LS
*********************
Those Who Guard
by Lady Saffir
This is a story I'm working on to delve into
Endymion's past with his guard. Please e-mail me at
with your comments at Rinoah7@cs.com
Feel free to
even say, "Hi, saw the story." Trust me, I won't be
offended by a short note, and I'm pretty sure that
I'll give you a warm response. Big thanks goes out
to Moon and Susan for input. Enjoy!
DISCLAIMER: DON'T OWN SAILOR MOON. NEVER HAVE, NEVER
WILL.
Rating:PG
********************************************
"Daddy, do I haveta go to sleep right now? I'm
not sleepy at all! I wanna stay up with you and
Mommy - 'sides, the monsters might get me!"
Galen smiled indulgently down at his three-year-old son. "Son, you
know that Mommy and Daddy have important business to
discuss. Very soon you'll wish you could go to bed this
early."
Endymion pouted. "But what about the monsters?
They said they're gonna get me!" "Endy, how about we
go on a monster hunt? We'll get rid of all the bad
monsters. How's that sound?" "Yay! Let's go!" The
king of Earth stood up, barely catching his exuberant
son as he launched himself into his father's arms.
"Don't forget your sword," Galen said, handing
a small wooden sword to Endymion. "Now, where..."
"shhh Daddy! They'll hear you!" Endymion got down on
the floor and crawled to where the bed spread brushed
the floor. "You get on the other side," he whispered,
motioning to his father.
The young prince waited for a few moments, then
lifted the cover up. "Yaahhhh!!!"
Endymion shrieked as two hands shot out from under the bed. Gaining his
feet, he staggered forward until something latched onto
his ankles. "Ahhh! Lemme go! Lemme go!"
The door burst open, a figure standing in the
doorway. "Endymion, what on Earth are you screaming
about?!" Queen Aeris asked, planting her hands on her
hips. "It's a monster! It's a monster!" Her son
yelped, holding his arms out to his mother for help.
Two hands wrapped around Endymion's waist,
tossing him high into the air. "Yippee!" He shouted,
laughing when his father caught him. "Do it again
Daddy! Please?!" Endymion begged, putting his arms
about his father's neck.
"Galen, how many times do I
have to tell you?! Rile him up before bed and he'll
never go to sleep!" Galen simply grinned at his wife.
"But we were getting rid of monsters, right son?"
"Yeah mommy!"
Walking over to where his queen stood, the king
handed his son off to his mother. "Give your mother a
good night hug Endymion," he instructed. "Night Mommy!
Love you!" Endymion hugged his mother about the neck,
giving her a peck on the cheek. "I love you too Endy.
Now go to bed!" "Awww, you're no fun!" Pouting,
Endymion reached chubby arms towards his father.
Galen put Endymion to bed, watching as his son
quickly fell asleep. Aeris came over, putting her arms
about her husband. "Where ever did he get his black
hair from?" Aeris asked, fingering both her and her
husband's hair. "That I don't know. Everyone in my
family has silver hair from the time they're born. And
you, my dear," he smiled as he hugged her, "have the
most beautiful red hair that I've ever seen."
Sighing contentedly, both stood at the foot of
Endymion's bed, listening to his quiet breathing. Galen
finally stirred. "Come, it is time for our meeting
with Artemis." The couple silently stole out of the
room, being sure to carefully shut the door behind them
before continuing on.
"Perhaps the legend is true," Aeris mused as
they walked down the corridor. "Hmm?" "The legend of
our kingdom." Galen stopped, frowning down at his wife.
"Whatever are you talking about? I've never heard of
such a legend!"
Aeris recited the prophecy from memory.
"The time shall come when chaos is near
When the balance is broken between the two worlds.
Peace and Harmony shall no longer reign
As long as the Darkness out shines the Light
The Evil will come and conquer many
Faced bravely by the five who truly love one
Ebony and Silver will guard each other
Dependent only upon one another
Four shall guard the Ebony
Four shall guard the Light
Four shall fall to darkness
Four shall fall protecting their right
Ebony protects the Silver
With a love that blinds the galaxy
Guard the guardians of the Ebony
For they hold the key to unleashing his power
Ebony shall come a score before the millennium
Ebony shall come with a sapphire gaze
Sapphire will hold sapphire
Ebony will hold Silver
Love shall conquer the battle
And defeat all distances between them."
Aeris finished her soliloquy, turning troubled
eyes up to meet Galen's. "Come now love," he said,
pulling her to him. "You shouldn't listen to those old
sayings. They were meant to scare young children."
Galen sighed when he realized that nothing could
be said to offer comfort. "Come. Artemis awaits."
They continued down the hallway, Galen murmuring words
of encouragement in Aeris' ear.
****************************************
Artemis frowned at his son. "Malachite, how
many times have I told you?! Stand up straight!" The
impatient seventeen-year-old sighed, shifting his weight
from
foot to foot.
"Father, I do not see the point of this.
I am here because I am guard the prince? He's three
years old- how much trouble can he get into?"
"Plenty." Artemis replied, turning to look at his son with a
critical eye. "Straighten your sigils. They're
crooked." No more was said as the King and Queen of
Earth entered the room.
"Ah, Artemis! Sorry to keep you waiting!
Endymion suddenly developed a fear of monsters." Galen
said, opening his arms to give his old friend a
welcoming embrace.
"That's quite all right. I
understand how tenacious three year olds can be," the
older man replied, shooting a look at his son. "And
may I introduce to you my son, Malachite. Malachite,
this is the King and Queen of Earth."
"A pleasure your majesties," Malachite said,
bowing at the waist. "No need to bow Malachite. We
don't stand on formalities in this room." Galen stated,
smiling at the young man. "So tell me, Artemis, what
news have you for me?" The voices of the two men faded
to a murmur as they moved to a corner of the room.
"Hello." Malachite jumped when a voice spoke
at his shoulder. "I am Aeris. We're so glad that you
decided to accept our offer." Malachite stared at the
older woman, puzzled. "One could hardly turn down a
request of the royal crowns," he said, focusing on her
face as he spoke.
A frown marred the queen's features. "Please.
Do not feel that you must do this. The offer was meant
to be taken at face value. We would never force
something upon someone unless it was absolutely
necessary."
They stood in silence for a moment, then the
queen spoke. "Would you like to see Endymion? He's
asleep, but a quick look shouldn't awaken him."
Malachite bowed. "Lead the way, M'Lady."
Aeris smiled. "Please call me Aeris. That makes me
feel so old," she said, trying to get the young man to
smile. "As you wish, Lady Aeris." Offering his arm, they
began to walk towards the royal quarters. "I'll never
get you to address me informally, will I?" The queen
asked, studying Malachite. "The chances are very
slim," he agreed, surprised when she started laughing.
"Living in this palace shall be interesting!" she
exclaimed, thinking of how this young man and her son
were polar opposites. "Very interesting indeed!"
They continued down the hallway, Malachite giving up
any pretense of understanding the queen.
*************************************
Jadeite, Nephryte, and Zoicite were lounging in
the courtyard, waiting for the fourth general to appear.
"Where is this guy?! You'd think that if he's supposed
to lead us he'd set an example and be on time!" Jadeite
complained, throwing rocks against the wall. "Malachite
is currently in a meeting with our trainer. If you
would have read your itinerary, you would know that,"
Zoicite said reprovingly. "Still..." Footfalls
interrupted Jadeite.
Two men appeared, walking towards the group.
"Good evening," the older man said, sweeping a gaze over
the three young men. "This is Malachite, first general.
He will be leading you, and you are to report to him.
Any questions?" Jadeite spoke up. "Yeah. Who are
you?"
Jadeite was rewarded with a smile
that reminded him of the look a cat had when stalking
a mouse. "I am Artemis, and I will be training you.
Now, we begin our training. Malachite, I want you to
fight with Jadeite. Zoicite and Nephryte, you two
are against each other."
"Great," Jadeite mumbled under his breath.
"Just great." He and Malachite saluted each other, then
took a fighting stance. "Remember, size has no meaning,
only skill," Malachite said as he saw his opponent
sizing him up. "I'll remember that," Jadeite said
dryly.
Zoicite and Nephryte were evenly matched, each
scoring glancing blows on the other. "Give up...yet?"
Nephryte wheezed, shaking the sweat from his eyes.
"Do...you?" "No." "Good, because...I don't...either."
Nephryte was about to deliver the killing blow
when he noticed movements out of the corner of his eye.
"Huh?" Zoicite, sensing his opponent was distracted,
lunged and succeeded in defeating his enemy. "Really
Nephryte, I hope you won't be that easily distracted in
a real fight, or you're dead!"
Noticing the other man had yet to acknowledge
his defeat, Zoicite turned his gaze to see what had
caught Nephryte's eye. "Well now, it seems our young
friend has a few aces up his sleeve," Zoicite chortled,
sitting down beside Nephryte to enjoy the show.
Early in to the match, Jadeite quickly realized
brute strength wouldn't help him defeat Malachite.
/All right, it's time to use the element of surprise!/
Jadeite thought, grinning at the older general.
Jadeite stood still, waiting until Malachite was almost
upon him.
/What is this fool doing?!/ Malachite thought.
/Oh well, his problem./ "Huh? Where'd he go?"
Malachite stopped when Jadeite suddenly disappeared.
*Bonk!* "Oof!" Malachite grunted, landing face first
in the dirt.
"Remember, size doesn't matter, skill does!" A
taunting voice floated down to his ears. Scrambling to
his feet, Malachite whirled around to find Jadeite
standing behind him. "Ready to go?" Jadeite asked
sweetly.
Malachite stood for a moment, glaring at the
younger man. Advancing slowly, he watched as Jadeite
tensed. Faking a lunge, he watched as Jadeite flipped
into the air, gracefully landing a few feet away.
"Care to try that again?" Malachite questioned.
Jadeite and Malachite rushed at each other,
swords clashing. When Jadeite felt Malachite gaining
an edge, he began to flip over his opponent's head.
Malachite waited until Jadeite was directly
overhead. "Gotcha!" He said, grabbing Jadeite's
collar. Hauling Jadeite around, he brought the young
general face to face with him. Jadeite's face was
turning purple from lack of oxygen as Malachite lectured
him.
"Listen very carefully to me. That move may
surprise an enemy once, but never twice. If you must
do something like that, use it only to get away from
them, never to go over them. Do you understand?"
Jadeite nodded an affirmative. "Good."
Zoicite and Nephryte scrambled to get out of the
way as Jadeite was sent flying towards them. "And you
two," Malachite directed towards them, "shouldn't have
stopped fighting to watch us. That will get you killed
very quickly."
Artemis stepped forward. "Malachite is correct
on all counts, though his method of enforcing them
could stand improvement. That is all for today. Be
here at the same time tomorrow. Malachite, I would
like to have a word with you," Artemis requested, not
waiting for the other man to catch up.
Jadeite watched the two men walk away. "There's
something funny about those two," he said, talking to
no one in particular. "And what would that be?"
Nephryte asked, lending a hand to help his comrade up.
"Well, look at them!" Jadeite said defensively. "They
both have white hair reaching to their shoulders,
they're built about the same, their gate is almost
identical!" Zoicite chuckled. "You're just upset that
Malachite was able to defeat you so easily. Come on,
let's go clean up and get something to eat." Leading
the way, the three generals entered the castle.
************************************************
Galen and Aeris were walking in the royal
gardens when the ground began to shake. "Galen, what's
happening?! We've never had an earthquake before!"
Aeris cried, clinging to her husband for support. "Let
me concentrate," Galen said, closing his eyes as he
"felt" for the cause of the disturbance. "Something's
blocking me! All I feel is a dark presence." Galen
opened his eyes to find someone standing before him.
"At last, mighty King of Earth, we meet," the
creature before him said, mockingly bowing down. "Who
are you? What do you want?" Galen asked, placing
himself before his wife. The creature looked at him
quizzically. "Why, the only thing I would waste my time
for- your life!" The being declared, producing a sword
from thin air.
Before the king could even draw his sword, the
creature attacked. Shoving Aeris back, Galen began to
turn, planning to use magic to divert his enemy long
enough to defeat it.
He began to weave a spell that would protect him
from the monster's attacks. The creature tsk'd at him.
"Ah ah ah," it said. "You're not playing fair. Those
that break the rules must be punished!"
With that, the monster drew his sword back,
aiming at the king's midsection. Placing the full
force of it's energy behind the blow, it easily ripped
through the king's defense.
Galen felt the cold steel enter his stomach,
continuing through till it came out the other side.
"It's been lovely, but I really must be going now," the
creature said before disappearing into nothingness.
Aeris rushed over to her fallen mate. "Galen?!
Hold on! I'll get a healer out here! Just hold on!"
She frantically cried, attempting to determine just how
badly her husband had been wounded.
Galen smiled sadly up at her. "Sorry love, but
I'm past help. Guard...Endy...love...," he said. With
that, the King of Earth died, his body held tightly by
the queen.
"Noooo!!!" The soul-wrenching cry reverberated
throughout the grounds, heard by everyone near the
castle.
***************************************
Aeris smiled wanly at Malachite as he stood
before her. At her nod he proceeded to the dais,
bowing at the first step. "I, Malachite, pledge an
oath of fealty to the Earth Kingdom, and vow to safe
guard Prince Endymion in all that he does, advising him
of all matters that concern the state, until he shall
no longer be in need of my service."
With that, Malachite arose and bowed once more.
At the Queen's gesture, he turned and re-traced his
steps along the pathway, cape fluttering behind him.
One by one the other general's came forward and
repeated the oath, turning to follow Malachite.
Standing outside in the hallway, Jadeite paced as the
other generals watched him. "So, now what do we do?
Sit around and wait for another monster to attack?!"
Jadeite finally exclaimed, swinging around to face
Malachite. "No. We shall be at Endymion's side
constantly, watching over his well being. We shall
teach him how to properly fight, perform diplomatic
functions, and lead his people." Malachite calmly
answered back. "Oh. So in other words, it's our fault
if he turns out to be a cruddy prince." Jadeite
declared before stalking down the hall.
Malachite glowered after him. "Relax. He's
only fifteen - having the responsibility of helping to
raise a prince seems like a monstrous job to him. Give
him a few years to mature." Zoicite advised.
Later that evening, a knock on her door startled
Aeris as she was preparing for bed. "Yes? Who is it?"
She questioned as she approached the door. "Mom? Can
I come in?" The unmistakable sound of Endymion's voice
floated to her.
Opening the door, the queen smiled down at her
son. Only six years old, he all ready resembled his
father in the face. Aeris couldn't wait to see how he
turned out when he finished growing.
With a start, she realized her son was looking
up at her expectantly. "I'm sorry. What were you
saying?" An exasperated Endymion blew his bangs out of
his eyes. "I said, Why do I have to have a guard? I
don't want that white-haired freak around me!"
Bending down Aeris scooped her son into her
arms. She looked at him sternly as she spoke. "Never,
NEVER call Malachite that again. He has spent most of
his life training so that he could protect you. It was
your father's wish that he, along with Zoicite, Nephryte
and Jadeite be your royal guard. Do you want to go
against your father's wish?"
A frown marred the young boy's features. "No."
He said sullenly, biting his lip. "Do I haveta spend
all day with them?" Endymion questioned, trying to find
a loop hole. "After your morning classes you shall
spend the afternoon and evening with them. Get used to
it," Aeris said firmly when she saw her son about to
protest.
"All right."
"Good. Now, off to bed with you," she said,
carrying her son back to his rooms. "Good night,
Endymion," Aeris said as she put him to bed. "Good
night mother." was the sleepy reply.
Malachite stalked into the anteroom that led
to each general's rooms. Zoicite looked up from his
chess game against Nephryte. "Princely problems?" He
asked sympathetically. "He won't go to bed! I've tried
everything from bribery to threats, and he still refuses
to go to sleep!" A frustrated Malachite banged his hand
against a table.
Malachite whirled around when he heard a muffled
laugh escape Jadeite's lips. "And what's so funny?" he
questioned menacingly. Jadeite finally laughed out
loud. "You're going about it the wrong way!" He
declared, rocking with laughter. "If you want a kid to
go to sleep, you have to convince them that going to
sleep is the best thing in the world. Trust me," he
added when he saw Malachite's skeptical look. "And
just, pray tell, how do you know this?"
Jadeite shrugged. "I've got twin brother and
sister four year olds at home. I know what I'm talking
about." He stood up. "Just watch a master at work,"
Jadeite said as he exited the room.
Walking the short distance to the door that led
to the prince's quarters, he stopped and turned to
address the other generals. "Rule number one:treat them
with respect." Turning, he knocked on the door. "Go
away! I'm not gonna go to sleep!" Came the muffled
reply through the door. "Endymion, can I talk to you
for a second? It's really important!" He declared,
winking at his friends.
"Step two: make'm curious," he whispered. The
door opened a crack. "Jadeite? I thought you had to
go somewhere," Endymion said, one blue eye peeking out
of the opening. Jadeite frowned. "Well, I did, but
then I got some really important information that I
thought you might like to hear," he said, infusing
mystery into his statement.
The door was thrown open as the young prince
rushed out into the hallway. "What is it?! What is
it?!" Endymion excitedly asked. "Does it have
something to do with monsters?!" He asked breathlessly.
Jadeite knelt down to the six-year-old's level.
"How'd you guess?" He asked surprisedly. "Tell me,
Tell me!" "Well, I heard that some monsters were
planning an invasion, and I need your help." That was
as far as he got before being tugged into Endymion's
room. The other generals followed suit, placing
themselves discreetly against the wall.
Endymion jumped up onto his bed. "Well?!" He
demanded impatiently. "The monsters are planning on
attacking the other general's and myself," Jadeite said,
gesturing to the emphatically nodding Zoicite and
Nephryte. Malachite merely scowled.
Endymion's face fell. "Aww, I can't protect
you!" He exclaimed. "But you can! These monsters are
going to attack us in our dreams - we'll be helpless!"
Jadeite said, infusing a tremor of fear into his voice.
"How can I stop them then?" "Well, these monsters are
really afraid of you. Every night you protect our
dream selves, just like we protect you during the day.
The monsters will have to get through you to get to
us. Will you help us?" Jadeite finished up.
"Yeah! But how'll I know good monsters from
bad monsters?" Endymion questioned. Jadeite leaned
closer. "They'll stink," he whispered conspiratorially.
"They will?"
"Terribly."
Endymion bounced into Jadeite's arms. "All
right! I'm ready to go to sleep now! You have to go
to sleep now too, ok?" "Ok. First though, let's get
you settled in, all right?"
At the prince's affirmative nod, Jadeite pulled
the covers down so Endymion could crawl under them.
"Night Jadeite, Zoicite, Nephryte, Malachite," Endymion
said sleepily. "Good night," all four chorused.
Jadeite sat for a few moments, waiting until
he was sure Endymion really was asleep. Motioning the
other generals to proceed him, they crept into the
hallway and soundlessly closed the door.
"Step three: tell them a reason that sleep is
good. Step four: get them to calm down enough to
actually fall asleep. "Step five: Don't wake them up!"
Jadeite said good-humordly.
As the general's entered their private quarters
once more, Zoicite spoke up. "Well, Jadeite, I think
you just nominated yourself as the person that gets to
get Endymion to go to sleep everynight!" Nephryte
nodded, while Malachite frowned. "I don't see how
lying to him will help." Zoicite sighed. "Malachite,
he's six years old! At that age, they love to feel
important. Besides, eventually he'll realize that it's
just a ploy to get him to go to sleep, and we'll have
to think of something else." The three generals sighed
when they saw that Malachite still didn't understand
any better.
Nephryte spoke up. "Look, let's just
get some sleep. If Endymion says anything in the
morning, just play along, all right?" Malachite just
nodded his head, and the generals retired to their
respective bedrooms.
Zoicite was teaching Endymion tactics when he
noticed that his charge wasn't paying attention.
"Endymion? Are you listening to me?" He asked, trying
to capture the prince's attention. "Yeah," was the
slightly distracted answer he received.
A few minutes later Endymion interrupted Zoicite.
"Zoi, why doesn't Malachite like me? He never plays
with me like you and Neph and Jed do." Zoicite frowned
as he tried to come up with a suitable answer.
"Endymion, it's not that he doesn't like you -
he really does. Otherwise he wouldn't be here. It's
just that he takes his responsibilities very seriously.
Malachite is just trying to make sure that you're
safe," Zoicite said, hoping that would end the discussion
and return to the subject on hand.
Endymion turned a worried face to him. "Are
you sure?" He asked. "Positive. Now pay attention.
The sooner we finish the sooner you can go have your
lesson with Jadeite." Zoicite sighed a sigh of relief
as his pupil turned back to his lessons.
A year later, the royal family planned an
outing, taking advantage of the warm spring weather.
Aeris was ready to go, when she
noticed her son was missing. "Nephryte, have you
seen Endymion?" She questioned the general as he
passed by. "I believe he and Zoicite had to make
a last minute trip to the gardens," was the answer she
received.
Waiting patiently for her reticent son to
appear, Aeris mulled over her court duties. First
was settling the dispute between neighboring earls, the
Earl of Callisto and the Earl of Eryn. A land claim
had pitted the two friends against each other, and
needed to be resolved as soon as possible. Her meeting
with the monarchs of the other solar planets was fast
approaching, and she needed to prepare for that too.
However, all was set aside as soon as Zoicite
had reported that Endymion was misbehaving. Purposely
hiding from both palace guards and his own generals,
each day brought new headaches as the young prince
found new ways to create mayhem.
Zoicite had diagnosed it as an acute case of
feeling neglected. Jadeite had concurred, stating that
his younger siblings had acted this way when they
wanted attention. Aeris had blushed. She had been
neglecting Endymion, more worried about court dealings.
That was the whole reason for this outing. Perhaps it
would soothe Endymion's hurt feelings, not to mention
bring some peace to palace life.
Hearing a shout, Aeris turned to see her son
running full tilt at her, Zoicite trying to chase him
down. "Mom, these are for you!" Endymion exclaimed
breathlessly, skidding to a halt in front of her.
"Thank you Endy, they're beautiful!" Taking
the roses that were offered, she bent to smell them.
Hearing a wheezing sound, Aeris looked up to see a
very out of breath Zoicite finally reach his charge.
"Endymion," he wheezed. "I...told you...not to...run...
a head of me." That said, the nineteen-year-old
general promptly collapsed on the ground. Endymion
turned to frown at his general. "Aww, you're no
fun Zoi!"
Endymion ran over to the general, leaping into
the air to land on the still wheezing general's
stomach. "Oof!" Zoicite gasped, catching Endymion
before he fell to the ground.
Aeris walked over. "Endymion, that was not
very nice of you. Zoicite took you to the gardens, and
this is how you repay his kindness? I think you owe
him an apology."
Endymion bowed his head. "I'm sorry, Zoi. I
didn't mean to hurt you. I thought you'd catch me
before I landed on you!" Aeris sighed as Endymion
took full advantage of the charming smile his father
had passed on to his son. "It's all right," Zoicite
managed to say.
Endymion turned to his mother. "Can we go now?
I'm ready." Aeris frowned down at her son. "Endymion,
you know that the generals are coming. You need to
give Zoicite a chance to get his own mount ready."
Using a well-practiced pout, Endymion looked up
at his mother from underneath a curtain of black hair.
"Please?"
Nephryte came up to the group, forestalling the
argument between mother and son. "Your Majesty, you and
Endymion should feel free to proceed as you please.
After Zoicite is ready, it should only take us a matter
of minutes to catch up to you."
Aeris looked down to see her seven-year-old son
clutching her leg. "Please?" With a sigh, she agreed.
"All right! Let's go!"
Running to Apollo, his pony, Endymion tried
unsuccessfully to mount by himself. Jadeite, seeing
his predicament, strode over to lend a hand. "Here you
go, Endy," he said, giving his charge a boost into the
saddle. "Thanks Jadeite! Ready to go, mom?"
At his mother's nod, Endymion whooped. "Let's
go!" As he and his mother left the palace behind, he
cast a mischievous grin at her. "Race you!" With that,
he took off, spurring his mount into a gallop.
"Endymion!" Aeris watched as her son took off
at full speed, not heeding any attention to her shouts.
With a sigh she pursued Endymion as he sped across the
meadow.
After a few moments the Queen caught up, her
mare being able to take longer strides than the short
pony. Pulling abreast with her son, she laughed down
at him. "Are you coming or not, Endy?" She teased
before pulling slightly ahead.
Hearing an indignant shout behind her, Aeris
turned her head to see Endymion crouch in the saddle,
trying to cut down on wind resistance as much as
possible.
Hera, the Queen's mount, suddenly stumbled as
her hoof slipped on a half-hidden rock. As the horse
tried to regain her balance she swerved to the side,
unseating her rider. Aeris flew through the air,
landing a short distance away from Hera.
Endymion saw Hera stumble, and watched in shock
as his mother was launched from her seat. "Mom!" He
screamed, urging Apollo to reach the site faster.
Arriving in a few seconds, he jumped from the
saddle before the pony had even stopped. "Mom!"
Endymion shouted again, rushing to her side. A sob
forced its way up his throat and he began to cry when
he saw the blood running from his mother's hairline.
*Malachite! Help!* Endymion cried out, unaware that
he did not voice his thoughts.
*********************
Yeah, I know it's long...but actually, this is only HALF of the first chapter. O.o
