Falling petals

What will Happen in the Future?

"Kano! Carry me!"
 
"H-huh!?"
 
Sakura reaches out her arms so he can grab her to carry. But he just stood still and didn't move.
 
"My arms are getting tired Kano, carry me."
 
"T-that! I cannot your highness! It isn't proper for a knight to carry her highness."
 
"Well I'm allowing it, so carry me."
 
"Your highness!"
 
Kano sounded like he was pleading. And the others around them can only smile at the scene.
 
Mihkael wanted to intervene, however seeing her act her age after seeing her sudden serious tone. He decided to let her do what she wants, even if it means letting her get carried by a young and well featured male.
 
'... He is just a knight, she doesn't have a crush on him.... right?'
 
Mihkael started to worry while seeing their interaction. He worried that his daughter was getting her first signs of romance.
 
While Mihkael was worried about that, another man with icy blue eyes was worried for the same thing.
 
Raphael watched and furrowed his eyes in worry at the sudden thought of her liking this young knight. That was the only thing he found possible since Sakura was never this attached with the other royal and guard knights that would even watch over her for almost half her life, yet she seemed to he really attached to this young knight that she may have interacted with for just a day.
 
It was bizarre and strange for his usual polite and distant princess to ask a male who isn't her father or her uncles to carry her, so it was a sign that she trusted him enough to keep him close. It was something no one else but Raphael and Ariel noticed, even Uriel may have found something strange but can't understand what from watching this interaction. However Sakura herself hasn't notice it, if she had, she would have been more discrete in her treatment toward Kano.
 
"Its fine~ I want to be carried by you, so no more discussion. Or do you want to ignore my words?"
 
Sakura narrowed her eyes and her arms began to lower. Right now even if she tries to seem fine, she was at edge with everyone. Her mind quickly turn to caution and she was beginning to raise her guard against Kano like how she was with him in the morning carriage ride. But before she lowered her arms fully she felt two strong hands pick her up and carry her in his arm while the other held her steady.
 
"Your command is mine to follow your highness."
 
His eyes looked only at her as to display his full attention to her. To make her know he will listen to all her words.
 
Her mind that held a lot of caution was cleared and she relaxed in his hold. She smiled at him.
 
"I expect nothing else from my knight."
 
She turns and points forward to the door.
 
"Now onwards Sir Kano! We must hasten our steps to home. I must meet my nannies who must be waiting there for us."
 
"Sakura."
 
Hearing Raphael call her, she quickly turned to him and held an innocent kind look.
 
"Yes papa Raph?"
 
With just that, it was a type of confirmation for Raphael that her relationship with Kano was different from the other knights and guards. She would never call him "papa Raph" in front of those she would consider outsiders, even the level of acquaintances wouldn't be able to hear her call him that.
 
"..."
 
"?"
 
Sakura tilted her head in confusion with his silence but he sighed and smiled at her.
 
"Remember to say goodbye to Sapphire and the rest. It will be impolite to not say so after staying at their home."
 
"Okay~ are you going with us to say bye?"
 
"We will after I inform the butler of our sudden departure. We have to get our clothes bac- well except for your dress, that one will unfortunately have to be thrown out."
 
He grimaces at the memory of the state she was found in. He thinks it is best to throw away the dress that can end up bringing up unfortunate memories to her. So he rather get rid of it than keep it anywhere near her.
 
She nods to his response and wrapped her arm around Kano's shoulder to keep herself steady.
 
"When I'm saying my goodbyes, I'll tell aunt Sapphire that uncle Gabriel is in a much better health than before."
 
She glanced at him and he smiled at her while thanking her for doing that.
 
"No problem. I saw how much it affected her, so I bet she would be relieved to hear it."
 
"We will meet in the entrance then. Tell your aunt that I apologize that we will end up taking her husband out after what happened."
 
Mihkael can only warily smile at the thought of how she would react. He can only sigh when hearing Sakura giggle at her fathers exasperated look.
 
"I will. Then bye bye till we meet again."
 
She waves at them while they smiled a bye. The moment the door closed behind Kano, the gentle atmosphere changed to a darker and deeper tone.
 
"Our princess has more secrets than we thought."
 
Ariel kept his eyes to the door but then glanced at Raphael and Mihkael when he spoke the last word.
 
"Sakura... she seemed to taken to the young knight. No... rather, she seems to trust him more than the knights or maids that would watch her over when either Ivy or Daisy couldn't. But she was as well quick to putting her guard up if she sense even a tiny bit of distrust. From seeing your reactions, you guys didn't notice, or rather Raphael and I were the only ones who did."
 
"... I watched her upbringing and even learn her new characteristics and can even say to know her like the back of my hand. But like you said Ariel; she seemed to put her trust on the young knight, yet she as well is quick to take that trust away if she believes she can't put that trust in him anymore... she may have not noticed it herself, but her every words and actions explain clearly the level of trust she places on a person, and from what I can see, she seems to trust sir Kano to the level she does to us... or maybe even more."
 
Raphael said the last part in a sad tone, the thought she may trust someone more than she did them, or even him made him feel sad for her, rather than pain or betrayal. He wondered what she may have witnessed or experienced to have acted in such a way that her innocence mind had to be so on guard, even with those that watched over her since she was a baby.
 
"We would just have to wait till she can truly tell us anything more or when she can fully trust us. But I feel like one question we had for years was finally answered."
 
"And what is that question Mihkael?"
 
Uriel turns to him when he saw his friend's pained and sad smile.
 
"The reason she seemed so grown up the past 4 years was because of the oracle or prophecy dreams she received from the gods; it must have shown her more than a few glimpses of the future, and she ended up growing up quicker because of them."
 
"! I see. That does explain so much of her actions till now."
 
"But then another question pops up."
 
"What would that be Uriel?"
 
They turn to him and he held the same expression as Mihkael.
 
"What future did she see that made her so guarded with people, even to us, who personally stood beside her and watched her grow up?"
 
"..."
 
Everyone in the room remained silent at that question. It made them think of what happen in the future that made her so guarded, so scared to trust them?: what happens in the future to makes her act on her own rather than convey or ask for help from them, even from asking Raphael?
 
"But again, like Ariel once said:'only Sakura hold the answers to this question.' The only thing we can do is speculate. And so no real answer will come of it."
 
Uriel smiled sadly while he said that and sighed at the thought that they can do nothing when it involves the wishes or actions of gods. Even if they may want to do something, they have no power over the beings who created them and the world they live in. The only way they would know what to do is if Sakura spoke of what she seen, so then they will be allowed to help her in anyway they can or understand what she is going through, so she doesn't end up fighting on her own.
 
"Well she is finally going to talk in the palace with Seraph and all of us there. Then we can stop guessing and wondering. With this we will know more and will be able to help her."
 
Ariel patted Uriel in the shoulder to lighten his mood and smiled at Mihkael and Raphael to ease up their feeling of uselessness.
 
"... Maybe the reason she is able to use magic is because of the gods too.."
 
Azrael spoke the thing they all forgot about.
 
"! That's true!! We always tried to find reason for her abilities at such a young age. We ended up suppressing her magic abilities in fear that they will harm her body and waited for it to release when she got to the appropriate age."
 
Gabriel was getting up from the bed when he understood what Azrael said. All of them realized what he meant too and were surprised they forgot that one important thing about Sakura.
 
"I forgot about it for a moment because it was a while since she had her last outburst. I thought maybe she was ok after the seal we put on her."
 
Raphael was talking while helping Gabriel grab a pair of clothes so he can change out of the one that was filled with sweat.
 
"The seal should still be working until we let it go in her measuring of magic in a year from now. But this does explain her strong magic abilities at just the age of 3."
 
Mihkael leaned on his chair and cupped his face when he thought of it.
 
"We were afraid of it killing her because the body at that age can't usually withstand magic energy. It would break the body and even the soul of the magic user."
 
Uriel spoke of the fact they all knew, but then added the reason she may have been different.
 
"But maybe a god or gods have given her a stronger body and soul to withstand the magic energy."
 
"But then why?"
 
Ariel was the one to quickly find a new question to this revelations.
 
"Why would they give her the ability to collect magic in her body at such a young age? Why does she need such a head start over everyone when it comes to using such strong magic?"
 
"That-?...!! Something in the future will occur that she will need to be stronger to go against it...."
 
"So you see what I'm asking. What will Sakura have to go through that she has to be stronger than anyone else. Who does she have to go against or what?"
 
"The corruption!!"
 
Gabriel came out of the connected room after he changed and thought of the dream he had.
 
"!!! You mean!?"
 
"Remember what I dreamt just now. It can be something that will happen in the future, a future that she ends up corrupted and lose herself. Maybe the reason she was given a stronger body and soul is to fight against it."
 
"The corruption is growing in numbers. A second great war may happen in the future and Sakura is right in the middle of it. The question now is, who corrupted her while we are here to protect her, and why the gods choose her to be put right in the middle of it all."
 
Azrael spoke more than one sentence when he said that. But no one noticed it, rather they noticed more of what the contents entails.