Umi: Hi again!!! It's me, Umi-chan! Well, okay, in this chapter we meet Princess Sakura! And all the problems her kingdom faces and I also added in Eriol.  But he is. …Evil… ^_^; I'm sorry but he was the only guy I could think of! Believe me I love him to death (not as much as Syaoran) but I love him nonetheless! So he's only like this in the story.

Fuu: Umi-san! Just get on with the story would ya?

Umi: Gomen ne Fuu-chan!  Anyway, I don't own Card Captor Sakura…darn it…

Chapter One:  The Cherry Blossom

The Blossom, The Wolf, and A Weasel

By Ryuuzaki Umi

          Tomoyo, formerly nurse to Princess Sakura, no (since Sakura at sixteen, was too old for such things as nurses) her chief lady- servant, paused in the doorway of the king's house.  Hands on her slim waist, she looked about the bare-earth courtyard. ~Now where is that girl? ~

          All about her, the folk were going about their daily affairs.  Going in and out of their circular, thatched roof homes.  Pausing to chat with friends or barter for pots, tools, or vegetables.  One would almost think, that there'd had never been a drought the past year or a poor harvest; people did tend to live life in the present.

          But nowhere in the bustle was there a sign of the princess.  Tomoyo impatiently brushed a strand of raven hair back over her shoulder.  What had King Fujitaka been thinking, giving his daughter the training of a prince? Granted, Sakura was the good king's only child and heir, but even so…

          ~It just isn't proper, ~ Tomoyo decided.  Had these still been the days of Sakura's grandfather, no young lady, certainly not a princess, would ever be allowed to go galloping off like a—a head strong boy.

          "Open the gates!"  A gatekeeper shouted.  And here came Sakura now, rushing in at the head of a small group of warriors.  The girl sat on her gray horse as well as any of them, tunic bunched up to her knees.  Dangling legs protected by boyish leggings and sturdy sandals; thee only sign of her royalty was the star necklace around her neck given to her from her mother.

          Tomoyo shook her head as the riders reined up and dismounted, servants hurrying to take away their horses.  Sakura was never going to be as soft or traditional as pretty, but she certainly was striking, particularly now, with her long hair and her emerald eyes—Nadeshiko's emerald eyes—so sparkling and full of life.  The woman wrinkled up her nose. Striking, too, was the aroma of sweaty pony clinging to the girl.  Tomoyo stomped towards the stable to retrieve what she was looking for.

          "Now, is this any way for a princess to look?" she scolded.  "Particularly one who is no longer a child?"

          "I suppose not, " Sakura agreed with a grin.  "But wouldn't I look silly riding about checking the condition of my father's fields in a regal gown?"

          "Humph, well never mind.  Your royal father has summoned you to him my girl. Come, you have just enough time to change into something a bit less…smelly…"

~*In her room*~

          Sakura grinned to herself.  It was fun riding around like a boy, but she had to admit it felt good to be dressed more like a true princess again, her white gown brightly embroidered at the hem and neckline.  Her auburn hair fell wavy and loose down her back.  ~And now to see what Father wants…~ 

~*In the hall*~

A respectable servant held open the door for the princess.  Sakura smiled at the servant and entered—only to stop short, suddenly uneasy.  Her father sat alone before her, head in hands.  He looked so woeful that the girl asked warily: "Father? Are you…all right?"

King Fujitaka looked up sharply, and then very evidently forced a smile on his weary face. "Sakura.  How went your ride?"

          "Well enough." She hesitated, wondering just how much of the truth he wanted to hear right now, then continued warily, "The spring planting is going nicely, and all should be well if…"

          "If only the rain comes. I know."

          ~Oh yes, if only the rains come, ~ Sakura echoed silently, ~as they didn't come last year…~

          The drought had meant near-disaster for the land, what with the crops failing and her father having nearly empty the royal treasure just to buy enough grain to keep all his people alive. ~And if the drought returned this year…~ Sakura refused to think of that.

          King Fujitaka cleared his throat nervously.  "You don't remember your mother, do you?"

          The woman had died when Sakura was barely three; all the princess remembered was when she tried to think of her mother was someone with long arms, and long, dark hair.  "N—not really, you know that. Why are you—?"

          "I loved her very much.  But…" The king shook his head. " I shouldn't have let emotion control me.  After her death I should have married again, had another heir.  I never should have put such a burden on you."

          "Irwain is my home! Of course I worry about it! Father please, what is all this?  Aren't you happy with me?"

          "Oh, love, very happy! No king could ask for a better heir, girl or boy." He took a deep breath. "I received a messenger bird today.  The ambassador from Eriol of Lerlais will be arriving in a few days."

          Sakura froze. "Oh, not that again! Doesn't he ever give up?"

          "Sakura, love, I know you didn't like King Eriol when you first met him.  But you were barely out of childhood at the time, hardly old enough to be a good judge of character."

          ~Old enough~ the princess thought bitterly, but said nothing.  Fujitaka smiled uncertainly. "Eriol of Lerlais may be some years your senior, but he's still young, and I imagine a woman would find him rather handsome.  Would marriage with him be such a dreadful thing?"

          "Yes, it would!" Sakura snapped, more sharply than she'd intended.  Seeing her father stare at her, she hastily continued, "We both know the man isn't madly in love with me.  He wouldn't care if I was ugly or—or as stupid as a rock!  All he wants is Irwain, and our trading route through the forest with it."

          King Fujitaka sighed. "That, alas, is the way the game of politics is played.  I thought you knew that."

          "Yes, of course, but—

          "Sakura, I will admit I had once hoped for a different alliance, one with our other neighbor instead."

          "King Anlan."

          "Of Taliath, yes." Fujitaka held up a hopeless hand.  "Unfortunately, the gods had something in mind.  You know, Alan's older son, Ronan, is already married and expecting his own heir."

          "And King Alan's youngest son, Syaoran, died in a hunting accident a few years ago, when he was about my age. Yes. I do know."

          "The king reached out to touch her cheek with a gentle hand.  "Which, I'm afraid, really does leave us with only one choice: Lerlais, with it's young, unmarried ruler."

          "Unmarried because he—because his first wife died."

          "A tragedy that's several years in the past.  And, heartless as it sounds, the death of a sickly young woman hardly concerns us now.  My dear, ours, I don't have to remind you, is a very small, very unimportant land.  If our ancestors hadn't been clever enough to take advantage of that old forest road, I doubt there ever would have been an Irwain! And you—

          He stopped short, so clearly embarrassed that Sakura finished dryly, "And I'm not exactly the sort of princess the average ruler wants for a wife.  You know the sort: Beautiful, brainless, and submissive."

          "Don't talk like that."

          "Father, I know mighty princes aren't going to come suing for my hand.  I don't care, n-not really. But…" Struggling for words that weren't too honest, she settled for: "Eriol's such a cruel man!"

          "You don't know that for sure."

          ~Oh, don't I? ~ But she didn't dare tell him the truth. "I-I've heard many tales about him from traders—

          "Hardly a reliable source for information."

          "Yes, but when all the tales agree, surely some of the have to be true! One thing they all have in common is that the man never even laughs." Sakura shuddered. ~Except when he has the chance to hurt someone less powerful than himself…~ No, she couldn't say that to her father, either. "Rather than be forced into some stupid, loveless marriage-yes, and have Irwain's freedom bartered away as well—I'd rather stay unwed."

          "You don't know what you are saying, child.  Your mother and I—

          "Were fortunate.  You were able to wed for love as well as politics.  But I—I won't be some other king's slave.  And I won't see other people turned into slaves, either!"

          Her father smiled wanly. "When you talk like that, I see my father in you.  Ashitaka was just as fiery when it came to defending the realm! None of this would be necessary if only he'd held fast to Star Light—

          He broke off so sharply that Sakura blinked.  Had he been afraid to say more? "To…whom?" she asked.

          "To what," the king corrected reluctantly. "Star Light was a box, a magical creation, or so my father told me.  But it's long lost to us, so there 's no reason to give it another thought."

          "But—magic—what—Father! You can't leave it like this! What box? What happened to it? Was it stolen, or—or…"

          The man hesitated a long while. "Ah, well," he murmured. "What harm to it? You hardly the sort to go run off on some ridiculous quest! So now: it all started with the wizard Clow…"

~*Time laps*~

          "…And so," King Fujitaka concluded, "my father put Star Light carefully away in a casket in his private chambers, meaning to call upon it's powers only in times of direst need.  The gods be praised, those times never came.  Ashitaka never noticed till the day he died that the casket was empty.  When I was newly made king, long before you were born, I had search mounted for the wizard Clow, but my men found no sign of him." Fujitaka shrugged. "He was elderly even when my father met him, and not even wizards live forever. But I remembered Father mentioning Clow's rival, the Dark Druid Rhegeth.  And sure enough, my own court druids proved it could only have been Rhegeth who'd stolen Star Light."

          "But what good could it possibly do him? I mean, if only one of our own line can use it—Och, nonsense! That was two-generation s ago.  Rhegeth can hardly still be alive, can he?"

          "He is a wizard," her father reminded her.

          "Well, yes, but if he can't use the box—Father, I don't understand! Why didn't you just send warriors after him to get it back?"

          "Ah. Well." Shamefacedly, King Fujitaka admitted, "Up till this past year, I really had no use for Star Light.  And, frankly, letting Rhegeth keep it, particularly since he couldn't pervert its magic to his own use, seemed safer than going up against the gods know what sorcery.  Besides," he added wryly, "right now Irwain is simply too poor to afford any army powerful enough to fight a wizard."

          "And Clow did warn Grandfather to keep Star Light a secret," Sakura added thoughtfully.

          "Sakura, don't give me that dreamy look. Forget about Star Light. It' s gone, and that's the end of it."

          ~Is it? ~ The princess wondered.  But all she said in reply was, "I'll be good. I'll meet with you and the ambassador from Lerlais tomorrow.  But I will not make any promises to him—or to his king."

          "Fair enough." The king reached out a hand to ruffle her hair, just as he had done when she was a little girl. "Off with you now."

~*In her room*~

          Her ladies were waiting for her, cheerful, chirpy girls her own age.  Sakura sat with them as she usually did for part of each day, toying with her needlework, dimly aware of their exciting gossiping.

          "A royal ambassador!" Little Chiharu was saying amid a storm of giggles. "Isn't it thrilling?"

          "And coming here with an offer of marriage, too!" Simple Naoko dropped her sewing to hug herself in delight. "Oooh, imagine a handsome young king suing for your hand! Isn't it romantic?"

          "Not so romantic," Rika muttered darkly. "Not when it's coldhearted Eriol of Lerlais."

          "I heard that." Sakura said in warning, and the ladies fell silent as startled birds. "I don't mean to spoil your fun.  But you must watch your tongues. I'm afraid I can't let you slander royalty." ~Even though Rika is right…~ "Och, I'm being as awful as my ladies! Over four years have pasted after all; Eriol might have changed…"

~And horses might have developed wings~

          The ladies warily started their chatter again, keeping to nice, safe subjects: jewelry, gowns, and handsome courtiers.  But Sakura hardly heard their silliness.  Pretending to be totally engrossed in selecting just the right shade of red silk thread for an embroidered noble's cloak, she found her thoughts returning again and again not to Eriol but to Star Light.

          ~What a marvel it must be! And how wonderful it would be to have it safe here in my father's house. ~

          With its help (and surely, Sakura reasoned, it would help its rightful owners), Irwain would never again be threatened by drought or famine—or ambitious kings, handsome or not.

~*That night…*~

          …Sakura's dreams were troubled.

(In the Dream…)

          She seemed to be looking out over Irwain, but an Irwain laid bare by drought.  Not a blade of grass showed green through the burned yellow stubble, not a bird sang in the drooping trees.  Sakura cried out in her sleep at the sight of the people, her people, trudging wearily from fields that crumbled to powder beneath the plow.  She saw the children sitting listlessly in the shadows; she heard a baby crying weakly with the pain of hunger.

          No, oh no, please, no…

          And the dream changed.

          All at once something gleamed in her arms:

          Star Light. She recognized the beautiful thing even though she'd never seen it before.  Carefully, the princess opened the book, and a shimmering blue girl jumped out.  She was seated upon a little cloud.  She had little drops of water hanging from her hat, which resembled a jester's hat. She smiled at Sakura. Then flew towards the sky. Then Sakura felt something hit her face. The Rain! It was raining, and as she watched, lovely, healthy green spread out over the parched lands.  The drought was over, and the crops were fine and full.  The weariness was gone from her people's faces, and joyous laughter rang in the air…

          The echoes of that laughter were still with Sakura when she woke.

          The girl rubbed her eyes with a shaken hand.  What a strange, strange dream! Part of it had been sparked by her father's tale, of course.  And yet…magic had glimmered about the whole thing, as surely as magic must glimmer about Star Light itself.

          Almost, Sakura thought uneasily, as though Star Light had, somehow, been calling to her.

          ~No that's ridiculous! No matter what spells Clow placed about it, the thing is still a box, nothing more than a box. ~

          Besides, what good was dreaming? Star Light was in the hands of a Dark Druid, an evil wizard.

          And there, no matter what silliness she dreamed, it seemed likely to stay.

Umi: Okie Dokie! There's chapter one! Really sorry but I've been way busy with reports from like every class! And to top it off, my super gay computer erased my chapter two and three so I have to rewrite them both! But I'll get them out as soon as I can!  Oh yeah, and please, Please, PLEASE review! I would love to hear from you! I need everyone's opinion here!  I assure you guys that my story will get better…I just like to take things nice and slow!

Fuu: Umi-san! That's disgusting…

Umi: Shuddup Fuu-chan! You know what I meant! Anyway, please review! Love ya much and in the next chapter we'll learn why Sakura thinks Eriol is a cruel man… "Memories" is the next chapter…Ja ne! ^_^