Title: Wings of Freedom
Part: 2
Author: W. Bymeeh
E-mail: jhyunl@aol.com
Rating: PG

Author's Note: This series is not as lighthearted as I 
might prefer, but I'm trying to make my characters have 
some more depth.  Well, "try" being the key word.  The 
romance will pick up later, I promise!  But this part's 
necessary to the plotÉ

Disclaimer: The characters aren't mine!  But this story is 
mine, all mine!  (I'm greedy, what can I say)

				Wings of Freedom 
				     [Part 2]

	Serena clutched the cape around her shaking shoulders 
as she continued to sob over the loss of her family, 
friends, and home.  They were so far away now, and even if 
she had her wings, the path to the moon would not open for 
another year.  
	She had been so happy to visit Earth again, the 
mysterious planet that seemed to beckon to her from her 
home on the Moon.  She and the princesses of the other 
planets had been granted permission to visit by themselves 
this time, and they had all been so delighted that they had 
heard Queen Serenity's warnings about the moonbeam path 
with only half an ear.  Traveling down to Earth had several 
stipulations.  Namely, to successfully reach one planet to 
another, one had to have the moonbeam path, which last 
night had shone directly onto the lake's waters.  And their 
wings, of course, were absolutely essential.  They weren't 
used in actual flying and were a decorative piece most of 
the time, but they symbolized their rank and gave them 
access to using the moonbeams.  In addition, Serena thought 
wryly, they made for convenience in dressing.  
	There was a limit to the amount of times one could 
use the path during one night.  One trip to Earth and one 
trip to the Moon was allowed, but no more, and it didn't 
matter in what order.  If even one element was missing, 
then the trip would be unsuccessful.  It was too late now 
for Serena to get back to the Moon.  The moonbeam path 
would not shine on the lake's waters for another year, and 
she did not even have her wings at the present.       
	She knew about the myths that told of fairies from 
Heaven who flew down to visit the Earth on the night of the 
Moon Festival.  They were partly true.  She and the others 
weren't fairies, but princesses of their respective 
planets.  Their wings channeled their power, in that it 
allowed them to fly from planet to planet.  
	Amy had once taken the time to try and explain the 
technical aspects to her, Serena remembered with a smile.  
She had finally given up when Serena had thrown a loaf of 
bread at her, telling her they had more important things to 
discuss...like food.  Amy had soon retaliated with a piece 
of fruit, and Serena regretted her actions, as Amy had 
better aim than her.    
	She did recall that Earth did not belong to the same 
alliance of planets as the Moon did.  No communication 
between Earth and the other planets had been allowed for a 
very long time, and Queen Serenity agreed with this policy 
as she felt that their power was too weak and the people of 
Earth would feel resentful of the supremacy of the Moon.  
But those in power long ago had felt that there was a need 
to leave at least a window for communication between the 
Earth and the other planets, if not directly.  
	And so it had been, for thousands of years, and every 
year on the night of the Moon festival, the royalty of the 
planets were allowed to visit the Earth and pass through 
the barriers that shielded the planet.  On that night, the 
moon connected with the earth, enabling those with wings to 
drift down, whether it was to check on the people of Earth, 
or simply see what conditions were like.  In recent years, 
it had been more enjoyable to just visit Earth and enjoy 
the sights, instead of worrying about political situations 
all within one night.  No one protested against the law of 
no communication, and so the single night of the moon 
festival had turned into a holiday for the royal family.    
	This year the princesses were allowed to go by 
themselves.  They had neatly avoided having to bring Luna 
and Artemis with them by claiming that it was much too 
difficult to carry the royal advisors in their arms (a 
blatant lie, and the cats had not been amused), and Queen 
Serenity had conceded that they were old enough to be 
unaccompanied this year.   
	Not wanting to stray from the lake that was their 
route home, they had splashed and played like children, 
having one night, at least, carefree of all burdens. 
	And now it was gone.  Serena was still here, on 
Earth.  She didn't know who the man was, or why he had 
taken her wings...but he had taken her freedom away from 
her.  What could she do here, on Earth, away from her home 
and her life as a princess?  Away from her closest friends, 
and her protective mother?  They were all gone.  He had 
done that, and he had known it, Serena saw it in his eyes. 
	Crying still, but more subdued, Serena did not even 
notice the woman who had walked into the room quietly until 
she laid a hand on Serena's shoulders.  She looked up, 
startled, into the beautiful face that held traces of 
wisdom in her warm brown eyes.  	
	"Hush, child, it's all right.  I promise you, no harm 
will come to you as long as you here."  The woman smiled at 
Serena, and she stopped her crying, suddenly comforted by 
the woman's kind presence who reminded her of her mother.   
	"Now, dear, who are you?"  Her voice was gentle and 
she looked at Serena with caring in her eyes.  
	Serena, knowing she meant no harm to her, said 
softly, "Serena.  My name is Serena."  
	The woman smiled again.  "Serena, that's a wonderful 
name.  I'm Lia.  Now, how did you come to be here?"  She 
had noted the girl's lack of clothing, and her presence in 
her son's chambers was shocking, especially considering her 
extreme youth.  However, she gave her son the benefit of 
the doubt, as he had never before done anything that she 
had to reprimand him for.  He had been sitting outside the 
door with a murderous look on his face, but Lia had seen 
the hurt look in his eyes, and had immediately known 
something was wrong.  She had only been able to get some 
jumbled facts from him, mainly that he had found a girl 
(lost?) and that she was crying in his room alone.  It was 
by far the strangest event that had happened to him, or her 
for that matter.  
	Serena realized she could not tell this woman 
everything, who was most likely related to the young man 
who had...kidnapped her.  It would be betraying her family.  
"I got lost..." she said, knowing it was a tepid excuse in 
itself.  "I couldn't find my way back and I was left 
behind..."  
	Lia, saddened by the poor girl's situation, softly 
asked, "Your family, friends?"  
	Serena sighed sadly.  "All gone.  They were here for 
the Moon festival, and they had to leave without me."  It 
was partly true.  "In a year, I can meet with them again."  
Her sadness at finding herself alone overwhelmed her.  "But 
now..."  
	Lia made a decision.  "For now, Serena, you needn't 
worry.  You may stay here, at the palace until you meet 
your family again."  She instinctively knew that this girl 
was very special, and needed to be protected.
	Serena gave a small smile, which had the effect of 
lighting up her sad face.  Lia felt a surge of motherly 
protectiveness for the young girl, and cautiously asked, 
"Did anyone hurt you?"  She would certainly strangle her 
son if he had done anything improper, and the fact that 
Serena was only wearing the prince's cloak was suspicious 
enough.  Her son had always behaved as a true gentleman, 
but then again Lia did not know what went on in his head. 
	Serena shook her head.  She didn't know how she had 
gotten to the elegant palace, but other than being a long 
ways from her home and without her friends, she was not 
physically hurt.  
	"Who was that man?" she asked.  
	Lia looked at her in surprise.  Not only was she an 
innocent, but she was definitely not from around here.  No 
one who lived in the capital city was unaware of who the 
royal family was, especially the Crown Prince.
	With an odd look, she answered, "He's my son, Prince 
Darien of the Earth."  Recognition and shock flashed in 
Serena's bright blue eyes.  At least she was somewhat aware 
of the events going on around her.  
	"Oh!  Your highness...I'm grateful for your 
help...but I don't...I don't have to see him, do I?" Serena 
asked nervously.  No matter how handsome he was, or how 
blue his eyes were...Serena winced inside.  She could not 
face the man who had taken her wings, although she knew 
that she would have to demand her wings back from him one 
day. 
	Lia frowned.  "How did you meet him?"  'What 
happened?' she added silently.  
	Serena couldn't possibly tell her the truth of what 
had happened and where she came from.  "He found me...  I 
can't possibly face him after the way he found me...I was 
so scared..."  Her voice dropped to a low whisper as she 
recalled what she had been wearing and what he must have 
seen.  
	After ascertaining that Serena was ashamed, but had 
not been hurt by her son, Lia puzzled at the extraordinary 
girl in front of her.  She would've questioned her more, 
but the distress in Serena's blue eyes halted her.
	"Serena, you needn't worry.  You're safe here.  Wait 
a few moments and I'll be back to help you dress."  She was 
rewarded by a renewal of Serena's bright smile, and Lia 
hurried out of the room to her own chambers.  She stopped 
at the doorway to give her rebellious son a look that 
would've frozen him to the floor if he hadn't already fixed 
himself there.  
	Wanting to go back in but knowing she would only tell 
him to leave, Darien debated with himself for a long while, 
until his mother came back abruptly holding a bundle of 
clothes.
	A question concerning Serena was on the tip of his 
tongue, but his mother shot him another angry look and 
briskly shooed him away.  She made it clear he was not to 
be hovering around.  With no other choices open to him, 
Darien went out to the back fields where the generals, his 
closest friends, were avidly training.  His thoughts were 
still on Serena.   
	Inside Darien's chambers, Lia helped Serena into a 
dress that she herself had worn as a princess.  Its 
material was still of high quality, a soft shimmering white 
that was cut modestly at the bodice while its short sleeves 
were embroidered in gold.  It clung to Serena's shapely 
curves and Lia felt a motherly approval for the striking 
picture that she made.  She could see, now, why her son had 
been compelled to bring her to the palace and protect her.  
Her anger at him waned, since he had not done anything 
dishonorable, although he had apparently frightened the 
poor girl out of her wits.
	Serena took the brush that Queen Lia had brought and 
began brushing out her rumpled hair.  Expertly, she managed 
to twist the bright golden hair into two shining streams of 
hair that flowed from the base of two buns.  Lia raised her 
eyebrow at the interesting hairstyle; it was one she had 
never seen before.  
	Hearing her stomach grumble, Serena blushed.  Lia 
laughed, and gestured for Serena to follow her.  

***

	"Darien, where'd you disappear to last night?" 
Jadeite called out to Darien as he engaged in a casual 
swordfight with an equally relaxed Nephrite.  
	Darien shrugged, and grabbed a sword from the stack 
of weapons and swung it easily through the air.  
	"What time did you get here?  We were out in the 
courtyard till two..."  Malachite's voice drited over from 
where he was sparring energetically with Zoisite.  
	Darien, practicing maneuvers by himself, remained 
silent behind his impenetrable mask on his face.  The 
others slowed their exercises and raised their eyebrows at 
each other as their prince ignored them.  
	While puzzling over their leader's moodiness, the 
generals heard laughter in the distance and turned to see 
the Queen and a young girl walking by.  
	They respectfully bowed, and Darien turned to see the 
object of their greeting.  
	There she was, the epitome of grace and beauty in his 
mother's old dress.  She had twisted her silky golden hair 
into an unusual hair style that consisted of two buns on 
her head, so the total length of it did not hang down past 
her feet anymore.  She looked much happier than when he had 
last seen her, but while she smiled and curtsied to his 
generals, she refused to even meet Darien's face. 
	Queen Lia watched the interplay between her son and 
Serena with interest.  Darien had frozen, intently staring 
at Serena, while she maintained an air of unaffectedness, 
and was pointedly not meeting Darien's eyes.  As Lia nodded 
to the generals and her son, she motioned for Serena to 
continue walking.  
	'I'm not sure where Darien found this girl...but 
she's affecting him in a way like no other ever has...'  
Deep in her thoughts, she listened to Serena exclaim at the 
palace grounds with a smile.  

***

	Darien continued to stare longingly at Serena's 
figure in the distance, numb by her beauty and the fact 
that she hadn't even looked at him.  The generals had also 
been astounded by the mysterious girl's appearance, but 
they did not have the same struck expression that was on 
Darien's face.  They might have laughed if they hadn't also 
see the pain that lingered in his dark blue eyes. 
	Glowering fiercely, Darien dropped the sword he had 
been clenching tightly and stormed off.  

***

	Serena was thoroughly enjoying herself.  She had to 
admit, now that the initial shock had worn off, that she 
had always looked at the mysterious planet of Earth 
longingly, and had always wanted to meet the people who 
lived there.  She had known, of course, of the King and 
Queen and the Crown Prince, but had never even seen them.  
And now here she was, living in the palace with them!  
	She had always been a bright child, loving her life 
and living it to the utmost.  Bickering with Raye, shocking 
Amy with her un-princesslike ways, gossiping with Mina, and 
discussing boys with Lita...and then there was her mother, 
who had always been there for her.  She knew that they were 
worried about her, and she felt guilty for not being with 
them.    
	But as long as she was here on Earth...for one year, 
she was definitely stuck here, whether she liked it or not.  
She knew that she had to make the best of it, and that 
eased the guilt in her heart.  That also gave her plenty of 
time to figure out a way to get her wings back, and she 
might as well find out more about what life was like on 
Earth.  Her mother might be proud of her.   
	The Queen of Earth had been extraordinarily kind to 
her, for which she was grateful, offering her protection 
and a refuge for her confused self.  She was like a 
tropical bird in an unknown land, and she was only 
beginning to see the beauty of the land before it.  
	And the food!  It was a whole new world of pastries 
and confections that had opened to her.  She had utterly 
floored the queen when at their first meal together, 
astonishing her with the amounts of food that she had 
consumed.  Serena either ate with the queen or by herself, 
glad that Queen Lia gave her the option of avoiding the 
public spectacle of eating in the Great Hall.  And of 
seeing *him*. 
	Her thoughts led her back to the man who had been the 
reason for her being here, and she lingeringly thought of 
how strong and handsome he was, before she caught herself 
and abruptly reminded herself of what he had done.  
	'He took away your freedom,' she told herself.  
	'And gave you the freedom of living a life you never 
had before,' a little voice mocked herself. 
	'No, my wings were my freedom...' 
	'Were they?  Or were they your prison...keeping you 
from knowing all of the wonderful experiences out there?' 
	Serena sighed.  

***

	As the days, and eventually weeks passed, Serena 
charmed everyone around her.  Her lilting laughter echoed 
in the hallways, and even servants smiled when they heard 
it.  Her presence had been accepted by the king without 
question, especially since Queen Lia herself had taken a 
protective interest of the girl.  She asked Serena no 
questions, but gave her the freedom to do as she wished and 
let her see what their city had to offer.  Serena happily 
and curiously attended all of the court functions that 
Queen Lia invited her to, but luckily they were few and far 
between, as Serena much preferred being outside in the 
Earth's glory rather than being cooped inside.  Oblivious 
to all at such events, she maintained the calm demeanor 
that she had practiced on the Moon, and she never even 
noticed Queen Lia's speculative eye on her.  For, while 
Serena was not aware of it, she attracted the attention of 
all eligible (and ineligible) young men in the vicinity, 
which included Prince Darien.  
	Serena, on her side, delighted in exploring the 
palace grounds.  She was curious as to what lay beyond it, 
as she knew that one day she would have to return to the 
lake, but she knew that it was yet a long time off.  She 
merrily visited the kitchens and the servants' quarters 
with a bouncy step, and wheedled extra goodies that she 
tucked away with an unending appetite.  Her unusual 
hairstyle soon became a familiar sight around the palace, 
but they were never still for long, as she rushed from one 
place to another with a constant urgency that surprised 
everyone.  
	She knew she was to be on Earth for one year, whether 
she liked it or not, and had made up her own mind to like 
it.  Queen Lia, or someone, had made sure that she never 
saw Darien at all, and his absence let Serena divert her 
attention among less disturbing subjects.  She still missed 
her friends, but her days were filled with such interesting 
activities that she managed to escape weeping for their 
absence.  She knew, after all, that she would have a chance 
to go home in a year.  She worried occasionally, but she 
knew that her mother would be able to tell that she was 
alright on Earth.    
	She shut out of her mind all the events that had led 
to her being on Earth, and never wondered why she couldn't 
really hate the man who had taken her wings, even though 
she should.  And she never thought about how she would get 
her wings back if she never talked to the man who must know 
where they were.  

***

	Darien managed to barely keep himself from throwing 
himself at Serena the moment he had seen her golden 
ponytails go flying around the corner.  
	He sighed as he leaned back against the wall.  It 
seemed that Serena was fitting into palace life just fine, 
thanks to his mother.  She also seemed to not be disturbed 
by his disappearance from her life, especially after he had 
been the one to drag her to the palace in the first place.  
	After Serena's first morning at the palace, Queen Lia 
had taken Serena under her wing and given her a place of 
honor and privilege at the court.  He had often watched 
Serena solemnly take a seat at royal functions, smiling as 
he spotted the mirth in her eyes as she tranquilly observed 
the proceedings.  She was like a beacon of light, and she 
had charmed all of those around her, from his father to the 
kitchen cook.  
	He knew all about how she managed to sneak extra food 
from the cooks, and how she had gained access to all of the 
royal gardens in less than a day.  He heard her laughter 
echo through the hallways and he would longingly wish to 
hear it coming closer to him.  
	Unfortunately, his mother had ripped into him that 
first day, and made it quite clear she wanted him to stay 
around from her new ward.  He recalled the memory with a 
wince...
	"Darien, are you going to tell me that you have done 
absolutely nothing harmful to the girl, and she is 
irrational and afraid of you for no reason at all?"  The 
look in Lia's eyes was not one Darien had seen since he was 
young.  
	Darien remained silent. 
	Lia continued.  "Since I was able to figure out that 
at the very least, you treated Serena as a gentleman, I am 
not going to kill you.  Besides that reason, you're also my 
son.  But still, she is not telling me how or why she was 
left behind when her family left the Moon festival, and I 
think you have something to do with it."  Seeing the look 
of guilt that flashed through his eyes, she pressed on.  
"Darien, I am telling you that you are not to go near 
Serena during her time here.  I want her to adjust, and 
your presence would not help her any.  She's just a child, 
and she's apart from her parents and her friends.  Darien, 
think of what it must be like.  You obviously disturb her, 
so this is not a request, and I don't give a damn if you 
are my son or the Crown Prince, you will listen to what I 
say!"  And with that, his mother had stormed out.  And his 
father had been no help, only pausing to tell Darien that 
he was deferring to his mother on this issue.  
	A worse punishment than that his mother could not 
have inflicted.  Instead of winning her trust, he saw 
Serena happily fit into court life as if she had been born 
into it, not lacking anything.  Not lacking his presence.  
Not like how he missed her presence, that he had been in 
for such a fleeting amount of time.  
	It was the most ironic thing that could've happened.  
He had stolen the wings of the girl whom he had thought was 
a fairy so that she would stay on Earth with him, and it 
turned out that she was not only a real girl...but the most 
amazing, brightest star he would ever know, or ever hope to 
know.  And she hated him.  
	Moodily heading to his own chambers, he thought of 
how others had received the benefit of her glow.  All four 
of his generals seemed to be getting to know her quite 
well, much to his ire.  They had asked him why he didn't 
want to get to know Serena better, but he had merely 
grunted and said he had his own reasons.  He couldn't 
possibly tell them.  
	Alone in his room, Darien sighed.  He remembered 
watching Serena wake up in his bed, blinking softly and 
looking around in adorable confusion.  And then she had 
fixed her beautiful blue eyes on him and told him to get 
out.  
	He groaned, and from the corner he pulled out his 
cape, which he had tucked away neatly after she had left it 
behind.  It still had her scent on it, that of roses 
and...a sweet, mysterious smell that he couldn't quite 
identify.  It was a scent reminiscent of the atmosphere 
that night on the lake, so magical.  
	He sighed.  He knew that he would have to talk to her 
eventually...she would demand her wings from him, and he 
would not be able to deny her.  But how he wanted to be her 
friend...more than a friend...hell, he just wanted to be 
with her.  He looked outside his bedroom window and dropped 
the cloak, forgotten, as he saw Serena head merrily outside 
the palace walls.  He made a decision, and threw caution to 
the winds.  Again.    

***

Stay tuned...

*I always love comments, so e-mail! =) 
Besides, it always encourages me to write more! 

w. bymeeh
Jhyunl@aol.com