Jupiter went about making the oatmeal bars, measuring and mixing the ingredients with care. She put them in the oven to bake. As they were baking she asked her fellow senshi and the princess, “so how is everyone doing this week, any exciting news to report on. I for one am so thankful to be taking cooking lessons in the palace. Ever since I was a little girl I wanted to cook. It is a dream come true to be able to cook for the royals of the moon kingdom.”

She glanced over at the princess who appeared to be in her own world yet again, Jupiter laughed a little admiring Serenity’s charm and childlike qualities, she had so much to learn still but Jupiter felt the Princess was entitled to a daydream here and there.

“Princess the treats are just about ready; once they cool you can help yourself to the first bar.” Jupiter said with a smile.

A moment later the timer went off and Jupiter pulled the bars out of the oven. Jupiter was happy when the girls gave the treats their seal of approval, she was still trying to figure her way around with cooking and baking, but she was proud of the gains she had made since coming to the  moon kingdom

Luna smiled at Artemis. He had tried to get her some food and she was grateful for that. She hadn't eaten all day and Artemis somehow, instinctually knew that. "Sure I'd like some tuna." Luna said smiling. She walked over to where the tuna was placed for her and Artemis and joined him for lunch. "How has your day been?" Luna asked Artemis after eating a few bites of tuna.

The senshi and the princess were going to be enjoying a snack soon and it sounded like it would be something quite delicious. It smelled very good and sweet. The smell filled the room. "Jupiter." Luna said, "Your food smells delicious. You enjoy baking don't you? Maybe we could work out some incentive in the form of sweets for Princess Serenity when it comes to her lessons?" Luna thought that maybe, by bringing this up now, they could all discuss it. Maybe it'd be the correct type of incentive to get the princess to actually learn some things.

“Right,” Venus said fondly to Artemis and grinned. “I’m sure it wasn’t your fault. Or if it was, it was only because you love a certain cat too much.” Artemis and Luna’s blossoming romance was definitely one of Venus’ favorite things to observe. She just thought it was really adorable how those two behaved around one another. There wasn’t a lot of room for romance in the palace, what with they all having sacred duties and everything, and so since she couldn’t daydream about her own prince, she decided to live vicariously through the advisor cats. Plus she had always felt a sibling-like bond with Artemis and so couldn’t help but act like an embarrassing sister to his romance escapades.

Like right now. Were they going to have a tuna date right here? Gods, that was so cute. Venus wished she had some device that could capture pictures right now. Maybe Mercury could help her out with that. She would fill an entire album with the cats’ date pictures.

Venus was so concerned over the white guardian cat that she had missed what Mars was doing entirely until Jupiter pointed it out. Turning around, she caught Mars red-handed—or rather, white-handed as the case might be.

“Mars,” Venus said with a chiding tone and a you-should-know-better look. Oh, Serenity was never going to let Mars live that down now. This would come up in many future arguments between the two whenever Mars was giving Serenity a hard time.

Well, Venus couldn’t help with that.

As Jupiter went about cooking them some treats, Venus observed her curiously, wondering what it would taste like. Oatmeals frankly didn’t give her the best delicious images in mind, and so she let the others taste it first. Serenity will likely eat anything, but it didn’t mean she had no taste buds.

When everyone else reacted well, Venus plucked one for herself too and munched on it. “Oh, Jupiter, you spoil us so,” she commented, making an over-the-moon expression of delight, which was especially ironic considering where they actually were.

They’d mentioned getting treats as incentives before, and now that Luna brought it up, Venus immediately stepped between Serenity and the treats. “Oh, oh! I know! Let’s do it right now! Serenity has her archery lesson in a bit. I propose that she may not taste Jupiter’s delicious treat until she hits the mark!”

Looking at the princess, Venus felt herself softening a bit. “Or at least, she can have the first one now for a taste of what’s to come, but no more until she hits the mark.”

Sailor Mars thought it wise to ignore any of Serenity's little jokes about her frosting theft. We wouldn't want our temper to get the better of us and have us say something too mean, now would we? Poor Princess Serenity hadn't even said anything, but Mars just knew it was coming. It had to be. Or... maybe she just viewed the Princess as too much of a child. Now Mars felt bad about the assumptions she'd just made - don't underestimate her so much. She could be grown up about things when she wanted to... Couldn't she? Mars looked at the Princess - she looked downcast, for some reason. Maybe she had something on her mind? Mars wondered what it was. 

Mars sat back in her chair and zoned out. She munched on her treat in silence, thinking about random little things like her music lessons, Serenity's education and her own... nightmare? Had it really been a dream or was she just trying to fool herself? Either way, there wasn't much to do about it now even if it was more than a dream. The images made no sense, anyway.

Mars finished her last piece and rubbed her hands against each other so as to shake off any remaining food crumbs. Then she took her plate, soaked it in the washing basin, and scrubbed with a bit of dish soap. It didn't need much pressure - the treats weren't the type to leave more than a few crumbs behind. Mars just didn't like to have to be cleaned after.

"Shall we go shoot some arrows, Princess?" she asked. "There's no point in loitering about for too long when you can finish your lessons early for the day."

Then as though to not allow the Princess too much glee, Mars added:

"Who knows, maybe Mercury will have time for that lesson repeat, after all."

But she smiled warmly at the Princess, to make it clear that she was just teasing.

Serenity's response came in high pitched enthusiasm - at least she was full of energy for her last lesson of the day!

It was rather warm outside and the sun was at its highest. They'd had a relaxing day overall, and by the time the archery lesson was over, the sun would have already begun to set. The days were short during this time of the year and daylight felt like a luxury at times. So Mars felt bad about wasting it in the kitchens. 

"I'm gonna go ahead and set up the targets and prepare the bows and arrows. Meet you out on the field, okay?"

"Hmmm..." Mercury said at Mars's statement. "We might be able to fit in another session before dinner if you finish your archery practice in time..." Then she wouldn't have to push the entire lesson plan back, saving her some effort. But before she could give the idea to Serenity, the princess was already leaving for the fields. Oh well, they could talk about it later. 

Mercury didn't stop Serenity from taking another bar before leaving, reasoning that it would probably cheer her up and help her concentrate. Learning was learning, and if the princess was enthusiastic about the bow and arrow, Mercury wanted to be as encouraging as possible. She even let her incorrect use of the word "arch" slide. She followed her out of the kitchen, wanting to watch how she would do this time.

Jupiter watched as the Princess left with a cheerful look on her face.  Jupiter normally would have gone out with them for a lesson, but today she was in charge of dinner, it was a way for the chefs to see if she had been paying attention with her lessons and what she was capable of with the reins in her own hands.

She called out to Princess Serenity and Sailor Mars as they left. “Have fun out there with me, give sensei my regards and tell him I will make up for what I missed tomorrow.”  She added, “see you all at dinner in a couple hours, I have a couple more surprises up my sleeves.”


Jupiter walked back over to the stove in the kitchen and pulled out a big pan. She walked to a cupboard and pulled out some rice, there was still time before she needed to cook it but Jupiter was deep in thought thinking of the sauce she wanted to make to go with the rice, vegetables and beef. She rummaged through the cabinets and found a mixture of spices and got to work making the last of the dishes for dinner.

"Right, ten minutes," Nephrite said, knowing that Kunzite and the Prince would be distracted for at least fifteen or twenty minutes and only then would Kunzite notice they were still gone. 

“Common Jadeite, let’s go and get those supplies,” he said, assuming Zoisite would simply follow them. He wandered over to the market, smiling and giggling and blushing women as he passed them buy. Finding the local butcher, he ordered enough dry meat to last them the week. Let’s see, what else would they need? Bread and cheese were needed as well as vegetables to make some stew. Some fresh fruit wouldn’t go amiss either, but just enough for a day or so as it was more likely to go bad. 

As he arrived at the bakers stall, he eyed some sweet breads and rolls. Perhaps he should buy some as a peace offering to Kunzite? The elder seemed as if he was fairly stressed and they had barely begun. By the looks of it, they had Kunzite’s favourite as well. A peace offering was definitely in order then. 

“Can I help you?” a small, shy voice asked, breaking Nephrite from his thoughts. Well, she was a cute one wasn’t she? Kunzite would most likely kill him for flirting, but he couldn’t resist, besides, that’s what the sweet rolls were for, to smooth things over. He grinned leaning in slightly as he placed his order.

Jadeite followed Nephrite and Zoisite around the market place. He let Nephrite gather the supplies which allowed him to eye the women. For farm folk the women were quite attractive. He flashed some of them a charming smile which made them giggle. He manged to snag a free apple from one of the vendors. As he took a bite of the fruit he noticed Nephrite was talking to a girl selling bread. He smirked and walked over to his partner in crime. 

"Good day, miss," Jadeite spoke up and gave the girl a big smile. He then took another bite out his apple. The girl looked away from Nephrite and gave him a small smile. "You look lovely today." The girl then let out a blush. 

"Stay away from my daughter!!" A woman came running up from the back of the stall. She then hit Jadeite on the head with her broom. 

"Okay, okay!" He yelled back and quickly walked away. He grumbled to himself and went over to another stall get their stupid cheese for their stupid trip. Jadeite was now in another bad mood.

Uh-oh. Serenity wasn’t talking back to them; instead she just appeared quiet and dejected. Had Venus and the others gone too far in trying to dictate her lessons? Venus instantly felt bad—no matter how dedicated she was to her job, she always had a soft spot for the princess and wished they didn’t have to be so hard on her all the time. When Serenity seemed to cheer up again, yet refusing to look any of them in the eye, Venus had to wonder if she was putting on a mask for them. The princess wasn’t usually very good at not wearing her emotions on her sleeve, but perhaps she was starting to learn something after all.

Remaining quiet herself, Venus trailed after the others to the field, hoping this lesson would go well. Arrows were a bit different than words—if Serenity wasn’t paying attention, she could get seriously hurt. As they entered the open area, Venus paused by the sidelines, letting Mars take over since it was her turn to teach.

“Everything ready, Mars?” she asked.

Mars set up the targets and prepared bows and arrows for the lesson. She wasn't planning on using her own bow but if need be, it had to be close at hand and ready to shoot. Mars' bow was a little bit taller than Serenity's - both girls had their weapons made according to their own heights. The Martian princess now felt at ease with her weapon of choice but she did understand Serenity a little bit: when she had to handle a bow and arrow for the very first time, everything felt much too large and heavy; the string much too tense and painful to her tiny fingers... and she felt a bit like a caricature, tripping on her own bow or having her arrow fall off before she shot it. But that was a long time ago - still, it didn't hurt to think that Serenity was closer to that stage of learning archery, than she was to Mars' professional archery skills. 

It was hot outside, but Mars knew that was soon to change, when the sun went down. She wondered whether the Princess would be cold later during the lesson - it would be bad for her to sweat in the heat and then be exposed to low evening temperatures. Mars would have to pay extra attention to the weather... make sure Serenity didn't catch a cold.

“Yes, everything seems ready to me," Mars answered Venus' question. "Come on Princess, it’s time we got started. Today I’ll want to go through the basics again. I know we’ve been here a dozen times before, but while you seem to be a fast kinesthetic learner, you soon become sloppy in posture and I find you not holding the bow properly or not anchoring before shooting. I want to drill these things into your head; I want them to come naturally to you. Princess? Are you listening?

Mars was ready to spend most of the lesson watching Serenity’s actions and running to collect arrows. She decided she was going to give the Princess criticism only after the lesson – unless of course, she saw her doing something life-threatening, in which case she would react immediately. But for now, let's see how she did when nobody was there to pester her.

"Today I'm just going to remind you about a few things and then I'll go watch from a distance. I want to see you in such a situation, where there's no one there to scream instructions at you. Now remember, Princess: keep your feet perpendicular to the direction of the target, but your torso facing said target. When holding the bow, make sure you see the entire bottom section of your palm - not just the thumb. It's dangerous to hold the  bow like that and if I see you do it, I'll have to interfere. Always anchor and always use the same spot on your face to anchor. Keep your elbow up, above your shoulder. And when you shoot, don't move the bow until after the arrow has reached its target."

Leaving the Princess alone on the field, Mars shouted: 

"Don't worry though, I'm right here, watching you. I'll interfere if I see you doing something potentially dangerous, of if anything happens! Good luck!"

Mercury went to stand by the side of the target field, not wanting to get in Mars or Serenity's way. Well, mostly out of Serenity's way. She had no desire to get hit with a stray shot, no matter how good she was getting at archery. It always amazed her to watch Mars give lessons, and it made Mercury wonder if they were really so different after all. They both put all of their effort into the subjects they were interested in, except Mars was a little more forceful when it came to her passion, but it was only because she wanted Serenity to do it correctly. And repetition really was an important part of learning, so Mars's methods were technically correctly. Mercury considered saying something encouraging to the princess before she started shooting, but she thought it might be a distraction. It was probably best to be a silent supporter in this case...

When they split off, Zoisite followed Nephrite and Jadeite to aid them in gathering supplies. He couldn’t help but snort. Right, like neither of them would be flirting with the local women. While Jadeite was a bit pickier, preferring higher born women, Nephrite wasn’t as picky. He tended to have an appreciation for females, regardless of their shape or what class they were from.

Before they even reached the part of the market that contained food, a stall that was selling books caught Zoisite’s eye. He wandered over fully intending to rejoin his companions in a moment. This is odd, normally small villages like this don’t sell books, I wonder if this is a travelling merchant? Most small villages such as these one didn't have the same access to education he and his companions did, so it was rare to see a book stall. Zoisite didn't think honestly think they'd make a profit in a village like this. Despite those thoughts, he quickly lost himself in the books, tuning out the world around him.

Jupiter was busy in the kitchen putting the final touches on the meal for the night. She rinsed the rice and put in it in a pot with water to start cooking. Jupiter walked over to the roast and veggies and lifted the lid to check on the food. She saw it was nearly done and decided to add some extra seasoning to give it a finishing flavor.

While she was in the kitchen, she noticed Luna and Artemis were both there. She had noticed the way the others had treated the Princess and while Jupiter had joined in, she was only teasing, she could tell the Princess was holding something back, but she would never say, Serenity was always one to wear a smile on her face even if she wasn’t happy.

“Luna, I was wondering if you had a minute, I wanted to talk to you about a concern I have about the Princess.” Jupiter said wanting to talk to the Princess’ advisor and friend before going to the Queen with her concerns.

As they headed towards the training grounds, Serenity smiled up at the distant sun. It was a hot day, but thankfully Serenity's gown was light and thin. She walked at a leisurely pace, enjoying the beautiful outdoors and breathing in the unique air of the moon. It was almost a surprise when they arrived at the training grounds, for Serenity hadn't been paying attention as she walked. This happened often, and it was the reason why she was deemed clumsy at times. But really, was it so bad to stop and enjoy the beauty of her kingdom?

Dragging herself out of her thoughts, Serenity practically bounced to the resting place of her bow and arrows. She had them personally made by the best blacksmith on Mars. Both bow and arrows matched Serenity's silver hair, and each looked both beautiful and dangerous. As she held the bow in her hands and slung the quiver over her head, Serenity felt like a valiant warrior princess, stalking off to defend her kingdom for dark forces. 

Quietly, Serenity listened to Mars's instructions and positioned herself properly. Making sure her feet were perpendicular to the target and her body was facing the target, Serenity nocked her arrow and pulled back, keeping her elbow high. She felt her muscles straining, and in that moment the world changed.

This was the moment where Serenity's imagination ran wild. She stood in front of the main target, her blue eyes scrutinizing the center. The outdoor atmosphere changed into one of a chaotic battlefield. The shouts of many echoed through Serenity's ears, but she ignored them, focusing only on her target - a sprinting monster. It sprinted away from her, striking down her soldiers as it went. She could feel her arms growing restless as she struggled to keep her balance. Then she felt it - perfect aim. She froze, feeling her body was in the right position, arrow perfectly placed. The monster turned, looking straight at her, and Serenity faltered. It looked at her with such beautiful, helpless dark blue eyes, and Serenity knew she couldn't kill this creature. Gasping, the young princess let go of her arrow, and the projectile flew across the room at a remarkable speed. The battlefield faded, and Serenity was back in the training grounds, the sun beating down on her face.

Shaking her head, Serenity lowered her bow and searched for her arrow. She was not surprised to find it had dug itself into the ground directly in front of her target. She simply stood there, staring at the arrow as her mind whirled. The young girl suddenly felt very ashamed of herself - not because she had failed to hit the target, but because she had been taking combat training. How could she even think to harm another innocent being? Be it human or monster, Serenity would never use these skills on another. So why was she doing it? Why was she taking lessons on shooting arrows when they would be of no use to her? 

It was strange, this new feeling. She had never come to think of archery in this way before, and yet she did now. What had changed? Was she finally growing up?

Although he and Luna had been colleagues for several years, Artemis still found himself to be nervous around around her. The two cats had a cordial relationship, which was sometimes strained by certain circumstances, but she always inspired a ... feeling. It was a difficult feeling to put into just the right words. She made him feel...

"Shh, Venus!" He hissed, lowering his voice so the "certain cat" would not hear Venus playfully tease her guardian. The blush tinged a brighter pink as he gently tapped her arm with his paw. He quickly forgot the teasing a moment later when Luna spoke.

When Luna agreed to share the tuna with him, Artemis smiled and sat straighter. "Great!" He chirped, a little higher than he intended. The teasing all but forgotten, Artemis' heart fluttered happily as he shared a bowl of tuna with a beautiful lady. Once or twice, his head dipped near hers as he went for a bite and his heart skipped a beat at the closeness.

With a smile, he gave a few brief comments on his day thus far, such as the meeting he had attended. The subject of the meeting would be one Luna was aware of and have passing interest in, so he provided one or two more sentences of note. He was about to ask her about her day, but Jupiter needed to have a word with her.

"Luna, go right ahead. I will see you later this evening."

Mars followed the Princess' progress through the lesson. Her very first shot was good. Up until the point when she moved the bow too early, causing the arrow to hit  the ground instead of the target, of course. But still, the direction was good, as was her posture. Her student was finally learning!

But after that first arrow hit the ground, nothing else happened. Serenity seemed to just be looking at it, deep in thought. To Mars she seemed... worried? Angry? Hmmm...

"Princess, are you okay? What's the matter?" shouted Mars.

She thought that maybe the Lunar Princess had been disappointed at missing the target. Ambition, huh? It was about time I saw some of that in you, Serenity. She tried to comfort the young princess and push her to continue the lesson:

"It's alright, Princess! You didn't hit the target but that was a good shot! Keep trying, you're just getting warmed up!"

Mars wondered if she should go there. Maybe the Princess wasn't feeling well? She got up and slowly walked towards Serenity, hoping to see what the problem was.

Mercury watched Serenity shoot with rapt attention, studying her archery form as intently as she would a text as she waited for her to let go of the string. It was a rare thing to see the princess so focused on a singular task, and it really showed how bent she was on her own improvement. Now if there were only a way to apply this kind of intensity to her other duties.... Nonetheless, it seemed that Mars's lessons on concentration and attention to detail were finally starting to pay off. Mercury could feel the anticipation in the air as she prepared to fire. And after what felt like an hour but was probably only a minute, Serenity did. 

And the arrow missed. Not by much though, only a mere foot in front of the target. Yet the princess was still standing in place, just looking at the projectile as if she were seeing it for the first time. Mercury saw and heard Mars try to catch their charge's attention, and she started to grow concerned. Serenity might daydream from time to time, but in the middle of archery when she was about to succeed? This was strange. Following Mars's example, Mercury went over to the princess as well.

"Is everything alright?" she asked them as she approached, looking over the princess for anything that may be wrong. Had she hurt herself with the bow?

Luna had been eating tuna in the kitchen with Artemis when the princess and most of the senshi headed over to her archery lesson. She had been chatting with Artemis when Jupiter asked to talk to her about something. She smiled as Artemis said he'd talk to her later. "I'll see you later Artemis." Luna said, "Have a good day."

She walked over to Jupiter and said, "Yes I have a minute. What's on your mind Jupiter?" Luna was a bit concerned about what was going on. Jupiter and Luna didn't usually talk much and she could hear a concerned tone in Jupiter's voice.

Kunzite and Endymion worked together to get their horses in the stables, both admiring the village as they went. After tying each steed up to a post within the small stable area, Kunzite thought it would be a good time to have a word with his prince and best friend.

"Endymion, you are getting older by the day," he started off, causing Endymion to pause in his actions. "The way you dealt with the village leader was very remarkable. I've watched you grow since we were children, and I am proud to say that you are without a doubt becoming the king this kingdom needs. I am very proud of the man you have become."

Kunzite smiled, his eyes glinting with pride. His smile soon faded, however, and he knew it was time he deliver the news to his charge. Clearing his throat, Kunzite continued:

"However, with your increasing age and maturity, your parents and I have agreed that it is about that time for you to find a woman to make your queen."

The silver-haired shittenou stopped, staring into Endymion's eyes as he searched for any bit of alarm or anger. It was not something Kunzite wanted his prince to jump into so quickly, but a king was a king, and he could not rule without a queen.

Kunzite's initial statement surprised him; he paused after closing the stable door, his hand still on its frame, as his friend continued. A smile spread slowly across his face, despite the hint of an embarrassed blush that threatened his cheeks. Hearing those words, from Kunzite no less, was an honor to him. Kunzite was not prone to flattery, and his genuine tone and generally serious nature caused Endymion to pause and reflect shortly on those words. Becoming the king this kingdom needs... his wish had always been to do just that, to live up to his birthright and lead this kingdom into greater prosperity. 

But as Kunzite's smile faded, Endymion's faltered, awaiting the bad news suggested in his gaze. As his words fell, so did Endymion's mood, though his face simply returned to his carefully mastered look of polite indifference. Betrothal. Engagement. It was another responsibility for him, another task he must undergo for the good of his country. At the very least, a smile twinged at one side of his lip, Kunzite's news was not of a prearranged betrothal. If they had set this in motion without his input he might have been angry, but for now he only felt resigned.

He nodded. "When?" he asked simply.

ooc:

Jupiter walked over and crouched down so she could be closer to Luna. Jupiter hadn’t been here long and hoped she wasn’t overstepping any bounds.

“Luna,” she spoke softly, “I was wondering if you have noticed a change in the Princess, I mean I know she is one to daydream, but just now, she seemed like something was bothering her. She is one to always wear a smile whether she is happy or not. I hope if something is bothering her she does talk to someone, it is not healthy to hold on to negative feelings.” The princess of Jupiter said as she stood and lifted the lid on her rice to see if it was near done cooking.

She turned back to Luna, “maybe you can try and pry her for information, or maybe I can talk with her over some sweets, because we all know the princess will never refuse sweets.” Jupiter said with a smile on her face.

Watching Serenity wield the bow and arrow, Venus caught a flash of image—a glimpse of a warrior princess—something Serenity had the potential to be, and in that image, Serenity wasn’t wearing her delicate dress. Instead, she was in a senshi fuku just like the rest of them, all white and glimmering like the personification of the moon itself. She gasped, and the image vanished. Venus didn’t know if it was a trick of the light or her own imagination. The Queen had given the princess her own guardians so that she never had to fight. But she was getting trainings in some weaponry anyway, and Venus had to wonder what it would be like if Serenity was one of them.

For one brief moment, she could see it in the princess’ eyes; determination, focus, and a strong will. It took her breath away, the way Serenity had suddenly flipped a switch within her. But then, all too quickly, it vanished, and she hesitated. Venus didn’t know what Serenity was seeing in her mind’s eye, but it was certainly not that lifeless target. She lost her focus and let the arrow fly wildly.

All thoughts of the princess being a warrior flew out of Venus’ mind. No, it was her place to be protected after all. It would be wrong to ask her to fight as well. Her heart was not strong enough. Her guardians were there so she didn’t have to.

Venus approached her carefully and put one hand on her shoulder. “Princess?” she asked tentatively.

Serenity stood still, her eyes narrowing as her head tilted slightly to stare at the target. She heard Mars speaking, her voice getting closer, and Serenity was finally pulled from her mental withdrawal. She could feel Mars standing beside her now, but the princess couldn't stand to look her in the eye. Soon both Mercury and Venus had approached, and Serenity suddenly felt ashamed. Here they were, three valiant soldiers who would do absolutely anything to protect her, and Serenity couldn't even hit a target. Was this what her years of confinement had mounted up to? Was she truly so innocent and naive that she couldn't bear to shoot an arrow off of a string?

"I...um..." Serenity murmured, looking down at her silver bow. With a sigh, she removed the quiver from her shoulders and handed them to Mars, still averting her eyes. "I am sorry," she said quietly. She couldn't imagine how ashamed they must be - how disappointed. She had failed yet again. How many times could she fail in one day? Soon they were going to put her on a program and lock her up for hours on end until she finally stopped daydreaming and paid attention for once. 

Tears suddenly filled her eyes. What kind of princess was she? She was no where near as graceful as Venus, or as courageous as Jupiter. Never would she be as wise as Mercury or as passionate as Mars. She didn't deserve the right to be queen. She didn't deserve anything she had. Failures should never get rewards.

"Excuse me," she said, stepping past her senshi and leaving the training grounds. Her heart felt heavy, as did her body as the young princess trudged to her room. Soon Venus would tell Luna, and Luna would tell the queen, and Serenity would be in for it yet again. Could she go one day without being scolded? 

She loved her friends dearly, but sometimes, she wished for a simple break.

The Princess seemed perfectly fine to Mars, but why in the world was she averting her gaze? This wasn't the first time she'd missed her target, nor would it be the last, surely. Mars tried to put a hand on the Princess' shoulder and turn her around to face her, but before her hand managed to touch the small white shoulder, Serenity abruptly turned around and threw all of her archery equipment into Mars' arms.

"What are you doing?!" Mars asked, not bothering to hide the shock in her voice.

Serenity just squeaked a teary "Excuse me" at them, still not daring to look any of the senshi in the eyes, and she just ran off towards the palace.

For a couple of minutes Mars just stood there, her mouth agape, archery equipment uncomfortably piled up in her arms. She looked at the other girls hoping she might get some explanation as to what had just happened. What was that?

Finally she realized how ridiculous the three of them were: left behind on an open field, carrying confused gazes and the Princess' discarded weaponry. No explanation, no nothing - and in the middle of class!

Mars made a guttural sound and said:

"Ooooh no you don't!"

And then she dropped all of Serenity's silver equipment on the nearby table and ran -- no... not "ran"... "Stomped" towards the palace and up to the Princess' quarters. Mars didn't bother with pleasantries - how could she be expected to stand outside this door and politely knock, when she was angry enough to slam it against the wall? At this moment she was not a servant of the Moon family - she was the Princess' friend. And as her friend and tutor, she deserved an explanation.

"What do you think you're doing?!?" she asked as she was opening the Princess' door.

"What was that? You just run off in the middle of class and say absolutely nothing? What is wrong with you? What do you think your mother will say when she hears about this?"

Mars was gesticulating wildly, and she was speaking loud and fast, trying to make it clear that her questions and accusations were rhetorical.

"Do you really think it's acceptable to waste our time and efforts trying to teach you, just because we're friends? That's WHY we're trying to help you, Serenity! We're trying to make your lessons easier for you, because we care about you. If it wasn't for myself and Mercury and Venus and Jupiter, you'd be learning all of these subjects with some green-skinned wrinkly old tutors from some faraway galaxy! And I doubt you'd be able to pull stunts like THIS or daydream during lessons, with someone like that around!"

Mars really hoped the Princess was listening. She had to hear this - no more sugarcoating!

"Every lesson you miss with us is a step closer to a change of tutors. The Queen will find out and she'll assume the four of us can't handle you and you'll be in for some true discipline then! And we won't be able to help you out anymore... No more lies, no more pretending that we don't see how you're ignoring everything we're trying to teach you... No more snacks and "incentives" and trying to keep you happy."

Now she was calming down. Mars took a deep breath, closing her eyes for a moment. She didn't want to discuss the topic but sadly she was just realizing it now... after jumping into it out of annoyance and shock. Now Mars just stood there, in the Princess' room, wanting to communicate her hurt and her truth to her friend and then to preferably not see her face for a while.

"And hey, the Queen would be right to start changing things around here..." she said in a calmer, tired voice. Mars' arms had dropped to her sides, not feeling the need to gesticulate anymore. "We can't prove to her that we're able to handle you, and it's not like you're doing a lot to help us out here... Really Princess, can't you at least pretend? For your own good?"

Mars shook her head and rolled her eyes, sighing, and she left the room slowly shutting the door behind her.

Jupiter and Luna left to begin a conversation that Artemis need not be apart of, not that he was invited to join. Which left him alone with an empty bowl and his thoughts. The meal had been nice and he had enjoyed his time with Luna, although it had been too short. Perhaps he would see her later this evening, but, in the mean time, he did have some work to complete before the day was over. 

Not quite able to place the bowl in a sink, Artemis instead pushed the bowl toward the center of the counter top, so it would not run too much risk of being knocked over. Before jumping off the counter, he quickly used his tongue to clean any mess. And then, he left the kitchens to finish some paperwork and prepare his notes for a later meeting. Come to think of it, he never gathered his notes from the last meeting before he rushed over to make a bowl of tuna for Luna. Oops, hopefully he remember where he had put his things.

"Mars, wait!" Mercury called from behind as Mars followed Serenity, though she knew it was a futile effort. Words would never stop Mars when she got this worked up. And just what had gotten into the princess, walking away like that in the middle of a lesson? She looked so downtrodden for a simple missed arrow shot. "...I'll go check on them." she sad to Venus, before she tried to catch up with them. She had a feeling Mars was about to deliver one of her legendary scoldings, and she bit her lip and moved faster at the thought.

Mercury lost sight of Mars in the halls of the palace, and decided to check Serenity's room. She rounded the next corner, and saw Mars already standing in the doorway, in mid-rant. It was too late to try and stop her now... She had only caught the back half of her speech, but it sounded pretty harsh, only made worse by the fact that she was partially right. If the senshi didn't teach their princess adequately enough, she might very well get new, far less friendly tutors. Mercury waited until Mars was done, and then cautiously approached the Senshi of Fire. Mars sounded pretty worn out now, but it paid to be safe. 

"I'm not sure if this would be the opportune time to mention this, but... I think Serenity is hiding something. She's been even more distant than usual lately," she said, glancing at the closed door. Maybe Mars would be less angry if there was a better explanation for the princess's behavior.