Summary
The land of Shinto was a prosperous land, with many large and technology advanced cities. The foremost cities were Nisei and Yvonne. Nisei was the largest and most advanced city in all of Shinto, and eventually this sparked a war with Yvonne. Though Nisei was more advanced, they relied on sorcerers to protect them than machinery.
When the armies of Yvonne advanced into the city of Nisei, Lady Kestrel, the last successor of the late king of Nisei, escaped just in time to avoid the army. On the eve of destruction, Lady Kestrel watched her city smolder in flames and witnessed her people driven into slavery.
In a life-changing adventure, Kestrel meets a mysterious wizard named Shadow, who journeys with her to seek the end of this on-going battle. With all the help Kestrel needs, she soon realizes how difficult her quest is, and unwillingly may cost her life and the ones she loves.


Well, I am still working on the first chapter. But I hope you all will like it, since I may publish it in the future. But I am not sure if that will ever happen.

Ecellent I am liking the summary Syo. I hope you do publish this, but for now update when you can.

*Stares* Kannazuki no miko banner... Ahhh.. pretty...

lol, thanks. I had to make a banner from that anime, it was so sad in the end. But yeah, I'm going to make a Howl's Moving Castle banner soon. I loved the movie. *_*

Only if you make me a cute one too. Plwease I loved that movie too... ^.^

heh, I will. I just need to find some screencaps of the movie. Howl reminds me of Dark Mousy for some reason.....

I just bought the movie today, and I also bought "My Neighbor Totoro". I'm going to watch Howl's Moving Castle again soon.

Hmm, after I finish one more page of the first chapter, I'll post a part of it to let you read it. ^.^

Howl is pretty messy though. ^-^ I love 'My Neighbor Totoro' It is just the cutest thing and Totoro has a weird smile. Isn't it creepy. Like when Satsuki and Mei are waiting for their father to get back from work and the bus is late. And it's raining, so they share this unbrella. Totoro is standing next to them getting rained on so Satsuki hands her their father's umbrella. And Totoro accepts it and opens it and holds it over his head. A rain drop then falls on his nose and he grins this big disturbing smile. Then he jumps a few times, shaking the tree's branches and sending rain pounding down on them. And he continues to smile that big smile.

I sware after that movie I had a nightmare about Totoro trying to jump on me. I was terrified for a week.

lol, I love Toroto! His smile makes him adorable ^.^ But my favorite Hayao Miyazaki movie is Nausicaa: Valley of the Wind and possibly Porco Rosso.

I like the sound of it.

Shall you be updating your other stories?

I love Porco Rosso! That is my all time favorite movie. If you could be so kind and make me a banner of Porco Rosso instead of Howl's Moving Castle. That would be great.

I think at the end was soo funny. When Fio kisses Porco and and he turns all red. But I think he transformed back into a human. Because Curtis looked at him all weird and pointed at his face, so I think he became human again.

Sayuri-chan: Sure! I'll do that then ^.^

Kaitlyn: Yeah, well I'm also working on the next part of my FMA fanfic <__< It's hard juggling fanfics and my life time dream at the same time. ^^;

Well anyways, here is a taste of the first chapter. Each chapter will be splitted into parts, since there is too many pages and all.....
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Chapter One. Part One

All round the city of Nisei ran walls of creamy stone, walls that rose up directly from the green fields, and went on rising for thirty feet or more. The upper stonework, becoming thinner as it rose, was pierced with patterned holes, so that from the distance the great walls seemed no more than a curtain of flushed scarlet lace. The buildings towered above the world, as if the tops could touch the sky. Each structure jostled close to one against the other, as if they were all somehow connected. The afternoon sun sank below the city, and the steep roofs, seeming to drink it, were gorged with light.
The first and strongest sense of impression was the sound of music. From all sides came the jaunty melodies of fiddles, and the sweet lament of pipes, and the caroling of voices in song. It was the time of evening when everyone has done their daily work, and has not settled down to sleep. As night falls, every lamp was shining. The clustered buildings that crowded the alleys all glowed from within, the soft lamplight making many-colored glass with which the walls and roofs were set to shine like brilliant jewels. Groups of people gathered to the Great temple to pay their respects to the gods, and meeting with one another to talk or to dance, making music and singing. A joyful confusion of sound filled the air.
Inside the great palace of the city was an imperial ball, hosted by the royal family. Women with great wealth wore beautiful laced gowns. The men were wearing a traditional tuxedo, made by the finest silk in the lands. Each and every couple began to dance with the sound of the music, flowing along with the symphonic melody. The pipes and the fiddles were surging in harmony, to tell the blissful dancers that the final phase of their dance is nearly over. All of the dancing pairs slipped into the arise, parting, merging back into a finger-lock touch, and hurtling away in the accelerating rhythm. Finally the music released the young couples from their dancing cage, each and every one of them fell into each other’s arms and breathed deeply from the exhaustion.
A great sigh surfaced from all over the grand ballroom, and soon applause occurred afterward. Up on the balcony sat the King and Queen of Nisei. They both stood up honoring the opening dance, and applauded for the music as well as the dancers. The queen gently sat down on her seat, her long dress flowing past her feet. The king continued to stand, and colonially smiled down at his people and waited for their attention.

“Welcome my people, to the celebration of my daughter’s sixteenth birthday!” He announced in a smooth and blissful tone. “I am proud to present you, my precious daughter Kestrel!”

A long tail of curly blonde locks swiftly floated in the air as the young Lady Kestrel marched her way through the crowded ballroom. Her blue eyes flitted over the people she passed by, a warmth emanating from them in greeting as she smiled brightly. Her long silk white dress sparkled under the illuminating lamps, and flowed over the floor as if it was the calm currents of a river. Her snow-white dress stunned the people with its flourishing excel. The pink velvet ribbons tied diagonally on her white corset were fastened tightly for the special event.

“And now, let the dance begin!” The king yet announced once his daughter appeared.

A young man approached Kestrel and gently took her hand to offer her a birthday dance. Kestrel’s blue eyes gazed at the man to look at his face. To her dismay, she had forgotten that the men must cover their faces with the party masks. Knowing this fact, Kestrel ignored the facial features and looked at the body proportions. With her observations, she figured that this man was around her age. Accepting his offer, the mask dancer held Kestrel by her waist and began to lead her through the dance. Kestrel swayed around the ballroom as they danced with the slow music beat smoothly.
His steps were perfect! Kestrel couldn’t believe that there was someone else who is a better dancer than her. From the left then to the right, the masked man pulled her gently across the dance floor, making her almost faint with joy.

Outside of the City of Nisei, a rally of gunmen and tanks stood near the boarders. Prince Marius Hannon sat in the saddle on the brow of the hill, his army lined up behind him. A breeze from the mountains carried the cries of the birds and the pine from the trees in the evening air. Marius watched down at the city, where he will send his armies to raid and capture the civilians. He sensed the horses behind him straining in nervousness. His own horse shifted a bit and flared her nostrils.
“Easy,” he said, patting the stallion’s mane. “Easy.”
The first squad of archers all waited for his command of their first assault. With his approval, they all raised their bows and pointed their flaming arrows towards the city. The arching arrows made signals on their first attack upon the city, making the people panic desperately with fear. The next line to attack was the gunmen and the tanks. Marius sent them down next, and watched them cause havoc.
The tanks rolled down the hill on steel wheels, accompanied by their bands of silent raiders. They moved rapid, knowing that they had very little time to do their essential work. Marius raised one hand, and the remainder of his force of foot soldiers rose up and ran down to tear down the long wall surrounding most of Nisei. Slowly Marius drew his sword. Behind him, the lines of his soldiers followed suit, and he heard the shivering hiss coming from of the three hundred blades leaving their sheath. His horse began to run down the steep hill, maintaining a steady beat. Marius’s dark brown eyes fixed upon the burning city ahead, thirsty for the screeching cries from his enemies. His force will overwhelm the vast city, and take captive nine times his own number. His horrendous first attack would soon convert the free civilians into slaves.

Thanks Onee-San!

I love your first Chapter, its so detailed I feel like I am actually there. ^-^

What a sweet sixteen.

The plot sounds like something I read once before. (Not in a bad way.) I think that your grammar is something that amuses me. (A+) It is always perfect.

You describtions are lovely too, so peaceful sounding when it is need and blunt if needed. Wonder! Of course I really can't find anything bad to say which is werid.

Hey this is what you told me about before...

Get on AIM =P

Chapter One, Part Two

To Kestrel, the dance seemed it will go on forever, and wished it would remain that way. She and the masked man, like birds in a golden cage, were carried by the sweet melody of the music. Kestrel danced as if it was her last. Suddenly, the music stopped abruptly forcing all the dancers to halt in their steps. A couple of wounded soldiers came surging through the grand doorways, forcing the dancers to gasp. “Yvonne has attacked!” they cried, as they rushed up to face their majesty.

The King’s happy expression turned stern and serious when he heard the news. He never expected this to happen this night, especially on his daughter’s sixteenth birthday. “Help move the civilians out of the city!” he commanded. “And summon all of our sorcerers and soldiers to fight back!”

“But sir, they out number us!” informed one of the soldiers. “If we do that we’re pretty much asking for death.”

Unexpectedly, flaming arrows broke through the stained glass windows, forcing the shattering glass to spill over the guests. Kestrel rushed up to the gallery to stand by her parents. Three of the enemy’s soldiers broke through the doors and walked up onto the dance floor. One of the soldiers removed his mask and showed his face. It was Marius himself, his smug expression looking up at the King. “Well look who’s the coward.” He spoke to break the silence. “I’m disappointed, I thought your army would overcome our mechanic weapons.”

The king of Nisei steadily made his way down the staircase to greet his rude visitor. His right hand slowly moved towards the hilt of his sword, ready to unsheathe it when necessary. His dark sapphire-like eyes gazed angrily at Marius. “What brings you here on my daughter’s birthday? This is one of the most sacred days of her life, and yet you ruin it to attack this city so early into the war!”

Marius’s eyes gawked up at the gallery to meet Kestrel’s eyes. Her expression was overcome with apprehension and fear, and he enjoyed it very much. She was frail and yet elegant at the same time. Marius could picture her life slowly draining away from her body, her face turning pale as her life bleeds away. Oh all the horrors Marius will visit upon her, the thought of it makes him want to leisurely torture her for all eternity. Marius began to drift off into his thoughts to what he would do to do this action. Cut off a leg? Or maybe impale her, perhaps? The possibilities are all endless. Marius shifted his attention back at the coward less king.

“Pity, at least she will have a birthday that she will never forget.” He said with a devious grin on his face. The king snarled as he released his sword from the sheathe, and reflected it in front of Marius’s face. Marius swung his index finger back and forth, informing the king that he is about to do something he might regret.

“I wouldn’t do that if I was you,” acknowledged Marius. “This palace is surrounded by my army. If I was you I would drop the sword and beg for my life.”
Kestrel and her mother gasped when they saw their beloved king drop the sword on the hard dance floor. Just when the sword collapsed on the ground, the whole ballroom was now raided with Yvonne soldiers. They held their guns out at all the royal guests of the ball, and everyone else who stood in their way. The soldier’s faces were hidden under a white and black mask, which represented the darkness and light of the world.

Marius raised his hand high, commanding his comrades to seize the king of Nisei. Two commanding officers of the Yvonne army grabbed Kestrel’s father and forced him to bow down to Marius. Marius looked around and listened to the rushing murmur of voices. This was good: fear made them assiduous. A single act of brutality could control an entire city, as long as it was carried out without hesitation and mercy. Kestrel watch this with confusion and fear, she had no idea to what her father was about to meet but knew that it was not good. Kestrel could not bear to watch her father be treated so irrespectively, and finally built up the courage to stand up against Prince Marius. She marched down the long staircase and raised her voice at her enemy. “Let him go!”

Marius turned to look at Kestrel, and pointed his sword at her. “Don’t interfere, or his life will be put to an end.”

“But he’s my father.” She muttered, as she collapsed down to her fallen father. “Let him go!”

Marius was slowly loosing his patience with this girl. He quickly snapped his fingers and ordered one of his soldiers to remove her. “You were warned. Now the price will be paid.” Announced Marius after witnessing a grim satisfaction that his order had been disobeyed. Marius grinned cunningly as he held his golden blade above the King’s back. Without a second thought, Marius impaled the King through his back, making the crimson blood pour out rapidly. The king collapsed dead without any desperate movements or screams when the cold dagger impaled him. Marius could tell from the drawn white faces of his prisoners that the lesson was well learned.

Great update Onee-San. Nice detail, grammar, and spelling by the way.

Please continue. ^-^

You have yet to not impress me. I hope by the time I'm 16 I write as well as you. I can't wait for more.

Eh..sorry I haven't updated this for a while....I was busy with school and all, but now it's summer ^^ This update is short, but at least it's something. I'll only continue this if I get some more reviews.
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Chapter One; Part Three

Kestrel screamed when she witnessed her own father fall from death’s touch. She elbowed the soldier who pulled her away and ran to her father’s side. “Father!” she cried out, as she shook his numb body. She called out louder, and louder, but she heard no sound coming from her father. Tears of agony and pain dripped down Kestrel’s soft cheeks, displaying her sadness and her grief.

Marius sheathed his crimson bloodstained sword and towered over Kestrel. He grabbed her by the neck and pulled her away from the fallen king. He could feel her weak body quivering when he pulled her up from the ground. Still holding her by the neck, he moved his head forward towards Kestrel’s face, close enough to steal a kiss from her. “Stop screaming, it’s hurting my bloody ears. Next squeal I hear I’ll slit your throat.” Threatened Marius as he released his grasp from her neck.

Kestrel rubbed her neck gently as if she was scrapping the pain away. She heard a small yelp from her mom when the Yvonne soldiers took her captive. “Mother!” she cried out as she ran up to the gallery and pried her mom away from the soldiers. One of the soldiers shoved Kestrel down on the floor and placed his foot on her head. “Don’t interfere with us!” he informed her as he moved his foot off from her head and helped the other soldier move the queen down towards Marius.

“Forget about me Kestrel! Save yourself!” shouted the queen as she was taken hostage by the Yvonne soldiers.

Kestrel debated with herself as she hesitated to leave her only family left. If she stays, she’ll be risking her own life, which her mother nor father would not want that to happen. Tears formed in her eyes as her confusion built up in her head. “What should I do!” she bickered in her head as she stared down at the approaching soldiers.

“Run!” cried out her mother right before she was taken outside with all the other citizens of Nisei.

Holding back her tears, Kestrel turned her direction towards the back exit of her palace. She knew her way around the puzzling home, and she knew that the Yvonne soldiers would easily loose her in a matter of moments. Only thinking about her escape route and nothing more, Kestrel quickly went through four different halls. The last hall she ran down was the famous hall of illusions. Beautiful colorful lights bounced from wall to wall creating the most confusing and unique hallucinations that makes the viewer feel as if it was reality. Kestrel was one of the only people who knew her way through the hall of illusions. Light as a feather, Kestrel quietly ran down the mysterious hallway in hopes of losing those mad murderers. She could scarcely hear the thunderous pounds from the Yvonne soldiers, hoping that the eerie sounds would disperse into silence. Out of breathe, Kestrel hid behind a dark corridor and watched the soldiers run past her.