CHAPTER 3
Sakura
The kennel’s small window was cool beneath Sakura’s fingers as she traced a meaningless pattern on the glass.
Outside, much of the snow had melted, but the green of spring was slow to arrive in the mountains.
She’d watched its ambling progress twice now, and she expected the third to be just as dull.
“It’s only a few months, Sakura. I’ll be back before you know it.” Hari injected a little false cheer into his voice. “When we were little, you couldn’t wait to get rid of me.”
Sakura gave her younger brother a half-hearted smile and offered a piece of melon to her little fox, Bunta.
“When we were much younger. But you won’t be back until the end of autumn, if then.
Father has a kingdom to run, and you need to be with him so that you’ll be established when it’s your turn to rule. ”
He made a face. “If I have to. You’re positive the prophecy isn’t a hoax? Only seeing you for a few months in the winter isn’t as fun as it sounds.”
“Yes, I’m sure.” Shivering a little, Sakura turned fully toward him, cradling Bunta as she remembered that awful day.
The magic-user had spoken with authority, and the woman’s words had carried a heavy weight that made doubt impossible.
“If Mother didn’t believe it as well, she never would have moved us out here. ”
“That’s a good point,” Hari snorted. “She enjoys preening in front of the court too much.”
If anyone but her brother had been there, Sakura would have restrained her grimace. A perfect princess didn’t make such expressions. “Don’t say it like that, Hari. Mother enjoys the court, but so do I.”
“More proof that the prophecy is real then,” he sighed, stepping up next to her and gazing out at the mountain slope beyond. “What’s the point, though? You’re unlikely to marry anyone out here, but if you don’t marry, I’m stuck with the crown.”
“If I marry a common soldier, you’re stuck with the crown,” she retorted as Bunta wiggled in her arms, searching for more of his treats. “At least this way, I’m not forced to live with the disgrace.”
Hari frowned. “I don’t think it’s as disgraceful as Mother would have you believe. Do you think—” He hesitated, glancing down at her and then away. “If I had treated him less like a friend, would—”
“Of course not,” Sakura cut in, her back stiffening. “I know better than to consort with those who serve us.”
He opened his mouth, then closed it again and reached out to stroke Bunta’s soft, red fur. They stood that way for several minutes, even though it was absurd for a prince and a princess to spend so much time in a straw-lined kennel.
But Sakura needed something positive to offset her brother’s departure.
“It’s too bad the sphinx was lost,” Hari mused, his eyes on the little fox. “Our ancestors may have misused it, but you would be the perfect holder for an object that enchants animals.”
“An enchanted object that controls them,” Sakura corrected. “I have no need for such a thing. Besides, if I recall the stories correctly, it was only magical creatures that were affected. Bunta and Aya wouldn’t be included.”
Stepping back, Hari gestured toward the stables and shook his head at her. “Are you telling me you wouldn’t exchange Aya for a centaur if you had the chance?”
“Of course not,” she said loftily. Setting Bunta back on the floor, she added, “A centaur is far too noble a creature for riding.”
“And you love your horse too much to give her up?” he guessed.
Sakura didn’t dignify that with a response. It wasn’t seemly for a princess to care so much for her animals.
“It is a moot point, anyway.” Straightening, she returned to the window.
She couldn’t see the bustle at the front of the castle from here, but the grooms were leading another pair of horses out of the stable, the puffs of white from their nostrils speaking to the lingering coolness.
“Magic may truly exist, but I doubt the sphinx does.”
“Amitié’s wind gryphon does.”
Her fingers paused their pattern. “Why do you say that?”
“Weren’t you listening to the report Father received last week? The legendary shield of the Bouclier family made an appearance, and the stories say that was the work of the sapphire.”
She must have missed that part. What would it be like to see the enchanted gem in action?
“And I’ve heard rumors about Ralnor’s fire dragon, too,” Hari continued, leaning against the wall next to her. “Nothing official, but they’ve had too many strange fires for the ruby not to be involved.”
If the kingdom objects with the power of air and flame were real…
For a moment, she let herself imagine holding the yellow diamond that ancient history said had been entrusted to Ryuni. Then she shook her head. “That may be, but no one has seen the sphinx of command in a thousand years. It may as well be myth.”
“But what if we could find it?” An excited smile lit her brother’s face. “The other enchanted objects are reappearing. Maybe we could—”
“Generations of our ancestors have failed,” Sakura cut in. “And while all the kingdoms’ objects may have faded from popular memory, the stories only tell of the sphinx being lost.”
He deflated. “I suppose you’re right. But it would be something to see a centaur or a gryphon, wouldn’t it? Or a real live sphinx?”
“Or a dragon,” Sakura murmured, gazing out the window. “If they exist.”
Would the carvings and tapestries throughout the castle do the creatures justice?
“Your Highness?” a voice called from the outer door of the kennels. “The king sent me to tell you the carriage is ready.”
“Please let him know I will arrive shortly,” Hari called over his shoulder.
Turning back to Sakura, he threw an arm around her and squeezed lightly.
“Last chance. Sure you won’t come back to Kurowan with me?
Your friends will all be there. You won’t have to wait until next winter to see them again. ”
A pang struck Sakura’s chest as his comment revived the melancholy of the impending separation. “A valiant try, Hari, but no. Give Father my love?”
“You won’t come out and tell him yourself?”
Sakura knelt to pet Bunta again, hiding her scowl.
“He’s using the prophecy to solve the problem of Kakureta.
I’m no more interested in marrying whichever man can defeat the ogre than I am in marrying whichever soldier the prophecy wants to foist off on me.
As such, I lack the desire to spend more than the winter months with the man who would auction me off in such a way. ”
“You won’t even come see your friends off? Or me?”
She allowed herself a smile at his wheedling tone. “I suppose I could handle a little more of your presence. Even if you are abandoning me for the better part of a year.”
Grinning, he offered his arm. Sakura rose, molding her face into her calm expression as she placed her hand in his elbow. Arching a perfect eyebrow, she added, “But I expect you to sneak my supplies in the next time. Three years without them is far too long.”
He laughed. “I’ll try, but I’ve tried every year. My valet almost took my head off when I got grease on the shirt I wrapped them in.”
“Then bring clean ones.” If she weren’t slipping back into her role as a perfect princess, she would have rolled her eyes.
“Maybe it’s my latest attempt to convince you to come home.”
She knew he was joking, but thinking of her little workroom back in Kurowan almost tipped her over the edge. Her brother, her friends, her projects…all neglected while she hid from the prophecy.
At what point was it too much?
Hari leaned over as they approached the door. “You’re allowed to laugh,” he whispered. “Even if we will be around the servants soon.”
She stiffened. “A princess must be controlled at all times. It inspires confidence in the people.”
He frowned, but he didn’t say anything else.
A footman stood just outside with Sakura’s maid. Both bowed as Sakura and her brother passed, then trailed a respectful distance behind. Sakura kept her focus on moving gracefully across the muddy path, her free hand lifting her skirt above the mess.
Her brother’s eyebrows pulled together as they walked. His eyes were on the path in front of them, but she wasn’t sure he was seeing it.
“I’m not sure if Father thinks your situation is hopeless or if he’s trying to bring you and Mother home,” he said abruptly, “but I think he plans to officially make me the heir when I turn eighteen. I thought you should know.”
“But I’m—” She cut herself off, glancing over her shoulder at Kasumi and the footman. “That’s only a few months away.”
“I know.”
Her mind whirled, searching for a solution.
Hari was too nice to be king, but she couldn’t spare him unless she married a nobleman or a foreign prince.
And since it would be nearly impossible to change the heir once he was sworn in as crown prince, that meant she needed to be married – or at least betrothed – before that happened.
But Mother refused to let Sakura leave the winter castle. How was she supposed to find a titled husband in the middle of nowhere?