New story! yay! I had this idea, it just kind of popped up in my head as I was listening to the Prince of Egypt soundtrack.

Something(s) to consider:

1. A few characters are sort of off/out of place (ex Isis being Yami's mother and Shadi being Anzu's father. Please don't tell me this is wrong...I know! It's for the sake of my story). I really want to refrain from making my own characters. BUT I DO NOT OWN YUGIOH!

Please enjoy!

--

Isis took a deep breath as she handed the slave girl a small vial from the sleeve of her silken cloak. She nodded and the girl bowed without a word and scurried off to the kitchens. In the distance she could see the lavish pyramids, creating a marvelous mural in the sky. How it contrasted her inner desires. She turned from the balcony to enter her dressing room to prepare for bed. Not that the king would visit his less favorite wife. Isis smirked viciously. The glimmering Egyptian sun was setting on the steaming sands and the façade of a happy royal family.

Through the mirror she could see her flushed complexion and the distraught in her eyes. She had hesitated for a moment but then remembered this was what she HAD to do. Her son's honor depended on it. Her honor would thrive from it. With the less worthy of the Pharaoh's two wives gone, Isis would be free to take the title of Queen, which should have been hers from the beginning. It should be her son who should be next in line, not the rascal son of some foreign beauty from the other side of the Mediterranean. Her line was pure Egyptian, making her the rightful Queen in her own mind. This other woman was a stranger to their lands though she spoke the language with ease. And she was beautiful in an exotic way, though Isis turned her nose at her fairer complexion and light hair color. It was no surprise the King took her as his own upon the completion of the alliance between their two nations. Had the Pharaoh not gone in person to meet with his counterpart, he never would have met her.

Isis gritted her teeth as she remembered the day her father told her she would still be marrying the King, but not to become Queen. The marriage had been arranged since she had been an infant, yet the sudden change in the contract was almost enough for Isis's father to withdraw her from the agreement. It had been the King himself who insisted the wedding still take place. He had begged at Isis's feet, claiming he was a man of his word and would honor the wishes of his father and her own, as it had been the previous Pharaoh who finalized the contract. She hated to settle for second best, but her father insisted it was this marriage or one even further away from putting the Ishtar name in royal letters.

It was almost as awful as the day he told her of her baby brother Marik's brutal murder. How she missed him. It hadn't been that long ago. Isis and the boy had different mothers and were 12 years apart. He would have been about 5 or 6. It was likely that Marik's mother had been a whore, as Isis's mother had died when she was young. Isis did not know for sure; the woman had never been permitted into the castle. It was speculated that Malik's less fortunate half of the family had something to do with inspiring the killing.

She lay down in her enormous bed and sighed. She tried to sleep, but her mind was flooded with thoughts and possibilities. She hoped for her son's sake that this could not be traced back to her. Her plan seemed fool proof: Pay off the slave girl to poison the Queen's food and then have her bodyguard Shadi kill the girl for "not doing her job correctly", which would be overlooked since the girl was her property. It rendered her virtually blameless. No one could trace the Queen's death to her.

She shivered at the thought of anything happening to her little boy because of her actions. The Pharaoh was merciful, but only to an extent. Her covers only comforted her chill slightly. Soon, she would have the Pharaoh with her every night to keep her warm. He would no longer spend the evenings exclusively with his trophy wife. The entire subject was a sore one for Isis. The king had not visited her bedchamber since soon after Atem had been born. He seemed less satisfied with her after she had endured childbirth, but he did not seem to share the same complaints with the Queen, even though she had given birth to Ryou nearly three years before Atem had been born. Even more recently, after the birth of Amane, Ryou's sister and Atem's half sister, the Pharaoh was always at her bedside. It had even been rumored the Queen was pregnant again.

All of the weighing on her, she leapt up from her hours long attempt of slumber. She stared at herself again in the mirror. Though her makeup had faded and a tear fell down her cheek, she was beautiful. Men would die to get their hands on her. The king was a fool, choosing anyone but a true Egyptian for the Queen of EGYPT.

'As a pure aristocrat of noble Egyptian birth, this is what I'm reduced to? Crying over the man who is rightfully mine! Everyone thinks I am barren and can't give the king more children. If they only knew how that foreign bitch is stealing him!' she shoved some books and pottery off of a nearby table.

"Such queen like behavior," a voice said from the darkness. She stood up suddenly.

"Shadi!" she gasped.

"Yes, your highness?" he asked.

"Wh-what did you call me?"

"Oh don't act so surprised. The Queen is dead. Her guards found her dead in her sleep," he bowed.

Isis let out an evil cackle and then restrained herself.

"I must act shocked to avoid suspicion. I mustn't give any hint that I had anything to do with this…" she said, snapping her fingers, signaling her dressing maids to bring her a new garment. Her loud and vivacious red dressing was too much for the circumstances. She wanted to opt for something less bold. Now was not the time to be displaying her wits. Not yet.

"A wise decision, my lady," Shadi agreed.

"So then the slave is taken care of as well?" she asked from behind her changing curtain.

"Indeed," he gulped, remembering what he had done. Killing ruthless men after his mistress, any member of the royal family, or one attempting to steal a Millennium Item was one thing, but he hated harming children, especially girls. He had a young daughter of his own…but Isis didn't know about that. If she did, she would surely dismiss him. Their relationship was an interesting one. Shadi was not quite sure how to explain it. He knew she cared for her husband, but he could tell she was beginning to become frustrated. Surely she would see that if the king would not love her, he would. Guarding the Millennium Items was his primary occupation, but the Pharaoh himself had asked him to guard Isis many years ago as well. Anything he did to upset her would not reflect well on his abilities. He was so close now, any mention of another woman was sure to diminish his chances.

"Good," she muttered, stepping out from her curtain. She wore an opaque white Egyptian gown with black trimmings around the hem and sleeves that was rather low-cut in Shadi's opinion. She wore only her golden Millennium necklace to adorn her beauty. Her maid had also touched on her make up to make her eyes look very seductive. He offered her his arm, leading them out into the throne room where the King waited. There were only guards and advisors surrounding him. They grew quiet as she captivated their attention.

Upon entering, she patted her eyes and bowed with Shadi behind her now.

"Your highness…" she said to the red rug beneath her as she kept her head down.

"Rise, Isis. Tell me, where have you been this evening?"

"I retired early this evening in my room, my lord," she assured, looking him in the eyes now. He turned to a guard who had been assigned to Isis's room's door for that evening who nodded in agreement and muttered a few inaudible words to the king.

"Very well. Guards, search the palace for any signs of suspicion," he ordered.

"My king…pray tell, what happened?" Isis asked, just below his feet now. He turned to look away from his wife.

"The Queen's guards found her dead in her sleep. No sign of struggle…no sign of a murder attempt," he said, his eyes darting up at her sharply. Isis's eyes grew wide, half in true shock, half in artificial.

"Perhaps she died of disease or other natural causes, my King?" Shadi suggested. The Pharaoh ignored him. He didn't WANT to believe this was the case, but such a lack of evidence was leaving him no choice. He retained his gaze on Isis.

"Sire, I can assure you I wouldn't…." he waved a hand to the others in the room, commanding them to leave. Once they had, she pulled her close.

"It is widely known you were jealous of the Queen, Isis," he said forcefully placing a hand near her neck.

"I longed for your affections, yes, but not at the sake of the Queen! What's precious to you is precious to me. I tried to treat Her Majesty as a sister, to please you, my Lord," she said bowing her head again. He jerked it back up to look her in the eyes as he latched on to her throat.

"Why shouldn't I suspect you?" he growled, his grip on her throat now tighter.

"Please, my King, I beg you….stop! I did nothing!" she struggled to free herself from his clutches. The king said nothing more as he kept his hold on her.

"Who are my children to turn to for a mother now? I know you will not care for Ryou," he said squinting his eyes.

"Sire," she said gasping, "Am I not the mother of your son Atem also?"

The Pharaoh's eyes widened and he dropped her from his grasp. She placed a gentle hand to her throbbing neck and breathed heavily.

"You are right. I suppose it would take a true monster to kill another child's mother. You are no monster, Isis. But you are not angel either. If I discover you had ANYTHING to do with this, it will be the end for you, my wife!" he cried as he stormed from the throne room.

Isis held back tears as Shadi, who had been permitted to stay in the corners of the room, helped her up. He felt as though he had let her down, but he was not allowed to intervene when the King was inflicting pain, not even on his own mistress. No one had that authority.

The two walked back to her chambers to prepare for the funeral services that evening.

"You did well," Shadi said softly.

Once inside the chambers, Isis sighed.

"Now you may address me as the future Queen that I am!" she said delightfully, clasping her hands together with joy.

"Your highness, when do you think the King will crown you? After the customary month?"

"Most likely longer, seeing as how he loved her so. But unless he divorces me, which won't happen will simply HAVE to name me Queen eventually!" she snickered. She was taken aback with herself since she showed no remorse. It was not like her to be a killer, but desperate times call for desperate measures.

A portrait of her son on the nearby wall caught her eye. He was down on one knee, his right arm place across his chest in a symbolic royal stance.

'He is so young. He will not understand what I have done for him, but watching him and helping him grow to be a mighty ruler will be a rewarding thank you,' she thought. 'Once I am proclaimed Queen, he can truly begin his preparation to ascend the throne.'

"My Queen," Shadi interrupted her dreams," what will become of the other prince and princess?"

Isis was quiet for a moment. She had not pondered this fully yet, getting rid of the Queen had been her first and only priority.

"Hmmm," she thought. "I am not quite sure." She evaluated various possibilities in her mind. Ryou was not visibly much older than Atem. She could easily raise the other two children as her own, with Atem favored of course. But did she want to? A brother so close to Atem could easily become a rival for power. Amane would prove no harm, the throne usually skipped over princesses to the next capable prince, unless one could not be found. Then she pictured the three children together, not liking the image in her head. They would be a reminder for the King of his previous wife and lost memories. But he would allow no harm to come to them for sure. Hopefully he would overrule Ryou's birthright as firstborn of the Queen and grant the title of Prince Royal to Atem. She cringed. The very thought of Ryou and Amane reminded her of the deceased Queen and rekindled her jealousy.

"I will deal with that when the time comes. For now they are the least of my worries!" she said, reclining on a lounge chair on her balcony as maids served her luscious sweets and delicious liquors. She sipped and munched away as she basked in her victory before being forced to return to her charade, pretending to mourn while secretly rejoicing.