Reviewers;
Czar Joseph: I hope that you like what happens next, and Naruto won't show up for a while. This is a Sakura-Centric fic.
Duh Bomb: Nice picturesque for the poem I thought. And Of course I have a plot twist and tricks in my writing. After writing enough fanfictions, you should come to expect them at every turn.
St3rFire: I really...LOVED your explanation. That life is about the struggles we face. That to me is what my characters go though for their lives, naruto by himself, Ino being unable to do any tangible things, but trying, and sakura who wants just one person but has to deal with the stress of leading an entire city-State. So I loved your ideology behind it.
PoptartLegit: You're right Legit. I'll keep doing that for a bit then. Another story I'm planning for a medieval plot will have medieval tournaments and prizes and princess kisses and oath-centric to the storyline. This one is a strict royal-fic, where the knights are heard but not the main section. As for the High School Fic, I decided to add a time-skip because...well, Sakura changed and such.
AN: Hey you guys! So...not too many this week, but that's cool. So...I'm heading back home for the summer and that means...Less Updates! I know, I know. I'm terrible, but I'll try doing weekly updates. Just follow the story and it will send you an email when I do update. So being summer and all, I hope to write a lot, finish my stories and get ready for a good fall winter story as soon as this one is done...hopefully. That sound fair to all of you? Alright! So...Time to Read! (Wow, when I was little, I hated that phrase...now look at me!)
Fire & Ice
Arc 1: Conceal It
Chapter 14: The Queen's Party
Up in the night sky, the great winds blew the clouds away from the coast and either out to sea or further into the land. And a quarter of a league above the city, great bursts of fire sent forth colors of red and white and blue and yellow and green. The sounds of these explosions rocketed the city below as on every street corner, people laughed merrily.
Women frolicked in the four squares of the city with boys their age, and to the eyes of the older generation who had seen the previous coronation festival, knew that in nine months, a massive population would boom. Down the alleys, children ran around, wielding wooden swords and pictures of the new Queen on glass plates and cups and everything that the artisans of the city could make on such short notice. Because after three days of this festival, the Queen's face would be banned from most artist's brush strokes and so they made their creations now, to give and sell quickly to the excited populace.
Street guards patrolled the streets, pushing would be thieves away and giving them a light punishment due to the happy mood, and even thieves only stole some of what they could, feeling generous to their Queen's people tonight of all nights. And still, people ran around and had the time of their lives.
An hour later, tables were set up on every street imaginable, from the marketplace to the open ended alleys, and pots full of food were passed around to these tables where the entire city sat down to a feast, while the volunteers smiled and served them. And they all prayed for their Queen, that she live a long life serving them and their city, and thanking her for this food that though the castle denied it, came directly from the royal storage areas under the castle itself. They loved their Queen, for she was their Queen, chosen by God to lead them into the next life.
(Meanwhile)
As the people sat down to eat or continued to dance in the square, Sakura, the Queen of Port Haruno, look down on them happily from her balcony from her bedroom. They looked so happy, even from up here, and the beautiful singing around the city reach her ears and she sighed. She wish she had a voice like that.
Now Ino had a great voice. In fact just an hour ago, Ino had sung for the royal banquet, and had received much praise. Apparently, Ino had wanted to surprise Sakura, and surprise her she did. Sakura was crying happily as the song ended and Ino bowed to her before sitting back down next to her.
Now, Sakura was dressed once more in a gown, but this one was emerald green and moved down to her lower thighs, and attached to her upper figure by hanging on her right shoulder, leaving her left one bare, before she felt her sore ankles, where heels were attached to her feet. They were killing her and Sakura couldn't wait to put her boots back on. How did Ino do all this princess stuff and Sakura could barely do it to save her life. Ino was the perfect image of the princess that Sakura wished to be, but Ino told Sakura that each princess was different, so she should be herself.
A clearing of the throat sounded at the doorway, and Sakura looked over to see Ino in a glittering gold dress wrapped around Ino's sensuous body before wrapping around her left shoulder. A sash of purple signified her family and gold heels stung Sakura's eyes at the shining reflection of the torches in the hallway.
"Sakura, you ready?"
"I'd rather watch my people than dance, Ino."
"Well, I'm sure you'd rather change your hair color and dance as a commoner, but you can't." Ino teased with a smile and Sakura nodded her head and followed Ino out, closing the door behind her. Growing up with Naruto, Sakura had been a tomboy before Ino showed up. And since then, Sakura had used Ino's habits to become more feminine, while Ino looked up to Sakura to become more confident in her thoughts and actions. Ino used to be so timid when she first arrived here and Sakura giggled at the thought.
"What's so funny?" Ino asked as they moved down the stairs to the next level.
"Just remembering when you first came to the castle and stuttered as bad as Hinata."
"That's not fair." Ino giggled back. "Hinata was a mute until she turned twenty last year and married Kiba."
"True, true." Sakura nodded, remembering that those two were here tonight for both the landlocked provinces of the Hyuuga valley and the Inuzuka woodlands.
"But I got better….thanks to you." Ino teased and now it was Sakura who blushed. She was unable to keep up with all these compliments today, but Ino's were genuine and true, unlike some royals she knew...
"Well," Ino bowed to Sakura who, with her iced red gloves, partially see through in the torchlight, still pulled up to her elbows, bowed back. "Here I go."
And Ino walked out to the grand staircase that led into the grand ball room which Sakura had frozen over so long ago.
"Attention!" The caller announced and banged his staff along the marble ground and more people turned to the upper doorway where the most important of figures entered, including the other royals who were attending this party. "May I present, Ino Yamanaka, Honorary Harunean(Ha-row-knee-an), and retainer to the throne!"
A loud clapping sounded as Ino appeared and many younger royals of teens and children gave cat calls to Ino who bit her lip and winked at them, being flirty as soon as she stopped at the bottom step. By then though, all of the attention was back on the caller who cleared his voice.
"And now! May I, honored royal caller, present….her majesty, lady of the alliance, lady of the emerald isles, and Queen of Port Haruno…..Sakura Maria Haruno!" At this, the doors opened above and not just clapping, but cheers went up around the room, as Ino watched her best friend appear in her emerald gown, with her blood red cloak fluttering behind her, wearing the golden crown of leaves weaved in and out of her hair, just above her hairline above her ears.
"My fellow Royals, esteemed guests, and to all servants that are here," Sakura spoke and some royals looked disturbed at the servants who turned to smile at their lady in confusion. Why bother talking to them? "I thank you all for coming today and arriving safely.
"Though I still mourn for my parents' deaths, I hope to prove to you all that I may keep the peace among all of us, and that we may continue to live in harmonious union. So I welcome you all to this ball, which is my celebration, but I open it to you all, to celebrate a night for all of us to remember."
A round of clapping soon followed and Sakura nodded to the conductor next to the center of the right side, where a huge glass window showed the city and settings beyond them. Sakura slowly moved down the stairs, careful to use the stone railing and hoping not to fall and embarrass herself.
As she reached the bottom of the stairs, she was immediately approached by what would be the first wave of men her age. Sakura smiled at the small group of brave first timers and let her hand move up before a teen with brown hair accepted it and they moved onto the dance floor, where traditional songs began to play.
For you see, tonight was not just a normal night of enjoying a party and then saying that Sakura was now the Queen. No for, even though as Queen, Sakura did not have a King at her side, and so this party was filled with potential suitors for her, up to ten years her senior and three years her junior. For the most part though, as she was seventeen, she had to admit that she was appreciative that none of the older males above thirty would be trying their luck with her, though it had happened to other Queens before her.
After fifteen suitors, Sakura smiled as a man in his mid-thirties suddenly appeared without anyone realizing and grabbed Sakura's hand, and as soon as Sakura saw his silver hair and his one red eye which represented his loyalty to his royal, Sakura smiled gratefully.
"Lord Kakashi, thank you for coming. I thought you'd refuse."
"Not for this, my former student. I hope you have kept up on your sword lessons."
Sakura blushed a bit. Kakashi was a knight under the Uchiha banner, but was also a good and loyal friend of her father's who had taught Kakashi everything about fighting in wars. Kakashi had been fighting when he was twelve, but this age of peace had him serving as a knight of great insight.
"Not as much as I should," Sakura replied.
"A Queen should always be able to protect herself, My Lady Sakura." Kakashi chided playfully, and Sakura leaned into his shoulder a bit, looking at the envious suitors. "In chess, the Queen is after all the most powerful of pieces."
"But chess is determined by sacrificing pieces Kakashi. Sometimes, one must sacrifice their Queen for the good of the game."
Kakashi sighed. "And that is why I wished I could have pledged to you, Sakura." Kakashi sighed and they parted to have Kakashi bow low to Sakura before smiling. "You will make a great Queen, My Lady."
Sakura blushed and bowed her head as well, and Kakashi walked off. Sakura sighed as she danced with the remainder of the eager suitors before she finally had reached the last brave one, making a total of forty. She had made sure that each of them had five minutes, so Sakura walked forward until she was standing atop the steps of the ball room, wanting nothing more than to remove these terrible heels which stung her feet as she had danced straight for the last two hours.
Sakura looked around at all the smiling faces of the royals of this part of the world. Young and middle and old, and born of high or honorary status. In this room were experienced knights, great ambassadors, friends and old enemies as well as new. But the laughter that Sakura heard had her turning and smiling as her retainer danced and giggled in the arms of a man their age.
Sakura smiled at Ino. She was the girl that loved parties, and people gravitated towards her to hear both the gossip and just to be around her, but as Ino giggled higher than usual, Sakura smiled brighter. It signified that Ino was having a great time, and so though Sakura's feet hurt, her friend's laughter served to numb the pain.
Sakura sniffled a bit as Ino leaned in and shared a close embrace with the man she was dancing with, and heartache filled her with dread. Sakura looked out at the full moon and remembered years back to hating this moon, as it began Naruto's exile from her side. But the sound of Sakura's gloves tightening around her fingers made Sakura determined.
These were her second to last pair, and she had almost mastered them. Once she mastered them, she only had the last set to achieve and then, she would call Naruto back to her city, call him into her bed chamber, and give herself to him, if he would still have her. For as long as she had him in her heart, these suitors stood no chance to gain it from her.
Sakura almost felt like she was from a story that had recently been written from across the great sea, where a King made a twenty year journey, and his wife, Queen Penelope, resisted against a hundred suitors, knowing that her love was alive. That book was named the Odyssey, and Sakura felt like that Queen, but just like Penelope, she would wait for her love to return to her side.
It was just as Sakura sighed and looked back inside the grand hall that the man kissed Ino's hand before walking off, and Ino looked around for a second before spotting Sakura and made her way up to her side, before breathing in frustration.
"What a great party." Sakura grinned, and Ino looked at her tiredly, as Sakura looked at Ino's hair which was messy, and looked like she'd been dipped over and over again. "Don't you agree?"
"I want to, but I'm having trouble to be sure."
"What is wrong?"
"A who to be certain. It's that damn Prince Nara!" Ino sighed and pointed to the man she'd just been dancing with as he talking with some other girls lazily. Sakura giggled a bit; Shikamaru Nara, ever the lazy prince.
"What is he doing wrong?"
"Well…first, he asks me if I can have a word, and then we start to dance and he says that he's sorry, but he had to get me away from my group."
"Separating you from the herd, huh? Hard to do when you're all gossipy and all."
"I do admit that." Ino blushed a bit and Sakura smiled wider as Ino began to speak frantically and blushed harder. "And then as we're dancing, I mean, he was admiring me, Sakura, and not lustfully, but calling me beautiful and flattering me so well! He said I have the bluest eyes that match the sky above the clouds."
"Aww. That's sweet.
"Yes, and Then! I um…accidently stepped on his foot, and he called me troublesome, but smiled at me. He's been doing this all night and it's making me just…just stare at him!"
Sakura's grin became wider as Ino's blush became more apparent. "You find him favorable, then, Ino?" To Ino's slightest nod, Sakura smiled warmly. Ino was Sakura's retainer and therefore, a kind of guardian who Ino had to have approval of suitors for herself, and as Prince Nara was the next in line for his own throne, Sakura would lose Ino as she was married off.
"I hope you don't leave too soon for the Nara Woods." Sakura spoke softly, and Ino rounded on her.
"Sakura! I'm not going to sleep with him so soon, if that's what you're wondering, and marriage sounds so weird so young."
"But you're off balance when he's around, yes?"
"Uh-huh. He just makes me feel woozy and unable to contain my giggles. You know I hate my giggles. I sound like a pig."
"Well Ino, if he makes you happy, then be happy with him. Remember, it's not just my night, but everyone's."
Ino rolled her eyes and looked ahead. "Sometimes, Sakura…you are just too nice."
As Sakura and Ino continued to converse about things that teenage girls do, a man in particular stood by a far wall to the left and noticing his chance, began to walk towards Sakura. As he neared the bottom step, Sakura's eyes were caught by his and Sakura smiled brightly as her eyes lit up in recognition.
The man walking up wore a black on red armor, the opposite to the Haruno colors, which were red on black, with black hair in a ponytail behind him and red eyes that made Sakura's cloak look pink by comparison, but the smile he held made Sakura's heart flutter. If she was seven years older, she may have fallen for this man, but that did not matter now.
"Greetings, Queen Sakura."
"And greetings to you as well….King Itachi."
"May we skip the introductions and simply call each other by simplistic terms?"
"Of course Lord Itachi."
"I was wondering if I could have a dance with her Ladyship."
"Of course." Sakura smiled and handed Ino the drink in her hands and presented her hand towards Itachi who accepted it before moving with Sakura to the middle of the dance floor, surrounded by everyone on every side. Itachi stopped and pulled Sakura to face him, making her twirl a bit and she laughed flirtatiously as her eyes admired everything about the older King than herself.
As they stepped back and forth in their dancing, Sakura thought back to how Naruto and she spent some time in the Uchiha lands, which lied to the east of Port Haruno, and were just as prosperous as the port city itself. Its lands were mainly plains and grasslands and the population was ten times as large due to the fact that the Uchiha lands held ten cities, unlike the Port Haruno's one main city.
Itachi and Sakura were related in fact, because Two hundred years ago, about nine generations past, Itachi's grandmother had married into the royal line of Sakura's now deceased mother, before the generations passed and her mother married her father and had her. The relationship between royals these days were very distant with past wars and bloodshed between the families, but now, all was at peace.
"I must say, My Lady, you dance rather well."
"Thank you."
"Not like the girl I danced with at my own coronation."
Sakura giggled at that comment. She was eleven, and Itachi was eighteen when his father died of an illness, his mother already gone from the world ten years previous. "Of course I dance better. I had to make sure I impressed you."
Itachi smiled and Sakura felt her stomach fill with butterflies. Before Naruto, her younger self held Itachi as her older crush, and when Naruto had foolishly challenged Itachi to a duel, Sakura's eleven year old self had been torn between the two and she found herself rooting for Naruto, and her feelings forever since belonged with him. And Itachi had let Naruto win, but at the cost of breaking his own sword in the process, forcing the duel into a stalemate.
But really, Sakura and Itachi were close, and exchanged letters monthly about how things were progressing in their lands, and Sakura saw Itachi as an adored older brother. He was the embodiment of what her father had wanted if he had a son; brave, generous, kind and fair to his people.
"Sakura," Itachi whispered and Sakura's situation turned a bit serious. "You know that I care for you like the sister I never had."
"Of course." Sakura smiled, before Itachi's arms suddenly surrounded her in a hug, and his mouth suddenly laid close to her ear, as the party's sounds stopped completely and people moved in slow motion, as if Sakura's powers were once again snapping into place.
"….You are in danger, My Lady."
AN: (Play Scary Music) Cliff-Hanger!
Question: What's your favorite Disney Movie? (Besides Frozen ;) )