"But I don’t want to be married!" protested Hotaru.
	"Hotaru," replied her father, "You must be married. 
I'm getting old and I'm not the ruler I used to be. 
You're not old enough to rule on your own."
	"You'll just sell me off to your highest bidder, won't 
you?" she yelled.
	"Hotaru… You do have a dowry but…" the King replied 
from his sick bed.
	Hotaru just covered her face with her hands and ran 
out of the room, brushing past Kaori Knight, who was 
bringing the king his medicine on a tray.
	Kaori turned half way around to watch the princess run 
down the hall and turn the corner, with a look of 
resentment on her face.
	"Is that jealousy I see on your face, Kaori?" the King 
asked, half amused.
	Kaori turned from the doorway defiantly, and carried 
the tray over to the bed. "It is not proper for a 
princess to got running down a public hallway, and cry 
as though she were a child."
	The king laughed. Kaori Knight and Hotaru had never 
gotten along as the king would have liked them to. The 
Kings laughter turned into coughing, and he reached out 
for the goblet with his medicine on the tray.
	Kaori bowed, and held the tray out closer so he could 
reach better. She smiled to her self as she thought, 
'Surely the king will be better soon… After all, I did 
prepare the medicine myself.' Kaori had to try hard not 
to laugh as the king took his 'medicine'.
***
	"Hotaru!" yelled the pink-haired moon princess from 
the far end of the courtyard.
	Surprised, Hotaru turned from watching the roses in 
the garden sway in the wind and dance upon their 
leaves. "Rini!" she yelled in return. One of the few 
things, such as the roses, brought Hotaru out of the 
miserable solitude that came from being in a castle 
with a dying father, and Kaori Knight.;  Visits from 
the moon princess, and her best friend, was one of 
them.
	They met halfway in the middle of the courtyard, and 
embraced, as only best friends could. They both talked 
and asked questions at once, and their words became a 
mix of nonsense. They both just laughed and decided to 
have a civilized conversation.
	"So, I heard they're marrieng you off," Rini asked 
quietly. She knew Hotaru was a romantic person, and had 
always wanted to fall in love and marry whom she would.
	"Yes," replied Hotaru sadly. "You know the condition 
of my father…" Hotaru asked.
	"I do," replied Rini. "May the moon goddess bless 
him."
	Hotaru almost smiled at this, but tears were welling 
in her eyes at the thought of her father, lying in his 
bed, becoming sicker and weaker every day.
	Rini decided this once the point in the conversation 
where she should do her 'every cloud has a silver 
lining' bit. "Well," Rini smiled cautiously. "I'm sure 
you'll meet the man of your dreams tonight at the 
ball!"
	Hotaru looked up, her eyes shining. "Do you really 
think so?" She asked excidedly.
	Rini smiled at her friend, happy to make her happier, 
even if only for a while. "I know so! Come," she pulled 
on Hotaru's arm. "It's time for lunch! And if I do say 
so, the Palace of Saturn has the best desserts in the 
galaxy!"
	Hotaru laughed, her troubles forgotten for the time 
being, and she and Rini ran arm in arm to the banquet 
hall. 
***