Chapter 3: Destined Love
Author Notes:
"…" stands for conversation
'…' stands for inner thoughts
This is same throughout for every story... At least, for the ones that I wrote…
In the Kingdom of Cecelia, the Queen's chamber
"I am worried, my dear king. Maybe the entire engagement for the young royals was a big mistake. We should have,"
"At least let them meet and wait for love to blossom between them?" the King's weary voice interrupted, his face viewed the arched window, its stained glass splattered with the sudden incoming of rain.
"Exactly," the queen said, moving from the well laid bed to stand beside her love. "After all, the Prince seems to be a perfect gentleman, almost made to suit our dear daughter!"
"I know that," the King replied, his voice heavy with obvious regret, "or I will never have allowed the Sapphire bestowed to Sakuno since birth to be exchanged as the engagement gift."
"Wasn't that a gift too much? After all, the power within the Sapphire,"
Then again, the King interrupted, "So was the Ruby entrusted to Sakuno powerful. Curiously, should the Queen of Airates to propose the exchange."
"She is a wise woman, very wise." The Queen remarked.
"Yes," the King agreed, nodding, and went to sit back on the undisturbed bed, "although it seems quite unwise for her to suggest the engagement."
"Oh, I am sure she had her own –"
This time, the queen was yet again be interrupted, however but not by the king this time.
Hurried pattered sounds of footsteps float to the Queen's sharp ears. Someone had disobeyed the palace rules by running about in corridors. Soon, a knock sounded in the Queen's chambers.
The Queen nodded towards her maid in waiting, distaste present in her face, she doesn't like to be disturbed in the middle of the night, neither do she like uncalled behaviors within the palace.
The door opened, admitting another maid in waiting, Ann, accompanied by the Chief Magician, Master Tezuka.
The two bobbed in curtsey towards the rulers of Cecelia and before the King or Queen could address the pair of them, Ann blurted out, "The Princess, she's… gone!"
In the forest of Greens, within Cecelia's borders, under the Oak of Affinity
The Prince leans in close, so dangerously close and was just about to capture the maiden's lips when shouts rang out in the forest.
"HERE! There is light under that Oak tree. The princess might have gone there for shelter!"
Sakuno took a sharp intake of breathe, a gasp of surprise when she recognized Ann's voice on a higher pitch compared to the soldiers' deep voices of shouts and screams. Unknowingly, her hand grasp Ryoma's sleeve, pulling and tugging it hard, half out of fear and half out of uncertainty.
Then she jerked out of her trance and jumped right up, her nerves tingling with fear. All the pleasant feelings that came confusedly just now, vanished, replaced by panic and fear. She quickly gathered her stuff, stuffing her belongings haphazardly into the bundle.
Ryoma on the other hand, lost his precious chance when he turns his head towards the source of noise. When he heard what the commotion was about, his mouth fell open in surprise, gazing at the slender figure who was hurrying, surprise written on his features.
'Princess? If she's from Cecelia, then the Princess would be… my-bride-to-be!'
A long spear rustled the bushes and growing sounds of footsteps approach the tree. Sakuno had little choice but to leave the young handsome man right now. She bit her lower lip and reluctantly said, "Sorry, but I really have to go."
Ryoma didn't know what he was feeling right there, maybe acting just by pure instinct; but he made a grab for her hand and whistled for Starlight. In a blink, the mare was there, seeming to understand the emergency of the situation. Ryoma hoist Sakuno up onto the horse just as a soldier came into view from the light of the magical fire. Before the soldier could take a good look at the lighted surrounding, Ryoma hurriedly put the flames out, plunging the forest to complete darkness.
His hand found the Princess, his bride! For a moment he felt a pang of relief before the sweet taste of happiness engulfs him. He gave the cold, pale hand a squeeze of comfort and heaved himself up onto the horse behind Sakuno as the forest became alive with the soldiers cries and shouts.
"She's here. She's HERE! A man had kidnapped the Princess! STOP HIM!"
As Ryoma's knees squeezed the side of his favorite steed, Starlight reared. In fear of falling, Sakuno wrapped her arms about Ryoma for sitting sideways didn't give her any sense of balance. The horse went onto a full gallop, sprinting out from the shade of the Oak tree and towards the borders of Erakyle. In an instant, the down coming light rain drenched the pair of turtle doves who had been quite dry just a matter of seconds ago.
As brave as Starlight was, she reared once more (so suddenly that Sakuno almost fell off) when she approached the river, not daring to cross the same stone bridge for the second time of the day. Sakuno clutched desperately at Ryoma's white damp tunic, they hadn't had time to retrieve their outer cloaks which was still hanging by the Oak of affinity, as she tried her best to maintain her seat on the white horse back.
In a quick action, Ryoma leaped off Starlight and helped the Princess down. The soldiers are temporarily out of reach, but they will soon reach here. After all it didn't took Ryoma long to seek shelter from the border to the tree.
Ryoma petted Starlight comfortingly, and with the mare reins in his right hand and Sakuno's smaller palm held firmly in his left, he took quick steps to cross the bridge.
An arrow suddenly swished above their head and that was all to scare the horse. Starlight panicked, jerked off her master reins and ran towards home, ignoring her previous fear of river water, leaving the pair of royals behind on the bridge.
Quick as lightning, Ryoma drew out his trusty sword, knocking out arrows that came flying towards them in mid-air. However, since the soldiers didn't dare to shoot too close to Sakuno, the arrows didn't prove to be much harm. Regardless, Sakuno still wince from the oncoming shown of violence, cowering behind Ryoma's stronger back, her hand still gripped firmly in his hand, her only source of comfort.
All the while, Ryoma edged back towards Cecelia, his feet moving forward inch by inch, fending off pursuers who are increasing in number as they came rushing out of the forest to the clearing near the river. "Run! Run!" Ryoma shouted towards Sakuno and withdrew his hand, indicating that she should get into Erakyle's borders.
Sakuno wavered uncertainly, but finally she listened to Ryoma. With no fighting knowledge, she was more trouble than worth. Crossing the bridge alone, she couldn't help but took a worried glance back towards the frightful sound of clashing metals and shouts. Seeing Ryoma in peril, her heart felt torn into two. She was almost halfway on the bridge, and another two or three steps would mean safety and freedom for her. But something else made her stop in her tracks.
Rushing dangerously to the side of the bridge, clasping her small hand to the unsteady fence at its side, she leaned forward and shouted.
"No! Master Tezuka, NO!"
Master Tezuka had cast a spell that weaves the raindrops into a net. It was dropped over Ryoma's head, trapping him just like any other good strong ones. Ryoma uses the blade of his sword to cut through the water-rope fibers, to shockingly find out that it sealed itself as soon as it was cut.
Ryoma was trapped in a good time. Dozens of soldiers carrying swords and spear are running towards him in all direction. Ryoma struggled to get loose, but was all futile effort. Weapons drew dangerously closer towards him when—
"I, as the princess of Cecelia, command you to stop!" came Sakuno half crying voice. Tears were pouring from her eyes, as her pale face looks almost drain of every blood color. She had leaned forward so dangerously over the side and shouted as loudly as she could.
Ann screamed out in warning, and ran towards the bridge but it was all too late, Sakuno fell, headfirst into the river. All fight stop as chaos became even more chaotic then before.
"Save the PRINCESS," shouts came from every direction but none jump into the river to rescue her out.
Ryoma, watched how Sakuno gulped in water and her arms failing in the air struggling to stay afloat before sinking gradually down due to the weight of her dress.
"No, no!" it was Ryoma's turn to shout helplessly.
Panic and anger flow through Ryoma's blood veins as he burned his way out of the water net, before nose-diving into the slow moving river without a second thought.
Ryoma pushes his way through the water, deeper and deeper he goes. He could see Sakuno lying on the river bed among some green weeds, paler than before as the last few air bubbles escaped from her, she had fainted.
Ryoma continued to fight through the current, but the effort of doing that had caused him much of the precious oxygen.
Just another few more meters, Ryoma thought, his last breadth of oxygen escaped from him.
Ryoma struggled to take hold of Sakuno's outstretched fingers.
Too late, Ryoma thought, he opened his mouth involuntarily, his lungs screaming for air. And he knew that death is coming for both of them.
He waited from choking water to gush into his mouth, nose and into his lungs, waiting for his own lungs to try to expel un-breathable water, but instead—
Cooling air enter his lungs although water filled his mouth.
'Strange…'
Ryoma look at his hands, his vision no longer blurry from lack of oxygen, he's breathing out bubbles. Experimentally, he took another big gulp of water, and felt his lung expanded with air, energy flowing back to his body. He could breathe underwater!
A strange blue light was shining though his shirt. He pushes aside his floating tunic to see the sapphire on his crown gleaming brightly.
'The power of Cecelia!'
Ryoma pushing aside much questions and worries, quickly took Sakuno's fingers and concentrated, the power of the blue Sapphire glowed brighter and brighter until a flash of the brightest blue almost blinded Ryoma.
Sakuno coughed silently, her lungs working furiously to expel the water she had drank unconsciously, she wasn't quite conscious, but she managed to took a glimpse of Ryoma, looking extremely weird, his hair flowing in all directions underwater and staring at her with extremely concerned eyes and a worried expression. She could breathe now, but tiredness dragged her back to dreams as she black out once more.
But just before Sakuno black out, she caught the brightest blue color of the gleaming Sapphire, a most familiar sight.
'My Sa-sapphire…'
Ryoma supported Sakuno underwater, watch her as her lungs expanded and contract, air bubbles streaming out in a thin line from her lips, knowing that she's fine now. But goodness now when the power of the sapphire could last, so he kicked hard and fast, nearer to the surface, as light grew brighter and brighter, closer to the outside land.
Tears. Ann in crying.
"Master Tezuka, why aren't they surfacing? Will the princess be fine? Sakuno won't, won't –" Ann half cried and half sobbed though the questions she asks, not wanting to finished the sentence.
Master Tezuka don't like to tell the truth, but he couldn't lie either, "Without the power of from the Sapphire, I am afraid—"
A bright blue light escaped from the river where Ann is kneeling by, interrupted him. The soldiers searching for the princess by the river turned their heads automatically away from the source of light, except for Ann who stare on, waiting for a miracle to happen as the light slowly evaded away.
"What was that? Does it mean that Sakuno's alive? Master Tezuka, answer me!"
Tezuka, half open his mouth, surprise in every of his features. "I don't know. That felt that Cecelia's power, but the princess no longer had her protective Sapphire with her. It was handed over to the prince of Erakyle…"
Cecelia, Kingdom of Water: In Princess Sakuno's bedroom
The healer stood up, finished examined the still unconscious princess. The old wizened man bowed low towards the two majesties who were sitting by the round table in the middle of the richly furnished room, extremely worried.
"How is my daughter?" the Queen asked immediately, her voice scratchy and her nose still red from all the crying she had been through since Ann had burst into her room. Her hand clutched firmly at the dainty handkerchief, dabbing tears filling at the edge of her eyes.
The King sat beside her, had his arm about his wife, comforting her. Even he looks ten years older within that night, his usual stern and resolute look in the court had been replaced by an older, miserable look of a father.
"The princess is fine, your majesty. She had merely drunk a little too much water. Since the water had already been thoroughly expelled from her lungs, she is no more danger, or being sick. The princess is just exhausted, that's why she has been sleeping throughout."
The queen sniffed, dabbing the tears off her eyes. "We really shouldn't have agreed to the engagement without Sakuno's approval at all. Look what kind of harm had befallen on my daughter? I don't care how or what. The engagement must be cancelled! Before engagement had already led to this, what might happen when they actually wed? I am not going to send my daughter to her death!"
Agitated, the Queen grabbed the King's hand and shook it in protest, "You simply have to cancel the engagement no matter what. Or no matter how gentlemanly Prince Ryoma may be!"
Sakuno who felt sluggish, snapped her eyes open wide at the name of Ryoma.
She pushed herself up, a bad move. The world immediately spins around her. Someone supported her and set herself gently back onto the familiar pink beddings.
Sakuno memory fast-forward, filling in all what had happened she could remember.
Ryoma leaning close, too close…
Ann voice interrupting the special short lived almost magical moment…
Escaping on Ryoma's white horse…
Arrows swishing…
Ryoma fighting for her sake…
A magical net by Master Tezuka trapping Ryoma…
Ryoma in extreme danger…
A fall into the river…
Got dragged underneath…
Pressurized sensation of water…
Suffocation…
And Ryoma's face, with her Sapphire in his hand…
"Oh my god," Sakuno tried to said, her voice scratchy and very soft.
"Yes, Princess?" Ann asked concernedly, her voice slightly altered as her nose was just as blocked as the Queen's.
Sakuno struggled to push herself up, determine to get answers but was hold back by Ann's stronger ones.
"I've got to. Oh Ann, you don't understand. The man who rescued me, where is he?" Sakuno gasped out louder, so that the entire attention in the large royal room shifted to her.
"Oh Sakuno!" the Queen cried out in relief, rushing to her precious daughter side.
"Mother? Where is he?" Sakuno asked yet again. Looking about, taking in the image of her room as though any moment she would be able to spot him.
"Who?" The queen asked, puzzled and half afraid. "Who are you talking about? Did you hit your head at the bottom of the river?"
Master Tezuka stepped forward "He left you in our care before heading—"
He paused halfway, as though searching for the right word, "—back."
Tears unexpectedly welled up within her eyes once more, "Is he—"
"He's fine," Master Tezuka answered.
"Who are you talking about?" The Queen asked, slightly irritated being left out and not understanding the conversation.
A knock on the door interrupted the Queen.
"Come in," the King said.
A man accompanied by a stranger in flaming red robes entered. The man had spiky black hair, with a pair of gleaming spectacles sitting on the bridge of his nose.
With a deep voice, he curtseys and greeted, "Your Majesties."
"Master Inui," the King acknowledges, "What is the matter?"
"It's a messenger from Erakyle," Master Inui indicated the smiling figure with light brown hair that contrasts the robes he was wearing. "Master Fuji is here with an important word from his kingdom and also a personal message from Prince Ryoma to the princess."
Sakuno gasped, she leaned forward to get a better view at the Erakyle's messenger. Her hair, now untied, fell blocking her sight which she hurried pushes it out of way and asked, "Prince Ryoma? Is that really his name?"
Fuji smiled, as always, and replied directly to her, "Why yes, I believe he told you personally, dear princess." Finishing, he bowed low, showing his respect.
"Before I left Erakyle, the Prince requested for me to pass you something," Fuji said, rummaging something in his cloak.
"No, I absolutely forbid—"The Queen said firmly before being interrupted by the King. "Later, my dear."
Fuji stepped closer towards Sakuno, bowed in respect for the princess, before placing the small long rectangular box into her much smaller hands.
Sakuno took the box, inspecting the antiquely craved box. She gently slide open the box to find her butterfly hair ornament lying among the blue velvet layered, with a scroll tied with a red ribbon.
"Prince Ryoma left a personal message for you, your highness." Fuji said gently, gesturing the princess to untie the seal.
Sakuno smiled, recognizing her ornament, fingered it preciously. Finally, she lifted the sealed parchment and pulled the ribbon apart.
It is a tiny scroll, so the parchment wasn't all big either; furthermore the words on it explained the size:
I wish to help you put this on every morning.
Cecelia, Kingdom of Water: In the Throne Room
Sakuno fingers entwined each other, too nervous to eat. This is the time where she will announce something that will decide the rest of her life.
The Queen noticed, "Are you feeling alright, my sweetheart?" Casting aside the rules of the palace, the Queen left her seat in a hurry, moving to her precious daughter's side, noticing the pale face of Sakuno's.
The king too, rise in concern for his daughter.
Shaking her head, Sakuno forced to pick up the silver spoon. Her left hand reached for the knife and held it to cut the tender fish into smaller bite size. Her left hand tremble slightly nervously, as she took a deep breath to calm the butterflies in her stomach, looking up, she felt slightly relieved that her parents hadn't noticed her nervousness.
Finally, the last dish and forks are cleared from the table. The king offered her arm to his daughter which Princess Sakuno took it gracefully and stood to her feet. The royal banquet had finished and the dance had started.
As tradition, the king and his daughter are the ones who started the dance. Sakuno let her feet automatically lead her through the dance and concentrate on not being too stiff, her smiled fixed on her face doesn't seemed enough to fool her royal father she was fine.
"Are you all right my dear? You could tell me that you don't wish to wed, do not worry about the engagement, I will find a way to break it." The King whispered into his daughter's ear.
"No," Sakuno whispered back before stepping back.
"Father, by your leave, may I have the request of announcing my affairs?" Sakuno asked, her head held high and proud.
Slightly bewildered, the King nodded, given her the consent and led her to the head of the table, where the King himself frequently stood to address the royal court.
Sakuno stood at the higher platform, surveying all the knights, wizards and royal relatives. Maids, squires, pages and servants are looking up to her, waiting for her to speak. For a moment, Sakuno felt scared. She hadn't prepared herself to gain such attention. But another observation changed her mind, for the many eyes look at her not with amusement, waiting for her to embarrassed herself, but with due respect, for her, the heir to the throne of Cecelia, will soon be the ruler, the queen over their future world.
"I have decided, degreed, and accept the engagement sent from Erakyle. From now, I will and am, taken to be Eraklon's Prince Ryoma's fiancé, and him to be my future husband. And he and I will built a better kingdom over the elemental world, one with the hope for a better tomorrow with peace and prosperity for the many years to come."
Somewhere in the elemental world
The short speech made by Princess Sakuno wasn't just heard over by the servants, pages, squires, masters, wizards or royalty present in the throne room of Cecelia. The sorcerer pink lips curve upwards into a smile, as she observed the applause that rings the throne room after the princess speech within her powerful crystal ball. Satisfied that the two most powerful kingdom has a potential path of peace in the future with two unexpected leaders, she let her white sleeve of her cloak swept across the magic ball which once again returned to its original white glow.
The sorcerer removed her thick white cloak that provides her warmth at such high height of where she stayed. Her pale creamy skin shone in the moonlight, as though she herself is a crystal ball, giving off a shimmery white glow. Her long white hair fell beyond her shoulders, straight and long which flows easily in the direction of the breeze from the open window as though it's as light as a feather. Comparing from the whiteness of the snow at the windowsill to her hair, even the snow seems grey at the perfect colour of pure whiteness. She had the strangest color of light sparkling amethyst as eyes, her lips perfectly shaped. The mirror reflects her stunning beauty; however it does not show the wisdom behind those eyes of the young woman.
She stood up, her aura not losing to a king of a country. She looks no older than twenty and yet she had lived far longer than the two kings of Erakyle and Cecelia. She views the endless stretch of purple sky of the night, as another breeze blows against her perfect face, stirring and waking her inner magic. At once, she glowed brighter and more obviously, lighting up the dark room for a moment.
Two white wings sprout out behind her back, stretching huge in both length and width. Her white simple gown had change. Now gleaming white linens cover her chest, midriff and end with a ruffle skirt at the length of her mid pale thighs. She lift her bare leg up onto the windowsill and with a large momentum, she launched her long awaiting self into the night, her swan like wings flapped elegantly, as her long body flying through the endless sky.
The oncoming wind whistled in her ears, and she could hear the voices of the worlds echoed the secrets that are thought to be lost forever. The whispers accompanied her through the many uncountable nights and days she had been through and she longed to rest more than anything else. Soon her immortality will be coming to an end, and someone will reign as the new Queen of Airates, a new immortal fairy.
Author Notes:
Finally the LONG AWAITED chapter... Yep, I knew I took my own sweet time and I am putting more questions than answer within the last part of the story. The Second part of this trilogy should be up soon (I hope). It might took a long time for I am currently in progress of writing a new fanfic of Ryosaku involving them being spies...
Anyway, thanks to all who either waiting patiently or have given up waiting but suddenly finds out that I finally updated... And reviews pls! PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE! :D
