The Lost Princess
A/N: BlackWind, thanks for reading my fic! I can't reply to you privately so I'll thank you here :D
Chapter 19
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"Your Majesties! Lady Saku is gone!" this unexpected news shocked the people inside the conference room. It has been a couple of weeks after Sakura was attacked in the palace forest.
"Are you sure about that?" demanded the king who was the first one to recover from the shock.
"Affirmative, Your Majesty." The captain of the guards answered.
"It was reported to us by her handmaiden early this morning. She said the last time she saw her was when she went to bed. This morning, when she went in her room to see if she needed anything, she was not there. We looked for her the whole day in the hopes that she just went to a stroll and even asked her friends if they saw her since last night but they didn't." Sir Smith explained.
"And you just told us now that it's almost dusk?" boomed a furious Xiao Lang, hands clenched in total anger.
"Xiao Lang!" he barely heard his father's reproach.
"Do you think she's been…?" the queen trailed off but everyone knew what she was about to ask. Was Sakura really abducted? Why?
"Darn it! Search the entire place again! I don't want to hear any negative results!" this command was issued by the prince before he turned and walked towards the door.
Everyone heard the urgency, fury and fear in the prince's voice. They feared what the prince would do once Sakura wasn't found.
"Where are you going, Xiao? We're not done yet." The king called to his son who did not even show any signs that he heard him. He just walked out of the room with a determined stride. The king heaved a huge sigh and turned to the captain.
"Go on. Mobilize everyone and search for her." The king seconded his son's order.
"At once, Your Majesty." Sir Smith agreed, bowed in respect and left to do as he was told.
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"Deshi?" came his queen's worried voice. He looked at her with a resigned expression and gave her a tight smile.
"I was never that stubborn during my youth. He must have inherited that from you." He stated, punching the bridge of her nose fondly.
"Of course not! He got that from you." The queen countered lightly, making the king chuckle.
"But I'm really worried, Love. What if Saku is really abducted? Our son will go berserk." The queen stated her fear quietly, brows creased in worry.
"We'll find her. Don't worry yourself too much, okay?" the king assured his wife, caressing her cheeks with a slight smile. She nodded in acknowledgement.
"Why don't you go take a rest for a bit? I know the argument with our son was quite taxing for you." The king suggested with a naughty grin.
Yelan returned his grin, "Yeah, well. Having you as a husband and Xiao as a son is indeed too much for my calm demeanor." She stated haughtily and jokingly.
"Calm demeanor?" disbelief and amusement laced his voice.
"Of course." Yelan answered off-handedly before giving him a peck on his cheek and walking towards the door. When she was already on the threshold, she turned back to her husband and met his familiar brown eyes, and said, "But I wouldn't have it any other way." Referring to her statement about her husband and son. Then, she was immediately out of sight after a smile.
"You're a gem." The king said quietly, the smile on his lips still visible.
A heartbeat later, the king turned to his one of his council and said, "I want Sakura's background investigated right now. I want my worst fear confirmed." The man nodded his head and left.
"What is it, Your Majesty?" one of the council asked in confusion.
"Someone is trying to steer us to the wrong direction. I doubt now if Tomoyo is really the Reed princess." Was his answer which made the council gasp in surprise and horror at what it implied.
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Yelan was passing by the library when she decided to go there for a second. She went to the place where a huge painting of the Reed Queen and herself was hung. It was painted by Fujitaka when they were still in their teens.
"Hey, Nadeshiko." She started quietly. "Tomoyo said you died while giving birth to her. Why did you leave? It's so soon. You only had a year with Fujitaka." She continued, sadness lacing her voice.
"Know what? I met a lady who reminded me so much of you during your youth. So naïve and full of life…" Yelan stopped as she stared at Nadeshiko's eyes and saw someone else staring at her from those eyes. "No way." She half-whispered, her hands covering her mouth in shock and disbelief. She immediately left the library at a run, wanting to let her husband know of her discovery.
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"Damn it! Where are you, Saku?" Syaoran shouted in frustration while giving a tree trunk a strong and hard punch. His right knuckle throbbed in pain but this went unnoticed as he faced the sky, eyes closed in dismay. He had searched the whole area thrice already but he saw no sign of Sakura. It was already dark but he didn't want to give up. He mustn't! He needed to see Sakura and make sure she was okay.
He was about to run into the forest and call Sakura's name again when he felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned and saw Takashi's grim expression, shaking his head gravely.
"Let's resume tomorrow, Syao. It's very late and is about to rain." Takashi told the desperate Syao. Syaoran knew that rain was coming because of the ceaseless lightning and thunder but he didn't want to stop looking.
"No. I can't stop. She might need our help." Syaoran reasoned out, hazel eyes showing his fear, frustration and despair.
"Syao?" Takashi protested just in time when the fat drops of rain began to fall heavily, bathing the vegetation and the two guys.
Syaoran shook his head and was about to run but Takashi caught his arm, yanked him and released a hard blow on Syaoran's face. Syaoran went down on the mud, blood dripping from his cracked lips.
"Don't be stubborn, Syao!" Takashi scolded. Syaoran wiped the blood from his lips with the back of his palm, lost hazel eyes fixed on Takashi.
"I have to find her." Was his broken reply that tugged at Takashi's heart. It was the first time that he'd heard such desperation from Syaoran. The first time that he'd seen Syaoran's usually calm expression replaced by helplessness.
