This is a bit of an oddball story...It's unfinished...I'm trying to
decide whether to finish it...
Take a look and let me know if you think it's worth writing more of :)
The playground is normally an innocent place. Normally, however, it
isn't occupied by an eight foot tall green woman wielding a flaming
staff, five teenagers in sailor suits with superpowers, and a lot of
unconscious children.
Sailor Moon pointed at the creature. "I won't let the life force of
innocent children be stolen! Childhood should be a time of innocence and..."
While Sailor Moon was ranting, the creature tossed a small black
object right into Sailor Mercury's hands. "Catch." She did,
instinctively. Then it exploded...
The last thing she heard was Sailor Venus shouting, "NO!!!!!!!
MERCURY!!!!!!!!!"
*****************************************************************************
For a time, all was black and void. Am I dead? I didn't feel any
pain...where is everyone?" Then there was a breeze upon the surface of
the void, and light...
Mercury blinked. The world was lit once more. It was still night
time, but she was now in a ...forest?
She stood deep in a forest of deciduous trees. Two horses were
tethered to a tree nearby, each with a saddle and heavy packs. A little
farther away, a small wooden building with translucent orange windows
sat among the trees with its front door open. She could hear voices inside.
"Where am I? That must have been some sort of teleportation
bomb...I guess it wanted to get me out of the way." Mercury activated
her VR visor, setting it to scan for evil energies. None lingered. In
fact, the building seemed likely to be a holy spot.
A calm voice emitted from the building. "Sirs, this shield ought
not to be hanged about no knight's neck but the worthiest knight in the
world, and therefore I counsel you knights to be well advised." Whoever
it was, they were female, speaking in ever so slightly archaic Japanese.
Knights? WHERE am I? Sailor Mercury walked over to the doorway and
looked in. It was a simple Christian chapel, with a few benches, an
altar, a side door that likely lead to its caretaker's quarters, a large
cross on the wall behind the altar...and a white shield with a blood red
cross marked in its center, hanging on a pole behind the altar. What was
a shield doing hanging up by the altar of a church? Two figures clad in
armor stood before the altar with their backs to Sailor Mercury, but
facing an old woman in brown robes with an oddly shaved head. She had a
single lock of hair in the front, then was shaved back to about the
middle of his head, but still had hair in back and on the sides, just not
the top. A simple wooden cross hung from a leather cord around her
throat.
As Mercury watched, one of the knights strode over towards the shield.
The other spoke. "What happens if an unworthy knight takes the shield?"
It was a woman, with a lyrical voice, a voice that Sailor Mercury found
familiar...
"No woman may bear this shield around her neck but she be mischieved
or dead within three days, or maimed forever." The woman turned to the
advancing knight. "Let that be your warning if ye seek this adventure."
"I must take the adventure that comes before me," the knight said,
reaching out for the shield. "I'll not be scared off by the words of an
old nun who knows nothing of honor and glory." Her voice also sounded
familiar.
"I shall not attempt this adventure, Haruka, and I advise thee not
to attempt it either." Mercury blinked. Haruka? Could that be...yes,
that was Michiru's voice. What were they doing here?
She scanned the shield. No evil energies...but they might be masked
or something. What were Haruka and Michiru doing in armor? I'd better
do something.
Mercury said, "Hello, there! Where am I?"
The nun and the knight who sounded like Michiru turned to face
Mercury. The other knight, however, stepped forward and took the shield
off the pole. The nun said to Mercury, "Welcome, traveller to the Chapel
of the Shield, founded by Joseph of Arimathea in 45 AD. May you find
rest and peace here."
"I am Senshi Dodinas, and this is my adventuring companion, Senshi
Sagremor le Desirous," said the knight who had not taken the shield. Her
helmet was open, and she looked very much like Michiru. "Who I pray has
not been overly eager in this case."
The shield-bearing knight said to Senshi Dodinas, "I do what
should, and must be done. How could we pass up such an adventure as
this? It is for such as this that we became Senshi." She looked very
much like Haruka. Mercury now realized that they both looked about
twenty years older than the Haruka and Michiru she knew.
"You wouldn't happen to...know anyone named Haruka or Michiru would
you? And where...is this place?" I sound like an idiot. They might be
relatives. Senshi...Because they are knights? What IS going on here?
The two knights blinked. "You know...our secret names? What magic
is...wait, you look familiar." Senshi Dodinas furrowed her brows. "You
look rather like Senshi Bedevere. Are you her sister perhaps? And what
is that strange outfit you are wearing?"
Mercury smiled faintly. No stranger than yours. "It is my Senshi
uniform. I am Sailor Mercury. I fight for Love and Justice in the name
of the planet Mercury."
Haruka turned to Michiru. "How long have we been gone from
Camelot? I don't remember seeing her at the last gathering of the Round
Table we attended."
Round Table? Mercury blinked. That sounded familiar...What was
that from?
Michiru said, "She looks more a sorceress than a Senshi. No proper
armor for one thing." Turning to Sailor Mercury, she said, "Are you a
sorceress? I've never seen a Senshi who dresses like you."
"Umm, I suppose you could call me that. Where am I?"
"In the Forest Sauvage, in the realm of Logres, on the Isle of
Britain. We two are knights of the Round Table, sworn to defend this
land. I take it you have travelled far from home by some strange
adventure?" Haruka said.
"Yes, you could say that. Have you ever heard of Japan?" Blank
stares met that statement. Why are they speaking Japanese if they've
never heard of Japan?...Wait, Round Table...Britain...King Arthur! They
must be knights serving King Arthur! Then why is everyone speaking
Japanese? Or are we speaking English and I haven't noticed somehow?
This is confusing me.
"Japan? Is that somewhere in Africa?" Michiru said.
Haruka snapped her fingers. "It's the kingdom of Prester John! Right?"
Sailor Mercury sighed. "So you serve King Arthur?"
"King who?" Haruka said.
The nun furrowed her brow. "He is obscure to me also. Who is he
married to?"
"Queen Guenevere."
Michiru shook her head. "Never heard of either of them. We serve
the High Queen of Britain, Rei Pendragon and her consort, King Mamoru."
Sailor Mercury, quite appropriately, fainted.
*****************************************************************************
That's as far as I've gotten....I do have a casting list worked out, with
its own twisted logic...Take a look and let me know what ya think:
Uther =
Igraine =
Morgan = Beryl
Morgawse = Zoicite <This is the Male Zoicite, btw :)...note that Malachite
is Lamorak, who was Morgawse's lover in the Arth.
legends>
Arthur = Rei <Why Rei? To get the A-G-L triangle to parallel the
Guenevere = Mamoru R-M-U triangle...especially since it let me use
Lancelot = Usagi Chiba-Usa as Galahad :)>
Ector = Grandpa
Kay = Yuuichiro <Yeah, he doesn't have the temper, but nothing is
perfect.>
Merlin = Artemis
Vivian = Luna <Vivian is the Lady of the Lake who raised
Lancelot and gave Excalibur to Arthur.>
Nimue = Miss Haruna :) <I'm open to better suggestions...I really
couldn't come up with a better idea...She's
the one who trapped Merlin in the tree/cavern>
Lot = Mistress Nine <Again, I'm open to suggestions. I need a
woman, preferably evil. Lot was King of Lothian
and husband of Morgawse, who is Zoicite here.>
Gawaine = Prisma <Chosen because the first four here are full
Gaheris = Avery brothers...Mordred is their half brother--
Gareth = Birdy Arthur and Morgawse were his parents.>
Agravaine = Catsy
Mordred = Hotaru
Bedevere = Ami <The wisest of the knights of the Round Table>
Percival = Minako <Percival and Bors were two of the three knights
Bors = Makoto who succeeded in finding the Holy Grail. Bors
was the only one who came back...>
King Mark = Umino <King Mark is the Comedy Relief knight of the
legends...He tries to be heroic and fails
miserably...He's more of a bastard than Umino
really is, though...Suggestions?>
Tristam = Nephrite <Tristam loved Isoud, but had to let his liege,
Isoud = Naru King Mark, marry her...this eventually led to
trouble.>
Elaine = Motoki <Suggestions here...Elaine was Galahad's mother
Dame who seduced Lancelot by impersonating Guenevere
Brisen = Unazuki :) with Dame Brisen's magic...I chose Motoki because
Galahad = Chiba-Usa he at least had vague romantic connections to
Usagi, but other suggestions eagerly taken.>
Turquin = Jadeite <Mostly chosen cause I couldn't find a good villan
knight for Jadeite to be...Suggestions taken
eagerly.>
Balin = Ann <Balin and Balan were brothers...ended up killing
Balan = Ail each other while disguised, not recognizing each
other...again, suggestions taken with pleasure>
Pellam = Professor Tomoe <King Pellam is the grail king...Aka the
Wounded King, the Fisher King...He needs the
Grail to be healed.>
Garloth = Kaolinite <An Invisible Knight, Pellam's brother...Any
SM villians who used invisibility?>
Pellinore = Rubeus <Who hunted the Questing Beast>
Lamorak = Malachite <Pellam's son, Morgawse's Lover>
Questing
Beast = Questing Bunny :) <Rubeus wants that Rabbit :)>
Sagremor = Haruka <A Rash knight, noted for rushing into combat>
Dodinas = Michiru <His wiser and frequent companion>
John Walter Biles : MA-History, Ph.D Wannabe at U. Kansas
ranma@falcon.cc.ukans.edu http://falcon.cc.ukans.edu/~ranma/falcon.html
http://www.dhp.com/~wraven/john/index.html
"He's a try hard homie... those idiots who hang around wearing baggy pants
and have hats on the top of their heads (not *on* their heads) who just
go 'Yo, man' all the time, hanging around in groups. Bleh."--Caroline
Seawright, speaking of an obnoxious person.