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 Five: Reunited
Tay had arrived on the moon with little interference. He walked down the marble path alone, although he could have brought his friend Prince Surya if he had desired. Yet the Prince's training was not complete, and he also had his own city to lead, on Jupiter's moon IO. So, this task for Tay would be a lonely one.
He passed a few royalty inside the palace gate, but strode confidently. His attire would allow him to pass as a diplomat, maybe even a prince. He wore a black cape with blue inlay, and a light blue tuxedo. However, he wore sunglasses to conceal his icy blue eyes. A few of the princesses might have seen the aquatic glint of his ring as he strode up to the front doors.
Tay showed a door guard his sealed letter. The young door ward saluted, and pushed open one side of the double doors, and Tay entered. The hall was wide, and banners of each kingdom's colors adorned the pillars of this hall. Blue, yellow, brown, red, green, and so on, for each planet in sequence. A few more visitors and princesses were in this hallway, which he determined would lead directly to the throne room. Some of the people by one of the pillars had glanced at him curiously, then had continued their conversation. A few greeted him with a smile or a nod as they passed in the other direction.
In front of his path now was another set of double doors. He inquired to the singular guard of this door, "I have a letter for her majesty, which I must deliver in person. If she is currently busy, you may tell her that General Tay Lorien of Mercury is here to see her." This guard also saluted, and Tay returned the salute. The guard knocked twice on the door. From the inside, one knock was heard, and the door opened partly. The soldier whispered the message to what could only be assumed was another guard, or maybe a herald. A few moments later, both doors opened wide, and Tay was led into the throne room.
The Queen finished reading the letter. "You are absolutely sure of your vision, General?"
"Never has my sight been clearer."
She smiled condescendingly. "Even so, I shall have Princess Rei look into this manner with a fire reading. It shall be my way of confirming your prophecy, for she is known to have reliable foresight if she knows what to focus on."
Tay bowed. "I wish to remain here to help, if this problem is indeed about to arise."
The Queen gave a moment of thought to this. "Normally, you should stay where you are needed the most. Right now, however, I can not foresee whether that is your own kingdom, or mine. And I do see through you; you have other motives for being here." She closed her eyes for a moment, the opened them. "Yet your motives are noble. I sense a strong desire to protect the ones you love, and I know that you have the power to do so. It is enough that I can see it surrounding you even now."
She waved her hand, and the room suddenly turned black, leaving only herself and Tay visible. As Tay stood motionless from surprise, the Moon Queen spoke. "Very well. If it is necessary to deal with this unseen enemy; if Princess Rei confirms this new presence, you may stay. However, you will be under my jurisdiction and my rules. You will only report to me any information you find. You will have quarters as any regular soldier, and may freely roam the palace and kingdom. But do not reveal your true powers unless absolutely necessary. In addition, you will have three immediate commands, whether your stay is only a few days or an entire year. First, as long as you remain on the moon, you are a guardian of the Queen. Second, you are also a guardian of my daughter, Princess Selenity." Tay noticed her eyes twinkled with some unknown amusement. "Finally, I am hosting a masquerade ball in two days. You shall be my daughter's escort to this event, and also dance the first dance with her. After that, a certain other gentleman will take your place, and perhaps you will then find another partner of your liking." She winked at him knowingly, and he bowed. The room had turned back to normal as he finished the bow. He saluted, and the Queen motioned her approval for him to leave. Tay beamed with happiness as he left.
The next day, having spent a night in temporary guest quarters, Tay was summoned before the Queen, where he learned that the fire reading had been performed, and had indeed confirmed his vision. Yet there was no way of knowing exactly when the enemy would strike. Tay spent the rest of the day in earnest meditation.
Then the day of the ball arrived. After a good night's sleep in the soldier's quarters he was now given, Tay roamed the gardens of the castle for a little while, and then took in other sites around the kingdom, as a regular visitor might do.
The masquerade soon began, and was quite crowded. Tay wore a black tuxedo and the same black cape with navy blue inlay as he had brought with him. His mask was white with a blue teardrop under the corner of the left eye, and covered the upper half of his face. He smiled to himself when he learned of the Queen's plan. He had heard of the Moon Princess's love for a certain Earth Prince, but because Earth was having diplomatic problems with the Moon Kingdom, it was difficult for the two to meet. Thus, the Queen secretly invited Prince Endymion to attend, knowing that he would not be recognized at a ball where masks were worn.
With the plan set, Tay escorted the Moon Princess into the ballroom. At first she said nothing, but as the first dance started, she began to talk about random things: gardens, her friends, and of course the prince. Tay smiled, and talked about waterfalls, and his knowledge of soldiers, which gave her some idea of his importance. He even hinted at having met a princess that she would know, and possibly knowing something of her prince. "One of you princesses is from my home planet. I wear the symbol of my home as proof. Your prince I have seen before, and heard much of. But I can not tell what must be seen." His comments left her puzzled, but this game intrigued young Selenity.
She had finally noticed his ring of aqua and would have taken a guess, when the first dance came to an end. Tay bowed to her, and the pointed to someone approaching behind her. "I must go find my princess, but perhaps that is your prince." Selenity turned to face a man in a black cape and tuxedo, with a dark mask that only covered his eyes. She turned to thank the unknown escort, but he had vanished amidst the crowd.
The rest of the ball was joyful for all in attendance. The music seemed to say, "Life is short, so love while you can." Tay found Princess Ami, and took his second dance with her, albeit this time in disguise. She felt his aura was unusual, and vaguely familiar. And she could not find the urge to dance with anyone else, so they continued dancing as long as the music played. She asked nothing of him or his past, but felt strangely calmed by his presence.
Afterward, most of the visitors left, so that only a few princesses and gentlemen remained, to take a walk through the gardens. It was a happy scene, couples walking together, admiring the scenery and the comforts of having sociable companions. Princess Selenity and her prince led the way for one group, and a few other princesses unknown to Tay pointed out a row of sakura trees and left in that direction. Tay and Ami had followed Selenity, talking about how obvious how obvious the Moon Princess was happy, and that she owed her mother an apology.
Ami had brought up this interesting topic. "She had blamed her mother for not letting her travel to Earth to see Prince Endymion on her own. But now she knows that her mother only had good intentions for keeping her daughter at the palace. It must not have been safe to travel, and the Queen must have planned this very secretly, to not have any gossip." Ami was her usual thoughtful self.
Tay smiled. "I was happy to play my part in it. I can not admit to being as important as a prince when it comes to diplomacy, but I have my own reasons for being here. Although this event was quite festive rather than serious, I have achieved one goal already. I have made your acquaintance."
This surprised the princess of Mercury. "What business do you have with knowing me, of all the people here?"
Tay laughed richly. "In case you have not noticed the obvious bond we have had tonight, I shall further inform you that I am from your home planet." He displayed his ring so that she might examine it. "This is the twin gemstone of Mercury, the Aquamarine. I do not claim royalty, but your mother values my service nonetheless."
Ami was left stunned. This gentleman, slightly older than herself, was a prominent person on her planet, claimed to know her, and yet she didn't even know anything about him. "I did not know. What should I call you?"
"I am General Tay Lorien. However, princess, you may simply call me Tay."
"Tay..." She thought for a moment, as if some memory had known a person of such a name. A soldier... more than a soldier.
A loud crash interrupted her train of thought. Ahead of them a break in the wall had appeared, with smoke and rubble close beside where the Moon Princess and Earth Prince had been walking. Three youma appeared; two with swords, and one who quickly sent a blast of dark energy at Princess Selenity. Tay put up a clear barrier with a flick of his wrist, which completely stopped the attack in a shimmer of blue. Endymion pulled out a sword near his hip, and slashed through that monster with a burst of speed. The two armed creatures took sword stances while Endymion prepared to attack again, and Tay summoned a sword of ice. Tay ran up beside the Earth Prince, evening the odds, while the princesses stood in some shock, each for different reasons.
Endymion proved his skills in a quick battle of swords, by disarming the first creature before destroying it. The second lunged at Tay, who jumped over both the attack and the enemy in a half twisting flip, and stabbed the youma from behind as he landed. His sword sent a wave of blue energy through the monster, freezing it. It was simple enough for Tay to shatter it afterward. The prince and Tay return to check on the well being of the princesses. Endymion comforted the frightened Selenity.
Tay approached Ami, who had fallen to her knees with a look that might have been shame. As he approached her, she looked up at him with tears in her eyes. "I... could not protect her. Although I took an oath that I would protect Princess Selenity, I froze."
Tay put his hand on her shoulder, trying to find the words that might comfort her. "Do not lose faith in your powers. Although you are not finished with your training, I know that you have enough power to protect her. The powers of Mercury work in many ways. But it will never fail you. Princess Selenity was not injured, and she was protected by Mercury. While I am here on the moon, I am also sworn to protect your princess." His hand that rested upon her shoulder started to glow with the color of the aura that had appeared to protect Selenity.
"Tay, are you...?" Ami's question was left unfinished and unanswered.
"Your power is with me, as mine is with you. It is not failure to let a friend help in your guardianship." He helped her to her feet. "Also know that I am here to protect you, as you are quite dear to me, as I am so far away from my home. My wish to protect you is as strong as the promises I have made to protect others. I have had that wish for six long years." He paused for a moment, and then told her one more thing. "And I brought you here, to the Moon, with our Queen. I lost two people dear to me that day, but I have found one again."
Ami listened to Tay's history with interest, and some sympathy. She could not remember what had occurred six years ago, but she knew that General Vilya was killed during her arrival to the Moon Kingdom. His student had defended the palace alone after Ura was fatally wounded. And thus, Tay had lost his friend and someone else that day. Herself. But what made her so special to him? She would either have to remember her childhood, or ask him someday. For now, she was content with calling it a night.
Tay left Ami to think about the length of his history that he dared reveal. He didn't tell her of the dance, nor of his acquiring the armor and powers of the legendary knight. All would be known in time. Maybe soon.
an: Well, there you have it. After a three year delay between chapters 2 and 3, the series is finished. I hope you enjoyed my story, and although I hope to eventually continue it in an RPG or a new series, I don't mind if you make your own endings, as long as you forward them to me.