Disclaimer: In no way do I own Cardcaptor Sakura or any of the characters. They were created and belong to CLAMP. One can dream though...
Summary: He's on a mission to rescue a princess, but he runs into a thief that could steal his heart. Will everything turn out happily ever after?
The Prince and the Thief
Chapter 1: The Meeting
Syaoran, The Prince of the Li Kingdom was on his way to a market town and, for the first time in his life, was unaccompanied. He welcomed this time alone with open arms, having been smothered as a child. This was his first, and possibly only, chance to prove to himself and his mother how capable he was. He would not let this precious commodity slip.
He resisted the urge, for what seemed like a hundredth time, to scratch himself. He was wearing the itchiest garments he had ever felt. The coarse fabric was a far cry from the expensive silks he was usually lavished with, but they were necessary. No one that laid eyes on him would guess he was a member of royalty. Syaoran looked (and felt) the part of a poor merchant. The only item that would give him away was the sheathed sword on his back, but it would remain hidden unless it was absolutely needed.
He slowed his horse to a trot and enjoyed the peaceful scenery that surrounded him. The weather was perfect with the sun that shone brightly on a cloudless sky. The large oak trees offered shade. Even the mare, which was known for its unruliness, remained in good temperament.
But even in the peaceful surroundings, his endless training told him not to let his guard down. All his senses were on full alert, quick to catch any slight sound or movement.
For example, his ears told him that for the past hour, he had been followed. The clumsy crunches against twigs and leaves clearly spoke of someone who was untrained and therefore, was not a huge concern. He had given whoever it was a large amount of time to attack, leave or reveal himself. So far the follower chose to do nothing, which slowly started to grate on Syaoran's nerves.
He followed the path through a circular clearing and decided to set his own trap. He stopped the horse in the middle of the clearing, leaving himself wide open, but still nothing happened. He climbed off the saddle and soothed the mare, ensuring that it wouldn't run away at any given time. He took the sword off and set it beside a log. He then sat onto the ground, leaned against the log and closed his eyes. Syaoran allowed himself to breath evenly and enjoy the sunlight sprayed across his face. To all those looking, he was fast asleep.
He laid on the ground for what seemed like hours, but he finally heard soft and cautious footsteps head towards his direction. He forced himself to remain still. The footsteps stopped a few feet in front of him but then started towards the direction of his horse. Syaoran opened his eyes a fraction and saw the thief's back. He was small and a bit on the scrawny side. He was obviously malnourished and couldn't have been more than 15 years of age. He was wearing a cape that covered his head, but Syaoran could picture the dirt- smudged face and uncombed hair that was so popular amongst the lower class.
Syaoran heard him rustle through his bag and when he heard some tinkling, he knew that the thief stumbled upon his bag of change. If the thief dug further, he would probably find the bigger stash. Of course, Syaoran couldn't let that happen. He needed the money too, but he wasn't in a hurry. The sun did feel really good.
The horse snorted and the thief hurriedly spun around to look at him. His face paled and mouth dropped open. Syaoran couldn't see his eyes, but he imagined them to widen at seeing him wide-awake. Then, without a word, he darted towards the trees.
Syaoran cursed under his breath and debated for a few seconds and whether or not he should run after the boy. He didn't need the money, but he should probably teach the brat a lesson. His mind made up, Syaoran picked up his sword and darted after him.
Since the thief had a head start, he was in the trees before Syaoran was more than halfway across the clearing. Once Syaoran reached the forest, he was nowhere to be seen, but the crooke was making such a ruckus, Syaoran had no trouble guessing in which direction he went. In moments, his eyes landed on another figure. He gained speed and when he was within reaching distance he looped his arm around the thief, successfully pinning him against his own body.
The thief yelped, startled. He remained still for a moment before thrashing around like a madman. After a few minutes of battling, Syaoran's patience snapped. He spun the boy around, backed him into a tree and braced both his arms around either side of his head. The thief was trapped and he knew it. The thrashing stopped.
Through the whole ordeal, the hood fell off the crook's head, revealing his face. Syaoran stared at it in aghast absorbing in the features; the auburn hair that cascaded down past the shoulders, the large green eyes, the delicate features and flawless skin. "You're a girl?!"
He, no, she tilted her chin up a degree higher so they were looking eye to eye and Syaoran felt the full blow of those emerald pools. They were beautiful and looking into them, Syaoran could tell that she was angry, disappointed and very, very afraid. He suddenly believed in the phrase "your eyes are the windows into your soul". With her, that definitely applied.
He suddenly realized their position and quickly withdrew his arms. It was one thing to trap a thief, but it wasn't something totally different to hurt a girl. He raked one hand through his hair, messing it up even more then it already was a bad habit he developed whenever he was frustrated. He waited for her to run, but she only took a step away from him and hesitated.
"Well? What are you waiting for? Run!" he bellowed, not bothering in hiding the agitation in his voice. He could already hear his mother's lecture on harming women.
"No, I -" she broke off and held up his coin purse.
"Ah hell. What kind of thief are you? Just take the damn money."
She bit her lip and shook her head. "I can't. I thought I could, but I can't." She held the bag out towards him. When he made no move to take it, she threw it at him and by impulse he caught it. Then she ran.
"Wait!" Syaoran yelled and was glad when she stopped to look at him. "It's dangerous for a girl to be wandering around by herself! Where do you live?" She looked at him, her eyes full of mistrust and doubt. "Look, I really didn't mean to hurt you. I just wanted to scare you a bit and teach you a lesson." Still she said nothing. "Please, just let me accompany you home. My mom would skin me alive if I didn't, not to mention my sisters."
She sighed and said, "Devlon."
Syaoran nodded. "That's where I'm heading anyways." He let out a low whistle and a few minutes later, galloping could be heard. When the mare stopped in front of him, he climbed on and trotted towards her. When she made no move to get on the animal, Syaoran asked, "have you ever rode on a horse before?"
She timidly shook her head. He sighed, reached down and grabbed her around the waste. Then easily picked her up and set her down in front of him. "Hold on," he whispered into her ear and yanked on the reins with one hand, while the other one held onto her. He urged the mare to a fast gallop, enjoying the way she gripped his arm tightly. He should be nice and slow down, but a teasing part of his brain won't let him.
When they reached the road, Syaoran felt some mercy in his blood and slowed down to a trot. She still held onto him tightly. "So, while we're on this delightful stroll," he said lightly, "would you mind telling me your name?"
He could feel her hesitation, but she spoke up. "Sakura. Sakura Kinomoto." She angled her head so that she could see his face. "And yours?"
"Syaoran." He made no motion in telling his last name and was glad when she didn't ask. He didn't want to lie anymore than he had to.
"Syaoran," she started slowly, "thank you." She snapped her head back to its original position, so that she was no longer looking at him.
He nodded. "You're welcome, but I can't help being a bit curious. Why did you steal from me? Do your parents know?"
She shook her head slowly. "My mother passed away when I was little and my father has been sick for a long time." She stopped and took a deep breath. Syaoran could hear the sorrow in her voice and regretted asking. "My brother went off to the army in hopes of making some money. He sent me some at first, but I heard nothing from him these past 3 months. The doctor demanded for his pay yesterday and I didn't have the money. I guess I got desperate."
Syaoran said nothing, but he was deep in thought for the rest of the way to Devlon. When they reached Devlon, he asked for directions to her house. She pointed the way and they stopped by a small hut. Syaoran eyed it. From the outside, it looked tidy. The walls were clean and there was no litter, but there couldn't have been more than three rooms in the house. She was definitely poor.
He let her down. She looked up at him with defiance in her eyes, as if daring him to make a remark on her home. He chose not to. "I guess this is goodbye," he said instead.
She continued to look at him and Syaoran could have sworn he saw some sadness in those big eyes of hers. "Where will you be going from here?"
"Draken," he said before he could stop himself. He mentally cursed. He was supposed to be a passing merchant.
Her eyes widen with surprise and Syaoran knew that she heard about the forsaken country. "But, they're raging war against us!"
It was too late to take back what he said, so he might as well stick with the truth. "They took someone that I want back."
He hoped that she asked no more and she didn't. "Be safe. Syaoran," was all she said.
Looking down at her, with those pleading eyes, Syaoran had the strangest urge to scoop her into his arms. He mentally shook it off and gave her a brisk nod. "Goodbye Sakura." He tossed her the small bag of money and without looking to see if she caught it or not, he rode off.
Sakura did not move, clutching the bag in her hand, while watching the stranger ride off. She looked down and counted the coin. She then took one last look at the kind man that helped her so much. She ran into the house to make her own plans
To Be Continued...
This is my first Cardcaptor Sakura fanfiction is a long, long time. Hopefully I'm not too rusty. Please review and tell me what you think.