Disclaimer: I don't own digimon.
A/N: Just to let you know, I got the idea for this story by combining concepts from different books, movies, fan fiction, and video games, namely Final Fantasy 1, Lord of the Rings, The Mark (fanfic, not Left Behind), and Having Faith: The Saga of Hope & Light. So, without further ado, please R/R, and I hope you enjoy the story.
----------Prologue----------------------
The sounds of clanging swords echoed through the castle's Main Hall. Takeru could taste the salt of his own sweat as he parried his opponent's blows. Suddenly, he saw an opening, and used his adversary's weakness against him. He struck Yamato in the neck with the flat side of his blade, sending his brother to the ground.
"Good round, Takeru," the prince said as he rose off of the stony floor. "You're getting better. Well, that's enough for today. Now go upstairs and change into something sensible for the banquet father's holding tonight, in your honor." Yamato sheathed his sword and walked out of the room.
Takeru sighed. That was the last thing he needed now was a dinner just for him. His sixteenth birthday was coming up, and he already was under a ton of stress for whatever reason. He ran upstairs and into his room. He was a wealthy prince, and he had no concerns about running out of clothes. His main problem was that he had trouble deciding what to wear. It took nearly five minutes to decide, and another ten minutes to change. Takeru never used slaves to help him like Matt did. He hated the idea of working other people to death just so that you could get what you wanted. Slaves, however, weren't used much in the Ontak kingdom, in which he ruled. He never really liked being a prince either, the only time he went into the outside world was to go to other kingdoms to conduct business with his father. But he wanted to go far beyond there, far beyond Kasen, the Country of Man. He wanted to see the elves and the dwarves, the hobbits, and everything in between.
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"Great King Ontak, we present to your son a gift for his sixteenth birthday." The Dining Hall was filled to the brim with guests dressed in elegant clothing. In the center of the room was a grand mahogany table, used only when guests are over. On the end of the table opposite of Takeru stood the renowned king of Yelsand, the second most powerful kingdom in Kasen. "Prince Takeru, we present to you this sword, whose blade is of iron and whose hilt is of gold. And, as a second gift, our best servant in all the kingdom of Yelsand."
Takeru almost flinched when he heard the word "servant". But, for the moment, he wasn't thinking about any of that. The girl in rags, about Takeru's age, was the most beautiful he had seen in all his life. Her brown hair fell to her shoulders, and her reddish-brown eyes were full of such serenity that Takeru couldn't help but smile inside. Her face, however, was downcast, and Takeru couldn't help but wonder why. If he had to take a guest, it would be because she was being given away, given away like an inanimate item. He looked at King Yelsand and grinned politely.
"Great," he heard his father say, "have her cleaned up and sent to Prince Takeru's room. And as for the sword, leave that here." His servants nodded and took the girl out of the room. Takeru nearly shook with anticipation. He couldn't wait for the banquet to be over so that he could go upstairs and meet the girl.
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Hikari sat on Takeru's bed, waiting for the young prince to come into the room. King Yelsand wasn't the nice, courteous man as he had made himself out to be at the dinner. In reality, he was an evil tyrant who wanted nothing more than power. Hikari had received hundreds of scars over the years to prove it, too. But there was something in her new master's eyes that showed he wasn't an evil monster like Yelsand.
Her thoughts were interrupted when she heard the door open, and Takeru stepped in. Hikari looked down at the ground. "What's wrong?" Takeru asked. She felt his hand under her chin, lifting her head up to look at him. She didn't dare answer his question, for fear she would receive the same action she did with Yelsand. "What's your name?" Again no answer. "Come on, you can answer me. Now, what's your name?"
"Hi--Hikari, Prince Takeru."
Takeru smiled. "That's a beautiful name, Miss Hikari."
"Thank you, Prince Takeru." Hikari heard the young man laugh.
"Hey, we can get rid of the formalities here. We're friends, right? And as far as I'm concerned, we're equals. I don't believe in owning slaves." Hikari looked up at Takeru. Did that mean-- that she was free? She watched as the prince walked to his window and looked through it. "Come to think about it, I don't like royalty either."
"But why? You're one of the most powerful people in the entire country. I would think that you'd love this life."
"Power is evil. Power corrupts the minds of men. Power kills and does nothing but destroys. Power can be used for good. Just look at my father. But there are more examples of power being used for evil than not."
Hikari walked over to Takeru. "Just like with Yelsand."
Takeru turned to face her. "What? He seemed pretty nice to me."
"He may seem nice, but his heart holds no sympathy towards those lower than him, but to me he seems to be the lowest of all creatures."
"You know what? I think I'm beginning to like you," Takeru laughed.
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There's the prologue. You like? Please R/R.