Disclaimer: I don't and will never make any money off of this story. I don't own the characters from CCS, all other belong to me or my friends.
Comments: I know that in the last chapter Michiru's part was a little too long. There's a wicked good explanation for that. Syaoran's part was supposed to be longer then Michiru's but I guess when I was editing the chapter, really badly, I backspaced part of his POV. I would go back and fix it if I remembered what was supposed to go there. Michiru is still in this chapter, but for the most part she's only mentioned and there is only one small scene with her in it at the end.
Also, this chapter took me forever to write and I'm sorry about that. My father was in the hospital for a few days at the beginning of the month and I joined this club at school, Mock Trial, and it takes up a few days each week. But I have been working little by little on this chapter. I just hope you all like it. Don't forget to review at the end.
Enjoy!
Chapter Four
The Famous Unknown Character POV (sorry couldn't resist)
"Well this is a wonderful development Uncle," My niece said as soon as she had entered the study.
"Oh and how is that?"
"At least we won't have to worry about finding The Prince and Princess."
"You are right, but we still need to get rid of the Princess and of the brats from the Kinomoto Kingdom," I smirked evilly at the thought in my head. "I have the perfect plan."
"What it is Uncle, I love hearing your plans."
"We'll inform King Fujitaka that his young daughter has fallen in love with a soldier. A person below her rank. He'll get mad and then Sakura will be out of our way and Touya also when the king realizes who the Captain of the Guard really is."
"Father, no offense, but that plan is absolutely horrible," My son said and I found myself glaring at him.
"We'll have to tell King Fujitaka that Sakura has fallen in love with a peasant and they are going to marry. He will lock her up and quickly arrange a marriage to someone. That person could be me. Think about it Father, two countries without having to start a war.
"We get rid of Michiru and Touya, a tragic death, bandits. Syaoran once he realizes that Sakura is no longer his and in his grieve he will marry the first person he can, or maybe the council of elders will choose a person for him. That person will be my dear cousin."
"I love it, I'm glad someone in this family can think up plans," My niece crowed and I tried not to throw up.
"Then we will go on with your plan. Send a letter to King Fujitaka telling him about Sakura. My spies tell me she is already on her way back to her kingdom without Syaoran."
King Fujitaka's POV
Dear King Kinomoto,
It has come to my attention that while your daughter the crowned Princess Sakura has fallen in love with a peasant in our lands. We are sorry about not being able to keep more control over who your daughter sees but we could no keep an eye on her at every moment of the day. The bodyguard we gave her was stupid enough to bring her riding in the countryside so she met this peasant. (Your Captain of the Guard had taken ill which is why we had given your daughter a new bodyguard). Once again we are very sorry and most disgusted at this development. We suggest that as soon as your daughter arrives back into your care that you keep her shut up in the palace so that she cannot run off with this man.
The Elders Council of the Western Kingdom.
I stared down at the letter in my hand and crumbled it into a fist. My daughter would never think of marrying a peasant. After all I've taught her she should know they are below her. She can never be with this peasant and she never will be with this peasant. I will see to that.
"Hiroshi," I shouted and within seconds my trusty servant walked in and bowed, "the moment Sakura gets here bring her to the tower and lock her in it. She won't be coming out for a long time."
"Yes sire," Hiroshi said and left immediately.
The moment it left I sat down once again at my desk and began to write a long letter to my son and the Captain of the Guard, both of whom were now traveling together for a strange reason, which Tour hadn't seen fit to tell me off.
Touya,
First of all I'm am glad that Michiru is feeling well after getting sick, but I must wonder on why you both are traveling together. You know that she is below you and that even if you fall in love with her I will never let you marry. You know that you are already promised to someone else.
On that note it has come to me attention that your sister Sakura has fallen in love with a peasant. You know this cannot happen. I will be taking measures to make sure this is dealt with. I have already decided that I must arrange a marriage for your sister. I know you will not like this, but it is for her best interest. Don't take this the wrong way, I want her to be able to marry someone she can love, but I cannot and will not let her marry a peasant. She will marry someone of noble or royal birth and you can't stop me from arranging this unless you have something good for me to change my mind.
The annual ball is only a month away and I will announce the arranged marriage then. I hope you can be here for it whether you like it or not. Your betrothed will be there also, so try to attend.
As you know a war is brewing between our kingdom and the Horizon Kingdom on the other continent. I wish to avoid this war but if it must commence it will. So your beloved Captain of the Guard may be seeing some action, she has missed fighting in battles. I could see it in her eyes when we last talked.
Now, I must go and make preparations for your sister's arrival.
Fujitaka.
I sat back in my seat and sealed the letter with the hot wax and stamped my seal on it. There were two letters left to write. One to the Elders of the Eastern Kingdom thanking them for their information. The other to the Horizon Kingdom. As much as I dreaded writing to the King of the Horizon Kingdom it needed to be done. He was the only kingdom with a son not already married or betrothed. It would be perfect. I could get Sakura married and end a war with hopefully one little letter. She would never be with that peasant again. That for which I will forever will be grateful.
I rang the bell and waited a little impatiently for a servant to appear. It would take awhile if a servant wasn't anywhere near my study and I would wait, but wouldn't be too happy about it. Moments later a young servant girl came running into the room and bowed before me.
"Sorry for taking so long Your Majesty, I was helping my mother clean the dining room," She said in a squeaky voice.
"That's alright, can you get me some wine," I requested.
"Of course Your Majesty, right away," She bowed again and quickly left the room closing the door behind her.
I took out another piece of stationary and dipped my pen into the inkwell.
Dear Elders of the Western Kingdom,
I thank you for writing to me about my youngest daughter. I do not blame you for her falling in love with a peasant. She should know better then to love someone she can never be with. I hope that bodyguard you gave my daughter has been reprimanded severely for allowing this to occur under his nose. Not only am I writing to thank you about informing me of my daughter's falling in love, but I am writing to inform you that I have decided to betroth my daughter so as not to let something like this happen again.
As you may know the Horizon Kingdom has been fighting battles with my soldiers at the border for months now. In order to stop a war before it occurs I have decided that if the offer still stands I will betroth my daughter to the prince of the Horizon Kingdom. There shall be my annual Christmas ball in a few weeks and I hope that many of you will be able to attend with your families.
If you cannot make it I will not hold it against you.
King Fujitaka of the Eastern Kingdom
Sometime in the course of writing that letter the wine had been brought to me and the little girl was pouring it into a glass for me. I thanked her with a nod and sent her on her way. She bowed and left letting one of the guards coming into the room close the door behind her. He stood before my desk and bowed to me when I looked up at him.
"Yes?" I asked and he straightened.
"Your daughter has just crossed into the Kingdom, she should be here by tomorrow morning," he told me.
"Thank you. You may go back to your post," I said and waved a hand dismissing him from my sight.
He left the room in a hurry and the door almost banged shut before he caught it and with a sheepish grin shut it correctly. I sipped the wine and stood up from my seat. The sun was going down and it had started to rain. Even so I walked out onto the balcony and looked out over the city and palace grounds below. This Kingdom would be my son's unless of course the only way the Horizon Prince would marry Sakura is if he gained the Kingdom also. That would be bad but if it kept Sakura from marrying a peasant then so be it. When the sun was not in my sight anymore I turned away from the balcony and went back to my desk to write the last letter.
Dear King Takeshi of The Horizon Kingdom,
I am writing to ask you if the offer is still up for your son and my daughter to marry. My daughter fell in love with a peasant and I don't want my reputation marred by her and this peasant eloping. It would do me great honor if your son would still marry my daughter on her nineteenth birthday. We would have to talk about terms of the marriage if it is to take place but I am sure we will be able to come up with an agreement.
It would also be best if you end the attacks on my kingdoms border villages. I do not think you would want to go to war with us if you want my daughters hand in marriage for your son.
King Fujitaka of the Eastern Kingdom
For some reason as I gave the letters to the messenger I did not include the letter to the Horizon Kingdom. It would be sent but something was holding me back, like someone or something didn't want me sending the letter.
Two Days Later, The Western Kingdom
Syaoran's POV
Yesterday by a stroke of luck on our way to the border between the South and West Kingdoms we came across a messenger coming from the Eastern Kingdom. A letter for Touya and one for the Elders of the Western Kingdom. Touya had come up with a plan to knock the messenger out and take the letter for the Elders since it had come from his Kingdom. I had agreed and we did the deed. Touya had been angered by his letter once it was read and both of us were angered by the letter we had read for the Elders. We know the Elders did no such thing for the elders themselves knew that they never gave Sakura a bodyguard and both the elders and myself knew that Sakura had never left the city.
After reading the letter yesterday, both Touya's and the one for the Elder's Michiru had taken her leave and was heading towards the Eastern Kingdom with Touya to save Sakura from her father. They had both ordered me to go to the Southern Kingdom and continue on as planned only now Touya and Michiru would be bringing Sakura to the Southern Kingdom so that we could figure out a way to make King Fujitaka believe that Sakura had not fallen in love with a peasant. It was going to be hard but I knew Touya and Michiru would figure something out on their way to the palace.
As for me, I was trying to figure out a way to get into the Southern Kingdom without being noticed. After that I needed to figure out how to get into the city and then into the palace without being noticed. I really wanted to scare Eriol wicked bad and the only way to do that is to sneak around and then when everyone including myself least expects it I need to show myself. Touya had cautioned me to do it once he and Michiru had shown up there with Sakura. So I needed to find a place to hide for that week that it would hopefully only take. I had plenty of food so I was going to escape into those secret tunnels that when I was younger Tomoyo, Eriol, and I would escape into when we wanted to get away from our tutors. Of course Michiru and Tomoyo's parents caught on after the third week. But we still could manage to hide from them under there. It would be the perfect place and if I wasn't losing my mind I was certain there was a tunnel that led from the border to the palace.
"It's time to go," I said to myself and ventured to the place where I remembered the tunnel to be.
It would probably take me at least an hour to find the tunnel and after that a day to actually get to the city, maybe more if I had to backtrack or get rid of fallen rocks. Not even an hour later I was walking through the tunnel with a torch in my hand lighting the way. It hadn't been hard finding the tunnel but I had needed to move a fallen tree and get rid of rocks blocking the entrance. Not only that by the entrance had also been locked. A simple lock that could be opened with a key. It had been Queen Sonomi's way of making sure we couldn't enter the tunnels. I broke it off with the hilt of my sword and was soon on my way inside the tunnel where I am now.
"This is boring. Now if someone had come in here with me instead of going with Touya and my sister I wouldn't be so bored."
The Same Day, Border; Eastern Kingdom
Touya's POV
Night had fallen not even two hours ago and Michiru had disappeared into the trees without a word to any of us. I wasn't worried I knew Michiru would be fine, but I was worried about my sister. One of my friends in the palace had informed me when he came to meet us that Sakura had arrived the day before and was being kept in the tower. The single tower in the palace. It was where many a king before my father had kept their daughters when they fell in love with someone other then who their father wanted. Not only that but if a father was protective then he would keep his daughter locked up in there. Father had done that to Sakura from the time our mother had given birth to her to the same year that we met Michiru. How ironic it seems now.
I stood up from my spot leaning against a tree and made my way towards the fire. My best friend was leaning against another tree staring into the nothingness of the dark forest. I moved past the fire and stood beside him. He didn't seem to notice me but I knew better. For the longest time he and Michiru had been sparring, she teaching him everything she knew and he teaching her many things she didn't know but he did. It made me jealous at times, but right now was no time to be jealous of my best friend and my crush.
"Ken?" I asked and he glanced over at me. "We should be planning on how to get Sakura out of the palace without my father finding out."
"I know that, you know the palace better then I do. Is there anyway to get in there without having to go through the front doors."
"I vaguely remember my mother telling me once of a tunnel that leads from the center of the city to the middle of the palace," I told him thoughtfully. "But I don't know where the opening is of where the tunnel ends. For all we know it could bring us far off course and add time to our travel."
"Maybe, but that's unlikely. The middle of the city is the great well that hasn't had water in it in over twenty years. The middle of the palace is the-"
I cut him off, "The tower."
"Exactly."
"Now we need to plan how to get Sakura out of there, my father isn't going to let her stay in the tower alone if he knows about the tunnel, he's likely to keep a servant or guard in their with her."
Ken thought for a few moments and then smiled, "I'm sure Michiru will be able to take care of the guards."
"Why do you say that?" I asked warily eyeing him with disdain.
"She's a female," He said bluntly.
"And that's supposed to do what?"
"What are you an idiot?"
"'She's not a whore Ken and never-"
"I didn't say she was a whore, it's just she was trained to be silent and it's a proven fact that women walk softer then males," ken rolled his eyes, "She can sneak into the palace under the cover of darkness and get rid of the guards."
"She may be good at what she does but she's not that good. She'll never get past all the guards," I told him and there was a bit of laughter from above us.
"At least someone has some sense in their brain. I may be a good fighter Ken, but as Touya says I can't be that good," Michiru said and dropped down between us. "But I can get rid of the guards inside the tower if need be."
"Okay," Ken responded and I could tell he was down with himself for saying what he did.
"Now if you'll excuse me I'm tired and sore. I'm going to bed, I'll see you in the morning," She said to us and moved away into the darkness past the fire. "Don't stay up too late Touya-kun," She called over her shoulder and everyone that was still awake broke into laughter.
"Don't let the bugs bite Darling," I retaliated and everyone laughed harder.
"You two would be a great couple," one of the men said and stopped laughing when a throwing star landed between his legs. "Uh Sorry, I'll stop now."
"Good idea," Michiru called.
The Next Afternoon; A Bar in the City
Ken and I sat in the shadows at the back of the bar waiting for Michiru and another scout to return. They had been gone from our sight since we had entered the city an hour ago. It shouldn't have taken them this long to scout out the well. It's one little spot in the center of the marketplace but still. I was on my third pint of beer and Ken was doing his best to stop me from drinking anymore. I wasn't drunk by any means but if I continued to drink I would be. Not the best idea when in four hours you need to go save someone. The door to the bar opened and in walked to black cloaked figures. A brown leather gloved hand reached out as they sat at the bar and gestured towards the barmaid. I recognized the crest on the glove to be that of the Western Kingdom, the Royal Families Crest. It was Michiru. I was certain of that. We had all decided that to refrain from Michiru being noticed from one of the Soldiers she was to be disguised so that my father wouldn't be able to send her away to war, if that so happens.
The barmaid had gasped at the sight of the crest and I could hear Michiru's slight laughter as she talked to the startled barmaid. No one I was sure could hear what was said apart from her 'companion' and the barmaid nodded and after getting their drinks ran over to us and stood there.
"The mistress over yonder at the bar has asked me to tell you that all is well," the barmaid said and she bowed because she knew who I was.
"Thank you," I responded and she scurried on her way back to the bar.
"Look's like we're on for tonight," Ken said to me.
I nodded to him as I reached for my beer and raised it in Michiru's direction. She raised her own mug in my direction and we both took sips from it. From that moment on until it would be time to leave I wouldn't acknowledge her. If we were associated with her nothing would be well. Both Ken and I would be ready for what we needed to do. It was planned that once the clock hit five Ken and I would leave the bar and head up t the palace to conference with my father on certain matters of state whatever we come up with. I would mention the Western Kingdom and that it was rumored that the eldest Princess and the only Prince were still alive and had risen to take the throne, yada, yada.
While that was going on hopefully for a few hours Michiru and Gina, the other scout, would leave the bar at seven and venture into the marketplace where they would wait until the marketplace was almost bare before they climb into the well and drop to the bottom. When my father goes to bed ken and I would go to the tower to 'visit' my sister, well not really. We would get rid of the guards at the door and wait until Michiru gives us the signal to head back into the city. We would meet up again at the bar and leave the city under the cover of darkness with a group of 'nomads'. They aren't really nomads, just the group of soldiers that had been with us in the woods last night.
All in all it was a perfect plan made up by Ken and myself. Michiru had no part in planning it which she liked rather well. She's not exactly the best planner. Now we just have to wait for five o'clock and the beginning of the second part of the plan.
I hope for once that Michiru's part wasn't overbearing. I've been writing my original stories to much lately that when I see an original character I have to write for that person and not anyone else. I'm sorry about that. It's a bad habit, that I hope to break by hopefully the end of the first part of this story. Since there are 16 chapters part two starts at chapter nine.
Anyway, I was going to wait until I got those five reviews but no one except for the usual faithful reviewers, reviewed. So I updated. I'm not so sure I'll update before I get those reviews again. So remember five reviews will get me to update.
