Dark Kingdom Transgressions - Part 01 Fallen

********


Merak quickly glided down the quiet pristine halls of Elysion’s shrine. Phrontis and Akastos, two general council priests, hurriedly flanked him. The three Pegasuses’ silent, telepathic communication didn’t mar the shrine’s early morning quiet. However, based on the way Phrontis and Akastos nervously twitched their tails and the way Merak’s ears were laid back, the conversation itself was anything but sedate. There were very few things that could upset the shrine Pegasuses. A possible invader from space was one of them.

[When was the disturbance first felt? Where was it last detected? Who was on meditation duty at that time? Why wasn’t I notified immediately?]

Phrontis attempted to answer Merak’s rapid-fire questions. [The priest on duty, Tylus, is fairly new. The dome didn’t show an active power fluctuation and it was late at night so we thought he fell asleep on the job and dreamt it. When the dome’s data was being archived for the next shift we noticed it had detected a power fluctuation around the same time as Tylus’ dream, but the anomaly had disappeared soon after entering the Earth’s atmosphere.]

The three priests entered a large room at the center of the shrine. Enormous marble pillars were evenly spaced around the perimeter of the room that supported a large domed, clear crystal ceiling. A lone priest, in human form, knelt at the very center of the room in deep meditation and prayer.

Merak shifted to his human form as he crossed the room. Passing the kneeling priest, he reached out to touch one of the pillars. His eyes closed and his expression looked to be one of concentration and active searching.

Finally, Merak looked up at his two companions and said, “I see the trail. Its trajectory appears to have originated somewhere near or past Sol, but I can’t get a definite location. Its power signature was strong. If it was on the surface now, I’m certain the dome would be able to locate it. Whatever it was, it must have burned up upon entering the Earth’s atmosphere. The dome shows that all three members of the Royal Family are accounted for and there isn’t anything unusual or powerful near them. We should stay alert, but since it appears to have burned up, I don’t think we need to notify the King about it.”

The two other priests had also transformed when they entered the room. Akastos worriedly asked, “But what about Tylus’ vision of a powerful demon swallowing the entire Earth in six bites and then the Moon in one?”

Merak tapped his chin as he silently thought a few moments. Finally he answered, “I can’t go to the King with only a vision and a power fluctuation that resolved itself. Dispatch a scouting pair to search where the object would have landed. If they find any physical or measurable evidence of a threat, then I’ll go to King Stanton with it.”

The two priests nodded agreement then bowed and left.

Merak sighed tiredly. This type of situation was exactly why he hadn’t wanted the King and his family to move to the surface. When the King was in Elysion he had immediate access to information on the whereabouts and strength of an intruder, he had the time to plan an engagement, he had the element of surprise to his advantage and he didn’t have to worry about his family’s safety. If this had been a successful invasion, the Pegasus priests would have had to go to the surface to inform the King and bring him the Golden Crystal and then they would have needed to bring the Queen and Prince back to Elysion, all in the middle of a possibly hostile environment.

Merak admitted to himself that there hadn’t been an invasion in his known memory or in anyone else’s that he knew of, but the holy texts did have records of it happening. Also, Merak was certain the ancients wouldn’t have built the dome and put these procedures into place just for the fun of it.

Later that afternoon the scouting party returned to report that they hadn’t found anything out of the ordinary in the area specified, just as Merak had expected. He then left his office to meet with the general council.

Merak entered a large room to find thirty other priests waiting for him. He informed the council of the results of the search and all in attendance were relieved.

Merak then continued, “I have seen a need to create a new position within the shrine. This priest would be dedicated to the Golden Crystal. He would take over the prayers for the crystal’s power and be a liaison between Surface Humans and the crystal.

A priest sitting near Merak spoke up. “I can see the need for someone to take over the crystal’s prayers since your workload has increased, but we already have ambassadors Corvus and Elara on the surface. Isn’t what you said a part of their job? Are you expecting this priest to move the crystal to the surface? If so, I feel that would be a very bad idea.”

The other priests in the room began to murmur amongst themselves about the idea. Merak cleared his throat to bring the attention back to himself. “First of all, I agree. It would be a bad idea to move the crystal to the surface. However, Ambassador Corvus and his wife are Elysion’s political liaisons and have very little to do with the Crystal. Their job is to monitor what is happening on the surface and to work to resolve any political problems that involve Elysion. The ambassadors’ job necessitates they live on the surface so they can’t be dedicated to the crystal.”

Merak continued, “The new priest would keep the Crystal with him at all times and would be the one to educate Surface Humans on the value and the dangers of the Crystal. This would allow Surface Humans to become comfortable with the Crystal’s presence and power without the king having to be directly involved. I also propose we look outside our present group for a Pegasus who’s comfortable communicating with Surface Humans for this job.”

Another Priest farther down the table spoke up. “I disagree. This job is too important for someone new. One of us should be able to do it.”

“When was the last time any of you spoke to a Surface Human? When was the last time any of us were on the surface to do something other than transport the Royal Family?” Merak asked.

After a moment of thought, the priest named Phrontis spoke. “Is it really wise to give Surface Humans that much knowledge about the Crystal? They’ve made it clear they don’t want our guidance anymore and they’re so impulsive. What if one of the secondary Royals tries to take the Crystal for themselves? Knowledge of the Crystal’s abilities could start a war between them.”

Merak answered, “It’s written in the Holy Texts that once the intercessory time has ended, the Ancients will come to offer Earth a position in the Silver Alliance. We don’t know exactly when, but it’s approaching soon. When it comes, the Surface Humans need to know enough about the Golden Crystal to trust it. If they don’t feel safe with the Crystal’s protection, then they might fear the Ancients and reject their offer.”

All the priests nodded as they considered Merak’s words. Another priest spoke. “Where would we find a Pegasus with that kind of experience? Because of the travel restrictions, very few Pegasuses have been to the surface in recent years.”

Priest Akastos spoke up. “Ambassador Corvus’ family lives on the surface.

Merak nodded. “Yes that’s true. However, I’m hoping we’ll find someone here in Elysion to fill the position. I will put four council members in charge of finding candidates. Does anyone have more questions regarding this?”

No one had anything else to say, and so the meeting was adjourned.

********


A year later, four Pegasus priests landed in a meadow outside a little town in Southern Nippon named Matsusaka. They had seen the road that led into town from the air but had decided to land in a remote area so they wouldn’t alarm people.

After the Pegasuses transformed they began to walk toward the road. Two of the Pegasuses were identical twins named Dymas and Lysias. The third Pegasus, named Iason, was taller than the others and the last, Scylax, was the shortest and was the leader.

Lysias lifted his foot out of a patch of mud. A look of disgust crossed his face as he exclaimed, “My shoes!”

His brother, Dymas, predicted, “None of our shoes are going to come through this unscathed.”

A cold, damp wind was blowing across the field that made the barren trees shiver and bow. Iason, who was as slender as he was tall, wrapped his arms around his body as he asked, \"Why is it so cold here?\"

Scylax observed, \"None of us thought to consider the climate. It’s wintertime here.”

“How do surface humans stand it?” Iason wondered. “Everything’s so cold, brown and dreary. I’m glad we don’t have seasons like this in Elysion.”

Dymas looked at the landscape around them with avid curiosity. He said, “I like it. It’s different. Without leaves, the trees look like sculptures.”

Lysias had his arms tucked up in his sleeves and complained, “Well, I *don’t* like the cold!”

“Just try to ignore it,” Scylax advised. “We have a job we need to do.” The others nodded and the group continued on in silence. When they finally reached the road walking was somewhat easier but they were still cold.

The group had been walking for about ten minutes when Dymas looked up and said, “Something’s coming on the road.” Soon they all heard it, the distinctive rhythm of hooves and the squeak of a rusty wheel.

“Oh, great!” Iason muttered.

Scylax added with dismay, “A horse.”

The four priests walked single file along the side of the road. They kept their heads down and hoped that somehow they’d blend in and not be noticed.

When the horse and wagon caught up to them, a cheerful voice boomed, “Hey! Would you fellows like a ride into town?”

Scylax looked up and saw the weather-wizened face of an elderly farmer. He answered, “No, thank you. We’re fine walking.”

Instead of moving on as they had hoped, the elderly man asked, “Are you all related to Ambassadors Corvus and Elara?”

All four of the priests looked up. “Um, we come from the same place.” Scylax cautiously answered.

The man laughed. “I figured you had to be related to them with that white hair.” He continued, “Town is still quite a distance and you folks look really cold with those thin sleeves. Why don’t you keep an old man company and climb into the wagon? It’ll get you out of the wind some.”

In spite of the horse, the offer was too tempting to refuse a second time. Scylax nodded. “Thank you. That’s very kind of you.”

As the farmer urged the horse forward, he observed, “Your outfits are very interesting. I’ve never seen Corvus or Elara wear anything like that.”

Scylax answered the unspoken question, “We’re priests.”

“Oh, that’s nice.” the farmer responded as he sat up straighter on the wagon bench. He thought, [Holy Shit! Priests! I’m glad I asked! I better watch my mouth. No saying, “Shit, damn or hell and *especially* not Goddam’it! That’s all I’d need is to get holy men from another country mad at me!]

All four priests looked at each other with startled expressions. Dymas covered his mouth and coughed to hide his laughter and the other three rolled their eyes.

The farmer looked back and asked Dymas, “Are you okay? I have a Sake jug here if you need a drink.”

Dymas took a deep breath and shook his head. “No, thank you. I’m fine.”

The wagon rolled into town and the farmer pulled his horse to a stop in front of a residential road. He turned to the priests. “Corvus and Elara’s house is the last one on the right on this road. Tell them, Hiroshi said, ‘Hello’.”

The priests jumped out of the wagon. Scylax turned back with a smile and a bow. “Thank you very much for the ride, Hiroshi. We’ll be sure to tell Corvus and Elara of your generosity to us. Farewell.”

As Hiroshi moved on, the priests turned to walk down the street. Iason observed, “Well, that was educational.”

Dymas started to laugh again. “Do we want to know what those words meant?”

A smile even cracked Lysias’ face as Scylax chuckled, “No, I don’t think we want to know.”

********


The house the priests walked up to looked to be an average home. The yard was a little overgrown and had evidence of children’s games and imaginative fancy strewn across it. The sound of children’s laughter could be heard coming from the backyard. It was a normal home for a growing family.

The family that lived there however was far from average in that they were Pegasuses from Elysion. The eldest children were ten-year-old triplet boys named Elios, Kaitos and Naos. Next were twin four-year-old girls named Alcyone and Pleione. Soon, another group of multiple siblings would be born.

Some of the ways Pegasuses were different from Surface Humans were that they had white hair with brown eyes and a deep-red teardrop jewel on their foreheads. Pegasuses also only gave birth to multiples, and--after they turned four--could transform between two physical forms.

The four Priests knocked on the door and Ambassador Elara answered. She was somewhat short, had straight white hair that fell to her knees and a pleasant face. She was also very pregnant.

Elara immediately recognized her fellow countrymen and was quite surprised to have four Pegasus priests show up at her door. “Please, come in,” she offered.

The men gratefully entered the warm home and Scylax introduced himself and his three companions. Elara observed, “You look half frozen! Come sit by the fire to warm up and I’ll get some tea. Please, sit. I’ll be right back.”

Elara soon returned with the tea. After she served them she worriedly asked, “What could possibly bring four Priests to the surface? Did something happen in Elysion?”

Scylax looked up and answered, “We need to speak to Corvus. Is he home?”

Elara answered, “No, I don’t expect him back until dinnertime.”

Suddenly the house was filled with the chaotic sounds of children laughing, bickering, bossing and questioning each other. Elara looked towards the kitchen and commanded, “Don’t forget to leave your wet shoes and coats on the back porch!” Shuffling and exclamations were heard then the sources of all the noise came barreling into the living room.

“Mom!” a slight girl whined. “I’m hungry!” The other children that followed her started to chorus agreement when they all looked up. Silence instantly descended on the group.

One of the three older boys quietly said, “Sorry, Mother. We didn’t realize there was company.” The boy who had spoken looked the four men in his living room over. He noted their coloring and their outfits and also their appraising gazes as they looked at him and his siblings. He decided he didn’t like them.

Stepping in front of his siblings he asked, “Who are these men, Mother?”

Because of his parents’ job Elios knew better than to say anything that could offend the guests. However, his mother knew him well and she could see the suspicious thoughts and distrust in his eyes. The strange thing was, even though she had no basis for it, she felt the same way. Elara answered her son. “These men are from Elysion. They came to speak with your father.”

Elara then turned to the priests. “These are our children.” Each child solemnly bowed as their mother introduced them. Elara turned back to Elios and instructed, “Please take everyone back into the kitchen. You will find bread and jelly in the cupboard. When everyone’s done eating take them back outside.”

Elios looked one more time at the men then answered, “Yes, Mother.”

As the children filed back into the kitchen, Elara smiled. “Elios is a good helper.”

The priests nodded. Scylax smiled and offered, “You and Corvus are truly blessed many times over.” Scylax then stood and the other priests followed suite. “We will return when Corvus is here this evening,” he explained.

Perplexed, Elara asked, “Why? What is it you need to discuss?”

Scylax shook his head. “We’ll explain later.” He then asked, “What time should we return?”

With a frustrated sigh Elara answered, “Corvus should be home by six. That’s when we eat.”

The priests nodded and headed for the door. As they thanked Elara for the tea, she asked, “Where did you land?” When they told her, she offered, “There’s a trail from the side of our yard that leads through some woods to a small field. You should have sufficient coverage there and it’s much closer.” The priests again thanked her and left.

********


A short slender man with a kindly face and a twinkle of laughter in his eyes walked through the front door at six that evening. Corvus was enthusiastically greeted with hugs and kisses from his children. When he asked what they had done that day, Elios immediately piped up, “Some men from Elysion were here to see you today.”

“Really? I guess that was some excitement in your day.” his father neutrally responded to the surprising statement. The other children were also clamoring for their father’s attention and Elios turned to go help his mother set the table. Now that his father knew, Elios felt he could relax. His father would take care of everything.

Corvus was finally able to enter the kitchen where Elara was placing large bowls of steaming hot food on the table. He kissed her then said, “Elios mentioned we had visitors.”

“Oh. Yes, we did. Four priests from Elysion stopped by this afternoon,” Elara confirmed.

As he sat down at the table, Corvus asked, “What did they say?”

Elara told him and Corvus said, “I guess we just have to wait until they return then.” Elara nodded and both of them tried not to wonder about it as they called the children to begin their meal.

After everyone was done eating, Elara and the children went upstairs for their baths and bedtime routines. Elara heard Corvus answer the door. As she tucked Elios into bed he asked, “Who’s here?”

Elara responded, “The priests from Elysion are back to speak with your father.”

Scowling, Elios said, “I don’t like those men. Why are they here?”

Elara soothingly smiled. “I’m not sure why, Elios, but don’t worry. Your father will take care of it. Your job right now is to go to sleep.” Elios nodded then gave his mother a kiss goodnight.

When Elara was finished with all the children, she came downstairs and realized the priests had already left. Corvus was sitting in the living room and looked upset. He quietly said, “Let’s go in my office so the children won’t overhear.” Elara followed her husband with trepidation.

After he shut the door, Corvus said, “Elara, please sit.” She complied and he pulled his chair around to sit in front of her.

Taking Elara’s hands in his, Corvus sighed. “There’s no easy way to say this.” He reluctantly continued, “Elios and the girls…they’ve been called to serve.”

Elara stared at her husband in stunned disbelief. She whispered, “Serve…at the shrine?”

Nodding, Corvus started to explain but stopped when he realized Elara wasn’t listening. With a stricken expression, she dropped her face into her hands and wept.

Corvus put his arms around his wife and tried not to cry too. He whispered, “It’s the highest calling for a Pegasus and a great honor to serve at the shrine.”

Vehemently shaking her head, Elara protested, “They can’t have our children! No, I won’t allow it and I don’t care what they say!”

With a sigh, Corvus admitted, “I don’t want them to go either but…”

Elara interrupted him. “Good! Then we’ll just tell them ‘No!’ and to go away.”

“I have the feeling it won’t be that easy, but we can try,” Corvus offered.

********


The priests returned the next day to formally meet with the children. When Corvus and Elara told them no, the priests were surprised. Scylax insisted, “No one else can do this job.” The priests then left to give them some more time to think about it.”

The following evening Elara was putting the children to bed when she heard a knock at the door. She came down the stairs just as her husband opened the door and saw the priests were back.

When Corvus didn’t invite them in, Scylax held out a letter. Corvus took and opened it. He and Elara read,

“Dear Ambassadors Corvus and Elara,

Greetings to you from the General Council. We have been told there is a misunderstanding regarding your children, Elios, Alcyone and Pleione being called to serve. Your children have much needed experience with Surface Humans and we have very important positions awaiting them. They are needed here right away to begin their training. Your children are extremely valuable to the present and future well being of the Earth and Elysion.

We assure you the children will be well cared for and High Priest Merak will be personally training Elios to take over the sacred prayers of the Golden Crystal. As you know, it is the highest and most honorable calling for a Pegasus to work at the shrine. Your children will be privileged to have a large part in protecting the Earth, the Royal Family and the Golden Crystal.

As stated in the Ancient Holy Texts, all Pegasuses have a sacred responsibility to support the shrine, the Golden Crystal and the Earth’s Royalty. Regretfully, if you don’t cooperate fully in this matter, you and your children could be banned from Elysion and your ambassadorship could be revoked.

Please understand that this is necessary. We look forward to meeting and working with Elios, Alcyone and Pleione.

Sincerely in the service of the Golden Crystal,

The Elysion Shrine General Council”

The four priests silently waited with hopeful expressions as the couple read the letter. When finished, Elara glared at the priests. “You can go back and tell the Council that we stand by our decision to keep our children with us and that they need to find someone else for these positions!”

Scylax looked down and tried to rub away the stress he felt as he massaged his temple. Sighing, he wondered how he had ended up in the middle between such powerful Pegasuses. He truly didn’t want to say what he was instructed to say next but knew he had to.

Elara had stepped back to shut the door when Scylax asked, “Where do you expect your children to live when they become adults? Are they going to stay on the Surface their entire lives? Will you have them find mates among Surface Humans? Are you willing to take their homeland and heritage away from them?” Looking up, Scylax ended with, “Elysion needs your children and your children need Elysion.”

Corvus angrily responded, “This is blackmail! I’m certain King Stanton would not be happy to hear how the council is threatening us!”

With a sigh, Scylax asked, “Please, think about the repercussions your actions will have on the Surface Earth and on Elysion.” He then turned and left with the other three following.

Elara and Corvus closed the door and turned around. That was when they saw Elios standing at the bottom of the stairs. By his wide-eyed and confused expression they knew he had heard most, if not all, of their conversation with the priests. He asked, “What is going on? What did the priest mean when he said Elysion needs us?”

With a quick silent prayer for wisdom, Corvus reached out to hug his son then said, “Let’s sit and talk, Elios.”

As Corvus finished explaining the situation in the simplest terms he could, Elios silently absorbed the fact that his happy and secure home wasn’t as secure as he had thought. It was a hard thing to accept and Elios grew up a little more in the process. He looked up at his father and quietly asked, “Can they force you to send us?”

Reluctantly, Corvus nodded but added, “We are doing everything we can to make them to give up and chose someone else.”

Elios looked up at his father with big tear filled eyes. He choked out, “I don’t want to leave!”

“Hush…,” Corvus whispered as he pulled his son into his arms to comfort him. Resisting the feeling that they may have already lost, Corvus choked back his own tears. He added, “We’ll try our best.”

********


The next evening Corvus answered the door and was greeted by the priests and Merak. Merak had been the one to appoint them as the Surface Earth’s ambassadors and he was the one they answered to. However, they also considered him a friend. This time Corvus did invite them in.

Tension was thick in the air as tea was served. Elara had also joined them and finally Merak put his cup down. He looked up at Corvus and Elara and got right to the point, “I know how you feel about your children moving to the shrine. Please believe me, if there was another way I would do it. We’ve spent the last year searching all of Elysion for a Golden Crystal Prophet that could mend the rift between the Surface Humans and the Crystal. The only Pegasuses that qualify for the job are your children. There truly is no other way and it’s too important of a job to let personal feelings get in the way. Even if you did go to King Stanton about this, he couldn’t help. His authority doesn’t extend to internal shrine administration issues. The ancients are the ones who put the priests and shrine in place and the Holy Texts state that all Pegasuses’ first responsibility is to support the shrine’s goals to protect the Golden Crystal and the Earth’s Royal Family and to shepherd the people of the Earth. If you wish to dispute this you need to do so with the Ancients.”

“You know we can’t do that!\" Corvus bitterly exclaimed. \"No one alive has even seen an Ancient!”

“That’s true,” Merak agreed, “but the holy texts and shrine are evidence of their existence.” Merak’s expression turned sad as he firmly stated, “I need to have the children with me when I leave here. If you continue to refuse then you and your children will be considered traitors to the shrine and Elysion. All of you would be permanently banned from entering Elysion and you both would be relieved of your ambassador duties.” Looking up he added, “I sincerely hope it won’t come to that. You are good ambassadors. In the very near future the intercessory time will end. Now more than ever Elysion needs both you and your children.”

Corvus and Elara looked at each other then asked the priests to wait in the living room so they could talk it over privately.

Once they were alone, Elara brokenly whispered, “They’ve backed us into a corner! It could hurt the children just as much to be banned as it would to send them! They’re right. Who would our children choose for mates?” She started crying. “A career at the shrine is a good career, b-but…they’re too *young* to leave us!”

“I personally agree but if we lived in Elysion there wouldn’t have been any question about it. Our children would have been evaluated for a career at the shrine at age four and immediately moved there if accepted,” admitted Corvus.

Elara reluctantly nodded as she wiped at her eyes. “Yes, I knew people whose child had been chosen. It had been hard for them to bear but they had considered it an honor for their child to go.” With a sad sigh she concluded, “I guess it’s a surface human custom we’ve picked up to want to keep them to ourselves.” Elara then started to cry again as she added, “I…I’m going to m-miss them so…so much!”

Corvus put his arms around her and whispered, “I will too.” He quietly added, “After the first year we can visit them each spring for the Shrine festival and we know they’ll be safe and taught and well cared for.”

“But, how are we going to tell them? They’ve never even been to Elysion before!” Elara choked out.

Sighing Corvus answered, “They’ll need to be brave. Elios is a smart boy. He’ll figure it out and watch over the girls.” He wiped his wife’s tears and looked her in the eyes. “We need to be brave too. If we’re upset it will just make it harder on them.”

Elara quietly agreed. “Yes. I’ll wash my face and do my best.”

As Elara went to wake the girls, Corvus entered the boys\' room. He crossed the bedroom past Kaitos and Naos’ bunk beds. Elios had a single bed against the far wall. His father stood looking at Elios for a moment then quietly lifted the slight boy up in his arms. He carried his son out of the room so they could talk and not wake the others.

Corvus sat down on the bed in his room and urged Elios to wake up. The boy finally opened his eyes and looked at his father with sleepy confusion. “Huh?” he groggily asked.

“I need you to wake up, Elios, but be quiet. The other boys are still asleep.” Corvus instructed.

More alert now, Elios asked, “What’s going on?”

With a sigh, Corvus answered, “Do you remember what we talked about regarding the priests and Elysion?” Elios nodded and his father continued. “We weren’t able to dissuade them. You and your sisters are leaving for Elysion tonight with the priests.”

Elios’ eyes filled with tears. He whispered, “I don’t want to go with them! I want to stay with you and Mother.”

Corvus wanted to cry too but knew he had to harden his heart for his son’s sake. “Elios, listen to me. I’ve always taught you to do your duty. I know we didn’t expect your duty to Elysion to start this soon but you need to be brave. What you will be doing is very important to the entire Earth. We don’t want you to go either but we’re very proud of the work you’ll be doing. Merak, the High Priest, will be training you. He’s our friend and will take good care of you. Do the very best job you can. Take care of your sisters and never give up.”

Elios wiped the tears on his cheeks and nodded as he took a shaky breath. Father and son then stood and went downstairs together.

Elara was standing by the door with two sleepy and frightened little girls clinging to her sides. They went outside and the five priests were waiting for them.

Merak stepped forward and smiled. “I’m Merak, the High Priest of Elysion and I am very happy to meet you.” Corvus and Elara urged their children forward.

Elios stepped in front of his sisters and stood bravely as he bowed. “I am Elios and these are my sisters, Alcyone and Pleione.”

Merak nodded and noticed that Elios didn’t lie and say he was happy to meet them just for the sake of politeness. He was pleased because honesty was an important quality in a priest. Merak then looked up at Corvus and Elara and bowed. “Thank you,” was all he said.

The other priests and Merak stepped back and transformed. Even though the children themselves were Pegasuses the bright show still awed them. Merak then spoke telepathically as he knelt down, [Elios, put your sisters on my back then climb on behind them.]

Elios looked uncertainly at his father. Corvus’ eyes were sad but he nodded encouragingly to his son. Elios then turned back and did as Merak instructed. Merak stood up and galloped a few steps to take off. The other priests had also taken to the air.

Alcyone and Pleione clung tightly to each other and Merak’s mane. Elios tightly held onto them both. As they circled around, Elios looked down at their house. He saw his mother sobbing into her hands and his father trying to comfort her.


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. ^_^