Adult-FanFiction.org : Anime

Silver Alliance	By : lynnwood84 Category: Sailor Moon > General Views: 8547 -:- Recommendations : 2 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Sailor Moon, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 5
- 6
- 7
:: Chapter Five ::

Plans Set in Motion

~~*~~

�� Jadeite
entered Endymion�s room later that afternoon, where the other Generals were
supposed to be convening to go over strategy before the ball tonight. The room
was empty save for Jorowyn, whom he immediately spotted lounging in a chair in
the corner, drinking as usual. Sounds of water splashing in an alcove to the
right told Jadeite that Endymion must be partaking in a bath. He approached the
Phaetonian, glad for this chance to assuage his curiosity in private.

�Hey,
Jory,� he murmured, gaining Jorowyn�s attention. The Phaetonian glared
angrily�no doubt because Jadeite had used the �off limits� nickname that only
Zoisite got away with using unscathed. Unaffected, Jadeite continued with what
had been bothering him for the past three hours, ever since he�d been left by
the Princess of Mars in his room. �Do all Martians have psychic abilities?�

That
got a genuine look of surprise from the moody monarch.

�Yah,
they�re all of them telepathic on some level or other. All of them have the
ability of mind speech�which is how they communicate to each other, usually.
Some have other abilities, depending on the person. I believe the women of the
royal family can actually experience limited visions of the future. Why d�you
ask?�

Jadeite
frowned pensively, chewing at his lower lip, but shook his head. �No reason,�
he muttered in answer. �The Princess mentioned it earlier,� was all he would
allow. Jorowyn�s piercing gaze said that he suspected otherwise, but the former
Prince didn�t press the issue. Instead he recovered his flask and took an
especially long pull of the ambry liquid inside, lapsing back into his own dark
thoughts, whatever they might be.

Jadeite
sighed, going to stand next to one of the walls and leaning back, waiting until
Endymion was out of his bath and the others showed up. He thought on all that
he had learned while he did so.

Jadeite
had suspected what Jorowyn had told him was the truth after the episode in his
room. He had been inspecting his quarters curiously when he�d felt it. Caught
off guard�not expecting her to even be capable of doing such a thing�the
Princess of Mars was able to probe inside his mind and he was too late to erect
the proper shields to keep her from tapping him completely. She had, and damn
near ripped her own mind to shreds in the process. Jadeite�s mind was a deep
and powerful well and some places were so dark and so deep that even he dared
not venture there.

Stunned,
Jadeite had watched as a trickle of blood seeped out of her nose and her violet
eyes went utterly blank, then the Princess had tipped forward and he�d barely
caught her in time. Knowing immediately what had happened, Jadeite had acted
quickly to repair the damage, rebuilding her pathways and saving the silly
wench from a future of drooling mindlessness. He�d also wiped her memories of
any knowledge of the true amount of power that he possessed, playing ignorance
when she awoke. Endymion didn�t want them revealing the depths of their true
abilities to the other Kingdoms just yet�said it was better the Alliance wait
and wonder�to give them a more solid place of strength to negotiate
from.

This
was a totally new and unexpected twist to things, though. An entire planet of
psychics? Thus far on Earth, Jadeite had been alone in his singular ability to
use the power of his mind ; telepathy, telekinesis, pyrokinesis and the ability
to formulate illusions so powerful that only direct tactile disruption could
disprove them. As much as the Princess of Venus was beautiful�and as much as
the thought of killing someone with sex intrigued him�Jadeite suddenly began
wondering if Venus was really the right place for him. Besides, Lady Raye was
no slouch in the beauty department, either. Far from it. She was a strikingly
gorgeous girl; with skeins of rich black hair, hot violet eyes, golden-tanned
skin and the hint of a body beneath those scarlet robes that put more than a
teasing thought into his brain. Jadeite fleetingly wondered just what it would
be like to be married to such a creature, to name claim to her in all ways.
Then the man smiled ruefully at that thought.

Jadeite
had been party to much of her thoughts and memories in the process of repairing
them. He now had a very intimate knowledge of Lady Raye of Mars, and he now
understood far more than anyone that there would be no claiming that
girl. Hers was a pride a mile thick or more, stronger than steel, to go along
with an arrogance and a stubbornness born of one who had very rarely had her
way gainsaid. The only reason Raye had yet to be offered for by a man was
because they were all so terrified of her. She was a force of nature, that one.
No, it was best Jadeite leave that hornet�s nest to Nephrite.

The
King of the South did his best to squelch the irrational surge of anger that erupted
in his chest at the very thought of Neph touching the fiery princess, in an
emotion that felt startlingly similar to jealousy. He never noticed Jorowyn
suddenly turning to stare at him, green eyes narrowed and calculating.

It
wasn�t long before the other three filed into the room, and Endymion came from
the bathing chamber dressed in a pair of trousers and still drying his hair.

�Well,
so far so good,� their Lord King announced, giving them a half-smile.

�Indeed,�
Jadeite agreed, grinning. �The Princess Serenity is even more beautiful than
Jorowyn gave her credit for.�

The
dark-haired man frowned at that, two suspicious spots of color erupting in his
cheeks. He turned away to finish getting dressed, but not before Nephrite and
Zoisite saw. They pounced in for the kill as well.

�Who
knew this plan would turn out to be quite so . . . advantageous?� Neph called,
laughing.

�Or
so arousing?� Z was quick to follow up.

�I
told you marriage to Serenity�s daughter would bring up some interesting
results,� Jorowyn suddenly chimed in, causing the other three to collapse into
gales of mirth.

�To
the �Verse with all of you,� Endy snapped testily. �So she�s pretty. What of
it? It makes no difference to me.�

�Oh,
mm-hmm,� Jadeite sneered, his expression as disbelieving as the others. �So
you�re telling me it wouldn�t have mattered to you at all had she been as fat
as a sow and smelled worse? I�ll believe that the day I see you kiss Beryl�s
ass. And as for condemning all of us, that�s a little unfair. Poor Mal hasn�t
said a word.�

Jadeite
turned to their silent leader at that, and his playful smile abruptly died. He
frowned instead, suddenly pensive. Jadeite always made it a point not to invade
other people�s thoughts, considered it a great breach of privacy. Yet without
even trying, he could literally feel the tension and turmoil rolling off
the big man in waves. Jadeite turned to him fully.

�Is
there something wrong?� he questioned softly, so as to not gain the attention
of the others, who were still teasing Endymion mercilessly. Malachite started
and then turned to him, as if being jarred from a daydream.

�Hmm?
What? Oh, it�s nothing, Jade. Just . . . going over some last minute security
problems.� Jadeite watched as Malachite shrugged one shoulder and then turned
away again, arms crossing behind his back, seemingly restless.

It
would all seem quite normal except that Malachite never fidgeted. He was
never restless. Something was very wrong. Whether it was stress or worry over
their current situation or something else, Jadeite couldn�t rightly say, but it
was definitely something significant to effect Malachite this way. Jadeite made
a mental note to alert the others later to be on their highest guard. If
Malachite was worried, then they all needed to worry.

~~*~~

�So
the plan tonight is to mingle with the members of the Alliance,� Endymion
announced. Nephrite took a seat near-by while his Lord King finished dressing.
�Do not give anything away of our resources,� he cautioned as he deftly
buttoned the gold cufflinks of his snow-white shirt. �No doubt they will be
asking, too. Either subtly or outright, depending on the person. Do your best to
be polite, but don�t feel the need to grovel. Keep in mind that it is they who
need us, and not the other way around. Do not let them forget that fact
either. Feel free to single out your intended bride and get to know them a bit
better tonight as well. This will likely be one of only a few opportunities you
will be allotted to do so.�

Nephrite
shifted slightly in his seat, brow furrowing. What a foreign concept, that. Intended
bride. He hadn�t put even the slightest thought to marriage before this.
With the war, there hadn�t really been time to put any serious consideration
toward any female beyond a quick bedding before the next battle. Certainly
nothing on the scale of forever binding himself to one woman for the rest of
his life. Sure, monogamy in marriages�while intended�very rarely ever occurred,
especially with ones of their standing in the social structure of things. Yet
Nephrite had been raised to honor all vows he made, no matter what they were.
If he vowed to love, honor and cherish one woman above all others until death
they departed, then that was damn well what he would do.

It
was a monumental concept, really. He idly thought of the girl he was to wed.
Lady Raye of Mars. She was a pretty thing, he supposed. Long dark hair, violet
eyes, nice skin, decent body. Perhaps a little too . . . haughty for his usual
tastes. He really couldn�t see them getting along very well, outside of the
bedroom at least. She was a passionate one, but distant. Reserved. Nephrite
suspected it would take a far more patient man than himself to get past her
shell of pride and vanity.

At
that, Nephrite�s thoughts turned to another female and he almost smiled. The
Princess of Jupiter, the one that had escorted him to his room a few hours ago.
He thought her name was . . . Lita. Temperamental little thing, she was,
and a hellacious tomboy to boot it seemed. Nephrite would wager the Western
Palace that the girl could probably fight as well as a man, too. Obviously her
father hadn�t kept a firm enough reign upon her. Or, hell, what did he know?
Perhaps Jovian women were all like that, lady warriors who thought nothing of
challenging men so blatantly. It was a bit of a turnoff, truth be told. Or, at
least it was supposed to have been. Nephrite had always preferred
biddable doe-eyed blondes in the past. Not tall, angry, opinionated brunettes
with flashing green eyes and more venom in their lashing tongues than should
have been legal.

Despite
all that, Lady Lita intrigued him greatly, though Nephrite couldn�t say exactly
why. She had from the moment she led him away from the transporter room,
however, and took little pains to hide the fact that she seemed to loath the
very ground he walked on. There was an unspoken challenge in her eyes as she
glared up at him, one that Nephrite found very hard to ignore, let alone not
answer in the way that everything that was male in him demanded he answer. Lita
pulled at something in him, something of a more primitive level, something dark
and dangerous. He had realized�standing outside of his room and staring down
into her hot emerald eyes�that she seemingly without effort aroused him more
than he�d ever been in his entire twenty-four years of life. Stunned to accept
that he would have had her up against the door right in the middle of that
hallway�and more than once�if he had been free to do so.

Nephrite
sighed then, struggling to push her out of his mind and forget her. He didn�t
need to be thinking about another man�s future wife in such a way. The Princess
of Jupiter was not meant for him. She was to marry Malachite. Best he remember
that, and learn quickly to quell this strange and unexplainable angry emotion
that seemed to well in him at the very thought of his long-time friend and
trusted leader even so much as touching her.

Nephrite
frowned, then shook himself and struggled to pay attention to what Endymion was
saying. Thus he missed it completely when Jorowyn�still seated in the back of
the room�suddenly turned to stare at him with those pale jade eyes and a
curiously inquisitive expression on his face.

�Tomorrow
we will convene in the council of the Silver Alliance,� Endymion was saying
heavily, shrugging into his long-tailed black jacket with the golden rose
symbol of their Kingdom embroidered onto the left breast pocket. �There I will
make known our full demands, our battle strategy and then you will each
publically choose your brides. The ceremonies will be dispensed with in the
days following, and then we will reconvene the council to pass the mandates
that we discussed before. And then it is off to war, my friends.� Endymion
gazed at each in turn, blue eyes solemn but steely with determination. �And let
us pray to all the Stars in Heaven that this time we can defeat them, once and
for all.�

~~*~~

Malachite
hung on the edge of the ballroom, much of his features cast into shadow. The
large general had his arms crossed, leaning back against the wall behind the
refreshment table and doing a very good job it seemed of blending into the
background.

The
party was a success, he supposed. Tensions were high, but it seemed like
everyone was endeavoring to get along, at least for tonight. He knew that was
soon to change, once the others realized just what Endymion had in store for
them all. Any sort of change was usually a painful transition, and it would be
doubly so for this ancient organization. Personally he still had his own
doubts, and didn�t much care for this course of action himself, but he would
follow his King�s wishes without question, no matter. It just seemed risky to
him, however, too bold. Sure, he had just as much reason to hate the Silver
Alliance as any of the others. Yet Malachite wouldn�t agree that forcefully
taking over the whole damn thing on a technicality was the smartest way to go
about getting revenge, especially considering the fact that they really had no
idea what they were doing when it came to the other planets and their cultures.
Hell, the only thing they had to go on were the ramblings of a drunkard.

Malachite
didn�t like operating on such odds.

The
First General sought out his Lord and immediately found Endymion standing off
to the side, his now-fianc�e standing near as well. The Princess of Lunara
looked as radiantly beautiful as she had this morning, something that had made
him a little uneasy. Though Endymion did a fairly good job of masking it from
everyone else, he couldn�t fool his friends, and they had all seen his shocked
and surprised reaction to the young Princess� pretty face. Malachite only hoped
he would be able to keep his head, and not be swayed by a pair of big blue
eyes. To pull this off, Endymion was going to have to be his most cunning�and
at times, heartless. There was no room for sympathy, in the days ahead. Only
decisive action, if they were to see this hellish war to it�s final end.

Malachite
glanced around again, spotting Nephrite escorting the Princess of Mars to an
alcove where women were granted privacy, in order to freshen up their
appearance or some such thing. Neither looked too terribly pleased to be
together. His eyes continued scanning the room until this time they fell on
Zoisite, standing with the Princess of Mercury and her father. The Princess looked
content enough, her father less so and even downright hostile toward Z, though
the latter didn�t seem fazed much by it. The Mercurian King wasn�t exactly
intimidating after all. Zoisite had mentioned earlier that he and Princess Ami
had reached an agreement of a sort. At least one of them was making a smooth
transition.

Next
his eyes fell on Princess Lita, standing near her father. He should have been
over there mingling with the two of them as well, but for some reason he just
couldn�t bring himself to do it. Which was part of the reason why he had
secluded himself, in a desperate attempt to try and come to grips with what he
was feeling and somehow try and quell it.

The
physical embodiment of his internal struggle suddenly glided past his hiding
spot�the Princess Mina of Venus�on the arm of the Warrior King of the South.

Malachite�s
whole body tensed and he sucked in a sharp hiss of breath as the sight of her
seemed to hit him like a fist in the gut. Sweet Stars, what was wrong with him?
She was just a woman! A beautiful one, there could be no denying that, but she
was still just a flesh and blood mortal female. So why did the sight and smell
of her make him feel like he was going to go insane if he didn�t have her, and right
now?

It
had started the moment Malachite had first laid eyes on her earlier that day.
It had been subtle at first, no more than a barely acknowledged tug of desire
as he covertly admired her beautiful form from out of the corner of his eye.
Lush curves in all the right places encased in a golden-velvet tan, lemony
blonde hair that cascaded down her back like honey pouring from a pitcher and a
pair of eyes as blue as the Earthian sky he loved so much. Her manner was
confident in some ways, insecure in others, an interesting mix that had
unwillingly garnered his full and undivided attention. Malachite had watched
her lead the way down the hall, and then all at once her walk had turned into
something altogether erotic. Immediately his eyes had been glued to her hips as
they swayed almost playfully. Then when she suddenly lifted her hair away to
show the bare expanse of a narrow back�and nearly the top of her ass�she had let
out a soft moaning sound, mewling from her throat and straight down into his
groin.

And
then it had really started to get to him.

Like
sultry whispers, they began flitting in and out of his mind. Pouring over his
consciousness like waves of water on the sand. Sensations, emotions, images
more provocative than anything he�d ever before pictured�more than he had even
thought himself capable of picturing! Things like the depth of her
cornflower blue eyes staring up into his as her delectably naked body stretched
and arched beneath him like a kitten in sore need of petting. The sound of his
name whimpering from her throat�needy and desperate�as he buried himself inside
her wet heat as far as he could, as hard as he could, as if trying to mark her,
claim her as his for all eternity. And so all at once, half-way entranced became
full-blown, painful arousal. Malachite had felt his whole body flush hot, his
mouth go bone dry and his cock become as hard as a damned pike.

A
state he had yet to return from.

It
had taken every ounce of willpower he possessed not to fall over himself like a
horny teenager, then. The Princess had seemed completely oblivious and
unaffected by what was happening to him, remaining as curt and abrupt as she
had been before as she opened the door and showed him his room. Grateful for
the means of escape, Malachite had entered and quickly shut the door behind
him, praying that getting away from her would grant reprieve from these
unexplainable emotions he was feeling.

No
such luck.

They
had been haunting him steadily ever since. Even in the meeting with Endymion
earlier, he�d barely been able to force himself to pay attention to what was
being said. All he could think about was her, and the arousing images that kept
entering his brain uninvited. And now, in seeing her again, the need came
thundering back in him tenfold. Malachite grit his teeth against it, clenching
his fists until they shook. This had to be some sort of magic. Nothing
else could explain it. A man didn�t become this aroused this easily over
nothing more than a moan and a look. It just wasn�t possible. Yet what had she
done, other than cast a derisive look or two in his direction? She hadn�t even
acted as though she was really trying to seduce him, what was more humiliating.
That he would react like this to a girl who, for all that he could tell, had no
more interest in him than he was supposed to have in her was horrifying and in
a way unsettling, that he seemed to have so little control of himself.

Malachite
watched unseen as Princess Mina suddenly laughed at something companionable
that Jadeite had said, and before he could stop himself, the First General
actually growled low out of his chest as an entirely new and foreign sensation
of possessive rage infused his every pore. Then he blinked, aghast. Dear
Elysian, he was becoming little better than a damned beast in rut! With effort,
he staved off the desire to leap over the refreshment table and throttle
Jadeite into the ground for the perfectly chaste hold the man had of her dainty
elbow. Instead he continued to watch, silent, as the golden-haired General
offered to dance and she softly declined, claiming fatigue. Jadeite then turned
suddenly at his name being called, murmured an apology to the Princess and then
hurried off through the crowd to where Endymion stood with Nephrite and
Zoisite.

No
doubt they were wondering where he was. Malachite should have made his presence
known and go to them. Instead he remained where he was rooted to the spot that
he held in the shadows, right behind where Mina now stood alone. He could feel
himself breaking out into a cold sweat as she sighed, suddenly. The Princess
glanced at the nails of one hand almost absently, as if bored, then abruptly
reached for a glass of wine. She took a sip, but a bit managed to escape the
corner of her mouth. The tortured General could only stare, as if mesmerized,
as she caught the small drop of red liquid with a quick swipe of her delicate
pink tongue.

The
images that began flitting through his mind then�of her doing other things with
that little pink tongue�would�ve made Jorowyn blush. He was helpless to
keep the hoarse groan that suddenly ripped from his chest from finding voice.

The
Princess gasped and whirled to him then, her pale blue eyes wide and startled. Desperate,
somehow Malachite managed to throw up a quick mental shield to hide the gamut
of insane emotions running riot in his brain. So that all she saw was a coldly
detached man standing in the shadows with his arms crossed, expression faintly
sneering as he glared down his nose at her. No hint of what he was feeling
would show outwardly, not even a trace. He watched as she gave him a tight
smile, hand fluttering slightly at her throat.

�Lord
Malachite,� she acknowledged curtly. �You startled me.�

�I
do apologize for that, Princess,� he returned in an equally curt and clipped
tone. �Such was not my intent.�

�Hmm,�
was all she would allow, glancing away again, as if she didn�t quite believe
that.

Then
Malachite grit his teeth as another wave of powerful sensation suddenly hit him
square in the chest. His entire body trembled with the effort it took not to
succumb. Sweet Stars, what was she doing to him?!

�Would
you care to dance, my Lord?� she suddenly called, voice gone suspiciously sweet
and sing-song. Malachite struggled with the thought of being able to put his
hands on her, to be able to press all those sweet curves against him, for a
moment before he was able to conquer that nearly overwhelming temptation. Put
her in his arms right now and there was no telling what he would end up doing,
the room full of people be damned.

�I
am afraid I must decline, Lady Mina,� was his firm and cool reply as he stepped
away from the wall at last and swept past her. �It seems as though my Lord
Endymion is looking for me. Another time, perhaps,� he added blithely over his
shoulder, not looking back. He would see what Endymion wanted, and then he
would take his leave of this place in search of the nearest body of ice-cold
water. It seemed that would be his only remedy for this torture.

With
his back turned, Malachite missed Mina�s cool expression melt into one of
extreme pique. He also never saw the girl�s mother suddenly appear at her side.

�It
is a very dangerous game you play, daughter,� Psyche murmured, causing Mina to
jerk again.

�Sheesh!
What is it with people sneaking up on me tonight!� she snapped, flustered,
doing her best to hide her startle and chagrin. She glanced into the Queen�s
discerning gold eyes, noted that they were narrowed with condemnation, and then
turned away again. Maybe it wouldn�t be too late to play innocent. �And I have
no idea what you�re talking about,� she tried to deny in a prim tone. Her
mother scoffed however, having none of that.

�Do
not condescend me, Mina,� she snapped impatiently. �I can smell your Scent on
him from across the room!� The Princess blushed guiltily, but did not reply.
Psyche�s frown deepened with disapproval. �You are a fool Mina, for baiting
that man. And so harshly.� Now it was the daughter�s turn to scoff in
disbelief.

�I
wouldn�t worry about that one, mother. He�s made of ice. Nothing I do affects
him.� Psyche just shook her head scornfully.

�Silly
girl, you have much yet to learn,� she admonished, causing Mina to frown at
her. The Queen�s expression became solemn. �Just because he won�t let you see
it does not mean he feels nothing. Gods, Mina, a lesser man would have raped
you by now!� she announced harshly, then nodded when her daughter�s face
suddenly drained of color. They both turned to stare at the tall,
platinum-haired giant as he stood conversing with his fellows, seemingly as
calm and imperceptible as ever. �I find myself intrigued,� the Queen continued,
oblivious to her daughter�s discomfort, �that such a man would have so much
control, to deny your Scent for so long. I am interested to see just how long
he can hold out before it completely consumes him. But know this,� Psyche suddenly
announced, turning back to her now-ashen child, �when it does consume
him, you will have no one to thank for the consequences but yourself.�

~~*~~

�� I�ve
just received word from Jorowyn that the Negaverse is gathering in force on the
Western hemisphere,� Endymion announced softly, �though their purpose is still
as of yet unknown. I�ve sent him back to Earth to see what he can do, but I
fear that they will be off-planet by the time he arrives.�

Zoisite
began twisting a hank of hair around his finger�a nervous habit he�d had ever
since he was a child�as he lapsed deep into thought.

�Why?�
Jadeite demanded then, and the slender General sighed.

�They
must be preparing for a concerted strike against the Alliance,� he answered
heavily, �before our negotiations are finished and our forces combined. A last
ditch effort, while we are unsuspecting. My guess would be that their target is
Saturn. That Kingdom is rife with defeat, and ready to fall.� Endymion nodded.

�Your
cousin said much of the same.�

�We
will have to escalate our plans if we are to be able to mount a suitable
counter-offensive,� Malachite commented softly, and the others nodded in silent
agreement.

Before
anything else could be said, however, there was a fierce commotion at the
entrance to the ballroom. Almost as if rehearsed, the nobles parted aside to
admit one lone man entrance. He was dressed all in black, his ninja-esque garb
ripped and shredded in several places, bleeding freely from wounds too numerous
to count.

�Shima!�

Face
ashen, the young Queen of Saturn rushed past everyone and up to the middle-aged
man, who had lost the ability to stand and had fallen to his knees. He lifted a
bloodied face to his young ruler, his expression haunted.

�They
have taken the planet, Great One,� he called, voice anguished. Gasps of horror
went up throughout the room. Hotaru�s eyes were wide and stricken, a hand
rising to her mouth. She seemed so small and fragile standing there in her pale
silvery-lilac gown, and yet at the same time far stronger than any fourteen
year old girl had the right to be. �The attack was without warning, or mercy,�
Shima continued harshly. �We were no match for their fury. I have failed you,
and our people.� He shook his head mournfully then, the long black topknot tail
of hair that adorned his head swishing to the ground with the movement. �I beg
you to take my life for this dishonor, Star That Rises,� he finally managed,
head bowed and his entire posture emitting nothing but broken defeat.

Hotaru
ignored the stunned looks throughout the room, drawing herself up suddenly and
stiffening her spine. She hesitated only a moment before lifting her chin and
giving an imperious look down upon her subject that would have made any monarch
proud.

�This
I cannot allow, Shima, highest of my Generals and husband of my mother�s
sister.� His head jerked up, expression stunned. �Instead you will live with
this dishonor as a badge upon your heart, and spend every waking moment that
you yet possess bent to the task of absolving it. Only when our homeland is
once again restored may you reclaim your honor and your life for your own.�

Zoisite
wasn�t certain, but he thought he saw the man�s whole body start to relax, and
even a hint of a relieved smile touch his face just before he bent, his forehead
touching the stone floor at the tiny girl�s slipper-clad feet.

�Your
will be done.�

�Now
go,� Hotaru proclaimed. �See to it that any survivors are tended, and your own
wounds are seen to.�

The
man somehow managed to rise to his feet again, tottering only a little before
managing to walk back out of the ballroom with his back stiff and gait proud
once more.

Zoisite
stared at the tiny girl with a whole new level of respect for her as she turned
and glided back toward the Queen of Lunara and her anxious daughter.

�My
Lady,� Endymion suddenly called out, and the hushed murmurs that had started up
abruptly died once again at the sound of his strong voice. Everyone turned to
him and Endy bowed slightly. �I ask that you convene the Council at once.�

�Right
now?� the tall Queen of Uranus demanded in disbelief, expression fierce. �It�s
the middle of the damned night!�

�We
have no choice, if we are to have any hope of salvaging Saturn,� Endymion
continued sternly, �preparations must be made immediately.� Ignoring the
others� protests, the young Lord King turned his solemn gaze to the Praetorian
of the Silver Alliance. Her expression was, as always, unreadable. But she
turned after a moment and called for silence.

�The
Council of the Silver Alliance will convene in one half hour. Failure to comply
with this mandate will mean forfeit,� she finished sternly before turning on
her heel and ushering her daughter out of the room by the elbow.

Zoisite
watched as Princess Ami�s father did much the same with her, whispering something
fervently to his daughter along the way. Zoisite watched them leave, then let
out a terse sigh before turning back to Endymion to await his orders. He
couldn�t help but again be grateful for Princess Ami and her demeanor. She was
calm, level-headed, beautiful and incredibly smart so far that he could tell.
Perhaps a little cold blooded, was his only complaint. For a woman to so coolly
denounce the very idea of love as trivial and pointless was more than a sight
unsettling, but no less than he expected from her culture he supposed. She had
defended him to her father tonight, though, stunning him. He hadn�t expected
it, but it was a welcome surprise. It said to him that she had taken their
agreement to heart and had now bent her entire will to the task of meeting him
half-way and aiding him in all things. It was a tremendous weight off his
shoulders.

Zoisite
only wished he could say the same for his fellows. He knew even without
Jadeite�s psychic powers that they were not a one of them finding accord with
the women that had been chosen for them. Z, after meeting the girls, would not
have placed them where Jorowyn had suggested.

Nephrite
would have been his last choice for the temperamental Lady Raye. They were too
alike in proud, moody demeanor. It would mean only trouble for the two
hot-headed individuals. She needed someone patient, as stubborn as she was,
someone who would not be ruffled by her ill-temper nor lay down in the face of
her tantrums. And for all his short-comings, when it came right down to it
Jadeite had the patience of a rock.

The
Princess Lita was a bit more complicated to figure, though he suspected she
would be best served with Nephrite as a mate. The girl had grown wild it
seemed, acting more a man than a woman, something he had learned was not at all
common-place on her homeworld. She would need a firm hand in a husband, a man
who would not be intimidated by her but wouldn�t smother her either. Malachite
was too apathetic, too distant. He would turn out to be no better than her father�apparently�letting
the opinionated female do whatever she wanted, so long as it did not interfere
directly with him. The Princess of Jupiter, he suspected, needed a far more
hands-on type of man. Nephrite had never been one to let anything happen in his
circle of influence without his direct knowledge and approval.

And
the Princess Mina . . . now Zoisite frowned. He didn�t trust that one. He had
heard some disturbing rumors about Venusians and their abilities here tonight.
Apparently they were capable of releasing some sort of pheromone into the air
that strongly affected a person�s mind. Could even potentially be used as a
controlling agent. With it she could bring any one of them to their knees,
unable to rise out of the cloud of lust she had created long enough to figure
out what was going on until it was far too late. Any of them, at least, except
Mal. If any of them had the strength of will to resist her lure, it would be
the First General.

With
these pairings so obvious to him, he began to wonder if Jorowyn had really
meant for them to make the matches he had chosen back on Earth. While it was
true that the Phaetonian prince had not had any dealings with the girls in many
years, surely he would have seen at least the possibility of such
complications. Or was it all yet again another one of his elaborate plots, that
only he knew the outcome of? Zoisite continued to twist his hair as
Endymion led the way to the Council Chamber, expression thoughtful. He supposed
he would just have to wait and see how this all would unfold, for better or
worse, right along with the rest of them.

�� Safe
in the knowledge that his cousin very rarely�if ever�disappointed.
- 5
- 6
- 7
You need to be logged in to leave a review for this story.You need to be logged in to leave a review for this story.
Report Story

Silver Alliance