Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha.

Once upon a time, a curious prince found his way into the castle's dungeon, where he found something unexpected…

The Sorceress and the Prince

The crowded capital reached searing heat by midday. Merchants, shoppers and children weaved through the bustling, narrow dirt streets that meandered between old, cement buildings with a dull roar. The straw roofed structures provided no seclusion from the unforgiving sun.

The daily workings of the townsfolk was soon interrupted by a group of five royal knights, adorned with shining iron armor. They pushed their way through the congested paths of the area, between the sweaty masses of noon. "Make way! All make way for the King's knights!" one shouted in a deep voice, continuing further down the city's main street.

The people immediately stopped their activities as the group progressed forward, taking note that they held an individual trapped in between their large bodies. Upon closer inspection, a young woman was revealed. She walked with an air of superiority, looking forward with her jaw tilted slightly upward and shoulders gracefully pulled back, letting her thick black hair fall past them. Despite her impression she wore a thin, gray fitted dress whose sleeves reached just past her elbows. Her hands remained crossed in front of her, tied together tightly by rope. She followed the knight's lead, step after rhythmic step, no shine from a single drop of sweat marring her complexion.

The on looking individuals displayed great curiosity towards the knights' odd capture. Many would have much more easily expected a brutish man being escorted so. Murmurs spread around the group, inquiring as to the identity of the curious girl. She seemed uninterested with the gathering crowds' musings, however, as her stoic expression remained unaltered.

"Ay! What are ya doing with that girl?" a woman asked with a shrill yell from under a tattered cotton hood.

"A pretty one, ain't she?" voiced a man standing next to her. He grinned, revealing two rows of discolored teeth, arousing grunts of agreement from the surrounding men.

The knight leading the four others looked over, "Pay no mind! On with your errands!"

They continued straight until they stood in front of two large alabaster gates, extending from a wall well above eye level.

"Open the gates!" hollered the lead knight, his deep voice echoing throughout the vicinity. Soon after, the entrance opened and the group entered into a world completely different from the overheated crowds of the bazaar.

Behind the wall stood a magnificent structure of towers and spires, rising endlessly into the blue sky. Heckling and conversations were now replaced by the steady trickling of fountains, hidden under torrents of crystal water. The knights and the young woman walked along a shining marble pathway, which extended to the golden portal that led into the imposing structure.

Inside, the marble spread, surrounding the entire grand entrance. The shift in environment evoked no response from the mysterious woman, as her impassive demeanor remaining unfazed. The grand hall was largely empty and the group of knights walked into one of the slightly smaller hallways, lined with lush, red carpet with no interruption.

Sitting on one of the velvet couches that were dispersed among the hall was a man of around the same age of the knights' escort, with long white hair reaching his waist.

He glanced over with golden eyes as the small group heading towards him, looking on curiously. As they came closer, he made out another figure walking among the group of knights. Soon he found it was a young woman hidden among the silver-clad forms.

She glanced his way and her piercing blue eyes began to dig into him like daggers, compressing his chest, making it difficult to breath. Taken aback, he continued to look her way without a blink or twitch, paralyzed under her stare.

After a moment, or maybe an eternity, the small group passed and the young woman turned her head, looking forward once more. The sitting man remained still, however, stupefied at the now fading sensation in his chest. He attempted to compose himself, contemplating the odd occurrence. He had never seen the girl before and wondered what exactly she was doing in the palace, and with the kingdom's best knights, no less. The odd meeting had unnerved him, but he decided that any change from his usual schedule was welcome.

Sighing, the young man put it behind him, at least for now. He got up off the couch with a grunt and walked down the hallway in the direction the escort entered from. When in the grand foyer of the castle, the young man headed down its center, among the colossal statues that lined the entryway.

A far walk down the area was a set of ascending stairs, leading to a large throne made by intricate patterns of gilded shapes. Upon it sat a frail, thin looking man with long white hair that matched that of the young man. His deeply inset eyes looked around in the grand environment emptily, as a crown sat perched upon his head in an almost comical manner.

"Father," the young man began as he reached his sickly elder.

"Ah," emitted a crackling voice, "My son, what have you been up to? Getting ready for the ball I presume?" He barely finished his inquiry when a forceful cough escaped out of him, causing he to lean over painfully on the throne.

The young man quickly kneeled on the ground and grabbed the other's shoulder in worry, "Are you alright father? Maybe you should rest."

"N-nonsense, boy," he managed as his coughing fit subsided. Taking a greedy inhale, he continued, "I am the king and I will remain in my honorary position until my last day with this crown. Besides," he smiled lightly, "your twenty first birthday is steadily approaching and soon you will be wed, and the next ruler of this kingdom."

The boy nodded unenthusiastically, but the king continued, "If only your mother could see…." He considered wistfully, his sad eyes drifting off to someplace else entirely.

"My fair king," said a cold, yet regal voice from behind the pair. The king was dragged back into the present, his eyes falling past his son.

The prince turned back, looking upon the person who had entered the vicinity. He couldn't help but scold at the middle-aged woman who stood there stood. She continued her approach, her ornate black velvet gown trailing behind her, failing to acknowledge the other person kneeling beside the king.

"I'm afraid we have a problem." She explained without any emotion flickering within her dark eyes. Her presence could be best described as disruptive among the light blue marble of the throne room. She stood angrily, a sole black figure; only broken by a few gray streaks plaguing her black hair.

The old man sighed. "What would that be my queen?" he responded, lacking any affection towards her.

"That woman," she snarled, "is a murderess and yet you let her sit by idly in the dungeon! For once, be an expedient ruler and make off with her head before sunset!" she advised in a rage, her eyes beginning to widen threateningly.

The young prince looked on with curiosity. His thoughts drifted back to the unnerving gaze of the young woman.

"But that is what we always do with criminals. A public hanging must first be scheduled, and it takes time for such. You know that." The king explained in a pleading tone, hoping the oppressive woman would not continue any further. "Why do you insist on beheading? The public does not need to be edged on by such a bloody sight."

"But she is a sorceress!" she hissed, staring dangerously into the man's eyes. "You will be sorry when she damns us all, and it will be on your hands when this once great kingdom falls under your faulty leadership, the hands of a soft and cowardly 'king,'" She predicted mockingly. "And while you two plan some fruitless ball, she sits in the dungeon planning to curse us. If that is your will, then so be it." The queen turned in a huff and stomped out of sight.

The mournful king sighed and lifted a hand to his chest as a painful stinging began to emerge there. "Was I so wrong to want you to have a motherly figure? She was never like this before our marriage…. Did I do wrong my son? She has not taken to you as she has her child, her own flesh and blood. And now, I admit, I fear her intentions." He grabbed his son's hand, looking up at him with remorse and guilt.

"I understand your incentives," he said while glaring in the direction in which the queen had left, "But it'd be better for us all if you just threw that hag to the gutter."

The king chuckled, "Now son, go easy on her."

"But speaking of," the prince added after a thought, "who was she talking about? Was it the girl who was led by all those knights just before?"

The elderly ruler nodded. "It is so odd. Such a young, pretty girl turning out to be a sorceress. And one with a taste for death I might add!"

The prince looked down in confusion, scratching his light hair. The stare that had shaken him was not the one of a cold-blooded murderess.

The king immediately cheered up before his son was able to question the situation further, "But do not despair on such things boy! In a few days you will pick your bride, and soon after, you'll be king! The devil girl will be hanged in less than two weeks, so there is no need to dwell on it further."

"Yeah… I guess."