Prologue: Ember
The moon had risen high in the sky by the time Sakura managed to scale down the castle wall without scraping herself too badly, lugging a large bag behind her. She wasn't used to the cold yet - though she knew she wouldn't freeze, unless it rained.
She stood looking up the wall, unable to see where her window was, and shivered. It was hard to believe that she'd climbed down all that way, but since it was dark the fear of falling had been less obvious. It wasn't that she was particularly scared of heights to begin with - it was just that she had never climbed down from one before, even a tree.
Longingly, she stared in the vague direction of her parents' chambers, letting out a sigh. They wouldn't know their precious daughter was gone until halfway through the day - she didn't let maids in, and often didn't come out of her room until noon. Mostly her mother attributed this to her daughter's need of beauty sleep. After all, Princess Sakura was a famed beauty, known for her vivid green eyes, delicate skin, and graceful coordination.
The eighteen-year-old girl sighed, turning away from the expanse of grey wall. She was homesick already, but not about to admit it even to herself. There was a city and a country waiting for her - and more importantly, a set of Clow Cards on the rampage.
* * * *
Syaoran always wandered the streets at night, on principle. So far he hadn't had a chance to see the inside of the castle - they rarely let commoners or soldiers in, only the royal guard and the deluge of nobles that poured in and out of the city daily.
The princess wasn't allowed outside the castle, as far as he knew. None of the commoners had ever seen her, despite that they all seemed to know what she looked like. Typical sounding, this princess. Green eyes and medium-length brown hair, short, slender, pale delicate skin, and the grace of a dancer.
This is my rite of passage, he thought, my rite of passage to become king of the Li Kingdom. To find that princess and kidnap her, to force the Kinomoto kingdom into a treaty.
Syaoran couldn't care less about this princess. It was not she he was after. No, he was after the Clow Cards, which were loose within this kingdom. Some idiot had found the sealed book - the book that belonged rightfully to the Li family! and let the cards fly away. But if he could get his hands on the Cards, he could become the most powerful king ever to rule the Li Kingdom. Perhaps if he kidnapped this princess, then, he would rule over the Kinomoto and the Li Kingdoms.
"I will find that princess," he muttered, ignoring the strange look a passerby gave him. It wasn't as if they could see his face, see who said those words. They would forget about a stranger walking in the dark by morning.
His hand caressed the sword strapped at his side.
The moon had risen high in the sky by the time Sakura managed to scale down the castle wall without scraping herself too badly, lugging a large bag behind her. She wasn't used to the cold yet - though she knew she wouldn't freeze, unless it rained.
She stood looking up the wall, unable to see where her window was, and shivered. It was hard to believe that she'd climbed down all that way, but since it was dark the fear of falling had been less obvious. It wasn't that she was particularly scared of heights to begin with - it was just that she had never climbed down from one before, even a tree.
Longingly, she stared in the vague direction of her parents' chambers, letting out a sigh. They wouldn't know their precious daughter was gone until halfway through the day - she didn't let maids in, and often didn't come out of her room until noon. Mostly her mother attributed this to her daughter's need of beauty sleep. After all, Princess Sakura was a famed beauty, known for her vivid green eyes, delicate skin, and graceful coordination.
The eighteen-year-old girl sighed, turning away from the expanse of grey wall. She was homesick already, but not about to admit it even to herself. There was a city and a country waiting for her - and more importantly, a set of Clow Cards on the rampage.
* * * *
Syaoran always wandered the streets at night, on principle. So far he hadn't had a chance to see the inside of the castle - they rarely let commoners or soldiers in, only the royal guard and the deluge of nobles that poured in and out of the city daily.
The princess wasn't allowed outside the castle, as far as he knew. None of the commoners had ever seen her, despite that they all seemed to know what she looked like. Typical sounding, this princess. Green eyes and medium-length brown hair, short, slender, pale delicate skin, and the grace of a dancer.
This is my rite of passage, he thought, my rite of passage to become king of the Li Kingdom. To find that princess and kidnap her, to force the Kinomoto kingdom into a treaty.
Syaoran couldn't care less about this princess. It was not she he was after. No, he was after the Clow Cards, which were loose within this kingdom. Some idiot had found the sealed book - the book that belonged rightfully to the Li family! and let the cards fly away. But if he could get his hands on the Cards, he could become the most powerful king ever to rule the Li Kingdom. Perhaps if he kidnapped this princess, then, he would rule over the Kinomoto and the Li Kingdoms.
"I will find that princess," he muttered, ignoring the strange look a passerby gave him. It wasn't as if they could see his face, see who said those words. They would forget about a stranger walking in the dark by morning.
His hand caressed the sword strapped at his side.