SM Monthly Fanfiction Challenge Theme #64 (05MAR06)
Title: Clash of Silver and Gold
Author: Raya
Theme: Villains / Role-Reversal
Genre: Drama
Version: Alternate Reality (Silver Millennium)
Rating: PG-13
Disclaimer: All of the characters in the story below were created by Takeuchi Naoko. Paper dolls, however, belong to anyone.
Canon, spelling, grammar, and punctuation corrections are appreciated. So is constructive criticism. Please let me know if you see something that should be corrected. Thanks! - Raya
Clash of Silver and Gold
Prince Endymion wrapped his arms tightly around his lover and buried his face in her long hair. The end was coming. He could feel it. Already, his people had massed an army, and even though it was hardly large enough to challenge the armies of his love's kingdom, the witch who led them was powerful enough to make up for their lack of numbers.
"Endymion?" He heard the fear and uneasiness in her sweet voice. "Endymion, what is it? Why are you here?"
He shook his head slightly, and tightened his grip. He did not want to talk about intrigues, wars, or jealous witches. All he wanted was to think of his princess, to hold her slim body in his arms, to inhale her sweet floral scent, and to taste her ruby red lips. He wanted to enjoy the peace of the sunlit veranda just one more time.
She did not question him again. Instead, she wrapped her arms tightly around him and returned his embrace. As the wind blew her hair around them, she lifted her face to his for a kiss. She closed her eyes as he obliged, and felt the familiar melting feeling fill her.
"Oh, how disgussting," a dulcet voice said from behind him.
The couple stiffened, and then broke apart. Prince Endymion spun around quickly, pushing the princess to safety behind him. She gasped and he instinctively reached for his sword when they saw the group of people in front of them.
"Really, Endymion," the petite blonde standing at the front of the group said with a disgusted grimace. Her long, white gown fluttered in the wind, dancing with her long white hair. "Are you so desperate to escape that you would stoop to kissing such a creature?"
"Serenity..." he replied, his voice full of warning. "What are you doing here? You know it is forbidden."
"Oh?" the other blonde replied, arching one golden eyebrow. "It is forbidden, Prince? And yet, here we find you just as Serenity said." She gave the princess behind him an ugly look. "Beryl. I should have known."
"Venus..." His voice trailed off when her blank, blue eyes met his gaze. He shuddered as he realized that the senshi were no longer his friends.
"Yes?" Sailor Mars said curiously, although her blank eyes blazed like violet flames. She cocked her dark head to one side expectantly. "You have a good explanation for this? Oh, of course. We're waiting..."
"Mars. Mercury. Venus. Jupiter. What has she done to you?" he asked softly, searching their eyes for some sign of the softness or love he remembered so well.
"Why nothing, Prince," Serenity replied with a smirk. "I have merely brought them here so that they could see your treason for themselves."
"Treason?" Prince Endymion and Princess Beryl cried out in shock. "What treason?" the prince asked alone.
"It is forbidden," Sailor Mercury said coldly as she glared at her prince. "You know that. The law specifically states that there shall be no interaction between the people of Moon and the people of Earth. Even you, my Prince, are not above that law."
"And if she was telling the truth about this," Sailor Jupiter said as she shifted her weight and clenched her fists, "then that means that Earth truly is hiding a fearsome weapon. And, that they mean to use it to attack us." Her frozen green eyes hardened even more. "What, your greater numbers were not enough?"
"No," Princess Beryl gasped. "That's not true. We are a peaceful..."
Sailor Venus nodded. "Let's go," she said, interrupting the princess' desperate protest. As she whirled around, her long golden hair floated around her body like a cloak. "We have work to do."
"Venus, stop. Wait," Prince Endymion commanded, suddenly afraid. Serenity began to laugh as the four senshi ignored him and continued to walk towards the steps. "I order you to stop!"
"Oh, poor Prince," Serenity cooed as she sidled closer to him. "I am afraid you have quite lost them. They will not listen to your orders any more. After all, anyone who consorts with the animals of Earth is not worthy of speaking to them, much less give them orders." She shot Princess Beryl an ugly look as she said this.
"No. What do you mean? What's going on?" Princess Beryl asked, frightened and confused.
"Give me the key to Metallia," Serenity ordered suddenly, her azure blue gaze hard.
Princess Beryl gasped in shock at the command. And then, she jerked to her left as a scream suddenly pierced the air. "What?"
Prince Endymion drew his sword. "You... What have you done?" he asked as he pointed it towards the white witch. She merely smiled as screams of pain, calls to arms, and the sound of battle suddenly filled the air. His eyes widened as he drew in a deep breath. "No... You didn't..."
"The senshi are quite upset," Serenity pointed out smugly. Unseen behind her, two armored gentlemen came around the corner and sped towards the group. She turned away from the Lunarian prince dismissively, and focused on the red haired princess once more. "Give me the key," she ordered again.
Princess Beryl shook her head, her eyes still wide and disbelieving. "I... I can't..."
"Princess!" a tall warrior with red-brown hair called from behind her. Serenity and Prince Endymion suddenly found themselves on the business end of four swords, two for each. "Princess," the warrior exclaimed again, "are you all right?"
"Nephrite!" The princess looked relieved, and then frowned. "Stop it! Nephrite! Jadeite! The Prince is my guest. He's not an enemy."
"He's Lunarian," Kunzite returned, narrowing his grey eyes. Neither Nephrite nor Jadeite drew their swords away.
"He is my guest," Princess Beryl bit out. She narrowed her green eyes and stared at her rebellious warriors. "More, he is the only one who can stop this... this..."
"Invasion," Serenity said snidely. She looked completely unconcerned about the danger she was in. "Battle, war, conquest..." She chuckled when the princess turned to glare at her. "And he can not stop it. No one can," she bragged. Reaching up to her neck, she pulled gently on a chain and tugged a shining crystal out of her bodice. "As long as I have this, there is nothing any of you can do."
Kunzite's face tightened, and he drew back his sword. She laughed maniacally when it seemed to bounce off of thin air more than a foot away from her neck. "Pitiful creature, you can not hurt me! I have the Silver Crystal! And soon, I will have Metallia, and then nothing will stop me!"
As she laughed again, Prince Endymion managed to catch Kunzite's gaze. "Go," he ordered tightly. "Your people need you. I will protect Princess Beryl from this madwoman." The four men snorted derisively and pressed their weapons closer to their two prisoners.
Prince Endymion shook his head. "You are the only ones that can help them. The Sailor Senshi are out there, leading the battle." The four men paled, and the prince nodded. "I can handle this witch. I know her methods, you don't. But you do know how to fight the senshi." A troubled, pained look crossed his face. "Go," he asked again quietly.
The four warriors looked towards their princess, who nodded. "Endymion will protect me," she said in a reassuring voice. "And I am not totally defenseless. You know that." She lifted her pale hands to the center of her chest, and clutched them together.
Reluctantly, the four men nodded and withdrew. Kunzite took one last, long, lingering look back before he followed his fellow warriors out into the grounds.
"Well, now that we are finally alone," Serenity said as if she had been bored by the interruption, "maybe we can get back to the issue at hand." She turned to the prince and cocked one silver eyebrow. "You can handle the witch?" she purred as she ran a delicate finger down the blade of his sword. "Really, Endymion, such bold words... You will make me swoon!"
She smiled slyly up at him and took a step closer. "But how will you do it, hm? I'm protected by the power of the Silver Crystal." She sliced her finger delicately on his sword. "And you? You are under my spell." Before either of them could react, she flicked the blood from her finger at him. Although he tried to draw back and dodge, the drops of blood landed squarely in his eyes.
"Endymion!" Princess Beryl cried anxiously as he reached up to wipe at his face. "Why you little..." She snatched the dagger out of Prince Endymion's belt, and threw it at the witch.
Serenity just laughed as it bounced harmlessly away. "Stupid, little princess. Quite foolish indeed. Did your armsmaster never teach you better than to throw away your only weapon?" Her blue eyes raked across the princess' tight purple dress. "There is not much room for you to hide another that you can reach quickly."
Serenity turned her azure eyes towards the Prince, whose movements were stilling. "Endymion," she cooed with a small, triumphant smile.
Slowly, Prince Endymion raised his head. "Yes... My queen?" Behind him, Princess Beryl gasped in horror, drew back, and raised a hand to her lips.
She stilled almost instantly. "Endymion?" When he did not acknowledge her, she reached out to touch his back. "Endymion?! Endymion, what's wrong? What happened? Answer me! Endymion?"
Serenity stood and smirked at her for a minute as she tried vainly to get her lover to answer her. He would not even acknowledge her. He just kept his dark blue eyes fixed on the white witch. "Endymion," she finally said.
"Yes, my queen?" he asked with a bow.
"That noisy little girl behind you is hiding something from me. Make her give it up."
"Of course, my queen," he said as he rose. Faster than Princess Beryl's eyes could follow, he grabbed her wrist and began to squeeze.
"Endymion," she gasped as her knees began to give out. "Endymion, you're hurting me. Endymion, please!" She began to claw at his strong hand, which just made him tighten his grip.
Serenity laughed. "He only hears my voice now, Princess" she said as she leaned back against the balustrade. "The only way to make him stop is to give me the key to Metallia."
"Endymion," the princess moaned as she collapsed to her knees. "I... I can't give it to you. It's just a legend! Don't you know that? There is no such thing. How can I give you something I don't have?"
"Oh?" Serenity quirked an eyebrow. "Just a legend? Well now, that is too bad, Princess. Because you see..." She leaned in a little and dropped her voice to a whisper. "...that is the only thing that can save you now."
Princess Beryl looked up at her, cinnamon brown eyes shimmering with unspilled tears. "What a... What a child you are," she said. Despite the breathlessness, the tone was still quite derisive. Serenity's eyes narrowed angrily. "A pitiful, poor child, believing in fairy tales. What will you be chasing next, unicorns?"
"Is this a fairy tale?" Serenity hissed as she leaned forward and swung the Silver Crystal around.
Princess Beryl blinked the tears back, and then gave her a contemptuous look. "A parlor trick. Any half trained magician can make a stone glow. In fact, it's even easier when it is a clear crystal. Your pretty trinket is not some mystical power source." She smiled as Serenity sat back up straight and screamed in fury.
The smile faded, though, when Serenity picked up the dagger she had thrown a few moments before. "Die!" Serenity screamed as she threw herself at the creature that dared to mock her and her power.
Princess Beryl winced away, closing her eyes and turning her head. Her wrist was still in Endymion's grasp, so she could not run or defend herself. He seemed to drag her around as Serenity screamed again, and Princess Beryl tightened up even more.
Her eyes opened in surprise when she felt Endymion's grasp loosen on her wrist. She turned to look up at him in surprise, but made it only half way around when something large and heavy crashed into her. She collapsed to the ground under its weight.
"You... You... Look what you made me do!" Serenity sputtered as the princess pushed the thing off of her and sat up. "Look what you made me do!" she screamed again. "What will I do? How will I control them?"
Princess Beryl tuned out her diatribe as soon as she realized what it was that had fallen on her. Her cinnamon eyes widened in shock and disbelief as she reached out to clutch her lover's shoulders. "Endymion?" she called tentatively. She began to shake him softly, and then more desperately. "Endymion! Endymion! Wake up! Please wake up," she begged. The point of his dagger sticking out of his chest winked at her as the sunlight caught it, but she did not notice. "Please wake up," she begged again as she collapsed across him in grief.
Serenity finally got a hold of herself, and snatched Prince Endymion's fallen sword up from the ground. "Die!" she screeched again as she threw herself at the red haired princess. Before she could reach her, however, a bright golden light pulsed out of the distracted girl.
"You have killed him," a voice said conversationally. Slowly, the princess sat up. Serenity lifted the sword once more, but froze when she saw Princess Beryl's shining face. Her eyes widened as her senses told her that it was no longer the weak little princess she faced.
"You killed him," the voice from the princess' body said again. "The light of this world... The Key to Metallia... You have killed him." Her cinnamon eyes flashed gold, and Serenity dropped the sword numbly. It clattered to the ground as she slowly tried to back away from the powerful thing in front of her. "Invader," the voice growled. "You wished to see Metallia? You have. Now be gone!"
Another golden light flashed out from her, and Serenity screamed. The white witch clutched at her crystal desperately as she tried to maintain her protective barrier.
Slowly, ever so slowly, the golden power pushed the silver aside. And then, with a flash and a final scream, Serenity was gone. The Silver Crystal fell to the marble floor of the veranda and shattered. Princess Beryl's eyes rolled back in her head as she collapsed once more over her fallen prince. For several long minutes, nothing was heard but the distant screams and clamor of battle, and then even that went quiet.
And as the sun set that day, not a living creature stirred in the remains of the Golden Kingdom.
Okay, kind of a weak ending, but... It's done! Now to figure out exactly how to write the scene for today's theme. I have an idea, but I have to try and make it work... ^-^ And then, there was this other idea I had for this theme... But that may have to wait until later in the week.
Author: Raya
Theme: Villains / Role-Reversal
Genre: Drama
Version: Alternate Reality (Silver Millennium)
Rating: PG-13
Disclaimer: All of the characters in the story below were created by Takeuchi Naoko. Paper dolls, however, belong to anyone.
Canon, spelling, grammar, and punctuation corrections are appreciated. So is constructive criticism. Please let me know if you see something that should be corrected. Thanks! - Raya
Clash of Silver and Gold
Prince Endymion wrapped his arms tightly around his lover and buried his face in her long hair. The end was coming. He could feel it. Already, his people had massed an army, and even though it was hardly large enough to challenge the armies of his love's kingdom, the witch who led them was powerful enough to make up for their lack of numbers.
"Endymion?" He heard the fear and uneasiness in her sweet voice. "Endymion, what is it? Why are you here?"
He shook his head slightly, and tightened his grip. He did not want to talk about intrigues, wars, or jealous witches. All he wanted was to think of his princess, to hold her slim body in his arms, to inhale her sweet floral scent, and to taste her ruby red lips. He wanted to enjoy the peace of the sunlit veranda just one more time.
She did not question him again. Instead, she wrapped her arms tightly around him and returned his embrace. As the wind blew her hair around them, she lifted her face to his for a kiss. She closed her eyes as he obliged, and felt the familiar melting feeling fill her.
"Oh, how disgussting," a dulcet voice said from behind him.
The couple stiffened, and then broke apart. Prince Endymion spun around quickly, pushing the princess to safety behind him. She gasped and he instinctively reached for his sword when they saw the group of people in front of them.
"Really, Endymion," the petite blonde standing at the front of the group said with a disgusted grimace. Her long, white gown fluttered in the wind, dancing with her long white hair. "Are you so desperate to escape that you would stoop to kissing such a creature?"
"Serenity..." he replied, his voice full of warning. "What are you doing here? You know it is forbidden."
"Oh?" the other blonde replied, arching one golden eyebrow. "It is forbidden, Prince? And yet, here we find you just as Serenity said." She gave the princess behind him an ugly look. "Beryl. I should have known."
"Venus..." His voice trailed off when her blank, blue eyes met his gaze. He shuddered as he realized that the senshi were no longer his friends.
"Yes?" Sailor Mars said curiously, although her blank eyes blazed like violet flames. She cocked her dark head to one side expectantly. "You have a good explanation for this? Oh, of course. We're waiting..."
"Mars. Mercury. Venus. Jupiter. What has she done to you?" he asked softly, searching their eyes for some sign of the softness or love he remembered so well.
"Why nothing, Prince," Serenity replied with a smirk. "I have merely brought them here so that they could see your treason for themselves."
"Treason?" Prince Endymion and Princess Beryl cried out in shock. "What treason?" the prince asked alone.
"It is forbidden," Sailor Mercury said coldly as she glared at her prince. "You know that. The law specifically states that there shall be no interaction between the people of Moon and the people of Earth. Even you, my Prince, are not above that law."
"And if she was telling the truth about this," Sailor Jupiter said as she shifted her weight and clenched her fists, "then that means that Earth truly is hiding a fearsome weapon. And, that they mean to use it to attack us." Her frozen green eyes hardened even more. "What, your greater numbers were not enough?"
"No," Princess Beryl gasped. "That's not true. We are a peaceful..."
Sailor Venus nodded. "Let's go," she said, interrupting the princess' desperate protest. As she whirled around, her long golden hair floated around her body like a cloak. "We have work to do."
"Venus, stop. Wait," Prince Endymion commanded, suddenly afraid. Serenity began to laugh as the four senshi ignored him and continued to walk towards the steps. "I order you to stop!"
"Oh, poor Prince," Serenity cooed as she sidled closer to him. "I am afraid you have quite lost them. They will not listen to your orders any more. After all, anyone who consorts with the animals of Earth is not worthy of speaking to them, much less give them orders." She shot Princess Beryl an ugly look as she said this.
"No. What do you mean? What's going on?" Princess Beryl asked, frightened and confused.
"Give me the key to Metallia," Serenity ordered suddenly, her azure blue gaze hard.
Princess Beryl gasped in shock at the command. And then, she jerked to her left as a scream suddenly pierced the air. "What?"
Prince Endymion drew his sword. "You... What have you done?" he asked as he pointed it towards the white witch. She merely smiled as screams of pain, calls to arms, and the sound of battle suddenly filled the air. His eyes widened as he drew in a deep breath. "No... You didn't..."
"The senshi are quite upset," Serenity pointed out smugly. Unseen behind her, two armored gentlemen came around the corner and sped towards the group. She turned away from the Lunarian prince dismissively, and focused on the red haired princess once more. "Give me the key," she ordered again.
Princess Beryl shook her head, her eyes still wide and disbelieving. "I... I can't..."
"Princess!" a tall warrior with red-brown hair called from behind her. Serenity and Prince Endymion suddenly found themselves on the business end of four swords, two for each. "Princess," the warrior exclaimed again, "are you all right?"
"Nephrite!" The princess looked relieved, and then frowned. "Stop it! Nephrite! Jadeite! The Prince is my guest. He's not an enemy."
"He's Lunarian," Kunzite returned, narrowing his grey eyes. Neither Nephrite nor Jadeite drew their swords away.
"He is my guest," Princess Beryl bit out. She narrowed her green eyes and stared at her rebellious warriors. "More, he is the only one who can stop this... this..."
"Invasion," Serenity said snidely. She looked completely unconcerned about the danger she was in. "Battle, war, conquest..." She chuckled when the princess turned to glare at her. "And he can not stop it. No one can," she bragged. Reaching up to her neck, she pulled gently on a chain and tugged a shining crystal out of her bodice. "As long as I have this, there is nothing any of you can do."
Kunzite's face tightened, and he drew back his sword. She laughed maniacally when it seemed to bounce off of thin air more than a foot away from her neck. "Pitiful creature, you can not hurt me! I have the Silver Crystal! And soon, I will have Metallia, and then nothing will stop me!"
As she laughed again, Prince Endymion managed to catch Kunzite's gaze. "Go," he ordered tightly. "Your people need you. I will protect Princess Beryl from this madwoman." The four men snorted derisively and pressed their weapons closer to their two prisoners.
Prince Endymion shook his head. "You are the only ones that can help them. The Sailor Senshi are out there, leading the battle." The four men paled, and the prince nodded. "I can handle this witch. I know her methods, you don't. But you do know how to fight the senshi." A troubled, pained look crossed his face. "Go," he asked again quietly.
The four warriors looked towards their princess, who nodded. "Endymion will protect me," she said in a reassuring voice. "And I am not totally defenseless. You know that." She lifted her pale hands to the center of her chest, and clutched them together.
Reluctantly, the four men nodded and withdrew. Kunzite took one last, long, lingering look back before he followed his fellow warriors out into the grounds.
"Well, now that we are finally alone," Serenity said as if she had been bored by the interruption, "maybe we can get back to the issue at hand." She turned to the prince and cocked one silver eyebrow. "You can handle the witch?" she purred as she ran a delicate finger down the blade of his sword. "Really, Endymion, such bold words... You will make me swoon!"
She smiled slyly up at him and took a step closer. "But how will you do it, hm? I'm protected by the power of the Silver Crystal." She sliced her finger delicately on his sword. "And you? You are under my spell." Before either of them could react, she flicked the blood from her finger at him. Although he tried to draw back and dodge, the drops of blood landed squarely in his eyes.
"Endymion!" Princess Beryl cried anxiously as he reached up to wipe at his face. "Why you little..." She snatched the dagger out of Prince Endymion's belt, and threw it at the witch.
Serenity just laughed as it bounced harmlessly away. "Stupid, little princess. Quite foolish indeed. Did your armsmaster never teach you better than to throw away your only weapon?" Her blue eyes raked across the princess' tight purple dress. "There is not much room for you to hide another that you can reach quickly."
Serenity turned her azure eyes towards the Prince, whose movements were stilling. "Endymion," she cooed with a small, triumphant smile.
Slowly, Prince Endymion raised his head. "Yes... My queen?" Behind him, Princess Beryl gasped in horror, drew back, and raised a hand to her lips.
She stilled almost instantly. "Endymion?" When he did not acknowledge her, she reached out to touch his back. "Endymion?! Endymion, what's wrong? What happened? Answer me! Endymion?"
Serenity stood and smirked at her for a minute as she tried vainly to get her lover to answer her. He would not even acknowledge her. He just kept his dark blue eyes fixed on the white witch. "Endymion," she finally said.
"Yes, my queen?" he asked with a bow.
"That noisy little girl behind you is hiding something from me. Make her give it up."
"Of course, my queen," he said as he rose. Faster than Princess Beryl's eyes could follow, he grabbed her wrist and began to squeeze.
"Endymion," she gasped as her knees began to give out. "Endymion, you're hurting me. Endymion, please!" She began to claw at his strong hand, which just made him tighten his grip.
Serenity laughed. "He only hears my voice now, Princess" she said as she leaned back against the balustrade. "The only way to make him stop is to give me the key to Metallia."
"Endymion," the princess moaned as she collapsed to her knees. "I... I can't give it to you. It's just a legend! Don't you know that? There is no such thing. How can I give you something I don't have?"
"Oh?" Serenity quirked an eyebrow. "Just a legend? Well now, that is too bad, Princess. Because you see..." She leaned in a little and dropped her voice to a whisper. "...that is the only thing that can save you now."
Princess Beryl looked up at her, cinnamon brown eyes shimmering with unspilled tears. "What a... What a child you are," she said. Despite the breathlessness, the tone was still quite derisive. Serenity's eyes narrowed angrily. "A pitiful, poor child, believing in fairy tales. What will you be chasing next, unicorns?"
"Is this a fairy tale?" Serenity hissed as she leaned forward and swung the Silver Crystal around.
Princess Beryl blinked the tears back, and then gave her a contemptuous look. "A parlor trick. Any half trained magician can make a stone glow. In fact, it's even easier when it is a clear crystal. Your pretty trinket is not some mystical power source." She smiled as Serenity sat back up straight and screamed in fury.
The smile faded, though, when Serenity picked up the dagger she had thrown a few moments before. "Die!" Serenity screamed as she threw herself at the creature that dared to mock her and her power.
Princess Beryl winced away, closing her eyes and turning her head. Her wrist was still in Endymion's grasp, so she could not run or defend herself. He seemed to drag her around as Serenity screamed again, and Princess Beryl tightened up even more.
Her eyes opened in surprise when she felt Endymion's grasp loosen on her wrist. She turned to look up at him in surprise, but made it only half way around when something large and heavy crashed into her. She collapsed to the ground under its weight.
"You... You... Look what you made me do!" Serenity sputtered as the princess pushed the thing off of her and sat up. "Look what you made me do!" she screamed again. "What will I do? How will I control them?"
Princess Beryl tuned out her diatribe as soon as she realized what it was that had fallen on her. Her cinnamon eyes widened in shock and disbelief as she reached out to clutch her lover's shoulders. "Endymion?" she called tentatively. She began to shake him softly, and then more desperately. "Endymion! Endymion! Wake up! Please wake up," she begged. The point of his dagger sticking out of his chest winked at her as the sunlight caught it, but she did not notice. "Please wake up," she begged again as she collapsed across him in grief.
Serenity finally got a hold of herself, and snatched Prince Endymion's fallen sword up from the ground. "Die!" she screeched again as she threw herself at the red haired princess. Before she could reach her, however, a bright golden light pulsed out of the distracted girl.
"You have killed him," a voice said conversationally. Slowly, the princess sat up. Serenity lifted the sword once more, but froze when she saw Princess Beryl's shining face. Her eyes widened as her senses told her that it was no longer the weak little princess she faced.
"You killed him," the voice from the princess' body said again. "The light of this world... The Key to Metallia... You have killed him." Her cinnamon eyes flashed gold, and Serenity dropped the sword numbly. It clattered to the ground as she slowly tried to back away from the powerful thing in front of her. "Invader," the voice growled. "You wished to see Metallia? You have. Now be gone!"
Another golden light flashed out from her, and Serenity screamed. The white witch clutched at her crystal desperately as she tried to maintain her protective barrier.
Slowly, ever so slowly, the golden power pushed the silver aside. And then, with a flash and a final scream, Serenity was gone. The Silver Crystal fell to the marble floor of the veranda and shattered. Princess Beryl's eyes rolled back in her head as she collapsed once more over her fallen prince. For several long minutes, nothing was heard but the distant screams and clamor of battle, and then even that went quiet.
And as the sun set that day, not a living creature stirred in the remains of the Golden Kingdom.
Okay, kind of a weak ending, but... It's done! Now to figure out exactly how to write the scene for today's theme. I have an idea, but I have to try and make it work... ^-^ And then, there was this other idea I had for this theme... But that may have to wait until later in the week.