This story has been in my head for a while. It was slightly inspired from reading A Song of Ice and Fire book series by George R. R. Martin. Wonderfully written stuff.

I know what you're saying. "This is just going to be some rip-off, huh?" Nope. I'm just stealing the time period (Middle Ages). Swords. Castles. Knights. Princes. Princesses. Kings. Queens. All that good stuff. So, of course, this will be AU, as obvious as it may sound. I'm not too sure if this story will have any supernatural or mythological elements, yet. But, we'll get to that later.

This story will not solely focus on Sasuke and Sakura (though they will be in the vast majority of this). The POV will shift from characters throughout the chapter.

It's tradition to start off a fanfic with a little disclaimer. I do hope you enjoy mine.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. Naruto is owned by Masashi Kishimoto, Studio Pierrot, TV Tokyo, and FUNimation.

A Masterpiece.

Chapter 1

Emotions

"Let grief convert to anger; blunt not the heart, enrage it."

–Shakespeare, Macbeth

Sasuke Uchiha

His boots crunched ever so lightly on fallen autumn leaves and twigs as he followed the animal in his sight. The deer did not seem to notice the quiet sounds and continued around a patch of heavy shrubbery slipping from Sasuke's view. He gripped the bow tight in his hand and walked farther to catch up to the animal. Sasuke began to hear the sound of rushing water. Past the obscuring foliage, he could make out the deer lapping the water from the stream into its mouth. Using the sound of the flowing stream to conceal any noise caused by his boots, he walked with calculated footsteps until he got the animal fully into his sight.

The deer's head shot up.

He stopped, hoping it didn't hear him approach. The deer look around, and then it locked eyes with him.

His trained eyes quickly lined up the shot and let the arrow fly. It slammed through the animal's eye with a resounding thud, skewering its way through bone and muscle. It clumsily stumbled to the side of the stream and toppled to the ground.

Sasuke walked over to the lifeless deer and inspected his work. It wasn't the largest he had hunted but the cooks could prepare it and feed his family for weeks.

It had been a few hours of walking in the forest until he came across the deer. He had just finished putting his second rabbit in his game bag when he saw the deer scamper off in the corner of his eye. Itachi offered to come along as a partner, as he normally does, but Sasuke didn't think that it would be necessary. He assumed that it wouldn't take more than an hour, nor did he think he would be going after deer. He was wrong.

Sighing, he put the bow around his shoulder and grabbed the deer by the legs and started pulling.

He estimated an hour had passed before he heard a voice in the distance. "Sasuke!" The voice called. It was his brother.

"Over here!" He shouted through the forest in response, hoping Itachi would determine the general direction. Sasuke waited by his hunt until he saw Itachi in the distance through the surrounding trees. "Itachi!" Sasuke yelled, getting his brother's attention. "Help me with this thing!"

His older brother walked up to him. Itachi smirked at him. "I asked before you left if you would need any help. With 'no' being your response I didn't think you'd be trying for such a large animal." He gave light chuckle.

"Don't lecture me, Itachi," Sasuke said, annoyed at his brother's reaction. "And why are you here anyway? Didn't think I could handle hunting alone?"

Itachi held his hands up in defense. "I had no doubt in my mind that you would be fine. Mother on the other hand was worried sick. She told me to go out and find you, so here we are."

"Tch."

Itachi smiled. He walked around the lifeless deer and inspected it with skillful appreciation. "Right through the eye, hmm?"

Sasuke couldn't help the smirk.

"And yet you dragged it recklessly across the ground."

Sasuke frowned.

"I didn't have any other way to get it back," He elaborated, once again slightly annoyed.

"Which is why we hunt big game in pairs or more, Sasuke," Itachi chastised. His features softened as he continued. "It was still a good kill, though."

He would normally hunt with a partner, preferably Itachi, but he wanted to go at it alone today. He would have been perfectly fine with bringing back just the smaller game he had collected, but he couldn't stop himself when he saw the deer sprint away. He had to go after it.

Itachi rolled the carcass over and looked at its side and back. "No major damage to it." Itachi began to pick up the backside of the deer. "Help me out, Sasuke. Grab the other end." He gestured toward the deer's head.

Sasuke grabbed hold of the front end of the deer, and with Itachi, lifted it onto their shoulders. They shifted the deer slightly to allow as much comfort as possible. It would be a long walk back.

"Let's go," Itachi said.

Sasuke left no semblance of a guide back to the castle. He and his family knew these woods like the back of their hand. He used certain landmarks he had taken note of in his many travels through forest, like the stream, a felled tree, a fallen bird's nest not yet removed by the animal life. Little and big things he was aware of that he used to navigate.

He heard Itachi finally break the silence. "We're supposed to have visitors sometime soon."

Sasuke gave his head a slight turn backwards. "Oh?"

His brother nodded in return. "House Haruno. The Lord and Lady are supposed to be coming with their daughter. The pink-haired girl. You remember her, right?" Itachi continued. "You weren't too fond of her."

Sasuke did remember. They had visited four times before. Once, when he was eight. Another, when he was twelve. One when he was fifteen. And the last one when he was seventeen, two years ago. He remembered the girl with the pink hair. An only child. Sakura was her name. The first visit, she had barely spoken to him at all. The girl with the pink hair did not stay around the other girls, cousins of Sasuke or daughters of other lords or knights living in the castle. Why she did not, he didn't know. Instead, she would silently watch him when she thought he wasn't looking. He didn't complain really.

The second one was different. She would repeatedly flash a smile at him, a smile he had seen by other girls. A smile of pure adoration. It irritated him. It was not foreign to Sasuke that many girls fawned over him. This happened especially when lords of other houses would visit and bring their daughters along. Sometimes he would use it to his advantage, but most often he would scowl and pay it no attention. She spoke to him more than their first encounter. She frequently asked him what he was doing that day, what his dreams were, what he liked. And, lastly what he disliked, to which he promptly responded "You." She stopped talking to him after that.

The third and fourth visit was nothing special. She kept to herself.

"They're just here to visit?"

"I don't know." His brother shifted the deer on his shoulder. "Father just said they were staying for a couple of days."

Sasuke sighed. He would have to put up with this girl and her parents for a "couple of days." He loathed the sound of that.

He heard his brother emit a soft laugh underneath the sound of crunching leaves. "What's so funny?"

"It won't be so bad, little brother."

Sasuke scowled at him, and Itachi continued to laugh.

He shrugged off his comment. He would be the judge of that himself. He turned to look forward and saw that the forest was ending. They broke through the tree line and saw the large walls of the castle. The castle that seated House Uchiha.

It was large, slightly short of massive. One of the largest in the land. It dwarfed many of the other castles existing in the kingdom in height, length, and width.

The castle itself was in an expansive field. Surrounding the east, west, and north walls were hills while the south side contained the road which sloped into the entrance. It had been strategically built long ago to allow the castle to see invaders from a mile down the main road. There was nothing to block those stationed on the walls to see out into the horizon. The forest they were in was situated to the east of the castle, spaced apart by a mix of hilly and flat land. As he and Itachi approached the portcullis of the south side, the two guards stationed within quickly raised it and gave a respectful bow.

"We are glad to see you are unharmed, milord," one of the guards said to him after the gate was opened. "Lady Mikoto was worried."

He didn't respond. It irked him to no end that his mother didn't think that he could handle himself—in a forest of all places.

"We'll be sure to visit our mother in a bit," Itachi reassured. "We need to get rid of this thing first." He motioned to the animal on his shoulder.

"That is good to kno—"

"It took you two long enough!" a familiar voice interrupted. "I was beginning to think a bear got to you guys." Their cousin walking towards them, a smirk plastered across his face.

"Even if that were the case, the bear would have stood no chance, Shisui," Sasuke replied, smugly.

The other Uchiha shook his head and chuckled. His eyes traveled to the dead deer on their shoulders. "No wonder you were taking so long, Sasuke. Hunting an animal that's normally a two-man job, sounds just like you."

"Yeah, yeah, I already got a lecture from him," Sasuke said, pointing to his brother.

"Alright, I get it. Big Sasuke Uchiha is trying to impress everyone with his hunting skills."

A vein bulged on his forehead. "What was that?" Sasuke demanded, challenging his cousin with a glare.

"Yeesh, it was just a joke," Shisui said, waving off Sasuke's heated response.

Sasuke knew Shisui took great enjoyment in teasing him. He was his first cousin, the son of his father's brother. And as such he spent a lot of time around him and Itachi while growing up. He was basically another brother. And because of this, Shisui knew all the things that pissed him off.

"Okay, you two, can we please just get this deer into the kitchens?" Itachi asked, slightly frustrated at their antics. "I'm getting tired of holding it."

Shisui laughed and scratched at his head. "I hope the cooks will prepare it the moment it arrives. I'm starving!"

Kakashi Hatake

Kakashi watched from the king's side as the next person came with problems that they hoped would be resolved. King Hirzuen was getting old and would soon need to relinquish his throne his son Asuma, a personal friend of Kakashi's. He wondered what he was doing right now. He was sure something more enjoyable than this.

"Your Grace, I require aid! M-My daughter has disappeared! I have waited five days for her return!" he exclaimed in grief. "I... I believe her to be kidnapped, and I have nowhere else to turn." The farmer before them was sobbing now.

"Why would someone kidnap your daughter?" Kakashi heard the king reply.

The man seemed to be shocked by his question. "I-I-I don't know, Your Grace. A ransom, perhaps?" He choked out the response. His voice was raspy.

Kakashi felt bad for the man. The poor girl. If she were kidnapped it was probably on a whim. Maybe for a ransom, who knows? Considering she was simply the daughter of a farmer, her ransom would be worth nothing, though. She had probably already been raped and murdered by now.

"How old is she?" The king questioned.

"Th-Thirteen, Your Grace."

"And why are you so quick to claim kidnapping? Do you believe someone might have done this?"

"She wouldn't just leave, Your Grace. Where would she have gone? She has made no hint of wanting to leave the farm. She... she must have been kidnapped."

"And what would you have me do?"

"P-P-Please, your grace, send out a search party for my daughter! She is all I have!"

"I see, and you have no idea who might have done this crime?" the king asked.

"No, Your Grace."

With a nod, the king made his decision. "I shall send five of my men with you back to your farm. Do your best to guide them with what specifically happened."

"Thank you, Your Grace! Thank you!" The farmer exclaimed, relief and hope evident in his voice. The guards led the man out of the throne room.

"Permission to speak freely, Your Grace," Kakashi requested softly from the king's side.

"You may," was the reply.

"If she indeed were kidnapped, I would believe her to be dead. What worth is the ransom of a farmer's daughter?" Kakashi asked. "Do you believe the girl to be alive?"

"If she were taken, then no. I can't say I do. But to send him away without any help would be crime by itself," Hirzuen replied simply. "If my men do find her, it will probably be her corpse." His voice was not facetious but held only sternness. "Even if I know it's a fruitless effort, it is still my duty as king to give the people a sense of hope."

The guards shuffled back into the throne room and bowed to Hiruzen. "You have one more to deal with, Your Grace, a man accused of stealing food," a guard announced.

"Send him in," the king ordered. The doors opened to reveal a man dressed in tattered rags. He stumbled forward, after being shoved inside by one of the guards. The soldier pushed him to the center of the room.

"This man was witnessed by four civilians and a soldier of the City Watch stealing food from certain stalls across the market district."

The king rubbed his grey beard. "You are accused by many," the king proclaimed. "What is your defense?"

"I-I-I was hungry, Your Grace, I was… hungry. I hadn't eaten in days. Please, Your Grace! Have mercy!"

The solider turned to the spindly man. "The official punishment for stealing is the loss of fingers." The man's face turned into fear. "What would you have done to him?"

"Please, Your Grace. Mercy! I am just a lowly man! I-I swear never to steal again!" he begged. Kakashi looked at the frightened man. He was skinny and looked malnourished. He looked like he hadn't eaten in days. He probably would have gotten more luck as a beggar.

"You will not lose any fingers," the king decided. "You will spend four days and nights in a cell, and if I see you back again, then my punishment will be more severe."

"Thank you, Your Grace."

The guard seemed displeased with the judgment but stayed silent. "C'mon then!" he commanded, tugging the torn sleeve of the man.

"Thank you, Your Grace. Thank you," he continued to say. He was escorted from the throne room, leaving only Kakashi and King Hiruzen. Kakashi heard a sigh escape from the king's mouth.

"Something wrong, Your Grace?" Kakashi asked.

"I'm getting too old for this, Kakashi," the king replied. "You're dismissed."

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Built by King Hashirama Senju centuries ago, the ancient castle of Konohagkure stared into the city with the ocean behind it's back. It was a magnificent thing. But it was also large, near the largest in all of the five Great Nations, and as such reaching his chambers took a considerable amount of time. So as the knight rounded the last corner that led to his room, he noticed the person at his door and inwardly sighed. He was tired and he hoped that he wouldn't be too exhausting this time.

"What is it, Guy?" Kakashi asked.

The knight looked up and pushed himself from the wall, giving him a thumbs up. "Kakashi! Where have you been? I've been outside this door for the good part of an hour waiting for you!" Guy exclaimed, his voice bellowing through the halls.

"Had to sit in on the king's judgment." Kakashi replied indifferently. He walked past Guy to his door and pushed it open. He unclasped his buckle and laid the sword his father had given him all those year ago on the table.

"Anything interesting?" Guy asked curiously, following Kakashi into the room. He went to sit in his usual spot, the chair next to the window.

"Some farmer's girl disappeared," Kakashi answered. He sat across from the other knight and stared outside. "The father claimed it was kidnapping. If it was, she's probably dead," he added.

Guy seemed to disapprove of Kakashi's quick conclusion. "Maybe she isn't. Is there going to be an investigation on her whereabouts?"

"Yes, King Hiruzen had some men go back to the farm."

"That's good."

They didn't say anything for a while. Kakashi couldn't help but calmly observed his friend. The knight had no house to which he belonged. Because of this reason he had no sigil. The king had found him orphaned on a farm at a young age and took him in and raised him like a son.

"Why are you here? Did you need anything?" he finally asked.

A grin grew onto Guy's face at the question. "Of course! My apprentice and squire will be entering next month's tourney. I came to ask if you could spar with him and assess his skill." Guy looked at him, awaiting an answer.

"Why don't you do it?" Kakashi inquired. Their skills were on par with each other's. Guy could just do it himself he wanted Lee to have practice.

"I know his attack patterns too well for it to be worth anything. Besides, Lee asked if I could get you to fight him."

He did have a point. It can be difficult to gauge one's skill against someone who's taught you everything you know. "Fine, then." It would give him something to do. Normally he would train with Guy, but fighting someone new could be refreshing.

"How about tomorrow at dawn?" Guy asked.

"That's fine." Kakashi replied. "Anything else?" He asked standing.

"Nope, that's it." Guy replied, lifting himself from the chair. He started towards the door. "Thanks, Kakashi."

"Yeah, no problem." Kakashi said. He watched his friend leave the room, shutting the door behind him.

Neji Hyuga

From the day he was born, his purpose in life was to serve and fight for House Hyuga. No more and no less. It was his destiny. He was not given the luxury of safety. He was expected to die in battle against those who would defy his house.

And he hated it.

It didn't matter if his father was born only a few seconds after than his uncle. That time difference was all it took to throw his father into the serving branch of the house. As a result, he also was part of this branch of the Hyugas the moment he was brought into the world.

He had no mother and father. His mother died shortly after giving birth to him, and his father had died protecting the head of the house and his brother, Hiashi Hyuga.

Neji hated his uncle.

However, he could not bring himself to channel those same feelings towards his uncle's daughter. He was a personal bodyguard for his cousin Hinata Hyuga, her retainer. He had kept his resentment for his house a secret, from her and everybody. If anybody knew of his position, he would most likely be tried for treason and executed.

He stood next to Hinata near the middle of the square, and watched as a member of the Side Branch was about to be executed for failing to save the life of his chosen member of the Main Branch. The member was killed by bandits ransacking his caravan.

After a member of the Side Branch becomes a certain age, he or she is given a person of the Main Branch to protect until the day one of them dies. If the death of the Main Branch member was caused seemingly due to the negligence of the Side Branch member, that person may be tried and executed, if seen fit.

Today was one of those days.

"They came out of nowhere!" the man pleaded, on the elevated platform. "I tried to do my duty!" The brand of those who were cursed enough to be born into the Side Branch could be clearly seen on his forearm. It was a simple pattern of lines that marked the person to be subservient to the will of the Main Branch.

"Then why weren't you killed, too?!" A voice from the crowd shouted.

"Kill him! He don't deserve to live!" Another aggressive voice screamed.

"Off with his head!"

A chorus of yells and shouts deafened the man's cries for mercy.

Neji watched as the executioner brought down his greatsword and slammed it through the man's neck, severing the head from the body. He saw in his periphery Hinata lower her head before she could see the massive blade meet its target.

Cheers were heard from the crowd. Neji clenched his fist around the hilt of his sword in anger, disgusted by their approval.

"I'm ready to go, Neji," Hinata muttered, her head still toward the ground, refusing to look at the decapitated corpse.

He nodded and escorted her back to her quarters in the main palace.

"Th-thank you for accompanying me today. I don't think I could have gone alone," she mumbled, standing by her door. "I wish father didn't force me to go."

When he was told that he would be her retainer, he didn't expect her to have been so nervous around him, barely able to form coherent sentences. That was five years ago. She barely had a stutter when speaking with him now. He replied simply. "It was my pleasure, my lady."

He watched her fidget as she stood by her door. "What is it, my lady?"

"Wh-when we're in private, p-please just call me Hinata," she said, unable to meet his eyes.

This slightly surprised him. "May I ask why?"

"I-I just want you to call me b-by my actual name." She was captivated by the laces on her dress.

"As you wish, Hinata," he appeased her by saying.

A small smile grew on her lips. "Th-thank you," she replied. "Y-You're free to leave, Neji."

He bowed. "Goodnight, my—" he cut himself off, still slightly perplexed by her previous request. "Goodnight, Hinata." He turned to leave when he heard her call his name once more.

"I-I'm not like them, N-Neji." Hinata said. "A-At least…I try not to be."

Neji turned to see her face full of remorse. Of course, Neji knew this to be true. Hinata was the least cruel person he knew. Before he could respond, she continued. "I-I could see the hate in your eyes. I-I-I don't want you to hate m-me." She looked as though she were on the brink of tears.

"I don't hate you."

She nodded her head and said slowly, "O-Okay." She seemed to have calmed down a bit after hearing him say that. She opened the door. He could tell if she believed him. "Goodnight, Neji."

His anger and fury from earlier seemed to dissipate as he listened to her words. He didn't hate her. "Goodnight, Hinata."

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That was the first chapter. It took me a while to write because I was trying to assign roles to every character before writing this chapter. I didn't know if I wanted it to be winter, or not. It isn't, by the way. For clarification's sake, it's Autumn.

More characters will be introduced in the next chapter, so it will be longer. I'll probably only write mainly for the point of views of six or seven characters. Some characters will get a POV nearly every chapter. Some won't. Important ones will though. And of course, Sakura will be introduced in the next chapter because after all this is mainly a SasuSaku fic. They will have a lot of interaction with each other throughout the series. I wanted to build a slight background on Sakura from Sasuke's POV in this chapter before an actual POV from her perspective. Naruto and a few others will also be introduced. OC characters will also be kept to a minimum (there might not be any at all).

Also it is important to note that Neji and Kakashi, will have important roles throughout the story. The geography of the story will be explained more, so needless to say Sasuke, Kakashi, and Neji are not in the same place. Sasuke and Neji are in their own respective house's castle, while Kakashi is Konoha, capital of the Land of Fire, that indeed contains the Hyugas and Uchihas, and many more. It will be explained more in following chapters. It's complicated stuff I know.

Tell me how I did! Leave me a review!