Dark Kingdom Transgressions - Part 01 Fallen

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Kunzite, Nephrite, Jadeite and Zoisite entered Endymion’s room just in time to see a furious King Fredrick grab and pull his sleeping, naked daughter from the prince’s bed with one hand as he silently swung his sword toward Endymion’s neck with the other. All four of the guards cried out as they realized they were too late to save their prince’s life.

King Stanton had been a few steps ahead of the four princes. He quickly thrust his sword’s blade above his son’s head to block the deadly arc. The two men silently stared at each other in stalemate as Endymion awoke.

********


One minute, Endymion was peacefully sleeping. The next, he heard two swords clash extremely close above his head. Quickly opening bleary eyes, Endymion saw a razor sharp blade hovering above his neck. A second sword, imbedded in the headboard above him, was the sole thing standing between Endymion and the other sword’s final judgment. All this quickly registered in Endymion’s mind and he was instantly standing beside his bed - disoriented and totally terrified.

Endymion shook his head to clear it and immediately regretted the action as a mammoth headache and nausea hit him. Grabbing his head, the woozy prince groaned. King Stanton’s sharp bark of Endymion’s name got his attention. He could also hear someone, a girl, crying.

Squinting his eyes open, Endymion looked around and decided this must be a *very* bad dream. There was just *no way* all four of his guards, his mother, Beryl’s mother and a few other people were in his bedroom and staring at him and Beryl standing there buck-naked. Then, there was the whole sword thing with their fathers. Rubbing his eyes, Endymion muttered, “This has to go! I don’t feel good and I want to sleep!”

Kunzite stepped forward, raised his boot and gave Endymion a good, swift kick in the butt.

With a surprised yelp, the prince spun around. “What the hell’d you do *that* for?!”

“Wake up, you Ass! You’re in trouble!!” Kunzite hissed.

That was when Endymion started to get the idea that maybe this wasn’t a dream after all.

********


Once Zoisite realized the immediate threat to Endymion’s life was over, he started to shake. He gripped the door jam as the room began to tilt and his legs felt like they were going to collapse. His heart was racing, his blood pounded loudly in his ears and his stomach was attempting to turn itself inside out.

Quietly leaving Endymion’s room, Zoisite worried he was going to vomit or even faint. He barely made it around the corner of the hallway when he fell against the wall, slid down to the floor and burst into tears. Even as he cried, Zoisite wondered why. Yes, he had been worried about Endymion, but that wasn’t it. Something else was bothering him.

Hugging his knees, Zoisite took deep, shaky breaths and tried to get a grip on himself. He wondered if it was that he had just been presented with irrefutable proof of Beryl and Endymion sleeping together. He had pretty much already known about that though. That wasn’t making him almost pee his pants in fear. [Fear?] Zoisite wondered. [What am I afraid of?!]

That’s when it hit him. Just consciously acknowledging it made Zoisite gasp and shake in panic. King Fredrick had shown that he tended to swing first then ask questions later. It was now very frighteningly clear to Zoisite just how close he had come to being in the same situation Endymion was in. It scared Zoisite witless as he realized he wouldn’t have had a father there to protect him.

********


Queen Roselynn gave a sigh of relief when she got to Endymion’s door and saw her son was still alive. She also breathed a quiet prayer of thanks that so far, King Fredrick was abiding by the understood code of Royals not using powers against other Royals. As long as that was followed, there was a good chance everyone would survive this.

Roselynn bit her lip when she saw Kunzite kick Endymion and realized she probably didn’t want to watch this. Looking up, she noticed Beryl sobbing and shivering beside her father. None of the men had yet thought to cover her and Beryl was too disoriented and upset to think of it either.

Glancing to her right, Roselynn saw the expression Queen Lydia wore and it chilled her to the bone. She didn’t see any fear or concern for Beryl. Instead, Lydia\'s face held cold fury and she didn\'t look at all inclined to help her daughter.

Actually, Roselynn didn’t think this was such a big crime and she wasn’t surprised it had happened. Sure, it would have been better for them to marry first. However, if she knew her son, he probably needed something concrete to motivate him in that direction. Roselynn had raised him to be honorable though, so she wasn’t worried. She knew that when the time came he’d do the right thing. Roselynn looked from Lydia’s stony face back to their upset husbands. She realized that right now there was very little chance any of them would agree with her.

Roselynn felt like she needed to do something, but what? She knew she couldn’t help Endymion. Like it or not, she had to let the men deal with him. Maybe she could help Beryl though. It was now obvious that sometime in the near future, Beryl would become her daughter-in-law.

As Roselynn squared her shoulders, she reminded herself of her promise to be a good mother-in-law like Queen Lenia was. She decided now was as good a time as any to start. Purposefully walking into the room, Roselynn yanked a linen off the bed, threw it around Beryl and proceeded to steer the distraught girl out the door. Everyone stared with silent surprise as Roselynn did this.

When the two of them reached the door Lydia asked with suspicion, “Where are you taking her?”

“To find a robe. She’s cold,” Roselynn matter-of-factly answered as she continued out the room. Roselynn half expected Beryl’s mother to follow them and maybe even show some care or concern. When Lydia didn’t, it solidified Roselynn’s impression of her as a mother.

As they walked, Beryl clutched the linen sheet to her and was silent except for the occasional hiccup or sniffle. She hadn’t even looked up as Roselynn led her down the corridor. The queen wondered if this had been Beryl’s first time. She hadn’t seen any blood, but she knew that didn’t prove anything. Roselynn actually hoped it hadn’t been. This would be a horrible way for it to end.

Opened a door to a dressing suite, Roselynn led Beryl to sit on a low divan. An older, kindly looking woman with a wealth of salt and pepper hair pulled back into a low bun entered the room in response to her queen’s summons.

Beryl looked up with alarm and Roselynn soothed, “It’s okay. This is my personal suite and most trusted attendant, Maria. She will help you and get anything you need. You can bathe and even take a nap if you wish. Take as long as you need. No one will disturb you here. When you’re ready to leave, tell Maria and she’ll bring you to me.

Roselynn turned to leave and Beryl whispered, “Thank you.”

Impulsively, Roselynn turned back and startled Beryl with a quick hug. Smiling, she reassured, “Don’t worry. Everything will work out.”

Roselynn’s optimism faded as she slowly walked back down the hall towards her son’s room. The men had looked so angry. She was afraid to find out what they had decided to do.

When she entered the room she was shocked to discover it empty. Quickly leaving, Roselynn found her husband alone in their bedroom. He was sitting on their bed hunched over with his face in his hands. Roselynn walked over and hesitantly touched his shoulder. She couldn’t bring herself to ask what had happened after she left.

King Stanton looked up at his wife with tired and haggard eyes. “Don’t worry,” he answered her unspoken question. “Endymion is with Kunzite and Fredrick and Lydia are in their suite.”

Releasing the breath she hadn\'t realized she was holding, Roselynn asked, “What happened?”

Her husband rubbed his eyes and explained, “Once you got Beryl out of there Fredrick calmed down considerably. Thank you for taking her away.\" Roselynn nodded and he continued. \"After that, I was able to convince him that we all needed some time to gather our composure and we should meet privately in my office in an hour to decide what to do about this. I\'ve sent Endymion to your sister\'s with Kunzite. I figured it was a good idea to make sure he and Fredrick didn\'t cross paths.\"

Stanton stood and paced the room to look out the window. His fists were clench as he silently stood. Roselynn started to go to him when he spun around and questioned, \"Where did we go wrong? Why would he do something like this? The least he could have done was go find some barmaid discretely like his friends did! Why would he treat a princess like a tramp and risk losing his life or a war?! I *thought* he knew better!!\"

With every word Stanton had gotten louder until he was bellowing in anger. Roselynn stood still in silent shock. She had never seen her husband so angry! \"Please, Stanton,\" she quietly pleaded. \"I\'m sure it wasn\'t like that. They probably feel strongly for one another and things just got out of control. One thing led to another...it happens.\"

\"It didn\'t happen like that with us. He should have had more self-control!\" Stanton refuted.

Roselynn shook her head. \"You can\'t compare them to us. You were living in Elysion and our marriage was practically arranged. We hardly knew each other and were married before we got close enough to get out of control like that. Endymion and Beryl have known each other since they were children and are already comfortable around each other. Once they started dating we should have expected they would become intimate sooner.\"

Stanton looked down. He whispered, “I’ve never been so afraid in my whole life! You…you didn’t see…when that sword swung…a-and he was asleep…totally unaware, I thought I’d…I’d be too late. T-that we’d lose him f-for…forever!”

Seeing Stanton break down into tears made Roselynn realize his anger had really been fear for his son. She hadn’t seen him cry since she had miscarried so many years ago. Roselynn quickly put her arms around him to comfort them both. She choked out, “I’m so glad you got there in time to save him!”

********


Endymion pulled his cape closer around his shoulders against the brisk air. He wasn’t sure if his shivering was from the breeze or still a reaction to what had happened earlier. He and Kunzite had fled the palace quickly and Endymion hadn’t even had time to grab something to eat. Not that his stomach would have kept it. His head pounded in time to the staccato rhythm of his horse’s steps and he definitely hadn’t had enough sleep. All of his energy was spent on the monumental task of just staying in the saddle.

Kunzite looked behind him to see Endymion listing precariously and realized that hurrying or not, they had to stop. After tying his horse to a low branch, Kunzite walked over to Endymion and shook his leg. Endymion opened his eyes with a start and realized they had stopped. When he looked down at Kunzite questioningly, his cousin responded, “You’re sleeping in your saddle. I figure we’d better stop a bit.

Endymion swung his leg around to dismount and lost his balance. If Kunzite hadn’t reached out to steady him, Endymion would’ve ended up on his butt. They sat down against a tree and Kunzite offered Endymion a drink of water. The liquid felt good on his dry throat but then did an immediate about-face when it hit the bottom of his stomach.

As Endymion flopped back against the tree again, Kunzite observed, “You’re still hung over.” The dark haired prince miserably groaned agreement as he held his throbbing head in his hands.

\"That was a really ugly scene back at the palace,” Kunzite mused. “For a few moments I thought you were done for. Seeing what happened today makes Nisha\'s decision to wait until we’re married a little more bearable.”

Endymion looked up with surprise. \"You and Nisha haven\'t ever...?!\"

Shaking his head, Kunzite explained, \"No. Nisha wants to fit in her wedding dress.\"

Endymion’s brain wasn’t fully functional due to his hang over. \"Huh?\" was his not so intelligent response.

Kunzite gave his Prince an odd look then elaborated. \"You know. She doesn\'t want a big stomach for the wedding.\"

Endymion continued to stare cluelessly at his cousin and Kunzite asked with exasperation, \"You *do* know what you did makes babies. Right?!\"

Startled, Endymion exclaimed, \"Oh, that!\" He paused then added, \"I know that…but I guess I hadn\'t really thought about it.\"

Incredulously, Kunzite blurted, \"You hadn\'t thought about it?!\"

Gingerly shaking his head, Endymion admitted, \"No. I guess I haven\'t been thinking much at all lately.\" After a pause, he mused, \"I guess Beryl *could* be pregnant. She didn\'t say anything to me though. I\'m sure if she was, she\'d have told me.\"

Kunzite pointed out, \"She wouldn\'t know if she was pregnant right away...\"

Endymion corrected, \"No, I meant from before...\" then caught himself as he realized what he had just told his cousin.

\"You mean you two have done this before?\" Kunzite exclaimed.

Nodding, Endymion quietly admitted, \"Two other times.\"

Boggled, Kunzite asked, \"Twice? You two only just started dating!” He shook is head. \"You know, Endymion, for a guy who doesn\'t want to get married yet you sure are making some stupid decisions!\"

Endymion winced at his cousin’s unusually sharp tone. He thought about it and concluded with a sigh, “I guess we would have to get married if she was pregnant.” He looked up and hopefully continued, “But I’m sure she would’ve said something if she was.”

********


After bathing and getting dressed, Beryl dismissed Maria. Cautiously, Beryl walked through the halls. If she was lucky, she’d make it to her room without running into her parents or Endymion’s parents. It’s not that Beryl didn’t appreciate Queen Roselynn’s help, but her kindness and sympathy made Beryl feel uncomfortable. She didn’t quite know how to respond to the gesture and didn’t like feeling indebted to anyone. Someday, the queen might call that debt in and be able to use it against her.

Rounding a corner, Beryl was startled when she almost ran into Nisha. She looked down and tried to quickly go around the dark haired princess, but Nisha reached out to stop her.

Beryl looked up with annoyance. “What?”

Nisha had at first thought to feel some sympathy because of what had happened. Instead she found herself scolding the haughty arrogance she saw in Beryl’s eyes. “Are you happy you almost managed to get Endymion killed this morning?”

Angrily, Beryl responded, “Of course not!\"

“Well, Beryl, you’d better think a little more about what you’re doing before you bring our whole world down around you!” Nisha warned, then turned and walked away. She’d had her say and honestly didn’t care what Beryl thought of it.

Beryl clenched her fists and resisted the urge to blow a hole through Nisha’s back. She was in enough trouble as it was and didn’t need to add more, even if she *really* wanted to do it. Silently cursing, Beryl continued on to her room. She thought, [Who the hell does Nisha think she is to talk to me like that?! It’s not like I knew we’d get caught or that my father would do that!]

Reaching her room, Beryl shut and locked the door behind her. Finally, she was alone. Beryl walked across the room then flopped face down on the bed and cried herself to sleep.

********


Endymion returned home late Monday morning and went straight to his office. He was still pretty shaken up by what had happened Saturday morning and didn\'t feel up to facing his parents yet. His father had different plans though. When Endymion opened the door to his office, he was startled to see his father sitting at his desk waiting for him.

Stanton looked up at his son as he pushed the papers he\'d been working on aside. “So, you decided to show up. I was starting to think I’d have to go get you.”

With anxiety sitting like a leaded weight in the pit of his stomach, Endymion silently sat down on the only other chair in the room. His father continued, “I suppose you already know that wasn’t one of the smartest things you’ve ever done. What I want to know is why. Why would you do something that’s so dangerous politically and could get you killed?”

Endymion sighed. That was the same question he’d been asking himself the last two days and he still didn’t know the answer. It had been so easy and enjoyable that the thought to not do it hadn’t even occurred to him. His father was waiting for an answer so Endymion shrugged. “I don’t know.” It was the truth after all.

Stanton stared and tried to hold his temper at his son’s flippant answer. “You don’t know?!” he echoed.

Embarrassed by how stupid he knew his answer sounded, Endymion shook his head and looked down.

That was when Stanton realized his son’s answer had been serious! With a sigh, the King shook his head and incredulously repeated, “You don’t know.” He then pointedly asked, “Do you love her?”

Quickly snapping up straight, Endymion stammered, “I um…well…um…” He *really* didn’t want to give the same answer!

As Stanton watched his red-faced son search for a response, he angrily thought, [Maybe I should just save everyone the aggravation and run a sword through him myself!] Stanton sighed. He knew he didn’t really mean it. It was just his frustration talking.

Finally, Endymion hesitantly settled for, “Maybe?”

“Well,” Stanton responded. “Your mother has Beryl’s parents convinced that both of you are so much in love that you couldn’t resist the temptation and that’s why this happened.” Endymion’s eyes got bigger and his face paled as his father continued. “Based on that, King Fredrick has decided to let you live - on two conditions. You and Beryl need to be engaged as soon as possible and a wedding will be planned for the end of spring.”

“What?” Endymion exclaimed. “Married?! I’m not ready to be m-married!!”

With a wry grin at his son’s panicked response, Stanton satirically observed, “Maybe *that’s* something you should have thought about *before* you did this!”


Continued...

Thank you for reading my story. I hope you are enjoying it. If you did like my story, or if you have any (kind and gently worded) suggestions/comments about my story, please let me know. I truly appreciate feedback. You can email me at ndeblock@att.net .

This story was edited and enhanced by the great minds and imaginations of my three wonderful betas, Sophia Prester, Yumeko & Loki. Their help and ideas have been of great value to me! Each is also a fabulous Sailor Moon fanfic author. Sophia Prester’s and Yumeko’s stories can be found on Fanfic.net with an author’s name search (Yumeko\'s author\'s name is Heavely Pearl). Loki’s work is on AriasInk.com. I highly recommend reading all of their stories. ^_^

Bye, Luna Hope

Disclaimer: Sailor Moon, her lover, her friends, her family and her enemies all don’t belong to me. They belong to Naoko Takeuchi. I just borrowed them for a little bit of fun. All original characters in this story do belong to me. ^_^