I wrote this for the Yugioh Advent on tumblr. Hopefully there are not too many mistakes in it (I wrote it in one sitting^^;) and I'd be very happy to know if you'd enjoyed it :)

Whimsical

Mahad watched him with constantly growing concern.

He was barely able to keep himself upright with exhaustion and his red, swollen eyes stood out against his ashen skin – he looked like a walking corpse. It was obvious that he'd been crying, that he was broken-hearted and not at all ready for this but the way his uncle clenched his shoulder made it clear why the prince was standing here at all, that he didn't approve of his emotions at all and Mahad could feel anger boiling up in his chest.

Whether he was a prince or not, the new pharaoh, the living personification of Horus himself, he was still only a boy who'd just lost his father. He shouldn't be here, he deserved to be sad and mourn his loss but Aknadin had insisted on announcing their king's death and proclaiming his successor now, although Aknamkanon's body was still slightly warm.

At least the ceremony wasn't long and when the priests and court members were finally relieved of their duty, Mahad stayed behind until everybody else has left the room.

His new king exhaled then and slumped languidly down on the throne that seemed a little too huge for him, too unbefitting and made him look even more out of place in this room than he should have looked.

"My prince…" Mahad spoke up softly but Atem didn't even react to his voice and just kept staring at some point on the ground.

Taking a deep breath, Mahad walked over to him and slowly bent down on one knee next to him, refraining from putting a hand on his leg, so as to not to startle him more than necessary. When Atem wouldn't meet his eyes, he cocked his head to the side in search of those beautiful amethysts. "Atem…" the whispering of his name finally made him look up. Despite that they were friends for as long as Mahad could remember he didn't use his name very often these days. It was an intimacy he tried to avoid, not because he didn't want to call him by his name but because his position and duty of loyalty demanded his respect. But now, he wasn't his prince or Horus incarnate, he was his best friend that was in need of comfort. "Is there anything I can do for you, Atem? Do you want to talk?"

A moment of silence passed but then Atem shook his head.

"No…" he murmured, his voice still shaky but a soft shimmer of determination returned to his eyes and Mahad knew what he was about to say next. "I don't."

The words Are you sure? danced on his tongue but Mahad swallowed them down thickly and nodded instead. "If that's what you wish…"

"Yes. Please leave me alone."

Mahad grit his teeth but did as he was told and rose to his feet.

Atem watched him leave the room and thought about calling out to him until he could no longer see him. In truth, he didn't really want to be alone but he couldn't bear any company either. Privacy was something he longed for on busy days in the palace but loneliness was something he never wanted to feel.

And yet here he was. A juvenile orphan, expected to be king of Egypt.

Just how in Ra's name should he see fit to that? Only few thought he was ready for the task, the others were probably already plotting to get rid of him before his father had even been buried.

If he wanted to rule the country, to change it for the better if possible, he needed support. He knew it. And yet he had just sent his most loyal servant and friend away. Surely, Mahad would understand but it still felt weird to him, wrong even. He needed to apologize as soon as he could, he just… he felt so tired, like he had spent all his energy fighting for and crying over his father.

A sound reverberated through the columned hall that caught his attention. It was just the softest meow but he'd heard his favorite animal's sound every time, not matter how far or gentle it was. So he wasn't surprised that when he looked up he saw a light brown and black colored cat crawling up behind one of the pillars at the far end of the room.

Atem looked at her and she stopped in her movement altogether, ducking her head behind the pillar, in an attempt to escape his eyes. Indeed it took her some time until she reemerged and when she noticed Atem was still looking at her, she meowed softly again. There was something appalled in her tone, as if she was miffed by his staring.

With her head and tail held high she strutted diagonally across the room, closer to where Atem was sitting on the throne. He decided on remaining still and simply watching how and where she moved.

What a whimsical creature this was!

One moment she was shying away from his glance, the next she was demanding it. Her fur seemed to glow like fire in the setting sun and her eyes were greener than every plant he had ever seen.

And was she actually trying to crawl up the pillars or just scratching her claws at them? How did she even manage to get in here? And what did she hope to find? There were no mice in the palace she could devour, his uncle made sure of that. Despite him his uncle didn't approve of cats in any way. If it wasn't blasphemy against the great Bastet you could even say he hated them. And Atem and always wanted one, or two but his uncle had made sure to convince his father that he would just play with them all day, instead of paying attention to his tutors.

His father… He was just a couple of rooms away, slowly but surely turning cold and Atem couldn't still believe that he was on his way to Osiris now.

The cat's loud meow brought him back from his thoughts and he watched with incredulous fascination as she made her way through the room, softly and slowly sneaking up to him, until she stopped at the exact place, Mahad had just been a few moments ago. There she meowed again, now apparently offended that he didn't pay attention to her anymore.

He wanted to move to see if she would let him pick her up but he still felt too heavy and tired to move. The cat cocked her tiny head to the side, challenging him silently but all Atem managed was a fleeting smile.

For a moment she just stared at him but then she moved and sneaked up the last inches to his legs, tapping his shin with her tiny paw and a meow.

Atem looked at her, how small she was but how strong she seemed and his heart beat heavy in his chest from sadness and realization of his burden. He could feel it weighing him down and stealing his confidence with every breath he took and he had to shut his eyes against his rising panic.

When he opened them again after a few deep breaths, the cat was gone. He furrowed his brows and looked to his left in hope to find her but it seemed she was gone indeed. Or maybe she had only been a creature of his imagination from the very start. A sigh escaped him and he put his head into his hand, feeling like he would fall asleep at any moment.

Suddenly something landed in his lap and he jumped up so abruptly, he nearly fell from the throne. An almost amused meow reached his ears then and he saw the cat nearly batting her eyes at him. After he'd regained his balance completely he picked her up and shook her affectionately.

"You're a wicked one, aren't you?" The cat just continued looking innocently at him and this time Atem really managed to give a soft chuckle. He put her down in his lap where she rolled herself together immediately, licked her paw and twitched her ears and Atem couldn't help but slowly, gently pet her. It didn't take her long to start purring under his touch and a soft smile came to his face at the soothing sound. "I wonder how you got in here… Though I guess, your kind always finds a way to get what you want, right?" The cat's ears twitched again and Atem adjusted his position until he was able to pet her with both hands. "You're so small and moving so smoothly, you can't be very old… But you certainly seem experienced in sneaking up on people. Your mom taught you well, I suppose. Or your father… Mine did too, you know. He taught me perseverance and strength and gentleness, too. He was a good man, benign and brave at the same time. A good ruler and a great example for the people and for me. Maybe too good to ever step out of his shadow…"

At that the cat raked her head around, her ears twitching again and with a look in her eyes that seemed to judge him silently.

"You don't agree, huh." Atem took a deep breath and suddenly but slowly another realization crept up from his still heavy beating heart through his whole body and he could taste another kind of determination on his tongue. "You're right…" He told the cat that held him captive with those bright green eyes, as if she tried to plant confidence into his body. "No one says I have to walk behind him all my life. If I just take one step aside, I can leave his shadow and find and go my own way in Ra's light."

A loud meow and a tap with a paw was what Atem received for his words before the cat jumped down his lap. Atem moved to reach out for her but a thick, heavy smoke started to build around her and in the next moment the cat was gone, replaced by none other than his best friend.

"Mahad!" The magician turned around and instantly bent down on his knee again, thus shielding his face from Atem's view but he knew his friend was smiling proudly anyway. "I didn't know magicians were able to do this… Transform themselves into animals, I mean. ."

"One can always surpass one's ancestors, my prince. It's only a matter of diligence and heart." Mahad looked up and Atem was caught in his piercing glance. "And you have both, Atem."

His mouth ran dry and his heart leapt into throat at the faith that his best friend bestowed on him. He could laugh at himself if he wasn't so mixed up. There really was no need to feel as uncomfortable and weak and he did when he had friends and confidants like Mahad.

Again, he adjusted his position and this time straightened his back, set his legs firmly on the ground and held his head high until Mahad wondered how he could ever think he looked out of place in this throne, his throne.

"Thank you, Mahad." Atem nodded his head with the royal posture he was born with. "For your friendship and council."

The magician nodded his head again but held the other's gaze. "Always, my prince." He confirmed and was glad to see Atem smiling at him. Mahad smiled back a last time before he got up and then nodded his head to the door. "After you've rested…" Atem opened his mouth to protest but Mahad held up his hand to stop him and spoke with more vehemence. "After you've rested, my prince you are very welcome to keep Mana and me company at her training lessons. Whenever you feel like it, of course."

Atem still had this assuaged, soft smile on his lips as he nodded his head in gratitude. "I still have to… organize some details of my father's burial but I will be glad to join you as soon as I am rested." He stressed his last two words and Mahad gave him an approving nod.

They looked at each other for a moment longer, both smiling softly but with a different sort of affection. Mahad was the first to break the contact as he bowed his head slightly once more, then turned and walked out of the room as sneakily as that cat that had helped Atem regain his confidence just a few minutes before.

Atem knew he'd never find a more loyal friend.