There are many things I regret about my life. One of the greatest may have to be the fact that I was unable to tell when I was being deceived by the people who I believed would stay by my side through everything. I guess it was just a childish desire I held, a desire for the little group of people precious to me to stay by my side. Although I don't want nor need pity for losing my parents at a young age. Being witness to their murder I felt that I at least deserved some sort of familial love and friendly affection. Unfortunately it seemed that, that was even to much to ask for in this wretched world.
Isobel Solange Potter is the name most would know me by, and the only name I am most likely to respond to. Many titles have been bestowed upon me, a few I care not to remember or acknowledge for I feel as though I am given far too much credit for something that anyone else could have done. I did not ask to be put in a position where I would have to shoulder the responsibility of saving the world from the man who killed my parents. Nor did I ask for the unavoidable attention it would bring me after I defeated the most hated man of the century.
I just wanted to be Isobel. Not the girl who lived or the savior. Just Isobel.
"My lady please come right this way" I followed the rather star struck and nervous looking man, inwardly sighing. The hall filled with the sound of my heels on the marble floor, everyone quite and staring as I walked. I had gotten used to the stares over the years, no longer cowering under the judging eyes of the people who watched my every move. I had learned that these people would feast on the very first sight of any weakness or mistake, so I choose not to show them any. I walked with my head held high, slight swaying of my hips and my chin a touch higher in show of superiority.
I stopped in front of a massive door with an M carved in the center that stood for minister. The ministry worker quickly opened the door for me, eager to please. I gave him a slight nod, the only indication of thanks and acknowledgement I had given him today. This was apparently enough for him as he grinned and rushed out of the room, managing to shutting the door softly.
I sighed once more at the display and turned to face the minister, Kingsley. He motioned for me to have a seat. I walked over to one of the leather seats and sat down gracefully, as a lady should, a voice similar to Andromeda's sounded in my head. Kingsley cleared his throat before opening his mouth to approach the topic for which he called me here.
"Isobel, while I'm quite sure you know the reason why you are here, I shall tell you once again so we're on the same page" Kingsley's deep voice spoke, and at my nod, he proceeded to speak.
"The ministry officials and Wizengamont members are concerned about the amount of wealth you have acquired after the war, and it has been demanded that you give at least half of the wealth you are in possession of to the Ministry of Magic" Kingsley looked at me with a slightly apologetic expression on his face. I did not blame him. While the minister was considered the most politically powerful person, it was common knowledge to the upper class of society and a select few individuals that he was simply a figure head.
Although I did not blame Kingsley I decided to play around with him. I kept my face in an emotionless mask, only broken by my raised eyebrow. I saw a bead of sweat trail down his face, although I was quite delicate looking and often deemed as fragile, I am also the defeater and killer of the Dark Lord Voldemort and I would not let anyone forget that. I am not someone who will let myself get pushed around and certainly not by a council of fossils.
"You must understand minister that half of my wealth is inherited and the other half is a product of my investments, it is by all rights mine and I refuse to give even a single Knut to your so called officials and members of the Wizengamont both of which are widely known as greedy" I stated in a cool tone. I watched, amused as Kingsley gulped before straightening up and narrowing his eyes at me. Ah, so he wanted to play tough.
"Listen here Miss Potter while you are our savior and everyone is grateful for that, I am still the minister and you are under the ministry of magic. If we tell you to hand over the money, you will do so" Kingsley finished speaking with a smug and arrogant tone. Both which ticked me off quite a bit.
"First of all, you will address me as Lady Potter, as someone of your status should" I spoke, now with an ice time of voice and narrowed my emerald eyes at him dangerously. I gazed at him as though he was the dirt on the bottom of my shoe. I sniffed delicately and looked down upon him.
"You should all know by now that I am not someone to be pushed around, nor am I someone who takes lightly to being controlled. I am the lady of 8 of the oldest and most noble blood lines and so I WILL be respected and if you will not respect me you will do well to fear me. Now that the war is over many of you view me as some little girl bathing in the glory of saving your pathetic behinds but do not forget that I am the one who defeated the most dangerous dark lord in history. All of the wealth I have in possession is MINE and once upon a time I would have been naive enough to give it to you but not now. I am disgusted with wizarding Britain. I want you to remember these words of mine Kingsley. You all are doomed, for I no longer care if you all perish and so I will not be there to save your hides. For once in your lives if something does happen, do something about it and don't rely on someone else" I finished my rant and with that I rose regally from my seat. And will all the grace in the world I left the room and the minister sitting there with his mouth open.
Isobel Potter walked out of the ministers office with an air of confidence and hidden fury. All of the mister workers once again stopped whatever they were doing to stare. Fiery ringlets flowed behind her, beautiful emerald eyes blazing. Isobel Potter walked with purpose. She was beautiful. She walked with grace and an aura befitting of a queen. Queen, the perfect word to describe her. Elegance and power shone with every step she took. And this was the image that was ingrained into all of their minds and memories. The very same aura and image that thousands of stories would be told to the younger generations and the same features and distinct hair and eyes that would be in the paintings that graced almost every house in Britain.
I landed swiftly on my feet in front of Potter manor. The manor was just like any other manor that a noble of Britain would have. Elegant and big although Potter manor did have a warmer and more welcoming then most manors. This was probably due to the fact that though the Potters were pureblood, we were significantly kinder than the rest of the pureblood society. I entered my house quickly since I was in sort of a rush at the moment. The whole manor was bare. Every piece of furniture and everything to the last spoon was already packed into trunks. I had been preparing for this for months. I had already visited all of the manors I owned, which was quite a lot. I took everything not leaving anything behind and packed it into bottomless trunks which did apparently have bottoms when you filled them with so many things. I had more trunks than I care to count. All the books have been sealed into scrolls as well as every article of clothing I owned.
I had contacted gringotts a month ago and took out every last galleon in each of the vaults I owned along with the family heirlooms and jewelry. I of course took the paintings of my parents, grandparents and the other members of my family including Sirius'. Gringotts of course inquired about why I wished to take out all of the money but I didn't disclose information to anyone even though I was quite fond of the goblins. I did donate 30,000 galleons to the bank which they were thankful for.
I also had went shopping. Even though I wasn't fond of shopping with Molly Weasley since she had the most dreadful taste along with Granger, I did like shopping. I bought enough silk kimono's to fill more than a dozen wardrobes. This along with dragon hide. I knew the dragon hide would come in handy so I bought seemingly endless amounts of it. I was not someone who would leave any holes in my plan. As such I bought many books which would prove to be useful in the future along with ordering a few from different countries. I had to be fully prepared and have everything, as I could not come back to get something I forgot.
I bit my lip and looked around. I was now in my bed room chambers and I had everything inside my necklace which had a rune ingrained in it to be like a storage. Since I had everything I took the time to look out the window and took a deep breath, although no love was lost between myself and this country I did wonder how much different it would have turned out of things didn't happen the way it did or if I had not been betrayed. Though I guess I will never know, there's no point in thinking too hard on things that had already happened.
"Well Isobel say goodbye to this world" I said to myself before speaking the long and ancient spell and disappearing.
\V/
I stumbled slightly as I landed on the ground. I took a minute to regain my balance before looking at my surroundings. I was in a forest, bright and dark greens filled my eyes, the sunlight shining through some of the spaces between the leaves. I sighed with a slight frown pulling at my lips, I guess I would walk until I found someone to ask for directions. I walked for a couple of hours and took in everything around me. The scenery was beautiful even though I only saw trees I felt for relaxed then I had in years. I was finally free.
I walked for another two hours before a small town came into view. I smiled in relief and picked up the pace. As soon as I stepped inside the town and past the 'gates' which separates the town from the woods, I was immediately stared at. I kept my composure and stopped a passing man by tapping him on the shoulder. He turned to look at me sharply before looking at me up and down before setting his gaze on my breasts,a small sneer crossed my face and I decided to get out of this man's presence quickly.
"Would you mind telling me how I could get to the capital?" I questioned the man who snapped out of it before smirking.
"Yeah I know the best way there, I could take you there if you'd like" He said to me in a suggestive way that had me wanting to wring his neck. Thankfully another man stepped in. He was of average height and not as gross looking as the other man who scowled before hobbling away.
"Hello I am Geko the leader of this village, may I ask what you need my lady?" He spoke to me in a respectful tone, noting my expensive silk kimono and gold neckless. At least this once was smart enough to take notice of my status. But thank god I was lucky enough that I got here safely without bandits attacking me. Usually Lady Luck works against me, but I guess that's another thing that hopefully will change while I'm in this world.
"Pleasure to meet you Geko-San I am Maemi Izaberu Kuro and I was wondering if you could tell me the way to the capital and if possible provide me with a way to get there? I would be willing to pay of course" I said. I watched as the man, Geko, nodded quickly and motioned for the muscular but kind looking men standing next to the loaded carriages to the left to come forwards. Assuming that these men would be my escorts I smiled at them politely, I giggled when this causes some smiles and blushes. I thanked my lucky stars that Geko could get me escorts so quickly.
"Hello Kuro-sama I am Kei the leader of the merchant's that will escort you to the capital" The man Kei was muscular although he had a young babyish face that looked a bit odd on him which was sort of amusing. I settled for a nod and a smile to the kind man before turning to Geko. I handed him 500,000 ryo to him and watched as he gaped at the money in his hands and the other men and bystanders gawking as well.
"Kuro-sama this is too much" He said to me but clearly he needed the money, I shook my head. The kindest people would always be the ones who were in the worst condition or situation. Looking around the town I noticed that it wasn't in the best of conditions. People were dressed with old clothes and it was no better with the children, no wonder everyone was looking at me earlier. This man clearly needed the money but yet was refusing it.
"Keep it, it is my thanks to you for providing me with escorts to the capital" He gave me a deep bow before standing upright once again and caught the minuscule dip of my head. I didn't think he saw until I caught sight of the huge grin on his face. I turned around and nodded to Kei who motioned to his merchant guild members that it was time to leave. He escorted me to an empty carriage that was a little bigger than the rest. Kei opened the door for me and waited until I got inside before closing the door. I thanked him and watched quietly as he ordered his men and took out a map to show them the route they would be taking. They stood there for a while discussing the best ways to get to the capital and what places to avoid. When it looked like they finalized the plan the men departed and Kei walked towards me.
"My lady, we will reach the Capital in approximately 6 hours" He informed me and only left when I nodded. I was grateful that it wouldn't take that long to get there. I was expecting it to take a couple days but I guess this town is closer than I thought. I get the carriage start to move and I looked out the small window to watch the movement of the leaves as it was Ruffles by the wind as we passed by.
Minutes turned into hours and the sky turned dark. Soon before I realized it we had reached the bustling capital of the Fire country. It looked just as one of the merchant men described to me. Bright lights all over the city, loud voices of store owners shouting and trying to bring in customers. I smiled, here I was, the place where hopefully things would turn out for the better. The door of the carriage opened and I moved to get out, gently taking the hand that Kei offered to me, to help get off.
"Thank you Kei, and all of you as well, thank you for escorting me here" I said to the kind men who escorted me all the way here. I took out my purse and took out rolls of money, then proceeded to hand each man their share. All evenly distributed of course. They tried to refuse the money at first but with a stern glare from me and a stubborn refusal to take the money back had them accepting defeat.
"Thank you very much Kuro-Hime" They said in unison and bowed. A blush spread across my cheeks and I quickly tried to shush them but their enthusiastic show of gratitude had attracted the attention of the large mass of people surround us. Whispers started and then spread at a rapid place. I groaned in my head but not out loud because apparently in the pureblood handbook that andromeda had taught me, ladies do not groan.
In just a matter of minutes some men dressed in what looked like guard outfits came walking towards me as the crowd split in half for them. They stopped about a foot in front of me. The one that was leading the squad of oddly dressed looking men stepped up a little.
"Hime-sama, thankfully you have arrived here safely. We were not aware that you were coming here and for that, our deepest apologies. As you are a foreign princess we have never heard about, I hope you will understand that we will have to take precautions. But on to the main reason we are here. Our daimyo would like to invite you to have dinner at the castle, he eagerly awaits your response and hopefully, arrival to the castle. Upon your answer, we are to escort you to the castle where you will be staying" The serious man then stopped talking to hear my response.
I cleared my throat not expecting any of this. They were eventually going to find out about my status as a noble but to be regarded as a princess and already invited to have dinner with the leader was quite shocking. Then to be told I was going to be staying in the castle? It made me dizzy.
"I accept"
\V/
Wincing as the light hit my still closed eyes, I turned on my side to get away from it. I lazed around on the ridiculously comfy bed before I decided to get up. I rose from the bed and stretched, trying to open my eyes. Flinching as the room, bright from the rays of the morning sun, came into view.
It had been exactly five months since I had arrived at the capital of Fire country. The dinner with the daimyo went surprisingly well. We talked about about my heritage and wealth over traditional Japanese food. I told the daimyo of my lineage and how I was the heiress of my now extinct families, besides myself of course. Apparently being the heiress of eight noble and extremely wealthy families means an upgrade from just a blue blooded noble to a full fledged princess. Although I was surprised at first, I wasn't against this. Even though I was in Gryffindor, I was supposed to be in Slytherin. I know to keep and utilize any possible benefit to myself, and being considered a princess? Definitely a benefit.
There was however a catch to this, just as I expected. No leader would offer dinner and a place to stay to a complete stranger who claimed to be a noble. The daimyo admitted that he first invited me to the castle for dinner because he caught word of royalty being in his country and had no knowledge of my being there. Later when I showed him evidence and explained (gave a story) about how and why I was there, he was less suspicious but still wanted something to ensure that I would stay loyal to fire country.
"La luce che tu hai" I sang softly as I combed my hair at the vanity section of my bathroom, having already taken a bath and brushed my teeth. This was a habit of mine. I loved to sit down after a nice warm bath and comb my hair, it was a way for me to relax I guess.
"nel cuore restera" I hummed to my self, swaying from side to side.
It was an Italian lullaby, a lullaby I remember my mother singing to me when I was a baby. One of the only memories I had left from my parents other than the night they were murdered. The song and memory was very dear to me. I closed my eyes and recalled the distant memory in my mind. I was in my mother's arms, being cradled gently to her chest. She rocked me back and forth in a soothing motion, the dim light peeking in from the window. Her beautiful dark red hair was pulled over one shoulder and her emerald eyes glistened with love and warmth as she sang lovingly to me. I remember my dad walking into the room and chuckling softly at the sight of my mother and I. He walked towards us, making sure to keep his footsteps light. He brushed my mothers hair back and bent down to lay a soft kiss on my forehead like I imagined him doing many more times before that. Together they sang the last words of the song to me before I let sleep clam me.
"E la fede che hai acceso in noi, sento che ci salvera"
\V/
After I had finished combing my hair, I got out one of my kimonos from my wardrobe. Afterwards, I fixed my now floor length hair into an elegant French braid, then clasped the end with a golden hair clasp. As I finished styling my hair there was a knock on my door. I walked swiftly to the door and opened it only to come face to face with one of the Daimyo's guard.
"Hime-sama the Daimyo wishes for you to have some tea in his study" The guard said while bowing respectfully at the sight of me. I smiled and motioned for him to lead the way. I trailed after him, smiling and wishing good morning to the workers of the palace as they stopped what they were doing to bow to me. We stopped I front of a large door and I bid goodbye and gave my thanks to the guard to opened the door for me. There he was, the daimyo stood by a huge window. He turned his head towards me and gave a nod of acknowledgement. After he sat down on a chair he motioned for me to sit. A maid poured us some tea and for awhile we just sat there, not really talking but not an awkward silence.
"Well Mae-Hime the reason I called you here is to continue the discussion we had last time" Ah so that's what it was about. You see the last time the Daimyo and I had spoken, he told me that there was a condition that I would have to accept if I wanted to stay in his country. I was of course, not surprised. Rule number five in the pureblood handbook, consider every single possibility to a situation so you are always one step ahead.
"Since you refuse to marry one of my sons, I contacted Konoha and one of their clan heads is without a wife. If you are willing, they wish for you to wed and move to Konoha" After the Daimyo was finished speaking, he sat there waiting for my response.
Konoha. The shinobi village, it's still sort of startling that there are villages full of ninja. Not the all black wearing and funny karate moves. But the deadly weapon welding assassins. At first I was bewildered, like seriously ninjas? The idea sounded ridiculous at first but then I remembered that I was (am) a witch. I guess the idea that the ninja are there for protection is more appealing then the fact that they are killers, although I know that not all of them are protectors. Clan head, that's the leader of the clan and the position is hereditary just like a lord of a noble house. I guess getting married to him won't be that bad. He is some one of authority and should be wealthy so I won't have to worry about him being a gold digger though I would have to give a dowry. He's also a ninja which means he is hopefully strong and can protect myself and any children we may have. And by may have I mean will have, I do want children after all.
"So do you agree?" The daimyo asked me amused. I looked up startled and then blushed when I noticed that I had been nodding my head while I was listing the pros of the situations.
"What are the conditions?" I asked. Even though it didn't sound that bad, I knew that Konoha must want something.
"The clan you would be marrying into want a hefty dowry and the clan head of course wishes for an heir which you will have to provide. As his new mother you would be expected to take care of him and your child, not that i doubt you wouldn't. These things and taking care of the household are the only conditions" I could deal with these conditions. I always did want a son anyway and I loved taking care of people. Besides house hold chores wouldn't be a problem seeing as how I've been cleaning and cooking since I could walk. Considering all these facts, I nodded.
"I accept these terms"
\V/
It was a sort of solemn day, today. As I sat on a couch, gazing out of the window, I began to ponder about what would happen once I was officially married. Marriage, what does it mean to be married? Was it simply a mutual agreement two people had to join families and procreate? Or was it a celebration of two people coming together for love? I wondered about these things and as I wondered I became more and more anxious. I did not want to marry a someone just to be cast aside and neglected later. I wanted to be loved, cherished. My thoughts soon drifted to what My future husband would be like. Would he be tall? Short? Kind? Or cold? Would he be able to love me as he may have loved his first wife or would he cast me aside and have mistresses? I could not bear the thought of the man I would most likely spend the rest of my life with, in the company of his mistresses instead of me.
I listened to the pitter patter sounds of the rain. It gave me comfort as it reminded me of home, of England. It was cloudy today, the sky colored with shades of gray. It was the under the rainy weather that I left England and it was under the same weather I would leave to go to my future husbands village. Today was the day, the day that I would leave the capital of Fire country to go to Konoha. It fills me with both excitement and anxiousness.
\V/
I smiled and thanked the maids who carried my luggage to the carriage. The rain had finally lightened up and the sun was beginning to peek from behind the clouds. On orders from the Daimyo, I would be riding on a carriage. I refused at first, feeling bad that I would ride on a carriage while the shinobi would have to run beside us. But I was soon reassured by the ninja that they had no problem with it and that they were used to it. The Daimyo is also particularly stubborn so I had no choice at all.
It was quiet. Only the sounds of the carriage and the horses filled the air. There was nothing to do so I watched the scenery as we passed. There was not much to see. It was green, everywhere. Soon I drifted back into my thoughts. To be honest, I was completely and utterly petrified. I was scared. I am scared. I was so close to getting married. So, so close. I was terrified of falling in love. It's so hard to put into words but I'll try anyway.
I feel like falling in love is something everyone is worried about. It's so easy to give other people advice but when it comes down to the thought of me falling in love? I completely freeze. The thought of giving one person so much love and trust terrifies me to my very core. All my life I had been in a cage, an invisible cage but a cage nonetheless. If I fall in love with this man, he would have so much power over me. What would happen if he puts me in a cage once again? I could give up anything, my money,nobility,lungs,a kidney. Yeah, I could give all that up. But I was frightened to give him my heart, the one thing I don't want anyone to have. Because if they had my heart they would inevitably have control over me. And I don't want that. Ever.
\V/
"My lady, we are here" I heard the voice of once of the male shinobi telling me, making me come back from the clouds. I peaked through one of the windows of the carriage and gasped. A huge green gate was right I front of us. Eager, to see more I quickly made to get out of the carriage, grabbing the scrolls in which one of the ninjas had kindly stored my things into, and thanked the carriage driver for opening my door.
I slowly got out of carriage, all of a sudden very nervous. As I reached the final step and my foot touched the ground, I raised my head. There was a medium sized crowd in front of me an old man wearing white robes and an odd shaped hat in the front. With measured steps and careless grace I walked forward. I walked with elegance and certainty, just the way I was taught. I walked onwards with my head held high. To show that I was not just a mere delicate princess here to marry their clan head but that I was a strong and proud woman. I stopped a few steps I front of the Hokage who bowed to me and soon the others behind him soon followed. As soon as they got up from their bows I did a bow of my own, to show respect.
"Maemi Hime-Sama welcome to Konoha" The elderly man greeted me,speaking for the first time. I smiled at the kind old man. It still surprised me when I found out that he was the leader but I guess I should have been so surprised. Even if dumblegoat of the flaming pigeon guild was an arse he was still pretty powerful, the only thing I could respect about him.
"A pleasure to be here, your village is beautiful" Or at least what I can see of it, I thought to myself. We were all still standing by the gate in front of the village, except for the carriage and its driver who left to go back to the capital after he got his pay.
"May I introduce you to Shikaku, the Nara clan leader and your fiancé" My head shot up and I'm sure my expression was one showing my shock at the sudden announcement before schooling my face back to a calm expression. The crowd parted to let a figure pass through. My breath caught in my throat as I caught sight of the fine specimen walking towards me. He was extremely handsome. He was tall with narrow hips and broad shoulders. He had a 5 o'clock shadow and tied back black hair. A defined jawline and sharp cheekbones were facial features you could not ignore. But what caught my attention was his eyes. A dark stormy gray and as the sunlight hit his eyes, a startling silver. He was, captivating.
-Shikaku Pov-
I walked towards her confidently. I had purposely stayed in the back of the crowd to have some time to collect my thoughts before I met my bride. I would never admit out loud that I was nervous but I was. But as soon as I heard that sweet voice like belling chiming I felt a little less nervous. I expected her to look like a sweet innocent little princess but this was not what I was expecting. The woman in front of me was no little girl. Fiery red hair that fell in big curls just shy off the ground with subtle blond highlights when the sun hit caught his attention first. Then his eyes fell on her face. She was by far the most beautiful woman he had ever laid his eyes on. She had flawless pale porcelain skin with high cheekbones. Her unique and gorgeous emerald eyes framed by sooty,thick, dark eyelashes. The wind blew gently making her expensive kimono sway, time stopped for a moment between them. To him she was, enchanting.