Minor notes before reading:
If you're familiar with ancient Chinese marriage practices or even "The Joy Luck Club," you'll understand the power associated with being first wife as compared to second or third wives. If not, all you need to know is that first wife is the most respected position among a group of wives.
I welcome flames and constructive criticism, but don't bother flaming about my manipulation of how genetics work in this fiction. I majored in biochemistry. Setting is medieval Asia; just assume that back then, people weren't as knowledgeable about DNA as they are today.
My mother was the second wife of a powerful man named Clow Reed.
At least, that is what is recorded in the Clow Kingdom's Royal Archives. The memories of the truth will take maybe a generation to be completely forgotten, but eventually, all will know the history of the Clow Kingdom as such: Nadeshiko Amamiya, Princess of the Japanese Empire, was second wife to Clow Reed, thus ending a feud between the long-time rivals of the empiric worlds of China and Japan.
There was a time when my mother was the first wife of Clow. Although it was mainly a political marriage, the beginning years of that marriage were happy times. My mother's first child was a strong son, an excellent candidate to be heir of Clow's kingdom. Clow was pleased with the potential he saw in his son, whom he named Touya after the plum blossoms just beginning to turn a deep purple in the castle gardens. He noted how Touya had not only quickly mastered various forms of martial arts, but excelled in his academic studies and strategies. Clow was hopeful to produce another fine son, but after a few years of my mother's barren womb and miscarriages, he sought the advice of the royal viziers and mages. He never realized that they had been against his marriage to Japan's princess, and were corrupt in their prophecies; he never realized that they were the source of my mother's barrenness, that they had slipped weak poisons and toxins into her food.
"She is evil, Royal Highness," they hissed softly over swirling white smoke, tossing sand into a small pot of water. "She is a witch and will offer you nothing but troubles. You can only produce more children with a Chinese woman. The gods have seen her Majesty as unworthy of you, my Lord."
Clow was reluctant to believe them, and continued to try to produce another son, but was disappointed with the result of my mother's miraculous pregnancy: a weak girl. He took the time to name me after the sakura blossoms that were starting to burgeon fully on the cherry trees, but it was the last intimate moment he shared with the woman named Nadeshiko. He soon took on a second wife who had no real royalty in her blood, a beautiful Chinese woman named Xiao-Mei. Her first child was a son named Meizuo; their second was a girl they named Meilin.
The young princess smiled at her reflection in the vanity mirror as Riika brushed her silky honey-blonde hair. Chiharu and Naoko were behind her, waiting with a new beautiful ballgown of pink chiffon and white lace.
"Naoko, could you fetch me the gift for my brother, please?"
Naoko smiled and bowed slightly with a "yes Princess" before she retreated to the closet and extracted a large box wrapped with a purple ribbon and perhaps a bit too much of frill and curled streamers. Riika smiled softly as she fixed the sparkling beaded pin among the princess's tresses.
"It is the fourth time you had to see it, your highness. Are you that anxious about the present?"
Sakura giggled as the package was set on the marbled top of the vanity, and took it into her lap. She removed the top lid and smiled down at the two stuffed dolls: a golden bear with a lion's tail, and a velvet black cat with narrowed ruby eyes. Her finger trailed gently along the rare yellow diamonds she used for the bear's eyes. "It is my brother's 18th birthday. He is soon to take over the empire, and needs nothing in terms of wealth. This present, although crafted from precious gold thread and jewels, was entirely made by me and my mother. I wanted to tell him that even though he's getting older, he should always remember to stay young at heart."
Riika finished with the last stray lock of hair. "It is a very thoughtful present that holds much wisdom."
Sakura giggled as she turned slightly to Riika on the white cushioned seat. "Do you think he'll like it?" She turned doubtfully back at the present in her lap. "Maybe I should have gone with the usual rare birds from Madagascar."
Riika smiled and held the princess's hand. "Princess, although you are ten, you are showing wisdom beyond your years with a loving hand-stitched present. You are giving him hours of your personal toil. I am sure that His highness will love anything, and especially this, from his favorite sister."
Sakura blushed and replaced the lid on the box. "Favorite sister, my foot. He's always calling me a monster."
Riika smiled and stood, taking the princess's hand to lead her to the other ladies-in-waiting to put on the dress.
The feast was as spectacular as expected. Sakura's heart had hammered when she was the last to present a gift among the twenty tigers, mountains of gold, and coves of precious treasure from the other kingdoms.
"A reminder for you to stay young at heart, your highness, despite the difficulties you may face as ruler in the future," she smiled.
Touya chuckled as he flipped over the nametags on the collars of the dolls. "Kero-chan? Suppi-chan?"
Sakura blushed. "Mother helped in the naming."
Touya's grin twisted mischievously. "I can tell from this horrible stitching on Kero-chan that only a kaijou could have made this."
Sakura's dark emerald eyes snapped up at him, but she held herself in check in the presence of dignitaries. "Mother helped with Suppi-chan, and I made Kero-chan."
"Hand-stitched presents?" Meizuo guffawed. "Marvelously thrifty of you, Sakura-hime. I commend you on your weaseling tactics."
Touya shot a piercing glare at Meizuo, who instantly fell silent, and then smiled at Sakura warmly. Sakura lowered her head, and made to take the box away.
"He's right. I don't know what I was thinking. Please, give them back to me, and tomorrow, I'll send you a phoenix from France. There was a merchant here just the other day…"
Touya pulled the box away from Sakura and tenderly tilted up her chin with a finger. "Princesses should never lower their heads. I love the present even more because it is from you, kaijou." He smiled, and Sakura couldn't retort with all the happy tears spilling over her long lashes.
That night, Sakura was left staring at the gauzy canopy over her bed. Sleep would not come; she was too delighted that Touya was pleased with the present. With a soft sigh, she slipped out of the silken covers and quietly snuck through the corridors to Touya's room. She was happy to see that the light was still on and stepped up to the partially opened door, raising her hand to knock on it.
"We must leave tonight."
Sakura froze. It was her brother's voice.
"To-ya…" Sakura recognized it as her brother's squire, Yukito. Only he was ever allowed to call Touya by that nickname.
"The guests and guards are drunk after the feast. Security is at its weakest. We must strike now or we'll never know when another opportunity will show."
The brilliant strategy of her brother…
"You are going to be crowned emperor of the Asian kingdom in a few days! You can't leave now. You'll regret leaving behind your life as royalty."
He's abandoning his throne?
"A bag of gold is more than enough for us to live together till we are old and grey, Yukito."
He's going to live as a peasant!
"I know that, but—" Yukito was cut off by what sounded like her brother kissing him fiercely. Sakura was sickened, and leaned against the wall next to the door, sliding down slowly. Her brother… He'd never marry a princess of a powerful country and continue the bloodline. There were a few deep breaths of silence as the kiss broke.
"I love you, Yukito. My father and this kingdom would never accept it. Our only chance to be together is to run away, tonight. Please, won't you believe in me?" There was a pleading note to the end of Touya's words.
There was a long pause. "Yes… I will believe in you."
Sakura broke into fresh tears. The room was spinning, and it was getting hard to breathe. Her room… she had to get to her room. Dashing through the endlessly long passageways of the castle, she didn't stop running until she was safely in the comforts of her bed, sobbing into her pillow.
A short while later, there was a knock on her door. "I'm sleeping," she shouted angrily.
The door opened anyway. Touya walked in, holding his hands behind his back. "Talking in your sleep too? You really are a kaijou," he grinned impishly.
She was silent. He cleared his throat and tossed a familiar satin slipper on the foot of her bed. "Only a kaijou could make such a din in satin slippers." Sakura turned away, sulking over her pillows. "You must have heard," he said more seriously.
"You know what will happen if you leave," Sakura began.
"I know."
"Meizuo is going to have to be crowned emperor then. Father won't let me have the throne."
"I know."
"Mother will be heartbroken."
"I know."
"I'll be heartbroken."
Touya smiled sadly. The featherbed sank slightly under his weight as he sat by her side. He stroked her hair slowly, a rueful sigh escaping into the night air. "I wish you could come with me, Sakura. I will miss you. But, understand that you will be happier living your days as royalty. Pretty dresses suit you; this place is just too restricting for me."
"But you're perfect at everything!" Sakura cried, sitting up. "Please, don't leave me!"
"Sakura… I would never leave you. One day, I will become famous, and—"
"You're already famous," she retorted.
He smiled and continued, "—and come back for you. You will never know the taste of shame, and be escorted out of the castle by your handsome brother who lead his own life, and built his own reputation with his own hands, not with his blood lineage."
Sakura turned sadly to him. "You promise?"
He pulled a stuffed doll from behind his back and placed it in her hands. "Kero-chan!" she smiled.
"I am leaving him with you, and will return with Suppi-chan so that they may be reunited. You made them yourself. Nobody else can come and claim you, because there is none other like it in the world," he whispered softly.
Sakura nodded slowly, and kissed Touya's cheek tenderly through streaming tears. "Please… find happiness with Yukito-san, brother."
The next day, the castle was in an uproar. Although none noticed the missing few bags of gold in the treasury, the stable boys were shocked to find that the king's two best horses were missing as the royal court sought the vanished prince and his squire. Clow read the farewell note Touya left on his nightstand, and slowly crushed the paper in his hand. He stood up solemnly, and made a motion for a royal decree to be recorded.
"May it be decreed that the man named Touya was never of the royal family." A gong sounded at the end of each statement. "May Touya's name be erased from the archives, and may the man named Touya be banished from the Kingdom of Clow. If he ever steps in the kingdom, he is to be immediately killed." Sakura's horrified gasps were drowned out by the crash of the gong.
Clow continued slowly, taking the time to take his spectacles off and watch the light play over the glass.
"Over a decade ago, I was advised by my viziers, but I was a proud and foolish man blinded by love. I am now glad that I had at least attempted to fill their wishes. I have another heir thanks to their wisdom. To attempt my wrongs to them in the past, I will further declare that Nadeshiko Amamiya is to be named second wife, and Xiao-Mei the first."
Nadeshiko uttered hoarsely, "No!" She flew to his feet in a flurry of white and blue silk andknelt before him miserably. "Please, your majesty, mercy!"
His glance was cold. "I show you mercy by making you my second wife, woman. I will allow you and Sakura to live to the end of your days in the castle." His throat caught slightly as he continued with a tinge of sadness in his voice. "You will never leave the castle unless it was your own choice. Even after my death, no one is to force you or Sakura out."
Nadeshiko never heard of him. She clutched her chest, and could only inhale in small gasps. She collapsed in front of him, writhing as she felt her heart die.
"Nadeshiko!" he cried, and pulled her up slightly, holding her lithe frame in his arms.
"Mother!" Sakura screamed, dashing out of her throne on the dais to her mother.
"Advisors!" Clow called with a tremor in his booming voice.
The viziers and mages instantly swarmed at his side. He glanced at them helplessly.
"We will do our best to save her with our white magic, your Majesty. But being that she is an evil witch, we can not promise it will take…"
"She is not a witch, you horrible crones!" Sakura shrieked, clinging to her mother's hand as she gazed into the identical jade eyes.
"Sakura…" she whispered.
Sakura was struck with horror as she felt she was witnessing her own death. The last thing Sakura remembered before fainting was the slowly dimming glow in her mother's jade eyes.
Nadeshiko was given the honor of being buried in a magnificent funeral, with thousands of petals raining throughout the kingdom. Clow died shortly after. The people said it was because of a broken heart, and rallied that he be buried next to Nadeshiko so that their souls would at least be at peace in heaven. Xiao-Mei took the position of Empress of Clow, and in an effort to garner the people's love, relented to them. She had planned to discreetly get rid of Sakura, the final reminder of Clow and Nadeshiko's love, but Clow's final decree that Sakura stay at the castle unless she left of her own accord was binding. Nevertheless, she found a loophole.
"You are an orphan," Xiao-Mei smiled cruelly.
Sakura lowered her gaze respectfully before the Empress, but kept her chin raised defiantly. Xiao-Mei continued after a pause. "A fortunate orphan, nonetheless. You are blessed to have found the generous Clow who allowed you to live here. I can not override his last command, but I hardly think you can live your life as royalty here, right Sakura-chan?"
Sakura turned her gaze slowly upwards to her. "What do you mean, your Majesty?"
Xiao-Mei chuckled. "The orphaned daughter of the second wife means nothing in terms of title. Feel free to earn your keep in the castle where you belong: one of the many maids here."
Sakura glared in silence.
"Furthermore, the orphaned daughter of the second wife needs no pretty dresses or ladies-in-waiting. From now on, they will be serving Meilin your frills and petticoats. You can see the head steward about getting your uniform in order. Unless…" Xiao-Mei laughed. "… You would rather leave the castle with a pitiful dignity worthy of your brother?"
Her brother… He promised to come back for her. If she left now, where would he find her?
Sakura smiled, ending Xiao-Mei's laughter abruptly. "Of course, your Majesty. What you say is true. As an orphan, I would be honored to serve you as a maid here. So then…" she curtsied slightly and retreated out of the main room. The door shut behind her, and a loud crash of expensive pottery rang through the castle, making Sakura pause in her steps for a moment before she went on to the main steward's office.
