Synergy

A Fractured Fairy Tale

Sakura Takanouchi

The rocky path of two people destined to be together, and the actions of all who try to stop them. A story of the romance between Shizuka and Seto told as a fairy tale.

Synergy: The interaction of two or more agents or forces so that their combined effect is greater than the sum of their individual effects.

I do not own Yu-gi-oh, I am just using these characters in my story. Which means the plot is mine, although this is also influenced heavily by Ever After; Ella Enchanted, Jane Austen, and the song 'Spell' by Marié Digby. I don't own any of these either, or Plato's Republic.

"…An empty stage
With nothing but this girl
Who's singing this simple melody
And wearing her heart on her sleeve …"

-'Spell,' Marié Digby

Chapter Two

10 years later

It was nearing midnight, and with the change of the guards, it was also the perfect time to escape. With only the moonlight to guide him, it was easy work to fall onto the gently sloping roof just below the open window. He slid down its length fairly easily, rolling along the dusty ground until he came to a stop. Brushing off his cape with a minimal amount of cursing, he made his way to the stables to take their fastest steed. The Crown Prince Seto had more than cleared the castle's gates when he heard the sounds of a squadron being assembled to bring him back. He grinned, knowing that their efforts were all in vain.

The crow of the cock may have woken up everyone else in the aging Manor house, but Shizuka was already awake and going through her laundry list of chores. She had risen before the sun and in her solitude was able to enjoy the smallest pleasures, such as watching the sun crest over the treetops, setting the fields alight with vitality. But these lasted but a moment, before she turned her back to them, hefting the water buckets carefully to the house. As with every morning, on her way to the chicken coop she stopped and knelt at the base of a weathered stone slab. Even the inscription and the name were fading away, and Shizuka wished that the Baron had cared enough to commission a decent marker for the grave of his wife. Every morning, she whispered her innermost thoughts to this 

tombstone, and then hurried to gather the eggs used in this morning's breakfast. She could hear the shouts coming from the house even from so far away.

"Where is that girl with our breakfast! And why do we only have bacon, not sausage, and the bread is as hard as a rock!" Shizuka gulped and practically flew across the threshold into the kitchen. The other servants regarded her with pity, handing her platters and tying an apron around her waist.

"Ooh, take care, child, that Baron's in a right awful mood!" Shizuka took their worries in stride as she left the kitchen with their food.

"There you are. We were worried that you had fallen down the well or something," Anzu's honeyed voice sometimes worked as a balm in her father's rage, but today was not one of those days. Shizuka apologized for the delay, placing the platters onto the table, one before father and daughter.

"What could you possibly do, girl, that would cause you to be late? You are aware of all the things I do for you? I feed you, clothe you, allow you to stay in this house after your mother passed on, and what do I ask in return? Only—"

"Only that I try my hardest to be good," Shizuka intoned along with her stepfather, easily settling into the persona that would allow her prompt dismissal. "I do try to do all that you ask of me, sir, and sometimes I sit alone by myself and wonder, just what else I could do, and then—"

"Get out of my sight," the Baron's voice was masked by a mouthful of food, and Shizuka took this as her cue to escape to the kitchen for her own breakfast. She was still within earshot of the dining room, and as subtlety was not one of the Baron's strong points, she was able to hear every part of their conversation. "Anzu, we're going to the markets today—you must look your best when we visit the royal family tomorrow." Shizuka heard the scraping of cutlery on china, and then cursing over the quality and quantity of the food. "At court, we are sure to be treated to much better food than this."

Shizuka looked at her own plate, at the food that had been grown outside their doors and made with human hands, and wondered how anyone could complain. She faintly heard Anzu say something about keeping her figure, and then tuned everything out, concentrating on her breakfast. It was only when the horses were called for and the carriage departed did Shizuka release the breath that she hadn't realized she was holding in. She didn't bother telling anyone, just let herself upstairs and into her stepsister's room. There, she helped herself to all of the fragrant perfumes and cosmetics that Anzu delighted in purchasing. A green silk gown that Anzu hadn't worn in months went from the wardrobe to Shizuka's arms. After a moment, Shizuka looked equal to any Lady, brushing her hair out with a brush adorned with a silver filigreed handle.

Her second trip was to the Manor's library. In the midmorning sun, the dust rose softly under her feet and then settled back onto the floor. The spines of most of the books were cracked with age and use. Every time that Shizuka entered this room it seemed like the number of volumes was decreasing. She carefully selected the volume she was halfway through reading. One finger automatically slipped into the page with a folded corner, and, free for the afternoon, Shizuka left the house as light as a cloud.

She wandered along paths past golden fields and fallow fields knee-high with grass until she came to her destination—the orchard. The trees were spotted with bright red apples, and Shizuka reached up and picked one from an overhanging branch, finding her favorite spot in the shade underneath its branches. This routine escape was so ephemeral, but with each turn of the page Shizuka could almost see in her mind's eye how things would be if her family had not been taken from her. Perhaps her brother would be practicing his swordplay in the clearing beside her, and her parents would be at the door, calling them in to eat supper. Tears came to her eyes as she struggled to remember their faces. Their voices were almost gone from her completely…only the words 'promise' and 'goodbye' remained. She wrapped her arms around her drawn-up knees, searching for solace in anything. She was so wrapped up in her own troubles she failed to notice that she was no longer alone with them.

"Damn horse, just hold still for a minute," a deep voice permeated the silence, accompanied by the light whinny of the horse and the rumbling of an empty stomach. Shizuka almost giggled at the stranger, before checking her actions at his anonymity. What if he was some rogue, some bandit, stealing their food or their horse? The Manor was already deficient with the thievery of her stepfather! She twisted her body to see the intruder, but with the crackle of leaves froze before she gave herself away. If he was a rogue, she had no way to defend herself. Hearing the snap of a branch and the sound of chewing gave Shizuka the courage to put a stop to his actions. She glanced down at the worn pages in her hands. It gave her an idea…

The Crown Prince Seto received the surprise of his life when the brown volume came flying from behind the tree and hit him square above his temple. Seto cursed, looking around wildly, his hands fumbling for the leads of the horse which had decided to become immobile.

"Thief! Trespasser! Intruder, be gone from this land!" The angry female voice moved Seto to action faster than anything else. He heard rustling and in the next moment he felt the contact of another apple on his shoulder. His first impulse was to berate her for her insolence. How dare she?

"Do you know who I am?" Seto still held the book in his hand; it had become quite useful in defending himself against her barrage of fruit.

"You are trespassing over our land; you are stealing our fruit and horses! At this moment, your actions far outweigh any title—and you must know as well as any that the only ones with amnesty are the royal family themselves!"

Seto chanced a look at the maiden's face while covering his own with the book. He saw nothing more than an ignorant pride over her land. He couldn't believe it. She has no idea of who I am. But was she daft, or just truly ignorant? "Maiden—I had no choice!"

"And our choice was what? To let you?" Another apple was thrown at him, striking him in the knee.

"I had switched horses at your pasture. Mine was worn out from the day's journey. That is not stealing. And what laws of hospitality do you adhere to, denying food to a hungry traveler? It appears that you are the only one in the wrong to attack me for nothing!"

The arm poised to throw hesitated for a moment. "Well, what about trespassing onto the land? You can't argue your way out of this."

He really couldn't without giving away his identity. And, looking into her defiant eyes, he discovered the reason why he had escaped the court that day. He wanted a place where he could be in control of his own self, to live with only his own shadow behind him, to say whatever he wanted to say. And right then he wanted to express his disbelief at this creature of contradictions before him. "You are certainly the most obstinate maiden I've ever met. But coming from someone who reads Plato, I would expect no less."

Shizuka's hand had lowered during his speech until the apple in it dropped softly to the ground. "Have you read his Republic?" She sounded so hopeful, so eager, it disarmed him.

"Of course I have. I must say, it interests me to discover what you have to say about the discussion of justice and power. I am confident that you hold your opinions most decidedly on the topic." Oh, how perfect. This girl had no idea who she was conversing to, and on such a topic, her opinions will probably be considered treason. But a small part of him was impressed that she had known how to deal with him as an intruder so quickly. How was it possible for someone to be so knowledgeable about the rules of the Kingdom but not the identity of its sovereign? To prove that he had no intention of leaving, the Prince leant casually against the ground, his eyes motioning for her to recline as well.

She spent but a moment gathering her thoughts, more concerned at his address to her previously. It was an order. Who orders around (although it wasn't harshly given) a complete stranger? "I have to disagree with Plato's concept of specialization. He talks about how everyone is confined to one task, but then there is no room to rise through society. What if the one destined to be a knight was born as a slave?"

The man sitting across from her couldn't help but sneer at her words. "What opportunities are there to rise in society? The lower classes are doomed to their lot. It is unheard of to speak of anyone else on the throne, for example."

"So you admit that Plato's concept of justice is an idealized notion? The upper classes hold their power, and will do anything to hold on to it."

"Plato or not, you are defending the idea that there is an absence of justice. How interesting, that a lady like yourself would be arguing for these values. I would almost think you a peasant." He chuckled, as if at a joke, and Shizuka could feel her cheeks start to burn. He has no idea of who I am.

"And I would almost think you proud of whatever title I don't doubt you have," Shizuka's tongue was quicker than her mind, and while the Crown Prince was debating whether to behead her on the spot or keep up this charade, she couldn't help but hope he never found out she was a commoner, a servant, even! Even a noblewoman wouldn't dare speak to an elite this way.

Seto couldn't be more amazed at this insolent woman in front of him. Even if he concealed his identity, she was probably minutes from figuring it out anyways! Was he really that transparent? "Just based on my support of the ruling class, you think me a noble? With you and your radical ideals, you dare to call me proud?"

"Tell me, have you ever talked to the person who made your breakfast?"

The Crown Prince was silent, his inner thoughts broadcast by a furrowed brow and darting gaze. Shizuka couldn't help a burst of joy for her victory. "Remember, 'hubris breeds the tyrant.' "

As she hoped, it brought him back to his senses. "You really are an admirer of classical thought, aren't you?" he mused. "But you are an enigma—I know of no one who would dare voice your ideals. I see it no other way—those in power have the power, and should follow the expectations given to them due to their place."

"And this fulfills the expectations of power how?" A nasally voice, different from either interrupted their conversation. Seto instantly scrambled up from his relaxed position on the ground, speaking to the newcomer (and in Shizuka's eyes, simply another 'intruder') as if he knew the man. She could tell that he looked extremely agitated at seeing him, but as far as Shizuka was concerned, the sooner the two left the Manor, the better. The newcomer looked down his nose at the girl distastefully. "Miss, show some respect! You are speaking to the Crown Prince Seto Kaiba!"

An audible gasp filled the silence after his unctuous speech; Shizuka quickly rose to her feet, dropping her head in the curtsey she had always tried to perfect. Her knee creaked as she rose; the sound was not unheard by the Prince himself, smirking at her as he commanded her to rise. "As the charade is quite obviously at an end, I am quite interested to find out why you did not recognize me from the instant I entered your garden."

Another order—Shizuka berated herself for not making the connections earlier. And she had practically denounced the royal family, right in front of him! She knew her life would be in jeopardy if she revealed her true identity; if associated with Lord Mazaki and her beloved Manor, who knew what horrors would befall them… the safest course of action was the most desirable; Shizuka knew she would never have such a conversation with him again.

"I am merely visiting Domino, Prince." Shizuka began her lie carefully, noticing how her formal tone irritated him. What would have happened if they had not been interrupted? "I come from Shogi, in the West. I am merely here in Domino visiting a, uh…cousin."

She seemed to be deliberately withholding information to him. With his guard more than ready to leave, Seto was not going to let her get away that easily. "What cousin? I know most of the courtiers by name."

"Why, the only one I have, Prince." Shizuka turned to go, cutting her interrogation short.

Seto quickly moved, blocking her escape. "Are you being coy or are you really refusing to answer my question?" He searched her face for answers, trying to bring back a bit of the person he had argued most fervently with only that afternoon.

"You may call me Shizuka," she finally relented under the pressure.

The Prince seemed satisfied enough with her answer. "See, that wasn't so hard. I bid you good day, Lady Shizuka," he inclined his head in farewell; she merely turned and moved as quickly as possible out of the orchard, away from the Prince so eager to destroy her. Once in sight of the house, she sighed with relief. Anzu and the Baron were not yet back from their excursion, leaving her ample time to return the dress. It was only then that she realized that the Prince was still in possession of the book.

Seto's guard realized this at about the same time Shizuka had, picking up the book and holding it out to the Prince with a measure of distaste. Wordlessly, he received it, effortlessly mounting the horse and riding slightly ahead of the other, back to the court. Even if the guard had raised any questions, Seto was in no mood to answer any of them.

Author's Notes:

'hubris breeds the tyrant' Is a famous line from Oedipus Rex; I'm dating this work as a time in the world when monarchies were still quite common, so I believe people would look to the classical age for 'enlightenment', hence the allusions to that, the use of Plato's Republic, and their whole discussion.

Shogi is a Japanese form of chess; as Domino is the name of the Kingdom/a game; I figure I'll do the same here. It really has no other purpose in the story.

Reviewer Replies:

Blueshadows 2010: I'm glad you think it's interesting! Surprises abound, I definitely plan on deviating a little from the typical fairytale 'meter' in these next few chapters. Thanks for reviewing!

UnlessAbsolutelyNecessary: The title definitely says a lot about the story; I'm glad you like it! Of course I'll continue—no matter how long it takes, I have to write them out to get them out of my head ). Sorry about the other stories, they're all coming…eventually… Yeah, Seto may be the trickiest person to write here. He has to be in his own character as well as fit the fairytale 'Prince' archetype. The motives behind his escape will definitely be cleared up in the next chapter! I'm working really hard on the pace and dialogue, it's great that you're picking it up! Thank you for reviewing and I'll try to get the next chapter out as soon as I can!

Kako: You know I always respect your comments, they make the story even more fantastic! I actually didn't get your bad joke…maybe another one is required? Just kidding, thanks always for reviewing!

Midnight blue08: Good question! Anzu is technically the 'evil stepsister' archetype, but her character is a little more complicated than that. She's a mix of both stepsisters, someone who with the circumstances is getting a new set of priorities. Thanks for reviewing; I hope you liked this chapter!

The Duelist's Heiress: Glad you like it! Don't worry, Shizuka can hold up to a lot of stuff—even though she's definitely not out of it all yet! I'm working hard on the next chapter! Thanks for reviewing!

Dancers of the night: I'm glad you like it! I'll try to have the next chapter up soon!

Arana Is: Yeah, I've always wanted to write something like this. And I'm glad you like the title. You probably explained the Anzu thing better than I did haha. I definitely plan on seeing this story through, and I hope you enjoyed reading this chapter!

Well, that's all for Chapter Two of Synergy. Expect Chapter Three up sometime before classes start up again! As always, reviews mean more to me than words can express.

Thank you for reading!

Sakura Takanouchi