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**A Soul Reclaimed**
By Brickgirl
Lady_Brick@yahoo.com
http://www.mindeclipse.com
Rated: PG
Disclaimer: Sailor Moon and friends do not belong to me.
            Adonis, Thalia, and this story do.
**Part 3: Something Wicked This Way Comes**
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"*Marriage*!!!!!" Princess Serenity exclaimed.  She sat on her 
bed hugging her knees.  Next to her sat a very pale Thalia.  "Are 
you going to do it?"

"I... I don't know," said Thalia hesitantly.  "I have to meet him 
first.  He might be horrible."

"Or he may be wonderful!" the princess stated, always optimistic.  
She clasped her hands together.  "Oh Thalia, this is so 
exciting!"

"I don't know.  It's so sudden.  I mean I never even considered 
marriage before."

Serenity was curious.  "Why not?"

Thalia shifted uncomfortably.  "Well, I mean, my duty is to you, 
to protect you.  I couldn't do that if I got married."

"So you mean to say, that even if you met someone that you loved 
with all your heart, you wouldn't marry him because of your duty 
to me?" the princess asked, somewhat shocked.

"...I don't know.  Maybe."

Serenity looked her foster sister in the eye.  "I don't want you 
to sacrifice your chance at happiness for me."  Thalia started to 
object, but the princess cut her off.  "Don't give me another one 
of your 'duty' speeches.  I don't want you to ever look back at 
your life, and regret anything because of me.  Just because you 
have a duty to me doesn't mean that you need to sacrifice your 
own happiness."

"I'm scared," Thalia said quietly.

"What?" the princess asked, startled.

"I... I don't know what to do.  This is something I never even 
considered before.  It's not like it's something that I can 
fight.  I could handle that.  But this..." she shrugged 
helplessly "I just don't know."

Serenity smiled.  "Don't worry.  I'm sure mother will want the 
other Senshi and I to come along.  You won't have to face this 
alone."

"Thank you," whispered Thalia.  The two girls embraced.
__________

"OWWWWWWWWWWW!!!" Thalia screeched as Minako pulled the brush 
through her hair.  "NOT SO HARD!!!!"

"You want to look your best for Prince Endymion, don't you?" the 
blond girl retorted.  She gave the brush a viscous yank, ignoring 
Thalia's wince.  "And if you brushed it more often, it wouldn't 
be so snarled."

"I'm sorry, some of us have better things to do then primp and 
preen all day," Thalia replied, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

"Will you two stop it?" a harsh voice said from across the room.  
Rei sat up tiredly from the cot on which she was sprawled.  "I'm 
exhausted from the teleport, and would like to get SOME rest 
before the royal introductions this evening."

It had been several hours since the Senshi, the Princess, and the 
Queen had teleported to Earth.  Though they still had plenty of 
time before the formal introduction to the royal family of Queen 
Calandria, the room was already thick with tention.

There was a gentle knock at the door, and Queen Serenity entered, 
followed by her daughter.  The Princess carried a gown of copper-
colored silk.

"Thalia, we brought you your dress," Princess Serenity said, 
holding out the garment.

"Are you sure I can't just wear my senshi fuku?" Thalia asked the 
Queen pleadingly.

Certainly not," she replied sternly.  "You are being presented to 
royalty, as royalty.  You are a princess remember.  And it also 
wouldn't do to show your legs before the whole Royal Court.

"Fine," muttered Thalia.  She stood to get the dress, not 
realizing that Minako was still attempting to untangle the brush 
from her hair.

Her scream was heard throughout the castle, if not the kingdom as 
well.
__________

The Grand Hall of the Earthen castle was very different from the 
one on the Moon, Thalia thought, but certainly no less elegant.  
The ebony walls were inlaid with gold and mother-of-pearl in 
swirling designs, like precious vines growing around the room.  
The room was lit by a warm glow by huge wooden chandeliers that 
hung from the ceiling.  The thrones at the head of the room were 
massive things, intricately carved of mahogany, inlaid with gold 
and silver crown emblems.  Queen Calandria and King Phiston sat 
there, dressed in their royal blue finery.  The King's face was 
softened by the years, his blue eyes full of kindness and wisdom.  
The Queen was beautiful, only the silver streaks in her long 
black hair revealing her age.

"Step forward, my dear," Queen Calandria's voice rang out across 
the room.  It took Thalia a moment to realize that the woman was 
speaking to *her*.  She swallowed, stepped forward, and curtsied 
deeply, just as Queen Serenity had made her perfect just a few 
hours ago.

"I give you greetings Queen Calandria, and thank you for your 
hospitality while we stay in your Kingdom," Thalia said formally.  
She looked into the Queen's eyes as she rose.  They were warm and 
full of barely restrained mirth.  Thalia smiled inwardly.  Here 
was a Queen who did not take ceremony so serious.

"I give welcome to you Princess Thalia.  And those who have 
accompanied you."  She smiled at Queen Serenity who nodded calmly 
in response.  She turned back to Thalia, her eyes sparkling.  
"You are a lovely young lady, Thalia.  I hope that you and my son 
will get along well," she spoke in a much softer voice

"I... I mean... I hope so," Thalia stammered, feeling her face 
flush.  She heard Rei sinker softly behind her, and made a mental 
note to repay her during their next training session.

"Prince Endymion, step forward," Queen Calandria said, her voice 
once more regal and proud.  A young man stepped forward.  Her was 
dressed in navy trimmed with silver.  A cape hung over his 
shoulders, a sword at his side.  But it was his face that held 
Thalia's attention.  Perfectly sculpted, framed by a shock of 
dark hair, two eyes gleaming out with such strength and power... 
and warmth and kindness.  He stepped up to Thalia, taking her 
hand and kissing it as if it were a fragile flower.

"My Princess," he said, his voice a rich tenor.

Warmth grew in her chest, making it a bit harder to breathe.  
There was no denying he was handsome.  She stared into his deep 
blue eyes, forgetting for a moment about everyone around her.  
She could see herself loving him.  That wouldn't be hard.  But 
marriage?
__________

And a week later, she still didn't know.

"Do you love him?" asked the Princess Serenity.  The two girls 
were walking alongside a river, one that roared over rocks, 
thrashing its fury along the banks.  The river fascinated Thalia; 
so different it was from the calm, peaceful streams on the Moon.

"I think so.  Maybe.  I... I just don't know."  Thalia shrugged 
her shoulders.  "I mean, he's very handsome," small flush "we get 
along fine and everything, but we don't really seem to have that 
much in common.  I mean, you saw how quickly the Senshi got 
together with the Prince's Guardians."  Serenity nodded, hiding a 
smile behind her hand.  She had already heard that in the past 
week, Ami, Rei, Makoto, and Minako had gotten VERY close with 
Endymions's four generals and protectors, Zoisite, Jadeite, 
Nephrite, and Kunzite.

"They all seemed to just... click together, like two pieces in 
one of Ami's infernal puzzles.  Like they were meant to go 
together.  They are all warriors, as am I.  But Endymion's 
different.  He's a warrior too, but beyond that, he is royalty.  
Someday, he'll be a king, and if I marry him, I'll be a queen.  
But that's not who I am."

"You could be," protested Serenity, but Thalia shook her head.

"No.  I was never meant to hold a throne, even if I am a princess 
by birth.  Endymion and I are from different worlds.  He reminds 
me more of you."

"Me?"

Thalia smiled.  "The way he talks about his Guardians, it's the 
same way that you talk about your Senshi.  He cares for people so 
much.  I mean he talks about how his actions will someday affect 
the entire kingdom, even people in villages far away that he's 
never seen, and probably never will.  He talks about how 
important being a good ruler is to him.  And I feel so lost, 
because I can't understand what he feels.  That's why I don't 
know about marriage.  We're too different.  I don't know if I 
could ever think like he does."

"But you love him anyway," Serenity said.

"Maybe.  That's the problem, I guess.  And I'm not even sure how 
real a love it is.  I mean he's wonderful, but..." she sighed.  
"...It feels more like a crush, not something that is permanent."  
She coughed, and then quickly tried to change the subject.  "So 
how did your travels with your mother go?  What exactly was she 
trying to do again?"

Serenity knew that her friend knew the answer to the question 
already, but tried to humor her.

"Since her duties keep her from coming to Earth very often, she 
traveled around to many of the different kingdoms to find out 
exactly how bad the political situation is on Earth."  She 
swallowed.  "It's worse then she believed.  Not only are many of 
the groups against Queen Calandria taking the Counsel Seat, some 
wish to cut off all connections with the other Planets, 
especially the Moon.  There were very few who were pleased to see 
her.  Some even threatened her... us."  Thalia was shocked.  She 
couldn't imagine anyone being so cruel to the kind Queen.  "They 
told us to go back to the Moon where we belong."

"You should have listened to them," a cold voice snarled.

Thalia whipped around, her henshin stick already in her hand.  A 
scruffy-looking man leaned against a tree, his cold eyes fixed on 
them.  He wore the clothes of an Earth commoner, but the way he 
held the sword in his hand, it was clear he was an experienced 
fighter.

"Step out of the way girl," the man spoke to Thalia.  "This 
doesn't concern you.  I just want her."  He gestured towards the 
frightened Princess.

"Like hell," spat Thalia.  She raised her hand in the air, crying 
"Earth Planet Power Make-Up!"  With a swirl of light and energy, 
Sailor Earth stood before the princess.  Putting a hand to her 
chest, she whispered, "Crystal Transform", turning her cerulean 
crystal into a large broadsword.  She smiled recklessly at the 
stranger.  "Do you really think you can take me alone?"

The man laughed loudly.  "Alone?" he smirked.

The air behind him shimmered.  With a flash, a portal opened up.  
Another man, dressed similarly and also armed stepped out.  And 
another.  And another.  And another.  A veritable army poured 
through the portal, death in their eyes.

Thalia's smile fell.
__________

"You don't seem to have very many allies among your fellow 
rulers," Serenity said to Calandria.  The two Queens, along with 
King Phiston, sat in one of the royal family's small chamber 
rooms.  A servant entered, bringing them three cups of tea.  He 
bowed to the Queens and King before leaving.  

"I already knew that, my friend," Calandria smiled as she sipped 
her tea.  "On the Moon, as the singular ruler, you don't have to 
worry about political factions fighting over who holds the most 
power.  On Earth, I am quite used to it."

"If only I could find the group who was responsible for the death 
of Thetis, None of these problems would exist!"

"Did you ever learn any information about them?" King Phiston 
asked calmly.  He was a quiet man, speaking rarely, allowing his 
wife to be the voice for the two of them.

Serenity sighed.  "I only found out their name, through Adonis's 
spy network.  They appear to be called the Cult of Apollo.  No 
one knows how many are in the group, who any of the members are, 
or who leads them.  They seem to not even exist anymore."  She 
suddenly slammed her fist on the table, nearly upsetting her 
untouched cup of tea.  "I just feel some damn helpless!  My own 
people are responsible for the murder of a Counsel Member, and I 
haven't been able to do anything about it for almost a decade!"  
She suddenly stopped, realizing how childish her outburst must 
seem.  "I'm sorry.  I... I just don't know what to do sometimes."  
She sighed and picked up her tea.

"Don't!" hissed a ragged voice.

Serenity looked up, startled.  Calandria sat rigid in her chair, 
her pale face locked in a grimace of pain.  "The tea," she 
whispered unsteadily.  "Something wrong... don't drink... I... I 
think... poison."  She slumped forward onto the table, her cup 
falling from her now limp fingers to shatter on the floor.  A 
strangled gasp escaped her throat, and then there was nothing.

King Phiston stared at his wife in shock.  His hand trembling, he 
set down his cup.  "I... I better go get someone to... to..."  
Without finishing his thought, he stood and swiftly left the 
room.

Serenity reached over and grabbed Calandria's hand.  Already, it 
was losing its warmth.

"Not again," whispered Serenity, bowing her head.
__________

"CRYSTALLINE ENERGY FURY!!!!"  The energy blast took out an 
advancing row of swordsmen, the crystal shards tearing them to 
shreds.  Thalia shuddered.  True, she had always enjoyed battling 
with the other Senshi, but killing was completely different.  
Over thirty of the enemy were dead at her hands, but more kept 
coming.  She wasn't sure how much longer she would be able to 
hold them back.

But she wasn't important.

Only the Princess mattered.

"Thalia!" cried Princess Serenity.  Thalia whirled to see a man 
running at her with a lance.  She transformed her crystal back 
into a sword, ducked his thrust, and ran him through.  She turned 
and unleashed her attack once more into the heart of the 
advancing group.  More men were sliced open by the flying 
crystals or disintegrated by the accompanying energy.

Thalia spared a glance back at the Princess.  She was huddled by 
a tree on the riverbank.  None of the soldiers seemed to be 
taking notice of her, thankfully.

Light reflected off metal, blinding her.  She shielded her eyes 
and to her horror, saw an archer take aim at the Princess.

*FLASH*

The ceremony... Mommy so proud... then screams... fighting 
sounds... so scared... arrow flying... Mommy lying on floor... 
blood everywhere... so much blood...

*FLASH*

"NOOOOOO!!!" screamed Thalia.  She ran for the Princess, as fast 
as she could.

And the arrow flew.

She HEARD it scream through the air.

Much as her mother had screamed.

Thalia reached Serenity, pushing her out of the way.

There was no pain at first.  This confused Thalia, especially 
when she looked down and saw an arrow sticking out of her chest.  
But the pain came, waves of it, forcing her to her knees.  She 
gasped, feeling tiny amount blood trickle out of her mouth.

It was at that moment that she realized she was dying.

Thalia looked up into the eyes of her princess.  They were full 
of shocked tears.  She smiled weakly.

"Sorry Serenity," she choked, spitting out more blood.  "I... I 
didn't mean to... fail you."  Her vision blurred, and she lost 
her balance, tumbling backwards.  She felt a sudden shock of 
cold, and movement.  A small part of her mind realized that she 
must have fallen into the river.  She saw the sky rush by, and 
then there was nothing.
__________

Princess Serenity stared in shock as Thalia tumbled backwards 
into the river. She lunged for her friend, but the current was 
faster, dragging the body away in the blink of an eye.

She felt tears run down her face.  She turned back to the men who 
had attacked.  They stood silent, various expressions on their 
faces, from relief to shock to total lack of concern.  Serenity 
felt the first clawings of anger.

"What have you done?" she whispered, rising to her feet.  She 
felt a strange warmth above her eyes.  The fact that the small 
army in front of her wanted her dead seemed a distant, 
unimportant detail.  The men seemed surprised at her actions, but 
readied their weapons.

"You killed her," she said, her voice shaking.  She stepped 
forward, fists clenched.  Her forehead grew hot, accompanied by a 
strange but not unpleasant tingling.  Several of the warriors 
began to step away, looks of fear on their face.

"YOU KILLED MY SISTER!!!!!" Serenity screamed.  A *massive* 
energy burst exploded from the crescent moon on her forehead, 
striking the group of men.  Those closest to Serenity were 
instantly vaporized, those behind them burning to death.  One of 
the men, with his last breath, saw what looked like the 
silhouette of a Sailor Senshi, but died before he could 
contemplate the thought.

Six men who had been on the very outskirts of the group survived 
the blast.  One vanished mysteriously, while the other five sat 
stunned from the attack.  One of those men saw the Princess fall 
to her knees, obviously greatly weakened from the amount of 
energy she had used.  They started down the hill towards her, 
their eyes bloodthirsty.

Serenity saw the men approaching.  She desperately tried to 
regain her feet, but her body wouldn't cooperate.  She watched 
them advance helplessly.

Then a sudden figure appeared, a silhouette against the sun, 
sword in hand.  The weakened men didn't stand a chance.  Before 
Serenity could intake a breath, the five men had been cut down.  
The figure walked swiftly towards her as she collapsed onto the 
ground.

She felt gentle hands holding her head and a soft voice whisper 
her name.  With her last bit of energy, she looked up.  The last 
thing she saw before she passed out was the worried blue eyes of 
Prince Endymion.
__________

The last of the assassins reappeared in a darkened chamber.  He 
collapsed to his knees, hacking.  He slowly crawled to the 
throne-like chair in the center of the room, where a robed figure 
sat waiting in the shadows.

"The plan has been completed," the man rasped.  "Lady Thalia, 
Senshi of Earth is dead, as are the foolish Terrans whom we hired 
to kill her.

"She managed to defeat them all before she died?  How 
impressive," the shadow said, his voice coldly smooth.

"No, actually, it was the Princess Serenity.  She somehow created 
a blast of energy that incinerated most of the men.  There were 
only a few left."

"I thought you said they were all killed," the shadow said, a 
note of irritation in his voice.  The huddled man froze.

"Master, I meant most of them," he gasped, quickly trying to 
cover up his mistake.  "The ones left... were so badly injured 
that I didn't think it necessary to..." The man's excuses were 
cut off as a gloved hand grabbed him by the throat.

"You thought wrong," said the shadow harshly.  The man thrashed 
helplessly and gurgled.  "None who knew of our involvement was 
supposed to live.  You are a disgrace to the Cult of Apollo and 
all we stand for."  He squeezed his hand, crushing the man's neck 
with no more then a thought.  He tossed the body aside like a 
broken toy, and leaned back to think, his anger slowly draining 
away.  This power that the Princess possessed, this was most 
unexpected.  His plans would require... further contemplating.
__________

Deep within the Earth, a dark entity felt a spark of power, 
unlike anything she had felt in five centuries, since she had 
been locked below the surface.  Gathering her essence, she moved 
upwards through her underground prison, reappearing in cave by a 
large subterranean lake.

Caught between two rocks was the battered figure of a young girl.  
She was covered with blood, river mud and tatters of fabric, and 
her body seemed broken beyond repair.  Yet the black cloud could 
still feel a stubborn trace of clinging life within the girl, as 
well as great power.

"AT LASSST," hissed the demon, red eyes glinting.  The girl rose 
into the air, surrounded by dark tentacles and was enveloped 
within the black cloud.  Ever so slowly, her injuries began to 
heal, and her faint breathing grew slightly stronger.

The demon began reaching into the girl's unconscious mind, but 
was forcefully repelled.  She had expected that that would 
happen, and had a plan in reserve, one that would have to wait 
until the girl could awaken.  The healing would take a long time, 
the demon's powers as limited as they currently were, but the 
results would be well worth the wait.  Finally, the end of her 
imprisonment was in sight.

Metallia began to laugh.
__________

Up on the surface of the Earth, a beautiful red rose suddenly 
crumpled in upon itself, the petals turning black as death.

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