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	   	    Written by Avanla Mireille

Book Three, Chapter Four - "The Unexpected"
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	"You!?" Serena shouted, and he smiled playfully. Endymion
bowed his head, approaching her again.

	"None other." He said, and she backed away from him.

	"What are you doing here?" She shook her head incredulously.
His manner changed, his face becoming serious.

	"I wished to speak to you." He said.

	"Did you ever think I didn't wish the same?" She scowled,
trying to walk past him. However that was unsuccessful, as Endymion 
grabbed her arm. "Get off of me!"

	"Serena please..." Endymion begged and Serena huffed, turning
back to him.

	"Fine. Come, let's talk inside before we freeze to death."

	Serena opened the door to her rooms, and waited till Endymion
was inside to shut it. 

	"Listen Endy-" Her rantings were silenced however, as Endymion
covered her mouth quickly in a passionate kiss. Serena's anger faded
almost instantaneously, as she lost herself in his embrace. She pulled
away, momentarily breathless. Endymion pressed his forehead against
hers, running his hands down the sides of her face.

	"I've missed you Serena." He whispered, closing his eyes and
kissing her quickly. "I just had to see you again."

	"Endymion..." She trailed off, not sure of what to say.

	"There's something else I must tell you Serena, I cannot keep
it a secret any longer." Endymion began, and she opened her eyes to 
look up at him.

	"What is it Endymion?" Serena asked, pulling away so she could
see his face clearly. He slowly ran his hand down her cheek intimately,
and sighed deeply.

	"I love you Serena, I have from the moment I first met you. 
There was something there, something familiar but strange at the same
time. And I messed up by not telling you about Rosmund, but I didn't 
know how you would react. I-I didn't want to lose something I just 
found. So please tell me it's not too late to make amends, tell me
you feel something. You must." Endymion practically begged.

	Serena just stood there for a moment, trying to recollect her
scattered thoughts. Endymion loved her! Truly! 

	'What awful timing this man has!' She thought to herself. 'What
am I supposed to do? I am carrying his child, and a child always deserves
a father, but can I handle a husband? He will become ruler of Ielaque
and Alvediaca, and Maxxel warned me to chose my emperor carefully. I
didn't trust him, and look where I got him. Endymion has lied to me, 
lied about something important to me. What if he's lying about something
bigger?'

	"Serena?" She was called back to the matter at hand, and 
looked up into his eyes.

	"Is there anything else Endymion, that you're keeping from
me?" Serena asked. "I'm giving you a chance to admit anything, and I
might not understand, but I'll listen." He looked down at her, his face
suddenly contorted with pain and indecision. "Endymion?" He sighed,
shaking his head.

	"There is nothing else, I swear it." His lips moved, but Serena
paid no heed to them, but paid close attention to his eyes, which
looked to the left of her. They flashed with something deeper, and 
Serena knew he was lying. But she sighed, realizing he had made his
decision. She shook her head, turning away from him.

	"Alright." She said, enclosing her arms around her sides.

	"But-" Endymion walked around her, facing her bowed head. "Don't
you believe that I love you?"

	"I believe you." Serena nodded her head. "But-"

	"Well, what do you feel for me?" Endymion pressed.

	"I-" She looked up into his eyes, and smiled ruefully. "I love
you too, Endymion."

	"Then-" 

	"But I don't trust you, so therefore no matter how much I love
you, it doesn't matter." Serena walked away from him. She bowed her
head, placing her hands over her heart. "Please, go."

	"Serena I-" He reached for her, but she pulled away. "So you're
going to give up on me, just like that?" She didn't answer, and
refused to look up at him, knowing she couldn't very well do so without
breaking down. 

	"Serena?!...Fine." Endymion stormed to the door and wretched it 
open, but failed to walk outside. He turned his head back towards her and 
sighed deeply. 

	"Goodbye, Serena."

	Serena waited for the slam of the door before she ran to the
bed and collapsed on its plush surface. 

	"Goodbye."

-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-


	Serena stood off to the right with Genevieve, and watched as
the future queen of Deline walked down the long isle. She looked to
Solan to see him beaming with happiness.

	'Great,' She thought bitterly. 'At least one of us is happy.'
	
	Isabella smiled up at Solan, a pretty blush accenting her
high cheeks. They met at the platform, and the priest began the ceremony.
Serena tuned out, concentrating her gaze on the crowd. Most of them were
dressed in furs, but some were from distant lands and wore bright
colors of the south.

	She herself was dressed in a icy blue gown, with a high collar
and long, wide sleeves. Her hair weaved around her head, ending in a
tall bun with silver clips. Genevieve was dressed in a deep red dress,
with black furry muffs on the end of the sleeves. Her hair was in a 
French twist, with a crown placed among the brown locks. The two looked
at each other and smiled.


	That night with Endymion still haunted me. What could be so
terrible he would not tell me? Truthfully, I know we did not know each
other for that long, maybe a year or so, but even then our meetings
were infrequent, and letters hardly define a person. And did I truly 
love Endymion? I hardly know. How can you love someone who lies to you? 
Who keeps secrets, and..who's the father of your child?

	I think that night, that's when it really hit me. I was carrying
a life inside of me, the life that he and I had created out of my 
sorrow and need to be needed, to be loved. 

	Endymion and I....

	
	"May I proudly present, the King and Queen of Deline." The
priest's voice pulled Serena back, and she shook her head, placing
a fake smile on. She walked beside Genevieve and behind the new king 
and queen, her eyes not going unnoticed by Genevieve. They were frosted
over with happiness, but beneath lurked her real emotion; pain.

	"Serena, are you alright?" Genevieve asked, whispering in her
ear. Serena took a sharp intake of breath and let it out, turning to her.

	"Maybe someday." Was her only answer, as she hurried out the
door.

-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-

	Endymion arrived back in Ielaque and with haste slammed into
his rooms, leaving four confused generals, and one very pregnant lady
in his wake. 

	Kunzite cautiously opened the door and seeing Endymion standing
by the far off wall and just staring at it, walked in with the others
not far behind.

	"Your majesty?"

	"You know what's wrong with this palace?" Endymion asked, and
didn't wait for an answer. "There are no windows. No way of seeing the
outside world, just a wall of beige rock. I really do think we need a 
new palace." 

	Mina slowly walked up to him, and looked up into his darkened
face.

	"Endymion, what happened?" She asked, placing her hand on his
arm. Endymion sighed, shaking his head.

	"Nothing."

	"Nothing?" Jedeite repeated.

	"Yes," Endymion nodded, turning to them. He looked down at
Mina, defeat written in his eyes. "Nothing. It's over." He started to
walk out of the room, but Mina's voice called out to him.

	"So you're going to give up?" Endymion turned on his heels and
pointed at her.

	"No, she gave up on me!" He exclaimed, and pushed his way past
the generals. Kunzite looked up at his fiancée, who lowered her eyes
to the ground, staring at the intricate carpet.

-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-

	Two months later the weather had warmed up a bit in Deline,
and Lita and Rei arrived in a carriage, now that the roads were not
covered in ice.

	Serena smiled as they were helped out of the carriage, and
watched their faces light up in surprise at the sight of her and her
swollen belly.

	"Serena!" Rei hugged her tightly, followed by a tight squeeze
of the shoulders by Lita. "You look fabulous!"

	"No I don't," Serena laughed. "I look pregnant!"

	"Oh, that's just a minor detail." Lita waved her hand, and they
all laughed. "How have you been enjoying yourself so far?"

	"Well, we shall talk about that inside." Serena smiled, leading
them up the courtyard steps.

	"Oh, but we have a surprise." Lita grabbed her by the arm to 
stop her. "Lady!"

	The huge white cat popped its head out of the carriage, and
at seeing her mistress' face perked her ears up and jumped out. 

	"Lady!" Serena squealed happily, and bent down to hug her tiger.
"Aw, I've missed you so much! Thank you for bringing her!"

	"Well, she wouldn't stop whining." Lita said.

	"Just like you." Rei smirked, and Serena gave her an evil 
stare. "Can we please go inside now, it's freezing!"


	"So that's it?" Rei said as they sat on Serena's large bed. 
Serena reclined against Lady, who rested upon the pillows comfortably.
Lita and Rei were further down, resting up against the bed posts.

	"Yes," Serena shook her head. "That's it. He just left."

	"And you didn't tell him?" Lita said.

	"No, I didn't." She sighed, annoyed. 

	"You can't just let this end Serena." Lita said.

	"It never began." Serena shook her head.

	"Serena." Rei took her hand, and Serena looked up at her. "You're
carrying his child. I can assure you, this isn't a matter that can be
just forgotten."

	"Why not?" Serena shrugged. "So many other people can do it,
why can't I?"

	"Because you're not like all those other people." Lita piped
in. "And neither is Endymion." Serena grunted, throwing a pillow over
her face.

	"Can we talk about something else, please?" Came Serena's 
muffled plea. Lita and Rei looked at each other, sighing.

	"Alright, what do you want to talk about?" Rei asked, and 
Serena removed the pillow.

	"Thank you!" Serena sighed. "Okay well, tell me about your 
time back home."

	"It was wonderful to see the family again." Lita smiled. "My
little sister is so big now, and my father finally married again, she's
a really nice woman, I'm sure she'll make them very happy."

	"You know, your families could move into the palace apartments."
Serena suggested. "After all, Portrai and Alvediaca are one now."

	"We considered it," Rei nodded. "But my mother likes her 
position-"

	"And my father will never leave." Lita finished.

	"Your mother must be lonely though." Serena said. "She has no
one in Portrai any longer, how can she possibly stay?"

	"My mother is strong, and stubborn." Rei smiled slightly. "I
don't think she'll ever leave, she has too many memories of my father
there."

	"How can she live like that? Stuck in memories?" Serena asked.

	"Some people embrace their memories and get the most out of 
them, and are thankful for the time they had." Rei said. "They don't
hold on to the past bitterly, they move on."

	"Is that so?" Serena raised an eyebrow. "Then why won't your
mother leave?" They were silent for a moment, not sure of what to say.
Serena sighed, hugging the pillow to her chest, and shutting her eyes.

	"I'm tired. Please, leave me to rest." Serena asked, and Lita
and Rei once again looked at each other. Lita sighed and got off the
bed, Rei following suite.

	"Alright Serena." Rei said. "Rest well your majesty." Serena
watched as they left, and sighed when Lita shut the door behind her.
She snuggled up against Lady, who nuzzled her enormous head into 
Serena's hair affectionately.

	"Oh Lady, what are we going to do now?" Serena exhaled, turning
over on her side. She shut her eyes, drifting to sleep. 

-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-

	It was a dark day in the land, unusually cold and windy, but
still he refused to come inside. They had went to the other side of the
country, to the king's favorite vacationing castle. It was located 
right by a lake, poised in the middle of mountains. 

	Mina rested herself against the threshold of the veranda, 
placing her hands over her swollen stomach. He just sat there, staring
into oblivion with murky sapphire eyes, much deeper than usual. He
raised a glass of scarlet liquid to his lips, and took a quick sip. He
gazed into the swirling water, emotions running wild through every part
of him. Mina approached him, standing beside and behind his chair. He
sensed another presence, and turned his head a little till her saw
her.

	"Lady Mina." He said, turning back towards the lake.

	"Why won't you just tell her the truth?" Mina asked, and he
remained distant.

	"Why won't she?" He countered, not being ignorant or rude, but
truthful and practical. "Everyone carries secrets within them, secrets
they can never tell another soul, not even the other half of their own.
I lie to her to protect her, I do it for her. What is her excuse?"

	Mina sighed, sitting in the seat beside him slowly. He gave her
his hand instinctively, and she nodded a thanks. They both sat in silence
for awhile, and watched as a flock of geese flew overhead.

	"My head is already made up, Mina."

	"Maybe, but is your heart?"

	"What does it matter?" He huffed.

	"It means everything. In times of war and politics and other
things, your head is the best, but during these circumstances, the heart
knows best." Mina said. "You can't leave her like this, not now, not
when she needs you."

	"She's strong enough on her own." He said.

	"Not for this battle." Mina shook her head, and he turned to
her sharply.

	"Well, then it's her fault. If she would tell me, I would do
anything for her, I would protect her and do whatever I could." He
said.

	"Would you tell her the truth?" She asked, and he sighed, 
slamming his hands through her hair. "You know she'll-"

	"No." He shook his head and stood up. "No. It's over Mina, just
except it and move on like I have. I don't want to hear about this ever
again." Mina sighed, shaking her head as he stormed back into the 
palace.

	"If only you knew Endymion, if only you knew." 
	

	Mina returned to her and Kunzite's room and sat down on the 
bed, running her hand over her forehead.

	"What's wrong, love?" Kunzite asked, as he came from the 
bathroom.

	"Oh, Endymion and Serena." She sighed, and he climbed on the 
bed behind her. He leaned her against him, and began to massage her 
shoulders. "Hmm." She sighed happily.

	"Kunzite, there's something I have to tell you." She said,
turning to face him. "I told Serena I wouldn't tell anyone, but, I just
can't keep this a secret anymore. Promise me, PROMISE, you won't tell
anyone. Swear your child's life upon it."

	"I swear Mina." He nodded.

	"Alright. Serena is pregnant with Endymion's child." Kunzite 
looked at her long and hard, a confused and surprised look upon
his face. But after a moment he nodded his head, a regretful look in
his features.

	"I see."

	"You're not surprised?"

	"Of course I'm surprised, but now I understand what's going
on." He said, and hugged her close to him. "Everything will be alright,
even in the light of our recent circumstances, I know Endymion will do
the right thing."

	"I hope you're right. I'll be leaving in three weeks, to make sure
everything is ready for her return. I should be there before the news
reaches her." Mina said. "Oh, I pray he doesn't do what I think he will.
I just hope it's not too late."

-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-

	Serena arrived home the beginning of the following week, amidst
the peak of the rainy season. It was pouring outside as the wagon pulled
up, and servants rushed to it with a canopy. The door was opened, and
quickly Lita, Rei, and Lady jumped out. Serena poked her head out and 
sighed, letting a servant help her out. She wore a large black cape to 
hide her six month pregnant state, and pulled the hood up over her hair. 
Quickly they ran up into the palace, and as soon as Serena entered the 
hall, she was almost knocked over by an anxious Mina.

	"Serena!"

	"Mina!" The two hugged, laughing happily. "Why Mina, you're
enormous!"

	"Oh, thank you ever so much!" Mina scowled. "It could be any day
now, and I wish it would, my back is killing me, amongst other things!
How are you doing?"

	"This kid will not stop kicking! I've gotten about six hours
of sleep this whole entire week!" Serena whispered. "But that's what I
wish to discuss, I'm going to tell them." After greeting Broc, Anthony,
Artemis and Setsuna, Serena turned to them all.

	"Now, if you would all would be so kind as to follow me to the
throne room, I have something to discuss with you all." She said, and
they made their way up.

	"What is it, Serena?" Broc asked, as he shut the throne room
door.

	"Well, you see, there's going to be another member to the 
palace." She said.

	"Oh? What are you thinking? A new councilmen?" Anthony asked.
	
	"A new Commander in Chief?" Broc smirked.

	"No, I could never replace you, my dear." Serena smiled. She
sighed, taking off her cape. "I was thinking along the lines of a prince,
or princess."

	They stood there for a moment, their minds trying to catch up with
what they just heard. Setsuna laughed happily, covering her mouth with
her hand. 

	"My dear Lord!" Broc explained. "How!?"

	"Well, I do not think I really need to explain the process, do
I?" Serena smirked.

	"Oh, you know what I mean!" He scuffed. "Who's the father?"

	"Well...Endymion." Silence followed her announcement, as they 
looked at each other, uncomfortable and grave looks upon their faces. 
Serena looked at them confused, and then turn to Mina, who was the most
grave of them all. "Mina?"

	"Serena..." Mina sighed, twisting her hands, making Serena more
nervous.

	"Mina, what-what's wrong?" She demanded.

	"I'm sorry Serena, but," Mina looked her in the eye, shaking 
her head.
	
	"What!"

	"Endymion, he's...he's engaged, Serena."

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