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      Against All Odds

   A Sailormoon Fanfiction
   by dejanatalis@aol.com

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       Chapter Three

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	Princess Serenity was nervous.
	It had started off small, in the gardens; a tiny flutter within 
her stomach, the thrill of encouraging something that was forbidden. 
Now, as she stood on the castle balcony beside the man she was engaged 
to marry, the spark of nervousness had grown into a raging torrent of 
unease.
	This was worse than waiting at the front of the Great Hall to see 
her fiance for the first time. The Princess fidgeted ever so slightly 
in her place as, far below, the Moon Knights marched and engaged one 
another in mock battles as the Sailor Soldiers put them through their 
paces. Serenity felt as if the demonstration were taking place within 
the pit of her own stomach. The sun was rolling higher in the sky. 
Soon, Endou would be looking for her.
	"Are we to see the Sailor Soldiers in action as well?" King Arton 
asked. He had stepped right up to the rail of the balcony and was 
watching the Moon Knights with interest. "We have heard so much about 
them, and yet we know so little," he added hopefully.
	"I'm afraid not," Queen Serenity replied, her voice casual. "The 
power of a Sailor Soldier is extremely destructive and can not be used 
so lightly." Arton looked disappointed, but did not argue.
	Taking advantage of the break in the silence, Princess Serenity 
took a deep breath and leaned closer to her mother, who was standing by 
her side. "Mother," she said quietly, "I do not feel well. Might I be 
excused?"
	"Are you ill?" the Queen asked, alarmed. Her eyes darted to the 
visitors from Earth, and her daughter realized the Queen's concern. Disease was rare on the Moon, and the lavender-haired monarch feared an 
illness had been brought from the planet.
	"No, Mother," the Princess amended hastily, "only, the sun is so 
warm today, and this dress..." She rubbed her bare arms, as if to 
shield them from the sun's rays. Queen Serenity reached out a slender 
hand to touch her daughter's cheeks and shoulders. Fortunately for the 
Princess, her skin had indeed been warmed by the sun. A pang of guilt 
struck the younger woman as she read the sincere worry in her mother's 
eyes.
	"Very well," the Queen said at last, squeezing her child's 
shoulder gently. "Perhaps you should spend more time indoors until you 
become accustomed to this dress, my dear. For now, it would be best for 
you to return to your chambers and rest." An apprehensive look crossed 
the monarch's face and she looked over the edge at the Sailor Soldiers, 
her daughter's guardians, who were busy with the Moon Knights.
	"There is no need to disturb them, Mother," Princess Serenity 
said quickly. "I will be all right on my own."
	"No, you must have an escort." The Moon Queen's eyes roamed the 
assortment of servants standing on the balcony and in the shadows just 
inside the castle. "Luna."
	The dark-haired woman stepped forward immediately, the skirt of 
her ruffled yellow dress bouncing around her knees, and bowed slightly.
	"Escort Serenity back to her chambers," the Queen instructed. To 
her daughter, she added, "I will check on you later, my dear."
	Luna and Princess Serenity curtseyed to the Earth's royal family 
and excused themselves, then headed into the shade of the Moon Castle's 
interior.
	The walk to the Princess' suite of rooms was nearly painful as 
Serenity forced herself to move slowly despite her apprehension. She 
was supposed to be ill, after all. Inside, her mind worked furiously as 
she struggled to figure out how she could separate herself from Luna. 
The dark-haired woman had always been a bit overprotective of the Moon 
Princess, and Serenity could not help feeling that Luna still thought 
of her as an ignorant little girl. At least she no longer scolded the 
Princess for every misstep.
	The Queen's advisor matched her pace to that of her liege's 
daughter, her long hair tumbling around the ruffles of her yellow 
dress. Serenity did not look at her escort, keeping her eyes trained on 
the floor, but occasional flashes of gold from the crescent-moon mark 
on Luna's forehead caught her attention as the older woman glanced at 
her with concern. Serenity knew she should say something to reassure 
her companion, but at the moment she was too frustrated at being unable 
to escape.
	At last, they reached the Princess' chambers in the royal wing of 
the castle. Seeing them approach, the doormen opened the heavy double 
doors they were forever guarding to allow the women to enter.
	The luxurious interior with its thick white carpet was no comfort 
to Serenity, although she was glad to remove her glass slippers. As 
they entered the sitting room, Serenity's personal attendant emerged 
from her own adjoining quarters, surprised to see her mistress back so 
soon. Blushing, the girl retied the confining ribbons of her dress and 
pinned up her red hair as she waited for instructions.
	"A basin of cool water and a cloth, please," Luna ordered, 
putting an arm around the Princess' waist to guide her to the bedroom. 
The attendant nodded and was gone before Serenity could think to 
object. The two women wove between the chairs and couches of the front 
room and climbed the few steps to the raised bedroom, Luna lifting the 
white chiffon curtain aside for her Princess.
	Serenity stretched out on her four-poster bed with a sigh as Luna 
circled the room, pulling the drapes closed to shut out the morning 
sunshine. The older woman met the attendant at the entrance to the 
bedroom, taking the bowl and cloth before dismissing the young servant. 
Sitting down at Serenity's bedside, Luna began to gently dab the 
Princess' face and arms with cool water.
	The room was warm, the bed was soft, and Luna's caring 
ministrations were soothing. Princess Serenity could almost have 
relaxed into sleep, had she not been so nervous. She could not bear to 
look at Luna, the genuine concern in the older woman's eyes bringing 
Serenity nothing but guilt. For a moment, the young Princess considered 
forgetting all about Endou...but she had unlocked the garden door. The 
stable hand would be wandering the castle grounds alone - who knew what 
mischief he would get into?
	Serenity sighed and swallowed hard, gathering all the courage she 
could muster for what she was about to do. It would have been easiest 
to feign sleep and wait for Luna to leave, but there wasn't enough 
time.
	"Luna," she said quietly, "I'd like to be alone."
	The dark-haired woman stopped pressing the cloth against 
Serenity's skin and was silent for a moment.
	"Is something troubling you, Princess?"
	"No, Luna."
	With a sigh, Luna set the damp cloth beside the basin of water 
and leaned forward against the bed, her eyes serious and solemn. Her 
hair slid forward around her face, framing the golden crescent on her 
forehead.
	"Serenity." Luna reached out and lightly laid her hands on the 
Princess' pale arm. "I've watched over you since you were born. You can 
tell me anything, anything at all. You know that, don't you?"
	The girl on the bed shuddered beneath Luna's touch. This was pure 
torture. She wished Luna would demand she cheer up, or even scold her; 
anything but this honest kindness. This way, there was no path left 
open to Serenity but that of cruelty.
	"Hardly," she said coldly, swallowing tears of shame. "Your 
loyalty lies with the Queen. Anything I tell you goes straight to my 
mother."
	Luna's hands abruptly pulled away from the Princess' skin. 
"Serenity - I -" The woman paused to keep her voice from breaking, then 
plunged onward. "I know you're unhappy about your engagement to Prince 
Endymion."
	At this, a blush burned Serenity's cheeks and she wondered how 
many others knew about her outburst at the previous night's ceremony. 
She wanted to ask, but the rays of sun peeking around the edges of the 
curtains teased her, reminding her of time slipping by. She could patch 
things up with Luna later; right now, she had an appointment to keep.
	"My mother told you about that, I suppose," she muttered.
	"I'm worried about you, Moonbeam," Luna sighed, using her old 
nickname for the Princess. She had already been an adult when Serenity 
was an infant, yet due to the power of the Queen that embraced all who 
lived on the Moon, her face was still as youthful and lovely as it had 
ever been - even when she was distressed. "Did...did he... Did Prince 
Endymion harm you?"
	Serenity stiffened on the bed and her breath caught in her 
throat. Was Luna truly that concerned?
	"Please tell me!" the older woman cried, leaning forward over the 
Princess' form. "Has he hurt you in any way?"
	"No," Serenity replied truthfully. She would not let her deceit 
extend that far. She turned toward Luna to show sincerity, and nearly 
gasped at the sight of tears in the woman's eyes. "The Prince has not 
harmed me, Luna."
	Luna relaxed visibly, tension flowing out of her body. Serenity's 
arms ached to embrace the dark-haired woman, to show her she had not 
changed, but there was no time. She had to convince Luna to leave, and 
soon.
	"I'm all right," Princess Serenity tried hopefully. "There is no 
need to watch over me."
	"Nonsense," Luna replied, snapping back to her businesslike 
manner. "You are ill, Princess. I am responsible for ensuring your 
safety." This was an attitude familiar to Serenity. In moments like 
these, it was obvious that Luna was older than the Princess despite the 
growing similarities of their physical bodies. The dark-haired woman 
soaked the cloth in the basin again and began to wring the excess water 
out of it.
	Now the bitterness in Serenity's voice was not entirely feigned. 
"I am not a child," she said coldly.
	Luna looked confused. "I did not say you were."
	"I am a woman about to be married," Serenity continued 
indignantly, pushing herself up into a seated position on the bed. 
Automatically, Luna reached out to arrange the Princess' streams of 
crystal hair so they would not impede the girl's movement. Without 
thinking, Serenity flung out an arm to shove her hands away.
	"I can take care of myself!" Serenity protested. "I don't need 
all this ceremony and fussing! I don't need all of my decisions to be 
made for me, and right now I want to be alone!"
	For a moment, Luna just stared at the girl on the bed, a girl she 
had cared for since birth. Serenity watched the older woman's face 
change from shock, to anger, to the most devastating expression of 
injury that the Princess had ever seen. Luna dropped the damp cloth she 
was holding and stood up, her yellow skirts rustling.
	"Very well, Princess," she whispered, her eyes downcast. "I 
apologize." Hands shaking, Luna turned away and left the bedroom, 
closing the chiffon curtains behind her and leaving Serenity alone in 
the dim light. Serenity heard muffled voices as Luna encountered the 
attendant in the sitting room. The voices were cut off as both women 
left the Princess' chambers and the heavy doors closed with a firm 
thud.
	Princess Serenity shuddered, curling into a ball on her soft bed. 
She barely knew where that anger had come from, but it was genuine. 
Even as an engaged future Queen, she was still treated as an ignorant 
child. She clenched her hands into fists, clutching the sheets in her 
fingers. At the moment, she wanted nothing more than a normal 
conversation with a person who would treat her like a normal Lunarian.
	The Princess climbed off her bed and stood for a moment in the 
center of the room, uncertain. The door to her chambers was always 
guarded; how could she leave unseen? She considered the wide balcony 
that adjoined her bedroom, but she was on the second floor and there 
were no sturdy trees planted nearby. The same security measures 
designed to keep intruders out were making the Princess a prisoner.
	After a moment of frustration, Serenity shook herself internally. 
She was an adult, destined to be Queen! Why should she have to sneak 
out of her own rooms? She was only going for a walk in the gardens; 
where was the harm in that?
	Squaring her shoulders, Princess Serenity marched out of her 
bedroom and toward the doors, which were opened before her, as always. 
She could never figure out how the guards knew when someone intended to 
exit her chambers.
	Her white dress and hair flowing out behind her, the young woman 
strolled between the two guards, who glanced at one another nervously. 
The Princess never left her chambers alone. For a moment they stood 
speechless, caught between different definitions of duty, and Serenity 
thought she might escape unhindered. She was ten paces away when one of 
the men found his voice.
	"Princess...?" the middle-aged man called out tentatively, as if 
unsure why he was speaking. Serenity whirled around to face them and 
drew herself up to her full height, short as that was.
	"Yes?" Her blue eyes were sharp beneath the crescent moon shining 
on her forehead; cool, clear, royal.
	"Are...is..." The nervous guard faltered beneath his future 
ruler's cold stare. "Shall we call for an escort?" he finally asked, 
settling for a harmless question.
	"Thank you, but no. Carry on, gentlemen." Serenity hoped she was 
using the proper language for such a situation. She turned away and 
continued down the corridor before the guards had a chance to consider 
it, taking the first turn she encountered to escape their view.
	Once around the corner the Princess breathed easily again, 
heaving several sighs of relief. She shuddered all over. Serenity had 
not even realized how nervous she had been until the trial was through. 
She smiled a little smile all to herself. At last, she had been treated 
as a capable adult.
	Serenity hurried through the Moon Castle, her white, nearly 
weightless skirts clutched in her hands. She kept to the smaller, 
least-used corridors to avoid being seen, placing her feet carefully to 
make as little sound as possible. As a child, the Princess had roamed 
the servants' passages on occasion when she could escape her 
attendants, and those memories served her well now.
	At this time of day, most of the hands were occupied with 
preparing the midday meal or cleaning the castle's many rooms, and the 
servants' corridors were deserted. Before long, Serenity had slipped 
out a rear door and into a nearby hedge maze, and was hurrying through 
the twisting paths toward the distant corner garden. She only hoped she 
was not so late that Endou had given up waiting for her.

	Of all the tasks he had been faced with in his life, all the 
cleaning, lifting, carrying, shoveling, and training he had done, 
Endymion had never imagined that opening a door would be the most 
difficult thing he ever had to do. He had nearly memorized every line 
in the panels of wood as he stood there staring at the overgrown 
entrance. What would be waiting on the other side?
	Would there be a half-dozen guards, ready to arrest him for 
trespassing? The last time he had entered this garden, that very thing 
had nearly happened. The memory resurfaced within Endymion's mind: the 
white-haired man, Artemis, towering over him with eyes flashing in 
anger, his grip tightening on the boy's arm until tears pricked the 
corners of Endymion's eyes. Artemis had given his warning. Endymion was 
violating the nobleman's orders merely by thinking about entering the 
garden.
	As usual, the chilling memory was chased away by the clear, sweet 
voice of Princess Serenity, pleading for Endymion's safety. Surely such 
an angel would not lead an innocent servant to his doom. Endymion's 
hand reached out for the door handle, eager to see the Princess again. 
She had been so kind to him, both as a child and as an adult, ignoring 
the limitations of his birth. He wanted to speak with her again, to 
show her that orphaned Earth-children were indeed worth a moment of 
attention.
	He hesitated, his fingers hovering over the curved metal. There 
was a third possibility, worse yet than being imprisoned: the door 
could be locked. It could all have been the jest of a cruel, teasing 
Princess. Deep within, Endymion was afraid that was the case. He was 
afraid to try the door and discover that Serenity was not the person he 
hoped she was.
	And so, his hand dropped to his side once again, one more time in 
a series of many. The door remained closed.

	The garden was empty. Serenity's heart sank. Slowly, she wandered 
around the small enclosure of brilliantly colored blossoms, looking 
behind every bush and tree for a hint of dark, silky hair. Eventually 
she had to face the fact that the garden was indeed empty; she was the 
only one there. Serenity sighed, standing alone by the fountain in the 
center.
	So, this was the way things were. He had not wanted to meet with 
her after all. The Princess leaned against the fountain, crestfallen. 
Now that Endou was nowhere to be found, Serenity realized how badly she 
had truly wanted to see him.
	Absently, she wondered why this meeting was so important to her. 
She was a Princess, and he was an Earth-born stable hand. Obviously, 
they lived in completely separate worlds, not meant to collide. It was 
for the best, really, that he had not come. Serenity could go back to 
her own world now and forget all this nonsense.
	Her own world...a world filled with ceremony and propriety, stiff 
posturing and a fiance who wanted to marry her only because his parents 
had ordered it. Serenity thought of Endou, laughing at her frantic 
escape from the pond, his midnight eyes sparkling like the night sky. 
How long had it been since she met someone who dared laugh in her 
presence? It was a pity, really, that he had not come. With a sad sigh, 
Serenity gazed at the unlocked door, wishing it would open.
	"I suppose I had better lock it again before I leave," she 
muttered aloud to no one in particular. Dragging her feet, the Princess 
approached the vine-covered entrance. Her hands reached for the lock, 
but then they swung downward to the door handle. Just a quick look 
outside, to make sure...

	Endymion shook the tension out of his arms, then shook his head 
for good measure, his dark hair swinging around his face. This was 
silly. Enough procrastinating. Either the Princess was waiting for him 
or she wasn't; he would never find out by standing here. Endymion took 
a deep breath and reached for the door handle.
	Before his fingers had even touched the smooth metal, the latch 
clicked, and the door began to swing inward. With a startled cry, 
Endymion leapt backward, nearly losing his balance. His surprise was 
echoed by a similar cry from within the garden. 
	After a few pounding heartbeats of resisting the urge to flee, 
the door creaked open a bit further, and the most beautiful face 
Endymion had ever seen peered around its edge, a waterfall of crystal 
hair tumbling to the stones from the buns at its crown.
	Serenity looked out cautiously, unsure of who would be standing 
on the other side of the door. As Endymion's dark complexion slid into 
view, relief flooded her own pale face. That emotion was swiftly 
followed by delight. He was here.
	"Come in, come in," the Princess urged earnestly, waving Endymion 
forward with one hand, "before someone sees you."
	As if breaking free from a trance, Endymion blinked and hurried 
into the garden, slipping through the forbidden door for the second 
time in his life. Serenity quickly closed the entrance behind him, and 
it clicked shut.
	The stable hand looked around slowly, his eyes sweeping over 
every detail. The garden was exactly as he remembered it, from the 
vine-covered walls to the bursts of brilliant blossoms lining the 
paths. There in the center was the small fountain endlessly bubbling 
clear water, and there beside it grew a certain rosebush covered in 
blood-red blooms. Endymion breathed deeply, inhaling the sweet scents 
that had so often filled his dreams.
	Standing beside the tall young man, Serenity was reluctant to 
interrupt. It occurred to her that this must be the stable hand's first 
time setting foot in a garden. With inner pleasure, she watched him 
take in the sights and smells of her favorite place, his enjoyment of 
the garden so different from her fiance's impassive indifference. After 
a long moment, Serenity reached out and lightly touched Endymion's arm 
to draw his attention.
	The contact was electric. Serenity jerked her hand back as 
Endymion jumped and whirled around to face her. Her fingertips had been 
so soft against his arm, like the fresh powder of newly fallen snow, 
and yet warm and filled with life, flawless and smooth as the petals of 
the flowers that surrounded them. The texture of Endymion's skin, 
toughened by years of labor and sun exposure, left Serenity's fingers 
tingling with the heat of Sol's energy. They stared at one another as 
their hearts pounded with the shock of unexpected contact. They both 
knew something had happened there, something more intense than the 
previous night's accidental meeting of their hands.
	"So..." the Princess began hesitantly as the pause began to 
become awkward, "do you like it?"
	Thinking of the brief flutter of Serenity's touch, Endymion's 
cheeks reddened, and he averted his eyes, his lips parting without 
sound.
	"The garden," Serenity clarified hurriedly as her mind followed 
Endymion's down the wrong trail of thought. "What do you think of the 
garden?"
	"It's beautiful," Endymion replied, grasping at the excuse to 
turn away from the young woman's blue gaze. "It's just as I remem... 
er, imagined it," he added, catching himself just in time. The Princess 
didn't seem to notice his slip of the tongue.
	"This is my favorite place of all the castle grounds," Serenity 
explained as she moved to stand beside him. "Thank you for coming to 
meet with me, Endou."
	"It is my pleasure, Princess." Endymion watched as the pale young 
woman moved away from him toward a cluster of tulips. In one smooth 
motion, she swept her skirts out of the way and bent down to untangle a 
few blossoms whose stems had twisted together. So like an angel she 
was, attending to the fragile blooms with a mother's gentle touch, her 
hair forming pools of spun silver on the stones beside her feet.
	One glimpse of royalty in a lifetime was a rare treat for a 
servant; Endymion was truly fortunate to have had three encounters with 
Princess Serenity. He searched for something to say, sorting through 
all the lessons he had begged, borrowed, and stolen in the past for 
something to show the elegant heir to the throne that he was no dim-
witted Earth-born. She was so beautiful...graceful...like a goddess... 
but none of those compliments would do. For a moment, Endymion wished 
he were back among equals, where an exchange of teasing banter often
led to friendship, but the ground was far too fragile here for him to 
risk using such relaxed language.
	"It seems you know much about flowers, Princess," the stable hand 
commented at last, moving closer to watch Serenity arrange the tulips. 
"Do you care for them yourself?"
	Serenity glanced up at her visitor, a bit surprised and yet 
delighted by his interest. "Indeed I do, when I can," she replied. "Of 
course, there are gardeners to handle such things, but there are few 
things as pleasant as a garden you've touched with your own hand." She 
straightened up and began walking down the path, smiling at the 
clusters of flowers surrounding her. 
	"I know them all as if they were my children," Serenity said 
fondly. "Chrysanthemums for friendship. Orchids for beauty," she 
continued, pointing to each flower in turn. "Tears of Venus for 
strength. Titanian Crystals for happiness. Every flower, no matter its 
planet of origin, has a purpose."
	Endymion allowed himself a half-smile. Flowers from every planet, 
indeed. Perhaps this Princess would be even more accepting of his 
tainted blood than he had expected. Following in her wake, he 
approached the familiar rosebush near the fountain. The plant was 
hardly changed, so carefully had it been tended.
	"And these?" he asked softly, looking down at the full red 
blossoms, each one a universe of self-embracing petals. "These roses, 
what is their message?"
	The Princess stopped short on her journey among the flowers and 
turned toward the stable hand, although she already knew what plant he 
was inquiring about. It was a type of blossom she had been avoiding at 
present. Slowly, she walked back to the bush in question.
	"Red roses," she said quietly, gazing at the blushing blooms 
beside them. "The flower of true love, and a promise never to be 
broken." Endymion watched her pale face carefully as her blue eyes 
became distant. Did she remember?
	The scent of the roses filled Serenity, bringing with it memories 
of her childhood games. She had often pretended it was her wedding day. 
She would process through the garden, imagining herself as a grown 
woman in an elegant white gown. Even as a child, her hopes and dreams 
for the future had been firmly fixed in her mind.
	She had dreamed of a grand ceremony in the Great Hall, which 
would be decorated with flowers and banners of every color. She would 
walk down the center of the hall, and a wonderful, handsome young man 
would be waiting there for her. He would be her best friend and would 
love her forever, always there to protect her and care for her. When 
she reached him, she would give him a single, perfect, red rose, to 
seal their eternal promise of love to one another.
	Love. After all this time, the truth had finally been revealed. 
Love was an impossible dream, reachable only by the common people with 
no responsibility to the kingdom as a whole.
	A pang of guilt and concern struck the pit of Endymion's stomach 
like a lightning bolt. All the joy had drained out of the Princess, 
from her flawless face to her slender body, and she stared down at the 
roses like a person doomed to never again see the sun. Her sapphire 
eyes, normally so bright and vibrant, had become dull and lifeless.
	What was bothering her so? Had it been something he said? 
Endymion knew he should not pry into the personal lives of royalty - 
even Sir Marton's business was none of his - but he could not ignore 
the fact that she was in pain; that the beautiful smile had fled her 
face. He swallowed hard, then leapt forward into uncertain territory.
	"Princess, what is troubling you?"
	Serenity whipped her head around to glare up at her companion, 
immediately on the defensive. Doubtless the stable hand was eager for a 
bit of gossip about the Moon Princess' private life, so he could boast 
to his servant friends of his friendship with royalty. She prepared a 
scathing retort...and was surprised to see only honest concern in the 
young man's tanned face, the worry in his dark eyes as serious as 
Luna's had been. The Earth-child's sympathetic expression did not 
falter in the heat of Serenity's glare, which swiftly softened as she 
realized he meant no harm.
	For a moment, she seriously considered trusting this man with the 
truth. What a relief it would be to reveal to someone the dark reality 
of her arranged marriage! Yet, the fact of the matter was that her 
companion was a servant of the castle and a resident of the Moon. News 
of her reluctance to marry Prince Endymion would be likely to shock him 
and cause him to worry about the stability of the Moon Kingdom. And, of 
course, by the next morning the castle grounds would be buzzing with 
rumors. That was the last thing Princess Serenity needed.
	Still, the charcoal-eyed stable hand was so caring, so sensitive 
to her silent suffering. As Serenity looked up at him, she knew he was 
seeing her as a woman, not as a Princess. Inwardly, she shook herself. 
She barely knew this man; had only recently met him. Why did her heart 
ache for her to trust him with its secrets?
	"My fate requires that I do things I do not wish to," Serenity 
said at last, finding a compromise between confidence and caution. "Red 
roses remind me of that."
	A slight chill rolled through Endymion, and he wondered what 
unspeakable act the Princess might be referring to. Violating another 
social grace, he began to walk down the garden path instead of awaiting 
the Princess' lead. His gamble was a success; Serenity followed him 
away from the flowers that were causing her pain.
	"We all have our duties in life, defined by fate, do we not?" 
Endymion commented as the crystal-haired girl caught up with him and 
matched her pace to his. Maybe their worlds had something in common 
after all. "My destiny is to serve the Queen," he continued, "but there 
is joy in that fate as well. Have you no joy in your role, Princess?"
	Serenity nearly stopped short in amazement, but she forced 
herself to keep walking. No man had ever spoken to her this way: 
polite, and yet with the honest interest of a friend.
	"There is joy in being of my station," the Princess replied 
thoughtfully. "When I am Queen, I will have the power to bring 
happiness to the lives of my people and to protect them. My life will 
have great significance to the well-being of the Moon."
	"A noble goal," the stable hand remarked. As they walked, he 
applied all his training to behaving as a refined courtier would. He 
almost couldn't believe his situation. Not only was the Princess of the 
Moon allowing him to bend the rules of propriety, but she was actually 
opening up to him, sharing her dreams and concerns! It was all Endymion 
could do to resist leaping for joy. He observed the garden around them, 
denying his longing to gaze endlessly upon the beautiful woman walking 
at his side. "With those values, you will be a fine Queen, Princess."
	"I thank you." Serenity's heart fluttered nervously in her chest. 
She was walking with a man, an act strictly forbidden by her mother 
even if he were not a stable hand, and yet it felt so natural, so 
ordinary. Surely this was what companionship was meant to be; strolling 
comfortably beside a young, handsome man taller than she was, strong, 
and yet caring and considerate...
	"You're quite learned, for a stable hand," the Princess observed, 
absently twitching her white skirts out of the path of her shoes with 
slender fingers.
	"I have spent much of my life attempting to better myself," 
Endymion explained, being careful not to look at Serenity lest she 
discover another reason in his eyes. His hands began to shake, but he 
drew a deep breath and risked his entire life to speak the words he had 
come to say. "It is my opinion, Princess, that although fate defines 
our role in life, it does not define who we are."
	To his relief, a faint smile touched Serenity's lips. "Very wise 
words," she commented. "I will surely remember them." Internally, she 
marveled at the fact that a mere servant, his garments patched and 
worn, could tell her exactly what she needed to hear. She had to marry 
Prince Endymion, yes, but she did not have to change for him. After 
all, he showed no intention of becoming anything but what he was. There 
was no reason for her to become any more bitter or any less loving than 
she had always been. Married or no, Serenity could still be the kind of 
person she wished to be. She did not have to surrender to her fiance's 
shortcomings. The Princess wanted to tell the stable hand how much 
difference his words had made, but she had to settle for "Thank you, 
Endou."
	Endymion allowed himself a smile, as much out of relief as 
pleasure at the Moon Princess' gratitude. There was hope for the 
society of the Moon yet, if the future Queen agreed that birth did not 
determine the quality of a person. There was a chance that he might not 
be trapped as a work-animal hand forever. Hiding a chuckle, he shook 
his head in disbelief.
	"What is so amusing, Endou?" Serenity asked, looking up at him 
with a wry smile on her blushing lips.
	"Well, I..." Endymion's cheeks reddened, and he arched one arm 
over his head to scratch the back of his neck awkwardly. "I have not 
had the opportunity to converse with many members of the nobility. I 
must admit, Princess, you are more pleasant company than I had 
expected."
	Serenity laughed, a light ringing sound that warmed Endymion from 
his fingers to his toes. "And what did you expect?" she teased, 
smirking up at the tanned man. "Not all of the nobility are coldhearted 
masters of propriety!"
	"I know that now," Endymion replied, returning her smile.
	The Moon Princess started to say something else, but suddenly she 
whipped around and stared at the tall hedges that marked the entrance 
to the garden. "Do you hear voices?" she whispered urgently. Endymion 
had been so caught up in the miracle of the moment that he had not 
noticed anything, but now in the silence he definitely heard distant 
voices, growing nearer. Serenity did not wait for his response.
	"Go, quickly!" she urged him, waving him away toward the 
gardener's door. "You must not be found here!"
	A cold block of ice settled in Endymion's stomach as he 
remembered what had happened the last time he was caught invading this 
garden. The memory rushed back to him, banishing the bliss of his 
conversation with the Princess. This time, he was no innocent boy, and 
Miss Amaris would not be there to speak for him. His dark skin broke 
out in a cold sweat.
	"What are you waiting for?" Serenity hissed, seeing the fear 
seizing his face. "Go, hurry!" With one final gesture toward the wooden 
door at the other end of the garden, the Princess gathered her light 
skirts in her hands and dashed away between the hedges, hoping to give 
Endymion more time to escape by stopping the approaching people further 
away from the garden. In a flurry of white cloth, she disappeared into 
the hedge maze.
	Breaking out of his frozen state, Endymion turned and ran for it, 
darting between the clusters of flowers scattered around the garden. As 
he rounded the fountain, something out-of-place caught his eye. It was 
a bracelet of round orange beads, lying forgotten on the stone path. 
	Almost without thinking, Endymion scooped the bracelet off the 
ground and slipped it into his pocket as he rushed toward the door. In 
another moment, the door was open and then he was through, closing the 
entrance behind him.
	Endymion leaned heavily against the garden wall, pausing to catch 
his breath. He was outside; he was safe. The grassy hillside rolled 
away beneath his feet down to the distant pond. Never in his life had 
the stable hand felt so relieved to be outside walls. When his heart 
stopped pounding, Endymion left the garden behind and headed back to 
the stables.

	Hurrying around a corner in the hedge maze, Princess Serenity 
nearly ran headlong into two familiar faces. "Venus! Mars!"
	"Serenity! Where have you been?" Sailor Mars demanded, putting 
her gloved hands on her hips.
	"The Queen is worried sick about you," the orange-suited Venus 
added, looking a bit worried herself. A spike of dread made Serenity 
feel queasy. Had she been gone that long?
	Mars raised her wrist toward her lips and spoke into the red 
communicator strapped over her glove. "We found her," she announced, 
"in the gardens."
	"We'll meet you in the Queen's office," the voice of Sailor 
Jupiter replied through the device.
	"You were all searching for me?" Serenity exclaimed in disbelief. 
"Can't I take a simple walk in the gardens without the entire castle 
having to know about it?"
	"You could have at least told SOMEONE where you were going!" the 
red-suited soldier of Mars scolded.
	"It is our duty to watch over you and make sure you are safe, 
Serenity," the blonde Sailor Venus added, although her face was 
softened by a hint of sympathetic understanding.
	"With all these visitors from Earth running around, a bit of 
extra caution is in order," Mars grumbled, folding her arms across her 
chest.
	The Moon Princess pushed past the two Sailor Soldiers and headed 
for the castle proper, trying not to stamp her feet. She had never 
realized how suffocating her position was until she tried to avoid it. 
It was certain she would be severely scolded by her mother.
	And yet, it had been worth it. Fondly, she thought about Endou, a 
mere servant and an Earth-child besides, who had had such gentle and 
caring words for her. The memory of his smooth dark eyes looking down 
at her, shining with honest concern, brought a faint smile to her face. 
It had definitely been worth it.

	"All right, what is it?"
	Endymion looked up from his bowl of vegetable stew, startled. 
"Huh?"
	"You've been staring into that stew more than you've been eating 
it," Prien observed from across the table, pointing at Endymion with 
his spoon. "And you didn't butter your bread, even when the butter was 
passed around a second time. You never pass up butter. What's on your 
mind?" The stable hands surrounding the two men at the long wooden 
table listened for Endymion's response, as they had also noticed his 
odd behavior.
	"C'mon, tell us," Misa urged, elbowing the dark-haired man in the 
side from her seat at his right. "We're your friends. What's the 
problem?"
	"Not turning into the silent type on us, are ya, Endou?" a large 
red-haired man called through a mouthful of bread. With a chorus of 
groans, the servants eating around him tossed their napkins at the 
bearded man as crumbs sprayed across the table.
	"Silent? Endou?" a muscular blonde woman laughed. "The sun'll 
fall out of the sky before that happens!" A chuckle rolled around the 
table.
	"So, let's have it," Prien pressed, his eyes boring into his 
Earth-born friend. The group fell silent again, waiting for his answer.
	"It's nothing," Endymion replied, scooping up a spoonful of stew.
	"None of that, now," his blond friend protested. "Out with it!"
	With a mischievous smirk, Endymion grabbed his chunk of bread and 
chucked it across the table. It hit Prien's bowl of stew, which flipped 
over, tipping vegetables and broth over the edge of the table into the 
young man's lap.
	The group exploded with laughter as Prien shot out of his seat, 
dripping with peas. Diners at several tables around them turned at the 
noise and joined in the merriment. Prien threw his own bread at 
Endymion, who caught it smartly and helped himself to a bite.
	"Ah, buttered. Just the way I like it," the tanned man teased.
	"I'll get you back for this," Prien vowed with a grin, scooping 
up his bowl and heading back to the serving line for a second helping.
	Endymion chuckled and resumed eating as the stable hands around 
him clapped him on the back, congratulating him on his prank. Thanks to 
the distraction, Endymion was now free to return to his thoughts. These 
musings were mainly concerned with the bracelet currently burning a 
hole in his pocket.
	Apparently, the chain of smooth orange beads had slipped from 
Princess Serenity's wrist at some point during their meeting. It was 
nothing special; surely she had others, and a possession of the Moon 
Princess herself was sure to earn a fine price in the Lower Quarter. 
And yet...returning the bracelet would give Endymion an unparalleled 
excuse to visit the Princess again.
	Princess Serenity. Royalty, yet with compassion and a sense of
the meaning of equality. So beautiful, with such bright blue eyes; eyes 
that looked at Endymion without seeing the dark hair and bronzed skin 
of an Earth-child. He wanted to see her again, no matter the risk.
	That was his last thought before Prien crept up behind him and 
dumped an entire bowl of stew over Endymion's head.

	For Princess Serenity, the remainder of the day was slow torture. 
After a stern lecture from her mother on the responsibilities and 
necessary limits of being a Princess, she had spent the rest of the 
daylight hours at Prince Endymion's side as the Moon Queen led the 
monarchs of the Golden Kingdom on tour after tour of the castle 
grounds.
	The Earth Prince had not changed since the moment Serenity had 
met him. If anything, he was worse. He walked beside her, but it was as 
if she were not even there; his eyes were everywhere except on the 
woman who wore his engagement pendant. He never offered her his arm as 
they walked and did not sit beside her at dinner. They were a couple 
in jewelry only.
	When her friends, the Sailor Soldiers, tried to chat with her, 
Serenity kept her answers short and simple. She did not want to risk 
slipping up and revealing that she had distracted herself for much of 
the day by imagining how Endou would have behaved in her fiance's 
place. By picturing the tall, dark-haired man making a snide comment or 
wise remark during the endless tours, the Princess was able to bring a 
smile to her face to maintain the illusion of contentment. At the same 
time, her heart was sad. They had not had time to arrange another 
meeting. She wondered if she would ever see Endou again.
	Now, as she stood alone on her private balcony beneath the night 
sky, the barriers came crashing down. Serenity slid to her knees and 
leaned against the cold marble railing, tears rolling down her fair 
face. She truly was a prisoner of society, a dove in a gilded cage. She 
would do her best to maintain her true nature, to deny the coldhearted 
Earth Prince the victory of filling her heart with bitterness, but it 
was so difficult! A lifetime without love; how could she endure it?
	With swimming eyes, Serenity looked out over the reflecting pool 
that extended nearly to the base of her balcony. The stars were clearly 
visible in the still water, a perfect mirror of the sky above. And 
there, at the apex of it all, was the Earth, the beautiful blue-green 
globe from whence came the source of her misery.
	A faint rustling far below disturbed the Princess from her 
thoughts. She leapt to her feet, hurriedly wiping the tears from her 
cheeks. To the right of the small courtyard that was nestled between 
the castle and the reflecting pool, there was movement in a cluster of 
bushes.
	"Who's there?" Serenity called out tentatively, trying to sound 
brave. Slowly, she backed toward the open doors to her bedroom, ready to 
cry out for the guards.
	From the bushes a hand emerged, clutching a string of orange 
beads. The rest of the body followed, and a tall stable hand stepped 
into the earthlight, thrusting the bracelet in front of him like a 
protective talisman.
	"Endou!" Princess Serenity exclaimed. Her heart beat faster at 
the very sight of him, her forbidden escape from reality.
	"You, er, lost this today. I'm just, um, returning it," Endymion 
called up in a shaking voice. He cringed, dreading her reaction to his 
bold intrusion.
	Seeing his fear, Serenity chuckled. "Don't worry, Endou. I won't 
call the guards. I'm glad to see you."
	"You are?" Endymion replied in disbelief, walking closer to the 
balcony. 
	Serenity smiled down at the shabby young man, obviously a low-
level servant by his clothing alone. What hardships had he overcome 
simply to return her lost trinket? Prince Endymion would never show 
such bravery for her sake.
	Her mind flew back to her mother's lecture. The Princess was 
doomed to be a prisoner during the daylight. But perhaps, at night...
	Kneeling on the marble again, Serenity peered down at the stable 
hand standing below. "Endou-" She stopped, noticing something. "Is your 
hair wet?"
	In what was becoming a familiar gesture, Endymion twisted an arm 
behind his head and rubbed his neck, his cheeks reddening. "That's a 
long, strange story..." he muttered with an awkward chuckle. Internally, 
he cursed Prien for making it necessary for him to bathe before coming 
here.
	The Princess stared down at him intently, determination shining 
in her eyes. "How did you get here, Endou?"
	The fear returned to grip Endymion's heart. "I apologize-"
	"Could you make it here again?" Serenity interrupted earnestly. 
"Tomorrow night?"
	Endymion's mouth dropped open before he could stop it. "Well, 
yes," he replied numbly. "If you wish it, Princess."
	"Bring something that can get me down from here," Serenity added. 
The stable hand shuddered slightly. Was she a prisoner? Was she being 
punished for meeting with him?
	"Quick, go now before the guards hear us," the Princess hissed 
through the marble posts that supported the railing. Endymion nodded 
and turned to go, then whirled around again.
	"The bracelet!" he whispered, holding it up.
	Serenity had to lie flat on the balcony and Endymion had to 
stretch his arm and toes to their limits, but after a few minutes of 
effort the Princess managed to pluck the circle of orange beads from 
his fingertips.
	"Now, go," Serenity urged her visitor breathlessly. "Until 
tomorrow."
	"Until tomorrow," Endymion agreed with a bemused smile. The 
crystal-haired girl got to her feet and crept back into her chambers. 
After one last, long look at the balcony where she had been standing, 
the stable hand backed away and ducked into the bushes again, 
butterflies dancing within him.


~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

    End of Chapter Three

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"Against All Odds" fanfiction copyright 2004 by dejanatalis@aol.com
Bishoujo Senshi Sailormoon and its associated characters and canon
belong to Naoko Takeuchi and Kodansha. The text of this creative
work was created by dejanatalis@aol.com and is her exclusive property. 
Not to be used without permission.  Sailor Moon Says: Don't steal! ^.^