NEW STORY! YEY! LoL
So I've had this idea stuck in my mind for quite some time. Trying my bit at this fantasy stuff. I hope you guys like it. XD
xoxo Lexi1989
Fairie Tales
CHAPTER 1: History and Hunting
The Kingdom of Yukihira lay in the magical country of Alice, nestled between the vast ocean and three of the most powerful Kingdoms in the land. The Hyuuga Kingdom in the North, the Koizumi Kingdom in the East, the Nogi Kingdom in the West and the shoreline in the South leading to lands undiscovered. The Hyuuga Kingdom is known for their strength and valor; The Koizumi Kingdom is known for being populated by the country's most cunning and intelligent; whilst the Nogi Kingdom is best known for their caring and gentle people, often the peacemakers of the Kingdoms at a time of discourse. The Yukihira Kingdom was once the most powerful of them all; Generation upon generation of its rulers had the power to command the dragons of the land, but with the demise of their King, the great Izumi Yukihira and the disappearance of his spouse, it had fallen unto hard times. Their ruler was dead, and the dragons he once commanded had turned against the people, setting the Kingdom on fire and fleeing once all the Kingdom burned to the ground. Only the grand Yukihira Castle remained standing, with charred walls and a ghostly aura.
The Koizumi and Hyuuga Kingdoms had been fighting on who would get to rebuild and rule the Yukihira Kingdom; Neither would yield to the other, coveting the Fairie Throne located in the castle. Whoever was proclaimed leader of the Kingdom of Yukihira would sit on the Fairie Throne and would be the ruler of the country of Alice. There was however a catch. Only a true blood Fairie could be proclaimed ruler. And by law, if the Fairie King died, only the legal true blood heir could succeed him.
Since Izumi Yukihira died tragically during the war against the country of Shadows, his wife had gone into hiding. Nobody knew where Queen Yuka was. She was rumored to be pregnant with the heir to the throne, but her current whereabouts were unknown.
When the dragons no longer returned, the people who had been displaced by the fires slowly returned, rebuilding their homes with whatever resources they could get their hands on. The Kingdom was rich in resources, and in a year's time, they had been able to regain a semblance of normality within their walls. Among them is the Imai Family, trusted advisor to the Yukihira clan. They were well respected within the walls of the Yukihira Kingdom but they could not rule as they were only half blood Fairies. Without a ruler, the townsfolk has elected the Imai's to temporarily manage whatever and whoever was left in the Kingdom. And with their astute and brilliant governance, the Kingdom slowly returned to its former glory. Almost but not quite. A true blood heir was still needed, but alas, the heir was nowhere to be found.
"MIKAN!"
Sixteen year old Mikan Sakura looked up from her history book towards the source of the voice calling her name. She saw her grandfather walking up the small gravel path towards her secret hideout.
"MIKAN!"
She grimaced as her grandfather called her out once more and quickly closed the book and leapt off the tree branch she was tucked into. Only, she had miscalculated her landing and instead of landing on her feet, she fell butt first into puddle, soiling her dress much to her dismay.
"MIKAN SAKURA! Where on earth have you been? I've been calling for you for the past hour!" Mikan brushed away the hair that fell onto her face only to be met by the furious face of her grandpa Nonno.
"I was studying my history lesson." She stood up and brushed away the mud that stuck to her dress.
"Get inside and get changed!" Nonno ushered her towards the small cottage that they lived in. It was beyond the wall, in the outskirts of the Kingdom, near the Northern Forest that led towards the Hyuuga Kingdom.
Mikan had lived all her life with Nonno in the small cottage outside the walls. He had survived the fires that ravaged the kingdom but refused to live inside the walls for fear of the return of the dragons. Her mother had died giving birth to her and her father had passed away long before she was born. He was her only living relative.
Mikan was a simple and lively girl. She was home schooled and had very little exposure to the outside world beyond the Kingdom. She had auburn hair and honey-gold eyes. What was captivating about her was that she was always smiling. No matter what life threw at her, one would always catch Mikan Sakura with a smile.
Mikan crouched in the bush with her bow and arrow aimed at the deer near the brook. Nonno had told her to go into the Kingdom to buy supplies but the butcher had closed his shop early and she had been unable to buy any meat for their supper. She was confident Nonno wouldn't mind having roasted venison for dinner. She could roast it with herbs fresh from her garden later tonight. But first, she needed to hunt for a deer.
She let out a breath of air before aiming the arrow at the creature, unaware of her presence behind it. Seconds before she released the arrow, there was a rustling of the bushes in front of the deer and she cursed under her breath as it scurried away with the arrow narrowly missing it. The scream from the bushes on the other side startled her and she remembered she had just shot an arrow in that direction.
"Aggggghh." She could hear the groaning of a man and she was suddenly fearful.
This part of the forest was usually unpopulated. She had never encountered anyone whenever she went hunting here before. She was deep in the Northern Forest, miles away from either the Yukihira or Hyuuga Kingdoms' borders. She approached the sound to find a man on the ground, clutching his leg.
"Are you alright?" She asked worriedly.
"I was just shot by an arrow. Do you think I'm alright?" He gave her a dirty look and she was suddenly captivated by his eyes. They were ruby red with a tint of crimson. The most enchanting ones she had ever seen in her lifetime.
"I'm sorry. I was aiming for the deer." She offered her hand to assist him in standing but got a glare in response.
"So it was you who shot me, huh?" He ignored her offer and stood on his own giving her a once over from head to foot.
"I said I was sorry! Besides it only grazed your leg!" She exclaimed.
"Yeah, whatever. What are you doing in the Northern Woods?" He was curious to find this lass in the middle of the forest, wielding a bow and arrow.
"I was hunting. I should be asking you the same thing." She looked at him curiously.
He was dressed head to toe in black. He wore a black cloak over a dark shirt and black was a tear in his pants where the arrow broke through and blood was coming out of his wound. His boots were also in black. He had dark ebony hair but his eyes were his most enchanting feature. Aside from the fact that they were red, they were smoldering as if they were on fire.
"I don't answer to you." He retorted.
"No fair! I answered your question!" She pouted and he chuckled.
"Life is always unfair. You don't always get what you want."
"I wish that arrow lodged into your shoulder." She muttered under her breath.
"Well, you have lousy aim."
"You scared away my target." It was beginning to dawn on her that nightfall was upon them. And she no longer had time to hunt.
"Whatever." He brushed away the dirt on his pants and washed his wound with water from the brook. Once the wound was clean, he took some leaves from a nearby plant and wrapped it up in some bandage he had taken with him.
"Grandpa is soooo going to get mad at me." Gone was her feisty demeanor replaced with sadness and worry. Somehow, even if he didn't know this girl, he felt guilty for making her feel that way.
"Why?" He felt like he had to ask.
"I don't have any meat for dinner." She began to walk away from him, shoulders slumped.
What prompted him to do what he did next, he didn't know. He grabbed her hand and pulled her in the other direction.
"Kyaaa—What are you doing?" She was taken by surprise.
"Come with me."
"I'm not going with you! You could be a murderer for all I know! Or a rapist!" She struggled against him but his hold was firm.
"Like I would be into a flat-chested, ugly girl like you." He said accompanied by a rolling of eyes.
"Pervert!" She screamed and that prompted him to put his hand over her mouth. His muscular figure could easily overpower her petite frame.
She struggled and protested against his hold to no avail. He dragged her until they reached a small clearing.
"I'm going to let go of you. Don't scream or else." She seemed to have learned that she couldn't overpower him and she nodded submissively.
"What are we doing here?" She asked and he pointed towards the North.
What she saw made her jaw drop. A large group of deer were grazing in the meadow. She had never been to this clearing. It was bordered by Sakura trees that were blossoming. A river ran through the clearing cutting it in half where the deer gathered to drink.
"Go on then. Shoot one." He gestured towards the deer and she quickly took aim.
Holding the base of the arrow near her lip then letting it go in time with her breathing, the arrow found its target straight into the neck of an adult doe. The rest of the deer scattered after witnessing the slaughter and they were left alone with their catch.
Mikan quickly descended on the deer and took out the dagger from her pouch. she skinned the deer and butchered the parts that could be used for dinner, wrapping them neatly in the big leaves she had prepared in times like this. She had barely a couple of hours before the sun fully set to get back home. And she was still miles away. She turned towards the stranger who led her here and was about to speak when he held up his hand.
"No need to thank me." He said and he turned around and walked away.
She noticed him limping and ran after him. Regardless of the limp, he was fast and she was heavily breathing but still a few feet away. She tried to call after him but he still wouldn't stop.
"Hey!" He was still walking.
"I'm talking to you!" No response.
"OI! PERVERT!" He turned around and raised his brow at her.
"First you injure me and now you dare to call me insulting names?"
"Well for one, I don't know your name. Two, I was calling you but you wouldn't listen. Three, it's not my fault you turned around when I called you pervert!" She glared at him. She was tired after running after him.
"What is it that you want then flat-chested,ugly girl?"
"It's nearly nightfall and you're injured. Your wound might get infected. At least let me make it up to you by dressing your wound properly with a roof over your head and a hot meal for dinner. The town is pretty far from here." She didn't really want to be nice to him after his insulting words either but she was taught by her grandfather to always repay favors and debts. And he had done her a great favor by leading her into the meadow wih the deer.
"Fine." She gave him a relieved look and held out her hand.
"Mikan Sakura. And you are?" He took her hand in his and shook it formally before letting it go abruptly.
"My name is Natsume. That's all you need to know."
"It's a pleasure to meet you Natsume. Follow me." She led the way back to her cottage not knowing that this fateful meeting would change her life forever.
END OF CHAPTER 1
How was it? curious to know more? Not much events happen except Natsume and Mikan's first meeting (no point in delaying the obvious) lol.. more to come though!
Stay tuned!
And this joins my story cycle replacing Delicious Taboo which was recently finished!
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Ja Ne!
xoxo Lexi1989