Black Magic

Chapter One:

Rats

A loud crack resounded throughout the hall as the whip once again tore through skin. The two guards in charge of overseeing the prisoner's punishment cackled with glee. The young prince before them was an expert in torture; in fact, he spent a great deal of time studying the history of torture devices and many other methods of making thieves and common rats squeak.

After what seemed like the umpteenth snap of the whip and the prisoner's body hung limply in his shackles, the prince put the weapon to rest at his side. He stood stock still, eyes narrowed, evident displeasure etched into every feature. Never had he dealt with such an obstinate thief. Throughout the entire torture session he hadn't made a peep. Not even the slightest grumble had escaped his lips.

Angrily, the prince strode up to the rat who was breathing heavily, chocolate brown hair dripping with a mixture of sweat and blood. He grabbed the man by the chin and forced the pained amber eyes to meet his own, cold, indigo orbs. He searched the gorgeous, brown depths for signs of weakness, or resignation. Instead he found the same fire from several hours ago, burning just as intensely as before.

The fierce defiance that had led a rebellion in the marketplace earlier that day glared back at him with a malice that conveyed more hatred than the prince had ever seen before. This only made him bubble with rage. How dare a mere commoner question his purposes in the way this common rodent had? He was the prince of Clowdom. A kingdom highly valued by its neighboring countries for its fair and impartial judgment; coupled with their extraordinary magical talent. These things made them powerful allies. Their magical army was vastly coveted for their strength in both physical and supernatural combat and their mages were gifted with immense powers of foresight. How could a mere rat possibly understand how difficult it was to keep a country like that in line?

He tossed the man's head down, infuriated by the lack of submission and turned to the guards, his glasses flashing, "Take him to his cell. Make sure he is taken care of properly." He was about to leave the chamber when he added, "Oh, and be absolutely certain that no one heals his wounds. The sting should give him a good enough lesson."

With that he flourished his cape and strode out of the dungeons and into the dimly lit hallways of the palace. His head was reeling and his eyes refused to stay open. Quickly he shook his head to remove the grogginess from his features before making his way up the marble staircase and to his own chambers.

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Earlier that day…

It was a seemingly peaceful morning. The sun was shining brightly above and everyone was moving about their daily business without complaint or violent action. That is… until Li Syaoran decided to stir up some trouble.

He was taking his usual stroll through the marketplace, eyeing the expensive looking wares that the merchants had up for sale. His amber orbs glistened hungrily for the many luxuries that surrounded him, but his empty pockets and stomach posed a problem. As if to remind him of its presence, a loud growl was let loose and it made Syaoran realize just how hungry he really was.

Just then, he happened to pass by a fruit cart. Upon the wooden bench were crates of apples. His mouth watered at the sight of the tantalizing red sheen. Clearly this vendor wouldn't miss one apple out of so many? Before he had made the conscious decision to snatch one, his arm was already working on picking out the best sample.

Before his hand could grasp onto the juicy looking fruit a crash was heard a little ways down the lane, followed by a feminine scream.

Curiosity temporarily overcame Syaoran and within seconds his feet had led him to the scene of all the commotion. A burly vendor, with a scorpion tattoo on his right bicep, held a dagger up as he held a mysterious looking woman in a cloak, by the forearm. She struggled and twisted but to no avail. The man was livid, his husky voice barked out commands to random bystanders, ordering them to fetch the king's guard and hissing curses at the female who was using every tactic imaginable to escape.

After several moments of grappling with her and sustaining some minor injuries, caused by her biting his wrist repeatedly; he threw her to the ground and poised his dagger as if to strike. "Listen wench, no one steals from my cart!" his words cracked as his anger made his speech harder and harder to listen to, "If you try to escape again I'll cut off a foot! Then we'll see how far you'll get!" He cackled hysterically as some of the king's guardsmen began arriving at the scene.

The woman sat up slowly, and cried out, "But, that poor child was so hungry! Listen, if you take me to the palace I can speak to the queen! She'll reimburse you!" As she spoke she looked around furiously, seeming to look for someone to come to her aid and at that moment Syaoran caught a glimpse of gorgeous emerald eyes. They sparkled with a strange intensity that he was unable to place, and as quickly as he spotted them, they were hidden once again beneath the hood of her cloak.

"Oh, don't worry! You're going to the palace alright! To the dungeons that is!" the vendor laughed at his cruel joke and waved his dagger about in his fit. At this time the king's guardsmen began moving in to arrest the lady and as Syaoran looked over the scene he soon found himself tearing the dagger from the burly man's meaty hands and stood in the center of the circle, facing the audience of onlookers.

He feigned interest in the structure of the blade in his hands and ignored the owner's threats for him to return it. "Hm," Syaoran muttered pensively, "This is a rather fine blade you've got here. I shiver at the thought of how much you must've paid to acquire it." He twirled the dagger in his hands a few times before studying the patterns etched into the hilt. Stealing a glance at the guardsmen who had halted their actions upon his appearance, Syaoran continued, "Many men would pay a pretty penny for such a fine weapon. Of course, not every man has the coin to pay for such a high class piece of weaponry." His eyes narrowed to slits as he shot proverbial daggers at the vendor, "Especially not the emaciated children of the streets."

The more he spoke the more Syaoran felt rage begin to boil within him, "So I ask you. Why is it that a man who has enough money to buy such luxuries as this, frets over the loss of one morsel? Why must the orphaned children of Clowdom be victims to hunger? We're supposed to be one of the strongest and most prosperous kingdoms in the land and yet we can hardly afford to feed all of our citizens." Syaoran's voice was gaining volume, and the crowd around the scene was increasing tenfold. All eyes were on him and everyone seemed interested in what he had to say. Slightly embarrassed at how the situation had escalated, he licked his lips and began again, "Our kingdom is home to some of the greatest sorcerers in history, and our monarchy has always treated us fairly. So why is it that our society is still so corrupt and impoverished?" Now finding that people were beginning to nod vigorously with his ideas he stood on the vendors cart so as to better address the crowd, "People of Clowdom, I implore you to remember these words and act on them as you see fit. Remember those less fortunate and allow the compassion in your hearts to guide you."

He smiled at the group as they all grinned and talked excitedly amongst one another. Syaoran intended on saying a bit more but he was dragged brutally down from his position by a very angry merchant. The dagger was swiped from his hands and as the vendor pointed it at him, Syaoran couldn't help but be hypnotized by the scorpion on the man's arm. Every time he flexed his muscles it looked like the scorpion's stinger would lash out at him.

Upon the sudden threat on his life the crowd rioted against the merchant and the guardsmen worked quickly to dispel the fray. Three men were holding down the vendor and tying his hands together with a thick leather strap. Syaoran watched everything proceed and was awakened from his daze when he realized that the guardsmen were arresting him as well. He tried making excuses as he was dragged away, but his pleas fell on deaf ears.

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Two streets, and an intersection later, a cloaked figure blocked the guardsmen's path. "Out of the way miss." One of the men grunted, obviously exhausted by the day's events. The figure didn't move, and Syaoran realized that this was the woman from before, the one that had started everything. The one I saved, he thought ironically as he studied his cuffed hands.

"I order you to release him." The lady's musical voice captured all of Syaoran's attention and was laced with practiced authority. Her delicate hands came up to pull back the hood of her cloak to reveal a woman with short auburn hair and gem-like eyes. On her forehead there was a small red gem, a decoration only worn by those of the royal family.

"Princess!" the other of the two guards that were escorting him exclaimed. "W-what are you doing outside the palace?" his confusion was obvious and his status made him think better of questioning her any further than he already had.

The princess gave him a hard look before responding, "What I do, and why I do so, is none of your concern. Unhand this man. He helped me and doesn't deserve to be repaid by time in the dungeons."

Nervously the two guards exchanged glances before the braver of the two spoke up, "Um, I would grant your wish milady, but I cannot disobey the rules under the Code of Conduct. Before anyone, I must first relay information to the Queen. If she deems him worthy, he will be released and given whatever reward in compensation. Until then milady it's out of my hands."

In a very unprincess-like fashion the woman huffed and stalked off in the direction of the palace. After a few sighs and shaking of heads the guardsmen herded Syaoran down the same path. He was hesitant to follow, but then again he had little choice. What awaited him at the palace seemed, in either respect, to be time in the dungeons.

He kicked himself mentally as he walked dismally behind his captors. What did I get myself into? He wondered.

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The throne room was a magnificent display of the history of art. Paintings, busts, and the architecture itself spanned from the early era of Clowdom up to the present day. Pillars lined the mosaic aisle that led to the dais, which held the eloquent, red velvet throne of the queen. Presently she stared off in space, her hand habitually combing through her long, dark locks. Her thoughts were lost in some unknown time, when the kingdom had been in better straights and her husband had still been alive to rule alongside her. Unconsciously, her lips curled into a soft smile, her life back then had been so simple, so… carefree. She was snapped from this reverie when the tall, marble, double doors were thrust open and a figure clad in a soft pink gown, and a black cloak stomped into the throne room.

Holding back a giggle the queen righted herself as she addressed the obviously peeved princess, "What's the matter Princess Sakura? What has happened so early in the day that you must come barreling into the chamber in such a manner?" The corners of her eyes turned up slightly as she added, "I doubt that it's a lover's spat. Prince Eriol seems to find such things silly and time consuming."

Sakura tried to hold back the faint blush that tinted her cheeks as she cleared her throat, "Your Majesty, I'm afraid my business with you today is on a bit darker note." She glanced up at the queen pointedly, politely asking for her to take this matter seriously. When she saw the queen's perplexed expression she continued, "Today, I snuck out to the marketplace." Upon seeing the surprise on her majesty's face she hurriedly added, "I know I'm not supposed to leave the palace unattended and without permission, but how can royalty really understand the life of a subject when surrounded by guards all the time? I had to sneak out without anyone knowing." Her answer seemed to satisfy the queen well enough and so she took a deep breath and tried her best to get to the point of her tale, "So, today while I was walking through the streets, I happened to see a starved child eyeing up a fruit stand. He seemed terribly hungry, and without thinking I found myself taking an apple off the cart. The little boy was thrilled with his gift, but soon after, the vendor of the cart attacked me. Apparently I was supposed to pay for the apple and I hadn't brought any money with me from the palace. I tried explaining who I was but he wouldn't listen."

At this point in the story the queen had her hands covering mouth, her eyes expressing true terror for what the princess had experienced. Sakura nodded in agreement with her sentiments and continued on with her story, "He brought out a dagger and the way he treated me, I was certain that he intended to lob off my hand. It was frightening. For once I was powerless, and no one around me offered to help. They all just stared; watching like it was some exhibition! Then, when all seemed hopeless and I was resigned to letting the guardsmen take me away, he appeared." Sakura's visage became dreamy as she recalled the man that had saved her.

"He was devilishly clever and brutally handsome; he handled both the vendor and the people with an air of nobility that not even Prince Eriol has achieved. Everything about the incident he twisted to fit the needs of the people. He expressed the poverty and the hardships of everyday life that some of our people are forced to face, and compared it to the higher classes of society that have so much and part with little." She shook her head; coming back to her senses. "He saved my life and he's done nothing wrong. So, your Majesty, Queen Yelan of Clowdom, please release him." Sakura curtsied low and kept her head down until she felt a gentle weight on the top of her head.

When Sakura looked up she was eye-to-eye with the queen. Her soft smile and kind eyes told Sakura that she would do her best in getting the man out of the dungeons as soon as possible. Sakura grinned, "Thank you, Queen Yelan."

The queen chuckled in response to Sakura's eagerness. "Do you happen to know the name of this young man?" she asked curiously. The fact that the princess was so taken with this commoner made her wonder what type of man he was.

Sakura's eyes lit up, "Actually, I was curious as to his name as well, and after talking with a few of the townspeople I found out that his name is Li Syaoran."

Upon hearing this Queen Yelan's eyes widened, "D… Did you just say Xia- Syaoran?"

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Author's Note:

Hey everyone! Well, I hope you enjoyed this chapter! I worked really hard on forming the idea and plot behind this story and I'm excited to be releasing it. By the way, did you happen to notice the similarity between the Syaoran and Sakura scene and a certain Disney movie?

Please give me any thoughts, criticism, or ask any questions you may have. I'm all ears!

Thank you very much for reading this and see you next time!

Please R&R!

Ja ne!

~Akinaxx