by Chica Moon The usual disclaimers apply -- I'm not the Japanese chick that created Sailor Moon; her characters are merely feeding my inspirational burst. I'm warning you -- I have a flair for the dramatic and love to go into great detail. Comments, criticism, flames, spare llamas, single, attractive men welcome -- cresent_gal@juno.com. ;~) *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* ~*~*~*~* The Chica Moon Series: Episode 100, Part 1 "Those do not love that do not show their love." -- Shakespeare Destiny -- To Be or Not to Be? *Chapter 1* A wave of rose-brushed satin trailed behind the sinewy figure as she thoughtfully strode down the narrow hallway, gazing absently at detailed paintings of crescent moons and girls with odangos. Now faced with the hardest decision of her life, no sort of consolation was found in anything that the Princess came in contact with -- not even looking down upon the Moon Kingdom from her favorite window seat. A wisp of fawny hair managed to slide out of place from the meticulous upswept 'do upon which her crown rested, gleaming golden in the ample candlelight of the corridor. Pausing before a full-length mirror framed with flowing golden roses, the woman scrutinized the countenance she found in the reflection, lifting a hand to trace the angular jut of her sharp jaw line. The occasional scar from teenage brawls stood alone as the only visible blemish on the rugged face; sudden dismay caused her to flee from that mirror, hands covering her face as she relied on instinct alone to guide her feet to her room. The thudding of heels attracted the attention of one of the Moon Kingdom's rulers -- Prince Darien himself -- and it was not without great concern that he watched the miserable Princess dash down the hallway's length, too far away to be identified. It was not until he tried to take a step forward that the man realised he was standing on his royal cloak, and annoyedly jerking it free, he called in an equally irritated voice to his mate. "Serena, darling -- come here for a moment!" Princess Serena found herself unprepared for the fury she discovered in her husband's face; unaware of what had caused such distress -- that which was mirrored throughout the Kingdom, she had noticed -- the lady quietly joined Prince Darien in the now silent hallway. Delicate layers of moony velvet and flowing satin encased the regal form of the Princess of the Moon Kingdom in a resplendent gown from her tiny shoulders to the billowy train that had taken some getting used to, and a simple tiara with a crescent moon adorned her aurified hair, complete with jewel-graced odangos. Her response echoed down the corridor, despite its barely audible volume. "Yes, my liege?" The Prince hastily unfastened the chenille cloak from his shoulders and impatiently thrust the damaged clothing at his wife, gesturing sharply to the torn hem. "It's torn. Again." Serena nearly fell backwards with the force used to shove the garment in her direction but smoothly recovered enough to accept the rumpled mass of carmine. "Again, dear?" "Yes," he snapped viciously, "again." "Very well. I'll have the tailor fix it at once." With svelteness enough to make Darien jealous, the Princess left him alone in the hallway, briskly turning on a heel to pussyfoot away. A sudden wafture of guilt flooded the Prince's senses as he regarded his wife -- his destiny -- with deep attrition. True, it was not fair that she should have deal with his recent sullenness, but a heavy weight had been laid upon his shoulders, and he was having great difficulty maintaining a noble stance. Princess Serena, however, had no such inkling of the cause of such anguish and throe, and with her usual risibility, she descended the hallway where the royal bedchambers lie to enter the Castle proper. A single thought flashed through her mind, though, as she stole across the courtyard with Darien's cloak in hand. What was going on in the Kingdom? * * * The Guardian Venus found no such reason to plague Princess Mina with any worries that evening. "Lita! The cooks need your opinion about dinner, and they'd appreciate if you'd...." Her words faltered mid-sentence, for a grief-stricken Lita had slowly opened the heavy door to her bedchamber and met Mina's gaze with red-rimmed eyes. "I'll be down soon enough," Lita mumbled as she flung the door closed behind her and doggedly ambled down the corridor, Mina trailing behind in confusion. Hurriedly approaching her friend's side, the golden-haired woman caught up to Lita and gently took her arm. "Lita, what's wrong? I've never seen you this upset before!" Lita brushed off the woman's worried gestures and continued to stalk down the hallway that opened up to the Palace Galleries, leaving Mina standing in the doorway, distraught. "It's Andrew, isn't it?" Mina had mastered the skill of speaking with cool nonchalance like a pro, and her voice now reflected her accomplishment. Princess Lita shook her head fiercely, her back to the bemused Mina, and suddenly bolted off again, this time tossing a cryptic remark to the air. "He wouldn't care if I hit the Princess with a bolt of lightning!" Meanwhile, Princess Serena had decided to consult her feline companion, Luna, about her husband's odd behavior -- such wrath did not just pop out of nowhere, did it? "...And so," the Princess had been saying, "everyone in the Kingdom seems to be deeply troubled about something, but no one's come forward to enlighten me on the matter. Even Darien," just the name sent a chill down her spine -- a chill that used to be sensual, but now was wariness -- "snapped at me this morning when he ripped his cloak again. Oh, Luna, he won't even tell me what's wrong!" The lady made no efforts to kibosh the sudden river of tears flowing down her cheeks or to hide the quaver in her voice, and she now sunk down onto a convenient bench to bury her face in her small hands. "Serena, get a hold of yourself!" Luna was equally worried -- more so because the bond between the rulers of the Kingdom was at stake, than because Darien was acting odd -- about the situation at hand, and the last thing she needed was for Serena to start bawling. "Listen to me -- we can figure this out, but you're going to have to stop that awful braying long enough to listen to me!" The Moon Princess found that no matter how desperately she tried, she could not contain her trembling long enough to satisfy Luna, and after several moments of halfheartedly trying, she finally gave up with a wail. "Oh, Luna! I can't help it. Darien is my destiny -- he's not supposed to act this way!" After several long moments of sobbing, she added shakily, "I'm starting to doubt my destiny, Luna." "Don't!" The cat's curt response came out in a piercing scream that immediately silenced Serena into a state of shocked surprise. "You mustn't doubt yourself when your Kingdom is at stake. Not here, not now. And certainly don't tell me that!" At least let me enjoy a shadow of a doubt, she added silently. "Darien is the least of my worries right now. You can rule the Moon Kingdom without him, so get used to it!" Through her tear-obscured eyes, the lady could just barely make out the crescent moon that reached around her ring finger on her left hand -- the traditional ring worn by the married rulers of the Moon Kingdom -- and with hopeless misery and quivering hands, she slid the ring off of her finger and jumped up from the bench, leaving Luna and the ring alone as she dashed towards the Palace. To be continued.... ___________________________________________________________________ Get the Internet just the way you want it. Free software, free e-mail, and free Internet access for a month! Try Juno Web: http://dl.www.juno.com/dynoget/tagj.