Fate Guides My Steps
Chapter 14: Moving Forward
Author: YoseiAmbereyes (Jade)
Editor: FireGoddess
Basick Valley, Northern Drume Mountains
4th of the Tenth Moon Month
Sakura and Tomoyo were in Eriol's room talking. The dark haired ex-slave had been ordered to stay in bed for the next few days while her body recuperated from the hard journey she had underwent while sick. She was still very weak, but she could sit up and hold a conversation without a problem. Sakura had taken to spending a lot of time with her friend, just talking, or working on sewing some clothes for themselves. (They only brought the bare minimum from Velaterra) It was a fair normal morning; Eriol had come in earlier to eat breakfast with the two of them, and then departed for his office next door. Lunch was soon, and Sakura was pulling on her cloak so she could run downstairs to the kitchen to pick it up.
That was when the door burst open, nearly taking it off the hinges.
"Tomoyo!! Oh my god!! I'm so glad you're okay!!"
Tomoyo stared wide-eyed, not quite over the shock of having the door kicked in, and almost exposing Sakura. Sakura for her part, backed up from the bed, and made sure her hood was pulled down.
"M-Melin!"
The young woman sat down next to Tomoyo without further ado and gave the other girl a strong hug. Tomoyo couldn't help the tears that sprung up in her eyes; she had forgotten just how much she had missed Melin. While traveling with Eriol and Syaoran five years ago, she had gotten close to Melin, she being the only other girl in the little group.
"I just heard from Syaoran that you made it here! Syaoran, that jerk! Waited three days to freakin' tell me! Can you believe that?!"
Tomoyo smiled and chuckled at Melin's exuberant nature. She took the mahogany-eyed girl's hands in her own.
"I can. Syaoran always did have trouble getting his priorities straight."
"How are you Tomoyo? Syaoran said you caught the coughing sickness."
"I did. But Eriol fixed me up quick. I'm fine now, a few more days and I'll be back to normal."
"Have you had lunch yet?"
"No, er...my friend behind you was about to go downstairs and get it for me."
Melin whirled around and her eyes fell on Sakura, who had stood off to the side silently. Melin's eyes took in her appearance, and the hood that covered her face.
"I'm sorry, I was just so excited to see Tomoyo, I didn't mean to ignore you."
Sakura smiled, even though none of them could see it. Melin was exactly as Tomoyo had described, excitable, energetic, and totally blunt.
"Perfectly understandable. You haven't seen Tomoyo in years."
Melin gave the hooded stranger a sheepish grin before standing and offering her hand.
"I'm Melin Li, pleased to meet you."
Sakura took the offered hand and shook it.
"Sakura Avalon."
She used her mother's maiden name. Melin hadn't known her that well back in the village, but using her usual last name would probably spark Melin's memory of her mother. If she discovered it was really Sakura Kinomoto, daughter of Nadeshiko, hiding behind the hood, no excuse in the world would save her from having to take it off. And that would cause all kinds of problems. As much as she liked Melin, and as much as Tomoyo trusted her judgment, both Eriol and Syaoran had been against telling her the truth about Sakura's idenity.
"Why do you keep your hood up?"
Tomoyo gave Melin a tight smile, while Sakura wracked her brain for a reasonable excuse. She chastised herself for not coming up with something plausible sooner.
"Melin. Sakura, unfortunately, had a rather cruel owner. After Sakura's mistress caught her husband staring at Sakura, she disfigured Sakura's face. She's rather self conscious."
Melin's eyes got wide, and then filled with sympathy.
"I'm so sorry. Syaoran's constantly telling me to think before speaking. I didn't mean to make you remember anything painful."
Sakura was too busy mentally thanking Tomoyo to answer right away. Luckily, Melin took this to be a painful pause.
"It's alright. I think it's better to simply get it out in the open."
Sakura said softly, lowing her head in what she hoped was a sad manner. Melin fidgeted for a moment before clapping her hands.
"Okay, you two are not allowed to eat the stuff they cook downstairs, no offense to the ladies, but they usually are more than a little busy with curing food for the winter this time of year. I'll nip over to the tavern and bring back lunch for all of us, how about that?"
Tomoyo gave her exuberant friend a wide smile.
"That sounds perfect, what do you say, Sakura?"
"Wonderful. Sounds like a plan to me."
"Great, you guys sit tight, I'll be right back!"
Melin hurried from the room, her unbound black hair swinging behind her. She shut the door with the same exuberance that she had opened it with. Sakura lowered her hood and looked gratefully at Tomoyo.
"That was some fast thinking, thank you."
"It was the best I could come up with so quickly. Will that cover story do?"
Sakura shrugged, they both heard the downstairs door open and shut.
"Fine with me. I hate making people feel sorry for me, but if it means they'll leave me alone about the hood..."
Tomoyo nodded in agreement to Sakura's unfinished sentence.
"Well I'm glad you think so, because by the time Melin gets back here, half the village will know. It's not that she's a gossip or anything, she's just..."
"Melin?"
Tomoyo chuckled, and Sakura grinned.
"Pretty much."
Both girls stiffened when the sound of footsteps reached their ears. Sakura jerked her hood up, wondering what Melin had forgotten. The door opened and it was Syaoran who came in. Sakura relaxed, but went ahead and pulled the hood up. She had no doubts that Melin would make the same entrance she had before, this time Sakura would be ready.
"Hey, just thought I'd warn you two, I told Melin you were here, Tomoyo, she'll probably..."
He looked at Tomoyo who was looking at him blandly, and at Sakura who seemed to be shaking from with held laughter. Syaoran closed his eyes and shook his head.
"Never mind. I didn't think she'd get over here that fast."
"It's alright, Li. I luckily had my hood up. She just went to get us lunch."
Syaoran grunted a response and went to leave again, but stopped.
"I'm assuming she asked about your hood?"
He asked Sakura, the green eyed mage nodded.
"Tomoyo came up with a believable lie. Apparently my mistress disfigured me when she found out her husband was staring."
There was a pause, and Syaoran glanced at Tomoyo. The dark haired girl gave the older man a sad smile. He nodded to them both and left without another word. Sakura went over and sat down next to Tomoyo. The look didn't pass unnoticed by Sakura. A fearful and shameful feeling settled in her stomach.
"Did that really happen?"
Sakura asked, taking her friend's hand. Tomoyo wiped at her eyes with her free hand and nodded mutely. Sakura hung her head, her uneven auburn hair falling to veil her face and eyes.
"I'm so sorry."
Sakura whispered. Her throat tightened as the familiar feeling of unbearable guilt landed heavily on her shoulders. She would never be free of her past mistakes, Sakura dimly realized. Her hand was squeezed, and Tomoyo spoke in a dry whisper.
"I accept your apologies, Mistress Seer."
Sakura looked up, meeting Tomoyo's violet eyes, which were looking at her with kind understanding. The green-eyed woman swallowed thickly and squeezed her friend's hand back.
The serious moment was broken by Melin kicking open the door for the second time that day, and plopping two overloaded baskets on the floor. Sakura pulled her hood farther down, casting all of her face in shadow, before turning to face Melin and help her unload her spoils. Tomoyo looked on with a happy smile. Perhaps Sakura would start to heal, here in Basick Valley.
Scitrind, Hummai
5th of the Tenth Moon Month
Yuki was wandering the nearly unbearably bright streets of Scitrind, looking for his best friend. For the past few nights, Toya had been having vivid dreams of his lost family. At first, the dark haired Colonel had shared each little bit of his memory as it came to him, but for the past two nights, he had said nothing. This morning, he was simply gone.
Scitrind was something of an architectural wonder. It was older than anyone could remember, and while many people had claimed to be the builders of the beautiful city, there was no proof, nor evidence to prove or disprove anyone's claims. Despite apparently being older than dirt, the city was in wonderful shape. There was no hint of problems with the foundations, no crumbling walls, or weak buildings. It continued to last each passing age with its grace and beauty intact. The city was not made from the stone of the surrounding mountains, which were various shades of black and dark grey. Scitrind was made from a mix of course pink and yellow limestone, and glossy orange marble. The stone seemed to absorb the sunlight and then glow with its own radiance, which made for a very bright stroll through the streets. The architecture was full of smooth, arches, and simple buildings. It was a kind of polar opposite to the rather ornate nature of Velaterra.
Yukito ducked under an archway between two buildings and quickly walked down the shadowed alleyway. Another characteristic of Scitrind was the gardens. There were gardens everywhere. In Velaterra, they were common, and simple. In Scitrind they appeared every other step in the strangest of places: on the roofs of homes, as alleyways, in the center of a building like a courtyard, as medians in the roads, in the middle of road intersections, dripping of balconies, and on either side of the front gate entrance to the city. The light that reflected the sunlight, made it easy to grow things in the city. Aside from making a bright atmosphere, it also made the air warmer than usual, so all the gardens were overflowing with wild plants and flowers all year round.
The army mage was making his way to the garden that Toya liked the best, not that the young man would admit to it. It was the garden that grew on either side of the front gate, for it was by far the most tangled and beautiful. That was another important aspect of the Scitrind gardens, they were not manicured, or well kept like the ones of Velaterra, or even Yanit, and they were wild. Yukito found his best friend sitting on the ground, leaning against the wall of the city, about twenty feet from the main gate. The blue-eyed mage wordlessly took a seat next to his friend, crossing his long legs and relaxing in the cold shadows cast by the wall.
Toya said nothing for a long while, just sitting there, a heavy brooding feeling hanging in the air between them. When he finally did speak it came out in a harsh, gruff voice that was full to the brim with frustration and anger.
"I hate this city."
"Really? I find its atmosphere quite peaceful."
"It's fake, it's all fake. The peaceful feeling it's...wrong somehow. Like it was put there, like it's affecting us, rather than the other way around."
Yukito nodded his head sagely.
"That makes sense in a strange way. The people who live here are rather docile for army soldiers."
"See? That's exactly what I mean, it's just so different from Velaterra, that I can't get comfortable."
Toya hissed out, starting to pick at the blades of grass under their feet. He would pick up a blade and then tear it down the middle. Each piece he would tear into smaller and smaller strips until his fingers couldn't grasp the piece anymore. Then he'd let them go, watching as they fluttered lightly to the ground again.
"I can't say that whatever it is it's a bad thing, Toya. There is hardly any crime in this city, and everyone seems to be so content."
Toya growled, and narrowed his eyes at the garden before them.
"You can't copy true contentment and then force it onto everyone. Whoever built this city had a twisted view of it."
Yukito shrugged and tilted his head back to look at the wall they leaned against. He closed his eyes and reached out with his magical senses, testing the stone itself. There was something there, but not definite, most would just write it off as life touch, the shadows that humans can leave behind on things, people and places they interact with. But it was stronger than normal, and strangely enough: old. Most life touches fade after a few months, the energy left behind growing dimmer and fainter with each passing day until it's gone. This one was old, very old, and still holding on tightly to the stone of the city.
"I don't think that was their intention, Toya."
Yuki said softly, opening his eyes and pulling back his senses. Toya continued to brood however. He clearly had had a rough night.
"They say the road to hell is paved with good intentions."
Yuki smiled to himself, Toya's pessimistic attitude was nothing new, and in a weird way, comforting. The mage could always count on Toya to be steadfast and a constant, even if his memories were returning.
"God, who built this twisted city?" Toya asked. He was not addressing anyone imparticularly, he was just staring at the garden and the road to his right.
"Did you want an answer or are you just talking?" Yuki asked back, picking up his own blade of grass.
He twisted it around his pale fingers, the green looking more vibrant, and his white skin looking whiter in contrast.
"You know who built this city?"
"Of course not. But there is a legend I heard back in Velaterra that fits with the...particulars of this city."
"A legend? Whose?"
"Do you remember much of your history?"
"Some."
"Remember anything about the mountain people that were conquered about nine hundred years ago?"
"Vaguely."
"Well, nine hundred years ago, when the ethnic groups that are obvious today were just beginning to pull together and form ruling governments, the people that would come to be the Arcadians, went on a conquest to extend their domain to the far north, where the elusive mountain people lived."
"Give it to me straight Yuki, I'm not seven."
Yuki chuckled and let the blade of grass he had been playing with flutter back to the ground. He let his hands simply rest in his lap.
"Fine, fine. The mountain people guarded and protected this city with a fierce loyalty; but they never lived behind its walls. Even when the early Arcadians were conquering them, they refused to seek refuge in the city. One of the captured was asked why they didn't live in the city, the man answered because it was sacred land."
"Wait, wait, wait, are you talking about the 'we speak for the dead, for the dead cannot speak for themselves' ledged?" Toya interrupted, the history having taken a familiar turn.
Yuki turned to him with a raised eyebrow.
"You've heard it before?"
"Oh, yea. There was a guy in training camp when I was sixteen; his family was originally from northern Vasan, up around the Frozen Lake. He used to whisper that story to us at night, trying to scare us."
It was clear in Toya's tone what he thought of the story.
"Ah, you don't believe it."
"Not as far as I could throw the kid, and he was stocky."
"Oh well then."
"You honestly think a bunch of demi-gods built this place as a welcome wagon for our ancestors when we supposedly came over in a bunch of boats?"
Yuki shrugged and picked another blade of grass, wrapping it around his finger tight, watching the skin change from white to red.
"I'm not so arrogant to believe that we came from this island originally, Toya. With the diversity of people, and the relative small size of this continent, it's safe to conclude that we probably immigrated."
Toya snorted and went back to his peeling of grass. A silence fell over them, which Yuki broke before it became an uncomfortable one.
"What is wrong, Toya? What is in your dreams that makes you so angry?"
Toya clenched his jaw. Couldn't, just for once, Yuki not know him so freakin' well?! Toya didn't say anything, but simply continued to sit there, brooding.
"I'm jealous of you, you know."
He said it so simply, so flatly, that it shocked Toya out of his frustration.
"What?"
"I'm jealous. Even if they were bad memories, I'd like to be able to remember some of mine."
Toya huffed in response and looked back at the ground.
"You don't know what you're talking about."
"True. But it's the way I feel at the moment."
"It's stupid. You don't want to remember running, or hiding, or trying to keep your baby sister from crying so they won't find you."
"Who?"
"I don't know. I can really only remember sensations, like my legs burning from running as fast as I can, scared out of my mind. Or the confused, uncertain, crazed fear or not understanding why we are running, only that we have to keep going, have to keep moving."
"We?" Yuki asked softly, not wanting to snap Toya out of the state he seemed to have slipped into.
His eyes were falling out of focused, and his face relaxed.
"We. My mother...I never told you did I? My mother's name was Nadeshiko. She was very beautiful; men would come up and talk to her, just to see her smile. My sister had her smile, it could power the sun if it needed to, with brightness to spare. They both had green eyes, not a hazy hazel color either, real green, like this grass. She was so little, and so scared."
"Who?"
"My sister...her name was...something...like my mom's I think, after a flower or some kind. She always seemed so tiny to me, so fragile. But she could be as strong as the trees she loved to climb. She hated it when I called her Kaiju, it means monster in a language we never learned. I was her protector. But I couldn't protect her that night. The night they all died. That's what I can remember the most, that I wasn't able to protect her, that I failed the last thing my mother asked of me."
Toya shuddered, and returned to himself, he looked over at Yuki, his eyes clear, in pain and haunted. His voice was no longer gruff or callous, now it was soft and whispery, like the cold breeze that blew through the garden around them.
"Why would you want to remember something like that?"
Yukito couldn't answer.
Trinsdell, Vasan
22nd of the Tenth Moon Month
Summers Giterby hurried down to the kitchens of the palace. He was in dire need of some help. As it turns out, planning a mutiny isn't an easy task, even with the King's full support. He was calling up on his extensive connections, testing the waters, and ever so carefully planting seeds of doubt in people's minds. The entire court was a buzz with whispered rumors of Vasan's money problems and Hummai's hand in them.
Unfortunately, all of Summer's hard work was all but obliterated when the General Asagawa arrived four days ago, bearing a hefty gift of money for the king and his country. And, to top it off, the General was staying in Trinsdell for the duration of the winter. He was also, taking a particular interest in court politics, making it very hard for summers to move around unnoticed.
He needed a partner in crime.
So, he sought out his best friend, and confidant. She was the only person in the entire world that he felt comfortable enough to share this very large secret with.
She also just happened to be the court gossip.
Summer ducked into the main kitchens, hugging the wall, knowing better than to get into anyone's way. This was the servants' domain, if you're here; you stay out of the way, or else.
He spotted the person he was seeking; she stood out against the plainer colors of the maids, and cooks with her bright courtly dress. It was mostly covered by a stained apron. Ivy Frazier wasn't a tall woman; she stood just over five feet, nearly a foot shorter than summers. She was built like a stick, straight, and all angles. At the moment she had the sleeves of her dress rolled up, and was expertly chopping carrots for the stew in the large cauldron behind her. There were several other women at the large cutting board, working on celery, cabbage, and more carrots. They all chattered pleasantly, and traded the latest gossip.
Ivy was originally Tallinese; she and her parents were displaced to Vasan during the wars twenty years ago. Ivy had only been a year when she arrived in Trinsdell as a refugee. Her parents died before she could really know them, or the culture from which she came. But her parents left her with a constant reminder of who she was: an intricate, twisting black tattoo that started on her left shoulder blade, and then wove its way down her left arm, running all the way to her finger tips. The family she and her parents had served, the Fraziers, after her parents died when she was six, had taken in Ivy. Now she was a noble woman in her own right and was the target of many young men's wedding schemes.
Summers had met her just over three years ago, when he had come to the palace to work as an advisor to one of the members of the Senior Council. They were introduced at court, and after a few conversations that ended up lasting hours, they found themselves fast friends. Summers knew that while Ivy was indeed a rather passionate gossip, she would sooner die than give up secrets entrusted to her by the few she counted as friends. He considered himself lucky to be one of those few.
Ivy looked up from her work and spotted him plastered against the wall, trying to avoid getting in anyone's way. Her honey colored eyes locked with his blue ones and he jerked his head to the door. She held up one finger in response. Summers shook his head and jerked his head again. She frowned. He raised a finger to his lips and conveyed through his eyes the importance of the matter he needed to talk about. Her eyes reflected a sudden surge of curiosity, and summers knew he had her hooked. She nodded once, and then returned to talking to the other women.
Summers slipped out of the kitchen and walked a short distance down the hall. He looked around, making sure there was no one coming, before jerking open a slim door on the right. He hurried inside and shut the door behind him. The closet was a linen closet; shelves hung on all four walls and were stuffed with towels, sheets, blankets, and tablecloths. It was also pitch black inside. Summers made his way to the far corner of the cramped room and waited. Moments later there was a sound of soft steps, and the door opened again, this time admitting the slender form of Ivy Frazier. She shut the door be hind her with a snap, plunging them both back into darkness.
"Sue?"
Summers sighed at the nickname.
"Don't call me that."
"Would you rather Git?"
"No."
"Then relax, I only call you Sue when we're alone."
"Thank God for small favors."
"I think it's thank Ivy, for small favors." She said, laughter accenting her voice.
She stepped closer, following the sound of his voice across the short distance to the far corner. She raised a hand and felt for his shoulder, accidentally poking him in the eye.
"Ow!"
"Sorry, sorry, give me your hand."
He did so, and guided her over to the shelf he was leaning against. She too sank against the linens, but kept a hold of his hand. Talking in complete darkness was a bit disconcerting.
"What's up my friend?"
Ivy asked, swinging their joined hands a bit.
"I need your help." Summers responded.
"Clearly. I must say, I'm more than a little curious about the kind of request that requires our faithful linen closet."
She said the last part while dropping her voice in to a husky whisper. Summers ignored the pleasant shivers it sent up his spine.
"Don't say it like that. You and I both know sound doesn't leak out of here thanks to the insulation of all the sheets." He said defensively.
He and Ivy were not like that.
"And can you recall how it was we found out this little known secret?" she asked, her voice amused.
Summers flushed, yes he remembered why. He and Ivy had been in the kitchen looking for some food to take on a large picnic excursion with friends. They were leaving when the door to the linen closet had burst open, and a stable boy and maid tumbled out while in the midst of...something.
"Ivy. Focus. I seriously need your help with something. Something rather...err...dire, I guess is a good word."
Ivy picked up on the stress in her friend's voice and immediately stopped all her teasing.
"What's wrong?"
Confiding in the court gossip is normally not advisable. But Summers knew Ivy to be no normal woman. She had knowledge, information, and contacts within and without the entire castle. She knew how to make friends with the servants; she knew how to butter up a courtier, she knew how to get information out of anyone, without ever letting them know that was her ultimate goal. She was his ideal partner for this particular job.
"What can you tell me about the General from Hummai?"
"I can tell you he's an ass."
"Something I don't already know."
It wasn't exactly a secret that the General had every intention of making this little trip away from his home country well worth his while. In the four days he had been in Trinsdell, he had already made a reputation for himself amongst the women of both the court and the help.
Ivy sighed, and closed her eyes. In the darkness it was a pointless action, but it helped her recall facts easier for some reason.
"He's the General of the West Armies of Hummai. He has no family save for a nephew who is a Colonel. He is a master swordsman according to him, but he does carry himself in a way that supports the claim. He was sent to Trinsdell to deliver a gift of silver and gold to our king. He is staying for the winter to avoid dangerous travel. He has tried, unsuccessfully to subtly needle information out of myself, and about 10 other courtiers. He seems to be looking for rumors of any deceitful actions made by the King of Vasan against Hummai."
"Wait, wait. He's questioned you?"
Ivy snorted.
"He tried. He was drunk, and he tried to get me equally intoxicated. I don't know for sure if it was for information or nookie."
Giterby felt his jaw clench in anger. This little tid bit of news made him feel something he hadn't felt since he was a young man: jealousy.
"What kind of questions did he ask you?"
Summers managed to grind out in a frustrated voice. He felt Ivy squeeze his hand in a silent question while she answered his voiced one.
"Idle things mostly. But from my conversation with him, I can tell you that the General seems convinced that the King is planning some kind of advance against Hummai."
"Well, he's right."
"...Excuse me?"
Summers sighed and thumped his head against the sheets on the shelf behind him.
"The General is right, Ivy. Do you remember when I was called to see the King a couple of weeks ago?"
"Yes. You said it was to talk about your progress as an advisor...you lied to me?"
There was no mistaking the obvious hurt in her voice, Summers rushed to explain before she went from hurt to pissed off.
"No, Ivy, I would never lie. The King did want to talk about my progress. I just didn't go into all the details, or the other thing we talked about."
"Which would be?"
"The fact that Hummai has been blackmailing Vasan for twenty years and disguising it as extremely high tariffs and taxes."
"Y-You mean your theory was right?" Ivy asked, referring to the idea that summers had come up with a few months ago.
He had talked to some other people at her encouragement, which was how he wound up in the King's office in the first place.
"It was more than right, Ivy. I had just barely scratched the surface. The King showed me a detailed list of all payments made to Hummai in taxes for just the past five years, since Arcadia fell. Ivy, Vasan has been paying Hummai to not invade. And the amount of money spent doing so is equal to half of the country's yearly product."
"H-How is that possible? How is it no one else has ever noticed?!"
Summers shrugged out of habit.
"The King didn't say. He only said I was the first person to independently come up with this information, this theory."
"So, the High Lord's monetary gift?"
"A ruse. He sent it to ensure that no one figures out his little scheme. The King won't come out and openly publicize this knowledge because Hummai would waste no time in attacking, before we had a chance to prepare."
Ivy's brain was working furiously, trying to see where this was going.
"And the General? He's here to spy on the King, right? Make sure he doesn't do anything to mobilize an army, or fighting force."
"Exactly. We're in a bind, Ivy. Hummai has got our backs to the wall. What's worse it with the agriculture failing so badly in the lands conquered from Arcadia, and all our other arable land put into mining, Vasan is going bankrupt. The King predicts that come spring, he won't be able to pay the taxes to Hummai anymore. And when that happens..."
"Hummai will attack."
"Yes."
Ivy leaned heavily against the shelves, her mind reeling. If all this was true, and she had no doubts of that, (summers would never lie to her) then she was going to loose her home, again. Ivy felt a heavy wave of righteous anger well up in her at the thought.
"So what's the plan?"
Ivy asked, her free hand forming a fist.
"You assume there is one?" Summers asked bitterly.
Ivy suddenly gripped his hand to the point where it began to hurt. He could feel her piercing gaze on him, she was glaring something fierce.
"Don't give me that shit, Summers. I suspect the King has a plan, and I know you do."
That made Summers smile.
"Can't get anything by you can I? Yes, the King has a plan. He chose me for the job, and now, with the General in court, I'm going to really need your help."
"You've got it, naturally. All you had to do was ask. So what's our plan of action?"
"Pretty simple really. The High Lord thinks that the King will do something to mobilize troops, you know, prepare for a war. That is the thing he is waiting for, once word of that reaches his ears, the High Lord will invade, winter be damned. So, we are going to mobilize a fighting force, and be very sneaky about it."
"Why us?"
"Because the King can have no discernable hand in this. He has given me the job of basically starting, planning and carrying out a coup de ta."
There was a long pause of silence, before Ivy snorted. Her snort was followed by a chuckle. Her chuckle was followed by full out laughter. Summers made shushing motions but also to no avail, not only could she not see them, but also it was rather pointless.
"Oh, my, god. That sly old fox!! He's a genius! It's brilliant!"
Summers felt a satisfied grin working it's way over his worried face.
"I thought so too, once he explained it to me. It's just so...perfect you know?"
"Perfect, yes, it is perfect. We mobilize an army over the winter. The High Lord passes it off as rebel rabble, blowing smoke, and leaves the King to deal with the 'problem'. Meanwhile we have the entire winter to organize a 'resistance'; it'll just be a resistance for Hummai come springtime. Perfect."
"I'm glad you think so, Ivy, cause you and me have to figure out how to pull this off. As far as I'm concerned, the King is getting the better half of the deal."
Ivy laughed again; she was bouncing on her toes now, excitement barely constrained.
"Yes, true, but think how much fun this will be, Sue."
"Fun? Political pussy footing around, fun?"
"Yep. God, it's already the end of the Tenth Month, we've got work to do! I'll need to get our old friend General Kasa back in the capital. That's doable since his daughter is flirting with danger trying to get Nobleman Essen to marry her. The General Kasa knows all the current army leaders, the guys who really have the power, not just the Colonels and stuff. The army's disbanded at the moment, save the ranking officials and the palace guard. So that means we're gonna have to get at least 70 of the nobles, lords, and thains backing us. You and me together could get maybe half of that no problem...the rest we'll have to either convenience or...well, blackmail. I've got some usable dirt on a fair few of the-"
- Hide quoted text -
"Ivy?"
"Yea?"
"I love you."
Ivy laughed.
"You better."
Basick Valley, Northern Drume Mountains
23rd of the Tenth Moon Month
Something was wrong. Captain Nicoli Ritan led his horse, one of the few in the valley, into the barns
and proceeded to unsaddle him. After the Captain returned from his stint at the front gate, he found
the small village in a positive uproar about the return of Tomoyo Daijodi to their midst, and the
presence of the hooded stranger. He had listened to several speculations about her identity, but nothing
so far seemed right to Ritan. There was something important about this girl, he was sure of it. It
wasn't just her mysterious appearance on the night of the freeze, it wasn't just the fact that no one save
Tomoyo he assumed had yet to see her face; no there was just something about her.
Ritan continued to struggle with what it was throughout the entire month, trying to figure out the
enigma she offered him. The only thing he could come up with was, the feeling was something similar to how he felt around the Prince, and of course, Li. Perhaps she had magic of some kind.
That thought struck a chord with him. It felt right, she must have magic. Ritan had heard that some people, who had no magic, were sensitive enough to pick up on it sometimes. He prided himself in the fact he was one of the few that had this ability. He was pleased that he had been able to figure it out, but at the same time, it was more than that.There was the fact that the mysterious stranger, Sakura Avalon, stuck to Li like a shadow.
What was even more odd was that Li let her. Not only did he let her, he actually seemed to insist on it. He was visibly irritated when she wasn't around, and when she was around, he subtly insisted that she remain at his side. It was just plain weird to see him act like that. Never, in the five years that Ritan had been serving under Li, had he ever seen Li show a shred of interest in a female. The only one he even tolerated was Melin, and the only one of his sisters that managed to make it to the Valley with him. But even she, Li seemed to avoid. In this respect, Li's actions just didn't make sense to him. Sure, Ritan had heard of love at first sight, but generally you had to see the person in question, right?
Ritan shook his head clear of these thoughts and realized that he had not only stabled his horse, but
he had brushed him down and filled his trough with hay. His horse was quite pleased, so Ritan gave his
faithful animal a small smile before leaving. He made his way across the snow-covered street, heading for
the tavern for some breakfast. It was early in the morning already. Ritan had nothing against serving a
double shift at the gatehouse; it meant that he wouldn't have to serve again until after the New Year.
Something caught his attention, just before he made it to the tavern. Far up the street, at the Prince and
Li's house, a cloaked figure stole out of the front door and darted across the street, tiny feet making no
noise in the snow. The mysterious Sakura Avalon disappeared from sight by going around the corner of
the stables.
The Captain narrowed his eyes and considered going after her.
"Ritan! There you are man! You must be frozen solid! Get in here and I'll buy you a drink!"
Ritan glanced over his shoulder to see that a friend of his had been on his way out and spotted him.
"A drink? Cory it's first light!" came Melin's familiar angry but amused voice from just inside.
Ritan had no choice now but to turn and finish making his way to the tavern. But just before going inside he cast a glance back at the now empty street. He was suddenly gladder at his extended stay here in the
Valley. There was a mystery to be solved.
Sakura stole across the open street, suddenly fully aware that Li's presence was lacking. She hated to
admit it, but she had grown used to being his shadow and here without him, she felt very exposed. Sakura gritted her teeth and continued forward despite that the rising feeling of being watched. As soon as she ducked behind the stables, it went away. The green-eyed seer let out a breath of relief and continued on her trek.
To say that she knew Syaoran Li very well was both untrue, and true. Life has its way of being complicated like that. Sakura knew that Li was just inside the green reaches of the forest, probably practicing his sword katas like he did almost every morning while she was usually still asleep. She knew that he did this to both keep his skills sharp, and because it helped him clear his mind for the upcoming day.
Sakura knew that Li's favorite food was the rotisserie chicken that Melin made every so often, when spice shipments came in from Vasan. Sakura knew that his mountain pony, Rollo, knew all of Li's secrets. Sakura knew that he thought Eriol was the closest thing to a brother he'd ever known. And Sakura knew that Syaoran felt personally responsible for every person in this valley. But these things didn't help her now. Yes, she may know him, and his reasons for his actions, but she didn't know how to deal with him. She didn't know how to hold a conversations with him, how to get him to open up, or make their relationship less strained.
The past two weeks have been strange for Sakura. She was free of the High Lord's clutches, but she wasn't free to be herself. She had a friend, but she was unable to make more. As more and more time went by, Sakura realized she had simple traded one cage for another. And while no one had asked her to do any kind of readings for them, come spring, she knew Eriol and Syaoran probably would. To make her feel worse, she couldn't see herself saying no. There was no choice, if she wanted to continue to stay, to live, she would have to use her powers once again. Sure, Eriol and Li were a hell of a lot better than the High Lord, but Sakura felt her lack of control over the situation grate painfully against her nerves.
There was too much time to think. With the heavy snows, and people spending less, and less time
outdoors, time spent with one's thoughts steadily increased. By year's end, Sakura was convinced she
would have driven herself insane.
Which was one of the reasons she now crept into the forest, her feet treading an unfamiliar path that she
had never walked.
The problem with her new cage, and lack of freedoms, wasn't something she could change right now. She had no place to go, and no way to get there. Kero had recovered from the trip, but he was confined inside all day, and mostly spent time keeping the still weak Tomoyo company as she worked furiously to make new wardrobes for herself and Sakura. No, Sakura was stuck here until spring, but there was one source of stress in her life that Sakura could do something about. And the strong, heady, desire to have control over something in her life right now drove her to confront her protector about the one thing they had carefully avoided in their sparse conversations.
Their mysterious bond.
The sound of a sword, whistling through the morning air, reached Sakura's ears. She quietly padded
forward, knowing exactly where to go. This path was something Li dreamed a lot about. Nearly every full
moon dream that she shared with him included the slow, steady walk along this path, to the clearing up ahead. The thick brown brambles, devoid of foliage gave little cover in the depths of winter, but the clearing was set far enough back, that it was hidden. Through the gaps in the branches, Sakura watched Li move fluidly from strike to strike, eyes closed, booted feet barely making a sound in the fresh snow.
He had already been there for a while, his cloak, coat, and heavy woolen shirt had all been tossed over
a low hanging branch. His unruly, uneven brown hair was wet with melted snow, and sweat lying heavy on his forehead and ears. The loose white tunic that he wore had a darkened stripe of sweat down the front and back. But he showed no sign of discomfort, no hint of hindrance. His eyes were closed, his face relaxed, and his movements lack all tension that he usually carried wrapped about him like a shroud. Sakura couldn't fight the smile that rose up in her. Li was usually so glum, so cold, to see him like this, reminded Sakura of the person she knew him to be underneath his exterior.
He ended his kata, and then straightened. There was a twitch of movement, and suddenly Li was returning a black sphere on a red cord to its usual place around his neck. Sakura chose then to make herself known.
"Good morning," She chirped cheerfully, stepping into the clearing and lowering her hood.
Li turned, if he was startled, he hid it perfectly, and stared at her blankly. Sakura didn't expect an
answer; he rarely ever answered her, or talked to her. She had spent nearly every waking moment at his side, and he had said maybe ten words that hadn't included an order of some kind. Sakura had been annoyed at first, but then grudgingly come to accept the fact that they could not be friends. It didn't mean that she was going to tip toe around the mystery of their bond anymore. She was far too curious about it.
"Do you practice every morning?" She asked, enjoying the feel of the wind in her hair,and prickle of snow as it melted against her scalp. Flakes drifted down from the laden trees overhead, shaken free by the slow winter breeze.
"Most," Li said in response, pulling his woolen shirt over his head and fixing then rolling up the sleeves.
He was still too warm to pull on his coat. He heard a rustle of branches, and found that the young woman had picked up a rough pine branch. She mindlessly pulled the dead, smaller branches from the main bit, until she had a single length of wood, about the size of a short sword. Li narrowed his eyes, unsure of what she was doing.
Sakura unclasped her cloak with her left hand, her right holding the branch. After tossing the cloak over
one of the tree branches as Li had done, she shifted her body into a well-known stance; holding the branch like a sword. Li's eyes widened as he recognized the stance she took. Before he could think of anything to say, Sakura began to move.
With her eyes closed, she flowed through Li's first kata with a familiarity that Syaoran found unsettling.
Her movements were all identical to his own, every strike, every parry, every thrust. The only determinable difference was he knew his movements held more strength; hers seemed to hold more grace.
When she had finished a few minutes later, she relaxed her stance and idly turned the stick about in her
hand.
"I wanted to talk to you about this," She said softly, and there was no doubt in Li's mind as to what "this"
was. His gaze hardened and he pulled his coat on in furious jerks.
"There is nothing to talk about."
"The full moon is coming soon, Li. I don't know about you, but I'd rather keep my dreams to myself."
"What does the full moon have to do with it?" Sakura blinked at him, surprised.
"I only get dreams on the full moon. You get them more often?"
"Yes," Syaoran answered without thinking, he scowled and reached for his cloak. He did not want to talk about this. It wasn't something words had any kind of sway over. Besides, what would talking do? Nothing. He turned to leave, but Sakura had placed herself between him and the path back to the village.
"Li. Please. I want to understand this...connection we have, and why we have it. There must be a reason."
"You don't believe in coincidence?"
Sakura gave him a wane smile, and raised an eyebrow in question.
"Think about who you're talking to."
Of course, she was a Seer, she would never believe in coincidences; to them everything happened for a reason. Syaoran huffed, but took a step back from her and the path.
"Your mother told me something before she died, she said 'fate guides our steps, it does not force us
along them.' Since I'm more partial to free will, I'm also inclined to believe her."
There was a lengthy pause, Sakura was now staring at the ground, a lump forming in her throat. Syaoran had not mentioned her mother before.
"Did she say anything else?" Sakura asked. Li mentally slapped his forehead. Way to
go, remind her that her mother died in your arms and you did nothing to save her. He thought to himself.
"She said to tell you, she loved you."
Sakura swallowed, and pushed thoughts of her mother away. She couldn't deal with them right now. Not here. She lifted her face, and fixed her green eyes on his face. Their eyes locked, and a familiar sensation connection rose up in both of them. She smiled in a satisfied way, knowing he felt it to.
"What ever this is, Li. It's here for a reason, I want to know why so that we can perhaps control it. Not to
pry further into your life, despite what you may think."
Syaoran blinked. She surprised him. Melin and Eriol would have used this to force their way into his
feelings, and mind further. They could be annoying like that. But here was this girl, the only one that
probably had the power to know him more intimately than he had ever allowed anyone to, and she was
refusing it. She wasn't going to force him into anything. That was rather refreshing.
"Fine," He said, crossing his arms over his chest. She might being nice about this, but that didn't mean he
was going to let his guard down any. Sakura, for her part, expected nothing less.
"Good. Well, when did the dreams start for you?" Sakura asked, deciding that was a good place to start.
Syaoran thought about it for a moment, thinking back to the first few nights after the raid on the village.
"The night I got a full night's rest. When we made it to Cornith."
He didn't say what he dreamed of, and Sakura didn't ask.
"Mine was the first full moon after that night. You have the dreams often?"
Syaoran shrugged his shoulders.
"Any night that I sleep longer than five or six hours, I guess. And full moon nights...pretty much without
fail."
Sakura chewed on her lower lip for a moment. That was strange. Why would he dream about her almost every night, and she about him only once a month? It didn't make any sense.
"You see me? My memories?" She asked, wondering if what he dreamed was different
from what she dreamed as well. Syaoran shook his head.
"I never see you. I see things as you've seen them, I think."
"Oh."
"What about you? What do you see?"
"The same, I guess. But...it's always really hazy. There is never a lot of detail, mostly just...sensations, feelings. Of all the dreams I've had of you, I only recognize a couple of things here."
Syaoran was beginning to get interested. This connection they shared was far more complicated than
he thought. How could it be that he knew more of her memories, than she did of his? Why wasn't the
connection equal in both?
"That doesn't make any sense. Your memories are usually very clear for me."
Sakura frowned, and racked her brain for an explanation. She sighed in frustration. She didn't know enough about magic to properly understand this. She had never finished her training with her mother,
and the books she had read had been more on practice than theory.
"Well, what about full moon nights? Is there anything different about them?"
Syaoran suddenly felt uncomfortable again. Yes, there was one very distinct difference.
"I can feel you. On the other end of what ever this is between us. On those nights, I can feel you, just
there...on the edges of...I don't know...my reach? This doesn't make any sense."
"No, no. I understand what you mean. I feel that too. It's always just before the dream ends, right?"
"Yea. Right before sleep comes, like..."
"We were waiting on each other," Sakura finished. Syaoran gestured helplessly but nodded. He usually
wasn't any good with words, and trying to describe something that he was both intensely uncomfortable
with, and slightly embarrassed about wasn't helping any. He closed his eyes, so he wouldn't see her face
when he said the next bit.
"It's like I'm waiting for you to come to bed."
Sakura flushed, and was glad his eyes were closed. This conversation definitely hadn't gone like she had
planned.
"Yea...that sounds right," She mumbled, looked down at her shoes in the snow. It finally began to register in her mind how cold she was getting. She shifted, her mind thankful for the distraction. Syaoran opened his eyes to look at the top of her head. He noted dimly he was nearly a foot taller than she was.
"This doesn't help the problem any does it?" He asked. Sakura shook her head, and finally garnered
enough courage to look up again.
"If anything, it makes it even stranger."
They didn't speak anymore. Syaoran waited while she grabbed her cloak and slung it around her shoulders. Then he led the way back down the path, to the village. Just before they reached the edge of the forest, Sakura pulled her hood up, and took her usual place just behind him, like a shadow. Syaoran glanced over his shoulder at her.
"We could...talk to Eriol about it," Syaoran said, not believing he had just uttered those words.
He saw her lips curve up into a small smile, as if she knew what was going through his head.
"I'd rather...not," Sakura whispered, unable to explain to him her feelings of shame, embarrassment, and at the same time possessiveness towards what she shared with him. It was their connection. It might annoy them, confuse them, and cause problems for them, but it was theirs. She needn't have bothered, without her having to say so, he understood. He felt the same, although his feelings ran more towards uncomfortable, than shame.
"Thank god," He muttered, meeting her shadowed eyes. They both looked at each other, and suddenly neither could keep back the chuckles that erupted from their mouths.
"None of this makes any sense," Sakura remarked, through her laughs. Syaoran was too busy marveling at how good it felt to laugh to answer her right away. He had forgotten how laughter could just make you feel better by experiencing it. He quieted, and they both returned to walking back to the village. Sakura walked back with a relieved smile on her face, and Syaoran with a noticeably relaxed stride.
They hadn't gotten anywhere in figuring out what was between them. But something had changed; something was very different from before. Sakura no longer walked just behind Syaoran, she walked next to him. And Syaoran, with out noticing, made room for her there.
A/N: I do not own any of the characters used in this fictional piece, nor do I stake any claim on them with the publishing of this work.
Thank you very much Miss FireGoddess for your astounding patience with my horrendious spelling and grammar.
I hope the extra long chapter is an adaqute enough apology for the wait. Life got in the way, you know how it goes. Well, final are in a few weeks, which means some prime inspiration, and a very harried author. I'll work on Chapter 15 as much as I can, and get it out as fast as I can. I know that Sakura's and Syaoran's relationship looks to be moving kind of slow, but this is an lengthy story, I've got room to develop their relationship and I plan on using it.
Anyways, we're coming up on 200 pages I think, I haven't put it all on one word document in a while, so it's just an estimation. Don't matter, I'm completely stunned I've made it this far. Next chapter is probably going to be mostly Basick Valley characters. And yes, Sakura will get her wand back soon. (I think...)
Cheers! (Happy Easter to all who the holiday applies too)(And Happy Belated St. Patrick's Day!)