The Will of Heaven 2/? by Meredith Bronwen Mallory mallorys-girl@cinci.rr.com 'Perhaps he was right,' Serenity considered as she quickly wound her hair up into it's usual odangos. She supposed that the less attention she attracted to herself, the less likely she would be taken to the King anytime soon. After all, as long as she never truly gave in, she supposed she'd be alright. With that, she began rooting through the small chest at the end of the bed, searching for something to wear, and her mind began to make a connection. Innocent as she was, Serenity could not fathom what exactly she was wanted for, but it did not escape her notice that most of the clothing was decidedly... riskay. Finally, she selected a light blue velvet robe, and, tying it firmly around herself, stepped outside into the hall. The guard was waiting for her, his posture careless as he leaned against a marble pillar, white hair blazing in the sun. Clearing her throat, Serenity made her presence known, slightly intimidated by the white hared guard who stood some inches taller than she. "Ah, Mayumi," he said, his eyes roaming over her figure, as though taking stock. Serenity flinched, though whether it was from the name or the way he was looking at her she was not entirely sure. Though the robe had been the most modest she could find amongst her new wardrobe, it was still the most revealing thing she had ever worn. "Come," he gestured to the long, pillared hallway, inviting her to walk with him. Somewhat awkwardly, the golden girl walked beside him, finding she had to quicken her pace considerably to keep up with his long legged stride. "Do you know why you're here?" "Yes," she nodded, "It's because of the decree. All the pretty young girls are to come to the palace." Demando looked at the girl before him, wondering at the way she said it so innocently, almost as if she had no idea... he drew in a breath sharply. "Mayumi, do you know *why* all the pretty girls are to come to the palace?" "Well, Taiki thinks it's because the King wants to look at them, like paintings," Serenity said thoughtfully, "But Luna said it was for an... unclean reason. I don't know what she could mean by that." "And Taiki is...?" "Taiki is a friend of mine, she and her sisters too. Luna- she's my nanny- and I go over to their place all the time, mostly so Luna can visit with Artemis," she leaned towards Demando and said in a very hushed voice, "I think Luna likes him!" Her eyes shone bright, as though she had just discovered some great treasure, and Demando wondered how anyone could take such joy in simple existence. Deciding that this was not a very good track to take, Demando tried another method. "Do you know what a harem is, Mayumi?" "Yes of course," Serenity shook her golden locks, "Taiki told me it is a place where all the pretty girls live until the King wants to look at them. She says they have a marvelous time, pretty clothes and jewelry and LOTS of food," here, the young girl's eyes took on a particularly joyous light, that is, until she saw Demando's expression, "That is what it is, right?" Shaking his white locks, the guard resisted the urge to smack himself upside the head. "Alright," he took a deep breath, "Do you know about... babies?" To his relief, she nodded vigorously "Oh, don't worry about that," she said with a smile, "Luna told me all about it when Seiya's horse gave birth. And Taiki told us some other stuff too," she blushed and giggled, before her expression grew thoughtful, "But what does that have to do with a harem?" Now Demando *did* hit himself upside the head. "Mayumi," he grabbed her wrist, bringing her to an abrupt halt She look up at him with a hurt expression and his grip loosened, just a little. He looked into her innocent blue eyes, "Think, you're a smart girl, if a bit innocent, *think*." Serenity looked at the older man in shock. Was he saying what she thought he was saying? Surely not! Why, it was indecent and perverse and... and... She felt faint. "You don't mean I'm here to..to..." "Yes." Closing her eyes, the young woman felt tears well up as her world tilted crazily... wrong, so wrong. For Serenity, who dreamed of falling in love, marrying and baring children, the thought of being used and discarded in such a callus fashion made her physically ill. With a sickening clarity she realized all her hopes and dreams of romance and marriage had just been snatched out from under her. A small sob escaping, she fought to contain her tears, feeling very weak in the knees. Suddenly, Demando's arm was around her, comforting and warm, and she wept against him. He could not believe what he was doing! He could be flogged for even touching this girl in such a fashion, she belonged to the King now, it was as simple as that and yet... And yet as Demando watched tears well up in the young girl's innocent eyes, he knew she was not one accustomed to crying alone. Somehow he knew that, when she had been at home, there was always some one to help her dry her tears. Here, she had no one. Somewhat awkwardly, he put an arm around the sobbing girl and patted her back as she cried, all the while checking to make sure no one saw. After a moment, she was rubbing her eyes and stepping back. "Tell me," she sniffled a little, "What...what happens after a girl has...gone to the King." "Well, they go to the House of Concubines, until they are called for again," Demando said slowly, realizing he could not picture this innocent girl ever adjusting to harem life. "There are so many girls here!" Serenity cried, "What if he never calls for someone again?" "Then they go on living at that house." "With no husband, no children?" she was shocked. "Not unless they were lucky enough to conceive the first time," Demando told her. He knew he had shattered her innocence, and for some odd reason, he felt badly for it. part of his mind told him, "I can't do this!" Serenity said purposefully, straightening her back and tilting her head so she could look the guard straight in the eye, "I shall kill myself first!" "Hush," he told her sternly, "Never *ever* let anyone hear you say that!" Before his eyes flashed an image of another girl, one whom he had not known well, who's tongue was cut out for such a blasphemy. He had to calm her down, Demando realized. Knowing it worked before, he decided to play off her dislike of seeing others hurt. "Mayumi," he didn't point out that she responded to her new name without missing a beat, "If you do not do as you are supposed to here, it is law that some... rather unpleasant things may happen to Luna and Taiki." He watched the fear grow in her azure gaze, and wished he hadn't said that. Serenity squared her shoulders, thinking of Luna, the only mother she had ever known, and Taiki, and Yaten, Seiya and Artemis. Could she really let her failures fall back on her friends? Certainly not! The young girl had far too much honor, and far too much love to ever let others bare the weight of her own punishments Something inside her cracked, and she felt herself begin to go dead... "Very well," she heard some one say to the guard. She didn't realize it was her own voice, "I accept my fate." For a moment, she felt herself hovering above the scene, watching the strange girl speaking with the guard, but then something happened, and she was forced back into her body. "No!" Demando whispered vehemently, cupping Serenity's chin in his hand. His grip was surprisingly gentle, and he tilted her face until she was forced to look at him. The guard had seen the deadness begin to creep into her blue eyes and knew he was watching her give up. Of course, he'd seen it happen to other girls as well, and never done a thing about it. But this time he found he could not stand by and watch this angel commit spiritual suicide. "Don't." "Don't what?" she asked, voice broken. "Don't die, if you die, then that means they win,"he told her, watching the life rush back into her eyes with the force of a tsunami. Such was his relief that Demando almost embraced her again, but managed to pull himself back just in time. he thought to himself as he escorted the young girl back to the little cubicle she was to call home. He made up his mind right then and there to see as little of the angel as possible. ------------- As it turned out, that was impossible. Serenity was everywhere. Having surrendered herself to the inevitable future, the young woman seemed bent on enjoying her last year of freedom. For the next twelve months, her entire life would be focused on one night, preparing her for what lay ahead. For a while Demando feared the preparations induced by the harem would steal Serenity's endearing innocence, but he soon discovered he needn't have worried. If possible, she grew more angelic each day. She became the light of the harem, and he knew of many girls who would have lost their minds had it not been for the angel. Her free time was not spent idly, she was always just around the corner, comforting Beruche, who cried for her sisters, sitting on the other side of the screen while Michiru bathed, talking in low, hushed voices about their memories of home, teasing with Haruka, visiting with Natsumi, or making a new friend. Everyone seemed to love her, even the guards, well, with the exception of Rubeus, who liked no one. She treated everyone as an equal, even her servant girls, Naru and Hotaru. Demando found, that when he watched her, a curious feeling would pierce his heart. He wasn't entirely sure what it was, and he wasn't even sure he *wanted* to know. All he did know was that Serenity was something special, and, for now, he contented himself with that. ------------ The sound of laughter, like little silver bells, reached Demando's ears, and whirling around, he knew at once what it was. Serenity and her friends were playing in the earth-lit gardens. She'd convinced him to let her out at night, saying that she felt incredibly cooped up in her small cubical. The other guards had readily agreed with her, saying that they had to be alert anyway, surely they could watch a few concubines in training. Faced with such persuasive arguments, and Serenity's pleading blue eyes, Demando had consented. Turning, he watched as Serenity chased after Haruka, her golden hair flying in waves behind her as she moved. "'Ruka!" she cried, grabbing for whatever it was the tom-boy had stolen, "Give that back! Michi, make her give it back!" Giggling, the aqua haired girl tried to intercept her friend, but Haruka was far to quick for either of them. Stopping abruptly, Serenity stood gasping for breath, bathed in the light of the Earth. Demando held back a gasp. She had never looked so beautiful, her golden hair having escaped it's odango-ed confines, spilling down her back, her whole form taking on an angelic glow, borrowing the light of the blue-green orb above her. With a shattering, Demando realized, horror filling him, that he had just made the most fatal mistake of his life. He'd fallen in love with Serenity. The well of emotions he found himself drowning in where frightening and unfamiliar. Tenderness... he'd never felt that for anyone, much less love. How could *he* the cold, heartless Captain be in love with this golden woman? He must have a heart somewhere, despite its size or it's capacity, for people without hearts could not love. For a moment he felt like weeping, Serenity was the King's possession now, by loving her Demando had all but damned them both. "Demando!" the young girl cried, running up to him, eyes blazing with excitement, "Haruka and Michiru wrote a new song. They're going to sing it for us at breakfast tomorrow." "That's nice," he managed to find his voice, "It's rather late, Mayumi, shouldn't you be in bed?" He noticed her eyelids were already drooping, and the other girls were making their way to their own rooms. "Yeah, I guess," she replied, somewhat reluctantly, even as Hotura arrived with a shawl "Miss," the ebony haired child addressed her, "You'll catch your death, it's rather cold out!" Serenity thanked the girl, allowing her to place the shawl around her shoulders. "Good night, Demando," she said sweetly. Like a child, she raised her face for a kiss. Hesitating only for a moment, Demando bent down as peeked her cheek, as was the norm. "Good night, Mayumi," he said softly, watching her slim form as it disappeared around the corner. She was so innocent, so lovely, so beautiful... the king would eat her alive. ------------------ One by one, familiar faces began to disappear The girls that had been Serenity's first friends vanished from sight, and strangers replaced them. They were taken to the king, and those that had been used where sent to the House of Concubines, where they would live out the rest of their days in waiting. For this one night, the night the past twelve months of their lives had been focused on, the young women were allowed to wear whatever they chose from the harem's large, seemingly endless wardrobe. Serenity watched sadly as many of them moved like slugs towards the entrance to the palace, flanked by many guards, so heavily layered with gold and silks that they seemed to have disappeared under their clothing. While still outwardly cheerful during the day, Demando knew, for Naru and Hotaru told him, that she cried herself to sleep at night. Though she made friends with the girls, they were not the same as the bond she shared with the others. Serenity was lonely, and the night she would be summoned to the King's bedchamber loomed over them all. ------------------ He wandered the courtyard like a caged tiger, prowling, pacing, waiting to be free. The night was still and silent, no wind blew, and a even the glow of the luminescent Earth seemed dull. Time was short, and growing shorter, Demando realized. There were scarcely fifteen girls ready to see the King, and Serenity was one of them. He could not hide his angel from the pagan King forever. he prayed, Indeed, it was true. He and Serenity were close, and he risked his head daily by just holding her hand. Demando was not a man accustomed to praying, to anyone, or anything. He made his own luck, forged his own destiny, or so he believed. After all, it had been himself, and no one else, who had survived the rigorous training of a guard. It had been his bravery, and no one else's, his cold strategy in battle that had earned him the coveted position of Captain. But now he found his world was changing all around him, morphing into something completely different, and he found himself grasping for some type of faith. The King would kill his angel, he knew, perhaps not physically, but he would crush that beautiful spirit of hers. It was the light from that spirit Demando lived off these days One way or another, he would not see Serenity exit Ulexite's bedchamber with dead eyes, as he had seen so many other girls do. He vowed to protect her, and he would do so even at the cost of his own life. He just didn't know how. "Perhaps the answer lies just around the corner," a lick, velvety voice intruded in Demando's thoughts. Whirling around, he wondered just who had read his thoughts. The voice seemed... other worldly. The courtyard around him was silent and deserted. Mayhap he was going insane? "You are not insane," the voice spoke again. From the shadows stepped a figure, and though he could not tell from appearances, the voice gave away that this being was female. She was draped heavily in a cloak of deep back, the hood pulled so far over her far that he could not see her features, only her crimson eyes were visible "Who are you! Make yourself known!" he demanded roughly, drawing his sword. The robed figure shook with silent laughter. "I am no threat to you, Captain," she replied, "I am... a friend." "No friend of mine!" Demando said, violet eyes narrowing. She ignored his statement in favor of her own purposes. "You look for a way to save your friend," she said, "Would you be willing to give her up in order to save her? That may be what you are called upon to do." "I would do anything," Demando replied, letting the surreallity of the situation flow unnoticed around him, "Anything if I knew she would be safe." "Would you?" he swore he saw her raise a perfectly sculpted eyebrow, "If what you say is true, then pray to Selene." "Selene?" he echoed. A minor goddess perhaps? If so, his Serenity was far to precious to risk by offering prayers to some small, unknown deity. "Hai, Selene, the hyourin no megami (Goddess of the Moon)," the figure told him, "She is the protector of all Lunarians. Your friend is a Lunarian by birth, and then by spirit. If you pray to Selene for the sake of her own child, then perhaps she will answer your prayers..." A gust of wind chose that time to swep\ep across the courtyard, and in that instant the hooded figure vanished into a thin fog, leaving Demando alone with her words. "Wait!" he cried, "Tell me what to do!" "Pray, Demando-sama, pray as you have never prayed before!" the voice vanished, and Demando raised a hand to rub his temples. He was seeing things, for certain. And yet... the woman's words appealed to him. What harm could it do? Without thinking, he dropped to his knees in the middle of the courtyard and began to pray. Whether a minute or a millenia passed, Demando would never be sure, for he passed into a sort of trance like state that defied time. But gradually, someone's shouts broke through the aura surrounding him. "Demando-oniisan!" Saffir called out as he approached, "What are you doing?" "Uh.. nothing," the other guard replied sheepishly, climbing to his feet. "Hurry at once!" his younger brother went on, "Queen Obsidian wishes to speak with you! Come on!" With quickening steps, the two of them hurried towards the palace, only slowing to a dignified pace once the reached the hall outside the Queen's chambers. "Hello, Demando," said a sultry voice, it's tone ridiculously seductive. Fighting the urge to roll his eyes, the guard turned to see Princess Beryl leaning up against the wall, her violet dress clinging to her unrealistically voluptuous figure. "Princess Beryl,"he said, bowing. Saffir echoed his movements, rolling his eyes as Beryl giggled obnoxiously. "My mother will see you now," she said, licking her lips in an attempt to look sexy. Actually, had he not been the object of the red head's advances, Demando might have found it rather hilarious "Arigato, princess," he said quickly, throwing open the heavy black doors. ---------- Out in the deserted courtyard, the shadows seemed to move, then melted together in the form of the elusive hooded figure. For a moment the creature stood still, before moving towards the center of the courtyard. She stood still, shadowed face tilted up, gazing at the only lighted window in the palace... the Queen's sanctuary. In one, swift motion, she tore the cloak from herself, revealing a stunning woman. Long, deep green hair flowed from a single bun atop her head, reaching almost to her knees, contrasting with the deep black of the velvet gown which hugged her figure. "Gomen, Demando," she said softly, "But Serenity is not yours to have. The wheel of Destiny has been set in motion, it is the will of heaven." The shadows around the woman seemed to gather against her, as though they who had hid her from the world were also her enemies. Her crimson eyes flitted from wall to wall, suspecting each gray specter of wrong doing. "The Silence is coming, Kami-sama help us all!" With a short, strangled laugh, she unfurled her black feathered wings and rose into the heavens, becoming just another distant point of light. --------- The interior of the Queen's sanctum was dark, only a few oil lamps serving to cast frightening shadows on the wall. The smell of sulfur and death hung heavy in the air, and, sitting in the black iron throne draped by heavy curtains, sat the queen herself. She was a snake like creature, with yellow eyes that darted every which way, always suspicious. Her long ebony hair fell down the floor, and a few scraps of black silk were all that covered her body. Demando found her revolting. "My Queen," he bowed low, "How may I serve you?" "Captain Demando," Obsidian sounded rather amused, for reasons he did NOT want to know. "You are in charge of my husband's harem, are you not?" "Y-yes, my Queen," he replied, somewhat nervously. Had someone seen him with Serenity? Perhaps holding her hand, or even speaking to her in a way that seemed too intimate? If so, they were both as good as dead. "The King, Princess Beryl and I will be journeying to Earth soon," Obsidian remarked conversationally. Pausing, she reached in a nearby alcove and removed a bottle of blood red wine. Pouring a glass for herself, she asked; "Wine, Captain?" "No thank you, my Queen, I am still on duty," Demando replied, perhaps a bit too quickly. He had no idea what this pertained to, but he needed to keep his wits about him. "Very well," Obsidian said, taking a sip of the liquid before returning to her previous train of thought, "as guests on Earth, it would be rather rude of us not to bring a gift, don't you agree?" "Of course, my Queen." "My husband and I have already arranged for seven servants to be presented to the King and Queen of Earth, but, Princess Beryl and I have decided that something special must be given to the Prince." Demando fought down a smile. Every citizen in the Mineral Kingdom knew that Obsidian had been pairing her daughter with Endymion since they were both still in the cradle. However, the Queen's next words still shocked Demando. "I want you to select one of the virgins from the harem, one of the best, to be a gift for Endymion." Had he been asked to recount exactly what had been said after that, Demando could not have done so to save his life. He knew only that he promised the Queen the best he could find, and left as soon as it was acceptable to do so. Internally, his mind was moving a mile a minute. His prayers had been answered! While the Mineral Kingdom still practiced the use of concubines and condoned the ways of the harem, Demando knew that the Earthlings did not. In fact, the King of Earth, Cepheus declared himself loyal to his Queen by refusing to touch any other woman. Most likely the girl sent as Endymion's gift would be released after King Ulexite and his family left, or at the very least she would be put to work as a kitchen girl or something like that. Never in a million years would the stuffy, moralistic King and Queen of Earth allow their son to have a concubine. And if Demando were to send Serenity as that girl... she would be safe from the King, and no doubt Endymion would not touch her either! "Ah, Selene, you are to be praised," Demando said to the goddess once he reached the safety of his quarters. His euphoria was short lived. Suddenly, Demando took a look around him. His quarters were efficient and bare, almost as if they were not lived in at all. He had never noticed it before, how his rooms begged for a woman's touch. Why was it now, that when he tried to picture that woman, all he saw was Serenity? He was in love with her, Demando had come to terms with that, but he'd told himself she was something untouchable. He'd been able to live with that, knowing he'd see her everyday, but now... Now, if he sent her to Earth, he would never see her again, never see her smile, hear her laugh. If he kept her with him, she would leave him spiritually, killed by the harsh King Ulexite, but if he sent her to Earth, she would leave him physically, and that was just as bad. 'If you love something, let it go,' his long dead mother had once said to him. He loved Serenity, but did he have the strength to send her away, to a foreign planet where he could not protect her.. could he send her to an uncertain future? 'Would you be willing to give her up in order to save her? That may be what you are called upon to do' the mysterious specter had said. In that moment, Demando knew what his decision was. Serenity would go to Earth. With that thought firmly in his mind, he lay down on the bed and got himself, very, very drunk. --------- "Naru, you are dismissed," Demando said as he strolled into Serenity''s cubical the next morning, "I would have a word alone with your mistress." "Yes, of course, Captain," the red head replied, setting down the silver-backed brush she had been applying to Serenity's hair and bowing as she left the room. "Is something the matter, Demando?" Serenity asked, turning from her place at the vanity, her blue eyes filled with questions. 'She is so beautiful', the guard thought sadly as he gazed on her innocent, upturned face. He forced such thoughts from his mind, they would only serve to weaken his resolve. "Mayumi, there is something I need to speak to you about," he said calmly, taking a seat on end of her bed. Scampering, Serenity quickly joined him, perching just a few inches away. "The King and Queen are leaving for Earth soon and... as guests of the Terrians, politeness demands they bring a gift. Especially for the young prince. You know of him, right?" Serenity nodded, thinking back to those lovely, innocent days before the harem, when she and Seiya had talked of the mysterious, handsome prince. How long ago that seemed! "I spoke with the Queen last night, and she has asked me to select one of the girls from the harem to be... a gift to the prince." That said, Demando took a deep breath and watched Serenity's face. Her expression grew thoughtful, then bright. "Do you want me to help you pick the girl?" she asked. The guard looked at her in shock. Could she really not know how beautiful she was? "No Mayumi, I want you to be that girl," he watched the shock flood over her features, than sadness "Why?" she whispered. Taking her small, delicate hand in his own, Demando gazed into her eyes and prayed for strength. "Because, I know the King, and I know that... he will hurt you," Serenity's expression filled with horror. Perhaps in her innocence it had been possible for her to forget the darkness that lay ahead of her. In the year's time she had spent in the harem, life had developed into something of a routine. Now, with a rude awakening, she realized they would take even that from her as well. "The only way to.. to save you, would be to get you out of here." It made sense, Serenity realized. Though she had not seen the faces of the girls who left the King's bedchamber... well, one heard things. Those things had not been good. If she were to leave, she would escape that fate. But then, she knew next to nothing about the Prince's temperament, and she would be alone on an unfamiliar planet... "But, we know nothing of the Prince!" she cried. "No, little one," Demando said, patting her hand, "I have heard things. They say his parents are righteous and moralistic. His father does not even have a harem! Most likely, no one will touch you, and once King Ulexite has left, they will give you a job at least, or set you free at most." Free. Serenity's mind tried to grasp that word, tried to understand it. For twelve months she had been told what to do, what to eat, when to sleep, even how to bathe. Nothing had been her own, not even her body... well, especially not her body. Now her friend, perhaps her best friend in this place, held out before her the tantalizing prospect of freedom. Of deciding for herself what she would eat, where she would sleep... "I'll do it," she breathed, "I want to." "There's a good girl," he said, giving her a quick hug before exiting the room. He wanted to leave before the realizations set in. Only when he was half way down the hall, did Serenity fully manage to comprehend what her decision meant, only then did she run down the hall and fling herself into his arms, crying in his embrace. For, once she left for Earth, she would never see her friend again. ----------- Within hours the news had spread all over the harem. Everyone, from the lowest kitchen maid to Saffir, Demando's second in command, knew that Serenity had been the Captains choice. In groups or alone they sought her out. 'Is it true?' asked her friends, tears in their eyes, 'Will you be leaving us?'. Some of the girls were jealous, she would escape the horrible fate they themselves were doomed to. But no one could stay mad at Serenity for long, and they all knew that if one of them to escape, that the harem's angel should be the one. And yet... they, like Demando, knew that the days would be gray and lonely when she was gone. Since it was uncertain just when the royal family would be leaving, Serenity and her house (Naru and Hotaru) lived in a perpetual shadow for days. But, as a week, then two passed, they settled back into the routine, and the threat of Serenity's departure faded into the background. ----------- Serenity and her friends were lounging in the open, inner courtyard, listening to Haruka and Michiru perform a song they had composed that day. The Earth had sunken considerably in the horizon, bringing on the twilight that passed for night on the moon. Natsumi yawned, the sound of Michiru's pure voice was soothing, and she had been through very rigorous excerises that day, for she was putting on a little weight. "While deep within the bosom a heart increasing, in secret anguish covered..." Michiru's voice rang clear with the last note, hanging her sorrow in the air as Haruka strummed the final note on her harp. The small assembly exploded with applause, and both the players blushed. "Wow, you two are great together!" Serenity said admiringly. "Yeah, I bet if you two weren't stuck in here, you could really make it!" Beruche said. For a moment, they were all silent, appreciating their imprisonment sorrowfully. "But it was great," said Naru, perched beside Serenity and Hotaru on the long purple couch. The two blushed again, before Haruka threw her arm around the aqua haired girl. "Well, Michi here made up the words, after all," she said. Whatever else might have been said was cut off, for Juan noticed Demando standing in the doorway. This was odd, for they rarely saw him in the evenings. There was something in his eyes, the pallor on his face, the way he held himself. 'It is tonight,' Serenity thought, horror gripping her heart. "Mayumi," his voice seemed toneless, dead even, "It's time." ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!! Can I have Demando back now? ^_~