So (if anyone's reading this because of Beauty and the Beast) there was a tie between this story and the coming of age story, so I'm thinking I'll just write both of them, or at least the one that's more popular :)
So here's chapter 1. Very happy that it's getting started :D but also the ending dragged a little since I wanted to include so much more, but instead I ended it early. So just stay hopeful in case this chapter doesn't exceed your expectations! :)
Anyways, if you are coming from Beauty and the Beast, whoever reviewed the last chapter : thank you! I was so sad to see that story end, but I thought the ending was cute haha that does not say much considering I'm the author hahaha :)
so tell me what you think! It's gonna get better I promise! Syaoran's a little OOC, cause I like the sarcastic, witty version of him. :)
anyways! Read! :)
Robin Hood
Chapter 1
The arrow bit into his cheek. He picked up his pace. They were getting better, he had to admit. But not better than him. He raced through the brush, twigs whipping his face. He was almost there.
The familiar wood entered his vision and he smirked. He slid into a throng of bushes and down into a hidden hole. His body stopped abruptly, stuck waist down in the hole. He cursed, trying to wiggle free, but to no avail. He cursed again, hearing the whiz of arrows. They were almost upon him. Why, oh why, did he decide this godforsaken hole. Especially the one he hadn't used in years! He was a child then! How stupid...
He grabbed the sword off his back and waited for the soldiers to find him. He heard the footsteps. They were close. Any second now...
He bit back a scream of pain as he was forcefully pulled through the rock hole. Ignoring the sting from his cuts and scrapes, he looked up to his savior. He was grinning gratefully narrowly missing death or worse, imprisonment, but that soon vanished as he recognized the person in front of him. He groaned. He was never going to hear the end of this one.
"Syaoran... How did I know that you would try to use this entrance..." The man shook his head. "You're going on your nineteenth year, you're not a child anymore..." he said, matter-of-fact.
"Eriol, shut up. That was the closest entrance. I hadn't thought of the fact that I wouldn't fit." He stared down at his ripped up tunic and scraped up arms and legs. "Or rather snugly fit. That hurt by the way."
"Your welcome by the way." Syaoran stood up, sheathing his sword. Eriol clapped him on the back and the two made their way back to the camp.
Even though they had their tiffs, Syaoran and Eriol were closer than most friends. They were cousins, their mother's being sisters, but they were closer than most brothers. They only had each other now. After their deception to the Phony King, most of their family was either lost, killed, or imprisoned. If they didn't find you, they found your family. A sick way to try and force you out of hiding.
It was disgusting where the monarchy fell to. After King Fujitaka went to war against the kingdom to the north, Daisuke, the king's brother, or as the rebels call him, the Phony King, usurped the throne about a month after he left. Warring with the north was a foolhardy mission. Everyone knew they were barbaric and only fought to the death. If the rumors were true, King Fujitaka would die. The Phony King just decided to take matters into his own hands and take the throne now rather than later. Fujitaka only had one heir. His illegitimate daughter, Sakura. She could, however, only take the throne if she was of age and married. No one had seen her in years, so any hope of the princess saving them from despair were quickly squashed. Their only respite was knowing they had the rebels to fight.
"Oi! Robin!" Syaoran turned, grinning at the large, burly man in front of him. Isamu waved them over. The large man had been their caretaker when the Phony King usurped the throne. He was a general in King Fujitaka's army and was tasked with teaching Syaoran and Eriol the way of the sword. Syaoran was his prodigy, mastering all skill levels before he was even allowed to be a knight. Eriol, however, was pretty good with the lighter swords, but his expertise came with a bow. The boy could shoot anything and everything, and he never missed.
"Isamu, you don't have to call me that here, we're among friends," Syaoran reminded him. Isamu laughed, grabbing his belly.
"You're right, but using that name brought you fame among the townsfolk. You are their savior. Mine, too. If it wasn't for you, my family could not eat." Syaoran nodded. Isamu was lucky. He had gone years without detection. He was Syaoran's insider as he was the only rebel able enough to infiltrate the castle and get out unscathed. It also helped that he was one of the knights in charge of the jail. If they needed to bust anyone out, he was their man.
"Okay, Isamu. Whatever you say," he chuckled. "How's the new babe coming along?"
"That girl is a babe no more, Syaoran. She is in her fifth year!"
Syaoran laughed. "She's still a babe to you no less!"
"Caught me there! Her mother has taught her reading and writing." Syaoran eyebrows furrowed. Under the new laws, females, no matter how old, were not allowed to read or write. Any caught, could be imprisoned for life. "I know that look, Syaoran. The real king will come home soon and these laws will be gone. I don't want my daughter to be dumb. Especially not in these times."
Syaoran nodded. It was true. That was how they were getting the townspeople to follow whatever the Phony King told them. Telling them that the Phony King only had their best interests in mind. It was complete rubbish. The king was dumbing the townspeople down so that he could easily manipulate them. It was disgusting.
That was one of the reasons Syaoran became Robin Hood in the first place. To help the townspeople people fight back against the Phony King. He was their voice. If the king raised taxes, Syaoran was there to deliver them, any means necessary, back to the people. The king denied them food, Syaoran denied him food. The soldiers would probably catch him one day and the punishment would be severe considering the amount of thievery he'd imposed upon the crown, but he wasn't scared. He would fight until the King came home or until his death, whichever came first.
"You need to be careful, Syaoran," Isamu scolded him, "They're going to catch you one of these days, and when they do, you'll be in a lot worse than you are now."
"I know, Isamu, I know. It's just...I can't just sit back and let that...that...tyrant do these atrocities to the townspeople! If King Fujitaka were here, everything would be different."
"But he's not Syaoran."
"And until he is, Isamu, I'm going to continue." Eriol snorted at this. Syaoran whipped his head around, staring incredulously.
"Keep going like this morning and you'll definitely get caught. Who got caught halfway down a child-size entrance to the secret rebel camp..?"
"Eriol...if you weren't family, I think I'd kill you," Syaoran grit through his teeth.
"Syaoran, if you were caught, everyone here would be in danger. Killed, imprisoned. We're protecting women and children here!" Isamu included.
"I know! It was the heat of the moment. I just forgot how...big I've grown..." When he found the secret clearing surrounded by massive boulders, he was young, barely eight or nine. He found it accidentally playing hide and seek with the princess and Eriol. No one knew about it until he was about fifteen when the Phony King had ordered him, a newly appointed general, to decimate a tax evader's home with him and his family inside. By then, Syaoran had had enough of the Phony King's laws and atrocious policies. He had raised taxes by so much that people were starving or dying in the streets. Many were imprisoned in the jail, left to rot. Ever since then, he'd been sending the unfortunate townsfolk or rebels here to escape the generals loyal to the Phony King. Many still remained that Syaoran couldn't save, but he helped them by bringing them money or food, whichever proved easier at the time. Syaoran was actually on his way back from a raid when he was ambushed by castle soldiers. They were everywhere now. He had to be more careful. Isamu was right. There were a lot of people counting on him. He shouldn't be so careless.
"Well..." Isamu said, breaking the silence. "just be careful next time. You and Eriol are like my sons. I don't want the next time I see you to be at an executioner's block."
Syaoran smirked. "Isamu, I know you worry, but the reason the Phony King is scared of me is because he knows I'm better than any army he could muster against me. I'd love to see any one of them catch me. I dare them," he ended darkly.
"Well, Syaoran, tough as you may be, there are people here that love you and want to see you alive," Isamu noted.
"And that's why I won't be dying just yet."
"This coming from the guy who almost let himself be caught in a child's hole," Eriol jutted in, poking him in the side, before ducking away, running away from Syaoran. Syaoran glared at him, racing after him.
"Oh come off it all ready!"
The princess sighed, looking out the window in a daydream. The woods around her surrounded her castle. She should be familiar with them, but nothing reminded her of home. Nothing did, not since her father left. Her uncle was a horrible man and didn't wait to grab the throne from her father the second he left. The thought made her angry.
Her uncle had sent her away to England to a discrete boarding school about a month after her father left. He didn't give her any time to say goodbye to anyone and only allowed her two ladies-in-waiting to accompany her. She didn't even have time to say goodbye to the one person who mattered more to her than her friends. She sighed longingly. He was her light at the end of the tunnel.
"Oh, Sakura, are you daydreaming again." Sakura turned towards her.
"Oh, sorry, Tomoyo." Tomoyo smiled sadly, taking Sakura's hand in her own. "It's just...I grew up here, this is my home, but I recognize nothing."
The other girl bent forward grabbing both girls' hands. "Sakura, your uncle is an evil man. Always has been. Can you really say you're surprised?"
Tears sprung to Sakura's eyes. Nothing would be this horrible if her father hadn't left on such a stupid quest. She couldn't ascend to the throne until she was eighteen. Why would her father suddenly go away to war and leave his country in his evil brother's hands?
She didn't know. The coachman called to her then, letting her know they were upon the castle. She voiced her reply. She sat back and waited for the carriage to come to a stop. She wasn't happy to be here and she couldn't help the feeling of dread rising in her stomach. Death was all around her, she could feel it. What had happened while she was gone...? What had happened in those last seven years that had this drastic of a change? She sardonically chuckled to herself. Did she even have to ask?
The footman opened the carriage door and helped Meiling and Tomoyo out, then held out his hand for her. She grabbed her small case and grabbed his hand. Peering up at the castle, she almost wished she didn't have to come back. The castle was dark, torches illuminating the doorway in the fast approaching darkness. She didn't know whether it was the death in the air or the cold that made her shiver. Either one made her want to turn around and leave. But she couldn't.
Sakura knew what she had to do. She was close to turning eighteen. She would take back the throne until her father returned and bring peace back to her country. With determination on her mind, she stepped foot onto the ground and walked forward to the door, her head held high.
The carriage pulled away quickly, making Sakura shiver.
"Are you all right, Sakura?" Meiling asked, resting her hand on her shoulder. Sakura turned to her and smiled. She looked forward and gulped, pushing the door. It gave way with a long, eerie creak. She entered tentatively, Meiling and Tomoyo at her heels. "Why are all the lights off? I never realized how scary this castle is in the dark..."
"We'll just go up to my room. It's late. I'll request an audience with my uncle in the morning," Sakura decided. She took her friends' hands and led them slowly up the stairs and down the hall to her room. They stepped slowly toward Sakura's room, opening the door slowly.
The room was cold, the fireplace unlit. The drapes were closed, the bed made. It looked as if no one had entered her room since she left. The bedding on her bed was the same spread from seven years ago. Did the maids not come into this room ever since then, since they knew she wouldn't return for a while? She didn't know, but the room was filthy. What had her uncle done?
She told Meiling and Tomoyo to wait on her bed while she went to find a servant. She grabbed a torch from the wall and lit the fireplace and exited her room quietly. The halls were quiet, her footsteps echoing off the walls. Her first stop was the kitchen, but it was empty. The dining room was empty as well. She made it to the serving room, which was well lit and warm. Next to the fireplace, a girl tended to the flames. Sakura recognized her immediately.
"Isano!" she said happily. The girl jumped, whirling around holding her heart.
"Oh heavens! Princess! Is that you?!" Sakura enveloped her in a bone-crushing hug.
"Oh, Isano! I've missed you..."
"Princess, how are you...here...?"
"My schooling is over. I've returned home. Why is the castle in such disarray? It looks like Romi is slacking in his garden," Sakura noted lightly. The girl gave her a grave expression.
"Princess, Romi is...Romi is...he passed away, milady."
That blindsided Sakura. Romi wasn't old and nor was he unhealthy. "How did he...?"
Isano sighed heavily. "He was a rebel, princess. He was executed for his crimes."
Sakura stumbled back. Romi was one of her closest friends, playing with her when she was alone in the castle. He always made sure to have flowers for her whenever she visited him. He was very dear to her and the news brought tears to her eyes. Romi was never an angry person. Why would he rebel...?
Her uncle's face came to mind and her determination to take back the crown filled her mind. Her uncle would not get away with the atrocities he was subjecting to the people of Tomoeda. He would pay.
"Things haven't been great since you left, princess. There are new laws. Raised taxes. Harsher sentences. These are evil times the Phony King has subjected everyone to."
"Oh thank the gods, I have a friend besides Tomoyo and Meiling in this place. I'm going to take the throne from my uncle and destroy this period of destruction. I will make Tomoeda the place it once was."
"I'm glad to hear it, princess, I'm hoping it's sooner than later," she said sadly.
"Isano, please tell me what's been going on these past seven years."
Syaoran made his way to the lookout at the top of the rock that surrounded the rebel camp. He awoke early to the sounds of a horn blowing, normally the sound of a coach crossing the pathways leading into Tomoeda. Syaoran gripped his bow. Any coach going into or out of Tomoeda was one that sided with the Phony King or carried the Phony King himself. He would not be sorry for what he was about to do. Traitors to the crown weren't worth too much to him.
He caught sight of the billowing flags signaling the forefront of the carriage. He readied his bow, taking the first soldier in his sight. He pulled the arrow taut and let it fly. A second later, there was a howl as the arrow entered the sword arm of the soldier. Syaoran was all ready readying another arrow as the soldiers scanned the ground for him. He wasn't worried. He was too concealed. They would not find him.
He let the arrow go. Another soldier cried in pain as the arrow pierced the hand that was holding his sword. He immediately dropped it, cursing.
Syaoran took out a couple more soldiers then slid down the other side of the rock wall. He ran full speed in a haphazard direction before settling near the coach. He ducked out of view, grabbing his sword. A line of soldiers made their way slowly into the forest. He took out the first two with arrows and crept up on another with his sword. The man crumbled to the ground, unconscious. Syaoran eyed his prey.
The coach was far more magnificent than most of the ones he'd seized. He grinned. That must mean there's far greater wealth in that single one that there were in all those others combined! It would explain the excess amount of soldiers. He took out two more that were headed his way.
He jumped up, running to the opposite end of the coach and eyed the group of soldiers surrounding it. They were jumpy, staring into the dense wood with wide eyes. Syaoran laughed to himself. They wanted the weak, scared ones to protect the valuables! This was too easy!
He readied an arrow and shot it into one of the soldier's legs. The group amassed on the soldier. Syaoran pulled his hood over most of his face and hopped into the road. He rushed on them, his sword drawn. As quietly as he could, he knocked each other remaining men out easily. The wounded man groaned, cupping his leg. Syaoran hadn't hit anything vital with his arrow, but the man sure griped like he had.
The man looked up to him, anger in his eyes. "Damn vigilante! I'll kill you!" he yelled. Syaoran was about to retort but there was shuffling from inside the carriage.
"Captain! What is the matter! Why are we stopped?" the voice demanded.
Just as the captain below him opened his mouth, Syaoran knocked his sword over the man's head. He fell over, his wound forgotten. Syaoran cleared his throat.
"Nothing, sir. Routine check. Thought the horses were coming undone. Never you mind," Syaoran replied, changing his voice, trying to match the captain's. The voice inside sounded familiar, but Syaoran couldn't place it. The man inside didn't speak any longer, nor did he check outside. Syaoran took his time and grabbed the riches from the coach and strung them to two horses, commandeered from the yokes. He set the other two free.
"Almost done, captain?!" the voice asked impatiently.
"Almost, sir." Syaoran tied the ropes of the horses and checked their cargo. He thought about leaving, but one glance at the glamor of the coach had him thinking otherwise. There had to be something far superior inside the coach. He would just have to get rid of the pompous ass inside.
He ran up alongside the coach. He listened intently trying to gauge how many people were inside the carriage. From the amount of rustle inside, he deduced that there were two people inside, the pompous man and maybe a servant, from the lack of conversation. He came up to the door, pulling his hood low, and knocked. A thing man pulled the curtain aside. Syaoran pulled back his fist and punched the man square in the face. He fell back on the cushion, eyes rolled into the back of his head.
The other man gasped. "Sir Dorei! What madness!" He whipped to Syaoran, his face red. "Guards! Seize this man at once! In the name of the King Daisuke! I order you!"
Syaoran scoffed at his sheer dumb luck. This was a royal caravan, carting what looked like taxes back to the castle. He swore. He was gonna be in so much trouble when he returned home. He was grinning, though. This may be the royal caravan and this man just happened to be the Phony King, but that also meant that the riches that were in this coach were going back to the poor people of Tomoeda. He couldn't believe his luck.
Syaoran pulled his hood low and raised his sword. Before the Phony King could react, Syaoran thrust his sword hilt down upon his head. The man fell, blood dripping from his forehead.
Syaoran acted fast. The Phony King wasn't dead, and he'd have a terrible headache when he woke up. Syaoran definitely did not want to be there for that. He was lucky, too, since most of the riches were all ready loaded on the horse. He tied the Phony King's hands behind his back, shoved a cloth in his mouth, and proceeded to take anything of wealth from the coach. The Phony King's clothes, his small chest of jewels, and several bags of gold coins which he strapped to his belt. With one final glance of triumph, Syaoran jumped on one of the horses and led the other horse to the rebel camp.
At the concealed entrance, he whistled the password, and the leaf wall opened up revealing a crevice in the rocks. He gave the other man the second horse and led both of them to Isamu.
"Boy! Where in the hell have you been!" he yelled, bursting through his tent. Syaoran grinned, grabbing one of the bags of gold from his belt and chucking it at him. The coins fell to the ground, glittering in the approaching sunlight. "Syaoran...you didn't."
Syaoran pulled his hood low. "I am Robin Hood. I steal from the rich and give to the poor!" Eriol came up behind him, pulling the hood off the teen.
"Please tell me they aren't close to here." Syaoran feigned hurt.
"Eriol, I'm wounded you think I'd be so careless!" He whipped back around to Isamu. "They were headed into Tomoeda. It was a royal caravan! I even tied up the Phony King himself! They had no clue what hit them!" Syaoran laughed, his hands on his hips. Isamu growled, smacking him across the side of the head. "Owwwwww...what was that for?!"
"You can be so stupid, Syaoran! But it good that you are okay and they didn't catch you... Did they recognize you?" Syaoran grinned.
"They didn't have time to! I sneaked up on most of them and didn't kill a single one of those traitors. Damn shame."
Eriol sighed. "Take me next time, would you?"
"It would make me feel much better, Syaoran..." Isamu added.
Syaoran agreed and pushed the flap of the tent up, pulling the two outside to see the riches he stole. He would need their help to pack it on his body when he went into the town in disguise to distribute it back to the people. All in all, it was a good raid.
Isano held the princess's hand as she cried in her room. Sakura couldn't believe her uncle was so evil! Most of the servants in the castle were either dead or deserted. Of the people Sakura grew up with, Isano and the cook were the only people she knew. The town was in turmoil. Raised taxes forced people out on the streets to beg or steal or worse, die. Families were broken up, robbed. And it was all her uncle's fault! She had to work hard to take back the throne and reverse what her uncle had done.
Sakura stood and hugged Meiling and Tomoyo. "I'm so sorry! If I'd known he'd hurt my people like this, I would've fought to stay!"
"Oh, princess, this isn't your fault. Your uncle is an evil man. I don't think he would've cared what you wanted let alone anyone else." Sakura smiled through her tears. Leave it to Meiling to be blunt about dire situations.
"Yes, princess, how could you have known that the king would turn into this...this...this tyrant of a king," Tomoyo included. Sakura dried her tears, agreeing with her.
Just as Sakura opened her mouth to speak, a loud, thundering noise sounded from downstairs. Isano jumped and rushed from the room, for fear of being caught conversing with the princess. Tomoyo, Sakura, and Meiling exited the room and descended the stairs slowly, eying the scene in the entryway. Sakura's uncle was in his undergarments, his face redder than a tomato. She could almost see the fumes from his ears.
"I will kill that traitorous bastard!" he yelled, shoving his arms into a new robe. "I swear his head will be on a post outside my castle to show anyone what happens to traitorous vigilantes!"
Sakura tentatively took a step forward, making herself known. "Uncle?" she asked, walking into his line of sight. Her uncle's face grew redder as he looked at his niece then at her ladies-in-waiting. He stopped at Meiling and unleashed a furious cry.
"Seize that woman! Guards! Seize her!" Sakura cried out as soldiers rushed through her and up the stairs and grabbed Meiling roughly by her arms, dragging her down the stairs. "Throw her into the dungeons!" The guards started to pull her away. Sakura jumped in between them and grabbed Meiling's hand, ripping it from one of the soldiers.
"Uncle! What did Lady Meiling do?" Sakura pleaded with him. He looked upon her once before raising his hand and backhanding her across the face. She fell to the floor, holding her cheek, tears falling from her eyes. "Uncle!"
"It is King to you! You are no niece of mine! Lock her in her room! I don't want to see her!" Another set of guards pulled her up from the floor and half dragged her to her room. She screamed for Meiling, struggling against the soldiers. Meiling screamed back, but neither were able to get to each other.
Tomoyo watched from the sidelines, tears silently trailing down her face. In the last seven years, things had gone from great to horrible and she wasn't sure that Sakura would be able to fix it. If the princess was going to try and take the throne back, the Phony King wouldn't give it up so easily. She just hoped Sakura wouldn't get hurt in the process.
Tomoyo followed the soldiers carrying the sobbing Sakura up to her room and followed them in. Several of them had somber faces, which brightened Tomoyo's mood. So, many of the soldiers hated the Phony King's treatment of his niece. She wondered what else they hated about the King. She smiled, hopeful. There may be hope yet.
Yay! Completed!
So what did you think! Please review! :)
oh and those coming from Beauty and the Beast (again I know haha) I remembered the last story I had in my brain (haha) : Sakura is a young mother of 2, recently separated from her abusive boyfriend. She moves far far away from him into the same town as Syaoran. :) as she starts getting used to the town and being neighbors with Syaoran :) she starts receiving startling threats from an unknown source. SyaoranxSakura and lots of action :D
so like I said this robin hood story and the coming of age one were tied so I'll most likely be writing them at the same time :) but if you guys like the one mentioned above too, I will write that one as well because that one is also the most fresh in my mind. Tell me what you want :)
thank you!