Allerleirauh
Disclaimer & Author's note: I sadly do not own the characters of Masashi Kishimoto or the beautiful Grimm Brothers' fairy tale. This story occurs after Allerleirauh, a fairy tale written by the previously mentioned Grimm Brothers. You can go to my profile to check out the original story by clicking on the link. It's one of my favourite stories belonging to the wide ranged collection of these wonderful writers. This is my first fanfiction so please be kind but criticism is appreciated anyway. I know I might have made some mistakes? I do not have a beta at the moment but I'm on the search for one. So please PM me if there's any available. Thank you and do go on with the story.
Heresy is like a tree, its roots lie in the darkness whilst its leaves wave in the sun and to those who suspect nought it has an attractive and pleasing appearance. Truly, you can prune away its branches, or even cut the tree to the ground, but it will grow up again ever the stronger and ever more comely. Yet all awhile the root grows thick and black, gnawing at the bitter soil, drawing its nourishment from the darkness, and growing even greater and more deeply entrenched.
Quote from "The Chronicles of Horus Heresy"
Prologue
Nothing mattered that night but to escape. She had to.
It wasn't right. Her father had trespassed morality long ago. Insanity would be an understatement to describe her situation. She ran as fast as she could to escape, to be free of this wrongness. Shadows of tall ancient trees covered her slight figure, a slender body wearing innumerable types of exotic fur. The hood, shaped like a wolf's head, obscured her lovely face from the world and different furs trailed down the mantle. It was such a sight to behold, to see a young lady dressed in a striking fur mantle of different rich colors running blindly in a dark forest at night. The animal hides were one of the unique gifts her father had offered in exchange for her whole-being, which she wished to preserve in order to change her fate, to reach a different ending, a better one. And at that moment, anything was better than the fate that seemed to her unconditionally sealed.
Chapter 1: Nightmare
Several months ago, her mother had passed away. Her father, stricken with grief, had locked himself up in his chamber. His advisors were troubled because their king was not taking care of his royal duties. His new status as a bachelor was doing no good to the kingdom. They pleaded him to do something, and he did. That single day, that day he made that terrible decision, changed her life forever.
It was dusk. The king was but a mere shadow, his face translucent and hollow because of the nourishment he neglected and because of his insomnia. His wild eyes were blindly searching for something or someone absent from the room. He shouted for his advisors. "Bring me my daughter," he commanded. She was brought out from her study room, excited to see her father at last, joyful that his long period of mourning was finally over. But the moment she placed a foot in the throne room she knew something was wrong. Her father sat tiredly on his throne, looking exactly like she felt, but a deranged smile was plastered upon his thin face.
"Sakura, my princess... Come forth so I may see your lovely face. It has been a long time since I've seen you." With a hesitant nod, she glided to her father's side.
"How have you been, Papa?" Her voice was sincere with concern. She worried daily about his health but the stubborn king denied her or any servants' help.
"Fine, my dear, I'm perfectly fine. So fine, in fact, that I must announce something to you and my faithful aides. I have been thinking long and hard and can at last conclude that I have found the solution to all our problems." Sakura and the royal advisors strained their ears hopefully for the good news. This was great: her father would take up his duty as the King again and everything would be like before the untimely death of the Queen. Alas, their hopes would only be dampened.
"I know I've told you this before, but I promised my wife that I would not marry anyone who did not have her unique hair color or incomparable beauty."
"Yes, your highness." The simultaneous echoed replies filled the richly furnished throne room. They had all been present the tragic night when the whispered promise came into existence.
On that night, the Queen lay weak on her bed, her beautiful coral locks fanned out on her comforter. The King clutched her fragile hand and held it to his face. Princess Sakura sat on the other side holding her mother's other hand with tears flowing down her ivory face.
"Please my dearest, do not be saddened." Her beautiful viridian eyes that had made her renowned throughout the entire continent for so many years were now tired and sad.
"You cannot leave me! I beg it of you. Stay for me and for Sakura..." His distress was obvious, from his mounting sobs to his heaving shoulders.
"I cannot hold on any longer. Be strong, my love... for the both of you."
"NO! Do not leave me! I will not lose you. You must stay by my side." The hand he clutched was weaker in grasp; he knew she didn't have much longer.
"Promise me something..."
"Ask me anything! Anything for you, just don't go."
"Promise me that you will not marry anyone who does not have my hair color, whose beauty is inferior to mine. She must be kind and pure. Radiant as the sun and gentle as a dove, I ask only for you to choose someone who rightfully deserves the position of Queen. This may be a selfish request but I worry for you and for your future."
He saw only good intentions in his wife's fading eyes and nodded, failing to grasp the ridiculousness of her request.
"Yes, I will do as you say." Tears flowed from the eyes of the King and from those of his ailing Queen.
"Thank you, dearest. Thank you..." Life was slowly leaving her eyes, her voice, her heart. The Queen's heavy eyelids drooped and her hands went limp. Her husband slowly but delicately placed his dear's hand back to her side. A solemn silence floated on the air but after a moment, it was broken by a surprising cry of outrage.
"Leave me!" the King cried. And with that, the distressed man mourned for his lost love.
Suddenly, the daydream was broken and the King continued his announcement. "I've found this woman..." This piqued everyone's curiosity. Who could the King have met? He had been chained in his room since the passing of the Queen, so where in the world could he have met the mysterious lady?
"She is in this room at the moment." When the advisors looked around, several gasped in outrage. The only woman in this room was...
"Yes, my own dearest daughter. I've pondered over this for a long time and she matches up to all of my previous Queen's qualities. Her hair, her beautiful cherry blossom hair, now matches her own mother's, and her beauty flourishes with every year. She is now no less than equal to the Queen! And now she is all mine!" An eerie laugh filled the room, growing higher by the second. It caused shivers to cascade down everyone's spine. It couldn't be! This was sick-minded. The King was mad!
"Papa... No! You cannot do this to me! Please! You are not sane at the moment," she exclaimed. Fear and disgust welled up in her chest. No, her Father wouldn't, he just couldn't do this to her. Shame for her father was deeply felt, shame for his even thinking of this madness.
"Yes, you've learned on how to be a good Queen. So why not? You are just taking up your duty earlier than due."
"My Lord! This cannot be! Please think of your reputation and morals! It is not rightfully right," one of his advisors stood and exclaimed.
"Yes, this decision will be your downfall. Marrying your own kin...that's unthinkable!" Yells and angry protests were slung around but the King wouldn't take it.
"Impudent servants! Listen or fear for your own situation." The King whipped his hand to his soldiers.
"Anymore denial for my matrimonial bond with Sakura will be severely punished." The men were silenced instantly.
"Come dear, come face your fiancé," cooed the King. Sakura desperately clung to the wall opposite to her father.
"No! You will never be my husband. You are sick!" Rage filled his eyes; he swiftly crossed the room to grab her arm.
"You shall be my wife!" His grasp was unyielding and bordering on painful. It would surely leave a mark on her unblemished skin.
"No father, please, anything but this..." She silently whimpered in pain. She called his title to remind him of his status and his position as her guardian.
"Do not defy me!"
"Please, don't do this to me! Please...!" She was now bursting in tears, crying to her father to stop, to tell her that none of this was true.
"You are excused to your room. Think of what I said today." He motioned to his guards to escort his daughter out.
"Take her back to her chamber. Rest Sakura. The good news must have exhausted you today." He smiled gently towards the petal-haired girl with an irony that highlighted the present situation. Sakura and the rest left the room, sombre to the news. When she arrived at her room, she excused the guards. Closing the door with a light push, she slid down to her knees. Sobs racked her small frame, still perturbed from the entire event. It was too sudden...Her Papa, what had gotten into him? No, he was not her father anymore. This wasn't right, he had gone too far. She would not follow his order, and he would understand, wouldn't he? She had never defied him before this. This is too much, she couldn't handle it. She would have to find a way out... No matter what. With her new resolution, she tightened her fists.
There was only one person to go to when she was in trouble. She lifted herself from the floor and grabbed a deep green cape from her dresser and a rock she used for emergency cases. With a swish and a tied knot, the mantle was on. She crept silently to her door, grabbing the knob and easing it out slowly and silently. She tiptoed by like a mouse, looking down the corner where the guards were located at the entrance of the castle. She threw the rock at the opposite direction when they weren't looking. They swiftly turned their heads to where the sound came from.
"What's that?" Izumo, one of the guards spoke up, a bit shaken from the sudden noise.
"Must have been one of those rats again, they're everywhere nowadays," his partner Kotetsu answered.
"It didn't sound like one..."
"Do you want to go check it out then?" Kotetsu pointed his finger to the origin of the noise.
"Yeah...Let's go." The two guards went to the pinpointed location. Sakura hurried to the gates, looking from each side to check for any eyewitness to her "grand" escape. She slipped through the enormous exit. Laughing freely, she inhaled the fresh air. Looking up she sighed softly, stars were scattered everywhere on a dark canvas. A beautiful night in her kingdom, she smiled up at the sky. Breaking away from her daze she remembered her previous intention of leaving the palace. She skipped down the path to the village, humming a soft lullaby. The village was peaceful at night. Villagers were tucked in their beds, resting for another bustling day. With no knowledge of the upcoming ceremony... Her marriage ceremony. No! She would never allow it. She hurried down to a familiar path that led to a fond friend. She needed someone's ear to listen to her troubles, letting her spill all the worries and troubles she had. He was always there for her no matter what.
His place was more or less a cabin. A small wooden cabin in the furthest woods, isolated from the village. Knocking on the wood-made door, she waited. A muffled: "Enter!" was her response. She opened the door to be welcomed by her friend.
"Naruto..." The name was fondly spoken by the coral-haired princess, a smile blooming on her face.
"Sakura-chan!" She was subjected to one of his infamous hugs. His warm arms enveloping her frame tightened.
"How are you? It's been so long! And look at you, skinny as a stick. You need to eat more." Oh Naruto, always the caring one but never do you seem to care for yourself, she thought sadly.
"I'm fine. Don't be such a mother hen," she admonished him.
"Well, better safe than sorry," he chuckled. He rubbed the back of his head while smiling cheekily. She always loved his smile, warm and reassuring.
"So... What brings you here today?"
"Why would you assume that I need a reason to see you?"
"Well, I don't think you would slip through the guards in the middle of the night just to see lil' ol' me?" He winked at her mischievously.
"Naruto!"
"What? It's been a while so I assumed you didn't have the time to see me anymore."
"Nonsense! I'll always have time to see you. You're my best friend..." At her concerned tone, he laughed out loud.
"You're way too serious, Sakura. Loosen up! I was just joking anyway." She slapped him for teasing her like that while he laughed out louder. She was of small stature so she couldn't really intimidate him, but she would have liked to. Glaring daggers at him instead, she turned with a huff. Naruto gave her another hug but this time it was light and playful.
"C'mon, cheer up! Do you want a cup of tea?"
"You? Tea? Since when were you courteous?" She raised an inquisitive eyebrow at the blonde.
"Well... Hinata came over this week and she gave me some tea leaves as gifts." She smiled knowingly up at her friend. He recently acquired a love interest in the shy noblewoman. Hinata was one of her close friends so Sakura knew that she would be good for him. He deserved that at least. The boy was shunned by the villagers because of his birthmark and superhuman strength. He was an orphan so picking on him was easy, but he always shook it away with a smile. They treated him as a demon all the while knowing he was the exact opposite. A man who would protect others at any cost, self-sacrificing and unselfish, definitely deserving a better life. That's why she came over...
"So tell me, what worries you?" She moved to one of the cluttered chairs around his "dining table" which was part of his one-room home and sat. She looked up at him while he made the tea. Oh Naruto, if only you knew, Sakura thought. She silently looked at a corner of the room, her feelings betraying her when she felt her eyes leak.
"Is it that bad?" He looked at her with concern and offered her some warm tea. She took it and gave a nod of thanks to the boy. Blowing on the hot tea, she took a sip of the fragrant herbs and water and placed it down softly on the table. She steeled herself for the news she was about to tell Naruto.
"My Father... he called me to his throne room today. He said he had good news and was announcing a major event." Naruto looked at her curiously; he placed his elbows on the table and leaned on his hand.
"What major event?" Sakura looked at him, and she continued after a pause.
"A marriage." Naruto eyes widened but he was still confused.
"The King's?" She nodded at the question and looked away.
"With whom?" She suddenly started to tear up but quickly regained her composure after a moment or two.
"He decided that... I was the perfect candidate."
"WHAT?" Naruto stood up from his seat, his unbalanced chair falling over.
"What do you mean? You're engaged to your own father?" She heard the disgust in his voice. Ashamed, she looked down on her lap.
"No... Sakura, it's not your fault. Your father is a twisted bastard for actually thinking of you like that."
"I know, but he can't! He can't do this to me, Naruto...You have to help me find a way out. Please." She looked so broken that he couldn't refuse.
"You didn't even need to ask. Of course I'll help you. Believe it!" She smiled in relief. That was Naruto for you, wiping your worries away with his silly "believe it" phrase. He paused for a moment, pacing around in his homey little cabin. He raised his fist to show that he had an idea but lowered it soon after shaking his head saying that maybe it wasn't really a good one. A minute turned into five and the blonde soon made it half an hour.
"Naruto?" She started to worry that maybe evenNaruto couldn't help her; he didn't even need to. It was her problem from the start, she should solve it herself.
"No, no, I got this Sakura." He widely smiled back at her, shaping his eyes in forms of crescents.
"Are you sure? I can do it..." He suddenly pounded his fist on the table and almost pulled a "eureka!"
"Wait!"
"What is it?" She looked hopefully at him.
"I got it! What if you ask for something impossible as a wedding gift and if your father can't give it to you then... uh he lose!"
"You mean he'll cancel the wedding?"
"Yeah!" He thought for another moment. "He can't force you to marry him like that. You'll have to ask for something in return. You're a princess after all."
"Yes, it's not an unusual request. But would he really accept these "impossible" presents like you said?"
"Well they don't have to be impossible. Maybe extremely difficult to acquire would be the right expression."
"This might work Naruto!" She jumped up to give him a hug and maybe a small celebratory dance.
"I'm a genius right, Sakura?" Naruto said chuckling.
"Yes, a brilliant one," was her happy reply.
"Believe it!" While striking a thumbs up, she giggled at his silly antics.
"We should probably figure out the wedding gift now."
"How about a life-supply of food?" She bonked him on the head.
"No! I'm a princess for a whole country! I think I'm pretty covered for my entire life."
"Oh yeah..." He looked sheepishly at her. She almost felt like hitting him on the head again. Almost. They worked on the list for a good period of time. When they were done she bid him goodbye and gave him another hug. Walking out, she noticed that it was very dark. She was satisfied with the list she had made with Naruto so took her time as she walked back to the castle. Getting back to her bedchamber was easy for the guards were snoring away, both deeply asleep. Really, she could've came down with an elephant and it wouldn't have disturbed them. She changed into a nightgown and crept up onto her four poster bed, throwing herself on the satiny fabric. The furniture groaning underneath her weight, she closed her eyes. Sleep came close; she was fully exhausted from today's events and her bed felt a lot more comfortable than usual. So much has changed in so little time; it was a bit mind-blowing. Actually, maybe more than a bit. But she would still keep on hoping for a better tomorrow. Wishing that maybe her father would be back to normal, for she missed his past-self. He was such a gentle man before. How did it go so wrong?
"I miss you, Papa." She whispered quietly to no one. Maybe her father would somehow hear her wish and change. Change for the better. With a small prayer from the heart, she hoped and waited for a better future.