Chapter Text
"The dining hall? The catering? The guests?"
Two pairs of heels clacked in uniform footsteps that echoed throughout the hallway of the Moon Castle where two women were anxiously going over numerous details as they prepared for a major event that was soon to commence. Or rather, the woman in the back holding the list was anxious, while the one who towered over her in the front displayed the composure years of regal training had instilled in her.
"The dining hall has been well prepared by the fairies on staff, the caterers from Jupiter have already started the preparations for dinner," the woman ticked off the items with a shaky stroke of her pen, her eyes quickly darting between the list and her queen who walked ahead of her, "and while all the other guests have arrived and are currently congregating in the lounge area, King Caelus is experiencing a delay."
The queen stopped abruptly in front of a window where the Sun's light shone through and her servant almost made a misstep when halting.
"B-But we received word that he will be here shortly, Queen Asimenia."
Asimenia, Queen of the Silver Millennium, let out a thoughtful hum. Her youthful figure of a woman in her 20s belied the centuries that had passed since her birth and the centuries she would yet live. "Oh my." She raised a hand to smooth out her already immaculate bluish-white hair that was done up in her family's favored two-bun style while the rest fell to the sparkling reflective floor in waves. "I did not realize the one under the protection of the planet of the wind would have trouble moving with haste." Peeking over her shoulder, she cast her probing silver eyes on her servant, allowing the sunlight to shine on the crescent moon symbol on her brow that denoted her lineage. "Are there any more delays I should be aware of, Cynthia?" she asked in her carefully tuned serene cadence.
Cynthia hesitated before answering, grateful for the sunlight glaring in her eyes giving her an excuse to stare down at the queen's reflection on the floor instead of meeting her gaze, "Princess Serenity's handmaidens have reported her highness is having trouble deciding which dress to wear for the Gathering."
"That child." Asimenia sighed, but one could hear the warmth seeping into her voice. "Hopefully Selene will be more decisive after she succeeds me, but this is no issue. I trust my sweet little moonbeam to find something in time without throwing off the schedule."
She resumed her poised gait and Cynthia followed suit, eventually leaving the hall and stepping onto the moonflower framed stone pathway leading out of the castle, the artificial wind produced by the dome over the kingdom causing strands of hair to fly loose that she quickly tucked back in place. Folding her arms over her chest, Asimenia paused and gazed up at the shrouded blue and green planet entering its new earth phase. The primitive star that had been under her people's silver aegis ever since they banished the alien cold from their world, and yet the most infamous outlier in the Solar System. Well, the second most infamous, but she need not let that ominous shadow darken her thoughts nor what would be the most momentous occasion in the Tellurian System. "Have we heard anything from our guest of honor?"
"A messenger had arrived from Earth to notify us that Queen Chrysa will be on her way after attending to some business."
"How long ago did we receive that message?"
Cynthia's voice was nearly a whisper. "...An hour ago."
"It is unfortunate," irritation slipped through the cracks of Asimenia's refined voice, "that our earthen neighbor lacks the technology we of the Silver Millennium rely on for convenient communication. Otherwise we needn't wonder how much longer our guest will take to join us, but alas, they must still rely on the... quaint method of sending a messenger."
Footsteps from behind captured both women's attention and they turned to see the sommelier in charge of the castle's wine cellar approaching them with a silver covered wine bowl. "Your majesty, the ciborium has been prepared with the wine of your choice."
Asimena clapped her hands together. "Excellent. With the most important piece on my end ready, all the remains is the star of the evening."
Vibrantly colored blossoms fluttered past her, a few of them ending up in her long sandy brown curls as she stood in the center of the topiary garden. Blades of grass tickled her feet and she stood on her toes, catching and returning whatever stray flowers had fallen out and diligently cutting protruding golden branches off of what she deemed would be her masterpiece: a golden cornucopia with a multitude of flowers as its harvest. Golden weeping willow branches were seldom used for art such as this and she wanted to get this done be—
"Your Majesty!"
A deep sigh escaped her. She knew as soon as she heard that voice, her peace would be over. Setting her gardening shears down, she slipped her sandals back on and headed out through the garden's archway made from the branches of one of the realm's ubiquitous white poplar trees. Approaching the edge of a tree-lined lake, she squinted and spotted the silhouette of an older woman standing atop the steps of the sanctuary that was nestled in the center of the water. Even from a distance, she could tell she was tapping her foot at her.
The wind suddenly picked up, carrying petals from asphodel flowers that spiraled around her and a moment later, she was right on the steps of the sanctuary, faced with a stern woman who had been her nanny in all but name. "Honestly, Chloris, bringing me here so abruptly," she crossed her arms and narrowed her golden eyes at the one who so rudely ferried her with foliage of all things, "is that how a priestess should treat her queen?"
"My queen should have departed already, not working on topiary art here in Elysion." Chloris rubbed her wrinkled forehead, her fingers brushing the red teardrop shaped gem that signified her as the high priestess. "Queen Chrysa, the woman who rules our moon is likely displeased by how long you're taking!"
The Queen of the Golden Kingdom, as unyielding as the Earth under her rule, merely scoffed and tossed back her hair, shaking some of the flowers loose. "With her people's long lifespans, shouldn't it stand to reason that she'd be patient? And that moon wench should be grateful I acquiesced to King Philemon's plea to accept her invitation to her grand attempt at showing off our moon's splendor."
The priestess of Elysion sighed and stepped forward, plucking a red blossom from her queen's hair and poking her right on the golden cross encompassed by a circle on her forehead that marked as a member of the family under the Earth's direct protection. "Even his highness, Prince Faunus, was growing concerned by your delay and how it would reflect on us."
"Please, those dream fairies that flit about here must be causing his priorities to deviate." Chrysa waved her hand dismissively. "That boy should be reading his books under one of the trees here or better yet, training to use our family's most sacred heirloom instead of fussing over adult matters."
Chloris raised her eyebrows, giving the queen a pointed look, as she often did during her stubborn majesty's twenty-eight years on this earth. "Aside from his highness being the crown heir, by having him succeed you as Earth's Guardian Soldier, you have already involved him in such matters." Reaching into the pocket of her white robes, she took out a sun-shaped pocket watch. Grimacing at the time, she extended her aged hand. "Now let us return to the surface."
Chrysa accepted her hand without—voiced—complaint and the same flurry of asphodel petals that had transported her returned to surround them both, spiriting them away from the center of the Earth to its surface where they stood on the black sands of the Obsidian Beach near the royal family's residence. Peering up at the night sky, Chrysa pursed her lips at the brilliant white full moon that shone with no starlight to share its focus. The legendary "protector" of Earth and the "ruler" of the Solar System, both positions born of their own insistence and unchecked arrogance.
"Before you leave, don't forget this." With a delicate motion, Chloris produced a golden covered wine bowl from her hands and tentatively handed it to her queen. "If there's one thing I can trust the Maenads to do, it's to judge the quality of wine and on their word, this is the best the Golden Kingdom has to offer."
"Well, I certainly can't head to that white bauble above with subpar mead, can I?" Holding the ciborium against her chest, Chrysa turned her back to the old priestess as she gathered her energy and disappeared in a flash of light that raced upwards, leaving the comfort of her mother planet for the supposed hospitality of the most ostentatious satellite in Tellurian-3.
Eight monarchs of eight different kingdoms, the most famous pillars of the Solar System, all gathered together for the ambitious agenda proposed by her mother, the ever magnificent Queen Asimenia. This congregation of rulers, with one more on the way, was apparently something Asimenia thought Selene should be present for.
"You are not only my precious child, Selene, but you are also the Crown Princess of the Silver Millennium." Asimenia cooed, patting her daughter on one of her silver hair buns while guiding her to sit beside her. "Consider it part of your training as a future queen to witness such a grand assembly of planetary powers."
But Princess Serenity, nicknamed Selene by her mother, simply shrunk in her seat and avoided eye contact with anyone. Not only was she the only heir present, she was also the only minor. She may have been the scion to the Silver Millennium, but she felt as small as her guardian star while in the presence of such accomplished adults.
They were all in the Moon Castle's grand hall, seated around a large round crystal table that allowed them all to be spread out with the guests grouped together at the sides. To Selene's right were the four rulers of the Inner planets, the Moon Kingdom's most prominent allies and guests to various functions held at the castle. To her left, were the three seldom-seen rulers of the Outer planets, so mysterious were they, there were times when Selene would misremember them as guardian spirits rather than living people. At the forefront, sat the Moon Queen and the Moon Princess, and right across from them would be where their guest of honor would be seated. Queen Asimenia had drilled the importance of subtlety into Selene ever since she was small and she did her best to put it to practice as her blue eyes darted around the hall to sneak looks at the esteemed guests.
King Dolios of Mercury sat comfortably while delicately strumming the strings of his beautiful white lyre to control the water in his glass to amuse himself, creating bubbles from his drink to float around. The way in which he was arranging the bubbles to hover about vaguely reminded Selene of the music notes for a song she was taught to play on the harp.
Next to him, Queen Areia of Mars irritably tapped her fingers on the table, tiny fires sparking to life at her fingertips which Dolios had been quick to douse. With an arm hooked around the scarlet red sacred arrow she toted, she clicked her tongue distastefully at her colleague for using his power as a party trick, but he paid her no mind. Selene noticed that Areia would glance at the empty space positioned across from Asimenia and rolled her eyes with a huff.
Doe-eyed Queen Jove of Jupiter tentatively patted the Martian Queen on the shoulder in an attempt to soothe her temper, but unintentionally shocked her with green sparks of electricity. She adjusted her crown of oak leaves before apologizing profusely, but her sweet words may have been mere fluff to Areia who waved off her contrition.
Chuckling, King Philemon of Venus leaned back in seat, his hand resting on the yellow-orange amber belt with rose-shaped links around his waist. He noticed Selene peeking at him and genially waved at her without a care for any sort of protocol a man of his status was expected to follow at such a function.
Selene's cheeks reddened from being caught and she could only manage a polite smile before sinking further into her seat. She nervously patted the ends of her silver pigtails as she redirected her attention to the remaining dignitaries.
King Caelus of Uranus, the last one to arrive, sat quietly and avoided making conversation with his compatriots. His fingers were fiddling with what Selene could tell was the handle of his silvery-white sword, but she had trouble picturing him actually wielding the blade in battle.
As he examined his features with his ornate mirror, King Pelagios of Neptune cast an impish look at Caelus and whispered something to him. Selene couldn't make out what he said, but whatever it was, it made Caelus lower his head.
With his finger tracing the silver heart-shaped ring encompassing his garnet crystal ball, King Melainis of Pluto sat upright in his seat and made not a single sound in impatience nor merriment, barely even reacting to Pelagios' playfully jabbing his ribs with his elbow.
So many people under celestial protection. Selene's head was starting to spin just from being in the same room as them and, in spite of herself, she couldn't stop herself from flinching at the sound of herald's voice announcing the final and most anticipated guest.
"Presenting, the queen of the Silver Millennium's terrestrial beneficiary," he stepped aside with a bow, "Chrysa, ruler of the Golden Kingdom."
And there she stood, the first denizen of Earth whom Selene had ever laid eyes on. Similar to the Queen of Mars, she was an imposing woman, tall and beautiful with a head of sandy brown curls that fell to her hips, a stony expression, and golden yellow eyes that flitted around the hall in what Selene could swear was scrutiny. She couldn't help but notice the queen's eyes lingered where the Outer rulers were seated before facing the host. Like the other monarchs, the Earth Queen had a symbol on her brow that marked her as someone who was part of a family chosen by her mother planet to represent it: a golden circle with a cross inside. In her hands was a golden wine bowl, a twin to the silver one her mother had in front of her.
As the hostess, Queen Asimenia drew herself up to her full height, the affected smile she typically had plastered on for political meetings in full force now. "It is my greatest joy to have you as the guest of honor for this most auspicious event I have been meticulously planning, the Solar System Gathering." She extended her hand and in it, a sacred wand topped by a crescent moon—the Moon Stick—appeared. It shone and with a wave, a throne rose up from the previously empty space across from her at the table.
Queen Chrysa placed her ciborium down on the crystal surface of the table and took her seat with a slight frown, a crack in her otherwise indecipherable visage. Selene could understand why; all of the other rulers were seated on marble thrones while Chrysa's was made out of polished wood.
"My sister! So you decided to attend after all!" King Philemon crowed, spreading his arms out wide toward Chrysa. "I'm so happy to see my hope was not in vain!"
Chrysa managed a polite, if awkward smile. "Ah... yes, Philemon. It was hard to ignore your fervent request to attend this feast on my people's moon."
From her studies, Selene had known that the Golden Kingdom was primarily allied with the Solar System's minor planets that had no affiliation to the Silver Millennium. But as the Earth's sister planet, Venus was the only one of the major planets the Earth was allied with. And because people of the Earth and people of the Moon were prohibited from interacting with each other, it was Philemon who extended the invitation to the Gathering on Asimenia's behalf.
Asimenia's smile had wavered for a moment before her eyes lowered to Chrysa's wine bowl. "I see you have honored my request to bring a ciborium of your own. I am certain I will enjoy your selection," she tapped the crescent of the Moon Stick on her silver wine bowl and in a flash, both ciboriums had switched locations, "just as I am sure you will savor the most popular wine of the Silver Millennium I offer this evening."
Chrysa's only response was a polite, if strained smile. Her golden gaze then landed on Selene and she regarded her with a critical eye. "Why is this child here?"
Child. If not for the setting, Selene would've squirmed without restraint. It was true, she was just 14 and she hadn't yet taken up her mother's former position as Sailor Moon, but when she reached adulthood, the hand of time would halt for her and she would be older than the Golden Kingdom's queen while at the same time being younger than her. Soon every eye in the room had fallen on her and she wanted nothing more than to be swallowed up by the floor beneath her. But she was still a princess! She couldn't shame her mother at such an important event by being timid! Her knees shaking, she stood up and announced, "I... I am the daughter of Queen Asimenia and the crown heir of the Silver Millennium, Princess Serenity..." Even though she wasn't very confident to begin with, Chrysa's piercing eyes made her deflate like a balloon at the end. How embarrassing...
The Earth Queen raised an eyebrow, utterly unimpressed, before addressing Asimenia. "I was under the impression this was to be a gathering solely for rulers."
Asimenia hooked an arm around Selene, her practiced smile gaining some verity to it. "My sweet little moonbeam is set to succeed me, so I thought it wise to have her sit in on a function to prepare her when she will have to host one herself."
The event proceeded smoothly from then on; the dining hall was abuzz with chatter as rulers conversed with each other after they were served their dinners. Jove spoke at length to Asimenia about how Jupiter's flowers flourish with the planet's lightning storms enriching the soil. Pelagios cheekily asked Philemon if the sulfur from Venus' atmosphere made the planet stink. Dolios attempted to ask Melainis if he was open to the idea of opening up a trade system between Mercury and Pluto.
But amidst all the conversation, the guest of honor barely contributed to it. Between bites of her food, Chrysa only gave affirmative nods as well brief "Hm"'s and "Oh?"'s to indicate she was paying attention. In the time it had taken her to finish the wine her mother offered, she did not offer any information about her own kingdom. It might not have been proper, but Selene pouted in disappointment. She had been taught for years about her people's responsibility to be the earthlings' dutiful, yet distant overseers, but there was actually very little information about the Earth itself, even within the royal family's extensive archives. Selene would have loved to hear more about the Golden Kingdom, the most fertile planet in the Solar System that was said to be favored by the Sun. Even denizens of the Sun's proxy would descend to visit. The Earth had been under the Moon's protection ever since they banished the alien invader who sought to freeze it and add it to her collection of frozen planets, and Selene couldn't help but be interested in their people whose lifespans were only a tenth of those of the Moon Kingdom. With only a maximum of 100 years to live, how in the world do the people of Earth get anything done?
Asimenia soon cleared her throat, a subtle noise that nonetheless quieted the whole room. "I am pleased to see everyone has been enjoying their dinner," she pushed the golden wine bowl she had sampled forward and waved to the three Outer kings who each stood up with their respective heirlooms in hand, "but now it is time for the main event of the Gathering."
King Caelus, King Pelagios, and King Melainis raised their sacred talismans, each of them shining. The gold and silver wine bowls Queen Chrysa and Queen Asimenia had brought and drank out of began to glow, their forms twisting and morphing into more fluid states that rushed towards the center of the table like torrents of water. Gold and silver danced around each other before they solidified to create a winged goblet.
"The Moon Kingdom has always delighted in the bonds forged with the planets of the Tellurian System, but there has always been..." The Moon Queen clapped her hands together and put on a patronizing smile Selene always saw whenever she complained about something, "some tension between the Moon and the Earth. I wish to finally put it to rest this evening." Gesturing to the newly formed goblet in the center, she continued, "At my request, the three rulers of the Outer Solar System used their Talismans, their sacred treasures which they always keep close to their pure hearts that they devote to their higher purposes, to create an artifact that will become the symbol of unity between our guardian stars: the Holy Grail."
For the first time since the Gathering began, the Earth Queen appeared bewildered and leaned forward in her seat to better examine the grail. "And how exactly will this 'Holy Grail' serve as such as symbol?"
With a flourish of Asimenia's hand as her response, the other rulers rose from their thrones. Every one of them had brought their royal regalia to the Gathering to represent their responsibilities to their mother planets and each of them shone as their power was summoned.
Dolios strummed his lyre and freezing cold mist slithered from the strings.
Thrusting her arrow forward like a spear, Areia sent forth a stream of fire.
Electricity crackled from Jove's crown of oak leaves before a bolt of lightning was shot from her palm.
Philemon's amber belt sparkled and emitted bursts of light like little stars.
Caelus slashed the air with his sword from which a gust of wind jetted out.
Crashing waves appeared in the reflection of Pelagios' mirror and seawater poured out.
Shadows swirled around Melainis' crystal ball before racing forward like a ghostly hand.
Queen Asimenia raised the Moon Stick, cool and eerie moonlight radiating from its crescent, brighter than any of the lights emitted from the others' artifacts. But rather than immediately contribute the power of the Moon, she looked to Chrysa expectantly. "It is only fitting that you and I be the last ones to add to the Holy Grail. Please, let us contribute our powers together to fully cement the Earth allying with the Moon and properly unite the Solar System."
Chrysa seemed to hesitate for a moment before she held out her hands, a golden light shining above her palms with a glow that matched the one the Moon Stick gave off. "My Earth Pomander." Once the light faded, in the queen's hands was a powder blue crystal ball framed with a gold ring with a base in the form of a white lotus flower.
Her lips pulled into a genteel smile, Asimenia prepared to wave the Moon Stick and send its light toward the Holy Grail at the same time Chrysa raised the Earth Pomander.
"Wait just a moment."
But at the last second, Queen Chrysa had halted and lowered her crystal ball. Her eyebrows knitted together in contemplation as she fixed the Moon Queen with a contemptuous look.
After putting on her best face all evening, Asimenia's meticulously crafted facade finally shattered. A most un-queenly expression of confusion made its way onto her youthful face as her eyes flitted between the Earth Queen and her regalia. "Is something the matter?"
Scoffing laughter slipped out of Chrysa's mouth. "You could definitely say that. I was about to take part in your little performance when I thought to myself, 'Why must the Earth ally with the Moon when it should be the other way around?'"
Such a statement had perplexed the other Solar System rulers, some of them murmuring amongst themselves while others cautiously glanced in Asimenia's direction.
Selene couldn't remember the last time she had seen her mother allow herself to look anything other than posh and inviting when surrounded by important dignitaries, but now the Moon Queen was impassive with a chill about her and edge to match in her voice. "What do you mean by that?"
Unfazed by the change in her host's demeanor, Queen Chrysa elaborated, "With the exception of Mercury and Venus, all of the other major planets in the Tellurian System have moons that are parts of their territories." Asimenia's eyes darkened, but whether Chrysa was aware or not was unclear as she continued, "So would it not be appropriate for the Silver Millennium, the Earth's sole moon that presumes itself to be our guide, to become part of the Golden Kingdom's domain?"
What remained of Asimenia's courtesy eroded away. "So, you have finally revealed your true colors, Queen Chrysa." She openly glared at her guest with such scorn that Selene inched away from her even though she wasn't the recipient of her mother's ire. "I put together this Gathering for the sake of establishing peace between our worlds, and yet you dare to voice your intention to take over the Moon Kingdom? I am sorry, but the Silver Millennium is, and always will be, an independent nation."
"What?!" The crystal table shook as Chrysa slammed her hands on its surface, her Earth Pomander floating off to the side to hover next to her head. "You insufferable lunar wretch! There's nothing about your 'esteemed' Silver Millennium that the Golden Kingdom would desire to consider 'taking it over'! And the audacity to hurl such an accusation at me with your own duplicity! Did you think my people were ignorant of the Moon Kingdom keeping constant surveillance on us?!"
Selene's jaw slackened, much like the other attendants. As a daughter, she was miffed that the Earth Queen would speak to her mother that way! But as a politician-in-training, she was aghast at the allegation she had leveled against her host. She hesitantly turned to her mother, expecting her to coolly deny what had been said against her.
But Queen Asimenia instead awkwardly averted her silver eyes, her ire from just a moment ago diminishing. "It is... only our intention to watch over and guide the lesser developed people of Earth."
Oh, mother... Selene loved her mother, she truly did. But even she knew she had seriously blundered in her wording, even before Chrysa shot up from her throne and nearly tipped it over.
"'Lesser developed'?! Your ego is disproportionate to the size of your minuscule mother realm! My people may lack the lengthy lifespans and advanced technology your people indulge in, but we have never wanted nor needed help, least of all from a pretentious neighbor like the Moon!"
Selene dared to look around the hall to see if any of the other monarchs would object, if not to defend her mother, then to try and restore some semblance of order to what was supposed to be an amicable dinner, but there wasn't a peep to be heard; everyone nervously looked between the two arguing queens and no one risked speaking up.
The Earth Pomander pulsed with golden light and Selene saw her mother's fingers tighten around the Moon Stick as if to prepare a defense or counterattack to any potential strike made by Chrysa, but the evening's guest honor made no move to attack, only continuing her tirade. "The Silver Millennium has long enjoyed a reputation of being considered the 'ruler' of the Solar System, solely because of your Silver Crystal," sparks in her golden eyes, she spat out the name like it was poison, "but the Golden Kingdom's sacred treasure my family wields is equal in strength to your precious jewel so there is nary a reason for the Moon Kingdom to be held in such high esteem!"
...What? Had Selene heard that right? The other guests likely thought the same thing as Queen Chrysa's provocative declaration had ignited hushed discussions. But no one was asking the most important question, the one Selene knew was just on the tip of their lips. Perhaps it her shrewdness as a future queen who sought to learn more about her beneficiary or maybe her youthful curiosity that reared its head when something interested presented itself, but Selene spoke up, louder and clearer than when she had introduced herself, and asked, "What exactly is the Golden Kingdom's sacred treasure?"
Taking a deep breath to compose herself, Queen Chrysa held out her hand and the Earth Pomander floated above her palm. "The holy heirloom that has been passed down my family for generations and blesses my people with their durability, the Abundant Golden Crystal." The blue crystal projected an image of a shining golden crystal in the familiar form of a delicate glass bead.
Selene was taught not to take everything she heard at face value, but she couldn't help but wonder, Could such a thing really exist? A crystal to match my family's Mystical Silver Crystal? Every celestial body had a special crystal that its representative guardian would wield, but with the people of Earth's shorter lifespans and their distance from the Moon Kingdom, not much was known about them so the idea that the peerless Silver Millennium could have a rival was as fascinating as it was dangerous.
Beside her, Selene noticed her mother started shaking. Assuming she was losing her temper, she reached out and wanted to rest a hand to calm her nerves, but the next moment, Asimenia had thrown her head back in booming laughter. An unrestrained throaty laugh unlike the dainty giggles Selene had always heard that shook the dining hall and even caused some of the guests to cringe. "Ohohoho!" Asimenia struggled to hold back her laughter. "I-Is this how you intend t-to atone for your outlandishness? Spinning a tall tale about a 'Golden Crystal'?"
A dark red hue blossomed on Queen Chrysa's face. "Not only do you laugh at me, but you also accuse me of being a liar?!"
Queen Asimenia calmed down enough from her fit of laughter to look Chrysa dead in the eye, challenging her, "If you are going to persist in your claims, why don't you show us? Produce this 'Abundant Golden Crystal' of yours!"
Chrysa clenched her teeth. "I cannot." A triumphant snicker slipped out of Asimenia, prompting Chrysa to clarify, "My son and crown heir, Prince Faunus has succeeded me as the Earth's Guardian and as a necessity, he is the current wielder of the Golden Crystal."
"Oh and such a shame your son is not present to verify your words," Asimenia taunted in an overly saccharine tone.
"As if I would bring my boy to this sham of a peace gathering," Chrysa muttered. "You've done nothing but preach about 'peace' and 'unity', but there's someone missing isn't there?" The Earth Pomander projected another image, this time of a ringed planet. "If you truly wanted to 'unite the Solar System', why did you exclude Saturn's representative?"
Asimenia's smug face was wiped clean.
Saturn, the planet of ruin, with its immense power of destruction harnessed by its emissaries of silence. Such was the dread they induced that an uncanny stillness had befallen the entirety of the dining hall, as if the power of silence had been invoked by speaking its guardian star's name. Selene had always wanted to research all of the planets of the Outer Solar System, but it was made clear to her that speaking Saturn's name to her mother or in general was an unspoken taboo.
"Queen Apoleia of Saturn," it was Asimenia who worked up to nerve to speak again, but puckered her lips as if she tasted something sour, "is an exception. Saturn Guardians do not operate the same way the rest of us do. They possess terrifying power, devastating enough to destroy an entire planet. Such a guardian would not appreciate what the Gathering had to offer."
Chrysa looked at Asimenia as if she was pure filth. "That's your excuse for treating your own ally like an outsider? Does the Silver Crystal not possess the exact same capacity for destruction?"
The Moon Queen had no retort.
"But it seems the Silver Crystal's additional ability to heal is the only reason why Moon Guardians are not shunned." Chrysa cast a withering look in the direction of the three Outer Solar System Kings. "And if I'm not mistaken, those three Talismans are supposed to summon a Saturn Guardian, are they not?"
The three kings stiffened and paled, eyeing Chrysa as if she had come into forbidden knowledge. And indeed she may have; the functions of the Outer Solar System protectors and their Talismans were on a need-to-know basis, even amongst those allied with the Moon Kingdom. So how exactly did this woman whose planet wanted nothing to do with the Silver Millennium learn about the Talismans' secret purpose?
"Such shamelessness to create a so-called symbol of unity between the major planets with those tools while excluding the very person they were supposed to call." Queen Chrysa moved away from the table and with a single tap, the wooden throne she had sat crumbled to dust. "If the Silver Millennium would ostracize one of their own and look down on my people as 'lesser developed', then the Golden Kingdom will have nothing to do with you and the separation between our people will remain."