Black Magic
Chapter Two:
Royalty
Sakura stared in wonder at the queen as she tapped the arm of her throne impatiently. Last night Li Syaoran had been tossed in the dungeons and was forced to undergo the punishment of a traitor; one delivered personally by the Crown Prince himself. The queen's order of release hadn't reached him in time and he'd ended up going through with the torture session. Angry, but unable to change what had happened Queen Yelan had taken to muttering to herself as she paced the throne room, running her fingers through her hair and drumming her fingers, anxious over something.
After hearing about Li Syaoran's predicament the queen had become antsy to the point of intolerance. Sakura was clueless as to what was agitating the queen; she'd begun to take note of the various scratches made in the floor from the multiple times Queen Yelan had paced over them with her heels.
Sakura cleared her throat, "Your Majesty, I prithee stop making ruts in the throne room."
Queen Yelan gave the tiles a cursory glance before returning her penetrating stare to the double doors at the front of the throne room. They were elegant black marble with various scenes of previous rulers and their consequential kingdoms etched into the stone. As lovely as they were Sakura doubted that the queen's intense scrutiny had anything to do with the pictures.
"Your Majesty, if you don't mind me asking, what has you so worried?" Sakura tried her best to allow a mask of innocence to conceal her impatience and curiosity.
The queen gave her a startled look. "Me? I'm not worried about anything!" she looked Sakura up and down and asked, "Dear Sakura, whatever gave you that idea?"
Sakura, with raised eyebrows, was about to tell her that the trail she was leaving on the marble floor was enough to tell that she was worried, but before she could speak, a loud knock on the door rang through the hallway.
With the ease and grace of a feline the queen was up the dais and on her throne in a heartbeat. All traces of her previous emotions had been erased. She cleared her throat gently and called across the throne room, "Please, come in."
All regality had been restored to her, and with a flourish of her hand the doors opened to reveal two guards escorting a man with mahogany colored hair, and amber eyes into the room. His back was bleeding profusely and from his excessive panting, it was clear that he was in extreme pain. Even the average burden of standing seemed to take a heavy toll on his body.
Queen Yelan's elegant and long, pale fingers clenched the arms of her throne. The change was almost imperceptible; only Sakura caught the flicker of anxiety that crossed her features.
One of the guards came forward and with a curt nod to Sakura turned to the queen and fell into a deep bow. "Your Majesty," he mumbled reverently as he greeted her, "We have brought forth the prisoner as you have requested." He stayed with his head facing the ground; he had a strange feeling that the queen wasn't happy with something. When he took a peek up at her he saw that she was smiling, but when he looked up at her eyes, he noticed they were cold and malicious. Quickly, he snapped his head back down and cleared his throat once, "Um, well then, we'll leave you to your business." With that he motioned to the other guard to follow him out of the chamber.
Once the guards had exited Queen Yelan's face softened. She looked down at the crumpled heap that was Li Syaoran. Queen Yelan wanted to rush off the throne and to the young man's side, but she knew that was unbecoming of someone of her status. She considered doing it anyway, but before she could even shift her weight to stand up, Sakura was already walking towards him.
Sakura approached the pained mass and softly went to her knees beside him. Now that she was so close to him she could see the sweat beading on his forehead, and the way he ground his teeth whenever he tried to move. She took a peek at his arms and the stretch of his back, which wasn't difficult as his shirt had been ripped to shreds, and saw strips of congealed blood. His gorgeous chocolate hair was damp with sweat and hung in his dazzling amber orbs; eyes that now seemed so lifeless, pained and empty.
Sakura clapped a hand over her mouth and attempted to stop tears from flowing. The sight before her was just too pitiful. It became even more horrifying when she realized Prince Eriol had been the one to inflict these wounds.
For a moment Sakura flared with anger. She wanted nothing more than to talk some sense into Eriol. He believed that anyone who offended the kingdom offended him personally. Therefore he treated each prisoner as an enemy, even if they had once been his best friend.
Sakura was ready to scream until her voice was gone, but another look at the pitiful Li Syaoran kept her in place. With a calm, cool hand she brushed the grimy locks from his face and looked him in the eye. "Don't worry; the pain won't last much longer." She whispered to him. Then with one hand on his forehead and the other on one of his hands she closed her eyes and began to channel her energy. When she did this she thought only about healing Syaoran, to close his wounds, to clear his body of any infections and ultimately to help him get better.
After a few moments of a warm honey colored light pouring over them Sakura leaned back, breathing hard and looked at Syaoran. His external wounds had cleared and there was more life in his eyes like how they were back in the market place.
"Sakura?" Queen Yelan asked gently, knowing how much work it took to heal so many wounds at once. The side effects were rarely life threatening, but there were times when Sakura would get winded or dizzy after healing someone.
Sakura looked up at the Queen trying to remember proper etiquette.
The Queen gave her a soft smile, "Please call for Prince Eriol, and some of the maids. I'll explain why when you return with them."
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Sakura, still a little dizzy, nodded and hurried off to find Eriol. She had a few words of her own for him. Even if Syaoran had been labeled a criminal at the time, wasn't his punishment a bit harsh? He'd only caused a ruckus in the marketplace, which, Sakura reminded herself, was her fault to begin with. Feeling guilty, Sakura shook her head, and clapped her cheeks, trying to regain a sense of herself.
Sakura had finally arrived in front of Eriol's quarters. With as much composure as she could muster, she knocked briskly on the overly large mahogany doors. She didn't have to wait long. Almost as if he'd been waiting for her right beside the door, Eriol opened it immediately with perfect regality and composure.
Normally, people would feel intimidated by his aura of authority, but Sakura had grown up with Eriol, she knew that he wasn't as scary as he pretended to be.
Thanks to this thought, Sakura had a sudden flash of their childhood. Sakura, he older brother Toya, Eriol, and another young boy were playing out by the palace's pond. In those days Sakura's father, Fujitaka had been an invaluable advisor to Queen Yelan. He and his children were treated like they were part of the royal family out of respect for his help in deciding on how to rule the kingdom. Since their entrance to the palace Toya had become the idol of the four princesses, and Sakura had made good friends with the young prince.
Strange, Sakura could get a clear picture of Eriol when he was younger, but when she tried to remember him as the young prince, the image blurred in her mind.
Upon hearing an impatient, "Ahem," Sakura returned to the present. She stared at Eriol for a moment trying to remember why she was supposed to speak with him, and why she was so angry. Then, the image of Syaoran bleeding from some severe wounds brought it all back. "Eriol, the queen wants to speak with you about your treatment of a certain prisoner." Sakura told him, while trying to keep her own rage under check.
Eriol nodded, "I'll be down shortly. I have some work that I'm finishing up with. If I'm not down there already, by the time you return, tell her I'll be there soon." With that, he closed the door to his chambers and left down the hall. Sakura desperately tried to think of a way to make him stay so she could tell him off herself, but his self-important attitude made it nearly impossible for her to find a way to recapture his interest.
A little mad at herself, for not telling him how angry she was with what he did, she slumped off to the maids' quarters to gather some of the kindest and most efficient servants.
Several minutes later she was back in the throne room, with several of her own personal maids waiting for Eriol with the queen.
"You're sure he said he'd be here as soon as possible, Sakura?" Queen Yelan asked her, feeling the impatience rising within her.
"Yes, your majesty, he said that he'd be here as soon as he finished with some work." Sakura recited from what she had heard from Eriol.
Just as she finished speaking the marble doors at the other end of the throne room opened to reveal their prince. His dark hair perfectly maintained, and his glasses reflecting the light of the hall, making it impossible to tell what sort of mood he was in. He approached the throne where the queen sat and gave her a deep bow out of respect. "You called for me, your majesty?" he asked as he came up to look her in the eyes.
The queen cleared her throat and replied, "Yes, Eriol. I felt that I must ask what possessed you to injure a prisoner to the degree you had to this young man." She gestured towards Syaoran who they had seated in a small armchair. The glazed look in his eyes had cleared, but he still seemed exhausted.
Eriol looked a little confused and in response explained, "I don't understand your highness. I thought I was supposed to punish prisoners. That it was under my discretion."
Queen Yelan seemed to quell her anger for a moment, confused for a moment herself. Then it came back, full force. "Prince Eriol, though the punishment of prisoners is under your discretion, you went too far with this man." The queen gestured towards the unmoving mass that was Li Shaoran. "His crime doesn't fit his punishment. What caused you to go so far as to put him in a life threatening state?"
Eriol gave the ex-prisoner a cursory glance before responding, "Your majesty, I believe that it is my privilege to keep my thoughts to myself." Upon seeing the offended look on the queen's face, Eriol cut her off before she could open her mouth to tell him off, "Your highness, the kingdom has been in an uproar ever since his royal highness, the king, died."
The queen seemed to settle upon hearing this, a mournful expression passed over her features as she remembered that day.
Eriol continued, "The kingdom will soon need the iron fist of a male ruler. Meaning that eventually you will have to step down and allow me and Princess Sakura to take the throne. At that time, I'll need to have the ability to hand out punishments, honors, and make decisions befitting a king." After this he took a moment to let it sink in and then began again, "When I am king no one will be able to question me or my authority. All I ask is that you treat me as if I already have that power."
Having said his fill Eriol turned on his heel and strode out of the throne room like he was already the king of Clowdom.
When he left the queen let out a huge sigh, "I guess it was a bit much, expecting Eriol to understand, after everything he's been through."
Sakura had no idea what the queen was talking about, but seeing the trail of tears lining up on her eyes, she knew that the queen needed some time alone. She ordered the maids to bring Syaoran to one of the guest bedrooms on the opposite wing from Sakura's. They had prepared this room ahead of time on the queen's request. Then, once everyone was gone, Sakura excused herself and let the queen reminisce alone on her throne.
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Queen Yelan was pleased when she was left alone at last. Her mind was filling with all the memories that she had tried to lock up.
Memories of the day her husband died, along with Sakura's father, brought tears to her eyes as she remembered adopting Toya and Sakura as part of the royal family.
She felt her thoughts being pulled even further back in time. Remembering the moment when Eriol entered the palace, as a young boy devoid of emotions and family. He'd gotten considerably better since then, but there were times when Queen Yelan sensed him falling back behind his stoic façade. She generally tried to help him, but recent events, with the uprisings and riots, seemed to have Eriol on edge.
Before she could think further back she remembered the day twenty years ago when she'd born her first and only son. The image of the baby in her arms made her smile sadly. That baby had been torn from her at such a young age for reasons beyond her understanding. She had thought that she lost him the same day she lost her husband, but suddenly he'd appeared before her again. Her son, Li Shaoran, had returned. The rightful heir to the crown had made an unexpected appearance.
A/N: Hey-ho! So… I haven't been writing as much as I've wanted to. I still plan to write this, but I just thought I should warn everyone that my posts are going to be very wide spread. Thank you to everyone that is continuing to keep up with my stories and patiently waiting for each chapter! You are all amazing!
Please tell me what you thought of this chapter in a review! I'd love to hear your thoughts, qualms, and questions. =)
Ja ne, minna-san!
~akinaxx
