Destiny
Sakura touched the calm waters of the lake. From the tip of her forefinger, a ripple spread like a slow wave, consuming the silence of the night.
A tear or two slipped from her face and intertwined with the lake water, causing more ripples that interfered with the first one.
The morbid, sad pace that they wore was resonance to her bleeding heart. She watched the ripples go on and on through the lake until they eventually faded away.
Her sight shifted to the full moon above, flanked by a thousand or so stars.
And the one word that had shattered her soul replayed in her mind.
Betrothed.
"But Yukito-san, Toya had never mentioned this before! Why, this is all so sudden!"
"I'm sorry. You weren't supposed to know until today."
"Where's my right! I'm the princess, am I not!"
"A thousand apologies, your highness…but King Toya had an agreement…"
"Toya! My brother? He arranged it?"
"No, no, don't get me wrong. Your parents betrothed you to the prince of a neighbouring country shortly after your birth."
"NO! It can't be true. How could they!"
"Now, your highness, you don't want to go into insulting your late parents, do you?"
"But I don't even know the prince! Is there any chance the betrothal can be broken?"
"I'm afraid not, your highness. If you care to check, there's a contract…"
"What?"
And then it started to rain.
Now, the whole lake was full with never-ending ripples.
"DIE, YOU FILTHY BEAST!"
A lump of dead creature fell to the ground.
It was the last of an army of rotten corpses.
Syaoran received an approving thump on his back.
"Great slaying, pal!"
"Thanks," he replied to the tall commander standing behind him.
Syaoran sheathed his sword and turned around to face Prince Eriol of Granoir.
"Your Highness, I…" he began with a stomach full of butterflies.
"Drop it. Commander's enough," clipped the prince.
"Commander, I've been serving you for a long time," he continued after serious consideration.
"Hmm…" Eriol removed a speck of sand stuck onto his black flowing cloak.
"So maybe, I think it's time for me to leave…"
There was a moment of silence before the rest of the squad began shuffling their feet.
Eriol drew a deep breath before yelling, "Elite Force! Feet-shuffling is an offence according to Rule 141 of the Elite Book. Can't you see the captain who's trying to speak here?"
Syaoran looked at his feet, feeling the pressure of everyone's eyes on him. Another second or more, there would be holes all over him.
"A thousand push-ups before dinner. That's my final offer."
There were several grumbled sounds of disapproval but they toned down when Prince Eriol said, "Bargain only if you want more.'
Then, he turned his attention back to Syaoran.
"Are you sure you want to leave the squad?" he asked in a much nicer tone.
"101 percent," Syaoran answered confidently.
"Then I can prevent nothing. I understand that you want to pursue other dreams?"
Syaoran nodded. The prince knew him so well.
"But before you are officially retired from the Elite Force, you have one last assignment with me."
"Another war?" Syaoran gave a wild guess.
"No, captain. It's a surprise," said Eriol mysteriously.
"Wedding?"
Sakura looked at the dress with pure unfiltered hatred.
Although she knew that the whole of Clow Kingdom was happy for her, she still felt reluctant to try on the gown. For crying out loud, she did not even KNOW the groom! How can she say yes in his face, slip the ring on and then KISS him!
Several housemaids forced her out of her current regal clothing and made her wear the ceremonial attire.
She looked in the mirror without much interest. It was long, billowing and…PINK.
Complete with a garter of matching colour and red ribbons, Sakura's first thought at her reflection was this:
Birthday present.
Yes, for a prince's 18th birthday.
She was sort of like a gift from a neighbouring country, complete with all the elements of exotic beauty, mysterious personality and heart-dropping gaze. How thrilled the prince must be.
Sakura rolled her eyes in disgust. How inconsiderate.
A prince was the last thing she wanted on Earth.
As she stared out through the frosted glass of an oak-framed window, all she could think of was someone else…
"Syaoran, what d'you think of this?" asked a raven-haired person. He pushed up his glasses with style.
"Um…, I feel that you should retie your scarf," replied Syaoran.
"Really? How?" Prince Eriol took a moment or two. "Like this?"
Syaoran examined him again. "Perfect."
He felt awkward having to comment on his master's appearance.
When he accepted the task, little did he know that it was preparing the prince for a wedding.
It was truly a surprise, as Prince Eriol had said.
"Err…, are you sure you want to wear a scarf instead of a bow?" Syaoran asked tactfully.
"As you once quoted; 101 percent."
"Oh…ok"
"Let's go then," Eriol commanded, putting on white gloves to match his white shirt. The peach coloured scarf complimented his navy tail-coat which was worn with matching trousers.
"Where to?" Syaoran queried in confusion. "It's still so early."
"My bachelor party, of course."
Prince Eriol gave him a dangerous smile.
It was so noisy and stuffy that Syaoran had to go outside to get some fresh air. Prince Eriol on the other hand was already half drunk and disorientated. Syaoran could hear his manic laughter piercing through the atmosphere, echoing throughout the entire mansion.
It was his 18th birthday, after all. He had all the right to celebrate. And very soon, he would tie the knot.
Syaoran stared at the beautiful sky above him. The fluffy clouds beckoned him as he thought of the many ways he would confess to her when the day he found courage to do so came.
Suddenly, a shrill scream punctured his romantic reveries. A tall, giant lady ran out through the arched doorway.
"He's dead! Poisoned!"
"What? Who?" Syaoran heart raced a million miles an hour when he saw the commotion going on indoors.
"The prince…"
He didn't wait for her to finish . A split second later, he was by Prince Eriol's side.
No, it couldn't be true. The prince wasn't dead.
As he knelt down beside Eriol's motionless body, he placed a forefinger near the prince's nostrils.
Syaoran heaved a sigh of relief. He was still breathing; still warm and very much alive.
But he had fainted and the wedding was minutes away. All attempts to rouse him were wasted as he was still as immobile as a stone. Obviously, someone did not want him to get married but had the heart to spare him.
What was he going to do?
And then, the answer arrived in the form of two figures. One was black-clad and the other was donned in white. They both looked fresh from a well-sought karaoke battle. Fye cocked his head.
"Is something wrong, Syaoran?"
Kurogane gave a hearty yawn.
"Fye, how much magic do you have left?"
Sakura lay silently in bed. It was perfect. If the groom did not turn up, how was the wedding going to carry on?
Even though she knew that this action of hers was selfish and could jeopardise the relationship between the two countries, it was the only way out.
It was just a sleeping potion anyway. After fifteen hours, the Prince would awaken with no memories of the previous day.
The process was a piece of cake.
Very cautiously, she had tipped a whole dosage into a bottle of wine that was to be sent to the Prince's bachelor party.
Judging by the minutes that had gone by, the bottle should have reached his residence…and would be empty soon. Then, he'd be in deep slumber, free of the worries that occupied the minds of grooms-to-be.
She chuckled. Spiking drinks was fun and simple. She thought she should do it more often.
The wedding was important. Everyone knew that. The citizens of both countries waited with bated breath for the moment to unveil. Therefore, it was fatal to postpone or cancel the ceremony as this would cause rage among the people, resulting in probable war.
Syaoran knew that he would hate to witness the two lands fighting . That was why he was willing to take the risk involved.
Accompanied by Kurogane, he stepped into the church. He gulped nervously as all eyes landed on him. Walking very slowly, he blocked all sight by shutting his eyes when he reached his destination.
The high priest, Yukito was standing by the altar, complete with his staff and ceremonial white robes. Among the audience was the one person Syaoran loathe; King Toya.
Meanwhile, Sakura was standing outside on the steps leading to the church. By her side was bridesmaid two times shorter than she was.
Sakura had a smug look on her face. She was confident that when she walked into that building, the groom would be nowhere to be found. And then, she wouldn't have to marry him.
AND, hopefully the betrothal would be broken.
Surprise hit her hard when her eyes landed on the Prince. How can it be? How was it possible?
Syaoran's eyes widened in horror. So this was the bride.
Sakura…
All his hopes were dashed. His fears had come true.
As Sakura walked towards Prince Eriol, the wedding song was played. The band comprised of twelve members and the conductor was waving his arms vigorously.
When Sakura set her left foot on the altar, the music stopped. The whole arena was silent except for the priest's sonorous voice.
Sakura stood uncomfortably beside the Prince who was trying his best to look confident. She scrutinized him thoroughly from head to toe. Her first impression of him was 'gay'.
What kind of a guy would wear a scarf? Bows were definitely a billion times better.
As Yukito droned on, she noticed something familiarly strange in Prince Eriol's look.
The clueless look.
Before she could gaze further, Yukito's voice boomed.
"Both are now required to recite their wedding vows…beginning with Prince Eriol of Granoir."
The prince solemnly recited as requested, followed subsequently by Sakura.
And then, Yukito decided to add confirmation.
"Will you, Prince Eriol of Granoir take her hand in marriage and promise to love only her for the rest of your years in life?"
"Yyesss…," stammered the groom.
"Will you, Princess Sakura of the Clow Kingdom?"
Sakura stood in silence before answering the six million dollar question. She hesitated for quite a long time.
"Yes…"
"You may now exchange rings."
They nervously slipped rings on each other's finger.
"I now proclaim you man and wife. You may kiss the bride."
Yukito smiled knowingly.
Sakura looked worriedly at the Prince before proceeding.
It wasn't all that bad.
When they parted, the whole crowd was gasping. King Toya who was hitherto smiling maliciously had his mouth hung wide open. The rancour inside him boiled like a murky potion.
Yukito was slightly stunned and almost dropped his staff. He wasn't surprised however.
Kurogane slapped his forehead and glared at Fye who was sitting at the third row. Fye grinned back mischievously. He had just undone a disguise spell.
Syaoran turned around to look at Kurogane. "Is there something on my face?"
But Sakura was quicker. She pulled him so that they faced each other.
"I knew it…the clueless look."
Syaoran gazed into her emerald green eyes as she did into his hazel ones. "This is so wrong."
As they kissed passionately, King Toya went up to Yukito.
"This is not official, right?"
"Yes, it is. He said yes. She said yes."
"But he said it under the name of Prince Eriol!"
"Ah, but rules are rules. It does not matter what name he uses. I am, after all the high Priest."
"Ugh!"
The crowd went wild at the sound of that.
Kurogane glanced at Fye. He stomped towards him.
"What the $# did you think you were doin'?"
"Hehe, old tricks up my sleeves. You see, when Syaoran said he was going to disguise as the Prince to make sure the wedding carries on, I didn't know the bride was Sakura. However, when I found out, I figured it was best to take off the spell just then."
"You knew he fancied her?"
"How obvious can that be?"
"Well, I thought your disguise spell wasn't strong enough…," said Kurogane, trailing off.
"You…well, then, I challenge you. I'll show you the strength of my magic…"
Toya and Yukito looked at the blissfully married pair before looking each other in the eye.
"Is this what you mean when you said he was destined for her and her for him?" Toya asked for confirmation.
Yukito nodded in amusement.
"The implication of their actions is what brings them together."
King Toya sighed.
He could only watch as Syaoran declared his love for Sakura before smiling cheekily at her.
What happened to the genuine Prince Eriol?
Well, dear readers, I am very proud to say that that is another different story.
Ciao!