I have no patience. First I was going to wait until I had a few chapters 
done before I released anything. Then I was going to wait until I had the 
first chapter done before I released it. Now I'm going to release what 
I've written so far. I just can't hold it back any longer. ^_^

This is the beginning of a new Sailor Moon (kinda) story I'm writing. For 
those of you who saw my description of it earlier (and to those of you 
who responded thanks), you know what its about, but for the rest here is 
a quick overview so you have an idea what its about:

	Ever since I saw the Sailor Moon episode that dealt with the Moon 
	Kingdom and the Silver Millennium I've always wondered one thing. 
	How did such a puny little backwater kingdom raise to such power? 
	Especially when there were other kingdoms, supposedly more power 
	than the Moon?  I'm trying to answer this question with this 
	story. It deals with Queen Serenity and how she rises to power in
	the moon and how the moon rise to power above all the other kingdoms. 
	It also answers the question: Serenity is Princess Serena's mother
	but who is her father?

Make sense? I hope so.

Submitted here for your approval is *most* of chapter one. I still have 
two scenes to write for this chapter, but they're the hardest parts of 
the chapter and I'm a notoriously slow writer so I'll include them later.

A NOTE: Just so I don't get tons of hate mail saying my story is a rip 
	off. I know this already. ^_^  My story is based on the Dragon 
	Prince novels by Melanie Rawn and the structure of my story 
	follows hers pretty faithfully for a while. But trust me, it 
	isn't an exact copy and it will branch off in its own direction 
	shortly.

Anyway, more notes after the story.

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

				   
	Long ago, before the ascendancy of man on the planet Earth,
	there was the age of the Silver Millennium. It was a time of
	great beauty and powerful magic. It was a time of wise kings
	and legendary heroes. Eventually it all came to an end. The
	Dark Kingdom arose and a great battle shattered the cosmos,
	scattering the lands and its people across the galaxy. The
	Silver Millennium did not last forever, but that time was the
	stuff of legends...



			 THE SILVER MILLENNIUM
		     ============================
		     [A Sailor Moon Story. Kinda]

		  By Mark Crewson (mcrewson@mts.net)
				   
Chapter One:
============

	Prince Afra raised his hand to his brow to shade his eyes as
he squinted into the horizon, smiling in satisfaction. Yes, it was a
good day for a hunt. All the signs were right; claw marks on the
cliffs, wing marks in the sand, the close cropping of the bittersweet
plants along the canyon ridge. But his perceptions where also much
subtler than that. The way the wind blew, the scent in the air. He
could just feel the old sire out there waiting for him. His admirers
said that he could tell when the time was right for the hunt just by
glancing in the sky. His enemies said it was not surprising he could
sense such things, for he himself had been dragon-spawned.
	The old Prince certainly looked like a human version of the
dragon he hunted today. The long sharp nose that sat square in the
middle of his head only helped to emphasize the hard, cruel look the
rest of his face projected. Only a slight upturn in the corners of his
mouth showed any glimpse of the kind and jovial man that he was. He
was a large man, broad of shoulders and large of frame, and his
strength still showed quite clearly despite his sixty-three years of
age. He sat straight up on his horse, his long black cape billowing
out behind him like a dragon's wing.
	"We advance, my prince?"
	Afra turned to look at his son-by-marriage. Lord Chaynal of
Darsas Holding was his chief vassal. Darsas Holding was the main port
from which almost all trade with the Moon Princedom flowed. He was also
married to his youngest daughter. "We advance, Chay," the prince
replied, following the forms tradition had set out for this hunt.
	It was too bad that Chay was only his son-by-marriage and not
an actual child of his body, Afra mused as they rode. He would have
made an excellent heir to the throne when Afra died. Chay was much
like himself in both manner and size. He would feel secure in knowing
his small Princedom would be safe in the hands of a man like Lord
Chaynal. 
	Not that he doubted the abilities of his true heir, his eldest
daughter, Laria. Its just that she was so different from himself. She
was quiet and studious by nature. She spent much of her time with her
face hidden behind a book or deep in conversation with one of the many
diplomats that he abhorred but had to have around as a prince in his own
Princedom. She was competent enough, and he knew that she would be able
to manage his Princedom, but he just wasn't sure in exactly what way she
would do it. And that worried him a little.
	Glancing up suddenly, he sensed his prey to be near. It
wouldn't be long now before the battle was joined. This would be his
twelfth dragon sire he had killed in his lifetime. A truly awesome
number. No one had ever even dared do battle with these ferocious
beasts before he and no one had ever killed so many since.
	"I'd guess not more then ten measures distant." Chay
commented, riding beside him. The rest of the hunting party, four
soldiers from the prince's personal guard rode a short distance
behind. 
	"Ten?" the prince, snorted. "I'd say more like five
measure. I'd be willing to bet half my princedom on it."
	"And I'm not fool enough to take such a bet," Chay
chuckled. Chay was a good natured man. He would have to be in order to
stay married to Tobin. Unlike her sister, Tobin was loud, proud, and
prone to violent tempers. Motherhood has mellowed her somewhat, but
not much. As part of the marriage contract, Chay had insisted that
Tobin was not allowed to bring a knife into their bed chamber,
something that had cause great mirth and a smug pride on the part of
Afra. It also added much to the family legend. But despite her unruly
nature, everyone knew that Tobin and Chay were still very much in
love.
	That was another point on worry for Afra. Tobin might be
happily settled but Laria was not. She was only a year senior to Tobin
but she still was unmarried. She also didn't work very hard to change
that situation either. But she would have to soon. At twenty-four she
was already past the age when most women married, excusable because
she was the heir to a Princedom and had to pick a mate wisely. But
before long she would be forced into choosing someone. The
continuation of the blood-line demanded it.
	They continued to ride along in companionable silence,
enjoying the mere company of one another. Before long the rose up to
the top of a sand dune and looked down into Dragon Gorge. Here they
stopped. The whining of the female dragons could be clearly heard in
the background, but the dominate sound was the great roar of the
dragon sire. None of the beasts were visible of course, each female
being hidden deep in the a cave in the canyon wall, the sire hidden in
one of the caves as well, busy servicing one of his females. 
	Afra turned to look at Chay. "I think he's in that one" He
pointed to one of the caves at the far end. "You know what to do."
	Indeed Chay did. He and the rest of the hunting party
dismounted but remained at the top of the sand dune as their prince
road down into the gorge. No one but the prince himself would slay the
dragon sire.



	About 50 measures away, sat Arborlon, the prince of the Moon's
home and seat of power. An imposing castle, Arborlon sat on the edge
of the desert that was the Moon Princedom, its back hugging the great
Kensrowe Mountains. The castle had been built 3 generations ago by
Prince Afra's great-grandfather on wresting the moon away from the
Merida and establishing himself as ruler. It had never fallen since,
despite numerous attempts, a tribute to the clever engineers and
craftsmen who had designed and built the great structure. But because
of that, this castle had been built to withstand a war and not for the
pleasure of its occupants, something that Princess Jenna had spent
most of her life trying to fix.
	She sat in one of the upper rooms she had successfully
converted, and a luxurious room it was. A deep, soft blue rug now
covered the cold hard floor. A beautiful stained-glass window now
replaced the tiny leaden window that had existed there before. The
sprawling sumptuous furniture allowed its occupants to relax in
ease. The princess sat in a large leather chair facing the window and
her guest. Her guest, her sister, the Lady Damia of Pluto, sat in
a similar chair facing her. They sat in momentary silence, waiting for
the servant to place her tray of refreshments on the table and leave
before they returned to the subject of their current argument, the
Princess Laria.
	"Stop trying to coddle the girl!" Lady Damia said to her
sister. "Things are happening in the court of the King that Afra would
never understand, but Laria will."
	"Are you calling my husband a fool?" Jenna burst out, her
anger raising.
	Damia sat back in her chair. "Now now, Jenna. Afra is a great
soldier and a fine man. And I'm sure he makes an excellent husband but
politics and statesmanship were never his strong suit. If you think
what the noble King Serenity is planning has anything to do with arms
and battle, think again." Damia's voice dripped with sarcasm at the
honourific title given to the prince of Earth. " The heavens only know
what Sarabian is planning, but it is one of cunning and not something
you can march an army against." She reached over and plucked one of
the steaming cups of taze of the tray and settled back in her
seat. "You think that your princedom is rich and powerful and that
makes you safe. But let me tell you, there is one thing that Sarabian
hates more than anything and that is another princedom that is richer
than his own, especially one as young as this one.  And Afra hasn't
exactly been subtle with his wealth. I heard about the birthday
present he sent the King."
	"That was entirely in keeping with--"
	"--with Afra's conceit," Damia interrupted smoothly. "Two or
maybe even four horses would have been an appropriate gift. But
twenty! Afra is flaunting his wealth and thats dangerous - just like
this fool dragon hunt he is on today. He has already killed twelve of
the beasts, why does he need a thirteenth?"
	"Because it is the most effective way to reduce the dragon
population," Jenna answered her sister. "And because it shows his
strength and cunning. No one else had ever battle a dragon before
him. It shows his enemies that he is still strong. That's politics."
	Damia gave a snort, glowering over her cup. "That's not
politics, that's just foolishness. It would've been better if he'd
sent his heir out to slay this dragon. Show the world her strength and
her cunning."
	The princess gave a sigh. "Laria seems not to have the heart
to kill the beasts."
	Damia was surprised to hear that. "Really? You wouldn't think
so after the last campaign against the Merida. To think she actually
dressed up in a common soldiers uniform and went out to the battle
even after you'd forbidden her to leave Arborlon."
	"Oh its not her courage that is in doubt," Jenna said,
defending her oldest daughter. "Its just that she spends so much time
in study or in conversation with the most unusual people. I've been
defending her for the longest time, but lately of come to agree with
Afra that she should become more like her sister, more like her
father."
	"That's exactly what she doesn't need, sister dear." Damia
patiently explained. "Oh Afra has done fine establishing and
reinforcing what was given to him by his father." She waved away Jenna
objections and continued. "But he has run out of things to do. He's
become bored. All he has been able to do is to spend money on you and
your children or this fortress. Or go on these fool dragon hunts. But
believe me, Sarabian hasn't been bored. No, I'm sure he has found
plenty to do, and none of pleasant for your husband or his heir."
	"I fail to see--"
	"You usually do," Damia said, letting a slight condescending
tone enter her voice. "Let Laria read her books and talk to foreign
ambassadors, and yes, even the servants of ambassadors. She'll learn
things that you or Afra could never teach her."
	"Why don't you go back to your moldy old keep and leave the
running of the lands to those who know how to do it," Jenna sulked.
	"What do you think I do in my moldy old keep? Knit?" Damia
exclaimed at her sister. "I may only be the Lady of Pluto and I may
only be the teacher of young boys and girls learning to become Senshi,
but while I'm teaching them I also listen to them. They come from all
corners of the land and I hear about everything that goes on in all
the princedoms. And what I've been hearing hasn't been pleasant,
Jenna." Setting her cup down on the table between the two, she began
ticking points on her long, slender fingers. "One, Sarabian doesn't
plan to make war against anyone, so Afra's show of strength today is
pointless. Two, the King has agents in every court, including yours."
	"Impossible!" Jenna scoffed.
	"Your stable master has a nasty look to him," Damia pointed
out. "And I wouldn't be to sure of your wine steward either. Three,
the King has a several sons. Several sons who need wives. Where will
Sarabian find an eligible woman for him? I'll tell you where: from the
most important courts."
	The princess sat up straight in the leather chair. "Do you
mean an offer might come for Laria?"
	"Good for you!" Damia said, her voice dripping with
sarcasm. "Yes, an offer will come-"
	Jenna interrupted her sister by jumping out of her seat,
clapping her hands before her. "But that's wonderful. To think, my
daughter married to the future king."
	Damia remained seated, but her voice rose to break her sisters
reverie. "THINK, DAMMIT!"
	Jenna paused and looked at Damia. "But I have thought. Its a
most excellent notion. And it ensures our tiny princedom's safety. The
king can hardly attack the home of one of his sons."
	Damia gave her sister a long patient stare. Sometime she
wondered why she put up with this lack wit. Of the two, Jenna was the
pretty one, inheriting all their mothers good looks and charm. Damia
instead had to rely on her intellect and cunning to get by. "I suppose
that is how it might look at first glance, but you've got to look
farther into it." Jenna sat back down as her sister calmly, rationally
explained it to her. "If your Laria and one of the King's son, whoever
it may be, were to marry, eventually there would be children, right?"
Jenna nodded at that. "Well than, what would be more natural than for
a child to annex his own princedom to his grandfather?"
	Jenna gave a frown at that notion. "But?.... I don't
understand."
	Damia sighed in exasperation. "Look. Sarabian is forty-seven
this year, correct? And he comes from a line of particularly long
lived men; his grandfather lived to be eighty-nine."
	"His father lived to be only twenty-eight," Jenna pointed out.
	"Bah! I've never believe the story of a bad bottle of wine
finishing him off. More likely it was poison or something. Anyway,
Afra is already sixty-three and his blood line is not particularly long
lived. Oh don't go getting all teary on me, Jen. He'll probably prove
me wrong and live to be a hundred and thirty just for spite. But the
point is any child from the union of Laria and one of Sarabian's son
would inherit this princedom once Afra was gone."
	"But Laria is heir first--"
	"Do you think that once she has born a child or two she would
be useful anymore? Once her child was past the age of diseases she
would be of no use to Sarabian and I highly doubt she would live to
see many more days. No, she would be eliminated and maybe even Afra as
well leaving only a child on the throne controlled by a benevolent
grandpa Sarabian."
	Jenna paled as she finally began to understand the full extent
of the problem. "Well then, we'll will just have to refuse the
marriage proposal." Her voice was small and weak.
	"How?" asked Damia, retrieving her mug of taze.
	The princess sat in silence, turning even paler if that was
possible. "We can't, can we? To do so would be a grave insult to the
young man and Sarabian would descend on us with his armies." But then
she began to regain her composure. "But Afra's army is probably
stronger. He would send the fool back to his own Kingdom with his tail
between his legs."
	Damia give her sister a look of disgust. "Haven't you been
listening. What about points four, five, and six?"
	Jenna sniffed. "I wouldn't know about those because you
haven't told me yet,"
	"Oh. Well then, four, Princess Elhana of Mercury has made a
trade agreement with Sarabian they plan to announce this coming
Counsel. Five, Prince Dinivan of Jupiter is looking for a wife,
preferably a princess, something Sarabian also has. And Six, Prince
Oscgane of Neptune is also looking for a partner for his
daughter. Now, can Afra's army withstand a force made up of these
princes, now Sarabian's allies, along with the usual allies he openly
admits to?"
	Jenna lips pressed together in suppressed anger. "Oh Damia,
what will we do then. We can't let Laria marry one of the King's sons
and we can't afford to turn down his marriage proposal..." Her voice
trailed off, unable to voice her fears any further. She stared down at
her hands in despair.
	Damia sat back in her chair, slipping her hot taze and staring
at her sister over the rim of the mug. Finally she said, "I have a
solution I think. The king can hardly send a marriage contract to
someone who is already married can he?"
	Jenna look up. "You have someone in mind?"
	"Yes. Yes, I do, sister dear. There is a young man who has
come to my attention at my keep recently--"
	"Who is he?" Jenna interrupted. "Is he handsome. And what is
his blood line?"
	Damia smiled secretly to herself. "He is very handsome. And he
comes from an excellent family. But it wouldn't matter if he was ugly
as an ox or from the poorest family in the land, for my dear, he has
something else very important. Sister, he has a brain."



	Princess Tobin truly hated paperwork. Darsas Keep, her
husband's holding, was the largest, most important holding in the
princedom and along with that distinction came a small mountain of
paperwork that had to be processed. Shipping reports, bills of
landing, requests for goods, product requisition forms, all had to be
read, signed and filed.
	"I thought I was supposed to be on holidays," she sighed,
mostly to herself, but loud enough so that her secretary could hear
her.
	"I thought so too," Luna responded. "But you were fool enough
to bring all this work with you to Arborlon and now you have to deal
with it." Luna was a small black cat. She sat comfortably at the end
of the large desk, just out of reach of Tobin's playful swing at
her. As Tobin's temporary secretary, she'd been helping the swamped
princess to catch up with all the work and they had finally started to
make some headway into the stack of papers. "We're more than half way
down already. It shouldn't take too much longer and then it'll be done
and we can both forget all about it."
	"I know. I know." Tobin sighed again. But instead of picking
up her quill and getting back to work, Tobin lazed back in her chair
and stretched her arms above her head, trying to work the kinks out of
her back. Rotating her neck and rubbing her blonde head to clear the
cobwebs helped a little. With her fool of a husband, Lord Chaynal, out
on the dragon hunt with her father, it was up to her alone to get all
this work done before they returned to their home in just a few
days. Their annual trip to Arborlon to visit her family had come at a
particularly busy point in the season this year and there was no other
choice but to bring the work with her. Still, with Luna's help it
would only take another hour or two before she would be finished.
	Heaving yet a third sigh, Tobin finally picked up her quill
and settled back into work. Scanning the top sheet of paper from the
stack, she was just about to sign it when a squeal of giggles and
laughter caught her attention. She looked up, trying to identify where
the sound came from but no one other than Luna and herself were
visible. Then it came again, the sound of children laughing. It was
coming from outside. 
	"It sounds like your two hooligans are at it again," Luna
said, affection in her voice.
	Tobin smiled and got up and went to the window. She looked out
into the courtyard of the great castle, trying to find her twin sons
down below. She soon spotted them. Two small boys were running
straight across the centre of the courtyard, dodging left and right
around the startled castle workers who milled about in the yard. They
were chasing something. Exactly what they were chasing soon became
apparent when one of the two boys finally stopped right under the
window Tobin was watching from and picked up a large white cat.
	"Thian! Rojer! What are you doing?" Tobin called down to her
children, trying hard to sound stern but not really succeeding.
	The boy who caught the cat looked up then, upon seeing his
mother, beamed a wide smile and held up the feline for her
inspection. "We was just playing with Artemis, Mama."
	"I see that, Thian. But where is your nanny? You were supposed
to be spending the day with her."
	Thian's face screwed up in disgust at the mention of their
babysitter. "Oh she was dismissed. She's no fun so we decided to play
with Artemis instead."
	"Ahem," Artemis the cat coughed. "Actually princess, your
sister dismissed their nanny. She said something about wanting to
spend time with her nephews."
	"Laria?" Tobin was surprised. Glancing around the courtyard
she couldn't spot her sister anywhere. "Then where is she, Artemis?"
Looking around again, she called out, "Laria!"
	There was a rustle over one corner of the yard as several bags
of grain were displaced and a young woman stood up behind them. "I'm
over here."  She climbed over the sacks, careful not to let her long
white-blonde pony tails get caught under the shifting bags. Walking
over to stand under the window beside her nephews she said, "You two
where supposed to try and find me, remember? We were playing hide and
seek."
	"Oh yeah!" Rojer cried out. "We forgot. Artemis started a good
game of chase and we forgot all about you." Artemis cast a guilty look
over at Laria.
	"You dirty little rat," Laria chuckled. Taking the white cat
away from Thian and tucking him under her arm she marched over to a
horse trough not far away. "I should throw you in for what you did. Do
you know how uncomfortable I was under all those sacks of grain? Not
to mention how dirty."
	"Throw him in! Throw him in!" the two children chanted,
running along to catch up to Laria.
	"But be careful," Tobin called after them. "That cat can be a
sneaky one." She turned back to the room, back to Luna and said,
"Break time. I'll be back in a little while." With that, she left the
room and descended the stairs, heading for the courtyard to join her
sister and her children.
	"I knew it." Luna sighed to herself. "I never could get that
girl to sit still and do her work for very long."
	Tobin quickly made her way to the open courtyard and there she
found Laria holding poor Artemis over the horse trough. The cat was
screaming at her to let him down and her two children were still
chanting "Throw him in! Throw him in!"
	"Oh put the poor cat down," Tobin said as she walked up to
join her sister. "I imagine he's in enough trouble with Luna already
without you adding to his misery." Artemis stopped his flailing when
he heard her mention Luna. He hadn't considered that angle.
	"I suppose you're right," Laria said. Instead of dropping him
in the horse trough, she gently set him on the ground beside it,
patting his head a few times. "You're lucky you have friends here,
Artemis," she said, grinning. "Without Tobin you would've ended up in
the water for sure."
	Artemis glanced up at her, mischief still in his eyes. He
quickly looked around to see if he could find Luna, and not finding
her he started walking in figure-eights around Laria's legs, rubbing
his body against her shins. He purred a little to make her relax her
guard, but then, when she was no longer paying attention to him, he
reached out with one claw and gently scratched her right ankle, not
hard but just enough to startle her.
	Laria jumped back at the sudden scratch, bumping into the
forgotten horse trough with the back of her legs. Her arms flailed
wildly as she tried to regain her balance but it was no use. She bent
over backwards and then fell head-long into the cold water. Sputtering
and coughing she surfaced, and wiping the hair from her eyes she
called out "Artemis! I'll get you for this!" But the cat was already
retreating across the courtyard. He turned around just long enough to
stick his feline tongue out at her and then bounded through a door and
into the safety of the castle itself.
	Tobin and her children were laughing uproariously at their
antics. "What are you laughing at," Laria growled at them in mock
anger. She snagged the arm of her sister and quickly pulled. Tobin
tried to resist but it was to little to late. She tripped over the
edge of the trough and was dumped into the water to join her
sister. After that both children let out a squeal of laughter and
climbed over the edge of the horse trough and jumped in to join their
mother and their aunt. The water fight that ensued had them all
thoroughly soaked in no time, much to the chagrin or the amusement of
the passing castle folk. To see the heir to the Moon frolicking in a
horse trough was not unusual to some of them.
	Finally, after a good long water fight, much needed to cool
off in the hot weather, Tobin sent her children off to their nanny to
be changed into clean, dry clothes. The two sisters climbed out of the
horse trough and headed for the family's private gardens to dry off
themselves.
	The private gardens was another of the wonders their mother,
Princess Jenna, had managed to achieve here at Arborlon. In the desert
that was the moon, no flowers bloomed, no water flowed, no life
existed. Yet here in this tiny courtyard, sectioned off from the rest
of the castle, their mother had managed to bring life and beauty to
the desert. Surrounding the tiny garden where large trees, providing
shade from the sun and privacy from the rest of the world. The grass
underfoot was a lustrous green and the flowers that grew here where
from every corner of the solar system, providing splashes of colour to
the otherwise drab colouring of the desert. In the very centre of the
garden was a fountain. Water spouted upwards from the centre of the
fountains to land in the basin of the pool. It provided a gentle
trickling background noise that complimented the garden well.
	Laria and Tobin spread their wet clothes on the stones of the
fountain to let them dry then sat down beside them to wring out their
hair and let the warm sun dry their bodies.
	"I really adore your children, Tobin," Laria said. The envy in
her voice was plain.
	"They are great, aren't they?" Tobin grinned at her. "They can
be a pain at times, but I wouldn't give them up for anything."
	"Hmmm... Yes..." Laria was staring dreamily at nothing.
	"Are you dreaming of your own children?" Tobin teased. "They
will be great too. And you'll make an excellent mother, Laria."
	"Not you too, sis!" Laria complained. "Mother and Father have
been practically throwing young men at me lately. They both want me to
be married. I know for a fact the mother is going to the Counsel this
year just to find me a suitable husband." Laria rolled her eyes in
disgust.
	"Now, now," Tobin chided. "You know that they'll never force
you into a marriage with someone you couldn't love."
	Laria grunted non-commitaly. "You don't know how lucky you
are, sis, meeting and falling in love with Chay so young."
	"Blessed," Tobin agreed. "But don't worry. You'll meet
someone."
	Laria didn't pay her any attention. "I just know mother is
going to choose some lad that's so highborn that he won't know how to
put his own clothes on without help. And father wants me to marry
someone handsome and virile. He wants beautiful grandsons." She threw
up her hands in exasperation. "As for what I want--"
	Tobin shoved her hand in front of her sisters mouth with a
snort. "What you want...  I know you, sis. I know you won't marry
anyone not of your own choosing, no matter what our parents say."
	"But sooner or later I'll have to play brood mare to some man
or other. Are you clothes dry yet? Father will be back with his
dragon."
	"This one should have been yours."
	"No, thank you. I'd rather watch them than kill them. There's
something about their flying, Tobin, and listening to them roar when
they're hunting..." She shrugged. "Oh, I know they're a nuisance. But
the moon would be poorer without them."
	Tobin frowned. Everyone knew that they were more than a
nuisance. Darsas Holding had lost six good mares and eight yearlings
this spring to dragons. And caravans across the desert of the moon were
never safe from dragons.
	"I know you don't agree with me," Laria said with a smile,
correctly reading her expression. "But you've never been interesting
in watching their dances or finding out about them. They're beautiful,
Tobin--proud and strong and free--"
	"You're a romantic," Tobin smiled at her older sister. "But we
both know they have to be destroyed. Chay says that once we kill enough
of them nature will take over and eliminate the rest. They'll be to
few to repopulate the moon."
	"I hope that never happens," Laria said, holding up her drying
shirt to inspect it. "I don't think we'll drip too much. Think we can
sneak in and get cleaned up enough to be presentable when they come
home?"
	"And sew up the rents in Chay's hide," Tobin said with a
grimace of distaste.
	Laria slung an arm around her sisters shoulders as they headed
for the private stairs into the castle. "He only gets enough cuts and
bruises so you'll have something to yell at him about. I've never seen
a man so willing to accommodate his wife's temper."
	"I have a perfectly sweet, docile, calm nature," Tobin
protested.
	Laria smiled. "Right. Just like the rest of the family."
	As if on cue, the twins came squabbling into the garden in
search of their mother. They needed her to settle an argument. Tobin
sighed, Laria winked at her, and they went to bring some order to her
unruly offspring.



	Lord Chaynal stood beside his great war horse and watched his
prince advance into the gorge to confront the dragon sire. It was a
hot day and he idly scratched his beard while he waited. He wouldn't
have to wait to long until the battle between prince and dragon would
start, but he would probably be waiting most of the day before it was
over and his job would begin. He and the four other men and women here
where not to here to help kill the dragon. They were only brought
along to help drag the carcass back to Arborlon. The prince would
fight alone.
	Chay began counting the caves along the walls of the gorge,
calculating in his head the effect the great sires death would have on
the population. Five caves were already walled up with large
boulders, their occupants already gone. The dragon sire had already
serviced the females that had occupied those caves and the females,
after laying their eggs inside, had closed off the cave to protect the
brood inside and then flown off, their duties as parents finished. But
fifteen caves were still open, the female dragons still inside awaiting
the male. That meant fifteen females, each laying an average of twenty
eggs of which maybe four or five survived to fly away from the
nest. Fifteen females and their eggs that would die if they did not
mate with the dragon sire soon. Multiply that by the twelve other
mating sires that Afra had slain over the years and the number was
staggering. But it still wasn't enough. There was always more dragons.
	The prince reached they bottom of the gorge, under the cave
where he had guessed the dragon sire was hiding, and Chay watched with
amusement as Afra began to shout and throw rocks into the cave. His
prince was cursing and swearing up a storm at the black hole in the
wall until suddenly there was a rumble and a dark shape shot out of
the cave to answer the challenge.
	The dragon was huge. Twelve feet from tip to tail at
least. His blue-black hide glistened in the hot sun. But it was
obvious that this dragon was old for there were numerous scars on his
wings and hide and one eye was missing. Scars from battle with other
dragons during the mating dance most likely, Chay thought. 
	The dragon circled in the sky once, then dropped down quickly
to pounce on the offending prince. But Afra was to quick and wrenched
his outraged horse out of the way just in time, swinging his sword as
the dragon passed to catch him in the foreleg. The dragon roared in
pain and anger but did not retaliate. He flew a short distance down
the canyon and there landed on a large boulder to wait for his
attacker to come to him. The prince had drawn first blood but now the
battle would really begin.
	Afra directed his horse towards the dragon and urged it into a
gallop, charging after his foe. The dragon leaped from his perch and
the two clashed in the centre of the canyon. The dragon lashed out
with his talons and swept with his great tail but Afra was too
experienced to fall for such maneuvers and danced his horse out of
harms way. Swinging his horse around he came at the dragon from the
opposite side and tried to slash the exposed underbelly of the beast
with his sword. But the dragon too was experience and twisted its body
out of the way, slashing with his large hind foot as he did. The talon
caught the prince in the shoulder but his armor protected him from
most of the blow. Still, he was rubbing his arm as he backed his horse
away and prepared for the next volley of attacks.
	Chay sighed. Both combatants where old veterans and neither
would give up easily. This would be a long battle and neither would
come out of it completely unscathed. Chay tried to think of something
else to distract himself and waste the time. Afra's power rested in
his ability to control the dragon population. Would Laria be able to
do as much when her turn came? It was not a happy thought. Fond as he
was of his wife's sister, and as much as he sincerely respected
Laria's gifts, he knew the young princess hadn't the stomach for
killing dragons. Strength in battle as demonstrated by these hunts was
an integral part of the Moon's power. What other basis for rule was
there than military victory?
	Chay's own family had long guarded the one and only safe port
into the Moon Princedom for generations, their prestige firmly based
on providing and protecting trade. He was honest enough--and had
enough of a sense of humour--to acknowledge that his forbearer's
original power had not come from honest trade but boldfaced
piracy. The money to build splendid Darsas Holding had not come from
legitimately gathered port fees but from sneak attacks on unsuspecting
ships in The Ways. Nowadays the Red and White sails of the ships of
Darsas Holding patrolled The Ways and protected the merchants instead
of stealing from them. But war and thievery enduring in his family
line, he reminded himself with a whimsical smile. He had fought with
great relish with Afra during the last campaign against the Merida,
and every three years at Counsel he enjoyed himself with the legal
robbery when he sold his horses. Fighting battles and outsmarting ones
trading partners: these were excellent bases of power. Laria had shown
herself to be a competent warrior during that memorable day against
the Merida--although she had given her parents and apoplexy when they
discovered her unauthorized attendance--and she was clever enough when
she chose to be. But she was not a warrior by choice, nor was she an
instinctive bargainer.
	Chay's attention was drawn back to the battle as the dragon
retook to the air. Just by glancing at both combatants he could see
that they were exhausted. The great wings of the dragon struggled as
he tried to climb through the hot air and Afra's sword dragged his arm
down as he wheezed for breath. Cuts, scratches, and bruises were
visible on both. The dragon had a large gash in his side the leaked
putrid fluid on the ground as he rose.
	Once he had gained enough altitude the dragon sire circled
once then plummeted toward the earth and the prince, claws extended in
front of him. The roar he gave out was echoed by the females anxiously
waiting in the caves. Afra's eyes narrowed as he calculated the
dragons landing to within a hair's breadth and pulled back on his
horse, narrowly missing the large talons of the dragon as they swooped
past his nose. Bringing his sword up with the last of his strength,
Afra swung hard and sliced into the hide of the beast as it crashed
into the ground in front of him.
	A quiet cheer rose up from behind Chay and he turned to see
the smiling faces of the other members of the hunting party. He smiled
along with them. It looked like their prince would have another dragon
to add to his list of slain beasts. Chay let out a loud sigh. He had
been unconsciously holding his breath. The dragon was bleeding openly
now, his movements and breathing laboured. But the fire in his eyes
was unquenched, and as he regained his footing he swerved around with
death in his hot gaze.



	After purposely raising her sister's fears and then settling
them, Lady Damia had suggested a game of chess to pass the time while
they waited for Afra to return with his dragon. They had repaired from
the solar to they family's private chambers, another one of the minor
miracles of interior design the Jenna had created. Damia was engaged
in a tactfull loss to her sister when they hunting party returned.
	"What is that racket?" she complained.
	"Afra has returned from his hunt," Jenna answered her. The
excitment in her eyes, and the flush of her cheeks made her look more
a maiden than a princess. She stood up and went to a window to look
down into the outer court. "I hope he doesn't drag the beast into the
inner courtyard like he did last time. The halls stank for weeks
afterwards."
	Damia got up and went to stand beside her sister. They both
peered out the window at the returning group of men and women. Chay's
red and white tunic was painly visible and the blue and green shirts
of the Arborlon soldiers were quickly spotted too, but neither woman
could see the prince himself. Nor could they see a dragon carcass.
	"Perhaps Afra is following behind with the carcass," Jenna
reasoned. She turned to stare out into the valley that served as the
road to Arborlon. But no one was visible down that path either.
	Damia was growing nervous. She had a reasonable idea where the
prince was and it wasn't a pleasant thought. "We should go down and
greet them."
	Jenna turned from the window and exited the chamber to head
for the courtyard. Damia paused a moment for one final search before
she too turned and headed for the ground floor.
	Half way down the stairs she heard Chay's bellow as he
sprinted upwards. "Where is Lady Damia?!"
	Rounding a corner, the two ladies ran into the distraught
Chay. He stopped suddenly as he saw the two women.
	"Is he hurt?" Jenna asked. Chay nodded and Jenna turned and
continued down the stairs at a quicker pace. She wasn't too worried
thought. It was almost impossible not to get a few scratches when
fighting a dragon sire.
	Damia grabbed the young man's arm as he turned to follow the
princess. "How bad?"
	"Bad enough."
	Damia's grip tightened as full weight of what he said settled
into her mind. She shoke the bad feeling off for the moment and began
giving instructions. "Bring him up to his chambers. Gently. And then
go and find Tobin and Laria. I'll go to his rooms right away and get
thing prepared."
	Chay nodded once and turned back to head down the stairs. Once
he was out of sight Damia let out a small shudder, then turned back
upwards and headed for the prince's chambers.
	She tried to be optimistic about it as she readied herself for
the arrival of the prince. Maybe Chay had overestimated the damage and
the prince would be able to be healed under her careful
admistration. But when Jenna and Chay brought the wounded man in and
she began examining his injuries she realized it was a lost cause. She
could bind him up and take the pain away but with a few days a most
Prince Afra would be dead. And Laria would be a ruling princess.
	"We had thought the dragon almost defeated," Chay began
explaining to no one in particular. "He had scored it many
times--there was blood everywhere. He came at it for the killing
stroke and we thought--but between the teeth that got his horse and
the talons that ripped him open--" Chay stopped and there was the
sound of liquid being gulped. Damia hoped the wine was strong. "It was
all we could do to beat the dargon away from him. We got him onto my
horse and--after three measures we had to stop. He'd been holding his
guts in with his hands, pretending he wasn't too badly hurt."
	After carefully washing the wounds, Damia could clearly see
the extent of the damage the dragon had caused. The gashes were deep,
cutting through skin and flesh right down into muscle and the thick
looping strands of the guts themselves, which were not only exposed
but sliced clean through in places. She began to stitch the wound
closed, knowing her actions to be useless. She paused halfway through
and glanced around the room. Chay was standing at one corner of the
bed, a cup clutched tightly in his hand. Jenna was sitting on the
opposite side of the bed holding her husbands hand in both of
hers. Tobin and entered at some point unnoticed by Damia for she stood
against the wall beside the door, her face pale and sickly. But Laria
had not yet arrived.
	"We cleaned him up and bound him as best we could," Chaynal
went on. "Then we came back as fast as we dared. He hasn't spoken or
opened his eyes once." At last the young lord's voice cracked with
grief. "Tobin--forgive me--"
	The princess went up to stand beside her man, grabbing his
free hand in hers. "You did all you could, beloved." She knuckled the
tears from her eyes and hugged her husband close.
	Damia was nearly finished sewing the skin together. She did so
quickly, not worrying about how it would heal, for she knew that Afra
wouldn't care about a scar. Dressings soaked with pain-numbing
solution were applied, and at last she wrapped a clean bandage around
the prince's midsection. Her back ached and her eyes were sore from
the strain of doing such delicate work in such haste.  She stood up
and faced her sister. But her blue eyes saw nothing but Afra's ashen
face. Damia washed her hands in a basin of blood-clouded water and
then dryed them on a towel. "Jen," she began.
	"No," her twin whispered. "Just leave me alone with him."
	Damia nodded at her and gathered the two other occupants in
the room and left, closing the door behind her. Neither Tobin or Chay
wanted to leave and they both remained standing outside the
door. Damia rubbed her tired head. She wanted nothing but to sleep. It
was only late afternoon but the strain had taken its toll on her. But
she couldn't sleep just yet. She had one more thing to do.
	"Tobin," she began, placing her hand on the girls shoulder. "I
have one more thing to do but I'm too tired and I need your help."
	"Of course," Tobin said. She turned to her husband and
whispered something in his ear that Damia could no hear and then
turned to face the older woman. Chay stared at his wife's back for a
moment, contemplating what she told him, then turned and strode away
obviously in search of someone. Damia had a good idea who.
	"Come," she said. "We must find a room with a window. We need
lots of sunlight for the task at hand." She guided the younger woman
down the hall back to the solar room Jenna and herself had occupied
earlier. 
	Tobin was frowning as they entered the room. "I think I know
what you are planning to do, but I fail to understand why you need
me?"
	"Because, my dear, I am tired. Normally I would do this myself
but the strain from tending your father has left me drained. I need
your young strength to bolster my one." She smiled reassuringly at
Tobin.
	Tobin faced grew wide at the implications of what she
heard. "But that means--Are you saying that I'm--"
	"Yes." Damia eased her tired body into a chair and faced the
window, letting the sunlight bath her face. "The talent exists in our
family, as you already know. I possess it, your mother does not. These
things sometimes skip generations, the same way you bore twins but
Jenna did not. What is within me is also within you." Tobin was
speechless at what she heard. "Perhaps I should have told you. But you
were content as you were, and Senshi powers are not taught to those
who have no need of them."
	"You're going to use me, the way you use everyone," Tobin
said, but without resentment. "What do you want me to do?"
	"This is a only communication, no need for any physcial
manifestation of powers, but that will make it harder." Damia motioned
for Tobin to sit on the chair beside her. "Now listen to me,
girl. Don't stare directly at the sun, you'll burn your eyes. Instead
look at the effects the sun creates. Look at the way it lights the
hollows of the hills, as the Water fills hollow stones and Air fills
hollow dragon caves and Fire fills the hollow earth." Both women sat
ridged still, staring out the window into nothing. Damia was silent
for a moment while she waited for the inexperienced Tobin to catch on
to the methods necessary to access her undiscovered talents.
	"The light moves, caressed the Earth like a lover, warms the
Air, sparkles across the Water, finds its mate in Fire. Of these four
things, all is made. Touch the sunlight with me, Tobin--feel its
strands weaving between your fingers, its colors like silk threads
made of jewels... yes, that's it. Now close your eyes and repeat after
me. Moon Prism Power."




=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

So what do you think?  Confusing enough for you?  Here are a few random 
notes that might help clear up somethings:

* Laria is Queen Serentity. Or, more accurately, she will be. In my world 
  the name "Serenity" is just a title given to the King or Queen. Each 
  planet has a ruling prince/princess and a king/queen is elected from 
  them by vote (or thats how its supposed to go).

* The Senshi in my story differ from the norm. They each are born with 
  the talent to harness the light from the sun but must be trained to  
  become Senshi and be able to access their power. There are basically 
  two abilities of a trained Senshi. The physical manifestion of their 
  power (ie. the attack), but also the more subtle ability to communicate 
  with other Senshi over long distances. I plan to explain this much 
  better in one of the missing scenes of chapter one.

* Chay mentioned The Ways. The Ways are the method that is used to travel 
  between planets. A senshi opens a portal into The Ways and a "ship" can 
  then enter The Ways and "sail" to another planet. Again, I'll explain 
  better in the story itself.

That's all I can think of off the top of my head. Email me if you're 
still confused and I'll do my best to explain.

Of course, comments and critisms are welcome (hell, they're expected!). 
Both private and public. I'll do my best to answer everyone.

The next installment of this story will be out..... hmmm...  sometime, 
don't ask when. Whenever I get it written, but don't be expecting it next 
week or anything. I'm terrible slow when it comes to writing.

Cheers.

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
  Mark Crewson <mcrewson@mts.net>            http://www.mts.net/~mcrewson