: *Stares in shock* No... not ANOTHER ONE! I just got her to delete those other horribly bad ones!

Joey.W:*Whacks Bakura on the head with rubber chicken* Aw, shut up! So Sam, anythin' ya wanna tell us and the people readin' the story?

Sam: Yep! I do, thank you Joey. Thanks to a little help from a very rude, but(I hate to admit) useful critique, I was able to start writing this story!

I also have to thank my Beta: s2Teensnovelist! She's an awesome author of a bunch of stories for Yugioh!
And You must go read them when your done reading my story! I COMMAND YOU!
Just copy and paste her name into the "Search" box up above and read her wonderful puzzleshipping stories.

Yami Marik: Now to start the-

Atem: *Shoves Wizard's hat over Marik's face* Hold it! They need to read the warning and disclaimer before the story starts, half-wit!

Sam: Atem dear, don't give spoilers to the peoples, they'll find out what Marik is in the sequel *Pulls Wizard's hat off Marik's head*
Now Marik, please give my readers the warning please.

: Why should I?

Sam: Because if you do I'll give you home baked cookies and give back your rod! *Waves Millennium rod in his face*

: Fine. *Clears throat*
Warnings: This story may contain things children under the age of 13 may not be suitable for.
These things include: Violence, Magic, Swearing, Perverted dragons-(
Seto: HEY! Y.M: Not YOU Kaiba now get lost!)
*Clears throat* and mentioning of Yaoi. AKA YES! This WILL become a GAY FIC! But only once you get to the sequel, so
if you can stand a tiny bit of conversation of homosexual stuff, keep going, and if ya can't GET LOST!

Yami: I'll do the Disclaimer.

Disclaimers: Yugioh belong to their respective owners, and so on. Sam only owns her active imagination and the gardener at the end of
the chapter.
ALSO!!! DO NOT IGNORE THIS!!! This story is loosely based off a book called "Dealing With Dragons" from a book series
called "The Enchanted Forest".
You do not need to read the books in order to read this, but it is incouraged that you read
them,
because they are just THAT good.

Yugi.M: Please read, review and be kind about critiques, which will be kindly received if they are not RUDE!
Also NO FLAMMING! s2Teenovelist and Sam have put a lot into this, and would like positive responces!


Yami growled, furiously as his mother glared back at him. The argument was not going well in his favor.

"For the last time Yami, you will marry Vivian Of Great-Wall or Ziegfried of Rose Valley." His mother said in a stern tone.
The prince gritted his teeth, in aggravation. "And for the last time mother, I do not wish to marry at all!" Yami stated, but his parents refused to let up, especially his mother.

Dressed in blue, skin pale, lips red as blood, and with hair black as coal, she was a beauty and a fright to behold. Chocolate brown eyes, which were usually very soft and wonderful to stare into, were now cold and as impenetrable as a stone wall. Yami knew this argument wasn't going to last much longer.

"I am 17, I'm too young to be thinking of marriage. I have enough royal duties to perform as it is." He retorted, crossing his arms and closing his eyes for a moment, then opened them again as his mother began speaking again.

"Your grand-mother Rosa married when she was 16, one can't really count all those years she was placed under that sleeping spell." Yami raised a brow at his mother questioningly. "Except she did not need to think about her kingdom's future first and study the ways of ruling an entire kingdom." Yami said.

The queen frowned. "What do you mean 'future of the kingdom'?"
Yami glared. "I am referring to anything Vivian or Ziegfried could destroy. If Vivian becomes queen, she will enslave every man in the kingdom. And what will that say about my reputation towards my people?"
His mother glared just as hard at him. "Yami! You are just making excuses. Vivian is a sweet girl and very lady-like."
"Then why does she have 20 man servants instead of 5 maids?" Yami questioned.

The queen flushed, and he could tell it was only in slight embarrassment.
"Yami..." She said in a tone that sent out warning bells in Yami's and his father, the King's, heads.

The King intervened, placing a hand on her shoulder.
"Snow, my dear, please. Well Yami, if not Vivian, why not Ziegfried?" The King asked.

The future prince held back the urge to gag.

"He is just as bad with women as Vivian is with men. Which comes to the same conclusion as Vivian's is: he will also enslave my people to do his whim, and it is frowned upon in our kingdom for men to marry..." Yami looked down slightly at this part. "My kingdom will hate my reign, if I marry either one."

The king frowned in thought. "Those are things to consider... but as you will be the head of the family in either choice, you will be able to rule over your spouse's actions. So it is only a minor problem."
The queen smirked victoriously as Yami growled softly in anger.

Yami glared up at them for a moment, when suddenly an idea came to mind. "But it still wouldn't be right for me to marry either of them." Yami smirked.

The King and Queen blinked in confusion, but the Queen's face turned into a stern look when she processed the statement, as Yami explained.
"I have not rescued Vivian from dragons or ogres nor have I tried to break a curse placed upon her. Neither has Ziegfried done anything of the sort for me. Has that not been a tradition in our family for the last 3 centuries?" Yami smirked, sarcastically.

The King looked slightly thoughtful. "Well... I suppose we could think of something..."

But the queen quickly shot them both down "Yami! Since when have you cared for tradition, or anything proper other then studies? Last I recall, you've hated anything proper your whole life! The only time you ever behave as such has been in public events, but at home, you are nothing but a stubborn child."

Yami glared heatedly. "But that was exactly my point earlier, wasn't it? I am a child. Law required that I must find a spouse before my 21 birthday. I have a good 3 or 4 years to-" "YAMI!"
The prince immediately quieted at his mother's tone. "You will marry Princess Vivian of Great-Wall, no more excuses, exceptions or arguments." Yami opened his mouth, but she glared very fiercely and said in a cold tone, "I shall send the seamstresses to your room in an hour or so. You are dismissed."

And with that, Yami left the room, clenching his eyes and teeth tight.


Yami walked into his room, sighing when he saw his twin brother, Yugi, laying on his bed.

Yami and Yugi were identical in almost every thing except detail in looks. The two had hair that shot up into a sort of star shape; the colors faded from black to purple and amethyst. Golden, lightning shaped bangs lined their face, and hair.

Yugi only had a few, along with one that dangled on his forehead, which complimented his wide, innocent, shining purple eyes. His face was slightly round, his cheeks clinging to the very last of his baby fat, giving him a childish look. But a spark of mischief and play shined brightly in his innocent eyes, showing he was a force to be reckoned with in some regards.

Yami had more bangs, some of which shot up into his black and red mane, and complimented his eyes and face just as well as Yugi's but in a different way. Yami's eyes were a deep scarlet, and held a shine of wisdom beyond years, as well as a mischievous spark of his own, but it was slightly wilder, but only cause he did not let that part of his personality run out as much as Yugi did.

The said younger twin looked at Yami hopefully. "So, what did they say?"

Yami sighed and shook his head, earning a disappointed pout from Yugi. "I have to marry Vivian, no excuses."

Yami lied down on the bed, his throat a little tired from the verbal battle. His brother stood up and poured him a cup of cold water from a table near by and gave it to the elder prince.

"I can't say I'm surprised. You and mother have argued over every thing your whole lives... Well, since you were 12, at least."

Yami smiled at Yugi wistfully.

The two brothers knew of Yami's history in the palace very well, and Yami relaxed as his listened to Yugi talk about it all over again, content to hear his brother's voice and remember it all as his brother spoke.

"I remember when mother first found out about the extra fencing lessons you'd been taking.

You had been finishing your studies earlier then normal because you would wake up very early in the day. She had went to your room to see how you'd been doing with studies, but when she couldn't find you, she demanded to know where you were, and why you weren't studying.

She was fuming by the time the servants found you fencing."

Yami rolled his eyes and took a sip of water before commenting, "That was my fault. I wanted to do one more round before heading inside, and Duke didn't want to. But of course, Lady Swanly was nearby and wanted to watch us, and he wanted to impress her."

Yugi laughed. "Oh yeah. She sure was surprised when mother came out fuming. Thinking you were skipping studies." The elder twin scoffed, giving the wall a heated stare. Apparently, he wasn't completely out of fumes from the argument.

Yugi sighed and rubbed Yami's shoulders. "Should I be quiet?"

Yami shook his head and smiled. "No, keep going if you like."

The younger prince shook his head and sighed. "It's too bad mother made father stop allowing you to have fencing lessons. Maybe you could've gotten out of marriage by challenging Prince Ziegfried to a duel."

Yami shook his head. "I still would have had Vivian to deal with, mind you." He stated.

Yugi nodded in agreement to that. "Let me think, what happened next? Oh yeah, and then there were the extra Latin and magic lessons! Didn't it happen the same way as fencing? You'd finish studies early and blah blah blah?"

Yami raised a brow. "I would have put it differently but, yes, it was the same concept of being bored before dinner, sometimes just after lunch, and needing something to do."

The elder sighed and placed his chin in his palm as Yugi continued.

"You loved learning more Latin and magic than necessary. I would've mistaken you for me in that one incident with the Kuriboh if you hadn't been so embarrassed about it." Yami smirked sarcastically and commented in a dry, but playful voice, "Yes, if it had been you, Yugi, you would have been too busy hugging the little love monster to even notice its evil smirk of triumph at finding it's future mate."

The elder twin shivered in remembrance of the incident.

What had happened was: Yami had accidentally summoned a Kuriboh, and it had glomped him, and refused to let him go.

Mahad tried to send it back to wherever it had lived with a special type of teleporting spell that wouldn't transport the future king along with the evil fur ball.

But that spell didn't work, because Kuriboh got so mad about the whole thing of being separated from Yami, that it self destructed itself, and left Yami in nothing but tattered clothes and soot.

That had been a nasty business to clean.

Yugi tapped his chin in thought at that memory. "You know, the only reason mother made Mahad stop teaching you magic was because she thought you'd make a mistake and blow yourself up one day. Of coarse, that was after she saw you head to your bedroom after the Kuriboh incident. And the Latin had only stopped because you started to ramble off into Latin words when you were talking to people at balls!"

Yami nodded and chuckled. "Yes, but I don't blame Kuriboh for the magic lessons... much." Yugi laughed and hugged Yami, earning laughter from Yami as well.

"But I think," Yami said thoughtfully, after their laughter had died down a bit. "My best memory was from when I was 16. It was when mother saw me and you in the kitchen when we were making chocolate mousse.

"You were completely covered in melted chocolate and a little bit of flour, as you licked our fingers and laughed at the state I was in. And what a sight I was, indeed: in my royal clothes and royal crown; with my sleeves rolled up and chocolate on my face and arms and hands; in the middle of mixing ingredients in a huge bowl and the baker laughing as he tried to say I looked like someone making dessert for a dragon!"

Yugi went into hysterical laughter when Yami described the kitchen scene like that, and Yami soon followed, but his laughs were a bit more controlled, and much deeper then Yugi's.

The elder twin sighed and shook his head. "Not quite as funny as the Kuriboh problem but still my favorite. Mostly because mother looked absolutely horrified seeing you and me looking like a baker's sons."

Yugi sighed when he calmed down, rubbing the moisture from the corner of his eyes. "I still think you and Kuriboh would've made such a cute couple! You could've spoiled him rotten with chocolate mousse!"

Yami rolled his eyes at that remark and finished off his second cup of water and went for thirds, as Yugi stood up and began looking about the room.

Yami didn't have a lot of things packed for the journey they had made to Great Wall.

Just clothes and such.

At the time, Yami hadn't realized they were trying to marry him off. If he'd know, he probably would've packed more, or probably wouldn't have come at all, actually.

As Yugi continued to look around, he glanced at a small bejeweled carousel music box, which had been given to Yami by his father on his 6th birthday. Next to it, he noticed something protruding from a box... cloth?

Yami had taken a big gulp of water, when Yugi sat down next to him and showed him the cloth he found inside the box.

"Yami, what's this?"

The prince looked at the cloth and immediately spit his water into his cup to keep from causing a mess.

He set the cup down and snatched the fabric away. "Yugi! What have I told you about looking through another person's belongings?"

Yugi just smirked and leaned in close to his elder brother, liking the fun he was getting from this. "Is that the security blanket you had since you were 6?" He asked teasingly.

Yami felt a small tinge of red spread on his cheeks. "No." He lied.

The younger prince took the fabric back, much to Yami's disdain, and examined it.

It really wasn't blanket material; it was velvet like a cape, and there was a perfectly polished silver clasp with a small sapphire in its center. The fabric it's self was worn, but still a very pretty shade of blue, almost sky blue, but darker.

Yugi handed it back to his brother, who(to Yugi's surprise and shock) held it to his chest with a far away look in his eyes. "Yami? Are you still here?" Yugi called, waving a hand in front of the prince's face.

He sighed with slight relief when Yami immediately turned his gaze to Yugi's face, blinking.

Yugi crossed his arms and gave Yami a stern look, trying to look menacing... it wasn't working.

All Yugi managed to do was make his brother wonder whether or not the boy could get any cuter.

"Alright, tell me where you got that, I know it must be a good story."

Yami shook his head, a smile formed on his lips as he fingered the fabric. "Well... alright, I guess I should have told you about it sooner." He said with a small sigh and turned so he was facing Yugi, who was now laying on his stomach, with his arms crossed and his chin resting on top of them.

The crown prince held the clasp in his hands as he began.

"It all started on our 6th birthday, at the ball...."


(Flash Back: Note: Any OCCness up next is because Yugi and Yami are 6 years old, their kids!)

A 6 year old Yami laughed as he and two other princes played a game of tag, but cleverly disguised as a dance, so the grown-ups wouldn't scold them.

Their parents saw through this facade quite easily, but made no move to stop them as long as the children were content and not causing trouble. Yugi stood next to his mother, watching with a look of longing to play on his face.

Yami glanced at him and saw Yugi's face, he rushed over in a heartbeat and grasping Yugi's hands. "Brother! Come play!" Yugi looked very hesitant. "I don't know Yami... do you think they'd want me to?" The said twin nodded, vigorously and led Yugi towards the group. "Of course! You're the best runner in the palace, besides me, of course." Yami said the last part as a joke, raising his nose and chin, pretending to look very stuffy and aristocratic. Yugi giggled at his brother and before he knew what was happening, he found himself chasing the others in their "dancing" circle.

After playing a few running games, Yami left the group to go find something to eat. He had just grabbed a biscuit from the table, set out for guests to choose food from, when a voice called, "Hey, you!" Yami turned to see the three eldest children standing in front of him, giving him very ugly looks.

Yami blinked and frowned at them. "What is it?" He asked slowly.

The boys gave him very strange smiles, and asked him to come with them. "Why?" Yami had asked, nibbling a little at his biscuit.

"We wanna play a game, but we need you to play it." The eldest said with a smirk.

Yami, being very attracted to games, shrugged cautiously. "Okay, sure... where do we play it?"

The three told him they would show him, and lead him out of the banquet hall.

No one noticed them leave... except for a lone boy in the corner.

Yami had turned his head, feeling someone staring, and saw the boy there with his arms crossed and leaning against the wall. "Can we ask him to play too?" Yami asked, pointing. The three stiffened and ushered him out with "no"s and "we only need four"s.

Blue eyes narrowed with suspicion.

When the four finished walking, they were in the royal gardens. "Why are we here?" Yami asked slowly, turning to the four older and much taller boys.

They only smirked, one cracked his knuckles while the other two just leered and smirked at him. The fourth one grabbed Yami's hair roughly, making him cry out in pain. "Because we wanted plenty of room to play, you prissy little brat." Yami glared at his captor, growling in rage at the names. "Why are you doing this? What do you want?!" He demanded, hands reaching up to try and get away, but the older and much stronger boy had a grip like iron.

"We're doin' this because we can and we want to! And you deserve no better, you spoiled little pig"

Yami yelped as the older boy, obviously the leader, yanked his hair ruthlessly and shoved him to the floor on his back, holding the six year old down by placing his right foot over the boy's shoulder. "And to answer your earlier question, we're going to show you how a brat like you should act," Yami grunted in pain as the older boy pressed on his shoulder even harder. "Dead."

The little prince watched with growing fear as the other three started towards him and his captor.

There wasn't anytime to lose. Yami grabbed at the leg moving it up just enough to bite deeply into the leader's flesh.

An ear piercing cry of pain went through the air as Yami quickly ran down the paths of the gardens, hoping that he was heading the right way back to the party. He needed to get to his parents! He knew he'd be safe with them!

But as the three other boys began chasing and gaining on him, and the garden paths seemed endless, his faith of getting to his parents before he would get hurt was fading.

Yami felt tears of fear come to his eyes as he maneuvered through the plants, relief filling his chest for a moment when he thought he lost them. But a moment later, he screamed in fright as a grabbed at his shoulder ruthlessly, just barely missing him but it did the trick as Yami tripped over his own feet and fell.

The little prince screamed and cried as fists and boot clad feet mercilessly hit and kicked him, most of the hits aimed towards his abdomen and back, along with one nasty kick to his head.

(Flash back ends)

Yugi stared in horror and shock as Yami paused to drink some water. "Why didn't you tell me?! Why have I only heard this now, from you?"

The crown prince shrugged. "I did not need to worry you at the time. I told mother and father not to tell you as well, that is why you have not heard of it until now."

Yugi huffed and glared at his elder brother, feeling very overprotective now. Vivian would be in trouble if she laid a hand on Yami tonight at dinner.

But Yugi sighed after a moment.

"I suppose it doesn't really matter at this point. Any way, get on with the story, what happened next?" He asked, anger at Yami's childhood tormentors and Vivian fading in favor of his curiosity and interest at the story.

The elder twin nodded and cleared his throat. "Well, I managed to get away again a minute later, but I was very tired and bruised. I felt weak, I couldn't run much longer, so I left the path and hid behind the largest statues in the garden."

(Flash Back starts)

Yami sobbed softly, body shivering from the cold of the night as he moved behind one of the statues in the garden. It was actually a group of statues, people all sitting or standing together, frozen in time as they conversed about merry things and pleasant times past.

The prince sat down behind them, there large stone bodies hiding him rather well. Tears of fright and pain ran down his face as he cradled his temples, his head aching badly from the blow he'd been given. In the dim light of the moon, he could see very little, and as he opened his eyes, he found his vision was becoming even less helpful, as things began to tilt and sway in his pained state of mind.

He whimpered when he heard foot steps approach, and he hid his face in his arms, curling up into the tightest and smallest ball he could muster at the moment.

Warm hands touched his shoulder, making him whimper loudly. But this person shushed him and gently rubbed his shoulder, as if to comfort him a little.

Confused, Yami lifted his head and opened his eyes, only to close them again as a throbbing, electric pain ran through his skull and into his eyes.

He couldn't stop the loud sob that ripped from his lips as more feet could be heard approaching.

"There you are you li-" Yami heard gasps of horror and surprise. "Prince ---!"

(Interjection)

"Why didn't you say his name?"

"Huh? Oh! Well, to tell the truth...*Scratches head sheepishly*

"I was so tired and scared that I didn't hear that part, sorry."

"*groans* Alright, go on, sorry for interrupting."

"Okay, um, let's see... "Prince!"

(Interjection ends)

"We-we're just-"

The voice interjected them, but Yami winced at the cold and loud tone. "Assaulting the crown prince of Solar Haven? Get out of here right now before I send for the guards, which I may do anyways!"

Yami heard 3 pairs of scampering feet as they raced off in terror, but he didn't care as he continued to try and get rid of the pain in his head.

The 6 year old prince flinched and whimpered when he felt a hand gently stroke his back.

Yami looked up at his savior, his vision was now blurry as well as painful. "Wh-Who... who are you?" He asked softly, seeing nothing but colors.

Blue... gray, no silver... black... or was that brown? He couldn't tell, because they kept moving and tilting, and he had to close his eyes, the pain was intense.

The stranger shushed him and Yami felt the person gently lift him up, cradling the crown prince in his arms in a bridal fashion.

"It doesn't matter. I need to take you inside; it's getting colder out here." Yami snuggled into the person's warmth, breathing in the scent of tress, and a hint of spearmint.

"Okay... my head hurts so much... and I wanna sleep so badly..." Yami whimpered out, clinging to the stranger as he began walking, being very careful with the young prince.

"Alright, but I will need to inform someone of what happened." Yami shook his head. "N-no... It's fine. No one needs to know." He felt the grip on him tighten and he flinched when he heard a growl from his rescuer.

"Are you stupid? Those three are sons of nobles here. If that's how they feel about you, think of what their parents are like!" Yami whimpered at his tone and volume. He heard a sigh and a hand gently rubbed his back again, when he spoke again he used a softer tone, but it was still stern.

"I have to tell them about this... otherwise they might try and hurt you again, or Yugi, your brother. You wouldn't want that would you?" Yami stiffened at this, pain momentarily forgotten as anger and the urge to protect his brother ran through him. "No... they can't hurt Yugi... I won't let them." The stranger chuckled.

"I thought as much." Yami sighed and moaned in pain as the throbbing came back with gusto.

Silence came over them for awhile, Yami almost drifted to sleep more than once, but he wanted to see this person's face so badly...

Yami felt his rescuer stop a few minutes later.

"Are you asleep?" he asked.

Yami moaned out a small 'no' as he felt himself being lowered onto a soft bed, but he immediately missed the warmth of the stranger.

But it was quickly returned as he felt warm hands gently move over his sore areas.

Yami gasped as he felt a strange, tingling sensation coarse through those areas, and the stranger's hand seemed to warm up to a very high level. He would learn later on from his teacher, Mahad, that this was healing magic he was feeling.

Though the hand was hot, it never stayed in one place long enough for it to be uncomfortable, but as the stranger's hand moved over his face and through his hair, gently massaging his scalp and temples, he couldn't help but cry out in pain.

He heard a small "sorry", as a much cooler hand gently stroked his forehead comfortingly, as the hot one continued to weave over the back of his head. "It'll be over in a minute. Magic is always painful when used on head injuries."

Yami sighed as it finally ended a minute later, but he suddenly felt incredibly tired, and couldn't bring himself to open his eyes.

He felt the stranger move away, his warmth missing from Yami's body once again.

"Wait... Stay with me?" He asked, holding his hands out like an infant would when it wanted its mother.

He heard a chuckle and felt lips on his brow. "I can't, uncle would be mad... here, keep this with you."

Yami felt something being placed over him; he smiled when he found it smelled like his rescuer.

"Will I see you again?" Yami asked timidly, sleep grasping tightly at him now.

The stranger hummed in thought for a moment. "I don't know. Maybe, someday... take care. And try not to get into anymore trouble like that, promise?"

Yami nodded slowly and sighed out "I promise..." just before he fell into a deep sleep.

(Flash Back Ends)

Yami took another gulp of water and sighed. "When I woke up, I was alone, tucked under the covers. The cape your holding was laying over me though, and as you can see, I kept it."

Yugi nodded, but frowned and asked, "What happened to those boys? Do you know?" Yami shrugged.

"They were part of the Landis Family, you know the ones who tried to poison father and mother 4 years ago?" The younger nodded.

Yugi smiled softly as Yami got that far away look again, taking the cape back and brushing out invisible dust and wrinkles away.

The boy giggled and the elder twin frowned at Yugi. "What?" The youngest gave Yami a knowing look. "Your attracted to your rescuer, aren't you?"

Yami almost fell of the bed. "Wh-what? How would you know?"

Yugi shrugged. "I just think so. But it's true isn't it?" The crown prince opened his mouth to defend, but frowned in thought, closing his mouth in favor of nodding for a moment. "Yes. I always had him in the back of my mind... and I know if I even try to court someone else, he'll still be in the back of my mind until I either find him, or I forget him." Yugi chuckled and sat up, moving to Yami's side to hug him. "I'm sure you'll find him. And if he really is a prince, maybe you can see if he'll make a good match for you."

Yami smiled and shrugged. "Maybe."


A moment later, the doors opened revealing the seamstresses their mother had sent. Yugi was ushered out of the room, and poor Yami found himself being forced to pick cloth and then take off his shirt to get measured for the clothing.

The seamstresses enjoyed that part.

Yami didn't even get more than two words out during the whole process, unless the seamstress asked questions, and after he answered she wouldn't let him say anything else.

An hour later, he was ready to take his hair out with frustration. Thankfully, the seamstresses left.

Yami immediately pulled his shirt back on and left his room, face red with rage and fists clenched.

He needed to go outside for a little while, and he was determined to try and think of some way to get out of marrying Vivian.

The crown prince walked through the enormous castle till he came to the royal gardens. The flowers of the season were all bright, beautiful colors, most of them in bloom. It was all red, yellow, baby blue, purples and powder colored pinks. He moved through the flowers slowly, feeling his body relax and his temper leave him as he continued to smile and gaze at the colors. This was one of the only bright sides of the journey to Great-Wall; it was always known to have flowers: either they were in green houses during the harsh winters, or in the large meadows during the spring and summer months.

The garden was styled in a traditional Chinese garden, with a stream running through it, a few waterfalls and a bridge so you could cross over the stream to see the large pond that was filled with blooming lotuses and waterlilies in the late summer season.

Yami paused on the bridge, leaning his arms against the railing and staring into the water.

Small fish were either moving to or from the pond or swimming in the small stream. The ones moving against the current mostly stayed in one place as they desperately tried to move away from the large body of water.

Yami sighed; they looked a lot like him, at this point. Stuck in one place, desperately trying to get away from the rules and people that were trying to force him into marriage without any say from him...

The prince moved on, slowly following the cobble stoned path as he made his way towards the lily pond, thoughts of his future and present life running through his mind.

In his pondering, he didn't notice a pair of eyes watch him from a far as he sat down by the bank of the pond.

Birds were quiet for a moment as they watched the human sitting near their resting place, seeing if he'd try and attack. But as they saw he had no interest in their tree at all, they went back to their cheerful song and play with one another.

But they stopped when they saw another person moving towards the pond.

Yami blinked when he heard feet approaching, and when he looked up, he saw it was a servant. From the muddy state of the man's overalls and boots, Yami accurately guessed he was a gardener.

The man's face was a bit dirty, but handsome and young, with its high cheek bones and slight almond shape. His hair was rusty red and was pulled back in a messy ponytail to keep mud out of it, and his eyes were a sparkling emerald green. Yami wouldn't have been able to compare a real emerald to their brilliance, and they seemed to hold wisdom beyond the years of the oldest man, as well as playfulness of a little child's eyes.

The young man stood beside the young prince, his arms resting against a shovel, which was muddy and worn from years of hard work. He gave Yami a large, friendly, toothy grin. His teeth were abnormally clean for a peasant's...

"Afternoon, your highness. What brings you to my lily pond?" He said cheerfully, his voice was deep but good natured.

Yami smiled and shrugged at the man as he sat down beside him. "I'm not really sure... I guess I thought it could help me think."

The gardener nodded at Yami's words. "Well you picked the perfect spot. This is a very good place to think." He then moved over to the side of the pond, rolled up his sleeves, put the shovel down and got on his knees, pulling at unwanted weeds and such on the bank of the water.

Yami sighed and went back to his thoughts, leaving the two in a comfortable silence as the crown prince tried to think of something to stop his mother from marrying him off to Princess Vivian. As he tried to think of something, he watched the gardener as he continued his work, pulling at weeds and unwanted water plants. The man stopped after awhile and rubbed his hands in the water before turning to look at Yami.

"Is there a certain thing on your mind?" The man asked, wiping his hands dry on the front of his overalls as Yami nodded. "Yes..." the prince said with a sigh, "Yes, there is."

The stranger smiled his friendly smile and sat down beside Yami.

"Would you like to tell me about it? Maybe I can help you." The gardener smiled.

Yami opened his mouth to gently decline the offer, but then he stopped... maybe this man could help him. Or at least give him some advice.

So for the next half hour, Yami found himself explaining all about the cooking lessons, the extra fencing, all the way to the arranged marriage. When he finished telling the stranger about his 'conversation' with his parents, the man gently shook his head and clucked his tongue.

"That is a problem." He said with a thoughtful frown.

Yami nodded in agreement, glaring at the water as he grumbled out, "I'd rather be eaten by a dragon sooner than marry that stuck up witch."

The man idly scratched his scalp as he replied, "What about working for one, instead?"

Yami blinked and stared at the gardener in confusion. "Work for a dragon? But only princesses-" But the prince checked himself, and hummed in thought. "That could possibly work... but normally, only princesses get kidnapped by them. I'd have to get extremely lucky to find a dragon that would want to kidnap me."

The gardener laid down in the grass, arms folded behind his head. "For one to kidnap you, yes, but not if you volunteered to do it." Yami looked at the gardener again, frowning in confusion. "Volunteered? But how would I find any dragons who'd even think about have a man do a princess's work?"

The gardener shrugged. "Men have taken women's work before, there's nothing immoral about cleaning and organizing. And it's an honest living for anyone. I'm sure some dragons would agree with that logic."

Yami nodded. "I suppose your right... but what about my family's kingdom? What about Yugi? I can't just abandon them..." the gardener shrugged and sat up again. "You'll need to think about it and make that decision on your own. But I recommend talking to your brother about it, and see what he thinks. When you've made your decision, come back here, and I'll see what I can do to help you if you decide to leave."

He then stood up and grabbed his shovel. "Now I must be on my way, until later, your highness." The gardener gave the prince a bow of respect before he headed off down the path, heading back to where he'd been digging earlier.

Yami sighed and stood up, wiping off his clothes and glancing up at the sky as he began heading inside, seeing that it was sunset. He decided that he would talk to his brother about this idea of working for dragons after dinner.

He but suddenly paused as he was about to enter his room.

'I forgot to ask the gardener's name.'


Sam: Hope you liked it!

: Hope you didn't.

Joey and Sam: *Whacks Bakura with Rubber chickens*

Yami: What is wrong with you today?!

: Too close to Christmas, "Bah! Humbug!"

Yugi: And Partridge in a Pear Tree!

Seto: That was random.

Sam: And I'm heading out, so please review! I can't write very fast without the motivation! So if you want more YOU NEED TO REVIEW!!!

Yugi.M: Please read, review and be kind about critiques, which will be kindly received if they are not RUDE!
Also NO FLAMMING! s2Teenovelist and Sam have put a lot into this, and would like positive responces!

Sam: And I'm heading out, so please review! I can't write very fast without the motivation! So if you want more YOU NEED TO REVIEW!!!

Yugi: Preview!

Joey: Next time, Yami gets directions from a gardener and heads out to find a new life.
But will he get more then he bargained for when eh meets the 'friends' the gardener led him to? Only the author knows!