Chapter 1: 'The Princess & The Wolf'

Kinomoto Castle

The birds chirped merrily as the sun began to rise. The green meadows surrounding the castle slowly came into view. The radiant rays slowly lit up the sky and freshness filled the air. It was springtime and the scent of the beautiful cherry blossoms was carried by the gentle breeze. Flowers of different colors and shades were scattered clumsily on the grassy plains giving it an extravagant look- daisies, peonies, roses; you name it!

In the midst of the scenic grassland stood a beautiful castle. The castle walls shone brilliantly against the sun's rays and gave off a glamorous glow, making it look as if it was made of pure gold. It was huge. Built thirty stories high, it was probably the largest castle one would see while traveling these lands. The castle towered over a few small houses that were a part of the Kinomoto Village. The meadow surrounding the castle was protected by a band of colossal walls.

Standing in the balcony outside her room, she breathed in the scent of the natural beauty that was in front of her.

Absolutely breath-taking, she thought and smiled. Leaning against the railings, her emerald poles searched across the land for any sign of pink trees. Cherry blossoms, my favorite! As soon as she spotted a few of them, she wanted to leap out of her balcony to the field below.

She sighed. She knew better than to do such a thing, though. Firstly, it was because her balcony was at least two hundred and fifty feet away from the ground. Secondly, the people in the castle would not be very pleased if they were to find out about it. Yawning, she turned away to return to her room. Living in the castle was no fun to her. How she longed to be free and to be able go out on an exciting adventure across the jungles and forests to the great beyond!

But that'll probably never happen… she realized, with much sadness.

"But it won't stop me from hoping. Right?!" She assured herself.

She smiled and danced around in her gigantic room thinking about the wonderful experiences she would get to have if she went out on an adventure.

Oh an adventure! She thought merrily.

"Talking to yourself is a sign of insanity. You know that don't you?"

The voice startled her and made her lose her footing, causing her to end up on the floor. She looked up and pouted, annoyedly, at the man who stood at the door. The man wore an expensive battle suit that complimented his lean figure perfectly. He had black hair and brown eyes. His facial features were sharp.

"Get out of my room, Touya!" she screamed, angrily.

Touya smirked.

"Why would I want to come inside a monster's room anyway?" That was all he said before walking away.

"I'm not a monster! Geez Touya. I wish you'd grow up!" was all she had to retort to his retreating figure.

She got up from the floor and headed towards the huge mirror on the side of her room to fix her sleeping gown. She sighed after looking at her reflection.

She had become sixteen yesterday and she no longer looked like a child. The luscious curves on her slender body had become very prominent. Her auburn hair hung a few inches below her shoulder. She began growing her hair out a few days ago.

Her eyes were of the deepest and purest shade of green and anyone who looked at them would be forever lost in them. She was without a doubt the most beautiful girl across the land. And, whenever she looked at her own eyes, she was always reminded of her mother. She sighed again.

I miss you, Mother…

A knock at the door woke her up from what seemed like a trance.

"Princess Sakura, may I come in?"

"Please do. Good morning."

Sakura smiled and turned around to meet her maid and good friend. She was a few years older than Sakura.

"Good morning Princess" Aya smiled and greeted.

In her hands she carried what looked like a purple dress. Sakura, seeing the dress, gave Aya a confused look.

"Princess Tomoyo would be coming over today. I think she would be delighted if you were to wear the dress she made for you last week."

Sakura smiled. "How very thoughtful of you, Aya. Tomoyo would love that! Here, please help me change."

Sakura changed into the purple dress which had full sleeves. The dress hugged her body well and went down to her ankles. It was simple, yet elegant. Sakura sighed with relief. This was one of the few designs in which Tomoyo did not go overboard.

After dressing up, Sakura headed downstairs. The castle seemed to be even bigger on the inside. Not to mention more beautiful. The floors and walls were decorated with expensive marble. A long wide staircase covered with red carpet led down to the throne room.

Sakura skipped merrily down the steps. In the throne room, behind the large throne, was a large painting of Queen Nadeshiko. She had passed away when Sakura was only three years-old because of an illness. Although Sakura did not have many memories of her, she still missed her mother. She stood there silently in the room, staring at Nadeshiko's painting, not noticing her father approaching her.

"Good morning. Sakura. You are looking absolutely lovely today." Fujitaka greeted his daughter with a warm smile.

"Good morning, Father. Thank you. I'm waiting for Tomoyo." Sakura turned around to meet her father.

He was wearing a thick red robe which was so long that it reached the floor. His round glasses gave him a fatherly look. He had auburn hair like Sakura and brown eyes like Touya. Before sitting on his throne, he too went up to the Queen's painting and whispered.

"Good morning. My dear Nadeshiko."

Sakura smiled at her father. It was clear that he still loved his wife dearly after all these years.

"I apologize for interrupting, but Princess Tomoyo's carriage has arrived" Aya reported as she appeared from behind.

"Oh, that's alright. Thank you for letting me know. I will be meeting her outside in a minute." Sakura turned back to her father and bowed politely.

Fujitaka laughed. "Go have fun my dear. Give Tomoyo my greetings."

"I will, Father." Sakura smiled, and rushed out to meet her best friend.

Tomoyo was the princess of the Daidouji castle. Her mother Sonomi was a distant cousin of Sakura's mother Nadeshiko. Tomoyo and Sakura were childhood friends and they were absolutely inseparable. Tomoyo's hobby was to design clothes and outfits. Apparently, she always used Sakura as a model for her designs.

"Good morning, Tomoyo! It's so nice to see you! I've missed you so much! How are you?" Sakura greeted Tomoyo whole-heartedly with a hug as soon as she got down from her carriage.

"Sakura! I've missed you too! Is that my dress you're wearing!? It looks absolutely gorgeous on you! Oh my God! You look even prettier than you usually do!"

Sakura was a bit taken aback. But then again, that's Tomoyo for you! She thought happily. Sakura nodded at her friend, "I love this dress Tomoyo! I think you should become a designer. I don't know a single person who could design clothes better than you do!"

It seemed as if Tomoyo did not hear a word Sakura had just said. She went forward to touch Sakura's hair.

"Oh my God! You're growing out your hair! I've always told you that you should do it! You look absolutely amazing!"

Sakura laughed nervously. She was getting a bit uncomfortable, but nevertheless, she was used to this.

"Come on, let's go sit by the fountain and have some tea!" Sakura offered cheerfully.

Tomoyo nodded. "We have a lot of catching up to do!"

Aya came in with two cups of tea.

"Thank you, Aya. It's so nice to see you." Tomoyo greeted. Aya bowed politely and left.

"So… Is it true?! I heard that you're getting engaged, Tomoyo! Come on, tell me all about it!"

Tomoyo's expression darkened at that mention.

That's weird... I've never seen Tomoyo react like that before... Sakura blinked, confused.

"Is something wrong?"

"Yes. It's about the engagement- I'm getting married to Prince Hiragizawa" Tomoyo spoke with sadness in her voice.

"Is that so? Well.. do you not like him?" Sakura added, worriedly.

"It's not that though. I've never even met him. The weird thing is that my mother has never met him either. She just came up to me one day and said that I have to marry him. She offered absolutely no explanation. And, I've never even heard of our kingdom having any relationships with the Hiragizawa kingdom. It's all so sudden… I don't know if I'm ready and… I'm so confused."

"Don't worry Tomoyo! I'm sure your mother has good reasons for getting you married to this prince… and everything should be fine. Did you hear anything about this man from anybody yet?"

"Well, I heard that he is about my age... I'm pretty glad about that. I heard that he has blue hair and eyes. I don't know anything else though. But, I'm not sure if I want to marry him without knowing about him or ever even meeting him."

"You're gonna be fine… don't worry! I don't like seeing you all depressed like that! I like it better when you're all cheerful and making clothes for me!" Sakura tried her best to console her friend.

"I guess you're right... I feel so much better now after talking to you! You're such a good friend!" Tomoyo smiled. But it quickly changed to a sly grin. Now it was her turn to ask questions. "But what about you, though? I heard that you've been getting a lot of suitors lately!"

"Yeah... The suitors are coming in every day. But Touya always manages to drive them away by giving them the cold shoulder. Honestly, that's the only one thing I appreciate about my annoying brother. I don't want to get married right now. Besides, I think the only thing they're after is the kingdom's wealth." Sakura just shrugged her shoulders with boredom.

"But you would make such a lovely wife, Sakura! I can't wait to design your wedding dress!" Tomoyo exclaimed enthusiastically until something caught her eye. "Hey, isn't that your brother over there?"

Sakura turned around to see Touya riding a white horse across the grassy field. Following Touya were the other members of the Royal Knights. The Royal Knights were a group of noblemen that were skilled in the fighting and combat. Touya was the current leader of the group. Even the prince had to go through the rigorous training of becoming a Royal Knight. The group's duty was to protect the royal family from harm.

Sakura sighed. If only girls were allowed to train so that they could become a Royal Knight... I know it's so thrilling and exciting! I want to learn how to use the sword and fight like a true warrior... just like Touya…

"Don't worry Sakura... I'm sure you would make a great warrior. You would be beautiful... and strong!" Tomoyo cheered.

Tomoyo was born with a special ability to read people's thoughts. It's a handy ability, but it gets kind of disturbing when Sakura wants to keep her privacy. Sakura turned back at the Royal Knights. She blushed as soon as she spotted the gray-haired young man who was also riding a white horse.

Oh my God! It's Yukito! He looks so dreamy with his hair flowing in the wind! Maybe marriage might not be a bad idea now that you think about it... Sakura shook her head with realization.

Don't be ridiculous he only thinks of you as a younger sister... Nothing more.

Sakura sighed, sadly, and turned towards Tomoyo.

"Don't lose hope Sakura. If you guys are meant to be together then I'm sure that destiny will lead your way." Tomoyo assured her.

She didn't have to read Sakura's mind to know what she was think about this time. She wasn't really keen about the idea of her and Yukito, though. Tomoyo believed that it was just puppy love. But, nevertheless, she wanted to support Sakura thorough thick and thin. It was the least she could do for her best friend.

"Well... I just hope that he notices me. I just want him to see me for who I am- Not just some little girl who happens to be his best friend's younger sister..."

"Of course." Tomoyo nodded with understanding.

Sakura looked towards the giant castle walls that were located pretty far from where Tomoyo and she were sitting and sighed.

Maybe I should tell her...

"Don't you ever wonder about what's happening outside, Tomoyo?"

"Do you mean outside the castle?" Tomoyo blinked, confused at the sudden change of topic.

"Yeah... I'm talking about life in the villages... Or maybe even life in the mountains beyond the villages... Or maybe even beyond that to other kingdoms! Places we don't even know about! I want to know how it feels to be free!" Excitement grew in the princess' voice.

"No… Not really..." Tomoyo answered, thoughtfully. Wow. Your wild imagination never ceases to surprise me... Well, that's what I love about you, Sakura. Tomoyo smiled at the thought.

"Don't you ever feel that you're missing out on something exciting? Sakura looked down to the ground, sadness filling her voice.

"Well, now that you bring it up... I guess…" Tomoyo giggled. Although, I think I'm looking at a walking bundle of excitement right in front me!

"I want to go on an adventure! Explore the world outside of this kingdom!" Sakura got up from her seat and spun around, gracefully.

Her emerald poles shone brightly as she adamantly stared at the wall that barricaded the whole world from her.

Kinomoto Village

A huge block of wood flew up in the air as the crowd watched expectantly. There was a sharp 'swipe' followed consecutively by a few more. All of them in the same second. The piece of wood fell onto to the ground in the form of a pile of small logs. Every single one of them accurately shaped and equal in size.

The crowd cheered, clapped and whistled and the young boy took a humble bow. He put his sword back into his scabbard. The sword was long and slick. The hilt was black with red strings wrapped around it and with yellow diamond shaped decorations. The blade shone brightly in the daylight. One would believe that it was quite expensive. The boy wore an undersized ragged green robe, though. So that probably led people to think otherwise. He was tall and thin, but had an athletic body build for someone his age.

The crowd threw coins at his feet and dispersed.

Oh I can sure get used to this! Maybe the people in this village aren't so bad after all…

"Thank you dear! I needed those logs for the fire..." The old lady who owned the piece of wood appeared behind him.

The boy turned around.

He had messy brown hair and deep amber poles. Not many people had eyes of that shade around these parts. It was obvious that he was a traveler- a foreigner in this village.

"Don't mention it! I'm glad I was of some help." The boy grinned happily with his hands behind his head. He then bent down to collect the money that was scattered on the ground.

I'm gonna need this for dinner... And probably for a place to sleep as well…

He started to count the coins and smiled.

Yeah, that should do it! I Guess today's my lucky day!

The lady took out her own bag of coins. "Here you go dear. You earned it!" She handed the money to him happily.

"Thanks, but I already got my keep for today. I really appreciate it, though!" The boy refused humbly with a smile.

"Oh, well, at least stop by for some porridge... I'll make some with the fire from the logs you cut down for me."

"That'll be great! I'm absolutely starving!" Wow! This day just keeps getting better and better.

The lady went back into the house. He was about to follow her inside until he heard someone call out to him.

"Those were some mad skills there."

He turned around towards the man who was wrapped in a dark cloak. He was amongst his audience without a doubt.

"Can I help you, sir?" He felt that this man was here to talk about some serious business. He grabbed onto his scabbard almost voluntarily.

"Oh yes you can, my son. In fact, you would be of great help to me." The man removed his hood to show his face. He had grey hair and brown eyes and looked quite old. It was obvious that he was of high authority around this village.

"Just so you know, I'm only visiting this village..."

"It's obvious that you're not from here." The man cut him short. "But that's not what this is about... I have an offer to make to you… One that you simply cannot refuse... "

He looked at the man quizzically.

The man smirked. "How rude of me... Allow me to introduce myself. I am Lord Gareth. I'm one of the Royal Knights."

He added the last part in a whisper so that no one else could hear him.

The boy's eyes widened. This man wasn't joking. He could feel it.

"How would you like to work for the Kinomoto Castle? We could certainly use a man of your... talents."

He was taken aback. One of the main reasons for him moving to this village was to find a job that would help him with his minimum requirements. This was way beyond what he was looking for.

Gareth could easily tell that the boy was more than eager for the task. The smirk on his face only grew. His recruiting skills were better than ever.

The Royal Knight extended his hand out towards him.

"Tell me son, what is your name?"

The boy stood there speechless for a moment or two, trying to digest what just went down.

.

.

.

"…It's Syaoran."

-X-