hey all! thank you guys so very much for all the favs, follows, and reviews! they really mean a lot! I will do my best to respond to them! also thank you for your patience! I went abroad this winter break and hit the ground running once I got back to school as I've recently changed my major! hope you enjoy chp 2!
"In return for my aid, you, Princess Sakura, will stay here in the Li palace. You will advise my son as his sorceress and advisor." Yelan finished.
Sakura's mouth fell slightly open in surprise at Queen Yelan's terms. Syaoran, however, let his jaw completely unhinge with a scoff.
"Mother, you can't possibly be taking my own sorcerer, advisor, and, mind you, active member of my royal guard; and replacing him with her." On his last word Syaoran gestured to Sakura with a sharp hand.
"She's more than a head shorter than I, not to mention that she's loyal to another kingdom, what are you thinking?" There was clear agitation in the Prince's voice.
"My son, I do believe you forget your place. I am Queen and rightful ruler of this kingdom, my word is final." Syaoran scrunched his dark, thick eyebrows at this. He knew she was right, but he didn't have to like it.
"And your manners, son, Princess Sakura has done nothing to deserve this rudeness." Both Syaoran and Sakura squirmed slightly in response.
"I believe Princess Sakura would be more than qualified to protect you, son. Why, I was told before she arrived the card mistress took down a man twice her size who threatened a young beer maiden. Is this true, Princess?" Yelan turned her attention to the small beauty before her.
"H-Hai, your grace… this is true…" Sakura said almost mumbling, flushed that the Queen had heard of her scuffle.
"And just last year, you rid your entire kingdom of a terrible sickness I heard. Months after you protected them from a terrible storm that surely would've destroyed numerous villages. You are a very talented magic-wielder at so young an age Princess Sakura…"
Sakura flushed even further and mumbled her thanks to the Queen, and something that sounded along the lines of "I just wanted to protect my people…". The Princess was clearly abashed at such praise, her chin making its way closer to her chest.
Syaoran had also heard of these feats in the Kinomoto Kingdom, but never did he know that the Kinomoto Princess and their sorceress were one in the same. He let out another sound of disapproval, this time though, a little less strong than his previous scoff.
"Do you accept my terms, Princess?" Yelan inquired, her eyes taking on the slightest hint of mischief.
Sakura hesitated for the smallest moment, eyeing Syaoran who was staring off to the side, brow furrowed and arms crossed in obvious disapproval. His clear dislike for her off put Sakura; but she quickly remembered her purpose.
"I accept, Queen Li, thank you…" Sakura bowed forward with upmost respect, and in the same moment Syaoran turned his head to his newly appointed cohort, attempting to disguise the surprise on his face.
This was his new trusted advisor? What was his mother thinking? And why did she, a Princess who surely has hardly lifted a pinky aside from the occasional sorceress duty, offer herself? For a passing moment our Prince thought perhaps, 'She's selfless…'
But he quickly shook the thought out of his head (unknown to Syaoran, he did so physically as well). Never had he met a princess or noblewomen who did anything without the intention of gaining money and power. Surely the Princess Sakura had planned this, wishing to obtain something from the Li Kingdom's riches.
'She was as surprised as you… her people are in danger…' A voice sounded in his mind. He chose to ignore it.
"Excellent. Naoko will show you to your chambers." And as if summoned from thin air, a maid with wide wired glasses covering brown eyes and short hair of seemingly the same shade, entered the room. With a curtsy, she introduced herself to Sakura and asked the Kinomoto Princess to follow her.
Queen Yelan called to their retreating figures, "I will send your king's advisor after you, Princess Sakura, I'm sure you'll want to discuss this with your guardian."
Sakura's naturally pink cheeks flushed into a darker shade at the queen's knowledge, she curtsied and thanked the regal woman before she left the throne room, the tall doors shutting firmly behind her and Naoko.
Queen Yelan rose from her throne and turned to her son.
"Princess Sakura is a guest in our home, don't let me catch word that you're making her feel unwelcome."
Syaoran made a motion to protest, but was quickly cut off with a graceful and sharp hand, "I see no issue, don't raise any. I'm confident she will serve you quite well until Eriol returns. Who knows… you might want to keep her around…" Yelan began walking away as she trailed off.
"Mother are you insinuating – "
"What, my son? Sakura has denied the hand of just about every eligible male in the land of Clow, you think yourself different?"
Syaoran bit his tongue, he had no reply. His mother had a way of twisting his words and his thoughts that no one else did. Never making a note of her son's silence, Yelan continued walking, exiting the grand front entrance without pause as servants instinctively knew to open the door.
Across the palace, Naoko was opening a heavy wooden door, Sakura trailing softly behind her.
"Welcome, Princess Kinomoto-san. I hope you'll feel at home here." Naoko said with a smile.
Sakura's breath was lost. If this was a guest suite, she did not want to even imagine what the Li family's room looked like.
Her home was beautiful, sure, it was always warm and comfortable. But this was impressive. From her spot at the door Sakura could see a set of tall glass windows acting as doors with soft white curtains fluttering over them. One of the doors was slightly ajar, and the salty breeze was coming in off the ocean. Our Princess couldn't resist, like a child running on a holiday morning, she set off for the breeze's source. Behind her, Naoko giggled with a smile at Sakura's cheerfulness, she was truly unlike the other noblewomen she served in a plethora of ways.
Sakura gaped with an ear to ear smile. The sun had already set and the stars, her patrons, were shining brightly. The moon was a waxing crescent, and its reflection was rippled in the ocean below. The ocean, in particular, amazed the Princess.
For all her magical abilities to explore, the card mistress kept close to home, her overprotective brother was adamant about this.
"There are people in this world that do not wish you happiness, kajui." He would tell her. Which would fluster the Princess, in part because she hated when her brother called her monster, but because Sakura was one to always see the best in people. She always had hope. Regardless, she listened to Prince Touya.
Part of her now wished she had broken the rules, just a bit, because the sight before her was breathtaking. The way the ocean foam rolled onto white sand just past the castle gardens, Sakura felt like she never wanted to look away. Until she remembered she was not alone in her new room.
Turning quickly on her heel, Sakura tread lightly but with haste over to the bookish girl. "Thank you so very much for showing me to my quarters, Naoko-chan, I hope we can become good friends!"
"Hai, Princess Kinomoto." Naoko said with a smile and happy pink on her cheeks.
"If we are to become friends, please call me Sakura, Naoko-chan." The card mistress said, her emerald eyes shining bright, she was excited at the idea of finding company in her new home.
"H-hai.. Princess S-Sakura…" Naoko was flushed and thoroughly taken aback, but not wanting to deny the noblewomen in front of her. Never in all the years she had been at the palace had a royal asked to be called so informally, let alone request to be friends.
"We'll get there!" Sakura said, letting out a small laugh that rang with genuine happiness.
Naoko smiled at how casual Sakura was with her, the servant girl truly did already feel comfortable around the Kinomoto Princess, like she could tell her anything. The Princess simply seemed like the human embodiment of the word warmth. Naoko curtsied and took her leave, telling Sakura to ring for her should she need anything.
Sakura then turned to take in her new canopy bed, a large mattress on a pale wooden bedframe and decorated with soft pink fabrics, she felt right at home surrounded by her favorite color. As Sakura was tracing the wooden carvings on the posts, a loud yawn was heard, and a giant ball of yellow was blocking her vision.
"Neh! Sakura-chan what's the big idea ay! You forget about me or something? What the heck is going on with this deal! I didn't like that southern gaki one bit…"
Just as she was about to answer her sun guardian, her head whipped around as she heard a knock at the door. Turning back to her guardian she made to tell him to hide once more, but he was already making moves behind the excessive pillows of her new bed.
"Ay ay, I know the drill…"
"Come in!" Sakura let out, smiling at her guardian's joke. Soon a page boy was bowing before her and announcing Yukito.
Sakura thanked the boy, who couldn't have been more than 13, and was promptly met with crimson cheeks. The boy blushed furiously at the sight in front of him, never had he seen such a gorgeous creature. Yukito stifled a giggle, and let out a small false cough. The page boy realized he was staring wordlessly upon hearing the sudden noise. He once again bowed and made his exit, practically running out the door.
Yukito let out an airy chuckle over his shoulder at the rapidly shut door, but upon turning to Sakura and seeing her brows furrowed with concern, it dissolved. Her pseudo-brother came and grabbed Sakura's upper arms with a firm comforting grip. In the same moment, sensing the coast was clear of strangers, Kero came from his hiding spot and joined the two.
"Hey, hey, it's going to be alright. I'm not upset. Yue and I are both a bit worried, and I mean, Touya-kun is not going to be very happy–"
At this point Sakura's eyes turned the size of saucers, she hadn't even contemplated what her brother would think of her decision. Before the Princess could panic however, Yukito lowered himself down to Sakura's height in a deep squat.
"He won't be happy with me; you know he could never blame you for any of this Sakura." Yukito's eyes smiled with kindness.
"But Yukito-san! I don't want onii-chan to be upset with you either!" Guilt was spreading over the card mistress's face.
"Neh, Sakura-chan, Touya will understand. It might take some time, but behind that warrior's face he's still a reasonable person. You are a kind, selfless soul, offering your freedom to help your kingdom. It's like you say,"
"Everything will definitely be alright" The two said in unison, this brought a smile to Sakura's face.
"Now, the Prince has requested our presence in his study. I believe we are to meet with him and Duke Hiiragizawa to discuss your duties as well as the situation at hand. Yue is going to accompany the Duke back to the kingdom and explain the deal made here, sound good?" Yukito's grey eyes searched for approval in Sakura's emerald ones, which she gave in a bob of a nod.
"Hai! Let's not leave them waiting" Sakura told Yukito with mustered confidence. She turned to Kero, "Kero-chan, would you like to come? It looks like it'll be just us magic users, surely no one will be too startled…"
"Ay, they should be startled! I'm Keroberos! The Great Guardian of the Seal, Sun-Guardian of the Sakura Cards, greatest – " As he continued his rambling, Sakura gently grabbed her oh so mighty guardian and placed him in his designated satchel on her leather belt.
Yukito and Sakura made their way out the door, where another servant girl pointed them in the direction of Prince Li's study.
"Thank you very much! May I know your name?" Sakura asked with a smile to the surprise of the girl who looked about her age.
"A-ah, Sasaki Rika, your highness…" Rika entered a low curtsy, never had she been asked her name in the Li castle aside from the day the Queen hired her, and since then the Queen never had to ask again.
"It's a pleasure to meet you Sasaki-chan! I hope we can get to know one another, thanks again for the help!" Sakura curtsied quickly, hurrying to catch up with Yukito who had already made motions toward the direction of the study.
This left Rika thoroughly confused, she was quite certain that was the famous Kinomoto Princess, but here she was treating Rika like a new friend. A smile was brought to her face, she felt recognized for the long time in a while, the only other person who made her feel that way was Syaoran's tutor, Terada-san. He had always seen her.
In no more than a few minutes, Yukito and Sakura had made their way to the Prince's study. A surprised look quickly crossed the Kinomoto advisor's face, he would've expected guards to be stationed outside. Tossing his thought aside, Yukito knocked three times on the impressive wooden door before him. A "Come in" could be heard from the other side, but the voice was unlike the gruffness Sakura remembered the Li Prince's tone held.
The tall silver-haired man opened the door, Sakura trailing. They entered a room lit by fireplace and several candles. The wood used in the desk and other furniture was of a darker hue, Sakura guessed walnut. Long dark green curtains stretched from the tall windows, matching the sets of stuffed chairs and loveseat found in the center over a rug. The rug displayed the Li family crest, a proud wolf silhouette backed by a series of intricate lines, some looking like the waves of the ocean.
"Ah! Princess Kinomoto! Sir Tsukishiro! Welcome!" Standing from one of the green arm chairs came the man who Sakura recognized right away as Duke Hiiragizawa from his recent visit to her kingdom. She smiled at his warm welcome, and curtsied. The three met in the center of the room where Eriol, ever the gentleman, took Sakura's hand and gently graced the back of it with a small kiss. This was a gesture Sakura would never get quite used to, be it from anyone, and her naturally flushed face turned a slightly darker hue. Meanwhile, Eriol could sense Syaoran's eyes behind him burning a hole in the Duke's back, even if his cute little cousin was unaware of where his gaze wandered. Eriol smiled at this.
"While the circumstances are horrid, to see the goddess of Clow once more is a true gift." The deep blue of Eriol's eyes shined with charm, and a hint of amusement at the sound of Syaoran sharply turning a page. Oh how he wished he could be here to witness his cousin and Princess Sakura.
"Ay, Sir Hiiragizawa, are you referring to my cousin Lady Dadouji?" Sakura quipped in response. At this Eriol's eyes widened for a moment, and he let out an almost nervous laugh.
This particularly interested Syaoran, hearing something less than suave exit his cousin was a rarity, he subconsciously smirked at the Princess's jest.
"Ah well, no, I mean ye-" Eriol cleared his throat in effort to regain his poise and clear the red he felt creeping from the his neck to his face.
"Shall we discuss our plan of action, then?" Eriol finally inquired having gained his footing back, he could see a glint in the Princess's smiling emerald eyes, of mischief or amusement he couldn't tell.
"Yes, let us," Yukito started, turning the attention of the group to Syaoran for the first time since entering, "Your highness…" the Kinomoto advisor bowed deeply. Sakura followed suit, entering a curtsy, but upon raising her head, was wary not to meet his eyes. She still had a tightness in her chest from the last time their eyes locked. Regardless of the inkling of a thought telling her to look at him, she resisted, the feeling made her nervous.
Syaoran made his way from behind his desk, bowing at the two before him regally, salvaging a bit of his blunder from before in the throne room. Leaning against his desk arms crossing casually in front. He looked towards the Princess who stood between his cousin and her father's advisor, but she seemed to be looking anywhere but him, apparently the fireplace was very interesting to her in that moment.
"Why don't you tell me about what seems to be attacking the Kinomoto kingdom?" Eriol began, gesturing for the guests to sit. Sakura took one half of the green loveseat present, Eriol reclaimed his seat in front of Syaoran's desk, and Yukito remained standing however.
"I think it's best if perhaps Yue explained the situation, neh, Sakura?" Yukito turned and smiled warmly at his pseudo little sister, not thinking of how wrong the situation could be read. He completely forgot his company and dropped addressing Sakura's title completely. Both Syaoran and Eriol had their brows raised.
Before the blunder could be addressed, Sakura answered sweetly.
"Hai, I think that would be best."
Syaoran was confused at this, however, who was Yue? He had remembered the name in association with Clow Reed and the Clow Cards, but did not think anyone else to be in the room besides the four present. Sakura easily read the look on his face.
"Yue is the moon guardian of the Sakura Cards, he resides within Yukito. My sun guardian, Kero, is here as well. Care to join us Kero? Yue?" Out from the larger compartment on Sakura's belt popped Kero, and to the right between Sakura and Syaoran, Yukito transformed.
Yue gave a small yet polite bow to the two Li nobles in the room. Eriol did not bat an eyelash, it seemed he was aware of the situation from the get-go. While any other person would see no change in the Li prince, Eriol could see that there was the smallest bit of hidden surprise in Syaoran's eyes, which were quickly blocked by a yellow yapping form.
"Oi! Southern gaki! What's your big idea here, keeping my Sakura captive?" Kero asked without hesitation or formality. This made Eriol break into quite the smile.
"Excuse me?" Syaoran responded, standing upright from his leaning position on the desk, "I am Prince Li Syaoran of the Li Kingdom, which you are currently in; what is your title? Stuffed toy?"
Before Kero could get any of the colorful words he planned to say out, a shout of "Kero-chan!" erupted from behind him.
"Kero-chan please apologize," Sakura told her guardian walking closer to him and in doing so, Prince Li.
"I-I'm sorry for Kero's outburst he just, well you know he's my guardian, it's in the name! He gets a little overprotective sometimes…" Sakura trailed off because she had made a huge mistake. She looked into those pools of amber and surely drowned.
Little did she know that a certain Prince was also finding himself encased in emerald jewels and to everyone's surprise, Syaoran responded in a low voice, "It's okay, I-I understand…"
At this Eriol nearly fell out of his seat. Not at Yue's transformation, no, but the sight of his cousin stuttering and above all, forgiving. The moment was short lived however as Kero popped directly between their lines of sight.
Coming out of his hypnosis, Syaoran began "Don't let it happen again, however, or surely this deal will be off. You must learn to control your pet." His tone returned to the ice Sakura had only known it to be before moments again, where it seemed a little softer.
Seeing Kero winding up one of his small paws and mumbling something along the lines of "Why I oughta…". Sakura quickly reached and held her guardian to herself.
Clearing his throat, Yue brought attention back to him, "If I may…"
Eriol signaled the guardian to go on, and Yue told them all he knew about this mysterious magic plague. The Duke listened intently, his eyebrows furrowing as details were revealed. He could sense just how powerful Sakura's magic was, he thought that maybe she was attempting to hide some of her aura, it was beyond impressive to say the least. Additionally, he knew the power of the Clow, now Sakura, cards. It didn't add up.
"This is going to be quite the test, I will do my best to help your trees and people, Princess Kinomoto." Eriol turned to Sakura, his look serious.
Hearing this, Sakura's green orbs shined with hope.
"Doumo arigatou gozaimasu, Duke Hiiragizawa." The Princess's sweet voice rang with sincerity as she thanked the fellow sorcerer.
"Now," Kero's voice demanded attention, "What is Sakura meant to be doing here?"
"Whatever I ask of her." Syaoran stated simply, his gaze passing over Sakura for a moment before focusing on the yellow bear-like creature floating in front of him.
An shiver went up Sakura's back, and she prayed it didn't show as she felt heat in her face. She had never reacted this way to anyone's words and was utterly confused.
"What's that supposed to mean you gaki pr-" Kero began getting riled up again, but Eriol stepped in.
"Well every morning at dawn Syaoran and I practice our swordsmanship and often spar,"
Sakura nodded in response, listening intently as Eriol continued to rattle off the day to day schedule.
"Following breakfast we meet with the royal advisory, that usually brings us to lunch which we often have outside…"
The day seemed to have little breaks aside from food, and training whenever possible. Eriol tossed in some other tasks that sometimes come up, such as going into town, meeting with royal officials from other kingdoms, and also, welcoming eligible bachelorettes.
At this last one, Sakura felt something in her stomach drop, but heard an audible grunt from the Li Prince.
Eriol chuckled, "Having noblewomen fawn over him is my little cousin's favorite part of any day…" Eriol's voice was dripping with sarcasm while Syaoran's eyes shot him daggers.
Sakura laughed out loud at this, and Syaoran attempted to shoot her an equal look, but it appeared softer as he heard her melodious laugh.
"You think it funny, Princess?" Syaoran inquired.
Sakura waved her hands as she came down from her laughter, "Sorry, Prince Li, I simply sympathize. Insistent suitors have never exactly been a favorite part of my day, either." She smiled in earnest at him, he looked down, giving her a curt nod.
"I see." Was the Prince's only reply.
After looking between the two for what seemed like half a minute, Eriol clapped his hands.
"Well! I suppose we should all rest, Yue and I have a bit of a journey tomorrow, and Princess, you have quite the early wake-up after a very long day."
Everyone in the room made general sounds of approval and retreated to their quarters. Sakura wished everyone a goodnight and sweet dreams, to which Eriol responded with a smile,
"Sleep well, Princess."
Sakura's eyes found Syaoran and quickly realized he was not going to reply, she gave them a small yet polite nod in place of a curtsy and followed Yue to where her chamber was located. She was quite horrid with directions.
"A goddess like that is to be serving you day in and day out until I return, watch out for assassination attempts, cousin..."
"Oi, Eriol, the Kinomoto Princess will be fine, she's-"
"I wasn't talking about on her life, Syaoran, jealous men have been known to start wars over the ladies they lay with."
Syaoran rolled his eyes and began heading toward his chambers, giving his cousin a dismissive wave as he walked.
"Goodnight my cute little cousin!" Eriol called after him.
Syaoran's wave quickly turned into a rude gesture, never once looking back at Eriol's smirking face.
The next morning Sakura woke to darkness and a chill. Kero had yanked her sheets away.
"Neh, Kero, go back to bed, it's not even dawn yet..." Sakura mumbled, eye's still shut, blindly reaching for her blankets.
"Hai, Sakura, it's not even dawn yet, do you remember when you're meant to spar this morning?"
For a moment Sakura just smacked her lips eyes still closed, "Spar? What do you mean? I haven't even had br-" Suddenly the light of Sakura's emerald eyes glowed in the darkness and she remembered all the events of yesterday.
"Thank you Kero! What would I do without you!" Sakura quickly scrambled out of her new bed and two the restroom to splash her face. Suddenly she heard a knock on the door. Dabbing her face with a towel, which she would note was one of the softest she had ever felt, the Princess came and opened the door herself. On the other side was a thoroughly surprised Naoko.
"Princess Sakura-san! You're awake!"
"Hai! I've just woken up! And you remembered, Naoko-chan!" Sakura said as she gave her face one final wipe. Naoko smiled, she truly felt like she was simply visiting a friend.
"Come in come in!" Sakura beckoned the bookish servant girl in.
"Hai, I've brought you some sparring clothes." Naoko laid them on the bed.
"Queen Yelan figured you did not bring any of the sort, so she sent one of her daughter's old sets if that's alright! She figured they would fit..."
Sakura smiled at the Queen and Naoko's thoughtfulness, "Thank you very much Naoko-chan, it is more than alright!" Sakura held them up in front of her, they were both different and similar to the sparring clothes she wore at home.
They were all black, a color she didn't believe she had worn since mourning her mother's death so many years ago. The top was in typical Southern style, featuring a high neck and gold button fastenings to close it in the front to one side, no sleeves. She was concerned though, when she saw how short the top was. There was no way it covered below her waist.
She found relief in seeing the matching pants which would keep her feeling a bit less exposed. They seemed loose but tight at the ankles and waist. She believed they were called harem pants in the South. Sakura loved wearing pants, although it was often frowned upon for a lady of her status. She associated the garment with memories of her and Touya sparring or riding horses through the forests. 'The forests...' How were her people? Would Sakura get to see Yukito/Yue before they leave?
In addition was a pair of black sparring slippers that Sakura could not believe the Queen had guessed her foot size so accurately.
Naoko aided Sakura in getting dressed as the Princess struggled with the top's buttons, as well as putting her burnt honey hair up into a high ponytail.
The cardmistress felt like she could truly move freely in the ensemble, and smiled as she threw a practice series of punches and kicks, feeling surprisingly energetic so early in the morning.
Naoko smiled, both at the Kinomoto princess's energy, as well as the thought of her giving Prince Li a run for his money.
"Are you all set, Princess Sakura-san?" Naoko asked as Sakura concluded her movements.
"Hai! Thank you very much for helping me get ready, Naoko-chan!" Sakura smiled wide at her new friend.
Naoko smiled in return, "It's of nothing, Princess, shall we?" the servant girl gestured towards the door which she began to open. Sakura looked to her still with a smile and thanked her once more, this time for getting the door, but her face quickly changed.
Directly across from Sakura standing in a lavish doorway was none other than Prince Syaoran Li himself wearing nothing but a set of white harem pants and a tight black top in the style of her own. Emerald and amber locked, Sakura's smile was replaced with a look of surprise and wide eyes.
She was the first to snap out of her reverie, hearing Naoko mumble a small "Princess?" from behind.
"Good morning, Prince Li..." Sakura gave a polite nod, unable to curtsy in her harem pants.
"Hm." Grunted out Syaoran, "The sparring area is this way. Keep up."
Sakura turned to Naoko, seeing what seemed like a worried look, "Everything will definitely be alright." She told her, and made with haste out the door in the direction of the Prince.
Oh this was rich, Naoko thought. The servants' quarters were already buzzing with gossip on Sakura's beauty and kindness, Naoko and Rika conversed a great deal about castle's newest guest; but now this. She swore she saw pink on the ice prince's cheeks. It took every fiber of Naoko's strength to not let out a full girlish squeal after Sakura's retreating form, she settled for an internalized squeak.
next chapter will start off with some early morning sparring and I can't wait for it! please continue to review, I love to hear your thoughts! thanks again for reading!
ailzarmour96 - thank you very much! I hope you're still feeling engaged after this long one! :)
inpiniteu - more interactions to come! thanks a bunch!
StarlightBooks609 - thank you! I am too ahah, I have a few different directions I want to take it so we'll see!
James Birdsong- thank you so much! I'm so glad you're enjoying it thus far!
Guest - (I believe you're the same person in both your reviews!) thank you very much! hope there was some more cute moments for you here!
Damaged Forest Spirit - thanks a trillion! xo
