Stars of Destiny

Chapter 10

Feeling daring, the two lovers slipped away from the reveling and out onto the palace grounds. Serenity took a deep breath of night air and sighed in contentment.  It seemed all her dreams were coming true. She and Endymion walked in a companionable silence, fingers intertwined. Serenity looked up to see the Moon high in the sky. So this is what her home looked like to him. A silver disc in a dark field of stars. She understood why the Moon had held such mystery for the people of Earth.

"I can't tell you how often I looked to the Moon since I returned to Earth." Endymion spoke, pulling her to a stop. "Each day without you has been a torment." The words would have seemed cheesy had he not been utterly sincere. It had been a torment. It felt as if he'd been missing a vital piece of himself.

Serenity gazed up at him, reeling at his words. "I feel the same. I've missed you so much." She stepped into his embrace, inhaling his familiar scent, savoring his comforting warmth. "Oh! I almost forgot!" She slipped her hand into a hidden pocket in her dress and withdrew a star-shaped pendant hanging from a chain. "For you."

Endymion opened it, releasing a sweet melody that wrapped around his heart. It reminded him of Serenity. "Thank you. I'll cherish it." He leaned down and kissed her. There was no uncertainty in his heart or mind as he proposed. Being with her felt right, as if destiny had brought them together.

"Will you be my wife?"

Serenity was equally certain of her feelings. Her immediate answer rang out in the night. It was the happiest night of her life. Nothing could ever ruin the magic of their love.

Or so it seemed.

***

The seething hatred that boiled inside Beryl was so intense it frightened her. She felt control of herself slipping out of her hands. A cloying darkness seeped into her soul, strangling every last ounce of will power she had left. She'd departed the welcome ceremony for the members of the Moon Kingdom hastily after nearly being overwhelmed with rage. "What have you done to me?" She gasped, clutching her throat. Her chest heaved, her lungs struggling for air.

"Only what you asked for." Metalia's voice echoed in her head.

"No." She panted. "I didn't ask for this. I wanted Endymion, but he...he's in love. He doesn't want me." The words broke her heart, but it was the incontrovertible truth. Endymion would never love her.

"Not while Princess Serenity lives." Metalia replied, giving voice to the tide of ugly thoughts hidden in the corners of Beryl's mind.

"What are you saying?" Beryl cried out in horror, as a sharp pain lanced her heart.

"You know what I'm saying. Kill the princess and destroy the Moon Kingdom, then you will have everything you desire."

Beryl tried to fight Metalia's invasive will, but it was futile. She'd already tainted so much of herself with Metalia's poisonous darkness. Falling to her knees in the cool earth, Beryl's last shred of humanity died. Power, unlike any she'd ever felt, coursed through her body. Darkness shaded her eyes and veiled her soul.

Yes, the Moon Kingdom must be destroyed. Serenity must die. I will create a new kingdom. A dark kingdom...and I, Queen Beryl, will stand above all and liberate my great ruler Queen Metalia's full being at last.

Approaching footsteps interrupted her train of thought. She straightened and turned, a hint of a smile on her face. The footsteps belonged to none other than Generals Jadeite and Nephrite. She smiled wickedly. What a happy coincidence.

"We need a word with you, Princess Beryl."

A dark laugh burst from her lips as she faced the prince's generals. She smirked. "Are you here to warn me off your beloved prince?"

Jadeite exchanged puzzled glances with Nephrite. There was something off about Beryl. A darkness radiated from her eyes. Though he had faced countless enemies in battle, something about her gaze unsettled him. He felt as if he was looking into the very depths of evil.

Nephrite stepped forward. "You must cease your pursuit of Prince Endymion or we will be forced to take action." He too felt the dangerous aura surrounding Beryl. While she'd always been an ambitious woman, she was behaving like a completely different person.

Beryl's harsh laughter rang out on the still night air. She moved towards Nephrite with a confident stride. Drawing on Metalia's strength, Beryl exerted her will. "You don't really mean that, dear Nephrite." Her voice emanated with power, coiling itself around him like a snake.

"What--" He broke off, feeling suffocated.

"Am I doing?" She finished for him, caressing the lapel of his dinner jacket.

"Stop this!" Jadeite protested.

Beryl's hateful glare landed on Jadeite like a physical blow. He staggered back. She returned her attention to Nephrite. Sweat broke out on his brow as he fought her compulsion. She smiled and placed a sensual kiss on his mouth. "You will be my soldier. My general who will lead my darkness into the Moon Kingdom."

Despite his considerable strength, Nephrite could feel his resolve waver. What was she doing to him? Gasping, he sank to his knee, nearly oblivious to Jadeite's cries. He could barely hear him. Falling forward to the ground, he vaguely saw Jadeite fall victim to Beryl. He struggled to rise, but his limbs wouldn't obey him.

"Why should you care about him? He's only your competition." A voice spoke in his mind.

Why? Because...he couldn't think of why. The ties of friendship and brotherhood that had bound them together snapped. In their place, grew tangled webs of hatred and envy. He didn't care about Jadeite, Endymion, or any of them. It was all a lie. Slowly rising, Nephrite dusted himself off and regarded Jadeite's struggle under Beryl's spell with detachment. Turning to her, he bowed. "What is your will, Queen Beryl?"

Beryl grinned, her lips crimson against her pale skin. "We have work to do."