Notes: This is a complete re-vamping of the original idea I had for this fic about 2 years ago. At first, I was going to set it in the Alan/Ann story arc, but then I decided, since the complications involved in resurrecting one of the characters I needed was too much of a bother, to push the fic back into the appropriate timeline.

Also, although I prefer the original version of sailor moon, I `grew up' on the dic dub, so I'll be using the American names, power attacks, etc. (just so you know, and are aware that I DO like the original better) Hmmm, let's see, do I have anymore notes? Well, just one, I've played around a little bit with the timeline, but if you've followed the dic dub, then assume that everything happened as it did in the show up until `a crystal clear destiny' (where they found out that sailor moon was the moon princess) Even that episode happened naturally up until the end, only in this alternate sailor moon universe, the scouts managed to recover from their shock and attack Malachite and Zoycite, thereby preventing them from making off with Tuxedo Mask. (Yes, so that means no `evil Darien' in this fic. I never liked him anyway. In the dub, he was too dense to remember his own name, even when Beryl called him by the same one!) All right, that's enough with the notes, and on with the fic! (I hope you're not TOO confused in the beginning, but don't worry, it all becomes clear soon. (Hopefully)
Margi-chan

A Rose By Any Other Name:
By: Margi-chan

Prologue:

Damiana loved her garden. Even at the young age of eighteen she had a lot of responsibilities and her life was more often than not fast-paced and hectic. As such, her rose garden, which her brother had had built for her, was one of the few places where she could be alone.

The girl sighed, feeling the cool, salty breeze push back her bangs as she leaned against the delicate, narrow rail that separated the far side of her walled-in garden from the towering sea cliff that it overlooked.

Lately, her father had been pressuring her to get married. He said it was unseemly that a girl of her age had not yet chosen a husband and started a family of her own.

Even her brother had begun to side with him on the issue, which troubled her to no end, for although the two of them were ordinary siblings, they had always shared with each other a bond that was normally only found among twins.

Marriage...at the very thought, the young princess bit her lip slightly, staring down at the slate-colored waves below that were capped with crests of white, indicating that there was a storm out over the sea.

It wasn't that Damiana hated the idea, truth be told, sometimes, the notion was very appealing to her when she compared it with her current life, and she had agreed with her brother when he had said that it would be good for her, as long as it was with a man that she truly loved.

However, Damiana had an unavoidable duty that she could not ignore, not even for romance. Love and marriage, she mused, those were things that her brother could dream of, but it wasn't so easy for her.

Her older brother was the firstborn child, the heir, and as such, he would become the ruler of their kingdom upon the eventual death of their father.

To him fell the responsibility of choosing a suitable woman to become the future queen, and the mother of the next heir, not his younger sister. In truth, had the late queen not been who she had been, then Damiana would have been just an ordinary princess, a lovely girl much beloved by her father and brother, but one that would have been married off as soon as she had reached an acceptable age.

However, queen Doralia had once been the chieftess of a tribe of strong, free-spirited people that lived to the far north of their kingdom. They called themselves the Kelltai, and although they were often considered to be barbarians by the `civilized' cultures around them. Damiana knew that the Kelltai were a very special people who knew many secrets about magic, nature, and the planet itself that no one else did, she herself was living proof of that.

Queen Doralia had died giving birth to her daughter, but she had left a letter with her nursemaid, with the strict instructions that she was not to open it until the spring of her fourteenth year, it was as if the queen had known her fate even before it had come to pass.

On the appointed day, the young princess had been given the sealed scroll, and she had quickly retreated to her beloved garden, wanting to be alone when she opened the treasure from the mother she had never known.

Sitting on the soft spring grass amid the sweet-smelling blooms of the white roses that were her favorite flowers, she had broken through the wax seal, thinned a little from the passage of years, and had unfolded the parchment, peering down with rapt attention at the clear, elegantly-written script that had been her mother's handwriting.

"My dearest daughter,
      As I write this, my labor pains have only just begun, and though the midwife assures me that everything is going well, I know that I will not live to see the dawn of another day, though I hope beyond hope that I will be allowed to see your beautiful face before I pass from this life.
      You may think it strange that I know this, and indeed, everyone in the palace thought it odd that I have always been certain that the child I carry now is a daughter, even from the earliest days of my pregnancy. But, among other skills, our people have always had a talent for knowing things, even before they happen.
      You arrived on the eve of the winter solstice, and had you been born among your true people, that simple fact alone would have been proof enough of just how special you are. Our true people...this would have been so much easier if I had stayed among them instead of passing the leadership to my sister, Austara, in order to follow my heart and marry your father, but one cannot avoid one's destiny, remember that.
      Though you are by blood only half-Kelltai, you are a true child of my tribe, as is your brother, though he must follow a different path than the one that fate has in store for you. Make no mistake, my daughter, over the years, I have come to love the people of this land, and your father and brother are both a part of my heart always, as you are as well. I have done my best to protect them in the past, as is my duty, but my time is now done.
      Among the women of our people, there has always been the Terragaurde, the earth soldier, the guardian of nature and the planet itself. In my youth, I was this sacred warrior, as was my mother and her mother before her, and so it has always been and always will be. On this the eve of my death, I am relieved that I have finally given birth to the daughter who will take my place.
      Damiana, my daughter, in the language of your true people your name means `hope of the earth', and that is exactly what you are. You are now of the age to become the Terragaurde, and it is time to accept your birthright and to take the sacred wand into your hands, which I have sealed inside this scroll. simply hold it high and shout 'Earth Power', and things will happen as they should.
      Use the power that your heritage has given you, and protect the people and creatures of this world from the forces of darkness, which I sense are even now beginning to close in around us from beyond, but more than this, always remember to follow what is in your heart, for oftentimes, the heart will show the truth far more easily than the mind or eyes.
      One day you will pass this charge to your own daughter, and the cycle will begin again. But until then, do your best, and we will meet one day in the gardens of heaven.

With all my love,
Your mother,
Chieftess Doralia of the green mountain Kelltai, and queen of the kingdom of Atlanticus."

For several long, eternal moments, the girl had stared down at her mother's words, even going to the point of re-reading the letter once or twice before she finally put it down, suddenly aware of the tears stinging her eyes.

Then, hesitantly, she'd reached inside the sealed scroll that had contained the parchment with the queen's message, and had been surprised when her fingers had closed around a cool, metal object. Slowly, she had opened her hand, and had gazed intently at the strange item that was cradled in her palm.

It was an unusual color, a meld of blue and green that seemed to bring to one's mind both the infinite depths of the sea, and the emerald hue of the tall, tree-covered mountains. It was capped with a crest of silver metal, at the center of which was a carved symbol, which she finally recognized was the ancient sign for the earth.

More than a little puzzled by the item and the words of her mother's letter, Damiana had stood, the small wand still in hand as a troubled frown crossed her lovely young face.

But then, slowly, her frown had been replaced with an expression of resolution, and she had held the wand up high as her mother had instructed her to, hesitating for only a moment before shouting out the designated phrase.

There would never be any words to properly describe what had happened next, but even so, the events that had been triggered had only confirmed Doralia's beliefs, and her young daughter had indeed become the famed Terraguarde of the Kelltai, the earth warrior, much to her father's displeasure.

At the memory, Damiana sighed. Becoming a warrior had been her destiny, just like it had been her mother's destiny before her. The Kelltai's ways were not the ways of the people of Atlanticus, and she knew that anything that had to do with the mysterious people of the forests and mountains made them uncomfortable, their king included.

Queen Doralia had managed, to a great extent, to adapt to her husband's kingdom with relative ease and success, and after only a few years, and with the fact that she eventually gave up her warrior ways and abilities, the citizens of her new home soon forgot that she had not always been one of them, and had accepted her completely and with much love.

However, once the young princess had inherited her mother's former powers as a sacred warrior, the people had been alarmed and disturbed, her father most of all. He had argued with her many, many times about it, insisting that she give the wand to him so she could no longer transform, and could go back to being the ordinary girl that she had been before, but Damiana had vehemently refused, saying that it had been her mother's last wish that she take her place, and the girl had hidden the precious object where only she could find it.

But, after the initial protests, as two or three years had passed, the people soon began to appreciate their princess's newly gained power. Horrible monsters had begun to attack the kingdom, and the smaller cities and villages that were also under its rule, and it was up to Damiana to defeat them time after time when the ordinary soldiers under her father's command had only failed.

She supposed that the main reason the people had distrusted it at first was because of the eerie correlation it had to the ancient Kelltai legends that told of a magnificent kingdom on the moon, and of other fascinating planets that existed beyond the earth, each with a female warrior fated to protect it from evil and harm.

Of course, they now knew that there `did' exist a kingdom on the moon, one with a degree of technology that was so far advanced from their people's own, that it made the citizens of Atlanticus at the very best suspicious, and at the very worst, openly afraid and hostile of anything that had anything to do with the superior kingdom.

At the thought, Damiana had given a gentle smile, remembering the peace delegation that had arrived from the moon kingdom only a year before. Their queen had been a beautiful woman with long silver hair and gentle blue eyes, and her young daughter who had accompanied her, the princess of the moon, had been equally as lovely, and charming, and had quickly stolen the heart of her beloved older brother.

There was no method of traveling to the moon kingdom among their people, but the moon princess, who seemed just as infatuated with the handsome prince as he was with her, had given him a special locket that would allow him to transport himself there whenever he wished.

Damiana was happy for her brother, but at the same time envied him as well. For although the moon princess, whom she had met once or twice, had invited her to visit her kingdom, her father had adamantly refused to let her go, and had restricted her to the palace until she had promised to obey his orders on the matter.

But, however grim the situation had appeared, she had the solace of her friends to comfort her, even though her brother was often away for extended lengths of time, with the golden-haired princess that he so loved. Her father had chosen four of the best soldiers of his army, and had ordered them to serve and protect her brother, the young prince. However, once his son had matured, and had become an excellent warrior himself, with the arrival of the little princess, the king had instructed them to become her guardians as well.

Although formal-sounding as it was, Damiana treasured the four men with all of her heart, sharing a unique and special relationship with each of them, especially their leader, the man who was the strongest and the eldest among them.

My brother is the heir, free to love whomever he so chooses, she thought with a sudden pang of sharp sadness, but I am only an ordinary princess with no ruling power of my own, and one that has to remain a magical warrior who must use her powers to protect this land and it's people.

If my father and brother only knew.... Abruptly, the young princess sealed away the frightening thought. For although her brother's relationship with the moon princess was severely frowned upon, it was grudgingly acceptable, if only for the fact that the two were of equal rank, both born of royal blood.

However, the man that Damiana herself secretly loved was a common warrior, originating from a noble house it was true, but all of her father's finest soldiers were as such, and her head guardian was no exception to that fact. But he was not a prince, and so, even despite his prowess as a warrior, he would never be considered worthy enough to marry the king's daughter, even if they `were' of the same age.

Suddenly uncomfortable, Damiana straightened up, gazing out over the sea, at the distant, but inevitably approaching bulk of the storm clouds that were drifting across the gray, choppy waters. It fits the situation that the kingdom now finds itself in, she mused, shivering as a cold sea breeze chilled her.

The kingdom to the west of Atlanticus was ruled by a beautiful young queen, Beryl. In the early days she had been a kind and fair ruler, but during the last year, it was as if some kind of dark, evil force had overtaken her, and her kingdom was now shrouded in frightening shadows, filled with an army of monsters that she had sent to attack the neighboring lands, eventually conquering them and adding them to her own.

It was obvious that Atlanticus, the most powerful nation, and even the moon kingdom itself, were Queen Beryl's next targets, but so far, Damiana and her father's army had been able to fight back each successive attack, but she knew, with a sinking pit of fear deep in her stomach, that they wouldn't be able to hold out for much longer.

Suddenly, the sounds of boot heels against stone startled her, and she raised her head, only to see the figure of the man whom she loved above all others striding towards her, a worried expression on his fine-boned, handsome face.

When he was standing before the slight figure of the raven-haired princess, the commander glanced cautiously around, making sure that the two of them were completely alone, before he gently took her into his arms, holding her against his chest in a tender embrace.

"I've been looking for you all morning," he scolded in his soft, deep voice, one hand gently stroking her long hair, "Everyone has been worried about you, your father, your brother, the others, and especially me. You're working yourself too hard, Damiana, fighting those monsters of Beryl's is too dangerous! They get stronger every time that she sends them, if you don't stop, you're going to get yourself killed, and I can't allow that! I won't allow that!" he whispered, clutching her tighter to him.

"Demetrius," she said softly, sliding her arms around the tall man who had always seemed, to her at least, to be filled with a sense of angelic strength and grace, "I am what destiny has always intended for me to be, a warrior. It is my duty to protect this kingdom and it's people, no matter what the personal danger or cost happens to be." Her expression softened as she saw the sincere fear in his beautiful, metallic eyes that her words evoked, "I know all of you worry about me, trust me I do, but believe me, I have no intentions of being killed anytime soon, especially by any of Queen Beryl's lackeys! After all," she added in a quieter, hesitant voice, as if she were afraid of being overheard, "I wouldn't want to leave the people I love, you most of all."

Demetrius sighed, leaning over to give her a tender, chaste kiss before he once again raised his head, still holding her in his embrace. "It's dangerous for us to be together, even here, isn't it?" the tall commander asked softly.

Reluctantly, Damiana nodded, instinctively clasping him closer to her, "Yes," she answered fearfully. "If anyone were to find out how we really feel about each other, there's no telling what my father would do, or my brother!"

"I know," he replied, his normally controlled, confident voice sounding helpless. "The difference in our ages alone would be enough to infuriate most people, but the fact that I am also your father's head commander and one of your personal guardians only complicates the matter. Even if I `were' of royal blood, which I am not, if our true relationship was ever discovered, I would be guilty of treason, and branded a traitor."

Damiana bit her lip in silent misery, but he continued, "But still," Demetrius whispered, raising one hand to gently stroke his fingers over her left cheek, "No matter who might consider it wrong, I can't control the feelings that are inside my heart, and I can't change the fact that I am in love with you, and always will be, no matter what 'anyone' may say!"

"Neither can I," the young princess answered softly, reaching up to gently grasp his hand. "I don't care how different we are, you're the man I love, and the only man that I'll ever love."

Emotion quickly overtaking reason, they embraced each other with a fierce need, as if they were afraid that they were about to be separated forever, and Damiana closed her eyes as she felt his lips cover hers with a gentle sweetness that expressed clearly his love for her, and only affirmed her own love for him in return.

One moment, it was as if they were standing in the midst of a beautiful dream, locked in each other's arms and kiss amid the sea of red and white roses that filled her walled garden and overlooked the sea that crashed and danced far below, but then, it became a scene that had only played itself out before in her darkest nightmares.

The sudden snap of a dry twig brought Damiana and her love abruptly back to reality, and they turned their heads, only to see the tall, handsome form of her elder brother, clad in the armor and cape that he almost always wore when visiting the moon kingdom, and his beloved princess.

For an instant, his expression revealed only utter shock as he stared at the sight of his precious younger sister held in the embrace of the leader of her guardians, a man who he had just seen passionately kissing her mere moments before.

But then, his handsome features darkened in fury, and his blue eyes seemed to blaze with righteous fire as he stepped forward, drawing his sword, "Traitor!!" he snarled at the taller, much older soldier. "My father and I trusted you to protect Damiana, to keep her safe from harm, and you DARE to take advantage of her trust and innocence? I'll see you executed for this! By my own hands!"

"My prince," Demetrius began quickly, releasing the princess and turning to face the infuriated young man, "Please, allow me to explain, it isn't what it looks like, believe me-"

"Not what it looks like?" the prince demanded in a scornful voice that was very unlike him. "I see you holding a girl in your arms in the same manner that a man should only hold his wife or lover, a girl young enough to be your own daughter I might add, and you say it's `not what it looks like'! Then tell me, Demetrius, what is it `supposed' to look like?"

Flustered, the handsome commander flushed, and seemed unable to respond to her brother's demand.

"I'll take your silence as an admission of guilt," the young prince said coldly, his grip tightening on his sword. "Now traitor, you will die for your crimes, by my sword!"

Before he could lunge forward, Damiana stepped in front of Demetrius, shielding him with her slender form, "Brother please!" she pleaded desperately. "Don't hurt him! You don't understand, it's not his fault, it's mine! I LOVE him!!"

For a moment, he stared at her, an incredulous expression on his face. "I can't believe what I just heard you say!" he said in outrage. "Damiana, this man has deceived and used you! You're too young to know what love is, and I won't let this perverted bastard treat you like a common harlot any longer!"

Immediately, Damiana felt her heart grow hot with a fury all her own, and her emerald eyes blazed in anger. "No brother," she said coldly, "You are the one who is wrong. You may be this kingdom's heir, but I am its chosen warrior! My feelings are my own, and I know that I love this man, no matter what you or anyone else says about it! And I will NOT allow him to be harmed!"

"You're talking crazy!" the prince snapped angrily, moving quickly forward to push her aside before she had a chance to resist. "Demetrius has corrupted you, and I am going to stop him now before he does any worse!" That said, her brother raised his sword, preparing for a killing strike that Damiana saw, to her horror, that the older man was going to do nothing to avoid.

On instinct, the princess rushed forward, once again imposing herself between the man she loved, and her infuriated brother, seizing hold of her brother's hands where they tightly grasped the hilt of his upraised sword. "Endymion, please!!" she begged with all the fear and desperation that her voice could possibly hold, tears like delicate chips of silver crystal flowing from her brilliant eyes. "Don't do this!!"

For a brief moment, her brother's eyes softened as he saw the grief on his younger sister's face, but then, as his gaze moved to lock on the tall figure of the man behind her, they once again darkened in relentless anger.

"Damiana," he said in a voice laced with cold steel, "Get out of the way."

"No!!" she said defiantly. "I won't let you hurt him!!"

Instantly, the prince's control shattered in a burst of irrational fury, and with a surge of abnormal strength that had been granted to him by his turbulent emotions, he thrust her roughly backwards with a powerful lurch of his arms. "I said get out of the way!!" he shouted, even as she stumbled back, losing her balance and footing as she struck the narrow railing of her seaside balcony, inadvertently colliding with a weak section of the delicate stone.

The next moment, the young prince felt his fury fade into horror as he saw, helpless to do anything to stop it, the fragile stone of the balcony rail that his sister had hit crumble and fall away over the side of the towering, deadly cliff that overlooked the gray waters of the storm-roughened sea far below, taking the flailing, terrified girl with it as she plunged to her death.

And the last thing she heard, before oblivion claimed her, was the sound of both her brother and the man that she loved calling her name in voices filled with fear and panic.

"DEMETRIUS!!!" she somehow managed to scream out over the rush of the wind and the crash of the waves, not fearing the violent finality of her terrible fate, only the fact that she would now be separated from her true love, never to see him again....

With a low scream of terror, Dana Mitchell bolted upright in bed, her thin shoulders trembling through the soft cotton of her nightgown even as the nightmare slowly began to fade away.

Still trembling, she glanced over at her alarm clock, the glowing blue numbers displaying `3 am' as she shakily rose to her feet, walking across her bedroom floor and moving slowly into the bathroom that was attached to it.

Turning on the light, she lightly gripped a small pink plastic cup and poured herself a drink of water from the faucet, gulping it down before splashing a few handfuls of the cold, reviving liquid against her face, determined to free herself of the disturbing images that the nightmare had caused.

"That same dream again," she whispered in a trembling voice, gazing up into the bathroom mirror a moment later. The image of the young girl who stared back at her looked pale and shaken, and just by glancing at the water-dampened bangs of her midnight-black hair, and the hollowness of her emerald green eyes, it was obvious that she was very frightened indeed, of something that she had no explanation for.

End of prologue.

Well, what did you think? Sucks, doesn't it? That's what I get for trying to write a sailor moon fanfic!