The crowds bustled and pushed through the market. The noise was deafening as sellers tried to get everyone to buy their wares as they were naturally better than everyone else's.
Somewhere in the crowds, a small boy could be seen scampering through clutching his prize of an apple. He was being chased by two burly men who were yelling "Stop! Thief!"
The boy ran for his life as he knew if he was caught it would mean the loss of his hand at the very least and that was if the stallholders were in a good mood. On a bad day he would be dragged off into some alleyway and his throat would be slit.
At the other end of the road on which the market stood, the crowds were parting and bowing as a regal figure adorned in gold and white robes and with gold jewellery about his person was making his way through the crowds with his bodyguards keeping close tabs on him.
This regal and proud man was the Pharaoh of Egypt who had decided this morning against the better judgement of his advisors, to take a trip among the common folk in the city. His advisors had protested but in the end they had to let him go as he was the Pharaoh and his word was law.
So he walked down the street in between all the stalls while people bowed and kept their heads low as he walked past before returning to their stalls to carry on when he was a suitable distance away. The Pharaoh held his head high as he walked as befitted one of his station but as he passed those with their heads bowed, he couldn't help but wonder what it must be like to live as they did. They laughed and joked with their families and friends and worked hard for what they had. He couldn't remember the last time he truly laughed probably not since he was a child and it saddened him. He would like to be able to laugh every day but the pressures of ruling his country fairly and wisely wouldn't allow him to relax and enjoy himself.
All his life things had been provided for him and he had never wanted for anything. His father had put him through hours and hours of study when he was very young in order to prepare him for when he became Pharaoh though as his father said he had no intentions of giving up his throne until the day he died and as far as he was concerned that was many years down the road.
Fate had different ideas though and at the age of twelve, his father had suffered a tragic accident when he was thrown from his horse and broke his neck. He had died instantly and his son succeeded him immediately. He had kept on his father's advisers though he didn't really like them they were good at their job.
Then there were his precious Duel Monsters whom came out from the Shadow Realm at his bidding to protect him if danger threatened. He had formed a special bond with his favourite monsters, particularly the Dark Magician who had once been human but who had died protecting him when he was a baby and had been resurrected as a Duel Monster. Now he protected the young Pharaoh with all his might.
His father had always disapproved of the Shadow Monsters deeming it a childish game. He had protested to his father that it was no child's game. His outburst had earned him a severe beating and a month locked in his room with no one to talk to. He did however talk to his Shadow Monsters whenever he had the chance. He spent lots of time talking to the Dark Magician and the bond between them grew stronger. The Dark Magician had told him that no matter what he would protect him always. The young Pharaoh had clung to the only friend he had ever known and had sworn that one day Duel Monsters would be a game played by many and the Dark Magician had whispered that the young Pharaoh would one day be King of all games.
Now he was 18 years old and he was indeed the Yu-Gi-Oh or King of Games throughout Egypt remaining unbeaten in every game from Duel Monsters which he had realised his dream in and made an official game, to chess.
Duel Monsters tournaments were held every year and young men and women would come and pit their monsters against each other in epic battles which would end up in the serious injury or death of the loser. If one died in such battles, their soul was stolen away by the opponent's monster and taken to the shadow realm where they would wonder for eternity for everyone knew there was no return from such a place.
In spite of the risks, it had become the most popular game in the country as one after another, challengers tried to defeat the Pharaoh but no one ever had, as he and the Dark Magician were an unstoppable team.
The Pharaoh continued his walk through the market until he heard a commotion somewhere to the side of him. He stopped and looked to see what it was making so much noise. Suddenly a small boy who could be no more than nine or ten years old judging by his size, came scooting out from the crowds and tripped landing in a heap right at the Pharaoh's feet. Behind him his pursuers shot out from the crowd but stopped short when they saw the Pharaoh. The boy on the floor covered up his head and shook in fear sure that he would be dead in a few seconds. He hadn't realised he had fallen at the Pharaoh's feet and he gasped when he heard the voice.
"What is the meaning of this?"
The two men bowed low and the largest one spoke.
"Please accept our humblest apologies My Pharaoh, but we were trying to catch this low-life thief who stole from my stall."
"I see. And what were you planning to do to him when you caught him?"
"The penalty is the loss of his hands your Majesty."
"For one apple you would rob the child of his hands? That law is for adults! Children are not to suffer in this way, their punishments are to be sent to work in the farms surrounding the city! You have taken my laws and twisted them to suit your own ends. Such a thing I will not tolerate! Now begone before I have you whipped and stoned to death for daring to misuse my laws!"
The two men were by this time grovelling on the floor begging for their lives in fear of an angry Pharaoh. They thanked him profusely before crawling backwards into the crowd and vanishing.
The Pharaoh looked down at the boy at his feet for the first time and couldn't disguise the gasp that fought its way from his mouth.
This boy had hair exactly like his own! He didn't exactly have a common hairstyle. His hair stood in five spikes round his head and was jet-black with a flaming red colour on the ends. On the front were several blonde bangs that framed his face and some went vertically up his hair. The Pharaoh stared in shock for a moment before recovering himself and speaking.
"Get up thief and look at me."
The boy scrambled to his feet, glad that the two men had gone. The apple wasn't even off the stall it had fallen on the floor and bruised and the man had discarded it to one side but he had seen and had darted out to grab it before sprinting off.
He looked up at the Pharaoh who looked down at the boy. He did have the same blonde bangs as his own except for the vertical ones and his eyes were deep violet pools that told a sad story of this child's struggle to survive on the streets. He looked at the thin shapeless sack he was wearing and noted just how thin his arms were. He felt a rush of compassion for the boy and made his mind up in an instant. He beckoned one of his guards and spoke in a low voice to him. The guard nodded and approached the boy.
"Come with me." He said gruffly and the boy followed him wondering what would become of him.
'Am I to be locked up in the dungeons?' he wondered and followed the guard with his head bowed watching the ground as he walked. He was so hungry and his stomach growled. He had lost his apple when he tripped and fell at the Pharaoh's feet so he had to endure his stomach reminding how hungry he was.
For as long as he could remember he had had to steal food just to survive from one day to the next. Sometimes he was able to help out a traveller carry his bags and he or she would slip him a few coins for his trouble. He could have got board and lodgings with these coins however he chose to use them to buy himself a few good meals for a few days but then the money would run out and he would soon be starving again.
At night he slept in an old crate in an alley with a thin sack for a cover. The nights in Egypt could be bitterly cold and he was often sick with his chest when sometimes it would get so bad he would wake and cough up blood. He knew he was slowly dying and yet he struggled on day by day always managing just enough to survive.
Death had almost claimed him once when he was so cold that his feet and hands wouldn't move. He couldn't clutch his sack round him because his hands couldn't grip it and it had slipped off his shoulders exposing him more. Tears had run down his cheeks as he cried out for someone – anyone to help him. One of the Shadow Creatures had heard his plea and had come to provide him with warmth and comfort. Now she visited him every night and as a result he was never cold anymore. He did still cough up blood and it was becoming more frequent and it scared him.
His 'guardian angel' Shadow Creature was also concerned about him. She knew there was something special about this boy as he had the power to summon the Monsters to himself having had no training. He was a natural at it. She had discussed him many times with her friend the Dark Magician and he had commented that this boy looked almost exactly like the Pharaoh and he was also sure there was something special about him.
"They should meet." He had commented and together the two of them had plotted for the Dark Magician to plant the seed in the Pharaoh's mind of taking a trip into the market in the remote hope the two would meet. As fate would have it, they had indeed met and now the boy was on his way to the palace to be a personal servant to the Pharaoh. The Dark Magician and the boy's 'guardian angel' The Dark Magician Girl had watched from the Shadow Realm, pleased that their scheme was working. But something was wrong, the boy who had been following the guard stopped and swayed on his feet. The Dark Magician Girl had watched in horror as he collapsed to the ground and lay still. She started to go to see if she could help him but the Dark Magician stayed her hand.
"No, if you go they will know he can summon us at will without having had all the training and he could be arrested for possessing dark powers. He has a unique and special talent much like our beloved Pharaoh but others would see it as dark magic and seek to destroy him such is their fear and ignorance."
The Dark Magician Girl had nodded and watched to see what would happen.
The boy had been following the guard when his eyes started to go fuzzy and his head began to spin. The last thing he remembered was seeing the ground rush towards him before his head connected with it and he lost consciousness.
The guard head the sickening crunch as the boy fell and rushed back towards the still form on the ground. He scooped the little body into his arms and carried him towards the palace. He hoped the boy would make it as the Pharaoh had chosen him and he would get into serious trouble or worse if anything happened. The boy in his arms coughed and blood trickled from his mouth. The guard was no healer but he knew that this was a bad thing and he sprinted towards the palace. He had to find Ishizu and get her to help if he didn't the boy was going to die.
He ran through the palace searching for Ishizu. He came to her private chambers and hammered on the door. I truth he did not care that much about the boy though he did care about keeping his head on his shoulders! If anything happened to the boy, he was sure he would get the full blame for it.
Ishizu answered and saw the boy immediately. She gave a small gasp at the resemblance he had to the Pharaoh before taking him off the guard and relieving him of his duties. Before he left, he told Ishizu that the boy was to be the Pharaoh's personal servant and that he must survive. Ishizu nodded and the guard left.
Ishizu looked down at the tiny boy who was now on her bed. He looked so much like the Pharaoh it was almost as if the Pharaoh himself when he was younger was lying there. Ishizu smiled, confident she could save him she began to mix herbs in a bowl chanting as she did so before taking some of the paste and rubbing it onto the boy's face.
"Rest well little one." She said before leaving the room.