Chapter 1: Who is that Masked Man? The Ballroom was lavishly adorned with long tapestries and crystal chandeliers. Long delicate tresses of ribbon decorated the walls and the atmosphere of the crowded room was one of happiness and enjoyment. Light filled the room and many intricate patterns appeared on the floor and roof as it passed through the decorative chandeliers. Symphonic music filled the air, as couples danced around the ballroom. A young princess sat on her throne, admiring the gracefulness of the scene surrounding her. She was smiling, but she was not enjoying herself as much as she looked. As she watched, her friends and fellow princesses moved by, waving and laughing with their partners as the ball progressed. She felt happy for them, and was pained even more that they had something she did not: someone who they felt completely happy with. The princess stood up, and left the ballroom. Her mother, Queen, Serenity, noticed this movement and stood, but sat again, thinking that her daughter should spend some time alone. Serena stood on her private balcony, watching the intricate fireworks display. When she was younger, she would love to sit out on the balcony with her mother, and her laughter would fill the air as she and her mother watched the fireworks, enjoying themselves, and their subjects would be filled with joy to hear that their rulers were completely happy. Lately however, she had been much more subdued. Amy and Serena had had many discussions in private lately, and the Queen had decided that her daughter was growing up and becoming a young lady and a beautiful princess. She had always believed that her daughter was completely happy. Now, she was not as sure. Serena sighed, and walked up to the edge of the balcony, her silken gown flowing in the cool breeze that swept the palace. Her heart was restless. She heard a soft knock at her door, but didn’t answer, preferring to stay in the cool breeze, staring at the sky. "Serena?" The knock continued: three short knocks, soft and respectfully. The door opened and closed quietly with a small click. Serena continued staring at the sky, with an expression of sadness on her face. She heard Amy’s light footsteps as they moved from the doorway, out onto the balcony, and next to her. Amy’s blue eyes were full of concern for the young princess, who had left her own birthday celebrations without notice. She saw Serena’s expression, and decided not to speak, allowing Serena to speak up about her problems. Amy simply watched the fireworks, as Serena made her decision to speak. "Amy, do you think I’ll ever meet someone?" Amy looked surprised, then smiled. She had noticed many changes in the young girl, and had witnessed the growth of Serena into a charming young lady in the last few months prior to her sixteenth birthday. "Of course you will. As a matter of fact, there were a few attractive guys at your ball watching you intently". Serena smiled, still staring into space. She turned around to face Amy; untying her hair, and letting it flow freely with the wind. "Amy, are you just saying that for my benefit?" "You know I would never lie to you Serena?" "I’m sorry Amy. But as of late I’ve felt so lonely and private. I don’t think I’ll ever meet someone I truly care about" Amy noticed a young man, standing in the shadows of the garden beneath, watching them from his hiding place. He smiled at her, and made a gesture for her to keep quiet. Amy smiled, and nodded slightly. "Serena, you shouldn’t worry about that kind of thing", Amy said as she comforted Serena and winked at the young man dressed in his costume from the party. He smiled back. Amy pointed to Serena, with a questioning look. He nodded, and Amy was sure that the striking young man was interested in the saddened young princess. "What’s so funny, Amy? Why are you smiling? Did I miss something important?" Amy smiled again, her eyes lighting up as she replied "I’m just happy for you. You’re growing up. You’ve got your entire life ahead of you." Serena smiled, and they embraced. "I’m so happy I’ve got you, Amy. I don’t know what I’d do without you. We’ll be friends forever, right?" "Right". Meanwhile, in the ballroom, Raye, Mina and Lita had noticed the disappearance of Serena and Amy. "I wonder what’s going on now?" Raye asked, confused. Lita replied "I think Serena is feeling a bit upset. She hasn’t been herself lately." The other girls nodded. Raye’s eyes flashed as she stated "I can’t believe that she’s left her own party!" Lita was surprised at Raye’s outburst, but Mina smiled, with a sparkle in her eyes. "I know what’s going on. Follow me!" The older guests smiled as the three young princesses ran through the ballroom to the ornate doors at the far end, their dresses flowing behind them. Not a few of the young male guests continued to stare in the direction of the ballroom doors well after the princesses and their flowing dresses had departed This didn’t go unnoticed by the Queen, and she turned to her aides, who were nodding and smiling. "They’re growing up, I guess" she decided. She was happy that Serena’s friends were enjoying themselves, but was still unsure on how to handle Serena. She decided to leave it to her friends. As Serena’s mother, she would probably be the last person Serena would turn to for advice on relationships. She sighed, and hoped that young Amy would be the first to speak with Serena about this subject, and not the fiery Raye or Lita, who had been through a few stormy relationships before, each breaking up within a short period of time. A large firecracker exploded over the girls’ heads, showering Serena and Amy in soft purple light. The young man’s heart ached, as he watched his love, saddened by the want of companionship. He knew that the other girl, called Amy, was trustworthy, mature and reliable, and the way in which she had kept his location a secret reaffirmed his knowledge of her. He wanted to stand up, and walk to the balcony and hold Serena in his arms, comforting her, but he knew that he could not; the Queen had stressed to all young males that Serena would not be a part of any scandalous affairs that would last a single night. He sighed, and put the thought in his mind that she was a prize to be won, not taken. He moved forwards to gain a better view, and the vines he gripped came loose with a soft wet cracking sound. He fell silently onto the grass, face first, and groaned. Serena’s back was to him, and Amy, watching over Serena’s shoulder, stifled a laugh. The young man held up 5 fingers, and pointed to the ballroom, and to Amy. Amy nodded. Serena began to turn around, but Amy drew her further towards her room, keeping her back to the young man. He jumped up, grinned appreciatively, and began to duck back into the palace. "Hey You, Stop!" The palace guards noticed the young man sneaking away from the Princesses room, and called out for him to halt. Serena whirled around, and saw the young man’s cape flying, as he ran around the corner and vanished from sight. She stood there, with her mouth wide open, and turned to Amy, who gave a blank look. Amy mentioned "I wonder what he was doing?" Serena smiled, and replied "Still, he was kinda cute don’t you think?" Amy, feeling that she had done the right thing, smiled and replied "Well" "Come on Amy, admit it, you’ve got a crush on him don’t you?" "WHAT?" Amy raised her voice, unable to hide her happiness for Serena, and ending up with a large smile on her face. She hoped that Serena didn’t mistake her smile as some indication of a link between the young man and her. A few guards across the garden looked up, and smiled, seeing their princesses laughing together. You don’t actually think that I didn’t notice that there was someone there do you Amy? I could tell from the way that you were keeping my back turned from one particular side of the balcony. You also tried to stop me from turning around when he fell. Amy looked bewildered. "But I thought" She nonchalantly brushed a stray hair off her face. "Amy, did you ever think that I couldn’t see him through the reflection on the door?" "Well" The two friends giggled, and returned to Serena’s room. The fireworks continued to light up the outside sky and surrounding lawns of the palace. An especially bright explosion lit up the face of a young man, watching from the shadows of a large statue. He turned, and with a broad smile, entered the ballroom. If the guards noticed three young women attempting to slip into the Princesses garden, they did not show it, but Mina, Raye and Lita were, for princesses, extremely indiscreet about their movements. They slowly crawled around the shadows, giggling as they did, and therefore making it impossible for any trained soldier to miss them. Raye led, while Mina and Lita followed close behind. Raye suddenly stopped, and Lita ran into Mina, who collided with Raye, bringing a new outburst of laughter. Voices ahead caused the 3 princesses to slink against the wall, concealing their flowing gowns with their hands. Raye peeped around the corner, and saw Amy speaking to a young man, who neither she, nor the other two, had seen before. Mina began to whisper something to Lita, and Lita quickly shut her up, as the two passed them. What surprised the princesses was that although Amy and the stranger were together, in a garden, alone, at night, formally dressed, they were talking about Serena. As Amy took the stairwell down into the garden, the young man, who appeared from nowhere, surprised her. "Princess Mercury I presume?" "You can call me Amy. I find the title very formal." "Well, if you feel that way, Amy it is." The young man brushed his black hair back behind his head, and took Amy’s arm. "May I have a word with you?" "Certainly" Amy replied. They began to stroll through the lush garden. "What is wrong with Serena?" "Our princess Serena is feeling lonely. She believes that she will never find someone who she is attracted to and suited to" "Well, with your permission..." Amy began to laugh hysterically, tears beginning to appear in her eyes. "My Permission? Why would you need my permission?" The young man handed her a handkerchief to wipe her eyes, which were glistening with moisture. "Well, I just want to start on friendly terms with her friends." Amy smiled. He continued speaking. "I’ve been watching Serena for a few days now, ever since I arrived from Earth." "I though you looked Terran" "Yes. My name is Darien. I’ve come to the Moon for this event because my father wants me to spend some time off my own planet. He wants me to discover what else is out there, and how amazing the Silver Millennium really is. Then, on my first day here, I saw Serena dancing on her balcony. I was enchanted, and had to see more of her. I received permission from my father to attend her birthday celebrations, and have been watching her ever since. Do you think I should tell her that I have been doing this?" Amy laughed. It was a lighthearted sound that brought a smile to Darien’s face. Mina, Lita and Raye had a quick meeting on the feasibility of Amy and the stranger. They decided that there was no way he would be asking her all about Serena if he was interested in her, or was she interested in him, and he was trying to change the subject? They decided to interrogate Amy the next day, after the party. They returned to the ballroom, and as the door closed behind them, Amy walked into the corridor with Darien. Raye and the others listened intently. Amy and Darien continued their walk, and parted at the ballroom. Darien wished Amy farewell, and entered the room. Amy stood a while, then moved towards Serena’s room again. Darien replaced his white facemask, and blended in with the crowd. Serena was quietly sitting on her bed. Amy walked up and sat down next to her on the large soft bed, and looked at Serena. Serena looked up, and Amy smiled. "I’ve got a surprise for you Serena.” Serena’s eyes lit up for a moment, then the sullen dark colours returned, and she looked down. "Come on, Serena!" Amy pulled Serena up, and took her into the adjacent room. Sitting on the bed was the most beautiful dress Serena had ever seen. Her face lit up as she saw the intricate patterns and perfect needlework of the dress. She quickly undressed and tried it on, finding it to be a perfect fit. She jumped up and hugged Amy. "Oh Amy, you’re the best!" Amy replied "You would have done the same for me." Serena smiled. "Amy, can you please leave me alone for a while? I’m going to return to my party in it!" The party was buzzing with the rumors (from Raye) that Amy and a handsome man had been seen together in the garden. Amy agreed that this was the case, but denied that there was any relationship building behind it. Although it took a long time to settle, the party started up again, with dancing and laughter enveloping the ballroom. Raye immediately decided to question Amy herself, when the crowd thinned out. There were too many people around for her to squeeze her answer out of Amy right there and then. Amy met Darien in the ballroom. They danced together, and when the dance finished, Darien left for a corner of the room. Amy left for the opposite corner of the room. Mina noticed this, and called Raye and Lita over for a discussion. "Exactly what do you think is going on?" they asked each other. Lita shrugged. "It’s definitely beyond me." "Well, lets get a good seat and watch!" said Raye. Serena stepped out of her room, and the nearby servants gasped at her beauty in her new ball dress, before regaining their composure, bowing, and stepping back. Serena smiled at them, and walked towards the ballroom. "Introducing Princess Serena" The herald spoke with clarity and diction as Serena stepped into the room. The dancers began to discuss Serena’s dress, her movements, her gracefulness and anything else concerning her. Amy winked from across the room, catching Queen Serenity’s attention. Queen Serenity looked in Amy’s direction, and saw a handsome young man appear out of the shadows and walk towards the staircase, as Serena continued down. The Queen smiled, realizing that the rumors of Amy and the young man that she had overheard were untrue, and that the young man had his affections set on Serena. Mina, Lita and Raye watched, from the opposite side of the room. They had just witnessed Serena’s entrance, and had also seen Amy winking at a young man. Mina began to plan Amy and Darien’s wedding, and Raye quickly asked Mina to be quiet. Raye was very suspicious of Darien, and watched his every move like a cat. Serena continued her graceful entry into the ballroom, and as she took her last few steps onto the floor, the young man, Darien, took her hand. Initially shocked, she began to withdraw her hand from his, but when she saw who had taken it she stopped. Darien spoke up. "May I have the pleasure of this dance my Princess?" Serena replied dreamily "Certainly"