Pandora’s Child
“I am a little scared, something is wrong, I feel a cold power drawing near.”
Sensing the danger himself, he called upon the Kinzuishou and felt its power enveloping them both. “I know sweetheart, now stay close, I won’t let anyone hurt you.”
Persephone shuddered. Endymion stiffened. A loud whooshing sound filled the air frightening off the exotic birds they’d been listening to and a cold damp mist surrounded them. The Kinzuishou lit up from within his chest and burst forth in a shimmering buttery-gold light, the rose of silver appearing instantly in his open palm and he made ready to hurl it at the first indication of trouble.
Then he heard it, the cruel laughter of Dark Serenity, “Oh Endy! I wouldn’t throw that if I were you!”
He then realized that Persephone was gone, ”Leave her alone, Serenity, this is between you and I, not my daughter, let her go!”
“Impotent, ineffectual, redundant… Endy my love, you’re hardly in any position to make demands of me, oh sweet blind as a bat prince!” she laughed maniacally, as the sounds of a struggling girl met his ears.
~/~
Silver and Gold
When Endymion, with his pregnant princess visited Atlantari’s capital to stay with his parents, Solaris and Arjirea, they knew why war was difficult if not impossible to wage on the southern seaboard of Atlantari. The same thing was happening on Myola. Weather conditions were fluctuating between extremes of arctic and tropical. The bitter cold, the towering waterspouts, violent tropical and arctic storms, the floods and volcanic activity off the scale, these conditions unlike anything Atlantarians or those brilliant scientists sent by Queen Demeter of Myola City had ever seen since the last age of ice.
Because Myola and Atlantari were hosting the refugees from four of the smaller continents, those of the East, West and south, it was a perilous undertaking to keep casualties low during times of war. Attacks were commonplace, people lived in fear as Youma incursions, plasma fire from Shadow fighters, and orbital battle platforms targeted the most vulnerable points on the surface despite the firepower of the Atlantarians and their allies. Wherever possible, the war had to be fought far enough away from large population centers. But no matter what they did, it was impossible to prevent every single attack and still, no matter how vigilant, people would die.
When Setsuna and Endymion were wed, the war began to turn the way of the Terrans. After the baby princess was born, Endymion’s Kinzuishou and Setsuna’s garnet staff having merged, their collective magic had grown evermore powerful and this provided the impetus upon which a massive planetary counterattack was successfully launched, pushing the enemy back behind the violet mountains of Tsoarei to the hinterland beyond on the North West coast. With Dark Serenity's forces confined to a relatively small portion of the Terran sphere, pockets of youma resistance remained active on the surface while in orbit dogfights between Dark Kingdom warships and those of the Alliance were commonplace. Sorties were not only flown over Terra, but also, other Alliance planets.
The individual planetary kingdoms had their hands full dealing with the enemy’s continuous lightning raids, Dark Serenity’s armies ably supported by countless scores of ships and Youma foot soldiers deployed to attack Mars, Venus and Jupiter. Mercury, the only inner planet holding its own, along with the outer spheres of Uranus and Neptune were giving the Dark Kingdom a hiding while Pluto was impenetrable.
Moon Kingdom
An uneasy peace had descended upon Serenity City. The light of the Lunarian afternoon crept lazily across the lawns of the palace gardens like a series of sleek black cats seeking to be fed by their minders, the indoor plants on the balcony and inside her bedchamber, yielding their perfume and sap-like benedictions to a cooler evening, easing the heat of the day.
Scattered tufts of pink cloud hung suspended in the Lunarian sky within the vast domed capital, its crystal surface awash with solar light skimming over its massive girth.
It was uncharacteristically peaceful in the streets of the city. Bards and musicians entertaining the occasional passer-by and the sounds of laughter vied for supremacy with the bubbling fountains that, having been repaired by youma overlords and their Lunarian laborers, the palace gardens, as with the well-kept leafy concourses of the urban center, looked almost as they had before the ascendancy of the Dark Queen. What would have otherwise surprised the Lunarians not all too long back, there was a noticeable change that had come over the city in recent times. Small gatherings of Lunarians strolled about, luxuriating in the eerie peace, or was it really the calm between storms, nobody knew. But with only indifferent Shadow Guard patrols and the occasional Youma battalion waiting for curfew at Terran Rise, people could venture out and arrive home relatively unscathed. The majority of the Youma sent away but for the royal guard and the Shadow Generals based at the war room within the palace; the rest relocated to the newly built barracks in the abandoned city of Tranquillis, 200 miles from the capital.
There had been no alliance attacks for over a month now and Dark Serenity was well pleased with her officers and concentrated on her passion, the conquest of Terra. The scent of Lunarian roses tickled her nostrils as she thought about matters of a more carnal nature.
Then her mood grew darker, and she scowled at the thought of the blind prince. “I am going to make Endymion regret the day he spurned me,” she muttered under her breath, removing her clothing and tossing it into a careless pile by her bed and stepping naked into the bathing chamber. In a louder voice she called out, “Sámi, my bath please.”
The frightened attendant nodded without a word and rushed to perform her duties.
Serenity let her long black hair fall loosely over her body, her pregnant bulge evident. ”Shall I wash your hair for you mistress?” Sámi asked, keeping her expression neutral as the dark queen lowered herself into the scented water. “Lord Diamond is waiting in your bedchamber as requested.”
“Ask him to come to me now. And Sámi, Diamond shall wash my hair, and my body this day. You are dismissed.” Sámi flushed bright red and as she placed the body care products on the stand beside the partially submerged monarch, Serenity slapped the backs of the girl’s bare legs with a wet hand and made her yelp in surprise as Serenity giggled. Turning an almost plum color, Sámi faced her queen, her chest heaving with mirth at Sámi’s expense. All she could do was bow respectfully, her long dark tresses falling over her almond eyes, making her look silly, Serenity thought, but in an endearing way. She had wanted to send Sámi away, but didn’t have the heart after Lydia had fled to Terra, although this display of reluctant affection she put down to trace elements of her former life as Princess of the White Moon, convenience and the need to keep potential enemies closer than her so-called friends and allies. Besides, Sámi was pretty to look at, clever and could distract those she wished to manipulate, another reason Dark Serenity had the girl dress provocatively.
Serenity frowned, sucking the stem of a Lunarian lily, lost in thought as she watched as the girl scurried off towards the entrance to the bathing chamber only to be met by the tall and powerfully built Diamond. The young woman blushed, immediately lowering her eyes and sputtered, “Apologies, my lord, forgive me,” she said, like a frightened Lunarian mouse.
Serenity knew Sámi was attracted to him, (But wasn’t every Lunarian woman and girl of conjoining age?) she mused, enjoying watching the gazelle like limbs of the girl shaking in fear and most likely hormonal palpitations. With this in mind, she addressed her attendant once more, “Sámi, you’re a fine specimen of loveliness, but Diamond must have eyes for me alone, go and play child!” she commanded derisively.
Sámi, still blushing, bowed to the forbidding countenance of Lord Diamond as he stood before her, towering over the frightened young woman, arms folded across his powerfully built chest. He smiled his most seductive smile, and she melted inside. He then looked Sámi up and down, lingering on her bronzed chest and then at her smooth long limbs, an appreciative lascivious smirk playing upon his lips. He laughed as the girl curtseyed and ran out of the room. “Comely child, isn’t she? But you, my dear, are the most comely. I have news, but of that, there is time to dwell later. For now we have better things to discuss and each other to enjoy.” He pulled off his dusty knee length boots, threw his cloak over a nearby chair, and shed his clothing.
Serenity beckoned, licking her lips as she began to trace the contours of his arousal and peeled off his underwear, “My you are worked up, I’ll have to keep Sámi out of harm’s way, lest she take you from me, hmmm?”
He laughed, cupping her cheek in his large hand, “Not a chance!”
Batting her eyelashes coquettishly, she arched her back and then drew her long legs up under her chin, making room for him in the huge shell-shaped bathing pool. “Now, before you wash my hair darling, I will take my pleasure and then I am yours to do with as you please, here, and in my bed,” she purred.
“Nothing would give me greater pleasure…” he sighed as the warmth of Dark Serenity’s mouth and her small hands did their magic. After the light behind his eyes flashed violet, punctuating the moment of release, he sighed and submerged his massive god-like frame in the bath, Serenity, all the while resembling the cat that had gotten its bowl of cream.
“You look tired my lord, shall I wash myself?” she said in a girlish cadence.
“Certainly not, allow me…come here and be quick about it woman, you have issued a challenge I dare not refuse.” Diamond kissed her then, as Serenity unfurled her graceful limbs, the slippery flesh of her inner thighs caressing his cheeks as he blessed her supple skin with tender kisses. Diamond then massaged the glistening contours of her rounded belly. As she lay back floating in contentment, he gently pressed his ear to her abdomen. “I can hear her, she is kicking, and she has a strong heart like her father, but the fire of her mother,” he whispered, stroking her belly, “You are beautiful indeed.”
It was his turn then to take her to the edge of climactic bliss. His lips working their way back over her stomach towards her womanhood and as she cried out, she tightened her legs around his shoulders. He lowered her into the water and positioned himself between her quivering thighs about to enter her, brushing aside the plentiful soft pubic down as he plunged into her molten depths, the sensation scintillating.
She opened herself to him on more than simply a sexual level: her heart, mind and on a soul level, she was his, and his alone, as she sought to draw his hardness deeper inside her hungry body.
As they made love, splashing and giggling like children, he suckled her lower lip. She sighed with the sheer exhilaration of his touch as his confident hands moved over her full figure, soap forming a girdle of fragrant bubbles that clung tenaciously to her skin.
She growled. They gasped with the excitement and pleasure of their exertions; her orgasms simultaneously wreaking havoc on the battered shores of Terra, setting off a cascade of violent storms, volcanic activity and quakes punctuated by her every movement and sexual release. The moon’s powerful gravitational forces so great, these perfectly attuned to her body and the dark planet seed buried within the heart of the Lunarian sphere. All the while, the Obsidian Planet Seed continued to grow like a cancer, weakening that of the White Moon. The tempest on the blue planet raged until the cessation of their lovemaking.
She sprinkled a litany of butterfly kisses over his muscular chest, the hard points of her nipples delighting him no end as she pushed herself against him. He felt the soft stream of jet-black hair and as it sank into the water, it was like seaweed, and she, a dark Melusine, his for the taking. He licked at the hollow of her throat, she sang a sustained note of delight and he kissed her nose affectionately.
When they were spent, she began washing his hair as he suckled upon her breasts, squeezing them until they flushed a dark pink color before teasing her nipples erect.
Later, she crawled into his lap, reclining against his chest as he slowly washed her hair, he took care not to tangle the long sumptuous strands and no part of her body missed his attention.
~*~
As they sat at dinner, Serenity was curious to learn of Diamond's exploits in battle. She had known that the Dark Moon fleet had the Silver Alliance on its knees, but she wanted to see Terra conquered most of all.
Diamond had felt a little frustrated with her insistence that the blue planet be their first priority. He would argue that they had the alliance ready to fall if they could pull the elite wing of their forces back to join the fray on the Neptunian front, but she would not hear of it and he had to be contented with that. But the news he had for her concerning the Terran situation he knew would not please her. Their losses had been high, and the fallen Queen, Serenity's mother, was a powerful force to be reckoned with and the winged Senshi was meeting them head to head and they were losing ground. He had to leave the moon with his brother, Prince Sapphire and come to Terra and take Atlantari, kill Endymion and his wench of a wife, Setsuna and the Terrans would then fall. He had the perfect plan, and it involved taking out the king and queen of Terra, Solaris and Arjirea.
Diamond sat in full dress uniform examining the contents of the platters and bowls before him thoughtfully: meats -- roasted and cold -- fish marinated in lemon and spice, most of these cooked over an open fire. Then there were the desserts and other side dishes including, an assortment of locally grown and exotic fruits, vegetables and cheeses, the finest wines and other delights awaiting their culinary pleasure.
Dark Serenity’s Shadow Maidens, her personal guard, were seated around the oval table dutifully eating in silence. She admired their long silken hair that progressed through the spectrum from a deep indigo to bright magenta. She smiled at one of the younger girls before examining the features of the others more thoughtfully , considering their reptilian faces and the delicately sculpted hands and slightly webbed fingers for a moment, finding their translucency fascinating. She adored their overly large amphibious violet eyes, more like crystal baubles, mesmerizing her every time she let herself be tempted to lose herself in their primal depths. The guardians wore striking black fukus, lined with silver stars and their legs were that same translucent glossy aquamarine. The girls were trained by Diamond himself, and had been faithful servants and companions. Serenity loved all six of them, almost as much as she loved Diamond, or for that matter, her own flesh and blood. Iona was her favorite.
“Queen Serenity -- the blue-winged traitor -- as your mother is now to be addressed, I believe?” he ventured, pausing for a moment to gage her reaction. She nodded and he chuckled and pressed on, “She is proving somewhat of a sticking point in our quest to defeat Helios on Atlantari and Myola, you’re needed my love,” he said, leaning forward, looking into her dark eyes.
“No, I need to remain here, besides, the Lunarians are growing bolder. We’ve captured only three of them, and two were children, couriers, and I personally slit their throats, treasonous rabble, that bitch can’t even send fit adversaries against us. I want to weed them out, but I cannot do that if I go to Terra. Darling, that is why I placed you in charge of the war effort. Besides, aren’t you getting closer to beating the Atlantarians?” she pressed, stabbing a vegetable with her fork.
“To be perfectly honest, things aren’t going as we had hoped. It’s Helios, he is a formidable warrior, and the Solar Shitennou are quite skilled and deadly on the battlefield, as you well know my love. We’re suffering heavy losses. But I have a suggestion.”
“Speak!”
He knew when she dropped all pretence to being his lover and wore the mantle of Dark Queen, there was no arguing with her. He spoke candidly and carefully, “We need to undermine Endymion. He may be blind, and the fact you weakened him doesn’t mean he’s altogether ineffective. On the contrary, he has combined his Kinzuishou with Setsuna’s Garnet Staff, and they’re turning the tide of the war and since the birth of their daughter, Persephone, their power has increased exponentially.”
“So, what do you propose?”
“You should pay the prince a visit, I shall launch an attack on the palace and capture and kill Arjirea and Solaris, that, my love is my plan. You could taunt him. Make him feel less than a man than he already is, you’re skilled in the art of Dark Moon diplomacy,” he chuckled, seeing she was warming to his plan, her cruel lips twisting into an evil grin, “So, when we’ve had our fun, then we attack Helios and then come for your wayward mother, sound like a plan?”
“Delightfully so, and I know just how to do this,” she said, patting her pregnant belly and they exchanged a knowing smile.
Terra
Setsuna and Endymion’s homestead
It was a warm morning, the whinnying of horses and the clinking of armor and swordplay filled the air as the stables were emptied and saddles strapped to their owners by Senshi and Shitennou cadets. Endymion loved the sounds of battle, though he loathed the bloodshed. He was never squeamish, but longed for the peace that a just fight brought with it as he was led by his daughter to his mount. She would be his eyes as she had always been. She was all of five years of age, yet strong and astute for one so young. She possessed powers of psycho kinesis, unlike her mother who controlled time. Persephone was described by Helios as a ‘Stellar Witch.’ She had an affinity with the Terran creatures of forest and sky, even the inhabitants of the waters were drawn to her.
Whenever they’d traveled to the coast to enjoy the golden sands of Orokyuka, on the Myolan coastline during long respites in the summer months, Setsuna and Endymion knew they were in for a treat. Setsuna would describe everything in lavish detail, leaving out nothing for her husband's benefit. He could picture the scene in his mind's eye and enjoyed the emotional fervor, laughing with pleasure with his family as the sea mammals -- huge Orca whales, dolphins and other creatures -- performed for Persephone and breached, sending silvery-blue plumes into the air that caught the light throwing off prisms of color that delighted all who witnessed this event. Even the predatory sharks were docile in her presence. Endymion was proud of his little girl as was her mother.
“Come father, let us ride with Helios!” she hugged her father and stroked the flanks of the horse Midnight, and kicked lightly at the animal’s sides and they were off, the winds, warm and sweet with the scent of jasmine filling his senses. Images of those times he rode alone, the wind in his face, his eyes drinking in the beauty and rustic charm of the lowlands of Atlantari’s magnificent topography rushed back with a vengeance as he felt little Persephone’s arms squeezing tight in empathy around his waist.
Persephone laughed and hugged her father once more, as Midnight knew which way to go. Helios slowed to ride side-by-side with his friend and the little girl who was an inspiration to them all.
“Endy! Persephone! A beautiful day, and we’re only just beginning to reap the benefits of our rigorous training regimes, riding is a duty and a wonderful pastime is it not, my friend?”
“To be sure, Helios, and this little munchkin makes it all possible for me,” he said as the little girl blushed and giggled, Helios leaning over to muss up her emerald locks.
“So how goes the war on the southern front?” Endymion asked, grinning.
Helios slapped his friend's shoulder. “The war goes well. We have retaken several provinces and the enemy is in rapid retreat. They seem to be losing momentum, but we’re not counting our ravens yet. They might be regrouping. We have sensed strange activity in the mountains north of Atlantari. We’re not sure what is going on yet, but we’re reinforcing the Regional lines and the Lords of the Scimitar, our elite warriors are sending fresh men and women to aid us in a counterattack,” he said, and Endymion smiled.
“Father, I think we might need to stop for lunch soon, I’m hungry!” Persephone shouted into the wind.
Helios nodded, “Soon little one, soon.”
“All right, I can wait. Oh, I wish you could see him, father. There’s an Italia, the most beautiful songbird in the world!” she gushed, beginning to describe its plumage. Endymion smiled as the horses slowed and they entered a glade and dismounted to listen and he helped her unpack their picnic lunch as Helios tethered the horses then walked a short distance towards a rocky outcrop and sharpened his sword on a stone.
The sounds of riders came suddenly from the west and all turned to watch as Lord Turquoise led his group to an abrupt stop.
” Pardon me, my lords, but the outskirts of the city are under attack, Helios, we need you! He said, breathlessly, pulling off his Helmut, sweat beading upon his brow his black locks tied back from his face, “Hot, is it not, my liege?”
“After riding at speed, I imagine so,” Endymion said, smiling his welcome to the Shitennou party.
“Come, sit and eat and drink with us,” Helios grinned performing the Shitennou salute and sheathing his sword, helping the other man remove his armor and they all sat to sate their thirst and hunger. Persephone handed sandwiches and drinking skins to the newcomers.
~*~
“That was good, my prince, noble Shitennou, young lady,” Helios winked at the emerald clad princess, her black wool shift and leather leggings made her look like a leaf faery, her long locks tied in a loose ponytail, her ocean-blue eyes shimmering with awe and sadness as her uncle offered his good-bye. “Be safe, Uncle.”
Helios, had his fill and grunted as he stood up and threw his cloak over his shoulder and prepared his horse to join his Shitennou. “Go my friend, and we shall save you some of this faire, be safe and see you at evening meal.”
“Count on it, and little princess,” he crouched to hug the little girl, “Look after your father now, be good,” he smiled as Persephone flew into her uncle’s arms and hugged him fiercely.
“Be careful Helios!”
“I will, Endy, now enjoy your luncheon you two and see you later today!”
He was soon atop his steed and the others were preparing to leave.
“Helios, I and my men will accompany you, my liege,” Turquoise bowed low and smiled at Persephone. “My Lady, may I and my men take our leave of you?”
“You may, good sir!” she giggled, hugging her father, a smile plastered on his proud face.
“Good riding and May the sun find you safely at home on the morrow!” Endymion said, offering the men a Shitennou salute and soon he and his daughter were alone, finishing their meal.
~*~
“Father?” she said, hugging Endymion.
“Hmmm?”
“I am a little scared, something is wrong, I feel a cold power drawing near.”
Sensing the danger himself, he called upon the Kinzuishou and felt its power enveloping them both. “I know sweetheart, now stay close, I won’t let anyone hurt you.”
Persephone shuddered. Endymion stiffened. A loud whooshing sound filled the air frightening off the exotic birds they’d been listening to and a cold damp mist surrounded them. The Kinzuishou lit up from within his chest and burst forth in a shimmering buttery-gold light, the rose of silver appearing instantly in his open palm and he made ready to hurl it at the first indication of trouble.
But then he heard it, the cruel laughter of Dark Serenity, “Oh Endy! I wouldn’t throw that if I were you!”
He then realized that Persephone was gone, ”Leave her alone, Serenity, this is between you and I, not my daughter, let her go!”
“Impotent, ineffectual, redundant… Endy my love, you’re hardly in any position to make demands of me, oh sweet blind as a bat prince!” she laughed maniacally, as the sounds of a struggling girl met his ears.
“Let… me… go you nasty witch!” the little girl hissed, kicking Serenity in the shins, bringing a protest of pain from the dark clad queen.
“Oh Endy, what are you and your whore of a wife teaching this little princess of yours, I’ll have to teach her some manners. I am in a good mood today, but don’t try my patience, child, or I just might slit your pretty little throat!” she growled, pushing Persephone aside and stepped toward Endymion whose expression was ghostly white.
Now on his feet, his rose evaporating, he didn’t care, for the power of the Kinzuishou was surging through him. “What do you want, Serenity,” he snapped, his tone cold.
“Oh, Endy, how thoughtless of you, and here I was, thinking you were such a good father, but please, humor me will you? Now…” she purred, taking his hands, and in a trance -like state, he allowed Serenity to place his palms upon her pregnant waistline. He felt the perfectly formed bulge and the warmth of life beneath her skin moving beneath his palms, the extra heartbeat thundering in his head, the shock immediate as he swayed on his feet in horror.
“No!”
“Oh yes, you’re a father…again!” she raised her obsidian scepter, “Now, I thought this the perfect way to end your miserable darkened existence, you’ll thank me, but in death’s bosom, know that I shall be a better mother to your adorable brat and soon I shall kill your insipid widow! Hahaha!”
As she summoned the power of the obsidian scepter, the gossamer silhouette of Serenity of the White Moon appeared out of thin air, putting herself between the blind prince and the malevolent shadow of herself. As the dark light from Dark Serenity’s scepter struck her in the heart, the black mist of shadows closing over her, Dark Serenity screamed in terror at the sight of the silvery-gold flash of the Ginzuishou. Persephone clung to Endymion as she stared in awe at the golden-haired lady with the crystal bloom in her hands.
“No, not you! But how? You’re not real!” the Dark Queen screamed, “But why haven’t you been destroyed, you should be dusted!”
“You witch! Be gone! Moon Cosmic Power!” the shimmering silver apparition shouted.
“Ah! This is not over Serenity!” the Dark Queen screamed as she raised her scepter defensively and vanished.
Endymion was stunned. Serenity approached, and touched his cheek, and he could hear her. Persephone smiled at the pretty lady as she spoke with a beautiful voice, “Endymion, it’s me, Serenity of the White Moon, are you all right?”
“Sere? But how?”
“I’m not from this universe I’m afraid, I was placed under a curse by Beryl Ravensong. In my Moon Kingdom, I have not as yet succumbed to the darkness, but Ravensong is dead, and I need to find a way to help you all and save my own kingdom and stop her, help me!”
