Bound to trust- Chapter 2

“Sakura! Hey, it’s time to wake up!”1

A thin girl with large brown eyes and long black hair that was swept over one shoulder stood over the sleeping figure of the young heiress. The lump shifted slightly and moaned loudly.  The girl, obviously a maid by the way she was dressed, giggled. “Jeez, anyone’d think you had a hangover!” Her smile grew when Sakura’s head appeared from underneath the covers, hair sticking up at wild angles from her head where she had slept on it. She glowered at her handmaid and close friend, Aine, who was, as always, acting unusually perky for this time of the morning. Unfortunately, Sakura was unable to hold a grudge for long as Aine twisted from side to side, casually preening her petite robin’s wings.2

Satisfied that Sakura was awake and was likely to stay that way, Aine turned from the bed and went over to the window. She threw open the curtains and sunlight streamed through the glass, much to Sakura’s protest, who hissed and covered her head with her duvet. Next, Aine moved towards the wardrobe, obviously intending to extract an outfit from it, but got sidetracked on the way there by the full-length mirror mounted on Sakura’s wall. She stopped and frowned at her reflection.3

“Uuuuurrg. I look like a potato.” She remarked disgustedly at her obviously slim and shapely figure. Sakura sighed and slid out of bed, swinging her legs over the side of the mattress and throwing back the duvet, then stretched her arms up towards the ceiling.4

“Goddess, Aine, how many times have I got to tell you? You do NOT look anything like a potato.” She said in a bored tone. It was something she had to tell her friend often, as Aine seemed to have a very bad self-image. Rubbing her eyes sleepily, Sakura stumbled across her room to her en-suite, asking:5

“So, how long have I got until lessons start today?”6

Aine paused before giving her response, sifting through Sakura’s agenda in her mind. 7

“Erm… well, your father has cancelelled all your academic lessons for today, so you can focus on your more practical studies, so that means you’ll be beginning lessons at 10 instead of 9. For the rest of the day, the academic lessons you are supposed to have will be replaced with an extra session of the practical lesson you are supposed to be having before it. That make sense?” Aine asked Sakura, who, after taking a moment to process the information in her mind, nodded. “Good. But, your father also wants to see you at breakfast at 9, so if I were you, I’d take your shower now, since its…8.30 already.”8

Sakura’s eyes widened as her sleepy brain realised that she only had half an hour to get showered and dressed, and she raced into the bathroom, slamming the door shut behind her. Aine grinned and shook her head at her mistress’ distress. It was funny; Aine had only been Sakura’s personal handmaid for about a year now, but she felt as if they had known each other all their lives. Usually it took her a long time to feel totally comfortable around someone, but with Sakura, they just clicked.9

Of course, Sakura hadn’t let them become any closer then necessary for a healthy servant-master relationship. Even though Sakura had never said anything about it, Aine had a feeling that there was a deeper, darker reason why Sakura didn’t want her, or anyone else, get too close. She had heard rumours that Sakura’s previous handmaid, Mika Neeros, had met an untimely end, but whenever Aine asked about it, Sakura would either tell her that it was ‘complete bullshit’ or change the subject very, very quickly. She was afraid of something; Aine knew that for certain. No doubt whatever she was afraid of had something to do with her womanising, murderous bastard of a father. Everyone in the palace knew that her beat her regularly. Whether he was drunk, needed something to vent his anger out on, or was just in a violent sort mood Sakura was always his punching bag. Or at least, almost always. On the odd occasion that he couldn’t get his hands on his eldest daughter, he would lash out at the first servant to come within range of his fist. Aine herself had become victim of his fury several times, but each time she had managed to get away with just a few scratches and, when she was unlucky, a bloodied nose. Sighing, Aine sat down heavily on the windowsill. So many knew of Marco’s violent nature, and yet, no one could do a thing to stop it. Even if he wasn’t the king, everyone was just too scared to stand against him. All had seen what Sakura looked like after she made a stand, and the servant’s only reaction was to hide or cower in a corner. When Marco lost his cool in public, and lashed out at one of his very frequent banquets, all the nobles who were present just tuned away, the men doing so physically, and the women shielding their eyes with their fans and their children’s faces in their skirts. Woes betide anyone who gasped in horror or tried to help her. When the ‘fight’ was over and Sakura’s body was dragged out of sight, everyone was expected to act as if nothing had happened and ignore the cleanup operations going on around them, or else. 10

Out of the blue, Sakura burst out of the bathroom door, with dripping wet hair and a town wrapped around her body, disrupting Aine’s reflections. She left a trail of water as she sped across the carpet to her wardrobe, grabbing some lingerie from a drawer, and a simple black and red lace dress from the main compartment, before disappearing back into the en-suite. Rolling her eyes, Aine walked over to the wardrobe to get the corset that went with the dress Sakura had picked up, and then went to the en-suite door. As anticipated, it soon opened, and Sakura stuck her head around the door.11

“Hey, Aine! I forgot the-ah, there it is! Thanks!” she said, and then she was gone. Exasperated, Aine knocked on the door.12

“Sakura, you ass! You’re not going to be able to put that corset on yourself! Let me help!” she yelled through the thick oak panelling. 13

“No it’s fine, I can-oomph- do it myself!” Sakura replied, sounding more than a little out of breath.14

“No, you can’t!” “Yes, I can!” “No, you can’t!” “Yes, I can!” “No, you can’t!” “Yes, I can!” “No, you can’t!” “…” Silence. Meekly, Sakura opened the door, blushing slightly.15

“O.k., fine, I can’t. Um… help me?” she asked, looking lost amongst the various ribbons coming out of the corset. Aine smirked and began to untangle the drawstrings, wondering how the hell Sakura had managed to knot them up so tightly. When they were all in order Aine began to thread them methodically in and out of the appropriate holes, tugging at them at regular intervals. Finally, Sakura was left with a neat, well-tied corset. 16

“And to finish it off…” Aine murmured under her breath, giving one final tug at the ribbons before tying them off in a pristine bow. Sakura gasped, or rather tried to, as all the air was forced out of her lungs.17

“Bloody he-” she began, but found herself too out of breath to finish cursing. Aine, meanwhile, had marched into the bathroom, and picked up the dress Sakura had chosen to wear. She brought it back into the bedroom and shoved it over her head. Once Sakura was securely in the dress, Aine pushed her towards a lavishly adorned dresser and pulled out the chair that sat in front of it.18

“Sit.” She ordered, and Sakura obeyed without question, keeping perfectly still as Aine brushed out her wet, tangled hair. When it was completely smooth, she sprayed several different hair products over it. “Dry” was her next instruction. Immediately Sakura held her hands over her damp hair and as she flexed them a blast of hot air was produced, drying her mane to perfection in no time at all. It was completely straight near her roots, but as you looked down to the ends it began to corkscrew down her back in waves of scarlet. She glowered at herself in the mirror; hating the bold colour she saw there, a constant reminder of her mother’s fate. As she glared, Aine skilfully applied all the necessary makeup, finally setting a shimmering gold tiara inlaid with rubies atop her head, with a matching necklace around her neck. 19

As Sakura attempted to rise, Aine quickly pushed her back into the chair.20

“Hey, wait! I have something else for you!” She rushed over to a long white box that had miraculously appeared on Sakura’s now well-made bed. She brought it over and took off the lid, revealing a beautifully tailored black lace gloves that matched Sakura’s dress. “I was waiting for you to wear this dress so I could give them to you. I’ve been keeping them safe for you for aaaaaages! Do you like them?” As Aine slipped the gloves over Sakura’s slender wrists, a smile spread over her face at her friend’s expression21

“Yeah, Aine, they’re… wonderful! Thank you thank you thank youuuuu!” She squealed, and threw her arms around Aine’s neck, who giggled.22

“If you liked these, then you’re gonna love the dress the seamstresses have been making for you to wear tonight!”23

“Hm? What’s so special about tonight?” Sakura asked suddenly.24

“Ah- oh, nothing really Princess. Um, you had better go now, or you’ll be late, o.k?” she faltered, pushing Sakura out the door hurriedly. As she the door slammed shut behind her, Sakura stood, stunned for a moment, then shook her head roughly and started to walk down the hall to the stairs that would take her up a floor to her father’s study. If her wanted to meet her, that was where he would be at this time of the morning.25

When she got there, Sakura took a breath and then knocked sharply three times on her father’s door.26

“Enter!” he called from within. Even after all these years, the sound of her father’s cold, emotionless voice sent shivers down her spine. That feeling of intense discomfort increased as she pushed open the heavy door and stepped silently into the room where her mother’s murder had taken place all those years ago. Her mind was bombarded, as always, with bloody images of her dying mother and she swayed for a second, feeling faint with pain. Then the moment passed, and she forced herself to walk on through the room to where the wall curved to form a large enclave that housed a large mahogany desk, which quite often doubled up as a table. At the head of it sat her father, his shoulder-length black hair covering his face as he sat forwards, head in hands, submerged in his thoughts. Sakura cleared her throat nervously, and his eyes slid to the side to look at her. Silently he rose from his seat and smiled at his daughter, his eyes glinting coldly. 27

“Ah, I’m glad you’re on time for once, Sakura. Come, let us take a stroll around the gardens” He said, offering his arm out to her, which, in a gesture of respect fuelled by fear, she took. 28

“I thought you said you wished to talk to me, father?” Sakura asked, looking up at the man who had blatantly stolen her childhood from her and turned into an everlasting trial in which she suffered never-ending pain. Reflecting on this, it was hard for her to keep her voice free from emotions such as fear and prevent her knees from buckling in cowardice, but she managed it all the same, by locking her memories away in the darkest, furthest reaches of her mind. 29

“I did, and I intend to, love.” He said shortly, offering no more information than that.30

When they reached the lake that marked the centre of the palace grounds, Sakura’s father, or rather, Marco, as he was more often referred to both in her mind and during conversations, sat down on a bench, and gestured for her to do the same.31

“Well, Sakura, as I’m sure Aine has either hinted at or accidentally mentioned to you, tonight I will be holding another banquet, but this time to welcome the queen of the main continent and her daughter as guests of our country. They will be staying in the guest rooms in the palace for the duration of their stay, which will be for about 2 or 3 months, and the whole point of tonight’s dance will be to make sure that they fell welcome.”32

‘More like you’re buttering them up so you can sleep with them and then steal their country’ Sakura thought bitterly.33

“You will, of course, be attending. The princess, ElArtemis, I think it was, is about your age, and you shall be her companion for the night and thereafter.”34

Sakura opened her mouth to protest that she wasn’t about to be a babysitter for visiting royalty, but Marco stopped her with a wave of the hand. “You shall befriend her, and that’s final. I’ll hear not a word more on it. Also, this ball will be somewhat of an important event for you. As you are aware, I have been attempting to introduce you to several suitors lately. Tonight you will make your final choice, under my supervision, of course. I’ve sent out invitations to all potential husbands in the district, and you will be able to meet all of them before you make your choice tonight.”35

This time, when Sakura’s mouth opened, it stayed there. She sat, completely lost for words, staring in disbelief at her father. Her jaw worked up and down soundlessly, trying to respond but failing miserably.36

“M-married? Tonight?” she finally managed to choke at her father, but so faintly that he had to strain his ears to hear her. He smiled at the look of utter shock on his daughter’s face. It was the exact reaction he had been hoping for.37

“Well, I think I should leave you now. You look like you might need a little time alone to process that information, and get used to the idea of marriage. Although, it’s not an altogether new concept for you. I married you mother when she was the same age as you. Actually, she was most probably younger. Her family were in such a hurry to offload her.” He remarked, and strode back thought the forest towards the palace. Sakura however, sat perfectly still, mouth hanging open, staring off into space. All of her thoughts were still revolving around the word marriage. She had been anticipating something like this for quite a while now, but somehow it still came as a surprise to her. She had been planning to make a run for it for a while now, but with this deadline looming…would she be able to escape before she was wed? Or, more importantly, her 18th birthday?38

She’d like to just run now, but until the centre was ready, her sisters and Kris would have nowhere safe to go, so for now, she was well and truly stuck. Sakura couldn’t wait ‘till the centre would be ready. It was her secret project, her mini-rebellion. When it was finished, it would be an underground army base, for those wanting to fight against her father, and a safe place for those in danger of execution. No one knew about it, save herself, her sisters, her brother Kris, and her uncle and his band. Oh yes, and, of course, the carefully selected construction crew currently decking it out with luxurious furnishings, installing all of the latest technology, and stocking it full of weapons, food, water, and all the other things that normal civilians would need to survive there. There were massive kitchens, thousands of individual living quarters, multiple mess halls, training facilities, and warfare rooms. That was where the supercomputers would be needed. With all this inside it, it was really no wonder it had taken 6 years to build, even with the workforce Sakura had employed to do the building. Fortunately, it was now nearing completion, and soon she would be able to leave the palace and start her quest to overthrow he father.39

“Sakura? That you?” Sakura’s head snapped around to see a figure emerge from the trees opposite from where her father had just left her. Immediately her spirits lifted.40

“Callum!” she gasped, ecstatic to see the boy who she was currently dating. She ran over to him and he enfolded her in his arms, kissing the top of her 41

head fondly. “How long have you been standing there?”42

“Not long, I’ve only just arrived. But I’ve been here long enough to notice that you, my love, are in severe shock. What’s the matter?” he asked. Sakura began to play with the long, brown hair that hung loose around his shoulders.43

“Well, you know how we’re welcoming the mainlander royals tonight?” she started. Callum looked at her suspiciously. 44

“Yeeeeeeah? What about it?”45

“Well, Marco, he… just told me this… the ball we’re holding in their honour is also… my engagement party of sorts, I suppose. I have to choose a husband tonight.” Sakura told him nervously, almost enjoying the way his eyes sparked with jealousy and his nostrils flared.46

“No way! No frikin’ way! He…he can’t force you to marry! It’s just… wrong!” He yelled. Sakura just looked at him sadly.47

“What, and everything else he’s done isn’t wrong? This man killed my mother, sister, and two best friends just because he felt like it, and made me watch. He can and will make me choose a husband tonight, and I have a strange feeling that, despite you being noble; it’s not going to be you. I’ll probably have no choice in the matter at all. He’s probably got so wrinkly old man with lots of cash who’s gonna kick the bucket soon all lined up for me already. Plus, I don’t know that I would choose you, even if I did have a say. If he knew that I liked you you’d die before our honeymoon. Hell, you probably wouldn’t even last ‘till the wedding day!” she reasoned.48

“I’m coming whether you like it or not, Sakura! I won’t let you be married off to someone else! Not which there’s still a chance we can be together!” He looked as if he was going to say more, but at that moment heard a voice sound from behind her, through the trees.49

“Sakura! Hey, Sakura, you out here?” 50

“Yeah, we saw you come out here, so don’t try and hide!”51

With a twinge of annoyance, Sakura turned her head, recognising the voices of her two sisters, Gwen and Melanie. She loved them to bits, but Goddess they had shit timing.52

“You’d better go, Cal.” She said under her breath, touching his cheek tenderly and drifting away from him towards the sound of her sister’s voices.53

“Look out for me tonight, because I’m gonna be there!” He called as he too began to take his leave. She blew him one last kiss towards him before she dashed though the undergrowth and disappeared from his sight. Soon she could see two figures though the trees.54

“Gwen, Mel! Over here!” the figures turned and the light of the early morning sun shone on their royal forms to reveal two teenage girls, bearing a remote similarity to Sakura herself. One, the taller of the two, had dark skin and dark hair that had grown just past shoulder length. Her eyes looked slightly out of place, a vivid emerald green colour, identical to Sakura’s. She had cat’s ears and tail, presumably a tabby’s, of white colouring with brown spots. The other, slightly shorter girl had long curly blonde hair, with the same glowing green eyes. Her animal attributes were those of a reptile, it was hard to distinguish which, with delicately placed patches of scale on her skin. 55

“There you are!” the tabby greeted Sakura with a smile and a hug.56

“Yep. What’s up Gwen?” 57

“What’s up is that you’re late for lessons, dumbass! Honestly, I didn’t think that the joys of being engaged would distract you that much!” The blonde interrupted. Sakura gasped slightly.58

“Oh, shit! Thanks for reminding me, Mel. I’ll jut go get changed. Um… go tell Maxine that I’m going to be late today, o.k? Bye!” And with that, Sakura rushed off down the gravel path towards the castle, leaving Gwen and Mel behind. Sharing a ‘look’, Gwen and Mel sighed irritably. Their sister really had no concept of time whatsoever.59