¡§Wh¡Kwhere am I

A Fairy Tale Princess

Chapter 3: Invasion of the Dark Empire ¡V ¡§He¡¦s Dead¡K¡¨

Sakura was woken up by a loud clamor outside in the halls. She sat up, careful not to disturb the Princess. She changed quickly and slipped outside with feline grace. Outside, soldiers were running everywhere, guided by the voices of a few captains.

She noticed Syaoran, dressed in his white armor running up to her room. Sakura has only seen him in his white armor twice, but she secretly thought Syaoran was very handsome in it. ¡§Syaoran-kun, what¡¦s going on?¡¨ she asked.

Syaoran scowled at her. ¡§What did you do?¡¨ he barked.

Sakura cringed, terrified of his attitude. ¡§What do you mean, Syaoran-kun?¡¨ she asked timidly.

¡§You spied on our meeting last week, and this week the Dark Empire has attacked. You are involved somehow¡K I can¡¦t believe I misjudged you. I should have believed the advisors,¡¨ Syaoran¡¦s words were cold as the steel of his sword.

Sakura began to sob. ¡§I didn¡¦t do anything¡K Please believe me¡K¡¨ she pleaded.

Syaoran stared at her silently, without a word. He gently pushed her aside and entered the Princess¡¦s room. Sakura followed him inside, still in tears.

¡§Princess,¡¨ Syaoran called softly, kneeling by her bed and lowering his eyes to the ground. A fate worse than death awaited for anyone who openly ogled at the Princess. Even worse if she was not fully dressed.

¡§Yes, Syaoran-kun?¡¨ the Princess murmured, still longing for the comfort of her dreams.

¡§There are enemies approaching, please be prepared to leave on a moment¡¦s notice. I have to go command the defenses. I will be on the north rampart, but do not come to visit me without reason,¡¨ his voice was firm, yet his words were tender.

The Princess sat up at the news of an invasion. Her eyes showed fear. ¡§Will we be alright?¡¨ she asked in a scared voice.

¡§Of course, Princess, I will never allow harm to come to you,¡¨ Syaoran reached up and stroked her hair, eyes still watching the floor under him.

After a moment, Syaoran stood up and took Sakura by her arm. As they left the chamber, he commanded, ¡§Guard the Princess. Do not let her out.¡¨ The guards saluted in acknowledgement.

¡§You,¡¨ Syaoran turned his attention to Sakura. ¡§You belong in the dungeon, spy.¡¨

Sakura¡¦s eyes widened, tears welling up in her eyes again. ¡§I didn¡¦t do anything,¡¨ she sobbed.

Syaoran took to a deaf ear and dragged her towards the dungeons.

¡§General!¡¨ a voice called his attention. Syaoran stopped and allowed the messenger to run up to him. ¡§The¡K the¡K¡¨ he panted, taking a moment to catch his breath. ¡§The advisors¡Kthey want to see you in the Meeting Hall.¡¨

Syaoran handed Sakura¡¦s arm to him. ¡§This is a spy, take her to the dungeons,¡¨ he commanded before he walked off in the opposite direction.

The messenger looked at Sakura, confused. ¡§Um¡K This way, please,¡¨ he said politely, still wondering why he was taking the Princess to the dungeon.

Syaoran reached the meeting room, filled with advisors and commanders of various parts of the army. The soldiers all saluted him in respect as he entered the room.

¡§What is it?¡¨ he asked, ignoring the salutes.

¡§The plan¡Kthat the King will escape at the first sign of trouble¡K¡¨

¡§Yes, what about it? Has he arrived at the haven?¡¨

¡§He¡¦s dead¡K¡¨

Syaoran panicked at the news. ¡§Are¡Kare you sure it wasn¡¦t one of the false carriages?¡¨

¡§Yes, his carriage was spotted falling off a cliff, being chased by armed scouts of the Dark Empire. The candles inside must have caught fire. The forest to the south is on fire, no one will be able to find a body to confirm his death¡K¡¨

Syaoran¡¦s mind raced at the new situation. News of the King¡¦s death will crush the army¡¦s moral. He refused to lose this battle; there was still the Princess¡¦s safety at stake. ¡§Tell no one. We cannot let the moral drop. We must ensure the safety of the Princess. We will sneak her out of the kingdom by sunset.¡¨

Sakura watched the new guard relieve the night watch. A plan formed in her mind. ¡§Excuse me¡K¡¨ she called, drawing the attention of the guard.

¡§Princess!¡¨ he exclaimed. ¡§What are you doing here?¡¨ He began to fumble with the keys to her cell.

Sakura spoke carefully, reviewing her little script in her mind. ¡§Syaoran-kun said this place would be safe¡K but I rather be in my room. Let me out of here, I don¡¦t deserve to sit in here.¡¨

¡§Right away!¡¨ He unlocked the cell door and kneeled in courtesy as Sakura walked out.

Sakura climbed the stairs out of the dungeon and began running once the guard could not see her.

The general laughed and the air sounded with his maniacal glee. ¡§Oh, this is fun,¡¨ he sneered. ¡§Yet another country to destroy.¡¨

¡§Warlord,¡¨ a lowly soldier addressed. ¡§The men are ready at your command. The siege engines will be ready in a matter of hours, we are¡X¡¨

The warlord waved his hand in annoyance. ¡§Who said anything about siege engines? Go tell my commanders, we attack in one hour. Throw the useless peasants we call our army at the enemy walls for all I care. Once we have penetrated their outer wall, the real army will move in.¡¨

¡§Yes, Warlord,¡¨ the soldier trembled to under his ruthlessness.

A large figured loomed behind the Warlord, masked in an ever-present shadow. ¡§Master¡K¡¨ it growled.

¡§Patience, you will have your fun.¡¨

The figure bowed, slightly awkward because of its size. ¡§Thank you¡KMaster¡K¡¨

So~ I¡¦m not going to try to be mysterious, because I¡¦m pretty sure you know what is about to happen. But if you don¡¦t, you¡¦ll really want to read the next chapter. Come back in 3 days to read Chapter 4: A Switch of Roles ¡V ¡§She¡¦s the real princess!¡¨ on June 2, 2001!