"But Da-aaa-ad! I don't want to go!" Mars resisted with all the stubborn strength in her small body, despite the fact she knew she didn't really have a chance of winning this argument.
Ares spun her around to face him. She widened her eyes at the leashed fury in his tone. "Child, I've never hit you in my life, but if you keep this up, I'll be much more than tempted to spank you!"
Mars hesitated for second, but she wasn't old enough to recognize when an argument was unwinnable yet. "I" tug "don't" tug "want" tug "to!" Her tiny hand slipped out of her father's grasp and she took off back down the hall toward the spacecraft they'd disembarked from. She wanted to go home !
Ares stifled a shout. It wouldn't do any good. Maybe he'd spoiled her too much. Oh, well. Luna and Artemis would take care of that. Wasn't that part of the reason all the children were coming? He took a few long strides and easily caught up with his daughter, who desperately pumped her small legs in an attempt to escape. He grabbed her by the shoulders and hefted her up.
"Very well, if you're too much of a baby to walk in by yourself, I guess I'll have to carry you in. Then everyone can see what a baby you are."
"No I'm not! I'm not a baby!" Mars' cry of rage revealed her indignation.
"You're older than all the other girls. Now are you going to act like your age, or am I going to have to embarrass you?" Ares stared into his daughter's purple eyes. She considered for a moment, but the thought of being humiliated in front of the other princesses, girls she'd only heard of in stories from her father, was too much for her. She hung her head in a reasonable facsimile of contrition.
"I'm sorry, Daddy. I can walk in by myself."
"Very well. But don't try to run again, or I'll carry you in over my shoulder. Understand?"
"Yes." She walked sedately in front of him, only the stiff line of her small shoulders indicating her anger. Ares smiled. Where did she get all that fire? Once it was under control she'd be a formidable fighter. He reached over her head to open the throne room door. He looked around the room. Serenity hadn't arrived yet, but all the inners except Gaia were there.
Jupiter wore a resentful expression very similar to Mars'. Ares and Zeus exchanged amused looks over their little girls' heads. Mercury was quietly waiting, hand folded serenely and her eyes half-closed. She didn't make any moves as Ares and Mars moved into seats next to her, as though she were too busy pondering the mysteries of the universe to bother noticing her surroundings. Ares compared the calm little girl to her father, who constantly fidgeted in his seat and looked about with bright, darting glances. Ares shook his head. The difference between them was striking.
Last he looked over at Aphrodite and young Venus. Other than his own daughter he'd seen Venus the most, since Aphrodite brought her along to all the councils they held. She wasn't bright and cheerful like she usually was, however. Instead she seemed to be in a slightly gloomy and contemplative mood, like Aphrodite when she discarded her gloss of social cheerfulness and her hard gritty practical side peeked through.
As he was watching Venus and Aphrodite the private door behind the throne opened, and the two Serenitys stepped through. The queen walked gracefully toward the raised dais, while her daughter practically ran to keep up. Both wore their signature long white gowns, and while the elder Serenity seemed to glide across the floor, Ares winced as he saw younger Serenity's feet constantly catch on the hem of her dress. He'd heard the little princess was clumsy, and he couldn't decide whether to credit the rumor as true because of the way she kept stumbling and almost tripping, or to dismiss it as a lie because the little girl somehow managed to keep her feet. He sighed in relief when they both reached the dais safely, and watched Serenity pick up her daughter to settle her in the small chair next to her throne. Ares squirmed uncomfortably. This wasn't good. The princess was five Haven years old now. She should be more than able to seat herself. It was perfectly natural for Serenity to dote over her daughter since Sol had died, but this was ridiculous! If the child couldn't even seat herself, how was she going to learn to run a kingdom? When Serenity decided that her daughter was finally comfortable enough, she turned to her own throne and sat down, turning on a bright smile to her assembled friends, and their children.
"Welcome! So, I take it you all have decided that the girls will be schooled here?" She seemed relieved at the thought that her daughter wouldn't have to leave her. After what he'd seen, Ares almost wished they'd decided on someplace else to teach the girls, but Luna and Artemis were the best and safest choices for tutors, and the Moon was the best defended planet. The girls would obviously be safest here.
Hermes spoke up. "Yes, your Majesty, I think we all agree that this would be the best place for our daughters to be taught." He paused for breath and Serenity broke in with a wave of her hand and a slight smile.
"Please, please! Let's dispense with the titles, please! They're much too cumbersome." She glared around the room. "We've all been friends much to long to have that sort of nonsense between us."
Hermes gave a perfunctory little bow. "Forgive me. As I was saying, we think this is the best place for our girls, but first we'd like to talk to Artemis and Luna, and find out what they plan for our daughters to learn. Maybe we can make some suggestions if we see they haven't thought of something."
Serenity nodded. "That's a fair idea. Just a moment, while I send for them." She reached up with her left hand and pulled a braided silver bell pull, worn smooth and shiny from the many times it had been used. Next to her right hand was another, tarnished and unused. Ares smiled. It really was too obvious which pull signaled an emergency in the throne room, and which merely called for the presence of a servant. As he watched the queen his eyes wandered over to little Serenity. She looked so cute, a small blonde copy of her mother, even down to the signature odangos. She squirmed uncomfortably from time to time, as one would expect from any child, but all in all she was surprisingly well behaved-especially considering how much her mother pampered her. Ares began to have a little hope that things might not be as bad as they at first seemed. He suspected any maturity he saw in the girl was a product of Luna's deft teaching. Sometimes that woman amazed him. A courtier slipped into the room and Serenity gave out the order for Luna and Artemis to come to the throne room. The man bowed and backed out to search for the pair. "It should only take a few minutes," Serenity said with a smile as she turned her eyes to the young charges that would live in her palace for the next twelve to thirteen years.
She smiled at the stubborn grumpiness on both Mars' and Jupiter's faces. Ares looked down with disappointment at Mars. She'd started off her pouting with occasional glances up at his face, hoping he would relent, but after he'd staunchly ignored her the first few times she just sat in a slump, staring angrily at the ground. He sighed. Goodness knew Serenity wasn't the only one that had spoiled her child a bit too much. He saw Serenity wave a little at young Venus since she had also seen her often as an infant and toddler. Venus seemed to know something unusual was happening, however, for she ignored Serenity's greeting and buried her face in her mother's side, clutching convulsively to Aphrodite's exquisite yellow dress. Then Serenity turned toward Hermes and Mercury, and she looked a little surprised at the calm equanimity on Mercury's face.
Luna and Artemis suddenly opened the door and stepped into the silent room. Serenity widened her smile for them. "Ah! Here they are. Luna, Artemis, these five girls are going to left in your care for their schooling and training for the next few years. Their parents would like to know exactly what you're going to be teaching them during this time."
Luna nodded. "Of course. Well, we'll teach them the normal subjects-reading, writing and arithmetic as the basic building blocks, then all of the sciences and philosophy, and lots of history. They'll need that to know what a good ruler does and doesn't do." She raised an eyebrow at the young girls.
"That's all very well and good, but books aren't the only things they'll need to deal with in their life. What about physical and military training?" Ares nodded at Zeus' comment. He knew the value of intellectual knowledge, but military strategy and personal fitness were just as important to him.
Artemis stepped forward. "Physical and technical training will be more in my area. I'll start off with basic martial arts, and some training with their magic, and we'll bring the girls to Serenity for some of her expertise in magic to get any problems they may have with that under control long before they reach puberty." He raised his eyebrows and Aphrodite nodded in agreement with him. "Then we'll work on teamwork and military strategy and tactics, not to mention leadership skills."
Ares smiled, pleased with the plans so far laid out. He stood. "That sounds good to me. I think," he swept his eyes around the room, stopping to look into each parents' eyes, "that now would be a good time to go, before things get any more difficult. Unless someone has another question?" Nobody offered one, so Ares quickly stood and began to walk out. He saw the shocked incomprehension on Mars' face and made his feet move faster, before his little girl could figure out that he was leaving her and begin to throw a tantrum. He saw the others get up and follow, Aphrodite having to pry Venus' fingers off of her first. They filed out of the room in complete silence, and hurriedly closed the door behind them while the throne room still rang with shocked silence.
Luna hid a smile as she watched panic wash over all four girls' faces, even composed little Mercury's. She turned to Princess Serenity and jerked her head in the girls' direction. Little Serenity looked at her with wide eyes, then swallowed and began to get out of her seat. Queen Serenity turned to her daughter, protests on her lips as the little girl climbed down, but the princess ignored her with the same stubbornness that her father used to have, and the queen abruptly stopped her abortive gesture, shocked at her little girl's total disregard of her presence. Luna smiled at the determined look on little Serenity's face. She knew this was her best chance to prove to her mother that she wasn't an infant anymore, that she was slowly growing up. Her smile widened to a proud grin as Serenity scanned the four little girls before and immediately walked in the direction of Mars.
Artemis leaned over to talk to her. "Why are you grinning like an idiot? Did you tell her to do this? You may give the queen a heart attack, you know."
"The princess has been frightened to the point of immobility over this meeting with the other princesses. I told her they'll be just as frightened as she is, but if she makes the first effort to be kind and outgoing, she'll become their best friend." Luna answered in a whisper. "And about the queen, it's high time she allowed Serenity to grow up a little. She's going to be queen someday-she has to be able to perform her duties!"
"Hey, I'm not disagreeing with you!" Artemis held up his hands in a calming gesture. "In fact, I agree with you. What I can't figure out is why you're so infernally pleased that she's going to Mars first. That girl looks as if she'll gladly rip someone's head off. She doesn't strike me as the first one to approach with overtures of friendship."
Luna waved him off. "Oh, you don't know anything. The reason she's working so hard on looking dangerous is because she's the most frightened. It makes perfect sense for the princess to go to her first."
"Did you tell her that?"
"No, she figured it out by herself. That's why I'm so proud." She turned to him with her forefinger over her lips. "Now shush. I want to hear what she has to say."
"Shush!?"
"Shush!!!!"
The princess stopped just in front of Mars. She stuck out her hand, and while Luna saw she had developed a slight shake, her voice was admirably steady as she said, "Hello! My name's Serenity. What's yours?"
Mars looked up at her from her seat, then jumped to her feet as if she couldn't stand looking up at someone. "My name is Mars. Princess Mars." She stuck face as high into the air as it could go in an attempt to look regal.
"Oh, yes, this is already going so well!" Artemis winced.
"Shush!" Luna clenched her hands together.
Little Serenity didn't let Mars' combativeness faze her. "Oh! You're a princess too? So am I!" She clapped her hand with excitement and Luna judged that while she was overacting a bit, she wasn't doing all that bad for a five-year-old. "That means we can do all sorts of stuff together! Maybe we could even have sleepovers!" Luna smothered a smile as Serenity hesitated, obviously furiously searching her thoughts for more "stuff". "And. . .we can trade clothes, and do each other's hair and help each other with schoolwork and play games together!" Mars' sulky expression slowly began to lighten as little Serenity babbled on. Serenity held out her small hand, and after a second's hesitation Mars snatched it up in her own. "It will be so fun to have someone to play with." She peered at her new raven-haired friend, then looked over at Jupiter, who stood watching the scene with an unmistakable hunger on her face. "What do you think about going over to that other girl and seeing if she wants to be our friend too?"
Mars' face softened imperceptibly, and she nodded a little. Serenity pulled her over to the girl dressed in a cute little green pantsuit. "Hi! I'm Princess Serenity!"
Jupiter opened wide her emerald eyes. "Hello. I-I'm a princess too. Can we do things together too?" Her eyes wandered to Serenity's and Mars' entwined fingers, and Serenity automatically reached out to comfort the hurt that filled Jupiter's face.
"Of course! I wouldn't have it any other way!" Before she'd even finished speaking Venus stood up, and the despair that had covered her expression when her mother had left slowly lightened until she was smiling bright enough to rival Princess Serenity's friendliness. She walked over to the busily chatting girls.
"Can I join too?" Serenity didn't even let her finish her sentence before she pulled her unceremoniously into their new little group. Luna waited with bated breath. Just one more little girl, all dressed in blue, wasn't in their happy little group. Had Serenity forgotten about her?
Even as she wondered this Serenity squirmed out from her place in the middle of the three other girls and looked across the room at Mercury. She squared her shoulders and walked over to the still silent girl. As she got close a smile spread across her face, and she stopped in front of Mercury.
"Hello, my name's-"
"Princess Serenity. Yes. I heard." Mercury made a picture-perfect curtsy. Serenity shifted from foot to foot uncomfortably, then tried again.
"Would you like to come over with us? We have room for one more."
"I know what you're doing. You're not really as stupid as you try to look. Your Highness." Mercury tilted her head and peered up at Serenity intensely.
Serenity stood there for a moment, completely nonplused. Luna held her breath. She hadn't been expecting such difficulty from this corner. The worry on Serenity's face finally cleared and she leaned in close. Luna strained to hear her. "You're right. I am acting a bit. Do you know why?" Serenity pushed on without waiting for an answer. "It's because I'm scared too." She held Mercury's eyes with her own. "I thought I'd make it easier for everyone by being the one to get us together. You're smart-you saw right through me. Maybe you think you're too smart for us."
Mercury looked at her with surprise. "My dad said he didn't think you were too smart." Luna and Artemis gasped at hearing that. Mercury's lips twitched. "I think he was wrong, your Highness."
Serenity waved her hand in a conscious imitation of her mother. "Oh, don't call me that, or I'll have to start calling you 'your Highness' too," she grinned, "your Highness." Mercury actually giggled, covering her mouth with her small hand. "Anyway, your dad isn't so far off the mark." Serenity screwed her face up in a comical expression of despair. "You should see how bad I am at math." She put her arm across Mercury's shoulders and began to lead her gently in the direction of the other girls. "One thing you could do is teach me how to curtsy so well! Every time I try I trip over my own feet!"
Artemis and Queen Serenity were both staring at the princess as if she'd grown a second nose. Luna felt herself swell with pride. Let Serenity try to treat her daughter like a baby now!
Artemis turned to her in surprise. "Did you teach her to do that?"
Luna winked at him. "Shush!" She smiled. His snow white hair set off his bright red face so dramatically!