Chapter Twenty

Misty Dreams

Card Captor Sakura

starjade

A Treason

Sakura gasped. She couldn't believe the expanse of the room she was given. It was on the royal floor and the furniture, the clothing, the jewels.... everything was too much.

Her family never lived in such luxury at home. Her father always believed in modesty, always believed that if they lived modestly then there wouldn't be such a big difference between peasants and royalty.

Sakura didn't even want to step into the room, lest something be foiled. She ran her fingers over the smooth wood, the glittering jewels, the silk gowns....Yet what took her breath way were the windows. It looked over the gardens and even had a balcony!

It was too much for her.

It didn't FIT her.

Queen Yelan said coldly, at the doorway, " This is the only room fit for the wife of my only son. I hope everything meets your needs. Your...possessions have been sent up."

Sakura looked at the small bag at the doorstep and tried to smile at the Queen, but she had turned away and walked out before she could.

It was understandable. Sakura was part of the country that had killed half of her men, her relatives....kidnapped her niece....and now her only son, and her only pride...had married a Kinomoto peasant.

It was a shame, and Sakura knew how much pain the Queen must have been going through.

Sakura had been left alone...at least until now. Sakura had never felt more vulnerable in her life. She never knew what a comfort it was to have Syaoran near....he was indeed her protector.

But she could do this. Sakura straightened her shoulders. She had managed fine without Syaoran. Besides, he did-he couldn't mean anything to her when she went back. Because he was the King of the Li Kingdom.

And she was the cursed Princess of the Kinomoto.

Sitting down cautiously at the edge of the royal bed, she never felt so uncomfortable in her life.

This room... this room wasn't meant for her.

Oddly enough, the small room next to the servants quarters seemed more like home to her then the lavishly furnished royal chambers.

With a quick decision, Sakura grabbed her pack of starwort and necessities and went outside the room. She slowly closed the door and took a deep breath. Then she turned and went down the stairs and ran into her small, little room.

There, she flung open the door to the garden and breathed in deep. This was her place. Here, she felt welcome.

And here, she would stay. Until Syaoran came back, until their marriage was annulled...and until the curse on her brothers was lifted.

With that last thought, she took out her starwort patches and began the meticulous work. Familiar tears burned the corner of her eyes as the needles dug their way through her skin but she smiled through it all.

She had to keep going. For her brothers.

Sakura walked through the hallways, after having her hands treated and wrapped by Tomoyo. She had worked all night and all day on her starwort patches, fearing to venture in the castle after the entrance she had two days ago. She had finished another shirt. She was so close to finishing. If she could stay two more weeks here without a disturbance, she would be able to complete all six shirts...

And her brothers would be saved.

" Keili!!" Tomoyo cried, chasing after her. Sakura turned around and smiled, softly. Tomoyo halted in front of her, her baby in her arms.

" Can you come with me for a second? I have to find the bib I made for my baby....I was sewing it for a week now and I lost it!" Tomoyo said, desperately.

Sakura nodded and followed Tomoyo through the castle, into the room where all the ladies sat and gossiped while they stitched and sewed. A deadly silence enveloped the room when Sakura entered.

Narrowed eyes followed Sakura as she walked behind Tomoyo and Sakura felt the urge to hide. Goosebumps travelled up and down her arms and she shivered.

Suddenly, everything was much more dangerous.

Tomoyo scowled at the evil looks that the ladies were directing towards Sakura and she grabbed Sakura's arm.

" Let's look outside, shall we?" Tomoyo spit out, glaring at the ladies. They all began to whisper in low tones as the two of them walked outside.

Once they were outside, Sakura felt her shoulders droop in relief. It was unnerving to be in that kind of situation...surrounded by people who hate you. It was too much for her to bear sometimes and it took a lot of strength and tears for her to keep going.

And not just to give up....

" Yes!! I found it!!" Tomoyo cried in happiness as she grabbed a bib with intricate designs stitched onto it. It was lying on the rocks where Sakura and Tomoyo usually sat to stitch and sew.

" I am such an idiot...why didn't I look here first?" Tomoyo mumbled to herself. Suddenly, voices made Sakura and Tomoyo look up.

" Queen Yelan!! There is an emergency in the villages!" A scout came running towards the front of the castle where Yelan was talking to a few knights.

Yelan turned her sharp eyes upon the scout. " What happened?"

The scout bowed, sweeping his hat low. He wiped the sweat off his glistening forehead with his other hand, looking up at Yelan desperately. " A rebellion has erupted in the villages! Apparently they have found out about....Prince Xiao-Lang's marriage."

Yelan sucked in her breath and Sakura felt her heart pound against her chest in hard, painful thumps. Tomoyo dropped the bib in her hand in shock, gripping onto Sakura's arm.

" What's the situation so far?" Queen Yelan asked briskly.

" They've set fires to many of the houses owned by people of the court and rioting has occurred in the villages. They are demanding that the Kinomoto be killed."

Sakura turned white. Killed?? What was she expecting anyways, all of the Li Land to welcome her with open arms? She yearned to tell them all that she wasn't permanent, that they wouldn't have to put up with her much longer....but she couldn't.

She couldn't.

"Get the soldiers out. Arrest those who are rioting. No matter what we can do....we must respect our future King's decisions. No matter what they may be..." Yelan said, heavily.

The scout nodded and ran off. Yelan's posture seemed to droop and they heard her low voice whisper, " What have you done, Xiao-lang?" before walking back inside.

Sakura felt hot tears rise to her eyes at the words. It wasn't his fault! None of this was his fault! It was all hers...she was causing trouble for everyone...a whole Kingdom, a whole country!!

Everything was her fault....

A tear fell down her cheek and Tomoyo caught sight of it. She gripped Sakura's arm and turned her around so that they were face to face.

" Keili...Keili, listen to me. None of this is your fault! You aren't at fault!! You two are very courageous to act upon your feelings and get a marriage. Don't take this to heart, Keili. Everything will get better....on its own time. Don't blame yourself, you hear me?" Tomoyo said firmly.

Yet Tomoyo's words seemed to fly through her head unnoticed. Sakura shook herself from Tomoyo's grip and walked back into the castle.

It was her fault. Tomoyo didn't know anything. Tomoyo didn't know that Syaoran didn't actually love her. She didn't know about the curse, her brothers....nor did she know that Syaoran was under Nadeshiko's spell, for what other reason was there for Syaoran's actions?

Tomoyo didn't know anything...

Dinner could not have been more awkward. Sakura never felt more uncomfortable in her life. The Duke somehow got a seat across from her and seemed to smirk at her even more then usual. His look was so triumphant it made her want to throw something at his face so the look would be wiped off permanently.

Her fingers gripped her fork tightly as she tried to focus on her food. Eriol and Yamaki sat on either side of her and it made her feel slightly safer.

" Your majesty," The Duke said loudly, cutting through the silence with his loud, persuasive voice. " I hope we have solved the riot problem in the villages haven't we?"

Sakura tensed and Queen Yelan coughed, shooting the Duke a look. " We are working on it, Duke Jel Tyran. You have no need to worry."

The Duke shook his head, dramatically. " I am not so sure about that....I mean, our kingdom feels quite betrayed. They are constantly being attacked by Kinomotos....and their very own princess is a Kinomoto!! A peasant, as well. It's quite demeaning. Our reputation has suffered quite the blow. Talk of a rebellion is quite popular. Our villagers have lost trust in us-"

" Duke!" The Queen cut in. " That is quite enough. I am sure we are all aware of it. We do not need you to restate these points."

The Duke smiled, slowly. " I am sure that the Li Kingdom knows of this. I am just making sure that our own peasant princess knows of this. I am sure she will now know the consequences of seducing our future King. Maybe when she realizes that no one here will ever accept her will she take her vending body and whore around somewhere else-"

" Duke Jel Tyran!!" Eriol snapped. " Those kinds of words are not to be spoken at the table-"

But Sakura had already had enough. She got up and pushed in her chair quietly, turning around and walking out the door. Instead of going back to her room, however, she walked out the doorway, pain squeezing her body like a cocoon, and she didn't know how to release it. She couldn't cry anymore and she couldn't scream....she could only squeeze her fists tightly and hope for her life to be over.

But if it was....so were her brothers...

Only living for another's happiness. It was getting to be too much...

Sakura walked fast across the courtyard, wiping away her tears with her fists. She wasn't going to cry over the Duke's words. He hated her enough. She knew it, everyone knew it.

When would Syaoran come back??

" And what is such a pretty looking girl doing all by herself?" A voice snarled.

Sakura turned around and her mouth fell open in shock. A hand grabbed onto her wrist, and another hand wrapped around her mouth. A body pushed up against her and she felt herself being backed against a tree.

She struggled widely, trying to bite down on the hand covering her mouth but his thumb held down her bottom lip and she couldn't move her mouth.

Her eyes widened with fear as she saw evil eyes glare into hers. " Kinomoto bitch," He swore, grinning dreadfully. "Already sleeping around with the Prince? Why not give me a chance?"

Sakura struggled widely, tears falling out of her eyes as he began to paw her chest with his hands, struggling to tear off her woollen gown. His mouth covered hers in a disgusting kiss with one leap and his hands held her wrists, his leg in-between hers so she could not knee him. Her body tired, she stopped struggling and only cried, yearning to scream for help, but she couldn't...

She couldn't do a thing..

" Keili?? Keili what are you doing???"

The man suddenly leapt off of her, disappearing into the darkness. Sakura saw Yamaki race by, chasing after the man. Sakura turned around and her eyes met the Duke and the Queen as well as Eriol. Their eyes looked shocked and Sakura could not breathe. Her heart was beating hard and she felt like crying.

A man had tried-tried-tried to-

Yamaki came back, his face scowling. " He escaped. I contacted the guards to close down the gates so he won't get too far."

Sakura dropped to the ground, trying to catch her breath. Tears kept falling out of her eyes and she could not stop them. Syaoran wasn't right. She wasn't safe...a man had tried to rape her for goodness sake!! It was too much!! Too much...

Remembering the disgusting hands on hers, she shuddered and felt like retching. But then the Duke's voice broke her out of her thoughts.

" You whore. You absolute whore. Married to Syaoran and then playing temptress with other men?? From our own Kingdom? How dare you!!" The Duke yelled at the top of his lungs. His eyes gleamed.

Sakura's mouth dropped open in shock. What...

Queen Yelan looked furious. " What was that, Kinomoto? When Syaoran is gone, did you decide that you needed someone else to replace him? Did you not get enough of seducing my son, but you must cheat on him with another? You dare do that to MY SON?" Her voice ended in a scream and she looked so angry it was frightening.

Sakura shook her head, her head whirling with anxiousness. No!!! Did they not see? Did they not see her struggling? Then she remembered that she had stopped struggling because her body became tired..

And from another person's point of view...

No...

NO!!!

She wished to speak again. She had not cheated on Syaoran!! She had been assaulted, she had almost been raped-

Eriol was staring at her with the saddest eyes she had ever known. Sakura looked at him pleadingly, wishing that he would realize that she was not an active part...that she had been forced...

" You have committed treason. You have cheated on the crown prince of the Li Kingdom. You have shown that the Kinomotos are nothing but sluts and whores," The duke growled. " Now we have no other choice."

Queen Yelan nodded, solemnly. " You are under arrest, Keili, for committing treason. You will be placed in a cell until trial. You may be executed if you cannot defend your case. Guards!!"

And Sakura felt strong arms grab hers and pull her up to her feet. And with that, she was lead away.

And behind her, the Duke watched, his eyes triumphantly watching the scene unfold. And he fingered the crisp money notes in which he would give Sakura's assaulter for a job well done.

a/n: Awww! lol, now dis sucks eh? Just when she was about to finish the last shirt, she had to go thru this shyt! Anyways, ppl , review and tell me wut ya think!!! And i dunno if Syaoran is under a spell or not...wut do you guys think? Ya think Nadeshiko did put a spell on him to guard Sakura? Or is he doin it out of his own free will? And will Sakura finish the shirts...i dunno...in the book Daughter of the forest, the character actually does get raped in the very beginnin of the story....but yea, i didn't do anythin like dat cuz dats REALLY not my style and that would be wayyyy too dramatic for my story. I'm a drama queen but i dunt go overboard...

aight, see ya latez,

--starjade--