A/N: I've had this idea for quite some time…I'm rather proud of how the beginning turned out. Just a warning, Atemu isn't really a good guy in this story. And about the title of the story – in Ancient Egypt, when somebody was struck dumb or unable to talk, they would say he had been touched by the breath of an outside god, and had become silent in sadness. The idea is that it's something that entered them from without.
Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh or any of its characters, surprise surprise. Enjoy!
Ω
Ishizu rushed around her chambers frantically, desperately searching for anything that might help – money, gold or jewels. This was a matter of life or death, and for the first time in her life she could remember, she cursed that her family hadn't been richer.
She searched methodically through all the rooms. Finally, hidden away in her deceased mother's room, she was able to find some family heirlooms – several gold necklaces and torques, earrings, rings, bangles and headdresses. Although it broke her heart to do so, she had to take them. She stopped in her sparse bedroom one last time, and gathered together what extra money she had. It wasn't much, but she hoped it was enough. With a soft sigh, she gazed around her chamber, well aware that this could be both her and Malik's last night in this world.
It was the dead of night, at the hour when most of the citizens of Egypt would be fast asleep, save the wicked. Ishizu snuck out of the palace chambers, as silently as she could. She'd told Malik to meet her far away from the palace, in a different part of the city, and there was no way she would let him down by getting caught now. She left the palace by the back entrance, used mainly by the kitchen workers, where there were usually no guards. Her breath sounded very loud to her as she snuck along the corridors, and her heart was beating so hard she was afraid she'd faint.
At last she was out in the cool night air. With a glance around, she ascertained that the path ahead was clear. Drawing a dark cloak around herself, she ran quickly towards the edges of the palace grounds. It was not far from there to the city.
*
Malik waited in the shadows by the abandoned bazaar. He'd been there for an hour, and was so on edge that the slightest sound caused by wind or a passing mouse caused him to jump and his heart to leap into his throat. He was so terrified that he was starting to hear noises that weren't there. He stared down the empty moonlit street, eyes wide, straining to hear anything that might be Ishizu. He had no idea why she'd told him to wait out here, or what she was planning to do, but she was the only person he trusted right now. He had no choice.
A hand came out from behind him and covered his mouth. He jumped and spun around, only to see that it was just Ishizu.
"I didn't want you to scream," she explained. "Come with me."
Leading Malik by the hand, Ishizu ran through the deserted alleys that would take them to the city's limits, taking care to keep to the shadows. Malik himself was dressed only in sandals and a simple black garment that covered his lower half. Ishizu was wrapped entirely in a dark cloak, making it nearly impossible to see her in the night, even with the strong light of the moon.
Ishizu looked around a corner, and drew back, trembling. "There's a guard out there," she whispered to her brother. Malik peered out. The man was walking away from them, and didn't seem to be alerted to their presence. Once he disappeared around a distant bend, Malik took his sister's hand, and they made their way to the outer wall of the city.
"The Pharaoh has guards stationed everywhere around the entrances," Ishizu explained to Malik in a hushed voice. "But see that spot over there? The wall's crumbled at the bottom, and nobody has fixed it yet. We can get through there."
Her little brother had never been outside the city limits before. Although the young man nodded bravely, she could still see fear lurking behind his violet eyes. She sighed. She regretted not being able to tell Malik where they were going, but she was afraid he would lose all heart and stay in the city. Staying in the city meant certain death. Leaving the city, he still had a chance, though it might be a slim one. Malik was looking nervously at the top of the wall, which had metal spikes sticking straight up out of it to dissuade trespassers. There were a few human and bird skeletons impaled there which nobody had bothered to remove. That's the sad truth about an empire or a city, Ishizu reflected; at the edges, things fall apart.
She looked at Malik's face, and knew he was trying not to cry. "Come on, little one, be brave," she told him, doing her best to smile. She was the only person who called him that, although he was a mere three years younger than she was. No matter how strong or tall he got, he would always be her baby brother.
Malik nodded, with a gulp. She put her arms around him, and hugged him as tight as she could. He clung onto her as if he were drowning and didn't want to let go. "I'm sorry, Ishizu. Through my stupidity, I've put you in danger as well as myself."
"Nonsense, Malik. The moon has turned your head. It was not stupidity. You did what you did because it was your only choice. The fault lies not with you," she told him, making eye contact to make sure he understood and wouldn't blame himself. "It lies with the Pharaoh, for refusing to see reality as it is. His sin is willfully choosing darkness and ignorance. I have sworn loyalty to him, but my first allegiance is to Ra, and I know if Atemu continues to lie to himself and to his people, it will not go well for him in the afterlife."
Malik stared at her, stunned. This was the first time he'd heard he say something so critical of the Pharaoh, whom she usually served faithfully. Ishizu let go of him and took his cold hand, leading him closer to the wall. "And I am not in danger." She rescinded. "At least, I don't think I am," she told him honestly, unable to lie. He looked at the ground, aware of what Ishizu meant. She could pretend not to know anything, but if they found out she had helped him escape…well, that was something she preferred not to think about.
She pushed aside some of the crumbling stone, and found a hole big enough to crawl through. Malik followed her, and they stood up finally in the cold desert air. Her little brother was now the farthest away from home he'd ever been. Ishizu took off her cloak, and Malik gasped.
She was wearing a white ceremonial gown, which shone eerily in the moonlight, seeming to glow. Yet that was not what he had startled at. Ishizu was wearing nearly all of their family's jewels, from the turquoise belt that encircled her waist, to the bejeweled headdress that sat proudly atop her hair. She wore countless bangles and bands on her bare arms, a gold necklace lay around her neck, and amethyst ornaments dangled from her ears. Many rings adorned her fingers, and the anklets around her feet made a jingling sound as she walked.
"Ishizu? What is this?" stuttered Malik, staring at her finery. The priestess looked away. Although she was doing this for him, she could not help but feel like she had also betrayed him. She'd taken their family heirlooms, for one thing. She was also leading him trustingly into a very hazardous situation, which neither of them might emerge from. She took a deep breath. She would not let him see her cry.
"Where are we going?" he asked her, and this time there was fear in his voice as he looked at her.
"I cannot tell you just yet," she told him, trying to sound reassuring. "I simply ask that you trust me. We may survive, and we may not. Just know that if we die together tonight, we will see each other in the Afterlife before long." She smiled at her baby brother and kissed the end of his nose. Malik looked simultaneously stunned and relieved. After all was said and done, it was not as if he hadn't faced death before. And at least, he didn't have to walk that shadowy path alone. The best thing about having a priestess for a sister, he knew, was her unwavering faith in the power of the Gods, the kindness of Ra, and the promise of the world to come. Without her, he would have despaired long ago.
She took his hand. Together, they set off into the desert. Ishizu led them in the direction she knew they must go. Across the moonlit sand, they walked in silence, the jingling of Ishizu's anklets the only sound for miles. Malik was holding onto his sister's hand so tightly it hurt. The priestess gazed up at the sky as they walked.
Malik's strength began to flag as they journeyed on. Ishizu was not surprised; he had not slept for the past few nights – he had only been chased from hiding place to hiding place. Looking at her weary brother, Ishizu formed a silent prayer to Isis that, if her brother did not survive the night, neither would she. She would rather die than go on without him, knowing she had led him to his death.
The moon rose higher in the sky, shedding its ghostly light across the desert sand. The murmur of the wind seemed to whisper across the wasteland – or was it the echo of a human voice? The priestess' bare feet detected a trembling in the ground, and indeed, only a second later, she detected the galloping of many hooves drawing closer. Malik heard it too. Terrified, he stared at her, searching her eyes for an answer.
"Ah, the moment of truth," was all she said, serenely. She embraced Malik, and held him tight. He buried his face in her shoulder, and Ishizu closed her eyes, praying for strength.
"A-ha, what do we have here?" she heard a deep voice drawl at last. "A couple of lost children?"
Ishizu opened her eyes. A huge black horse stood before her, and on its back was the one she had been expecting – the King of Thieves himself. Flanking him was his band of thieves, all of them riding dark stallions. They surrounded her and Malik, forming a circle they could not escape from. Ishizu still held Malik. She could tell he was still too frightened to look up.
Ishizu looked up at the Thief King. She had never seen the man before – only heard legends and tales of the things he'd done, and seen the bloody aftermath of his raids. He loomed above her like a shadow in the night. His white hair was illuminated by the moon, and his grey eyes shone, looking down at her and Malik with a predatory gleam. His skin was dark as the nighttime desert sand.
A low chuckle, and then: "Well, aren't you going to beg for your lives?"
Ishizu mustered up all the courage she had, and held Malik tighter. "Thief King!" she addressed him boldly. "We have come to make a deal with you." She felt her brother go stiff.
The man on the horse lifted an eyebrow. "Have you now?" he asked, sounding condescending, but slightly interested. "And who are you, that you believe you can bargain with me?"
Ishizu took a breath. "I am Ishizu, a priestess at the palace of the Pharaoh." At the mention of the god-king of Egypt, the men surrounding them started to laugh. The Thief King cracked a contemptuous smile, as his horse began to paw impatiently at the ground. "This is my younger brother, Malik."
The Thief King seized the reins of his steed, and leapt down neatly from its back. He approached Ishizu and Malik slowly, his crimson robe billowing around his feet and the cold desert wind blowing his hair wildly.
He was even taller than Ishizu had judged at first, and stronger than she had expected. He towered over the shorter noblewoman. Afraid, she unconsciously took a step backwards.
"Ishizu," he said, looking down at her. He was not smiling, but his grey eyes danced as if with a private joke. "Pleased to meet you, priestess." He took her hand, which seemed to have gone limp. His hand was strong, rough and weathered. He bowed, and brought her hand to his lips in a kiss. "Now, Malik," he said, unexpectedly addressing the young man, "is there a reason you're hiding from me?" The young man's face was still buried in his sister's shoulder.
With a nudge from Ishizu, Malik let go of her. Keeping his eyes fixed on the ground, he turned to face the Thief King and nodded respectfully, too scared to look around him.
The taller man reached out and took Malik's chin, forcing him to look up. Fearful violet eyes met calm grey ones. "Pleased to meet you, Majesty," he said softly, making a play on Malik's name. He sounded amused, but no less dangerous.
"Forgive my younger brother's shyness, Thief King," Ishizu interjected. "This is his first time being outside city walls."
"I see," the man replied, studying Ishizu carefully. "Then it behooves me to ask what the Pharaoh's subjects are doing out here, in the desert. Especially in all this finery." He reached out brazenly and ran a hand up Ishizu's arm, touching her bracelets. His lips curved in a smile as his fingers found their way to her neck, and traced along her throat, lingering on her necklace. She drew back, indignant. The Thief King simply laughed.
It was not often Ishizu was touched without her permission, especially with such audacity. She forced herself to calm down, and gripped her brother's hand tightly. Malik still stood at her side, staring down at the ground.
"I appeal to your honor, Thief King, when I tell you I have come here purposely to offer you a deal."
The man lifted his eyebrows and crossed his arms. "What makes you think I have any? I am, after all, a lowly thief, and a commoner to boot." The words were humble, but his tone was not. He smiled as if daring Ishizu to disagree.
"I am aware of your reputation. Yet you forget I am a priestess." She lifted her eyes to meet his gaze straight on. "It is part of my duty to look past the exterior of people's appearances, and see into their true natures. I see you are a man of honor, and you are a thief. The two are not exclusive."
The teasing smile vanished. The thief studied her with newfound interest. "I see," he murmured quietly. "You are not a typical Pharaoh's pet."
"Nor have I any reason to be," she returned, defiantly, remembering the injustice that had been perpetrated against her brother.
"Well, well. How fascinating." His eyes roamed from Ishizu to Malik, who seemed to be shivering. "Cold, Majesty?" It took a moment for Malik to realize the thief was addressing him. He shook his head.
"I think," said the Thief King, rubbing his hands together, "that this calls for a celebration." He reached into his saddle bag and withdrew a stoppered bottle half-filled with a dark liquid. "I propose a toast, Ishizu. To your bravery, and my honor." He moved a little too close to her for comfort, offering her the bottle.
Ishizu couldn't tell if he was mocking her, or being serious. She looked up at him, holding the bottle out to her with a half-grin. This was clearly a challenge. He was trying to see if she meant what she had said about his honor. Forcing her to take the first drink was a way of testing her trust – and of course, her courage. Despite what she had said about his honor, she felt very far indeed from trusting the man. For all she knew, the liquid could be poisoned. And it was hardly fitting for a priestess of Isis to be drinking alcohol separate from a ceremony, let alone with a strange man in the middle of the desert. She knew the Thief King knew this. Would she play on his level? Or would she remain proud? She knew she had only one choice.
Ishizu took the bottle from him and tipped it back, taking a long drink. It was date-wine, but quite different from the kind they typically served in the palace. It was dark and sweet, heady and potent and overpowering. Ishizu was glad for once she could hold her alcohol. She handed the bottle back to the Thief King, knowing she had passed the test. She met his eyes and knew he understood.
He touched his forehead to her as a sign of respect and took another long drink, finishing off what was left in the bottle. He tossed it away and turned back to Ishizu.
"Now, priestess, let's hear your proposition."
Isis, lend me your guidance, Ishizu thought. After remaining a while in silence, she lifted her head and spoke to the thief.
"My brother, Malik, is wanted in the city of the Pharaoh. Staying there means certain death for him." She glanced at Malik, who swallowed and kept staring at the ground. "I know of no place he can escape to and be safe. The Pharaoh's empire stretches out to both the horizons. Wherever he goes, he will be hunted down."
"Wanted, eh? Wanted for what?" The Thief King was studying Malik now, sizing him up. The skinny noble didn't look at the moment like he had much fight in him. However, the thief of all people knew that people were often capable of much more than it seemed at first.
"For murder." This was the first time Malik had spoken. His voice shook, but was determined.
Well, well, thought the Thief King. "So you do talk." He stepped in front of the smaller man and lifted his chin again. Hesitantly, the violet eyes lifted to meet his. The fear in them was so great the thief wouldn't have been surprised if the boy had fainted. But he managed to hold the thief's gaze.
"You killed a man?" asked the Thief King evenly.
"Yes," said Malik. The thief could feel him shaking.
"Who?"
Finally, Malik seemed to be unable to reply.
"Mahado," Ishizu said, answering for him. "A priest of the Pharaoh."
"And one of your colleagues," the Thief King mused. "Yes, I knew Mahado." One man the world is better off without, he thought but did not say.
With that, he fell silent. His band of thieves made not a noise. Their horses were still. Malik was petrified in fear.
"Well, priestess? I'm still waiting to hear your proposal."
"My proposal is this," Ishizu said, quietly but firmly. "You will take my brother and protect him." The Thief King noticed how Malik suddenly snapped out of his haze of fear and stared at Ishizu with plain terror transparent on his face. It was obvious the brother hadn't been filled in on the plan.
"You will make sure he does not fall into the hands of the Pharaoh. You will care for him and give him shelter." Ishizu met the Thief King's grey gaze. His face betrayed no reaction. "In return, I will give you these jewels I am wearing, and the money I have brought with me. They are all I have. And in return, Malik will serve you as best he can for however long you shelter him. We call upon your honor, Thief King, and we beg humbly for your assistance."
Ishizu lowered her proud head in deference. Malik was still staring at her in disbelief, unable to speak. Ishizu turned and met Malik's eyes calmly, and the boy seemed to crumble. He clutched Isis, burying his head in her shoulder once more. The priestess embraced him.
"No, please no," he sobbed quietly, so that only she could hear. "Don't leave me here."
The Thief King saw a look of pain cross the sister's face. "Little one," she soothed, "there is no other way. All will be well." Holding her brother, she looked at the thief expectantly.
Ishizu knew that now, her leverage was gone. She had nothing left to bargain with. She could only hope that somehow, her jewels and Malik's servitude were worth the outlaw's protection. And even so, she had no guarantee he would treat Malik well. She knew that even if he accepted the offer, he could just kill Malik as soon as she was gone, and there would be nothing to stop him. She stroked her little brother's blonde head lovingly, willing him to stop shaking.
"Interesting, priestess." All trace of humor was gone from the Thief King's gaze. His grey eyes had gone steely and cold. "In return for a servant and a handful of jewels, you ask me to take a murderer under my wing." As if on cue, his men dismounted from their horses. She noticed seven hands going under seven capes to grasp seven hidden knives.
Fear, cold and sharp as a blade, ran through Ishizu's heart. She hadn't counted on this.
"You have some nerve, O priestess of Isis."
Filled with fury at the thief, she tore Malik away from her and pushed him towards the taller man, who stood haughtily, silhouetted against the moon.
"Look at him," she cried angrily. "Does he look to you like a cold-blooded killer?"
The outlaw moved closer to Malik. He put a strong hand on his head, feeling the softness of his hair. His fingers traced down the side of the young man's face. Malik was breathing shallowly, standing stock still as the thief took him in. The older man met his eyes, and Malik was too petrified to look away.
"Of course not," replied the Thief King. "But people will always surprise you." Roughly, he shoved Malik's slight body back into his sister's arms. "You of all people should know that, priestess." The young noble collapsed against Ishizu, fainting. Holding him, she sank to the ground, and cradled his unconscious body in her arms. Defiantly, she met the Thief King's gaze. He simply raised his eyebrows, wondering if she had anything more to say.
Ishizu kissed Malik's clammy brow, and gave him a silent blessing. She would not fail him now.
Raising her arm, she beckoned to the Thief King to kneel in front of her. The authority in that simple gesture surprised him. Deciding to humor her, he knelt before her and her brother, lowering his head in mock deference.
"Any last words, priestess?" he demanded.
Ishizu reached out and drew the Thief King close. She then leaned forward and whispered softly into his ear.
"You of all people should know, O Thief King, that there are some circumstances that will justify even murder."
Confused, and suddenly on guard, the Thief King tensed, but Ishizu's hand on his shoulder was firm.
"I know about Kul Elna, tomb robber. Akhenadin told me on his death bed."
The man drew away from her, and stood up slowly, unsettled, never breaking her penetrating gaze.
"The dark places of the human heart cannot always be held accountable, O King of Thieves," she murmured.
How on earth could she know? How did she understand?
A kind of holy fear went through his veins like ice. Indeed, he could see now that the strength of the Gods was in her, and the blessing of Ra on her soul. At the moment, holding her weak younger brother, she looked to the Thief King exactly like an image he had once seen of Isis cradling Horus. Trying to regain his bearings, the outlaw ran a trembling hand through his hair.
His men looked to him, waiting on command, wondering what to do next. Overwhelmed, he held up a hand to let them know not to move. He turned his back on them all, not wanting them to see should he betray any emotion. Troubled, he looked out over the seemingly infinite desert. Somehow, he had never imagined that another human being could understand that much. He himself knew that not only could the shadows of a man's soul be capable of terrible things, but there were some things hidden within those shadows that could never be spoken of, or guessed. Above him, the stars filled the night sky, shining with the dead light of the past.
He finally turned back to Ishizu. She saw a sadness in his gaze that seemed to come from a million miles away. His eyes were shadowed and weary, and the radiance of the early morning moon danced in flickers across the planes of his face as he moved.
The King of Thieves picked up Malik, who was beginning to stir, and lifted him easily onto the back of his horse. He then turned back to Ishizu. He took her by the shoulders, and helped her to her feet so she was level with him once more.
He bowed to her for a third time, and this time he was not mocking. "I accept your offer, O priestess of Isis," he told her.
With all the solemnity of ritual, he lifted the headdress from Ishizu's hair. The amethyst earrings went into his pocket, and one by one, he removed all the bracelets and rings from her hands. He unhooked the gold necklace, and the turquoise belt. Kneeling by her feet, he took off all the anklets, and hid everything away in his robe. Ishizu spoke when he rose.
"You have saved us," she said simply. "You have my gratitude. But will you promise me one thing?"
The Thief King nodded and she continued. "Please promise that my brother will be safe with you. That he will come to no harm at the hands of either you or your men."
"You have my word, my lady. On Isis' immortal name." With that, he removed the gold chain he always wore around his wrist, and clasped it around Ishizu's. "Consider this a token of my vow."
Looking up, he saw the horizon was bleeding pink. The moon was sinking into the West. Soon, he knew, the people of the Pharaoh's city would be waking.
The Thief King mounted his black steed. In front of him on the horse, Malik was just coming round, looking around groggily.
"Yah!" he shouted, getting his men's attention. "Go back to Dje-Nebu. Wait for me there, and get some rest. You'll be needing it. Go!"
His men galloped off. The Thief King watched them fade into the distance. Then he looked down and reached out a hand to Ishizu. "Get on behind me. I'll take you back to the Pharaoh's city."
Ishizu did so, clasping her arms around his waist. The man dug his heels into the horse's side, and they thundered across the desert, so fast they almost seemed to fly. The Thief King crouched down, the reins in his hand. His arms closed in Malik on both sides, so he had no chance of falling off.
The desert flew by beneath the black hooves. The sun was almost at the horizon, and the sky was turning rosy. Before Ishizu knew it, they were back at the city borders, at the exact spot they had escaped through the wall. It occurred to her that obviously the Thief King must know about this weak spot in the city's defenses. In all probability, he had put it there. The horse halted silently, and the thief dismounted, turning back to lift Ishizu off.
"Well, little one, I guess this is where we say goodbye," she said, smiling up at Malik.
For a moment, her little brother almost seemed like he was ten years old again. "Don't leave, Ishizu. Please."
"I have no choice. But I believe you will be safe. Malik, promise me you will not try to come back here, all right?"
He nodded mutely, still beseeching her with his eyes not to go.
"Don't worry, little one," she told him, squeezing his hand fondly. "I'll see you again, don't worry. I just don't know when." She lifted her hand in farewell. "I love you." She turned to go, the tears finally breaking free.
The Thief King took her shoulder and pulled her towards the entrance in the wall. She looked at him, eyes wet, questioning.
"It's already morning," he muttered. "The guards will be alert. If they see you, they'll want to know why you were out. Just go along with it."
Ishizu crawled through the entrance in the wall. The Thief King followed, keeping one hand on her arm. Two guards patrolling the nearby street spotted them, immediately recognizing the notorious outlaw, and ran towards them shouting.
Quick as a flash, the King of Thieves had his curved sword drawn, pressing it to Ishizu's throat, his other arm around her torso, rendering her immobile. The guards stopped in their tracks.
"Back off, you fools," he thundered. "You want me to slit her throat? Just come closer."
They moved away. The outlaw grinned triumphantly. The blade flashed in the light of the rising sun.
"Don't worry," he said scornfully. "You can have your priestess. I've gotten everything I wanted from her." With that, he shoved her away from him roughly. Ishizu fell hard on the stony ground.
The Thief King backed away. The guards stayed where they were, frozen, watching the Thief King as he retreated, still brandishing the sword. "What kind of men are you?" he demanded fiercely. "Can't you even help a woman up from the ground?" The men still didn't move, watching him.
He laughed without humor. "If the Pharaoh has chosen you out of his best men to defend his city, then I fear your Kingdom of Egypt is in poor shape indeed. Fare well, priestess. May the soul of the Gods protect you better."
The Thief King looked back at Ishizu a final time. Their eyes met briefly, and then, like a shadow, he had disappeared to the other side.
It was only when he was out of sight that the guards rushed to see if she was all right. Closing her eyes, the priestess sent a silent blessing to follow her brother.
On the other side of the wall, the Thief King jumped up onto his horse behind the young noble and spurred it on as hard as he could. They tore across the Sahara, the sound of galloping hooves drowning out everything else. Malik watched the world go by. He was too exhausted to curse himself for this whole mess anymore. Instead, he stared out across the morning desert for the first time in his life. This day made by Ra seemed to touch everything with magic, creating the world anew. Despite what Ishizu had said, Malik was not at all sure he would ever see her again. Right now, everything he had ever had was gone. His soul felt as empty as the horizon in front of him. He was not a person who liked change. His life had been turned inside-out more times than he could count, and Ishizu had always been his one constant. Now she was gone, and he'd been left alone with this strange man riding behind him – a dangerous person he didn't know and was scared to death of. Malik considered praying for death. After all, what did he have to look forward to? A lifetime of hiding from the Pharaoh? A lifetime of this crippling fear? Silently, he began to weep.
Behind him, the Thief King noticed as the young man's body was wracked by sobs. He couldn't pretend he didn't know how the noble felt. At this point, though, he knew that "change", "loss" and "emptiness" were just so many more words for freedom. It wasn't the kind of thing you could tell someone. Malik would have to figure that out for himself.
Ω
Please review! I tried to use my best writing abilities with this one, and I would really appreciate feedback…constructive criticism is welcomed too! I love getting reviews, I always respond to each and every one I get! Also, I am not sure whether I should continue this story – I have lots of ideas about where it'll go, but I'm not sure if it's better as a one-shot. Let me know what you think…