Sol III's Moon; 1000 Years Ago

Grand-Marshal Bre'zen gazed up at the large blue sphere that was Earth. A waltz echoed out from the open doorway behind him and his three fingers absently drummed against the railing in time with the music.

"It's a beautiful view, is it not?"

Brezen turned and frowned down at the small figure. He straightened to his full eight-foot height, his armor clicking as he moved, when he recognized the speaker. His voice came out as a deep, growling hiss. "You should know better than to sneak up on an Ice Warrior, Shsurr."

Queen Serenity smiled slightly. "That's why I'm back here."

Bre'zen gave a rumbling chuckle. "A wise decision."

"I must confess, I'm surprised you came to one of the masquerades."

"As am I, Shsurr. Princess Mars insisted I come to at least one."

"She's very fond of you, you know."

"As am I of her. She is like the daughter I never had and will be a good Queen of my people one day as her mother was before her."

The two fell silent as they both regarded the planet above for a moment.

"I am worried, Shsurr. Events on Earth bode ill. I have half the fleet in orbit, watching the planet. We think they will attack here. Hatred for you grows every day and the hoo-mans are an honorless species."

"Their prince is a good, honorable man. He'll make a great King one day."

Bre'zen shrugged. "He may not take the throne. This 'Beryl-Witch' has many followers. Her numbers increase every day. They are a growing threat we must deal with, Shsurr."

"You know we cannot," Serenity replied firmly. "It would violate our treaty."

"A treaty that will be void if the Beryl-Witch were to overthrow the current rulers."

"If they violate the treaty, I trust you and your warriors can stop them."

"Of course, Shsurr. Whatever powers they may have are no match for us."

"Then there is nothing to be done but to wait and watch," Serenity said, crossing her arms. "Come inside and join the others."

"A good warrior is always on guard."

"A good warrior also knows when to take the time to relax."

Bre'zen chuckled. "Very well, Shsurr. But we are not the kind for festivities," he tugged at the spangly green cape Princess Mars had convinced him to wear. "And I feel foolish in this."

"It suits you," Queen Serenity replied.

"If you say so, Shsurr," Bre'zen grumbled, following Queen Serenity back to the ballroom.

Every eye in the room immediately focused on him as he entered. Most people were polite enough to quickly turn away, but a few stared in awe at the massive figure of a fully armored Ice Warrior in the most unlikely place in the Kingdom.

A young woman's voice rang out from across the room."Bre'zen!"

He turned to the source. Across the room, Princess Mars waved at him. In response he bowed his head. Next to him, Queen Serenity was drawn into conversation with a group of nobles who glanced at him fearfully. They quickly ushered the Queen away, looking somewhat relieved when Bre'zen made no move to follow them.

Bre'zen chuckled in amusement as he watched them go. He considered following them to see their reactions, but quickly discarded the idea. It would be amusing, but people would be afraid of him and he suspected Queen Serenity would disapprove.

The sound of mild protests caused him to turn back to the dance floor. He smiled slightly as he watched Princess Mars pushing her way across it to join him. Her red dress rippled like water as she moved, giving the appearance that she was gracefully floating rather than walking.

"Shsurr Mars." He bowed his head again when she finally reached him. "You look beautiful, princess. What brings you to my humble company?"

She smiled. "The others and I were making bets on who is the more dangerous dancer, you or Princess Serenity. Venus put was betting on you."

Bre'zen chuckled. "I would not be so sure, princess. Princess Serenity's feet are dangerous things. Even our most hardened veterans tremble at the thought of being her dance partner. We have heard the stories of what happens to those who are unfortunate enough to step onto the floor with her."

Mars smiled mischievously at him. "You'll have a great story to tell then." Mars grabbed Bre'zen's massive, armored hands and pulled him out into the middle of the dance floor.

"Princess, I must object to -"

"Come on, it'll be fun."

Bre'zen sighed and reluctantly surrendered to Mars' indomitable willpower and sheer stubbornness. He knew better than to try and change her mind.

People around them quickly parted to avoid Bre'zen. Some glanced at him in curiosity while others ducked fearfully away. Bre'zen ignored them all as he focused on not trampling his princess.

She led him to the large cluster of young men. Without hesitation, she barreled her way through them. At first, they protested, but fell silent and parted at the sight of an Ice Warrior.

Mars led Bre'zen straight to the heart of the cluster where Princess Serenity was surrounded by the majority of the young male nobles in the room. She looked distant and seemed to be oblivious to the clamor of young men eagerly asking her to dance with them.

Princess Serenity's focus seemed fixed on something only she could see. Her eyes had a slightly glazed over appearance and her arms were crossed lightly across her chest, almost as if she were holding an invisible pillow.

"Princess Serenity, this is Grand-Marshal Bre'zen. He has a much longer title, but we'd both be bored and you wouldn't remember it."

Serenity's eyes darted to Mars and Bre'zen. There was a flicker of recognition as she lowered her arms to her sides. Her attention focused fully on the two of them as she came out of her daydream.

Bre'zen bowed his head deeply, but still towered over the small figure of Serenity. "Shsurr."

Princess Serenity dipped her head slightly. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Bre'zen." She smiled warmly at him, craning her neck to look into his visor covered eyes. Unlike so many of the others, there was no fear in her eyes, despite the disparity in their sizes.

Mars took Serenity by the arm and pushed her towards Bre'zen. He felt highly uneasy at the wicked smile on her face. "The Grand-Marshal wanted to request a dance, but didn't want to bother you. I told him you wouldn't mind."

Bre'zen glared at Mars, not that she could see it through his visor, as Serenity replied. "Of course not." She smiled sweetly as she placed one of her tiny hands in his massive armored one.

Bre'zen frowned at Mars as she hid her face behind her hand to keep from laughing at his obvious discomfort. Reluctantly, not seeing or knowing a way to politely retreat, Bre'zen led Serenity to the dance floor.

Bre'zen carefully held Serenity's tiny hand in one of his. His other hand went to her shoulder, she being far too short for him to place his hand at the center of her upper back as was considered 'proper'.

He tried his best to both lead and not trample Serenity. Once he was sure that she was in no immediate danger of being crushed, he glanced over to Mars. She had rejoined the other princesses and they were all shaking with laughter as they watched the two of them struggling to dance. As he watched, Queen Serenity joined them.

He watched them whisper conspiratorially. Queen Serenity covered her mouth to stifle a laugh as her focus shifted to Bre'zen and the Princess. Bre'zen scowled as Mars laughed so hard that tears flowed from her eyes. None of the others seemed much better off except Princess Mercury who was forcing herself to remain composed.

Bre'zen was suddenly aware of his complete lack of grace. The others around him seemed to flow smoothly and gracefully with the music while he seemed to clomp around like a fresh hatchling.

Princess Serenity wasn't much better. She seemed distracted and constantly stomped on his feet. Not that it bothered him. As all his kind did, he almost always wore his thick armor. Her feet smashing into his bothered him no more than if an insect were bumping into them.

His attention turned back to Serenity as she spoke up. "Bre'zen, right?"

"Yes, Shsurr."

She frowned slighty. "What does that word mean? Shsurr?"

Bre'zen struggled to translate for a moment. "In your words, it would be 'my lady'. But for us, it is more. It is used for those for whom we have the utmost respect."

She seemed slightly embarrassed. "I'm not sure I've earned that title."

"If you are anything like your mother, you are worthy of it, Princess."

"I'm not sure I have what it takes."

"A worthy leader is not the smartest or the wisest. Great leaders are not those who win the most victories or rule the most territory and wealth. The greatest leaders are those who place those they rule over above all else, even to the point of sacrificing their lives for them."

Bre'zen nodded his head to the people around them. "These people, all of them, will be your subjects one day. Trust yourself, Shsurr. Learn from the example of your mother and those around you. Especially your friends, even if they do cause mischief."

He glanced to the other princesses again. They weren't laughing as hard as before, but they were clearly amused. He scowled slightly and turned his attention back to Princess Serenity. Once again, she seemed distracted.

"What distracts you, Shsurr?"

"It's… nothing." She averted her eyes.

"By 'nothing' I presume you mean," Bre'zen struggled with the name. "Indy-dye-meh-yon. Ind-yi-me-on. End-e-man," Bre'zen growled in frustration and gave up. "The Prince of Earth."

"Wha- how did you know?!" Princess Serenity looked terrified and shocked.

"We have been watching Earth for several months now. We could not help but notice your rendezvous. You are not as stealthy as you believe yourself to be, Shsurr."

"Please, don't tell my mother! She'll forbid me from ever seeing him again!"

Bre'zen frowned down at the princess. He slowly gave her a half-smile, revealing his sharp teeth. "I know what it is like to be in love, Shsurr. To feel the blood boil and the rest of the Universe shrink away. Ah, to be a young, handsome hatchling again." Bre'zen let out a rumbling sigh before continuing. "I have not told your mother yet and I shall continue to do so at your request, Shsurr. But she will find out eventually. Your mother is no fool. I believe she already suspects, as do your guardians."

"I'm going to tell her. When I'm ready."

"As you should. Secrets are poisonous things that eat away at even the strongest bonds. I will keep yours, Shsurr, but you must be careful. Earth is not safe with the Beryl-Witch seeking to destroy both Kingdoms. If she learns of your trysts, you will be easy prey for her traps."

"Is she dangerous?" Serenity gazed up at him in concern.

"Very," Bre'zen growled. "Her followers number many and she has powers we do not understand. Both grow by the day."

Fear flashed across her eyes.

"Do not fear, Princess. My warriors are more than a match for her. Besides, they would never be foolish enough to attack the Moon."

"What about Endymion?" Serenity's grip on Bre'zen's hand was vice-like and her face was pale.

"His forces would not be a match for the Beryl-Witch's. His kingdom is likely to fall. Such is the way of kingdoms."

Serenity looked terrified. Despite that, there was a flicker of determination in her expression. "Can you protect him?"

Bre'zen answered bluntly. "He is not of the Kingdom and therefore not under our protection. To descend to Earth would violate the treaty and would result in war. I am sorry Shsurr, but I cannot risk that when my task is to protect the Kingdom."

Serenity's face became an expressionless mask. "I understand," she said flatly.

Bre'zen felt uneasy. "You cannot risk going to Earth either," he said gently. "It is too dangerous."

"Of course," Serenity replied flatly.

To Bre'zen's relief, the song ended. "I thank you, Shsurr," he inclined his head to the Princess as those around him politely applauded the orchestra .

She curtsied back mechanically, her mind clearly elsewhere. "You're welcome, Bre'zen."

Like scavengers the young men that had been surrounding Serenity before began to approach her, seeming to know without being told, Bre'zen was no longer dancing with her. He growled menacingly at them, baring his sharp teeth and drawing himself up to his full height. To his amusement, they scattered in terror.

"I'm going to join the other princesses," Serenity stated.

Bre'zen hesitated, uncertain if he was expected to escort her to them or leave her to her own devices. The decision was made for him as Serenity placed her hand on his. Bre'zen lead her through the dance floor. The people they passed scurried out of Bre'zen's way before bowing their heads to the princess as she passed.

The other princesses pretended to have fits of coughing to disguise their laughter as Bre'zen and Serenity joined them. They regained control of themselves long enough to greet Serenity and Bre'zen politely.

Bre'zen shook his head in exasperation amid the fits of fake coughing. "How was it?" Mars asked, hiding her mouth behind her hand. She faked another fit of coughing to disguise her laughter.

"I survived," Bre'zen grumbled.

"You both survived," Mars replied. "And, thanks to you not trampling Serenity, Venus lost our bet and had to take my next shift guarding Serenity."

"Barely," Bre'zen shook his head and sighed. "You will be the death of me, princess."