Edited on: 18/03/17

Posted on: 17/03/17

A/N: I know...I'm already working on another fic for this series but this idea suddenly popped in my head and I decided to write it down. This fic is not going to all goody goody. It'll be kinda dark. Don't forget to leave a review after you read it...:3

ENJOY!

Summary

She is nothing more than an offering..a present gifted to them by their neighbouring country in order to maintain the peace between the two nations. Nothing more...So then..why is the second prince of Clarines feeling so entranced by his concubine?

By the conspiracy of fate, a young girl chained-down by the values of her society collides with a young man constrained by the duties that come with his status.

In the midst of judging each-other on misconceptions and then accepting their differences, they develop a bond more than that of friendship. Read on...

Chapter 1: Captured

As the bright rays of sunlight fell upon the shining emeralds of a beautiful red-haired lass, she smiled at the sky, losing herselves in the expanse of the endless blue. Every single day, she begins her job of preparing herbal medicines only after taking a peek at the sky. It shows her something that she has been striving for ever since her childhood— Freedom. She wants to become someone just as free as the sky, always being able to travel or stay anywhere she likes..anytime she likes...Too bad though, the world she has been born in, will never allow such trivial dreams to be fulfilled...

"My oh my! Just look at you..You've grown into a fine woman..Happy Birthday, Shirayuki." An old, grey-haired acquaintance named Kino wished her.

The girl gasped and looked up from her stack of medicines towards the old lady, "Uh...Oh! Oh no!" Her eyes widened when the words uttered by the lady actually settled in her head and she realised that today is the day that she was born on, "I totally forgot that it's my birthday!" She bowed her head apologetically at the older woman, her red tresses cascading down her shoulders in a disarray, "Thank you, Kino-san."

The woman smiled politely at the young girl, "It's nothing.."

As Shirayuki pulled open a drawer and rummaged through it in search of some cardamom, the old lady wiped two small tears from her aged eyes and spoke again, "Ah! Feels like it was only yesterday when you came into this city to live with your grandparents."

Shirayuki couldn't help herself from smiling at the memory for it is the only good thing that has ever happened in her life. She recalled snippets of how she had met Kino in this city when her grandparents introduced her. If she hadn't moved in with her grandparents then she wouldn't have been able to study medicine and become an herbalist. She is glad that she is here in this city...

There isn't much known to her about her family. Once when she was 6 and her grandparents were still alive and well, she asked them about her parents and came to learn that she was born in a village at the top of a mountain. Her mother had died during her birth and so, her father took her down the mountains and dumped her into the arms of her loving grandparents. It's not much of a surprise that her father didn't want to keep her. Afterall..she is a girl and women hardly matter in this world dominated by the male society. Not many women are allowed even the freedom that she is enjoying. The only acknowledgement that this society gives to a woman is that of a baby-maker. Men want women merely for their own luxuries and desires. A female has no right over her life. They are not even allowed to choose any paths for themselves. Heck! Even the citizens of this city talk behind her back about how much they are disgusted by her, a girl being an herbalist. The only thing that they want a girl to do is cook, clean and serve...

"Oh my!" Kino gasped, breaking her train of thoughts. "I think I may have left the stove on. I'll go check and return in a moment." The old lady rushed out of the shop in the direction of her small hut.

The young girl giggled at the woman's short-term memory and shook her head. She went over to the shelves in her shop and selected the minimum required ingredients to prepare a week long dosage of salve for backpains. Just as she initiated it's preparation, the door to her shop creaked open and the girl giggled again, thinking that her old friend has returned too soon.

She looked up from her grinding tools as she spoke, "Did you forget something?"

But as her green irises roved-up and found no old woman at the threshold of the shop, they widened. Instead of Kino, there stood a middle-aged man, dressed up in a sturdy armour. His slanted eyes studied her from the top to the bottom and he nodded to himself in approval. With his left hand permanently secured around the hilt of his sword, he stepped forward, inching closer to her and as he reached a distance close enough, he smiled an eerie smile at her, making chills run down her spine.

"Is..Is there something you need, Sir?" She asked shakily, skidding back and bumping into the table.

"Yes indeed, young lady. By the order of the of the First Prince of Tanbarun, I have come over to fetch you." He answered with a quick yet elegant bow.

Something about the man's words made her slightly uneasy and she asked, "W-Wh-Whattt?"

He sighed, "Prince Raji Shenezard has requested your immediate presence at the castle."

" Why?!" She asked, her voice raising rather loud for that of a lady.

"You see miss, you are to become a concubine." He stated the news as if he was making remarks about the weather.

For a brief moment, Shirayuki remained rooted to her spot, staring with disbelief at the man and then shook her head. This is utterly outrageous! How can a man just barge into her shop and ask her to present herself to a prince and become a concubine? Nobody asks for such things out of the blue. Nobody..except ofcourse people of remarkably high social standings. These royalties always use their powers for wrongdoings, never putting them to use for the benefit of their kingdom. All they want is a luxurious lifestyle for their own self. What happens to their citizens doesn't really matter. And this is why she hates all these men. They always rule the country for their personal agendas and give out the orders on a whim. No! She will not have any part in their stupid musings.

"Tell the Prince that I'm sorry..that I cannot become a concubine. That he is free to pick any other girl from the vast amount of beautiful ladies around this city." She told the soldier as confidently as she could.

The man however wasn't pleased by her response and moved even closer, "In that case, I have no choice but to force you."

At the man's threat, Shirayuki shivered and in the midst of her panic and rush of adrenaline, she picked up the rolling pin from the table and launched it at him. It hit the guy slightly on the side of his head and he groaned. Noticing his pained expression, she picked up every utensil and tool that her hands could reach out to and threw them at the man, one after the other in quick succession. With his well-trained reflexes though, the man was able to dodge most of the objects flung at him and he charged ahead, bringing his arms out to capture her. She sidestepped from the table and threw a knife at him that she had managed to pick-up during the haste. It stuck the man's right shoulder and made him hiss but unfortunately, the wound wasn't deep enough to desist his movements. Damn! She should've aimed for his legs. The man lunged at her and she took quick steps backwards, bumping into the shelves of medicinal vials and potions.

"You know..taking such independent actions is very unbecoming of a young woman like yourself." He spat, finally being able to corner her.

She flinched when he placed his arms at her sides, capturing her between himselves and the shelf but didn't stop her mouth from firing back, "..and barging into a woman's house to take her by force is also very unbecoming of a Knight like yourself."

He glared at her for the comment she made but then decided to ignore her and looked around the place in scrutiny, "I hate this." He muttered, staring at the different variety of herbs and potions laid out in the shop and his eyes narrowed, "I hate it when you woman try to work on your own in order to outshine us men. Heh! Women are supposed to keep their mouths shut and serve us. They.."

Shirayuki zoned-out his words completely and focused more on utilising this moment of distraction to her advantage and escape. She took a deep breath to calm herself and mustering all the strength she could in her arms, she shoved the guy off of herself. He stopped his rant about women and stood shocked for an instance, then tried catching her by her wrist but the girl had already run out of his reach.

Relief washed over her form as Shirayuki bounced out of her shop and took a right turn to run as far away from that knight as possible. Sadly though, before she could even make a move, she was halted by another man dressed in the royal garbs. He stretched out his limbs, blocking her path and when she whirled around to the left, she found the slant-eyed guy already standing in her way, tightly clutching at his now painful shoulder where she had managed to hit him with a knife. The man smirked victoriously at her wide eyes and she shakily stepped back, bumping into the chest of the other man. The guy immediately took hold of her wrists and twisted them behind her back to restrain her movements. The next instant, she found herself being hurled inside a carriage that she had failed to notice before. The doors were quickly locked from the outside by the knight but Shirayuki didn't back down. She began slamming her hands on the doors, willing them to open-up magically. The man smirked triumphantly at her from the window in the carriage and then left her to take his seat atop a horse that supposedly belonged to him.

After mumbling a few things to the other man, he rode-off. The other person, probably the valet of this carriage came over and sat down on the outer berth. The sound of whips striking the skin of the horses reached Shirayuki's ears and the carriage was finally set into motion.

She glared at the small, circular window as if blaming it for everything that has occurred right now but at that very instant, her eyes caught something that will be etched in the worst of her memories for the rest of her life. Her acquaintance Kino was standing in the alleyway next to her herbal shop. So then..all throughout this time she had been watching the whole incident and yet she didn't even try to help? It's a fact that her old form wouldn't have stood a chance against two fully-grown men but still..why didn't she?! She should've atleast tried!

And in that one moment, her beryl shade of emeralds met with those pale, withered irises of the old woman. She looked indifferently at Shirayuki, as if the girl was some stranger to her and then left. Left without any hints of sorrow or apology in her eyes. That one incident made her realise something: in this self-centred society, trusting someone can become your biggest weakness. There are men who help men and sometimes men who even help women but never..never has she witnessed a woman helping another. Females are always like this..doing things for their own benefits. Never being generous enough to help another of their kind.

Although Kino's betrayal left Shirayuki hopeless, her struggle was far from over. She didn't stop from trying to escape. All the way from the busy streets to the regal castle, her screeches of protests mixed with her shock of having been betrayed, could be heard loud and clear...

.

.

On arriving at the Shenezard Castle, she was yanked out of the carriage and dragged all the way up the stairs against her will. She tried releasing her wrist from the iron grip of the slant-eyed knight but to no avail. He was far stronger compared to her. Above the stairs, she was dragged along endless different corridors until finally they stopped before a huge door, inside which she was tossed unceremoniously.

She yelped in pain at the sudden impact with the carpeted yet hard floor. There was shuffling of feet and when she tilted her gaze upwards, she saw a leisurely lying man stand up from his comfortable perch on his plush couch. He passed a hand through his wavy, brown hair as he walked down the stairs and stood right before her so as his feet were nearly touching her face.

"Hair as red as that of an apple, huh?" He commented eyeing her from the head to toe, "You must be that famous beauty these civilians keep gossiping about."

Shirayuki couldn't utter any answer to his wry words as she was too busy coughing her lungs out. The maltreatment that she has received is taking a toll on her body. The young man wasn't really waiting for any responses either as he bent his knees and bowed before her, posing in a weirdly aristocratic manner.

"Allow me to introduce myself. I am Prince Raji Shenezard, the first Prince of the Kingdom of Tanbarun." He spoke cockily, a glint in his deep, forest-green irises.

The girl bade no response to the young monarch and for doing so, she received a harsh kick in her abdomen by the knight. "You wretch! Atleast show some respect!"

The Prince brought his palm out, signalling the knight to stop. He lowered his head slightly and looked at the miserably coughing girl, "You do know why you're here, right?"

Shirayuki coughed some more before trying to use her shaking hands to support her weight and stagger up into a standing position. She faced the prince and flashed the best defiant glare that she could in her weak state. "hhh...I..I!..I won't be your concubine!"

The Knight immediately slapped her, making her face hit the carpet again. Prince Raji grimaced for a second and then, all of a sudden snapped his fingers. "How unfortunate.." He muttered, placing his manicured palm on her now bruising cheek, "How unfortunate of me. I would really like you to be a part of my collection of beauties but..you see young lady, that's not the case..."

Shirayuki glanced confusedly at him. What does he mean? If the Prince doesn't want her to be his concubine, then why has she been brought here? His words are making absolutely no sense. The brunette's palm left her cheek as he began circling her in a leisure walk. "You are to be presented as a gift to the second prince of Clarines." He stated.

The..second prince? Second Prince of Clarines?! But..why?! She has very little knowledge about the Kingdom of Clarines because as a girl, she wasn't allowed to spend much of her time in reading and learning. Ever since the age of five, people around her expected her to take-up the household chores and behave like a decent lady. Still..her grandparents were generous people and on rare occasions they used to tell her a few tales about the neighbouring countries of Tanbarun. And according to what she has been told, Clarines suffered a lot economically after the sudden death of their King. The queen went into a state of heartbreak, leaving the throne to live the life as a pilgrim and spend the remaining years of her life in meditation. Her two young sons were left with no other choice but to handle the kingdom on their own. Even so, she knows nothing about the personalities and characteristics of those princes. Everything about Clarines is a mystery to her. So then..why is she being offered to the prince of a neighbouring kingdom?

Prince Raji snapped his fingers again, "Sakaki..do me the honor of enlightening this girl."

An older man with short brown hair appeared from somewhere from the shadows in one corner of the room and bowed once before the prince before turning towards Shirayuki. "The young Princes of Clarines have worked hard to maintain the current prosperous state of their kingdom. Because of their tough childhood, they have become unusually cold and conserved. They are not easily impressed and unfortunately, they are going to pay a visit to our country for some trade negotiations. We do not want to jeopardize our relations with the most wealthy and strong neighbouring territory and so, we are offering them a variety of gifts." The man named Sakaki explained thoroughly and then nodded towards her, "Of the two princes, the second one is nearly of the same age as Prince Raji. We assume that he must be having similar tastes in women and so young lady, you will be gifted to him as a concubine.." He paused and then added with a smirk, "..and a very exotic concubine at that."

Both the Prince and the slant-eyed knight snickered at the last statement made by the man and Shirayuki closed her eyes in anguish. Her chest was throbbing and she was feeling short of breath. Men! All they think of women is like tools. They love to enjoy the presence of a female for their pleasures to the fullest and when she ages and loses her beauty, they replace her by another. She is going to suffer the same fate now. Looking at this arrogant prince, she already has a general idea about how the princes of that neighbouring country will be— conceited and selfish!

She tried to move her limbs again in a last desperate attempt at defiance but her body didn't even flinch. Well..ofcourse it wouldn't..From what she can recall, she has been chased, cornered, tossed, yanked, dragged and then tossed again, suffered a kick and even a slap; all in the span of a few hours in the same day. She felt every inch of her skin ache and wished to find some herbs so as to ease her pain. Why is this happening to her? Will she never get a chance to be her own person? Will she suffer the same fate as that of the other women?

Ofcourse she will! Who is she fooling?

Captured..she has been captured..and lost even the little freedom that she used to enjoy as an herbalist. She will never be as free as the skies that she so hopefully used to stare at every morning..Her eyelids closed but she tried to keep herself awake..Sadly, her trials failed and she finally gave in to the exhaustion that her body was experiencing and..passed out...

A/N: So..I know..A short chapter..

But I wanted to keep the beginning short. Seriously, I have lot of things planned out about this fic in my head. I'm so excited I've already written half of the second chapter.

Review if you would like me to continue...:3

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Until Next Time...

~Manika