Author's Note: I'm just taking a little break from Portal to write this chapter, which I've had a draft of since forever. I got inspired to write this story from watching the TV show Rome, so if you're familiar with it, you may see some influences here from a certain episode.

This story takes place in a Fates-verse AU. There is no Corrin, Anankos, or Mikoto. Nohr and Hoshido are not at war, but there is still some tension between the kingdoms.

I'm rating this M mostly out of caution, since even though there won't be smut or anything explicit, the story will still contain some mature themes. (I mean, the initial setting is a brothel, after all.) I'd rather have less traffic to the story than risk my account getting banned or offend a younger reader. In addition, there will be foul and/or suggestive language from some characters (I'm looking at you, Niles...).

All throughout the day, there'd been enthusiastic whispers amongst the girls of The Nohrian Rose - which, of course, was the most upscale brothel in the kingdom - that one of the princes would be paying them a visit tonight. As a newer courtesan at the establishment, Sakura didn't place any stock in such idle gossip… at least, not initially. It wasn't until Madam Daniela commanded the girls to wear their most appealing outfits, while adding a stern warning that they should all be on their very best behavior, that Sakura began to have an uneasy feeling that the rumors might be true.

Nevertheless, she dutifully put on the nicest dress in her possession - the white one with the pleated skirt and frilled sleeves - although, it's not as if she actually had much of a choice in what to wear. After all, as one of the few maidens featured at The Nohrian Rose, Madam Daniela wanted to be sure that Sakura's appearance always conveyed an image of purity.

Of course the irony hadn't been lost on Sakura, since she certainly didn't feel pure when she donned the garment. If anything, the pristine white fabric was almost humorous, since its entire purpose was to lure a man into taking her chastity. But having only recently come of age (and thereby now eligible to be presented to the brothel's clientele), Sakura knew in her heart that she wouldn't be a maiden for much longer.

Still, every time someone visited the establishment, she had only one prevailing thought…

Don't pick me.

She knew it was horrible to make such a wish, as it only meant that another girl would be selected… although, then again, some of the girls actually looked forward to being chosen. With the kind of clientele that frequented The Nohrian Rose, a courtesan could easily become a concubine to one of Nohr's richest and most powerful men (or, in a few instances, women) if she played her cards right.

But Sakura didn't want any part of that. All she longed for was to return to her simple life as a scullery maid, where she could go unnoticed by everyone else. Unfortunately, the one person who had noticed her during that time happened to be Madam Daniela, who'd immediately purchased her from her household and forced her into service at the brothel. That should never even have happened - slavery wasn't actually legal in Nohr, and prostitution was supposed to be completely consensual - but, as one might expect, things often didn't work out that way. Corruption was prevalent in Nohr, and the nobility generally turned a blind eye to such matters after a well-placed bribe…

It was truly unforgivable.

But Sakura was distracted from such cheerless thoughts as the other girls suddenly began to whisper to each other excitedly. It was only then that she noticed they were all gathered together by the windows, peering outside curiously.

"It really is Prince Leo!" Charlotte noted, and Sakura felt dread pooling in her stomach. The older prince, Xander, was known to be serious, yet kind. Prince Leo, on the other hand… he had a reputation of being cold and unapproachable.

Sakura involuntarily shuddered. Would Prince Leo be cruel, then? The type of man who'd enjoy abusing the woman he chose to bed? At The Nohrian Rose, patrons were generally discouraged from doing so as to not "harm the merchandise," but Madam Daniela's clients were too high in status to ever be scolded or punished for their unsavory deeds. Besides, with the use of healing staves, scars or bruising could be easily removed should one of the girls sustain them. And even if something did go horribly wrong, there was always another pretty face in Nohr to take the place of the last.

"Girls!" someone suddenly hissed, and Madam Daniela was now poking her head into the room. "You will stop your babbling this instant. Get ready to line up! The young master will be here soon."

With both anticipation and apprehension, the girls hurriedly obeyed. Even the few courtesans who shared Sakura's hesitations readily followed the madam's orders. The truth was, their mistress was capable of far more cruelty than any man who'd ever visited the brothel - some of them had learned this the hard way.

Despite the familiar, persistent fear that started to coil around her heart, Sakura walked into the main parlor and stood in between Rinkah and Layla. Since the girls were waiting to be shown off in the main room of the brothel, they could easily hear when Prince Leo arrived; however, because they were standing behind a curtain, they still weren't able to see him yet.

"Welcome, Prince Leo!" Madam Daniela greeted, and her voice was dripping with exaggerated sweetness. Perhaps that was only how it sounded to Sakura's ears, though, as the woman had never directed even a single kind word to her. "Ah, so then it's finally time for your special ceremony… the fated day that a Nohrian noble becomes a man. I'm sure that you're very excited."

"This is an antiquated and senseless tradition," a surly voice snapped back, presumably Prince Leo. He sounded irritated, and Sakura instantly became rigid as she listened to his noticeable hostility.

"For the record, I'd also consider this ritual to be quite barbaric," the prince continued. "And yet, my father still insists that I perform this rite to the best of my ability… so, here I am."

"Of course," Madam Daniela replied, but Sakura could hear the woman straining to keep her affable tone. "Well then, let's not draw this out any longer than we must, hm? I'll show you our selection. I'm sure that you'll be most pleased once you see the girls."

As the curtain was drawn back, Sakura tried to remember everything that Madam Daniela had told her to do. Keep your head up so that he can see your face, but don't make eye contact. Don't clench your fists. Don't… don't…

Don't pick me.

"So, what would be the young master's pleasure? Something exotic, perhaps?" Madam Daniela inquired, gesturing toward Rinkah.

"It's his first time, so nothing too savory," another voice drawled, and only then did Sakura realize that another man was with the prince. One of his retainers, most likely…

"Niles!" Prince Leo hissed, but Sakura felt relief piercing through her. First timers always chose women with experience, not maidens like her. Although some men seemed to obtain much pride in deflowering a woman, during one's first time it was usually far more comfortable to have a partner with confidence and skill.

But then, why did she feel like Prince Leo's eyes were on her and her alone? Her white outfit was a sure sign of her maidenhood - it was known.

Of course, he couldn't actually be looking at her… it must just be simple paranoia that led her to think so.

She chanced a look at the prince to check, stunned to find that his gaze was, in fact, pointed directly at her. Her eyes widened for a moment and she quickly diverted them elsewhere as her face started to warm. If Madam Daniela had caught her doing that, then she'd surely be punished, but she couldn't even let herself worry about that now. Not when Prince Leo's eyes had looked so different than she'd expected…

No, they hadn't contained any traces of cruelty all. In fact, they'd only seemed… sad.

Even so, why was he looking at her?

Don't pick me. Don't pick me.

"Her," Prince Leo decided, and even though she wasn't looking, Sakura knew that he was gesturing in her direction. It took all of her willpower in that moment to keep from crying out in despair.

No! Please not now, not with him, she thought desperately. But then, she didn't actually have a choice, did she?

She couldn't stop herself from shaking. But Madam Daniela then walked up behind her and pinched her subtly but sharply on her back, causing Sakura to stiffen.

"Young master, surely you don't want this one," the woman insisted. "This one is a virgin. You'll prefer one of the more worldly girls for your first time, nay? That will ensure that you truly enjoy this rite of passage. But if you like something light and simple, then we have many other options, such as-"

"I said her," Leo interrupted, the annoyance in his tone making it clear that he wasn't used to someone second guessing his decisions. "It matters not that she's a virgin."

"… As you wish," Madam Daniela conceded after a pause. "But you do realize that a maiden comes at a higher price, don't you? As hard as they are to find these days…"

"You think that I can't afford it?" Leo asked with an amused smirk.

"Of… of course I would never imply such a thing!" the madam replied, suddenly tripping over her words. "I just wanted to make sure that you were aware."

Leo looked toward the man with him, the one that had spoken earlier. "Niles, settle the bill."

"Wonderful! You will be utterly satisfied with this girl, young master, I assure you," the madam commented. "Layla, show the prince to his room. And Prince Leo, please get comfortable, won't you? I'll go ahead and prepare the girl."

When Sakura finally glanced into the prince's eyes again, he seemed completely uninterested in the events taking place around him. But she didn't have time to look any longer before Madam Daniela abruptly dragged her away into the chamber she shared with the other girls.

"Here, take off your dress and put this on," the madam ordered as she sifted through Sakura's few outfits, most of which had been provided by the brothel.

"B-but this is-"

"I said do it!" the woman snapped, and Sakura readily obeyed this time, removing her dress and putting on the cover-up that Madam Daniela had given her. It was white and rather long, flowing almost to the ground, yet it was far from modest - rather, it was completely sheer. Despite the fact that Sakura was still in her undergarments, she felt as good as naked in such scanty clothing, and she couldn't believe that she was about to prance in front of a prince of Nohr dressed like this.

"The prince better enjoy himself tonight," Madam Daniela warned as she led Sakura through the brothel. "If not, you can't even imagine the punishment that you'll get."

Sakura merely nodded.

"Remember everything that I taught you. You can keep up the timid virgin act since the prince seems to like it, but a boy like that needs constant praise. Make sure he knows at all times that he's the best you'll ever have," the madam told her, and Sakura nodded again.

"Now go!" the woman finally hissed while pushing Sakura forward, directly toward the room at the end of the hall, the one in which Prince Leo was currently waiting for her.

Sakura stumbled but caught herself before getting to the door. Prior to entering she took a deep breath, although it did little to calm her.

Then she turned the knob and walked in, and just like that, she and the prince were alone together. He was standing by the far end of the bed, gazing down at it distastefully.

"H-hello, my lord," she greeted shyly as she closed the door behind her.

Prince Leo looked at her for a moment, his eyes widening in surprise as he noticed what she was - or wasn't - wearing, and she could see his cheeks start to redden.

He hastily turned around to face the wall.

"Cover yourself," he then snapped, sounding angry, and she looked down at her body self-consciously. Had she displeased him already?

Realizing that she had nothing to cover herself with, she just folded her arms over her chest and stood awkwardly, until he instructed, "Get in the bed and use the sheets."

She looked at the bed warily, but obeyed.

After he heard her rustling underneath the bedsheets, he finally looked at her again.

"So… what is your name?" he asked.

For some reason the question surprised her, and she didn't answer at first.

"You do have a name?" he pressed, but this time his voice sounded surprisingly gentle.

Yes, she had a name. It was her dearest possession - the only memory she had prior to her life of servitude.

"My n-name is Sakura," she told him.

He chuckled, as if that were funny. "Ah, Sakura is it? But of course it would be… you're about that age. You even look Hoshidan."

She clenched her fists under the covers. Although she wasn't quite sure what he meant, she somehow knew that he was mocking her, and she found it highly annoying.

Already she disliked him, and she almost wished that he'd just take her by now and get it over with. Yet, for some reason, he seemed intent on prolonging their awkward conversation for as long as possible.

"So, are you?" he inquired.

"Excuse me, m-my lord?" she stammered.

"Hoshidan. Are you Hoshidan?"

"O-oh. I don't know where I'm originally from, my lord. I was found by Nohrians when I was very young and they brought me here to this kingdom. They never t-told me where I was found, and I don't remember. I suppose that it may have been Hoshido."

Strangely, he appeared sympathetic. "That must have been difficult for you."

She looked at him suspiciously. Girls who were caught complaining were punished. Was he trying to trick her?

Just to be safe, she remained silent, but that seemed to only elicit a tired sigh from him.

He finally started walking toward her, and she tensed. Stopping near the bed, he gave her a long, hard look.

"For what it's worth - and I suspect that it's worth very little - I am sorry," he told her.

He was… sorry? For what? For having to penetrate her?

It was an odd thing to say, but she supposed that it was kind of him. Most men wouldn't be so considerate as to apologize, at least. Maybe he wasn't actually as cruel as his reputation indicated…

And well, at least he was handsome. Even though he symbolized everything that she hated about Nohr - the heartless attitudes of the rich and powerful in this kingdom - she found that she couldn't help but stare at his long eyelashes… the ones that guarded his sad, dark eyes.

A part of her hated herself for it. She shouldn't be attracted to a man like this, especially not a prince of Nohr.

"Well, I suppose that's enough time then," he added with a wry smirk. "I'm sure they won't be expecting much from a… 'first timer.'"

Once again, she was confused. "Enough time? For what, m-my lord?"

"To make them think that I completed this stupid ritual," he snorted.

"You m-mean… you don't plan to-"

"Of course not," he answered with a huff.

At first she was elated… but once she realized the ramifications of what he was saying, her head dropped.

"My lord, I'm afraid it's n-not that simple," she told him. "If you wished for people to think that you were intimate this night without actually performing the act, then you shouldn't have chosen m-me. The madam will examine me when this is over to m-make sure that I'm no longer a maiden, and when she sees that I am…"

He hissed. "Gods! That woman is relentless! Although I suppose I should have thought of that earlier…" He suddenly started pacing, and the look of concentration on his face was so fierce that she was hesitant to interrupt.

"My lord can still choose to… to b-be with me if he so wishes?" she offered quietly, but he merely shook his head.

Even though she didn't actually want to lie with the prince, his quick rejection still stung. Was she truly so ugly, so undesirable?

"Well, then… you n-need to tell Madam Daniela that you wish to be with someone else instead. This way she'll never find out that you d-didn't…"

He stopped pacing and looked contemplative for a moment before glancing at her again. "And if I did that… then what would happen to you?"

The question surprised her - why would he care? - but as soon as she realized what would happen to her once it became clear that she'd displeased a prince of Nohr, her bottom lip started to quiver.

Truth be told, she didn't know what type of punishment she'd have to endure. Would she be beaten? Whipped? Cast into the Bottomless Canyon, perhaps?

She wouldn't let herself cry, though. She'd learned long ago that her tears meant nothing to anyone.

"My lord needn't c-concern himself. I'm sure it will be fine," she said with more courage than she felt. After all, there was no sense in making him feel guilty. Why should he be forced into the act of intercourse with a stranger any more than she should? Sakura certainly couldn't blame him for his feelings, considering that they only mirrored her own.

But his stare was so intense that she had to look away from him. "My lord, when you choose someone else, m-make sure that it's not Charlotte," she started. "She might blackmail you with your s-secret. But Layla can be trusted. She's very k-kind, and-"

"Stop talking - I'm trying to think," he demanded, his sharp command heavy with exasperation, and she quieted instantly. He then ran a hand through his hair and sighed.

"I'm sorry," he continued. "I didn't mean to snap at you. Honestly, I just thought that I was being rather clever by finding a way around this preposterous ceremony to begin with. But now, it seems that all I've done is drag you into my bothersome affairs. Still, there's no need for you to worry… I'm nothing if not resourceful, and I'll find a way to fix this."

She still didn't understand why he'd want to help her, considering that he could so easily get out of this situation were he not concerned with her fate… but the fact that he did made her smile slightly.

"You're… you're kind, Prince Leo. You're n-not at all like I thought you'd be."

He raised an eyebrow at that, and she immediately put her hand over her mouth, realizing how insolent her words had been.

"Oh?" he asked, approaching her. "And what did you think I'd be like?"

She didn't answer, and he stiffened. "I see," he told her, as if he'd gathered all he needed to know from her silence. "I'm sure that whatever you heard was justified."

But she could tell that she'd hurt him, and as he turned around she shot up from the bed, clutching at the bedsheets with one hand to cover herself, while grabbing his arm with the other.

He froze then, but he didn't turn.

"P-Prince Leo, wait," she entreated. "I don't think that anyone has ever c-cared before about what would happen to me. And whatever does happen, I… I'll never forget this kindness. So please, just take care of yourself and d-don't worry about me anymore."

Her words must have soothed him slightly because he turned toward her once more.

"Sakura… tell no one of what happened this night. Do you understand?" he asked, and she nodded.

He didn't have to worry, though - no matter what happened to her, she had no intention of revealing his secret.

And without another word, the Nohrian prince then left the room, leaving Sakura alone and in fear of the future that awaited her.

Author's Note: I just love LeoSaku so much, what can I say. The tricky thing with an AU setting, though, is keeping the characters true to who they are in the game, while at the same time accounting for their altered background. Sakura, for example, is still the same sweet cinnamon roll that we all know and love, but because of the things that happened to her, she's more jaded here than in Fates. And Leo also has his own unique backstory that hasn't been revealed yet.

As for the overall plot, I think that a lot of it is going to be pretty predictable, but it will still hopefully be enjoyable all the same. True to my M.O., I have the ending all planned out, but not so much the middle. And this is intended to be a shorter, simpler story (at least I hope so), because the last thing I want is to get sucked into another Portal-like commitment.

Just as a warning, it may be a while until I'm able to write a new chapter, because Portal monopolizes pretty much all of my writing time. Assuming that anyone even wants me to continue this :P.