince them then. Maybe one-on-one would have a greater effect than talking with the guards had. Maybe somebody would listen, and the Moon would know what was coming. 

Maybe they could get Princess Serenity to safety in time.

His grip tightened on the bars.

Luna was patrolling the perimeters of the castle, looking toward the earth in the distance with a worried frown, when she heard the sounds of a commotion. Her ears perked up, her heart beating fast—had something happened? She bounded over to the source on her little paws and spied guards escorting a tall gentleman that looked vaguely familiar. Was that…?

He was claiming to be the prince of Earth, and Luna’s eyes widened. That was Prince Endymion?! She didn’t get to go to Earth often with the senshi and Serenity—Luna did not like breaking rules like that and she hated lying to the queen even more, and she was always yelling at them to not go for Serenity’s sake!—so she wasn’t overly familiar with him, but if that was indeed him…

Where were they taking him? They seemed to be escorting him straight to the dungeons. Luna waited until the guards left again before slipping into the prison. Goodness, he’s loud. But his words and his insistence made her fur stood on end. The Moon will be attacked?!

If what he was saying was true… Luna knew immediately she had to tell someone. The Prince of Earth was here, in the Moon Kingdom. She was torn in so many directions. Part of her wanted to demand how he’d gotten here; if he could, how many more could? Especially in this attack he spoke of? The senshi could teleport, but they wielded magic… as far as she knew most Earth people did not. So how were they planning to attack the moon?

She should tell the queen. That was the most sensible thing to do; go straight to Queen Serenity. The queen was her mistress and the one Luna really answered to.

But the princess…

Serenity would want to know. Did she need to know? What would the queen do to the prince? Would she punish him? Would she kill him for committing this huge crime of trespassing into her kingdom? No, surely the queen wasn’t that harsh…

Luna gritted her teeth, and finally made a decision. For once in her life, she followed her heart instead of her head, and momentarily forgot all the rules and laws that had been laid out by her queen. Queen Serenity also told her to love her daughter like her own, and in that way, Luna was still obeying her right now.

She rushed straight into the garden where Serenity and the senshi were. She didn’t see Venus, but the other three would have to do.

“Princess!” she bounded up to Serenity and paused right in front of her, panting slightly from all the running. She hesitated, her tongue feeling leaden as she prepared herself to deliver the grave news. She knew she could not take it back and even until the last moment she was unsure if she was doing the right thing.

“The… prince… from Earth. I think he’s here. The guards took him to the dungeons, and… and he’s saying that the Moon will be attacked!”

Luna's proclamation made Sailor Mercury's heart leap into her throat. There was so much to process that any other mind might have struggled to comprehend it all, but her capable head was racing through the data like lightning. Prince Endymion was here? In the dungeon of the Moon Castle? Warning of an attack from the Earth?

She felt a shiver run down her spine, thinking of the earlier discussions regarding the Earth and their people. She was also thinking of some of the party-goers discussions during the ball. Snippets of conversation that had seemed meaningless and trivial at the time now stood out with crystal clarity. There were small warning signs all around them, but they had been blind to see those subtle hints and clues. This darkness lurked in, insidious, and now something terrible was potentially going to happen.

"Do you think we can get into the dungeon to talk to him, Luna?" she asked, her brain clicking through scenarios and remembering the layout of the castle. Was there any other passage into that area that may be less guarded than the main entrance? The Moon Castle's dungeons were rarely occupied, and thus the guards may be less strict monitoring that area than would typically be expected.

Mars caught Mercury's glance and returned with an unassuming shrug. It was important enough that she walked away, probably to keep Serenity from finding whatever it was out.  She would share it with them if she felt it was needed.  The book lay open in her lap as she listened to the conversation, going from Earth stories to the topic of Serenity's eventual ascension of the throne.  Mars was unsure of when and under what circumstances that would even take place.  She hoped that it would years from now, when Serenity was more mature and could handle the vast duties of being Queen.  She and the other Sailor Soldiers would still be by her side, helping her and protecting her.

Mars's thoughts were interrupted when Luna came running up to the group and through gasping breaths told them about the Prince's location in their dungeon and the impending Earth attack.  The news came as a shock, their previous conversation a stark contrast to the current situation.  Putting everything else aside they needed to start preparations.  She closed the book and laid it on the bench as she stood up gracefully. They needed to alert the Queen, get the Kingdom ready to defend, they could get more details from the Prince.  "There's no time to waste, we need to alert the Queen and get any details from the Prince."

"I see..." he sighed. Obviously she would question why he would ask such a thing, but what should he say? Part of him wanted to shield her from the truth. Her mind already filled with doubts, the least he wanted to do was place an additional burden on his charge, especially based on unfounded rumors.

But ultimately, it would be irresponsible to withhold any information from her. She is the leader of the Sailor Senshi after all - a duty that is not to be taken lightly.

"I'm not entirely sure myself," - that was no lie after all - "but there have been rumors that the situation on Earth was becoming increasingly heated. Most likely it's nothing at all I'm sure, but if it was enough to concern Queen Serenity..." he admitted. "I had to check if perhaps you knew something more."

"Maybe it wouldn't be a bad idea to visit that planet once more in the coming days and see for ourselves. You should probably ask the Princess if she wants to tag along too - we already know that she's going to go with or without your knowing anyway!" he said with a grin.

"Anyway, just be careful for now. I'm sure things will work out in the end," he concluded and began to take his leave. He should report back to Luna for now. But just as he turned, he saw her - he could barely make her out in the distance, but it was definitely her - he could see her running towards the girls' direction. Why was she running though?

"Venus!" he glanced back at her. "Let's go back, quickly!"

The sight of Serenity crying caused Jupiter to quickly backpedal her argument. "I-I'm sure you have some time before you have to take over the throne. And besides, we'll bet there for you too." That was what they were trained to do, guard and help Serenity. 

Jupiter put her book down when Luna ran across the gardens towards them. What had her rushing around like that? It wasn't like her at all to look so panicked. The message she had for the Princess gave them the answer though. Prince Endymion was in their dungeons, and the Moon was in danger?

"We need to hear what the Prince has to say first," she said to Mars, already standing up. She was already tense, as if anticipating the sounds of soldier's boots marching towards them. "If we don't have all the details, we won't be much help."

Serenity felt herself calm down at the comforting words of her senshi. She knew they would protect her, but she was glad she would still have her mother around for some time.

She was about to immerse herself back in the book of Earth’s legends when she saw Luna running then jumping before her on the table.

The prince from Earth…I think he is here, Luna said.

At that Serenity stood, her mind filtering out the last part. All she heard was Endymion was here. She wanted to run to him, but she did not know where he was. It was not until Mercury asked Luna if she thought they could get into the dungeons, that Serenity began to process the situation.

He was in the dungeons, but why? Serenity thought as her senshi began to devise a plan to save the prince. Mars wanted to go to the Queen, but Jupiter wanted to get the story from Endymion.

“Well we’re not going to get anywhere if we just sit here.” Serenity said a little too loudly, her cheeks blushing red hot with embarrassment.

“Luna, can you take us to Endymion?  We have to figure out what is going on and why he is here,” Serenity said nervously as she waited for Luna’s answer.


Serenity closed her eyes for a moment and spoke in her heart, Don’t worry Endymion, I am coming for you. 

Kunzite looked at his men, determination and confidence in his eyes. He knew they were strong and capable. Each had their strength, and each had few weaknesses. He had trained them well, and there were no other three men he would rather dive into battle with.

"We are more than prepared to take down the sailor senshi, I assure you," he said. These were his best friends, his brothers, and he believed in them. He trusted them with his life. "You can depend on us," Kunzite finished. He hoped that would be enough for Beryl, and enough to give his shittenou the confidence they needed. Yes, the sailor senshi were strong and powerful, but so were they. While the senshi had the advantage of home ground, the shittenou had the advantage of a surprise attack. They were evenly matched, but that didn't matter. What mattered was that he and his men had spirit, and that was all they needed.

Nephrite pushed his conversation with Zoisite to the side and refocused on the matter at hand, listening to Kunzite’s strategy. It was a sound one.
“The Moon Kingdom isn’t expecting us to attack them, we have the element of surprised. Even with losing the advantage of being on home ground, we should easily be able to overtake them as long as we are quick and aggressive,” Nephrite added, watching as Beryl seemed pleased with their responses. As the two continued to talk, Nephrite’s thoughts slipped to his Prince. He couldn’t help but wonder where he was. He seemed upset not that long ago and part of Nephrite desperately wanted to leave this meeting, seek out his Prince and reassure him that all would be alright.
 
When Beryl brought up the Senshi once more, the brunette nearly groaned. Did she have some sort of fascination with them? He allowed Kunzite to answer for them, seeing no need to add anything else. Yes, he would do his duty, but he would take no pleasure in this, regardless of how he felt about being betrayed.

Mercury asked if they could get into the dungeon, and Luna shook her head, thinking of the tight security she had seen around the prison. “Not without some distraction. It was easy for me to slip in unnoticed because I’m a cat, but there are multiple guards; in the entrance, patrolling the hallway… though in the dungeon area itself there seems to be no one around. So as long as you all can get past the ones in front…”

Mars said that they needed to alert the queen, and Luna was inclined to agree—a guard was probably telling her soon anyway, she had just wanted to tell the princess first and make sure she wasn’t left in the dark. And if Serenity talked to the queen, perhaps she wouldn’t punish the prince so harshly for trespassing…

Jupiter wanted to get to the prince first, and so did Serenity, unsurprisingly. Luna was however glad that she was acting calm considering the situation—the love of her life being in the dungeon and all. She had worried that Serenity would run straight there without waiting for anyone else. Luna could see the anxiety in her eyes, though, and her heart went out to her. Getting to Endymion would not be easy.

She felt relieved when Venus and Artemis came over. Maybe they could figure out what to do.



Venus listened to Artemis, feeling more and more anxious by the second. She was already wanting to see Kunzite again as it was, but this had just made another trip to earth become her number one priority. If even Artemis suggested it even though it was against the rules, then things must be quite alarming. She worried about taking Serenity there if there was unrest, but if she forbade Serenity from coming, would Serenity come on her own like that first time? That could be incredibly dangerous. Better to have her guardians with her…

She was lost in thoughts about what to do when Artemis called out to her and alerted her to Luna’s hurried approach. Her heart lurched with even more worry as she rushed back to the other girls and the princess. “What is going on?” she asked breathlessly, seeing that everyone looked upset, Serenity most of all. Had something terrible happened?

When Luna filled her in on the news, Venus’ face paled. Her brain started working a mile a minute to figure out a strategy.

“Okay, so the guards are probably on their way to tell Queen Serenity already. But I agree; we need to get to Endymion and find out what he’s talking about. We will need a distraction to get those guards away from the prison entrance. Jupiter, Mars, how about some explosive display using your powers, but with minimum damage? Preferably somewhere close to the prison that the guards who responded would be the ones stationed there, but not too close that they will be able to check it out and double back in no time. When they leave, we slip in and take care of however many are left. Based on what Luna said, we should be in the clear once we make it past the main hallway.”

She glanced nervously at the others. “Mercury, what do you think? Would they let us in if we bring Serenity with us? Or would showing her only impede our effort? We could always subdue them, though I prefer hurting as few people as possible, for obvious reasons.”

Listening to the Shittennou assuring her there'd be no problem when they came up against the Sailor Senshi was helpful. She still doubted them though and decided she should probably strengthen her hold over them. The best way to do this would be to talk to them about how the senshi had wronged them and tried to control them. "Well I trust that you will be able to defeat them. I just wanted to make sure, I don't want your feelings for how they tried to control you to get in the way." Beryl said. "It would be bad if you choked when it came to fighting them. I can't defeat them alone." She was hoping to convince them through annoyance, that always seemed to work in the past.

He let Kunzite and Nephrite speak, his eyes absently looking at nothing in particular. They had the advantage for now, the Moon not being aware that they would attack, but what if they had some advanced way to spy on them, then were they the ones running into a trap? They knew next to nothing about their military and he had to admit, it hadn't been his first questions when speaking to Mercury.

Zoisite imperceptibly shuddered at the mention of the Senshi. There wasn't supposed to be a problem. He knew what he had to do and his sense of duty was stronger than the rest. Mercury was a wonderful woman it would have been interesting to know more about, but they were never made to meet.

“What of the prince?”

He asked suddenly, half lost in his thoughts still.

“What do we do if he tries to stop us again?”

He wondered if Endymion was still outside trying to convince his army to step down... Apparently, he was the only one blind in the whole castle. Which, now that he thought about it, was weird.

Mercury paused for a moment before answering Venus's question.

"The Princess has a lot of authority, but I don't think the guards stationed around the dungeon are likely to yield to anyone except Queen Serenity."

She furrowed her brow for a moment, remembering information she had seen in historic documentation of the Moon Castle. Her brain cycled through several sets of architectural schematics and drafts. There was no way to know how reliable the data recalled was, but she felt a glimmer of hope. As Venus mentioned, they didn't want to hurt anyone if they could help it. Maybe they could avoid as much of that as possible.

"I think I remember another entrance into the dungeon," she mentioned hesitantly. "I remember it from some old documents I was sorting in the library. Do you think it would be worthwhile to give that a try, and see if we are able to slip by without alerting anyone? I agree that we should avoid any harm we can."

"If not, I could at least provide fog for cover."

Jupiter nodded at the plan Venus came up with. If they needed a distraction to get to Prince Endymion's cell, then she could do that. 

"Hey Mars, how about we have a "sparring match" near the palace? That could draw some guards off." A few rounds of throwing fire and lightning at each other would definitely be loud and bright enough to be distracting. 

"Or we could just try the alternate way..." she said, after Mercury mentioned a secret path. Jupiter was a little disappointed about not being able to help as much, but this was more important than her feelings. They needed to know if the Moon Kingdom was really about to be attacked, by any means necessary. "But if that doesn't pan out, we can still make a distraction."

How long had it been? 

"An attack is coming!" he yelled to the floor, his forehead still pressed against the bars. 

Hours, or just minutes? His calls had earned him nothing - no reprimand, no visitors, no access to see or warn the Queen. His anxiety rose with a knot of despair; How much time did he have left? How long would it take Beryl to move Earth's army? He didn't even know how she would perform the feat, but he did not doubt her ability. The Moon needed to know what was coming - they had to be warned before it was too late, but were they even listening?

"The Golden Kingdom is going to attack!" His voice echoed off the polished stone, bouncing around him like a mocking poltergeist. 

Surely such warnings would have sounded some alarm - any threat against a Kingdom must be recorded somewhere. Perhaps it had already reached Queen Serenity's ears; she could be preparing troops at that very moment, clearing the city of civilians, making sure important people were safe... but wouldn't she have sent someone to get more information out of him if that were the case? If their positions were reversed, he would want to know everything about a potential threat before acting; what if, then, they were not treating it as a potential threat at all? ... The truth was, he knew nothing of politics in the Moon Kingdom; they could have threats posed against them on an ordinary basis, though their dungeon seemed to suggest otherwise. They might have a chain of command to follow, they could have a thousand procedures in place before his warning was taken as credible. This was, to his knowledge, his only option to warn them. If he could have found Serenity before being found by the guards, he might have had other options, but... 

Serenity... they would keep her safe. Her guardians would protect her, no matter the enemy; even if their opponents were his friends, they would stop at nothing to protect her ... wouldn't they? 

"I am Prince Endymion of Earth," he stated, his voice barely filling the rooms.

Queen Serenity sat on the throne for what seemed like the longest time. The room-as always, was empty and quiet, aside from the few guards that occupied the hall door; standing stoic and silent. Her mind, now at ease from her previous anxieties, found itself wandering. Her daughter, Serenity, was in love with the prince of earth. My, how she's grown! The Queen beamed, a proud mama bird. It was as if it were only yesterday that she was reading her bedtime stories! Her arm resting on her cheek, she began to recall one of her fondest memories before she knew it.

~
Queen serenity heard a small squeak coming from her doorway. There was only one individual that would be in her quarters at this hour. She smiled as she closed her book.


"Serenity" She cooed gently as she stood and walked to the doorway, her dress waved and billowed to keep up with her graceful strides. Queen Serenity bent down slowly to get a look at her little girl. Her hair had grown quite long, and her eye were full of such hope and light! But this princess is still a child. She began to hum as she picked the toddler up, gently bouncing the little princess in her arms.

"Mommy's big girl..." She kissed serenity on her forehead, and a small giggle emitted from the child. "What are you doing so late at night? Princesses need their sleep, you know."

The little princess stuck out her lower lip in a pout, and shook her head roughly, her long hair brushing roughly past the Queens face. The queen was taken aback, but laughed. What a sprightly daughter she has! Queen Serenity set the little grumbling bundle on her bed and winked playfully.

"Ah, I see. You wish to hear a story, don't you?"

Little Serenity's eyes widened-she could almost see the eagerness in them. She bobbed her head rapidly up and down. "Mmm-Hmm!"

Queen Serenity laughed again, and began to browse her bookcase-pretending she's searching hard for a story to read when in fact there was only one book in the shelf that contained age-appropriate stories. "Lets see now...which story shall I tell you tonight? Ah-ha!" She pulled out a big and regal looking book and turns to her daughter. "Is it this one?"



"No!" She squealed, happy with the game she is was playing. The queen smiled and put it back, and now pulled out an old and musty looking book that could fall apart at any second. "What about this one?"

"Noooo! The little princess giggled and fell over on the bed, grabbing at her feet. "Tha's not it!"

"Oh my, you're absolutely right, Serenity. This isn't the right book, now is it?" Finally, Queen Serenity grabbed a silver looking book, adorned with flowers on the cover. "Ah-ha! Here it is!" She waved the book at her daughter. "Is this the right one?"

"Yeah! Yeah!" Serenity jumped up and down on the bed and then sat down quickly, not moving an inch-eyes glimmering in anticipation for the evenings tale.

The Queen laughs and flipped open the book. "I think you'll like this one, Serenity." She cleared her throat, and began. "Once upon a time..."
~

The Queen folded her hands across her chest and sighed, the warmth of the memory sinking in. Serenity always was a fan of romance-and always threw a tiny fit when the story she was reading didn't have one.

Her daughter was in love. Queen serenity sighed happily. Perhaps she would use this to help obtain piece between the kingdoms. That would be a wonderful idea! Her mind made up, Queen Serenity now sat eagerly in her seat, anxiously awaiting Luna or Artemis' return to the castle. Then, she would inform them that she knew of their secrets and let them know of her plans-plans that she was coming up with this very second. Idea after idea popped into her head like bubbles in a brook-such joyous ideas that it was far beyond her capabilities to stop herself.

It would be a wonderful wedding! Everyone would be invited! Of course, she would do her best to abide by Earths customs as well when arranging the wedding-what food would they have? Should the banquet be held on Earth or the moon? She'd have to make sure all the teleporters were working on both planets to handle the influx of traffic. She would be sure get the most glorious carriage for the prince and princess to parade in! Queen Serenity could see it now-her daughter donned in the most beautiful dress the Moon Kingdom could make, as they would take their tours all across earth and the moon right before meeting at the alter! Would the wedding vows happen on the moon or Earth? At this point, Queen Serenity decided to give this decision to the rulers of Earth.

All she needed to do to put this into fruition was wait for her advisers and tell them the good news-then the finer details. Oh, the look on Serenity's face when she would tell her that it was alright to be with the one she loved!

Queen Serenity's heart had never felt lighter.

Mars would rather handle the situation with as little resistance as possible.  The guards would never let them by without some persuasion, which would only cause suspicion. She didn't like the idea of knocking the guards out either.  The scuffle could get out of hand and more guards could be alerted.  Mars felt the best idea would be what Mercury suggested, sneaking in to the dungeon without the guards noticing.  However if that option was closed then they would do what needed to be done to get to the Prince and find out exactly what's happening.  If they needed a distraction then she and Jupiter could certainly provide one with a few blows of lightning and fire. She nodded to Jupiter's statement but hoped that the tunnel would be their plan.

Serenity was growing impatient. She understood the situation not be elevated, but knew the longer they waited meant longer Endymion was locked in the dungeons and she did not want that. When Mercury mentioned the secret passage, Serenity nearly leapt with excitement. Maybe there was hope after all and Mars and Jupiter would not have to knock out any guards.

She paused before saying what she thought, “I like Mercury’s idea best, but if it’s to help Endymion, I am not opposed to Jupiter and Mars creating a distraction to help that happen, as long as no one gets hurt.” She paused before making her way towards the general area of the dungeons. “We have to see why he is here and if what you are saying he said is true,” Serenity said talking to Luna.


“Mercury, can you lead the way?” Serenity asked the blue-haired senshi as she bounced on her toes in anticipation.

Beryl listened as Zoisite spoke. She did wonder what they could do if Prince Endymion decided to get in the way. After all, this was for the prince. Beryl thought, Especially since he was the reason why the Shittennou are fighting alongside me. "As for the Prince, I don't think he'll get in the way. And if he does, maybe we can persuade him to believe in out cause. If it happens to be while we are at war maybe he will finally see the light." Beryl said. "If not we will keep him away from the battle. I do not believe you'll want him to get hurt." Beryl did know that if Endymion were to get in the way, the Shittennou would be lost to her. "Now let us prepare the soldiers so we can leave." Beryl said to them.

"Maybe some of us should tell the Queen?" she commented, hesitating for a moment even though she yearned to leap to action for her Princess. "Should we split up to obtain two objectives?"

She eyed their group, knowing that it was not terribly likely that anyone would volunteer for this kind of task. With any kind of threat, they preferred to stay close to their dear charge, Princess Serenity.

"Luna, you said you had an easy time slipping by the guards without them noticing that you had observed what was going on? Do you think that you or Artemis could deliver a message to Queen Serenity? You may be the quickest."

Both felines knew the castle layout perfectly well. They were small and possessed great speed. Sailor Mercury didn't want to waste any more time--she wanted to lead the others to the area where she suspected they could access the dungeon. But leaving Queen Serenity completely uninformed sat less than well with her. They wanted to get information from Prince Endymion, but at the very least he shouldn't be imprisoned here. If their group was caught trying to free him, only intervention from the Queen would help. It could be easier at least knowing that Queen Serenity had been informed and was on her way, even if they had to stall for a while.

“A secret entrance?” Venus perked up. “That would be perfect. Let’s try that. If it’s walled up or something, we can always blast it. And great idea about the fog,” she grinned, happy to know that she could depend on Mercury’s tactical intelligence as usual. Jupiter looked disappointed at not getting to throw some electricity after all, but perhaps they might still encounter some obstacle in this route. An entrance to a dungeon that no one else knew about seemed dangerous to keep unprotected, given that prisoners could use it to escape if they found out, so Venus expected there to be some kind of barrier within.

She hesitated when Mercury said someone should inform the queen, but then she turned her attention to the cats, and Venus was relieved. She didn’t want to leave Serenity, and she knew it would be unfair to order any of the other senshi to do so if she wasn’t willing to do it herself.

“Yes, please, but try not to get there too fast. We want the chance to speak to the prince first before Queen Serenity arrives. The princess… might need a moment alone with him.”

Luna nodded in understanding and with a glance at Artemis, she started moving back toward the palace, but she was no longer running. She hoped the girls didn’t get into trouble with this.

Once Luna had left, Venus turned back to Mercury. “Come on, we must hurry.”

Artemis froze in place as Luna informed Venus and him of the situation at hand. The Earth? An attack?! When would they attack? Would they even be able to prepare for an attack in time? How had things escalated so out of control, so quickly?

The girls began discussing how to get to the Prince fast, and Artemis was in agreement. What were those good-for-nothing guards thinking anyway? Even if a war was not about to break out, throwing Earth royalty into the dungeons like that would surely just do the trick! Of course they shouldn't believe any lunatic that claims to be a prince, but surely the situation could have been handled differently to avoid a potential diplomatic episode. Unless they were met with resistance. No, the Prince had traveled alone apparently, he would not be foolish enough to make such an attempt.

Artemis was pulled from his thoughts when Mercury addressed him and Luna. Right, what's done is done and this was not the time to investigate why the matter at hand was handled so poorly. Reprimanding those guards could wait for later. Still, the task presented to them seemed rather pointless. The guards would certainly inform the Queen after all. But wait... Would they even believe him? They certainly doubted his identity, would they understand the urgency of the situation? Yes, the Queen had to be informed at once. And either way, there was little more that he could do at this point. He glanced at his fellow feline and gave her a nod.

As he was about to run straight to the palace, he was stopped by Venus' words. Try not to get there too quickly? The Princess might need a moment alone with him? What was she talking about? What could they possibly need to discuss in such secrecy right before an impending war? His romance with the Princess? Their secret trips to the Earth? There was no time to worry about things like that!

He sighed. "We won't get there too slowly either. Be quick," he said, his tone flat. He momentarily glanced at Venus and began making his way to the palace with Luna. He made up his mind - once that whole ordeal was dealt with, he would speak to Queen Serenity. Or at least convince Venus to talk to her. He was not willing to keep that secret any longer, not if it ended up getting in the way of their duties.

Watching Luna and Artemis hurry away from the group, towards Queen Serenity, settled a small portion of Mercury's nerves. She had held her tongue when Venus suggested giving the prince and princess a moment together; as much as she respected her fellow sailor soldier, this potential warning seemed to take precedence over a sweet scene between reunited lovers. Hopefully that was not the message the blonde warrior of love intended to convey. Tensions were high, after all. This warning of a grave threat impacted them all.

Knowing that they were not ignoring the good judgment of informing their monarch, she was now ready to lead the group. Sailor Mercury beckoned for the others to follow her out the exit farthest from where they had entered. Soon she was in the familiar halls leading towards the libraries and archives--where she had originally seen those interesting architectural drawings that she relied on now. Rounding a corner, and unused narrow flight of stairs led down into darkness.

"I believe this is it," she informed those who had followed her.

There was just enough light for her to make her way down without danger. Her hands trailed the smooth stone walls. Only a few meters in, she paused. She felt the obstruction, frowning.

"It's been sealed. What should we do?" she asked the others.

There didn't seem to be enough time to turn around and try another path. They were so close to the dungeon! Maybe they would be able to break down the relatively recent stonework that sealed the passage.

After following Mercury through the halls to a hidden stairway, they descended to the unused dungeon entrance. Jupiter and the other senshi had spent all these years in the palace, and yet Mercury had found a secret passage in it. It made her wonder what else was hidden from them... There were probably all sorts of trap doors and fake walls built that only the Queen knew about.

"So it's blocked up now? I guess the guards found it after you did..." she said, before a grin spread across her face. "But that won't stop us. Stand back a few feet, everyone!" Jupiter studied the brickwork and determined that it wasn't very thick. One good strike would bring it back down again. The antenna on her tiara sparked in the darkness as she built up the energy she needed, and the air churned with static.

"Jupiter Thunderbolt!" She held out her hands, and green electricity shot towards the wall, tearing it apart with a blast that shook the surrounding corridor. "Problem solved." It always felt good to let loose on something once in a while.

His eyes flew open as echoes of an explosion rolled through the dungeon, the vibrations shaking the bars he held so tightly. His breath caught in his chest, every muscle tensing as his worst fear was realized: Beryl’s army was here.
 
He had been too late.
 
The political ramifications came to mind first, years of training bubbling up to fill the void left by shock. Earth had attacked first. Earth, not the Moon – they were the instigators, the invaders; no matter how this ended, Earth was to blame. They would become enemies of the Moon, and whatever other systems the Moon was in charge of; there could even be effects back on Earth – how far did Beryl’s hands stretch? How many had she convinced to follow her, and how many had she not? Beryl may have invited the wrath of the Moon down on Earth, when a minority of the people had agreed with her actions. Earth could break out into civil war again – the peace his forefathers had fought to win and keep in check was gone, and he had allowed it to fall. All those lives were under his protection, and now… all the men Beryl had convinced to follow her here, all the innocents back on Earth, his best friends… he had failed them all. If he had been smarter, had seen this coming sooner – but he didn’t.
 
And the people of the Moon Kingdom, who had no idea this was coming – anything that happened to them was on his shoulders, too. If he had thought to come here first - if he had given up on the Shitennou sooner - if he had recognized that they were too far gone, maybe he could have gotten here in time to warn Queen Serenity and her senshi; maybe they could have started the evacuation sooner. They could have gotten everyone out before Beryl arrived, made sure that fighters were out of the city. Made sure that Serenity was out of the city.
 

Pain screamed through his chest, his heart constricting agonizingly as the shock and numbness dissipated all at once. Thoughts he had been trying to keep at bay finally found foothold, refusing to be brushed aside in favor of logic - thoughts of her. Of secret meetings, of quiet evenings, secrets shared in confidence; memories of her smooth skin beneath his hand, the warmth of her body, the feel of her lips pressed to his. His hands lost their grip as his eyes glazed over, his body becoming weak all at once. His support faltering, he fell to one knee, both hands still wrapped loosely around the metal bars, his heart and mind still wrapped up in her, crying out with each new thought, wracking him with pain and loss and panic. The shine of her eyes, the smell of her hair, the sound of her laugh, the color of her blush. How she was easily things that he was not, the way she made him feel, how she completed him, rounded him out. His heart felt like lead, lead that would burst at any moment, his lungs barely working beyond the pain he felt, pain that turned more and more desperate. All of his memories were of stolen moments. They had had to hide their love, keeping it in the shadows, stealing moments wherever and whenever they could, and now all of that was being taken from him. He would never see her again.

Serenity was happy to be going to the dungeons, to rescue Endymion. Her heart beat with anticipation as she ran as quickly as possible, following behind Mercury. Her mind became a blur as thoughts of memories past filled her mind.

Serenity thought of their meeting at the ball. She had been so nervous, but as soon as Endymion took her on the dance floor all her nerves drifted away. She thought of how calm she was when she was with Endymion. All her cares seemed to float away. 

Serenity was pulled from her pleasant thoughts when she heard Mercury say the entrance was sealed off. She thought all hope was lost and felt her heart sink. Luckily Jupiter was ready for this to happen and she blasted the entrance with her thunderbolt power. 

Serenity hoped the blast would not attract too much attention. The last thing she wanted was for her senshi to be in trouble. 

Serenity hadn’t even waited for the dust to clear before she ran though the entrance. Her heart pounded in her chest as she ran in search of the only man she had ever loved. She hoped he was not hurt and that the guards were not tormenting him.

“Endymion” She called out softly at first, her voice grew louder with each call she made. The dungeons were dimly lit, but Serenity was determined to find Endymion, no matter the cost.

“Endymion, Endymion, Endy…” she paused when her eyes came across a cell with bars. She saw a figure on their knees on the ground. She saw their hands lightly clasped around the bars. 

Serenity ran to where the person was, placing her hands on theirs. She recognized the attire once she got closer. She has found Endymion. She felt tears welling in her eyes as she called out his name, “Endymion….it’s me, it’s Serenity.”