Card Captor Sakura Fan Fiction ❯ The Taming of Two Free Spirits ❯ Night Flight ( Prologue )

The teacup clattered against its saucer as if its holder had just received a most upsetting or suprising news. It knew it should be offended but it could not bring itself to do or say anything against his beloved mistress. So it suffered in silence as most of the castle did for their mistress was most peculiar…

`You did what?!' a young woman exclaimed, not noticing spilled tea on her casual tunic. The teacup sighed inwardly, it had done its best, but as usual it was just not enough against its young mistress's habits.

`I-I…I called him a-a…an irresponsable two-faced self-claiming imbecile in front of the whole court. I called it to his face even! I was just so utterly furious that he would dare try and claim me as his bride when I cannot see his face without breaking out in spots for the horror!' answered another young lady with a slight tremble in her voice. Was it for fear or for complete repulsion no one listening could tell, although they tended to prefer the latter for the lady to whom the voice belonged was not easily intimidated by great lumbering fools like the preposterous man who had caused this whole conversation to begin with. The servants did not mean to eavesdrop, they did their possible not to, but as the poor teacup, sometimes their possible was just not enough. The two ladies were just so interesting, unlike the dull life they lived. Oh make no mistake, the castle was peaceful and tranquile but nothing had happened in over a century to make things maybe, be it just the slightest bit less …dull. With maybe one exception. The arrival of two very beautiful maidens seemingly coming from no-where. The first was incredibly breathtaking with shining green eyes, which passed from emerald green to a deep forest green whenever angered or surprised, though she rarely lost her temper. Hair made from silk with ribbons of honey and chestnut flowing through gorgeous auburn locks curling slightly down her back. She bore a perfect figure with slender hips and beautiful legs which she mostly kept hidden below endless skirts upon request. Her smile could light up the darkest room in the farthest underground even in the blackest of situations. For this lady never lost hope nor her sense of honor. She was as beautiful as the sunset and as gentle as the dove. Many fell in love with her but she took no notice of them, not to scorn them, but simply for she had never noticed. The second lady had not the beauty of the first but for every once of beauty missing (which was not much mind you, as she was very fair and highly regarded herself) her caracter made up for in leaping bounds and strides. She was tall and gracious as a cat but could turn and pounce on you before you quite had an idea to what was happening. She had the most mysterious eyes that made her game to any hunter looking for a challenge. Silent hidden pools of violet mist, she never showed her emotions to anyone but her compagnion. Beautiful shimmering black hair, thick as a briar bush, though sleek and without knots. Her hair was long past her knees though she kept it up in elegant braids or other ways to keep it out of her face. She had a pale complexion but flushed to a wonderous degree when angered (which happened quite often for she had a temper that quite surpassed any competitor). Her hands were extraordinairly talented at embroidery and hemming and other skills involving needles and material. She was thin but as her compagnion she had a perfect figure. Her feet were skilled at dancing but she had little patience for those who did not impress her on the first try. She avoided all balls except when her friend insisted upon her presence. The two women had appeared almost seven months ago and had presented themselves to the king and all the royalty. They were immediately taken for princesses from another far away country and were treated as such. The two never made any indication to correct them and displayed an excellent knowledge of everything involving the courts and respect unto other royals. Their manners were impeccable (except of course when the raven-haired lady lost her temper and the other made no effort to disagree with her) and they quite certainely acted as princesses so everyone assumed they were. But people often wondered where they came from and why for they never talked about it and whenever it came up in the conversation they quite skillfully changed the subject before they person realised what had happened, he was already caught up in the new conversation and made a note to ask some other time. The two ladies were most peculiar indeed, but somehow inviting. Which was why almost every servant on the seventh floor was presently outside the fearless ladies' room (for they had insisted upon arrival to be put together as they were inseperable) and hung on to every word to be able to spread the news throughout the servants network. Soon the whole castle would know of the ladies conversation though none would admit it to their faces.

`He tried to grab me and force me to comply to his evil wishes but I would take none of it! He should take his selfish being and throw himself down a well and drown for all I care! Actually I should like that enormously!' stated with passion the second lady.

`But Tomoyo dearest, he is the prince of the country! He could have you beheaded for disgracing him like that in public! In fact he's probably considering it right now!' the servants stirred, this was the first time the first lady had disagreed with Tomoyo for her temper outburst, `Though I must say, I wish I could have been there to see the great fool's face. But that is beside the point, someday you will go too far and I'm sure you'll do yourself harm. I am only saying these things out of worry for your safety.' said the first maiden.

`I know Sakura and I thank you for your concern but I am perfectly capable of keeping him off me. He tried to force me to declare in public that I was in love with him and that I wanted to marry him within the month! And then when that did not seem to work, -and of course it did not and never will for I shall never give myself to that beast, not even for half the world and more riches than even the smartest brains could count,- he declared to his parents, the king and queen for heaven's sake, that he would have no other woman than I and he told them to make me his bride, now this is still in front of everyone, and that they must plan the wedding for next week or he should never speak to then again! Can you believe it?! He is nothing more than the biggest baby at twenty-seven years old that I have ever met! So I threw myself away from his disgusting body and odor, I'm sure he hasn't bathed in weeks!, and I yelled what I did and told him to give up hope on me and that he would be lucky to end up with Fegrella,' the servants outside the door shuddered, Fegrella was a foreign princess even more spoiled than the prince himself and was wider than she was tall and very plain, if not ugly and always carried a white hairball which could have been a dog had it not been so tortured as to end up with a mistress such as her, `and simply turned heels and fled from the ballroom I was so angry!' said Tomoyo growing so red in the face that Sakura worried that she might have at last reached boiling point, the servants were moving away from the door casually in case she might actually blow her top, when Tomoyo sighed and looked Sakura in the eyes.

`I really did get myself in a mess this time didn't I? This isn't the first time he does this and last time his parents had to strap him to his throne to keep him from coming after me after I yelled at him. I think I really must have made him furious and well, his parents never really were fond of me, they only suffer me to gain you. For all the kingdoms are aware of your beauty Sakura and it brings incredible popularity to the kindom having you here. I am only the tag-along and quite frankly I've had enough of this sorry place. Why did we come here of all places, in the first place?' all the servants hurried back to the door, both in dread of hearing the only interesting subjects leave but anxious to hear of the two ladies past, but Sakura only sighed and shook her head.

`I think you need to relax. Come let us go for a walk outside in the gardens. You love the flowers and I do believe sitting here would only frustrate you.' said Sakura in a gentle voice. Tomoyo sighed and smiled the brightest smile she had smiled for days, ever since the prince started to harass her.

`I think that is an excellent idea and I would very much like to go for a ride after. Do you mind?' asked Tomoyo worriedly knowing that Sakura was a tad bit intimidated by big powerful horses. Sakura closed her eyes and smiled, a smile matching Tomoyo's easily. She shook her head and offered Tomoyo her hand. Tomoyo smiled and took it and so arm-in-arm the two mysterious ladies made their way out to the gardens. By then all the servants had scattered leaving no evidence of their presence at all. They were quite disapointed but they knew that they would hear very soon from other ends what the prince was planning.

Meanwhile, in the throne room,

`Father! I do not want to hear it! That ignorant brat has pushed me too far and for the last time! I will not be humiliated again! If I can not have her than no one shall! I swear it on my life that she will not see another sunrise! You will bring her to me after supper under pretext that you want her to dance with you or honestly I do not care whatever you tell her, so long as you bring her to me! She will die tonight and I don't want to hear a word about it!' a fat squat little man was screaming at the top of his lungs in the middle of the throne room making quite a spectacle of himself, but with only the king, queen, and servants with little importance scurrying present. The king sighed. He knew that this day would come and he was sorry for it. He was not as young as he used to be and had not the strength to defy his son, a man in his prime. He knew however of one thing, he would have no part in this evil sceme. His wife touched his arm and he knew he must tell his son what he would do. And yet he could only bring himself to nod sadly. The son smiled in triumph. He knew that his father was too old and weak to deny anything to his one and only son, and his only heir. It was nothing to him if his father was old and dying, it only meant that soon the throne would be his and it was high time that it was. He left the throne room and made his way back to his chambers to prepare for the nights events all the while smilling to himself evilly. The king after the departure of his son felt one small single tear slide down his cheek. He knew the people loved him but despised his son and it hurt him that someday he could hurt the people by giving up the throne. He loved his son all the while despising him. He could not hate him for he was of his own flesh but he had turned out to be such a monster that the king could not even look at him without being heartbroken. His wife kissed his cheek and told him to be strong, it would all turn out all right and that she loved him dearly. If it not for the queen and his people the king knew his life would long be over.

At the gardens,

Sakura and Tomoyo had been walking for quite some time and Tomoyo was feeling fully exhausted for all the emotions she had suffered that day and longed for her comfortable downy bed and pillow. Sakura saw this and asked if she still wanted to ride out but when Tomoyo shook her head she couldn't help notice the look of gratitude and relief on Sakura's face. She smiled inwardly and knew that while Sakura was deathly afraid of horses, she would so anything for Tomoyo. And the same was true for Tomoyo. So they walked slowly back up to the castle and even more slowly made their way up seven flights of stairs. Tomoyo was panting heavly but the time they made it back to the room but Sakura looked as though she could run a marathon. Sakura looked at the time and judging by the position of the sun in the sky it was past supper time. She could see that Tomoyo would not make it down another seven flights of stairs and then back up them again so she suggested that they call a servant with a hot steaming meal for them. Tomoyo looked at Sakura gratefully and yawned. Sakura laughed and her voice chimed like crystal bells.

`Wait right there Tomoyo, I'll be back.' and she left to find a willing servant to bring them a meal. She returned within minutes and told Tomoyo that dinner was on the way. Tomoyo smiled and sat up straighter in her chair. Sakura sat beside her and made small talk about the flowers and the weather, avoiding talk about the prince. The sun was just finishing to set and the supper was taking quite a lot of time to arrive and so Sakura stood and went to check the hall for the good of both of them but just as Sakura was about to open the door it was flung open by a tall aching figure. She jumped back in shock and Tomoyo was on her feet instantly and beside Sakura. The figure just stood in the doorway in the shadows and Sakura and Tomoyo waited anxiously to see what he wanted. He seemed to recollect his spirits and he stepped into the light. They both gasped but only Tomoyo recoiled. It was the king himself! What could the king possibly want with two ordinairy girls? Sakura was first to come to herself and she swooped into the most gracious curtesy she could muster as Tomoyo just stood and watched. The king seemed to be bearing a most heavy bundle and he finally stepped further in and set it down on the table they had planned to eat on. Tomoyo could only look upon him with dread and suspiscion and while she would admit it to no one, not even Sakura, she was deathly afraid of the king. He held power over her and she could not stand it. The king, relieved of his heavy burden, turned and looked Tomoyo in the eye. He smiled the smile of one who knows he's doing something very wrong and would soon live to regret it, but his eyes held something more. Something more like… pity. Tomoyo felt her temper flare up again but she pushed it down with difficulty. She could not stand to see pity in his eyes, it was as if he mocked her. And yet upon further inspection she came to realise that it seemed genuine. It was as if he felt her burden concerning his son and did not wish it on her.

`Do not look upon me with hate child for I come to save your very life this evening. The prince…my son has it in for you and believes that I am here to fetch you to come down to dine with the royal family. But I will have no part of your death for he does wish to kill you at last, saying that no one should have you. I have brought you provisions. You must flee the castle this evening even as we speak. There is no time to get anything. He would already be suspicious at this very moment for I'm afraid I took some time fetching up food for you. Grab your cloak and slide down this rope,' and then he produced a single cord from his pocket and began tying it to the windowseal before Tomoyo quite had time to take it all in. And as she turned around she saw Sakura grabbing to cloaks and handing one to her, `and get as far away from this country as you can go. You have enough money to sail for some time and I offer to you the fastest stallions in the stable for I have no more need for them. They are great prizes and should you ever need money, sell them for the highest price on the market. That is all I have to say to you and I wish you godspeed and be careful.' He then smiled the smile of an old old man and kissed Tomoyo's forehead.

`I always liked to fancy you my daughter, and I liked your spirit. Please be careful from here on.' Tomoyo could have been blown over with a feather had Sakura thought of it. Here the king was saying that he would have liked her to be his daughter and she should escape tonight. Immediately. Sakura held out the cloak with more insistance for it grows heavy after some time and Tomoyo took it shaking her head.

`Sakura you cannot go. I would not forgive myself if ever something were to happen to you. Stay here and live a good life. The people are kind and the food is excellent. Please stay here and watch out for the flowers.' Tomoyo said on the brink of tears. It hurt her to tell her best friend and almost sister to stay behind while she went on alone risking her life. But then Sakura's eyes turned the darkest green Tomoyo had ever seen.

`I will not leave you to go on alone without me. I am coming and that is final. If you were to leave me some part of my heart would die and it would never come back. So whether you fancy it or not, I am coming and I will even ride as fast as the wind for you.' Sakura's eyes were blazing and her expression so terrifying that even Tomoyo backed down and agreed. One for she was too tired to protest any more, and two for though she would not admit it, Sakura's company would be welcome and it made her a great deal braver at the thought of leaving this place on such sudden notice. To think, that very day she had wished to be rid of this country. The king smiled again and gestured towards the window. Tomoyo nodded and strapped the burden of food and money to her back and with one leg out of the window, she suddenly turned around and leapt at the neck of the the old king. She hugged him with such force that the king almost fell over from the weight of a light maiden. Sakura poked her back and gestured towards the sky and Tomoyo nodded. Sakura curtseyed one last time to His Majesty, the king and leapt out the window after Tomoyo. Sakura's strength left her at least nine feet above the ground and she crumpled to it with a sickening crunch. Tomoyo who had been blowing on her hands as they were suffering from severe rope burns turned and rushed to Sakura's side.

`Oh get off me…' mumbled Sakura as she struggled to rise. Tomoyo took hold of her arm and helped her limping friend to the shadows of the nearby bushes. Someone was bound to had heard the noise and was sure to come out and investigate.

`Sakura we're turning back right this instant and you're going back to the room and we'll never speak of this again. I can marry that awful prince but I will not risk you further injuring yourself on my sake.' said Tomoyo all in one rush before her courage failed her and she regretted her promise of marriage to the prince. But then Sakura gripped her friend's wrist with such strengh that Tomoyo saw that she would not be discouraged and then hugged her.

`Thank you' she whispered timidly.

`Well what are we waiting for? Let's get out of here and begin the journey to wherever. I think I need you to help me stand though, but after I shall be perfectly fine.' said Sakura with as much sincerity as she could muster for she knew that she had done something serious to her ankle and was anxious to start moving before the pain kicked in. It was not a good sign if the pain did not come soon for it meant that it was very severe and would throb a great deal and would likely be damaged for life. Tomoyo nodded and helped her up and they sprinted across the lawn at full speed. But had they looked up at their old room one last time they would have seen that the king was no longer alone and that he was being threatened with a very long weapon looking strangely like a sword. The country suffered a great wound that night, and although the two escapees did not know it, because of them. Their beloved king was murdered and the blame was placed on them. Only the queen knew the truth about her beloved husband's murder and she did nothing to stop the rumors about the two woman for she could not bear the pain of thinking that her only son had ended the life of the husband. Within the week, the country died a second death for the queen chose to end her life, forsaking her duties as queen. As to be imagined, the prince rapidly ascended to the throne and declared that he had seen his father's body in the room of the two mysterious maidens with a sword and a rope for them to escape by. They country could not believe that the two ladies they had come to love would do such a thing, but grief does strange things to people and soon the rumors flew and there was a price set on the heads of the ladies.

Sakura and Tomoyo raced as fast as they could to the stables where the king had promised them horses. The king's finest racing stallions even. They dashed across the stable yards and stopped only short of the great doors that led into a mangificent barn with hundreds of well-bred throughbreds, to gain their breath. Sakura leaned on the doorpost and waited for the flush in her face to diminish. Her injured ankle was starting to wake up and she feared the pain would become so great that she would faint all-the-while on the back of fearful stallion and that she might be trampled to death. That thought alone was enough to hurry Tomoyo and they walked into the stables. They were fortunate and all the stable hands had finished setting the horses down for the night and the only stirring soul was a cat who glared at them with glinting green eyes. Sakura shivered and resolved to follow Tomoyo who knew her way around fairly well and soon found herself staring into the face of a monstrous blood-red bay. He stared at her with knowing eyes and she felt her knees grow week.

`You'll be riding him,' she heard Tomoyo whisper beside her, `he's fast and he'll treat you well. His name is Fleetfoot.' Sakura gulped. The last time Tomoyo had promised her that she would be safe on a horse, she had found herself on the ground soaked in a stream with an aching back for over a week.

Tomoyo had chosen a silver colt with a black mane and a black tail and black feet till the knees. He pranced his head as he was lead out of his stall by Tomoyo. He wasn't accustomed to being taken out this time at night. He eyed Tomoyo uneasily as if he wasn't quite sure if she was trustworthy. But Tomoyo had thought ahead and had slipped a sugar-cube into her pocket as they had walked past the barrel. Noe she held it out to the colt who looked at it, smelled it, and snorted as if to say `Ha, you won't buy me with just a sugar-cube' but when Tomoyo produced a second one he decided that he liked this human as was a docile as a kitten. A groom suddenly came into the barn and looked at Sakura and Tomoyo suspiciously. Tomoyo felt blank with fear and started to imagine all sorts of possiblities; what if the prince had heard and sent him out to stop them? what if the king had betrayed them and was actually out for their heads as well? what if-

`Oh no thank you, we shall be fine and thank you for caring kind sir.' Tomoyo realised that while she had been panicking Sakura had been calmly handled the situation as if the king had asked them to take his favorite horses out for a midnight walk to get them used to shadows. The groom had accepted this as a plausible reason and had been asking if they needed some kind of assistance. Tomoyo sighed a huge sigh aof relief and made a point to thank Sakura later. Tomoyo hitched her new colt up to the outside of the stall and went about getting the necisairy tack for her and Sakura. While Tomoyo was occupied with that Sakura just stood in front of the open stall just staring at Fleetfoot. He looked at her as if to say, `I don't know what you want but so long as you don't hurt me, I'll trust you.' Salura managed a wavery smile in front of her horse and gathered up all her courage and held out to Fleetfoot. He seemed to be examining it as if contagious and finally deeming it perfectly healthy he lowered his nuzzle and whoofed into her hand. Sakura's smile became real and she reached up to pet his forehead and that was how Tomoyo found them upon coming back with the tack. Sakura led the way out and Fleetfoot just followed as if he had known her all his life. By the time the horses were ready and Tomoyo and Sakura were riding away ( Sakura had been the delay for she had never cared to mount by herself before and with at least a sprained ankle all she could do was apologize to the poor horse as she tried to get on. It took her a great deal of time but at last she was mounted and not a moment too soon for the kingdom had grown restless. People had started smelling some kind of trouble and were growing restless) it was well into the night and no one could see very well. Fleetfoot and Streak (for Tomoyo's colt did indeed have a name) had taken off into the night like champions they were and it was all Sakura could do to keep herself upright in the saddle and hang on to Fleetfoot's mane. Never mind the stirrups, they always seemed to try and get away from her anyhow and besides her ankle was beginning to hurt mercilessly so she just concentrated on staying put in the saddle. Fleetfoot had suspected something wrong with his new mistress and did his best to keep his strides long and even, without sudden movements. Sakura noticed and was grateful but even had he not made efforts to even out his stride she would have felt like she was flying for he was so graceful.

And so Tomoyo and Sakura started their long journey to who-knows-where for they certainly didn't. They had escaped the fate of certain excecution for the death of the king although they did not know it, they felt somehow relieved to be leaving the country of the haughty prince and his people. They had come seven long months ago and were itching to move on for thus was their way of life. Nomades. Leaving incredible stories behind them, they did not know but across every country they had stopped in, they had become legends after their departure. Some even claimed that they had never been real, it had all been an illusion. And thus begins the story of the taming of two wild spirits…