I know, I know, I shouldn't be starting a new fanfic after the 4 I haven't finished, but, you see, I have discovered the beauty of plot outlines. I didn't use to have a clue about what would happen in the next chapter of a story, now I've got a story to stick to. It makes things easier, and more organised. Anyhow, enjoy the story, and REVIEW.

~Star-chan


"Princess! Princess! Come look!" one of the nobles' daughters called.

The little princess ran to join her playmate, bending to examine the beautiful rock the other girl had found.

"It's so pretty," she marveled, reaching out to hold it.

"Princess!" another voice commanded.

The little girl turned to see one of the guards at attention beside her.

"The Queen requests your presence immediately."

The stone dropped from her fingertips, forgotten.

"Mama?" the princess worried as she followed in the guard's footsteps. Her mother had been bed-ridden ever since the young child could remember.

Her father waited for her in the outer chamber. His face was solemn as he opened the door for his daughter.

"Mama!" The princess ran to the Queen's bedside, falling to her knees. The Queen was pale and fragile-looking. She smiled weakly before her brown eyes focused on the guards that stood at attention beside the door.

"Leave us," she commanded, and the two men hurried out, leaving mother and daughter alone.

Her eyes turned back on the little girl. "Darling, I have something for you," she murmured. From beneath her nightgown, she produced a gold lock on a silver chain. The pendant was encrusted with four identically-shaped crystals that caught the princess' attention as they glittered.

"Your necklace," the little girl recognized. Her mother had worn the bauble ever since she could remember.

"Take it," the Queen whispered. She pressed the cool metal into her daughter's palm.

"But, it's yours-"

"Take it," the woman insisted.

The little girl nodded and pulled her hand away, but her mother's fingers held on.

"You must take care of it, above all else," the Queen warned. Her eyes drifted away, seeing some far-off place. She had trouble returning to her daughter's frightened face. "I…" she moaned. She began to cough, long, racking sounds that shook her thin frame.

"Mama!" the girl cried.

Guards, hearing the terror in the Princess' voice, rushed in with the King on their heels. There was confusion as everyone understood what was happening, and all attempted to stop it. And yet, the Queen held on to her daughter's hand, and her coughing subsided. Her eyelids were drooping.

"Take care of yourself," the woman mumbled. "I love you." A wonderful, contented sigh escaped her lips, and the hand that had clutched so at her daughter's fell to the bed.

"Mama!"


The moon cast its treacherous light on the boy as he ran, calling his sister's name. He was vaguely aware that he shouldn't be so loud, but urgency made his voice echo like a church bell.

We shouldn't have come, he thought. We shouldn't have followed Dad. It was stupid, immature, wrong. I should've known better. He pelted down an alley, screaming for all he was worth.

A little whimper answered him: "Brother!"

He turned, and saw his younger sister curled up against the stones, shivering violently.

"Come on!" he urged, pulling her to her feet. "We've gotta find Dad and get out!" He tried to pull her along, but her legs refused to budge.

"I… I'm scared!" she sobbed.

His dark eyes met her panicked, violet ones, and he sighed. Putting an arm around her shoulders, he comforted her as best he could.

"Now, listen, we're gonna make it out, you hear me? Dad's around here somewhere. I bet he's got Mom by now, so, once we find them, it's back to the ship and out to sea! So, come on, it won't last much longer, I promise!"

She nodded.

"Good, now come on!"

Then, they were both pelting down the streets, sticking to the shadows for fear of being noticed by a sentry. Now that his sister was found, the boy's voice became a whisper.

"Dad? Da-ad? Where are you?"

"Kids!" came a responding whisper.

"Dad!" The boy dragged his sister to a stop in his father's shadow, safe behind the stone wall of some abandoned building. The boy scrutinized the area, but there was no sign of his mother.

"What're you doing here?" the man muttered gruffly.

The girl began, babbling on about wanting to help, to find Mom, but her brother cut her off.

"It's my fault," the boy said simply. "I thought that you'd need help, so I followed you off the ship. I brought her with cuz she wouldn't let me leave her behind."

The man suppressed a smile, trying to maintain his stern façade. "Yes, well, more on that later. You're both safe, that's most important," he said, ruffling his son's hair and cupping his daughter's cheek. His eyes checked their hiding place for any immediate danger, but all he saw was a tired sentry slumping against a doorway. His eyes met the younger boy's.

"Son, you need to take this," he said, taking the silver chain he always wore from his own neck and putting it around his son's. The gold and crystal key that dangled from it shone even in the muted light.

The boy began to protest, but was cut off by his father:

"Take it. It's yours."

The young boy examined the gift. His gaze silently questioned his father's action for an explanation.

The man sighed. "I can't go back with you."

"What?! Dad, you've gotta!" the boy desperately reasoned.

"What'll we do without you?" his sister wailed.

"Now, hush, kids, we don't have much time. Look, Souko, I mean," – he corrected himself for the sake of his children – "Mama is still in danger, and I can't leave her. Now, listen, you two are going to go back the way you came, get on board the ship, and tell Tsukasa to wait until first light for me. If I'm not back by then, leave. I'll catch up with you later." He recognized the cloudy tint of his daughter's eyes and pulled her close. "Aw, honey, don't cry. I will follow you guys, just a little later."

He turned to his son, who he knew wasn't done fighting yet. "Take care of your sister, you hear me? That's your mission. Keep her safe. Understood?"

The boy frowned.

"Come on, kid, work with me," the man said. "A good captain's priority is his crew, remember. And, right now, your sister's your crew. Now, go."

The boy sighed. There was no use protesting anymore, he knew. "Aye, aye, Captain," the boy bravely said. He took his sister's hand, spun on his heel, and ran.

Somewhere behind him, his father watched his two children, trying to memorize their every feature. He didn't want to forget anything, not a single detail, not the color of his son's eyes, so like his own, nor the soft feel of his daughter's hair, identical to her mother's.

He coughed and straightened, controlling the urge to shed tears. No, that wouldn't do for a captain to weep because of one farewell. Shoulders back, head up, chest out, he marched into the streets, where the guards would take him to the castle. The place where his worst enemy was. The place where his wife was imprisoned. The place where he would die.


Yay, I'm happy. I like this story. Then again, I like all my stories. But this has DRAMA DRAMA DRAMA. So it's better. :)

REVIEW