The Switching of a Princess

Author: Stargirl

Rated: PG13

Rating :

Okay, chapter two for you to enjoy! Thankyou everyone for the wonderful reviews! :) Eh..... I lost the different beginnings I wrote for this THREE times. Accident deletions, the where and the heck did it go's? I haven't been myself to rewrite the beginnings and come on, this chapter is 9 pages! It doesn't need to be longer. So hopefully where I begin it isn't too confusion. I'm now going to focus on our dear (REAL) Serenity. Basically she lives in a children's home. Enjoy!

Chapter 2

Serena glanced down to the grass and mulch, pulling her legs up close to wrap her arms around them. "I bet it would feel like being in heaven." She stared off into the sky swathed with pink and yellow and blue that drifted over the towering pine trees, as if the place she saw was right there within hands reach. Yes… all she required was wings to fly there. That seemed to be the whole problem.

"It's probably not all that great." Sammy leaned back on the tree stump, squinting up at the sky before returning his gaze to the chunk of wood in his hands and making a sculpturing sweep with his knife. "How amazing can it be when barely anyone goes there? It's probably an overgrown mess."

Serena frowned, looking back to him. "No. I'm sure it's not. I doubt I can even imagine how it truly is." She peeked at the carving. "What are you making?"

A grin playing at his lips, he held up the object and Serena's eyes widened. It was the best she had ever seen him do. The soft would boasted the small curves and dents of a woman…no, an angel. The wings form spread out and mingled with some sort of rose bush, a few of the features already completed in detail. Sammy flipped it in his slender hands, studying it himself.

Serena shook her head. "It's beautiful."

Sammy shrugged, the slight nod and gleam in his eyes the only evidence of his agreement.

"It really is. Are you going to sell it?" she inquired.

"Might." He positioned the point of the knife, further detailing the feathers of the wooden wings with an ease she couldn't quite believe.

"Oh, say you won't!" She slipped off of the log, creeping over the soft grass to Sammy's side, eyes set on the figurine.

Sammy peered at her through his rusty-colored bangs. "You really like it that much, Sere?"

Serena promptly nodded. "It's amazing."

Sammy shifted to face her, a smile playing at his lips as he made a wave of the figurine. "I'll tell you what…"

Serena sat back on her heels, clear blue eyes apt in attention.

"If you do something… I'll give this to you when I'm finished." His smile widened.

Serena bit her lip, brow furrowing as she observed the person she felt she could call family. She should probably walk away and blow off whatever scheme she saw shining in his green eyes… but, he was serious about giving her the angel figuring. Maybe his requirement in the deal would be worth it. "What?"

Sammy just smiled. A bird cooed in the rustling trees. A calmness stood in the area. He looked above the trees to the sky, Serena drawing her gaze to the same location.

"Here's the deal," he began, gaze still lifted to the sky as Serena returned hers to look at him. "I'm getting tired hearing your dreams of seeing the Shai' Cath'drum."

Serena's brow furrowed. "You want me to keep quiet about it, you're saying? I don't think I could-"

"No." Sammy looked to her and said with the same simplicity of their surroundings, "I want you to go there."

"What?" Serena exclaimed, mind twirling. It was preposterous, but oh how much she "did" wish to go… She shook her head. "You didn't have any of the drinks that Laedar was handing out at the festival, did you? Maman warned you not too---"

Sammy shook his head with a smile. "No. I'm perfectly serious."

Her lips dropped open. "But you can't be! You know I can't go there. It's forbidden… why," she looked to her lap, mind still incredulous. "You know it could mean death."

"Only if you are caught," Sammy pointed out.

"Which I would be!" she snapped. But what if she wasn't? She could actually 'see' the Shai' Cathrdrun.

"Think, Serena. Barely anyone is allowed in except the royals themselves. The Princess is on Jupiter and the Queen is so wrapped up that she hardly visits it. It's an empty paradise waiting for someone to appreciate it, don't you believe?" He grinned at the turmoil that crept into Serena's eyes.

Serena turned her head, tucking in a breath before rising. "If Maman heard you she'd tell you to bite your tongue. I refuse. It is far too impossible." Visions of an eden that conjured in her mind betrayed her words, the longing bursting within her. She cast a despairing look over the trees.

Pulling her gaze away with a determined lift of her chin, she headed off, stopping though not looking back at Sammy's call.

"Near the North end. It'd be easiest to enter there. I'll cover for you for Maman."

"I'm not going," she said before continuing into the shrubbery. She wasn't. It would be insane to.

* * *

It was outrageous. The whole blasted… tempting idea. Serena groaned to herself, torn between thoughts as she had, much to her bewilderment, found herself on the outskirts of the Shai' Cathrdrun.

Damn that Sammy for putting such an idea in her head!

Her arms crept around her as she paced amid the softly hued grass, curious blue eyes averting to and from the stone entrance. Not a grand entrance by far, but surely a discreet path with not a guard in sight and only vines with periwinkle flowers creeping around the archway, innocently beckoning her into its paradise. How could such cute flowers, naught but the size of her thumbnail lure her to what must be her ruin?

Fearing for her mind, Serena leaned against the wall, shutting her eyes and taking a calming breath of air… which so carried the scent of flowers from within the forbidden eden. She cracked her eyes open, the morose blue peeking to spy the tangling weeds, rotting wood, and plain trees. It was all she had ever known.

Oh, what it must feel like to be surrounded by flowers! To see the statues of great artists and walk the grand structure, seeing man's masterpiece merging into natures pride.

Perhaps… she was making too great a deal of the danger. True enough that the penalty could be death if found out, but how likely would that be?

She bit her lip, unable to contain the flutter within her. Desperation drew on her weary mind. What to do?

Her mind said one thing, and her heart yet another. How could two parts of her be so strongly against the other!

But wasn't it Selene herself, the revered Queen of the past, who said to follow the heart? Though in all of her words of wisdom, there was surely one who said to honor the laws of the land, to abide by the rulers that cared for them.

At this rate, she would never decide.

A sound made her jump, and she looked to see a demure white cat sit before her amongst the twigs and weeds. With a meow, as if in greeting, the cat stared at her with odd silver eyes before taking to the task of licking it's paw.

Her heart settling with her nerves, a smile spread Serena's lips as she let out a breath. What a lovely cat it was. Elegant as ever there were one. "Hello," she murmured to it, walking delicately towards the white creature. Would it run away?

Sinking on her knees before the cat she watched as it set down it's paw---which she had found spotless before the thing felt deemed to groom it---and simply stare at her. It perked it's head when she stretched out her hand but didn't move. "You are a beauty," Serena said as she petted it, marveling at the plush white tuffs of fur. Surely it was the finest fur on any animal that she had encountered, it even rivaled the fur of the mink Sammy had caught not even two summers ago.

The cat swished its tail and rose to sniff her before slipping by her in a white streak. Serena turned, taken aback to see that it had stopped under the archway, sitting content on the stone patterned floor.

"Do not tell me that you wish for me to go in?" Serena cried with a soft smile. Imagine a cat being the deciding factor! It simply stared at her, swishing it's tale. "Well is that a yes or a no?" She laughed to herself. What a merry jest she was making of herself. But really… if she wasn't in the right of mind she would believe the cat really did wish her to enter.

The thought played in her mind, the cat staying put all the while. Curious to see it's reaction, she walked to the entrance where it sat. Immediately it stood up and walked a small distance into the corridor, sitting back done in a splash of honey light that streamed from a hole above. Its eyes were most undoubtedly trained on her.

Serena bit her lip. The exquisite cat really did seem set on her following it in. What an odd happening… She set her eyes on the cat. "You wouldn't lead me into dangers way, now would you?" She sighed at its responsive stare and with only the slightest hesitation, walked in as well.

The cat moved, pattering its dainty paws at a soft pace. It didn't stop, as if knowing she had made her decision to follow it. And with wonderment, she did.

It was a plain stone corridor, not the highest, but spacious enough. Splashes of the buttery yellow light on the weed dotted ground came from cracks above, and simple vines with tiny flowers hung on its walls.

She weaved through the passage ways, obediently following the cat. A light fluttery feeling rose within her. She could hear water trickling not far off.

Up ahead the cat stopped, staring out at an area she couldn't yet see. Where it stood though, she surmised the one side of the corridor had gone, sturdy pillars holding it up instead. Light washed the floor of the open area.

She picked up her pace, slowing back down as she reached the end of the left wall. What she spied caught her breath, and the white cat stood forgotten at her feet. Hordes of sweeping flowers greeted her, nestled within all shades and figures of greenery. Trees loomed over head, placed as if purposely to aid in the beauty of its surroundings, allowing for the waning light just the right angles to grace the flowers. Birds cooed and chirped from unseen havens.

Still trapped in awe and wonder, Serena walked into the open, eyes still taking the beauty in sweeping strides. A feeling bloated within her, threatening to burst---amazement, happiness, disbelief?---all combined.

She drifted to an expansive fountain. Its clear water flowed timelessly from various stone flowers that entwined around a life-sized maiden. An exquisite statue, the ivy that curled up and around its side made it even more intriguing a picture.

Though… there was something peculiar of the face. She couldn't quite place it. Oh, nothing was wrong with it by far, it was the graven image of beauty, and yet... The face tilted up to the skies, smoothly carved lips slightly dropped open, eyelids drooped in serene wonder. Cheeks softly rounded, caving in to make a soft finely-structured face.

Serena shook her head slowly, a light feeling conjuring in her stomach. She glanced down to the clear water, to her reflection. Her eyes took hold of her own rippling image, settling on her face. She glanced back to the face of the statue and back to her reflection. Her breath caught.

The statue was of her.

Maybe not her, she reasoned, but every feature resembled her own. She stepped back with a dubious expression weighing on her face. An eerie wave slipped through her. Was she really in the Shai' Cathrdrun staring at a statue that could very well be of her?

The white cat jumped onto the frame of the fountain, sitting with its tail curling around its legs. It set its discerning silver eyes on her. What an odd cat it was! Serena thought, pulling her attention momentarily back on the animal.

She stood there, calming the unease the statue on the fount had caused. Granted, the Shai' Cathrdrun unsettled her, what with the cat, the statue, and the mystical beauty that draped it thoroughly. But… it was a place that called to the soul, weaving its mysteries and beauty within a person. May all worries be forgotten if she entered this place with them.

For a few moments, she breathed in the air, fresh and lined with all fragrances, treating her eyes to the sights the Shai' Cathrdrun gave. In the end, she found herself playing with another question. Shall she return to the forbidden eden?

She looked to the white cat, still content with staring at her. She nodded to it. "Yes, I think I will."

A thrill of excitement and wholeness seeped into her. To visit this place any time she wished! Slip into it as unseen as the cat. It must be worth the risk of being seen. She heard that even the princess only visited it occasionally.

Without warning, the cat lifted it's head and darted away and she finally heard the men's voices. She looked up, startled, catching sight of two regally clad men. One all in white, from his suit dotted with medals and ornaments to his fair skin and fine silver hair that drifted down his back. They hadn't taken notice of her yet, but dare she run? Oh, how stupid she was! Would she even see Sammy or Maman or the orphanage again?

She stepped back with a despairing cry as they turned their eyes to her, at startled as she had been.

The white man recovered first, hands clasped behind his back he faced her with curious gray eyes. "What are you doing here?"

It wasn't demanding. Possibly, he thought her to be someone who was allowed in the Shai' Cathrdrun? But if that was so, why ask why she was there? Oh bother, what a mess! She couldn't respond.

He continued, cocking his head to the right. "I thought you would still be on Jupiter. The ship hasn't returned, did you take one of the Jupitarian shuttles back home?"

Jupiter? Serena thought in bewilderment, only being able to stare in helpless silence at the man.

"I guess it does not matter." He turned to the other man. "Chills, we can discuss this matter at a later time." The man bowed and slipped away, leaving Serena gaping at the man.

What he said next lodged her heart in her throat.

"Come, I must take you to the Queen."

Serena's head spun fearfully as the man guided her out of the Shai' Cathrdrun and into the first few corridors. Her eyes darted around, unable to appreciate the high ceilings and rich draperies as her breaths came in short gasps.

The Queen! Out of all the poppycock the man had been saying, that she understood!

Was it so serious a crime for her to be taken right to the Queen? Heaven help her.

Her distressed eyes turned back to the way they came and then to the man who stared indifferently ahead while keeping his fast pace and only lightly having his hand placed on her back. Did she have the bravery to run? She wondered and then bit her lip with a fluttering of her stomach. Better said, did she have the bravery to stay and face possible death?

In the deciding factor, she darted from the man, springing back down the corridor as fast as she could.

The man turned, gaping as she ran. What the devil was she up to? Not wasting time, he ran after her. "Serenity, stop!"

Serena glanced back, despaired to see him following her. She focused ahead, furrowing her brow at the unfamiliar name. What was going on? Surely more then she believed, what with his nonsense! Still, best she escape before finding out and she hitched up her white laced skirts and sped up.

"Someone, stop her!" the man cried from behind.

Serena gasped as an unnoticed guard took hold of her as she collided into him, seeming as surprised of doing it as she. She wriggled furiously, but the guard just turned questioning eyes ahead as the man of white arrived in a breathless state.

He cocked his silver head, eyes bewildered. "What the devil has gotten into you? Running as if the dark queen herself were after you!"

Serena simply turned in her imprisonment to him, after a few more minutes of words failing her she stumbled some out. "I promise I didn't mean to be in the garden! Please don't take me to the queen, I beg you!"

He shook his head at her. "Unless you fear sickness, which I'm beginning to wonder, your mother truly wished to see you when you arrived back home."

Serena paused, again not being able to respond to the man. Still warded in confusion she made no attempt to run as he nodded for the guard to let her go and began to guide her once more through the corridors.

Was the palace truly insane? What nonsense did this man speak! Still afraid, but finding herself ever more confused, she kept silent, letting her thoughts whirl in intangible mixes.

A few moments later, the man nodded at two guards who opened guilded double doors and wound her inside.

She could scarcely comprehend the grand room which stretched like and open field and seemed as high as the sky, light pouring in from ceiling to floor windows, it was the sight of the Queen that struck her. A woman of silver hair swept up into the traditional buns and trails as all woman of Lunarian royalty, a delicate and yet commanding pale face, busying herself with whatever matters she discussed with the people scurrying around her. Elegant white robe hung around her body, materials of all kinds with embroidered gold threads and such tiny pearls. It was truly the Queen, she was standing in the same room as the Queen. The fear eased above her confusion as she froze in her spot.

The man beside her cleared his throat. "Your majesty, I found your daughter in the Shai' Cathrdrun."

The princess had returned? Serena wondered. Where was she? By the way he was speaking, it seemed he meant her. But that was preposterous! She cast her eyes to the Queen as the woman turned in one languid motion with a sigh upon her lips.

"Oh good, Serenity, you are back!" she breathed. "Thank you, Artimas for bringing her to me."

Serena glanced at the man called Artimas as he nodded. The Queen stepped forward, and much to her surprise, took hold of her arms and led her away.

"Now Serenity, there is much to be done before the first set of balls and celebrations. Your lessons will be dismissed temporarily---"

"Please, your majesty!" Serena stopped, staring up at the queen with pleading eyes. "I don't know what your are talking about, but I truly am sorry for being in the Shai' Cathrdrun."

The woman blinked her gray-blue eyes in confusion as she shook her head. "I'm afraid I'm not sure what you are talking about either. But never mind that for now." She lifted a hand to stop Serena from responding. "Like I said, much to be done. Right now I need you to go see the seamstresses, they must fit you for your dress. Uh—" The queen paused, as if just taking notice of Serena's garment, a simple white lace dress with one or two soft pink ribbons. A bit fashioned for a little girl, but it was the best dress she possessed… granted though that the hem of it was awfully soiled from her trek through the forest. The silver haired woman shook her head, seeming to decide not to comment. "No argument, go straight to it. They're waiting in your chambers." The Queen took a heaving sigh before sweeping away.

Serena stood there numbly. No one else took notice of her. What happened? Definitely nothing she felt in power to comprehend. She shook her head, turning to walk carefully to the door, still fearing they made a mistake and would realize it before she escaped. The Artimas fellow cast her a strange glance before moving on, but other then that, no one stopped her from leaving the room.

She shivered up at the two guards, tall looming figures that they were, and slipped by them, still somewhat amazed they didn't pounce on her and carry her off to some prison. She ventured down a cavernous corridor, and then another, and another, jumping at every sound. Her mind may be numb but her nerves surely weren't! She stared up to the far away ceiling, turning around, eyes slipping over everything surrounding her.

The corridor she was in broke out into a room that stretched far. Surely if someone were stationed on the other end, they would appear a mere dot to her! She bit her lip, staring dubiously through the columns spread through the room. It would take her forever to find her way out. She turned toward the sound of trickling water, seeing a concave in the room where a fountain merged with the wall. Arms crept around herself against the cool air and she walked towards the fountain, sinking to the floor and curling besides it. Tears pricked her eyes as she peered above her arms that she had dug her face into. Oh how badly she wished to see Sammy, or even the sight of the strange white cat would comfort her. But not a sign of one person could be seen or heard, and with the simple sound of flowing water, she closed her eyes and drifted into sleep.

* * *

Artimas stared at the flickering screen, studying the frail ebony haired woman with concern.

She shook her head. "I'm telling you Artimas. She is dead," she murmured in apparent distress. Her hazel eyes set firmly on him. "I found her. Fallen in one of the corridors, blood covering her body. The guards wrapped her up. She's dead."

Luna's words were genuine. He couldn't doubt what she said. He leaned against the table with his arms, puzzled eyes faced down. And then his mind clicked, and he looked back up in wonder to Luna. "I found her in the Shai' Cathrdrun, Luna," he said. "But she was different. Bewildered, skittish. I couldn't understand her confusion. She acted as if she didn't know me. When I tried to bring her to the Queen, she ran from me! And her dress, it was simple lace and soiled around the hem… unrevealing, plain style." He shook his head, the answer clearing in his mind.

Luna stared at him. "What does it mean?"

"It means we have a look a like on our hands. I swear she appeared just as Serenity, Persaphone, in every feature. Not even the Queen could tell the difference." Artimas stared off into the distance, intense in his thoughts.

Luna stared at him with wide eyes. "What are you thinking?"

"I think we have been granted yet another way out." He sucked in a breath before turning back to her. "I will try and find the girl, heaven knows where she has gone. I doubt she would have gone to her chambers to the seamstresses as Queen Serenity had told her. If she truly is not Serenity, then she will have no idea where it would be anyhow. Keep silent about the matter, if anyone questions, say she went ahead of you in a Jupitarian shuttle. Then we must meet together with the girl."

Luna nodded, weary eyes more alert with their understanding, and then he cut off the connection and went off in search of the enigma girl.

His venturing seemed in vain. An hour later, as dusk arrived with its deep blue tones, he gave a frustrated sigh. He knew the palace well, but it would take days for a thorough search of the grounds. He dismissed the rooms that were occupied or used often, keeping to the darker ones. It narrowed the choices down, but there were still far too many left.

And of course, she could have found her way out and scampered into the night back to wherever she came from. If that was so, how could they search for her without any notice? And a discreet search of the kingdom would take days or weeks, time that they didn't have an explanation for the Princess's absence.

His irritation grew as he sailed down another pale corridor washed with shadows that the torches did not reach. If only the girl were still there! He rubbed his temple, pausing by an open window that let in the evening breeze and stared out. "Selene, help us," he murmured.

A meow called behind him and he turned to the white cat sitting with it's discerning silver eyes cast on him. Artimas stared at it, as if questioning.

A moment later, the cat rose and patted down the corridor and Artimas followed. One pathway led to another, and he let his direction solely up to the cat. After weaving through the palace for moments on end, he began to wonder at his faith in the cat. Was he following it in vain?

But then the cat slipped into the old ballroom of the less used sector of the palace. Truly a cavernous place with the darkness flitting through it with only soft tones of blue from the outside. Really a blessing the cat was white, he mused as he trained his eye on the pale color that moved on the shadowed floor. It paused and Artimas could clearly see its silver eyes peering through the night.

Perking its head to one direction, it went to move again, slipping around to one of the other entrances. The sound of trickling water reached his ears, and he recalled the fountain in the concave of the wall. They were getting closer to it. Small white flowers that spread across the ivory covering the fountain winked in the darkness as the silver light from the earth cast its glow upon them.

As the cat scurried, he realized they were heading to the fountain and not to the other entrance. He studied it closer, relying less upon the cat for direction. Something was besides the fountain. He strained his eyes, unable to tell. But the certainty rose within him and he left sight of the cat to hurry to the crumpled form.

A pale light fell from a high window, and he could see the girl's silver face in its glow, its lovely features serene in sleep. He breathed in as he sunk to his knees. How could one so resemble another? Who was this girl?

Careful not to wake her, he slipped his arms beneath her and rose. Thoughts flowed as freely in his mind as the water of the fount. What would this girl be like? What would her reaction be? He feared from earlier her bewildered demeanor, just now fully understanding it. Would she accept the responsibilities he was about to lay upon her? He could only pray. With a straying glance at her face, he walked back into the shadows.

The white cat leaped onto a ledge that was bathed in Earthen light, clutches of Ivy and periwinkle flowers entwining around its chosen spot. Silver eyes, alight amidst the darkness peered after the form of the man with the girl within his arms. It turned as if content with its job and busied itself with licking its paw.