Hello all! My first posting, so you'll have to be kind and forgive the glaring grammatical errors and other inconsistencies. Most of this was written in the dead of night anyway! Please bear with the slow/boring start, but I didn't want to confuse you all later anyway.

Prologue

SEVENTEEN YEARS AGO

"King Nakamura! Wake UP!"

Ryo Nakamura, was rudely pulled from his slumber by the sound of fists beating against his door. Muttering curses under his breath, he strode purposefully towards the door. The King moved his arm in a sweeping motion, willing the door to open. In his rage however, he applied too much force as the massive oak doors exploded from its hinges, revealing those responsible for the disturbance. "WHAT is going-" The King froze. There stood the member of his council, his most esteemed of his advisors, Hasekura-san, Ogasawara-san and Fukuzawa-san, amongst them.

"Your majesty" A quick bow from Fukuzawa-san. "The palace in under attack-"

"Impossible!" The King spat in disbelief. "From who? Who would attack us? We have no enemies!" And it was true. The land of Lilian was completely united. Geographically the land had been divided into four quadrants, with each quadrant being ruled by a separate castle – The Chinesis Castle, The Foetida Castle, The Gigantea Castle and The Hanadera Castle. Furthermore he was assured of their loyalty as each ruler have given at least 5 years of servitude, first starting out as Canons (knights), then working their way up to the Compasses level of service (Advisors) and finally the strongest and most loyal of those were elected to be Castles (Earls) for three year terms, after which they would either be re-elected, promoted to join the Crown in helping rule all four castles, or simply retire to a quieter life. Each Castle was loyal to the Crown, which was situated in the middle of the four quadrants. King Nakamura was not aware of any dissent from his people. "Impossible!" he repeated.

"-We are being attacked from the inside. We have been betrayed." Hasekura-san. Great, and noble Hasekura-san. He was the head of the army, so naturally he would know what was happening.

"A traitor?! Who is it?" Demanded the king. Now for the first time he noticed the absence of two households from the group that stood before him. "Satou-san?" He whispered in disbelief.

"No." The voice belonged to Yuichi Fukuzawa, his most trusted advisor, and, unbeknownst to everyone, his Keeper. The Satou Household will always be with you. Both Keiji-san and Kayo-san are trying to hold Asuka off."

The King froze. Asuka Miyahara was not only the last member of his council, but also his sister in law through a marriage. She was a very powerful and ambitious woman, and her household was one of the strongest in all the land, losing out only to himself and the Ogasawara line. Of late, she had become increasingly dissatisfied with the King's choices regarding the common folk – his most unpopular decision being to allow those of common lineage to be allowed to train in a Castle if they demonstrated any magical abilities- she of course, felt that power should be delineated based on pedigree instead of talent. Despite these squabbles however, her greatest insult to date was his refusal to ordain a match for her daughter with one of Yuichi's children. The woman was hell-bent on advancing her rank in the royal line and so her first choice had been to bond Naomi with baby Sachiko, however the bond did not take. It had been a dark day when the match failed, however she was elated when she discovered that the Fukuzawas had produced two heirs of their own, one of whom, it was rumoured, possessed a power much greater than the Ogasawaras, and possibly even the royal Nakamuras. However, which, nobody could tell yet. Hearing of this, Asuka had confronted him about making a political match between one of the Fukuzawa children and her daughter.

-FLASHBACK-

"It is not how it works." He explained. "It is a sacred promise made to one another, and it is sealed with an act of love and kinship. You cannot forge that type of connection with sheer force and expect it to be effective. They must choose for themselves."

At the time he had thought Asuka was simply trying to ensure her daughter Naomi, a girl who showed very little aptitude with magic, would still have a place in the Royal Court. He understood her concern. Despite being born from a powerful family, Naomi demonstrated very little aptitude for magical ability. Such folk, while not mistreated or discriminated by society, would be forced to live ordinary lives. However, if Naomi were to be bound to someone who possessed an incredible amount of power, she would then have a chance at becoming a great leader in the Kingdom as the bond created when one becomes a Keeper, connected two individuals in a way that so that one could take strength or even life from another. Likewise however, strength borrowed by one, is strength taken for the other as there was a finite amount to be distributed. That is why the bond had to be so deep – it was the only way that someone would willingly sacrifice their well being, their life. The identity of one's keeper, however, was to remain a secret. It was not a rule of course, but since you held someone's life so closely in your hand, it was best not to broadcast the individual to whom you were connected... if that person were killed, then you would have to spend the rest of your life sleeping with one eye open, because there would be nobody there to look over you.

"My answer is final, Asuka. I will not force a bond".

- END FLASHBACK-

"I was so naive." The King thought bitterly. Asuka is only concerned with garnering enough power to steal the crown! She does not care about keeping Naomi in the Royal Court! Snapping out of his reverie, the King knew what he had to do next. "The children!" Where are the children?!" King Nakamura ran towards the nursery, his council following behind him.

They burst through the door, rudely awakening everyone. Cries filled the air as the children awoke, groggily. Hearing the noise, the women rushed from the adjoining room into the nursery. "What are you doing!" Demanded Miyuki Fukuzawa.

Yuichi ran towards his infant children, gathering both Yumi and Yuuki in his arms. The other parents followed suit, unsure of what the King was thinking. "Are they all accounted for?" The King asked. Only one bed lay empty: Naomi's obviously. "Asuka is going to try to kidnap-" The King's eyes darted towards Yuichi and Miyuki. "We must depart. She will be looking for us."

"We must go to the tower. It is the strongest point in this Castle. It has been fortified by layers of magic, spells and incantations. We will be safe there." The voice belonged to Tooru Ogasawara. His wife Sayako cradled a one year old Sachiko in her arms.

"I agree. We can overpower her there. The Tower will magnify all of our abilities." Informed Hasekura-san.

"Let us go." The King agreed.

Yuichi ran as fast as he could while protecting the warm bundle in his arms. He thought his lungs would give out at any moment, or that he would double over and vomit, he was so scared for his family. He was not the warrior type, he never had been. Literature and art had always held his attention, much to his father's disappointment. Though due to his intelligence and strategic thinking, his superiors at the Hanadera Castle had continued to promote him until finally, his training was complete. Even though he possessed little military knowledge, his place on the King's council was of little surprise to anyone, and it had nothing to do with his lineage. Throughout the Kingdom he was known for his affable nature and noble heart. What was surprising however, was that the King had asked him to be his Keeper, a role he thought would go to a great warrior such as Hasekura-san or Satou-san.

Yuichi kept running, but was abruptly stopped moments later. The king had grabbed his and his wife's arms. They were in front of the library. The other members of the council continued running, apparently unaware that the other three had stopped. "Yuichi. Miyuki. She is after one of your children. She will not stop until she has bound Naomi to.. to.. Do you know which one is...?? We must hide-"

Yuichi shook his head. "No. We do not know, it's too soon to tell-."

The King looked around desperately as if the answer would be written on the walls. "We will have to leave it up to chance then. Th-The boy. Save Yuuki. The male heir is usually the stronger one.. Give her Yumi. She might be fooled for just long enough- or until we can get..."

"You will have me choose between my own children?"

"It's the only way."

Yuichi was torn. He knew in his heart that this was the only way. But that he would have to choose between his kingdom and his family... it was a choice he had never wanted to make. Yuichi looked at his wife who now shed tears for the daughter they knew they would have to lose. "I-I..."

Too late. The door blasted open from a force so great the stone shook and the windows shattered. There stood Asuka, a twisted smile formed on her lips.

"Idiots. You thought you could fight me? You thought sending the great Satou-warriors would be enough? Ha! Well I have taken care of them. They are no more!" Asuka let loose an evil laugh that sent chills up the King's spine. Then in a deadly whisper, "You should have given me what I wanted. I would have gotten it in the end anyway. Give me the child."

"Never!" Miyuki screamed in anger, protecting her child from Asuka. Yuichi, with a rage never seen before stood by his wife, protecting the other child. In the distance, footsteps of soldiers could be heard making their way towards the now destroyed library.

"I have no time for these games!" Asuka growled, and with that Asuka raised her arms, channelling all of her power to a ball of energy between her hands. Her arms came crashing down. A white blinding light, screams, followed by a sickening crunching sound filled the air as the room crashed to the ground... and then, silence.

The dust began to settle, unconscious on the ground were the three adults. Miyuki Fukuzawa had been crushed under a pillar, protecting a small infant in her arms. The King and Yuichi had met similar fates. Asuka grew momentarily worried. Perhaps the child's powers were not yet strong enough to protect- I was certain that a child who possessed so much power would be not have been harmed! What-what if I accidentally killed- Suddenly a small cough broke through the air, followed by a sputter and then crying. Asuka saw a small child sitting up, a few feet away from Yuichi's broken body. Tears flowed from the baby's eyes, and Asuka went to pick up the child. "Ah. Well, you must be the one then!" Asuka said, relieved. With that Asuka stole the baby into the night. Things were finally going her way. Soon, Naomi would have a Keeper, and she would be strong enough to take over Lilian.

Distant voices brought the king back to reality. "W-Where am I?" Lifting his hand to touch his throbbing skull he was hit with a sharp wave of pain everywhere. "Sire!" It was Madame, Lilian's greatest healer. She had done her best to mend his injuries with her powers, but with a beating so severe it was impossible to address everything.

King Nakamura looked around. He was surrounded by his council. "Y-Yuichi." He said quickly. "Where is –"

"Dead. Both Yuichi and Miyuki died that night. Miyuki's death was instant... but Yuichi. We did not know he was your Keeper. He gave his life for you."

The King strained to remember what happened. He recalled a great white flash. The feeling of being burned from the inside out, and then an immense pressure crushing his chest – that must have been the rubble that fell atop of him. He felt his life slowly ebbing away and blackness coming in, when suddenly a hand. A hand had reached out and grasped his. He saw it was Yuichi. He was so glad to not be alone, he smiled. He could feel his energy returning to him, magically. He tried to call out to Yuichi and tell him it was going to be okay, that he was feeling stronger already. But as he gained his strength, he could see the light in Yuichi's eyes fading... fading until it went out, and his hand slipped from him.

The King sat immobile in the hospital bed.

"We- we managed to save only one of the Fukuzawa children. We think it may be the one Asuka was after, she must have grabbed the wrong one- or maybe, the other did not survive. The Fukuzawa line, it is in grave danger now... we must preserve that line... We have found a place to raise -"

A great cry broke through the air. The king had finally processed all that was said, only found that he could only cry, and cry and cry.