Hello, everyone! I have a BRAND NEW STORY for you! This one came to me while I was going through an old fairy tail book that my great-grandmother gave me before she passed away, and thought about creating something new from one of the stories! For those are curious, the story that I am referring to is "The Sea Maiden". The book is so old that I can no longer find the author of the stories and the pages are so fragile that they may crumble to dust if handled too roughly. Anyway, it was one of my favorite stories so I'm going to make this in dedication to my great-grandmother Ruby Wilke. Love you and miss you, Grandma Ruby, and I hope you enjoy this story as I write it for you!
Disclaimer: I don't own YuGiOh! Or it's characters!
Atem's Name Game
Chapter 1: The Game Begins
"My son, be careful," the Pharaoh called as his son, the prince, leaned over the railing. "We don't need you falling in and getting wet."
Prince Atem threw a smile over his shoulder as his friend Mahad grabbed hold of his arm, his amethyst eyes glittering in the torch light. "I won't, father, I promise. You know Mahad wouldn't let anything happen to me."
Mahad was the prince's personal guard and was responsible for keeping the future king of Egypt safe. Though he was only four years older than the prince, he was more cautious than than even the king. "My prince, please take a few steps back."
Atem rolled his eyes. "Would you relax, its not like I'm going to-" his words stalled as his grip on the railing slipped when the boat suddenly tipped to one side. His free hand reached out and grasped whatever was in range; which happened to be Mahad's cloak. He smiled sheepishly up at his friend who sighed heavily and shook his head. "-Fall in."
"My prince, you are quite a handful..." Mahad mumbled, rubbing his temple as the future heir straightened.
"My apologies, my king," the captain bowed. "We must have collided with something underwater. The rest of our journey should be relatively smooth."
The prince turned his attention to the dark water as his father and the captain began to talk about their journey. They were on their way home from a meeting with the Nubian king to discuss trading opportunities. He never thought that he would miss the sandy dunes of his home this much. This had been their fourth trip in the past month. Before Nubia they had visited Greece, Crete, and Venice. Each had been exciting in their own way, but he rather enjoyed the Grecian culture most. During their stay, he requested to learn their language so that he may better communicate in later years when he became pharaoh himself.
Absentmindedly, he trailed a his fingers through the water, creating ripples in the otherwise mirror-like surface. There was one thing that he would miss about Greece and it wasn't the princess that had forced him to entertain her the whole time he was there...the water there was the cleanest that he had ever seen. It wasn't the rich blue like the Nile, it was clear and dark like sapphires and cool to the touch. He had spent most of his time near the water and it always found a way into his mind when he was fulfilling his princely duties.
The feeling of something cool brushing his finger tips pulled him from his thoughts. Peering into the water, he blinked in surprise as something moved underneath the water's surface and hastily retracted his hand. Was there a crocodile nearby? Something glittered just beneath the surface, reminding him of the jewels that the royal Nubian family wore. Was it a fish perhaps? Reaching out, he slowly submerged his hand, fingers relaxed and open.
He gasped as the sensation came again but it was different this time: instead of the scales of a fish, he felt...fingers. The fingers were smaller and much softer than his own. They ever so gently traced his hand, tracing patterns across his skin. He realized with a start that they were not only exploring his hand but that they were trying to communicate. Fluent in many languages, he searched for any clues that could help him distinguish what they were saying. Gently, he spread the small fingers and began to write greetings in every language that he knew. The fingers entwined with his and squeezed slightly when he reached Greek. So this strange being was Grecian...
"My...name...is...Prince...Atem..." he wrote. "It's...a...pleasure...to meet...you." He smiled as they began to write, but it grew into a confused frown as they began to sign back. "You're name is a drink?" The hand disappeared as the boat suddenly tipped, throwing the prince backwards and into his friend.
The air was pierced with the screams of the crew as the boat rocked hazardly back and forth. The captain fell to his knees, praying to Ahti for forgiveness. Father was nowhere in sight and neither was his court. Mahad yanked the prince away from the railing as a hippo suddenly appeared from the water, its jaws closing on the railing. Perhaps the captain was right and this was the work of Ahti! The hippo flung itself against the boat, making it rock uncontrollably. Mahad shouted as it caught the prince's clothing between its jaws and drug him over the railing.
Atem fought with everything he had as the hippo began to drag him farther into the dark water. The hippo suddenly jerked sideways, releasing the prince. He nearly gasped in surprise as something whisked past him and colliding with the hippo again. His vision blurred as the need for air burned his lungs but his body wouldn't listen to his commands to swim towards the surface. Glancing down, he noticed that his leg was bleeding profusely. Darkness slowly closed in on him as the hippo swam away...
~LAF~
"...wake up..." A voice echoed in the darkness. It was high pitched and reminded one of a small stream. "Please...open your eyes..."
Something collided with the prince's chest, causing the water to spew from his mouth. Sitting upright, he rubbed his eyes as the last of the water left his lungs and the jagged surface of cave walls came into focus. He stiffened as something began to rub his back.
"I'm so glad your'e awake," the voice said, the objects on his back beginning to move in circles. "I was worried about you there for a little while."
He turned his head, attempting to find the source, but was forced to look ahead by familiar slender fingers. "I just want to see who saved me," he simply stated. Then, realizing that it just spoke in Grecian, slipped into the familiar dialect. "Won't you please show yourself to me?"
The hands slipped upward and into his hair. "You're hair, it's the strangest thing I've ever seen."
The prince mentally noted his savior's sudden need to conceal their identity. If they wouldn't show themselves to him willingly, then he wasn't going to force them to. "Can you tell me a little about yourself?"
"You're hair is surprisingly soft!" The fingers combed his thick tricolored hair, gently working out the tangles when they appeared.
He sighed. A dull pain shot up his leg as he shifted into a different position, bringing his injury to mind. To his surprise, there was a makeshift reed bandage wrapped around the wound. "That hippo nicked your calf," the girl explain, noticing the direction of his gaze. "It's not much, but it's what I could find."
"Thank you," Atem smiled, brushing his fingers over the bandage. "I'll be sure to inform my father that you were responsible for my rescue and excellent care. All I need to know is-"
"So, prince, are you an only child?" she cut in, her fingers tugging his hair lightly. "You reminde me of someone I know who is the youngest of their family, and they are just as nosy as you."
This conversation was going around in circles! An idea struck him, one that he would never resort to. "So you said your name was a drink? Who names their offspring after a beverage?"
The fingers froze and he yelped in surprise as his head was yanked painfully backward. "My name is none of your business!" The girl above him all but screeched, her sapphire eyes ablaze with anger.
A smile found its way onto the prince's face; at least he could see her face. She had fair skin that almost reminded him of a pearl that he once found in a clam during his stay in Greece, and her chocolate hair was long enough to just brush her jawline. "At least I can see you now."
A faint pink entered her cheeks at the prince's words. His amethyst colored eyes were unlike any that she had ever seen and his skin tone intrigued her. His caramel color seemed to make her own pale complexion seem similar to the porcelain dolls that she sometimes came across, and his skin was warm to the touch. Her fingers relaxed slightly, allowing a few strands to slip between them. Of all the beings that she had met and encountered, none had such wild yet soft hair like him. "You sure are nosy for a prince," she smirked, forcing his head back a little farther. "You don't even know my name but you dare to insinuate that my parents were wrong to give me my name?"
"I meant no such thing," his eyes widened at her accusation and filled with guilt. "I only wished that you would tell me your name."
Her features softened slightly and became overwhelmed with sadness. "I wish that I could, prince, but I can't." She removed her fingers from his hair and lifted his head so that he was facing the cave wall again. "If I told you my name, it would put your family and country in danger."
Doubt filled his being. How could she put an entire country in danger? She appeared to be a few years younger than himself, so what threat could she possible pose? "I must ask, do you where my father and Mahad are?"
"Don't worry, they are alright. I wouldn't be surprised if they were searching for you as we speak," she replied, resting her head against his back and her hands on his shoulders. "I'm glad that you're okay, Prince Atem, and I'm honored that I was able to meet the infamous prince of Egypt."
"Please, call me Atem, and I'm glad to have met you too, though I still don't know your name," he raised a hand and rested it upon hers. "Will you at least tell me which village you are from?"
She chuckled, her fingers slipped out from under his as his vision began to blue. "Let's play a game. If you can find me, then I will tell you my name." Her fingers brushed his face as he fell backwards into her and into unconsciousness. "I will be waiting for you, Prince Atem, future pharaoh of Egypt..."
~LAF~
He bolted upright as a bright light burned his retinas. To his astonishment, he was washed up on the Nile's bank nearest to the palace! An image of the girl's eyes flashed in his mind as he stood and looked out at the glittered river. A challenging smirk found its way onto his face. "Alright then," he murmured as the voice of his father called to him from the boat approaching. "It's game time."
Well? What do you guys think? Please let me know in the comments or message me your thoughts! See you all next time!
