This is a fanfic created by me. All Sailor Moon Characters are owned by Naoko Takeuchi and Kodansha (as well as any others that I don't know of) Dic and Bandai have credit too. Any additional characters are MINE. MINE, MINE, MINE, MINE!!! If you wish to use MY characters, please just e-mail me and I will probably let them be yours too. ^_^. This work of fan fiction will jump between the Silver Millennium and the present, so please don't get too confused. If you do, or just want to write love/hate mail to me, my e-mail address is Vicommi@aol.com. Thank you Lianne for your wonderful help and inspiration. Ancient History-prologue by Sailor Charon The sun was just beginning to sink beneath the distant mountains and give the earth a golden red tint as two energetic young boys ran across the meadow. One was older, about ten, and the other was half that age. They ran playfully and carelessly after one another in the setting sun. "Hey, wait for me!" The younger fell behind, stumbling in the tall grass. He desperately called out to his companion, "Eppie, wait!!" The older boy obliged and slowed his pace, allowing the youngster to catch up. "You're so slow! Come on, we wanted to explore all the way to the end of the meadow before sundown. We really have to hurry or we'll be in trouble for being late." The five-year-old ran to where his friend stood, and at the last moment caught the glint in his eye and the sinister grin on his lips. Suddenly the young boy found himself on the ground under the bigger boy's tackle. "Boy, Little Brother, you should really have been prepared for that. What would Father say if he found out that your skills at defending yourself are so pathetic?" "Oh, yeah? Well, what would Father say if he found out that we were rolling on the ground like this?" The younger boy finally managed to squirm out from his brother's grasp and stand up, only to be tripped to the ground again my the older boy. "Come on, weren't *you* the one who was just saying how much trouble we're gonna get into if we're late?" The boys slowly got to their feet, still teasing each other. "Maybe, but Father would probably excuse us if we explained to him how we were working on your fighting skills, and lost track of time. You need all the help you can get! Really, how do you expect to help defend this kingdom if you can't even fight with a staff, much less a sword, Darien?" Eppie said, affectionately picking a piece of grass out of his brother's midnight hair. "You can't talk! Just 'cause you can fight, well . . . hey you *are* twice my age!" The young boy tried to stand as tall as he could, but still could only reach his sibling's lower chest. Darien dispised being so small, unable to even look his brother directly in the face. Eppie seemed to read Darien's mind, and got down on to one knee in front of the young prince, looking kindly into his eyes. "Don't worry Darien, you'll be bigger and stronger before you know it! You're right, you *are* only five years old! I'm just kidding. You will be a great fighter some day Darien, but even that isn't everything. You want to know what's better? You're going to be a great *person* too." Eppie brushed his light brown hair back off of his brow before continuing. "We live in an era of peace. Fighting isn't a necessity. It's a last-ditch maneuver if something unthinkable happens. You'll find you way no matter what. You have the potential to be something great." "What's potential?" "It means you have the strength inside of you" Eppie put his arm around his little brother. Darien looked up adoringly at his brother. He idolized his sibling, even if he never said so. He was glad that Eppie was the Crown Prince of Earth. Eppie would inherit the throne of the Golden Kingdom and would lead the world proudly. "Hurry, Darien! Let's get back before Father gets mad, excuse or not!" In the inner sanctuary of the royal family of Earth that night, a fire burned warmly, and four people sat contentedly. The king of sat before the fire, reading some parchment or another. The queen sat next to her husband, frowning slightly as she sewed Darien's trousers that had been torn earlier in the evening. Eppie and Darien sat side by side on the couch, competing in a game of chess. Darien triumphantly intoned, "Checkmate!" as he moved his black queen in for the kill on Eppie's white King. "Very good Endymion," King Locutai said. "You won over Epsilon very quickly tonight." "Thank you Father," grinned Darien, flushing with pride. "I'll bet that it would never happen again," said Eppie, eagerly setting the tall pieces back into their respective starting positions. It was clear that if a rematch occurred, Darien's opponent would unleash all of his mental capabilities in order not to be defeated by him. "You were lucky, that's all." "Epsilon, never underestimate your opponent, even if he is only half your age. It could be your downfall." The king always turned every game into some kind of lesson. It was very effective in raising two extremely intelligent young men. "Yeah, *Darien,* " said Eppie, making a diving motion with his hand, imitating their earlier sparring. "Never underestimate your opponent!" "What is that supposed to mean?" the king inquired, noticing Epsilon's charade. The queen looked up from her sewing and leveled her gaze at her two sons. "Endymion, Epsilon." The two brothers immediately went to sit by their mother. "What exactly did you two do today to make you so late for supper? I know that you went to play in Silver Meadow, but you did come home well after dark and Endymion, how on Earth did you manage to create such a rip in your courtly attire merely walking around a meadow?" "Do not worry, Terra. I am sure that the boys acted responsibly. And Endymion is a five year old boy, even if he is a prince. He probably just fell down, didn't you Endymion?" "Yes, I *fell* Father," Darien slid a glance over to his brother slyly. "So did Eppie." The king furrowed his brow. "Now Endymion, can you please at least attempt to pronounce Epsilon's real name? These nicknames you two have for each other are about as proper as . . ." "Running around in the meadow after dark?" Queen Terra finished for her husband. The King blushed at his wife's remark. "Really boys, you should try to act your station. You two must learn proper manners and procedures. We have some news for you however. Locutai, would you like to tell Endymion about our future guests?" "Certainly. Boys, you remember Queen Serenity from the Moon Kingdom, do you not?" Epsilon did remember the Queen from her last visit, but Darien was to young to recall. He did know *of* her however. "Queen Serenity is coming to pay our kingdom a visit, sons. She is also bringing along five very special young girls. The Sailor Scouts will be coming with her, and so will Princess Serenity, your betrothed, Epsilon." Finally Darien and Eppie were going to meet the girl that Eppie would marry when he was older. To be continued.