--------------------------------------------------------------------- Love Beyond Fate By Scutter I want to thank Twilight for all the encouragement and comments. Without you, I wouldn't have finished this when I did. Note: This chapter contains adult themes. Younger readers be warned!! This is rated PG-13. Except for the ones I made up, these characters belong to whatever company/companies made or own Sailor Moon. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Chapter 5 Forever Darien woke late the next morning, but not as late as Serena. It had come to about 10:00, and he still hadn't seen her. However, as he was leaving the breakfast hall, he passed her coming in, and smiled gently. She started when she saw him, and hindered him. "Darien, can I talk to you?" She seemed nervous. His smile was replaced with a look of concern, and he nodded. "I wanted . . . I wanted to thank you for yesterday. Please don't think that I didn't enjoy it, just because I wanted to come home. It was truly an amazing day." Darien smiled again, but also noted her formality of speech. "I'm glad you enjoyed it." He waited, while Serena seemed to be trying to decide what to say, but in the end, she just shrugged. "That's all I wanted to say." She smiled briefly, then disappeared into the breakfast room, leaving Darien staring after her. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "What on Earth did you think you were doing?!" King Jonathon roared. Sebastian flinched. "Sir, I was trying to help Darien. . ." "Do you have *any* idea the trouble you caused? Queen Serenity was deeply upset, and I must say quite stunned that the King and Queen of Earth can't gain some loyalty from their subjects." Sebastian stared at the floor. "Sir, if I could only explain . . ." "For eighteen years, I have put up with your irresponsible pranks and escapades. When Darien was a child, I was satisfied to overlook such discrepancies. But I thought you had better judgement than this." King Jonathon glared ice daggers into him. "Sebastian, at Darien's age, it is *absolutely* unacceptable that he be running off like that. He is no longer a child. He is the Prince of Earth, he is engaged to the Supreme Princess of the Moon Kingdom, and he will not, I repeat will *not*, be permitted to kidnap the Supreme Queen's daughter and run away with her." Sebastian remained silent. "And now, as a display of my deep disappointment, you will be relieved of duty until further notice." Sebastian flinched at the harsh words, and closed his eyes briefly. "Yes, Sir." The words seemed choked, and Sebastian's shoulders slumped in defeat as he was escourted from the room. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The leaves of the old sycamore tree rustled in the mid afternoon breeze. The sky above was a clear blue, and the sun glowed warmly on the small lawn around the tree. And yet the scene was not complete. Serena sat in the shade of the sycamore, staring unseeing at the flowers around her, as she thought, for the first time, about how she really felt about Prince Darien. Her mind had recently been such a whirlwind of confused thoughts and emotions that she realised she had never actually stopped to consider how she really felt. But now as she tried, she found there were so many questions in her mind - where could she begin to sort them out? Serena gasped at the clarity of the thought, but frowned. That depended on so many other things. No, that was not a good place to start. Serena scowled at the internal voice. 'That's not a real question, is it?' 'I thought I would. I told him I would, but . . .' Serena sighed to herself. "How am I supposed to answer that?" she asked aloud. " . . . ?" "I don't know." "I DON'T KNOW!" Serena stopped. What was that last one? A scene flashed in her mind, of the night of the ball, that first, fateful night when they had met, and danced, and talked, and as it did, she realised that she had loved him from that very moment, when he had broken down all the walls of protocol to touch her heart, and to claim her soul as his own. And since that night, he had reached out to her in every way imaginable, trying endlessly to please her, going not just to the ends of the world, but quite beyond them to win her. And she had regarded all this coolly, as if from a distance. And as the word echoed in her mind, Serena knew there could only be one reason. Fear. She had been afraid of falling in love. Afraid of the topsy-turvy world that called her, invited her, yearned for her to fall into it, and admit her love for him. She was afraid that if she fell in love, she would keep falling, that there would be no one there to catch her. That Darien would not return that love . . . But now . . . ? But now, she loved him. But she had pushed him away. Did he still want her? He had been so aloof since they had returned to the moon, almost avoiding her. Serena sighed, tears not quite reaching her eyes. 'I doubt if he even cares any more.' But even as she thought the words, she felt a blazing hope that they were not true. "I have to know." Serena was so anxious now that she didn't even realise she had spoken. What if he said no? He had once loved her, she was sure of that, but what if it was too late now? For once, she agreed with her inner voice, and quickly climbed to her feet, hurrying away from the sycamore, its small lawn turning grey in the sunset. She literally ran down the path, barely noticing that the light was fading, dusk setting in quickly. In that soft half-light, she missed the crack in the path, and fell headlong to the ground. She winced as her knees contacted hard gravel, and sat up, fighting tears at her own carelessness. But then, from the corner of her eye, a faint shimmering caught her attention. She turned to the source of the light, low down at the edge of the path, and her eyes grew wide. Where fear had blazed in her heart before, hope suddenly burst forth. Without a second thought, she got to her feet, and continued her run for the palace, calling for servants to bring a lantern . . . ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Darien sat alone in his quarters, quietly thinking as he stared into the flames of the low fire. Since returning to the Moon, he had largely left Serena alone, allowing her the space he felt she needed. She had thanked him for their time on Earth, and he knew she had genuinely enjoyed it, but a few hours of happiness didn't make a marriage, and he was reluctant to push the issue. But now, he was beginning to regret his passivity. It had been three days, and she still hadn't said anything to him. He longed for a sign from her - a word, a smile, *anything* to let him know that he had not done wrong. Had he gone too far, taking her to Earth? Had he scared her away for good? Suddenly there was a knock at the door. He looked up, surprised. "Come in." The door opened, and Serena stood at the edge of his room, smiling broadly. "Darien, come outside. I've got something to show you." He gave her a quizzical look, stunned by her very presence. "What is it?" She grinned secretively. "Just come outside. You'll see when we get there." She hovered nervously as Darien pulled on his boots, then practically dragged him down the stairs. Leading him to the gardens, she took a lamp from a waiting servant, and led him to a small clump of bushes at the edge of the path. She knelt down, holding the lamp close to the bush. "Look," she urged. "This plant is called a Golden Firebloom. It flowers only at night, and on just one night each year." She held up a small branch. Looking closely, Darien could see dozens of small, new, gold coloured flowers, glistening with dew in the coolness of the night. He smiled in wonder. "It's beautiful. I've never seen anything like it." Serena grinned, breathless with excitement. "My mother used to say it was nature's equivalent of jewellry. She said the plant only wears the flowers on special occasions. We watch to see when it blooms every year. And every year, something special happens on that night." Darien raised an eyebrow. "Really? Like what?" "Like last year, Princess Mina was sick with White Fever. Everyone thought she was going to die, but then the Firebloom flowered, and she got better." Darien looked up at her then, their eyes meeting for an instant. Their gaze locked, as the implications of this information slowly sunk in. Darien nodded seriously, and became very quiet. Serena blushed faintly, looking away. "Let's go inside," she said quietly. "It's cold out, and it's getting late." ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Darien was silent as he walked Serena back to her quarters. He paused at the door, about to say goodnight, but before he could speak, Serena said "Come in. I want to show you the view from my window." She smiled shyly. "It's probably the best view in the palace." Darien hesitated. "I, er, I don't think I should be going in your room, Serena." She shook her head. "Don't worry, this is just my living quarters. My sleeping quarters are down the hall. It's perfectly all right." She lead Darien into the room, and pulled the curtains back from the window. Undoing the latch, she pushed the window open, and the heady scent of the night came wafting into the room. Darien gazed in wonder at the magnificent view - the silvery gardens, stretching out to a wide lake, and beyond that, the faint glitter of the Moon Kingdom's city. It was all so magical . . . His contemplation was interrupted by a knock on the door. Serena quickly went to open it, surprised when she saw a servant there, holding a tray with a bottle, and two glasses. "M'lady, I was requested to bring you a light nightcap." Serena frowned. "Requested by whom?" The servant paused. "Princess Mars, your majesty. Apparently she noticed that you were returning to your room . . . together." The last word was mumbled, but Serena heard anyway, and blushed, inadvertantly letting the man into the room as she looked away in embarrasment. He set the tray on a table beside the window, and bowed before leaving the room. Serena stared after him for a moment, then glanced at the tray. Her eyes lit up as she saw what it was, her mood swinging in characteristic fashion from low to high in an instant. Excitedly, she pulled the cork from the bottle, pouring two glasses. "This is one of the nicest drinks on the moon," she babbled as she did. "It's usually kept for special occasions. We call it Blue Lavender. Taste it," she gestured impatiently. Smiling, Darien raised the glass to his lips, and felt the cool, full liquid cascading over his tongue, dripping down his throat. He closed his eyes and sighed. Serena was fidgeting expectantly. "How do you like it?" Darien looked down at her, his eyes joyful. "It's like the ocean on a spring day - clear and cold." She looked back at him, smiling slightly, biting her lip. "The ocean." she whispered. Hope glistened in her eyes. "Take me there?" Her voice quivered. He set the cup on the windowsill, and took both her hands in his, locking her gaze on his own. "I will take you anywhere you wish to go. Simply ask, and I will lead you there." Serena smiled, but he wasn't finished. "And in return, I ask that you grant me one wish." She looked up at him expectantly. "Serena, will you marry me?" She stared at him a moment, eyes wide, tears shimmering through her golden lashes. Then she threw her arms around him. "Oh, yes! Oh, I will. Yes, Darien." He held her against him, feeling her small body against his chest, burying his face in her golden hair. "Oh Serena," he whispered. "I love you." Serena heard the words, words that wrapped themselves around her heart, and held him tighter. His chest against her cheek was warm, his arms around her gentle, and his long, delicate fingers in her hair touched her deep inside. she thought hazily. Dimly, she was aware of the faint scent of roses, drifting in on a breeze from the gardens below . . . ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Queen Serenity sat quietly in her study, her head in her hands. She had been like this for almost an hour, without moving so much as an inch. Finally, she raised her head, staring unseeing at the contents of the room. she thought. With a finality of mind, she determined to tell the King and Queen of Earth, but before she could even rise from her seat, she was interrupted by a knock at the door. "Enter." The door opened with a soft creak, and the servant bowed briefly before addressing her. "Your Majesty, as you requested, I have come to inform you that the Golden Firebloom flowered tonight." Serenity was stunned, but quickly hid her feelings with a mask of calm. "Thank you. You may go." The servant turned to leave, while Serenity's thoughts became scattered. Suddenly, another knock broke into her thoughts, and, from years of practice, she skillfully erased all emotion from her face. "Come in." But nothing could have hidden her surprise when Prince Darien came in, with his arm around Princess Serena! "Er, Mother?" Serena was blushing furiously. "I have . . . I mean we . . . I've decided . . ." Darien looked at the Queen slyly. "This is sort of self-explanatory, isn't it?" he commented, pulling Serena closer. Queen Serenity had not quite recovered from her shock, and stammered slightly, as she asked, "When did this happen?" "Six days ago," Serena answered, while Darien said "About two minutes ago." Serenity glared at them sardonically. "Not that I don't have the utmost confidence in your decision making abilities, but just to make sure I know *exactly* what's going on, I am to understand that the two of you have agreed to be married?" Only when she had received a decided "Yes" from Darien, and an excited "Yes" from Serena, did Serenity allow herself to smile. "Congratulations to you both. Darien, shall we go and inform your parents? Darien grinned, and bowed slightly. "We shall." ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ King Jonathan and Queen Deilia were naturally delighted with the engagement of their son to the Supreme Princess of the Moon Kingdom. Queen Serenity's relief at the match had been clear, and while Jonathon shared her feelings, Queen Deilia simply smiled, claiming she had always known it would work out in the end. Love was, after all, a mysterious thing. The wedding was planned immediately. The Sailor Senshi were all delighted, making a huge fuss over helping Serena select her wedding gown. The servants of the Palace were in chaos over planning the ball to follow, and Darien himself, despite his usually indomitable sense of humor, found himself throwing quiet fits of temper over the incompetence of his tailors. So it was with a quiet relief that the couple, very much in love by now, would shut themselves in their rooms together in the evenings, and talk about all their plans for the future, and sometimes, about the very recent past, as well. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The wedding ceremony went off without fault, Serena shedding gentle tears with the words "I do." Darien looked handsome and noble, with only Serena seeing the mischievous glint in his eyes, while Serena looked simply dazzling - Darien would have insisted, had he been asked. Queen Serenity watched the ceremony with something between delight and bemusement. She did not, she was sure, know the full story behind this marriage, and she doubted that she ever would. It was clear, however, how happy her daughter was and so she blessed the marriage, wishing them both all the happiness life could give. Jonathon and Deilia were the victims of no such complexity of thought. Young love was, after all, a strange and confusing thing. The Sailor Senshi made perfect bridesmaids, and afterwards, Rei gushed over every dress in the room, swearing each and every one was her *ideal* wedding gown. At the banquet after the wedding, all the Senshi were invited to dance, during which Ami blushed, Lita flirted, and Mina simply smiled and accepted the offer. And Darien's faithful guardian, Sebastian, stood at the edge of the room, satisfied that he had, in the end, acted correctly, and had assisted at least in part to his charge's marital bliss. After the ceremony was over, and the banquet cleared away, Serena and Darien finally retired to their room. They had been given the Palace's finest quarters, a large room overlooking the gardens with a wide, soft bed, it's corner posts gilded with intricate silver, the sheets silken and new. Before they reached the door, Darien put a hand on Serena's shoulder, turning her to face him. "Allow me, my love." With that, he bent down and swept her into his arms, carrying her into the room, with the door swinging shut behind them. He gently lowered her at the foot of the bed, and gazed into her eyes with all the love the world could give, his hands running smoothly down her sides. "Oh, Serena. I love you." Serena smiled up at him, bathing him in that surreal light so that he had to return the smile. "I love you too, Darien. I think I always have." Darien's gaze softened, and his hand reached up to cup her face. "I believe you, my love." He was beautiful in the fading silver light of the sunset, half in, half out of shadow, his black shirt making his eyes burn brighter than they did by day. He stepped closer to her then, to hold her in his arms with a cat-like grace as his hard body pressed up against her. She looked up into his eyes, and saw the black lightning that glowed there. She could feel his heart beating through his shirt - a low, powerful, indomitable rhythm. An innocent at heart, Serena had given little thought to what would take place this night, but, as he bent to kiss her then, she began to understand. Like an angel lurking, the desire had always been there, unobserved, undetected, and Serena's heart pounded as his soft lips and warm breath touched her very soul, and wove pure magic through her. "You're mine, Serena," he whispered huskily. "Eternally mine. My only love, forever." "Forever?" Serena asked, in a small voice. He lowered his head until his lips were right beside her ear, breathing his rose-scented breath into it. "Forever," he whispered, ever so softly, his arms tightening around her fragile, beautiful, powerful body. His lips closed firmly over hers again, and as the silken sheets reached up to hold them, Serena abandoned herself to this soulful bliss. Forever. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Wow, I've finally finished. Thanks to everyone who gave me comments or suggestions. I hope you liked it. I guess you must have done if you've bothered to read this far. PLEASE let me know if you liked the ending. I love comments!!! d-boy@intercoast.com.au If you liked this, then keep an eye out for my next series fanfic, "From Beyond the Window."