The Princess & The Eunuch

Please Note: This is a historical fanfiction, set in Ancient China, although I completely doubt this is accurate in any way. Please excuse the fact that they all have Japanese names, but if I wrote Chinese people would get confused xD S&S, E&T

Please excuse the way this chapter was written (a narration), it just makes life a lot easier as an introduction. Please read and review! I feel a lot more motivated to update quickly if I get reviews, or some acknowledgement that someone might just enjoy reading my burblings. xD

22/12/2008 I also edited this prologue because I realised I'd missed chunks of paragraph when I was typing up my rough copy. Now the story should make more sense =D Also, separated the paragraphs into easier to read chunks. So yes, goodbye paragraphs! Hellooo lines!

PROLOGUE. A Royal Birth

Now, in the Imperial court, the birth of a child of the Emperor is a nervous and worrying time for all involved. The concubines gossiped and plotted, the Imperial physicians worried, the Empress sleepless with anxiety and the Emperor himself – well, he hoped and prayed for an heir. None of his concubines nor his Empress, Kaho had yet done so.

This time, it was one of the Emperor's favourite concubines who had fallen pregnant. Her name was Nadeshiko, she well known as one of the most beautiful ladies in the court, and perhaps even arguably in the whole of the Middle Country. All eyes in the palace were upon her, watching her pregnancy closely as her body became rounder by the day.

One Imperial physician had claimed that he felt the unborn foetus was male, which had caused a lot of stir amongst the inhabitants of the palace.

The Empress was incredibly worried, and was growing sick and haggard-looking from her many nights of sleeplessness. A male heir produced by another wife of her Emperor would ultimately result in her being sidelined even more so. The Emperor did not attempt to keep secret his distaste for his Empress, and had not been to visit her chambers since the first week of their marriage.

After nine months of excruciating waiting Nadeshiko felt several kicks, and fluid began to seep through her robes. The servants called the physicians and a royal baby was delivered. Disappointingly she was a girl, but nonetheless a beautiful and healthy one.

The Emperor too was disappointed, but his love for Nadeshiko extended to their newborn. He decided to grant her the name Sakura, as she was born in Spring, with the courtyards blossoming with white and pink colour.

His gift to her was a beautiful pack of cards contained inside a huge silken scroll which was according to legend inscripted with much wisdom and even sorcery. He also gave her a beautiful pendant which was to be worn around her neck at all times - a tiny ornamental key, crafted of gold, with delicate wings carved from white jade, and decorated with rubies.

This little princess Sakura, or as the other inhabitants of the palace liked to call her 'Princess Number Five', loved to terrorise the pets which were kept in her mother's quarters. She pulled the feathers of the parakeets, threw peanuts at the golden monkey which sat on its perch, and generally caused chaos and trouble for the servants. And yet, her mother and the Emperor adored her, for if she was ever caught doing anything naughty, the corners of her mouth would droop, and her amber coloured eyes would open wide, her brow slightly furrowing. This expression would always catch her parents off guard, or indeed anyone else who cared to scold her, and they would feel compelled to shower her with love.

In her tenth year of life however, something remarkable happened. The cards which she always carried with her 'awoke', and caused much chaos and havoc, disturbing the sacred peace of the Imperial Palace. With the guidance of her servants and her best friend, Lady Daidouji she managed to get them back under her control. From then on, she had all kinds of magic up her sleeve, but her parents were always wary of her exhibiting it - for fear of the commonfolk thinking she be a monster.

And so she grew, year after year until she became an elegant and kind natured young lady who excelled in poetry, music, embroidery and secretly sorcery. She had also gained the reputation all over the Middle Country as the most attractive and eligible bride.

This property was particularly handy for the Emperor, who was growing older as she was growing more beautiful. Seventeen years on, his lack of a suitable heir was becoming ever more a problem. Rumours of ambitious warlords raising armies to stage upheavals were never too far from the ear.

Already the Emperor had managed to ward off a number of warlords by marrying off his daughters. In fact, he had already married off four to various barbaric lords in order to keep his country the delight of the next warlord who wanted to invade, the Emperor appeared to be marrying his daughters off in order of descending age. This meant that Princess Sakura would be, according to this logic, the next on the list. Considering how much all men desired her, Lord Hiiragizawa was a very happy warlord indeed.

A Humble Beginning

Syaoran Li was born in the early hours of the morning. It was during a long, harsh and cold winter. His father was a labourer in the nearby rice field, and his mother was too sick to work – after she had given birth to four daughters, her health had never quite been up to scratch. This latest addition to the family was perhaps the last straw for her. She had not begun to lactate and the baby boy was thirsty and wailing.

His mother struggled to open her eyes to look at him, her arms barely had the strength to hold him in her bosom. Unlike his mother he was strong, a fighter. He had the most lovely chocolate brown eyes and fine hair was also a dark cocoa brown. His father was very concerned for the financial situation of the family, as he was unsure that they had the funds to feed an extra mouth.

Shortly after Syaoran's birth, his mother passed away, the cause unknown. The family nor the village had the money to call upon a physician, so the sick died and were buried according to their traditions.

Syaoran was therefore looked after by his older sisters for a few days, the oldest of which was 12 years old. He was failing to thrive due to the lack of dairy, and was suffering from malnutrition so his father had no choice but to give him away. The father knew of a brother-in-law that was said to live in the next village, so he bundled up Syaoran with some rough cloth to keep him warm and trudged out into the glistening snow.

The night was cool, and the wind was bitterly cold. Snowflakes danced around and taunted Syaoran and his father for their misfortune, poked and prodded them for being born so lowly. Even lower than a snowflake. Syaoran's father winced through the falling snow at his young son, who was sleeping peacefully, snuggled up inside his torn cloth blanket. He then carried on walking, towards the lights flickering in the distance – the next town.

The father knew that the brother-in-law had a small family in this town, and was doing rather well. They had a few chickens, a donkey, a cow and a goat, as well as an ample sized piece of land for farming. He hoped deep in his heart that they would take pity on his own family's circumstances, and raise the child as their own.

As he approached the gate of the house, the front door slid open. A kimono-clad woman slipped out carrying a lantern. She peered up at the stranger with the bundle, and shone the light closer towards him. "Li-san." She cried, and quickly ushered him inside. "I did not expect to find you here, with your, oh what is this? Your baby son! Oh congratulations…" She stopped dead, seeing the sorrow in the man's eyes. "How are you coping without your wife?" She uttered softly, taking the bundle from him and gently laying the sleeping babe closer to the coal stove in the middle of the room to keep him warm.

"My wife…No milk…My son…" The father's voice broke as he tried to form a coherent sentence. He looked pleadingly at the wife of his brother in law.

She looked back at him, and smiled gently. "Of course we can take care of your child for you. Is there anything else you need help with? It must be a difficult time for you."

The father's grey eyes looked saddened, but he regained his composure. "Thank you, thank you so much. How can I ever repay you?" He bowed to her in thanks, and bid farewell to his sleeping child and the lady to which he owed much to. He then headed out back into the inky-blue night.

Syaoran was raised lovingly, along with the brother-in-law's other children to be a handsome and strong young man who helped out on the farm, and in the village. He was adored by the villagers, and the girls, well, they loved him, yet he had never accepted any of their advances.

However, on the day of Xiaolong's 19th birthday, the palace guards came and took his foster father away. They said that his foster father was evading taxes, refusing to pay the rent and was a bad citizen. They ransacked the house and the small farm, slaying the animals and looting all valuable possessions. They also harassed the women of the house. Of course these events made Syaoran furious, he jumped up and started a fight with a few of the guards, flooring at least two with his bare hands. One of the guards however, managed to catch him off guard and knocked him in the back of the head, causing him to flail forwards. Another guard punched him in the stomach, and kicked him in the groin. Syaoran fell to the ground, his face and body bruised.

The room went in and out of focus, and then blackness.