Disclaimer: Don't own Yu-Gi-Oh!... though that'd be nice if I did. x) and I don't own the dialogue that randomly pops in from Disney's Beauty and the Beast. x) Such lovely quotes. I love that movie! -tear- It was just, so awesome!
A/N: It's quite interesting, how this story first came to mind. I was thinking one day about what Raphael said about the chance that Yami might have been an evil pharaoh in the past and I was like "NO! He couldn't have been!" but hey, what IF. Which led me thinking to this story. x) I've waited for so long for a Beauty and the Beast plot to show up in somewhere in the Yu-Gi-Oh! section. Guess I'll have to start one myself. xD
Erm, and I'm not quite sure of the accuracy of the Egyptian stuff in this fanfic, as I have no clue about anything Egyptian. xP The only thing I can recall (from sixth grade) was that Anubis was the God of the Dead and the God of Judgment or something like that. O.o So yeahh. xD Anyways, moving on. x)
- Chapter 1 -
The Curse
Pharaoh Atem.
Just the mentioning of his name would strike fear into the hearts of civilians who had lived under his rule for a long enough time to know what he was like.
He was cold and cruel and ruled with an iron fist.
Now, for the people who knew the royal family before Pharaoh Atem took the throne, they were quite surprised, as Atem's mother was a gentle kind woman and even his father was more compassionate than he.
What had caused the change?
Some say he went mad after his mother's death.
Others say the stress his father put on him for his duty as Pharaoh caused him to break.
And still some say it was merely in his nature, that he was born evil.
They didn't get to ponder for long, as Pharaoh Atem took to sending out his army to extend his empire and in the mist of the chaos, he also took to burning down entire villages that had opposed him and sending guards out to search for rebels and their hideouts.
Men, women, and even children.
Nothing was safe from him.
For the long year that followed Pharaoh Atem's rule, there seemed no hope for the many lives that lived in his kingdom.
The gods were outraged at this mass destruction and the misuse of power that Pharaoh Atem held.
It was then that they decided to punish him, but first they gave him a test to see if there was any humanity left in him…
A young guard made his way through the palace halls. His steps were uneven, and he was trembling, for he feared the wrath of the pharaoh once he informed him of the strange man that had come to speak against him.
But he also feared the strange man himself, as there was an air about him that demanded fear and respect, and even the most bravest guards that had surrounded the front gates had not arrested him right on the spot.
He came upon the door to the main throne room and eased it open.
The pharaoh sat upon his throne, as majestic as ever, his face set in a cold, hard expression as his eyes fell upon the guard.
The guard came forward, hesitantly, avoiding the pharaoh's eyes, which over the past few months of his reign, had turned from a vibrant shade of violet to a dark purple that almost seemed like a dark black void.
"My pharaoh, please excuse my intrusion, but there is a man who wishes to speak with you," he paused, wondering if he should go on. "He says that he has been sent by the gods, to speak against your rule as pharaoh."
He stopped, wincing, as the pharaoh stood up, his dark eyes flashing in anger.
"What nonsense is this? Bring in this man at once!" he ordered.
The guard lowered his head, gave a short bow, and muttered, "Yes, your highness."
And he left, glad to be out of the pharaoh's face when he was angered.
The man was brought in, but not forcefully, as usually the case was with those who opposed the pharaoh.
Two guards followed behind him, keeping him in line in case he decided to do anything suspicious, but didn't dare touch him.
Pharaoh Atem surveyed the man scornfully, taking in his lush dark robes, which suggested he was anything but of the peasant class.
And his eyes were rather unusual. They were long and narrow and were the color of the gold tiles that lined the palace floors.
They were oddly familiar and for the first time in a long time, Pharaoh Atem was afraid.
He didn't quite know why, but he felt it, the feeling of great power in the room.
And it wasn't from him.
At last the man came to a stop in front of the steps leading up to Atem's throne.
He swept part of his robes behind him before he bowed and when he spoke, his voice was low and deep, almost as if the gods themselves were speaking.
"Pharaoh Atem, I am almost surprised you do not recognize me," he said.
"I do not understand. I have never seen you in my life," Atem replied, his eyes narrowing in confusion.
"Then you do not remember our meeting three nights ago?" the man asked, raising his eyes to meet the pharaoh's.
Atem felt his skin crawl.
No, it couldn't be…
He remembered that night perfectly.
A peasant man had come to the palace, seeking shelter from the thunderous storm that night. He, in his disgust, had turned the man away.
It was a rather rash decision, as most of the dwellers of the palace had muttered to themselves, shaking their heads.
Many others had commented also, lowering their voices in case the pharaoh overheard.
'That poor man… out in the cold...'
'It is for only one night…'
'He would die in a storm such as this!'
He had heard them say so, but had said nothing.
His palace was no place for such filthy beings.
But that man couldn't have been the man who stood in front of him now, there was absolutely no way.
Before Atem could speak, however, the man had spoken again, and this time his voice changed; no, he changed.
A dark mist swirled around the man's robes, around his body, until a shape emerged from the shadows themselves.
Anubis.
Pharaoh Atem took a step back in fear, as did everyone else in the room.
Anubis's eyes flashed angrily and he spoke, his voice echoing in the large and nearly empty room.
"I have seen the darkness that dwells within your heart, Pharaoh Atem, and there is no compassion for your people left. From this moment on, you shall be bound to this palace. You shall take on the form of the monster you have become. You shall become the very essence of darkness itself. "
The guards all backed up and looked in horror as a cry of anguish rose from the pharaoh's throat and he fell on his knees, seemingly in pain.
The mist swirled around the fallen pharaoh and the guards, as well as the entire palace, its tendrils wrapping around every object and resident.
There were cries of terror as the mist slithered around each form and nearly choked off their very breath.
The pharaoh was far worse, as his body began to change, slowly and painfully.
His flesh felt like it was burning, tearing itself apart as dark fur replaced what used to be his human flesh.
From his hands and feet grew long sharp claws and his teeth acuminated, became the teeth of a deadly predator.
And it was so dark.
The darkness was suffocating him.
He felt nauseous, his head was spinning.
Why was it so dark?
As if in answer, the fog lifted but the mist still swirled around Anubis's form.
Anubis stared grimly at him.
"You shall remain in this form, Pharaoh Atem, until you learn to love another and earn their love in return. Then the spell shall be broken and you shall be free once more," he paused, and a single blue petaled flower appeared in his outstretched hand.
A Nymphaea Caerulea.
"However, if you cannot before the last petal of this flower falls, then you shall be doomed to remain as a beast." His eyes narrowed. "Forever."
And with that, the mist rose and then departed, and he was gone.
Pharaoh Atem got to his feet, almost as if in a daze. His eyes swept around the throne room and fell upon the fallen figures.
They were not dead, to his relief, but instead had transformed into the monsters pictured on the stone slabs used for duels of magic.
He then looked at his hands disdainfully, looked at the dark fur and repulsive long claws, so unlike his human ones.
The cry of anguish that now arose from his throat was animal-like, a roar of fiery for what was lost and what seemed an impossible feat to get it back.
Then at last, he walked forward and picked up the flower that was resting on the palace floor.
It was glowing a faint blue, as if the flower itself was magical.
His eyes narrowed in recognition.
A Nymphaea Caerulea…
He knew of these flowers…
They lived very short lives, from what he could recall.
He pounded his fist upon the tiled floor, nearly overcome by despair, for even if this flower lived forever, the circumstances were far too great.
For how could anyone come to love a beast?