Author's note: I know some of you hate them but we gotta have them. :P Anyways, I know I got a LOT of unfinished stories, but I'm looking for something to inspire me and I can't continue a story if I don't feel inspired enough. I apologize for being so irresponsible towards my readers.
Anyways, apart from that, this is my new story:
It's set in analternate universe, which borrows a lot of stuff from the real and some of the naruto world. It's set in medieval time( around 17 century in an alternate England), though as this is an alternate universe, it's not historically accurate at all and you might read a lot of things that will not make sense given the time that this story is set in.
This isn't cause I'm lazy to do historical research as one should when attempting to write a book based on a historical time, but it's cause I want to be free to use my imagination and ideas as I want, without complying to historical limitations, since I wouldn't be able to fit all my ideas in the same story if that was the case. I might edit later and rewrite some chapters, to make them better, so don't be surprised in case you reread this story and notice changes here and there. Let me know if I should keep going.
Note: English is not my first language, so you're bound to find quite a few mistakes, both in the way of phrasing things/syntax and spelling. Nevertheless, I hope you can still enjoy the story.
Plot: Sakura Haruno was made a queen at only her 17 years and things only keep getting harder for her , what with big life decisions she dreads and unexpected enemies popping up.Will she succeed to keep her kingdom from falling apart and find a chance for love ,both at the same time?Or will she need to sacrifice the one for the other?
Disclaim: I do not own Naruto. Or the world.
The atmosphere had been painted with subtle tension since the start of the very conference, following the same route that the recently previous ones took. Today was no exception, not with Lord Uchiha present, ever since he had returned from his 4 year leave.
"And you're saying what exactly, my Lord?" the old man inquired, raising a dissapproving eyebrow.
"I'm saying exactly that, Lord Manemour. The king should leave his throne." total silence filled the cold, spacious room, as all men of the council exchanged wary glances amongst them.
"Are you against King Haruno? Weren't you the one so passionately supporting him in the past, my lord?" the former man broke the silence, gathering all the courage that all the lords and barons in that very room lacked.
"I'm not against our very King. I'm against the crown. I have changed my views and now have a better vision of what our country needs in order to survive nowdays." the raven male spoke in a very confident tone, that left no room for questioning. If this had been someone else talking, he would have been ejected from the council right on spot at the best, or he'd have his head cut off at the worst.
Lord Manemour seemed to be losing his temper. His face became reddish and he seemed to have difficulty breathing.
Yet, noone else in the dark room dared to argue with Lord Uchiha. Even for a lord, he had power far above average, for a man of his place. His fame and wealth could only be paragonized to that of the very King's.
Rumours had it that it was because his and the King Haruno's father had been very close friends, close as siblings would be, since very young and the former King had the former Lord Uchiha in high esteem and appreciation, as the later had for the first.
They went to every difficult or mild battle together and people said that the King himself had once said that as long as he had Lord Uchiha fighting by his side, he could not lose the battle. Such was the emotional strength and the strong bond that the two men shared. That rumour got even bigger, after former Lord Uchiha's death(he had been assasinated 5 days prior to a kingdom battle with France).
King Haruno fought the battle but wasn't at all victorious. The battle was in fact greatly dissapointing, resulting in bigger than usual loses for England. That was the first battle to be lost by King Haruno(the 1st) and the beggining of the downwards spiral which the king's carreer had started following.
Some other rumours though told a different tale. The current Lord Uchiha was famous for always fighting in the front lines of every war, known all across the medieval kingdom and its surrounding ones, for being to violent , merciless and brutal with his enemies. This caused people to fear him and respect him.
Then again, other people said that his fame and power had just got even bigger ever since he returned from his 4 year absence. He had been to a completely different cultured country where he for the first time in his life, witnessed another reality from the one he had been used to. The details weren't known, but the drastic change of Lord Uchiha was well-evident, from his so un-lord like , foreign ideology to his newly-found opposition to the King that he once so fiercely supported.
But what made him even more feared by his avversaries and friends, was how he had the full support of the King, no matter how big his mistakes could get. The king had blind faith in him, even if this confused the majority of his supporters.
The current climate of the political scene, at least as far as it involved the King and his surrounders, was highly conservative, exactly like a medieval standard mindset was supposed to be.
However, Lord Ichiha had done a 360 turn, from that to being a liberal and that's when some people of the royal circle had started calling him a traitor in the backscenes.
And yet, the King had kept a blind eye to all of it.
"What our country needs, is a good leader. And we have him. You, of all people, should know that better, my lord." Lord Manemour said, controlling the angry timber of his voice.
"Have you ever wondered why we keep losing in almost every god damn fight we have given these past decades? Agreed, he is a good leader. But for times that have passed. The rest of the world is progressing. We cant afford to stay behind. This is why the kingdom is falling apart. We NEED to progress." Lord Uchiha said, slamming his hand on the big wooden table.
"Progress? Not everything new and different is good, my lord. Besides, the main reason we keep losing battles is cause the King has been ill for a long time and thus unable to observe and control carefully the happenings, this however doesn't mean we should look past everything good he's done for his people. Once he recovers, he will continue his fine job."
The other men in the room nodded their heads in silent agreement, with a convinced look on their face.
"Hypocrites!" the lord Uchiha stood up from his place.
"Let the ill man be! He's gonna be a goner in no more than a year's time and we all know it! Every doctor that has examined him, has given up on him! I should know, Im the one who travelled all across the kingdom to find the best ones for his majesty for 's not really the reason why you want to keep this dynasty going on! You just love your seats, as long as you still got a king, you can still be a lord and a byron, perhaps even a king, when the right time comes, still be a part of this rotten royal circle that with money or without, always holds you in a comfortable position all above the rest of society, while the non entitled- ones are starving and dying daily out there and you all do not give a damn!"
Lord Uchiha took a deep and long breath in order to calm himself down, then continued his speech.
"Let me phrase it like this. The king is, has been in no place to rule this country for years now, and he has no sons to hand his thrown to."
Lord Manemour gave Uchiha a hard stare.
"The king has a daughter, as we all know. And if you ask me, that comes even handier than a son right now. She's gonna be married to the King of France, and this will provide us with a strong alliance. France has wanted to cease the wars with England as well for a long time now, but they, just like us, havent got a female successor to the thrown for more than 4 decades. Now's the right chance, with Princess Sakura!" Lord Manemour finished, as the other lords shook their head in agreement.
"Princess Sakura? She's only 9 years old, If I remember correctly. The country can't wait that long, or we will all be doomed! What you greedy little king's men here need to understand, is that we got no time for your daydreams and your hunger for power, if you insist on keeping your posts as of now, you will lose everything later on.
There will be no kingdom in which to play lords and byrons and you will end up being killed as the French king's captives sooner than you can count. Trust me on that. I've been in France three times whilst I was away, and I see that things are moving too fast there. They're already planning another attack as we speak! Remove the king and replace him with a bunch of capable progressive and strategic minds."
Lord Manemour hit his hand on the table, suddenly earning Lord's Uchiha's attention.
"How dare you imply that our only role in this government is to milk King's money and power. We have been members of the royal council before you were even born, Uchiha, so you better watch how you speak of your elders and superiors. You say you've been to an enemy country thrice while being away. I wasnt prone to come to conclusions just by your strange ideologies alone due to respect to your father's name but now I believe you have all given us good reason to think of you as a traitor. Gentlemen, I think we can all now tell what's Lord Uchiha's drastic change sparked off."
"Yes, we had seen it coming."
Exactly."
"I agree." voices of the men agreeing in unison were spread across the room.
"If being a traitor means I'm gonna do all it takes for the best of my country, then so be it." Lord Uchiha raised his tone above the murmurs, cutting them short. Lord Manemour felt a new wave of anger growing in him but he had no time to resume his attack to the raven.
"Is that a threat? Blasphemy!" the fiddle voices sounded greatly agitated and bothered.
"So you're going to go against what your father had been fighting for throughout all of his life? Then, I believe you have no more place in this council. I will speak to the King and let him know of your conspiracies against the kingdom as soon as possible."
"Me and my father had been fighting for the same thing: the better good of this country. You, here, are too fighting all for the same thing: your personal interest. Worry not though, for I am quitting from the council myself, this very moment. Good luck to you, gentlemen." and with that, Fugaku Uchiha turned around blocking every thought and scandalized voices from the background and took his leave, crossing the stairs leading to the castle's main entrance in a determined hurry.
"You shouldnt have provoked Uchiha so much, Manemour. You know what he's capable of." one of the council men said.
Manemour gave him an angered glare.
"It was time that someone finally spoke up to that brat. He has half our years and yet he keeps bossing us around. He's gotten too cocky under the King's protection." Manemour said vehemently.
"Well, one thing's for sure, the king will not be pleased with the outcome." Lord Cheryl said.
" Dont be funny. That old fool's too ill to realise he's still alive himself. Nothing will happen."
"Dammnit, my tea has gotten cold." the lord said eyeing his cup annoyed, as he sat back down on his green chair.
After 7 months had passed after the above scene, King Haruno died from his rare illness and the council took over the kingdom until princess Haruno became officially Queen at her 17 years(legal age for someome to become king/queen at the time).
8 years after...
"Menma, I don't feel hungry, right now. Bring me the breakfast in my room if you have to, for I won't descend to the dining hall this morning." Sakura said as she gazed at her mirror idol, who sat on a linen green chair, brushing its pink long hair lazily.
The maid walked closer to her mistress and softly took the brush from her hands.
"Let me do this, your majesty." she said with a bit of benevolent giggle.
Sakura's hair was a mess. She had been arguing with the council till very late last night and she didnt even have the energy to take her usual bath before she fell to sleep. They were preparing for a war as off lately, and the state was in a very bad condition, economically-wise.
"Why did I have to be born as a king's child? Ugh, it's so tiring, the council's so demanding from me. What do they expect me, to make gold fall from the sky? I cant create funds for the war out of pure nothing!" Sakura nagged like a little child, as the maid listened to her patiently, whilst brushing her hair.
"Your majesty,you are their queen. You should impose yourself to them and not let them run you around like that. " Menma smiled at her queen through the mirror.
Menma had been taking care of her since her father had died, and the two women, with an age difference of 10 years in between them, had become very close. Sakura couldnt help but see Menma as her older sister, someone she could open up to.
The only one she could open up to. She had ordered Menma repeatedly to not be very formal or typical with her, but instead to treat her like an equal. Menma tried her best but there were times that she couldnt help feeling intimidated by the huge social gap between them, and thus unconsciously still treated her formally every now and then.
"I dont think I could do this. They got more experience than me, thus trying to act as a know it all would be foolish of me. The country's better good is everyone's priority. It's not their fault if they are stuck with such an incapable leader like me." Sakura looked down, frowning.
"Don't say such things! I'm sure your father would be so proud of you if he could see your progress, your majesty!"
"I so doubt this, Menma. Still, I know my father wouldn't like me to quit, he'd like me to keep fighting for the best. This is the thought that keeps me getting up from my bed each morning, my reason for even trying." the queen said in a slightly depressed tone.
"Exactly, your majesty!" Menma said happily as she finished brushing the pink locks and left the brush on the little table.
"Menma, how many times have you called me majesty ever since I woke up this morning? Just call me, Sakura." the pinkette sighed.
"Yes, excuse me. Sakura." the maid corrected herself, gifting her mistress a sweet smile.
"I shall bring you your breakfast now. You should eat something, you're working very hard lately. Will you take your bath first or after, though?" Menma asked kindly.
"Neither. I'll just have a bath late tonight, I have a meeting with the army's general soon, I dont have time."
Sakura said in a tired tone.
"As you say, Sakura." the woman nodded softly and vanished from the room.
Sakura stood up and went inside her bathroom. She dove her hands inside a porseline bucket of cold water and washed her face, scrubbing it hard.
She felt so stressed. She was positive they were going to lose the fight but she had no idea of how to prevent this. The situation with France had been stable for over 3 decades now. They kept fighting each other, both lost or won a few fights here and there but they never came to a result. Neither lost or won enough for them to be considered the war's final victor. Of course, this situation had brought both countries to their knees, destroying their economies and well-fare. That's why the council kept pressing the queen to get married to France's Prince as of lately and this made things even harder for her. She was young and selfish. She felt as if she had already devoted her life to her duty but taking it one step further and marrying someone she didnt love would make it even more unbearable than it already was for her. But at her 18 years, you couldnt really blame her for being immature and uncertain.
"Just give me some space, I promise I'll eventually get married to France in a couple of year's time."
was what she told the council every time that they brought it up. But inside her, she knew that they weren't willing to wait that much. They had waited enough for her to grow up and become the queen as it was.
She looked at her watery face and smiled bitterly at herself. She tried to distract herself from her negative thoughts. Her mind wandered to the only happy memories she had made in her brief life, from her early to late childhood. Memories of Sasuke.
Their fathers had been close friends ever since she could remember herself, so she and Sasuke had practically grown up together after their 4 years and forth, till their 9, when Sasuke's father decided to abandon his post in the castle and left for the province with his family.
Sakura had lost her mother, who died by complications caused in her 2 unsuccesful birth, when she was 2, and her father, the king, had always been busy with his duties, so she found a lot of comfort in Sasuke's company. The only one who aknowledged her as a real living being, as someone equal,...as a friend.
Sasuke had been a good friend too, even if not very expressive. He would always be there to protect her, like catch her before she fell, treat her wounds if she did fall, pick her up and carry her when she was too tired to walk herself after their long strolls in the palace's vast gardens.
Of course, the times such things happened were few and counted, since besides hanging out for 5 years, they didnt meet as often as it may seem. And even then, the majority of the other times, Sasuke was just a friendly but reserved little boy. But still, those few times that he took care of her, mattered a lot to Sakura, as most similar things do when we are that young and emotionally more vulnerable to situations and people.
That's why, when she felt that everything else was crumbling to the ground in her world, she wandered with her mind to her childhood friend and their bittersweet memories soothed her troubled soul. She hadnt seen him ever again, not even once, after he left for the province and she had stayed back, wondering where he had vanished to.
It wasnt until some years later, that she picked up from some servants gossiping that his father had taken him to a provicial town because he didnt want to be associated to the king anymore. Even though she had come to know the reason, she still never understood why. She had remembered Uchiha and Haruno to be good friends, her father and Sasuke's hadnt even fought once over serious matters. Then again, it was only that far that a child's mind could go.
But as the years passed, she stopped tormenting her mind with questions that she couldn't answer and eventually gave up on expecting to see Sasuke ever again. With time, the nagging feeling of his absence became just a bittersweet memory.
She walked back into her bedroom as she heard the familiar footsteps outside the room.
She sat on her chair and looked at her breakfast, considering to at least try and eat a single bite, no matter how hard it felt for her due to her mood. She had a busy day ahead though, and she had enough sense to realise that she had to eat better if she wanted to become more efficient,
"Here, Sakura-chan."Menma said as she left the disc with the fresh breakfast material on the little round table in front of the big window.
"Thank you, Menma. Have you eaten anything since last night, you poor thing?" Sakura asked, looking at her maid with concern.
"I'll eat soon enough, along with the rest of the staff. Thank you." the maid smiled pleasantly.
"You'll eat their leftovers you mean. You cant have a proper food with all those people eating on. Come sit next to me, let's eat together." Sakura said, smiling at her maid.
"No, Sakura. I really mean it. I'm fine." the maid blushed, thinking it was too inproper for a maid and her queen to eat at the same table.
Sakura merely nodded, not wanting to put her in a harder position.
She sighed as her troubled mind wandered off.
"I wonder how Sasuke's doing." she whispered and then almost froze with holding her milk cup in mid air, as she realised she had said that out loud. Nevertheless, she thought she might as well keep being vocal about it, afterall Menma was familiar with Sasuke, since Sakura used to talk about him to her quite often till she became 12. She still talked about him from time to time, but anymore it would be once per year, and usually it was brought up by sheer chance. She had toughened up all those years that followed after her father's death and Sasuke's sudden leave.
"I bet he's totally forgotten of me by now." she chuckled bitterly, more to herself, as she brought the cup with the hot milk to her lips.
"Your majesty, didn't you hear? Lord Uchiha's back in town these days." Menma said, not being able but stare at her mistress in curiosity, as she expected her reaction.
"Sasuke? He's back? When?" Sakura exclaimed surprised, almost spitting the milk she had just put in her mouth.
Menma had to supress her giggles and do an inhuman effort at that. It wasnt that she wanted to laugh at her queen, but it was amusing to see how quickly she got excited with Sasuke's mention. She rarely ever saw her happy, these days.
"It's been two or three days, I think. Anyways, that's just what I've heard from unofficial sources, your majesty." Menma said leaning her head donwards lightly.
"You mean from servants' gossiping." Sakura raised a happy eyebrow at her. She tried to supress her smile but failed, even if she had a nervous feeling agitating her heart.
She was up in an instant.
" I have to get ready for the meeting with the general." the queen said, as she headed towards the formal clothes laying on her cannopy bed's covers.
Menma nodded kindly and wandered off the room, leaving the pinkette in peace, knowing better than to take the sudden change of subject as indifference from Sakura's part to the news.
15 Minutes later, Sakura had put on her formal attire that she used when she had meetings with her army's generals and was already heading to her meeting, whilst nothing in her pace or behaviour, gave out anything about the strangely agitated rhythm in which her heart fluttered.
TBC
Thank you for reading and bearing with my terrible writing up to this point!
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Review/comment!