MMMG: I can't believe I'm doing this.
Seto: What are you not supposed to be doing this time?
Joey: I believe it's posting a new one shot when she has other stories she needs to be working on.
MMMG: Yep.
Ryou: This one shot is based off the beginning of Disney Pixar's 'Brave'.
Bakura: MMMG does not own Yugioh or Disney Pixar's 'Brave'.
MMMG: Enjoy! And Yugi had the Egyptian name 'Heba' in this story. So if you see the name 'Heba' he's the Egyptian version of Yugi.
Bull's Eye
Prince Atemu laughed as he ran back inside the palace, his cousin Seto yelling at him to come back and fix his crooked cape. But Atemu didn't care. He had just gotten back from a day of ridding threw the desert and along the Nile River.
The 16 year old Egyptian prince had gravity deifying, star-shaped, tri-color hair, (blonde bangs, black base, and tipped in crimson), streaked with lightning bolts that ran up his hair, and tanned skin from the light of Ra. His tunic was elaborately decorated, gold cuffs lay on this wrist and arms, and gold earrings hung from his ears. His sharp crimson eyes sparkled with mischief as he continued down the hall.
"Atemu, your dad wants to see you." Bakura said, dragging his feet he walked up.
Bakura was another one of Atemu's friends, who had to spend the day cleaning due to pranking some visiting officials. Marik, another friend, had joined him in pranking and the following venture of cleaning out all of the stables.
"Thanks Bakura." Atemu nodded. "And idea why?"
"Nope." Bakura shook his head and turned towards his rooms. "He just wants to see you. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go take a bath. Or 20. Marik's doing the same since he actually fell into the dung heap."
"Ouch." Atemu chuckled and went down the hall to his father's chambers.
Along the way, Atemu had to dodge some servants and guests, male and female alike, who flirted with him. Being known as bi wasn't always a good thing, especially when you're the crown prince of Egypt.
Finally reaching his father's chambers, Atemu let Seto, who had been fussing about his cousin's appearance the whole way there, fix his cloak and brush off any visible dust. Nodding to the guards, they announced his arrival, and Pharaoh Aknankanon bade his son entrance.
"You wished to see me father?" Atemu asked once the doors had been closed, relieved he could call his only parent such in private.
"Yes Atemu." Aknankanon nodded from the desk he had in his room. "I really hate to be the bearer of bad news, but the council is insisting that you marry before your next birthday."
"Nothing new there." Atemu frowned as his mind whirled. "What's the catch?"
"They sent out invitation to the surrounding kingdoms and high ranking nobles six months ago announcing a tournament to compete for your hand in marriage." Aknankanon replied and didn't have to wait long for the reaction.
"WHAT!?" Atemu yelled in anger. "How dare they?! I said I would get married in less than nine months so why are they pushing the issue?"
"Because most men are married at or before age 15." Aknankanon sighed. "You are turning seventeen and have shown no interest in anyone what so ever."
"Not true." Atemu mumbled to himself, grateful his father took it as a hidden complaint that he couldn't voice out loud.
"I know you're not thrilled, but neither am I." Aknankanon said as he stood up. "But the sorry fact is everyone will be here in two weeks. Unfortunately, that will cut back your riding time because you need to prepare for the arrivals."
"I'll do it father." Atemu sighed. "But I won't be happy about it."
"I wasn't happy about my arranged marriage to your mother, but we got along splendidly." Aknankanon shook his head in remembrance. "She called me a stuck up pig and that I needed to pull myself out of the mud called 'bragging'."
"Really?" Atemu smirked, being able to see his deceased mother doing exactly that.
"Yes." Aknankanon chuckled. "Now run along and vent off the anger you're hiding."
"Yes father." Atemu left and headed straight for his chambers.
Inside the room was a 15 year old male who looked a lot like him, but some of the finer details were different. For starters, he had the same star shaped hair, but no lightning bolt streaks and amethyst edging instead of crimson. His skin was tan, but not as tanned due to working out of the sun most of his life, and he had wide amethyst eyes.
The boy's name was Heba. Heba had been brought to the palace as a slave that had been sold to pay a debt four years ago. Atemu had taken him as his personal servant, and the two had become fast friends.
"Is everything alright Atemu?" Heba asked once the door had been closed, knowing that Atemu desired to be called by name in private.
"No." Atemu groaned as he flopped onto his bed. "That idiot council sent out invitations to the kingdoms that there's going to be a tournament to compete for my hand in marriage."
"Couldn't your father stop it?" Heba asked in shock.
"That conversation would go well." Atemu shook his as he sat up. "Excuse me father, call off the gathering, it won't kill them. You're the Pharaoh. Just tell them, 'The prince doesn't like the idea of having his had forced and never will. Good day to you, and we'll be expecting your declarations of war in about 10 seconds'."
"And war from all those countries is the last thing Egypt needs." Heba sighed as he understood the dilemma. "What are you going to do?"
"What can I do Heba?" Atemu asked. "Someone of royal or noble birth is going to win that tournament and the honor of marrying the crown prince of Egypt."
"Noble birth?" Heba blinked. "I thought only royals could marry royals."
"No." Atemu chuckled. "It's royals and nobles. It's marrying one of the common folk or a slave that causes issues. Something about not having 'pure enough blood'."
"That doesn't make sense." Heba huffed. "A commoner or a slave will bleed if they're cut, just like a noble or a royal."
"You know that, and I know that, but the council doesn't." Atemu sighed. "Father's been trying to get that law changed for years, to allow slaves and commoners to marry someone of higher class."
"Hopefully he will be able to one of these days." Heba smiled softly, and Atemu felt his heart skip a beat.
Atemu had been 13 when Heba had been brought in. His heart had practically jumped out of his chest at the sight of the amethyst eyed boy. Over the years, Atemu understood he was in love with his little servant. But since the relationship was forbidden, Atemu hadn't said anything.
"Hopefully we will." Atemu agreed with his own smile, making Heba blush and suddenly became interested in his feet.
Heba hoped that Atemu couldn't tell he had a crush on him. Two years ago, when Heba had reached puberty, his feelings for Atemu had changed from friends to something even more than that. But because of the law, he didn't say anything so Atemu wouldn't get into any trouble.
"We'd better get to dinner before Bakura and Marik decide to form a 'search party'." Atemu sighed as he got up and stretched.
"Good idea." Heba agreed.
That evening, Heba looked out the window at the setting sun.
"I don't know what do father." Heba sighed. "Should I speak up or remain silent? I don't even know if my idea is a good one. Please help me."
"Heba."
Heba jumped and whirled around. Three people stood in the hallway.
The three people had been brought into the palace as slaves with Heba. A timid white haired boy with brown eyes named Ryou, a white-blond teen with lavender eyes called Malik, and a blond male with hazel eyes who responded to Joey. Bakura had taken Ryou as his personal servant, Marik had taken Malik as his, and Seto had claimed Joey but they got into some pretty heated arguments.
"Is everything alright?" Malik asked as he walked forward.
"You just startled me." Heba blushed with embarrassment. "I'm fine. No, strike that, I'm not fine."
"We heard about the announcements." Joey said as he and Ryou stepped closer. "Are you going to do anything?"
"Maybe." Heba sighed. "I just don't know."
"How about you view all of the contestants first, and then make your decision?" Ryou suggested softly.
"That is a good idea." Heba admitted. "But I was more hoping for a sign that Atemu was interested in me. I don't know if he is or not, and if he's not…"
"Things would get ugly." Joey nodded. "We have two weeks. We'll try and figure out if the prince likes you that way or not."
"Good luck." Heba sighed.
Two weeks later, the noble lords of Egypt and royals of the surrounding kingdoms had gathered for the celebration and tournament. Atemu felt like he would have been driven insane if Heba hadn't been there to keep him grounded.
Some of the nobles and royals had arrived early, and the constant flirting was more than enough to make Atemu want to punch the idiot who had suggested this idea. Oh wait, that was the council. Could they get fired now?
The day of the tournament, Atemu groaned at the weight of the amount of gold jewelry he had to wear. Even Heba admitted his thought it was a ridiculous amount, but it was most likely to keep the poor prince from racing off.
'I'm not ready for this.' Atemu sighed, having so much gold on him that the only skin visible was the palms of his hands, some of his face, and a small portion of each ankle.
"Ready Atemu?" Aknankanon asked as he entered his son's room.
"No, I feel like a dead weight in this getup." Atemu grumbled as he attempted to cross his arms over his chest, but couldn't even raise his hands past his waist. "I can't move!"
"I'm sorry son, but the council insisted that we keep tradition." Aknankanon looked at his only child sadly. "Other than the heaviness, are you ready?"
"As I'll ever be." Atemu nodded slowly, feeling like if he nodded too much the weight of his crown would make him drop to the floor.
"My prince, you don't have your makeup done." Heba interrupted, making Atemu groan, again, at the thought.
"I'll be waiting for you in the side room." Aknankanon nodded to Heba as he left.
"Heba…" Atemu groaned as Heba grabbed the necessities.
"Hush Atemu." Heba replied and set the makeup down once the door was closed.
Moving fast, Heba removed much of the gold on Atemu's arms and legs, so he only had upper arm bracelets, his DiaDhank on his left arm and an embroidered bracelet on his right wrist, and gold wrappings starting below his knee and ending an inch above his ankle.
Next, Heba pulled off all of the gold on Atemu's head, and took the small crown out of the more elaborate part and put it back on. Picking up the prince's cloak, Heba wrapped it around his neck in such a way he didn't need a fancy collar.
"Thank you." Atemu sighed once Heba was done.
"It was way too much gold anyway." Heba looked at the pile on a table.
"If a thief actually wants to steal all that while the tournament is happening, I won't complain." Atemu mused as Heba quickly did his makeup. "Let's go then."
Aknankanon didn't comment about the lack of gold his son wore as he and his personal servant approached. In fact, he hid his snickers.
"Just remember to smile." Aknankanon reminded as they entered the throne room.
The Lords, Ladies, and Royals, and many of the people they governed, had all gathered, waiting to present their firstborn son or daughter that would compete for the prince's hand.
The females where first presented. The Princess of China, Vivian. The Princess of the Greece, Mai. And the young Lady of the Mazaki family, Tea.
Next, the males were introduced to the Egyptian royals and court. The Prince of Rome, 'Bandit' Keith. The Prince of Nubia, Mako. And the heir of Lord Yoshio of Egypt, Ushio.
Each family bragged about what their child could do. The ladies mostly were quiet, well mannered, and were the ideal wife for a royal. The men boasted of their strength, and all the accomplishments they had done with their strength.
Atemu groaned at the thought, feeling that the only male he would be able to put up with would be Prince Mako of Nubia, and the only female would be Princess Mai of Greece.
But, Prince Mako kept glancing back into the crowd at a blond haired female with blue eyes, and Princess Mai kept glancing at a brown haired blue eyed man. Seems like if he picked either one of them, he would be tearing them away from the one that they loved.
"Now as is the law of Egypt, the people will compete in a challenge for the prince's hand." Pegasus, head of the council, spoke from memory. "The challenges will be decided by Prince Atemu."
"For the ladies, I choose the Task of Silence." Atemu smirked at their expressions of having to remain quiet for an indefinite amount of time. "For the males, I choose swo-"
Choose archery, young prince.
"I choose archery." Atemu finished.
Atemu was going to choose swordplay, hoping Keith and Ushio would cut each other to pieces and leave Mako to win. He also wondered where the voice that had spoken in his head had come from, but didn't question it.
"To the pitch!"
Outside, everyone was talking and cheering as the men showed off their strength by tossing heavy rocks and throwing heavy spears over great distances. A horn in the shape of the Egyptian Sun God, Ra, was blown, announcing the start of the contest.
At that moment, Vivian and Tea squealed, dropping the two from the competition to win Atemu's hand. Mai was the female Atemu would choose from.
"Archer's to your marks!" Aknankanon called as the three contestants lined up. "And may the lucky arrow find its mark."
Atemu sat on a throne on the dais with his father. Heba stood behind his left shoulder.
Ushio went first, pulling the sting back gently and not even holding the bow properly.
-THUD!-
The arrow hit the outer ring of the target. Ushio growled at the result while his father smacked his head in shame.
"I bet he wishes he was tossing weights." Bakura said to Marik.
"Or holding up a dam." Marik replied, sending the two into galls of laughter.
Next, 'Bandit' Keith went next. He tossed his blond hair back and flexed his muscles, provoking squeals from the girls in the crowd, and fired.
-THUD!-
The arrow hit the ring right next to the bull's eye, intensely resulting in Keith wailing when he saw how well he did.
"At least you hit the target." the king of Rome called to his son.
But it was no use. Keith was having a full-fledged temper tantrum, hitting his bow on the ground in anger.
"Well that's attractive." Atemu mumbled to Heba, who suppressed his giggles.
Keith threw his bow into the crowd and collapsed on the ground. Eyes followed as someone in the back picked up the bow.
"Good arm." Atemu admitted quietly.
"And such lovely golden locks." Heba replied, making the two choke on their laughter.
"Atemu." Aknankanon scolded, but his eyes were lit with laughter as well.
Prince Mako fit the arrow to the string just fine, but he had trouble getting the arrow to stay while he aimed. His best hobby was throwing spears, not shooting arrows.
"Get on with it!" Pegasus exclaimed.
Mako startled and released the bow, whirling on Pegasus with a few choice words.
-THUD!-
Right in the center.
"Ha, ha!" the king of Nubia cheered and lifted the hem of his robe to the competition. "Feast your eyes!"
"Well, that's that then." Aknankanon sighed as he averted his eyes from the Nubian King. "The royals of Greece and Rome will be joining us for dinner."
"Yes." Atemu sighed and turned to ask Heba for a drink. "Heba?"
But he wasn't there. The crowd's attention was caught by four cloaked figures walking out to the center of the field. One of the four was holding a pole with a symbol of a house on top, covered. Setting the pole into the ground, the covering was ripped off, revealing a golden dragon.
Aknankanon gasped. He knew that symbol.
Another one of the hooded figures pulled off his cloak, revealing a white clad figure, left shoulder uncovered, with a gold dragon wrapped around his lower left arm, tri-colored hair, and amethyst eyes.
"I am Heba, firstborn decedent of Egypt's noble house of Ra." Heba said loudly and firmly, without wavering. "And I too, will be shooting for the prince's hand!"
Atemu leaned forward in his seat. He only knew the history of the house, and that its members had been massacred about seven years ago. But if what Heba said was true, then he was the last member of the highest ranking house in the land of Egypt.
Heba turned to the other three with him, who pulled off their cloaks to reveal Joey, Ryou, and Malik. Each wore white and some a piece of gold dragon jewelry. Ryou, who was holding the pole, had a gold dragon around his neck. Malik had a dragon around his upper right arm. Joey had his around his right calf.
"What are they doing?" Pegasus asked.
Malik knelt down and unwrapped a large cloth he had been holding. Inside, a finely made bow and a quiver of arrows. Handing them to Heba, who strapped the quiver to his side, Malik stepped back and glared at anyone who tried to come close.
As Heba prepared to shoot at the target, his back turned to the dais. On his left shoulder blade, a tattoo of the Winged Dragon of Ra.
Heba pulled back his arm and fired at Ushio's target.
-THUD!-
Dead center. Heba walked down the line as Pegasus yelled for him to stop. Ignoring him, Heba aimed at Keith's target.
-THUD!-
Right in the middle. Pegasus charged towards the boy, but was herded off by Joey and Malik using magic so summon swords to their hands.
Heba frowned as he looked at Mako's target. There was only one thing he could do. Raising his bow, Heba took a deep breath, relaxed, and released.
Time seemed to flow in slow motion as the arrow flew down the field. Atemu stood as he watched, praying that Heba would do it.
-CRACK!-
Heba's arrow split Mako's in half, and embedded itself in the support behind the target.
Bull's eye.
"This is outrageous." Pegasus screamed as he tried to get past Joey and Malik.
"And why is that?" Joey demanded.
"He can't be from the house of Ra." Lord Yoshio replied. "The house was massacred."
"We survived." Malik replied shortly. "Thanks to sneaking out to a nearby oasis earlier that afternoon."
Ryou, Joey, and Malik pulled down their shirts, making the crowd gasp as they saw the Winged Dragon of Ra tattoos on their left shoulder blades.
"All of you?" Marik gasped.
"Yes." Malik nodded.
"Impossible." Pegasus growled. "You can't be from Ra's house, you imposters."
"And you would know, wouldn't you?" Heba replied as he glared at Pegasus. "You were part of the massacre, along with Lord Yoshio."
"What?" Atemu burst out in anger, his father standing up next to him.
"I believe them." Aknankanon said as he glared at the head of his council and soon to be ex-lord. "I know the symbol of the house and recognize the bow. It has been handed down from Ra, to father, to son, for generations. Pegasus, you and Lord Yoshio will be cast into the dungeons and remain there for three days."
Guards leapt into action as soon as the pharaoh was done speaking. Since Ushio tried to free his father, he was arrested as well.
"This contest is over." Aknankanon proclaimed. "Heba is the winner."
Heba smiled. He had done it. He would be the male Atemu would choose from. It was now him or Mai.
"Prince Atemu, it is time for you to choose." Seto said in his role as High Priest.
Atemu nodded to Seto and stepped off the dais inside the palace. In his hand was a white lotus flower. He would give the flower to the one he would marry. Looking between Mai and Heba, Atemu walked over to Mai.
"Everyone expects me to marry you princess." Atemu said to her. "But I can see if I choose you, I would tear you away from the one you truly love."
"And you would be ripping yourself away from the one you love." Mai smirked and pushed Atemu over towards Heba. "So hurry up lover boy."
Heba blushed and stared at his feet as Atemu looked toward him. Did Atemu really love him? Of all people?
"Heba." Atemu whispered, lifted his head up, and placed the flower in Heba's hands. "Little One. I present to you this lotus as a symbol of my love. And also my heart."
Heba gently touched the petals of the flower and inhaled its scent. He was literality holding Atemu's heart in his hands. Taking a deep breath, he looked back up to the prince, who was trying hard to hold back his anxiety.
"Prince Atemu, I accept this token of you love." Heba replied with a soft and gentle smile. "And your heart."
Atemu smiled back, and completely forgot about everyone else in the room. He plucked the flower out of Heba's hands and tucked it into his hair. Running his hand under Heba's chin, Atemu leaned forward. The scent of Heba, of sweet vanilla and lilacs, filled Atemu's nose as he pressed his lips to Heba's soft and delicate ones.
Heba felt his heart explode at a mile a minute. Atemu. Was. Kissing. Him! Leaning into the touch of Atemu's lips, so firm and yet so gentle, Heba sighed as he smelled the cinnamon and myrrh mixture that was uniquely the one of his new fiancé.
Pulling away, Atemu was dimly aware of the cheers, and wails of disappointment in some cases, coming from the crowd. But he didn't care. All he cared about was Heba.
"When were you going to tell us you four were from the house of Ra?" Seto demanded.
"Easy cousin." Atemu put a hand on his shoulder. "I'm upset they didn't tell us either, but I'm sure they had their reasons. Heba?"
A week later, and after the celebration of Atemu's new fiancé, a meeting was being held for Heba, Ryou, Joey, and Malik to tell their story. During the week, Bakura and Ryou, Marik and Malik, and Seto and Joey, all got engaged to marry.
"After the massacre, we didn't trust anyone." Heba replied. "We lived on the streets, struggling for food and shelter day by day."
"A year after the massacre, Lord Yoshio found us." Ryou picked up. "He knew who we were, and said that he would keep us 'safe from the pharaoh who ordered the execution of our house'. But he made us his slaves instead."
"A year later, I had been doing some cleaning and found some scrolls in Yoshio's study." Malik continued, tight lipped at the memory. "They gave detailed plans about the attack, as well as letters from Pegasus. It all started when Heba's father refused to give Heba to Ushio in marriage, or even make a betrothal."
"But since we were slaves, Heba could be raped once he turned thirteen and no one would care." Joey shivered. "So over the course of the next year, we did little things that would cause Yoshio to fall into debt. The High Priests' came and brought us here to the palace so his debt would be paid."
"But why did you not tell us who you were?" Aknankanon asked.
"We had seen soldiers from the palace amongst the people who destroyed our home." Heba replied. "So when we came here, we feared for our live and remained silent, no knowing if you really had ordered to execution of our house."
"And why now did you speak up?" Seto demanded, earning a hard and strong stomp on the foot from Atemu.
"Eh, that was mostly caused an accident." Malik replied with a sheepish look. "A week ago, I was getting some scrolls for Marik, and ended up spilling an entire shelf. While cleaning up, one of the scrolls held info about the high ranking houses of Egypt. For the house of Ra, the latest info was that the house had been massacred by an unknown enemy, and that the pharaoh was looking for survivors."
"We decided to go out on a limb and trust what the scroll had said was accurate, and that the pharaoh didn't order the extinction of our family." Ryou continued. "Heba, being firstborn of the house, was the only one who could enter the tournament. But we kept it secret in case we were wrong in our assumptions."
"You were not wrong." Aknankanon replied. "I never order the massacre upon the house of Ra. Rest assure Pegasus and Yoshio will be punished for their crimes."
"And Ushio?" Heba asked with a small shiver. "What will happen to him?"
"Depending on what he knows will decide his punishment." Atemu replied, taking Heba into his arms.
"If he gets punished at all." Bakura added, tight lipped.
"You had to ruin it, didn't you?" Joey demanded.
The trial was quick and decisive. Pegasus and Yoshio were found guilty of the massacre and planned rape of a noble and put to death. Ushio was found guilty of the planned rape of a noble, so he was sold as a slave, to a distant country over the seas for the rest of his life.
A new head of the council was found, Dartz. He actually came to the palace with an old man who was Heba's grandfather, Sugoroku. Dartz had been keeping Sugoroku, and a few other members of the house of Ra, hidden.
Since the announcement the prince was marrying a member of the house of Ra, Dartz and the remaining family of the house of Ra traveled to the palace as quickly as they could. Upon arriving, Heba recognized his grandfather, and Dartz was offered a position on the council. He quickly rose to the head after solving a tricky dispute about water ration on the western border.
Soon after, Heba and Atemu were married. Their favorite activity was horseback riding when they were supposed to be doing there royal duties. A couple years after marriage, Heba conceived a child, as was possible with male members his household.
Heba gave birth to a healthy set of twins. The boy they named Aamir, and he became a wise and powerful pharaoh. The girl, Haniya, was a beauty with her father's temper and her mother's gentle touch. A couple years later, Heba had another boy they named Timaeus, and he became a strong and powerful warrior.
Ryou and Bakura had a little boy and girl around the same time. They named the boy Tamim, and he grew to be a warrior. Their little girl, Amane, became a healer.
Marik and Malik had a wild little girl they named Nephthys. She was a beauty, but was very dangerous as she grew and trained with the royal guard.
Seto and Joey had a pair of twin boys, one named Critias and the other named Hermos. Critias and Hermos became warriors alongside Timaeus. They had one more boy they named Seth, and he became a priest like Seto.
"Thinking about something?" Atemu's voice whispered in Heba's ear.
"Just how life can always surprise you." Heba replied as he turned from watching Timaeus, Critias, and Hermos playing with each other. "But I wouldn't have it any other way."
"Neither would I." Atemu replied as he gently kissed his husband.
MMMG: AW! I'm fangirling here. And I wrote this!
Atemu: Oh for the love of Ra! Pull yourself together!
MMMG: I can't! Someone finish up here while I go fangirl off in my room. -SQUEAL!-
Yugi: Slightly disturbing, but okay. Please review and let us know what you thougt of the one shot.
Atemu: And please don't pester us as to when the next chapter of a story will be up. We don't know since MMMG has to work and doesn't have that much free time to write anymore.