Daphne: "OH! Only one more chapter to go, and then onto the sequel! Well, I
really hope you like this chapter, and I hope that all of you will review.
I want to know what you think! Plus, I would like some feedback on the
sequel, before I put it up, so you can mention that in the reviews as well.
Oh, and E-mails are always nice too! Anyway, enjoy the second to last
chapter of 'Forced to Love'!!!!
~*~*~*~
Forced to Love by: Daphne Li Chapter 15.
"Look! There it is! That is my father's palace!" Sakura cried, running ahead of everyone to get a better look at the dear place that she had once called home. Her eyes were sparkling and her cheeks were flushed with excitement. The others came more slowly, with Syaoran being weighed down with Chang in his arms, and Ying-fa clinging shyly to his leg. Tomoyo and Eriol were next to him with their two children, and Alongue and Tarren were not far behind, talking quietly with their three children.
"Do you like it, Ying?" Tryon asked, using her nickname. She let go of her father and nodded, her green eyes gazing at the big building in front of them. Sure, she had lived in bigger, but this palace looked so strange and different to her, it was hard not to be awed; all the other children were!
"It is just like you told us." Stephen said, running forward and taking Sakura's hand. She smiled down at him and then continued on to the palace. Knowing all of the secret passageways, Tomoyo helped lead them through the one that Sakura had carefully chosen, and then up to Sakura's old rooms. Since Tomoyo's were right next door, they put the tired children down for a nap, and then Eriol and Tomoyo went into Tomoyo's sitting room to wait for Queen Daidouji Sonomi.
They didn't have to wait very long. With a loud bang, the door was thrown open and Sonomi rushed in, her eyes searching desperately for her little girl. Instead, they landed on a handsome young man, with his arm about a lovely young woman with raven-violet hair and bright amethyst eyes. The woman stood up, her whole face beaming.
"Hello, Mother. Do you recognize me?" The woman asked softly. With a gasp, Sonomi stumbled back, unable to believe that this lovely little woman was her daughter.
"Tomoyo? Tomoyo! My baby!" Sonomi cried, no longer doubtful. Tomoyo rushed into her mother's arms and hugged her tight.
"I missed you so much! The palace was barren without you!" The queen cried. Tomoyo smiled.
"Well, there is a reason I asked you to come early, mother. I was going to tell you when we first returned, but there was not time. You see, Mother.I am."
"Mommy? I couldn't sleep." A miserable voice whispered from the doorway. Sonomi turned to see the most handsome little boy that she had ever laid eyes on. He had violet-raven hair, and bright blue eyes; eyes that looked mysteriously like Tomoyo's.
"Oh.dear." Tomoyo stammered, unable to continue. The boy looked from Tomoyo to Sonomi, and then his eyes lit up with comprehension. Knowing that he had just blown it, little Tryon decided to smooth things over.
"You must be the grandmother that I have heard so much about. Mother speaks of you endlessly." The little boy said, reaching out and kissing her hand gently. Immediately, the queen was won over.
"Tomoyo, I suppose that you will want to explain?" Sonomi asked softly, her eyes still on the little boy. Eriol was proud of his son's accomplishment, but hid it behind a mask of pleasantness. Sonomi sat down on a couch, and then, just to help things, Tryon slipped into her lap, leaning against her trustingly. The queen's arms went around him and she smiled at the little boy, who seemed quite taken with her.
"What I was going to say, was that Prince Hiiragizawa Eriol and I were married quite unexpectedly, four years ago, and we never had the chance to tell you. I am sorry, mother. But I see that our eldest son Tryon seems to like you." Tomoyo said in delight. The queen glanced at Eriol, and then smiled, knowing that behind all the rumors of his being a womanizer, there was little, if not any truth at all. Tomoyo would never fall for that sort of man. Sonomi then looked down at the little boy as Tomoyo's other words hit her.
"You have other children?!" She gasped. Eriol smiled.
"One other. Wait! I will get her." He announced, hurrying from the room and coming back moments later with his sleeping daughter in his arms. The lovely little girl immediately took Sonomi's breath away. She looked so much like her own Tomoyo, except the hair color was different. Tryon climbed off his grandmother's lap, and motioned for his father to put the baby in its grandmother's arms. Eriol did so, and Sonomi looked with delight upon the tiny little face.
"Oh, Tomoyo! She looks like you.but with Eriol's hair." She announced, making Eriol grin proudly and slip his arm around Tomoyo's waist. They talked for a while, and then Sonomi brought up the subject of Sakura.
"Tell me, darling. How is Sakura fairing?" She asked, trying to sound indifferent. It didn't work. Both Tomoyo's and Eriol's faces became reserved.
"She is.well. You will see her later." Tomoyo said carefully, not meeting her mother's eyes. From Sonomi's experience, this meant that something was not right, or that Tomoyo was holding something back. The queen, however, wisely stayed quiet, while Tryon gazed at the three adults in confusion. Soon after this, Sonomi left, telling them that she had to make plans for the ball. Tomoyo and Eriol joined their friends in readying for the ball.
~*~*~*~
"Before we left, I made you all your gowns. I even made gowns for the little ones!" Tomoyo announced, making Sakura and Alongue groan teasingly. Tomoyo glared at them while Haley and Ying-fa giggled at their mothers antics. Lana looked back and forth, confused, and then not being one to be left out, joined their giggles, making the older women laugh at her confusion.
"Come! Let's dress them first." Tomoyo said, scooping up her giggling daughter and starting to dress her. Soon, all three little girls were done. For Lana, Tomoyo had made a darling little dress of creamy white chiffon over blue silk, to match her hair. The dress was decorated with light blue ribbons and her hair was pulled back with little silver combs, that were decorated with tiny blue and white flowers. She wore darling little blue slippers on her feet.
For Haley, Tomoyo had gone with light blue satin with a feathery design embroidered on it. The dress had a creamy white sash that tied around her waist, and little white slippers for her feet. Her red-brown hair was pulled back by a single ribbon, which allowed her short curls to dangle adorably around her face.
Finally, for Ying-fa, Tomoyo had gone with a dark spring-pink silk dress, with lighter pink ribbons adorning it, and pink slippers for her tiny feet. Her auburn hair was pulled back into a half ponytail, and held there by a pink ribbon.
For all the girls, the sleeves of their dresses were short and flared, so when they raised their arms, the fabric would unfold in a sort of fan-like affect, that was actually quite lovely. The skirts of the dresses nearly touched the floor, but not quite.
Next, Tomoyo moved on to the older girls.
For Alongue's dress, she had gone for full-skirted, pearly white chiffon over creamy white satin. The dress's sleeves ended at the elbow, but then had a fringe of lace that reached about six inches below the elbow, giving the dress a lovely affect. Pearly white slippers were soon added to the picture. Tomoyo then braided two strands of hair from the sides of Alongue's head, and pulled them back and captured them with a silver clip. To finish off the product, a silver tiara, studded with opals was added. Since she was not used to having her hair down, Alongue protested, but then agreed when the three young girls clamored about how good she looked.
Sakura's dress was a full-skirted, light pink satin dress with white ribbons adorning it. The sleeves of her dress were similar to those of the little girls dresses, only a bit longer. She wore pink slippers on her feet. Sakura's hair was pulled back into a half ponytail, like her daughter's. But Tomoyo had added one more thing. Tiny little cherry blossoms were weaved into Sakura's hair, giving the finishing touch to the lovely girl-turned-lady. Placed carefully on her head was a lovely silver tiara studded with pink diamonds.
Tomoyo's dress was lavender silk, trimmed with creamy white ribbons. It's sleeves were similar to Alongue's dress and she wore lavender slippers on her feet. Her hair let down, and twined with lavender ribbons and tiny white flowers. A dainty silver tiara studded with amethysts finished off the picture.
"Mommy! You look pwritty!" Ying-fa exclaimed, hugging her girl-mother. Sakura smiled down at her and nodded.
"You do as well. We match!" She laughed, her emerald eyes sparkling.
"Where daddy?" Haley asked. Tomoyo smiled slyly.
"Getting ready for the ball. I made their clothes too." She added, making her friends burst out laughing.
"Poor Syaoran!" Sakura giggled, not able to suppress her amusement.
"I wonder what they think?" Alongue added, half in fun, and half in genuine curiosity.
~*~*~*~
"I feel like a doll." Syaoran said blandly, looking at himself in the mirror. Eriol chuckled.
"When Tomoyo makes your clothes, you *are* a doll. She only does it to humor herself and to give Sakura and Alongue a good laugh." He stated, making Tarren fall into a fit of laughter. The three boys looked at each other in confusion. They liked the outfits that Aunt Tomoyo had made them.
For Tryon, she had gone with a dark blue tuxedo made of a soft and comfortable fabric. It had a loose white undershirt, and comfortable black shoes, that were a smaller version of his father's. His page-boy cut was brushed nicely, and he looked quite handsome and grown up.
For Stephen, Tomoyo had gone for a white tuxedo, made of the same stuff as Tryon's. His undershirt was blue, and his shoes were white.
On Trey's outfit, she had gone for a light blue tuxedo, with a white undershirt and white shoes. She had made sure that the twin's outfits matched, but still had a tone of individuality in them.
"I like it. It fits my attitude." Tarren announced, looking down at his white tuxedo and blue undershirt.
"I still feel like Tomoyo's play-doll." Syaoran whined, looking down at his dark, forest-green tuxedo and white shirt. Eriol smirked at him.
"You should have been used to it by now." He laughed, motioning to his dark blue tux and white shirt. Syaoran rolled his eyes and looked over at his sleeping son, who was on a bed near them. Tomoyo had even made a soft, forest green blanket to wrap around the baby boy. Chang had taken to it immediately, and fallen asleep, clutching it in his little fist. Syaoran smiled and pried the baby's fingers off it. Then he picked up the little boy and wrapped the blanket around him, leaving only Chang's little head to be seen.
"How do you like them?" Tomoyo asked, as all the women entered the room. The men rolled their eyes.
"I like it."
"Nice."
"Do I look good?"
"I *still* feel like a doll."
"Cut that out, Syaoran."
"We all approve!" Tarren said for all of them, chuckling at Eriol, who was now throwing a few mock-punches at Syaoran.
"Well, then I think that it is time to go." Sakura said softly, taking her husband's arm and rubbing her baby's cheek adoringly. The other couples agreed and led their families outside.
"Now, mother came back a few moments ago and told me that Tarren and Alongue were going to be announced first. Then Eriol and I, then finally, Sakura and Syaoran. Sakura, remember that no one knows that you have children, so you may get quite a few stares and comments." Tomoyo reminded her. Sakura nodded sweetly, and then the group exited the room, headed for the staircase to the ballroom.
~*~*~*~
As Sonomi entered the ballroom, she could see that all Sakura and Tomoyo's old friends were present. There was Chiharu next to her brave husband Yamazaki, and there was Rika with Terada. Next to them stood Naoko and her husband Chang (a/n: Not Sakura's son!) She then searched the crowd for King Fujitaka, whom she found talking to his son and Lord Yukito. She hastened over to them, and when they looked at her expectantly, she shook her head sadly.
"Every time I mentioned Sakura's name, she changed the subject. She simply refused to speak about her. Tomoyo even seemed a bit.disturbed by my questions. I am worried, Fujitaka." Sonomi admitted. Fujitaka's face fell, and Touya grew angry.
"When she comes down, if she even looks the least bit sad, I am going to kill him. I don't care what Meiling says." Touya hissed, making Meiling comfort him. For once, she actually looked worried about the situation. Sonomi looked over and spotted Li Yelan coming into the room, walking towards them quickly.
"Any news?" She asked eagerly. Sonomi shook her head and repeated what she had told the King. Yelan's face fell.
"I was so hoping that she would be able to get through to him. Poor girl." Yelan whispered, her eyes darkening with guilt. Fujitaka didn't look much better.
"Gwampa, why you sad? Auntie Sakuwa come?" Little Milliah asked, her pretty face wrinkled into a frown. Meiling bent down and looked into her eyes.
"Grandpa is just worried. He hasn't seen Sakura for so long, and he is anxious. Wait until you see her, Millie! Just wait!" Meiling said, trying to sound excited. It worked Milliah's face lit up and she smiled prettily, making her grandfather feel a bit better.
"Gwampa be happy. I'ne here!" Milliah crowed, much to the amusement of her family and people passing by.
~*~*~*~
"Do you see her?" Chiharu asked anxiously, her eyes riveted towards the staircase. Rika sighed sadly.
"She will be here soon, Chiharu. And when she is, we have to be as welcoming as possible. I have heard that her marriage is miserable, and that was from Queen Sonomi herself!" She said dejectedly, looking at her hands. Her husband patted her back comfortingly.
"Don't worry, Rika. I am sure that Sakura is fine." He soothed. Just then, some foreign guests walked by, chatting among themselves.
".the most horrible thing he could have done. That poor, beautiful little thing had to grow up too soon!"
"I must agree. She was too sweet and innocent for a monster like that Li prince. I heard that once, to get rid of a prospective bride, he pushed the girl into a lake and nearly drowned her!"
"How dreadful! The poor child."
"I don't even want to know what kind of torture she had to go through these last four years. What, with being kidnapped and then being returned to that horrible husband of hers. Sometimes I think that it would have been better that they had just let her marry that McArther man. At least she would have had the chance to be a bit happier."
"Rumor has it that she was not bothered much on her visit there, and that some servant girl helped her to escape. Curse the wench. She only took the poor princess back to her husband, and how that must have made it worse! Curse that mindless servant."
Sakura's old friends looked at each other in horror and sorrow after they heard this, the girls eyes filling with tears, and the mens with grave looks. How could this sort of fate fall on their innocent, sweet little friend? Or had it? Suddenly, trumpets boomed and the announcer stepped up to the podium.
"Now announcing Prince Tarren, Princess Alongue, Princes Stephen and Trey, and princess Haley!"
~*~*~*~
A/N:
Daphne: "Oh, cliffhanger! I think that the next chapter will be the last, but I am not sure. I will remind you that there is a sequel to this, so you will have more to read soon!"
~*~*~*~
Forced to Love by: Daphne Li Chapter 15.
"Look! There it is! That is my father's palace!" Sakura cried, running ahead of everyone to get a better look at the dear place that she had once called home. Her eyes were sparkling and her cheeks were flushed with excitement. The others came more slowly, with Syaoran being weighed down with Chang in his arms, and Ying-fa clinging shyly to his leg. Tomoyo and Eriol were next to him with their two children, and Alongue and Tarren were not far behind, talking quietly with their three children.
"Do you like it, Ying?" Tryon asked, using her nickname. She let go of her father and nodded, her green eyes gazing at the big building in front of them. Sure, she had lived in bigger, but this palace looked so strange and different to her, it was hard not to be awed; all the other children were!
"It is just like you told us." Stephen said, running forward and taking Sakura's hand. She smiled down at him and then continued on to the palace. Knowing all of the secret passageways, Tomoyo helped lead them through the one that Sakura had carefully chosen, and then up to Sakura's old rooms. Since Tomoyo's were right next door, they put the tired children down for a nap, and then Eriol and Tomoyo went into Tomoyo's sitting room to wait for Queen Daidouji Sonomi.
They didn't have to wait very long. With a loud bang, the door was thrown open and Sonomi rushed in, her eyes searching desperately for her little girl. Instead, they landed on a handsome young man, with his arm about a lovely young woman with raven-violet hair and bright amethyst eyes. The woman stood up, her whole face beaming.
"Hello, Mother. Do you recognize me?" The woman asked softly. With a gasp, Sonomi stumbled back, unable to believe that this lovely little woman was her daughter.
"Tomoyo? Tomoyo! My baby!" Sonomi cried, no longer doubtful. Tomoyo rushed into her mother's arms and hugged her tight.
"I missed you so much! The palace was barren without you!" The queen cried. Tomoyo smiled.
"Well, there is a reason I asked you to come early, mother. I was going to tell you when we first returned, but there was not time. You see, Mother.I am."
"Mommy? I couldn't sleep." A miserable voice whispered from the doorway. Sonomi turned to see the most handsome little boy that she had ever laid eyes on. He had violet-raven hair, and bright blue eyes; eyes that looked mysteriously like Tomoyo's.
"Oh.dear." Tomoyo stammered, unable to continue. The boy looked from Tomoyo to Sonomi, and then his eyes lit up with comprehension. Knowing that he had just blown it, little Tryon decided to smooth things over.
"You must be the grandmother that I have heard so much about. Mother speaks of you endlessly." The little boy said, reaching out and kissing her hand gently. Immediately, the queen was won over.
"Tomoyo, I suppose that you will want to explain?" Sonomi asked softly, her eyes still on the little boy. Eriol was proud of his son's accomplishment, but hid it behind a mask of pleasantness. Sonomi sat down on a couch, and then, just to help things, Tryon slipped into her lap, leaning against her trustingly. The queen's arms went around him and she smiled at the little boy, who seemed quite taken with her.
"What I was going to say, was that Prince Hiiragizawa Eriol and I were married quite unexpectedly, four years ago, and we never had the chance to tell you. I am sorry, mother. But I see that our eldest son Tryon seems to like you." Tomoyo said in delight. The queen glanced at Eriol, and then smiled, knowing that behind all the rumors of his being a womanizer, there was little, if not any truth at all. Tomoyo would never fall for that sort of man. Sonomi then looked down at the little boy as Tomoyo's other words hit her.
"You have other children?!" She gasped. Eriol smiled.
"One other. Wait! I will get her." He announced, hurrying from the room and coming back moments later with his sleeping daughter in his arms. The lovely little girl immediately took Sonomi's breath away. She looked so much like her own Tomoyo, except the hair color was different. Tryon climbed off his grandmother's lap, and motioned for his father to put the baby in its grandmother's arms. Eriol did so, and Sonomi looked with delight upon the tiny little face.
"Oh, Tomoyo! She looks like you.but with Eriol's hair." She announced, making Eriol grin proudly and slip his arm around Tomoyo's waist. They talked for a while, and then Sonomi brought up the subject of Sakura.
"Tell me, darling. How is Sakura fairing?" She asked, trying to sound indifferent. It didn't work. Both Tomoyo's and Eriol's faces became reserved.
"She is.well. You will see her later." Tomoyo said carefully, not meeting her mother's eyes. From Sonomi's experience, this meant that something was not right, or that Tomoyo was holding something back. The queen, however, wisely stayed quiet, while Tryon gazed at the three adults in confusion. Soon after this, Sonomi left, telling them that she had to make plans for the ball. Tomoyo and Eriol joined their friends in readying for the ball.
~*~*~*~
"Before we left, I made you all your gowns. I even made gowns for the little ones!" Tomoyo announced, making Sakura and Alongue groan teasingly. Tomoyo glared at them while Haley and Ying-fa giggled at their mothers antics. Lana looked back and forth, confused, and then not being one to be left out, joined their giggles, making the older women laugh at her confusion.
"Come! Let's dress them first." Tomoyo said, scooping up her giggling daughter and starting to dress her. Soon, all three little girls were done. For Lana, Tomoyo had made a darling little dress of creamy white chiffon over blue silk, to match her hair. The dress was decorated with light blue ribbons and her hair was pulled back with little silver combs, that were decorated with tiny blue and white flowers. She wore darling little blue slippers on her feet.
For Haley, Tomoyo had gone with light blue satin with a feathery design embroidered on it. The dress had a creamy white sash that tied around her waist, and little white slippers for her feet. Her red-brown hair was pulled back by a single ribbon, which allowed her short curls to dangle adorably around her face.
Finally, for Ying-fa, Tomoyo had gone with a dark spring-pink silk dress, with lighter pink ribbons adorning it, and pink slippers for her tiny feet. Her auburn hair was pulled back into a half ponytail, and held there by a pink ribbon.
For all the girls, the sleeves of their dresses were short and flared, so when they raised their arms, the fabric would unfold in a sort of fan-like affect, that was actually quite lovely. The skirts of the dresses nearly touched the floor, but not quite.
Next, Tomoyo moved on to the older girls.
For Alongue's dress, she had gone for full-skirted, pearly white chiffon over creamy white satin. The dress's sleeves ended at the elbow, but then had a fringe of lace that reached about six inches below the elbow, giving the dress a lovely affect. Pearly white slippers were soon added to the picture. Tomoyo then braided two strands of hair from the sides of Alongue's head, and pulled them back and captured them with a silver clip. To finish off the product, a silver tiara, studded with opals was added. Since she was not used to having her hair down, Alongue protested, but then agreed when the three young girls clamored about how good she looked.
Sakura's dress was a full-skirted, light pink satin dress with white ribbons adorning it. The sleeves of her dress were similar to those of the little girls dresses, only a bit longer. She wore pink slippers on her feet. Sakura's hair was pulled back into a half ponytail, like her daughter's. But Tomoyo had added one more thing. Tiny little cherry blossoms were weaved into Sakura's hair, giving the finishing touch to the lovely girl-turned-lady. Placed carefully on her head was a lovely silver tiara studded with pink diamonds.
Tomoyo's dress was lavender silk, trimmed with creamy white ribbons. It's sleeves were similar to Alongue's dress and she wore lavender slippers on her feet. Her hair let down, and twined with lavender ribbons and tiny white flowers. A dainty silver tiara studded with amethysts finished off the picture.
"Mommy! You look pwritty!" Ying-fa exclaimed, hugging her girl-mother. Sakura smiled down at her and nodded.
"You do as well. We match!" She laughed, her emerald eyes sparkling.
"Where daddy?" Haley asked. Tomoyo smiled slyly.
"Getting ready for the ball. I made their clothes too." She added, making her friends burst out laughing.
"Poor Syaoran!" Sakura giggled, not able to suppress her amusement.
"I wonder what they think?" Alongue added, half in fun, and half in genuine curiosity.
~*~*~*~
"I feel like a doll." Syaoran said blandly, looking at himself in the mirror. Eriol chuckled.
"When Tomoyo makes your clothes, you *are* a doll. She only does it to humor herself and to give Sakura and Alongue a good laugh." He stated, making Tarren fall into a fit of laughter. The three boys looked at each other in confusion. They liked the outfits that Aunt Tomoyo had made them.
For Tryon, she had gone with a dark blue tuxedo made of a soft and comfortable fabric. It had a loose white undershirt, and comfortable black shoes, that were a smaller version of his father's. His page-boy cut was brushed nicely, and he looked quite handsome and grown up.
For Stephen, Tomoyo had gone for a white tuxedo, made of the same stuff as Tryon's. His undershirt was blue, and his shoes were white.
On Trey's outfit, she had gone for a light blue tuxedo, with a white undershirt and white shoes. She had made sure that the twin's outfits matched, but still had a tone of individuality in them.
"I like it. It fits my attitude." Tarren announced, looking down at his white tuxedo and blue undershirt.
"I still feel like Tomoyo's play-doll." Syaoran whined, looking down at his dark, forest-green tuxedo and white shirt. Eriol smirked at him.
"You should have been used to it by now." He laughed, motioning to his dark blue tux and white shirt. Syaoran rolled his eyes and looked over at his sleeping son, who was on a bed near them. Tomoyo had even made a soft, forest green blanket to wrap around the baby boy. Chang had taken to it immediately, and fallen asleep, clutching it in his little fist. Syaoran smiled and pried the baby's fingers off it. Then he picked up the little boy and wrapped the blanket around him, leaving only Chang's little head to be seen.
"How do you like them?" Tomoyo asked, as all the women entered the room. The men rolled their eyes.
"I like it."
"Nice."
"Do I look good?"
"I *still* feel like a doll."
"Cut that out, Syaoran."
"We all approve!" Tarren said for all of them, chuckling at Eriol, who was now throwing a few mock-punches at Syaoran.
"Well, then I think that it is time to go." Sakura said softly, taking her husband's arm and rubbing her baby's cheek adoringly. The other couples agreed and led their families outside.
"Now, mother came back a few moments ago and told me that Tarren and Alongue were going to be announced first. Then Eriol and I, then finally, Sakura and Syaoran. Sakura, remember that no one knows that you have children, so you may get quite a few stares and comments." Tomoyo reminded her. Sakura nodded sweetly, and then the group exited the room, headed for the staircase to the ballroom.
~*~*~*~
As Sonomi entered the ballroom, she could see that all Sakura and Tomoyo's old friends were present. There was Chiharu next to her brave husband Yamazaki, and there was Rika with Terada. Next to them stood Naoko and her husband Chang (a/n: Not Sakura's son!) She then searched the crowd for King Fujitaka, whom she found talking to his son and Lord Yukito. She hastened over to them, and when they looked at her expectantly, she shook her head sadly.
"Every time I mentioned Sakura's name, she changed the subject. She simply refused to speak about her. Tomoyo even seemed a bit.disturbed by my questions. I am worried, Fujitaka." Sonomi admitted. Fujitaka's face fell, and Touya grew angry.
"When she comes down, if she even looks the least bit sad, I am going to kill him. I don't care what Meiling says." Touya hissed, making Meiling comfort him. For once, she actually looked worried about the situation. Sonomi looked over and spotted Li Yelan coming into the room, walking towards them quickly.
"Any news?" She asked eagerly. Sonomi shook her head and repeated what she had told the King. Yelan's face fell.
"I was so hoping that she would be able to get through to him. Poor girl." Yelan whispered, her eyes darkening with guilt. Fujitaka didn't look much better.
"Gwampa, why you sad? Auntie Sakuwa come?" Little Milliah asked, her pretty face wrinkled into a frown. Meiling bent down and looked into her eyes.
"Grandpa is just worried. He hasn't seen Sakura for so long, and he is anxious. Wait until you see her, Millie! Just wait!" Meiling said, trying to sound excited. It worked Milliah's face lit up and she smiled prettily, making her grandfather feel a bit better.
"Gwampa be happy. I'ne here!" Milliah crowed, much to the amusement of her family and people passing by.
~*~*~*~
"Do you see her?" Chiharu asked anxiously, her eyes riveted towards the staircase. Rika sighed sadly.
"She will be here soon, Chiharu. And when she is, we have to be as welcoming as possible. I have heard that her marriage is miserable, and that was from Queen Sonomi herself!" She said dejectedly, looking at her hands. Her husband patted her back comfortingly.
"Don't worry, Rika. I am sure that Sakura is fine." He soothed. Just then, some foreign guests walked by, chatting among themselves.
".the most horrible thing he could have done. That poor, beautiful little thing had to grow up too soon!"
"I must agree. She was too sweet and innocent for a monster like that Li prince. I heard that once, to get rid of a prospective bride, he pushed the girl into a lake and nearly drowned her!"
"How dreadful! The poor child."
"I don't even want to know what kind of torture she had to go through these last four years. What, with being kidnapped and then being returned to that horrible husband of hers. Sometimes I think that it would have been better that they had just let her marry that McArther man. At least she would have had the chance to be a bit happier."
"Rumor has it that she was not bothered much on her visit there, and that some servant girl helped her to escape. Curse the wench. She only took the poor princess back to her husband, and how that must have made it worse! Curse that mindless servant."
Sakura's old friends looked at each other in horror and sorrow after they heard this, the girls eyes filling with tears, and the mens with grave looks. How could this sort of fate fall on their innocent, sweet little friend? Or had it? Suddenly, trumpets boomed and the announcer stepped up to the podium.
"Now announcing Prince Tarren, Princess Alongue, Princes Stephen and Trey, and princess Haley!"
~*~*~*~
A/N:
Daphne: "Oh, cliffhanger! I think that the next chapter will be the last, but I am not sure. I will remind you that there is a sequel to this, so you will have more to read soon!"