All I've Ever Wanted

A few notes for the curious reader,

First off, a big thank you is in order for you choosing to read this story. It's been living in my head forever, and it needs to be written down. Also, this story goes further back than the two main characters. So if you wish to understand all that has gone on it is highly suggested you read this opening so that you'll have the complete understanding of the situation. I promise it isn't pointless. If it was, why would I be writing it?

Sincerely,

LoveMelodies

It all started less than twenty years ago in the Kingdom of Aquane, when the peaceful kingdom was trying to maintain good connections with all the surrounding Kingdoms. Particularly, two Ladies of the Court were chosen to be betrothed to two Princes; One Prince from the Kingdom of Lumina and the other from the Kingdom of Celeste, and these two kingdoms were known for being at constant war with the other. One of these ladies was Yelan, who had come from a strong line of nobility, and she was chosen to marry a Prince eligible for his aging father's throne. Yelan's best friend was Nadeshiko, who happened to be the younger sister of the other Lady of the Court who was to marry the Crown Prince of Lumina.

Upon the announcement of the engagement Nadeshiko's elder sister, Nadori, refused to go through with the engagement because she was in love with another man who had no title. She had no formal way to escape the marriage, so she came up with a plan. She would send her little sister, Nadeshiko, in her place. Nadeshiko would pretend she was Nadori long enough for the Prince to decide if he wanted to go through with the marriage, and he of course would not want to because Nadeshiko would act like the immature girl she was at only fifteen. The alibi they told their mother was that Nadeshiko was only going to keep her sister company until the marriage. And all went according to plan, Nadori ran off with her love while Nadeshiko left for the Kingdom of Lumina.

And all would have gone smoothly if Fujitaka and Nadeshiko hadn't fallen in love with each other. Their falling in love meant that Fujitaka accepted the engagement to Nadeshiko, thinking she was really named Nadori and was five years older than she really was. And shortly after the engagement was accepted a letter was received by the kingdom of Lumina, that first had a heart felt apology that their eldest daughter Nadori had foolishly ran off to elope with a stable boy. Secondly, the letter inquired about their youngest daughter Nadeshiko, who was missing when she should have been with her elder sister. Having been found out and shamed, Nadeshiko ran off without a word to anyone.

She returned to her homeland with shame on her shoulders, because of her an alliance with Lumina was in danger. Her family was disappointed in her, as well as the entire Royal Court. She couldn't walk down the halls without hearing whispers that followed her. Nadeshiko confined herself to her room, eating hardly anything and letting in no visitors aside from Yelan for two reasons. One, because Yelan was the only one who knew the entire situation and how she felt and Two, because Yelan was to leave for Celeste shortly- a matter of days. When Yelan left, Nadeshiko thought she was all alone, doomed to the four walls that were her room.

Until one day, she was almost literally dragged out of her room to the main Court where standing there was her Prince from Lumina, Fujitaka. At first she thought he was angry at her, but he was upset they she ran away. He loved her because of who she was, not because of a name and a title; and he was upset that she didn't realize that on her own. In short, he wanted to marry the woman he fell in love with and wouldn't accept anyone else. So the two married happily the following spring, and she became Crown Princess of Lumina the Kingdom of the Sun.

As for Yelan? She was brought to the cold, Wintery Kingdom of Celeste. She was unaccustomed to the cold weather, being that her native Aquane was more tropical, and the cold personalities of half the people she encountered. Her husband was to be the stern Xiao Lang, the youngest of the five competing princes for the throne of their aging father. He accepted her, mainly for her shocking beauty, and to her he promised that he would be king. And he did become king, after he murdered his elder brothers and their families and after the alleged 'natural' death of his father; which all happened within the span of two years. But Yelan looked passed all that and somehow loved him, so much that she bore him a son with the promise that he would be the first of many. And she confided in him that she wanted the war to end so that she might see her best friend, who had by now had her own son whom she named Touya.

Xiao Lang heard his wife's plea, and he formulated it into his own plan. And it took him four more years until he was able to reach an agreement with Lumina. Peace would be brought by the union of his first son and Lumina's newly born Princess, who by tradition would not be officially named until six months after her birth for her Royal Presentation to the Kingdom. And so, four months flew by and peace was still lasting. With the upcoming event of the Naming Ceremony, both Kingdoms were full of excitement. Or at least the ignorant were. The night before the ceremony, Celeste launched a full scale attack on the unsuspecting Lumina. King Xiao Lang brought his wife with him when he stormed the palace and went straight to the Luminian King's bed chambers. She watched in horror as he killed the unsuspecting King and Queen.

When King Xiao Lang left the room, she ran over to her friend and the following scene played out:

"Nadeshiko, Nadeshiko" Yelan cried through her tears as she knelt beside her best friend's body. She had placed one of her hands on her friend's stomach with a piece of clothe so that she could apply pressure to the flesh wound. "I'm so sorry. I never knew, I never knew. Never, never.. I would never.."

"Yelan, I-I know… I k-know." Nadeshiko replied as out of her emerald eyes flowed crystal tears. Her expression was pained, and her appearance was dreadful. She had blood every where, some of her hair was even matted to her forehead with either her own blood or her husband's. Her thin white nightdress was stained with blood and torn, it clung to her body with all her sweat. She was beginning to shiver and her hands and feet had already started to go numb. She grabbed her friends arm and weakly pushed it aside, "It's.. p-pointless-s. I-I'm dy.. dying."

"No not you, I won't let you." Yelan cried as she forced her hands back on her friend's wound. Her hair was falling into her face and her tears were blurring her vision but she didn't care. "This is my fault. I must have planted the idea in his head. You have to live. As long as one of the Royals is alive, that's enough to halt everything he's trying. He can't take over if you're alive."

"T-Touya." Nadeshiko began as she attempted to sit up, but was only forced back down by her lack of strength.

"He might have been killed too. There's no.. I have no way of knowing. The soldiers are everywhere, slaughtering everyone who won't pledge their loyalty to Celeste." Yelan responded, before realizing just how terrible that sounded. Nadeshiko's son was hardly a year older than her own, and they were playmates. "I'm so sorry Nadeshiko.."

"Sakura, S-Sakura." Nadeshiko stated as her arm slowly rose and pointed to one of the doorways to the chambers behind her bedroom. "The baby. S-Sakur-a."

"Oh, the baby? The baby! She's still alive? Back there?" Yelan said as she shot up and began moving toward where Nadeshiko was pointing. The hallways were dark and she did not know the way, but she followed the cries of a baby until she found the child left unattended in a crib. Yelan grabbed a cloak and wrapped the child in it before running back into the room, trying to hush the baby. "See? Your Baby! She's here. And beautiful just like her mother. She even, even has your eyes."

"Sakura.." Nadeshiko whispered as she raised her closed hand to touch the baby's face as if in an attempt to help quiet her. It was her last breathe, and with that her arm fell down to the floor limp with her pink jade necklace of a cherry blossom falling out of her palm.

And so Yelan was hysterical, her tears falling as she held the child in her arms. The beautiful child who looked so much like her best friend. The beautiful child who was supposed to marry her son. The beautiful child that was supposed to maintain peace. She sat there for nearly an hour before she began to hear guards and soldiers storming the hallways again. She collected her emotions and analyzed the situation she was in. She wasn't going to very well leave her best friend's legacy here to be slaughtered by soldiers. She picked up the necklace and gathered up the child and ran to the horses. She took a carriage back to the docks, where their ships were. She gave the child to her trusted lady-in-waiting and together they smuggled the child into Celeste.

After that day, her love for Xiao Lang shriveled and it was said that her bitterness toward him is the reason why she could no longer bear anymore sons- or just children in general. But he got back at her, he took her son, Syaoran, away from her under an official order so that she wouldn't taint him with her femininity. Since he was his only son, he needed to be able to sculpt him into perfection and it was clear Yelan would be of no help. So Yelan raised Sakura as her lady-in-waiting.

I'll leave it off right there. This is only the prologue after all, so you're not really meant to see where things start off at. In any case, I hope you enjoyed and will return for the upcoming chapters.

Sincerely,

LoveMelodies