The long intro was last time. The short one is now. All DISCLAIMERS from previous parts apply. Address to mail that stuff you call feedback to: jkc1984@niia.net Primary goal for writing this: For enjoyment--yours and mine. So go to it! THE FOUR LOVERS: STRANDED NINX CHAPTER FOUR A PRINCESS IN PERIL "Let's see...how did Venus do it? Flip the switch, slide this on this side and this on this side, and then press the button and...voila! Hey, I just invented a new word!" Serenity giggled as she stared into the Emergency Kit, the first of the two she'd brought. Endymion, her companion for the last few "days" (if you could call them that--they were SO SHORT!), had gone off to search for a place they could truly rest. Both had been too exhausted and 'damaged,' as he'd said, to even consider the kits or real shelter at the time. Luckily, the nights had been warm; however, he'd predicted a frigid night. This meant they couldn't sleep in trees again, tressed up with red rope. "For emergencies," he'd said with a small grin. She wondered just exactly what kind of emergencies required red rope, but decided it probably wasn't good for a princess to think on. she thought rather giggly to herself. Being with the Prince without a chaperone was one thing; sleeping near him was another; talking openly about EVERYTHING was a huge demerit. If her mother wasn't made of stronger stuff, she'd probably have fainted by then. she thought gently as she began to go through the items in the kit. She pictured the Sea Prince, with his peculiar shade of blue-green hair and his deep, nearly violet eyes, out in the woods talking informally with her. Or helping her cut her long dress so it hung about mid calf, so that she wouldn't catch on the abundant thorns and long grasses that grew wildly around her. She smiled at that memory, remembering the half-lidded Endymion carefully slicing the material and somehow not seeing more leg than he was supposed to. Well, really, he wasn't supposed to see much leg at all; the Senshi wore the short, BATTLE skirts--she wore the long, FORMAL dresses. However, trying to slot Prince Priam, her near fiancee, into these memories...just didn't work. Endymion may have been rougher around the edges than a normal prince was, but she gave him due credit for his guts and determination and his willingness to due ungainly and ungraceful things. She sighed again, and rearranged the various survival supplies back into the kit so they fit. Shutting it with a decisive slam, she decided to take a small respite before opening the second. The day was beautiful--warm, with the faint sunlight shining heavily on her bare arms, and the smell of flowers blossoming over the thick air. She flicked her wrist up, producing a shimmer of silver sparkles, and then a floating picture of Priam appeared. she thought dreamily, staring at it. The image wavered suddenly, and in a swirl of sparkles turned, unbidden, into Endymion. she thought, staring at the image. It was a perfect picture of him, caught in one of his rare smiles. Her heart rate began to jump, and she sighed. "SERENITY! OH, PRINCESS!!" The call was loud, and wild, and a warning, just in case she was doing something private. She quickly adjusted herself to modesty, and opened the second kit and rumaged through it quickly, trying to make it look like she'd done something. "Little slacker," he said from over her shoulder. She looked back with an "Oh," then smiled. "I was just enjoying the day," she protested in a soft voice. He smiled; "If I catch you once more enjoying yourself, then I'm going to leave you here," he joked. "Oh no, spare me!" she pleaded, eyes widening to near tears. He chuckled, enchanted by the dramatics of her voice and those softly tearing blue eyes. "All right," he said, as sternly as he could manage. "But if I catch you again..." His face sharpened into a nasty, yet obviously fake look. "Did you find anything?" she asked quietly. He nodded, and offered his hand to her. She took it and stood, then asked, "What?" "You'll see," he replied, grabbing one of her kits and the cache of red rope she'd been sitting on. "Are you going to tie me up AGAIN?" she whined as he drew out a piece and knotted it. ran quickly through his head. He quickly made sure his head was down and knotting the rope, hiding the flush that had sprung to his face. "It's for your own safety, Princess," he replied. "Hmph. It chafes," she whined a little, then caught his face tightening abruptly. Though his thoughts were on a far different plane, she'd thought she'd hurt him, and quickly added, "Not that I don't enjoy the company." He looked up, and she caught something dark in his eyes. "Ditto, Princess," he replied. "Come here." She did, and raised her arms obediatantly as he pulled the noose over her and pulled it till it hung slightly loose around her waist. He then did the same thing with himself, letting her tighten it until he pronounced it satisfactory. Then the two set out. he thought as he carefully wound her through the thick grass. he paused to sniff the air again They passed the distance in silence, Serenity wrestling with her kit since it kept slipping. By the time she'd gotten it fixed, he pronounced, "We're here." "Just in time," she muttered, loosening the kit and setting it on the ground. "Can I take the rope off yet?" "You really don't like it, do you?" he asked, voice down a notch. "The rope? I guess most ladies would die to be connected to you by a red rope, but..." she shrugged. "Besides, my dress isn't as thick as your shirt." "Hmmm...your right, I didn't notice," he replied softly. "Okay, from now on, no more rope." She brightened visibly. "Wonderful! I mean, it's great that you didn't want to lose me or anything, but I think I can cling to you without this blasted thing's help!" She quickly wriggled out of it and demonstrated, holding onto his arm. He smiled down at her blond head and gently pulled her off of him, then loosened his noose and stepped out of it as well. "There's the cave," he pointed. She stepped forward to look at it, and her face went blank. He watched her as her blue eyes carefully ran over the nooks and crannies of the small opening leading to its inside. She walked to the entrance itself, eyes again examining the inside with the eye of a princess. he wondered as he walked to her side. His hunter's eye traced over the rocky floor, picking up traces of ancient spore, the bites of moss, the dark and damp insides. She turned to him, face grave, and pronounced, "It's wonderful." "What?" he asked, unsure if he heard right. "It's wonderful! We have shelter and open space, and look, there's stones for a firepit!" she exclaimed, moving around the cave in slight steps. She smiled now, face blossoming with light and blue eyes shining. "You have the best luck." he thought. "So you like it?" "YES, I LIKE it," she said slowly. Guessing his mind, she added, "Just because I'm a Princess doesn't mean that I can't enjoy nature. The Senshi routinely went camping on the moon, and sometimes took me with. Of course, we weren't REALLY roughing it, but I have a little," she held her fingers a bare fraction apart, "experience with caves." He chuckled a little. "You're a pleasant surprise, Serenity," he said, turning back to grab the kits. "You are too, Endymion. I would never know you and Priam are cousins." He grinned openly now. "Priam and I have always been different, and always been at odds, too," he said as he carried them into the cave, mentally plotting out that night. "Even though we are blood related, and should get along, we usually don't." "How sad," she sighed. "I don't mind," he replied. "Priam is a jerk. I pity the woman who marries that shallow, conceited, lazy prop." He'd been staring at the ground as he said it, and didn't notice Serenity's face slowly redden. It struck her hard that this man, her friend, didn't care that he should repeat these things in front of HER. So when her stony voice said, "I don't want your pity," his head flew up as if someone had jerked a puppet string attached to his head. "Wha.." he began to ask, but was stopped by the look of her stormy eyes. Her whole figure seemed to bristle, blond strands of hair washing around her, eyes nearly glowing, a darker blue than before; and if he concentrated, he could almost detect a faint whirl of bone white power swirling behind her. "How dare you talk about Priam like that, especially to ME! ME! I can't believe you would be so cruel, Endymion. I thought you were different from the others, from the stories people told me. Maybe you aren't so different after all!!" From her stormy eyes dripped one tear, which slowly traced a line through the dust on her smooth cheek; Endymion felt a strange pain inside him, and an urge to sooth her welled up. he thought. "What's Priam to you?" he asked carefully. "My FIANCEE, Earth Prince!" she yelled, eyes angrier than before. "I can't believe you!" With a flourish, she turned, and in angry grace stormed from the cave opening to the deeper bowels within it, leaving him to gawk at her fury. "Fiancee?" he muttered to himself. "Priam has HER for a fiancee? Incredible. He rules the Earth, he can get away with murder, incest, rape and pillage and still be considered the holiest man on Earth, and now he hooks himself a Moon Princess for a wife." He shook his head, something between anger and BITTER jealousy stirring in his heart. He turned away finally and closed his mouth, taking a deep breath and searching for calm. Not surprisingly, he found it had abandoned him. he thought. He looked once more, then sighed. As he stepped out of the cave, he wondered how the angry Princess could have rattled him so. Supposedly, she was just reverting back to type. However, his mind quickly and sharply reprimanded him on that, surprisingly him. he wondered as he took up his hunting knife, * * * * "There you are," Mercury pronounced. "All metallic pieces removed, area cleaned and bandaged. You should be just fine within a couple of these days." "Thank you again, Lady Mercury. Fine job," he replied with a tenative smile. She smiled back, pleased to have put her skills to such a good use on such a good looking patient. she scolded herself, Suddenly, as he watched her eyes light at his compliment, she gave a faint gasp. Immediately his hackles rose, and he asked, "Something troubling you, Lady?" She smiled a little and looked down; a faint, rosy blue colored her cheeks at his noticing. "Can't you hear it, Lord Zoicite?" His brow furrowed as he concentrated, wondering what he could've been ignoring; and then came the low, soft rumbling that brought recognition to his eyes. "Thunder, Lady Mercury. It's thunder." "Yes," she replied somewhat sadly. "What's wrong? Does thunder trouble you?" he asked, sitting up. "Oh no, it doesn't trouble me," she replied, looking down at him. "I'm used to it. On Mercury, it storms almost constantly. I've also worked with Jupiter for most of my Senshi life, so it doesn't bother me anymore." She looked pensive then, and turned to look out the tent door. "What is it, then?" "The Princess, Lord Zoicite. She's deathly afraid of thunderstorms," she said, turning toward him, arms crossed over her chest. "I hope she's all right out there." * * * * Serenity shivered again as the thunder cracked above her. she thought again, vehemently trying to stop the storm with her mind. It didn't work; the storm roared on, untouched and uncaring about the Princess below. The worse thing, she knew, was that being around somebody would ease her fear. Yet the only one around was Endymion, and she really didn't want to see him right now. she corrected herself. Her pride rose every time she wanted to move from the small cleft in the cave. Yet still she wanted, more than anything, to go to him. The thunder rumbled and snapped above her again, and she clutched herself in fear and panic. She tried to swallow the fear, but it rebelled and tried to swallow her. It was then that the shadow fell across her, and she gasped. "Serenity?" came the soft, coarse voice. "Serenity, are you here?" "Endymion?" she replied, wonderment plain in her voice. Slowly she stood, arms still clasped about herself in fear. "Princess!" he called, appearing in the light of the torch, eyes uncertain. Before she could become cold to him, he said carefully, "I wanted to apologize." She blinked, thinking, "The thing I said about my cousin were mean spirited and rude. I'm sorry to insult the two of you," he said, voice heavy. She smiled to herself, and gently replied, "I understand, Prince Endymion, what you feel for your cousin. My Senshi have caused the same friction. All the same, it still hurt, though I know you didn't mean it." She looked down and openly smiled. "I should've known that you had no idea Priam had proposed. It's an open secret for those in court, but no one else knows." He felt his mind and heart strengthen at her kind words, and let a smile slip. Then, he heard the thunder rumble, and was surprised to see Serenity shiver. "Princess," he said, leaning closer to her, "are you all right?" "Um...yes," she said slowly. "I'm...I'm just fr.." Thunder cracked, and without warning, Endymion found himself with his arms full of Serenity. She was shaking, and cold, but her grip around his waist was vise-like and strong. His arms, on autopilot now, enclosed her, and he whispered, "Hey...hey, what's wrong?" She didn't reply, shifting in his arms once again as the thunder rumbled louder. He became acutely aware of exactly how close she was to him, almost as if she was slowly sinking into him and becoming part of him. He slowly became aware of dozens of other things as well--the faint smell of sweetness in her hair; the feel of her body through his armor, soft and warmy and almost downy; the touch of her hair, cold and silky; the whisper of her breath against his chest, warming his heart. So much more, as well, and not only externally, but internally as well. In so little time it would make some gasp, he was totally overwhelmed by her nearness, and felt a sudden, strong urge to PROTECT and CARE for her sweep through him, leaving him powerless to resist it. Suddenly, she shivered again, and his hand gently stroked her back and her hair in response. His mind had shut down; his heart had fainted away; his soul was blossoming; only his body could move, mechanically, to stroke her hair. Finally, she whispered, "I hate thunderstorms." He said nothing in reply for a minute or so, then replied, "You're safe in here, Princess. Nothing can touch you." The words did comfort her; she was not ummune to the strong, steady arms, comforting voice, and the deep warmth that had formed between them. she thought. It was as if a brand had been pressed against her brain; the heat and pain snapped her from her haze of comfort. she thought. Hastily, she pulled herself from him, wriggling her way from her confinement and shocking him out of his warmth. They stared at each other for a tense second before Serenity said, "Endymion, I'm sorry for the outburst. It won't happen again." "It's understandable, Princess. You were scared," he replied, voice shaky as all his systems tuned in once again, mind roaring chastisement at him. "Yes...I hate storms," she echoed again, looking downcast. He managed to form a grin, then said, "Listen." She did. "What? Something wrong?" "No, something right for once. The storm's stopped," he replied. "Oh...OH! All right!" she replied, joyfully, smiling brillantly. "Yes...um, Princess, did you want some dinner now?" "Dinner?" she asked in wonderment. Then, with a mental shrug, "Oh sure, dinner. I'm starved. Lead the way, Prince E." He smiled at this, and led her way towards the front of the cave, proving that the storm had actually stopped, not just receded for a nit. Serenity, however, mused that she'd have to dig out her lights soon; the few shards of light that made it around Endymion's cape were golden, a sure sign of the coming night. What she saw on the cave floor caused her to remark, "Been busy, Endymion?" He grinned now, wide and bright. "A little," he said. "I need to find something to do when I have a lot on my mind. Helps me try to sort things out." "I see," she replied. Something cooked over them, wrapped in leaves and giving off a tender smell. "You must have had A LOT on your mind, Endymion. What is it?" "Saturn mouse, I think," he said. "It looked like something out of my studies on Outer Moon biology..." he cut off, a little suddenly, and Serenity puzzled as she sat on a rock near the warm coals; he copied her motion, though sat on the floor. The night was nearly risen, and a chill cut through the cave. She shook her head, not quite recalling the memory, and asked, "And the leaves?" He rattled off the name for the leaves in perfect Saturn, which sounded exactly like a mixture of gibberish and music to Serenity; then, to her puzzled look, he added, "A form of coltsfoot. It's a plant we have in the Royal Herb Gardens. My...mother...she used to use it. She said it gave everything a salty tang." "Your mother? Is she," she hesitated a second, feeling impropriety coming on, "gone?" "She died in the last Earth-Sea series," he replied. "One of our servants was sympathetic to the Sea cause, and poisoned her. She died within my eyes, within my arms, miserably. I was...ten at the time, and I've...never forgotten her." He gave up the knowledge as if he discoursed a great secret; in fact, a part of Serenity felt he was giving part of himself in telling her. ran through her mind. "I'm sorry, Endymion," she said, geniunly sympathetic. "I never knew the Earth was so dangerous." His eyes had closed, and in the firelit remained so as he sucked the emotions into himself. Still, a tear managed to escape under his lids, making Serenity's heart flutter rapidly in pity. Instinctvely, she reached over to him and brushed the tear away, a consoling gesture that caused his eyes to flash open, dark blue. "I'm truly sorry, Endymion. My father died when I was just an infant, but if I ever lost my mother...." she turned her head away. "I'd lose my mind. Especially so young.." she let the words fall away, unwilling to continue. He studied her turned head and gentle profile, feeling her concern and taking it to heart. Quietly he replied, "I never knew the Moon Kingdom's precious Princess could be so...so not like a Princess. You have no idea what I hear about your people." She turned back, and smiled a little. "I know, I know. We're snotty, pretentious..." "bossy and snobby..." "...snooty, high-flung, aristocratic interlopers," she finished. "Did I get them all?" "I think you did," he replied, his face starting to crack into a smile. "Of course," she started, "you Earth people are belligerant, warlike, bellicose, millitant, antipathic, cruel, insensitive, truculent, callous jerks." The fact that she rattled off the list with such airs caused his sorrow to crack inside him, and he couldn't keep from laughing on the outside either. Her face broke into a wide smile, and she giggled along with him. "You know, the Earth is not ALL bad," he said. "There are some nice people--like my mother and the Generals and my sister, Cation--and some of the lovliest places in the Sol System can be found on Earth." His eyes became serious, and his fave turned calm. "I came upon this gorgeous place once while hunting with the Generals. I love to hunt...." "I figured," she murmured, eyeing the cooking mouse. He moved like a hunter as well, with predatory grace and agility that came not just from watching animals, but being with them. "...and it was a wonderful day for it," he continued after a pause. "The four of us had just regrouped when we came upon a trail that none of us had ever seen. I took Kunzite and Nephrite with me, and we went to invesitgate." "The sun was just beginning to set in front of us, and I knew soon that it would be difficult to keep with the trail. However, I pressed on; to this day, I don't know why. What waited for me, though...was more beautiful than you, Princess." Serenity thought. It was written by the set of his features, and the awe in his eyes. "It led us up a hill, and the three of us climbed it, wonderment growing within me with every step. Finally, it broke over, presenting me with a sight enough to make Kunzite gasp. The trail sloped downward as fiercly as it'd sloped upward, and at the bottom lay a lake. The trees and the fading of the sky framed it in wonderous colors, and the background with the sun setting sent a pathway of gold out to our eyes. It was just incredible." "I'd love to see it someday," Serenity breathed, caught up in the imagery in her mind, eyes sparkling. "Perhaps you will one day," he said. "I visit it often, when I need to think." "When I need to think, I go to the Gardens," she said as he shuffled the coals around and fiddled with the mouse. "The flowers there are so beautiful...but my favorites are the roses." "Roses?" he asked. "Uh-hmm," she said. "It's almost a joke between the Senshi and I...but whenever I feel that they've done something incredible or just been nice or need cheering, I leave them a rose. It's my most precious gift, since they're the only flowers I truly consider mine." "We have roses on Earth as well," he said. "They're lovely among flowers, but they all smell so sweet." She smiled. "It's a gentle smell, though," she said. "Now is the mouse done?" "Um..." he poked it. "Yes, it is," he replied. "Do we have anything to eat off of?" In response, she pulled a kit up, rumaged through it, and came up with two square sheets of plastic. "Think these would do?" she asked. "I believe they're designed to catch water, but..." she shrugged. "Anything is better than the floor," he said frankly. "Really, I'm surprised they didn't have plates in there. They've been prepared so far." "Overly so." "I wasn't going to be the one to say it," he replied as he sliced the meat with his knife. "It's all right. I know my Senshi mother me," she replied as she handed him his plastic. "Oh, and we have knives and spoons." "Knives and spoons?!? Couldn't they throw a fork or two in on principle?" "It doesn't have a double purpose, or at least another non- eating use that I can think of. My question is why I have more silverware than I could ever need in here." She pulled out four spoons and three knives. "Obviously a kit designed for more than just you, Princess," he said as he arranged the hunk of meat he'd cut for her on the plastic, then handed it to her. She handed him his sheet and gestured toward the silverware; he declined. They both ate with their fingers and got through the meal with only a couple of mishaps. Not as if they cared anyway what they looked like. Then came time to sleep. He banked the fire and stowed the leftover mouse--which'd tasted okay but different to both of them--and then they attended to natural functions. Finally, he addressed the obvious problem when both had warmed themselves back up from absolute zero. "Do you have any blankets?" "Yes," she replied, leafing through again. "Two, I thought." He sighed in relief. "Just enough." Her face turned red then; at first, he thought it was the firelight, but it didn't change when she moved to shadow. "Or not," she said, blush dripped on her cheeks combined with...anger again? "Hmm?" She held up what she'd thought a blanket; instead, it was a sheet of warm looking, warn cloth, with ragged edges. "Prince Endymion, meet what looks like a large bandage," she said in rough voice. She then produced the other, a furry brown and white blanket that looked warm and cozy. She stared at him, then it, then him, and asked quietly, "Do you want it?" "No, Princess...it's yours. I'll just sleep near the fire with my cloak and I should be fine. We can put that over the outside," he replied. "Are you sure?" she asked as she handed him her 'bandage'. "Positive, Princess," he replied as he made the exchange. he thought later that night. The 'bandage' had proved as unsuitable a cave cover as it would've a blanket, and his fitful sleep had been disturbed by the late nights chilling temperatures. He shivered a little and pulled his cape tighter, but it was no use. By this time, he would've been willing to crawl into the fire itself. Serenity, across the pit, was awakened by the cold as well, and huddled deeper into her fur. It was then she noticed him awake, and her heart quivered with sympathy once more. She debated whether or not to let him know she was awake, then finally said quietly, "Are you awake?" "Yes, Serenity." She hesitantly opened the blanket and crawled into the open; instantly, her teeth began to chatter. It was really chilly out here--really chilly. She crawled to him, dragging the blanket with her. "Princess..." he started, but she hushed him quickly. "Listen, you lie against the wall, and I'll lean against you. You can draw your cape around the both of us and the blanket, and we should be fine. Double protection--body heat and blanket." She didn't notice him blush slightly; she was too cold. However, his body was more concerned with getting warm than with the consequences of what she said, and he nodded mutely. Quickly, he helped her spread part of the comforter on the floor, and then crawled atop it. She joined him, blushing as she wriggled inside and got comfortable. He tugged his cape over them; she managed to flip the top part of the cover of the two of them, wrapping them in a snug cocoon of warmness. "Goodnight, Princess." "Goodnight, Prince." And they both promptly feel into a deep sleep.