Tryst by Ninny
Author’s Notes: This is a Silver Millennium fan fic, but it’s also alternate reality. You need to know a few names. The king of the Silver Millennium (and the Moon) is Cadogan. The queen of the Silver Millennium (and the Moon) is Selene (to avoid confusion). The king of Earth is Alexander.
In case you were wondering, Serenity is 16. The sailor soldiers are 18. Endymion and his men are 22. Artemis and Luna are 25.
I plan on updating at least once a week, but life sometimes gets in the way. If I miss a week, I’ll try to make up for it by uploading multiple chapters.
I want to thank my friends Jamie and Mary for all their support. Thank you both for reading this as I wrote it, for helping me with time-appropriateness, for everything. I love you guys! 3
Feedback is always welcome and appreciated. Thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoy!
~
Part I
Chapter 1
The king held a silver goblet in his hands, rotating it slowly as he waited for his messenger to enter the room. His brow was furrowed in deep thought, eyes dark.
“My lord Cadogan,” the messenger greeted with a bow as he entered.
“Cris,” the king greeted, placing the goblet on the table and rising. “Tell me you have good news.”
The messenger’s face darkened. “Forgive me, my lord, but I cannot. The news I bring is grave.”
Sighing, Cadogan gripped the edge of the table. His entire body was tensed, waiting for some terrible blow to come. He closed his eyes tightly. “What have you learned of Prince Diamond?”
The messenger seemed to choose his words carefully. “It is as we feared, my lord. Your refusal to give him your daughter’s hand in marriage has angered the prince. He speaks rather openly of his rage. He claims that you deny him what is rightfully his.”
Scoffing, the king opened his eyes. “He has no right to my daughter, and if the fool would just open his eyes, he would see that I refuse every man who comes for my daughter. I will not give her hand until she is old enough. But go on, Cris. I can see there is more.”
“My lord, it was difficult to determine the extent of the prince’s anger; he was careful not to speak too openly among those he did not trust, but what I heard was most disturbing.” Here, the messenger hesitated, licking his lips. Carefully, he went on. “Prince Diamond speaks of taking what he believes is his.”
The king’s eyes widened. “Taking?”
Cris nodded. “Yes, my lord. He implied quite heavily that he intends to come for the princess and take her as his bride, whether you consent or not.”
For a moment, the king simply stared at his messenger, his face pale. Then, clenching his jaw, he slammed his fist against the tabletop, upsetting the goblet, crimson wine spilling onto the surface.
“He would not dare abduct my daughter,” the king yelled. “He would not…” He sank back into his seat, covering his eyes with his hand. “Who am I trying to fool? The man is mad with lust. He would do anything, even if it meant committing treason and taking my daughter by force.”
Cadogan let his hand fall into his lap. His eyes were grim, his lips drawn in a thin line.
“I know what I must do,” he whispered.
“My lord?” Cris came to his king’s side, kneeling beside Cadogan.
“I must send her away.”
~
“You cannot ask me to do such a thing!”
Tears slid down the queen’s face, but she refused to crumple into her husband’s arms. What he was asking her to do was madness, and she would not allow him to comfort her.
“Selene, it is the only way to protect her,” he said reasonable, reaching out for his wife.
“You are asking me to send my daughter away!” she shouted. She had never shouted at him before, never. She couldn’t recall the last time she had shouted at anyone. “Serenity has never left the palace grounds, let alone traveled to another planet.”
“I know, but we must keep her safe,” Cadogan explained, sinking into his chair. He stared into the fire that burned in the hearth. “Diamond seems willing to do anything to obtain her as his wife. I cannot have him arrested until he takes action, but the man is a snake; by the time we know he has moved, he may well have Serenity in his grasp.”
Selene’s face paled, her eyes wide. “What kind of man would kidnap a girl like that?”
“A mad man,” the king replied, reaching out and grasping his wife’s hand. “That is why we must send her away, to protect her from him. We have no choice.”
The queen sank to the ground, trying not to sob. “We can send her to Venus. My sister Acacia will take her in. We can send Minetta with her.”
“No,” Cadogan said. “Once Diamond realizes we’ve sent her away, he’ll suspect we would send her to family. We cannot send her somewhere as obvious as Venus.”
“Then where can we send her?” the queen demanded. “Each of her soldiers’ home is just as obvious as Venus. Mercury is one of our closest allies, and your sister is a duchess on Mars. Where can we send her that the prince would not suspect?”
Selene watched her husband’s brow knit together. Over the past year or two, his hair had grown gray, a sign of the taxing duties of a king. When he looked at her, she could almost read his thought as though it was written in his eyes.
“No,” she whispered. “You cannot send her there. Please, not there. Earth has no allegiance to the Alliance. We have no friends there. You cannot mean to send her there!”
Cadogan shook his head, rising from his chair. “It is the last place Diamond would think to look. And even if it crossed his mind that we might send her there, he would have no way of getting there; the Terrans would never allow him access to their kingdom. She’ll only be there as long as it takes us to stop him.”
Seeing that he was determined, Selene buried her face in her hands and allow herself to sob. She felt his arms wrap around her.
“It’s the only place she’ll be safe.”
~
The Terran king had been in the middle of a meeting with his advisors when a page had announced that he had an urgent call on the telescreens. Alexander could not imagine who would be trying to reach him in such a fashion; hardly anyone in his kingdom used the telescreens anymore.
When he entered the private room with the screen, he adjusted the crown on his brow and took a deep breath. Then he pushed the button on the lower corner of the screen.
To his complete shock, the face that appeared on the screen was that of the Lunar king, Cadogan. Alexander almost pushed the button to turn off the screen; he had nothing to say to the king of the Moon.
“Cadogan,” Alexander sneered, “to what do I owe this great honor?”
“Please, Alexander, I cannot afford your sarcasm and bitterness. I contact you out of desperation. I need your help,” Cadogan pleaded, his face haggard and weary.
For a brief moment, Alexander wondered if the other planets in Cadogan’s Silver Alliance had decided to revolt against the king of Luna. Brushing that thought aside, he frowned. “What could make you so desperate as to ask me for help? As I recall, the last time we spoke, you said it would be I who came to you begging for aid.”
“Please, Alexander, this is incredibly important.”
“Alright,” the Terran king conceded. “What is it?”
“It’s my daughter,” Cadogan began. “She is in danger. Prince Diamond of Black Luna came to me a few months ago and asked for her hand in marriage. Serenity is not yet of age to marry, and I refused him. He was fuming when he left, and I was suspicious. I sent a spy to his kingdom—“
“Ah, so you spy on your own people now, Cadogan?” Alexander grinned darkly. “I remember a time when you devoted all your spies to me.”
“Please,” Alexander begged before continuing. “My spy returned last night and told me that Diamond is plotting to take my daughter as his bride by any means necessary. He plans to abduct her, I’m sure of it.”
Cadogan’s words sobered Alexander. “Abduct her? Even to plan to do such a thing is treason, which is punishable by death even in your Silver Alliance. Would he take such a risk for a bride?”
Nodding, Cadogan said, “I think he would do anything to have my daughter for his own.”
Alexander frowned. “But what can I do? I will not send troops to march against Black Luna, as you well know.”
“I understand that,” Cadogan told him. “But I cannot keep my daughter here, not while Diamond plots to take her. I must send her somewhere else, somewhere safe until he is stopped.”
Alexander understood. “You want to send her here, to the one place in this system Diamond would never think to look.”
Cadogan nodded grimly. “I know we have had our differences in the past, Alexander. We have not seen eye to eye on all matters. But you are a father; I know you would do anything to protect your child. Please, help me protect mine.”
To say that Cadogan and Alexander did not see eye to eye on all matters was a rather large understatement; the two had almost gone to war some years ago and had since ceased all communication. But Cadogan was right; Alexander would never allow anyone to abduct or harm his child, not if he could stop it.
“What will I receive in return for my aid?” Alexander may have understood Cadogan’s need, but he was still a king. He needed to think of his people before agreeing to such a thing.
Cadogan hesitated. “I don’t know what would tempt you. I will lift the taxes I have placed on any imports or exports that enter your realm. I will allow travel between the kingdoms again. I cannot offer you whatever you want; she is my daughter, but I cannot risk my people’s safety or trust. Imagine what you would be willing to give to keep your own child safe, and we can go from there.”
Alexander nodded. “Very well. Send your daughter to me, Cadogan, and I shall keep her safe in my home as long as it takes to stop this traitor of yours. But know this: I will not allow her infamous sailor soldiers on my planet. I have heard of their power, Cadogan, and I will not let them come here. You send her alone, or you find another hiding place.”
“Fine,” Cadogan replied, though his displeasure was obvious. “You must send someone to Luna to bring her to your kingdom, then. She will not know how on her own.”
“In three days time, I will send two of my men to fetch her. Be ready.”
With that, Alexander turned the telescreen off. He rubbed his eyes. This had been the first time he had communicated with the Lunar kingdom in over twenty years, and he still found Cadogan to be a tiring man.
Wondering at what would come of this whole thing, Alexander left the room to visit his son. He was suddenly glad he had no beautiful daughters who could be kidnapped.
~
Serenity laughed as, for the sixth time in the past hour, Mina stole Amy’s book and went running. The blue-haired princess was finally getting angry.
“Minetta, give me back my book right now!” Amy yelled, jumping to her feet.
“Oh, I’m so frightened,” Mina teased. “It is unkind of you to use my full name, Amelia. You know it’s an old crone’s name.”
“Just give her the book, Mina,” Rei said dryly. “She doesn’t want to have fun with us.”
“That is not fair,” Amy said. “I just want to finish this chapter, but you four won’t let me.”
“Don’t include me in that group, Amy. I stopped taking your book after the fourth time, when you turned red because you wouldn’t shout,” Lita said, smiling.
“Fine,” Amy sighed. “I give up. What can I do to keep you four entertained?”
Mina grinned beautifully. “Let’s go for a swim. Or we could—“
“Serenity.”
The girls turned to see Prince Artemis walking towards them. Serenity’s older brother was tall, his long white hair tucked behind his ears. His face was stern. Serenity stood and went to her brother.
“Serenity, our parents would like you and your guards to join them in the council room. They have something they need to tell you,” Artemis said, his eyes dark.
“What is it?” Serenity asked, sensing the tension in her brother. “What’s wrong?”
“Just come with me,” Artemis replied, taking her hand and leading her back inside, her four guards following close behind. The prince led them silently to his father’s council room. The two sentries opened the door for them.
The king and queen were both seated at the large table and waited for their children and the sailor soldiers to close the door and sit. For a long while after that, no one spoke.
Finally, Serenity couldn’t bear it any longer. “Please, someone tell me what is going on. You all seem so grim. Is something wrong?”
Serenity didn’t miss the sad expression in her parents’ eyes as they glanced at each other. Her mother simply bowed her head.
Cadogan sighed. “Serenity, do you remember Prince Diamond of Black Luna? He was here about a month ago. Do you recall him?”
Nodding, Serenity shuddered. She remembered the prince well; something about the way he had looked at her had made her terribly uncomfortable. He had stood too close for comfort, always watching her, smiling eerily.
“Well, just before he left, Prince Diamond asked for your hand in marriage.”
Serenity’s blue eyes widened. A wave of icy dread flowed through her stomach. “That’s what this is all about? I’m marrying Prince Diamond?”
Everyone in the room heard the fear in Serenity’s voice, and for a moment, her four guards almost protested the idea of such nuptials.
“No, Serenity,” Cadogan soothed. “I denied Prince Diamond’s request. You are too young to be married yet.”
Breathing a sigh of relief, Serenity relaxed in her chair. She knew, however, from the look in her father’s eyes, that there was more.
“When I denied him, Diamond was furious. I was suspicious of him, so I sent one of my men to his palace to determine how angry the prince was. Unfortunately, my man came back with grave news.”
Here, the king stood and circled the table to kneel beside his daughter. Serenity was trembling now; her father’s eyes were so sad.
“Serenity, Prince Diamond is plotting to forcibly take you as his wife.”
Four chairs scraped loudly against the marble floor as the sailor soldiers each stood abruptly.
Mina, now assuming her role as leader of the soldiers, addressed the king. “My lord, we will go to Black Luna immediately and –“
“There is nothing you can do as of yet, Venus,” the king told her. “At this moment, Prince Diamond has done nothing more than imply his intentions.”
“But to kidnap the princess is treason!” Rei cried angrily.
“He has not yet attempted any such thing,” the king replied. “Until he acts, we cannot confront him or arrest him.”
Lita seethed at this. “So we will just stand idly by until he attempts to—“
“No,” the king nearly shouted. The anger in his voice effectively silenced any other protests the sailor soldiers could have made. He turned back to his daughter.
“We cannot act against him, Serenity, until Prince Diamond has actually committed treason. We must keep you safe, and the only way to do so is to send you away.”
Serenity’s head snapped up, and she turned to face her mother. Selene’s cheeks were wet with tears, and the queen would not look at her daughter.
“Send me away?” Serenity repeated quietly. “But I’ve never been anywhere but here. Send me where?”
The king bowed his head, unable to go on. Behind him, Artemis’s face was dark as he coldly said, “To Earth. They want to send you to Earth.”
The room went completely silent. Serenity felt certain that everyone had stopped breathing. A thousand thoughts swarmed through her mind like angry bees, overwhelming her. She couldn’t speak. She could hardly keep from screaming.
“To Earth?” Mina repeated. “But we haven’t had contact with Earth for twenty years!”
Cadogan raised his head to face the blond soldier. “I contacted the Terran king and negotiated. He has agreed to keep Serenity safe until we can stop Diamond.”
Serenity’s breathing was becoming shallow, her heart thundering against her chest like a bird trying desperately to escape its cage. Her eyes were wide, and finally she broke.
“You can’t send me to Earth!” she cried. “You can’t!”
“Serenity,” her father reasoned gently, “it is the only place you will be safe.”
“Safe?” she nearly shrieked. “Safe? But Terrans are thieves, drunks! They revel in debauchery, you’ve told me so yourself!”
Serenity had never really believed all the awful things people said about Terrans, but now she wasn’t so sure. Her own father hated the Terran ways so much that he had ceased all communication between the Alliance and Earth before her birth, just to protect his people. How could he possibly send her to live among those he considered to be criminals?
“Serenity, it is the only place you can go. The only place you will be safe. It will only be for a short while, until Diamond is stopped,” Cadogan said, stroking his daughter’s hair.
Tears were streaming down Serenity’s face now, and she sank out of her chair and onto the floor. She wrapped her arms around her father’s neck and cried into his shoulder.
“Please, please,” she begged. “Please don’t send me away. Don’t send me to Earth. Please!”
Slowly, Cadogan untangled his daughter’s arms from his neck and pulled her to her feet. He stepped back from his daughter, his face stony now. “I have no choice, Serenity, and neither do you. You are going to Earth.”
Serenity buried her face into her hands, knowing from his eyes that her father would not allow any more protest. She felt hands stroking her hair and back, her guards trying to comfort her.
“It’ll be alright, Serenity,” Amy said softly.
“That’s right,” Mina said, trying to be cheerful. “It’ll be like an adventure. We’ll be with you.”
“No,” Cadogan said, “you won’t. King Alexander has agreed to protect Serenity on the terms that you soldiers do not set foot on Earth. She goes alone.”
Serenity thought it was a joke at first, but when she looked up at her father, she saw that he was serious. The room was spinning, and behind her, she heard her guards shouting in protest, but she couldn’t understand what they were saying. She pulled herself out of their reach and shoved the doors open, running out of the room.
She ran through the large corridors blindly, unaware of the various sentries who stared dumbly after their princess, until she came to her own chambers. She didn’t greet the two men who stood guard or wait for them to open the doors for her. Instead, she threw them open and hurled herself inside, slamming the doors behind her.
Her tears were dry now, replaced with a hot fury that made her pace the room over and over. She barely noticed when the doors opened again and the sailor soldiers entered the room. They watched in silence as she rung her hands together, walking back and forth across the room.
“Stop pacing, please,” Lita begged.
“Sit down,” Rei said. “Talk to us.”
Complying, Serenity sat on the edge of her bed. She looked at them hopefully. “You’ve convinced him to let you come with me, haven’t you?”
Each one of the girls before her bowed their head. She knew before they spoke that they hadn’t.
“Serenity,” Mina explained, “the only way you can go to Earth is by yourself. King Alexander won’t allow us to accompany you.”
Serenity stood again and resumed her pacing. “But it is your duty to protect me! You each vowed to protect me!”
“Yes,” Amy agreed, “but this time, we must protect you by not going with you. If we refuse to let you go, we are putting your safety in jeopardy.”
“I won’t go!” Serenity cried, startling them with her anger. “I will not go to Earth!”
“You have to, Serenity,” Lita told her. She was about to continue, but Serenity grabbed a hand mirror from her vanity and hurled it across the room. It struck the far wall and shattered.
The sailor soldiers stared at Serenity with wide eyes as she continued shouting. Never before had they seen her so angry, and they had been with her since she was five years old.
“I won’t go! I won’t! I…” Suddenly, Serenity fell to her knees, sobbing.
Mina knelt and took her cousin into her arms. She held Serenity gently, stroking the princess’s silver locks as she cried.
“You don’t have a choice.”
~
