Can You Remember Me, Brother?



Prologue 



	A young man stood on the cliff, staring down at a once
beautiful and prosperous kingdom, now destroyed to ashes.  
His watery blue eyes stared at an destoyed palace, which he
used to call home.  He pushed back his black, spiky hair.

	"So, it must have been a shock for you," a woman with
silver Odango-atama approached to him, gently placing her
right hand on his left shoulder, "but. . . it is all gone."

	"Mother," the young man's legs gave away, "I couldn't 
protect her, mother!"

	The woman hugged her son, burying her face on his
shoulder, "it is not your fault, son."

	"But, my sister!" the young man sobbed, "if I had been
here. . . then Serenity and Endymion. . ."

	Tears gathered in Queen Serenity's eyes when her lost
daughter's name was mentioned.  As far as the queen could
remember, her son was not to blame for the princess' death.
If there was to blame, it was all hers!

	"No. . it's not your fault," Serenity brushed her son's
spiky hair, "I forced you to go. . . so it is not really your
fault."
	
	Prince Raven was a stepson of Queen Serenity, and the 
stepbrother of the princess.  He was about four years older 
than his stepsister.  He was a son from deceased King Apollo 
the Sun King's previous marriage to a goddess of war.

	As far as Queen Serenity could remember, Raven was 
only a mere child of two when Apollo and Serenity had gotten 
married.  Raven was a little, shy boy who immediately accepted 
Serenity as his mother after the marriage that united the 
two most powerful kingdoms into one.  

	Raven had been a very lonely child, spending most of
his free time at the garden or in the library.  His birth mother,
Goddess Val, was a cold, cruel war goddess who spent most of
her time on butchering weak humans.  A marriage between Apollo
and Val must had been very unpleasant one, since Val immediately
deserted her only son and headed back to her own realm as soon
as he was born.

	Serenity loved the little boy as her own, since she could
not produce anymore child after the king's tragic death.  Val
never cared for her only son from a marriage between a human.

	"Sometimes I am glad you got the boy out of my way," Val
once told the moon queen, "I don't want to see a filthy halfling
around me."

	No love existed between Apollo and Val, since it was a
forced marriage - the marriage made to pay back his father's
doubt to gods.

	"Mother?"

	Serenity awakened from her daydreaming.  Raven was looking
at her, still holding her tightly in his strong arms.

	"Yes, son?"

	"It is getting dark," Ravan said, "I will try to find a
shelter for you, dear mother."

	He was very kind young man.  Serenity's heart ached for
him when she knew he has to part from her eternally pretty soon.
Her mind was pretty much made up and she wouldn't let anything
to stop her from doing what she has to do.

	"Raven?" 

	"Yes, mother?" Raven forced a smile, "are you cold?"

	Why did Val name him Raven?  Surely this young, kind
man deserved a better name than that.  When Raven had turned
eight, Val suddenly took him under her wing, training him into
a soldier.

	Raven seemed to loath taking lessons from his real
mother; after all, this was a cruel goddess who left her son
behind when he was a mere infant.  She, however, left when he
completed his training, never coming back to see her son again.

	The half-godling had chosen to serve under the moon queen,
protecting the women, Serenity and his stepsister,  he loved more 
than his own life.  Raven quickly won a position as a captain
of elite force of moon army.	

	It was around that time when his path crossed with the 
prince of Earth, Endymion.  The two accidently met when Princess
Serenity was attacked by a sea mosnter.  The two sworned to become
brothers, only to become real brothers after the engagement of
Serenity to Endymion.

	"My son. . ."

	"Mother, are you okay?" 

	Would Serenity be able to see his blue eyes again?  Probably
never.  She was going to die here. . . and he should be sent to 
the future with the rest of people from the moon kingdom.

	"Forgive me, Raven!"  Serenity raised her Crescent Moon Wand
into the air.  Luna and Artemis ran toward them, trying to stop
the queen.

	"MOTHER!"  Raven too knew the true power of Silver Crystal,
perhaps too well.  Tears streamed down from his eyes when he
realized what the queen was upto, "PLEASE, DON'T DO THIS, MOTHER!"
He tried to stop her when his body suddely paralyzed, refusing to
move by his will.  

	"I'm sorry, Raven," Serenity forced a smile, "but I don't 
want you to suffer. . . you deserve second chance like other
people on the moon."

	"MOTHER!"  Raven cried, "NO!  I DON'T WANT TO LEAVE YOUR
SIDE.  I WILL PROTECT YOU, MOTHER!"

	Serenity placed a soft kiss on her son's forehead, "no. . 
everything had been my fault and if there is a sacrifice to be
made, it should be me."

	Raven bite his lower lip hard, hard enough to draw blood,
trying to move his paralyzed body.  Luna and Artemis struggled
to move their bodies, too.

	"Mother. . ." Raven said, "please. . . you are the one
who deserves second chance. . . please. . . let me use that
wand!"

	Serenity shook her head, smiling a tearful smile.  He
was pushing himself too much, not thinking about himself when
he really need to be.

	"Raven. . . please protect your little sister," Serenity
whispered, "she will need your help. . . protect her, please!"

	The queen raised her wand, releasing the power of the 
Silver Crystal.  A bubble-like barrier appeared around three,
immediately flying toward the Earth along with other people
who died during the Dark Kingdom assault.

	"MOTHER-----!"

	"Good luck, Serenity. . . and Raven," the queen breathed
her last breath, her eyes staring at her stepson, "please. . . 
please. . ." the queen's dead body fell softly on the ground. 


end of prologue