Coming Home
Chapter 4
By: Jessica M. Moonflower and Silvery White Rose
E-mail: salud731@earthlink.net
Rated: PG-13 for some language

Website: http://www.angelfire.com/realm/moonlightroses/index.html

Disclaimer: Standard disclaimer applies

ANs: I apologize for the delay on this story. I was
hoping that my co-author, Silvery White Rose, would
continue this story with me, but I haven't been able
to contact her, and the last time I heard from her, she's
been busy with other things in her life. So I decided to
continue the story for those of you who wish to read
more of it. In this chapter, several years have now 
passed and Serena and Rei are around nineteen 
years of age and Darien is twenty-three years of age.
Now that I have everything cleared up, on with the
story! ^.^ 

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

~Fourteen years later...~

	Two silhouetted figures were traipsing the 
Lanyon castle grounds on a beautiful spring afternoon. 
They were accompanied by four guards that followed 
them a few steps behind, but were always on alert
for any possible threats.

	When the group emerged from the dark
archways, the sunlight revealed the two figures to be Queen
Serene and Prince Derrick of Cartha. The queen had her
left arm loosely linked to the prince's as she showed him 
around her glorious kingdom and explained a few historical
facts about the buildings or architecture. 

	A cool breeze blew pass letting loose a few stray
strands of hair from the queen's carefully made up
braid. Despite a few notable wrinkles around her
gentle face, she still kept the image of a beautiful and
fair ruler. Prince Derrick's features, on the other hand, 
was a sharp contrast from the queen's sweet face. His
features were comely and roguish. He held the image of
a shrewd and domineering ruler.

	They took their walk further into the grand 
garden, walking on a clear cobblestone pathway 
that laid ahead of them. Butterflies of assorted 
colors fluttered around from one vibrant flower 
to the next.

	"You have a lovely kingdom, my Queen,"
Derrick commented, surveying his surroundings
with much ease.

	"Thank you, Derrick. This kingdom is our
pride and joy." Queen Serene gave a polite smile.

	"I'll be sure that this kingdom maintains its
grandeur once I marry your daughter."

	"Oh, yes. She'd be quite pleased to hear it."
Queen Serene looked down to the ground in dismay.
It went unnoticed by Derrick, who was caught up in 
sniffing a white rose next to him.

	Queen Serene was much opposed to the
engagement of her daughter to this ruffian who had 
the nerve to call himself a prince. However, she had no
choice in the matter since Derrick claimed that he
would wage war against her country if she dared to
refuse his request. Lanyon had remained a 
peaceful country for as long as she could remember.
Now with this possible threat of war, she and
her husband couldn't possibly bear the idea of seeing
this country ripped to shreds. 

	The queen sighed, sneaking a quick glance at
Derrick. How did he ever become the new heir to
the Carthan throne? If only Rei and Darien were here.

	"Speaking of your lovely daughter, where is
she?" Derrick cut through the queen's thoughts
with his inquiry.

	"Hmm? Oh, yes, well, Serena must be out
here with her friends. They love taking a stroll in
the gardens early this afternoon."

	"Let's go meet with them! I would love to
meet my future wife's friends. Would you mind,
my Queen, if I picked this remarkable flower for 
your daughter? "

	"No, take it," she said with a wave of her hand.
"We have so many others in this garden."

	Derrick unsheathed a small dagger at his
side and went to work on carefully cutting the rose 
from the bush. The dagger was elaborately made
with the gold handle covered in rubies and sapphires.
The blade itself was smooth and slightly arched, and 
if one were to shine the blade in the light, they would 
see a lion surrounded by a ring of flames, carefully
etched into the metal. 

	Queen Serene couldn't help, but find the
dagger that the prince had vaguely familiar. It's
as if she's seen it before.

	"Derrick, that dagger you have, was
it..."

	"Yes, it was my uncle's. It belonged to 
King Darren," he explained, sheathing the
dagger back into his belt hastily. He didn't like
to dwell on the topic about his uncle and refused
to bring it up in a conversation.

	"That explains the familiarity of it."

	"Oh look, there's Serena and her friends!"
he shouted, while pointing to the direction of three 
giggling girls with flower wreaths adorning each of 
their heads.

	He was relieved to divert the subject about his
uncle towards the newcomers. The queen dropped
the entire topic about the dagger and walked over to
greet her daughter and her friends.

	"Hello, ladies," she greeted them warmly.

	The three girls stopped giggling long enough
to curtsy before the queen. Once they paid their 
respects, they turned to Derrick who was a few feet
away from the queen.

	"Serena, it's so good to see you again."

	He walked up to the stunned princess of
Lanyon, gave her the beautiful rose, and kissed
the back of her hand. He tilted his head up slightly 
to gaze into her blue eyes, waiting for her response.

	"Derrick, what a...surprise. I didn't expect
you to be here," she said with strained kindness,
pulling her hand away from his grasp. She was
shocked at how cold his lips were when it came
in contact with her skin. It nauseated her and
made her skin crawl.

	"I'm here on my first visit and tour of your castle,"
he answered, straightening up to his full height. "I thought
it would be a lovely idea since you and your mother
always come and visit me."

	"Oh. Had I known that, I would have taken my
friends to the village square to shop around. I wouldn't 
have wanted to get in your way." She glanced at him with 
cold and callous eyes, tossing the rose carelessly into 
the fountain next to her.

	Derrick's temper flared at her arrogant display, but
kept his cool in front of everyone and instead put on a
pleasant smile.

	"My dear, you wouldn't have gotten in the way. After all,
you are going to be my wife in May."

	"Like hell I will!" she growled under her breath.

	"What's that, honey?" he queried in feigned politeness.

	"Nothing that you'd be interested in."

	"Right." He glared at her viciously.

	Noticing the tension between the two, Queen Serene
quickly cut in.

	"Uh, Derrick, I don't think you've met Serena's
friends. This is Princess Lita of Gent and Princess 
Ami of Rosewood. Ladies, this is Prince Derrick of Cartha."

	"Nice to meet you!" the two exclaimed as cheerfully
as they could, given the current uneasiness between 
everyone.

	"A pleasure, ladies." He bowed curtly.

	"Serena, I think Lita and I will be going now. We'll
see you tomorrow, okay?" Ami and Lita went to give Serena
a quick hug.

	"See you two later."

	Once the two women departed, Serena looked
away from Derrick, her arms crossed over her chest in
annoyance and loathing for the man that she was forced
to marry to her utter disappointment.

	"So, Serena, would you like to show me around the
gardens? Your mother was telling me that you know this
garden like the back of your hand." 

	Derrick sneaked his arm around her waist in an
attempt to cozy up to her, but instead, he received a hard
stomp on his foot from Serena's heel. He released her
from his hold instantly to tend to his throbbing foot.

	Serena made sure she kept a good distance away 
from him, so he wouldn't try to sneak his grubby hands all 
over her again. She was repulsed by the man and vowed
to never let him touch her again. She knew that the
only reason he wanted to marry her was to take over her
kingdom and have her as his trophy wife to do whatever
the hell he damned well pleased! Well, she wasn't about
to let him control her. And if she had to kill herself to make
sure it stays that way, then so be it.

	"Don't you ever touch me, you creep! I will never be
yours you got that?! NEVER!" 

	She picked up her long skirts and took off running to 
another section of the gardens with her mother looking on 
with sympathy and understanding for her daughter.

	Derrick slowly got off the ground, limping towards
Queen Serene. Rage had fully taken over his body and
mind, causing him to clench his fists so hard that the 
veins started popping out from under his skin.

	"You listen to me, Queen Serene, you better set
your daughter's priorities straight otherwise you may find
yourselves and your country in the midst of a bloody war. 
And once I'm through with your precious Lanyon, all that
will be left of it is ruins! So you better damn well train
your daughter to love and respect me because she will
not be getting out of this marriage one way or the other!"

	He limped away furiously with his guards running
after him to keep up. Queen Serene sighed and walked
off to find her daughter. She knew where she would be
since it was the place she always went to when she
was troubled or needed a place to think...the cherry
blossom trees. It was so well hidden in the garden
that if a person didn't pay too close attention to
their surroundings, they might miss it. 

	Queen Serene pulled away some shrubs
and branches to find her daughter sitting on the
white marbled bench, twirling a small pink cherry 
blossom in her hand.

	"Can I come in, sweetheart?"

	"Sure, it's your garden, too," she said glumly,
sighing sadly.

	Queen Serene took a seat next to her daughter,
trying to find the words to say to get her to understand
why she needs to marry Derrick even though she herself
doesn't want to see Serena wedded off to a ruthless
man. 
	 
	"Serena, please understand that you have
to marry Prince Derrick. You know we'll be at war 
if you don't."

	"Mom, I refuse to marry that power hungry
maniac! The only reason he's even the crowned prince 
of Cartha is the fact that King Darren died in his 
sleep the day after Rei and Darien disappeared. 
He's apparently the only relative left that is of blood 
relation."

	"Sweetie, I know he is an abominable man,
but you have no other choice! He will declare war on
our kingdom if you refuse to wed him. Lanyon will
be in ruins and your father and I will not have it! We
have a duty not only to our country, but to our people.
Serena, think of the many lives that will be lost if we
were at war. Your father and I have kept this country
out of war for many years, and we'd like to keep it that 
way!"

	"But can't Queen Diana do anything?!" Serena
desperately pleaded, her eyes brimming with tears.

	"I'm afraid not. Diana isn't strong enough to
withstand Derrick."

	"It's not fair!" Serena furiously stood up from the 
bench, eyes blazing as she faced her mother. "Derrick
is not fit to be a prince or even a king! He's just a man
thirsting for blood and power! I bet, once I marry him,
he's going to want to control me, too! I'd rather die than
be his wife. And there is no way I want to bear his
children just so they can grow up and be selfish and
ruthless like him! I wish King Darren was still alive."

	Serena's shoulders slumped down, a look of 
defeat and anguish overcoming her body. She hated
the position she was in and wished with all her heart
that she could just give it all up, her title, her identity, 
everything if it got her out of marrying Derrick! But 
sadly she couldn't do that. She was proud of who
she was, and not to mention, her kingdom would
still be under attack if she did such a drastic thing. 
It was hopeless. 

	Queen Serene sighed, gazing at her daughter
dismally. Her sweet girl was trapped and there was
nothing her or David could do. Darien was a better
choice for Serena to marry, but it was obvious that
he and Rei are dead. The search for the missing heirs
to the Carthan throne was abandoned long ago when
the efforts became useless and it tore Diana's heart
to shreds. Queen Serene reached out a hand and
laid it on top of Serena's.

	"I know, dearest, believe me I do. But there's no
other way. Queen Diana is tired of trying to fight or reason
with Derrick. Her health weakens everyday when she is put
through so much stress and grief. First Rei and Darien's 
kidnapping and then the death of King Darren has really
taken a toll on her body. The doctors have advised her
not to put so much emotional strain on herself. All she can
do now as a ruler is sit back and watch all this tyranny 
turn her country to shambles even though she wishes 
she could stop it."

	"Then there's no hope. Darien and Rei are dead
and they'll never come back to claim the throne. Me, I'm
stuck marrying a murderous monster."

	Serena ran into her mother's arms for comfort
as she wept bitterly for the lost of her best friend and
the man she truly loved and was to marry.

	As Queen Serene ran her hands through her
daughter's hair to soothe her, she looked up at the 
blue sky saying a silent prayer to the heavens.

	"Please, God, we need a miracle to 
happen...for my daughter's sake and Diana's."

To be continued...

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

That's all! Hope you liked the new and long overdue
chapter of this story.

*Written on July 8, 2002*