"I don't care what you say!" Taichi screamed. "Put me in bloody chains if it suits you!" He sucked in another breath and yelled, "I'll pull my arms off to be free!"
"Close the doors." A dark voice whispered. "We'll leave him there till morning. He'll have worn himself to madness by then."
The rusty iron gates creaked as servants drew them closed.
"I'll get you for this, I swear it!" Tai vowed. He hung his head, announcing to the bricks that imprisoned him, "I impersonated a lord, disobeyed the king, and killed my own brother."
Ignoring his echo, he turned and slunk against a wall. "All because of her."
6 MONTHS EARLIER * * *
"It's beautiful isn't it?" Tai gazed out over the landscape he knew so well, "I love the country, but the town is much more exciting."
He turned to face the table, where a rather round man was filling himself with the remains of breakfast.
"That's why we live right b'tween the two." His brother mumbled, crumbs dropping from a half finished biscuit in his mouth.
Tai shook his head and laughed, "You're certainly hopeless, Rolai."
A tall, lanky, unshaven man walked in, his arms over his head. He yawned, "Who's ho-o-peless?"
"You, Venive," Tai answered, his voice dripping with sarcasm, "You're simply awful, and me and Rolai have nothing better to do than sit around and make fun of you."
"Tai was just saying how lovely the morning was." Rolai wiped the bits of muffin from his face, "Don't you think so?"
Venive staggered over to the window and smiled into the sun, "Yes, but the palace is lovelier." He pointed and looked at Tai, "Wouldn't it be hard to imagine one of us living there?"
Tai snorted. "I believe its beyond imagination. It'd take magic to get one of us into the palace."
# # #
"Smile, young princess!" Frollick, the court jester, hollered. "The doctors say your mother is recovering!"
Sora gave a grin as Frollick waved, then did cartwheels down the hall. He could make a fish smile. Sora thought.
"Excuse me!!! Coming through! Comin' through! Important news for His Majesty! Excuse me!" The green-clad messenger literally leaped over a startled Sora.
"Yaaaah!"
"Pardon me, Princess!" He yelled over his shoulder.
Standing, Sora hurried after him, holding her dress above her ankles. She called after him, "Wait!"
Sora didn't catch up to the runner until he had found her father, in her mother's bedroom. She crept up to the door and hid behind a curtain.
"...yes, they're invading from the south... and a scout saw... a Dumari encampment to the East." The out of breath bearer-of-news was gasping.
"Oh, no!" Sora's eyes widened. The Dumari had a larger army than the Galadan did. They also had proclaimed peace with them a few weeks ago. Sora bit her lip.
"Without mother, our army is doomed! Father can't command an army to save his life." She righted herself and walked back down the hall. And the nobles say queens aren't worth anything. Sora thought, she's the one that tells Father how to do things!
* * *
"Oh, no!" Pheobe clasped a pudgy hand to her mouth. "Your father couldn't instruct an army of children, let alone real men!"
"I know." Sora sighed. "But no one else knows!"
"It's because your father fears his reputation, dear," Her nanny said gently. "You know perfectly well what would happen if the people thought their kingdom was being controlled by a woman."
"Yes, but I don't see why."
"Me neither, but I can't change it for ya." Pheobe grabbed Sora's nightdress, "If I could, I would, but I can't."
Sora scowled,"Sometimes I hate this kingdom."
Pheobe smiled and handed her the pajamas. "Go to bed, dear."
"I will, I plan to go to town tomorrow," Sora yawned, "I need it."
# # #
"I'm going into town today," Tai explained, tightening the saddle on his horse, "Tell mother for me, Rolai."
"I will!"
"Bye then!" Tai called back, "I should be home by dinner!"
As he rode through the market place, Joseph's eyes roved until he found what he was looking for.
"Aye! Taichi again? Me lad!" The shopkeeper slapped him on the back, "Come in, son."
"Do you have anything new, Gunnerbager?"
"Yep, just the one you'd love, too."
"I love them all." Tai laughed.
Mr. Gunnerbager chuckled. "Aye, that ya do." He picked up a parcel on the floor. "Here, take a look."
As Tai unwrapped the package, his jaw dropped, "It's the most beautiful blade I've ever seen!"
The handle was decorated with elaborate silver dragons and blackened spiders. A small jade stone marked the pummel, and the base of the hilt was engraved with two initials, 'T.K.' (Tai Kamiya, not TK)
"Who's buying it?" Tai wondered aloud.
"I am." Mr. Gunnerbager said, "And I'm a-givin it to you."
"Me?" Tai looked disbelieving, "But why?"
" B'cause... Ya come in here once a week jus' ta look at 'em all. I figure, after all the practice you've had with my old one... well... you deserved it."
Tai hugged Mr. Gunnerbager and raced from the shop, yelling at the top of his lungs in triumph. Just wait till I show Venive. He thought, Man, is he gonna be jealous.
# # #
Sora slipped into a peasant's pants and sandals, and pulled a patched shawl over her head. She was glad her father never knew of her market visits. She could imagine the look on his face if he saw her in pants. It wasn't a nice sight.
"Oh, well," Sora shrugged it off, "He wouldn't recognize me anyhow."
" 'Bye Pheobe," She whispered as she turned a corner and slipped into the shadows.
Sora pulled the hood tighter as she neared the castle guards, and walked slowly through with a small family passing the gate.
After walking for about ten minutes, Sora decided she was out of sight of the guards and pulled her brown locks free of the burlap encasing her head. When she lifted her face to smile into the sun, her eye caught an interesting sight. A young man, poor, no doubt, practicing sword play with a very expensive blade used rarely by anyone other than nobility.
"Yah!" He swung the hilt in his hands expertly as his horse calmly backed away. Then he noticed Sora staring.
"Girl," He shouted, his sword tip dropping "C'mere!"
As she approached sandy haired boy cautiously, he tilted his head and squinted in concentration. When Sora reached him, he kept his gaze down.
The queen herself could not have such beautiful eyes, he thought to himself.
"What do you want?" Sora asked sharply, momentarily forgetting to drop to the slang of the urchins,"I don't have time to waste."
"Someone thinks highly of herself," The young man noted raising his eyebrows in a disbelieving look.
Sora scowled, half at her own error, half at the juvenile's rudeness, "If you only intend to insult me, I'll be on my way."
"I don't," The youth grinned,"I was just wondering why you were watching me."
Sora's anger faded as she realized his sincerity, "Oh...um...I don't really know. I...guess you were better than I thought most city dwellers were."
"Thanks," He frowned,"I think." He paused, then added,"So, you're not from the city?"
"Oh!" Sora went pink,"Yes, I-I am, I... I just moved here!"
"Oh, is that it?" He shook his head, laughing, "I was wondering."
He sheathed his sword and held out a calloused palm,"Pleased to meet you. I'm Tai. Taichi Kamiya."
Sora timidly shook his hand, his fingers curling around her entire fist, and pulled back,"I'm, um, Angel...Yeah, call me Angel."
"Do you want me to take you on a tour of the town, Angel?"
"I don't know..." Sora started.
Tai stuck out his lip and blinked a few times,"Pleeeaaase?"
"All right, sure." Sora shook her head and sighed as Tai began to hop up and down with exaggerated glee.
"Lets Gooo!" Tai held his arm high, as if leading a royal parade. Sora put her forehead in her hands as her new-found friend began marching down the street and muttered, "Why do I get myself into these things?"
End of Chapter One =)
What do you guys think? The story is a whole lot more involved than just this first chapter, and all the other characters come in soon. Aaaaaand, don't worry *ducks a tomato from an angry Taichi fan* Tai does NOT have two brothers. He just doesn't know that yet. -"Grins!" from GGB =)