Fanfiction written by Mae Vargas; (Most) Characters don't belong to me.
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The Iris & the Cherry Blossom
Chapter Seven
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The Collections of Clow: The Sleeping Princess
A long time ago, amidst famine and chaos, there existed a small kingdom. It's rulers were loved by all under its reign. The King was a wise man, just and fair. Although times were hard, he did his best for everyone to be happy. He made it his purpose in protect his kingdom.
One night, word came from a bordering village that they were being attacked by a group of bandits. Immediately, the King woke his finest men and off they rode, the sun not even shining, to rescue the poor village.
But, much to his dismay, when they arrived, there was no one and nothing to save. All the houses were on fire, bodies scattered the village. The smell of blood filled their nostrils and the King and his men looked, though doubtful, for any survivors.
As he walked through the village, a small cry was heard. He strained his ears, listening intently. The King ran to one of the huts and opened it; the crying got louder. There, he found a woman, lying over a small basket. The King rushed to her side, but it was too late, the woman was already dead. Hidden in the basket, a brown-haired baby girl, an empty bottle in her hand, crying.
The King decided to take her home and make her his own. His wife had just bore him a son. It would be best if they grew up with companions. And so, the king and queen raised their two children with as much peace and love as they could offer.
Eighteen years had passed and news spread over the kingdom that their King had fallen ill and died. The Prince was to resume his position. He was a strong leader, brave and loyal. There was no doubt he'd become a great king.
Every one knows every good king needs a queen. The Prince had grown to love his sister, more than siblings should. He had watched her grow up, from a small helpless child to a beautiful young woman. They knew each other like they each themselves. He knew his sister was not really his sister. They were born three months apart. It was not possible for his mother to give birth to two children only three months apart.
The Princess, unfortunately, became ill. The Prince, now the King, called every physician, every potion-maker, anyone who could cure her. But months drew by and no one seemed to figure out what was wrong with her. Then one day, she fell asleep and never woke up. Of course, she was breathing, but no matter how hard the Prince shook her, called out her name, even burnt her finger for a sign, she did not stir.
Distraught, the King, cried tears and promised he'd never fall in love with another, no one but his sleeping princess.
She lay there, in her white dress, pale as ever. The King was true to his word. He had not married or been with another woman. On his deathbed, now, he had asked for her to lay beside him. He held her hand and whispered, "When you wake up, I will be gone. But know that my love is within you, no matter what."
And with that the king slipped away.
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Monday morning. Sakura woke up with a smile on her face. Not only had Tomoyo finally come back, but Touya had snuck into her room late last night to help her on her homework. She was ready to brave the difficult war she called school.
She had spent the whole day yesterday with Tomoyo, updating her on the things around the castle, mostly about Haruka's wedding and Cerberus. She dare not say a word about her brother, or about what had happened with Syaoran. It made her blush a deep red whenever she thought about it.
Sakura got dressed and headed towards her door when a note caught her eye. It was slid under her door. She opened it and smiled at the distinct handwriting she knew all so well.
My dearest Sakura,
I'll be leaving early this morning with a friend of mine. I don't know when I'll be back, so I won't be able to see you for a while. I promise you I'll visit you as soon as I get back. Be safe. And don't do anything stupid.
Touya.
P.S. I heard the brat prince was looking for me. Tell that brat he's a brat. Stay away from him.
P.P.S. I couldn't say this to your face because I knew you'd hit me. You got fatter. Exercise more.
Sakura frowned at the last P.P.S., but she laughed it off. She knew her brother would be safe. He was strong and wise, the person she'd always look up to. Her heart sunk a little knowing she wouldn't be able to see him, the closest thing to home, but with Tomoyo back, she knew she wouldn't be lonely.
Sakura slipped out of her room just in time to catch Kaya walking down the stairs. "Good morning!" Sakura called out.
Kaya turned her head and smiled. "Hey there, how are you?"
The two chatted as they walked towards the dining hall. After breakfast, they headed towards the carriages and everyone headed to school. Syaoran was nowhere to be found. It was a good thing for Sakura, at least, since she couldn't bear the thought of seeing him.
At least she knew she had her studies down, thanks to Touya. And for the first time in her stay at the castle, she was satisfied with everything.
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Time couldn't pass any slower. Akira was bored. She had successfully scared away all her suitors in the class and now no one talked to her, the girls being jealous of her beauty and smarts.
The prince was seated in front of her. He had come to school late, of course, without penalty. The whole day she had been staring at the back of his head, instead of paying attention to what was being taught. She wondered if the prince ever brushed his hair for, God, it was unruly. She noticed, too, that he frequently stared out the window, sometimes even more than she did.
It was lunch time for everyone except them. Their teacher was holding them for 30 minutes longer due to aptitude tests they were going to take within the next few weeks. Akira seemed more interested in the world outside the stone box she was in.
Her mind kept going back to the handsome stranger she met in one of the dark rooms of the South Hall.Touya.. Touya. His name rolled off her tongue like water. She hadn't seen him since, but she was kind of busy anyway, what with her master being in the castle and all.
A familiar scene played outside. This peaked Akira's interest. She glared as a familiar boy led Misa out towards the tree. It was obvious Misa didn't want to be there.
Akira stood up, grabbing the attention of her classmates, the professor, and Syaoran. Without asking to be excused, she walked out of the classroom.
Syaoran, curious, wondered what she was doing before turning his eyes towards the scene outside.
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Sakura spent her lunch break with Kaya. The two were walking through one of the gardens, talking about things they learned. Nerdy? Yes, but Sakura didn't want to talk about what Kaya wanted to talk about (Syaoran.) "I didn't know there was so much more to Tomoeda's politics." Sakura said, trying to be entertaining. "We have a really complex system going on."
"Yeah. I guess, it's understandable since you didn't grow up in the city. But in most towns, it's like that."
The two came upon a group of boys, surrounding a familiar pretty face.
"Oh look, it's Yuka!" Sakura pointed out. She was surrounded by the group of males, all trying to get to know her.
Kaya sneered. What a perfect way to ruin her day, seeing Yuka get more attention than she did. It was always like this. Yuka always got what she wanted and Kaya was stuck with nothing.
She walked up to the group, leaving Sakura behind. "Hey, there." she said rudely. "What are you doing?"
"I'm just eating my lunch.." Yuka replied quietly.
The boys looked at Kaya. "Hey there," one of them said. "What are you doing?" The attention turned to Kaya as one by one, the boys gave their attention to the newcomer. They were 2nd years, most of them in Misa's class.
"Nothing much, just about to take a walk. Anyone care to join me?" The group took her invitation and they all started walking away, leaving Sakura and Yuka behind.
Once they were out of earshot, Yuka let out a sigh. "Honestly I never thought they'd leave me alone. Thank God for Kaya and her conceitedness."
Sakura frowned at the comment, but knew it was true. "Can I, um, sit down?"
Yuka nodded as she moved over on the bench, allowing a place for Sakura to sit. "I've never actually had the chance to get acquainted with you yet."
Yuka nodded. "Yeah. I keep to myself most of the time. As you see, I don't have many friends."
Sakura smiled. "Well things change, and people change. I wouldn't mind getting to know you better."
Yuka stopped eating and faced Sakura's emerald eyes. "Really? Even after I treated you so bad the first time we met?"
Sakura thought back to their first encounter. "Oh yeah, you called me a servant girl, didn't you?"
Yuka laughed. "Yeah. But only because I thought you were! I mean, you wore such a simple white dress and no make up. You didn't even do your hair! I didn't think you were a candidate for the prince.."
This was true. Sakura didn't dress up like the other girls did. They had their best clothes on, with powder on their faces and hair all curled or done up somehow. She was just plain commoner Sakura. "Yeah, I guess."
Yuka started eating again. "Anyway, I'm sorry about that. I never had the chance to apologize. Kaya always got in the way of me talking to anyone, if you know what I mean."
"It's alright, you don't seem like a bad person, well to me anyway." The two sat in silence for a while. "If you don't mind me asking, why don't you and Kaya get along?"
"Kaya and I? Oh it's a long story. Honestly, I don't remember why we stopped talking and when we started being so mean to each other. I don't think I did anything wrong. We used to be super close, but I don't know what happened. It's kind of sad.."
Sakura looked at Yuka, who seemed to be staring into the distance with a forlorn look in her eyes.
"Who the hell do you think you are?" A yell rang in the distance. Sakura and Yuka got up, looking for the owner of the voice. They hurried to the furthest corner of the garden. There they found Misa, hiding behind Akira, and a boy whom they didn't know.
A few other passersby watched the scene as Akira stood up to this stranger. "Forcing an innocent girl to do you bidding, you're disgusting."
"Mind your fucking business, red-head." He spat back. "She wanted it."
"I wanted no such thing!" Misa shouted from behind Akira. She was holding tightly to the back of Akira's shirt, shaking, tears rolling down her eyes.
"Yeah you did." Tasuki smirked. "I know you want me."
Akira glared at him. "You pathetic little pig." She took a step forward and punched him in the face. Tasuki took a step backwards, surprised that this girl could hit so hard.
"I usually don't hit girls, but I can make an exception." He swung his arm at Akira, but she successfully blocked it. Akira pushed Misa away from her, into the safety of a nearby tree. She then turned her attention to Tasuki, her mind filled with rage. She leaped at him with a yell, and scratched his face, making him bleed a little. He yelped as he fell backwards again, embarrassed he couldn't even lay a finger on this female stranger who came out of nowhere.
"Akira!" Sakura yelled from the sidelines, worried about the two girls. Akira's attention turned to Sakura. This was Tasuki's chance. He got back up and slapped her hard.
This startled her, enough that she barely noticed the shadow jumping out of her second story classroom window. Syaoran landed with a soft thud, bent low on the ground, swung his leg, and kicked Tasuki off his feet. His back met the ground with a crack and a cry of pain.
Syaoran got up and wiped his mouth. "You never hit a girl." He turned around and asked Akira if she was okay. He then set his eyes on the shaking blonde, her eyes filled with tears. She could barely stand as she was holding onto the tree trunk for support.
He walked up to her and whispered something to her. She nodded in agreement and started to cry even more. The prince gave her a hug as Misa clung to him, crying.
A pang of jealousy ran through Sakura's veins as she watched the scene unfold. Not once did Syaoran notice her. But she let it go, as Misa's needs were more important than her own. Just then, a few of the teachers came by. Sakura's attention came onto the people looking out the windows of the class, and the other students who watched behind her and Yuka.
Syaoran picked Misa up into his arms, her own hugging his broad shoulders, her face buried in his chest to hide her face, ignoring the teachers starting to surround them. He started walking towards the infirmary. It was then that their eyes met. But only for a second, for the prince turned away before Sakura could understand anything.
Akira soon followed, not before spitting on the boy lying on the ground.
Sakura stood there, motionless, wondering why she felt so envious.
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They were just heading back to Touya's old home, only to gather the rest of his belongings. That was Yukito's excuse. He couldn't believe Yue fell for it. Or maybe Yue knew what was going on, he just didn't want to say anything.
"I don't understand why you had to lie about it," Touya said. "I mean, it's not like we're doing anything illegal."
"My brother doesn't like talking about Clow's Garden. He says it isn't real and that it's a waste of time trying to find it."
"I think it's real. For my mother's sake, I hope it's real."
The two had set out on their journey earlier that morning. They were currently at a border town, leading into the Tomo Plains. Clow's Garden was said to be somewhere in the plains, although no one has ever found it. They were currently at a bar, trying to find information on anything that would lead them to their destination. All they found were unwelcoming travelers and drunk soldiers on their breaks. Their intel mission wasn't going so well.
"I'm telling you, Touya, we don't need to gather information."
"Then how, smartass, do you expect us to find Clow's Garden?"
Yukito sighed. He took off his backpack and took out an old folded piece of paper. "I borrowed this from my brother's room. I found it a while ago, while I looked through his desk." He showed Touya a map with random scribbling he couldn't make out.
"Why didn't you show this to me before?" Touya said angrily.
Yukito turned a shade of red. "I wanted you to think I was smart.. but I couldn't figure it out." He smiled and turned away.
Touya shook his head and snatched the map from him. "Unbelievable. You're so dumb." He stared at the map closely. It seemed they were in the right place, Tomo Plains, but that was the only obvious part of the chart he held in his hands. There was no 'X-marks-the-spot', no arrows or dotted lines, just a map of the plains with illegible handwriting. "Honestly, how can anyone read this?"
"Beats me. But if we can't figure it out together, we might as well go home."
Touya glared at Yukito. "I am not going back." He returned his gaze to the piece of paper in front of him. He didn't understand, and it was frustrating. He was so close, well at least he thought he was.
But Touya wasn't about to give up. He wasn't about to lose hope. If anyone could figure this out, he could.
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Eriol wandered the halls of the great Tomoeda Castle looking at the portraits as he went his way. Nothing had changed. It had grown a little dustier since he had last been there, but everything was still in it's place.
He knew where he was going. The South Wing. The first thing Eriol noticed when he got to the castle was the missing presence of a certain brown-haired girl. There was once pictures of her and the prince everywhere; walls, fireplaces, there was even a tapestry woven for her in the main hall. He asked the Queen about her and he didn't like the answer. How could Ayame have passed away? He didn't believe her answer. And her eyes gave away her lie.
He remembered Ayame's room resided in the South wing, which was the reason he was heading there. A couple servants passed oppositely along the way, giving him nervous looks. Contrary to popular belief, he could not read minds. Eriol never liked being the renowned magician of the country. Everyone thought he could see their deepest secrets.
The only thing different about him was his high perceptiveness. Predicting the future? No, he just took into account everything he knew about a situation, came up with all the plausible outcomes, and picked the most likely one to happen. Reading minds? No, he just read people well. Their body language, and mostly their eyes and speech gave them away. He was a genius. All members of his family were.
He had inherited the old tradition of choosing and judging the future leaders of Tomoeda. After all, the great Clow was his great grandfather.
Eriol did have a secret power though, one he had to learn of himself. He was not allowed to speak of it because if he did, the power would go away. That is, whenever he touched someone, he could see the thing they wanted most. Although he didn't have this power when he was younger, it surfaced around the time the King passed away. Eriol's father had always told him to be patient, that a power would soon come to him, and that it could bring great success to him. And indeed it helped him in many ways, like gathering information. He definitely didn't know everything, but he did have the power to do so.
He continued in the direction of the South wing when he was stopped by a familiar face. "Good day, Eriol."
"Hello, Yue. How are you?"
"I'm fine, thank you. And what are you up to on this lovely afternoon?" Yue was suspicious. He was there when the Queen lied about Ayame being deceased. He knew Eriol didn't buy it. The question was, could he trust him to keep the secret, or should he hide it just like Yelan was?
"I'm visiting Ayame's old room." Eriol said blatantly. "I don't believe she is dead."
"I cannot allow you to do that." Yue said. His loyalty remained with the Queen. He couldn't betray her now. "No one's allowed to go there. Under the Queen and Prince Syaoran's rules."
"And you are going to stop me?" Eriol smirked. He liked getting Yue angry, or frustrated. Well, anything really other than his emotionless self.
Yue put his hand on the hilt of his sword. "Please don't make me try."
Eriol thought it out. Maybe today wasn't a good day for him to be making enemies. He had enough of those already. "Fine. Ruin my fun."
Yue sighed in relief. He kept the Queen's secret safe for a little while longer.
"By the way, you have a little brother, correct? Where is he? I found his company rather enjoyable back in the day."
"He went off to the outskirts of town to collect one of our new recruits' belongings. He won't be gone for long. I'll let him know you were looking for him." Yue replied as emotionless as possible. He tried to hide his doubt about his brother and Touya.
Eriol raised an eyebrow. Now this was suspicious. Yue never let Yukito leave the castle. And with a new recruit? Someone he didn't know well? Interesting.. Eriol thought. I must find out who this new person is.
"That would be wonderful," Eriol said. "Please tell him when he gets back." Eriol slowly turned back to the direction he came from with a smile on his face. But as soon as Yue couldn't see him, his lips curved downwards and he tried putting the pieces of this puzzle together.
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The ride back to the castle seemed longer than usual. Sakura sat in her carriage alone, thinking about what happened at lunch. She didn't see Misa or Syaoran after classes ended; they must have still been in the infirmary.
A pang of jealousy reached up and tugged at her insides again. Why was this happening? She refused to admit that she could feel something for Syaoran other than loathing hatred, but what else could this be? Maybe it's because he had kissed her, and then all of a sudden had his arms around another girl. He was a straight-up player. It wasn't jealousy, it was still anger.
Yeah. That's it. Sakura settled for that answer.
They finally reached the castle. Sakura was greeted by a flustered Tomoyo. "Hey, how was school?"
She told Tomoyo about the things that happened, especially during lunch, although she left out the "anger" she felt at Syaoran barely noticing her.
Just then, a man in a blue cloak passed. He had dark blue hair and wore glasses. Tomoyo hid her face as this stranger walked towards them with a smile on his face. "There you are!" he exclaimed, pointing at Sakura. "I knew you couldn't be dead!"
All the color drained from Tomoyo's face. What was Eriol thinking? Did he not know that no one was supposed to mention Syaoran's former fiancee in front of Sakura? Tomoyo waved her hands and panicked.
"Who? Me?" Sakura was confused.
Eriol seemed to take the hint from Tomoyo. He looked her, her brown hair that seemed to outline her oval face; the plainness of her school uniform; her knee-high socks and her skinny legs; the plain black flats she wore. She was exactly the same as Ayame in every way, except for extravagance in her style, but more importantly, the eyes.
"Last time I checked, I wasn't dead at all.." Sakura blinked a couple of times. It seemed the stranger ignored her words and kept starting at her. "I'm, um, Sakura." She tried to break the awkward silence. "You are?"
"His name is Eriol. He's a sorcerer, related to Clow himself." Tomoyo replied, trying to make Sakura forget about Eriol's earlier remark.
He let out a laugh. "Thank you, Tomoyo. And yes, my name is Eriol. You can call me Eriol." He let out his hand and Sakura shook it. Although when their hands touched, she felt a cold shiver down her spine. Something felt weird, as if someone was searching her mind.
Eriol turned to Tomoyo. "Hello again," he said. "Do you mind joining me for dinner tonight?"
Tomoyo turned bright red as she stuttered. "Uh, umm.. yes of c-course!"
Eriol smiled. "Good. Drop by my room around 8, I'll have dinner all set up in my room. You aren't busy around then, are you?"
"No, n-not at all." Tomoyo looked to the ground, too embarrassed to look at his face. "I'll see you then."
"It's a date." Eriol turned to Sakura. "Nice meeting you. Hopefully we get to spend more time together."
Sakura nodded her head and watched as the sorcerer turned on his heel and walked away. "A date?" She turned to her friend who had the reddest cheeks she'd ever seen, holding in a giggle.
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It had been painful for Misa to look at Syaoran. After he took her to the infirmary, he suggested staying with her. Of course, Misa declined but the Prince always had his way.
She had pretended to fall asleep after eating a bit to heal her shock. But Misa couldn't sleep. Memories of her home and her family kept wandering and she found her eyes kept filling with tears.
To her dismay, Syaoran stayed by her bed in a comfy armchair, reading a book. She had taken a peek at it: it had a red cover, a picture of some sort of large feline, and a bunch of circles, moons, and stars decorating "The Clow," its title.
They were in the carriage now, just the two of them. Syaoran refused help from the nurses and teachers, saying he could handle the situation and would make sure that she was in good health. He had devoted all this time to her. It was painful for her to look at him.
"How do you feel?" Syaoran said out of the corner of his mouth, his eyes gazing at the scene outside their carriage. His voice was firm and warm.
"I feel a lot better, thank you." She said as politely as she could, trying not to let her voice waver.
"Don't lie to me."
Misa's eyes quickly turned to the messy-haired prince. His eyes were on her as well. But for some reason, she couldn't tear her eyes away from his and unwanted tears started to form. She frowned, turned her head, trying to hide.
But he was all too quick; he had his finger on her chin and moved her face back towards his. Tears were running down her cheeks now. Why was Syaoran so kind? How did he know what she was thinking without speaking to her?
All her emotions seemed to burst out. "I miss my family, I miss my home!" she cried aloud. "I miss my friends, and it kills me because they're so far away, and I haven't talked to anyone in the longest time!" She covered her face and sobbed.
Syaoran continued to stare at her. He did not put a reassuring hand around her shoulder, not did he offer words of comfort. He just said, "I'm sorry," and returned to his original spot as Misa's heaves and cries died down.
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Tomoyo knocked nervously on the large wooden door of Eriol's room. "Come in," she heart him say. She turned the handle and walked in.
Eriol sat there, in midnight-blue dress robes with a book in his hand. "Perfect timing," he said with a smile. "I just had dinner delivered." He motioned for her to sit down as he laid out their food. The first part of dinner progressed easily and without any event.
It was not until they had finished did Tomoyo realize his true intentions.
"Who is that girl? The one with the green eyes?"
Tomoyo looked up, horrified. Was this some investigation into Ayame? What was she supposed to say? She couldn't betray her loyalty to the Queen and the Prince, but Eriol had this way of getting the information he needed..
"You mean Sakura?" Eriol nodded. "Ummm.. she's a girl from the village."
"And you are aware she shares an uncanny resemblance to Ayame, right?"
Tomoyo chose her words carefully. "I believe that to be the only thing she shares with Princess Ayame."
The corner of Eriol's mouth turned upwards. He examined the girl in front of him. Young as she may be, she was very clever for her age. She had beautiful dark eyes and a pale complexion, much like his own. Her long hair feel to her side in a braid and, simple as her clothes were, there was a strong sense of power emitting off of her.
"What happened to Ayame? Where did this copy come from?"
Tomoyo felt a sudden rush of anger. "Sakura is not a copy! She is kind-hearted and fair, things Ayame would never have been!" But then she realized what she had done and covered her mouth, tears forming in her eyes.
It was treacherous to speak of a Princess that way, let alone Princess Ayame, who was betrothed to Prince Syaoran.
Eriol let out a laugh. Tomoyo knitted her brows. "It matters not what you say in front of me. I do not judge you, nor will I tell a soul. My purpose is not to bring others down, unless of course, they deserve it."
Tomoyo looked down at her hands, as if Eriol had just said something embarrassing. Somehow, she felt she could trust him, even though she didn't want to.
"Are you going to tell me the things I want to know or must I find them out myself, straight at the source?"
"No! You mustn't! Sakura knows nothing of Ayame! And she is not allowed to! It goes against the rules.."
"The rules? What rules? I thought everyone in this kingdom had freedom to speak."
"The Queen forbids talk of the former princess," Although she was stating fact, Tomoyo found it hard to say. "She doesn't want Prince Syaoran to become more depressed."
Eriol raised an eyebrow of disbelief. "She doesn't want him to be all sad, yet she finds a look-a-like and lets her dwell in the castle?" Eriol was never fond of Queen Yelan, but his father had trusted in the King's ability to choose a wife for himself. She was very obedient until he was killed during her second term of pregnancy. That was when things changed..
"You don't understand, the Prince wouldn't come out of his room to eat! But if he did step foot outside his bedroom, it'd be at night when no one was awake, and he'd walk to the gardens to stare at the stars! It wasn't very becoming of a prince, almost at age. It was a miracle that the Queen came across Sakura!" Tears were now running down her eyes, at the thought of anyone thinking bad about her friend. "You should see him now! He talks and he eats and he socializes a lot more than he used to and.."
On and on she went about the girl with green eyes and the changes Syaoran had been going through. Eriol lifted his finger and gently wiped her cheek free of tears. She immediately stopped talking. "You look better with a smile." She tried her best, although her cheeks were reddening and her eyes shifted nervously to the floor. "I understand. You've grown to love Sakura. I do not wish to put her down. It just seems strange for her to appear when Ayame disappeared. Do you know where she was found?"
Tomoyo shook her head. "Only that she's not rich, not at all. And it was somewhere on the outskirts of town." She was still blushing, her eyes still staring at her feet.
"And what do you know about Ayame's death?"
"Not much," her eyes found her way to his face. "Only that she died because she was sick. They had a private burial for her, but us maids and servants and the like weren't allowed to attend. Rumor had it that the prince didn't even show up for it. Honestly, I don't even know where she's buried."
Eriol found this interesting. He looked outside through his window. Dark had fallen over Tomoeda. He had one of the few rooms that overlooked the village below. Many were hurrying into their houses, lights shone through windows. He saw castle men guarding the gates.
It came to him, why wasn't Ayame buried in the Royal cemetery with the previous rulers? He'd have to check up on this. He now turned his attention to Tomoyo, staring at him with an eyebrow raised. He smiled at her and watched as she immediately blushed and turned away. How he was blessed with such ill fate, he didn't know.
Being a magician wasn't as fun as he thought it would be.
Eriol sighed. "I guess you should go back now, and attend to your duties. I'm sorry I've taken your time."
"No, no," Tomoyo said. "It's fine. I haven't much to give, anyway. My time is the most important thing I have to share."
Taken aback at what she said, Eriol just smiled. How this young raven-haired girl seem to exuberate wisdom was beyond him.
"Shall I walk you back?"
"No, I'll be fine. Thank you." Tomoyo got up and Eriol opened the door to his room and watched Tomoyo walked out. No words were exchanged, only looks of thankfulness and, on Eriol's part, bitterness.
The moment he had touched her cheek to wipe away her tears, he felt what she desired most. And it was ironic that the thing she wanted most, she already had.
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Yelan was alone in her study, reading up on a report recently written about the Hyon Kingdom up north, stirring their followers against Tomoeda. Long has been their history of war and bloodshed. Yelan wanted no part in war anymore, not after what happened 14 years ago.
Her thoughts were interrupted by a knock on the door. "Your highness, the Prince would like a word with you!" Wei, one of her few most trusted workers, bellowed from the corridor.
"Let him in," Yelan said as she hid the report under a pile of random papers. Syaoran walked hastily to her desk after Wei led him in. She laid her eyes upon her son, who still wore his school uniform. His hair was as unruly as it had always been, but there was a slight glitter in his eyes. "You almost never visit me, son. What's the matter?"
He was as blunt and direct as ever. "I'm sending Misa home."
Yelan was taken aback. "But.. but why? This is the second girl you've sent home! Is that the only reason you visit me nowadays? To tell me my choices weren't good enough?"
"You don't understand, mother!" His tone was pleading with her. This difference, this feeling of empathy, Yelan hadn't seen in her son since Ayame was with them. "She's miserable here! She misses her home, as would I if I sent away.. I already promised her she could return when she felt ready to leave. I just thought you'd want to know."
And with that, Syaoran turned on his heel and left.
"Wait!" Yelan yelled as Syaoran stopped in his tracks and turned to face his mother once more. "No more of this.. sending candidates home. It looks bad on me. My son, sending away these girls I've hand-picked, what an outrage." She slammed her hand down on the table. "As if my opinions on the traits of a good Queen aren't good enough for you! You don't have much time left. A little less than 2 months until your birthday and your choice."
"Stop reminding me. I know what I have to do."
Yelan stepped around her desk towards Syaoran. "Do not speak to me like that, young man! I am the Queen and more importantly, your mother!"
"Last time I checked, Queen's cared about their people and mother's cared about their sons!"
She slapped him. Tears forming in her eyes. "I care about my people! I c– "
"What about these girls, whose parents, drawn by the greed of Royalty, gave them away hoping to become inheritors of Tomoeda and riches they otherwise wouldn't need?"
She stuttered.
"And what about me, mother? I don't want to marry! I cannot force myself to love just as much as you can force a pig to fly! You do not care about my feelings! In due time, yes, I'll find someone. But not like this. Not this way.."
Wei listened from outside the door. He had beckoned the servants passing the door to hurry up, so no one would hear their shouted conversation. It had always been like this, ever since the Queen's decision to pick candidates for Syaoran's marriage. They were always bickering, shouting at each other, and it didn't look very good for the Queen's health. Not at all.
"Are you going to abandon your duty, Syaoran? Are you going to rewrite the rules that have governed Tomoeda and its rulers for centuries? It is key you find a wife by your age of becoming! That way you are ensured an heir!"
"Can't you rewrite them for me?" He looked desperate now, his voice was barely a whisper. "You are Queen! You can do whatever you want! You won't change a rule for me.."
Queen Yelan swallowed hard at the sight in front of her. Her son looking very distraught, his eyes wide and pleading.
She covered her face with her palm. "I wasn't young when I had you, you see. Your grandparents died when your father was 17, thus making him King. But he was ambitious. Instead of securing a future for the family line, he fought wars and expanded the kingdom.
"At 52 he still hadn't succeeded in producing an heir. He got desperate and started having affairs with every woman. He was old when he found me. He was a full 24 years older than I was, and I was only 18. I was the youngest and healthiest of all marriage candidates, so he married me.
"He feared even more, he was 52 and without an heir. I believed he had affairs behind my back, with anyone, trying to produce a child. He thought maybe the problem lied within me, maybe I was barren. But it was him, he couldn't reproduce anymore. None of his mistresses succeeded. And so he lived his years, believing his kin would die out.
"He died without knowing about you, Syaoran. I was only two months pregnant when he passed away." Yelan smiled at him through tired eyes. "You are our miracle. I do not want the same thing to happen to you. You are, or were, exactly like your father. Careless. Please understand that what I'm doing is for your good."
His throat was so dry. He couldn't find any words to say. He only nodded.
"I've made many mistakes in life, Syaoran, too many. I cannot let you make the same ones I have."
She turned back to her desk and sat down. He took this as his signal to leave and bowed low before walking out of the room. Yelan sighed. If only her friend and once Royal Physician Fujitaka were here, he always knew what to say, he was always good with children. If only Fujitaka were alive, he'd be able to cure Ayame, then Syaoran's frequent outbursts wouldn't be happening in the first place..
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I am SO SORRY I've made everyone wait for so long! I have no excuse! I wanted to add more into this chapter, but I felt like I was adding bits of chapter 10 in it as well.. so I stopped.
I had this terrible accident where I fell and my face slid into gravel. I look horrible. ): But it's definitely healing. Anyway, I had just finished reading the whole series of HARRY POTTER since I'm stuck in my house for a few weeks and I realized I had half this chapter written out, and I still haven't finished it, and it's been.. months !
So yeah ! I'm super sorry for the delay. I'm stuck at home, so the next chapter will be out.. yeah. No promises (:
Cheers !