Guardians: Silver Millennium

by Celeste Carter

Prologue

A beautiful palace stood gleaming in the fluorescent glow of the night Earth. Its garden walls were high, and the perfect pillars and shine of the smooth stone it was constructed of told of its newness. The palace, young itself, was home of the royal family of the moon. Outside, beautiful gardens with flowing fountains and stone statuettes covered the remaining palace grounds. Large, weeping Lunar Fringe trees with silver leaves and small Moonflower bushes with many different colored blooms dotted the length of the sidewalks. In the central garden, a large marble fountain with cascading waterfalls flowed gently. The pleasant fragrance of Moon Lilies floated through the air.

Inside, a young princess peeked around the corner of an extremely long corridor. From this corner, the corridor branched into an intersection of four halls. Seeing no one present, she scurried down the hall to her left as fast as she could without tripping over the magnificent length of her white and silver dress. Her long silver pigtails gently trailed behind her. She clutched her candlestick tightly, so as not to spill any wax as she ran. She picked up the skirt and many layers of petticoats underneath with her free hand. She ran down the maze of halls and corridors, painstakingly tripping every so often.

This is no time to be clumsy! she told herself. I have to hurry! The guards will come, and I'll be sent back to my chambers!

The small princess slid to halt on the smooth stone floor in front of two grand doors. She looked up at the towering doors above her. They were made of black onyx, and bore the royal symbol of the Moon Kingdom in pure silver that gleamed in the light of her candle.

The princess swallowed hard. She knew this place was off-limits, but she just had to know what was inside. What was so special that not even her mother, the Queen, dared to go inside? Not to mention no one would even discuss it with her. It sparked her curiosity, and she was frustrated because she, the Imperial Princess, wasn't allowed inside. For a twelve year-old, she was highly mature for her age. It was her responsibility, she felt, to know the secrets of the Kingdom she would one day inherit. In order to understand her subjects and be a strong ruler, she needed to understand the people and the mysteries. Was that not sufficient enough reason to do what she pleased? Of course it is! I am Supreme Princess Crystal, first in line to the royal throne of the Imperial Moon Kingdom!

After reassuring herself, a new confidence filled her. Hesitantly, she pushed the large symbol on the doors. Recognizing her as a direct member of the royal family, they slowly began to part. From the torch-lit hallway, the little girl could see there were no lights on inside. She cautiously held her candlestick high, trying to make as much use of it as possible. The light flickered as she trembled nervously. She started forward, not knowing if she should be afraid of what she might find inside.

She walked slowly, careful not to make any noise or possibly set off any alarms that had been set up. Once she was completely inside, the doors slammed shut, locking the young princess inside, in the darkness.

But only for a moment. Suddenly, a bright, white light filled the room.

An alarm! She twirled around to face its source at the center of the room.

In the center of the vast chamber, a small crystal was shining brightly. It had been placed on a silver pillow with sparkling silver trim, and placed on a short pillar. The pillar was made from an unknown white stone, and was polished to a smooth shine, like the rest of the Palace walls.

The young princess approached the pillar. As she did, the Crystal began to shine and sparkle, glowing even brighter as the girl neared it. Once she was close enough, she reached out and grabbed it, laughing to herself as she did.

This is it? She peered curiously at the stone sitting in her hands. The Silver Emperial Crystal? That's what they wanted to keep me away from? How silly! What did they think I'd do, steal it?

She sat her candlestick down in place of the crystal on the gleaming pillow. The princess could feel the jewel growing warm in her hand. It continued to sparkle, growing ever brighter. The girl shaded her eyes with the other hand.

'Tis warm! What is this, that grows so bright? No ordinary diamond. A magic jewel this is! Something truly special, indeed! It's bright light so warm and inviting!

She gasped. With what strange tongue do I now speak? That of the Vulcans? But, I've never studied...

And as suddenly as it had begun to grow, the light and warmth of the crystal enveloped the young Princess.

Yes...I have studied Vulcan language...No! I've not!...This new knowledge has somehow made it's way to me...

Frightened, she dropped the jewel. To her amazement, it stayed afloat in the air, held up by some mystical power. She took a step back. Fear coursed through her, as knowledge from the many different planets, peoples, and cultures throughout the solar system entered her mind.

How is this possible?! What great magic dost this strange jewel hold?!

She could feel herself growing warmer and brighter, like she was being given an incredible gift. A gift of power. A gift of intelligence. It was as though....as though the Emperial Crystal were becoming part of her. All of its radiance, its warmth, and its power were penetrating into her.

This was quite unexpected. She was frightened beyond belief, and screamed for the Guards, "Help! Somebody help! Hurry, please help me!" Startled and confused, she took another step back, away from the hovering jewel. She accidentally bumped into the stone pillar, knocking her candlestick from its place on the pillow. It dropped to the floor, knocking the still-lit candle out of the candleholder. It rolled beneath her feet, her skirts catching aflame immediately.

The silk and taffeta skirts blazed up. The young Princess screamed, crying out for help, only half-aware of what was going on. Her mind was numb from all the information it was being flooded with. Her body was frozen in place from the mixture of her fear and her mind's incapability. She couldn't figure out if the intense heat was real, or if it was from the Emperial Crystal.

Several guards, slow from just being aroused from sleep, were racing down the halls to the Emperial Crystal chamber. Behind them, a frantic and worried Queen sped after her daughter's cries. Her worst fear had come true.

They arrived at the chamber doors, which were sealed shut. The Queen made her way through, touching the Silver Emblem that recognized only members of the Royal Family. Sensing her urgency, the doors swung open.

Her daughter stood ahead of them, her garments burning, crying pitifully. The Queen cried out to her daughter, "Crystal! Crystal!" But the girl could not hear her poor mother, or the Guards, or even her own crying. She was concentrating too hard.

I'm...burning...I'm going to die.... no... Fire go out!...please, I don't want to die!...

As the Queen ran towards her burning daughter, she was stopped in her tracks as a bright flash blinded her vision. After a few seconds, when her eyes returned to normal, she couldn't believe the sight in front of her.

Princess Crystal stood before them, in perfect health, wearing her favorite white and silver gown, bows pressed, sashes tied snug around her waist. Her eyes were shut peacefully, and a calm smile graced her pink lips.

The Queen fainted.