A Sailor Moon Story

Disclaimer: I don't own Sailor Moon, or any of the other scouts, or the show...

However, I do consider myself the owner of my original character, Tay Lorien.

Winter's Guardian: Reflections of Youth

Chapter One: The Ballroom

Tay Lorien looked sternly in the mirror at himself, knowing that much had changed since his first meeting with the Princess of Mercury. Yet deep inside his heart, he was less serious; peaceful and anxious would be more accurate terms.

As he prepared for his journey to the Moon Kingdom, his mind was flooded with memories. Some were quiet and some painful, but one stood out proudly. His concentration on the task at hand now quickly focused on a particular instance: his first and only ballroom dance.

If you consider a person's age in human years, he was probably about twelve. He was dressed well for the special occasion, wearing a light blue tuxedo. This color would represent his ancestry to the royalty of the ball, who would wear garments with the much darker shade of midnight blue. Other invited guests would wear a variety of colors, depending on their kingdom or their heritage; reds, greens, whites, and such would lighten the room.

He was the only member of his family invited; yet only the Queen knew the reason this young child was given permission to attend the extravagant occasion. She had sent out his invitation personally, and even supplied his special outfit.

His earlier meeting with the Queen was only by accident, yet turned out to be significant. She was one of few people to notice that he was gifted with the powers of the planet that she ruled over. His current invitation was primarily for the purpose of learning more about him; yet it was not for a truly personal or selfish reason. Her kingdom was relatively weakly guarded, and would need his help as soon as he could be taught to harness his powers. But he was still young, and she felt that he should at least enjoy a day in his youth, before he was hard-pressed with training and duty to his kingdom. For these reasons, a twelve year old boy named Tay Lorien had entered the Royal Palace of Mercury, alone, yet smiling broadly.

He looked very unusual for a child; his icy blue eyes sparkled with a hidden knowledge that he would some day master. His hair was short then, for that was how tradition had kept it for young boys. But it spiked, and mixed bronze and light brown strands stuck out in all directions. He almost looked wild, yet all that night all who noticed him could only sense an inner light radiating from the short boy.

At first, he was so immersed in the beauty of the palace that he could only gawk and stare at his surroundings as he walked into the ballroom. The main entrance alone, with splendid white and navy blue banners waving gently in the light wind, was a heavenly sight. Yet the ballroom was just as enchanting. Here, many people were dancing, the colors of clothing twirling and blending on a canvas of gray marble. Farther on, ambassadors from other kingdoms in the alliance made conversation with the king and queen, who overlooked the room from their thrones.

He grew tired of the view, and began to listen to the music instead. The orchestra was the best in the galaxy, and he wondered at the beautiful sounds that he heard vibrating through the room. Sometimes, the music would flare up loud and bold, and other times would be soft and quiet. Overall, the music made for excellent dancing, and through the night was played in a variety of tempos for different dances.

Now totally entranced, Tay ignorantly made his way around the crowded room to a quiet corner. He sat down on a small, comfortable couch, to observe the event and enjoy the peace that he felt, secure in this place of greatness. His motivation for this lack of sociality, however, was probably because he was shy.

He could not go unnoticed for long, however. The Queen had been keeping an eye on him since he had arrived. She took short leave from her conversation, with permission from the King, and went over to the quiet boy.

She walked slowly and gracefully up to him, and welcomed him quietly. He opened his eyes, stood up, and bowed. She continued her greeting, and then tried to persuade him to meet the guests. He only mumbled a quiet refusal, and she realized his shyness.

With a quick thought, she gave him the only suggestion she could give with honesty. "There are many people here of my stature, but not many that you would have a good conversation with. However, there is one I do know, a little younger than you are, in fact. She should be across the room, sitting quietly, perhaps reading. Maybe you can... talk to her." The last sentence felt like pleading to Tay. But not wishing to refuse any request of the Queen, he bowed again respectfully, and strode quietly to the other part of the room. The Queen smiled thoughtfully at the young prodigy as he crossed the room. Maybe he could cheer her daughter up. She then returned to her place at the side of the King.

It did not take long for him to arrive at the other side of the room. He looked around for the young girl, but no one stood out among the guests. As he was about to turn to leave, he realized why. She sat on a small white pillow near one of the tall windows, and seemed to almost blend in with the wall. She had a small book with many pages in her lap, and her head was bent down in concentration on whatever page she was reading. Her midnight blue hair was short, but it fell forward enough to cover most of her face from his view.

He was hesitant; she was clearly royalty, wearing a gown of fine sapphire silk. And she seemed like she desired no interruptions. Yet he still felt compelled by the Queen's suggestion, so he approached her quietly.

Asking about her book seemed improper to him, so he began his introduction with a witty remark: "Though I enjoy reading a good book myself, I would think that living life would prove more interesting than reading about it."

Her reply to him, spoken quietly and routinely, shocked him: "But sometimes people are prepared for their own lives by studying successful ones, whether real or fictitious."

This answer pleased him, as she showed amazing intelligence for a child younger than himself. He decided he would continue this debate until he gained her respect. So it went:

"A person can only learn so much from a book or novel. Only by experience can a better understanding of life be gained."

She turned a page. "That is true, but there are times in life when nothing can be learned from a given situation. In that case, it is better to remind oneself of the purpose of life: hopes, dreams, and duties."

Tay smiled to himself. "I don't believe that this occasion is one of those times. There is much to be learned here. For example, I believe that today would be a good day for an introduction."

This strong remark interested her greatly, and as she looked up at him, her interest increased. This boy was the speaker? He talked with authority, yet was only slightly older than her. She smiled in her surprise. "You are quite talented with words for a young man."

Tay was still recovering from his own shock. Now that she was looking his way, he could see her true beauty. Her eyes sparkled, with a tone of blue that nearly matched her hair; and her face was pale and smooth. He looked away for a moment, so as not to stare, and to recover a little. He was able to respond, in awe, "Yet not so obviously bright as you, in many ways. I can tell that you are gifted greatly, in both intelligence and beauty..." He trailed off as he realized that he had said too much.

She was slightly overcome by his comment, but kept the conversation going. "I am honored by your words, though I have heard them often. I suppose that if I do have a gift, though, it is the desire for knowledge. That is all."

Tay bowed to her quickly. "I will believe you, though I still harbor my opinion; and if there was time, I would give you all the praise that you deserve in my eyes. But I only have tonight to converse, and the introduction is not yet complete. May I have the honor of hearing your name from your own lips?" [an: ok, that was corny, but I had to use "lips" or the "love" story wouldn't be complete.]

Because Tay's words were spoken greatly, yet powerfully, she felt obligated to respond in a similarly dignified manner. "I, kind sir, am Ami, Princess of this kingdom."

Tay was honored now, knowing that he had met his future Queen, and also inspired that he would someday be her humble servant in the Royal Guard. "I am Tay Lorien. I have no rank, but I am in good standing with the Queen."

"My mother?" She thought aloud.

"Yes," he replied quickly, "but it is a new friendship. I have been chosen to train for service in her guard."

This interested the princess greatly, but Tay gave her no time to question it further. "I am sorry to have interrupted your book, but I have a favor to ask. I would be honored greatly if you would accept this invitation, my Princess, to dance tonight. I have no partner, you see, and I will now choose no other guest."

She blushed and stood up. "I see no reason to refuse your offer. As you have said, this is a chance to experience life."

Tay smiled and nodded. "And it may also be that an event such as this only occurs once in a lifetime, even for you. So let us enjoy it while we can." He took her hand gently, and led her near the other dancers.

It was just for a few hours, but to Tay, it seemed to go on forever. They were both exceptional dancers for their ages, no matter what the pace of the music, and the Queen was pleased indeed with the progress that her subject had made. Now her daughter could shine more openly, though Ami was absorbed in the moment and did not notice the onlookers.

The night wore on, and the ball gradually came to an end. The Queen came up to the both of them, then asked to take Tay aside for a moment to talk. Tay bowed to his princess, and went with the Queen. Ami took a seat, now feeling exhausted from the night. [an: Sorry that I make her seem lazy those two paragraphs.]

The Queen told Tay quietly, "Your success in communicating with my daughter has been exceptional, to say the least." Tay could say nothing, so she continued. "I know that it surprised you to learn that she was my daughter, but I didn't think that it was necessary for you to know. She is the only other child here, and as I have seen, you have indeed gotten along. With that new friendship now in mind, I think that you will have a better motivation for your future duties. You will help protect the planet, and my daughter."

Tay nodded, and spoke quietly. "You know my thoughts well, my Queen. I have much training to do before I am of use, though; yet knowing my friends will support me gives me courage. I only hope for two things: to succeed in becoming one of the guards, and also to have more occasions like tonight in the future."

The Queen smiled. "If you work hard enough, I am sure that you will have success on both accounts."

Preview of "Chapter Two: In Training"- As he begins his training, Tay meets the current commander of the Royal Guard, Ura Vilya (aka Urawa). With this talented mentor, Tay learns more about the coveted powers of Mercury.

[an: End of chapter one; I hope to continue the rest soon. I always have five chapters.]