Queen of Legends; Prologue, by Sailor GlitterGirl, March, 2001 Yay!!! I finally have an idea for a Serena/Darien Romance story!!! Yippie!!!!! Good-bye writter's block! YAHOOOOOOIEEEEE!!!! Ahem. First off, a MAJOR thanks to Lazuli for being soooooooo patient with me and so sweetly understanding; I know I can get pushy sometimes (heh, heh *sweatdrop*). And a bit 'I LOVE YOU!' to Nat-chan (Natai_99); GO READ HER FICS *NOW!* Alllllllrightie!!! This author's message thingy will probably be a bit long, so hang in there with me. This is an alernate reality, obviously, on Earth. There is no Moon Kingdom, or at least it's only a myth (Don't worry! Serena is still from the moon/moon goddess/moon princess/ or something like that.) Darien is prince of Earth, and I've made Serena less ditzy, more wity, stubborn, clever, defiant, pretty much a LOT more like her Moon Princess self in the manga -Which I totally love. Well, at least up until book eight where Naoko decided to make Haruka GAY!!! EEEEWWWWWW!!!! Let's just say due to that my opinion of my former #1 fav author (Naoko) has dimished slightly. Oh, well. The Senshi are all there (I'm gonna call them Senshi cause it sounds better than 'Scouts,' kay?), minus the outers. Oh, and Molly's here too (But not Melvin. Ick!) only she has a different name. See if you can guess who it is!!!! Let's make that a bit of a contest, shall we? It won't be hard, but it will be fun. The first three people to e-mail me and tell me, and get it right, who Molly is will be named in my next part! All right, I'll stop babbling now and get on with the show! This story is rated...hmmmm. Should I be a goody-too- shoes and rate it G? Or tell the truth and put down an R? KIDDING KIDDING!!!! This story is 100%...well, okay, 98% rated G, kay? Oh, and just to make the title of Serena's 'gang' more understandable, for those of you who don't know, 'Senshi' translated properly (I don't know HOW DiC got 'Scout' out of Senshi.) means 'Soldier' or 'Warrior.' But mostly soldier, like in this story, kay? Now I'll start the story for real! Honest!!! I am typing it up right now! Huh? You say I can't by typing it cause I'm typing this? No! Of course I can! Didn't I tell you? I'm from planet Zeptron and I have sixteen hands! I'm finishing up this part with my fifth pair of hands as I type this with my second pair! With the rest of them I am a) doing my homework; even alien kids have to do it. And b) helping my parents plan to take over Earth! Mwhahahahahahahaaaaa!!!!!!! I'm going to shut up now. Rated G, further notes and disclaimers at bottom. *****QUEEN OF LEGENDS***** Prologue: The Alley Senshi By Sailor GlitterGirl SailorGliterGirl@aol.com A lithe figure darted with experience and skill through the late afternoon crowds of the Marketplace of the capital city of Arichsal, named after the Lord Master of Arichsal, Arich. The slender young woman ignored shouts of protests as she shoved past overly dressed merchants and airheaded pleasure maids. Her long, shimmering golden hair flew out behind her, her sapphire eyes glittering with thier eternal glow. Although her face was smudged, her naturally slender waist pinched with hunger, and her feat blistered and calloused from years of no shoes, it was impossible to mistake her ethereal beauty. So she kept her head down, as she had learned to do to avoid...unwanted invitations. Slipping into a tiny alleyway, she breathed a sigh of relief as she ducked under a loose board crossing the alley above her head. Inching her way through the shadows, Serenity, often called Serena, felt sensitively for the tiny nail in the wall. She smiled brightly as her fingers snagged it, and she pressed it into the wall. As expected, the wall of the alley in front of her swung away from her, into the secret hidaway of the Alley Senshi, unofficial name for the elite of the riffraff, vagabonds, beggers, thieves, and overall lowlife of the Lower City of Arichsal. Serena, although she had never stolen a crust in her life, was the unofficial queen, even though she cared nothing for the 'king,' Diamond, called Diam by those in his inner, higher 'court.' Serena entered the hidden underground room to the sounds of laughter and music. She smiled. Serena was a party lover, and a true romantic at heart, though no one but her and her own 'court' knew it. To everyone else she was a stubborn, defiant, adventerous and hard hearted maid, who had stolen the heart of the King of the Alley Senshi. Serena smiled widely as a tall, slender girl with white-gold hair and sky blue eyes bounded over to her. "Oh, Serena! Isn't this all just *wonderfull?*" Vemina, known as Mina, gushed excitedly. Serena laughed. This young woman, whom was often mistaken for her sister, didn't care that others thought of her as a bit of a ditz, and unberably boycrazy. But Serena knew. Just as Mina knew that Serena was really a kind hearted, sweet and loving girl, Serena knew that Mina was no ditz. When need be, she was a fierce warrior and a naturally superb leader. She had learned early on in life that society disliked a woman who could lead, so she had hid her abilities, teaching herself to be a astoundingly wonderful actress. "Hey! Blonde Squad!" Serena whirled to face Julita, Lita, a tall, slender, and yet somehow muscular young woman, two years older than Serena and Mina, the 'Blonde Squad' as Lita had dubbed them on sight, three years before. She was a cynical girl, who loved pretty things but was as tough as steel, as well as a master chief. Where she had learned her skills, both food-wise and martial arts-wise, no one knew. For her fighting was not the usual street hand-to-hand combat. No, hers was skilled and trained, as was her gourmet meals. "Hey, Lita." Serena greeted the second of her personal court. The emerald eyed, long haired brunette nodded, her usual high ponytail bobbing. "Hey." she said in reply. "Is Raye here yet?" As if on cue, Meraye, referred to as Raye unless you wished the rest of your life cursed, burst in through the secret entrance behind Serena. She was panting slightly, and looked annoyed, the tail end of anger slipping from her elegant features. "Jerks." she muttered audibly, then closed her eyes and seemed to concentrate lightly for a moment, her lips moving silently. When her black-violet eyes opened once more, a sly grin played on the edges of her flame red lips. Serena chuckled, knowing her fiery tempered friend had most likely just given another one of her numerous persuers seven years bad luck. Raye was the mystical one of the group, and had a mysterious connection with...well, whatever it was, it sometimes gave her preminitions and visions, and she had an uncanny talent for desifering dreams. "Have I missed anything?" she inquired. Serena shook her head. "No, I don't think so. I only just got here myself." She said. "Speaking of arriving, where's that over-scholastic Amylinora?" "I'm right here." A miserable sounding voice sighed quietly. Serena turned and smiled brightly at a somewhat short, slender girl with short blue tresses and inquizitive navy blue eyes. For all descriptions she was rather plain, compared to her admired friends, but there was a light about her that told you not to judge her by her appearance. Serena engulfed the small young woman in a tight hug. "Amy!" the golden haired blonde cried. "I can't believe it! We didn't have to drag you away from you arithmatic books! You came on your own!" "Only to avoid being bullied out of my chambers." she muttered, but she was smiling slightly. All of her closest and dearest friends accounted for, Serena and her Alley Senshi Court headed into the party. ***ONE WEEK LATER***THE HOUSE OF MAID MARIETTA AND HER MOTHER, DOROTHY*** "...And then he said 'Why can't you just wear what your wearing now?' And do you know what I was wearing? My three-year- old homespun brown! That thing was fit for the rag bin!" Marietta, Mari, giggled uncontrollably as she told her best friend Serena of her 'adventure' the other day with one of her courters. Mariette was the only one of Serena's close friends that wasn't of the Alley Senshi. In fact, she didn't even know of her blonde friend's real life. Serena regretted this, but she knew that telling her would only put her in danger. It was tea time, and the two girls were sitting under a tree in the small garden of the...respectable home where Marietta and her mother lived. The house was small, but clean and neat, and the garden was spectacular. Flowers of all sorts had made their way into the young womens' hair as they sipping hot lemon water out of chipped tea cups. They nibbled on dry biscuts as they played fancy that they were High Ladies to Queen Alexandria of Earth as they had done when they were little. They giggled and chatted about boys and clothes and gossip, things that Serena was never caught wasting her time on in her life -except when she was with Marietta. "So, Serena, I heard that you are being courted by a young rogue. Diamond, I believe his name is?" Marietta raised an eyebrow as she sipped her 'tea.' Serena rolled her sapphire eyes upward. "He thinks he's such a heart throb, but he is of no interest to me. I may talk of boys and romance with you, Mari, dear, but in reality I... What's that sound?" Serena was instantly alert as a muffled shriek sounded from inside the house. "Mama!" Marietta screeched and leaped up, tea spilling and seeping into the green grass. Mari darted for the house, but Serena was in front of her in a flash, pulling ahead of her in the short distance to the back door. Serena suddenly slid to a halt in a slight puff of dust as the door burst open and three muscled men in uniform strode out. Two of them had their swords drawn and now pointed them at the girls, Mari of whom was clinging fearfully to her friend's arm. Serena stiffened as the thrird man looked Mari over, then turned his gaze to her. She narrowed her eyes and glared coldly. "Are you Serenity Lunari of the Alley Senshi?" he boomed, command radiating from every sound wave his voice created. Mari gasped as the words of the 'Alley Senshi.' She glanced up at Serena with a fearful expression. 'Serena? An Alley Senshi? The *queen* of those riffraffs? No! It couldn't be!* But as she looked at her friend'f face, she saw the look that Serena only used when she was concealing something. "Are you Serenity Lunar-" "What if I am?" she said cooly, smoothly cutting off the raging captain, for the stripes on his collar revealed him as such. She glared at him. "What. If. I. AM?" Her voice crackled with challenge. She knew her time had come. They all, all the Alley Senshi, knew that they would eventually be caught. She simply hoped that her friends got out of it alright. "Take her." the captain snarled, and the two men grabbed her roughly. Instinct threatened to take over, and she fought the urge to fight. She knew it would do no good; There were most likely dozens more waiting inside and out front of the home. Sure enough, they dragged her around the house to a cage wagon, surrounded by a small army of muscled, uniformed soldiers and guards. And she stiffled a gasp as she spotted her friends. Serena blanched as she saw moonstone and Fernali ribbon bracelets adorning Raye's wrists, binding her power and she was NOT happy about it. Serena could see her mumbling life-long curses vehemetly, even though she knew they would do no good. Lita glowered sinisterly in a corner, her green eyes flashing dangerously as she wrapped a protective arm around a fearful and somewhat trembling Amy. Mina simply looked bored, still acting the ditz, though Serena knew very good and well she was analyzing every possible escape route, memorizing the cage and searching for weaknesses. Serena was thrown into the cage mercilessly. Raye was beside her instantly, helping her to a sitting postition. Serena felt her skin tingle as the magic-binding bracelets touched her skin. "Serena!" A strained voice cried out. Serena looked up, her expression stony, like the warrior she was, to see Marietta sprinting across the front yard, tears coursing down her face. She flung herself at the cage, the guards failing to grab her. They latched onto her arm, trying to pry her away. But friendship gave the small girl surprising strength, and she clung to the wooden bars. "Serena, tell me it's not true!" she choked. A pitiful sob escaped from her throat as Serena looked away, unable to meet her friend's pleading gaze. Marietta's eyes turned wild, and she let go of the bars as her strength gave way. She wrenched out of the soldier's grasp and threw herself at the captain. "You've made a mistake!" She cried, sobbing. "Serena's the most innocent person on Earth! She's kind, and giving and generous and -Oh, you can't take her away! There are so many people she gives hope and light to! You can't! You just-" Her pleas were cut short and the captain ruthlessly slapped her away. Marietta fell to the ground, sobbing. The captain reached down and grabbed her roughly, a lusty look in his eyes. Marietta cringed at his harsh grip. Anger and hatred burned in Serena's heart. Her azure eyes became blazing sapphires. The captain looked up at her, a mocking grin playing on his lips, and stopped dead when he met the blonde maiden's loathing gaze. Serena ground her teeth, clenching her fists at her side, the silver, glittering glow in her eyes becoming stronger, and fizzing sparkles began collecting around her clenched fists. "Let her go." she said menacingly. Her voice was low and quiet, and yet everyone heard her clearly. The captain stared almost fearfully for a moment, before forcing a smirk, attempting to hide his sudden and unexplained terror of this girl. Pure magic was shinning out from within her, not the simple, two word spells used in every day life to light candles, or fetch a book off the table. No, this was something powerful, something not seen in centuries. "I said, 'Let. Her. GO!!!'" Shimmering silver light consumed her eyes, turning her irises a crackling silver, threads of gold wriggling and lashing through it, seeming to make her eyes alive with living lightning. (AN: Oooooh, shivers, ne? Am I good or what?) The captain suddenly let go, and, her task complete, Serena's eyes went back to normal. She seem slightly confused for the briefest instant, but she quickly cloaked the look with an expression completely guarded. The captain recovered quickly also, and barked out orders rapidly. Soon the wagon-cage was moving, thick canvases drapped over the sides of the cage. "What did I do this time?" Serena whispered. Raye squeezed her hand. "You don't remember anything this time, either?" Amy inquired, her confidence restored a bit. "Nothing," The golden haired maid said quietly and sadly. "Don't worry, you didn't do anything." Raye softly. Then she smiled slightly. "Except give him a look from hell with those silver eyes of yours." "Yeah, that guy won't get another decent's night sleep for weeks!" Lita pipped up, eyes light with merriment. "I'll bet he'll ban anything gray or silver from his house from now until he's dead!" Mina laughed. Serena smiled and let her breah slide silently out through her lips. The only other two times she had gone into her memory-less world of silver light people had gotten hurt. It was only the offending party, but she still hated to be the cause of anyone's pain, even if they deserved it. She often snapped out of her reverie in a different spot or position, feeling adrenaline drain away, and people injured, staring at her fearfully. All she knew was that whenever she got exeptionally mad, or whenever her friends were in danger, she felt herself slip into a world where she had total control, and then...then she remembered nothing until her work was done. This was why nothing ever frightened her. Because she knew she could always call on this power. And somehow she knew that the times she had used it before were minorities, and that once she used it for something big, it would change her world. So she avoided anger whenever she could, afraid of what would come. ***TERRAN PALACE, GOLDEN KINGDOM, CAPITOL CITY OF THE EARTH EMPIRE*** "Darien! Prince Darien Endymion of Earth come out here this instant!" Darien rolled his eyes at his little sister's insistant words. "She's starting to sound more and more like mother." he grumbled, but chuckled at the same time. He opened the door to his chambers to see his seven year old sister, Princess Estellina Rose of Earth, glaring up at him. He bit the inside of his lip to keep from laughing. "What is it princess?" He asked. "Nanny Marina is MEAN!!!!" she declared, hands on hips. Darien choked back his laughter. He knew very well how strict the Governess Marina Synclaire was; she had been HIS nanny when he was his sister's age, seven years ago. "And why do you wish to speak to me about it?" He asked, opening the door wider to let the pink clad little girl in. Her knee length raven hair was done up in an elaborate hair-do with many roses weaved into her numerous shiny braids. "I want you to ask mama and papa to get me a new nanny. Someone who will play with me a bit and not just scold me and correct me all the time. One that will reconigzed when I'm TRYING and not just when I'm FAILING!" Darien cocked his head to one side a bit. It was a reasonable request -for a seven year old princess. Darien smiled. "I'll see what I can do, Essie." The girl smiled and beamed at her older brother, whom she adored greatly. "Thank you!" she screeched, throwing herself at the midnight haired prince and hugging him tight. Black eyes shinning, she skipped out of the room, Darien smiling and chuckling after her. She was the only one that could do that to him. Make him smile, laugh, make him see the world differently than an evil place. Darien had grown up in the middle of a war, and due to that had turned into a young man with a heart encased in ice and stone. When people saw him before and then during his sister's prescence, they said that the change was nearly gentic. He was a completely different person. His deep ocean blue eyes would turn from icy cold to loving and warm, the stony mask would lift from his breathtakingly handsome face and he would smile a smile enough to make the most anti-male woman swoon. Darien sighed and returned to his balcony, staring absently at the pearly, silver moon hanging in the starlit sky over the lake. ***THREE DAYS LATER*** "I tell you sire, that vagabonds and riffraff, once given the proper training and education, CAN act and behave proper!" "How can you live up to elite society when you have not once ever even seen it in your whole life?" Prince Darien argued with one of the newer scholars of the palace, Dr. Anderson. "What of the legend of the Moon Goddess?" (AN: I wanted to be original and not use Moon 'Princess.' Moon Queen doesn't sound right, and Moon Maiden doesn't sound...magical and commanding enough. Just work with me on this, kay?) "What about her?" Darien held back a sigh. "It is a legend." "Yes, my dear boy, but legends, especially popular ones, tend to stem from true stories, or at least very likely ones." "So your saying that one day, like in the legend, the queen of the riffraff amd thieves will save the universe with an unnamed power and turn out to be the heir to the throne of the galaxy?" (AN: Hint, hint, *wink*) "Perhaps." the man said, modding his head gravely. "With all due respect, sir, I think you're nuts!" Darien exclaimed. Dr. Anderson cocked his head slightly, a thoughtful expression on his face. "Would you like to make a wager of that, my dear prince?" Darien looked at him oddly for a moment, then smiled, rather coldly, as most of his smiles were. "You've got a deal." he said. "Tomorrow we go to Galaham Prison, and I will select a prisoner, a woman, to humor your 'Moon Goddess' legend." (AN: See where this is going? *sly grin*) Darien rose from his seat in the sitting area of the large royal library. "Then you have one month to prepare her for my sister's birthday ball. If she is not fit to my sister's standars, you must give up your request for a school for the thieves. Deal?" "Deal." The two men shook on it. "Oh, and I'll be bringing the Generals, my guard along for fun." he added on his way to the dorr, then left, shaking his head for the poor fool. No street maid, forget how beautiful or talented, would be able to do it, not to *his* sister's satisfaction. *************************** Serena opened a groggy eye and immediately threw up a hand to shield her eyes from the sunlight that streamed into the dark interior of the wagon cage through a tiny rip in the canvas covering. She groaned and rolled over, ignoring the bumps and tosses the rough road gave her, as she had gotten used to it over the past few days. They had been driving for three days, stopping only twice a day to let the disheveled and very unhappy and mad prisoners take a nature- call and to give them a few crusts of dry bread and stale water. A few of the men had tried to, er, 'invite' the girls, mainly Mina and Raye -they stayed away from Serena- into their tents at night. But a few warning glances from the avoided golden haired young woman, and some demonstrations of self-defence from the girls made them back off. The wagon stopped abruptly, and Serena slammed painfully into Lita, asleep beside her. Lita awoke with the impact, rubbing the back of her head. "Ow!" she exclaimed, sitting up and wincing. "What was that for?" she asked. "Sorry, Lita. Wasn't on purpose. We just stopped suddenly and-" Serena ceased her explanation as the canvas was suddenly yanked up by a network of ropes. The girls blinked rapidly in the sudden sun- light. Once her eyes had adjusted, Serena, along with Lita and Raye, glared coolly at the soldier that was unlocking the cage door. "Out." he said gruffly, opening the door. Serena was careful not to let her puzzlement show; whenver they had been let out before they had been shakles at the cage door, never just let out. Serena made sure she was first to descend out of the cage, and it took all her years of self compository to keep from letting out an unholy shriek as she spied where she was. A quick glance to a sign over the campus gates that they had just past through confirmed it. Serena was absently aware of her fellow Senshi beside her, now, and she felt Mina tense, gasping inwardly. "Well, I consider this a bit of a compliment, sending us to the most grueling and top-security prison on Earth." Lita muttered under her breath. And it was true. The place that they were to supposedly spend the rest of their lives was none other than Galaham Prison, the terror of all those who lived by their wits and their own laws. No one had ever escaped in the seventy years that this blackhole had been in existance. Serena narrowed her eyes. She and her friends would be the first to escape. She would make sure of it. To Be Continued... Well? Whad'ya think? Was it worth it? Do you wanna see what happens next? The plot is kinda obvious, I know, but I think it'll be kinda fun knowing something that the charactors don't, huh? Kinda funny, I think. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE E-MAIL ME!!!!! MY IN-BOX IS LONELY!!! It is ALWAYS empty! And please note that I have a bit of a temper, so if you send me a flame make sure to put 'Flame' in the subject box, kay? Oh, and for everyone whose gonna e-mail me, please put 'from a fan' in the subject thingy so I know it's not one of my friends, that way I will get back to you quicker. And in the words of the oh-so- heavenly writter, Patch, there is a difference between flames and CONSTRUCTIVE CRITISM!!!!! And I majorly prefer the latter. All comments, suggestions, and, yes, flames welcome. I LOVE getting e-mail, even if the letters are short. Stay tuned for more of my masterpiece! -Sailor GlitterGirl.